Vintage Pulp - Saucy Movie Tales (Mar1936)

Art by Norman Saunders

Movie Digest

Sorry I’m late to the meme but here’s my offering

Modern au where steddie are dating long distance.

They meet online, chatting about the fanfiction that Eddie writes and Steve reads. They chat about shared interests in tv, and movies, and music. About shitty parents and coming out. And then it sort of evolves from there.

Messaging, turns into phone calls, turns in video calls, turns into racing hearts and sweaty palms when they see a notification from the other. Turns into counting down the seconds until they can open their laptops and call. Turns into hardcore longing, and pining, and whispering I like you through the screen.

They start dating.

Steve will send him messages ending in hearts and kisses. Will send him thirst trap photos he takes at the gym. Takes photos of the dinner he makes and sends it to Eddie with captions saying he's saving him a piece <3. Learns to make Eddie's favourite foods, so he can make them for him when they meet.

Eddie sends him previews of the fic he's writing. Photos of him performing with his band, sweaty and smiling. Serenades him over video call, acoustic guitar perched in his lap. Watches the basketball with Steve, each from their respective living rooms.

He wonders what it would be like if they were together. If Steve could cook him the dinner he learnt just for him, if Eddie could curl into his side as they watch the game together, Steve whispering the rules of basketball into his ear.

He wonders what it would be like to kiss Steve. To feel those plump lips on his. To taste him. His sweat, his flavoured chapstick. Would he put his hands on his waist? His jaw? Cradle his face? Would he make it slow and sweet? Or rushed and desperate? Would Steve whisper I love you into the warmth of Eddie's mouth?

But they live on opposite sides of the country.

He loves what they have. He loves having Steve. But Eddie wants what other people have. Would like to go on a date that isn't through a laptop. Would like to be able to kiss and hug and even just touch his boyfriend.

OKAY who wants to hear about why i think nimona challenges amatonormativity? you do! 🫵

one of the main ways this is accomplished is through ballister and ambrosius’s relationship. it’s arguable that it doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional model of romance - not only are they a queer interracial couple, and not only is their relationship ambiguous in the book, but there are certain instances, especially in the movie, that subvert traditional ideas of romance and friendship.

one instance that really stands out to me is when the director asks ambrosius what’s on his mind and he goes on his imagined rant about how arm-chopping isn’t a love language - you know the one. when he mentions ballister, he refers to him as “the man i love, my best friend.” and not just one or the other, but both! the man i love, and my best friend. he places equal emphasis on both the romantic and platonic aspects of the relationship, valuing ballister in both a romantic context and a platonic context without treating either one as more important than the other.

and even moments such as the first “i love you” and the kiss manage to subvert tradition. both of these things are generally seen as a pretty big deal, especially in fiction - if the characters are kissing or saying “i love you,” it’s usually a moment in which everything changes. a line is drawn, dividing the story into after and now. sometimes it’s dramatic and climactic, with fireworks and a swell of music, but even when it isn’t it’s still seen as a turning point of sorts. now it’s official, now it’s real. but this isn’t the case in nimona. both moments are certainly significant - they do a good job of showcasing the character development and where ballister and ambrosius are on their respective journeys, and are certainly important in terms of representation - but neither one follows the path that most fictional romance does.

another way in which nimona challenges amatonormativity would be the emphasis on friendship! in the tavern scene (in the movie) when ambrosius suggests killing nimona, ballister disagrees and says “she’s my friend.” ambrosius replies with “aren’t i more than that?”, implying he’s more important than a friend - thus upholding amatonormative ideas. ballister becomes angry at that and leaves - challenging this idea and prioritizing his platonic relationship with nimona over his romantic one with ambrosius, as nimona is the one he wants to defend.

additionally, a big part of this scene is the way ballister deliberately rejects institute values while ambrosius unintentionally upholds them. and because the story challenges homophobia and transphobia (and other forms of bigotry) through the lens of the institute, it would make sense for it to challenge amatonormativity too! it’s something that’s become incredibly normalized, to the point that lots of people don’t even know it exists, and this is reminiscent of the institute brainwashing, especially when it comes to ambrosius - he’s been manipulated his whole life and probably genuinely doesn’t understand the level to which he’s internalized institute beliefs.

ballister prioritizes nimona many times, actually. when he tells ambrosius she’s “smart, kind, and quite sophisticated,” when he’s overjoyed to see her again at the end, when he refuses to kill her and saves her instead. over and over, he proves how much he cares about her, even when this involves directly going against what ambrosius wants - which, of course, is really what the institute wants. a core tenant of amatonormativity is the false notion that romantic relationships are more important or valuable than other types of relationships, but ballister actively goes against this!

to conclude, as a story that at its core is about identity and challenging societal beliefs, nimona defies expectations and traditional ideas of what it should or shouldn’t be. it’s possible that amatonormativity wasn’t what the creators had in mind, but the story still manages to challenge it with grace and elegance. just like its main character, nimona refuses to conform to what others want it to be.

The fact that Ganke was playing Spider-Man on his screen as Miles was running around getting dressed in a hurry to get to the party on time made my day fr

You bet your ass I'm going to see the Barbie movie after I saw the AD video of the set

No CGI???

Actual TANGIBLE things and props??

The background is painted old movie style???

I've never been more happy in my life

watched nope today and was extremely normal about it

MOBY BARBIE?!

Vintage Pulp - Saucy Movie Tales (June1936)

Art by Norman Saunders

Movie Digest

Speedrunning Dune by watching Dune Part 1 for the first time yesterday and then going to see Dune Part 2 in theaters tonight. LMAO

Current fantasy rn is a petite girl swallowing something whole and whining while her tummy bulges and rounds out, gurgling like crazy. Her insides are super strained and working overtime to process her large meal, but until it’s digested she needs to lug around that swollen belly on her tiny frame alllll day. She tries to hide it under her clothes, but of course her shirts are too thin to keep that gut tied down~

If she’s swallowed something living, then all the squirms and twitches are visible from the outside, and people will think she’s pregnant until the belly can soften up. If it’s something else, like an object, then I can imagine it might block up her system and she won’t be able to eat for a while.

Maybe she’s the unfortunate victim of some sort of alien or unknown beast that’s filled her up with its eggs. She tries to pass them but it’s no use, they clack around in her stomach and continue growing, and the girl whimpers as she realizes that those things aren’t coming out of her until they’re good and ready…

*violently explodes*

I really loved Nope. I can’t stop thinking about the scene when Emerald is talking about how she was supposed to train Jean Jacket and Pops never looked up at her at the window but OJ did. OJ acknowledged her and saw her. He named the Creature “Jean Jacket” as a way of saying, here’s the chance you wanted. The chance you never got. And she is the one who finally solved the puzzle and killed it/got it to leave. And she got her picture. I’m so proud of them, best siblings ever

im just gonna say without context:

sometimes yall equate a piece of media making you feel sad/introspective/disappointed/angry/fired up with being “bad” and i just really wish you would learn to love and enjoy things outside of fan service

Ryan phillippe AI Zoom Out

Vegan whipped cream exists!! I've made it before. You just get coconut cream in a can and put it in the fridge overnight, and then beat the crap out of it the next day until it has soft peaks!! Unless you're allergic to coconut :( in which case I apologize and this ask is useless 😂

I hate coconut 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Seriously, being super picky and weird about food is the worse when you also have allergies and intolerances 😔😔😔😔😔

I appreciate that - at this point it might be might best shot so. I'll give it a go one of these days, although I have very low hope. I do really really REALLY love coconut flavoured yogurt so 🤔 who knows.

But seriously. We have vegan milk. We have vegan cooking cream. Vegan butter. Vegan yogurt (although I'm okay with regular). Vegan ice cream (which I do love actually).

Why. Do we not. Have vegan whipped cream that *tastes* like regular whipped cream?? Why chickpea juice?? Can't yall scientists just hurry up and find a solution?? I wanna eat my waffles THE PROPER WAY okay?