#drew barrymore's character just runs for a little bit and then just stands there for eternity.....it makes no sense!!!!

[goldlightsaber]

i just started watching scream for the first time and too many stupid/unrealistic decisions are being made for me to fully enjoy this!!! run!!! get out!!!!

[quissum-ego]

A Look At Whip It (2009) Through A Trans Lens

** A preliminary note: throughout this post, I will be referring to Bliss with he/they pronouns, both out of respect for Elliot Page, as well as the fact that it feels right for the character. You’ll see why. Thank you for understanding! (:

I rarely make my own posts on Tumblr, but this feels important enough  to deviate from that streak a little bit, since I think this is something more people should be talking about. Now, as some of you may know, Whip It is a 2009 comedy-drama film directed by Drew Barrymore. The film is an adaptation of the 2007 novel Derby Girl (a.k.a Whip It) by Shauna Cross. Both the film and the novel follow the life of Bliss Cavendar, a Texas teen pursuing their newfound roller derby dream behind the backs of their parents. While I am by no means saying the novel or the film intended for Bliss to be trans, as a trans masc person myself, I cannot help but pick up on the similarities. Let’s dive right in with some quotes from Cross’ novel.

There are a couple instances throughout the text where Bliss expresses a dislike for his given name. 

“ [ ... ] Bliss is not gonna cut it (I’ve been telling Brooke that for years.)”

Bliss’ struggle with his mother-given name and his complete awe at the fact that people (specifically the roller derby girls) so freely adapt an alternative name really hit home with me, personally. His feelings towards his birth name mirror the way myself and many of my trans friends feel, and these feelings were especially strong for me when I was around Bliss’ age. It is apparent that he has wanted a different name to better express himself for years, something that his mother looks down upon. 

On a similar note, there are multiple instances where Bliss wonders who he really is, and how he can find and reclaim his own sense of self. 

1. “I suddenly wonder what else I have in me that’s been stunted by too many years of pageant participation.” 

Bliss would have little-to-no chance to explore how he wants to present himself when around his mother, but the world of roller derby slowly begins to open that door. Leading a double life that his parents don’t know about becomes his ticket to exploring aspects of himself that otherwise might have been pushed down.

2. “In an effort to shake off the pink-suit residue and reclaim my personal identity [...]”

Bliss resorts back to what he feels most comfortable in (graphic t-shirts) in an effort to “reclaim [his] personal identity”. Instead of the traditionally feminine ways that his mother has come to expect of him, Bliss finds comfort in his personal identity that is the exact opposite. 

3. “Who are you [...]” “[...] I’ve been wondering that my entire life.” 

Bliss struggles with his identity, and obviously has for as long as he can remember. 

4. “You don’t even know me!”

“Bliss, you’re only sixteen. You don’t even know who you are.”

“I know I’m not Miss Bluebonnet [...] I know that much.” 

Bliss emotionally retorts to the fact that he may not know who he is with the fact that he knows he is not a pageant girl. The identity he has found through roller derby triumphs over the Miss America cage Brooke has tried so hard to secure. He knows who he is, and she can no longer dictate that for him. 

In the final two passages, Bliss’ parents begin to come around to the idea of him playing roller derby (an identity of his that feels like an ongoing metaphor for being LGBT). 

“But you - you’re Babe Ruthless.” 

“[...] she’s not only giving me my skates, but my freedom.” 

In the end, Bliss’ mother accepts that he has come to be “Babe Ruthless”, and in giving him his skates to compete, she is giving him freedom. Brooke has finally accepted that Bliss may not be the person she believed him to be, but she wants him to be happy regardless. 

“Not that Earl would ever say it, but I’ve always had a feeling he would have loved to have had a football-playing son. I think me playing Roller Derby might be the next best thing.” 

Earl would have loved to have a sports-loving son, and Bliss sees his love for roller derby as the next best thing. He is, in his own way, the son Earl never knew he had. 

The film adaptation of Whip It offers many great moments that carry this theme of roller derby being used as a metaphor for Bliss being trans. 

After dying his hair blue before an important pageant in what feels like an act of defiance against his mother, Bliss is saddened to return home from the hair salon with it all washed out. When Earl notices the family coming home, he exclaims, “Dang it, girl, what has gotten into you?” to which Bliss replies with, “Just defective, I guess.” 

Bliss feels defective in the world of beauty pageants because it is so opposing to who he is, and the life he wants to live. All he’s known thus far has been a complete 180 from himself, rendering him to feel out of place. 

When Bliss first sees the derby league out in Austin, he is instantly enamored. His wish to live as freely as they do and express himself away from his mother is what drives him towards wanting to join the league. 

After the game, Bliss expresses that the league are his new heroes. Maggie encourages him to be his own hero, to go out and live freely. 

The film evolves into Bliss leading a double life. His parents believe he is studying with an SAT prep group, while in reality, he is training and playing with the roller derby league. One life where Bliss has to practice for pageants, study, and be who his mother wants him to be, and a second life where “Babe Ruthless” can follow his heart and be himself. The more Bliss embraces his inner Babe Ruthless, the more confident he becomes, both on the track as well as in school, as he finally begins standing up to bullies. 

A key moment in the film comes when Bliss’ parents discover his roller derby promotional poster, and his secret double life becomes a lot less secret. The dialogue throughout the scene feels heavily trans-coded, particularly as Bliss cries out for his mother to “[...] stop shoving [her] psychotic idea of 50′s womanhood down [Bliss’] throat”. Bliss explains how he knows his parents wouldn’t have accepted the life where he feels he is truly himself, and the confrontation ends with them parting ways, and Bliss temporarily running away. 

After reconciling with his parents and agreeing to participate in the pageant, Bliss initially believes his roller derby dreams to be a thing of the past. On the night of the pageant, however, Bliss’ father warms up to the idea, and seeks out Bliss’ teammates. They all arrive at the venue of the pageant to surprise Bliss. 

When Brooke (naturally) disagrees with Earl’s change of heart, he expresses that he “[...] can not taking losing the chance for (our) kid to be happy.” 

His parents make it to the game, and end up coming around to the fact that this is who Bliss is, and perhaps who he has always been. After the match, Bliss meets up with his mother to talk with her. 

She comes to terms with the fact that she can’t change what Bliss is going to do in life, and he expresses that he needs to know she can accept him. She admits that it will be hard, but ultimately she will try, which is all that Bliss truly hoped for. 

The film closes with Bliss’ mother reading his pageant speech and putting away the custom gown (perhaps accepting that this chapter of their lives has closed), Earl putting up a Babe Ruthless sign on the Cavendar’s front lawn in support of their kid, and Bliss sitting atop the Oink Joint, seemingly at peace with this newfound joy in his life. He has found himself, and found what he truly loves doing, and he now knows that he has people in his life who support him through and through. 

All in all, while I am aware this is just one way to interpret the film, I wanted to share my thoughts because this has made his film truly special to me. If you haven’t already, give the film a watch. It is more than worth your time. I’d love to hear your thoughts, if you picked up on any of the same themes as me, or what you thought if this post ended up encouraging you to watch the film.

Thanks for sticking around and reading to the end. You’re the coolest. (~:  

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

The Goonies: A Product of the Times

Released in 1985, The Goonies came along right smack in the middle of a decade well-known for its movies centered on youth.  While there are plenty of fond memories of the ‘teen oriented’ films like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Adventures in Babysitting, Hollywood of the 1980s was focused on more than just the teenagers: it was also pretty heavily focused on what it was like to be a kid.

From Flight of the Navigator, The Explorers, and The Monster Squad to E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, a lot of the films of the 1980s were about the adventures of people under the age of 14: children.  Ranging from sci-fi to comedy, to horror, to adventure, the movies about kids during this decade of the new and untested were getting as big as everything else: more and more impressive as an entire subgenre of children’s movies starring up-and-coming child stars (Drew Barrymore, Fred Savage, River Phoenix, Corey Haim, and plenty more) sprouted up out of the ground, playing the gambit of genres and allowing children to act in ways that hadn’t been deeply explored before.  These weren’t adult films with roles for children: a lot of these were movies about kids.  

Instead of movies like The Champ or Aliens, starring children in side roles, films like The Goonies, Return to Oz, Stand By Me, and Time Bandits starred kids in the main roles, carrying the stories themselves with incredible performances, broadening the horizons for adventure films about kids, for kids.

Such is The Goonies, a film that really could only have been made in the 1980s.

How do I know that?

Simple.

As we’ve discussed before, no film ever made is separate from the culture it was created in.  Every single movie, television show, radio broadcast, book, newspaper, comic or song ever made has been directly impacted by the culture and other pieces of media surrounding it.

This seems pretty obvious: after all, a product made by people living in a certain kind of culture is going to reflect that culture.  No film is an island, and while that seems pretty self-explanatory and without much need for discussion, in an era with more and more pieces of media debated as to their worth to a modern viewpoint, it leaves those of us who enjoy older movies with a very important question:

How ‘dated’ is too dated?

It’s not as easy a question to answer as it might seem.

See, ‘dated’ is an interesting term.

Typically, the word ‘dated’ is used to apply to anything discernibly created in a specific time period.  It’s synonymous with ‘old fashioned’, when applied to a film, it carries the implication that the movie is less understandable by those looking from outside that particular culture or time period, worsened by the cultural drift.  This would be a film that hasn’t ‘aged well’, most often describing contemporary films of the day.  By contrast, a film that’s considered ‘timeless’ is the exact opposite: a film that remains completely understandable following a change in the culture.  This is a film without a cultural footprint or identity, without any actual context, able to be enjoyed no matter how much time has passed.

These are words that get thrown around a lot in the film world.  There are plenty of arguments over which films are timeless, and which are dated, whether Die Hard shows its age too much to be enjoyed, or whether Commando is too ridiculously ‘80s to be watched in any other context, but the fact is, the argument is a lot more complicated than it seems to be boiled down into.

We’ve talked a lot about definitions, but the fact is, by strict definitions, no movie, or any piece of media ever made, is actually ‘timeless’.  Every film is a product of its times, but that does not mean necessarily that they are defined by their times.  With this in mind, films like The Terminator and Predator, while set and made in the 1980s, are not exactly dated, because they are not defined by the 1980s.  Anyone with the slightest understanding of the idea that times change can accept things like hairstyles, music changes, and special effects.  Like I said, a film is considered ‘dated’ if it is less understandable or enjoyable in hindsight, from a place outside of that specific culture, and things like the movie tips and tricks of decades past are fairly easily forgiven.  

Less easily overlooked are ideas.

If a ‘timeless’ film is a movie not defined by its own times, then a ‘dated’ one is a film that is defined by its culture, typically in a negative way.  

So, the question is: which is The Goonies?

Timeless iconic kid’s adventure film, or dated ‘80s flick?

Well, it’s kind of hard to say at first glance.

By externals, there’s no question.  The way the kids are dressed and Mouth’s use of the word ‘gnarly’ pretty clearly set this film in the mid 1980s, as does the fact that nobody has a cell phone to call their parents.  But as we’ve already established, there’s a bit more to it than that.

The cast is fairly typical of its day: all white except for Rosalita, the Spanish-speaking housekeeper, and mostly male.  The two female Goonies do allow for a little more range than is sometimes portrayed in kid adventure films, with a Tomboy and Girly Girl dynamic that normalizes more than a standard Token Female per group, and even Mama Fratelli (although by no means a role model for young girls) balances out by being a memorable villain, bringing the gender ratio a tiny bit closer to even than a lot of contemporary films.  With that said though, there isn’t really anything that I’d argue idea wise in this sense that dates the film terribly badly, aside from a series of fat jokes at Chunk’s expense and a moment where Andy is given the unfortunately expected treatment of having her date try to look up her skirt, which was considerably more shrugged off at the time (although she does get him for it later, offscreen).

And there are other elements too that indicate that this film is from a different time:

A PG in 1985 for a kid’s film was very different from a PG now, and it shows.  The language used by a lot of the kids, as well as the violence, drug jokes, and other material has proven to shock more than one fan who went back to watch The Goonies as an adult.  And that’s not all: the basic concept of kids banding together in this way, while making a resurgence in the form of Stranger Things, hasn’t really stuck around for very long.

After the 1980s, the ‘band of kids’ adventure story somewhat died out.  By the 1990s, the ‘kid’ adventure stories calmed down, with lower stakes and less danger, and while the trope still appears in ‘retro’ nostalgia pieces, for the most part, we simply don’t see it anymore, and the idea still tends to bring to mind stories like Stand By Me, The Monster Squad, and even It.

It’s just a statement of fact, and not nostalgia, to look at this film and remark: “They don’t make them like this anymore.”  Because they don’t.

In most movies today, kids don’t run around in tunnels, having a blast and looking for buried treasure without their parents or any adult supervision, with their lives in danger, all the while quirky, peppy music assures the audience that everything’s going to be okay.  That’s not necessarily good or bad, it just means times have changed, and that the way that The Goonies was made was directly influenced by the types of movies coming out at the time.

However, while that style may bring to mind the 1980s, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s specifically enjoyed in that era.

As a matter of fact, there’s a lot about The Goonies that’s like that.

The basic premise of the story, while not necessarily common anymore, is still understandable to people decades later.  Just because we no longer dress or talk like 1985 anymore doesn’t mean that the core essentials of the film are rendered completely unrelatable.  Kids still become friends and don’t want to move away from them, that much is understandable.  Even though the style of filmmaking has changed, the characters really haven’t: we all know a Data, or a Mouth, or a Chunk, or a Mikey, sometimes we even are one of them.  Kids understand the danger they’re in: not just losing their lives, but their homes, their friendships.  These characters and their story still ring true decades later, even if there are things about it that point to its creation being set in the mid ‘80s.

In short?

No, The Goonies probably couldn’t have been made today.  But that doesn’t mean it can’t still be enjoyed today.

There’s surprisingly little that actually harmfully dates the film itself, and the film is, in many ways, just as exciting and fun as it was when it was first released.  Honestly, there’s the possibility that due to the lack of movies like it made today, the film actually has a larger impact and is more unique and memorable now than it was in 1985.  

And while the quality of the film has not shifted, as the time around it does, I think we’ll find that as the film gets older, more audiences will continue to discover it, forty, fifty, sixty years later and find that the movie still tugs at a nostalgic part of them and makes them feel like children again.  

The Goonies is a fun, exciting, charming story that has remained beloved so long partially due to nostalgia, but also because people genuinely love the story and characters, proving that a film is ‘timeless’, not because you can tell what decade it was made in, but because it has endured, because people still enjoy it after the culture has changed.

If you can watch The Goonies and love these characters and enjoy their adventure, it doesn’t matter that Mouth is wearing parachute pants or that some of the character cliches haven’t been used in thirty years.  In the end, a film’s quality has little to do with how easily we can tell what time the film was made in, and a lot to do with what it’s about, and how well people remember it.  If that’s the criteria, then The Goonies is pretty timeless.

The Goonies has lasted this long as an ‘80s staple, and an adventure movie classic in general because no matter if it’s 1985 or 2085, people can understand it, enjoy it, and relate to the characters and themes.  And that’s the reason it will continue to endure.  

It’s been over thirty years since those kids first trekked into the caves to save the Goondocks, and the audience for this film has done nothing but grow since then.  The characters and the heart of the film have gone unchanged since then, still entertaining and even touching audience members who remember what it was like to be a kid and want ‘their time’, and they will continue to endure for decades.

Thank you guys so much for reading!  If you have something you’d like to add or say, don’t forget that the comment box is always open!  I hope to see you all in the next article.

[sorenserotonin]

Momentary Losers chapter 3

AO3 link

chapter 1 chapter 2

Summary:  Richie and his bandmates get back from a tour to meet Stan's boyfriend Bill, and Bill's small and anxious best friend Eddie. From the moment they met, Richie was infatuated, but he was sure Eddie hated his guts. How could he not? Richie was everything Eddie wasn't. Little did Richie know, everyone has a little bit of a "Total Disaster" in them.

Ships: Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak, Stanley Uris/Bill Denbrough, Beverly Marsh/Ben Hanscom, Mike Hanlon/Richie Tozier, Stanley Uris/Mike Hanlon (eventually)

warning for drug use, mentions of underage sex (its natural for teenagers to do things at that age, and its not explicit don't worry), a down day in depression, and adults had sex (again not explicit)

Richie was laying on the living room floor facetiming Mike. He smiled at the sight of Mike petting the puppy that slept on his chest. “I can’t make it,” Mike gave a pout and Richie’s smile fell. “I got that charity event.”

Richie groaned. “I don’t wanna third wheel Stan and Bill,” he sat up. “Can’t you save animals the next day?”

Mike rolled his eyes. “You’ll have Bev,” he licked his lips.

“She and Ben have date night that night,” Richie ran his hand through his hair.

Mike pursed his lips, thinking. “Ask Eddie if he’ll go,” he suggested.

Richie hadn’t thought of asking the smaller man. He didn’t know how he felt about Eddie, other than thinking he was cute. He wondered if Eddie would even agree. He sighed and scratched his head. He said goodbye to Mike and hung up. He immediately regretted hanging up, missing the comfort of seeing his friend and the small animal.

He bit his lip as he opened Eddie’s contact information. The contact photo he used of the smaller man was a four panel comic of a man dressed as a flower asking to be pissed on. He snorted, mumbling to himself and he pressed the call button. “And just let him fucking die?” he laughed as he waited for Eddie to pick up.

“Richie?” Eddie asked.

Richie smiled. “Hey, Eds,” he bit his lip to stop laughing.

Eddie sighed. “Don’t call me that,” he stated. “Why did you call me?”

Richie furrowed his brow. “Well I won’t tell you if you ask in that tone, Spaghetti Man.”

Richie could hear anger bubbling in the way Eddie breathed. Richie wondered if the man took the teasing the same way Stan did or if the anger was real. “Is there a specific reason you called me? I was in the middle of making lunch.”

Richie could hear the sound of Amy Winehouse playing from Eddie’s speaker. “Me and Stan were invited to do a video with some website and we can bring a plus one each. Stan is taking Bill, I was wondering if you wanted to come with?”

He heard Eddie’s breath hitch. Before Eddie could answer there was a clatter and Eddie hissed. “Shit,” he whispered.

“Everything good?” Richie asked.

“Yeah I just dropped a knife on my foot-”

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Richie quickly asked.

Eddie took a deep breath. “No, it was the handle of a butter knife. I just have to clean it up.”

Richie was relieved to hear that Eddie was okay. “So you gonna do the porno or no?” he decided to lighten the mood.

He heard Eddie guffaw. “What?!” he exclaimed.

“The internet would go wild, I mean my nudes somehow haven’t leaked,” Richie shrugged.

“Richie, no-”

Richie saw Stan walking down the stairs. “Calm down, Eds, it was a joke. Stan would never agree to fucking me on camera,” Richie smirked as he interrupted Eddie.

“I wouldn’t want to catch anything,” Stan projected his voice, enough so Eddie could hear him.

“Richie what is this actually about? Don’t you dare say it’s a porno,” Richie could hear Eddie licking something off of his fingers.

He glanced at Stan. “It is a video, that wasn’t a joke. It’s just an interview thing with a fan that runs a website. She knows who Stan is because she’s been to almost every show. Bev and Mike can’t make it,” Richie grabbed Stan’s hand when the other man sat on the couch.

“I guess, I can drive if you guys want,” Eddie replied.

After discussing the details, Richie hung up. He was still holding Stan’s hand and sitting on the floor. He placed his phone in his pocket and stood up, grabbing Stan’s other hand. He pulled Stan off the couch, now they were standing. Richie wiggled his body a bit and Stan gave him a blank stare. Richie smiled wide. “We got a ride to the interview.”

“Okay…”

Richie stopped moving. He frowned at Stan. “Is today a bad day?” When Stan sat on the couch again, not letting go of Richie’s hands, Richie didn’t need an answer. Richie looked down at Stan, squeezing his hands. He smiled again. “You don’t know the last time I washed my hands.”

Stan attempted to escape Richie’s grasp, but couldn’t. “God, you’re disgusting, stop I can see the dirt under your fingernails.”

Due to his bad mood, Stan invited Bill over to cuddle and watch a movie. Richie scoffed and said that he could have done that. Since Mike was leaving for a charity event in New York the next afternoon, Richie had suggested he join them. He didn’t say that it was also because he didn’t want to be a third wheel, but everyone knew that was also a reason.

Surprisingly, Mike and Bill arrived at the same time. When Richie opened the door, Bill was laughing at something Mike said. “I reckon you fellas are getting along good,” Richie did a terrible southern accent and Mike rolled his eyes.

Richie stepped aside, letting them inside. Mike was holding a plastic bag, Richie reached for it and Mike swatted his hand. “This is for Stan,” he informed.

Stan walked into the living room wearing his pajamas. “Mike,” he smiled, hugging the man in question. Mike patted Stan’s back, smiling, his eyes meeting Richie’s. They separated, and Mike handed the bag to Stan. “Thank you,” Stan said quietly. He opened the bag and looked inside. He then, looked at Mike. Richie couldn’t see his expression but he saw the way Mike seemed to brighten up. Richie caught the way Bill’s face kind of fell. “Mike, you didn’t have to do this,” Stan whispered, affection dripping from his voice like melted ice cream.

Mike blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. “You know that I do this every time you get like this,” Mike smiled.

Richie realised what was in the bag instantly. “Mike’s special homemade vegan yogurt,” he nodded. “Micycle, you better give me the special non-vegan yogurt later,” he winked.

Mike scoffed. “Rich, you’re disgusting,” Richie laughed.

Stan walked over to his boyfriend, and Bill finally smiled. They hugged and kissed, and Richie rolled his eyes. He sat on the couch, Mike sitting next to him. Stan closed the front door and then grabbed Bill’s hand. He brought him to the couch. Bill sat next to the arm, giving Stan room between him and Mike. Stan kissed his knuckles and left the room to get a spoon.

Richie mockingly grabbed Mike’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “Oh, Billy boy I sure do love you’re hands,” he loudly said, in a horrible Stan impression.

Mike rolled his eyes and Bill looked at Richie as if the man had challenged him. “Kissing knuckles a-aren’t the only things my ha-hands are good for,” he smirked.

Richie laughed. “Ooo, Bill Denbrough gets off a good one!” Richie leaned into the couch, putting his feet on the coffee table.

Stan walked back into the room. “I don’t even want to know what was said when I was gone,” he said as he sat on the couch in a way that Richie called ‘criss cross applesauce’. Stan opened the tupperware container and looked at Richie. “Can you turn on a movie or a TV show? At this point I don’t care.”

Richie nodded and used the PlayStation to open Hulu. “What genre?” he asked.

Stan shrugged. “Comedy I guess… as long as I don’t wish I could be as happy as them,” Richie smirked. He quickly put on an episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Stan groaned. “Richie you know I hate this show.”

Richie put the controller on the floor. “Shut up, just watch the episode.”

Stan reluctantly watched the episode, eating the yogurt with a frown on his face. He leaned back into the couch, tilting his head toward Mike. Bill bit his lip and took a deep breath. Richie was watching them, just trying to see how Stan was. He just wanted to see how Stan would react to the episode he chose.

When Dennis opened the crate with the rocket launcher inside, Stan was leaning against Mike with his legs in Bill’s lap. Richie was bearing the weight of both Mike and Stan, Mike leaning on his shoulder. Mike had fallen asleep 10 minutes into the episode. Richie didn’t understand how the man could nap during the shown known for the characters screaming at each other. Richie noticed that Stan offered Bill some of his yogurt. Bill declined, saying it was for Stan. Stan rolled his eyes and said that he wanted Bill to try it. Bill complied and basically moaned at the taste. Stan smiled, “what do you think?” he asked.

Bill licked his lips. “That was d-delicious.”

“Stan, I think he might want to have some time alone with the yogurt,” Richie said, keeping his voice at a level to not wake Mike up.

“Rich, you don’t have to whisper,” Mike said, shocking Richie. Stan let out a bark of laughter, at Richie’s expression.

Richie put on 50 First Dates, with no protest. He almost wanted to turn the movie off to spite their lack of reaction to Adam Sandler. “Can’t believe you’re letting me do this.”

Mike placed his hand high up Richie’s thigh. “I love Drew Barrymore,” he said, his voice quiet enough so only Richie could hear.

Richie adjusted his sitting position, knowing that his face was bright red. He handed the controller to Stan. “Have fun,” he said quickly.

Mike got up, Stan moving to lean on Bill. Bill looked more satisfied than he had the whole time he was there. Richie quickly got up, darting upstairs. He heard Mike’s footsteps, and connected his phone to the speakers on his dresser. When Mike closed the door, the playlist started. Mike crashed his lips against Richie’s, pulling him close.

When Richie took off the black bowling shirt with neon flames, Mike pulled their lips apart. “Really? Panic is on your sex playlist?” he smirked, pulling off his shirt.

Richie unbuttoned his matching jeans. “Can you blame me? Brendon’s voice is bound to give anyone a hard on.”

Stay for as long as you have time

So the mess that we'll become

Leaves something to talk about

Richie woke up to the sight of Mike Hanlon putting one of the only not tacky shirts that Richie owned. He couldn’t tell what he was looking at due to the lack of contacts or glasses. Mike handed him his glasses, and smiled. Richie put his glasses on and smiled at the sight of Mike wearing his Aerosmith shirt. “Good morning,” he said.

“We need to talk,” Mike said quietly, his smile not falling. It didn’t reach his eyes, though.

Richie sat up, stretching his tattoo covered arms and yawning. “You don’t want me to ride your Micycle?” he didn’t know why his stomach was turning. He chose to believe it was the lack of wake up coke.

Mike sat on Richie’s bed, no longer looking at him. “Yeah, Richie,” he paused. “I think we should stop this.”

Richie nodded. “I have something to tell you.”

Mike finally looked at him. “Please don’t hate me,” he said quietly.

Richie shook his head. “I could never hate you, you’re Mike fucking Hanlon. Homeschool, Micycle, Mikey, Mike and Ike,” he ran out of nicknames, licking his lips. “Do you remember that night?”

They were sixteen, the last two at the quarry after a summer day in the sun. They were in the bed of Mike’s truck, both wrapped in their towels. “You talk a big game, Trashmouth,” Mike began. “Have you ever actually…?” his voice was quieter this time.

Richie pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, of course, dude.”

Mike looked at him, hesitant. “I trust you… I’m still a virgin…”

“Yeah?” Mike replied, furrowing his brows.

Richie looked down. “I lied. You were actually my first time.”

Richie knocked on Stan’s window. Stan opened the window, wiping his eyes. He was wearing polka dot pajamas. “What?” his voice was raspy with sleep.

“Stan, I have to tell him it was my first time. How do I tell him?” Richie wasn’t thinking. He couldn’t think since Mike kissed him.

Stan squinted at him, then looked at the clock on his dresser. “It’s 3 AM, I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“Why did you lie?” Mike asked, standing up. “I mean yeah i kinda assumed you did lie, but why are you telling me now and not then?”

“Mike it’s been almost ten years. I was a dumb kid and I actually don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I wanted to, I just didn’t know how you would react,” Richie was babbling. He got out of his bed, thankful he had the decency to put his boxers on last night. He extended his hand.

Mike took a step back and Richie wanted to cry. “Don’t touch me, I can’t believe it took you almost a decade to tell me you lied to me about that on that night.”

“I didn’t want to lose your trust-”

“Then you should have told me!”

“Micycle-”

“No, Richie! We can’t keep screwing each other, especially now.”

Richie took a deep breath, pushing his hair out of his face. “I get that! Just please tell me why you want to stop, so I don’t feel like a complete ass.”

“I just can’t keep doing this. The way we act every morning after. I don’t want to have to pretend I don’t hear you snort a line in the bathroom when you wake up. I don’t want to think that me having feelings for someone will ruin our friendship. I just don’t think us having sex is good for out friendship. The band went on a no tour hiatus two years ago because we didn’t know if it was awkward to do normal friend stuff because we agreed to no romance. I don’t want to lose you and this sex stuff has caused both of us to not go after people we wanted something serious with. I want to be at least somewhat normal,” Mike’s voice broke on the last sentence.

“Fine. Then go. Go to your fucking charity and take pretty girls on dates and fuck them. I’ll do the same fucking thing,” Richie didn’t know why he was lashing out. He just knew he needed coke to be able to deal with this.

Mike rolled his eyes. “Goodbye Richie. Get high and burn some pancakes.”

Richie slammed the bathroom door at the same time that Mike slammed the bedroom door. Richie dumped a bit of the familiar white powder on the counter. He used the small razor he kept in the drawer to cut the powder into a line. He grabbed the straw and was finally able to breathe when he inhaled. He rubbed his nose, ignoring the drop of red on his hand.

Tag List

@lousytrashmouth @beepbeepbabe @queertrashmouth @gospelofthewitch @harringrovesucks @festive-wheeler @rochibi @burymestanding @i-is-gazebo @ohheydatsme @supernaturalslytherinintheimpala @maisy-the-fangirl @novopsi @sweetbadheart @sugarandsaltandeverythingthot @colorful-dodie @aristosachaiov @bitchierrichie @arklcat 

ask to be added to the tag list! this is a slow burn

[skiinggray5-blog]

This Week in Superlatives: Most Dramatic First Kiss, Biggest Cameo Party and the Stunt That Almost Gave Us a Heart Attack

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Watch This Now – Feb. 4-10, 2019

Afraid you might've missed something major on TV this week? Not to fear! Here, we break down all the biggest moments of the week, for better and for worse, by dishing out some prizes to those small screen moments that stood out the most.

The preview we can't stop thinking about: Thanks to the Super Bowl, there were a lot of new commercials and trailers to savor this week, but the one that has stuck with us most is the first-look at Jordan Peele's The Twilight Zone. If this series reboot wasn't exciting enough with all of its buzzy cast members and what storylines we know we can expect, this spoiler-free and rather simple preview really sent the message home that this take would have exactly the right tone and texture to serve as an eerie socio-commentary of our time. Game of Thrones might've upped its WTF factor a bit with that completely unexpected Bud Light crossover, and The Handmaid's Tale's melting record-style sound effect was well-played, but Peele was the secret hero of the whole Super Bowl with this trailer (and the one for Us, AND the one for Toy Story 4).

The stunt that almost gave us a heart attack: The first two episodes of CBS' new reality competition series The World's Best had everyone holding their breath as British daredevil Matt Johnson, aka "The Drowning Man," decided to lock himself into a water-filled tank so that they could prove himself a bona fide escape artist. As time ticked past the 2-minute mark on his submersion, and he proceeded to fumble for the dropped key that would save him, the expressions on James Corden, Drew Barrymore, Rupaul and Faith Hill's faces said it all: This guy is either really brave or completely nuts (or both), and it's not clear if he's going to pull this off or die right now. The good news is, he ultimately made it out. Gasping, but still alive. Phew.

Most GIFable moment: Terry Crews shaking his stuff on America's Got Talent is one of the best things that happened all week.

Terry Crews, America's Got Talent

Pettiest company drama: Here we go again with Netflix getting more shade from its competitors. This time, it was FX CEO John Landgraf who cast some doubt on all those jaw-dropping viewership numbers the streaming service has been touting lately. Hmmm.

Biggest groan: Speaking of Netflix, the company has decided to transform itself into Goop TV this fall for some reason.

The most awkward first kiss: The Bachelor really outdid itself this week by having Heather receive her first kiss EVER on the show. Unlike Elyse, who didn't seem to get the memo that she'd have to share Colton Underwood (or that he hadn't proposed to her yet), Heather was happy to swap spit with Colton in Thailand... after what felt like 20 minutes of tension-building awkward silence, of course.

Best first kiss: Shout out to Riverdale for finally getting Archie (KJ Apa) and Josie (Ashleigh Murray) to go there (hopefully this has no bearing on Josie's decision to move to New York), but we gotta give the best first kiss of the week prize to DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) on Grey's Anatomy. This is the thing MerLuca fans have been waiting for, after that straight-up mean elevator tease. DeLuca got pretty spicy in the build-up to it, though, no?

The coolest cameo onslaught: Arrow's 150th episode was straight-up bananas with the key character cameos. The docu-style episode featured Oliver (Stephen Amell) being followed around by the film crew, with interviews of Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), Thea Queen (Willa Holland), Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Sin (Bex Taylor-Klaus), Rory Regan (Joe DiNicol), Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), Diggle (David Ramsey) and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin). Plus, the episode's action got Rene (Rick Gonzalez), Curtis (Echo Kellum) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) back into their vigilante masks without them ending up in prison. Hooray! All was well until we got a look at the future, as Blackstar (Katherine McNamara) and Connor Hawke (Joseph David Jones) visited the now-run-down Arrow cave and hinted that there are some dark days ahead for our heroes.

Valuable lesson time: Like its parent program, Grown-ish decided to slow down and try and teach us all a little something with its latest episode centered around a thoughtful and nuanced discussion of the college's new policy about consent. Good talk.

grown-ish

The unsurprising surprise: The Masked Singer has certainly surprised us before, but not this week. The revelation that the Raven was Ricki Lake was a surprise to exactly zero people who'd been paying attention to her little clues.

Biggest letdown: Chicago P.D.'s second effort to address the Black Lives Matter movement was a well-intentioned mess and blew yet another opportunity to take a stand.

Manliest man tears: Supernatural's 300th episode was full of attractive grown men crying. Jeffrey Dean Morgan made his first appearance as John Winchester since Season 2, and the family reunion that ensued was cathartic for both Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles). But once everyone realized that John couldn't stay because it screwed up the timeline, there wasn't just a Single Man Tear™ trickling down a chiseled jawline. Oh no, there were lots and lots of man tears flowing. And OK, maybe we shed some tears too. It was emotional, all right?

Binge(s) of the week: Once again, we gotta give this one to Netflix as they roll out their new sci-fi fantasy series The Umbrella Academy and the third season of One Day at a Time. But props are also due to Amazon Prime, which adds The Expanse's third season its streaming offerings this week as well.

PHOTOS: Galentine's Day Gift Guide

Parks and Recreation

Source: https://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-superlatives-february-8/?rss=breakingnews