#I wish we got more backstory and day in the life moments with Billy

[allaboardtheussharringrove]

Yeah yeah

Alright

You can’t convince me Billy never met Joyce Byers while he went/was sent to Melvald’s throughout his time alive in Hawkins🙄

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Nyambi Nyambi, The Good Fight

Nyambi Nyambi currently stars as investigator Jay DiPersia in The Good Fight, which is now in its fourth season on CBS All Access. Most notably known for his rendition of sarcastic café owner Samuel in Mike & Molly, Nyambi’s other tv credits include PBS’ Mercy Street, NBC’s Blindspot, and ABC’s American Koko. In theater, Nyambi has performed both on and off-broadway. He will next be seen in the new Billy Crystal movie Here Today. A comic book aficionado and avid gamer, he lent his voice to the Martian Manhunter in the animated features The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen. Nyambi is a first-generation Nigerian-American and serves alongside Danai Gurira on the board for Almasi Collaborative Arts, an organization dedicated to developing emerging African artists. Check it out:

You have worked in both the theatre and on screens. How does your work/preparation differ? Do you prefer one over the other?

I love being on set. When I was a ballplayer, I was known as a “gym rat”. Always on a basketball court working on my game. Nowadays, the set is my gym. I’m on set even on my days off because I love seeing the work all come together. However, my roots are in the theater, so the thrill of being on stage in front of a live audience is almost impossible to beat.

Before every scene or play, I write down a list of reminders from advice I’ve received over the years, words that have inspired me: 

BREATHE | LISTEN | IMAGINE with the five senses | GO GET WHAT YOU WANT| SURPRISE YOURSELF | TRUST your partner | the work, IT’S DEEPER | ALL THE PIECES MATTER | NOTHING IS SOMETHING | You know what…F@#% IT | LET GO & PLAY

Be prepared to let go and play. I do a lot of research in my prep to build enough confidence to let go and play. When preparing for a play, the story is all there for the actors to unpack. What isn’t on the page but needed to tell the story will be imagined to further deepen those discoveries. 

When preparing for episodic television, you make strong choices that move you based on what is on the latest version of that script. Still, you have to be flexible with what you’ve imagined because what is on the page the next week can contradict that. I remember when I first got Mike & Molly, I had created this elaborate backstory the same way I would for a play. Every script after that, I’d either discover something new about the character or something that contradicted what I previously imagined for the character. It became a fun game of “who am I this week?” I had to let go and play. So, the immigration episode on The Good Fight was another example of turning my personal imagined backstory on its head. That made the shock of the episode all the more real for me.

Can you take us through a typical day on the set of The Good Fight?

The moment I sit in the passenger seat of the van sent to pick me up is when my day on set begins. It’s my first opportunity to connect with another person, an opportunity to listen. That driver has usually been waiting thirty minutes to an hour before my pick-up time, so the least I could do is say, “thank you for waiting.” Then from there, the conversation goes where it wants to go. I’ve listened to amazing life stories, discovered new music, received invaluable advice on relationships, shared a mutual love for Star Trek: The Next Generation, and learned how to drum from a world-class drummer. All on my way to work.

When I arrive, I make a point to say hello to all I can as a PA ushers me to my dressing room. I write a couple of pages of continuous stream of consciousness on the day’s scenes before I head up to Hair & Make-up. This is where the most fun happens and where I will first see the actors I get to play with that day. The music and joy I experience in HMU, along with the physical transformation, make this an opportunity to let go of the outside world and drop into this blessing that we all get to share in together. We’re making great television. I love the men and women in that room. Once I’m camera ready, I’ll either say, “see you on the ice” or “see you on the court.”

I head back to my dressing room to get into wardrobe while warming up my voice and speech. Once dressed, I get approved by someone from the wardrobe department. Once approved, a PA will let me know when it’s time to go to set for rehearsal. When that time comes, I’ll greet the episode’s director and the other actors, and we’ll go through the scene for lines, then for blocking and then for the crew for marks. We then wait 10-15 minutes for cameras to get into position, which is more time for me to drop in through drawing or music. When they’re ready, we block it for cameras. Once it all looks good, they’ll say, “Last looks,” and hair, Make-up, and Wardrobe will make sure we look right. The actors then get into position before the director yells out, “ACTION!”

As actors, our energy sets the tone, and I think it’s important to be a joy on that set, not a concern.

If you could be any kind of superhero you wished, what would be your ideal superhero combination (title, power, public persona)?

Right now, my ideal superhero combination would be the ability to mutate on a cellular or molecular level. That would enable me to look like any person, but more importantly, to replicate the necessary physiology of an immune body to cure disease. Every-Man. When I’m not Every-Man, I’m a lab technician at Cedars Sinai Hospital.

What advice would you give to young Black actors looking to get their first break in the industry?

That’s why I say I have a thousand mentors. The men and women before you have lived it so they can tell it. Don’t be afraid to ask for their advice. The learning never stops. Keep going, keep growing, and ever-evolving. What’s for you will be yours, and what’s not for you, you celebrate the one it’s for and keep going, trusting your time will come. January 7, 2010, I was negative $300 in my bank account, but I was skipping down the street because a quote a mentor told me over and over again finally became my gospel truth: “This is but a season in my life, it’s not my life. And as the seasons change, so too will this.” The next day was my audition for Mike & Molly.

What’s your favorite comic/comic universe? Why?

My favorite comic depends on the mood I’m in. It can range from J Michael Straczynski’s Supreme Power, Frank Miller’s Batman Year One, or currently, Bitter Root by Chuck Brown, David F. Walker, & Sanford Greene. My favorite comic universe is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Why, because they’re green. Seriously, the current IDW run is so good. I grew up loving Donatello because he may not have the leadership of a Leonardo, nor the brute strength of Raphael or the Zen charisma of a Michelangelo, but he does have that brain. Plus, a broomstick was the only item in the house that resembled any of their weapons.

What would be your dream role to play? Why?

My dream role would be connected to basketball in some way because it informed such a huge part of my life, playing through college. Otherwise, I’m fascinated by comic book artists such as Denys Cowan, who was one of the founders of Milestone Comics, a phenomenal universe created and owned by African Americans.

Thanks for taking the time, Nyambi! Head on over to Action to check out the rest of our #BlackExcellence365 Spotlights. 

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Couldn't agree more re friendships. That was one of the strengths of Emmerdale in the old days. Aaron/Adam or Nicola/Laurel were really well built consistently shown friends. None of that is there anymore - Liv and Gabby - no interaction since a huge event in Gabbys life. You would hardly know Vic and Amy live together. Even romantic relationships like Vic and Luke are so thinly drawn that there is nothing to them. I like the idea of Billy and Aaron becoming friends, that would be believable in a way that Aaron and Luke or Ethan becoming friends wouldnt. But where is Billy? He has only been in one episode since before Christmas.

We really have lost most of the friendships these days. Obviously Adam left which ruined that friendship. Nicola and Laurel still occasionally have good scenes but nowhere near as much as they used to. I suppose you could partly blame Covid for that. Marlon and Paddy are still around and like I’m glad they don’t show them together that much cause I hate Paddy these days but even that friendship has suffered a lot. 

I really hate that they just gave up on Gabby and Liv’s friendship. The rare occasion they actually do have scenes is always welcome. But now it’s like we don’t even know what Liv thinks about Gabby being pregnant or if she even knows. Gabby hasn’t been there for Liv during any of this ordeal with Vinny and Paul. She was in a barn explosion and you wouldn’t think Gabby had even heard about it. I just feel like there’s nothing wrong with characters having their own plots but still interacting to offer new insights to those stories by getting a friend perspective. I mean one of my favorite scenes with Adam and Aaron is that one at the cricket pavilion where Aaron is dealing with all of the Jackson stuff and Adam tells him about having the affair with Ella while being Mia and it actually makes Aaron smile for the first time in a while. It’s such a great little scene. 

As for Vic and Amy, I mean they’d both have to actually be on screen more to be able to develop that friendship again but you’re right, I often forget they both live there. 

I feel like if they interspersed a bit more every day life and friendships into the show, it would be a lot stronger. And it would allow for some lighter moments that people have been craving. I mean that one episode where Vic/Amy/Matty/Luke/Ethan all hung out at the Hide to get Matty and Amy together was such a welcome change from the usual. They need to do more of that. 

Or like, what happened to Priya and Leyla’s friendship. We got one little scene of them talking about Ellis but give me more. And let Tracy back into the friend group so she can do more than whine about the baby and Nate. 

Back in the day when Chas, Katie, Charity and Gennie used to all interact and be friendly with each other? That stuff was great. And there can be smaller bits of drama between friends that can make for shorter stories to break up some of the big stuff. 

As for Billy, yes, he really has disappeared. I wish they’d give him something to do. I’m still mad that they gave him and Aaron that backstory since it’s not like we even saw Billy in those scenes since he didn’t exist yet. And Aaron was never really even that clear about what he did or didn’t do as a part of it all. Especially since they never did anything worthwhile with that rivalry or animosity, it just feels like a pointless reason why they can’t be friends now. I wish they’d just had them know each other from prison without having this whole big thing and then they could have bonded over it instead. It all just feels like one of the many missed opportunities. 

This is all over the place but...GIVE PEOPLE FRIENDS AGAIN! 

(Also friendships could help the romantic relationships because friends can talk about each others relationships and give more insight into them)

[memes-saved-me]

@ohmybgosh requested a little something from my X-men AU verse for the Harringrove for BLM fundraiser, so here you go!

A little context: Billy is Angel/ has wings and Steve is Sunspot/collects solar energy and can use it in a variety of ways such as flying

~

This was a mistake, a really bad idea but there Steve was in the doorway of their room. It was their room now, not his and he loved that. The fact there was now random posters for Metallica and Mötley Crüe and an actual mattress on the floor for Billy. One that they could slip under the bed during the day.

But there he was, watching the winged boy as he looked out of the window. Standing in his usual loose white vest and jeans. His hair had the same golden tinge it had whenever the light hit it just right and at that moment it was.

Steve took a deep breath and closed the door behind him, Billy turned to look at him as he did. "Hey".

"Hey", Billy smiled and leant on the windowsill with his arms crossed, making his arms bigger and more defined. "What's with that face?".

"What face?".

"A face like you're about to tell me you ran over my cat or some shit". Billy furrowed his brow and kept his eyes on him.

"Do you want to, I don't know do something tonight?". Steve asked and immediately felt the familiar gut-wrenching regret run through him as he waited for the answer to the question he wished he hadn't asked.

"Yeah, sure. What you thinking?". Billy replied like it was the most normal question a friend could ask and that freaked Steve out even more.

"Just thought we could chill, maybe some beers or something". Billy's face lit up and he practically leapt from the window to about a foot away from Steve.

"Now you're talking". He smiled and patted Steve on the shoulder.

"I'll find somewhere and let you know". With that Steve was gone and so was his rational self because he began sprinting towards the front door and then across the gardens to find where the hell he was going to set up this 'chill out night'.

He would always take Nancy into town or the woodland area but he didn't want to do something like that for Billy. Billy deserved something special, something with effort and Steve was stumped by this. In some attempt to figure it out he shot up into the air, stopping once he could see for miles around the manor and then he saw it. The coast.

That night he came to their room, again and thankfully he saw the two large wings he admired so dearly spread out by the bed. Billy was stretching before be turned with a smile. "Where to?".

"It's a surprise". Steve replied and walked over to open the window.

"Is that so?". Billy smirked and came up behind him, his body heat threatening to make his legs go weak. Steve was, of course, a warm person, it wouldn't make sense if he wasn't but Billy wasn't mutant warm, he was human warm and that was something he craved.

"Do you trust me?". He turned to face him and instantly saw those blue eyes of his.

"Always".

With that, Steve had Billy in his arms as they shot across the night sky at a speed that somewhat concerned Billy because he had never seen him like this before. Except he didn't say anything, he just made sure his wings were out and ready if needed.

They landed and Billy had no idea where they were. All he knew was that they were surrounded by the ocean. Not the warm, clear ocean he had grown up with but a cold dark infinite type that seemed to never end.

For a moment they stood on the loose sand beneath them and that was when Billy noticed Steve hadn't said anything. Not even an explanation.

"Do you trust me?". Steve asked again and looked at Billy with those stupid big brown eyes.

"Always". He replied just as he always did to that question. The question Steve asked more for himself than for Billy.

"Right then, let's go". Steve said and took off walking and without hesitation, Billy followed closely as the cool sea air filled their lungs.

Billy was so busy looking at the ocean that he hadn't noticed Steve had stopped until he walked right into him and when he turned to look he saw the blankets and lights. There were candles of all different colours and shapes sat in the sand around the red and blue blankets flattened out with cushions and plates, a 6 pack and a small tupperware box filled with something Billy didn't recognise.

"Did you do this?". He asked sitting down and looking up at Steve as he hovered. Waiting for a reaction.

"Yeah", he sat down but was looking at his hands in his lap. "I wanted to do something nice for you".

Billy was completely overwhelmed. No one had ever done something like this for him. Anything for him at all without expecting something back until Steve. Just the look on Steve's face made his chest tight and he could feel the worry coming from him.

"Thank you", he said and Steve looked up, the relief ran through him making his shoulders drop and the air in his lungs escape. "Seriously. And if you'd said this was a date I would've put a nicer shirt on or something".

That made Steve laugh and that was all Billy needed to take his hand, rubbing his thumb over his palm to sort of comfort him but also fulfil his need for touch. They hugged and pushed each other, played around like friends do but Steve hadn't been touched with such affection in so long he felt a tear welling up in his eye, he stopped it not to ruin the moment.

"Want some food?". Steve asked trying to distract himself from it all getting too much. He wanted to hold Billy as if he'd never see him again but you can't just do that to someone, especially someone like Billy.

A once closed off, just opening up person who needed trust and comfort. You can't just rush things.

"Yeah". Billy smiled and pulled back to let Steve serve their diner. Whatever was in that container stunk, Billy's enhanced senses didn't exactly help.

"Oh no", Steve stared down at it. "I think the sun ruined it". He sighed and put the lid back on.

"It's fine. We can sneak a snack when we get back". Billy was determined to keep this good. To make sure Steve wasn't saddened by his mess-ups.

He needed to act like he wasn't freaking out at the fact they were on a date and how perfect it actually was because he knew that would scare Steve to the point things would go wrong to the point of unfixable. With his unbalanced emotions causing destruction like nothing he had ever seen before, he needed to keep him happy.

"Yeah, sorry. Beer?".

"Do you need to ask?". Billy took the can with a smile and looked out at the blackness of the ocean. "You know why I love the ocean?".

"Why?". Steve perked up at the interruption to the comfortable silence that normally fell on them.

"It has so many secrets. She's seen, death and life since the start of time and probably before that but stays so beautiful". He said and Steve was astonished.

"Do you miss California?". Steve asked and it was a stupid question really but he wanted him to keep talking, keep telling him his inner thoughts. More so than the ones he had already heard, more than just a hero's tragic backstory.

"Not as much anymore". He replied and twisted his drink into the sand.

"Why?". Steve asked and Billy chuckled. He was so amused by the question and Steve just didn't get it. "What?".

"You", Billy smiled. "I used to miss the warmth of the sun on my skin and the good memories but now I have the sun right here. I can touch it". He reached out and pushed a piece of Steve's hair behind his ear.

Steve felt his cheeks light up, the human way not literally.

"It's you, you idiot". Billy finished with and before Steve even knew it was happening Billy was kissing him. Kissing him so softly, so deeply that he almost couldn't take it. Before he knew it his drink was seeping into the sand and his hands were cupping Billy's face. Billy's hands holding his waist as he got closer and closer until he was straddling his lap.

Billy pulled away and looked up into his eyes and the look, the ocean filled eyes staring at him made his fill with tears. Neither of them spoke because they couldn't say what they wanted to in the words they had. That kiss had said it all.

All of Steve's longing and need for just someone to touch him like Billy could was happening and at that moment his ramblings would ruin what they had just shared.

"You're beautiful". Billy breathed as he ran his hand over his cheek to wipe away the tears.

Before it became too much, just looking into his eyes as if they were the only thing left on Earth Steve leant down and pressed his lips to his once more. This time it was quick, a confirmation of his feelings.

"Wanna come back to my place?" Billy smiled and Steve just laughed.

"No, my place is nicer". He replied and they both chuckled before going in for more because they knew from then on that they would never get enough of this feeling. The feeling of being wanted, the feeling of being loved.

~

Thank you for donating and hope you like it!!!!😁

[madamrogersstorytelling]

Day 1: Seven favorite fanfics

I started to read fanfiction about Ben only a short while ago - I can tell it was exactly the moment I fell in love with him, everything about him; his personality, his looks, his performances, the way he just is who he is. There is something extremely inspiring in him, and I totally understand the amount of fanfiction I found while scrolling through Tumblr looking for something to read. I found a lot of good writings.

Ever since I’ve read lots of fics, most of them during nights before sleeping. I’m laying on my bed in darkness reading Ben Barnes fanfiction on Tumblr - what else could I wish for? All those people writig those fics have made me smile and cry and laugh and everything in between and it’s the best thing about being a part of a fandom.

It was nearly impossible to list only seven, and this order may not be exactly accurate. I’m going to say something about every fic so that people know why it is on my list.

1. A Recipe For Love by @padfootagain 

Caspian X/Reader, 12 chapters

“Your life was quiet, working in the Royal Kitchens and craving for a chance to become a cook. But your whole world changes when your eyes meet the King’s gaze…”

I instantly fell in love with this one. There was something magical in the first chapter that I read the second right after it and actually stayed up a bit too late. But I didn’t mind. The story goes on smoothly and with a comfortable pace, the character of the reader is relatable, and Caspian is charming as always. Carole has the talent to write Caspian; her Caspian is in character and in humanly way full of flaws and she shows him as the man he is when he doesn’t have his crown. That’s what I liked in this one: Caspian is written as the man he truly is, the man who knows and carries the weight of his responsibilities as the king of Narnia. But, at the same time, as a man who wants nothing more than to be with a girl he loves.

2. Lioness by @padfootagain

Caspian X/Reader, 6 chapters

“Caspian quickly understands that you are stronger than you look. But as his feelings grow for you, a threat spreads across Narnia as well, and your life is soon at stake. Will he be fast enough to save you? “

This caught my interest after I had finished all Carole’s one shots about Caspian. I could’ve put any of those to this list, I loved them all. What I liked about this one was how strong the character of the reader is. She knows how to use a sword and is not afraid to use it but she isn’t a cold character. As someone who would like to be someone who fights and takes care of herself (in short: I wouldn’t like to be a lady, a princess or anything like that, no. I’d rather be an outlaw, for instance. Quite a hard choice but I wouldn’t be able to live my life as a princess. Or then again, I could be the one who learns to fight and take care of herself. My dream is to be a Ranger of the North), I could relate to the character quite well and was able to imagine myself in her place. This series was exciting, it got me when bad things started to happen but I wasn’t able to stop smiling. And I cried during the last chapter. It was far too beautiful.

3. The Flue In the Summer by @padfootagain

Ben Barnes/Reader, a one shot

“When you come home sick, Ben is here to make sure that you will soon feel better.”

I’m the one who gets sick once during every winter, spring and fall, sometimes even summer. I catch a cold far too easily. (Hell, I think I’m going to be sick soon, my nose is weird...) So this was fun to read haha! Can I call Ben already to get ready for nursing me? I’d need someone like him to take care of me when I’m sick. This one shot is totally the cutest and fluffiest thing ever! When someone is in desperate need for fluff, this should be their go to fic because fluff guaranteed!

4. What's The Coffee For Today? by @that-bwitch​

Ben Barnes/Reader, a one shot

I’m a romantic even if I don’t always sound or seem like one. I like pretty things, happy things. And this was both. I also love coffee shops more than anything; if I lived in the city, I probably wouldn't do anything else, you'd meet me there every day. I've always dreamed of writing in a coffee shop but have never actually found one that was quiet enough. This, I could hear all the sounds and smell the coffee when I read this, I heard Ben's voice and saw his face. I imagined my favorite coffee shop here. But I love the ending. It left a long-lasting smile to my face. I surely will change my attitude towards coffee now haha!

5. Song For Tomorrows by @padfootagain

Ryan Brenner/Reader, a one shot

“Ryan is ready to stay for you, but this is Dangerous for your heart, and you prefer to let him go. But reading the song he wrote for you most definitely affects you.”

Ryan has a special place in my heart (I’ll probably write about this for another day). Finding fanfiction of him made me more than happy. This is actually the first fic I ever read about Ben Barnes and I can say, there is no turning back. There is everything a fic needs to have to make me cry. This is beautiful, this is sad, this is touching... I simply love this piece.

6. Show Me by @banditthewriter

Billy Russo/Reader, a one shot, contains smut

There was something in this one that caught me. It was probably this softer Billy. I love to see this side of him in fanfiction. In this one it is quite visible, he is willing to focus on the character of the reader, not himself. If I had a man like Billy, he would totally destroy me for everyone else. I’d be a goner. And definitely this softer side of him - although, I think I’d somehow get along with that one we see in The Punisher. I get along with strande kind of people. But yes, there is something in this piece, something about Billy in this one. I love him in this.

7. Scary Love by @hxbbit​

Billy Russo/Reader, 5 chapters, contains smut

This was one of the first Billy Russo fanfics I read. I feel like he is quite in character in this (it’s still hard for me to accept the fact that Billy is completely bad, even being a psychopath he is). I think there can still be a soft side of him, he has just hidden it under many layers of armor. And being one of the first ones, this makes me feel like I get the feeling back, the feeling I had about this character when I read this fic. I’m not gonna lie: I love Billy Russo, even though I probably should hate him. He is far too psychological and has an interesting backstory. All of that is visible in this story. This is also very beautiful in a quite tragic way.

—

I’ve read so many good fics that all of them should’ve gotten a mention. Had to leave so many good ones out of the list but there they still are, in my heart and I go back to them quite often. Thank you, writers, for your amazing fics! Continue writing, it’s visible that you’re enjoying it. Lots of love, everyone ❤️

Happy Ben Barnes week!

@benbarnesweek

[janiedean]

Man, you have no idea how much I hate you. I hate you so much that I’m going to force you to choose between THREE songs to analyze. “Shut out the Light”, “Gypsy Biker” and “The Promise”. I’d wish you best of luck, but I so highly dislike you, that I wouldn’t DARE to offer you such a kindness. (Also, I'm just not sure if you've analyzed any of those yet so I'm covering my bases.)

HELLO ANON THIS IS AN OLD ASK BUT SPRINGSTEEN DAY IS COMING and therefore I’m going with my favorite out of the two I had left (I’ll do the other one asap tho!

*DRUM ROLL*

So: The Promise is one of those mythical songs from Bruce’s vault, in the sense that it’s from the late seventies and everyone knew it existed to the point that it was supposed to be the title-song instead of Darkness on that record but instead he never properly published it because it was too personal and he could never find the right version, which is why there’s like fifteen different takes of it in between the one on tracks, the one on the promise boxset with all the darkness outtakes, the ten live versions and so on - basically he was reworking it for literal years. So I’m just going with my favorite version - I mean I love them all but this one to me is.. just… IT SPEAKS TO ME MORE THAN THE OTHERS? idk but I love this one above all others ;_; (I think I like that it starts slow and goes into full band while the others tend to go either all band all piano idk)

Now, context: in order to get what’s behind this, you need to know that post-Born to Run he ended up in a trial with his former manager of his first two records out of contractual reasons (tldr: the contract he signed at the beginning was shitty and the manager didn’t want to settle for new conditions he found more favorable/fair) that lasted two years and during which he couldn’t publish anything because in the contractual drama there were also song rights involved. So: it was not the best time of his life and he felt it as a betrayal of sorts since he was actually close to the guy and considered him a friend.

With that said, let’s go at it:

Johnny works in a factory and Billy works downtownTerry works in a rock and roll band looking for that million-dollar soundMe sometimes I don’t do nothing, some spend a lot of time aloneSome nights I go to the drive-in and some nights I stay home

Now: the two people in the first line are probably imaginary and they’re there to establish a situation, in the sense that factory and downtown are two types of job that he could have had and his friends could have had, while the third one is relevant to our discussion because he works in a rnr band looking for that million-dollar sound, which is what *he* was doing up until he actually published Born to Run and hit it.

And then, he doesn’t do nothing, spends time alone etc., which is (according to his autobiography too) what he was doing when he couldn’t write or record music thanks to the trial and when he was starting to hit a fairly bad phase in his life. So: he’s basically staying on his own with his thoughts. Not good.

Now: he goes to the drive-in.

I followed that dream just like those guys do way up on the screenRode down the Challenger down Route 9 trough the dead ends and all the bad sceneWhen the promise was broken, I cashed in a few of my own dreams

Key elements we have here: dreams and cars.

Now: follow that dream is the title of another seminal mythical Springsteen bootleg which also sums up a lot of his philosophy, and it’s in a few other songs of his, but in this case: he followed that dream the way people did in the movies, meaning, making music, but that can also apply to anyone trying to make their way through life following some dream they have.

Now: the Challenger is a car which is one of his most basic metaphors, and in this case he rides it ‘through dead ends and bad scenes’, but it’s kind of obvious that it’s about his music, not a car, which he brought through dead ends and bad scenes meaning all the false starts he had until he could actually publish his records.

And then the promise was broken and he cashed in a few of his dreams, meaning that when the legal drama started, he saw it as a broken promise which eventually ended up having to sell his music ie his dreams, which was not what he was hoping for when he went into the business. Actually:

Well now I built that Challenger by myself, but I needed money and so I sold itAnd I lived a secret I should’ve kept to myself, but I got drunk one night and I told itAll my life I fought the fight, the one that no man can ever winEvery day it just gets harder to live the dream I’m believing inThunder Road, here one ride in the morning till it turns lightThunder Road, there’s something dying out on the highway tonight

‘I built that Challenger by myself’ = I wrote that music by myself obviously, and ‘I needed money and so I sold it’ = ‘I signed a bad contract also to survive and bring it to the people’, but that goes into the main narrative of the *fictional character* he’s singing about who has built that car and then sold it. But what’s the real deal in this is the middle section ie I fought the fight no man can ever win + it gets harder to live the dream I’m believing in, as in, we’re back to the main themes of the album consisting in how following your dream doesn’t necessarily means getting what you want nor the end of your problems/fights (the fight that no man can ever win) and living in it can turn into a nightmare (because it gets harder).

Now: the Thunder road part in the refrain has another double meaning because it’s, again, both the title of one of his most iconic songs and the title of a noir movie (remember: he goes to the drive in and wants to live his dreams like people on a screen from before), and we have a) one ride in the morning until the light comes (hopeful imagery), b) something dying on the highway tonight (negative imagery), so that dream he achieved - or anyone else - can either end up hopeful or wrong and it can even be both at the same time, or maybe you can hope it goes well while in truth it’s wrong. Who knows. IT’S UP TO THE INTERPRETER.

Well now I won big once and I hit the coast, oh but somehow I paid that big costI feel like I was carrying the broken spirits of all the other ones who lostWhen the promise is broken you can go on living, but, man, it steals something from down in your soulLike when the truth is spoken, but it don’t make no difference, something in your heart grows coldWell I followed that dream in the southwestern flats to the dead ends and a two-bit barsWhen the promise was broken I was far away from home sleeping in the backseat of a borrowed car

And now we’re at the big guns.

‘I won big once and I hit the coast’: general enough that you can see yourself in it if it happened to you, but if you know the backstory you know it’s about him finally getting to publish his music and somehow paying that big cost anyway (count that in between that, the previous contractual conditions and having to pay off contracts and so on he was half-broke at least until the River tour);

‘the broken spirits of all the other ones who lost’: he feels like even if he won or partially won, he’s still feeling a kinship with anyone else who went through the same situation;

‘you go on living but it steals something down in your soul’: whenever someone breaks your trust in such a bad way when you were intimate friends or partners or whatever even if you go on it breaks something in you that might never change back and it’s actually… a very… universal thing I mean it’s true that if you get betrayed by someone you’re close to it’s usually a bad blow, which goes hand in hand with the ‘something in your heart goes cold’ the moment someone tells you the truth and for you it changes nothing when it should;

the final line is more his fictional character than him, but it lines up with the rest because we have again following a dream through dead ends and he sleeps in the seat of a borrowed car, because he sold the one he made with his own hands and so the breaking of that promise goes with having to sleep somewhere that’s not his and that he can’t relate to and that he feels like has been stolen from him - and he’s also far away from home ie in the place he should feel safest/more at ease.

And:

Thunder Road, here’s one for the lost lovers and all the fixed gamesThunder Road, here’s one for the tires rushing by in the rainThunder Road, remember me and Terry what we’d sayThunder Road, we’re gonna take it all and throw it all away

We’re back at the Thunder Road refrain, where it stands for: a) lost lovers/fixed games ie all the relationships he lost and all the *games* that he hadn’t thought existed before going into the business, b) tires rushing by in the rain ie an image of someone running away in a car under the rain which is not exactly a good omen but still is about getting out of a situation you don’t like, c) something he and the friend in the band used to say, which is d) we’re taking it all and throwing it all away which is the exact same idea as the it’s a town full of losers and we’re pulling out of here to win of Thunder Road’s ending, except that TR’s is optimistic, this one is more ‘we said we would do it and then look at how we ended up’. It’s probably interesting to note that Terry is also the name of the friend in Backstreets with whom the protagonist has a falling out thanks to a supposed betrayal:

Blame it on the lies that killed us Blame it on the truth that ran us down You can blame it all on me Terry It don’t matter to me now When the breakdown hit at midnight There was nothing left to say But I hated him And I hated you when you went away Laying here in the dark You’re like an angel on my chest Just another tramp of hearts Crying tears of faithlessness Remember all the movies, Terry We’d go see Trying to learn to walk like the heroes We thought we had to be Well after all this time To find we’re just like all the rest Stranded in the park And forced to confess To hiding on the backstreets

I mean, coincidences? We just don’t know, but I DON’T THINK IT’S 100% A COINCIDENCE that the name is similar and that this is the guy who gets mentioned again at least here rather than the other two. Anyway that’s me doing speculation lmao.

Anyway: this song had endless versions and it only ever was published two decades after the fact because it was Too Personal and he couldn’t find the proper, but even if it’s really personal it still manages to be relatable thanks to those key passages in stanzas 2 and 3 (the fight that no man can ever win/when the promise is broken it steals something from down in your soul) and while I don’t know if it’s The Best Springsteen song as a lot of people rightfully think (BECAUSE IT’S A FUCKING GREAT SONG) it’s definitely one of the most intimate, raw and beautiful Springsteen songs exactly for how his experiences are made relatable to everyone else in a way that’s imo heartwrenching and bye I love this and I love all of the other versions and BRUCE IS GREAT OKAY? okay. ;__;

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Hypothetical Stranger Things season 3 premiere plot outline

Just for fun, I thought I’d stretch out my writing muscles and write out my version of the season three premiere. Hopefully, this makes for an entertaining read!

Season 3 is set in 1985 but the opening scene will be a flashback to the moment Eleven opened the gate to the Upside Down. She escapes while most of the staff is killed by the Demogorgon. After the initial wreckage, a man walks through the gate. This is the Crooked Man, a new main character and one of the main antagonists of the season. He serves the Mind Flayer and his goal is to reopen the gate. The Crooked Man walks away from the building and into the night. In my head, I had Edward James Olmos portraying this character.

We then cut to present day. 

Eleven, now going by the name “Jane Hopper”, is at her first day of school. She expects to be picked on for hanging out with Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Max. However, the complete opposite happens. Unintentionally, she makes friends with the popular crowd and Troy the bully develops a crush on her, much to Mike’s chagrin.   

Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve are getting ready for their last year of high school, with Nancy getting an acceptance letter for UC Berkeley (chose that because I went there lol). Jonathan pursues professional photography while Steve is aimless, unsure of his future. We get some backstory and learn that Steve’s father died in the Vietnam War, which leads to him thinking about joining the military in order to honor his father’s name.

Hopper and Joyce have been regularly hanging out, mainly because Joyce feels that Jane needs a maternal figure in her life. Yes, this is the season where they get together. 

Going back to the AV club, Mike and Jane are still going strong, as well as Lucas and Max. Dustin, having been rejected by every girl at the Snow Ball, is a bit down when we first see him mainly due to jealousy. He doesn’t hate Mike and Lucas but he wishes he was in a relationship. This leads to the introduction of one of our new main characters, Quinn Chen.

Quinn’s family moved to Hawkins from New York City. To contrast Jane and Max, Quinn is very much a “popular girl” type. Outgoing, easy to talk to, always has a group of people following and praising her, and always knows what the current trends are. Her family is wealthier than the typical Hawkins family, which is something that Will immediately notices. In my head, I had Lily Chee portraying this character (she played young Elektra in DD season two).

Quinn rejects Dustin at first due to his “nerd” status until two things happen. One, he makes her laugh, which she says she needed. Two, he discovers she’s secretly a huge nerd who has Star Wars and Doctor Who merchandise in her locker. Dustin invites her to join the group, which she accepts. Everyone is initially wary of Quinn since they view her as the “vapid rich popular girl” except for Jane since she’s just happy to make another female friend. 

(This part is past the season premiere: If it’s not obvious, Quinn and Dustin are gonna get together in the season finale. The TWIST though is we find out that Quinn’s family is part of a larger cult that worships the Mind Flayer. Turns out, the Mind Flayer has been trying to reach Earth for centuries and has its own group of followers. Eleven opening the gate was the closest that the Mind Flayer got to succeeding in its goal. Quinn’s family moved to Hawkins when they find out about what happened in seasons one and two. Now, although Quinn’s family worships the monster, Quinn does NOT. In fact, she immediately turns on her family the moment she discovers the truth).

The action begins when we cut to Billy Hargrove, who has toned down his bullying after losing to his sister. Billy, while driving around, encounters the Crooked Man in the middle of the road. The Crooked Man destroys Billy’s car and asks him, “What happened to the gate?”

Billy says, “What the hell are you talking about?” which leads to the Crooked Man breaking one of Billy’s legs. Before the Crooked Man can finish the job, we’re introduced to another new main character, Adam. Adam whips a chain at the Crooked Man, hurting him. The Crooked Man disappears into a puff of smoke and Adam runs over to help Billy. In my head, Adam is portrayed by Steven Yeun. 

Mad Max and the rest of the gang rush over to the hospital when they learn about what happened to Billy. Billy tells them about a strange man who destroyed his car with his mind. Mike pulls Jane to the side and says, “Guy with mind powers, you think he’s one of Brenner’s?”

Jane says, “Could be. I told you about Kali. There’s still nine others that we haven’t met and we’re not even sure I’m the last one!” 

Meanwhile, Hopper confronts Adam. Before Hopper can ask any questions, Adam says, “I know what happened here. The gate to the other world was opened.”

Hopper, stunned, says, “How do you know?”

Adam then says, “Because it’s my job to make sure the portal stays shut.” Without going into too much detail, Adam explains that he’s one of many who oppose the Mind Flayer. The only reason why he didn’t know about what was happening in Hawkins is because Jane opened the gate accidentally. He’s only been focusing on actual attempts to breach the Mind Flayer’s world. 

Adam threatens violence if Jane ever opens the gate again (“I’ll burn this town to the ground if she even attempts to open the gate again”). Before Hopper can say anything, Adam disappears. We’ll see more of him in the rest of the season. 

As the day comes to an end, we cut to Steve Harrington’s home. He’s gotten over his breakup with Nancy and decides that he’ll enlist in the Marines in order to get away from Hawkins. Suddenly, his house is attacked by the Crooked Man! The Crooked Man holds Steve by the neck and demands that he tell him how “they” opened the gate. Steve says he doesn’t know and the Crooked Man tosses Steve out the window, knocking him out. 

Jane is alerted to the commotion when Hopper gets an urgent call to respond to the situation. Hopper heads out but tells Jane to stay put. She disobeys and gets on her bike, following closely behind.

The police have cornered the Crooked Man. In one of the more violent scenes of the show, the Crooked Man proceeds to decimate the officers. Hopper arrives as this is happening and begins firing at the Crooked Man, doing no damage. El then arrives and she blasts the Crooked Man with her mind. The Crooked Man, remembering that El was the one who sealed the gate, grabs her and disappears. Hopper screams into the night when he realizes that El is nowhere to be found.

We then cut to the Byers family home. There is a knock on the door and Joyce answers it. The episode ends with Joyce meeting the last of our new main characters. He introduces himself as Seth Ives, Jane’s biological father, and that he wants his daughter back. In my head, I had David Tennant portraying Seth. 

So for the rest of the season, our main arcs / subplots will be:

1) The whole gang versus the Crooked Man (Jane doesn’t stay kidnapped for too long. I actually pictured her escaping the Crooked Man in the next episode)

2) Dustin and Quinn romance, which will lead to Quinn’s family revealing themselves as followers of the Mind Flayer. Quinn’s family are the secondary main antagonists. 

3) Adam reluctantly working with Team Hawkins when he realizes they have similar goals. Adam is a bit like the Punisher since despite having noble intentions, his attitude and methods make him a threat. Adam frequently butts heads with Hopper and Joyce, who think he is too extreme.

4) Seth Ives vs. Jim Hopper over guardianship of Jane / El. Seth is revealed to be one of Brenner’s former lab partners before they split due to Brenner’s lack of ethics. Seth had gone into hiding after Brenner threatened his life, that’s why he’s been MIA.  

5) Billy recovering in the hospital and somewhat redeeming himself. His quest for vengeance against the Crooked Man leads to him forming a temporary alliance with Team Hawkins. 

6) Steve wondering about his place in Hawkins and if he should stay or go 

7) The AV club recruiting Kali and her gang in the fight against the Crooked Man. 

8) Dr. Brenner’s return. He issues an order for the termination of all of his experiments, namely Kali and El. He also orders Seth’s assassination in order to tie up any remaining loose ends. 

[theroguesrandom]

Stranger Things s2 Reaction

So I just finished the second season and I have to say..... overall I was really pleased with it?? It wasn’t quite as strong as the first season, but it would have been hard to be after the sheer newness of the world wore off. I was dreading season two since I heard about it, simply because I loved season one so much and didn’t want to see it all fall apart (and so many shows fall apart hard after a strong start) but this season managed to hold its own, keeping the characters (for the most part) engaging, the story heartfelt and organic, and failing to tread over the same tropes and plots as the first season, while still paying homage and throwing in cute shout-outs throughout (from Eleven’s “mouthbreather” to things as subtle as Steve picking up last year’s Christmas lights while sorting through shed remnants).

The plotting was a little weaker overall, less cohesive, with some threads hanging looser by sheer value of the world just getting bigger... and, in my opinion, a few unnecessary side quests. But overall i was not disappointed. This was a successful addition to the Stranger Things universe and I was really happy with it.

Let’s talk characters

Season MVP: Dustin The show has really struck gold with Gaten Matarazzo and they used it this year, giving him a dynamic arc, great one liners, and every opportunity to shine. All the kids had their own storylines and pulled them off admirably, but Dustin’s bond with Dart, his slightly lopsided triangle with Max and Lucas, his surprising sibling-esque relationship with Steve, and his great sense of humor made every moment he was onscreen totally engaging. If Mike was the “main kid” of the group in season one, Dustin really took the spotlight this year.

(He was also the absolute star of that finale dance scene, despite two main couples kissing. Seriously, that was some last second heartache and triumph I didn’t see coming, that was hard to watch and then had me throwing my arms up excitedly in all the best ways. I love the full circle back to season one, with Dustin getting a sweet moment with Nancy.)

Runner up: Steve. Because Steve. Do I even have to say anything else? Last season’s last-second hero, this season’s group dad, total sweetheart and totally engaging. I love everything about this man, right down to his Farrah Fawcett hairspray. (And I’d also like to throw out: he was absolutely not a bad boyfriend, and I’m pretty pissed that Nancy let him think that he was.)

Most unnecessary character: Jonathan. I hate to say this because I adored him in season one... but he really did absolutely nothing this season. While every other character had some kind of independent arc, contributed something, set something in motion, poor Jonathan was stuck tagging along on other people’s arcs the entire season. Driving with Nancy to help her expose the facility (don’t tell me she wouldn’t have done this alone). Assisting his mom and Mike in interrogating Will (yes he contributed but, again, this would have gone the same exact way without his specific memories added in). Standing there while his mom burned the monster out of Will... even their reunion hug seemed sadly indicative of his role this season –– the two of them hugging and Jonathan kind of latching awkwardly on afterward. He didn’t change anything. Not one plot point of season two would have been affected if he hadn’t been there. (And obviously it would have raised a lot of questions if he wasn’t there, I’m not saying he shouldn’t have been... but the story really let him down this season.)

Runner up: Eight. Your mileage may vary on this one I guess. She did add a bit of backstory for Eleven (whether you think it was necessary or not is really a matter of opinion; I lean toward no, and lean toward it opening more plot holes and raising more questions than it answers) and acted as a bit of a foil for El, giving her a chance to choose the kind of person she wanted to be: vengeful or forgiving. But... was this really necessary for the story? Did it ultimately lead anywhere? Couldn’t El’s “runaway and return home” plot have been satisfied by seeking out her mother and visiting her aunt, without the additional side quest?

To be honest, it felt like a wasted episode.

Season’s Unexpected Hero: Bob CAN WE TALK ABOUT BOB?? I’ve loved Sean Astin since his days as LOTR’s “unexpected hero,” and I was looking forward to seeing him this season. But... we all knew from second one that he was monster fodder, right? He was the new guy. He was dating Joyce, who we all know will end the season standing with Hopper. It was obvious. ...Except then it really wasn’t? Because, like with so many things, Stranger Things turned all the possible tropes associated with a character like this (good natured, bumbling, and ultimately useless) on its head, making him useful and clever, and strangely capable of dealing with and adapting to all the impossible horrors suddenly being thrown at him. The show made us root for him, made us bond with him, made us think no maybe he could actually make it... and then tore our hearts out and fed them to the demodogs.

But at least he got to live on as Will’s superhero.

Relationships

Best relationship: Eleven and Hopper Even after those waffles in the woods at the end of last season and the parallel to his lost daughter, I didn’t expect this relationship to hit me the way it did. They were so... imperfect and sweet and painful and adorable and real. I ached for them both, knew exactly where they both were coming from in every second... and that’s a hard thing to achieve. The way they cared about each other and the way Hopper looked out for El made their little fractured found family such a joy to watch and had you rooting for them to reunite the whole season.

Runner up: Steve and Dustin This one crept up on me but wow. Who would have guessed these two would bond the way they did? Right down to Steve driving Dustin to the Snow Ball and giving him last second encouragements based on his own failed dating experience? I would watch a whole show about these two hanging out and looking out for each other, could we please have that spinoff? They were the MVPs of the season for a reason.

I also want to give a shout out to both “kid couples.” Lucas and Max were adorable throughout with really great chemistry. And even though Mike and Eleven weren’t given much chance to interact this year, their moments of missing and pining for each other were really poignant this year.

Weakest Relationship: Nancy and Jonathan Jonathan’s arc continued to disappoint here. Arguably his only plot point of the season was finally getting together with Nancy, but I just... didn’t see the chemistry. It felt very much like a plot point they forced in because they implied it was heading in that direction last year and felt like they needed to. These two getting together, along with Eleven’s side trip to Chicago, were easily the weak point of the season.

Other Things

Billy –– I have to say this right now... I really wish they hadn’t taken the time to make Billy sympathetic. Without that insight, without having seen his dad’s abusive nature, Max’s victory over her brother in the finale would have been hugely cathartic. She took him down, intimidated him, and made sure he wouldn’t torment her anymore. Standing up to her tormenter is huge and I don’t want to dismiss the significance of that for her... but knowing that Billy’s entire home life is ruled by fear and abuse makes her victory –– and her later moment preparing for the dance, where her mother dotes on her and shows her kind attention, something Billy clearly never gets –– a bitter one. If the show had taken it further, gotten them to understand each other somehow, gotten them to team up against some demodogs and then come home united against their dad? That could have been amazing.

That said--

Max –– was such a great addition to the kids’ group!! I don’t have much else to say except that it’s hard to fit a new character so seamlessly into an established group like that, but I ended up loving her pretty much immediately. The Zoomer is more than welcome in the party in my book.

Dart –– Demodogs are so freaking cute as babies, what the hell?? I kept waiting for him to come back, for that relationship to pay off, and I wasn’t disappointed. I was hoping he’d managed to find a way back to his dimension before the Gate closed, though. That made the end just a little bit heartbreaking.

Will’s Rainbow Ship –– I’m just curious about what the internet’s going to do with that, honestly.

Barb –– I’m so glad the show didn’t forget her or downplay the significance of her death. Ultimately, her loss was what brought the facility down and I think that was just such a perfect tribute to her, and her friendship with Nancy.

And I’m sure I’ll come up with other things the second I post this, but I think I’ll just leave it there for now. Great season overall, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

[seriouslycromulent]

Sooooo... I binge-watched GLOW in one day. And I regret nothing.

I really enjoyed the first season of GLOW on Netflix and I’m happy to see that it’s been getting a lot of positive feedback and support around the internet. I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked since the series was produced by the same team who created Orange is the New Black, but since I don’t watch that show, I didn’t have any real expectations for it to be as good as it was. 

Overall, I thought it was incredibly well done, and like I said in an earlier post, I think it’s great how most of the episodes were directed by women. I only saw a couple of douchebags on the internet say something negative that was on par with your typical misogyny. 

Anyways, here are my thoughts as I watched the show and failed to talk myself out of watching 8 of the episodes in a row with no break. The list below isn’t in any particular order.

Beware: Mild spoilers below. 

I’ve seen it mentioned a lot, but I’m going to join the chorus anyway. The soundtrack to this series would sell like hotcakes. I was jamming in my seat during every episode, and some of those songs I haven’t heard in years.

My favorite character was easily Carmen, played by Brittany Young. She was adorable and, for me, the easiest to relate to. Almost all of the women are given their own empathetic moment and interesting backstory, but Carmen was the one I wanted to give a hug to the most.

Ladies, we need to thank whoever is responsible for redesigning pregnancy tests since 1986, because dammmnn! Those things were practically chemistry sets 30 years ago. Today, we can just pee on a stick. 30 years ago, apparently you had to have a degree in laboratory science. Seriously, thank you innovative product designer. Whoever you are!

How great is it to see Awesome Kong (formerly Kharma if you only watch WWE) back in the ring?! But in all honesty, it took me until the end of the pilot before I recognized that was her though. Her hairstyle and the 80s’ clothes really threw me.

Someone on Twitter said it’s funny how little Marc Maron had to change to play the role of Sam Sylvia. It’s essentially how he is on every podcast and in real life. Maybe that’s why he’s so perfect in this part.

I knew those pink ropes looked loose!! No kidding. I called it the first time we see them on screen.

I appreciated that they made sure everything wasn’t from 1986 (the music, the Coke machine, the cars, the clothes, etc.). It’s a pet peeve of mine when TV shows or films are set in the past, but they have everything in the story be brand new from the year it’s set in. For example, sometimes you see a movie set in 1964, and literally every car on the road is a 1963 or 1964 model. And every song you hear is something that came out in 1964. Like people only enjoy things created that year and then discard it once the new year starts. GLOW doesn’t do that. Thank you, production design team!

I loved all the wrestler cameos, especially Alex Riley as Steel Horse and Johnny Mundo/John Morrison as Salty “The Sack” Johnson. But I kinda wished they had used a pro wrestler to play Carmen’s dad. I know they cast real wrestlers to play her brothers (Brodus Clay/Tyrus and Carlito). But since they kept saying her dad was a famous wrestling legend, I was hoping they would’ve cast an actual wrestler. Oh well. 

I’m glad they addressed the whole Welfare Queen gimmick. Listen, I’m a wrestling fan from way back. I’m not delusional about the stereotypes that wrestlers had to play in order to make a living, but I’m glad the show gave Tammé a chance to address how her stereotype will affect her family and how her son might feel and if it will change his view of her. It made me think of how Rosey and Roman Reigns might’ve felt seeing their father, Sika, and uncle, Afa, play The Wild Samoans as a kid. Some wrestling fans know these are gross stereotypes and that even some of them are commentaries on the ugly divisiveness in our society. But if we’re honest, most fans don’t think of these roles as stereotypes. Characters, yes. Stereotypes, no. Which has got to hurt like hell for those with gimmicks that could adversely affect their entire community. Tammé’s gimmick really disturbed me (even more than Arthie’s gimmick) and I’m glad they decided to hang a light on it and give Tammé that moment to address it.

Shiela the She-Wolf and that Exodus song intro during their first public match at the gym? Girl, what the hell?! At first I kept laughing, then I was like “Someone take the keyboard away from her, please!”

If I never see Marc Maron’s ass again, I will have led a good life. But I appreciate that they included some male nudity in a show that isn’t afraid to show female nudity. So… respect.

One of my favorite scenes in the entire series: The “crack” montage at the fundraiser. Everyone had me rolling, then boom! Ruth gets real, and it transitioned perfectly into a great character growth moment for her. It also reminds us that this isn’t just a show about wrestling. It’s a show about people.

Justine’s boyfriend, Billy? Adorbs! Even with that hair that clearly uses half a can of Aquanet every morning to stay that high.

Another favorite moment: Cherry’s husband/referee not knowing what comes next in the match because they changed the script, but acting like he was really shouting at Ruth. Priceless!

I couldn’t help but feel for Jenny and Arthie throughout the show. They each had gimmicks that could contribute to prejudice suffered by other communities. Not to mention, they were contributing to the idea that it’s OK to treat all Han Asians as Chinese, and Indians as Arabs. That’s …. ::sigh:: that has to be rough.

Awww, that wooden floor unit TV reminds me of the TV in my grandmother’s house when I was a kid. As a matter of fact, I might’ve watched G.L.O.W. when I was little on her TV. Where I grew up, G.L.O.W. came on after Saturday Night Live, and I was allowed to stay up and watch it with the non-negotiable expectation that I couldn’t sleep in the next day and get out of church and housework.

My second favorite character is Justine. I don’t know why. I kind of felt sorry for her too. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a sob story. And how about that bombshell in Episode 9!? Damn. I did not see that coming at all!

I hate to be that nerd, but I have to point out the one glaring mistake the show makes in terms of the timeline: the show references Back to the Future just coming out and being a big hit. They even show people standing in line waiting to go see it. I squirmed when I saw that. Why? Because this series is set in 1986, but Back to the Future came out in 1985. The summer of ‘85. So you can’t even say the people are standing out there in January of ‘86 because it’s still drawing people to see it. Man, I feel like a jerk for pointing that out.

Ruth’s costume in the final match looked amazing! Jenny must’ve been a wizard on that sewing machine because Wow! Her costume looked better than all of the costumes I remember seeing on the real G.L.O.W. series. 

My favorite line in the entire 1st season: “I’m not paranoid! Who told you that?” - Sam Sylvia

I was happy to see that it wasn’t just the white women who got to be in relationships. A part of me thinks that Bash was indeed a little sweet on Carmen, but the fact that Cherry and her husband were in a loving and supportive relationship was even better.

The show does a really good job of developing most of the cast, but it’s not entirely even. We still don’t know why Melrose acts the way she does. Dawn and Stacey have some fun scenes, but other than prank calling people and allowing themselves to be talked into playing KKK members, we don’t really know much about them. And the poor sister who gets the least development as a character and a gimmick is Reggie, who had her gimmick idea stolen away from her and was saddled with the weak persona of a lady Viking. Sadly, we know virtually nothing about Reggie at all by the end of the 1st season. Which sucks because I kept waiting to learn more about her as the show went on. Who knows? Maybe in season 2 we’ll finally get to see what she’s all about or at least where she grew up or if she has any family. 

Last, but not least, I have to applaud how the show handled the abortion issue and made it feel very realistic and without judgment. You’re given the option to think what you will of Ruth and her choice, but the show writers clearly communicate: “This is simply the way it is. Take away from it what you will.” Which was an incredibly smart, sensitive and respectful way to handle it. Thank you for that.

That’s it. I know that was long, but to be fair, there are 10 episodes in the 1st season and I left out a lot my reactions. Feel free to share your thoughts. 

And if you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend you give the first few episodes a chance to see if it’s your cup of tea. 

[youremyonlyhope]

Stranger Things 3

Episode 8. This is it!

It was originally going to be in a post with episode 7 like the rest of the episodes were paired up, but it got too long.

And seriously some people may pretend that Season 2 has only 8 episodes because they hated the Lost Sister so much, but 8 episodes did not feel like enough after 9 last time.

Update: I edited the post on mobile and apparently deleted the cutoff without noticing. So. I really hope for the hour or so it wasn’t there that I didn’t spoil anyone.

…So.

After that opening, I paused. Got up. Shakily walked down the stairs to tell my mom that this was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. I literally watched that opening with my hands half covering the screen. And then I drank a full glass of water and ate some mango. And now I’m back. I broke my rule of not writing while watching in order to write this. Now back to the episode. Ew.

Now that I’ve finished the episode, before I write down my thoughts scene by scene, I want to say. My final verdict is: Exit Wounds.

But let’s go through the moments in the episode first before I get into that. And I lied, I did pause a few times, but only to write a couple words to help jolt my memory later.

Yeah so that opening. Disgusting. But I already wrote what I thought. Hopper and El were holding hands with the little blue hairband around her hand and his thumb. My heart. I love it. Murray’s Russian plan was a good one. I guess Hopper’s was the faster solution though. At this point I wrote down “Family lesbian nerd mom collarless“ And I was basically trying to make a joke. “Sometimes a family can be a mom with great hair, a lesbian sailor, a black girl nerd, and collarless boy.” Or did Steve call Dustin boneless? I can’t remember. But yeah that was my joke. Oh poor El’s powers. I hope she’s ok. AANNNNNDDDD IT’S HERE. Can Terminator Dude just stop. Joyce and Hopper agreed to go on a date. This is important for my Exit Wounds theory that started to kind of form around now. The moment they agreed I was like oh god here we go. I love that they called themselves the Scoops Troop. Very cute. So much anxiety while they tried to run from the Mind Flayer. Steve to the rescue again!!!! It’s not a Stranger Things season if Steve doesn’t swoop in at the last second to save them. Usually from Billy. I think that Dustin and Suzie singing was cute, but also completely random. But it led to another instance of a girl saving the day. Which I love. (Also it was something I was spoiled for since YouTube suggested a video called something like “The meaning behind Dustin and Suzie’s song!” and I was like oh ok so now I’ve been spoiled that she’s real. Cool.) Can Terminator Dude just stop. I wrote down “Terminator wrists visible” when he started fighting Hopper. Because if he is a sibling of Eleven, which I think he is, then he’d have a number tattoo on his wrist. We haven’t really seen his wrists up until now (besides in the hall of mirrors). And I was convinced we were about to get a flash of a “001″ or a “002.” (Wait… if there was a number shown in the mirror and I missed it… I’ll be mad.) I wrote down “Billy sacrifice?” when he picked up El. Especially because he seemed kind of gentle when he transferred her from carrying her fireman style to bridal style. I was wondering if Billy was actually giving El over or if he was about to sacrifice himself to save them. The Billy memory scene was super emotional. And I was glad the fireworks came in handy. Once Hopper and Terminator ended up by the machine, I wrote down “Hopper=Exit Wounds” because I had a bad feeling it was gonna be an Exit Wounds situation. Or I guess more accurately a Reset situation. Joyce and Hopper finally agreed to go on a date, an actual date, and then one (or both) die. I realize now that even though I wrote down Exit Wounds, Reset’s probably more accurate. BUT the Exit Wounds still ends up fitting. We’ll get there. Both Billy and Hopper dying made my eyes get wet. But I didn’t cry. I did not cry. My eyes were just wet. And I was proud of myself at this point. OH THANKS A LOT DR. OWENS. RIGHT ON TIME TO COVER IT ALL UP BUT NOT TO HELP THEM STOP IT. THANKS A LOT. I mean, yeah fine it’s good to have you since this is hard to explain and you’re the one military person they can trust so yeah, thanks, BUT I STILL WISH YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN THERE EARLIER. COME ON. I did not cry over Eleven’s reaction either. I literally thought to myself “Oh, if they hold this shot of her starting to cry I’m gonna cry too” then it cut to black. And I was like ok cool I didn’t cry. Ha. Creepy arcade dude now has a job at the video store. Good for him. Look at these three Broadway Babies singing on Stranger Things. Yay. The other thing I’d been spoiled for was El saying I love you back to Mike. Oh well. I could have been spoiled for much worse things.

Now here’s where this becomes Exit Wounds. Message from Hopper from the beyond that he wrote before he died. Just like Tosh. And just like Tosh, it made me shed a tear. But then the full on crying started when I saw Will’s face and he was crying saying goodbye to everyone. Will is my child. If he cries then I cry. And then we got all the kids crying and I was like oh god this hurts and I kept crying. Then Mike hugged his mom like he did in Season 1 after seeing the body and I was like no this throwback hurts (HA. LITTLE DID I KNOW.). Max crying over Billy made me cry more. I didn’t even like Billy but I didn’t want him to die! I’m glad he got some sort of redemption. But I wish it didn’t cost him his life. He deserved better. Then Dustin and Lucas gave Erica all of Will’s D&D books and I just knew they were in the box before they opened it and I started crying even HARDER because encouraging black girls to be nerds! My heart. And Hopper called himself “your poor old dad” and I had just been thinking earlier when they held hands that she doesn’t call him dad yet he is her dad and now we know he considered himself her dad and everything was hurting ok!?!?!?

And then.

Netflix gave me the single most heartbreaking caption it could give me.

[“Heroes” by Peter Gabriel playing]

AND. I. LOST. IT. I thought I’d already lost it at this point. I really thought I’d already lost it. I didn’t know I could lose it more than I’d already lost it. Before then I was literally ugly sobbing but trying to stay quiet since my mom was home and hasn’t seen it yet. Once I read that caption and heard the song I literally started hitting my couch over and over again and rocking back and forth and crying even harder. Gasping sobs. Ugly sobs. I haven’t cried this hard in so long.

When the Uhaul truck closed, I heard my front door open and knew my brother was home so I started frantically wiping my face on my shirt and tried to stop crying since my brother hasn’t seen this either and I don’t want to spoil him that this finale is cry worthy.

And then the episode ended. And it was Exit Wounds all over again. A couple agrees to date, one (or both) dies, and one leaves behind an emotional note about how much they love the ones they care about. I am not ok.

The season may have started slow, but it’s the only season to make me cry so automatically I love it.

BUT I’VE BEEN SAYING SINCE DAY ONE THAT IF THEY KILLED OFF HOPPER I WILL RIOT. SO WHO WANTS TO JOIN ME. LET’S GO KILL THE DUFFER BROTHERS.

OH AND BILLY. WE WENT NEARLY FULLY ZUKO REDEMPTION WITH BILLY. SAD BACKSTORY. SELF SACRIFICE. I AM HURTING. WHY DID THIS SHOW MAKE ME CRY OVER BILLY?

My one complaint of this season: not NEARLY enough Will. What did we get to see Will do? Have his spidey sense go off a bit? Then he cried at the end? COMPLETE WASTE OF NOAH’S TALENTS. WE SHOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM AN EMMY LAST SEASON. But David Harbour has the Emmy secured this time so I guess that’s fine.

Yeah. So. I feel drained. I’m glad I didn’t force myself to stay up last night to finish the show because I would have been too tired to do it. Now I’m just emotionally tired. Help.

WAIT WHAT THERE’S AN AFTER CREDIT’S SCENE. WAIT A SECOND. I only noticed because my mouse hovered over the bar and I saw a frame. Ok gonna watch it.

“Not the American” BUT WHAT AMERICAN? COULD HOPPER BE ALIVE? I had thought to myself “I’m glad they didn’t show us Hopper exploding like the others.” BUT WHAT IF HE HADN’T EXPLODED? WHAT IF HE WAS TELEPORTED OR SOMETHING. No. I think I’m just in the denial stage and grasping at straws. Of course it’s a Demadog. Oh wait, I guess a fully grown Demagorgon. Great.

While watching the scene, I was scared it would show that Hopper was still alive and I was glad that I didn’t know it existed so I could put all my emotions over his death into writing before finding out he was alive. But he’s not alive. As far as we know. So all the emotions are still the same with maybe just a little hope that he’s the American.

Update: My mom heard me crying. She says "It better not be one of the three boys. Not the little black Lion King boy. It better not be Sheriff Dad." And I just laughed nervously the whole time she talked about who she didn't want to die.

[theoreticalreanimation]

Resident Evil: Vendetta Reaction Post- Spoilers

One of my first posts under this handle was a moment by moment reaction post of the last Resident Evil CG film, Resident Evil: Damnation. I figure that since I’ve finally found a viable stream of Resident Evil: Vendetta, it would be a good time to reprise that role and continue my live-reaction of a film that I’ve anticipated for a while. 

All I know about this is that Chris, Leon, and Rebecca make an appearance in this film. I’ve been slow on my trailer uptake.

Here we go!

Beginning with a slow-mo walk. Or just someone being super dramatic- OF COURSE IT’S LEON. BECAUSE WHO THE FUCK ELSE WOULD DIVA WALK.

Leon, staring into a body bag is rarely a good idea. Especially in this universe.  “Never thought my life would turn out this way”. Yeah, you’ve come a long way from being the rookie cop who slept in on his first day.

Why does Chris’ introductions always start off with “So you’re Chris Redfield?” WHO THE FUCK ASKS IF YOU’VE KILLED A LOT? Isn’t that like a super taboo question? I wish they’d quit changing the character’s face models and voices. It kinda ruins the aesthetic/immersion for me. Hahaha, Chris has someone apologizing for asking him the stupid question. 

Baddie is “Glenn Arias” and looks like pseudo-Wesker. Thanks for defining BOW for me random Mexican military bro.

It’s a fucking mansion. Of course it’s a fucking mansion. I’m not gonna lie though, I love the mansion thing. OPEN THE DOOR. ARE THERE PUPPIES? Poor Chris just longs for a bungalow or something. This seriously looks like the Arklay mansion. I’m having flashbacks for Chris. True to form, the first explorable room is the dining room. THE CANDLES ARE LIT AND THE FUCKING BUILDING LOOKS CONDEMNABLE. BACK THE FUCK UP.

There was an upside down fireplace zombie. It peeked out like a cheesy peek-a-boo vampire. 

Note for all: All good things happen at 3am. Including zombie mansion raids and sneaking up on a toy truck wrapped up in bed sheets. Continued footage of soldiers shitting themselves when random noises happen. There’s a zombie child playing with an RC truck controller. SLOW APPROACHING GUYS WITH GUNS. AND THEY’RE NOT SHOOTING. THE KID IS COVERED IN BLOOD AND HIS JAW HINGING OPEN. “ARE YOU OKAY” GOOD THING YOU’RE DEAD NOW BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE YOU EXECUTED FOR SHEER STUPIDITY. Chris, no. Please don’t focus on the stupid truck. This is obviously zombie child’s bait. THERE’S LIKE FIVE OF THEM UNDER THE BED. PLUS THE GROUP THEY JUST GOT. Zombie design is cool in this one. It’s a lot more like the classic ones. HAHA POP A GRENADE in the play room. Oh. Mexican bro is bit. Lights out bestie. Chris, how does your whole team always manage to fall victim to this shit?

There’s a half woman/long-haired man whose exposed spine looks like a scorpion tail. And it’s kind of hysterical. 

CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR BEHIND YOU YOU DUMB-oh, the piano wire trick. Well, the last remaining members of Chris’ team are effective mincemeat thanks to pseudo-Wesker’s preplanning.  I’m glad to see the REverse tap in to the scariness of zombie children. 

Chris isn’t immune to slow mo. Leon diva walks in slow mo, Chris slow mo crashes through a window and then proceeds to have a fight with pseudo-Wesker. Growling “Arias” doesn’t have the same effect unfortunately. 

TELL ME THIS GUY AIN’T PSEUDO-WESKER. BITCH SLAP INCLUDED. God I’m only fifteen minutes into this. 

More interesting ideas of zombies who are trained to attack some people over others. Poor Chris has been shot, disarmed and is facing an incoming hoard so... wait for it. And here... we.... *fanfare* the CALVARY ARRIVES. And title screen. Fuck. I’mma have a lot to say. Rebecca isn’t even here yet.

Cut to a wedding. Arias’ wedding. AND A PREDATOR DRONE BOMBING THE SHIT OUT OF IT. AMURRCA. He’s still holding his new wife’s severed arm. Dramatic and also a lot repulsive. Appropriate reaction to wife’s death? World domination and black market trading of bioweapons. Good response.

Enter Rebecca. Because no one in the REverse believes in changes of hair style in 25 years. REBECCA IS A BASIC STARBUCKS BITCH. “Caramel Macchiato? Did you remember the chocolate chips?” “And the whipped cream on top.” “Good boy.”

Rebecca, who wears a belt over a sweater vest. Judging you hardcore right about now. She also just pulled seniority to not have to collect samples from infected bodies. I liked her more when she was trudging around with Billy. HER POST DOC DOESN’T EVEN REACT WHEN THERE’S HIGH HEELS CLICKING DOWN THE HALLWAY. YOU’RE GONNA DIE.

That was quick. We’ve already synthesized a vaccine and it’s only twenty-five minutes in. Good thing for when we DISPERSE THE VIRUS THROUGH THE VENTILATION DUCTS. 

Rebecca obviously didn’t read the case notes on RE2′s events to show her why testing her new creation on herself is an AWFUL IDEA. Also, I’m pretty sure virology labs have specialized ducting FOR THIS PURPOSE. I feel like Rebecca’s been out of the game too long. She’s just sitting and staring at her zombified post-doc. HE IS LITERALLY THROWING HIS MOUTH AT YOU AND THE REST OF HIS BODY IS JUST FOLLOWING. I don’t care if he bought you Starbucks, bash that fucker in the head! You just risked being in your safe spot by wanderers for a bottled water. I swear to Christ Rebecca. You keep this up I’m not gonna root for you this whole movie. You’re becoming an escort mission. WHO IS THIS BODY SUIT VIXEN WALKING AROUND BLOWING SHIT UP.  BAHA. Chris is just so done with the shit that goes down in his life. “Rebecca. It’s been a while.” “You should be wearing a clean suit. Or at least a mask.” “Yeah well.” NO FUCKS. Neo-Umbrella was so short lived. There’s no point of mentioning it. Tricell too. Scoot on by.

Rebecca put back in something resembling her old clothes so people recognize her. Also having to re-establish her backstory of child-prodigy STARS medic. Enter “In Raccoon City.” “RACCOON CITY?” Now we’re discussing how much of a “masterpiece” (actual quote) Breaking Bad is. FOR REAL.

Leon is drinking hard “Oh, look who it is. BSAA’s golden boy and Dr. Highhopes! What the Hell do you want?” This is weird, they’ve turned Leon into a drunk cynic which is completely opposite his character. Also apparently we can’t go one story-involved installment since 5 making someone an alcoholic. Leon, who has previously (in all animated installments and games) jumped at the chance to help a person or society in some endeavor. “I’m on vacation”. Burnt out on BOWs. Saying he doesn’t remember Los Illuminados because it was so long ago. Chris is staging a intervention by not letting the bartender bring him another bottle.  Leon is looking old. Not even like a nice old, just haggard. Fighting and then gets tired of it not getting any better and just gives up. Realistic but not quite true to Leon’s character.  “So you’ve got on one hand an arms dealer, and on the other, a government that drops bombs on weddings. Who’s the bad guy here?” I’m not liking this cynic Leon. 

"I know that neither one of you are the type of person who would sit here and argue while the world dies. That’s not who you are.” Thank you Rebecca.

Gathering surviving members of Los Illuminados to launch a large scale bioterror operation. 1) WHAT SURVIVING MEMBERS? 2) Leon doesn’t remember anything about them apparently so the world is S.O.L. Sorry. It was just conveniently established.

Leon trying to trade information for help, and then BANE WITH A GATLING GUN SHOWS UP. 

And body suit vixen has kidnapped Rebecca. Probably because she has short hair like Pseudo-Wesker’s dead wife. Y’know, even real Wesker had that creepy photo in his desk.

“There goes my vacation. Again.” Leon you’re drunk and in no condition to fight. I KNEW IT. I FUCKING KNEW IT. PUT HER IN A FUCKING WEDDING DRESS.

HIS WEDDING GUESTS ARE REANIMATED IN BOXES AROUND TABLES. THIS GUY IS FUCKING INSANE.

“I heard that you found a cure for my merchandise.” “A cure isn’t the only thing I found” HOW ABOUT YOU NOT EXHAUST YOUR USEFULNESS IN THE FIRST TEN SECONDS OF CAPTIVITY. SHE’S IN MONOLOGUE. 

That’s unnecessarily complicated. Three strains of virus, one airborne, one waterborne.

SHE LITERALLY TOLD HIM EVERYTHING SHE KNEW. REBECCA. I AM SO DONE WITH YOU. GO BACK TO THE CONFINES OF OBSCURITY.

“My team has my research and my blood.” STOP SPILLING THE BEANS.

“-photo flashes up on the screen- That’s Sara. My wife. You look just like her. It’s not a coincidence that we met.”  “Wait. Where are you going with this?” YOU’RE ONLY JUST NOW QUESTIONING THIS? YOU’RE IN A WEDDING DRESS. IN A ROOM DRESSED UP LIKE A RECEPTION AREA. WITH WEDDING GUESTS. NEXT TO A GUY IN A WHITE TAILCOAT. YOU. ARE. OBLIVIOUS.

“I’m redoing the wedding with you.” “Rebecca. Meet Sara!”

NOPENOPENOPENOPE

“I’m going to replace your arm with Sara’s.” NO. 

“What’s going on here?” WHAT DOES IT FUCKING LOOK LIKE REBECCA. CONTEXT CLUES.

Bane 2.0 is bodysuit vixen’s dad. Possibly Sara’s dad too. More on this later, probably.

Let’s release the trigger virus on New York! Because that seems like a good idea where baddies couldn’t possibly get caught up in the fallout of that decision. A plus decision making going on in this place.  A funny detail. They’ve named this virus the A-Virus. The truck distributing it is A-Gua industries. Like someone sat in a board room just pitching company fronts and then everyone has a tear-filled belly laugh for about five minutes before going “yeah, let’s go with that.”

BSAA just dropping hummers and motorcycles. Counter-terrorism measures! Yeah!

Let’s just open the van that’s moving like something’s trying to get out. Because there’s three characters on screen and one didn’t exist before an hour ago, so he’s obviously gotta go. AAAAAAAAAND THEY’RE CERBERUSES. OF COURSE. WHO DIED? NEWBIE MCFRESHFACE.

“Any ideas?” Fucking shoot them, Chris.

Leon is speeding down the streets of New York, during morning rush hour, on a motorcycle, with two cerberuses KEEPING UP WITH HIM. I just can’t do the slow-mo in this movie. It’s too dramatic every time. 

He’s gotta be going like 80 miles an hour.

Oh my god. Leon. No. This is too fucking much. You don’t do a “Cool Guys Don’t Look At Explosions” in a five-second pose on a motorcycle while zooming away. 

Glad to know that they took Rebecca’s blood sample and re-engineered a new strain of the virus in LESS THAN TWELVE HOURS. SOME SPEEDY WORK THERE GUYS.

Oh no, Bodysuit Vixen is down! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO SHE IS YET. Well that was pointless.

Oh, baddie monologue. LET’S EXPOSE THE WHOLE PLAN. He’s even wearing black leather gloves. I also don’t get the point of infecting Rebecca if he wants to pretend she’s his wifey. But, whoever said that mass murdering bioterrorists had to make logical sense?

Chris is on a zombie slashing spree in the facility and is getting blood all over him. YOU KNOW BETTER. Chris and Leon are always each other’s calvary. They show up whenever the other needs help because it’s convenient. Leon is not counting his bullets.

WHAT KIND OF MOVE WAS THAT CHRIS.

“Rebecca’s running out of time!” “Let’s split up!” Good thing you guys brought a whole armory’s worth of ammo and you CAN do that apparently.

Conveniently placed incindiary grenade takes care of all your big problems. Bane’s down.  CHRIS. DON’T DO THE DUMB. Obviously infected Rebecca, veins are raised and blue. She’s CLAMPED TO A FUCKING TABLE. “You okay?” NO. NO SHE’S NOT OKAY.

Another Chris v Pseudo-Wesker showdown. Everyone has a gun and rolly slidy moves. The whole thing is ridiculous and also hysterical. The choreography just makes me ugly laugh. WHERE IS ALL THIS AMMO COMING FROM BOYS.

Oh ouch. That was definitely a concussion for Chris. That was pain. I’m also kind of over this whole RE villain dying in the same installment that they’re introduced into. It makes it really hard to continue a story line and kind of makes them worthless as a villain. Like this guy just being thrown down an elevator shaft and then being absorbed by Bane-lookalike doesn’t really provide for a satisfying continuing villain. Even if he is pseudo-Wesker.

BOSS FIGHT. 

I don’t know what to call this creation. Pseudo-Banker, I think.  

LEON BROUGHT THE FUCKING MOTORCYCLE ONTO THE ROOF. YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS? THIS IS BRINGING THE WARTHOG INTO AREAS OF THE HALO MAP IT ISN’T SUPPOSED TO GO IN. HE WENT AND FOUND AN ELEVATOR SO HE COULD SIT THERe> WITH HIS MOTORCYCLE. ELEVATOR MUSIC PLAYING WHILE THE MACHINE SLOWLY STARTS FILLING THE COMPARTMENT WITH CO2. WHY? SO THE MONSTER CAN BE DISTRACTED BY THE BINGBONG AND LEON CAN RUN HIM OVER.

FOR COOL POINTS.

LEON I SWEAR TO GOD.

Meanwhile while you boys are worrying about looking cool, Rebecca is dying. I mean I personally don’t care much but you guys would so I think that maybe this might be something that you should probably speed up and start worrying about.

THE BSAA JUST SHOT A FUCKING ROCKET THROUGH THE BOW. WHICH RIPPED THROUGH HIM AND FOUR OTHER BUILDINGS. MASS CASUALTIES. THE BOW ISN’T EVEN DEAD YET. IT JUST RUSHED THE HELICARRIER. FUCKING COLLATERAL DAMAGE. Now the girl who shot the rocket is dead, and the BOW is giggling. And rightfully so. 

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDIN GME LEON PUT THE MOTORCYCLE AWAY

GoDDAmmiT. THE LICENSE PLATE IS BSAA 752. LAUNCHING THE MOTORCYCLE AT A HELICARRIER THAT IS IN THE AIR IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. The fucking wheel hit him in the arm. Leon shot the gas tank. It exploded. THE BOW IS STILL ALIVE BTW.

And then Chris has the idea to hit the big glowing weak point (his heart) with a grenade launcher. Because obviously even though they’ve all been doing this for 25 years, THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. Oh yeah, when the timer goes off Rebecca dies. Good thing Chris found the gas tank with the antidote in it. Thankfully they manufactured an antidote. The convenience of forethought.  ROCKET LAUNCHER GIRL IS STILL ALIVE. I’M PRETTY SURE THAT’S A CONTINUITY ERROR.  Meanwhile, we remembered that all of New York is currently munching on each other and we should probably maybe cure them too and not just Rebecca. So they’re all back to normal but their stomachs are full of blood and flesh so... Maybe you won’t eat for a couple days. Leon and Chris are having their flying off into the sunrise moment where they reflect on the events and decide that it’s all worth it, Leon’s probably no longer a drunk, which by the process of elimination means that Rebecca’s going to start adding shots of Bailey’s in her Starbucks every morning. 

BODYSUIT VIXEN! Red-eyed Bodysuit Vixen. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU.

I literally don’t understand what this has to do with Los Illuminados except that Bodysuit Vixen and Bane 2.0 were probably maybe from Spain.

[bluezey]

Two Rob theories I stumbled across

I found another reason why I like Rob, and that’s he’s so full of mystery and unknown facts about him that you could accidentally or purposely pick out subtle clues that may lead to some theories and headcanons about him.  And, I dunno why, but theories and headcanons are fun.  Maybe its cause you learn more about the character or it’s just exciting when a show drops more subtle hints or flat out confirms something you thought was possible months or even years ago.

Well, through stop framing through Gumball episodes and poking around in the behind the scenes information, I managed to come up with two more theories about Rob.  And I just wanted to share them so you can see how deep I dig into a show and, who knows, maybe you’ll like them too.

Theory One:  How old is Rob?  Really?

Yes, I’m bringing this up again.  But seriously, before I found out Rob is thirteen, I thought this guy was like a teenager or at most pushing twenty.  But when I found out through fan post that he’s thirteen, I felt very awkward.  I mean you’d be too if you really liked this guy then found out he’s much too young.  

But then I began watching his episodes again and began questioning his age again.  First, in The Nemesis, he’s buying groceries and taking the bus.  I saw that first as a cute way of showing he has a life outside of trying to be the bad guy.  But, he’s alone but able to live on his own.  By my guess, the earliest age someone can live barely comfortably on his own would be about sixteen, fifteen tops.  Though admittedly some people younger than that don’t have that luxury and have to make do with what they can.  But, another thing I want to point out is he’s buying groceries, which means he has money to do so.  But, if he was spit out of the void as literally a nobody with no home, no family and no memory, it’s easy to suggest that he also has no money.  But this buying groceries suggests that he’s now earning income.  The best way I can think of earning an income is that he got some kind of small job, which at my guesstimate, again, someone as young as fifteen can get.  Now it’s also safe to assume that the poor homeless guy is begging on the streets as his income, and while that’s heartbreaking it’s also possible.  Except for later on in the episode it’s confirmed that, as Dr. Wrecker, he rented a wrecking ball!  Now I don’t know the rental price of a wrecking ball, but I do know it costs A LOT MORE than pocket change to rent one of those!

Another thing I want to throw out there does go against cartoon logic, which this show has plenty of, but I wanna throw it out there anyway.  This is in regards to Rob’s voice.  Now in the show a lot of the characters are voiced by adults, with a few exceptions such as Gumball and Darwin who are voiced by kids.  Admittedly, it’s not uncommon for adults to voice kid characters in a kids show.  But, it’s not exactly Rob’s original voice that I want to point out, but his other voices.  In The Nemesis, Gumball actually uses a remote to change the language setting on Rob (which leads to a theory that Gumball accidentally inspired Rob’s evil plan in The Disaster and The Rerun).  And when he changes Rob’s voice to the English setting, Rob’s default English voice sounds fairly feminine (which leads to another theory about Rob).  But it’s when Gumball changes the bass on the English voice that I want to point out.  Rob’s new Dr. Wrecker voice sounds perfect for a villain, but it also sounded familiar to me.  So, I looked up Rob’s voice actors on wikipedia.  The voice actor for the original Rob voice is Hugo Harrison (which may I say is a surprisingly cool name).  Now the voice actor doesn’t have his own wikipedia page, but based on the list of Gumball characters he’s also played other characters on the show such as Tobias, Alan, Idaho, Juke’s English speaking voice and one of the Eggheads.  (Damn, and a surprisingly adaptable voice actor too!).  But Dr. Wrecker’s voice actor, David Warner, does have a wikipedia page.  And first may I mention that damn does he have a long filmography!  Playing parts from Bob Cratchit in George C. Scott’s A Christmas Carol (fun fact, that’s my dad’s favorite Christmas Carol adaptation) to Nergal in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!  But may I point out that when David Warner voiced Rob’s new voice he was about 70 years old?  70??  I know it’s a kids show and I know that in the show’s logic its a feminine English voice with the bass maxed out, but... why is a 70 year old voicing a thirteen year old’s evil voice??  And why does The Amazing World of Gumball make that a sentence??

So while I will accept the fact that he’s thirteen, I’m still going to question it because these possible hints.

Theory Two:  Rob’s pink hand

Again, why does this show make that a sentence?  Anyway, one thing I like to do, since I found out how to do this while I was a fan of Inside Out, is go frame by frame through YouTube videos for still shots and just for fun.  And of course, I began doing this with videos of Rob.  At first it was for funny stills, but now I just like to go through frame by frame when his body glitches out, cause it can lead to moments that are either hilarious or down right terrifying!

But it’s not the stills I want to talk about, although I will be using them for reference.  It’s Rob’s character design, specifically his pink hands.  So, I knew Rob had two pink hands before the void and one pink hand after.  But while framing through what little I could find of The Nobody (why can’t I find that full episode on YouTube?) I was able to pause and look a little closer at the before and after.

Now I know one is closer and blocked off by the CN logo a bit, but first I want to go off on a quick tangent and ask why does the palm of his pink hands remind me of the palm of a hamster’s paw?  Now back on topic, notice his pink hand afterward is more or less unaltered.  There may be a slight change that I’m still debating over, but other than that it’s basically unchanged.

Then there’s this that I can’t still shot, so I have to explain it.  Again, I like to go frame by frame when Rob’s body glitches out, cause some of the frames are hilarious and some are terrifying!  But while a lot of his body parts usually glitch out, the part I see glitch out rarely, if at all, is his pink hand.  Now, I haven’t seen all of his frame by frames, so I haven’t seen if his hand glitches out more, but when it does it’s rarely and usually it’s from his wrist.  It’s like not only has his hand become more or less unchanged, but it’s also more or less unharmed.

Now maybe I’m looking too deep into this, but we do need some kind of hope for this guy, and I think that’s what we’re getting from his hand here.  While the rest of him has become broken and disfigured, his hand is more or less the same.  It’s almost a subtle sign that he hasn’t completely changed, and maybe, just maybe, in one way or another, he can repair himself or go back to who he was before the void.  Now this is more likely wishful thinking, but remember how The Rerun ended.  Oh, just in case, 

SPOILER ALERT 

Rob was given the role as the bad guy, and it was in The Rerun where he finally got that chance and then some.  But what does he do?  He instead spares Gumball and tries to fix things, even if it means no one would remember this.  But to make things more memorable about that choice, we see Rob lower his evil persona and be nice, perhaps even himself.  Perhaps this was in story form a sign of things to come, that maybe instead of keeping up his role as the bad guy Rob may try to change his role, maybe even try to befriend Gumball as he is the only one who remembers the events of The Rerun so he knows it’s possible.  And before The Rerun, we were given a hint of that in the form of Rob’s design.

Now granted we are not the writers, and especially in this amazing world we don’t know what’s going on inside their heads.  So all we have to go by is what we hypothesize on our own, and how amazed and closer we feel to the show when we get it right.  Or, in the case of Rob, we just want to give this guy a break.  I mean there’s tragic backstories, but, call me overdramatic, but tragic doesn’t even begin to explain it, and we didn’t know anything about this guy before the void except that he was a background character at best.  Also, when you see things that don’t add up, you begin to put pieces together.  But the best part about piecing together a theory, is that it opens the door to more theories   Like, it was a surprising easter egg that Rob actually was in The Void, but why was he just standing there? (outside of it would have been distracting from the episode’s plot).  And why was Rob’s default English voice feminine?  I’ve rambled too long as it is, so I’m just going to leave these two questions for you guys to pick apart.  And if you feel like it, share your theories too.  Who knows, you may find some new friends who believe in it too, and you may find one day that it becomes confirmed in the show.

[avalonbayblog]

OC Creation Questions: Avalon - 1, 12, 17, 18 Bailey- 14, 15, 16, 17?

Avalon

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

Actually, it was that she was in a gang. I was on a bus in college, heading downtown, and looked down and alley and thought ‘what if a power ranger wasn’t as great as the others, what if they were in a gang?’ and that kicked started the whole thing. I got that part of her backstory done and then things snowballed from there. The very first thing after thinking she as in a gang that I thought was, ‘there needs to be something at stake for her to join it, so what is it?’ and came up with Bailey almost immediately after.

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

Edits, only because of the quality/amount of gifs that you have for Power Rangers. Let’s be honest here, film quality back then wasn’t great and compared to what we have now, it makes it seem like it wasn’t worked on to a high quality. I’ve gotten better at making gifs, though, so one of my attempts is coming soon. Maybe even today.

17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

That she can be a bit too harsh without any real consequences. All of the other rangers really just sat there and took it when what she really needs is some sort of push back to make her understand how her actions have consequences. Sure, there are moments where it does happen, but it needed to happen more often. She come across as a massive jerk/mary-sue in the first few chapters of All To Blame, honestly.

18. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

How happy Avalon can be. I’ve had her be so mopey and angry so long that I don’t show her happy a lot. She’s happy when she’s around Bailey, she’s happy when she’s around Billy, she’s happy when she’s around her friends (even when snarking at them), she’s happy when she’s taking time to do her art and knitting and sewing. I don’t show it a lot and I really need to because Avalon in her private life is much more relatable and happy than in her public life.

Bailey

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

Very smart but also very naive. It’s a hard juxtaposition to do, but it works well. Bailey is very smart, very intelligent, and loves to research things. But in terms of social skills in trusting people and how cruel the world can be, she’s very naive until something is proven to her. She, unlike Avalon, trusts everyone until it’s proven they can’t be, always trying to see the benefit of the doubt. This can get her into trouble many times, but she does learn from it.

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh?

How much she truly does believe in mermaids and will go to the ends of the Earth to prove it. You know that meme that is mad scientist-esque where it shows Charlie Day stringing things together? Ask her to prove something that can’t be proven and that’s the lengths she’ll go to do it.

16. What is something about your OC  can make you cry?

Though it is her own perceived loneliness, just how lonely Bailey is. When she starts out in the series she has no friends her age. Not a one. And it’s all because of her smarts and because she has to keep her life a secret. Her smarts alienates her from kids her age as she tends to have her interests in math and science. Then she meets Fred, who ends up enjoying the same things and doesn’t make her feel so much of a freak. But, her life is pinpointed by being part of a ranger team with rangers who are always older than her. Even as he matures and starts to like more mainstream things, she finds herself holding back and unable to completely be herself, that by Dino Thunder while she does have teammates in Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Trent, she can see the divide between them and her as she’s already had her toe into being a ranger for so long.She’s just very lonely and realizing that, is very sad.

17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

That she’s basically a female Billy, though she doesn’t use techno-speak as much and is very precious. (Even their names are too similar, despite the fact that I love the name Bailey, it sounds better as ‘Avalon and Bailey’ than ‘Avalon and Abigail’). I wish I gave her a bit more of a personality at the beginning that wasn’t so much like Billy’s. However, there is an obvious difference in that she clearly does have more confidence than he does, even at her younger age.

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Stranger Issues season 3: How and when to observe and plot rumors

http://tinyurl.com/y38zs9bc Stranger Issues Netflix Welcome again to Stranger Things, welcome again to the Upside Down.  Stranger Issues returns to Netflix July 4. If that you must play catch-up, we have a recap of seasons 1 and 2 here. For our full review, head here. However now for the largest query of all… When can I watch? Netflix is releasing all episodes on July 4. However you most likely know that already. You wish to know precisely when. We have the exact occasions proper right here! 12:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) 3:01 a.m. Japanese Daylight Time (EDT) 4:01 a.m. Brasilia Time (BRT)  7:01 a.m. Coordinated Common Time (UTC)  8:01 a.m. British Summer season Time (BST)  12:31 p.m. India Commonplace Time (IST)  3:01 p.m. Central Commonplace Time (CST)  4:01 p.m. Korea Commonplace Time (KST) For these of you residing in Australia, Netflix made a close to little diagram (because you all have so many bizarre timezones).  In case you possibly can’t see the above tweet, we have additionally listed the occasions under… 3:01 p.m. Australian Western Commonplace Time (AWST) 4:31 p.m. Australian Central Commonplace Time (ACST) 5:01 p.m. Australian Japanese Commonplace Time (AEST) Tips on how to watch Get your self a Netflix subscription. Stranger Issues is a jewel within the service’s crown of authentic collection, and it is one of the simplest ways to make sure you get all the brand new episodes plus entry to the primary two seasons. Unsure Netflix is value it to you? The service presents a free one-month trial, so in the event you enroll near the brand new season’s premiere you possibly can take in the brand new season and each earlier years, then cancel your membership with out price. However we’re anticipating two extra seasons of the present, so that you may need to enroll once more in a while (or discover a Netflix-subscribing good friend who’ll invite you over) Opinions are promising And in accordance those that’ve lucked out and seen it early, you may wish to neglect the native gathering and keep house and watch a special form of fireworks from your individual TV. CNET’s own Jennifer Bisset provided excessive reward for season 3, dubbing it, “a tighter, faster-paced barely shorter run of eight episodes that manages to faucet each emotional vein of childhood (even for many who did not develop up within the ’80s).” Bisset is not alone. MTVNews tradition director Crystal Bell tweeted that season Three is the present’s “greatest season but.” CNET sister website ComicBook.com also approves, noting that the brand new season works to “not solely ship followers every thing they beloved about earlier seasons, but additionally elevate parts to new heights.” Trailers and teases When you await the total episodes, Netflix dropped a final trailer. Issues in Hawkins look fairly grim this summer time — er, we imply, in the summertime of 1985. Take a look at the present’s newest poster, too. Sure, Eleven is carrying a scrunchie, and yikes, these are plenty of lifeless rats. And is {that a} new hideous monster rising up from the Upside Down? In Might, the present teased a bit in regards to the scorching occasions coming to the Hawkins, Indiana, Neighborhood Pool. Trace: The center-aged mothers love them some bad-boy Billy the lifeguard. Again in March, the present delivered a preview dripping with 1980s nostalgia. Now taking part in: Watch this: Netflix teases Stranger Issues season Three in new trailer 2:50 The trailer has its enjoyable retro moments — Dustin sprays Lucas within the face with Farrah Fawcett hair spray when the chums sneak up on him — but it surely’s apparent that hazard nonetheless dwells in Hawkins. Hopper tries to reassure Joyce he desires her to really feel protected, however who can when there is a new horrific monster lurking, plus a man with a gun? And it is actually a disgrace that Mews, Dustin’s household cat, met such a tragic finish, as a result of it seems rats have invaded the town. (Learn: Stranger Things temporada 3 en español.) Again on New Yr’s Eve 2018, Netflix launched the July Four launch date with a cute retro video mixing clips from Dick Clark’s New Yr’s Rockin’ Eve, the precise 1984-turns-into-1985 version, with typical Stranger Issues doom and gloom. The video was lower by with bizarre pc glitches, and revealed a hidden message that learn, “When blue and yellow meet within the west.” What’s all of it about? Why is Stranger Issues so surprisingly compelling? The present seemingly got here out of nowhere in July 2016, with a 1980s setting and wealthy popular culture particulars. Younger Will Byers disappears one evening after taking part in D&D together with his buddies in Hawkins, Indiana. The unfolding plot features a secret authorities laboratory, a younger lady referred to as Eleven, with psychokinetic powers, a creepy Upside Down dimension full of monsters and goo, and Christmas lights that blink an unnerving message. It boosted the sales of Eggo waffles, Eleven’s favourite snack, and created a complete motion, Justice for Barb, after a beloved character disappeared from a pool and despatched followers off the deep finish. The third season is about to blow up, and co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer say a fourth and fifth season are seemingly.  And in an interview with CNET Journal , David Harbour (Hopper himself) additionally confirmed that tidbit in regards to the present: We will expect Stranger Things to stick around for an additional few years and push into 5 seasons. He additionally mentioned he is aware of “considerably plenty of Hopper’s place in that story as a result of the extra you possibly can know in regards to the finish of your story, the extra you possibly can arrange,” and that followers should not worry unfastened ends (cough — Game of Thrones — cough) irrespective of when the present lastly ends. “I really feel very happy with that … we’re not going to get form of misplaced in our story and go away these strands,” he mentioned. “We’ll tie issues up.” Meet the solid Returning faces Who will we add to the core group in season 3? Courtesy Netflix New faces Maya Hawke: Hawke, daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, will be part of the solid as Robin, Variety reports. Robin is described as “an ‘different lady’ bored along with her mundane day job. She seeks pleasure in her life and will get greater than she bargained for when she uncovers a darkish secret.” Cary Elwes: Elwes, without end recognized to many as Westley in The Princess Bride, is coming to Hawkins, the place he’ll play the city’s mayor. “Good-looking, slick and sleazy, Mayor Kline is your basic ’80s politician — extra involved together with his personal picture than with the folks of the small city he governs,” Netflix says.  Jake Busey: Busey, son of acclaimed actor Gary Busey, will play Bruce, described by Netflix as “a journalist for The Hawkins Submit with questionable morals and a sick humorousness.” What we all know in regards to the plot Bros without end: One of the crucial endearing options of the present to date got here when Dustin and Steve developed a likable little bro-big bro relationship. “You undoubtedly see extra of that,” actor Gaten Matarazzo, who performs Dustin, told Entertainment Weekly. “That is what I actually like about (showrunners) Matt and Ross (Duffer): They know what followers like and so they roll with it.” Millie and Eleven: Millie Bobby Brown recently revealed that she and her character are melding much more this season. “Eleven undoubtedly turns into extra like me this season,” Brown mentioned in a press roundtable. “She’s very susceptible, very highly effective and robust. I can relate to her energy principally.” The actress additionally mentioned she had a hand in her character turning into extra fashionable, even “(exhibiting) just a little leg.” Billy, do not be a hero: The ultimate trailer suggests Max’s bullying brother Billy might be possessed by no matter evil remains to be lurking exterior the Upside Down. The mothers of Hawkins might imagine he is scorching stuff on the native pool, however the summer time appears unhealthy for ol’ Invoice. Freeze, police! In October 2018 a casting notice looked for extras with military and police experience to movie with the present in Atlanta. Each women and men, aged 18-50, of any ethnicity, are wanted. Hmm, what Stranger Issues plot might name for a big navy or police presence? May Chief Hopper be calling in a bigger drive to assist management the supernatural facet of Hawkins? Strike up the band: In September 2018, casting notices had been posted seeking people with marching band experience to look in a Stranger Issues episode. As with the police/navy casting discover above, there is not a ton of information to go along with this information: Will or not it’s a college band? A neighborhood group? Are they to look in a parade? And, after all, we do not know if any of the principle solid members might be a part of the band, which would appear to imply it might play a bigger position in an episode, or if the band is simply background noise. Life’s a seaside: Celeb website Simply Jared published a photo of Millie Bobby Brown filming what seems to be a fairly dramatic scene on the seaside in Malibu, California. Stranger Issues, after all, is about in landlocked Indiana, so possibly the Pacific Ocean is standing in for an Indiana lake or river. Or maybe Eleven is taking a West Coast journey within the new season. A couple of week later, extra snaps of the solid taken in Georgia had been revealed, this time, that includes most of Eleven’s associates, however she wasn’t seen. It is unclear what scene the youngsters had been filming, and most of them had been wrapped in robes, both to maintain heat or to cover no matter they had been carrying.  Eleven’s backstory revealed: Viewers have already met Eleven’s mother, troubled Terry Ives, however a brand new young-adult novel revealed in February 2019 will dig into her mom’s previous much more. Entertainment Weekly published an excerpt from Gwenda Bond’s e-book, referred to as Suspicious Minds, and it follows Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine on the present) as he tries to assemble a bunch of younger take a look at topics, presumably together with Terry. 5-year-old Eight, who Eleven meets when she’s fairly a bit older, additionally seems. Netflix Love is within the air: The romantic duos of Eleven/Mike and Max/Lucas are nonetheless collectively in Season 3, however for the way lengthy? “They’re like 13- or 14-year-old youngsters, so what does romance imply at that stage of life?” executive producer Shawn Levy said.  However in July 2018, Finn Wolfhard, who performs Mike, famous that the present might be set in the summertime of 1985, and referred to as it “the summer time of affection.” Wolfhard wasn’t round for the primary summer time of affection in 1967, and he wasn’t born till after the summer time of 1985. However his quote appears to trace that love and relationships might be part of season 3, for good or for ailing. Not everybody’s romance might be all hearts and flowers, although. David Harbour, who performs police chief Jim Hopper, mentioned his character will “take extra dangers with these new languages of intimacy and vulnerability,” however is “going to flail and be horrible at it.”  Father determine as martyr: Additionally in summer time 2018, Harbour told the Tampa Bay Comic-Con audience that he is aware of how he’d like his character to bow out. “I wish to take a bullet for Eleven,” he mentioned. And when followers cheered the selfless response, he replied, “Now you are all pleased about me dying!” No fears, although. I believe Hopper will stick round till the present’s eventual finish. We’ll have to attend and see whether or not he lives fortunately ever after (with Joyce?) or heroically exchanges his life for Eleven’s. New faces: Finn Wolfhard appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2018 and hinted at some new additions. “We’re in the course of (filming the season),” Wolfhard mentioned. “We acquired some new solid members, some unbelievable folks.” However that was about all he would spill, and Fallon rapidly modified the topic to joke about how he ought to seem on the present as a “bizarre uncle or one thing.” New characters aren’t any shock, and in the event that they play main roles, as Max and Billy did in season 2, absolutely particulars will leak out quickly. Extra D&D: The primary season began with the principle boys taking part in Dungeons & Dragons, which actually helped endear the present to all of us nerds on the market. Count on extra of the fantasy role-playing recreation in Season 3.  As Comicbook.com identified, artist Jared Flaming shared on Instagram in April that he is instructing the present’s prop grasp in regards to the recreation. Jackson Davis/Netflix Dad Steve is again: Older teen character Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), who turned out to be an enormous brother determine for Dustin in season 2, will sustain that position. “I am going to simply say we cannot be abandoning the Dad-Steve magic,” Levy told THR. Again in time: Ghostbusters was an vital theme in season 2, and Michael J. Fox’s 1985 film Back to the Future might be a key aspect this season. Chasing Chase: Again to the Future is not the one 1980s film that can play a job. David Harbour instructed Selection that Chevy Chase’s 1985 motion comedy Fletch will also inspire season 3. “Fletch is one film we get to mess around and have some enjoyable with this season, which you would not anticipate from Stranger Issues. and also you would not anticipate from the Spielberg universe and also you actually would not anticipate from a darker season,” he mentioned. Hopper’s historical past: Harbour also told Variety that he hopes the present investigates his character’s historical past as each a New York cop and a Vietnam vet. “I am curious as to how his excursions in Vietnam may need formed him to be who he’s and if a few of that stuff does not nonetheless linger or hang-out him in varied methods,” Harbour mentioned. Sing it, sister: Lucas’ vigorous youthful sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) may have an expanded position this season, and deservedly so. “There will certainly be extra Erica in season 3,” present co-creator Ross Duffer instructed Yahoo Entertainment. “http://www.cnet.com/”We acquired to make use of extra Erica’ — that was one of many first issues we mentioned within the writers’ room.” Maintaining with the Byerses: Millie Bobby Brown, who performs Eleven, did her greatest to begin a loopy rumor in regards to the new season. While being interviewed by E! in mid-Might, Brown requested co-star Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) if he’d like to see reality-show star Kim Kardashian on Stranger Issues. A confused Schnapp thought the casting was actuality, and Brown led him on by claiming Kardashian was set to play a personality named 10. Kardashian herself gave the impression to be onboard, tweeting an enthused response. (Fan opinion: NOOOOO PLEASE NOOOO!)  Be aware: This piece was first revealed Might 3, 2018 and is steadily up to date as we get nearer to the Upside Down. Source link

[patheticphallacy]

IT’S MAY Y’ALL. Even though I’ll still be doing blog posts in May, it’s not going to be as hectic, as I finally finished my second year of university and have decided to take it easy after a very packed April.

I’m also doing things a little different with my wrap up this month by getting rid of star ratings. I watched a video on it, and I just feel like I’d rather people go by my actual comments on the books than look at the rating and decide that covers all my thoughts. I still have star ratings on Goodreads for my own personal use, but I’m doing my best to start writing proper summaries of my thoughts from now on!

READING WRAP UP

  Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan– a solid follow up to the first book, although there’s a startling lack of dragons in a series about a dragon naturalist! Definitely go into this one expecting a lot more politics than book 1, and Isabella starting a lot of Drama.

The Elementals by Michael McDowell– such an amazing horror novel! McDowell is so underrated for a writer who wrote predominantly in the seventies and eighties, and it’s so tragic how young he died. 

Princess Jellyfish Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura– such a disappointing read. It’s really problematic, to the point where it drastically impacted my enjoyment of the plot, especially when I’ve got so many other more recent manga I could be enjoying more than this. 

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 8 by Hiromu Arakawa– speaking of next tier manga… holy shit. I am so scared of volume 9 and finishing this series, it’s meant so much to me and it’s really helped me immerse myself fully in reading manga. 

Lumberjanes Volume 9 by Shannon Watters– Barney is a precious precious bean and I love them! This is a roller derby volume, and it was pretty great: I’ve been a fan of roller derby since I first watched Whip It, and this volume was super entertaining!

Lumberjanes Volume 10 by Shannon Watters– wholesome volume where the parents come to visit their kids. I do feel really sad for Molly, but it was nice seeing everyone else’s parents! 

Lumberjanes: A Midsummer Night’s Scheme by Nicole Andelfinger– this was a fun bonus one shot comic. However, it does get very cheesy and it’s whole message is just so obvious  that them explaining it was very much unneeded. 

Smut Peddler Volume 1 by Various Authors– this is a fun anthology of smut comics that I super enjoyed reading. E.K. Weaver’s comic is by far my favourite, and it’s only after I realised that it was a one shot about a character in her webcomic! 

Rumple Buttercup BY Matthew Gray Gubler– a very cute children’s graphic novel about loving yourself and finding acceptance! 

Smut Peddler Volume 2 by Various Authors– this wasn’t as good as volume 1, but I still read it really quickly and had a fun time looking at the different art styles and methods of story telling!

Dream Daddy by Various Authors– there are so many good moments in this comic, it’s so great. Highly recommend if you’ve played the game, and if you haven’t, check it out, it’s real fun! Damien and Robert’s issue was by far my favourite as they were my favourites in the game too.

Tokyo Ghoul Volume 5 by Sui Ishida– finally, I’m starting to enjoy Tokyo Ghoul. It took a while this volume to actually understand what the hell was happening, but once I did, it really did become something I enjoyed.

Rick and Morty VS Dungeons and Dragons by Patrick Rothfuss– A decent enough read, although there is way too much dialogue and exposition on every page. The font is really small, too, so reading it was a hassle. 

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero– this book was actually terrible and I have a whole review discussing my issues and how harmful it is!

Jackass! Volume 1 by Scarlet Beriko– This is a funny, sweet manga about fetishes and blackmail. It has an age gap romance between an 18 year old and a doctor, and there is some transphobic bullying/weird treatment of bullying being okay if the person has a crush on you, but the main relationship is great, and the MC has a really lovely relationship with his older sister. 

Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka– Chronicles the Alice Batwoman arc from Detective Comics, as well as giving the backstory for Kate. It’s so great having a badass DC hero who is a lesbian, whose storyline also touches on homophobia in the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ era of the military. Glad I finally got to this!

Sparrowhawk #5 by Delilah S Dawson– a really disappointing series conclusion overall. I knew I should’ve just stopped reading after the first issue and I wasn’t feeling it, and I honestly wish I had after such a dissatisfying conclusion. Others may enjoy this, but it really wasn’t for me.

Assassination Classroom Volume 1 by Yusei Matsui— an amazing series starter! Already really moving with a teacher who spends all his time encouraging his students despite being a threat to the entire world they have to kill within the year. I have a feeling this will become a new favourite.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara– really great non-fiction read written by a journalist who played a massive part in the resurgence of talk surrounding the Golden State Killer. You also get some of her life story, and by the end I was almost in disbelief that the author had already died by the time her work was published. I will say it did drag at points, especially in the parts not written by McNamara that had to be finished after she died, but overall a really thorough look into the cases and the victims.

The Woods Volume 5 by James Tynion IV– this series is- dare I say it- picking up? I still have issues with the representation and the fact that most of the main characters to have died, especially in this volume, were POC while the white characters are in the exact same situation and survive. Will have to see if this carries on. 

Backwards & In Heels by Alicia Malone– this started off strong, and I found out so much about women in film and their presence in the industry since the creation of film in the 1800’s. However, by the end it got so repetitive and formulaic in the way information was presented that I started skimming. This is more of a coffee-table, occasional-read book when you fancy learning more about amazing women! Also, even though there is diverse rep and talk of lack of hiring of WOC and LGBT+ women in the industry, we also get the author praising white women earlier on in the book who took on roles where they did blackface and yellowface, which really dulled down the conversation in the latter half of the book. 

My Love Story!! Volume 6 by Kazune Kawahara– so GOOD. I got so emotional reading this volume, I ended up crying. This is by far one of my favourite manga series, I can’t recommend it enough. It follows tough-but-soft boy Takeo as he enters into a relationship with Yamato, cutest girl in the universe, with the support of his best friend Suna. Truly the PEAK of romantic comedy fiction. 

When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry– emotional, hardhitting read about a group of friends who end up with superpowers after discovering a strange alien object. It’s very reminiscent of the film Super 8 in my head, and if you love stories about not only aliens but found families through friendship, highly recommend!

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle– I just don’t think Sherlock Holmes is for me. I love the retellings and adaptations, and in theory, I’m invested in the murder mysteries, but I just think Doyle’s prose weighs it down and there’s always that underlying racism I don’t think is appropriate to even attempt to shake. 

And my May TBR Jar pick is…. MY HEART GOES BANG by Keris Stainton!

TV SHOWS/MOVIES/VIDEOS

At the start of the month, I started bingeing Dead Meat videos, a channel entirely revolving around horror. My personal favourite series is the Saw kill count videos, and the movies that changed horror podcast episode James (the host) does with his girlfriend Chelsea (who is amazing)!

I finally watched season 2 of Stranger Things! I adore Steve, as always, and it was such a solid season (BOB). However I did have an issue with the needless rivalry that festered with Elle towards Max, season 3 better sort that and stop pitting girls against each other for no reason other than because of boys.

Zoe from Read by Zoe was on FIRE this month with some really great read-a-thon videos! I loved her 24 read-a-thon vlog especially, she read only books she enjoyed growing up and it all felt really nostalgic.

This is very much a personal one, but my favourite streamer returned to a podcast with the company he used to work for, and it was just…. so heartwarming to watch. I can’t believe he left four years ago! I’ve been watching this company since I was about fourteen, so it was so nice watching this, a long-awaited reunion.

Kat at paperbackdreams did an amaaaaazing video rant reviewing After by Anna Todd, and I loved it. In general Kat is a top tier booktuber for me, I highly recommend her videos as much as I can!

MUSIC I’VE ENJOYED

Pressure by The 1975

Old Town Road Remix by Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus

The Black and White and I Spend Too Much Time in My Room by The Band CAMINO

I Got 5 On It  (Tethered Mix From US) by Michael Abels, Luniz, Michael Marshall

Soldiers (From Stranger Things) by Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein

REVIEWS I POSTED

Three Romance Reviews: Kulti, The Hating Game and Sunstone

The Elementals Book Review

Meddling Kids Book Review

OTHER POSTS I’VE DONE 

Spring Cleaning Book Tag

Film Friday: Favourite Campus Films

Getting Through Exam and Essays: ADVICE

DISCUSSION: Reading at University, and how I do it!

Music Monday: OMG This Song Book Tag

Top Ten Tuesday: Rainy Day Reads

Top Ten Tuesday: First Ten Books I Ever Reviewed on Goodreads

  April Wrap Up & May TBR Jar Pick IT'S MAY Y'ALL. Even though I'll still be doing blog posts in May, it's not going to be as hectic, as I finally finished my second year of university and have decided to take it easy after a very packed April.

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Stranger Issues season 3: How and when to look at and plot rumors

http://tinyurl.com/yxmuzwlu Stranger Issues Netflix Welcome again to Stranger Things, welcome again to the Upside Down.  Stranger Issues is again! Time to begin binging. If you should play catch-up, we have a recap of seasons 1 and 2 here. For our full review, head here. When can I watch? Netflix As of proper now Stranger Issues season Three has been unlocked on Netflix globally. You may watch the present proper now. It was unlocked on the following instances… 12:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) 3:01 a.m. Jap Daylight Time (EDT) 4:01 a.m. Brasilia Time (BRT)  7:01 a.m. Coordinated Common Time (UTC)  8:01 a.m. British Summer season Time (BST)  12:31 p.m. India Commonplace Time (IST)  3:01 p.m. Central Commonplace Time (CST)  4:01 p.m. Korea Commonplace Time (KST) 3:01 p.m. Australian Western Commonplace Time (AWST) 4:31 p.m. Australian Central Commonplace Time (ACST) 5:01 p.m. Australian Jap Commonplace Time (AEST) Methods to watch Get your self a Netflix subscription. Stranger Issues is a jewel within the service’s crown of authentic sequence, and it is one of the best ways to make sure you get all the brand new episodes plus entry to the primary two seasons. Undecided Netflix is price it to you? The service presents a free one-month trial, so when you join near the brand new season’s premiere you may absorb the brand new season and each earlier years, then cancel your membership with out value. However we’re anticipating two extra seasons of the present, so that you may need to enroll once more afterward (or discover a Netflix-subscribing good friend who’ll invite you over) Opinions are promising And in accordance those that’ve lucked out and seen it early, you may wish to overlook the native gathering and keep house and watch a distinct form of fireworks from your personal TV. CNET’s own Jennifer Bisset provided excessive reward for season 3, dubbing it, “a tighter, faster-paced barely shorter run of eight episodes that manages to faucet each emotional vein of childhood (even for individuals who did not develop up within the ’80s).” Bisset is not alone. MTVNews tradition director Crystal Bell tweeted that season Three is the present’s “greatest season but.” CNET sister web site ComicBook.com also approves, noting that the brand new season works to “not solely ship followers all the things they liked about earlier seasons, but in addition elevate components to new heights.” Trailers and teases When you await the total episodes, Netflix dropped a final trailer. Issues in Hawkins look fairly grim this summer time — er, we imply, in the summertime of 1985. Try the present’s newest poster, too. Sure, Eleven is carrying a scrunchie, and yikes, these are a number of useless rats. And is {that a} new hideous monster rising up from the Upside Down? In Could, the present teased a bit concerning the sizzling instances coming to the Hawkins, Indiana, Group Pool. Trace: The center-aged mothers love them some bad-boy Billy the lifeguard. Again in March, the present delivered a preview dripping with 1980s nostalgia. Now enjoying: Watch this: Netflix teases Stranger Issues season Three in new trailer 2:50 The trailer has its enjoyable retro moments — Dustin sprays Lucas within the face with Farrah Fawcett hair spray when the chums sneak up on him — but it surely’s apparent that hazard nonetheless dwells in Hawkins. Hopper tries to reassure Joyce he desires her to really feel secure, however who can when there is a new horrific monster lurking, plus a man with a gun? And it is actually a disgrace that Mews, Dustin’s household cat, met such a tragic finish, as a result of it seems rats have invaded the town. (Learn: Stranger Things temporada 3 en español.) What’s all of it about? Why is Stranger Issues so unusually compelling? The present seemingly got here out of nowhere in July 2016, with a 1980s setting and wealthy popular culture particulars. Younger Will Byers disappears one night time after enjoying D&D together with his buddies in Hawkins, Indiana. The unfolding plot features a secret authorities laboratory, a younger woman known as Eleven, with psychokinetic powers, a creepy Upside Down dimension crammed with monsters and goo, and Christmas lights that blink an unnerving message. It boosted the sales of Eggo waffles, Eleven’s favourite snack, and created a whole motion, Justice for Barb, after a beloved character disappeared from a pool and despatched followers off the deep finish. The third season is about to blow up, and co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer say a fourth and fifth season are seemingly.  And in an interview with CNET Journal , David Harbour (Hopper himself) additionally confirmed that tidbit concerning the present: We will expect Stranger Things to stick around for an additional few years and push into 5 seasons. He additionally stated he is aware of “considerably a number of Hopper’s place in that story as a result of the extra you may know concerning the finish of your story, the extra you may arrange,” and that followers should not worry unfastened ends (cough — Game of Thrones — cough) irrespective of when the present lastly ends. “I really feel very pleased with that … we’re not going to get form of misplaced in our story and depart these strands,” he stated. “We will tie issues up.” Meet the solid Returning faces Who will we add to the core group in season 3? Courtesy Netflix New faces Maya Hawke: Hawke, daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, will be part of the solid as Robin, Variety reports. Robin is described as “an ‘various woman’ bored along with her mundane day job. She seeks pleasure in her life and will get greater than she bargained for when she uncovers a darkish secret.” Cary Elwes: Elwes, perpetually recognized to many as Westley in The Princess Bride, is coming to Hawkins, the place he’ll play the city’s mayor. “Good-looking, slick and sleazy, Mayor Kline is your basic ’80s politician — extra involved together with his personal picture than with the individuals of the small city he governs,” Netflix says.  Jake Busey: Busey, son of acclaimed actor Gary Busey, will play Bruce, described by Netflix as “a journalist for The Hawkins Put up with questionable morals and a sick humorousness.” What we all know concerning the plot Bros perpetually: Probably the most endearing options of the present to date got here when Dustin and Steve developed a likable little bro-big bro relationship. “You undoubtedly see extra of that,” actor Gaten Matarazzo, who performs Dustin, told Entertainment Weekly. “That is what I actually like about (showrunners) Matt and Ross (Duffer): They know what followers like and so they roll with it.” Millie and Eleven: Millie Bobby Brown recently revealed that she and her character are melding much more this season. “Eleven undoubtedly turns into extra like me this season,” Brown stated in a press roundtable. “She’s very weak, very highly effective and robust. I can relate to her power principally.” The actress additionally stated she had a hand in her character changing into extra fashionable, even “(displaying) somewhat leg.” Billy, do not be a hero: The ultimate trailer suggests Max’s bullying brother Billy will probably be possessed by no matter evil remains to be lurking outdoors the Upside Down. The mothers of Hawkins might imagine he is sizzling stuff on the native pool, however the summer time appears unhealthy for ol’ Invoice. Freeze, police! In October 2018 a casting notice looked for extras with military and police experience to movie with the present in Atlanta. Each women and men, aged 18-50, of any ethnicity, are wanted. Hmm, what Stranger Issues plot might name for a big army or police presence? May Chief Hopper be calling in a bigger pressure to assist management the supernatural facet of Hawkins? Strike up the band: In September 2018, casting notices had been posted seeking people with marching band experience to seem in a Stranger Issues episode. As with the police/army casting discover above, there is not a ton of information to go along with this information: Will or not it’s a faculty band? A neighborhood group? Are they to seem in a parade? And, in fact, we do not know if any of the principle solid members will probably be a part of the band, which would appear to imply it might play a bigger function in an episode, or if the band is simply background noise. Life’s a seashore: Celeb web site Simply Jared published a photo of Millie Bobby Brown filming what seems to be a fairly dramatic scene on the seashore in Malibu, California. Stranger Issues, in fact, is ready in landlocked Indiana, so perhaps the Pacific Ocean is standing in for an Indiana lake or river. Or maybe Eleven is taking a West Coast journey within the new season. A couple of week later, extra snaps of the solid taken in Georgia had been revealed, this time, that includes most of Eleven’s buddies, however she wasn’t seen. It is unclear what scene the children had been filming, and most of them had been wrapped in robes, both to maintain heat or to cover no matter they had been carrying.  Eleven’s backstory revealed: Viewers have already met Eleven’s mother, troubled Terry Ives, however a brand new young-adult novel printed in February 2019 will dig into her mom’s previous much more. Entertainment Weekly published an excerpt from Gwenda Bond’s guide, known as Suspicious Minds, and it follows Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine on the present) as he tries to assemble a gaggle of younger check topics, presumably together with Terry. 5-year-old Eight, who Eleven meets when she’s fairly a bit older, additionally seems. Netflix Love is within the air: The romantic duos of Eleven/Mike and Max/Lucas are nonetheless collectively in Season 3, however for the way lengthy? “They’re like 13- or 14-year-old children, so what does romance imply at that stage of life?” executive producer Shawn Levy said.  However in July 2018, Finn Wolfhard, who performs Mike, famous that the present will probably be set in the summertime of 1985, and known as it “the summer time of affection.” Wolfhard wasn’t round for the primary summer time of affection in 1967, and he wasn’t born till after the summer time of 1985. However his quote appears to trace that love and relationships will probably be part of season 3, for good or for unwell. Not everybody’s romance will probably be all hearts and flowers, although. David Harbour, who performs police chief Jim Hopper, stated his character will “take extra dangers with these new languages of intimacy and vulnerability,” however is “going to flail and be horrible at it.”  Father determine as martyr: Additionally in summer time 2018, Harbour told the Tampa Bay Comic-Con audience that he is aware of how he’d like his character to bow out. “I wish to take a bullet for Eleven,” he stated. And when followers cheered the selfless response, he replied, “Now you are all completely happy about me dying!” No fears, although. I believe Hopper will stick round till the present’s eventual finish. We’ll have to attend and see whether or not he lives fortunately ever after (with Joyce?) or heroically exchanges his life for Eleven’s. New faces: Finn Wolfhard appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2018 and hinted at some new additions. “We’re in the course of (filming the season),” Wolfhard stated. “We acquired some new solid members, some unimaginable individuals.” However that was about all he would spill, and Fallon shortly modified the topic to joke about how he ought to seem on the present as a “bizarre uncle or one thing.” New characters are not any shock, and in the event that they play main roles, as Max and Billy did in season 2, absolutely particulars will leak out quickly. Extra D&D: The primary season began with the principle boys enjoying Dungeons & Dragons, which definitely helped endear the present to all of us nerds on the market. Count on extra of the fantasy role-playing sport in Season 3.  As Comicbook.com identified, artist Jared Flaming shared on Instagram in April that he is educating the present’s prop grasp concerning the sport. Jackson Davis/Netflix Dad Steve is again: Older teen character Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), who turned out to be an enormous brother determine for Dustin in season 2, will sustain that function. “I will simply say we cannot be abandoning the Dad-Steve magic,” Levy told THR. Again in time: Ghostbusters was an necessary theme in season 2, and Michael J. Fox’s 1985 film Back to the Future will probably be a key factor this season. Chasing Chase: Again to the Future is not the one 1980s film that can play a job. David Harbour instructed Selection that Chevy Chase’s 1985 motion comedy Fletch will also inspire season 3. “Fletch is one film we get to mess around and have some enjoyable with this season, which you would not count on from Stranger Issues. and also you would not count on from the Spielberg universe and also you definitely would not count on from a darker season,” he stated. Hopper’s historical past: Harbour also told Variety that he hopes the present investigates his character’s historical past as each a New York cop and a Vietnam vet. “I am curious as to how his excursions in Vietnam may need formed him to be who he’s and if a few of that stuff would not nonetheless linger or hang-out him in varied methods,” Harbour stated. Sing it, sister: Lucas’ vigorous youthful sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) can have an expanded function this season, and deservedly so. “There will certainly be extra Erica in season 3,” present co-creator Ross Duffer instructed Yahoo Entertainment. “http://www.cnet.com/”We acquired to make use of extra Erica’ — that was one of many first issues we stated within the writers’ room.” Maintaining with the Byerses: Millie Bobby Brown, who performs Eleven, did her greatest to begin a loopy rumor concerning the new season. While being interviewed by E! in mid-Could, Brown requested co-star Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) if he’d like to see reality-show star Kim Kardashian on Stranger Issues. A confused Schnapp thought the casting was actuality, and Brown led him on by claiming Kardashian was set to play a personality named 10. Kardashian herself appeared to be onboard, tweeting an enthused response. (Fan opinion: NOOOOO PLEASE NOOOO!)  Source link