#Ruined it even more so cause I heard the parody before the original

[unknownarmageddon]

The one thing about being both an Undertale and Fall Out Boy fan is that Irresistible is forever ruined to me because of the Determination Undertale parody

[pixieungerstories]

Housemates - 11

Vinny was horny.  There wasn’t another way to put that.  And yes, Catholic girls weren’t supposed to think like that or even feel like that, but it was true.  She wasn’t brave or rebellious.  This wasn’t some kink she was trying to work through.  She was flat out horny and Derick was the guy she was spending the most time with these days.

She didn’t have a boyfriend.  She hadn’t in years.  They made too many demands for her time and she wasn’t going to throw away her scholarship just to get laid.  Ma had been very clear about the Catholic stance on premarital sex.  Aunt Toni, however, had been equally clear on what behaviour you could reasonably expect from an adult woman.  Which was why Vinny had BOB - that is a battery operated boyfriend - but that only worked for the immediate need.  There wasn’t any conversation, foreplay or snuggling after.

She liked the guys.  All of them, even if Kevin was a bit of an ass and Thea was clearly terrified of her.  She hadn’t understood that at first, but once Derick pointed it out to her, she was amazed that she had missed it.  Where things got really complicated was that she still had to live and work here and she was effectively considering taking advantage of Derick.  Using him for sex.  She wanted friendly sex.  She just wasn’t sure how she would handle breakfast the next morning. She was aware she was pretty enough, but she also knew that when it came right do to it, guys weren’t as picky as they pretended to be.  Objectively, Derick was safer than picking up a guy in a bar.  How would that even work?  She wouldn’t be bringing him back here.  She was out of Ma’s house, but she was still effectively living with chaperones.  

Right now, she was on the couch, cuddled up against Derick with Tristan rubbing her feet.  Both of those things were working for her.

Looking around the room, she cuddled a little closer to Derick.  She had given up on trying to make Bazur wear pants.  He had some sort of fig leaf effect that worked well enough.  Thea was watching from the ceiling.  Kevin was currently the coffee table.  It had been weird putting her drink on him.  Kogan had a huge arm chair.  Bazur had the other huge armchair.  There was no sign of Dren.  

Vinny worried about him missing out.  She knew that after supper, he mostly went to read in his bathtub before melting as he drifted off to sleep.  It just felt odd that he was left out of family movie night.  Mind you, she wasn’t watching the latest instalment in the Action Hero (tm) franchise.  The first one had been good, an interesting premise at least.  Since then they had become bad parodies of the original.  Trying to force another story out of the same formula had made them formulaic.

As she snuggled tighter against Derick, she noticed his arm hair getting a little fuller.  “Is this ok?”

He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.  

She looked up, met his gaze, then kissed him full on the lips.  He kissed her back.  Kevin ruined the moment by snickering.  As she pulled away, Derick leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Anytime you want to continue this, just let me know.”

She froze as she thought about that.  Then she took his hand, stood up and pulled him in the direction of his room.  No one said anything, but Vinny was pretty sure the guys all watched them leave.

She ended up in Derick’s room, him sitting on the futon, his hands resting lightly on her hips, her hands holding his face while she kissed him.  After a moment she needed to stop, needed to breathe and ground herself.  The crook of his neck was the perfect place for her to rest her forehead.

Derick stroked her back, “You smell lonely.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Vinny snorted.  Then what he said really sank in. “I guess all those stories about werewolves are true then.”

Derick stiffened under her, despite the tension in his shoulders his voice was light. “Probably not,” he teased.  “But, if you tell me what you’ve heard, I can confirm or deny.”

Vinny leaned back and looked at him.  “OK.  Biting?”

“Not my kink.  Can’t speak for everyone, but it does nothing for me.  Either as the biter or the, um, bitee.”

“Do you change while you, um-” holy shit, Vinny just say the word, “fuck?”

“I can.  Most women don’t want me to.”

“Doggy style?”

Now he groaned and pushed her back a step.  “I’m not some novelty fuck, Vinny.  No.  I am not a fan specifically because it’s the thing women want when they don’t care about me they just want to check a kink off their bucket list.”

Vinny froze.  “This isn’t a bucket list thing.  But, yeah… I just want a fuck buddy.”

Derick nodded, “I like being on my back so I can watch.”

Vinny decided to go for an easy one, “So the one about the knot is complete bullshit, right?”  He blushed.  “Or not?”

“That one is true.  It’s another good reason for me to be on the bottom until we get used to each other.  Consent gets tricky.  If we end up tied together, there isn’t a way for you to change your mind and have everything stop without causing a lot of discomfort for us both.  A tie doesn’t last very long.  Five or ten minutes.  But that is a long time if you really don’t want to be there.”

Vinny considered this.

“How do you feel about simulaneous hand jobs and cuddles after?”

“Sure,” Derick laughed.  “Or, you smell delicious and I have a surprisingly long tongue.”

Vinny swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.  She nodded before stepping forward to kiss him.  “Can I touch you?” she asked, tugging at his shirt.

Derick grinned and pulled it off.  “Yes.  Can I touch you?”

Vinny nodded and kissed him again as she ran her hands over his skin.

She knew it was a side effect from calories burned shifting, but Derick was lean and muscular in a way that made her want to lick his abs.  She had been expecting him to be hairy or waxed.  He was neither.  He had a little bit of chest hair and a thin line running from his belly button to the top of his pants.  It was like a perfect arrow drawing her eyes to his crotch.

His jeans hung low on his hip and she found her fingers going for his button.

“Easy there cowgirl, you are still very much more dressed than I am.”

Now she felt a little awkward.  She wasn’t nearly as chiseled as Derick was.  “Don’t laugh.”

Derick frowned, “Why would I laugh?”

“I wasn’t planning this when I came down from my room.”

“Neither was I, but I’m happy to be here.”

Vinny didn’t make eye contact as she pulled off her hoodie.  She had enough squish that her sports bra was pressing into her torso a little.  No enough to notice when she was wearing a top, but once she wasn’t it made a slight roll at the bottom.  The easiest thing was to pull that quickly off too.   Maybe he wouldn’t notice that her bra didn’t match her panties.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”  He said it reverentially almost like a prayer.  Vinny blushed but felt a bit better about how this was going.  “Come here?” He asked it like a question rather than stating it like an expectation.

When she did, he watched her face as he carefully cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples.  That was nice.  She relaxed into his touch.

He leaned in and nuzzled her left side with his nose.  When he opened his mouth, she was expecting to suck.  In her experience, most men did like they were making up for missed breastfeeding opportunities.  Derick licked, then swirled his tongue before gently dragging his teeth over in in a way that was not biting.  It was still very nice.  He kissed his way up her neck until he found her mouth again, before hooking his thumbs into her waistband.

Then he suddenly leaned back.  “You are going to get cold.”  He darted across the room and turned on the gas fireplace. Before laying out the futon and turning back to her.  “It will warm up in a moment.”

She nodded and went to sit on the now bed.  “Blankets?”

Derick nodded, slowly.  “I would like to see you,” he suggested as he pulled open a wardrobe.

Vinny wasn’t entirely sure about that, so she deflected by taking the blanket and spreading it over the bed.  When she turned around he was holding a second one.

Nodding to her sweats he smirked, “Let’s get you out of those wet things.”

Vinny gaped at him then snorted as she pulled down her pants and panties.  He was right, she was soaked.  When she looked up, he was watching her.  She blushed a little and came over to where he was laying on the bed.

She tugged at his jeans, “Your turn.”

He caught her hands and brought them to his shoulders before ghosting his down her sides and sliding one between her legs.  He used a finger to part her lips and gather some moisture.  He brought his fingers to his lips and gave it suck.  “You are delicious Vinny.  How about I lean back and you can ride my face for a while?”

Vinny blinked.  “I haven’t done that before.”

“I’ll help.”  Derick lay back on the bed so that his feet were still on the floor and there was room for Vinny around his head.  “Come sit on my chest.”

Vinny hesitated, “I’m not exactly light.”

Derick grinned, “I’m looking forward to that.  I’m not exactly breakable.”  He tugged on her hand and she climbed awkwardly into place.  “You don’t have to do this, but it’s like having someone go down on you, except that you are in control of where they work.”

Vinny climbed awkwardly over him on her hands and knees.  She put one foot near his shoulder and tried to sort of lower herself onto his face.

“Can I help?” he asked.

Vinny nodded.

Derrick put one hand on her ass and repositioned her leg so that her knee was near his ear, then switched sides and did the same with her other leg.  Then his hands went to the tops of her thighs and he pulled her firmly against his mouth.  This time it was a long lick that parted her lips.  Vinny gasped and pulled away.

He let her.  “Need me to stop?”

Vinny shook her head.  Now it was on her to put herself back.  She put her hands in front of her knees and leaned back into place.  He licked her lips with a loud slurp before finding her clit and sucking hard.  If he hadn’t been holding her thighs she would have pulled back again. He was right,in theory, it wasn’t any different than having someone go down on her.  She suspected her previous partners hadn’t been as good at it as Derick was.

She trembled as he unerringly found the right spot and stayed there.  Vinny realized she was rocking without having been aware she was doing it.  He eased her forward a little and slipped his tongue inside.  Hie tongue was longer than she was expecting, but that wasn’t where she wanted him.  She rocked forward again.  Derick took her hand and moved it to his head.  Vinny accidentally gave his hair a tug, then did it again when he moaned his approval.  Her thighs started shaking as the sensations threatened to over take her.  Derick took a tighter hold on her thighs and just kept going as her body bucked and Vinny pressed her lips tight to avoid the gasps that wanted out.

The second wave of pleasure was only moments behind the first and this time he slowed as she came.   He eased her back to his chest.

“That was nice,” he almost purred.

Vinny nodded, silently.  The relief was so good she felt like crying.  Derick must have noticed something, because he pulled her down his body and rolled them on to their sides.  “Are you ok?”

Vinny gasped and nodded, then as she blinked the tears fell.

Derick looked worried, “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

“No!  That was perfect and you are perfect and I’m just a little emotional right now.”

Derick hugged her tight and rubbed her back.  “You really needed that, huh.”

Vinny nodded.

“You don’t have to try to be quiet for me, just so you know.”

Vinny snorted, “Too many years of living in Ma’s house.  I’m not really sure I want the guys in the TV room next door hearing either.”

“That’s fair.  The TV room is pretty sound proof if it helps.”

Vinny nodded and wiped her cheeks.  She was appalled to find her mascara had run.

“I’ll get you a warm washcloth,” Derick said right before he jumped up and bounded out of the room.

Vinny rolled over, cocooning herself in his blanket.

Read more (and see the pictures) here.

[seriouslyblacklikemysoul]

Forget Me Not - Regulus Black x Reader

Request: @earthleigh Hello, since your requests are open could you do a maurauder imagine where the reader is Remus' sister and all the marauders are overly protective of her and she gets into a relationship with a slytherin (regulus or rabastan lestrange) and they like freak out. And they're like worried bc she's like the most caring person and basically their child. Thanx! I'm such trash for the nice/sweet girl x bad boy trope and slytherin x hufflepuff pairings. Warnings: My English, Language, gif and pic aren’t mine-credits to their original owners. [With Douglas Booth as Regulus] Word Count~ 2.1k MASTERLIST Pending Requests    You had always had a thing for him. His dark hair, his hazel eyes -that sometimes were green and other times blue- his pouty lips, his perfectly shaped face and that Adam’s apple of his. He did look like his brother, yet he looked nothing like him. How was that possible? You couldn’t help yourself. He gave the bad boy, troubled young man vibe that you just couldn’t resist. You had to get closer. There were a few problems, though.    You were Gryffindor; he was a Slytherin. You were a half-blood; he was a pure-blood. Your brother was Remus Lupin; his brother was Sirius Black. Yes, there were some issues you had to take care of before you could say that the coast was clear.    You had found yourself wondering why did the Hat place you in Gryffindor when everyone told you that you were a true Hufflepuff-maybe because you didn’t want to leave your brother alone. He wasn’t alone, he had made friends but you would never leave him.  You were a year younger than them but you were considered a Marauder since the moment they met you. They were amazing people; funny, clever, mischievous and above all, they truly liked your brother-they were truly great friends. You knew that Remus would never tell them that he was a werewolf and honestly, you couldn’t understand why. It didn’t matter- he didn’t choose this. You were more worried that he will get hurt by it than anything else.    Over the years, you bonded even more and you were inseparable; they were your overprotective parents. Something that could be too sweet or too annoying. It was both most of the time. You weren’t eleven anymore. You were good on your own, you could handle things without them interfering.    Something that hadn’t change was that you were still the same ‘Little Lupin’ as they called you. You were too kind and sweet for your own good. You didn’t believe that. You were simply being human, helping those in need any way you could. The house elves loved you, the professors adored you not only because you were that nice, sweet little girl, but because you were one of the smartest and hardworking students, much like your brother. Although you tend not to pull so many pranks- you were the mastermind behind them, and that was why you never served detention. It was pretty sneaky if you think about it.    Something that had changed was your relationship status. You weren’t single anymore, even though no one else knew but the two of you. You were with him and you could never ask for more. You didn’t really like the whole ‘let’s pretend that we don’t even know each other’ thing that was going on but you did know why it was going on. You were jealous of all the happy couples that didn’t care about PDA when you couldn’t even hold your own boyfriend’s hand. You had to pretend that it didn’t hurt a tad when you saw him in the Great Hall sitting with his friends, away from you. You had to hold your tongue when Sirius was being bitter about him. You had to force yourself not to slap the hell out of your brother when he was always agreeing with Pads and Prongs about him when no one truly knew him. To be honest, you would never believe that your brother of all people would criticize someone just because he had heard something about him. You were mad and sad at the same time. Not to mention that every time that you had tried to go out on a date, they had just tagged along like you were a five-year-old. Especially Remus. He was a pain in the ass. And that little shit enjoyed ruining your dated because the boys you liked weren’t good enough as he told you every single time. The others would nod in agreement saying that you deserved more. Well, they weren’t wrong about that. You had found more.    Before you could understand what happened, a pair of full, soft lips was on yours, gentle hands cupped your face, long eyelashes rested on your face. Your eyes fluttered shut and your hands flew to his soft, slightly tousled hair, fingertips getting lost. Reluctantly, he pulled away as you both caught your breaths.     He was ravishing in the dim moonlight but his big, hazel eyes were teary. You grew worried and anxious. “What’s wrong Reg? What happened?” you asked him while your eyes were searching his face for any sign of indignation or pain or anything, really. He just collapsed, letting you hold him tightly as you both sunk down, your back against the stone wall of the Astronomy Tower, his head in the crook of your neck. “Just hold me. Hold me” he was whispering over and over again. Your heart broke. His mother. That bitch was tormenting both of her sons. You weren’t the one to call someone names but that poor excuse of a mother deserved it. Sirius had run away, which meant that Regulus was on his own. You couldn’t begin to imagine how hard must that be. Seeing him like that made you capable of murder. Her murder. He was so broken-he felt so empty and you could tell. “Don’t leave me, angel, please” he murmured against your neck. You could feel the tears-his tears-on your skin. You held him tighter and closer; your hands tried to soothe his pain as they roamed his back and his arms making their way to his face. Your touch was light as a feather because you didn’t want to cause him any more pain or discomfort. You softly caressed his cheek with the back of your palm and your fingers went to his chin, slowly making him face you. You took his face in your hands and looked at him straight in the eyes. “What did she do?” you simply yet fiercely asked him. You were kind and sweet but Merlin help the one who will get on your bad side. You would anything to protect your loved ones. “She made me a monster”. His voice cracked and more tears left his beautiful eyes. It hurt your soul. Your eyebrows were furrowed, you were biting your lip and your eyes were almost teary as well. You had heard those words before. You knew them all too well. Your brother used to say them too often-he still did. But Walburga would never turn her child into a werewolf. Wait. No. Nononono.    Gently, you took his arm in your hands and tugged the sleeve. You saw the hesitation in his eyes, you saw the pain, the remorse, the guilt and the fear. You saw how vulnerable he was. You knew that he hadn’t his brother’s self-esteem but you had never seen him like this.     He rolled up his sleeve, purposefully slow just to reveal what you had already guessed. The Dark Mark was tattooed on his flesh, forever imprinted there as a constant reminder of all the things he hated but couldn’t run away from. You momentarily closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You wished to be able to turn back time and help him. He misinterpreted your brief silence for rejection, fear- maybe you were disgusted by him, he sure was. His heart broke but he could never judge you or not understand you. “You are not a monster, Regulus” you told him, emphasizing each word. Your fingers were drawing patterns on his arm, forming words of comfort, shapes of tenderness. He was taken aback because he really believed that you wouldn’t forgive something like that. He couldn’t forgive himself for letting his parents convince him that it was right. He wasn’t convinced but threatened. It didn’t matter to them. He was just another Death Eater and he was absolutely sick of it. All of it. “I love you” he confessed almost too scared, as his eyes found yours. He had never said those words before. He felt them, deeply, passionately, completely. You pressed a tender kiss to his forehead but moved your lips to his forearm and covered the mark with your lipstick. “There. All set” you informed him as you tried to smile. It was too painful to last. “I love you, Arc” you whispered. It was a habit of yours, to call him by his middle name when things got more intimate.    You stayed there, wrapped in each other’s embraces all night long. You didn’t know that four boys had been spying on you using that preposterous map of theirs- and they had questions, but mostly accusations.

“Are you INSANE?”. “What were you thinking?”. “Of all people, you are with him?”. “Hey, watch it. He is my brother”. “But he is a Death Eater”. “I was adopted”. “But, yes. Of all people, him?”. “No. No. And let me think, NO” “How could you do this to us? To me? I am your brother!”. “He is going to hurt you”. “He is like his mother”. “He is bad news, trouble”. It had been like that all morning. You hadn’t gone to any of your classes because you were getting lectured and reprimanded by four boys. But enough was enough. “SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU” you kind of yelled at them, your voice firm and cold. You couldn’t stand this parody. They were clearly bewildered and bamboozled. They did not expect you to raise your voice like that. “Can’t you see? I love him” you admitted, looking at them as they were losing their coolness. “But you deserve more, little Lupin. You are so sweet and he is so cold” James tried to talk you out of it but he didn’t know that you were together almost a year. “Listen, you are my sister and I love you and I want nothing less than your happiness but he is not the person to give you what you need” your brother interrupted. You were growing sadder and sadder by the second. You couldn’t understand why they hated him so much. “He is no good, little one. You know him, what? A week? I know him my whole life” Sirius added. He thought he was helping but he wasn’t. “We’ve been together for over a year. And I am not letting you four, destroy that. I love him” you finally told them, leaving them speechless. “He is a Death Eater, love” Sirius spoke in a small voice.  That was enough. “Do you know how difficult it became for him when you ran away? Do you have any idea what your mother did to him? Do you know that he is broken? That, he was harming himself? That he tried to end… this? That he misses you like crazy? That he thinks he is a monster?” you fired back all those things you have been keeping quiet the past year. Sirius paled and Remus finally understood. He knew what it felt like to believe that you were a monster. Everyone seemed to get it, slowly but steadily. You wanted nothing more than to just hold Reg and kiss him and hug him, not caring one bit about what people think. He wasn’t evil, he was broken, misunderstood and pressured. All his life. “Does he feel the same about you?” Remus asked carefully. He didn’t need an answer once he saw the look on your face. He smiled faintly. He couldn’t change that; as much as he didn’t like the idea of Regulus and you, he had to step back. “How did you-you know?” James asked, or tried to. You smiled at the memory. It hadn’t been that easy. But it was the most wonderful thing. “A story for another time” you answered casually but he rolled his eyes. “Just… Just be good to him. Take care of him, please. He deserves that much” Sirius said in a small voice. Regulus was his brother and he loved him so much that hurt. But they had chosen different paths. “I do?” a new voice questioned a bit puzzled. You quickly turned around to see a confused Regulus standing – a bit awkward – next to the door. Sirius was even paler than before. You thought of the possibilities. Their bond meant everything to them and they needed time alone. You went over to him and kissed him lovingly, not giving a flying fuck about your friends’ reactions. “We should leave them to it” you kindly said and the three stunned boys, moved, getting your message. Regulus looked at you, thankful for everything. “You are my light, angel” he whispered, his voice thick from Merlin knows how many feelings. You smiled and left the room along with the other, leaving the Black brothers to finally talk like civilized people. And all you could do was wish for the best. 

Tags: @orionsirivsblack @kapolisradomthoughts @nadinissavage

[yougotcrit]

A long, long time ago... 40 years ago, to be exact. 40 years to the day when Star Wars (1977) first hit theaters, and what a journey it has been during that time. To truly appreciate this landmark of a film, I’d like to step back and evaluate one simple question.

What is Star Wars?

It’s so much more than a movie. Its roots are simple enough; a story of good versus evil, a journey of discovery, an adventure to places unknown. The Greeks were playing that old song and dance long before Star Wars came along. So what set it apart from these other stories?

It’s the brain child of George Lucas. 

Love him or hate him, none of it would be possible if not for him. Through his imagination he brought life to his creations, showing us creatures and places we never dreamed of. And oddly, he was near the only one who believed in the project. Hardly anyone expected it to be the success it became. But thanks to George’s passion and persistence, in conjunction with a talented cast and crew, we have the most iconic film in history.

It’s iconic.

The soundtrack; the title crawl; the locations; the costumes, props and special effects; the characters; the movie quotes. The list goes on. Even the film’s blunders are iconic (The Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. The Stormtrooper banging his head in the doorway.) 

So many films wish they could be half as universally recognized as Star Wars. Even if you’ve never seen Star Wars, chances are good that if you saw an image of Darth Vader, you’d know his name. That’s the power of the franchise, it’s something that, as a society, we all share and love together. 

It’s controversy.

And perhaps that’s why many fans have such a love-hate relationship with George Lucas. The creator, in an effort to actualize his original vision which was hindered due to the constraints of the technology at the time, decided to revisit his beloved films and alter them. On paper this sounded all well and good. The movies would be digitally restored and remastered to counter the gradual deterioration of film, a necessity if you want to preserve the films. And the space battles, which had been filmed with models originally, would receive a fancy, polished CGI upgrade. So what caused millions of voices to cry out in protest when the Special Edition of Star Wars was complete? Two things. Lucas took it upon himself to fill every scene he fancied with superfluous amounts of CGI, to the point where it’s so crowded with nonsense you can’t see what’s happening. It marks one of the first instances where CGI was abused in cinema. But even more controversial was Lucas’s alteration of history. Replacing the actor who played the dying and older Darth Vader with Hayden Christensen was a slap in the face. Adding the Jabba the Hut scene in A New Hope was clumsy and unnecessary (don’t even mention how the movie’s name was changed to Star Wars: A New Hope). And let’s not forget who shot first. It was Han. Han shot first.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s also the prequels. Nothing causes more rage among fans than the three films that nearly ruined Star Wars forever. Poorly written, boring, poorly acted, and occasionally racist, the prequels were not the films we were looking for, and they complicated the continuity of the original trilogy. No one was happy. You’d cause less uproar trying to rewrite the Bible than what Lucas did with the prequels. To make matters worse, despite such a public outburst against the prequels, George Lucas remained unapologetic and uncaring towards the fans’ disappointment. After all, it’s his baby. He could do with it as he pleases. Until he sold it, of course.

It’s money in the bank.

Even before George Lucas sold the rights to Star Wars to the Disney Company for $4 billion, he was raking in the cash. The films alone were very successful, the very first blockbusters, but thanks to some poor foresight on the part of the movie executives, Lucas kept the licensing and merchandising rights everything Star Wars to himself. And that’s where the real money from the movie is made. More well than you can imagine. Action figures, tee shirts, Build-A-Bears, tote bags, Legos, collectibles of all shapes and sizes; Even a mini fridge shaped like R2-D2. There’s no limit to what Star Wars fans will pay if it’s got the logo slapped on it. And nobody knows exploitation like the Disney Company. Promptly after their purchase they began churning out more films to further the saga, not excluding spin-offs or solo films. And boy, have they gotten a return on their investment. With plans to open up a Star Wars themed park at Disney World, the Disney Company’s going to see profits that George never considered.

It’s a whole universe.

How big is Star Wars? It’s big. There’s series upon series of novelizations about the Star Wars universe, much of it obsolete since Disney’s takeover. Not to mention the story lines from each and every video game, at least two television animated series, and every character, regardless of how brief their appearance in the films, has at least half a webpage dedicated to its biography on Wikipedia. Each of these contributes to a much greater world that even the movies never explain in detail. Few franchises and properties come close to the level of detail and universe building that Star Wars has created, which is why it ranks in the top of all circles of nerdery, geekdom, and fanisms.

It’s a community.

If you’ve never heard of the 501st Legion, I suggest you look them up. They are Star Wars enthusiasts, whose love and passion for Star Wars is so great that they’ve come together as “an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate.” These guys get together to build and wear authentic and customized stormtrooper costumes, among other characters, and then they attend events to promote an interest in Star Wars. They do this on their own time, using their own funds, and they do a lot of charitable work. And it’s because they all love Star Wars. But it goes beyond cosplaying. There’s groups dedicated to collecting memorabilia. Musicians come together to play John Williams’s amazing scores, incorporating lightsabers into the act. Star Wars even helped a family through a rough time, when a husband, diagnosed with terminal cancer, was allowed to see The Force Awakens (2015) weeks before its release and days before he became one with the Force. Star Wars brings people together, and brings out the best in them as well.

It’s a technological achievement.

This one can’t be overstated enough. Until May 25th, 1977, there was every other movie, and then there was Star Wars. Audiences had never seen anything like it. The film pushed the boundaries of the available technology, inventing several new technologies along the way. Advancements in sound, costumes, green-screen technology, puppetry, model building and so much more all stemming from Star Wars. It’s hard to imagine in this age of CGI that all the ships in the original trilogy were mere models hanging on wire in front of a blue screen. Pixar’s computer animation was originally a branch of LucasArts, so we have George to thank for that as well. But Star Wars continues to push the limits of technology, even in the real world. It’s influenced modern day prosthetics, robotics, and for Pete’s sake, even hologram technology is available these days. In time, maybe we’ll have our own lightsabers, because there isn’t a person out there who wouldn’t like their own lightsaber.

It’s inspiration.

There’s no end to imagination, so I don’t see why there should ever be an end to Star Wars. What began as the musings of one man has become a myriad of ideas and tangents and spin-offs and parodies and all manner of art. Fans cosplay as original characters of their own design. Spaceballs (1987) would not exist if not for Star Wars. It has inspired conventions, fan fictions, food, and the names of children. Yes, I’ve met a real life Anakin once. Some people have Star Wars weddings and funerals. Star Wars is so expansive, with so much source material, it can be incorporated into nearly anything. It seems to me that we’ll go to any length to bring that galaxy far, far away a little closer to home. That’s Star Wars.

Happy birthday, Star Wars,

You Got Crit

(Feel free to read my past reviews for the more recent Star Wars movies: Here and here.) 

(Like what you read? Then Share! Or Like! Or Follow! Or leave a Comment! Didn’t like it? That’s cool too! I’d love to hear feedback! Thanks for reading!)

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The Trump Era: We're In This Together

That's it folks, the dreaded date of January 20th, 2017 has come and is just about gone. It is 10 pm and the excitement (or outrage) that has been building for the last few months has finally begun to wind down. The original plan, when I sat down to begin writing, was to continue my thoughts on college education. After a few minutes of scrolling through my Facebook feed, it seemed to be a little more appropriate to put that idea on hold for the moment and turn my attention to the events of today.

Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States. The phrase rolls awkwardly off my tongue and sort of just hangs in the air, suspended in disbelief. I'll be the first to admit that never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. My first real memories of Donald Trump were from when I was in high school, watching him scream "You're fired!" from across the table to a contestant on his reality television show. I knew nothing about him, nor did I care, really (as a teenager, I can't say I cared about much...but I digress). Fast forward to the summer of 2015 when Trump announced his candidacy, I was one of the millions who thought it was some sort of elaborate joke. Scenes from 'The Apprentice' ran through my head and I thought it was a matter of time before he was quickly overtaken by his more experienced and more qualified peers. As the Trump Campaign started gaining steam, as he started winning, and as he eventually claimed the presidency this past November, I didn't know how to react. Even today, after the inauguration has ceased and all the oaths have been taken, I'm still in a state of relative shock. That just happened. Donald Trump: businessman, reality TV star, and now President of the United States. Whoa.

I have many different types of people with whom I associate, with an even more diverse group of 'friends' on Facebook. They are from all around the world and come from all walks of life. I enjoy this diversity because it means a healthy exposure to other values, beliefs, and opinions for me. Throughout the last year or so, I've been able to observe the impact that Trump's presidency run has had on others. This election has been so polarizing, every other post on my Facebook feed is either wildly progressive or staunchly conservative. I've nearly gotten whiplash from how jarring it's been to just scroll down a few pages. If my own personal feed is any indication of how ideologically divided the country is (which, spoiler alert, it is) then I think we have more to worry about than just who is sitting in the Oval Office.

A House Divided

"A house divided against itself cannot stand," are (only some) of the famous words shared by President Abraham Lincoln. He uttered these words in a speech at the Republican State Convention in 1858 during turbulent times--much like today. I have heard this quoted many times, most recently in 2014's "The Lego Movie." Albeit, it was more of a parody, but the point is that this quote has become somewhat of a regular in modern American culture. Most people, including me, would safely assume that this is in reference to political beliefs. With the use of the two-party political system here in the U.S., it's only logical that there would be a wide division in political beliefs. Republican vs. democrat, conservative vs. progressive, left vs. right, etc. With American values being framed this way, it's not hard to see why there is such strong opposition coming from either side. It's reminiscent of the "Star Wars" approach to morality, with the dark side vs. the light side of the force. This duality causes each side to believe that they are right and, by default, the other side is wrong. This concept works in a movie where there are two opposing forces battling each other for control of the galaxy, but it can't work if the two opposing forces are actually on the same team. It can't work because the team would implode. This was Lincoln's warning to the nation: if this division doesn't stop, the country would be destined for inevitable ruin. But, the way I see it, he wasn't talking about a division in political beliefs, that always has and always will be there. He was talking about something a little different: deviation from the common goal of unity. Lincoln faced this issue as President in the 1860's, and it has reared it's ugly head once again.

We Put the 'Us' in 'Trust'

Differences in opinion are human nature and therefore a part of life. Building a family, a team, a community, or a nation requires individuals to come together and cooperate. This is important because cooperation doesn't mean complete conformation. Differing talents, beliefs, and ideas among members actually strengthens a team. In reality, a team can function well and succeed even if every single member has differing personal beliefs. In short, not every member of a football team needs to be the same religion in order to be successful, and that goes for a nation too. However, the one characteristic that is absolutely necessary is the discipline to place a common goal before personal desires. 

The big problem that I see with our country is that people are more concerned with being right than they are with working toward a common goal. There are many times in my marriage where I disagree with my wife--from something important as finances to something trivial like what the definition of "do the dishes" is (for the record, she includes cleaning the cupboards, counters, and kitchen table as part of "the dishes." Pure madness). We each have very specific ways of doing things that are, at times, at odds with one another. If we valued being right above our common goal of building a family together, I would be at home alone, happily washing JUST the dishes. My wife and I don't have to conform to one another on every little thing and I'm happy because that would be incredibly boring. But, what we do need to agree on is that no matter how we feel at a particular moment in time, building a family together in unity is the highest priority. In this same way, our common goal as a nation should be establishing a UNIFIED land of freedom that protects an individuals rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This practice has nothing to do with your faith, your race, your sexual orientation, or your political affiliation. It has everything to do with our nation's future. Andrew Carnegie once said: 

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

In one way or another, this entire election process has taken a toll on EVERYONE. It was a knock-down, drag out ordeal that had us all at each other's throats. How about we each take a step back and breathe for a second. This is a great country with so much opportunity and so much freedom. (Hell, Donald Trump is President--if that's not a testament to the enormous amounts of opportunity available in this country then I don't know what is!) But in all the hate, name-calling, and finger-pointing I think we forgot that we're really all on the same side. We're all licking our own metaphorical wounds. We're in this together and we always have been. So, in our own little way, let us be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. If you want to see less hatred in this country, be kind to a stranger instead of making fun of their mama through the comment section.  If you want to see less corruption, be honest with yourself and others. If you want to see less violence, give someone a hug that needs it or show a little patience to your spouse or children. Whether you voted for Trump or not, we still need ALL of us to keep America great.