#80s christmas tv specials

[atomic-chronoscaph]

A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)

[duranduratulsa]

Up next on my 80's Fest Movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 marathon... The Simpsons: Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire (1989) on classic DVD 📀! #tv #television #comedy #sitcom #animation #Christmas #thesimpsons #SimpsonsRoastingOnAnOpenFire #thesimpsonschristmasspecial #DVD #80s #80sfest #durandurantulsas6thannual80sfest

[maretinelli]

I CAN'T LOSE YOU²

Lewis Hamilton X fem!engineer!reader

Summary: They have known each other for years, they work at Mercedes and are best friends. But only time will tell how they feel about each other.

Words: 13K+ (all three chapters together)

Warnings: It's a lot, I may not remember them all. But it's angst, mentions of team changes, bottled up feelings, best friends to lovers, happy endings and lots of cuteness.

Author: English is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes that may be made. And that, is a part two. I love Lew😭

Part 1

Part 3

MASTERLIST

Day after the race.

The sun hadn't come out in Monaco today, it was cloudy and the wind was freezing. Christmas was coming and winter was just around the corner.

Even though Lewis lived a few blocks from his best friend's condominium, he would still prefer to go by car because of the cold.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the condominium, Lewis felt at home. He had been there so many times in recent years that he already knew every detail, from the decorated iron gate to the carefully pruned trees along the inner streets. He knew that the residents and the doorman also recognized him. It was no longer necessary to explain his fate. A simple wave to the security guard at the entrance was enough for the gate to open.

Today was no different. As he rolled down the window, the security guard smiled and casually commented, "Visiting Y/n, are you? He must be around, the loud music speaks for itself."

Lewis smiles at the comment and thanks the gentleman.

A few streets later, he arrived at her house. The engineer’s white car was parked on the sidewalk across the street, while the garage was littered with buckets, mops, and brooms. It was a classic scene of a cleaning job in progress. The music—a lively 80s pop song—was playing through the half-open windows, echoing through the silence of the condominium. He recognized the tune immediately. It was one of the playlists she insisted on using to turn tedious tasks into something fun.

Parking his sports car in front of his best friend's house, Lewis gets out of the car and puts his hands in his coat pockets to protect himself from the cold.

As he walked towards the door, the music got louder and louder.

"Y/n honey!! I'm coming in! I'm about to turn into a popsicle out here" Lewis yells at the door, opening it slowly.

Y/n was at the back of the house, but she could hear the pilot's voice.

"Okay. Just take off your shoes!"

Lewis laughed.

Of course he was going to take his shoes off before she even told him. He didn't want to show up to the next practice with a broomstick mark on his back.

Entering his best friend's house. He smells that familiar smell, that house he knew by heart from having been there so many times.

Lewis felt more at home in her house than in his own apartment.

The scent of citrus fruits filled the air in the house, with a hint of cinnamon in the background,

The scent of citrus and cinnamon embraced him, almost as if it were her very presence, welcoming and warm. Lewis closes his eyes and revels in the moment. Just wishing to have her in his arms romantically.

There were some black bags lying on the floor, he could deduce that they were her Christmas decorations. Since the whole condo was starting to get into the Christmas spirit.

And it was still mid-November.

Walking down the small hallway that led to his best friend's living room, he noticed some framed photos on the wall. There was one of her with her parents the day she got into the Mercedes; he hadn't met her yet, but she looked cute with her glasses and short hair. Other photos were of her and some college friends, and there were several of her with Lewis.

One, in which Lewis smiled and looked intently at her, while the two held up a trophy he won in his 6th world championship. Neither of them looked at the photo, which made the moment even more special.

Walking into the living room, he saw another picture of them near the TV. The two of them in the snow, Lewis was the one taking the selfie, while Y/n laughed with her hair flying in front of her face.

These photos brought back memories to Lewis' mind. He only had good things to remember. He loved Y/n. He loved her so much that he urgently wanted to change the photos of them for ones where they would finally be kissing. Maybe in front of fireworks, or at Christmas, or anywhere he could show that she was finally his.

Hearing some footsteps from Y/n coming from the back. Lewis looked to the side to get those thoughts out of his head, while his gaze fell on a photo on the kitchen counter, in which there was only Y/n and his mother. Just them, at the engineering master's graduation. Two years after they started working together.

"Hey, since when do you have a picture with my mom?" Lewis asked, holding up the frame. His tone was playful, but his surprise was genuine.

Y/n, who now appears in the hallway, laughs at her best friend's comment. And appears in front of him.

"Oh, you never noticed? I always leave it there on the counter." Y/n replied casually. She said stopping in front of him, turning off the music from the house's speakers. The engineer was wearing gym pants and a black top, her hair was tied in a high ponytail and in her left hand she had a bucket full of water.

Lewis smiles at the sweet memory of all the times Y/n and her mother interacted. It was as if her best friend was already part of the family. And the Hamilton's wanted it made official. Everyone saw how the two treated each other. With love in your eyes and acts of care always.

He puts the picture frame back in place, until his eyes fall on his best friend and widen.

"By all means, woman! Are you cleaning the house or are you trying to catch a cold?" He says, shivering as he looks at her in her short clothes.

Y/n makes a funny face and gestures with her hand: "It's okay! I've been cleaning since 8 am and the cold hasn't gotten to me yet" She says, and walks quickly to the front door, to throw the dirty water on the front lawn of the house.

"It's your day off! You should be resting, not cleaning the house," Lewis says loudly, sitting on a stool in the kitchen. It overlooks the living room and the hallway that connects to the two bedrooms and the bathroom in the house.

It wasn't a big house. It was big enough for the engineer to live comfortably and there was still an extra room for Lewis to sleep in if he wanted to spend more time with her. As much as they both wanted to sleep next to each other, in the warmth and embrace of each other, deep down.

"I always do that. It's no big deal," she says, returning without the bucket she had left at the washer.

"You work as an engineer at Mercedes, you can ask an employee to do this while you rest." Lewis watches his best friend walk around the room, picking up the last specks of dust from the floor.

They laughed.

"I'm an engineer, not a Mercedes driver." She winks at her best friend and he rolls his eyes with a smile. "I don't have that kind of money to keep an employee with me."

Yes, she did, but she liked to do things her way.

"Seriously! You have a Honda Civic in the garage and you gave your parents a Mercedes last Christmas. You have money, I know." Lewis says and Y/n stands up with a surprised look on her face.

"Look at that rascal!" She says and throws a Christmas ball at Lewis. And he laughs, holding the ball in the air. "First of all, I paid for that car in 39 installments and I got the Mercedes because I work at Mercedes. I didn't want to be selfish and keep two cars, so I gave it to my parents."

"Humble person, you!" He taunts again.

She lets her shoulders slump in defeat and laughs. "You just came to annoy me, didn't you?" She asks, stopping in front of him and a mischievous smile on her lips.

Hamilton had to restrain himself from leaning over the stool and pulling her in for a long kiss.

"Hmm, that wouldn't be a bad idea," he says and she rolls her eyes with a smile as she turns to put the bags from the floor on the couch.

She loved his company. She loved him so much that sometimes she had to hide her silly smile when he said something funny. But loving Lewis Hamilton seemed like something out of reach, something as distant as the top of a podium.

"But I need your help. Actually, a woman's help..."

Y/n quickly turns around and looks suggestively at him, teasing him for the incomplete sentence he gave.

"Look, Hamilton." She starts teasingly, only saying her last name. "If you want to do anything that involves the bedroom and bed, I'm out of here. I've been cleaning the house all day and I'm tired. Come back later!"

Lewis lowers his head laughing and throws the ball at her again.

"No, idiot!" He laughs again. "I need to buy some things for the apartment and I don't know how to do it. I need a woman to help me. You have such an organized house and everything in order, you could do it for me!" He says.

Y/n smiles at her best friend's confession.

Lewis came to ask something else. But since he wasn't ready yet, he combined business with pleasure.

"That's very kind of you! What are we going to buy?" She asks excitedly and sits on the arm of the sofa.

Lewis takes his cell phone out of his pocket and goes into the conversation he had with his mother a few days ago.

"I had called my mother a while ago complaining about the things in the apartment that were bad, so she sent me a list of what to buy so she could help me!"

As Lewis speaks, he can hear Y/n cooing and smiling in his direction.

"You're the cutest adult on the face of the earth, you know that Lewis Hamilton?" She stands up and cups his cheeks.

Lewis smiles without showing his teeth. For the touch was so natural that, for a second, he forgot that she still didn't know how deeply he loved her.

Y/n turns to look at the list and Lewis starts telling her everything he needs to buy.

"We can go now. I also need to buy some Christmas decorations, there are some broken ones in the boxes and bags" she says, while keeping a hand on the pilot's shoulder. “I just need to take a quick shower and put on warm clothes.”

Lewis puts his cell phone in his pocket and nods.

"Okay! I'll be back in about 10 minutes," she points with her finger and runs down the hallway until she reaches her room.

In the middle of the hallway, she sees her kitten walking carefreely.

"Poppe? Are you here? Where have you been all along?" She sees the cat walk up to Lewis and purr.

Hamilton smiles and picks up the kitten, while waiting for his best friend - secret crush to finish getting ready.

Poppe seemed more perceptive than Y/n, as she always ran to him as if she knew he was her favorite person besides her. It was as if the cat had seen something that her owner hadn't yet noticed.

Lewis spent a few more minutes petting the cat, while he fought another silent battle against his own feelings. He loved that woman, loved her with every inch of his being. And at the same time, he had a paralyzing fear of losing everything.

Crossing the invisible line between friendship and something more was a risk he didn't know if he could take. But lately, keeping that love bottled up was becoming an increasingly heavy burden.

Still looking at the cat and thinking, he hears the woman's bedroom door open. Y/n comes out dressed in loose jeans, woolen blouses and a sweatshirt on top. Familiar fabric to the pilot's eyes.

"Hey, are my sunglasses up there?" Y/n asked as she absentmindedly rummaged through the living room table. Her hair was now down, and she seemed oblivious to his stare. "I lost them yesterday before I went to the GP and I couldn't find them anymore!" Y/n looked at Lewis, and he had an amused look on his face. "What's wrong?" She asked with a smile and checked behind the couch to see if her sunglasses were there. And luckily, they were.

"Nothing. But I'm starting this sweatshirt. And I can tell it's not yours!" The cat gets off his lap and he crosses his arms,

Yin looks at the shirt and smiles. "It's not mine at all. You left it here a few weeks ago. It's mine now. Owned property." She looks toward the pilot.

Lewis narrowed his eyes in mock indignation and walked over to her, giving her a gentle spin by the shoulders. "It literally says 'Lewis Hamilton' on your back. That's practically walking propaganda!"

She laughed out loud, but when she turned back to him, her eyes showed a brief flash of doubt. "Won't this draw attention from the fans? I don't want to cause any trouble."

"No!" Lewis says before she walks into the hallway. He loves the idea of seeing her in her baggy clothes. "We'll be wearing sunglasses and caps, I don't think they'll recognize us because of my name on your back," he says anything, just to keep her in her hoodie.

She smiles and shrugs. "If you say so!"

She turned to the hallway to gather her things, and Lewis followed her with his eyes, feeling his heart tighten once more. He didn't know how much longer he could keep his feelings to himself, but he knew that, at that moment, just seeing her wearing something of his was enough to make him happy for another day.

While Y/n chattered about something random like she always did when she was excited, they walked to the door. She grabbed her own car keys, but before she could leave, Lewis raised his in the air.

"Want to drive mine today?" Lewis asks.

Y/n turns to him, frowning and smiling. "Me? You want me to drive your Mercedes? Me?" She asks, pointing to herself as she walks out the door.

"Sure!" He says simply. "You know how I hate driving off-track and another thing, I trust you! You're a great driver too!" He says and Yin laughs at the last part.

She turns to him. "Alright, princess! I'll be your driver today!" She teases. "I'm just going to pick up my car."

Lewis nodded and watched Y/n cross the street towards her own car. He found himself smiling as he watched her do even the simplest of tasks. As she parked the car in the garage, she rolled down the window and looked at him, who was still standing in front of her house. "Sure you don't want to take mine?"

"It's okay! Here in Monaco there are so many identical cars that no one will notice it's us!"

Y/n just smiles and gets out of the car. Locking the vehicle and the house.

As the engineer walked down the garage ramp, Lewis called out and she turned around. The driver tossed her the keys and she smiled, catching them in midair. "If I scratch it, at least I have an excuse. I can say I went for the curves like you do on the track. Who's going to blame me?"

"You can try," Lewis replied with a laugh. "Just remember that this car is insured, and I know exactly where you live."

"Oh, are you threatening the driver? You want me to leave you in the middle of the road, right?"

Lewis laughs loudly, getting into the passenger side.

Y/n gets in the driver's side and adjusts the seat first, before checking the mirrors and putting on her seatbelt, "Why are you pushing the seat back there? What were you doing here while you were coming here?" She insinuates and he turns his head laughing.

She smiles at the sound of his laughter.

By heavens, it was her favorite sound in recent years. So natural, so full of life. It was like a melody that warmed her heart every time she heard it.

As she adjusted her seat, Y/n looked away from the steering wheel, trying to ignore the heat spreading through her chest. She loved him. God, how she loved that man. It was a feeling so intense that sometimes it seemed to overflow, almost to the point of escaping into words.

Before she starts the car, Lewis leans over and turns to the woman. "Your belt is facing here" he gets so close to her to fix the belt, that Y/n can feel his warm breath on her face. A few inches close to her mouth.

She stood motionless as Lewis adjusted his belt. When he looked at her, he saw that the woman was already looking at him. Their gazes met, and for a brief moment, the world around them seemed to have disappeared. Lewis noticed how Yin’s eyes sparkled, as if she were on the verge of saying something, but she quickly distorted her gaze, looking away, as if she was trying to hide something.

To disguise it, Y/n goes back to fiddling with the mirrors. "I can never get the mirrors on the Mercedes right!" She says, laughing awkwardly.

Of course she had gotten the position of the mirrors right, but the atmosphere became tense between the two.

If it had taken a few more seconds, she would have taken the initiative to kiss him right there.

To try to get rid of the tension between them, she starts the car and drives through the streets of the condominium until she reaches the exit gate and makes a playful comment.

"How many women have you let drive your car?"

"None. You're the first and only," Lewis said, with a subtle smile, but his eyes betrayed a bit of seriousness. As if, deep down, he was saying something deeper than a simple answer.

Y/n glances quickly at him as the gates open. She gives the doorman a wave and turns the corner out of the condominium.

"I even feel special," she jokes and Lewis smiles, sighing just a 'you are to yourself'.

He looked at every detail of her being. From the way she drove to how her fingertips gripped the steering wheel. Even with her profession, Y/n always had impeccable nails. Each week in a different color and the color Lewis always chose.

This week it was a royal blue that Lewis chose over a video call with her last Saturday.

Y/n accelerated the car smoothly down the street, the city stretching out in front of her. Lewis, in turn, did his job as co-pilot. Connecting his cell phone to the Bluetooth and putting on their favorite song to play, while he got into a random subject to forget the previous moment.

"Do you think they're too early for Christmas or am I just too relaxed to start decorating?" Yin asks, looking at the decorations scattered around the city as they stop at a traffic light. "I just unpacked the stuff and it's not even Christmas yet.”

"Thanksgiving yet!" She says, leaning her arm on the window, the gentle wind caressing her face.

Lewis looks to the sides and forward seeing the decorations too.

"I think we really are relaxed!" Lewis comments with a mischievous smile, and Y/n quickly turns her head to him, her eyes shining with amusement.

"Us?" She laughs, surprise in her tone. "You don't even have a tree at home and you want to talk about decorations?" She jokes, the words coming out naturally, lightly.

"I don't need a tree to decorate. I already shine for both of us!" Lewis jokes and Y/n laughs, passing the traffic light that was now green.

"I wish I had all that self-esteem" She laughs more, we make Lewis laugh too.

But then the laughter begins to die down, and a comfortable silence settles between the two. Lewis, with a slight change in tone, looks at her more seriously.

"Speaking of Christmas... What are you going to do this year? Are you going to your parents' house or your brothers'?" He asks.

Y/n sighs. She didn't have a plan.

"I don't know, really..." She says quietly, looking out the window as if the streets around her could offer some answer. "My parents are going to my brother's house in Florida. And I don't get along with my sister-in-law so I had to avoid going there. And my sister will be at her boyfriend's house in France. I think I'll be alone this year," she says, more to herself, sadness touching her voice. The engineer laughs awkwardly, but it was a laugh without happiness.

Lewis frowns and looks at her. Lightly nudging her shoulder.

"Hey, you're not alone," he says sweetly and she smiles. "My mom called me last week, inviting you to spend Christmas and New Year's in England with us. If you didn't have plans." Lewis says, and Yin can feel tears falling from her eyes. "You know how Mrs. Carmen is... She loves you and said I could come too, if I wanted," he jokes lightly, and Y/n laughs.

She quickly glances at the pilot next to her.

"It would be an honor to spend these dates with you." She smiles softly, feeling her chest fill with love a little more.

Lewis smiles. "I'll tell Carmen to put another chair at the table. We'll be there in a few weeks," he says, and Y/n grins from ear to ear.

A few more streets and finally the duo arrives at the store that contains electronics and household items. The engineer parks the car in the covered parking lot below the establishment, and they put on their disguises before getting out of the car.

The woman gets out last and locks the car. Handing the keys to Lewis again.

"Look at that, we made it without a scratch! It's not like you were judging me the whole way." Y/n joked as she walked alongside Lewis to take the elevator.

"I wasn't judging you, I was just admiring you driving my Mercedes." He raises his arms in surrender and she laughs. "And I was also checking to see if you were taking care of my precious thing."

"Who are you talking about? The car or me?"

"You know who!" He says and pulls her to his side. She smiles and steps into the elevator.

The warmth of his hand on the engineer's arm made her heart skip a beat, but she maintained her relaxed smile.

They were silent for a moment, watching people exit the elevator. One of the people who exited the elevator gave Lewis a curious look before leaving. He just smiled, relieved that he hadn't been recognized this time.

The pair let out a sigh of relief and smiled as Lewis pressed the button for the elevator to go up.

"I swore they recognized you." Y/n leans against the elevator wall and crosses her arms, looking at Lewis behind the sunglasses she was wearing.

"One of them even looked at me curiously, but I don't think he had time to recognize me," he says, letting out a little laugh. The woman smiles.

The elevator stops at the floor they need, making them get off and look at the immensity of that room. Full of dishes, kitchen utensils, a bed, a table and everything needed to furnish a house.

Lewis stands still, looking tired already.

The engineer pats his shoulder lightly and smiles: "We'll take a little while" she says and picks up the shopping cart that was next to them.

Before she starts pushing, Lewis offers to carry the stroller and she smiles in thanks.

The pilot takes his cell phone out of his pocket and opens it to the shopping list he made on his notepad. "You can go ahead and take a look. My job now is just to push this cart and pay for things." He adjusts his cap on his head.

Y/n chuckled softly as she took the phone he held out, feeling a familiar warmth run through her chest. It wasn't every day that someone like Lewis Hamilton, a world-famous and meticulously private figure, trusted someone enough to hand over his phone without hesitation.

The gesture seemed small, but it carried an intimacy that she valued, even without mentioning it.

"The list is a bit long, don't you think?" She turns the pilot's phone towards him and starts swiping her finger across the screen. A multitude of words scroll by.

Lewis laughs. "Hey, it's not my fault if things disappear or Roscoe eats them."

"Oh sure, it's poor Roscoe's turn now," the engineer jokes and enters a hallway full of utensils for the kitchen counter.

Lewis smiled and watched the woman walk ahead. He could still feel his heart warm every time he looked at her wearing his hoodie. It might be a small gesture to some, but to him, who had loved her since he started at Mercedes, it was something to sit down and cry about.

Turning a distracted hallway, Lewis ends up bumping the shopping cart into the engineer's legs, making her take a few steps forward unintentionally.

"Lewis!" Y/n turns around with a serious face.

He looks at her and laughs. At the woman's expression and because she almost fell.

"Sorry!" He says, raising his hands. She laughs a little too.

"I should sue the pilot for running me over"

Lewis smiles, and sees her stop in front of some silverware. "Please don't!" he whines playfully. "I promise to reward you with dinner and wine."

She looks at him and smiles, soon having to look away because her cheek betrays her by turning red.

"First thing on the list. Spatula." She says, looking at the various shapes of spatulas in front of her.

Lewis comes out from behind the cart and stops next to the woman, looking at the shelf full of spatulas.

"Why so many?"

Y/n sighs: "I don't know either... But here on your list is a small one and a large one to get.”

"Oh yeah," Lewis smiles, looking at her. "So I can make my scrambled eggs in the morning!" He grins from ear to ear, like a child.

Y/n couldn't help but laugh at the comment.

"Ok Chef, let's choose carefully then" She says analyzing.

"That one, the handle is nice." Lewis picks up a blue spatula with a wooden handle. Y/n wrinkles her nose in disagreement.

"Lewis, dear, a spatula with a wooden handle is not cool. Every time you wash it, it will take a long time to dry and it will smell bad after a few uses." She delicately takes the object from the pilot's hand and replaces it with another one, which was also prettier. "Since most of your things in your apartment are black and stainless steel, let's follow the pattern!" Y/n smiles sweetly, handing over a black spatula with silver details and a handle that wasn't made of wood.

Lewis dear...

Two words that began to circle Lewis's mind at that moment, leaving no room to listen to what she had to say about the spatulas. He just smiles in thanks and holds the object.

"Good point, sweetie!"

Y/n smiles and looks at the next item on the list. When she looks at the pilot's phone, a message from his mother appears in the notification bar. She didn't mean to read it, but it was right in front of her before it disappeared.

"Lew, have you gone shopping for your things?? Ask sweet Y/n to go with you. I know she loves spending time with you. Love you<3"

The engineer gripped her phone tighter than necessary as she pretended to focus on the list. The message was simple, but her heart skipped a beat. 'Sweet Y/n,' was what his mother had written. It was silly, but hearing that his mother liked her—and that he shared that—made her bite her lip to hold back a smile. She took a deep breath and tried to maintain her composure, reading the next item on the list out loud.

"Okay. Next item is bowls!" He walks ahead and Lewis comes back with the cart, to follow her, getting into yet another random subject with the woman.

They walked two corridors until they reached what they wanted.

While Yin looked at the bowls of different sizes, colors and designs, Lewis looked at some spice racks on the side.

"Hey, what do you think of this spice rack?”

Y/n turns to see him with the object in his hands already.

"Since when do you use so many spices? The last time we had dinner together, you only had salt and pepper in the cupboard." She joked, seeing that there were more than ten compartments to put various spices.

Lewis shrugs. "I thought it would be chic to put on my counter. Since it only has rotting fruit and a jar of candy!"

Y/n shakes her head laughing and watches the pilot put it in the cart. "And you're really going to take it?"

"It's not for me. I'm taking it to your house. I know you love to season your food well." He says simple. But he knew every detail of the woman's life.

Y/n smiles shyly and turns to the bowls, talking to Lewis about which one he would prefer.

Time passed and the list seemed to never end, the cart was considerably full, and the list seemed far from finished.

At the moment, they were in the glasses and plates aisle.

"This is just like you, all sophisticated." She shows a white plate with gold details on the rim.

Lewis pulls out from behind him a white plate with various designs spread out. "And this one reminds me of you. All creative!"

Y/n laughs. "Creative or confusing?"

"No. Creative, definitely." He stared at the plate for a moment longer before surreptitiously placing it in the cart. Anything that made him think of her, he wanted to take even if it wasn't on the list.

Without noticing the gesture, Y/n continued to the next aisle, now with sheets and pillowcases. Lewis adjusted his pace to keep up, still pushing the cart.

But there was something stuck in his throat, something he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Y/n..." he says softly and the woman quickly turns to him, a soft smile on her lips.

"yes, Lewis"

"Lately I've been thinking..." he begins and Y/n walks beside him, as he pushes the cart and they walk down the hallway that doesn't catch either of their attention. "Some things have been happening at Mercedes that leave me a little frustrated and disappointed, and well... I was thinking that next season... maybe, I should switch team..." he confesses and the woman's eyes rise to the pilot's face. A surprised look, but also one that understands what he is saying.

She also had her ups and downs there. Being the only woman and the chief engineer at Mercedes, there were times when no one seemed to listen to her or respect her. Only three or four did.

With the exception of Lewis. He was the greatest obedient Y/n Giordano had in his life.

"Look, honey..." there was the nickname again. She puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles softly, trying to comfort him. "I understand your issue with leaving and everything. And know that I'm here supporting you. Regardless of the answer you give them!" She smiles and pats the pilot's shoulder.

Lewis looks at her lovingly, and she notices. Feeling her cheeks heat up.

"But that's not rude..." he said, Yin's heart started racing without even knowing what it was. "If I go out, I want you to come with me!"

The woman's head turns at the speed Lewis drives his car. "WHAT?" Yin stops in the middle of the hallway, as if Hamilton's words have pulled the handbrake on her body.

Lewis laughs at the woman's gesture, but keeps his smile, looking at her. Hamilton tucks a lock of the engineer's hair behind her ear, as they both stand in the middle of the hallway.

"That's right. I want you to come with me," he says again. "I know you've been at Mercedes longer than me, and it was your first job after college. You have a love for it. But I also have a love for you. Of all the engineers I've had, you're the best. You always prioritize what I want in the car, but you modify it so that it saves me in a pinch. And remember the race in Japan, when I thought I was going to lose? You were the only one who said I could do it. And you managed to convince me. Your work is inexplicable, you understand me. Professionally and as a person. I don't want to leave and leave you behind..." he says and Y/n blinks a few times, feeling her eyes water with the intensity of his words.

She knew what it meant to switch teams. It wasn’t just a job; it was a part of her life. But in that moment, as she looked into Lewis’s sincere eyes, she realized that maybe it wasn’t just about cars and engines. Maybe it was about him and her.

"You're kidding... You can't say such sweet things to a wimpy woman in public." She laughed nervously, trying to wipe her tears with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

Lewis laughs at the comment.

"Sorry," he smiles. "I just can't lose you." A sentence that wasn't related to the woman's job, but rather, how he's afraid of losing her from his life.

"Okay..." she swallows back her tears. Tears of emotion. "I'm in... I'll go with you, wherever you want to go" Y/n says. "I'm not having a good time in there either." With that, Lewis's gaze drops to worried. "I'll explain better later. But yes, I'll leave the Mercedes with you if you need me"

Hamilton smiles. "I know I'm asking a lot of you..."

Y/n shakes her head. "No, I've been wanting to go out for a while now too." She smiles.

Lewis pulls her into a hug, resting his head on her hair. Hair that smelled like peach shampoo with a soft hint of coconut.

"Come on, we have to finish this endless list of things" Y/n pulls out of the hug wiping away a few more tears.

"Only if you promise not to cry anymore," he says, running his hands over the woman's cheeks.

"I promise, if you promise not to confess yourself here in public again, making me cry again" she says smiling and Lewis laughs.

"I promise." He holds out his pinky and Y/n wraps hers around his.

"You know pinky promises are sacred, don't you?" She teased, pressing her finger against his.

Lewis smirked, but his voice was firm: "I know. And I've never broken one."

After that moment, it took them a few more hours to finish Lewis's shopping list. It was a full cart and a few more things that Y'n had to hold in her hand to take to the checkout.

It wasn't supposed to be a lot of stuff, but anything that Y/n mentioned that was pretty and that she would buy someday, Lewis would discreetly put in the cart, so that when he got home, he would present her with all the things she touched in the store.

Arriving at Y/n's condominium again, the woman who returned driving, parks Hamilton's car in front of the house.

"How many hours did we spend in that place?" She leans back against the leather seat, turning off the car and looking at the man next to her.

Lewis looks at his wrist.

"At least three hours..." he sighs tiredly.

Y/n laughs. "Come on. I can make some hot chocolate and a fresh muffin for us to eat before dinner," she says, taking off her seatbelt and opening the car door.

"Dessert before dinner?"

Y/n nods. "Yes. You who also live alone, have you never done this?" She jokes and Lewis smiles.

The woman walks up the driveway and opens the front door. Without realizing it, she has left Hamilton behind. Meanwhile, he opens the trunk and takes out the things he had bought for her at the store, without her even seeing.

The engineer was in the kitchen when Lewis entered the woman's house with the bags. He leaves them on the living room table and Y/n notices.

"Oh, I thought you weren't going to get your stuff out of the car," she says, putting the milk on to boil and turning to get the chocolate from the cupboard.

"Oh, no!" He says as if it were simple, and sits on a stool in front of the woman's kitchen island, watching her take things from the cupboards. "They're not mine. They're the things I bought for you," he says, taking his cell phone out of his pants pocket so he doesn't sit on it.

Y/n, who had two mugs in her hand, quickly turns to him. With furrowed eyebrows and a curious look on his face.

"What? For me? Why?" She peppers him with questions, placing the mugs on the counter and turning off the heat of the milk.

Lewis leaned against the counter, propping himself up with his elbows and folding his hands.

"You liked it, I saw it, so I put it in the cart." He shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but the smile on his face gave it away.

She looks amused and puts her hands on her hips, but smiles.

Always like that. There wasn't a day when they weren't out together that Lewis didn't buy her things. At first, she used to think he did it because he thought she couldn't afford the things she wanted, but she soon realized that it was just his way. Lewis Hamilton showed affection through gestures, and she learned to accept it, even if she still tried to scold him when he overdid it.

"Thanks then," she smiles shyly and hands him a mug.

"You're welcome." He replied, taking the drink with a slight smile on his face.

With the mug in hand, the two went to the living room. Y/n pulled out a blanket that was folded on the couch and spread it over the two of them as they sat down. The comforting warmth of the hot chocolate and the peaceful atmosphere made it a perfect moment.

The apartment was warmed by the fireplace, the smell of hot chocolate mingling with the woodsy perfume Lewis always wore. It was the kind of evening she loved: quiet, unpretentious, and filled with conversations that only the two of them understood.

Y/n was so excited about the new project she had in mind for Lewis' Mercedes car, that she didn't even see that her best friend was completely over the moon.

"Lew?? Are you listening to me?" She asks with a laugh, placing her now empty cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table.

Lewis looks at her and raises his eyebrows, scratching the back of his neck.

"You know, I have an event to go to on Thursday. Tommy's..."

"Don't you want to go?" She cuts him off.

"No, no, no! On the contrary, I'm excited to go." He says and Y/n raises her eyebrows, as if there's no reason for him to be like that. "It's just...I wanted you to go with me!"

Y/n lifts her head. "ME?"

"Yes!" He laughs at her surprise. "Each guest can bring someone. And I want to bring you!" Lewis says simply. "Sure, if you're up for it and you don't have a date with another guy."

Y/n laughs at the comment. "That's the one thing I definitely haven't had in the last 3 years." She smiles. "But why me? You can choose any one."

Lewis could have any woman he wanted. Because, you see, he's Lewis Hamilton. Formula One driver, model, dark-haired and hot. Why would he want to take her? A simple Mercedes engineer?

Okay, not that simple. The woman is brilliant, she's an engineer for Mercedes in Formula 1.

"What do you mean because you?" Lewis turns on the couch, to face her. "You are you! You are my partner in crime." She laughs. "And I feel safer with you by my side." He nudges the woman's shoulder.

She lowers her head smiling.

"Okay. I think I have something in the closet to wear." She says in agreement and Lewis grins from ear to ear. "I'll go with you.”

Hamilton smiles even more and pulls his best friend, making her fall on the couch and Lewis tickles her.

"You make me the happiest man in the world!"

As Lewis laughed, still holding her on the sofa, Yin couldn’t help but smile. He looked so genuinely happy that for the first time in a long time, she wondered if this invitation was just a friendly thing. But if it was, then why was her heart beating so fast?

Part 3

[foxes-that-run]

Where do Broken Hearts Go?

WDBHG and four overall has a 80s sound. WDBHG sounds like a Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place on Earth, both are anthemic 80's songs. In this video is the Spotify visual, TV Special, Four Hangout and when Harry changed the lyric to "Will you ever F*** me again" in Sydney 8 February 2015. It refers to I Love You which Harry wrote under a pseudonym and included lyrics from Taylor's Red.

When was it written & who with

Harry wrote WDBHG with Ruth-Ann Cunningham, (who later wrote No Control and on Niall's solo album) Teresa Geiger (Little black dress), Ali Tamposi and Julian Bunetta. It’s likely it was written over a period of time (December 2013 - May 2014) with these collaborators rather than all in one day with all these people.

7 December 2013, London, seems to be the day shown in the Spotify visual, based on clothes.

12 March 12 to March 25 2014 Teresa Geiger, posted pics on him being in a studio in LA and Harry was in LA and has lunch a 21 minute drive from the LA studio it was recorded at (Dojo Studio). (it was also recorded at Wendyhouse London) This also close to when JALBOH and Stockholm were written.

On 8 May 2014 One Direction record Change your ticket in Fasano Hotel, Rio De Janeiro which is credited in the booklet. The TV Special shows Harry recording WDBHG there (2:25) but the hotel is not credited so that version is not the final vocals, or they used an earlier one.

It was announced 10 November 2014 and Niall says it is his favorite in the Four Hangout and Harry says thank you.

Lyrics

[Verse 1: Niall, All] Counted all my mistakes and there's only one Standin' out from the list of the things I've done All the rest of my crimes don't come close To the look on your face when I let you go

The theme of crimes (stealing, kidnapping)

So, I built you a house from a broken home Then I wrote you a song with the words you spoke Yeah, it took me some time, but I figured out How to fix up a heart that I let down

Home theme, Harry refers to home often. Here the is broken between him and the muse and the muses home. At this time Taylor parted with her publicist who cited her parents fighting as an issue.

The song with the words you is “I love you” performed by Alex and Sierra:

[Chorus: Zayn, All] Now, I'm searchin' every lonely place Every corner, callin' out your name Tryna find you, but I just don't know Where do broken hearts go? Where do broken hearts go?

Lonely is a theme of Harry’s work. Harry is searching everywhere for this person, drawing imagery of how far Harry was travelling, as if always in search of this person.

[Verse 2: Liam, Harry, All] Yeah, the taste of your lips on the tip of my tongue Is at the top of the list of the things I want

Harry was seen wearing the outfit in the Spotify visual on 7 December 2013, this first line (taste of your lips is top of the list) reminds me of Christmas, when what do you want from Christmas was a common 1D interview question.

Mind is runnin' in circles of you and me Anyone in-between is the enemy

Circles refers to the theme of round again, a cyclical relationship. The only other circular lyric of Harry’s is ‘same mistakes’ which also refers to mistakes. Here like in Same Mistakes Harry is singing to a muse with an on/off relationship that keeps coming back. And in A.M ‘swimming round in our glasses’. Taylor has also posted about cycles and the winding wheel.

Anyone in between is the enemy refers to people others coming between them.

Shadows come with the pain that you're runnin' from Love was something you never heard enough Yeah, it took me some time, but I figured out How to fix up a heart that I let down

'Shadows come from the pain you're running from, love is not something you’ve heard enough.' Brings to mind “who’s this shadow holding me” in Stockholm Syndrome. Here the shadows are haunting the muse, earlier Harry referred to a broken home and here they have not heard love again and he feels sad for having added to their feeling of wanting for love. Harry has figured out how to not let them down and needs to find them to fix it.

[Chorus: Zayn, All] Now, I'm searchin' every lonely place Every corner, callin' out your name Tryna find you, but I just don't know Where do broken hearts go? Are you sleeping baby by yourself Or are you giving it to someone else? Tryna find you, but I just don't know Where do broken hearts go? Where do broken hearts go?

Harry is not with the muse when the song was written, he’s wondering if they are with someone else.

[Bridge: Harry, All] Tell me now, tell me now Tell me where you go when you feel afraid (Where do broken hearts go?) Tell me now, tell me now Tell me, will you ever love me again, love me again?

In the bridge Harry asks where the muse goes when they are afraid, presumably of love. In Sydney on 8 February Harry changed the first “will you ever love me again” to “will you ever f*** me again?” On the same day Taylor watched Ariana perform JALBOH at the Grammy's, Harry and Taylor had broken up but she was not yet dating Calvin.

The bridge further confirms Harry is singing to someone he shared love with before and was not with.

[Outro: Louis, Harry, Zayn & All] Tell me where you're hidin' out Where do broken hearts go? Come on, baby, 'cause I need you now Where do broken hearts go? Tell me, 'cause I'm ten feet down Where do broken hearts go? Come on, baby, come and get me out x2 Come on, baby, 'cause I need you now Where do broken hearts go?x4

In the outro Harry writes that he needs to find the muse, asking them to tell him because he is “ten feet down” as in dead and buried. This is a theme of love that is alive at the cemetery referred to again in HYGTG, Two Ghosts, OOTW/LAWYMMD transition, down bad and loml.

Harry goes on to write “Get me out” of the grave, as in come back and bring him back to life. He has no life without this person. Earlier in the song Harry says he let the muse down, now he’s asking them to pull him up out of the grave he’s found himself in for breaking her heart. He’s asking for forgiveness

[snowlily123]

A bunch of my ROTTMNT headcanons:

- Donnie listens to a lot of 80s songs.

- Leo is a Leo in astrology because yes.

- Raph likes family dynamic tv shows.

- Mikey has or had a hyperfixation on architecture.

- Donnie took dance classes (or watched dance tutorials online) as a kid and Mikey joined him specifically for ballet.

- The boys will shout memes at each other at 3am.

- Sometime the TNMT boys will just start singing a song randomly.

- Draxum was forced by Raph to watch MLP after his redemption arc.

- Donnie had a hyperfixation on demonology at one point.

- Leo likes to watch Hairspray and sings along to all the songs.

- Leo is terrible at making simple dishes but compacted dishes are his thing.

- Mikey learned to make food specifically so he didn't have to eat Splinter's cooking but then it developed into a full grown hobby.

- Raph likes to knit.

- Raph knitted everyone their sweaters and beanies during the Christmas episode.

- Donnie's shell armor started out as just a pillow and a belt.

- Raph took sewing classes and made Donnie his purple hoodie for a Christmas or birthday gift.

- Draxum and Splinter still get at each other's throats but Mikey brings out Dr. Feelings to get them to stop.

- April was adopted by Splinter.

- Donnie has had the intrusive thoughts about testing his tech on his brothers a lot.

- Leo has intrusive thoughts about biting Donnie's head. And he used to do it all the time as a kid.

- Donnie had a gap in his front teeth.

- Donnie had to wear glasses as a kid but ended up not needing them as he got older.

- Raph got his snaggle tooth caught on a lot of fabric he tried eating as a kid.

- Raph has that scar on his eye after the movie and so his brothers gave him a special eyepatch with a funny googly eye on the front of it.

- Raph has stuffed turtle dolls with his brothers’ corresponding bandana wrapped around their head that he sleeps with.

- Raph is really good at crocheting.

- Raph likes to make little crocheted animals that he keeps on a shelf in his room.

- Raph hangs out with Cassandra all the time as sparing partners.

- Raph has a special spot in the lair for when he gets too mad.

- Raph can’t cook for jack, except for sweets.

- Raph constantly trips due to his size.

- Raph definitely likes his sleep but is more of a morning person.

- Donnie and Leo have their own person YouTube channels and also a shared one.

- Donnie focuses on the analytical side of the channel while Leo is more focused on the video ideas.

- Mikey is aro/ace.

- Donnie is demiromantic with no lean.

- Raph is biromantic with a gay lean.

- Leo is gay but we already know this.

- Raph listens to music and writes in a journal to calm himself when he’s angry.

- Mikey helps Raph find new coping mechanisms and breathing techniques every therapy session.

- Donnie is much more flexible than his brothers because he’s a soft shell turtle.

- Donnie likes to do yoga.

- Donnie is overstimulated by too many loud noises.

- Raph likes to play pretend still even though many people tell him that “it’s weird that he still likes to play pretend at his age” and/or make fun of him for it.

- Mikey likes to play pretend with Raph.

- Donnie watches Monster High and collects all the dolls for each of the characters.

- Donnie has an entire wall in his lab specifically used to display all of the drawings Mikey has made and given to him throughout the years.

- Donnie cosplays Tinkywinky in his spare time. /hj

- Leo and Raph both crossdress, Leo does it because he finds it hilarious and Raph does it because he just genuinely enjoys wearing pretty dresses sometimes.

- Mikey definitely stole the ice cream kitty statue in that one episode.

- Leo is trans masc

[the-nosy-neighbor]

A Cricket on the Hearth

The Cricket on the Hearth, a fairy tale of Home

In an effort to see if I could find any references to other codes, I went back once again to commercials.  During the segment on Mrs. Beagle’s chunky eggnog (narsty) there was a reference to all the things you need to have: 

 MAMA BEAGLE: Oh, Barnaby, you silly pooch, I think you’re missing something special.

BARNABY: What’s that, Ma? I got the milk in the stockin’, a cricket on the hearth, and a ham in the tree just for Santy Claus!

So, seeing as milk in the stocking and ham in the tree is invented, I have ignored the cricket on the hearth.  Seeing as it stands out, I looked it up, and lo and behold, it is a real reference.  This is a reference to a story written by Charles Dickens, truly the Mariah Carey of his day.  You see, he had a lot of success with A Christmas Carol, so cashed in on that by writing other Christmas stories.  That being said, given the multidimensional references to Poe, it might be worth viewing the Homewarming material with an eye to finding more references to Dickens.  

The milk is ringing a bell, but like in a weird reference.  Like, Futurama or something, but I can’t find a reference online.  I did find a lot of stockings with cows on them, so there is that.  

In searching “Cricket on the Hearth” I found a 60’s (1967) cartoon holiday special that I had never heard of, featuring a TV guy I’d never heard of.  It was strange, as I watch a lot of cartoons, and as an 80’s kids, holiday specials were life.  

The show is hosted by Danny Thomas, who was on Make Room for Daddy, but also had a variety show called The Danny Thomas Show.  As a part of this show, he provided the voice for the father in this cartoon special based on Dickens’s story.  Interestingly, his daughter in the show was played by his IRL daughter, MARLO Thomas.  This is the first instance of seeing Marlo in the wild for me.  

Here is a frame of the cartoon dad and daughter.  The story (cartoon version) goes:

Father and daughter, Caleb Plummer and Bertha Plummer, run a toy shop in their town.  Dad builds the toys, and the daughter paints them.  They do OK.  Bertha is engaged to a navy sailor (idk there are more types of sailor), Edward, who is getting shipped out.  They hug and she cries and they sing a very 60’s cartoon song about love.  She is painting one of the wooden dolls and saying something about this one smiling because she is waiting for her love to come back.  Edward is supposed to come back soon, it was 2 years or so in between scenes. Some guy comes to tell her that Edward died at sea, and she is so shocked that she goes blind.  

Wait, rewind rewind, the cricket is very Jiminy Cricket coded and he is looking for a family to adopt and adopts them.  His name is Cricket Crocket (surely a reference to Dickens’s famous characters).  He brings good luck a la Mulan.

So she goes blind.  Dad spends all his time and money on doctors looking to heal her, and eventually the money runs out and he has no toys to sell, so they are out on the street.  Why her dad decided her sight was more important than giving a blind girl a place to live, I don’t get.  Pauper’s prisons were a thing back then.  In their wanderings, they find a toy factory run by a skinflint named Tackleton, no first name as far as I can see, and he tells Caleb he can live on the property and work at the factory, catch is he is the only one working there, so he cranks out shoddy toys.  Also, Tackleton has an evil pet crow as a pet.  Very in line with specials at the time.

So, Dad decides to gaslight this poor thing and tells her that he has been made the manager of this factory and it is a great job and it comes with this house.  The house is old and busted, but he tells her it is very fancy and she believes it.  Dad runs into a homeless man, and offers him a place to stay, because it is Christmas, and he generally helps out.  

Tackleton decides he wants to marry the pretty young woman, and he proposes to her.  It is a very odd scene.  Not that this is an odd scene for the time, because there are hundreds of years of literature of old men trying to marry young women, and it is generally portrayed as a negative thing, and yet men have been doing it for a long time.  Anyway, Tackleton offers to marry her and give her a really nice life.  Dad is put off by it, because he has been lying and she thinks the guy is handsome and nice and asks if she’s sure and she is like Dad, I’m a blind woman in the 1800’s.  If he’s ugly, I won’t be able to see it. And honestly, it’s a big age gap, and he has a crow, but otherwise, he just has a wart on his nose.

Now, I watched this last weekend, but this next bit I honestly don’t remember, so perhaps I saw an edited version or perhaps I was bored by then, but Tackleton wants the cricket kidnapped so he can marry Bertha. Oh, also, the cricket tries to sabotage their tea date so she won’t say yes.  The crow, a monkey, and a dog kidnap the cricket and sell him to a sea captain who is in the illicit cricket trade (listen, I didn’t write this.)  He plays dead and the captain throws him overboard as he can’t be sold, and the cricket makes it back home through some whales and birds and stuff.  

When cricket arrives, it is midnight on Christmas Eve, which is the only time in the year that toys come alive.  Let me just make a side note, this is the 3rd or 4th time I have come across this type of storyline.  I watched The Christmas Toy last year, and that was wild.  If you haven’t seen it, it is a Henson joint, but IIRC it wasn’t fully his concept or something.  If you are looking for a WTF Christmas special besides this one, give it a watch.  The toys take Cricket to see the homeless guy and remove his disguise, and OMG it is Edward.  He hid his identity because he felt bad about Bertha going blind because he died, and he just wanted to see how she was doing without killing her this time, but decided not to since she seemed to be happy about getting married and the cricket tells him he has to fess up and she is going to be very happy that he is actually alive.

They get married right away, and Tackleton shows up to get hitched and it’s too late.  She tells him she will always love him in a way, and he’s happy with that I guess.  I want to say she got her sight back when she sees Edward, but it isn’t in this summary.  Happily ever after, the end.

This eye thing is Caleb thinking about his daughter and she is vaguely that shape. It is very reminiscent of something Clown would do, and kind of does in Eddie's freakout.

What is the point of this?  Who can say.  It is a bastardization of the original story, which is much more convoluted, in true Dickens style (I have always said he was paid by the word and you can tell).  More in the next post, I don’t want to wear you guys out.

[plenilune]

tagged by @ghstbird~

last song: it's one of those grey days in the almost-winter when I'm going back and forth between the Stranger's Watching Dead Empires in Decay and Cate Brooks' little EP Winterfest all day. have also been listening to a lot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor while reading and walking around.

last movie: not exactly intentionally but also following threads I just did in three days Stalker (1979), Fury Road (2015), and Angel's Egg (1985) and I am thinking Many Things about lone wanderers and water and the world after the end of the world and belief and unbelief and also, ambient music. don't know why I decided it was Waste Land Wnovember but honestly, based.

last book: oh god I'm reading like eight things right now... last one finished was Stephen King's The Gunslinger, which Corey has been trying to get me to read our entire relationship and idk why it took me this long, it's absolutely for me. (though maybe Not for the me of ten years ago? hmmm.) the library has like one copy apiece of all of the Dark Tower books for some reason so I have bought a beautiful battered 80s paperback of The Drawing of the Three secondhand and passionately await its arrival.

also I'm shouldering my way through Frederic Jameson's Postmodernism: The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism chapter by chapter. it is dense to absorb but actually very clear and it is making my brain shoot out little sparks whenever a passage finally settles. also Samuel Delaney's Dhalgren (again, lots of men with no names wandering waste lands and devastated cities for me lately, Who Could Have Predicted This).

last tv show: made a hellish pact with @endquestionmark and @weekenddracula which means I'm rewatching Firefly for the first time in like fifteen years. Analysis To Come,

last thing googled: "fluffy winter crows" shut the FUCK up did you know they grow little downy pantaloons to keep their legs warm DID YOU KNOW THAT

looking forward to: my next batch of library holds coming in. was going to be very bleak and say "next year, even though Things Will Get Worse, because at least my job at the grocery store will stop being turbo insane in that special holiday way" but it's not really like me to be that fucking bleak, I'm just very, very tired. hanging out with Corey's best coworker and her partner soon! going to see Hundreds of Beavers at the Esquire with a pal! I love Christmas really I just assume everything is going to be miserable and exhausting at the moment because retail has had a good crack at breaking my spirit. honestly, looking forward to my next proper morning off so I can re-bake the plum-pear linzer cookies I have from a favourite farmers market bakery in the freezer and do my proper tea service ritual with warm jammy linzer cookies for breakfast.

[thebeatles]

hi ephraim, do you know why ringo took the thomas the tank engine role? did he ever say? and do u know why he got replaced or did he leave voluntarily?

🚂 ty

Hello!

When Thomas the Tank Engine first started in 1984, Britt Allcroft, the show's creator, made the brilliant decision to have Ringo Starr as the narrator. Ringo was approached 1983 to narrate the books. He never did anything like this before and was a bit hesitant that he'd be any good... but they loved him! Then went to doing the show. He'd do the stories in England and filming took place in New York.

He eventually had enough. He wanted to focus on his All Starr Band, so he left in 1990 and replaced by Michael Angelic and George Carlin. Ringo was making music, but wasn't playing live. And not playing live, no records. But he never regretted it. He thinks of his role fondly.

Here is a piece of the 2023 interview with Ringo by Vulture here:

It became a lot of stories. The good news about Thomas is it was fun. With the big engines, you could put your body into it. I wasn’t following anybody’s lead. We did the stories in England, and then it turned into filming it in New York. That’s when it became a TV showStarr starred in one additional season of Shining Time Station as a main cast member, and returned for a Christmas special in 1990. — I was like two feet tall, or even less at 18 inches, with the kids, and we could react to each other. But then after four years, it’s like, “I’ve done enough. Thank you.” So I ended it, and we went out to a nice dinner in New York and I said good-bye to everybody. The mid-’80s were an interesting period in my life. During Thomas, I was playing music and trying to make records, but I wasn’t playing live. Then I wasn’t making records at all, and then everything changed again. Life has a rich pattern of changing. Out of the blue, someone reached out to my lawyer here in Los Angeles and they wondered if I would do a tour. I had nothing better to do. No more Thomas. I said, “Sure.” And then I thought, What are you going to do? And I thought again, I’m just going to call a lot of players up, and I asked them if they wanted to come on the road. All the ones onstage said yes, and that’s how the All-Starr Band started.

Read the interview here. [Link.]

[bitter69uk]

“Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse, inarguably the best and most significant holiday variety show of our time (this is not up for debate!) has been a staple of my family’s holiday tradition for my entire life. For many of us children of '80s and '90s, it served not only as an entry point to the zany world of Pee-wee Herman, also as a refreshing alternative to the boring, strait-laced Christmas specials from squares like Andy Williams and The Carpenters … Joyously combining the era's rising stars, campy gay icons, and all-American cultural icons of the 1960s, Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse feels vibrant, punk-rock, queer, and alternative even 30 years after it originally aired on 21 December 1988.”

/ From “Forget Frosty: Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse Is the Holiday Special That Keeps on Giving” by Dom Nero in the December 2018 issue of Esquire magazine /

Wow! I didn’t realize that the Lobotomy Room film club’s presentation of Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse on 21 December 2023 actually represents the 35th anniversary of when it first dropped on TV! How serendipitous! Venue: Fontaine’s cocktail lounge in Dalston. Spaces are limited, so reserve your seat now (phone 07718000546 or email bookings@fontaines.bar). Pictured: Pee-wee (Paul Reubens) with special guest star Little Richard!

[poppetsisters]

I'm gonna challenge myself: I have to say ONE good thing about every MCU thing since Endgame:

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Mysterio's Mocap costume is one of the most genius, galaxy brained adaptations of his comic book costume I've ever seen.

Wandavision: Incredible miniseries with the coolest formatting mechanic. Genuinely the best MCU thing to come out of phase 4, and still the best MCU TV show of them all.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier: US Agent's characterization (before the finale) was incredibly well realized as a critique of American foreign policy and American exceptionalism

Loki S1: The design of the TVA is one of the strongest aesthetics in the MCU.

Black Widow: Haven't seen it, but Florence Pugh is a great actor and I'm glad she's the new Black Widow.

What If...? S1: Some of the episode concepts are interesting.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Retconning the Mandarin to be Tony Leung Chiu-wai while keeping Ironman 3's message of "not assuming all foreign people are terrorists" was a good move. They get to have their cake and eat it too.

Eternals: Any time they're talking about philosophy is my favourite part of the movie.

Hawkeye: Didn't watch it, but I like the Kingpin.

Spider-Man: No Way Home: The suit worn in the final swing is my favourite live action Spider-Man costume.

Moon Knight: I liked the episode that was a specific reference to Jeff Lemire's run on the character.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Elizabeth Olsen slays as a villain, also the entire section where Strange astral projects into his zombified body is genuinely one of my top 10 MCU moments.

Ms Marvel: Very colourful and stylish show with a perfectly cast Kamala Khan.

Thor: Love and Thunder: I liked it when Thor wore the classic costume when he was doing that running montage.

I Am Groot: Didn't watch it, but looks cute.

She-Hulk: The gag where we saw an 80s TV Movie version of She-Hulk got a chuckle out of me.

Werewolf By Night: Getting jumpscared by the Marvel Studios intro was incredible. The whole presentation was visually and audibly fantastic. they should let Michael Giacchino cook more.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: The entire adaptation of Namor and Atlantis becoming a Mesoamerican culture genuinely makes it way more interesting than its comics counterpart.

Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special: I can't believe they let James Gunn do this. Very fun special with Mantis being the clear highlight.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: I like that this movie didn't make a whole lot of money at the Box Office.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: I could say several good things about this movie but I'll say that Chukwudi Iwuji's performance as The High Evolutionary is one of the best MCU performances. He should've been Kang.

Secret Invasion: Didn't watch it, but I remember Fury had a decent speech about the civil rights movement I guess.

Loki S2: I still think about the scene in the record store a lot.

The Marvels: This film is just a very fun time and handled its three leads well. It finally made me like Captain Marvel as a character.

What If...? S2: Kahhori is a cool character and should be in future movies.

Echo: Didn't watch it, but Alaqua Cox deserves the world.

Deadpool and Wolverine: The bit where Handsome Deadpool said "The Proposal" and Default Deadpool got personally offended made me laugh.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)

[hamsteriffic]

Miraculous Fandom Stats

Miraculous Paris Special

I was wondering if the Miraculous Paris Special has generated more excitement than the other specials or is it just me connecting with my past punky girl?

I also wondered if this was measurable - and possibly translate to more fanfics on Ao3.

I’ve definitely seen a lot of art and have also gone on an art binge myself @hamsterdraws (but I don’t know how to quantitate posts on Tumblr). So here is my attempt to quantitate my obsession with these emo kids!

Reblog don’t repost!

📈 The data presented here is a snapshot of the Ao3 database as of December 17, 2023.

🖤 Fics Posted to Ao3

It’s only been since October 15, 2023 [1], but the preview was shown straight after the Season 5 finale in July. So overall there has been almost 6 months of speculation and hype surrounding the TV Special.

Fig 1. Total number of fics posted that has been tagged with the Miraculous Paris Special (sample size of 80) [2].

🖤 How does it compare against the other specials?

From my own opinion, I was way more excited about seeing the evil counterparts of my blorbos than seeing them do the same Lovesquare dance again. So is is just me?

Fig 2. Total number of fanfics for each Miraculous special or movie.

I think the numbers reflect the positive uptake of the Paris Special. In the first two months alone there are twice as many fics as Miraculous Shanghai.

Fig 3. Time-adjusted number of fics posted to Ao3 per month since aired. The lighter shaded bar takes into account the public release date and not the trailer date.

For a better comparison, I included the movie because it was released at roughly the same time the teaser trailer. Even though the characters were roughly the same in the movie as the TV show, they had slightly different personality traits.

Fig 4. Number of fics written about them per month in the first six months following their release dates.

The arrow indicates when the Paris Special was televised and the preceding months were based on the teaser trailer. At the time of posting, we are only halfway through December and more fics may be posted by the end of the year.

🖤 What did I learn?

On all appearances, Miraculous World: New York - United HeroeZ had more fanfics, but keep in mind that this was released in September 26, 2020 [3].

There appears to be an initial flurry of fanfics posted on Ao3 using tags for the Miraculous Special: New York, however this excitement has petered out gradually. While the Miraculous Paris Special has yet to reach that initial number, only two months has elapsed since it was publicly aired.

The Miraculous Movie on the other hand was released a few months before the Miraculous Special aired and it had generated much less fanfiction - or at least were not tagged [4-5].

In conclusion, it appears that the Miraculous Paris Special has been received well by the fans. I would be interested to see if this trend continues or if like the New York special, the fics will fizzle out.

🖤 Total Number of Fics Tagged

Miraculous Paris Special (80 Fics)

Miraculous Shanghai (33 fics)

Miraculous New York (177 fics)

Miraculous Movie (40 fics)

Miraculous Christmas Special (9 fics)

Miraculous Origins (31 fics)

Miraculous s05e28 Action (0 fics)

More numbers for the other Miraculous World specials and references below the cut.

🖤 Number of fics tagged with New Characters

Miraculous World: Paris

Shadybug | Toxinelle (32 fics)

Claw Noir | Griffe Noire (42 fics)

Betterfly | Hesperia (20 fics)

Miraculous World: New York

Number of fics tagged for:

Jessica Keynes | Sparrow | Eagle (103)

Aeon | Uncanny Valley (108)

Olympia Hill | Majestia (11)

Barbara Keynes | Knightowl (32)

Dean Gate | Doorman (4)

Mike Rochip | Technopirate (4)

Hot Dog Dan (8)

Miraculous World: Shanghai

Number of fics tagged for:

Fei Wu | Ladydragon (132)

Cash | King Cash (5)

References

[1] Miraculous Paris Special (Club-Canal+ Preview Screening pre-release date: Oct 15, 2023) ( https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Miraculous_Paris)

[2] Looked up terms such as Miraculous Paris Special on the Tag Search tool in Ao3 and found disambiguation and collated the freeform tags that were not found under the main Ao3 tag.

[3] Miraculous World: New York - United HeroeZ (https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Miraculous_New_York)

[4] Miraculous World: Shanghai, The Legend of Ladydragon (French release: April 4, 2021) (https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Miraculous_Shanghai)

[5] Ladybug & Chat Noir: The Movie (French Release Date: July 05, 2023) (https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10364034/)

[burningthrucelluloid]

Christmas Carol-cember, Day 17

Of all the 80s films that have become a franchise, I’m surprised Ghostbusters even had one with such longevity that extended outside the Reagan-era "business ventures that provide a service but is being held back by environmental regulation."

A movie born out of Dan Aykroyd’s personal interest in the supernatural and to co-star with his SNL buddy, Jim Belushi, “Ghostbusters” was truly the film that beat the odds set against it considering the lack of faith from the studio heads as it grossed over $200 million in 1984 and became a pop culture juggernaut with toys, movie sequels, comic books, video games and animated television shows.

Course that’s not much if you consider Robocop, The Toxic Avenger and Rambo got their own animated TV series in the 80s and their franchises haven’t exactly had the same longevity of popularity like Ghostbusters. When the fifth movie came out this year yet the Toxic Avenger remake shows no signs of being released and the other two licenses show no interest in being revisited, clearly Ghostbusters got what the hip kids call “that special sauce.”

So it should come to no surprise that the company responsible for creating these kid-friendly versions of movies that were aimed for older viewers was DIC Entertainment, the same folks behind the 1997 Tim Curry film I covered last week. In the case of today’s outing, “The Real Ghostbusters” (called such over a title dispute with Filmation’s “The Ghost Busters”) was recorded in Los Angeles under joint operation by Columbia Pictures Television with Coca-Cola Telecommunications funding the distribution. But typical of DIC, they shipped the storyboards, scripts, vocal performances and music over to their Japanese HQ and handed over to studios TMS and Toei to put the episodes together before returning them to the Unites States for airing. Though more often than not, DIC would outsource the work to South Koreans studios to do the work for a lower cost, a practice that continues to this day. Which one is hard to pin down as they weren’t credited and all most fans have to go on is speculation.

Regardless of who animated what, ABC aired this episode on December 13, 1986 with the title “Xmas Marks the Spot.” One that also plays on the Dickens tale with their own twist to the narrative.

It’s Christmas Eve in New York City, but for the Ghostbusters, it’s another work day as they return from a countryside haunting during a snow storm. When their car stalls and they walk out to get help, the four are transported to 1840s London where they spot an old man being attacked by ghosts. Stepping in with good intentions, though only assuming the town is just some old fashioned historical commune, the four bust the ghosts, only to be coldly reprimanded by the old man with a “Humbug.” They return home to discover everyone hates Christmas and the best selling book is an anti-Christmas manifesto written by one Ebenezer Scrooge (Peter Renaday). Realizing their mistake too late after the captured ghosts are placed in the Containment Field, the four have to work together to try and save Christmas. Egon Spengler (Maurice LaMarche) dons a special suit and enters the Containment Field to locate the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future while Winston Zeddemore (Arsenio Hall), Ray Stanz (Frank Welker) and an equally scroogey Peter Venkman (Lorenzo Music) return to the past with technology to try and haunt Scrooge themselves as they take on the roles of the three ghosts until Egon can return. For if they fail, Christmas will forever be a Humbug…

This episode has all the feel of a Saturday Morning Cartoon.

Limited animation, big goofy expressions with a comical sidekick who babbles and characters talking to one another in ways that feel like the writers wanting to impart a “lesson of the day.”

That said, I applaud the writers for getting creative with the premise.

When you establish these guys hunt ghosts, why wouldn’t they immediately bust some ghosts haunting Scrooge without a second thought?

That part is hilarious and still retains the goofiness that defined the Ghostbusters.

I’ll even extend praise to the vocal cast playing the characters. Maurice LaMarche, best known for his stellar Orson Welles impression, does a solid job capturing the flat monotone of Harold Ramis while spewing pseudo-science. Frank Welker’s Ray sounds more like a child-like Fred from Scooby-Doo, but he sells it. Arsenio Hall’s Winston has his moments of wit and he really shines when he pretends to be the Ghost of Christmas Present. Then there’s Lorenzo Music as Peter Venkman, who certainly pairs his lucid tones to match the sarcastic wit of Bill Murray while also showing some depth of feeling when he takes on the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past and his attempts to teach Scrooge how his rough past forms his present causes Venkman to see a parallel between each other.

Also, cause I know it will be brought up if not mentioned, yes, Lorenzo Music was also the voice of Garfield for the cartoon series and then Bill Murray was Garfield for the 2004 movie.

That hot take is as old as as the Numa Numa video.

“The Real Ghostbusters: Xmas Marks The Spot” has a few moments of inspiration, but it’s buried in the same trappings as was present in most 80s cartoons around this time. But that’s not to say the people who worked on it didn’t give their heart into the project, the voice cast clearly commits to the bit, I like that the writers were able to use the one Ghostbuster who doesn’t like Christmas to find the merit in good tidings by finding a parallel with his own past to learn his own lesson and the idea of regular people having to step in to serve as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future using modern technology was amusing and original. Its corner-cutting animation is ultimately what keeps it from rising above a passive recommendation, but certainly worth saying that it showcases what made this show popular.

That and toys based on the show. Cause who doesn’t want their own proton pack?

“The Real Ghostbusters: Xmas Marks the Spot” can be purchased on YouTube, Amazon and AppleTV. But you can also watch the full episode for free on YouTube with the link down below.

Next time, we’re headed to Gotham City as it seems the Batmobile lost it’s wheels and the Joker got away.

[3-2-whump]

Ask game timeeee!

For all four dudes (or whoever ya want)! 😉

🍁- What's this oc's favorite genre of movies/tv shows/books/etc?

🌼- What's your favorite thing about this oc?

💐- Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

New ask game here

🍁 Khaled: as lame as it may sound, he really likes sports animes or slice of life stories, especially the ones portraying a small team everyone underestimates rising to the top. It’s inspiring, and it functions as escapism.

Tom: loved all the cult classics of the 80’s and 90’s (Bill and Ted series, Ferris Bueler’s Day Off, etc), with a touch of Tim Burton films like Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Nowadays you’ll catch him reading a self-help book about business and finance more often than not, but he had a phase where he loved to read about Japanese history (Sengoku Jidai era stuff)

Nico: is a huge nerd, believe it or not. Loves Star Wars, even the new stuff, loves Lord of the Rings, Supernatural, and BBC’s Sherlock, and adores reading paperback mystery thrillers. He also likes to branch out and try new books and genres, if the dust jacket summary seems appealing to him.

Julio: has grown to appreciate his mom’s telenovelas, reluctant as he is to admit it 😂 He’s generally a sitcom kind of guy, someone who would stay up at night to watch That 70’s Show and late night comedy specials. He loves reading all sorts of things, but you’re more likely to see his nose in a glossy-paged magazine than a literal book.

🌼 My favorite thing about Khaled is his character design, because he’s kind of an amalgamation of all things I find sexy and cute.

My favorite thing about Tom is his backstory, and all the complex layers of fuckery that make him the shambling mess of a human being we know today. Of course it doesn’t excuse what he’s currently doing, but it adds depth to his actions.

My favorite thing about Nico is he’s a combination of my irl partner and one of my coworkers, which makes him feel very real to me.

My favorite thing about Julio is also his character design, but more so his personality. I love that guy, and I hope to be like him most days.

💐 Khaled: Julio’s garage is his preferred place where he can truly relax, even if he’s rolled under a car hood and changing out some oil

Tom: yeah, I’m giving you the SFW answer here, but his favorite place to relax is in his living room, on the couch looking out over the city through the wide windows, with a whiskey in hand and Khaled curled up at his feet

Nico: relaxes outside or at the gym, when he jogs and just lets his mind go blank

Julio: he’s a pretty chill dude already, idk where he relaxes or if he’s got a favorite place, per se. I think he best relaxes where he feels the safest, be it in the garage, or at his mom’s apartment, or anywhere else I haven’t yet thought of.

[checkitout-checkitout]

The Muppet Christmas Carol is deffo a classic, but I do also want to shout out A Muppet Family Christmas, the 80s TV special where Kermit meets the Fraggles and Swedish Chef almost cooks Big Bird.

#the dvd is missing songs, so go find the full special on YouTube or Archive

[neon-green-reagent]

50 Underrated Horror Films: Part 4

What in absolute hell. We made it to part 4? Well, here we go then! Oh, also, links to the other parts: One : Two : Three

Undead : Starting off with an absolute banger. This is an Australian zombie apocalypse film. If you're familiar with Ozploitation cinema, then you know how nutso it can get, and this is a perfect example of just that. The action sequences are wild crowd pleasers, and the plot twists until it nearly breaks off.

Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory : I realize that sounds like porn. Just stay with me. It's a giallo! With a werewolf! For me, this was like finding the holy grail. Best of both worlds, truly. With... not the best looking werewolf, but this is an older movie, so cut it a little slack. It turns into a fun mystery with that special Italian flavor to it.

The Outwaters : Everyone was talking about Skinamarink. No one was talking about this. It has a similar conceit. To make a horror film that defies the idea of plot. It starts like your average found footage, then becomes a drug trip straight to the depths. It really does feel like witnessing a cosmic horror story where the horrors are, indeed, impossible to describe.

Tomie : This is the first of me cheating and actually recommending way more than one film. The Tomie film franchise is a series of loose adaptations of Junji Ito's manga of the same name, and there are nine at the moment. They get wild and weird, and they explore parts of Tomie that even the manga doesn't cover. Female monster! You need these in your life.

Murdercise : Low budget silliness trying to be throwback 80s and mostly just being hilarious and noticeably cheap. I love that. It's stupid and seems like the kind of movie that was a blast to make. I definitely felt like I was laughing with them and not at them, which made it feel really charming. A great one for a dumb movie night.

Zombie Death House : Zombies in jail! Directed by John Saxon who strangely didn't case himself in the lead like some vanity project. Rather he plays a character I have dubbed "Colonel Herbert West" if that sounds at all appealing. I mean, it clearly was to me.

Dead Birds : There aren't a ton of horror films that crossover with westerns, so this is a rare gem. A bunch of outlaws take refuge in a deeply disturbed location, and things get super dark.

Satan's Princess : A neo-noir detective story with supernatural evil at its core. Imagine if Angel Heart was dumber and way cheaper looking. With Robert Forster giving a really fun performance and an ending that had me laughing out loud.

Werewolf Bitches from Outer Space : Do you love Troma movies? Do you wish they were worse? Do I have the film for you! With scenes that were clearly filmed without permits. Random bystanders interfering with the production. Terrible werewolf masks. And pizza sex? It's a laugh riot.

Butterfly Kisses : A genuinely upsetting found footage movie that understands exactly how to use the urban legend format. There's a beastie out there that, if you stare at it, it will imprint on you like a baby duck. Then if you blink, it gets a little closer. Try to imagine how long you can go without blinking.

To Die For : Wanna watch a really shitty, late 80s Dracula? Here you go! It's dumber than a box of rocks. No one's motivations make any sense. Dracula seems like kind of a jerk despite being a romantic figure. But most of the actors are hotties and know the silly movie they're in, so it comes out fun in the end. Oh, and no one can agree when it came out. But rest assured I don't mean the one with Nicole Kidman.

Home for the Holidays : Made for TV Christmas slasher! Starring Sally Field. With a whole lot of family drama, which makes it feel authentically connected to the holiday. Merry Christmas! It's March. Ahem.

Welcome to Hell : Heavy metal horror strikes again. This time, a black metal band impregnates and kidnaps a groupie for their dark ritual. She escapes, but they're hot on her trail. The ending is nothing short of a religious experience. WINK.

Isolation : If Alien took place on a farm. With mutant cow fetuses. I swear, there is science that makes some sense of that. And it's not a comedy, I swear! It's actually very nasty with some wonderful body horror.

Dr. Crippen : Based on a real crime of passion and clearly cashing in on the Psycho craze. It's a strange one to recommend, because it's based on a true event, and the movie leans pretty hard in the bad doctor's favor. But it's worth it if you're a fan of Donald Pleasence. He gets to be his strange, little self and also be the star for once.

Tamara : What a mid-2000s romp this is. A good girl gets treated like garbage and goes bad in a witchy-demon-spell kinda way. Jenna Dewan as Tamara is perfect in every way. Gives me the gay.

Dark Harvest : Don't be like "oh, I've heard of that, didn't that just come out last year?" Yep, and everyone ignored it. When it was pretty fucking great. Set in a cursed town that openly sacrifices their kids to a fantastic monster by the name of Sawtooth Jack. His head is full of candy. Like. Go watch it.

Night Screams : Regional 80s slasher where a guy dies getting his face grilled. I'm pretty sure that shouldn't have killed him. And there are like three killers by the end? Did it before Scream, just saying. Enjoy the vibes on this one.

The Third Saturday in October Part Five and Part One : Speaking of slashers. These low budget gems came out last year, and there was a cute, little gimmick to it. You're supposed to watch five, then one. It simulates growing up pre-internet. You walk into the video store, and all they have is part five. You decide to rent it, even though you've never seen the first one. Then a week later, you find one. This really worked for me. Gave me nostalgic feelings. Please, if you watch them, try it this way.

The Vampire Doll : What if Japan made a Hammer film? Well, here it is. With one of my favorite tropes: a super cute couple investigates the horrors!

Night Feeder : Genuinely the best shot-on-video horror film I've ever seen. It actually fooled me. I thought I was watching a bad VHS rip, but no, this was not shot on film. It's stylish, clearly better than you'd expect, weird, dark, and has a really bad rock band in it.

Older Gods : Low budget and full of heart and also Lovecraftian horrors. If you're reading this and care, to me it felt as if someone wrote an original story around Azathoth. Which is cool, because no one ever uses him in anything. Also, if you're like, "so what does that mean?" It means that reality is up for debate in this one.

Cheerleader Camp : One of those that people clamor for when you talk about movies that still need a proper physical media release. I see why. It's extremely fun with its tongue lodged in its cheek. It uses every slasher trope and laughs hysterically while doing so.

Below : I love my underwater horror, and this delivers wonderfully. Haunted submarine, dude. But honestly, that wasn't the scariest part. The plot was cool, and I enjoyed the mystery, yeah yeah. But more to the point, everything that can go wrong... does. Imagine being trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a giant, metal coffin. BRR!

The Werewolf and the Yeti : How many werewolf movies are on this list? Uh, shut up. As I was saying, this is great. Paul Naschy brings a massively enjoyable werewolf flick our way again. With all his swashbuckling charm. By the time the yeti shows up, so much awesome shit had happened that I forgot he was supposed to fight a yeti. I mean...

Subspecies : And how many vampire movies are on this list? SHUT UP I SAID. Anyway. Another where I mean the whole series. All of them. Radu, the main villain, is a joy. Michelle's story arc is super dramatic and full of that Interview with the Vampire angst. Special mention to the second film, which goes all out with the gore effects.

The Hills Run Red : A horror movie about horror movies. A lost film has gained a cult following, and a bunch of dumb college kids decide to track it down. You can guess how that goes. William Sadler steals the entire movie when he shows up. Babyface also has iconic slasher energy.

Abby : This one's underrated because the filmmakers got sued by the guys that made The Exorcist and lost. This is essentially the black version of The Exorcist, and it's so good that I'm depressed we'll never get a great release of it. Carol Speed is amazing as Abby. William Marshall, Blacula himself, is in it. Track this down and get mad about it with me.

The Appointment : What the hell is this. Even I'm not sure. Edward Woodward crashes his car. I mean, I don't know what else to say about it. The film ramps up the tension and dread until a ridiculously Rube Goldberg thing happens, and you have to experience it.

Frostbiter : Another of those movies made with ten cents and a lot of gumption. A bunch of people wanted to make Evil Dead II, and so they did that. They even put an Evil Dead II poster in the cabin they filmed in, so that you wouldn't even wonder about what inspired it. Also, special mention to the chili song.

Hell's Highway : Have you ever seen a movie that was really cheap and goofy, but you could see EXACTLY how it would've looked if they'd just had the money? This is that movie. Every special effect fails. Everything's so awkward and odd. But you can tell what they MEANT for it to be. So bad it's good and then some.

Dance of the Damned : Vampire. Sorry. So this one is about a vampire who wishes he could stop living eternally, because it sucks to live that long and be so alone. He finds a sex worker who is also feeling like she wishes things would just end, and they share their pain with each other. Way better than it has any right to be, mullet and all.

The Werewolf of Washington : Werewolf. I really am sorry. Dean Stockwell plays a truly adorable werewolf. And nothing about it is meant to be taken seriously at all. Gives An American Werewolf in London a run for its money in the goober department.

The Curse of Kazuo Umezu : From the man who brought you The Drifting Classroom comes... this! It's a pair of strange tales. One about a vampire, fuck, I'm sorry. And one about a haunted house that even the narrator can't figure out what's going on. Horror anime!

Lo : A young man has recently lost his love. She was dragged to hell. That old chestnut. So he summons a demon named Lo to try to get her back. With a twist that'll make you go, wait, I thought this was a comedy?

The Spider Labyrinth : This one recently got a really nice release, and I'm so glad, because it's bonkers. A young fella is sent to Budapest to find a lost professor. Instead he finds a cult. Uh oh.

End of the Line : Apocalypse horror that turns your brain inside out just a bit. A religious cult has decided it's the end of the world, and they start executing innocents so they'll "go to heaven." Are they brainwashed or is the world actually ending? You decide!

Off Balance AKA Phantom of Death : Just barely a Phantom of the Opera riff. A pianist discovers he has a rare genetic disorder that threatens to cut his career short. Also, he's kinda losing it. Starring Michael York, Donald Pleasence, Edwige Fenech, directed by Ruggero Deodato, oh my GOD!

The Lure : Killer mermaids. Well, sirens. Kind of a mix. It's also a musical. And about how awful the entertainment industry is for young women. It's also super gory, and they eat people. Truly little else out there is like this.

Redneck Zombies : What do you want me to say? It's a Troma film. It's called... that. I'm pointing. I'm pointing at the title. That's the movie. Just... Right? Yeah?

The Killer Reserved Nine Seats : Another of those gialli that is really just And Then There Were None. But the nice part is that Italy likes to get more sexual, violent, and fucking awful than Agatha Christie ever dreamed. This one also takes place in an old theater, so the vibes are choice.

Mary Reilly : I always include at least one entry in these lists that begs the question, "how did this become underrated?" And obscure, that too. When it's a Jekyll and Hyde retelling with an emphasis on the gothic and lush, starring Julia Roberts and John Malkovich? By the way, I heard people hated it because of Roberts' terrible Irish accent. Damn, dude, I've heard way worse, fake accents than that. Anyway, this is fantastic. Watch it.

The Forest : One of those slashers where I thought I understood what I was getting into, but I did not. There's a man living in the woods who went postal on his cheating wife one day. The ghosts of his family are also haunting the woods. And he's a cannibal who feeds a guy his own girlfriend. I need other people to watch this so that I can be assured it was real.

Autopsy (2008) : I put a year, because there are around 800 horror films with that title. To further narrow it down, it's the one where Robert Patrick plays basically Herbert West fused with Mr. Freeze, and Jenette Goldstein is his nurse, and they chase a bunch of college kids around for science. Kind of a pitch black comedy with torture porn aspects, and I loved it.

Glorious : A guy gets trapped in a public restroom, which is horrifying enough. Then a cosmic horror god starts talking to him from a bathroom stall. He gives him the assignment of helping to stop the end of the world. The god is J.K. Simmons, and the whole thing is a delightful bottle movie.

Nightmare Detective : From the director that brought you Tetsuo: The Iron Man... Do I have your attention? Comes the Japanese Nightmare on Elm Street! That's oversimplifying, but that is my elevator pitch. It involves all sorts of dream powers and psychic battles that will blow your socks off.

House of Lost Souls : Directed by Umberto Lenzi, which means it feels as doobery as Ghosthouse. It's about a hotel desperate to decapitate you, and it has the silliest dialogue and acting known to man. Special mention to psychic powers being cited as a "rational explanation."

The Cleansing Hour : A priest who livestreams fake exorcisms has to rumble with a real demon. Super fun character piece where a conman has to look his sins dead in the eye. Truly obsessed with this one. Also, super fun demon effects. With Kyle Gallner, everyone's favorite scream king.

Deathrow Gameshow : What if Airplane was super violent? Or The Running Man was a dumb comedy? This hits the sweetest spot, where the humor is idiotic and the violence is cartoonishly nasty. This will speak to the sort of person, like myself, who wants their comedy to be indigestible for most audience goers.

Double Blind : This is a very recent release. A diverse group take part in a double blind drug test. Things go so extremely bad. I won't give anything away, because part of the fun is the unfolding chaos.

I can't believe I managed to do that again. Enjoy! I hope you find some new favorites from this list.