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colossal-niamh · 3 months

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A long vent on MJF's world title run shaped like an essay

There's been a consistent debate about the quality of MJF's title run post mortem and I think I fully stand on the side that it was terrible. Possibly even the worst world title run AEW's had yet (aside from CM Punk's nonexistent 2nd run). Overly lengthy, rarely defended the belt on tv (a total of 5 times in 406 days), diminishing returns on title matches (the Double or Nothing and Full Gear matches are especially bad) and I grew more cold on him as he turned more and more face.

In retrospect I fully believe he should have dropped the belt at All In. obviously creative didn't have the booking foresight to plan around Adam Cole's ankle exploding, but I don't think we needed another 4 months of MJF title run. They should have started the big betrayal and new heel faction at the biggest show the company's ever run and not when both sides of the big feud are too bruised and beaten to work an angle. but that's more fantasy booking than proper analysis.

The Length of MJF's run felt excessive and unnecessary considering the lack of anything substantial for several stretches on TV. A lot of the builds for his title defenses were him being challenged by someone and then MJF sets up a bunch of stipulations to get that match like a gauntlet his opponent would run through. This led to some solid TV matches like Bryan vs Rush, but left the show devoid of MJF himself outside of being essentially a talking head. AEW prior had made sure the world champ was on the card and the belt was a hotly contested prize. Without those regular matches on TV it felt the world champion was distant from the product and was what the world title scene had avoided up to that point, avoidable.

The actual matches MJF did have were inconsistent in quality and in particular his pay per view matches steadily got worse as his run went on. I will say up front I like the ironman match with Bryan and the match with Tanahashi is the only title defense I haven't seen, so maybe that one might be some hidden gem I missed. As for the others, they either range from alright like the Mox and Samoa Joe matches where he won and lost the titles respectively, to legitimately the worst PPV world title match AEW's had in the 4 pillars 4-way. A match where 4 guys nowhere near skilled or experienced enough to put on a quality world title match, which also floundered due to the build up being MJF failing to bounce off of 3 guys with sub par promo skills (side note, Sammy Guevara is the worst promo in the company, bar none). I think the main factor for this is a borrowed observation from Joseph Montecillo's review* of the Jay White match from Full Gear

"This match with Jay White is a strange mix of good and interesting ideas shaped into the entirely wrong fashion. It’s an unwieldy uncanny valley kind of creation–all the elements of “good” wrestling are there but in the wrong order, mutated and warped into an ugly whole. Everything about it feels discordant, unpleasant to behold.

MJF knows all the words, but not the music."

MJF knows what a good match looks like, but doesn't know how to pace or structure one. he's like a artist with some cool OCs and a story in his head, but he doesn't get the mechanics of panel flow and puts too many speech bubbles in the panels.

I found his heel work as champion standard practice for him but good, however as he pivoted to being a face I was fond at first but progressively soured on him. He's an excellent chicken shit heel and capable of some absolute bastard behavior, in fact he's too good. Face MJF comes off as disingenuous mainly for two reason. Number one his entire AEW run was defined by how heinous and untrustworthy he was, literally in the same run he turned face he hospitalized William Regal and shoot threw a drink at a kid on live PPV. Number two is that once he was portrayed as a face, he kept doing shit the exact same as when he was a heel, but now with a cheep city pop and a "I'm your sucmbag!" Once he had a friend AEW portrayed him as a loveable scamp for stuff commentary would curse him out for over half a year ago. He kept the sleezy prick routine and the body shaming and the only real noticeable change is his name calling somehow got worse. The big example of how face MJF doesn't work is the Jay White feud. Lizzy Flanagan at The Sportster* makes the point I'd like to make exactly.

"MJF’s go-to tactic to being a babyface has been garnering sympathy, but his sob story about being bullied as a well-off middle-class child in Long Island has been repeated three or four times now. He then resorts to humor, but the best he can come up with is calling Jay White tofu. Then, he tries some crowd work. This usually works fairly well, as the AEW crowd wants to see MJF succeed, but the promos can’t help but come across as cheesy and cliché. You can put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig. You can put a t-shirt and a smile on MJF. MJF is still a heel."

His face work feels fake and undercooked, so when put in a program with a fully realized and, frankly, better character like Jay White, Face MJF falls flat. The guy who's supposed to be the man of the people who recently turned over a new leaf is the same guy that flipped of a child at a public autograph event and mocked Darby Allen's dead uncle. The only thing that's changed as a character is now he has crocodile tears.

MJF's run as world champion was an abject failure. A spotlight that exposed the weakest parts of one of AEW's most popular performers during a creatively frustrating time in the company's short history. An example of many flaws in the modern wrestling landscape and the creative short comings of the man himself. As I write this I assume once Max recovers he'll take up the vengeful babyface role, chasing Cole and his faction. Do I hope it works? sure, but to I expect it to work? No, the experiment failed and it's inevitable that MJF will turn heel again. He has nothing without the bitter chicken shit heel persona, as a face he's a dog with no teeth. All bark, no bite.

*(Links to articles referenced in the replies below)

#aew #aew rampage #aew dynamite #aew collision #mjf #maxwell jacob friedman #all elite wrestling #wrestling

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asexualbookbird · 7 months

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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon ⭐⭐

I followed this book from it's conception, through it's editing, and hyped it's publishing date on twitter. I was genuinely excited to read it, and really thought and hoped I'd enjoy it. I wasn't a huge fan of what I read of The Bone Season, but everyone assured me this was different! And to be fair, it was! I think in my heart, though, I knew the truth because I waited so long to read this and I'm sorry to say I did not have a great time.

My problem with Samantha Shannon seems to be she creates these wonderful worlds full of interesting magic systems and characters that are fun to follow, but there's too much crammed into the book as a whole. In The Bone Season, I felt the Rephaim were unnecessary. In Priory there are too many points of view. There were things I liked, this wasn't a complete waste of time, but wow they were hard to come by in the end.

What did I like?

-Ead! Ead was clearly the main character and I think it would have worked better if it was just Her Book (I'd also settle for her and Tané, please Tané deserved more page time than she got) -Sabran. I'm surprised, but not really, that people didn't like her. She's complicated! She's mean! She loves deeply! She's a person! People just hate women who are mean lol -MAGIC! Magic comes from fruit that comes from the stars? It's fire and water and ice and air? NEAT! COOL! Cool magic systems seem to be SShannons strong point! -High fantasy with no sexual assault or threats of sexual assault. There was a little misogyny with the way Sabran and her line is treated for their ability to give birth (and no, one throw away line of "This is bad actually!" doesn't fix it lol) but it fit in context and considering no one was mean to women for being women I'll let it slide!

What didn't I like?

-LACK. OF. DRAGONS. yall there are dragons on the COVER, every time someone talked about this online, they added dragon emojis. So why, in the more than 800 pages, did dragons show up for maybe five pages TOTAL. Like if we went line by line and pieced all those lines together, it would maybe take up five pages. Ten if I'm being generous and include the dragons that are The Enemies. Which, by the way, -Dragons are Mean. I've discovered that I prefer dragons to be neutral to allies, I don't like dragon books where we are slaying dragons. It's nice that we have both here, no group of people? Creatures? Are a monolith, but I want more of the eastern dragons! They were pushed aside and we hardly saw them! We hardly saw any of them! If you promise me dragons, then deliver! The! Dragons!!!! -Writing style. I'm thinking maybe SShannon's writing style and I do not vibe at all. I'm not sure what it is about it, I know she doesn't like writing action scenes and so avoids them, and I love reading action scenes, but that didn't feel like the entire problem here? But something about this writing detached me from the characters. Yes I liked Ead, but I felt nothing about Tané, other tha wanting MORE of her. SShannon spent a lot of time saying not much at all, it's really rather impressive. -Tané in general. Part of the writing problem is the way the POVs were split. It was most obvious in Tané's storyline. She has everything stripped away from her, but the emotional impact wasn't there because we hardly spent any time with her. -The Priory. The book is named after it, but we're hardly there at all. I spent a good chunk of the first half wishing Ead would go back to the Priory, but once she was there, I wanted her to leave. The Prioress' motives also seemed iffy to me? Ead was right, why spend nearly ten years trying to keep Inys afloat and then go "actually! Nevermind! Let it burn!' -Plot....holes? Not so much holes but Convenient Plot. I was ready to ignore some of it, suspension of disbelief and all that, but nah I"m going to be picky now! The scene that stuck out the most was Ead being chased and hunted down and CONVENIENTLY wyrms attacked her pursuers and she was the one who got away. Or how about Niclays at the LITERAL LAST MOMENT deciding to have a change of heart because......plot has to move forward? Also. What the fuck happened to Ishari lol Tané noted Ishari was disappointed to be sent to Feather island, but said she hoped their paths would cross again one day! And then! Tané goes to Feather Island! And NO MENTION OF HER AT ALL! Or how abut Loth learning a VERY BIG VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEIGHBORING KINGDOM AND THEN NO ONE MENTIONS IT UNTIL NEARLY THE END LIKE "OH YEAH BTW THE PRINCESS THERE IS COOL LOTH SAID SO" -Wrap Up. I didn't really mind the final Big Fight. I know even fans of the book have been disappointed, but honestly it's one of the strongest stretches of the book, even if it was a little hard to follow at times. What bothered me was after. I know I tend to be impatient when reading the final chapters of a book, the What Happened Next bits, but never have I been so annoyed as to have to read a wrap up from the POV of someone who WASN'T EVEN CONSCIOUS. I suppose it's better than a book where a single first person POV character is knocked unconscious mid battle and then the next scene is "and then everything was over" but come ON.

I know she had to edit this book down a LOT, which. Girl. It's 800 pages how was there MORE. So maybe my questions were answered in things that were cut, but I could not physically handle any more of this book. I got fatigue from her writing, I cannot handle more of it at once, but considering how long it takes her to finish a book (not a complaint! Everyone has a different pace!) I also would not have wanted to wait that long for a conclusion. There's no winning for me here. We were simply not meant to be. It's just that if I'm going to read a book that takes hundreds of pages to say nothing at all by an author that puts out a book once every few years at best, I'd read VE Schwab or Patrick Rothfuss.

#bookbird babbles #book reviews #my review #books #booklr #the priory of the orange tree #tpotot #LOOK AT ME POSTING REVIEWS AGAIN #WITH A NEW HEADER AND EVERYTHING #I think i accidentally used the same or similar fonts as last time lol #but hey! I like them!

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sennqu · 2 years

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Mike's Cali Storyline Retrospective

"And I feel like maybe I was worrying too much about El, and I don't know, maybe I feel like I lost you or something."

foreshadowing for Mike's arc in S4

a.k.a I think Byler Tumblr has been interpreting Mike's actions so completely wrong in Vol. 1 and that is why we were blindsided by his monologue and I'm going to explain exactly how

a.a.k.a Mike isn't suffering from "internalized homophobia". What he is suffering from is a simple case of "warm of heart, but dumb of ass"

Alright. I think!! I have enough pieces to finally explain why Mike's monologue makes sense, why it is the natural culmination of his arc, and what this exposes about how he truly thinks and feels. (spoiler alert: he's not in love with El; he just thinks he is)

This post is going to include a Lot of Links. Mostly because this analysis has been a piecemeal work in the making as I stumble into epiphanies about our favorite puzzle box Michael Wheeler. The Links are going to be Underlined like so: This link for example links to how I think Mike felt about Will before leaving for Cali. Summary: Because El wrote a lot and Will called so little, Mike thought that if he felt like he missed his best friend more than his girlfriend, it's just because they had less contact.

Second, I am going to have to link you to my separate Mike analysis post concerning his behavior in the airport and the roller rink. It's very long but worth the read imo. I worked very hard on it. but if tl;dr: Mike was worrying that Will pulled away from him but believes his worries are founded on platonic grounds. (spoiler alert: it isn't)

Now, onto the main part of what Byler Tumblr got wrong: the junkyard heart to heart.

I believe that Mike wasn't -- at least not consciously -- thinking of himself (edit: himself and Will) during this conversation as a lot of byler shippers were interpreting. He was thinking of El and came away from this heart to heart believing that she sincerely wanted to get her powers back.

You remember how his and El's fight ended? He told her she was a superhero and El told him, "not anymore." Then El gets intercepted by Owen's team and decides to go to the Nina Base alone. She then writes Mike, "I am going to become a superhero again. From El".

Mike has been worrying about El's words since their fight and came away with the wrong conclusion.

He thinks that El wants to be a superhero. To Mike, El wasn't sad he couldn't say ILY to her as a regular girl. El was sad that Mike couldn't say ILY because she thought that deep inside Mike thought she was a monster. And because Mike loves El the Superhero, this makes perfect sense to him and explains away all of El's behavior.

And you know what? Mike could have very well been right about this take before El went to Nina Base. But El came out of her journey understanding that superheros and monsters are myths. She came out of her journey knowing she wasn't a superhero (or a monster). What she was was a girl who happened to have powers and a huge amount responsibility she didn't ask for but needed to claim anyway. Because she had to.

But Mike has no way of knowing that or even begin understanding that. That is why his anxieties in the van were about just being that lame nerd who found Superman on his doorstep. That is why his monologue is so centered on El's superheroism because that is what he believes she was asking from him.

quick edit: it's also highly likely that the truth Mike didn't want to tell El was that he was afraid she wasn't going to need him anymore

He believes that the thing he couldn't explain to her was that he did love her (as a superhero) but that it made him feel unnecessary and unneeded. that if El just truly realized she was a superhero, she wouldn't need him anymore. Will's words in the van got through to Mike because he wanted to think that maybe El needed him around after all (spoiler alert: she does not, not in the way he thinks) (sidenote: after the van scene, i'm pretty sure Mike now thinks that the painting Will brought to the airport was supposed to be a surprise gift from El (and Will) that they were going to give to him at the roller rink before all the chaos. He probably thinks now that Will was just trying to keep it a secret)

Mike's monologue is the natural conclusion of what he was going through in his arc. And El's arc was learning that, essentially, what Mike and she believed about herself was wrong.

Mike ends S4 not knowing he isn't loving El the way she needs to be loved. El ends S4 realizing this too. That is why she isn't talking to him in the timeskip; that is why she is standing alone. That is why I believe she is going to break up with him in S5.

And why is this a good thing for byler? I'm glad you asked! Here is another link to a post where I posit that Mike's obliviousness to Will's feelings is a good thing and is why I think this means definite endgame Byler is on the horizon.

#ku blarghs #strangely blogging #byler #i ended up basing my Cali write up on Mike because tbh the fandom is p much on the same page with Will and El #it's just Mike who is giving us a hard time lmao #now to work on my S4 Sucks Because The Series Wants Mike and El to Break Up in S5 write up.....

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mavkaworld · 3 months

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🚫 SPOILER WARNING 🚫

Kung Fu Panda 4 was underwhelming. They had all the parts that makes a movie great but they forgot to buy good quality glue because it all fell apart in the end.

They had the lovable known character.

They had the new character who has something to overcome.

They had a powerful cool villain who desires something she can not have.

They had meaning in this story.

Then, they brought in villains from the previous movies... And...? None of them kept their personalities. It was like watching shells of characters who we all loved. Empty shells standing around for no actual reason. They didnt even show us any realistic reactions from them. They just stood there uncaring that their powers were stolen by the Chameleon. They just shat on Poh, and by they I just mean one of them. And how they returned back to the afterlife like that? I mean... Really?

They included so many unnecessary scenes when they could have used it to further develop the little fox thief. We didn't really need to see Tai Lung as much as we did.

In the end, they also sped up the mantle pass over moment for Zhen which only added to the disappointment.

I could not find myself really caring about the characters much, not even Po!

Further with Zhen, I did not mind that she came knowing things and being a fully fledged fighter and being able to go up against Po. That actually made sense to me and went against what was expected like with Po. But I did mind that they just did not flesh out her character a lot. We had three movies worth of Po antics, we know him well. All his quirks and personality. With Zhen? It wasn't bad but it was not good. We got another sarcastic traumatized girl who got delt a bad hand in life. And even further is that she was literally cared for most of her life by Chameleon. She only had to scrape by in the beginning of her life, before she ran off with the lizard. So they didn't even do the truamatize girl bit right.

They did not build up Zhen's and Chameleon's relationship at all, they legit only gave us one scene with them and it was almost lazy because they tried to use only one scene to explain what happened between her and her past mentor, why Chameleon took her in, and Zhen's inner conflict. One. Yet many scenes of Po's dad's going on their way to help him... Which were too long anyways and did nothing for the main story. They gave Po's bio dad's character more development than they do Zhen (exaggeration but it felt like it.)

I still liked it though. It was fun to watch. I loved the image of Chameleon, enjoyed Zhen, and it was well animated. It could have been worse but it was not.

#kung fu panda #Po #Zhen #kung fu panda 4 #spoliers #underwhelmed #It was fun to watch with my mom #Please never make another kung fu panda again #do not recommend #kfp 4

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fruitless-vain · 5 months

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Fun outing!

Busy Sunday so lots of “PUPPY!!!! Oh my god SERVICE DOG!!!!!! It’s so CUTE!!!!” Which Yoshi ignored entirely, pretty good pedestrian-wise with everyone not talking right to her, giving us space, and talking to me instead. No issues there super good. Lots of kids everywhere, lots of respectful parents, and one particularly cute kid who stood against their parent waving at her going “haaaaaaaiiiiii”

Yoshi was super peppy and happy, she was a bit more distracted than I like but was quick to refocus and didn’t fully get distracted by anything. Just more staring forwards scenting than I prefer typically. But she was still ultimately attentive, alerted accurately, etc. and ended up with really solid long durational focus happening at the end which was so beautiful.

Went for an hour and didn’t really see a dip in energy level, usually by the end of the hour I can see her getting a bit tired but she maintained the same energy throughout.

Found a full body polar bear mount free standing in a store so we worked around that thinking that it might concern her. Nope. Didn’t care. Had a laugh with a worker about that, survival skills lacking- will approach very large predators without hesitation

Hit a few new stores to practice entering stores with unfamiliar smells which she maintained a solid heel, no floor sniffing, just a bit more looking around and scenting the air as we go which is pretty much what I want for new locations. Get the info you need without impeding on the environment and losing focus entirely.

Had a bit of a sour note with a guide dog handler who I think assumed that Yo was fake bc of her size. They just dead stopped a distance away and glared at us, we were standing in a spacious opening by escalators just taking a break with Yo in a down. She looked at the dog and refocused immediately completely relaxed and couldn’t care less. But they were clearly unhappy with Yoshi being there so I just opted to take the escalator up and move out of their way. Didn’t see them again after that.

Can’t take it too personally because I do also go out of my way not to get close to other teams- why make it more difficult if it doesn’t have to be and I don’t know if your dog will be a problem even if it doesn’t look like it at the moment. But the dirty glare was just unnecessary and there was ample space to go around us so it really felt like they wanted to be an ass on purpose which is just unfortunate.

After that someone was screaming in the lobby causing a scene for long enough that a crowd formed by the balcony to stare down at wtf was happening. Thankfully we were upstairs and not near this situation but it was good exposure to arguing in this setting for Yo so positives I suppose

#Yoshi #working

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packet-of-staples · 6 months

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I've been meaning to answer this!! Sorry it took me so long.

So when I say hilariously bad, I mean in like its objectively a bad horror movie but it is also really fun and enjoyable. It may have been the wrong phrasing really. Maybe enjoyably bad would have been better.

I really enjoyed the Fnaf movie!! It was a lot of fun and I loved how the animatronics looked. As a Fnaf fan (though only recently, I wasnt there for the big boom) I enjoyed all of the references. While the decision to make the animatronics more sympathetic and child like was unexpected I actually really enjoyed it!

Matthew Lillard was definately a highlight, even if he wasnt there a lot and I actually really enjoyed Mike's character and his relationship with Abby.

Also the animation on the cupcake was fucking hilarious, that mf was just flying around and going ham on people's limbs. Why did it look like that.

The opening music was absolutely banger and the animation was a great reference to the games. I enjoyed that a lot.

The sets where really awesome, I loved what they did with the lighting in the pizzeria and did I say the animatronics looked awesome? They looked awesome. They looked just like the game counterparts and the way they movied looked so accurate and ough, I love costumes. Spring trap looked fucking awesome too, I really enjoyed art direction in the movie.

But, it is still critically a bad movie, there were quite a few problems that I noticed. The pacing was off in a lot of places. While I liked the scene of the characters playing with the animatronics, it went for far too long and I found myself sitting there wondering when they were going to move on. There also definately should have been more Afton, not just because I like Matthew Lillard in the role but because it felt like spring trap was kind of shoehorned in at the end because they needed that final scene. If you knew nothing about Fnaf or the fact that Lillard was supposed to be Afton, you probably would have no idea he was actually the killer. I feel like there should have been more scenes of Mike and Afton interacting that included hints to who he really is.

I really hated Vanessa. She felt so unnecessary, contradictory and was just kind of annoying. She was apparently supposed to be keeping Mike in the dark but I didnt get that from her at all? Like she was constantly giving him lore, telling him to keep Abby away from the Pizzeria and was just overall helping him? She was also just far too familiar and friendly when they first met it just came off as, is annoying the right word? It definately felt weird. I understand she wanted to try and expose her father, but her actions, I dunno they didn't reflect that all that well? I was never really sure what her motivations were. The fact that she was a cop was so unnecessary too, why did she need to be a police officer? It was never used in any meaningful way. Also she just throws Mike's medication into the river!! Who does that!! She also felt shoehorned in for the sake of having an adult female lead that could be a possible love interest in another movie. Her character could have been so much better and she feels like wasted potential. Maybe I'll make a post about how I would rewrite her...

The whole Aunt trying to take Abby away also felt unnecessary. It doesnt get enough focus on it to feel like an actual threat and it really didn't need to be there. Mike could have just been a struggling guy who had to take the night shift to put dinner on their table. Abby still could have needed to come with him some nights. I honestly dont know why that plot point was in the movie tbh. The plot with the babysitter spying on them was even more pointless and if you wanted a scene where people break into the pizzeria there could have been a better way of doing it. Maybe one of Abby's schoolmates' siblings overhears her talking about the pizzeria decides that would be a great place to vandalize idk.

Mike's dream theory stuff was actually really interesting and cool! I really enjoyed that, but I wish it was focused on more. Maybe it would have been better in a different movie where it was the focus, rather than more of a side thing to the animatronics. The dream stuff did also shelve any use of the cameras in the pizzeria, which upset me because the cams are one of the key elements of the fnaf games. But instead he was just sleeping through scenes where they could have been used. The dreams also could have been a good use to hint at Afton being the killer if it was used a little bit better.

Lastly and most importantly, the movie was not scary. I know it was supposed to be for younger audiences, but still. For a movie based on a game about avoiding getting jumpscared, there were barely any of them! Funnily enough the scariest part of the movie was balloon boy, the jumpscare. I also just didnt feel tense at all? Maybe that was just me.

Despite all of this though, the movie was still enjoyable. It was a movie that I liked! The problems didnt take too much from my viewing experience and as I said I loved the references to the games. The final scene where Afton is getting Fnaf 3ed was fucking awesome! I loved how they incorporated that into the movie! Also he said 'I'll always come back.' Which was very good. Mat Pat was a nice cameo to see too! Loved the theory man. I wish that cassette girl said 'The animatronics do get a little quirky at night.' Though. ALSO THE MARRIONETTE CRUMBS IN THE END CREDITS?? I LOVE MARRIONETTE!!

Enjoyably bad definately reflects how I felt about the movie more than hilariously bad. It was a good bad movie 6/10.

#staples rambles #fnaf #fnaf movie

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wowsnowwhitewell · 2 years

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Hello!! I would like to request domestic fluff with our boy Damian❤️❤️❤️

de uma brasileira pra outra<3

Uou. Por uns segundos eu achei isso fofo (eu ainda acho). Eu achei um bom pedido e o meu aniversário foi legal, caso queira saberKKKKAJJJSK

—

》@damiansfay 《 🙈🇧🇷🌺💋

—

•

Ashamed walking through the square and ice cream parlor

•

You know, one of the few things Damian enjoyed was the times he spent with [Name]. Those were very precious and magical days for the scowling brunette. He loved every little detail, whether admiring them or when they spoke to him. He paid attention to every feature of [Name]. Everything was so perfect about them.

[Name] also loved every second with billionaire Wayne.

No!

In reality, they always saw Damian as just a normal kid. A 16-year-old like themselves, [Name] felt so good in Damian's presence, but most of the time they thought Damian was forcing himself to be close, but they were so wrong.

—

"Where would you like to go?" After a long time inside the Wayne limousine in a silence that seemed eternal, Damian questioned [Name] who remained from the limousine in complete silence, rubbing their ring fingers together as they stared out at the landscape. It was always like that. [Name] felt so upset with themselves for not trying a single subject or getting to look into Damian's aqua green eyes.

Damian was also kind of frustrated that they weren't looking at him, it was a problem for both of them. Because like, they've dated over and over again (when Damian wasn't busy being Robin) and he felt almost uncomfortable thinking that [Name] felt uncomfortable that he kept trying.

"Ahn…uh uh.."

They were walking through a little Gotham square, Tricorner Yards. It was a very beautiful square with one of the best views in Gotham, there were a lot of things there and [Name] always liked it there and Damian took Titus for walks sometimes. In this case, they were both alone, Titus spent the whole morning sly and sleepy. The scene was cute. Another fact is that some visitors and people who frequented this square a lot, from time to time observed Damian always with [Name]. The amazing son of billionaire Bruce Wayne walking through a beautiful square with someone. Almost every week. Damian ignored them and [Name] even though they were very shy they liked to observe other people's hobbies around the place, like walking their pets or having fun with their family and friends. It was a really good feeling for them.

"Do you… do you like ice cream?!" Okay, that was a pretty funny question, but poor little guys, they were so embarrassed. Say something that could make it worse. [Name] stopped walking and looked at their hands, then Damian does the same.

"..yes. It can be if you want. What's your..favorite flavor?" "Ah..could be a chocolate one." "Is it your favorite?" Both continued walking and talking little to each other. It was still weird, but at least they talked.

"Well, I've always really liked chocolate. It's very good but I'm not 'addicted' to sweets!" They always did that, was one of the things Damian noticed at first about [Name]. When they said something, they always went and explained something else that had similarities with the first thing they said. Maybe [Name] always feels like he has to explain things in the most detailed ways possible. It was a little tragic, yes, but Damian liked their ways. He liked everything about them.

"I..I like flakes too, it tastes really..delicious. It reminds me of clouds..I don't..know why. I don't really like strawberry ice cream, it tastes weird, I don't know. But I I love fresh strawberries, it's one of my favorite fruits-" Damian listened intently and watched their fast-moving mouths. Damian also noticed that [Name] when they spoke they always made gestures with their hands, it was a habit of theirs that they acquired when they were younger, they had told Al Ghul. Unnecessary information from them but which Damian has mentally jotted down to this day.

"There's an ice cream shop nearby. Let's go." He reached out to them, [Name] looked at him for a few seconds and decided to act once more since the last ride.

"Let's go! We can buy as many ice creams as you want Damian! But not as many, I don't want you to catch the flu or diabetes. Because there's also a need to add sweets and really sweet decorations! I won't go too far either..uh uh" taking the brunette's hands and walking out almost running, Damian watched their hands together attentively with a little red streak on their cheeks. His brow sunk a little as he gradually stopped walking, I don't think he even noticed but [Name] noticed and they were possessed. Then they let go of Wayne's hands as they thought that this attitude was terrible on their part. Damian hated physical contact and they'd forgotten that, he must be uncomfortable right now. They also stopped walking around with a dull face. Damian then looked them in the eye, frowning. He was angry, that was definitely it.

"Sorry. I-I forgot that you hate physical contact..I'm really sorry-" They felt a heat in their right hand and goose bumps went up. Damian sometimes thought that [Name] in his past life, reincarnated from a cat. It looked A LOT.

"You do not need to apologize." It just got worse *red as a ripe tomato* "..I think you're the only ones allowed." soon they went back to walk calmly arriving at the ice cream shop. It was so far before in their short exchange, it felt like the place had come to them.

They entered the ice cream shop which was quite full, lots of looks on Bruce's son and some doubtful ones on [Name]. "Come." an empty table with colorful fruit details and cute drawings like Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears..it was so cute in the children's eyes and [Name] was delighted and blushing.

"I really like the decorations! It's very beautiful, don't you think, Damian?" They smiled small as they assessed the boy's reaction "Do you like it? If you think it's cute I think the same [Name]."

"You're agreeing…because I'm talking a lot, aren't you?" Damian opened his eyes a little, wondering what to say to get that out of their heads "Dami I know I talk a lot and most of the times we go out together you didn't feel comfortable-" "Dami." "What?..AH- SORRY MY GOD-" they were embarrassed and curled up on the couch. They wanted so much to cry. Things were so weird when they were together because of them, they always screwed up and swore they were super intimate with Damian. It was a joke and Damian wasn't the easiest to read either, but it was still all [Name]'s fault. They knew it. "Why are you always apologizing? I thought I already told you that you have no reasons or problems with me. And… Dami. You can call me that all you want." [Name] flinched and stared at him for the first time for more than 3 seconds, it was a record. They calmed down and their eyes were shining brightly at Damian. Everything was so magical when their eyes met.

"I don't care what you call me, or whether you take my left arm or my hands. If there was a nuisance I'd say it, as would you. But you don't [Name]."

"N-No! I've always trusted you Dami, NOT- DAMIan, my holy Robin, II don't know anymore-………"

"Robin?"

"...." and it all came back the first time they went out together.

"Sorry for causing this awkward atmosphere Damian. The problem will never be you, is that I…I'm all stupid-"

"Never say that again [Name]." He raised his voice a little, gently taking [Name]'s right hand, which was on the shaky table. "Since I invited you to go out together, it's been days I've enjoyed it." He looked away for the first time. His face was a little softer but still had the usual frown.

"Did you look away? Oh"

"Hmm?"

"You" *chuckles softly* "you never looked away. First time I've seen it- not that it's a problem" they were smiling weakly but then realized Damian's hand was still in theirs. They didn't want to make it all awkward again, so [Name] gave a simple caress to Damian's palm, who was now looking at his hands as well.

"Thanks for making me feel…a little better for now."

"Wasn't it enough then..?"

"No! It's okay! I really don't dislike your company-"

And the ice cream arrived. "Uh..we haven't ordered yet..I think the girl brought it to the wrong table-" "I did."

"Oh!"

Damian stood for a few more seconds holding [Name]'s hand and then held his ring fingers looking at them. They were so soft and long and delicate. To him, [Name] was a gentle and docile little angel sent into this chaos of the world. Right in Gotham, but he was also grateful for it, because it was a special angel sent to him.

"It's very chilled here, so you…can admire your ice cream for many minutes. And we can keep talking."

"It must be delicious. But calm down…did you pay for both?!" they got agitated

"Yeah, you were busy apologizing and I made the requests."

"A-Ah…sorry." "I won't apologize for apologizing. How many times do I have to say this?" He smiled with his eyes at [Name] who was playing with his ice cream with the spoon

"I love lectures. Whether it's about self-care or violins." They also smiled brightly and attentively at Damian's perfectly symmetrical face. For both, the faces of the two for each one was the 8th wonder of the world.

They enjoyed their ice cream while getting comfortable in each other's presence.

Titus with Alfred would come next time to taste with them.

•

Eu não gostei tanto. Passei horas escrevendo mas ainda achei muito chatinho. Eu sempre gostei de escrever e ler one-shot do Damian. Eu gosto tanto dele, e meio que, poxa! Eu mais fiz [Nome] morrer de vergonha do que ter um encontro fofo com DamianKKKAJSJAKK😧aiai

(Ah e, eu escrevi e traduzi tudo pro inglês. Desculpa se tiver confuso ou escroto de ler, mas eu me viciei tanto com leitura em inglêsKKKKKKAJSK)

Mas eu espero que você goste!💚💗😁Beijão💋💋💋

#damian wayne x reader #damian wayne x y/n #damian wayne x you #damian wayne #damian al ghul #damian wayne fanfiction #damian al ghul wayne #batboys

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counting-stars-gayly · 2 years

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Mike Wheeler analysis: his trauma responses and how they pertain to his relationship with Eleven

At first, I thought it was really out of character for Mike to dehumanize El so much in season four, since he did the opposite in the three previous seasons, but man…I get it now.

Mike is a protective person and not just over his loved ones — right after he met El, he sought to protect her.

He took complete responsibility for her. He gave her food, water, clothes, a “bed,” and a place to stay. She rode on his bike whenever the kids went on their little missions, and he vouched for her, defended her. That’s one of the reasons why he got so angry when he thought she’d lied about Will and when she hurt Lucas. He’d trusted her to keep his friends safe, and he felt she’d not only hurt them but also betrayed him. Just as she relied on him for safety and comfort, he relied on her for the safety of his loved ones and comfort in knowing that they would be okay.

As long as he protected her—

—she could protect his friends and family.

(Obviously, he also looks out for her because he cares about her.)

El is someone who can ensure everyone’s safety when he can’t (ex: when she helped them save Will in season one and when she showed up to kill the demodogs and save Will in season two), which actually ended up leading to his insecurities in season four (but I’ll get back to that).

When Mike made that unnecessary comment, “She didn’t look fine,” at the dinner table, in season four, it had to do with his idealized view of her. El is “supposed” to ensure safety, yet she hurt someone without good reason. Though she immediately regretted hitting Angela, Mike still couldn’t get over how this action of hers contrasted so heavily with who he wanted her to be. In reality, she’s short tempered and prone to physical violence because it’s all she’s ever known; she’s learned to see violence as the answer, and Mike, without meaning to, fed into that big time.

However, for all his concern with acts of service, Mike’s not too worried about who’s taking care of him. He has a history of hiding his trauma and bottling up his emotions until they explode (ex: when he fought with Hopper in season two and when he yelled, “I love her, and I can’t lose her again,” in season three). He tends to be there for others when they confide in him but not confide in them. As far as I’m aware, there are three scenes where he opens up to someone about how he feels in regard to a serious issue (and each time, that “someone” is Will), yet in the first two scenes, he doesn’t actually share much.

The third scene shows a lot of growth in Mike’s character because it shows him opening up to an extent that he never has before. And his prior sit-down conversations with Will in season four were all building up to it, emphasizing its importance.

(This scene is also the climax of Will’s season four arc, but he’s not really the focus here.)

Mike usually tries to be “strong” so that he can make sure everyone else is okay — probably because his parents weren’t there for him much growing up.

(I can’t find a gif for it, but there’s also that scene where Mike tries to call El in episode one of season two, Dustin asks him why he’s on that channel, and Mike lies.)

When El disappeared in season one, he couldn’t get over it. He blamed himself because she had been “his responsibility.” So when she came back to save the day in season two, not only did he feel that his other loved ones were going to be okay, but he finally knew that she was okay and that she was alive. Finding out that Hopper had been hiding her the whole time triggered such an emotional reaction in Mike specifically because he’d been bottling up his trauma, guilt, and worry for almost a year.

After that, he didn’t want to let El out of his sight. Throughout season three, he’s attached to her at the hip because he’s afraid of losing her again (and because of comphet). It’s something that none of the other character pick up on (because he doesn’t talk about it), so his conflict with Max holds so much weight. She was right that El needed to be in charge of her own powers; she was wrong that El didn’t have physical limits. Mike was right that if El pushed herself too far, she’d reap the consequences, which she did, but he was wrong to disrespect her agency. Max thought El was invincible because she’d never seen her at her lowest, like Mike had. The two didn’t understand each other because Mike never explained this to her. He never opened up about what made him so afraid.

The first three seasons are filled to the brim with scenes of Mike humanizing El, and one of the ways in which he does this is by reminding others that she’s a human first and a hero second. But he still always looked up to her and saw her as a heroine. He also never really got to know her (because it’s easier to use someone as a beard when you don’t know much about their personality), just as she never really got to know him (because she went along with everything he did and assumed it was normal). This caused their relationship to be based solely on trauma bonding. In other words, the foreshadowing for what happened between them in season four was there from the start.

When he started reducing her to only her powers in season four, he wasn’t doing it because he doesn’t see her as a person. Rather, he was doing it because his favorite thing about her (and one of the few things he knows about her) is her protectiveness. He depends on her being protective. “I don’t know how to live without you.” Yeah, no shit. She is the only thing keeping this boy intact because she’s the only thing giving him a sense of stability.

His insecurities about not being good enough for her have to do with the fact that she has proven to be an effective fighter while every time he physically fights back, things don’t go as planned, and she often has to save him. He doesn’t feel like he can protect her anymore — because he can’t. He protected her throughout most of season one only to fail in the end. He had one scene in season two and one scene in season three where he was able to protect her, and he didn’t protect her at all in season four. He feels like he isn’t good enough if he isn’t taking care of someone. Not to mention, in his eyes, if he no longer has the ability to protect her, he has no control over any dangerous situation, and that, understandably, terrifies him. If something were to happen to her, he’d lose not only one person he loves but likely everyone else he loves, too.

His fear of losing El also ties into why he’s so afraid to admit he doesn’t love her in a romantic way. He’s worried that if they break up and if she finds out he’s queer, their friendship will be over as well.

We’re talking about a boy who’s grown up in an emotionally distant family and had two of his loved ones taken from him and presumed dead when he was only twelve years old. No wonder he’s afraid of ending up alone.

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cuddlytogas · 10 months

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GOOD OMENS 2 SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!! spewed out right after binging last night and then added to today. I'm mostly gonna ramble about structure rather than content, but the last few bits get quite spoilery

before that, though, one other thought: I DO hope the power of fandom now will mean that we'll get an influx of people listening to Cabin Pressure and JFSP and Double Acts and all that good stuff!!! John Finnemore is such an incredible writer and comedian, and I know the "following fandom brain into a rabbithole of someone's previous work" is a lot more common for actors than writers, but. one can dream!!!!!!! knowing Finnemore was a co-writer was what reassured me that the new season wasn't going to be an unnecessary sequel, he's so fucking good, and in conclusion ---

okay onto the s2 thoughts

obviously I'm, like. insane now. like I'm gonna shatter into a million pieces and also be sick. I have LOST my MIND. and it WAS good!!!

but also

I thought the pacing wasn't nearly as good as s1? obvs s1 had the ticking clock element, which is hard to recreate without just having another ticking clock, but especially some of the flashbacks tended to linger a smidge too long, and you could tell some of them were written by other writers - the "minisodes" thing I think didn't HELP. obviously I don't think this was a MAJOR problem, and I'll want a rewatch when i feel less Fully Insane to judge properly, but even ending aside, I feel like it didn't have quite the same structural/pacing qualities that made s1 so watchable

I thought the extension of the preexisting 1941 flashback felt... a bit hack-y? (it also went on too long tbh.) the reason those worked so well in s1 was because they were these little snippets, extending it (again, especially to the length that they did) was a little... hm. not, like, a cardinal sin, and it might just be a taste thing, but. again, the "minisodes written by other writers" thing didn't help.

and I'm REALLY sad it was released all at once!! with all the mystery elements, I would've loved a week to week format - even two episodes a week - to really digest all the clues, to sit and speculate and process each reveal/development! I just read that Neil Gaiman wanted that too, so it's extra hurtful. it would've been such a satisfying way to consume the show, but alas, Binge Culture must prevail, I guess :\

finally... I might be genuinely disappointed by the ending? I mean, the religious trauma is Strong With This One, and it'll depend on what they do with s3 (I'm not even going to humour the idea of no s3), but just... okay, real spoilers from here

it felt like Aziraphale really backslided?? like, wasn't the whole point of s1 the learning of "heaven and hell are both a bit shit and we're on our own side"? I understand why the final choice was compelling, both to him and the audience, but even across the season - and especially taking both seasons' flashbacks into account - he really sort of pinged back and forth between learning the lesson and going right back into denial about it, in a way that started to feel less like a character flaw and more like a cheat to keep the drama going. obvs his final choice was DEVASTATING, but also I couldn't stop thinking that Aziraphale... knows better??? not just "he should know better, how heartbreaking", but haven't we SEEN that he KNOWS BETTER?? it felt... inconsistent? again, as a writing choice rather than a character thing

like, I've slept on this thought now and calmed down a little about it, obviously I'm a bit biased by how also extremely painful that whole last scene was to watch, but - thing it, it's not even the decision itself that sits so formally wrong with me! the "I could fix things if I were in power" self-delusion is a very believable and narratively compelling (READ: HEARTBREAKING) move, as is him believing "if Crowley were an angel and I fixed everything then we could be safe and together and everything would be fine"!

but specifically the "but heaven are the good guys" - that gets me! like, after everything?? you really still believe that?? I thought it was obvious you learnt your lesson?? something something, "how can someone so smart be SO stupid?" - except we already did that bit in s1!! ahhh I dunno, it just rings a bit too much of the kind of undoing character development and recycling drama that I reeaaaally don't like :\

like, just. the pure disbelief in crowley's face - "tell me you said no" - like, yeah. and not just in a character sympathy way, but - come on, Aziraphale!! we've been through this so many times now!!!

again, this will also all rest on how it's handled in s3. and I have some faith! s2 actually bringing up crowley's "I was there when you tried to destroy Aziraphale, I saw your face when you told him to shut up and die" was revelatory, I loved that they actually made reference to it. and the writers are good! this isn't going to be a wwdits situation, I think we're safe in that. but s2 definitely had a few more plotty/pacing flaws, and that's just SUCH a huge betrayal - that whole ending was so massive - I have a lot of gay fear about how it'll all be resolved.

or, I dunno. maybe I'm just still too sad to think straight.

#Good Omens #Good Omens season 2 spoilers #spoilers #Good Omens spoilers #GoodOmenss2spoilers #GO2 #GO2 spoilers #pointless post is pointless #okay i think i'm done #just needed to throw some thoughts into the void

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minimoefoe · 6 months

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the giggle thoughts

- is the toymaker racist btw bc why did he ask that man at the beginning where he's from?? and the man's reaction was like 'I'm from cheshire (or some other uk place beginning with C I don't remember)', like he was offended the toymaker asked omg the toymaker is racist fr isn't he that so weird

- have been shitting on the toymaker's german accent for months but it was funny at points. the american was cringe tho idk

- a long intro without the doctor showing up felt sooooo chibnall era coded (not in a good way I hated when chib did that)

- that today text that came up on the screen was very unnecessary and weird

- obviously the ep is a commentary on ppl online being very 'I'm right, you're wrong' and wanting to fight ppl and I get it and I love it but also it was so on the nose and unsubtle like ppl say chib was unsubtle (o55 speech) but this was too and not always in a good way

- that first scene at unit with everyone went on for a bit too long

- I have no attachment to mel so I really don't care that she's here

- saw someone on twt say what if mel is ruby sunday's mum and I was like don't be stupid you're just saying that bc the actors have done a photoshoot together but mel specifically mentioning being alone and having no one and the fact we know she's gonna be in the show a bit going forward and we know ruby is gonna search for her parents... have dots been connected or am I being insane too now? idk anything about mel so idk if it would make sense for her to abandon a child but I guess there a millions reasons it could have happened that could work with mel's character

- the amy clara and bill puppet show <3333 so obsessed

- I liked the spice girl scene and a lot of other toymaker scenes but also he wasn't as good as i was expecting him to be. a lot of the ep didn't have the vibe I was expecting tbh idk

- 15 showing up genuinely made me sob like idk I think just waiting so long to see him and it finally happening and him just have such amazing vibes INSTANTLY really fucked me up like I love his attitude and the way he talks and the things he says and his energy so much and it just hit me quick as fuck

- 14 and 15 hugging and being there for each other really got me I loved it

- 15 really is the embodiment of like, the doctor has been on their feet too long and needs a break and I guess 15 is the doctor once the doctor has finally had that time to just relax and he's just so happy and full of life AHHHHHHHHHH

- idk how I feel about 14's face explanation. it's kinda silly? like.. i really don't know

- no yaz mention in that tardis scene is a genuine piss take. they were literally talking about the doctor's lifestyle and the ppl he's loved and yaz didn't come up??? are you joking? she literally fits right into the convo around the doctor needing to take a break and just Be for a bit like 13's whome thing was not wanting to attach herself bc she doesn't ever know what's gonna happen and now 14 is here literally about to live a normal life. genuinely really annoying. basically every other significant companion got a mention

- 14's ending feels like fanfic and part of me likes it and part of me is like.. idk. I'm gonna need to sit on a for a bit

- I've known about the bi-generation for months bc of leaks and I was expecting to REALLY not be a fan but I didn't hate it. idk if I love it either tho. rn all I know for sure is that ncuti is our doctor now and I love him

#dw txt #doctor who #dw spoilers #wrote all this right when rhe ep ended and #imma need to rewatch soon #bc theres stuff i missed for sure #and stuff i probs have updated opinions on already #idkkkkkkkkk #nataliechats

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lascapigliata · 4 months

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am now well over halfway through my oscars challenge based on my own secret formula (aka guesstimating) so here is my ongoing microreviews post, for those curious

for some reason when i started writing i did this in order of # of nominees. don’t ask ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

oppenheimer: way too long. even cillian murphy, who was great, cannot sustain 3 hours of biopic. i felt his character development was unearned and rushed. the acting was good all around (though it was so man heavy that i sort of forgot emily blunt was there, surprising that she got that nomination when may december is RIGHT there) and it was gorgeously shot but it just needed a solid edit both in writing and runtime. one of those movies that made me feel stupid bc everyone else liked it. to the tune of 13 noms :/ (i have been told by many that you need to see it in a theater. well then don't release it for home viewing i guess, sorry!) (edit - having watched maestro rustin and napoleon 👎 three mid to bad biopics - this has warmed in my memory)

poor things: mixed feelings. overhyped doesn’t cover it. beautiful to look at. great acting from everyone including emma stone and mark ruffalo who is having simply the time of his life. it’s very funny which i wasn’t expecting! but it felt all a little too affected, a little too Intentionally Weird. idk i really wanted to love it but it was just sort of like okay! watched that! ✅

killers of the flower moon: enjoyed it a lot. i thought lily gladstone was amaaaaazing - their role had potential to just be like melodrama and one-note but they brought so much depth to it. leonardo was fine but of the white people deniro was the standout. too long of course. i alternately remember it as better or worse than it felt in the moment, but even though i wasn't in a theater it was still a good time

barbie: my brother loved this and i thought it was okay. the first half in barbieland and her first fish out of water scenes in the real world were a ton of fun, and it sort of got boring-er from there. visually very clever and fun. but the politics were hollow. relationship between america ferrera’s character and her daughter was unconvincing. the last scene pissed me off so much bc it was just totally unnecessary- should have (spoiler) ended with her putting her heels down and the audience can infer the rest be saved 5 minutes of runtime. (you’ll be shocked to hear i thought this was too long)

maestro: awful. manages to flatten felicia bernstein and somehow doesn’t replace that missing character with anything of substance. neglects to focus on what made bernstein actually interesting by putting basic stock biopic oscar bait scenes together and forgetting about his actual life and accomplishments. i went in knowing i wouldn’t like it but hoping there’d be redeeming qualities and found nearly none. even the best scene - his conducting the mahler resurrection symphony - pales in comparison to just finding the real video of bernstein conducting which is available for free on youtube.

american fiction: great. in theaters so no concept of length but it didn’t drag too much. jeffrey wright did an AMAZING job - so funny and also so grounded. made me cry early on too which i was Not expecting lol. definitely some 😬 moments for me as a white woman but i think that’s healthy for us once in a while. as a side note it was oddly preceded by 15 min of horror movie trailers which was bizarre

anatomy of a fall: LOOVED IT. broadchurch vibes. watched it with a friend who’s a lawyer so we kept pausing to theorize bc it is a great movie for that and she also provided commentary on the courtroom techniques of the lawyers lol. was also thinking about it hours and hours later. such a good film. even understood some of the french lol. big warning for pet illness though - the dog survives but it was not fun

the holdovers: nothing revolutionary but such a sweet little movie. not a huge amount to say about it - watched it on a plane and that was kind of the perfect vibe. i did think that da’vine joy randolph did a fantastic job. a good time. idk that it’s Best Picture worthy but who even knows what that award means

the zone of interest: technically impressive on every level (yes, including sound, which it should win) but i didn’t love it. i guess it’s just that i feel like “look! the mundanity of evil!” was not enough to carry this - it is SO mundane and SO jarring that halfway through i kept just being like “yeah yeah i get it” which itself is ironically kind of normalization but not the way the film intended. but i do think this is more a personal preference issue than actual issues with the movie.

napoleon: quite bad. boring, unfocused. couldn’t decide if it was about the marriage or his ambition and yet didn’t give josephine a character nor made thrilling battle sequences. unfortunately all i will remember is how they randomly used pride and prejudice’s soundtrack out of the blue (indicative of its equally unfocused score), and how joaquin phoenix had an american accent while everyone around him didn’t. also… too long!

the creator: pretty good! not a particularly innovative story but honestly it’s nice to see a good movie done right. hans zimmer rare W these days. john david washington still isn’t the greatest actor but it’s no big when ken watanabe is right there. the vfx are indeed very good. it even tackled western imperialism ok i thought though i obviously welcome discussion here!

past lives: beautiful touching etc. not an easy watch but i loved it. sort of found a great melancholy middle ground that didn’t feel maudlin but certainly wasn’t very happy. unbelievably that greta lee received no nomination for her phenomenal work (or teo yoo or john magaro for that matter). great length too - a perfect 1h45. just well done all around

society of the snow: great little disaster movie if slightly uneven. gorgeously shot for one thing. the tension is well done though i think it ended too… tidily. the fundamental problem i have tho is that if i was in their situation i’d have no qualms about eating people but that’s not the movie’s fault. the music reminded me of giacchino so i couldn’t help but make lost comparisons but that's also not the movie's fault lol. (edit: the music is literally BY giacchino and i thought i'd looked it up. it's a good score! he knows what he's doing!)

may december: LOVED IT!!! fantastic length, fantastic acting. as the great harry styles said it’s nice to see a movie that’s a real movie. i can’t wait to watch this again, i thought the writing was fantastic and it’ll gain a lot on rewatch too. would have loved more focus on the relationship with the kids, but that’s just because i personally found it fascinating. annoying it was only nommed for best screenplay when the acting was so good - yes especially charles melton!!

rustin: not as good as i wanted it to be. all the acting is fantastic especially (unsurprising) colman domingo, but i agree with reviews that said it avoided some of his more radical politics and that the love triangle was not super well executed, and i personally thought the end felt super rushed. it was just too biopic-y. but there was a lot to recommend it anyway just on acting alone though honestly

the color purple: enjoyed it a lot! never saw the original movie but it def smoothed away some stuff from the book in a way that doesn’t surprise me at all but was still too bad. there were clearly songs cut from the show bc there was a huge chunk in the middle with no singing lol. the acting was universally good but i cannot lie danielle brooks stole the show every second she was on screen. the music itself was great too and i think the director really dug into the musicalness of it which is so necessary in something like this. (end credits were particularly good!)

across the spiderverse: what is there to say about this that hasn’t been said. the first movie was much tighter in terms of plot / writing. the politics of this one were sort of a mess. but the animation was so spectacular that it sort of sanded over the flaws i saw in it in my memory and i'd be happy if it won

the boy and the heron: a lovely movie. miyazaki hasn’t lost it. i’d love for this to win best animated as i suspect it will. beautiful visually, very like pan’s labyrinth vibe plot wise. hard to say a lot here bc it was just very good, very solid. + miyazaki simply loves an old wrinkly lady and you know what i think that’s great. deserved a nom for score over fuckin indiana jones for sure

robot dreams: i wanted to adore this but instead i just liked it. it was beautiful and sweet and a nice love letter to new york and everything but i hated the ending lol. it’s a huge swing though with no dialogue and only one real song and you gotta give them points for that! plus it is genuinely sweet and everything. i just was pissed at the literal last scene lol

elemental: better than i expected it to be but still basically eh. some of the technical work is SO impressive - like the non-anthropomorphic water - that it actually highlights how Animated the characters are. but i don’t regret watching. highly recommend doing so stoned if that’s your jam because the animation really is the cool part - pixar’s stories have rly become very templated and boring

nimona: iirc a fun movie, but nothing like jaw dropping. can't evaluate it objectively though bc it wasn't the book and the book was better, unsurprisingly. i watched it a long time ago, it didn't leave a huge impression; i remember it was a cute adaptation. mainly i don't think nimona surpassed suzume (and pixar was always going to get that nomination no matter what), so mostly i'm bitter that suzume wasn't nominated sorry

dial of destiny: fell asleep the first time i watched it, got distracted the second time. it was... fine? the deaging was AWFUL, i'm glad it did not get a makeup or vfx nom, it literally just looked like a videogame and it still SOUNDED like 70yo harrison ford. the score was fine but the same thing john williams has been doing for this franchise since 1981. just like… an unnecessary movie idk

#oscars 2024 #lots of positive reviews in here considering i’m a certified hater but i haven’t watched maestro yet so who knows #hey! maybe i’ll love it!#also just being honest… not expecting i’ll go gaga for zone of interest

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takenbypeter · 1 year

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my review of guardians of the galaxy vol 3 that nobody asked for

⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️

Can i just say amazing amazing movie!!! It was weird tho because I did cry alot but I still don’t think i cried as much as i did when Yondu died I think its cuz there was alot of people in the theater so I was trying to hold back, either way tears still fell. This movie had a lot of body gore, like I knew Rocket ripped off his face but i did not expect to see it, (I lit had to cover my eyes for that part cuz nasty). And the part were Peter cut out that guy’s headpiece and then the monkey ripping the lady’s face, like some parts i felt were unnecessary, or rather they didn’t have to show it for so long but go off I guess 😂 Anyways I went into the theater expecting to like Quill more but actually I ended up liking everyone else more, I already liked quill ofc but idk seeing everyone interact with each other just made me happy, it was like seeing a family together and then the endinggggg they broke my family up 😭 but its good they get to do their own thing. Drax is a father again!!! MY HEART! Ugh and Mantis I honestly did not want them to split those two up because those two are my favorite together. I appreciated Adam Warlock’s parts they were pretty amusing but like doesn’t he still got some fam back at home, or the colony? Ughhh I was a mess when Rocket was seeing the light and he was like im ready to go and Lylla was like not yet! Yo the scream that Rocket gave when they died, chills. Also I love floor so cuteeeeee, she has my heart, i want a white bunny now. When Nebula, Drax, and Mantis were arguing and he seemed upset that Mantis thought he was stupid, I think that shows how highly he thinks of her opinions of him, because he doesn’t seem too upset when others call him that but when Mantis called him that it seemed to hit him, and the fact that mantis made him forget made me wonder how many times shes done that to him, had to make him forget so he’d just remain the happy funny man. When I was rewatching the second one I was thinking about Peter’s grandpa because he lost his own daughter and grandson in the same day so I appreciate how we revisited that, and my sister pointed out to me that the newspaper Quill is reading is about Kevin Bacon talking about being abducted by aliens so that’s a funny little detail. Back to Drax and Mantis I appreciate how we got to see there serious side, or more cooperating? (Idk if that’s the word i want to use) in this, because we’ve seen plenty of their silly sides so this was a nice little thing, and omg his metaphors/analogies that scene is a fave. I also appreciated how when they found out Rocket was alive Nebula was crying, we can see how much she cares for her friends she just doesn’t have the words but Mantis took over to express for her and I really liked that scene. It was really nice seeing how much Nebula has come to care for everyone, like the scene with Peter in the beginning. Okay now for Gamora — ughhhh I hate hate what’s happening with her and not just her and peter, that is terrible, but when i was rewatching the other guardians i kept noticing moments between her and Groot and the way she always protected him, and it all just sucks and I wish there was a way for her to get those memories back. And when se went back to the ravagers at the end she was grinning and happy and that made me so upset but it is what it is. Another random take that doesn’t have to do with this vol in particular but every time I see Groot i get sad because I don’t know about y’all but I love OG Groot. Don’t get me wrong i love now Groot, and we know its not the same Groot. But the other Groot was very caring, constantly thinking of others, like he seemed very sweet whereas this one is still young he seems immature which is fine because like i said they’re diff but OG just has a special place in my heart so im always sad when i think about him. Omg the little Yondu cameo was so precious, you go Kraglin! I know I said I might start writing for Quill but i don’t think that’s going to happen, frankly I think I really like Warlock after this 😂 but im not gonna write for him. That’s all i got

#had a little more but ran out of space to write it #marvel #guardians of the galaxy vol 3 #guardians of the galaxy #gotg vol 3 #gotg volume 3 spoilers #review no one asks for

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lynxbatics · 2 years

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Ok so I saw Thor: Love & Thunder for the third time and I have some thoughts.

Here's a few things I wish had been done differently:

Get rid of the jokes in the opening scene. They completely ruined the vibe. It felt like Gorr and Rapu were acting in completely different films.

In general, the film could have done with a lot less "joking during a serious moment." I have no complaints about jokes in Marvel films, but it really bothers me when the jokes get in the way of emotional moments.

I know I sound like every other Marvel fan, but I think that with Gorr being the villain, it would have been a lot better for the film to be more serious.

The tone of the film varied so much between scenes it was a bit jarring.

I didn't really mind that the Guardians were written out so early. It's not their film + it would have felt too crowded.

Mighty Thor introduction was super cool though.

I also really liked the music used in the film!

A common complaint about the film that I've seen is that no one ever disproved Gorr's point that "all gods must die." In fact, the film is basically on Gorr's side, since it shows most of the gods acting like assholes.

So what I think would solve this problem would be to show the gods actually care about their worshipers.

One way this could be shown would be during Korg's "death." Instead of him surviving because "the only part of a Kronan that's alive is its mouth" (which ????), he survives because he is secretly saved by Ninny of the Nonny (who's right there! Plus, this would make one of the jokes have actual plot importance)

Maybe some of the gods in Omnipotence City could be shown as actually caring about stopping Gorr but too afraid to act in defiance of Zeus?

Don't have Korg interrupt Thor and Jane's moment on the ship!! It was so, so, unnecessary and it really ruined the mood.

The whole Gorr fight scene on that gray moon (?) was amazing. The VFX artists outdid themselves with the lighting. (rip Marvel VFX artists)

I've seen several people here on tumblr mention that they hated how Valkyrie was nerfed in the end. And yes, I agree that her excuse about not going to fight Gorr because she "would probably die" is totally out of character for her.

She's mentioned several times that she longs to die in battle and reach Valhalla, (she even goes as far as to say "if you're a viking you basically have to die in battle" at one point which both Sif AND Thor reinforce) and this is the perfect moment for that!

So I propose this: during the aftermath of the kid's kidnapping, have all of the Asgardians look to her for help. Have her realize how much she means to these people. And then instead of deciding to not go fight Gorr because she would probably die, have her choose not to go because even though she wants to reach Valhalla, she realizes that she has a duty to her people.

A lot of people had a problem with the child army but ??? Thor gave them the power to face their fears and fight! I think that's great. Would you rather have had them just stand there? Thor's awesome, but I don't think he could have handled fighting Gorr AND protecting the children from the shadow monsters.

Before we get to the ending I'd like to point out how GORGEOUS Eternity looks. One of the best parts of the film.

Ok, now my least favorite part: Gorr's wish.

It just made no sense to me at ALL to have him wish for his daughter back. He knew he was dying (he even said so himself!) and why dump her on Thor?? Poor kid would have to see her father die in front of her.

I didn't like how Gorr went from "destroy all gods" to "raise daughter from the dead" in one (1) Thor speech. Yes, I liked that he was redeemed, but that was not the way to go!!

I've been thinking about how I would have liked the film to end but I honestly can't think of anything, so here are my half baked ideas:

1. Gorr hears Thor's speech (which was nice btw - I liked the part of choosing to be with Jane in his final moments) and decides NOT to kill the gods, does nothing, and promptly dies. Who know what they do with their wish. (I'd rather not have them undo Jane's death because that was actually really well done).

2. Gorr realizes that there are some gods that do care for their people. (after Thor's speech he remembers all the gods that he killed - maybe some of them died protecting their people?) and decides that Eternity is too big a temptation for anyone, so he wishes for Eternity's gate to never open again.

3. Gorr realizes he is dying and decides that he wants to see his daughter one last time (NOT bring her to life). He wishes to see her again, and as soon as he dies, Love disappears as well.

Really liked the tribute to Jane at the end (the statue), as well as the two post credit scenes.

And those are some of the things I would have liked to see in the movie without changing too much.

Now! As a bonus here are some things that I think would have been a good idea, but would totally change the entire thing!

Have the film focus on how Thor closed off his heart because everyone who loves him dies. He doesn't let anyone get too close to him, something that's very apparent when he's with the Guardians. Once he has a re-encounter with Jane she helps him open up again, echoing her words at the end of the film. "Keep your heart open." And so Thor gets some character development!

And thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

#what if I write a screenplay of my version of Thor L&T?#haha jk #unless...?#marvel #mcu #thor love and thunder #thor love and thunder spoilers #thor #valkyrie #korg #jane foster #mighty thor #gorr #gorr the god butcher #movie thoughts #film rewrites #guardians of the galaxy #movie rants

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thebirdandhersong · 1 year

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1. THINGS THAT WERE BEAUTIFUL AND GOOD:

STUNNING cinematography. The red on white in the battle scene was quite striking.

I thought Finn and Rose being arrested for parking violations was the funniest part of the story

Rey finally gets told to her face that she IS projecting her desire for family on older mentor figures. Will the story do anything with this? Probably not, but it was good for her to have that revelation.

the fact that “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to” (Kylo's line) is deconstructed and proven wrong again and again. The past is not dead and he is unable to kill it--much to his own chagrin. (Figurative and literal.)

the stable boys and stable girls on the casino planet. Especially the scene at the end where the Force-sensitive little boy looks to the stars and holds his broom like a lightsaber. THAT scene was one of the few that really felt like it belonged to Star Wars.

BB8 is always a delight

“The greatest teacher, failure is”

the parts that are actually FUN. Like Yoda giggling and swinging his legs. Like the jail guy (well, at the beginning, anyhow).

Leia is a sort of mother and mentor figure to Rey and Poe, which was really heartwarming to me

Luke kissing Leia on her forehead; Leia’s first words to Luke since her son went bonkers being, “I know what you’re going to say. I changed my hair” and Luke saying that it looked nice this way (these were very sweet scenes and there should've been more Skywalker sibling moments)

2. THINGS THAT WERE UNNECESSARY AND ANNOYING:

too much CG, not enough practical effects

(licks finger) "it's SALT!"

Luke Skywalker's character and everything the plot did with it

the flatness of the characters I thought would be central to the story, namely Finn and Poe

the script. The SCRIPT. The actors carry it. They're such good actors (Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, and Domnhall Gleeson in particular stood out to me here) but they're given so little to work with, which felt like such a waste.

some incredibly bizarre lines that took me straight out of the story (such as Rose's line about the 'lousy beautiful town'

the costume and hair design. Holdo and Rey in particular were quite bizarre to me, as was most of the hair decisions for Rose. I will say prop design was very well done at certain points, though

this is a movie that a lot of children went to see. On account of Star Wars being a franchise that is partially targeted towards a certain audience, who are the main consumers behind SW merchandise and toys, etc. etc. I think this is plenty reason for there NOT to be profanity.

this is also personal preference but I think that shirtless scenes should be killed with fire

Rey is presented in certain scenes as stronger and more impressive than Luke and always surprises him or has the upper hand. This is irritating and does not endear her to the audience in any way. This felt like a different application of killing the past, which I thought was poorly done and a bit disrespectful.

the Finn/Rose romance, which is so uneven and badly delivered. It could've been developed in a believable and organic way. Or they could've kept them as good friends (as Finn grows to appreciate Rose's bravery and gentleness, and Rose starts to see Finn as a human rather than a hero). But this weird middle ground didn't really accomplish anything.

Did I like this movie? Not by a long shot. I was so fed up by the end that I was ready to give up on Star Wars entirely. The last time I felt that level of Kylo Ren-esque rage was after I watched Multiverse of Madness.

But did it make me think? Yes, quite a bit. Mostly about what I didn't like about this movie, but also about what DOES constitute a good, beautiful, meaningful story.

#multiverse of madness made me SO mad that i just never bothered to talk to anyone about it #because the other people who watched it liked it pretty well and i didn't want to be a spewing volcano of rage #tlj liveblog

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b-movie-mondays · 2 years

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B Movie Mondays

My Mom's a Werewolf (PG, 1989) DVD - Tubi - Amazon - Youtube Run Time: 1h 30m Watches: 1 IMDB Rating: 4.5/10 My Rating: 🦈🦈 Word Count: 420

Wow. Where to start. This Is Certainly A Movie.

First I'd like to say that the acting in this movie honestly wasn't too bad. It was definitely a cheesy 80's movie, but compared to other movies I've seen this was very professional.

Second I'd like to point out that this is was 100% not a PG film. Between the sex scenes and jokes, the constant swearing, and general subject matter, I am incredibly amused by the idea of this being a family movie. Sitting down with the kids and wife and then watching Hetero Werewolf Hornfest: Family Edition.

The overall premise of the movie is something I wish I could call simple. It should be a pretty straight forward plot; Mother feels neglected by constant working Husband, Mother finds tall dark stranger, Stranger is a werewolf, Stranger turns Mother into a werewolf. But no. There's so many leaps and bounds made here, so many strangely unnecessary scenes that did nothing to contribute to the film, story lines that are never explored, and so many unneeded characters.

I can appreciate something being in a movie for the sake of being in the movie but with MMaW it all felt very...unfinished. Like the Movie wasn't actually edited. Sure, they half all the footage spliced together, but I feel like i'm watching a blooper reel sometimes.

Adding to the messy nature of this movie, I didn't feel like it was meant to be a werewolf movie. It feels like it's supposed to be a vampire movie but they changed the script last minute. The themes and characters and costumes all feel much more vampire. Theres something of a ghost of foreshadowing of vampire themes, only for it to be a werewolf movie. Of course I knew the monster going in, but while watching it I couldn't get the thought out of my head.

This movie also went on Way. Too. Long. Every time I thought I had reached the end there was a new strange plot twist. This felt like it was supposed to be a trilogy but they only had the budget for one film and they were desperately trying to fit all of their ideas into one movie.

I definitely have a lot more thoughts on this movie, but I'm going to leave it here for now. Would I recommend this one? Absolutely not. It was bland and boring and an honest waste of 90 minutes. I tried to do a second watch through but couldn't bring myself to finish it.

#b movie mondays #my moms a werewolf #bad movies #b movie #1980s movies

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