#the best edit I've ever made of Amanda

[ateawithoney]

Mother always serving on the podcast 🙏

[majortomwaits]

i saw your tags under the scooby doo vs sandman poll. i was wondering, do you actually hate Neil Gaiman or was it a joke? what did he do if you were serious? (i'm genuinely asking, i don't know about any drama involving Gaiman. maybe apart from him being a scientologist, but that turned out to be not true. he said that that is not his personal belief, just a religion/belief in his family)

Well, the scientology part is iffy at best, he still donates to the church despite not being an active part of it.

I have many issues with Gaiman, but just to microfocus on The Sandman specifically, it has the grossest case of fatphobia I've ever seen (just look up Despair and how her character's general look came to be, that alone made me lose so much respect for the guy and drop the graphic novel altogether). And in general his work is meh at best, and I've read many of his books.

But even if we go beyond that, never forget that during the very first lockdown, he left New Zealand to 'escape' from his, I guess now former wife, Amanda Palmer, (who is a story for herself when it comes to horrible people) and flew halfway across to world to Skye, thus breaking lockdown rules, just to be 11,000 miles away from his wife (and his toddler??), risked infecting the whole island, but got out of it with some shitty apology.

Generally, I simply find him to be overrated and overbloated when it comes to the quality of his work (which is better in adaptation by someone else than in writing, just to name an example, I'll never forget Stardust, which is a perfect fairytale movie but the worst book I've ever read, I can go on and on about how much it sucks).

Find better fantasy writers, please, he's not an alpha and omega of the genre.

edit: Was just informed in the replies that he's also a zionist, so.

[jessicafurseth]

Reading List, Bottom of the Year edition.

"Never rush the sweet, delicate time between what’s now and what’s next.” [Jillian Anthony]

Image: Arctic explorer Peter Freuchen and his wife Dagmar Cohn, by Irving Penn (1947)

*

My frozen year [Anna Codrea- Rado]

An Exhausting Year in (and Out of) the Office [Cal Newport, The New Yorker]

The Ketamine Diaries from Isabel Kaplan, in the proud tradition of "incredible yarns that light up the internet that can only exist as a newsletter series".

"Knowing what I wanted, even for a moment, felt like a form of knowing who I was again, and deciding that, maybe, that person was someone worth trusting." Learning to Want Again [Rainesford Stauffer, TIME]

"There are different ways of being a woman, and it’s really important for people to see that." Jodie Foster, interviewed in the Guardian [Emma Brockes]

Your Friends Don’t All Have to Be the Same Age [Annie Midori Atherton, The Atlantic]

Is 11.30am on a Sunday a good time for a first date? This is the best thing I've ever read about just how exhausting dating can be. TL;DR there's no such thing as a low stakes date [Tiffany Philippou]

Age-Gap Relationships! The Cut did a deep dive with interviews and photos, and presented it without prejudice, but the internet had no such qualms! A delicious piece of journalism.  [Lila Shapiro]

‘I left the cinema, walked home and announced I was moving’ Films that made people emigrate [Kitty Drake, The Guardian]

Does an unhappy partner make you less happy? Heck yes. [Shayla Love, The Guardian]

The Rise of the Accidentally Permissive Parent - They're out there, and they're creating monsters [Elizabeth Passarella, The Cut]

The Whole of the 'Whole Earth Catalog' Is Now Online [Boone Ashworth, Wired]

Should Patients Be Allowed To Die From Anorexia? [Katie Engelhart, The New York Times]

In the 1990s, a group of radical artists smuggled political messages into Melrose Place [Isaac Butler, Slate]

Just How Rich Were the McCallisters in ‘Home Alone’? A serious investigation [Amanda Holpuch, The New York Times]

Roaming Wild Rosie, a YouTube channel.

[bensonismymom]

undefined

~nobody does it like we do~

[golbrocklovely]

omg i just realized i never finished my season one recap

so here is my final review of the final video of season one

aka 'THE STANLEY: USA's Most Haunted Hotel (Our Return)'

i'm gonna be honest, going into this final video, i didn't really have high of hopes. for one, snc hype up every video they make and at this point, most have been a let down (or not quite what i had wanted them to be) and also amanda was gonna be in this video. and we all know how i feel about her. so, heading into this, i wasn't excited as i kinda hoped to be.

but i'll be honest, i was pleasantly surprised.

i legitimately liked this video at lot. there were a lot of parts that i wholeheartedly enjoyed and borderline smiled the whole way thru.

so to start off, even tho i didn't like the last time snc went to the stanley, i just wanted to note that i actually… liked this group a lot? i know, that's a crazy thing to say. but i think weirdly it helped a lot that amanda wasn't on her usual bs sksks

but i mean that as positive as i can be.

minus a small number of times, amanda was like more an active participant rather than an all seeing eye, if that makes sense. and mackie was fun, kinda just coming along for the ride.

i will say the one thing i had down in my notes about the video was that it felt… rushed, editing wise. like you could almost feel the time crunch snc were under to get this video done in time so that they could go to coachella. bc i've picked up on the fact that when snc are short for time while editing, they tend to throw more things in that they usually wouldn't. like there are random montages and jumpscare clips that get thrown in a lot, which is funny bc that causes you to do waste more time editing. but anyway, i digress.

so… regarding the spirit possibly attached to sam…

personally, idk if they really got rid of it by the end of the video. i would hope so bc i really don't want an attachment series 2.0. honestly, i don't want to hear the word attachment ever again after this series. but realistically, i really do hope that whatever was attached to sam is gone and isn't connected to him anymore. it would have been nice if they could have just figured out whether it was good or bad or just… neutral, if that's a thing and then just let it go or tell it to go to the light or whatnot.

what matters is whether or not sam feels like it's still with him. if he doesn't, than that's good. hell, even just basing it off of amanda and mackie's video that they filmed the next day after all of this, you can tell sam was different, almost chilled and relieved so… maybe all of this wasn't in vain.

okay so onto the investigation:

i love that sam kept harping on the renovations that were happening in stephen king's room and him asking "what renovations do you have to do on a hotel room?" uh????? TONS??????????

the vortex area, at least from someone sitting at home and not in this hotel at all, doesn't look all that weird or feel creepy. i mean, it's a hotel lobby. it can't be that weird feeling.

i love that they showed us places in the stanley that they didn't go to before back in the day. ngl kinda happy they didn't take jake and corey to the tunnels. god knows they would have just ran around and made fart jokes….

also jackie is hot. he looks like he could be related to nate.

connor… fucking sick dude. i love him. his energy… unmatched. he's so awesome. seriously the whole time i was watching him talk to snc i was smiling. he's so positive and nice. and finding out that snc were kinda sorta doing the estes method wrong or not in the best way… sounds about right lol

also how many times have i said that colby is the best at doing the estes method??? and then him doing it with connor and sam???? yall, if colby doesn't look into going to psychic at some point soon i'm gonna lose it.

and as a side note, like i've said a bunch of times with colby doing the estes method, for some reason i always get so uncomfortable when he does it. even when he did it this time, while it was super calm, it still creeped me out.

the idea that lucy may not even be a real person that existed, but rather a figment that has just continued to grow and become a spirit that now exists, only bc ppl believed in her so much… fascinating. and also completely terrifying.

i will say, while i get no feeling from the vortex area, the music hall…. different story. something about that place is off for sure.

i love that every couple minutes snc would say something that's kinda scary and jackie would just go like "okay" sksksk

if you want a good chuckle, go to the part where amanda and mackie jumpscare snc with the twin dresses. colby's laugh is… unmatched haha

when they did the spirit box session outside of stephen king's room, and a voice came thru in a different language, and amanda said it was latin… no it wasn't lol let's be realistic, what radio station is talking in latin in the estes park, colorado area??? how many ppl do you think actually know enough latin to string together a sentence??????? (that aren't a priest or whatnot)

…why did sam bring a vacuum?? they used it for the butt joke and then never again lmao

can i be honest? after watching this video the first time, watching amanda and mackie's video, and then rewatching this video again, i never want to hear about the cowboy spirit again. i just… don't care lol

amanda: i want to know why he wants us to leave! um… aren't you the psychic? ASK HIM.

sam: it almost feels thick… or stuffy. colby: you chose the word thick? :) i hate him... so much lol

the flashlight stuff they got in the music hall was interesting. but if i'm honest, i don't trust the ovulus thing. i always feel like anytime they use it, it just says random ass words that they get up in arms about.

the stuff that happened in paul's room was intriguing, if you ignore the part where they freaked out over the toilet randomly flushing lol

and then in lucy's room, that stuff was interesting. but i think i just realized they must have filmed this before they filmed one of the other episodes bc they didn't know about the bear-thingy.

the ovulus saying 'jackie' like that was really weird. why is that a word programed into that thing lol

so them going to the mirror, sam was supposed to do the estes method bc he lost nose goes, but colby ended up doing it anyway???

during this estes method, everything felt a lot more intense. but i also think it's funny to remind ourselves (or maybe just me) that if you put the video back in regular lighting and not the red one it's in, take out the intense music, it's just four ppl standing in a room, one of them has headphones on and is just spitting out random words, and another person is yelling at whatever is talking to not follow them anymore. and ngl, that scenario laid out that plainly sounds funny.

but again, just gotta reiterate, i don't like when colby does the estes method, even if he is the best at it. it just freaks me out every time.

the overlays of previous videos when sam was talking to the spirit to leave him alone….. bro i had to pause to take a break lmao

alrighty… overall i would rate this episode… 4/5. i know, the second time only during this whole series i've rated something above a three. but i genuinely do think this episode was really good. i thought it was a lot of fun and there were way more positives than negatives. amanda surprisingly didn't annoy me as much, which i think was a huge benefactor is keeping this episode in a higher spot. i also think this was a great way to end the season. i can't believe the second season won't be around until may 15… that's so much time to wait. but i'm excited to see what's instore for season two. from what the boys have mentioned of it, it seems like it's gonna be crazier than this season so that's a plus.

[winchester90210]

The BH 90210 Rewrite. 1x13: Slumber Party

Rewrite Masterlist

Read the previous chapter here!

Chapter Summary: Junk food is had, secrets are exposed, and flings are revealed...

Warnings: mentions of sex, swearing, one minor make out scene.

Word count: 2,900

My work is not to be reposted and/or edited without my expressed written consent. (Reblogging is fine and encouraged!!)

The flashback is in italics.

Feedback is incredibly appreciated! :)

A/N: This is one of my favorite episodes! Hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry about the scheduling issue, next week should go as planned. Feedback on this chapter would be wonderful! :)

-

"Are you sure this thing isn't a slumber party?" Kelly criticizes. You open your locker as your friends begin to bicker on both sides of you. Something akin to petty surround sound.

"I told you! It's a night of female bonding-- a chance for us to get together and talk about what's important," Brenda explains.

"But we're doing it in our PJs," Donna interjects.

"Well, that would make sense unless you prefer to sleep in your clothes," You say, "Bren, I think it's a great idea. It could be fun!"

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"Can we invite some guys to come over later? I mean, after we've talked and bonded and everything?" Kelly asks.

"Kelly, I thought what we wanted was an evening to ourselves where we don't have to think about guys, talk about guys, or worry about what we look like 'cause some guy is around. Isn't that what we said?" She nods, rolling her eyes. "So what's the problem?"

"Nothing!" She leans against the lockers, "Actually... there is one thing. I kinda made plans with this other friend of mine, Amanda Pacer. You don't know her, she's a senior, but we have been friends forever."

"So bring her," you suggest, taking out your history book and shutting your locker.

"Well... I know this may sound stupid, but I don't want her to think this is a slumber party... It's not a slumber party, right?"

-

"Brenda! Kelly, Y/N, and Donna are here to bond with you!" Brandon shouts up the stairs, laden in his all-white Peach Pit uniform. He looked so cute, this "no guy" rule was pointless. Especially when the said guys looked like that. "Hey Y/N/N," he kisses you softly, pulling you closer to him.

"Hey," you mumble. He gives you a hard, dizzying, coffee-flavored kiss as he slowly backs into the front door. You hum against him happily, "I'll pay you to stay, I'm serious. Cold hard cash." He grins, slipping his warm hands under the sides of your jacket, holding onto your hips gently.

"As much as I'd like to, I promised Nat I'd pick up this shift."

"Tell him you have other business to attend to. Like getting me out of this slumber party. Nat'll understand," you plead jokingly. One more soft, sweet kiss and he lets go of you. "Brandon..." he smiles at you adoringly and turns towards the other two girls waiting in the foyer, pretending that they weren't just watching everything you two were doing.

"Have fun, ladies," he swings the front door open and leaves as quickly as possible, knowing that if he stayed any longer you'd actually end up convincing him to stay. As one Walsh exits, another enters as Brenda comes down the stairs wearing a long, plaid nightshirt. But before she's even fully down the stairs, Kelly starts to complain.

"Brenda, this is really weird."

"Kelly, we are going to have fun! Where's Amanda?"

"Oh, she's coming later," She fidgets awkwardly, "She uh, wanted to bring her own car in case..."

"Something better came along," Donna interjects.

"I think this might be a little too down-home for her."

"Kelly, we're not going on hayrides," you cut in.

-

"Okay, we have chocolate ice cream,vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream!" Brenda announces as you pour the doritos into a bowl. It's a scramble of hands and junk food as you all grab what you want.

"Do you have any other cookies?" Kelly asks.

"Yeah! I think they're in the cupboard," Brenda nods.

"Oh, I love cookies smushed in ice cream!" Andrea beams, "it's the best."

"You ever put popcorn in ice cream?" Donna wonders. The group groans in disgust. "Hey, it's really good!" You hop on the counter next to where Donna is and grab a chip

"Well, there's microwave popcorn in a bowl over there, knock yourself out," Brenda giggles, handing you your bowl of chocolate ice cream.

"Thanks," you smile, "Hey, Amanda, what do you want? Vanilla or chocolate?" You glance over to Kelly's friend as you help the girls put together their sundaes, and she's sitting alone at the kitchen table with her arms crossed, pouting.

"Nothing for me, thanks."

"Oh, come on, Amanda. You're gonna make us all look like pigs!" Kelly exclaims.

"You said it, I didn't," Amanda ostracizes. The room goes radio silent, but instead of bumming out the room, Brenda starts snorting like a pig at her while the rest of you laugh and pick up your junk food.

-

"Donna, that is so gross!" Kelly laughs, watching as her best friend shows vanilla ice cream and popcorn into her mouth all in one spoon. Your cheeks already hurt from laughing, but you couldn't stop smiling.

"I know, but I like it! I don't know why, but I do, okay?"

"This is something you can never do with guys," Kelly smirks, piling on the whipped cream to her sundae.

"What?" Andrea asks.

"Pig out!" The five of you giggle as Brenda turns to Amanda, who's once again decided to remove herself from the group.

"Do you eat on dates, Amanda?"

"Never. But I always order something expensive," her voice is sharp, and she's slumped back in the white chair in the far corner of the room.

"Why?"

"To let them know I'm worth it," she shrugs.

"I knew it was over for me and Steve when I started pigging out everytime we went out to eat," she scoffs.

"He never took you out to eat, Kelly," Donna giggles, and then everyone, (excluding Ms. Grump Pants, of course) bursts out in laughter.

-

"I am in... sugar shock." Brenda sighs, resting her head on your shoulder as you lean back onto the couch, smushed up against the other girls.

"I feel like I just gained ten pounds," Andrea groans.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" Kelly ponders.

"Ooh, lets rent Pretty Woman!" Donna suggests.

"Donna, you've seen that movie 300 times," Kelly snickers.

"It's dependable. You know, sometimes I think about running away and becoming a hooker on Hollywood boulevard," she puts her fist up to her heart, fawning, "just so I can meet Richard Gere."

"There's only one problem... you're not Julia Roberts."

"Look, we're not going to rent a movie... or become prostitutes," you tease Donna, "The whole point of this was so we could talk. Andrea, go get your Ouija board."

-

You settle back down onto the couch after coming very close to crapping your pants because of what you thought was the Ouija board... which just ended up being David Silver sneaking creepy pictures of you guys through the window. You breathe deeply as your heart rate settles down. Amanda checks her watch and scoffs.

"It's after midnight."

"What, do frat boys turn into pumpkins?" Brenda bites sarcastically.

"No, they turn into drunken slobs." You sure made my night," she complains.

"Amanda, you didn't have to come!" Kelly barks.

"What? And miss all the fun? The party games?" She laughs sardonically, "I don't want to leave anymore. Everyone's ruined my night," she takes off her beige coat and throws it on the chair. "It's my turn to ruin their's. Okay everyone. I've got a game if you're up for it. Skeletons in the closet. Everyone sits in a circle, and the person in the middle has to answer all their questions as honestly as possible. The kind of question is up to you, whatever you feel like asking. Of course, the better the question, the better the game."

-

"Go ahead. Ask me anything," Andrea smiles nervously.

"Why does everybody call you 'Awwwndrea?'" Amanda starts.

"Excuse me?"

"What are you, British? I mean... Awwwwndrea?" Amanda guffaws.

"That is pretty pretentious," Kelly adds.

"Kelly," you warn her.

"It's pronounced both ways. But An-dree-uh is a little boring and common. I like to be different."

"Good answer," you smile.

"So, am I through?"

Amanda studies her carefully, "No. Not yet... have you ever slept with a guy before?" What the hell was wrong with this girl?

"That's... a little personal. But uh... no. No, I have never slept with a guy before. Yet."

"Well, if you could sleep with any guy in school, who would it be?"

Andrea chuckles anxiously, looking down at the ground. "Come on, you guys. I can't answer that..."

"Yeah, you can. You can trust us, Andrea... well," you glance at Amanda, "most of us, at least."

"Uh... I don't know. I guess... I guess uh..."

"Brandon?" Kelly cuts in.

"What?" You glare at Kelly.

"No." Andrea answers, "No. Not Brandon. No... it would have to be Hans Fleischman. He is this incredibly gorgeous lifeguard who pulled me out of the water when I was stung by a jellyfish at Zuma beach last summer." You adjust in your seat uncomfortably while the Kelly snickers in disbelief at Andrea. "Hey, what is this? Brandon is just a friend."

"Wait-- wait a second. Is this the same Brandon that's all over her everyday?" Amanda laughs out, "Sweetie... get a life. You like him. Everybody already knows." You sure didn't. "And he likes her." You don't even dare to look up from your thumbs. What the hell were you supposed to do in this situation? Sure, you encouraged her to answer it but you didn't think it would be Brandon. You would feel weird comforting her, but you still feel weird just sitting there and letting her get harrassed.

"Okay... okay. So it-- it is Brandon." Her eyes well up as she stutters through her words. The room is silent for a moment before you hop to your feet.

"Well, this has been a blast," you huff, "I'm gonna go get a soda. Anyone else have plans to seduce my boyfriend? Kelly? Donna? Hey, how about you, Amanda?"

-

After Kelly's turn, to which she described her traumatic first sexual experience, and Brenda's where she describes how she betrayed her best friend back in Minneapolis... you were really starting to hate this game.

"Come on, Donna, you've gotta have some secrets," Kelly encourages.

"I don't! I tell you guys everything!"

"If you could go out with any guy in school, who would it be?!" Brenda asks. Let me guess, Brandon?

"Greg Houseman. You know that, she never stops talking about him," Kelly sighs.

"What is the most dishonest thing you've ever done?" You ask, curling your legs up to your chest. She pauses to think for a moment.

"Nothing..."

"Didn't anybody in your family go insane or something? Anything?"

"No... we're all really normal," she shrugs. The thing was, she's right. You've been to her house. Her mother is great, her dad's really nice, her house is perfect... she was completely normal.

"You know what your problem is, Donna?" Amanda prompts, "Your life is totally boring. Anyone who can't dredge up one secret about themselves is either lying or a total zero."

"That is not true," you snap.

"Why, what are you hiding, Y/N/N?"

"Nothing, Amanda."

"Oh, really? That's not what I hear... or what I've seen."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Get in the circle," she smirks, this time deviously. Dangerously. You follow her orders, moving from the floor to the chair.

"What's your favorite movie?" Brenda asks.

"Rebel without a Cause."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Baby pink," you watch Amanda out of the corner of your eye, getting more and more frustrated at the boring questions.

"Oh, come on! You guys are such a drag!" She leans forward, smirking, "What's going on with you and Dylan McKay?" You look at her confused.

"He's dating her," you gesture towards Brenda, "Not me." Amanda shakes her head immediately, as if she knew you were going to say that.

"Do I need to dumb it down for you, sweetheart? What happened at the Bel Age a few months ago, y'know, when you jumped him?"

"What?" Brenda says quietly, her voice breaking. She looks at you as tears start to brim her eyes.

"Bren, wait a second--"

"Did you sleep with my boyfriend?" Your jaw goes agape and you laugh sourly in shock.

"You really think I'd sleep with Dylan?!" A pit of guilt was forming in your stomach as you tensed up.

"I don't know what to think, Y/N! All I know is you two spend an awful lot of time together alone and now I'm hearing that you pounced on him!" she snaps. Oh my god. You couldn't believe this was happening.

"That's not what happened, Bren!"

"Fine!" She scoffs bitterly, "what happened, then?"

"So, I was at the Bel Age a few months ago, Brandon had just gotten the job at the Peach Pit..."

-

"I don't wanna go home yet," you told him. The Porsche rumbled as Dylan warmed it up. He raised an eyebrow at you as he leaned back.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere you want to take me." Those would be words you would later come to regret. Asking a hot guy with a leather jacket and a Porsche to have his way with you? Bold move. Dumb move, too. He could've taken you anywhere. Baja, the abandoned elementary school, anywhere. But where did he take you? The Bel Age hotel.

When you walked in he popped the radio on and you sat down as a Gloria Estefan song played quietly throughout the hotel room. Dylan was over at the wet bar, pouring himself a glass of scotch. Looking back, it was the only time you'd ever seen him drink something in moderation.

"You drink?" He asked, looking back at you.

"I could start," you shrug. And that was the first of many bad decisions you'd make in that hotel room. He grabs a second pint glass, but you weren't paying much attention to him as he clanked around, trying to pour you something that wouldn't make you gag.

He hands you the concoction and sits down beside you, his legs against yours. A little closer than normal, but you didn't think anything of it. Fidgeting anxiously, you began to drink whatever it was he gave you. It was new, being alone with him like that. Sure, you could hang out with him in groups but... just you and him? You tilted the glass back, letting the smooth and surprisingly digestible liquor flow down your throat until there was nothing left in your glass. This stuff was supposed kill anxiety, right? He eyes you up. Peculiarly, but not critically.

"Thirsty?"

"Yeah, you could say that." He would continue to fill your glass, and his own, for that matter, all night. He'd put on his Road House VHS tape somewhere in the middle. And you were watching it. You really were. But as the movie went on longer, you got closer. A fairly innocent movie night (the first of many) turned into a night full of regrets.

His hand was on your leg right before the first kiss happened, thumb drawing dizzying little circles on your thigh as he watched the movie. You're sure if you showed any signs of discomfort he would've stopped-- that fact gave you peace in the moment. But the last thing you wanted him to do was stop. So he didn't. And neither did you. It wasn't until later, when his lips were trailing down your jaw, hands pushing your dress up, and his own white t-shirt was somewhere on the floor next to you. That's when it came to a crashing halt. Removing his lips from your neck, he sighed.

"What is it?" You asked. The air between you two was intense, sensitive. One move and he'd be back on top of you, starting the cycle all over again.

"What about Minnesota?" He slides you off of his lap in one swift motion, but his hand was lingering on your hip.

"What about Brandon?"

"Come on, you've seen how he is around you. I don't want to get in the way of that, mess anything up."

"You're not messing anything up. If Brandon was interested he would've made a move already."

Cut to you, current day, girlfriend of the mentioned boy, "Hah... whoops."

"But either way... this is a bad idea, isn't it?" You sheepishly picked up the shirt from the floor and handed it back to him. "So," you cleared your throat, "Friends?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, fiddling with the shirt in his hand. The energy in the room was different then, awkward. Laughable. But friendly.

"And that was it," you finish, "We're friends. Kissing him now would be no different than kissing Donna or Kelly."

"You wouldn't have kissed him if you didn't like him!"

"I do like him. As a friend," you plead, "Bren, I've been supporting you guys since day one, I would never do something to hurt you." You search her eyes for something. A little bit of waivering, forgiveness, pity. Anything at this point. Stupid Amanda and her stupid skeleton game. Brenda avoids your gaze for a moment.

"And nothing's happened since then?" She chokes out. You see her shoulders rise and fall as she takes in a shaky breath.

"Nothing's happened since then."

She lets out a deep sigh, almost out of relief, but tears are still threatening to spill from her eyes "Okay... I guess I understand." As she says that, it's like every muscle in your body lets go of the stress it had been holding for the past few weeks. You really hate secrets.

"Uh, Bren... I have a confession to make," Kelly pipes up from the side of the room, "After you started going out with Dylan I tried to get a date with him." Oh shit.

-

-

-

-

Taglist: @be-patient-be-good @mpmarypoppins @bevelyhills90210 @blueoz @harleylilo88 @princess-ghost-alien @hueycat2004 @l4life @keepcalm-and-beyou

[boobiemom]

Alien isolation is early the best alien game I've ever played. It does it well to. It's so true to the original design and more. I love the 70s retro future aesthetic it's one the most loving designed games I've ever played. And the game succeeds in making the alien feel powerful, unlike aliens vs predators or colonial marines where you slaughter aliens by the dozen.

The funny thing is, the weapons you’re given in Isolation are more than capable enough to kill the Xenomorph, but for some reason you just CAN’T. It makes it even stranger considering, later in the game, you realize it isn’t alone at all.

There also the fact that IT IS NOT SCRIPTED. THE XENO IS ACTUALLY SKIMPILY PROGRAMMED AND IT JUST GOES WHERE EVER THE HELL IT WANTS AND DOES WHATEVER THE HELL IT WANTS, LIKE AN ACTUAL XENO.

I’ve also come to respect that there is no queen because of a single concept: Egg Morphing. 

There was a scene in the original Alien movie that got cut from most versions of the movie because it was honestly too horrifying, and only got revealed in the special edition director’s cut of the movie. It’s called the Egg Morphing scene and it’s exactly what it sounds like. During the sequence where Ripley is going and prepping the ship for detonation so she can kill the xeno and leave in the shuttle, she comes across where the Xeno had been “nesting” and.......... well just look at this shit.

When I learned about this scene, which was fairly recently, I actually went to find it isolated from the movie and HOLY FUCK it made me shiver with actual.... I dunno what the feeling was, honestly. Dread? Disgust? Horror? probably a bit of all three, but the fact that it weirded ME OUT, ONE OF THE MOST DESENSITIZED PEOPLE EVER, says something tbh. There’s a scene in Alien Resurrection a lot like this actually, which I think was what they were going for, which also has me respect that scene even more too.

So it’s overall implied that the Xeno started egg morphing people it took, then, when it had enough, started spawning more full Xenos, all without a queen because, technically, it didn’t need one. Hell, originally, there wasn’t SUPPOSED to be a Queen. The Xenomorph design was meant to be gross and horrifying by itself, they queens weren’t originally part of the design. Because as we all know, if you take out the queen, you take out the hive, making it a little less scary, buuuuuuuut then they were like “Yeah but imagine if the left overs could become a queen” and that’s when we got Praetorians and why they act like ants or termites or bees now; royal jelly evolves the pure caste and makes them a queen should the queen die.

But yeah, I really respect and love this game to death. I wonder if they’ll do a sequel because I know how it ends, but we also all know that Amanda actually does live and die of old age, and marries someone... or does she? Maybe the company made up the life she had so it gave Ellen comfort, and she actually succumbed to a similar fate as Ripley, but she’d never know.

So yeah, Isolation forever has my love and respect.