#Delores Wise

[yandereunsolved]

Yandere Five w/ apocalypse reader— 'the end of the world is the most unfortunate circumstance to develop an obsessive trauma bond.'

Yandere Five had been but a barely pubescent teen when he so wisely chose to manipulate time to win an argument with his dismissive parental figure. It was jarring in the beginning. Everything he had ever known had been stripped from him. There was nothing left but debris and blood.

He always had his powers to aid him, yet for the first time they failed. He realized that his reliance on them is what caused this problem in the first place.

How could he be so idiotic?

Fastrack, six years or so, he tended to lose track due to the harsh winter blocking what was left of the sun and the overarching smog always present. Where was he going with this? Oh, yes. It made it difficult to calendar because of the extenuating circumstances.

It had to be about February when he met you. The snow had settled over more monotonous ruins of what was probably a rural town. Most of the sun rays were blocked by smog and strange cloud formations manipulated by the effects of it all. Still, he could see you, leaning against what still stood of a brick building, devoring a stale-looking twinkie.

"This one's interesting, huh, Dolores?" Think we're gonna have to shoot em'?"

Yandere Five ends up sticking by your side to culminate resources and find your true reasoning for being here. That's totally the justification, yeah. It isn't as if he is incredibly touch starved and on the edge of losing what little sanity he had. He just needs to figure you out. That he does, a little too well.

Yandere Five becomes overbearing. You can't tell if you are being questioned by your future murderer or stalker. He demands you answer all his questions promptly and with the utmost truth. He doesn't fluff them and act nicely or reply with basic human empathy. He simply loses his edge after he learns one more thing about you.

Are you allowed to do the same to him in return?

Absolutely not.

You learning about him is on a need to know basis. So if he feels that you need to know it, you will.

Take him by his word. You have to.

Yandere Five isn't the largest fan of physical affection, or physical anything in fact. It takes years in the apocalypse for him to willingly be touched by you. That's at least how he tries to appear. His expressions are always so blank and dismissive. A sarcastic quip is always on the tip of his sharp tongue.

Yet after only a few months of traveling together, he is more than eager to feel your skin under his.

He doesn't want to be near you, no, but you injured yourself by being foolish. He warned you against it, and still you continued. So now he is using some of the minimal medical supplies you both have so he can patch you up. If both of you were back pre-apocalypse, then he would definitely install a tracker inside your arm. For protection, obviously.

He doesn't want to be touched, no, but you're shivering. Losing the only other seemingly living human being, besides Delores, in the apocalypse would leave him at a great disadvantage.

He doesn't want intimacy with you, no. He has just to cuddle you to protect you and keep the nightmares away. He has to kiss your irresistible lips to keep your morale up. He has to let his thoughts about you to linger about in private, unexplored places so he may relieve himself to release relaxing and happy hormones. It's simple as that.

Deep down, he knows the true reason is that he has become utterly smitten with you. He has just chosen to do his best to gaslight himself, even though statistics state it only makes those feelings worse. Perhaps he wants that. Maybe he just wants one person in this fucked-up world that is his and his wholly and unequivocally.

Yandere Five even gets rid of his beloved Delores for you. He was growing paranoid about her. She kept teasing him about how lovesick he was. She was talking about starting to fall in love with you too. The final straw is when she said she wanted a threesome with you. In the dead of night, he disposed of her, a bullet in her head.

Strangely enough you dropped the subject after asking once. It puzzled him. Did you truly dislike Delores that much to be so nonchalant about her disappearance? Did you know what he did? Of course you didn't. You obviously hated Delores and are glad she is gone.

Good.

He likes it this way.

No more distractions, just you two.

Yandere Five doesn't want to figure out the equation to get back to his pre-apoctalyptic life. He writes down a bunch of meaningful numbers in chalk. They aren't coordinations for returning to the academy. They're calculations about your possible romantic relationship, sexual aspects, how submissive you are, and more.

He has detailed a four letter plan in his private journal.

S ubmissivness — how complacent are you? are you gullible to his tactic? how strong is your moral code? would you go along with him knowing how truly infatuated he is with your very existence?

I nterest — how are you feeling? what are your reactions? he needs to know every single thing about you. he needs to know all of your likes just as importantly as your dislikes.

N eutrality — how will his actions affect you and everything else around you? what is the path that will keep you closest to him while also making him seem like the one in charge? this is how we will know if he has gone too far.

S way — how close are others getting to you? are they looking to befriend you? are their true intentions more sinister? he has to analyze every expression and every movement of those who make any contact with you.

You call it his diary. It is not a diary! Diaries are for feelings; journals are filled with statistics. Besides, you won't ever find the location of his actual diary. He writes it in southern Sumerian anyway. You don't have a chance at deciphering it.

Yandere Five meets the Handler while you are snoozing away after a particularly hard day of labor. He can't believe the promise this strange woman puts before him. He works for this Commission for five years, and after that, he's good as done. He gets you in whatever place he wishes for the rest of your lives.

It's a bunch of bullshit as far as he's concerned. Miracles usually don't come with strings attached. Then again, does he really have a choice? He doesn't want to see you suffer anymore than you already have.

So he takes this once in a lifetime 'golden' opportunity.

Let's just hope this one doesn't bite him in the ass.

Yandere Five tells you that he has a way to get you out of here. The both of you just have to spend a little time away from each other. His body psychically aches while way from you, and it isn't just because he's a crotchety old man. The both of you weren't going to be young forever.

He doesn't necessarily hate the job until he learns that killing you is part of keeping the time continuum in check. He doesn't wait a day after learning that information. He takes your hand and escapes somewhere in the past.

Of course his calculations were rushed and were off in the worst possible way. Of course he ends up in the middle of his father's funeral, both of you stuck in your thirteen-year-old bodies. Of course Kalus has to make a sex joke about it.

Damn it! He wants to scream at the top of his lungs.

He needs you! He had you all to himself, and then other people just had to fuck it up.

It's okay. It's okay.

He'll figure out a way to stop all of this and keep you forever.

Forever. What a pleasant thought.

[lookingforhappy]

theyre the only way the writers know how to develop their characters

does anyone actually understand the whole romantic relationships in the umbrella academy because if so please enlighten me with such information.

[raining-anonymously]

i like delores aesthetically and i enjoy her as a character, but on a surface level i do not like her. i think we’re going too easy on her because she’s hot. the woman was a serial killer and a cult leader. tbh betelgeuse did whatever part of italy they lived in a favor. then she double-serial-killed people in the afterlife. she is EVIL and SCARY.

however, she is fascinating, both for the alternate light she casts existing characters in and in her own right.

this post was going to be about her but i got distracted so everything under the read more is about… geography? i think? and also languages, and also theorizing on how long delores was awake after she died.

based on the the guy who fell down the manhole at the beginning, it seems like wherever you die is directly correlated to what part of the afterlife you end up in rather than where you live. he died in the usa, so he ended up in the part we see, which is english-speaking and mostly has usamerican ghosts.

miss argentina, betelgeuse, and delores are not usamerican. sure, miss argentina’s beauty contest could have been in the usa, but betelgeuse and delores explicitly died in italy, and juno, who works in the usa sector of the afterlife, implies that she knows what it’s like to haunt places in italy. clearly, migration within the afterlife is possible.

re: charles and richard—ok i forgot where charles was flying from when he died. but if it was out of the continent, i think charles probably died close enough to the us that he got sent to that part of afterlife anyway. richard has been dead for years and had time to migrate. maybe that’s why he’s working civil service? as an excuse to switch sections? idk…

throughout both movies betelgeuse consistently displays an affinity for mimicking accents and voices, as well as being multilingual (he at least speaks spanish, italian, english). plus he’s been dead a long time. it’s believable that these combined factors led to him speaking english with an american accent rather than an italian accent. it is worth noting that his diction becomes more poetic and flowery when he’s speaking italian.

there’s also the thing where he says “mazel tov” during the flashback, but we don’t see his face while he says it, so that may not have been actually said at that time.

delores does have an italian accent. doylistically, this is because monica bellucci is italian. watsonian-wise, she’s probably just… not as good at vocal mirroring as betelgeuse. plus she hasn’t been awake for a large portion of her time as a ghost. but, and this is important, she has definitely been awake for some of it.

i do believe delores knew english when she was alive—her poison bottle is labeled in english. as for why she’d be speaking english to everyone around her? the first person who addresses her is the janitor, and he speaks english. from there, she correctly assumes that everyone else speaks english and responds accordingly. she also does the “betelgeuse is mine!” graffiti in english. and when she and betelgeuse are finally face-to-face, she speaks to him in english, too. doylistically, this is because the film is written in english and they didn’t want to overuse subtitles, but it is interesting that she wouldn’t address him in their first language.

still, even if we can’t use the language she speaks as a reason, i believe delores was awake before being dumped into a storage box. she adapts very quickly to the modern things in the afterlife (i don’t know how long spray paint and staple guns have been around, but i’m assuming they were invented post-black death). she doesn’t seem surprised or distressed by the fact that she’s dead or in multiple pieces, or by her soul-sucking / possession abilities. (she moves lydia with possession in the church.) she also navigates the afterlife fairly easily.

there’s also just no reason why she WOULDN’T be awake. the deceased can exist in pieces. look at the chopped-in-half woman in the first film.

so this gives us this mysterious block of time post-death where betelgeuse and delores moved to the usa and delores was eventually forced into the unconscious and separated state she’s in when the movie begins. no conclusion here, just food for thought.

anyway that tragedy sequence was so beautiful aauguhhhhhhhahahshjfjfj

[stephsageek]

Another!

An excerpt from a random chapter of "Much Longer than Six Years, Five Months and Seven Days."

“I’ll be back late,” she bit out tightly before slamming the door behind her.

Lila stomped towards the black sedan parked outside their home, her movements clipped and angry. She yanked open the passenger door and sat down with a huff.

Beside her, in the driver’s seat, Five’s eyebrows climbed towards his hairline. He was still wearing his work clothes, beside his jacket. The only sign that he was relaxed was his loosened tie, something that was rather ruined by the fact that he still wore a shoulder holster and gun.

He was only an intern at the CIA, and he still insisted on having a consealed/carry permit, the paranoid old codger.

In the backseat, there were random boxes filled with files and exam books.

“So, we’re slamming doors now?” He quipped as he checked his mirrors before he pulled out into the night.

“I can’t believe the bloody nerve of that man!” Lila fumed; her hands were balled into fists. She made a spastic, jerking movement with her entire body, kicking the dashboard in rage and flailing her fists.

“Whoa! Whoa! Easy!” Five tried, before pulling back off the road before she caused some kind of accident.

He pulled into a more deserted part of the neighborhood. Lila assumed he was wisely hoping to avoid the cops getting called on them over some sort of domestic dispute while Lila raged.

“What the hell happened?” he wondered aloud, looking annoyed.

“What always happens! It’s the same thing! Over and over! It’s driving me barking!” Lila hissed through gritted teeth.

Five sighed, rubbing his forehead.

It had taken remarkably little time for his brother and Lila’s honeymoon period to wear off. Inside the first year, they were already fighting. Lila regularly complained to Five about it. She simply didn't know who else to talk to about it. She wasn't close to the others the way she was with Allison and Five, and Allison was having issues of her own.

“Did you and Dolly ever fight?” Lila sighed, glancing over, looking miserable.

Five smiled ruefully. “Like cats and dogs sometimes. But…” he sighed. “It’s not the same. Delores worried about me; tried to make sure I took care of myself. You and Diego…” Five’s mouth twisted. His stiff body language telegraphed how uncomfortable he was with this conversation.

Lila was somewhat surprised. Five usually loved engaging in shit-talk. It was probably the fact that it was 'emotional mushy' shit-talk.

“…Were…were you ever sorry you got married?” Lila asked in a voice too small to be her own.

Five gave her an unreadable look.

“Lila, I never once regretted a single instant with Delores. She was a wonderful woman. But again, you and Diego are completely different. Dolly and I were the last two things that even resembled people after the world ended.”

Lila pouted. “If Diego and I were the last two people on the planet, we'd strangle each other.”

Five barked a sudden laugh, shaking his head as he smiled.

“Of that I have no doubt.”

Lila threw her head back, resting it against the headrest, her eyes squeezed shut. She sighed before sitting back up, clapping her hands together.

“This isn’t about me,” she declared, louder than necessary and with excessive cheer. She turned to Five, “It’s about you, baby boy! Sixty-four years old! Just like the Beatles song!”

Five smirked shaking his head with a fond look of exasperation on his young face.

Although Lila admitted, it no longer looked so young.

Five was now physically eighteen years old. His features were a young man's now, all chiseled jaw, and stubble. His hair was a bit pouncy, but it suited him, she supposed. It was strange seeing him grow up. She used to see the old man first, then the boy when she used to look at him.

Now, all she saw was Five.

He had worked hard to get to where he was, and she couldn’t help but be secretly proud of the little turd.

They had both had to forge some documents to start their life in this new reset universe.

Both, technically never having existed here. Viktor had tried to get him to go to regular school but that had been a disaster.

Luther had taken him to take his GED and then Five had set about writing papers to land a scholarship.

No one wanted Daddy Reggie involved.

Five had to grin and bear as much college as he could stand before he graduated extremely early with a PhD. in Physics. Now he was interning at the CIA. His reasons were still unclear to Lila.

“Okay, I know we said no presents; but what can I say? I’m a giver!” Lila dug around in her purse for a moment before retrieving a ceramic mug with the words, ‘Professional Asshole,’ printed on one side.

“A giver of headaches,” Five muttered as he grinned down at the gift.

“Oh, pish-posh! If you didn’t like me, you would have told me to piss off like you did the rest of your siblings,” Lila waved away breezily.

“I didn’t tell them to ‘piss off.’ Only Viktor remembered to call—” Five frowned as he continued to stare at his lap.

“We have the same bloody birthday, and I’m the only one to bug you to come out on it?!” Lila squawked in annoyance.

“Technically, our birthday was a week ago—”

“Minor details! I had to go today because I had already told Diego I was going to book club—”

“—you told him this was book club?” Five grinned. “Why didn’t you just tell him you were going to badger me for a night?”

Lila huffed crossing her arms. “He says a gun range and a strip club are no places for a mother.”

“Has he met you before?”

“Thank you!” Lila agreed, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

[number5theboy]

keep in mind, this muppet WILL have a gun, so choose wisely

[ollycohens]

Would you take a request where s1 Five accidentally takes one of Klaus' drug chocolates and starts talking about Delores and Klaus takes this opportunity to ask him to describe her because he doesn't know she is a mannequin and Five doesn't tell him that so it's also funny.

I LOVED DOING THIS UGGGHH thank you so much <3 sorry it took me a bit! Had to work and couldn't find time to upload this! I hope you like it anyway!!

Co-uploaded on ao3, go give it some love here too!

It happened on a Tuesday morning, ironically. Five was tired, and anxious, still reeling from returning home after forty-five years. He hadn’t quite gotten over reuniting with his siblings yet. Being with them was awkward to him, but he couldn’t say that he hadn’t missed them dearly. 

He was stuck trying to figure out how to stop the apocalypse all on his own instead of being with his siblings. He wanted to hang out with them, catch up and just finally, finally see the people they’ve truly become. But no, here he was, in his room writing equation after equation on what could cause the apocalypse.

“Darling, please go get water. Take a break.”

Five sighed, looking over at Delores, his fingers fidgeting impatiently with the chalk he clutched in his hand.

“I’m onto something here,” he scribbled some lines next to a few numbers, “Maybe after this.” he added.

His stomach rumbled, and his brows furrowed in anger, only suddenly taking in the fact that he was painfully hungry.

He heard Delores chuckle as he decided to head down to the kitchen, upset mumblings coming from him as he went.

When he arrived in the basement kitchen, he looked around. There wasn’t much down here kitchen-wise. It was a rather small area for him to make something other than a sandwich, more an extra living room than an area for food— nonetheless, he decided on a flutternutter.

He opened the fridge, grabbing the peanut butter. He went to close it when he caught whiff of a chocolate scent. He looked down at the full tray of brownies taking up the bottom shelf. Not quite caring whose it was, he grabbed one, letting himself indulge in it before he made an actual meal. 

It tasted normal, if not quite bland and lacking in flavor, but he didn’t care, sweets were sweets.

He finished making his sandwich, deciding to eat it at the table instead of his room. Of course, he still grabbed a notebook and continued his equations while he ate.

Afterall, the apocalypse waited for no one.

Knitting was a chore, Klaus thought. As much as he loved knitting, he often found himself getting tired and antsy after an hour or two of doing it.

“I’m hungry, Ben.” he whined, looking over his shoulder to find that nobody was there. “Oh, you little shit!”

He supposed if he was bored, Ben probably was too. He had no right to tell Ben if he could leave or not, but he was still quite petty about it. Who was to entertain him during these hard and trying times?

A picture of drugs came to mind. “No Benjamin to tell me anything. I deserve good things too!” he talked to himself as he hobbled down the stairs to the kitchen.

He spotted Five at the end of the table, mumbling. “Hey, sport,” he grinned to himself at the name, “Watcha’ doing?”

No response.

“Five?” 

Still nothing. Klaus strolled over to Five, watching him write in his notebook. “Is that what the math you do looks like? It makes me nauseous looking at it!” He joked. Concern tightened at his chest as he studied the writing. It didn’t even look coherent. He’s peeked into Five’s room before, and the math on his wall looked nothing like this.

This notebook just looked like scribbles.

“Heyyy, why don’t we put this down for a little, yeah?” Klaus cautiously grabbed the boy’s pencil, placing it away from him. Klaus sat in the seat next to him, putting his head on the table to look at the boy’s face.

Five looked over at him, a pouting look on his face as his lips thinned slightly. Klaus would’ve missed the tears stuck on his eyelashes had it not been for the way the light hit them. 

His heart pummeled to his stomach, “Five… What’s wrong?” He’d never seen Five cry before. Never in his thirty-four years of life. It was strange, wrong, and most of all, heartbreaking. 

When you see someone, you’ve never seen cry before, it seriously hits you hard— and it was definitely hitting Klaus. He felt horrible. Five also looked like a little boy, so it was especially upsetting. 

“I don’t know.” Five whined, which was weird enough as it was. “I don’t feel great, Klaus.” 

Alarm bells rang in Klaus’s head. He noticed things about Five’s demeaner that he hadn’t earlier. He was twitchy, kind of sluggish, but his shoulders were hunched, like they were trying to cover his ears. His eyes were also bloodshot, and his pupils were large, although he didn’t know if that was Five’s normal pupil size, he never really looked at them that long.

With these things in mind, Klaus got up from his seat and opened the fridge. A brownie was missing. His marijuana brownies. “Nooo, Five. Did you have one of my thingies?” He urgently pointed at the tray, to which Five nodded.

A few emotions flittered across the boy's face as he ultimately ignored Klaus’s concern and focused back onto his notebook— anger, confusion, and then fatigue. “I need her here.”

Klaus felt himself growing protective, like he suddenly became a father to a child. He could feel this caring nature take over him just by watching the tears in Five’s eyes, and listening to the way his voice broke.

“Hm? What do you mean, bud?” 

“Delores?” He said it like Klaus was supposed to know who he was talking about. He racked his mind for people that Five may know. Someone named Delores. 

A memory popped into his head, the time at the prosthetics lab where he pretended to be Five’s dad. He had mentioned someone he was with for thirty years during the apocalypse, but he wasn’t sure if it was this woman the spoke of. 

“Is she the one you were with? During the uh…” he unhelpfully waved his hands around. 

“Mmhm. Yeah, her.” Five didn’t seem to notice the tears in his eyes. They still hadn’t rolled down his cheeks, so he didn’t look wrecked just yet. Klaus sat next to him again, cringing as he carefully wiped Five’s tears with his thumb.

“Do you miss her?” Klaus studied the way Five’s eyes flickered around, chasing something Klaus couldn’t see. Common side effects of marijuana, he reminded himself.

“I do. She helped me with everything. I need her right now. I can’t do this without her…” his voice got higher in pitch the more he spoke, his throat trying to give out from the emotions.

“Hey, hey! It’s okay! You’ve been doing great on your own, old man! I can help! Maybe.”

“I know, but I need her help with this— this stuff. She always corrects me if I’m wrong.” Five looked down at his notebook, a stray tear falling onto the page. “Eugh— hey, look at me Five. You’ll be mad later if you get your notebook soggy with tears.” Five glanced at him, his eyes big and shiny. The definition of a puppy. 

His heart broke a little more.

“let’s go to the couch, okay? Tell me about her.” Klaus helped Five to the couch, letting him fall onto the uncomfortable cushions. “What does she look like, hm?” 

“She’s pretty. Always telling me to do things for myself.” the boy smiled, “She’d make me drink water when I forgot, or go to sleep when it gets late, and she’d help me think when I couldn’t.”

“Yeah? How’d you guys meet?” Klaus had questions, and an opportunity to ask them. He understood he was taking advantage of Five, but he could also argue that the kid needed to get her off his chest.

“I found her in the rubble. Her hand was sticking out. I remember it, her skin was clean, and I could still see the color of her skin, unlike every other body I’d found,” he stared into space, lost in his memories, “All torn up, and covered in ash. Everyone I found was gray, down to the clothing and the eyes— It got in their eyes somehow. I don’t even know if it was ash or smoke or—”

“Five.” Klaus interrupted, fighting the way his own eyes burnt with forming tears. He couldn’t stop thinking about the things Five had gone through. All of this and Delores too. Thirty years together just for her to die. He didn’t even know if she died, but either way, Five didn’t bring her back with him. 

“We don’t have to talk about this.”

“I want to.”

They stared at each other, doubt filling the face of one, and confidence but also undermined fear in the other. “Delores was blonde. Her hair was wavy and stopped at her shoulders. She always wears this one blouse, blue and white. The dots were blue, it was a nice texture blouse, thin, but kind of scratchy. She always wears these fun-colored blouses. I’m always the one getting them for her though.”

Klaus nodded, resting his elbow on the back of the couch, confused by the way Five kept switching between talking about her in present and past tense. “Was she not able to get them herself?”

“She couldn’t move.”

Klaus’s head started to hurt a little. He voiced out his confusion.

“She doesn’t have legs. Couldn’t move even if she did have them, though.”

Klaus was incredibly confused. Did Delores have some kind of disorder that debilitated her movement? Did she lose her legs in the apocalypse? How did she survive that? Did she survive that?

“Why not...?”

Five stared at him, irritation starting to cloud in his eyes, before it was replaced with a pleading look, “Can you go get her for me? Please.” 

“Five, bud, I can’t. She’s not with us anymore.” Yikes. Klaus was just assuming she died at this point, he supposed. He shouldn’t have said that. Guilt started to eat at him as he scrunched his face, ready to apologize, or be on the end of some brutal vicious attack from a thirteen-year-old shaped senior citizen. 

Now it was Five’s turn to be confused, it seemed. 

Before the two could continue chatting, the floor of the kitchen creaked. Looking over, Klaus made eye contact with Diego and Luther. The two paused, faces furrowing, cautiously taking in Five’s appearance and Klaus’s sympathetic look. 

“Oh, thank God! Please help.” he hoped he wouldn’t get brutally smashed into a wall for admitting the truth, “He ate my weed brownies!” He brought his hands to his head, aimlessly waving them around. 

“What!?” Luther ran over, Diego cackling as he too made his way to the couch. “Dude, are you serious?” Diego couldn’t help the way his eyes watered from his own grin, clearly finding humor in this.

“Hi, Diego.” Five smiled as he ignored Luther’s attempts to talk to him. 

Klaus could tell by the way Diego’s face dropped that he also felt that caring nature begin to form. It was contagious, apparently. “Hey, man.” Diego was awkward anyway, all things considered.

Klaus knew that he should do the right thing and get Five checked out by Mom now that there were more people here to play sensible adult, but he still had questions, and a serious lack of answers.

He at the least wished to know what happened to this mystery woman. He looked at the other two men.

“Hey guys, who’s Delores?” He whispered to them, trying to lighten his face to make the situation seem lighter than it previously was. He still felt pitiful and upset from the conversation he had with Five. 

Everything was quiet for a minute.

Diego itched at his forehead, “Five’s wife, I guess.”

Klaus gaped, “He told you about her?” 

“We met her.” Luther raised his eyebrows, thinning his lips in a slightly concerned smile.

Klaus’s mouth fell open just as much as it still could. “Isn’t she…? Y’know?”

“A mannequin? Yeah, I know. Weird shit.”

Wait, what? Klaus seriously needed to get high as of right now. Were they talking about the same people? 

“No, no, he met her in the apocalypse, they were in love!” Klaus watched Five giggle at that.

“Yeah. A mannequin, man. That he found in the apocalypse.” Diego shook his head a little, not wanting to have to think about such a topic. He too, found it extremely worrying if he dived into the subject.

Klaus had no clue what to say. He found it kind of humorous and relieving that Five never actually had to deal with the death of his only companion, but also extremely concerning that his companion was a mannequin. A mannequin! There must’ve been a lot of miscommunications going around this morning.

Not only that, but looking back, Klaus realized that Five spoke of her as if she were a real person. That was concerning.

“I just wanted her help with equations.” Five huffed, eyes un-focusing as he shut them, exhaustion taking over. 

“Oh. Oh, what the shit!" He nervously giggled, "I feel betrayed. I felt bad for you Five!” Klaus was practically speaking to a brick wall now. Five was down for the count.

“Let’s get him to Mom.” Luther picked the boy up, the others following behind.

Later that day, Klaus found himself in Five’s room, feeling embarrassed as he stared at Delores. The mannequin. Ben laughed at him for days after the incident, and Five never brought it back up, other than yelling at Klaus for almost being the one to cause the apocalypse due to the brownies taking away an entire day he could’ve used to work. 

All in all, Klaus learnt that this family needed serious counseling, and much better communication skills.

Worst of all, and despite everything, Klaus also learnt that Five's relationship with Delores was probably the healthiest relationship that's occurred in their family, mannequin or not, and that was saying something.

[zylphiacrowley]

May I ask what Death Like Me is like? 👀 Is it a show?

Of course you may ask Meg! I'm happy to talk about one of my all time favorite tv series.

So Dead Like Me was a "dramedy" or "dark comedy" tv series by Bryan Fuller (Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, S1 of American Gods [the best season], and probably most notably; NBC's Hannibal) that ran two seasons from 2003-2004.

The main character was a young woman named Georgia "George" Lass (Ellen Muth) who had a very dry and cynical sense of humor and outlook on life. In the very first episode she gets hit by a toilet seat that fell off the Mir space station (it's not like a graphic depiction or anything) and dies. Instead of "moving on" she becomes a Grim Reaper, so now she's tasked with taking the souls of people earmarked for death before they actually die so they can peacefully transition into their afterlife. Also she works a day job at a temp agency. :)

There's also kind of ensemble cast that consists of 4 other Reapers besides George. Rube Sofer (Mandy Patinkin... Inigo Montoya from Princess Bride) playing the role of the "wise older mentor", Mason (Callum Blue) who is a drug addicted British sort of "charming loser", Roxy Harvey (Jasmine Guy) who is a parking enforcer who "takes no shit", and Betty Rhomer (Rebecca Gayheart), who plays a sort of "big sister" role to George who is later replaced by Daisy Adair (Laura Harris), who appears to be a spoiled former starlet who runs the occasional con as a side-gig.

Anyway, the show takes place in Seattle and follows a pretty basic formula where the crew meets up at "Der Waffle Haus" where they chat a bit and Rube distributes post-its with Initials plus last name, place, and ETD (Estimated Time of Death) of the person they have to reap the soul of

The meat of the show (imho) really comes from the characters and their interactions. It also tends to get very introspective at times (as might be expected for a show centering around death). You get to see how George's family is dealing with the loss, and there's also Delores Herbig, her boss at the temp agency.

One of my favorite things about the series is how you meet all these characters, and you get this initial impression of them and then as the story goes on, you really get to see them develop in a really satisfying way. Some for the better, some for the worse.

Apparently the whole series is on Amazon Prime for free? I dunno I just have it on DVD. It's def a little dated but it's also got some stuff in it that is still very relevant. I would def recommend it if you can access it!

...Except the movie... we don't talk about the movie. >.>

[acknowledge-reigns]

Soooo. My nieces and nephew wanted to watch Encanto for the 300th time and of course I have to make literally everything about the bloodline so here is a thread no one asked for comparing Encanto characters to the personalities of characters in the bloodline storyline. This is probably gonna be insanely long so buckle up I guess.

I repeat I am referring to CHARACTERS in the STORYLINE here. Not actual people.

Roman = Luisa

"Who am I if I can't run with the ball? If I fall to. Pressure like a grip, grip, grip, and it won't let go, whoa..."

Luisa is under pressure constantly to be the strong one, to handle things for her family and just make sure things are taken care of. Just like Roman who has pressure from the elders to be the head of the table, to keep the championship(s), to be the leader and the strong one and handle all the family problems.

"Under the surface, I hide my nerves and it worsens, I worry something is gonna hurt us. Under the surface, the ship doesn't swerve as it heard how big the iceberg is. Under the surface, I think about my purpose, can I somehow preserve this? Line up the dominoes, a light wind blows. You try to stop it tumbling, but on and on, it goes. But wait, if I could shake the crushing weight of expectations, Would that free some room up for joy or relaxation, or simple pleasure? Instead, we measure this growing pressure. Keeps growing, keep going. 'Cause all we know is Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'til you just go pop, whoa, oh, oh. Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt, and See if she can handle every family burden. Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks, no mistakes..."

Jey = Mirabel

"Don't be upset or mad at all. Don't feel regret, or sad at all. Hey, I'm still a part of the family Madrigal. And I'm fine, I am totally fine. I will stand on the side as you shine. I'm not fine, I'm not fine..."

Mirabel wanted to shine too. Not just that but she saw all of the pressure on Luisa and wanted to take some off of her. She wanted to make the family proud too and in the end she would be the one to save everyone. Just like Jey. Not to mention, she's the main character.

"Always walking alone. Always wanting for more, Like I'm still at that door. Longing to shine like all of you shine. All I need is a change. All I need is a chance. All I know is I can't stay on the side. Open your eyes..."

Jimmy = Isabella

"So much hides behind my smile..."

Isabella constantly has a smile and portrays happiness and perfection at all times but the stress drives her wild and when she finally lets loose it's quite literally a mess but she does have her family's best interest at heart just like all the others. Like Jimmy.

"What could I do if I just grew what I was feeling in the moment? What could I do if I just knew it didn't need to be perfect? It just needed to be, and they let me be..."

Solo = Bruno

"Seven foot frame, Rats along his back. When he calls your name, it's all fades to black..."

Bruno is perceived as this big scary monster of a guy, this imposing figure when he's actually the sweetest little softy that loves his family more than anything. Like Solo.

Paul = Delores

"Live in fear of Bruno stuttering or stumbling. I could always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling. I associate him with the sound of falling sand (sh sh sh) It's a heavy lift, with a gift so humbling..."

Do those lyrics not sound like Paul hyping Solo up? Not to mention Delores is the "Wise Woman" of the family. If they need to know what's going on, what to do about it etc they go to her.

Elders = Abuela

"But let's be clear, Abuela runs this show, whoa. She led us here so many years ago, whoa. And every year our family blessings grow. There's just a lot you've simply got to know, so. Welcome to the Family Madrigal..."

Abuela, like the Elders of the bloodline are the ones actually running the show. They pressure the kids to uphold legacy and maintain tradition but have no clue the pressure could be hurting them. In the end as misguided as they are they want what's best for the family too.

[girlreviews]

Review #7: Rumours, Fleetwood Mac

I might have met a person who hasn’t listened to Rumours, but I’ve never met a person who has listened to it and was like “no thanks”. Never. If anyone hates this record get in touch, I just want to talk.

So interesting that such an incredible piece of work that holds up decade after decade, represents a band that during its creation was a damn hot mess. It’s not just a breakup record. It’s a double breakup record. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had called it quits, and John and Christine McVie were circling the drain, divorcing while they toured Rumours. Hoo-boy can you feel it all. Never has such an overall cheery and upbeat record been so deeply filled with resentment, anger, heartbreak, defeat and getting the fuck over it. You’re just trying to keep up with which song is a fuck you from which band member to the other. Except you can’t, because you end up just getting lost in the music.

Never mind that before all of that, the drummer had an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife and all hell broke loose. Line up changes and whatnot. They started as a blues band, y’know? Yet, here we are, with this gorgeous thirty nine minutes of music and a group of people that arguably should seek therapy, rehab, and probably never see each other again. If David Attenborough is a Fleetwood Mac fan — and let’s assume that he is — he would say, “life… finds a way”.

As is often the case I had actually heard covers of a few of the songs as a young’un before ever hearing the originals or ever hearing the full album. Eva Cassidy covered Songbird. It was my childhood friend’s favorite song, and makes me think of her every time I hear it. The Corrs, Irish sibling band, covered Dreams in the late 90s. Their whole thing was a little weird. Jack Dee used to have a bit about the “odd” Corr brother that wasn’t invited to be in the band, Pat Corr. It was pretty funny. That old boss of mine used to say disparaging things about Andrea Corr as if she’d ever have given him the time of day. It makes me want to punch things, even now. I realize in hindsight he used to tear down any Irish woman musician that saw more success than him (see also: Sinéad O’Connor, Delores O’Riordan). They all did see more success, and they all deserved it, with two of them leaving legendary musical legacies even after death. He never made it past a breakfast show that had two knockoff muppets as presenters. I’m not joking.

Let’s talk about Second Hand News, what a charming and odd way to open an album. Buckingham wrote this and he’s generally acknowledged to be a real piece of work (allegedly, John McVie threw a glass of vodka in his face during the making of the record), even now. He insists he “ain’t gonna miss” Nicks when she goes, and that he’s been “tossed around enough”, but it’s pretty clear he ain’t over it. Boohoo, Lindsey. Such light acoustic riffs, luscious harmonies and hefty rhythm throughout with some outro guitar solo just to really make its point.

Dreams is a Stevie Nicks led classic. Let’s talk about Stevie. She’s been my hair inspiration for most of my life. She put out solo shit that was every bit as good as this record. Her voice sounds like that of a woman who has lived a thousand lives. An old, witchy, wise, woman, living in a young, exuberant, beautiful woman’s body. Like smoke on water. She warns Buckingham of his inevitable loneliness… “when the rain washes you clean, you’ll know”. Oof. For as tough and witchy as she is, there’s a real tenderness to her. I’ve always admired her ability to show the world all of her sides, the badass and the vulnerable. Pretty recently she showed us that vulnerable side when we lost Christine McVie. Stevie let her deep grief be known to the world. Whatever had gone on with that band, that was her best friend, and they’ll never sing together again.

This really is one of those where all of the tracks are amazing, but they’re all really different. Some are like standing in an open field of sunflowers, while some are like that part on a rollercoaster where you’re climbing slowly up the incline just waiting for the chaos. The Chain, I think, has to be my favorite for that reason. What I find so interesting is that they’re all credited as writers on this one, so it was an actual team effort, it would seem. First and foremost, the four (five?!) part harmonies in this are so incredible. It’s no softy squishy Simon and Garfunkel shit. These people are pissed, in different keys. It’s POWERFUL. But each instrument also has a voice of its own, the bass line, the guitar solo, the simple drum beat that evolves into a sprint. Whoever was on the tambourine even was going really fucking hard. It takes you on a damn journey. That rollercoaster was wild, let’s go again. And again. And again.

I used to have this record on vinyl and it sadly was one that got lost along the way between the UK and the US. I’ll say, it sounds mighty fine in that format. For a while in and after college, I lived in a shitty house in East London (it’s definitely fancy now but it was a rathole when I called it home). The kitchen ceiling literally caved in once. Anyway, it was me, my then boyfriend, my best girlfriend, and four other dudes. Sometimes we had just one rotating roommate. The point being it was some chaos, not unlike Fleetwood Mac in the making of Rumours. We were all a damn mess. But we were united any time I stuck this record on my turntable, or any time I was doing the dishes and one of the singles came on my absolutely adorable digital radio that looked like a teeny tiny Marshall Amp (add to list of things I wish I still had). I think of the good times in those kinda bad times when I hear Rumours, which is sort of the point of the album, as pointed out by Stevie in 2002:

“If you took out all the bad stuff in the band, the songs wouldn’t have happened. There simply wouldn’t have been a Rumours if everything had been fabulous.”

I’ll take her at her word, anyone with bangs that effortless can really do no wrong.

[mad-maximoff]

So I'm writing again..

Shocking! I know lol, anyways I’m writing a Delores X Reader fanfic currently but I just re-watched Mafia Mamma again and I have another Kristin X Bianca idea. The only problem is I don’t know what to do. Smut wise I mean.😏 anybody wanna give me some ideas??

[morphringwiselove]

T posing at you. On a different note, how are you doing? Also, do you have any ocs?

*decides to be quirky and A pose at you back*

Physically, I'm not doing well at all. My job is constantly on skeleton crew mode and they love to fucking overwork me in particular. I work at a deli in a well known chain of stores and its a retail / fast food environment and its fucking hell. Can't leave it cause its the highest paying job within walking distance and I dont have a car. My shoulders in particular hurt a shit ton, my arms ache and my hands are shaking from the caffeine still in my system. Mentally not doing too well either but that's just my default.

[ OC Info Dump incoming lolololol i just got really into depth describing her]

I do have OCs! Currently only have one for BTD and her name is Helena. Still deciding on a last name for her, cant exactly decide between Kalypso, Trinidad, or Gumamela (leaning more onto Trinidad tho). I made her to excuse my selfshipping tendencies for Lawrence (i just got a thing for sad blonds) and she evolved from there. I liked Lawrence's lore and the concept of the River, and Helena evolved to explore a 'what if' that Gatobob answered.

Can't remember it exactly but essentially if Lawrence gets too attached to someone and kills them on accident, he would poison himself and try to prevent their soul from passing and forcefully revive them, effectively making them "immortal" and an "unnatural being" like him. That and they're a lot more influenced by him bc he has their thread or some shit like that lol (kinda like the moirai! hence the heavy greek refs)

If Lawrence represents Decay, then I want Helena represents Growth. I want their eventual relationship to be really toxic and horrible, initially on his side (which yeah no shit, with the stalking and kidnapping thing), and eventually with her being just as bad, if not worse; A relapse of bad behavior on her end. I also want to throw a reference to like the ouroboros but idk if the relationship kinda works as that.

I also remember that Gato has described Lawrence to be a nihilist and I wanted Helena to represent the other side of nihilism (think of that nothing in life matters meme), but with her struggling with it. A memey way of describing it would be like she strives to have a "fuck it we ball" energy when she is in fact, not ballin at all

I also remember that the River can turn "you into a monster" if you constantly deny your death, which is evident in Lawrence becoming the Lich in TPOF, so I want Helena to become a Nymph for Wisteria trees (due to their symbolism! and cause they pretty :D) and for her to look like a Darkwood character once in that form. It works well with the river motif that I wanted these two to have.

That's all I got cooked up for Helena writing-wise atm! I'm still conflicted on how she should look bc she's a self-insert to OC so she looks like me but not; more or less an idealized vers of me. I'm really sorry for the infodump I'm just really happy someone asked :] If it isn't obvious, I really love using symbolism or at least heavy referencing for my OCs. If no idea in the world is truly original anymore, I might as well honor the original and have my own take on it.

I also have 3 OCs outside of BTD! Their names are Danikka Jun "DJ" Milao, Delores Lena and Polaris Helest! These 3 are mainly based off the Ego, the Id, and the Superego (in that order) of myself, at least to the extent that I understand and are influenced by the classes and subjects I took back when I was still in school. Their inception happened bc I would doodle characters to get through my classes and they were the few that I bother giving a name to :)

[xxx-theartofsuicide-xxx]

You know, I do believe your theory of the BJ2 story being a dark and quirky dream world à la Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz is a very interesting idea that needs to be explored by other fanfic writers as well. Having said that... How could it all be far better than the literal plot? I mean, if we follow that notion to it's logical extreme, then Betelgeuse essentially convinced Lydia somehow to allow him to fashion a mental prison that she can't easily escape because it becomes an addiction to her, gradually. And how does Lydia function in the real world, doesn't it bother her that Winter Riverites think of her as a recluse and an odd woman who probably ceased her interest in being an ordinary human being? I mean, yeah, Lydia wouldn't really give a shit about them, but what if Betelgeuse's shenanigans get to a point where they have to get the authorities to check up the house on the hill? Isn't it far too psychotic for Betelgeuse to torment Lydia this way, just so she can finally accept him in every sense of the word, even if it means waiting for her time to come for her to finally accept him and what he can offer her, other than the things her dream self can only have, like a daughter and a TV host job? Sorry but BJ2 is still a mess of a film at the end of the day, and while it's an interesting idea if that's what Tim went with, in your view, it was unfortunately poorly executed in some regards and not utilized its storyline the way the original film did. No question that it gaves us cool Beetlebabes moments, but Tim went back to his bad impulses yet again and the weak script really didn't help matters all that much but to each their own.

And just because some people don't like the newer movie unabashedly as yourself and others do, doesn't mean we betrayed the fandom or shit like that; it's just that the storylines had to have been better thought out and the execution of the ideas presented as more thought out than most of the jumbled mess of the movie we got, but like a wise man said, "Nostalgia's a hell of a drug" but what do I know? I'm just some gal. Like I said, enjoyed the Beetlebabes moments, but had to have been more better streamlined as a story than the series of gaudy Hollywood cliches and not clever banter we ended up with.

And if this is just a dream, what we saw of Delores was perhaps Betelgeuse's own impressions of her and what she would do if she gets her hands on Lydia?

Look, there's no need to give me and other people crap for not loving this new movie to bits, but it's still a Hollywood blockbuster type and it's gonna be judged on those terms as well, even if Tim Burton's name on it. It's not above valid criticism of any kind, unfortunately.

Again, your interpretation of the dreamverse is so much darker than mine and I don't believe you actually did read my theory or else you would understand that it's not BJ doing this to Lydia: it's Lydia asking for it because she wants to be a mother. You are putting words in my mouth I never said and painting an ugly scene I never painted.

Read it again. Then again.

Until you people actually read and digest the information therein, I cannot communicate with you. It's tiresome and exasperating.

I'm not giving anyone shit. I'm sitting I'm here venting untagged on my personal blog answering asks and telling people why I'm exasperated with this fandom and spending less time here. People like you add to that weight.

You nosy, illiterate, uncultured motherfuckers just won't leave me alone. You, anon, are the one placing undue value on my opinion. Idgaf about yours.

The only reason the dreamverse is "my" theory is because no one else is bothering to acknowledge that the film is a dream. That's a problem with y'all that I can't diagnose. It's some serious normie shit.

[cattatonically]

Dead Serious Case #2: Mrs. Delores Abernathy - Vawn Cassidy (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed, book 2)

Synopsis

In the business of unfinished business…

It’s been over six months since a freak accident left pathologist Tristan Everett able to see ghosts, something he has yet to confess to his boyfriend. Instead, he now has a new calling, one he’s not entirely happy about… help the dead resolve their unfinished business so they can pass into the light, sounds simple right?

Wrong…

When the spirit of a sweet old lady suffering from Alzheimers follows him home he has no idea how to help her. When he finds out she’s been murdered by arsenic poisoning, a curiously outdated murder weapon, he once again finds himself tangled up in a murder investigation.

For Inspector Danny Hayes of New Scotland Yard, life couldn’t be better. After moving to London and meeting Tristan he’s ready to move their relationship to the next level, but something weird is going on with Tristan, he’s acting very strangely and with a killer on the loose he’s not taking any chances. He’s determined to discover whatever it is Tristan’s hiding from him.

Surrounded by a bunch of potentially murderous old ladies and aided by his sidekick, deceased drag queen and spirit guide in training, Dusty, Tristan must unravel the mystery of Mrs Delores Abernathy’s unfinished business and find the courage to share his deepest secret with the man he loves.

From author Wendy Saunders writing as Vawn Cassidy, comes the second book in this funny and touching paranormal MM romance/dark comedy suspense series.

My Thoughts

Tristan’s had six months to get accustomed to life as a medium – sort of. And he’s also had six months of getting to know the new people in his life, Dusty, Chan (Dusty’s life-long best friend), and Danny. But it’s also six months he hasn’t been able to tell Danny about his ability, and that will have to change sooner rather than later. But first, he has to help Mrs. Delores Abernathy with her unfinished business.

I never expected a murder mystery to involve a long-term care home for patients with varying dementia diagnoses, a community centre filled with retired ladies, and more cryptic ghosts than ever, but here we are. This murder mystery is absolutely nothing like I expected, but that’s what made it so much fun. It was a wild experience from beginning to end, and I honestly don’t know what to make of most of it.

There is something deeper at play here – there’s a long game being threaded along plot-wise, and I’m extremely intrigued. I’m also mildly terrified. There are precious few things that give me more anxiety than the unknown, and that’s definitely what’s going on behind the scenes – the complete unknown.

But Tristan’s not flying blind alone. Tristan’s built himself quite a community of ghosts who are helping him along his journey. And while some ghosts are a fair bit more cryptic than others – Evangeline comes to mind here – others truly do just want to help make things as peaceful as possible. And these ghosts will likely need to step up in a big way, if the ominous warnings Tristan’s received are anything to go by.

The second book of this series was far more plot-advancing than character-building, and I’m okay with that. I’m already desperately emotionally attached to these characters, and I have a feeling moving forward, we’re going to have a solid mix of both. Especially with Tristan and Danny becoming far more serious in their relationship. It’s going to continue to be an interesting adventure, and I’m here for it.

[greensparty]

Movie Reviews: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice / Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos

This week I got to review a narrative and a documentary, both highly anticipated!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

There's been an alarming trend in recent years of sequels to movies that came out thirty-plus years ago. In some cases you have one that is so good it actually exceeds the original (Top Gun: Maverick), in others it isn't nearly as good as the original (Coming 2 America), and then you get something that is better than expected (A Christmas Story Christmas). Which brings us to the sequel to 1988's ghost comedy Beetlejuice. Following up his feature directorial debut Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Tim Burton made a wild LOL movie anchored by a crazy performance from Michael Keaton (who Burton reunited with on his Batman movies). It combined Burton’s trademark sense of macabre with an original story and visual comedy sprinkled throughout. Since the initial release, it became a bonafide cult film. There had been rumors of a sequel for years, but the closest we came was the animated TV series (1989-1991) and a Broadway musical. With Tim Burton returning and much of the original cast, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opened this weekend.

movie poster

Lydia (Winona Ryder), the former goth teen, is now a host of paranormal TV show. A death in the family brings her together with her stepmother Delia (Catherine O'Hara) and her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) in the quaint town of Winter River. Along for the ride is Rory (Justin Theroux), Lydia's boyfriend and producer. Some strange occurrences begin happening around Halloween that cause Beetlegeuse (Michael Keaton) to come back as well as his ex Delores (Monica Bellucci) and a ghost detective (Willem Dafoe).

The Beetlejuice action figure I had as a kid circa 1989

The genius in the original is that Burton was depicting the macabre, but not in a morbid disturbing way, more in a comedic and cartoonish approach. Keaton's performance only reinforced Burton's comedic approach. I am happy to say that same magic both Burton and Keaton had on the original is back here. It is way better than it has any right to be! I laughed out loud at more than a few parts and the sheer over-the-top in-your-face design of the original is done even more so here. In a lesser director's hands they would over-rely on CGI, but here it was mostly done in a similar way as the original. I've always been a fan of Burton since Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and even when the movie is bad, there's still an interesting aesthetic approach his films have. I attended his art exhibit at MoMA in 2010 and you can see his fingerprints are all over the Beetlejuice movies. I'm happy to say this is Burton's best movie since Big Fish. Maybe he's older and wiser as a director now, or maybe it took some time for the right screenplay to come along, but this is Burton firing on all cylinders. Oh - and it's one of the best Burton soundtracks yet.

For info on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

4 out of 5 stars

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos

One of the great documentarians of our time is Alex Gibney. He won an Oscar for 2007's Taxi to the Dark Side, going deep into the War in Afghanistan. He's done a number of deep dives into a variety of topics including Hunter S. Thompson (Gonzo), Eliot Spitzer (Client 9), Julian Assange (We Steal Secrets), Rolling Stone magazine (Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge), and the government's handling of the pandemic during the pandemic (Totally Under Control). But his most astonishing doc IMHO is Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (I included it in my Best Documentaries of the 2010s). No investigation into the controversial and secretive religion of scientology has gotten this in-depth prior or since. For a while there it seemed like Gibney was knocking out a new doc each week, he has been that prolific. Now Gibney, a longtime NJ resident, is turning his attention to a famous NJ creator David Chase and more specifically his magnum opus The Sopranos (HBO 1999-2007). The crime series looked at NJ mob boss Tony Soprano juggling his mafia with this family and his own anxieties which send him to see a therapist. It was so well written with such rich characters. Every episode was like it’s own movie setting you up for the next chapter. It also was a breakthrough series about an anti-hero and paved the way for shows like Breaking Bad. After it ended in 2007 there was a serious void in television. Many critics have not only called it the greatest TV show of all time, but the greatest pop culture event of all time. I got into the series circa 1999 / 2000 as it was becoming the water cooler TV show of its time. Since it was on HBO it didn't shy away from sex or violence and it was also a crime series where pop culture existed and characters discussed The Godfather and Goodfellas.

movie poster

Premiering on HBO, the home of The Sopranos, the 2-part documentary mini-series Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos goes deep into both the series and the creator himself. On a soundstage, Gibney sits down with Chase on set that's a replica of Dr. Melfi's office where Tony Soprano worked through many an issue over the years. The metaphor for doctor-patient and documentarian-subject is anything but subtle, but it works as both a metaphor and a structural device. Chase tells his story in his own words and it is intercut with Sopranos clips, behind the scenes footage, and various cast / crew interviews. There's a lot of Chase talking about himself, growing up in NJ, getting into film, his career in television and then it goes deep into the series itself. They use a great deal of archival interviews with the late great James Gandolfini, who died in 2013.

2001 Rolling Stone cover featuring Chase and the cast

As a fan of The Sopranos, I completely devoured this doc. To hear Chase and the cast give us insider Baseball anecdotes about what they did, how, and why is something I could watch all day! It needs to be stressed that the emphasis is clearly on The Sopranos. We get a little of Chase's background but it would've been nice to go a little deeper in some of his other shows (he won Emmy Awards for more than just Sopranos) and it only briefly addresses the highly underrated 2012 film Not Fade Away, which marked Chase's feature film directorial debut. They also didn't even mention the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark (my #3 Movie of 2021) that Chase wrote and produced. It also would've been interesting to see if he had any future TV or film plans at age 79. I guess it is sort of a compliment that for a 2-part doc series, I wanted a little more, but maybe that's me as a fan talking more than as a critic of this doc itself. But let's toast to Gibney giving Chase the doc treatment he deserves!

For info on Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos

4.5 out of 5 stars

[lboogie1906]

Carol Denise Betts (Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash, is an actress, comedian, and television host, known for her performances on television.

She made her professional acting debut in Boys on the Side. She guest-starred in NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Reba, Girlfriends, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and ER. She appeared in Cookie's Fortune and had a recurring role in City of Angels in 2000.

She hosted Clean House (2003-10) for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award 2010. She played the role of Deputy Raineesha Williams in Reno 911! (2003–09). She received two nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her performance as nurse Denise "DiDi" Ortley in Getting On (2013–15). She starred as Lolli Ballantine on The Soul Man (2012-16) and played Denise Hemphill in Scream Queens (2015–16). She began starring as Desna Simms, a leading character in Claws.

She has played several roles in films and has made many guest appearances on television shows. She played the role of civil rights activist Richie Jean Jackson in Selma. She starred as Delores Wise in When They See Us, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She portrayed feminist leader Florynce Kennedy in Mrs. America. She served as a guest host of the show The Masked Singer for five episodes.

She is a spokesperson for M.A.V.I.S. (Mothers Against Violence In Schools). She attended California State University, Dominguez Hills.

She married Don Nash (1994-2007), an ordained minister. They have three children together. She married Jay Tucker (2011-2020). She married singer Jessica Betts (2020). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[jaybookunedited]

Oprah’s Message:  “If When They See Us is Hard to Watch...”

Oprah is over the moon about the success of the Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series “When They See Us.” As an executive producer for the project, Ms. Winfrey made it clear: “If you haven’t seen yet...please do. And for everyone who says it’s “hard to watch,” think about the people who still find it “hard to live.” All those families impacted!”

The four part series which premiered last Friday tells the true story of the black teenagers known as the Central Park Five. Under the hand of the law, these children were wrongfully and aggressively accused of the rape of a 28-year-old white woman in 1989. Their case resonated across the globe due the lack of evidence against them and the mishandling of justice on their behalf. Although later vindicated and awarded $41 million dollars by New York City, these children went to prison with one of them, Korey Wise, serving 12 years of a 5 - 15 year sentence.

Via Instagram Oprah praised actor Jharrel Jerome with a photo and caption, "Can we all stand up and give @jharreljerome a round of applause. Incredible performance #standingovation." Jharrel, who portrayed Korey Wise, added a comment to her post saying, “ Thank you so much, Oprah. From the bottom of my heart. You have inspired my family and I, and have taught us how to love and overcome. For my work to deserve a standing ovation from you is UNBELIEVABLE. Okay. I’m gonna go cry and tell my mom now.” Oprah also shouted out the actresses who played his mother and transgender sister in the series.

Since the release of the provocative true story, white privilege has been revoked for Linda Fairstein. Based off of the accurate telling of the story, Fairstein has been forced to resign from executive boards, close out her social media accounts, and was stripped of her 1993 Glamour Magazine Women of the Year Award. In a open letter, Editor in Chief Samantha Barry shared “Unequivocally, Glamour would not bestow this honor on her today. She received the award in 1993, before the full injustices in this case were brought to light. Though the convictions were later vacated and the men received a settlement from the City of New York, the damage caused is immeasurable.” The #CancelLindaFairstein has pretty much ended the former prosecutor for her racist, prejudice, and negligent role in robbing black children of justice. Fairstein, who went on to become a best selling author, has also been dropped from many retailers.

Even after the admitted and proven criminal, Matias Reyes, was found to be guilty with DNA evidence, Fairstein still maintains she was right about the case. In a 2013 tweet, President Donald J. Trump, who took out a $88,000 dollar ad calling for the death penalty for the kids accused said, “The Central Park Five documentary was a one sided piece of garbage that didn't explain the horrific crimes of these young men while in park.”  

Thankfully karma has come back to re-balance the scales of justice!