#THE WHOLE CAST LOVES MELISSA SO MUCH

[ethan-nestor-owns-my-heart]

SCREAM VI cast reunion

#AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #IM LOSING MY MIND #THE WAY MELISSA AND JENNA ARE HUGGING THATS MY CARPENTER SISTERS #fuck you spyglass #SPYGLASS I HOPE THERES GLASS IN YORU BEDSHEETS #THE WHOLE CAST LOVES MELISSA SO MUCH #scream #scream vi #scream 6 #tara carpenter #jenna ortega #scream v #sam carpenter #melissa barrera #carpenter sisters #reunion #mason gooding #jasmin savoy brown #tony revolori #liana liberato #skeet ulrich #jack quaid #scream cast #cast #horror

[brooooswriting]

Hello! I’m sorry to hear you got writer's block :(

May i request “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”, with Jenna Ortega please?

I hope it helps! 🫶🏼

Funny story

Jenna Ortega x reader

Being an actress in a relationship with another actress isn’t always the greatest thing. There are fans, paparazzis, other celebrities and more things that will try to pull you apart but sometimes our self destructive minds are enough to do that.

The moment you and your girlfriend, Jenna, heard that you were cast in the same movie you were over the moon. You’ve always loved the scream movies and playing in one was a dream come true, especially since you have already met a big part of the cast due to Jenna.

The ‘over the moon’-phase was over when you got the script, you were still unbelievably happy but the fact that you’d play somebody else’s love interest wasn’t ideal. You didn’t really mind that much and Jenna, well she acted like she didn’t, but deep down it nagged her.

You’d play ‘cute girl’ (you’re taking cute boys place), Sams love interest from next door. You were happy to work so close with Melissa as she was incredibly nice and thoughtful making the whole filming a great experience.

“Y/n, wanna hang out later? We could run some scenes and get to know each other better, it makes the whole filming easier” Melissa said as she sat down on her chair next to you, “sure, Jenna is filming late today anyway” you quickly texted your girlfriend to let her know where you were before grabbing your jacket and walking with the older woman.

After you guys were out to eat you went to a small park where you ran some lines, practiced some movements and arrangements until it was completely dark. “Shit, it’s pretty late. I should get going, I bet Jenna’s waiting” you said your goodbye and hugged her before walking to your car.

“Baby, I’m Home” you called out when you entered the apartment but you didn’t receive an answer. “Baby?” You called out again as you went into the bedroom where you found your girlfriend sleeping with your pillow in her arms. You cooed before you got ready for bed and went to join her. She grumbled when you pulled the pillow out of her grip but shut up when she noticed your present next to her.

The next morning was like every other morning, you guys woke up, got ready then made breakfast and quickly ate before driving to the set. “So, where were you so long yesterday?” The brunette in front of you asked as you drank a sip of your coffee. “Oh, Melissa and I went to eat something and then we ran some lines” you answered with a small smile before asking how her day had been.

The moment you arrived on set Melissa pulled you away to discuss something causing Jenna to scoff before making her way to the makeup department. Jenna didn’t see you until you had to film a scene where Tara, Sam and their friends were in their apartment and you had eye contact with Sam from your window. While your girlfriend was already walking towards you to greet you with a kiss, the director had different plans as he immediately send her back so they could start filming.

She hated this, all of it. She hated the way the actress looked at you and even worse, she hated how you looked at and smiled at the other actress, it seemed too real. So the moment the scene ended she sprinted towards her trailer leaving everybody confused.

As it was your last scene for the day you had enough time to look after Jenna. “Jen?” You carefully whispered when you entered her trailer to see her sitting on a chair in the kitchen. “What’s wrong hun?” You wrapped your arms around her shoulders and kissed the back of her head causing her to melt into you. “Nothing, I was just a bit overwhelmed” it wasn’t hard to see that she wasn’t 100% truthful but you decided to give her space.

“Jenna, we need to film the next scene. Oh and y/n, Melissa wants to see you” Jasmin yelled from behind the door causing your girlfriend to jump up and walk off. But you quickly grabbed her wrist to pull her back into your arms, kissing her softly, before letting her walk away. You followed behind the two to find Melissa.

The filming has been rather weird, you barely saw Jenna as either you were spending time with Melissa or she was off doing who knows what. She barely talked to you at the moment, making it hard for you to concentrate and even worse, it made you crave physical touch. You missed her hugs and you missed the cuddles, the kisses and holding hands.

People on set seemed to notice that there was something wrong as especially Melissa and Jasmin offered you a whole lot of hugs whenever you wanted. It did ease it a bit but it was nothing compared to Jenna.

After barely seeing you for two weeks the small brunette finally decided to watch one of your scenes, possibly the worst scene she could have chosen. It took place after Tara’s and Sams fight where the older girl sat in the lobby waiting for you.

Melissa sat on the stairs playing with the rings on her fingers while you got yourself ready behind the door you’d walk through. Jenna sat on a chair behind the cameras.

As soon as the mark came you pushed the door open and went to get your mail, counting to five in your head before you made your way toward the older carpenter sister. You walked past her in a normal pace and slowed when you reached a certain mark on the floor, it gave Melissa the time to reach for your wirst and pull you back. Once you were situated in the right place she nearly threw herself at you, her hands on your shoulders pushing you against the wall while yours landed on her waist. In a matter of seconds her lips landed on yours in a aggressive and passionate kiss, you loved Melissa but it was uncomfortable. You could feel Jenna stare right through the woman.

When you parted you saw Jenna fuming and as soon as the scene was over she grabbed your hand and pulled you away. You were deeply confused by her behavior, not just today but the last weeks.

And then again you were pressed against a wall with someone’s hands on your shoulders, but this time it felt like home. Sure, the kiss wasn’t gentle or anything, it was rather the opposite. It was like she was trying to show anyone who could kiss you like that and god, did she know your buttons. In a couple of seconds your knees were bucking and you had to suppress your moans which was when she started to attack your neck.

In that moment Jenna wasn’t completely focused on you, she was making sure that Melissa saw how you melted under your touch, grinning when she was how the woman looked away embarrassedly.

You lightly pushed her away, “let’s get to my trailer okay?” This time you grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Her eyes were focused on Melissa, a wicked grin sporting her face while the other actress was rather confused.

As soon you entered the trailer she was on your neck again, biting down to leave a mark. “You’re mine” was the only thing she whispered against your neck and at that moment the lightbulb on top of your head lit up. “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?” You giggled as the other woman only grumbled.

After a small moment of silence she finally spoke up as she threw herself onto the bed. “How couldn’t I? She’s been taking all of your time, I barely saw you, people have taken pictures of you wan started shipping you and you guys have to kiss, like constantly” she was throwing her hands around as she was clearly frustrated.

You felt sorry for her, you didn’t know that she felt like that. You sat beside her and pulled her into you. “I’m sorry you feel that way, I didn’t know. When you distanced yourself I actually felt rather lonely and Melissa was there so I guess I used that. But I love you more than anything else, Melissa is just a friend and who cares what the fans think? I love you and that won’t change”

“I love you too”

@yourinstagramname

@yourinstagramname: the only love of my life ❤️

The next day Jenna said sorry to Melissa before making it clear one more time that you were hers. “Jenna we talked about this, and she has a boyfriend” Your girlfriends face fell and turned red. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Let’s just say Melissa couldn’t stop laughing.

At least it was a funny story.

#reader insert #brooooswriting #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega #jenna ortega x y/n #wednesday addams x reader #jenna #wednesday addams x you #wednesday x reader

[czrpenters]

enough | melissa barrera x reader

summary: when an interviewer crossed the line with melissa, you knew you had to step in.

pairings: melissa barrera x fem!reader.

warnings: none i believe (?), reader is in the scream cast, no scream vi spoilers. english is not my first language.

word count: 1.2k words.

masterlist. | request rules.

"I really don't feel like doing anything today." Your fiancée said while resting her head on your shoulder, visibly tired. You hated seeing her like this, it wasn't your Melissa, and to be completely honest you felt as tired as she was. Social media could be a blessing and a curse at the same time, and in this particular situation, it was a curse. She's been getting a lot of hate these days due to the new movie, and you felt completely useless; you wanted to see her happy and cheerful like she used to be, not like this.

"I know baby, I swear all of this will be over soon..." You kissed the top of her head and intertwined your fingers together. The whole situation made you so fucking sad and angry, and you were getting tired of even opening your socials day after day. It was a habit that slowly you were getting rid of.

You've met Melissa on the set of Scream 5, in which you played the amazing role of Stu Macher's and Tatum Riley's daughter, Hailey Riley. Much like Sam, Hailey have never met her real father, and was put to adoption soon after she was born. Her whole Scream 5 premise was the fact that she found out the truth about her real parents and getting to know her on-screen uncle, Dewey Riley; while in Scream 6 she was trying to come to terms with being the daughter of a serial killer. It was what brought Sam and Hailey together, after all. And in the backstage, it brought Melissa and (Y/N) together, too. She proposed right after a year you guys have been together, and you couldn't be more certain about something in your whole life. She was the one. The love of your life. On and off screen.

You couldn't imagine that Scream 6 would be as successfull as it was being. You guys really didn't had a break. Interviews, press conferences, photoshoots. It was a dream come true to you, to all of you, and you couldn't be more grateful. But it came with a cost, especially for her. It wasn't a problem when it happened to you, it was easy to forget all the hate comments you read about yourself, but to her, it was torture. People talking about her appearance, her acting skills, even her relationship with you. It was too much sometimes, and today was one of those days where she just couldn't deal with this. "We're here, baby."

You guys were in a car getting ready to do some interviews and some press, and Melissa was having none of it. But she just had to put on a smile and pretend that everything was okay, just like you were doing. You had to be strong for her right now, and you were doing absolutely the best you could. She squeezed your hand, visibly anxious, which made you kiss the back of her hand and smile, apologetically. "I'm here for you, mi amor. You know that, right?"

She nodded, smiling lightly. "I know, I'm just tired, that's all." You both got out of the car with your hands intertwined, knowing that there would be a few people outside of the venue waiting for some shots. It got Melissa a little bit stressed out but nothing you both couldn't handle. When you guys got inside with you managers, you found the rest of the cast already there. Jenna, Jazmin, Mason, the whole crew. It made you guys relax a little bit, seeing familiar faces was always a good thing for you guys.

The day went by fast. You guys did some interviews, played a couple of games with the cast, the usual stuff. Melissa got happy for some seconds, it seemed like she forgot about all the stress she's been dealing with, and that made you so fucking relieved. That was until the last interview of the day, you guys were having this one together to talk a little bit more about the Sam/Hailey couple.

"So, (Y/N), I really wanna know how the development between Sam and your character Hailey went through this movie. Because last time, we have only seen Hailey as Sam's friend and now we know something else between them might been coming up. You wanna tell us a little bit more about that?" The interviewer asked, making you smile a little.

"Yeah, yeah. So, in this movie, Sam and Hailey definetly get closer, due to the fact that Sam thinks that Hailey is the only person besides herself that really knows what she's going through, you know?" You explained, without spoiling too much of the movie, even though pretty much everyone knew that your characters were going to be a couple in this movie.

"Good to hear that, (Y/N)! And, Melissa, it's your second time being the face of this new phase of the Scream franchise, and that must definetly be an amazing role to play. How do you deal with the pressure of being the new Sidney Prescott? Even with all the critiques you've been having?." The question itself was a bit too much, but Melissa squeezed your hand, telling you quietly that it was okay.

"Um, I'm not gonna lie, it can be a little bit challenging sometimes, but when I get to see all the love that the fans are giving me, it's definetly all worth it." It wasn't a lie, she had a lot of people online and offline that supported her. It was a tricky question but she answered beautifully.

"I can imagine that, Melissa. You've been getting a ton of negative comments about your performance these days, and I'm curious to know how you deal with that. Does it affect your relationship off-screen with (Y/N)? Do you take these comments to heart?"

That question took Melissa off guard. She stturered, not being able to answer, and that was enough for you. "I think we're done here, right?" You smiled forcibly, getting out of the chair while holding Melissa's hand.

"I believe we still have a couple of questions left, Ms. (Y/L/N)." The interviewer said, in an obvious tone. "Not anymore. Thank you for your time, okay?" That was the last thing you said before you left with her, not even caring about your managers complaints in the back while you both were getting back to the car, which was waiting for you in the parking lot. Melissa was quiet, awfully quiet, and seeing your extroverted girlfriend like this was more painful than you could ever imagine. You opened the car door for both of guys to get in, and when you did, she just hugged you tight. Tighter than she ever did before, like she's been wanting to do that the whole day. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here, it's over, okay?" You kissed the top of her head several times, letting her know she was safe with you.

"That guy was a jerk..." She mumbled, in a sad tone, but she said it in such a cute way that it made you laugh. "Yeah, baby... He was definetly a jerk."

"Thank you for standing up for me... You know you didn't need to do that, right?" You lifted her head by holding her chin, kissing her lips for a while before looking straight at her, right into those brown eyes that you fell in love with. "I didn't need to, really. But I wanted to. I will always, always, want to make sure you're happy all the time, okay?"

"Okay."

⠀

#melissa barrera x reader #melissa barrera #sam carpenter x reader #sam carpenter #scream #scream vi

[marvelfilth]

Listen, I agree with you that I want Neve Campbell to stand in solidarity with Melissa Barrera, but here's the thing. Melissa and the rest of the new cast mates still appeared in Scream 6, while still supporting Neve for the pay dispute. So, I don't see why Neve returning for Scream 7 and still supporting Melissa would be any different. Yes, I know the circumstances are different. Obviously, they haven't moved on from her character, if they wanted her back for the sixth film and now want her back for a potential sequel.

I've been a fan of the Scream franchise since the first movie came out in the 90s, my love and support for the franchise or any of the cast members and characters isn't gonna change just because a shitty production company took it upon themselves to create this toxic environment and decided to fire Melissa over something that she shouldn't have been fired for. At the end of the day, Spyglass is the one who should be held accountable and getting called out. Not anyone else.

I love both Neve and Melissa and their characters and consider them both to be final girls. They both deserve better than how the production company has treated them both. And I'm not a bad person for saying that. I'm not with this whole "cancel everyone, because they don't agree with me" or "oh, I'm gonna suddenly stop loving something that I've loved for years, because of something I didn't agree with." Cancel culture has become way too toxic.

And whether or not you agree with Neve's decision to come back, it doesn't justify the amount of people on Twitter that have been harassing her relentlessly and even going so far as to send her death threats. That's not how you create solidarity or try to get someone to do the right thing. And it's sad this is what the media has come down to as well.

I'm not a fan of that woman and never cared about her at all, but here's the thing - she never stood by Melissa.

Don't you see the difference?

Melissa publicly supported Neve, and Neve stayed silent and jumped back at first opportunity when she could've just stayed quiet.

The circumstances are different, yes. Very much so. Toxic environment? That's the least of it. The company literally supports genocide, and Neve willingly chose to associate with it. She was out, she had nothing to do with it and yet she decided to jump right back in cause they lost their new lead.

Spyglass didn't come out and say "hey, we want Neve back." No. It was Neve. She said "hey Spyglass, give me more money and I'll come back."

Spyglass is held accountable, by me at least. But it doesn't mean you should just close your eyes when it concerns your favourite actress. She chose this.

I don't care about cancel culture and that is not what I was trying to do. You can't try make me feel guilty for calling her out on her behaviour. And I for sure am not creating solidarity with Neve for choosing to work with zionists.

"Try to get someone to do the right thing"??? Are you serious rn? Neve is fifty. She's not some kid who doesn't know better. It's not anyone's job to hold her hand and tell her she did a bad thing.

She is a hypocrite. She choose to associate with zionists. She chose money over morals.

#stand with melissa #melissa barrera #sam carpenter #neve campbell #scream

[xxgothchatonxx]

So, I saw Abigail this afternoon... and I had SO MUCH FUN!

Ahh, this film is just what I want in a vampire film. It was brutal, bloody, funny, and clearly inspired by 80s/90s vampire films.

The cast was fantastic. Melissa Berrera was a great lead, Dan Stevens chewed the scenery like nobody's business, Kathryn Newton was awesome, Kevin Durand was adorably stupid, and Angus Cloud was really good too (R.I.P - they did give a "in loving memory of" tribute at the end credits which I thought was really nice). And they all had great chemistry with each other.

As for Alisha Weir... oh I'm doing a whole separate post for her because WOW she was amazing!

So, it is technically a based-on-Dracula film, even though they don't say the name, but it's a pretty original premise too. With a few twists and turns, as well. Also a surprising amount of emotional depth... no, I'm not doing my infamous essays, it's not THAT deep, but it did pleasantly surprise me. Let's just say Abigail and Claudia should form a support group.

But, to summarize - this was so much fun to watch, and it's so clear that everyone involved put in 100%. The cast was great, the lighting was great, the action was awesome, and the blood and gore was hilariously excessive. So, if this sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend watching 'Abigail', especially in a cinema!

I give it 4.5/5 fangs :D

#abigail #abigail 2024 #dracula daily

[perfectlyfinespacebacon]

my thoughts on manifest finale

an end of an era…

It goes without saying big props to all the cast and crew for such amazing storytelling for 4 seasons! Dang I’ll miss the 828 crew! I also want to add that Ben was giving strong manic red string energy for like the first 3.5 seasons so I found him annoying for a lot of the show but I’m glad I was actually able to enjoy his presence this last half lol

SPOILERS AHEAD

RIGHT OFF THE BAT IM SO GLAD I WAS ABLE TO EAT MY WORDS! I was convinced when zeke died that it was making room for jared and michaela endgame AND IM SO GLAD THAT IT WASNT! (i'm just going to ignore ep 15-19) and despite the bts romance between jr and melissa, zeke and michaela had much stronger chemistry imo and im soooooo glad they were endgame

i loved the conclusion of the 828 mystery and the callings and everything! when i first started the show i was so apprehensive as a former catholic about the biblical elements (just because i didn't want it to feel like propganda-y) but how they weaved elements of like noah ark's and like judgement day, i was okay with it

as for the whole ACTUAL ending (ie them landing back in 2013), i both love and hate time travel / alt timelines in shows because depending on how they explain it i can't wrap my head around it so hopefully any fellow 828'ers can help me out. so i understand that they were essentially given a second chance to right some wrongs and whatever but like for zeke and michaela, does that mean zeke will never go into the cave in 2017? since you find out the callings were basically memories, michaela tells zeke to "find her" in the divine consciousness so he had that "calling" in the cave - is this just a separate timeline? i'm kinda confused lol any help?

all in all thanks manifest cast and crew for an amazing 4/5 years of hard work!!!

#manifest tv show #manifest netflix #manifest spoilers #ben stone #michaela stone #zeke landon #zekaela #jared vasquez #cal stone #olive stone #drea mikami #manifest season 4

[theflyindutchwoman]

The road to Chenford - The Love Interests

Let me preface this (very) long post by saying this is only my opinion. This is about how I interpret the whole Chenford arc. The show is vague enough that pretty much all interpretations are valid. But if you feel differently, that's perfectly fine.

There's a lot of things that made me fall in love with Chenford, and I'll talk more about it in another post. But one aspect I found intriguing was the way the different love interests Lucy and Tim had throughout the show were used. Usually love interests are brought as a plot device to separate the main characters and bring all the angst... It's something that pretty much every TV shows do. The jealousy trope has to be one of the most common one... And yet, here, it was never really used the usual way.

Let's start at the beginning.

// Isabel & Nolan

It is rather interesting that we got love interests for both Lucy and Tim right from the start (probably because Chenford was unplanned). And how much their story is still impacted by that. With Isabel, we had front row seat to the trauma her addiction was having on Tim : the spiralling, the heartbreak, the guilt and the walls he had to put up to protect himself. But we also witnessed how far his loyalty goes and how deeply he can love. It was an important tool to give us some insight on a character that could otherwise have been a stereotype. And from there, we were able to get a view of what he is looking for : someone who can love him just as much, who will fight for him and who will make him feel like he's enough. With Nolan, we saw a completely different side of love. The hot affair (their words, not mine), the sneaking around and the impact it could have on Lucy's career. And what she wants is explained during the breakup fight : someone who thinks she is worth fighting for. Lucy is not upset because she is being dumped, she had come to the same conclusion after all. It's how easily Nolan seems to be able to discard her and their relationship that truly hurt her.

Now, the irony is her arc was supposed to be for her relationship with John… Kudos to the writers for adapting it seamlessly to Chenford. It is quite uncanny. On one hand, we had one relationship that was formed while they were rookies and made it work until UC work destroyed it ; on the other hand, we had one who flamed out before it could even truly start. If they keep Lucy doing UC work, I really hope we will have some conversation between Chenford to tie up this part of their arc : they both need to be reassured that the work won't come between them, because in the end, that was the downfall for their first (on-screen) romance.

(Little side note : I understand Alexi might have planned for NoChen to be endgame, and as much as we give him shit, as we should it's what keep showrunners honest, I appreciate that not only he agreed to change that part of his plan (the last true shipping moment for NoChen was in 1.12 I think, so really early), he was graceful enough not to destroy Chenford out of spite or even downplay their bond (he could have had John save Lucy in Day of Death, have her stay with him after Jackson's death etc). I'm not saying it's all perfect. And I'm sure he protested. But imagine creating a story around the main couple, only to realise that one part of that couple has more chemistry and works better with another character. With the exception of Fillion, I doubt he had any say about the casting. And even if he did, chemistry tests only work so far (Melissa and Eric probably didn't even have one). My past experience with showrunners is that they'd rather kill their show and blame the audience for being too stupid than admit they're wrong or should change their plans... The past few years are full of cautionary tales of TV shows that burned down. He may have been petty about it on his interviews, I don't read them so I can't say, but at least it didn't let it impact on the story. Cheers to that I guess).

// Rachel & Emmett

After the trauma Tim experienced, it was a nice change of pace to see him in an uncomplicated relationship, see him relax and simply enjoy himself. With Rachel, it was all about healing and it's not by mistake that Lucy set him up with someone she knows to be easy-going, calm and nurturing if we consider her job (I know it was for a bet and she didn't exactly choose Rachel. But do we think she would have done this if she didn't think it could be a good thing?). And we can never have too much of Tim smiling. Or shirtless Tim. We saw Lucy interfere even more - with Isabel, she got caught in the middle at first, she didn't really decide to cross his personal boundaries on her own. She was just trying to help Tim not go down with the ship. But we did learn that she kept in touch with his ex-wife. With Rachel, she had a direct hand in the set-up and she did soften some of his edges as well (the birthday gift for instance). Most importantly, it never had a negative impact on Chenford. If anything it brought them closer. But in the end, we saw the same problem that with Isabel : Tim was not enough. Rachel put her career first (nothing wrong with that by the way!). The red flag, so to speak, was the clear lack of communication : she never mentioned to Tim being interested by a job in New-York, let alone warned him about the interview. I mean, if you're seriously committed, a conversation beforehand might have been nice. And while Tim entertains her idea of them moving, it seems to be more by curiosity. We don't really see him hesitate or have a full grown-up talk about how they should move forward. The ending was… Well.. Hey does Rachel even know they broke up? Cos we didn't! So who knows! Jokes aside, I wonder if we were supposed to see her again in season 03 but with COVID, they changed it. Still could have been nice to have her name mentioned at one point.

Now, Emmett was supposed to be a mirror to Rachel : Tim's friend and a healing step in Lucy's journey. After what she went through with Caleb, seeing her be able to take that step forward was really great. Flirty and carefree Lucy is the best. I wished we had seen a little more of them (the actor got a main part on another show + Covid rules = not possible) so it was less abrupt. Having Emmett treat Lucy as someone in need of protection was also a nice callback to Nolan, who broke up with her "to protect her". No comment on the breakup by text. That's just petty. Although I did like he involved Tim in it... I wonder how that meeting went.

// Ashley & Chris

All right, there goes the very unpopular opinion : I actually didn't mind them. Much. I mean I could have done without them, but since we never really had to see their full respective relationship, Lucy or Tim being pretty much always around, it worked for me. Mainly. Don't get me wrong, I'm mostly indifferent towards Ashley because she was just dull. And I dispised Chris cos he reminded me of so many people I met in law school, it's not even funny (right down to the lack of empathy and inability to read the room. So spooky). It's the journey that I didn't mind.

After Angela's wedding and Lucy staying at Tim's place, the attraction between Chenford was front and center. But as I will talk about in my other post, I don't think they were ready to go there (grief is not the best foundation). And the writers didn't want to either, so that's moot. Now, as I said earlier, the most common trope in TV shows is to introduce new love interests to play up the tension and jealousy, have some pining on the side… And after the revelation in 3.14/4.01, it would have been the perfect timing. Only we didn't get this here, hence the frustration that I think many experienced. What's the point of having to suffer if we don't get the goodies.

Except, like I said, I absolutely love we didn't go the typical route. Why? Because jealousy is rarely written properly on TV. More often than not, you end up with people being used, hurt, acting childish and/or petty. Not a really good look for all the characters involved. It gets even worse when the ship still don't get together after all that hustle. I love angst, but come on. So instead of the promised angst, we kept on the same path than with Rachel and Emmett : the progression of Chenford's bond. It was never about Ashley and Chris. It was always about Lucy and Tim's story and how they were different and the perfect person. How their bond was special and how they NOT ONCE wondered if they should spend less time together. Even after the double date. Especially after the double date. They are close, period. They're willing to make efforts for Ash or Chris, but not change their interaction between them. It was about how, despite love interests, they were still each other's person and the one constant. And to me, that is so much more powerful.

Case in point. 4.06 - Ash is introduced but the episode spends more time about the bet between Tim & Lucy 4.08 - About Lucy finding out Ash is now in the picture (who is not even present on screen) 4.10 - About Lucy's dog even though she only had him for a couple of days so it should be irrelevant and yet it's not. And how Lucy helps Tim navigates in his relationship (when clearly he is half assing it). 4.11 - About Lucy trying to help young adults in-need and Tim helping her with Tamara instead of belittling her 4.12 - All about how Lucy and Tim are each other's safe place 4.15 - About Lucy being at the right job and doing it well (and about Chris willing to cut corners to get the job done when we saw Tim refused to do the same in previous episodes) 4.17 - About how Tim was able to empower Lucy through her ordeal instead of triggering her like a certain ADA who should not even had access to her file in the first place, because hello conflict of interest 4.21 - About the next step they are supposed to take in their respective relationship but clearly are nowhere near that headspace (as much as Tim says he can himself marrying Ash, the boy was still panicking throughout the episode at the mere idea… So who are you trying to convince here?! And Lucy shutting that parent meeting so fast) 4.22 / 5.01 - What significant others? Don't know them. Who's dying on the couch? 5.02 - How Tim is the one who truly knows her and whose opinion she values the most 5.03 - How Tim is missing her 5.05 - How Lucy is the one always staying 5.06 - How Lucy can find ways to make him feel better 5.08 - How Tim can immediately see she's uncomfortable and help her talk things through as she needs to do 5.09 - How Tim knows her taste

Now could it have been done better? Yes. I think the execution got lost in the middle. It could have been clearer and sharper. And I can absolutely see how it was frustrating to have to go through other LI, especially if you ship then since season 01. And could it have been done without Ashley and Chris? Sure. But I can understand Tim and Lucy wanting to date other people (especially if like me, you think they were still mainly unaware of their feelings. Attraction, yes. Romantic feelings, not yet... For me. It's clearly up for interpretation).

By not going the traditional route, we also avoided some pitfalls and do some disservice to what is otherwise a mature and healthy relationship. And I really love that we didn't go with the easy evil trope. Lucy and Tim have enough trauma to work through the rest of their lives… Having Chris being a minion for Rosalind would have set them both back. Lucy would have to go through all that process again and Tim would only have more guilt on this plate. Not to mention that having them end up together because they're the only person they can now fully trust is not exactly the best foundation. Are they together because they want to? Or because they don't trust anyone else? Considering all their lingering doubts from their previous relationships, that's definitely not what they needed for their own personal growth. Besides, I doubt it's the last time we've seen Chris : the door was wide open when he left Lucy's place, and I don't think it was by coincidence. So we are going to have some mess on our hands... And I much prefer having it with Chenford as one unit. But then again, personal preferences here.

Anyway, not saying it was perfect. It was downright messy at some points… I also wonder if Ash and Chris got introduced because we lost Rachel and Emmett somewhere in the process.

And in the end, Ashley and Chris were instrumental to Chenford getting together. But that's for my other post, this one is already long enough!

I hope I didn't make too many mistakes by the way! I was a little nervous to post this.

#The rookie #Chenford #Lucy chen #Tim bradford #I love them so much your honor #Little notes on a piece of paper #Character Study #Meta Analysis

[sisterofficerlucychen]

Hi there again 👋🏼 just wanting to vent my feelings again.

This whole break up has me going trough all stages of grief all at once. First I was in complete denial and then just really sad. Now I'M ANGRY. Not to the show or cast, ANGRY AT TIM. As if he had broke up with me and not Lucy.

Been rewatching the show and I just saw the DOD episode and him being all worried about her and I was just screaming at my PC YOUUUU TIM BRADFORD PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER 1 DONT GET TO ACT WORRIED AND HER HERO AND THEN DUMP HER 4 SEASONS LATERRRR

I know i might sound crazy but just went from sad about them to being angry at him in a split of a second with NO REASON AND being COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE

Anyways just looking somewhere to pour my heart and feelings. And a reminder that we all can feel different about this but none of that makes it right to throw hate and say mean things to Eric Melissa or anyone. I m just mad at Tim a fictional man that doesn't exist and not for that im going to say something horrible to Eric (actually if they are making us feel this so much is because they are good ay their jobs)

not hate just peace

hello ♡ pls, go ahead! always here to listen!

no but for real, i feel that in my soul lol. i think this is a place a lot of us currently are — all at different stages and feeling multiple of them at once. but lakfjsdklf mood. i’m starting to wonder if the 3 week hiatus is actually a good thing bc i think we’re all gonna need that time to get to a better place because it really does feel so personal??? 

i commend you for being able to do that 😂 i’ve gotten as far as rewatching 6x06 but there’s something about comfort watching my favorite episodes that i can’t right now, the wound’s too fresh lol. alkfsjdlfa not public enemy number one 😭 i love that you were screaming at your computer though 😂

for what it’s worth, i definitely don’t think so, it sounds very reasonable. i think your reaction rn is so valid like you’re still processing. i know i had a moment where i’ve kind of reached acceptance (i guess?) and saw a really sweet chenford tiktok and fell right back down to denial because i’m still so shocked by it. i also think you’re going about it in a pretty healthy way? like you said you’re upset at the character not the actor which is how it should be, you know what that boundary is.

love the reminder, thanks! and 100%. cast and crew are actual human beings who do not deserve hate thrown their way for doing their jobs and telling a story. it’s okay to be upset, it’s okay to feel everything you need to feel, but taking all of it out on the actual people never will be. you can be critical without being disrespectful. yes on them being good at their jobs! SO GOOD!!!! this is me speaking from personal experience but one of the most gratifying things about performing is getting a response/emotion from your audience bc you’re making them feel something whether it's positive or negative like you know you did something right haha.

#answered #idreamwiththecitythatneversleeps #the rookie #chenford

[my-mt-heart]

Les Caryl

Not wishful thinking. Not a ruse. Carol is coming back, and I’m grateful. Mainly, to Melissa McBride for everything she’s given us over the years and for everything she’s willing to give us in order to keep telling Carol’s story. It’s easy to see how much of her heart and soul has gone into this character, and I never want to take that for granted. We all have different reasons for loving Carol, but I think a lot of us draw inspiration from watching an underdog like her turn into the hero everybody needs. It’s been nice to see that mirrored in our fight over the past year to remind AMC how imperative she is to TWDU’s success. 

Whether you participated in blitzes, sent letters, spammed AMC’s/TWD’s social media accounts, or just kept Carol in the conversation on your own terms, you persevered just like she did and now you’re reaping the rewards just like she better will. It just goes to show that when people come together to support a female lead with as much talent and grace as Melissa, that and a little bit of hope can make a huge impact. 

For anyone who didn’t have hope or didn’t want to set themselves up for more disappointment, that’s more than fair. Maybe yesterday’s confirmation will give you something to look forward to again. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but if you find comfort in these characters, it’s perfectly okay to let yourself feel that too. Love what you love.

I know there are some who wanted Melissa to just walk away and leave Norman/AMC in the dust, but unlike Carol, she isn’t a fictional character. We aren’t entitled to her relationships with other people, so we just have to trust she knows how to navigate them on her own. Like I mentioned earlier, landing new roles comes with its own set of challenges regardless of one’s reputation or talent. Casting is a meat market and options for actresses over 35 are limited, especially when execs want to factor in their hair color (because how can they appeal to men 18-49 if they have gray hair 🙄) or their social media presence (because if they’re not active on Twitter, what audience will they bring 😑) All of this is to say, it’s perfectly reasonable for Melissa to choose another path, and no, it doesn’t mean she’s gritting her teeth while she does it. I’m comfortable believing she’s happy to co-lead Caryl’s show. I mean, you saw that smile, right?

I realize that at the end of the day, we’re all just trying to do right by someone we admire, which is tricky from our vantage point because it’s so easy to treat her like she belongs to us, and we have to keep reminding ourselves that she does not. I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, the intention of campaigning in Melissa’s name was to leave the door open for her to come back on her own terms. If she’s getting everything she wants, if she’s being treated with the respect she deserves, then that’s a win in my book. If this whole ordeal motivates AMC to create a better work environment for all their female talent/employees going forward, even better. 

I know this isn’t news, but I’m still going to hold off on watching the show until Carol comes back and if that sounds biased, let me stop you right there. Let’s put aside the BTS fuckery for a second. Let’s ignore the fact that Carol and Melissa are the ones who got the short end of the stick and need my support the most right now. Not only does S1 sound unappealing to me, it actually hurts too much to think about the ways Daryl’s character has been used for personal gain rather than story integrity, which pretty much guarantees a retcon no matter how long it lasts or how drastic it is. His growth over the past 12 years was some of the best I’ve seen on any show let alone TWD, and I want to preserve the version of him I was drawn to in the first place, the version three out of four showrunners actually took the time to nurture. This version. If it’s all just a marketing ploy, trying to target Carylers’ biggest fears to relieve them later, well, I can’t support that either. Caryl fans have been put through enough over the years, especially in the last season, and I think it’s wrong to try to manipulate them into settling (and paying) for less than what they really wanted. 

Do I think we can still get something worthwhile in S2? Yes. I just don’t want to risk torturing myself to get there. Anyone who’s read my blog for a long time knows I would generally give the show the benefit of the doubt because I assumed the payoff would come sooner or later. Needless to say, it didn’t. I know why it didn’t and I hope those issues have been properly dealt with, but if I want to maintain that Caryl/Carol are important for viewership, then I need to watch and subscribe for Caryl/Carol. If I want Melissa to get the pay hike she deserves, then I need to tune in when she’s on my screen, not before. I do trust her judgement for what it’s worth, and I want to look forward to S2 provided there are no irreparable damages beforehand and TPTB put their audience first, meaning they deliver on the promises they made.

The biggest promise, UNAMBIGUOUS CANON, is crucial for story integrity, character growth, and representation. It shouldn’t be a huge undertaking when the chemistry can practically write itself. Daryl and Carol never have nor ever will need gimmicks to keep me invested. 

While we wait for Caryl to reunite, I hope the fandom can start to heal and get back to spreading endless love for one of the greatest ships on television. I’ll never stop mourning the loss of the spinoff we were supposed to have, and part of me still hopes we can get it back someday. But I’ll hope for the best on the show we’re getting right now. Caryl deserve it, Melissa deserves it, and the fans deserve it. 

#caryl #caryl spinoff #carol peletier #melissa mcbride #mcreedus #darylneedscarol

[j-nightingalesb1tch]

well now that it's been a couple days since i watched the teen wolf movie and i've sufficiently forgotten 90% of it, i think it's time i told you all what i liked/disliked about it

1. jackson whittemore

he was just so fucking funny, like why was he even there?? did they give colton a script or did they just give him a recap of everything he missed in the show before simply throwing him on set and going "good luck."

i loved him though. it really feels like he's more comfortable in himself now. when he came back in s6, he wasn't as bitter but he still felt quite stiff. now he's comfortable in his sexuality and his place in the world, and he's no longer trying too hard. love that for him. his friendship with lydia also means a lot to me. i originally thought they were gonna put them back together, but i adore them as snarky besties.

also i'm glad they didn't break him and ethan up. we got our lgbtq+ scraps, guys!!

2. peter hale

hasn't changed a bit and i love it. his entrance was iconic and so fitting for his character. the tension between him and chris was obvious (perhaps because of melissa?) and i love how they still have an air of mystery when it comes to him. no one truly knows if he's on the good side or the bad.

also i can confidently say that peter crawling on the floor in human form, sniffing, was the absolute highlight of the movie.

3. eli hale

he was a great addition to the cast. i loved his relationship with derek, but him as a character really refreshed the film and gave us some wholesome but funny moments.

also we all know he's basically a stiles mini-me, so it was nice to have someone there to fill what the film would've been missing because of stiles' absense without full-out replacing him.

4. jr borne

his acting in the movie was absolutely outstanding. i was in shock. he was already amazing in the show but he's outdone himself. i really felt his emotions through the screen. literal chills. what a powerful performance!

5. the hellhound

i'm so glad they gave parrish an important role in the film. the hellhound was one of my favourite supernatural creatures from the show, so it was great to see ryan kelley shine once more.

6. coach finstock

he also has not changed a single bit and it's really refreshing to see. they didn't try to shoehorn him into the story too much. he simply played the part he always has, and made us laugh doing it.

7. the jeep

when they said the jeep would be featured in the film, i didn't think they meant they would try and stick it in every scene possible. i love it.

as a sterek shipper, i love the idea of eli nicking the jeep because he knows derek has some complicated feelings towards it. i won't do a sterek section on this list because i don't know whether i'm happy or mad about it, but this was an interesting addition to the film.

8. melissa had a crossbow

she had a crossbow. it's about fucking time.

now what i disliked:

1. the misuse of key characters

why were liam and mason used as side characters?? why did they barely speak, they're best friends?? why did they introduce hikari and not bother actually giving her a personality outside of being a kitsune?? i have too many thoughts on all of this, but it pissed me off.

2. just general confusion

they didn't specify if melissa and chris were still together or not. no explanation on why scott and malia split up. how did parrish and malia get together? who is eli's mum? why did liam have the nogitsune? why did scott and allison adopt eli?

also where has all the chemistry between the cast gone?? shelley especially felt so awkward with everyone. it's like they're not friends anymore, which i know isn't true.

3. the nudity and swearing

i could've gone my whole life without seeing allison, parrish and malia's bare asses. also the swearing was great, but they all felt like year 7's when they did it.

4. the returns

as someone who didn't really care for allison, her return was just annoying. out of all the characters they could've brought back, allison is the one they definitely should've left alone. hers was a major death in the show, and the start of a lot of character development for scott and chris. they should've come up with a different story not involving allison or the nogitsune. you know they only brought her back so that scallison fans can have their endgame.

and adrian harris?? what?? why?? he didn't even do anything of purpose in the film. what was the actual point in bringing him back??

5. derek's death

i'm not even gonna touch this. but i'm fuming.

#teen wolf #the teen wolf movie #teen wolf movie #derek hale #sterek #scott mccall #eli hale #allison argent #chris argent #liam dunbar #stiles stilinski #jackson whittemore #lydia martin #i'm not tagging everyone #this list was rushed cause i'm lazy

[jakesuit0]

The Creeps Review

The main appeal in “The Creeps” are the interactions between Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, BMO, Lumpy Space Princess, and Cinnamon Bun. It’s not a combination of characters we see much of. Like, apparently Cinnamon Bun has a crush on LSP. How cool is that? Him hitting on her is really funny and something I wish the series kept as a running joke. They also all have funny names for their alter egos, two of which refer to either farting or the lack thereof. I love everyone’s unique costumes, especially Princess Bubblegum’s. PB has a really nice swan shaped mask, a reference to her pet swan. LSP actually looks pretty for once in her red dress. Cinnamon Bun, the dumbest person in Ooo, wearing a top hat and monocle like he’s a scholar is hilarious. BMO looks cute, and Finn and Jake look rad, especially Finn’s wolf mask. The costumes, in addition to the haunted house plot, make this the closest Adventure Time has come to a strictly Halloween episode. Halloween doesn’t exist in Ooo, but they could’ve totally called it one like how “Holly Jolly Secrets” does for Christmas. The episode could have gone further with its cast selection. I like all the picks, but not including Marceline is a big missed opportunity. She loves pranks and her character fits the spooky atmosphere. Not sure why she’s never able to play supporting roles in the first half of the series unlike the rest of the cast. Tree Trunks would have also been a good addition. 

The episode reuses the murder mystery plot from “Mystery Train”. They lampshade this, with Jake accusing Finn or pulling a prank like he did in that episode. It’s nice having the characters casually mention events from previous episodes, which is still rare for the series. I think the characters and atmosphere differentiate it from “Mystery Train” enough, and even elevates it to a better episode. This also foreshadows Jake’s knowledge of Finn’s initial attempt at a prank. I like how it sets up a “who’s pranking who” mystery. Jake and BMO go off on their own. They have a conversation that some people don’t think makes sense knowing the episode’s twist. I give the writers more credit than that. Jake asks BMO if Finn is pranking him, because for all he knows, Finn could have hijacked Jake’s hijacked prank. And Jake screaming at BMO’s capture is just for dramatic effect for Finn’s ears. I like BMO’s speech in this scene, which is a bit iconic. It’s always heartwarming when BMO tries to cheer up Finn and Jake, and he’ll use his philosophy here to console Jake again much later on. 

We get a couple more great gags. Finn throwing PB off the railing is so wacky. Hearing the sound of a flushing toilet after LSP’s screams of agony is hysterical. I love her outburst where we find out why she and Brad broke up prior to “Trouble in Lumpy Space”. A “real ghost” appears, making Finn admit he was pulling a prank…up to this point. The melted Cinnamon Bun and BMO’s remains in the closet look very uneasy. Jake’s hijacked prank is very well done. He must have swapped the painting for the one with LSP in the darkness. Jake gets snagged by the ghost (more death foreshadowing), leaving only Finn left. He encounters a ghost lady, who has a fantastic and creepy design. He escapes, and sees the ocean waves crashing against the mansion outside. Seeing the ocean, his biggest fear, represents how traumatizing this whole experience is for Finn.

Jake, of course, was behind this. Lady Rainicorn was dressed as the ghost, and she talks about having sex with Jake in Korean. Sometimes I forget that she’s as much of a freak as Tree Trunks. I love LSP claiming she’s ready for Brad, even though that doesn’t come to fruition. I guess he’s moved on with Melissa. This is probably LSP’s funniest appearance in the series. Finn finds out that Jake wasn’t behind the ghost lady, leaving its identity a mystery for now. It’s not something that necessarily needs an explanation, as ghosts do exist in Ooo. I bought into the popular fan theory that she’s the ghost of Finn’s mom, which of course isn’t the case, but it was a cool idea. Finn puts his memory of her in his vault. He can suppress his traumatic memories at will!

Grade: A

#adventure time #the creeps #finn and jake #jake the dog #finn the human #finn #jake #princess bubblegum #lumpy space princess

[facepalming-since-chernobyl]

https://twitter.com/leighlew3/status/1693078222387237348?t=DCr65FGYuIeCt7I6KhiF7g&s=19

I know you won't look at it, but basically it's the same thing about how we can't say it wasn't queerbait because of Dansen. And even adding in a subsequent tweet (post?) that Kelly wasn't even a real character.

Now, I will admit that Kelly wasn't given much beyond being Alex's partner, but that doesn't mean she wasn't important.

And no, maybe Dansen getting married doesn't replace any other rep they could have put on the show, but as we keep saying, SC never so much as held hands, so a bunch of 'parallels' and 'how they looked at each other' aren't going to help your case.

If fully half your case is built on fan interpretation, you already lost the argument.

A few things.

First of all, all the members of the crew always called Kara and Lobotomizer sisters and friends.

When the cast sang a song on SDCC17 about Kara and Lobotomizer being "just friends", and I don't know what CLEARER and bolder message they could have sent, the sc shippers called them homophobic and created a whole hate campaign against them and the show, moaniang about being disrespected and their feelings being hurt.

Then you can find countless posts and twitts celebrating about how Melissa and McG did some "acting choices" (Kara leaned and shit like that) that were against writers and producers wishes. So, they basically say the actresses were baiting them AGAISNT what was planned and that's ok, I guess. But in the same time, they will go against the writers, screaming about baiting what is an interesting case of schizophrenia.

And yes, you can have a lgbt+ ship and still being queerbaited, I guess, but there is a problem in SG.

Because Alex's arc was heavily focused on her realizing she is a lesbian and her journey to accept it and find love. Her story was full developed from season 2 to the final ep, when she married the love of her life and adopted a child.

That was a beautiful and complexed lesbian character's story not some forced, ambiguous, developed only in some people's minds bullshit, that has zero real recognition and is not a representation.

What is worse, Alex and Dansen were completly IGNORED by scs, self-called fighters and supporters of representation is shows, and it was fuckingly obvious after the last ep, where instead of supporting dansen for the GREATER lgbt good, they decided to overshadow it with some fake two white women kiss.

And don't even let me start about what they have done to Dreamer and Nicole along the way.

What i want to say is, that SCS care about representation only when it's the representation THEY want. They don't and never did care even slightly about the rep. Them claiming they were queerbaited is only one of the many forms of manipulation they spread.

The only people who queerbaited them are scs themselves. With their idiotic, out of context scenes (let's just cut out Alex from the frame, let's make it slower and let's ignore it was all about Lobotomizer saving James' ass), so called parallels (Kara holding people bridal style means it's love? cool, it means she is in love with 30 people, Kelly included), some wierd shit (rainbow socks that were not even rainbow and even if Kara was not straight it would not immediatelly mean she would want to be with Lobotomizer -who, friendly remidner, hurt her every way imaginable and was her biggest abuser - facts, not delusion) ignoring what the characters and crew said ("they are sisters and friends") and in the same time accusing actresses of queerbait (acting choices! but it's ok, because it was KMcG doing. And Melissa's) and in the same time bashing Melissa EVERY time she said something against their wishes.

UGH.

#anons #anti sc #anti sc fandom

[thelaurenshippen]

You mentioned that you got excited to write the shopping montage when you "realized a certain character would be sticking around." Was the initial uncertainty around that because you weren't sure how the story was going to unfold, or because of some of the real life complications around availability and casting? Stories definitely have a life of their own, but do you feel like you've got a fairly firm plan in mind with "Bridgewater?"

bridgewater spoilers below the cut!

a little bit of both! there's always some uncertainty around what's actually going to be possible production-wise and, of course, we did end up getting alan tudyk in as thomas bradshaw because nathan fillion couldn't come back. and we all couldn't be happier about that! nathan and alan are close friends and alan is doing such a wonderful job that it all really worked out well - but there was definitely a little bit of discussion around "well, do we want to recast or do we want to write thomas off" and ultimately decided that thomas was in so little of season 1 that recasting wouldn't be super disruptive.

I tend to only very broadly plan past a first season when I'm building a show, and usually I'm only focused on, like....the themes and vibes and character growth I want. so in bridgewater's case, I didn't have a S2 plan when writing S1 beyond "here's what I want for jeremy and anne to experience", which could manifest in a whole LOT of ways (this is extremely vague I know, but obviously I can't talk about it until the whole season is out). there was a moment where I thought about jeremy and anne hearing thomas' voice at the end being a fakeout and it actually turns out to be some kind of hallucination or weird paranormal trick, but aaron and I, like, BARELY entertained that. we really wanted jeremy to have the chance to get to know his dad and I love "man out of time" stories.

anyway, long story long, I didn't necessarily even have the arc of the plot and lore of S2 mapped out when we figured out how we wanted the season to end, if that makes sense. I had really clear goals in mind for the emotional journeys that each of the characters would go on, and toyed around with a few ways of getting there before I landed on the one I ended up writing. part of why I don't plot out the specific story beats beyond a first season is because a) I'm a very character-forward writer, so whatever is going to enable the characters to have the emotional arcs I want is what I follow and b) when actors are involved you just truly never know how that's going to transform things.

for instance, I've talked about this before, but jeremy didn't swear all that much on the page in S1, but misha threw in so many swears when we were recording that the S2 scripts had way more cursing for Jeremy from the start. I loved it, I loved how misha's perspective on the character and sensibility altered the way jeremy speaks - he's funnier in S2, with a drier wit, because misha is very funny with a dry wit. it's the same thing with anne - melissa plays her hard-nosed nature so well, but she also has this absolutely incredible softness to her, that I actually wrote her calling jeremy "sweetie" or "honey" in S2 a few times (which I have a lot of squishy feelings about, I just have a lot of squishy feelings about them in general bc of the chemistry that misha and melissa have). same thing with misha and karan - they had such a playful chemistry that it was really easy and nice to lean into the real genuine love and care that vipin and jeremy have for each other (this is, like, SUCH a minor spoiler for what's coming up next, but I was just listening to this episode today, and in future episodes people refer to vipin explicitly as jeremy's best friend because like....yeah, he totally is. jeremy is a pretty loner-ish guy and even though vipin is his TA there is a genuine closeness there).

so there's that kind of stuff that can shape the emotional journeys the characters go on which of course can shake up your plot completely (if anyone listened to The Bright Sessions and has heard me talk about this specific thing before, this is exactly what happened with mark/damien - that relationship was not supposed to result in one of them falling in love and the other one, like, kind of falling back a little against his better judgment (I mean, christ, damien was like the one character that when I started writing I was like 'yeah this guy is straight' turns out VERY much no) but it turned into that because the first time andrew and charlie sat down to record together as those characters it was INSTANT sparks. some of the wildest organic chemistry I've ever experienced as a director lol).

but then there's also the fact that sometimes your actors are your direct collaborators on building the story! of course aaron is my partner in crime in building the world of bridgewater, but for S2, because misha was on board before I even started writing it, the two of us had several conversations both as I was outlining and then after all the scripts were written about who jeremy was and what we wanted for him. so I tend to keep all my plans fairly loose because I love the spontaneous collaboration that comes out of working with other people.

YEESH that was such a long winded answer, but thank you for asking!

#bridgewater #bridgewater spoilers #answered #writing

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

2023 Movie Journey #10: The Little Mermaid

, 

the little mermaid. okay, so this one was really interesting! i didn’t go into it with high expectations, but i also wasn’t expecting to hate it--i’ve seen very few of the disney live action remakes, so i didn’t really know what i might think at all. (as a matter of fact, i think the only one of the remakes i’ve seen is beauty and the beast? i have a couple others on my watchlist cuz @actuallylukedanes​ recommended them, like tarzan and pete’s dragon, but i haven’t seen aladdin or the lion king and i can’t remember if there are more.)

i did go into this one expecting to have fun whether i actually liked it or not, though, because i saw it in the theater with my family and i have a good time doing that with any movie. and i knew i loved some of the cast--awkwafina, daveed diggs, and melissa mccarthy were all selling points for me. i wasn’t familiar with the actress playing ariel but i knew she could sing, so i looked forward to seeing what she did with the role.

before it actually came out, i was originally worried about melissa mccarthy playing ursula, because i adore her and know she’s super talented, but the whole ‘ursula was modeled after a drag queen’ history of the animated character made her casting surprising to me, for some reason. it made me wonder what angle this version would be going for, with ursula. i didn’t get excited about it until they released a snippet of poor unfortunate souls and i was like ‘ohhhhh. okay she’s really going for it.’ 

after that i think i watched the clip at least twice before even seeing the movie, cuz it made me happy to feel like her interpretation was probably going to be true to my childhood attachment to the original character. honestly, it seems tricky to bring animated characters to life, especially beloved ones, and i’m not sure how a person does it well rather than the much more likely result of screwing it up--but i think a large part of it must be wholeheartedly committing to your ideas and then flinging yourself into it, without concerning yourself with whether or not other people will agree with how you interpreted it. 

and that may not actually create widely beloved interpretations, i wouldn’t really know--i feel like emma stone did the same thing in cruella, and for the same reason, i loved her portrayal. it was off-the-wall insane, but she committed to it, and that movie knew what it wanted to be and it won me over against my expectations. 

back to the little mermaid! i felt like this movie had several big problems, but most of them were the direct result of having live actors play these characters in this story without changing the basics (and changing the basics would make it a different story). the parts of the little mermaid that are abstractly weird/concerning when it was animated in the ‘90s become actively, unavoidably difficult or more creepy once everything is three-dimensional.

first of all, ariel’s scenes once she couldn’t talk were just...rough. the movie tries to give ariel and eric more of a connection, more bonding time and things to bond over, but she just can’t communicate very much with the wide-eyed lack of emoting that was happening until she got her voice back. i honestly don’t know if it was the actress herself, or the result of how she was directed, or if the real problem is that a cartoon face can just be made more expressive to balance a lack of words. but for me and both of the people i saw this movie with, there was just nothing there on her face, to a weird degree, while her voice is taken.

while i know this wasn’t the case for everybody, though, i did like her singing. i liked the moments in classic ariel songs where she made them her own, little vocal flourishes that reminded me of whitney houston playing the fairy godmother in cinderella. (though i was horrified by her addition to under the sea, which was totally unnecessary and cut into an otherwise great take on another classic by daveed diggs.)

his voice acting, along with awkwafina's, was great as well. her new added rap, i would also file under ‘totally unnecessary,’ but whatever, it’s fine, i know they always add stuff now and with lin involved i would’ve been surprised if it wasn’t a rap. this version of flounder made me miss the animated one a lot, because i remember loving him and i felt like in this one he somehow wasn’t nearly as endearing, or lacked personality or something. i’m still not sure why. 

the massive cgi might be part of it, though. i could tell it would be a problem for me as soon as there was a trailer--and i was not wrong. there’s just so much of it. i get that it’s not exactly convenient to, say, make your cast work underwater in tanks or anything...but real fish exist! the ocean exists! i don’t care if it was cheaper to just build the ocean out of pixels; jurassic park is cool because it made an effort with physical effects, and this movie could have looked so much better if they’d tried. even just for the Hey Look Fish scenes.

the other element of this movie that feels a lot worse in a live-action version is the basic love story between ariel and eric. it wasn’t exactly ideal when they were hand-drawn, but we didn’t have to think about it as much. the love at first sight concept is always pretty thin, and it’s no different here--she likes the look of him on his ship, possibly appreciates his willingness to risk his life to save his dog, and is ready to make a deal with ursula on the strength of that. it’s a little more believable for me on eric’s side because even without a voice she has a personality he seems charmed by, during their time together once he’s conscious. but the age gap between them is still gross. 

i had to look it up to learn that officially, they made her eighteen for this version instead of sixteen (and the actress was 21 while filming it). but the movie is vague about eric’s age and makes it possible that he could be as young as 21--only the actor playing him was 26 at the time, and to me he looked it. so despite their efforts to tweak the ages to make them closer together and to age her up, i watched this believing that she was an inexperienced teen and he was a fully adult sailor and that was supposed to be totally fine. romantic, even.

even if i wanted to be in favor of them, the actors really didn’t have any chemistry i could see. i don’t remember feeling the same way watching the animated one, but during this version when her friends are trying to manipulate them...it just seemed fully comedic. like, how ridiculous, and not because it’s a bird and a fish and a crustacean wanting them to kiss--the idea of them kissing at all. if it wasn’t required to save ariel’s soul, it wouldn’t have been clear to me why we should want that.

however, i did also like eric! it felt like in the beginning, they put more time and effort into trying to establish him as a character than i remember from the original. making him figuratively more than two-dimensional, not just literally. and it mostly worked.

his most memorable part for me was not necessarily for good reasons, though? i don’t think i’ll ever forget it, but it definitely undermined whatever success they had in making him a love interest hero worth taking seriously. 

they...gave him a song. and not just any song. this was a song that reminded me so painfully, so specifically, so unavoidably of another song, that i couldn’t unthink it and he immediately seemed ridiculous when he hadn’t before. 

anybody who has seen frozen 2 might remember a little number called ‘lost in the woods.’ it was one of my favorite parts of that movie, because it was very clearly done in the style of ‘80s hair bands, with kristoff overdramatic in his movements and full of emotion and played seriously while not taking itself completely seriously. it struck the perfect tone in what it was aiming for.

but what they do with eric is literally the same sort of thing: overdramatic movements, loudly emoting, Very Serious Despite Looking Silly. the problem is that he’s not an animated character! and he’s not troy bolton from high school musical, either (troy could emote at 1000% like nobody else and get away with it). eric can not get away with it, or at least he doesn’t, and i suspect it’s because the movie gives no indication that there’s a joke we’re supposed to be on. 

as far as i could tell, that scene was just eric’s big power ballad, and they wanted him to have a big power ballad, and whether they modeled it after frozen 2 or not, they clearly thought it was a good thing. i’m not so sure they were right about that. 

i gotta say, the scary parts of this movie were much scarier than i ever found the animated version to be, though they didn’t change the actual story a lot in those scenes so i’m not sure if i was just less affected as a child (which seems unlikely when the dogcatcher from lady and the tramp gave me nightmares). both her father destroying her collection and the final battle with ursula felt more intense than i remembered, and maybe that comes from having the characters played by real people. a Scary Dad is much scarier when he looks like an actual person, merman or not, and the same is true i guess for a sea witch. 

the final battle with ursula was also the worst scene for me when it came to cgi, though. i spent a lot of it not being able to tell what was going on, because eventually that’s what happens--my brain just sees pixels and can’t turn them into whatever they’re supposed to be, and i’m confused until it stops.

but ursula was definitely my favorite part of the movie, in terms of this familiar story going from its animated roots to live action. melissa mccarthy, who is truly so much more talented than her choices in projects always show, took on this role which was iconic when i was a kid. and she somehow approaches it both very sincerely and straightforwardly, giving us the drama and the danger and the snark of the original, while also adding just enough camp. i was genuinely surprised disney let her get away with being so good at it! 

at one point, she pauses during a song just to push up her breasts--and i had a flashback to queen latifah in chicago, throwing her all behind ‘when you’re good to mama,’ and teenage me could not have been more delighted. i know there was no deliberate connection there, but for me, that’s such a random moment of flair and sass in the middle of ursula’s singing and it didn’t have to be there. since they didn’t cast an actual drag queen to play her, i really enjoyed that moment that felt, on its own, even the tiniest bit subversive. melissa mccarthy was alive and loving it, playing this character, and we were blessed.

overall, i wouldn’t say this movie was my favorite new disney movie, or even my favorite live action remake (i don’t think i have one). but it had good elements, and i had a good time watching it--it’s just also fun to critique.

#the little mermaid #2023 movie journey #melissa mccarthy #ursula #daveed diggs #awkwafina

[ithillyienseowyn]

Anyway since its the end of The Little Mermaids one month birthday-versary let me tell you my fave press junkets that I watched this past month to fill up my time waiting for the dvd.

The Around the Table interview with the whole cast.

IGN's disney quiz: where Alan Menken wiped everyone clean by guessing both Hercules and BatB songs {bonus for HB and JHK guessing the songs from the lion king} the disney kid energy that vibrates off of them both is unreal {but especially him, I'm pretty much the same when it comes to disney} also found out that he was born the same year as my sister so I'm like 4 yrs older than him {which was why I kept thinking/couldn't shake that he just looked super young throughout the whole movie because some of the angles they caught him on he looked nearly boyish? {he has like 6 months on both me and my sister though}.

That one EW interview with Melissa McCarthy where she just gets drunk. Also the one where she talks about getting the role of Ursula and wanting to honour Pat Carroll but not wanting to be her.

The Etalk interview {with the entire cast} where Rob Marshall brought up the whole Fantasia Nutcracker Suite and the fact that after booking this movie he immediately went to the original story to story board? {Not related but I love the bit of IMDB trivia that he also made the crew watch on Stranger Tide's to study the way the Mermaids moved}.

The First Impressions interview with HB and JHK.

The one where HB and JHK tell the story of The Little Mermaid film through the alphabet. {I really wish they didn't stop at O I wanted to hear the whole thing}.

{last minute add on} But the one where both of them take the BFF test and HB thinks JHK's middle name is his last name also had me wheezing.

The one where HB and JHK play superlatives.

The interviews where they get interviewed by the kids.

That one interview where JHK brings up how he saw HB's face on a cereal box, just because he loved cereal so much.

I think that's it? I only watched a handful of these.

#misc #text #tlm text #half of these interviews had me laughing my ass off

[marinerainbow]

I don't usually make posts like this, but I said I would. So Herr are my thoughts on

The Live Action Little Mermaid

First and foremost: HALLE BAILEY IS AN AMAZING ARIEL!!!!

I never had my doubts about her from what I saw in the trailer. But HOLY HELL she brought the animated mermaid to LIFE with how she played her! Her voice, her expressions, her acting! It all flowed together and I could see Ariel, not someone playing as Ariel. The same goes to the rest of the actors!

And Ariel took more initiative in this film too! She did do a little of that in the original (actively breaking the rules to pursue her passion, taking a leap of faith to try to join the land and have her love, etc) but she seems more involved in the live action film. And not in a way that tries to hammer in the 'girl power' message either (children should have good role models. But when the feminist message starts to take away from the story and becomes that characters' entire personality, that's a bit too much). Ariel here was crafty and wanted to unite the two worlds, but remained her old bubbly and curious self!

Not to mention, Eric! First of all, I loved his performance in the film just as much as Ariel. And they made him more likable too! Like Ariel in the original, Eric was a bit more developed than other prince's in the original film (talking about how he'd not going to go through an arranged marriage, having fun with his love interest instead of just saving her, etc). Though, he was still a kinda bland character. In the live action though, Eric is not just Ariels prince. He feels like he's actually her second half. And the decision to make their goals and backgrounds similar also sheds a new light on Eric and Ariels relationship that the original didn't quite have.

And of course, I can't forget Ursula. I'll admit, I had a slight doubt when I heard they were casting Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Not because I don't like her, I actually love her in her films. But I've never seen Melissa play a fairytale villain, so I wasn't sure how it would go to have a raunchy comedy actress starring as the sea witch. But BOY HOWDY, Melissa quickly dashed my those fears away. She brought her own spin to the character while also being the sassy, intimidating, deal maker we all know and love! And not to mention her singing voice. Holy. Shit. Melissa, you gotta play more characters like Ursula.

And the same applies to all the other characters! From Ariels friends and her family, all the actors and actresses' brought a whole new life to the characters they were casted as! Including the new ones, such as Eric's mother! Honestly, that's pretty much how this whole movie felt. It felt like I was watching a fairy tale brought to life once again, and not an exact repeat of the original nor a butchered version. They kept a lot of the original script and songs, while also adding new things. Eric and Scuttle got their own songs, some locations were changed but they felt like they worked with 2023 Little Mermaid, and the decision to make the film take place on the Caribbean Islands was a very interesting choice that they made work!!

And I CAN NOT finish this post without mentioning the CGI, beautiful visuals, and character design! All if the graphics were just... AHHH! I can't even describe it. The cast felt like they actually were under water with the changed gravity, and the stunning way they animated the animals. Speaking of which! Yes, they did change the characters' designs, and some of them are goofy, such as Flounder. But they are just as cute too!! And they gave the animals E X P R E S S I O N S!!! This isn't a repeat of the live action Lion King. Through body language, eye movement, and voice, these character genuinely feel like they are living!!! My personal favorite thing about the CGI is that they still gave Sebastian the realistic crab eyes, but animated them so you can still see where he's looking and what he's feeling!!

I found only ONE fatal flaw, though... They did not have Sebastians arch nemesis, the Chef (I'm just kidding. I'm a bit disappointed the Chef wasn't in here, but that's a personal thing and not like a 'the movie is ruined' thing)

Conclusion? Go see The Little Mermaid. Please. You WILL NOT REGRET IT.

In all seriousness, I was a little disappointed when there weren't as many vocals/back up singers in the songs 'Under the Sea' or 'Kiss the Girl', but that's not at all a bad thing. That's just my nostalgia being nit-picky XD and they did make those songs work! It was awesome to hear Ariel and Sebastian sing together, and her friends ACTUALLY working together instead of Sebastian carrying the majority of this operation on his shell.

#The Little Mermaid #live action #Disney #movie reviews #halle bailey #The Little Mermaid 2023 #if any other live action disney films are directed by this guy #then my hope will be restored for Live Action Disney