Stars Under the Stars

[thepurpleone]

WHO: Y'all
WHERE: By the not-spider warehouse in the southeastern quarter of Temba
WHAT: Movie night!
WHEN: The night after this announcement
WARNINGS: N/A
NOTES: We're all chill here, feel free to backtag or whatev


Maybe it was a lot of effort put into but Donnie never does anything without reason. The recent free display of memories thanks to the last storm had gotten him thinking. What's the point of it all if they just keep getting railroaded by bad experiences and memories here? No one's stopping them from enjoying themselves in an otherwise dilapidated city, and if they keep on focusing on the negative and being stuck for an indeterminate amount of time then that's just more fuel the Atroma or whoever's out there has to use against them.

So Donnie's got the designated space all set. He's made as much use of convenient rubble as he could find within the area for some makeshift seating. He's found some kind of old cushions and blankets to pad them. Since Steve's offered to handle prepping the popcorn, Donnie's happy to leave that business to him and Leo.

The movie selections for the night are definitely things appreciated by a certain audience and might in some universe be considered cult classics, and once it gets dark enough for optimal projection clarity, it's show time!

Teriyaki Shakedown is a martial arts action movie starring the great (as so proclaimed by Leo and Donnie) Lou Jitsu, who's trademark seems to be a pompadour and a flare-legged spandex onesie.

"Where's our free grub, noodle man?"

"Okay- How ‘bout some . . . hot soup? Too spicy for you? Hahaha- Everyone’s a critic."

It's very cheesy and definitely reminiscent of what you'd expect of martial arts movies made in the seventies and eighties.

Jupiter Jim's Last Trip to the Moon turns out not to really be his last trip considering it's the second time it's apparently happened, but what's continuity? It's a sci-fi flick, dated effects and melodramatic, and perhaps one might wonder how anyone can watch more than sixty movies of this?

Comments

[thelastechidna]

Knuckles shows up curious and confused. He can't say he particularly cares about the movies, but he's wondering how it was put together in the first place.

"Where did you get the films?" he curiously asks Donnie. "I didn't know we had anything like that."

Stu // open!

[target_audience]

There was no way Stu was passing up a movie night in a broken factory on an alien planet. That was exactly the kind of place a murderer would show up, and everyone would experience plenty of character development. These were very much not his kind of movies, though, which meant he varied wildly between restless boredom and complaining loudly, "When do the babes show up?," and rapt attention to curious movie magic details that he hadn't seen applied quite like that before. It helped that the production made them obvious, like the wires that Stu could point out with a giggle, or poorly lit miniatures and too-thin blood.

When there weren't enough production curiosities to hold Stu's attention, he wandered to try to find the source of that food smell, hoping there would be beer, too. Picking through a darkened factory wasn't his scene, either, he realized, too aware that he didn't know where the light was coming from, or what marks to hit. A rumble of sound from the movie as something blew up, or someone got kicked into a lamppost, knocked loose a shower of dust from a shadowy corner. "Cool," he mumbled.

[thepurpleone]

"On my phone," the turtle says with a smug grin, pulling the purple thing out to wiggle around. "Of course for the most part all I have is Lou Jitsu and Jay-Jay films, which is not at all a problem so far as I am concerned."

[thelastechidna]

"Oh," Knuckles says in further surprise. "So you had them on your phone back home and now you have your phone here? I thought maybe you bought the films at the space station."

Open Movie Appreciation

[butterfly_kiss]

Let one thing be perfectly clear: this is not Tae's taste in movies. So sue her, she loves dramas and Kaiju movies. It's just her taste. But getting to actually see a movie for the first time in so long? Yes, the little medical gremlin has exited her space, walked all the way across town, and settled in. She'd even brought some snacks, having replicated a bag of matcha green tea KitKats. Who knew that the replicator could even do that?

The woman settles in, stretches out, and smiles at the screen.

Only to end up noting someone has settled in next to her.

"I suppose I should ask if you're the sort to talk during a movie."

[stitch_witch]

There was something amazing about this new form of technological entertainment. Enough of a wonder that Lark was captivated. She had not seen something like this before and enjoying it would be... a lot easier if the young man sitting in front of her was a bit quieter.

Trying to be polite to the other viewers she leaned forward to whisper to the young man.

"I do not believe there are any infants here at this time. But do please consider being quiet as if they were here and you did not wish to wake them. It would make the experience more comfortable here."

[thepurpleone]

"Basically." It was the best Christmas present or New Tick or whatever it is they go by that he could have hoped for, even if it was technically his. But Donnie always hated being deprived of his precious phone.

"Oh, I did, but nothing is ever going to beat the ones from home, IMO."

[thelastechidna]

"Your copies are better? Were the space station ones cheap bootlegs or something?" Knuckles wonders.

Leo | OTA

[faceguy]

For the Lou Jitsu Film, Leo is up on his feet and helping out, distributing popcorn to anyone who wants it and helping anyone who wanders in late find a seat.

But he's also saying any good (read: cheesy) lines right along with Lou Jitsu, and he'll occasionally stop what he's doing so he can pull off the same martial arts move LJ himself just did. It's pretty clear he has this movie memorized, not just the dialogue but the fights as well.

And he does, in fact, love it.

By the Jupiter Jim flick, Leo has settled down, lounging in his own seat with popcorn and content just to watch. Because Leo may love Lou Jitsu, but he loves Jupiter Jim just a little bit more.

(In films, anyway. In real life, Lou Jitsu is his dad while Marcus Moncrief is a delusional actor who thinks he really fights aliens. So he actually loves his dad just a little bit more.)

He gets a big grin on his face every time something exciting happens, eyes sparkling like he's never seen any of this before. Even though it's clear he has - because he's able to quote this one too, leaning over to anyone near and going, "Oooh, this is such a good part!" about every fifteen minutes.

[thepurpleone]

Donnie tucks his phone away, brow arching. "My copies are amazing digitized versions of recordings from home- which probably don't even exist in this universe but can you stop asking questions already? This is a movie viewing, not a Q and A panel, pal."

[thelastechidna]

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Knuckles goes to find a seat to see what the movies are like when they start. He might as well, as long as he's here. Another strike-out for trying to be sociable. He can imagine Sonic just shaking his head in disbelief at him. Or laughing at him. Or both.

[thepurpleone]

Leo's hardly the only one mouthing the lines or throwing in a few chops and kicks at key moments, so whenever his brother's in the vicinity, Donnie's quick to jump right in and reenact a scene as it plays. Just like home. Well, not quite, but it's still fun to be able to do things like this with someone.

That only continues once the second movie plays, and Donnie unashamedly helps himself to that popcorn but at least he isn't one to lick his fingers off between grabbing some.

Re: Leo | OTA

[crystalmaster]

Honestly, Radley has a fondness for cheesy movies since the Bunch back home loves them and has watched many like these. He smiles and leans back, genuinely enjoying the experience of seeing movies again as well as seeing these movies in particular.

Leo's antics just further amuse him. This kid really does remind him of Scotch in so many ways.

He smiles at one of Leo's whispered exclamations. "I can tell these films are really special to you," he says. "They are pretty fun."

[thepurpleone]

"It'd only be worse if all my brothers were here," Donnie admits, grinning as he parks himself beside her, if for a moment. He can't let Leo do all the ushering after all! And he wants to make sure everyone's enjoying themselves at least a little. He knows not everyone has the same tastes in movies after all.

"We know every scene and every line, we grew up on this stuff." His grin brightens as Lou Jitsu does an impressive kick and sends someone flying clear across the screen. "-that's our dad by the way. He did all his own stunts."

[target_audience]

Being told off was not a new experience to Stu. He just didn't expect it to happen in what felt more like a natural environment to him than, say, school. He must have really misjudged the genre of this party, because he was really not expecting it to be chaperoned. When he first turned at the whisper, it was with a playful grin that immediately dropped at the sight of someone's mom, then grew puzzled at the implication that someone would also bring their baby here to sleep. What kind of party was this? "'pologies, ma'am," he mumbled sheepishly, slinking down into his seat.

[faceguy]

“Hey, get your own,” Leo huffs, nudging Donnie away with his hand but not actually doing much to stop him. This is a (reluctant!) sharing of snacks, because it’s movie night only!

On screen, Jupiter Jim and Red Fox are trying to fight Moon Men in reduced gravity, and Leo relaxes into the familiarity of it all. This is kinda nice, actually.

[faceguy]

Leo can’t help but smile at that. Look, it may be cheesy, but these are some of his favorite things in the world, and he loves sharing them.

“What can I say? Ell-Jay and Jay-Jay were my heroes growing up.”

He’s always looked up to them as role models. Learning Lou Jitsu was his actual dad just made it all the more special to him.

[thepurpleone]

"That requires getting up and walking again," Donnie replies around another mouthful of popcorn. He at least reduces his snack sharing to smaller portions thereafter, having only stuffed his face with two large handfuls just to fulfill his quota of being an obnoxious brother.

It doesn't take much for him to get into things. Donnie nudges Leo as their favorite part comes up- one of many, really- as though they haven't watched the thing countless times before.

[crystalmaster]

"They're pretty cool role models," Radley says. They both seem pretty devoted to justice, just like the old cheesy heroes were back in his world's movies too. "I had heroes like that too."

[stitch_witch]

Technically she was a lot of people's mother figure over the years, but never an actual mom. Which didn't matter too much. Still, at least the young man seemed to remember how to behave.

"I thank you. I have never seen something like this and want to enjoy it all."

And it was a bit much for her so that was not as easy.

[butterfly_kiss]

Worse? Tae rolls her eyes. Can't people just watch movies quietly and politely? Apparently not. What a frustration.

"Your dad..."

While she isn't saying it out loud, her tone definitely is a question. He's clearly adopted, right?

[faceguy]

“Hah, lazy,” he laughs, giving Donnie a little shoulder nudge.

It doesn’t matter how many times they watch it, it still feels like the first. Leo laughs and quotes the next scene as it goes.

[faceguy]

“Oh yeah? Who were they?”

Leo is happy to hear both other heroes similar to his. Maybe he can get a new one.

[crystalmaster]

"Luke Skywalker was a particular favorite," Radley says. "Do you have Star Wars in your world?"

[thepurpleone]

Donnie laughs. "Oh, you'd hate it. If we're not saying all the lines then we're acting things out alongside the scenes. That's a warning by the way." At least one of his brothers is here, after all.

Tae isn't wrong, really. The turtle smirks a bit, which might be a little weird to catch a glimpse of the same look mirrored on Lou Jitsu's face after he's thrown a couple of thugs face first into ramen bowls. "Yep! Everything we know about fighting, we learned from him."