And They Say White People Can’t Cook

challengers footage leaked…

Challengers (2024) dir. Luca Guadagnino

i wrote about design for living & challengers in relation to each other last year for an unpublished essay on threesome movies. in celebration of the upcoming watchparty, here's a paragraph:

Challengers is surprisingly close to Design for Living in narrative. A threesome past haunts the principals, two talented men are inspired by the patron Mother who does not do the same work, the trio fail at monogamous relationships before finding three-way unity. Both Gilda and Tashi end up in convenient marriages that represent their dissatisfaction not only romantically, but in their identities and careers as well. This similarity in particular illuminates why both these films work where some others with similar premises don’t. Polyamory isn’t the point, it’s the setting. The domination of monogamy impacts all facets of life. A woman’s conventional role extends past fidelity. She is expected to sacrifice everything for her husband: her individuality, her labor, her spirit. Gilda and Tashi both succumb to then fight against this loss — the polyamory is almost incidental. It’s only evidence that they are no longer victims of patriarchal exchange.

Can we talk about the fact that travis and Shauna’s (the ultimate parallel duo) only two interactions were (1) “oh, heres the heart of your brother who I once cared for like a son but also indirectly killed, you should eat it” (2) “you wanna die like you brother did?” “The girl you were in a homoerotic codependent friendship with told me you were gay, so suck on that.”

SMALL TOWN PASTOR! ART WHO…

pastor art! x single mom! reader.

WHO… obviously grew up sheltered by religion. he was basically raised in a pew and he’s pretty sure his fingers have molded to fit the shape of his bibles spine.

WHO… everyone comes to with their problems. not only because he’s the preacher of the only church in town, but, also because he’s such a warm and inviting soul.

WHO… wouldn’t think twice before spending his last five dollars on someone who needed it, no matter how big or small the reason. money doesn’t matter to the lord, why should it matter to him?

WHO… caught wind of the new family in town and, as the town preacher it was his job to make himself a familiar figure to his neighbors.

WHO… first introduced himself to you at your doorstep, a batch of warm cookies in hand and an even warmer smile on his face.

WHO… invited you to church on sunday, made a promise that everyone was friendly and would accept you and your son with open arms.

WHO… gets to know you a little better after service when the two of you are cleaning up the potluck. he learns everything from what you do for work, where you’re originally from, to your son’s father being a deadbeat.

WHO… looks for you during sunday service among the pews. every time he spots you, glowing from the sunlight, your son sitting well behaved on your lap. it’s almost like that first breath he took after his baptism all over again.

WHO… finds himself spending more time with you away from church. he’ll come to your house to help fix an appliance, or maybe just to hang out.

WHO… definitely catches feelings, you’re just so sweet and, arts been alone for a long time. he’s always so focused on spreading the good word that he never thinks about what he wants.

WHO… comes to the conclusion that what he wants is you. he couldn’t care less that you have a son out of wedlock, or that you aren’t as religious as him or others in town.

WHO… asks you on a date after service, and is only about two seconds away from yelling out a hallelujah and jumping for joy when you inevitably say yes.

Ah yes, Connor Murphy, MJ, and Johnny Saxby

art come home the kids miss you 😾😾

I’m not an art donaldson apologist bc he has nothing to apologize for

you would be correct.

and if i said patrick zweig is a taco bell bowl and art donaldson is a chipotle bowl.....?

she really went ‘what’s the quickest way to get him off before practice’ and then started talking about art… i’m just saying…

THIS SCENEEEEEEEEEEE

also lily’s bracelet and her scar on her left and art is on her left…

challengers (2024) dir. luca guadagnino