#then reprise it to tell the story of the school's history with the play

[romeowho]

if i had written the goosebumps musical, story of the phantom would've been like the second song, and the story of the play would've happened around when story of the phantom is now and would be a reprise of story of the phantom

[justforbooks]

In the late 1960s, Burt Young dashed off a letter to Lee Strasberg, who ran the Actors Studio in New York, hoping to be taken on as a student. “Seriously, Lee, I don’t know if acting has anything for me, or vice versa, but I’m treading water,” he wrote. “So see me.”

The letter was intended to curry favour with a woman whom Young was trying to impress, and whose dream it was to study with Strasberg. Both she and Young were invited to audition. She quit after drying up during her first acting class but Strasberg was impressed by the stubby, paunchy Young, telling him: “You have huge tension about you. I feel you’re an emotional library.”

Less than a decade later, Young, who has died aged 83, found fame playing Paulie Pennino, the gormless, rough-and-tumble butcher who is brother-in-law to the aspiring prizefighter Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in the rags-to-riches hit Rocky (1976).

“I thought the script had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read,” said Young. Among the film’s 10 Oscar nominations was one for him as best supporting actor. It won three prizes, including best picture.

In Young’s hands, Paulie was roguishly endearing as well as exasperating. The actor described him as “all burly on the outside and all quicksand inside”. Paulie’s tenderness toward Rocky is forever being complicated by his jealousy at the boxer’s success. Any initial tension or piquancy in the drama, however, was diluted by a stream of sequels in which Stallone and Young reprised their roles. One low-point was Rocky IV (1985), which begins with Paulie receiving a robot butler as a gift from Rocky, whose success has made him profligate. Paulie modifies the robot to give it a female voice.

He is last seen in the sixth instalment, Rocky Balboa (2006), where he is once again the boxer’s corner-man. The character’s death is alluded to in the spin-off Creed (2015), in which Young does not appear.

Paulie was typical of many of the roles that came Young’s way: you could hear the hair growing in their ears, smell the stink on their singlets, feel their brain cells dying. In Back to School (1986), for instance, he played a tough-guy chauffeur described by the hero, played by the comic Rodney Dangerfield, as “an animal. In his family, he’s only the second generation to stand upright.”

For Young, it was never that simple. In Robert Aldrich’s vulgar cop comedy The Choirboys (1977), his turn as a cackling sergeant was singled out by the Washington Post as “human and appealing”. Cast as the flawed, the coarse or the criminal in films such as Sergio Leone’s gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984) or Alan Alda’s whimsical Betsy’s Wedding (1989), he allowed a rumpled warmth to shine through the cracks, his actorly intelligence informing every choice.

Esteemed co-stars respected his craft. Jack Nicholson shared a scene with Young at the start of Roman Polanski’s neo-noir thriller Chinatown (1974), and was said to have greatly admired the actor and to have used him as the model for the laconic hood he played in Prizzi’s Honour (1985).

James Caan, with whom Young first worked on the shore-leave love story Cinderella Liberty (1973), wangled parts for him in The Gambler (1974), inspired by (though not adapted from) the Dostoevsky novella of the same name, and The Killer Elite (1975). The latter was the first of two films that Young made for the director Sam Peckinpah, the other being the action-comedy Convoy (1978).

“Everybody was scared of [Peckinpah],” said Young. “The studios were scared of him. The other actors. And so they would go through me, because I had no fear of nobody.”

It was Aldrich who became Young’s friend and loyal collaborator, directing him in The Choirboys, the nuclear-age thriller Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977) and …All the Marbles (1981), a salty comedy about female wrestling released outside the US as The California Dolls.

A 1978 Esquire magazine profile dwelt on the actor’s history of juvenile delinquency and general criminality, noting that his life was “lifted right out of the pages of Damon Runyon”.

He was born in Queens, New York. His birth name has been listed variously as Gerald De Louise and Richard Morea, with Burt Young the name he adopted once he became an actor. His mother, Josephine, and father, Michael, an ice-delivery man and sheet metal worker who later trained as a teacher, tried to improve his chances by sending him to Bryant high school, an establishment in a better neighbourhood, but he was soon expelled. He attended St Anne’s academy, from which he was also ejected.

At 16, he joined the Marines, served tours of duty in Japan and the Philippines, and developed an aptitude for boxing. After a dishonourable discharge, he returned to New York and boxed professionally, training under the renowned Cus D’Amato and Charley Goldman. Fighting under three different aliases, he claimed to have amassed a record of 17 wins to one loss.

He became a truck driver, managed a silk-screen printing business that went bankrupt, part-owned a bakery and a bar, and worked for his brother’s Manhattan carpet-cleaning firm, before starting an outlet of his own in Queens. He later opened his own restaurant, Burt Young’s Il Boschetto, in the Bronx.

His first acting jobs included parts in the daytime soap The Doctors (1969) and the crime comedy The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971). Over more than half a century, he accumulated around 160 movie and TV credits including The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) with Mickey Rourke, a harrowing adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr’s Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), the Hugh Grant comedy Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), which reunited him with Caan, and Transamerica (2005), in which he was the father of a trans woman played by Felicity Huffman.

He also wrote and starred in two films: the TV movie Daddy, I Don’t Like It Like This, about a boy whose father tries to toughen him up, and the sentimental Uncle Joe Shannon (both 1978), in which he played a bereaved trumpeter. In recent times, Young devoted much of his life to painting.

One of his most wrenching performances was in a 2001 episode of the HBO series The Sopranos. He played an ageing hoodlum, dying of cancer and grateful to be given one final hit to carry out. The assignment ends unforgettably in blood and bathos.

Crime was an area he felt he might have lapsed into were it not for the approval he received from Strasberg. “I come from that life,” he said. “To this day, two of my best friends are doing 100 years.”

But he was acting well into his dotage. “Rather than flying high, I’m wide,” he said in 2002. “I still have ambition, but I’m slow. I’ll never be Tom Cruise.”

Nor would anyone have wanted him to be: there was more character in one grin or grimace from Young than in a dozen vehicles featuring sleeker, shinier stars.

He is survived by Anne, his daughter, from his marriage to Gloria, who died in 1974.

🔔 Burt Young (Gerald De Louise), actor, born 30 April 1940; died 8 October 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[xenopoem]

Posthuman Review: Shaun Lawton & Nicholas Alexander Hayes

"In a few quick years, the first transhuman in vivo Minksian-Kurzweill clone emerges from its neonatal intensive care unit, eyes unblinking. Max quickly grows to establish the first CORE school (Consilience Of Recombinant Extropy) by the seasoned age of four. In the year 2020, eight-year-old Max engenders a transubstantiative doctrine reprising Heraclitus's ideas of flux. He publishes his manifesto >H by sending it back in time to his conception-year, where it now happens to appear on certain nodal points of the internet. Stars and their remnants, in the beginning, appear perfect with our skulls the shape of eggs while we listen to the music of the spheres. We never know we are dreaming, despite the uncanny appearance of our faces barely submerged below the surface of an image trapped on a screen, as if gazing at a host of cameras that were recording the whole scene and playing it back in overlapping sequences until rendered in 3D, a sort of holographic emergence as a film to show the whole fully recorded history of the human race intact in one performance taking hours to play out that tells the story of our pregalactic form expanding like a cell splitting into divisions congruent with the microchip cluster each acquires to their myriad snowflakes and fingerprints; no two are quite alike, this quality of uniqueness the most common attribute in the galaxy because it takes its shape from the constant force it has been from the beginning, a dorsal fin configuration pre-eminent to radial symmetry, subdivided from the pie & expanding in the recesses of our own mind at rates which we don’t share and we don't want to have to admit even to ourselves it could be the case but on the face of it our individuality evaporates along with the rest of the universe, siphoning itself back & forth both in and out of existence, in a blinking state of awakened beings cycled in an infinite figure eight Mobius strip, along the thermodynamic principle where the electromagnetic motors of creation pass along the triggering current arriving in its multiplicity of waves so here we are much further away from the start than we'd ever imagined before making it in a world on the verge of boiling over with accelerating change to the point it's quaking under this pretense we begin thinking about the stars & their remnants to which we end up belonging while the motion picture of our lives flashes inside our mind in an effortless gesture disarming the gravid affront with united civic resistance paving the way forward for the benefit of our progression into the distance only going to show which ends up being the case that it doesn't really matter so much as the belief we hold well and verily fixed foremost in our mind unravels before a hand to be woven in predetermined fashion foremost reveals the negative gravity bound pressure resistance capsule in the shape of a psychonautical skull transcript." - Shaun Lawton

Δ = (Σ(bug + defect + flaw + hitch + malfunction + mishap + problem + glitch + defeat + delay + difficulty + adversity + complication + crisis + deadlock + dilemma + gridlock + predict + meant + dire circumstance + hard ship + impasse + standoff + stand still + pickle + plight + condition + breakdown + trouble + anxiety + concern + danger + debacle + complication + hazard + catastrophe + changes + confrontation + disaster + calamity + emergency + failure + quandary + collapse + decline + breaks down + beating + annihilation + destruction + raw carnage + elimination + eradication + decimation + extinction + obsolescence + end of life + extermination + void + nullity + nonbeing + nothing + zero + ∅ + H in a few quick years + transhuman + Minksian-Kurzweill clone + neonatal intensive care unit + eyes unblinking + Max + CORE school + Consilience Of Recombinant Extropy + four + 2020 + eight-year-old Max + transubstantiative doctrine + Heraclitus's ideas of flux + manifesto + internet + STARS AND THEIR REMNANTS + beginning + skulls + shape of eggs + music of the spheres + dreaming + uncanny appearance + faces submerged + image trapped + screen + host of cameras + recording + overlapping sequences + 3D rendering + holographic emergence + fully recorded history + human race + pregalactic form + cell splitting + microchip cluster + snowflakes + fingerprints + uniqueness + galaxy + constant force + dorsal fin configuration + radial symmetry + mind + individuality + universe + existence + blinking state + awakened beings + infinite figure eight Mobius strip + thermodynamic principle + electromagnetic motors of creation + multiplicity of waves + accelerating change + quaking + stars & their remnants + motion picture of our lives + united civic resistance + progression + belief + fixed foremost + negative gravity bound pressure resistance capsule + psychonautical skull transcript by Shaun Lawton)

Explanation: The equation Δ represents the dynamic nature of life and the universe. It encompasses a wide range of elements, from challenges (bugs, glitches, difficulties, etc.) to unique qualities (uniqueness of snowflakes, fingerprints, etc.) to the constant changes in the cosmos. The equation also incorporates the concept of time travel and the emergence of transhuman technology.

Nicholas Alexander Hayes' figure (1)

Nicholas Alexander Hayes' figure (2)

[princesssarisa]

Cinderella September-through-November: Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," Enchanted Edition (2000 stage musical)

Besides its three TV productions, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella has had a long history of performances on the stage, usually in a script hewing close to the original 1957 TV version. But in 2000, a new production toured the United States, with a new script by Tom Briggs based on Robert L. Freedman's teleplay for the 1997 Wonderful World of Disney version. The tour starred former teen idol Debbie Gibson as Cinderella, with Eartha Kitt as her Fairy Godmother and Paolo Montalbán reprising his 1997 TV role as Prince Christopher. Later in the run, Jamie-Lynn Sigler replaced Gibson, and was playing Cinderella when the tour stopped at Madison Square Garden in New York. While the production wasn't filmed, nor was a cast album released, the new edition of the musical was made available afterwards for regional and amateur performances. After finding an online copy of the script and a few high school performance videos on YouTube, I decided to include it in my overview of Cinderellas, as yet another creative variation on Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical.

Much of the dialogue in this version is taken verbatim from the 1997 TV production. The stepsisters are named Grace and Joy, but they have the same character tics as 1997's Minerva and Calliope, with Grace scratching herself when she's nervous and Joy snorting when she laughs. The comic character of the royal steward Lionel is also added to the cast, and Cinderella first meets Prince Christopher before the ball, when he bumps into her in the village street disguised as a commoner as she carries her stepfamily's packages on a shopping spree. But Tom Briggs adds new details to the story too, inspired by the Brother Grimm's version of the fairy tale and by Disney's animated classic.

At the beginning, in a new verse prologue spoken by the Fairy Godmother, we learn that after Cinderella's mother died when she was a small child, she and her father planted a tree in her memory, and her father urged her to always tell her troubles to the tree, claiming that her mother would hear them. Several years later, when her father died, Cinderella cried under the tree and her tears made it grow tall. As a young woman, Cinderella isn't friendless, but has six secret animal companions – four white mice, a stray cat she names Charles, and a dove that perches on her mother's tree, all portrayed by either puppets or children depending on the staging – whom she feeds and confides in while her stepfamily sleeps. These animals don't normally speak, but during "A Lovely Night" in Act II, as a gag, they do sing a few lines in chipmunk-like voices. At the animals' silent urging, Cinderella resolves to fix up an old dress of her mother's to wear to the ball. But predictably, on the night of the ball, the Stepmother rips the dress.

Cinderella then pours out her sadness to her mother's tree in the yard, and suddenly, from inside the tree, her Fairy Godmother emerges. This is a distinctly sassy Godmother (how could Eartha Kitt have been otherwise?) who, as in the 1957 and 1997 versions, urges Cinderella to take responsibility for her own destiny instead of just wishing to be rescued. And Cinderella's character arc of learning to do so is even more pronounced than in the TV versions. After singing "Impossible," she resolves to get herself to the ball by mending her dress and hitching a ride on a passing carriage – and for this the Fairy Godmother rewards her by finally giving her a pumpkin coach and a new gown and by turning the mice into horses, the cat into a coachman and the dove into a footman. (Again, as a gag, the horses sing along with "It's Possible.") Later, in the climactic scene of Act II, she finally defies her Stepmother's orders by emerging from the kitchen to reveal her presence to the Prince. As her Fairy Godmother helps her achieve this self-actualization, she frequently mentions Cinderella's mother – it's implied, though never explicitly said, that the Godmother is actually her mother's spirit.

As in the 1997 TV version, the songs "The Sweetest Sounds" and "There's Music In You" are added to the score, and the original 1957 "Royal Dressing Room Scene" song is combined with "The Prince is Giving a Ball." The song "Falling in Love with Love" is not included, however. Instead, "Loneliness of Evening" from the 1965 TV production is reinstated for Prince Christopher, now sung at the ball before Cinderella arrives. The King and Queen are also given a gentle romantic duet, "Boys and Girls Like You and Me," which was cut first from Oklahoma! and then from Meet Me in St. Louis before being repurposed here.

Some Rodgers and Hammerstein fans might find this edition of the musical slightly "Disneyfied," even more so than the 1997 version, and prefer the classic 1957-inspired script for their productions. But if you do want a Cinderella with a more modern flair, which captures the spirit of the 1997 production but adds its own ideas too, then this is the Cinderella for your theatre or school to perform. It's definitely an inventive, enjoyable variation on an always crowd-pleasing musical.

@superkingofpriderock, @ariel-seagull-wings

[popwasabi]

“The Mandalorian” S2 is a power fantasy with mini Star Wars trailers

The term “Plot armor” is often used by readers and viewers to describe the myriad of ways writers keep their heroes away from any real danger no matter what choices or actions they make in the narrative. It’s typically a derisive phrase for the way a writer’s hero seems to escape death no matter what is thrown at him for the sole purpose of moving the plot forward.

In Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” this term takes a far more literal description in the form of our main anti-hero, played by Pedro Pascal, in his beskar armor which seems to be, by all accounts the most indestructible material in the galaxy far, far away.

(I mean, it still looks really cool too, of course.)

The result of this narrative decision in this series is that action scenes often don’t have real tension to them. In another series you might be able to reasonably believe the hero might be in danger with blaster fire shooting all around them but with beskar it’s almost comically not the case at all. Stormtroopers fire laser blast after laser blast at The Mando and each time they bounce harmlessly off him as if he were fucking Superman. It makes scenes feel devoid of stakes and danger no matter what situation they are in.

The show thus becomes a power fantasy, as action scenes serve as extended highlight reels for the Mando. Where season 1 of the show mitigated the power of the Mando’s plot armor by putting him more often in situations where his beskar alone wasn’t enough to save the day, season 2 goes mostly full power fantasy as The Mando rarely runs into a situation he can’t just quite literally walk through.

(“Aim for his armor, men! That’s his weak point!”)

This isn’t to say the season wasn’t without its high moments or even that it wasn’t enjoyable plenty of times but the series’ devotion to fan servicey action and callbacks to “Hey remember ____” makes it a fairly shallow story. At least for myself.

Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” continues the story of Din and his small Yoda-like companion, The Child (later known officially as Grogu), as he looks to complete a quest to return the burgeoning Force wielder to the Jedi. As he seeks to reunite The Child with the ancient Order, he encounters other Mandalorians who are on a quest to retake Mandalore and right on their tail is the nefarious Grand Moff Gideon who is still bent on capturing Grogu for whatever it is he has planned for the Empire.

Let me start this review by saying power fantasies aren’t inherently bad to watch or read. They can be good, cathartic junk food for the soul and can also be compelling, artistic, or even deeply metaphorical in their own way. A movie series like “John Wick” for instance is a power fantasy that aims to reinvent the wheel in action film-making with Keanu Reeves performing perhaps the best gun kata of all-time onscreen. Another film like Paul Verhoueven’s “Total Recall” can satirize the power fantasy to show how ridiculous it is in concept.

So, making your hero an unstoppable killing machine isn’t necessarily always a bad thing if used properly.

(Seriously, this is one of the smartest action films ever made. Don’t @ me.)

Now that that’s established, however, “The Mandalorian” season 2, despite some strong moments here and there, is a power fantasy that lacks these elements for a more interesting narrative. If you believe killing dozens of stormtroopers onscreen while never suffering so much as a scratch for eight episodes equals compelling storytelling then boy does Disney have a series for you.

Through the first four-ish episodes, the new season is mostly just fine and even quite enjoyable. We have the Mando getting a fun side quest with Timothy Olyphant on Tatooine where they get to wrangle a sand worm in a callback to the Westerns that inspired much of the franchise’s aesthetic. The Mando gets to escort a frog lady to her home planet to give birth to some tadpoles and they run into some actual danger in this episode in the form of kyrnknas/space spiders. And we get the return of Bo Katan from Dave Filoni’s “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” cartoon series, with Katee Sackhoff herself reprising the role in a fun Mandalorian team-up episode.

(I’m just so happy to see my girl, Starbuck, again more than anything honestly ;_;)

But the wheels started officially falling off for me in the next episode.

Episode 5 marked the live-action debut of fan favorite Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, and she meets the Mando by getting the jump on him with her lightsabers. In virtually any other situation we have been told lightsabers can cut through virtually anything. Now, beskar has been shown to be plenty durable throughout the series so far but lightsabers? Surely not.

Well…

It is an overall good episode despite this but it marked the point for me where I badly wanted The Mando to just go the rest of the series without it. Obviously, the writers aren’t going to actually kill our hero, afterall The Mouse needs more money and he can’t have it unless we get 50 more Mandalorian episodes and spin-offs, but at some point I gotta feel like there’s a possibility at least that our hero might actually die or at least is in danger. It is actually super funny to me each time The Mando ducks or seeks cover in a shootout when I know, and the viewer damn well knows, he can literally walk right into the middle of it and shoot all these motherfuckers at his own leisure cause his actual plot armor is the stuff of adamantium and vibranium combined.

Episode 5 is mostly good though, it’s a nice callback to old school samurai flicks and for an old fan like myself it was enough to ignore beskar again saving the Mando’s ass.

(This was cool...This...was...cool.)

If episode 5 marked the point in which the wheels began to come off though, episode 6 is where the show really spun out into the ditch for me. Perhaps, this series worst episode, personally, episode 6 reintroduces fan favorite and series inspiration Boba Fett back officially into the fold and the result was perhaps the most self-indulgent entry of the series.

(I mean, it was directed by Robert Rodriguez so...)

Boba arrives to demand his beskar from The Mando who promptly tells him “no” before they are ambushed by a platoon of stormtroopers. Alongside Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, the three do battle with the stormtroopers with ridiculous ease. I’m aware that stormtroopers exist to be on the highlight reel of our heroes in this franchise and have a long history of not being able to hit the broad side of a bantha but again, I can only watch these guys die by the dozens onscreen over and over again while our heroes get away without suffering even a bruise before it starts feeling boring and repetitive.

It only gets worse once Boba actually puts on his armor. In a sequence that I would describe as “gratuitously” fan servicey, Boba wastes just about every last stormtrooper in this scene culminating with him destroying their two get-away vehicles in a single shot with a rocket. Considering he was killing them with ease just moments before with nothing more than a battle club and a bathrobe, it seemed almost hilariously needless that he donned his iconic armor.

(It would be tempting to say the stormtroopers fought as ineptly as the Putty Patrol here but even the Power Rangers have struggled a few times against these guys...)

I get that Boba is really important to a lot of fans, based on their perceptions of him in the original trilogy and subsequent books and graphic novels that came out in the following years, but here’s a hot take; this series didn’t need him in it. Maybe they didn’t need to keep him rotting in the Sarlacc Pit but this episode, alongside Ahsoka Tano’s feels more like marketing choices for the story rather than narrative ones. I’ll concede that there is a bit more substance to having Ahsoka there to commune with Grogu but their additions to the plot don’t actually show much of anything about the Mando outside physically helping him in a fight.

The way they tease, in both cases, stories that exist outside the internal narrative between Ahsoka’s search for Admiral Thrawn and Boba taking over Jabba’s palace at the end of the final episode, it feels like Disney threw in mini trailers for fans to nibble on at the expense of telling the Mando’s own story and letting it stand on its own like the first season.

The choice to have these characters shoved into this season again appears to be market driven not narrative. Once more, I get that these characters are important personally to many fans, but the appearance of these characters alone DO NOT equal good storytelling.

(Me when a fan tells me “But Boba was such a badass in *obscurely titled EU book that a handful of general audiences have read*! He deserves this moment!”)

The final episode of the season is truly encapsulating of all these issues “The Mandalorian” has, however. Moff Gideon, played by the always sharp Giancarlo Esposito, has Grogu imprisoned aboard his ship. The Mando and his friends plan a rescue mission to save him and, just like nearly every episode before, it is stupidly easy for our protagonists.

The crew of five, again, walk through every Imperial on the ship. I don’t mean this metaphorically by the way, I mean this literally as Cara, Fennec, Bo Katan and Koshka Reeves (played by WWE’s Sasha Banks) without a single moment of real adversity just blast through every stormtrooper on the ship and never get hit once in the process.

A good action scene needs an element of danger, a sense that our hero might actually not come out of this alive even though we all know they will. An action scene without this has no tension and without tension it becomes booooooooring.

(Even John fucking Wick is capable of bleeding, guys...)

The finale had a chance, however, to add real stakes and danger to the scene in the form of this season’s new enemy; The Dark Troopers. These Imperial battle droids were foreshadowed as these super soldiers at the end of episode 4 and seemed to be billed as a real dangerous match for our heroes to faceup against. When the Mando finally gets himself face to face with one he finds they are not as easy to kill as the nameless stormtroopers from before. To see The Mando briefly face real adversity for a change snapped me out of my cynical mood so sharply for a moment I thought I had turned on another series by accident.

But of course, danger never lasts long in this series as The Mando’s armor again saves him first from getting pummeled to death by the droid’s super fists then he uses his plot spear, cause of course he has one of those too, to finish the job.

Danger over.

Moff Gideon doesn’t fair much better in this episode. This villain who had been built up for two seasons as this calculative monster gets stopped rather easily with Mando and his friends barely breaking a sweat. This character feels wasted because of this, even though I’m sure Giancarlo Esposito will return in the next season. He just feels about as much like a pushover as the nameless stormtroopers in this series.

The episode had one more chance though to show these Dark Troopers meant business toward the end as we found the heroes cornered on the command deck with nowhere to run and a dozen of these droids ready to blast and pound them into the floorboards. But help arrives in the form of a Deus X-Wing Machina.

Without having to face even one Dark Trooper, Luke fucking Skywalker arrives on the ship and kills every droid without breaking a sweat. It plays as inspiring in the moment but again I just found myself bored and irritated. A chance to see the series heroes actually use their wits and show their creativity in a moment of true danger thwarted to please fan boys.

I get that Grogu called out to him in episode 6 but creatively this felt like an extremley lazy way to solve the heroes’ dilemna.

(“Hello my name is Jedi. I enjoy doing...*computes script* Jedi things.”)

This season wasn’t all bad. It certainly had nice production value that made each alien world pop and beautiful to look at. Every actor and actress played their parts expertly well, with what they were given, and made for interesting characters at times. There are also nice homages to both Western and Samurai cinema throughout the season that fans of both will appreciate. And Pedro Pascal is just so good on his own, especially in tender moments with Grogu, that you forget that his character is kind of a Gary Stu.

But the main crux of the issue here that I’m trying to get across is the reason you need to remove the plot armor of your heroes is not just because action scenes need tension and stakes, it’s that when faced with danger these scenes reveal who these characters are. I used to believe that the reason Mandalorians and Jedi had such a fierce rivalry in the lore despite the obvious advantages of wielding the Force was because these famed bounty hunters were just that fucking good at killing. That despite being, on paper, normal people they had great martial prowess, athletic skill, and the tactical wit to outsmart people who can literally sense their feelings. But now with beskar and the way this series is written, it appears the Mandalorians were challenging warriors just because they happened to harness the most OP armor building material in the galaxy.

It makes you wonder how the fuck they were conquered to begin with…

(Maybe they just needed more knee rockets...)

This takes away from the mysticism of the Mandalorians for me. It makes The Mando less interesting to me in the way he fights. Yea he can shoot really good too but really it’s the armor that makes him the fighter that he is and I find that kind of boring. We occasionally get this character to remove the armor during the series, including a whole episode that was easily one of the best of the season, and in every case he’s more interesting once the helmet comes off. I get that fans hold a lot of reverence for that armor, yea it still looks really cool, but making it this impenetrable super material doesn’t add anything to the story.

If anything, it takes away from it.

(Plus how could you not love Pedro Pascal when he’s out of armor? uWu)

I wouldn’t go as far as to say I hate season 2, even though I spent 2000 plus words just now lambasting it but I guess I just want to say I am unimpressed more than anything. I feel like I’ve seen better Star Wars be it in the movies, cartoons, books, video games, etc and I’ve certainly seen better action in the franchise as well.

Considering fan reaction so far appears to be overwhelmingly positive, I am definitely in the minority here and you are welcome to enjoy this series as much as you want in spite of how unimpressed I am with the season. But considering all I have seen of this fandom the last few years, regarding complaints about fan service (“Rogue One”), easily defeated/underdeveloped bad guys (“The Last Jedi”), and Mary Sues (The sequel trilogy in general), I have to ask again what is it actually that fans like or don’t like about new entries in the franchise? It’s not that there isn’t valid criticisms there and “The Mandalorian” is enjoyable in sincere ways too but it has many of the issues I hear commonly said of more divisive entries in the Disneyverse. So why does it get a pass?

I’ve been told it’s not worth my energy to talk too derisively about the fans in one of my earlier write-ups, so I’ll leave it at that but it does make me wonder.

(“Rogue One” admittedly has a simarily self-indulgent action sequence though haha...)

Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” isn’t the worst piece of Star Wars media ever created, far from it, and for most part its solid enjoyable Saturday morning cartoon theater but if the series wants to really take steps to become more compelling in the future it might be good to stop bubble wrapping their heroes in plot armor. Literally.

Until then this is the way…I guess…

Me getting ready for the backlash...

[john-cardoza]

I posted 1,419 times in 2021

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#musical emma and movie alyssa would be like kind of acquaintances like when you go to the same school and barely know the other persons name

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Though performances remain dark during the coronavirus shutdown, Come From Away will get the film treatment. Entertainment One will produce a live capture of the musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, reuniting cast members of the Broadway production.

The performance will be filmed in May at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where the musical opened in 2017 and continued to play up until last March (when all Broadway shows went dark due to the pandemic). It is expected to be released in September.

Christopher Ashley will direct the filmed version, reprising his Tony-winning work. He was slated to helm a feature film adaptation for Entertainment One, as first reported back in 2017, though those plans have since evolved with the absence of live performance.

Exact casting has yet to be confirmed.

150 notes • Posted 2021-02-02 18:48:03 GMT

#4

Let me tell you a story. It's 1975. The original company of Chicago is in previews and the worst flu in history hits the cast...

198 notes • Posted 2021-08-21 21:24:35 GMT

#3

Mom. You have to stop talking for a minute and listen, okay? Just listen. People don't turn gay. They are who they are.

235 notes • Posted 2021-08-21 17:51:02 GMT

#2

spooner: this is so unfair. why did i have to join the legends when it was no longer acceptable to shoot your teammates

304 notes • Posted 2021-10-28 00:33:02 GMT

#1

happy falsettos day

357 notes • Posted 2021-05-28 01:11:13 GMT

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[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

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A bold new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2021 on Disney+ with the wildly successful WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but Marvel Studios certainly hasn’t been resting on its laurels in terms of upcoming cinematic blockbusters. Not only does it have Black Widow (finally) ready for theatrical release, but we’ve also got Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness all in various stages of production, there are also TV series on the way for the likes of Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and more!

Well, if you’ve been a little confused by Marvel’s shifting dates and streaming priorities, never fear! We’ve got a comprehensive release calendar for you here detailing all the forthcoming MCU projects, so you’ll always be able to find the latest updates when you need them.

Let’s take a look at everything Marvel has in store over the next few years…

Loki

Release Date: June 9, 2021

Tom Hiddleston will reprise his most famous role, as Loki finds himself on a heist through time and space “as he steps out of his brother’s shadow” after the events of Avengers: Endgame! Oh, and based on this trailer, there’s all kinds of time-travelling weirdness awaiting, including the return of Heimdall, some other Asgardian hijinks, DB Cooper (yes!), Owen Wilson playing an obscure character based on a beloved Marvel Comics writer, and…Loki possibly running for President!

Tom Hiddleston stars, of course, and the cast also includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. Michael Waldron is head writer and Kate Herron is directing.

Black Widow 

Release Date: In theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access Friday, July 9, 2021

The Black Widow movie was heading for a May 1, 2020 release before the pandemic, but Disney and Marvel decided to delay it until the industry’s infrastructure was back to some semblance of normal. They seemed absolutely committed to keeping Natasha on a theatrical release rather than sending her to Disney+, but eventually semi-caved in March as it was confirmed that Black Widow would hit both streaming and theaters simultaneously in July.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.”

Cate Shortland directed the film, and Scarlett Johansson stars, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour alongside her. One of the movie’s villains is Taskmaster, and we wrote a little bit more about him right here.

Natasha Romanoff will get a prequel movie of sorts here, as we catch up with Widow right around the events of Captain America: Civil War. Will the plot affect her character’s ultimate fate in Endgame? Do not count on it.

What If…?

Release Date: Summer 2021

The beloved comic book series that tells tales of how things might have turned out differently in the Marvel Universe is becoming an animated series on Disney+!

Here’s the official synopsis:

“What If…? flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways…Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles.”

We know that at least a couple of these roles include Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa as well as the return of Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter!

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release Date: September 3, 2021

Simu Liu has been cast as the titular Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as The Mandarin (hey, that name sounds familiar! But this time, we’re getting the real Mandarin on screen). Destin Daniel Cretton is directing from a script by Dave Callaham. Given its “Ten Rings” title, Shang-Chi should be steeped in Marvel lore, going all the way back to the first Iron Man film!

Hopefully this will be Marvel’s most action-packed movie yet. The trailer sure makes us think so.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release Date: September 17, 2021

Andy Serkis (Mowgli) steps behind the camera for Venom 2, which now boasts the catchy title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The first film, buoyed by a terrific showing at the Chinese box office, made an absolute ton of money, despite being released to mostly scathing reviews.

Venom: Let There be Carnage will follow up Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man-less spinoff film, but will likely be more connected to the MCU this time around, thanks to a renewed deal between the company and its Marvel Studios partners. Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock, of course, and as you can probably guess from that title, he’ll be facing off against Woody Harrelson’s villain, Cletus Kasady aka Carnage!

We wrote about all the cool Marvel stuff happening in the above trailer right here.

The Eternals 

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

Acclaimed Nomadland helmer (and Oscar winner!) Chloe Zhao is directing Marvel’s Eternals from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo. Marvel described the film as an “epic story, spanning thousands of years” that features “a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.”

The cast features Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. We meet all these characters in the trailer, which we wrote more about here.

This one was another victim of the release date shuffle, but we’ll finally get to see Jack Kirby‘s wildest creations soon enough!

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021

The next Spider-Man movie looks like a big one! Spider-Man: No Way Home will once again take place in the MCU since Marvel and Sony solved their differences, good sense prevailed, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will remain a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This one, well…this might be a live action Spider-Verse movie from the sound of it. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from the maligned Amazing Spider-Man films and Alfred Molina will return from the Raimi era as Doctor Octopus.

Wait. Are they trying to make this a multiversal Sinister Six movie? Because…we could be down for that.

Hawkeye

Release Date: Late 2021

Jeremy Renner returns as Clint Barton to train his replacement as Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop! Apparently based on the brilliant run of comics by Matt Fraction and David Aja, Hawkeye will also prominently feature Lucky the Pizza Dog, one of the great canines in Marvel Comics history.

The cast also includes Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Fra Fee as Kazimerz Kazimierczak, Tony Dalton as Jack “Swordsman” Duquesne, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Alaqua Cox as Maya “Echo” Lopez, and Zahn McClarnon as Willie Lincoln. We wrote more about all these new characters here.

Ms. Marvel

Release Date: Late 2021

Ms. Marvel is finally coming to live action! Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. “A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right?”

The cast includes Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer, and Nimra Bucha. Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

This is going to be a big one, folks, because Kamala is going to be a significant player in Captain Marvel 2. How significant? The title of the movie is now The Marvels!

Morbius

Release Date: January 21, 2022

Spider-Man spinoff Morbius is Sony’s next big Marvel wild card, and it’ll officially be the first spinoff to properly connect to the MCU (even if Marvel Studios still isn’t officially acknowledging it in their own promotional materials the way they are with Spider-Man: No Way Home). Here’s the official synopsis for the film…

“Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.”

Safe House‘s Daniel Espinosa directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. Jared Leto stars as the vampiric title character, and the cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.

Read more about the character of Michael Morbius here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like it will open up the storytelling possibilities in the MCU like never before. And that’s just based on the name alone. Scott Derrickson was scheduled to direct, but bowed out because of “creative differences” with Marvel. But the good news is that Marvel found a suitable replacement in none other than Sam Raimi, who of course has plenty of superhero experience thanks to his Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s!

This one has loads of connections to the wider MCU. Elizabeth Olsen will be here as Wanda Maximoff post-WandaVision, and the film will also connect to Spider-Man: No Way Home and its own multiversal ambitions. There are also a few rumors doing the rounds that Jericho Drumm aka Brother Voodoo could be introduced in this sequel. We’ll keep an eye on that and update this if there’s any substance to them.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Taika Waititi, who gave us the delightful Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write and direct. Chris Hemsworth will be back. Natalie Portman is your new Thor (yes, you read that right, Jane Foster will wield the hammer…just as she did in the comics!). Christian Bale has also joined the cast as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher. Not only that, this movie will finally put Olympians in the MCU with Russell Crowe as Zeus. Can Hercules be far behind?

Oh, and did we mention that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be along for the ride, too?

Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever 

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Black Panther 2 is now called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Marvel has made it official that after the tragic, untimely death of Chadwick Boseman they have no intention of recasting the role of T’Challa, which is absolutely the right move.

Ryan Coogler will return as director, but there are no other details currently available. Interestingly, Coogler is also bringing a Wakanda TV series to Disney+ at some point in the future, too, and something tells us this Wakanda-centric title for the sequel is a sign of things to come.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Is it technically an MCU movie? Nope. But with all the legal weirdness going on between Marvel and Sony, and this franchise’s very multiversal concept, who’s really to say that it ISN’T an MCU movie either, right? In any case, the sequel to the best Spider-Man movie of all time is coming in 2022 with Avatar: The Last Airbender mastermind Joaquim Dos Santos directing and David Callaham writing.

There’s also an “untitled Marvel movie” still technically scheduled for this date but…that is almost certainly not gonna happen now. Expect whatever that project was to move to one of these below dates or to some other currently unspecified date on the calendar.

Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels

Release Date: November 11, 2022

WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell has been tapped to write the screenplay for Captain Marvel 2, which now boasts the title of The Marvels. You know what else is really cool? Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct!

We have no idea where we’ll find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the sequel to her hugely successful first standalone MCU entry. Will she be fighting to loosen her former Kree pals’ iron grip on a pre-Avengers galaxy? Or will the follow up film see her fighting for justice in the present?

In any case, we know that she’ll be facing off with Zawe Ashton as a currently-unnamed antagonist, and WandaVision‘s Monica Lambeau (Teyonah Parris) will also return in her superpowered state after the events of that game-changing show. Considering that Monica was once known as “Captain Marvel” in the comics, that title of The Marvels becomes more appropriate. And even MORE appropriate when you realize that Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, will also be making her big screen debut.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Release date: Feb. 17, 2023

Peyton Reed will return to direct the third installment of the Ant-Man saga, making him the first director in MCU history to complete a trilogy…perhaps the most unlikely trilogy in Marvel’s entire arsenal. Paul Rudd will return as Scott Lang, and you can certainly expect Evangeline Lilly to return as The Wasp and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

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The villain of the film? That will be Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors. The inclusion of Kang opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for the MCU, and may even tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four down the line! We wrote more about those possibilities right here.

We’re also going to need fast confirmation on Michael Pena’s return as Luis, though. Luis is key…

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

Release date: May 5, 2023

After a tumultuous period which saw James Gunn fired and then rehired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, he will finally return to complete his spacefaring trilogy for the studio. However, Gunn can’t even begin filming Guardians 3 until he finishes production on The Suicide Squad for DC, as well as an HBO Max Peacemaker prequel. Once those projects are finished, he’s free to return to the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame left the team in an interesting place. We broke down some of the story possibilities right here.

And then there are still some dates that Marvel has announced that they have yet to match projects to. Those dates are…

July 28, 2023

Oct 7, 2023

Nov. 10, 2023

Some of those dates could very well be good fits for the following films…

Fantastic Four

The MCU Fantastic Four movie is finally happening! Marvel seems to be hinting that Fantastic Four will be their next priority after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So is it possible that we’ll see it on July 28, 2023? That sure would be a great piece of summer blockbuster real estate to launch what might be the most important piece of the MCU going forward!

Marvel’s first family will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a film directed by Jon Watts, who did such a wonderful job with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. That’s all the information that’s out there at the moment, but as soon as we have more, we’ll update this. It also appears that WandaVision started to set up the Fantastic Four, so stay tuned. We have our own theories on why Marvel went with the Fantastic Four before the X-Men, but that’s another story.

Blade

In 2019, Marvel announced that they will be rebooting the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali playing the titular daywalker. Ali’s True Detective co-star – and former Blade villain – Stephen Dorff is excited to see what he can do with the character, and so are we.

Could Marvel decide to drop this in that Oct. 7, 2023 release date? Considering that’s the Halloween season and Blade is, y’know, a vampire hunter, they’d have to be foolish not to, right?

Captain America 4

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman is co-writing a currently-untitled Captain America 4 with another FWS alum, Dalan Musson. Those are pretty much all the details that are currently available on this one at this time, but at least we know that Anthony Mackie will return as Sam Wilson in that incredibly badass Captain America costume they gave him for that show. We wrote some more about the potential story possibilities for this one right here.

There’s no date or director for this one yet, so even 2023 seems like it might be a longshot.

Deadpool 3

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin will be the writing team tasked with bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. What a Deadpool 3 could look like in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, anybody’s guess, but if anyone can crack wise about the follies of this kind of corporate synergy, it’s Ryan Reynolds.

And then there’s the lingering TV stuff, at least two of which will arrive in 2022, with the balance likely to arrive in 2023…

She-Hulk

Tatiana Maslany will play Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who ends up with her cousin Bruce’s gamma-irradiated blood. Hilarity certainly ensues. Kevin Feige has promised that since this will be a courtroom show, you never know who else from the MCU could show up.

It’s possible we’ll get She-Hulk on Disney+ in 2022, but nothing is confirmed at this stage.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac will play Marc Spector, a disturbed fortune hunter who also happens to be the avenging avatar of an Egyptian moon god. Oscar Isaac is already training hard for the role, and the series is now officially in production, so we wouldn’t be surprised if we see this one on Disney+ in 2022.

Ironheart

The first of two series that will explore the legacy of Iron Man and Tony Stark in the MCU, Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a teenager at M.I.T. who creates her own suit of armor to right the wrongs of the world.

Armor Wars

Don Cheadle will reprise his role as Rhodey and will have the solo spotlight in the War Machine armor in a series that deals with a nightmare scenario for the MCU: what if Tony Stark’s Iron Man technology fell into the wrong hands and was getting duplicated by villains? Based on a classic comics run, Armor Wars promises big action and lots of obscure bad guys. We can’t wait.

Secret Invasion

Samuel L. Jackson will return as Nick Fury alongside Ben Mendelsohn as Talos for a series about the shape-shifting Skrull infiltration of Earth. Kingsley Ben-Adir is apparently playing the villain of the series. Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Killian Scott also star.

On directing duties are Thomas Bezucha (Let Him Go) and Ali Selim (The Looming Tower) while Mr. Robot vet Kyle Bradstreet is the head writer.

Secret Invasion could be the biggest thing to happen to the MCU since Endgame.

Wakanda

Very few details are available on this one at the moment, but Ryan Coogler will develop at least one Wakanda-set TV series for Disney+. Could this have anything to do with that Wakanda Forever title for Black Panther 2? We wrote more about some of the implications of this here.

We’ll keep updating this with new information as it becomes available!

The post Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[whetstonefires]

atla flashfic that got over 1k so it gets a readmore!

Pu-On woke up in the middle of the night to a cloaked, masked figure with a naked blade.

"Oh spirits," he squeaked, after a second spent realizing that it wasn't a cast member trying to be funny, and pulled the bedclothes up under his chin like that would help. "I-I'll--" He wasn't sure whether threatening to scream or offering not to was more likely to work out.

"Pu-On Tim?" the figure asked, in a hushed voice that made it hard to tell anything about it except that it wasn't a bass-baritone and it was probably from around Caldera City, or trying to sound that way, which a lot of people did. "Staff scriptmaster with the Ember Island Players? Writer of the play 'The Boy In The Iceburg?'"

"Y...yes?" He hoped that was the right answer. Trying to lie about it didn't seem wise, considering they'd already found his bedroom.

"We're here on behalf of the Fire Lord."

The 'we' made Pu-On take his eyes off the figure at his bedside and realize there was another masked, cloaked figure lurking behind them. Oh, spirits.

"Listen, he wasn't written like that in the previous draft!" he blurted. "I know what you probably heard about the performance version, but that was just a matter of political exigency! I have nothing against Fire Lord Zuko!”

This was a slight exaggeration.

Zuko had figured in the earliest stage of the script as a quixotic, mildly absurd sympathetic figure, only to have to be rewritten with a character arc leading him toward betrayal after the great Tragedy of the North, and then rewritten again as the main hero of the piece, after he redeemed himself at Ba Sing Se.

Then not two weeks from opening night, on the Day of Black Sun, he'd turned on his father and joined forces with the Avatar, and Pu-On had had to hurriedly dig through his old drafts to restore less flattering dialogue, to spare himself having to fully rewrite all Zuko's scenes again. Shun had barely slept for three days getting the rewritten part down. Pu-On had begun to feel personally martyred by Prince Zuko of the ever-changing allegiances.

He might have made him a little more ridiculous than he’d had to, out of aggravation, but mostly in hopes of managing to get a watchable play in the end. A work focusing so much on enemies of the state had had to be the broadest of comedy to begin with, and making the brooding Zuko character fit into that on short notice hadn’t been easy.

And then Sozin's Comet had come, and they had a new Fire Lord.

He'd be lying if he said the possibility of reprisal hadn't crossed his mind, but the new Fire Lord had by and large shown considerable restraint about actions performed under his father's regime, even when he didn't like them. On the other hand, none of that had been personal.

"It was just a matter of political exigency," he wheedled the two masked agents in his bedroom. "The Fire Lord knows his father's laws, whatever I write has always had to conform with national policy."

"Lord Zuko knows," said the agent standing further back. "We're just here to ask you a few questions."

It was more than a few. The questions started on the subect of his loyalties and political opinions, quick darting things trading off quickly from one interrogator to the next, clearly designed to push him past the usual mealy platitudes and into sincerity. Pu-On has always been careful not to have too many sincere political opinions, since they tend to seep into your work and that's how you get dragged off to the coal and sulfur mines, but they wring a surprising amount out of him.

Then without his quite catching the instant of transition they were asking him about the research he did for 'The Boy In The Iceburg,' the various sources he listed as part of the script and how he tracked them down and what he did to get accounts from them, as well as which of a long list of inaccuracies in his script were intentional rhetorical devices and which the result of bad or no information on his part.

Toph the Earthbender's height and gender were bad information he recognized as such by comparison to other sources and used anyway; the mechanism behind her blindsight was pure supposition based on a text about bats. The agents were taking notes now. He found himself flattered, even though he knew this was unwise of him.

Pu-On had always been enthusiastic about his research process. He would have liked to go to university in his youth, if it were achievable for someone from his station of life, and he'd cribbed what academic tricks he could to bolster the story-collecting he'd started as a child haunting wineshops with a notebook of his own.

So he almost forgot to be frightened at some point in this stage of the discussion, sitting fully upright in bed with the bedclothes pooled into his lap and gesticulating for emphasis. “Prince Zuko’s hair!” he said. “Oh, that was a dramatic saga in the version that had to be scrapped last, the information I’d put together on his movements after the Siege of the North showed he was growing it out for the first time since he was thirteen, after obviously cutting his phoenix tail to go into hiding. The…well, anyway, we had to make all new wigs for the actual performances.”

He remembered himself suddenly, clutching the edge of the blanket again. “I didn’t mean any harm,” he added. “Please, tell the Fire Lord…would he like another rewrite? I’d be happy to—” He wouldn’t, he tore that play apart and cobbled it back together again so many times he’d prefer never to look at it again in his life.

In a few years he might go back over his notes and write something entirely new, but he was going to wait for the dust to settle first. Fire Lord Zuko had disrupted his work with dramatic upheavals enough times already. If only current events weren’t so irresistibly exciting; history was so much more accommodating.

(Although even history was currently being heavily rewritten. School curricula were among the many things the new Fire Lord was overturning.)

“Maybe he would,” said the agent in the middle of the room. “You can ask him yourself.”

“I can?”

The agent beside his bed nodded, stuck their knife into what must be a hidden sheath at their hip (note: find out how that’s done, the effects crew would love a new technique for fake stabbings) and reached up to take their mask off.

Revealing a round-faced girl with grey eyes, currently grinning widely at him. “Hi! I’m Ty Lee, and you’re invited to join His Majesty’s intelligence service!”

[charliejrogers]

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - Review & Analysis

Here’s a non-controversial statement: 2017’s Wonder Woman is a legitimately great film (if you discount the last act’s boring battle). A fun, yet emotional anti-war tale with a great period aesthetic. What elevated it from greatness was its starkly bleak reveal that Ares does not start man’s wars, but he merely gives humans ideas for how to instigate them. Ultimately, it is Man who holds responsibility for our own destruction, and despite this Wonder Woman still chooses to help us poor creatures. Cool themes, cool hero, cool movie.

Wonder Woman 1984 shares the main character from its 2017 forerunner, as well as its dedication to recreating a particular period aesthetic (here the 1980s), but the brilliant writing from the first film is gone. The main themes are essentially… “be careful what you wish for” and “winners never cheat; cheaters never win.” Not the most grand and interesting follow-up to the prior film’s genuine insight into human nature.

But that’s OK. I’m really not sure why this movie is getting so much flak online. If DC’s recent prior history with filmmaking should have taught us anything, it’s that 2017’s Wonder Woman was a fluke. Remember that this is the same studio that brought us the outstanding climax to Batman vs. Superman where one grown man learns that another grown man’s mother is also named Martha. Oh, and did we all just forget that Justice League is one of the worst movies we have all collectively ever seen?

So let’s not be too hard on WW84 for not meeting the quality of 2017’s Wonder Woman. Few comic book movies can. In the more fair comparison to other movies in the DCEU, it sits below Shazam! and Aquaman, and just a smidge below Birds of Prey, but certainly above Suicide Squad, and then literally leaps and bounds over every other movie they’ve made.

Let’s start with the good. Honestly, despite my gripes about the themes of the movie not being very profound, I found the story to be interesting. The movie centers around Diana Prince (Gal Gadot in her role as an archaeologist for the Smithsonian and not as Wonder Woman) stumbling upon an ancient stone whose inscription invites people who hold the stone to make a wish. No one takes it really seriously at first, so two people make wishes without thinking they could come true. The first person is Diana herself who wishes to bring her boyfriend (whom she only knew for about a week, mind you) from the dead. As a reminder from the first film, her boyfriend Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) had died nearly 70 years prior to the start of this film in a dramatic, sacrificial, world-saving act. Apparently, Diana hasn’t moved on at all from the 1910s and still considers her short-time lover to be her forever lover. She’s not really a human and did not grow up a human, so I think we can forgive her for not moving on… but it is weird to imagine that Diana somehow works at the Smithsonian (without going to college? Or did she?) without developing any friends or interest in life. Wouldn’t she have moved on... like a little bit?

Anyways, she wants her boyfriend back, and that’s wish #1. Wish #2 comes from new character Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig… who I am shocked to find is 47 years old! She looks fantastic and far younger in this film). Were Barbara a man, the way she is treated by her colleagues would put them in the stereotypical role of a future school shooter. Barbara is a brilliant gemologist for the Smithsonian, but goes completely unrecognized for her brilliance. She is shy and unconfident, and subsequently people frequently forget that they have even met her. Add on to that the fact that she has to work in the same office as Wonder Woman, and her loneliness and subjective feelings of unattractiveness increase as male employees drool over Diana while they ignore and mock Barbara. Therefore, we would forgive her for having a chip on her shoulder. Yet, for all this, Wiig avoids playing her as an angry, emo goth. Barbara kinda has this air about her of “Well, this is just how life is, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.” Given the character’s lack of self-confidence and lack of social grace, it at times seemed like Wiig was just reprising her old SNL character, Penelope, the socially awkward one-upper. But that’s not fair to her character. Wiig portrays Barbara with an earnest goodness to her. She’s one of those people who when allowed to talk one-on-one proves to be more eloquent and interesting than you could have imagine. Far from being angrily envious of Diana’s confidence and beauty, she’s more sadly jealous. Naturally, then, she wishes on the stone to be more like Diana… unaware that this wish might have some unintended benefits.

But then, there’s a third key character to the film (and a third wishmaker), the main villain Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). I cannot tell you if this was a good character or not… and I cannot tell you whether the imperfections of the character are more due to the film’s writing or Pascal’s performance. Lord is another loser, and like Barbara, his “loser” status is the result of being a victim of America’s prejudicial attitudes. But whereas Barbara fell victim to sexism, Lord falls victim to racism. Hispanic in origin, Lord grew up in America with an abusive father at home and racist classmates at school. Beaten down from an early age, all he wants in life is to make a name for himself, to prove he’s not a loser. In a clever twist, Lord (the person who originally ordered the wish stone to come to America before it was confiscated by the FBI and sent to the Smithsonian for analysis) does not simply use the stone to wish for riches and power… he wishes to BECOME the stone. That way, he can get nearly infinite wishes so long as he can con the people around him to wish things for him.

The scenes of Max Lord as a flawed human who just wants to not be a loser show Pascal giving a great performance as a human being at the ends of desperation. The scenes of Max Lord the supervillain are… not good. In a long string of over-the-top, eccentric, hyperconfident supervillains in countless superhero movies, Pascal’s Lord is just not interesting. In fact, he is literally a weak character. He cannot fight for himself as his body is crumbling (a side effect of wishing to become a stone). Furthermore, his initially grounded motivations to finally be respected and successful seem to be just utterly lost by the end of the film when he just wishes for world chaos… only then to turn around and declare undying love for his son. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Failure to understand a character’s motivations casts a shadow over Barbara’s character arc as well. It is explained that the wish stone takes something in return for granting someone their wish. So as payment for bringing Steve Trevor back to life, Diana loses some of her strength. Still… this strains to fully explain why Barbara, after gaining Wonder Woman-like strength, turns into a walking humanoid cheetah (complete with bad CGI like she walked straight out of the cast of 2019’s Cats.) Like I get that she lost some of her humanity and morality in exchange for strength… but Cheetah girl seems like a little much. And though initially it is fun to see Wiig get to play Barbara as a confident and sexy woman who fights back against the patriarchy, the movie (I think) unfairly pushes her into the villain role. In my opinion, she should be treated as a tragic character, something akin to a Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, as her villainous tendencies are not really her fault. She literally had the part of her that cares about other humans taken away from her when she naively and innocently wished to be like Diana. Instead, the movie has Diana lecture her that she shouldn’t be so evil. She literally can’t, lady! Stop being so hard on her! In any case, it seems like a failed opportunity to generate sympathy for a genuinely likable character who tragically becomes a villain not through her own accord.

That failure to create genuine emotions extends to Diana’s story as well. As soon as Steve is resurrected, you know by the movie’s end he will be dead again. There’s no other way this movie ends. Yet, the fact that Diana is so stubborn in refusing to give up Steve makes it hard to sympathize with her. She is simply being selfish, making her eventual decision to say goodbye to Steve feel more like her finally doing the right (and obvious) thing, and not some heartbreaking decision. Also the fact that seemingly Diana hasn’t even tried to move on in the last seventy years doesn’t help matters for me: it more just feels like a lazy way to write in Chris Pine’s popular character into the second movie. The move certainly weakens the idea of Diana as a strong, independent woman by making her emotionally stunted and crippled for the last 70 years. It would have been a much more satisfying (and daring) choice if Diana had moved on from Steve emotionally and had to deal with the guilt of having brought him back by accident, particularly if he didn’t want to go back to being dead. Instead... Steve knows he has to go back and Diana feels no guilt keeping him around. It’s weak character writing.

These poor choices I contrast with two of my favorite TV shows that demonstrate perfectly how former lovers who miraculously reunite eventually have to say goodbye for good: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jane the Virgin. For risk of spoilers to those still watching Jane, I’ll stick to the Buffy example. There’s an episode of Buffy (though technically an episode of the spin-off show Angel) where Buffy and her vampire lover Angel are fresh off their recent and tumultuous break-up, but through some dark magic that neither seeks out, they are given the opportunity to live a life where Angel isn’t actually a vampire and their love can be fully expressed. Yet, in the end, Angel opts to give up his life as a human and return to being a vampire. The choice is so moving precisely because (due to circumstances I cannot begin to explain) in choosing to give up his life with Buffy, he saves her life as well. Whereas in this movie, Diana choosing to let Steve go is really just her choosing to undo her choice to essentially cheat death. Angel, however, is actively choosing to give up a life of happiness he never wished for but was just given on a silver platter, and will now live in a world where his lover will never know his selfless act and will go on hating him. It’s heartbreaking in a way Wonder Woman dreams it could be.

And not to get too Buffy-heavy… but that show also deals with the emotional consequences of being ripped out of the afterlife much better than this movie. Steve just kinda unrealistically adapts to being alive again in all of five minutes. If, perhaps, from the start he questioned why he was there and hinted to Diana that something was wrong, the emotional aspect of this story, the doomed nature, the feeling of “this is the last chance we’ll have together” could have made this a stronger movie. I wanted to find myself crying when Diana finally says bye to Steve, and I was no where close to that. Gal Gadot shares at least part of the blame. She’s a pretty wooden actress. It’s something I noticed in 2017’s Wonder Woman, but in that movie she was supposed to be a fish out of water so her stilted presence seemed appropriate. Here, where she’s supposedly become an assimilated American for 70 years… it is just bad acting.

Anyways, another aspect of this film that was lacking were the visuals. The bad CGI of Barbara as Cheetah is just scratching the surface here. The opening flashback to Diana as a girl performing in the Amazonian Olympics just… looks fake. I don’t know. The reliance on CGI over practical effects is clear and distracting. It’s only worse in the subsequent scene where Wonder Woman stops a theft from occurring in a mall. The effects are just bad. Like passable for a film in the 1990s or early 2000s. But for a 2020 blockbuster, it’s noticeably bad. And already the scene where Wonder Woman is running towards the camera with a weird green screen behind her seems to have become a meme given just how weird it looks.

And yet, for all the negatives I’ve listed, this is a decent action flick. There’s even some nice set pieces like the one in the White House. As little as I liked Max Lord as a supervillain, I found figuring out the other half of each of his various Monkey Paw wishes (i.e. the downside of each wish) to be clever. unfortunately, each of the main three characters fails to have a story line that takes full advantage of their emotional potential, or they are just poorly acted. With few exceptions, the film eschews “fun” in favor of “seriousness.” Really the only exception is, as in the first film, the chemistry between Pine and Gadot. Their chemistry makes for some of the movie’s best moments, like when Wonder Woman makes the plane they’re flying in invisible and the pair flies over fireworks on the fourth of July. But that sense of whimsy in their scenes is largely absent from the rest of the film. This is particularly true of the action sequences, especially those at the climax. The seriousness makes them rather boring. Really, I’m comparing these action scenes with the last half hour or so of Birds of Prey which really set the bar for superhero movie fight choreography. So in the end, it’s overall an OK movie. It certainly isn’t as bad as others make it out to be, but I cannot believe I’m saying this… in 2020 if you’re in the mood for a fun superhero movie, you’re better off with the Suicide Squad sequel than the Wonder Woman sequel.

**/ (Two and a half stars out of 4)

[senadimell]

Characters I like AKA ‘hurt face’ master post

The characters I like in movies and books are distinctly different. With books, I have all sorts of favorite characters, and I love that I know what they’re thinking. I just love a good deep third or first person. 

In contrast to books, there’s just something different about movies. We’re watching actors, and the visual component really dictates how I interact with film. I can get over a bad storyline if the emotional journey I’m watching looks real. 

When I’m watching a movie, I will almost always fall for lonely characters played by actors who can clearly express pain and sadness. Bonus points for guilt, insecurity, and a history of rejection. I will like them even if they’re not likable, or kind, or nice, or even good. They are visually compelling. Of course, I’ll love them even more if the backstory actually backs up why they’re in pain, and gives me a reason I shouldn’t dislike them beyond “they emote so pretty.” Experience with high school theatre productions has taught me there’s so much more to anger than volume, and so much more to sadness than tears; I’m in awe of actors who can communicate those emotions with subtlety and/or clarity.

So in real life, most of us aren’t that good at communicating with our faces, are we? For me, anyways, it’s hard to distinguish between tired, angry, or annoyed. When someone’s in pain or hurting, they rarely just look sad. Life’s not like a movie, when a good actor can show you exactly how a character feels without saying anything at all. I’m not so good at telling what people are thinking and often assume that that people are mad (and that they’re mad at me), when in reality I think pain must be more common. Most peole think of actors as imitating real people. I think they have to do more: they have to be expressive, and yet have it come off as genuine, so that we don’t even see the face but the character. 

I only just figured out why it was that when Frozen came out, I was obsessed with it. The story itself leaves a lot to be desired, but I was willing to excuse that. My phone was full of pictures of Elsa,  but most of them were stills from the movie rather than fan art. I had pictures of almost every face Elsa makes in Let it Go, when she just looks exhilarated and like she can’t believe how happy she feels. I also had every frame from when she hugs frozen Anna (pictured below). It was the first time I’d really seen an animated character visibly express insecurity, loneliness, self-rejection, guilt, and anxiety.*

This whole “visibly expressing negative emotions” thing is also one of the main why I’m obsessed with the first four seasons of Doctor Who. The Time War plot checks off every box, and Eccleston and Tennant are just brilliant about letting that emotion show through. 

Same thing goes for musical theatre. With cast recordings, the best is when you can just hear everything they’re saying in the way they sing things. Pretty Funny from Dogfight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64-HBOsY50s) is just brilliant. Some other favorites: Track Down This Murder/Down Once More from Phantom, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables (see: all of Les Miserables, actually), I’m Not That Girl as well as its reprise and No Good Deed from Wicked, Satisfied and Burn from Hamilton**

There are these characters who are...awful. They have objectively done awful things. I don’t think their actions are excusable. Yet the visual part of my just loves to watch them because they’re in pain and it’s written all over their face. (Loki and Kylo Ren fall into this category for me). I want to make all of these excuses for them, and am not repulsed, and spend all of this time analyzing them because what the actors can do with their faces just sucks me in. 

Now that I think about it, this is probably why I hate Elijah Wood’s performance of Frodo. The boy had exactly four faces: happy, sad, sick, and demented

A warning: this is a rough collection of GIFs that don’t all match in shape and format. 

 I will take the ring to Mordor. 

Rose. 

In the most loving way possible, David Tennant as the 10th Doctor is rather melodramatic and constantly aggrieved, so I’m going to leave it at these two scenes even though I could probably mine a gifset from almost every episode he appears in post-Rose. 

Everything I am dies

Loki: 

Massacre your entire species to prove your worth and please your father

It’s just rocks and dust.

There was a war, and we lost. 

(I love just about every face Christopher Eccleston makes as the Ninth doctor, but will save that for another post.)

I actually didn’t care one way or the other for Alan Rickman’s Snape until this scene. After watching that, I was moved and reevaluated my whole take on the character. I don’t personally see Snape’s relationship with Lily as romantic like I once did, but I don’t think I would have gone back and evaluated the character as deeply as I did without first watching Rickman in that scene. I’m now firmly in the Snapedom. 

Frozen: 

Then leave.

AKA Viggo Mortensen breaks a toe.

This jerkface. 

Samantha Barks was amazing to watch and hear. 

Eddie Redmayne is a gift.

Anne Hathaway was phenomenal.

Les Mis was actually really hard to watch in movie theatres because there were so many closeups of the actors’ faces during intense emotional moments. It was a little overwhelming. 

Pearl Mackie is a gift.

Some concluding observations:  

This is a very white list. It was also feeling pretty male until I added Doctor Who companions and musicals. 

This was harder than I was expecting, emotionally. Here’s some more Bill Potts to lighten things up.

*Actually, one of the reasons I couldn’t stand Anna is because she comes off as completely ignorant when Elsa’s every expression is plainly written all over her face, even though narratively she has every reason to be in the dark. If Elsa wore the regular, confusing expressions most of us wear, Anna wouldn’t come off as so silly. (Also if she would stop talking for a few seconds and listen). If Elsa’s animations weren't so expressive, I probably would cut Anna a lot more slack naturally **After I had the privilege of seeing Hamilton, Quiet Uptown joins this list possibly the best bit of acting I have ever seen without a single word being said. You can’t completely hear it in the recordings, but Eliza’s face goes through about 50 emotions without even opening her mouth moving, and I was sobbing as I watched. 

[kuratoki]

Distance 02

There wasn’t a day Jeno didn’t regret not making things official with you sooner. What he also didn’t expect was his soon to be ex best friend to act on his feelings towards you either. Now a whole continent away with a ten hour time difference, will the two of you survive the distance and all the obstacles that come with?

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Ballerina OC x Dancer Jeno

Words: 3481

Warnings: Swearing

~Updates Ever/other day at 8AM PST~

Later that night, Yukhei, Yeeun, Yuta, Sicheng and Chenle had invited the transfer students to your shared house in order to get to know them better. Chenle had been spending more time with Sicheng as of late since both Renjun and Jisung were gone. He felt lonely.

“Do you live here alone?” Kun asked, looking around the well lived space. There were picture frames of a family and an unknown girl and some even had a boy that remotely looked like Jeno and it had him wondering.

“Now I do.” Sicheng said with a nod, “This is Y/N’s house. The girl that you heard everyone talking about during the meeting today. I’m just renting it while I’m here since her parents moved to America and are currently traveling.” 

“Like parents like offspring.” Yuta commented, “You should get her to make her famous chocolate cake when you meet her. Soooo good. I still have one in my freezer.” he grinned remembering the payment of chocolate cakes you had to give him for letting you use his apartment in Osaka during that one spontaneous trip.

Tzuyu tried not to roll her eyes at the mention of your name again. All she heard during the meeting was Y/N this, Y/N that. She was even starting to doubt that you were a real person cause it all sounded too good to be true. In their eyes, you were perfect and she highly doubted that.

“Where is she again?” Xiaojun curiously asked, he only heard briefly that you were in Germany but he wasn’t so sure for what.

“She’s in London working with the Junior Selects Performance Group.” Chenle explained, “She and her ballet partner Renjun were asked to reprise their roles as Odette and the Prince in Swan Lake for their spring performance.” 

“Wait, the Selects Dance Company? Isn’t that the prestigious one that has the intensive training camp for it’s competition team auditions?” YangYang asked, he had only heard of it a few times while he was in Germany but had yet to meet anyone associated with it. “How did she get into that?” 

“Long story.” The three who knew chorused.

“You have to either be attending school there already or get a letter of recommendation from an existing team member.” Sicheng explained, “Y/N was already studying abroad and she caught the eye of one of the team captains. So she technically got in with both.”

“I heard that the head of the board lost her son to cancer recently.” Tzuyu commented, she had a few friends who attended schools in Europe so news got around fast “Are you sure they’re still putting the performance on?”

“Considering Y/N and Renjun are there helping plan the whole thing right now…” Yeeun answered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes but felt Yukhei squeeze her hand, “Y/N and Renjun were close friends with her son so they’ve decided to dedicate the performance In memory of him.”

“They took on a lot of responsibility like finding the orchestra, coming up with audition dates for the other roles and at which locations. You saw the large ass binder I was carrying home..I’ll be playing the piano for them.” Chenle added, “I have three months to get this all down, this is going to be sooo much practice. Goodbye, life.”

“Not like you had one anyways since Jisung and Renjun left anyways.” Yeeun teased.

“She sounds too good to be true.” Tzuyu muttered, crossing her arms, “How is she so connected?”

“You’ll understand when you meet her.” Chenle advised, “She’s one of the kindest, humblest and talented dancers I have ever met.” 

“Thanks Chenle.” Yukhei, Yuta, Yeeun and Sicheng said dryly.

“Those words could get you injured.” Yuta joked, “Do you notice how snippy Jaemin gets when people talk about Y/N?” 

“I’m more scared of Jeno.” Chenle said with a straight face, “Did you see how he crushed Haechans hand when he smeared chocolate icing on Y/N’s face? I’m surprised he didn’t get the whole bowl thrown at him.” 

“That’s because she was there to stop him.” Yukhei reminded, “I remember the chill that went down my spine when he gave me his death glare when Y/N first got here.” he shivered thinking about the past, “Bless her soul for holding him back.”

“He does tend to act up when it concerns Y/N…” Sicheng said thinking about all the scenarios, “I wonder if it’s a childhood thing or if it’s recent.” 

“Definitely childhood.” Yeeun said with a nod. She had heard stories from both Hana and Jaemin recounting tales of how Jeno was always super protective of you growing up even before you realized you had feelings for the other. 

“Is she the girl in the photos?” Kun asked, looking around the room and Sicheng nodded, “Does she have a brother too?” he asked again seeing a small boy in some of the photos near the fireplace.

“That’s...Jeno guys. Didn’t Jaemin and Hana tell you that they grew up together?” Chenle asked, confused.

“Jaemin said that the three of them went to school together.” YangYang said, “Wait so the little boy in that photo’s Jeno?” he asked pointing to the photo where it showed a boy and a girl lying on their stomachs in a tent, the biggest grins the two could muster at their young age.

“Yep.” Sicheng said, “Their families travelled together too if I remember. I remember him visiting from time to time when they came to see my family in China.”

“The only continent we haven’t been to now is Africa.” Jeno’s voice said as he walked in and was shocked to see the big crowd in your living room. The only people who were missing were Hana and Jaemin. 

“Oh hey, you’re back.” Sicheng said, “Did you grab my food?” 

“It’s in the fridge. I put some extra stuff in there too so you won’t starve and Yuta won’t eat you out of house and home.” he said walking past the group, making a beeline for the stairs, “Do you need anything from Y/N’s room?” he called down.

“No” Sicheng called back and shook his head, “At least he’s thinking about me.” 

“More like Y/N probably told him not to let you starve.” Chenle snorted and jumped when he felt something brush against his leg, “HOLY SHIT WHAT WAS THAT.” 

Everyone looked at Chenle weirdly before Tzuyu shrieked when she felt the same thing brush against her leg, “What the heck!?” 

Suddenly, something jumped out from under the couch but before it could land on Tzuyu’s lap, a strong arm quickly caught it mid-air. Looking up, she was shocked to see Jeno who pretty much had his arm wrapped around her from behind as he used his other hand to secure the animal.  She couldn’t help but feel the blush form on her cheeks as she felt his toned arm brush gently against her shoulder and she looked up at him, frowning when she saw him cooing as he held a cat in his arms.

“What the heck is Seol doing here?” Yuta asked, knowing all three of Jeno’s cats.

“Jaemin left my window open when he left for school this morning.” Jeno muttered checking his cat over, “And Sicheng left Y/N’s window open to air it out so she probably jumped across since it’s not that far. She did that a lot after she left too. Also, this is Nal, not Seol.” He corrected. 

“Awe, she also misses Y/N.” Yeeun said giggling, remembering your instagram post before you left, “Y/N said that if this ever happens that it was your fault that you let the two bond so closely before she left.” 

“Nal’s always liked Y/N better than me.” Jeno easily admitted, “I’ll be right back, gonna put her back in the house before-” Jeno let out a big sneeze.

“Too late.” Yuta and Chenle said as Jeno quickly walked out of the house only to come back not even three minutes later.

“I still don’t get why you have three cats when you’re allergic.” Yukhei commented, “Why don’t you get a dog or something?” 

“Y/N and I rescued Seol and Nal together when we were ten and I’ve had Beonsik forever.” Jeno said and looked down at his phone, “I’m gonna get what I need from her bedroom and then get going.”

“What are you getting exactly?” Chenle asked pointedly, “Does she even know you’re doing this?” 

“Pffft, no.” Jeno snorted, “She’d murder me if she found out. But the surprise will be so worth it.”

“Then we don’t want to know..” Yukhei said, “Shouldn’t you hurry up though? Your scheduled nightly call should be happening soon no?”

“Right.” Jeno said and ran back up the stairs only to come down with a large box of things, “See you guys tomorrow!” and with that, he was out the door.

“This is the third time he’s done that.” Sicheng commented, “I wonder what he’s up to…” 

“I know.” Yeeun said with a shit eating grin, “But I’m sworn to secrecy.” 

“Wait, so Jeno and this Y/N person aren’t dating?” Xiaojun asked confused, “But he seems so…”

“Domesticated.” YangYang finished his friends sentence.

“They’re kind of in a complicated situation.” Yukhei answered, “They have a lot of history and they only met up again this year after not talking for four. They have a few things to sort out and with Y/N currently on a different continent, they’re taking things slow.”

“Hey, the man has his priorities straight.” Yuta added,”I would do the same if I felt that way about her.”

“He just doesn’t want to fuck up cause he’s whipped.” Chenle commented, “Plus, he still sees his best friend as a threat.” 

“I thought Jaemin was dating Hana.” YangYang said. He was confused and Chenle quickly shook his head to correct himself.

“I’m talking about Jisung. You would have met him had he stayed and left for training camp when he was supposed to but he decided to follow Y/N and the rest of them to Europe early.” he explained, “Y/N and Jisung are best friends from summer camp, Jeno and Jisung are best friends from SMAA.” 

“So when Y/N transferred back, her two worlds collided.” Kun said and the group nodded, “Dang, must’ve been hard.”

“Ooooo yea.” Sicheng said remembering all the drama that happened in their small group, “And we all didn’t expect her to leave again so soon either but for now, it’s obvious where his focus is.”

“Well I mean, he’s going to be seeing her sfafjsalkfjl” Yukhei started but was muffled by Yeeuns hand.

“I think it’s time for Yukhei and I to go.” she said quickly, “Does anyone need a ride?” 

No one but a select few knew of Jeno’s leadership offer with the prestigious dance academy, not even Jaemin or Hana who were the closest to him. Yukhei and Yeeun happened to find out by chance since Renjun and Yukhei became close again and let it slip but outside of that, Jeno was acting perfectly.

A few weeks later, Tzuyu was walking around the empty hallways alone. She had a free period since her instructor was sick that day and she decided to check out the various departments. She could have asked Xiaojun or YangYang to join her but she decided to take a breather and think about the happenings over the last few weeks. 

She was so confused. She had tried to talk to him on multiple occasions but she only saw him during their first period class. He would remain unresponsive, focussing solely on the choreography as if his mind was elsewhere. Despite Hana and Yeeun warning her to leave him alone, Jeno was doing a good job at deflecting her himself and she had no idea if it was intentional or not.  As the weeks went on, she noticed that he got noticeably colder towards the transfer students, often leaving early from hangouts or not even showing up at all. When he was around, he focussed on talking to the guys only and only answered her questions when she asked, often with one word or a small sentence. It was like he was isolating himself from his friends too.  Something was obviously bothering him and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

As she walked by a practice room, she couldn’t help but hear a voice she recognized along with a much more feminine one.

“You need to lighten up.” the girl's voice said and Tzuyu peaked in to see Jeno sitting at a table he set up with his laptop open. Various papers and notebooks spread across. She knew it was a bad idea, but she couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation at hand.

“You’re only stressing yourself out more this way. Your duties don’t even start for another few months.” you said through the computer. The two of you and Renjun were having a video chat since Jeno was pretty much done school for the day and you were currently at your apartment working on performance preparations with Renjun. Jeno was going through the paperwork that he needed to fill for his application. The whole process in itself was stressful and on top of that, Soonyoung had asked for a few favors that he happily took, in order to distract him from everything else.

“But it’s going to help in the end won’t it?” Jeno asked, trying to reason with you and Renjun let out a sigh.

“Dude, I get that you want to be involved and everything but you’re still new to the system. I mean look at Jisung, the poor kid has complained EVERYDAY that training camp is so intensive.” he said, “Y/N’s right. You’re stressing yourself out for no reason.”

Tzuyu froze, so the female voice she heard was you. You didn’t sound all that special from what she could hear but the giggle you emitted when Jeno groaned before chuckling himself was what got her. 

“Where is Jisung anyways?” Jeno asked, curiously looking around the apartment through the camera.

“Unlike us, he has a strict schedule.” Renjun explained, “Remember, Xander wrote him the letter of recommendation so he has a lot to live up to. It’s no secret here either. Poor kid cried on Y/N’s shoulder the first day cause all the other students ridiculed his skill..” 

“Okay, now you’re just being mean.” you reprimanded, “YOU cried for the first TWO weeks of training camp. At least Jisung can suck it up. Plus his programs are harder because its for next years senior team. Hello, have you SEEN how Chan and Mia run their workshop?” 

“She got you there dude.” Jeno said looking at you with a soft smile, the softest smile Tzuyu had ever seen from him in all her time here, “Chan can be intense when he wants to be. I won’t say anything about your girlfriend in fear that she’ll find out and haunt me later.” 

“Shut up.” Renjun snapped, “Just you wait Lee Jeno, just you wait.” 

“Is that a threat small shoulders?” Jeno challenged.

“I don’t threaten, I promise.” Renjun said, “I will make you suffer.” 

“I mean, it won’t be as bad as Y/N and Mia making you suffer so I mean…” Jeno trailed off, “Plus, your girlfriend likes me better anyways.” 

“I always wonder about that.” Renjun admitted with a sigh, “Anyways, real talk. How are the transfers?”

The group in Europe which consisted of You, Renjun and Jisung were all aware of the suffering Chenle felt when he had to take on three dance majors since Renjun had left abruptly. You had heard a few things about one of them during your video calls with the girls and Jeno was also honest with everything during your phone calls. Did you see one of them as a potential threat? Kind of since the two of you agreed not to set things in stone until you were back for good and everything else settled down but you trusted him. 

“Outside of first period I don’t really see them.” Jeno admitted, he’d been taking more time to himself mentally. He had a lot of responsibilities within the NCT Dance club as a junior rep and the work he willingly took on for the Selects Team kept him busy most of the time.

“Ah, so that’s why Hana’s asked if I’ve talked to you.” you said finally understanding your friends words, “Why aren’t you hanging out with them? I heard that Kun, Xiaojun and YangYang joined NCT.”

“That they did.” Jeno confirmed with a nod, “I wonder if WinWin makes royalty’s off the club for all the transfer students he brings in.” he added as an after thought.

“What about the girl?” Renjun asked, “What’s her name again? Chou Tzuyu?”

“Sounds like it. I don’t talk to her much but she hangs around Yeeun and Hana a lot.” Jeno said nodding, “She’s actually a pretty good dancer.” 

“I’ve heard.” Renjun said, “A few of the dancers in my club talk about her. Heard she’s really talented despite her age.” 

“Just like Y/N back in the day.” Jeno said and the two of you looked at each other through the screen.

Renjun gagged and pushed you to the side, “Right in front of my lunch too. I thought we agreed flirting was meant for the night time conversations.” 

“You’re just salty that Mia’s been spending more time with Jisung and Chan lately.” you said pushing him back.

“Wait really?” Jeno asked, astonished. Chan was supposed to be helping out with the production so Jeno wondered what changed his mind.

“Yea, suddenly Soonyoung wanted to switch roles and Chan agreed since he wanted to get to know Jisung more.” Renjun explained, “Soonyoung, Jongin, Y/N and I are taking full control of the performance and Chan, Mia and the Senior team captains took over training camp. Anne-Marie is currently relaxing in the Carribean until new leaders are announced.” 

Jeno was shocked that Soonyoung switched places with Chan. It was obvious Chan had originally wanted to work with training camp but Soonyoung had a higher position so called dibs. Jeno wondered if it was because of a conversation the two had a few weeks back.

“So how do you feel about Y/N being so far away again?” Soonyoung asked.

The two had started meeting up more often, evening inviting Jaemin along at times. It was like ever since the day they met, a brotherhood had formed.  Today, Jeno had driven up to visit Soonyoung since it was the weekend and the two were meeting over some hot pot.

“What do you want me to say?” Jeno asked, “I just got her back and she’s gone again. Like, we talk every night but I still miss her you know.” 

“It’s understandable. But you guys talk everyday right? It’s not like anythings really changed, minus her being a 12 hour flight away part.” Soonyoung tried to reason and Jeno shrugged.

“I think towards the end, we spent so much time together that it was harder to let go and now she’s over there with Jisung and I don’t know what that kid has planned.” Jeno said, his voice getting lower at every word.

“Wait what about Jisung?” Soonyoung asked, “I thought he and Y/N were best friends.”

“They are…” Jeno said, running a hand down his face, “It’s just I don’t think his feelings for her are platonic. They way he was acting towards her in the end, he was just so protective, intent on keeping her away from me.”

Soonyoung hummed to himself, leaning back in his seat, “Is that what’s really bothering you right now?”

“It’s been on my mind for a while. There were times times when I’d be on video call with her and Jisung would randomly walk into her room and throw himself on her bed and other times, he’s already there with her…”  Jeno confessed, “I get they’re best friends but the look in his eye tells me otherwise.” 

“I’ll take care of it.” Soonyoung said and Jeno gave him a confused look and Soonyoung smiled, reaching over to pat his shoulder, “Just focus on making things official with Y/N.” 

Jeno wondered if Chan was playing a role. Jisung had been showing up less frequently in your video calls and the two of you had been actually able to talk about personal things. 

“Interesting. When do the two of you start rehearsals?” Jeno asked, changing the subject.

As the three of you continued to converse, Tzuyu was about to walk in but was quickly pulled back by the wrist, coming face to face with Yeeun.

[breakingbadfics]

Christopher Robin: Review and Analysis

This is another review I wrote. This one was wrote two years ago, and a coupld days after I'd seen the movie, Christopher Robin emotionally resonated with me very heavily so you can see the emotions in the writing here.

Christopher Robin.

A review(With some spoilers).

Winnie the pooh being talked down to by Christopher Robin, is a scene that created a profound sense of wrongness that was instantly understandable, and yet utterly difficult to put into words. The visual of an adult, speaking to the very sentient embodiment of his childhood with the exasperation of a parent who has forgotten the limited understanding and unlimited imagination of the person they are talking to sparked a sense of sadness and unhappiness that resonated so deeply within me. I say it’s hard to put into words, because only one word can describe everything about the scene from the movie, and everything about Christopher Robins life up to that very moment.

Unfair.

Christopher Robin as played by Ewan McGregor in the 2018 movie of the same name, is the grown up adult that was once the boy who played with Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood. Winnie the pooh was a book written by A.A Milne and if you’re old enough you’ve likely read the book, or had it read to you, or read it to a child. But for me, for my sister, for who knows the number, Winnie the Pooh was made iconic through a series of old vhs tapes as well as compilaitons of those tapes, and a number of tv series spin-offs and straight to dvd movies that were part of my growth and development. My mothers favorite was eeyore, my dads was Tigger. It is with no sense of shame that I will tell you that Winnie the Pooh is my earliest memory of any sort of cartoon.

Maturity is something I have a very hard time connecting with as someone with autism, I still watch cartoons and feel connections to fictional stories that can be even more outlandish than something so simple as “The adventures of a boy and his stuffed animals come to life.” and somehow I lost track. I paraphrase a good friend of mine when I say “I don’t know when it happened. But somepoint in my growing up I left the hundred acre wood” and knowing that I left it behind, fills me with an emptiness that I feel even now as I write upon this page. In growing into an adult I left the hundred acre wood, like Christopher Robin did.

It is Unfair.

The film details via montage Christopher Robins catapulting into adulthood. A boarding school that worked to hone his skills with math and history and other such things, his fathers untimely passing making him as an unnamed woman attending the funeral would say “The man of the house now.” Meeting the woman who would become his wife, enlisting in World War Two and leaving his pregnant wife while serving, the slow and gradual disconnect from his family as he buries himself in the rigors of being a manager for a luggage company.

The movie starts proper in the summer, Christopher Robin and his family have made plans to go to his childhood home for a vacation. Christopher is a man so deeply rooted into ‘work’ that his wife doesn’t remember the last time he laughed, his daughter is explained as only being such a good student in an attempt to make her dad happy and to forge some sort of connection, but even she has realised by this point that her dad isn’t going to be the dad she wans.

The Christopher Robin we are shown in the movie of the same name is a man so deeply rooted in the rigors of adult life that he picks working over his family. “Because Nothing comes from Nothing.”

It is Unfair.

I won’t tell you every bit of the movie. But I believe it is likely that you can imagine a rough outline of it based on the trailers, and other movies such as this have transpired. Jim Cummings Reprises his roles as Eeyore, Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh. The man himself has performed these roles for the entirety of my being alive, and it can only be imagined the roles are so deeply engrained that the actor could have been adlibing, and I would likely have never known with out reading the script myself.

What I can tell you about the movie is to have tissues nearby. Because with a measured certainty if you have any sentimentality for the name, the characters and what they represent, be it personally or overall, you will cry. For in my understanding the movie weaponises childhood nostalgia, and with the practiced aim that only The Walt Disney Company can possess fires and lands directly into the deepest most inner part of your emotions to rend tears from your eyes.

I’ve thrown the word “unfair” through out this essay, because in my eyes the movie visualises what had been something I’ve noticed about growing up, becoming an adult. That as you grow older the world becomes unflinchingly, uncaringly, unfair. Get a job so you can earn money so you can pay in to all manor of bills, rent, insurance and what have you. If you publicly declare an admiration or liking of things society has deemed to be something not for adults you’ll likely face all measure of passive agression to guilt you into quitting, public ridicule or become the subject of who knows what rumors. Adult life is unfair to the point it wishes to dictate the means by which you cope with it.

The scene as described in the opening paragraph is the penultimate example of this harsh unfairness. Christopher speaking down to Pooh in a manner of that as a scolding parent, tired, angry, frustrated and no longer enteraining such notions of “Heffalumps and woozles.” Dredges up old memories of my childhood and being told in no such uncertain terms that there are no such things as monsters, simultaneously devaluing my imagination while building up my understanding of reality at a young age. There are no monsters under my bed, nor in my closet. The tooth fairy isn’t real, santa claus doesn’t exist.

But the Woozels do exist. The Heffalumps are reals. They are the teachers who do what is with in their ability to smother out creativity, supervisors at work demanding your full and unflinching loyalty to the job and force you to pick the job over family. They are the people with hammers continuing to drive the spike that pushes the gap between childhood and adulthood all the further apart and write it all off as unimportant. And adult life rewards them nothing

And it is unfair.

The movie confirmed the simple to understand idea in my head that adulthood in it’s own way is a slow to creep up on you, yet fast to strike, it will not let you go, and you will be stuck with it for eternity.

But, it isn’t all unfair.

If you have family who love you, and friends that care about you, heffalumps and woozles can be defeated. Because Heffalumps and woozles in the end, don’t matter. The people they represent, hold no power, beyond what you must deal with from them.

You can still go to the hundred acre wood.

I reccomend the movie. Obviously.

[simply-shakera]

Embodying Black Joy

Before Black History Month 2021 comes to an end, I want to take this moment to reflect on how significant this time truly is. Although my belief is that Black History and culture should be celebrated throughout all months of the year;  for now, I do believe it is important that we continue to utilize this time to acknowledge the historical feat against monumental odds that Black people have been able to achieve. It is the responsibility of the current and future generations to take what we have learned and keep the momentum going. It is also necessary for us to utilize our talents and gifts to uplift those around us.

As a natural caregiver, I  nourish the people around me by creating and sustaining a community of care, joy & connection. Carnival Spice has allowed me to complete much of this work and I am truly grateful for that. Typically in February months I see an increase in Carnival Spice bookings due to Black History Month. Our most popular offering during this time is our family-friendly cultural presentations that highlight Black culture using dance, fitness and story telling in such a unique way.

I feel so full-filled when leading these presentations - especially when it is for our school-aged groups. Seeing kids of all ages so excited to learn and embrace the richness of Afro-Caribbean culture really motivates me to keep going. I particularly appreciate how engaged they are in the experience and the high vibrations they exude. Though all of our presentations were virtual this year, you could still feel their energy and joy through the screen.

"The most radical and revolutionary thing we can do for ourselves is to connect to joy and to allow ourselves to feel. That is how show up positively in the world and complete dissolve ancestral trauma."  -- Devi Brown

Joy, that deep-rooted inner feeling that inspires that outward expression of happiness... But Black joy goes far beyond that. Black people have contributed so much to this world yet sadly the way we as a people have been treated does not reflect that. Racism, social injustice, and trauma runs rampant plus there isn't enough spaces that allow for healing. Thankfully, joy is a form of healing; and while society often condemns Black people for being "too loud", "too angry" or "too much", revelling in joy is an act of resistance too.

Engaging in Black joy sends a message to your mind and spirit that you are worthy, you are important, and you are loved. We should make a habit of taking inspired action to bring joy into our lives. I put together a few light-hearted lists for you that may help you engage in Black joy daily:

The Beauty of Affirmations

I believe the universe has the power to align us with people, things and experiences that match our vibrations. It is important for us to keep our vibrations high to increase the opportunity of positive attraction. Practicing the act of repeating and affirmations (positive statements) is a powerful way to strengthen our mindset by helping us believe in the potential of an action we desire to manifest.

I encourage you to write out an affirmation related to joy and set it as a as a daily alarm on your phone. When the alarm goes off repeat the statement out loud and be present in the moment and positive energy.

Listen To Music

Music is a powerful tool that unlocks joy. From the beat, to the lyrics, to the melody certain parts of songs just know how to hit our soul. I created a playlist with a mix of feel good songs from different eras and genres - take what you'd like:

Can’t Take My Joy by Terri Lyons

My Dream by Nesbeth

Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See by Busta Rhymes

The Anthem by  Todd Dehaney

Blessed by Wizkid and Damien Marley

Beat of Life by Sarz ft. Wizkid

Jerusalema by Master KG ft. Burna Boy

Skip To My Lou by Ding Dong, Serani & Biggy

Just Dance - Wacky Dip by Ding Dong feat. Voicemail

Go Crazy by Chris Brown

High Life by Machel Montano

Full of Vibes by Voice &  Marge Blackman

Lose Control by Missy Elliot - ft. Fat Man Scoop

Happy by Pharell Williams

Dance Heals

Dance truly does heals and it is such a positive way to embody Black joy. Here are some of my favourite dance moves from the African Caribbean Diaspora - taken from popular genres such as afrobeat, soca, dancehall and hip - hop.

Shaku Shaku (Nigeria)

"Although the dance is credited to Olamide, the truth is that he is not the inventor of the dance. But he played the major role in the crossing over of the dance to the mainstream media. The dance originated in the streets. According to DJ Real, Shaku Shaku name is for street guys, and the dance was named after their particular style of dances when they are hanging out" - Source. The move involves crossing one arm over the other and bringing that same arm toward the ear as if you are making a phone call.

Palance (Trinidad)

In 2010, the world was introduced to the song and dance that is palance. The song by JW and Blaze ’s popularity was established when it took the "Road March" title at Trinidad’s Carnival that year where it was played along the parade’s judging route 417 times.The move involves jumping side to side on one foot at a time while waving yuh flaggg. Back then, soca song's weren't known for having dances - so palance truly broke the mold. We have even seen Beyonce and Justin Trudeau do it.

Krazy Hype (Jamaica)

This mid school dancehall move will always be one of my favourites. It was created in 2003 by choreographer Crazy Hype from the The MOB Dance Group to Elephant Man hit song of the same name. The move involves hopping from side to side but landing on your heels.

Harlem Shake (Us)

The dance was created by Harlem resident Al. B. in 1981. However, in 2001 the dance resurfaced and was renamed when it featured heavily in G.Dep’s music video for the song "Let's Get It". When you hear this song one can't help but get to shakin'.

Enjoy A Movie

Get your laugh on or enjoy a flick that makes your heart smile. While your at it, support a Black art! I have helped you out by compiling a list movies that exude Black Joy.

Soul (2020)

Critics Consensus: A film as beautiful to contemplate as it is to behold, Soul proves Pixar's power to deliver outstanding all-ages entertainment remains undimmed.

Synopsis: A music teacher who dreams of performing jazz live finally gets his chance, only he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

Soul Food (1997)

Critics Consensus: Much like the titular cuisine, Soul Food blends a series of savoury ingredients to offer warm, generous helpings of nourishment and comfort.

Synopsis: This hit domestic comedy-drama concerned the fortunes of an extended African-American family recalled through the eyes of young narrator Ahmad Hammond.

Love and Basketball (2000)

Critics Consensus: Confident directing and acting deliver an insightful look at young athletes.

Synopsis: A young African-American couple navigates the tricky paths of romance and athletics in this drama. Over the years, the two lead characters begin to fall for each other, but their separate paths to basketball stardom threaten to pull them apart.

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit (1993)

Critics Consensus: Sister Act is off-key in this reprise, fatally shifting the spotlight from Whoopi Goldberg to a less compelling ensemble of pupils and trading its predecessor's sharp comedy for unconvincing sentiment.

Synopsis: In the sequel to the hit comedy Sister Act, Whoopie Goldberg reprises her role of Deloris Van Cartier, a Las Performer. It appears Deloris is needed in her nun guise as Sister Mary Clarence to help teach music to teens at a troubled school in hopes of keeping the facility from closing at the hands of Mr. Crisp (James Coburn), a callous administrator.

[mask131]

A guide to watching AHS: Why watch AHS?

AHS stands for "American Horror Story".

American Horror Story is a landmark in the history of horror television series. Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck in 2010 (known before for series such as the campy high school musical story Glee, or the disturbing medical drama about plastic surgery Nip/Tuck), it proposed itself to "freshen up" and renew the horror genre, bringing it fully and seriously to the modern television series world. And oh boy, did it work!

American Horror Story is now one of the most watched shows of these past year, with nine seasons to date, but 4 more planned (to reach thirteen) and numerous spin-offs.

It has the unique structure of being an anthology series where each season has a different story, different characters and different themes (in fact it was the show that made this structure extremely popular for future series).

I personally discovered American Horror Story in 2013, and ever since I have been preaching about it and telling it about all my friends - I converted personally six or seven people by making them watch the show and they loved it.

American Horror Story is great. It is especially great to watch around the time of Halloween - it is honestly a series perfectly fit for this creepy autumn time of chilling winds, dead trees, grey clouds and strange rumors.

But what makes AHS so great? Let me detail it for you...

1) It is the ultimate feast for a horror movie fan.

AHS basis is that each season takes back a specific theme and idea of horror, numerous horror movies and horror books tropes and archetypes, and then it twists them, plays with them, subvert them or amplify them in such ways that the resulting story feels both familiar and fresh, classical and yet very inventive. On top of that, AHS is stuffed to the brim with horror movie references. The stories are references to horror movies, the titles of the episodes are references, the characters are references, the musics are references, the way the scenes are shot are references... there are just so much you really need to have seen a dozen movies from each decades since 1920s to get them all, and even then some subtle can escape your keen eye.

2) The actors are great.

AHS has an anthology structure, as we mentionned, but where it denotes from other anthology series is the fact that AHS uses a rotary cast of regular actors for each season. As a result, an actor that plays in one season a major role may reappear in the next one as another major role or a minor one. Or they may pop up in a later season, or reprise their role in cameos. This form a sort of "theater troup" mindset, with each actor playing a bunch of different roles - and these actors are far from being bad.

Just look at this list of recurring actors. On one side, you actually have very famous and very renowned actors such as Jessica Lange (from the 1933 King Kong) and Katy Bates (from Misery), Frances Conroy or John Carroll Lynch. On the other, you have actors that actually became very famous thanks to AHS : Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Finn Wittrock, Denis O'Hare, Taissa Farmiga, Emma Roberts or Billie Lourd. The list goes on and on, and that is without even counting the numerous famous guests stars! Like Zachary Quinto, Neil Patrick Harris, Ian McShane or Patti LuPone...

3) It is a delight to watch.

One thing everyone agrees to is that this show was designed to be pleasant to watch. The sets are all brilliantly made, the costumes crafted with outmost care. The shots are all beautiful, the cinematography is delightful. And the music! Oh heaven, the music! How many songs and bands did I discover thanks to this show? Its musical tastes are impeccable (and it doesn't surprise when one takes in account that the creators of AHS created Glee before it).

4) There is enough for everyone

You want something dark? You got it! But you want something more light-hearted and fun? There's also it! Your horror can be supernatural, or realistic! You can't choose between ghosts and serial killers, between vampires or madmen? You've both all! You like a subtle, psychological horror? There's a season for you! Just like other seasons will satisfy your need for violent, bloody, gory horror.

This is the delight of this wide anthology series - each season delves into a new domain, a new part of the horror genre, into new themes and styles. So there is bound to be a season for you.

These four reasons should be enough to make you run to the your local American Horror Story season.

However, a sad truth must be said. This show is not perfect. AHS has flaws, for sure. During the first seasons of the show, these flaws were minimal and did not prevent a full enjoyment of each season. However, as the show went on, these flaws became bigger and bigger... until current seasons are basically barely watchable for me.

As a result, I need to make a warning of the bad sides of AHS. And just like there are four excellent virtues, this show has four bad vices:

1) Too much

Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck and the other associate writers of AHS have a ton of ideas. Cool, excellent ideas. And in the early season, they managed to channel their creative energy, trimming down and cutting things down (which resulted in deleted scenes, deleted concepts, etc). But this helped for a complex yet simply and not overwhelming story to take place.

But one cause of the "fall" of the show is that as the seasons pass by, the writers literaly put EVERYTHING they think about in. The subplots keep expanding to the point they often lead nowhere, a bunch of characters are presented only to disappear the next episode because there isn't enough space for them, and let's not mention the plotholes, the things abandonned midway through the seaso or some blatant contradictions in one same show.

2) It's sometimes not a good thing to have a message

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck always try in their shows to put positive messages. They explained they designed their seasons with underlying themes (infidelity, family, motherhood, treatment of mental disease, addiction, discrimination), and it is all good, a strong story needs underlying themes. Similarly, they also put in their seasons of AHS positive messages - one is about the power of women and feminism, another one is about learning to accept the differences and disabilities of others, there's a lot of talk about homosexuality... And it is again all good.

The only trouble is that the writers of AHS seem to have forgotten as time went by that this was supposed to be a HORROR show. You can have morals and positive messages in horror, of course, but it has to be subtle and well-handled. The writers of AHS tried to reunite the idea of a heavily-positive social show, and of a fictional universe filled with evil people and wicked beings. To have characters with doubtful morals, a criminal life or a grey mentality become icons of acceptance and tolerance is certianly not a good thing, and to force happy endings and positive attitudes on a dark, grim and creepy horror show can be downright ridiculous and ruin the story. Worse, it can make the writer look like a damn hypocrite in certain cases.

3) The pattern was broken

A key to the success of AHS was that there was a "structure-pattern" in which the content changed every season. The structure pattern was simple - one self-contained story by season, centered around one specific location and one specific horror theme/sub-genre. And the content (time period, characters, style and tone of the story, filmography and color patterns) changed every season.

But as the show went on, the writers started to actually reverse this idea... The structure-pattern was broken - seasons not being about a specific horror genre ; seasons not taking care around one specific place ; seasons not being self-contained at all... And, in reverse, the "content-pattern" became repetitive - for exemple, a common problem of the show is that the recurring actors ended up playing recurring roles too similar to each other.

4) Fan-service

By gosh... as AHS went by, it created itself a solid fanbase. And when said fanbase was constructed, the team of AHS started to take in account the desires and needs of the fanbase.

The thing however is that, while the original fanbase was made of real horror afficionados and gourmets of the fine cinematographic art, it was quickly overwhelmed by a wave of fanfiction-writing fangirls, of teenagers just here for laughs and to see sexy people naked, and of Tumblr users (the bad kind). As a result, AHS tried to please this new fanbase... They tried to include punchline and memorable quotes for each characters so that everyone could make meme out of it or so that each character would seem badass... they included numerous jokes... they decided to abandon the "self-contained anthology" genre to allow for cameos and sequels to happen, before doing a damned crossover... As a result, AHS slowly evolved into what seemed to be the parody of itself, a sort of shallow and exaggerated repetition of its first seasons.

Despite how all of that sounds, as I said the first seasons are definitively worth watching, and one can never regret watching an AHS season (well... one of the early seasons at least).

But then where should you go? What season would be the best to begin?  What season should you avoid?

This is why I will post afterward a more "guiding" guide to the seasons of AHS.

[i-can-get-extra-with-my-ships]

Only Us

Ok, so more writing for the not bread shrine. (That’s the one-shot tag. The Not Bread Shrine.) The prompt for this one came from anon. I told them that I was writing both, and I am. It’s just that my Prinxietea fiend came out and wanted to write this one first. Also, to that anon, I switched it to songs from various musicals because yeah? (And I’ve only listened to musical theater songs for the past like 3 months. (When I have the choice and my taste in pop music is like earlier 2000s because that was good music that I remember from when I was like 3.) My life aside, serious talk time.

Songs Used: Meant To Be Yours (Heathers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD7x_7tUFNI

Only Us (Dear Evan Hansen) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvO1sZkOx0

(Crap tons of others are mentioned. The words of these two songs are used though)

Parings: Prinxietea (Prinxiety)

Tw: Cursing and the murderous kind of fluff

Word Count: 1985

----

“Hey Ro, how much longer till we get there?” Virgil asked not looking up from his phone.

They’d only been in the car for 2 of the 16 hours it takes to get from Florida to New York. 2 hours. This is going to be a long drive. Roman thought before answering his boyfriend’s question.

“14 more hours, love.”

Virgil set his phone down. “UGH!! THAT LONG!!!” 

Roman laughed a little bit. “May I remind you that we’re driving from Florida to New York?”

“Well, whoever decided to drive is an idiot.”

Roman laughed again. “You decided to drive stormcloud.” Roman would’ve loved to see Virgil’s expression at that, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the road or Virgil would freak out.

Virgil tried to move on from the fact that he’d just called himself an idiot. “Well, if we’re stuck in this car for another 14 hours can we put on something other than this crap?” He gestured to the radio. Virgil was never one for pop music. Roman would much rather listen to musical theater soundtracks, and that’s what he put on.

It was a long playlist that Roman had put on shuffle. The first song that came up was Meant To Be Yours. 

Virgil’s face lit up. Heathers had always been his favorite musical.  Virgil didn’t sing, Roman, however, being the extra bitch he was started singing at the top of his lungs. “You chucked me out like I was trash for that you should be dead. But! But! But! Then it hit me like a flash what if high school went away instead!” Virgil stared in awe at his boyfriend. Questioning how he was such a good singer.

Then came a mix of theater songs. However, the order that the shuffle put the songs in was so random. Virgil, being the conspiracy theorist that he was, kept trying to figure out “WHAT THE HELL IT WANTS FROM US!!” Every time another song would start playing Virgil would add on to the story that he’d come up with. 

Roman was amused with every addition that each new song brought. After  three hous the story went as follows:

(Cautionary Tale (Mean Girls) and Kindergarten Boyfriend (Heathers)) Be careful with love.

(You Will Be Found (DEH)) Even if you're not careful with love, and you get hurt, someone will see you and you'll be found.

(Be More Chill (Part 1.) (BMC)) Once found, be careful what you do and what friends you choose.

(Fight For Me (Heathers)) Also, you will meet someone who's beating the shit out of the people you hate. 

(The Pants Song (BMC)) Also, in that moment please be wearing pants. 

(Revenge Party (Mean Girls)) You then will invoke revenge on the people that were getting the shit beat out of them.

(I Love Play Rehearsal (BMC)) You will find this person to be incredibly adorable.

(Our Love Is God (Heathers)) You’ll then fall in love with this person and go commit murder with them.

(All You Wanna Do (Six)) This person will be sexually attracted to you.

(World Burn (Mean Girls)) This person wants to watch the world burn.

(Two-Player Game (BMC)) This person will become one of your best friends.

(The Squip Enters (BMC)) You will meet another person who will be similar to the Squip.

(Someone Gets Hurt (Mean Girls)) The Squip person will hurt you.

(Heart Of Stone (Six)) The other person will break your heart.

(Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise) (Mean Girls)) You will tell these two people off.

(Lifeboat (Heathers)) Then you will fall into a deep depression.

(Be More Chill (Part 2) (BMC)) Your self-deprecation will get bad and the voices in your head will be very persuasive.

(Sexy (Mean Girls)) Karen Smith will bring you joy during this dark time.

(So Big/So Small (DEH)) You will start to lose more people close to you.

(I’d Rather Be Me (Mean Girls)) But then you will realize you’d rather be yourself then be with those people. 

(To Break In A Glove (DEH)) You will learn that the hard and right way is the way that you should use.

(Do You Wanna Hang? (BMC)) You will be put in an uncomfortable situation and not be able to do anything.

(Ex-Wives (Six)) You will get a chance to start again and rewrite your history.

(Fearless (Mean Girls)) You will become fearless. You will no longer fear death.

(Requiem (DEH)) One of the first 2 people mentioned will die. You will refuse to grieve.

(Me Inside Of Me (Heathers)) You will have killed them. You then need to cover up your mistakes.

(Stop (Mean Girls)) Your conscious will tell you to stop doing murders.

(The Squip Song (BMC)) You will be offered a Squip and be in denial because it’s BMC IRL. (Or you know, just like drugs.)

(Freeze Your Brain (Heathers)) You refuse the drugs and/or Squip and obtain a Slurpee addiction to combat your depression.

(Don’t Lose Ur Head (Six)) You will begin to be “Sorry not sorry for what I said”.

(Apex Predator (Mean Girls)) You will judge the most popular girl in school.

(Voices In My Head (BMC)) You will begin to accept the voices in your head and know that they are normal.

(Where Do You Belong (Mean Girls)) You will find a new home where you are accepted.

(No Way (Six)) You will refuse to be accepted by these people.

(Sincerely Me (DEH)) You will write emails to yourself and an imaginary pen pal.

(Get Down (Six)) You will  be the “Queen” of your “Castle”

(What’s Wrong With Me (Reprise) (Mean Girls)) You will question what’s wrong with you.

Then it was time for a rest stop. A total of 3 hours had passed by that time. Both Roman and Virgil’s sides aked from laughing as much as they did. Once they got out of the car Roman intertwined their fingers and swung their arms as they walked into the rest stop.

There was a McDonalds inside. They ordered and stood by the counter so then they could grab their food and leave. 

While they were waiting, Virgil asked Roman “Hey Ro, how much money do you have?” Roman wasn’t aware of where Virgil was going and said “I dunno. Like 10 bucks? Why?” Virgil was slightly offended by Roman not saying the line. I mean, you should only have to hear “Road work ahead? Uhh yeah. I sure hope it does.” like 10 times to know that this person is going to keep making Vine references.

Anyways, Virgil ignored Roman missing the reference and said “Oh! You know what that means!” Roman sighed before putting on a very dramatic face and said: “I don’t have enough money for chicken nugget.” 

Virgil smiled and intertwined their fingers again. (I like the phrase “intertwined their fingers” idk why. I just do) “I knew you would get it at some point.” Roman smiled fondly at Virgil. “Why are you like this?” 

Virgil leaned on Roman and told him “Oh come on!! You know you love me.” Virgil didn’t intend for it to be a Disney reference, but Roman took it that way.”Do I know that? Yes. Yes, I do.” They both laughed a little bit before they were interrupted by their order being called. They grabbed their food and went back to the car.

After they ate and threw out their trash, they began driving again. Virgil had forgotten the story that he’d come up with so he just moved on. 

The song that came on first after they started driving again was More Than Survive from Be More Chill. Roman sang again (he sang just about every song that came on). Virgil smiled. He had always enjoyed Roman’s singing. This whole time he had wanted to sing, but he didn’t. He knew Roman wouldn’t mind. He’d enjoy having an extra person to sing with. 

Especially for duets.

Virgil smiled even brighter at the thought of the two of them singing something sassy like Apex Predator or just fun like Two-Player Game. But he didn’t. He wasn’t planning on singing either.

Well, I guess the best way to put it is keyword: planning.

The first piano notes that were the opening to Only Us from Dear Evan Hansen began to play. There had been an hour or two’s worth of songs that came on between More Than Survive and Only Us. Roman had been wrapped up in his own world of miscellaneous theater songs. Virgil guessed that he was going to take both Zoe (That’s how it is spelled on the Wiki so that’s how I’m spelling it) and Evan’s parts, but he didn’t care. Once Laura Dreyfuss began singing he did as well. 

However, Virgil was very quiet, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t need you to sell me on reasons to want you.” 

The next line he sang a little louder. But not loud enough for Roman to hear him. “I don’t need you to search for the proof that I should.” 

The next few lines were just barely audible. “You don’t have to convince me. You don’t have to be scared your not enough. ‘Cause what we got going, is good.”

The next set of lines were only slightly more audible. “I don’t need more reminders of all that’s been broken. I don’t need you to fix what I’d rather forget. Clear the slate and start over. Try to quiet the noises in your head. We can’t compete with all that.”

Virgil had a nice crescendo going and he didn’t even realize until he was singing the chorus very loudly. “So what if it’s us? What if it’s us, and only us? And what came before won’t count anymore or matter. Can we try that? What if it’s you? And what if it’s me? And what if that’s all that we need it to be? And the rest of the world falls away. What do you say?” Roman had stopped singing Zoe’s part once he heard Virgil.

He did come in with Evan’s part though.

“I never thought there’d be someone like you, who would want me.” Virgil smiled. “Well.” Roman looked at Virgil using his peripheral vision as to not get lectured for not keeping his eyes on the road and how they could’ve died. “So I give you ten-thousand reasons to not let me go. But if you really see me if you like me for me and nothing else, well that’s all that I’ve wanted for longer than you could possibly know.”

Roman braced himself. He knew what was coming next. He was scared that once he started singing with Virgil that he’d crash the car.

“So it can be us. It can be us, and only us. And what came before won’t count anymore or matter. We can try that.”

Virgil smiled at Roman before coming back in and having the two of them sing together.

“It’s not so impossible.” Roman was starting to get convinced that he was going to crash the car. Virgil’s voice was incredible. “Nobody else but the two of us here.”

Virgil noticed Roman tensing up and intertwined their fingers. “‘Cause you’re saying it’s possible.”

“We can just watch the whole world disappear.”

“Till you’re the only one I still know how to see.”

“It’s just you and me.” 

“It’ll be us. It’ll be us and only us. And what came before won’t count anymore!”

“We can try that! You and me! That’s all that we need it to be! And the rest of the world falls away! And the rest of the world falls away. The world falls away. The world falls away.”

“And it’s only us.”

God. What Roman would’ve given to kiss Virgil in that moment.

However, he’d made up his mind.

Next rest stop…

He’d kiss the fuck out of his Emo Nightmare.

----

Taglist: @winterswishing @thetomorrowshow @an-existing-leah @iixclementine @elatedgiff

@rain-bound I was that anon who asked if you’d like to be tagged like 2 days ago.

@just-some-gt-trash I figured you’d love this.

@stop-it-anxiety I value your opinion greatly and I’d like to know what you think.

[way-down-meme-town]

Tootsie (Act I)

Under the cut you will find 124 lyrics from the 2019 musical Tootsie for your enjoyment!

Opening Number 1. “The night is falling on Manhattan and soon the daylight will be gone.”

2. “Anticipation’s all around you as one by one the lights are coming on.”

3. “Your feet wanna fly and your pulse wants to raise ‘cause you’re free and you’re young and you’re in the right place.”

4. “You’re right here. You’re right now. You’re a part of New York.”

5. “Nothing in the world is like the feeling that anything is possible here, even the impossible is possibly possible here in New York.”

6. “Any dream can be a dream come true in New York.”

7. “Underneath the city that is all pavement is a city that’s all heart.”

8. “God, this is exciting. Don’t you feel giddy?”

9. “Alright everybody, let’s all stop the rehearsal again.”

10. “Would my character say the city is all heart?”

11. “Where in the history of the printed libretto does it say any of that?”

12. “My character deserves his truth.”

13. “I am just saying what every other actor on this stage is thinking.”

14. “You want out? You’re out.”

15. “This opening number is benign and dishonest, directed by an inept, derivative hack and this musical sucks.”

16. “Is he an actor? Yes, of course he is. Is he successful? Yes, of course he’s not.”

17. “You won’t see his name on the marquee.”

18. “Sounds to me like you don’t know what the hell you’re looking for.”

19. “He’s feeling victimized and bitter, like nothing good is gonna happen soon.”

20. “The odor of humiliation begins to permeate the room.”

21. “They need someone nicer, someone less reactive. Can you really blame them?”

22. “He’s gonna make it to the top.”

  Whaddya Do 23. “Whaddya do when suddenly you realize the calendar inside your head is running out of pages?”

24. “Whaddya do if you can see the odds are good you’ll never be the person you’ve been trying for?”

25. “Whaddya do when everything you wanted more than life itself is laughing at you?”

26. “Whaddya do? You make it work.”

27. “Whaddya do when everything is happening but everything is happening to everybody but you?”

28. “Are you haunted by the fact all you want to do is sacked and it’s all you want to do until you die?”

29. “I am stuck struggling in the muck, standing here all purpled and perplexed caught in the gap between what the hell just happened and what the hell is gonna happen next.”

30. “Ya got the list of all the hopese and dreams I missed.”

31. “Sometimes I look in the mirror and I am sad at what I see.”

32. “I came to the conclusion there really must be something wrong with all of those douchebags who won’t hire me.”

  What’s Gonna Happen 33. “I know what’s gonna happen.”

34. “I’ll try to go to bed with fear of failure flopping like a fruit bat in my head.”

35. “Which incidentally isn’t half as disconcerting or upsetting as going for a part you know there is no way that you are getting.”

36. “I’m heading downtown for the audition where everything I’m dreading will be coming to fruition.”

37. “Somewhere through the fog of insecurity and hate, I’ll try to convince them that I’m charming.”

38. “They’re gonna throw the book at me ‘cause I’m guilty.”

39. “We hereby sentence you to a lifetime of waiting table and debilitation self-loathing.”

40. “She’s a fake. She’s a phony. She could never win a Tony.”

41. “I now live in a place I know quite well. I’ve left the world and I’ve entered hell.”

42. “I’m this far away from a fainting spell.”

43. “I’m trying to take it slowly.”

44. “I’m trying to be my best.”

45. “I watch a vivid sequence of humiliating instances from my past go by and think what kind of masochist keeps coming back for me.”

46. “No! I know what’s gonna happen. Don’t tell me that I don’t.”

47. “Don’t say that I’ll rise to the occasion cause I won’t.”

48. “I’m smart enough to know that I’m too stupid to admit you can’t survive a diet that consists of eating shit.”

49. “The trick is knowing when it’s time to pack your bags and say that’s it.”

50. “You know what’s gonna happen. I know what’s gonna happen.”

  I Won’t Let You Down 51. “I’ve always imagined that you are the flower and I am the dirt.”

52. “My world spins around you. Whenever you fall I’m the one who gets hurt.”

53. “I give you all I have. Give me one thing in return.”

54. “Have me help you to help me to help you to help me to help you learn that I won’t let you down.”

55. “I’ll be here to play any role you need me to play.”

56. “You give me your trust. I give you my word.”

57. “Nobody sees me and nobody listens and nobody cares, but you know what’s in here. Love and devotion that needs to be shared.”

58. “I won’t let you down because you believe in me, because you’re the one who can see I’m here and alive.”

59. “I won’t let you down cause when I felt empty inside you filled up my cup, you lifted me up.”

60. “I’ll never let you down. I’ll do what you need me to do.”

61. “I promise I’ll always come through. Just call and I’m there.”

62. “Please make the right choice. Remember my voice.”

63. “Just give it some thought. I love you a lot.”

  I’m Alive 64. “I’m alive. I’m alive. Good God almighty, I’m alive.”

65. “Don’t hold your nose. I won’t decompose.”

66. “My world was a dud. Lots of death, lots of blood.”

67. “She was almost dead, but she’s alive.”

68. “What can I say, I got carried away, but now’s a new day.”

69. “Here’s the headline. She’s gonna be mine.”

  There Was John 70. “I was the girl in the bubble at school, behind my own personal wall for protection. I’d sit there alone like a fool. I never was able to make a comeback.”

71. “This life takes everything you give it, like a puppy or a kid.”

72. “He told me he wanted some kids and a wife, and that’s when I realized this is my life.”

73. “Yes, my heart was almost broken but I’d made my choice and I’d make it again.”

74. “Here is me, another dressing room number one thousand and three. Exactly where I should be.”

  I Like What She’s Doing 75. “I like what she’s doing. This might be a thing.”

76. “She’s fun but profound.”

77. “What she’s selling, I’m buying.”

78. “I love that she’s trying. Let’s follow her lead.”

79. “We were flat on our back, but now we’re on track.”

80. “She’ll polish this turd into treasure somehow.”

81. “Well, we got work to do. God knows how we got this far.”

82. “Alright kiddos, it’s your favorite stage manager. Breaks over!”

83. “Everyone else, there is a revised schedule on the board.”

84. “He saw your motionless hair and your avocado figure, and I lost the man I loved.”

85. “To be fair, dear, you did kill the last one.”

86. “Don’t I deserve a chance at a future that celebrates me?”

87. “I love what we’re saying. I’m smiling at last.”

88. “It’s great how we’re playing. I’m having a blast.”

89. “I trust you completely, so does the whole cast. We like what you’re doing.”

90. “She’s got something special that makes you engaged.”

91. “It’s almost electric when she hits the stage.”

92. “I can’t tell you how but, honey, I hope she keeps doing what she’s doing now.”

93. “She won’t take directions. She’s changing the play. She’s like an infection that won’t go away.”

94. “She just wants to fight me. She does it to spite me. I hate what she’s doing.”

95. “She’s bringing up memories I need to forget.”

96. “She’s stealing my girl, she’s stealing my show, and I’m ready to blow all because of that cow.”

97. “Goddamnit! She’s gotta stop doing what she’s doing now!”

98. “If you take her, you better take care of her!”

99. “I will devote my life to her happiness. I love her.”

100. “I like what she’s doing. She’s got so much heart. She’s so friggin’ sexy and so frickin’ smart.”

101. “She’s made me an actor.”

102. “Something was missing and she’s what it was.”

103. “How will I live without you here?”

104. “You have turned this show into a joyous anthem for all women.”

105. “I won’t let you down, because you believed in me.”

  Who Are You? 106. “I can’t escape the feeling I met you long ago in someplace filled with sunlight.”

107. “I’ve never been a needy or romantic guy, falling like a meteor in some poetic starry sky.”

108. “This is a different story, something completely strange. What the hell am I doing?”

109. “It’s nice connecting with someone, somebody I can talk to like someone I’ve always known. Where on Earth were you hiding?”

110. “I think it’s just amazing how fast this friendship has grown.”

111. “It’s felt so long since I was young and running free. I locked myself inside a box, but suddenly there’s the key.”

  What’s Gonna Happen (Reprise) 112. “You’re gonna stand me up and I’ll be staring at the phone, sitting there all dismal and pathetic and alone.”

113. “It never doesn’t happen.”

  Unstoppable 114. “She’s got me flying like a bird.”

115. “Stand aside, cause this girl’s on a roll. She’s unstoppable.”

116. “We got the role! We got the gig!”

117. “Told you before. Show me the door, I’ll kick it down.”

118. “Look out world, cause this girl’s on a roll!”

119. “Nothing and no one, not anything anyone ever can do or say can stop her.”

120. “I’ll be taking the world over soon.”

121. “There’s no mountain these heels can’t climb.”

122. “Nothing on Earth can stop me, cause I’m unstoppable.”

123. “Another sold out house tonight and it is because of you!”

124. “This has turned out better than I ever could have imagined. I love you.”