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mehoymalloy · 20 days

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Here's my opinion that nobody asked for (but mostly just a factual recap) on the end of c3ep90, specifically regarding one Liliana Temult. I saw a teeny bit of speculation of Otohan potentially being the source of 'Did she know?' based on the accent Matt used, so of course I had to go back and listen to the scene a few times to check.

Obviously Matt left us on a cliffhanger for a reason, so very few statements can be made conclusively. The main one being: we know the scream was from Liliana.

From Fearne's persepctive (timestamp: 4.21.00):

Right as Fearne finds Ashton and FCG, the red energy around her (and simultaneously around Imogen, Matt notes) starts to brighten, and, "through both of your minds, you hear this high pitched scream, this earth-shattering scream of fury and horror, and then with that, the scream is gone."

When Laura asks if she recognizes the voice, Matt says, "Maybe. You've heard a lot of screams in your days." Laura asks if she can hear it even with the circlet on and Matt retcons a lttle, saying, "You felt it. It wasn't in your mind directly, but you felt it."

Just as Team Explosion start moving again, the music hall explodes: "this blast of bright energy with like a pinkish tone. You see the top of a shell-shaped building explode, and chunks of it fly out and stop and float in space. Immediately you see, like a bullet out of a gun, this singular lavender streak of power and energy that enters and kind of lifts and floats in the sky."

We then immediately cut to Team Infiltration.

From Imogen's perspective (timestamp: 4.29.58):

She sees the music hall explode from the balcony they are using to exit the tower ("Catching up," Matt clarifies). Matt says, "and you immediately know the source of the scream you heard earlier," confirming to Laura that it was Liliana.

Team Infiltration repel down from the balcony and keep moving. Matt then says, "You see that purple flame flickering in the air, and in both of your heads, you just hear, 'Did she know?'"

The cast all assume it is Liliana voicing the question (and that she now hates Imogen lol).

Ok now getting into opinion rather than fact:

To me this reads as the scream, the explosion, and the question all happening in quick succession, which implies Liliana is the source of all three.

As an aside: I adore that Imogen's immediate reaction is relief that Liliana is alive (she gasps, stares with wide eyes, and puts her hand over her chest). Imogen reaches out for Laudna with one hand, and Laudna even reassures, "I knew- I knew she was gonna be alright."

Considering the scream is of "fury and horror," specifically, I really lean toward the Ruidusborn Liliana had been gathering all being severely injured or killed during the assassination attempt. Seeing a bunch of young people you claim to protect grievously or fatally wounded would certainly be enough to trigger another exaltation, in my mind (though again, we don't know for certain Liliana exalted, it just reads that way to me); it would also explain why she just blew the roof off and flew directly into the air—if there was no one left to fight or protect. And I truly do think Liliana does care for the younger Vanguard recruits, based on what she says to Imogen in their dream conversation:

LAURA Mama, I want you to leave him. There's a fight coming. I don't want to fight you. MATT "Imogen, there are children here–" LAURA I know. MATT –"like you, that rely on me." LAURA Can't we just make sure he never wakes up? Put him to sleep. Get rid of Ludinus and keep him asleep. MATT "I don't know if that would just be delaying the inevitable. Being so close to this, I feel like I can guide this the best way it can be. I'm surrounded by some very dangerous people, but they need me, I can feel it, and they listen to me. I'm scared of what would happen if I wasn't here. What would happen to these children? These people?"

This is why I interpret that furious "Did she know?" as referring to those that were caught in the crossfire of the assassination attempt as collateral damage, not necessarily the attempt on Liliana's life specifically. Again, we don't truly know what went down there and who all survived, but I lean toward Liliana being the one of the few (or hell, maybe even the only one) to come out mostly unscathed based on the "fury and horror" tone of that scream.

That's not to say she wasn't also just straight up pissed that her daughter was seemingly complicit in an attack on her life lol because I'm sure she was, but like, it's layered. If anything, she'll tie her fury to the kids as this justified and righteous sort of anger, just to make herself feel better (ie less guilty about her own hand in leading all these recruits to their possible deaths).

And I really should not have to say this, but this post is not me defending or justifying Liliana's behavior or actions. I simply adore messy, deeply flawed characters. And I find it infinitely more fun to dig into their heads and attempt to view things from their perspective than to simply say "they're awful, I hate them."

Because yeah, they are awful and I do sort of hate them, but that's what makes them interesting to me. They're fictional characters—morality and even overall likability have no bearing here. All that matters is what gives my brain the zoomies, and for me, that's deeply fucked up antagonists and villains and their fucked up logic.

#critical role #cr3 #liliana temult #c3ep90 #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #cr speculation #malloy sometimes speaks

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bestial4ngel · 9 months

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My god, the duel from great comet seriously has no right to be so good

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kittenwriter · 3 months

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I've been watching Adam-12 and the evolution of the cop show is just fascinating as an examination of cultural portrayals of cops. Specifically the way professionalism is heavily, heavily emphasized throughout-- in an early episode Reed says "What kind of mother are you?" to a woman who won't tell them what her kids might have taken out of her narcotic stash, in favor of claiming they have epilepsy and are just out of it sometimes. He doesn't say it threateningly or even really raise his voice... and he gets a lecture from Malloy as soon as they're alone because with the badge and the gun comes an expectation of professionalism and not taking anything personally, and Malloy is portrayed as entirely in the right. (Also in that episode Reed asks if he has to put the part where he chased a suspect over a wall and fell into a pool into the report and is told yes, accuracy is very important.)

Wanting to exercise your right to remain silent also isn't treated as inherently suspect-- though granted the nature of their job being patrol officers means they're usually catching people in the act and remaining silent is the only sensible course of action at that point.

I would be surprised if cops were actually like this in that era, but it speaks to where the Overton window is with regard to cops then and now-- because this was a very popular show and would absolutely have been shaping public perception.

#adam 12 #cop shows

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curator-on-ao3 · 6 months

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Director's cut for Autobiography of Kristin Clancy OR a Voyager of your choice (of the 72 of them!!?!)

Whoa. I’ve written 72 Voyager fics? That’s … wow.

I so much appreciate this opportunity, @nab999, and I think I’ll talk about my girl, Admiral Kirsten “Sheer Fucking Hubris” Clancy. 💪 ❤️

Some quick facts:

After key aspects of The Autobiography of Kirsten Clancy burst into my mind like the Kool-Aid Man through a wall, I sat on the ideas for more than a year because I didn’t want to put in the time and effort the story would require.

Writing an entire-ass autobiography (not even a memoir) for a character who has, generously speaking, three scenes, is a bit much, even for me.

After I wrote this story that I hadn’t wanted to write, I wrote maybe a dozen ficlets spread across five other AO3 stories, plus a multi-chap (Kirsten Clancy/Katrina Cornwell) set in the same universe.

I am so damn glad I wrote this fic.

Look at this bookmark:

And this comment from a professional author (I don’t know how she found the story):

And this tweet from the actress who portrayed Clancy (whom I didn’t tag or try to attract attention from in any way but she somehow found out about the autobiography I wrote for her character):

And I’m gonna drop the link for my Women at Warp blog post about this story, too: https://www.womenatwarp.com/a-story-worth-telling-kirsten-clancy/

Writing this story changed me — for the better. The tight, self-aware point of view was a delicious challenge. Tracing the arc of most of a lifetime was an exercise in patience, even though parts of the story flowed as if the protagonist was whispering in my ear. And what a protagonist! Kirsten Clancy is flawed, foul-mouthed, and absolutely ferocious in her love and protection. She helped hold together the Federation that Jean-Luc Picard could have squandered in his dangerous optimism that led to the attack on Mars. She’s right, except when she’s not. And when she’s wrong, she sometimes she pays mightily for it.

Things I took special pleasure in:

A large, loving family (of origin and of her own creation) because those are under-represented in Trek.

A Starfleet that is not just accommodating but in fact truly helpful when it comes to marriage, family, mental health crashes (sometimes), mentorship, and other needs.

Expanding other minor characters like Sonya Gomez and Edward Jellico. The canon-nameless captain of the Melbourne who dies in Wolf 359 was critical for this story and I love her to this day.

Worldbuilding Mars, a planet we know relatively little about in Trek as opposed to Vulcan or planets in the Bajoran system. I used most of the little canon we have, then built from there.

The flaws in Clancy’s parents. I wrote them as American-style “patriots” who are baffled by their daughter but love her and work very, very hard to open their own minds to understand her and help her reach her goals.

The first original character that occurred to me for this story was Great Aunt Vivienne.

The first image that occurred to me for this story was Kirsten Clancy beaming home after the attack on Mars and crumpling into a loved one’s arms.

The last idea for this story as I outlined was the chapter with the Breen. I actually had two versions of the story for a while, one with the Breen and one without. I’m glad I kept that in.

A part that was painfully rewarding to write was Starfleet Command’s response during the attack on Mars. I modeled that after accounts I’ve read about US airline command center responses during 9/11. One of my “favorite” parts is the admirals arriving from their First Contact Day parties unprepared, out of uniform, running, running, running, Nechayev with her high heels dangling from her finger as she runs barefoot.

Oh, and on the other end of the funny-serious spectrum, Roux, the pilot of the first ship Clancy commands, the Barrie? He’s serial-numbers-barely-filed-off Gordon Malloy from The Orville. Because I can.

Thank you again and again for giving me a chance to talk this story that means so much to me, @nab999. ❤️

Want more information about a fic I wrote? Send me an ask.

#fanfic director’s cut #i love asks #star trek picard #star trek la sirena #kirsten clancy #72 VOYAGER FICS?!#thank you so so much for this #nab999

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helenekuragina · 1 year

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opinions on every helene ship (/hj) and also nikolai/dolokhov and marynat :)

don't test me we both know i have a strong opinion on every single one of her ships... lemme see.

hélène/natasha: i used to be VERY into them but i’ve definitely mellowed. they have lost potential for sure and i think they would have a fascinating dynamic had hélène survived and had a redemption arc, but, y’know! as it is, i have a million thoughts about them and their roles in each other’s lives and in relation to the story

hélène/dolokhov: notoriously not my thing :/ spectacular showing of comphet on all sides. i am still firmly of the belief that the affair was blown out of proportion and it was like... a dumb little crush and marital boredom on hélène’s part and dolokhov being a bastard man

hélène/boris: my favorite of the “canon” hélène relationships. i LOVE the tragedy of it, of feeling like they could’ve had a chance had they hadn’t respectively been raised the way they were. they could’ve been such a power couple too but nope! they’re always going to be too busy wanting something More to love each other and isn’t that so sad

hélène/marya dmitrievna: if i never have to see content for this ship again it’d still be too much, sorry :/ sometimes it’s not sexual tension, sometimes it’s just two women with a 30 year age gap who genuinely do not like each other. another thing to blame dave malloy for

hélène/vera: now for a ship that i made up in my head >:) genuinely i think they would have a wonderful dynamic. enough in common for them to be able to bond, enough different to make it interesting. both of them suffer from a criminal lack of understanding from others and i think they could fix that for the other

hélène/bourienne: i made this one up too i just think it would be fun. we have to stop pretending that bourienne isn’t natasha but french and poor. writing my au where hélène seduces bourienne away from the bolkonsky family and makes her HER companion as we speak

nikolai/dolokhov: I’M NGL I LIKE THIS ONE... i haven’t given it much thought since i’m not all that invested in either of them as characters but i definitely see it and also gives such an edge to the gambling scene... fellas is it gay to supposedly be fighting over a girl but channeling it through high stakes gambling and looking into each others eyes

marya/natasha: i really came around to this one! i didn’t see the appeal before but man i definitely get it now! again, not super strong opinions since i’m not as invested in either of them, but! it’s definitely cute and makes sense. and why did natasha settle for pierre after andrei’s death when marya was literally right there

#u: every helene ship #me: okay! [even does ones that i made up]#love u

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reviewsclown · 8 months

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Con Air 1997 starring nicolas cage

I've recently decided to watch a lot of nic cage movies because i think he's great. only just started but con air was an obvious first on the list cough webcomic cough

surprisingly or not depending on who you are, really fuckin good movie, pretty simple plot there's not many big reveals or anything but it's pulled by it's pretty good action and it's extremely excellent characters, Vince and Malloy are so good i love everything about Malloys character and Vince has that 90s business boy swag a la Fox Mulder of x files fame and it's fun to see him all haggard.

Besides them though it seems like every character is so good, garland Greene, Cyrus the virus, Diamond dog. they're all so entertaining and unique, not a movie that takes itself super seriously i think which is great for it, it's a real classics of movie.

I know this is sequel rotted brain speaking but i almost want to know more about what happens after. Cameron and Vince are bros for life, they can do bros attacks now

also the set and props were sometimes really good. the Lerner airfield was a neat environment, having it end in Las Vegas is want cool. and the most notable prop is Cyrus's funky looking bomb (inspired The Tumor?). also everything with garlands introduction as a character

overall rating: very enjoyable you gotta watch it at least once. characters say the n word a lot though but, 90s movie about a bunch of prisoners

#movies #Con air #reviews #nicolas cage

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kcrabb88 · 4 years

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My headspace is not the best right now, BUT I did get to watch a Zoom event with Anais Mitchell and Patrick Page talking about Hadestown and the new book Anais wrote about the songs and her writing process that just came out, and that was a nice little bit of sunshine.

Also reminder, I REALLY love Hadestown.

#Sometimes I feel like I relate to listening to musical theater writers more than I do book writers?#Like when they're talking about writing I mean #Like when I hear Lin or Anais or Dave Malloy speak I go oh yeah mood #Anyway it was really nice #KCrabb rambles #Hadestown

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rated-r-for-grantaire · 4 years

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Oh shit i guess this means i’ll have a new lyric video project soon huh?

#sky speaks #don't stop me #to quote moby dick's fifth wall break: JESUS FUCK DAVE MALLOY!!!#like i'm actually legit worried about him #does he sleep? does he eat? does he take breaks?#i know he tweeted once about how sometimes he gets down on himself for not being able to write a new song each week but like uhhhhh #is that not what he's doing? dave please look out for yourself you are my father i am alive for you

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hops-hunny · 3 years

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Pride Lost, Feelings Found

Pairing: Neville Longbottom x Reader

Pronouns: They/Them

Word Count: 2.2k

Request: @summerstardust “Could you do a Neville with a gender neutral reader. It can fluff/smut/bit of both 🤷, whatever you want. With the prompts: 4. "You think she looks at me? Am I invisible?”, 12. "I’ve always liked you, you’ve just never noticed.” and 17. "Make me fall in love with you.”

Maybe where Neville is secretly crushing on the reader from afar and the reader is told, in some way, about this and he just runs away from the scene. Then the reader follows and finds him and tells him that they want to get to know him.

Don’t feel pressured to use this idea, though. I am just feeling a bit angsty at the moment. Thank you! :)”

Summary: It all crumbles down before Neville’s eyes, but it’s replaced with something he’d never expect.

Warnings: angst but it turns to fluff!!

A/N: Ok ok, if you want a part 2 with what happens after reader says that? Lmk and I’ll probably write it! I’m so sorry this took so long esp for one of my favorite readers. I hope you enjoy <3

4. "You think she looks at me? Am I invisible?”

12. "I’ve always liked you, you’ve just never noticed.”

17. "Make me fall in love with you.”

Sometimes Neville wish he had never noticed (Y/n). But when you shine as bright as they did, how couldn't you notice? They bewitching, enchanting everyone around them with a simple smile, him included. However when miracles as amazing as (Y/n) come to be, so does a lot of attention. He adored everything about them, the way they always smeared their ink on their scroll when they wrote, how they’d walk into class every morning with that same sleepy expression, even down to the way they’d always have to pull their socks up because they got the wrong size and they’d fall down. They was his dream partner. But sadly, that’s the thing about dream lovers, they’re meant to stay dreams.

From as long as Neville could remember, he had been on the bottom of the social ladder. Hell, when your familiar (who is also a toad) causes a wild goose chase during your first years at a new school, it’s really not hard to understand why. If it had been someone else instead of him, he would've made fun of them too. He was a loser and no one would ever let him forget. Not his friends, not Malfoy, not anyone. But they did. In all his years at Hogwarts, (Y/n) had never made him feel like a loser. Every interaction the two of them had made him feel normal, like himself.

Granted every interaction they had was small. Accidentally bumping into them in the halls, a tight lip smile when eye contact was made. One time he thought (Y/n) was waving to him but was in fact waving to their friend behind him but luckily they hadn't seen (Malfoy definitely did..). Out of all the people who could have noticed the way he looked at them or the way his cheeks would turn red when they'd pass him it had to be Malloy. That was awful for a multitude of reasons. One being that for some reason, (L/n) and Malfoy were the best of friends. Everyday he wished that it was him who got sat next to them in potions instead of that weasel of a boy. The second reason being that despite knowing how Neville felt for them, he still had yet to do anything with the information. To most people, they’d be relieved if Malfoy found out one of their most personal pieces of information and had yet to do anything but, Neville knew better. Draco was a vile creature and if he hadn’t teased him about it yet, that surely meant something even greater was coming. Something truly awful and devastating.

The first week after Malfoy found out had Neville staying up to the break of dawn, stirring around restlessly at the thought of what he’d do. Would he spill something on him when he was set to have a class with them, tape a note to the back of his shirt with the information on it, or worse...no, no. Not even Malfoy was cruel enough to do that! If anything, if he was going to tell (Y/n) he’d probably do it when Neville wasn’t around so they could come up to him and reject him at random. Although it was sad, what got Neville to sleep at night was imagining that they already knew. That (Y/n) was more than aware and it was only a matter of time till they’d reject him and his life would go back to normal without any pesky thoughts of how beautiful he found them to be.

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

Seamus’s words went in one of Neville’s ears and right back out of the other, sounding like white noise to the boy. He couldn’t listen to whatever idiotic thing he was going on about. How could he when (Y/n) was a few feet away, looking just as gorgeous as they usually did? It was hard not to focus on them, the way their pretty lips would curl into a smile, giggling at something one of their friends had said. He felt a smile grace his own lips at the sight, letting out a noise of protest as Ron chucked a cushion at his head.

“Are you even, listening Longbottom?” he heard him ask, still not ripping his eyes away from the (y/h/h) across the hall.

“You think they look at me? Am I invisible?” he asked in a hushed tone, as if he was to speak any louder, they would somehow hear them despite them being so far away. Seamus let out a loud snort, beginning to cackle as he slapped the boy on the back a bit too hard.

“Fat chance, Longbottom! You think (L/n) would notice you? They wouldn’t even notice me, and that’s saying something!” Seamus wheezed out. Neville shot him a pointed glare, fuming from the boy’s words. He shoved him off the couch, rolling his eyes.

“It’s not that people don’t notice you Seamus….it’s that they do for all the wrong reasons.” Dean pointed out, causing the other 3 to laugh, growing louder as Seamus failed to push himself off the ground.

“Oh don’t worry, Longbottom. (L/n) will be sure to notice you soon enough.” he froze at the sound of the cold voice, turning around to look at the platinum blonde prince himself. Draco stood their, smirking. Crabbe and Goyle tried to nod along when in reality, they had no idea what their leader was going on about. Neville gulped, standing up to face him completely.

“W-what do you mean?” he asked him, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. Draco simply shrugged, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. He turned around briefly looking the boy up and down.

“Means exactly what I said. Nothing more, nothing less. Well as much as I’d love to stay around and lose brain cells with you idiots, I’ve got better things to attend to.” and with that he left.

“Don’t worry, Nev. Draco is always just talk, I’m sure nothing will come of it.” Harry said, offering the boy a reassuring smile. Although Neville knew he meant well, he couldn’t stop the sinking, tight feeling in his chest. Draco had yet to do something so he had no reason to feel this way, but it was just a hunch that the worst was yet to come.

Even hours later, as Neville lay in his bed that night, all he could think about were the words that echoed throughout his head over and over.

“Oh don’t worry, Longbottom. (L/n) will be sure to notice you soon enough.”

He didn’t know if he was grateful for how vague that was or if it was the bane of his days. Draco could’ve meant anything by that, all he knew is whatever it meant the intent behind his words were less than kind. He turned again, sighing as he looked out the window. There was a full moon tonight, a beautiful silver halo of light dancing its way around it.

“Merlin, save me please.” he pleaded quietly, to no one in particular. Every bit of hope, every positive thought laced in his words. Although he prepared for the worse to happen, he had a sliver of hope that it wouldn’t. That tomorrow he’d wake up and his day would be as mundane as usual, just the way he’d like it. And if he was lucky (Y/n) would give him a small smile in the hall.

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

Neville’s small sliver of hope had grown into an entire cake. Looking back on earlier in the week, he was worried for absolutely nothing! Malfoy once again was all bark and no bite which for once, he was glad for! He let out a sigh of content as he made his way from the library, heading in the direction of the main corridor. He saw Seamus give him an uncharacteristically serious look from the small crowd that was gathered around something. As he grew closer, in the middle of the circle he saw Draco stood on a crate as (Y/n) sat next to him, listening as he read something from a paper.

“Nev, you might wanna...might wanna leave.” Seamus whispered to him. However, he looked as people stared at him, some giggling while some look sympathetic.

“Why? What’s going o-”

“Here’s another one I found in his bin! ‘Dear (Y/n), although I’ll never give you this letter, I can’t help but write about how amazing you are! When I saw you help that injured bird the other day, I wanted nothing more than to help you tend to it. I find it funny how even when you’re sad, you manage to brighten up my day.’ God how dorky is this loser? I can’t believe he fancies you so much (Y/n)!” Draco howled in laughter, a few others joining him. Neville found himself at the forefront of the circle, frozen in his spot. That was his letter! He had started writing them as a way of coping with his feelings, knowing that the person he fancied would always be out of reach of him. “Anything to say for yourself, Longbottom?”

Neville felt tears well in his eyes, the warmth of them mixing with the heat of his red flushed face. “I...I..” he looked at (Y/n) who look like they had something to say however, he didn’t wanna stick around to hear it. Without another word, he ran off, tears streaming down his face as soon as he was far enough from anyone. In his time of despair, he ran to his only place of comfort. The one place that he wasn’t Neville, the loser who just had his feelings ripped from safe keeping in front of half the students in his year. The place where he was just Neville.

He took in a deep breath of the familiar muggy air of the greenhouse, relaxing slightly as he took a seat on the ground. “God I’m so stupid!” he wailed, tears flowing down his face. His crying grew harder, harsh hiccups shaking and jolting his body as he screamed into his knees. He knew there was a matter of time before (Y/n) was to find out, he just didn’t know it’d be like this. If this was just the pain from them learning about his feelings, he didn’t wanna know how bad he’d be wounded when they came to reject him. Neville’s head jolted up at the sound of soft footsteps making their way over to him. He noticed the familiar pair of black shoes, turning his head as they kneeled down in front of him.

“I thought you may be here! You always seemed so passionate about plants during herbology so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to check here first.” (Y/n) said, placing a hand on the boy’s knee. He looked down at where they connected, feeling his face flush slightly from the contact. “You know, your friends care about you a lot. After you ran off, Ginny came up and socked Draco straight in the face. It was quite a sight really.” they let out a soft giggle at the memory. “Hermione went in to drag her off but when she saw how smug Draco looked, she couldn’t help but to join in. While they did that, your other friends set off looking for you and I did too.”

“Why?” he asked, catching their attention. The (y/h/h) gave him a confused look, tilting their head to the side. “Why did you come looking for me? Don’t you hate me now? Gross, stupid Longbottom having a crush on Hogwart’s sweetheart. How pathetic, huh?” he sniffled, ripping his eyes away from them. He knew if he was to continue to look, a completely new set of tears would be triggered.

“Why wouldn’t I? I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t! Although I don’t know much about you, I do know you’re a kind individual and you didn’t deserve what Draco did to you.” they said in a soft tone, moving into the spot next to Neville. They sat in silence for a moment before (Y/n) cleared their throat, looking over at him once more. “How long?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, how long have you liked me for? I wasn’t even aware until today.” they queried curiously.

“I’ve always liked you, you’ve just never noticed. I don’t blame you for not noticing though, we’re from two different worlds. You’ve got everyone in hogwarts begging for a moment of your time and you hang out with some of the most elite and prestigious people in the castle.” he sniffled some, wiping his nose on his sleeve as he set his hand down on the cold cement ground. “It was stupid of me to let my feelings last for so long.”

“Why was it stupid?” they asked, scooting closer to him. Neville turned to look at them, losing his breath at their closeness.

“Because you don’t feel the same..not that I expected you to. You didn’t even know I existed until today.” he let out a huff of air. (Y/n) bit the inside of their cheek before placing their hand on top of Neville’s, tangling their fingers together.

“You’re right, I don’t feel the same,” they started, tightening their grip as the boy began to get up. “But that doesn’t mean I never will. Let’s get to know each other a bit more.” they leaned in closer, the feeling of both of their breath being exchanged like whispers amongst their lips.

“Make me fall in love with you.”

TAGSLIST:@vayeya11 @pink-hufflepuff @clancyscookies @beewitchedlou

@nevillelongbottomsgirlfriend @redpanda-poetry @vibingaesthetically

#Neville Longbottom #neville x you #neville longbottom x you #neville longbottom x reader #neville x reader #Harry Potter #harry potter imagines #harry potter imagine #harry potter x reader

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willtherealdracopleasestandup · 3 years

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The one thing Draco Malloy was sure of, was that people liked you for who you are not, and thus hated you for who you are. They like you for not being a bad person but dislike you for making mistakes. They like you for not being a blithering idiot all the time, but approach you with resentment when you speak your mind. This was the one thing Draco knew.

Harry Potter was unsure of everything but was content in the knowledge that sometimes things just happen. People come, people go, people yell and people sometimes cannot stand to be near you. And it was this bewilderment at life that Harry was sure was the only constant. Yes he wasn’t sure of many things, but he was sure nothing ever made any semblance of sense and you just spent 30 seconds of your life reading my 3 am thoughts.

#draco malfoy #harry potter #harry x draco #drarry fic #drarry #Draco #harry

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callmebrycelee · 2 years

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9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for season 3, fifth episode “Child Care” which originally aired on February 7, 2022. The episode was written by Jessica Ball and Jalysa Conway and directed by Brenna Malloy. Spoilers ahead!

I'm gonna keep this reaction short and sweet. While this week's episode wasn't as action-packed as our four-part season opener, it definitely delivered on the drama. In addition to a shocking revelation involving Judd, one of the reasons I liked this episode so much was because of Carlos' storyline. Carlos Reyes is one of the most popular characters on the show. However, unlike Athena Grant who is the resident law enforcement on our OG series, we really don't focus a whole lot on Carlos being a cop.

Before we get into the plot involving Carlos, let's first talk about Judd. Let me start by saying that I love Judd. I think he is one of the most compelling characters on the show. I love his relationship with Grace and after the birth of their baby girl, I am so excited to see what life is going to be like for them now that they are new parents. Well, in an interesting twist, only one of them is actually a new parent because in this episode called "Child Care" we learn that Judd fathered a son with a woman he hooked up with at a rodeo 16 years ago. While I find this is a very interesting plot development that led to some incredible acting from both Jim Parrack and Sierra McClain, a part of me feels pretty mixed about it.

I like Wyatt - Judd's teenage son - and I sort of dig the fact that he seems not at all like his dad; however, I wasn't 100-percent sold on the resolution this episode provided. Last season, after Judd and Grace's accident, Grace had an amazing conversation with Tommy about societal expectations placed on black women. Black women are supposed to be strong in a way that is not expected of other women and sometimes that can lead to them feeling like they aren’t doing enough or they’re not good enough. I love how candid Grace and Tommy got during that exchange because we rarely get to see such a frank discussion of this caliber featured on network television.

So, because of that conversation from last season, I was really hoping to see more of a conflict between Grace and Judd. Rationally-speaking, it ain't like Judd went out and cheated on Grace and Wyatt is the result of an infidelity. In fact, Judd unknowingly fathering a son with a woman he barely knew all went down before he even met Grace. With that said, when it comes to matters of the heart, logic often goes out of the window. I wanted to see more of Grace being angry, if not at Judd or Marlene or the existence of Wyatt than at the circumstance of being a new mom having to deal with her husband having a love child show up on their doorstep. Even when Grace was upset with Judd, I knew that by the end of the episode she would come around to accepting his son - which is further proof that this storyline was resolved too easily.

Look, I get it. Grace, like Bobby Nash in the OG series, is our resident person of faith. Whenever life becomes tough, Grace is the first to quote a Bible verse and I've always found that an endearing aspect to her character. I know many women, many black women, personally, like Grace, so her character has always rang authentic to me. However, everybody has a breaking point and at this point we have witnessed Grace fall in love with Judd only for him to unceremoniously break up with her, give up her education opportunity at Georgetown University, learn of her father's infidelity, nearly die in a car accident alongside her husband, endure the death of a dear friend (Charles) and give birth in the middle of a huge snowstorm. It seems to me that Judd having a secret son would be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and honestly I'm shocked that she didn't pull a Lemonade and gather her things and the baby and move in with her mother for a while. Nope, she did none of that and instead she did what Grace always does - the "right” thing. It was very big of her to invite Marlene as a means of facilitating a relationship between the three of them and Wyatt who will be the half-sibling of her newborn but it’s just another example of black woman having to play peacemaker to a situation she didn’t create. Grace may not be a saint but at this point she is pretty damn close. Again, I love the storyline - I just wish it wasn't tied so nice and neatly in a bow at the end of the episode.

As far as Judd is concerned, like Owen in this episode, Judd said some pretty dumb things. What took the cake for me is his conversation with Tommy. Tommy finally asked the question that never seems to get asked - why didn't you wear protection? Great question, Tommy! I feel like the same could have been asked of Owen and Gwen last season. Straight characters are forever being show having unprotected sex and inevitably when there is a pregnancy, they're always left scratching their heads wondering, how did this happen? That drives me absolutely bonkers! I get that things can happen in the heat of the moment but Judd's whole 'well she was older so I thought it wouldn't be an issue' excuse was completely and utterly ridiculous to me and I'm so glad that Tommy called her friend out on it. P.S. - I love the Judd and Tommy friendship on this show. I love that Tommy has a solid friendship with both Judd and Grace and her separate friendships with them don't get in the way of each other. Tommy is a good friend!

Next, let's talk about Owen. This was my least favorite storyline mostly because it was silly and distracted from the other two storylines in the episode. Now I was under the impression that things between Owen and his ex-wife Gwen were pretty okay after their interaction with each other in the last episode, but right away we are told that things are not okay, at least on Owen's end, because ever since seeing Gwen with new baby in tow, our fearless leader has been slinging his firehose all over Austin, Texas. Now look - I’m all about men and women of a certain age getting their groove on and their rocks off - but seeing Owen hooking up with the woman at the beginning of the episode who was drinking out of their milk carton - in the middle of a pandemic - made me cringe. Just as I was beginning to feel like I was a being a wee bit judgy and sex-shamy, Mateo calls Owen out and I felt so justified.

Thankfully the whole 'One Night Strand' plot element disappears for the remainder of the episode and the rest of this storyline involves Owen signing up for an elusive dating app which leads to a pretty disastrous date with the Chief of Staff to the governor of Texas. Much like Judd and his whole 'I didn't wear a condom because I figured she was too old to get knocked up' comment, Owen says some pretty cringe-worthy things which leads to both of them asking for the check before they even order their food.

I guess this is a good point to segue into Carlos' storyline which ends up intersecting with Owen's by the end of the episode. As I mentioned earlier, with Carlos being the law enforcement component to the show, we haven't really gotten a chance to see him work cases the way Athena does. When a little girl sets her house on fire because the voice on the baby monitor commands her to do so, Carlos steps in to try to figure out things. Now this case is pretty dark. Everything from the creepy, distorted voice on the baby monitor to the little girl getting kidnapped is pretty dark and twisty which is territory this show tends not to venture into.

To solve the case, Carlos teams up with a character we haven't seen since season one back when Liv Tyler was on the show which seems like forever ago. It was so good to see Tamala Jones as Sarina Washington again and I hope this means we’ll be seeing more of her again in future episodes as we explore more of Carlos' life in law enforcement.

Another reason I love this plot involving Carlos so much is because for once we get to see TK being the supporting partner. Much of the show's drama since the start of the series has involved TK and usually Carlos is the one who is coming up behind him, rubbing his shoulders and being such a supportive boyfriend which is why Carlos is the absolute best. I thought it was sweet when TK stayed up (or at least tried to) with Carlos while he went through all of the baby monitor footage. Even though we got less of TK - one of my faves - this episode, it was because we focused on other characters. I hope this trend continues because there are other characters on the show - ahem, Marjan, Mateo, Paul, and Nancy - that need to be focused on more as well.

So, eventually Carlos figures out that the person who kidnapped the little girl who burned down her house was her former babysitter. Now this is where the episode pissed me off. We just spent most of the episode watching Carlos do some pretty impressive detective work with the encouragement of Sarina Washington and instead of him being the way one to save the day, that responsibility fell to Owen. Now one thing I like about the OG series is that while Bobby is a great leader who has been known to protect those who he is in charge of, he rarely goes around trying to save the day with a gun in his hand. When Owen sees the vehicle described in the Amber alert, he commandeers his failed date's vehicle and the two of them go on a high-speed chase with the kidnapper. Listen, I know that Owen is our lead character of the show and I know that he fancies himself a bit of a hero - which he is - however, he is not a cop and what he did could have not only put his life in danger, but it could have gotten the Chief of Staff and the little girl hurt or worst as well. This whole episode featured Owen making poor decisions and it really rubbed me the wrong way that he got to save the day.

Carlos should have been the one in the high-speed chase and Carlos should have been the one to confront the kidnapper. It just made me feel really sad for Carlos because this should have been a career defining moment for him. Well, at least something good did come of this whole situation. At the end of the episode, Sarina suggests that Carlos take his detective's exam and I am here for it. I cannot wait to see how badass Carlos is once he is a detective. Maybe this means that we will get to see him and Athena interact in the future. Now that would be an amazing crossover.

Well, so much for short and sweet. I believe this reaction is just as long, if not longer, than last week's. For all my Owen fans, I know I went in on him a lot this week but I promise that I do love me some Owen but this episode is just proof that no one is perfect - not even our One Night Strand. I really do wish they'd just give him a love interest that sticks around for more than just a handful of episodes. I think that if Owen had a steady girlfriend, it would give him something else to focus on. As far as Judd and Grace are concerned - I'm never worried about these two. Fans often talk about TK and Carlos being endgame. I think the Ryders are endgame and this week's episode was further proof of that. I'm also excited to see where we go with Carlos. There's a lot of chatter online about them getting married soon but after this episode, I'm all in favor for putting marriage on the backburner and having Carlos focus on his career right now. Besides, Carlos and TK are already cohabitating together like a married couple so aside from a huge wedding and an official document, I don't think anything much would change with their dynamic. Those are my final thoughts on the episode. I'd love to hear if any of you who read this have any comments about the episode or this reaction. Until next time ...

#fox 911 lone star #911 lone star #reactions #blw reactions #owen strand #judd ryder #grace ryder #carlos reyes #sarina washington #tommy vega #tk strand #911 lone star reaction #911 ls s3

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mehoymalloy · 2 months

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Genuine request made in good faith:

Please don't tag your complaints about a character with their own character tag.

Constructive criticism and character analysis? Hell yeah, love to see that; I literally write for Otohan because she's not fleshed out in canon.

But slapping the character tag on a generic 'they suck and I don't like them' post (where it then shows up in my recommended because I follow the tag and it's not exactly a hoppin' place lol) is inconsiderate. You aren't reaching like-minded fans, you're only raining on someone else's parade.

It's common courtesy; which is why, again I'll stress, this is a request made in good faith because for all I know, some folks simply may not know that.

#yeah this is about #otohan thull #but it truly happens in every fandom to some degree which is disheartening #malloy sometimes speaks #critical role #cr3

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ndconceptarchive · 2 years

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TMB Interview with Cathy & Jeanne Roiter

This was an interview published on True PC Gaming.com on May 29, 2012:

TPG was proud to interview the Twin Sisters of Development, Jeanne and Cathy Roiter from Her Interactive. They speak to us about their latest point-and-click adventure title, Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen. You will read about their thoughts on setting difficulty levels, social networking, the use of a female protagonist, fears of texting, and much more.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in the development of Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen.

Jeanne Roiter: At first glance, a college degree in Art History seems an odd fit, but it taught me there is no one way to view anything. Attack something from a different angle and you’re guaranteed to get a different result. As Lead Tester, my goal is to ensure that everyone playing our games has the best user experience possible. Which means test analyzes every aspect of the game and how they do, and sometimes do not, work together.

Cathy Roiter: I grew up all over the country, graduated from a liberal arts school with an art degree, am an avid birder, love to travel (especially when it involves birding), and adore puzzles, be they jigsaw, slider, or logic. As the designer, I was involved in nearly every stage of TMB. That included story development, character design, puzzle creation, environmental logic, music direction, running focus groups, playing/testing the game, and a thousand and one other things during the project cycle. There’s never a dull moment for me.

How did you get started in developing PC games?

Jeanne Roiter: I actually began at Her Interactive in Technical Support, working directly with our users. During that time, I learned a lot about what our users expect from the games, common issues in-game play and installation, and became very familiar with our brand. One fateful day, I was dropped into the test team to help out and quickly discovered my true calling lay in the logical, creative, and critical thinking required for testing our games. It wasn’t long before I moved into test full-time and later down the road into the lead position.

Cathy Roiter: My first gaming job was as the production intern here at Her Interactive. Shortly after starting, I got the chance to design the mixing drinks puzzle in The Haunting of Castle Malloy. It all grew from there.

Where did the idea for Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen come from?

Cathy Roiter: Egypt had been tossed around for years as a possibility, but it was the increase in resolution that came with our new UI that really cinched it. The new resolution meant art would really be able to do the setting justice. At that point, there was no question that Egypt would be the first game to take advantage of the changes.

What are some of the successes and failures you learned from in developing Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen?

Jeanne Roiter: Change can be good. We introduced an entirely new User Interface with this game and it absolutely improved the game experience with its intuitive design. Change can also be bad. Major overhauls, like the UI, usually require more resources and time.

Cathy Roiter: I’m most proud of the fact that the majority of reviewers commented on how TMB wasn’t a clichéd Egyptian game. We wanted to make it feel different and we did, through careful planning and design choices. As for the failure, that was definitely tied to trying to be too realistic. I backed myself into a corner by being determined to use nothing but 100% accurate hieroglyphs. Thanks to my walkthrough team, the realization that I was in no way fluent in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and a decision to go with a little artistic license, I redesigned the hieroglyph system to one that actually worked with the game instead of against it.

In its current form, how close is Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen to your initial vision?

Cathy Roiter: Farther away than I expected, but I’m happy with the end result.

Speaking about the Nancy Drew series in general, how do you feel about using a strong female protagonist without the need to be over-sexualized or using other stereotypical elements?

Jeanne Roiter: The Nancy Drew PC games were established long before I joined Her Interactive, but a strong female character remains, for me, one of the most compelling things about the product we create. I think it’s incredibly important to keep these types of role models current and relevant for both female and male players.

Cathy Roiter: I’m all for a strong female. There are so few titles that have any type of independent, intelligent, and confident females, let alone having one as the main protagonist. I’m extremely grateful that I get to design for a series that does.

Were there any challenges you faced in ensuring Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen would run on the various PC system configurations? Also, speak about any problems developing for Mac.

Jeanne Roiter: For this game, we increased our resolution by about 30%. These enhanced graphics are immediately apparent when you see the game, but 64MB video cards started to exhibit performance issues while running the game. We ended up increasing our minimum system requirements to 128MB video cards, which is still incredibly low for modern PC games.

Please talk about developing the art style, level design, and music for Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen.

Cathy Roiter: TMB was a lot of fun to design. Not only did I grow up on Egyptian mythology, but I had also recently returned from an amazing vacation touring the ancient Egyptian sites. Art seemed to appreciate the slew of photos I dropped in a reference folder. Personal experience is the best design tool. There is nothing like getting out in the world and seeing what it has to offer.

Outside of creating the game itself, what is the toughest aspect of being a PC developer?

Jeanne Roiter: While this falls out of my scope, it’s probably getting the product out and visible to the public. With so many titles on the market these days, it’s a challenge to get traction with new players.

Cathy Roiter: Living up to the fans’ expectations. Our fans are a loyal group and I always want them to love every game. We try to create a different experience in each game, which means that some games they’ll like more than others, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see less than positive reviews sometimes...

Some devs admitted their games were too hard upon release because they became experts as they developed the game. Talk about setting the difficulty levels for Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen and if you faced a similar challenge.

Jeanne Roiter: In addition to focus groups and beta testers, the internal test team does their best to keep a critical approach to game difficulty. The first weeks of testing are quite informative as testers attempt puzzles for the first time. Towards the end of the project, we may reach out to other departments, like marketing or sales, for fresh eyes. The goal is for our players to come out of a puzzle with the satisfaction that results from discovering a solution on their own terms.

Cathy Roiter: Our difficulty levels are something we keep a very close eye on. We offer two levels to play in the game itself and run focus groups to test difficulty levels on puzzles or activities that we’re concerned about. I’m constantly updating and tweaking puzzle settings to offer just the right amount of challenge as I get feedback from testers, focus group panels, and beta. A few games back, I moved hints from Nancy’s friends to a new Hint Hotline on the phone itself. While some of our fans miss calling for hints, the hotline has allowed us to provide leveled hints that better help the player than a single phone call ever could.

How important is it to get instant feedback about Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen from users through online message boards and other social networking sites?

Jeanne Roiter: Online resources are a good place to find out about issues with a new release. Instant feedback allows us to get issues resolved quickly if need be.

Cathy Roiter: I’m constantly on the boards after a release to see how the game has been received. All feedback, be it positive or negative, helps confirm what we’ve been doing right or wrong. I also like seeing if fans are picking up the hints we drop in about future games. Looks like some of them are noticing a few of them from TMB!

How much value do you place on the opinions of those who review Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen professionally?

Jeanne Roiter: Since our games have a smaller target demographic, the professional reviews often come from gamers who might not pick up a Nancy Drew title on their own. Hearing what resonates with them helps us incorporate design features that reach out to all types of players. This is an invaluable source of information as we work to make our games more accessible to a wider audience.

Cathy Roiter: I value the professional reviews a lot. They allow me to better judge how a new player to our games would feel after playing. It’s helpful to get that new set of eyes on any game.

There are rumors flying around the studio about your feelings towards texting. Why are both of you so adverse to the wonders of mobile technology? You do know that everyone is doing it, right?

Jeanne Roiter: I’ll admit it has to do mostly with the fact that I don’t want to lose one of the last vestiges of verbal interaction in our increasingly wired lifestyle. I’m also rather fond of my archaic flip phone.

Cathy Roiter: I wouldn’t follow the lemmings off the cliff either.

We would like to thank Jeanne and Cathy for their wonderful answers and everyone at Her Interactive. You can pick up Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen on the official site and Steam.

#tomb of the lost queen #nancy drew games #interview #behind the scenes #tmb

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aboutcaseyaffleck · 3 years

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Actor Casey Affleck Reflects On The Past And 'The World To Come'

The last time I saw Casey Affleck was after an 8:30 a.m. Sundance Film Festival screening of “Manchester by the Sea,” which left my colleagues and I so emotionally drained we were pretty much useless for the rest of the day. Affleck finds this very funny. “Oh man, that’s awesome,” he laughs. “That was a tough screening. At Sundance I’m usually just going to sleep at 8 a.m.” We’re talking on the phone a few days after the festival’s virtual premiere of his latest movie, “The World to Come,” which made its Sundance debut last month under very different circumstances. “It’s so strange doing these things sitting in front of your computer,” he sighs.

Directed by Mona Fastvold, “The World to Come” is a powerful period piece about a forbidden love affair between pioneer women played by Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, set in upstate New York during the early months of 1856. Affleck produced the picture, in which he plays a supporting role as Waterston’s uncomprehending husband, and he did his best to soldier through a crowded Zoom Q&A after the Sundance screening, with results pleasant enough, but nonetheless missing that in-person festival magic. “I used to love going to film festivals and talking to journalists and seeing all the movies and talking to other filmmakers,” he laments. “Sitting here alone in a little office in my house is such a drag. But it was nice to know that the movie was getting seen, at least.”

While big brother Ben plays Batman in studio pictures, Casey has exhibited a restless independent streak ever since he was a student at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. (Our ninth-grade classes competed against each other in the Mass. High School Drama Guild Competition. His won, perhaps unsurprisingly.) A longtime friend of the Brattle Theatre and former creative advisor for the Independent Film Festival Boston, the younger Affleck has always seemed more at home in indies. Not a lot of actors would follow an Oscar-winning role in “Manchester by the Sea” with a microbudget art film like “A Ghost Story.” But then his internalized, minimalist acting style is often at odds with the concerns of contemporary blockbusters. There’s a weird dissonance watching something like Disney’s hokey Chatham sea adventure “The Finest Hours,” with Affleck going full Montgomery Clift while surrounded by CGI silliness.

“The World to Come” is the most ambitious project yet from Affleck’s Sea Change Media, which partnered with Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon’s legendary NYC indie institution Killer Films for the arduous production that began with a conversation between Affleck and novelist Ron Hansen nearly a decade ago. “When I did ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ I got to know Ron Hansen, just because I loved the book so much. Ron has a very unique talent for writing 19th century language. He’s just from another era. I asked him if he had something he wanted to work on together, and I thought he would send me one of his things. Instead, he sent me this story by Jim Shepard. It was beautiful. I said, why don’t you and Jim write the script? And they took about six years, but it came together beautifully. Good things come to those who wait, I guess.”

The film eventually shot in Romania with a break built into the schedule to accommodate the changing seasons that are so crucial to the movie’s rugged, outdoor textures. “We were way out in Transylvania, out in the mountains,” Affleck explains. “We were just in some valley and they built a couple of farmhouses. I like being far away in a new place. It makes you feel outside of your life. And I love working in weather. There are so many aspects of moviemaking that are artificial, but when there’s extreme weather, it’s real. I did this Disney movie about a boat rescue, and it was, like, December in friggin’ Quincy and they were just soaking us with water every single take. There’s not a lot that you have to quote-unquote act. You’re just standing there, teeth-chattering, shivering, just being.” This reminds me of the scene in “Manchester” when he and Lucas Hedges have an argument walking in the blistering cold and can’t remember where they parked. “I forgot about that one,” he laughs.

I’d never say so on the phone, but I consider Affleck’s performance as Lee Chandler in “Manchester by the Sea” among the finest I’ve seen in my 22 years of reviewing films, worthy of discussion alongside Brando’s Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront” in its aching, inchoate longing. Lee holds his grief somewhere very private and dear, as if to begin to forgive himself would be an act of betrayal. The movie nails a gruff, emotional constipation popular among men of a certain stripe, especially in New England. (My mother offered my favorite review of the film: “Why don’t they just talk to each other? Jesus, this is like watching you and your father.”) Words don’t come easily to most of Affleck’s movie characters, but he chafes at the description of them as inarticulate. “It’s funny, I find the characters in ‘Manchester’ to be sometimes very articulate,” he argues. “There’s misunderstandings, but they end up communicating what’s inside.”

“The World to Come” is rife with such mixed signals and miscommunications, about which co-star Katherine Waterston raved during the Zoom Q&A after the Sundance screening. “It was so much fun to play the scenes with Casey,” she said. “A lot of these scenes are written as dances, where somebody tries to reach out and engage and they’re misunderstood. Inarticulacy is a very interesting thing to see in film. The failed attempts. Failed communications. It’s actually fun to play those things. You don’t know what the other person’s going to throw at you. It keeps it really alive on set. Mona and I felt if we had the money we could have kept shooting this thing for months, because the scenes were so much fun to explore.”

Affleck agrees. “When Katherine’s character writes in her journal or she starts talking to Vanessa, they have this beautiful, expressive way of speaking to each other,” he enthuses, whereas his character “says what he’s gotta say in as few words as possible. He’s very brusque and curt, which I enjoyed. The way that he talks is the communication equivalent when he gives her a birthday gift of sardines and a tin of raisins.”

Indeed, her increasingly florid diary entries — originally intended as a ledger to keep track of the farm’s monthly expenses — become the heartbeat of the film, providing an emotional release otherwise suppressed by the rigid formality of the era and the ugly drudgery of day-to-day farm life. “The World to Come” is ultimately a movie about the need to share our stories, and how through telling them we make sense of ourselves. As producer Koffler explains in the press notes, “Part of the film’s vision is to dramatize a very basic human impulse: to create, to connect, to say ‘I was here, and I mattered.’”

This has become a recurring theme in Affleck’s recent work. In 2019, he wrote, directed and starred in “Light of My Life,” a little-seen but strikingly tense post-apocalyptic road movie about a father and daughter hiding out in the wilderness after a pandemic has wiped out most of the women in the world. The film begins with Affleck telling the little girl a bedtime story that runs almost 13 minutes and sneakily sets up the movie’s major themes. Then in last month’s well-acted but regrettably soggy “Our Friend,” he starred as real-life journalist Matthew Teague, whose soul-baring Esquire story about his wife’s struggle with cancer became a national phenomenon.

“Matt Teague wrote that article and then wanted it made into a movie as his way of processing everything that had happened,” the actor elaborates. “You transform pain into other things as you go through life. That was all him working through it. I like stories about storytellers and I like stories within stories. Obviously, I wrote and directed a movie that starts with a 12-minute bedtime story. I love that. I know that other people don’t love it as much as I do, so I have to be careful about it.”

That kind of love led to last summer’s “Stories From Tomorrow,” a project initiated during lockdown by Affleck and his schoolteacher mom Christine, encouraging children to send in poems and short stories to be read on social media by celebrities like Matt Damon and Jon Hamm, as well as his “The World to Come” co-stars Waterston and Kirby. “That was something I started out at the very beginning of the quarantine as a small project to encourage kids to write creatively, because I know it can be a great way of processing anxiety and working through feelings that you aren’t really talking about or aren’t aware that you’re having. It wasn’t something I thought would go on forever; once the kids are back in school that ought to be where they should be doing all that kind of work. But while they were sitting at home, I thought it would be a good way to get their attention off the awful news and into something more imaginative. And I also got a chance to read all these super-cool stories! Really creative stuff that kids sent from all around the world.”

Finally, as a Boston publication it would be dereliction of duty not to mention the hysterical Dunkin Donuts commercial parody from when Affleck hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2016, so dead-on in its depiction of a local 'regulah customah' that on one of my critics’ poll ballots that year I tried to nominate the sketch for Best Documentary. Alas, the performer shoots down a pet theory I’ve been hanging onto ever since, that the dirtbag Boston guy in the Bruins hat is secretly a grown-up version of Affleck’s scene stealing, bug-swallowing Morgan from “Good Will Hunting.”

“I hadn’t thought about that, dude. That’s really funny. It never crossed my mind." He pauses before confiding, "I wasn’t that great on SNL… I just wasn’t all that funny on the skits, because it’s live and you’re reading the cue cards and it was my first time. But when we went to make that little pre-recorded short film of the Dunkin’ Donuts ad, I really felt like that was my wheelhouse there. I could’ve played that character in a movie. I could have gone to work and played him every single day, and I would have had a blast. That was really fun to do. I would love to do another one of those. That would be funny to see that character again.”

I bet that guy’s got some stories.

“The World To Come” is now in theaters and will be available via video on demand Tuesday, March 2.

[source]

#casey affleck #the world to come #quote #photo #movies

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jojounerd · 4 years

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45 Preludes-Themed Dialogue Prompts

Been listening to Dave Malloy’s music lately so yeah! Listen to Preludes by Dave Malloy it’s so good.

Note: These prompts could also be used for something other than dialogue.

“She snuck out. She sometimes does that.”

“I know he’s not cool, but he brings back a fond feeling.”

“She admires you from afar! Your music must have done something to her.”

“Maybe she’s my secret muse and she’s letting it build up inside me.”

“A genius invited me to speak with him.”

“He told me secrets, secrets only I could understand.”

“He’s asked me to his home and I don’t know what to talk about.”

“I am not my body, child. I am not my mind.”

“Somewhere deep inside, God is hiding.”

“What if my boundless joy has a limit after all and I’m not the rock you need to save you after all?”

“How many times can I answer the same question?”

“How many times can I say the same thing?”

“Why don’t you just snap the fuck out of it?”

“Oh my bifurcated genius, how I wish you could hear the things you are.”

“How can you keep that inside you?”

“How dare you hold yourself down.”

“Do whatever you need to do to make yourself feel whole again.”

“I don’t ever want to get sick of you.”

“I know I’m supposed to be the better one, but the truth is I’m no better than you.”

“I got my mind on most of the time.”

“I can hear every sound you make, dear.”

“I am not alone, not alone ever again.”

“But you are here, don’t ever leave.”

“It will be alright, we’re together for this.”

“You took all my empty space.”

“You’re my saving grace.”

“I wrote it when I was 19, I have no idea how I did it.”

“I just wanted it to be loud, just fucking loud and epic.”

“I’m sure he thought I was some asshole who doesn’t like music.”

“What if that was the one, best thing I’ll ever do?”

“But most people don’t even do that, other people don’t ever make anything like that.”

“Other people invent x-rays and Tesla coils!”

“Tonight, you shake your fist at the sky!”

“They were the real deal, they had dirt under their fingernails.”

“He writes terrible things about good people.”

“I don’t try any thing. This is just what happens.”

“Why are you talking during my performance!”

This is not your place. This is not for you.”

“What can you possibly have to say? What is so fucking important about your opinion!”

“Someone in this room is trying to have a beautiful moment, why won’t you let them?”

“You have no right to inflict your mind on me.”

“Get out! You are murdering souls!”

“And what have you done since? And what will you do now?”

“But how do I know where to go?” “There is a path.”

“What happened three years ago?” “I failed.”

#Preludes #Writing Prompts #Prompts #Dialogue prompt #Dialogue Ideas #Writing #Lyric prompts #Preludes Musical #sentence starter

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1000roughdrafts · 5 years

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Family Secrets: Chapter Two

The Phone Call

Summary: Investigating the strange case of what seems like demonic possession, you decide to call Bobby’s cell phone only to reach an unfamiliar voice on the other line. The news he gives you shakes you to your core, completely altering your life forever.

Warnings: angst, mention of Bobby’s Death

W/C: 2.1k

Masterlist/Schedule

Previous Chapter

After a long night of driving and even longer day of thought, you land yourself at a little motel in a remote town of Kansas. The room is certainly fit for one with its rusted twin bed and matching smokey walls. There isn't much to it outside of a metal table that squeaks at any movement and missing a chair. The atmosphere is so empty that your internal dialogue seems to bounce between the linoleum flooring and peeling ceiling and walls. You can't bare another second of this self-induced torture.

"Okay, pull yourself together," you say to yourself as you button up your best blouse.

Covering the shirt with a blazer that matches your pants, you push away the fears and look into the mirror. Your pale, Y/E/C eyes still laced with tears glisten in the light. "We've got to pull it together," you say louder this time while pulling the shadowy strands of hair from the side of your face and into a tight bun on the top of your head. "Maybe he's fine and just changed the number."

Turning away from the mess in the mirror, you sit on the bed to tie up you boots, "we still have a job to do."

Nerves strike as you rap on the window of an old oak door. You push the lingering thoughts away, and with a jittery hand reach into your pocket for you badge. Through the dusty window, you see a woman with brown hair that meets just below her shoulders. Her golden brown eyes are sunken in and look you over nervously before opening the door just enough to show you her triangular face and petite figure.

"Yes?" she clears her throat, but the words still crack on the way out, "I already spoke with the cops."

"I'm fully aware of that, Mrs. Mill." You force a smile to reassure her, "my name is Maggie Tarnish, and I'm just here to ask a few follow up questions. May I come inside?"

She eyes you and the badge timidly before motioning for you to step inside. "What a beautiful home," you acknowledge as she leads you into the living room and sits on the arm of an old rocking chair. Taking a few steps into the living room, you notice the toys that clutter the floor. "You've kids?"

Mrs. Mill matches your glimpse at television that sits on a stand filled with family movies and crayon colored pictures. "Just one," she clears her throat and motions for you to sit on the couch. "She's napping at the moment."

"Well, I won't take up too much of your time, then. I know how kids can be if they're woken early," you laugh delicately and place your hands in front of you, leaning forward. "I wanted, first of all, to make sure you were all right after the, uh," you pause to search for the right word, "incident."

"Oh, well... thank you. I'm pretty distraught, but I'll be fine." She doesn't look up when she speaks, just keeps her eyes on her hands as they rest in her lap.

"Yes, I've heard from your coworkers that you are a strong woman, Mrs. Mill. You have a 'can-do' attitude, and they seem to admire it. Will you explain to me what happened that day?"

She fiddles with her thumbs, twirling them around each other before she speaks, "I took a different path to work." She looks up at you with doe-eyes, "I live so close that I usually just walk. I got about halfway there when suddenly there was this," she pauses.

You scoot to the edge of the couch to take her hands in your own, "you can talk to me. It's okay."

"The sky was saturated with this bright light, and then, almost suddenly, there was this crackle and a big cloud of different colors. At first it made a loud thundering noise, so I thought it might be weird lightening, but then it started to fizzle out into a purple." Letting out a deep breath she looks back at her hands, "and then I woke up a week later, or at least I hear it was a week."

"Mrs. Mill, what is that you think happened that caused you to pass out?" you say softly, "did you see anyone or... or hear anything?"

She holds her eyes to yours, "I," she shrugs. "I don't know!" She covers her face with her hands, "I should never have told anyone about this." Looking back at you with wide, wet eyes she continues, "nobody believes me. I'm the joke of this town."

"I believe you," you smile. "I've seen weirder, trust me," you laugh.

"I doubt it," she scoffs.

"Do you remember anything from when you were passed out or before? Anything weird?" Noticing her confusion to the question, or lack of interest, you elaborate, "like voices, black smoke? Anyone talking through or over you?"

"What are you saying?" she says, switching into defense mode.

You keep your voice calm, "I'm just trying to check all avenues, Mrs.-"

"No." She stands up and places her hands on her face, "there was no black smoke or voices, or" she pulls her hands down to her sides, "none of that. And - and I think you should leave," she says softly.

"Okay," you say, standing up and heading for the door. "Thank you for your time."

When you get back to your motel you're exhausted and wish to rest your eyes, but all you can focus on is the dial tone response you received from calling him. You rip your favorite sweater from the table and slip outside.

The sweet air fills your lungs and the soft breeze passes by your skin, leaving its mark in tiny bumps. You close your eyes and tilt your head to the sky. Hair stands on end as you take another breath of the crisp air. Dark clouds parade the glistening sky and the sun has never been a more captivating and glowing amber.

Staring at your phone, more specifically the number you have dialed, you wonder whether or not it would be a smart move. It had been a long while since you've spoken to or even seen him, but above all you need to know that he's okay.

With a small glimpse of hope, you press the button. It rings for ages before anyone comes to the line. There is a faint sigh and you can almost feel its warmth. With trepidation and excitement you decide to break the silence, "Uncle Bobby?"

An unfamiliar voice meets your ear, shattering the illusion, "who is this?"

"You first," you demand, but the line goes silent save for a low and slow breath. After waiting only as long as you can stand, you growl into the device, "who are you and why the hell do you have Bobby's cell?

After another bout of silence, the voice comes forward, "listen, I hate to be the one to break this to you, whoever you are," there is a heavy pause, "uh, but, Bobby's been dead for over a year."

You can hear the pain in his voice, but it doesn't make it any easier to digest the words. You feel a knot tie up in your throat, and your eyes begin to swell with tears. Each droplet tastes of desperation and anguish. It would explain why the line was disconnected, but you're struggling to believe it. "How?" is all you can muster up.

Even though you don't know who is on the other end of the call, it feels as though you are talking with an old friend. There is a strange intimacy to his voice that almost makes you wish he never hangs up. As if he were talking to a child, his voice thaws, "he uh, he was murdered."

A hot rage fills you and escapes as a nervous and angry giggle. You shake your head. You weren't expecting this, not after what happened to Rufus.

"What?!" the voice thickens, "that's funny to you?" he accuses.

"No," you say, zoning back in. "God, no. I can't help the laugh. Sometimes it just happens, like a reflex, or... something." You forget that you're talking with a complete stranger as the words roll effortlessly off of your tongue. The tears accelerate and no matter how hard you try to hide it, he can hear it in your tremor. "I just never imagined a life without him. I guess I always kind of thought he'd live forever, you know," you say, wiping away the tears with the tattered tail of your sleeve. "Anyway," you say, unsure whether or not he's even on the line, "thanks for tellin', bye."

"Wait," you hear from the phone that's inches away from your puffy cheek.

"What?" you huff.

"I didn't catch your name."

"That's cause I never gave it to you."

The phone slips out of your hand, the screen shattering upon hitting the concrete. You can't remember the last time you felt anything as strong as you feel now. Your entire body is quivering, bound to lose traction at any given moment. Trying to get the door open takes longer than before, now that your strength is leaving through your eyes. With one last turn of the knob and a thrust of your shoulder, the door flies open and the force knocks you to the ground.

A plethora of emotions stews inside of you, yet the only one you struggle with is the fierce and burning anger you've tried for years to conceal. You'd been on your own for so long you forgot what it was like to be held, and you yearn for someone to sooth you, someone who can make you feel calm and safe. Bobby was that person, once upon a time, but now you have absolutely no one except for yourself.

The continual line of thoughts regarding someone you'd never have the chance to see again only adds fuel to the fire in your chest. After grabbing your keys from the bed, you bolt out of the door.

Two federal impostors wait impatiently at Mrs. Mill's front door. They see that she's reluctant to come forward, so they flash a smile and their badges. She only opens the door as much as the chain allows.

"Mrs. Mill," Dean says as they put their credentials back into their suits. She makes out a semi-vocal response without opening her mouth and skims their appearance. "I'm Agent Roth, and this is my partner, Agent Malloy," he gestures to himself and then Sam. "We wanted to speak with you about what happened."

She rolls her eyes, "is that really necessary? I've talked to the police, I've talked to the newspapers, I've even talked with another FBI agent already. What information could you possibly need that hasn't been out already. Sky got bright, crackle happened, multi-color cloud, and I woke up a week later."

"And you have no memory of that week?" Dean questions.

There is a natural glow and chirp to her voice, "no. Not a damn thing."

"Wait a minute," Dean says with a tilted head. "Did you say another agent has already questioned you?"

"Yeah, name was Maggie." She looks at the ground, "she seemed nice enough at first, but asked such strange questions."

"Define strange," Sam says, mirroring Dean's perplexed expression.

She looks around and back to the porch with a sigh, "look. I'm done talking about this. I can't do it anymore."

"I understand that, Mrs. Mill. Given the stress that you've been in about all of this, I would be feeling the same way," Sam offers with soft eyes. "However, we're actually quite worried that this person who was here before may have been impersonating a federal agent. We'd like to get some information about her, if we could?"

Mrs. Mill sighs, "she asked if I saw black smoke, or heard voices. Can you believe that?"

"Actually," Dean shakes his head with a low chuckle, "we, uh, we can. Did she say anything else?"

"Well, she basically asked if it was possible that," her hands tremble. She nervously fiddles with the door and brings her voice to a whisper, "someone... something could have been inside of me, controlling me, I guess." She scoffs, "as if that's even possible."

"Yeah," Dean mutters under his breath before clearing his throat. "Can you tell me what she looked like?"

Mrs. Mill tells the agents what she remembers of your appearance. "I honestly didn't really believe she worked for the agency at all. Probably read the story in the newspaper and wanted to see what else she could find out."

"Uh, if I may ask you one more question, Mrs. Mill," Sam interrupts. "What do you remember from when you woke up?"

"Well, I was alone and I had such an intense headache." She puts her hand to her head, "the air smelled gross, and I was so hungry. It was a horrible combination."

"What kind of smell?"

"Uh, kind of like a gas leak. It was really out of place so it stuck with me."

Clearing his throat, Dean looks at Sam with a firm glance. "How far from where you blacked out did you end up?"

"Around the same spot, I guess."

Sam tilts his head, "really?"

"Where?" Dean grunts.

"Couple miles from here, I'll write it down if you'd like."

"We'd appreciate that, thank you," Dean smiles, pulling out a notepad and pen for her. She finishes her scribbling and smiles, "thank you for your time, Mrs. Mill. You've been a great help."

She bows her head and shuts the door behind her. "Gas leak," Sam says as they make their way down the steps and to the pathway. "Has to be sulfur," he says looking at the concrete in front of them and around the neighborhood.

"What would a demon want with a secretary?"

Sam shrugs, "could just have been a random encounter, use her body as a vehicle." They continue to survey the neighborhood until coming to a full stop next to the Impala. "And what about this Maggie asking strange questions? Should we look into that, see what she knows?"

"What? You think she's a hunter?" Dean scrunches his face.

"Dean, come on. She was basically asking the same questions. Just in a more," he moves his hand while searching for a softer framing to his words, "direct way. I think it's worth checking out."

Next Chapter

~~~ Forevers<3: @waywardblueshun @81mysteriouslyme @lilulo-12

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