#BUT LIKE. THERE ARE PARALLELS. THE REALIZATION THAT YOUR HUSBAND IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE DEVOTED TO SOMEONE ELSE THAN HE IS TO YOU | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

oncewhenalongtimeago · 3 months

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sorry but i think i lost your plot has to be peak literature because it's one of the only thing ive ever read from start to last update in under an hour

Sorry, but I Think I Lost Your Plot pt 14

Pairing: Onesided!Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III x Modern!Fem!Reader

Words: 2,163

You get caught up in some hobbying.

Tags: Time Travel, Reader into Movieverse, crafting, bead making

Your relationship with the older vikings, men and women alike, as their sometimes delivery girl, sometimes shepard -though that was much less of a harrowing job now that the dragons were cool, and you were afforded the privilege of spend a lot less time hiding and running- sometimes portable laundromat and shiphand, afforded you certain knowledge that other people sometimes weren’t privy to, though Berk was an open floor for gossip.

Like how the twins were always looking down because their helmets were too shallow to balance themselves on their heads, which had the consequence of making it seem as if they were always up to something. Which, coincidentally, they were- Their mother complained about them a lot in between mentions of her husband and fawning over Stoick.

You learned how to cook some from Mrs. Ingerman, and you’d taught her a few words from your time period, which was nice.

You’d had to do Snotlout's laundry and clean his room on more than one occasion, even had to pull it out of his basement room more than once, which you were thoroughly disgusted by. You’d learned a lot more about the guy from that experience than you’d ever wanted and had refused to take any of the Jorgensons’ laundry from then onward.

You’d even done things for Hiccup and for the Chief, mostly things he was unaccustomed to doing as he was too busy acting as the leader of the village and things Hiccup missed because he was too busy doing whatever he did out with the riders. You were sure Hiccup’d had no idea just the same as Snotlout.

There were a few things you were certain to never bring up, including but not limited to a hastily drawn but very detailed sketch of your face shoved in a notebook tossed under his bed, not particularly helpful in terms of putting to rest the whole crush thing, or the small pail of screws he was sure to have brought back from the forge without his father’s blessing.

You were in denial a little bit, yeah.

You should probably tell him. About the whole being in his room thing. But you wouldn’t. Definitely not.

It seemed, though, that despite this extra eye into the working world of Berk, you’d still ended up missing a few things.

Berk was… A community. You weren’t sure how you never realized that.

The Great Hall was filled with warm laughter, people patting each other on the back, men and women sharing stories about their kids and, often enough for you to take notice, Hiccup. It looked like raising him was a group effort.

Off in the corner were others at a table by shallow baskets which were shaped like oblong gold pans filled with fine powder and shells, men and women sitting along the side sorting dragon scales and grinding them down with flat stones and clearly chiseled pestels.

Dragons squealed and bobbed around your periphery, tossing and picking up what must’ve been colorful, neutral stones.

Large men and women and children hunched over the tables all over the hall, rearranged so that they were all closer to each other, parallel as they whittled away at things you couldn’t completely see, tables lined with leaves and the occasional plate.

It was well lit.

People filled the halls between tables with joyful conversation, playfully batted at each other and sat back. The whole space was bustling and also relaxing, somehow.

In the background was Ack arguing with some blonde woman, but even that was nice. You could tell he didn’t mean it and neither did she, shooting back just barely inaudible jabs with each other.

You were mindful of the basket in your arms full up with his laundry, just recently cleaned and aired out.

You had stopped in your tracks at the sight, standing just before a short table placed perpendicular to the rest as if the lady sitting there was the guard to some booth or other.

You looked down finally, noticing how she looked at you nearly eye level with a raised brow. She had plenty of wrinkles on her forehead, which told a lot about a life made by concern and stoicism. She also wore a large, very off white apron over a grayish vaguely beige long sleeve short and a long brown skirt, which you only just barely caught sight of as she lifted it up to wipe down something in her hand.

She had a shallow basket in front of her filled with what looked like beads and various strings, needles and small carving knives with wood shavings laid on the cloth-covered table around her.

“Hi,” You said, breaking the wall between the two of you.

“...Hello, dear,” She responded, after a while, settling down her skirt and placing a colorful bead back into her basket. He picked up a needle instead, which you saw was already attached to a long string with beads all down the length.

You wondered where they’d gotten the dye for it. Could dye even be used on glass? Was it glass?

Instead of asking those questions, you shuffled your feet.

You glanced at a white sleeve flopped over the side of the basket, which you held by a bar on the other side and pressed into your hip, “What’s going on?”

“Crafting is going on,” She said, plainly.

You nodded, “I like it.”

It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see Vikings wandering around Berk, trying their hand at leatherworking and carving and other things. Now that they had the time, being assaulted a lot less by Dragons, the Berkians indulged their more artistic inclinations, exercising muscles for skills they’d never been able to before.

“I mean, this is great. What started it?” You asked.

You wanted to join in. It might be nice.

“Oh, you haven’t seen? The pride of Berk, walking around with his little bead like a bird,” She chortled fondly, “Did you see it? I wonder who gave it to him? Lucky girl. He has, dare I say it, started a trend.”

A bird? You quirked your lips up at what was most certainly an exaggeration. You hadn’t seen anything like that. You failed to mention that you’re the one who made it.

You wondered if Hiccup knew about any of this at all. You didn’t.

“How do you know it was a girl?”

You turned. The spoken voice belonged to one of the women you’d see before in the Hall. She came over, done fussing with Ack in the background.

She was also blonde, a brighter, more yellow shade with a few less gray hairs. And she was large, also, with broad shoulders and a strong presence. Her arms were the largest between them.

She wore tight trousers and a large though not long tunic. Her boots were plain leather and looked to be of the pirate variety.

You pondered the idea that they might be related, or at least good friends.

“Look at him!” The first lady put down her needle, resting it in her shallow basket again, a glass bead falling down the string as she did, gesturing with her hand, though there was no Hiccup in sight, “He’s so happy! So proud! The small thing. He’s got too much energy for his little bones to handle.”

You thought he might be offended if he heard her say that.

“Oh, don’t be delusional,” The one with big arms huffed, “And don’t let him hear you say that.”

“But I’m right!”

“You’re wrong! He’s no myth, sweetheart. You can’t go around treating him like one of your little stories,” She shook her head, crossing her arms.

“The Ragnar is real!” She insisted, staring down the Ack lady, meeting her eyes until the other woman rolled her own. You could tell it was a disagreement as old as time itself, but like with the other woman’s squabble with Ack, there was no malice in it, “Beowulf, too.”

They were just putting on a show.

You felt your lips stretch wider. It felt good to be a part of, even as a witness.

“Well, anyways, I’ve been thinking of making it a regular thing. You know, putting it on a schedule. Craft nights…”

You nodded excitedly, “It’s very modern.”

“Do you think so?” She asked, pleased.

“You don’t think we’ll have better things to be doing?”

“Our ancestors used to do it, can’t see why we can’t.”

“Really?” You asked.

“Oh, yes. Read a passage about it once, saw a note or something like in one of the dragon books. Glass beadmaking,” She looked up wistfully, pausing briefly in her rhythmic sewing, “I always wanted to try it… But we had no forge, no beads, no time, then, either. I was just a little girl. But now…!”

She picked something small but shiny out of the basket in her lap, ooh-ing to herself.

You were on the outside, kind of, though not on purpose. Everyone was welcoming enough, though they were much too busy fighting with the dragons to notice much or throw a party or anything. You were never excluded but you always had better things to do, too, so, well.

But this was here, and it seemed convenient.

“Dear, come sit down,” She squealed slyly, voice both quick and dragging, face gleeful, which seemed out of place on her wide, bult frame and stern face.

“Okay,” You said, beaming.

You stuck mostly to the woodworking bead types.

The image of glass beads shattering midair was frightening, though you were sure that none of the dragons around here could reach those speeds. Flying that fast might be dangerous for people too.

Most of your beads were probably going back to Hiccup anyways.

Of course, you had your own handful of small colorful semi-porcelain.

You tried a bunch of colors of all different types, and ended up with a handful of each. It was cool, to the super-so degree, and it was free. It seemed good will did a lot, and community bonding exercises were meant to be just that and nothing else. There was a line of Vikings, adults and children alike, ready to do their own part and bring things in anyhow.

Many Vikings used ground up dragonhide to dye and waterproof beads and to mix in with melted glass in order to give it a pretty stain.

It was interesting, especially now that many Vikings were using Dragons in place of a kiln, and how they’d set up small buildings with bricks and some coal and used those too.

It was disastrous, at some moments. There were many burns, mostly small, that people went up to Gothi for, saying their goodbyes in bummed tones.

Gothi must have had enough of it because she came down eventually to manage the glassmakers and smack the unfortunate.

It was… nice.

The afternoon light was surprisingly nice on your face. It felt a lot nicer and your chest felt lighter, the world awash with things bright and endearing.

You looked forward with a winning smile at Hiccup.

“You liked the one I gave you, right?” You held out a handful of blue glass and wood beads to Hiccup, “They’re doing craft days in the Hall. I made some.”

You had a bunch of others in pouches around your belt.

You didn’t have anywhere to put them besides. You had no dragon to ride, so in time you might favor the glass ones. You had trouble with a few of them. The dragonhide did a great deal to make the glass more sticky when it heated up.

“You’re going to see a lot more people around with beads on.”

There were not enough leaves and pouches for all your sorted beads so they were sort of mixed, but you got a hold of a good few before it was time to clean up and you fled before anyone could notice. The hall would still be active for a while.

“You started a trend, I think,” You said, matter-of-factly.

It was impressive. Trends usually fell to the Chief, who recently had been trying to approach you though he always got carried away by tasks before he could.

Hiccup had a sort of goofy smile on his face which consisted of a slightly upturned lip and the framing of his two largest front teeth which dropped as, as it looked like, he snapped back into himself, “What?”

“Yeah,” You said after you finished unloading the rest of his pouches into his arms and turned to walk away.

You looked around as you fled, making sure no one was watching.

He looked down like he wasn’t sure what to do with all of them, and also a little bit put off.

You wondered if you overdid it.

A small weight shifted by your ankle as you walked, the coins you’d slipped into a side pocket in your boot. You were going to ask around for some seeds.

#thank you #hope you enjoy #httyd #how to train your dragon #hiccup x reader #httyd x reader #fem reader #hiccup horrendous haddock III #hiccup haddock #x reader

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artistsfuneral · 10 months

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part 20 - THE END 🥺✨❤ i love you so much, thank you for playing with me!!! I hope to see you again in my new fic, I'm putting a lot of work into it

Time traveling has a lot in common with unwillingly losing your consciousness. It doesn't take long for Jaskier to understand that, not when the parallels are so clear to see. For example, waking up afterwards is always incredibly disorienting. Your body is still heavy from getting thrown around, your mind struggling to catch up with what has happened to you. Sometimes it takes a few moments to collect yourself, other times you'll feel like you're half-asleep for the rest of the day.

So it's no wonder that Jaskier wakes to the horribly familiar ceiling of a tavern in upper Posada and immediately takes in a deep breath, expecting a piece of stale bread to connect with his temple.

What he doesn't expect is hearing the delighted squeal of his daughter, who suddenly throws her entire bodyweight into his arms. She hasn't done that since she was a child, but gods above he missed it and his heavy arms immediately wrap around her. Not a moment too late her excited voice rings out, “You did it! Jaskier you did it!”

Adrenaline washes through his system with so much force his heart jumps almost painfully. Sitting up he is quick to realizes that he's been resting on his bedroll in the middle of the otherwise vacant tavern room. Vacant but for two other people besides him. Ciri, grinning widely in his arms, and Geralt, sitting next to him on his own bedroll with a warm smile on his face. “Hey,” he greets Jaskier softly.

“Geralt?” his voice is small, hopeful.

“Yeah.”

“My Geralt?”

“Yes, Julek, yours.”

Jaskier clings to Ciri as he cries his heart out. For the first time in a really long time, it's happy tears. He's done it. Somehow he's done it and he silently thanks every god out there that helped him along the way. It was worth it. All the heartache, all the pain was worth it in the end. He has his Geralt back, his beloved darling husband, the man that he loves more than anything in this world.

Carefully extracting himself from Ciri's tight embrace, he wipes his tears away with the sleeve of his doublet and holds his hands out to Geralt. "Hey," he sniffles, only now noticing the redness around the witcher's eyes. "Hey, yourself," Geralt answers.

"I did it?"

"You did it. We're home."

@fingons-rad-harp @sinfulpetgirlrd @wren-of-the-woods @basilikum7 @eveljerome @this-is-not-a-slow-burn @araglas1989 @alaskawho @cinary @swan--writes @mirrorthoughts @chaoticfandomthot @sonatabee @gregre369 @awitcheress @yaskefer @hannibard @myfeelisfunny @filledepluie @pathsofpassion @joyfulcherryblossombasement @ryuuhana91 @toapoet @nerdymuffinbonkcloud @ineffably-a-fangirl-99 @starlghtstarbrite @siriusly-the-best-bi @cowboybuttconnoisseur @logastellus21 @chasinggeese @whump-der-it-is @inanoldhousewrites @reluctantbroodingdads @professorjaskier @ourbooksuniverse @life-as-a-gamergirl @i-write-stories-not-sins-bitch

Should I tag anyone in the new story?

#the witcher #witcher #artistsfuneral about the witcher #geraskier #jaskier #geralt #geralt of rivia

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callsignspark · 7 months

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soft-tober | 09 | Bradley Bradshaw

soft-tober is about experiencing the joys of October with loved ones. each day is a fall-related one-shot for one of the couples from my Dagger, Sword & Shield universe, plus a few extras! today is Bradley and Mary with “Is this costume too revealing?” from this prompt list.

If you’d like to be tagged for soft-tober, please send an ask!

word count: 1.2k

soft-tober masterlist | main masterlist | divider credit here

warnings: extreme fluff, this takes place in 2024, body insecurities after giving birth, this gets a little raunchy so minors go away

callsignspark disclaimer: my blog is an 18+ space; minors do not interact - you will be blocked. I do not consent to my work being copied, run through an AI generator, translated, or posted elsewhere. I do have an AO3, where I eventually will be cross-posting my works.

09. "Is this costume too revealing?"

“I just don’t like it! He’s a good kid, but I don’t like it!”

Mary hums as her husband continues complaining, talking circles around himself while she’s stuck in her thoughts. She knows that she’s worrying about the wrong thing. They just dropped the twins off at the Benjamin-Mitchell household with Amelia and her boyfriend, Josh. Trusting the two teenagers to watch the ten-month-old Bradshaw girls for a few hours while they attend a Halloween party.

“I trust him, he’s a good kid, but does he have to be there? I guess it makes sense for there to be two babysitters, one for each girl… but I still don’t like it! Maybe we shouldn’t go. No, Amelia is smart; she can handle it.”

If this were a movie, she would be worrying right alongside Bradley about whether the kids were going to throw a rager while babysitting. And in real life, if it were any other night, she’d be concerned about leaving the girls, even if it’s just a couple hours. Especially considering this is the first time they’ve left the babies with anyone who’s not a seasoned parent.

But she’s not worried about that. Because it’s Halloween and the invite had said to bring a friend and come dressed like them. So, she’s wearing a flight suit tied around her waist, with a skin-tight bodysuit, that feels like it’s digging into every bump, lump, and roll of her post-partum body. She hasn’t been this uncomfortable since giving birth.

“Is this costume too revealing?”

She knows she’s worried about the wrong thing.

“And I heard you tell her to make out with him after- what?” Wide brown eyes bounce back and forth between her and the road, a confused look washing over his face.

“Is it too… ya know, too much?”

“No.” Bradley says it with such conviction that her brain almost lets it go. Almost.

“You’re just saying that because you like how much my boobs are out.”

“I will never complain about your boobs - especially if you’ve got my call sign over my favorite one - but you just have a little bit of cleavage. It’s not revealing at all.”

Mary glances down at her chest, the patch she had gotten made with Bradley’s helmet logo stitched carefully on her left boob, and realizes that while her breasts are one of the problems, they’re not the main problem.

“I just…” She sighs, wondering if trying to explain is even worth it. Bradley has only ever been self-conscious about the scars on his neck and face, never about his figure. He’s always been in great shape, no jiggling or wiggling like her body. “I feel like I’m out all over the place.”

“It’s because you’re breastfeeding, baby doll.”

“I’m going to flash everyone!”

“Lucky them.” He murmurs, ignoring his wife’s shocked noise as he turns down Javy’s street. “Where are we going to park?”

“Bradley!”

“Hang on, lemme park first.”

She huffs, looking out the window as he parallel parks in one of the last open spaces, the van jolting slightly as they stop. I still can’t believe we’re the kind of people with a minivan, she thinks as Bradley unbuckles them. Mary can feel him leaning towards her, a big hand making its way to her thigh.

“Mary, what’s going on?”

She sighs; he won’t let it go, it’s best to just talk to him about it. Which is easier said than done.

“My body changed a lot with the pregnancy, which I knew would happen. I had twins. I just thought I would be back to normal by now, especially with the breastfeeding.” Bradley doesn’t say anything; just brushes her hair back with a big, warm hand. “I know it’s stupid, but there’s a part of my brain - that sounds a lot like my mother - that keeps telling me how many women lose weight and get smaller when they breastfeed.”

A quiet gasp escapes her. It’s the first time she’s said it out loud and heard how terrible she’s being to herself.

Bradley opens his mouth, but she cuts him off. “I know what you’re going to say.”

He chuckles, “Oh, yeah? What am I gonna say?”

“That I’m just as beautiful as the day we met, and you can’t believe I grew and gave birth to your two favorite people in the world. That you love me.”

“Not bad.” He hums, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “You forgot a few things, though.”

“What?”

“You forgot the part where I tell you how fucking sexy you are. That I love you no matter what your body looks like, and I always will. I gotta admit, though, these?” Bradley trails kisses down her neck, pulling the stretchy collar of her bodysuit down, groaning when he catches sight of red lace. “These are incredible.”

“Don’t get used to them; they’re temporary.” Mary pants as he nips at the sensitive skin of her breast, right where his call sign has been sitting for the last hour.

“Guess I’ll just have to get you pregnant again.”

She moans at the casual way he says it, his tongue brushing over her nipple through the lace of her bra. He looks up at her, through his lashes, as he takes her nipple between his teeth, his big brown eyes making sure she’s paying attention before he sucks it into his mouth.

“Bradley!” She gasps, pulling at his curls, unsure if she wants more or if she wants to push him away.

“Yeah, honey?” He pulls off, the damp fabric cooling against the stiff bud. “You want more?”

“I- not in public!”

“Why? It’s not like I haven’t done that before.”

“Yeah, yeah. King of unclogging my milk ducts, folks.” Mary teases even as she lets her eyes drag over him, taking in every detail. The way he’s panting because of her. Eyes big and glassy because of her. Hard under his costume because of her. “Get in the backseat.”

“What?”

“Backseat, Bradshaw. Now.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re the one that wants to get me pregnant again, right?” She asks as she wiggles back into the third row of the minivan, leaving her husband gaping in the front seat. “Let's try right now.”

“Jesus fuc- We’re going home.”

“What! Why?” Mary whines, so worked up the windows are going to start fogging up any second.

“We’re going home. I’m going to bend you over the couch, and then we’re coming back to the party. Just let me text Mav and Penny to ask them to take the girls overnight.”

“Oh, god, I love you! You’re so smart!”

“Stay there.”

Mary freezes where she was starting to climb back to the front. “What?”

“Stay. There.” Bradley starts the van, checking his mirrors to pull out. “You’re going to get yourself ready for me, so when we get home there’s no time wasted.”

The car’s audio system interrupts him, telling them Penny texted, agreeing to take the kids, and ordering them to have fun. The two parents giggle; it’s the first time they’ve really let go since the twins were born in January, and they’re going to make the most of it.

And make the most of it they do.

#elle’s soft october #top gun maverick fic #top gun maverick au #top gun maverick imagine #top gun fic #top gun au #top gun imagine #DSS universe #bradley rooster bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley rooster bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster imagine #Mar(r)y Me fic #MM fic #elle writes

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kimberlyannharts · 8 months

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Like I mentioned before, I'll be recapping AJJ's story separately from everything else, as I have so much to say about it jfkdjfd It's technically part of a larger story, so it kind of makes sense? If you're wondering why I'm doing the same for the Ranger Academy story.....uh........it's Amy Jo Johnson's (and Matt Hotson's) prologue to The Return, Re-Imagine!

--- idk if i mentioned it before but I like the sort of mix between modern comic designs for the ogs and 90s portrayals. I do miss Kim's fuckass bob though

--- with the full comic confirming this is meant to be a diverged show timeline that means this really is meant to be their first kiss and i'm rhghhrhghrhgrhrggrj esp with the alteration of Kim's hand placement. Francesco I owe you my life

--- Finster agrees: men get pegged!

Also this is a minor thing but I like that Rita is visibly older here like she was on the show. comic!Rita has always been drawn younger but between MMPR/TMNT II and Mistress Vile they've really been piling on the sexy Rita fanservice lately

--- now why did she go and kind of low-key confirm DrakkonSlayer as romantic here too. "Take your place by my side" I've heard that line before!

--- listen dodging the Peace Conference and the Power Transfer with "wait.........we can fucking teleport, who cares if we're on the other side of the world" is the funniest way to go about it. Omega Rangers you're NOTHING

--- damn girl no one's going to take him from you!!!!!!

--- me @ Melissa's story: eh this is a bit over the top, like we get it, they're this super perfect romance, okay

me here: OH MY GODDDDDDDD HE PROPOSED ON THE COMMAND CENTER MOUNTAINNNNNN

--- Paralleling Tommy and Kim's wedding with Zedd and Rita's is so sick slkdhlskjlsdj AJJ is an auteur

--- OKAY SO. posting the whole page so we can discuss Once and Always 2.0 -

Jason and Rocky both being firefighters is a funny coincidence. Part of me has to wonder if both weren't originally meant to be cops but both sets of writers went with the "safer" choice. Basically a Warden Garcia situation

I know we all love Minh but Trini actually having a life beyond just being Minh's mom thank fucking god. And putting her in CONGRESS!!! Why did they give that to Zack in the special!!!!!!!!!

Billy being a scientist duh. At least this just seems like........experimental science stuff and not turning him into PR's Elon Musk

I already mentioned Trini getting the Congress job rather than Zack and I like him being a DJ!!!! It's nice to see some serious consideration given to Hip Hop Kido and love of music rather than ignoring it or making it a joke

and I know I yelled about it before but AJJ canonizing the Tomberly coach duo RHRHHRHGRHGHHGHGH i just know AJJ heard about the whole PhD in paleontology thing and went "............no??? he teaches fucking karate"

(and yay, Down Syndrome rep in Tommy's students :>)

--- damn just like seeing classic Rita and Zedd again seeing classic Serpentera again really makes you realize the current comic incarnation uhhhhhhh sucks. Especially when they're cutting to the chase and just blowing up shit compared to how Serpentera in the comics can get messed up by uhhh a big cat jumping on its tail

--- the way this cut happens in a page turn Amy Jo Johnson IS! AN! AUTEUR! (like legit it's awesome that you can clearly tell how she's applying her experience in directing TV and film to comic form.)

--- LOOK AT THE MOON THEY SONIC ADVENTURE 2ed THAT SHIT

--- and Kim/Emma I'm gonna need you to find your husband immediately you know you can't trust him to be on his own for five seconds

#text #mmpr comic #mmpr comic spoilers #spoilers #comic recap #mmpr anniversary #the return

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serialadoptersbracket · 1 month

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Round 2, Match 63: Whitebeard vs. Otose

Submitted kids:

Whitebeard: Marco, Portgas D. Ace, Thatch, Izou, Haruta, Deuce, Jozu, Vista, and a bunch more I can’t think of rn

Otose: Sakata Gintoki, Catherine, Tama, and arguably most of Kabukicho

Propaganda under the cut!

Whitebeard:

1. “His reason for piracy was to start a family. He has so many kids who all call him dad. Found family to the max.”

2. “His biggest dream in life is to have a family of his own, but how to go about that? Settle down with a wife and have lots of kids? Boring. No, the best way to go about it is to become a pirate, find the most outcasted and lost people you can, and make them your crewmates/sons”

3. “His entire crew calls him pops because he takes them in and treats them like his children. He also likes to take into those who don’t have anyone else. His main goal in life was to have a big family that cared for each other so that’s what he made his crew.”

(Mod note: Full propaganda list coming soon!)

Otose:

“Okay so Otose is a middle aged to elderly woman who we are introduced to in the series as Gintoki’s landlady. However we later learn that when visiting her husband’s grave she found Gintoki, in his late teens having been discreetly released from the prison he was held in because the head executioner didn’t believe he deserved death. In exchange for being allied to eat the manju she wanted to offer her husband, Gintoki promised (her husband since it was his manju) to always protect Otose. She then took him, cleaned him up, helped him heal, and let’s him live with her. While she’s technically his landlady, Gintoki doesn’t pay rent, ever. To the extant that when his rival and him switch bodies, and said rival pays rent, she takes it as a sign of the apocalypse. Also I should note later arcs draw clear parallels between Gintoki and her husband And her other love interest, Jirochou, almost like he’s the kid they never had.

Catherine is introduced as a new employee of Otose’s, a middle aged woman who’s a dream employee right up until it’s revealed this is a con and she’s actually robbing Otose. Gintoki puts a stop to it, and Otose’s response it to, rehire her, realizing Catherine has no opportunities But crime otherwise. This creates an intense loyalty that while Catherine might bitch about, she once put her life on the line, telling her old crew she can’t do another job with them, leading them to try and beat her to death before Gintoki intervenes.

Then there’s Tama, a robot who began as a toy her creator made for his sick daughter, but as he kept improving upon her, eventually made her into a fully functioning android he essentially saw as his daughter. Then Tama is framed for murdering him, and then she learns he set it up to create a robot apocalypse. Afterwards Otose takes her in, and gives her a job working for her.

A final element of Otose’s adoptive nature is how she became one of the four devas of Kabukicho. The four devas are the most powerful people in Kabukicho and the other three are, a yakuza and former war hero/criminal, another former war hero/criminal who single handily took out fleets of enemies, and a former captain of the Harusame (space pirates). What did Otose do to join their ranks? Well she repeatedly helped people out when she didn’t have to, the repeated kindness she showed to everyone when they needed it meant that multiple residents were willing to put their lives on the line to defend her. Like it takes kidnapping the son of another deva and holding him hostage to get that fraction to turn on her.”

#one piece #one piece anime #whitebeard one piece #edward newgate #gintama #otose #serial adopters bracket #round 2 #tumblr tournament #tumblr polls #mod note: the way this is set up looks like otose is judging his abs and I’m LIVING for that

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tomezatos · 1 year

Text

LAST EPISODE Thoughts in No Particular Order,

(and from memory because I had one thousand million bajillion thoughts while watching the episode and I 100% guarantee I have forgotten half of them)

when Tome appeared on screen in her new uniform I screamed her name at 100 decibels in the highest pitch I have ever heard my voice reach I feel so fucking insane my GIRLLL does she even know what she’s done for my LIFEEEEE but also jesus christ I’m sorry to my parents for breaking the sound barrier and also their eardrums god forgive me

similarly high pitched was my scream of “SERIZAWA CAN ANSWER THE PHONE!” when. serizawa could answer the phone. bcause like. yeah. woaaagh

“Tome? Serizawa? Anyone home?” bro those are this man’s husband and daughter......

also speaking of Serizawa I am so proud of him for embracing his role as protector and guardian. he has come so far from his days of morally dubious self-loathing terrorism and I would place my life in his hands so willingly

THE FADE FROM SHOUJO TSUBOMI TO REAL TSUBOMIIIII the symbolization of the shift from the one dimensional framework of stereotypical main-and-love-interest relationship between her and shigeo to the truth of a connection based on honesty and acceptance!!! they are literally the blorbos of ALL TIME of all time........

tsubomi symbolizes shining acceptance for him tsubomi symbolizes a world where you can be your true self and not have to hide god god god god their friendship has so much meaning despite only realizing post-canon tsubomi takane I would readily die for you

just as it was so important that reigen see shigeo and not just mob it was important that reigen purposefully let his true self be seen. the healthiest love and care between humans necessitates that you let yourself be known as your worst, as your most destructive, as your most flawed and messiest self. and then you have to trust that you’ll be loved anyway. both shigeo and mob were already fully aware that reigen had no true powers but he needed to admit it himself; he needed to say it out loud so they knew that he would be honest with them. it’s a level of vulnerability that has always been dangerous for him, but just as shigeo had left himself vulnerable by taking over, reigen had to reciprocate that vulnerability to maintain their friendship. with no walls between them they could finally have true trust and connection and that is the most terrifying but also the most important and most wonderful thing in the world

it’s just them standing messy and torn and sharp and covered in dirt in the middle of a ruined city of their own making and it’s just them it’s just reigen and mob and shigeo, in the end. but they’re friends and they’re friends and they’re there for each other. they’re still friends and they’re there for each other. I am going to cry

the parallel frame of the two of them standing looking at each other where the background is gold and it mimics the sequence from the season three intro where shigeo is growing up but this time it is their real selves and not just the easy, idealized view of their relationship argahgrhgj. wahdhrvjf. waghf. agrh. a

ALSO the incredible fluidity but also the harshness and brutality and VIOLENCE above all the violence of the way studio bones animated the scene where reigen is trying so hard to reach shigeo and he just gets FUCKED he gets completely annihilated and smashed into everything and it’s hard to watch? that’s so so brilliant it is the messiness and violence of shigeo that mob and the viewer didn’t want to acknowledge but you have to see it. you have to see it and reigen has to see it and he is going to have to love it anyway. the show ever wtf

ALSO THE LOVE AND ATTENTION IN HOW THEY ANIMATED SHIGEO CRYING you can really see how much the animators respected and loved the manga there’s so much care put into it and the lineart and the coloring and the fluidity it’s so human it’s so real shigeo I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you so mcuj

speaking of shigeo he’s justt an angry teenage boy he’s an angry messy teenage boy and he can be selfish and destructive and hurt and pained but he’s not evil the show won’t treat him like he’s evil you know he’s not evil he’s just angry and he’s allowed to be angry and he’s so real I love him i love him I LOOOOVE You shigeo . god

like the choice to outline him in red which is so clearly a violent and destructive color but also he’s just shigeo it’s shigeo it’s your boy you’ve known him all along and it’s still him. he’s worried about his crush rejecting him

ALSO MY FAVORITE PANEL GOT ANIMATED FINALLY. *fist-pumping in the air* RITSU AND TSUBOMI FLOATING IN THE AIR <3333 thank you thank you thank you. the two most important characters in the world and in the story I WILL appreciate them. kisses them both on the forehead thanks for the whole narrative. #girl

speaking of. ritsu I LOVE him pointing and laughing at shigeo on the telephone pole so good it’s so good. ritsu kageyama is the number one character MOST objectively entitled to do literally anything to whoever he wants however he wants however much he wants forever. ritsu deserves to do anything. anything he wants. im bso proiud of him

ALSO THE RANDOM SCENE OF THE HAYSTACK WIG FLASHBACK WJAT WAS THAT. WHAT was that why did bones add that what was. am I forgetting that was that in the manga w. damn no matter what happens ritsu is too real to forget how much of a loser his friend was huh. honestly. fair! but RIP though

he’s not even mean about it he doesnt even say anything u should be thankful terOH YEAH WAIT TERU

TERU’S HERE HE’S BACK!! MY funny rich little capitalism mathboy. mine. and I like his hair actually!

REI UNIFROM REI UNIFORM REI UNIFORM REI UNIFORM REI UNIFORM REI UNIFORM REI UNIFORM!!!!!!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR FEEDING THE AWAKENING KIDS FANS OUR SCRAPS WE R STARVING

alsooo the fact that teru is positioned with his awakening lab kids in the ending sequence CRIES my god FRIENDSHIP IS THE POINT OF IT ALL...

RITSU SMILE!!!!!!!! EVERYONE SHUT UP

also ritsu and tome both making fun of reigen crying oh my god they r so right so cool so true 10/10 I support them bully him harder

also im still crying about tome graduation

heck what else?

OH SHOU yes yes okay SHOU AND SERIZAWA man. it’s so complex. them going from cornered child and neglectful adult (and shou canonically hating serizawa at that point) to genuinely healing and being able to sympathize and befriend each other. just a quiet background detail but such a meaningful quiet background detail I feel like I’m melting

tsubomi’s post-canon phone call outfit is so cute. the giant plushie is v cute. she is so cute. and also I love her did I say that btw have I mentioned that i love tsubomi takane did I say that. have I said that yet. I love tsubomi takane so much

lastly............... shigeo expressing himself. sincerely this series means so much to me and shigeo means so much to me. god.

excuse me to cry forever please

#OKOKOK had to get that out had to get that out. sorry. sorry #and also sorry to all the thoughts I forgot ill dig u up eventually...... maybe #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #mine #long post #tome #serizawa #shigeo #reigen #ritsu #tsubomi #teru #awakening lab kids #shou #mp100 spoilers #mob psycho 100 spoilers

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starseneyes · 1 year

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Hi! I'm currently re-reading some of your S5 Chenford metas along with my rewatch and wanted to ask if you could elaborate on something from the one for 5x08&5x09. When Tim says "You deserve someone who's worth the effort", you write that "they both know what he meant" and the he's putting himself out there. I think I kind of get it but I don't think I've ever fully gotten the whole meaning behind that particular line in that scene. Maybe you can shed some more light on this for me and share your thoughts if you have the time, it's been putting me on edge for days now, haha.

I appreciate all the work that must go into writing these metas, so thank you so much for sharing them with us. I very much love reading them!

OOoh, this is a fun one because there is a lot to unpack, and I've had more time to sit on it, so my view has shifted a bit from the initial write-up.

First off, thank you so much for reading and for sending this message. I appreciate it more than you know.

So, I'm just a wayward fan offering my thoughts, right? So, please take it all with a grain of salt.

I don't think that Lucy and Tim are on the same page in that scene.

Lucy is already starting to heavily question her relationship with Chris. The more Chris pushes and pushes and pushes on this house thing, the more she's recoiling.

Tim (of all people) being the one to talk this through with her is tough enough, because she has feelings for him that she's shoved deep down. And we all know Tim has feelings for Lucy, but thinks there's not a chance for them.

He tells her that she deserves someone who is worth the effort.

For Tim, he's trying to help her see her worth. He doesn't think he has a chance with her, so this isn't for him. He sees that Lucy has been coasting in this relationship, avoiding conflict, and that's not her. She's hiding who she is because this is safe, and it's easy, and it's void of reality.

Real relationships have conflict. You can't refine anything if you're always riding parallel, too afraid of disagreeing or arguing because that's all it takes for the veneer to crack.

He tells her that she deserves someone who is worth the effort, because real relationships take work. My husband and I butt heads often enough, but we work through it, together, because we are worth the effort.

Lucy is in a conflict-free relationship not because she and Chris never disagree, but because she just lets it go rather than arguing. To avoid fighting, she's avoiding conflict. And that's never going to work for Lucy Chen long-term.

I have seen "no conflict" relationships, and all of the ones I've seen in my friends/family are completely unhealthy. Each masking their true needs because they don't want to fight. Avoiding conflict because it's easier than having a hard discussion. They don't communicate. They don't work through issues. They coast... unhappy... but safe.

Tim wants more for Lucy. He wants her to be with someone who is worth the effort... someone who is worth going through the tough stuff with.

Because when you go through tough stuff, and you butt heads, and you compromise, and you have to work through—you have a healthier, stronger, more passionate relationship.

That's what Tim wants for Lucy. And though he says the line selflessly, once he's holding her gaze and the words leave his mouth, I think he can't help but think of all the effort she's put in for him.

And it's not that he thinks he has a chance... but that he realizes if she'll do all that for me, who she doesn't even want to be with, imagine what it'll be like for her with someone who's worth it.

But he wants to be that person.

So, I revise my original thoughts, a little, here. Because, he's not saying, "I'm the guy". He wishes he was the one who was worth it. Because they both know the effort she puts in when she truly gives a damn.

The moment he mentions "effort", both of their minds go to the effort she's put into him.

- Lucy didn't have to chase him down when Isabel was asking him to cross the line. - Lucy didn't have to stay all night at the Quarantine House. - Lucy didn't have to record all those books-on-tape. - Lucy didn't have to help him investigate his own heart regarding racism. - Lucy didn't have to help him process through some of his childhood abuse and reconnect with his sister.

But she did. Lucy chose to do things that inconvenienced her, that often resulted in them butting heads, that made for uncomfortable moments. Because Tim is worth the effort.

It's worth it to risk pissing him off and having an argument. It's worth it to risk his anger flaring and his defense mechanisms snapping into place.

And that is where I think they are both on the same page. They're both thinking about them.

And with what Tim said, Lucy's mind is reeling, because he is the one she's put the effort in for, long before romantic thoughts entered her brain.

Lucy always puts in the effort for the people she cares about. Tim does the same. Look at everything he's done for Angela, trying to help Mack, looking out for Rex. Lucy taking in Jackson and Tamara.

Romantic relationships need effort. They need two people who are willing to work through their issues rather than work around them.

Right now, Lucy's in a relationship where she and her work-in-progress aren't working through anything. They're not building anything because they're avoiding conflict. That's not sustainable.

My husband and I have been through the wringer in our relationship. But, it was always worth it. Because the more we unpacked why we were upset and frustrated, the more we peeled back layers of trauma and abuse that we were carrying without realizing.

Now, I'm not saying it should be all fighting, all the time. Not at all. Verbal and Emotional abuse are still abuse.

But, if there's never any conflict in a relationship, that can be a sign of a problem. Because there's no way that two people are perfectly aligned 100% of the time. We have to talk it out. We have to be willing to have hard discussions. We have to deal with disagreeing and butting heads.

Because, at the end of the day, we'll have worked through together. And getting to the other side stronger? Yeah, that's always worth the effort.

I hope that helps clarify my wild thoughts on this one. Thank you ever so much for the message and for reading! I hope you have a wonderful week.

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #The Rookie #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy

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roamwithahungryheart · 11 months

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Sorry if i'm bothering you (again) queen! I swear this is the last question.

After the finale we realized that maybe rebecca has always had a soft spot for ted and she was the one who fell for him and not the way around as we all assumed.

Do you think this is the case of "the boy fall hard but the girl falls harder" trope or it's more than this? According to you, when was the exact moment when they both thought "oh shit, i might like him/her" throughout the serie?

Not bothering me at all! Feel free to drop in whenever you like, I'm always down for a chat! 💖

Buckle up because this is gonna be a looooonnnng post!

In retrospect, it's interesting to think about because of the parallels they established in 3.04 in relation to Rupert's 'relentless' pursuit of Rebecca and how he 'just wanted to get to know me'. We immediately connect that to the way Ted slowly gets to know Rebecca and the daily ritual of Biscuits With The Boss.

The progression of their working relationship hits a new level in 1.04 when Rebecca's able to be vulnerable with him at the gala and they hug. She's letting him in, in spite of being afraid of doing that again. Also, let's not forget the way Ted compliments her dress on the night.

Sure, you could put it down to Ted being nice and hyping her up as a friend, but you can tell Rebecca's a little flustered.

The show establishes that they're each other's Work Husband and Wife around halfway through the first season. Their dynamic changes in a way that's reminiscent of - as I've said in a previous post - a classic Nancy Meyers movie marriage. They even put them in matching colors in Two Aces - the all-important introduction of red that ties us to soulmatism. But in doing that, it doesn't inherently establish them as a romantic pairing. They're a double act. You could easily view them as platonic.

However, he catches her off-guard again when she's doing that photo shoot - would you really talk to your boss like that? Ted's straight up flirting, whether he realizes it or not (because let's be honest, he's an oblivious little doofus!) and Rebecca takes the compliment like a pro.

Oh, and can we talk about the first truth bomb that happens in that same episode? Ted's reaction after they hug? He moves forward for a millisecond, as if he wants to go in for a kiss but holds back.

Ted & Rebecca's connection, whether romantic or platonic, has always been tied to vulnerability. They needed to both be open to receiving support from each other, and they only truly reached that point at Paul Welton's funeral (the 1991 scene tells us everything we need to know).

Ted had been (quite literally) holding the door open for her since 'I respect you didn't hurry'. She just didn't walk through it until she realized he was showing up for her without question, both in and outside of work. The funny thing is, Rebecca showed up for Ted in Carol of the Bells, and he wasn't ready. But there was a kind of silent acknowledgment of their bond in that episode. It was effectively an aside to the viewers.

Then we have the 'fuck the haters' text. The purple heart emoji. If you're gonna send a sympathetic emoji to a colleague, you don't send a heart. A friend does that. A romantic interest does that. The thing that further drills that point home is the juxtaposition with Michelle's text message. They immediately show us that Ted has two women in his life who care about him. It sets up a potential love triangle too, because they're both showing affection for Ted, and it's up to us to decide what kind of affection it is.

I think when Ted tells her she livens up the place, that's a little bit of a lightbulb moment. He's a naturally affectionate person, sure, but he's just admitted (again without realizing) that he enjoys being around Rebecca.

We have to talk about the Oklahoma thing, though. At first, they have nothing to say to each other. Ted's heart is open, Rebecca's is closed. By season three, it's become a little in-joke for them. They're actually communicating with each other on a deeper level. They've built mutual trust and comfort. That's been Rebecca's trouble all along - she's been so closed off, she never allowed herself to feel what she truly feels.

She jumps headfirst into fleeting, meaningless sex to distract herself. She can't even bring herself to listen to Sassy talk about what Ted's like in bed. She keeps tabs on Sassy & Ted, and in 3.05 it's pretty obvious that Keeley knows something's up (especially in the last episode, Keeley's face when Rebecca says she isn't ready to talk about replacing Ted speaks volumes).

I think it was kind of set up from the jump in season three that there's an unspoken thing between them. It's absolutely undeniable by the time we get to the airport scene in the finale.

TL;DR I think they both fell for each other early on, but it took the thought of losing each other to get them to finally acknowledge it.

#Ted Lasso #Ted Lasso s3 #ted lasso speculation #tedbecca

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kentray · 1 year

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Yet another theory: Roy/Keeley break-up

Near the end of S2 there were theories on Reddit that Keeley might be pregnant. They died down but I think that it might have been the case. So my theory is, I think a miscarriage or abortion may have caused Roy & Keeley’s break up. Again, it's long... so bear with me. And as always, this is just a theory because I felt there was more to the break-up and the show purposefully wants to keep us in the dark only for a major reveal later.

Keeley wasn’t shown drinking past S2E7 – yes, she had drinks in her hand & spoke of them, but she never actually drank – a kind of unwritten rule in tv with a pregnant woman. Nor did she smoke. (S1E10, 11, 12)

S1E10 Keeley’s behaviour at the funeral was erratic and a bit disrespectful of the environment but I chalked it up with her being emotional about death but what if her hormones were out of whack? She didn't know she was pregnant yet or she’d just realized?

She talked about wanting people to be nourished by the fruit from her tree – that’s a very allegorical parallel to pregnancy.

If Roy didn't know about the pregnancy until after the fact (miscarriage or abortion), the line in the funeral episode "I didn't know about the fucking child" was foreshadowing.

She looked directly at Roy when the reverend spoke about Rebecca’s father being a devoted husband and father.

She also did not do her PR duty with Rebecca. She needed to properly warn her of the repercussions of Rebecca’s relationship with Sam. I mean think of how aware Keeley was about that with those photos of her and Ted in S1 when she was dating Jamie. But if she had a pregnancy on her mind? Was she distracted?

In S1E12, having this huge opportunity to start her own company and being given the news via email? Is that realistic? Did she question any of this? Due diligence? Again, if she wasn’t thinking straight, if she had lots on her mind, it would all seem like too much at one time.

When Roy wanted to open the champagne in S2E12, she said, "I thought we wanted to save this for something really, really special?" What's more special than opening your own company? She then distracted him by proposing sex... avoiding having to drink but not having to say anything about why.

She also was at a crossroads. Her dreams were coming true as her career was soaring. She had the love of her life supporting her - but a baby? That wasn’t in the cards.

And then the trip to Marbella, she couldn’t go away. Fair enough… but encouraging Roy to go alone when he’d just arranged it all for them both? (I do not approve of his sudden surprise trip but that’s separate issue.) Having him away for six weeks would give her time to decide whether to keep the baby or not. She is scared and has never been in a long-term relationship before. Maybe has even dealt with pregnancy scares and been disappointed by partners?

So we get to S3 and they are broken up. She wanted a break, Roy wants a break-up. We know Roy has self-worth issues. He feels he weighs Keeley down. I believe he feels he’ll impact her ability to succeed – he’s got a lot of baggage and Keeley has been more than supportive. It’s unfair for her to have that burden. So that's what we see as his reason.

Fine… but Keeley – why won’t she work at it? Yes, she’s preoccupied but it’s obvious “being busy” is not the reason for the break-up. That’s an excuse. It seems obvious that they are covering with Phoebe and fine... but the carefulness with how they word things sticks out to me.

It’s also obvious Roy wants it to be known that HE is the reason for the break-up but he's still kind to Keeley. It's as if he’s protecting her.

So, what if she miscarried or chose to have an abortion?

We see Keeley as serious and sad at the beginning of S3, and in Episode 2, when Roy gives back her things in a bag at the club, her hair is ragged and she looks unhappy, putting on a brave face.

We then get a scene pointing out that her period is early due to stress. That surprised me. I would have considered Keeley to be a woman on the pill, or even more likely, an IUD. It's not impossible to have an early or late period on the pill but to show that scene? We now know she could get pregnant.

Also for symbolism? The use of the lamb with Keeley's storyline? Lambs represent gentleness, innocence, and purity and babies are often called little lambs. Also, the little lamb pooped over her work, twice, as if to say the lamb (the baby) impacted the quality of her work.

When Roy received all those sympathy well-wishes - what did it look like? Balloons and teddy bears and flowers? Mostly white? It looked like what people give new parents. No wonder Roy was angry. (Poor Trent.)

Her not knowing what CFO means? Not knowing who her VC “boss” was? The person who funded her? Her bad decisions? Even her decision to enter a relationship with Jack? All of this is Keeley regressing. She is new to all this but really not doing herself any favours. She is heartbroken, perhaps suffering from trauma from everything that's happened.

What she does do, is to seek comfort in a woman, rather than a man - and yes, while that provides LGBTQ+ representation, it also protects Keeley from getting pregnant again.

And Roy? What if he didn’t know until after the fact? And if that was the case, I think he would respect her agency. Her body, her choice, but it would indicate to him that she didn’t trust him to talk about it. It would confirm all the self-hatred in his head, the idea that he wasn’t enough, that no one could love him. And above that, if she did miscarry, he would feel immense guilt for causing her pain and sadness, especially as she was at an exciting time in her life. He would blame himself because Roy blames himself for everything.

Remember in S2E8,he told Phoebe he was afraid of infecting her with the worst parts of him? That is not a man who thinks he would be a good father even though S2 showed the audience why Roy would be a good father. Fatherhood is a major theme in the story. I thought it was foreshadowing at the time, perhaps it was.

Also, what if post-miscarriage/abortion Keeley had regrets? What if she talks about wanting to be a mother? This would also encourage Roy to bow out, because if she does eventually want a child, she should be with someone who is worthy of being a father. He likely might not word it that way - he might just be firm in the idea that he doesn't want to be a father.

Keeley would be devastated but would also respect Roy’s decision. She doesn’t have the energy to fight. She might think she's the one who has hurt him and he thinks he’s doing the right thing even if it’s hurting her.

I actually think Rebecca would know what happened and even would respect Roy for walking away if he doesn't want to be a father, because Rupert didn’t give her that choice. Which then would have led her to think of trying to be a mother again. And I noticed Rebecca didn't seem to be angry with Roy for breaking off with Keeley and hurting her, just frustrated. She understood and then she got after him to get a move on.

Now here we are. Roy and Keeley are both a mess. They are both regressing to old versions of themselves. Keeley is back to living life superficially and Roy is back to living life full of anger and hostility.

In S1, Keeley mentioned she had abandonment issues. Until Roy most of her relationships have been superficial, never getting close enough to be truly hurt. In S2, it sounded like she didn't have a good relationship with her mum. We never got to see this but perhaps she feared Roy would reject her, which he did.

And then of course Ep 9, ROY'S SPEECH ABOUT A FOOTBALLER'S WIFE MISCARRYING, Roy said, "He didn't tell anyone. He kept it all inside", Keeley gave an almost imperceptible nod and was near tears.

In S2E9, the man many called "Roy on 'Roids" & his sexy partner Mary were expecting a baby. A nod to Roy & Keeley? Guess who is at Beard's wedding with a baby on his chest?

When they were finally about to talk about their relationship, it was in Jamie's childhood bedroom... a child's bedroom. Sadly Jamie interrupted.

In S2, Headspace, Roy reads the DaVinci Code & quotes the point where the "old geezer" inflicts wounds on himself for his perceived guilt which is exactly what Roy has done all season because he felt he caused Keeley pain.

I tend to think it was a miscarriage and even the possibility that she talked to Roy about the pregnancy/the options prior to losing the baby, but that's all just guess work at this point.

While I could accept this as a reason, I still think they’ve missed the mark on storytelling by keeping it a mystery. It’s not fair to the viewers who have been on this journey and waited for 500+ days between seasons only to be left with no answers. It's been a really sad season if you love the Roy & Keeley love story.

#keeley jones #roy kent #roykeeley #ted lasso theory #ted lasso spoilers #royxkeeley #pregnancy storyline #roy and keeley #reeley #roy x keeley #roy kent keeley jones #keeley x roy #keeley jones independent woman #keeley/roy #rebecca welton #relationship trauma #PTSD #hidden storyline

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orionlakehastodie · 1 year

Text

Lol thank you S2 of Shadow and Bone

Okay you know what, Alina did not deserve Aleksander.

The initial draw that Darklina had for me was it's Reylo parallels

Aleksander and Ben are both people who wanted something good but the means they used to justify those ends are only moral in a utilitarian sense

-Ben has been persecuted all his life for being Vader's grandson, was preyed on by Palpatine and his own mother, father and uncle looked at him like he was some big problem and so he wanted to be ruler of a galaxy where he will no longer be persecuted

-Aleksander has been persecuted all his life for being Grisha, he has watched his own family die, his lover, and countless friends

-Both of them find an unlikely soulmate in the hero of the story

-Rey is an orphan seeking belonging, finding purpose in being the Last Jedi and being the savior of the galaxy and yet she's inexplicably drawn to Ben Solo

-Alina is an orphan seeking belonging, finding purpose in being the Sun Summoner and being savior of Ravka

Then there's the sizzling Force Bond connections between them that make everything extra appealing because who doesn't appreciate Force Bonds people?

But here is where things differ:

-When Rey found out that all of this happened to Ben (this meaning Luke tried to kill him, he has been hearing voices in his head, he feels alone) >Rey almost kills Luke, confronting him for what he has done >Ships herself to her Space Husband and tries to save him from Palpatine -When Ben however being the idiot that he is still chooses to stick with his rule the galaxy plan, Rey says fuck this and (rightfully) fights against him -Ultimately though, she admits that she wanted him, but not as Kylo Ren but as Ben, her Ben that she knows is in there

-Ben realizes that living wanting revenge and being angry all the time was not helpful to him and tries to make ammends -He saves Rey and I may not agree with his death as it truly defeats the purpose of his character arc but it was in keeping with character - Ben loves Rey more than anything, more than his own revenge

In the end the Dyad becomes a true soulmate pair, they love each other so much that they are willing to do anything for the benefit of the other, they love each other so much that nothing else matters.

This season 2 of Shadow and Bone was only palatable because of the chemistry Jessie and Ben have but ultimately

-Alina is a thoughtless, selfish child. She could not grasp why Aleksander did all of this in the way Rey understood why Ben did what he did to become Kylo. In her head Aleksander is just a monster, who lied to her and deceived her and she's the big warrior ready to defeat the big bad monster -I always hated Mal but I truly felt and sympathized with him this season because unlike in the books - Mal is fully supportive of Alina in her ventures and did not try to stop her from using her powers. He just tried to stop her from combusting and killing everyone around them. But how does Alina treat him - she ends up getting engaged to a Prince she flirts with THEN gets angry at Mal when Mal doesn't get jealous/hurt/fight for her. Like Alina girl, make up your damned mind about this. -She has no sympathy for anyone, and only feels bad for herself, seeking Merzost -in the end she uses the Cut which is like yeah, obviously, your girl was hungry for this power

-Aleksander was well fleshed out this season and we see the complex feelings he has for his mother and Alina, but as Ben Barnes described it the toxicity within him where he is unable to see reason in the way Ben Solo did his - therefore he was incapable of changing for people he loved

So in conclusion, I'm not so angry at the way this ended because truly Alina did not deserve Aleksander OR Mal OR Nikolaj. She's just this petty pathetic poorly written girl who's only value is that she can summon the sun.

Aleksander deserved to die because he would have never stopped his search for power because that came before love, before anyone or anything. His desire to save Grisha has been corrupted and in that way he never would have stopped even if he became Tsar.

Also kudos to Mal for breaking up with Alina. Like yes please run for your life this girl does not know what she wants and just uses people wishy washy

Can we be done with the Grisha arc because I'd much rather see Nina, Inej, Zoya and Genya featured - I loved how Inej and Kaz blossomed in this season and Jesper and Weylan are so cute. I need to see Nina and her Fjerdan together again

Also don't get me started on Genya - like was that fucking necessary.

I mean I never had high hopes about Leigh Bardugo but really kudos to the chemistry between Ben and Jessie and how they really brought some form of humanity into these characters that got me to love them, but no amount of Ben and Jessie can save this truly atrocious writing.

I also recently saw an interview where Ben was like - the way to win an Oscar is if you do something less good with me the year before and I really felt for him, someone needs to give Ben Barnes the script he deserves :(

#shadow and bone #ben barnes #jessie mei li #the darkling #darklina #reylo #malina

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stuckinapril · 1 year

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Hey, as someone (woman) with a similar predisposition, I lucked out by meeting my husband years ago, with a similar predisposition. People have called me naive for always expecting others to be good, and so have called my husband. We can't help seeing the best in people, it makes life easier instead of just focusing on the negative, the world is too dark as it is already. And I'll say yes, those statements do apply to some extent, to a lot of people in the general population. When my husband and I met, we'd both been single for over two years after we both left separate relationships with a lot of toxicity and manipulation that I won't get into, but to sum up, it was bad and traumatic. The funny thing is, we both grew up in the same town, and we're less than a month apart in age, which in our town meant hanging out with the same groups of people, but we never "saw" each other until six years ago. Literally, he'd be with his friend group out at a club and I'd be with my friend group out at the same club, and our tables would be right next to each other (I have photographic evidence of this!) and we never realized we were table to table. I knew the people around him, and he knew the people around me, but somehow we never noticed each other once. And there are so many instances of that happening throughout our lives. But I guess the universe or whatever you do or don't believe in thought our paths weren't meant to cross, just parallel each other's for about two decades until finally colliding. Anyway, enough romanticization, I wanted to say, there are good people out there, that are "naive' as others would say, like you (and I) are, and I hope you luck into finding your person. And who knows, they may have been under your nose the whole time, you just never took note.

wow thank you so much. this is such an inspiring story. i’m really glad someone out there thinks the way i do & has actually reaped from it

your story is literally SO cute by the way. y’all sound like star crossed lovers & i adore it 😭😭 thank you sm for this ask you seem so kind

#ask

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frosty-the-killer-doll · 5 months

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What are your superarrow headcanons if you don’t mind me asking?

disclaimer - i will be using my headcanon'ed pronoun sets for kara here, she/he/ne/xe/they/it/super/star/fae/ali.

kara's favorite part of his appearance is his eyes

she likes making blonde man jokes. why, as a man, are you blonde, oliver? kinda sus. he starts giving her a taste of her own medicine after she comes out as bigender. why, as a man, are you blonde, kara?

oliver always thought the supergirl skirt was impractical, so he was very happy when he saw the new s5 suit.

xe likes kissing him most when he has a good amount of beard stubble

it is not above carrying oliver on its back or in a bridal pose when they both need to get out of a fight/something or other quickly. when this happens and they end up being pursued, oliver shoots at them mid-air like this shitty sketch:

sometimes he forgets ne isn't as fragile or, a better word, human as felicity-- given how similar the two are and act. so whenever he slips up and tries to protect nem from a fight, ne immediately shows him up while staring straight into his eyes

they've been into each other since invasion!, but didn't realize it until crisis on earth-x by seeing how devoted and in love their nazi doppelgängers were:

after getting over the knee-jerk reactions, they begin to realize the parallels kara has to felicity and oliver has to mon-el... shit, they are each other's type! they don't act on anything until elseworlds, when oliver admits he considers kara and barry the best of them, and realizes he feels the same way he feels about barry (who, at least in the polycule au timeline, is his husband at this point) about kara, too. while kara is the first one to fully accept his feelings for ollie, oliver is the one that acts on those feelings- before oliver himself is even really sure what oliver is feeling.

kara isn't allowed on oliver's salmon ladder after breaking it twice.

they like comparing their muscles and working out together!! again, off the salmon ladder...

sometimes when oliver is out of it mentally, kara softly sings to him.

okay i keep getting distracted so i think that's a sign that i have no thoughts goodbye 🫡

#frosty answers #arrowverse asks #arrowverse polycule au #superarrow #kara danvers #oliver queen #arrow #arrow cw #cw arrow #supergirl #supergirl cw #cw supergirl

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scarlettatg · 2 years

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Some thoughts on what I think are parallels for Episode 504 Dear Offred

Episode 301 Night

Fire is associated with many things, including passion, desire, rebirth, resurrection, eternity, destruction, purge, hope, hell, and purification. Serena burns the ceremony bed (and the whole Waterford house). This after Fred allows Gilead to cut off her finger for wanting to change things for women in Gilead - to gain power and privileges she had willingly given away for Gilead. She realized she had made her bed and now had to lie in it. She had no protection or voice, she was as vulnerable as any other woman in Gilead. Her status as a wife offered her certain privileges/power as long as she played by her husband’s and the men‘s rules.

June burns the invitation Serena sent to Offred. This season seems to be an internal battle between June and Offred but I don’t think June will ever stop being Offred. Offred is not a switch she can turn off because she’s no longer in Gilead. “Gilead is within you”. I’m surprised it’s being portrayed like Offred is the negative violent aspect of June when in 410 she says “I miss her strength”. June burning this might symbolize that she’s going to focus her fight on getting Hannah and not in issuing her revenge on Serena. On using that anger and use it to find Hannah or to fight Gilead. I certainly hope it’s not a way to say I’m going to be the old June because I don’t think this June is the type to stay home and play house - that would be a disservice to her character in my opinion.

Episode 104 Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum

My favorite parallel in this episode was the June/Janine/Handmaid one. I remember the scene in 104 when June gets her feet lashes for running away (with Moira) and the Handmaids bring her food and stand in front of her kind of like in a formation. Showing her love and in a way admiration for trying. I always thought this was the moment that the Handmaids started looking up to June and we see something similar in the 504 scene with Janine. The new Handmaids love her, they’re glad she’s ok and you can see these new Handmaids do look up to her. Janine is now being a June to them and it’s interesting to see how that will play out.

Episode 104 Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum

An umbrella symbolizes shelter and protection. It can symbolize protection against bad situations, like an event of misfortune is coming your way and hence you need that emotional security. It can also be an indication of wanting more emotional support than what you currently have. They are also emotional shields between us and the outside world. In both of these scenes both women are being protected by guardians who are the ones holding the umbrella (offering the protection). June is on her way out of the Waterford house after being inside her room for days. Serena is walking in to the unknown in what seems could be a role reversal. Nick is completely outside of the umbrella. He wants June to be completely protected. Ezra is halfway in the umbrella telling me he protects Serena but not completely.

Episode 104 Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum

In both of these scenes Serena is high up looking out the window down at June. The first time it’s when June is finally allowed to leave her room (after we see her manipulating Fred so I assume it was his doing undermining Serena’s authority). This is a battle that June clearly won’t at the end. Even though Serena is above June in the power structure in Gilead, I think that this shows how June has always been more than Serena. She had love in Gilead, was able to have her own daughter, women followed June, the Handmaids seemed to care for her wether the relationship with the wives seemed convenient in a way. So even though Serena is looking down at June, June has always been what Serena wanted to be. In 504 the dynamic has changed. June is “free” but Serena didn’t choose freedom. She’s still pretty much dictated by the men in Gilead. Now Serena is trapped in that building scared. June isn’t scared of Serena anymore she’s scared of herself and her feelings of wanting to kill Serena. Tuello says to June and Luke that Serena basically has nothing when June in a way still has everything Serena wanted. In a way it’s some sort of karma but for June (not for me) it isn’t enough.

Episode 210 The Last Ceremony

This one is interesting. Serena’s arrival at the Wheelers scream the Waterfords; for example: the W when the gate opens, the stairs and the call back to this scene. This scene played out in the open with Nick still in the frame where in Serena’s case she’s inside the house alone. June doesn’t coward or allows Serena to take away this moment. “No one knows the things of God” is what she tells her before continuing her journey inside the house with Nick by her side. When both Serena and Mrs. Wheeler pray they kneel and placing their hands on the belly symbolizing an adoration to the pregnancy. Serena is obviously uncomfortable and the scene screams that something isn’t ok, but June walked into the house knowing that her baby was going to be taken away but with clear strength and conviction.

#the handmaid's tale #june osborne #gilead #nick blaine #serena waterford #the handmaids tale season 5

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attonitos-gloria · 1 year

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What's your favorite tyrion relationship/dynamic?

aaaaah the latest to answer things ever! sorry for this and thank you for the ask!

hah. every single interaction tyrion has is perfect. but i'll nail it down to three, am i allowed?!

Tyrion/Penny. Tyrion/Penny. Tyrion/Penny. Not romantically. Just. Oh my God. Penny trying to kill him when she first meets him and then befriending him and Tyrion projecting all his internalized ableism on her, and trying to make her into a cynical and not making it because she is too sweet....... cannot cope with this relationship. I love grumpy and dark guy/sunshine girl relationships so much? They fit into a trope that has almost been reinvented here; Tyrion is older, he tries to protect her, they are on the road together... they are great foils to each other, and a nice parallel to Jaime/Brienne, too. I'm just very grateful that George gave us Penny. If someone happens to her I don't know what I'll do. I want to grow a full garden for her. Deep in his heart Tyrion wants it too, I just know it.

Tyrion/Cersei/Jaime. The tragedy! The Gender of it all! If you're raised with an angry man in your house, there will be always an angry man in your house! This is by far and large the best sibling dynamics in ASOIAF. I will not be taking questions at this time.

Tyrion/Sansa. And listen. LISTEN. I need to write a disclaimer here and a long essay. This ship is not my OTP in a romantic sense, necessarily. I have a lot of fun writing fluff for them, but that is not even my favorite version of this pairing. It's not the romance that draws me to them; canonically, they don't have romantic feelings for each other, and I think they won't ever have.

It's the marriage that draws me. I think we live in a world where it comes as granted, given and obvious that marriage is a sort of reward that lovers earn for their passion, for falling in love. Nothing wrong with that; I married a person of my choosing, a person I fell in love with. Nothing against courtly romance in ASOIAF, either. But I think, in Westeros, the relationships that touch me, that rip me off from my core, are about a certain kind of loyalty? About a permanence, about things that linger and remain. A stubbornness, if you will.

It's like Elizabeth and Phillip in The Americans - the marriage is bigger than the romance. Marriage in ASOIAF can mean many things. It means power, it means abuse, it means peace and security, it means love for some. And I think, in Sansa's and Tyrion's case, it means mostly abuse; it means War. The marriage is a plan to seize the North. Period. There's no way around it. Everyone knows, including both of them. But I admire the way they have turned it into protection, into a sort of harbor? Tyrion marries Sansa after they are both utterly humiliated before the court and then he spends the rest of their short marriage leaving her alone, because that's what she needs from him. They are so lonely in this marriage. They are an absence in each other's life. It's so painful to read. I think a lot about how Sansa thinks she will never marry for love:

Tyrell or Lannister, it makes no matter, it's not me they want, only my claim. "You are kind, my lord," she said, defeated. "I am a ward of the throne and my duty is to marry as the king commands."

He studied her with his mismatched eyes.

"I know I am not the sort of husband young girls dream of, Sansa," he said softly, "but neither am I Joffrey."

and Tyrion, one chapter later:

I want her, he realized. I want Winterfell, yes, but I want her as well, child or woman or whatever she is. I want to comfort her. I want to hear her laugh. I want her to come to me willingly, to bring me her joys and her sorrows and her lust. His mouth twisted in a bitter smile. Yes, and I want to be tall as Jaime and as strong as Ser Gregor the Mountain too, for all the bloody good it does.

What is it that they are longing for? Each other? Hardly; they long for a real marriage. Tyrion projects these wishes onto Sansa simply because Sansa is the wife he was given. But they can’t have it with each other. He knows it, and Sansa doesn’t even consider Tyrion might be able to love her. Why would she? She is literally a hostage for Tywin to have a claim on Winterfell. Tyrion himself says that he did not ask to marry her.

Most of Sansa's observations about Tyrion are about how not there he is most of the time. When he is, she is anxious and scared of saying/doing the wrong thing, or afraid because she doesn’t know what is it that he wants from her, since he never consummated the marriage anyway. Most of Tyrion's observation about Sansa are about how much she is not the person he wanted, because Tyrion is, at his core, a wife guy without a wife, and now he has one, and she is 1) a child and 2) a hostage and 3) afraid of him for 193128 reasons. He looks at her searching for Tysha and he doesn’t find her because Sansa is NOT translucent. She is a solid person! Covered in a thick armor of courtesy who refuses to personificate his wishes and fantasies! Tysha was warm and caring, Sansa is coldly lady-like and polite; Tysha wanted him, Sansa jumps out of their marriage bed at the first chance and is disgusted by him; Tysha was in love with him, Sansa is scared of him.

It's all so pathetic, it's so miserable, and so sad, and overall divorce-coded, and still:

"A marriage..." Her throat tightened. She did not want to wed again, not now, perhaps not ever. "I do not... I cannot marry. Father, I..." Alayne looked to the door, to make certain it was closed. "I am married," she whispered. "You know."

and then:

Littlefinger smiled. "Widowhood will become you, Sansa."

The thought made her tummy flutter. She might never need to share a bed with Tyrion again. That was what she'd wanted... wasn't it?

and also:

I will tell my aunt that I don't want to marry Robert. Not even the High Septon himself could declare a woman married if she refused to say the vows. She wasn't a beggar, no matter what her aunt said. She was thirteen, a woman flowered and wed, the heir to Winterfell. Sansa felt sorry for her little cousin sometimes, but she could not imagine ever wanting to be his wife. I would sooner be married to Tyrion again.

and then:

"I never meant… I never kissed a boy before, but … I only thought, what if we drown, and I… I…"

"It was sweet," lied Tyrion, "but I am married. She was with me at the feast, you may remember her. Lady Sansa."

and also this:

"Did Sansa Stark do it, then?" Lord Tyrell demanded.

I would have, if I'd been her. Yet wherever Sansa was and whatever her part in this might have been, she remained his wife. He had wrapped the cloak of his protection about her shoulders, though he'd had to stand on a fool's back to do it. "The gods killed Joffrey. He choked on his pigeon pie."

I am fascinated by this, because, anon: they hate their marriage! They loathe it!!!!! They don't hate each other, they actually care in their own way, but none of them wanted to be there! They just pull the Marriage Card out of their sleeves when there's something worse happening because at least they left each other be, at least there was an implicit accord that this - a sort of island of peace - they could grant each other! It's not good but it's the best they can do and they do it; they are not in love but they are LOYAL to each other. Sansa doesn't want Tyrion to suffer or to die; Tyrion doesn't want Sansa to take the blame for Joff's murder, even though she looks suspicious and even though it might cost him his life. Sansa relies on Tyrion for her protection, she trusts he will not hurt her, she thinks back on him, basically, as the man who tried to protect her, the man who didn’t bed her, didn’t harm her when he could. I think this is the only explanation for the fact she touches him (literally touches him, outside the context of marriage bed: Sansa reaches out to hold his hand, clutches his arm on a whim when she’s upset. Tyrion is a Reliable Person for her, and that is not something that Sansa can say about most people). Tyrion feels sad for her, for her family; he wishes he could soothe it, he can’t feel any joy in the victory of his family because he knows it comes at the expenses of his wife. They do care! They are alone but they are alone together; there’s trust and kindness there. And this kindness serves nothing, absolutely nothing, it doesn’t fix anything, it doesn’t change their situation, it doesn’t help them to communicate to each other, it doesn’t make them talk. It’s not a bridge, it’s not a way for Tyrion to try to win her heart or her attention; this kindness is pointless and meaningless and this is why it breaks my heart.

There’s something about being kind with no expectation of reward or results that just makes me go absolutely feral. And there’s something about married people holding onto their wedding vows, miles away, that makes me just *bites fist*

my God. I love them very much. I think they are each other's keepers in a very layered, interesting way and the way George wrote them, honestly? I think they contain multitudes. They could be friends, siblings, family. They could be allies, partners, each other’s advisors. They could be enemies. They could be lovers. They most definitely could be either bitterly divorced or bitterly married. *shrugs* and this is nice because whatever comes in the next books, I’ll be fine. They don’t need to be happy with children! I just need to read them in Situations, you know?

(Sorry this got long <3 this is what happens when people drop Tyrion asks in my inbox!!!!)

#king of my heart #ask me stuff #i'm not even going to put this in the sansa x tyrion tag #but yes. george ruined my life.

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jesse-eisenberg-interview · 2 years

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About When You Finish Saving The World

In high school Ziggy is somewhat less than popular, but on social media he’s a young folk-music star. He engages with the whole world, except his mother, Evelyn, who works relentlessly as a social worker. There’s static on the line. Jesse Eisenberg weaves the portrait of these two characters – exquisitely played by Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard – in their quest for acknowledgement and affection. A punchy, witty and utterly elegant dramatic comedy.

Interview with Jesse Eisenberg

How did you decide to take the plunge and get behind the camera?

“My background as a writer is playwriting and, when I think of stories, they are almost always for the theater. In fact, this story began as a three-person audio drama for Audible, comprised of a series of monologues. When I started to explore the story further, it became clear that it would work well as a film. The story had elements that were inherently cinematic – interesting settings like a women's shelter and small college town America; internet performances and online fame; two characters who don't get alonge but who are living parallel lives. As I began writing the movie, I tailored it to my strengths, which are character-centered humor and an interest in good performances. And I avoided writing anything I felt would be too difficult for me to direct in a first film, such as technically complicated sequences or sharp shifts in tone. I felt that I had been on enough movie sets to understand what would be required of me for this kind of movie.”

Why did you choose precisely to talk about the relationship between a working mother politically committed and her teenage son who tries to understand why everything is political around him ?

“I think this story represents an internal struggle that I deal with all the time. I am in the arts – like Ziggy is in this movie – but I am surrounded by people who are doing social justice work – like Evelyn is in this movie. And I have trouble reconciling the value of my work versus the value of social work. The debates that Ziggy and Evelyn have about the meaning of their respective lives are the debates that run through my mind daily. And they both make good arguments for their lives – their common flaw is that they overlook each other's goodness.”

The cast is amazing. How did you make your choices?

“When I was casting Ziggy for my Audible project, my wife suggested Finn Wolfhard because she knew he was also a musician. After about a seven minute Google search, I realized he was not only so talented and funny and bright, but also perfect for this role. As the movie became a reality, I was just wishing that his busy schedule would allow him to be able to be available.

The day I finished the screenplay, I asked my agents to send it to Julianne Moore. Is there a more compelling, brave, rigorous, luminous screen performer? She has been my favorite actress since I started watching movies that were not about Ninja Turtles. I had the sense that Julianne might like the character because there is a rigidity and specificity to her that I know actors enjoy playing. So I had the feeling that I would be able to attract someone of her caliber who, by all other accounts, is overqualified for a smaller movie like this.

As for the other main characters, I only knew of Jay O. Sanders, who plays Julianne's husband. He's one of my favorite theater actors from this series of Richard Nelson plays and I wrote the role with him in mind.

Billy Bryk, who plays Kyle, is Finn Wolfhard's real life best friend. Finn told me his best friend was auditioning for the role but I didn't realize it was Billy. When I saw Billy's audition, I was elated. He was so perfect for the part – realistic, enigmatic, charming, masculine in an unthreatening way. And when I found out it was Finn's friend, I felt it had been fated somehow. Finn and Billy play characters that are so culturally and temperamentally opposed to each other but both have to fit into Evelyn's idea of what a son could be. So it felt like not only great casting, but also spiritually cohesive.

Alisha Boe initially turned down the audition for this movie because she heard the role was a high school student and she felt she had outgrown that experience. I could certainly understand that because I went through a similar experience as a young actor. However, one of the challenges we had with casting this role is that actors often felt too young for the nature of the dialogue. My wife knew of Alisha and showed me an interview with her and I knew she'd be right. She can play sharp and self-actualized and generous without being obsequious. She's an outstanding actress.

Eleanore Hendricks plays the final leading role. This is the toughest role in the movie because it's one of those movie roles that feels strange when played by a more traditional actor. There are certain dramatic beats that, if played traditionally, seem like melodrama. Eleanore's instincts and presentation are completely singular and the way she interprets language and conversation is so unusual that she allows me, as the director, to shape the expectations of her character in an unpredictable way. She's a very special actor and an important presence in independent film.”

What was the biggest challenge during the shooting, for you as a director?

“The biggest challenge for me was dealing with and worrying about Covid. We were shooting at the worst possible time – at the height of the pandemic before vaccines were available. It impacted every aspect of production – from the number of extras we could safely use to the hours we could work to flights getting cancelled at the last minute to losing an actress the day before shooting to a Covid exposure (she was not symptomatic). I felt very fortunate to be able to shoot during that time and very thankful to A24 for allowing so many contingencies, but it was unusually stressful. Luckily, though some tested positive and had to isolate for ten days, no one on our crew developed serious symptoms.”

The photography is fantastic, very elegant. How did you work with your DOP?

“Emma Stone, Dave McCary and Ali Herting are the producers of this movie. And even before we met with Ben Loeb, our cinematographer, they encouraged me to shoot on film. I've worked a lot on 16mm and always loved the look of it and felt it would be fitting for this story. When we met with Ben Loeb, he agreed and was very eager to shoot on film. Ben became my right hand during the production. We have very different sensibilities – I am anxious and impatient and desperate to be funny and Ben is elegant and calm and Scandinavian. We are a good match because I know my instinct for humor is best when it's reined in.

Ben is as specific as he is versatile. From Mandy to Pieces of a Woman, he can do heightened theatrics and naturalism with equal skill. I loved the use of zooms in my friend Richard Ayoade's movie, Submarine, because zooms can feel simultaneously heartfelt and satirical. They can bring you closer to a character while also commenting on that character's behavior. I thought this would work for our movie because the movie features two leading characters that are very emotional people but who also act in some comically self-conscious ways. I asked Ben if we could get away with a few zooms and crossfades and he was thrilled. This became our language – a kind of naturalism mixed with some wry commentary on the characters in their more embarrassing moments.”

How did you come up with the songs played by Ziggy in the film?

“The music in the movie came out of my Audible project. When I was writing this story as an audiobook, I thought it would be interesting to take advantage of the medium and have Ziggy be a singer-songwriter, rather than just a cool internet 'influencer.' So I started writing songs for him to sing and Finn actually sings them on the Audible project. The goal with the songs is that they be simultaneously immature and skilled, raw but well produced, young but not stupid.

When I was thinking about the score for the film, my first thought was that the music is an extension of Ziggy's world. I met with Emile Mosseri, who's one of the great geniuses working in independent film today, and mentioned this concept. He immediately started sending me samples of music that sounded 'homemade.' We connected to this cheap Casio keyboard riff that opens and plays throughout the movie and ultimately becomes Ziggy's finale. Emile's score is so unusually brilliant because it's deceptive – it plays like traditional movie score while also seeming like something Ziggy would have written (I wrote the dumb songs that Ziggy sings in the movie like "Alumni Alone," which he sings in the club.).”

SOURCE

#jesse eisenberg #when you finish saving the world #2022

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