#i have plenty of favorite josh quotes

[shutupdevvie]

dev fave josh quote? something by short n sweet that he says like one of his bits from onstage maybe?

OOO obviously champagne, caviar that’s a classic and it DOES make me giggle every time

smoke em if you got em is also a good one (even though i will not be smoking anything thank u though josh)

clothing is optional. i think that one speaks for itself.

fuck fear is a really good one obviously not a stage saying but just in general

[gretavangroupie]

Bloom (Chapter 3)

Chapter 3

A/N: Barely Edited! Sorry for typos etc.

Part Two

Warnings: ALLLLL of them.

“Exhale it all as stardust and art”- Butterflies Rising

You wake the next day to Amelia banging on your door. “Wake up, time to spill the deets!” She says cheerfully. 

You are shocked because you’re positive she drank more than you did.

“Well Im up now! What do you want to know?” You reply.

“Tell me what happened when you saw him walking over to us!” She questions.

“Well after my soul left my body when I realized it was him, we took those shots and and I calmed down immediately. He has a weird calming energy and I didn’t feel nervous talking to him anymore. Gosh Amelia he was so nice and tender and he couldn’t stop touching me all night. I can’t believe we met last night. Thank god for that blowout.” You laugh.

“See, I told you blowouts have magical powers!” She said.

“Did you kiss?!!” She begs

“Yes we did have one kiss last night when he was walking us in” you tell her.

“When are you going to see him again!?” She says.

“Well, he said and I quote, “Until next time”…so whenever that is.” You say.

“Oh my gosh that is so good! You met him on Raya so who is this guy?” She questions.

“Actually I have no idea, him and his brothers are in a band but I don’t know the name. I didn’t ask or anything, did Danny say anything to you?” you ask her.

“No we didn’t even talk about him being in a band” she says smirking.

“Oh well, I feel like everyone is in a band in this town.” I say dismissively.

“Yeah you’re right about that” she says walking off to the other room.

The rest of your Sunday was uneventful, you fought the urge to text Josh, so that you didn’t come off as needy. You want him to make the next move. That doesn’t mean you don’t want to though. In fact he is all you’ve thought about all day. When the day passes with no text you chalk to it up to him being busy and leave it at that. You get ready for bed and quickly fall asleep wondering what tomorrow will bring.

You wake up in the morning and grab your phone off the night stand, you have a text from Josh. You quickly sit up and read it.

Josh: I thought about you all day. I was waiting to hear from you but I couldn’t wait anymore. So hi. I was wondering if you have plans on Wednesday? Let me know. 

Oh gosh, he was waiting on you!? That’s the last time you ever do that! You quickly check your calendar and see if you have anything important going on, on Wednesday.

You: I thought about you too. Sorry to keep you waiting! I do not have plans Wednesday. What do you have in mind?

You anxiously await his reply.

Josh: Do you think you and Amelia would want to come to one of our shows? We have one in Knoxville on Wednesday.

Knoxville, you think. Isn’t that like 3 hours away from Nashville? You’ll have to ask Amelia what she thinks but you already know she is going to say yes.

You think about it for a second, and decided to ask her really quick. You pull up her contact and send her a quick screen shot of you and Josh’s conversation with a question mark.

She replies quickly, 

Amelia: Aww Pen he likes you! Yes, we should totally go. Why not! I’ll drive. 

You formulate your response to Josh.

You: Okay, I talked to Amelia, she is totally down to come watch your show! Looks like we will be there!

Josh: Danny is going to be thrilled. Me too of course. ;) I’ll text you the address and how to get back stage when I have the info. Can’t wait to see you again pretty girl.

There it is again, that nick name quickly becoming your favorite.

You: I am looking forward to it. :)

You and Josh continue to have small sporadic conversations over the next day or so, just anxiously awaiting Wednesday. 

The day finally arrives, and around 9:00AM you get a text from Josh with the address and where to go to get in. 

You and Amelia decide to leave around 2:00 so that you have plenty of time before the show starts to see the guys. Josh had told you that the show started at 6:00PM, so an hour would be enough right? 

After the 3 hour car ride to Knoxville, you arrive and park in the parking garage across from what you now see is an Arena with a huge line of people waiting.

“Wow” you say to Amelia, “they must be opening for someone big!”

She nods agreeably and you get out and walk over to the will call window and wait for your turn. 

You tell her what Josh had told you to say, “Hi, we are here to pick up our access passes.” You give her your last names and ID’s and she pulls out 2 lanyards and slides them through the hole in the window. 

“Here you are, have a good night” she smiles.

You and Amelia look at each other so confused, when you look at the Badges hanging from the lanyards. 

It has an illustration of a hooded man surrounded by stars and underneath,  Access All Areas - VIP Guest.

You and Amelia look at each other shocked. “Wow look at us, all important” she squeaks.

You head to the doors where a guard is and ask how where you need to go. He pulls out his radio and says something incoherent and shortly another man appears and leads you backstage.

After a long walk down multiple hallways he knocks on a door and says “one of them will probably answer… maybe” he shakes his head laughing and walks away. 

You stand there nervously waiting for the door to open and you see Sam.

“Oh my gosh I didn’t know you two were coming! Long time no see, come on in! We are just doing out pre show festivities.” He says excitedly.

You walk in a scan the room and you see Josh, in a White Velvet bedazzled jumpsuit, and a lady is applying what looks like Rhinestones on his face. Next you see Danny, talking to who you can reasonably assume is Josh’s twin brother Jake. You can’t hear what they are saying but you see Jake ask Danny a question and Danny shake his head and say yes. 

You feel your cheeks blush a little bit and you turn to look at Amelia who is already running over to hug Danny. You are standing there by your self feeling a little but awkward when Sam says, “Come on let’s go make some drinks.”

A drink is so what you need right now. He pours you up a Vodka Soda and you take a few big sips just to calm your nerves. You look around again and think to your self that this is a pretty nice dressing room for an opener.

The lady finished up on Josh’s rhinestones and he catches sight of you and begins to make his way over to you.

“I am so glad you guys made it, it’s going to be a great show!” He says cheerfully.

“I totally wasn’t expecting an arena! Who are you guys opening for?” You question.

Sam about chokes on his drink and says “Honey, we aren’t the opener, we are the headliner.”

At that moment all the thoughts drain from your head and you are staring blankly at Josh who is searching your face nervously for some kind of reaction. 

“What? What is the name of your band? Have I heard your music?” You ask looking between the two of them.

“Greta Van Fleet is the name of our band” Josh says nervously rubbing his hands together.

The wheels begin to turn in your mind and you recognize that name from one of your Spotify playlists. You can’t quite place a song at the moment but you realize that this isn’t just some gig for a small band trying to make it. This is their tour, and they have already made it. 

Things quickly start to fall into place when you think about some of the things he has told you or said over the last couple of days. 

“Wow, I had no idea, why didn’t you tell me?” You ask him.

“Well I didn’t want you to have any preconceived notions about me, I didn’t want to ruin something that was happening so organically.” He says with a soft smile. He grabbed your hand and said “I wanted one thing in my life to be as normal and ordinary as possible, but I am quickly finding this to be more than ordinary.” he says staring into your eyes with a soft smile.

Sam excuses himself from your conversation and as you stand there in the moment you hear Jake yell out, “Alright time for a shot!” You look at Josh and say “funny, isn’t this exactly what happened last time I saw you?” He laughs and agrees.

You all hang out in the dressing room, you and Amelia watch the boys warm up and little and goof around and you’re both talking about how excited you are to see them play.

About a half hour later someone knocks on the door and gives them a ten minute warning. At this point they have all changed into very intricately designed suits with embellishments and adornments carefully placed for the most effect. A few of them have put on a touch of make up and they all look stunning. 

You all begin the walk down the hall to get to the backside of the stage. You can faintly hear music playing from inside the arena. Josh’s assistant leads you and Amelia to the the left side of the stage and points and shows you how to get into the seating area so you can watch the show, and what to do after it was over, although she did tell us we were free to come and go from backstage as much as we pleased. 

You hear music begin to get louder and the crowd beginning to cheer thunderously as the lights go down. It is pitch black back stage and all you can see is red lighting from the stage and smoke from a smoke machine. Amelia runs over to Danny and you see them hug out of the corner of your eye. 

Josh runs over to you and says “Alright, it’s time. I’ll see you on the other side. This one’s for you.” 

He smiles excitedly and pulls you in for a quick and unsuspecting kiss. Again his lips on yours lights a fire inside of you that you never want to go out. Just as soon as you open your eyes you see him slide off his shoes next to the stairs and run up onto the stage. Jake is collecting his guitar from the side of the stage and a quickly follows after Josh giving you a small head nod. 

You and Amelia rush up to your seats and get there just in the nick of time. Suddenly you realize there has to be 30,000 people in this arena, and they are all there for these guys you met at a bar.

Amelia turns to you and says “I cannot believe this is our life right now!”

You look at her and shake your head, “honestly, me either!”

Suddenly you hear what you are assuming is Josh’s voice and the guitar building up when out of nowhere the curtain drops and the crowd goes absolutely insane. Josh and the guys look incredible. They begin to play and as you look to the crowd you see most everyone singing every single word to the song and recording on their phones. You see people dressed to the nines, in outfits that look like the ones the guys are wearing. You can tell they are true fans. 

Josh sounds amazing, and it’s very apparent that Jake, who is on guitar, has his very own fan club. You can hear the people below you screaming his name and him doing the absolute most theatrical performance he can, for them. Sam is on bass, and Danny is on the drums and you see a few signs confessing their love for them as well. 

About midway through the show you see Josh come down off of the stage and he begins to pass out white roses to people in the crowd, who are absolutely awe struck by him. The whole time he is grinning ear to ear and you can just tell that this is his passion and he loves making people happy. He shakes hands with a few girls after the roses are gone and then he is suddenly back on stage for the next song.

Amelia nudges you and tells you that she has to pee, so you both make your way backstage and head to the bathroom. She tells you she wants to watch the last bit of the show from the side of the stage and you agree. You have such a great view from here and you happily watch Josh as he occasionally catches a glance of you from the stage. 

They finish the song and they all begin to exit quickly down the stairs. They are all sweating profusely and drinking down bottles of water. 

Sam sprints past you, and heads straight for the bathroom. Josh walks over to you, out of breath, and says “So, what do you think so far?”

Your eyes widen and you say urgently, “Oh my god Josh are you kidding? You guys are amazing! I don’t know what I was expecting but you have definitely exceed it!”

“Well in about two minutes we are going to get back up there for a few more songs, and then I’m all yours for the rest of the night.” He gives you a quick kiss on the forehead and finishes the rest of his water as the guys begin to run back up the stairs to take their places on the stage. Josh runs up and the crowd goes nuts. The lights come back on as Josh says “Well, what do you think? One more?”

The really put on a hell of a show. They ended with a bang, literally. Fire, fireworks, the whole nine yards.

They all come down off the stage looking utterly beat. Josh motions for you and Amelia to follow them back to the dressing room. Once inside they all sit down and try to catch their breath. Their crew handing out waters and cigarettes to Sam. There are noticeably more people  in the room than last time you were in here. Assistants, roadies and crew members all discussing what needed to happen in a few minutes. You and Amelia talk amongst yourself until Josh gets up and walks over to you and asks if you have to leave tonight or if you could stay.

Taken aback by the question you tell him that you and Amelia were planning to drive back tonight. He looks at me with a smirk and motions to Danny and Amelia  who are on the couch getting very cozy. “I think that Danny and Amelia may have other plans for the evening…”

“So it would seem. Let me talk to her. I need to figure out what to do.” You say trying to think about possible situations.

“Well, I know it is kind of soon, but you are more than welcome to stay with me at my hotel tonight and drive back tomorrow morning.” He says sheepishly.

“I’m not sure how much fun I will be, since I am exhausted, but I will try to be a good host.” He jokes with you.

You think about possible scenarios in your mind. You think about how when you moved to Nashville you wanted to try to be more carefree and open to new experiences, and you make your decision. “Okay. I’ll tell Amelia.” You say confidently.

“Really? Great!” Josh says excitedly. 

After a round of drinks while everyone changes and gets cleaned up, you pull Amelia to the side to tell her that you have decided to stay with Josh tonight. “Oh really? Thank god, Danny and I were trying to come up with a plan. I’ve already decided to call in sick tomorrow.” She says.

“Okay well this works out, I guess just, text me in the morning and we can hit the road.” you say. “Oh and hey Mill? Thanks for making me get that stupid app. I can’t believe this has worked out like this.” You say thankfully.

“Oh no problem, i’m not complaining either!” She says pointing to Danny, who is laughing at something Sam is acting out.

You hug her and go to find Josh.

“Hey pretty girl, I think that our van is going to leave here in about 5 minutes to take us to the hotel.”

You nod and smile at him and he links his arm with yours and slings a back pack over his other arm. You begin to walk out a side door to get to the van, and you are met with about 50 screaming fans wanting pictures and autographs from the guys. Josh tells you to get in the van and he will meet you in a second with a squeeze of your hand. 

You and Amelia get in the back of the van and you watch as the guys take photos, sign autographs and joke with their fans. After a few minutes they all begin to pile in. You say to them, “wow they really love you guys!”. Danny chimes in, “we wouldn’t be here right now with out them!” The van pulls out and we head to the hotel which is very close by. Their assistant is already waiting with room keys for the guys. We all pile into the elevator and Josh pushes the button to take everyone to their floors. When the doors open at your floor you and Josh are the first ones out and you can hear Sam making kissy noises and saying “have a good night you two…” You blush and turn your head so that Josh can’t see. He grabs your hand and says “Sorry about that, he is 23 but sometimes I think he never matured past 14.” You laugh and shrug your shoulders as Josh unlocks the door with the room key. 

Its a very nice hotel room with a large king sized bed, you immediately take your boots off as josh drops his back pack and duffle bag on the chair. He walks over and sits down on the bed and pats the spot next to him. You nervously walk over and sit down. He puts his hand gently on you arm and says

“Listen, I don’t want you to feel weird or awkward. There are no expectations and I am genuinely just happy that you are here. I don’t want you to think there is any pressure for anything to happen here. I just want you to know that.” He says reassuringly.

You aren’t sure what has come over you but you put your hand on his face and look into his eyes and say “Thank you.” You lean in and kiss him and you feel his hand lace its self through your arms and rest on your hip. He begins to kiss you back, your mouths both parting enough that he takes your bottom lip between his and sucks every so slightly. A grumble comes from his throat as he tightens his grip on your side. 

You feel his tongue cross the threshold into your mouth and you taste the slight flavor of whiskey, part of his pre show ritual. Your tongues begin to dance melodically together fervently as he suddenly pulls away. 

“Im sorry I don’t know what came over me. Right after I just said there was no pressure…” he continues until you cut him off. “I want this. If you do of course…” you say sheepishly, eyes searching his. 

“I do, but when it’s right, and right now all I want is to lay in this bed and hold you and tell you how beautiful you look right now.” He says smiling at you.

You are taken aback by the blatant admission but you love how open he is with you.

“That sounds wonderful.” You say.

He jumps up and walks over to his duffle bag, crouching down and unzipping it, digging through it to find a t shirt. “Ah ha!” He says, and throws the t-shirt at you. “You can sleep in this if you want to.” He says hopefully.

“I will, thanks” you smirk.

He grabs some things from his bag and heads into the bathroom. While he is in there you quickly strip down to your underwear and throw on the t shirt, which smells exactly like Josh, and you slide into the plush and comfy bed. A few minutes later Josh emerges from the bathroom with s pair of sweatshirts and no shirt. He walks over and turns off the lamp on the other side of the room and closes the curtains. He plugs his phone into the charger and leaves it on the desk next to yours. 

He walks over the bed and pulls the duvet back and slides in next to you like it is something he has always done.  Everything that he does seems so natural and easy to him, like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

He rolls onto his side and turns to face you and smiles when he sees you in his shirt. “It looks better on you than it does on me!” He laughs.

You laugh and push his arm a little. “Thank you for coming out here tonight to see the show. It really was special for me, knowing that you were there and waiting to see me when I came off the stage.” He says.

“Of course, I just wish you would have told me about the band and just how large of an event it was going to be” you laugh.

“I know, I should have but I was enjoying you too much to spoil it.” He says

“Spoil it?” You ask, “what do you mean”

“Well, as I’m sure you saw, we have quite a few fans and sometimes I worry that people only want to talk to me because of that. Which is why I didn’t bring it up, to see how things would play out naturally.” He says. 

“Well, I was a bit shocked to be honest, and I think I have a lot of homework to do, to learn your entire discography.” You say “Because I’ll be damned if I go to another show and I can’t at least sing along” you joke.

He reaches over and rubs his hand over your cheek. He looks like he wants to say something but doesn’t. After a minute of just looking at each other he says “Are you tired?”

You nod and he rolls over to turn off the light. You roll onto your other side, facing away from him.  He adjusts his pillow under his head and lets out a long deep breath before rolling back to his side. 

The next thing you know you feel him inching his body closer to you until you feel your back pressed against his chest. His hand reaches over and pushes the hair away from your neck and he nuzzles his face into your neck when you hear him take a long inhale before he says “goodnight perfect girl” and places a soft kiss on the soft spot behind your ear. You blush again and say “goodnight josh, thanks for tonight.” His arm snakes under yours and rests gently on your waist. You soon recognize that he is asleep based on the even pattern of breathing you feel against your neck. Your heart is still racing and you wonder if you’ll even be able to sleep tonight. 

You can see sunlight peaking around the edges of the curtains as you try to open your eyes. You realize you did manage to fall asleep and you slept soundly. You don’t remember waking up in the middle of the night as you usually do. It takes a minute for you to realize that you are still in the same position that you fell asleep in with one noticeable change. You can feel Josh’s erection buried into your back. He is completely entangled around you and closer than ever. 

After a few minutes you decide to get up as carefully and quietly as possible and make your way over to your phone to check the time. 6:10AM. You sneak off to the bathroom to pee, and then make your way back into bed hoping to get a few more blissful minutes of cuddling. 

You are able to slide right back into the bed except this time you're facing him. You see his eye lids flutter and slowly open when you see that beautiful smile you love creep across his face. 

“Somehow you’re even more beautiful right now than in my dream.” he says reaching for your face. You giggle and push him over. He grabs your arm and pulls you over on top of him. You are face to face, nose to nose. His lips furiously find yours as he entwines both of his hands in your hair. You kiss him back deeper until your tongues are dancing together. His hands are underneath the hem of your shirt and they make their way to your back rubbing up and down your skin, lighting small fires upon every square inch they touch.

You feel his erection against your stomach growing impossibly harder. You make a move to flip over so that he is now on top of you. You continue to kiss each other fervently like there is nothing else in the world. Resting on his hands he crawls closer to you and runs his left hand from the top of your shoulder down to your knee, memorizing the shape of your body. He lays back down on top of you and you feel his length pressed directly to your core. It has been so long since you had felt anything down there and it was so sensitive you were sure that one touch would cause you to come undone.

“Josh” you say breaking the kiss, “please” you plead. You feel for the elastic of his boxers and gently tug.

He looks at you with a serious contemplative expression,“Are you sure?” He asks.

“Yes” you plead. You aren’t sure what has come over you but all you can think about is closing the distance between your bodies. In this moment you need him more than you need air.

He jumps up and digs around in his toiletry bag and returns to you. He quickly slides his boxers off, his dick springing free from the confines of his boxers. Nervously looking to you, he quickly climbs back into the same position, but sitting back on his feet, he opens the condom, discarding the packing on the floor and rolls it on in one fluid motion. 

You pull him close to you and feel his lips trailing soft kisses down the side of your neck. He grabs the hem of the t-shirt and gently lifts it over your head, throwing it to the floor.  He looks down at your body and breathlessly says, “you are magnificent”. You blush and turn your head and he smiles, noticing the blush creeping down your chest. “I will never get tired of that”.

You take his lips in yours as you feel his fingers hook through your underwear and he begins to slide them down your legs. 

Once they are on the floor with the rest of your clothes you feel his fingers slide gently through the warm slit between your legs, “Oh my god baby you are so wet.” He says. He continues to run his fingers up and down in fluid motions before circling your clit repeatedly. You are squirming with anticipation as you feel your climax creeping forward. 

“Josh wait!” You beg. He slows down, looking at you. “I want the first time to be together.” You say.  A small smile creeps across his face and he removes his fingers from you, and begins to position himself at your welcome entrance. 

You begin to breathe heavily, he notices and rubs his hand up and down your arm reassuringly. 

A few second later you feel him slide gently inside of you. 

Josh throws his head back and groans in pure ecstasy at the contact, making sure to hold still for a few seconds to let you adjust. You can feel every single inch stretching inside of you to accommodate his size. When you feel like you are acclimated you motion to him that he can go ahead.

He drops his head to your chest and  takes one of your nipples into his mouth. His hands on either side of your head, he pulls slightly out and pushes back in. He does this slowly while focusing on your face for a few minutes before you call out, “more josh, please”.

You see a sparkle in his eye as he begins to pump in and out of your more fervently. Your lips crash to his, tongues exploring every inch of each others mouths. You’re panting as he works your body in ways you weren’t sure it could be worked. 

He hitches your left leg up onto his side and he continues to work up to his climax. You are there, you are gently pressing your fingertips into the soft parts of his back, clinging to him and ready to be overtaken. “I am close Josh, I am gonna cum.” You pant.

“Cum, cum for me right now pretty girl, I am there, I am with you.” He breathes.

One more thrust and your walls tighten around his cock and you’re overwhelmed with your release. The only sound you hear is Josh succumbing to his own, with a loud guttural groan and you feel him filling the condom with his warm secretion.

He collapses on top of you breathing heavily. He kisses your forehead lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. He rolls off of you and gets up and walks to the bathroom. You hear the toilet flush and he returns with a warm washcloth.

He reaches out and presents it to you, “for the lady”. You laugh and graciously accept, and use it to clean your self up before you make your way to the bathroom. 

When you return he is gathering his toiletries to get in the shower. “Care to partake?” He asks.

“You check your phone looking to see if Amelia had texted you yet, and when you realize she hadn’t you are happy to oblige. “Sure” you agree.

Josh had already started the shower, it was hot. Hot enough that steam was filling the bathroom already. You step in to the shower with him and he motions for you to go first. You wet your hair and rub the leftover makeup off your face before turning to him and letting him past. He steps under the steamy water and wets his curls first, water flowing down his body and you catch your self staring at his dick.

“See something you like angel?” 

You look up, embarrassed and turn around to begin to wash your hair with the hotel provided mini bottles. He does the same, rinses himself and steps to the side to let you rinse. You’re face to face again and he is smiling at you. He reaches out and offers you his body wash. This is it, this is his intoxicating smell and you happily wash yourself all over with it, so that you can smell him all day.

Suddenly he grabs you and pulls you in for a long deep kiss. You kiss him back and he releases you. You both rinse off and he turns off the shower, he reaches out and hands you a fluffy white towel. 

Once you’re both out of the shower, he begins dressing and you look around for your clothes. You slide back into your underwear, pull your jeans on and put your bra on when you hear him say, “take that shirt, wear it today if you want. I’ll get it back from you eventually.” You smile and thank him and he puts on a brown linen short sleeve jumpsuit and Birkenstocks. 

Your phone dings and its Amelia, letting you know that she is waiting for you in the lobby.

“Amelia is waiting for me down stairs.” You say.

“Yeah my assistant has been blowing up my phone for the past half hour, they are waiting for me too.” He laughs.

He grabs his backpack and closes the distance between the two of you and pulls you into to a hug. He buries his face into your neck, breathing you in again. “Hey! You smell like me!” He jokes. He looks up and places his soft lips to yours for one last gentle kiss before pulling back to stare at you for a minute longer. You wonder what he is thinking.

“Alright, let’s not keep them waiting.” He grabs the rest of his things and makes his way to the door. 

The elevator ride is made in silence and once you arrive to the lobby you immediately spot Amelia. She runs over to you and throws her hands around your neck pulling you in for a hug. “Hi. Goodmorning Pen!!”

“Pen?” Josh asks.

You look at him, and laugh. “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it sometime.” You joke.

“You ready to go Mills?” You ask 

“Yep, let me go say bye to Danny real quick” and she saunters off.

“Hey thank you for everything…” Josh says to you.

You smile up at him and thank him for the invite and his hospitality. He gives you his signature goodbye kiss on the forehead and says “until next time”. 

You smile as he walks off and meets up with Danny and they disappear out the doors.

Amelia calls an Uber to take you back to her car in the parking garage, then she looks around to see if the coast is clear and says “Alright, spill!”

You roll your eyes and are sure to give her the full rundown on the way home.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 24

An unofficial July theme: optimism! 

From a rom-com about the possibilities of the Space Race, silly Minion antics, movie theaters making a comeback, traveling to new places, and the most exciting Olympics in years, things are looking up. July is also a great time to take stock of the year’s movie output. The writers at ZekeFilm rounded up our individual top five films and named our cumulative top five in our Best of the Year (So Far) piece. (I also did a deeper dive on my favorite film so far.) I'm not saying we've found the joy of a dull moment of precedented-ness, but these Round Up of pop culture picks gave July a more relaxed, celebratory feeling.

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Fly Me to the Moon (2024) 

If you’ve ever watched a romantic comedy baked in misunderstandings, secrets, and false identities—think Pillow Talk or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days—then you know the appeal of Fly Me to the Moon. Romances are about chemistry, which Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum have to spare, and comedies require a light touch, which is just what this semi-real retelling of the first moon landing needs. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Despicable Me 4 (2024)

I have no new insight into this cinematic universe, and the plot points are so becoming interchangeable you could just read my review of 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru to understand what I thought of Despicable Me 4. All I know is Minions make me feel like I’m a giggling 6-year-old again, and I don’t care about the lack of innovation as long as that lasts. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

3. Twisters (2024)

The joy of Twisters is that in spite of its empyrean spectacle, it always stays grounded. Also, Glen Powell (and Brisket). Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Thelma (2024)

Imagine The Beekeper if Phylicia Rashad decided to go after the scammer criminals herself. Also, imagine she was 93 years old and could only use resources available to nonagenarians. June Squibb is hilarious as a grandma who doesn’t know when to quit, and Josh Margolin’s debut feature finds a sweeter center than Jason Statham did earlier this year. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

All hail sequels that are much better than they need to be! Though, in this case, keep your hails to a whisper. Lupita N’yongo, Joseph Quinn, and one endearing feline prove this franchise has legs—albeit spindly alien ones—and a heart outside the single family we saw in the first two chapters. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

MORE JULY CROWD-PLEASERS // About Time (2013) is an underseen rom-com that graciously does not overthink its time travel mechanics // I have never seen a commercial for Paddington (2014) or Paddington 2 (2017) that made me want to watch them—why were these charming, clever movies hidden behind gross-out jokes in their marketing? // The Great Debaters (2007) and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) prove Glen Powell has always had it, and both films have plenty to recommend apart from his small roles // Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) may not be as vibrant as in the '80s but it does capture the same fun // Is Andrew McCarthy’s navel-gazing documentary Brats (2024) preoccupied with a therapeutic exploration of self? Is it extremely watchable for anyone with a love for 1980s popular cinema? Yes, and YES.

July Critic Picks

1. London! 

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” That Samuel Johnson quote is overused for a reason. This month I returned to the United Kingdom for the first time since a three-week study abroad trip in 2012. A few activities were repeats from my college days (Harrod’s, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey), and I’ve now seen Six on two continents (great on both). Aside from a quick day trip to Stonehenge and Bath, the rest of my time was spent in London, discovering new coffee shops with baked goods on every corner and packing in as many museum visits as possible. If you’re headed across the Pond anytime soon, these are my top new-to-me cultural picks: 

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Christian Heritage City Walk Tour

Churchill War Rooms

The Design Museum, specifically Barbie: The Exhibition

High tea at The Rosebery in the Mandarin Oriental

National Portrait Gallery, especially the exhibit Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens

Natural History Museum, specifically the dinosaur fossils because Jurassic Park rules

Portobello Road Market, including standing in front of the Notting Hill Bookshop asking it to love me 

Roman Baths

St. Paul’s Cathedral, though make sure you’re warmed up before attempting to climb to the top

Stonehenge

Victoria and Albert Museum, which is extra special when you wait in the gift shop line behind Tessa Thompson, who seems just as lovely in person as she does on screen

2. Double Feature — Classic Espionage Thrillers: Saboteur (1942) + Mirage (1965)

Because we all need more plot twists in our lives. In Saboteur (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Robert Cummings is framed for sabotaging the U.S. war efforts and goes on the run to discover the real culprits in true Hitchcock fashion. In Mirage (8/10 // 8/10), Gregory Peck realizes he’s lost two years of memories and goes on the run to discover the real conspiracy in similar fashion to Charade (since they share a screenwriter and co-stars).

3. Gambit (1966)

Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine are trying to pull off an art heist in swinging ‘60s style. What else do you need to know? Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

4. Making Movies by Sidney Lumet (1996)

Before The Big Picture podcast celebrated Sidney Lumet’s 100th birthday, I read his memoir/filmmaking guide and wished I’d read it years ago. The director of Network and The Verdict explains his filmmaking philosophies and techniques without getting too inside baseball or talking down to us. It feels like joining him in production meetings, sound stages, and editing rooms. I won’t look just at his work differently—these insights will impact my perspective on all watching going forward.

5. Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony

So far this Olympics has felt like the burst of joy and optimism I’ve wanted the Olympics to feel like since 2020, and the opening ceremony was full of all the pomp, circumstance, spectacle, sparkle, fireworks, Lady Gaga, and Minions I could ask for. 

MORE JULY CRITIC PICKS // Wicked Little Letters (2024) is a fun twist on the Parable of the Two Sons // The gender politics of Forever, Darling (1956) are silly today, but boy, did Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball have chemistry! // Death on the Diamond (1934) is a silly murder mystery set on the baseball diamond, but I can’t resist the St. Louis Cardinals as heroes // When Ladies Meet (1941) lets Joan Crawford shine in a rom-com

Also in July…

As Kyla and I continue the final season of SO IT’S A SHOW?, we dig into references Gilmore Girls makes to Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar in ep. 141. What is the tragedy that Rory and Lorelai allude to? Is Gwyneth Paltrow any good at playing this poet in a movie? And why does Rory love her work so much? No need to finish that copy of The Bell Jar that’s been sitting half-read on your nightstand for years—we’ve got all the answers!

Photo credits: London my own. Making Movies. All others IMDb.com.

[denimbex1986]

'Though having a number of iconic roles under her belt, Emily Blunt is sharing why Sicario remains one of her favorite movies to date. Blunt starred in the 2015 action thriller as Kate Macer, an ambitious FBI Special Agent who finds herself in a violent new world as she joins a Joint Task Force with the CIA to flush out a Mexican cartel lieutenant operating in the US. Also starring Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, Sicario was a critical and commercial hit upon release, leading to a 2018 sequel and an in-development threequel.

While appearing on the latest episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast to discuss Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt reflected on her time working on Denis Villeneuve's Sicario. When asked why she still considers the movie one of her favorite roles, the Golden Globe winner looked to the movie's sheer scale, which she admits to not recognizing during production, and its intense atmosphere. See what Blunt shared in the quotes and video below:

I don’t know if, during it, I saw the full scope of what [Denis Villeneuve] was doing. I think when I saw it, and was so gripped by the throat by it, I didn’t realize how much you would feel like her as an audience member. I didn’t realize she would bring you into it in the way that she does, and she is as in the dark as the audience are. It is an incoherent world where someone is in way over their head, and the panic that instills in audiences watching it was so cool, and how taut and muscular the whole thing felt when watching it. And how stunning it looked because of Roger Deakins, it was just beautiful to look at, just groundbreakingly so. So, I do see why that one resonates with people, but I felt that with Oppenheimer. I was absolutely staggered by it when I saw it, I felt like my bones were going to break, I had no idea it would move as propulsively and viscerally as it did, it was just stunning.

Why Sicario Is One Of Emily Blunt's Most Important Roles

At the time of Sicario's release, Blunt had been enjoying a steady rise to stardom in Hollywood thanks to the likes of The Wolfman remake, which also starred del Toro, the Tom Cruise-led Edge of Tomorrow and movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Into the Woods, which netted her her fifth Golden Globe nomination. Prior to these roles, Blunt was better known for more modest productions, or in supporting roles, ranging from The Devil Wears Prada to Sunshine Cleaning.

Despite having a strong filmography behind her heading into the 2015 thriller, Sicario does ultimately remain one of Blunt's most important roles to date. Fresh off of Edge of Tomorrow, it continued to establish her as capable of both action-heavy roles as well as those with deeper dramatic layers, both of which she'd show in her subsequent roles of The Huntsman: Winter's War and adaptation of the mystery thriller The Girl on the Train.

Sicario also further established Blunt as a household name as audiences kept an eye on the star for potential Oscar nods, with many feeling her to have been snubbed come awards season. This didn't slow her down, though, as Blunt forged ahead with more high-profile projects, including the Disney legacy sequel Mary Poppins Returns, which marked her most recent Golden Globe nod, the A Quiet Place movies, and Nolan's Oppenheimer, for which she's already garnering plenty of awards talk. With her character also having survived the original movie, it would be interesting to see if Blunt elects to return for the potential Sicario 3.'

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update #142: A Formidable Album (5/21/21)

So... how 'bout that album release week?

There's so much to cover; the release of nine new songs, the hype that's building for the World's Best Band to return to the stage, and (if we're able to come up for air) the massive speculation of what the future brings for our band.

I'm gonna get right into it, laying out my thoughts regarding this bold new album and covering all the most notable news from the week. I'll be sharing my (mostly) positive opinions about Scaled and Icy under the Read More line; I hope they're the start of a fun conversation with all of y'all who have stuck around through this last year.

Scaled and Icy Review

First, my general thoughts on the album: It's good! Really good. Do I think it's a no-skip like Vessel or a cohesive piece of art like Trench? Absolutely not! But it's also not the potential misfire that I worried that we might be getting when I first heard "Saturday" (more on that later); I think all of the songs are at least good, and some of them are downright great tracks that hold up with anything else that our band has ever released. It is also indisputably very different, but I think that generally works pretty well. Many of the songs evoke '60s rock or Britpop sounds and structures that you can tell Tyler is still trying to navigate, but I think he does a very solid job at adapting them to suit his strengths- namely his lyricism and knack for melody- rather than change to suit them. Unfortunately, this does result in a bit of square-peg-in-round-hole syndrome at times; most of the rap verses on the album feel like they're here just to fulfill an obligation to fans who would be mad if they weren't here, and most of the songs that use them are the weakest ones in the project.

"Good Day" plays a major role in getting the rest of the album to work as well as it does. Its gradual ramp-up, introducing the sound that will be used throughout the rest of the album. Its playfulness belies its message about how one can project a somewhat false optimism for oneself in the midst of tragedy: the type of dark stuff in a bright package that Tyler is so so good at. It's perhaps not an instant classic, but I am excited to see how it comes across when it's eventually used as a show-opener. 9/10

I've of course already discussed "Shy Away"; an anthemic, inimitably catchy track that I just wish had a bit more going on under the hood. Still going to be so good to hear thousands of voices scream "An 'I LOVE YOU' that isn't words!" someday. 9.5/10

"Choker" definitely took a little bit to grow on me. I think part of that was a bit of disappointment from over-inflated expectations and the environment I was in when I first heard it. With further listens, I fall more and more in love with the melody of the song... well, most of it. Like the rest of this album, the biggest weakness in the song is when Tyler tries to tick the box of having a rap verse; it just feels really out of place, unfinished, and almost amateurish, and it doesn't end the song on the note that it really should. Without it, it'd be one of my favorites on the album; with it, "Choker" is a solid 8.5/10.

Speaking of unfinished-sounding songs really hurt by their rap verse: "The Outside". There's a definite something to the vibe of the song, but that seemingly nonsensical verse is one of the two weakest parts of the entire project for me. The way the song meanders only adds to the feeling that there wasn't as much energy and attention paid to it compared to other parts of the project. It's pretty easily my least favorite track on Scaled and Icy, and the only one I might regularly skip. I've also seen plenty of people saying it's the best song on the album, so please tell me why I'm wrong! 6.5/10

"Saturday", as mentioned above, had me really nervous about this album. Like "Choker", it's grown on me a bit since I first heard it, in part because it fits better with the context of the rest of the album. However, this one really does feel undercooked lyrically and overreliant on the novelty of using a disco-inspired sound that seems to chase trends more than almost any other TØP track. The inclusion of that very sweet audio clip from Jenna boosts the song in some ways, but also adds to the disappointment in others; there are many other songs on this project that would be more worth surrendering time watching Friends. Thankfully, those come next. 7/10

"Never Take It" is fascinating. I never thought I'd hear a Rolling Stones-style song from Tyler Joseph featuring a gd guitar solo of all things, and it actually sounds pretty great. However, I also predict that this song will see some of the greatest critical scrutiny out of all the songs on the album. The lyrics seem to be Tyler's criticism of the media for playing up division in our society, but he's extremely vague when discussing which entities are spreading said division and ultimately recommends that people "educate yourself, but never too much". I'll be honest: maybe it's the fact that it sounds like something my dad would listen to, but it feels like this would get tons of play on Fox News. Since it makes specific reference to the events of last summer, it's hard not to feel like song is at least partially inspired by Tyler's brush with cancellation last year. Maybe I'm reading too deeply into it, but those reservations come from the song's lack of specificity, which is an issue of songwriting more than politics. They hold me back from truly loving a song that still manages to be one of the most exciting the band has ever put out. 8.5/10

"Mulberry Street" seems like the perfect realization of the entire album's intended tone. It is so pleasant, so lush while also simply produced, full of great lyrics, metaphors, and imagery. It really brings the whole project together, even if it's missing That One Line to really move this up to the top tier of the canon. 9.5/10

"Formidable" is the best song on the album and one of two songs I would truly rank in the top tier of the band's canon. Extremely pleasant and brimming with well-crafted lines to make your heart swoon. Jenna (and Rosie) is (are) a lucky gal(s). Or is it about Josh? Who's to say? 10/10

"Bounce Man" is just plain wild. I think Tyler's smuggling someone to Mexico to escape the feds? The playfulness of it all really covers up any frustration I might have with the clarity; it makes it clear that there's not really stakes here, just vibes. 8.5/10

"No Chances" sees the album take a turn that I'm sure the Reddit Clique is going to have an absolute field day with; it and "Redecorate" both sound quite different from the rest of the album and evoke enough elements of Trench to make me think that's it's actually possible that all this 'SAI is Propaganda' stuff might actually have something to it... until I actually pick apart the lyrics, then I'm even more confused. The song has some of the best rapping on the album, though that's not saying much (the feng shui line is a groaner right out the gate) and the gentle pre-chorus is really pleasant. I still haven't made up my mind on whether the chorus is effective or just plain goofy. This one might get worse or better on repeat listens, impossible to say for now. 7.5/10

"Redecorate" rounds out the album by opening with a Clancy quote (Tyler, you bastard), firmly setting this as a coda to Trench more than the album we just listened to. The rest of the song is really storytelling, with Tyler describing a bunch of people who are struggling deeply. The idea of "redecorating" here stands for how they are faced with the option to clean and resort their own spaces and lives or leave that to their loved ones to do after they're gone. By the time it gets to the album's name drop, you begin to wonder how much of this is potential autobiographical of the last year. It's moving stuff, a callback to some of the great strengths of the band's discography. 10/10

If I average those scores all up, this project ranks below almost every album among the Pilots discography on my rating scale, very narrowly edging out Self-Titled. That's still a very solid 8.6. Scaled and Icy is a very good album on first listen. We'll see how I feel about it after having a little more time to sit with it, but I've rambled enough: let's move through the rest of the week's news.

Other News

Of course, there was a lot else going on this week! To accompany the release of "Saturday", Zane Lowe over at Apple Music dropped an interview with Tyler. As usual, Zane did a pretty solid job of getting to the heart of the craft and the creation process. However, Tyler also wound up skirting a lot of the questions to just talk more about how much he loves being a dad, which makes me happy; if the cost of getting a little less attention and mental energy devoted to the music is that little girl getting all of his attention, that's honestly preferable for me.

The album rollout is not even close to over. Later today, the concert will be streamed live. It's our first real performance that we've gotten from the band since 2019, but the previews that we've seen have completely exceeded any of my expectations, and really anything that we've seen from the band. It appears that they've transformed the entire arena (which I think is the ol' Schott at Ohio State) into a whole TØP world, with different sets laden with Easter eggs and a cast of backup dancers. If the website can hold up to the traffic (and I acknowledge that might be a big ask), this could really live up to Tyler's promise of this being the best livestreamed concert ever.

Oh, and this guy dyed his hair pink.

What a time to be a fan. Catch you all tomorrow.

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[thxngam]

Do you have any favorite Sam-centric fics? (For any ship or just gen) I live for your rec lists!

Yeah! I hope you like these :)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105275--Nowhere by S. N. Kastle: a rather sad, angsty look at Sam during the ep “Take This Sabbath Day” (at least that’s what I think that ep is called). During that episode it’s clearly obvious that Sam’s temper is at a boiling point and also it’s a really good look at Sam’s inner monologue about the death penalty, how he feels he fits in with the rest of the Bartlet staff, and generally his outlook. I’m sorry that’s kinda confusing lol but it’s a really good fic!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782985--Crying by Anna-Maria Jennings: I'm not sure this counts as sam-centric? it features sam and his thoughts pre-Bartlet when he was debating entering DC or the private sector and his thoughts during his time with Gage Whitney. Josh is pretty heavily featured but since a lot of it is Sam reflecting, I’ll include it. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23770--Excerpt from Vanity Fair: The Candidate by wearemany: an outsider’s perspective during the 47th! presumably somebody would’ve profiled sam when he was doing this long-shot race. this was a good look into sam, his career, and also it’s just a fun read. like the author includes all these quotes from the characters we know and stuff sam “says” too, which is really interesting. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105950--Fifteen Minutes After Midnight by Simba: another “Take This Sabbath Day” fic! post-ep, Bobby Zane and Sam chat. And that means Josh and Sam chat. Just a look into why Sam cares so much and a little look into Sam’s line that’s something like “sometimes, Leo, we are absolutely nowhere”. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14793422--Sunshine Days: Five Things That Never Happened to Sam Seaborn by cgb: a series of subtle moments that change Sam that never happened. As sam-centric as you can get really. the selection of things that author chose from is really interesting lol and it such a wide variety. super interesting!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9376514--it's no stranger to you and me by runandgo: pretty sam centric! sam’s thoughts on his sexuality and it’s like law-school sam, so his view on like...life. and what he’s gonna do. josh features pretty heavily too lol but sam’s inner monologue is soo good that I think it qualifies to be here lol

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14794082--Against the Dying of the Light by coupdepam: an AU. sam gets poisoned and though technically he’s poisoned so a lot of josh and toby talking and reflecting bc sam is out of it, etc, it is about sam, so it goes here. also, almost all of this author’s fics are sam centric, and i’d rather not link them all, so if you like this (or even if you don’t and you just wanna see what else there is if this doesn’t appeal to you) definitely go through the author’s works!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19081936--Handle With Care by Lily_Padd_23: Sam has OCD and Josh helps him come to terms with his mental health. Very very cute, and so well written. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468840--An Open Letter to the Man Who Loves Him Next From the Man Who Loved Him First by Lily_Padd_23: one of my all time FAVORITE fics. so cute and such a good look into sam’s character from josh’s pov. it’s literally SO SWEET 

https://archiveofourown.org/series/2258--Like a Bright Exhalation in the Evening by raedbard: completely sam centric! not always written from his pov, but tobysam (not something I really ship, but I should list it here anyway and I still enjoyed the series). the author has such a unique writing style, this series is so beautifully written and very interesting. 

https://archiveofourown.org/series/26474--Iowa by pocky_slash: an AU! many years post canon, sam basically has a mental breakdown and moves to Iowa, where will, equally burned out, is. its a series, and very interesting and it’s (sort of) being actively updated, but it’s so good! i regularly come back to reread some of this. even if you don’t ship will/sam it’s so interesting. some of the fics in the series are more will centric, but for the sake of this list, there are plenty of sam-centric ones too.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6394639--Becoming by humanbean: an AU! snapshots of ainsley and sam at Hogwarts. so so good! obviously it features ainsley, but it focuses on her relationship with sam and stuff, so here it goes. really good!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27349585--Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ultimate_Optimist: so good! I'm not gonna reveal technically what happens bc spoilers, but sam-centric, and very good. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29063208--moonrise avenue by myrmeraki : I DONT HAVE WORDS FOR HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS. so so good! a look into sam and josh during the campaign but it is sam-centric. both sweet and kinda heart-breaking?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29199942--Directive 1304.26 by myrmeraki: BREAKS. MY. HEART. sam’s thoughts on DADT and his personal stake, and how he reveals that to the senior staff, sort of. tw for suicidal ideation but it’s not heavily featured.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/728751--The Air Stings Like Autumn by ELG: an AU! sam’s running for congress again and gets kidnapped but its so so good omg i love all the relationships and its a perfect balance of humor and fluff and angst wow

ok so this is 16 fics and I'm pretty sure i have more so if you want a part two, just ask! but this is getting rlly long so yknow...i’ll leave it here. don’t forget to leave a kudos and a comment! it’s easy and it makes fic writers so happy :)

[startwithbrooklyn]

THE GREAT ND REWATCH OF 2021 / SEPTEMBER 28-29, 2019 // the bonny scot

posting this a day later than normal because this is one of the rare episodes that shows a passage of time from one day to the next yayy love that for them

-wonder what filming these beginning sexy scenes is like for them in real life

-sooooo can lucy see nancys sexy dream? is she judging? does this mean she likes nancy with owen or nick more? or is she trying to tell nancy that her sex dreams are irrelevant to the mystery at hand and she needs to focus?

-seeing people in the ✨prison chair✨: gomber, carson, karen (voting for josh s3 just saying)

-completely ignores carson's question about herself typical nance

-"or maybe i did stumble across a knife" its like hes trying to make the case against him look plausible while attempting to maintain innocence. this is a slippery slope for carson to try and encourage her to keep her pacified + hide the truth while also trying to keep her from getting involved bc hudsons

-"genetics gets you in the door" aaaaand then she walks in to everetts office to meet him and crashes their family dinner

-ok who tf is dawn and why is she in charge here

-this guidance counselor of nicks is my favorite person

-"i admire your allergy to pleasantries" bess and nancy both have reveals to big families but nancy does not have the graceful, accepting reveal to her rich family like bess does at this lunch. nancys reveal is messy, cold, bloodstained and sticky-fingered, not nice in any way whatsoever. and this little chat with everett (bit of a parallel to lucy's) just highlights how nancy is always bad at bargaining with her grandparents*- always trying to fight on their level but giving up her equal hand bc she doesnt know how to hide it when they bring up something she doesnt know. like confronting celia at the masque: she was so confident with her theory and what she knew, but then we got a "what does that mean?" like. the instant you say that, you lose. and she walked right into the "yes i do have someone, hes in jail" 🤦🏼‍♀️ even in the car with ryan at the end of s1, he literally just fucking leaves her there. like 🤷🏼‍♀️ what did u think was gonna happen sis?? for all she can predict how past things lead to present circumstances shes fucking awful at seeing the direct future *(grandparents except for patrice bc her dementia makes her inaccessable)

-lmaooooo this awko ass portrait...i get the empty space is for nance but who on earth thought this was a good pic??

-LISBETH 🥺💙

-"will u help the claw for me?" george struggles financially to keep her livelihood while nancy is somehow shown as being taken care of even when her parent is incarcerated; both nancy and george live in single parent homes now with mention of both medical debt and george being breadwinner yet nancy has no struggles while george does. (i wonder if ryan had been able to help george here how the story would have changed)

-"when it comes to following people around without their knowledge or consent i am somewhat of a repeat offender" 😂😂😂

-"he wasnt endgame after all" BESS lmaoooo

-"...okay." lmaoooo i fuckin love owen

-i was hoping the girls' faces would be more shocked like with a glance to owen but they just....werent

-"we're the good guys" <---- this statement is soooo interesting in terms of how they structure the show and how the characters see themselves (its an interesting contrast with the more definitive good vs evil with things that are both clearly good and clearly evil but theres also a lot of moral grey area here, the show is kinda swamped in it. are nancy and crew the good guys? are they the bad guys in someone else's story? concerns.)

-"i'd call it more than just stuff" like why did u concede that??? and then the shit about oof that didnt sound like a compliment lmaoooooo why does she suck at arguing?? she and owen wouldnt work long term bc theyre so similar (as mentioned later on)

-i LOVE george slowly falling in love with nick here- hence how upset she gets when nick bails on her for nancy later (which is totally justified!!!)

-i am LIVING for the little nod this driver guy gives bess when she turns back around all nervous 😂

-"i do like buying things" i would so say that too tbh

-"you'd have plenty to talk about" LMFAOOOOOOO SHE KNOWS "marvins dont marry drivers" so diana is totally fine with the gay its just the poor she has a problem with 😂💙fuckin love that

-love how nancy just casually ruins everything for nick/george lmaooo

-"i have seen you at your best, nancy, and there is nothing like it." 🥴😳 i love this still-in-love look nancy gives him thats so strong he had to change the subject

-so is haunting time 11 pm? from that clock of bashiir's?

-how do NO neighbors notice this fucking water and shit

-these are TOTALLY AWFUL fake screams from the bonny scot crew 😭

-"i know well enough not to get involved when he's in play" both carson and ryan avoid engaging with everett even though nancy is willing to do so armed with less info and more balls/ but "could i trust him" and ryan says yes lmaooooo NO honey + that makes ryan 0/2 for helping the girls when they ask this ep

-"find a project of your own" and he does, with his youth center 🙏🏻💙 what s2 foreshadowing!

-"god i wish i still drank" 😂😂😂

-"she is darling." 💙👌🏻

-okay wtf is mirror bay??

-i really wonder about the extent of celia x sebastians relationship here. did she truly care about him or was it just secret and exciting sex? also would love more hints of diana vs celia moments like these. celia doesnt even look upset. i mean shes had time to deal but like wtf. and who exactly is sebastian to diana? not her husband? like damn what if he was. somehow i doubt she'd talk about him diddling celia if diana was disrespected also

-i wonder if celia being so invested in dna testing nancy was bc everrett dna tested ryan to make sure he was his bc of sebastian / other men (which would be totally valid on his part!! but wouldnt it be funny as fuck if ryan wasnt his 😂)

-what a neat hiding place in this frame lmaooo who put that in for them tho? like how do u go about ordering that

-"you certainly are your fathers daughter" this quote is doubly ironic and foreshadowy bc theyre referencing carson here as being a useful hudson attaché but nancy is playing everett just like ryan played celia about putting his house up (but TRIPLY ironic bc carson pulls off the long con of hiding nancy from the hudsons right under their noses this whole time!) the one time nancy is successful against them

-that bess/lisbeth look while lisbeth does something badass (+diana reassessing now that lisbeth has been revealed to be useful)

-"almost as fun as a real fight" why do i believe him? lmaoooo a bit weird that he would enjoy a fight w a partner, but i also think this is an acknowledgement of nancy being an "opponent" who exists at his level. but i also love the "let me take you out" as a direct mirror of her relationship with nick, where she avoids the public acknowledgment/"going out" but prefers the more subtle/hidden arrangements of staying in. but as shown with later eps, owen is way more capable of meeting nancy where shes at, which is so important to her + the only way of getting close to nancy. (the only foil is ace who somehow is able to do both)

-"not always about a guy" <---- this could have been such a powerful statement if the show had thought having nancy end up alone/choose herself instead of pitting her between love interests (nick, owen, gil, even potentially ace, in only 2 seasons) was a more worthy stance to take ; as an aro/ace person i cant tell you how much i would kill to see just one female protag choose herself over a man. and its more realistic to end up alone than have a happy ending anyway, for all that these shows try to be as "real" and gritty grimdark as possible

-"is that what you want?" this is an interesting question to his mother- like maybe he senses her unhappiness? combined with his issues with his father- still trying to look out for his mom? either way it's sweet. (it could also potentially work as foreshadowing of something happening to her, but i think that was played with but then diverted when it was revealed who really killed her) "i think its time i steer this ship" still kind of patriarchal tho. i get that its him coming into his own as a dad technically but still. i also like how he calls her "mother" and not mom

-love that old white people thumbs up at george asking about his clams 👍🏻

-okay fuck dawn tho lmfaoooo

-"stressful dinner huh?" 😂 i fucking love lisbeth so much why didnt they bring her back (wouldnt it be Fucking Hilarious if they brought lisbeth back to bounce bess on her expired visa since the marvins kicked her out and didnt fix it lmaoooooo)

-BESS IS A TOP lmaooooooo i fuckin knew it

-nick says "you can pay me back" wonder if thats gonna come back in s3 considering their "marital problems" (also, those bonds are sosus lmfaoooo if any single person cashing those was looked at sideways they'd confess in 2 seconds that some random guy is handing out bearer bonds they dont even make anymore with absolutely zero proof as to how he got them)

-"you wanna finish what you started?" 👀 (dont mind if i do)

-"i need my dad back" parallels s2 when she asks him to come home

-parent politics: "you are taking your life in your hands / no, i'm putting it in yours" vs "i know well enough not to get involved when hes in play" both carson and ryan try to dissuade nancy from pursuing her pulling this con on everett but go about it different ways: carson is wildly concerned with nancys physical wellbeing but ryan appears to be leaning more towards weighing the odds for her/ like a "you cant win so cut your losses/dont try" scenario which interestingly might have more weight with nancy; its easy for her to brush aside carson's worrying like second nature but nancy has been established to be a determined winner, and ryan speaks to her here like shes a beginners luck prodigy at a blackjack table by encouraging her to keep her record clean by not dealing in this next round. of course she herself admits shes incapable of not dealing in ie "you know me better than that" but i have lots more thoughts on how effective ryans approaches to nancy can be sometimes (saving for the reveal ep 🙏🏻)

-wonder what all carson knows about the hudsons? + that look on his face when he hangs up... wonder if he was just lying to her about knowing anything or just ashamed at having to admit bad things hes done for them

-love nick & bashiir waiting together 🙏🏻💙+ nicks very strong and pointed "good night" as a means of ending his convo w nancy on his terms (gotta reinforce those boundaries man!)

and lastly

-celia + that gossip girl moment when she just throws the whole phone away 😂(wonder if she was just talking to "gus" or whoever that guy was. keep forgetting the bobbseys' dad is in prison too, wonder if he'll feature in s3)

[unravelingthepages]

Josh And Gemma Make A Baby- Book Review

Hi! Josh And Gemma Make A Baby by Sarah Ready is a standalone romantic comedy book with a surprising depth to it. It was complete with funny moments, emotionally charged ones and romantic ones.

I expected it to be an easy, quick read but while it was quick, it managed to give the characters and story quite a bit of depth. All-in-all, I would say this is a 3 star read. While I enjoyed it, I had quite a few criticisms with it too. I won’t lie, it was a bit difficult to get into at the beginning.

The Plot/Summary

New Year’s Resolution: Have a baby Preferably with Josh Lewenthal Meet Gemma Jacobs. She’s driven, energetic and a positive thinker. She has a great career working for a famed self-help guru, lives in a cute studio apartment and has a supportive and loving (albeit a little kooky) family. Her life is perfect. Absolutely wonderful.

Except for one tiny little thing.

After a decade of disastrous relationships and an infertility diagnosis, Gemma doesn’t want a Mr. Right- she just wants a baby. All she needs is an egg, some sperm and IVF.

Josh Lewenthal is a laid back, relaxed, find-the-humor-in-life kind of guy. The polar opposite of Gemma. He’s also her brother’s best friend. For the past twenty years Josh has attended every Jacobs’ family birthday, holiday and event- he’s always around.

Gemma knows him. He’s nice (enough), funny (-ish), healthy (she thinks) and he didn’t burn any ants with a magnifying glass as a kid. Which, in Gemma’s mind, makes him the perfect sperm donor.

So Gemma wants to make a deal. An unemotional, businesslike one with no commitments, just a baby.

And to her surprise, Josh agrees.

They have nothing in common, except their agreement to make a baby and their desire to keep things businesslike. But the thing about baby-making- it’s impossible to keep your heart out of the mix.

Why you should read this book

This book is told only from Gemma, the female protagonist’s point of view. She is a well-rounded character with plenty of flaws like every human and is likeable. Josh, on the other hand, is a character you will definitely fall in love with. This is a largely character-driven story so they would pretty much be the main reason to read this book.

The representation given to infertile women is worth noting as is the accurate representation of social stigma surrounding it.

Of course, this remains a rom-com so a lot of the story is lined with humor and at some places, dialogue that makes you laugh out loud. I did love how there were emotionally charged moments too, with vulnerabilities, grief and human flaws. It set this read apart from a surface level rom-com that is only designed to crack a few smiles.

Criticisms

I will say that there were questionable moments in this book. There were also parts I was not able to enjoy at all and Gemma randomly quoting self-help quotes in conversation was definitely one of them. You don’t sprout such things to strangers in a perfectly normal conversation??

I will add that this book took the story from slightly predictable to very obvious at times. I also wanted to scream at Gemma’s stupidity, naivety and judgmental behaviour (all on different occasions).

All-in-all, this was a decent read but not one I loved. If any of the above reasons for reading this book appeal to you, this might be a read you would enjoy picking up.

“Asking a bookworm to name their favorite book is like asking a mother to pick a favorite child.”

[transformers-art-showcase]

P.A.T.C.H. #7: "Starscream: The Movie"

Most often in comics, continuity is a problem for newbies. If you don’t know what the characters are talking about and what in-jokes they make, is there really a point in recommending the book? Yes, I hear you; this here feature is supposed to help with sorting those messes out, after all. But what if something has such a killer concept you can’t help but blabber on about it? Even to people not into the comic series?

Case in point: a Cybertronian tries to make a movie about Starscream for humans. My mom was sold. Be as cool as my mom!

“Thundercracker in: Starscream: The Movie”

“Optimus Prime” Annual (2018)/“Transformers: Optimus Prime” Volume 5 (upcoming as of this writing) Written by John Barber, pencils by Priscilla Tramontano and Andrew Griffith, colors by John-Paul Bove and Josh Burcham, letters by Shawn Lee

SO WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Starscream, Lord of Cybertron, fed up with his notoriety amongst his subjects, decides on a solution: good old-fashioned propaganda! Having learned of his old wing-mate’s passion for writing, he tasks ex-Seeker Thundercracker with scripting, casting and directing a movie about his life. Who cares if said ex-comrade has only written human soap opera fan fiction and unpublished screenplays so stilted, they would make “Birdemic” green with envy? He’s really into it! Surely, nothing can go wrong!

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Given that this issue came out in the last year of the IDW Generation One continuity, there are various bits and pieces to consider before diving in, but probably the most important has to do with the evolution of Thundercracker, from Seeker repaint to real boy fleshed-out character. While his goofy and hopelessly optimistic personality is well-established in the series and this here issue completes his origin story, it can’t harm to go over it and pick some highlights.

The fate of Thundercracker –or TC to his friends- has long been intertwined with that of two more famous Decepticon fliers: OG bad boy Starscream and official stair-pusher Skywarp. The first years’ worth of stories weren’t different: the three met Megatron together for the first time in the mini-series “Megatron: Origins”, written by Eric Holmes, penciled by Alex Milne and colored by Josh Perez. His most interesting beat in that story was expressing doubt over burning the city of Kaon, only to be pacified by Skywarp –“Don’t think. Just do it.”, he said. After that, and for the longest time, from the “Autocracy Trilogy” to the “–ations”, the blue jet remained a constant if discreet presence in the Decepticon forces. He was always there, often under Starscream, never in a major role, sometimes uncomfortable with his place.

Still, there were a couple exceptions to this. In “Spotlight: Orion Pax”, written by James Roberts, he was a reluctant underling to mad scientist Bludgeon. He crossed paths with the creepy samurai again much later, in “Spotlight: Thundercracker”, written by John Barber with art by Chee Yang Ong, this time while searching for the original Titans. In that story, he had a change of heart when he found Metroplex, and lied so the ancient Transformer wouldn’t fall into Decepticon hands. In both cases, the further away he stayed from bad influences, the more functional his moral compass became.

The great break from all the above –ironically, inspired by his original toy bio– came with his rejection of the Decepticon cause. In “All Hail Megatron” (written by Shane McCarthy and with art by Guido Guidi), after witnessing the brutalities and monstrosities his side was capable of –namely, razing human cities and creating the Insecticons-, he prevented the detonation of a nuclear bomb and briefly worked with the Autobots. (His reward? Getting shot in the face by Skywarp. Some comradery.) In the next ongoing (look for the stand-alone issue #4, written by Mike Costa, penciled by Don Figueroa, with colors by James Brown and letters by Robbie Robbins), it was revealed that thankfully, he survived, kept barely online on Earth and scavenging for fuel. He also picked up a new best friend: human television! Laugh all you want, but it gave him a new appreciation for humans and their adaptability –couldn’t his own species be like this? While he turned into a reluctant ally to the Autobots, he stayed out of intense battles...

... until he got to work with his new best friends in Season 2 of “Robots in Disguise”: Earth people! Between the regeneration of the planet and Starscream’s rise to power, TC stayed back on the blue marble and got in touch with human anti-Transformer forces, who provided him with fuel and a home. (A gift puppy named Buster sealed the deal and immediately became fealty.) In return, they wanted his services against Autobot invaders, but his love of Earth got in the way of that. What also got in the way was his new calling: writing! Inspired by the years he spent watching TV, he then went on to create totally original and very high quality screenplays, hoping they would lead to a career in film. (They haven’t so far. There’s a reason the Wiki has quotes from “The Room” in his personal page.) Still, eventually things turned out well enough: he helped untangle the mess of allegiances between the Earth Defense Command and Cybertronians and formed an enduring friendship with female Earth human Marissa Faireborn. Not bad for someone whose biggest claim to fame was being the answer to a trivia question –“Who was the first Decepticon shown in active combat in IDW continuity?”

Finally, some minor bits of backstory to make a few character beats land easier. An institute protecting Transformers with “abnormal” powers was first introduced in “More Than Meets the Eye” #11, by James Roberts and Alex Milne. The re-discovery of the Cybertronian Colonies started with the people of Caminus –Windblade, Chromia and Nautica- in “Dark Cybertron”, and they were all immediately integrated into the books –we’ve talked about the first “Windblade” mini here. The dead colony of Prion, shown in “The Transformers” #57 (by Barber and Livio Ramondelli) wasn’t nearly so lucky. The creation of the Council of Worlds for the governance of the surviving ones was detailed in the “Windblade: Distant Stars” mini-series, written by Maighread Scott, with art by Corin Howell and colors by Thomas Deer. After that, colonists such as Aileron (“The Transformers” #44, by Barber, Griffith, Perez on colors and Tom B. Long on letters) joined the action on Cybertron, though not without problems. Oh, and that huge dinosaur was brought online in the “Salvation” one-shot and has been used as an embassy since “Optimus Prime” #13-14 (by Barber, Ramondelli and Long). As it happens.

WHERE DO I GO FROM THERE? Why’d you think I listed all those previous stories above? So that you can go and get ‘em!

Okay, to be less abrasive and more specific, there isn’t that much to get into after this story, but there’s plenty to jump back to. Almost all these minor characters have had memorable stories told about them, so I’m only going to single out some personal favorites and let you decide what you might be into. Fat Fast Tankor’s most memorable outings have been at the hands of Maighread Scott, and it was in the first “Windblade” mini that he and his bestie, Tall Tankor, started getting some attention. For another visit to Alpha Trion, Adorable Old Man (And More), see “Optimus Prime” #10, by Barber, Zama and Burcham. For the amazing life of Richard Ruby, film producer and ex-superhero (no, really), check out “Revolutionaries” #3 by Barber, pencils by Ron Joseph, Sebastian Cheng on colors and Long lettering. Finally, for a story that demonstrates Marissa’s own issues (and just how much of a sweetspark TC is), “New Cybertron” (“Optimus Prime” #1-6) by Barber, Zama, Milne and Burcham has you covered.

But clearly this isn’t why you’re here. You want more of The Artist’s work. For that, head over to the “Transformers Holiday Special” (which we’ve visited before here), for the ten-page story by Barber, Burcham and Long. It is a Christmas story that is children’s storybook by way of Frank Miller, and it might be the best thing in the whole line. In the same trade you’ll find the “Revolution” tie-in issue for the “Robots in Disguise” series, written by Barber, with pencils by Griffith and colors by Thomas Deer. While it’s connected to a much larger event, it’s valuable for seeing how TC evaluates his own work and how he works with Marissa. It is a Hollywood action movie pastiche with a failed screenplay layered on top, and it’s a sweet little tribute to the character. Both of these stories work with similar themes to this one, but expand them in different directions.

IS IT ANY GOOD? It was the culmination of a few years’ worth of stories with an endearing secondary character taking center stage. It offered a sideways look into a fascinating time in “Transformers” comics, through its less important players. It was a funny and poignant look into what can go wrong with any piece of art we create, consume, curate and love (or, more importantly, ignore). It had some exceptional so-bad-it’s-good writing and art. It had a cute puppy in it.

PUPPY! WHO’S A GOOD PUPPY, WHO’S THE BEST PUPPY?! BUSTER IS! YES, SHE IS! Stop baby-talking one of the main characters and concentrate! Here, this should keep you busy!

LIKE A MOVIE STAR WITHOUT MOVIES | THEME AND CHARACTER Strip away all the superficialities, and what is this story about? An artist attempts to create a work of art, and Poe’s Law comes into full effect. His source material is controversial –few people have kind things to say about Starscream. His sources lack credibility –the subject of the movie himself is a liar with a ton of guilt on his shoulders. His production value is low -seriously, I’m having “Pop Quiz Hotshot” flashbacks here. He himself lacks training and discipline, and he and his crew aren’t on the same page –oh, and one of them isn’t paid. He gets preoccupied with details -Megatron had a different frame in “Robots in Disguise”! There goes the suspension of disbelief! He has so little faith in himself that he blindly follows whatever advice he’s offered –is it a commercial or personal work, then? And in the end, no matter his passion and drive for the project, he fails for reasons beyond his control, not even his own mistakes. This kind of story can work only if we’re invested in the mad ambition of its main creator, and TC’s unlucky, stubborn and likeable enough to pull it off. The annual, then, becomes a love letter to art creation in general: a whole lot of people with conflicting ideas try to create something meaningful against all odds. Even if the end product isn’t great, you have to feel for all the effort, the time and energy spent (or wasted) on it, right?

There’s also an extra layer to all this, and it’s specifically about Cracker’s relation to his work. At this point in the series, TC has officially renounced the Decepticons and wants to leave a peaceful life on Earth. This project about one of his former associates makes him ask all sorts of questions: what drove Starscream to do the things he did? How does he handle the unstable political climate after the Autobot victory? Did the War ever mean anything to anyone? And what is there to do after the War? These aren’t easy questions, and the ex-Seeker’s own stance on these issues is complicated by his personal feelings and involvement. This might be a movie about Starscream, but deep down, this is a story about Thundercracker. (This becomes even more apparent when one remembers the two share the same mold.) While the theme of failed or doubtful artists is universal, the specificity of this million-year-long War informs it with extra nuances that enrich an already interesting character portrait.

“Oh man, I just can't figure Starscream out. Sometimes he’s just too smart. Sometimes he’s just flat-out stupid. Other times he’s just evil.”

ENHANCED BY BRAND NEW SPECIAL EFFECTS| ART This whole examination could have ended up dry and boring, but in the hands of penciler Priscilla Tramontano, it gets a life and energy it would otherwise lack. Her greatest strength is the expressiveness she lends to the characters, and so she’s the perfect fit for a story with lots of quick, fully dialogue. Little casual touches and details, like reading glasses or cups of coffee, make the world of alien robots a little more approachable and help ease us into its confused protagonist’s mind. John-Paul Bove’s colors are bright and poppy, but moody in the more serious parts (like TC’s meeting with Dirge and relaxing at the beach near the end). Andrew Griffith and Josh Burcham contribute pencils and colors respectively in two key scenes, one flashback to just before the War and the trailer for a rival production. Their more detailed, somber yet action-oriented style helps draw attention to them, but the overall tone doesn’t shift from the fast-paced comedy and introspection of the whole issue. In any case, the story never loses its sense of wonder: this is a charming, strange little world, and in the increasingly serious main title, this can sometimes fall through the cracks.

However, this is the rare case of a comic whose artistic failings are also interesting in their own way. The scenes shown from “Starscream: The Movie” itself are bad on purpose, and so multiple movie mistakes are recreated in comics form. The lighting is almost always off in most scenes, and in some cases, it’s easy to make a green highlight around the actors –the result of cheap color correction. In another scene, the focus is all wrong, and so “Megatron” and “Starscream” are blurry or stick like sore thumbs from the background. When Thundercracker cannot stage the Decepticon uprising from the first storyline of “Robots in Disguise”, he ends up using archival footage for it –and so the same panels that Andrew Griffith drew for issue #13 are re-used wholesale! While it can be distracting at first, these mistakes become doubly fun when spotted and only add to the joke. (They can also make all amateur filmmakers out there check their equipment twice before starting filming. Never go with auto-focus, people!)

“Hey, everybody! I have an announcement to make!”

AN AWKWARD PAUSE, THEN “WHAT'S MY LINE?”| PLOT AND DIALOGUE But forget pretty much everything I’ve written so far, because the number one reason to read this story is how damn funny it is. And that’s not just for the guilty pleasure of mocking Thundercracker’s work. Sure, the tone-deaf, repetitive dialogue, the hammy acting and the flubs of the final film (poor Waspinator, always a victim) are extremely enjoyable, but that ignores the real back-and-forth of the characters. Even better is how the movie scenes are staged alongside the rest of TC’s discussions and efforts. The issue is expertly paced, each page functioning as a scene into its own, with set-ups and payoffs. When read all together, it’s like a very well-edited movie: it remains fast and doesn’t sag, and the connections between the disparate scenes become apparent on a second read-through. The cyclical flow of the story –it begins and ends with a very similar scene- can be seen as bittersweet and uplifting at the same time, and it made this here reader want to re-read the issue the moment it was over.

One of Barber’s greatest gifts as a writer –owing to his experience as an editor- is his mastery of continuity, but here he also demonstrates a firm understanding of Transformers and pop culture. His cheeky world-building –giant robots make movies, too!- combines satire and Trans-fan practices -repaints are totally a thing!- into one whole. Humans get a lot to do in this world, too, being both friends and potential business partners, in a co-existence that might even bring to mind the days of the original cartoon. My favorite example might be TC’s interactions with a former superhero, prospective film producer and distributor. The practicality of creating and curating a movie clashes wonderfully with the insanity of a sci-fi world and some obscure pop and high culture references. It’s this level of detail and care for all those losers that gives the story a beating heart that is often forgotten when talking about this specific writer’s work.

“You know what they say, ‘Love is blind’!”

THE CREDITS ROLL, THE CAMERA PANS | FINAL THOUGHTS Going over all the things I’ve written so far about this annual, I see that I could still go on. This here read focused on the story from a newbie perspective, because with continuity in mind, there’s a whole other essay’s worth of stuff to unpack! (One could re-interpret it as a Starscream and not a Thundercracker story, in fact!) But even with all that aside, this is a really fun, sweet diversion from the political drama of “Optimus Prime”, a great tribute to the bit players of the franchise and a love letter to the creative process as a whole. Oh, and there’s new jokes to find in, like, every new read! I literally just today remembered Fake!Ironhide’s Southern accent! That stuff’s amazing!

[reifromrfa]

RFA guys + Minor Trio play Until Dawn with MC

written with @rainydayswriter

So lucky to have met this girl and to have written this with her!!! I had so much fun writing these hcs that I was literally laughing out loud alone :)) Check out her blog too!!! :D She’s brilliant! Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! :)

Yoosung

This poor boy, how you convinced him to play a horror game is beyond anyone

All the lights stay ON whether it’s the middle of the day or not

But he really enjoys this game and tries to make the best decisions and tries to save everyone

Specially the wolf (makes you Google how to save it)

Gushes about the graphics half the time

Horrified that there’s even a choice to harm animals

Screams his head off when the wendigo first makes its appearance

And also screams when the flamethrower guy appears in the mines

Practically THROWS the controller at every scare, you’ll have to play through some high-tension spots for him

What is he more afraid of: gore or needles? BOTH, apparently ;;;

He answers Dr Hill’s tests truthfully so the game is 1000x scarier for him now ;;;

Explores the most, probably to stall but also finds most of the clues and totems

Unfortunately he gets a little too curious about every single item, and ends up getting Mike’s fingers caught in the bear trap

Makes you decide what to do because he can’t watch

You decide to just hack off Mike’s fingers

Yoosung flees for the bathroom

He couldn’t save everyone and he feels really really bad about it; you have to console him when he accidentally kills Chris and Ashley gets upset

“Yoosung, you can just replay it later-”

“NO, they deserve to be together now!!”

Restarts the game and still falls for the same jumpscares

What a (lovable) dork

After finishing up the game, he will need to watch no less than four romcoms to calm down

Throw in plenty of cuddles and praising his bravery and he’ll be so happy

Zen

Mike is his favorite character: buff hero on a mission to save his girlfriend, befriends a wolf, kicks Wendigo ass? He’s so there

All those innuendos at the beginning of the game?? He’s wiggling his brows at you the whole time

“A romantic getaway in the mountains sounds nice, huh babe~?”

“Yeah Zen nothing like a crazy flamethrower murderer to set the mood.”

Definitely gets Jess to take off all her clothes and gets flustered when you tease him about it

That part where Matt climbs the fire tower and leaves the axe? You can bet Zen is swearing profusely at the screen

High key makes fun of the horror-movie acting

Pauses the game to debate almost every decision

Sorry Josh, he’s saving Ashley no ifs ands or buts

Protects your precious eyes from any gore (almost smacks you in the face with the controller in his hurry)

The first Wendigo scares the hell out of him and he lets out the most high-pitched screech

I didn’t know you had such a ladylike scream, Hyun~

Tries to save everyone because he’s ZEN THE KNIGHT

Not a big fan of Emily because she’s such a bully but still saves her because he wouldn’t kill anyone just because they were mean

Sucks at quick time events, though, and probably curses the entire time

Both of you are yelling when someone’s getting chased, there is arm slapping involved

Manages to kill off a few people, including Emily

But of course he saves Ashley and Chris, Sam, Mike and Jess

Jaehee

Isn’t much of a gamer to begin with, but is willing to play with you for moral support

So done with all of these kids already, where are their parents, why are they on an isolated mountain after two girls died due to a prank they played??

Almost as jumpy as Yoosung, and tries to play it off but at one point spills her coffee all over the couch

“Why do you enjoy this?!”

She can’t understand who would willingly put themselves in stressful situations for fun?

Surprisingly sarcastic at times, as a defense tactic against the fear

If one more person mentions the butterfly effect

“Worst fear? Bad Zen fanfiction.” Jumin in a cat suit

Criticizes the characters ruthlessly

Sam running around in a towel -- “How is she still alive and not freezing to death?”

Doesn’t want anyone to die, but you swear she smirked when the revenge plot was revealed

“This story is so cliche-wait what the hell is that thing?!”

MUTE TERROR as the wendigo screams at your character

Needs to take frequent breaks to calm her poor heart

Clinging to you for dear life

Jaehee please I can’t feel my arm

How can any of these kids be sane???

Sam is her favorite character. Takes a bath for hours and then saves everyone at the end. If you end up killing her, Jaehee will be salty af

Jumin

At first glance you wouldn’t expect him to be the type to play video games, but he owns a Gray Station and a ZetBox so

The lodge in the mountains looks nice and he considers investing in a ski resort

But comments on Josh’s poor planning skills and says he’s a terrible host ;;;

Jumin honey it’s just a game ;;;

You’ve seen his attempts at taking pictures. The parts where you’re supposed to keep the controller still? Better snatch that controller from him and set it on the table or you’re DEAD.

He’s so focused when he plays, and he manages to keep a straight face through most of the game. Hardly even flinches

How

Unfortunately, he isn’t too keen on lingering or searching each and every room, so he misses unobvious clues and totems

But will definitely replay the game until it says he’s completed it 100%

Refuses to read any walkthroughs or accept Seven’s “help”

Jumin no you can’t skip work for this

Ashley or Josh? That decision was tough since it made him think about you and V

He saves Ashley but you can see it bothered him

How can a game make me feel such things?

This guy may be cold and calculating to other people, but he’s fiercely loyal and protective so he tries to save as many characters as he can and you find yourself more attracted to him

When he learns about Josh and the whole revenge thing, he still fights to save Josh because that’s just what friends do and he understands how Josh was going through a tough time because of his sisters

Finds himself addicted to these types of games and buys similar games for you two to play

Saeyoung

LOLOL a game where he can decide the fate of 8 teenagers? LOLOLOL

Turns all the lights off for ~atmosphere~ and yells at tense moments to try and scare you

Guesses who the Psycho is right away

Laughs at all the lame puns and jokes

Won’t stop quoting the game for days (“Hello, friends and fans!” “Ugh, unfollow.” “It’s mammoth!” “You know what else is mammoth, MC? Me.” wiggles eyebrows suggestively)

Fear: cockroaches

Jokingly shoves the controller into your hands at the worst moments

Makes THE MOST RANDOM decisions ever: “I wonder what will happen if I FOLLOW JESS’S VOICE?”

“Saeyoung you know that isn’t Jess!”

“So are you saying I shouldn’t open the trapdoor? The one right here?”

Good luck prying him away at any point, he’s not leaving till he’s found all the clues and unlocks as many endings as possible

Not above trying to distract you when it’s your turn to play

“Saeyoung if you poke me one more time-”

Chris gets beheaded by the wendigo

“FA;DFKLDJS SAEYOUNG!”

He’d just laugh ;;; Seriously this man :)))

Sam’s “Don’t move” parts?

HE POKES YOU

AND SAM DIES

“OH MY GOD SAEYOUNG CHOI”

“MC, it’s just a game, we can always replay it~”

Just like you keep replaying my route~

Never playing this with him ever again ;;; He’s more stressful than the game ;;;;

V

Never really had much interest in video games, but if you want to play it he’ll be right there beside you

He’ll get surprised at jumpscares but wouldn’t make a sound

He’ll immediately hold you when you get scared or scream though

Makes all the righteous choices and even though Emily’s such a horrible person, still makes it a point to save her

Protect this man

What do you fear most? Gore. This cutie apparently hates gore and he closes his eyes when Matt dies coz he tried to save Emily

That photo with the scarecrow? He felt calm looking at it, probably because he usually went on hiking trips alone for his photography thing

This guy is good with the “don’t move” scenes too, since he’s used to staying still when taking photos

Sucks at quick time events though ;;; He panics too easily and misses the buttons but thank God you learned about this early on in the game ;;;

Same as Jumin, he has a hard time choosing between Ashley and Josh

“I would give my life instead, why can’t that be an option?”

But he also chooses to save Ashley and also feels bad about it afterwards

Ashley or Chris? You already know this man will choose to kill himself than hurt the people he loves

And then he finds out that it was all a revenge scheme by Josh and he’s so surprised because how can someone do that to their friends?

He’s on the edge of his seat during Emily’s trip down the mines part

Super invested in the mystery aspect, ends up talking and theorizing through some cutscenes

V there are Wendigos PAY ATTENTION

Will make you look for all the clues and totems because he’s so invested in this game and really wants to save everyone

And he feels terrible when the flamethrower guy dies even though there was really no way to save him

When he finds out what really happens to the twins, oh my God, he’s so done with this game

Why would you make Hannah eat her sister??? And how come nobody searched the mines? Surely someone must have known about it?

If horny teenagers can find this mine in the middle of a snowstorm HOW COME THE SEARCH PARTIES WEREN’T ABLE TO SAVE THEM???

Surprisingly saves everyone except Matt because he was so stubborn about trying to save Emily

Saeran

Let’s face it, this guy would probably kill all the characters

You see his face change when he sees the twins in the beginning of the game though, and he totally chooses the option to let go and fall together instead of letting the other twin die alone

Hates the other characters because they were mean to the twins

Yup, he kills all of them

Except Sam, Chris and Josh because they weren’t involved in the prank

And also, the wolf

Fair enough, you roll with it

He decided he would save Chris but when he finds out Chris likes Ashley, chooses to shoot himself

Marry him

Then he finds out Josh tried to get revenge for his sisters

Is now super determined to save him

Unlike Saeyoung he’s kind of impatient but he reads through the stuff

Still shoots Emily because she was such a bitch

Kills Mike as well, because he was seriously a jerk to Hannah but everyone sees him as the hero --not Saeran though, so bye bye Mike

Matt finds Jessica and he’s considerate of her and chooses to hide instead, saving both of them

It wasn’t really his intention since he wanted to kill everyone, but you kiss his cheek saying how cool he is and he blushes

So upset when he finds out Hannah became a wendigo because how could she eat her sister? That’s really really messed up

And when he finds Hannah’s diary in the mines? You hug him because he goes silent and stares at the screen blankly

Saves Sam as well and he never plays the game again ;A;

Next time you’re playing Tekken

Vanderwood

Ha? What’s this game you want to play?

Pretends he’s bored with the game but deep down he’s LOVING it

Kills the quicktime events

“This is so easy.”

Gets so annoyed like wtf is wrong with these kids??? Why are they so horny???

He doesn’t always make the right decisions though and ends up killing a few characters

Swears a lot

Devastated when the wolf dies but he wouldn’t show it

So when you gently squeeze his arm and tell him it’s alright, you see him purse his lips

He’s crying inside

Oh it was all an elaborate prank by Josh?

FUCK YOU JOSH YOU DEAD

Wendigos are after him? Has no problem staying still and doesn’t miss a shot during Mike’s chapter

Hates Dr. Hill’s character because he felt like someone was probing into his brain and he doesn’t like it

Chris and Ashley are his OTP so he definitely saves those two

He finishes the game and tells you he’s done playing it, but you’ll catch him playing it late into the night when he can’t sleep, trying to get all collectibles and save everyone

[360digitmg-dataanalyticscourse]

Study Information Evaluation With Online Programs

Professionals wishing to reach this data analytics course in hyderabad  should have basic data of arithmetic. Upon finishing this Professional Certificate you may be armed with the abilities and knowledge to start out an entry level position in Data Analytics. You also can apply your newly acquired Analytical expertise to complement your present career in a variety of industries including banking, accounting, and IT and functions similar to advertising, finance, and research. D​ata evaluation involves gathering, cleaning, organizing, modelling, and visualising knowledge with the goal of extracting helpful insights that may inform decision-making. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you'll be able to audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that's a part of a Certificate, you’re mechanically subscribed to the total Certificate. Utilizing its business consulting, expertise and R&D experience, IBM helps shoppers turn out to be "smarter" because the planet becomes more digitally interconnected.

All our trainers are Data Analytics experts with 15+ years of experience and they hail from IIT, ISB and IIM. Few of our trainers have also efficiently completed their Phd in Data Analytics. Choose from programmes specially curated to go well with each skilled training needs. Python is straightforward to be taught and maintained and therefore a Godsend to developers in Data Science. Its extended library makes it possible to stretch the functions of Python from Big Data Analytics to Machine Learning. R is the popular software of statisticians that allows effective information storage. We assist them in resume preparation and conduct a number of rounds of mock interviews.

So, beginners will find it simple to comprehend the course material right from day one. No, the JobAssist program is designed that can assist you to find your dream job.

Harvard quoted in a business review that “Data Analyst Job is going to be the sexiest job in the 21st century”. As per the Talent provide index, there is a steep increase of 417% for knowledge analyst professionals in India.

Refer to our Refund Policy and submit refund requests via our Help and Support portal. Upon completion of the following minimal requirements, you may be eligible to receive the certificate that may testify to your expertise as a skilled Data Analyst. There are many professionals who wish to start a profession as Data Analyst however skeptical about where to start. 360DigiTMG has addressed this concern by helping candidates be taught every little thing from scratch.

360DigiTMG Nanodegree programs symbolize collaborations with our business partners who assist us develop our content and who rent a lot of our program graduates. This Nanodegree program accepts all applicants no matter experience and specific background. Python, SQL, and statistics to uncover insights, communicate important findings, and create knowledge-pushed solutions. Josh Bernhard Data Scientist at NerdWallet Josh has been sharing his ardour for information for almost a decade at all ranges of university, and as Lead Data Science Instructor at Galvanize.

Udemy's course imparts the fundamentals of statistics and regression analysis to enrolled college students easily and curiously. Learn tips on how to use R to implement linear regression, one of the widespread statistical modeling approaches in knowledge science. Learn basic knowledge visualization principles and tips on how to apply them using ggplot2. Dive into advanced strategies for knowledge wrangling, knowledge visualization, and statistical modeling and prediction. Develop abilities in digital analysis and visualization techniques throughout subjects and fields within the humanities. Any graduate who has successfully completed our Data Analyst certification course is eligible to participate in the JobAssist program.

Or, you may calculate the typical variety of factors your favorite athlete scored in a recreation to predict their efficiency in a future game. In addition to those workplaces, 360DigiTMG believes in building and nurturing future entrepreneurs by way of its Franchise verticals and therefore has awarded in extra of 30 franchises throughout the globe. This ensures that our high quality education and associated companies reach out to all corners of the world. Furthermore, this resonates with our global technique of catering to the needs of bridging the gap between the industry and academia globally. Instructor-led online coaching is an interactive mode of coaching where members and trainers will log in at the similar time and live classes might be done virtually.

Individuals from any area who possess logical seriousness about mathematical and analytical abilities. As per the Glassdoor Rankings 2018, Data Analytics is one of the best-rated jobs.

These sessions will provide scope for lively interaction between you and the trainer. Delivery Operations Manager, CSCIt was superior coaching which can redefine my career in the analytics area.

It will maximize your potential and possibilities of landing a successful job. In career mentoring sessions, Subject Matter Experts or industry specialists reply questions related to profession growth and alternatives. Dedicated career consultants from IIMJobs will completely handhold learners to register on the portal, provide them suggestions and steering to improve the profile, and observe the right keywords. I am a Data Analyst with 7 years of labor expertise, but I didn't have the prospect to work with Statistics like I am on this course. Our Data Analyst Masters program is exhaustive and this certificate is proof that you've taken an enormous leap in mastering the domain.

It consists of everything from simple arithmetic operations to complicated statistical calculations. For example, you might type your bank card expenses by the very best quantity to uncover the three costliest costs in the earlier month.

The course would create opportunities for the candidates to discover data patterns similar to gross sales tendencies, customer purchase habits, and decision-making. Learn to course of and convert uncooked data into codecs wanted for evaluation. Keep your initiatives organized and produce reproducible stories using GitHub, git, Unix/Linux, and RStudio.

Don’t have a background in statistics however have an enormous fascination for the sphere? Then you might wish to go for the Beginner Statistics for Data Analytics - Learn the Easy Way!

It includes plenty of movies, demos, and examples so that you can be taught, adopted by step-by-step instructions for you to apply and follow on a live spreadsheet. Yes, after successfully completing the course you will be awarded a course completion certificate from 360DigiTMG. The training is a stay instructor-led interactive session carried out at a specific time where individuals and trainers will log in at the identical time. The same session will be additionally recorded and access shall be offered to revise, recap or watch a missed session. Hence, we record all the sessions and supply access to the e-learning to the trainees for the remainder of their life. The unhappy part is that I missed almost half of the periods due to travels.

Other than English, the data analytics course can also be obtainable within the Korean language. The beginner-pleasant information analytics course is created by Colby Schrauth and Serge LeBlanc, both of whom are co-founders of the SF Data School. As there aren't any stipulations demanded by the class, anybody with a real curiosity in data can instantly start.

Hence in these methods, the prediction of any specific variable doesn't happen. Data Segregation, and figuring out the relations between entities is enabled. Learn in regards to the purposes of Data Science in numerous sectors and industries. Organizations want to analyze the humongous quantity of data collected from numerous touchpoints, to stay ahead of the competition. In this module, you will comprehend the advantages of using Data Science in numerous industries and sectors with the assistance of cogent use instances. 360DigiTMG is not an accredited college and we don't confer traditional degrees.

Data Analytics is the mining of the data for analysing it by way of qualitative and quantitative strategies to interpret meaningful insights. These insights might be helpful while taking critical decisions to enhance the effectiveness of the enterprise output.

The data and Data Analysis abilities you've gained engaged on initiatives, simulations, case research will set you forward of competition. Capstone and 15+ real life projects Built on datasets of Google Playstore, Lyft,Worldbank. Data evaluation is the method of studying or manipulating a dataset to gain some kind of insight.

IBM invests more than $6 billion a 12 months in R&D, just finishing its twenty first year of patent management. This course is designed to offer you fundamental working data for utilizing R for Data Analysis. It covers some of the first steps for working with spreadsheets and their utilization in the means of analyzing data.

We flow into their resumes to reputed placement consultants with whom we've a protracted-standing agreement. Once placed we offer technical assistance for the primary project on the job. A Data Engineer is basically a programmer in Spark, Python and R and complements the position of an information scientist.

Data Analyst is knowledgeable who performs these activities to disclose the hidden truths from the selected data. As per the Harvard research, Data Analytics shall be a highly demanded career within the next few years in all components of the world. In the area of Corporate Training, we're delivering the best at school training to top MNC's corresponding to IBM and lots of extra. 360DigiTMG is a data analytics training supply companion for over 5 universities, namely IIM, ISB, BITS Pilani and Woxsen School of Business and 40+ premier academic institutions.

He's used knowledge science for work ranging from most cancer analysis to courses of automation. Learn at your individual pace and attain your personal targets on the schedule that works finest for you. Every module in this course is unbiased of one another and so may be studied in any manner. You will also come throughout new data sets and difficult workouts to be taught by the immediate application.

360DigiTMG offers a  data analytics course hyderabad for Internal Auditors and a Certification Program in Financial Analytics. Chartered Accountants can pursue both of these programs to develop slicing-edge analytical abilities. It comprises forty eight hours of classroom or on-line sessions, eighty plus hours of assignments and e-studying and 80 plus hours of resident project work. Unsupervised Learning methods are used to derive hidden patterns from knowledge.

As per the NASSCOM, around 1.4 Lakh positions had been vacant in the area of big data, Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. Being probably the greatest Data Analytics Institutes, our Data Analysts from IIT and ISB supply data analytics course with tailored course curriculum to go well with the professionals in addition to freshers. More than 400+ participants are efficiently positioned in top MNC's specifically E&Y, Accenture, VMWare, Infosys, IBM etc. Once a student completes his course and receives the Course Completion Certificate, he is eligible for an internship. At the tip of his internship, he will receive an Internship Certificate in recognition of his efforts. The prediction of a numeric dependent variable is performed by Regression Methods.

The learnings from this data analytics courses in hyderabad have helped me improve my efficiency at work and acquire a mid-term increase in my wage. The programs are very nicely designed and the stay classes have private attention in phrases resolving the doubts.

For more information

360DigiTMG - Data Analytics, Data Science Course Training Hyderabad  

Address - 2-56/2/19, 3rd floor,, Vijaya towers, near Meridian school,, Ayyappa Society Rd, Madhapur,, Hyderabad, Telangana 500081

Call us@+91 99899 94319

[damnhedidthat]

You know to distract myself from... myself, I'm going to throw you into a sort of initiation and say all the fucking questions. All of them. Accept it and loathe me to the end of your last breath.

You’re right, I loathe every inch of your being.

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?

The Greek gods, goddesses, and deities.

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

Vinyl. If I’m going for outdated might as well go for ancient.

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

Oh god. I don’t know what books have been published. I’m going to play it safe and say Sight Of The Damned by Josh Neer.

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

Never had the opportunity. Don’t know why I would.

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

Being knocked out for twenty four hours.

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?

To finish Hal’s system by Sunday.

lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?

The ocean.

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Yes.

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?

No.

apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

Tired.

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

Drowning.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

Caffeine.

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

Offs: Extended foreplay, slow pace, cheesy dirty talk, “knocking”.

water lilly; when was the last time you cried? why?

Don’t remember.

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

No.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

Bite.

honey perfume; favorite movie ever?

Shaken Hold (2403)

desert rose; do you like yourself?

Sure.

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

Yes.

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

Most. About 12.

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

No.

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

Died.

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

A combination of sleep, homicide, and work.

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

Sagitta.

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.

I don’t like the color yellow.I live in a second floor apartment.I own a sentient Roomba.I have three middle names.Portions of my nerves are soldered to cybernetic components.

daphne; do you believe in karma?

No.

queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

No.

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

Not really anyone.

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

I don’t recall being told any bedtime stories.

remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

I don’t know if I did.

iris; do you believe in ghosts?

No.

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?

None of them. They’re all awful. 

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?

No. Absolutely not. I’m already being forced through one lifespan, don’t throw any more my way.

primula; what makes you sad?

Can’t think of much.

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?

Yes, with the exception of Mint.

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

Myself. Maybe Rox.

lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

Didn’t. 

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

Sure.

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

The પ્રાચીન વન, originally penned by હા અબ્રાતી but later re-conceptualised by یوهان پیشینی. I still prefer the original.

violet; favorite tv show?

Don’t watch TV much. Probably Burnt Roast.

sunflower; share a favorite quote.

“Stop fucking up the second chance when you weren’t given a first one.”

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

Sleep.

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

IVR. Haven’t played in a while, though. Cooking. Reading. I don’t have much time.

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you.

જંગલમાં કોઈ સમુદ્ર નથી. જંગલમાં કોઈ શહેરો નથી. જંગલમાં કોઈ આકાશ નથી. જંગલ છે અને અમારી માતા પૃથ્વી છે અને અમારી આત્માઓ યોદ્ધાઓ છે. અમે યોદ્ધાઓ છીએ જેઓ ભટકતા, યોદ્ધાઓ જે વિશાળ વિસ્તારમાંથી પસાર થાય છે, યોદ્ધાઓ શ્વાસ લે છે. અને જ્યારે આપણે શ્વાસ કરીએ છીએ, ત્યારે આપણે સમૃદ્ધિ શ્વાસમાં લઈએ છીએ.

tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

Leave.

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

I usually don’t date.

sweet pea; who means the world to you? why?

Hal. He is a version of myself that I hated, but separate from my body I have grown to love.

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

Anything by હા અબ્રાતી.

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

Don’t really watch cartoons.

magnolia; coffee or tea?

Coffee.

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

Loved. I have plenty of wealth as it is.

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

Neither. Dog if I have to choose.

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?

Caffeine.

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

Yes.

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

Gunmetal grey.

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?

Siblings, yes.

sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

Night.

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

Yes.

clover; how would your friends describe you?

Nonexistent situation.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?

Introvert.

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

Burnt Roast.

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.

What a jerk.

lotus; best memory as a child?

Visiting one of the exterra colonies.

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

Orange, and natural or current? Naturally black, currently blond.

dahlia; do you like crystals?

Sure.

buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Everything.

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

Ravenclaw.

calendula; biggest pet peeve?

People who take longer to do things than they need to.

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

Stay home.

blazing star; share a secret.

I don’t have any that I can share. Sometimes Hal curates my porn. That’s pretty much all I’ve got. I forgot to buy groceries last week.

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

Happier.

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?

Can’t think of any.

bluebell; do you wear glasses?

Yes.

nymphea; forest or river?

Forest.

orchid; do you like exercise?

Sometimes.

pansy; do you like poetry?

Sometimes.

morning glory; any special talent that you have?

Is intelligence a talent?

[rainydayswriter]

RFA + Minor Trio Play Until Dawn

A collab I did with @reifromrfa! Truly a wonderful person and writer! If you enjoy Mystic Messenger (or just laughing in general) you should definitely check out Rei’s blog! I had so much fun doing this, so much laughter and keyboard smashes went into these, so I hope you enjoy it! ^^

Yoosung

This poor boy, how you convinced him to play a horror game is beyond anyone

All the lights stay ON whether it’s the middle of the day or not

But he really enjoys this game and tries to make the best decisions and tries to save everyone

Specially the wolf (makes you Google how to save it)

Gushes about the graphics half the time

Horrified that there’s even a choice to harm animals

Screams his head off when the wendigo first makes its appearance

And also screams when the flamethrower guy appears in the mines

Practically THROWS the controller at every scare, you’ll have to play through some high-tension spots for him

What is he more afraid of: gore or needles? BOTH, apparently ;;;

He answers Dr Hill’s tests truthfully so the game is 1000x scarier for him now ;;;

Explores the most, probably to stall but also finds most of the clues and totems

Unfortunately he gets a little too curious about every single item, and ends up getting Mike’s fingers caught in the bear trap

Makes you decide what to do because he can’t watch

You decide to just hack off Mike’s fingers

Yoosung flees for the bathroom

He couldn’t save everyone and he feels really really bad about it; you have to console him when he accidentally kills Chris and Ashley gets upset

“Yoosung, you can just replay it later-”

“NO, they deserve to be together now!!”

Restarts the game and still falls for the same jumpscares

What a (lovable) dork

After finishing up the game, he will need to watch no less than four romcoms to calm down

Throw in plenty of cuddles and praising his bravery and he’ll be so happy

Zen

Mike is his favorite character: buff hero on a mission to save his girlfriend, befriends a wolf, kicks Wendigo ass? He’s so there

All those innuendos at the beginning of the game?? He’s wiggling his brows at you the whole time

“A romantic getaway in the mountains sounds nice, huh babe~?”

“Yeah Zen nothing like a crazy flamethrower murderer to set the mood.”

Definitely gets Jess to take off all her clothes and gets flustered when you tease him about it 

That part where Matt climbs the fire tower and leaves the axe? You can bet Zen is swearing profusely at the screen

High key makes fun of the horror-movie acting

Pauses the game to debate almost every decision 

Sorry Josh, he’s saving Ashley no ifs ands or buts

Protects your precious eyes from any gore (almost smacks you in the face with the controller in his hurry)

The first Wendigo scares the hell out of him and he lets out the most high-pitched screech 

I didn’t know you had such a ladylike scream, Hyun~

Tries to save everyone because he’s ZEN THE KNIGHT

Not a big fan of Emily because she’s such a bully but still saves her because he wouldn’t kill anyone just because they were mean

Sucks at quick time events, though, and probably curses the entire time

Both of you are yelling when someone’s getting chased, there is arm slapping involved

Manages to kill off a few people, including Emily

But of course he saves Ashley and Chris, Sam, Mike and Jess

Jaehee

Isn’t much of a gamer to begin with, but is willing to play with you for moral support

So done with all of these kids already, where are their parents, why are they on an isolated mountain after two girls died due to a prank they played??

Almost as jumpy as Yoosung, and tries to play it off but at one point spills her coffee all over the couch

“Why do you enjoy this?!”

She can’t understand who would willingly put themselves in stressful situations for fun?

Surprisingly sarcastic at times, as a defense tactic against the fear

If one more person mentions the butterfly effect

“Worst fear? Bad Zen fanfiction.” Jumin in a cat suit 

Criticizes the characters ruthlessly 

Sam running around in a towel -- “How is she still alive and not freezing to death?”

Doesn’t want anyone to die, but you swear she smirked when the revenge plot was revealed

“This story is so cliche-wait what the hell is that thing?!”

MUTE TERROR as the wendigo screams at your character

Needs to take frequent breaks to calm her poor heart

Clinging to you for dear life

Jaehee please I can’t feel my arm

How can any of these kids be sane???

Sam is her favorite character. Takes a bath for hours and then saves everyone at the end. If you end up killing her, Jaehee will be salty af

Jumin

At first glance you wouldn’t expect him to be the type to play video games, but he owns a Gray Station and a ZetBox so

The lodge in the mountains looks nice and he considers investing in a ski resort

But comments on Josh’s poor planning skills and says he’s a terrible host ;;; 

Jumin honey it’s just a game ;;; 

You’ve seen his attempts at taking pictures. The parts where you’re supposed to keep the controller still? Better snatch that controller from him and set it on the table or you’re DEAD.

He’s so focused when he plays, and he manages to keep a straight face through most of the game. Hardly even flinches

How

Unfortunately, he isn’t too keen on lingering or searching each and every room, so he misses unobvious clues and totems

But will definitely replay the game until it says he’s completed it 100%

Refuses to read any walkthroughs or accept Seven’s “help”

Jumin no you can’t skip work for this 

Ashley or Josh? That decision was tough since it made him think about you and V 

He saves Ashley but you can see it bothered him

How can a game make me feel such things?

This guy may be cold and calculating to other people, but he’s fiercely loyal and protective so he tries to save as many characters as he can and you find yourself more attracted to him

When he learns about Josh and the whole revenge thing, he still fights to save Josh because that’s just what friends do and he understands how Josh was going through a tough time because of his sisters

Finds himself addicted to these types of games and buys similar games for you two to play

Saeyoung

LOLOL a game where he can decide the fate of 8 teenagers? LOLOLOL 

Turns all the lights off for ~atmosphere~ and yells at tense moments to try and scare you

Guesses who the Psycho is right away

Laughs at all the lame puns and jokes 

Won’t stop quoting the game for days (“Hello, friends and fans!” “Ugh, unfollow.” “It’s mammoth!” “You know what else is mammoth, MC? Me.” wiggles eyebrows suggestively)

Fear: cockroaches

Jokingly shoves the controller into your hands at the worst moments

Makes THE MOST RANDOM decisions ever: “I wonder what will happen if I FOLLOW JESS’S VOICE?”

“Saeyoung you know that isn’t Jess!”

“So are you saying I shouldn’t open the trapdoor? The one right here?”

Good luck prying him away at any point, he’s not leaving till he’s found all the clues and unlocks as many endings as possible

Not above trying to distract you when it’s your turn to play

“Saeyoung if you poke me one more time-”

Chris gets beheaded by the wendigo

“FA;DFKLDJS SAEYOUNG!”

He’d just laugh ;;; Seriously this man :)))

Sam’s “Don’t move” parts?

HE POKES YOU

AND SAM DIES

“OH MY GOD SAEYOUNG CHOI”

“MC, it’s just a game, we can always replay it~”

Just like you keep replaying my route~ 

Never playing this with him ever again ;;; He’s more stressful than the game ;;;;

V

Never really had much interest in video games, but if you want to play it he’ll be right there beside you

He’ll get surprised at jumpscares but wouldn’t make a sound

He’ll immediately hold you when you get scared or scream though

Makes all the righteous choices and even though Emily’s such a horrible person, still makes it a point to save her

Protect this man

What do you fear most? Gore. This cutie apparently hates gore and he closes his eyes when Matt dies coz he tried to save Emily

That photo with the scarecrow? He felt calm looking at it, probably because he usually went on hiking trips alone for his photography thing

This guy is good with the “don’t move” scenes too, since he’s used to staying still when taking photos

Sucks at quick time events though ;;; He panics too easily and misses the buttons but thank God you learned about this early on in the game ;;;

Same as Jumin, he has a hard time choosing between Ashley and Josh

“I would give my life instead, why can’t that be an option?” 

But he also chooses to save Ashley and also feels bad about it afterwards 

Ashley or Chris? You already know this man will choose to kill himself than hurt the people he loves

And then he finds out that it was all a revenge scheme by Josh and he’s so surprised because how can someone do that to their friends?

He’s on the edge of his seat during Emily’s trip down the mines part

Super invested in the mystery aspect, ends up talking and theorizing through some cutscenes 

V there are Wendigos PAY ATTENTION

Will make you look for all the clues and totems because he’s so invested in this game and really wants to save everyone

And he feels terrible when the flamethrower guy dies even though there was really no way to save him 

When he finds out what really happens to the twins, oh my God, he’s so done with this game

Why would you make Hannah eat her sister??? And how come nobody searched the mines? Surely someone must have known about it?

If horny teenagers can find this mine in the middle of a snowstorm HOW COME THE SEARCH PARTIES WEREN’T ABLE TO SAVE THEM???

Surprisingly saves everyone except Matt because he was so stubborn about trying to save Emily

Saeran

Let’s face it, this guy would probably kill all the characters

You see his face change when he sees the twins in the beginning of the game though, and he totally chooses the option to let go and fall together instead of letting the other twin die alone

Hates the other characters because they were mean to the twins

Yup, he kills all of them

Except Sam, Chris and Josh because they weren’t involved in the prank

And also, the wolf 

Fair enough, you roll with it

He decided he would save Chris but when he finds out Chris likes Ashley, chooses to shoot himself

Marry him

Then he finds out Josh tried to get revenge for his sisters

Is now super determined to save him

Unlike Saeyoung he’s kind of impatient but he reads through the stuff

Still shoots Emily because she was such a bitch

Kills Mike as well, because he was seriously a jerk to Hannah but everyone sees him as the hero --not Saeran though, so bye bye Mike

Matt finds Jessica and he’s considerate of her and chooses to hide instead, saving both of them

It wasn’t really his intention since he wanted to kill everyone, but you kiss his cheek saying how cool he is and he blushes

So upset when he finds out Hannah became a wendigo because how could she eat her sister? That’s really really messed up

And when he finds Hannah’s diary in the mines? You hug him because he goes silent and stares at the screen blankly

Saves Sam as well and he never plays the game again ;A;

Next time you’re playing Tekken

Vanderwood

Ha? What’s this game you want to play?

Pretends he’s bored with the game but deep down he’s LOVING it

Kills the quicktime events

“This is so easy.”

Gets so annoyed like wtf is wrong with these kids??? Why are they so horny???

He doesn’t always make the right decisions though and ends up killing a few characters

Swears a lot

Devastated when the wolf dies but he wouldn’t show it

So when you gently squeeze his arm and tell him it’s alright, you see him purse his lips

He’s crying inside

Oh it was all an elaborate prank by Josh?

FUCK YOU JOSH YOU DEAD 

Wendigos are after him? Has no problem staying still and doesn’t miss a shot during Mike’s chapter 

Hates Dr. Hill’s character because he felt like someone was probing into his brain and he doesn’t like it

Chris and Ashley are his OTP so he definitely saves those two

He finishes the game and tells you he’s done playing it, but you’ll catch him playing it late into the night when he can’t sleep, trying to get all collectibles and save everyone

[junker-town]

The 8 people you’ll meet at a Cowboys-Bills Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving meeting between the Bills and Cowboys promises to deliver the same kind of mayhem as your family.

Thanksgiving is a great time to sit down with family, watch football, eat a whole lot, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s also a perfect way for everyone to get on each other’s nerves — especially when the wacky extended family shows up.

In that spirit, the meeting of the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys in November is as fitting a Thanksgiving matchup as you can get.

The Cowboys have been a staple on the holiday since 1966, and the Bills haven’t played a Thanksgiving game in 25 years. But Buffalo fans know how to have a good (sometimes destructive) time, and how to get under another fanbase’s skin. What’s more Thanksgiving than that?

They even got the family bickering started way ahead of time with a quasi-debate over which team is more about football. That pot was stirred by former Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley, who signed with the Bills in March and told The Athletic that Buffalo is “100 percent about ball and not a show or a brand.”

Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin — the Cowboys’ loudest (and sometimes sweatiest) defender — told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Beasley wasn’t even out of line:

“He’s right. There is a show here. That’s just what is,” said Irvin, who attended the Cowboys’ minicamp practice at The Star on Wednesday. “Football in Buffalo is football for Buffalo. Football for the Dallas Cowboys is football for the world. He’s right in that sense.”

When the two teams meet on Thanksgiving, the table will be set (pun very intended) for a game that might mirror your family’s dinner table:

Grandpa who has no filter: Jerry Jones, owner, Cowboys

Depending who you ask, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is either a football pioneer who turned his team into a global brand, or an offbeat character who likes to take the spotlight from Cowboys players. The reality is probably some kind of mix of both.

The three Super Bowl rings he’s received in three decades as the Cowboys owner are way outnumbered by his tally of outlandish quotes.

Sometimes he’s extremely Southern:

Jerry Jones on how he felt when Tony Romo went down: "Just about as low as a crippled cricket’s ass."

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) September 21, 2015

According to @mortreport, Jerry Jones on NFL lockout negotiations: "We're down to circumcising mosquitoes right now."

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 17, 2011

And sometimes he’s — well — whatever you call this:

Jerry Jones: "I've been here 23 years. I've been here when it was glory hole days and when it wasn't. I want me some glory hole. "

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 29, 2012

Jerry Jones, for the second time in Dak’s career, reminds us: “He runs like the Daddy.” I love my job.

— David Helman (@HelmanDC) September 21, 2018

Jones probably won’t be the drunk uncle this Thanksgiving, although he’s been that before too. But invite Jerry to the table and you’ll probably get a soundbite to remember.

Annoying little brother: Cole Beasley, WR, Bills

Beasley climbed from undrafted free agent to fan favorite in his seven seasons with the Cowboys. So returning home for the holiday will be a bit of a family reunion for the Texas native.

The problem is that Beasley has burned through a lot of the goodwill he built in Dallas since joining the Bills in free agency.

In March, he zinged the Cowboys for not winning during his time with the team, and in April, he said “Buffalo shits on Dallas” when it comes to the team facilities. Even when he praised Bills passer Josh Allen and called him “the best athlete I’ve ever played with at quarterback,” it sounded like a dig at Dak Prescott.

He’s also complained about the way he was used offensively, accused the Cowboys front office of deciding who gets offensive touches, and said he’s glad to be in Buffalo where football “is purer.”

Maybe Beasley is just talking up his new team. He hasn’t talked much about Dallas since the offseason and has quietly put together solid numbers in his first season in Buffalo. The offseason bad blood has mostly dissipated and he’ll still likely get a warm welcome from the Dallas crowd.

Dad who keeps the peace: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

There are a lot of lights and cameras in Dallas, and with that comes the risk of the team devolving into a soap opera. For the most part it hasn’t in recent years, and that’s because the drama doesn’t follow Prescott.

Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley both complained about their usage in the Cowboys’ offense before their departures, but the griping never boiled over into a real conflict. Even the potentially awkward transition from Tony Romo to Prescott in 2016 ended up being smooth.

In a pressure cooker environment, Prescott has been Steady Eddie for the Cowboys since day one.

Jones has called Prescott “The Daddy” a few times in the last few years. He probably doesn’t mean it the same way I do, but it’s apt either way.

The new significant other: Ed Oliver, DL, Bills

Thanksgiving’s best chance at awkwardness is when someone brings a new boyfriend or girlfriend to the dinner table. The most significant newbie this November is Oliver, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

He’ll be the only first-round rookie in the game, because the Cowboys traded away their pick to get Amari Cooper a year ago.

Oliver had a slow start to his rookie year, but got his first sack on Oct. 20 and then added two more in the two games prior to Thanksgiving. His presence is starting to be felt, just in time for his first trip back to Texas.

Oliver was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and played his college football at the University of Houston. Thanksgiving will be his first professional game back in his home state — not a bad time of the year to leave Buffalo for a warmer part of the country.

The wise elder: Frank Gore, RB, Bills

Gore has been playing in the NFL since approximately 1972, became the fourth player to ever crack the 15,000 mark earlier this season. Judging by the shrinking numbers that players put up on the ground, he might even be the last to reach that milestone too.

He’s eight years older than any of the other running backs on the Bills’ roster and 12 years older than any Cowboys running back.

Even if he’s not a man of many words, younger players listen when he has something to say — as they should.

The television: Jason Garrett, coach, Cowboys

Inanimate piece of machinery? Yep, that’s Garrett.

01000110 01101001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100101 00101100 00100000 01001010 01100101 01110010 01110010 01111001 pic.twitter.com/8b3P5kMYPv

— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 6, 2018

The kid who won’t sit still: Josh Allen, QB, Bills

Buffalo drafted Josh Allen because he’s a 6’5, 237-pound quarterback with a rocket for an arm. He fits the prototype of a statue in the pocket — but so far in the NFL, Allen’s done fantastic work as a runner.

He’s even prone to hurdle a defender or two.

Yep. @JoshAllenQB is out here hurdling defenders : CBS #GoBills pic.twitter.com/648TG3QxFT

— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2018

Allen’s still only 23, so there’s plenty of time for his throwing skills to catch up to his legs. And so far in year two, they’re getting there fast. For now though, he’s the young gun that’s a pain in the ass to try and corral.

The one only focused on eating: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys

Elliott has built his entire brand around eating.

I’m right there with you, pal.

[surveysonfleek]

421.

Do you get excited when you learn you have to dress up? sometimes. i hate costume parties, i’m def not creative with that kinda thing.

What brand of hair spray do you use? schwartzkoph. idk about the spelling.

Do you like it when guys wear hats? i don’t love or hate it.

Burger King, McDonald’s or Wendy’s? burger king.

Would you rather visit California or Florida? florida, i’ve been to california plenty of times.

What’s your ideal first date? a dinner date i guess.

If you type for awhile, do your fingers start to hurt? i don’t type for too long tbh.

What do you smell right now? nothing.

Chinese or mexican food? chinese.

Can you play the drums? no.

Are you the type of person who would study for a test for hours? i did, but most of the time i couldn’t concentrate.

Are you a lazy person? yes.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be? panda.

If you were an instrument, what would you be? keyboard.

Do you hate when you’re in a good mood and one person ruins your mood? of course.

Are there any movies coming out that you’d like to see? nope.

Where do you buy your underwear? bonds.

Do you watch the show Switched at Birth? i used to! i loved it.

Do you hate the usual 100 questions surveys? EX: Eye color. yeah, over them.

What’s worse: Rude people, two faced people or fake people? i hate them all. i think it’s worse if you’re friends with two faced or fake people.

Does your house have a doorbell? yes.

Do you know someone who has dropped out of high school? yes.

Can you juggle? haha no.

Do you think you could run 3 miles right now? no.

What color was the shirt you wore today before changing? hmm floral and black.

Does it freak you out when random people wave to you in public? no.

Can you do the dougie? no.

If you were to get a pet turtle right now, what would you name it? crush.

What’s your most hated commercial to watch? all.

Can you do a handstand? no.

What was the last thing you charged? phone.

Without looking, what time do you think it is? midnight?

Favorite album? outkast, speakerboxxx and the love below.

How many people named Josh do you know? two.

When you were younger, did you believe you could fly? no.

Favorite farm animal? lambs.

Have you ever been to a spa? yes.

Has your Facebook ever been hacked? yeah as in, friends taking my phone and posting stupid statuses.

On a scale 1-10 how relaxed are you right now? 8.

Do you spell gray with an A or an E? grey.

What’s your favorite name that begins with B? bertha. haha jk idk.

If your son said he was gay, how would you react? i’d be fine with it. i’d only be shocked if it was out of the blue but it wouldn’t change anything.

Apple cider or hot chocolate? hot chocolate.

If someone paid you $500 would you take a bath in milk? duh.

How many people have ever said you’re perfect? haha none i don’t think.

Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook? facebook.

Do you enjoy having time to yourself? yes!

Can you do a cartwheel? no.

How many apps do you have on your phone/iPod? a ton.

Do you like Ed Sheeran? yeah, some songs.

Can you do ballet? no.

When you were a teenager, did you used to say “I hate this house!”? no lmao.

Would you rather become an author or teacher? author.

Are you ever jealous of your best friend? no.

How many people are you currently texting? one.

Anything exciting coming up? not really.

What numbers does your password on here have? just one heh.

This time tomorrow, what will you be doing? not sure yet.

Would you rather get money or gift cards for your birthday? money.

Have you ever been inside a recording studio? nope.

Would you rather visit Mars or Neptune? mars. neptune is too far.

Do you have Instagram? yes.

Does it bother you when people keep talking to you and you want to leave? of course. unless i like them.

Have you ever texted a landline phone by accident? nope.

Have you ever spoken to a detective before? no.

Do you like quotes about love or life better? life.

Do you have any quotes on your bedroom walls? no.

What color is your garage? white.

Have you ever played laser tag? yes.

Have you ever been to Cedar Point? no.

How are your grades this year? already finished school/college.

Do you think you have a good singing voice? haha no. i wish.

Do you like it when people give you compliments? it’s fine.

Do you crack under pressure? not usually.

Was your hair straight today? yes.

Do you believe in ghosts? no.

Do you pick out your outfits for the next day the night before or the AM? i’ve done both.

Do you wear earrings? i haven’t lately coz i lost the backing of one ugh.

Do you think Hershey chocolate is the best? no, but i do like their cookies and creme white choc.

What do you have first period? no school.

Do people depend on you too much? sometimes.

Have you ever been in love? yes.

Do you hate being sad? of course.

Is anyone you’re close to in the hospital right now? no.

Do you have any cuts on you right now? no.

Do you like Steve Carell? yes, i do.

Is your wifi protected? yes, everyone in my neighbourhood’s is.

What did you have for lunch today? chicken.

Does your phone have a cover on it? yes.

What color was your swim suit this year? black.

How many bedrooms does your house have? four.

Favorite flavor of popsicle? raspberry.

Do ladders scare you? only if i have to climb it.

Would you ever lie about your past? it depends what for.

Hot dogs or hamburgers? hot dogs.

Do you have any pictures of you and your friends in your bedroom? yes.

[blschaos3000-blog]

Its 7:37 pm

Welcome 8 Questions with…….

A few months ago I interviewed actor Mike Ferguson for the blog. He in turn sent me a short film he had completed called “Nowhere To Run” which I found to be top notch. One of Mike’s co-stars was Josh Gilmer and as I watched Josh turn in a strong performance,I thought that Josh had a bright future. Soon I got a friend request from Josh on FB and then I noticed something else,Josh is quite a guy off camera as well. I noticed how he is always supporting his friends and peers in their projects. While on paper that doesn’t sound all that grand but in the very competive world of Hollywood,believe me,this is a trait you don’t see all that often. When I asked Josh for this interview,he said “Yes,I would like that” and when he finished,he said it was harder then he thought as he wasn’t used to talking about himself. Well thats alright because I have a feeling pretty soon Josh is going to have to start doing that more often as his star grows brighter through his talent and hard work. We’re just glad we’re one of the first to sit down and ask this talented young actor some questions while we still can. So come and meet one of the nicest persons to answer our 8 Questions…Josh Gilmer.

 Please introduce yourself and tell us about your current project.

Hey hey, I’m Josh Gilmer.  I’m an actor originally from Bartonville, IL, currently living just outside LA.  I just wrapped on a pilot we did in partnership with a network, so hopefully they’ll like what they see and it will go to series.  I can’t say much about it, but I got the chance to play an outlaw in the Wild West, every guy’s dream!  Riding horses, shooting guns, and everything else that comes with that time period.  It was an absolute blast!  I have to say though, as fun and exciting as it was for me, it didn’t compare to my dad’s excitement *LOL*.  He’s a HUGE western fan. 

 What was growing up in Illinois like? What are some of your favorite experiences and memories growing up?

I had a pretty typical Mid-Western childhood.  Playing sports, hanging with friends, and working.  I started working for my dad when I was 7, as I chose that over summer camp.  My dad was a Teacher and Coach who also had a lawn business that kept us pretty busy in the Spring, Summer, and Fall.  Favorite experiences and memories would have to include being an All-Star at Michael Jordan’s basketball camp in Junior High, playing football my Senior year of High School under the lights every Friday night, and family trips to Florida for Spring Break.  Amazing times!

 What led you into becoming a actor? Was there a moment that you just knew this is what you wanted to do?

I’ve always had a love for TV, Film, Theater, Commercials, etc…  With that said, being from a small town in Central Illinois, a working actor wasn’t something that seemed realistic.  It wasn’t until after I had worked in the corporate world for many years after college that I finally decided to make the jump.  I had done well professionally, but just wasn’t happy.  I resigned from my gig as a sales rep in Florida and made the cross-country trip with my dad to beautiful Southern California.  That was just over two years ago and I’ve been grinding ever since.   

 What surprised you the most about learning to act? What were the three best pieces of advice that you took to heart?

 First off, let me just say I still have A LOT to learn.  It’s definitely an on-going process.  I can always get better, and need to get better.  When I first started taking classes, because I didn’t have a drama school background, I had this idea in my head that I needed to do more.  That I needed to “perform” or “act”.  Studying Meisner for me was great, as it really simplified things.  Be in the moment, listen, and respond/react.  There’s obviously much more to it than just that, but it���s such a great base for somebody like me with little to no experience.  In terms of advice I took to heart, one of my instructors said, “If you believe it, the audience will.”  That really stuck with me.  Less is more was another nugget a working actor once said to me, which I loved because that’s something I live by in general.  Lastly, I love a quote by another one of my instructors, “The number one rule of acting…don’t get caught doing it.”  

 What was it like moving from a small town in Illinois to Los Angeles?  What was your first impression of LA?

 I had been out here a few times for work previously, so I was familiar, but it’s definitely a different world.  Where I’m from, there’s really no such thing as ‘”traffic”.  Out here, it’s a way of life.  You can either accept that it is what it is and use that time to catch up with friends and family like I do, or succumb to it and want to gauge your eyeballs out on a daily basis.  Obviously the weather is amazing compared to the Mid-West.  Not having to deal with the -15 degree winters anymore makes everything worth it.  I don’t think I’ll ever move back.  Also, there’s nothing you can’t do out here.  Anything you want is within a couple of hours.

  Your first role was playing Ted Bundy for a docuseries? How did you get the role and    how was the experience? Did you have a hard time after playing Bundy?

It wasn’t my first role, but it was the first role I had on Network Television that wasn’t background.  In terms of how I landed the role, I just got lucky haha.  It was a timely submission on my part and I happened to slightly resemble him, so I got it.  It was such a great experience and the crew was awesome to work with.  I did all of my due diligence and studied him, but let’s be honest, it was recreation, so it wasn’t as if I had a hard time “getting out of character.”    

What three parts are the hardest to play for you emotionally and how do you adjust in order to play them?

They’re all a challenge for me, especially at this stage of my career haha, and honestly, I hope that never goes away. 

 What project has been your personal favorite so far and why?

That would have to be the western pilot I just wrapped.  The entire shoot I felt like I was 8 years old again.  It was as absolute blast.  And on top of all the fun stuff that comes with playing an outlaw in the Wild West, my character is extremely layered, being my most challenging role yet.  I hope people like it.  

 What is your approach to writing? What led you to try your hand at screenwriting? Is this something you want to pursue?

Haha, this is interesting, because I’m not much of a writer.  It really just came from necessity in terms of self-creating content for my acting reel.  It usually starts with an idea, and then just word vomit on a page.  From there I just re-work it over and over until it kind of makes sense.  I don’t think I have the discipline, nor the talent to really pursue it.  At least not at the moment, but down road?  You never know.   

 How important has networking been to your career and have you gotten any jobs that way?

Networking is something that I know I need to improve on and do more of.  While I do plenty of it on set, which has led to other opportunities (work begets work), I need to do a lot more away from set.

The cheetah and I are flying over to watch your latest film but we are a day early and now you are playing tour guide,what are we doing? 

Well, we’d be in LA, so we can do whatever you two want!!

    I like to thank Josh for taking the time to chat with us and answering some questions. We wish him the very best in his career and really hope that Western pilot is picked up so we can come back and ask him some more questions!!!

You can follow Josh on his various SM platforms of which we’ll list here:

You can see what is next for Josh by following his IMDb page. You can also follow Josh on his InstaGram page.

The review of “Nowhere To Run“. 8 Questions interview with Mike Ferguson.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have a story to share,drop me a email through the Contact page above and let’s talk about it.

8 Questions with…………actor Josh Gilmer Its 7:37 pm Welcome 8 Questions with....... A few months ago I interviewed actor Mike Ferguson for the blog.