#the three stooges doesn't work

[sweaterkittensahoy]

There is probably a ship name for bucky, buck, and curt, buy if not, I suggest Bburt. Spelling very intentional.

[leclerc-s]

big reputations - part two

series masterlist // previous // next

AN INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL RICCIARDO (EXCERPT)

comments

user1 nah, the interviewer was so wrong for this. you know he wanted to say himself.

user2 daniel's blushing over this. i just know it.

user3 fernando is probably giggling over all of this. we've all see the tiktoks he's posted.

user4 daniel dragged his best friend along to see his future gf at a concert.

user5 this man is giggling like a schoolgirl over a woman who's not even his girlfriend.

user6 daniel, baby, this isn't like you. what about our farm, our six dogs, 3 kids, 2 goats, 12 chickens, and 4 cows?

↳ user7 babygorl, delulu is not the solulu. not this time.

↳ user8 girl wants to raise a whole ass fucking zoo

↳ user6 i've grown up in the country, i am surrounded by animals

↳ user8 that explains it

user9 the interviewer heard we wanted the tea on what happened at the eras tour and she was not going to stop until she got answers. too bad daniel is good at keeping secrets

user10 oh this man so desperately wanted to say himself but had to stop from doing so.

alex albon i get asked about the eras tour one more time i will lose it!

max verstappen someone's bitter they didn't get a chance to go. alex albon YES! I AM! IT'S ALL LILY WILL TALK ABOUT! WE DESERVED THE RIGHT TO GO!

daniel ricciardo well that's up for debate. i waited ages in line to buy those tickets. did you?

alex albon YOU TOOK MAX AND P?? BUT NOT ME OR LILY?

daniel ricciardo i only had three extra tickets??

lando norris THREE? WHO WAS THE THIRD??

daniel ricciardo kelly? penelope's mom?

lando norris oh. i forgot about that.

charles leclerc you forgot penelope had a mother?

lando norris i plead the fifth

logan sargeant YOU'RE BRITISH?? THAT DOESN'T WORK ON YOU! lando norris I CAN BE WHATEVER I WANT TO BE! logan sargeant OF COURSE YOU CAN YOU'RE A COLONIZER! lando norris AT LEAST WE DON'T HAVE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS! logan sargeant YOU CAN'T USE THE SAME FUCKING COMEBACK EVERY TIME ASSHOLE! oscar piastri okay, we are not doing this again logan sargeant YOU STAY OUT OF THIS KOALA!

lewis hamilton can you three be mature?

logan sargeant in the words of the colonizer, 'i don't wanna mature'

fernando alonso por dios, estan locos. (my god, they're crazy)

sergio perez obvio, no estan nada normal (obviously, they're not normal)

george russell i don't speak spanish but all i understood was normal.

alex albon because it's spelled the same way in spanish and english

carlos sainz they're talking shit about the three stooges.

george russell thank you siri!

kevin magnussen so daniel how's your hand?

daniel ricciardo thanks for asking kevin! at least i know someone here cares about my wellbeing.

daniel ricciardo i'm currently texting with one hand because i have to go into surgery soon. it's only a broken bone. if i don't make it back don't let fernando date daphne jones!

max verstappen glad to know you have your priorities straight.

daniel ricciardo of course.

¡leclerc-s speaks! you cannot convince me that logan and lando haven't had a similar argument at least once and poor oscar was stuck as mediator between them.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[my-mt-heart]

The current state of the spinoff right now has nothing to do with what Melissa wants or doesn't want and I do not appreciate her being used as a strategy for Norman, AMC, and the three stooges to evade responsibility. I don't know what happens next, but whatever it is, it is on them. For prioritizing their own needs over the core audience. For mishandling the characters/relationship the core audience is invested in. For constantly gaslighting everyone and refusing to deliver the payoff so many people have been waiting for. For not fixing the problem when they had the chance.

Yes, I am sad because this is supposed to be Melissa's time to shine. Yes, I really do want to support her because if anyone on this show has earned the support, it's her. If anyone is going to be worth watching in S2, it's her. If anyone's input is going to make a difference, it's hers. I do think she was excited to show the impact that Sophia's death had on Carol, but that doesn't mean she's getting everything she wants and it doesn't mean fans have to sit through relentless nunbaiting and a retconned bond between Daryl and Carol similar to S11 (I can only assume at this point that's what we're getting). I will not do that. Platonic Caryl is inorganic to me, and speaks more to TPTB's ageism/misogyny than it does about anyone's creative input. Daryl being torn between Carol and French characters he's only known for a few months is just fucking ridiculous. Period. It doesn't mean that I don't want to be here anymore or that I don't care about the characters or about Melissa. It just means I won't put money in AMC's pockets for awful decisions, like letting Zabel and Nicotero run amuck, like shoving "BESTEST OF BEST FRIENDS" down my throat, like forcing their nun fetish on me, like turning Daryl into every other generic male hero there is. If TPTB show they value Melissa/Carol as much as Norman/Daryl, if she and Norman get equal billing, if Carol's name is included in the title, if Daryl and Carol are allowed the romantic beats that their story in the flagship show set up, then I'm all in. In the meantime, for those who asked, my plan is this:

I am going to watch the premiere because I've heard enough reliable testimonies about the heavy Carol focus, the lack of nunbaiting, Carol's determination to find Daryl, and Daryl's desperation to get home for me to assume it's worth it. I will review the episode and show Melissa my support. I will go no further as soon as I hear any of that starts to change, which I expect will happen rather quickly, but I will keep speaking up where AMC can see it so they understand what's working and what's not. If Melissa's fans keep speaking up, reminding AMC how much they value her and how much they detest some of Zabel's other choices, then AMC can't try to blame her if numbers are low or assume we'll settle for whatever inappropriate writing choices Zabel throws at us if Melissa does bring the numbers up, and I do believe she's the only one who can.

I have nothing to say about S3 and beyond because the only way I'm on board is if AMC somehow manages not to ruin Caryl's story in S2 and hires a showrunner who can do these characters justice. Hint: it's not Zabel, it's not Gimple, and it's not anybody who's ever worked for them.

[tikus-library]

"The Look"

Avengers AU - Quick Fic

Characters: Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Reader

Posted: Jan 20th

WARNINGS: none, idiots being idiots

A/N: I was at the laundromat yesterday when I saw the gif and needed to write something- so gave this.

Like, Comments, & Reblogs are always appreciated and loved.

**Please Do Not Repost or 'Fix' My Work**

Leave kudos on Ao3

“Here comes Y/N! Do the thing- do the thing!” Sam elbowed him, shit eating grin in place.

Bucky sighed with his entire soul, “Sam, it doesn't do anything, it's just a look, that's all, it doesn't matter”

“If it doesn't matter then do it.”

“Why would I?” He shot back as Sam stopped, shifted his hip out and crossed his arms.

Sam rolled his eyes to Steve, “he won't do the thing!”

“Steve get your friend”

“He's more your friend than mine these days pal,” Steve chuckled.

“Here she comes… you should see how she reacts to it, you'd understand me Steve, this one here is just an idiot.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes as Steve shrugged, shook his head and raised his hands in classic ‘I don't know’ fashion. “fine-” he bit out, stepping out between them and tipping his head down and looking up at you.

Today couldn't get worse. Today everything was wrong. Today every file that was sent to you was backwards or upside down, some were even corrupted and Tony thought it was the funniest shit, as if you could be any later now you had to do a quick debriefing of the three stooges that were currently coming back in from a mission and really as if you didn't get enough shoved on your plate– wonderful, you perked up realizing the three were right there, together, you could get it done in five minutes as long as you heckled them.

You could just stare at Steve or Sam. They were good, wholesome, wonderful guys that were not the sergeant. Not that Bucky wasn't wholesome or handsome– actually he was very handsome, distractingly so, especially when he smiled, or put his hand through his hair, or just breathed in your general vicinity.

Speaking of the Sergeant you saw him step forwards and meet your gaze, head dropping, hair shifting forwards to frame his face, lips pressed down and bright blue eyes focused on you.

Your brain flat lined.

Y/N stopped in her tracks, her determined steps halting, Bucky cocked his head to the side and was surprised when she did an abrupt about face and practically RAN back in the direction she had come from. He shoved a hand into his face.

Great, now you were scared of him, as if he didn't have enough trouble figuring out what to say to you. Now you wouldn't show your face around him.

Steve guffawed, bringing Bucky back out of his depressed thoughts. “Good gawd Buck, I forgot the effect you had on a woman.”

“What?!” He demanded, “she ran out of here in fear for her life!” Sam cracked, a howl of laughter spilling forth, Bucky clenched his fists, “you think that's funny?”

Sam clapped a hand on his shoulder, “that wasn't fear man! That girl wants you, she wants you real bad.”

Bucky jerked back, blinking hard. “No.”

Steve nodded as he looked over at him. “That wasn't fear pal, that was panic, I can tell you this much – Y/N is quiet because when she does speak she can't keep her mouth in check, which usually tends to land her in hot water.”

Bucky turned to Sam, who was wiping away a few tears, “she has literally called us both hot, but said there was no way she would date us.”

“But when I asked her for her opinion on you–” Steve laughed, but sobered and leveled a look at him, “buddy, ya need to talk to her.”

“It was pretty colorful,” Sam murmured

“What did she say?” Bucky asked.

Sam shook his head, looking over at Steve, “did you see the way she shivered at the look?”

Steve nodded laughing as he moved around Bucky, “makes you realize what she said had to be true.”

Sam gasped as the two continued to walk, “Y/N! She really is full of surprises! Scandalous!!!”

“WHAT DID SHE SAY?!” Bucky cried following the two.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles December challenge.

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Prompt Day 4: Meet-Cute At Work | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Weed, Language | Tags: AU, Mechanic!Eddie, Business Guy!Steve, Fluffy Meet-Cute

Steve's car is making a noise that doesn't sound good, not at fucking all. So, he reluctantly makes an appointment for his car to be worked on at the local body shop in this new, little town he moved to a couple months ago. He doesn't love the town, and he doesn't love the look of this garage, either, as he pulls into the parking lot. It looks run-down. The sign is peeling, and it could really use a coat of paint.

But his car needs to be looked at, it's just not running right at all, and that strange noise can’t be great. He's too far from home to take it to his regular guy, so having it done here, in this dingy little shop is happening, whether he likes it or not. And he does not like it. In fact, he hates it.

But it’s the only place in town: Munson’s Garage.

When he walks inside, the guy at the front counter looks normal enough, an older man in a clean, plaid shirt, who probably owns the place. A little gruff, but Steve relaxes a little, because this guy is clearly experienced. So, it’ll probably be okay. 

But apparently that guy isn't doing the work, because he yells, "Eddie!" and the guy that comes to get his keys, Eddie he supposes, is weird. He’s probably Steve’s age, but he has long hair, and is in a filthy pair of coveralls.

Steve’s taking in his appearance, when the guy fucking trips over nothing, like he’s one of the Three Stooges. Steve can only stand by, and watch in horror as Eddie reaches out a black, grease-covered hand towards Steve to catch himself. 

He makes contact with Steve's shoulder, and his pristine, starched, white Armani dress shirt. 

Eddie's eyes go wide and horrified, so Steve takes a deep breath. It's fine. It's fine. It's just a shirt. A very fucking expensive shirt, but a shirt.

"Jesus H. Christ, I'm so sorry," Eddie says, taking a step back. 

"It's fine. It's just a shirt, I've got a dozen more just like it," Steve says, and that's true. It's just a shirt. He can replace it. 

His car? He likes his car and wants it running right, and this clumsy fool is his best bet at the moment. So, he'll play nice. Robin would be so proud of him for taking the high road right now. 

"You're Steve, right?" he asks, wiping his hands on a red shop rag that really can't hold any more grease at this point, Steve's absolutely certain.

Steve takes a good look at him. He’s dirty, head to toe. Steve wonders if he’s always this dirty, or if he’s really managed to get this filthy before noon. 

This guy can ruin his shirt, but he cannot sit on his cream-colored leather seats. No fucking way.

But Steve nods.

The guy smiles, big and bright, teasing him, "Well, if you don't give me those keys, I can't take a look at it."

Steve reluctantly hands them over, and stands at the window, as this guy walks outside and looks in the window, and then strips off his coveralls. Then doesn't know what to do with them, and he kind of spins in a little circle. 

He's an odd duck. 

Eddie finally makes the decision to run them into the shop, and returns to the car.

Underneath the coveralls, he's wearing clean jeans, and a clean t-shirt, thank god, with the sleeves ripped off, and he has tattoos all up and down his arms. Steve can't look away, until his car, and the guy, are gone.

He talks to Wayne, at least Steve assumes that's his name, if the goofy hand-drawn caricature that sure looks like him, and name plate, are to be believed. And Wayne tells him to come back tomorrow, so Steve calls a cab, and plans to come back and get it tomorrow evening.

He does. But he's running late. His meeting ran over, and he's scared the place is going to be locked up tight. But Eddie is sitting out front of the shop, in street clothes. 

A pair of ripped jeans and a leather jacket. His long hair loose around his face. And he looks good, great. 

"I'm so sorry, my meeting ran way over," Steve says, jogging away from the cab. 

"Don't sweat it, man. But I want you to test it, so maybe you can just take me home?"

Steve can do that. He can definitely do that. 

They climb in, and it has been detailed, cleaner than he left it, but it smells fucking skunky.

Steve laughs, "Smells like a skunk's ass in here." 

"Oh shit, I didn't smoke in your car, dude. I swear. No way. It just must be, like, clinging to me," Eddie says, stretching out his t-shirt and bringing it up to his nose, inhaling. 

Then he is looking at Steve, clearly suddenly unsure, "Or…a skunk got into the shop?" 

Steve laughs, "Okay. Sure. That sounds totally legit." 

Eddie laughs, and relaxes. "Good. Good. I was worried for a second that you might not be cool."

"I'm cool!" Steve argues, pulling out onto the empty road. 

"If you say so, Suit and Tie." 

Steve grins, "Just give me directions." 

"Well, first, you need to turn around and head the other way," Eddie answers dryly. 

Steve grins, and flips a bitch in the middle of the deserted street. 

The car drives great, Eddie did a good job. Steve smiles at him, "Thanks, man. It's running great." 

"Glad to hear it," Eddie says, telling Steve when to turn. 

Steve looks over at him and smiles. 

"So. You got any more of that skunk weed?" 

Eddie tosses his head back and laughs, "Sure do. Wanna come in and smoke?" 

Steve nods, happy. 

And that's how Steve Harrington not only gets a new mechanic, but a new weed dealer, and a new boyfriend, in this town that's looking pretty great now.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see more of my entries into this month-long challenge, you can check them out in my Steddie Holiday Drabbles tag, right here!

[steviewashere]

You Make it Digestible

Rating: General CW: Overstimulation (not the fun kind), Mentions of Marijuana (no using/smoking) Tags: Established Relationship, Deep Pressure Stimulation, Neurodivergent Eddie Munson, Cuddling For the @steddielovemonth prompt: "Love is bodies touching..."

💕—————��

Eddie was a rowdy kid growing up. He ran off of pure adrenaline and spite. Knew what buttons to push to get his way. He also knew that he didn't really have a gauge for when the steam would just—poof—right outta him. He'd yell and stomp and mimic the noises of everybody around him, rock on his heels and sway in place, would thump his chest and slam his hands on hard surfaces (not for the sting, but the noise). And he'd feel better for it. Be satiated enough to complete his day, as rough or unadulterated as it was.

But there was one way in which he liked to seal off his nights, though he hasn't been able to accomplish it in a long while. Not since he was a little kid, when Uncle Wayne was less achy limbs and more physical. Eddie liked the comfort of something weighing down on him, not metaphorically, quite literally. Loved being swaddled in heavy duty blankets, squeezed tight by Wayne's arms, just enough until a little squeak would leave him—breathless, winded—and he'd relax into the pillows and drift off.

Hasn't had it in a while, though. Used to be addicted to the sensation. And he's been in withdrawal for too long.

After March, 1986, the rough days pile up on Eddie's shoulders. People yelling at him in the streets. Jumping at sounds and flickering lights. Eyes glazing over when they spot a blonde cheerleader from the other side of some parking lot. Living is a lot. He can't get all his energy out. Can't hum under his breath, slam his hands to his chest, set his cheek against a cold surface. None of it renders him relaxed, if anything it only makes him more buzzed—realization setting in that his old ways of cooling down simply don't work anymore.

It makes him tired. He hates being tired. Hates waking up as if he never fell asleep. Doesn't like how heavy his eyes get. Or the incessant buzzing of background noise in his ears. The itchiness of new scars. Hands shaking in front of him, nausea pooling in his stomach. Like he greened out. Like he got a really bad pot brownie.

Being restless makes him spacey, too. An air cadet. Putting the stooge in The Three Stooges. So, one particular day, after grueling exams and being shoved into lockers and a tipped over lunch tray (God, can graduation be any farther away?), he forgets all about Hellfire. That hasn't happened since his freshman year of high school, when he was still just a regular player. That isn't supposed to happen. But he got in his van, rested his forehead on the steering wheel, didn't even bother to turn on his radio, put the clunky thing in reverse, and got outta dodge.

The house that him and his uncle were granted after Everything, is quiet, discreet, far away from the rest of civilization. Like something lost to time, frozen, forever held in solitude. And today, it should be especially comforting. But damn it, of course it isn't.

Wayne's home when Eddie gets there. Tries to start up a conversation, but all Eddie can do is shake his head, hands fluttering uselessly at his sides, hums overcoming his body, and slam his bedroom door behind him. He paces. He slaps himself a little. Pops his knuckles, twists his rings, pinches the skin of his palm. Shakes his head, huffs something from his nose, blinks to get rid of the exhaustion, blinks some more just to forget the array of mess in his room.

The point is, he tries. Tries everything he could possibly think of to try and get himself steady on the floor. But it’s feeble and he’s feeling stupidly crazy and time seems to stretch in front of him forever. He can’t take it. The buzzing, the exhaustion, the tight pull of his chest and prickling in his eyes. But, then again, he can’t make it go away. Doesn’t really know how. Doesn’t really know if there’s a when to it’s end.

There’s noise and noise and heat and space and tight skin and itchy scars and…and everything. God, there’s everything. There’s nightmares and blood and popping bones and a cheerleader at school and Jason Carver’s lackeys and spilled milk and his friends watching on in horror and their voices and a dice roll and…there’s Hellfire, fuck there’s Hellfire.

He checks his watch and immediately wants to smash it to little pieces. Of course he forgot. Of course it’s an hour past when they were supposed to meet. Of course he’s so worked up over what feels like nothing, which in turn is insurmountably something.

Eddie can’t help it, he goes back to pacing and popping his knuckles and waving his hands as if he could conjure the calm with his palms. He’s gotta meet his boyfriend later and have a nice dinner and maybe watch a movie and brush his teeth at precisely 7pm and lay down by eight and wake up early and go back to school and—Eddie groans; why is nothing working, he wants to scream.

A knock startles him. Little hesitant sound, verberating through the hardwood of his door. He wrenches it from its frame and comes face to face with Steve. His wonderful, smiley, goofy boyfriend, Steve. His golden skin and chestnut hair and—concerned eyes and furrowed eyebrows and wrinkled mouth. And, god, Eddie doesn’t know how to also take care of whatever fuckass thing is going on with Steve right now. He just wants to melt into a puddle.

Panting, breathless, Eddie greets, “Hey, Stevie. Hey, uh, what’re—what brings you to my humble abode?” His voice strains, squeaky, gravelly all at once. He tightens his hand on the doorknob.

“Dustin radioed me. Said that you didn’t come to Hellfire. Are you okay? Are you sick or something?” Steve cuts right to it. How he knows right away, Eddie will never understand. For all the shit the party says, about how dumb Steve can be, he seems to be the most intelligent being on the universe right now. In hindsight, maybe that’s just Eddie’s exhausted brain. But, then again, Steve’s perceptive by a fault. And if that doesn’t make Eddie’s skin crawl more.

Heaving a sigh, Eddie’s grip loosens on the door. “It’s been a long day,” he mutters. “My mind is—“ He waves a hand at his own head. “Scrambled, I guess. I can’t get it to just shut off and I’m so tired and everything is just—And the buzzing, there’s so much noise and I hate the sound of my own voice right now, but I can’t—Nothing’s working, Steve,” he finds himself rambling, the words going wet and sideways. He scrubs a loose hand down his face and groans. “I forgot. I completely forgot. I’m so stupid right now, it’s ridiculous. I—“

“You’re not stupid, Eds,” Steve gently cuts in. “Just overworked and tired. Is there something I can do to help you? Don’t like seeing you so upset.”

“You’ll think it’s weird.”

“If it helps, it isn’t weird.”

Eddie squeezes his eyes shut and stutters out something like a sigh. He doesn’t like asking. And he doesn’t like explaining himself. But he can’t escape the soft warmth and the welcomed presence of Steve. Him and his extremely careful, noticeably cautious, and wonderfully patient demeanor. “Can you lay on top of me? Like crush me? And—Hold me in your arms, but also squeeze me?” He paces away from the door and collapses backwards onto his mattress, pulling himself to be long over the bed. He pulls his hair up and fanned onto the pillow. And waits. Because, maybe, Steve will think the request is weird. And, maybe, Eddie will have to go with old reliable—four blankets too many, overheated, and still vibrating out of his skin.

Without much pretense, Steve gently lays himself over Eddie. Just plops right down. Arms wrangling under Eddie’s torso, hands intertwined, biceps flexing with the squeeze. “Like this?” He has the audacity to murmur, as if he hasn’t just solved world peace for Eddie.

Nodding, Eddie whispers, “Yeah, exactly like this.” His own hands come up and hold onto Steve’s hips, still clothed in jeans, and they pet down to his thighs. He exhales.

And, as if the world has gone to sleep, Eddie’s brain becomes blissfully quiet. The thrum under his skin melding into the regular beating of his pulse. The itch and tight pull of his chest, barely sore from the panting. He’s surrounded by warmth and heaviness and Steve’s cinnamon, spicy aftershave. Though he forgot Hellfire, and he truly hates forgetting things, he’s able to let go and forget all about the shit of his day. The lunch he was eager to eat. The last question on his math test. The cheerleader that tried to trip him. The overlay of everybody’s voice.

He can finally focus on just the breath in his room. That’s it. That’s all he can hear. There isn’t any buzzing from his overhead light. Television in the living room is pleasantly turned off. It’s as if, truly, the world went to sleep.

He can relax. He’s safe.

Welcomed tears leak down the sides of his face. With a quick, jittery breath, he murmurs, “I love you, Stevie. I love you so much.”

Steve chuckles. “I’m just laying on you.”

“It’s quiet, Steve. You made my world quiet.”

Steve’s stubbled cheek brushes against Eddie’s soft one. He nods and tucks in close. Doesn’t say anything, just kisses the seam of Eddie’s neck, closes his eyes, and lets out an unmoored sigh.

The ease of the afternoon is enough to lull Eddie into a peaceful rest. He snores into Steve’s left ear, volume low, air puffed gently.

A hand rakes through his bangs, pulling them up off his forehead, and Steve leaves a simple kiss on the skin. “Love you too, Eds. I’ll be right here.” And he wraps his arms back underneath, settles in completely, and remains over the length of Eddie’s body.

💕—————💕

[is-on-its-way]

In the name of the Father, the Skeptic and the Son

Episodes: One Son/ Two Fathers

Dana Katherine Scully doesn't take overt disrespect and then just continue on with her work. Also Mulder needed a reason why he was being so short with the woman he loves... The titles are Alanis Morissette Lyrics from Jagged Little Pill. I feel like its relevant to this sitch.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Epilogue

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·�� ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

Chapter 1: We had to believe in something, so we did

The lone gunman give Mulder a piece of their minds for being so rude to Scully.

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(LONE GUNMAN office. There is a buzz at the door. FROHIKE goes to the door and unlocks all eight locks and opens the door for MULDER.) MULDER: The latest in home security. FROHIKE: Hey, you get through this, you got to come through me. MULDER: I got a call from Scully. Said it was urgent. (MULDER enters the office. All three GUNMEN are present and also SCULLY in a fetching black turtleneck ensemble.) SCULLY: I'll ask you to hear me out before you launch any objection. Mulder, I asked them to pull up everything they could on Diana Fowley. MULDER: (sigh) I don't have time for this. SCULLY: Mulder, she's playing you for a fool. MULDER: I know her, Scully. You don't. SCULLY: You knew her. You don't anymore. I think we can prove that to you. BYERS: She took a position in the FBI's foreign counter-terrorism unit in 1991. Seven years in Europe. SCULLY: Yet there isn't a single piece of information available on her activities in the FBI files. MULDER: (gives a sarcastic melodramatic gasp) I hope you've got something more than that to indict her with. SCULLY: Travel records pulled from airline manifests that had been purged from her FBI records. Extensive movement throughout Western Europe. Almost weekly trips to and from Tunisia. MULDER: For the purpose of what? LANGLY: That's what we couldn't figure until we took a flyer and we found this. FROHIKE: Mutual UFO network logs. MULDER: MUFON. SCULLY: Special Agent Diana Fowley of the FBI was visiting every European chapter collecting data on female abductees. MULDER: So she's collecting data. Big deal. SCULLY: Or hiding it. MULDER: Scully, you're reaching. SCULLY: Mulder, when I was abducted a chip was put in my neck. When I happened upon a MUFON group filled with women who'd had the same experience. MULDER: So you're suggesting that Diana is monitoring these abductees? Monitoring these tests? SCULLY: You tell me that Cassandra Spender is the critical test subject - the one who could prove everything. And yet, who is watching over her? Mulder, I can prove what you're saying or I can disprove it but not when Diana Fowley is keeping us from even seeing her. Mulder, ask yourself why there is no information whatsoever on Special Agent Diana Fowley. Why she would suddenly happen into your life when you are closer than ever to the truth. I mean, you... you ask me to trust no one and yet you trust her on simple faith. MULDER: Because you've given me no reason here to do otherwise. (Long Pause.) SCULLY: Well, then I can't help you anymore. MULDER: Scully, you're making this personal. SCULLY: Because it is personal, Mulder. Because without the FBI personal interest is all that I have. And if you take that away then there is no reason for me to continue. (MULDER watches her as she walks past him and out of the office.)

Byers was looking at Mulder mouth open slightly.

Langly said “Geez” under his breath

“Of all the idiotic things I’ve ever said to a women, that certainly tops any of it.” Frohike said grimly.

“All right, thats enough out of the three stooges.” Mulder said impatiently.

“You were so mean to her, and all she wants to do is to protect you.” Byers said in disbelief.

Mulder made towards the door.

“Scully is a hundred times the woman Diana is.” Langly added

“Whats the hold she has over you that you’re risking everything you have with Agent Scully?” Frohike said

 “Yeah. What gives?” Byers said

Mulder stopped and turned to them. 

“I have a history with Diana. She’s my friend. I can’t just throw that away because Scully doesn’t like her. It wouldn’t be fair.” 

Life isn’t fair. But the woman you love just walked because she thinks you’re the one being unfair.” Frohike said

Mulder scoffed “Love?”

“Oh lets not hide behind pretense here. Its so obvious, its a wonder you two haven’t figured it out yet.” Byers said.

Mulder rubbed his forehead at this fighting with himself about what he was about to say. 

“Did you tell her? Did you tell her we...” He stopped himself looking up at them. He couldn't say it out loud. 

They all looked surprised, Frohike looked indignant. 

“Of course not.” He answered.

Relief flooded him in a way that made him uncomfortably aware he was relieved.

“We wouldn’t do that to her.” Byers said.

“Besides we agree with Scully on this one.” Langley said

“I guess you have to ask yourself if you value your idea of what the truth is, over Agent Scully’s feelings” Byers said.

“It would be nice if she trusted me.” Mulder said  

“She does trust you. She doesn’t trust Diana.” Byers said

Mulder pondered this and didn’t respond.

“We sure don’t.” Frohike said

She’s dirty Mulder. Nobody comes up that clean in one of our searches unless something sinister is at work” Langly said.

“I just don’t get this need to be right, when you’re so obviously wrong.” Byers said

He started toward the door. “Of course you’d side with the pretty lady.” Mulder said exasperated

Thats not why. But the beatiful agent Scully is a good friend to us. And…” Frohike said

“She gives me advice on you know, girls” Byers said

“She calls me on my birthday” Langly said

“Mine too” Byers said

“Mine three” Frohike said

“You’ve never called us on our birthdays.” Langley said.

“I just figured you three sprouted fully formed from alien larva.” He didn’t look in their direction, pulled open the door and left after Scully.

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He sat in his car and head leaned against the steering wheel. Scully’s words ran through his head. 

It is personal. Without the FBI personal interest is all that I have.  I can't help you anymore. There is no reason for me to continue.

Panic was setting in now. He’d stood up for his principles and for Diana. Thoroughly exasperated with Scully, for not trusting him, not trusting his judgement on a personal matter. They’d become so much closer than they ever had been and she was acting like he was going to run away with Diana or something. At the same time, she’d just admitted to things he was exhilarated and shocked to hear. He’d known they were close, known he loved her, known he liked being her partner. But she’d never talked about the personal side of their partnership. Never made it known she felt like without it, she’d feel the same way he did. That she couldn't continue the work without him. 

He punched the steering wheel and the car honked. A elderly woman, crossing the street in front of his car, with a bunch of grocery bags in her hands jumped and stumbled back. 

He put his hands up to the windshield and yelled “I’m sorry! Sorry ma’am! It was an accident.” 

She gave him a dirty look and recovered her dignity before stalking off. 

He massaged his aching hand and cursed his frustration under his breath. He didn’t want to lose her. Was his loyalty to Diana worth losing Scully? The answer was of course no. He’d never had a partnership or friendship with anyone like he had with her. Nothing he’d had with Diana came close, and they had been… close. He loved Scully. More than he'd ever loved anyone. He was in love with her. Hopelessly. Maybe that was why this theory of hers stung so badly. It was fine for her to shoot him down at work, but this was about a friend. And she didn't trust his judgement. But she could be so stubborn sometimes. Even when there had been a mole in the FBI. Even on her deathbed as she was offering to sacrifice herself for his reputation. She’d been so quick to suspect the only person it seemed they could trust within the FBI. But Skinner hadn’t been the mole. Mulder had been right to go with his gut and not the evidence.

He looked up absentmindedly staring out of the windshield. Evidence. He could get evidence. And he knew three people who could get him Diana’s exact address. He got back out of his car and walked back to where he’d come from.

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Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Epilogue

@today-in-fic 🙏

[italwayshadtobeyou]

One of the things that I kind of miss, as the show's lore develops into the era of bunkers and international secret societies, is the fragmented nature of knowledge in the hunting... well, I was going to say community, but I think I'll go with field. People pass knowledge along family lines, by blood or choice; they don't trust strangers to fact-check it. None of the Winchesters knows that vampires are real before season 1, and they don't think to ask Bobby about the werewolf "cure" until it fails on Madison. Bobby doesn't trust Steve Wandell's friends to care that Sam was possessed when Meg used him to kill Steve. Ellen doesn't trust most of her customer base to not be hunting psychics. Isaac assumes, on minimal grounds, that Bobby, Sam, and Dean are at fault for a devil's gate opening. Walt and Roy try to kill Sam for freeing Lucifer, but they don't try-- in fact, outright refuse-- to learn how it happened. Hunters aren't a single group; they're more like dozens of small paramilitaries that don't really know one another's agendas.

And when hunters do trust outside colleagues, it's likelier than not to go sideways. Gordon Walker tries to kill Sam (although, in fairness to Gordon, Sam himself later wonders if a permanent death might be for the best). Travis (does he get a last name? I can't remember) not only tries to kill a rugaru who hasn't yet killed any humans; his own aggression catalyzes Jack Montgomery's transformation and nearly gets both brothers killed. Sam asks Martin to do recon on Benny, and Martin winds up taking an innocent hostage so that he can trap Benny himself. Helpful, or at least well-meaning, hunters like Bobby, Jo, and Garth are, until some point in the Carver era, exceptions rather than the rule.

(Of course, if you pay attention to the single worst arc episode of the series, which is "The Heroes' Journey," Garth turns out to be the biggest psycho of them all, cheerfully "Garthing" a whole club of people, without attempting to separate the innocent from the guilty. But since that's easily the worst episode Andrew Dabb ever wrote, and it drops another continuity error approximately every three seconds, I'm electing to ignore it.)

I'm not sure exactly when the change starts. It's creeping, rather than sudden. Maybe it starts as far back as season 4's "In the Beginning," when Samuel tests Dean's bona fides by asking him about vampires-- which "Dead Man's Blood" made clear you can hunt a long time without encountering. Maybe inheriting Bobby's contacts list has something to do with it. Maybe, once you call a friendly tech friend like Charlie a hunter, you forget what cold-blooded sons of bitches this show's regular hunters have usually been. You can see the difference in season 9's "Devil May Care," where Tracy makes snide comments about Sam's past but puts it aside to work their case, and season 11's "The Chitters," where Sam and Dean have a low-drama teamup with César and Jesse. Then you have season 12's "Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox," where dozens of hunters gather for a wake in a late hunter's mom's house, and one guy actually fanboys over Sam's possession by Lucifer. Some of these experiences are tense, but they aren't downright threatening, nor are the other hunters all useless against higher-tier opponents.

So, what changed? I'd say that maybe the apocalypse and Leviathan killed off the dangerously ignorant and/or belligerent hunters, but Walt and Roy show back up in season 12, so that seems doubtful. I might also say that the Winchesters have simply earned the trust and respect of their fellow hunters, but, LOL, no. Remember Dean's friend Rudy, and Mary's stooge that Ramiel kills?

I'm left with no good Watsonian explanation. I can give Doylist explanations, sure: Maybe the writers wanted Mary to have associates outside of Sam and Dean; maybe some executive thought that a show about two rejects wouldn't attract the advertisers they wanted; maybe later-seasons showrunners wanted an excuse for more characters to share a room. Unfortunately, Doylist explanations don't interest me much. They might, if I could be a fly on the wall of the writers' room, but I'm watching the final product, and that's where I want to find the sense.

(As a final note, I'm still slightly doped up from a minor surgery earlier today, so please forgive any egregious typos or jumps in topics.)

[deke-rivers-1957]

It Happened at the World's Fair Review

It Happened at the World's Fair expands on what was introduced in Girls! Girls! Girls! (which came out after World's Fair filming started). Taking inspiration from Blue Hawaii, this set of movies are music heavy, have colorful scenery and involve Elvis having to work with child actors. The scenery in this case is the real life world's fair. The 1962 World's Fair in Seattle opened in April and closed in October. With a very limited timeline, it was very important that the movie comes out before the novelty of the fair is gone.

Because this is an actively operating fair, there were many issues involving crowd control. It's a major reason why filming didn't even start in September when most children started school. Naturally, this posed a problem because this meant despite making the movie as fast as possible, it still came out in April 1963 (6 months after the fair closed). Despite the logistical issues, does this movie capture the beauty of the World's Fair while balancing its plot, or does it take a complete nose dive because of the rushed production? Let's find out.

To start with, I'm not a big fan of the title. I get you need to highlight the World's Fair but it's a bit clunky. Might I suggest "World's Fair Wonders"? This opening song is forgettable. "Beyond the Bend" sounds like a rejected version of "Ridin' the Rainbow" from Kid Galahad. Since those two songs have the same songwriters, I get the idea that they repeat melodies to make up for the extra songs. After all Kid Galahad (at the time the last movie the songwriters worked on) only had 6 songs while this movie now has 10.

Elvis singing while flying a crop duster feels dangerous since it's obvious he's distracted. He looks goofy wearing those goggles and just seems out of place. We immediately get jokes with Elvis being a pilot claiming he can't see the barn. It's a joke as old as the Three Stooges. Elvis is so irresponsible that he flies the plane practically next to the road just to flirt with some girls. They almost crash into some telephone wires and I wonder if Paradise, Hawaiian Style was inspired by this scene when they did the helicopter scene with the dogs.

Surprisingly for a cliche womanizer, Mike is financially responsible. It isn't much but it does give him some depth. Given how he almost crashed the plane because he was distracted by women, it's impressive that he that it's not his entire character. As to why he doesn't take the money with him, I have no idea. I guess you have to assume that Mike doesn't know Danny had access to his hiding place.

So he goes to meet one of his girlfriends, Dorothy, who we never see again. They're making out on the couch while Dorothy wants to push away to get some iced tea. But Mike insists on keeping the action going. I know out of context "Relax" is a steamy song, but I wonder if it was intentional to make Mike so pushy. Because he's always touching Dorothy while she pushes him away and does everything she can to get away from him. He pulls stuff out of her hands and it's just creepy.

Her parents come back and I'm very confused on why Dorothy's dad is so upset. Unless we're assuming that they have never met Mike in their entire lives, it's very strange to react like that. At least seeing Mike run for the hills gives us a little chuckle as if to say "yeah he had it coming". The whole scene is just random as we didn't need to emphasize that Mike's a womanizer. The opening scene already tells us that he's a flirt. Since Dorothy doesn't even come back, it just feels like a scene where you go "ok that happened" as it came and went without adding anything.

Mike somehow catches up with a now broke Danny. After multiple bad hands, Danny can't pay his losses to some guys including a Red West cameo. A fight breaks out in the office and I don't think I've ever seen such an ugly scene. That gives it a bit more realism. You don't expect regular guys to have the punch of death. It's supposed to be ugly and brutal and it's not completely unrealistic that Mike and Danny win long enough to get away in their plane, Bessie.

The duo lands in Sherrington where they find out that because of the many debts they have, the sheriff "boots" their plane. He takes away their keys and gives them the ultimatum: pay the $1200 debt in 2 weeks or their plane goes up for auction to recoup the money. That's a pretty good set up for a conflict. It doesn't involve Elvis having bad luck, but instead relies on his friend having a realistic character flaw in the form of a gambling addiction.

Penniless and stranded, the duo tries to get a free ride into town. For how expensive his suits were, I'm amazed they had Elvis walking down the road in it. At first a car with a couple women stop but they only wanted Mike's lighter. I'm not sure if it was meant to be a joke or a narrative device meant to make the audience feel bad for them. Personally I don't think it does any of that. I didn't think it was funny and the "pain" they endure from the bad luck doesn't last long as they immediately get a ride. It makes me wonder why it was even added since there was no indication that a long period of time passed.

We get introduced Mr. Walter Ling and his niece Sue-Lin. I love this family. It's obvious that this is an Asian immigrant family which is very realistic for this part of the country and the time period. Despite Mr. Ling's actor being Chinese and Sue-Lin's actress being born in Manila (which is in the Philippines), it's actually not that bizarre. The Philippines does have a Chinese population so you can easily assume that Sue-Lin has some Chinese ancestry. For the time period, I'm so glad that this family is depicted as real people as opposed to stereotypes.

They drive to the World's Fair and I love the real backgrounds we get because of it. Mr. Ling being a delivery driver makes perfect sense since there are plenty of farms around the Seattle area. He can make extra money to be able to afford going to the fair. Sue-Lin has Mike try to explain what she might see and we get a decent song as "Take Me to the Fair" is a whimsical tune. I love Sue-Lin as a character. She isn't a generic cutesy girl character. We get genuine depth by showing that she's able to understand Chinese when her uncle is talking on the phone. When she finds out that uncle Walter has an important job and can't take her to the fair, she's naturally upset. It's not done in an over the top way where she has a complete tantrum. She understands that uncle Walter needs to take the job, but she's of course disappointed. Her realistic reaction only makes you appreciate Mike when he at first begrudgingly agrees to take her.

Mike's distracted by woman and we get it he's a womanizer. They could've just had him be absentminded because he's worried about finding a way to get money. But I do love how we see Mike and Sue-Lin interact with the real exhibitions such as the monorail. It gives you a special perspective that goes beyond a soundstage and shows just how big this fair is.

We get a Joe cameo as the man who gives Sue-Lin her red dog. I love the montage of them going around the fair. It's a wonderful showcase of what was there in case the viewer never had a chance to go and for younger generations who might not even know about the fair. Plus we get to see Mike warm up to Sue-Lin like he's taking his own daughter or niece to the fair. I can believe a change like that can happen in a short period of time. Unlike a romantic relationship, you don't need to have a lot happen to get along with a child. And it's not like Mike hated Sue-Lin as they got along on the truck ride.

It's really incredible to see just how much you can do at the fair for what doesn't seem like a lot of money. If only this was made earlier as it would've been a great way to promote the movie. After one too many treats, Mike takes Sue-Lin to the fair's nurse station. While Sue-Lin's being treated, Mike starts talking to himself and looks distractingly tan. When the nurse comes in and sees this he naturally can't help but flirt with her.

He pretends to have something in his eye and it's shocking how unapologetically pushy he is. I love how Nurse Warren rightfully calls him out on this. You really feel uncomfortable for her since it's relatable to have a man flirt unwarranted. Sue-Lin feels better so the two of them leave. Mike looks smitten and I have no idea what's meant to be so special about Nurse Warren. Because unless he thinks she's just playing hard to get, they have literally no chemistry.

I love this song. "They Remind Me Too Much of You" is such a beautiful ballad that if it wasn't for the fact that his first interaction with Nurse Warren went horribly, it would be the perfect ballad. We never see a quiet moment like this in any Elvis movie. In fact this is the first time outside of the opening song where Elvis isn't even singing out loud. He's only thinking about it as Sue-Lin sleeps. Not a single word is spoken as we take in this moment of Mike reflecting about his feelings. It's easily the best scene in the movie as it shows that Mike is so much more than a womanizer.

Mr. Ling returns to pick up Sue-Lin and you really get the idea that Mike loved "chaperoning" her. Sure he does say out loud to Danny that he was more happy about meeting Nurse Warren, but I honestly think the movie should've skipped the romance altogether. Mike had more chemistry with Sue-Lin in that one montage than he ever had with any other woman. The scenes with Dorothy and Nurse Warren only shows how shallow he is with women. With Sue-Lin we see a different side of Mike where he grows to care for Sue-Lin like she's his own family member.

Danny manages to swing the duo a temporary home that was set up for people attending the fair. We get introduced to Barney "yoo hoo" Thatcher who Danny uses as his pigeon to get money. Mike talks about how to get with Nurse Warren and again all I can think of is just how shallow he is. Even if he does succeed, it doesn't feel satisfying here because it doesn't feel like he'll change.

"One Broken Heart for Sale" is such an unnecessary song. We don't need to be bashed over the head with the obvious fact that Mike is horny for the nurse. Mike doesn't even deserve to say his heart is broken. You can't say your heart is broken just because someone you just met didn't reciprocate your pushy behavior. It doesn't add anything and just feels so out of place since you also have the other old men magically know what he's singing. Just shows how even the best songwriters can have duds if they're not in the right context. It's a shame because Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott have had great successes with Elvis.

We cut to the next day as Mike has a ploy to get Nurse Warren's attention. He pays a boy, played by an uncredited Kurt Russell, a quarter to kick him in the shin. I love how as Elvis screams in pain, you can see people in the background turn to see what happened. That's a sign that this was a genuine crowd and only makes the setting feel real. Given the extent of the actual injury I'm more amazed that the nurses didn't immediately call for an ambulance. If Mike supposedly can't walk properly that could possibly be a sign of a broken leg. Mike says he blacked out which if you're a nurse is a red flag. The head nurse even has him walk on it and you just have to wonder why they're doing this. They don't know Mike is exaggerating so they're doing a horrible job of insuring his safety when the head nurse suggests Nurse Warren escorts him home.

As Nurse Warren shows no sense of urgency we get pretty obvious rear screen projections as the two talk. Why are we doing this? Nurse Warren doesn't know that Mike's faking so why is she taking her sweet time getting him home? In fact, when Mike again lies about blacking out, instead of calling for an ambulance she instead helps him up to the real rotating restaurant. Why? A professional would've immediately called for an ambulance. You would never risk moving someone who feels that dizzy as you would risk causing them further injury.

His ploy seems to work though since Nurse Warren is in no rush to leave the restaurant. In fact based on the passage of time they've been in that restaurant for hours. Mike even sings a ballad about how he's in love with Nurse Warren. "I'm Falling in Love Tonight" is such a generic ballad that I have no idea why I'm supposed to support this budding romance. Nurse Warren falling for Mike is something I don't buy at all. If anything it's showing that so long as you get the girl, you can be as pushy and manipulative as you want. That's a terrible moral to have for what's supposed to be a family film. It'd make more sense if she's just going along with this until it all blows up in his face, but that isn't at all how it's presented

I do love how the extras have their own charm to the movie. These were legit patrons that had no idea of what's happening. Them clapping after Mike's song was real and I love it because it shows just how weird it is to have someone burst into song in a restaurant. Mike's ploy immediately falls apart as the boy from earlier comes back. He kicks Mike in the shin and I love the old man who's just like "oh my God what's happening". He looks realistically concerned.

As Mike tries to apologize to Nurse Warren, Sue-Lin rushes up to him. She tearfully tells him that her uncle didn't come back from a job. Given how she waited from 9 am to 3 pm for Mr. Ling to return, I'd say Sue-Lin handled the situation very well for a child. You always allow for some delay if someone's traveling because you never know what would happen. When it became obvious that something had to have happened, it's natural for her to be very concerned.

This is the most realistic acting from a child I've ever seen. A 7 year old girl possibly losing her only guardian is terrifying situation to be in. It really says a lot that she didn't go one of her neighbors since they were living in one of those temporary homes as well. In fact, I'm amazed that not a single adult noticed her wandering the fair alone and most likely in distress. It's like the movie wants us to believe Mike's the only adult in this movie who Sue-Lin can even trust.

He takes Sue-Lin home and the movie immediately got better again. Mike explains that he took every measure to make sure people know he has Sue-Lin. I love this as he could've easily been the buffoon that has no idea how to tell anyone that he's watching a child who would otherwise have no one. It seems like it's relatively late at night, so while you can question if Mike's doing the right thing, it's at least better to have Sue-Lin be in a safe space than drive around trying to find the authorities.

We get a sweet scene where Sue-Lin dresses in her traditionally Chinese pajamas. Mike even sings "Cotton Candy Land" as a lullaby. In the context that it's in, I know the lullaby is meant to be sweet, but I only get a creepy vibe to it. I'm not sure why but to me Mike singing it in a quiet voice and the music just makes me feel more scared than soothed. The sandman doesn't feel like this whimsical creature but more like a monster. I'm sure that was unintentional as I don't think it's a common opinion to feel that way.

After pretending to be sick so Mike can make up with Nurse Warren, she arrives to check out Sue-Lin. It's a bit distracting how the studio light casts a big shadow. You know that little night lamp isn't doing that. Sue-Lin tells Nurse Warren the truth and I'm amazed Nurse Warren didn't immediately raise an eyebrow. Then again this is the same woman who took what she believed to be an injured Mike up to a rotating restaurant when he said he was about to blackout. I can't take any expertise or authority a character like her should have seriously.

The movie clearly has no idea on how to handle their relationship as Nurse Warren starts to fall for Mike again when he serenades her. "A World of Our Own" is so unnecessary. Mike being nice to Sue-Lin and taking care of her doesn't eliminate the fact that he was pushy and manipulated her. The whole relationship just feels forced as I don't think this couple has any chemistry. Again there's nothing about Nurse Warren that makes her different since there's a clear difference between playing hard to get and having no interest. While the movie wants to tell you that she's the former, you really know that it's the latter.

Danny comes back from his card games completely drunk. You would think this would tell Nurse Warren that Sue-Lin living with Mike is a bad idea. But no. It's not even a thought that was uttered as she just drives home. How? She has the authority to report this to the authorities since Danny being drunk can lead to terrible consequences. Especially when you have a child in the home.

Danny meanwhile meets up with a guy named Vince who offers Danny a deal to fly up to Canada. Oh yeah they had a debt to repay. I almost forgot about that since that plot took a back seat to the conflict of Mike caring for Sue-Lin and the conflict of Mike getting with Nurse Warren. Vince outright agrees to pay them the whole amount that would allow the duo to get their plane back. So naturally you assume he's going to be the villain which can't possibly be a good thing since he's been introduced way too late in the movie to really do anything important.

Mike comes back from asking about Sue-Lin's uncle. We get a sweet moment where he watches her color before playing "How Would You Like to Be?" with the windup clowns. I love the song as it does serve a purpose. Mike is trying to cheer up Sue-Lin and it of course makes sense that Sue-Lin only sings along once she feels better. These aren't complicated lyrics to try to have a young girl learn so it feels realistic for her to join in. Her dancing along with Mike is sweet but the smirk he has does feel out of place. I would've used a different shot as out of context you don't think he's looking at a 7 year old girl.

A woman from Child Services arrive to take Sue-Lin away. Because after a couple days, now it's a problem for Sue-Lin to be here. The woman says "an abandoned child is automatically a ward of the state" which is a lie. Sue-Lin wasn't immediately taken by the police who had to have known she was with Mike. This whole plot point is terrible as it doesn't properly set up why now all of a sudden is it a problem. The woman claims that it was Nurse Warren who made the complaint which you immediately know isn't true. If Nurse Warren genuinely believed that Sue-Lin wasn't safe, that would've been conveyed in the previous scene. This is just terrible drama meant to turn Mike off of her. Also there's no way that woman from Child Services would straight up tell Mike who made the complaint. That would put the person who made the complaint at risk of retaliation.

This whole situation is gets even worse as for someone who's supposed to be in Child Services, she can't even keep track of one child. I understand that Child Services has a very legitimate job, but this movie doesn't paint them in a good light at all. Instead of taking this seriously, I just see Child Services as a joke in this movie. They're only now making a stink about custody of a child when not even the police mentioned it. Instead of making it a forced situation from the start, it was only "suggested" so I have no reason to buy this organization as legitimate. I can only think of the much later film Lilo & Stitch as it does a better job of setting up why Lilo could be taken out of the home.

So we have Mike now desperately trying to find Sue-Lin as he's the only one who would know where she could be. As irrational as it is that he wouldn't tell authorities where she would be, I 100% get it in this situation. The authorities have done nothing to prove that they are reliable. In fact, if Mike didn't find her, you already know Sue-Lin would just runaway again. It's really sad that a child feels more safe with Mike than the authorities meant to protect abandoned children. It's also frustrating that because of the situation, Mike's now being painted as if he's abducting her.

Mike and Sue-Lin manage to make it to the airport just as Nurse Warren arrives trying to find them. She tries to explain what happened but he naturally doesn't want to hear it. Mike is just so done with everyone as he immediately finds out about the smuggling scheme. I know that Vince being a criminal was going to be this twist but wow they really just dropped that fur smuggling scheme that quickly. It doesn't even give that much importance or tension as Sue-Lin actually does something by biting Vince's finger when he's holding them at gunpoint. A fight breaks out and again it's ugly. Just like a real fight between non-professionals. Mike at this point is running on pure adrenaline so it makes perfect sense for him to win. But it's just so anti-climatic because really? This is what you've been building Danny's subplot up to? This plot element of Danny being involved in a fur smuggling scheme is introduced and resolved so quickly that there's no point in it even existing.

They get caught by the police and it turns out Danny was the one who contacted Child Services. This is a stupid twist as there's no way he could've fooled the woman from Child Services into thinking he's a woman. Also why's he now deciding that Sue-Lin was a problem when he didn't want her being there in the first place? It's not like he cared about Mike's feelings for her.We then find out that Mr Ling was only 20 miles south of the town and was in an emergency hospital. 20 miles is not that far so I have no idea why it took them all these days to figure this out. If Sue-Lin knew where he was going that she knew he should be back by certain point, what's the mystery here? It isn't like uncle Walter got kidnapped and no one knows where he could've been taken. Again a very anti-climatic ending for something that took up a big chunk of the movie.

We time skip to Mike applying to NASA as he walks with Nurse Warren through the fairgrounds. He sings about how this is a happy ending with a very fitting title "Happy Ending". Danny and Sue-Lin with her uncle Walter are nowhere to be seen to share this moment and absolutely nothing was earned. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't think this couple is likable and Mike was better off forgetting about her. It isn't unrealistic to realize "hey my priorities have changed. Getting the girl doesn't matter to me anymore. All that matters is that Sue-Lin is safe." That's character growth.

But no this is an Elvis movie and regardless of whether it makes sense for them to be together, he has to get the girl. It just makes you wonder why we spent all this time on something only for it to be completely hand waved like it was nothing. Almost like they completely ran out of time with writing the script and just had to say "everything is magically resolved no matter how ridiculous it is".

This movie clearly tried to do too much and it shows. You have the conflict of Mike and Danny being broke and needing to get the money for their plane; Mike wanting to get with Nurse Warren and having to deal with her being mad at him because he lied; Sue-Lin's uncle going missing and people thinking she needs to go to Child Services; and a last minute fur smuggling scheme. None of these plots were resolved in a way that feels like thought was put into it. They were only resolved because it's an Elvis movie that has to have a happy ending as opposed to naturally fixing them. As a result, the whole film is messy and is a case of wasted potential. It seriously needs a rewrite to smooth out everything that doesn't connect together well.

That being said, I give this film a 7/10. I can respect the attempt at giving an Elvis character depth, but I still think more work needed to be done. I do recommend watching it simply because the fairground scenes act as a time capsule of what life was like back then. It's just unfortunate that the movie was rushed because it was a great concept. No matter how you look at it, you wouldn't have been able to get this movie out in time to promote the fair. You can't film before the fair opens because then you have nothing to serve as a background since it's being built. You definitely can't film it in April because then you have to worry about the massive crowds since it's a total novelty and you can't do what the directors chose to do and film near the fair's ending because then you won't be able to get it out in time to promote it. It's a lose-lose situation which is a horrible shame but I at least respect the fact that they tried doing something like this.

AN: Thank you to my discord bestie snaileyinsheff for suggesting this movie and providing input. Also shout out to @hooked-on-elvis for providing the link that I used to watch the movie.

Tagging: @eapep, @i-r-i-n-a-a, @atleastpleasetelephone, @huhhhhsthings, @jhoneybees,

@eptodaytommorowforever, @thetaoofzoe, @smokeymountainboy, @dragonkingsdaughter, @myradiaz,

@dnnenenens, @wildhorseinkansas, @lett-them-eatt-cake, @vintagepresley, @mercsandmonsters,

@velvetelvis, @arrolyn1114, @alienelvisobsession, @xanatenshi, @peskybedtime,

@peaceloveelvis, and @tacozebra051.

[spectralarchers]

2 soap/ghost

“If I ever see you anywhere near her/him, you’ll have to deal with me.”

//

(ghost is a boxer, soap is an artist for quick AU context + under a read more, because this took off, lol)

The gym is quiet - well not in the natural sense of the word, because Ghost's phone is blasting a generated playlist on the gym's loudspeakers, but there are no other people in at the moment. They've all left.

Last training session started at 1900, lasted for an hour, and everyone has cleaned up, washed up and gone to each their own and gone home. That was three hours ago. Ghost has been closing up shop, sweeping the floor, cleaning the bags and disinfecting the gym's gloves which have been borrowed tonight.

It's hard work, but it's good work - the tight schedule allows him to keep his daily life together and composed. It's not the same as the military, but it is something close enough. Some of the kids that come in are just like recruits, punks who need some sense of dignity and some routine knocked into him. They like him as a coach because he's rough on them. He usually gets the kids who no other sports association wants because they're too rowdy and too loud or too agitated.

With the right focus, they tend to change and grow more responsible. Some of them who were on their way down the path of the streets change their trajectory and remain here. Gaz had been one of those, and he'd send him forward to Price, who had helped him enlist. Something about potential.

One song merges into the other, and Ghost is putting the last cleaning supplies away when the door suddenly bursts open. "We're closed, sorry," he says absently, loudly enough to break over the music.

He hears footsteps and turns around, dropping the bucket on the ground with a sigh. "I said we're- oh."

His walking goes to a slight jog as he reaches the shaking body of the young man he keeps bumping into in the mornings at the coffee shop on the other side of the road. He's bloodied, his left eye has been busted open, and he looks like he's been in a scuffle.

"What the hell happened?" he growls, helping the man on his feet - he only knows him as Soap, as that's what the barista writes on the man's cup when he orders to go. He's cute, blue eyes that would knock anyone off their feet.

The doors swing open again and four men walk in, lead by a sandy blonde haired man whose face is twisted in a grin. "Give him to us, we're not done with him yet," the man says, and Ghost frowns.

"Don't- don't-" Soap says, as he moves backwards on his elbows, dragging himself back, further away from the intruders.

"The gym is closed, gentlemen, you'll have to come back during opening hours if you want to do business here," Ghost says, loud enough to cover the sound of the music still blasting. The three men standing behind the first one - probably the leader of this pathetic posse - snicker.

One of them even calls at him with a, "Yeah, what are you going to do about it?"

Ghost rolls his eyes. Thankfully, he's warmed up from all the scrubbing and cleaning he's been doing for the past hour, so this will probably be easier than he thought.

"We're closed. Get out."

"Doesn't that count for him too?" the blond man asks, and Ghost lets his arms fall to his sides.

"Get out," he says, dryly. He knows they're going to start swinging soon, if they're not going to pull a firearm out from somewhere, or worse, a knife. Thankfully, he's used to all three.

The leader snickers again. "Saw your sketchbook, by the way," he says, to Soap, who's still on his ass, bleeding from his eyebrow, "I don't think he's aware of what you draw-"

"Shut up," Ghost interrupts. "Get out. I won't say it again."

The next couple of seconds pass by fast enough to remind Ghost of hand to hand combat in the field - one of the three stooges lunges at him with a knife, manages to catch his bicep with the blade before he knocks him out with an uppercut. The second one lunges at his knee, trying to get him off his footing, but quick footwork allows him to dismiss the first stooge, then to drop an elbow and a headbutt to the second one. The third one runs past him and his two friends at Soap, but when Ghost has dismissed the two first stooges, he turns around, pulls the knife from the hand of the first one and throws it at the third one's calf, knocking him off his feet.

"Get out."

The three men are moaning, now the owners of broken noses, a bleeding thigh and a broken clavicle.

"See, that wasn't so smart," the leader says, his eyes now dark like those of a snake. "Do you know who we are?"

"Don't care," Ghost mutters, wiping his mouth.

"We're the Shadows, we own this street, hell, this whole neighborhood. We know you been taking some of our young boys under your wing, right out of our grip. That's not too smart, now, is it?"

Ghost's fists close, and he feels his knuckles grind. God, he wants the man to shut up.

"You really sure you want to risk your business and the safe place of your kids for this-"

"Don't finish that sentence-"

"Or what? You're going to make me?"

The leader and Ghost meet each other face to face, having both crossed the little distance between each other, their foreheads almost knocking against each other - Ghost towers over him, but that doesn't seem to deter this snake.

“If I ever see you anywhere near him, you’ll have to deal with me,” Ghost growls, under his breath. The man smiles.

"I'll see you soon, then, Riley. Boys, let's go. Let these two lovebirds figure shit out," he says, whistling his stooges back on their feet. They groan as they do, and when they've made it out of the front door, the leader turns on his heels to look at Ghost, still standing there.

"Hope you've got insurance on this pretty gym of yours. Would be a shame if something happened to it."

send me a character & a prompt

[just-horrible-things]

‘Verse: Resistance AU: Healer and Handler, co-author @whump-sprite

Who [ First | Prev ]

The overnight footage from Alex’s cell – and the whole block – has been deleted.

“System update fucked up the datetime on the cameras,” Peterson claims. “The rolling store got cleared early. Nothing I can do.”

It's absolute bullshit of course. Nowhere else in the facility was affected. But Peterson isn’t budging, and if the footage is somehow hidden rather than deleted outright, Ari doesn’t have the tech know how to find it.

She files an incident report for misuse of electronic resources. But unless Peterson's pulled this shit before she knows he won't get more than a slap on the wrist. Even if they don't swallow his “system update” story, he’ll say it was just a fuck-up and they’ll believe that.

She only has three suspects. She can't imagine any of those creeps putting a stooge up to it – there’s no way they’d miss out on the personal satisfaction.

So Ari spends about an hour – in between monitoring the live feeds and answering calls – trawling the recording from the closest untouched cameras, taking note of who enters and leaves the dead zone and when. Going by the blood on the floor this morning, the incident probably happened earlier in the night rather than later, but that’s not a lot to narrow it down by.

Unfortunately it turns out Frazier and Henson were both working last night. It shouldn’t be surprising, they probably talked each other into this petty little show of spite. Ari’s reminded of the time Riven spent a month stealing the ink out of one of the printers just to get under that one analyst’s skin.

She files another report, this one against Frazier. He's not supposed to have access to the healers anymore. But this isn't the first time she’s reported the same damn thing. They'll revoke his clearance, again, and in a few weeks he'll find another excuse to get someone to reinstate it. Probably Peterson again, the little rat bastard.

Probably not Peterson, she doesn't actually think he has that authority. It's just easy to be angry at his stupid smarmy face right now.

Frazier or Henson. 50-50 odds, but if she confronts the wrong one, she’ll look like an idiot. Better to be sure.

She might be able to get the answer out of Riven, he does like to run his mouth. But not today, because Frazier and Henson will still be asleep at home and they probably won’t have filled Riven in on their little ”prank” yet.

Back to Plan A, then.

She takes the time to pick up a plate of cafeteria food for Alex's afternoon meal. It'll be lukewarm by the time she gets it down to the cells, but it’s still better than his usual fare.

She hears the healer jump at the sound of the door. Sounds like he knocked a knee or elbow against the wall or floor. Hopefully not his head. He’s scrambling to get on his knees as she lets herself in.

He’d gotten less scared about that. Ariadne’s never punished him for being slow to get up, or even for skipping the formalities. But it’s no surprise he’s more hasty again with fresh stripes as a painful reminder of proper discipline.

Even though it wasn’t discipline.

“Easy,” she greets him, “it’s just your dinner.” She’s pleased to see his eyes widen with anticipation as he sees what she has for him. He’s not so miserable that he can’t be happy about a decent meal.

He reaches for his hot water first, like always. If she can convince them to change one thing about standard protocol it should be that – or turning the thermostat for the cells up. More heat getting into the healers, one way or another.

She forgot to pick up his sweater from the corner of his cell this morning. She was going to get rid of it, but Alex has struggled back into it despite the dried blood and the rents in the back and despite how much it must have pulled his back getting it on. Ariadne ought to take it off him – it’s going to start stinking soon – but she can’t quite bring herself to. Not while he’s eating.

It was only a couple of months ago she had to hold every bite to his mouth. He’d twitch at everything she said, and he could barely get a flicker of magic out without flinching and choking on fear. He’s doing so well for her. All it took was a bit of a gentler touch.

“I need to know which of them came in here and whipped you.” Terror is immediately stark in his eyes. “I won’t tell them you told me. I’ll tell them I got it out of security, okay? But I need to know. So that I can keep it from happening again.”

He doesn’t trust her. She sees it in his eyes. He doesn’t believe she has any interest in stopping them. Frustration itches, but she pushes it down. It’s a lot more to ask of him than trusting her to let him shower without raping him. He’s still doing well.

“This isn’t negotiable,” she prompts. It only takes the faintest hint of steel to make him flinch. “I’m s-s-sorry –” “I know. I’m not mad – not at you. But I need to know.”

He shrinks in on himself. Patience, Ari cautions herself. Her steady attention and expectation is enough. He’s just scared.

“N-Neil,” he whispers eventually. “I-I mean, F-Frazier, sir.” “Okay,” Ariadne agrees levelly, “Good. Well done.”

She makes herself take a deep breath and turn away from Alex so that he knows it’s not directed at him before she lets herself exhale anger.

“Jealous fucking creep. What a petty, insecure dipshit of a guy.” Alex looks shocked. But there’s something else too, something that could be appreciation or even humour just about edging out the fear. “I’d kick his teeth in if I had the chance,” Ariadne confides with a hint of a hard, conspiratorial smirk. Alex almost, almost smiles back. “I’d…” he starts, but he doesn’t finish the thought.

Ari grins at him anyway, just for a second before she turns serious again. “I will not be telling him that you told me,” she promises, “so don’t you go fessing up, okay? They don’t record audio from these cells, so it’s between you and me.”

The healer looks nervous, but he nods his head. “Okay, sir.”

She’s about to leave him when she remembers about the sweater. It's probably unsalvageable, but…

She crouches beside him and takes the hem to get a better look. As she thought, the blood’s the least of the damage. The fabric is practically shredded, not worth mending even if she was inclined to, which she isn't. Darning a healer's clothes would be ridiculous.

“I’m – sorry sir.” Alex’s voice is suddenly choked, giving away the tears in his eyes. “I – I didn’t have time t-to take it off…” “Hey. It’s okay.” “I would’ve – I d-didn’t want to ruin it but he didn’t –” “It’s not your fault. Hey, listen to me. I’ll get you a new one. It’s no big deal.” His throat bobs as he tries to swallow his tears. “Thank you, sir,” he manages. “I’ll get you a new one,” Ari repeats. “It’s okay.”

She can’t even pat his shoulder. Fucking dipshit Neil. She pats the healer's head instead. His curls are starting to grow in again. He sniffs, and wipes his nose on the back of his hand.

When she leaves, Ari’s careful to close the door softly. She changes the code on the lock again. Frazier’s clearly getting his buddies in security to sort it for him, but it’ll slow him down. It’s an obstacle in his way. And if he’s going to be fucking petty, two can play at that game.

Finding Frazier's shift pattern is a little more work than finding Henson’s. He's on nights all week, so Ariadne could catch him tonight by staying late. She doesn't much feel like rising to the bait though, not when she has nothing to use against him and it'd only be giving him the opportunity to gloat.

Before she goes home, she spends another while crawling the security feeds, trying to figure out the options that she doesn't usually have any reason to use.

If she knew how to have the cell footage make a second copy of itself or something, somewhere those assholes couldn't wipe it… but it would probably be an infosec breach if she did.

She'll find something. Frazier clearly doesn't realize what thin ice he's on after the last round of allegations. He doesn't get to mess with Ari's healer.

[tomorrowusa]

It's clear that America's autocratic enemies desperately want to elect Trump. It's the cheapest way for kleptocrats in Russia, North Korea, Iran, and North Korea to weaken the United States.

Foreign dictators manipulating US media is not new. But now we see Putin making direct monetary investments in platforms which promote stooges for the Kremlin.

The indictment unsealed in New York’s Southern District accused two employees of RT, the Kremlin’s media arm, of funneling nearly $10 million to an unidentified company, described only as “Company 1” in court documents. CNN has independently confirmed that “Company 1” is Tenet Media, which is a platform for independent content creators. It is self-described as a “network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues,” according to its website, which matches language contained in the newly unsealed indictment. The alleged Russian operation tapped two people to set up the company in their names to add to its legitimacy and the two founders were aware Russian money backed the operation, according to the indictment. The goal of the operation, according to prosecutors, was to fuel pro-Russian narratives, in part, by pushing content and news articles favoring Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others who the Kremlin deemed to be friendlier to its interests. Among the commentators listed on Tenet Media’s website are right-wing personalities Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin. All have released statements saying they were victims of the alleged Russian scheme and they maintained editorial control of the content they created. Each has a loyal fanbase online, with a combined roughly 6 million followers on YouTube alone. Pool interviewed Trump on his podcast in May.

Tenet Media was just one of Putin's tentacles in US media.

The DOJ’s revealing of the alleged Russian plot was part of a wider set of actions the Biden administration announced Wednesday it was taking to tackle a major Russian government-backed effort to influence the 2024 US presidential election including sanctions on 10 individuals and entities, and the seizure of 32 internet domains. At Russian President Vladimir Putin’s direction, three Russian companies used fake profiles to promote false narratives on social media, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. Internal documents produced by one of those Russian companies show one of the goals of the propaganda effort was to boost the candidacy of Trump or whoever emerged as the Republican nominee for president, according to an FBI affidavit.

Putin tried to deflect the negative publicity by claiming he liked Kamala Harris's laugh. Of course his puppet Weird Donald doesn't have a laugh – just a malicious sneer.

Putin will continue to try to interfere in elections until it becomes too costly for him to do so.

RELATED: The Kremlin has Putin-friendly influencers sowing pro-Trump propaganda.

Unsealed FBI Doc Exposes Terrifying Depth of Russian Disinfo Scheme

Of particular note, the documents released Wednesday included an affidavit that noted a Russian company is keeping a list of more than 2,800 influencers world wide, about one-fifth of whom are based in the United States, to monitor and potentially groom to spread Russian propaganda. The affidavit does not mention the full list of influencers, but is still a terrifying indicator of how deep the Russian plot to interfere in U.S. politics really goes. The Doppelganger program and its “Good Old USA Project” aimed to mimic mainstream media outlets to push pro-Russian policies through fake social media accounts. Documents show that the Kremlin specifically targeted Trump supporters, minorities, gamers, and swing-state voters by spreading far-right conspiracies and capitalizing on existing divisions in U.S. politics. ”They are afraid of losing the American way of life and the ‘American dream,’” Ilya Gambashidze, an architect of the project, wrote, outlining his scheme. “It is these sentiments that should be exploited in the course of an information campaign in/for the United States.” To do so, the Russian government would emphasize that Republicans are “victims of discrimination of people of color” and promote conspiracies that white middle-class people are being discriminated against. The “guerrilla media” plan needed to not only plant falsehoods, but also spread them far and wide. They targeted gamers and chatroom users, who they described as the “backbone of the right-wing trends in the US segment of the Internet,” and monitored social media influencers.

[heavenlycloud]

meet the users: the androids 彡♡

kim y/n (jasmine) “diana”~ @gotsantaclaus

❀ center, main dancer, and sub rapper of aespa that trained for 4 years under SM. she attended Hanlim for high school. her best friend in the group is ningning but outside of the group, but she has a lot of other friends too. minji of new jeans is her little sister, and she’s extremely protective of minji and her members. she’s known to be the funny one in her group, and fans love her because she’s not afraid to speak her mind on something that’s important to her. fans and idols alike think she’s fine as hell, and she knows this which is why she acts like a flirt. but she’s afraid of commitment so she doesn’t date or talk to people with a future in mind.  lastly, she’s  ⅓  of aespa’s ‘Three Stooges’ trio and a mega dork when you get to know her. 

༺ ʚ♡ɞ༻

yoo jimin “karina”~ @sanrina

❀ leader, lead rapper, sub vocalist, and face of the group that trained for four years before debuting with aespa. she’s close with y/n and they often have a tom and jerry relationship as fans describe it. a hot mess when it comes to relationships because she doesn’t know what she wants anymore. 

༺ ʚ♡ɞ༻

uchinaga aeri “giselle”~ @bethe1sinnerG

❀ main rapper and sub vocalist who trained for ten months before debuting with aespa. there was awkward tension between her and y/n as trainees because the original plan was to only let one of them debut to make a four member group. it took a few months for y/n and her to become close but once they did there was no going back. got her heartbroken a few months ago, and has been in her hoe phase ever since. lastly, she’s ⅔ of aespa’s ‘Three Stooges’ trio.

༺ ʚ♡ɞ༻

kim minjeong “winter”~ @ THESEASON

❀ lead vocalist, lead dancer,  and visual who trained for three years before debuting in aespa. she’s the second introvert of the group along with y/n but she's convinced y/n is an E not an I. when she met y/n for the first time, y/n thought she was born in 2005 not 2001. as the recipient of y/n’s affection most of the time and she pretends to hate it but then gets mad when y/n isn’t giving her attention. she doesn't really have much luck with relationships because she doesn't like talking about her feelings. that and she doesn't talk to her crushes, she just ignores them thinking it will make them fall in love with her (it doesn't work they just think she hates them). she’s the third member of aespa’s ‘Three Stooges’ trio.

༺ ʚ♡ɞ༻

ning yizhuo “ningning”~ @bombasticsideæ

❀ main vocalist and maknae who trained for five years before debuting in aespa. she entered SM at the same time as y/n which is how they got close. every group has that token ship with two members…aespa’s is with y/n and ningning. y/n and her are almost always together but not to the point where being friends/members is their only personality trait. despite having a bunch of people trying to get her attention, she’s completely uninterested in having a relationship. she’s the most in tune with her feelings amongst her members, yet doesn’t acknowledge that weird fit of butterflies she gets around a certain someone every now and again. lastly, her entire gallery is just pics of herself, memes, or memes of herself all of which she shamelessly posts.

‎♡‧₊˚˘͈ᵕ˘͈‎ 彡♡ ༘*.ﾟ .·:¨༺ ʚ♡ɞ༻¨*:·.﹢࿐ ☆

[allthinky]

Vindication?

At the risk of izcourse, I want to say that nobody can be vindicated from a trailer. I mean "Ha! I told you Madeleine Sami would be on the crew!" yes, that's a winner. Most other things we can't be conclusive about because we know how they cut trailers and release clips. To confuse and confound us, and we are most thankful!

But also, more specifically, vindicated about what? That these guys are pirates and served under the scoundrel Hornigold and are used to torture and injury as forms of discipline? We knew that.

I certainly was hoping that Ed would just be mostly sad sack Ed and not be doing more maimings (though he loves a good maim) primarily because so many fans already have such problematic reads of the character. But of course, a good script doesn't spend time hoping that racists and such won't get ammunition from their well-told story.

So. Yes. Izzy told Ed that he'd better get meaner and more devilish and be Blackbeard again, and Ed for all the reasons has taken that seriously and Izzy is, you know, reaping what he sowed. [I've actually been in a similar work situation where a sort of middle manager kept bugging their superior that we needed to get leaner and meaner and in the end that guy got (nearly) canned and so this feels familiar? They were very surprised that the face-eating leopard that they helped to build came after them.]

I'm not a fan of the toes thing or the turtle/crab thing or yardies or coconut wars but I know that kind of violence is classic comedy since even before the godawful Three Stooges.

If you feel vindicated that Izzy made a huge mistake (cf. Arrested Development) then I'm with you. But for the rest of it, I'm waiting for the actual episodes.

Izzy has always been 3-D and interesting, but he's not the hero, or even a hero, and he's only good at some parts of his job. And now he may be discovering that using pain and fear to get others to do your bidding has its downsides.

Fang is a fucking angel.

[elfdragon12]

I'll get the episode, but there's a moment where someone, I believe Silverbolt, thinks Tarantulas is dead and takes a brief moment to show respect for the dead.

And yes Rattrap is definitely one to mock his dead enemies, not denying that.

Optimus Primal also continually tries to reason with Megaton even in Beast Machines, is angered when Dinobot kills his evil clone, mentions putting a large timer on a bomb and a warnign he put in Megatron's ship so they could escape peacefully and even when he kills Megatron in Beast Machines, Optimus does so somberly.

Inferno was not only reprogrammed to be a Predacon, but because Tarantulas rushed the reprogramming and interrupted Inferno's pod was already scanning a fire-Ant, his beast mode "overwrote his logic circuits" in the show's words. Tarantulas did more reprogramming on Inferno after he was damaged to make him loyal to them, but the Predacon shell program had already been placed in Inferno before he thought was an ant. Effectively making Inferno both brainwashed and brain damaged.

Quickstrike was amnesiac and immediately told he was one of Megatron's minions and to get to work, I'd call that indoctrination, particularly as he never learned he was a Maximal and that erasing Autobots would erase him too.

True, Quickstrike was stupid and belligerent to begin with before being indoctrinated into Predacons, but does that really make him irredeemable?

And I believe you're correct about the writers dismissing Waspinator, Inferno and Quickstrike as comic relief baddies, but I disagree that children wouldn't care about the villains being killed. If anything seeing Megatron's minions act like the three stooges makes the deaths or fate worse than death (in Waspinator's case) hit harder?

Is it one of the episodes leading up to the season 2 finale? Tarantulas doesn't play dead that often. I'm guessing it's only one or two passing lines before the story moves on and from the character whose defining traits are "noble" and "bleeding heart". Literally no one liked Tarantulas or would have said anything good about him after his death. He traumatized Cheetor two different times.

None of those things really indicate mercy specifically for Megatron. Optimus Primal was a scientist more invested in peace than being a soldier (a major reason I don't like the 2021 IDW retelling). It's major point in the episode "Gorilla Warfare". Also, if I remember that episode right, Optimus just says "you're disgusting" after Dinobot revealed the fate of the clone and flicked a piece at Optimus, hitting him. (Also, the way he was written in Beast Machines was very much criticized.)

You may not be remembering the episode "Spider's Game" quite right. Tarantulas gets a pod to land, removes the Maximal chip and replaces it with a Predacon chip, the DNA scanner finds the ants before the spider Tarantulas brought, and, while Blackarachnia tries to manipulate Inferno while Tarantulas goes for the pod--his true intention. Tarantulas didn't reprogram him two different times. After he gets shot to pieces, Tarantulas disappears and Megatron takes Inferno to get him repaired. That's it. Next episode, he's imprinted on Megatron. The Predacons brainwashed him about as much as they brainwashed Blackarachnia. The ant brain did way more work than the Predacon programming.

I don't think you're remembering "Coming of the Fuzors" quite right either. Megatron got his computer to change their activation codes. Quickstrike didn't believe Megatron's claim until after he went "Quickstrike, terrorize" and changed. Meanwhile, Silverbolt immediately believed Megatron coming in after Inferno attacked saying "oopsie! Our mistake!" Megatron a little while later says "yes, excellent, teamwork and cooperation. Those are the Predacon watch words". Quickstrike replies "how about backstabbing and treachery?" He was 100% already like that. Let's not forget that he does betray Megatron at one point. He really wasn't all that brainwashed or indoctrinated if he was perfectly fine betraying Megatron.

Silverbolt, on the other hand, questions Megatron's ruthlessness before ever learning he started out as a Maximal protoform. He fully becomes a Maximal after the Maximals show him kindness.

What makes a character redeemable is choice. Dinobot was redeemable because he made the choice. Blackarachnia was redeemable because she made the choice. Quickstrike was not redeemable because he did not make the choice.

It didn't bother me as a kid when I was watching it on TV in the 90s. I was fully a "root for the good guys" and "like the yellow kid appeal character" type of kid. It depends on the child. The slapstick was a major part of their comedic role, so it's only a short step further.

[major-knighton]

HALLOW-LEE-N movie review Oct 28th : The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

I skipped quite a few of the Hammer Dracula movies on account of being unable to find them. This one is the last of the movies to feature Lee, and second before last Hammer Dracula movie overall.

It's 1972, London, and strange things are going on in the basement of a house. A man wakes up on a bed, all beaten up. He kills his guard and creeps out of the house, but he is pursued by evil guys on motorbikes. He gets rescued and brought back to his headquarters (some kind of intelligence agency) and spills the tea before dying.

His bosses, Torrence and Matthews, discuss what is happening and explain it to a police guy named Inspector Murray. I believe Murray was a character in the previous film that I skipped.

Four members of high society including a Minister have been photographed leaving that strange house, where according to the dead guy's testimony was home to satanic rituals. We see those satanic rituals, featuring a bunch of shots of a naked young woman getting very excited about having blood dripped on her. Whatever.

Murray takes this problem to Lorrimer Van Helsing, a descendant, and carbon copy of the old Van Helsing. His granddaughter Jessica is also there, I am given to understand she played a major role in the previous movie as well.

One of the guys photographed at the spooky house is an old college friend of Van Helsing, so he goes to see him. The friend is a nervous wreck who ends up breaking down and confessing he's working on an accelerated radioactive plage bacillus, and he needs to be finished before the 23rd, when the Sabbath will happen.

The friend unsurprisingly gets killed by the satanic cult the same day. Meanwhile, Torrence's secretary gets kidnapped by the evil bikers and served to Dracula for a drink.

Later, Torrence, Murray and Jessica go to the house of horrors. They ask Jessica to stay behind in a Dracula-typical display of not trusting the female characters, and go ring the bell and talk to the cult leader all polite-like. Barbara Yu Ling is very fun as the cult leader BTW.

Meanwhile, Jessica sneaks into the basement and she does quite well for herself, until she finds a bunch of chained up vampire ladies, including the secretary. Is her subsequent hysterical screaming a case of 70s female character syndrome or a depiction of her trauma from nearly being drinked in the previous movie? I'll leave that to you.

The vampire ladies are defeated by turning on the sprinkler, because their fear of running water apparently applies to showers. I dread to think how the undead smell.

Van Helsing hears about a guy not showing up in photos and his Dracula alarm bells immediately start ringing. He tracks down the place where he last killed Drac to a large company building which is also funding our dead plague scientist's research. Suspicious!

Van Helsing goes up to meet the CEO who plays at putting on a Lugosi accent and hiding his face to pretend that he is Not Dracula, but a little trick with a Bible reveals that he is in fact very much Dracula. Van Helsing tries to kill him but the remaining three cult members stop him.

Van Helsing is brought to the house, where Jessica lays prepared for the sacrifice. Dracula explains that he will make Jessica his bride, and the three stooges plus Van Helsing will be infected with his radioactive super plague and carry it out to the world to end makind. Wow.

Murray sneaks in, accidentally starts a fire which conveniently destroys the plague infected dude, but Murray, Van Helsing and Jessica all make it out. Dracula seems to really enjoy chasing after Van Helsing, until the latter takes refuge near a hawthorne tree. Since Jesus's crown of thorns was made of hawthorne, it harms Dracula, who doesn't think of going around the tree instead of right through it, enough that Van Helsing can stake him with a fence picket.

Thus perishes for good the most powerful vampire of all time, bested by a bush. I definitely get why people say the Dracula series started off strong and then got gradually weirder and less coherent. Cushing and Lee were still giving it their all though, so it was still a fun ride. 6/10.