#oldies but goodies aka the classics

[fumblingmusings]

so sorry for the bother! may you recommend me some usuk fics? I have no qualms with any genre but I'll be honest, I fear I won't be able to read fics past 50k due to lack of free time

Heck yeah you can! I have a few bookmarked on my Ao3 page - do recommend you have a look there as well as everything below!

I do like a long fic, but I have some one shots as well that I like to come back to. A few of these are a bit old and call back to a different time in fandom, so be mindful of that. Some are ones that everyone has read. Some are explicit, some have attitudes and approaches towards nationhood that haven't aged that great or weren’t that well conceived of to begin with etc., etc...

So essentially... use your discretion.

There is more. There is a lot more. Maybe I'll make a part two or something. But for now…. here's a monster.

Under the Read More as there is lots of links and words.

*****

Tinstars

So Complicated (One-Shot)

It comes every year. Its influence is ubiquitous, seeping into every facet of society like a toxin. The greatest of men crumble to their knees in its wake. You can’t run, or beg, or plead. It has no empathy, no mercy. It will tear out your soul and consume you, piece by wretched piece, until there is nothing left. So basically, it’s Valentine’s Day and something weird happens and then England is there.

Strange Powers (Multi-Chapter)

America thought it would be funny to turn the device on himself. What’s the worst that could happen? Y’know, aside from accidentally falling in love with your friend. A continuation of “America’s strange invention” from the end of Comic Diary 8.

Tinstars manages to write both funny and heartwarming scenes at the same time, and keeps very close to canon characterisation whilst they're at it. Their America is such a goddamn weirdo. The romance scenes are soft, and England is proactive and bamboozled by how bizarre his chosen partner apparently is. Just classic good fic.

*****

PennyLane

Born on the Fourth of July (One-Shot)

It’s America’s Bicentennial and the celebration is going to be epic. Despite England’s bouts of ill health he suffers during this time of the year, he knows his duty, and his duty is to attend the festivities and play his part. But this celebration doesn’t turn out as either America or England thought it would. (Set during America’s Bi-Centennial, 1976)

All Roads Lead (One-Shot)

It’s WWII, and England is a prisoner in a German POW camp. America’s mission it to rescue him before the Germans discover who he really is.

Obviously Penny had to be on this list. She has also written two great human au fics, but I like my canon historical fics just a wee bit more. Arthur is almost always in some form of distress and in need of some...healing attention (cough cough) in these fics, but never to the point of outright wimpiness. Just excellently written and characterised fics.

*****

Smoochy-Ryoko

Chiaroscuro (One-Shot)

Alfred often hides his sadness and fear under a carefree mask and that Arthur is the only one who really understands. Aka Arthur spoils Alfred, the fic.

There's gonna probably be a lot of oldie but goodies on this list, and this is the first. It is weird reading these fics back from 2011 and realising how much of the political landscape has changed for sure. Regardless, Arthur defends Alfred, runs him a bath, and they snuggle. Perfect!

*****

Skuratsukikage

Where the Shadows Are (Two-Parter)

A night in England's house, 1947. Sometimes it feels like the war is never over. Language, mentions of war, dealing with a psychological disorder (PTSD), established relationship.

If Life's a Dance, Sometimes You Miss a Step (One-Shot)

America and England have a real fight despite their committed relationship. 

They do not get brought up in recommendation posts anymore which is a shame because their writing is impeccable. They have a huge catalogue of fic all on Livejournal, so I recommend having a peruse and seeing what catches your eye!

*****

RobinRocks

Paper Crown Kings and Pinwheel Queens (Multi-Chapter)

"What is a nation without humanity?" "I don't know," England said flatly. "Spades. Supremacy. Sickness …The thing that ate him." Cardverse without Cardverse: in which the suits are weapons rather than kingdoms.

Lavender's Blue (One-Shot)

The Suit Kingdom exists as a manufactured barrier between the bloodied human and dying fairy realms as the twentieth century slides ever closer to a second war. The story of a human king, his fairy queen and the worlds between them.

A is For (Multi-Chapter)

Alfie. Which Arthur totally called him last night. And thus begins Alfred's quest to get him to say it again. Set in the early 1950s, after the war.

I feel like this one is divisive nowadays. She is a very good writer technically, but oftentimes her Arthur and Alfred (especially her Arthur - who is often obtuse the point where plots move at a snail's pace because he just won't be honest to Alfred and it can genuinely be infuriating) can cross over into completely unlikeable and unsympathetic. That may be the point but... ymmv on where your limit of empathy for those boys are. I tend to think you'll have better luck with her one-shots or smaller multi-chapters. She also has an incredibly creative mind for aus, no-one quite comes up with off the wall fantasy like she does. A if For is by far her most conventional fic, along with 1912 and 1915, I think her most famous ones about the Titanic and Lusitania. Lavender's Blue was supposed to be a multi-chapter but what we got was an excellent one-shot (fairy Arthur guys... fairy Arthur!!!), and the the twist at the end of Paper Crown Kings and Pinwheel Queens still makes me go what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu a decade later.

*****

StarDropDream

Highway Cloudbusting (Multi-Chapter Three Volume Fic)

Sick of politics and business as usual, England decides to indulge a rare moment of spontaneity and go on a roadtrip. He should have known that America would want to tag along. And they both should have known that the trip would set them down a path they couldn't turn away from. / Just because you confess your feelings doesn't mean everything will fall into place from there - and England and America both have things they need to understand and accept about themselves and each other. / "I want to hold your hand".

Coffee and Cigarettes / With a Hole in My Heart (One-Shots)

Alfred made a promise to himself that he would never surrender to anyone, never relinquish his control. / Arthur was afraid to give himself completely to Alfred. These two fics mirror each other with the same concept but placed on each person in a different universe: how to get the boys to bottom. It's far more emotive than it sounds.

I mean... not to throw my hat into the ring but StarDropDream is the best USUK writer the fandom has ever had (oh yes I said it)! Her characterisations are spot on, the emotions will, if the time is right, actually have you choking up, and the sex is... nice. :| I have already spoken about Lying in that Sound Tonight and on and on it goes. They are just brilliant. Their long fics are the exact right kind of little plot lots of feelings, and their one shots are snapshots of something that you know is so much deeper. Just honestly, go through their catalogue for Arthur and Alfred, great stuff.

*****

Miaou Jones

Darts of Pleasure (Three One Shots)

Arthur could have Alfred's brilliance and warmth in his life—if only he could let himself. / Alfred remembers the very first time he and Arthur got together, with a closing reflection on the events from the beginning of Amsterdam. / In many ways and with many words, even if not those exact three, Arthur tells Alfred he loves him.

If you want smut they're the author for you! Phew! And they even do the unforgivable and make it either A) Hot as hell or B) Emotive as fuck. I also very much enjoy Star Light, Star Bright, but I won't recommend it here, as whilst USUK is the emotional centre of the fic, it involves Arthur and Ivan sleeping together at Potsdam and the framing of it is deliberately dubious.

*****

ElapsingSpiral

Al and Artie do Blackpool (Multi-Chapter)

It’s time for Arthur’s annual holiday, only money is a tad short: Blackpool it is then. Still, if Arthur’s going to England’s Capital City for Tackiness, he’s taking somebody else down with him. Poor Alfred.

Dating Advice for Germans and Americans (Multi-Chapter)

Ludwig and Alfred have one thing in common: questionable taste in the people they turn to for expert dating advice.

These two fics are set in the same universe but don't have to be read in order to understand what's going on. It's blindingly obvious that the author is British on account on how scary accurate Arthur is characterised. Their one shots of him taking Alfred to a greasy cafe or a car boot sale are sweet and nostalgic, but these two longer fics are incredible, and I feel like they never got the attention they deserved, even when they were published in 2009/10. The GerIta in Dating Advice is also incredible, and the contrast between the way Ludwig and Feli have issues versus Alfred and Arthur is so well done. Ludwig and Arthur's friendship being based on pragmatism before they realise that they actually get along (to the point where Feli thinks there's an affair going on) is well written too.

Arthur is incredibly love sick in these stories, desperate to be loved and be wanted for himself and the incidents which split him and Alfred apart are genuinely heartbreaking because he doesn't really do anything massively wrong. It's this legacy of shit behaviour that people won't cut him a break, and Alfred is the one who has a learning curve of understanding that Arthur really wants is to belong to someone, and how him asking for the same in return is not the red flag Alfred thinks it is.

The fics are also bloody hilarious. Incredibly dry. Tragically their Livejournal was deleted where there were many other fics (the GerIta... gone T_T) but alas. Gone into the void. Hmm. I suppose you can tell which one is my favourite right? I just want more people to read these ones. Please.

*****

Orestiad

for all e̶͎̾t̷̟̅ë̸̠r̵̺̐n̸̡i̵̦̓t̵̘̓y̶̲ (One-Shot)

A few months into their 4-year long exploration mission, Alfred is starting to form an unhealthy attachment to the ship’s AI.

This one fucked with me. They set up like four different ways you know it's going to go tits up. We've all seen Space Odyssey. Arthur as an AI is begging for trouble. The Kill Switch that Alfred is the only one with access to. Arthur getting attached to Alfred. It's all going to go downhill. And then it swerves in a brilliant parallel to earlier in the fic and it's like, oh no there truly is no fate worse than being loved by something not human is there. God or otherwise.

*****

Rierin

Written in the Stars (One-Shot)

Alfred wakes up after an assassination attempt to find Arthur at his bedside. He's told he and Arthur are engaged— but the last thing Alfred remembers is the Revolutionary War, and all he feels for Arthur is anger and resentment bordering on hatred.

Amnesia fic make Abbie go brrrrrrr. Genuinely not much to it than that. Arthur is so wonderfully pathetic in this fic and I mean that in the best possible way.

*****

Kink Meme Fills

The frustration here is I literally just copied and pasted a bunch of responses onto my pc for my own personal consumption without noting the original web url like a fool so excuse me whilst these listings are a bit more haphazard. I would have a nosey through the USUK livejournal page which indexed them up until Part 22. They are missing the later ones and ones that were back filled, so I would also go through the Finished Fills List and - if you feel like really going through it - the plain old Fills List.

Listen. Somewhere in those hundreds of pages is a fill where the entire Commonwealth catches wind that Arthur is pining after Alfred. Antigua is the first to figure it out; Canada is last. Someone went to the effort of writing all (well, at the time, some more nations have joined recently) the nations of the Commonwealth reacting, including Scotland who gets metaphorically possessed by the spirit of Arthur Conan Doyle and goes hunting for his missing brother who is being held captive by Oz and Zee. Some nations don't care because they are well within their rights not to care a fig what England does, some are aggressively supportive because honeymoon tourism and many just wish the America and England would spit it out and put everyone out of enduring their misery. I have it saved on my computer, but lord knows where it is in the depths of the Kink Meme. It's a sweet one. Worth sifting for... Good luck.

Whew! Okay. I'll call it quits there. Big boy. Hope there's something of interest in here! Old and new!

[z-mizcellaneous-z]

STORYTIME: why my parents can never go through my notes app

so back in my senior year of high school, we had to choose our senior quotes for the yearbook. me, being a little comedic shit, knew exactly what my quote was going to be since freshman year: "I got a haircut. Nobody noticed." (this is funny because I'm Muslim and I wear the hijab AKA NOBODY CAN SEE MY HAIR DO YOU GET IT-). she's an oldie she's a goodie she is classic and timeless.

anyways. two of my friends expressed how they both want to put funny & original things for their quotes, but had no clue what. so being the little comedic shit i am, began to write down any time someone says something that out of context is funny as shit. most were quotes from my friends themselves, some were from yours truly, and a couple were from other friends.

it's been a year since we graduated, so the need for the quotes is long gone, but i like to go back in my notes and read through them and laugh (and attempt/fail to remember the context behind the quotes).

anyways im gonna share the list lol (but take out any indicator of names and see if any of y'all can guess which ones i said), enjoy.

"Drunks are people too." "Men good, women." "I know how periods work." "I'm doing the octopus right now." *aggressively shakes hands* "I'm being oppressed, I can't harass women." "*slams fist on table* communism!" "Ooga booga women." "Alright, it's wrist time." "Why AREN'T you talking about boobs?" "Not a fan of furry robots?" "Pretend that I spit on you." "Omelette with egg." "Smuggle the gays?" "I'm an American, I don't believe in philosophy." "Cheese sticks are cereal minus cereal." "If life gives you lemons, dropkick it." "Egypt is in Europe." "Don't touch me you man thing." "I'm not asking for facts, I want SCREAMS." "Dies in Spanish." "Childbirth is a myth." "I'm so horny for masks." "I don't know how to be in the kitchen." "You're not supposed to eat rose water."

so yeah, these are scattered ALL OVER my notes app and if my parents ever find them they will either throw me into a mental ward and/or ban me from socializing with a single human being ever again.

[anyonghalimaw]

what are your scp recs? =o i've read some but not all that many overall

SORRY LATE REPLY COZ i had 2 get 2my pc HELP BUT !! Youhave unlocked the floodgates.

087 - the stairwell

an oldie but a goodie! absolute fucking classic, as evidenced by the whopping 3000 updoots. its really like. one of the Hallmarks of the strengths of early scp, aka a simple concept executed VERY EFFECTIVELY. its a staircase! its infinite! you can hear the sound of a crying child in it that always seems to be out of reach! its dark as shit! there is a disembodied floating humanoid face in it. the fourth expedition is fucking Gone despite being the one that ceased all entrance to the stairwell! i love the shit out of this stupid fucking staircase theres a reason it spawned so many games in Ye Olden Babys First Unity Project Days

3333 - tower

*thafnine voice* were time skipping now oh my! i feel this is like, an Inverse 087. instead of going down an infinite staircase u go up an infinite tower! fun! and remember that redacted expedition IV from 087? its not redacted here :) warning for body horror for this one

4975 - times up

despite being from series V this one has a very very old school vibe to it. simple concept executed effectively as opposed to the fucking novel length skips that litter the later series. fair warning for this one if u have issues with unreality MUTE THE TAB. TURN DOWN YOUR VOLUME. no jumpscares but its still a pretty mean trick 😭

lilys 001 proposal - the worlds gone beautiful

short, poignant, beautiful. ykno all those tumblr poetry posts talking abt how no matter how temporary our time is on this earth its still special? it means something? Yea . reading this as a 15 yr old made me understand that somehow

4182 - there is no site 5

whew. unlike a lot of earlier scps the blacked out data in this one Isnt overused in an annoying way. its a Puzzle. what happened to site 5? why are there so many revisions to the article? what is the foundation hiding under all those redactions? hehe.

5140 - EVEREST

another short n effective one ! im not phased by much unless it literally triggers my menthol ewwness but this ones . super fucking creepy to me honestly idk why LOL. hinges on making U ! da reader. quetion whether whats happening in those logs is real or if the explorers are just Losing Their Fucking Minds from oxygen deprivation. i do wonder !

2718 - what happens after

I. HATE. THIS . SCP. that means i love it LOL. i rank horror Goodness by how badly it makes me want to crawl out of my skin like a molting insect! forreal do not read this if u have unreality issues its so bad 😭😭😭😭😭 but i love it! its such a good concept. i hate it. its awful. its stuck in my mind forever. its so effective. If i liked this scp i dont because i did. No i didnt

5999 - this is where i died

YAAAY THIS ONES THE URL OF MY SCP SIDEBLOG!! i like it less now than i did when it first dropped (i was so up to date on this shit LOL i was there when nobody knew what it was abt and the forums was people trying to decode it) and the ending. is fuckin doodoo caca bullshit LOL its such a copout. dont even bother with the last chapter its literally nothing and it only serves to connect it to another scp when the preceeding stuff was already flavorful n interesting on its own 😭😭 warning for gore and body horror

4400 - this is not a place of honor

better enjoyed with the context of longterm nuclear waste warning messages! i actually have a unique experience with this post detailed Here due to my Shitfuck No Good Eyesight where i misread the title as "this is not a place of horror” which fundamentally changed my mindset going into it! i dont wanna spoil much but the last line of the last addendum is so fucking metal it rules LOL

[uzumaki-rebellion]

What are some of your favorite fics you didn’t write? Fave writers? I’m looking for recommendations and since you’re such an amazing writer I figured you’d have good taste lol

Lemme hit you with some classics!

I was spending the day today reading about the BP fandom in old articles/think pieces that were written right after the first movie came out and it reminded me of a file I had kept that had PDF's of stories I downloaded to read after work before I even started writing my own fics. I used to work and live in a place with terrible internet capabilities and poor cell phone service because I stayed in the high mountains. So when I made a weekly trip to go get food, I'd use Starbuck's free wifi to save stories to read offline. I'm going to give you the names of stories/writers I enjoyed right when the movie fandom started. They may or may not be writing still, or may not have the same name anymore. Many stories are gone forever but these were all on A03 in 2018. Here are some deep cuts to take you way back that are still around!

Daiya_Darko "Cracks in Stable Foundations Series" HERE.

Intodust "Purposeful Naivety" And two other stories HERE.

TheLadyKing "Erik's Harlem Home" Series and other stuff. HERE.

Mayaschuler AKA @killmongerdispussy on Tumblr. I wrote about her work on here before and what it meant to me as a reader/writer in the fandom starting out, but they made me want to write Killmonger. I was into my N’Jobu/Erik’s mother origin story phase, and I thought that’s all I wanted to write. But their stories nailed the vibe of Erik that I hadn’t seen before in fics. He was a fully realized man and felt so real to me that it inspired me to keep writing outside of my original happy place of just writing about N’Jobu. You can find her stuff on A03 HERE. Tumblr HERE.

There were some other writers who I wanted to link, but they are no longer there anymore. This makes me sad. But dig into the crates of those oldies but goodies that I enjoyed when the fics first started coming out a few days after the movie premiered. 2018 seems so long ago in a different era. What I liked about these stories was that as a fandom, it was the beginning of writers figuring out who the movie characters were. A little time capsule showing how the roots began. 

@chaneajoyyy always has the awesome BP Library that I peruse all the time to find stuff I like. The deep cuts are what I leave you with because they were gems that stood out to me in the beginning of this Black Marvel world.

[mypoisonedvine]

Sleepover Game! Kinda Like FMK, but with Fanfic Tropes: Fake Dating, Only One Bed, Enemies to Lovers - Helmut Zemo, Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner

ooh I like this game!  and I’m gonna do a drabble about each one under the cut because I can lmao

enemies to lovers, gotta be zemo

fake dating, bucky because it’s a classic

only one bed, my main man bruce for sure

so enemies to lovers with zemo might seem obvious but it’s just too good to pass up.  he’s easy to make an enemy out of; even easier to fall in love with.  you just know he would taunt you at every opportunity, remind you that being with him means betraying your friends and allies.  but he’s a hypocrite, too, fucking an avenger after he swore to destroy all of you.  maybe this is his way to destroy you: to break your heart.  but underneath the hard exterior he has a real, deep love for you that he can’t process because it reminds him of his grief, it makes him worry that he’ll just lose you like he lost everyone else.  especially with your dangerous work, he doesn’t think he can keep you safe; but secretly he pulls his strings in the criminal underworld to keep the wrong people away from you, his little way to protect you and soothe his anxieties.  every time you tell him it’s over, he just laughs and says that he knows you’ll be back.  the first dozen times, he’s right.  but one day you don’t come back.  he searches for you everywhere but you’re an avenger after all, secretive and stealthy, and he knows he only has one way to find you for certain.  he turns himself in.  of course, you’re a little surprised to see your ex-lover handcuffed and imprisoned at your place of work one morning.  you know he must have gone willingly because there’s no other way to capture a man like him; he says he did it all for you.  and now you have a choice to make... let him be transported to whatever final prison they find for him, or break him out now and condemn yourself to a life on the run with him.  

fake dating with bucky, oldie but goodie for sure.  the reason why is irrelevant.  maybe it’s to soften his public image after coming out as the reformed winter soldier.  regardless, he would be a victim of “when it rains it pours” syndrome: aka, when you’re taken, suddenly more people are interested in you.  the good news is, the pr stunt worked and bucky now had a reputation among most of america’s young women as a sensitive, damaged soul who just needed some unconditional love.  funny what being good looking will do for your social rate of forgiveness.  bad news, it means you have to watch him get hounded by girls who are undressing him with their eyes and he just smiles back at them and signs autographs and you know you have no right to be jealous... even worse, you wish he could actually be with someone like that, someone who could give him all those things he deserved.  it’s not that you didn’t want to, but that you shouldn’t want to.  it was all strictly business, even when you had to be seen kissing him.  the kisses were the worst part, honestly, because they felt so damn real.  when the last day of your contract arrives, you wish him well finding a real girlfriend.  he says he’s already found someone and he’s going to call her as soon as the fake relationship is over; it sort of breaks your heart, but you’re happy for him, too, and you remind him to wait a little while so he doesn’t get a reputation as a rebounder (being seen with someone new the day after isn’t a good look after all).  he asks how long he should wait, you recommend about a month.  one month to the day later, your phone rings; bucky barnes asks you on a date.  “a real one this time,” he promises.

and finally, only one bed with bruce.  he would be SO sweet and awkward about it, offering to sleep on the floor or in his car, but you promise him that it’s fine.  “this bed’s so small, we’re gonna be packed like sardines,” he sighs.  “that doesn’t sound so bad,” you shrugged.  “we’re friends. friends can cuddle.”  bruce isn’t aware of this whole ‘platonic cuddling’ phenomenon and frankly, with you in his arms that night he still isn’t because this does not feel platonic.  not with the way your head is laying on his chest.  definitely not with the way he’s pulling out every trick in the book to avoid getting hard.  you fall asleep eventually but his eyes are wide fucking open, watching your body unconsciously pull him closer.  at some point he ends up being your big spoon and your ass is slowly rubbing up against his cock and he can’t take it, he gets up to be somewhere else, anywhere else.  not to get some sleep, that ship has long sailed now, but just to stop himself from doing something he can’t take back.  “where are you going?” you hum sleepily, reaching out into the darkness for him.  “I didn’t mean to wake you up, I’m sorry,” he sighed.  “you didn’t wake me up, I’ve been awake,” you admitted. “come back, it was just getting interesting.”

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Mara

Mara's first X-Files story on Gossamer was posted in 1996. From around then through the original run of the show and beyond, Mara (aka MaraKara) was actively involved with the online fandom and fic. As an example, she was one of the Primal Screamers, a group of X-Files fic fans who originally rallied around the fic Primal Sympathy by Lydia Bower after the season 4 finale. They "screamed," if you will, for "Primal." They continued rallying for other fics, even posting an X-Files fanfic primer of to-read classics that I've talked about before. Big thanks to Mara for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I was much more of a reader but I'm thrilled when I see young fans finding great stories for the first time.  Like to engage a little in the "back in my day" stuff about checking atxc for story updates instead of finding a complete story archived on a website.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

It was fun.  It was a lot of smart people with different backgrounds and points of view all sharing in their love of Mulder and Scully.  With all the awful around (especially lately), chatting up the latest episode or the new story from your favorite author was fun.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

All of the above.  Message boards got spammy, so did atxc but the mailing lists were the best.  Great conversations there about everything from episodes and stories to real life milestones – all good.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

There were a lot of smart, talented people who enjoyed the show to the point of talking about it, writing about it and when the show sort of fell apart, the smart, talented people kept being smart and talented.  They wrote their own episodes, they recommended other good television programs, movies, books.  The community grew past the show.  That's what I took away – what started as an interest in sci-fi series on the (then) upstart FOX network, became a fandom of great people.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I worked weekends during the show's first season so I was home on Fridays.  Once Mulder and Scully went to Alaska with Felicity Huffman, Jeff Kober and Xander Berkley, I had my show.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I was looking around for some reaction to "Pusher" and found a story called "Mercy".  I was all in after that.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I made wonderful friends during that time so I will always have a positive relationship with the fandom.  The two reboot seasons brought some people back and it was great to see.  Again, it was a fandom with smart, talented people.  Who wouldn't want to hang with that?

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I've dabbled in a couple of obscure fandoms (no "Battlestar" or Marvel-verse for me).  With so many different entertainment choices and so many different ways to watch, everything just seems smaller.  The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about Mulder's dead for the summer turn in season four a few days after the season finale.  I just can't see any season finale on any series getting that kind of attention anymore.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Of course after our heroes, I liked Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle on "CSI", I'm a fan of all things NCIS.  I'm a cop show fan – Mulder and Scully's FBI hook got me more than the sci-fi feel of the show.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

In my office, (back when I use to go to my office), I have a piece of paper behind my desk with a photo of Gillian Anderson shooting a basketball in the "Pusher" episode (it was a behind the scenes photo).  Under the photo there is a quote about "a very short heroine" and all she accomplished in a world of superheroes and bulked-up movie stars.  Scully is with me every day.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

Dabble in my smaller fandom reads.  While there are talented and gifted writers, there just is not the volume of great stories – especially novel-length reads.  "The X-Files" had a whole group of authors who wrote nothing but 15-chapter mysteries.  Not as much of that anymore.

I do still read "the classics".  When I travel (back when I use to travel), a flight delay and decent wifi at the airport might mean revisiting an oldie but a goodie.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I don't want to list anything here because I'll remember six other great stories as soon as I send them.  I will say I loved any Mulder as profiling wonder-boy story and I am pro-"Iolokus".

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

The joys of being adult mean less time for fun, more time for the people keeping me employed and living indoors.

What's the story behind your pen name?

None.  AOL needed something and it was easy to type.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

No.  They were into the joys of being an adult much earlier than I was.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Follow your bliss.  Read what you like, re-read what's good and be like our friend Lilydale who helps younger/new to the fandom/back to the fandom readers find the best of what's out there.

(Posted by Lilydale on November 17, 2020)

[404fmdtaejin]

aesthetic and headcanon ; favorite movies

summary: an actor by choice, taejin has a series of favorite movies that inspires. a set of movies that make him think and analyze stepping into the role and seeing the transformative effect it has on the audience. timeless classics, or just his personal taste — these are the movies with a certain charm/aura that he can only hope he can embody later on in the future. warnings: none wc: 868

광식이 동생 광태 (when romance meets destiny, 2005)

the early 2000s were a different time, and that would’ve made him about fifteen.

he remembers skipping hagwon to watch a movie by himself — turns out the only movie that really interested him at that time was this one (hopeless romantic from fifteen) 

but it ended up making a mark on him, and it probably was the first movie he went to see by myself

not a typical love story, it focuses on brotherhood and differences of personality traits that leave two brothers unlucky in love

shows both sides of the spectrum of an awkward schmuck vs a casanova — it’s a story that has resonated with him since he watched it

partial comedic laugh, and an oddly heartwarming story? 

it’s the overall mood of the movie — schmucks for lovers, and the vintage feels of something that can only be emulated in the 2000s.

another bonus is that one of his favorite actors stars in this movie — kim joohyuk (r.i.p)

내 사랑 싸가지 (100 days with mr. arrogant, 2004)

again, another oldie but a goodie — he remembers watching this when his mother had a day off and decided to lounge about in their home movie system

it’s a very chick-flick esque movie, but i think the general feel was that he was a young middle school kid, stumbling upon this love story that seemed to click into place

looking back in retrospect, it seems weird for a tutor to fall in love with a high schooler but at the time he liked the bickering / back and forth banter of the two protagonists 

at one point this made him ask for a female tutor, but turns out this made his mother hire some 40 year old lady who was at the top of the 1 on 1 teaching system aka some lady that ensured the child to get the highest marks in class (this fell back on his intentional plans)

내 머리속에 지우개 (a moment to remember, 2004) 

another oldie but goodie!! but this one’s different because he didn’t find an appreciation for this movie till it was later in life (aka early to mid- 20s) that he found a true appreciation for the movie

two living legends — jung woo sung and son yejin give life to this cinematic masterpiece

it’s one of those cliche movies you think of when you think melodrama korean movie — aka some terminal illness or some illness paired with true love ripped apart again

but when taejin watched this movie again in his twenties, he found himself crying at the ending especially because jung woo sung and son yejin conveyed it so well

from this you get the iconic soju scene — ‘one shot of this and we’re gonna date’ and the famous cola scene in the convenience store

he achieved the goal of wanting to be an actor that can really connect with the audience and make them feel a certain type of way while watching the product

also — he just wants to be part of a product where they come up with so many icon images / scenes that it is still mimicked till this day on variety/comic shows/etc.

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, 2004

yes at this point just call him a hag — he is really into 2004 movies, and movies that are made from this era, but he can’t help it because they really created the best movies around this time

this jim carrey / kate winslet movie he’s watched recently, and it had this profound effect on making him think of the what-ifs

rather than another movie about lost love and a happy ending (or some tragic) — it’s the conceptual aspect that makes this movie memorable

clementine and joel going in reverse of their memories, and the reverse makes you think there’s a special time at least in the beginning that clutters together the good memories that usually get washed away with the present day bad.

aka don’t make rash decisions (but in the most artistic way you can) 

it’s the real beauty of it is the cinematography — he liked the instantaneous artistic approach of the movie with its colors, and choppy time lines 

he wishes he can do something that “edgy” someday

closer, 2004

this movie he stumbled on by accident, while searching for something to preoccupy his night

he’s a fan of natalie portman, so he decided to give this a watch 

the thing that made this movie so alluring was the speech, and how eloquent the actors speeches were used throughout the movie — it was like dialogue played a refreshing role more than the actual visions of what they say

another thing was the high contrast between the attractive actors and the almost morbidly terrifying things they did to each other — it showed the vices of humanity in peak, but to the way where it was nearly grotesque to watch — it’s the emotion provoking aspect that makes it a+

it’s a cruel movie, packaged pretty — he  hopes that someday he can do something that gives viewers that ‘punch in the stomach’ feeling

[lambychop]

Ultimate Horror Flick List

I know this isn’t usually my style, but 🎵it’s the most wonderful time of the year🎵

That’s right: it’s the spoopy month! Which means SPOOPY MOVIES

So I present to you:

IRONICENIGMA’S ULTIMATE HORROR FLICK LIST FOR ALL TYPES OF FILM LOVERS

1) For the Gore Hounds

•Saw series- the classic films for the guys who just wanna see some people get ripped to shreads (honestly, after the second one, they go downhill)

•Jigsaw- the more recent edition to the Saw series (this ones actually pretty good and FULL of gore)

•Hostel- Saw Studies Abroad (TM)

•Final Destination series- kinda a dumb one. The movies can be kinda dumb, but the kills are INSANE. Fun movies to watch with the gang

•Texas Chainsaw Massacre- you know it, you love it, I don’t gotta explain it

•Cannibal Holocaust- seriously messed up. Banned in multiple countries. It’s something special.

•The Midnight Meat Train- lesser known, kinda weird, super bloody

•Cabin Fever- gross disease makes you loose your skin. Nasty

•Wrong Turn- basically The Hills Have Eyes but with funner kills

2) The Classic Slashers

•Scream series- one of my faves. Classic story of small town teens with a killer on the loose. Lots of fun

•Friday the Thirteenth- do I have to tell you why this is here?

•Nightmare on Elm Street- Johnny Depp getting turned into a volcano of blood? I’m in.

•Halloween- can’t have Halloween without the movie that took the name, right?

•My Bloody Valentine (the original one)- one of my all time favorite movies. Creepy killer, great group of characters, great time

•Sleepaway Camp- infamous for its batshit ending. Kinda weird ngl, but a classic

•The Town That Dreaded Sundown- Based on a real killer. Oldie, but goodie

•Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon- different take on the slasher genre. Fun look into the life of a movie slasher

•You’re Next- badass female lead? Check. Masked murderers? Check. Family bonding? Uh sure okay

•I Know What You Did Last Summer- secrets are bad. Roll credits

3) Supernatural (demons, ghosts, etc)

•The Conjuring- it’s pretty popular, you know it

•Insidious- also popular. Moral: your body is a ghost hotel

•Sinister- classic demon: likes kids, likes brutal deaths, likes to appear in the background of pictures

•The Exorcist- obviously

•Lights Out- ghosts are scared of light, that’s all you need to know

•The Sixth Sense- not really scary. Actually pretty wholesome. In an “I see dead people” kinda way

•The Rite- priest Anthony Hopkins coughs up nails

•The Omen- aka don’t trust kids

•1408- haunted hotel room. Someone call the ghoul bois

•The Amityville Horror- based on true events. Well at least we know the murders were real and the house is creepy

•The Skeleton Key- Old People+Voodoo= bad time

•Haunting In Connecticut- also a “true” story. Don’t buy a house that used to be a morgue

•The Autopsy Of Jane Doe- boy bonds with dad over dead teenage girl

•Mama- moths are gross, ghosts are worse. Dead Mom from Beetlejuice, but now a movie

•Rosemary’s Baby- dont trust thy neighbor

•The Shinning- classic. That’s all I’ve got to say

•The Orphanage- again: creepy kids

•Stir Of Echos- Kevin Bacon sees ghosts. Must I say more?

•The Others- haunted house story with a twist ending

4) Creature Features

•Trick ‘r Treat- classic Halloween film. Fun, creepy, iconic

•The Ritual- camping trip turns bad. Monster looks really cool

•A Quiet Place- you’ve probably seen it. Jim from the office speaks sign language

•The Babadook- children’s storybook is not kid friendly

•Backcountry- bears are dangerous

•Alien- you’ve seen this already but it needs to be here

•The Descent- dont watch if your claustrophobic

•An American Werewolf In London- also a fave. Best werewolf movie ever made

•The Monster- lesser know, actually pretty good

•The Thing- classic. Super good. Based on a short story. No one can be trusted because you don’t know if they’re even them

5) Horror Comedies

•Zombieland- hysterical. Bloody. Great cast

•Cabin In The Woods- this movie is insane. Combine every horror monster ever, the Illuminati, and the Office- that’s this movie

•Shaun of the Dead- the classic horror comedy

•Scary Movie series- less horror, ridiculous comedy

•This Is The End- again, like no horror, but one of the funniest films ever

6)Found Footage (not a great genre, but some can be pretty entertaining)

•The Blair Witch Project- basically the king of the found footage films. You’ve seen it

•The Conspiracy- the Illuminati is real and they don’t like to be filmed

•Paranormal Activity series- kinda annoying to horror fans. Relies on jump scares and the characters are idiots. But if I’m doing a section on foud footage, this has to be here

•Creep- okay this movie actually really disturbed me. People are absolutely insane. Don’t meet up with people from Craigslist

•V/H/S series- basically a anthology of short horror films. Kinda fun

•Apollo 18- the government faked the moon landing because they found some crazy shit

•The Sacrament- Jonestown caught on camera

•As Above So Below- Paris Catacombs are wack

•Grave Encounters- what if Ghost Adventures actually found ghosts

•Unfriended Dark Web- lets be honest: the first one sucked. Second one is actually not bad. Take away the ghosts, add the black market

•The Poughkeepsie Tapes- lesser know, can be hard to find. Really disturbing. Basically watching a serial killer tape his crimes

•Cold Ground- Set up to look just like it’s out of the seventies. It’s pretty fun

•The Last Exorcism- priests are liers

•Quarantine- English version of [REC]. I wouldn’t say it’s great, but it’s something

•Hell House LLC.- kids set up a haunted house. People die

•The Houses October Built- again with the haunted houses. Don’t trust em

•The Bay- Cabin Fever but found footage-y

•Willow Creek- y’all gotta leave Bigfoot alone

•Lake Mungo- girl drowns, family sees her ghost. No jump scares with this one, like most found footage. Mostly just a family in mourning

•The Tunnel- if the government says to stay out, STAY OUT

•The Taking Of Deborah Logan- alzheimers itself is awful to go through, but let’s add some more spooks

•The Possession Of Michael King- another possession film? Yep they just keep comin

•The Last Broadcast- suspicious murder of tv hosts

6) Family Fun

•Hocus Pocus- okay obviously

•Beetlejuice- dark humor in a “kids” film. Most of the comedy caters to adults, but it’s an awesome film

•Corpse Bride- guy accidentally marries dead girl. Wholesome family fun

•The Nightmare Before Christmas- my fave Disney film. Super cute

•Frankenweenie- dead dog=goodest boy

•Paranorman- sixth sense but now for kids+zombies

•Coraline- Might scar some small children, but I loved it when it came out when I was 8

7) Psychological

•Midsommar- happy cult family holds a festival

•Funny Games- home invasion movie done well. No cheap thrills, just some sadistic shit

•The Strangers- dont answer the door for people wearing masks when it’s not Halloween are you crazy

•The Perfection- artistic, bloody, absolute mind fuck

•Gerald’s Game- sexy time turns not good

•Unsane- imagine being stalked and no one believes you. That’s the premise

•Triangle- ummmmmmmm wtf is happening what time is it??

•It Comes At Night- trust is bad. Paranoia is good.

•The Silence of the Lambs- my personal favorite film. Serial killer helps rookie detective find another serial killer

•Jacob’s Ladder- Vietnam vet struggles with EXTREMELY terrifying visions

AND THERE YOU GO. I have seen plenty more, so if you don’t see one you’d like on this list, hit me up with what kinda movie you’re lookin for and I’ll hook you up amigo

[ageless-aislynn]

I was tagged by the ever-awesome @emmaswanned​ Thanks, hon! :D ♥

Put your music library on shuffle and list the first 10 that come up!

1. “Waiting Game” by BANKS

This one was originally going to be my second Olicity vid back in the day BUT I was planning on trying something new (to me): I was going to animate it frame by frame (take a screencap every few seconds, do the effects/manips to each frame, then run it back together to make the vid). It was going to take approx 3-4k frames to do the entire thing and that was with the song cut down! ;) It was going to take a lot of hours but I was REALLY looking forward to it. I was getting ready to manip an Olicity kiss when... we got one for real. Then it started to feel a little useless to do that much work when now we had actual canon Olicity. :S I still want to try this idea one day with a different couple if I ever can get my Paintshop or an equivalent back. Here’s a frame from it, if you’d like to see what I’m talking about. All together it was going to have a very pencil-drawn, flipbook feel. :D

2. “Blurry” by Puddle of Mudd

An oldie but goodie, lol! ;)

3. “Yellow Flicker Beat” by Lorde

One of my fav Lorde songs. ♥

4. “Surrender” by Natalie Taylor

Aka the song I used for “I Just Want You Back” (Caitlin/Eobard | Harrison, [Matt Letscher & Tom Cavanagh], The Flash). A lot of times, I get tired of a song for a while after I vid it but this one is still in heavy rotation. There’s something just so beautiful about it to me. ♥♥♥

5. “Blind” by Lifehouse

I’ve almost vidded this song I bet a half a dozen times for half a dozen pairings, lol! One day, Lifehouse. One day! ;)

6. “Undisclosed Desires” by Muse

A classic! ♥

7. “Ooh La La” by Goldfrapp

I knew I was using a Goldfrapp song for my all the Harrison Wells doppelgangers vid and it came down to this one and “Strict Machine,” which won. ;) 

8. “Foolish Games” by Jewel

I cannot even TELL you how much I loved this song when it came out! Okay, so I still do. ;) ♥

9. “Hardest of Hearts” by Florence + the Machine

This is another one that has almost been a vid a bunch of times, lol! ;)

10. “Displaced” by Azure Ray

I love how powerful this song is to be so simple and soft. ♥

Since I’ve tagged a bunch of y’all in things recently, let’s just make this another “Consider this a tag from me if you’d like to do this!” *boops your nose politely* ♥♥♥

[boyobjectifier]

there is always something in the way

i want to have you to myself for once

follow me through the jaws of fate

so i can have you all to myself for once

[rotteneggshop]

Shop news 7 12 20

This weekend I traveled out to purchase a whole lotta fleece and felt. And am happy to share I got the appropriate colors for some new characters for the shop.

The new additions will include

                         💛🖤💛Bubba Sawyer💛🖤💛

Sporting his classic look. Very similar to his Dead by Daylight design. And because I love a challenge, I'll be making a mini matching plush chainsaw. At an extra cost but it will be optional.

                       🖤💛🖤Thomas Hewitt🖤💛🖤

He'll be sporting his long hair with face harness and also have a optional chainsaw addition.

                         ♥️🐷Amanda AKA The Pig🐷♥️

To keep the Dead by Daylight train going, I'll also be making Amanda from Saw. I know I'll be making her pig form. But if you'd like me to make alternatives please let me know.

                       🕸️🖤💜Lydia Deetz💜🖤🕸️

She'll have her iconic spider web poncho and I'll do my best to do her hair justice. Because I have a lot of her colors, I'll also be doing some jumbo versions as well.

                                    🍬🍭🍫Sam🍫🍭🍬

An oldie but a goodie. I've made this guy before but as a one off. And after seeing pumpkin scented soaps at stores already, I figure it would be smart to start up on this guy again.

I'm currently working on the Leatherfaces at the moment. With a couple restock of Brahms and some special jumbo Ghostfaces too. I aim to have a good chunk of them posted and ready to ship by Friday 07/17/20.

I'll be making posts leading up to the announcement with specific times. Because they are handmade and are only available per piece.

So please follow this blog or my Instagram, Twitter or directly at my Etsy for updates. Which ever suits ya.

And if you have any questions or suggestions don't hesitate to comment or send me messages!

[madgrad2011]

Quarantine Tag Game

I was tagged by @aquietgirlsmess aka Sarah aka the beautiful person who keeps tagging me in things that distract me from the chaos we’re all living in.... I adore you, lady. Thank you! 💛

ARE YOU STAYING HOME FROM SCHOOL/WORK? I’m lucky enough to have a job that allows me to work from home.

IF YOU’RE STAYING HOME, WHO IS THERE WITH YOU? It’s just me and my cats! Jury is still out on whether they like having me home 24/7...

ARE YOU A HOMEBODY? Yes, but I do miss hanging out with my besties. We’ve been doing virtual hangs but it’s not the same.

AN EVENT THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT GOT CANCELLED? I got me and @rossansguil tickets to see ABBAFAB for Christmas. They had to postpone the show. Our disco dreams for March were dashed.

WHAT MOVIES HAVE YOU WATCHED RECENTLY? Hmmm... I’ve been watching a lot of Disney movies and comedies.

WHAT SHOWS ARE YOU WATCHING? I’ve been watching a lot of shows... Tiger King, Big Mouth, Nailed It, GBBO, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Portlandia. I’ll probably do a rewatch of Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Good Place, Arrested Development, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Schitt’s Creek too. I’m sticking with oldies but goodies.

WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO? I’ve recently been listening to a lot of classics from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

WHAT ARE YOU READING? I just finished Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. I’m also reading fanfics by @rongasm, @orangeflavoryawp, @charmtion, and @ihaveastorminme.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR SELF CARE? Trying to exercise, get fresh air, talk to the people I love, and clean/organize my house regularly.

I’m tagging: @rossansguil, @memorycantransmigrate, @learnforlife, @pythiablogs, and anyone else who would like to do it! 💕

[thatguysmyhero]

hey do you have any fic recs? i'd love to read some shance but don't know where to start

bud i have a ton of faves but can’t remember them all so i’ll just share some (i’ll make a proper, well organized fic rec list sometime in the future swear!)

these are only some completed ones that i can name but there’s definitely more!

1. Lonely (But Not When You Hold Me) [G] by SouthernBird - still my favorite fic to this day since it’s the one that got me into shance!!! it’s a fix-it-fic post s2 and it’s just pure wholesome goodness with shiro comforting lance read this if you wanna catch soft feelings 

2. Back At Your Door [Not Rated] by zombiegardener - modern au with a dose of miscommunication like you know those fics where they sleep together and one of them thinks it’s just a one night stand??? this is IT it’s angsty but god shiro was so tender and careful with lance in this one also they get together in the end so it’s all good

3. Sweet Disaster [E] by avoidingavoidance - modern au f*ckbuddies shance!!! it’s got the steamy horny naughty bits WINK WINK and also the good fluff at the end 

4. The Black Wolf [T] by Sarolonde - shiro gets turned into a wolf and he finally got the perfect excuse to cuddle lance lol bit of an angst there as well but they’re both okay 12/10 would definitely read again even just for BIG WOLF SHIRO 

5. Becoming a Prince [E] by kitausu - or that royal engagement au! this is better than actual romcoms out there tbh 12/10 might actually have a movie deal soon 

6. Dive right in [M] by robotjellyfish - lance having the hots for the new neighbor shiro and then followed by them having all different kinds of fun dates for the summer! there’s also some bit of action so *WINK*

7. Not a Chance, Your Highness [E] by keir - OLDIE BUT STILL A GOODIE this is a classic honestly one of the very first smutty galra/altean shance out there this still rocks

8. Just Friends [T] by strawberrylovely - or shiro and lance growing closer as friends and then something else after they get back on earth *eye emojis* hint they become loving boyfriends who are just so sweet and caring for each other

9. Not Broken [T] by rinthegreat - modern au with former swimmer shiro and swimmer lance! lance is shiro’s number one fanboy and shiro was shocked because he retired long ago and nobody seemed to remember him anymore BUT OF COURSE LANCE DOES

10. Telltale Blush [E] by thinkpink - or shiro and lance get tipsy and some kinks were revealed coughs daddy kink it’s so steamy and horny it’s perfect shiro was literally so hot in this one i can’t even

also i don’t think i need to add this but there’s Black to Blue aka the shance bible if you haven’t read it yet which you should okay i don’t make the rules

[tlbodine]

How to Write Horror: Reader Question

@Eris345 asked: How do horror movies represent some of our greatest fears?

I apologize that this took me a million years to reply to. I hesitated at first because it's a big question, and one that required some careful consideration....and then my attentions just got swept away by other projects and life itself (which is endlessly distracting). But I do hope this still manages to be useful and/or interesting!

Horror Movies: A Barometer of Cultural and Personal Fear

A central thesis of this guide has been that monsters are never just monsters, and that horror exists to give shape to our deepest fears. But how 'bout I put my money where my mouth is on that one and prove it?  

There are a few fears that are universal - death, the unknown - but they're so broad that talking about them here would be a bit of a cop-out. Let's look at the more specific fears that show up time and again.

A classic formula: Fears of Adulthood as Exemplified by Babysitters

Here's an "oldie but goody" -- a formula that was a well-worn trope at the time but has largely fallen into obscurity as cultural values have shifted away from it. Throughout the 70s and 80s, babysitters were extremely common victims of horror movie shenanigans. Why? Because they're girls who are taking on adult responsibilities (parenting other people's children) and face adult consequences (death!) but aren't ready for either. In other cases, the sitter may be the villain rather than the victim - at which point the message becomes: Watch who you leave your kids with. More importantly: If you leave your kids in the care of strangers, bad things will happen. Stay home, moms.

See for (brief) example:

Halloween

When a Stranger Calls

The Sitter

Babysitter Wanted

The House of the Devil

Haunted Kid Movies: aka, Parenthood is Scary

Parenthood is something that shows up time and again in the horror genre. Partly because it introduces extra vulnerability and makes it harder to escape (you can't just ditch the kids and run). And partly, I think, because parenthood is one of the scariest things most people ever go through. Being wholly responsible for the safety and well-being of a helpless tiny human is terrifying. Knowing that you can mess it up and cause that child irreparable lifelong harm is absolutely horrifying. Some examples:

Pet Sematary

Sinister

The Omen

The Babadook

The Rise of Torture Porn

First, an issue of nomenclature. "Torture porn" doesn't mean sexual content. It's "porn" in the same sense as "food porn" - gratuitous and for its own sake. Torture porn, then, is a story where the torture is the point of the film (not just a means to an end). And while some of these themes are toyed with in earlier works (shout-out to the Saw precursor The Abominable Dr. Phibes), torture porn as a genre absolutely took off in the early 2000s, a time when atrocities of war, xenophobia and Guantanamo Bay were all talking points on the news. These stories introduce the idea that there are some things far worse than death, and that violence is both innately human (no supernatural beasties here to soak up the blame) and inherently nonsensical (no motive or explanation). Some examples:

Hostel

Saw

The Devil's Rejects

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Home Invasion: Where Nothing is Safe

Home invasion movies are very straightforward in their message: You're not safe anywhere, not even in your sanctuary. You can't escape danger just by avoiding it; it will come to you. Fears of invasion on a cultural level show up here, too. Fear that your way of life will be destroyed by foreigners, or fear that the people you're allowing into your home (country etc) mean you harm. See for example:

Hush

Funny Games

Don't Breathe

You're Next

The Purge

The Strangers

Psychological Horror: Fear of Losing Your Mind

We go through life with only our own senses to guide us. What happens when we can't trust our own experiences? What happens if life becomes a nightmare we can't awaken from? This is my personal favorite fear because it's something I struggle with all the time -- are things actually the way I'm interpreting them, or is my brain lying to me? Some examples:

Stir of Echoes

The Shining

Shutter Island

Secret Window

Rosemary's Baby (fits into the "parenting" trope, too)

There are so, so, so many more examples that can be talked about. Literal books have been written on the topic that are well worth studying. As a way to get your feet wet, I recommend this article as a primer: http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/14/movies/do-horror-films-filter-the-horrors-of-history.html

[diphylleiatae]

Movie Guide to Dating a Marine

It seems like everyone these days is dating a US Marine, and we think that this is a great thing.  Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake are leading the way, and just yesterday we read a twitter report about Jessica Rabbit canoodling with ‘Chesty’ the bulldog mascot of the Corps. Justin and Mila can give us some pointers when it comes having friends with benefits, but, like the rest of us civilians we’re pretty sure that dating a marine is a mystery to them.  In fact we are pretty sure they are  searching madly for a ‘movie guide to dating a marine’ to prep them for the Marine Corps Ball in November. After all, if movies have taught us anything it’s that you can learn just about everything in 120 minutes, including what it takes to woo one of the few and proud.

The following are a few films you might want to consider watching to learn more about dating a Marine.

Heaven Knows Mr. Allison

Mr. Allison shipwrecked with a nun

Mr. Big Skies (AKA John Huston) himself directs Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum in this 1957 classic. Mitchum finds himself shipwrecked on an island in the South Pacific after his marine recon team gets ditched by a nava submarine during an enemy attack. Lucky for him he’s not marooned alone, finding a beautiful nun who was also abandoned during an evacuation to share the island with. Do we see love on the horizon along with an approaching Japanese ship? Take a guess what happens next. Dating tip to take away from this oldie but goodie—don’t except a marine to make the first move, unless they’re drunk on sake.

Born of the Fourth of July

Tom Cruise dancing in Born On The Fourth Of July

Tom Cruise definitely has some 0n-screen experience when it comes to the marines. Defending them as a Naval lawyer in A Few Good Men, but not before playing one in Oliver Stone‘s second film about the Vietnam War. In Born On The Fourth Of July, Cruise plays real-life marine Ron Kovic, who enlists in the service as soon as he’s eighteen and gets shipped out the day after his senior prom. Kovic’s horrific experience in Vietnam leaves him wheelchair-bound and disillusioned with America and its war machine; he then devotes his life to anti-war activism. A few things to note: marines often declare their feelings less that 24 hours before deploying to a dangerous, war-ridden foreign country (but not before getting in a last dance), and, big surprise, they might have some issues after coming back.

Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket "Me Love You Long Time"

Stanley Kubrick‘s take on Nam, Full Metal Jacket is full of useful info about the life of a marine—from the degradation of basic training, platoon hazings involving bars of soap and what type of sexual propositions a marine is used to. Just to recap, Full Metal Jacket follows a platoon from basic through their stationing in Vietnam, and like just about all movies about Vietnam, is highly anti-war at its core. However, this is beside the point for our purposes. What you need to take away is this: you better be prepared to love them long time. You can watch this funny and educational marine movie at 0123 movies for free.

Jarhead

Jake Gyllenhaal reading in Jarhead

Another true story, Jarhead focuses on Operation Desert Storm, following Anthony Swofford as a marine in the Persian Gulf. Among the many things to worry about during war, most of the platoon is worried about their ladies back home being unfaithful to them while they are so far away for so long. Unfortunately, this proves to be true in many instances, even for our leading man. Upon returning home, he finds his long time girlfriend with a new boyfriend. The moral is: marines can be paranoid, but sometimes it’ justified. If you’re going to date one, you better be faithful. And if you can’t be, take a cue from Brian Dettman’s ex by rallying a neighbor to make a homemade porno with you and sending it on an unassuming VHS copy of The Deer Hunter. It’s a classy move.

Flags of our Fathers

Holding up the flag in Flags Of Our Fathers

We’ve all seen the iconic photograph of the marines holding up Old Glory during the fiercest battle in Iwo Jima in  WWII. Flags Of Our Fathers tells the story of the story of the three men who held the flag and survived, the heroism the country bestowed on them and how undeserving they felt of all the attention in the end. Word to the wise, when it comes to dating a hero, remember that survivors guilt can be a bitch.

The Great Santini

Blythe Danner shows Mila how to date a Marine

The Great Santini reminds us that despite our attempt to write this as a humorous article, the sacrifices that both Marines in Uniform, and their families make are no joke.  This film depicts the disconnect between a Marine Aviator (pilot for you landlubbers) who runs his family like a military unit, and his family who just want to be loved unconditionally.  It is not just returning combat veterans that deal with PTSD, but unfortunately their entire family must deal with this as well.

We are incredibly proud of the men and women who serve in our armed forces, and would like to suggest to our readers that if they liked this article then they should visit the Wounded Warrior Project, because the worst thing we can do is to forget about the sacrifices that have been made for freedom.

[aboycalledpatchesandfriends]

My Baba put a little something together for the Big Kids aka the Adults! Baba Sings the Classics! A compilation of oldies but goodies from some of your favorites including: Smokey, Freddie, Marvin and many more! : • #ABoyCalledPatches™ #ABoyCalledPatchesAndFriends #AcceptingDifferencesBetweenMyselfAndOthers #ImAPuppeteer #ImNotAVentriloquist #Puppet #Puppeteer #Puppeteering #Puppets #PuppetShow #Puppetry #YouWillSeeMyMouthMove https://www.instagram.com/p/B6i4YIcDH33/?igshid=1sw3qgn9y9y8