#always been a big fan of tim burton so seeing him being one of the producers made me rlly happy

[michuyox]

I officially got the artist block!! If there’s anything you guys have in mind, headcanons, requests, ideas or even ships, send them in! I’d love to hear them, and maybe that’ll help me through this shitty thing <3

[saveme-storybrooke-potc]

Why I don't like "Wednesday" the new Netflix series

Now, I was really hoping to not have anything negative to say about the new Wednesday series because I absolutely love The Addams Family and I love Tim Burton (bonus points if the music is by Danny Elfman which 98% of the time it is) but there were many problems I had with the series and I'm just going to talk about why.

1: They ruined Wednesday's relationship with her mother

I don't know about in the comics but in the original show, and the two movies (we do NOT count the abomination of those animated movies that came out recently) but Wednesday was always close with her mother, they complimented each other, and she looked up to Morticia and wanted to be like her. BUT FOR SOME REASON in the show Wednesday all of a sudden, hates (or at least it's shown that way) Morticia and says things like "I am nothing like you" "I don't want to be like you" even down to not having a romantic side like her mother using the same nicknames (like in the movie with the nerd) and I get that she's a teenager, but like that was a big part of her character imo.

2: The parents are godawfully annoying

They probably did this for the very reason that the show is called Wednesday and it's probably trying to get us to see through Wednesday's p.o.v so she'd find them annoying but like, their love being so sweet and genuine was one of the best parts in the show that was more for the older kids and adults to enjoy, and Wednesday ONLY SHOWED THAT IN THEIR FLASHBACK.

3: The show took away what The Addams were all about

The Addams were like outcasts to the "Normies" as the show likes to call them. And having Wednesday go to a school where she "fits in" because she really wasn't and outcast to the outcasts no matter what the show tries to trick you, but if she went to a "Normies" school instead of being expelled like in the first episode she could have been the Wednesday that the real Addams Family fans know and love.

4: The didn't even add one of the best characters from the movies

Joel (if I am getting that right) was such a cute addition to the movie, the dynamic that he had with Wednesday because they were such opposites were the highlights to the movie. He was a nerdy kid that liked to be alone, and she just liked to be alone. But I was pretty disappointed that they didn't choose to add him in and instead had the Coffee shop boy and Painter as love interests (I'm not going to include Wolfgirl since she isn't cannon to liking Wednesday, and she's too fucking annoying for me to handle)

5: Our classic Wednesday & Pugsley duo

I mean like how could you separate these two? and IK that Wolfgirl could be a (possible) substitute for the absence of Pugsley, but it is very disappointing to not see the duo back at it creeping out other kids and even plotting things against their friends/family but that was definitely a lose

6: They really shouldn't have had Wednesday go to a Walmart version of Monster High

One of the things that made The Addams Family THE ADDAMS FAMILY was the fact that they were just a family, like others but they were just different. Which is why the lyrics were

"They're creepy and they're kooky Mysterious and spooky They're all together ooky The Addams family

Their house is a museum When people come to see 'em They really are a screaming The Addams family"

And I KNOW that this is just a different adaptation but how can you call it The Addams Family when you basically have her like EVERY OTHER CHARACTER SHE INTERACTS WITH. it just ruined that part, and she should have never been expelled for that piranha incident.

7: I'm not completely on board with the supernatural aspects

Actually, for this one I'm not really talking about her visions (don't get me wrong that whole aspect was definitely weird at first but I'm talking about Wolfgirl, Siren, Duce, Telekinesis boy, and maybe even painter boy (who I'm pretty sure is just like the nerd but anyways). Because The Addams WEREN'T ABOUT THAT they were about creeping other people out and I get that they had other friends like cousin IT and the kid WHAT but those were just tiny aspects, and they were rarely part of the movies and mostly there for parties. It just makes no sense for there to be a bunch of outcasts for THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Aside from those major things the more problems I have are with the other characters that she interacts with, mostly Wolfgirl that one really annoyed me Siren was more of a disagreement Wednesday had at the beginning but then got along with afterwards and she was pretty interesting.

I didn't entirely like the whole Monster Killer reveal, and how predictable it was or that whole grooming scenario but that whole storyline was more for the plot than anything.

but there are things I did like about the show:

Walmart Duce and Wolfgirls relationship (weather romance or not the puppy love is cute)

I like when they make Wednesday, Wednesday like how she enjoys digging up graves, or doesn't cry, or show affection

I did like the Coffee Shop kid and honestly, I think he needs help from Wednesday. He was after all groomed by that teacher (when I tell you I gaged watched that scene, I mean it) and she did use his mother against him and controlled him until he gave in which is really sad and I want Wednesday to help him

I did like painterboy too, he became pretty stiff afterwards but if they give him more development that'll be nice to see him interact with Wednesday (she seems to care for him at some extent to jump infront of the arrow for him)

I like Siren girl and the Mayors son, I want to see more interactions from them

THAT MORTICIA AND GOMEZ FLASHBACK IS EVERYTHING TO ME IK THAT WHOLE STORY WAS SO FREAKING PREDICTABLE BUT DAMN THE FACT THAT HE GOT ARRESTED FOR HER MADE MY HEART SKIP A BEAT

I did like the sheriff, IK he was an asshole to the Addams at first, but I liked when they finally made amends

Coffee shop kid and Wednesday's first date was pretty cute, but it would be 1000000000000x better with summercamp nerd

[wednesdaysaddamsworld]

Pros and Cons of Wednesday 

While I enjoyed watching the new Netflix show Wednesday, I couldn't help but notice certain things that I both really liked, and really disliked.

PROS:

The Modernization of the Addams Family. I've been a big fan of the Addams family since I was little. Its dark, gothic aesthetic is something that I really enjoyed and within every rendition of the Addams family, it is something crucial to who they are. As a lot of people have pointed out, the Addams family was created to mock modern day tv families in that, while they are "weird" and out of place, they have a very healthy family dynamic that other tv families lack.

The Writing. I loved each episode of season 1 and I think the writers understand who Wednesday is at her core, while still being able to write a "new" version of Wednesday that hasn't been dug into yet.

The Representation. Being a Latina myself, I loved that a beloved series of mine took the chance on making Wednesday and Gomez (and arguably Pugsly) Latinos. Growing up with the movies and cartoons, I always imagined myself in Wednesday's place, and I'm so happy that other goth Latinas will be able to identify with her.

The Casting of the Addams Family. I absolutely loved the chemistry between Luis Guzman and Katherine Zeta-Jones, they were incredible as Gomez and Morticia and I hope to see more of them in season 2. I also loved the casting of the young versions of them from episode 5.

CONS:

Tim Burton. While I thought the show was really good, its very clear what aspects of the show were influenced by him. Throughout the show, we never once see a black character that isn't considered to be "evil". Despite the show only having 3 black characters, every single one of them is considered to be an antagonist, with little to no character development or personality outside of the main character's goal.

The Love Triangle. I mean really? I think this one is self explanatory. The side plot of the love triangle between Wednesday, Tyler, and Xavier was boring, and not at all convincing. The boys go on and on about Wednesday's "mixed signals," despite there being NO romantic signals at all. It felt very forced and inorganic. Especially considering Jenna Ortega opposed the love triangle herself.

Overall, the show was entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat, when I wasn't rolling my eyes at how delusional Xavier and Tyler were. I hope the next season addresses the characters outside of the main cast, especially Bianca.

[kimhargreeves]

Night To Remember-Danny Elfman x Reader (Oingo boingo)

Summary: After spending an amazing night at the Coachella festival, you a long time friend and fan of Danny are about to have a memorable night when you both decide to release all the tension you've been building.

(Been a big fan of Elfman for many years but seeing him recently in the Coachella event made me feel things. So here came this sinful one shot.)

(Warnings: this is smut, degradation, choking, age gap the reader will be around 30'stheir . Reader is on the alternative side with dyed hair, tattoos,etc.)

I was never a fan of these sort of festivals, thousands of people being all mushed up in the hot days of summer. I wasn't planning on coming at first but was surprised when one of my best friends presenter me with an extra ticket just for me.

It was early in the morning and the place already filled with people, celebrities and influencers taking pictures of some of their ridiculous outfits, who would wear those sort of things at s hot ass day?!

Paying not much mind to them or anyone else, I began to tune a guitar at the rather quiet room I was in. "Everything alright, (Y/N)?"

I smiled looking up at the familiar red head, the leader of Oingo Boingo. "Of course!" I replied fast but looked down at the electric I was still tuning up.

"Well, you're oddly quiet today." So he noticed, of course he would.

Danny had always been the only one to notice when something is up with me, wether good or bad. He's been really good at reading me, i don't have many friends but he's one of the few that genuinely cares about me. Whenever I'd get depressed and not wanting to leave my apartment he would come over and spend a bit of time with me.

The thing is that I've recently been growing feelings towards him, i always had a slight of crush him but the more he's been hanging out with me the more I care for him.

I was always used to seeing him almost as the nerdy type with his glasses but recently he's been even more involved with changing his looks, he's grown his hair out and got plenty of tattoos. I was with when he got a few but haven't been able to see the rest, said it would be surprise.

I'm in my thirties and he's in his sixties.

People would most certainly talk and pick at us. I should just put my feelings to the side and enjoy that I at least know this man so many love and look up to.

I've had the pleasure of working with him in so many projects, he even got me a few small roles in films particularly from Tim Burton who's now like family to me. Every Halloween Danny would play his most famous songs or the score from Nightmare Before Christmas, so he would always invite me to play with the band and orchestra.

I would always play the guitar. Nothing interesting ever happened in my life until I met him due to a family member attending an event and introducing to us.

"I know when you're lying. Something is bothering you." He insisted and took a seat next to me, he gently took the guitar out of my grasp and he held it instead.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just nervous about playing tonight." I continued to lie to him. Thankfully he he bought it.

"That's odd I haven't seen you nervous before about playing."

"Well, you know how people can be at these sort of events. The guitars are all tuned!" I quickly exclaimed and handed him his black guitar which he took and placed my purple colored one to the side.

He started testing the guitar and smiled up at me, "What would I do without you?" He teased which made me chuckle back.

"I'm nothing special, only learned from the best." I complimented and saw him also standing up. My heart skipped a beat when I felt his hand run through my dyed colored hair.

"You're very special, (Y/N) and don't say otherwise." He scolded me which only made me blush.

I heard footsteps approaching and quickly looked over and saw one of my friends, Sam who also plays in the band as a violinist waved at me. "Wanna come and buy a couple of drinks with me?"

"I'll be seeing you later today." Danny said when he noticed me unsure on wether to stay or go with my friend. He gave me a wink before walking over to hid other friends.

Sam and I walked outside where the crowd were and noticed many people selling drinks, food and alcohol. "Soo I noticed you and Danny.." Sam began with the teasing.

Out of everyone into Sam is the one who knows of my crush. "You know you should just go for it, lady time to girlfriend noticed you both and said you looked cute together."

"Glad to know you and her agree on that. Not many people would agree if our relationship were to go further."

I was stopped by Sam her dark eyes staring into my own, she moved a few strands of her short black hair and shook her head. "Do what you feel is right, quit worrying on what others might think of you. You think it was easy on my case?"

Sam and her partner have been dating for around two years and got engaged about five months ago. She isn't much on decorating or planning things up ahead,but she asked me to help her out in a couple of weeks since they are planning on getting married at the end of the year.

"I know what you went through and i admire you for it."

We continued to talk while we made a line to buy a few things, we almost tripped over a crowd and almost got lost on the way back. I noticed many celebrities with bodyguards surrounding them and noticed some other artists who would be singing throughout the day.

The both of us made it back and placed the items on a table and entered a quiet to practice for later tonight.

"Alright! so this is what we'll be playing. This is gonna be a night to remember." Sam smirks to herself while reading the set list sheet in her hands. I peeked over and read all the songs.

Spiderman Theme, The Simpsons Theme, Edward Scissorhands, Sorry, Insects, Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself), Just Another Day, Jack's Lament, This Is Halloween and What's This?. That's a few of what we're gonna perform.

A few familiar people who would be playing with us are We Borderland, Nili Brosh, drummer Josh Freese drummer, bassist Stu Brooks, and the complete orchestra and choir coordinator, Steven Bartek.

Few hours went by and I changed myself into a black dress with fishnets under it for my tattoo to be visible, i also wore black almost knee high boots, i braided my hair to the side and applied a bit more of heavy makeup.

I stepped out of the changing area placed my belongings in a backpack and quickly began to run through the back stage to fetch my guitar and followed everyone on the stage. "I know you'll do great!" Danny said walking to my side while we stopped in front of the stage.

We noticed many fans eagerly waiting for us to perform, many people were standing right up front just to watch us. It makes me proud everytime.

Danny stepped forward in the middle while I stayed on the left side and strapped my guitar right and slowly started to strum it along with the second guitarist. The sky was already getting darker and the bright lights on the stage were complimented the now dark atmosphere.

Slowly we started to get into it the instruments got louder and the orchestra behind us were giving their all playing beautifully.

This Is Halloween was playing and the rest in front let the orchestra do their magic along with Danny singing along with a few scenes from the movie playing in the back screen, i noticed he was also wearing a black and white striped coat like Jack.

Many people in the crowd started singing the familiar song while I silently sang it and held onto my guitar and looked over to see the other guitarist doing the same.

Later on we started playing the song True. I started shredding the guitar and having the time of my life jumping up and down while easily playing the strings. The other guitarist started playing perfectly as well as we watched towards the crowd and looked back at Danny singing.

Next thing I know I looked over and saw him take his shirt off. If I weren't up on stage I probably would've freaked out, "He has awesome tattoos!" I thought as I continued to play.

I definitely didn't expected him to be all tattooed, the crowd went wild seeing him and the band continue to play the songs. I felt ashamed at myself for beginning to feel that familiar sensation I gelt when Danny and I were alone once as he held my hand while I myself got a tattoo back then.

But this feeling I'm afraid was already turning to lust. I would for sure be getting hated on if people were to know about my crush on him, I mean people would for sure be checking out on the age gap we both have. Fuck that I should listen to what my friend said.

I eagerly continued to play and walked forward on stage when Danny made me step closer to the crowd, i felt myself getting flustered when I felt his hand on my shoulder and singing close to me.

We continued to play through out the night and I couldn't stop admiring him, finally we finished the last song and waved at the crowd. Each of us tiredly walking backstage and high giving each other.

"You were amazing!" Both Danny and I said when we located each other.

"The crowd went wild and your tattoos! I love them." I smiled and tried to not blush in front of him.

Sam stepped between us along with his other band mates. "Let's go and celebrate with a couple of drinks." Most of us went over to have a few drinks and I felt myself getting just a bit drink.

"I think I should head back to the hotel!" I yelled at Sam since the music was once again loud on stage. She gave me a thumbs up, she knew of how tired how was so I wanted some rest.

"I'll go with you then!" Danny quickly offered and grabbed my hand so I wouldn't lose him through the crowd of people.

The both of us started to walk ahead until we were a bit far from the venue, in just a few minutes we arrived at the hotel and I opened the door to my hotel room. "I'm so tired." I groaned landing on my bed and heard the door lock itself up.

"Tired? The night is just starting." He joked making his way to sit next to me.

"Well, my adrenaline isn't as high as yours then." I shrugged but found myself getting bolder when I rested my hand on his leg.

"How about we do something else…? Are you up for it?" His voice sounded deeper and his eyes seemed to get darker.

I knew exactly what he meant the tension in the room has changed. I nodded my head and felt his hand behind my neck, making me lean towards him when he pressed hid lips against mine. The kiss got rougher until he gripped my waist and made me sit on his lap.

I figured the urge to moan when I felt him growing under me, his hands tightened around me until I felt one of his hands around my neck when he moved down to kiss and bite my neck to leave a few bruises.

Danny's hand wandered down to my ass, massaging the flesh there with me grinding on his lap. I can feel himself getting hard.

Both his hands take hold of my hips until he started to lower my top part of the dress revealing my breasts. Danny's hands wander to them right away, so did his lips. Danny placed delicate kisses on my chest before moving down to my breasts and catching a nipple in his mouth, his tongue playing with the piercings I had secretly gotten a while back.

Soft gasping noise fell from my lips as he continued to bite and suck, slowly he lowered me down the bed and took my dress off. His rough, calloused palm parted my legs a bit while he knelt between them. Holding me in place while he began to palm me through my underwear, already soaking them.

“You’re already so wet for me, (Y/N), I've barely touched you my dear.” The word rolled off his tongue and sent a shiver down my spine. I could feel his bulge rubbing suggestively against my thigh. He was as needy as I was.

He applied more pressure naming me release a soft whimper. I could feel my slick dampening the cotton material inciting a jolt of pleasure right through me. My body reacted to his touch instantaneously and found myself rolling my hips to meet his. "Let's get you a bit more comfortable." He hurriedly got rid of my boots and fishnets, he then slid his hands down my legs to my thighs, the only remaining clothes I had on was my underwear and the knee high socks.

"Please do something." I begged wanting him to touch me. I've been waiting so long for this moment to happen.

"As you wish my dear." He smirked and didn't wait. Without much restraint Danny ripped my off right and threw the shredded thing right over his shoulder. He hooked his strong tattooed arms around my thighs and pulled me towards him while he sat on the edge.

I didn't feel shame or embarrassment only excitement over what was about to come.

Danny spreaded my legs wide open, his eyes stared down at my wetness dripping down the white sheets. "Looks like you've been hiding this from me."

I shivered when he placed a single finger on the other secret piercing I had done. Without hesitation, his mouth hungrily went down on me, licking and slurping, drinking me up like it was the sweetest thing he has ever tasted.

"O-Oh God!" I moaned loudly and reached down to grip onto his set of red hair. He moaned against me the more I gripped his hair, his tongue plunged into my slit while his hand groped up my breast. His long fingers twisted and pinched at my stiff bud till cried out.

I could feel him grinning against my cunt as he continued to eat me out. His nose would occasionally brush against my clit, causing my body to twitch and strain against him. Danny's other hand continued to thrust his fingers inside me while he pressed his thumb against my nub.

"Danny…” I moaned again. My hand continuing to grab his curl, tugging at it slightly, causing him to growl right into my cunt again. "I'm gonna-" I squeezed my eyes shut when he thrusted his fingers faster for me to come.

I felt a familiar knot in me when I began to get closer. The room was filled with the sounds of my moans as I came, when I opened my eyes I saw the sheets and my thighs wet, he withdrew his slick fingers and wiped them against the sheets.My cheeks flushed when I realized that it was the first time I squirted.

Danny wiped his mouth and reached up to hungrily kiss me. I moaned at the way I could taste my own essence on his tongue. 

"You're such a good girl." He smiled wide and played with my hair and placed his fingers under my chin.

I reached my hand out towards his trousers and pulled the elastic down along with his boxers. He was definitely big. Danny leaned down again to wrap his hand around my neck while kissing me furiously. I moaned out when I reached down and began to stroke him, also noticing the many tattoos he had lower down.

"Tonight's all about you my love." He slowly released me and laid me down on the bed. He also laid down next to me and grabbed my hips from behind in a spooning position.

I closed my eyes and felt his kisses on my neck and one of his hands running up my stomach and to my breasts again. I squirmed when I felt his fingers playing with me again, moaning once again when he began to dirty talk me. "Do you want me to fill your pussy?" I bit my lip and nodded my head.

"Please fill me up. I need you inside me, Danny." He smirked and I felt him rub the head of his cock against my slit first, coating it with my juices before he pushed himself right to the hilt. "Fuck!" I panted.

Wasting no time Danny began to thrust into me. His gripped the side of my waist and watched me in pleasure. "It feels so good." I moan leaning my head back onto his chest and feeling him going in and out of me.

I clenched around him when I felt his hand on my stomach down to my pussy again rubbing my clit. This made him grunt and go even faster.

“Oh my God, Danny." I gasped out loud. I felt so overwhelmed by everything all at once. "Oh God!" I cried out and felt fusing out slick down my thighs when I came around him. My second orgasm hit me harder but Danny wasn't done.

Without pulling out he moved us so I was laying my back on the bed and he was now above me. He spread my leg further and resting one over his shoulder making him hit my deeper.

He looked like a god above me. His tattoos complimenting his body while holding me down.

I wasn't going to last again through the overstimulation was beginning to tire me out. Tears were also beginning to run down my face when he began to roughly fuck me. Danny again connected his lips to my nipples, panting heavily on my chest when I felt him getting closer.

I reached forward and pulled Danny up to kiss me again, my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.

"(Y/N)" I heard him say my name. A warning that's he's close.

His dark eyes met mine and I felt myself blushing again. "Come inside of me." I beg and watched him pulling my hips to his faster.

He proceeded to push forward till he filled me up to the brim. The motion knocked all of the air right out of my lungs as he continued his assault. He wasn’t being gentle with me as he began to pick up his pace.

"Danny!!" I fell down on the pillow again we i came hard and squeezed around him.

A string of swear words fell from his lips. Danny came with a low grunt as he shot his load in me. But still, he continued to thrust into me. I cried out when I could feel the warm, sticky fluid dripped right out of me when he pulled out.

Danny fell on my chest and held me close to him. I tiredly running my hands down his hair. The hotel room was now filled with the sound of heavy breathing. I felt my body extremely tired and well spent.

Slowly Danny probed himself up with his arm and looked at me lovingly. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hands. Soft whispers of praises fell from his lips. 

“You're so beautiful, (Y/N). You don't regret this do you?"

I smiled back and shook my head. "Not at all. I've loved you for so long. Do you feel the same?" I ask afraid if this would be a one time thing.

Before I could ask anymore Danny shuts me up with a hot kiss. Without a word I wrapped my arms around him and enjoyed my time here with him.

This night surely will be one I'll forever remember.

[goneseriesanalysis]

your caine art is so gorgeous!! kind of a silly question but what movie genres do you think the “gone” kids would watch?

Aa thank you so much!!! I'm so glad you like it

This is such a great question and is perfect timing as I've just got back from my film class. Here are my ideas:

Sam: I don't think Sam is really a movie person so, this is a bit of a cop-out, but I don't think there's any particular genre that he likes. He spends most of his time surfing. The only reason I'm willing to admit he has at least seen A film is because he took Anna to the cinema for their date. (Also the film was definitely Surf's Up, 2007. And no I will not take any criticism on this)

Astrid: Astrid is definitely one for documentaries. And this girl will watch documentaries on EVERYTHING (even open-heart surgery). She also has a secret soft spot for kids films as she watches them so much with Little Pete. She likes how easy everything is. There is a right and a wrong and its clear and obvious what it is. If you ask her though she'll never admit to it.

Quinn: Comedy. I love this boy but I just know he spends his evenings watching Adam Sandler films. That being said, he is open to a wide range of comedy including rom-coms and chick-flicks. He likes to dip into different genres, but really comedy is his thing.

Edilio: Edilio would mostly stick to Spanish-speaking films. Probably comforting family-friendly films that he can watch with his family. But I also think he would have an interest in old cartoons (think thundercats or trap door). They're easy to watch, family-friendly and can be useful for learning English. (I know that Trap Door is an English cartoon but shhhh I'm projecting)

Little Pete: Little Pete doesn't really watch the films that Astrid puts on for him. I think he just likes the experience. Being near her without her talking to him or touching him. He can experience the safety he feels around her without the sensory issues that can sometimes come with it. That being said, I think he would prefer the cartoons with muted colour schemes and softer soundtracks. Maybe Tim Burton?? As opposed to the more colourful Disney films she puts on.

Caine: Did somebody say crime films?? The Wolf of Wall Street, The Godfather, Nightcrawler. He likes to imagine himself as the leading man and he genuinely believes that he could do it better than the actual character. He also watched The Great Gatsby once and thought it was a good romance.

Drake: I think it's mentioned that one of Drake's favourite films is Saw ll?? And I definitely think he'd be into horror, but he would have no respect for the genre. He likes cringey, gory horror (which in of itself isn't a bad thing) but with particular love for any horror that involves the unnecessarily graphic assault of a woman. I also think he would really like Michael Bay and Joss Whedon films. Now that I think about it, he probably likes Tarantino as well.

Diana: OK so this one was tricky but I feel like Diana is, very secretly, a dark fantasy fan. She likes Guillermo del Torro and one of her favourite films is The Witches. It's the perfect blend of cynicism and escapism that just really hits the spot for her.

Jack: Jack is a sci-fi and high fantasy fan. Does it have magic?? He'll love it. Space tech?? He'll love it. He is definitely a fan of the big ones like Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings. But, and this may be controversial, I don't see his liking superhero films. He finds them too cliche and simplistic.

Orc: Orc doesn't get to choose what he watches a lot. He usually just has to watch the crime shows that his father puts on. But when he does get the TV, he's a big action fan. Think Terminator style films. He has also seen Die Hard upwards of 10 times.

Howard: Howard likes cult films. And a good Zombie movie never goes amiss. He hasn't gone a single Christmas without watching Gremlins and David Bowie in Labyrinth was his sexual awakening.

Dekka: Dekka likes a wide range of genres with no particular favourite. She leans more towards foreign films, indie films and experimental just because that's where she finds the most lgbt representation. After the FAYZ, she would be introduced to Ava Duvernay's work and would fall in love. If she's looking for an easy watch though, a good slasher never goes amiss

Brianna: Brianna has never, in her LIFE, been able to sit through a full film. However, if her parents order her to sit down for 5 minutes and just be quiet, adventure will always be her choice.

Mary: Mary likes chick-flicks. They're feel good films that don't require much thinking. They make her feel good about herself and give her some much needed entertainment. Also John loves musicals. I have no reason for this, it's just true.

Lana: Dark Comedy all the way. It just fits her personality so well. She enjoys the humour. She enjoys the aesthetic. And she kinda feels like she's rebelling against her parents in a minor way. What she will not tell you is that she is also a sucker for a well-written romance film.

Dahra: Hear me out here. Historical films and period dramas. Not sure why. I just get The Vibe. She loves Pride and Prejudice (as she should) and just finds historical films incredibly interesting and entertaining.

Albert: Albert is another one who likes documentaries. Definitely after the FAYZ he would focus more on business documentaries. But I think before, he would mostly just watch whatever his mother was watching. Which would include a wide range of interesting topics.

[ichayalovesyou]

3, 7, 10 if you’re still doing the star trek asks :)

3. Favorite chief engineer?

Geordi💕 he’s one of my favorite Star Trek characters overall because (aside from forced romantic subplots 🙄) he’s wholesome and sweet and able to make friends in unlikely places and I find that undeniably charming. Plus I’ve had a crush on Levar Burton since I watched Reading Rainbow as a kid. I also really imprinted on Data when I first watched TNG at like, 9 years old, and enjoyed Geordi’s friendship and patience vicariously through him. So he holds a special place in my heart no matter what!

7. Episode you could watch over and over?

I have three that really stick out to me.

Return to Tomorrow from TOS which has a really cool story structure reminiscent of ancient mythology. With gods and challenges and moral propositions and symbolism, with Bones as the protagonist! I love me some Bones-centric episodes and watching him go on an almost blow for blow classic hero’s journey was super cool. Plus I love Henoch, he’s probably one of my all time favorite Trek antagonists, he was just the right balance of evil and sassy and was of course, played by Leonard Nimoy and that’s always a win.

The Offspring it may be REALLY sad in the end but it’s so wholesome and wonderful otherwise. Seeing what an amazing dad Data is to Lal. Lal getting to choose her gender Hits Different now that I am aware of and honor my own transness. Plus Lal is super sweet and deserved better and all of her character interactions with the rest of the crew are great.

Innocence listen I feel like everyone knows that I am a diehard Tuvok stan, especially when Tuvok allows the fact that he is a father to shine through, and that episode gives him every opportunity. I want to kiss whoever came up with ‘hey Tuvok is a dad right? Let’s strand him on a planet with a bunch of mysterious children!’ Right on the mouth! We got so much of Tuvok being a big softie and I love seeing normally ‘emotionless’ characters do that! Also Tim Russ has a gorgeous singing voice and I wanna hear the other 400+ verses of Falor’s Journey damnit!

10. When did you become a Star Trek fan?

I feel like I’ve only hit like, full blown Trekkie status recently because I abandoned Star Trek as a whole for like a solid 6-7 years before plunging headlong back into it. But if we want to get technical ive been a fan since I was like 4 or 5 years old because I first got exposed to Star Trek through the Animated Series and IMMEDIATELY imprinted on Spock thanks to Yesteryear (baby spock baby spock baby spock!!!). I jumped ship for a few years because my step dad tried to show me Wrath of Khan when I was 7 and I got freaked out by the brain slugs. Then I watched a bunch of TNG as my Emotional Support TV Show while some drama was going down in my family. Then the AOS movies, then watched a bit of every other series throughout middle school. But then I stopped for a while when I started suppressing/ignoring a ton of shit about myself in highschool. But I’m back babey! Imma finish what I started!

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #455

“but you didn’t have to cut me off  /  make it like it never happened and that we were nothing”

Are you and the last person you kissed in a relationship or just friends? We're besties! :') Has anyone ever pointed out that your laugh was unusual? No. Would you get a lip piercing? I already have a vertical labret. I've considered getting spiked snakebites (they might be called devil bites?) too, though. With a vertical labret, it looks sick as FUCK. It might be a bit much too close together for me, though, idk. Nose piercing? I want my right nostril re-pierced. What are you currently waiting for? Girt to message me back. I've decided what I want out of our relationship and just want to see him. Do you have feelings for anyone? Hit me pretty hard through a lot of examination of my feelings that yeah, I do. Have you ever run over an animal? Oh my god no, I would be DESTROYED. Have you chewed gum after someone else already has? bro what the fuck When people sneeze do you say ‘bless you’? I do only out of expectation. I don't want someone to think I'm an ass or something for not saying it. When was the last time you were on a bouncy castle? A few years ago for my niece's birthday. She was scared of how loud it was and was very reluctant to get near it, so my fat ass got in there with everyone else to show her it was fine lol. I can't remember if she eventually got in. She loves them now, though. :') Have you ever went on a bouncy castle whilst drunk? No, but thanks for the idea, ha ha. Have you ever entered an art competition? Yes. What is one thing you will never do? Try hardcore drugs. What is one food that you detest? Asparagus. Did you have a rebellious phase growing up? Not really. What religion were you brought up with? Roman Catholic. Are you still that religion? GOD NO. Do you often find yourself questioning your future? That's my full-time job. How many friends do you have on Facebook? 124. What sort of music did you listen to when you were in high school? The same I listen to now. What pet names do you use with your significant other? I'm single rn, but usually, I go for "sweetie/sweetheart," "hunny," "love," "dear," stuff like that. What’s the name of the store you usually get your groceries? Wal-Mart. Have you ever seen a theatre show? Yes. What’s your favourite vegetable? Broccoli. Have you ever missed a flight? Yes. I was SO fuckin upset because it was on Sara's birthday and planned in secret, and I was supposed to wake her up. It still wound up being a big surprise to her when she walked into her room and I was chillin' at her desk, ha ha, but I still wish it coulda gone as originally planned. Do your neighbours have any pets? Have you ever met them? Yes; they have a yappy-ass dog that doesn't shut up. I haven't met them. What color is your bedroom door? White. If you were ever to become famous, would you grow annoyed at fans? This may sound very ungrateful, but I have heard A LOT of celebrities say it: it would get old, being stopped constantly in public for signatures, pictures, etc. Like yes, I still WOULD be grateful, but I'd miss just being off the radar and able to go outside carrying out chores and stuff like a normal person. Have you ever met your favourite band/singer? No. :( Are you embarrassed by any of the songs/singers/bands you like? Nah, not nowadays. Have you ever written a story? Yes, a kinda short one when I was little. Think of the last poem you wrote: What inspired you to write it? The breakup with Jason and the fact we're just strangers again. It was really short, but I like it a lot, honestly. Do you have a chance with the person you like right now? I think so. What’s the weirdest thing you were scared of as a child? A skeleton in my closet, lol. Literally. Are there any embarrassing stories your family tells about you? alkdsjflakjwle yes In your opinion, what is the funniest TV show? That '70s Show. 3rd Rock From the Sun is high up there, too. What is the maximum number of children you’d ever have? HYPOTHETICALLY, two, but I'm pretty damn serious about having none. I just always feel kinda bad for children without a sibling, but three would make me pull my hair out. Have you ever been concerned you had a serious illness? Yes. I overreact to even minor symptoms to ANYTHING. Are you comfortable with who you are? No. Pretty much everything about myself embarrasses me, even if it shouldn't. Would you date someone even if you knew you’d get made fun of for it? Yes? Others' opinions don't affect how I feel about someone. Does popularity matter to you at all? No, outside of trying to be a successful photographer. Would you ever consider homeschooling your children? If they really wanted that and it would benefit them, yes. Who told you about the band/singer you are currently listening to? I discovered them myself. Do you ever read fanfiction? Nah. Would you rather die in a plane crash, ship wreck or fire? Jesus. A plane crash, I guess, because in a lot of cases, it would be an immediate death. What are your top five favourite TV shows? Meerkat Manor, Fullmetal Alchemist (and Brotherhood; shut up, they go together), That '70s Show, Ginga Densetsu Weed, and Deadman Wonderland. What is your favorite superhero movie? Logan. If you died next week, what would be the cause of death? Uhhhh idk... I guess maybe a heart attack? Judging by doctor appointments, my heart is just fine, but the fact still remains that I'm technically obese, so that's always a risk. Have you ever taken a break from Facebook or other social media? Why? Facebook, yes. It was just depressing me. I was playing the comparison game REAL hard. Who is the most talented person you know? I dunno. I know many people talented in a lot of areas. Are you currently platonic friends with anyone you’ve had sex with? No. Where did you and your current interest go on your first date? Bowling. Have you ever experienced two people fighting over you (physically or mentally)? What happened? Jason and Juan pursued me at the same time. They'd known each other in the past, and Juan hated him for "winning" his ex-girlfriend. Then when Jason and I got together, Juan wasn't the happiest for sure. Have your parents ever thought you were gay? What happened? Before I actually came out as bisexual, I don't think so? Are your parents more liberal or conservative? Conservative. Mom is more open, but still conservative. I think. What year are you going into at the beginning of the next academic year? I'm not in school. How far away does your closest family member live? I live with Mom. If you’ve seen both, did you prefer the Disney version or the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland? I actually strongly prefer Tim Burton's. Would you have sex before marriage? Why or why not? Yeah. I just want to be in a long-term, serious, healthy relationship to reach that point and be as safe as possible about it. Are you more liberal or conservative? Liberal, but I do have some conservative beliefs, too. Who is your favorite Harry Potter character? I don't have one, given I never got into that franchise. What’s the worst that could come out of letting gays marry? Not a goddamn thing. What’s the most sexual thing you’ve done? Done "the thing." Name something that you are against. I'll go with an unconventional one that's a problem as of the late: making owning reptiles illegal. Why are you against it? Because reptiles are perfectly capable of being brilliant pets and, most importantly, can tame people's fears of them. I think that it's very important to see the worth and beauty in all animals, and reptiles are one of the most unappreciated families out there. :/ Have you ever played the Tomb Raider games? I played some of either the first or second one. I could never beat it. Old games are hard, man. Do you like it or hate it when your partner is clingy? I absolutely believe that it can get to an extreme that I don't like, but for the most part, I don't mind a clingy partner because hey, I am too. Beatles or Rolling Stones? Stonessss. When was the last time you changed your opinion on somebody? It'd been on my mind for a while, but I *officially* realized that I really do like-like Girt a couple days ago. And since then it's gotten a bit hardcore and all I wanna do is talk to him bc fuck me and how attached to people I get. What was the last thing that made you feel proud and why? Every single time I go to the gym, I feel proud of myself because it REALLY takes a lot out of me. Do you feel uncomfortable when people you hardly know confide in you? Nope. I'm willing to be a shoulder to cry on for like... anyone. If you're hurting, talk to someone. I'll be there as an easy option. What was the last thing to fascinate you? It was... INCREDIBLY disturbing and almost nauseating even for me, but I saw a video of a dead whale explode. It was GRUESOME. Guts just kept coming and coming and coming and :x Is there a certain noise/sound which scares you? Hmmm... I'm sure there is, but what, it's not coming to me. Sudden, loud noises are an obvious answer. Do you have a favourite microorganism? ... No, I can't say I do. Out of the people you know, whose birthday is next? Girt's, actually. It's in October. If you have pet fish do you bother to name them? I did when I actually had them as a kid. Do you keep your eggs in the fridge? Ye. Have you ever owned chickens? No, but that'd be cool. Fresh eggs from a properly cared for chicken taste SO much better. When did you last listen to music? Currently. NOW I'm obsessed with Melodicka Bros & Violet Orlandi's cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know." It's done in a gothic metal style and is amaaaazing.

[shnuggletea]

WHEW! I did it! I got this chapter done. It’s fresh out the oven, lovelies, so keep those comments about typos to yourself! I mean till tomorrow at least, I’m too tired right now! Takes me back to my college years of procrastination!

I seriously don’t think I can get tomorrow’s done and up but we’ll see.

One smoot below but there will be more so come here or Patreon for the unedited version. For the clean-er version, head over to Fanfiction or AO3. And don’t forget to check out the collection! It’s where you can easily find all the Sins Week contributions. Art, fics, it’s amazing!

Lovely Sins Art by @clearwillow! Thank you to the mods; @lemonlushff, @neutronstarchild, and @ruddcatha!Also, In case you missed it earlier....  here’s the playlist if you wanna take a listen.

TAG WALL!!!!!

@underwater0phelia@lavendertwilight89 @mamabearcat @nartista @nopenname22 @echobows@superpixie42 @smmahamazing @redflamesofpassion @jme-chan@cstorm86 @cicleydark-light @ruddcatha @lavaffair @kirrtash @sistasecbhere@inusgirl @obsessandfangirl @britonell @lordofthechips @mcornilliac@faolenwolf @classyhumanathletepalace @keichanz @phoenix-before-the-flame @artisticloveexpressitsall @lamuertadehambre @noyourenotreal @mitty-san @thenoammonster @little-deeluna @royaltrashpanda @sailorbabydoll92@storyweaver2017 @malditamigs @adorabubblesblog @lilms-obsessed@petri808 @anniehcresta @fan-dumpp @itzatakahashi @utakuprincess@theschultinator @all-too-ale @little-inukag-obsessed @theseagullqueen@queenofthesquirps @inusgirl @jolinaaa00 @knowall7k @neutronstarchild@fawn-eyed-girl @eringobroke @sapphirestarxx @clearwillow @dangerouspompadour @anxietyaardvark @bluejay785 @arcprz @whoisresponsible

“Everything in this room is edible. Even I'm edible. But, that would be called canibalism. It is looked down upon in most societies.” ― Tim Burton, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I really didn’t want to get my bed wet and Miroku and I were both still dripping. He didn’t seem to understand the concept so I broke out of his hold, pushing on his shoulders and getting my feet on the floor. 

Miroku actually swept my legs, knocking me to the floor and jumping on top of me. 

“What the hell!” I said when I got the air back into my lungs. His attack had knocked it out of me. 

“I didn’t want you changing your mind.” He purred back, running his lips down my chest. “I’ve heard so many complain about the test of a woman,” he was at my belly now, his tongue licking my button as he spoke, “but I think you’re going to taste amazing Sango.”

Spreading my legs, I was his puppet and he wore me with his tongue. 

Miroku lapped me up as I came and my head was still spinning when his smirking face appeared over me. “And I was right.”

His tip was pressing at my entrance and I pushed on his shoulders. “I need a minute.”

Propping up on his elbows, he pouted. “Come now Sango dear. I know you have plenty of stamina.”

I laughed, “how? How do you know that?”

“Cause you’ve been running through my dreams for years now.”

I laughed at first but then when I realized it was more than a corny line, I sat up, pushing him back and backing up. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you not think it strange? How without a word we went to each other? Me to you, Inuyasha to Kagome, and Kikyo to Naraku?”

I shrugged, “because we called you…”

“Kagome called us, you sat next to her with a piece of octopus.”

“How…” I swallowed thickly, “how did you know that?”

“Same way we all knew? You’re my soulmate, did you think this was the first time I’d ever seen you?” I shook my head, of course, cause how the hell did they see us before we created them? “You merely called us to you, you didn’t create us.”

“How the hell…”

He laughed, crawling closer to me and my spot on the floor. “I’ve been dreaming of you since you came of age, Sango. Same with Inuyasha and Naraku. I can’t speak for them; seems like Naraku is against Kiky being his mate. But Inuyasha doesn’t seem to be struggling. Not with who his mate is, more like who he is.”

Breathing was a struggle at the moment but at least I could still think somewhat. “So you all know us from what? Dreams? How do you even know they were real?”

“I didn’t until I met you. And you’re more than what I could hope for. More than my dreams… literally.”

Grabbing my ankles, he pulled me along the floor and back into his arms, cradling me to him just before putting us together again. This time, his full weight was on me and I found it was pleasurable in its own way, not crushing or painful. 

But then he sat back, sitting on his heels and taking my hips with him. My skin stuck to the wood floor, making a loud sound that we both ignored. We were far too busy to care, wrapping my legs around his waist to stabilize. And free his hands, arching my back from his dick so deep inside me it was intense, to run over my body. As much as I loved the feeling of his shaft rubbing my walls, I loved his big hands on me more, slowly running them up my belly and across my ribs to cup my breasts. He rolled them around before leaning over and licking my nipples. It forced him to pause in his thrusts but I wasn’t complaining. Much.

“Miroku!!”

He chuckled, “now who’s intemperate?”

I huffed and wiggled my hips. “Still you, fucking me on my floor?”

“Forgive me,” he bowed his head a little, actually looking remorseful and I felt bad for saying anything, “but I’ve been waiting so long to have you that I refuse to wait any longer.” When he popped back up to look at me, he was grinning broadly. “I’m going to make love to you all night long, my dear Sango.”

I watched his muscles flex as he pulled me the rest of the way from the floor and into his lap. Then my eyes went to the ceiling because he was bouncing me on him with his tip banging against my dam. I felt heavy, but he was lifting me without struggle, his cock wiggling inside me and making me feel his lumpy shaft all the more. 

There was no escape, my mind was mush. “Oh GOD, Miroku!!!!”

I was falling, grabbing onto his neck and squeezing as I squeezed him, my pussy tightening to choke his dick. He just slowed his movements while I pulsed around him. When we stopped completely, he was biting my neck and coming, the vein on his shaft making him jump inside me. 

It was bedtime for me, feeling every bit the exhausted girl I should be after three orgasms. Pulling myself from Miroku was as tricky as always but he was tired too, thankfully. I wrapped a towel around myself and tossed one to Miroku, still on the floor.

“I’m going to take another quick shower before bed, okay?”

“Why?”

Flat out on the floor, he looked me over in confusion and want while the towel I threw remained unmoved. A pile of white on top of his junk. “I want to wash your spunk out of me and the sweat off.”

“Why?” I rolled my eyes but he sat up. “We’re not done anyway.”

I really didn’t think I had it on me to go again. Not now at least. “There is a thing as too much, you know?”

“Oh ho ho, not when it comes to you, Sango.”

Oh shit, he wasn’t kidding. Getting to his feet slowly was my saving grace, making it out my door before he could knock my feet out again. I liked sex and sex with Miroku was on another level, but there was only so much I could take in an HOUR!

He was on my heels but I made it to Kagome. “Did you just get out of the shower?”

“Kagome you have to help me, he won’t stop.”

She was alone in bed but things were off. I thought I saw Inuyasha in the kitchen but I was rushing too much to really look.

“Sango!” I didn’t have any time to think about it, my time up as Miroku grabbed me.

“Miroku! Listen to Sango!!”

For the second time, I was amazed. Because Miroku listened to Kagome just like Naraku had earlier. This was definitely going to be handy in the future, Miroku focusing on me and listening. “I need a break!”

“But… I want more…”

“So do I but I need to rest at least a little bit!!!”

I also wanted to cuddle. As much as I wanted to figuratively make love all night, I really couldn’t handle literally doing it. Forget the physical aspect, I didn’t want to be used even by my soulmate. I needed to be shown some love if he wanted me to continue. 

Kagome was out of the room and I really hoped Miroku had enough respect to not try in her bed. So I pushed him back a little, towards the door. “I just want you to hold me a little.”

His beautiful smile made my knees weak. “I can do that.”

It was the small squeak that alerted me, turning from Miroku and our destination to the frozen Kagome. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open. I followed her eyes and found myself in a similar position, Inuyasha lip-locked with Kikyo in the kitchen. 

When did she even get here?? I grabbed Kagome and pulled her away, forcibly turning her from the scene while the two finally broke apart. Inuyasha’s eyes landed on us and looked confused. Especially when he noticed the tearful Kagome in my arms. “What the fuck is going on here?!”

oOo

I didn’t care that it was late, all the more reason to force my in if I had to. I was surprised when my knock got answered after the first try and relieved when it was Inuyasha that answered the door. 

“Oh, hi Kikyo.”

He was purring, clearly happy to see me. I was happy to see him too, still in the clothes I left him in and nothing out of place. I wasn’t too late. “Sorry it’s so late but I really needed to talk to you.”

“Me?”

I nodded and followed him as he moved to the kitchen. He was searching the cabinets for something, coming across the glasses before being satisfied. “I want to talk to you about… you and me.”

He turned from the tap, filling a glass with water, and cocked a black brow up at me. I forced my eyes to stay on his face instead of his ears, they creeped me out. But they weren’t his fault, Kagome did that to him. 

“I think… I know you  and I would be happy together.”

His rich eyes dulled a little and left my face. Then he turned off the tap and set down the glass, slowly. “Kikyo… that’s not how it works.”

“Why not?! I want you, not Naraku!”

“Yes you do, you’re just being a hog, wanting more than you need.”

Ignoring the crack in my heart at his words, I stepped closer to him. He turned to face me and stepped back but I wouldn’t let him escape. “Prove it. Prove to me that we don’t belong together. That you belong with Kagome.”

“Feh, I can’t prove that…”

“Kiss me.”

He slowly shook his head, unsure. I just knew, knew if we kissed he would see. That it would break Kagome’s hold on him and fix everything.

“If you kiss me, it will either prove that I’m wrong and we’ll feel nothing or it will prove me right!” He hesitated with an answer because he was nearly mine with my logic. “Look at it this way, it’ll make you better. It will assure you of your feelings.” He still wasn’t sure so I played on his earlier feelings. “And it will only make you a better kisser. The more people you kiss, the better you get at it. Kagome will appreciate you working hard to make her happy.”

His ears popped up at that. Damn, Kagome’s spell on him was strong. All he cared about was pleasing her and it made me sick. Were Naraku and Miroku the same? Kagome’s playthings she sent our way to distract?!

I wasn’t going to let him think it over as he would be struck by Kagome’s hold for sure. Stepping up again, I grabbed the locks that hung over his shoulders, hiding his lack of human ears, and pulled him down to my height. 

The instant his lips touched mine, I knew this was right. I was breaking Kagome’s spell. He was letting me do this, sucking his bottom lip into my mouth and licking it. He liked it, his hands going to my hips and gripping them hard. But then he gently pushed me back and grew pale. He wasn’t looking at me though, he was looking behind me. 

I had a feeling what it was and Inuyasha’s fear had to be from Kagome possibly sending him back to where he came from. Taking him away from me. And Kagome’s tears were from getting her spell broken, not any real feelings for the man in front of me. 

She didn’t feel what I felt for him at all. 

“What, the actual fuck, is going on here?!” Sango screamed, gripping Kagome tighter. Always her protector. 

“I’m just making things right. Aren’t I, Kagome.”

Sango glared at me for speaking when she just asked for an answer. “What the hell does that mean?!”

Kagome pushed from Sango but looked at the floor. She was guilty, otherwise, she would be able to look at me. “She knows exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, his voice pained. 

Glancing back at him, I saw the hurt on his face and it hit me and I turned my fire onto Kagome. “Oh god, you slept with him?!!”

Sango gasped and started to charge but Miroku held her back. “You slept with Kagome and then kissed Kikyo? Jesus, Kikyo could you taste Kagome on his lips?!”

I didn’t care about Sango. She had never really liked me. I focused on Kagome who was closed off completely, arms over her chest and glaring at the door. “You took advantage of him.”

“I didn’t…”

“But you did! He didn’t know what he was doing.”

“Excuse me?!”

Sango was still screeching, she had no clue what was going on. Inuyasha was still by my side and that spoke volumes. If I was wrong even in the slightest, he would be running to her now, wouldn’t he? No, Kagome had used her spell on him to get what she wanted. But I had freed him of it with a kiss. Just like the fairy tale.

“Inuyasha, let’s go.” I moved towards the door and when he didn’t follow, I turned back. He was staring at Kagome but she refused to look at him. “She doesn’t own you or control you. You are nothing to her now.”

His eyes stayed glued to Kagome but moved towards me now. Inuyasha was so scared of what Kagome would do to him for leaving her, he wouldn’t take his eyes off her. She may have used her spell to seduce him but she wasn’t the type to hurt physically. Kagome would never hurt me or anyone like that.

I grabbed Inuyasha’s hand and pulled him the rest of the way out of the silent apartment and the silence followed us all the way to my place.

oOo

“What, the actual fuck, is going on here?!” 

Sango had me in her hold before I could blink the image away. She thought she was sparing me but it was too late, I had seen enough. My own soulmate, the guy I’d just slept with, was kissing my best friend in my kitchen.

I Iet Sango continue to shield me because I feared what I wasn’t seeing. Was Inuyasha holding Kikyo still? Stroking her back or holding her hand? “I’m just making things right. Aren’t I, Kagome.”

My stomach turned, thinking instantly of my control over the boys. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Naraku all did as I told them without question many times now. 

“What the hell does that mean?!” Sango screamed, not understanding.

I was going to puke on Sango, so I pushed her away. But like hell, I was going to look at the two of them. Kikyo might be right about my control but that didn’t mean I had to look at the happy couple while they chewed up my heart. 

“She knows exactly what I’m talking about.” There was venom in Kikyo’s voice like all of this was my fault. But I guess it was wasn’t it?

“Kagome?” 

I could hear the hurt and confusion in Inuyasha’s voice and it nearly broke me. If I told him, would he tell me that he never wanted to sleep with me?

“Oh god, you slept with him?!!”

Sango was about to throw down, “you slept with Kagome and then kissed Kikyo? Jesus, Kikyo could you taste Kagome on his lips?!”

“You took advantage of him.” Kikyo spat.

“I.. I didn’t…” 

“But you did! He didn’t know what he was doing.”

“Excuse me?!”

I didn’t! I made sure not to say anything to him! He did it all of his own free will. Didn’t he? I wanted it, wanted him more than anything because… I loved him. From the moment I saw him I knew I loved him but felt it was stupid and crazy. Had my love forced him? He wasn’t pushing Kikyo away, he wanted her. And she didn’t have any control over him, all his feelings were his own. 

He didn’t want me, he wanted Kikyo.

“Inuyasha, let’s go.” I could feel his stare on me but I couldn’t look at him. If I did, I might beg him to stay and then he would. He was under my control so I said nothing. “She doesn’t own you or control you. You are nothing to her now.”

The door clicked and my heart broke, a sob coming as a result. “What are you doing? Stop them!!”

Sango was gunning for me now, angry tears flooding her face while sorrow flooded mine. “He should be with her. He wants her.”

“Bull shit! Kikyo just wants as many men as she can get! She is a greedy little glutton and she wants you to be miserable! She wants you to need her, Kagome! So she took the only person you needed more. I demand you go after him right now!!!” 

Miroku grabbed Sango and pulled her back while I escaped to my room. My bed was still a mess from where Inuyasha and I made love. If that’s what you can call it. The sheets would smell like him and I knew it but I still crashed face-first into them and breathed deep. I was the glutton, not Kikyo. 

A glutton for punishment.

[felicereviews]

Batman Returns

Warner Bros., 1992, Color, 126 minutes

Director: Tim Burton Producer: Tim Burton Screenplay: Daniel Waters

Starring:

Michael Keaton as Batman

Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle / Catwoman

Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin

Christopher Walken as Max Shreck

Michael Gough as Alfred

Synopsis:

An evil businessman creates a catwoman, helps a penguin, and tries to make a deal with the man behind the bat.

Why It’s A Favourite:

Many moons ago, while drinking Ranier beer with my cousin and his friend in our grandmother’s backyard, I was told that a Batman movie was being made and it would be more like the comics and not like the TV show we had grown up watching.  My cousin’s friend, Ken, used his hand to indicate the marquee as he said, The Dark Knight.  Though I wasn’t a comic book fan, necessarily, I was intrigued.  And upon seeing Tim Burton’s Batman, I was amazed.  It’s a great movie.  I remember seeing Jack Nicholson spray paint on fine art and getting all twisted up inside.  Batman is a great movie.  But my favourite - my really real favourite - is Batman Returns.

From the beginning of the film we are taken into the darkness the Penguin’s birth and abandonment.  (p.s. PeeWee and Simone, from PeeWee’s Big Adventure play Penguin’s parents!)  Boing!  He is thrown away and floats down into the sewer where the penguins save him.  Why are there so many penguins in Gotham?  Who cares?  Then we see Selina try to speak up in a meeting full of stuffy business men, one of whom is Christopher Walken, and I’m in my happy place.  After a bit we see Walken push Selina out the window and the cats save her.  Why are there so many cats and penguins in Gotham?  Do they actually live int he same climate?  Who cares?

We’ve now got they dynamic duo of villains.  Penguin and Catwoman.   

These two have the greatest dialog.  When Catwoman says she feels dirty and ‘I think I’ll take a bath right here’.  And later when Catwoman arrives in the middle of the mayhem Penguin says ‘Just the pussy I’ve been looking for’.  Oh you two better get a room.

Catwoman says so many great things in this movie.  “You make it so easy don’t you.  Always waiting for some Batman to save you.”.  And “You poor guys - always confusing your pistols with your privates.”  And “Don’t be naive!”  She’s great.  A dream role no one has topped.

Oh yeah and Batman’s in this too!  Michael Keaton is a good Batman.  He and Tim Burton had worked together on Beetlejuice which is what made Burton want to cast him in the part.  Burton knew that Keaton had a dark side, an underbelly if you will, that would fit the part of a man who is split in two worlds.  One in shadow but both lonely.

So - not that I had to choose between them - but I choose - Batman Returns to be one of my 52 Favourite Films In No Particular Order.  It’s wonderful and a little bit scary and sexy and funny and wrong.  I love it.

Surprises:

Bruce Wayne chiding Alfred for letting Vicki Vale into the bat cave, a reference to the major faux pas in Batman.

Danny DeVito surprised by a crowd with his mouth full of fish.

Fan Quotes:

Insert yours here

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #470

Top Ten Films to Watch on Star on Disney+

We’ve been watching a lot of Disney+ lately. This is partly due to the fact that our family movie nights have become, almost accidentally, a quest to watch every bit of Star Wars content on the service; so far, we’ve watched the entire Skywalker Saga and are now moving onto the spin-off movies. The younglings have become addicted: Daughter #1 is getting stuck into The Clone Wars, whilst Daughter #2 is demanding we jump straight into The Mandalorian. As for the Princess to my Scoundrel, well, she and I have been thoroughly enjoying WandaVision, which by the time you read this, will have finished. Sob! Nothing to do but gird our loins until the arrival of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in a couple of weeks! At least this excellent TV programme appears to have whetted my wife’s appetite for watching more of the MCU movies. Maybe soon I can make oblique references to Mary Poppins, y’all, and someone else in the house will actually know what the hell I’m on about.

Well it looks as if there’s going to be even more use out of our Disney+ sub as the months roll inexorably on, what with their new Star channel. This is where they’ve shoehorned all the mucky films they bought from the naughty boys and girls at Fox; sweary adult dramas, sexy bits, and scenes of explicit wrist-slapping abound. So now we have this toybox of grown-up content to savour! What to watch? What not to watch? I’ve already started at the most obvious place by diving into some vintage Arnie with Commando, one of the funniest action movies ever made. It did not disappoint.

So where to next? Re-watching semi-forgotten classics, films I’ve not seen in literally decades? Or checking out things that slipped me by (there’s an entire list to be made of “films I read about in Empire in the ‘90s, got really excited about, but never saw”). Do I watch the crappier Die Hard films, or cheesy action movies (er, like Commando, I guess)? Or dive deep into prestige fair? Or just watch Spy Hard for the Weird Al theme tune, practically the only bit of the film I remember? The options are virtually endless.

So that’s what this week’s list is: ten films I intend to watch on Disney+ very flipping soon. Or, y’know, just play Zelda until Falcon starts.

9 to 5 (1980): there was a lot of talk of Dolly around the New Year, and my wife and I even watched a documentary about her. As a result, I had a scoot around to see if it was possible to buy 9 to 5 as a birthday or Valentine’s gift for my better half; it’s a film neither of us have seen in years if not decades, and we’re both big Grace and Frankie fans too. Alas, it’s a difficult film to get a hold of; there doesn’t appear to be a Blu-ray readily available. Praise be, then, that it’s now on Disney+; a terrific comedy film, with a nice bit of feminist bite. I’m not sure if it’ll feel dated or – post-#MeToo – oddly prescient. But I’m really, really looking forward to watching it again.

Crimson Tide (1995): I do love a good tense thriller, and I seem to remember this as being a particularly great tense thriller. This feels like one of those “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” candidates; a claustrophobic two-hander with no real action, almost a theatrical chamber piece, but made with huge stars and a big-time director (the late, great Tony Scott). I saw it once, on video, when it came out, so it’ll be great to revisit.

The Color of Money (1986): another minor classic that I’ve not seen for decades, and a film I remember even less well than Crimson Tide. It’s cool to revisit (or discover for the first time!) films by great directors, and this is Scorsese we’re talking about. Cruise as a freshly-minted movie star, still taking risks; Newman as a great elder statesman. I’ve genuinely no idea what it’s like, it’s been so long, but I’d love to see it again. Just wish The Hustler was on D+ too!

Quiz Show (1994): I’d mentioned before that there are loads of films from the ‘90s that I read about as an eager young film fan but never saw; this is one of them. An apparently-great drama about corruption at a hugely popular TV show in ‘50s America, with Ralph Fiennes in a very early Hollywood role. I think I’d enjoy it.

Looking for Richard (1996): another of those ‘90s films…! This fascinated me as a teen, and I’d love to see it: a documentary about Richard III, made by Al Pacino, featuring people talking about Shakespeare (got a lot of time for that) and also scenes of the play performed and filmed. It’s a real curio; also weirdly came out around the same time as McKellen’s Richard III. Maybe something was in the water? We’re due another big Rich in my opinion.

Jennifer’s Body (2009): a follow-up from Juno writer Diablo Cody, a horror centred around high school and female sexuality, this has always seemed like it might be a dark, delicious delight; it wasn’t very well received at the time, but has grown in cult status; as has its star, Megan Fox, who I’d argue has not had the easiest time within Hollywood. Anyway, I really like the look of it, and it’ll be cool to check it out.

Tombstone (1993): I love a good Western, and I seem to remember that this is a very good Western. A story of Wyatt Earp that goes beyond the famous gunfight, my memories of this are very vague; I know that there’s a very good Val Kilmer performance as Doc Holliday, and of course Kurt Russell as Earp himself. I might try out that “watch along” feature and watch this, remotely, with my dad.

Romancing the Stone (1984): I probably haven’t seen this since the eighties so I’ve got no idea if it’s really any good, but I do remember enjoying its Indy-inspired adventurism and – in particular – Danny DeVito’s bad guy. Douglas is always great value as a leading man, although from what I’ve since read this is really Kathleen Turner’s show. It’ll be interesting to see if it holds up, but hopefully it’ll be a good stop-gap until they finally get the Indy films up on the service.

Good Morning, Vietnam (1988): another film that I want to revisit, even if I remember it a little better than others on this list. My memory is that it’s utterly fantastic, a really stark look at the realities of Vietnam during the time of the war, and also a phenomenal, very human performance from Williams. Also I remember it being very funny when he does let off some steam (sorry, bit of Commando creeping in there). And really, it’s Williams I want to see again; that earnest, real, pained but beautiful Williams we get in his very best performances. It’s very likely I’ll cry just watching him on screen. God, I miss him.

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016): I needed some crappy sequel to talk about, and here it is. I can’t overstate how much I loved the first Independence Day in ’96, so the (apparent; I’ve not seen it) terribleness of this sequel hit me like a sledgehammer. It can’t be that bad, can it? Is it not at least so-bad-it’s-good? I mean, the trailer made it look atrocious, and it’s killed off Will Smith – the best character! – off-screen, so odds are not good that it’s a hidden gem. But I’ve got to know.

This was actually a pretty tough list, and I had to knock off some films that I’d love to rewatch (Conan the Barbarian, The War of the Roses), as well as stuff like Idiocracy and Office Space that I’ve never seen. Also Kingsman: The Secret Service, which is a fairly recent release that slipped me by, and I’m not sure why I’ve never gotten round to seeing; I blame the kids! Also, there was going to be some xenomorph or xeno-monkey action on here, but frustratingly all the Alien (and Predator!) movies are missing, and the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy – which I’ve also never seen! – is only served by its middle instalment. Yeah, I can watch the seminal ‘60s original again (and I may!) or the indecipherable and strange Tim Burton version, but what about, y’know, the trilogy that everyone raves about? I assume this is due to pre-existing deals keeping the films elsewhere (elusive…), but the sagas of Alien, Predator, and the complete Die Hard package are – I believe – being kept until most profitable (mark my works: Die Hard at Christmas). Anyway, it’s a bit frustrating, that, as I’ve never seen Covenant or The Predator, and I’d love to watch the whole lot from the start anyway.

I guess I can console myself by also watching the one Die Hard film I’ve never seen, namely the critically-acclaimed A Good Day to Die Hard. I mean, I’m assuming it’s critically acclaimed. I guess I’ll find out.

[viktcrr]

「maxence danet-fauvel & nonbinary」⇾ samuels, viktor, the senior radcliffe student’s records show that he/they are a capricorn and 24 years old. he/they are studying visual arts, living in noland and can be observant, ingenious, reticent & dependent. when i see him/them i am reminded of a sculptor’s hands clay-ridden, the insistent hum of tv static, and a crying preacher inside a dusty funeral home.  ⇽「james & 21 & est & they/them.」

hllo !!! i’m james n here’s one of my big idiot muses <3 he’s not actually dumb he’s :/ a bit evil. bt thts okay hes still <3 beloved <3 LKDSFHLSADLKGFSHLKD anyways!

TW DEATH, HEAVY GRIEF, OVERDOSE / DRUG ADDICTION, HOSPITALIZATION, HYPERSEXUALITY, RELIGION MENTIONS, MENTAL ILLNESS

aesthetic.

old tvs and their static, worn tapes, horror movie screams, spilled ink, a sculptor’s hands, clay-stained, chicken scratch handwriting, messy notes, messy hair, scoffs and eye-rolls, bruised knuckles, sore throats, funeral homes and a crying preacher, shattered ceramics, knife fights, high ledges, vertically-striped pants, red lights, the moon shrouded in clouds, cigarette butts, graveyards and half-empty wine bottles, sitting there for hours and talking to nothing, about nothing, a god complex, gold rings adorning both hands, barbwire baseball bats, having never played baseball in your life, deep eyebags and broken mirrors, a permanent chip on one’s shoulder, yearning, longing, wishing.

basic info.

full name: viktor phillip samuels

nickname(s): icky vicky :/

b.o.d. - jan 2nd

label(s): the black hole, the crepehanger, the impious, the opaque, the tempest, etc.

height: 6′1″

hometown: rochester, new york

sexuality: pansexual uwu

pinterest

stats

inspired by: beetlejuice (beetlejuice), sid (toy story), jack sparrow (pirates of the caribbean), francis wilkerson (malcolm in the middle), azula (avatar: the last airbender), vicky (the fairly oddparents), stu macher / billy loomis (scream), marshall lee (adventure time), bojack horseman (bojack horseman), any it’s always sunny character :/

biography.

born to mama and papa (preacher) samuels in rochester, new york - fifteen minutes after his twin sister, tatiana samuels. years later, rosa samuels joined the gang.

was an awkward, quiet kid growing up, he didn’t interact well with others and preferred being left alone to dig up worms and draw on the walls of their childhood home. the only exception was his twin, really.

as he got older he grew out of this, but instead became like … sort of an asshole? maybe to compensate for years of childhood awkwardness. he’s the sort of person who will bite the hand that feeds him & developed into a full time nuisance by middle school, unlike tatiana who was much more subtle about her conniving manners.

always has been a fan of ‘darker’ materials. grim & creepy morbid shit. probably the biggest tim burton fan, ever since he was a kid … not a good look for a preacher’s son, but he never really felt ‘in’ with the rest of his family to begin with. classic black sheep syndrome.

drew disturbing pictures as a kid that probably prompted one or two or five phone calls home to assure everything was fine.

just really had a knack for art at a young age, from drawing to painting to playing with clay. it’s always been his Thing and probably is the only thing he’s good at.

being twins with tatiana was hard. they were near opposite besides both being quite mean-spirited. tatiana handled being in public better, left a better image behind - but viktor had talent, more than she did. they loved each other deeply - y’know, those unbreakable twin bonds as cliche as it sounds - but found each other as competition for their parents’ attention. a rivalry for affection.

in high school is when viktor really started to act out. it started extreme, like losing his virginity in their church and vandalism around the neighborhoods. faked being possessed in the middle of sunday service & almost had an exorcism performed on him.

his only redeemable trait was like … just his sheer talent in the arts. was in a 3D art AP course and specialized in sculptures. he could pretty much create anything he wanted with enough dedication.

because he was the problem child, the one who deserved to be disciplined for all his antics, tatiana could sneak away and get away with whatever she wanted much easier. on the bright-side, for her, i guess.

not a very motivated person - wasn’t planning on going to college, much less going to radcliffe but his parents literally wrote & sent his college application for him because they weren’t going to house a deadbeat but had too much heart to kick him out onto the streets. cool!

he’s actually pretty smart but he just doesn’t apply himself. has a minor in english because he didn’t care for an extra course-load, but he’s good at writing & analyzing literature. is going to use it to write and illustrate his own series of children books with a style similar to tim burton’s. not for the kids, but because he likes to leave a trail of terror in whatever he does.

has been experimenting with himself since high school but college is where he really had started to crack down on himself. was out as pansexual & nonbinary by his sophomore year of college just … not to his parents, who don’t really need to know.

if you asked him if he believed in twins having a psychic connection with each other - he’d tell you he wouldn’t know. it felt believable at times, but sometimes he had no idea what was going on inside of tatiana’as head. on the other hand - viktor had always felt oddly transparent to her, like she knew all of his moves before he did. the only person who could predict him accurately.

( TW DEATH, GRIEF, OVERDOSE / HOSPITALIZATION BEYOND THIS POINT )

when tatiana disappeared, viktor knew something was up. it was a twist in his gut, pure instinct that something wasn’t right. and it wasn’t right - and when she was proclaimed missing, they couldn’t find her.

and when tatiana died - viktor knew. it felt wrong, something cut so severely in him he could pinpoint her death to the second. he didn’t know how, or why, but he knew it. knew it before anybody else had.

afterwards he went on a sort of bender. he’d begun to struggle with a mild drug addiction late senior year of high school / early college, but he was managing it up until this point.

his mental health had also sunk to an all-time low, when it’d never been great to begin with. (manic & depressive episodes. once fixated on a sculpting project for six months and then knocked it off the table and destroyed it as soon as he finished it for no apparent reason.)

tatiana’s body wasn’t found immediately, and when it was … viktor went off the rails. ended up overdosing & being hospitalized. spent six months in & out of psychiatric care after that.

came back to radcliffe to finish his senior year because … for the reasons above, he hadn’t been able to complete it. just wants to get his credits and get out of here.

is still dealing with a lot of trauma & grief, especially since the one year anniversary of tatiana’s death was this month (january) - causes him to spiral and be unpredictable in regards of his mental health. he stopped taking his medication, so. :/ some days are alright, other days are pretty bad.

UPDATE: now that summer’s come n go ... viktor hs been thru <3 a lot <3 recently. switched therapists (his :/ last one got her license revoked) & started new medications, went to a treatment center briefly ‘cos .. he wasn’t doing too well :/ bt now he’s back baybey! trying to be better n trying to be sober but ... :/

personality.

the human embodiment of a gremlin that was fed after midnight. a goblin, if you will. one of those cats with a narrow head and really big ears … that’s them!

a big horror & halloween enthusiast. loves the old campy horror movies & probably has an abundance of masks from different movies. dresses like a grimy millennial beetlejuice more than they should because they just … love those black & white vertical-striped pants.

can appreciate the lore & cryptids at radcliffe and likes to feed into the fear that surrounds them. is probably the cause of a few ‘anomalies’ and ‘paranormal sightings’ because they’re just … a jerk.

fashion alternates between e-boy (they would be tiktok famous if they were 17 & didn’t think that a majorly minor based app was weird.), millennial beetlejuice, and goth in a crop top & sweatpants. big fan of crop tops and a big fan of sweatpants.

they can be really fucking mean? petty, aggressive, a major instigator. will literally spit in your face for little to no reason, you could just look at them the wrong way. the kind of person who will stick their gum into someone else’s hair. other than that? they’re like … sort of okay. they’re not always mean, just a dick about 90% of the time lmao

like okay yeah they’ll call someone a stinky bitch for no reason except they feel like it and believes it. it’s fine, they’re fine, we’re fine.

despite the fact that they’re probably getting into a fight whenever, considers themself to be a lover and not a fighter but that’a primarily because they fuck a lot. uses it as a coping mechanism, like they’re this big fancy carnival show that’s like ‘come one, come all! fuck the dead girl’s twin brother!’ and it’s … a Lot. might have a problem with hypsersexuality but they’re not fully aware of it.

the preacher’s whore son, basically :)

pansexual & nonbinary, switches between he & they pronouns often and without a pattern, but they have such a fragile grip on their identity that you could call them ‘dog-faced bitch’ and they’d turn around like. sup.

vastly impulsive … like i said, they destroy their own creations for the fun of it. spends all teir money on useless shit, will cheat on someone because they feel like it & likes the thrill, screams into the night sky frequently like a cat in heat.

will also spend months creating useless shit for no reason too. spent six of them sculpting a hollowed out tree the size of them & then took a sledgehammer to it.

they’re very super dramatic. would play the organ at church when nobody was looking after them and service was about to start. would just churn out these super haunting, creepy melodies like they were phantom of the opera. would do the same exact thing at home on their keyboard with the pipe organ setting whenever they got grounded until their parents took it away HBDSJFNGKH

will absolutely not talk about their ‘time away’ because it’s not anyone’s business, not even their own younger sister. still refuses to talk about tatiana’s death, or their mental health, or their addiction (fallen back into it but it hasn’t gotten severe … yet :/), or anything involving their own emotions.

will just change the topic abruptly, no warning. asks about the jonas brothers instead and they fucking hate the jonas brothers.

that being said they’re absolutely not over tatiana’s death & it’s to the point of obsession over it. like there’s some kind of secret that needs to be uncovered, even though there just. isn’t. tatiana was their rock and they were pretty much dependent on her. kept them grounded. could control them when nobody else could, got into their head easier than others. it’s sort of like rosa lost two siblings that day because viktor hasn’t been the same since.

emotionally unavailable while also crying twice a day. cries during their brawls but still wins. is stony-faced when they tell you they cheated on you with your much hotter best friend.

will tell you straight up what they want from you, no bullshit & no beating around the bush. just blunt. if they want to fuck, nothing else, then that’s it. if they feel deviation or developing feelings then they’ll ghost in less than a second. is awful like that but feels no shame.

but also emotional as shit and it’s confusing. will cry on a whim and then flip you off if you try to console them or ask them what’s up. will bite you.

they go to therapy but they just fuck around and wastes their therapists’ time … also is fucking their therapist, but that’s neither here nor there. so they’re not really getting the help they need.

likes to be intimidating but not … with their body or anything because they’re a TWIG but uses their love & knowledge of horror and creepy shit to their advantage. has an abundance of fake blood. has channeled the energy of jack nicholson and used it on tatiana’s boyfriends before (also is a big fan of sfx makeup & has dabbled in it)

probably chases kids around with a chainsaw without the chain on halloween every year.

generally never doing good, both mental health wise & morally. would probably steal candy from a baby for funsies.

i don’t know if there’s a good to them somewhere deep down, but they don’t see any issues with themself either. nothing really breaks through to them anymore because the only person who ever made them stop and think about their actions was tatiana, and well, y’know. :/

an introverted reclusive type who doesn’t like most people or going out, but does so anyway if it means a quick high & a cheap thrill.

pretty observant and likes to analyze people even though they’re often like … partially wrong. judgmental because they like to make people feel bad, not because they’re a righteous mighty person. because they’re not. so like, a hypocrite!

wanted connections.

a roommate… but it’s an absolute nightmare to live with him.

enemies… because viktor would have a lot of them…

familiar faces… people who knew tatiana or of her / were her friends. maybe even those who dated her, and who viktor would’ve tried to intimidate / scare at any given chance :/

pitiful glances… people who take pity on viktor and he hates it sooo much.

hooligan gremlin kids… just a friend group of grown ass adults who do drugs and fuck shit up around town like they’re edgy teenagers.

high school girlfriend… probably the one he lost his virginity to inside his family church :/

childhood acquaintances… people who knew him from his youth.

exes… good & bad terms, but mostly bad terms because viktor is an actual demon. probably cheated on them.

soft… i don’t know if he’s soft towards anyone and/or is capable of it but we can try. we can try.

unrequited… either viktor just doesn’t like them or he’s holding back because he’s :/ got issues with relationships & is self-sabotaging as one does

enemies with Tension… of the … spicy kind if you know what i mean. wink.

friends… old friends, new friends, bad friends, good friends, close friends, frenemies, etc. i don’t know how many he had but if your muse likes to cause a ruckus and fuck shit up then viktor’s your man.

hook-ups… current or old. friends with benefits, one night stands, anything and everything because he fucks around a lot.

ride or die… friendship but make it extreme.

bad influence… he’s just toxic to be around and brings out the worst in people :/

bad egg… he’s gotten into a few fights :/ maybe you witnessed it. maybe you were in it.

literally anything i wld love all sorts of plots.

[yasbxxgie]

Chris Rock wasn’t sure if he was hiding out or not.

On the Friday before Labor Day, he was speaking by phone from Yellow Springs, Ohio, the rustic village where he’d gone to spend time with Dave Chappelle, his friend and fellow comedian. Rock had previously traveled there in July to perform for a small, socially distanced audience as part of an outdoor comedy series Chappelle has been hosting. But Rock couldn’t decide if this return visit was meant to be clandestine. “I don’t know if it’s a secret,” he said quietly. “Maybe it is out here.” He couldn’t easily find the words to describe what he’d been doing just before this trip, either. “I mean, I guess I’ve been acting,” he said. After a short pause, he added, at a more assuredly Rock-like volume: “In a pandemic.”

In August, Rock had gone to Chicago to finish filming the fourth season of “Fargo,” the supremely arch FX crime drama, which makes its debut on Sept. 27. The show’s creator, Noah Hawley, had chosen him to star in its latest story line, set in the dapper gangland of 1950s Kansas City, Mo., and which casts Rock — the indefatigable standup and comic actor — as a mannered, methodical crime lord named Loy Cannon.

Maybe in a different universe where the show premiered in April as originally planned, the “Fargo” role has already put the 55-year-old Rock on a whole new career trajectory, opening the door to more serious and substantial roles and silencing the chorus of fans who still knowingly ask him for “one rib.” Maybe in this universe it still will.

But when the coronavirus pandemic struck, production on “Fargo” was halted in March, and Rock and his co-stars (including Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley and Andrew Bird) were all sent packing. Then at the end of the summer, Rock was summoned back to set, first to spend a week in quarantine and then to complete his acting work under new protocols and not a little bit of stress.

Other prominent projects of his have also been pushed back — he has a starring role in “Spiral,” a reboot of the “Saw” horror series, whose release was postponed a full year to May 2021. But Rock wasn’t mourning the delay of any professional gratification, having spent the spring and summer realigning his values for the new reality of pandemic life. “Maybe for like a day or two, I was like, ‘Oh, me,’” he said with an exaggerated whimper. “But honestly, it was more like, I’ve got to get to my kids and make sure my family is safe.”

In that time he has also heard countless Americans echoing the lesson he offered in the opening minutes of his 2018 standup special, “Tamborine,” where he spoke humorously but emphatically about the ongoing incidents of police violence against Black people. As he said in that routine, law enforcement was among the professions that simply cannot allow “a few bad apples”: “American Airlines can’t be like, ‘You know, most of our pilots like to land. We just got a few bad apples that like to crash in the mountains.’”

Now Rock was feeling mistrustful about the power of his comedy to do anything other than entertain, and unsure when he would get to perform it again for large audiences. And he was admittedly wary about this very interview, explaining with a chuckle that when he talks to the print media, he said, “You have to be comfortable with being boring. If you’re not comfortable with being boring, occasionally, you’re going to get in trouble.”

Not that Rock was ever boring in a wide-ranging conversation that encompassed “Fargo” and his broader career; his latest observations on a nation grappling simultaneously with a pandemic and a reinvigorated longing for racial equality; the resurfacing of a past video where Jimmy Fallon impersonated him in blackface; and of course, President Trump. (“No one has less compassion for humans than a landlord,” he said.) Even in the absence of an audience, Rock was candid, increasingly animated, uncommonly nimble and always looking for the laugh. Now, let the trouble begin.

These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Was there a time when you thought this “Fargo” season was never going to get finished and that the series might not be seen for a long time, if ever?

I’ve had weird little things in my career — I was supposed to do this Bob Altman movie, “Hands on a Hard Body.” We were on the phone a lot, going over my character and I was so excited about doing the movie. And he died. I was supposed to be Jimmy Olsen in “Superman” with Nic Cage [“Superman Lives,” which was canceled in the late 1990s]. I remember going to Warner Bros., doing a costume fitting. Hanging out with Tim [Burton], who I idolized. Like, I’m hanging out with the guy that made “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and he’s showing me the models of the sets for “Superman.” So yeah, I definitely thought there’s a chance this might not happen. Fortunately for everyone involved, that was not the case.

How did Noah Hawley approach you about “Fargo”?

It was a weird day, because it was the day of the Emmy nominations and I didn’t get nominated for my last special [“Tamborine”]. I wouldn’t say I was down down, but I was a little disappointed, and then I got a call from my agent that Noah Hawley wanted to meet with me.

I get acting offers, but I get more hosting offers than anything. It is not uncommon for somebody to want me to do a high-priced wedding or bar mitzvah — a few years ago, I officiated the wedding of Daniel Ek, the owner of Spotify, and Bruno Mars was the wedding band. I think I sat next to [Mark] Zuckerberg at the reception. [Laughs.] I just assumed Noah had some crazy request like that. The only reason I went is because I love “Fargo.” And I get there and he offers me this part.

How did he explain the character of Loy Cannon to you?

He said 1950s gangster, so I know exactly who he’s talking about. My father was born in 1933. It’s not like “12 Years a Slave.” It’s literally a guy my grandfather’s age.

In the first episode, we see Loy pitching the idea for credit cards to an uninterested white banker. Is he a man who wants to be part of polite society, but it doesn’t want him?

I mean, I remember having a production overall deal at HBO and I came in with one person to sell a talk show with them. And they wouldn’t. That person’s name is Wendy Williams. [Laughs.] That’s $100 million that I never made. I was selling Leslie Jones to people, to agents and managers, for 10 years before she got on “S.N.L.” I’m very familiar with selling a no-brainer that people go, “Huh? Why that?”

Is he different from characters you’ve played before, because he’s older and we don’t know how much longer he’s going to be sitting on his throne?

Yeah, it’s one of those jobs: Because of how well it pays, you could be killed at any moment. It is the best part I’ve ever, ever, ever had. I hope it’s not the best part I ever have. Hey, Morgan Freeman’s done a hundred movies since “Shawshank Redemption.” But that’s the best part he ever had.

This role feels like it’s declaring itself as being outside the realm of what you’re best known for. Are you thinking differently about your acting career and where you hope to go with it?

My casting isn’t as weird as it seems if you really watch “Fargo.” Key and Peele are in the first season and Brad Garrett’s amazing in Season 2. Hey, it’s my turn, OK? I want to work on good stuff. Everything I’ve done hasn’t been great, but I was always striving for greatness. I loved “Marriage Story.” I’d kill for something like that. [Laughs.] You see what [Adam] Sandler did with “Uncut Gems.” But you’ve got to get the call and be ready when your number’s called.

Your 2014 film “Top Five,” which you wrote, directed and starred in, was very personal for you. Do you want to make more movies like that?

That’s a vein I intend to keep going in. When I made “Top Five,” I got divorced. And like most people that get divorced, I needed money. [Laughs.] I had to pay for stuff. I also went on tour. Because of Covid, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be any serious touring until 2022. So I’m a writer-director-actor right now. I’m working on some scripts in the “Top Five” vein and I honestly hope to direct, some time after the new year.

How much of “Fargo” did you have to finish during the pandemic?

It was like an episode and a half — the whole last episode, and some scenes from the one before it. It’s weird, quarantine when you’re acting. Acting can be isolating, anyway, and then you throw quarantine into that. You’re in solitary confinement with Netflix and Uber Eats. But let’s not get it too twisted. Somebody that’s in solitary is like, shut the [expletive] up. And then to actually act and get tested every other day, and wear a mask whenever you’re not saying your lines. And be cognizant of which zone you’re in. Because for Zone A, everyone’s been tested, but in Zone B, not everyone’s been tested. Zone C is just, everyone’s got Covid.

You performed at one of Chappelle’s live shows in July. What was that like for you?

When you’re in the clubs, you learn the rain crowd is the best crowd. Any time it’s raining, they really want to be there. The pandemic crowd is really good. “Dude, not only do we want to be here, there is nothing else to do. There’s nothing else to watch. Thank you.”

What did you talk about?

I talked about our political whatever. America. Part of the reason we’re in the predicament we’re in is, the president’s a landlord. No one has less compassion for humans than a landlord. [Laughs.] And we’re shocked he’s not engaged.

Did you ever see that movie “The Last Emperor,” where like a 5-year-old is the emperor of China? There’s a kid and he’s the king. So I’m like, it’s all the Democrats’ fault. Because you knew that the emperor was 5 years old. And when the emperor’s 5 years old, they only lead in theory. There’s usually an adult who’s like, “OK, this is what we’re really going to do.” And it was totally up to Pelosi and the Democrats. Their thing was, “We’re going to get him impeached,” which was never going to happen. You let the pandemic come in. Yes, we can blame Trump, but he’s really the 5-year-old.

Put it this way: Republicans tell outright lies. Democrats leave out key pieces of the truth that would lead to a more nuanced argument. In a sense, it’s all fake news.

Looking back at the beginning of “Tamborine,” the first several minutes is you talking about police violence and raising Black children in a racist country. Does it feel futile when you discuss these issues and it doesn’t change anything?

I remember when “Tamborine” dropped, I got a lot of flak over that cop thing. There was a lot of people trying to start a fire that never really picked up. It’s so weird that, two years later, it’s right on. I remember watching the news and Trump said “bad apples.” It was like, you did it! You did it!

But you told people two years ago —

I did. But so did Public Enemy. So did KRS-One. So did Marvin Gaye. There’s something about seeing things on camera. If O.J. kills Nicole on camera, the trial is two days. [Laughs.] It’s two days trying to figure out what kind of cell he deserves. It’s just Johnnie going, [Johnnie Cochran voice] “Well I think he needs at least a 12-by-8. Can he have ESPN?” That would be the whole trial.

But there was videotape of Rodney King’s beating, too. It doesn’t assure any particular outcome.

Yeah, man. Put it this way: This is the second great civil rights movement. And Dr. King and those guys were amazing. But they knew nothing about money. They didn’t ask for anything. At the end of the day, the things we got — it was just, hey, can you guys be humane? All we got was, like, humanity. If they had it to do all over again, in hindsight, there would be some attention paid to the financial disparity of all the years of — let’s not even count slavery, let’s just count Jim Crow.

You’re talking about a system that really didn’t end until about 1973. And I’m born in ’65 in South Carolina. I’m probably in a segregated wing of a hospital — there’s no way in the world I was next to a white baby. Even if the hospital wasn’t segregated, I was in a whole other room and that room didn’t have the good milk and the good sheets. My parents couldn’t own property in certain neighborhoods when I was born. There was an economic disparity there, and that was not addressed in the original civil rights movement. It was a huge oversight. So there’s no money and there’s no land. If you don’t have either one of those, you don’t really have much.

Did you want to participate in the recent protests?

Me and my kids, we looked from afar. But we’re in the middle of a pandemic, man, and I know people who have absolutely passed from it. I’m like, dude, this Covid thing is real.

You’ve been telling audiences for years that racism isn’t going away and remains a potent force in America. Do you feel like you’ve seen circumstances improve at all?

It’s real. It’s not going away. I said this before, but Obama becoming the president, it’s progress for white people. It’s not progress for Black people. It’s the Jackie Robinson thing. It’s written like he broke a barrier, as if there weren’t Black people that could play before him. And that’s how white people have learned about racism. They think, when these people work hard enough, they’ll be like Jackie. And the real narrative should be that these people, the Black people, are being abused by a group of people that are mentally handicapped. And we’re trying to get them past their mental handicaps to see that all people are equal.

Humanity isn’t progress — it’s only progress for the person that’s taking your humanity. If a woman’s in an abusive relationship and her husband stops beating her, you wouldn’t say she’s made progress, right? But that’s what we do with Black people. We’re constantly told that we’re making progress. The relationship we’re in — the arranged marriage that we’re in — it’s that we’re getting beat less.

Jimmy Fallon drew significant criticism this past spring for a 20-year-old clip of himself playing you in blackface on “Saturday Night Live.” How did you feel about that segment?

Hey, man, I’m friends with Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great guy. And he didn’t mean anything. A lot of people want to say intention doesn’t matter, but it does. And I don’t think Jimmy Fallon intended to hurt me. And he didn’t.

There’s been a wider push to expunge blackface from any movies or TV shows where it previously appeared. Have people taken it too far?

If I say they are, then I’m the worst guy in the world. There’s literally one answer that ends my whole career. Blackface ain’t cool, OK? That’s my quote. Blackface is bad. Who needs it? It’s so sad, we live in a world now where you have to say, I am so against cancer. “I just assumed you liked cancer.” No, no, no, I am so against it. You have to state so many obvious things you’re against.

Who do you hang with these days? Who’s your peer group?

I hang with Dave [Chappelle]. I hang with my kids. I hang with Nelson George. There’s not a lot of hanging in the Covid world. The better question is, who do you FaceTime with?

So who do you FaceTime with?

The other day I realized I’ve never met an elderly person that was cared for by their friends. Every elderly person I know that’s got any trouble is cared for by a spouse or a child. Sometimes they have like five kids but only one helps. Where are your friends? Your friends are probably not going to be there when it really counts. [Laughs.] When my dad was dying in the hospital, where were his friends? My grandmother, where were her friends? Don’t get me wrong, you get sick in your 20s, your friends will come to the hospital. It’s an adventure. [Laughs.] You get sick in your 60s, they farm it out. “You go Wednesday and I’ll go Sunday.”

Enjoy them while you have them. But if you think your friends are your long-term solution to loneliness, you’re an idiot.

[dunewizard]

Autistic Acceptance Month Challenge - Day 3

All the Questions are Here!  April 3: Talk about special interests. Do you have any? What are they? How long have you had them? What does it feel like to have special interests? What does having special interests mean to you? Talk about your past special interests

Editing Note: “HA - of course the Special Interest Question took the longest to write and had  just a WALL of text. Apologies to anyone who wants to read it but I appreciate everyone who does” _____ under the readmore _____

I have a few special interests going at the moment! At the moment after about 9-10 years I’m still in my Team Fortress 2 phase. I’m also really into Dungeons and Dragons! Aesthetically and Stylewise I’m really into Wizards and Westerns like cowboys n stuff. (though I may go into what exactly because people assume a lot from me and its just not my cup of tea)

To me, a special interest is an interest or an idea that I really love, and will defend with all my heart to keep doing. Its something that gives me purpose, but also gives me peace. It keeps me grounded in a topic that I can fall back onto - which is why it helps to seek out friends who at least share a little bit about your special interest, so that they can see where youre coming from when you wanna talk about it! I know its not mandatory, but I remember loving just HOW much I knew about the Fable series! Back in the day that was a big one for me, so I remember if my mum or sister ever needed me to sit still for some reason, they’d ask me about Fable stuff. Sure it feels dumb nowadays to think about but I guess at the time I was excited and thought they wanted to know!

I’ve heard from others that its a hyperfocus on a topic, and knowing every little in and out of it. I remember being so mad about this when I heard from a neurotypical friend that he had an “Autistic level” of interest in Fighting Games. I asked him if he was autistic and he said no, and I knew it was no too. So how could he know what an “Autistic Level” of focus looked like? Just because he worked with them as a teacher? No way.  For example, I am learning new things about Team Fortress 2 all the time! I don’t retain them that well, because a lot of it is console commands but I always am down to hear about things going on in the community, and if I’m online and someone wants a game - I’m pretty much ready to drop everything I’m doing and joining them! I don’t know everything about the story, or the characters (even though theres not much) - I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of it and I most likely never will. My love for TF2 comes from playing the game! I just love playing it! I love that I can dress myself up as a cowboy or a Wizard or whatever I like and absolutely pubstomp some new players! (but then of course tellem GG and hope to see them again soon! - yknow, nice player stuff). People say the game is dying but If I can join a server and its completely full? Nah no way the games dead. Just wish Valve would pick it up from time to time.

But that last paragraph made me think of something, I ramble! I think thats a common trait with Autistic people, and its one I definitely have. I generally have to be stopped because I don’t know when is the right time! Sometimes I just have so so much to say on a topic because its finally something I can talk about!! I’m known as a quiet type, often being reserved and keeping to myself. But if I’m talking about Solar Farms, Piling, or my hobby intrests like TF2 and D&D I can’t stop, man. 

Other special interests I’ve had in the past were (I’ll list em but maybe comment on honourable mentions) 1) Solar System + Planets specifically 2) Dinosaurs 3) Dragons - Hon Mention: I had like over 30 dragon statuettes just around my room and often I would stim by poking their horns! I thought they were SO cool. 4) Tim Burton Films - Other than TF2 one of my longest running SIs, but I’ve been over Tim Burton films maybe since I decided I wouldnt defend Dark Shadows. I wasnt a big fan of that movie and I stopped keeping up with stuff TB made since. 5) Skyrim, and Fantasy Games in general. 6) Borderlands, this series was very intoxicating for me. I remember at the time I started dating a girl overseas about a day or two before Borderlands 2 released, and then when it came out, I played the game so much with my best friend Jake that I forgot I was dating them - and forgot to speak to them for about 3-4 days. They thought I died? Or something? It was wild! They were very mad and hated Borderlands afterwards because of it. Anyway I did want to briefly mention near the end of the post about how one of my main loves at the moment is Wizards and Cowboys. Its funny like. Wizard media on the whole I love with all my heart. But cowboys??? No. Honestly, not at all. In fact I think I really dislike almost all cowboy and western media. What I do love with all my heart and soul is the movie The Good The Bad and the Ugly!, also the whole Dollars Trilogy, and on that- the idea and persona of The Man With No Name.

I see cowboy content and I can’t stand most of it. 

Though an exception to this would be video game cowboys, and gunslingers. I also love it so much when people see a Gunslinger like Jesse McCree in Overwatch, or even just flat seeing The Good the Bad and The Ugly with people who know to call me Blondie from online - and they say “Hey thats you!” :P that always makes me laugh - but I like it. 

Special Interests are really important.

I think they should be celebrated and loved, so long as they aren’t helping anyone!

Happy Autism Acceptance Month!

[aion-rsa]

Psych: The Essential Episode Guide

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As a TV series, Psych is like one of those frozen yogurt chains where the wall is ringed with different flavors and you can keep pulling levers for whatever combination you want. There are the Shawn/Gus episodes, the “Shawn’s psychic lie is threatened” episodes, the increasingly genius and lovingly rendered (often ‘80s-tastic) tributes, and the ensemble classics where the whole cast is just a well-oiled machine after years of riffing off one another. You can have whatever flavor you want. And don’t even get me started on toppings (there’s gotta be pineapple, at the very least).

Over its eight-year run, Psych interrogated its own premise, built out its supporting cast, let its characters play their favorite movie characters, and adapted its own internal mythology into trilogies that would make any movie-buff weep with appreciation. Here is a baker’s dozen of the most giggle-worthy, self-referential, surprisingly dramatic episodes of Psych. (And with so many to choose from, your favorite flavor combinations might be different from mine—share your own best episodes in the comments!)

Season 2 Episode 1: “American Duos”

Once the show had had a season under its belt of the fake-psychic shtick, the writers and actors got to really start playing in the sandbox they’d created. The second-season premiere has it all: a pop culture riff on a certain popular reality show competition; Tim Curry and Gina Gershon going above and beyond in their parodies of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul; and Shawn and Gus giving a truly spectacular mashup performance as Curt Smith and Michael Jackson.

Season 2 Episode 3: “Psy vs. Psy”

I’m a sucker for the episodes where Shawn might have to come clean about his big fat lie. Season 2 poked at that possibility early on, with a counterfeit case that brings in government agent Lars Ewing (Lou Diamond Phillips) and female psychic Lindsay Leiken (Bianca Kajlich). Not only does Lars ruffle Lassiter’s feathers and get Jules hot and bothered, but Lindsay seems to be a lot more intuitive than Shawn—to the point where the SBPD may be looking to replace their consultant. Shawn has a knack for making things harder for himself, but the situations in which he has to actually fight his way out are always rewarding.

Season 2 Episode 13: “Lights, Camera… Homicidio”

The second season really cemented the series’ delight in its own ridiculousness—not just in the bizarre cases, but in how Shawn and Gus (and the rest of the SBPD) react to them. This week, it was an accidental murder via botched prop knife on the set of Explosión Gigantesca de Romance, Gus’ (and Henry’s) favorite telenovela, that really highlighted Psych’s embrace of the absurd. While doing his psychic thing, Shawn gets “discovered” enough to play the sexy delivery guy, who becomes a beloved character in his own right… only to learn for himself how badly the show’s fans blur the lines between characters and actors. Though not as outright meta as the tribute episodes, it still was wonderfully self-aware about the pitfalls of emotionally investing in fictional characters.

Season 4 Episode 5: “Shawn Gets the Yips”

This episode is a bit of a bait-and-switch in that Shawn having the yips (about baseball, not being a psychic) doesn’t really impact the plot, which starts with a shooting at a known cop bar and culminates in a commentary on the police force not properly punishing drug lords who sell opioids. The subplot about the drug lord supposedly targeting SBPD members is a bit of a red herring for the more nuanced twist about the cost of the opioid epidemic, but it contains one of my favorite moments, in which Shawn unintentionally gets a great workout because he believes that the message on his water bottle (your heart rate drops below 150, you die) is a threat. Just a solid mid-series episode.

Season 4 Episode 16: “Mr. Yin Presents…”

Just like with Bones, Psych really came into its own when it mixed the laughs with actual life-or-death stakes—and in both cases, that was thanks to a serial killer obsessed with our protagonist. Season 3 ended on “An Evening with Mr. Yang,” which introduced Ally Sheedy (one of many, many famous cameos) as the eponymous serial killer who kidnapped Shawn’s mother to get closer to him. But with her locked away and more artfully arranged kills discovered, the SBPD have to confront that Yang might have a Yin—which of course spawns a trilogy. 

Read more

Movies

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Review

By Natalie Zutter

TV

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Stars on Hitchcock Homages and Special Reunions

By Natalie Zutter

The Empire Strikes Back of the Yin/Yang saga is my personal favorite, though I highly recommend watching all three. The team’s introduction to Yang’s twisted mentor is through his love of Alfred Hitchcock movies: He casts each of them in an iconic role while leading them on a wild goose chase through Santa Barbara, ending at a movie set mashup and presenting Shawn with an impossible choice between saving girlfriend Abigail or Juliet. The latter has one of her most powerful moments, stoically accepting her death while suspended from a clock and later breaking down in Lassiter’s arms. Her PTSD remains through the Yin/Yang saga, another sign of the series’ maturity as it explores the ripple effect of its more dramatic plots.

Season 6 Episode 2: “Last Night Gus”

While Shawn and Gus are the series OTP, part of the show’s beauty has been in building up its other bromances. This spoof of The Hangover has Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and Woody waking up in the Psych offices with no memory of their antics the night before, but plenty of incriminating clues tying them to a dead body. Their attempt to solve the mystery of how they got so memory-obliteratingly drunk has them encountering a sweet gay bartender couple, a murdered donut mascot, and a hot girl who’s very into Last Night Gus… if only he knew what he did. In addition to riffing superbly on the movie, the episode is a fun commentary on our present selves solving the mysteries of our past personas.

Season 7 Episode 5: “100 Clues”

I managed to watch this without realizing what the Psych crew was going for, so the moment that Shawn and Gus pulled up in the Blueberry to a mansion in a rainy homage to Clue, I was squealing harder than Gus at the notion of a secret chocolate room. For the series’ 100th episode, they lovingly parodied the perfect locked-mansion murder mystery, with killer cameos from Lesley Warren, Christopher Lloyd, and Martin Mull (plus little nods to the Clue alums who couldn’t be there, like Eileen Brennan). From the Singing Telegram Girl to the secret passageways, only true fans could achieve this level of detail—a perfect landmark celebration.

Season 7 Episode 7: “Deez Nups”

The sign of a great ensemble series is that they can make the standard, super-tropey wedding episode feel fresh again. It helps that it’s Lassiter’s nuptials, and everyone wants to see the guy happy, which is what leads to Shawn, Gus, and Woody kidnapping the detective for a bachelor party, while Juliet and the Chief get roped into being Marlowe’s bachelorette buddies. The threat of a mob boss taking revenge on Lassie takes a backseat to such wedding fare as Vick getting weepy-drunk on shots and McNab popping up as a police stripper (I cackled at the payoff of his Chekhov’s tearaway pants). Just like with a real-life wedding, when you know the people involved, it feels special and unique. (There is also a gross, transphobic joke about a stripper, one of the aspects of Psych that did not age well.)

Season 7 Episode 8: “Right Turn or Left for Dead”

Tribute episodes are Psych’s bread and butter, but rarely do they advance the plot as effectively and emotionally as this riff on Sliding Doors. After Juliet finds out that Shawn has been lying about being a psychic, which makes her believe that everything about their relationship has been a lie, Shawn indulges in a fantasy in which he’s 1990s Gwyneth Paltrow (naturally) pondering the diverging paths of whether Jules does or doesn’t discover the truth. 

The story immediately splits into two takes on the same case, but in one she’s a Jane Doe and in the other Shawn actually has a chance to save her… only to discover that her life path was already set in stone after an abusive childhood. Even with subtle moments of humor that highlight the parallel universes’ differences in solving cases, overall the episode is a study in how one choice has ramifications far beyond the initial action—a lesson Shawn needed to learn, in the penultimate season.

Season 7 Episode 11: “Office Space”

If the boys trying to cover their tracks in “Last Night Gus” was worth a few giggles, Gus and Shawn tampering with a murder scene and then trying to clean their hands of it in this episode is the kind of laughter that hurts. When Gus publicly confronts his abusive boss, only for the man to wind up offed and poor Guster very incriminated. The sequence in which they hysterically stumble their way through the crime scene is worth watching alone; but as evidence mounts and it looks like they could actually be caught in the crosshairs, the levels of ingenuity to which they’re pushed shows why this is the show’s best partnership.

Season 8 Episode 1: “Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels and Burton Guster’s Goblet of Fire”

This is the episode that got me back into the show after years of casual viewing: a mashup of Guy Ritchie and Harry Potter that manages to add a whole new layer to one of Psych’s best recurring characters, refined art thief Pierre Desperaux (Cary Elwes) while giving him a proper send-off.

Like the Yin/Yang trilogy, the entire Desperaux quartet is worth watching for the heists, the Indiana Jones lampooning, and especially for his continued double-crossing of his greatest fan Shawn. But this one takes the cake because it adds a new layer to the Desperaux mythology: He’s actually Royston Staley, an Interpol agent who went undercover as a gentleman thief. Or is he?? Plus, add in the runner about poor Gus in his Hogwarts robes just trying to make it to PotterCon, and you have a near-perfect episode.

Season 8 Episode 3: “Remake, A.K.A. Cloudy… WIth a Chance of Murder”

What better way to mark your final season than by remaking one of your season 1 episodes? What’s incredible about Psych is how many different ways it goes meta, but there was something especially entertaining about its remake of season 1, episode 12 “Cloudy… With a Chance of Murder.” With periodic reminders that this episode is set in 2006, it recasts almost all of the characters—a teacher accused of killing a local weatherman, the lawyer for the prosecution (Ralph Macchio)—and makes space for new jokes (about remakes and My Cousin Vinny) and new twists. All long-running series should get a chance to try and redo their early episodes after they’ve gelled their characters and dynamics.

Season 8 Episode 10: “The Break-Up”

After trying to make their long-distance relationship work, Shawn decides to move to San Francisco to be with Juliet, a far easier choice than actually breaking the news to Gus. Of course the Psych series finale would be about these two facing the end of their partnership. Specifically, Shawn’s inability to say goodbye, so instead he and Gus wind up investigating a case involving special guest star Billy Zane, careening around in their high-school drivers ed car, and competing with SBPD’s peppy new detective Betsy Brannigan (Mira Sorvino). When none of this helps Shawn come out with the truth, he does so through DVD—a whole batch of DVDs, tailored to each of his colleagues and dear friends. Because Shawn loves telling a story.

There’s no better end for Shawn and Gus than a bromantic one, complete with driving cross-state (albeit turning back 12 times), dramatic declaration of love (at a crime scene), and pledging their lives together before Shawn actually proposes to Juliet (as a formality). And it’s not just about them: The finale has sweet moments of closure for new junior detective McNab (aww) and especially Lassiter, who finally gets Shawn’s confession—then breaks the DVD. If the Psych movies had never happened, it would have been enough; but instead, it’s the sugary-sweet end of one chapter and the opening of another.

The post Psych: The Essential Episode Guide appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[grailbot143]

Hiya @daiskken!

I would just like to remind you before I start. . . You asked! AND, it's been awhile since I wrote you a novella. . .

My Love Of Musicals Started. . .

When I was a kid, because of my mother and my aunt, whom we often lived with, there were a lot of musicals playing on our VCRs. Elvis Presley movies were popular with both of them. But other classic movies like Singing in the Rain, Gigi, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Guys and Dolls were watched over and over again, usually by my aunt. More contemporary musicals like Fame and Grease were in my mom's favorite movies. So my love for musicals stems from those awesome moments in my childhood where I could get lost in the singable ditties, unreasonably bright colors, and epical story telling. (It's a word. . . Or at least it should be!)

Here are a few of the movies I watched growing up (in no particular order):

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

Fiddler on the Roof (tiny obsession for quite a long time has led me to read far too much related literature, see several related plays and learn every song on at least one instrument. . . don't ask me why. . . I can't explain it. It's just such a powerful tale)

White Christmas

Labyrinth

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Oliver! (favorite)

Annie

Mary Poppins

My Fair Lady (favorite)

Funny Face (Audrey Hepburn is a goddess)

The Sound of Music (I still break out into songs from this movie for no reason all the time)

The Wizard of Oz

The King and I (This movie is the best telling of this story anywhere. . . other movies, musicals, and the book are disappointing in comparison)

Guys and Dolls (favorite)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Making My Own Choices

I fell into the drama kids clique starting in 7th Grade. I mostly never liked being on stage, but I enjoyed building sets, being a production assistant, writing, and playing with the lights. I did, however, enjoy parts in several plays. The only musical I took part in over these years was, when I was around 19, I was Alice in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, a production done at my church. And it was an amazing experience. Here are some favorites I discovered during the era from Junior High through early adulthood:

A Hard Day's Night

Hair

Cry-Baby

Newsies

Grease

The Blues Brothers

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Little Shop of Horrors

Still a Lover (really). . .

Since adulthood, I don’t really get to watch musicals too often. As a family we watch a lot of animated movies that are very musical in nature such as Disney movies, but I seldom get a chance to watch live action musicals since my husband is not a fan and my kids are not interested and I basically never watch movies by myself. Here are some I’ve managed to catch though and really love:

La La Land

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog (OMG, Doogie Howser is amazing :) )

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton is amazing! I've seen Sweeney Todd on the big screen and several renditions of the play on the small screen. But, honestly, every time I hear Sweeney Todd now, my brain goes straight for the Jersey Girl rendition which just makes me giggle)

Enchanted

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Beauty and the Beast (Emma Watson is fabulous Belle and Josh Gad is flipping hilarious)

Avenue Q (play on YouTube, not live)

Everything I Remember Seeing Live in Theatre

Oklahoma! (multiple times as a child)

Hamilton

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I've done this full out experience several times. . . it's a blast and everyone should try it)

Lion King ( live in theatre, it was beautiful . . . with Sonbot)

Annie

Damn Yankees

Newsies (this is a family favorite and we all went to check it out on Mother's Day a few years back)

Oliver!

Hello, Dolly

Anna and the King

RagTime

Anything Goes

But Missing Out On

Now for the sad part. . . this is a list of musicals that I’ve always wanted to see but haven’t gotten around to:

West Side Story

Head

Wicked

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Rocketman

Mary Poppins - new

The Greatest Showman

Into the Woods

[oops. . . made sonbot mad by watching Bohemian Rhapsody without him :/]

[violetsystems]

Batman forever strives for a chance to set things right. That may finally happen with Ben Affleck’s version of the crimefighter.

The Argo director’s brooding Dark Knight is coming back for one more movie, with Affleck agreeing to return as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming big-screen version of The Flash, Vanity Fair has learned.

Portrayals of Batman always ignite furious debate among fans, and Affleck’s selection for the part continues to provoke intense discussion, even years after he first donned the cowl. Some love him; some disparage him. Some refused to see him in the role from the very beginning, while others consider him an underrated favorite who deserved more chances to play the role onscreen.

This does not disrupt The Batman film starring Robert Pattinson, who remains the future of the franchise.

The Flash movie, which is planned for release in summer 2022, will feature fast-moving hyper-hero Barry Allen, played by Ezra Miller, breaking the bonds of physics to crash into various parallel dimensions, where he’ll encounter slightly different versions of DC’s classic heroes. It’s an adaptation of DC’s 2011 Flashpoint series of comic book crossovers, directed by Andy Muschietti, the filmmaker behind the recent adaptations of Stephen King’s It and It Chapter Two.

“His Batman has a dichotomy that is very strong, which is his masculinity—because of the way he looks, and the imposing figure that he has, and his jawline —but he’s also very vulnerable,” Muschietti said in an interview. “He knows how to deliver from the inside out, that vulnerability. He just needs a story that allows him to bring that contrast, that balance.”

Affleck got the script at the end of last week and agreed this week to join the project.

“He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before,” the director added. "It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in.”

“I’m glad to be collaborating with someone who has been on both sides of the camera, too,” Muschietti said. “He understands.”

Affleck won’t be the only Batman making a comeback; a few more of the alternate-dimension heroes who turn up in the Flash movie will be figures we’ve seen before. Michael Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 Tim Burton film is also set to appear in what Muschietti said was a “substantial” part.

Michael Keaton as Batman.

The Flash needed the character affectionately known as Batfleck. In DC’s movie universe, Affleck’s gray-templed Bruce Wayne is the one Ezra's Flash would consider “the original Batman,” the one he has already fought alongside in the previous Zack Snyder films.

Muschietti said it wouldn’t work as well for him to venture into the company of other Batmen without having Affleck as the starting point. “He’s the baseline. He’s part of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry’s adventure,” the director said. “There's a familiarity there.”

DC has still other motivations for exploring this story. Batman is too valuable a character to leave fallow for long, and new actors will forever be stepping into the role. By threading the concept of a multiverse into its DC storyline, Warner Bros. is attempting to create a way for all the competing factions of its fandom to coexist together.

Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars, in which everything is designed to be part of the same canon, the multiverse approach can allow projects to vary greatly in tone, or feature different actors, while still being threaded together. Keeping a broad coalition of fans from battling over what is “legitimate” is one of the biggest challenges for studios managing franchises with vast appeal and decades of history. Sony’s animated Into the Spider-Verse also helped popularize the alternate-dimension concept, introducing the Miles Morales character to a host of differing Spider–folk.

So far, the multiverse approach has helped DC both differentiate itself and revisit the same characters without being accused of rebooting or erasing recent favorites. DC TV shows such as Arrow, Batwoman, Black Lightning, and Supergirl have done crossover events, and a few months ago the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline laid the groundwork for the multiverse concept, with Miller’s movie Flash making an appearance in that story by coming face-to-face with the TV Flash played by Grant Gustin.

“This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen before are valid,” Muschietti said. “It’s inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you’ve seen exists, and everything that you will see exists, in the same unified multiverse.”

That doesn’t mean there aren’t still intense disagreements in the fandom, and the return of Batfleck is sure to launch countless takes.

Affleck was cast as Batman in late August of 2013, and the debate over his presence hasn’t let up even after two movies with Snyder—Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League—and one cameo in Suicide Squad. His take will also get a new approach in the famed “Snyder Cut” of Justice League, which will appear on HBO Max, restoring the original director’s vision before the film was handed off to Joss Whedon to complete—a version of the film that seems to have left no one happy.

Affleck had previously signed to direct and star in a standalone film called The Batman, but ultimately left the project after saying that its demands were taking too much of a personal toll. At the time he parted ways with the film, he was also dealing with the end of his marriage to Jennifer Garner and struggling with alcoholism. “I showed somebody The Batman script,” Affleck told the New York Times. “They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.’”