#clue 1985 inspired

[strawberrystainedd]

you just can’t fucking remake movies from the 70s and 80s you just can’t do it

[whatsintheboxmh]

Artwork for the Fic:

A Naked House @carlos-in-glasses

HAPPY BIRTH DAY CIG♡! You’re such a kind, incredibly talented gem of the fandom. Hope your day is as amazing as you are!

Lemon @lemonlyman-dotcom asked me to create some art for Cig’s birthday, inspired by her fic. Such a sweet gesture! I’m grateful you thought of me for this. Thanks a lot!

Note from Lemon🍋: Cig, I adore you and, as you know, A Naked Fic is my absolute favorite fic of yours! I had so much fun conspiring with May to make this incredible art for this delightful little story of yours. I hope you enjoy this and another prezzie coming later today also inspired by this fic 🥰 Thank you, May, for bringing this vision to life so gorgeously!! 💕

〔ref〕〔ref〕

I had no idea about Clue, so I watched the 1985 movie. It was so hilarious! I’m glad I understand why TK wants to be Miss Scarlet. haha!

Without Cig’s fic and Lemon’s request, I probably would have never seen it. Thank you!

[fascinationstreetmp3]

Sometimes I fear they won't do devil's minion at all. Armand won't call Daniel beloved and like the turning- the turning was said to be done in spite where in the books there was at least some love, something that made Armand say they will be in hell together after all. I feel like there is a possibility that in the show hell together means like a thorn lodged in the throat. You can't ignore it and you can't get rid of it. That will hurt a lot if they do that.

im sure dm will definitely be romantic in the show at some point, it's just a case of how they get there because things are obviously different from the books.

i myself am keeping an open mind about the whole "spite" thing tbh. that descriptor does not come from armand or daniel, it comes from louis, who was not there— and in my opinion, daniel sorta dodges addressing it any further when louis brings it up, and there could be multiple reasons for that (he doesn't want to talk about it? or maybe there's more to it he isn't letting on right now?)

just throwing things out there but if it WAS entirely spiteful, but past dm happened, it's possible they could also utilise daniel's book turning scene for the "memory wipe", framing that as armand's act of love in order to save daniel's life, which would balance things out a little more. either way i think we WILL see the turning no matter what anyone says

where they are now with each other, the writers might take inspiration from the sort of push/pull they have towards 1985 in qotd, along with the long period of separation they have after qotd and the regret armand feels for turning daniel. daniel feeling resentful towards armand (for turning him? for messing with his and louis' memories? for leaving him all alone?), but unable to stay away for long; armand believing he has made a horrible mistake and trying to stay away while also dealing with the fact that daniel destroyed armand's relationship with louis, but he and daniel are bound together now and the maker/fledgling connection sometimes seems to be a lot stronger in the show, even between "strangers" as displayed by madeleine & louis being able to "feel" one another

i think show daniel seeing armand at his lowest, knowing what he can do to people and what he has done to him, will play into the way daniel sees armand in the books: a terrible creature capable of great evil who daniel is drawn to and loves for who he is, and armand gets to be perceived outside of the roles he's always playing by someone he doesnt have to control or lie to (and cant, really). for how they get to the love part... im curious to see how it will go because there's a lot of ways it could happen. i'm just certain they will get there. they might feel stuck in "hell together" at first, but eventually hatred won't be the only thing that binds them together (if it ever was the 'only' thing between them in the first place)

maybe tangentially related but ive seen people suggest rolin jones has some sort of dislike for dm or that he just straight up doesn't care/wasn't planning on including it, and of course i have no clue what's going through his head but i have to disagree. a deeper relationship between armand and daniel has only been hinted at right now; pieces of a puzzle slowly make themselves known, and the audience has to notice them and put the puzzle together with what they've got so far. just because something's in the books doesn't mean theyll just talk about it openly, its still a show spoiler. which means outside of the show (in interviews etc) it's only going to be acknowledged as a "thing that happens in the books", yknow? just like book characters that havent appeared yet, the way theyll be portrayed in the show isnt discussed. kinda why i think they got king of spoilers eric bogosian to drop the "budding romance" line in those sdcc videos from a while back because to me... that technically is a show spoiler lmao

[trashisstillhere]

Alright! One more new teacher for the NN AU! A gym teacher this time!

Let’s meet him, shall we?

Meet the new gym teacher…..

Mac Antfee- wait hold up, what!?

This guy is the new gym teacher!? Since when-

Aww yeah, this guys back in Norrisville high school as one of the new teachers!

Don’t worry, he won’t be much trouble like before! He’s a changed man now!

Onto the info!

Info:

Mac Antfee is back once again at Norrisville high school! And this time he’s gonna!…

Become its new gym teacher?

Huh, well that’s not what I expected..

That’s right, Mac Antfee, one of the former ninjas who went almost cray cray back then is now the schools new current gym teacher! With a slight fresh new look and everything!…expect for the yellow transparent visor.. and those pants of his, can’t be a cool gym teacher without them. Right?

It is quite a surprise how he is now the gym teacher but hey, he was mind wiped few years ago and still doesn’t remember any ninja stuff so it’ll be fine! In fact, he’s surprisingly doing well as one, believe it or not! No seriously, that man knows what he’s doing in this new job of his!

Even his old lacky and buddy, ‘Gong’, is with him still! He too also help around by checking on the kids during gym class to make sure that everyone is alright.

Mac’s just like what a gym teacher should be: out going, supportive, determined, inspiring and motivational!

That’s exactly what the kids need! Someone who can really help them not only get more active but believe in themselves, believe that they all do have some strength on the inside and that they just have to give themselves a chance to finally show it off!

To be inspired by him, to be just like him! Strong and soooo bruce!

What a role model! (For real this time)

And man, does he love it so far! He thinks that so far, he’s doing fantastic on his new job and is pretty neat gym teacher for the children!

NN, along with some other kids who also has gym class, finds Mr. Antfee to be not so bad of a guy!…

All except for one 12th grader, Randy.

Even though Mac doesn’t remember any of his old ninja days anymore, Randy still can’t help but be very wary around him. After getting to find out about HIM being the schools new gym teacher, he immediately freaked out. Mac Antfee, former ninja of 1985, now a gym teacher in NN’s gym class!? Oh honk no!! He can’t let that slide!

Even with Howard trying to stop him, Randy still went on to ‘deal’ with Mac Antfee…

By joining in the gym class!

Yup. He decided to go and let himself get in the gym class JUST to keep his eyes at the man and make sure that NN, who has absolutely no clue about Mac’s past and ninja history btw, was safe. He kept giving HIM not so friendly stares behind his back, talking bad about him under his breath and just did everything to ‘protect’ the kid from HIM. Even though NN was in fact NOT in danger whatsoever and was most of the time during this, just being cheered by Mac.

Howard just kept trying to stop him but Randy still wouldn’t listen, he was THAT stubborn.

it all then soon ended up with him doing something SO bad that he humiliated Mac Antfee in front of every body!

Now THAT was too far, Randy.

And it got the man so upset that he, of course…

Ended up being the sorceresses new stank victim.

(Wooo- did my best with this one)

A Texas longhorn bull!! (May not look quite accurate but I did my best!

Super Strong and not so easily tamed, this guy will stop at nothing to ‘kick’ every butt that gets in his way! (Just like his past bad self) no matter who they are.

As Gong now tries to protect the kids in gym class from the stanked bull roaming around, it is once again up to NN to go stop this! (They’re also a little bit mad at Randy since this kinda started cuz of him in the first place)

But how are they supposed to take care of the man which’s animal he turned into when stanked literally hates the color red that just so happens to be apart of their suit?

Idea for this man as a gym teacher and all of this with stank form and such was all by @artistic-harlom-world !

(Kinda) Size comparisons with NN:

[hardlyinteresting]

I've been thinking about Hotch playing poker / cards. Hes so competitive 😂 imagine having game nights with him

You're so right.

Hotch isn't the world's greatest poker player, but so long as Reid isn't in the game he can manage to hold a winning streak. Rossi invites him to a lot of his poker nights, but he rarely accepts, he prefers to spend his nights off with family. But, when he does get roped into evenings of whiskey, cigars, and card games that will surely hurt his wallet he admittedly enjoys himself. Plus, the satisfaction of taking money from Rossi is impossible to resist sometimes.

Aaron is too good at clue. While it's basically a game of probability, he's far too good at spotting patterns and two turns in he's figured out the mystery just based off of the cards in his hands, and the questions the other players have asked. He tries to be a good sport about it and hold back to let everyone else have fun, but he wins every time. (Side note: Aaron Hotchner is absolutely a fan of the 1985 film inspired by the board game. It's quirky and hilarious and camp. It gets him laughing every single time).

He's ruthless when he plays monopoly. He's got hotels built, and he's claiming rent on half of the board. He's a mastermind and it's fascinating to watch but it doesn't make it any less painful when you have to hand over stacks of colourful bills to him for landing on one of his properties. He also pouts every time he lands in jail or misses a turn.

Scrabble is fun. He's a nerd and not enough people take the time to notice that about him. He has a wide ranging vocabulary, but he takes more satisfaction in playing silly words than he does in spelling out big fancy words. Emily and JJ have definitely convinced him to start playing words with friends. When you find him glaring at his phone or his iPad on a Saturday afternoon there's a very good chance one of them just got a high word score. When the two of you play each other a glass of wine in your hand he's all smiles. He spells out I LOVE YOU with the pieces when you're getting ready to put the the board away for the night

No one on that team should be allowed to play uno. They played once at a gathering with a deck JJ brought from home. Never again. They can hunt serial killers, face trauma, and get held at gun point together, but none of them can play uno without spitting out threats or insults.

[foone]

My wife (@mrsfoone) is watching Clue (1985) again and it inspired me to look up clue on AO3. And while I'm disappointed there's only 112 fics, I do have to share one for being a great idea with an even greater title.

It's a Muppet version of the film, titled "It's Not Easy Being Mr. Green"

[dailyrandomwriter]

Day 860

@danco111 put in the hashtags of the reblog on my last post that finding Room 46 isn’t bad but is “when it *looks* like some of the puzzles need noita community-level analysis” and it suddenly clicked.

In Blue Prince there are music sheets scattered around the manor, and while the puzzle is a basic word cypher, there are verses that seem to hold more meaning. And when I read the tag, it reminded me of this verse:

“The ones of you who often assume That you alone can solve this tune, Are likely going to get your due And all the rage that will ensue While working on this simple clue”

Which in turn reminded me something else about the game. If you play the game to find Room 46, you’ll find a dedication to Christopher Mason. Christopher Mason is most well known for writing and illustrating a book called MAZE (published in 1985), which Scoutmaster Demi on Youtube explains was a large inspiration for Blue Prince.

In fact there is a Gallery Room in Blue Prince dedicated to Christopher Mason and his illustrations.

And this is important because MAZE today has an online community of people who solve this book together. That’s because there’s a lot of puzzle to this book beyond just solving its original premise which was to get through the house in the book within 16 steps. According to the Into the Abyss website when it was created, there were only 21 solutions online to the +116 puzzles that exist in the book. 

It is very likely that Tonda Ros, the developer of Blue Prince, wanted players as a community to get together and theorize about the puzzles that exist in Blue Prince. Which rooms have puzzles, and what do those puzzles mean, and of course, how do you solve those puzzles?

[malfiora]

Quick fic ideas, 80s movies style

La Vie en Rose

No capes AU, set in the 80s/90s, coming of age, rom com, Tim/Steph, minor/one-sided Harper/Steph

Steph works at her neighbor's record store. She's focused on making enough money and getting through senior year with her best friend Harper so she can finally move out of her mom's house. One day at the store, in walks Tim Drake, the popular prep kid from the other side of town. She tries to ignore him at first, but when he asks her out on a dare, she decides to accept and have some fun at his expense. Plus a free meal never hurt. Little did either of them know that they were going to learn more about each other in the next few months...

— based on Pretty in Pink (1986)

Crazy and Bad and Beautiful

Canon divergence, alternate take on the original Teen Titans, gen. Title inspired by the original monologue.

Apparently, it's take-your-sidekicks-to-the-tower day. But when the Justice League founders are needed on urgent business, they dump their teen partners in the conference room indefinitely. They quickly realize that Robin's a bit of a nerd, Kid Flash's legs and mouth move faster than his brain, Speedy doesn't believe in rules, Wonder Girl is a spoiled princess, and Aqualad is a loner. As the hours tick by while they're stuck in space, those labels start wearing thin.

— The Breakfast Club (1985)

Never Say Die

Adventure, canon universe, shenanigans, potential JonDami

Jon discovers a diary in his family's attic and is convinced it contains clues to a long-forgotten treasure. He rallies Damian, Gar, and Jaime to help him search for it. Tim, Cass, and Kon are dispatched by a worried Bruce and Clark to go find them, and the entire gang eventually bands together against a ragtag group of wannabe pirates looking for the exact same treasure.

— The Goonies (1984)

feel free to steal

---

posting this from my queue early because I don't wanna be left out of the film ideation trend 😭

[rewildling]

LADYHAWKE: The 80s Fantasy Movie that Inspired SanSan?

Could this movie have partially inspired GRRM’s Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane as a romantic pairing in ASOIAF? And could it contain clues for their TWOW arcs? Let’s investigate.

Isabeau of Anjou and Etienne of Navarre from Ladyhawke (1985)

Ladyhawke (1985) is apparently one of GRRM’s favorite films. According to him, it’s “romantic fantasy done right,” so it’s definitely possible that it influenced the romantic plot lines in his own fantasy series.

The movie tells the story of cursed lovers Etienne of Navarre and Isabeau of Anjou. They are always together, yet eternally apart. By day, Isabeau takes the form of a bird, turning back into a woman at night.

“You’re like one of those birds from the Summer Isles, aren’t you? A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words they taught you to recite.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa II, AGOT

By night, Navarre takes the form of a large black wolf, turning back into a man during the day.

The Hound ripped the sword free and threw away the scabbard. The Mad Huntsman gave him his oaken shield, all studded with iron and painted yellow, the three black dogs of Clegane emblazoned upon it. Arya VI, ASOS

Navarre is the former Captain of the Guard of Aquila, a formidable fighter and deadly with a sword.

The White Book was well behind. The deaths of Ser Mandon Moore and Ser Preston Greenfield needed to be entered, and the brief bloody Kingsguard service of Sandor Clegane as well. Jaime XIII, ASOS

The Hound was deadly with a sword, everyone knew that. Arya VI, ASOS

Like Sandor, Navarre is a generally cynical person and is pessimistic about the possibility of ever breaking the curse. He also rides a temperamental black stallion named Goliath.

Arya had tried to steal him once, when Clegane was taking a piss against a tree, thinking she could ride off before he could catch her. Stranger had almost bitten her face off. He was gentle as an old gelding with his master, but otherwise he had a temper as black as he was. She had never known a horse so quick to bite or kick. Arya XI, ASOS

At one point in the film, Navarre asks Matthew Broderick’s character, Phillipe, to tell him everything Isabeau said about him the night before:

“Every moment you spend with her… I envy you. But you can tell me. Tell me everything that she said. And I warn you, I will know if the words are hers. Etienne of Navarre, Ladyhawke

“A dog can smell a lie, you know.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa II, ACOK

Like Sansa, Isabeau is described by others as being exceptionally beautiful, with porcelain skin, blue eyes, and a lovely voice.

“Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that.” Catelyn VII, ACOK

She is just as comely as the Tyrell girl. Her hair was a rich autumn auburn, her eyes a deep Tully blue. Tyrion VIII, ASOS

“We were talking about the prince,” Sansa said, her voice soft as a kiss. Arya I, AGOT

Isabeau is also kind, clever, and brave. As the Comte d’Anjou’s daughter, her manners are noticeably refined.

Be brave, she told herself. Be brave, like a lady in a song. Sansa V, ASOS

"Knights they are," said Petyr. "Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich. Sers, the Lady Alayne, my natural and very clever daughter..." Alayne II, AFFC

For this next part, let’s keep in mind the theory that Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron — the three hedge knights who appear at the Gates of the Moon in Littlefinger’s service in AFFC — are actually Howland Reed, the Elder Brother, and Sandor Clegane in disguise.

Phillipe is known as The Mouse. He’s small and stealthy — the first person ever to escape from Aquila’s prison. He’s also very cheeky. At first, he wants to get as far away from Aquila as possible. After he becomes invested in Navarre and Isabeau’s story, he decides to help them infiltrate Aquila and confront the man who cursed them.

Ser Shadrich was a wiry, fox-faced man with a sharp nose and a shock of orange hair, mounted on a rangy chestnut courser. Though he could not have been more than five foot two, he had a cocksure manner. ... “Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen. Some call me the Mad Mouse.” ... “And are you mad?” “Oh, quite. Your common mouse will run from blood and battle. The mad mouse seeks them out.” Brienne I, AFFC

When Isabeau is wounded, Navarre orders Phillipe to bring her to Imperius, a solitary monk and healer, who saves her life and, along with Phillipe, helps the lovers break their curse.

“The Seven have blessed our Elder Brother with healing hands. He has restored many a man to health that even the maesters could not cure, and many a woman too.” Brother Narbert, Brienne VI, AFFC

The man who cursed them is the Bishop of Aquila, an older man who covets Isabeau and became enraged when she rejected him. The Bishop is portrayed as a greedy, deceitful lord who uses his power to manipulate and exploit people. Imperius describes his desire for Isabeau as “a sort of madness.” Sound like anyone we know?

“Your mother was my queen of beauty once,” the man said quietly. His breath smelled of mint. “You have her hair.” His fingers brushed against her cheek as he stroked one auburn lock. Quite abruptly he turned and walked away. Sansa II, AGOT

Imperius tells Phillipe that Isabeau sensed the Bishop’s wickedness and “shrank from him.” She fell in love with Navarre, and they married in secret.

When Sansa finally looked up, a man was standing over her, staring. He was short, with a pointed beard and a silver streak in his hair, almost as old as her father. “You must be one of her daughters,” he said to her. He had grey-green eyes that did not smile when his mouth did. “You have the Tully look.” “I’m Sansa Stark,” she said, ill at ease. Sansa II, AGOT

“I despise porridge.” He looked at her with Littlefinger’s eyes. “I’d sooner break my fast with a kiss.” A true daughter would not refuse her sire a kiss, so Alayne went to him and kissed him, a quick dry peck upon the cheek, and just as quickly stepped away. Alayne I, AFFC

The parallels between this film and ASOIAF are pretty obvious. Isabeau is a bird, and Navarre is a black wolf — an obvious connection to House Stark — but he could just have easily been a black dog.

All three character’s proposed as the true identities of the three hedge knights in Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron have parallels in this film. Phillipe the Mouse, Imperius the monk, and Navarre the wolf infiltrate Aquila to confront the Bishop and free Isabeau the bird from his curse. If the theory proves true, Shadrich the Mad Mouse (Howland Reed), Morgarth (the Elder Brother), and Byron (Sandor Clegane/the Hound) are working together to infiltrate the Gates of the Moon and help free Sansa (the little bird) from Littlefinger’s clutches. The broad strokes of the characters and their potential future storylines in TWOW are all present.

Ladyhawke is decently acted, and the story itself is beautiful and interesting. But GRRM is right, the score is terrible.

7.5/10

[manygeese]

two years into this and I haven’t made an intro post

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

get to know me:

Hi! You can call me Goose or Geese! I like to write and draw, and my current interest is PJO/HoO, specifically HoO :)

my favorite movies:

Clue (1985)

Cinderella (1997)

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Bye Bye Birdie (1995)

(and others I probably forgot)

my favorite books

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Cheaper by the Dozen by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (again)

Twelfth Knight by Olivie Blake (Alexene Farol Follmuth)

Ao3:

Tags:

#small town affair valgrace au: finished fic on Ao3. Leo’s the adopted son of a farmer who’s not quite realized he’s gay yet, and Jason’s a big city guy who applied for this farmhand job and is now crushing on his boss, Piper’s cute brother. Oneshots in this series’s universe are in progress.

#sally and esperanza au: au inspired by @poppitron360 where Sally and Esperanza fall in love when the latter and Leo move to New York. Gaea sucks them up when Leo and Percy are 8/9, leaving them to get dragged to camp by Grover. I might write snippets of it- taking requests on what scenes to rewrite!

#hoo high school au: ongoing (?) fic on Ao3. A collection of one-shots centered around Piper, Leo, Jason and Reyna (including valgrace and pipeyna, inspired by @demigod-shenanigans). No set update schedule but I’ll get back to writing it soon! Under the title Fast Times at New Rome High on my Ao3.

#valgrace sleeping beauty au: finished fic on Ao3. A little tweaked, but basically just a valgrace sleeping beauty au. Under the title Once Upon a Dream on my Ao3. (kind of toying with the idea of writing a version that’s more loyal to original?)

#the seven’s dynamics: ongoing (?) series, on Ao3, but not really a collection. Just exploring dynamics neglected by the HoO books.

[thatthingilovewith]

hi!! i'm curious about the ballad of who and how? (fantastic name!!)

Thanks for the ask!

Ok, so the ballad of who and how? Is a whodunit inspired by the 1985 Clue movie.

"When Detective Baird and Officer Digg's car breaks down outside the infamous Snow Manor during a storm, the last thing they expected to find was a deadly dinner party inside. Coriolanus Snow is dead and with tensions among those in attendance rising he may not be the only one by the end of the night. With lives on the line its up to them to figure out if the killer lies among the Capitol guests or District staff. When everyone has a motive the only questions remaining are who and how?"

Starring

Lucy Gray Baird & Jessup Diggs as the Police

Coriolanus Snow as his own corpse

Marcus as Mr. "Boddy" the butler

Sejanus Plinth as Wadsworth

Felix Ravinstill as Professor Plum

Festus Creed as Colonel Mustard

Hilarius Heavansbee as Mr. Green

Livia Cardew as Ms. Scarlett

Tigris Snow as Ms. Peacock

Arachne Crane as Mrs. White

Brandy as Yevette

& Reaper Ash as The Cook

*the roles they play in the film are inspired by these characters in the original

This AU will not have the same ending as the film as the film itself has multiple endings if you didn't know.

[myhauntedsalem]

The Unexplained Mystery of Granger

A young man, Granger Taylor was a mechanical genius that was self-taught. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade, however, at the age of only fourteen he built a one-cylinder automobile which is now on display the Duncan Forest Museum along with a steam locomotive that he hauled out of the woods and restored. At age seventeen he overhauled a bulldozer that no one else could repair. He built a replica of a World War II fighter plane that was snatched-up by a collector for $20,000.

Granger always wondered how Flying Saucer were powered. He built his own out of two satellite dishes, one top and one bottom, as an inspiration. His “flying saucer” became a home-away-from-home with couch, TV and a wood stove. He would often sleep in his “space craft”.

He later said he was in contact with extraterrestrials that were going to show him how their technology works. He told everyone he was going for a trip on an alien space ship. Then one night in November of 1980 he disappeared and left a note for his family. To this day, despite an RCMP investigation, he has never been found, nor have they found any possible clues as to his whereabouts.

The Granger Affair is certainly a great Canadian mystery. Surely a man of his obvious mechanical talents would not go unnoticed had he simply slipped away in the night. After a four year investigation authorities haven’t a single lead to where he might be.

The Granger Taylor Flying Saucer rests on stilts in the backyard of the Taylor home at Duncan on Vancouver Island. It is a mute memorial to its builder, young Granger Taylor.

“He built his spaceship out of two satellite receiving dishes and outfitted it with a television, a couch, and a wood-burning stove. He became obsessed with finding out how flying saucers were powered, spending hours sitting in the ship thinking and often sleeping there,” wrote Douglas Curran in his book: In Advance of the Landing: Folk Concepts of Outer Space (1985).

Then one November night in 1980 Granger Taylor simply disappeared.

He left behind a yard strewn with old tractors; machine engines, vintage automobiles, a bulldozer, as well as a note which read:

Dear Mother and Father, I have gone away to walk aboard an alien ship, as recurring dreams assured a 42 month interstellar voyage to explore the vast universe, then return. I am leaving behind all my possessions to you as I will no longer require the use of any. Please use the instructions in my will as a guide to help. Love, Granger.

The forty-two months were up in May 1984 and his parents, Jim and Grace Taylor, leave the back door unlocked in case their son shows up. But he never has.

Granger Taylor left school in the eighth grade and found work as a mechanic’s helper, showing a flair for repairing machinery. At the age of fourteen he built a one-cylinder car which is on display at the Duncan Forest Museum. He constructed a replica of a World War II fighter plane, and he left behind his silver-and-red flying saucer.

He told a friend a month before he disappeared that he was in mental contact with someone from another galaxy and that he was in receipt of an invitation to go on a trip through the Solar System.

“On the night that Granger disappeared, ” wrote Curran, ” a storm struck the central part of Vancouver Island. Hurricane winds were reported and electrical power was knocked out. Granger vanished, along with his blue pick-up truck.

“After four years of ‘exhaustive checks’ of hospital, passport, employment, and vehicle records, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have not uncovered a single clue as to the whereabouts of Granger Taylor. ‘I can hardly believe Granger’s off in a spaceship, ‘his father said. ‘But if there is a flying object out there, he’s the one to find it.’ ”

[rolandrockover]

Bleed It Away

I've seen this one coming for a long time, but have always preferred a generous detour around it.

Why? Maybe because I was never particularly interested in Lick It Up (1983) as a song nor did I even dislike it, but simply because until a while ago I didn't really care about it and it just didn't appeal to me.

Even though I don't feel that Lick It Up is a bad song, my mind can't determine with 100% certainty what made me always shy away from it. Was it the shrill vocals? The somewhat over-ambitious monotonism? The metallic staccatoesque gang chorus?

Paradoxically, these are all attributes that I look at from a different perspective today and therefore appreciate more. Just as I've always found the stylishly humble non-guitar solo and above all the live fill-in segments appealing, by which I don't mean this The Who thing (1), but the version that Kiss played, especially in the 80s up to the Revenge (1992) line-up (2).

But enough of the preface, because it's time for our obligatory look behind the scenes. And who do you think you'll bump into there? Well, a band that friends of Crazy Nights (1987) can sing a song about, even literally, namely Foreigner with their Hot Blooded from 1978, which shouldn't be too much of a novelty.

But that doesn't matter at all, as today we get two for the price of one, and the second of the backstage bunch would be none other than Black Sabbath in their blessed Dio days, ripped from the middle of their glorious Heaven and Hell (1980) phase, represented with Walk Away.

And right from the first guitar notes I think I can hear the chorus and somehow also the main riff from Lick It Up. Is there anyone here who doesn't, and if not, that person must be pretty deaf, even if Sabbath is moving in a completely different direction overall. Conversely, if you listen to Walk Away, you almost get the impression that Ronnie James Dio wants to intonate the vocal refrain every second.

But because everything here blends together like the infamous chocolate bar in your pocket aynway, let's go straight to Foreigner and their Hot Blooded (1978) and remind ourselves where Vinnie got his rhythmically stubborn and monosyllabic (3) main inspiration from when cobbling it all together. And not just him, but also Paul, who must have gotten the Lick It Up live addendum see above from Hot Blooded's main riff, or something like that.

Yes, I suppose it must have been something like that, somehow. I haven't got a clue, it all just sounds like that. And that already brings us one more time to the end.

I'm glad we've finally got this over with.

Side Notes:

(1) Namely Won't Get Fooled Again (1971). More on this and more sometime soon I guess in my upcoming live deviations section (I haven't got a damn clue what I'm going to call it yet).

(2) To find out what this has to do with Asylum (1985), Killers (1982) and even I Was Made For Lovin' You (1979), click right here.

(3) Looking at this then popular rhythm, it's almost like Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2 (1979) to Survivor's Eye of the Tiger (1982), from which a small echo even reached Kiss' Crazy Nights (1987).

Highlighted links should not be necessary here. Everything should be self-explanatory right from the start. Just lick it up, it's all there:

Lick It Up (1983)

Hot Blooded (1978)

Walk Away (1980)

[mariedemedicis]

inspired by the 9 books to read in 2025 tag, since I tend not to watch a lot of movies, I wanted to challenge myself to watch more and watch at least these 9 this year

Ek Ladki ko Dekha toh aisa laga (2019)

The Wolf of Snow Hallow (2020)

Shiva Baby (2020)

Rafiki (2018)

The Nice Guys (2016)

10 Days in a Madhouse (2015)

Mississippi Masala (1991)

Set it Off (1996)

Clue (1985)

tagging @welshrugby, @alliluyevas, @vibratome, @malkaleh, @roadsidegrave, @doyelikehaggis, @slonk-hill-man, @eidetictelekinetic, and anyone who would like to do this!

[justforbooks]

Things you didn't know about board games

Many of us loving playing board games and people have been playing them for millennia. Here's some fun facts about this excellent pastime

1. We have been playing board games for millennia

Chess, checkers, backgammon and Go all have origins in the ancient world. King Tut was buried with multiple sets of an Egyptian game called senet. Hundreds of pieces of Greek pottery depict Ajax and Achilles hunched over a board in the midst of play. And the Ashanti people of Ghana are believed to have created a board game called wari, which you may know as the count-and-capture game mancala.

2. It wasn’t until the 19th century that board games began to be sold commercially

The first, The Mansion of Happiness, came out in England in 1800. The “mansion” was heaven, and players raced to get there. Decades later, an American named Milton Bradley reworked— and rebranded—it as The Checkered Game of Life.

3. Ludo has roots in ancient India, where it was called pachisi

Pachisi is from the Hindi word for “twenty-five,” the highest possible outcome of a single throw. But whereas Americans only tweaked the name to Parcheesi, the British decided to call it Ludo (‘lew-doh), Latin for “I play.” So when Englishman Anthony E Pratt developed his murder-mystery board game in 1943, he called it Cluedo, playing on Ludo. (In some countries, it’s called Clue.)

4. Around the world, the colourful cast of Cluedo can look quite different

Professor Plum was originally called Dr Orange in Spain. Mr Green goes by Chef Lettuce in Chile. Mrs Peacock is Mrs Purple in Brazil and Mrs Periwinkle in France, and in Switzerland, she’s Captain Blue, a man.

5. Board games occasionally inspire screenwriters

There’s the 1985 mystery Clue, the 2012 action movie Battleship and the 2023 fantasy film Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.

6. At least one board game is being adapted into a television show

The game's creator was a famous French filmmaker , Albert Lamorisse, who wrote and directed the 1956 Oscar-winner The Red Balloon, also created a board game he called La Conquête du Monde (Conquest of the World).

Parker Brothers, an American toy and game manufacturer, introduced it to the US soon after, and renamed it Risk.

7. Another game inventor, Alfred Butts, called his game a couple of other names before Scrabble

Butts first called his creation Lexiko, then Criss Cross Words, before settling on Scrabble—a word that means “to hold on to something.” The hugely popular game has been translated into 29 languages and more than 150 million sets have been sold around the world.

8. Over a game of Scrabble, Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott came up with the idea for their game, Trivial Pursuit

Its success launched a years-long legal battle with an American encyclopedist who claimed Haney took trivia from his books, something Haney readily admitted to doing. In the end, the courts decided you can’t steal trivia and dismissed the suit. During the 1980s, Trivial Pursuit outsold even Monopoly, racking up $800 million in sales in 1984 alone.

9. At the highest levels of play, it’s not all fake money

The winner of the World Chess Tournament takes home up to 60 per cent of the €2 million purse, with the runner-up receiving the smaller share. Even the Monopoly world champion takes home real cash: US$20,580, the amount that comes in a standard Monopoly game.

10. Arguably the wrong person is credited with the creation of Monopoly

The American who sold Monopoly to Parker Brothers in the 1930s, Charles Darrow, often receives the credit for creating the game. But it was another American, Elizabeth Magie, who, decades earlier, earned a patent for her invention, The Landlord’s Game.

Players purchased railroads, paid rent and occasionally ended up in jail. Ironically, Magie’s aim with the game was to show the evils of accumulating wealth by bankrupting others.

11. Monopoly was a polarising game in communist countries

Fidel Castro banned it in Cuba, and it was also banned in China for much of the 20th century. But an even more dramatic bit of board game history occurred during the Second World War. Since prisoners of war in Germany were allowed board games, American troops hid maps, compasses and real money inside Monopoly sets to help them escape.

12. The idea for the kids’ classic game Candy Land came from Eleanor Abbott, an American polio patient

In 1949, Abbott wanted to create something for children to play in quarantine. In fact, illness has served as game inspiration many times. In the British mobile-app-turned-board game known as Plague, players take on the role of deadly diseases trying to mutate and spread across the world. Conversely, in Pandemic, created by an American, players try to contain the spread of diseases and discover cures.

13. Thousands of new games are released each year and there's annual awards for the best

How can you tell which ones are worth buying? One reliable indicator is the Spiel des Jahres (“Game of the Year” in German), a prestigious award given each summer by a jury of (mostly German) game critics who volunteer to play and vote for the winning games. Previous award recipients include Settlers of Catan, Dominion and Ticket to Ride. 

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[crowsfinal-thought]

Letters to my Beloved

I did say I’d be writing something soon :) it’s not IWITS, but I got a burst of inspiration. I won’t be divulging who these two lovers are, but there are little clues. Here’s the first letter

Read on AO3

December 15th, 1985, the year of the dark lord

Amore, it pains me to be so far from you, but this is a necessary sacrifice. Sister was too close to finding out, sending you away was the only way to keep you safe. My fratello has been appointed to Cardinal, it is only a matter of time until he takes my position as Papa. Hopefully by then we can finally be reunited. I’ve explained our situation to your pack, and while they miss you, they understand. Orion sends his regards, as well as your brother. I cannot wait to finally see you again.

The holder of your heart,

-S. E.