#— comedy sure but still very bleak.

[every-nikaidou]

[joeyalohadream]

💕☀️Joey's Masters of the Air Fanfiction Recommendations - Part 1 ☀️💕

Being part of a fandom that is small, yet so incredibly talented has been such a breath of fresh air for me. My reading list has been a mile long (and growing every day!) for far too long and I've recently been making more time for myself to simply read. And I wanted to take some time to shout out some of the wonderful stories and authors that I've really enjoyed lately.

All of these recommendations are Clegan stories because that is what I personally most enjoy reading. But there are other blogs and talented authors out there that write for all sorts of pairs in the fandom that I encourage people to engage with!

Adding a cut because it’s a looong post!

☀️ The Bucks in a Boat by magic_glow (not sure if the author has a tumblr!)

Explicit, Post-War, Falling in Love, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort

This is an AU based on the movie The Boys in the Boat (starring our lovely Callum). The plot follows John returning home from the war, where he still served as a B17 bomber pilot. But he enrolls in school and times are tough, so much like in the film, he tries out for the rowing team for the free room and board. Where he meets, and immediately forms a strong bond with, Gale Cleven. The author manages to keep the characterizations true, while still making them their own. They manage to incorporate almost every Mota character in a meaningful way and I especially love the sweet friendship between John and Brady in this one. It deals with the trauma of War and life and also displays a beautiful sense of camaraderie as they form as a team and learn to lean on one another. It’s wonderfully written and the world building is phenomenal. The pace is perfect and the story is compelling and John and Gale’s connection is explored with care. This is my current ‘comfort fic’ and I look forward to reading how it all develops. (And the title is so cute!)

☀️ He may be the Reason by c_goldthorn (@c-goldthorn)

Explicit, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy

This a modern au based on the movie Notting Hill and I recommend this one, whether or not you've seen the movie! As someone who has never seen the movie, this fic is my first experience with the plot and I'm loving every minute of it. The author infuses humor and care and love into her stories and you'll fall in love with all of the characters in this one. It's romantic and sweet and angsty and the longing is palpable. I am always patiently waiting for me. (And she has a couple of side stories in the universe posted as well that are very sweet!)

☀️ one way, or another by hart (@blixabargelds)

Explicit, Kidnapping, Strangers to Lovers, Getting Together

Okay, so literally everything that she writes is fantastic. No one quite hurts Gale like she does (lol) and it's done with care and reason and it's beautiful to read. This story though, it's hard to find words to describe it. It's a modern au where Gale orchestrates his own kidnapping (for reasons) and John is the kidnapper. A truly unique plot that is executed so perfectly that I read it twice in one weekend. It's angsty, especially as Gale's circumstances seem to get more and more bleak, yet there is this light, romantic air to it throughout because of the dynamic the author creates between John and Gale. It's FUN. And reading should be fun. It's truly a masterpiece and you'll be hooked from the first paragraph.

☀️ before you say 'cut', wait five more seconds by phlegmatic (@irregularcollapse)

Explicit, Actors AU, Workplace Relationship, Sharing a Bed

She is one of those gold standard creators in my opinion. Not just in the Mota fandom, but just in general. The way she tells a story is captivating and you get the sense that every word written is there for a specific reason. The care she puts into the craft is evident and appreciated and while I’m too shy to have ever really interacted with her, I’m such a huge fan. I could rave endlessly about her work, but onto the specific story I’m recommending! This story follows Gale, an up and coming actor that gets his 'big break' when he's cast as one of the leads in a big movie. He's starring alongside John, who is already an very established name in the industry. They fall into bed (and never really leave for long) and along the way, start to fall for each other. It is clear that this universe the author created means a lot to them. It is so authentic and focused on acting as a craft, as an artform and I learned a lot about the industry from reading this. The turmoil, buzzing under the surface, that Gale feels about his career and his future is so palpable and so vivid, I felt the anxiety along with him. Her version of John in this story is one of my favorites. He's sweet and raw and brash and caring. I really could gush forever about this one. The characterization is so impressive, they're them, but they're also hers and they're layered and real and beautiful. Honestly, just go read it. You'll understand why I rambled and still couldn't manage to say anything eloquent.

☀️ Packages and Pet Names by youllneverrecme (@recmeidareya)

Modern Setting, First Meetings, First Dates, PTSD

Any pet name you could possibly imagine John using for Gale, this author has already thought of them (and more!). In this one, Gale is a war veteran and John is his local UPS driver. I went into this one thinking it would be a silly, funny, sexy story (and it is!), but it also so much more than that. It's tender. And it's sweet and it's gentle. The way this author writes Gale is beautiful. He feels so real to me. The care and thoughtfulness that clearly went into his background as a Soldier is very important to me. And watching him open himself to new things, to John and to love? It's been a wonderful journey to be on. And John in this? Absolutely amazing. He's funny and sharp and soft and he cares about Gale so much. I am genuinely enjoying watching them fall in love in this and I can't wait to read more. Every one should be reading this.

☀️ just stay with me (baby stay with me) by bcoflove (@bcolfanfic)

Teen+, Modern Setting, NYC, First Kiss

This story is so sugary sweet. The author has created a 'Cornerstore AU', on tumblr and posted a fic on AO3 on Super Bowl Sunday and I'm a little obsessed. Gale moved to NYC and ended up in bad living situation. But he finds solace in visiting a corner store where John works. I'm in love with this version of Gale. He's unsure of himself and he's awkward and he's so sweet. And John is a force of nature. Funny and kind and in Gale's corner. I hope the author is inspired to write more for this au, because I'd read a 100,000 words of this.

☀️ Driving In Your Car (I've Never Felt Safer) by Thetrystingtree (@alienoresimagines)

GA, Mutual Pining, Boys in Love, Fluff

One of my favorite things about this authors writing is that it always feels a bit like I’m reading poetry when I read her stories. There’s a lightness, a beauty to the way she weaves words together. It’s vivid and authentic and I can clearly picture the settings and feel the emotions in her stories. This story in particular is such a sweet premise. Gale is tired and John drives him around base in the jeep to allow him to rest a bit. The other night, I was lying in bed and I wanted something calming and gentle to read before I fell asleep. So I went to this authors page and found this story to reread because I knew her words were what I was looking for in that moment. It's sweet and funny and, just like all of her stories, always the perfect bedtime story.

☀️ I Won't Go Where You Can't Follow by stars_remain2 (@stars-remain2)

Teen+, Whump, Violence, Protective John

If you know me, you know I have a weak spot for Gale whump and John being protective and this story has both in SPADES. It is a canon-divergence, looking a what if? scenario where Gale doesn't go over the wall and is punished for his escape attempt. He's beaten while John is forced to watch and it's brutal and painful, but so well written and so beautifully explored. The way the guys rally around Gale to help him get through the march, the way John cares for him, the way Gale is so self-sacrificing...it's all woven together into a fantastic story. The cliffhangers are killing me, but I'm hanging on because it's too good to stop. And I just know some supreme comfort is coming after all of the hurt.

☀️ Looking for Eight by VoluptuosPanic (@weimarweekly)

Explicit, Modern Setting, Rodeo AU, Repressed Feelings, Love

I'll embarrass myself if I go on to much about this fic because it brings me such joy. John is bronc rider and Gale is farrier. In this modern au, they met and spent a few days together on a road trip, years ago and then they reconnect at a rodeo. This story is so calming and so gentle and so tender it will melt you into goo. The authors style is so unique and beautiful. Her words flow together in a way that honestly reminds me of water running over river rocks in a stream. I swear I have a dopey smile on my face while I read each chapter (and then reread it). This fic is breathtaking and wonderful and just one of my favorites I've ever read. I've never read a sweeter version of Gale and John. They're so tender with each other I could melt into goo just thinking about them. Read it!

☀️ cicada season by Swify_Fox (@swifty-fox)

Explicit, Modern Setting, PTSD, Past Child Abuse, Therapy

Oh, Swifty. A fandom staple and a masterclass talent. This fic is no exception. A modern au where Gale is a Phd student, working on an intense thesis breeding a rare breed of frogs and John is a contractor, hired to remodel the house Gale lives in with Crank and Marge. The research that went into this is evident and impressive and makes the story that much more compelling. Gale is practically made of barbed wire in this (for good reasons I dread to learn) and he's so three-dimensional. Each chapter begins with a therapy session for Gale as he works through trauma from his childhood. It's such a well crafted story in every aspect. John and Gale's dynamic is so fun and contentious and full of potential for something more. I'm in love with this one. You can feel the care that went into this one and every word you read means something special. Rachel's mind is truly a marvel and you are missing out if you haven't given this one a go yet.

This was fun! There is so much talent in this fandom and I have been having such a good time reading. As I was making this, I kept thinking of more and more, so I'm sure I'll be making another one of these at some point. 💕

For now though, I'm taking a little break from Tumblr. I'll still be writing and reading and posting on AO3, but I need some time off from social media for personal reasons.

Just wanted to spread some love before I disappear for a little while ❤️

[stevehairingtit]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @geddyqueer for the tag~

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 24

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 72,539, which kind of makes me want to go add a word to something

3. What fandoms do you write for? Primarily Stranger Things, though I have some 911 stuff both published and planned

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Come and Turn the Tide (My "Achy Breaky Heart." My "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).")

Temperature Running High

A Kind of Magic (My lone Shadowhunters semi-hit)

Living Tissue, Warm Flesh

Slide It In

5. Do you respond to comments? Sometimes with significant delay, but yes

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? If we are just looking at the individual fic, I wrote a couple of episode codas during the Malec break-up in Shadowhunters that were fairly bleak. But I've never really written angst that isn't resolved by a follow-up fic or by the source material. I'm delicate. Ending author's notes don't count.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? They are mostly pretty mushy! Can take your pick.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Nope

9. Do you write smut? Yeah, it's probably my primary vocation lmao. Though a pretty recent one! I had only written it twice ever before I started writing steddie.

10. Do you write crossovers? No, and I feel like this is not as common as it was when, like, LJ and ff dot net were the primary fandom sites.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I am aware of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope

14. What's your all time favorite ship? Stucky........

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? lmao. I'm a quitter, so anything I start and don't finish in a sitting is at risk for this. My white whale, gogoboysteve, is the most fleshed out of my WIPs that I'm not sure I'll ever get all the way through.

16. What are your writing strengths? I am very funny. This is obviously good for comedy writing, which is my wheelhouse, but I think more dramatic writing is still set-up and punchline, even if the punchline isn't played for laughs.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? You know how pointing out your insecurities draws attention to them? I started listing stuff, decided that I don't want you noticing my eyebrows are more cousins than twins, and deleted it. I will say I think I am something of a one trick pony and comedy is also a bit of a crutch for me and nvm, Kam reblogged a post about finding your form as a writer, and I am not a one trick pony, I have just been called to write silly porn. My weaknesses are varied sentence structure and physical description.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I haven't done it, but I think it is fine as long as you are not using a translation software to do so.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Maximum Ride

20. Favorite fics you've written? I've said it before, but right now Path to the Rainbow's End because I finished it lmao. And I like the end product! The Floor of Heaven's Lain is also a favorite, I think the structure is fun and interesting, and I could read it immediately after I wrote it without picking it to pieces.

Tagging @postmodernau @cuips-not-cute @jamiethegardener55 @mustlovesteve

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I've not posted here much in the last couple of weeks, for a number of reasons. The main one being that my grandfather's in the hospital and I've been busy with trying to visit him frequently and support my family (he's now back in the care home and alive, but also his ability to be coherent and aware of his surroundings has taken a major hit that it looks like will probably be permanent, and that ability had already been significantly eroded by Alzheimer's so he didn't have a lot of it to lose, but he's still here and that's what matters, sorry to include this very bleak information in a fun post but it seemed weirder to not specify the outcome as that would imply he's dying, which he's not at the moment, so that's good, but it's been a rough couple of weeks for everyone involved), but also I've become a touch fixated on trying to get my comedy folder absolutely perfect, now that I have my new 14TB hard drive. I've brought over lots of stuff from other hard drives, I've re-downloaded comedy that I watched in the last few years but never saved because I didn't have space at the time, I've added new folders and re-organized old ones. I've realized there are a few people who definitely should have had folders but didn't, it's more organized now. Also, it turns out that Demetri Martin's name was misspelled in his folder name for the entire ~3-ish years that my comedy folder has existed in its current form, so I've fixed that. Things like that. I've also spent the last week running my laptop constantly to back up this folder of about 4TB, which my laptop has been struggling through valiantly and is now, apparently, 84% done. It really does take a long time.

So for the last two weeks, much of my free time has been spent on family stuff, and any free time I have at home, I've been obsessively reorganizing hard drive files rather than doing things like writing posts. I have a list in a Word doc of comedy things that I've got into lately and want to write about, but every time I have the chance to do so, I instead do something like make sure the 2005 recording of the Brixton gig where Kitson compered for Simon Munnery and Demetri Marin is copied into both the Munnery and Martin folder as well as the Kitson folder (the specific example being what I did this morning and how I caught the spelling mistake in the folder name for "Demitri Martin").

Anyway. The only other thing I've been doing with my time is attending local comedy nights, and a couple of weeks ago I closed a show for the first time (it was just a free pub comedy night so they don't do, like, headliners or anything - but they also won't put someone last unless they're pretty sure that person will end the night on a strong note, so that was a sign that the guys who run that night like me, which is cool because I like them), and I was excited about it, so fuck it, do people want to hear my six-minute set? Or at least, most of it. I cut out about 20 seconds at the beginning of me starting really awkwardly and getting no crowd response. Because it's my audio file and I can do what I like with it.

I've realized while listening back that there's more than I realized of references that probably only make sense to Canadians, preferably anyone who lived in Canada in the year 2000, when our former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau died and they had a huge state funeral and massive national mourning and my fifth-grade class did a big project on him, and there were famous images of his two teenage sons crying over his coffins, and one of those sons was named Justin and he grew up to be another Prime Minister, and he sucks. You mainly have to know that. Also he got divorced last year.

I also realized on a re-listen just how much I stumble on my words and say "um" and "uh", which I'd been trying to work on cutting down, and apparently I have to try much harder. Anyway it's fine.

[princesssarisa]

Reasons why the original "Little Shop of Horrors" ending flopped

I've been thinking of the various possible reasons why test audiences reacted badly to the original ending of the film version of Little Shop of Horrors. Off-Broadway audiences hadn't objected to the end of the stage version, where Audrey and Seymour are eaten and Audrey II wins in the end. So why exactly did the movie's test audiences find that ending so upsetting, forcing a new, happier ending to be shot?

Frank Oz has always cited two big differences between theatre and film as the main cause:

*Film has close-ups. They make the audience engage more closely with the characters' emotions than they do in live theatre, so we care more about Seymour and Audrey.

*At the end of a live theatre performance, the actors come out for a curtain call. That's an immediate reminder that they didn't really die. Whereas in a movie, while rationally we all know it's just a performance, it feels like they're really dead.

Here are some further arguments I've read in various places:

*Orin and Mr. Mushnik's deaths are rewritten in the film to tone down Seymour's guilt. Without the stage song "Now (It's Just the Gas)", Orin dies more quickly, without giving him much time to beg Seymour for help, and we don't hear Seymour cold-bloodedly debating whether to save him or not in his mind. Later, Mushnik holds Seymour at gunpoint and tries to blackmail him into giving him the plant in exchange for his keeping quiet about Orin's murder, while onstage he just threatens to have him arrested. In response, Seymour only backs Mushnik toward the plant (possibly even by accident – it's vague) instead of tricking him into looking inside its jaws, and then tries to warn him about it at the last moment, too late. These changes make a big difference in whether the audience thinks Seymour deserves comeuppance or not.

(There are alternate film takes, though, where Orin's begging for help is more drawn out, and where Seymour clearly backs Mushnik toward the plant on purpose and doesn't try to warn him about it. I read somewhere that those changes were made after the negative test screenings to make the new happy ending work better, but I don't know if that's been confirmed or not.)

*Rick Moranis has too much inherent likability as an actor. With or without the above rewrites, he gives off too much of a sweet, innocent vibe to let the audience stop rooting for Seymour.

*Showing Audrey's fantasy of married life with Seymour during "Somewhere That's Green" makes the audience sympathize more with her dreams. When she only sings about them, it's easier to laugh at how she romanticizes stereotypical '50s suburbia. But seeing her fantasy onscreen, even though it's still played for laughs, makes us root all the more for her to achieve it.

*The stage version of "Don't Feed the Plants" is less bleak because it ends at the very beginning of the plants' conquest, without leaving the shop or showing any massacres. It's just a warning: don't feed the plants, or else they'll destroy the world. Showing giant Audrey IIs already destroying the world leaves us feeling more hopeless.

*While the final "Don't Feed the Plants" sequence is visually spectacular, it drags on for too long.

*In 1986, people didn't expect a musical to end tragically. The rise in popularity of dark, tearjerking musicals in the mid-to-late '80s and '90s hadn't taken off yet in the US, so the ending was more of an unpleasant shock. (Personally, I'm not sure if I agree with this theory. The stage ending wasn't criticized in 1982, and plenty of musicals already existed with dark themes and with sad or bittersweet endings: The King and I, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Sweeney Todd, etc. Although I'm sure it was a shock for some people to see a campy musical comedy end tragically.)

I'd like to add some more suggestions of my own:

*Onstage, depending on the production, Audrey's death can be played more for dark laughs, more as a spoof of melodramatic movie death scenes. On film, the medium's comparative realism forces the sadness to be played straighter. This is enhanced by Seymour's attempted suicide afterwards, which doesn't happen onstage.

*The addition of "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" makes Seymour's death much more brutal. Onstage, he's eaten fairly quickly, and he goes down fighting. But on film, we have to watch Audrey II playing a slow game of cat-and-mouse with him while singing a gloating song and destroying the shop, then wrapping him in its vines and slowly lifting him into its jaws, with closeups of his terrified face all the while.

*Onstage, during "Don't Feed the Plants," Seymour, Audrey, Mr. Mushnik, and Orin all reappear as flowers sprouting from Audrey II and sing to the audience. Thus, even before the curtain call, they're not portrayed as really "dead." And the fact that it makes no sense in-universe – maybe Mushnik and Seymour could have survived being swallowed, but Orin and Audrey were already dead when the plant ate their bodies – reminds us that this is only a show.

Basically, I think a perfect storm of factors combined to make audiences dislike the original, tragic film ending, even though there was no such objection to the stage ending.

@ariel-seagull-wings

[loni4ever]

Get In My Business Ask Game:

16, 19, 65, 98

Oh, thank you for the ask! :D

16. Favorite movie:

I've been mulling this question over in the back of my head for like 10+ hours and I still don't have an answer xD. I'm not sure I ever was much of a movie lover, though I've certainly seen and enjoyed a number of them. I think the genre I'm most likely to watch simply because I like it is action comedy or somewhere in that ballpark.

But uh... if I could only ever watch one movie again for the rest of my life, there's a good chance I'd pick Ice Age. Reason being that it is one of the first (maybe the first) I remember watching, and we had the physical edition of it. I still wouldn't watch it much - I barely watch any movies these days - but I'd pick it for nostalgia's sake xD

19. Middle name:

I don't have one :D

65. Have you ever been suspended from school?

Nope, I didn't even come close xD though there were two minor 'not a good student' incidents, and I did twice or thrice have to stay back cause I forgot/was too lazy to do homework, all in all I was quite rule-abiding and unmotivated to cause any trouble. Pretty sure that was partly due to me being much more invested and interested in things that I found in books, movies, series or games than in school and the good or bad things I could have done there.

So yeah... though I hadn't exactly asked to be placed there (legally required years etc), I was a pretty acceptable, non problematic student cog in the school machinery. Which maybe sounds a bit bleak but feels rather accurate xD some of it was fun, of course. I don't regret it, though it definitely had its downsides and less pleasing things

98. Have you ever forgotten someone's name?

How can you not forget names lmao. I never quite mastered that trick of 'repeat it back to them as soon as you hear it so you'll remember it' but then I guess I could have had more practice - not a very extroverted, frequently socializing person here xD

It's an old one but I do remember one instance where that was particularly discomfiting: I must've been like 10, and my mom had friends/acquaintances over. 3 of them, and they introduced themselves. I repeated the names in my head, wanting to make sure I'll remember, and then as soon as the conversation advanced 5 sentences, they had flown out of my head. Gone. And I was just sitting there like "please don't talk to me please don't let me have to address one of them oh no it's been like a minute and I don't remember their names 😭😭😭" XDDD very funny in hindsight how as a kid small things make you want to sink into the earth like they're the most painfully embarrassing and near world ending things that could possibly happen ahahaha

[firstpersonnarrator]

I'm sorryyy. 😬 I do count myself very very lucky to be able to afford the time and money to fly to Dublin for a weekend to catch Robert in a play!

Good thing you got to see Endgame in the stream at least! I'd seen it performed once before but did not like it as much as when Rob and Frankie did it. I could definitely see Rob's passion for Beckett in his performance. Loved the two actors who played the parents as well, their names escape me right now. Very offputting, the whole thing, they all did a great job getting the atmosphere just right.

100%

Well said.

I bumped into some articles about it ahead of time, hunting down juicy quotes and beautiful pictures, as you do. lol Rob always made sure to say something along these lines: ‘You have to understand something about Beckett is that they’re comedies. He’s wonderfully funny. If you go in thinking it’s going to be a deadly serious and difficult play, that’s what you’ll get out of it. But if you realize that it’s comedy and satire, it’s a whole different experience,’ blah blah blah that was totally me just massacring his words.

He said to delight in the darkness, the bleakness of it.

But damn, I still think about him in that horrible, twisted position having to go up and down the ladder over and over again.

(Loved the super-short hair. His face was wow.)

[grandhotelabyss]

What do you consider some of the best funny works of literature? (Not necessarily “funniest”, but best works that are funny); your canon of humour

My favorite style of humor—and humor seems more personal as well as more culture- and time-bound than seriousness—is arch and dry wit. I prefer this to a zany, slapstick, or gross-out style. Thus for humor if not for other artistic virtues I prefer Austen and Wilde to Dickens, for example, Emma and The Importance of Being Earnest for preference. Ulysses is the encyclopedia of every kind of humor as it is of every other kind of thing, and the funniest parts of Ulysses are the funniest parts of any novel ever written. Beckett, as Joyce's devoted student, and perhaps a disguised descendant of Wilde too, is hilarious in his plays' bleak repartee, though he might lean too hard on the scatology. Works before the 19th century are perhaps too distant from us to be funny, exactly. The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, Don Quixote, Candide, Gulliver's Travels, Tom Jones all seem somehow too cruel, as Nabokov observed of DQ, to the modern sensibility. The deadpan irony in Dante's contrapasso is somehow funnier than all of those, somehow more forgiving in its cruelty. Shakespeare may be funnier to us in the tragedies, where the jokes flash like lightning in the darkness. Is anything funnier than the cosmic joke of Hamlet? Whereas I can't share the worship of Falstaff. Tristram Shandy is closer to us, but strained, over-familiar, like a beer-swilling uncle clapping you between the shoulders; I feel the same about the humor in Moby-Dick; both of those books are grab-bags of dick jokes. Henry James is funnier than he gets credit for being, especially in dialogue. To return to the 20th century, the aforementioned Nabokov is obviously funny; I like him better the subtler he is, as when Humbert describes Charlotte Haze descending the stairs and enumerates her features as they become visible to him "in order," from her feet up—as if any other order were possible! Pynchon? Too stoner for me; I prefer his elegiasm, though The Crying of Lot 49 always makes me laugh with its zaniness so adjacent to tristesse. Gore Vidal's critical essays might offer the acutest wit of the 20th century. Roth is funnier the further he gets from sex, ironically, and Operation Shylock is immensely funny at micro and macro scales, the height of die-laughing political comedy. Humor being, as I've said, personal and local, I have described DeLillo's White Noise as the funniest novel I've ever read, and I stand by that, even if the world it affectionately mocks is no longer quite ours, and even if I am affected in this instance by some latent Italian-American consciousness and its dry skepticism.

(I see from the inadvertent psychoanalysis in the above free association that there are two kinds of humor: one moves toward the body and its grosser functions as a source of laughter and the other moves away to higher levels of abstraction upon the world. I obviously prefer the latter, humor as high-minded irony, as pointed wit, a defense against sensation. The unruly body, the "lower bodily stratum" as I think Bakhtin called it in his study of Rabelais, whom I still need to read, is likelier to show up in my constellation of taste as a source of anxiety, tragedy, or, at its best, forbidden or abashed and therefore serious eros. Which self-analysis I'm sure a reading of my archly witty novels—they've been described as body horror—will bear out. Those who have scrutinized my sensibility as "very Catholic" will have something to say about this, given Catholicism's intensely abstract, paradoxical, and therefore inherently witty theology, based in its turn upon an equally intense and deadly serious affective veneration of the wounded corpus. Why else find Dante funnier than Boccaccio?)

[arbitrarygreay]

I would love to hear more Berryz vs C-ute meta if you're interested! I started out as a Momusu fan and dabbled in Berryz but C-ute felt way, way too young for me at first so I mostly ignored them. By the end of their careers though, Berryz sometimes felt like they were miserable performing while C-ute just got better and better. I've never seen anyone seriously ruminate on this though.

Thanks for the ask!

The thing to know about the era is the industry context. MM is the obvious case, starting in the late 90s when there were some pretty big girl groups (Speed, Zone, Folder5), and of course the Golden Age was called that for good reason.

(Huh, weird, now only Wikipedia lists MM's single sales in table format.) But if you look at the singles sales numbers, they've already fallen back down to Morning Coffee/Furusato level sales by 2003. This is why when you read the ancient fan forum archives (o7) the people who are all around for Golden Age have a grudge against 5th and 6th gens, and the taken-for-granted assumption of management's incomptence. So, H!P is already in a decline by this time (not that H!P broadly was ever as successful as MM in this era), but Tsunku is on a total roll musically, so it can be hard to notice.

And outside of H!P, the idol market (for girls, anyways, Johnny's is still trucking along as usual) is pretty bleak. Avex makes a few attempts every now and then (with dream, BRIGHT, and SweetS), but none of them really take off. For reference, AKB48 starts in December of 2005. I have treasured fan forum memories where Maeda Atsuko was "the one who looks like Kamei Eri". They won't get any real traction (especially sales-wise) until 2008, at which point they spearhead the Idol Sengoku Jidai.

This is the environment in which the H!P Kids are formed and have their early careers. H!P in decline but in denial about it and so throwing about some money they probably didn't make back their money on (very notably, the Sports Festivals actually going so far as to rent out Dome arenas). ZYX, Aa!, and early Berikyuu are receiving god-tier music, Berryz skips doing indies and is doing hall tours right off the bat. (Idols won't really get into livehouses until years later thanks to Idol Sengoku Jidai.)

At the same time, there are some signs. Most notably, the similarities between Berryz and Melon Kinenbi. Sure, I just called early Berryz music god-tier, but there are also quite a few songs and singles in those first three albums are now forgotten deep cuts, aren't they? Even the good ones! At the time, people could definitely predict that Kofuku Kangei would get lost, but the ever catchy Piriri to Yukou? More than that, there is the easy sense that this music is already deeply uncool. Those MKB songs are outright cringe now, especially in the visuals. This is why MKB eventually had to re-pivot to that rocker energy (to the point of mosh pits and even crowd surfing at some of their lives). Berryz, however, were never able to do that. To the end, their music retains a composition style harkening to this mid-00s Tsunku pop, even their dance tracks like Want! or Dakishimete Dakishimete. His last hurrah of the unabashed cheesiness that took Love Machine straight to the top and Koi No Dance Site to peak MM's sales. Pata did a series of posts where he complained about Tsunku's intrusions into Buono's otherwise blessedly Tsunku-free run of singles.

Kobushi, of course, also never recovered sales-wise from their scandal parade and exodus of members. However, because the members of Kobushi grew up in the social media age, as well as after H!P had gone through true industry dark ages, the members reacted to the shrinking by upping the sass and DGAF that make for great clips, Jojo Gundan able to engage with them on improv comedy.

Berryz, meanwhile, kind of had a chemistry problem. They were friendly enough. A newbie like me found their early making-of footage compelling. But they could not really carry a non-scripted segment. Again, maybe a newbie might find their DMs sweet, but the moment you switch to another group, you can see the difference when the interactions have snap and rhythm. Wota joke about Yurina's inability to tell anecdotes. There's a very real reason that only Momochi was able to break out on TV, and even Momochi's schtick feels more forced than the attitude the 48G was bringing to the table, honed by late night variety willing to be really mean to them. Maasa and Chinami are getting pretty good at DGAF, but it says something that they seem to get better mileage when interacting with their juniors (like 5nin J=J or 2nd gen S/mileage) than their own group.

So yeah, by 2007 (around Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba) Berryz can tell that it is not going to happen for them. I guess given that they started their careers so early, they really didn't know yet what they could possibly do outside of the industry yet, so they all just stuck around because why not? And they broke up when enough of them had found post-Berryz prospects.

Honestly, I can't give you an answer as to why C-ute succeeded. They were why I thought Kobushi's scandal parade and member exodus would actually benefit them, but I was never really into C-ute's music. Their songs were also pretty unabashedly Tsunku cheese? Someone I met through SNSD fandom really liked e.g. The Middle Management, but didn't seem to get any deeper into H!P. Anyways, some kind of magic happened, with Chisato and Nakki embracing late blooms intersecting with being able to snag onto the Idol Sengoku Jidai momentum with with a will. Who knows? Love is timing, after all.

[kaibacorpintern]

Light pollution! 1 and 5

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I usually find first-person pretty hard to do, and I like to challenge myself, and the first draft of the fic was in third person for a bit before I realized it really wasn't working out! So I switched it to first person and it all ran a little smoother from there. Another thing was I didn't expect it to be two parts, and then after seven thousand words Kaiba still hadn't appeared, so I cut it in half. I did want the whole thing to be kind of a morbid bleak dark comedy, but the first half is the dark comedy and the second half is just morbid and bleak LOL. Finally I have thought about writing "Jounouchi driven to insanity by Kaiba's billboard" for a long time, and lately I've been really into trying to write non-endings, or not-happy endings, or open endings. And like, as much as I love him and his feelings, I think DSOD Kaiba would find it hard to emphathize with a more mundane concern like a lack of sleep. What does he care. He is on a quest to find God Atem!!

5: What part was hardest to write?

Kaiba is my woobie baby man. My poor little meow meow. My sopping wet boy who just wants to be loved. I tend to write him as having some capacity for empathy/sympathy, or the very least, a capacity for self-reflection and awareness and knowing when he's done wrong... so writing him with the Aloof/Bored/Disinterested/Totally Indifferent to Your Problems/Willing to do Horrific Things Because They're Convenient qualities and traits dialed up to 12 was a little difficult. Making sure he came off as a lonely but kinda creepy and mean weirdo mad scientist on an insane incomprehensible quest (from Jou's POV) was one of the most important parts of the fic for me.

[wrongmeat]

I think it’s really interesting how media can affect people, long after they’ve seen it. In late 2021 my friends were coming to visit me in New York City, I wanted something fun for us to do. None of the Broadway shows interested us at all, so I started looking into off Broadway productions. I’m not entirely sure how I came across it, but eventually I came to a contender. ‘The Antelope Party’ It was a black comedy about bronys and their new neighborhood watch. Me and me friends were chronically online autistic adults in our 20’s, and mild MLP enjoyers, so we had to see this show. I didn’t do much more research then that, I bought the tickets and I waited for the date.

The night of, we got bodega sandwiches and walked to the theater, that was coincidentally very close to my house. This isn’t important, but I remember it.

Inside, the stage was very small, decorated like someone’s basement living room, with of course a bit of pony flair. I was looking forward to a comedic night. Nothing could have prepared me for the cutting fascist allegories and bleak events that unfolded in front of me over the next few hours, like an impending train wreck you couldn’t look away from. 

It’s clearly been a few years since I’ve seen it, and you know what? I don’t even remember how it ended, aside from the fact it was ambiguous and me and my friends disagreed on what it meant. But I do remember how it made me feel, the clear demonstration of the paradox of tolerance, of how corrupting power and authority can be. At the time, it was extremely relevant in the climate, proud boys running rampant. It still feels relevant now, and it’s somewhat crushing to be part of such a small number of people who got to see it. There were a few other productions around the country, but I don’t think it got the credit it deserved. You can buy and read the script for 15 dollars. More people should know about The Antelope Party. 

[3gremlins]

so i finally started a dark urge ("durge") pt in bg3, despite having some concerns that it was too dark for me (like all the "gamer" website descriptions of it make it sounds so bleak and a little gross) but it's actually really funny. Like yeah, it's still a bit gross but done for comedy and less for fear.

plus your murder butler's fashion is on point

his little dapper hat with the real snake skeleton? his false leather?? metal? nose? that suit?!?

i'm still not sure which direction with the dark urge i want to go with this character, i usually veer towards "good" (ish) characters so maybe i'll just full murder? idk, but the act one stuff is very funny.

Also talking to all your companions about your concerns is hilarious, you're like "i'm having dark dreams about swimming in pools of blood" and they're all like "oh yeah that's normal don't worry about it sweetheart *head pats*" but it def feels like they're all distracted by their own messy bitch problems that they're not really listening lol.

i also don't know how it took me *4* pts in to summon basket (aka shovel/fork) but i love her and would die for this little murder quasit. kinda sad i'm not a spellcaster this pt b/c apparently you can make her permanent/resummonable (per reddit anyway). I'll prob just have her turn invisible at the start of combat and not fight to keep her alive for the whole game if i can.

this pt i'm also playing a gnome rogue b/c i never play gnomes and so i figured why not. she's pretty cute and all the dialogue scenes are silly b/c they're like 2-3 feet shorter than all your companions.

it's not quite the DAI dwarf camera problems (it does adjust) where you were completely mike wazowski'd in most of the cinematics etc, but it's similar for sure (it's worse when it's from behind you, because you're looking up at a character who is much taller so it's usually the top of your head staring at their crotch lol. But when it switches to the taller npcs, they're all look like they're staring at the floor)

anyway this is nix stumbleduck (she/they), deep gnome thief

there is still something about the gnome proportions in this game that bugs me tho (i think their hands and heads seem slightly too big? idk, but it is kinda fun to be tiny and sneaky. plus rogue bonuses are RIDICULOUS, like if you're used to playing druids or bards, and you switch to fighters/rogues who are very good at one thing, it's like oh yeah, being a specialist can also be good. tho i do miss turning into an owlbear- unrelated- do the gnomes shapechange proportionally or is it all the one model? kinda think it'd be funny if you turned into a very small owlbear but just as heavy as a regular sized one, kinda how strength works in the discworld where smaller beings like gnomes and dwarves are very concentrated in strength)

[i-just-want-to-destroy]

25, 31, 43? (I am phishing for movie recs)

25. A movie you’ve seen that you think no one else’s here will have heard of?

try these

Four Lions (2010) - one of the funniest dark comedies, strong actors, very fucked up, but i dont see people talk about it often which is crazy.

Dating Amber (2020) - coming of age friendship movie between two queer kids. i watched this in cinema and it got me so good. funny and touching

Network (1976) - another dark comedy satire about media, sharp writing, sharp dialogue, still relevant even now

Fail Safe (1964) - Dr. Strangelove's less favorable sibling. similar plotline, but this one is humorless and takes a much more harrowing path. if you like slow burn bleak shit, this one can be good

A Death in the Gunj (2016) - this was recommended by clem. a slowburn character study, really soft and explosive at the end

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - this is not a niche movie. actually pretty sure its one of the most famous courtroom movies of all time. but im recommending this since its an oldie, but such a killer

31. Favorite animated film.

Try these

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999) - gorgeous animation, intense solemn atmosphere

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) - experimental animation, and probably the only film that has ever really managed to evoke feelings into the visual medium this rawly. hard to explain, but if you give it try you'll see it

Also some favorite gobelins shorts

que dalle, duo, QUAND J'AI REMPLACÉ CAMILLE 

gobelins animations are so good at capturing dynamic and tension in such a short amount of time

43. A film that scarred you.

so far there are two films that i really regret watching. its the world of kanako and i saw the devil. i really regret watching them. i wouldnt recommend any of these, and id say you should check for TWs if you want to check them out. imdb parents guide is where i would check for possible CWs

[sshbpodcast]

Top Five Star Trek VOY Episodes

by Ames

We made it back to the Alpha Quadrant, y’all, and it was a pretty good trip! Overall, we’d say Star Trek: Voyager is a pretty decent contender for one of the best series in the franchise. Sure, we here at A Star to Steer Her By are probably still on Team DS9 for the most part, but our plucky friends lost in the Delta Quadrant are at least giving TOS and TNG a run for their money in terms of overall episode quality, character development, and consistency. Hell, TNG’s first season alone brings its average way down, so it might be a pretty close race!

Considering Voyager usually gets overlooked on a good day and unfairly criticized on a bad day, it’s a damn good show with a lot of stunning episodes that leave the audience invested, affected, and ready for more. And now that we’re out of episodes, we’ve assembled our favorites of the series for you to warp through below, and/or listen to on our finale episode of the podcast (series discussion at 1:29:20) which features even more picks from guest star Liz. Bon voyage, Voyager!

[images © CBS/Paramount]

“False Profits”: Chris We’d be remiss if we didn’t include some of the fluffy comedy shit Chris loves (I’m just as shocked as you are that it’s not Bride of Chaotica!), so here’s a very funny yet very Star Trek example that brings back the two Ferengi all the way from TNG’s “The Price.” It’s a pretty deep cut for a reference, but they certainly run with it in an ultimately satisfying way, complete with putting Ethan Phillips back in Ferengi makeup, as we saw in TNG’s “Ménage à Troi” and will see again in Enterprise’s “Acquisition.”

“Course: Oblivion”: Ames Just for the whiplash of it all, let’s pivot from a fun romp of an episode to a deeply depressing, tragic episode in “Course: Oblivion.” The inevitable demise of all the Silver Blood Duplicates is like watching a slow-motion car crash: you know what’s going to happen is going to be upsetting but you can’t tear your eyes away. And the nihilist cherry on top of this ice cream cone of sadness is that their message never even gets through! It’s so successful at being so bleak!

“Memorial”: Caitlin Let’s kick off a handful of noteworthy episodes that examine how we connect with and remember history, starting with a space genocide that plays out in the memories of anyone who happens along as both a memorial to its people and a not-so-subtle disparagement of Holocaust deniers. The post-traumatic stress disorder that the crew displays is also expertly done, making their reactions to atrocity something personal and all the more intriguing, like “The Inner Light” on a whole ship’s scale.

“Remember”: Caitlin Before getting saddled with Paris, B’Elanna Torres had some really good character work early on, and her living out the moments in the life of an Enaran woman in her dreams gives Roxann Dawson quite a lot to play with. We also did a lot of comparing this episode to the classic “The Inner Light,” and for good reason! Dawson really shines in this role, and we also get a spellbinding portrayal of the really troubling Enaran culture and their genocide of the Regressives.

“Blink of an Eye”: Jake One of the cleverest episodes of Voyager comes in this fast-paced planet that develops quicker than you can ascertain, and thus allows for us to view the full evolution of a culture’s advancements in perfect little vignettes. And it all culminates with a hopeful and touching moment with one of Jake’s favorite characters, Gotana-Retz, finally connecting with the ship that has shaped his planet’s history and saving their asses.

“Distant Origin”: Ames Here’s another episode that’s almost too clever for its own good. The Galileo allegory is so strong and fascinating that we entirely accept that some sapient dinosaurs left earth at some point, which should be so silly as to utterly distract from the episode, but Forra Gegen is just so earnest and his plight to open the eyes of his people to their forgotten history so reasonable that we just go with it! Plus Chakotay is probably the most in character he ever gets to be all series long and it’s great to watch!

“Death Wish”: Chris While Q is at his best when paired with Jean-Luc, and his other appearances in Voyager may stretch credulity a little bit, this episode shows us a side of the Continuum that is refreshing and new. Quinn’s depiction of life as a Q as a prison is rather fascinating, and he expertly plays a compassionate character whom you root for even though you feel conflicted by it because his winning the trial will result in his death. But that’s the kind of moral conflict that Star Trek plays so well!

“Nothing Human”: Caitlin Speaking of moral conflicts, we’ve got another ethical debate on our hands in this allegory to Nazi medical experiments. While everyone here on the podcast was firmly in the camp that it is okay to use medical knowledge obtained through deplorable means, it’s still a fascinating reminder to see the full context of what it means to use data from someone like the Cardassian Josef Mengele. The science fiction lens of this real-world allegory is just what Star Trek is for.

“Relativity”: Ames I have such a soft spot for this episode. I’m a sucker for a really interesting use of time travel in storytelling, and the way this episode is structured: chef’s kiss. The twist that it was a crazed future Braxton the whole time. Yes. The weirdly sexy dynamic between Seven and Ducane. I’m there for it. And the best thing of all is seeing Jeri Ryan in a Starfleet uniform, looking fly as hell! Her character journey is now complete because someone finally dressed her well.

“Eye of the Needle”: Jake Another very soft spot of ours is in this season-one episode featuring another of Jake’s favorite Voyager characters. This is the first time (of many) that the Voyager comes this close to finding a way back home to the Alpha Quadrant only to have those hopes dashed to bits by circumstance. It’s so Voyager-specific a story that it’s actually quite perfect. So many episodes could be TNG in Voyager clothes, but it’s episodes like this one that really gave a particular voice to the show.

“Homestead”: Caitlin The literal journey the Voyager characters go on is a big part of the whole series (even when they dipsy doodle around on sidequests so often), and the most complete and meaningful character journey is Neelix’s. Throughout the show, we’ve seen him grow as he got further and further from his homeworld, became an important fixture on the ship, and developed friendships with the other characters (like Tuvok, as you’ll see in a moment). So the closure his character gets in “Homestead” is too perfect for words.

“Riddles”: Caitlin, Chris The Neelix-Tuvok relationship is on full display here. Where normally they’re paired together for the comedy of an odd-couple dynamic, this episode really shows the love these two have for each other. And Tim Russ acts his butt off as a Tuvok who is struggling to recuperate from a serious injury, trying to find himself again, and being supported by his best friend. It’s so good that it didn’t even make Caitlin’s tops list of that season, but has reemerged in the finals!

“Jetrel”: Chris, Jake One more Neelix episode to round out his character, and this is one of the early ones. We’ve already talked about some good allegories on this list for Galileo and Mengele, and appropriately for this moment, we’ve got another great scifi lens to view Robert Oppenheimer (almost said Barbie, but alas). Jetrel is a fascinating character just like Oppie, but Neelix really steals the show with the remorse he feels for draft dodging and then surviving an atrocity that would have killed him. Damn, those are some deep layers for a usually fun character.

“Year of Hell”: Ames, Jake This may be one of the best two-parters in Star Trek, as it never lost momentum and its conclusion was that jaw-dropping kind of satisfying that marks really good writing. Watching the ship and crew getting more and more wounded over the course of the two-parter was excellent to see, and the character Annorax is one of our favorite Voyager villains. And for good reason! Kirkwood Smith infuses that character with such humanity and resolve you almost root for him. Almost.

“Living Witness”: Ames, Chris, Jake Finally, the episode with the most votes from your SSHB hosts is yet another original way of looking at how people represent history, and how so much of it is told through the biased lens of whoever’s in charge. But the best thing about “Living Witness” is how much the actors get to really ham it up by portraying evil versions of their usual characters. It’s like doing a mirror universe episode, but more thought provoking, less contrived, and less doofy.

—

See also: our Bottom Five Star Trek VOY Episodes list. And why not: here’re all the seasonal tops and bottoms from seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7!

Welcome back to Earth! We hope you had as great a time following along with Janeway and crew throughout the series, but we’ve got more Star Trek on the way! Next on the docket is the one you’ve no doubt been waiting for, so make sure you’re following along here as we finally fill out the classic Trek roster with Star Trek: Enterprise in our watchthrough on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also hail us on Facebook and Twitter, and give one final toast: To the Journey!

[futurecentury]

So that was the G Fighter 3rd sidestory.

Discussion under the cut. Spoilers and unhinged cringe stream of consciousness warning

I am, to be completely honest, pretty fucking mad.

The thing is the whole of the story itself was mostly decent. Like, I actually enjoyed the plot, I for the most part liked Eichi and Junior, and there were some genuinely stellar bits (Michelo getting some redemption was great, EVERYTHING with wong just felt so accurately wong, the fact that shining is relevant again and Domon calls her his favorite machine, the fights and the writing “timing” if that’s a good word for it felt very accurate to the show and to Imagawa’s old style.)

But. Man. Why the fuck would you end it like that???????

Like here’s the thing. I am a Domorei warrior. You know this. I also would have accepted them breaking up if it was done sincerely. Like. I’ve always held a nagging fear that they weren’t right for each other—that even with all the work they put into it, they just wouldn’t work out. And if that had been where the story went, I would’ve cried about it a bit but I would’ve accepted it.

But to do it as a joke?? What???

It was extremely tonally weird, it came out of nowhere, and felt really meanspirited and troll-y. The characterization that Rain is running the Gundam Fight now is also kind of bizarre, as is the idea that they’d keep having the Fight immediately after environmentally restoring the Earth—it’s bleak not just in a Future Century way but in a “im not sure you understand the implications of the story you’re writing” way. Though she did say the universe is the ring so maybe they’re fighting in space now? Idk. That’d be fun IF THE ENDING DIDNT SUCK ASS

like I know I am having a comical freak out and i sound like the angry video game nerd freaking out like this but like. Why would you do this.

Why would you destroy the emotional core of your story, the relationship you like actively fought with your production crew to make sure they had as emotionally sappy an ending as possible in the original run? Why would you do that in an anniversary sidestory 30 years later?

Fuck, why bring up Rain at all if you are barely going to give her any characterization or respect and never show her directly in the story? The idea of why they’d break up in this setting does make some sense, considering Domon essentially followed every plot thread EXCEPT repairing his and rain’s relationship, but the writing refuses to handle it seriously and reduces Rain, and her and Domon’s relationship and family, to cheap jokes (ie: the joke about her still having beef with Allenby, the way that Eichi hating Domon is played as a comedy). It just feels really disrespectful to the characters you created and put love into…

And it’s not even that the story feels like a “you made me continue this finished story so im going to destroy it” thing either because the stuff that doesn’t have to do with domorei feels very sincere. Like it’s honestly a decent sidestory aside from that…but then it just completely makes a mockery of one of the most central points of the original show—a literal mockery as the kids make fun of domon’s Love Love attack and jump around cheering DIVORCE DIVORCE!! Like. Man it’s just so mean.

And the cherry on top is they released these standees and official art of Domon and Rain tangoing in fancy outfits immediately after?? Like okay?? What am I supposed to believe?

Idk….man im just exhausted by this. What the fuck imagawa. Seriously. Guess this is why you do not ask for sequels ever.

[juniperhillpatient]

Same anon as before I think slasher I watched the X trilogy recently and I really liked those movies so something with a similar vibe

Nice ♥️ I haven’t seen Maxxine yet (no spoilers please & thank u!) but I loooved X & Pearl, especially Pearl it was such a fantastic sympathetic villain character introspective.

I’m sure if you’re a horror fan you’ll have seen the OG Texas Chainsaw, the aesthetic for which served clear inspiration for X. If not that’s a must see of course.

Hopefully slightly less obvious recommendations though here we go - I think American Mary is another pretty good exploration of a complex & occasionally awful but very sympathetic violent young woman as the protagonist. Katherine Isabelle is also a goddess. Trigger warnings for graphic onscreen sexual assault & drugging & lots of body horror & medical horror.

Another good one that’s more basic & campy & comedic than X Pearl or American Mary but still super fun is Superhost. This is more of a horror comedy. I was trying to think of my favorite leading lady slasher girlies that shine though & the villainess in this movie is just super super fun & I love her. I just feel like if you love onscreen crazy deranged women this movie is gonna be a good time.

If you haven’t seen the Hostel trilogy I highly recommend it. And I think the second one specifically will cater to you if you like strong female leads. The protagonist, Beth, & the villain she has a kinda homoerotic thing going with, Axelle, give a very Killing Eve vibe. The first movie is lacking compelling leading ladies but it’s still really good & offers an interesting discussion on class & exploitation that appeals to me while still also just being a very fun gory time. The third movie is forgettable nothing special about it I like it just fine as an expansion of the lore because the lore of these movies & the evil secret society at the center is compelling. Anyway I bring up the discussion on class because I think X & Pearl & I imagine Maxxine too are in constant discussion with the audience. It’s fun when movies are more than just a basic slasher although they can be that too, it’s just fun if a movie’s got a self aware analytical meaningful lens you can enjoy too if you like me enjoy being pretentious about slashers.

Rob Zombie isn’t for everyone but the House of 1000 Corpses trilogy while deviating wildly from the above mention of analytical & meaningful discussion - is SUPER fun simply for the lore & characters. I adore the Firefly family & their evil codependent us against the world vibe & there’s something delightful about movies that aren’t trying to do anything other than show you some really fun characters with really fun dynamics. Also again if you enjoy evil violent women you’re under obligation by law to love my best friend Baby Firefly.

If you haven’t seen Abigail yet that’s another super fun violent slasher where the lady leads get to shine. And there’s a ballerina vampire & a heist aspect. Melissa Berera & Katherine Newton are there. You can’t lose.

This is more so simply a brutal gory but also thoughtful & thought provoking movie - Eden Lake. This movie fucked with my head. Watch it for a bad unrelenting bleak & brutal time.

If part of what appeals to you about X is the compelling group dynamic you might really like The Rental. Go into this movie blind if you can because…. It’s just one of those movies that’s so much better if you don’t know in advance where it’s going. What sells this movie is the cast & not even just my best friend Alison Brie, everyone in this movie is sooo good & the chemistry & occasional awkwardness just brings it all so to life. It’s a really really good movie mostly because the characters whether awful or not feel incredibly real so when the plot picks up IT feels incredibly real.

Anyway this list is kinda all over the place but hopefully that gives you a good variety to pick from! Thanks for asking me about horror movies 🍿 And if you find something fun you’ll have to let me know!