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iamcalmdammit · 1 year

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Dirty Thoughts || [Simon "Ghost" Riley x f!reader]

Note: Dirty thoughts don't care where you are, they just appear. Ghost learns this the hard way while he's waiting for Soap with you in that church tower.

(Sort of a part one here. But it can be read without that.)

Ghost and you made it to the church a few hours after escaping Shadow Company and he quickly set up a sniper position in the tower. He'd been keeping in touch with Soap the entire time, relieved to hear that the sergeant made it out of the situation alive. His thoughts were focused on the task to survive in a hostile environment, but the two of them tried to lighten the mood a bit by telling jokes to each other.

But then Soap went awfully quiet and he was beginning to worry. Did they find him? Was he in danger? Well, in bigger danger than usual, that is. "Where the hell is he?" he asked quietly, mostly from himself.

"I'm sure he's fine," you said with a reassuring smile as you pointed at two Shadows across the square.

Ghost casually took them out then turned to you. "He hasn't said a word in half an hour."

"Maybe he has to stay quiet now."

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, even closing his eyes for a second while he took a deep breath to calm himself. "I hope he's okay out there," he spoke up eventually.

"It's cute that you're so worried."

"I'd rather call it annoying."

"Hey, look at me." Ghost did as you said and turned to you with a questioning look. There was something about the tone of your voice that managed to calm his thoughts in an instant. "He's a big boy, he can protect himself," you told him.

It was true. Soap was an experienced soldier, he could surely do it. He had been doing well before he went no contact, so maybe you were right, maybe he was just at a place that was full of Shadows. "You're right," he noted.

Letting out a sigh, he checked the square again but there was no sign of the enemy. Even though he tried to focus, his mind kept wandering back to the one thought that had been returning since the Shadows' betrayal. What happened was his fault alone, he was in charge, he should have put the pieces together sooner.

Shaking your head, you suddenly moved over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?" you asked with your eyes focused on him, and he could tell you were worried about him.

"This one's on me, I should have known better," he told you.

"What are you talking about? None of us saw that coming."

"You told us you didn't trust Graves."

You rolled your eyes at this. "Yeah, because he's like Prince Charming from Shrek," you began to explain. "Perfect and gorgeous on the outside, and an amoral idiot on the inside.

Perfect and gorgeous on the outside? Interesting. "Does this mean he's your type? Looks-wise, I mean," he clarified.

Ghost expected you to think about your answer, or at least hesitate to say it, but you immediately stated, "He is."

"So you're the type of girl who's head over heels for guys with blond hair and blue eyes," he noted quite sadly, believing for a moment that you wouldn't like what he looked like. After all, sure, you flirted with him when he had the mask on, but what would you think once he took it off? If you weren't his type then he didn't stand a chance.

Focusing on inhaling and exhaling, he looked into the scope of his weapon to check the square. He found a Shadow, eliminated it, then glanced over at you out of the corner of his eye. It was strange. When he had told Soap not long ago that he was handsome under this mask, he wasn't lying. Past girlfriends said that often, picking up women had never been an issue, but this situation? This scared him.

What if you rejected him despite everything?

As if you figured out what was on his mind, you grabbed him by the chin to make him look at you. "Your eyes are just as beautiful. Just saying," you added with a warm smile.

"But you haven't seen my face yet," he pointed out.

"Yet? So there's a chance I will?" You sounded so excited all of a sudden, that it made him laugh. If only you knew what was going through his mind lately whenever he looked at you… Well, he could just as well tell you. "What? Why are you laughing?" you asked confusedly.

"Because I wouldn't do the things I want to do to you while wearing a mask," he said bluntly.

Your face lit up and you laughed a little as well. "You have my attention. Could you elaborate?"

"Ghost, you copy?" came Soap's voice through the earpiece.

Finally. "Johnny! Where are you?" he asked hurriedly.

"Not far from the RV point."

"We're already inside the church."

Soap remained silent for a few seconds. "We?"

"Y/N's with me," Ghost informed him. The two had talked a lot since the incident, but this was the first time he mentioned you at all.

"I thought she was on their side."

"Apparently not. We'll be waiting for you. Tell us when you get here."

"Rog."

"And keep me updated while you're on the way."

"Sure."

When Ghost looked over at you, relieved that Johnny was okay, he noticed that you were watching him with an expectant look. When he let out a questioning hum, you said, "So will you elaborate?"

Oh, that. "No." This wasn't the right time to discuss his dirty little thoughts with you. If he went into the details, there was a chance he would use the opportunity that you're alone to get what he wanted from you.

"Okay, keep your secrets then," you told him eventually, moving back to your previous spot and turning back to the square.

He did the same, desperately trying to focus on the task at hand. Soap would soon show up and it would be time to move. He had to make sure the area was clean by the time he got there, so he kept scanning his environment.

But it wasn't enough to avert his thoughts. Even the way you breathed caught his attention, and he kept finding himself looking over at you out of the corner of his eye. "You're killing me," he noted quietly.

But apparently he wasn't quiet enough because you turned to him with raised eyebrows. "I didn't say anything."

"You don't have to. Just being around you is getting frustrating," he admitted, talking about the effects of thinking about being intimate with you.

You looked around then pointed at the door. "Should I leave?" you asked.

"No."

Upon hearing this, you let out a quiet chuckle. "Thought so."

"Shadows are committing war crimes outside, Soap's fighting for his life somewhere, and here I am, having trouble not thinking about fucking your brains out. Unbelievable," he groaned.

"I'm a distraction."

"That you are."

"That's bad."

He nodded. "Really bad, yeah."

Once you broke eye contact and turned back to the small window, you cleared your throat. "Well, you'd better figure something out because Soap will soon get here and it will be time to move. You need to focus."

"Trust me, I'm on it," he barked, maybe sounding a little colder than intended.

Just before you could come up with something, Soap's voice filled his ear. "I'm almost there."

"We'll meet you outside."

"Copy."

"Let's go, he's almost here," he told you as he stood up and began to gather his things. You did the same then began to walk towards the door, but he quickly reached out to grab your hand. "Hey, wait." You stopped and gave him a questioning look. "Be careful out there."

"You too," you said with a smile as you squeezed his hand.

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #simon riley #simon ghost riley #call of duty #modern warfare ii #modern warfare

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reallyromealone · 27 days

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Title: young and beautiful

Fandom: Shrek

Pairing: prince charming x male reader

Warnings: tall strong reader, size difference

Notes: April fools (if you saw this by accident no you didn't ❤️)

☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️🐟☁️

(Name) sighed as he slipped his drink, another ball he was forced to attend as his sister ran off with her husband and played house in a swamp, everyone in far far away that mattered was here including the fairy godmother and her son, woman and men alike fawning over him as (name) just wanted to go back into the palace and avoid this mess.

"Why don't you go talk to the prince?" Queen Lilian tried to urge her son, (name) had no interest in talking to that blond twink as he downed the rest of his drink "oh no, I'm out of wine" he said robotically as he went to the table of wine glasses and ignored the servers with champagne and wine, fully planning on slipping away from it all and go anywhere else, though luck wasn't even remotely on his side as Prince charming locked eyes with him and ignored his fans, (name) knew his game and knew he was going to try and slut his way into a crown.

He wasn't going to allow him to do that, he wasn't going to fawn over this man.

"My~ aren't you handsome" charming said with a low chuckle as he gently touched (name)s bicep but the crown prince had no interest as he stared at him blankly "best you got?" (Name) said as he took another glass, champagne this time and stared at the blond "I am not swayed to pretty words and touches" he said before walking away and charming looked furious at the fact his flirting failed laughably, (name) barely paying him mind.

"You don't get to walk away from me!" He huffed and followed the prince as (name) walked into the palace "can and I will, my palace I can do what I want" (name) said simply and charming glared "why aren't you interested in me?!"

(Name) halted and looked at him "I have seen you a million times, a pretty face who wants a pretty castle and pretty things but no interest in me and use me for my fortune, tell me charming... Would you love me when I'm old? When I'm no longer young and beautiful? Or would you only marry me for wealth?" He asked as he loomed over the bond prince, staring down at him coldly before leaning into his ear and whispering "I'm not going to be swayed by a twink with nice hair, I marry for love not so my partner can treat me like a cash cow"

Charming wasn't sure what to do, no one spoke to him like that and frankly... It was kind of hot.

"And he called be a blond twink!" He seethed to his mother who went over her budget reports "he's always been a prickly prince, sweety" the fairy god mother said lovingly to her son who grumbled as he wandered back to his bedroom and thought about the altercation once more, he was so demanding and serious with him! Calling him demeaning names and looking at him like a common whore.

He wanted more.

(Name) sighed as he worked on his coronation, his parents getting up in years and wanting to retire so he had to make sure it was perfect as it would reflect on him, he needed to have the best start to his rule after all.

"Sweety why don't you take a rest" Queen Lilian tried to urge her son but Howard huffed "leave him be, my love" (name) was always the serious one compared to his sister which said something, the two very different in their attitudes in life and (name) just wanted the kingdom to go in a better direction "will you be... Inviting your sister to the wedding"

"Her and the family are invited yes, it will take them till the coronation to get here" he never met his nieces or nephews but he was curious about them... He never saw an ogre baby.

He didn't see charming till three and a half weeks after the ball, a dinner party this time, the two set right beside each other as Charming looked at the strong king to be, wanting to provoke him to get another one of this reactions again but the other just sighed "why do you insist on my attention? Haven't I already told you?" He grumbled and charming just seemed giddy at the glare "come now, you can't possibly not like me~" he flirted and (name) just looked at him blankly before returning to his meal, the other guests giggling quietly at them, to the others it sounded like an old married couple bickering.

It wasn't until the end of the night when (name) had enough, and dragged charming to a forgotten hallway where the blond grinned but his breath was knocked out when (name) had him pinned to the wall, nose inches from his own "can you kindly fuck off? I know your angle and frankly I'm not impressed by your insistence! You are fully aware I have no intentions of being with someone who is only after the crown and yet you p e r s i s t" his voice cold and deep and he would have pulled away if it weren't for the raging erection that pressed against (name)s thigh "oh dear..." Charming and (name) both looked down and (name) sighed "were you being annoying and such for a reaction due to your degradation kink?" He asked bored and Charming sputtered out some things and looked flustered much to the normally serious kings to be amusement "oh please! Like I would do something like that! What do you take me for?! Some harlot?!"

Things connected for (name), he probably wanted him for the crown at first then realized he was into how blunt and such (name) was and subconsciously seeked out insults once he figured out he liked being put in his place.

It made sense, seeing as he needed attention constantly.

"I just don't understand how she could do something so /tacky/! It's completely disgusting to be wearing such clashing color combinations and think it's fashion!" Charming grumbled as he had his face mask on, doing his nails as (name) read the paper and listened to his husband bitch about what Snow white did, his crown on a pillow on the bedside as was charmings on his side "can you believe it!"

"I can hardly believe it, my dear" (name) mumbled as Charming huffed but knew (name) was listening, he was always listening to the blonds words even if you (name) it was absolute nonsense as he slept on the others broad shoulder and (name) flicked off the lamp that hung on the wall.

"Goodnight my love"

#shrek x male reader #shrek x reader #shrek 2 #shrek 3 #prince charming x reader #male reader #x male reader #fluff

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gemsofgreece · 9 months

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10 best animated movies to watch in Greek

One of the best ways to practice a language is by watching a movie. Even more so, watching an animated movie dubbed in your target language can be really fun and useful, as these movies tend to include jokes (even inside jokes specific to the language) and songs. So, without further ado, here is my personal list of 10 best animated movies to watch in Greek.

10. Shrek 2

The reason I am recommending Shrek 2 instead of Shrek is just because I have the - maybe not standard, but certainly not unpopular - opinion that Sherk 2 is overall a funnier movie than Shrek. The Greek dub maintains successfully all the witty and somewhat adult-oriented humour. The voice casting done for characters like Donkey, Puss in Boots and Gingy is memorable and accurate.

9. Lion King

The voice casting is really good. Adult Simba has a sympathetic voice, Mufasa has a superb kingly radio voice, the hyenas are hysterical, Zazu is funny too, Nala's voice is warm and womanly. I also love Scar's voice. Scar has a sinister voice but it's a weaker, not as “thick” a voice as Mufasa’s, just like Scar relied on the evilness of his mind and not his muscles. Timon and Pumba's dub is iconic. Greek Can you feel the love and Be Prepared are fantastic versions of the songs. And Greek Mufasa just steals every scene vocally, especially those when he appears in Simba's memory.

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8. Monsters INC

Another amazing voice casting for all characters but we all (Greeks) know that this is one man's show. Christos Hatzipanayotis just KILLS it as Mike Wazowski. I believe Greek Wazowski is much funnier than the original. Also let's remember "Fovízume yatí sas frondízume" lol the Greek "We scare because we care (for you)"

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7. Finding Nemo

This dub did something special with the casting. It casted as Marlin and Dory two actors that had already worked together in a super famous comedy series as a couple. As a result, their chemistry is off the roof and Dimitra Papadopoulou's voice is incredibly accurate for Dory's character. Dory's whale language is hysterical and I also love the incredibly relaxed voice actor they found for that turtle reincarnation of Bob Marley. All other casting is good too, except I want to slap the extremely nasal Nemo.

6. Sleeping Beauty

Although I love this movie dearly and I really like its Greek version, I actually place it that high because I have found it to be really popular with foreign people. Some say they like Aurora's song better in Greek, which I find interesting as I really love the original. It is surely a masterful work though. It is an old movie and the Greek actors speak more elegantly, more sophisticatedly like people tended to, back then. The voices suit properly an aethereal princess and her dreamy prince, the fairies have these warm, elderly, ladylike voices and Maleficent also is imposing and very cold.

5. Aristocats

This is a perfect example where it is clear that both the voice casting directors and the actors worked their asses off. Every actor chosen is simply ideal for their character, including the kittens, Edgar the evil servant, the diva, the super SUPER old lawyer, the tomcats, Lady is so prim and proper, Uncle Waldo and the goose nieces with their Britsh accent Greek lol BUT. I have no idea how it dawned on them to make the dog couple have a comedic Heptanesian island accent but whoever that was, they were a bloody genius. Not only it's impeccably performed, it's twice as hilarious when you see them in an old Parisian environment speaking some really strong Heptanesian out of nowhere. The dogs in the original do not have any particularly heavy accent to my understanding, so if you watch the original after you have watched the Greek, you won't even understand they are supposed to be funny. I love that the Greek directors took the uneventful speech of the dogs and were like "Clearly, we 're gonna make them speak extreme Heptanesian" XD

4. Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit has mostly narration and songs, it has very few dialogues. Its songs are amazing though and they really make a difference in the movie. In the Greek dub, both the narrating and singing role was given to singer - actor Yannis Savvidakis who is very talented. Not only he performed those songs wonderfully but I liked how well it maintained the feel of rock ballads coming from America, despite being sung in a language from a place that has nothing to do with any of this.

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3. The Emperor's New Groove

Okay, we reached the Golden Triad. The Emperor's New Groove is, simply put, the best Disney comedy to date. If we consider that the Greek version is funnier than the original, as I strongly believe, you get a comedy for the ages. The voice casting is PERFECT. Every voice chosen is like it was created for the character, the characters get life and personality through the vocal performances. Kuzco sounds blasé, egocentric, sarcastic and you want to slap him silly, Kronk sounds like a soft dumbass himbo which is what he is, Pacha is your everyday good-hearted peasant, Yzma is killing it as the old ambitious narcissist. The humour is awesome and tranferred ideally into Greek comedy. It just works on every level. I can't explain it more, it's just perfect. While this movie is unfairly obscure and underrated on a global level, in Greece it was a hit and people still remember quotes by heart, exactly beause the dub was so god-tier level.

2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Okay. The dub of dubs. The Dub of Notre Dame. Seriously, this is a masterpiece on every aspect. Again, this is better than the original. Esmeralda has a sensual, really beautiful speaking voice and an outstanding singing one (Alcestis Protopsalti y'all), Frollo has an ideal casting in that he sounds like a bad person but in a totally realistic way (as he is also a very realistic villain) and he sounds so very sophisticated, very elegant. Sinister and elegant, which makes total sense as in the Disney version he is the supreme justice minister of Paris. Quasimodo is voiced by Sakis Rouvas (a sexy singer with a soft voice), who a few found like a somewhat odd pairing but it works perfectly since Disney's Quasimodo is soft, sensitive and considerably sophisticated as well. Clopin's singing is done by tenor Konstantinos Paliatsaras. The songs in the Greek version are in my opinion better performed than in English. Hellfire is quite possibly the most loved villain song in Greece. A small example to understand the level of perfection; the intro song "Bells of Notre Dame" has an extremely difficult ending note that only a few versions globally managed to hit. Even the original singer struggles with the note, he hits it but a little weakly, he is very supported and almost covered by backing vocals. In other versions, even this is not possible at all and singers just skip the note. The Greek version by Paliatsaras is one of the very few where the note is hit correctly, he essentially rips it apart, but I think it is also the only version (unless something escapes me) where the lyrics were different in a way that it made a difference to the singing. All versions I have heard are a variation of the original "bells, bells, bells, bells" which prepares the crescendo / raise of the pitch and then, "of notre DAAAAAME". Greek is the only version I have listened to where a full sentence is delivered effortlessly, without a repetition of "bells". "Ke ihún pandú kambánes stin karthyá tis panaYAAAAAS". It's a full sentence instead of a convenient one-syllable word over and over. Of course, it had to be done because the word for bells in Greek (kambánes) wouldn't work but it still was a harder thing to deliver than the repetition and it was accomplished even better. Okay, in short, Oscar worthy dub. Perfect in every way. I am in love with it, you can tell. The only reason it is not first is because the first spot had to be saved for the obvious one.

1. Hercules

The obvious first spot. Of course, it doesn't take it without deserving it. Greeks really made sure to give this one even more attention to detail. So, it doesn't only feel like it's natural, it also IS the most natural one, as contemporary languages go. All voice casting is once more ideal. Hercules, or Heracles as he is of course in Greek, has a sensitive, warm, sympathetic voice. They did a great thing with Megara when they gave the role to Evridiki who has a more mature, seasoned voice which fits Megara's character and not like a girly, princessy, out-of-place voice. Famous comedian Lakis Lazopoulos steals the show in all his scenes and they are MANY, since he plays Philoktetes and Pain AND Panic, all three of them! But he can't steal the scenes where Hades is in, as Konstantinos Tzoumas is in reality the big star of the movie. First and foremost, you watch this movie for Hades. One more fantastic detail in my opinion is what they did with the Muses. So you know, the original movie Muses are singing a liberal style of American gospel. Instead of ditching it as unfitting and entirely inaccurate, the Greek directors played along with it. Most notably, one of the Muses is voiced by Julie Massino, a vocal coach and singer born and raised in the US (I don't know if she has Greek descent) who lives and works in Greece, so she has a natural and strong American accent in her Greek! I just found this so cool. It is a really cool dub. They knew the stakes were very high and they delivered down to the very last detail.

*We really had to title this: Heracles - Beyond the Myth...!

#greek #greece #disney #movies #dubbing #list #movie rec #opinion #greek facts #Youtube #long post #tw long post

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that-one-anxious-mango · 1 year

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lady in my life.

Summary: It’s official…your fave couple is are getting hitched’.

Contents: FLUFF TO DEATH. Clueless reader. Nervous Austin. Happy friends and family. Angst if you squint. Allusions to religion.

Pairing: Austin Butler x Black Reader

Warnings: I am not responsible for any stray tears or sobbing!

A/N: Hello beautiful humans! It’s me. First, I’m so sorry this took so long! I know I said last weekend but I wanted to make this perfect and rewrote it over and over until I finally stopped the madness. So two, I ask that everyone please be kind! I did my best and I know it’s not the greatest, but honey I put my soul in this lol. As always thanks for reading and sticking with me.

P.S Everyone feel free to comment and send more prompts, asks, and noodles! Much love! *hugs*

---

" You're ridiculous." You grumbled out to the blonde haired man next to in the driver's seat who was laughing at your passionate outrage.

" Am not. " He shot back, " You're just too proud to admit that you might be wrong is all." He countered laughing at the scrunch in your eyebrows that you made as you glowered at him.

" Are too! I mean how could you say that! It's so..so s-o just..wrong! You're wrong, Butler." You concluded folding your arms across you chest in confidence.

" Nope I'm right. You can't beat the original, babe. It's a classic and that's my opinion. Deal with it." Austin cemented.

" Austin. Babe." You turned your head deadpanning him, " I can confidently say that me and about ninety-eight percent of the world will agree that Shrek 2 is absolutely better than Shrek 1. The end. So I don't care what you or any of the other pointy eared people of the world have to say about it because that's not a opinion, it's a fact. " You shrugged.

Smiling at how cute he thought you looked trying to be all serious Austin laughed, " Baby, is this what your going to do if we ever get married. Make fun of me to win a argument and look cute while doing it." He playfully squeezed your thigh with the hand resting on it.

You could feel your cheeks heat at the mention of the two of you married. It was something that you often pondered and had had some musings and conversations with Austin about. You already could see yourself being married but you wouldn’t lie. The thought seemed scary.

Would you really be enough for him forever?

All of a sudden feeling shy you turned your head toward the window to try and hide the gooey smile on your face that complimented the butterflies fluttering in your stomach that had made a permanent home there since you'd met your man almost two years ago.

Responding you say trying to sound light hearted, " Absolutely. Even though you may be handsome, smart, talented, kind, and equipped with certain mouth skills. I have to keep you from getting a big head one way or another. Besides this one wasn't much of a argument because like I said the clear answer is two. And even though you're wrong, you're still cute."

Austin couldn't help that he kept chuckling at you, " Whatever you say goes then I guess. Just as long as we can both agree that Lilo and Stitch is one of the best movies ever, I think we'll be fine." Austin patted your thigh.

" Well duh. I think you can tell from the fifty thousand times I’ve had us watch it that I whole heartedly agree.” You reminded him.

Nodding Austin glanced over at you with a smile on his face.

‘And I can’t wait to keep watching it with you over and over again for the rest of my life. He thought.

Eventually the two of you were exiting the car in a parking lot a block away from the Totem. Austin said there was construction being done in the surrounding area of the place so the usual parking lot and spaces were blocked.

Grabbing Austin's hand you sighed already feeling your feet begin to ache at the thought of walking the block in the new black converse shoes you'd just bought that weren't broken in yet. You were feeling cute today for some reason so when you thought of wearing them, you paired the shoes with some nice jeans and a cute blue low neck long sleeved top Austin suggested while you got ready. The two of you were stopping by The Totem for a second before heading over to a casual gathering Austin had been invited to. So you wanted to look your best.

Your hair was unusually silk pressed and flowing down your back since a couple days ago Alex had asked you to be her test dummy for a new heat protectant she wanted to try, and at the stipulation she clipped your ends you obliged.

Noticing a frown on your face he asked, “ What’s the matter? “ Shaking your hand to get your attention.

Looking up you shook your head quickly, “ Nothing.”

He raised he eyebrows while stopping you both, “ Y/N..” He asked.

You already knew that he wasn’t going to let it go you sighed, “ It’s nothing babe, honest. It’s just that I wish I would have worn better shoes. These are about to be a pain to walk in.” You huffed.

“ Well then don’t.” He stated simply back. “ Hop on.” He turned to move so you could jump on his back.

Giggling at how silly he looked you asked, “ Are you serious? “

He laughed back, “ About my baby being comfortable? Fuck yeah. Now c’mon.” He repeated.

Doing a quick look around you shrugged, “ Okay..then.” You agreed moving to grab at his shoulders.

" Alright, mama. On the count of three. One...two..THREE!" He coached.

Shrieking in glee you launched yourself onto his back where you secured your legs around his waist and arms around his neck. He made sure that you were attached to him good before he continued walking with a giddy you on his back.

You used a hand to cup the side of his cheek as you pressed a multitude of kisses to the side of his face and neck. Equally as happy he moved his head to the side to return the favor to a giggling you over and over again.

And before you knew the two of you had reached the door of the ever beloved totem, but once you seen the sign through the window your gleeful expression dropped.

Closed.

Immediately Austin could feel you begin to wiggle on his back in discontent, " No! No! No! Awe. I really wanted that cookie! " You pouted. " I could have sworn you said they were open when you checked."

Pressing another kiss to your cheek Austin wrapped you tighter around him, " I know, Mama. I did too." He offered." Maybe they just closed for a second for a cleaning or something." He tried reasoning. Just as you were about to suggest that the two of you pick up a box of insomnia cookies and go home to lounge in your underwear, Austin spotted your favorite barista through the door.

" Look it's Cameron. Maybe she can come to the door and we can ask." Austin suggests.

Your eyes grew in introverted horror, " No! No! Austin don't! " You protested trying to shift your body to get him to turn around.

But it was too late he'd already began knocking. " Hey Cam! Cameron! "

" Aus...." You whined feeling yourself involuntarily cringe.

But still that didn't stop him from continuing to knock on the door and call out like a mad person until Cameron finally came to the door cracking it open.

" Hey guys what's up? " She greeted looking chipper than usual. Probably because with the shop closing so her shift was shorter today.

" Nothing much. Sorry to bother you guys. I know you look to be closed and I really hate to ask truthfully. But is there any chance by the grace of God that you may have some oatmeal chocolate cookies and dark chocolate latte mix in there on stand by...maybe." He inquired squinting his eyes.

You turned your head cringing because you couldn't imagine ever feeling this confident to do something like this, and not to mention you felt bad bothering these poor people.

Turning her head to look back toward the café Cameron looked back to the two of you nodding, " I'm sure we could find some for the best of our two customers. Plus we're just closed for a couple hours for some deep cleaning so no big. C'mon in quick before anyone else sees you guys and thinks were open."

She ushered you in with a chorus of ‘thank yous’ coming from Austin and yourself.

Once you were inside Austin gently set you down pressing a kiss to your forehead while you made a puzzled face at him.

Even though he was a lot more social than you in most aspects due to his job, Austin was still just as much of a introvert as you at heart. So you were surprised he had knocked on the door like that.

Shrugging it off you glanced around at possibly your most favorite place on earth.

It looked normal. None of the tables and chairs were put up, the bakery display was full, with treats and all the machines were still running. The only difference was that the store lights were slightly dimmed and that was really it.

They must have just closed.

Grabbing your hand Austin walked you two over to the register so he could begin placing your usual orders.

For you, a medium light ice mango passion fruit tea with a oatmeal cookie chip cookie. As for him he always got, a extra cold oat milk latte with dark chocolate syrup and a shot of expresso that was usually paired with a cherry turnover of all things. And on days like these where the two of you hadn't eaten but still wanted to make dinner at home you split a harvarti grilled cheese (your favorite).

While Cameron rang it all up he turned to you, " You know what would go great with these, babe? " He questioned bringing out his wallet.

You stared up to him, " Hmm? "

" A poem from the poem machine to read. You mind going to get one while I take care of the rest of this." He questioned with a shiny quarter appearing in his hands to you.

You smiled, " No I don't mind. But first, put this in the tip jar for me, please." You asked handing him the five dollar bill, " And second keep you're quarter, babe I got my own." You shook your cute little googly eyed change purse at him.

The Totem had a really cool thing where they had a gumball machine full of poems from artists discovered and undiscovered throughout many periods of time. When the two of you started frequenting the place more often after your first encounter it'd become fun to get them to read. Plus all the money from the machine gets donated to minority charities which is a plus.

" I know you do. But I want you to use mine, please." He countered.

You frowned, " But you alrea-" . A kiss pressed to your lips cut you off and instead willed you to comply because when he pulled away and looked you dead in the eye, and without a word you took the quarter in your hand and ventured off to come back with a gumball poem.

Once you were around out of sight, Cameron clamped a hand over her mouth to hold in the excited scream that wanted to escape as Austin blew out a big breath of air watching you disappear a bit a ways.

He could hear quiet giggles and muffled laughs coming from the storage room where some of yours and Austin's closest friends were crammed into as they waited for their signal to pop out and start up the potential engagement party or crying session in the cafe's seating.

This whole thing had been two months of planning in advance. From both you and him conveniently both having the same day completely off which wasn't the norm, to all of a sudden earlier in the week Alex and Phoebe wanting to go to the nail salon for some girl time and the hair thing, yesterday night at a dinner hang Beatrice had out of no-where started bawling crying looking at you.

And how The Totem wasn't actually closed for cleaning but rather booked out for the evening by Austin who'd instructed the close friends to get here a hour before the two of you and park sporadically in the area so you wouldn't get suspicious. The whole staff was in on it and had been in the kitchen working overtime to craft the menu Austin and the owner, Margo, had curated for later that consisted of all yours and his fave items from here. For the “casual gathering “ you were dressed for.

Earlier in your relationship during a random late night convo you’d lethargically told Austin your dream engagement scenario which included your future hubby to propose somewhere meaningful to the relationship with some kind of corny heartfelt action. You’d also joked that it’d be funny if there was like a surprise party after or something so you’d be able to skip the hassle of planning a engagement party.

And even though the two of you sleepily had this conversation a year and a half ago, Austin never forgot.

Waiting until the coast was clear Phoebe walked out with tears in her eyes as she was overcome with excitement and anticipation silently coming around the counter and handing Austin the small black box she'd been entrusted with yesterday on the sly when she came to stop by really quick. Austin didn’t wanna risk you finding it at all.

Riddled with he nerves shakily accepted it running his finger across the small black box.

Putting her hand over Austin's Phoebe whispered, " It's okay. Don't sweat it. You love her and she loves you. That's all that matters. Just remember to ease into and take your time." She encouraged. " And just keep loving my bestfriend." She advised.

Nodding Austin carefully wrapped her in a hug with a small chorus of thank yous tagged along.

When they pulled apart Phoebe motioned to the storage room door that was cracked as yours and Austin's friends stuck their heads out whisper yelling words of encouragement and thumbs up that stuck out from behind the heads. Including a Ashley who was bonding with her new-found friend Beatrice over a very hefty tissue they were both using.

Nervously laughing and rubbing the back of his neck Austin cast them one last wave of a thank you before the door closed and he moved over to bay-window table that had become you and Austin's staple spot. The food was already placed thanks to Cameron. Shooting her a thank you, clammy handed Austin rubbed them together blowing out air in nerves and anticipation while he waited for his future wife to come to the table.

Max, a staff member quietly made sure the camera hidden on a opposite table was rolling and the mic also hidden on your table was working well to feed to the speaker in the storage room so everyone could hear, then scampering back to the kitchen.

---

When you made it to the poem machine you inserted the precious coin and turned the knob to produce the little plastic container. Although you did get distracted making your way back to the café by stopping to browse some books (which Austin had counted on), you'd picked up a new one by Kennedy Ryan titled Before I let go that you'd been hearing good things about.

Making your way back you found Austin at your table and took a seat.

Hearing your footsteps he quickly pulled himself together to put back on the confident and cool aura he'd been purposefully displaying today.

You can do this, just be cool.

Taking a seat you immediately thanked your man and then began to eat your delights. Austin grinned watching you moan in delight eating your goodies.

" Good? " He asked watching you wiggle and sway around happily while munching.

You nodded throwing a thumbs up.

" Good. Now, what'd you find, honey? " Austin takes a sip of his latte.

Waiting a second to finish you answered, " Oh..Um. It's that book I told that I wanted to find by that new author I recently discovered Kennedy Ryan. It's the on about the couple who's still in-love with each other after they divorced after being married for years with kids."

At the mention of the D word Austin couldn't help the choke on his coffee that happened as he set down his drink trying to catch his breath.

Immediately you reached across the table to pat his back in concern. Silently thanking you he motioned for you to sit back down much to your protest. He already felt nervous.

" I'm fine, baby. I'm alright just w-ent down the wrong pipe is all. " He reassured grabbing at your hand. Knowing you'd protest he spoke, "I'm okay really. Just while I catch my breath why don't you read the poem you got." He suggested biting the bullet as he knew he couldn't wait any longer. He knew he needed to ease into it, but he didn’t know if he’d be able to keep himself alive much longer.

He'd waited two years already.

That was enough.

Still not totally convinced he was okay you still popped the little sucker open and unfolded the strip of square piece of paper.

Taking one more look at him as he offered you a somber smile and nod to the paper.

You smiled not knowing that the small prints on the paper were about to change your life,

" So, it says.." You started:

" To the love of my life,

Our love will be ever thine, ever mine, ever ours for each passing minute, second, and hour until the days of our love bleed together.

Because if you'll be my wife, and take me a fool in love as your husband you shall be always be my greatest inspiration and joy in life.

This may be corny, I admit but to you my heart, mind, soul, and essence I commit for forever, always, and beyond.

Written to you will all I am.

Your hopeful future husband,

Austin."

You finished glancing over the words.

" Awe that's so sweet that someone would write that." You said out loud still not fully processing what'd you read.

With extremely observant eyes Austin continued to watch you transform like a caterpillar of cluelessness from a cocoon, to a butterfly in disbelief as you slowly went through the phases of realization.

At first you felt warmth in your heart.

But as the reality set in you felt your heart sped up a little.

O-oh SHIT!

Is this? Is he?

For longer than a minute you couldn't stop your eyes from rapidly re-reading the poem over and over again until your vision got a little blurry and you could feel the paper become wet and slick up your fingertip.

Even though your brain was still working overtime to compute what the fuck you had just read. It wasn't fully sinking in until his voice pulled you from your racing thought.

" Baby..."

Like his voice controlled the room you could see out your peripheral that the main lights had been turned down even lower so that beautifully strung string lights that decorated the place brightly at night, popped on. And the sound of Michael Jackson’s Lady in my Life began to play over the store speakers.

Slowly lifting your head while you felt the tears race each other down your face, you were met with Austin's face that was equally mixed with happiness, fear, and devotion wrapped all into one. He looked a bit flush and his cerulean eyes looked glossy with tears of his own. You watched him look to his own hand, training his view you let out a audible gasp.

And then you that's when you seen it, the small black box that he had in his hand.

He cleared his throat before starting, " Two years ago today right here in this very spot I fell in love with you and had half the mind to ask you to marry me then. And each day since I’ve found a new reason to keep falling. Your the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last person I wanna see when I go to bed. I love you. I mean every part of you. I love your kind heart, budding intelligence, fierce loyalty, those curls and coils that grow our of your head toward the sun, those delicious thighs decorated with beautiful handcrafted marks and strokes from god's paint brush." You began blushing at this part.

" I want our children to inherit that smile that has the power to brighten any room you enter. I wanna look you in those gorgeous eyes that sparkle when you talk about your goals and dreams that I'll use every ounce of my power to support and help make happen. I'll keep forcing you to take cold medicine even if it means physically holding you like infant again. And I’ll watch Twilight, Lilo and Stitch, Greys Anatomy and whatever the hell else to keep you as happy as possible. " He recalled his interesting introduction to your aversion to flu medicine.

" Since knowing you there isn't anyone else I could imagine wanting to spend the rest of my life with. Sharing good times and bad, awkward and more awkward. " He continued making you smile. " You came into my life and made me grow as a human being and then from a little seedling our relationship has grown too through the love we have. And I want it to continue to grow...only now I hope it will grow with us as husband and wife." He declares.

“ Baby, you are the lady in my life and I want you and only you to be my lady. Forever.“ He continues.

Wordlessly you watched as he got up to kneel down in front of where you sat opening up the little black box to reveal a absolutely gorgeous ring you were almost too certain was too nice for your hand.

Looking to you he inhaled before asking staring you straight into your soul,

“ So..Y/N Y/M/N Y/N, will do this poor fool in love a mercy and please marry me? “ He finished.

Still stunned you were quiet feeling as if you were stuck.

You couldn’t believe this was happening.

This man who could have married probably any woman on the planet was asking YOU, of all people to marry him.

YOU!

You felt worry begin to creep in. Worry that you wouldn’t be enough for him, worry that he wouldn’t always feel the same, but mostly worry that you’d screw this up.

Growing up you’d never really had a example of a healthy or stable loving marriage. So how good would you be at something you had no idea about?

That worry wanted to push you to say no and bolt out the door to go into the nearest witness protection program.

But when you looked at this man. Really looked your man, who you’d spent every minute of two years loving, and wanted to love for the rest of your life.

All the worry melted.

Because he was it. He was the man who made even your deepest fears melt, and that was the kind of man you’d always hoped and prayed to marry.

You didn’t hide the gooey and down right bright smile that formulated on your face.

Not wanting to keep an obviously sweating Austin in suspense any longer, or unknowingly a whole backroom, kitchen staff, and others on edge who were clutching their pearls while holding on to each other. You spoke.

" Does this mean on the honeymoon we get to play accidentally in love in the background and have a montage like Shrek and Fiona ...or one like twilight." You goofed smiling through tears.

Blowing out air of relief as he was sure he was about to keel over he chuckled, " Woman what am I gonna go with you." He admired laughing at the power only you possessed to make him laugh while he was having heart palpitations.

Your smile widen, " Well, first your going to put that ring on my finger, and then lift out this chair and desperately make out with me, and then we're going to plan a honeymoon montage sequence to rival all honeymoon montage sequences, because the answer is yes. A million times yes I will marry you Austin Robert Butler." You answered before jumping up and down in your chair.

Not stopping the tears from rolling down his face he says, "So bossy, “ He joked laughed.

“ Well I warned you this would happen, didn’t I.”

“ You did. And whatever you say goes.” He grinned “ That’s the rule now.”

Grabbing your hand to slid on the stunning jewelry. You didn't get too long to gaze at on your finger because like you requested Austin stood to his feet pulling you up to hoist your legs around his waist as the two of you locked yourselves in a all breath taking, passion filled, white searing kiss that you wish could have lasted forever.

But of course it didn't because you both were interrupted by the sounds of multiple cheers and woops coming from somewhere.

Confused you pulled away watching in amazement as yours and Austin's friends pooled in from the storage room as well as some entering the store through the door.

You playfully pouted at him realizing now all the things he’d done. He’d actually taken you serious and listened.

God! You loved this man!

Placing a big fat kiss to his lips. You wiggled out his embrace before you were practically tackled by sobbing friends.

For the rest of the night the party was set up before your eyes and you got to celebrate mingling with yours and Austin’s friends who some congratulated the two of you, and others started planning future baby showers and anniversary dinners.

After things got a bit overwhelming, Austin had found you and recused you to a small quiet place between bookshelves so you could make out and slow dance the night away with your...fiancée.

#austin butler #daysofourlove #austin butler x reader #austin butler fanfic #austin butler imagine #austin butler x black reader #austin butler x black! reader #austin butler fic #Spotify

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soseojade · 1 year

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PUMPKIN CARVING WITH STRAY KIDS

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I know it’s past Halloween but I still wanted to do this

Stray Kids is your boyfriend in these scenarios. Each member has a picture or two of the pumpkin I think they would carve.

Lowercase intended

Type: ot8 (separately), fluff, gn reader

Warnings: very brief mentions of neck kissing, names such as “babe, baby, sweetheart, and honey”

Enjoy!!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAN

• would put something cheesy like “I <3 you” or “kiss me”

• would spend 5 minutes on his pumpkin because he spent the whole time helping you carve yours (doing it for you), but it would still be perfect

• would say what he did on your pumpkin was bad but what you did was good, “no, babe, i totally screwed the whole thing up because of the eyes. i can’t even tell that your line isn’t straight.”

• say more things to make you like yours, “oh my gosh!! how are you so good?” even though it looks like you you carved it with a wooden spoon

• “careful with the knife, honey. don’t cut yourself.”

• would roast pumpkin seeds and hold you through the horror movies

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

LEE KNOW

• would either do something funny or something cat-themed

• he would laugh at yours if it was ugly, “I’m sorry, it’s just- why does the nose look like a plunger?!?”

• you would end up laughing together at how badly you did

• he would throw pumpkin guts at you lovingly

• you would beg him to make a pumpkin pie out of your pumpkin remains, to which he would agree to eventually, “ughhhhh okay fine. but you have to help.”

• would end up making his look worse, “ah, mine isn’t very good either…”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHANGBIN

• it would either be Shrek-related or something like Chan’s that’s cheesy

• you would be the one helping him

• he would whine that his doesn’t look as good as yours, but in a flirty way, “why do you have to be so good at everything? you’re too perfect 😔🫶”

• would wipe pumpkin guts off your face for you

• his favorite part would be the halloween music and would force you to dance with him

• “can we pleeeeaseeee go trick-or-treating after this?”

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HYUNJIN

• he would make the most beautiful masterpiece but be humble about it “i like it, but I feel like i could do better. oh, yours is adorable, baby”

• you would have to do the gut-removal for him because he would be afraid of the pumpkin guts. “why does it feel like that? ewww,” he would yell while shuddering and making his famous disgusted face

• might paint the pumpkin instead

• after finishing his, he would give you back hugs and neck kisses while you carved the rest of yours

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

HAN

• i don’t think i have to explain myself

• would laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh while you just shook your head in disappointment

• if it wasn’t some sort of meme, he would crave a compliment from you, “do you think it looks good? please tell me it looks good. i don’t think it looks good. does it look okay?”

“it looks great, sungie”

“you really think so??”

• listening to halloween music, he would knock something over while doing the spooky scary skeletons dance

• would pout if he didn’t like his, “why does yours have to be so much better than mine?”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

FELIX

• it would be something really cute with some sort of romance concept

• he would sing along to the halloween music and then get all flustered and shy when you notice it

• would be very proud of what he made “oh i actually really like it!”

• when you don’t like yours, he would offer his, “we can tell people i made yours and you made mine if you want.”

• like hyunjin, back hugs and neck kisses

• endless praising “oh wow! yours looks amazing, sweetheart.” “how are you so fast? i can’t keep up!!” “how did you get that to look so even?”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

SEUNGMIN

• wouldn’t want to go through the trouble of carving out the inside

• it would be something really cute and simple

• would hate every halloween song and make you play day6

• you wouldn’t know what to carve, but he would help you pick, “oh babe, look what I found on pinterest. do you think this would be cute?”

• if he did carve something, it would be a face and he’d put it over your head

• he would cover the table in 3-5 layers of trash bags, paper bags, and newspapers to make sure everything would stay clean

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I.N

• would make a cute and simple face so he could be done quickly and watch you, making loving remarks about your carving

• “baby, that’s not even close to being a straight line.”

• “wait why does that actually look good?”

• “mine still looks better.”

• he would hate scraping out the guts and just use an electric mixer to get it all out

• would make beats on the table to go along with the halloween music

• “can you be done now? i wanna watch movies.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A/N: this is my first ot8, and I would love some feedback!! I really liked writing this, so feel free to leave some ot8 suggestions. Love you <3

#stray kids #stray kids x reader #stray kids fluff #skz x reader #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz #halloween #skz halloween #bang chan x reader #lee know x reader #changbin x reader #hyunjin x reader #han x reader #felix x reader #seungmin x reader #i.n x reader #jeongin x reader #gn reader

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7grandmel · 9 days

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Todays rip: 18/04/2024

Shrek Days -Onions Ver.-

Season 4 Episode 1 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume AI

Ripped by SonicHeroesFan1

youtube

Honestly? I do still feel a little conflicted about what I wrote about All Star back in Semi-Charmed All Star. Not because I've changed my mind about that rip, far from it, it's still excellent, but because the narrative I was spinning there was about how All Star itself has become rote and boring without proper shake-ups. We can argue about the value of mashups for all of time, and it's certainly still true that All Star is one of the most overdone mashup songs of all time. But I'm not Mr Rental, I'm not going to enact Mr. Rental [B Side] ~ Out of Options on anyone: All Star mashups are fun!! They're overdone for a reason!! And, well, it would simply feel wrong to not have celebrated its twentieth anniversary during Season 4 Episode 1 of SiIvaGunner - on May 4th, 2019, we got an entire day dedicated to all things Smash Mouth, and I'd entirely forgotten just how fun it all was. Shrek Days -Onions Ver.- is only the tip of the iceberg.

To be fair, I am also sort of cheating a bit - Shrek Days -Onions Ver.- *isn't* an All Star mashup. As the penultimate rip of the event, it only makes sense to use All Star's younger relative, the second Smash Mouth song which became immortalized through appearing in the original Shrek. I'm a Believer isn't originally BY Smash Mouth, their cover was actually made specifically for Shrek's ending, but the cover has practically eclipsed the original in terms of popularity nowadays (And really, how many of you reading have ever actually HEARD the original The Monkee's version?) Smash Mouth's cover added a shot of energy and rebelliousness to the original song that made it a perfect fit for Shrek - and, indeed, the perfect song to use in paying tribute to the band's mashup popularity.

Because All Star is great, sure, but it can't do everything. The absolute sense of triumph and fun within Shrek Days -Onions Ver.- is just unmatched, and its in large part thanks to I'm a Believer - and hell, this rip even uses the original Monkee's version for a brief bit near the end! But you've seen the rip's thumbnail already, you know the other half to this bit - JOJO!!! JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!! From Crazy Noisy Beautiful Girls!! Look, yes, I still don't know much about JoJo, I'm still enjoying its music as an outsider, but DAMN is it music that I enjoy!! Great Days is an amazing song, it's absolutely no surprise to me that Great Days Fusion Collab is one of the channel's most viewed videos, and its features on SiIvaGunner are almost all fantastic, now that we're long past the ironic JoJo rips described in Hen'yoku no Piraman. Maybe its just due to a certain other Great Days rip, but its triumphant brass-driven sound and rising chorus has always made me think of the start of summer, the emergence of pure FUN ahead - something that fits Smash Mouth like an absolute glove.

I can only do so much to express how much I enjoy listening to Shrek Days -Onion Ver.- without just telling you the obvious - to go listen to it yourself! Its a mashup almost destined to make you smile, with small touches throughout - the aforementioned presence of the original The Monkee's version, yes, but also a surprise appearance of Donkey's vocals from Shrek's ending scene rounding the whole rip off for its climax! There's no better way to describe the rip, and the entire All-Star anniversary day in general, than just pure wholehearted "FUN" - a celebration of one of the grandfathers of modern mashup culture, without even a hint of irony in sight, filled to the brim with pure love for this landmark icon of the early 2000s.

#todays siivagunner #season 4 episode 1 #siivagunner #siiva #SonicHeroesFan1 #Youtube #shrek #shrek franchise #shrek 2 #all star #smash mouth #early 2000s #2000s core #jojo #jojos bizarre adventure #mashups

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hemingway-papers · 11 months

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even for a disney movie tangled takes a pretty random but enjoyable departure from the original fairytale and i do think that's because another prince character just wasn't cutting it and they decided to incorporate the gentleman thief storytelling tradition instead. the art design and miyazaki loving team behind it pretty overtly tells me the idea for that change came from the castle of cagliostro and a deep appreciation for it.

and me? personally? I WOULD rank cagliostro one of the most sincerely moving and aesthetically enchanting but also actiony fun movies about a princess ever animated and somehow it's not trying too hard to be ironic or hip or something. I feel like it's an obvious choice for study when trying to make a tricky script adaptation work when it is calling for the upbeat fight sequences and genre aware clever subversions but still needing to sincerely remain a pretty princess story in a magical land that does actually celebrate the spirit of fairytales and trying not to skimp too hard on any aspect

the original script for the rapunzel adaptation before lasseter took it over btw was a sort of fish out of water body swap modern day disney princess parody situation banking off the success of shrek. that was imo directly reworked as Enchanted. and much better utilized that way too

tbh in seeking a good solution to the new but not too new direction for disney, post-potf critical acclaim for returning to roots of sincerity but pre-frozen box office sensation, still seeking that dreamworks and pixar level of market domination. there was a very happy tonal medium to be found in cagliostro and it's success does suggest what something like that could do in a market looking for more modern, self aware and action packed takes on princess movies. a market that was already responding well to the dubs of other miyazaki directed movies disney was distributing.

castle of cagliostro does deconstruct fairytale stories and notions and princess movies, but does so much more lovingingly earnestly and whimsically, with a lot of affection for the source material compared to the cynicism of shrek. which as heart felt and genius as it is , wasn't something the disney company could pull off and maintain their brand.

there is nothing but sympathy for the kind of idyllic childhood notions of heroes and fairytale castles present in older disney movies, because clarisse herself holds onto those notions to help her maintain hope when escaping her situation. lupin plays into it too with some irony but not in a way that mocks her, just lightly mocks himself. it's a movie about how the real world can be really hard and at times you WILL face things that are insurmountable alone because that's normal and part of being a real person with normal limits. and asking for help from kind people isn't a weakness but part of life, a beautiful part of life even.

i've actually never seen a damsel in distress storyline portrayed as so human and understandable and not shameful. nor as a mark of being incapable but a role we all play at some point. it directly signals those who are most capable at the time to heed those around you. for what the hell else are all those skills and power youve got good for in the first place. DO be aware of those who are currently drowning in a situation no one should be expected to magically just surmount or suffer on their own and DO take action. it's your job

i love the castle of cagliostro down to my very core because I think it manages to express innocence wonderment as a strength of the soul even when juxtaposed against the complexities and realities of the often harsh present day adult world. and does so even more gently and optimistically than other similar hits like shrek and princess bride. in that sense it's too perfect for any modern disney filmmaker to NOT find inspiration in. anyone would be happy to look to it as one of the examples of how to make a fairytale adventure feel updated, cool and self aware but still maintain its palpable respect for those who love innocence and wonder.

#lol funny horse post becomes 7 paragraph essay sorry #castle of cagliostro #lupin iii #miyazaki #animation history #disney history #anime history #the castle of cagliostro #tangled #disney analysis

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minijenn · 4 months

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Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Shrek

The Man. The Myth. The Legend himself. Shrek is love. Shrek is Life.

Aside from being an Endless Meme Factory though, Shrek is a pretty great movie in its own right! There's this certain charm to the first Shrek, a certain sort of innocence to it (despite being so blatantly made to make fun of Disney). This really was Shrek before it became everything it originally stood against, its Shrek in its most Pure Form.

As a result, we get a really great introduction to this world and these characters. Shrek himself is wonderfully written here, we really get to peel back the layers (pun intended) of this curmudgonly loner as he interacts with Donkey and Fiona and eventually see him come to genuninely care about them both and its really sweet. He's also just hilarious, but we all already knew that.

Donkey is always fun, though I think maybe he rambles on a bit too much at points? Like I think they just put Eddy Murphy in the recording booth and let him do whatever he wanted and sometimes it works, other times, I'm with Shrek in wanting him to just shut the fuck up. Fiona is cool, weird and sassy in all the right ways and serves as a great foil to Shrek, while Farquaad is a little ass man who is so much fun to hate.

The plot is really well put together, and while there are a few holes in it here and there (that breakdown of communication between Shrek and Fiona going into the final act), for the most part, its a really solid story that's a lot of fun to follow along, with some great jokes and action along the way.

The animation has... aged, I won't deny that. But for 2001, it is still very impressive, especially when you look at some of the texture work. I definately think our main cast gets a glow up in Shrek 2, but for their first outing, they look fine enough. The music is also solid! Not many animated movies pull off a pop soundtrack, but this one really does (All Star is iconic for a reason, folks) and the score is also very beautiful at times (the castle escape music is so intense and perfect).

At the end of the day, I think its easy to see why Shrek became the cultural juggernaut that it is today. It's a very memorable movie, one that was so unique and unlike anything else most had seen at the time of its release. It's also just... so damn funny, like seriously, there are some jokes that still get me laughing out loud. It follows a trend I've noticed with early Dreamworks movies where it's not really made for kids, but its not quite for adults either. In that sense, its made for well... everyone to enjoy. As animated movies should be. Early Dreamworks understood that so well. (idk what the fuck happened bc now they seem to have mostly forgotten that philosophy)

But yeah, Shrek is good. If you haven't seen it in a while, give it a watch cause its a genuinely good time.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Verdict: WHAT ARE YE DOIN IN ME SWAMP

Previous Review (Chicken Run)

Next Review (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)

#jen watches #dreamworks watch #jen tortures herself with every dreamworks animated movie ever #shrek #shrek 1 #dreamworks

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pizzawendell · 1 year

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Shrek Is Good, Actually

This is not what Shrek is about. Shrek is about superficiality.

The obvious aspect of this is how people judge each other by their appearances. Shrek is judged for being an ogre and people don’t like him. Fiona is judged for her curse and is afraid that Shrek will do the same. Farquad is obsessed with cleanliness and having the ‘perfect’ kingdom, even though he is a little bobblehead man. Shrek says onions have layers because on the inside we’re all beautiful. It’s a classic anti-cinderella story. Pretty simple stuff, if fairly against the grain in 2001. I won’t dwell on this too much because it’s fairly obvious and something that you can get from most post-Shrek kids movies.

However, this movie has layers. Sure Shrek and Fiona are fine just the way they are and we should all learn to love each other despite our appearances, but the movie has more to say than that. This isn’t even a particularly deep reading; this is very much explicitly in the text. The characters in Shrek all use the misconceptions other people have about them to hide from things they don’t want to understand about themselves. They are all afraid to be known- most of all by themselves. The clearest and most explicit example is Shrek himself.

Shrek

Shrek starts off the movie living alone in his swamp. He has signs up all around which declare ‘danger: ogre’ etc with scary pictures all around. As the opening credits roll, a mob of villagers group together to go and kill Shrek because they believe that he is dangerous. He goes on to use their fear of him against them to get them to flee. The first scene of the film is Shrek using what people think they know about him to push people away and stay alone- which is what he tells himself that he wants.

Shrek then meets Donkey, who persistently refuses to accept Shrek’s claim that he wants to be alone.

Shrek: Listen, little donkey, take a look at me! What am I?

Donkey: Ah... really tall?

Shrek: No! I'm an OGRE! You know, "grab your torch and pitchforks!" Doesn't that bother you?

Donkey: Nope.

Shrek: Really?

Donkey: Really, really.

We pretty quickly see that Donkey is right to think that Shrek does actually want to have friends, he just doesn’t want to admit it.

Shrek: Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It's the world that seems to have a problem with ME! People take one look at me and go "Aargh! Help! Run! A big stupid ugly ogre!" They judge me before they even know me - that's why I'm better off alone...

Donkey: You know, Shrek... when we first met, I didn't think you were a big, stupid, ugly ogre.

Shrek: Yeah, I know.

By the time they get to Fiona’s tower Shrek actively goes out of his way to save Donkey. As Shrek and Fiona begin to fall in love, Shrek and Donkey become genuinely close friends. When Shrek overhears what he thinks is Fiona calling him a 'big, stupid, ugly ogre' he reflexively reverts to pushing people away. He hasn't actually unlearned his belief that he is unlovable, merely temporarily put it to the side. This leads to the argument which holds the emotional core of the movie.

Donkey: You're so wrapped up in layers onion boy, you're afraid of your own feelings!

Donkey identifies Shrek's layers as the thing truly holding him back. Shrek knows that he's more than just a scary ogre, but he thinks of that perception as an outer layer which he uses for protection. However, he's so wrapped up in it that he can't actually escape. He has pretended for so long that he has come to believe it. Shrek does not deliberately draw on Frantz Fanon here, but there are parallels which we can draw.

To be clear, Shrek isn't about colonialism or racism (beyond some of its broadest strokes). Rather, Fanon's psychological argument that oppression can be a dialectic which ultimately causes the oppressed to internalise some aspects of how they are perceived by their oppressor is relevant to Shrek's behaviour. His relationship with the outside world has caused him to subconsciously believe things which he thought he was only accepting out of convenience. By attempting to use superficiality to our advantage we weaponise it equally against ourselves.

Love

How then, asks Shrek, do we escape? The answer is emphatic: through love. Only by loving others and allowing them to love us back can we step outside of our superficialities and truly self actualise. We see this when Donkey issues his final refusal to allow Shrek to push him away.

Shrek: If I treat you so badly, then why did you come back, huh?

Donkey: Because that's what friends do, they FORGIVE EACH OTHER!

Donkey offers his unconditional forgiveness for the ways Shrek has hurt him. He does this for no other reason than the fact that he loves Shrek. This forces Shrek to confront the fact that he is genuinely loveable. This makes it possible for him to believe Donkey when he tells him that Fiona isn't disgusted by him and resolve to stop her sham marriage to Farquad. Donkey's love allows Shrek to see himself from outside his warped self perception.

Fiona

Fiona's journey mirrors Shrek's. Rather than keeping people away emotionally with physical and emotional ugliness, she does it with beauty and propriety. Fiona only allows people to see her when she is in her human form (which we eventually find out is not her 'true' form). When Shrek first meets her she acts 'properly' by expecting him to wake her with a kiss and recite a poem. She also offers him a favour, which he uses to wipe away his sweat. All of this serves to stop people from knowing who she truly is, which is her greatest fear.

Just like Shrek, Fiona can only escape the emotional prison she has built for herself by allowing someone who loves her to truly know her. On the journey back to Farquad's castle she starts to believe that this could be Shrek. She starts to open up in small ways. She shows him that she enjoys the same foods as him, that she can fight like he can. However, their misunderstanding causes her to revert to her usual defence mechanism. When he pushes her away and she believes that this is because of her true form, Fiona begins to act how a princess is expected to again. It takes Shek storming the wedding and publically declaring that he loves her for Fiona to accept herself for who she really is. Shrek and Fiona’s kiss is therefore the most literal manifestation of love conquering superficiality, as Fiona transforms permanently into an ogre in front of the whole kingdom while it takes place.

Farquad

There is one character who does not escape his superficilaity and it kills him. Farquad spends all of Shrek tring to hide his percieved inadequacies with appearances. Farquad banishes the fairytale creatures to the swamp because they aren’t perfect enough. He has machines which immediately tell new arrivals that Duloq is not only perfect, but that it has strict rules. When he appears at the tournament he is deliberately positioned so that his height is obscured. Most significantly, he sends Shrek on his quest because he wants to officially be king. There is no reason for him to want this beyond the superficial trappings of the title. He clearly has total control over Duloq and he never shows any interest in having a romantic partner.

The tragedy of this is that Farquad is trying to cover up the fact that he is very short. Compared to every other human we see in the Shrek series, Farquad is very very short. Since this sets him apart from most humans, he is in many ways closer to the fairytale creatures than to his own people. The irony of the fact that it is Farquad who thinks of himself as so much better than people like Shrek and Donkey is repeatedly signalled by people making fun of him for his height. When he banishes the creatures it seems to partly be a manifestation of a degree of self loathing. Farquad clearly hates to see himself as he truly is (he literally threatens a mirror into showing him what he wants to see) and seeing other people who don’t conform to society’s expectations reminds him too much of himself.

Farquad externalises his self hatred by trying to make everything around him perfect, no matter who it hurts. He can only make his kingdom superficially perfect, but this will never make up for the fact that he can never change what he truly dislikes about himself. The villain of Shrek is too far gone. He cannot be saved by love because he has created a political system which prevents anyone from truly knowing him. We see this at his wedding when guests are told how to emotionally react. No one can sincerely know Farquad and love him for who he is because anyone who might can never get close enough. In the end, we see the consequence of this: his death.

Conclusion

This is not a particularly deep reading of Shrek. In fact, I would argue that this is the explicit message of the film. There are more subtextual readings, though. For one, there is the queer subtext which only gets stronger in Shrek 2. Shrek has deeper layers still about fascism, myth and, of course, Disney. Not everyone likes Shrek and that’s fine. You don’t have to like it if it’s not your thing. However, what I will not abide is anyone slandering this film by calling it vacuous. Shrek is a truly delightful story which tells its viewers to revel in who they are, to love and be loved and to know and be known.

#shrek #shrek and donkey #shrek and fiona #lord farquaad

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mademoiselleseraph · 1 year

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Remember when dreamworks made a movie where a young woman is imprisoned for being a woman wrong (cursed to be an ogre at night until true love's kiss) and she constantly alters her behavior and speech patterns to be more like how society expects a woman to be? Remember the scene in that movie where she breaks down crying because a woman in general and specifically a princess like her isn't allowed to be "ugly" and marrying a man she's never met and has no interest in is the only way she can be acceptable? Remember how she shows her after sunset ogre form and her husband to be says "it's hideous" and wants to lock her away in that same tower for the rest of her life? Remember how when she is kissed by the man she's grown to love that she remains an ogre and isn't angry or devastated by this, just confused, and says "I'm supposed to be beautiful"? Remember how the one man whose never asked her to be perfect or the right kind of woman, who she's gradually stopped pretending to be perfect around, says "but you are beautiful"?

Yeah, a bunch of media illiterate fucks decided all of this means Fiona had to change for Shrek and i try not to let it get to me but how badly do you have to fuck up reading a movie about how not everything is as simple as disney to come to that conclusion?

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softedgessculptures · 1 year

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This is one of the best couples and plot twist in the history of couples in cartoons, in fact, the very concept of plot twist in a REAL couple is already able to show us while all the media is mediocre. I'm not going to make a huge and really serious post, so I'm just going to comment even.

Harold just saw Leshawna and the first thing he said was," Wow, you're big! I've never seen a woman like you! " and Leshawna was so nice, because she KNEWS that was not evil!!? Harold didn't even said it in a crude tone, he was just amazed and she fuckin knew it.

He was in awe of her, with a woman.

Over the course of the episodes, we found out that there's a secret admirer at the island camp, and in what Gwen and Bridgette thought were for they with their own boyfriends, actually, it was all for Leshawna.

Even if they didn't know who the sender was, the moment Harold is eliminated, he declares himself to Leshawna. And Leshawna LOVES IT. SHE JUST LOVES IT AND THEY KISS! Everyone who saw was so amazing and awwwwwn cried because it was cute af, that actually, Harold is a passionate and romantic guy regardless of what his appearance and personality looked like.

And it tells us that true love is, beyond appearances.

We, in fact, end up growing up with a completely pig and miserable prototype of perfect couples, perfect pairs in a perfect life. Since all this fuck doesn't work like that, it can't and shouldn't be portrayed this way. It is not only the media, but the books themselves are feeding us with this ideal. (fr most works here are better than so much more famous works out there, just for being so real here on tumblr)

Models x models, pretty x pretty, ""ugly"" x ""ugly"" (lol how can I determine who is ugly or not), and most following this idea of stupid beauty. These instagramers selling an image of their beautiful and "perfect" life with a buff body and a buff partner in a mansion, totally unreal for those who live in the real world.. What consequently is the most.

I also followed this perfect couple ideal, that no one would ever love me, that I would never live a life of love like rich or beautiful people. I thought I was, and actually, I still think I'm so ugly, that I would never be happy as the white girl with light eyes I saw in Reels. And that's so wrong. So wrong. When we consume a lot of media, social networks, and fit the dough, we become dumber and more alienated.

This is hell. When we go out of social networks and see real people, normal people and lol I'll say again NORMAL because they are NORMAL and not completely manufactured, we realize that things don't work that media way. That, in fact, people really love each other and find beauty in many because they rightly like each other and look beyond bodies, faces and skin tones. There's a lot of couples in the streets, in campus, in MANY places.

I ended up seeing a lot of racism on tumblr, of people complaining about couples of characters with black or fat people. Lol, i'm sorry. Lol, i'm sorry. I don't even know what to say. I don't even know what to say because IT'S SO BIZARRE, how can a person think that to have a boyfriend or write a >>>>>fictional<<<<< tale, we can't put a REAL person there. Drug life is not only models of straight hair, fair skin or fake tan, or even blacks going crazy to stand like the completely skinny black models of fin noses. IS NOT LIKE THIS!!!! Couples can arise from different types of people, that buying this idea of perfect, equal and homogeneous models is actually so limited compared to the whole universe we have out here, not only to explore but to also simply live because we are part of them!!!! We, actually, are them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually went crazy with Shrek's dreamworks film, batting through this whole culture of perfect princesses and princes (and whites in the most standardized possible) getting together in the Disney ideal. In fact, not just Disney, but a whole global and social issue that everyone in the world has adopted. Shrek and Fiona were stronger and more passionate than anything in the end they manage to came out over any obstacle. In Shrek 2, which is actually the best of the other films, we see how AMAZING it was in the end. The fairy godmother and all forced a perfect couple, prince and princess, but still, it did not work because Shrek and Fione loved each other by what were really !!!!!!!! That was so beautiful!!!

Buuut coming back to real life, you may be the greatest empath in the world, but you won't be able to put it in the shoes of people who think they can determine who stays together and is loved or not. You can't really understand these minds, other than waiting too much and poor social and psychological development. Not to judge because we should take in with kindness and patience aways, but shit, it's surreal to have to teach one person to be kind, lovely to the other. 😢😢

Finally. We already know the problem.

I'm just going to say one thing: YES, your favorite character would be with a person like you. Regardless of your appearance, color, social status... I think that fiction is even out of reality because they just don't follow these superficial biases that we adopted in society, which rooted and rotted our minds. I've seen people trying to bring fictional characters into real life, making them imagine them living here and I've seen so much shit. Beauty pattern ran strong, money, even color in the middle. I hated it, it was the pinnacle of stupidity.

#nothing #just a vent #i left written and do not care if someone reads but if it is to prefer i prefer not to read even 😤😢#like i get so sad with this world #so sad #better save for yourself #couple #Shrek and fiona #harold and leshawna

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