#Jonesy will become the main character

[workingforthewidow]

‘Sweetest of the Sunflowers’

This started off has an HC list of the Sinclairs dating twins but then it took on a mind of its own and now its over 25K words and I have no end in sight. So I’ll post a portion every couple days! Title inspired by Sun to Me by Zach Bryan you don’t have to listen to understand but I think it fits the way the story is heading :)

Summary: Twin sisters Catherine (Katie) and Caroline end up in Ambrose after their car breaks down on their drive from Georgia to California. Bo convinces Vincent they should keep the girls and make them their wives. A twin for each twin. Will the girls escape? Will they learn to live their new lives? Will they even survive?

I have a post where I kinda give some insight on certain aspects (ex- I hc Vincent ‘can’ talk but doesn’t like to and why) here

This is for 18+ only minors DNI just go watch the movie with your parents permission.

Warnings: kidnapping, forced marriage, dub-con, attempted non-con, abuse, Stockholm syndrome, age gap (15 years- K&C are 19 Sinclairs are 33 soon to be 34 yes we will have a birthday party for them). Don’t like it don’t read it.

So welcome to the first chapter of this story!

Tag list: @ostricx (let me know if you want to be tagged!)

Bo couldn’t hold back the smirk when they walked in the shop. Two beautiful twins. They were identical with the same dark chocolate hair and hazel eyes that seemed almost green in the lights but they were different- one had her long hair down and following freely in wavy curls looking lost in space as she wandered around his shop while the other had half her short hair pulled up in two buns and was trying to explain what was wrong with their car looking very focused on getting back on the road. “Well doll it’ll take me a while to go over everything. Why don’t you go on up to see the town jewel. House of Wax, just go on in I know the owner you’re safe.”

“Okay. Thank you so much. Come on, Caroline.”

“But Katie, why can’t we just stay here? I don’t want to walk anymore.” The one with curls, Caroline complained. Caroline, pretty name for a pretty girl.

“Just come on. This is your fault anyway. I can’t believe you have never taken your car to get checked.” Katie huffed out grabbing her twins arm pulling her to the door.

“Well sorry some of us weren’t so far up dad’s ass to learn all the special shit about cars, Catherine.”

“This is basic knowledge Caroline, don’t go full name on me. Let’s go.”

She was finally able to pull her out the door and towards the museum.

He knew what was wrong with the car it needed oil- from what he just heard hadn’t been changed in a while or maybe ever. But he had no plans on fixing that anytime soon. He made his way through the underground tunnels to find Vincent, “Vinny you ain’t gonna believe what little slices of heaven just fell in Ambrose. Walking through town like angels.” He said forcing Vincent away from his work and up to the museum so they could watch the girls.

“Oh my god this stuff is creepy. It’s like a house full of dead people.” Caroline said with a disturbed look.

“1. Be nice someone worked really hard on these. 2. They aren’t creepy they are cool. The artist is so talented.” Katie scolded her sister and continued to admire the art.

The boys continued to follow them around the museum until they had seen everything. Suddenly Caroline gasped, “A puppy! Look, look! Hi puppy.” A black and white dog trotted over to where the girl had squatted down. “Oh she’s so cute. Do you think she lives here?” She looked up to her sister.

Katie sighed softy almost a laugh and bent down with her sister, “Probably, she seems content here. She probably belongs to the owner of the museum.” She looked at the dog’s collar, “Jonesy, that’s a cute name.” She scratched the pup’s head before Jonesy licked her arm, “A sweet baby too.”

The girls loved on Jonesy a few more minutes without noticing the watching eyes on them.

—-

The boys went back to Vincent’s studio under the museum.

“So what ya think? We could keep them. I’ll take the curly hair and you can have the other one. She seems to appreciate what you and Mama do.” Bo looked at his twin who had already started getting back to work. Vincent shook his head and continued working. Sure the girl was beautiful and it was nice to have someone besides his brothers say nice things about his art. But he could never live a normal life like Bo or Lester could.

“Come on, Vinny. I think its time we find us some girls. Get to work making Ambrose full again.” Bo wasn’t backing down.

Vincent scribbled fiercely on a notepad and thrust it at his brother, ~Do whatever you want. Maybe Lester wants the other one~.

“Nah, it’s perfect for us. Twins and twins. I know you think she’s pretty.” Bo said tossing the notepad back letting Vincent write out his reply.

~How do you expect this to happen? How is it going to work?~

Bo read over the replied and chuckled darkly, “Easy. Knock ‘em out. I’ll bring mine back down under the shop and you bring yours back here. They gotta listen and cooperate eventually if they want anything.” Of course Bo’s plan was by force. Vincent thought it over knowing his brother wouldn’t back down. It would be nice to have someone has his own. He had been alone for so long since Mama had died. And if this girl liked his art than maybe she could learn to like him, even love him.

He finally turned fully to look at Bo and nodded his head.

“Well damn that took less convincing than I thought it would. Okay they should be back at the shop by now looking for me. Just gotta get behind them and grab.” Bo smirked and started walking away with Vincent trudging behind.

—

‘Oh no the cute car guy is gone.’ Caroline thought as she and her twin walked in the door before speaking out loud, “Where’d he go?”

“Maybe he’s in the back or something. Let’s just stay here and wait. Then we can keep going. We’re almost halfway to the coast.” Katie said stepping back looking around for any sight of the mechanic, Bo he had said his name was. Then she heard what she thought was a footstep behind her. “Did you hear th…” before she could finish her question a rag was held up to her face and a hand wrapped around her waist from behind. The rag smelled funny and her eyes grew heavy before she went limp in the arms holding her.

“Hear what?” Caroline was about to turn around to face Katie when hands grabbed her from behind clapping a rag over her face too. She tried to scream but nothing escaped as she too grew tired before everything went black.

[dgaftilwedie]

more oc dumping :33

this is seradella mott (sera for short). she's one of the first ocs i ever created, i think i made her back in 4th grade?? she's the main character of the novel that i'm working on!!! (i used olibuki's picrew btw :3)

statz: she/her but doesn't really care too much, bi, metalhead filth, resident cripplingly depressed sad sack of shit

likez: sleeping the day away, stealing christophe's cigs when he's not looking, grindcore, cats, iced tea, late night drives, the saw movies, anything disgustingly sweet, uncle anton and uncle jonesy

dislikez: her stupid dad, being awake, being sober, her stupid dad again, healing piercings, carrots, putting any effort into her appearance besides her corpsepaint /hj, being warm

background: she had a super rough childhood. she was born in italy to the world's most dysfunctional couple ever. after a pretty messy divorce, sera's mom got full custody and they moved to michigan. a few years passed and everything was going smoothly until sera's dad reached out begging for forgiveness. her mom made the mistake of accepting his apology and they decided to try again which was very much for the worse. her father moved in with them again and things seemed okayish. but one day while on her way home from school, sera's parents got in a heated argument that ended in her witnessing her father murder her mother with a lamp. sera's dad sent her to live in a group home and he moved back to italy, partially because he didn't want to face the consequences but mostly because he wanted to "keep the family business running". in the home, sera met her best friend serena. they were completely inseparable to the point where they would routinely complain to school conselours when they weren't in classes together. in sophomore year, the pair met kenna (the only scene kid at the school) and candy (who ended up dating serena). over the summer after junior year, sera got a shitty part-time job selling brochures on the college campus that was a few streets over. it was there where she met christophe, who would end up becoming one of her closest friends. after graduation, sera, serena, candy, kenna, and christophe all moved in together (all courtesy of our favorite frenchman). :33

[binxdoesgaming]

Man oh man do I have a Fortnitemares concept idea well into fucking February. :') Also heads up, some spoilers for STW's main story and seasonal questlines down below

Y'all remember Dark Ray? From the Long Way Home Questline? And how she was from an alternate reality where she became """evil""" because she failed to save Homebase? What if there were also bad timeline versions of the other 3 Homebots (Kevin, Pop, and Lok) and ended up reforming into a bad end version of the group.

Pop I'd feel would be based off his little evil arc from early-mid Plankerton. Never quite got off it and maybe went off the deep end and eventually somehow got the commander killed through his "pranks" and just kinda throw Homebase off kilter. After all is said and done, he'd probably have the realization that "shit, I really don't have anyone from home left". Not quite to the extent of Dark Ray's, but he'd have the Epiphany. Whilst he wouldn't exactly be helpful, he'd also maybe not try to get anyone killed— instead just taking it out on wild husks and in turn become a well versed fighter.

Lok would most definitely be based off the Tales of Beyond Questline where he encounters the cube. Instead of the cube just up and leaving after it ends, he'd probably have some form of cube corruption seen in characters from BR (Dark Bomber, Dark Red Knight, etc.)— but would have gained some powers in return. Mostly 1. Being able to see into the future like Dark Jonesy in Ch2S8; 2. The ability to control a little cube magic (think Glyph Master Raz boss from ch2s6); and 3. Lightning. Little man is a toaster and a robot so that would probably just come natural to him.

Kevin... Kevin is a weird case because he barely shows up in the game at all. Only things we know about him is that he's the local technologist/engineer, a bit of a neat freak, may or may not have anger issues, almost nobody at homebase likes him aside from Kyle, Ned, and most likely Lok because he doesn't have a single hateful bone in his body, and can possibly even run Homebase in the case Ray isn't there. Legitimately the most this gay lil robot has spoken was in the Clip's Nightmare Questline which hasn't returned, in which it seems he actually has a little friendship going on with Carter since she doesn't instantly hate him. So yeah, not much to work with on him. I was thinking maybe a version of him where he somehow gets involved with ghosts and the Door to Darkness? Another where he gets involved with the cube (because know, Kevin and Kevin). It was hard, but recent events just gave me an idea for him. In the recent update, we got a leak of ch4s2's STW pack which contains Ned. More specifically the time traveling one from The Long Road Home. And with him he has Kevin. Like actual Kevin. Not only is he cute as fuck, but it gave me an idea. Maybe sometime after the events of Canny, this version of Kevin wanted to continue Desiree's work on rifts to see how it would help stop the storm. And whist doing this research ends up getting stuck in a rift that went through multiple realities, some of them from the same world he was from— but something was different. He couldn't find the one that was his own and kept traveling from rift to rift. In turn, it would affect him by having different parts of him from different realities merge and himself constan stabilizing and destabilizing. It would be like he simultaneously would exist in multiple realities and none. Think of what happened with Eternal Voyager in Batman: Zero Point— but he was able to keep himself together somehow.

As for how'd they'd find each other, I would say it would be in part thanks to Rift Kevin and he'd find the different versions of his siblings and take them along with him so they wouldn't have to be in these realities that had ended this way.

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

The Whole Town's Talking

John Ford’s THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING (1935, TCM, Criterion Channel, YouTube) has been called the director’s only screwball comedy. That depends on how serious you like your screwballs. The film manages to poke fun at romantic comedy, gangster films and the notion of celebrity, but it lacks the consistently pixilated charm of the best comedies of Frank Capra, Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges.

Edward G. Robinson stars as Jonesy, a clerk with a crush on tough-talking colleague Bill (Jean Arthur). When a lookalike gangster, Killer Mannion, escapes from the pen, the police mistakenly take Jonesy and Bill into custody. Realizing their mistake, they give him a letter explaining that he’s not the gangland chief, which brings the real crook to Jonesy’s apartment and sets up a string of mistaken identity gags at the same time Jonesy becomes a local hero simply because of his face.

The film’s main screwball element is the liberation of Jonesy. His boss (Paul Harvey), who wants to use the publicity to promote his advertising firm, gets him drunk, leading Jonesy to confess his love for Bill. Later he finds an outlet for his own repressed anger by impersonating the crook. Robinson has the wisdom to play this almost totally straight. He doesn’t reach for comic effect, which makes him both very real and very funny. Some of his reactions, as when Harvey asks him to sign his son’s autograph book right under Mae West’s signature, are priceless. When Jonesy meets Mannion, Robinson differentiates the two so simply and clearly you can easily tell which is which, even when they start impersonating each other. When the focus isn’t on Jonesy, however, the film often gets too serious for its own good. There are a pair of comic policemen (Arthur Hohl and James Donlan), but the authority figures aren’t very funny, so their scenes start making the film look more like a real gangster picture. Ford needed to throw a Billy Gilbert or an Edgar Kennedy into the mix to keep things buoyant. And there are also two murders played relatively straight that seem to have wandered in from another film.

That didn’t bother contemporary audiences, and the picture was a big hit that revitalized Robinson’s career by letting him poke fun at the gangster roles in which he had become typed. It also marked Arthur’s rise to stardom, and she’s quite wonderful, particularly when Bill spins fanciful yarns about her exploits when the police think she’s Mannion’s moll. There’s also funny work from Etienne Giradot as Jonesy’s fussy supervisor and Donald Meek as the man who first turns Jonesy in and keeps trying to collect the reward. When the two bump into each other at police headquarters, it’s thirty seconds of character actor heaven.

[silly-goofy-guys]

"Why did you name the blog that,Whiskey?..."

"Idk!I couldn't think of anything else!"

"Well,its kinda dumb.."

"Oh shush!No it's not!"

"It kinda is though,Tweek."

"Not you too,Luci!"

"You're ridiculous."

"No,your mom is."

"We all have the same mom."

"Touche."

((Ooc:this entire post past this point is ooc))

Helloski!I'm glad you found this blog!I am your mod/mun may call me Luigi,Willard,Jonesy,or just mod if you wish.

Blog info:

•This is a spooky month oc ask/rp blog (also a tickle blog as I'm trying to get more into that,I'm still very new to that stuff :3)

•This blog shares a universe/continuity with @uneasy-itto

Rules:

•DO NOT INTERACT IF:YOU ARE A HOMOPHOBE,TRANSPHOBE,PRO-ISREAL,ANTI-SEMETIC,RACIST,PEDOPHILE,ABLEIST,PROSHIPPER/COMSHIPPER,ETC,ETC

•M!A are allowed,just don't go too far

•Shipping is allowed with them,but for Tweek it most likely wouldn't be romantic since he feels very little romantic attraction. It would likely be queer platonic.

•Asks and actions can be very mildly and subtly suggestive anything more than that won't be permitted,also avoid doing those asks with Tweek since he's a minor.

•Romantic asks are allowed just will not always he reciprocated,and make sure if it's for Tweek you or the character your playing is 18 or younger

•Interactions from canon characters and ocs are allowed,welcome,and highly encouraged!

Rules subject to he added in the future if needed

Some basic Character info:

Tweek is 16 years old.And he realy likes clowns.He rollerskates everywhere and likes causing chaos.He works at the local roller rink.He's the youngest out of all of his siblings :] his text will be like ,"This."

Luci is 18 years old almost 19,he wants to become a costume designer,he's currently attending college on a scholarship.He currently works at the movie theater with Radford,he also does art commissions on the side.His text will be like,"this."

Crack is 22 years old,he's a college drop out and has alot of college debt,he enjoys spending time with his brother and friends,he likes sculpting.He does odd jobs around the town and can't really get hired long term anywhere do to his criminal history,he sells his sculptures sometimes. His text will be like "This"

I will do an info post somepoint later about them but as of rn if you wanna know info about them you gotta ask

Main blog: @jonesy-squish

Other blogs: @uneasy-itto , @irritated-incendiary , @the-prophet-of-the-universe , @dexter-the-exterminator ,and @jamface-daily

Friends blogs: @blood-guts-goreeee , @father-gregors-guidance , @alicethescenequeen , and @xachanimations

[mrxcreepypasta1991]

For: @toxic-and-the-gang

New Muse!

Mistful Crimson Morning (Part 1)

Red Mist Squidward

Full Name: Squidward J.Q. Tentacles

Alias:

• Suicide Squidward

• Red Mist Squidward

• Sad Squidward

Relatives:

• Mrs. Tentacles (Mother)

• Jeffery Tentacles (Father)

• Grandma Tentacles (Grandmother)

Relationships:

• Mr. Krabs (Former Boss)

• Spongebob Squarepants ("Friend", Neighbor)

• Patrick Star (Neighbor)

• Plankton (Enemy)

• Lord X (Friend)

• MX (Friend)

• Pibby Jonesy (Crush & Friend)

• MatPat (Best Friend)

• Ourple Guy (Friend)

Affiliation: Depression

Occupation:

• Cashier

• Clarinet Player

Birthday: October 9th

Status: Deceased

Species: Giant Pacific Octopus

Gender: Male

Eye Color:

• Light yellow with red pupils (Humiliation)

• Red with black and white pupils (Mist)

• White with black and red pupils (Doomsday)

Hair Color: Bald

Created by:

• Stephen Hillenburg (original series)

Voiced by:

• Rodger Bumpass (Series)

Appears in:

• Spongebob Squarepants (Franchise)

• Squidward's Suicide/Red Mist Creepypasta

• Supposed Lost Episode

• Friday Night Funkin' (Mod)

Debut:

• Help Wanted (original series)

• Squidward's Suicide/Red Mist (Creepypasta Debut)

Quote: "This is not my happiest memory..." -Squidward, Are You Happy Now?

About: Squidward Tentacles is one of the main characters of the Spongebob Squarepants series. He's Spongebob's apathetic next-door neighbor and co-worker, and is an amateur artist and clarinet player.

This specific version of Squidward originates from the "Red Mist" creepypasta, more commonly known as Squidward's Suicide. He is the opponent of the mod's main week, consisting of the songs Humiliation, Mist and Doomsday.

Appearance: Throughout Humiliation, Squidward appears as he normally does in the Spongebob series, though with the addition of a saddened, tired expression a single tear in the corner of his right eye and a gray, hairy beard, refrencing the infamous Spongebob episode "Are You Happy Now?". He's also holding his beloved clarinet in his right tentacle.

During the first half of Mist, Squidward's eyes become bloodshot and his pupils shrink into a small black and white circle, refrencing the infamous "Red Mist Eyes" from the original creepypasta. He now also wields a shotgun that he holds with his right tentacle while his left one curves like a zig-zag. His expression has gone from depressed to deranged as his eyebrows shoot up and he sports a grimacing smile. Not to mention he apparently shaves off his beard completely.

In the second half, he begins holding the shotgun properly with two tentacles, pointing it at Boyfriend. His still bloodshot eyes are now almost entirely developed in a big black iris with a glowing white ring-like pupil.

In Doomsday, Squidward's smile changes into a deadpan frown, he seemingly begins slouching, his skin changes from blue to gray, his shirt's color darkens, and most importantly, his eyes and nose are enveloped what seems like a black, misty shadow that covers nearly half of his face, causing his eyebrows to stand up. His eyes, enveloped in a red glow, have become more hyper-realistic and human like, with a red iris, black pupils, a white sclera and visible veins. He's also crying tears with the same color as his pupils that stream over his mouth. His shotgun is now being held in the air with his right tentacle as his left one dangles beside him.

While having flashbacks of his failed concert mid-Doomsday, Squidward's appearance changes back to Humiliation, except he has no beard and is facing towards the camera. His expression is nervous and panicked in his idle and poses due to the audience's negative reputation of the concert. He is crying normal tears in both eyes and holds his clarinet down with his right tentacle.

The second time that he had flashbacks, his appearance becomes more similar to Doomsday, but lacking the red eyes and kneeling down in complete failure as the audience boos at him.

Gallery:

#1:

Red Mist Squidward (Humiliation)

#2:

Red Mist Squidward (Mist 1)

#3:

Red Mist Squidward (Mist 2)

#4:

Red Mist Squidward (Doomsday)

#5:

Red Mist Squidward (Mid-Doomsday 1)

#6:

Red Mist Squidward (Mid-Doomsday 2)

[whole-lotta-hoes]

Whole Lotta Hoes| Crack Fanfic Mini Series

Episode One: Zeppelin Is No More

Episode Two: Looking For A Job

Episode Three: Gettin The Cash

Episode Four:

Episode Five:

Warning:

This will cause you to lose a couple of brain cells and fall into a long state of confusion for a very long time. It'll also include weird shit and things that don't make sense at all. Read at your own risk.

Cast:

john paul jones (main character)

jimmy page

john bonham

robert plant

------------------

It was a dark rainy night. The pub was filling up with a bunch of horny mother fuckers. jonesy and the dumbass robert stood behind the curtains waiting to be called in to perform.

"ah man! this is going to be splendid!" robert said as he jumped in excitement. jonesy pushed him and he died. he fixed his high heels to make sure he doesn't break his ankles this time haha. mf jonesy made his way to the pole and placed a hand on it.

"WAIT-" robert yelled as he ran to him. he didn't see where he was going so he bumped into jonesy and made him fall into the crowd.

"I am the one and only, robert plant. I AM THE BITCH-" he shouted as he began to spin on the pole. jonesy could not believe his eyes. that mf plant took the spotlight from him. everyone started cheering for him and throwing him dollar bills.

"YOU BLOODY WANKER!!" jonesy yelled only to get drowned by the crowd. robert then climbed on the pole and began to do some sexy and hot moves against the pole. Heck he even licked it.

"TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF!!" someone yelled as they threw cash at robert. robert looked at the person and stopped dancing.

"what the fuck? i didn't come here to strip you whore!" he kicked the person with his heel and stormed off. jonesy pushed threw the crowd and managed to get to the front.

"jesus christ percy!! get your asshole back here!" he yelled. john climbed onto the stage and sprinted to the back. once he was back there, he spotted robert crying in front of some vanity. jonesy stood behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"oh jonesy!" robert cried. "i can't do this! i don't want to strip for hungry motherfuckers! its so nasty! i rather strip for my precious jim jam!" he added as he wiped his tears with a tissue. jonesy rubbed his back to comfort him. he truly felt awful about it. how are they going to get the cash now if robert anthony plant doesn't want to do his job right. also since led zeppelin is dead once and for all. jonesy got an idea.

"hey! i know what you can do!" he said in excitement. robert looked at him and OMG JONESY YOU CUTE MF AWWW! "you can be a hooker!" he suggested. robert turned away from jonesy and looked at himself in the mirror. he totally could. hes hot and charming in some way. anyone would want to get a piece of that. robert stood from his seat and AHHHH BIG HOE. he looked at jonesy and gave him a big ol hug.

"JONESY! YOU ARE A GENIUS!!" he shouted. jonesy lost the ability to breathe so he died. robert dropped him and said his farewells.

"well jonesy, it was nice working with ya, glad jaime brought you in," he said as he sat john on a chair.

"wait where in bloody hell are you going?" he asked. robert looked at him confused.

"bitch, me and pagey are going to start a new group called page plant penis," he responded. of course. of course they would. these mfs are too invested in themselves that they would overthrow john paul jones in the bathroom of wendys. that infuriated him. he reached into his trousers and took out his laser penis.

"woah hey! im not trying to get laid by a-"

PEW PEW PEW PEW

robert stood there in complete shock.

"did you- did you just attempt to murder my sexy ass!?" he yelled in anger. jonesy began to regret even doing that. a bright light was building up from robert that almost blinded john. robert is indeed a golden god. he floated off of the ground and gained powers to end jonesy once and for all. john had to act fast. he can't die like this. it would be such an embarrassing thing to end up in the media.

"HOLD IT!" jonesy yelled. robert placed his attention to him and waited for jonesy to speak.

"is this how we are going to end it? is this what we really want?" he said softly. robert's angry expression grew softer. was he really going to kill his bandmate? his best friend? he slowly got to the ground and stood in front of john.

"my god jonesy...." he began, "you're right... what am i doing? im such a monster," he added as tears ran down his face. jonesy slowly walked up to him and stuck his hand out with a smile on his face.

"c'mon buddy, let's go back to what we were doing," he added. robert looked at johns hand with a skeptical look.

"nah bitch! me, jimby and bonzo are going to do a led zeppelin reunion!" robert explained.

"a wha-"

"yeah! a motherfucking led zeppelin reunion!! can you believe it jonesy!? led zeppelin has become even bigger than we thought! bigger than those bloody rolling stones and ziggy stardust spider fuckers!" he rambled.

at that very moment, john paul jones knew he has been betrayed by his own band. he felt like destroying everything that came in front of him. percy for example is in front of him. anger and rage built up in his system. he could not believe that his own band would turn against him. who tf did they think they were? without any hesitation, john gripped onto roberts neck, silently choking him and ending robert plant for realzies this time. he went unconscious and dropped to the floor. jonesy placed a tarp to cover roberts body and headed through the exit. he was going to find james patrick page and john henry bonham to end it once and for all.

or will he?

[thefinalgirlspeaks]

The Future of the Final Girl

“She is the one who encounters the mutilated bodies of her friends and perceives the full extent of the horror and of her own peril; who is chased, cornered, wounded; whom we see scream, stagger, fall, rise, and scream again. She alone looks death in the face, but she also finds the strength either to stay the killer long enough to be rescued or to kill him herself.” [Clover, Men, Women and Chainsaws].

As women watching horror films through the lens of the male gaze, we are often encouraged to place ourselves in the inappropriate kitten heels of the terrorised girl running screaming from the killer. This girl has become a horror staple, the one we can root for, hitch our hopes onto. This girl, unlikely as she seems, will provide the eventual satisfying final blow to whichever murderous villain has slain everyone else.

She is the Final Girl.

As feminism progresses, so must the reflection of women in the media; much of horror is historically misogynistic, which is all the more reason to encourage the effects of female empowerment to trickle through to the way women are represented in horror films. There is a change happening, slowly but surely - the Final Girl is morphing from shrieking, inept victim, to armed, prepared badass. For a comprehensive overview of this mutation, we can examine and score a selection of films from each decade since the beginning of this Final Girl phenomenon and track her progression right up to the present.

“Why not more and better female killers, and why not Pauls as well as Paulines?”  [Clover, Men, Women and Chainsaws].

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Every horror enthusiast knows that Hitchcock changed the game when he killed off Marion Crane, who - until the infamous shower scene – viewers suppose to be the heroine of Psycho. Instead, the film’s true Final Girl is Marion’s sister Lila, a tenacious, petite woman who arrives late to the party bearing no distinguishable personality besides being Marion’s concerned sibling.

Despite the disapproving way Lila speaks about Marion and her light fingers, she is determined to uncover the truth about what happened to her. She does this by immediately roping in a man to assist her: Marion’s boyfriend Sam. Unlike, Lila, Sam’s actions are helpful and smart – he drives them to the Bates Motel, insists on inspecting motel logbook to find Marion’s name, and even distracts creepy Norman Bates while Lila snoops around Marion’s old hotel room (it should be noted that she discovers nothing of import).

Eventually however, despite the ineptitude that she has displayed throughout the rest of her screen time, it is Lila that, while hiding, stumbles upon the corpse of Norman’s mother, thereby accidentally revealing his ‘psychosis’. As a starter Final Girl, Lila is pretty average. She screams and runs about, prattles on about her inaccurate theories, and annoys the hell out of every male character she interacts with.

Final Girl Rating: 4/10

 Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)

 Italian maestro of horror direction Dario Argento is notorious for his gratuitous, often near-unwatchable depictions of slaughtered women. His most famous films form a trilogy, known as ‘The Three Mothers’, consisting of Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980), and The Mother of Tears (2007). The most famous of these is the first; Suspiria immerses the viewer in a visceral, melodramatic murder-mystery. Within the first few minutes, a young blonde woman is being terrorised, chased, strangled, stabbed, and eventually made to plummet through a glass ceiling, to be hanged before a (different) screaming lady.

I will dub this character, often a feature of the horror formula, the ‘First Girl’. The First Girl is both a decoy and a necessity. In the same way that Psycho’s First Girl Marion makes way for Final Girl Lila, Suspiria’s Pat makes way for Suzy. Suzy is a shy, American sweetheart with a serious case of underdeveloped personality disorder. As a foreign student coming to join a German dance school, she is the perfect outsider, made evident from the beginning, when a few of the other girls are immediately snarky towards her.

It takes a while for Suzy to cotton on to the sinister goings-on behind the scenes of the Tanz Dance Academy, partly due to the mysterious and sudden malady that has her bedridden and unable to participate in classes very soon after she arrives. The creepy doctor prescribes her nightly doses of alcohol to help her sleep, and it isn’t until token ‘Foolish Friend’ Sara points out that she can’t be roused once she’s drunk it, that she realises it might be laced with something else.

Inevitably, after Sara’s mysterious demise, Suzy is the only girl left in the school clued in enough to understand that it’s all a front for a murderous witch coven and must try to defeat the evil. As you may have gathered from the poster, she does this mostly by creeping through the darkened corridors with a lamp, slowly opening doors and sweeping back curtains until she suffers another jump scare and screams.

“The Final Girl looks for the killer, even tracking him to his forest hut or his underground labyrinth, and then at him, therewith bringing him, often for the first time, into our vision as well.” [Clover, Men, Women and Chainsaws].

Although it is relatively unclear whether or not Suzy does succeed in destroying the coven altogether, it is probable that the fire she sets does consume everyone inside the academy. She also earns points for tracking down an outside opinion from a local professor not associated with the school to learn how to take down witches. Still, a fairly standard performance; Argento gives us a disturbingly young-looking Final Girl, whose capabilities do not extend much beyond childlike ignorance. She is perpetually stricken by her own paralyzing fear, and only finds the courage to battle the evil right at the last second, by which time her friends are already dead.

Final Girl Rating: 5/10

 Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)

“The Final Girl of the slasher film is presented from the outset as the main character. The practiced viewer distinguishes her from her friends minutes into the film. She is the Girl Scout, the bookworm, the mechanic.” [Clover, Men, Women and Chainsaws].

Halloween’s Final Girl is perhaps the most notorious of all time, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie, a smart, introverted babysitter overshadowed by her two promiscuous and outlandish friends. As a sexually inexperienced, rule-following young woman, she is the epitome of what it takes to be a Final Girl, as her survival strategy will not be muddied by drugs, alcohol, or lust. Although Laurie must suffer the horror of seeing her friends be slaughtered and their corpses displayed in macabre dioramas, she is feisty enough to last until the very end. She even manages to fight her way through Halloween II, using her past experience to chase off the dogged Michael Myers a second time.

Laurie is not given a lot of backstory, but as successful Final Girls go, she is one of the first, and the best. She endures the horror, but does not let it weaken her. She channels the injustice of her friends��� murders into anger, and strikes the killer down, very nearly succeeding in killing him before she is rescued. Arguably, Laurie paves the way for future Final Girls in the 80’s boom of female-driven horror, out of which spring Alice of Friday the 13th (Cunningham, 1980), and Nancy of Nightmare on Elm Street (Craven, 1984).

Final Girl Rating: 7/10

 Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)

From the outset of Alien, it is made clear that the only rational voice amongst the crew of the Nostromo spaceship is Ellen Ripley, the second in command officer. There are two females amongst the seven members of the Alien cast (not including Jonesy the cat): Ripley and Lambert, and they are polar opposites. Lambert is the embodiment of weakness; actress Veronica Cartwright was told by director Ridley Scott that her character was ‘the audience's fears; a reflection of what the audience is feeling’. As such, she tackles the unfortunate situation of a rogue alien slithering about the ship eating crew members by making rash, stupid decisions, crying, shrieking, and being generally unhelpful. 

Lambert is merely a foil, however, for the strong, smart, rebellious performance given by Ripley, the lone survivor of the Nostromo - along with Jonesy. She alone, with her unwavering pragmatism, her cunning strategic mind, and her aptitude for wielding a flamethrower, manages to outsmart the terrifying alien creature, and jet off to safety in the ship’s emergency shuttle.

Treading into and deepening the prints made by Laurie’s dainty feet comes Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, a Final Girl to be revered. She was so impressive to audiences world over that she earned herself three sequels.

 Final Girl Rating: 8/10

 The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005)

This early noughties British flick was an innovation when it emerged due to its all female cast. The Descent follows six adventurous young women who decide to go caving as a bonding exercise following an awful tragedy. The husband and child of one of the group (Sarah), die in a car accident, and in a valiant attempt to move on, she decides to squeeze herself through some narrow underground passages with her friends. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group however, Juno, the organiser of the expedition, has led them into an entirely unexplored cave system, hoping that in discovering the way through, they would all be brought closer together. Unfortunately, this plan goes awry when the passage they came through caves in behind them, and they have no idea of the way out. Left with no other choice, they push further into the caves, only to discover that they are not the only creatures alive down there.

The basis of this film is, unusually, based on the complexity of female relationships. Rather than deriving conflict from sexual dynamics, The Descent uses Juno and Sarah’s strained friendship to maximise the dramatic tension.

“...other filmmakers figured that the only thing better than one beautiful woman being gruesomely murdered was a whole series of women being gruesomely murdered.” [Schoell, Stay Out Of The Shower].

Juno’s immediate reaction to Sarah’s initial misfortune is to run from it, meaning that later in the film, when the group meet to ‘descend’ into the caves, her motivation is guilt. She is desperate to make amends for her cowardice in the face of Sarah’s grief, which is why she makes the foolish decision to lead them all into a death trap.

When Juno explains her reasoning to Sarah moments after they become trapped, Sarah is unmoved by her apologies, and thus the circle of their six-way female bond is broken. From that moment on, each woman has to fend for themselves. By the end of the film, Sarah has accumulated enough reasons to wound Juno and leave her to the mercy of the ravenous ‘crawlers’ while she scrambles for escape. Juno cowered away when Sarah needed her after her family were killed, she led them into an underground labyrinth filled with monsters with no escape, she accidentally murdered Beth with a pick-axe thinking she was one of the creatures, and finally, it is heavily implied that she had been having an affair with Sarah’s husband, Paul. The case for her death sentence in comparison to Sarah, who lost everything and was unwillingly lured into a monster-filled hellscape, is strong; even we, as an audience, want to see her devoured. 

The downfall of this mostly progressive horror narrative is that it does, inevitably, play on a fight for a man’s affections. There is no need for the suggested affair between Juno and Paul given all the other reasons there are for Sarah to sacrifice her in the final few minutes, yet it is slipped in as an unnecessary extra motivator. As Final Girls go, Sarah is an inspiration. To go into the cave at all would be a nightmarish adventure for most women, particularly since she is still reeling from the gruesome deaths of her husband and child. But not only does Sarah keep it together in the face of Juno’s treachery, the deaths of all of her friends, and the horrifying ‘crawlers’ that lurk in the caves, she lurks in wait in muddy pools, wields pick-axes, flares, and grapple hooks, spares nobody mercy, and fights her way, bloodied and wild-eyed back to the surface.

 Final Girl rating: 8/10.

 Halloween (Green, 2018)

In recent years, the most positive representation of women in horror is a Reformed Final Girl: Jamie Lee Curtis from Halloween, who reprises her role as Laurie in a continuation story of the same name. In this 2018 Halloween, Laurie is a weathered, tough old woman with her own daughter Karen, and granddaughter Allyson. It is revealed quickly that Karen was removed from her mother’s guardianship by the state as a result of the strict, overbearing and military parenting style of Laurie the Myers veteran. As a result, Karen and her mother do not see eye to eye; this is the central conflict of the film behind the horror, as Laurie is still convinced that Myers is alive and coming for them all (spoiler: he is), whereas Karen is strongly of the opinion that her mother is deranged from the trauma of watching her friends be murdered as a teenager.

There is, of course, great appeal to the idea of the terrorised Final Girl growing up to be a shotgun-wielding badass with a fully fortified house and zero tolerance for unexpected visitors. My problem with this aged-up Laurie is that, despite how she clawed her way through three films to survive, her life, as it turns out, was hardly worth living. By the end of the film Karen and Laurie are back on good terms, but it is implied that they spent most of Karen’s life estranged from one another. Laurie does not have friends, or a partner, only a drinking problem and a psychotic paranoia about a killer returning to slaughter her once and for all. Props to Laurie for being smarter than everyone else around her that underestimated Michael Myers’ ability to spring back up after being stabbed, shot, or blown up, but I can’t help but feel that as a representative of the Future of the trope, she is almost there, but not quite.

Final Girl Rating: 9/10

 To consider the future of the Final Girl is to consider the future of female representation. As a character, she is in one way admirable, and in another, a tool to provide public satisfaction of bloodlust. The horror spectator should ask oneself what it is that they truly want to see from a protagonist, particularly a female one, and why. The Final Girl should be a weapon with which the viewer can arm themselves, a lens in front of the most unspeakable situations of horror through which anyone can align their own eye.

The Final Girl has the potential to represent all women, to define our strength and capability through her response to the worst catastrophe, and the resilience of moving on from it, to enjoy the life she has fought for. As feminism progresses, and the constraints of male-authored  perversity are lifted from the horror genre, we will surely begin to see more Ripleys, and less Lilas. We will be able to cheer on our Final Girl as she takes ownership of her body, as opposed to having it plundered by knives and saws. The Future Final Girl will rise up against both the killer, and the oppression of generic, outdated horror tropes, and slash her way through to a more hopeful, equal future. 

[sometipsygnostalgic]

hey tipsy, whats up with the lack of contact?

a friend messaged me recently saying that i havent talked to them in any depth for quite some time. that they’re not sure if they even know me anymore. and this kinda got me into a train of thought about whats been going on with my social relations.

ofc my thoughts jumped to my friends and followers, and this blog has been neglected for QUITE some time. maybe it’s a good time to tell you all whats up, and a little bit about who i am, whether youre a long-time friend or youve just joined my blog from the recent cartoon spam  :P

So.... Hi! My name is Jonesy.

Most people call me Tipsy. Some people call me Kitty, which is my old nickname from my old blog. This is fine if we met back in those days, but to newer faces I go by Tipsy now. 

This is a Homestuck blog, which I opened on 15th January 2015, at the very end of Retconquest a couple days before the 3 month pause. My favourite homestuck character is Terezi. I also love Roxy (duh). I ship Terezi with everyone but also no-one, and I got spectacularly salty about her ending.

I used to draw comics but stopped some time ago. I haven’t fallen out of love with making comics, it’s just that the thing i loved drawing was Homestuck, and the comic ended in october  with everyone in an ambiguous situation :P drawing inspiration does come sometimes though.

I also enjoy Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Paranatural, Cucumber Quest, and Pokemon. Of these, AT is my first and longest love ok that’s wrong it’s totally Pokemon. I used to own an AT blog. When I make AT posts they tend to be on my side “main” blog @coolmiddlename but when i make GOOD AT posts i reblog them here. the thing ive posted about most before the AT spam was definitely Pokemon though.

and I’m a freaking gamer. once again, Pokemon, but also mass effect and assassins creed. 

i’m a bisexual sjw and theres nothing you can do about it. though my sjw friends see me as a lot more centrist... idk, it’s better to make ones own opinions than rely on those of others.

I studied politics and sociology and graduated recently. Learning how people work is what makes me tick! I’m not interested in philosophy though, because it’s not grounded enough. Nor am I interested in, say, science fiction scenarios like the Hunger Games. How do people be PEOPLE on an individual and social level? I think the best comparison to make is that I absolutely love Terry Pratchett’s discworld because of its humorous anthropology. 

at the same time, i hate pretentiousness of any kind and will turn up my nose at discussion of “rationality” cos most of the time it misses the point.

Since graduation I’ve been looking for work. As of this July I do 15 hours in a charity shop every week. 

i’ve been pretty distracted recently. not “busy”, though yes ive been busier than usual, but distracted... and i’m going to admit, i’ve been making some personal efforts to avoid intimate conversations with individual people. this is sort of becoming an Issue. it’s because ive had some bad things happen to me as a result of getting too close to people online (and sometimes offline), and i prefer to have large group discussions (like in the very active HSD) rather than private messages. feels more secure, y’know? 

sorry if we used to talk a lot and then suddenly stopped. i’m used to breaking contact with people for years at a time and then carrying off like nothing ever happened. but other people havent got the patience for this sorta thing. they may feel like contact has been broken because of how they are, because of lost interest. in some cases i guess time just works differently for each of us.

anyway, how are you?

[killertoons]

My version of Susie Campbell!

I see her as a very motherly kind of person naturally, kind and forgiving.

A widow to a navy officer who died in a ship explosion and is a single mother raising a young little boy on her own, she took a job as a voice actor to earn some extra cash! However as time wore on, and the ink started flowing thicker, Susie became more prominent in her vocal roles, from talking chairs to singing birds. 

Eventually Scoring the lead voice role for a new character named Alice Angel, she’s pretty well off, granted Sammy flirting with her was annoying, but she could deal with it…that is until Sammy pulled her into the ink machine room during one of joeys summoning rituals, and bendy becomes a real creature. 

Only he was a very small, tiny, baby demon.

Everyone was hiding, and Sammy was hiding Susie behind his robes. no one moves. Little bendy looks around, tries to get up and walk but falls. and starts wailing. Susie’s mom instincts kicked in and she suddenly found herself as the main care taker to a demon from hell. Sammy didn’t approve. She did not care.

as bendy grew up into the sassy demon boy we all know, Susie got a girlfriend by the name of Jonesy, got hitched with bendy as the flower girl, and Sammy being a little butt who can’t handle rejection, snitched, and Susie along with her wife was deported to Switzerland. 

[raceandspeculation]

Breana Pietrosanti

ENG 3690: Race, Gender, and Science Fiction

Prof. S. Smalls

22 February 2017

Alien Response Paper

Female Relationships in Aliens and Alien Resurrection

   Ellen Louise Ripley is the main protagonist of the Alien anthology. Throughout the series, the number of females she comes into contact with, be they human or other-worldly, is scant in proportion to the men she crosses paths with. Of this handful of relationships, her links to Newt, Call, the Queen Mother, and even Sigourney Weaver herself, are the most poignant and help carry out the events of the series.

   Before entering the Alien universe, the relationship between Ripley and her actress, Sigourney Weaver, is one worth looking at. Ellen Ripley is one of Weaver's most iconic roles, acting as a second skin or alter-ego for the actress (Gibson, 36). The other characters, and even directors may come and go in the franchise; but it's one anchor, its single consistency, is knowing the audience will be reunited with Weaver and Ripley (38). As any actor should, Weaver knows Ripley inside and out and can be rather defensive and protective of her. When the rumor mill was churning out stories of "a dumb Alien versus Predator," Weaver knew Ripley had to die in the third film in order to leave herself and her alter-ego out of the equation (38-39). Weaver is the one person who will protect Ripley and survive, while Ripley is protecting everyone else around her.

   Ripley's relationship with Newt is that of a typical mother bear and her cub. Newt is a little girl who is the sole survivor of a colony located on the planet the original alien eggs were found on in the first movie (Aliens, 1986). She is a small girl who has her family ripped from her by the alien species: small, alone and vulnerable. Her advent is almost fate for Ripley, who learns in the director's cut of the film that the daughter she left on Earth has died an old woman while Ripley was in hypersleep. On top of that, she also has to leave Jonesy the cat behind to aid in destroying the alien species (Aliens, 1986). The two are like a pot without a lid, and a lid without a pot, Ripley takes in Newt as her adoptive daughter sans formal paperwork (Taubin, 95). This union is short-lived, however, as Newt is revealed to be dead in the third film (Alien 3, 1992). I felt that their relationship was the sweetest in the series, and showed a side of Ripley outside of the legacy as a badass feminist icon she has with movie buffs today. Her legacy is one of a woman leading a genocide of galactic proportions against the Alien species, with no fear of spilled blood. Newt draws her maternal and loving side into the limelight, after this side of Ripley being hinted at when she rescues Jonesy the cat in the first film (Alien, 1979).

   Ripley and Call are featured in the final, for now at least, installment of the series. The three words Picart uses to describe their dynamic are fitting: "lesbian, maternal, predatorial" (7). Their relationship is one of the hunter becoming the hunted as well. Their first interaction involves Call going out to kill Ripley, as she creeps on our protagonist, faking sleep in a very suggestive pose, Call cuts Ripley's shirt open (Gibson, 48-49). Ripley's shirt is cut open not only out of mere sexual interest on Call's part, but out of a desire to kill the being she believes Ripley is playing host to. Ripley then springs into action, reciprocating Call's offer to kill her after placing herself in the dominant position: with her hands around Call's throat. The scene is very suggestive, involving caresses and a seductive tone in Ripley's voice (Alien: Resurrection, 1997).

   The late Newt is replaced by Call, and Ripley also sees herself as the android's mother figure (Picart, 7-8). Their relationship was very complicated in my eyes. Ripley has a sort of conflict between wanting to protect Call like a child, yet treat her as a lover, and seemed to be a foil for her even more complicated and borderline incestuous relationship with the alien species. Through the movie their relationship is constantly evolving, but at the conclusion it boils down to an itty-bitty android and a six-foot woman joining forces, in the sexual and social senses of the term, to save the word from the Xenomorphs (Gibson, 42)

   Perhaps the most convoluted and labyrinthine relationship Ripley has in the series is with the Alien species, specifically with the Queen Mother. In the third film, Ripley learns she is "pregnant" with a chest-buster alien and at the end, she sacrifices herself in an attempt to eradicate the aliens just before the Queen erupts from her chest (Alien 3, 1992). Genetics alone complicate the Queen and the lieutenant's relationship, due to the incestuous implications of the cloning process that brings the two back to life (Gibson, 39). Are they mother and daughter? Sisters? The answer to that question is further complicated when the two produce the Newborn, a new strain that is a hybrid of human or alien, together. Now it can be asked if they have a sort of spousal relationship. This incest is brought back to the surface before and during the death of the Newborn. Before the hybrid is lured to death, Ripley holds and caresses her "child" in a highly sexualized manner. And while watching the Newborn die, she stares at the scene in helpless agony, as if being forced to watch the daughter she left on Earth all those years ago die (Alien: Resurrection, 1997).

   No matter the genes linking the two together, the relationship is still shrouded in, and its foundation built upon, animosity. In Aliens, the Alien, though not the Queen, and Ripley have a climatic face-off over Newt (1986). This battle is depicted as a sort of cat-fight of good mother versus bad mother, with Ripley telling the alien, "Get away from her, you bitch (Taubin, 95)." The Queen and Ripley are later pitted against each other in claiming maternity over the Newborn in Alien Resurrection. The Queen gives birth to the hybrid creature, and when she tries to embrace her child, he rejects her and kills her, accepting Ripley as his mother (Gibson, 48). The relationship between the two is a classic example of pitting women, or females in this case, against each other, competing for the affection of the Newborn, who I assumed to be a male.

   Ripley and Vasquez's relationship is rooted in Vasquez's function as a foil for Ripley. Vasquez is not only the sole Latinx is the franchise, but she's also a stereotypical, hypersexual, butch lesbian: doing push-ups right out of hyper-sleep, an aggressive personality, overt sexuality, and a pixie cut and some muscles never hurt anybody. Her characteristics emphasize Ripley's womanhood. Even with her bare face and gender ambiguous clothing, Ripley is seen as androgynous rather than masculine; a fact especially emphasized when she is put next to Vasquez (Schubart, 179). Her "butch-ness" is also noted by the fact that she and Newt are never in the same frame, and do no speak directly to each other throughout the film. None of the marines, Vasquez included, can get the fearful Newt to hit her unmute button. But Ripley and her "feminine" tactics as a mother archetype get the job done (180).

   This relationship did not sit well with me at all. It reminded me very much of the trope one sees from fairy tales, and into the modern day, of pitting women against each other. A prime example: Snow White versus her stepmother. A fitting example, as Vasquez does refer to Ripley as "Snow White" and dismisses her potential. Though the pitting was not as strong as it is between Ripley and the Queen, it's still there. Throughout the series, Ripley is criticized for her victory being a result of sacrificing the women -- or in Newt's case, girl -- around her and her relationships with them (Schubart, 183). This a critique I too stand behind. Other than Call, literally every woman who comes to Ripley's aid or crosses path with her never gets to see the end credits of the film.

   Ripley's interactions with women in the Alien franchise are far and few between. But, both on and off screen, Ripley's dynamics with the women in her life help keep the pace of the story and emphasize the legacy she left being in nineteen ninety-seven. She is the ultimate feminist icon: unafraid to kill off any adversary who stands in her way; and yet, she's not scared to let her femininity and her maternal side shine through. This lack of fear allows her to garner respect from her crew in each installment of the series, and from her audiences across the world.

Word Count: 1459

                                        Works Cited

Alien. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Sigourney Weaver. 20th Century Fox. 1979. Film

Aliens. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Sigourney Weaver. 20th Century Fox, 1986. Film.

Alien 3. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Sigourney Weaver. 20th Century Fox, 1992. Film.

 Alien: Resurrection. Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Perf. Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder. 20th Century Fox, 1997. Film.

 Gibson, Pamela C. “‘You’ve Been in My Life So Long I Can’t Remember Anything Else’: Into the Labyrinth with Ripley and the Alien.” Keyframes: Popular Cinema and Cultural Studies. Edited by Matthew Tinkcom and Amy Villarejo, Routledge, 2001, 35-51 (e-reserve). 18 Feb. 2017.

Picart, Caroline J. "Ripley as Interstitial Character: White Woman as Monster and Hero in Alien Resurrection." Dropbox, Inc., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2017.

Schubart, Rikke. "Sigourney Weaver: Alien and the Mother Archetype." Super Bitches and Action Babes: The Female Hero in Popular Cinema, 1970-2006. By Rikke Schubart. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2007. 169-94. Print.

Taubin, Amy. “The Alien Trilogy: From Feminism to AIDS.” Women and Film: A Sight and Sound Reader. Edited by Pam Cook and Philip Dodd, Temple University Press, 1993, 93-100. (e-reserve) 18 Feb. 2017.

[art-n-rainbows]

Hey guys! Happy February!! Is it me or did January take forever and a day to end? 

Since it’s now February, it’s time for me wrap up what I read the past month. Also, here’s to not finishing my January Tbr. I’ve come to realise I’m a mood reader and will probably always be one. 

My January Reads: 

1.

The Merman Series by X. Aratare – There are 5 books in total in The Merman series and I’ve only read books 1-3. I didn’t go any further, even though I have the final two books. The more I read the more I realised I’m not a fan of Insta-Love and I just couldn’t get over the fact that the main characters pretty much fell in love within 3 days of knowing each other. 

2.

Devil’s Ridges (The Dark Earth Manga #1) by  X. Aratare, T. Wolv (Illustrator)- I’m not even sure what to say about this one. I got introduced to books by X.Aratare by a friend and she suggested this, It was free so I went and got it. I know it’s only the first in a series but the story felt weird, I’m not sure how to explain this but to put it simply, I didn’t like it. I’m a big fan of manga, so this was a major let down. 

3.

The Summer Palace (Captive Prince 3.5) by C.S. Pacat – Pretty much the only book I read that was on my January Tbr and I absolutely loved it! Why did it have to end?! (cries). I gave it five stars and my heart because it deserves everything and more. I need mare Damen and Laurent! MORE!!

4.

Jonesy by Sam Humphries, Caitlin Rose Boyle (Illustrator) – So far, there are 9 books in total and I loved EVERY single one of them. So diverse. So funny. So sweet. So colourful. I loved everything about them, from the cute friendships to how well the lgbt romance was executed and how relatable the characters were. I can’t wait to read more.

  5.

The Backstagers by James Tynion IV, Rian Sygh (Creator)- Bomb Box comics are slowly becoming one of my favourites. They are so diverse and sweet. 

  6.

  Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon – Here’s to finally reading a book from my December Tbr (Yaaaay). Everything Everything was a brilliant and fun novel. I could not for the life of me put it down. I adore the hell out of this book. Review to come.

How was January for you guys? Anything stood out?

 ~Keeana

Follow me on

 Twitter| Goodreads

January Wrap Up| 2017 Hey guys! Happy February!! Is it me or did January take forever and a day to end? 

[coronaislandpromo]

|| Get to know JONESY GARCIA who’s TWENTY-TWO years old and a SENIOR in college majoring in BUSINESS. He is from CANADA and is often times mistaken forSANTIAGO SEGURA while others say he reminds them of JONESY from 6Teen. ||

Take a peek at his story:

Jonesy has always been a ladies man. From the time he started kindergarten, the boy circled through crushes like he was at a buffet. It’s only gotten worse as he’s gotten older, too. His hormones are just at full blast and all he can think about is his potential interests. Well, all he could think about was potential interests. Now, Jonesy is more focused on his future. As he gets closer and closer to graduation, the boy has no idea what the hell he’s going to do.

Jonesy chose his major because of his step-sister, Jenn, and friends. The boy didn’t like the idea of all of them going off and doing different things. It just felt… wrong. His entire group had been friends since they were six and they had become more like family than anything else. Not to mention, as cocky and independent as he might be, Jonesy is incredibly clingy. He needs his friends and he hates the idea that they might all be going their separate ways once they graduate.

MAIN || CHARACTERS || APPLICATION || NAVIGATION

[lissaria]

Top 6 Body Horror Movies Written by Venus

Below are six of my favourite body horror films which I have decided to review. These six films are not ranked in any particular order at all, they are just my top favourite body horror movies. I will be listing the director, writer and main cast along with my own written plot of the film. For each film, I will be giving them a rating similar to that of a school test grade. I will be grading the films from A+ to C-. A+ being the highest grade and C- being the lowest grade. I hope my reviews of these films will inspire and invigorate you to gather your friends for film night full of stomach-churning terrifying enjoyment.

Film: Dreamcatcher (2003)

Writers: Stephen King (Novel), William Goldman & Lawrence Kasdan.

Director: Lawrence Kasdan.

Cast: Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg.

Plot: Four childhood friends, Jonesy, Beaver, Pete and Henry all share the same unique powers. They all possess telepathic abilities which they as kids coined the term ‘the line’. Once a year the four of them venture into the woods of Maine. One year they wander into the forest during a bitter snowstorm. In amongst the trees while hunting deer they discover a man named Rick idly wondering the forest. The man was severely ill with something unworldly lurking within him. Unbeknownst to the group, this individual wasn’t the only person infected within this secret forest. The four of them must act swiftly as the area is put under quarantine, to stop this viral outbreak from developing and from breaching the forest’s borders or their world will surely be doomed.

Rating: B+

Review: The film kept me laughing right until the end from the various excellent dry comedic jokes and the friendly banter between the characters. Each of the characters had a distinct personality trait that added multiple dimensions to the humour. For example; Beaver’s way of communicating was to add quite a bit of profanity to his childish comments. The level of comedy, funnily enough, doesn’t ruin the horror nature of the film. For me it instead it kept me relaxed, which left me unprepared for the unworldly being that paid them a visit in a very sickening and humiliating scene. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of the telepathic powers and how it portrayed in the film. The special effects used to create the unworldly living entity weren’t top of the range but they were still able to be used to create disgusting disturbing scenes. In conclusion, this film may not keep you shuddering in terror but will drop you on the floor laughing while also keeping you psychology stuck in your chair.

Film: The Green Inferno (2013)

Writers: Guillermo Amoedo & Eli Roth.

Director: Eli Roth.

Cast: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Nicolas Martinez, Daryl Sabara, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Magda Apanowicz, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand and Sky Ferreira.

Plot: Justine becomes a member of an activist group who are led by Alejandro. The activists decide to all travel to Peru to protest against the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in order to save the surrounding native tribes. During their flight home, their plane explodes and it comes crashing down upon the rainforest. The survivors of the plane crash are not alone for long, as the native tribesmen they sworn to protect abducts them.

Rating: B-

Review: Notes: The Green Inferno contains plenty of irony as to the fate of the activists. During every repulsive gory scene in the film, I found it very hard to turn away due to the revolting acts that were displayed. Even though the movie had a slow build up and its characters are very bland and stupid It didn’t deter too much from my enjoyment of it. The way the acting portrayed the natives in the area was very realistic and so intriguing that I wanted to know more about them rather than if the activists would escape their clutches. I wholeheartedly suggest watching the film all the way to end if you can because you won’t regret experiencing it.

Film: The Evil Dead (1981)

Writer: Sam Raimi.

Director: Sam Raimi.

Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker and Sarah York.

Plot: Ash and four of his mates decide to spend their college vacation in an isolated cabin in the mountains. The Cabin is filled with various animal trophies and carpentry tools. After a toast is made the cellar doorway opens revealing a staircase downwards. Scott decides to take up the courage to go have look down there, after not returning Ash follows in after him. A book and an audio tape is discovered. They decided for the fun of it to read out the incantations within the book and let its evil be set free. The friends are helpless to stop it as each of them are taken over by the evil entity. At night only one survivor remains to do battle with the evil and has until morning to escape its presence or become a vessel like his comrades.

Rating: B

Review: Notes: The Evil Dead is an Old Classic movie that had a small budget to work with. The Evil Dead in my eyes isn’t outdated and is one of the legends of the body horror film genre that will stand to the test of time. One of two things that I feel carry the film is its use of old-fashioned loud and suspenseful noises to create an uneasy feeling and eerie vibe that an evil lurks within this cabin. And the second thing that makes this film to be considered a legend is its unexpected use of black comedy to elevate and lighten the mood of the audience before granting them the shock factor again and again. Even though the gore and the special effects are cheap and outdated compared to the films of the modern day it is just the right amount to make a lasting powerful impact upon its watcher. If watch The Evil Dead you’ll definitely be able to agree with my stance on this old classic horror film.

Film: Black Swan (2010)

Writer: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz & John J. Mclaughlin.

Director: Darren Aronofsky.

Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder and Benjamin Millepied.

Plot: Nina is a professional ballerina living in New York City, who is ultimately consumed by her work in dance. She lives with her mother Erica who was obsessed with her ballerina work even after retiring. Erica exerts a suffocating amount of control over and grooms her into being the essence of perfection. *When director Thomas had to make the tough decision of who would replace his prima ballerina, Beth, after she was forced to retire, in the opening production of their new performance Swan Lake, Nina was at the top of his list. Nina wasn’t the only auditioning for the role, another new dancer called Lily. When she gave her audition she amazed the director so much that she was on the same level as a ballerina as Nina. Swan Lake is a well know production featuring two powerful roles; The White Swan representing innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, representing guile and sensuality. The director decides to grant Nina’s wish by giving her desired role of the White Swan leaving Lily to perform alongside her as the Black Swan. As the two young dancers get acquainted in an extremely twisted friendship of rivalry, Nina is slowly transformed into becoming the Black Swan.

Rating: B+

Review: Notes: The movie reveals the torturous and harsh truths about becoming a professional ballerina. Nina detests seeing imperfections across her body, so she tortures herself by physically removing them. The film captures the essence of how the combination of pressure, obsession, desire can corrupt even the kindest souls. The film felt like a Broadway production by how immersion the various Musical scores creates. To conclude the film is a beautiful yet absurd display of how a bright shining women turns from her physical role as the White Swan into the embodiment of the Black Swan.

Film: American Mary (2012)

Writer: Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska.

Director: Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska.

Cast: Katharine Isabelle, Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk, David Lovgren, Paula Lindberg, Clay St. Thomas, John Emmet Tracy and Twan Holliday.

Plot: Mary Mason is a medical student who is enticed to partake in the world of underground surgeries. Committing these barbaric and taboo surgical operations upon her patients ends up unlocking a hidden monster within her as she sadistically experiments upon her so-called 'freakish' patients.

Rating: B

Review: Notes: The presentation of the first few surgeries was surprisingly entertaining to watch. But as Mary savoured the procedures, she began craving to commit such atrocities in a more extreme manner. The actress Katharine Isabelle was in my opinion irreplaceable tor the role of Mary Mason. Katharine portrayed the character of a troubled yet humble medical student who performed a non-traditional gothic style of surgeries perfectly with her emotionless yet gentle voice showing a more intensified creepiness surgeon than I had expected.   

Film: Coraline (2009)

Writer: Neil Gaiman (Novel) & Henry Selick.

Director: Henrey Slick.

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Robert Bailey Jr., Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, John Hodgman and Ian McShane.

Plot: Coraline decides to explore her new home after being neglected by her parents. She soon discovers a secret door but the passage is blocked off by bricks. During the night, she is led through the passage by a mouse and she finds a parallel world where her parents actually care and pay attention to her but they instead have buttons for eyes. When her Other Mother asks her to stay with them forever, she refuses and uncovers the truth about the parallel world that she regrettably walked into.

Rating: A-

Review: Coraline is an amazing Neil Gaiman Story that has come to life as a psychological animated body horror films aimed to gives kids and their parents nightmares. The story’s take on foreshadowing the ending was similar to that of Blood Brothers which intrigue me to see who the woman with hands made up of sewing needles was. Even know the body horror element of the film was thought rather than a physical act, the thought of it happening to Coraline terrified me. This psychological aspect kept me glued to the screen wanting to see if she would escape her fate. The animation style reminded me of ‘Corpse Bride’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, which I undoubtedly felt was extremely fitting for the film's audience and its premises. In all this film is definitely worth watching with your family and especially if you have kids.

[raceandspeculation]

The Alien Analysis of Reproduction, Motherhood, and Sexuality

Marissa Purdy

Professor Dr. Shante T. Smalls

English 3290 Special Topics in Pop Culture

21 February 2017

The Alien Analysis of Reproduction, Motherhood, and Sexuality

Ever since Alien was released in 1979 and Aliens was released in 1986 there has been an immense volume of criticism and analysis on each of the films. The films have a broad spectrum of ideas present within it, including but not limited to xenophobia, Marxism, and feminism.

Most critics do conclude that Alien and Aliens are feminist critiques, due to the high volume of feminized scenes and the equality which is abnormally present within this sci-fi thrillers. Ripley, the protagonist, is a strong female character that becomes depicted in a motherly light. The two films criticize reproduction, motherhood, and sexuality through a strong comparison between Ripley, the queen alien, human sexuality, and the sexuality of the aliens.

The film Alien explores reproduction through multiple representations of birth. The first birthing scene is in the sleeping pods where the crew was in hyper sleep. The pods open wide in an innocent quiet scene as a representation of vaginal birth. This is where the characters first come into consciousness. The hyper sleep beds are representative of the womb and the ship's computer is naturally called “mother.” The second birth scene, which is far different, is the initial contact with the aliens. Once the crew ascends onto the asteroid because of the beacon distress signal, they enter a similarly vaginal canal into the ship. It is dark, damp, humid, and full of eggs. The crew investigates and goes deep to stumble upon the aliens. Here is where the crew is exposed to the small creature that latches onto Kane's face. The creature has human like appendages to form a crab like structure. Kane is then rendered unconscious but is still breathing, the other scientists bring him back to the ship to be examined and hopefully saved. The team tries to remove the alien from Kane’s face and discover the creature has acid for blood. This is interesting because the alien also resembles an umbilical cord, this adds a negative connotation to birth. Eventually after an extensive amount of speculation from the crew the alien detaches from Kane’s face. Kane’s death is the third representation of birth within Alien, which is far more gruesome than first two. It seems as the movie progresses so does the intensity of critique for female birth. Kane, who was forcibly impregnated by the creature, is killed as the alien erupts from his stomach in a dramatic scene. Judith Livingston in her book Posthuman Bodies discusses the different reproductive sexualized parts of the films, “A long flexible (phallic) tube emerges from a puckered (vaginal) orifice of the larval Alien; this tube is thrust down the throat of its victim in order to implant an embryo (Livingston 203).” Kane’s body language and reactions to the gory scene are very familiar to those of a woman in labor. It is very intriguing to witness the dichotomy between the initial birth scene in the hypersleep pods and the final birth scene with Kane and the alien.

The second film, Aliens (1986), is more immersed in the concept of motherhood. By this film the viewer has already witnessed a variety of birth influenced scenes so it makes an abundance of sense that this film will be heavy on the concept of motherhood. The main instance of motherhood is with Ripley and Newt. Ripley discovers Newt, the last survivor of the colony destroyed by the alien invaders. From Newts very first scene the viewer witnesses Ripley's motherly instincts. This happens through Newts fear of anything other than herself because she immediately tries to flee from the crew. Ripley, being representative as the mother, chases after her through the air vents (which are yet again representative of a womb) and grasps her in a motherly embrace. From here on out Newt views Ripley as her mother and is continued to be cared for by her. In the essay The Alien Trilogy: from Feminism to Aids by Amy Taubin, Taubin discusses the obvious motherly characteristics of Ripley. “During the 57-year ellipsis between Alien and Aliens, Ripley, deep in hyperspace with Jonesy the cat wrapped in her arms, drifted about in a time warp. In Aliens Ripley’s nurturing impulses are redirected from the cat to the girl child, Newt, the sole survivor of the Alien attack (Taubin 95).” This excerpt from Taubin examines and compares Ripley's attachment in the first film for a cat to now a human child named Newt. The entire second film, Aliens, she is interested with the well being of her newly inducted “child.” The film even goes so far to allot Newt to call Ripley “mother.” This is an interesting and cementing scene that convinces the viewer that Ripley is absolutely supposed to be viewed as a maternal character.

Considering the viewer in now aware of Ripley’s maternal instinct, one begins to compare Ripley to the alien clan and alien mother. There is a lot of criticism and speculation on the idea that Ripley is representative as the bad mother. In Aliens Ripley is awakened from hypersleep to discover that her daughter has passed away. She recalls that she told her she’d be back for her birthday and immediately realizes the implications of her actions. The film identifies the alien queen as the “perfect” mother. Spending all of her time in her nest preparing eggs and protecting them. The queen never separates from her children, unlike Ripley. Taubin also discusses the two separate feminine identities, “Like Alien, Aliens climaxes with a one-on-one between Ripley and the alien. In the second film, however, the scene is structured as a cat fights between the good mother and the bad. ...the good mother is forced the defend her family… (Taubin 95).” Taubin acknowledges that the queen alien is in fact the good mother. She is completely absorbed in the well being of her spawn. Due to Ripley and the aliens queens similarities the viewer begins to witness a small but noticeable change of heart from Ripley. They are both mothers battling it out in order to protect their own offspring. The opposite species discussion is lowered in importance. It’s interesting to witness the dynamic, one of the lines ripley says is “Get away from her you bitch!” This line strikes hard and personal creating a comparison similar to a catfight between two moms whom have elementary school children. In other words the scene humanizes the alien queen. In Pamela Gibson’s Keyframes You've been in my life so long she discusses Ripley and the alien queen's relationship, “It seems imperative, within an academic overview such as this, to try and understand exactly what it is about the shifting relationship between Ripley and the Alien.. (Gibson 37).” This explains the complex relationship between Ripley and the queen due to their states of motherhood.

The last concept present within the two films is the sexualized nature of ripley and the queen. Livingston continued to discuss this in her book, “It is not, of course, that the question of sexual identity is irrelevant to the film, but that the Alien as embodiment (I should say, each embodiment of the Alien) exceeds the logic of a human (sexual) identity predicated on genital difference. The film, in turn, exceeds and resists an interpretation that would contain it within the field of (human) sexuality (Livingston 204). Here Livingston is analyzing the different variations of human sexuality present within the aliens. For example, the penis shaped heads of the alien attackers and the lubrication of the mouth and bodies of the aliens similar to the vagina. The aliens also are gender fluid, considering the viewer is not able to tell the difference between male or female aliens. Although the “queen” alien does give birth it is not blatant what it’s sexual orientation is. Considering all of this it is safe to say that the aliens are both female and male or gender fluid. No matter their gender the aliens are viewed as disgusting creatures and are overly sexualized, in the end criticizing and disowning sexuality.

The first two films of the Alien series provide a strong critique and analysis of reproduction, how to be a proper mother, and sexuality. Reproduction is analyzed in the first film through a gruesome and disgusting array of different forms of birth, starting with the most innocent in the hypersleep pods, and ending with a disturbing scene where Kane is ripped open from the inside out while his fetus is born. Each form of birth in the film continues to intensify creating an ongoing critique for the viewer. In regards to motherhood symbolically Ripley and the alien queen are one, regardless or their sexuality or their species. Although they are mortal enemies they coexist as maternal figures, creating a strange and comparable dichotomy between the human species and the aliens. This is also comparable to the final aspect of this essay, the sexualized nature of the aliens and why that becomes a negative critique of sexuality. The disgusting reproductive features of the aliens, their primal instincts, and their ferocious attacks although they are alien actions all condemn human reproduction, motherhood, and sexuality.

Word count: 1540

Work cited:

Halberstam, Judith, and Ira Livingston. Posthuman Bodies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Taubin, Amy, and Philip Dodd. "Women & Film A Sight and Sound Reader." Ed. Robert Sklar and Pam Cook. Culture and the Moving Image (1992): 93-100. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Gibson, Pamela. "You've Been in My Life so Long I Can't Remember Anything Else." Ed. Matthew Tinkcom and Amy Villarejo. Keyframes: Popular Cinema and Cultural Studies(2001): n. pag. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.