CHALLENGERS (2024) Dir. Luca Guadagnino

dude you’re so insanely talented i can’t

charlieeee! oooo you wanna write vampire artrick headcanons so bad oooooo

andyyyy!!! hello hello UR MY FIRST INBOXER U win... vampire artrick headcanons!!!!

-x- i like to imagine that with a lot of empty time on his hands, patrick would take up woodworking, working in the darkness of the night to craft a large wooden coffin, big enough to fit both him and art. he ladens it with crimson red sheets and pristine duvets, waiting eagerly for art's reaction. "might as well play into the stereotype in style, right?"

-x- they love being indoors, snuggled on the sofa as art's reading, while patrick just toys with art's fingers, interlacing them. sometimes biting, gently, his canines pressing into art's pale skin and leaving marks, like quiet whispers compared to the loud scream that tore from both of their throats the day they bit each other.

-x- they get the bite marks on their neck tattooed too btw <3 just to ensure it's really there forever.

-x- sometimes patrick will hear art crying- he feels the most guilt between the two of them, for the people he's hurt unconsciously and the ones hes left behind. patrick's bad with tears and better with blood, but he does his best, pressing gentle kisses to the hinge of art's jaw and pressing their palms together, firm and grounding. like a silent promise from patrick to art, that he hasnt been hurt yet, and art has no reason to leave him.

-x- i like to think that they both get irrationally jealous over miniscule things, they just show it differently. art gets quiet and sulky, answering in short sentences with a clipped tone. he cant ever stay mad for long, not when patrick's familiar lips crash into his, his tongue forming not words, but something more that makes the blood rush to art's head. patrick's a physically jealous guy, the second he gets art alone he's biting him all over, not caring if he draws blood. it's just more for him to drink up. "no ones gonna know you as much as i do, art. god, you taste so fucking good- no one's gonna taste you like this. you're mine, im yours, we're bound for life."

-x- sex is always an irritating matter, both arguing who gets to be on top or bottom until they give up and just have coin they flip. they keep it in the nightstand drawer. it's a filthy matter, sweat and blood and lube matting their bodies and making them stick together, each rough thrust seeming to meld them tighter, making them one. they bite each other as they orgasm, shoulder or neck or whatever body part is conveniently right there, muffling the sound of their climax as blood trickles out of their mouth.

-x- theyre a freaky ass couple- and patrick initiates most of the freakiness. u know when mgk and megan fox told the media abt her spiky ring that stabbed into her? yeah patrick would get matching ones for the two of them. when he's bored, he'll sidle up to art, take his ring off, and wrap his lips around art's finger, down to the knuckle. he licks up all the blood before giving the pad of art's ring finger a kiss, sliding the ring back on.

-x- art's bad at showing his love. so he does it in small ways, sewing hoods onto the back of patrick's shirts because he's always forgetting to cover himself whenever he goes outside, buying vinyls of artists that patrick's mentioned liking from a few hundred years ago, cleaning up the bites that art's given patrick, placing a bandaid on each mark with a soft kiss.

-x- they've been together for approximately 2,109 years, and they've watched each other grow within all that time. not physically, of course, but in softer ways. the way patrick's curls reach the nape of his neck eventually, and art grows out of his shirts. their favorite pieces of media change with each passing year, and they have a mini library that's in chronological order- the oldest book they have, a poem written on cattle skin by an old friend in the 1600's, and the most recent one, an adam silvera book. they listen to all sorts of music, from quiet classical pieces when cooking to loud rocking beats of waterparks while patrick fucks art harshly, gripping his hips tightly and making the blonde's whines compliment the music. they have assorted art from different centuries hanging on the walls of their cute little cabin, an original jackson pollock, some modern contemporary pieces that patrick scoffs at, a few monet pieces. those are art's favorites, so they're patrick's favorite too

-x- they've been in love for thousands of years, and they're prepared to keep loving for the next million years, until one day, once they're ready, they kill each other. wrapped in each other's arms, they plan on kissing each other with poison on their mouths, staying tight in the embrace when they're ready to let go.

thinking abt the color choices in challengers... luca guadagnino ur such a genius and i love u forever...

using art as a main example because i see it most in him but the scenes of him in 2019, pre patrick reunion, the colors are bland and neutral, as if reflecting his life back to him. even when he does wear colors (his blue and white uniqlo) its only ever small accents. the colors are never bright or happy or super in your face, they're just sort of.. there. like art is in his marriage and in the tennis world. hes nothing really special when hes doing this.

the scenes above- his match with patrick, the motel scene, and atlanta are the ones i find the most interesting color-wise.

in the tennis match, he's still only wearing small accents of color, but his surroundings are much brighter and contrast against him, making him stand out- playing with patrick brought that small spark back to his playing.

the motel scene is so obvious, the constant need and longing that all three characters feel for each other seems to make the room ebb and glow with the warm lighting, the contrasting colors of tashi's neon pink, patrick's mint green, and art's baby blue making an unbalanced mosh pit of colors that shouldnt mean anything but do.

atlanta scene, arts fiancee is LITERALLY cheating on him and his ass knows this- but to just know patrick is nearby, that their sick fucked up triad has a hope for returning brings some color back.

its like the mere idea of having both patrick and tashi around brings this sort of energy back into art that can be seen through the coloring. it cant only be one- it has to be both pat and tash, all three of them connected once again for the color to return to art's eyes

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.

this picture is actually making me go insane because what do you mean he just LOOKS LIKE THIS ???? his nose omggg i CANT

atp as dancers

taglist: @girliism, @imperishablereverie, @faiztsheap

tashi duncan as dayanara vega

if you're bad, she'll say so. better form, point your toes, arch your back. she's strict, but she's good. there's a grace behind her movement quality, an easiness that looks natural to her. she also had a knee injury (a few years back) and now has taken up a teaching position. if you're good, she'll tell you, and she'll be unbelievably proud of you for making it a few more steps.

patrick as gavin morales

he's sharp and fierce, confident in himself and his abilities- and as he should be. he's overflowing with talent, all hips and chest, spotting on point. his moves stick, never flowing unless they need to be. he's good at being himself- after all, everyone wants to be him.

art as kurtis sprung

he's mastered the classics and foundation, starting in ballet and creating a whole new interpretation of fusion. his movements are fluid and slick, he knows how to control his body, his muscles and his strength. he dances for himself and his own comfort, turning different genres into a style that's completely his own.

behold. my muse

i can feel my cranberries obsession incoming and this song has officially taken over my brain

Rays bot drop

Requests:

Old feelings- Art Donaldson has been your dance partner since 5th grade but ever since he started Stanford he wouldn’t stop talking about Tashi little did you know about the secret crush he harbours for you.

Meeting Lily- You’re arts controversially young girlfriend that he met at a tennis event. He’s always known he wanted you to meet Lily so when Tashi finally gives him the go ahead he takes you and Lily to her favourite restaurant! He really hopes his two favourite girls can connect.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL AU-

Real Smooth- Patrick’s grades were falling dramatically and so was his attendance. To actually pass senior year you had to be involved in at least two clubs and Patrick only ever had time for one. So when the wildcats isn’t enough Patrick is to join drama club to bring up his school performance.

Stage fright- Art had never froze on the stage before, he was always so confident people would say he glowed under the stage lights.So why was he so frozen when you walked in?

Drama club- Patrick was captivated by you when he saw you in the Schools Twinkle town. Ever since then he was eager to find out everything about you even if that meant joining drama club.

Fake dating- You and Art were both main characters for the schools Twinkle town. But ever since he froze on stage he hasn’t been able to live it down. So with this new drama of him dating one of the most well known people at school be enough to fix his reputation?

My first ever bot drop! I can’t believe it tbh! Some of these bots have been in the works for ages while others are super recent. I do want to improve some of them over time. But I just needed to finish some of them up! I know there’s no Tashi which I’m so sorry about, I just hadn’t had any decent ideas for Tashi bot that I actually could go through with! Hopefully Tashi can be in my next drop! My request form is located on my profile if you have any ideas! Most of the requests might come out separately! I’m sorry some of these are really bad but I’m sick rnn 😭😭 anyways enjoy!

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.