#first really does have chemistry with literally everyone he shares a scene with it's insane

[guardian-angle22]

Tagged by @beautifulhigh & @welcometololaland to list my top 5 Tarlos scenes.

This is really going to show my Season 3 bias ngl.

#5. 2.12 "Don't make me twist your arm."/"Please do."

Their chemistry is insane when they're teasing each other downstairs and then they kiss each other so softly once they get upstairs. I'm a sucker for a good soundtrack moment and there's something iconic about having their house literally light up on fire under them while obliviously making out as Fever by Elvis Presley plays in the background. Peak cinema tbh.

#4. 3.04 "Hey, baby. Breathe."/"Welcome home, TK."

We can all agree to have these two can count as one scene, right? they go back to back. The way TK reached for Carlos as soon as he woke up and immediately noticed that Carlos wasn't breathing right even though he just woke up from a coma, is still groggy, and barely has his eyes open? soulmate shit right there. If you haven't watched this without the music. my god. do it now. & then add in how happy they both look as Carlos leads TK into the loft with his hands over his eyes, and then when TK looks around and you can see on his face when he realizes he still gets to have this despite everything? Beautiful.

#3. 3.18 "For the first time in my life, the love that I feel is infinitely more powerful than the fear of losing it."/"A thousand times yes."

I mean can I even say more about the proposal that hasn't already been said? the urgency TK felt that prompted him to wake Carlos up in the middle of the night. His speech to Carlos. All the little touches throughout. The way they both were crying by the end. It was beautiful and it was perfect for them. (the only way it could have been better is if they maybe stopped to turn on a fucking lamp)

#2. 3.08 "Hey, look at me."/"I love you."

This was their first mutual "I love you" shown on screen and while the context was heartbreaking, it was still so so sweet. Carlos being the loving caregiver, kissing TK's forehead, rubbing his knee, wanting to make sure he eats. The way Carlos tells TK to look at him and he does immediately, even though TK has been basically avoiding eye contact with everyone the entire scene will live rent free in mind for all of time, I'm sure.

#1. 3.13 "Do you have any idea how proud of you I am?"/"You're just so sweet."

Can I put the entirety of 3.13 on the list at number one? Because it's my favorite episode for them. It has so many things. It has them being domestic and flirtatious. TK being distracted by Carlos in yoga clothes. It has them fighting a bit, overcoming those obstacles, and communicating. It showed Carlos as a multidimensional character with flaws like jealousy and pettiness, but then growing through it to come to the realization that he can't be everything that TK needs at the end of the day.

But if I absolutely had to pick just one scene from it, I would chose the opening scene. TK sharing with Carlos about his meeting, finding a sponsor, & the realization of not having Gwyn around affecting his mindset. Carlos waiting up with his adorable glasses, reading articles to educate himself, telling TK how proud of him he is. TK calling him sweet and flirting with him. I just-- 🥰🥰

----

Because I'm doing this pretty late in the day, this has made it's rounds through a lot of my mutuals already. so I'm just going to tag a few people that I haven't seen do it yet (no pressure though if you're not feelin' it. but also if you have done it and I missed it let me know so I can read yours!): @morganaspendragonss @ourlegendwillbefitforverse @detective-giggles @noxsoulmate @ladytessa74 @autistic-lesbian-story-lover @tkstrandreyes @pragmatic-optimist @reyescarlos @spencessmile @poledancingghostson @sunshinestrand @mandiiigurllll

[dengswei]

can’t believe we got ohmfirst kiss but not firstfluke screaming

[icingspring]

The Shipper Challenge

It's late, I'm bored and this seems like a fun challenge to do. Take a look back on some of my favorite ships over the years.

Favorite Ship- CaptainSwan

Emma and Hook, where to begin? Enemies to lovers, the chemistry, the angst. Everything about these two is just perfect from start to finish, and I just will never get over them. Enough said.

First Ship- BBRae

Beast Boy and Raven would be my first "official" ship, where I actively searched YouTube for compilation music videos of their scenes together with early 2000's punk love songs playing, but before I discovered FanFiction. Their weird sort of friendship, and just the small ways in which they looked out for each other, those small moments of vulnerability.... *sigh* you have no idea how much my heart soared when I found out many years later that they became canon in the official comics.

First Ship you were crazy for- Harmony

While I have never been the biggest HP fan, I still to this day can not understand why Harry and Hermione did not end up together. The combination of their complimentary personalities, similar interests, and the chemistry I felt in the movies, it seemed like a no brainer. They were the first ship I ever read FanFiction for, as I clearly was not getting what I wanted from the original material.

newest Ship- Shangqi and Katy

Oh yeah, I ship it. It's still in its early stages, and it's new enough and has enough leeway that if a katy/xialing pair were to happen instead, I would also be quite happy with that. However, I know the Marvel love formula, and this is hitting all the marks.

Ship you like but no one else does- Reylo

Not so much "no one else" likes it; trust me there are a lot of people who love them as much as I do, but they are probably the most controversial of my ships. What can I say? They had a fantastic dynamic, insane chemistry, and the literal connection they shared. For me it was irresistible, and I have never obsessed with another ship like with this one. I have read more fanfiction for this ship then every other ship I've ever discovered combined. The reylo fandom just has some of the best writers and creative minds, and I love it. They would have taken my "Favorite ship" spot if it wasn't for the way it FUCKING ENDED.

Ship you wish was endgame- Gendrya

Shipped them from the beginning. Yes, when they were kids in the second season, my first thought was "when they're adults they're going to get married." and DAMN IT! I WAS SO CLOSE! We can all agree thar GoT fell flat on a lot of things, and I definitely put this way up on the list.

Ship you wish had more screentime- FinnPoe

Honestly? I ship Finn with almost everyone, he's just such a likeable character; but in this case it really was a shame thar Disney didn't have the balls to make Finn and Poe a couple. 2019 was just a year of disappointments all around for the Star Wars fandom.

Ship you wish had been Canon- Romanogers

Natasha and Steve are what I like to call my "impossible ship". I know from the start that it's not going to happen. But damn do I think they have great chemistry together. They just got each other, especially in the MCU, and I feel like as a couple they would have been able to keep that dynamic while also being able to further lift each other up. I think Nat is so much like Peggy personality wise, but not enough that it would feel like Steve was substituting one for the other. It was hard to keep my hopes from getting too high, but at least I always have Winter Soldier to watch if I ever get nostalgic.

Ship you wish will be canon- Nalu

After the end of the original Fairy Tail manga/anime, I'd resigned myself to the fact that Natsu and Lucy will just always be that ambiguous couple with no solid answer on their romantic status. But then the sequel 100 Year Quest came out, and all these other favorite ships of mine like Gruvia, Gejevy, and Jerza are all starting to solidify into canon, and fucking Mashima-sensei is still staying ambiguous with the two most main characters of the series. PLEASE MASHIMA-SENSEI WE ASK SO LITTLE OF YOU! He has been feeding this fandom nothing but tiny crumbs from the beginning and yet somehow we are still thriving.

Wow, looking back on all of these the two main tropes I'm realizing are either enemies-to-lovers or friends-to-lovers. Don't get me wrong, I have other tropes that I enjoy, but they're harder to do properly; arranged marriage and fake relationship are two others that would be hard to conceptualize in a comprehensive and well though out manner.

Feel free to also ask yourself these questions, and make your own post! Make sure to tag me so I can read them!

[jurijurijurious]

How about 22, 25, 26 for the meme? Your choice of fandom(s)! <3

Cool, thanks!

22.Ship that you immediately fall in love with after one scene despite not considering it before.

I found this one quite hard but I'm gonna plump for John of Gaunt/Katherine Swynford in Anya Seton's famous historical novel, "Katherine". Now I know the whole premise of the book is Katherine's relationship with John - plus their relationship is historically true - so it should not be a surprising ship. But I'm sure everyone understands it when I say I don't expect to ship the obvious relationships until I see how they're handled - sometimes I read a novel, histfic or not, and the romance is bleh, rubbish, no chemistry or bad premise or poorly handled, etc...

I have listened to Seton's book more than I've actually read it and even though it is a bit dated, and the narrator of my audiobook isn't the best, I think I knew from the first scene where they share dialogue that yes, I will ship these two, there is fire and desire there, and there are lots of elements of the forbidden which, guh, give it to me, it's my thing!!

(I have no idea why this book has never been turned into a film or tv series, it's so well known, but seeing how a lot of history is handled in tv and film adaptations , maybe it's for the best? And who the devil would play John?? They'd need a perfect John.)

25. Favourite foe yay ship

This is my territory, literally most of my past ships are "bad guy" led and generally close to crack, really. So bloody unethical. I'll go for Megabyte/Dot from the 1990s CG animated TV show "ReBoot" which I'm revisiting at the moment. They are literally two sides of the same coin: entrepreneurs, businessmen, heads of intelligence networks, organised, quick-witted, well-spoken (particularly him, my God, Tony Jay's voieover is perfect!). They're also each at times de facto "leaders" of Mainframe (or "Megaframe" when it's the egotistical villain in charge, ofc). If their differences weren't so large, they would make an insane partnership. And yet the show even gives you an excuse to 'ship them when Megabyte returns disguised as Dot's true love Bob in what is one of the most controversial and even a bit silly storylines ever in the final series of the show. Poor ol' Dot very nearly marries him under the impression he is someone else. How... problematic. I ofc used to love it. And he is a villain after all.

There's a visual parallel between a scene in the first episode (where he does consequently drop her, which is hilarious) and then a scene in the final season (where there is possibly actual desire there from him? Who knows?). Foreboding indeed:

But anyway, problematic nature of the final season plot aside, I think with some rather intricate and slightly implausible leaps of the imagination, you could get them together. And what a formidable couple they would be.

26. Characters that you like in every dynamic (lovers,friends,enemies)

I will go for Captain Barbossa and Elizabeth Swann from "Pirates of the Caribbean" for this one to look at a different pairing. Them being "enemies" and then "friends" is already canon - you start with them as enemies in the "Curse of the Black Pearl", and its a spicy, fun, combative relationship, and then they build to a wonderfully endearing mentor-apprentice kinda relationship by "At World's End" where she literally absorbs all his guile, his wisdom, his wits, even his very words. It wouldn't take a great leap to envision them as lovers in an alternate reality somewhere; they have a great camaraderie and chemistry. Another formidable team!

Thanks for the asks!

[letterboxd]

The Other Bill and Ted.

As No Man of God hits theaters and VOD following its Tribeca premiere in June, director Amber Sealey talks to Dominic Corry about her Ted Bundy two-hander and answers our Life in Film questions.

Amber Sealey has been very acknowledging of the fact that her new film is one of many to center around the horrific crimes of serial rapist and murderer Ted Bundy. As she outlined in her Tribeca Q&A with Letterboxd, one way she intended No Man of God to stick out from the pack was through the use of consciously silent background characters who represent Bundy’s voiceless victims.

The structure and source of the film also help distinguish it from other Ted Bundy movies: No Man of God is based on the recordings of FBI agent Bill Hagmaier (played in the film by Elijah Wood), who was tasked with interviewing an incarcerated Bundy in the years leading up to his execution, in order to help determine whether or not he was criminally insane, which could’ve helped to remove Bundy from death row.

With many of Bundy’s victims never officially attributed to the killer, Hagmaier also sought to draw confessions, and something resembling remorse, out of Bundy, to help bring closure to those victims’ families. As detailed in the film, much of which was taken directly from transcripts of the interviews, Bundy and Hagmaier’s relationship was complicated, and the intimacy that develops between them informs No Man of God in often uncomfortable ways.

Luke Kirby and Elijah Wood in a scene from ‘No Man of God’.

Wood (also a producer on the film) and Luke Kirby turn in career-high work as Hagmaier and Bundy, respectively, while Sealey textures the film with some of the most emotive stock-footage montage sequences this side of The Parallax View. Among positive reactions to the film, Claira Curtis, in a four-star review, writes: “Perhaps one of the most successful elements lies in Amber Sealey’s uncentering of the ‘genius’ moniker that has followed Bundy through his years of infamy.” On the pairing of Wood and Kirby in the leading roles, Connor Ashdown-Ford notes that “the chemistry between them both is so authentic it’s darn right unsettling”.

Unsettling is right. Late in the film, Sealey depicts a real-life TV interview that took place between Bundy and evangelical preacher/​author/​psychologist James Dobson (played by stalwart character actor Christian Clemonson), who uses Bundy to forward his anti-pornography agenda. Throughout this scene, the camera lingers on a young female member of the TV crew (played by an uncredited Hannah Jessup) as she silently reacts to being in Bundy’s presence. Emblematic of Sealey’s aforementioned philosophy in constructing the film, it’s a moment that appears to be having an impact on audiences, as detailed in Nolan Barth’s review: “She might have one of my favorite performances of this year? She shows us fascination, guilt, disgust and fear in like only 30 seconds of screen time. Give her an Oscar. Please.”

In an awkward incident that represents a perhaps unanticipated effect of there being so many contemporaneous movies with the same subject matter, director Joe Berlinger (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, the Paradise Lost trilogy), who recently directed both the Zac Efron-starring scripted Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and the documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, sent an email to Sealey ahead of No Man of God’s Tribeca premiere about remarks she had made while discussing how her film differentiated itself from the existing Ted Bundy movies. He felt she had accused him of glorifying Bundy. After Sealey took the exchange public, she explained to Variety that she had never singled out Berlinger’s films in any of her remarks.

In a conversation with Letterboxd, Sealey delves into her approach to No Man of God, and talks about some of her filmic inspirations.

‘No Man of God’ director Amber Sealey.

There is really effective and creepy use of stock-footage montages in this film. Sometimes you see that sort of thing at the beginning of a film, but it’s interesting that you keep going back to them after using them in the opening credits. What was the thinking in using those montages and how did you select the footage? Amber Sealey: The thinking for those was a couple things: One, we don’t leave the prison, and I wanted [the audience] to know a little bit what’s going on outside, in terms of the cultural zeitgeist, like what’s the tone of the time? What movies are popular? What books are popular? What are people wearing? I wanted to have there be a kind of cultural touchstone outside of the prison, but at the same time I wanted it to represent potentially a little bit of what was going on inside Bill’s mind. So the story of the montages as they go on, it gets a little bit more fucked up, for lack of a better word, for Bill, inside of his head.

We were originally going to shoot the crowd scenes [of protesters outside the prison] and recreate them and then because of Covid restrictions, we couldn’t do that anymore. So then I knew we were going to be using archival footage for the crowd, and I didn’t want the archival crowd footage to suddenly jump out as being so different from the rest of our film. We’re shooting on an ARRI camera, [so it’s] not going to look like a Hi-8 from the 1980s. I needed to incorporate this look, this ’80s grainy look into the rest of the movie so that it feels like it’s part and parcel of the film, part of the storytelling.

We got [the footage] in different ways. I have an old friend that I’ve known since I was like, two, he lived next door to me, and my cousin, they both had video cameras in the ’80s and would film everything. So some of that footage is old family footage of their family or friends. There’s a couple shots in there of my neighbors when I was growing up. Then some of it, we did a lot of research on [stock-imagery services] Getty and Pond5, just finding archival footage that we could use that really told the story that we wanted to tell with the montages. It was a lengthy process finding all of that footage for sure.

What was Bill Hagmaier’s involvement in the film? Bill is an executive producer on the film, so he was very involved. The transcripts of those conversations between Bill and Ted, we got from Bill. Bill gave us so much great stuff to work with—the newer FBI files that he was allowed to share with us and the recordings, and when the script was originally written it was written based off of those recordings, and the writer originally spoke to Bill and then when I came on board, I talked to him and then I changed the script, even more from conversations I had with him. He was just a resource.

Almost every [character] you see on screen, those are real people, and he hooked us up with a lot of those real people. I spoke with the prison guards and the wardens and all of that. Then he was just a resource in terms of like, I would ask him, “what color were your shoes?” “Did you carry this kind of briefcase or that kind of briefcase?” Because it was important to me that all that production-design stuff was really authentic. I liked to know, like, “what were your haircuts like then, Bill?” So he was available to talk about the emotional side of things, and then the real just humdrum kind of things. He’s just a lovely guy, he’s really supportive of me and of the film and he just wanted to be accessible as much as he could and he was. He’s a very humble, generous person.

Aleksa Palladino plays civil-rights attorney Carolyn Lieberman to Luke Kirby’s Ted Bundy.

What films did you watch, or cite as reference points in preparation for No Man of God? Literally hundreds and hundreds of movies. When I’m looking for my creative look, I just watched so many films, and a lot of old films. I’d have to go back and look at my look book to tell you all of them but I pull images from the weirdest places. But once I get past figuring out the creative look of the film, I don’t then like to watch the movies a lot because I try to really make it its own thing and I worry too much that I’ll be copycatting other artists and I want to try [to] avoid that.

What’s your favorite true-crime movie? Oh god, what was the one about the guy who like, went to the bathroom and confessed, accidentally? He forgot his mic was on? Do you remember that one?

The Jinx? Yeah. Even though it’s a documentary, I’m going to go with that.

What’s your favorite big-screen serial-killer performance? It has to be Luke Kirby. Luke Kirby as Bundy.

What was the first horror film you saw? My dad had me watch Cat People when I was nine. Does that count?

The Val Lewton one? The ’80s one.

Oh, the Paul Schrader one? Yes! The Paul Schrader one.

Nastassja Kinski in Paul Schrader’s ‘Cat People’ (1982).

When you were nine years old? Yeah. I also watched Blue Velvet when I was nine. Oh wow, thank you Dad.

What’s the most disturbing film you’ve ever seen? Most disturbing, hmm… Kids.

What film made you want to become a filmmaker? It was Michael Winterbottom’s Nine Songs. My first film was a reaction to that movie. I’m a huge Winterbottom fan. That’s a great movie, but also it advertises itself as being a real relationship and real sex and I watched it and I was like, well that’s not like any… it was like two models, you know? Their sex scenes were like a perfume ad and I was like, well that’s not what real sex looks like for real people. I made my first feature after that.

What’s your go-to comfort movie? Oh, so many, let’s think. The Proposal. I love Trainwreck. I really like rom-coms, like if I’m sick or something, I’ll watch rom-coms. Roman Holiday, stuff like that.

What’s a classic that you couldn’t get into or that you think is overrated? Umm. Star Wars. I’m trying to think, there’s something else that I just don’t like… everyone loves that singing movie. What’s that singing movie that when Moonlight won the Oscar, it got announced?

La La Land. Yeah. I was not into that.

What filmmaker living or dead do you envy/admire the most? Yorgos Lanthimos. Or Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

If you were forced to remake a classic movie, what would you remake? Grease.

Who would be in the cast of your Grease remake? Oh I don't even know but it would be much darker. It would still be a musical and still be funny, but much darker.

I would like to see that movie. I would too.

Related content

Diego’s list of films featuring the FBI

Boris1980’s list of films about serial killers

Follow Dominic on Letterboxd

‘No Man of God’ is in theaters and on VOD from August 27, 2021.

[brentwatchesmovies]

Brent’s Top 10 Movies of 2019

Scorsese is probably my favorite living filmmaker, but I’ll be honest, when I heard that Scorsese was making this movie, and *how* he was making it (heavily digital de-aged actors) I was a bit skeptical. De Niro and Pacino haven’t been turning in interesting performances in quite awhile, and Pesci came out of a decades-long retirement for the movie as well. On top of that, the first trailer released did little for me. All that to say I was an idiot to doubt the master.

Scorsese returns to the crime genre that he re-invented many times over the years, this time with the eyes of a man in his 70’s, looking back on his life and career. The movie is very long, but in my opinion, it needs the length. The viewer needs to *feel* the totality of a life, and as is his intent with The Irishman, the *consequences* of this specific life. The final hour or so of this movie feels like a culmination of Scorsese’s career in many ways. The energy and entertainment of a crime/mob epic, with the fatalism and philosophical leanings of a movie like ‘Silence’. It’s a 3.5 hour movie that I’ve already rewatched, and actively want to again, so that alone ought to speak volumes.

Harmony Korine made one of my favorite movies of the 2010’s, the neon-soaked and often misunderstood ‘Spring Breakers’, so I was already in the bag for whatever he did next. When I heard it was a freewheeling stoner comedy where Matthew Mcconaughey plays a guy named ‘Moondog’ costarring Snoop Dogg, I reserved its location on my top 10 list.

This movie doesn’t have the empty heart at its core that defines Spring Breakers, opting instead for a character study about a ‘Florida man’ poet after his life pretty much falls apart. It’s basically plotless, stumbling from one insane, borderline hallucinatory sequence to the next, but I just loved living in the world of this movie. Beach Bum almost feels like a deliriously fun VR simulation of hanging out with Matt McConaughey and his weirdo friends down in the Florida keys. This is one that probably won’t pop up on many top 10 lists but I really adore, and will surely rewatch it a dozen times in the years to come.

Let the record show, I’ve been a huge fan of Bong Joon-ho since I first saw his monster movie/family drama ‘The Host’. Some time later, he went on to make ‘Snowpiercer’, one of my favorite movies of the last decade. All that to say, I think Parasite is probably his best movie, and a true masterwork of thriller direction. It also has his usual brand of social commentary and a script filled with darkness and humor, following a South Korean tendency to juggle multiple tones throughout, sometimes all in one moment or scene.

Parasite also follows a big 2019 trend of commenting on class and social dynamics between the rich and the poor. I think that’s part of why it’s done incredibly well at the box office (especially for a Korean language film), the fact that people can relate in a huge way, regardless of which country your from. Parasite is one of the most entertaining movie viewing experiences I’ve had this year and I’d recommend everyone check it out.

If you were to ask me what the funnest movie-going experience I had in 2019 was, I’d have to pick Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’. Hot off making one of the best Star Wars movies ever made (don’t @ me) Johnson decided to make a passion project in the vein of classic Agatha Christie style murder mysteries, and the results are a total blast. Filled with clever twists and turns, weaponizing the structure of murder-mysteries against the audiences expectations, it stays one step ahead of you the entire time.

Aside from the clever mystery of it all, it’s the actors performances and chemistry that really sell this thing. Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette are expectedly great per usual, and Daniel Craig is having the time of his life as Mississippi private-eye Benoit Blanc, but the heart of the movie is relative newcomer Ana de Armas. She brings an emotional weight and anchor to the movie that always keeps you emotionally invested amidst the terrible, money hungry backstabbing by the other heightened characters. I hope everyone sees this movie and Johnson is able to give us another Benoit Blanc adventure somewhere down the line, I’ll be there opening day.

Nobody makes an upbeat, feel-good movie like Ari Aster does! After last years light and breezy ‘Hereditary’ (which I liked a lot but didn’t totally love) he’s back with a completely riveting and emotionally draining (not to mention horrific) masterpiece. What I connected to most in Midsommar is the journey of Dani, played incredibly by Florence Pugh. The way the film portrays the relationship between her and her dog shit boyfriend played by the (usually) charming Jack Reynor keeps you invested in every twist, perfectly paced out over the movies admittedly long runtime.

I won’t get into spoiler territory, but where this movie goes in the end is what makes this a fully 5-star movie for me. After putting you through hell, like Aster loves to do with bells on, Midsommar ends in a euphoric, psychedelic orgy of music and violence that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Midsommar rules so hard and I can’t wait for whatever twisted thing Aster cooks up next.

One of my increasingly favorite brands of movies is a finely crafted, primo slice of dad-movie cinema, and James Mangold has made one with Ford v Ferrari. The story chronicles the partnership of ex-racer and designer Carroll Shelby and racer Ken Miles as they work to make a Ford that can compete in the 24 hour race of Le Mans. Bale and Damon are a blast to watch bounce off each other and the race sequences are pretty damn thrilling, combining (what I expect is) a solid amount of great VFX with practical racing to great effect.

I also didn’t expect it to have as much to say about the struggle to create something special by passionate people and not committees while also inside the very machine that churns out products on an assembly line. Just a random note, this original movie was just put out by 20th Century Fox, now owned by Disney but that’s completely unrelated and I’m not sure why I’d even bring that up??? Anyway, I love this movie and dads, moms and everybody else should check it out.

If you saw my list last year, then it must appear like I’m some diehard Mr. Rogers fan. I don’t really have many memories watching his show as a child, but what the documentary ‘Won’t You be my Neighbor’ and this film by Marielle Heller have in common is a shared fascination of his immense empathy and character. It’s only right that America’s dad Tom Hanks should play him, and I was surprised at the end that I was able to get over his stardom and accept him as Rogers. He’s not doing a direct impersonation, and I think it’s all the better for it, instead opting for matching his soft tone and laid back movements.

On a pure emotional level, this movie was a freight train. It didn’t help that the movie covers a lot of father stuff, from losing your own to becoming one yourself (2 big boxes on the Brent bingo card). Heller’s direction is clever in its weaponizing of meta/post-modern techniques, such as one incredible fourth wall break in a diner scene. It literally breaks down the barrier between Mr. Rogers, we the audience, and the films intent to make us feel something.

I cry a lot at movies, that much is well known, but it’s rare that a movie makes me weep, and this one did. Even thinking about scenes right now, days later, my eyes are welling up with tears thinking about the messages of the movie. Mr. Rogers and his lessons of empathy and emotional understanding have rarely been as vital and important as they are right now in our world.

Robert Eggers first film ‘The Witch’ from 2015 is one of my favorite movies of this decade, possibly of all time, so my hype for his black and white, period piece two-hander ‘The Lighthouse’ was through the roof. Even with sky-high expectations, it still blew me away. With dialogue reminiscent of The Witch in its specific authenticity to its era, to the two lead actors giving all-time great performances, It was one of the most entertaining film viewing experiences I had this year.

There’s something about both of Egger’s movies that I really keyed into watching this one: his fascination with shame and the liberation from it. Where Witch was from the female perspective, Lighthouse literally has two farting, drunk men in a giant phallic symbol fighting for dominance. It’s less a horror film than his first, but still utterly engrossing, demented and specific to his singular vision. I can’t wait to see 20 more movies from this guy.

This is another big movie of 2019, like The Irishman, where you can see the director looking inward, at what his films mean and represent. It initially caught me so off guard that I really didn’t know how to feel about it, but after seeing it again, it’s one of my favorites of the year, and probably Tarantino’s filmography overall. More akin to something like Boogie Nights or Dazed and Confused, letting us live with and follow a small group of characters, it mostly doesn’t feel like a Tarantino movie (until the inevitable and shocking explosion of violence in the third act, of course).

‘Hollywood’ is the most sincere and loving movie Tarantino has made, interested in giving us a send off to an era of Hollywood and artists that have been lost or forgotten (Some more tragically than others). In the end, the movie functions similarly to ‘Inglorious Basterds’ in it’s rewriting of history to give us catharsis. “If only things could have worked out this way.” Luckily in movies, removed from the restrictions of reality, they can. And once upon a time in Hollywood, they did.

Uncut Gems probably tripled my blood pressure by the time the credits rolled. A slice-of-life story about a gambler/dealer in New York’s diamond district, the movie follows Howard Ratner, played by Adam Sandler in easily the best performance of his career. Ratner is basically addicted to living at the edge of a cliff, being chased by violent debt collectors, juggling a home life and a relationship with an employee, and fully relying on risky sports bets to stay afloat. It makes for a consistently tense and unique viewing experience, expertly directed by the Safdie brothers.

Something that might not work for everyone but that I personally loved, is the chaotic way in which the movie is shot. What feels like loosely directed scenes, with characters talking over each other and multiple conversations happening at once, adds an authenticity and reality lacking from most other movies. It’s more adjacent to Linklater (thanks to Adam for the comparison) or Scorsese’s earlier films (also fitting, that he’s a producer on this). Following Howard Ratner as his life descends into chaotic hell was one of the best times I’ve had watching a movie this year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

AVENGERS ENDGAME

DOLEMITE IS MY NAME

BOOKSMART

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3

THE FAREWELL

AD ASTRA

[sammysreelreviews]

Counting Down My Top 20 Films Of The Decade: Part 2

Here we are y’all, the last decade list. I can’t believe I actually finished this list. This list took fucking forever and I can’t believe I’m finally sharing it! All my decade lists are listed here in my intro to the first part of my top 20! Okay so some of these choices may be crazy, I know, but I picked the movies that have made me feel things and movies that I have watched over and over and over again. I’m so glad I got to reminisce on all these wonderful films and I’m so happy to share this with the world! My next post won’t be until 2020 and the topic is still to be determined but it will be a list of television shows cause I know how much y’all love that. This past year has been a roller coaster for me but one positive is that my blog really grew! I appreciate anyone who reads or shares or likes any of my posts it means the world to me. Even when I was at my absolute worst I kept up with this blog and everyone who interacts with it helps keep me going. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Years! Before I forget ***THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!*** Mwah!

10. Upgrade (2018)

This past year I realized that I may like sci-fi movies more than I thought. My friend Kelsey raved about this and after I watched I 100% saw why. This action packed film about a technophobe looking for revenge is absolutely insane!!! I don’t wanna give it away cause I highly recommend you watch this so if you wanna hear more about it click here!

9. Drive (2011)

Ugh, I don’t have much to say about this BRILLIANT film cause words are not enough but that elevator scene alone deserves an Oscar. The 80’s themed soundtrack, and neon lights started a revolution in 2010 indie cinema and I stand by that.

8. La La Land (2016)

I wrote a review on this movie that you can read here so I’ll keep this brief. When I watched this in theaters I sobbed at the end because it just reminded me of how much I loved film and writing screenplays. Anytime I feel like I can’t do anything or that I’m not progressing I put La La Land on and remember a career in film is what I’m meant to do.

7. Happy Death Day (2017)

I’m really going to try to not talk about this movie in 2020 but I can not make any promises. If you follow me I am so sorry you have to see me mention this movie for the 7000th time. If you’re new here first of all, welcome! Second of all, you can read all about it here, here, and here. I love Happy Death Day so much and the sequel is just as good so please rent it or stream it! I want a 3rd movie! I need it!!!

6. Nocturnal Animals (2016)

This is one of the most underrated films ever. Like where was the Oscar nomination?! I wrote an entire review about it so you can read more about it here! All I’m gonna say is, that scene where she’s getting an abortion and Jake Gyllenhaal is waiting outside in he fucking rain for her?!?! I literally gasped in theaters. 

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Let me start by saying that this is the funniest movie ever created. I know every single line to this film and every time I watch it I still laugh which is impressive because I’ve literally been watching this movie for almost a decade now. I’m kind of out of words to say because there are so many things worth mentioning but I’ll try! Let’s start with the how insane this cast is. Can you believe that this movie has Superman, Captain America, and Captain Marvel!? The best Avengers movie is this one if you ask me! Michael Cera is always hysterical but Kieran Culkin is one of my favorite parts of this movie. When this movie came out I had a crush on Jonny Simmons so he was one of the reasons I saw it but he’s underrated as Young Neil. Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza have small parts but they make quite the impact. Alison Pill deserves a damn Oscar already! She’s honestly one of the best actresses of our generation. Ellen Wong as Knives Chau kills me and I was so excited when she was a main cast member on The Carrie Diaries. Lastly, Mae Whitman says one of my favorite lines ever and although she’s in the movie for like 3 scenes she certainly makes the most of the little time she’s given. The comedic timing of this film is perfection and it’s one of the only movies where every single scene is entertaining! There are so many things I quote from this movie it’d be unfair to only pick one honestly but “Alright this next song goes out to the guy who keeps yelling from the balcony. It’s called We Hate You, Please Die.” And that song title is exactly what I think of anyone who does not enjoy this PERFECT film.

4. Like Crazy (2011)

If you know me you know how much I love this movie, movies about love, and how much I loved Anton Yelchin so this movie is a firm sucker punch to the gut. I haven’t watched it since Anton passed but it’s one of the most emotional films I’ve ever seen. A couple with an ocean between them is probably the decade’s best romance. Felicity and Anton had insane chemistry and improvised most of the movie. I would write more but I’m tearing up thinking about Anton *insert every sad and crying emoji*.

3. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

When I first saw this movie I left the theater asking myself why this movie was such a big deal. Then I got in my car and started bawling my eyes out. What I love about CMBYM is how optimistic it makes you feel about love the whole time Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) were falling in love I had puppy dog eyes. I’m a Pisces so I’m all about deep and fleeting love and every time I watch this movie it gets me in my fucking feels! When Elio cried on the car ride home after saying bye to Oliver but they couldn’t give each other a proper goodbye cause they’re gay and it was the 80’s!!! HeartBREAKING! Not only did this movie make me wanna runaway to Italy but It’s also one of the sexiest movies of the decade and I haven’t looked at peaches the same since.

2. Gone Girl (2014)

I read Gone Girl before I saw the movie and I’ve regretted it everyday since. The book took me three days to finish, which is a lot for me, and I felt like it was too detailed. In the book you read a lot of Amy’s (Rosamund Pike) journal entries which makes it pretty obvious that she’s alive and well. I hate Ben Affleck but honestly he was the perfect choice to play Nick. This movie is one of the only movies that is better than the book. When this was on HBO I literally watched it every time it was on tv for months. The cinematography is phenomenal and the acting is even better. Fincher is a genius and in my eyes, Gone Girl is his best work.

1. Black Swan (2010)

The flavor this film has... I mean it’s immaculate. Growing up I studied at Boston Ballet School and it was very intense! Those ten years helped shape me into the woman I am today. While I did ballet I used to always go see ballets cause we got discounted tickets and my favorite was Swan Lake. The music, the story, the costumes, it’s all so beautiful and timeless. When the film came out I was so excited. I had no idea what to expect but if it’s about ballet I am in. I love this movie so much it’s dark, the acting is superb, and nothing is better than Tchaikovsky’s music blaring in the background during the most climatic scenes. Black Swan might be my third favorite movie of all time but it’s 100% my favorite movie of the 2010’s. I have no idea not know why it didn’t win best picture.

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 1x06 Review

What Team? was another wonderful ep that really dove into the found family aspect of the show. Let’s dig in!

Miss Jenn’s past finally catches up to her as principal Gutierrez summons her to face the School Board tribunal on charges of falsifying her credentials, lying on her resume, and aiding Kulak saboteurs

I absolutely loved the spectacle of the trial. There’s a time and a place for realism but no one is tuning into HSMTMTS to see an accurate depiction of a school disciplinary process; we’re here to see rousing musical numbers, loving and supportive characters, over the top drama, a bit of camp, and a whole lot of heart. Tim Federle has a knack for making a crowd pleasing series without devolving into fan service and it serves him very well this this ep. As he shared on his twitter, Truth, Justice and Songs in Our Key was meant to have a rollicking, revival style to it, and it was just the right tone for the show to take

The little details of the performance are great. Benjamin Mazzara standing off to the side on top of the stairs looking down on Miss Jenn and the drama department both literally and figuratively. Big Red for some reason wearing a red trench coat and then taking it off even and carrying it with him down the stairs, it’s a bizarre choice but Big Red is a weird dude so it works. Principal Gutierrez declaring that everyone in the dramatic arts are insane. Miss Jenn’s facial expressions when Carlos and Seb call her out for having a sketchy past and dropping the ball. Ricky’s spider man jump onto the table

Of course, in real life Miss Jenn would have been immediately fired once it was discovered that she didn’t have real credentials but the show must go on and I’d rather they dispose of this now then drag it out. Though I do hope that we get some mention of Miss Jenn having to get remedial training or something

A strong ep for Carlos. His bond with Miss Jenn is very touching and one that the show can get a lot of mileage out of in the coming seasons. Carlos’ line about Miss Jenn being the first teacher not to treat him like a punchline was poignant and there’s a lot of sad history behind that. We see a more confident Carlos this ep, building off of his struggles and triumphs in Homecoming. He boldly confronts Mr. Mazzara and blames him for ratting out Miss Jenn’s past; the whole exchange was funny especially the ‘’Carlos surname’’ line but they really need to give him a last name. His bit with Nini about the forest of boys was also hilarious

We got some nice small Seblos moments this ep. It’s still amazing to see a boy playing a female character and wearing making up and having it be no big deal on a Disney show. I liked Seb gentle chiding Carlos for not leaning on him when he found out that Miss Jenn was facing dismissal and him putting his hand on Carlos’ knee after Carlos talked about Miss Jenn being the only teacher to take him seriously. Seb also has a great voice and I can see why they promoted Joe Serafini to series regular for S2. We can see the difference it makes that Carlos now has a designated love interest, it’s not just about the ship but about the fact that Carlos has a character who is now supporting his own plot lines which makes him more important

Real sketchy of Disney to cut the scene of Seb comforting Carlos that they themselves promoted with photos on instagram and in the LA Times article about Seblos. It’s an improvement over Disney’s past cutting and editing of gay scenes before they canon but I hope it doesn’t become a habit

Some nice Nini and Seb friendship moments this ep as well. As an astute tumblr user pointed out, Seb commented on Nini’s I I think I Kinda You Know post so they’ve probably known each other for a while 

We got some sweet Rina moments this ep, we’re really seeing Gina let her walls down and start to just enjoy being a part of the production. I’m glad that her alliance with EJ is finally done with, if she wanted to play Gabriella it never mattered who was Troy and at this point there’s no way Gina would try and sabotage Ricky to help EJ. I also liked that she was so supportive of Ricky throughout the ep. They have great chemistry and while disaster is looming for Rina I wouldn’t mind seeing them explored more in later seasons since we certainly won’t see Ricky and Nini together for the entire series

Nini was giving Ricky some major heart eyes this ep and is clearly not over him or comfortable seeing him and Gina flirting

Disney has officially used Rini as the ship name for Ricky and Nini so with great reluctance I am retiring the use of Nicky as their ship name

Great growth for Ricky as he goes from not really caring about the musical or taking it seriously to fighting to save it. He looked too funny in that Troy Bolton wig. He’s definitely attracted to Gina but what he actually wants to be with her, just a friend or something more remains to be seen. Gina has certainly made her intentions clear especially with all those heart emojis in her text to Ricky

Good ep for Mike Bowen as well as he shows up to support his son and also takes discovering who Miss Jenn really is in stride. Ricky seems to have noticed something going on with his dad and Miss Jenn but also seems okay with it

Mr. Mazzara had a very lawyerly response to Carlos accusing him of ratting out Miss Jenn, he didn’t actually deny it but instead shifted the blame to Miss Jenn

EJ has really fallen off since Nini dumped him. His apology was a good start to redeeming himself but even in this ep he still seems to want to work with Gina to take down Ricky so he can play Troy

It seems like every ep has been getting a little bit shorter which is something that they should reverse in S2

Looking Ahead:

We know that next ep is where Gina has her breakdown scene with her mom and we know that in ep 8 there’s an almost Rini kiss (or perhaps an actual kiss though I think it’s more likely that’s saved for the finale). What leads to the breakdown and the almost kiss will be interesting to see

They didn’t have EJ reveal that it was Gina who originally stole Nini’s phone and that coming out would be the easiest way to derail Rina but we’ll see if the show circles back to that

Is the news Gina gets that she has to move again or is it something else related to her family? We know she has a mom but we don’t know if her dad is in the picture or why she’s had to move so often. I reblogged a post earlier this week that showed scenes from an audition from a girl who auditioned for the role of Gina. They paint her mother as very overbearing and the script even refers to her as Gina’s stage mom. I’m curious to see if they’ve softened her mother at all since then. It does seem like they’ve changed Gina from being someone who has viral music posts to focus more on her dancing which likely came about because they casted Sofia Wylie and decided to make more use of her dancing abilities 

Joshua Rush revealed that he auditioned for the role of EJ which doesn’t have any impact on the show going forward but is interesting news and not something I would have expected. I’m very surprised he went out for the role of EJ since he really doesn’t fit EJ as he is in the show and the original character breakdown for EJ seems to track pretty well for how he is now (though we have yet to see EJ’s panic attacks). I kind of feel like his agent let him down a bit by having him go out for EJ when he was such a long shot for that specific role, I think he would have had better odds going out for Big Red or even Ricky. He would have been 16 when he auditioned for EJ and I wonder how seriously they ever took any of the actors who were under 18 when they auditioned. I don’t think it’s an accident that they went with a then 20 year old to play EJ since it seems like the character was always intended to be a muscular hunk in the way that teenagers can’t and shouldn’t pull off

We get Mr. Mazzara and Miss Jenn stuck together for Thanksgiving. I think we’ll see him start to learn to respect Miss Jenn and I’d imagine he’ll eventually fall for her though we really need to seem him apologize for exposing her past. A Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen and Mr. Mazzara love triangle could be interesting. The Salt Lake Tribune entertainment writer wrote an article before the series premiered talking about his time as an extra during the filming of 1x10 and he mentioned that the eps performance takes place in the gym not the theatre but to reveal why would have been a spoiler. I wonder if maybe the reason is because Mr. Mazzara comes up with a way to levitate Troy and that required filming in the gym rather than the theatre 

Until next week wildcats

[yeoldontknow]

kat! love your all your fics you're an amazing writer! can you share some writing tips for amateur writers out here?

hi anon writing advice tag if youre looking for like...more specific answers? when it comes to writing, its a very subjective experience when it comes to finding inspiration, outline style, word choice, etc but theres a few things i think across the board are important to remember. 

going under a cut to not clog dashes

- consume as much media as you can. ex: books, music, film etc. i know for me personally im most inspired when im consuming art. i literally cannot write without music, like its genuinely so difficult because i pace my writing against the soundtrack of each scene. and the filtering, editing, and direction style of films/tv series i like will influence, in some manner, how the fic looks in my mind. yes, your plot and characters are found/uncovered in your brain and heart, but these other mediums assist in your interpretation of how youd like to express it and will help inspire the way you describe certain things. so dont be afraid to step back from a doc to consume other forms of art. for me, at least, its really important.

- keep writing and dont let yourself stop. once you decide you want to write a fic or drabble or whatever comes to mind, write it. and once that is done, write more. this is how you develop a style. you will notice the more you practice, the easier it gets. OR you will notice the more you write, the more evolved your writing becomes. this is how you form a style. here is an example: 

an excerpt from a series i was writing in 2011 in a different fandom:

No one tells you what it’s like to go insane. No one talks about it because, we, as a society, understand the chemistry and the biology of it, but we don’t understand the feeling of it. Time had started to compress, slipping around me in a computerized metronome of blood flow and heart beats that had started to tell me nothing except that I was still living. They hadn’t strapped me to the bed, but I still couldn’t leave and everything about the room started to feel like a cage. Sleep had eluded me since I was pulled out, and through the exhaustion and the haze of sameness I never knew exactly when I was beyond a date of 2266.

I was craving daylight - not the vitamin D, as I was being given a healthy dose of daily vitamins through an IV drip - the natural light and the natural warmth of it, all over my face and skin. The ceiling lights of the room provided an element of ultraviolet light, but after so many hours the falsehood of an invention began to wear a person down. It’s something you never really think about, the sun, not until you don’t have it, not until you haven’t seen it for one hundred years.

But when one hundred years feels like three days or two weeks, time really stops mattering and then the sun itself doesn’t feel so important.

from Empty Vessels, posted july 2019:

For a while, they do not speak. Minseok looks longingly out over the water, hollowed, as the herbalist regards the dirt on her shoes with an empty stare. In the silence, Junmyeon minutely nods, the bare threads of his patience allowing them space to find their words. Images spring to his mind, all imagined and none wholly formed, each as bleak and battered as the crow in Chanyeol’s arms. He wonders what Minseok has seen, unable to avoid with a clarity bordering on entrapment; he wonders what she has heard, whispers on the wind of a life he thought he’d left behind.

‘The trees are screaming,’ she announces, eyes still downcast though her voice is sharp; blunt as the edge of a sword and equally as unforgiving. ‘They’re in pain.’

It settles over him, slow and uncompromising, the notion that trees could make sound - that they would choose to. The oldest wisdom lingers in their branches, and for one brief moment, he sees her as someone as old as their roots.

i, at least, can see an enormous difference in quality and style and thats because ive been writing and writing and writing for a very long time lmao. in 2011 i was 3 years into writing fanfic consistently; at that time, too, i was still working towards my degrees and writing daily for film analysis projects. the more you write, the more you evolve so please please please dont stop just because you feel you arent experienced enough. confidence and style will come over time, just keep yourself in practice. 

- NOTES MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. notes on tumblr are a hot take - and while, yes, there is a need for more reblogs and more sharing of content, focusing on statistics will drive you to the brink. joseph gordon levitt released a ted talk last week on how seeking attention is detrimental to your creativity and LORD this is such a good talk because its true. one of the things he discusses is how powerful the feeling of receiving attention - in this case, notes on a fic - drives someone toward output, but is that genuine? now, of course theres always going to be different scenarios or opinions but if you are just starting out with writing please dont post a fic under the assumption or expectation of achieving a note goal. there are so many variables as to what gets notes and what does not - from algorithm to how many people are online to see it to timing to content like you cannot predict what will or will not correspond to x number of notes and x number of followers. 

instead of setting note or follower goals, set word count goals. when i first started writing for kpop i was actually a pretty concise writer. if you look at the early chapters of hero and wyrm tamer, they all would peak around 4 or 5k words. achieving 10-15K on something seemed absolutely ridiculous and impossible to me - hell, 15K was 10K words under my masters thesis count! why would i want to write that much? but now? im shook if i finish a chapter or fic and the word count is just 4K. those word count goals are exciting for me. 

nervous about word count goals? thats fine! set a goal to write a genre. always wanted to try high fantasy? dope! do it! want to write some sexy vampires? fuck yeah, everyone loves those! want to write a fic that helps you release some tension or trauma youve experienced? please do that, writing is therapy and has been scientifically proven to help. 

set goals for making characters, world building, soundtracks, to learn photoshop to make a moodboard. set goals for all kinds of things but pls dont set goals for statistics because these are so variable and very often outside of your control they will very often suck any joy out of your creativity before its had the chance to start.

i hope these help!

[itsswimmingtragedycollection]

The Dumpster Fire that is ‘The Order’

First of all, why is his show labeled as a horror? My humble guess is that it was intended for younger audiences?? I genuinely wanna know. Because, even if it was for teens, some blood and a few dead bodies does not a horror make.  Secondly, what the fuck? And I truly mean that.  I mean, the idea itself doesn’t sound bad at all. A college student joins a secret society and finds out his supposedly evil dad is the head of it? He’s also in a werewolf club that fights that same secret society? Sign me tf up. But the execution just takes a really weird turn.  From the get go, you kinda aren’t sure if the show wants to be takes seriously or not. And that question is never answered. Literally in the opening scene the letter changes from ‘we regret to inform you’ to ‘congratulations’ in front of Jack’s eyes and he has absolutely no reaction whatsoever to that peculiar development, which kind of screams ‘not to be taken seriously’ similarly to the whole ‘My evil dad killed my mom so naturally I’m gonna join a secret society, become someone important and powerful and eventually use that power to fight him.’ Who on earth plots a revenge along those lines? But then a second later, the plot falls back in the supernatural drama category.  To top it all off there’s a whole lot of ‘woke humor’ which most of the time comes across as cringe worthy edginess we’re all happy we outgrew after HS.  But, even if you could somehow get pas the not-so-subtle jumps from complete absurdity to realism, there’s nothing else to hold on to. No character, no relationship, no plot line we’re offered is strong enough to pull us in.  In fact. one of the most annoying things about The Order is that basically no character has a personality. I am 8 episodes deep (and I don’t intend to finish it because that’s how boring it is) and I still don’t know anything substantial about anyone. And can we take a second to just look at Jake’s relationship with Alyssa? What even is that? Are they flirting are they not, does he really like her or is she a means to an end, is she into him or his dad, why are they kissing and why does it look so uncomfortable, did they just cast two people with the least chemistry on purpose or is bad writing/directing? So many questions. If we draw a parallel between Jack’s progress with her and him being on board with the wolves, it makes even less sense. He needs how many episodes to decide to try and kiss her, but when it comes to dedicating your whole life to fighting bad magic, you go from ‘no way, you’re all insane, you made me kill an innocent man’ to ‘I pledge my life to the cause’ within two seconds.   Speaking of things that make no sense, I have to mention Jack’s ‘friendship’ with Amir. Don’t get me wrong, I get that we meet people and think to ourselves how that could grow into a beautiful friendship, but acting as if someone you just met is really your friend, and that odd flashback to like one beer they shared, when Amir was found dead, is just... I don’t even know what to say.  The Order as an organization is equally puzzling. Who are they? Why are they? What’s the purpose, what’s the goal, the mission? I can’t settle for just a group of magic users who follow strict hierarchies but kinda all look out for themselves and don’t really like each other that much. And occasionally sacrifice goats. And change people’s memories.(And they can revive a golem and ask it who made it, but the fact that Jack, who found out about magic like yesterday, sabotaged their spell somehow goes right over their magical heads. ) But essentially it’s for the good of the whole wide world.????????????? And the masks are what makes me think an 8yo came up with the whole concept.  If you thought the werewolf knights are any less confusing, think again. They hear noises when ‘bad magic’ happens and solve it by killing anything that moves. Heroes. Also, how do they know what they are supposed to do if they refuse to read anything? I mean, that’s not how a secret society, since that’s more or less what they are, works. Someone has to tell you, show you, teach you. Sure, you have the wolves inside you, but if you don’t know they speak a certain language, it’s fairly certain you don’t know a whole lot. And why is there only four of you? How can four knights take down an organization as big as The Order? Especially since their preferred method is violent murder, something that is not very subtle and does not go unnoticed for long, which basically ensures the rage of the entire Order falling on their heads before they even begin their so called mission. Once again: ????????????????? And what even does ‘bad magic’ mean? The term is so vague and abstract that I have a hard time understanding how can you form an organization that fights something barely defined. All magic can potentially be bad magic. What are the guidelines here? Help me comprehend.  The show also has a very odd relationship towards death. One can sort of ‘forgive’ the wizards and the wolves for being chill about it, but if someone was targeting and butchering people on your campus, wouldn’t you be at least a bit worried? We don’t see any students panicking, we saw one police officer, there were no measures taken by the college, unless you count turning Amir’s death into a bike accident. And just when you start getting used to being casual about it, Jack has a whole meltdown over killing someone the first time he turned. And then also his professor. But even that meltdown is not very convincing, since most of what he does is just screaming ‘I KILLED AN INNOCENT MAN!!!’ into the void, without a much deeper attempt to deal with that. Which is why I don’t get why the show even made an issue out of it.  I also don’t get Jack’s grandpa. Like not even a little bit. Because if you think about it, it’s not * that * unimaginable that a little boy would come up with the idea of joining a secret society to avenge his mother’s death, but it is * very * odd to imagine an old ass grown up who not only thinks it’s a good idea to direct your whole young life towards revenge, but encourages it to a point of making a detailed plan on how to do that, and basically spends your entire childhood grooming you to become a little rage fueled bundle of psychological damage. All of this is only scratching the surface of the mess that is The fucking Order, because the show is a giant entangled coil of nonsense and I barely knew where to start. It’s fair to say that the biggest buzzkill is failure to pick a direction and stick with it. You don’t have to look that close to see some of the influences. The biggest one being, obviously, The Magicians, followed by some Teen Wolf, there’s even elements from Scream Queens, a bit of Buffy, a pinch of the Craft, etc. Almost like someone decided to look up successful shows in the supernatural/fantasy/horror genre and just smash them all up together in hopes of making something appealing to the largest audience possible. Personally, as a * very big * fan of before mentioned The Magicians, I get the feeling that Netflix wanted to make something that could rival it, but better. Because TM is, dare I say so, one of the best, if not the best, shows of the decade. I honestly have not seen anything like it, that has the same platform, in literally a decade. If you have, please let me know. 

Whit the BDE, edgy, but in a good way, humor, strong political views, strong female characters, fun twist and turns that actually do manage to mix absurd with normal life in a magical, no pun intended, way, sexuality representation, but not in a ‘we just want to please the gays so they give us the views’ way, great male characters we wish we saw more of, compelling character development and so on. Tho the most likable aspect of the series is probably the take on overdone story lines, where they twist the narrative just enough for it to become actually relatable. We all are tired of super special chosen ones who save the world because they are soo special and specially chosen by gods to save the world and all the dumb boring unspecial people with their pure hearts and strong characters. And also find true love.  You see attempts at this within The Order on every turn, except that it doesn’t work nearly as well for them, precisely because they went for that AND MORE. More wouldn’t even be a bad thing if it was’t so all over the place that it just comes off as ‘WE WANT EVERYONE TO LIKE THIS, GIVE US ALL THE VIEWS, ALL OF THEM.’ I am very much inclined to think this is what happened, considering other stuff Netflix has put out there. (Mostly referring to endlessly stupid shit like YOU, which only has the intention of being controversial and attention grabbing, for the views. Tho they do have some fun shit too, don’t get me wrong.) So I guess what I’m trying to say is,  the though of making something like TM, is not a bad one,  I’m all for it, but you actually have to put a shit ton more imagination into it if you want it to work out. But that’s just my opinion.   

[starryeyedkoo]

Behind those chocolate eyes - Chapter 1

(credits to @sweetopiaa for the header<3)

Genre: Vampire!Jungkook, Vampire!BTS, High School!AU, fluff, angst

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Warnings: hints of alcoholism

Summary: When some new boys move to town and start at your uneventful high school, one of them catches your eye, but you can’t seem to figure out exactly why. Others think that you’ve caught his eye as well, but his distant personality says otherwise. You decide you want to know him, but the closer the two of you get the more you get the feeling that there’s something he’s not telling you.

Word Count: 2.2k

you can find other chapters and my other works by going to my masterlist in my bio! i would link it on this post, but tumblr killed links, so i can’t do that anymore :)

Another person has come forth to the police reporting to have been attacked and left bleeding at the scene with no recollection of their attacker or what had happened to them. Animal Control units are on the watch thinking it may be a rabid animal loose somewhere on the border of the city. The voice from your car radio gave you shivers as you drove to school. Recently, strange things had been going on in this relatively small, quiet town, and it was all anyone would talk about. You decide to change the radio to a different station in hopes of finding some music to listen to, hoping to calm your nerves before you arrive to school. Just being in a car itself gives you anxiety ever since the accident. You shake your head to clear it of thoughts you wish not to bring up before arriving in the parking lot to meet your friend who had been waiting for you, like she does every morning.

“(Y/n)!” she calls for you with her signature bright smile. Mina had been your friend for years now. You probably wouldn’t have survived middle school without her actually. She had always been the type that everyone liked. She was charismatic, athletic, smart, and not to mention pretty enough for all the guys to fall for her at some point. You had always been the quiet type, but when she first befriended you in sixth grade, she gave all her efforts to break you out of your shell. And it actually worked. You both got along with everyone, well almost everyone, but you two didn’t care who didn’t like you because you had each other.

“Mina, what’s with all the excitement? It’s not like we didn’t see each other yesterday,” you let out a soft laugh at her always-uplifting attitude, present even on early Monday mornings.

“I’m excited because I heard that there are three- that’s right, not one, three- new guys transferring here, and apparently they are all extremely attractive,” she looks at you expectantly to which you reply with a raise of your eyebrow. Yes, you love your best friend, but you had to admit that she could definitely be a bit boy crazy. She immediately notices what you’re thinking and looks at you with an over-dramatic offended expression. “(Y/n)! You cannot tell me that you aren’t at least a little bit excited or curious! Come on, we’re going to see if we can sneak a peek.” She grabs you arm and drags you along as you smile at her determination but still let out an exasperated sigh.

As the two of you walk down towards your first period classes, you can’t help but voice your thoughts aloud. “Don’t you think it’s weird that three new students are transferring here all on the same day?”

“Maybe they’re brothers?” she speculates as she looks at her phone not thinking too much about the subject. You give another small sigh which catches her attention and she turns to you. “Stop acting like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you can’t be bothered.”

“To be honest, Mina, I really can’t. I have a lot more important things to focus on other than boys. Like school. And work after school. And dance. I really don’t have time for anything else right now.” It was true. School kept you busy, and then you had a part time job on top of that to help you father provide for the both of you. He worked, but not nearly as much as he needed to in order to feed the both of you when he was constantly stocking up on alcohol. It was a miracle you even had time for dance outside of school and work. Honestly, sometimes you thought you really didn’t have time, but you knew that you had to keep dancing. It was your outlet and your stress-relief. You would be a mess if you gave it up.

“I know.” She gave you a look of sympathy. “I just worry about you sometimes. You give yourself no time to relax.” This was the side of Mina you hated to see. You loved her and you loved the fact that she cares about you, but sometimes you wish she would understand that you were perfectly okay with the way you were living. The warning bell rings throughout the hallways of the school signaling one minute left to get to class.

“Thank you, Mina, but really, I am perfectly fine.” You gave her a reassuring smile as you turned in the opposite direction headed toward your classroom down the hall. You exchanged ‘See you later’s and parted ways.

You walked into your AP Chemistry classroom, briefly and politely greeted your teacher, and went to your normal seat to make conversation with a few friends that sit beside you. Yuna, a friend of both you and Mina, suddenly stops telling the story of her partying adventures over the weekend as she looks over your shoulder towards the door. She gasps and quickly looks around the group of girls as she whispers, “That’s them. Those are two of the new transfer students.”

Another girl chimes in and says, “Woah, it was definitely not a lie when people were saying they were stunning. Look at them!” You turn around to look towards the door to finally see what is causing everyone to stop and stare. As soon as you find the subject of conversation you see exactly why everyone was acting this way, and, much to your dismay, you find yourself mirroring their actions, not being able to look away. Something about them is immediately so captivating.

The first of the two that walks into the room is the shorter of the two, with blonde hair and plump lips. Something about him makes it hard to look away. You can’t quite pin the reason but there’s something about him that causes you to feel uneasy but so fascinated at the same time. Suddenly, your heart skips a beat as he turns his head to make eye contact with you, eyes scanning over you and the rest of the girls that can’t turn away. He smirks and gives a light chuckle as if he has seen this reaction to him entering a room literally thousands of times before. You’re attention is finally pulled away from the boy when the other new student walks in. He’s taller than the other boy, with dark brown hair and a sharp jawline. You were definitely not the type to think this way too often but this would have to be an exception because he seemed... unreal. There was no other way to describe it. His presence drew you in and had you at a loss for words, thoughts... just at a loss in general. Then your breath gets caught in your throat as he turns and looks into your eyes. Except unlike the first of the two boys, he pays no attention to the other girls in the room. His eyes are fixed solely on you. The only thing on your mind are his deep chocolate brown eyes.

Your attention is finally taken away from the mysterious new student when the teacher announces to the class that there are two new students joining us, although it was pointless because everyone had already noticed. The teacher continues to say that he would be reassigning lab partners due to having new students in the class along with moving onto a new unit. He calls out the new pairs and gives them assigned tables. You’re hoping that maybe this time you will get partnered with Yuna, but those hopes were diminished when he calls out, “(Y/n) and Jungkook,” as he points to your assigned table. You had never heard that name before... meaning it was one of the new students. You walk over to your table and turn to see what you had secretly been hoping would not be the case. It was the taller of the two boys who had joined you at your table, meaning he would be your new lab partner. Jungkook is his name? You looked to him and gave a small smile and attempted to introduce yourself, but you get cut short when your eyes meet his once again. At first glance the chocolate color of his eyes give a warm, welcoming feeling, but the longer you look into them, the more that feeling disappears. You must be insane for thinking this, but it almost feels as if there is something... dark that’s hidden behind them.

That was the longest Chemistry class you had ever had to sit through. Jungkook must already think you’re crazy because of how fidgety you were the entire class. You still had no idea why you even felt this way, but there was something that didn’t seem right about him. You wanted to talk to someone about this- that someone being Mina most likely- but you knew that if you said anything about this sudden “bad feeling,” she would think you had completely lost it.

After a few more classes, it was finally time for lunch, which thankfully, you had at the same time as Mina. You entered the lunchroom towards the table where you, Mina, and a few other friends usually sit only to find that your table had been taken. In particular, it had been taken by the same two boys from AP Chem and a third boy you had never met, presumably the third transfer student. “(Y/n), have you- oh!” Mina came behind you about to start up a conversation when she spotted the exact scene you had spotted moments ago. A smirk crept onto her face, “Hm, that’s a shame. I guess we’ll have to share our table with them for today.” She turned to the other girls and me and motioned us forward. 

Unfortunately, it seemed you were the only one to have an objection to this. “Mina, let’s not. I don’t think we should interrupt.” You tried your best to come up with an excuse to do anything but go sit and have an awkward lunch with them. 

“Why not?” she responded with a slight frown.

“Just because... Don’t you think it might make them feel weird for all of us to go crowd their table while their trying to have lunch together peacefully?”

“They’re new here and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind to have a few friendly faces to talk to on their first day.” There she goes again being perfect and nice and everything you loved and hated about her at the same time. You were finally about to give in until Yuna continued the conversation.

“Yeah, I think Jungkook would really like to see (Y/n)’s friendly face again.” She gave a bit of a sly smirk as she said that, earning a gasp from Mina.

“What? What are you talking about? (Y/n), you’ve met one of them before?” Mina questions.

“Yuna, what are you talking about?” you try to interject but go unheard as Yuna informs Mina.

“Yeah, Jungkook and Jimin are in (Y/n) and I’s AP Chem class. And Jungkook is (Y/n)’s partner.” You laughed and rolled your eyes.

“Yuna, that doesn’t mean anything,” you try to reason with her, thinking that was all that she had in mind, but she continued.

“You should have seen the way they looked at each other when Jungkook first entered the room. You could literally see the sparks flying.” You felt a bit of heat rise to your face after she had said that. You knew, however, that inside your own mind, there was anything but sparks.

Mina studied your face and let out a cross between a giggle and a shriek as she said, “Oh my god, (Y/n), you’re completely crushing on him!”

You let out an awkward laugh. “That is definitely not true. You guys are thinking way too hard about this.”

“Whatever you say, (Y/n), but as your best friend, I can read you like a book and I know exactly how you feel about this guy.” Mina replied and gave a joking wink, but at the same time, you knew she really wasn’t joking. But you also knew that you were’t lying. You had just met Jungkook, so there was absolutely no way you felt something for him.

By the time you all had turned your attention back to the table, however, another group of girls gathered at the table in an attempt to talk to these apparently ever-so-fascinating boys. You couldn’t help but scoff at the fact that people really couldn’t get enough of them. You all decided to go sit at another table instead, much to Mina and Yuna’s disappointment. For some reason though, throughout the entire lunch period, you found yourself looking over at the girls who were so obviously trying to flirt with Jungkook. Watching it gave you a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach. A bad feeling. Bad as in it made you upset. But what exactly was the feeling? It couldn’t be jealousy... could it? Could Mina be right about you actually feeling something for Jungkook? You mentally slapped yourself for even considering that possibility. You literally just met the guy, there’s no way. 

But there was one thing for certain. There was something so fascinating to you about this boy you couldn’t take your mind off of. You had to know more about him, Jeon Jungkook.

[askmerriauthor]

Hey, I got to see Avengers: Infinity War on company time ‘cause my job was nice enough to buy the staff tickets.  This movie has given me... feelings.  Major spoilers ahead, so hit the jump below to read my thoughts on the matter.

Man, what a boring disappointment of a movie.

I’ve really been digging the last handful of Marvel films for their overall quality, especially where the characterization and banter are concerned.  Both Captain America movies?  Dug ‘em.  All the Thor movies?  Man, I could watch Hemsworth doing prat-falls getting hit by cars all day long and never tire of it.  First Guardians of the Galaxy was great, though number two had missteps.  Ant-Man was a fucking delight from start to finish.  Spider-Man: Homecoming was pitch perfect.  Black Panther has the best villain of the entire MCU thus far.  On the other hand, the Avengers movies were a bit clunky by comparison but were overall enjoyable with some great character moments.  They served to temper expectations about what big group-event films in the MCU are like.  So my gripes on Infinity War is not out of some kind of beef with Marvel/Disney, nor is it out of overblown hype.

With that in mind, Infinity War was incredibly dull as a film.  The bulk of the movie is divided into fight scene after fight scene (to the point that they actually cut away from one massive fight to peek in on another concurrent massive fight), introducing characters to one another (generally via fight scene), or Thanos getting “character building scenes” (immediately before or directly in the middle of a fight scene).

One thing I love most about the Marvel movies is the character interaction.  It’s why these cinematic versions are so beloved by the fandom, why there’s so much creativity spawned around them - they have chemistry and interesting relationships with each other.  A:IW has precious little of that at all.  The lion’s share of character interaction goes to Vision/Wanda and Thanos/The Scenery, and not in a good way.  Each of these two relationship elements are only present to build up a false sense of drama that falls flat in the end.  Though there is one particular scene between Rocket Racoon and Thor (yeah, who saw that one coming?) where the two have a heartfelt conversation that Hemsworth just knocks out of the park.  That moment of Thor recounting just how much he’s lost and it being clear how much agony it’s causing him behind a cocky grin is the kind of characterization I adore in these movies.  Vision and Wanda being melodramatic about a plot point that is clearly never going to go anywhere in the film is not appealing at all.  Their entire story thread from start to finish across the film is Vision wanting Wanda to destroy the Mind Gem (and thus kill him) to prevent Thanos from getting it, and the emotional roller coaster that entails since the two are now in love.  Except that entire concept is a total non-starter, doesn’t go anywhere, and ultimately amounts to nothing at all.  It’s just a waste of time that eats up writing and screen time that could have been put to better use elsewhere.

Onto the villain: I could not give two flying flips about Thanos.  I will fully admit that a part of this is that I personally loathe the cliche “nature is out of balance, I must purge life to restore it” villain trope.  That does play a big part in my dislike here.  But setting that aside, he’s just a terribly dull character with feeble motivations and justifications for his actions.  There’s a major dissonance between what he does and how it’s presented to the audience.  While the movie does give a one-line bit of lip service to him being insane and misguided, it’s never fully addressed as a defining aspect of his character throughout the movie.  The comics put a major emphasis on the fact that Thanos, for all his scheming and intelligence, is coo-coo bananas.  He’s called the “Mad Titan” for a reason.  The movie fails to put a light on that fact and it makes Thanos feel like a flat character since all we really get is him just blankly marching toward his end goal the entire film.  He has no arc or development and is wholly unsympathetic no matter how many times the movie takes us aside with him in solitary, artsy moments and yells “LOOK AT ALL THIS PATHOS” in our faces.

Thanos’ entire villain scheme is that he wants to destroy 50% of all intelligent life forms in existence in order to bring a balance to the universe.  He directly states that the universe’ resources are finite and that life allowed to grow unchecked will snuff itself out by over-consuming these precious few resources.  So his solution - which he has been practicing on a planet-to-planet basis for decades by the point the movie takes place - is to divide a world’s population in half.  50% is murdered on the spot while the other 50% lives, purely based on whoever happens to be standing on the left or right.  It is explicitly described by Thanos as being totally random who lives and who dies so as to be “fair”.  His win-scenario is that the species of whatever world he 50% Genocides thrives in the wake of the purge because they now have a more controllable population size - nothing else beyond that.

So... I mean, right out the gate, that’s the stupidest damn thing possible.  It’s not like he’s going to each of these worlds and carefully examining the state of conditions, then deciding they need to be culled because of their abuse of their resources.  He’s just doing it willy nilly without any justification as to whether such a culling is actually necessary or whether it would even be beneficial to the world in question.  I mean, hey, how can openly slaughtering 50% of a world’s population at random possibly be a bad thing?  Surely that won’t throw their entire society and culture into a death spiral, right?  It’s how he picked up his adopted children - Gamora in particular.  While he was busy murdering 50% of her world, he just sort of kidnaps her because... uh... because he wants to, I guess.  He literally just walks up to her in the middle of wrecking her world and decides he arbitrarily wants to take this one tiny green girl with him for no apparent reason whatsoever.  So, hey, way to undercut your own practice there, Thanos.  50% of the population dies with it being completely random and fair... unless I happen to fancy taking a souvenir, apparently.

The movie beats us over the head with the idea that Thanos is in turmoil because of his mission to balance the universe.  That it is a massive strain on his soul, that only he has the willpower to endure what he sees as a necessary culling.  Not a “necessary evil”, mind you - he never views his actions as being morally wrong.  Just difficult.  But, y’know... it’s kind of hard for me to sympathize with a character introduced to us as being an omnicidal maniac who has built a fanatical cult of personality around himself and callously murders literally trillions of people.  Especially so since, as cannot be overlooked: HE’S DOING IT ALL BY HIS OWN CHOICE.  The whole universal culling this is entirely his idea and pet project, so he is completely responsible for whatever so-called internal suffering the movie is trying to make us feel for him.

This whole affair becomes especially annoying when Thanos acquires the Soul Gem.  There’s a little test he has to perform to get it - he must sacrifice the one thing he loves most.  It turns out this is Gamora, aforementioned adopted/kidnapped daughter.  He has a moment of realization, cries stoic tears, and murders her by throwing her off a several-hundred foot tall cliff to that he can get the gem.  He then spends the rest of the film with the fact that his choice is emotionally wrecking him inside, that he’s grieving and saddened, that his quest has taken everything from him and--

Y’KNOW, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO THROW HER OFF THE DAMN CLIFF, RIGHT?  NOBODY WAS FORCING YOU TO DO THAT.

Gah, this entire character angle just pisses me off because of how inane it is.  “You must give up the thing you love”.  Thanos, you smug bitch, you kidnapped a girl at random while in the process of murdering everyone she knows and loves, then spent the next 20 years putting her through an endless array of physical, mental, and emotional abuse to try and shape her into one of your fanatical Thanos-worshipping minions.  IN THIS VERY SAME MOVIE you tricked Gamora into thinking she brutally killed you just to see if she’d feel bad about it afterward, then literally dismembered her sister before her eyes to force information out of her.  Then, y’know, you murdered Gamora herself.

YOU DON’T FUCKIN’ LOVE HER.  THAT IS NOT LOVE.  I don’t care how many melodramatic “single tear down the cheek” moments you have - there is absolutely nothing about this character or his established, presented backstory that gives even the slightest hint he cared about Gamora beyond her ability to serve him as a tool.  If the Soul Gem was really supposed to be using this “sacrifice your love” test as a measure of who gets to take it, then Thanos should have just failed flat-out.  Even if one tries to argue something like “Oh, well, it was genuine love in Thanos’ twisted perspective”, that doesn’t matter.  The Infinity Gems - especially the Soul Gem - are presented as being semi-aware and capable of making decisions as to who they want to serve.  So it’s not Thanos’ call as to whether or not Gamora is the thing he loves, but the Soul Gem’s.  But it works because we need to get to the next fight scene but quick, so off we go!

The final climax point of the movie is right after Thanos finally gets all the gems and snaps his fingers.  He wins.  In that instant, 50% of all intelligent beings in the universe just sort of go away.  They don’t really die, per say, but rather just poof out existence.  Effectively dead but maybe not specifically so?  It isn’t explained.  So we get this lengthy montage of main characters going poof into particle-effect clouds one by one, with how abrupt or extended the disintegration is depending on whether or not the writers wanted to give them a dramatic final speech.  Oh, how sad.  How very sad.  Boo hoo.  My eye-rolling on this point isn’t because of the meta-awareness of me knowing Marvel isn’t going to purge its main character roster because money.  Rather, it’s because the movie itself takes a moment to pull us aside and assure us that literally NONE OF THIS MATTERS AT ALL.

During an earlier point in the film. Dr. Strange takes a moment of meditation and uses the Time Gem to peer into the future.  He looks at millions of potential futures and says that they only beat Thanos and win the day in one of those probabilities.  It’s done in a way that seems to impress upon the audience just how hopeless this whole effort seems, but it’s a blatant Chekhov’s Gun moment since Dr. Strange acts extremely out of character with his decisions from that point on.  He surrenders to Thanos and, right before dying himself, looks at Tony (and almost directly into the camera) to assure everyone that “this is the only way”.  Whiiiiiiich very blatantly means that his out of character decisions were actually intentionally made to set up the one lone “we somehow manage to win” future he saw.  Because HE SAW HOW TO DO IT BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE TIME GEM DOES so literally NOTHING that happens beyond that midway point in the film matters because it’s all predetermined to end up well for the heroes.  Which, right along with the “kill everyone to restore balance” trope, is another of my hated cliches because IT’S SO DAMN LAZY.

That’s really what this boils down to for me.  A:IW is lazy.  It’s all flash and fluff without anything really satisfying under all the sparkly varnish.  There’s no genuine substance to it.  Just a few faux plot concepts that are dressed up to look like they’ve got weight, but just end up being hollow.

Also... Thanos?  Buddy?  If your whole bit is that the universe has finite resources and there’s too many mouths to feed, why not just use your newly-acquired phenomenal cosmic powers to make more resources?  I mean, if you can literally snap your fingers and cause an unimaginable volume of matter (ie, people across the universe) to just spontaneously stop existing, why not just make the universe bigger and fuller for everyone’s benefit?  That maybe might go over better with the crowds, y’know?

[rigginsstreet]

this got SUPER long so its going under the cut but this is the f*lice rant i was talking about lmao enjoy! (full disclosure i also end up going on a fredsythe rant because i gotta, ok. yall gonna make me sit through this stupid ass storyline when a better one is RIGHT FUCKING THERE so yeah, im mad. fp jones also likes men get over it.)

Sorry but there's literally nothing new inventive shocking or compelling about a storyline where two grown ass straight MARRIED adults are pining over each other because they had some weird romantic connection nearly 30 fucking years ago that may or may not have resulted in a fucking teenage pregnancy that im sure NOBODY wanted like yall really out here wanting me to believe what? alice cheated on her boyfriend and got knocked up by a dude who represented everything she was trying to get away from? and she told hal the kid was fps but never told fp himself? because that makes all of ZERO FUCKING SENSE! even if they wanted to throw out “well alice and hal were broken up at the time” its still SO out of character for alice like i know she had her wild child serpent days but its not something she looks back on with fondness so why the HELL does anyone think its a good idea to set her up with the fucking LEADER of the entire GANG are you all sniffing glue?? and then theyre trying to sit here and vilify hal so that we root for alice to hook up with fp in present day? the fuck outta here im not about to sit and cheer on alice’s character regression. first of all yall need to stop getting mad at 17 year old hal for not wanting to be a father and handling this situation poorly he was a TEENAGE BOY i know yall think everyone needs to be pristine angels from birth but thats not how life works and second of all he has every right to be sketched out that his daughter brought forth her long lost brother to fill in the void polly left, especially when the first time hal sees chic hes fucking BLEEDING after being attacked for god knows what reason in hals mind like... im team hal on this one he’s the only one with some self preservation alice and betty about to get themselves killed i s2g all these dumb ass decisions are being made, which in itself is bad enough, but to make it so obvious that this is all being done to eventually prop up a ship that is the very definition of fan service, is beyond ridiculous and terrible writing. like i get it. madchen and skeet are hot and have chemistry (which...btw....literally all the parents have insane chemistry with each other but no focus on the boring obvious straight pairing i guess but oh do not worry i have more to say on that later) i get it. but what is the purpose of that if you cant write an interesting story? and dont get me started on how shoehorned this recent ~connection~ is like yes i admit in s1 i got vibes from them (which, stay on this blog for 5 minutes and you will soon realize i can romantically/sexually connect pretty much any pairing amongst the parents because, like i said, they all have insane chemistry and they all say weird shit to each other). but i cannot believe yall sat here and thought the whole sexual frustration comment after fp got out of prison or the “leave him” exchange felt authentic??? like is it me? am i the one in the twilight zone? somebody help me out here. alice and fp in s1 couldnt stand each other and now shes all joking about his sex life ?? fp almost started a huge fight during that dinner with her and hal and the kids and yet im supposed to believe he’s been pining after her all these years?? like maybe id have an easier time believing this shit if i hadnt seen how he interacts with fred (oh yes. we’re going there because im tired of this HETERO NONSENSE GOING ON ALL THE TIME IN TELEVISION WHEN THEYVE LITERALLY SET UP BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAME SEX RELATIONSHIPS IM IN A MOOD SO WE’RE GOING ALL OUT) but to close off this part of my rant (oh and i didnt even touch upon how gross itd be for betty and jughead to share a sibling lmfao but that should be self explanatory): there is literally no conceivable way for this shit to go down and not make me lose respect for alice (fp i can give a slight pass to on the front of he and his wife being separate, but even then if he goes after alice while she’s still with hal....you done fucked up). first of all, going after your daughters boyfriends/ex boyfriends father is weird. second of all, if chic is in fact hals son, then they need to work on bringing the family together. hal is not a lost cause. chic is creepy as hell if anything i can see him pulling some shit that brings betty hal and alice closer together but no that makes too much sense so the writers probably wont do that! so theyre either gonna continue to push hal out so that itll be “acceptable” for alice to run to fp, or hal has to literally just fucking die and then what? alice goes to fp in her time of grief? im gonna throw up. 

and now on to the gay shit

im supposed to compare f*lice and fredsythe scenes and come out thinking alice was the one he was in love with? bitch WHERE? fp has a sordid past with both alice and fred for different reasons. we dont know the full extent of what happened with alice (if anything but for the sake of predictability that i know to expect from a cw show, lets say they do) but given how they interact with each other we can assume it was bad. and we all know fred and fps history and how dark that got for fp (like i literally wrote up a whole thing about it if you want a link i’ll send it to you) and yet no matter the past, fp had probably his most lightest moment of the show with fred. he was willing to drop everything and help fred and soon as he asked (which, btw, fred didnt even ask for help. fp knew he was in trouble and that was it. thats all he needed and he was there for fred). THAT is love, ok. THAT is a relationship worth delving into beyond 2 friggen episodes in season 1. And yes this same storyline thats been given to f*lice with this whole adultery nonsense, but with fp and Fred, would actually be interesting because two gay kids in the early 90s actually have a valid reason for not being together and not ending up together. and then you add on that fps from the south side and fred the north, and that makes things even more complicated for them because then you can have a whole scenario of fp thinking hes not good enough for fred and ending things because of his own insecurities, his way of trying to push fred towards a better life... like THAT makes sense. even if fred and fp were never a thing and you just went with fp being in love with his best friend all these years and he could never have him (which still makes sense because i mean come on, freds casanova ways in high school with the ladies? fp sitting on the sidelines trying to be a supportive best friend but dying on the inside, never telling fred how he feels?) not to mention like half the serpents are gay as hell and there would be such a great story to tell for why all these gay south side kids end up in the same gang under fps wing, because he’s making up for his own shitty upbringing, he wants these kids to know someones looking out for them like...if the writers need plots and backstory I can give you them for free it really didn't take a lot of brainpower but no by all means tell me how the two ~straight~ kids who grew up on the same side of town under virtually the same circumstances, one of whom wanted NOTHING MORE THAN TO SHED HER SERPENT IMAGE AND CREATE A BETTER LIFE FOR HERSELF, and the other who keeps going on about wanting to put his family back together, had such a tragic backstory and its not just a blatant midlife crisis on both their ends. please. by all means. enlighten me. 😒

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Wonder Woman”

My skin is clear.  My crops are growing.  Everything is well and good.

Reaction and screams found below.

Holy smokes the new DC logo

It’s straight out of Justice League Unlimited and I LOVE IT!

That’s the Louvre.

Check out that Wayne Enterprises logo!

The photo!

Themyscira looks so cool!  I’m getting a Gondor from LOTR vibe from it but it’s all girls and no Denethor stand-in.

Little Diana is so flippin’ cute!

THAT WAS AN ARMADILLO!  There’s armadillos on this island!

Man, Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) grew up and kicked ass.

Ares looks like the bastard child of that one horned helmet dude from Skyrim and Sauron from LOTR

This backstory about the gods is great

The music so far is fantastic as well.

“You’re stronger than you believe!”  And braver than you seem.  And smarter than you think.

Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright are amazing as Hippolyta and Antiope so far

Gal Gadot!

That one Amazon flinching in the background though is totally me

Steve!!

The braid Diana has in her hair is really pretty.

Aw, they cut out that shot of her diving into the ocean.

Oh snap.

OK, this is straight out of “The Little Mermaid”

Steve’s literal first word to Diana upon seeing her is “Ah.”

I’m in love

“They [the Amazons] got guns, right?”  Ah, no, no they don’t.

Aah no!

THIS IS AMAZING!!

SHE (Antiope) LITERALLY PLANTS HER ARROWS IN THE GROUND AND USES IT AS A QUIVER!!

*SCREAM*

WOOO HIPPOLYTA!!!

NOOOOO!!!

Uh... Steve...

The Lasso!

“I’m a spYYYYY!!”

Doctor Poison’s face prosthetic is a really nice touch

WAIT SOMEONE’S IN THERE!! GAAAHHHH!!

Way to go, Captain Kirk

That’s Danny Huston as the main German dude, isn’t it?

Go help, Diana...

“But you’re [Diana] an Amazon like the rest of us.”  Excuse me, what?

STEVE PLAYING IN A HOT TUB LIKE A LITTLE KID!!  :D

“I am... above average.”  That’s amazing.

Steve, put some pants on for Pete’s sake.

I legit thought Diana was not talking about the watch if you know what I mean.

I am getting so many feels from this movie it’s insane.

Hey, bull.  No seriously, there’s an actual bull.

THIS MUSIC!!

What’s the inscription on the sword say?

I like how the Wonder Woman armor is conveniently blue and red.

Aw schnap the cavalry

The headband was Antiope’s!

The feeeellllssss....

Wait, so is Diana the Godkiller weapon then?  She’s gotta be.

“I’m the man who can!”  Oh my gosh.

This dialogue is so great and this little back-and-forth innuendo between Diana and Steve is so cute and glorious and I am enjoying every minute of it.

“Well that’s neat.”  I freaking love this movie.

“When it comes to procreation, men are essential, but for pleasure, not necessary.”  HOT DANG MOVIE!

Danny Huston in this scene looks like a bulldog.

[Huston rubs the back of his hand down Dr. Poison’s cheek] Noooope...

WHAT?!?  WHAT WAS THAT?!?

This is straight out of “Pocahontas II”

“Eyes to yourself, that’s enough.”  Steve Trevor, defending women since 1918.

Diana cooing over a baby!  Protect this woman at all costs!

OK, I am definitely buying this movie when it comes out on DVD.

Fashion!  Show!

Outfit number 226?!?

OH MY GOSH THEY MATCH!!

Guys, I LOVE THIS MOVIE.

Etta is so freaking pure in this scene.

“Ah, it’s the bad guy convention.”  I freaking love this man.

Etta wielding the sword!

Steve:  Stay here.

Diana:  OK (sneaks in anyway)

Well, hello David Thewlis...

Diana’s “bitch be serious?” face toward the British intelligence officer is great...

I feel like I can charge into a battle after finishing this movie.  Anybody wanna join me?  The more, the merrier.

So, I already had it spoiled for me that David Thewlis is Ares and seeing him sit nice and proper and talking about a proposed armistice is low key brilliant.

Whoa wait what Diana knows freaking Spanish?

Charlie’s accent is nothing short of amazing.

“I am both frightened and aroused.”  Guys, have I mentioned that I love this movie?

HE BOUGHT HER ICE CREAM!!!  I’M DYING FROM THIS CUTENESS!

Obligatory nuns.

Der little tugboat though.

That one Nazi general’s mustache is something straight out of a Snidely Whiplash cartoon.

Danny Huston, your accent’s slippin’

They [Dr. Poison and Luddendorf] even share an evil giggle together!

Is that a purple hat on Chief or is that the lighting?

No, not the baby!

This movie actually offers a really refreshing take on war overall and everyone’s opinions on it and it’s both heartbreaking and great.

What’s sad is that I can understand the Spanish that lady in the trench is saying.

The dramatic slow-mo of her taking her hair down... Elsa, eat your heart out.

SHOOKETH TO THY CORE.

That’s it.  That’s it.  I’m downloading the OST.

HER THEME!!

SLOW MOTION....

A TANK!  SHE FREAKING THREW A TANK!!

*externally screaming*

Steve, don’t.

SHE LEAPED INTO A CHAPEL AND SAVED THE TOWN!!

THE PICTURE!!

Aah Sameer!

Steve literally pulled the “Sorry, I can’t hear you” excuse on freaking Ares on a freaking landline telephone.

You two love each other, dang it.

The chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine is freaking spectacular.

Urge... to download... OST... so... strong...

*screaming internally*

*screaming externally*

KISS DAMMIT!

Wait... are they gonna... do the do that we want them to do?

YEESSS!!  And it was nothing explicit either and really subtle and I appreciate that.

The ragamuffin troupe (Sameer, Charlie, and Chief) call Steve “Steven”

Steve:  Don’t do anything

Diana:  OK (sneaks in anyway)

OH MY GOD STEVE’S GERMAN ACCENT!

This is straight out of “Indiana Jones” and it’s amazing.

DIANA STOLE THAT LADY’S DRESS!!

OH MY GOD STEVE I FREAKING LOVE YOU!

Why does Dr. Maru remind me of Alana Bloom from “Hannibal” but a lot more demure?

STEVE!

“Extra-ordinary.”  Ah... Steve... your fake accent’s slippin’...

Diana...

How is she keeping her sword tucked in her dress?  Does she have her armor on underneath it?  OK, she does, nevermind.

Do I hear a certain leitmotif coming up?

Is her theme in Minor?!?  Cause that’s awesome.

What the heck is that stuff that Luddendorf is breathing in?  Is it like a really early prototype of Venom?

Well dang.

Diana, that ain’t Ares.

Steve’s speech to Diana about how not everyone is good is perfect.  Just perfect.

Ummm...

Oh.  Snap.  Son.

(Steve and the Ragamuffin Troupe wear gas masks to sneak in)  Are you my mummy?

Get.  The.  Crap.  Out.

Ares just pulled a Stealth Hi-Bye.  Twice in a row.

Diana’s the Godkiller.  Called it.

I can’t get over the fact that Remus Lupin is the villain of this movie.  Just have him ditch the woolly caterpillar mustache.

Wait so does Ares know that WWII still happens?  And that every other major war after that happens?

WHERE’S THE AUDIO BETWEEN THEM?!?

Aand another Steve sacrifices himself via an airplane and saves the world.  *slams head on desk*

Ares freaking created his armor out of the wreckage around him.  If that’s not a great visual representation of war, then I don’t know what is.

“Is that all you have to offer?”  Nope.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  THEY DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER DANG IT!!

You did not just disrespect Steve in front of Diana.

“I can save today.  You can save the world.”  Gaahh!!

“I wish we had more time.  I love you.”  Gone.  I’m done.  My heart has exited my chest cavity and has sailed out the window.

Y’know, I could say that Gary Oldman could also make a great Ares but he’s known for playing bad guys and with David Thewlis, you never expect him being the bad guy.

This lighting is amazing.

Well, that final battle was... short.

Aaw Etta!

She thanked Bruce for giving her the photo and Steve’s watch!!

WOOOO!!!

Four for you, Allan Heinberg!  You go, Allan Heinberg!

[hmpygssy]

The Great Comet Experience.

So to start.. this was my late birthday present I would have seen it on my actual birthday except for I had shows all up until last week, which is why I'm seeing it almost a month later. Ok so I absolutely love the Cold War aesthetic of the lobby, as well as the steps you have to go up to get to the onstage seating. Also was surprised that we came in for the onstage seating from THE upstage doors I assumed there were side entrances but no it was really special entering the space through THE DOORS. The man sharing my table was really really kind. Knew nothing about the show and it was lovely to hear his absolute amazement as the show went on. He also kinda looked like Vladimir Putin. He was a really nice guy and we actually made really good small talk. Also had half of my pierogi and it was Tasty So I loved the long long accordion note while the business with Natasha and andrei was going on.. and the ON THE FIRST "this is all in your program" Gelsey bell came RIGHT to my section and I legitimately almost cried. Just because everything felt so special! The lighting was phenomenal and I have a favorite moment I'll go into later, but I love how they integrated the house lights with the normal stage lights. I think it really really helped with the immersion. A small thing I liked, because the piano was facing away from us, was that there was a mirror on the piano so we could see josh sing while he played. I have No Clue how grace McLean does it honestly. How her throat is not just torn up is a mystery to me. SAME to amber gray. Kudos to both of them for being Queens The changes to private and intimate life were..... interesting... but I wasn't really paying so much attention bc I was too busy gawking at Gelsey Bell. Unfortunately I didn't get to be the suitor, he was in my seat, but on the other side of the stage! Oh well!! Also Paul pinto as this strange hunchbacked servant walked past me it was bizarre I loved it. Constrained and strained was on point. Love me them minor seconds. Absolutely adored denee's no one else. Especially with the lighting it was really really gorgeous. Gelsey was Right in front of me at the opera... that whole thing was just insane with the dancers and the lights flashing on and off. I felt like I was watching some underground art performance, but it's a Broadway show. I think overall the show retains a remarkable intimacy despite being supersized for the imperial. Lucas Steele is a Noodle man. Natasha and Anatole was V GOOD Lucas and denee have really great chemistry and I love how they circled each other. One of my favorite parts of the show. I missed Natasha lost... but only a little it flowed so well I forgot about it for a minute or two. The duel was the most special part. During the club scene, Brittain poked me and said "hiya" and I quietly exclaimed "love u brittain" and then Gelsey came by in her club outfit and danced like Right next to me for a little. And the actual duel itself happened right in front of me.. Dust and ashes was just absolutely breathtaking. Not much else to say about it. I liked the addition of the early candle in the mirror scene in Sunday morning but I do miss Brittain Ashford describing food in great detail Amber gray belted my face right off during charming it was lovely and I want to see it 100 more times I really really loved the choreography at the ball, and Gelsey danced with a girl in front of me!!!!! I thought the singing glasses at the end of the act were very effective and I was left just absolutely stunned. At intermission I had the other half of my pierogi, and the stage hand replacing props gave the guy at my table one of pierre's real prop "dear Andrei" letters I was So jealous!!! Letters was a LOT of fun, and I got a letter!!! And after letters Nicholas belton was sitting on the stairs right near me until balaga, it was really interesting watching his face as they talked about Anatole and stuff. He was very in the zone Sonya and Natasha had some of my favorite moments with denee and I Loved brittain's very dejected look during the "i hate you I hate you etc. " but. Some very good facial acting. Sonya alone gave me chills and I was nearly in tears by the end of it. Denee ended up right in front of us by the end of the song it was very powerful. Preparations was a ton of fun, and Nicholas was strumming right by us, and I Loved Lucas' acting here. Balaga was SO SO SO MUCH FUN I got an egg shaker and really went wild and sang along :P And segueing right into The abduction... without a doubt the most enjoyable part of the show. Especially as I had just learned the dance for it a week or so earlier. Lucas let the "wait shut the door" bit drag on for so long and it surprisingly didnt really bother me because I wanted the show to last all night. And GELSEY going up on the whole bit about "into the courtyard or you'll be seen" sounded phenomenal and then grace's You Will Not Enter My House Scoundrel literally killed me dead In my house was the most intense part of the show and I really loved denee's performance in it. My favorite lighting moment was at the beginning of A Call to Pierre when Paul pinto as the servant goes around the stage with the lightbulbs following him I just thought that was So SO SO well done. Shout out to grace mcleans "NATASHA AND ANATOLE KURAGIN" for once again merdering me. Find Anatole was really interestingly staged with josh at the "proscenium" and the ensemble lined up around the mezzanine. I thought it was very interesting. And pierres reprimand to Helene was really halting and I loved it Pierre and Anatole was INTENSE!!! I really love how they established Natasha poisoning herself in the number. And lucas' high note was absolutely pitch perfect I cryed. Natasha very ill made me very very sad it was really beautiful. Nicholas belton spoke his andrei lines maybe a bit too much. Not sure if it's a range issue? He sounded very good when he did sing and he looked Very nice w the suspenders. I really liked his take on the character. And josh really broke my heart on that one. Especially the "you told me once a fallen woman should be forgiven" really really affecting. And andrei's moment with princess mary was devastating. Natasha and Pierre was really really gorgeous probably the best singing Denee did in the show. She had Such a vulnerability and it was powerful. Loved her "don't call him bad" And when she started crying. Also Josh's reading of The Line was really really really good and the end of the song going into Great Comet was really really lovely. I had heard josh sing great comet before but to see it was a whole other ballgame. And the harmonies really had me weepy. The comet itself was so gorgeous and I loved how little stage lighting there was at the end. It was so so so special. I was the first person onstage to stand during bows. I was at the very front of the stage door line, and I think I scared grace McLean when I said I adored her. Bc I accidentally said it kind of creepily. She gave me a look and I felt so embarrassed. A couple actors recognized me from the stage and thanked me for the good vibes and that made me really happy. Brittain saw me and recognized me and I told her that I loved ghost quartet and all her solo stuff and that being poked by her was the greatest thing that's ever happened to me and she said that normally she has to kind of gauge how far to go with the audience, but when she saw me she thought "this guy is into it" then she said she was glad that I enjoyed our interaction as much as she did and touched my arm and we thanked each other and I was like totally reeling. And when I told Gelsey how I'm totally obsessed with her she said that meeting me was "a treat". And I was the Last Person josh groban signed for before he got in his car to go. I also told Paul pinto he's an inspiration to me as a future avant garde vocalist. And I got my playbill signed by everyone but Denee and amber gray, both of whom I didn't see come up. And when I met back up with my parents I found that they got me one of the show sweatshirts!!! So I have a takeout box, egg shaker, letter, sweater and signed playbill and I couldn't be more over the moon. What an amazing experience. Go see this show if you can. It's absolutely incredible. And if u do tell brittain ashford I love her. If anyone has any questions about the show please feel free to ask about it!!! I'll answer them in the morning. I'm heading to sleep now, night everyone!!!!

[nbiblioholic]

Watch Me I've always enjoyed reading something from Cynthia Eden. Whether it's something paranormal or high intensity suspense, it's always a guaranteed good time to be had. Watch Me gave me plenty of heat and left me on the edge of my seat while I tried to figure out who the heck was trying to kill all of these people. While I was invested in the second chance at a relationship Gwen and Chance were getting, I was absolutely absorbed with the idea of a stalker/killer on the loose. The fact that whodunit was not someone I had guessed only made this story better. So if you like a story about a mysterious psycho and a damsel's need for the protection of the guy who got away, you're in for a treat! Want Me This was just as thrilling as the last. After saving Sophie's life in Watch Me, Lex is put on protective duty again when her life is in danger. Neither of them can deny their intense sexual chemistry, which seems to get in the way of the investigation. Is Sophie using him? As a lawyer, she's used to keeping secrets, but when her secrets hindered rather than helped Lex to keep her safe, I wanted to knock her upside the head. What's with these women not trusting the men they've gone to for help? Why did you choose them in the first place? And why do they suffer absolutely no consequences??? Anyhoo, a psycho is once again on the loose and although this time I was close enough to narrow my suspects down, I was still surprised. Another winner in my book! Need Me I sometimes felt that Julianna was her own worst enemy. She was on trial for the murder of her husband and she truly didn't remember killing him. No one believes her and someone is out to get her. Her lawyer (Sophie from the last book) refers her to VJS and Devlin is on the case. He's a pretty straight arrow but he knows that life isn't black and white. He grew up in all kinds of messed up shades of grey. So why is it, when she knows that he's on her side, even if it might be because he's being paid to be there, why does she insist on lying??? The guy literally saved her from blowing up with her car, gunshots, vehicular homicide, etc., and yet still... she lies. She keeps her secrets even from her lawyer who is trying to SAVE HER LIFE!! I was waiting for someone, anyone, to really call her out. But once again, the damsel who believes herself to be as skilled as the professionals, suffered no consequences. Whatever. At least there was plenty of suspense, action, and hot sex scenes to be had. Beware of Me Carly was the sister of Julianna, the heroine from the previous book. Ethan was the man who seemed to be everywhere and involved in every thing. He and Carly shared a brutal past and a moment of insanity binds them together for life. However, it's been years and after Ethan sent her away, for her own safety mind you, she's been trying to move on with her life. Nothing she does really works and now it's too late because Ethan is back because her life is once again in danger. Old enemies are gunning for her and the only person standing between her and certain death is the one man she believes isn't good for her. While I absolutely hated the way Carly not only viewed Ethan, but how she treated him, I loved Ethan far too much to hold it against how much I enjoyed this story. From the beginning of this series, he's been colored as the villain of every tale. He's dangerous and death seems to follow him around. Yet, I found that he was so much more than everyone assumed. There were many reasons for why the women in his life constantly leap to his defense and I'm so happy that the author gave us a chance to see him for who he really is. He may just be my favorite hero of this entire series and I have no regrets. Between the crazily intense action and suspense scenes and the sensual chemistry he shared with Carly, I found it impossible to put this book down. When I got to the end, I didn't want to let go. In conclusion, if you're a fan of strong characters, being on tenterhooks trying to figure out what happens next, and instalove, you're gonna love this!