#i like that he’s so special to the cookie run franchise too

[mikoshubofchaos]

okay but disregarding all the unreasonable hate this guy got when he released in crk can i just say he’s cool

Yes this is a Rebel Cookie appreciation post shut up kindly please

HE LOOKS SO MAD HERE I CANT

so chill.......

HIS H A T

certified cool guy i love him and i would be his bestie if i could <3

[femmchantress]

So I really enjoyed Terrifier 3 and in terms of overall quality I think it's just shy of Terrifier 2. It's ideas were bigger and I don't think it fell short of the mark on any of them, but I do think that there were a few areas where it erred.

Victoria's dialogue really needed revising imho. A lot of her lines felt like she was trying too hard to channel Regan from The Exorcist (that idea of using excess vulgarity or explicit language for shock value), which often fell flat because both she and I are adults and neither of us are particularly unsettled by words like 'fuck' or 'bitch.' If they'd either committed to even more explicit language (For example if she'd said, "Nobody's gonna eat your pussy now" or something instead of that "Now nobody's gonna want to fuck you" line) or if she spoke just a little less (a lot of her dialogue felt like it went on just a sentence or two too long) it would've been more impactful. I wanted to like her character a lot, like this sort of reverse Claudia of a child-like demon possessing an adult woman's body - making both her explicitly adult and childlike actions feel unsettling in a way - but she always just barely missed it for me. I didn't particularly care for her involvement with story exposition either. Her character worked best when she was silent alongside Art and when she was channeling her previous incarnation, the Little Pale Girl from Terrifier 2. I do give her kudos for the masturbating with broken glass scene, that was fantastic. I did also especially enjoy when she was playing the role of the silent accomplice to Art, she really worked best when filling this hybrid daughter and companion role. Oh! And the gleeful way she played with and coddled the rats, that was really unique and enjoyable to see.

I do think the scene where Art tests the liquid nitrogen cannon on one of Vicky's rats was a missed opportunity for another "the mass murdering demon clown does observe some of the most minute and specific social norms" moment, akin to him washing his hands after taking a piss or washing the dishes after eating the milk and cookies left by the family he home invasion'd in the opening. These moments are, in my opinion, one of the things that make the Terrifier franchise so unique and special. And if he'd gone to test his contraption on the rat, only to pick it up, change his mind, and like... idk give it a pet and piece of cheese and letting it run back to Vicky to be cuddled, before revealing one of the demolition men was still alive and test it on him instead, it would've worked wonders for me and been a really great instance of the "obeying specific social norms" motif that makes the series so great. But again, this didn't ruin the film for me, it just felt like a missed opportunity to demonstrate what makes the series special.

I also think the film went a little too far in terms of creating an installment that had some level of exposition with regards to the nature of the world and the conflict at hand. Mind you, I understand that doing something like that is a natural conclusion to reach when you're working on an anthology series like this and you wanted to make an installment that both felt different from its predecessors while also establishing stakes clear enough to give your franchise the structure needed to eventually end and not drag on for fifteen or twenty installments. But I think they could've leaned on it less - the previous film had the ratio right in my opinion, but again it doesn't ruin anything (and I understand entirely why they chose to do it). For me, it just took the tiniest bit away from my enjoyment of the film.

But those are just my nitpicks! None of this took away from my overall enjoyment of the film and I do think it's an absolutely incredible next installment in the series and it does marvels to show that independent filmmakers who are used to milking their (comparatively) small budgets for all its worth are some of the most talented creatives out there. I genuinely look forward to where this series goes next and I can't wait to see what its commitment to dark comedy, practical effects, and the art of superfluous gore has for us in future installments.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @goodanswerfoxmonster @amalthea9 @the-blue-fairie @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1 @themousefromfantasyland @tamisdava2 @moonbeamelf @faintingheroine

I consider that the Shrek franchise at its height (the release of the first and second movies) was for the 2000s what Frozen was for the 2010s:

A CGI fantasy comedy that wanted to poke fun at Classic Disney Fairy Tale cinema while also containing some emotional sincerity, particularly with the love stories between Fiona and Shrek and Dragon and Donkey, Donkey's longing for a friend, Shrek's pride in loneliness born out of past trauma caused by discrimination and Fiona's insecurity and desire to fit in.

And that may have become grating to some people due to that merchandise overexposure at the time.

All the while having some anacronic humour elements like the pop style soundtrack, and flirting with references to queerness like the Wolf keeping the Granny Clothes, Prince Charming wearing lipstick and Pinocchio wearing panties.

Its fall from the public's grace camed with the third movie, wich while still having funny elements, cramed in so many plots and characters (Arthuriana High School AU, Prince Charming Invading Far Far Away to Get Vengeance, King Harold dying and Shrek feeling unsure about assuming the Throne, Fiona getting pregnant and Shrek having fears about not being a good father) that it felt like an unfocuses mess.

The fourth movie felt more simple and focused, but its plot of Shrek having a midlife crisis and desiring a world where he was never born felt very cliche like a weak episode of a sitcom.

I have seen the 2008 TV Christmas special, and remember it being cute and relaxing.

I still find the choice to use Humpty Dumpty to team up with Puss n Boots too bizarre to find myself imersing in that spin-off movie.

And I miss a Shrek cookie that was of chocolate with an S engraving and a marshmallow flavoured filling.

They are not my favorite Dreamworks movies (those are The Prince of Egypt and Chicken Run), but I get their historical importance and influence on the field of animation, for both good and bad.

While i don't think they worked as a franchise like something as Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon did, at least as movies, the first two releases hold on pretty well on their own.

I wanna watch Puss N Boots The Last Wish ,but before that I am considering revisiting the Shrek franchise in general .Its been a while since I saw Shrek 1 and 2 both of which I saw multiple times as a kid (Shrek 2 being my favorite having one of my favorite scenes in movies,the Holding Out For A Hero scen ),I saw Shrek 3 twice ,Saw Puss In Boots once in the theater,and never saw Shrek 4 ,so I am curious how the series holds up.I dunno just considering it

Actually what are your guys thoughts on the Shrek franchise ?

@ariel-seagull-wings @goodanswerfoxmonster @amalthea9 @the-blue-fairie @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1 @themousefromfantasyland

[sweetsmellosuccess]

The Best Films of 2020

The 15 Best Films of 2020

Normally, when I assess a full year of cinematic offerings, I consider both sides of that coin  —  the outstanding entities, and the least successful —  but the year of our lord two thousand and twenty provided more than enough misery for all of us, I do believe. Ergo, in my own small way to bring better vibes into the universe, for this year’s round-up, I’m staying solely on the positive tip, highlighting those films whose unfortunate release date during the Year of the Hex shouldn’t preclude them for being fully appreciated. Let’s take a year off from negativity and schadenfreude, shall we, and just stroll amongst the poppies and bright sunshine of some of the best releases of the year.  

15. The Invisible Man

“Leigh Whannell’s film is thoroughly modern in approach and sophistication, but the film it most reminded me of was made back in 1944. George Cukor’s Gaslight starred Charles Boyer as a loathsome husband who attempts to convince his already anxious wife (Ingrid Bergman) that she’s going insane by secretly rearranging things in their house and taking things from her so she thinks she’s always misplacing them. He preys on her emotional vulnerability in order to mask his own pathology and emotional detachment. The effect is absolutely enraging: Onscreen, he’s one of the more hateful villains ever committed to celluloid.”

Full Review

14. The Killing of Two Lovers

“From the opening sequence, with a distraught, estranged husband standing over the bed of his wife and her new boyfriend with malice in his heart, and a gun in hand, the film spirals out into incredibly well structured compositions, taking us inside and outside of David’s recurring psychosis, utilizing a bevy of techniques: The framing shrinks down around him, the sound gets muffled, as if underwater, save for the incredibly unnerving metallic sound of cables being stretched taut, and the sickening kathunk of a heavy car door slamming shut.”

Capsule Review

13. Another Round

“Typically, Vinterberg avoids simple conclusions  —  and God help us all if this film gets picked up by a U.S. studio and remade with, say, Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, and Chris Rock  —  providing more or less equal examples of the delirious fun drinking with your friends can be (the film opens with a group of high schoolers gleefully doing “lake races” whereby teams compete to drink a case of beer while running around the nearby body of water; and closes with the same teen crew, and some of their teachers, whooping it up in celebrating their graduation); and the horrorshow it can become (one teacher ends up peeing the bed, and on his wife in the process, another wakes up bloodied and out of it in front of his neighbor’s house), leading to very real and horrible consequences.”

Capsule Review

12. Soul

“Co-director Pete Docter is the creative force behind many of Pixar's best titles, having a hand in the Toy Story franchise, WALL-E, Up, and also directing Inside Out, a brilliantly moving treatise on the subject of emotional upheaval. This film, which he co-wrote and made along with fellow co-director Kemp Powers, is his first film back at the helm since that high-water mark, and he has again dug into the fertile earth of our mortality and come back with a particularly vibrant crop.”

Full Review

11. The Burnt Orange Heresy

“Based on the novel by Charles Willeford, the film briskly moves through its paces, clouding the waters with the schemes of duplicitous men, who have sold out any love of art for their greater obsession of cash and prestige. A literary thriller in the vein of The Talented Mr. Ripley, it’s become a genre all too rare in the era of blockbuster bravado. This film will remind you what a mistake that is.”

Full Review

10. Lovers Rock

“In the course of the party, the fuses blow while the house DJ is spinning Janet Kay's "Silly Games," a fan favorite at the time. Undaunted, the guests continue dancing away, singing the lyrics a capella in delirious unison, as McQueen's camera swirls around the living room as if nothing happened. Such a heartfelt moment of unbridled togetherness, putting into distinct bas relief the sense of community we've been denied as a species in 2020, feels like a benediction, an epitaph for the year, and a salve for what we've all been so desperately missing.”

Capsule Review

9. Time

“Ostensibly, it’s about the strain of incarceration on even the most grounded of families (an experience naturally disproportionate for POCs); but, on a deeper level, it’s also about the manner of our use of the limited number of revolutions we get to enjoy situated on this earth. It is a profound knock-out.”

Full Review

8. New Order

“Meet the new boss, only in Michel Franco’s damning portrait of a society locked forever in cycles of oppression, revolution, and new oppression, it makes no difference who you are, what your belief system is, or whether or not you subscribe to a moral set of ethics.”

Capsule Review

7. Dick Johnson is Dead

“Utilizing stunt people and special effects, Johnson kills her father off a number of different gruesome ways, as a means of softening the blow of actually losing him as his mind slowly slips away. This eventually culminates in a final gambit, both acutely painful and deeply moving, in which our sense of things gets seriously upended. As Johnson put it during the post-screening Q&A, the film serves as a “doomed experiment trying to keep my father alive forever.” This film won’t make him immortal, alas, but it does make him indelible.”

Capsule Review

6. Martin Eden

“Marcello packs the film with offbeat bits and pieces of other films, including strips of what appear to be vintage home movies, sometimes in juxtaposition to what Martin is feeling  —  a group of kids swinging wildly from the bar of a fence, to a full galley ship taking in water and suddenly sinking like an iron ingot – which adds a more winsome, timeless element to the narrative. It’s clearly set in the past, but avoids being too dependent on that particular sense of place and time. Martin is a young man, at first, just coming into himself, and the actions he takes, what he goes through, the film seems to suggest, would be similar in any age.”

Full Review

5. Minari

“The film is certainly charming, but that’s not to diminish its straightforward approach to its characters’ plight. It doesn’t shy away from their difficulties, and as a result, it doesn’t cheat towards smarmy emotional closure.”

Capsule Review

4. Collective

“The breath of hope in the film, when the inept Minister of Health resigns, leading to the placing of a new, emboldened director who works quickly to clean the quagmire left by his predecessors, is just as quickly expelled after the next round of elections, in which the Social Democrat party  —  the very ones in charge of this catastrophe in the first place  —  gets re-elected with an even greater majority than what they had before. A perfect reflection of what happens when a government is allowed to exist without any meaningful oversight, other than from a bedraggled press and a disenchanted electorate.”

Full Review

3. First Cow

“Reichardt, a naturalist at heart, is not known much as a humorist, but there is a lightness to her screenplay -- co-written by Jonathan Raymond, her frequent collaborator, who wrote the original novel upon which its based -- that keeps it as sweetly airy as one of Cookie's fried confections. The two friends are so out of step with their surroundings -- the party of men Cookie initially travels with are little more than brutish thugs, and the fort upon which they end up is no better -- they almost had to find each other. They are reunited in the local bar of the fort only because literally every other patron runs out to egg on a brawl between two loutish combatants.”

Full Review

2. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

“Hittman’s eye for detail and emotional complexity  —  her characters can rarely articulate anything they’re experiencing  —  is incredibly acute, and she pulls tremendously understated performances out of her two leads.”

Capsule Review

1. Nomadland

“Perhaps no American director since Terrance Malick has made more of the collapsing light of dusk and twilight than Chloe Zhao. Much of her new film, which stars Frances McDormand as a transigent woman (“not homeless, houseless”), who traverses back and forth across the west in her beat up live-in van, doing seasonal work, takes place in that particular kind of vibrant half-darkness that shrouds the desert and its mountains with a magic kind of mystery.”

Capsule Review

Other Worthy Mentions: 7500; Assassins; Bacurau; Beanpole; Beginning; Black Bear; Bloody Nose Empty Pockets; Boys State; Come Play; Emma; Gunda; His House; Horse Girl; I Am Greta; Jacinta; La Llorona; Let Him Go; Limbo; Mangrove; Mayor; MLK/FBI; One Night in Miami…; Palm Springs; Possessor Uncut; Red, White & Blue; Relic; She Dies Tomorrow; Shirley; Shithouse; Shiva Baby; Some Kind of Heaven; Spring Blossom; Swallow; Tenet; The Dissident; The Invisible Man; The Nest; Sound of Metal; The Vast of Night; The Viewing Booth; The Way I See It; Vitalina Varella; Welcome to Chechnya

Inexplicably Underrated: 7500; Shithouse

Biggest Welcome Surprise(s): The Vast of Night; His House; She Dies Tomorrow

The Best Two Films I Saw This Year, Period: Satantango (1994); Harlan County, USA (1976)

[madisonrooney]

hi it's your secret santa! first of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! i hope you have a wonderful day! how are you celebrating, if you are at all? safely, i hope! either way i hope you manage to find a way to have a great day full of love!! consider my christmas gift a belated birthday gift as well lol. anyway i loved reading your last answer, it was so thoughtful and sweet. i realized after reading that i barely know anything about dove lol so follow up q: what about dove makes you love her so much?

sorry for the late response! the last couple days have been v busy and ive been super tired and dissociative on top of it so i made a point to save this bc i wanted to give it my full attention!

first of all thank you!! i was going to do a virtual meet and greet with one of my favs from jersey boys but he got confused about timezones so we rescheduled but were doing it next week! then i went to a virtual walt disney family museum panel, had pizza for dinner and watched some liv and maddie, my mom made a cookie cake that we ate while watching the grinch musical, and then some friends and i watched the jersey boys movie together over skype!

im so glad you enjoyed reading my last answer! and oof thats another loaded question (i love it tho)

- like i said when first talking about what drew me to her and liv and maddie, a big thing is just how much passion and love she puts into her characters. ofc she puts passion into every character she plays, but its the passion she puts into characters like liv, maddie, and mal that means the most to me. that goes back to the fact that ive dealt with a lot of negativity directed towards me for enjoying disney channel, and then you have dove out here saying “yah im a teenager/twenty-something who not only respects what theyre doing on disney channel, but puts my all into it” not to mention she even won an emmy for playing liv and maddie in season 4! i hope that passion and talent has started to change the conversation about disney channel, and tbh i think it has at least a bit.  ofc, none of this is to say other people her age acting on disney channel arent talented and passionate, but idk, something about her has always stood out to me. i find her to be more animated and expressive than most. it can be hard for me to read emotions in live action movies and shows, so thats been really important for me. not to mention she was not only playing the lead but TWO lead characters on a four season show with distinct personalities but also subtle similarities. AND the main character in the biggest DCOM franchise in years for 5 years running now. PLUS the fact that there was a period where those were both happening at the same time. she was only 16 when she started all this and hadnt even had any big roles prior to it!! she had a lot of responsibility so it was amazing to see her not only pull it off, but excel at it.

- i just love like....her aesthetic?? shes always seemed to be a very old soul to me, into old jazz music and poetry and stuff like that. its just very charming. and for her to have that aesthetic on top of being a disney channel actress is a fascinating juxtaposition.

- this is kind of sappy and it gets tiring to hear it said over and over again but that doesnt mean it isnt true: i love how transparent she is about her struggles with mental health issues, trauma, and such. she has been for a long time but even more so over the last year or two. no shade to anyone else, but a lot of actors dont really give you a look into their personal lives, they just share and promote their product. im not saying theres anything wrong with that, its good to know what youre comfortable sharing, ive just felt all the more close to her with her being as open as she is, especially as someone who has gone through trauma myself, albeit different from hers.

- kind of connected to that, i love how important spreading kindness, positivity, and love is to her. thats another thing thats been said a million times but still, its very important to me.

for example. she’ll randomly tweet things like “i love you” a lot. im one to always think of the thought process that goes on behind whatever someone posts, texts, etc., bc personally i put a lot of a thought into pretty much anything i say or do before i put it out there publicly, probably bc of my social anxiety. even tho its a simple statement and takes her a couple seconds to post, she still had to have the thought “i want to remind my fans that theyre loved” or something along those lines. and she has this thought FREQUENTLY. to just randomly get a notification every few days or weeks or so of her saying something like that is just very heartwarming to me.

the reason i connected with miley so much when she helped me through my initial trauma was bc it felt like even if no one loved me, she loves her fans, thus she loves me. thus the person i love and admire the most loves me. even if its only one person, it can be enough. it was for me at the time. i feel that same way with dove. when she came into my life, i didn’t feel as unloved, but her love was still helpful to me.

- of course i need to specifically talk about her kindness in person too. dont get me wrong (ive been saying that a lot havent i lol), i totally and completely loved her long before i met her, but naturally, i love her 10x more after the experiences ive had getting to know her in person.

i could go ONNNNNNN about the experiences ive had with her, and i have lol, and if you already heard me ramble about this in the server i apologize, but the most important thing ive taken away from every encounter ive had with her is this: she always goes the extra mile. she always goes out of her way to make people feel special. what i mean by that is she could say/do HALF as much as she has when meeting me and i would still leave over the moon feeling loved. you can tell she does this in excess bc she really truly means it and cares about people like me, she doesnt have any kind of ulterior motive and isnt just going through the motions doing whats asked of her, she simply cares about me and the rest of her fans. some examples - the first time we met, i was sobbing (lol) and she hugged me for a really long time, rocking me back and forth, brushing my hair with her thumb, calling me sweetheart and honey. she even started to tear up a bit herself. - a couple months later, i went to my first liv and maddie taping. i was preparing to reintroduce myself (i looked a little different bc id been cosplaying as maddie the first time i met her) and ofc when preparing myself, i fantasized pretty heavily as i usually do and pictured myself showing her the pic of us on my phone, her gasping, jumping out of her chair screaming, and hugging me, thinking that was probably way more than i was gonna get. that is EXACTLY what happened. then she went on to tell me how my costume made her whole weekend. things like this would continue to happen where i would set the bar impossibly high and not only would she meet it but she’d exceed it. - our usual interaction from there on would start with her face lighting up when she saw me, her calling me some kind of cute name like love or baby, and then hugging me without me even having to initiate it. - when i saw her in mamma mia, i didnt know when id be seeing her again afterwards after pretty consistently getting to see her for 2 years, so i wanted to make sure we got some kind of closure. at the stage door, i reminded her how much she meant to me and just expected like an “aww i love you too” or something back, but she said “you are an angel in my life” and i will never forget that. obvs, i havent told her ALL the details about what she and her characters mean to me but like...she can tell. she can tell if im in a homemade maddie costume sobbing into her arms that theres something there, and shes VERY appreciative of that. - i thankfully got to see her at a meet and greet a few months later and every time i thought i should get going cuz i didnt want to hold the line up, she would just open her arms for another hug. speaking of being appreciative, she even said “thank you for being such a supportive fan.” as i left, i turned around to say one last goodbye. i made sure she wasnt with the next fan yet and yelled out “bye!” and she yelled back “I LOVE YOU!!” and blew me a kiss. again, its the little things. - i saw her at a small panel in new york a few months after that. she walked in the room when the lights were down as they were playing a clip, she quietly waved hi to everyone, then saw me and loudly whispered HI BABY!!! and stopped on her way to the stage to give me a hug. (then she looked at me from the stage and asked which way i thought she should cross her legs for the interview lol) - sometimes when she sees im next in line, shell give me a knowing smile or whisper “hi baby!!” or something like that. she saw me in the crowd after clueless and seemed to make a point to come to me last bc she knew wed be talking for a while, which we did. she even told me she’d seen me in the audience, asking if i was in the front on the left, which i was.

even all that is still just scratching the surface. weve “known” each other for 5 years now and every time i think she’s done the most she can do, she outdoes herself again. not to mention when im at these events, i see her treat all the fans she meets with all of that kindness too. naturally all of this has made me love her all the more.

- finally, lets just be honest here..........................shes REALLY fucking hot.

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: “ The Bad Batch”-Review

Seven years since its cancellation and six since the final episodes aired, Star Wars: The Clone Wars makes its final triumphant return on Disney+. Beginning this twelve episode conclusion is a familiar story to fans of the series that has been brought to thrilling new life. It may not be a series best, but The Clone Wars fans will be more than pleased with “The Bad Batch.”

(Review Contains Episode Spoilers)

The Republic defense of the shipyards of Anaxes have taken a turn for the worse. Separatist forces led by Admiral Trench have updated their tactics and are outpacing clone forces before they can react. Captain Rex has a theory, that Trench’s forces have somehow gotten hold of his battle playbook developed alongside deceased ARC trooper Echo. In the hopes of proving this theory and potentially changing the tide of the campaign, Commander Cody and Rex propose a behind enemy lines stealth mission, which will be assisted by experimental clone force 99, aka “The Bad Batch.”

Wow. On just a purely personal level, watching and reviewing a new episode of The Clone Wars is a surreal experience. Reviewing episodes of the series is how I became a Star Wars blogger and even when we first heard the series was returning in 2018, I still didn’t fully believe that we would be getting new episodes. Yet here I am, in 2020, watching a brand new (sort of) episode of The Clone Wars and the show doesn’t even seem to acknowledge that it’s been gone for over half a decade. Tom Kane voice over, fortune cookie, triumphant ending credits fanfare, it’s all there. In all its goofy, beautiful, and wonderfully strange glory. The Clone Wars is back for one last time. Just wow.

I’ll admit I was initially a little disappointed that one of the three arcs we would be receiving in the final Clone Wars season would be “The Bad Batch.” The unfinished story reels were a fun experience, but as a whole, even with some of the plot twists that will come in later episodes, this arc was never really a favorite of mine. Yes, I love clones and getting to see more clone episodes is always a joy, but I was hungry for new stories and it was hard not to see a redeveloped “Bad Batch” as taking away from any number of other Clone Wars plots that never saw the light of day such as the ever elusive Cad Bane/Boba Fett arc.  

Boy was I underestimating just how much this animated glow up would add to this story though. In its final seasons, The Clone Wars was undeniably some of the best looking television on the airwaves and now with production assets that are helped by a robust and experienced studio and seven years of technological advancement, the result is truly stunning. However, it’s not just that the show looks prettier, The Clone Wars is now a more confident and stylistically directed show then it’s ever been.

“The Bad Batch” ends up having two real stars. The obvious one is Dee Bradley Baker who once again gets to flex his voice acting muscles. Baker proved early on into the series’ run that he was more than able to carry entire episodes on his own by voicing ensemble casts of almost a dozen near vocally identical characters and giving them unique personalities and traits. Baker does more heavy lifting here since season four’s classic Umbara story arc and the results are no less impressive.

The second star is director Kyle Dunlevy. Dunlevy worked on many classic episodes of The Clone Wars and “The Bad Batch” may be his most assured stylistically. In addition to the improvement in animation quality, The Clone Wars in its final seasons was really beginning to experiment with creative shot composition and cinematography. I think most often of the stellar sequence in “The Unknown” which follows a single clone officer cowering from a droid invasion. Dunlevy takes this and ups it, delivering outstandingly shot action sequences and even some outstanding tracking sequences that feel more intimate and cinematic than almost anything the series has ever pulled off, or any Star Wars animated show for that matter.

I may be talking a lot about the technical aspects of “The Bad Batch” and that may be that at the end of the day, they prove to be the most impressive parts. As a narrative, “The Bad Batch” is pretty standard Clone Wars fare. Undeniably fun and explosive at times, but there isn’t quite anything here that massively strays outside some of the shows traditional formula.

In a way, it’s interesting to see that many of The Clone Wars’ old storytelling shortcomings are very much on display. The anthologized seasonal structure allowed for many things in the series’ original run such as a sprawling cast and freedom to tell stories of widely different tones and genres. However, The Clone Wars always struggled as a result in being a serialized story. Sure, events from some arcs would undoubtedly influence others, but the sort of stop and start nature of the show lead to many moments where character and story arcs disappear or burst into existence with surprising frequency.

This is very much the case with “The Bad Batch.” At its heart, “The Bad Batch” is two clone related stories. One, a narrative of clones coming to accept diversity within their own community and another in Rex having to grapple with the loss of so many brothers over the war. The second is the most emotionally interesting and engaging as Rex is easily the most war weary character the show has at this point and in a way has always functioned as something of a mouthpiece for the clones as a whole. However, Brent Friedman and Matt Michnnovetz’s script makes some logical swerves here that end up feeling surprisingly hollow. Having Rex mourn his clone brothers makes sense and its direction at some specific clones such as Fives, whom he worked closely with in multiple episodes, feels emotionally appropriate. It’s the focus on Echo and even more oddly, Hevy, that feels odd. Echo and Rex certainly appeared in tandem in multiple episodes but the only time the two really appeared as equals was in the Citadel arc where the character perished. We don’t understand Rex’s emotional connection to Echo because it was never really established in past episodes and we have no cues to fall back upon. The work done here to build context for their relationship, both professionally and emotionally, can’t help but feel a little stilted. Regardless, Baker is still able to sell Rex’s hurt and longing for hope with the right resonance and it helps carry us through these rough patches.

Also, on a very basic level, The Bad Batch are just a really fun bunch of characters. At the moment they fit a little too cleanly into various archetypes: the brutish dumb clone, the cool and badass tracker, the silent sniper, the nerdy tech, but they are fun archetypes. Their designs are creative and vivid. Baker has a hell of a time voicing them. The action with these characters is, as mentioned before, enjoyably creative and visceral. Having classic clones like Jesse and Kix get to butt heads and also grow to appreciate these new clones is a fun and upbeat little story beat for a story that’s otherwise about the lingering trauma of war. Also, Jesse got a promotion and Kix let his hair grow out! Good for them. I hope nothing bad happens to them and their futures remain Sith free.

It’s overall just a joy to have The Clone Wars back, hiccups and all. It’s a special piece of the Star Wars franchise and it’s going to be great to have it in our lives again for a few months. I can’t wait to blast more clankers alongside you all.

Score: B+

[thisyearingaming]

1997 - This Year in Gaming

Muggins here was born in ‘97, and can’t really remember much of it, natch. But there were some good things released this year - I’ve played every one of these, and have missed so many more.

Diablo - Windows, January 3rd

We start with dungeon-crawl-em-up and well-loved out of season April Fool’s Joke, Diablo. I’ll be totally honest - I don’t like Diablo that much. It’s absolutely fine, I just can’t get into it. The writing, setting and characters are all very good especially since this year only marks the beginning of games being seen as a bit more adult and intelligent. Check out this gameplay from Hour of Oblivion on YouTube, and marvel at the faux-Scottish accent on Griswold the blacksmith.

Mario Kart 64 - Nintendo 64, February 10th

Compared to its more recent versions, Mario Kart 64 is a veritable bloody relic of the past - solid controls and a quirky style mean it’s still a crowd pleaser to this day, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone right now that would die on the hill of it being their favourite single-player racing experience. It’s also got some of the deepest, impenetrable lore in any medium known to the human race - why exactly is Marty the Thwomp locked up here?

Blast Corps - Nintendo 64, February 28th

February’s position as most boring month of the year is shaken up a bit by having a uniquely designed Rare game slammed into its 28-day long face. Blast Corps is the puzzle-action game where you take control of several vehicles to destroy homes and buildings in order to prevent a nuclear warhead exploding in the coolest incarnation of Cold War politicking ever seen in a video game. Calling Blast Corps a “hidden gem” these days is like calling Celeste a hidden gem - it impresses nobody and makes you look like a dick. 

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter - Nintendo 64, March 4th 

The N64 was home to a surprisingly large number of above-average shooters despite its muddy graphics and small cartridge space - Turok is one of these, a great FPS game where you shoot the SHIT out of dinosaurs. Brett Atwood of Billboard said it was like Doom and Tomb Raider mixed - Doom Raider, if you will. I say it isn’t - there’s no demons, and there’s no polygonal breasts to poke dinosaurs’ eyes out with! 

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Sony PlayStation, March 20th

What is a retrospective? A miserable little pile of opinions. I’ve only recently played through SotN for the very first time on a TOTALLY LEGITIMATE copy with a CRT filter. Bloody good (geddit?) game, that takes the repetition of its predecessors, improves on it in basically every conceivable way, and combines it with special effects and graphics that even 23 years later had me going “ooh, that looks quite good!” Symphony’s music and audio design are wonderfully paired with a deeply enjoyable experience that’ll have you saying “mm, maybe just one more room?”

Tekken 3 - Sony PlayStation, March 20th

Also releasing from the Land of the Rising Sun that day was Tekken 3, which many believe is still one of the best fighters ever made. Tekken 3′s combat is so fast and responsive that it’s better than some games made today. T3 is also the best and easiest way to knock seven shades of absolute shite out of your friends without risking a massive head injury or a trip to the headmaster’s office... where you could also challenge him, but only if he plays as my favourite Not-Guile-or-Ken character in gaming, Paul. 

Sonic Jam - Sega Saturn, June 20th

The moment Sega realised that re-packaging old Mega Drive games would net them serious cash - although unlike later collections, this is a strictly Sonic affair, and has a neat little 3D world to run around in as a sort of hub world. Sonic X-Treme proved that Sonic Team would have to work hard at getting the fastest thing alive into 3D space properly: Jam is the sort of test ground for it too. It features some genuinely good emulation work for 1997, although it’s basically the gaming equivalent of going round to your grandparents at Christmas only for them to give you the exact same gifts you got in 1991, 1992 and 1994 but wrapped in a bow to make you think it’s different. What are you lookin’ at, you little blue devil?

Star Fox 64 - Nintendo 64, June 30th

So there’s this German company, right, called StarVox. Nintendo look at Europe and say “shit, we don’t want another lawsuit... after all, we’ve done three this year!”. So they give us in the PAL region the exciting title of Lylat Wars which as far as I know means absolutely fucking nothing in the context of the game. They’re still called Star Fox in-game too so what was the point? Anyway, fun 3D shooter with graphics that’ll make you do a barrel roll off the sofa and onto the power button to make the brown and green blurs a little easier on the eyes. Hello 2007, I’ve come back to make old references with you!

Carmageddon - Windows, July 30th

The game so scary it was BANNED in the UK! More like the game so fucking shit it was banned. Carmageddon is so deeply boring to play on PC that I can only imagine that Stainless Games made it tasteless by 90s standards simply to ramp up demand - much like another game we’ll be covering soon. 

Herc’s Adventures - Sony PlayStation, July 31st

“And they said Kratos was the best hero? Shish... they got it wrong, sister! Hercules is clearly better... he even has a coconut weapon.” A surprisingly fun overhead action game that most people only know for... well, I’ll just embed it.

Mega Man X4 - Sony Playstation, August 1st

A few years ago I tried playing every Mega Man game there is - I gave up at X3 because I was getting bored. Even still, Mega Man bores me - but at least the level design is good. Stay away from the Windows port. Pictured: me in the background yawning.

GoldenEye 007 - Nintendo 64, August 25th 

The name’s Intro. Overused intro which I also managed to fuck up twice through the deeply editable medium of text. GoldenEye is like the Seinfeld of console shooters - playing it nowadays you’re unlikely to be amazed but holy shit there’s some absolute greatness in this game. Every sound and every piece of music in GoldenEye is permanently seared into my brain - sometimes I’ll just hear Facility or Frigate in my head alongside the door opening sound and the gentle PEW of the PP7. I mean come on, fucking listen to this and tell me Grant Kirkhope isn’t cool as all hell.

LEGO Island - Windows, September 26th

The first open world experience I ever had was LEGO Island. It’s still quite good today, utterly deranged animation from the likes of the Infomaniac and Brickster - a cautionary tale for children that giving pizza to high-profile criminals is disastrous for the human LEGO race. 

Fallout - Windows, October 10th

War never changes, but franchises do. Fallout’s legendary status in the industry is exemplified in how different it feels. Yes, we had the game Wasteland nine years prior, but until September 97 there was nothing quite like Fallout. From the chilling introduction sequence showing the ruins of the United States to the tragic ending, Fallout is an exercise in pure human misery with the brightest spots of hope it can possibly muster thrown in for good measure. What begins as a tedious isometric point-and-click RPG ends as a minigun-wielding power fantasy, before your entire worth is stripped from you at the finish line. You have 500 days to find a water chip before it’s too late, but you’re constantly being fought by terrifying Super Mutants, irradiated animals, and the biggest monster of all - humanity. See what I did there? If anything, humanity in Fallout’s setting would be the greatest unifying force possible against the horror of the outside world. But how is it? It’s dull, it’s sluggish, and it’s really hard to get into even if you’re already a fan - but push through that and it’s worthwhile to see exactly how far the series got before Todd Howard said “eh fuck it” and had the whole thing dipped into an FEV vat.

Grand Theft Auto - Sony PlayStation, October 21st

To put it simply, the first in the GTA series is now nothing but a novelty. It has an irritating camera, wonky controls, poor graphics and deeply repetitive gameplay. But thank fuck it exists, because without it the Rockstar story may have been very different indeed. It’s quintessential cops and robbers gameplay, spanning across Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas in one game, but with maps so far removed from their modern incarnations they may as well be named “Not New York, Possibly Bristol and Orange Town”. People really fucking hated Hare Krishnas in the 20th Century, didn’t they?

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back - Sony PlayStation, October 31

A hard one to talk about, honestly - it’s more Crash and better than the first one. It looks great, and Crash controls so well compared to his first outing. It’ll also keep you playing for 100%, fiendishly addictive and unashamedly difficult. Had a weird cover that moved with your head. 

PaRappa the Rapper - Sony PlayStation, November 17th

Type type type the words into the box! (Type, type, type - uh oh - the box?)

PaRappa is a gorgeously stylised rhythm game about rapping to steal the heart of the girl of your dreams - which involves learning karate, getting your driver’s license, selling bottle caps and frogs, making a cake, desperately trying not to shit yourself, and finally performing live on stage. Every one of its segments is so well-produced that they’d genuinely sell like ghost cookies in this era of shite rap. Notable for producing the greatest Jay-Z backing track ever made.

Sonic R - Sega Saturn, November 18th

Sonic R is absolutely FINE with vibrant textures, interesting levels, neat gimmicks and decent controls. But I’m gonna talk about its fucking AWESOME soundtrack by Richard Jacques and T.J. Davis, an eclectic mix of Europop and New Jack Swing - even thinking about it is bringing tears of absolute joy to my eyes hearing Super Sonic Racing in my head. You’ve got the main theme, Living in the City, Can You Feel the Sunshine, Back in Time, Diamond in the Sky, Work It Out and Number One - all of these are absolute club bangers and genuinely wouldn’t be out of place in a 90s disco. 

Tomb Raider II - Sony PlayStation, November 18th

Lara Croft returns to single-handedly endanger every species on Earth. TR2 is really good, the exploration and puzzle-solving aspects of the first game expanded upon here and the gunplay remaining just as punchy. Lara’s got a fully-functioning ponytail which absolutely boggles the fucking mind - a lot of work went into Lara’s hair for the 2013 reboot, so I can’t imagine the amount of man hours it took to get fluid(ish, come on, it’s the PS1 we’re talking about) hair movements in 1997. 

And really, that’s all I played from 1997. I’ve left out big hitters like Quake II, Gran Turismo and Diddy Kong Racing, but I simply haven’t formed an opinion on them yet. Maybe in a future post. 

Thanks for reading.

[argylemnwrites]

Traditions

Pairing: Seth Levine x MC (Jessica Parker)

Book: Red Carpet Diaries (about one year after Book 3)

Word Count: ~1100

Rating: PG-13 (some adult language)

Summary: Seth gets to experience “holiday” Jessica when Hanukkah rolls around.

Author’s Note: Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate! Thought I’d write a little fic about my favorite Jewish character in Choices in honor of the first night of Hanukkah. This piece is for Day 22 of both the Choices December Challenge (Hanukkah) and 41 Days of Cheer (Holiday).

“Here, taste these,” Jessica said, shoving a plate of latkes across the kitchen island.

Seth glanced up from the script he was flipping through. Ethan Blake had been sending him a lot of scripts lately, but honestly, none of them had resonated with Seth. He knew he should have capitalized on his increased name recognition after Ninradell, but he just wasn’t sure what he’d wanted to focus on for his career. Should he be trying for more big-franchise blockbuster type roles, even though that wasn’t really his passion? Should he be looking at the comedic parts, even though those tended to be more supporting roles? Should he stick to movies, or would television be a better fit? Or should he return to his roots, focusing on his standup now that more people might be interested in him?

Unsure of what he truly wanted, he’d only taken a couple of recurring guest spots in some TV shows and a highly billed supporting role in an action comedy over the past year. Instead of acting, he’d spent more time focused on his writing, much to Ethan’s chagrin. Oh well, that had meant that he’d been able to travel with Jessica when she’d been filming on location in Australia, which had been much nicer than when they were both frantically busy throughout their entire engagement, barely seeing each other when they lived in the same city. Plus, he’d gotten to host SNL, so as far as he was concerned, that alone made the year since the release of Ninradell a professional success.

However, if Jessica kept feeding him fried food, his career options might be a moot point, as he was going to put on so much weight and would only get hired as the fat funny friend. Growing up, his mom had only made special foods for the first night of Hanakkuh, the rest of the nights often consisting of lighting the menorah and him and Caleb quickly opening their gifts between homework and clubs and sports. But Jessica had been frying and baking for five nights straight at this point, and that was in addition to the dozens of Christmas cookies she’d been baking and stocking the freezer with over the past few weeks. If he only gained 10 pounds over December, it would be a miracle.

Sighing, he grabbed the fork off the plate and started in on yet another batch of latkes. They were tasty - Jessica’s cooking always was - but he was getting a little tired of having to serve as her Jewish food critic. He felt like an ass for even having thoughts like that, but after four nights of latkes and sufganiyot and fritters and donuts, Seth just wanted a damn salad. But he couldn’t complain about his wife’s cooking, particularly when it was all for his holiday, so he dug in dutifully.

After a couple of bites, he looked over at Jessica, standing behind the stove top, staring at him expectantly.

“They’re good, Iowa,” he said between bites.

“Are they better than yesterday’s? I’m trying to get them crispier.”

“They were both good. They’ve all been good.”

Jessica sighed heavily at that. Apparently, that was the wrong answer.

“Jessica, I don’t know what to tell you. You know you’re a great cook. Literally everything you’ve made for Hanukkah has been amazing.”

“But these are the foods you grew up with, and I’ve never made them before.”

“And I’m telling you, you did an awesome job. What else do you want me to say?”

“I just want to be sure I’m replicating your childhood Hanukkahs.”

“Jessica, I love you, but that is an insane goal.”

She scowled at him, so he pressed on, trying to explain himself before things devolved into a fight.

“First, I was raised in a very liberal Reform home. My parents essentially transformed Hanukkah into Jewish Christmas, so you could serve me eggnog and some of those cookies you’ve been baking and it would feel normal to me. Second, unless you want to fly my brother out so he and I can get in a fight before he leaves for a shift at Jungle Jims and you drive me to the Y for swim class, you won’t be able to truly capture the essence of my childhood Decembers. Third, and most importantly, the day I compare any aspect of you to my mother is the day you should file for divorce. So please, Jessica, do not make me compare your latkes to my mother’s.”

Jessica bit her lip and smiled at that, pausing for a few moments before she spoke up.

“I know how important holiday traditions are, and I just… I just want our kids to look back on my holiday meals with fond memories.”

Ah, well that explained a lot. They had been talking about trying to get pregnant starting sometime in the new year. And while the thought both simultaneously excited and scared the shit out of Seth, Jessica was clearly viewing this holiday season as a trial run for the future. A future where she obviously envisioned herself as some Hallmark movie version of a mother.

“Jessica, they will love your holiday meals because you’ll be the one making them. You could serve them frozen pizza and they would love it. Whatever you want to serve, that will be our tradition, okay? Or if you want me to handle the Jewish crap, that’s fair too. We’ll figure it out year by year, alright?”

“No way are you allowed to cook any holiday meals, Jewish or otherwise.”

“I’m a decent cook!” Seth retorted, but Jessica just cocked an eyebrow at him. “Fine, I’m an adequate cook,” he amended.

“The Valentine’s dinner debacle of 2018 says otherwise.”

“The steaks were just a little overly charred.”

“And the rolls were not cooked through and the vegetables were beyond rubbery and you forgot about dessert in the oven so the sprinklers went off-”

“Alright, alright, I concede that meal did not turn out well. Are you ever gonna let me live that down?”

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head as she flipped the rest of the latkes onto another plate, walked around the island, and joined Seth on the stool next to his. And while he knew that it was just in Jessica’s nature to go a little nuts about this sort of thing, that she would always be the type to go all out for the holidays, well sitting here, enjoying a home-cooked meal with her was more than festive enough for him. Whatever the future held for them and their family, spending it together would always matter more than what was on the menu.

Tags: @mfackenthal @octobereighth​ @choicesbyjade​ @jlpplays1-41daysofcheerchallenge​ @choicesdecemberchallenge​

[srinithyananda]

29 AUGUST 2020, 08:17 PM, SATURDAY - IST, NITHYANANDA SATSANG - ENGLISH GIST *PARAMASHIVA’S MESSAGE DIRECTLY FROM KAILASA: *PARAMASHIVA, THE SOURCE OF THE COSMOS, EXISTENCE, UNIVERSE, KNOWN REALITY AND AVYAKTA, UNMANIFEST COMPONENT OF THE UNIVERSE - EVERYTHING, IS THE ULTIMATE AUSPICIOUSNESS. *IF YOU ARE A LONG-TIME DEVOTEE, YOU MAY THINK YOU ALREADY HEARD THIS FROM SWAMIJI. NOW THIS IS AN INITIATION, NOT JUST WORDS. *SIT STRAIGHT! *I AM GOING TO INITIATE ALL OF YOU TO MANIFEST PARAMASHIVA IN ALL THE 36 TATTVAS (PRINCIPLES). *I AM PREPARING ALL OF YOU FOR KAILASA ADMINISTRATION AND HINDU PARLIAMENT. *THAT IS WHY FROM TODAY, THERE WILL BE TWO SATSANGS. I WILL GIVE ENGLISH SATSANG AND TAMIL SATSANG. IF YOU KNOW BOTH LANGUAGES, YOU CAN ENJOY BOTH SATSANGS! YOU WILL ENJOY A 3 - 4 HOURS TREAT! *I WANT TO SINCERELY PREPARE ALL OF YOU TO BE PART OF KAILASA ADMINISTRATION, KAILASA GOVERNANCE AND HINDU PARLIAMENT SYSTEM. WE ARE DOING THIS VERY SINCERELY AND SERIOUSLY. *WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED CHALKING OUT, PENNING DOWN AND DETAILING. *WE HAVE DECIDED ON THE 5 STRUCTURES OF THE HINDU PARLIAMENT: CHIT SABHA, RAJA SABHA, DEVA SABHA, KANAKA SABHA AND NITHYANANDA SABHA. *WE WILL BE GIVING VOTING RIGHT TO ALL HINDU ECOSYSTEMS ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHETHER A TEMPLE RUNNING IN TRINIDAD TOBAGO OR A GREAT MONASTERY RUNNING IN RISHIKESH. *WE HAVE CLASSIFIED THE HINDU ECOSYSTEMS INTO 11 VARIETIES: TEMPLES YOGA STUDIOS, YOGA CENTERS, YOGA TRAINING PLACES. ALL THESE ARE SECOND LEVEL ECOSYSTEMS. YOGA STUDIOS ALL OVER THE WORLD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INTRODUCTORY ECOSYSTEM FOR HINDUISM. *MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ESPECIALLY WHO ARE NOT BORN HINDUS, GET INTRODUCED TO HINDUISM THROUGH YOGA STUDIOS. DENYING THE RIGHTFUL PLACE OF YOGA STUDIOS IN HINDUISM WILL BE ONLY A LOSS FOR HINDUISM. *ALL YOGA TEACHERS AND YOGA STUDIOS SHOULD BE GIVEN THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE AND RESPECT. THEY SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL WELCOMED. *JUST LIKE TEMPLES, ALL YOGA STUDIOS WHERE YOGA HAPPENS EVERYDAY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS THE ECOSYSTEMS OF HINDUISM. *ECOSYSTEM MEANS, WHERE YOU MAY NOT HAVE ONE LEAD, ONE HEAD, BUT SO MANY PEOPLE KNOW SO MANY THINGS, EACH ONE CONTRIBUTES TO THE OTHER. EVERYONE LEARNS FROM EVERYONE! *TAKE A TEMPLE - IT IS NOT THAT ONE PERSON IS THE HEAD OF THE TEMPLE. THERE ARE SOME TEMPLES WHERE ONE PERSON LEADS THE WHOLE THING IN A VERY ORGANIZED WAY. GREAT! *FOR EXAMPLE, NALLUR MURUGAN TEMPLE HAS THE FAMILY - MAAPAANA MUDALIAR’S FAMILY! THEIR DEDICATION IS EXTRAORDINARY, SYMBOL OF SINCERITY. *BUT 99.9999% HINDU TEMPLES DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF LEAD BUT IT IS A KIND OF ECOSYSTEM WHERE SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO DO PUJA, SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO KEEP THE TEMPLE CLEAN, SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO CONDUCT FESTIVALS AND RITUALS, SOMEONE KNOWS HOW TO WRITE BOOKS. ALL THESE PEOPLE PUT TOGETHER KNOW HOW TO MAINTAIN THE ECOSYSTEM! *SOME PEOPLE TRY TO GET AGITATED AND ASK ME, ‘HOW CAN YOU SAY TEMPLE IS ALSO AN ECOSYSTEM AND YOGA STUDIO IS ALSO AN ECOSYSTEM?’ I AM NOT SAYING YOGA STUDIOS ARE EQUIVALENT TO TEMPLE OR TEMPLE IS EQUIVALENT TO YOGA STUDIO. I AM SAYING, EACH ONE IS UNIQUE BUT STRENGTHENING HINDUISM. THAT SHOULD BE RECOGNISED. THIRD COMPONENT: ALL HINDUISM CENTERED BOOKSHOPS, GROCERY SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, ALL PUBLIC PLACES THAT RUN WITH HINDU PRINCIPLES. *EXAMPLE - STORES WHICH SELL HINDU CLOTHES, HINDU BOOKS, HINDU GROCERY ITEMS, WHICH MAKES HINDUS’ LIFE EASY. *ALL OF YOU NEED TO KNOW, THERE ARE MORE THAN 20 CRORE PEOPLE OUTSIDE INDIA WHO ARE EITHER BORN OR PRACTISING HINDUS VERY SINCERELY. *WE CAN’T CONVENIENTLY FORGET THEM OR THEIR LIFE. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE INDIA, AND PRACTISING HINDUISM, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HINDU BOOK STORES, HINDU CLOTHES STORES, HINDU GROCERY STORES, OR WHERE HINDU ARTS AND MUSIC ARE TAUGHT. *ALL THE THINGS NECESSARY FOR LIVING HINDUISM - ALL THOSE ALSO I CONSIDER AS ECOSYSTEMS, AS UNITS OF HINDUISM. *THIS I REALISED IN 2004. THAT IS WHY I PUT THE SEATTLE TEMPLE NEXT TO MAYURI RESTAURANT, BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE COME TO THE MAYURI RESTAURANT! AND SAN JOSE TEMPLE I PUT NEXT TO THE ICC (INDIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE) WHERE 1000S OF PEOPLE GATHER! *EVEN THESE INDIAN COMMUNITY CENTERS AND HINDU GROCERY CENTERS WHICH MAKE PRACTICING HINDUISM EASY, I CONSIDER AS HINDU ECOSYSTEMS. *THE 4TH: HINDU MONASTERIES AND NUNNERIES. ONLY UNITED STATES HAS 1700 HINDU MONASTERIES AND NUNNERIES WITH CLEAR ADDRESS WITH RESIDING MONKS AND NUNS! TEMPLES ARE ONLY 1000; MONASTERIES ARE 1700! I WAS SHOCKED! *I HAD A PLAN THAT EVERY CITY WHERE HINDUS ARE LIVING AS MORE THAN 1000 HINDUS, WE SHOULD INITIATE, INVEST AND MAKE TEMPLES AND MONASTERY. WE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN CREATING A COOKIE CUTTER MODEL. WE JUST HAVE TO REPRODUCE IT NOW AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE IT. *THAT IS THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THE U.S. - IF YOU MAKE ANYTHING SUCCESSFUL IN U.S., IT CAN JUST BE REPLICATED ALL OVER THE NATION! IT IS PRO-EXPANSION. IN ONE PLACE, IF YOU ESTABLISH YOUR LEGITIMACY AND UTILITY VALUE - MULTIPLYING IS TOO EASY. IT IS A FRANCHISING BASED SOCIETY. IT IS TOO EASY TO MULTIPLY. *THE 5TH - ALL THE HINDU GURUKULS! *EVEN THOUGH IT IS ALMOST EXTINCT, IT IS NOT DEAD. ALL GURUKULS WILL HAVE ONE VOTE. WE ALREADY STARTED DEVELOPING A CLEAR FLOW, WHO ALL BY DEFAULT WILL HAVE VOTING RIGHT. *WE ARE GOING TO DECLARE THAT ALL OF THEM HAVE VOTING RIGHT. IT IS THEIR FREEDOM TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE OR NOT. *THEN WE HAVE A SPECIAL CATEGORY: SOMEBODY MAY NOT HAVE MONASTERY, TEMPLE, GURUKUL - BUT HE MAY BE AN AMAZING AUTHOR, NOT JUST PUBLISHING BOOKS, BUT IN FACEBOOK! BY HIS OWN RIGHT, HE IS AN ECOSYSTEM. WE WILL IDENTIFY THOSE PEOPLE AND GIVE THEM THE VOTING RIGHTS. *WE HAVE STARTED EVOLVING THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. *I WANT ALL MY DISCIPLES AND SATSANGIS TO HAVE INTENSE SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND BE EMPOWERED WITH PARAMASHIVA’S ENERGY AND POWERS. *BLESSED AND EMPOWERED BY PARAMASHIVA, YOU SHOULD START PREPARING YOURSELF TO ADMINISTER KAILASA, TO BE PART OF KAILASA GOVERNANCE. IT IS GOING TO BE REALLY EXCITING! THERE IS SO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE! *THERE ARE 195 COUNTRIES RECOGNISED BY U.N. THERE ARE 770 COUNTRIES NOT RECOGNISED BY U.N. IN BOTH - RECOGNISED AND NOT RECOGNISED BY UN - IN MANY COUNTRIES HINDUISM IS NOT EVEN RECOGNIZED AS A RELIGION. *IN 195 COUNTRIES RECOGNISED BY U.N., MORE THAN 90 COUNTRIES DON'T EVEN RECOGNISE HINDUISM AS A RELIGION. THIS WILL BE VERY SURPRISING AND SHOCKING. NOW WE HAVE STARTED WORKING AND REACHING OUT TO THOSE COUNTRIES THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS, SUPPORTING THEM WITH DOCUMENTS, EDUCATING THEM - MAKING THEM RECOGNISE HINDUISM AS A LEGITIMATE RELIGION. *IN THIS 770 NATIONS WHICH ARE NOT RECOGNISED BY U.N., WE HAVE STARTED WORKING WITH ALL OF THEM ALSO TO RECOGNISE HINDUISM AS A LEGITIMATE RELIGION! *LOT OF WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE. WORK IS EXCITING WHEN YOU DO IT FOR YOUR BELOVED! WHEN YOU DO IT FOR PARAMASHIVA! IT IS SO EXCITING! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SEE THE PROGRESS EVERYDAY! *I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS DEVANAGARI EFFECT FONT! EVERYWHERE, PRACTISE OF DEVANAGARI FONT HAS STARTED! *WHEN I WAS DOWNLOADING THE KAILASA ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE AND HINDU PARLIAMENT STRUCTURE, ONE THING I DISCOVERED IS, WE NEED LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUPERCONSCIOUS BREAKTHROUGH - WHO ARE SUPERCONSCIOUS MUTANTS! *THE SUPERCONSCIOUS MUTANTS ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENJOYING POWERS OF PARAMASHIVA AND SHARING IT WITH THE WORLD. *A LARGE NUMBER OF SUPERCONSCIOUS MUTANTS IS NEEDED TO TAKE THIS FORWARD. *THE ECOSYSTEM OF KAILASA WILL BE THE GREATEST GIFT TO THE WORLD. *THE FIRST ROUND OF EVOLVING THE PARLIAMENTARY STRUCTURE, KAILASA ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE IS COMPLETE BY THE GRACE OF GANAPATI AND PARAMASHIVA. DETAILING AND NITTY GRITTIES ARE HAPPENING NOW. *I AM TRYING TO EVOLVE BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF RESPONSIBLE DEMOCRACY. BUT PEOPLE WHO VOTE WILL BE THOROUGHLY EDUCATED AND MADE RESPONSIBLE IN THE FIELD FOR WHICH THEY ARE VOTING. *I AM FOCUSING MORE ON THE 200 MILLION HINDUS OUTSIDE INDIA. UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE NOT SUPPORTED AND HELPED. *I SHOULD SAY 50% OF MY FOCUS IS ON THE 56 NATIONS FROM GANDAHAR (AFGHANISTAN) TO GADAARAM OF ANCIENT INDIA AND THE OTHER 50% IS OUTSIDE THE 56 NATIONS. *I FEEL THE OUTSIDE 56 NATIONS - THIS 20 CRORE HINDUS NEED TO BE HELPED AND SUPPORTED TO BE ORGANISED. HINDUS IN EUROPE, AMERICAN CONTINENT, AFRICA, NEED TO BE SUPPORTED AND HELPED, TO BE MORE ORGANIZED AND CONNECTED, SHARING NOTES AND UNDERSTAND THE ECOSYSTEMS. *KAILASA WILL BE A BEAUTIFUL ECOSYSTEM FOR EVERYONE TO MEET, ENJOY, INSPIRE EACH OTHER, ENRICH EACH OTHER AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. *YOU CAN VISIT OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE https://kailaasa.org FOR MORE INFORMATION. THE KAILASA ADMINISTRATION AND HINDU PARLIAMENT STRUCTURES ARE GETTING UPLOADED EVERYDAY WITH MORE UNDERSTANDINGS. *I AM GOING TO CONNECT WITH GANAPATI AND PARAMASHIVA, AND ALL THE GODS AND GODDESSES OF KAILASA, INVOKING THEM, MANIFESTING THEM IN ALL OF US AND PURIFYING ALL THE 36 TATTVAS IN US, MAKING PARAMASHIVA MANIFEST IN ALL OF US. *ALL OF YOU NEED TO DO IS ONLY ONE THING - JUST SIT AND REVERBERATE YOURSELF BY DOING AJAPA JAPA. OF THIS GREAT MAHASHABDHA - SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA... *LET ALL THE 36 TATTVAS IN US BE PURIFIED. LET YOU MANIFEST IN ALL 36 TATTVAS IN US. Read the full post here: https://www.facebook.com/138595819561610/posts/4287924047962079/

[calzona-ga]

Taraji P. Henson and Ellen Pompeo are two of the most powerful women on television, sitting at the center of major broadcast hits. On Fox’s “Empire,” Henson’s Cookie Lyon has proved to be a fan favorite, while Pompeo’s Meredith Grey has kept viewers obsessed with ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” for a decade and a half — making the series history’s longest-running medical drama. Both stars, too, have found their voices, speaking out about inclusion and inequity in Hollywood.

TARAJI P. HENSON: Ellen, we’ve been living with your character for 15 years now. How was the character written on the page?

ELLEN POMPEO: When I read the script, the thing that stood out was that it was the lead character. I had been in a bunch of movies, but just the girlfriend or the wife. And then — listen, the nature of how she’s evolved is that I’m 15 years older. What about you when you read the pilot for “Empire”?

TpH: I thought, “The NAACP, they’re going to get me for this one.” She calls one son, who’s gay, the F-bomb, and she beats one son with a broom. This is something that has never been shown on national television — certainly not by a black woman. When you’re a person of color, you have to be careful about the roles you pick. You want to uplift the people. Once I got past the fear, I was able to really see her. I didn’t want just black people to identify with her. I wanted every mother in the world to understand the sacrifices that only mothers can make.

EP: I think that Caucasian actresses don’t understand the nuanced struggles that you have as a black woman, and the roles you choose — what you’re sidestepping, what you want to make sure gets out there. It’s a whole different layer of difficulty that I certainly didn’t understand when I started my show. I knew that we were doing special things by showing people of color as doctors, which hadn’t been done on television in a long time. But when we’re young actresses you’re trying to get any role you can. You don’t have time to have empathy. I’ve had a tremendous education, not always in the most pleasant of ways. I’ve had to observe and have a lot of uncomfortable moments, which is fine, because I’m happy to have uncomfortable moments as long as I’ve learned.

TpH: That means you’re growing. Growth is uncomfortable. When I booked “Empire,” I had a momentum going that I’d been waiting my entire career for. I seized every opportunity. If I was getting 5 or 10 million a movie, I wouldn’t work so much. I’m working because I have bills to pay. I have dreams. I have to get it in.

EP: For me the performance that stands out is “Hustle & Flow.” Your quote should have shot up after that.

TpH: It did not. I think the industry knew I was talented. But it’s about money. Are you bankable? I had to continuously prove that. I’ve been trying to prove and improve. I was asking for half a million. I didn’t get paid that until I did my first Tyler Perry film. He was the first person who paid me $500,000. I was never in a position where I could not take a job; by the grace of God, they have all been really good characters. But it was never a situation where I was like, “I’m not going to do that.” Now, I’m finally there.

EP: It’s impossible to have this conversation without talking about race. It’s such a significant piece of pay parity.

TpH: It’s not going to change until privilege reaches across the table and helps. Otherwise, we’re playing a rerun. The only narrative that I wish I could change is my money. It’s almost like they want this incredible performance for a discount price. The black movies — we don’t get big budgets. I have to wait until Scorsese or someone with a franchise film calls.

EP: You hear that? She wants a franchise movie. Who’s calling?

TpH: We’re going into our sixth season. How did you do 15? Was there any moment where you were like, “Child, I want off this bus”?

EP: There were many moments. It’s funny: I never wanted off the bus in the year that I could get off. The first 10 years we had serious culture issues, very bad behavior, really toxic work environment. But once I started having kids, it became no longer about me. I need to provide for my family.

TpH: I know that.

EP: At 40 years old, where am I ever going to get this kind of money? I need to take care of my kids. But after Season 10, we had some big shifts in front of the camera, behind the camera. It became my goal to have an experience there that I could be happy and proud about, because we had so much turmoil for 10 years. My mission became, this can’t be fantastic to the public and a disaster behind the scenes. Shonda Rhimes and I decided to rewrite the ending of this story. That’s what’s kept me. Patrick Dempsey left the show in Season 11, and the studio and network believed the show could not go on without the male lead. So I had a mission to prove that it could. I was on a double mission.

TpH: Were you and Patrick getting paid the same in the beginning?

EP: He was being paid almost double what I was in the beginning. He had a television quote. I had never done TV.

TpH: I know that story. Is there wine in this cup?

EP: “He’s done 13 pilots.” Well, none of them have gone. I didn’t even realize until we were renegotiating Season 3. No one was offering that up.

TpH: That story sounds about like mine. But when all the tweets were about Cookie, I said, “It’s time to renegotiate. Can everybody sit down at the table, please?” I’d been in the game long enough to know the numbers game, and I knew Cookie had become iconic. You need her. So I need my money.

EP: My husband says, “Closed mouths don’t get fed.” But if you have to walk, don’t be a victim. If you don’t get what you want, put your big-girl panties on …

TpH: And bounce.

EP: You can know your worth, but if they don’t know it, you can’t cry.

TpH: I had to leave a show before, and it was the most money I’d ever seen in my life, and I was so miserable. It was stealing my joy. I just remember praying to God: “God, I’m not happy creatively.” And the next day, I called the producer. He got it. And I walked away, not even knowing where I was going. I ended up doing a play in Pasadena. I didn’t care about who was coming to the theater, executives or casting directors. It was about Taraji falling back in love with this craft. Fox had to woo me. I wouldn’t read the script. I was done with television.

EP: It’s a grind.

TpH: It’s really not for me. I had to say, “I want my money because I know what I bring to the table and I know the following that I have.” I know if there’s money to be had, I should be paid.

EP: I now have three kids. And we turned the culture around. I’ve hit some marks that have made me feel accomplished in a different way. Shonda Rhimes has been amazing. She lets us be mothers. I don’t have to travel. I don’t have to go anywhere.

TpH: I don’t know if I could do 15 seasons of Cookie.

EP: Are you involved in your storyline at all?

TpH: Absolutely. No one knows Cookie better than me.

EP: I haven’t been challenged creatively at all. Every once in a while we do an amazing storyline. But for the last five years, I’ve had other milestones that we were trying to achieve behind the camera.

TpH: For me, one of our proudest moments was with gay marriage. Because we didn’t know how the black community would accept Jamal, the gay son [played by Jussie Smollett, who since this conversation has not been asked back to the sixth and final season of the show], because it’s so taboo. There’s still the homophobes on Twitter, but those are small voices compared to the resounding voices of love that he gets, the character. I’m just proud to be a part of this show that’s not afraid to get people talking. That’s the only way you’re going to get change.

EP: We have the most incredible community of actresses right now. Everybody is just pushing and taking all these old stereotypes and throwing them out the window.

TpH: I don’t want anyone that looks like me, or any woman at 40, to feel they have to stop being sexy on-screen. I’m not ready to just collect a check. I want to open films. I’ll be 49 this year.

EP: Me too.

TpH: And we still have an audience.

EP: We still have an audience.

TpH: We’re still bankable, and we’re still sexy as hell.

[ecg307]

Steven Universe is truly a unique, kind and heartfelt show. It’s a real emotional roller coaster. The show has a lot of lighthearted and funny moments, scary moments, and incredibly emotional moments. Moss blooming in “Lars and the Cool Kids”. Approaching the Cluster in “Gem Drill”. Steven running around in a glitched-out version of Beach City in “Rose’s Room”. Peridot’s antics in “Log Date 7 15 2″ (and pretty much every episode she is in). The fusion experiments in “Keeping it together” and “Nightmare hospital”. “A Single Pale Rose”, an episode that changed everything. Rose’s tape from “Lion 3: Straight to video”. “Mindful education”, an incredibly important episode, teaching the concepts of mindfulness and defusion. “Moster Reunion”. When all the corrupted gems were healed in “Change your Mind”.

And this is, of course, far the full list. Every episode of Steven Universe is special to me in one way or another.

As for “I Am My Monster” and  “The Future”, well, I’m still kind of processing them. Steven's denial was way too relatable. Pretending that he's fine when he's clearly not. Connie giving her uplifting speech. And everyone hugging Monster Steven had me crying. He was so used to giving encouragement and affection and not used at all to receive it. And the final goodbyes... And our boy finally have a THERAPIST!

I’m really thankful to Rebecca Sugar and the Crewniverse for creating such a heartfelt and touching story. And I’m also thankful for all of the fans who were making fan content, or were just sharing it with others. But even the fans who were silent and didn’t take active part in this fandom, are still valid and are still a part of this family.

I’m sure Rebecca knows well what it’s like when your favorite show is over. That’s why one particular scene in “The Future” really struck a chord with me. It’s the cookie cats that Steven made himself. I think the cookie cat is a metaphor for this show in general, even starting with the first episode. It starts with Steven being sad that cookie cats are discontinued, just like many fans have felt after “The Future”. And I like that they used cookie cat as a metaphor for creating fan content. Even though the original cookie cat is discontinued, we can all create our own cookie cats.

And of course, I hope too that there will be more SU content in the future. I mean, this show has grown into a franchise and I hope this franchise will keep going. I’m sure that this is not a farewell to Steven Universe, it’s just a see you later. Steven Universe is a show that will always have a special place in my heart and a show that I will always remember. 

[misstring]

It All Started With an Alpaca (Damian Wayne x Reader) pt. 2

Reader Gender: She/her (If you don’t use those pronouns then I believe in your brain power to change it as you read)

Warnings: Nothing, yet.

Synopsis: The day after (Y/n) brings home the alpaca. ALie(Alice) gives it a name.

Other notes: KCC are your pseudonyms. I know that this is a Damian Wayne x reader fanfic but I have this plot that I wanted to add that requires the other characters that are not in the DC franchise, my original characters. So, this part mainly focuses on them. (Hope you don’t mind)

Other parts: Please check my masterlist.

“I’m going to name you, Paco,” ALie giggles as the alpaca nuzzles her outstretched hand with bits and pieces of vegetables. “Look Ty, he’s actually eating from my hand now. I think Paco likes his name,” she says to her brother, standing next to her.

“That’s great Alice,” Tyson smiles at his younger sister. This was the first he saw her smile brightly since the incident. “Hey, (Y/n). What if we sold the alpaca fleece for extra money? I know the twins would need it for their next project,”

“Thought of that, but wouldn’t Robin be angry? Afterall, it’s his alpaca,” (Y/n) says coming out of the back door with a tray of drinks and cookies.

“Alpacas should be sheared during the spring. I read about this today at school,” a voice says from the doorway.

“Sam!” Alice runs and launches herself into him.

“Oh, hey Sam,” Tyson says getting up from the grass.

“You’re here early today,” (Y/n) hands him a cookie.

“Hey, Alice, Tyson, and (Y/n),” Samuel hugs Alice back and asks her, “What did you name the alpaca?”

“I name him Paco, I think it’s a great name for an alpaca. Don’t you think so too?” Alice asks, looking up to see Sam nod. “Oh, also, I saw you in the library during recess? Were you skipping class again?”

“Samuel Aaron Smith!” Tyson exclaims. “I thought I told you the next time I hear Alice talking about how you skipped class, I would yeet you through the fence gate,”

“First of all, I’m a special case. You already know that. Anyhow, is it really considered skipping if my teacher let me stay in the library for self study today? Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your grades? I heard from a little bird that you are failing math,” Sam sasses.

“What? You gonna help me with it?” Tyson says with a slight smile on his face.

“Actually, because of your attitude, no,” Sam replies, “But you’re my friend, I won’t help you, I’ll force it upon you. Prepare for pain, sir,”

“Ty! Look! Poop!” Alice exclaims, pointing to the pile of dung on the grass.

Tyson turns. He sees it and groans out in disgust before his face turns green; he runs to the nearest bush.

“I have to go meet someone about the alpaca,” (Y/n) says after grimacing at the scene she saw at the bush.

“Robin figured out who you were?” Sam asks.

(Y/n) sighs and nods, “Guess who left a lovely note on my window and taped it several times in neat little strips so that there was no possible way it would fly away,”

“What did it say? Did you keep it? Can I analyze the handwriting?”

“It said something along the lines of ‘go to the warehouse at 10 tonight to meet for the alpaca payments and supplies’ much more eloquently than I expected from Robin. Yes, I did keep it. And I feel like I should be scared letting you analyze the handwriting, ‘cause last time I let you analyze some random stranger’s, you managed to forge an entire letter out of it,”

Sam flips his hair back in histrionics saying, “What can I say, I’m a man of many talents,” he smirks. A bee comes flying by, “Aaaah!” he yells, running into the house before anyone can say a single word, “And facing bees ain’t one of them,” his voice comes through the netted door.

“Grow a backbone,” Alice shouts giggling at the high pitched yell she heard.

“Hey! I’m allergic!” is the response. It was later that night that Sam’s light and fun personality does a complete one-eighty. But all their personality changes, as they find two figures standing, waiting for them, in the dark of the unlit warehouse.

“Who are you?” Tyson shouts as Sam turns on the lights temporarily blinding them all.

Alice was the first to recover, shouting, “Verity!” whilst running towards the female figure that opened her arms to lift up the smaller than average 10 year old.

“Alice! How are you?” Verity asks Alice, carrying her with one arm.

“I have an alpaca friend and his name is Paco. You’re arms gotten bigger. Were you going to the gym?” Alice fires her questions and only stops to take breaths.

Verity, surprising everyone, again, keeps up with her questions and answers them quickly as Alice continues on asking all of the questions on her mind.

“Justin, s’up bro,” Tyson says to the other person, walking up and doing their handshake while Sam and (Y/n) hung out near the entrance.

Justin looks up at Sam and (Y/n), “Come on, get closer,” he gesticulates trying to get them to walk to the center of the warehouse.

“You told me that you would be gone for another two weeks,” (Y/n) says, confused because they have never, before this, came earlier than expected, only later.

“There was a family emergency that brought us back early,” he says as though he was forced into saying his favorite subject at school is math.

(Y/n) nods in response before getting to the point. “Tonight, we need to distribute food and clothes at these locations. There are risks as always; be careful of Mason. He’s still trying to keep his the monopoly on selling stolen clothes. There is this newly orphaned kid down the street, ALie and AKT,” (Y/n) motions to Alice and Tyson, “You two will be in charge of getting to him before the other groups do, he should be arriving back to this address,” She hands Tyson, AKT, a piece of paper, “in about an hour. Tr--”

“It’s Caleb,” Verity interrupts (Y/n) grabbing their attentions. “His family was killed during the family emergency that brought us back early,” she takes the paper from Tyson, “Sorry, but Justin and I will be taking this one. I feel like it’s our responsibility to take care of him,”

(Y/n) frowns but nods, “Then you two are going to go with Samuel and his group to start distributing the foods and stuff,”

“Can I stay with you? I want to see Robin again and get an autograph!” ALie says.

The door opens and everyone in the warehouse stops and prepares for an attack.

----------To be continued...

[janethepegasus]

So i saw Matpat’s latest video about shared universes (starting with Doom and somehow connecting it with Kingdom Hearts) and my crazy brain thought it would be a good idea to expand it even FURTHER all because he used Spider-Man to connect to Thanos in Fortnite (yes seriously)

So behold, all the shit i had to go through to make connections to everything i can find and think of

So since all Spider-Mans are in one multiverse, that means all versions of Spider-Man are canon, so let's look at two cases of alternate Spider-Mans. Theres the Japanese Spider-Man, which was created by Toei as a collab by Marvel, Toei also created Super Sentai, which has connections to Kamen Rider (Super Hero Taisen), Metal Hero (some crossover movies), and obviously Power Rangers. Power Rangers had a crossover with TMNT, which has connections to not only other versions of TMNT but also other series like Batman (basically the whole DC universe is involved), Archie, X-Files, Ghostbusters, Rabbids (they were an extra character in a fighting game, as like a promotion for the new game), and all the toons that showed up in Cartoon All-Stars, like the Smurfs, Alf, Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Winnie the Pooh (which is already tying back up to Kingdom Hearts), Muppet Babies, Looney Toons, and Ducktales.

Now Muppet Babies is part of the Muppet franchise, the Muppets are connected to Sesame Street, which opens up a can of worms for connections. Some characters cameoed in Between the Lions, Mr Rogers' Neighbor Hood, The Electric Company, Reading Rainbow, Poky Little Puppy, and a bunch of these characters appeared in a We are Family music video, which has *inhales* Bear in the Big Blue House, Barney, Arthur, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Rugrats, The Magic School Bus, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Blue's Room, Blue's Clues, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Kim Possible, The Proud Family, LazyTown, Lilo & Stitch: the Series, Madeline,Little Bill, The Fairly OddParents, Zoom, AND a whole bunch more shows.

Obviously Jimmy Neutron and Fairly Odd Parents had a crossover (three in fact), but those other shows had crossovers too, like Rugrats having a crossover with Wild Thornberrys, Lilo and Stitch had crossovers too, they had crossovers with The Proud Family, Kim Possible, Recess, and American Dragon Jake Long. Spongebob is connected to a lot of Nicktoons shows through the bumpers on the channel and had a major crossovers with Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, Jimmy Neutron, Tak, and Invader Zim in the Nicktoons Unite games.

Looney Toons is connected to all other Hanna Barbera property, which had crossovers as well (look at Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry, they're LOADED with crossovers with other series), as for the Looney Toons cast themselves, examples include Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Pokemon (in a commercial in Kids WB), The Justice League, Wild Kratts (Kinda? The two characters, Road Runner and Wild E. Coyote, were pretty much referenced as a way to say that real life coyotes can catch up to road runners), and The Amazing World of Gumball. And Pokemon had a crossover game with Nobunaga's Ambition called Pokemon Conquest. AND Ducktales is connected to Darkwing Duck and the same goes with the reboot.

Okay now back to where we started, Power Rangers had a crossover episode with Masked Rider, which is an adaptation of Kamen Rider Black RX, Kamen Rider had a FEW crossovers with other series, like Crayon Shin-chan, Pac-Man, Osomatsu-San, Hello Kitty, Pretty Cure, and a few others. Pretty Cure only had crossovers with itself but there is one pic floating around the internet showing one of the Cures standing in front of Arresterdramon Superior Mode, so it might hint to a commercial happening during that time. Hello Kitty has a ton of crossovers with different series, such as Sonic, Cookie Run, Pac-Man, Puzzles and Dragons, Doraemon, Yokai Watch, and several others. In Osomatsu-San Hesokuri Wars, they have costumes/sets of the six brothers being yokai, magical girls, monsters, angels, knights, super heroes, greek

gods, and others. Yokai is also connected to Yokai Watch, which has it's own crossovers with other series, like Final Fantasy, Terminator, Inazuma Eleven (which had commercials that crossed over with Despicable Me), The Seven Deadly Sins, Detective Conan, Hello Kitty (which brings this back to Hello Kitty and its crossovers), Inuyasha, Professor Layton, and several others. Professor Layton had a crossover game with Ace Attorney, which has many references and a small amount of crossovers.

Now let's move on to another Spider-Man, the one from Ultimate Spider-Man, obviously he's connected to the other Marvel shows that take place in that universe, but Spider-Man had crossover episodes/specials with Phineas and Ferb and Jessie, Jessie having connections with other Disney Sit-com shows like Austin and Ally, Good Luck Charlie, Liv and Maddie, and a few others, HOWEVER Mr. Moseby from the Suite Life of Zach and Cody appeared in one episode, which means that Jessie is in the same universe as That's So Raven, Hannah Montanna, Cory in the House (yeah yeah yeah, i can hear the anime memes from a mile away -_-), and Wizards of the Waverly Place. Phineas and Ferb also had crossover specials/episodes with Star Wars and Milo Murphy's Law, Star Wars has many crossovers and references in other shows, like the Muppets, Seasame Street, Captain N, Mario (in that old Mario cartoon episode where they parodied it), Putt-Putt, Megaman, Duke Nukem, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Dragon Ball, Transformers, Metal Gear, Angry Birds, Lego, Club Penguin, and several others.

The Star Wars references were in Megaman V and Megaman Zero, sprites from Megaman Zero were used to create sprites of TV Tome Adventures, which then became TOME: Terrain of Magical Expertise and then it turned into the video game version of that show, the creator of the show, Kirbopher, did an animation related to Super Mario RPG, and had many voice roles like in Mob Psycho 100, Pokemon, and other series. Dragon Ball is the prequel of Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z Super made it clear that there's other universes so all of those are connected as well, and Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z had crossovers with other shows like One Piece, Dr Slump, Astro Boy, Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo, and a few others. Metal Gear had crossovers and references in Terminator, Gundam, Castlevania, Mario, Zelda, Ape Escape, Yugioh (which connects itself to the other seasons like GX, 5D's, Zexal, Arc-V, and Vrains), Monster Rancher, Yoshi, The Standley Parable (only in the demo), and several others. Transformers, since it's made by Hasbro, is also connected to other Hasbro property, such as My Little Pony (and Equestria Girls), and they had references to other series in both the show and in the IDW comics, like pony versions of Rick and Morty appearing in one episode, pony versions of characters from Sailor Moon, Gravity

Falls, Kill La Kill, Scooby Doo, Powerpuff Girls, Frozen, and few other shows and even pony versions of IRL people like Gordon Ramsey. Transformers had crossovers and references to other series as well such as G.I Joe, Doctor Who, Spider Man, Star Wars, Marvel, and several other shows, and apparently Jem, Inhumanoids, C.O.P.S, and Robotix takes place in the Transformers universe.

Angry Birds had crossovers with other series like Rio, Star Wars, Puzzles and Dragons, Transformers, Sonic, The Muppets, and many levels in their games make references to other series. Lego Dimensions is full of crossovers, like The A-Team, Adventure Time, Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, DC Comics, Doctor Who, E.T, Fantastic Beasts, Ghostbusters (both the original and the 2016 reboot), The Goonies, Gremlins, Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Knight Rider, Legends of Chima, other Lego property, Lord of the Rings, Midway Arcade, Mission: Impossible, Portal, Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Simpsons, Sonic, Teen Titans Go!, and The Wizard of Oz. Speaking of The Simpsons, they had crossovers with other shows like Family Guy and Futurama, AND they cameoed appeared in South Park, and Family Guy is in the same universe as American Dad and The Cleveland Show. The Simpsons also had crossovers with The Critic, X-Files, King of the Hill, Robot Chicken, Bob's Burgers (which means it's also connected to the Archer Show), Rick and Morty, and several series get mentioned in the show itself. As for Sonic, he had a crossover comic series with Megaman, he had crossovers in the comics with Sabrina the Teenage Witch and DC (it was part of a Sonic Super Special comic but for some reason the Wikis won't tell me if it's generally DC or some part of it >:/ ), Sonic had levels in Sonic Lost World that were crossovers with NiGHTS, Legend of Zelda, and Yoshi's Wooly World, in Sonic Forces, there's DLC costumes that are based off of NiGHTS, Beat from Jet Set Radio, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, and Joker from Persona 5. Sonic had crossover games with other SEGA series, but in Sonic Dash, they had events that had crossovers with Angry Birds, Hello Kitty, and Pac-Man. In one of the Vocaloid games, Miku had a costume that was a Sonic hoodie, to celebrate Sonic's anniversary, Vocaloid made many songs and some of these songs branch out into their own series, one of them being Black Rock Shooter, and i swear BRS was a guest character in some fighting game but i don't remember what the name was.

Okay, now let's head back to Marvel, one of the characters that's paired up with Spider-Man (except for the Movie universe) is Deadpool, and in one comic, he takes a girl to see Hamilton. In one of the Hamildrops, they did a crossover song which was a mix of Story of Tonight and You'll be Found from Dear Evan Hansen called "Found Tonight", one of the actors from Dear Evan Hansen is now playing the role of Jeremy in Be More Chill, and in the original 2015 performance of BMC, the actor who played Jenna also played Martha in Heathers, and Eric William Morris, who played Squip, also played Jordan in The Ballad of Little Jo. And since we're using actors to connect series...*inhales* Lin Manuel Miranda (who plays Alexander in Hamilton) also had roles in In The Heights, 21 Chump Street, Mary Poppins Returns, Ducktales Reboot, Do No Harm, Looking for Maria Sanchez, Sesame Street, House M.D, and a few others. Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to the original Mary Poppins so they instantly connect, and i'm gonna make a crazy theory of House M.D taking place in the same city (or state) as Blue Bloods and Forever, both shows have characters played by Eric William Morris, who had roles in Trust, Greed, Bullets, and Bourbon, Royal Pains, As The World Turns, and few other small roles. But one of his current roles is Carl from King Kong Broadway, which is based off of King Kong, and King Kong had a crossover film with Godzilla, and there's a short film that had Ultraman and Kamen Rider (i think it was Godzilla?? It was a giant lizard thing :/). However, King Kong was the inspiration behind Donkey Kong, which now has connections to both Mario and Donkey Kong series. Donkey Kong had crossovers/references with Frogger, Pitfall, Qubert, Mickey (from Disney), Punch Out, Mother, Earthworm Jim, Kirby, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo Kazooie, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Scott Pilgrim, The Fast and the Furious, Class of 3000, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Big Bang Theory, Metroid, Pushmo, Minecraft, Gravity Falls, Wreck It Ralph, Pixels, Skylanders, several others, and had japanese exclusive songs in Donkey Konga that had songs from Super Sentai, Pretty Cure, Pikmin, Naruto, Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z, Star Fox, Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus, Ice Climbers, and several others.

Minecraft had a Super Mario texture pack in the Switch version of Minecraft, plus a Steven Universe texture pack as well, there are console exclusive skins based off of characters from Gears of War, Halo, Banjo-Kazooie, Dust, Tony Hawk, Left 4 Dead, Boarderlands, Conker, Half-Life, Portal, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, and several other shows. Steve from Minecraft can be an unlockable character in games like Super Meat Boy, Choplifter, Retro City Rampage, and Creepers can be found in Blocks that Matter, Boarderlands, Torchlight, and Minecraft is refernced in Adventure Time, Octodad, The Stanley Parable, Skyrim, and South Park. And since Minecraft has Halo skins, this ties into Red VS Blue, a show that uses assets from the Halo series. And Red VS Blue appeared in a promotional video alongside the main cast of RWBY. Mother (or Earthbound) is the inspiration for Undertale, which had a sequel called Deltarune, and in one of the locations in Deltarune is a place called "Ice-E's Pezza", and Burgerpants mentions a guy named "Purple Guy" which is a reference to Purple Guy from Five Nights at Freddies. Crash Bandicoot had two crossover games with Spyro the Dragon and had references in Uncharted, Futurama, Johnny Test, Family Guy, Jimmy Neutron, The Country Bears, Jak and Daxter, Friends, The Simpsons, Tomb Raider, and several others. And Mickey is one of the characters in Kingdom Hearts, so now we come in full circle with Matpat's theory.

So started with Spider-man (well two versions of Spider-man) and ended it with Mickey, i'm sure there's other series out there that i forgot to bring up but eh, this is long enough :/

[seriouslycromulent]

MCU’s Captain Marvel - Thoughts, review & more

I’m off to see DC’s latest superhero reincarnation Shazam later today, but I wanted to make sure I captured my thoughts on the MCU’s last superhero outing, Captain Marvel, so I don’t get my feedback crossed. 

I know I’ve said in the past that I’ve been a bit burned out when it comes to comic book movie (CBM) adaptations, but there are a few here and there that still catch my eye, and essentially I’ve boiled it down to: “Does this genuinely pique my interest?” 

Now, I wasn’t too interested in Captain Marvel based on the trailers and didn’t plan to see it, but I struck a deal with my Mom. (Backstory: She and my stepfather go to see all the superhero movies because, hello!, they’re the nerds that nurtured this Big Nerd. Seriously, I started reading comic books because of them, and my geekery just grew and grew. I rely on them often to fact check the fandom details most comic book nerds on Tumblr claim to be authorities on. And yes, their 40+ years of comic book knowledge and expertise puts most of you to shame.)

With that said, she wasn’t very interested in Shazam. She said it looks like they’re aiming for a kids-only audience, and that made it kind of m’eh to her. But I said I would go see it because I’m a Zachary Levi fan. Billy Batson’s OK, but for me, it’s the casting of Zach that piqued my interest. So the deal was that she would see Captain Marvel and tell me if she thought I’d like it. And I’d see Shazam and do the same for her. Based on her commentary, I went to see CM, and now I’m returning the favor.

That was the intro. 

Now, here’s the set-up.

If you’ve read anything related to the CBM-world here on my Tumblr, you know that I am a supporter of the DCEU, X-Men and the MCU, but I go hardest for the DC universe. You’ll also know if you stop by often that my point-of-view rarely matches up with the popular perspective within the fandom world, in general, or in the fandom communities, specifically.

But unlike some (dare I say, many), I never want to harsh anyone’s squee! If you loved something that I didn’t. Bless you. Live in that love, and pay me no mind. I have no desire to rain on anyone’s parade simply because I don’t land on the same conclusion regarding comic book characters or their feature film adaptations. I don’t think less of you, hate you, or even care if you don’t agree with me. If you do, that’s cool. If not, that’s cool too. 

But before I jump into my mini-review of Captain Marvel, allow me to prepare you for how I roll. Here are some examples of where I landed after watching many, but not all, of the films from the MCU, DCEU, X-Men, Deadpool, and Spiderman franchises. I repeat, I rarely share the popular perspective or take on a CBM as the masses. You have been warned.

I enjoyed Ant Man and the sequel. If they made a third film, I’d see it.

Logan is a brilliant masterpiece, and I would change absolutely nothing about it.

Although I’ve never been a big fan of origin stories because they’re typically written like the audience is simple and can’t appreciate anything beyond the most cookie-cutter of plots and a paint-by-numbers of good and evil characters, I enjoyed Sam Raimi’s first film of the Spiderman franchise the most when it comes to comic book adaptation origin stories. So far, he’s still the person to beat in this category.

I enjoy most of the X-Men films, but often find the changes they make to the characters unnecessary and poorly executed. I also want Bryan Singer to leave the Summers boys alone. 

I found the Wonder Woman film completely underwhelming. Why? See my #3 regarding origin stories.

I enjoyed Black Panther, but was not really wowed by it.

I enjoyed both Deadpool films, but I still think his character is highly overrated by male fans. I like the movies for what they are. They don’t really say anything. You’re just meant to “Ooh!” and “Aah!” and LOL! Then go home. I can respect that.

I thought Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was brilliant, and easily one of the best comic book-based films of the last 20 years. That film is a work of art, and I’m saddened that Zach Snyder’s vision wasn’t appreciated and respected by the studio. Even if the mainstream public thinks that comic book movies should be light and fluffy with virtually no connection to any messages of substance or strong characterization, the studio should have respected his vision and let him complete it with Justice League.

I liked The Avengers and I thought Age of Ultron was pretty decent, but I felt that Civil War was a mess of poor characterization, weak execution, absurd conclusions, unresolved tension, and a dispensable villain unworthy of the audience’s time. Literally everything the mainstream public and MCU fanboys (and fangirls) complained about Batman v Superman applies to Civil War, not to BvS. Civil War was the film that was rushed, and it shows.

I have virtually no interest at all in the main storyline of the MCU anymore. I don’t care about Thanos. I didn’t see Infinity War, and I don’t really plan to see Endgame. Yes, I’m aware of certain events happening regarding specific characters. Still don’t care. The run-up to this final showdown with Thanos was so poorly done and underwhelming that I have no emotional investment in this fight anymore. 

Now, if you’re still reading, I want to say thank you for sticking around and ... welcome to my brain. Since this post is already long, let’s dive into Captain Marvel.

I saw the film twice. So that right there should tell you I enjoyed it. Yet, the weekend it came out, apparently, a bunch of fanboys and a handful of critics took to their keyboards and YouTube channels to review it and cry disappointment. Ultimately, I didn’t care too much because, again, it didn’t really pique my interest. 

Then my Mom told me what she thought about the film and how it was the antithesis of what the fanboys and reviewers were claiming, and this ... is what actually piqued my interest. I love a good mystery, and I felt as if I needed to see the film for myself to not only see what the hubbub was about, but to also determine who was wrong/right. 

So I saw it the following Tuesday after its opening weekend. And I walked out feeling as if the MCU had finally grown up.

What I liked

The 1990s nostalgia without the 1990s “nostalgia.” That is, the language, the clothes, the tech, the venues, etc. were all great throwbacks to this oddly romanticized decade without any of the romanticizing. As someone who was a teen throughout the ‘90s, and remembers it somewhat differently than others, I appreciate that. Respect.

Maria Rambeau. She is a best friend who gets to shine and enjoy the spotlight in her own way. She also has dark skin and short hair. (Yes, it matters.) But more importantly, Maria Rambeau isn’t a sidekick. Instead, she is the best friend everyone dreams of. Not only is she smart, fearless, and a badass behind the controls of a space-worthy fighter jet, but she’s also not judgmental. I don’t know many people who wouldn’t have some residual anger over being made to believe their ace boon was dead for 6 years, then one day just knocks on your door and say “What’s up? I’m not sure who I am.”

The villain-turned-not-so-bad-after-all Talos, played to perfection by Ben Mendelssohn, has the best one-liners and reaction shots in the film. Also, we get aliens with a variety of accents, character depth, and families. 

Despite the fact that the passengers on the light rail/subway car saw the “old lady” could handle herself in a fight, the surrounding passengers did get involved to try and pull Danvers off of the old lady because, from a common sense perspective, this young woman should not have been trying to beat the hell out of an old woman. Kudos to them for trying to do the right thing.

I’m scared of Ms. Monica and her guilting her Mom to fly with Danvers, Fury and Talos on a life-endangering mission. When she said, “Just think about what kind of example you are setting for your daughter if you don’t go?” I was like, “No, she did not!”

The perfect subversion of the “prove to me you can beat me without weapons” gag at the end. Not only because it means that Yon-Rogg (Jude Law’s character) might show up in later films, but because that trope is sooooooo annoying. Plus, we all know she’s stronger, so why bother?

There’s some subtle commentary about the treatment of refugees as terrorists or enemies of the people by the same people who made them refugees in the first place. I would like to think that commentary is intentional, but that may be asking for too much.

What I didn’t care for

The CGI on Phil Coulson’s face. Um, yeah. That was not good. It would seem they spent more time on getting Samuel L. Jackson’s face just right so he could look believably younger, but then they ran out of time to do the same for Clark Gregg.

The CGI they used on Annette Bening’s face is ... not great in some scenes. Not all. Just some.

Why does Danvers sitting down with Fury in the bar for a Q&A about their past provide proof that they’re not Skrull? If the Skrull can’t adsorb distant memories, then this Q&A would only fill you with confidence to trust the other person if you actually know the other person. Danvers didn’t know Fury before that day, and he didn’t know her. Sitting there and answering questions only lays the groundwork to determine if they’re not Skrull later, but it shouldn’t provide proof that they can trust that the other isn’t a Skrull at that very moment. Also, how does Fury know that the Skrull can’t shoot blasts from their hands? He’s just going to take her word for it? Although given he was told by his “boss” to stay close to her and find out what she knows, I could see this as him simply playing along for the sake of his mission.

I’m not really buying this imaginary world where a black woman in the military is taking the time to keep her hair straightened while flying jets and working on special aircraft missions. However, I will suspend disbelief this time due to the fact that Rambeau was working on a top secret project and therefore was not necessarily hindered by the typical schedule of the average fighter pilot. ... This time.

I wished we could have seen more of Gemma Chan. Yeah, Minn-Erva’s a bad guy, but ... it’s Gemma Chan. I already had fanfiction theories playing in my head about her relationship with Yon-Rogg before I left the theater.

What I loved

We go on a journey with this character. We learn about her as she learns about herself, which is what keeps us invested beyond the “she’s going to be Captain Marvel by the end of the movie, obvs.” idea. This is an origin story done in a far more interesting and captivating way than anything presented in the Marvel cinematic universe since Iron Man. We get flashbacks to the most unassuming events of her life that later turn out to be the most important ones. Where others complained about this approach to an origin story, I wholeheartedly applaud it. Nothing in CA: The First Avenger, Thor or Ant Man was as clever or interesting as this angle when it comes to introducing a superhero’s origin.

I don’t want a flurkin. But at the same time, I want a flurkin.

Having a villain who turns out not to be a villain, and a mentor who turns out to be our actual villain, was to me another sign that the MCU has finally realized that complexity isn’t a bad thing and not every story must have a one-note single-purpose villain. Yes, we get a little bit of that in Ronan (Lee Pace’s character), but to lead the audience down this road where not all the information you receive can be immediately trusted suits me just fine. It’s realistic and engaging. Danvers’ confusion mimics our confusion, but not so much that we can’t enjoy the story. We don’t have it all figured out and determined who has the moral high-ground until she does. I love that. And as a writer myself, I respect that. 

I love, love, loved the 1990s songs in this movie. Not only because the songs reminded me of my adolescence and you can never go wrong with Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains,” but because No Doubt’s “I’m Just A Girl” is THE perfect song for the big showdown between Danvers and her former Kree brethren. I almost jumped out of my seat in excitement when I heard that music intro. Kudos to whomever made this soundtrack! 

There is no love story. Unless you count the love between 2 best friends/family being reunited, there’s no love story. Thank you.

When I first started watching the film, I had to scratch my head. I thought, “Since when are the Kree good guys?” After watching every season of Agents of Shield and knowing how it’s the Kree who leave mankind dangling on by a thread, manipulating them, torturing them, and turning them into their own little ant farm, my brain had to pause and question this version of the Marvel universe where Danvers is a Kree. But as the story continues, of course, we’re led on this journey where we learn 1) I was right not to trust the Kree as good guys, 2) there are some Kree who are good and Dr. Mar-vell is one of them, and 3) the MCU is capable of writing stories where character development isn’t sacrificed just for laughs and boss fights. See what I mean about growing up?

I think that’s it for now. This review is already long enough, and I’m sure I could discuss more details about the film if I had more time. Yes, I am aware of the mainstream critic and fandom backlash against the film. I’ve heard some of the complaints, and frankly, I struggle to find the justification for them anywhere in the film.

I read one critic complained saying that because the audience doesn’t know who Danvers is from the beginning, she’s hard to root for or identify with. I disagree. The audience learns as Danvers learns. And by the end of the film, it’s clear that what matters most about her is not her name or where she’s from, but what she does with her power. Personally, that’s a great message to everyone when you think about it. 

I’m also aware that a lot of the fandom backlash has been ... how do you say ... male-driven. I think that’s unfortunate given that Captain Marvel is the MCU’s first female-led superhero movie and it’s long overdue. I don’t know if CM is flawless (I doubt it), but I know I enjoyed it as much as (and in a lot cases, more than) the other superhero origin MCU films. The message was great and the character relatable. 

No, I’m not saying everyone can relate to a human-turned-all-powerful-superhero by a blast that should have killed her, but we can all relate to understanding that it doesn’t matter how many times we are knocked down, what matters is how many times we stand back up. 

I’m not usually one for the hokey, after-school special messaging that a lot of MCU films (and DCtv shows) push, but that message about what makes her a hero (the standing up after getting knocked down) seems just as powerful as the message behind what makes Steve Rogers a hero (it’s not the special serum, but the fact he was willing to die for his countrymen in battle). I’m not sure how Danvers’ story is less worthwhile than Rogers’ story.

As for fanboys saying the studio should have just made a film about Natasha/Black Widow, it’s statements like that that make others wonder if your dissatisfaction with Captain Marvel isn’t rooted in misogyny. You would rather watch an origin film about a female team member on an already predominantly-male team where she plays a role, but is in no way as strong or as powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with most of the team members. Hmmm? 

Hear how that sounds? There’s nothing wrong with liking Natasha. She’s the bomb. But again, making a film about Black Widow instead of Danvers, leaves the Avengers with one less female character, and one less character who can kick ass and take names with the big boys. The fanboys -- whether intentional or not -- have painted themselves as afraid of Captain Marvel’s strength and the power she has to be actually considered an equal to the other members of the team.

Perhaps if they said the MCU should’ve made a standalone or origin film about the Scarlet Witch, the misogyny wouldn’t be as glaring.

I don’t know. I’ll leave that argument for others for now. I’m heading out to movies now. Shazam here I come!

[obsessive-fics]

Title: too late to be getting afraid

Rating: T

Summary: Dan's freaked out being home alone after playing Outlast. Almost as if on cue, Phil calls

Word Count: 1.1k

A/N: This was was written to fill the prompt “Spooky Week” on my @phandomficfests bingo card. I now officially have bingo! 

[Read on Ao3]

He knew this was a bad idea. The minute he hit record Dan knew this was a bad idea. But it was their first Spooky Week, and that meant a video every night, even if he had to scare the shit out of himself without the added comfort of another person being there. He managed to get through the game, and then practically tripped over himself running to turn the lights back on. He looked around the room- all the furniture was where it was supposed to be, there was nothing under the desk or floating in the window… He was completely alone.

He’d wanted to be completely independent this time. He could spend a few days by himself, he didn’t need Phil around to be his personal security blanket. But the house was bigger by himself, quieter, and he was starting to feel a little disappointed every time he opened up his cereal to find the exact amount he’d left in there. He did a liveshow after editing the video, which made him feel a little better- the familiar comfort of talking to an audience, but he couldn’t stay on YouNow forever.

Dan continued his plan of turning on every single light in the house, and turned on the tv to fill the silence. One of the old Halloween franchise movies was on, because it was October, and everyone was playing scary movies. And if he wasn’t alone, it’d probably be fun to watch, and to make fun of all the special effects that hadn’t aged well. But as it was, there was a girl hiding in a closet, and the killer was closing in, and it suddenly felt like someone was behind him. Dan turned around quickly- no one was there, obviously, and scrambled to find where he’d put the remote.

Almost as if on cue, his phone rang.

“I’m fine,” he said in lieu of greeting, cradling the phone to his ear, and finally pulling the remote out of the couch.

“Well that was convincing. I just wanted to call you before I fell asleep,” Phil replied, and Dan could tell by his voice that that could happen any minute.

“You don’t have to check up on me. I’m an adult, I can be home alone,” Dan said, because his first defense was always petulance.

“I’m not checking up on you. I’m calling for entirely selfish reasons,” Phil replied, completely unphased.

“Oh… And those reasons are?” Dan wondered. Usually if Phil needed a favor he’d just text him, so he was curious to see what warranted a full phone call.

“I was telling my family a story, and I kept looking to my right so you could chime in. But you weren’t there. And then I realized how used to you being there I am. And that I don’t like it when you’re not there,” Phil told him, and his voice got progressively softer as it went on, and Dan missed him so, so much.

“I want to make fun of you, but I just finished recording a gaming video, and I was definitely doing the same thing,” Dan admitted after a second.

“Well, it’s good to know you miss me too,” Phil teased, and Dan could hear the smile in his voice.

“Don’t get too full of yourself, now. I’m eating all the cereal before you can come back and steal it,” Dan replied.

“Do you wanna Skype?”

“Ah, so that’s why you called. And here I thought you actually missed me,” Dan said, pretending to be offended.

“Shut up, that’s not what I meant. People do skype just to talk you know.”

“I know. Let me get my laptop.”

Five minutes later, Dan was settled in his bedroom and the Skype call was connecting.

“So how was Outlast?” Phil asked. He was sitting in his childhood bedroom, wearing his t-shirt with the ghosts on it and cookie monster pajama pants.

“It was fucking terrifying, Phil. Our electricity bill is gonna be insane, cause I’m not turning any lights off until you come back,” Dan told him, and he was partially kidding, but he was also fully planning on not leaving his room until morning.

“So I’m guessing you don’t want to have that horror movie marathon when I come back?”

“No, we’re definitely doing that. It’s Halloween, it’s our favorite time of the year,” Dan pointed out immediately. Sitting in the dark with popcorn and candy making fun of scary movies was not only one of their favorite things to do, it was a tradition.

“There are some things I’ll never understand about you,” Phil said, laughing fondly, and as well as they knew each other Dan kind of liked that that was still true.

“You love me.”

“Obviously. You want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?” Phil asked, his entirely transparent way of being worried without letting Dan know he was worrying.

“If you can stay up that long,” Dan said, and Phil laughed.

“Shut up.”

“Tell me how everyone at home is doing,” Dan asked, and Phil launched into stories about his mum’s cooking, and playing board games with everyone, and finally beating Martyn at a video game they used to play when they were younger. By the time he got to talking about getting lost with his dad while they were going for a walk, the house didn’t feel empty anymore at all.

“Come home soon, okay? I’m never playing a horror game by myself again, you know,” Dan yawned. He was starting to have trouble keeping his eyes open.

“You won’t have to,” Phil told him softly. “I’ll be back before you know it, and maybe next time, you can come with.”

“Really?” Dan asked, slightly more awake now.

“Well, yeah. Everyone’s been asking about you nonstop. And I wouldn’t have to miss you if you were here,” Phil pointed out, shifting his laptop so he could lay down.

“And I wouldn’t be hiding in my room from the Blair Witch if I was with you,” Dan added, which made Phil laugh.

“Exactly. So you’ll come stay with us next time?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come.”

“Good,” Phil yawned, and Dan could tell he was gonna be out any minute.

“Don’t forget to take your glasses off,” Dan said, and it was weird how you could miss something as mundane as taking your boyfriend’s glasses off when he falls asleep with them on.

“Mm. Love you,” Phil mumbled, and then he was asleep.

“Love you too, idiot,” Dan said quietly, but he didn’t hang up, and before long he was asleep too. And come morning? He hadn’t had a single nightmare.

[jodiwalker]

Every Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Thing Arie Did in Part 1 of the Awful, Riveting, No Fun, Painfully Mesmerizing 'Bachelor' Finale

So, as it turns out: "needle dick" was a pretty solid assessment of a highly thoughtless person, gifted to us during The Bachelor's season 22 “Women Tell All” special a few weeks ago. Yes, it was an assessment made by a pathological narcissist with a YouTube channel and a WebMD printout of "laryngitis" symptoms, but still...

On Monday night, The Bachelor decided to air three hours' worth of their chosen testicle-in-charge Arie repeatedly telling his final two sister-girlfriends that he was so in love with each of them, choosing one to propose marriage to, and then breaking off the engagement with That One while a camera crew filmed the whole thing because he figured out he was actually in love with The Other One. Now, let's be clear: Becca K. as she's known around the Bachelor Thunderdome, has dodged the most boring of bullets. When all is said and done — or in the case of Arie and Lauren, when all is just done — this situation will ultimately be nothing but a win for Becca K. She comes out looking like a Minnesota rose with the most treasured quality of all: not being engaged to Arie.

But this entire show is designed to make Becca fall in love with Arie, and she did that. Becca did exactly what The Bachelor asked of her, and they repaid her by having a dude whose personality amounts to "cars go vroom vroom" break up with her in real time on national television. Obviously, the very worst thing Arie did on Monday night was setting his fiancé up for a blindside, and agreeing to film it for mass consumption. But in The Bachelor world, it's near impossible to know what's contractually obligated and what kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation is at play. I put the burden of airing Becca's heartbreak on this franchise; at least until the final two hours of this trainwreck air on Tuesday night when perhaps Arie will explain himself [ed. note: hahhahahahaha omg srsly, wut am i thinking?].

Even with that benefit of the doubt given to Arie about just how callous and insensitive we could believe him to be to the women he claims to love, our Bachelor still spent the entire three hours of Monday's filmed finale in "hold my beer, watch this" mode. Truly, he had moves we've never seen — and a few we've all seen. Without needing to hear a single thing he has to say live on Tuesday night, these are unequivocally The Worst Things Arie did in Monday night's Bachelor finale:

TELLING BOTH WOMEN HE LOVED THEM EVERY TIME THEY GLANCED IN HIS DIRECTION

At some point, Arie decided to replace his most-used catch phrase, "I love that," which is entirely devoid of meaning, with a variation—"I love you"—which is one of the most important phrases in the English language. When Ben Higgins told both of his final two women that he loved them, he immediately knew he'd made a mistake, and spent the rest of the finale looking like he was going to throw up on his penny loafers. Because Ben realized telling them such an important thing would make both women feel extremely confident, and eventually one of them would be extra hurt and confused, knowing that he loved her a day ago when they were making out by a waterfall, but he's now rejecting her next to a pedestal from Home Goods with Chris Harrison lurking around in the background. Basically, Ben took one single moment to consider his girlfriends' feelings and was like, Ohhhh, I'm a fucking idiot.

Arie is a fucking idiot who will never, ever realize it, as is evidenced over and over again in his final, excruciating breakup with Becca. He loved that Becca and Lauren both felt so confident about their relationship with him, almost like he never once considered that one of them would be completely traumatized once they hobbled down a Peruvian hillside in the name of an engagement to the man they loved—and who loved them!—only to get a swift Kanye to the face [ed note: you know, Imma let you finish, but Becca had the best wife potential of all time]. Arie telling both women he loved them repeatedly, often, and with mounting conviction wasn't his worst mistake, but it was his most fundamental mistake. It's the infrastructural jackassery upon which his Mount Rushmore of his jackassery stands. Shall we proceed?

ASKING HIS FAMILY WHICH OF HIS TWO BELOVED GIRLFRIENDS HE SHOULD MARRY

Okay, I did kind of savor how rude Arie's parents were without seeming to have any idea how awful they were being. While I could empathetically understand that it would suck for Becca that Arie's family kept being like, Yes when we met Arie Jr.'s other girlfriend Lauren yesterday, we enjoyed her exactly as much as we are currently enjoying you…it was also a little hilarious how insensitively clueless they were. Heyyyy, it's almost like that characteristic runs in the family or something! Food for thought.

My family's opinion matters to me too — wanting to keep that opinion hovering around "only slightly worried about her delayed progression into adulthood" is one of the many reasons I would never go on The Bachelor (the other reasons are that The Bachelor wouldn't take me because I have curly hair, have never been a catalog model, and unabashedly ate a cookie for breakfast last week). What I'm saying, is your family's opinions go out the window the minute you decide to do any of this. But Arie clearly couldn't get past his family's assessment of two women they'd spent maybe three hours with, and whose only immediate differentiating features are: one is shy-nice, and one is outgoing-nice and they have two different hair colors, though I can't for the life of me remember which belonged to which woman. I want to say there was a Sarah. Was someone named Sarah, Arie Jr.??? Anyway, pick Becca—she talks!

AT LEAST ARIE'S FAMILY COULD EXPLAIN WHY THEY CHOSE BECCA OVER LAUREN

This situation was doomed from the moment ol' Pillow Lips himself explained that he wanted to be able to tell Lauren something that would help her understand why he was breaking up with her, "But I have no real reason to give her."

All I wanted to say to Arie throughout the entire finale was: TRY, Arie. Why don't you just try to explain it? It's a good practice, trying! I get that it's hard, but if you put in the work, and try even a little bit to understand your feelings, I swear you can ink something out, even if it's just: I do love this, and I don't love this. Those words are very solidly in your vocabulary, I know it. Just TRY to relay your feelings to the people you supposedly love, you weak-willed doofus!

LETTING LAUREN LAY OUT ALL THE REASONS SHE LOVES HIM BEFORE TELLING HER HE'S BREAKING UP WITH HER

Rude, so rude. This woman literally hates to speak, Arie—that is what you love about her! (I think!) And you're going to let her go on and on, quite eloquently might I add, about how you've inspired her to let her walls down and how she's soooo glad she finally let herself believe that this love could be real??? This man's spine is made of pudding cups.

TELLING LAUREN HE LOVED HER AS SHE GOT IN THE BREAKUP LIMO

At this point, the idiocy truly became astounding. Not only has he blindsided and traumatized a woman who he has been telling that he loves for weeks by choosing another women over her, but now he's going to tell Lauren that he loves her moments before proposing to Becca? Has he considered that might be painful for his alleged future wife? Of course not! I think if you told Arie that other people have internal thoughts and feelings just like him, his head would explode, and then he'd just go on living his exact same life as a headless torso being told what to do by the Bachelor producers. But at least this brings us to...

HONORABLE MENTION: THE BEST THING LAUREN DID

I know this will shock you, but the best thing Lauren did during the finale was speak a series of words out loud — and boy were those words dead on the money. In the limo, feeling shocked and betrayed, she repeats out loud one of the idiotic things Arie told her when he broke up with her: that he didn't know who he was going to choose until just that morning. "Does that not terrify him?" she asks. "How could you get down on one knee if you weren't sure, like, three hours ago?" An excellent question, and proof that even Lauren would have been a more equipped Bachelor than Arie.  

PROPOSING TO BECCA

Obviously, Arie's biggest mistake, from which there is no turning back—although he sure does try, that stinker!—was exactly what Lauren couldn't wrap her head around: he got down on one knee and proposed marriage to Becca when he had been completely in love with another woman and unsure of who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with just hours before. 

Never has it been clearer how toxic the construct of this show is than now, when it's been thrust upon a canvas as blank and malleable as Arie. He spends the entire finale saying he's not sure about one woman, spending time with that woman, and then being completely reassured that he's in love with her, basically because she is in love with him; lather, rinse, repeat with the next one. I truly believe that if Becca had the first final date with Arie, and Lauren had the second spot, Arie would have chosen Lauren instead. He has the emotional retention span of a drunken dance floor makeout. I think a baby trying ice cream for the first time might have a stronger grasp on what love is than Arie.

Oh, and let's not forget this standout line from Arie’s proposal of marriage: "I choose you today, and I choose you every day from here on out." Arie apparently thought "here-on-out" was like one of those Old English words like "wherefore" or "fortnight" where it sounds like it means one thing (forever), but actually means another (two months, or whenever the camera crew is available to come out to this mansion in the Hills).

THE ENTIRE BREAK UP CONVERSATION WITH BECCA, START TO (ATTEMPTED) FINISH

Assessing the production genius and emotional sociopathy of the decision to show Arie breaking Becca's heart in real-time split-screen is for another time. For now, let's just block off the next four hours to discuss every single stupid thing Arie did during said exploitative disaster. First, after sitting Becca down for a serious talk, Arie tries to ask her how a recent trip to Las Vegas was and compliment a new tattoo. [Ed. note: The distraction of trying to figure out if the tattoo had anything to do with Arie, and ultimately, the immense relief that it did not but was merely your average bumblebee wrist-tattoo, was at least appreciated.]

Becca, however, is like, cut the shit and tell me what you want to talk about; that is our first sign that Becca is equipped to deal with the fuck boi nonsense that is about to be presented to her. I would like to be clear though, that just because Becca is strong, and Arie is weak, would not make this any less painful for her. 

Arie then proceeds to explain in great detail how he can't explain why he's breaking up with her, except to say it in the absolute harshest, and most callous way possible: "The more I hung out with you, the more I felt like I was losing the possibility of maybe reconciling things with Lauren." I honestly think the worst part of that awful statement isn't saying that you've been thinking about someone else the entire time you’ve been with Becca; it isn't saying that you're leaving her for another woman; it isn't naming that woman by name just to really drive the knife right in the bumblebee tattoo; it's calling your engagement "hanging out." GROW UP, ARIE!!!

Becca's flawless response: "Are you fucking kidding me?" NEVER CHANGE, BECCA!!!

Arie goes on to say just about every wrong thing possible. He didn't think "it would be fair" to stay with Becca if he was only half in the relationship. "So are you going to be half in with her?" Becca asks. Nope, Arie's gonna full-love Lauren, and he feels like he's been "pretty upfront" with Becca about how he's been struggling to get past his feelings for Lauren. That's when Becca's left hand with her giant engagement ring briefly dips below the split-screen, and without saying anything, comes back up diamondless. And that's when I fall in full-love with Becca. Perhaps, Arie says, he didn't let Becca know "the extent" to which he hadn't moved on from Lauren. "Clearly," says Becca, a queen.

Then this martyr-ass-muthafucka tells the fiancé he's breaking up with in order to go chase after another woman that he "thought it would be good for us to talk about this now," rather than doing it on After the Final Rose. Becca tells him it would have been good if he hadn't proposed to her in the first place. She says she's done here, and goes in the back of the house to start re-packing the suitcases she brought with her when she was assuming this would be a romantic weekend with her fiancé…

NOT FUCKING LEAVING WHEN BECCA ASKED HIM TO FUCKING LEAVE 100 DIFFERENT TIMES

People talk to me about The Bachelor a lot. Even when I'm not writing about a season, or not really watching it, they know I'll be down to clown about The Bachelor and I love that — always talk to me about The Bachelor, I beg of you.

The number one thing I've heard from women who watched last night's slow-motion disaster, is how sick they felt watching Arie hang around that house and follow Becca around, and ask her to talk to him, even after she’d repeatedly told him that she wanted him to leave and had nothing to say to him. Because there is a certain type of immature man than many women (and men, I'd imagine) have dealt with: men who want women to reassure them that they're still good men even though they're doing a bad thing. Arie begged Becca to talk to him some more, and when she relented, he stared at her in silence. Because he was waiting and waiting for her alleviate the emotional weight of his guilt for him, so that he wouldn't have to feel it anymore.

Becca refused to do that: she refused to hug him goodbye. She refused to tell him that it was okay. She refused to tie an ugly situation up with a pretty bow in order to take this man's emotional baggage onto her already heaving load. And that is the admirable, strong, very good, incredibly courageous thing Becca did.