#I just love how this style of shot makes the show feel so *tangible*

[booksandabeer]

Okay, so... Maestro

I know it’s the cool thing right now to shit on Bradley Cooper and his increasingly desperate attempts to win that damn Oscar, and at this point it feels a bit like kicking someone when they’re already down, but oh boy, he makes it so easy. Still, let me preface what I’m about to say by assuring everyone who might be inclined to think that this is just me piling on, that I truly, sincerely wanted to like this movie. It’s about Leonard Bernstein!!! Of course I wanted to like it!  

With that out of the way…if you already thought Bradley Cooper was a bit much in A Star Is Born, wait until you’ve seen him act at you for two hours in this never-truer-to-its-name vanity project in which producer Bradley Cooper produces director Bradley Cooper who directs leading man Bradley Cooper as he recites lines written by, you guessed it, screenwriter Bradley Cooper.

First of all, the movie looks gorgeous. It sounds wonderful. Everybody in the so-called “below the line” departments brought their absolute A-game to this. It’s a Vogue coffee table book come to life. And that is precisely where the problem lies: This is supposed to be a movie, but what it actually is is the epitome of style over substance. It is completely devoid of any meaningful insights into the man or the time or the culture it depicts. It’s not a movie about Leonard Bernstein, the artist. Which isn’t a problem per se—different approaches to biopics are perfectly valid. The real problem is that it’s not a movie about Leonard Bernstein, the man, either. It’s Bradley Cooper spending almost 100 million dollars cosplaying as The Great Artist—beloved by intellectuals and the common folk alike—that he so desperately wishes to be himself.

Cooper's performance is A LOT. From the many affectations to the sweaty mania that is constantly turned up to 11 to the extremely nasal intonation (that seems to come and go) to, yes, the stupid and entirely unnecessary prosthetic nose—he does The Most in every single scene. Now, you might say I’m biased by my recent love for Fellow Travelers, but still, what Matt Bomer—in a small part as Bernstein’s lover and collaborator David Oppenheim—does in one scene that shows him smiling through the pain of being casually cast aside by his lover, moved me more than (almost) anything Cooper does in the entire movie. They also share a moment later that is almost unbearable to watch because of the pain seeping out of these two men who are, due to a mix of self-denial and societal oppression, not allowed to (or allowing themselves to) live life as their true selves. Finally! Some real human emotion! That is the movie I want to see. And it is so telling that this moment of actual tangible humanity happens when Cooper finally calms down for five fucking seconds.

All that isn’t to say that there aren’t any scenes here that have true charm and flair; at times the movie even comes close to moments of true beauty and grace that could be poignant, even devastating in the best of ways—were they not ruined by some “eccentric” directorial choice, baffling camera placements, shots that either linger on forever or are abruptly cut short. I was practically waiting for him to turn to the camera and ask “see what I did there?” Yes, we see it. We see it in the fantastical dance sequences, the 40s noir inspired shots, the shift from black and white to color halfway through the movie, the classic 4:3 aspect ratio, and the many many many allusions that do not serve this story and these characters at all but make it very clear to the audience that Cooper has seen a lot of movies. He’s a student of Cinemah, didn't you know? Anyway, all of these things aren’t bad ideas in and of themselves, but he does not know how to edit himself (or his movie) and so it’s just all too much, all the time, and it goes on for way too long.  

Let’s talk briefly about the Felicia of it all. Briefly, because for all the noise that Cooper has made about this being a movie that is just as much about Bernstein’s wife and their love story as it is about the man himself, I could not tell you who this woman was any more than I could before I sat down to watch two hours of Carey Mulligan reacting to Bernstein’s genius. Mulligan tries her best but she’s really only allowed to play two modes: swooning with adoration or vibrating with repressed anger. That’s it. I have no idea who Felicia Montealegre was beyond her husband’s wife. What did she want her life and her career to be? Was she truly passionate about acting or was it just a fun hobby to pass the time? And what did she hope to get out of this marriage, which—the movie makes it very clear—she entered into with the full awareness that there were parts of her husband’s life and heart that would remain forever inaccessible to her? Who knows. I certainly don’t.

Despite all claims to the contrary, this movie, and therefore I must assume the man who made it, is deeply uninterested in actually exploring this woman’s inner life. There’s no small amount of sad irony to be found in the parallel of Felicia serving as a shield of respectability for Bernstein (not only as that, because I do not doubt that they loved each other, but it was certainly one of the reasons for why he married her) and Cooper using his supposed interest in her (and to a lesser extent his lead actress) all these years later as a kind of preemptive measure to ward off criticism that he’s only interested in the Male Genius.  

Finally. What’s actually worse than all of the above is that somehow Bradley Cooper managed to do the impossible: He made a movie about Leonard Bernstein that is both utterly exhausting and—the true cardinal sin—terribly boring.  

#don’t even get me started on the approach cooper chooses to depict bernstein’s sexuality #which I think says more about him than about his subject #then again pretty much everything in this movie says more about him than about the people it's supposedly about #but whatever. i'm done now. going back to bed. if this has 1000 SPaG mistakes and/or makes no sense blame it on the fever #movie ramblings #maestro

[likethecastle]

one thing I really appreciate about rtd era doctor who is just how NORMAL the sets often look:

there have been at least three separate people I’ve known whose bedrooms had this vibe: the incredible clashing between different shades of pink, the dark carpet, the messiness, the poor lighting filtering through that dark curtain—I know how it feels being in this room.

I painted my room this exact color in 2008/2009. martha’s organized, but she’s a student and it’s a cramped space—she arranges her shelves the best she can, but her stuff is just stuff and doesn’t perfectly match. when I’m at school I have to dry my laundry in the middle of my room exactly the same way!

yup, that’s what every break room I’ve ever had at work looks like, with the mismatched tupperware and posters and questionably-clean microwave.

sylvia’s house is obviously intended to be coordinated, but with a nonprofessional’s taste. you can see the little pumpkins in the background from halloween, there’s a printed tablecloth at the table, the counters are that realistic mix of cluttered and clean. 

even in a fancy office, we’ve got the ugly fluorescent lighting that’s not really doing anyone favors, the crooked potted plants, the sporadic beige and white walls, the random workplace posters above the printer and trash cans.

people sitting in weird places because there aren’t enough seats around the tv! the cat tower with kitty litter shoved in the corner! the overstuffed table! the slightly-crooked picture frames! this IS the vibe of being stuffed into a too-small room with company over.

I don’t know, I just love how they unapologetically show the messiness of normal life on camera?? I feel like the unglamorous-ness of it grounds the show so much?! it’s just so much fun watching a bunch of fantastical sci-fi things play out against mundane settings I see every day.

#I just love how this style of shot makes the show feel so *tangible* #to reiterate: nothing wrong with more recent sets! #this is just one small aspect of the show that I miss at times #and it's v much a subjective/personal preference thing!! #doctor who #dw #rtd era #ninth doctor #tenth doctor #rose tyler #martha jones #donna noble #jack harkness #**

[realhotdweebshit]

thunderstorms | nsfw

pairing: Thor x Black Reader

summary: Thunderstorms make Thor...moody. Meg thee Stallion style. While Thor is indeed the god of thunder, thunder (in return) wields a sort of power of him. Particularly his temperament--his emotions are intensified. Be it joy, sadness, anger, or lust (your favorite), his sensitivity to that emotion is multiplied by nearby storms. All the electricity in the air...and it's the summer. Shit.

warnings: teasing, femdom, v light bondage, cheesy writing overall

rating: mature (18+) not graphic but v horny

___

You absentmindedly swipe through the apps on your home screen, trying to kill time as you wait for the elevator. Your background distracts you for a moment; a photo of Thor Odinson, previously King of Asgard and Ruler of the Nine Realms and currently your boyfriend, asleep on your couch. He's so cute, you think to yourself. A sudden ding yanks your head up. The doors open, revealing an empty car. You and someone in a worn college hoodie enter. You recognize them as your neighbor, living one level below. You exchange nonverbal hellos before resuming your separate reveries.

You unlock your screen once more, reflexively. No notifications in the last 90 seconds? Baffling. Bored, you decide to check the weather.

Cloudy, cloudy, cloudy--Jesus, what a bummer week, you think to yourself until your eyes land on Friday night. 100% chance of thunderstorms.

"Oh fuck yeah!" you say out loud. You panic as you remember your neighbor standing beside you. Thank God, headphones. Like clockwork the elevator doors open. They shoot you a tired smile before exiting.

The moment the doors close, you break into a pelvic thrust heavy celebratory dance.

...

Thunderstorms make Thor...moody. Meg thee Stallion style. While Thor is indeed the god of thunder, thunder (in return) wields a sort of power of him. Particularly his temperament--his emotions are intensified. Be it joy, sadness, anger, or lust (your favorite), his sensitivity to that emotion is multiplied by nearby storms. All the electricity in the air...and it's the summer. Shit.

If I play my cards right, this one night could lead to a three day dick down. You smirk to yourself as wicked ideas fly through your head. Oh, he's going to hate you this week.

It'll be worth it.

Teasing is one of your favorite pastimes. Thor "hates" it. You add quotes because while he gets visibly vexed once he catches on to what you're doing, he also gets tangibly turned on and encourages you to go further.

The word encourages is being polite. Begs is the exact term. An image of Thor panting flashes before your eyes.

You’re sitting poised at the end of the bed, dragging your fingers in lazy circles on the inside of his thigh. Your eyes zoom in on your favorite silk head scarf, tied in a neat bow around Thor’s wrists at the top of your metal bed frame. Of course he could free himself at any moment, but that was your favorite scarf. If he ripped it, you certainly wouldn’t be in the mood to continue, and he certainly wouldn’t survive being left hanging. Not in this position, I mean he’s completely naked.

Your eyes darted to his heaving chest. His breath was uneven. A thin sheen of sweat blanketed his muscular frame. You glanced at his face and saw more beads forming at his forehead.

“You dare treat a god this way?” He rasped.

“You don’t like how I’m touching you?” You replied with thinly veiled faux concern, withdrawing your fingers. He nearly snarled with frustration.

“You’ve had me bound to your bed for two hours and barely touched me. This is torture,” he spat out. You immediately wrapped your hand around his throbbing third leg, massaging it. The relieved moans that burst through him shocked the both of you, but you kept up your rhythm. His body collapsed into your touch; his head lolled to the side.

“I don’t want to torture you, baby. I just want to make you feel good,” you assured him. He moaned louder, and his hips began to roll with your movements. Out of the window you noticed clouds begin to loom and you grinned.

Tssst.

A tiny tearing sound wiped the smile from your face and halted your hand. Thor’s head shot up and his eyes met yours. You saw genuine fear in his eyes and knew in that moment that you truly were the baddest bitch in the nine realms.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry it was only a tear it was only a tear I won’t do it again,” he said in one breath. He was nearly hyperventilating. You tore your hand off of him and he wailed.

“First you accuse me of torture then you rip my favorite scarf? What am I supposed to wear next time I don't feel like doing my hair? Clearly you're not appreciating my efforts tonight-”

“Please, please don’t stop,” he cut you off. “I beg you please, let me apologize, let me show you how much I appreciate you, please.”

The high that washed over you was almost overwhelming. Your skin was practically buzzing. You were suddenly drunk with power, and power made you greedy.

“I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. For a second, I thought I heard the god of thunder begging. What did you just say?”

He gritted his teeth for a moment, then exhaled.

“I beg you, y/n,” he whispered, eyes pleading. “Release me, and I will make it up to you right away. A thousand times over.”

Your eyes widen with excitement as you stand up to untie him. “A thousand times over? You forget I’m a mere mortal.”

The moment the fabric falls to the floor his arms snake around your waist. Thor tucks you underneath him as he spreads your legs.

“Prepare for divine intervention, my love.”

You snap out of the fond memory almost as quickly as you fell into it. You squirm in discomfort, feeling the effects of your daydreaming soak into your underwear. Thank God you made it back to your apartment before becoming a horny mess.

Thor’s apology touched you so deeply you had to call out of work the next day. And that was without a storm.

With an evil smile, you begin to plan your attack.

___

ahh! i haven't published fic in a long time. let me know what you think! if you vibe with a Black femme gay who enjoys nerdy fanfic, let's follow each other <3

#thor x reader #thor x black!reader #thor x you #thor smut #thor fanfiction #marvel smut #black y/n #black!reader #mcu imagine #mcu imagines #mcu x reader #marvel x reader #marvel fanficfion #avengers smut #avengers imagine #thor odinson fanfiction #thor odinson x reader #thor odinson smut #reader x thor #poc!reader #poc reader #mcu smut

[marvels-writings]

Heartbeat | Part 1: Repost

Wanda Maximoff Masterlist

Requested by @xxxtwilightaxelxxx :

Summary: Her heart was yours, but you'd never held it in your hands before. You never wanted to, but you had to save her, no matter what.

Word Count: 7.8k (worth your time)

A/N: Give the whole fic a read, I promise it will be worth your time. I worked my ass off on it and the original post didn't work with tags, thus the repost

June 8, 2021

Tuesday, 1:07

Grey light filtered through the jet windows, landing on the grim interior of the jet. The faint smell of disinfectant and cleaning supplies filled the air, mixing with the sounds from the comms near the front of the jet. The metal of it was cold against your back as you leaned against it, the pen scribbling in your notebook being the only sound in the room.

Your eyes were glued to the page, hardly paying attention to anything around you. The scribbling stopped for a few moments; you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, thinking. The side of your pen impatiently tapped the side of your notebook as you thought of the words to finish your poem.

It was not exactly poetry, per se; it was more of a small paragraph or two on something you were thinking of. There were many such rants, the notebook in your hands full of them. This one, in particular, you kept getting stuck on, finding it harder than anything to write about something so real and tangible rather than your dreams.

It happened every time you tried to write about Wanda instead of one of your dreams. Whenever you'd tried before, you got stuck on the words. Never had you dared to show her the poems you'd written about your relationship.

This one, you hoped, would be the exception.

"Dr. Y/l/n?"

Snapping out of your stupor, you looked up at the agent addressing you. He beckoned you over to the front of the jet, near the comms. They wore the same face you'd wear when you were about to deliver bad news. Almost as if he was about to tell you that your phone was lost in a fire; or something as trivial as you were hoping it would be.

Clinging onto the hope it would only be a mild inconvenience, you followed him, clutching your notebook tightly. All of the voices were mingling into one, each sounding the same distress you began to feel the longer you listened. None of the words could be made out, no matter how hard you tried. The agent changed some of the settings so you could make out their words.

"Wanda needs immediate medical attention," Steve stated, his voice gritty over the comms.

Pants sounded over the speakers, heavy breathing mixing with the calls for medical attention. They all began blending into one again. Your hand gripped the back of the chair, fingers tightening around the metal. Your eyes widened as you tried to understand what they were saying so you knew what to do.

Scenarios and thoughts rampaged through your mind at the lack of a clear answer. As the chatter continued, your posture tensed, the muscles in your back hardening further until you snatched the comms from the agent.

"What's going on?" You demanded, gripping the device tightly. You needed a clear answer. It wasn't just so you could calm down, it was so you could prepare and help Wanda. Your job, not your love.

"She's shot."

Read the Rest

Tag List:

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#marvel #marvel x reader #marvel x female reader #marvel x female!reader #marvel x fem reader #marvel x you #marvel x y/n #marvel one shot #marvel imagine #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff x female!reader #wanda maximoff x fem reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff one shot #wanda maximoff imagine #scarlet witch #scarlet witch x reader #scarlet witch x female!reader #scarlet witch x fem reader #scarlet witch x you #scarlet witch x y/n #my writing #my fic #MYC's writing #elizabeth olsen

[inkingtwice]

The parallels here are so lovely, and the differences are even lovelier.

What I love about watching these side-by-side is seeing what they chose to mirror from S1 and where they chose to depart from it: to me, the mirroring feels like both tonal consistency and also the concrete elements of Si-mok's character and style--what Young Il-jae would probably call "essence". Whereas the departures speak to character development. (Elegantly, IMO, even by this show's high standards.)

Si-mok's interrogation style in these solo interviews is pretty similar in spite of the different subjects and circumstances: a quiet beginning with easy-ish questions, increasing pressure and decreasing personal space, something to startle and rattle, a more aggressive approach plus “how did it feel”, and then challenging the story with tangible evidence. Logic to emotion and back to logic. He gets progressively more involved, snaps, then pulls back.

The difference in body language between these two scenes is incredibly compelling to me. In S1, Si-mok's frustration is evident but mostly in check; he is mostly still except when he chooses to move, mostly expressionless except when he chooses to goad. Even his pounding the table feels a little deliberate. When it doesn't get him what he's after, he packs it away and moves on.

In S2 the camera work does a lot to suggest that he's both more relaxed--watch his legs when they back out for a wide shot of the room, gah--and more reactive, a state mainly shown through repeated focus on his hands. When he slams a fist on the table and shouts this time, his posture changes completely, as it often does when he's completely engaged; it looks like he's about to go right over the table. And again the camera pans back to show it clearly. His sideways glance toward the recording room right after is eloquent.

How much of this has to do with the interview subjects is something I don't know that I'm equipped to judge. Yoon Se-won is a colleague of a (presumably) similar age, whereas Kim Hu-jeong is essentially a kid, for all that Si-mok calls him an adult.

They're both, in a way, roads-not-taken for Si-mok, who began S1 willing to justify at least some unpleasant means by the ends they produced but course-corrected when Han Yeo-jin gave her impassioned speech about the dangers of compromise; and who began S2 isolated and aware of it in a way he hadn't been before, and--in my interpretation, anyway--tired of fighting a tide of corruption, and newly aware he's just as able to make mistakes as anybody else. He has moments of genuine empathy with both of them.

I note also that in neither case does he get what he came for. Mr. Yoon gave up only what he wanted to give up in the first interview and invoked his right to remain silent in the second, and Si-mok takes a literal backseat to Han Yeo-jin in S2: he rattles Kim Hu-jeong thoroughly, but she is the one who gets the confession. Another lovely parallel.

#tvn stranger #tvn secret forest #stranger 2 #secret forest 2 #hwang si mok #yoon se won #kim hu jeong #cho seung woo #character arcs #character development #mirroring: the home game #meta #yes it's more meta #surprise! #one day i will finish this fic and stop spamming the interwebs with headcanon #BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY

[marshmallowgoop]

Magic Kaito vs. Magic Kaito 1412

I’m not sure if I ever finished all twelve episodes, but I first watched at least a handful of the original Magic Kaito specials about a decade ago, and I remember really enjoying them. Superhero stories are among my favorites, and while both Magic Kaito and its sister series Detective Conan overlap with the genre in various ways—after all, Conan’s glasses were literally inspired by Clark Kent—Kaito’s flashy costume alone pushes his adventures more in that direction. So, maybe it’s no wonder that, back in the day, I kind of considered Magic Kaito my preferred series of the two.

Recently, I’ve got a reignited interest in the DCMK world (evidently). And it’s not a bad time to have a reignited interest, because English-language accessibility for this universe is much better now than it was ten years ago. Conan’s getting new movie dubs, and Kaito’s newer, expanded TV series, Magic Kaito 1412, is freely available on Crunchyroll. Obviously, I had to give it a shot.

I wasn’t impressed. Far from it. I chalked up my old fondness to nostalgia goggles. Kid the Phantom Thief is simply more enjoyable in Detective Conan than in his own thing, I figured.

But a few weeks ago, those old specials went up on Crunchyroll Germany. And it took me a while, but I finally decided to figure out the truth, once and for all. Have my tastes totally changed, or has Magic Kaito anime not always been Like That?

I was impressed. I watched all of one episode, and I enjoyed it so much more than 1412.

Which surprised me! Just examining the first episodes of both series, they’re honestly practically identical. They cover the same story beats almost exactly. Kaito’s introduction is even consistently him being disgusting to Aoko—behavior that, nauseatingly, convinced me that Mineta of the My Hero Academia series would actually be adored if he were conventionally attractive.

But as it turns out, that’s relevant to why the original Magic Kaito strikes me as far more palatable. Kaito’s actions towards Aoko are still indefensible in the old special, but he doesn’t repeat them on his teacher, and there are repercussions. Unlike in 1412, Kaito doesn’t get away with his harassment because his teacher finds him charming; in fact, Aoko even later notes that he “should be thankful [he] [wasn’t] expelled,” implying that he was indeed punished harshly for what he did. While Aoko assures Kaito’s mother that he didn’t get in trouble in 1412, in the original special, it’s clear that being cute isn’t enough to give him a free pass for disrupting class and being gross.

Further, in a more general sense, the tone of both series is of course goofy overall, but the characters in the old Magic Kaito feel much more like human beings than the cartoonish caricatures portrayed in 1412. A scene especially missing from the new show is a quiet one where Kaito and Aoko walk together after school. With the sun hanging low in the sky and a sparkling river flowing beside them, Kaito expresses his disappointment in how his magic trick didn’t exactly end as planned. “I guess I need to work on my finale,” he bemoans, but Aoko is more concerned with why he feels the need to pull these ridiculous stunts in the first place.

She quickly gets her answer. One of the exuberant little kids who had run by them earlier falls over and cries, and Kaito doesn’t hesitate to cheer him up with magic. And Aoko watches. She sees the way the little boy’s face lights up. She sees how he runs off again with renewed energy. And she smiles. She doesn’t say it, but the audience gets the message.

Oh. That’s why Kaito’s a magician. That’s why Aoko walks by his side.

I won’t claim to fully comprehend Kaito’s character. I haven’t read the manga, it’s been years since I’ve seen more than the first episode of these old specials, I’ve only watched about 20% of 1412, and for as much as I’ve been posting about Detective Conan lately, I’m (maybe humorously) about the farthest thing from current and would only be able to tell you about Kid’s first appearance in that show. But when Kaito returns to his empty home in the original series, and when he announces that he’s there to nobody at all, and when he welcomes himself back, all with a smile and a cheerfulness to his tone, I deeply feel his loneliness. I feel the weight of his lost father. I feel that, even if some of his tricks are inappropriate and inexcusable, he does them because he wants to make people laugh. He doesn’t want anyone to feel as sad and alone as he’s felt.

Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t get any of that from Magic Kaito 1412.

And they’re small things, they really are. But they make a world of difference. Even Jii, who really only becomes more than just a mysterious figure in the episode’s closing minutes, feels more like a tangible person in the special. He loudly gasps for breath after performing the magical, fantastical feats of his old friend, and it’s such a tiny, minuscule detail, but when watching, I feel it so strongly. I literally understand the strain of Toichi’s loss on Jii, too.

Beyond narrative decisions—and there are others that I much prefer in the old series, such as how Kaito links his failed magic trick to his father’s “poker face” philosophy, and how Kaito uses a successful variation of his earlier trick to escape the police as Kid the Phantom Thief—I also just simply prefer the original art style. Magic Kaito 1412 is slick and shiny and modern, but in being so, it strikes me as much more generic than the older-styled 2010 special. Shot compositions also feel more powerful in the first anime; just consider how differently the two series handle what is arguably the emotional height of the entire episode:

[Image descriptions: A series of four comparison images examining how the 2010 Magic Kaito series and the 2014 Magic Kaito 1412 portray the same sequence of events. In both, Kaito asks Jii, “Dad was murdered?! Was my dad... a thief? Was he Kid the Phantom Thief?” Kaito then says, “I see...” End image descriptions.]

While the dialogue is essentially unchanged, the old show’s use of close-ups expresses the tension of the scene spectacularly. You can see the terror in Kaito’s eyes. You can see how the thought of his father being a thief is so distressing that merely asking the question is painful and heartwrenching. You can see the sweat on Kaito’s face. You can see in great detail how much he struggles to grapple with this new truth.

Magic Kaito 1412 is significantly more distanced. And there’s power in that decision, too. The revelation is overwhelming. It’s hard to take. Kaito may want to get away from it, but he can’t.

However, I resonate more with how the original series handles the moment. Seeing how everything affects Kaito way up close speaks much more to me—and there are still some fantastic long shots, too:

[Image descriptions: Two screenshots from the original Magic Kaito series. Both are distanced long shots. In the first image, Kaito and Jii kneel on the ground. Kaito’s hands are on Jii’s shoulders. In the second image, Kaito stands, facing away from Jii, while Jii remains on the ground in shame. They wear identical outfits in both images, and their capes blow in the wind. End image descriptions.]

Gotta love those capes.

Overall, my feelings on Magic Kaito as a whole could probably be best described as somewhat mixed. And I’m kind of new here, and I don’t even know when it’s appropriate to use the #dcmk tag, so I of course don’t have the slightest clue about how popular or unpopular my opinion that the 2010 Magic Kaito series ranks above 2014′s Magic Kaito 1412 is. 

But skipping down memory lane and revisiting the old show was pleasantly surprising. Maybe my affection for Magic Kaito will never reach the highs it once had all those years ago, but it was almost comforting to find that my tastes haven’t changed all that much—rather, it’s Magic Kaito itself that’s changed.

#magic kaito #magic kaito 1412 #kaito kuroba #aoko nakamori #jii konosuke #dcmk #? lol like i said i don't know when it's appropriate to use that tag but i do talk about dc a bit here so? #mk critical #is that a tag? #honestly i was gonna try to avoid putting this in the tags because it's kind of critical but #it became like a legit essay and i'd like to hear other thoughts! and i hope it's not *that* negative? #anyway what is with me writing things i don't really plan on writing and not the things i do plan on writing ^^; #ramblings

[bbnibini]

Hi! I really love your works but it gotten me curious if you also read fanfics? Do you have any fanfic recommendations?

Thank you, anon! That's really kind of you. 🥺💕 I do read fanfics, but not as much anymore. I'm assuming this ask is for Obey Me fics? But if not, I will include some of my absolute favourites in a future post. Fair warning: I gushed. A LOT hahaha. Please support the authors and their works! I included the fics in the hyperlinks~

NSFW fics are marked appropriately, so please click the links at your own discretion (some of them are in my public bookmarks in AO3).

Elle's Obey Me Fic Recommendations

🌸Your Coal by Angrish(LettuceBean)

Truth be told, I belong to the "forgive but don't forget camp" in lieu of what happened in Chapter 16; reading Angrish's YC and how their MC coped with the aftermath(+ how others coped along with them) felt really powerful, raw and so so emotional. It made me think and really think about how I processed the whole thing that happened. While it didn't really change my outlook on how I have forgiven Belphie for what he had done, Angrish shedding light to the unanswered questions and lingering doubts the main story have left most of its readers was done in such a thoughtful and poetic way that I found myself binge reading the whole thing.

Given that I read this whole coping with a lot of stuff as well (and may have contributed with sympathising a lot more to the vindictiveness of the MC), reading what Angrish had written was really cathartic. Their writing style is also beautiful--the way the words string together, simple, elegant, yet impactful really made MC's emotions a lot...tangible, real and sometimes, frustrating (in a good way, mind you). I also liked how they had fleshed out the other characters, especially Belphegor, Satan and the Purgatory Hall members.

🌸You'll Have to Ask Your Dad by DefenestrationProtestration

I remembered clicking on this fic because of the author's punny name, stayed for the pretty writing and reread a few several times for the characterisation and THE WRITING. I'm pretty sure I left a litany of praises and incomprehensible gushing on the comments section because of how much I've devoured this piece of art.

Even as I'm typing this review, I can't seem to organise my thoughts haha. You can tell by the writing style that the author had a lot of fun writing their prose; it permeates through the screeen...my "screen" of imagination at least. I am not joking--the writing is so pretty and vivid that I literally saw it as a movie in my head lol. I chatted with them a bit on the comments and they said the prose is more of something they had written subconsciously; it reminded me of James Joyce and how he had masterfully perfected the same technique. Of course, their writing styles differ a lot from each other, but I can see what they meant.

...as I'm typing this, I didn't realise how I haven't talked about the plot of the fic at all soz. This piece is the author's character study of Lucifer. It talks about how he was before, during and after the fall. He is a bit of an unreliable narrator, which I'm not sure if the author intended, but he has all these presumptions that miss the mark so so much, particularly at how his brothers, Lord Diavolo and the others perceive him--but reading the whole thing would make you understand why he had gotten to that kind of self-perception in the first place. And honestly? It really, really hurt to read. But was it bad? The total opposite of that, in fact! I loved how they had written the angst in this piece. So many things in the fic are "show, rather than tell" and I really really appreciate that.

Most of my brainrot about this fic is better to be explored on your own. Overall, 10/10: a definite, recommended read.

🌸Fairy Tales for the Fallen by indiavolowetrust

I haven't fully devoured all of the stories in the collection yet, but the ones I've read (Her Name Was Thousand Eyes is my favourite) was such a really good spin on dark fairy tales (Obey Me style!). It reminded me of my childhood Little Mermaid picture book for some reason. Probably the writing style(the author's writing reads a lot like a storybook) The one I had was Hans Christian Andersen's (aka the OG) version and the ending was rather...dark for a 5 year old lol. It was a big part of my life though and was probably the precursor for my affinity with sad stories haha.

🌸TieGuanYin by Taciturn

Like tea on a tiring day, Taciturn's writing style feels very homey, cozy and familiar. I love rereading this oneshot when I'm having a shitty day and imagining myself having tea with Barbatos haha. Ever had pieces of art or literature that just...relaxes you when you consume it? This one is one of my, as the youngsters say, "comfort fic" haha.

🌸glass half empty; glass half full by unagis

I love unagis' fics.♡ I also love her Childe fics. The concepts she comes up with, as well as how she delivers it is *chef kiss*. Admittedly, I read this one when I was still a Satan stan, with all the suspicions and doubts about Solomon's intentions still rampant within me. Reading him blush and become flustered is CUTE and aaaaa this whole fic is just really cute.🥺♡

🌸The Eternal Storm by @sondepoch

Sondepoch's Satan oneshot was the very first fic I read in the OM fandom so it has a special place in my heart~ I remembered how awkward it was to skim through the Satan filters, looking for a gen fic/SFW fic because around that time, most OM fics are smut (no shade on smut ofc, I'm just super uncomfortable reading them unless the writing is really pretty or there's something else going on in the story). Finding GEN AND A WELL-WRITTEN CHARACTER STUDY about my (former) favourite OM character was like I hit the jackpot. I remembered that feeling really well haha. My bias with one of my favourite forms of fic (char. study) aside, Sondepoch's writing is easy on the eyes and is definitely a great entry for anyone who wants to be in the OM fandom.

🌸Read Me by GENE515

One of my more recent reads and definitely worth a mention!♡ Read Me was a beautifully written, heartfelt two-shot about Lucifer's love, which he tried his best to express in penned words. Probably because of my own love letter-themed OM series, this one really stuck to me haha. The author is also really sweet. :3

🌸Schrodinger by fickleminder

I read this one around Halloween and it definitely fit the occasion. Schrodinger was such a great thriller/horror fic with how it set its unsettling atmosphere from the very beginning--the way fickleminder's writing just sucks you in and makes you bystand the whole ordeal between Belphegor and MC was just...so suspenseful? Nail biting? Creepy (in a good way ofc)? I won't spoil the ending, but the process and way they tackled it was a lot scarier than what I was initially bracing myself for.

🌸Siberia by @polandspringz

Seeing another Obey Me mystery in AO3 really hyped me up! Polandspringz did a spectacular job in writing this series and I can relate so much with their experiences in writing for mystery. Their writing style is easy on the eyes--I also really liked how they characterised the OM characters I have read on their series so far. There's still quite a lot of stuff left in speculation (from my most recent reading at least), and I really look forward to see how everything unfolds!

🌸Tetris Syndrome by apocketfulofposies (NSFW)

I am very very uncomfortable with smut content, so the smut I've read can be counted on one hand. ;; That is to say, TS is one of the few smut that I really, really enjoyed. First of all, Levi's characterisation is on point. It was really really interesting to get in his head and read about his thought process. What is envy? And how much does the sin of envy really define him?

I really enjoyed Levi's internalisations, as well as the author's writing style. If you want smut with a brooding, jealous otaku boy, I really recommend this one!

#obey me #obey me fic #fic recommendation

[pengychan]

[Coco] Mind the Gap, Pt. 22

Title: Mind the Gap Summary: Modern Day AU. Tired of Ernesto’s snide remarks, Imelda decides to put him in his place and her husband is more than happy to help. It was supposed to be a one-night deal. Things quickly get out of hand. [OT3, mostly porn and humor. Plenty of instances of Ernesto being Dramatic, Imelda getting Sick Of His Shit, and Héctor trying to be the peacekeeper. Don’t expect anything serious.] Pairings: Ernesto/Héctor/Imelda Rating: Explicit.

Art by @swanpit​.

[All chapters are tagged as ‘mind the gap’ on my blog.]

A/N: a chapter entirely from Héctor’s POV because it was about time.

***

“You know, when you two become really famous - and trust me, you will - I think Ernesto is going to be every bodyguard’s worst nightmare.”

“Huh?” Héctor finishes gulping down nearly the entire water bottle he was handed as soon as he walked backstage and turns to look at Armando, who is looking out through a gap in the curtain with a chuckle.

“You know, mingling with the crowd like that, taking selfies with absolutely everyone.” Their manager vaguely gestures to the scene Héctor cannot see, but can definitely imagine. He can hear the laughter outside, clamoring, people calling out Ernesto’s name. More than a few are calling his own, too, and Héctor would lie if he said he wasn’t flattered… but he really needs some more water before he can even think of going anywhere without risk of collapsing. 

He shrugs, tilting up the bottle so he can get the last few drops of water over his head. It was a pretty intense performance, and euphoria aside it’s left him feeling as though he walked a few miles in a desert. “Ah, he’s always done that. You know him by now, he loves an adoring crowd. He’s still getting used to success.”

“You two are on track to get far bigger crowds than this soon,” Armando laughs, letting go of the curtain. “He’d be out there all night taking selfies, then. And being an absolute security nightmare, as I said. But that will be the problem of whoever we hire for security, all things considered.”

Héctor laughs, drying off some sweat off the back of his neck with the towel a stagehand - Raúl, wasn’t it? He always feels bad when he can’t remember someone’s name - just handed him. “Ay, maybe by then he’ll be used to it and he’ll be content to keep away and let them fight each other for a chance to get a glimpse,” he says, and shrugs. “I can see him playing hard to get to. Want me to go out and tell him we need to head back?”

“Ah, no need. He’s heading back.” Armando mutters, and covers his mouth with the back of a hand before yawning. “I don’t know how you two do this. I am ready to collapse and I didn’t have to leap across the stage for two hours while singing and playing.”

“I’m more tired than I look, and I bet so is Ernesto. ” Héctor laughs, choosing not to mention how offended would be if he heard someone referring to his dancing as ‘leaping across the stage’. 

“He doesn’t look tired at all.”

“Oh, he is, or else he wouldn’t be heading back. And after only twenty minutes in the crowd? Must be exhausted.” Héctor throws the empty bottle towards the bin, and grins when it gets right in - a perfect shot. “He’s just never going to show it if it kills him.”

***

“Ay, mi amigo, this concert killed me.”

“Por Dios, you really are getting old.”

“Chingate.”

“Is that a white hair I see?”

“There is no white hair.”

“Oh, and how can you be so su--”

“I check every morning and get rid of them.”

“Ah,” Héctor says, letting himself drop on his bed. They have each their separate room, actually - they have joked over not having to share one anymore is a tangible sign they are making more and more money - but they always had a tradition to have a toast together in their room after each performance, and neither is willing to put a stop to it.

This is going to be far from their first toast of the evening, and likely they’ll have more than one, so Héctor decides it would be wise to call home and say hi to Imelda and Coco before he is completely wasted. He pulls out his phone and calls while Ernesto is busy filling the glasses, smiling broadly, waiting for his wife’s face to pop up on the screen. 

What does pop up on the screen is a big, toothless smile. 

“Babababababa!” Coco exclaims, clearly her favorite thing to say. Héctor likes to think, with no small amount of optimism, that she is trying to say papá.

His smile becomes, if possible, even broader. “Coco! Mi vida! Where’s--” he trails off when a long, pink tongue suddenly appears on screen to slap her wetly across the face. Sometimes Héctor has to wonder if Dante is indeed a Xolo or if he happens to be crossed with something else entirely, like a chameleon or an anteater. There is no way that is a normal dog tongue. 

Coco seems unconcerned, however, and reacts to the tongue slathering half her face in drool with gales of laughter. There is more laughter, and the camera turns away from the scene to show a still snickering Imelda. “She wanted to see her-- Dante, down now-- her papá, I figured you’d like-- I said down!-- to say hi.”

“Isn’t it a bit late for her to be up?” Ernesto speaks up, sitting next to Héctor with a full glass in each hand. Whatever he used to keep his hair in place is beginning to give up, his jacket is off and the first few buttons of the shirt are undone, but he still looks much more elegant than Héctor, who rather looks like he has walked out of a bad argument with security. Effortlessly handsome as always. 

And Héctor is almost tipsy enough to say as much aloud.

On the screen, Imelda rolls her eyes while pushing back the hair that has escaped her bun with her free hand. Héctor can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking the same thing. “Héctor, call a priest. Someone’s got to chase my mother out of his body.”

As Héctor lets out a sound that is half a snort and half a laugh, Ernesto raises an eyebrow. “Oh, I see. But when I sing a bit too loudly and wake her up, I am the bad guy.”

“You are after we spent two hours making her fall asleep,” Imelda points out. 

To be entirely fair, Ernesto usually means well. Coco loves listening to her parents singing, and has fallen asleep to their voices almost every evening, but with Ernesto it is a different story. Not that she doesn’t love listening to him too - she does - but his voice seems to make her want to do anything but sleep. She gets excited, bouncing and flailing all limbs like she’s trying to dance before she can even sit up on her own.

Ernesto makes a face. In the background, Héctor can hear the sound of Coco’s ceaseless cooing, some yapping that is probably an argument among the chihuahuas, and a thumping sound that he assumes has got to be Dante’s tail hitting the floor at a fast pace. 

“She’s not asleep now though, and it’s not my fault.”

“She has been fussy all evening, I couldn’t get her to sleep. As much as I would love to blame the tiny terrors you insist on calling dogs, I think she’s looking for you two.”

The thought of Coco looking for him is both adorable and somehow the most heart-breaking thing Héctor has ever heard, or so it feels at the moment. He is not tipsy enough to downright tell Ernesto he looks ridiculously handsome and open that can of worms they all keep ignoring is even there, but he is tipsy enough to tear up. “Ay, let me speak with her-- papá is going to be home soon, Coquito! I promise! I’ll make it up to you! Write a brand new song! And a present!”

“Por Dios, Héctor, you have been away three days…”

“It feels like such a long time!” Héctor protests. 

“Babababababa!” Coco declares on the other side of the line. 

“Heard that? She agrees! Imelda, let her see me again…!”

She does, and there are a few minutes of cooing back and forth. Ernesto doesn’t join the cooing, but he does smile and even wave at Coco when he forgets to feign annoyance. Eventually Imelda laughs, declares it enough, and lifts the phone to look into the camera again. “How did the concert go?”

Héctor is happy to let Ernesto do the talking there, let him gloat about how big everything was, how dazzling, how successful, how wild the crowd went. It’s nice seeing him so excited: occasions like this are when he’s at his happiest. It actually takes him some effort not to stare at him as he talks… and he notices, with a glance at the screen, that Imelda is indeed staring at him with a soft look Héctor knows well. Ernesto doesn’t seem to notice, too taken describing the applause they got; Héctor feels something much like a lump forming in his throat for a moment. 

Last time they had a video call with Imelda while away for a concert this long, they did a lot more than talk. They put up a really good show for her, really.

Héctor makes a very conscious effort not to think about that, and downs the glass Ernesto filled for him with a gulp. It helps, and it also gives him an excuse to get up and move a few steps away to the liquor cabinet. He’s refilling the glass when Ernesto bids Imelda goodnight and holds out the phone for him to take. He smiles at her.

“Mi amor! Would you like me to sing for Coco? As a last resort?”

“Ah, that may help. I can’t seem to be able to make her settle…”

“I can sing,” Ernesto offers.

“Don’t,” both Héctor and Imelda say immediately, and Ernesto throws up his hands, leaning back against the wall.

“Ay, my art is not understood here,” he mutters, and downs his own glass, entirely forgetting about the toast they had been planning. He doesn’t protest further, however, and just leans back, listening as Héctor sings at Coco through the phone. To Héctor’s immense pride, Coco does finally settle down to sleep.

“You should write this one down,” Ernesto muttered after they have bid Imelda goodnight and the call has ended. He’s filling the glass again, and he empties it in one gulp. “Would be a success.”

“Ah, that’s just a lullaby I came up with for her.” Héctor sits with his own glass, and drinks about half of it. “I don’t think it suits our style, anyway.”

“We can liven it up a little.”

“I’d rather not. I haven’t finalized it yet, but it’s… I don’t think I’d want to share that with crowds. Which, if Armando is to be believed, will keep getting bigger and bigger.”

Ernesto lets out a laugh that almost sounds like braying. He is getting drunk all right. “Hah! Of course we will. To success!” he adds, lifting the glass before bringing it to his mouth without apparently realizing it’s empty. The look of pure disappointment on his face is enough to make Héctor burst laughing, sitting down heavily beside him and leaning against his side. Ernesto scoffs. “Hey, stop that--”

There is some squabbling, a glass falls thankfully without shattering, hands are slapped away and hair is ruffled. By the end of it they’re both snickering and laying against each other, like they had the first time they got drunk on a bottle they had stolen from Ernesto’s father’s stash and drank in secret in old Rafael’s orchard as kids. Well, as a kid and a young teenager respectively. Ay, Ernesto was always such a bad example. He should tell him that. Actually, he will. 

“You know,” Héctor mutters, turning. “You were always such a bad exa--” he trails off, realizing belatedly that Ernesto is looking at him, no longer smiling but wistful, in a way only someone with all walls down can. Their faces are close, and Héctor’s smile fades. They stare at each other and something aches, the sense of absence he has been trying to ignore. 

He is happy with the life he has, but sometimes he... and Imelda, he’s sure, they just lay there and try to ignore the empty space beside them in the bed. If he only leans in… if he just--

“I think I should go lay down in my room,” Ernesto says abruptly, and stands just as suddenly, almost toppling back as a result. His skin is flushed, and his eyes are darting across the room, never pausing on Héctor. “It’s-- late. Yes. Late. We have the plane early tomorrow.”

It doesn’t depart until midday.

“... You know you can stay here. If you’re too drunk to make it back to your room,” he adds quickly with an unconvincing smile, as though that can in any way hide what he truly means. 

We could. If we want. If you want.

“I…” Ernesto hesitates, his gaze finally resting on Héctor. A look of painful yearning crosses his face for a moment before he turns away. “Had a glass too many, but I can make it to my room. I’ll see you in the morning,” he mumbles, and makes for the door, as quickly as his unsteady feet can get him. 

“Ernesto,” Héctor calls out, heart beating somewhere in his throat. He stops at the door, back rigid, and doesn’t turn when Héctor speaks again. “I meant it. If… if you want--”

“This isn’t about me,” Ernesto cuts him off, his voice unsteady as his gait. Something sinks in Héctor’s chest just as his best friend mutters a ‘good night’ and yanks the door open, quickly stepping out. The clack as it shuts again seems to reverberate in the room. What he means, what they both know, hangs unspoken and heavy in the room long after he’s stumbled out of the door, leaving Héctor alone with an empty glass, an empty gaze, and empty bed.

It wouldn’t be the same. For either of us. 

As he lays in the middle of a king-sized bed, empty spots at either side of him, Héctor finds himself unable to sleep. He wonders how Ernesto bears it, trying to sleep every night with that emptiness around him. Héctor will soon be home, and one spot by his side will be filled again - but the other one will remain empty, a gap he and Imelda have been trying to ignore for far too long. How much longer?, Héctor has asked himself more than once, and he finds he has the answer now.

No longer.

***

When Imelda picked Ceci as Coco’s godmother, Héctor had a few concerns. 

Not that he didn’t think she would be happy to be asked - she was - or that he doubted she would take the role very seriously - she did - but he mostly wondered how she would get along with Ernesto when it came to organizing… everything that godparents are meant to organize together. As it turns out, the answer is ‘not very well’.

“Can you hurry up and take the measurements already? She’s drooling all over my hand!”

“I’m trying, but as you are unable to keep her still--”

“Why don’t you try to keep a baby still?”

“Because then I’d have to leave the measurements to you and you’d make a mess out of it.”

“Gagagagagagaga!”

“See, she agrees with me.”

By his side, an ear to the door and a hand over her mouth, Imelda is trying with all her might to stifle the giggles that shake her frame. Héctor bites back a laugh himself, takes a mental note to tell Imelda picking Ceci was a great idea, and keeps listening.

“She’s not agreeing with-- ugh. This is stupid. Can’t we just buy her the ropón like any normal godparents?”

Ceci gasps as though she just heard him suggest they should throw her in the baptism water naked as the day she came out of the womb, and possibly leave her to drown.

“There is no way my goddaughter is going to wear a store-bought ropón. I will make her one. All you need to do is keep her still now, and buy her a decent gold medal. Not silver, you cheapskate. Gold.”

“Me, a cheapskate!” Ernesto couldn’t sound more insulted if she accused him of stealing candy from children. Which he has done on a couple of occasions, Héctor recalls. “For your information, now that my career is well on the way I spare no expenses.” Well, some expenses, but they are getting more money than ever before now and there will be more in the future, Armando tells them. “I think silver is more elegant, is all.”

“What does a baby care about elegance?”

“I don’t know, why does the crazy seamstress need to make her a ropón from scratch?” 

“Bababababa!”

“See, now she’s agreeing with me!”

Ceci’s response is a barrage of expletives that have absolutely no business being uttered in the presence of anybody below the age of twenty-one, and Imelda would normally throw the door open to make her displeasure known... but Ceci could always get away with more than most. That, and Imelda is too busy snickering in her hand.

Ah well. It’s not like Coco is old enough to learn the words she’s hearing now, after all. 

“Are you sure they won’t kill each other during the ceremony?” Héctor sniggers, and Imelda grins back.

“They know that if they try I’ll bring them back and kill them again.”

“Heh, true. Guess it’s a good thing Ernesto is fine with coming to Santa Cecilia now,” Héctor says. Not that it has kept him awake at night, but he and Imelda had always known they would want their children to be christened in their old parish in Santa Cecilia, more out of tradition than anything else… and the godfather being allergic to the entire town may have made things tense. “Still can’t believe old Estéban actually went dry.”

“I guess people change,” Imelda mutters, but the smile on her face is different - more muted, somewhat melancholy as she keeps looking at the door behind which Ernesto and Ceci are still squabbling over Coco’s delighted squeals. She doesn’t need to say anything more for Héctor to guess exactly what she’s thinking.

He did, too.

This is not about me, he said, and he meant it. The man he was before, the man Imelda rightfully argued would never be able to put Coco’s needs or indeed anyone else’s wishes before his own, would have never uttered those words.

“... Yes. They do change,” he finds himself saying, very quietly. 

There is silence and there it is, the thing that has been hanging between them for a good while now and which neither has spoken of. There are probably better moments to finally talk about it than now, with the man in question in the next room over squabbling with his co-godparent, but Héctor knows that they have waited long enough. 

“I’ll make some coffee,” is all Imelda says, and he follows her to the kitchen. There is a brief silence while she prepares the coffee machine, and then she breaks it. “So… nothing happened these past three nights?”

“No, nothing,” Héctor says quietly, sitting at the table. Not out of lack of want or opportunity it just-- did not. Much like Ernesto hasn’t been seeing anyone else, and entirely ignored a dancer’s honestly rather clumsy attempt at flirting the previous week. Not for lack of opportunity, but he just… did not. 

“You know I do not mind,” Imelda says, her voice still very quiet. “Surely he still wants you. And you do want him. I mean--”

“You do too,” Héctor replies, and reaches over to take her hand, pulling her gently towards him. She looks down, and their gazes meet. “And it seems-- unfair. Without you.”

“Unfair?”

“It is not the same. It was one thing when we were all in it together, without you it would feel...” he tries to find an appropriate word, fails - congratulations, songwriter - and sighs. “Not the same thing. I’d rather keep the memory of what we had rather than risk ruining it by forcing some kind of imitation. And I think he feels the same. When I had a moment and tried to suggest we… he was the one who stepped out.”

She smiles faintly, stroking back his hair. “So I am included in the package, then?”

A chuckle, and he wraps his arms around her torso before craning his neck to keep looking up, chin resting over her chest. “You created the package, Imelda.”

“I recall. Not how I expected the evening to go. I only wanted to shut his mouth.”

“I mean, I also did that.”

“True.” She is quiet a few moments, her fingers running through his locks. “... You know why I felt-- it needed to end.”

“I know.”

“The priority must be Coco now, and I thought - I knew - that Ernesto would not have been able to accept that. Take the backseat when needed to make sure her upbringing is as normal as it can possibly be.”

“... I keep picking up a past tense.”

Imelda’s hand pauses in his hair. She looks at him in the eye, her gaze soft. Thoughtful. “He did change. I think he will make a fine godfather.”

“Are you considering…?”

“I am. If he’s willing to give another try. And if you are.”

“... Yes. But we are all in this or no one is, so it is your decision. I know there may be challenges if, well... people finding out, or when Coco asks for an explanation growing up, or-- if anyone mocks her for it, I don’t know what I would--”

“We don’t need to scream it from the rooftops,” Imelda says, and resumes stroking his hair. “It is no one’s business but our own. Neither should we go out of our way to hide. We’re doing nothing wrong.”

Héctor holds her a little tighter. “I know. But if you still feel it is best for Coco, both Ernesto and I understand.”

“It is Coco I am thinking about.” She cuts him off, and sighs. “Well-- her as well. I have been wondering, should she somehow find out either way what there has been between the three of us - I know it’s near impossible unless we tell her, but just imagine - what would we be teaching her?” The hand in Héctor’s hair pauses, and she looks down at him. “That no matter if she’s doing nothing wrong and hurting no one, she should take the path of least resistance and do what she’s told is proper? Forego her own happiness because people who don’t understand it may disapprove?”

Ah. That is… not something Héctor thought about. He slowly pulls away, and grabs both of Imelda’s hands. “I’m sure that won’t happen. She’ll be as brave as her mamá.”

“Then it’s time for her mamá to be brave.”

“Ay, mi amor--”

“Uh, apologies for interrupting, but I think your coffee is spilling over the stove.”

“Gah!” Héctor jumps back and almost falls off the chair when Ceci’s voice rings out. Imelda blinks, and turns to look at the doorway. Ceci is there, her measuring tape and notepad in hand, one eyebrow raised. Héctor stands, giving her a smile entirely too wide. 

“Ceci,” he says quickly. “Whatever you heard, it was, uh. Not what it. Sounded like.”

Ceci’s left eyebrow joined the left one almost up to her hairline. Imelda sighs and places her hand on Héctor’s shoulder.

“Turn off the strove,” she says before turning to Ceci. “... How much have you heard?”

“Enough to hurt my brain, to be entirely sincere. Not out of bigotry, mind you, but... him of all people? Unless I understood it all wrong. Please tell me I understood it all wrong.”

Imelda’s lips curl in a faint smile, and some of the tenseness in her back disappears. When she speaks, she denies nothing. “No accounting for taste, I suppose. I would be grateful if you could keep what you heard private.”

“Of course I am not going to go around telling, who do you take me for?”

“A bruja?” Ernesto’s voice carries over from the next room, causing Héctor to wince and, of course, spill hot coffee on his hand. Ay, maybe having that conversation with Ernesto and Ceci a couple of doors away was every bit the lousy idea he thought it may be. To his relief, as Ernesto walks in with Coco in the crook of his arm, it becomes obvious he only heard the last few words and has no idea of what the concersaton is even about. 

Héctor silently thanks God for the fact they won’t have to talk things through in front of Ceci just as Ernesto pauses on the doorway and blinks, realizing all eyes are on him. 

“Is-- something on my face?” he asks, taken aback. In his arms, Coco squirms and coos, holding out her arms to Imelda. She immediately goes to pick her up, her face just a little reddened, and Ceci clears her throat. 

“Well, I think it is about time I am off. I'll send you progress photos of the ropón," she says quickly, and is out of the room and towards the door as fast as her legs can carry her. 

Ernesto blinks again, watching her retreating back until she’s gone. “What crawled up her--”

“Not in front of Coco!” Héctor almost screeches, his own face dark red, and Ernesto trails off. 

“Right-- what’s gotten into her?” he asks, and looks back at them. “... Actually, what’s gotten in all of you just now?”

Héctor works his jaw, and glances over at Imelda. She looks back at him, bouncing Coco in her arms for a few moments, and finally turns back to Ernesto.

“... Would you like to stay for lunch?” she asks.

He does.

***

[Back]

[Next]

#pixar coco #hector rivera #imelda rivera #ernesto de la cruz #coco #mind the gap

[supercalime]

The Edge of Great Commentary

I FINALLY READ THE EDGE OF GREAT BOOK! and boy it was a book. That I read. With words and everything. Here is my commentary, yall. Hope you enjoy my rambling

- okay, cocky luke was not what I was expecting

- Also, it’s stated that the FOUR OF THEM are brothers. Bobby is innocent, kids

- The way luke thinks of bobby here makes it so much worst knowing his betrayal

- Julie bb, I just wanna hug you!

- Petitioner julie to always call Luke “floppy”

- Micol, I get you have to condense stuff and I get this was written before they shot the show, obviously, but i still miss scenes we saw but are not written here! I hope this version of the book gets rewritten once we get a season 2, so we can get the extra scenes

- Wake up taking place in Alex’s pov is something that can be so personal

- Okay, I like the change that the show made to actually have them say Alex is gay, good on them

- Okay let’s stan the book for painting therapy in a positive light! Julie claiming it’s helpful is really good for their young audience

- I love getting confirmation that julie is a Harry styles fan. As she should

- Also, bisexual julie is basically canon here at this point. We stan

- Reggie pov!!!!!

- Reggie already loves her. We love to see it

- Oh my god! It’s the willex first meeting! Everybody calm down!!!!

- Sure, we don’t get “he’s cute, huh” but boy! We got “I’m around. Come find me. Even if you don’t have questions.” That is fucking cute!

- Flynn pov!!!!

- I love Flynn so much you guys. It’s not fair. She’s such a bad bitch, we can’t help but stan

- Museum date! Ahhhhhh

- Interesting that they are separating bobby from Trevor. That might be a clue...

- Mystery solved, yall. Luke was the one who wrote “hi Bobby” in the mirror

- Nick is so insignificant in this book it’s kinda comical

- Willie pov!!!!!

- I wanna personally thank booboo and owen for making the dialogue 90% gayer than it’s intended on text. It really shows how much they care about these characters and their scenes together

- The way we get confirmation that Caleb is basically a cult leader on willies POV really sells how Willie is a victim in all of this

- Dude, you don’t need to point out every time the ghosts “breath”. We’re suspending our disbelief here, it’s fine

- Okay, nick not being able to get his glue stick uncapped is very endearing

- I’m glad that the acapela sorry song is here

- Been so long and now we’re finally free!!!!

- Juke is cute in whatever form huh

- The crime that they CUT perfect harmony!

- Three words: willex angst hurts!

- The fact that we get confirmation of Alex’s feelings during their “break up” scene? We love to see it

- I get that we wouldn’t get the improvised scenes like “girls am I right?” BUT! Excuse me? Cutting edge of great as well? What is wrong with you?? It’s the freaking name of the novel?!

- “A voice I knew and missed” fuck off! Alex’s pov don’t fuck around!

- Don’t fucking tell me that Alex was supposed to say he cared about willie back? We were robbed of that in the show! Kenny!

- P A I N

- Oh. Julie played unsaid Emily to Luke’s parents here. Interesting. I would die if that happened in the show

- I’m so mad we didn’t get a rendition of the “I would have still followed you” scene! It’s crucial for willex! C’mon! We are just getting breadcrumbs here! Gimme the gay!

- Wow. The hug was very disappointing indeed. This book condenses too much. I don’t know what limitations the author had but if that was a choice, she did a terrible job. The characters barely have depth

- The ending was so rushed, christ

- Where’s the angst? The uncertainty?

- I’m not gonna lie, I wish this book was written for a slighter older audience, just so we’d be able to get more depth

- I like that they make it clear that the boys are just tangible but they don’t know how long it’s gonna last

- No cliffhanger that gives me anxiety. That’s...good?

#julie and the phantoms #willex #lety rambles #juke #book commentary #the edge of great #edge of great book #edge of great spoilers #julie molina #alex mercer #reggie peters #luke patterson #carrie wilson #trevor wilson #sunset curve #dirty candy #nick jatp #flynn jatp #willie jatp #caleb covington #ray molina #Carlos molina #rose molina #tia Victoria

[jawritter]

Scars

Summary: The truth can be ugly, scars go deeper than superficial wounds, somethings we will always carry. Can you handle the ugly truth, and still see the love of your life in the same light? 

Rating: Explicit 

Warnings: DARK FIC! Mentions of past injuries, Dean’s physically not so pretty in this one, so if that kind of thing bothers you be warned. Language, smut, unfeeling smut, angst, there’s hardly no fluff in this one. unprotected smut, years of hurt feelings and resentment. Issues from growing up in the life. I think that’s about it.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 2713

This fic created for:@spndarkbingo! 

Square Field: Resentment.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons! Thanks so much love! 

A/N: The artwork featured in the banner is not my own, and all rights belong to the artist, whom I was unable to pin down. Please do not copy my work! I hope you all enjoy this one!

Want More? Check out my MASTERLIST. Still want more? BECOME A PATREON!

Fuck if it didn’t all happen so fucking fast. One minute, you were  running behind Dean up the stairs of the old victorian style manner, chasing a witch with guns drawn, witch killing bullets cocked and loaded into the chamber. Then boom, the bitch appeared out of nowhere and now you  all three of you were pressed against one of the mold-covered walls in what you assume used to be a bedroom by an invisible force. She stalked back and forth in front of the three of you like a tiger about to pounce. 

“So, this is the great Dean and Sam Winchester,” she taunts as she continues to pace in front of  you. “You know, I honestly thought that you would be smart enough to not come in guns blazing. The only backup you bring is your pathetic little girlfriend against a witch that is over 400 years old!”

You watched as Dean’s jaw worked and his eyes narrowed in frustration. If looks could kill, she would have died on the spot. 

“How do you know this she my only backup?” Dean mocked, sneering at her as she took a step closer to him. “How do you know I don’t have someone on their way here right now to put a bullet through your skull?” 

The humorless laugh that belted from the witch as she threw her head back in a whole-body laugh fully intending to mock your hunter boyfriend, made your skin crawl and your blood run cold. 

It wasn’t entirely untrue. Cas and Jack were on their way here right now, and when they got here, she was going to meet her long-overdue end. Jack may not be able to use his powers right now in order to keep Chuck from finding out of his return, but Cas was fully capable of shooting a gun, and that’s all you needed right now. Just one good shot.

“Oh don’t play with me Dean.You were always  such a flirt, weren’t you?” She says in a seductive tone that makes bile rise in your throat. She takes a step closer and runs her long finger index finger down Dean’s chest. He tries to squirm away from her but to no avail. 

You wanted to scream at her to leave him alone, but there was something holding your jaws closed that you couldn’t see, and no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t make a sound. A quick panicked look over to Sam told you he was in the same boat, struggling against the invisible bonds that held you all down.His eyes locked on his older brother. 

“You know , that was always something I hated about you,” she said, taking a step back and looking Dean over from head to toe as if he was a piece of meat at a steakhouse she was looking to take home. 

“You always were nothing but a flirt. A worthless, oversexed, daddy favored sack of shit that relyed on good looks and a fuck-all attitude to get you out of sticky situations.”

She cackled as she turned her back on the three of you as she made her way over to the center of the floor, taking you all in  with a satisfied smirk on her face. 

“In fact,” she continued, “I’m going to do you a favor Dean. I’m going to show you the Dean Winchester I can see. The one that hasn’t had all his scars and ugly places covered up by his angel buddy. The one that is disfigured and wretched as the man you feel inside when you look in the mirror.”

Her eyes drifted to you as you struggled against the restraints you couldn’t see. 

“Bet that little bitch of yours won’t find you so attractive then will she Dean? The big strong hunter, the handsome hero, all bravado and chivalry, always the ladies man, revealed for what he really is. Ugly and twisted.”

Before anyone could even blink, the witch pointed her boney fingers at Dean, and twisted her hand in the air. Dean let loose a scream that made your heart standstill in your chest, and a loud shot rang through the air. The witch’s body crumpled to the floor as the three of you fell from your place on the wall, and everything faded to black as your head came into contact with the hard floor.

You came back to reality with a groan as you sat up slowly, your stomach churning in protest with the evident concussion that throbbed at the side of your head. None of that mattered though.The first thought that rolled through your mind was the last thing you heard before the gunshot . Dean screaming. 

You scrambled to your feet as your mobility returned, Sam doing the same on the other side of the room, and both of you hurried to where Cas was kneeling next to Dean’s body that was curled in on itself as if he were a small child, hiding from the monster under the bed. 

“Dean!” Sam yelled, coming to a sliding stop on his knees next to his brother’s body, looking up at the Angel  with utter horror on his face that was enough to stop you in your tracks. “Can you fix it?” he questioned, but the Angel just shook his head as he stood slowly. 

“Not here. We need to get him back to the bunker. From there, I’m sure we can find the resources we need to reverse the spell.” 

You dropped to your knees next to your trembling boyfriend, and tried to move his arms away from his face, earning a yell that made everyone in the room stand still for a moment. 

“NO! Don’t look at me!” he yelled at you, curling more into himself in an attempt to hide from your view.

“Dean, please, let us help you,” you plead with him, but Dean was ever the stubborn  man he always was, and refused to move. 

You give Sam and Cas a look that screamed help. They exchanged a worried look as Sam stripped his jacket from his shoulders, and dropped it over Dean’s face for him to hide into, before Cas and Sam stood him to his feet. 

“Come on Dean, let’s get home, and we can fix this okay,” Sam attempted to console his brother as they made the slow, unstable trip to the Impala that waited out front. Dean was a shaking mess, as Sam lowered him into the back seat, still hiding in Sam’s jacket from view. 

He curled himself up in a ball in the backseat, and Sam motioned for you to get into the front of the car, stopping you from getting into the back with Dean. 

“How bad is it?” you asked him before he opened the door for you. The way he was being,  was something you had never seen before, so afraid, so vulnerable, and it was horrifying. You could tell by the way Sam was acting it wasn’t something he’d seen all that often either. 

“It’s bad,” was all he’d tell you, before motioning you to take a seat. 

You watched the ball that was Dean in the backseat the whole hours drive back to the bunker, and he never moved, never lifted the jacket from his head. 

When the car was put in park, Dean moved again, jerking the car door open to make a hurried retreat to his room with Sam hot on his heels. Cas’s old truck pulled up next to where you were left standing with Jack in tow. 

You didn’t  say a word as they watched you make your way down the hall of the bunker towards Dean’s room. You weren’t going to rest until he let you see him. Not because you cared how the witch had disfigured him. It didn’t alter your feelings for him in the slightest. You wanted him to know that. 

To your surprise, Dean had left the door unlocked to his room in his hurry to get inside the safety of his own space, and when you pushed the door open the sight that greeted you took every bit of resolve you carried to not scream. 

Dean stood looking in the now shattered mirror that hung on the wall above an old sink, both hands on either side of the porcelain bowl, his shoulders slumped slightly as he looked up to see your reflection in the mirror staring back at him. From his one remaining eye, a large tear rolled down his disfigured face, the terror and resentment he held there pouring from his soul, and out into the surrounding air between you as you closed the door slowly behind you.

If you didn’t know who he was, you probably wouldn’t  have  recognized him. Aside from the eye that looked as if it had been scored from it’s socket, deep, long gashes that would have been almost mortal injuries when they were fresh drove deep white lines into his skin that looked more like crevasses  than scars. 

They went from his forehead, all the way to where his eye used to be, and then across his nose and cheek. There were chunks and bits missing from his ears. One of his hands looked like it had been badly burned on the top of his wrist, and the other was missing more than one finger. There wasn’t a part of his body that didn’t hold some sort of horrific scar. 

He turned to slowly face you, his arms wrapping around his chest as if it could help make him look as small as he felt, his gaze cast down to his feet. He was still covered in mud and dirt from the hunt. Your heart was broken for him. The brave, cocky hunter you fell in love with was broken, and the self hate was radiating off of him in almost tangible waves. 

You made a slow step towards him, a hand outreached to touch the side of his face that wore the most scars, and he jumped back away from you like you had burned him. 

“Dean,” you tried as he shook his head and backed further away from you. “Please Dean, let me…”

“No,” he mumbled, shaking his head in disapproval. “No, you can’t, you can’t fix me this time Y/N. She did exactly what she said she was going to do. She turned me into the hideous monster that exists on the inside. The part of me that I can’t run or hide from, it’s open now, and there’s no taking it back.”

Shaking your own head in disbelief of what you were hearing, you made a step closer to him, definitely placing your hand against the rough, uneven skin on his mangled cheek. 

“No Dean, you're not a monster. You’re a hero, a strong brave hunter. You're not damaged and ruined. Even if we never find a way to fix this, it doesn’t matter to me, because you can’t see what I see.”

Dean’s gaze met yours and you swore you could see the hate radiating off of his hard stare. 

“When I sold my soul to save Sammy, I started to have nightmares about what was going to happen to me when I got to hell, what I was going to become. The demon version of myself told me that it knew how much I looked in the mirror, and hated what I saw there.”

Side stepping you, Dean started to strip the clothing from his body, revealing more scars with every new inch of skin that came into view. Even the deep handprint on his shoulders.

“Every mark, every scar on me is a sign of failure,” he said, his voice hard and full of disgust in himself as his hand fumbled with his belt, and his pants dropped to the ground around his ankles. Deep burns on his legs and feet met  in a purple scar, and you had to repress a shudder of horror at the pain he surely felt when these injuries occurred. 

“I lost my eye when I lost a bunch of kids to a Werewolf while in a hunt in Delaware, the same hunt that disfigured my face. Cas fixed it,” he said, still the same air of resentment and disgust. 

“These burns on my legs? They came from hell. The fire’s real Y/N, it’s very real, and it burns clean to your soul.” 

The horror must have been shown in your eyes as he continued to recount each scar as if it was burned into his memory, and by the time he was done, it was evident that even  the scars had been hidden from view, he still carried everyone with him every day, every loss, every failure, everything that he couldn’t fix. He resented himself so much, that you had no real way of knowing when it started, because he had carried it so long that it had become a part of him, of who he was. 

When he finally moved towards you, it shook you so much that you had to visibly blink away the blinding tears that were falling down your cheeks uncensored. 

“So, you still want to be with me now, baby girl, cause I don’t even want to be with me. I’m just as bad as the shit we hunt, I’m just as hideous, and just as fucking ugly as they are.”

You don’t know what made you move. If it was sheer fucking grit, or the fact that words weren’t good enough in that moment, but in  three strides, you closed the distance between yourself, and the man you loved, capturing his mangled lips in a heated kiss that was all tongue and teeth. 

Barely parting, the two of you moved together in the direction of the bed in the center of the room. Dean dropped his clothing as you went with your assistance. There were no sensual touches, no sweet sentiments, no gentle gestures as he used his sheer body weight to push you down on the bed completely bare before him, slotting himself between your legs, nipping and sucking his way from you ear to your pulsepoint, biting down hard enough to leave his mark as his thick length entered your waiting heat. 

There were no loving words as he relentlessly pounded into your body, and the shiver than ran down your spine when your fingertips felt the deep scars running down his back in the form of claw marks left by something that you would probably never see or face, would have been mistaken for pleasure by a bystander. In truth, it was the deep fear that these scars were always there, and you never knew. 

His body, even mangled and battered, drove you higher until you were both a screaming, panting mess. Your orgams washed over you in an unexpected rush, and with two more heavy, deep thrusts, Dean was spilling himself deep inside of you. 

Neither of you bothered to move. Dean just threw the covers over your bare forms as Cas entered the room, pressing his fingers to Dean’s forehead as Sam also came  into the room with a bowl that you could only assume contained a spell. You weren’t paying attention to the details. All you knew was that even though the scars were disappearing in a blinding light, and your Dean, then man you knew so well, down to the last freckle was taking his place, in your mind, you could still see them.

The deep, ugly truth in the form of scars carried more undying inner hate that once you saw, you could never unsee. A brokenness that you could never fix. No matter how they covered it up, they would always be there. Some things just would never heal, and the way Dean resented and hated the man he’d become would never change. The twisted and broken soul that you loved was barely human, and even though you’d never say it outloud, you will never be able to come to grips with the truth. Not because it was ugly and hard to swallow, but because Dean deserved better, but would never get it. That’s uglier than any scar he’d ever carry.

Forever Tags: @deanwanddamons​ @rvgrsbrns​ @bi-danvers0​ @onethirstyunicorn​ @i-love-superhero​ @akshi8278​ @lyss-dw79​ @magssteenkamp​ @lemondropirwin​ @squirrelnotsam​ @hobby27​ @spnbaby-67​ @mrsjenniferwinchester​ @defenderrosetyler​ @screechingartisancashbailiff​ @thecreatiivecorner​  @aflamboyanceofgays @vicmc624​ @busy-bee-angel-misska​ @justanotherwinchester​ @brilovesdeanwinchester​ @idksupernatural​ @lyarr24 @amandamdiehl​ @love-jackles-37-blog​ @miraclesoflove​ @Waywardsistershy @emoryhemsworth​ @dean-winchesters-gardian-angel​ @softsebastian​ @tatted-trina6​ @deanmonandnegansbitch​ @hayleeharling​   @flamencodiva​ @coldmuffinbanditshoe​ @bxbyizzy @dirty-pan-goblin​ @itmejado​ @supernatural3002​ @teresa-67​ @thoughts-and-funnies​ @hearteyes-j2​ @miss-nerd95​

#dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester fanficiton #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester smut #dean x reader #dean x you #dean fanfiction #dean fanfi #spn fanficiton #spn fanfic #spn smut #dean winchester one shot #dean one shot #spn dark bing #spndarkbinog #jensen ackles #x reader inserts #jawritter #scars

[guyinlovewitheremika]

The new key visual looks awesome!! Finally getting more Final Season artwork is so satisfying and this is pretty great! The marley arc is probably my favorite in the manga and getting even more promotional art for it is really cool : D Since we’re still 3 months from the airdate I hope we’ll get another Warrior-centric one, with the new and old crew, but rn, especially with manga context, I love this, and I need to ramble about it.

First of all, Mikasa!!! Mikasa front and center!!! lets gooooo ahh I’m so happy about this! I don’t think she’s ever been this focused on in any of the promotional key visuals and it’s been about time! She looks gorgeous and absolutely ruthless, I’m here for it. It’s also relieving to see that the scarf did in fact stay red which wasn’t totally certain in the pv. I also think it’s interesting that both that shot of her in the pv, as well as her in this visual both kind of highlight her more badass/ruthless side--I’m all here for it cause like, look at her!!! But she also spends a good amount of time in marley being sad and distressed which I hope they’ll do justice to. Either way, she looks amazing and I can’t wait to see her finally in motion.

Levi I’m a little less sure on--his face looks a little odd? Maybe it’s the nose? I’m not really sure. To be fair, his design has probably been the least consistent across the whole anime, and he’s certainly looked worse! But yeah, I’m not 100% sold on his look yet. Also just as it was in the first key visual, his cape is green? Even tho its specifically dyed black in the manga? I’m sure why and I’m kinda sad about that cause I would’ve loved to see that all black look on him, it’s an odd change.

Connie, Jean and Sasha all look good to me (I’m glad we’re getting Sasha artwork before, you know), but Armin gets pushed to the side pretty hard kind of? Given his rather small role this arc, I think it makes sense, tho hopefully key visuals for the later arcs will improve on that. Also sidenote, his pose reminded me a lot of Jean in the S2 Group visual lol

Hange being a bit smaller, but also being centered and depicted as the leader fits well here, especially with her being closest to the airship since she never leaves it. It reminds me of Erwin in a few other posters, kind of continuing the commander position, in a way

That’s some solid continuity!!! (also, Hange :/)

One thing I also dig about this visual is the look of certain textures, specifically metallic objects, like the blades, thunderspears, even the airship. 

It has this like..shiny glow? I can’t really express what I mean with it, but all these objects feel very tangible, very three dimensional, which is cool!

Unfortunately I don’t really feel the same way about all the textures present in this visual. See, non metallic textures, like clothing, skin, and the characters outlines in general have this kind of rough, or gritty look to them. The lines are clear and straight like they used to be, but it’s a little messier? The first key visual did the same thing, let me show you.

Compare it to something like this, where (even tho the resolution is a bit botched on tumblr) everything looks much smoother, cleaner, softer. Maybe it’s because I’m so used to Kyoji Asano’s style of drawing these key visuals for 6 years, but I think I prefer it over the approach of Tomohiro Kishi’s style. But this only is the start of seeing new artwork, maybe I’ll get used to it. It’s a bit odd as Wit’s animation style in the show was known for generally having thicker lines, and even tho they cut back on that in later seasons, it’s still not as thin as in the final season pv, yet its artwork has lines that feel thicker. It’s an odd back and forth.

My honestly biggest gripe with this key visual is it’s actual get up--having characters kind of float around in nothingness isn’t something I really love. I much prefer most of the older group visuals (like the recap movies or the S2 one) where characters at least seemed to stand on surfaces and physical space, and those who weren’t were either shown to be mid air, or obscured enough so you couldn’t see them stand in nothing. As a result, this reminds me a lot of the 3rd S3 visual

I wasn’t a huge fan of that one as it just reused and rearranged the Vol13 poses without really any effort. Like it just plants everyone there and I don’t think the result is really all that impressive. This one does this a lot better, as it has a bit more synergy going for it, there’s a bit of motion (the soldiers flying next to the ship looking like speedlines is a cool touch), and it just looks more interesting in my opinion. I also think it does the manga-ripoff better, as it clearly is meant to resemble vol 26 with the airship and the squad, but it doesnt just reuse the poses--they’re new here, and the overall positioning of everyone reminds me more of the Vol 25 alt cover, or the new 32 one. It feels true to the spirit of the manga without outright copying! I still don’t like the mid air floating, but other than that it’s a solid grouping!

One additional neat thing is that the new gear is drawn with so much detail! Just as in the PV. Which is awesome! Sometimes its a bit though to get a good look at all the specifics in the manga, but here it’s just---exciting. I never even realized that Mikasa has to swap to an entirely different set of 3DMG handle/trigger/grapple that’s attached to her gear as well--everyone else has only one set for either the gun+thunderspear combo or the swords, but Mikasa has both sets on her since she does switch to swords on 103. And its just fucking crazy just how much gear this girl has on her lmao (did you know a single thunder spear weighs 5kg? thats 20 on each hand! plus all the heavy gear that comes with it! she is too strong lmao)

Ultimately, I like this visual a lot. It’s not perfect and some things are gonna take a while to get used to, but overall, I’m so excited to see everyone’s different looks highlighted as the season goes on. And getting so much Marley arc promo atm is very much appreciated! Hopefully we get another one focused on the warriors soon, and, man, even tho it’s a spoiler, I would kill for one visual dedicated to Marley Eren specifically...like...please. 

Bring on the Final Season!!

#I was not expecting to ramble this much about this visual but here we are #Im really excited man #attack on titan #snk #the final season #mikasa ackerman #levi ackerman #hange zoe

[theimportanceofbeingaloof]

5 questions with Andrew McMillan

Why do you write?

On one level it’s simply that it’s how I make sense of the world;  how I redeem certain things that I’m not particularly proud of, or just the way I find to live through certain things which might be happening at any given time. Beyond that I suppose there’s a high-minded idea that it might be ‘useful’ in that Sharon Olds-ian sense, for other people to see something they’ve also experienced articulated in a new way. On a very straightforward level, its because I love reading, and I think we begin by reading and then trying to emulate that. On a practical level, obviously I grew up around poetry, which is not to say that’s why I write (whatever your parents do becomes egregiously embarrassing for most of your teenage life) but it gave me a sense that a poet was a living tangible thing, it was something someone did, or could do. I suppose that’s not really why I write, but I think a lack of access to envisioning that one could literally be a poet is probably something which stops a lot of people who could write (beyond the obvious socio-economic factors)

I read that you recommend aspiring poets to read 100 poems a day and I can see from twitter (@AMcMillanPoet) that you are a voracious reader, do you keep up with your edict? Why is reading so important?

I think (hope) when I said that I was probably going for hyperbole, but I guess I do think reading is more important than writing.  I certainly don’t keep up with my own edict, and I’ve been reading much less since my anxiety spiked during the pandemic, but I do try and read every day. I’ve never understood that idea of writing every day, it’s certainly not something I can do. But I think I try and do something connected to it every day, so some days that might just be sending an email, reading student work, reading a new collection, listening to a podcast, an audiobook- trying to immerse myself in that world as much as possible, whilst still leaving room for other things. I think reading, widely and variedly, reading things we don’t like, reading beyond our own narrowness of style, is how we keep shifting the thing we might call ‘voice’, but really our way of looking at the world, our own lens through which we view things.  We all started writing because we loved reading, and I think its important to return to that.

Your debut collection ‘physical’ was hugely successful, winning the Guardian First Book Award and many other prizes, did this early success put any pressure on you for the 2nd and 3rd collections? Or did it fill you with confidence?

It was very early success (I was in my mid-twenties when physical came out) and it all happened very quickly, and was running parallel to some of the most difficult years of my personal life (which I write more about in pandemonium) so I’ve only started to get my head around everything that happened really. I guess, in relation to your question, it’s a little of both. With my second book I knew it would have a readership, I assumed at least a portion of the people who bought the first one would at least buy the second one whether they ended up liking it or not, and so there wasn’t the sense that there always is with a first collection of somehow throwing something into a void and waiting to see what happens. I also had a very practical outlook which was knowing that the ‘run’ that physical had in terms of what it was nominated for etc was a really once in a lifetime thing, I know that I’ll never have a book like that again, and that’s OK, after a first collection it becomes I think about building a life’s work, some of which will be quieter, some of which will maybe be louder. I don’t think you’re ever not scared, and certainly I never have confidence in the work particularly. When my second book came out someone said to me “I’ll buy this one, but I’ll buy the famous one as well”; I guess that’s just something I’ll carry around throughout my writing career, and I think I’m very lucky to have that.  I also think that at some point it will just be over, these things are always very transient.  I listened to a podcast with a comedian, and he just described this idea that the end of his career would be him turning up to a gig and nobody came, and he just goes home to his wife and says ‘well, that’s that then’. And I like that idea, at some point I won’t have any poems left, or I will but nobody will read them and then I can just come home and say to my boyfriend  ‘well, that’s that then’, and put the kettle on.

Like some of your contemporaries (AK Blakemore, Sophie Robinson, Danez Smith, Rupi Kaur) you opt for lower case letters in your poetry, why?

It started out as a direct impersonation of some poets I’d read in an anthology called The Children of Albion, edited by the late Michael Horowitz; alongside that stylistic borrowing, I was writing very quiet, little personal poems which felt as though they were whispering, and so didn’t need capital letters. Once you remove capital letters it has knock on effects, visually, for other things like punctuation. And so it just developed slowly from there; I still wanted it to feel controlled, and so I have my own rules. Capital letters for proper nouns, three spaces for a comma, six for a full stop etc… I’ve never met anyone who speaks in ‘proper’ punctuation, I wanted something which felt intimate, something closer to breath.

I really like the ‘Swan’ sequence in your latest collection pandemonium, written after Matthew Bourne’s version of Swan Lake, it is always nice to read poetry inspired by other art forms. What are some recent cultural highlights for you?

Thank you. I’m still finding my way back out into the post-pandemic world. A couple of novels I’ve been lucky enough to read in proof that are coming out next year really blew me away, Okechukwu Nzelu’s Here Again Now and Ashley Hickson-Lovence’s Your Show. So look out for those. We went to see Nomadland in the cinema and I thought there were some achingly beautiful moments in it, the last few shots of the film in particular. I’ve been getting into Audiobooks too, anxiety has made it really hard for me to concentrate on physical novels; Heatwave, by Victor Jestin, translated by Sam Taylor, is a wonderful novella; kind of like The Tell-Tale Heart but everyone is sweaty and in speedos.  Rumaan Ali’s Leave the World Behind is brilliant too. I also have very much enjoyed the quiz show The Wheel on BBC 1 , and hope it will return for a full series in the autumn.

_________________-

pandemonium is available from Jonathan Cape

#andrew mcmillan #poetry #interview

[marvels-writings]

Heartbeat (Preview)

Wanda Maximoff Masterlist

Requested by: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx

Summary: Her heart was yours, but you'd never held it in your hands before. You never wanted to, but you had to save her, no matter what.

A/N: If the entire fic makes you cry, it's all her fault, not mine, im just writing this heartbreaking masterpiece which you'll love

Grey light filtered through the jet windows, landing on the grim interior of the jet. The faint smell of disinfectant and cleaning supplies filled the air, mixing with the sounds from the comms near the front of the jet. The metal of the jet was cold against your back as you leaned against it, the pen scribbling in your notebook being the only sound in the room.

Your eyes were glued to the page, hardly paying attention to anything around you. The scribbling stopped for a few moments, you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, thinking. The side of your pen impatiently tapped the side of your notebook as you thought of the words to finish your poem.

It wasn't exactly poetry, per say, it was more of a small paragraph or two on something you were thinking about. There were many such rants, the notebook in your hands full of them. This one in particular you kept getting stuck on, finding it harder than anything to write about something so real and tangible rather than your dreams.

It happened every time you tried to write about Wanda instead of one of your dreams. Whenever you'd tried before, you got stuck on the words. Never had you had the courage to show her the poems you'd written about your relationship.

This one, you hoped would be the exception.

"Dr. Y/l/n?"

Snapping out of your stupor, you looked up at the agent addressing you. He beckoned you over to the front of the jet, near the comms. They wore the same face you'd wear when you were about to deliver bad news. Almost as if he was about to tell you that your phone was lost in a fire, or something as trivial as you were hoping it would be.

Clinging onto the hope it would only be a mild inconvenience, you followed him, clutching your notebook tightly. All of the voices were mingling into one, each sounding the same distress you began to feel the longer you listened. None of the words could be made out, no matter how hard you tried. The agent changed some of the settings so you could make out their words.

"Wanda needs immediate medical attention." Steve stated, his voice gritty over the comms.

Pants sounded over the speakers, heavy breathing mixing with the calls for medical attention. They all began blending into one again. Your hand gripped the back of the chair, fingers tightening around the metal. Your eyes widened as you tried to understand what they were saying so you knew what to do.

Scenarios and thoughts rampaged through your mind at the lack of a clear answer. As the chatter continued, your posture tensed, the muscles in your back hardening further until you snatched the comms from the agent.

"What's going on?" You demanded, gripping the device tightly. You needed a clear answer. It wasn't just so you could calm down, it was so you could prepare and help Wanda. Your job, not your love.

"She's shot."

It repeated itself in your mind. She's shot. A bullet is in her. A bullet which could kill her. Your job was to save her, no matter what. Letting her die wasn't a mistake you could make. Neither for your job, or for yourself.

Living with that mistake couldn't be a possibility.

No matter what.

A/N: This is going to be the angstiest one i have ever written, tell me if you wanna be tagged

Tag List: @capcarolsdanver, @versdan, @lesbian-girls-wayhaught, @lovebotlarson, @dhengkt, @hstoria, @natasha-danvers, @veryfunnyal, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx , @ophelias-heart , @never-didbefore , @justarandomhumanhere, @the-most-unicorn-of-them-all , @thatssocamryn , @lesbian-x-blackwidow , @marvelbbyx , @wlw-imaginesss , @hcartbyheart​ , @summergeezburr​ , @imnotasuperhero , @a-stressedstudent , @aaron-despair , @rooskaya-yelena , @dynnealberto , @thewitchandtheassassin , @wannabe-fic-reader , @izalesbean, @higherfurther-romanova , @natalia-quinzel , @blackxwidowsxwife , @studies-styles , @procrastinatingsapphictrash , @mxxnmocha , @ladyeliot , @wandavixen let me know if you’d like to be in any of my tag lists!

#marvel #marvel x reader #marvel x female reader #marvel x female!reader #marvel x fem reader #marvel x you #marvel x y/n #marvel one shot #marvel imagine #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff x female!reader #wanda maximoff x fem reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff one shot #wanda maximoff imagine #scarlet witch #scarlet witch x reader #scarlet witch x female!reader #scarlet witch x fem reader #scarlet witch x you #scarlet witch x y/n #my writing #my fic #MYC's writing #elizabeth olsen

[silkylious]

Mistyping of Katsuki Bakugo (MBTI)

i’ve been meaning to post something mbti related but really didnt have an idea what i should do, but i noticed something in the bnha community thats related to mbti and wanted to share my thoughts on it! this is related to personality types and all that jazz so if that isnt your cup of tea then you can scroll past this! :)

i see a LOT of people typing Bakugo as xSTP, mostly ESTP but sometimes i see people typing him as ISTP, and frankly i could not disagree more. He SCREAMS ENTJ to me, here’s why:

first off if we’re just talking about the four letters, can we all agree that he is not an introvert? for the love of fuck Extrovert does not = “omg i love everyone hehe xoxo” you can be an extrovert and still be wary, cold and distant when it comes to interpersonal relationships. introversion and extroversion arent styles of communication or “vibes” its how people gain energy. some ppl gain energy by spending time alone, and are more stimulated by their internal world i.e reading a book and contemplating the plot alone. while others gain energy by spending time with other ppl, they’re more stimulated externally i.e having a discussion about a book with a friend. see the difference here? one is more stimulated internally (thinking about something alone), the other is more stimulated externally (having a discussion with someone else). all of us can do both, and we all need a healthy balance of both, its just a preference.

now when it comes to bakugo, the guy thrives on external stimulus, he literally gets pumped up for fights and shit, and most of the time he instigates them, hes always had a posse of people following him around even though he could easily shun them away completely. whether those were real friendships or not isnt the point, the point is hes always kept them around for his stimulus. so no, bakugo isnt an introvert, not by a long shot.

I’ll clear up why hes an intuitive not a sensor later on, but holy fucking shit. bakugo is a perceiver????? no way in hell. the only way i can see any hint of perceiving nature in him is that he’s occasionally impulsive, and even that barely means shit. bakugo is known for how hard he works, dude has been work since inception to reach his goal, and he does it in a very structured manner despite how he acts. he literally goes to sleep at 8pm, need i say more? bakugo also respects rules and authority and he’s a perfectionist in every sense of the word. so how in the fuck do ppl see him as a perceiver????

now i’ll be explaining his function stack (ENTJ) from my point of view, while comparing it to the function stack of an ESTP

ENTJ: Dominant Te (extroverted thinking) >> Auxiliary Ni (introverted intuition) >> Tertiary Se (extroverted sensing) >> Inferior Fi (introverted feeling)

ESTP: Dominant Se (extroverted sensing) >> Auxiliary Ti (introverted thinking) >> Tertiary Fe (extroverted feeling) >> Inferior Ni (introverted intuition)

ENTJ Dom Te: bakugo’s Te manifests in many ways, first of all his drive. as mentioned before he’s one of the most hardworking people in the series and that is in part to his self-discipline, he is remarkable at regulating himself in ways that meet his own standards and goals. and speaking of standards, Te uses objective standards to regulate circumstances, routines and construct reliable frameworks, so for example how he has a curfew, how he works out regularly, and that also means he’s harsher on himself when he doesn't meet those objective standards like how when he didnt meet the standard of “an indisputable first place” during the sports festival arc he went bat shit. Te in communication is very direct/straightforward and that exactly describes bakugo. he has a very “no bullshit” attitude when he talks and his words never hold any double meaning, just the way he talks is extremely to the point, as opposed to ESTP’s Ti which relies heavily on accuracy and precision. Ti users (ESTPs, ENTPs, ISTPs and INTPs) are very picky with their words and perceive other ppl’s words that way too, which sometimes causes misunderstandings i.e Te user says something that they think is straightforward but Ti user needs more clarification/accuracy.

Aux Ni: here’s why i see bakugo as an intuitive. i can see why people see him as a sensor, he’s extremely pragmatic and practical, its obvious as day that hes kinesthetically intelligent, but i dont think hes a sensor because he isnt a kinesthetic learner (Dom/Aux Se). he doesnt need any tangible stimulus to understand or grasp a situation/concept. for example, a character who is a kinesthetic learner in anime is Naruto (when jutsus are explained to him he doesnt understand shit like when he was learning to do the rasengan but once he was given a practical exercise he was able to understand and learn it) bakugo isnt like that, he is very capable of grasping situations even if he isnt directly involved. his Ni is also shown in how he fights and assesses situations. noticing people’s fighting patterns and making a solid prediction off of that comes naturally to him (much like midoriya who is also an Ni user), but paired with his kinesthetic intelligence (Tertiary Se) that’s what makes him such a good fighter, what gives him such great technique. Ni also shows in how creative he is with his quirk, bakugo knows all the ins and outs of his quirk and uses that to his advantage by creating new moves and ways of using his quirk.

Tert Se: this is where his kinesthetic intelligence comes in, his Se is shown through his fighting, cooking, ability to play music and just how practically capable he is. there isnt much to point out here, his behaviour speaks for itself but for the 100th time hes just kinesthetically intelligent not a kinesthetic learner, thats why Se isnt one of his main functions, it isnt what he uses to intake information, process and learn as opposed to Dom/Aux Se users (ESTPs, ISTPs, ESFPs and ISFPs).

Inf Fi: being the last function, Fi is very underdeveloped in bakugo, and it shows. he struggles with his own feelings and as a result opts for expressing the only emotion hes comfortable with, anger. Now if he was an ESTP he’d be using Fe as Tertiary function which i cannot see at all. Tert Fe users (ESTPs and ENTPs) are skilled at recognizing other people’s emotions and using that to their own advantage i.e being persuasive and/or charming, often described as cunning or masterful with people. perfect example of that from bnha is Hawks who is an ENTP, the way he uses the Ti-Fe axis in communication is the definition of cunning. bakugo is not like that at all. 

so yeah thats about it, let me know your thoughts on this if you’d like to share!

also Gordon Ramsay is an ENTJ and hes blonde and angry so you cant convince me otherwise lololol  

#mbti #entj #estp #istp #bnha bakugo katsuki #bakugo katsuki character analysis #silky talks

[aion-rsa]

Why Tom Holland Was Terrified of Playing a Bank Robber in Cherry

https://ift.tt/3aIcnLv

All of a sudden Tom Holland is everywhere. He’s got two movies out right now–the sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking and the drug/crime drama Cherry–and the latter is making its premiere on Apple TV+ this weekend after a limited run in theaters. He also recently wrapped production on the long-developing adaptation of the Uncharted video game franchise, and he’s currently working with director Jon Watts again on their third standalone Spider-Man adventure together, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In Cherry, based on the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Nico Walker, Holland stars as the title character, a young Cleveland man who joins the Army after his girlfriend (Ciara Bravo) announces she is going away to college. He returns home from Iraq with PTSD, develops an opioid addiction, and eventually turns to bank robbery to support his habit.

The often harrowing film is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, making it the first motion picture directed by the Cleveland-born brothers since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Cherry marks Holland’s fourth collaboration with the Russos, following Endgame, Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), but his first time working with them without a superhero costume.

Cherry is also one of two recent movies, the other being last year’s grim The Devil All The Time, in which the British actor steps away from his generally sunny, innocent demeanor to take on a darker, more tormented character. We touched on that, working with the Russos, researching the world of addiction, and more–including little nuggets on No Way Home and Uncharted–when we hopped on Zoom recently with the young Mr. Holland.

Den of Geek: What did you respond to in the character of Cherry, as well as the script? What was your emotional and visceral response to his story?

Tom Holland: I think my initial response was that I was terrified of the idea of playing this character. It’s the type of role I’ve definitely never done before, and I was a little sort of apprehensive and questioned whether I could do it. Knowing that the Russo brothers were going to be there to support me through the job is what kind of tipped me over the edge into saying yes. But my initial response was, “I don’t think I’m the right person for this job because I don’t know if I can do that.��

You probably had a level of trust established with the Russos from working on the three Marvel pictures you did together. Did that make you feel comfortable right away?

Yeah. Absolutely. Still, I had that element of awe when it came to the Russos because they were the directors of the Avengers films, and I was still very much the new kid on the block when I was making those films. It was really nice for me to get to know them both on a more personal level and, obviously, that level of trust grew as the film progressed. It grew and it grew and it grew, and it’s now to the point where Joe and Anthony could ring me up, and I would be on set for them in a heartbeat. The trust between the three of us definitely grew.

How is their style of directing different on this? Was there more of a personal rapport because of the fact that they’re not dealing with the same kind of visual effects as in the Marvel movies or servicing 50 different characters?

I felt a little spoiled to be honest, because I was getting their utmost attention. But I mean, their direction style didn’t change in the way that they spoke to people, in the way that they addressed people, in the way that they treated people on set. But the style in which they would use the camera or the way they would get you to portray or work in a certain scene is very different because, obviously, it’s a very different type of film.

But from a logistical standpoint of how they made the film, they were basically the same two guys, just having fun. It’s nice to see two people who are so in love with cinema just having a good old play and figuring it out as they go along.

Was it interesting and maybe refreshing for you to do a film where you’re not in the Spider-Man suit for so much of the movie, and you’re not acting against a green screen?

Absolutely. Working on green screen and blue screens and wearing a spandex Spider-Man suit is amazing, and it’s awesome and I love it, but there’s something freeing about everything on set is what is in the shot, what is in the story. I don’t have to imagine anything, because everything is a tangible asset and is right there in front of me. It’s a different process, and I love both equally. But it was nice to kind of have a change of pace and dive into something a little bit smaller.

How was it working with Ciara on her first feature film? Was it easy to establish the rapport with her?

We were so lucky with Ciara. I remember when I watched her audition tape, when the boys had cast her, and they sent it to me just to say, “By the way, this is the girl who’s going to play Emily,” for the first time in my career, I was so intimidated. She just has this gravitas that she brought to the character in her take that was so amazing.

I was really excited to work with her and I was really happy when I found out that her and I were very similar and had a lot in common. We became very, very good friends, which was so valuable for us, because this film was such a difficult film to make, physically and emotionally. The fact that we got along so well meant that we could help each other through the process. She was like my emotional support person, and I was hers, and it was great. We were a little team.

Do you take a role like this, or something like The Devil All the Time, knowing that these are going to not just challenge you as an actor, but show a whole different side of you to an audience that maybe only knows you as Spider-Man?

I love playing Spider-Man, and I think it comes with its own set of challenges. I think sometimes people overlook that superhero films do require performance, a character arc, building up a backstory, an objective of where you want to go. It’s just these films are very different. They’re very different in style, but they’re not very different in the way that you make them. The process of making a film is pretty similar. They just spend less money, and it’s less blue screen. But, yeah. I enjoyed the sort of creative freedom of making a film a little bit darker.

Read more

TV

Marvel’s WandaVision and What’s Next for the MCU

By Jim Dandy

TV

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Season 2 Is Unlikely, Anthony Mackie Confirms

By Alec Bojalad

Did you get to meet and talk with Nico Walker? I know you did meet with some people with addiction problems, as well as some veterans.

I’ve never actually met with Nico. We were supposed to meet a few weeks ago, but for some reason, our schedules kind of got a bit jumbled up, and we couldn’t get together. But I hope to meet him. He’s obviously the one person that I’m really nervous about watching the film, because we took a portion of his life, and we turned it into this piece of art, and I hope it’s something that he likes.

But we did loads of research when it came to speaking to veterans and people suffering from PTSD and substance abuse, and it was so valuable in the making of this film, because I couldn’t have made this an authentic experience for the audience without having that information from those people. I’m very grateful that the men and women I spoke to were very open to talk about the things that they’d been through, which were sometimes very harrowing.

What did you learn that maybe you hadn’t known before and were able to apply to the part?

Wow. I could go on and on. I think one of the biggest things for me that helped drive a lot of the motivation in the scene was that once you’re hooked on heroin, all you can think about is getting more heroin. It was a really good kind of catalyst to tell these stories authentically. I think that was one of the most valuable things I took away from my research.

What was the most physically challenging aspect of the shoot?

The most physically demanding portion of the film was dope life, when I was losing all the weight, and I was skinny, and I was having to starve myself. And robbing the banks was tiring, because I was so weak from being so skinny and frail, I guess. So that would easily be the more physically demanding aspect of the film.

Apple TV+

You also play this character as he ages over 15 years. Is it fair to say this is the first time you’ve actually played a character who’s aged over that kind of span of time?

Absolutely. On The Lost City of Z, a James Gray film I did, there was quite a large progression in age, but I was no way the lead of that film. A lot of my stuff sort of happened off camera. Obviously in Cherry, you are with this character from the beginning to the end. That meant that I had to do a lot of the growing on screen, and it was difficult. It was tricky, because trying to play older, to me, felt very fake. That’s where I was so lucky to have my amazing makeup artist, Rachael Speke. She did a wonderful job of aging me up throughout the course of the film.

It was difficult, and I just had to trust the Russos and that they knew what they wanted and they were happy with what they were getting. But it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do.

Is that something that you would like to apply to other characters? As you continue to play Spider-Man, would you like to see him age a little more noticeably, if it’s appropriate?

Yeah. Peter Parker is a character that everyone knows and loves. It would be really interesting to sort of find a side to him that people haven’t seen before. Whether or not we do that, I don’t know.

What can you say about Spider-Man: No Way Home in terms of how it expands the MCU and how it evolves Peter’s character?

Well, there’s not really much I can say, obviously. What I can say is that I’m having the time of my life making it. It’s so fun being back with Jacob [Batalon] and Zendaya, and [director] Jon Watts. The film is incredibly ambitious, and I’m delighted to say that we’re succeeding in making it. It’s going really well. We watched a fight scene that we had shot a few weeks ago, and I’ve never seen a fight scene quite like it in the MCU. I’m really excited for audiences to see that.

You also just recently wrapped Uncharted. What do you think people will see in that if they’re not fans of the video game?

Well, an interesting idea and one that I really think lends itself to our film, is that when you watch a video game film–if you’re a fan of the games–I often wonder, “Why would you watch the film?” Because it’s less immersive. You can go and be that character. Why would I just want to watch that character?

But what we’ve got is we’re telling the prequel story of how the character, Nathan Drake, became this worldwide known character. For the fans that love the games, they’re getting an aspect of the story that they’ve never seen before. And the people that haven’t played the games are getting a really nice introduction to a character. It kind of works for everyone.

It’s a really fun film, and the action is amazing, easily some of the coolest action I’ve done so far. I had a lovely chat with Tom Rothman, the chairman of Sony, he saw the film, and he’s over the moon with it. If the boss man is happy, then everyone is happy. We’re really good.

Cherry premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 12.

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The post Why Tom Holland Was Terrified of Playing a Bank Robber in Cherry appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[dindjarindiaries]

Writer Appreciation Post

I really want to take some time to point out some of the writers on here who I personally enjoy and take strong inspiration from. There are so many out there who are incredibly talented and have taken my breath away, but there’s a few who stick out time and time again and who I’m always waiting for new content from. For each one, I’ll include a piece of theirs that sticks with me. Here’s to some of my favorite content creators!

This list goes in no particular order!

@bestintheparsec - Lauren. Not only are you an angel, so kind and loving, but you are also such a talented and gifted writer. Healer is what got me into finally writing Din fic on this platform. Your writing flows so naturally and you are a gift both to read from and to befriend. I have no words to thank you for all you’ve done for me and said to me! I love you endlessly!

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: Healer is obviously a classic, but I want to point out Lauren’s newest series, The Same Coin. It’s off to an amazing start, and I can’t wait to see where it goes! You write Javier so well, my love!

@agentpike - Bri! Wow, I’m so glad that our paths have crossed. You’re so talented and so kind and everything a person could ask for in a good writer and a good friend. You come up with such refreshing, creative ideas yet you always incorporate those tropes we all know and love. You and your writing are both art, my dear!

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: I can’t not point out and then i’d kiss you, that’s just a classic and it’s absolute art. Fake marriage? Mutual pining? Marcus Pike? It has everything you could ever want. But also I’d like to point out colors because that’s what made me find Bri and it’s incredible too.

@longitud-de-onda - Camila! You’re another one of the first writers I ever looked up to on this platform, especially with Javier fic. There’s always something so personal about your writing that makes it feel so tangible and real, always evoking emotions from me (and it’s not easy to do that often!). You’re such a vibrant and loving soul and it shows through everything you do. Never stop.

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: I have to make this one on a universal constant, falling off the bottom of the earth because that piece... absolutely took my breath away. I remember crying and feeling everything those characters felt and I just... wow. It’s hard for me to capture it all in words, sometimes. But I’d put your whole masterlist here if I could.

@aerynwrites - Oh, Aeryn. I think you were one of the first writing blogs I followed, if not the first one. You’re such a prolific creator and I absolutely love seeing your pieces flood my dash. Every request I’ve submitted to you has been done so incredibly, you truly know these characters so well and you write deep enough to hit our feelings! You’re amazing.

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: I still think about how Touch took my breath away. It’s so loving and tender yet a little spicy and it just captures our favorite tin can so so well. It’ll always stick with me.

@hiscyarika - Abigail! You are such a talent, wow. I remember a period of time where I would just constantly go to your masterlist and read through literally every single thing there. I need to do it again because I was amazed by everything I read. You capture emotions so well and you write in a way that somehow always has me on the edge of my sight. You’re incredible.

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: Okay, I have to cheat and pick two here. These are two of your one-shots that have hit me deeply: When We Were Young and No Living Thing. The angst in those hurts so good and the way they made me felt has just stuck with me. 

@beskars - Oh, Elisha. I’m in dire need of catching up on your works but you’ll never not make a list like this. You’ve been an incredible friend and your writing is even better! You never fail to have me floored by the way your piece your words together. I remember reading your works and just wondering how I could write in such a fluid and artistic way as you. I love you forever and you are so so amazing!

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: Listen... you know what I want to put here but I’m going to put adamantine because I remember getting chills when you sent the idea for it to me. What you’ve done with it so far is incredible and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

@catfishingmorales - Lex! We haven’t gotten to talk much but gosh, do I adore you. You’re such a talent and I always enjoy stopping whatever I’m doing on my dash to read a new piece you’ve put out. I always have to give myself a moment to recover after I read your works because they just hit me on a deep level and it’s absolutely amazing. You’re amazing!

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: In finding the link to this piece I realized that I need to reread it again because wow oh wow do I love it! I was screaming from the softness of our boy Agent Pike. caffeine and pancakes is amazing and I just! WOW!

@acomplicatedprofession - Lari, you talented and fun specimen. I adore you and your work and you’re just such a joy to have around. You write in a way that’s so relatable for the readers and I absolutely love it. I can’t wait to see even more of your work and just know how much you’re loved and appreciated by me!

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: Listen. thread count is such a fun read with that classic single bed trope and I loved every second of it. This one’s so well done! Your pieces are such joys!

@lesqui - Lessie. Angel. Your writing is literal poetry and I am in love with it and you. You’re such a light and you take my breath away with every piece you create. You’re the definition of a brilliant and talented content creator. I hope you know how amazing you write and how artistic it truly is. You’re amazing and I just... I can’t put coherent words to it.

SPOTLIGHT PIECE: I could put so many but the way will never fail to absolutely floor me with your artistic prose. It’s so sweet and brilliant. Just like you!

Like I said before, there are sooooo so many amazing writers out there and I wish I could include all of them. I encourage you to check out not only these writers, but also all the others! Browse. Explore. Try new pieces because you never know what style you’ll find that you absolutely love.

I encourage all the writers I tagged to make a little list of their own favorite writers and stories to keep the positivity going! You’re all incredible and thank you so much for providing me with the amazing escapes from reality I so dearly seek.

#fic rec #author rec #d3 talks #<3