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whydoeseverythinghurt · 3 years ago

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Someone tell me Lower Decks gets better

Edit: So I am hearing good things from very angry people, and I think that means that it’s fine.

I know that a lot of people like Lower Decks, and I think in isolation, I would be one of them, but this is supposed to be Star Trek, right? I like Rick and Morty’s particular brand cynicism, and hopelessness, and I know a lot of the people working on Lower Decks come from there, but that just isn’t Star Trek.

Disclaimer: I only saw the first episode, so most of this can be discounted if that isn’t an accurate depiction of the show as a whole.

Star Trek started off as a ‘perfect’ utopian future, that was about what its creators thought we should aspire to. But from the get go we are shown that there are many issues with it, and that it is a utopia because someone is always fighting against the bad actors, working to improve life, and deal with all those issues. Star Trek is about reform from the inside.

Kirk and Spock both think the Admiralty, the Starfleet Code of Conduct and even the Prime Directive are needlessly restrictive, so what do they do? They find loopholes.

Spock tells Commodore Decker that he won’t stand for the endangerment of the crew, and if he wants to call it mutiny he can do so the second they get back to civilization, where Spock will be allowed to plead his case. Kirk is told that all the Court Martial business can be swept under the rug if he’s willing to give up his pride, and he says no. He forces them to have to go through the process, so that he can plead his case, but also to demonstrate that the system should work, it shouldn’t ignore issues.

Picard and River find out that the Admiralty are being controlled by worms, and take it upon themselves to stop the damage that they are doing. (Such a Star Trek sentence, I know.)

Deep Space Nine as it progresses makes the show about how the ‘utopia’ is based on colonialist ideals, and leaves behind the most vulnerable in society. In the beginning this is done with the justification that if they help the people suffering and being discriminated against, then they may lose a potential ally, or gain an enemy. The government decides that it isn’t worth the risk, and let’s people suffer.

But Deep Space Nine is not just as amazing as it is because of the Holocaust metaphors, its also because it pushes at the moral fabric of the Federation. It asks the question “What happens when push comes to shove, and your perfect society descends into war?” And it shows the fallout, and it shows the toll on people’s lives, and it shows that even when you aren’t living in a perpetual state of war it’s very difficult to go back.

Voyager asks “What happens when no one is looking? What happens when all you have are your ideals and morals that come from a society you are no longer attached to (that we as the audience know, no longer exists)? Do you sacrifice your morals so that you can get back to your utopia? In fact, do you sacrifice your ideals for your utopia as a whole. Or would sacrificing them make it something other than a utopia?”

Haven’t seen all of them yet, so: Discovery says “What happens when you make the wrong moral judgment (or depending on interpretation, the right one, but no one allows you to go far enough)? What happens when you are the scapegoat that they blame an entire war, on? Even one that has brewing since before you were born. What do you do when they place the blame squarely on your shoulders, and solely at your feet? What do you do when the one person who gave you a chance to prove yourself turned out to be lying the entire time, and actually wanted you to be what everyone else thought you were?

“What do you do afterwards? How you trust someone again after that kind of betrayal? What do you do when some goodie two shoes, who has never seen the horror that you have, comes waltzing in and trying to apply their morals to your life? How could they possibly win your trust?” That one gets a definitive answer, they show their convictions, even when no one is watching, they say, “we have to do the right thing.”

It goes on to ask several others, (from what I know) which are in some ways similar to later seasons of Deep Space Nine, “What do you do when the utopia you loved and fought and bled, and that people died for, is gone? How willing are you to fight to get it back?”

Lower Decks introduces a character who sees the moral failings of Starfleet, shows them to other people and then encourages them to give up, and not try to make the situation better. They have influence, and could easily seize power, but what do they do? Nothing. They watch as people who should not be in charge remain in power and do nothing about it, and discourage anyone who wants to try. They don’t want things to be different, they want to rebel against their parents. And that’s it, not corrupt institutions, not bad protocols, or worse people in charge. They want their parents to notice them.

That is not Star Trek. Star Trek is about hope in the most dire of circumstances. It’s about persevering and going against the odds, even when you know you’re probably going to die anyway, but you still have to try.

It is about not just fighting for yourself, but for your family, your people, your crew, caring about the faceless and the nameless, the ‘lesser’, those that cannot fight for themselves. Standing up to and against the institutions which did the wrong thing, which did not protect the people they should have. (The waters get muddy with the different framings of the maquis, but you are meant to be sympathetic to their ideas, and morals, if nothing else.)

Nihilism has its place in Star Trek, (a cynical outlook can be seen as one of the most common character traits across series.) Existential dread has its place too, but it has to be tempered with that hope. And that hope isn’t unwavering, in fact most characters at one point or another lose it, briefly or for longer periods of time, but in those moments they rely on those around them to keep the faith. They continually pass the torch of whose responsibility it is. One of the most important things is that there is always someone who has hope.

And I would probably like Lower Decks if it seemed at all willing to explore the idea, “Well, what do you do when hope is completely lost? What do you do what there is no one left? And the thing you love is a shell of either what it used to be, or what it aspired to?”

Instead, all that is left of a green character who has never encountered that adversity and has their ideals forcefully beaten out of them. The central authority in their life tells them how they are wrong to cling to them (and then that person is demonstrated to be right.) I would be interesting to see the story if they wished to explore a slow dawning realization that hope is really lost, or even asked, “What do you do when there is nothing to hope for? And no one left to have that hope?”

To me it seems like they heard about Star Trek from parodies, and wanted to make jokes, so they set its central themes on fire, and then didn’t want to explore the implications. Just play in its dead carcass, and don’t you dare think about what it once was.

I know that Enterprise had its issues, but most people say that it improved greatly with the last season (besides the last episode), and say that it could have done more and been better if the network would have just kept it around a bit longer. People have their criticisms of Discovery and Picard, but I get the impression that they truly are labors of love.

Lower Decks gives me the feeling that it is just a blatant cash grab made by people who didn’t know, or understand the property and just had to do something with it. I know that their is diversity in the series, but I wish that I could say definitively that that the woman in the burka was actually meant to show the same sentiments as Chekhov in the Original Series. (As I remember seeing someone suggest as a viable option for how the New movies could handle Anton Yelchin’s death.) My thoughts right now is that it’s just an attitude of “Well, Star Trek is about diversity in thought, culture, and race, so we should make the characters diverse, because it’s a utopian future, right?” With no intention to to continue the way of dealing with current issues through allegory.

I hope I’m wrong. As far as I know it is a good show, but right now I don’t think it’s a good Star Trek one.

(Although again take that with a grain of salt, because I have seen so little, and I didn’t particularly like the Orville, or what I’ve seen of it. Mostly, because it felt clunky, unnatural, boring and like they took half remembered plot points/storylines and placed new characters into them. The heart was there, but the thought didn’t seem to be.)

Tl;dr: Can someone tell me if Lower Decks has the characters fight back against Starfleet, or the bad elements in it? Or even if it explores why that isn’t an option? Why they have lost all hope?

#star trek #star trek tos #star trek the original series #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #star trek ds9 #star trek deep space 9 #star trek deep space nine #star trek voy #star trek voyager #star trek disco #star trek discovery #star trek lower decks #star trek meta #long post

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oh-boy-me · 5 years ago

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Alright I'm curious about your take on movie night with the undateables, including Luke since this is non- romance. Snack preferences, what movies they choose, funny stories from movie night. Whatever strikes your fancy with the idea is good with me. Thanks in advance!

Sorry it took a little bit (´ω｀。) It’s my first time working with these characters so I wanted to give it my absolute best

I’m setting this up as individual movie nights so that each character can get the spotlight for a while; I hope that’s ok! Also, a lot of them somehow ended up in a context of it being the first time you’d hung out one on one lol

Simeon:

It feels like Simeon spends just about all of his time with Luke and Solomon, while you spend just about all of yours with the brothers. So, you decide to have a movie night to finally spend some time together without having to divide your attention. Purgatory Hall is the obvious choice of location, since its residents are much more ready to leave you alone when asked.

This angel is a traditional kind of guy, as angels tend to be, so popcorn is the only snack idea that comes to mind. Traditional doesn’t mean close-minded, though, so he’s more than willing to try out any snacks you bring along. Actually, he encourages you to bring a bunch of snacks to try out together! You can have a taste test while you watch the movies!

Simeon likes Hallmark movie-type movies a lot, mainly because they demand little emotional investment. Movies like horror don’t scare him, but they do stress him out because he wants all the protagonists to get their happy ending! Another benefit of Hallmark movies is that it’s fun to try to guess exactly what will happen, since they can be so predictable.

Of course, he doesn’t want to monopolize your movie lineup, so if there’s something you want to see he’s all for it. If you want to go for something more thrilling, he’ll power through it like a champ, but you can see him visibly cringing at some points.

Simeon is lowkey a movie cuddler, but like in a way that still respects your personal space bubble. He won’t spend the film with you in his arms or anything, but the entire couch is fair game.

Simeon apparently likes to talk during movies–he doesn’t mean to, but the thoughts kind of just come out. He’s brutally honest about what he’s thinking, so if you’re down with it, talking about and roasting the movie as it’s happening is a load of fun. “I don’t know MC, I don’t think this guy’s all that great either? Sure maybe he isn’t completely ignoring her, but look, he obviously has commitment issues; at least her ex was just busy all the time. Look, Mr. Lone Wolf’s beard is uneven. Why does she want a man who wants to look rugged but can’t get it right?”

Simeon also will accidentally spoil any movie he’s already seen like this, so you’re best off watching films that are new to both of you.

He knew that you were a nice and fun person, but honestly he’s kind of taken aback by how good you are to be around. Since the only human he’s usually around is Solomon, talking to one and not feeling like you need to second-guess everything you’re told is a new and welcome feeling.

Before you split for the night, he asks if you’d like to do something like this again. As an angel, there’s a lot that he hasn’t experienced–a lot of food, a lot of activities, a lot of media–and you’re someone that he feels like he would be comfortable trying new things with. You can expect lots of texts like, “Hello! I hope you’re doing wellヾ(＾-＾)ノ Are you free tomorrow?”

Luke:

You probably decide to have a movie night after Luke ends up spending way longer than he expected to in the kitchen at the House of Lamentation. On the condition that absolutely no demons are to join you two! Ok maybe Beel and Levi are ok but absolutely no one else! After a call to Simeon explaining that he isn’t coming back to Purgatory Hall tonight you guys are good to go.

He always brings baked goods when he comes over, plus whatever he was working on in the kitchen, so you’re more than covered! The majority of it is things like cookies and fudge bark. They’re easy snacks to grab a handful of.

Luke tries to insist that he wants to watch a movie with lots of violence or a horror film, or any other kind of movie that teenagers sneak into. He’s doing it because he’s so frustrated with everyone calling him a kid when he’s centuries older than a human will ever be, stop making fun of him!! For his sake and yours, you should tell him that you don’t want to watch that sort of movie, because if you let him get away with it he’ll get too freaked out in the first 20 minutes.

Most likely you’ll end up having a Disney marathon. They’re so fun, and since the Celestial Realm is pretty isolated when it comes to cultural exchange, he’s only seen a couple, so you can show him your favorites! Also, he’s not crying. No, you saw that wrong.

He starts off on the other side of the couch, one again trying to be mature and shit, but that won’t last long. Anyone who sees you huddled together like that will be punched in the gut with the sheer level of sibling energy y’all are radiating. Lucifer almost doesn’t want to mock him. Almost.

That thing where immediately after consuming a piece of media, you imagine yourself as part of that universe? Luke loves to talk about that sort of thing. “If I lived there, I’d have given Gaston a piece of my mind!” “Ok but if I was a piece of furniture what do you think I’d be? I can totally see you being a…”

“I think you’d be the footstool that acts like a dog, Luke.” “Hey, Lucifer, you weren’t invited to our party!!”

You might (will) have to fend off a few nosy demon brothers to protect your demon-free movie lair. Luke swears that next time you have to come over to Purgatory Hall, but he’s having way more fun here than he’s willing to admit.

He also learns that most of the brothers will listen to you without complaint. He will definitely keep this in mind.

This kid angel has so much energy, how is he still awake after five movies? You absolutely have to establish a bedtime because he literally will not go to bed until you do.

Solomon:

It’s quite rare for you to have a break from the seven avatars of attention hogging, so if you’re going to have a movie night, Purgatory Hall may as well be a godsend.

You may want to be careful about getting there, because if Asmo catches wind that you and Solomon are having a movie night without him, he’s going to show up unannounced and then refuse to leave. Solomon can come pick you up if you need. Just, he’ll be waiting a block away so Asmo can’t catch up.

Solomon is a “dinner and a show” kinda guy. He will offer to make dinner. Do not let him do this. Either make it yourself or order takeout.

You’ll pretty easily agree on alternating who chooses the movie. You get the first, he gets the second, you get the third, etc. Definitely isn’t letting you choose first to lure you into a false sense of security about the DVD in his hand, what made you think that?

Solomon is the kind of person to lie about what sort of movie he’s put in. “Solomon what is this supposed to be?” “Oh, don’t worry about it.” It’s gonna be a weird movie. You just have to wait and see.

He is going to rip into your movie choices. He liked how they worked with this, and that was impressive, but these bits? Did they think they could get away with that? What was the budget? Rest assured, though, he expects you to do the same for him. In fact, he’ll be quite disappointed if you don’t.

He prefers a setup on his bed rather than on the couch. He’s also one of the ones who keeps to himself in terms of personal space, although that’s not to say that he isn’t relaxed. Some might say he’s too relaxed, but that’s just who he is: too relaxed in any situation. On the surface, at least.

As the only humans in the Devildom, some of the night is probably spent reminiscing on how different things tend to be here. Solomon does feel bad that you in particular have had to make so many changes to your life and habits with no warning. He has his magic to rely on, so he’s glad you have your reputation of “the human that made a pact with the student council” to keep demons from messing with you.

If you want, he’s happy to let you sleep over so that you don’t have to explain why you’re coming home so late. He also encourages you to not say anything to your dorm mates. Wouldn’t it be fun to make them wonder? They’re always breathing down your neck, aren’t they? Make them squirm a little bit. You’re going to get a scolding for sneaking out regardless. It’s incredibly cruel; you know they worry sick about you more than is called for. Will you play along? That’s up to you. I advise you not to.

Like Simeon felt like he needed to second-guess everything around a bunch of demons and Solomon, Solomon sometimes feels like he needs to keep himself guarded around a bunch of demons and two literal angels. You, however, are a human. You have common ground, and Solomon can see how your vulnerability here translates into strength. He’s not quite ready to admit it but, your ability to survive on character and not power is inspiring to him. Shortly before you go home/to sleep, he mentions something about himself, and for once it seems like he’s being honest.

Barbatos:

You have the movie night at the House of Lamentation, under Lucifer’s promise that he’d keep everyone else busy. It’s Barbatos’ first day off in 325 years, and he doesn’t want to take any chances of Diavolo forgetting that fact and giving him an order.

It may come as a surprise, but Barbatos wants nothing more than to order a pizza. If he managed to get enough time off to have a movie night with you, he doesn’t want to have to think about preparing food. A single night where he can just hang out and eat less than perfectly prepared cuisine is exactly what he needs to unwind.

Out of habit, he insists that whatever you want to watch is fine. If you remind him that this is just as much for him as it is for you, he’ll suggest you look up what new psychological thrillers are trending. Whenever a scary scene is playing on the screen, there’s the tiniest smile gracing his face the whole time. It’s a little disconcerting, but something tells you that you shouldn’t bring it up.

If you do bring it up against all better judgement, though, he’ll explain that the villain in the film is being so messy. Given the circumstances, it’d be better for him to do this or that.

“Don’t ask how I know all of this. I’m just saying, if you find yourself with a body to dispose of, alive or not, you know who to call.”

Time spent with an off-duty Barbatos grows more relaxed as the night progresses. You split the sofa 50/50, and over time you can see his posture relax from stiff and straight to leaning against the arm with his feet up.

Oh, yes, he’s also brought along a nice bottle of wine to share. He made sure to get something that should affect demons and humans equally, of course. If he’s going to get inebriated, you’re going down with him.

Turns out, working for the Demon Prince for all eternity gives you a few grievances. Also turns out that the Demon Prince’s butler becomes quite loose lipped and downright snarky when he’s had enough to drink. “‘Which flavor do you think Lucifer would like best?’ I don’t know, My Lord, might I suggest you ask him yourself? No, no, I hear you laughing, MC! This happens every time!”

There’s still a movie playing, but why would you watch a movie when Diavolo’s butler is such a gossip? You definitely know things you shouldn’t by the time the night is over, but you swear an oath of secrecy. And, although he regrets how liberal he was with his stories the next day, it does feel nice to have some of that off his chest.

And, well, he’s already gone this far, so he hopes you aren’t too surprised when you receive a text from him a week later: “Ok SO.”

Diavolo:

You guys decide to do the movie night at the palace, mainly to avoid Lucifer. Diavolo wants to get to know you better, and he knows that if Lucifer is around he’ll end up making you the third-wheel.

Barbatos is going to be around, so Diavolo leaves it up to you whether you want to make it a party of three. (Barbatos is still in on-duty mode, of course, so his time here is much less relaxed than in his solo scenario.)

Diavolo’s read about movie nights in Youthful Fun 101, and he wants to try out the whole snack list. Popcorn, pizza rolls, sodas, you name it, he’s got mountains of it.

If you suggest also making ice cream sundaes, he’ll be the happiest demon in the entire Devildom. It seems that the esteemed Demon Prince really loves chocolate sauce.

Really really wants to watch your favorite movie. What sort of Devildom host would he be if he didn’t get to understand the Human World from his guest’s perspective? Whether it’s something like Gone with the Wind or something like Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2, he’s enthralled. So this is Human World cinema! There’s something so imaginative about it, even in the driest moments!

After your favorite, he’s got a checklist of iconic movies to get under his belt. Not all of them end up holding your attention, and you develop a voting system–after the first 15 minutes, you hold a vote on whether to keep the movie going or to move on. Since there’s only two of you, only one of you needs to like the movie to keep it going, so you give yourselves one immediate veto each.

Diavolo uses his veto on the first movie he wasn’t super into, and you have to keep reminding him that there’s no secret second veto that he can use. Cut him some slack, this level of democracy is unfamiliar to the future Demon King. He does end up really liking some of the movies he tried to avoid, so he learns to chill pretty quickly.

Also insists on watching the movies in a massive blanket fort. He’s not a movie cuddler, per se, but he is an emotional movie watcher, so you can expect him to grab your arm during an especially sweet or sad scene.

You’re going to have to clarify what’s realistic and what isn’t sometimes. No, that’s not a real animal. Yes, that event really happened. That may or may not be true, we aren’t sure. Diavolo please this is a conspiracy theory.

If you thought that this wouldn’t end up in a sleepover, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you just tried to watch way too many movies and passed out in the fort. Maybe you tried to call it quits and then he gave you big puppy dog eyes until you agreed to have a slumber party.

Side note, but Lucifer is still recovering from seeing Diavolo’s car appear unannounced at the House of Lamentation and then being told that it’s actually here to pick you up and that he absolutely can’t come along. Has he been replaced?

Masterlist

#obey me #obey me one master to rule them all #obey me swd #swd obey me #obey me shall we date #shall we date obey me #obey me!#obey me headcanons #obey me simeon #obey me luke #obey me solomon #obey me barbatos #obey me diavolo #nerieda

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treestargarden · 4 years ago

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wonder egg priority, episode 6, “punch-drunk day” analysis under the cut

tw: child sexual abuse, grooming, suicide mention, rape denial

the haters

these guys are freaky. akka claims they are created from the envy and spite the seeno evils feel against ai and the other girls for being “heroic.” i have a feeling these are meant to be metaphorically either people who want to obstruct healing or the thoughts in survivors heads that obstruct the healing. like a person vs self or person vs person plot device for conflict.

akka says “you have done too much in this world that makes you noticeable.” ai and the other girls have been successful in their egg worlds that the enemies have “evolved” or leveled up to obstruct their success. its kinda of like the concept in therapy where it gets worse before it gets better, right?

for instance, i can remember when i first started being honest about my childhood trauma with a previous therapist. i was definitely making leaps and bounds in recovery, but i hit a rough spot in the middle of my treatment where i didn’t sleep for days because i actually had several nightmares about a) dying and b) the person killing me was revealed. after getting through this tough time, i stopped having as many nightmares, but it was definitely an obstacle in my healing. i felt like... my assailant was reaching into my psyche and literally ripping my progress away.

in a way, that’s what the haters are like. they see that ai and co. are getting progressively better with their wonder eggs, so the seeno evils have evolved to try to obstruct that progress.

yae

yae opens up to ai, admitting she killed herself, because she sees too much. ai immediately compares this to the movie “the sixth sense,” to which yae admits frustration that nobody believes her (it isn’t a fantasy, so why would it be compared to a piece of fiction).

yae’s killer manifests in a very similar fashion; ai is unable to sense the killer at all until its too late. but it isn’t until ai is directly attacked by the killer that she believes yae’s frustration, hurt, and trauma--she immediately recognizes the issue as similar to her own with mr. sawaki (which will be addressed next). the metaphor with this wonder egg girl is that when it comes to traumas or hurts that have happened to individuals, many people outside of those events tend to question the sanity (putting yae in a mental hospital) or disregard the survivor’s claims (momoe claiming mr. sawaki is a good person, simply because they are related). in some cases, survivors are only believed by survivors of the same prepetrator (why ai finally understands the hurt yae feels /after/ she is attacked by the invisible killer).

what’s interesting about yae’s character is she is often seen finicking with her prayer beads (they look like jade). at one point, closer to the end of ai’s fight with the invisible wonder killer, yae throws her prayer beads at ai. as ai reaches out for the beads, the killer is visible. this can easily portray that sometimes our comforts (or coping mechanisms) are what makes our healing harder (i’ll go into more detail when i talk about mr. sawaki). BUT that these... “items” illustrating coping can be used by another person to aid in our own healing!

what i mean is that... consider yae’s beads as the cause of her seeing too much. because nobody else has her specific prayer beads, nobody else can see the things she has been traumatized by. but when she “offers” her beads to ai, ai can use them to see yae’s wonder killer! once she she’s the wonder killer, ai can kill them and save yae.

essentially, what causes a survivor pain can be utilized by another person to assist a survivor in healing.

mr. sawaki

god this part gets complicated.

so momoe constantly tells ai mr. sawaki is a good man and that ai has it all wrong! they are constantly denying ai’s grief and pain and trauma. this is very similar to yae’s experience--people denying yae’s trauma existed in the first place, that she was crazy, or seeing what wasn’t actually there.

if we recall, ai never specifically had a relationship with mr. sawaki other than him being the school counselor. there was a small scene in this episode, though, when he complimented ai’s eyes. i posit it was probably during an “art session” early on with ai.

i felt... wronged... by neiru’s accusation that ai had a crush on mr. sawaki when she admitted she didn’t want her mom to date him. abusers can be charming, especially when they have been grooming a child. and it can be... confusing feeling soft towards a person even if you know what they are doing to you feels wrong. i’m not sure what else to say to this effect, so i’ll move onto my next point about ai and mr. sawaki.

it was... really out of left field that ai decided to go back to school, even more out of left field that she decided to tell mr. sawaki about her decision. but then i gave the episode another watch before writing this all out. remember what i said about yae giving her bracelet that was causing her own hurt to ai so that ai could help yae?

basically, up to this point, ai’s coping mechanism has been to stay home from school. to avoid seeing mr. sawaki. but now that its a possibility that he will be dating ai’s mother, its a lot more... likely that ai would be seeing mr. sawaki more often at home than she would at school. he would visit her home once a week, but if he was dating ai’s mother... it could easily turn into more frequent visits for longer and more uncomfortable periods.

ai probably recognizes this possibility, and so she decided to go back to school, where, yes, mr. sawaki works, but she may a) not have to see him the entire time or b) there will be people around when she does see him so it would be “safer.”

its also possible that at school, she won’t be as isolated as she was at home, and can begin looking for help in other ways, too. i’m very interested to see where this goes.

akka and ura-akka as game masters

so obviously the writers are familiar with madoka magica, right?

jokes aside, akka and ura-akka are very analagous to games masters. they aren’t competing themselves, but they do have a hand in the game. they provide the girls with a game to revive (so they say) their dead friends. they have the power to provide the girls with tips, “power-ups,” and other such tools while in their wonder egg worlds.

basically, the 2 act as gods controlling the environment the girls interact with in the wonder egg worlds. its already been established that the akkas can shapeshift (very beginning when ai meets akka as a beetle). the mannequins are a... simple form they take on that is both human (in form) and inhuman (not alive). both familiar and unfamiliar. they create the wonder worlds based on each girls’ specifici experiences (familiar) and add fantasy and horror elements such as the bosses, the seeno evils, now the haters (unfamiliar).

the akkas are definitely neutral in this scenario; constantly upping the ante for the girls, but also providing feedback and tools when they feel they need it. the akkas don’t necessarily wanna see the girls win, but they also don’t want to see the girls lose. basically, they just wanna see how far they can tests the girls’ wits, attitudes, problem-solving, persistance, etc. i’m not so sure, personally, the girls will get their friends back, i think its just a convenient lie to see how far they can push humans.

#wonder egg priority #ai ohto #shuichiro sawaki #gif #episode analysis #yae yoshida

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battlestar-royco · 4 years ago

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here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I L O V E THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

#maxine talks sci fi #movie recs #maxine did you read/watch

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thedeaditeslayer · 5 years ago

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Exclusive interview: Bruce Campbell is having a renaissance.

Here’s a highly recommended interview which discusses what Bruce Campbell has in store for fans in the future.

Bruce Campbell is experiencing a creative renaissance, of sorts. In a recent chat with the actor, he discussed a return to his horror roots, cutting a comedy album with Ted Raimi and so much more.

Bruce Campbell hasn’t been idle during his time in self-isolation. The actor has been experiencing a creative renaissance of sorts. So, we figured now would be a perfect time to reach out and get some of our burning questions answered.

With so much uncertainty in the entertainment industry at present, rumors are running rampant. We gave Campbell a chance to clear the air so to speak and address some of the myriad of questions that fans have regarding Mortal Kombat 11, the latest Evil Dead incarnation, Ripley’s and whether or not he will work with Sam Raimi in front of the camera again.

The actor also surprised us with some monumental news. He will be returning to his horror roots with the sequel to My Name Is Bruce as well as several other projects that he has on his docket including a comedy album with one of his closest friends.

Get comfy, grab your favorite beverage and let’s catch up with Bruce Campbell.

Mortal Kombat 11, Ripley’s and the State of the Industry

1428 Elm: Thanks for speaking with us, Bruce. It’s always a pleasure. We have so many things to discuss. Recently, a site came out and said that you were definitely going to be Ash in Mortal Kombat 11. It seemed like a done deal the way it was reported. Can you comment on that?

Bruce Campbell: I probably shouldn’t emphasize yes or no because I don’t know. I have not been told. If it is not through my agent or proper channels than it usually means its wishful thinking.

1428 Elm: Apparently, an email from Warner Brothers Interactive was sent to a well-known entertainment site and Ash as well as Army of Darkness was mentioned in it with the trademark from MGM.

BC: The reason why it may not happen, just so you and the readers can know this, a lot of time for legal purposes, that character cannot appear in other things because of the license. If you can’t make a deal, that character is not going to show up. So, we may have been talked to about it.

But I do know with MGM that handles the Army of Darkness licensing that they’re hasn’t been a discussion with them about it. They’re pretty touchy. We have to be careful of ownership.

I honestly don’t know. I think I would have heard something. It’s not like my agent books me without consulting with me.

Even if Mortal Kombat came to me and said they want to put me in it, you still have to make a deal. If my agent says, “Bruce Campbell wants a hundred billion dollars,” and then they say no, the deal is dead.

The answer is we don’t know. No point in beating around about that.

1428 Elm: You might not be able to discuss this but what’s going on with Ripley’s Believe It or Not!? Will there be a Season 2?

BC: We’re one and done. It’s not your father’s Travel Channel anymore. If I wanted to host a ghost hunting show, I’d be on the air right now.

Ripley’s was made for the older school Travel Channel like Drive-Ins and Dive Bars where you go to wacky places around the country. There is a big push for paranormal, mystery and science-fiction, Discovery type stuff. I think we just “out aged” ourselves.

1428 Elm: It would have been nice if the Science Channel would have picked it up.

BC: It’s all good. I remain philosophical about all shows that come and go. There are so many factors involved. You change executives and things change, companies get bought and sold and things change, ratings aren’t what you expected…

After this virus, we’re going to see what shape the motion picture industry is in. It’s going to be a wounded beast. Projects are going to go away.

You’re going to have fewer tentpole movies too. I am hopeful we’ll have a return to low budget filmmaking.

That’s what I hope comes out of it. Each studio will start a low budget division and spend the money wisely.

Number One on the Charts with a Bullet

BC (Cont.): In the meantime, what is nice, I’m finishing up a couple of projects. I’m hoping by the end of the year to put a book of essays out and a comedy album with Ted Raimi.

1428 Elm: A comedy album?

BC: Yeah, we finished it. I’m in post-production on it. I’m putting all the sound effects in now.

1428 Elm: That sounds great!

BC: Who knows? We’ve never done one before so we’re going to find out.

1428 Elm: So, you guys are harkening back to the 1960’s when comedians like Bob Newhart had hit albums?

BC: It’s our version of that. I used to listen to the top comedy albums during the 60’s and 70’s. I wouldn’t dare compare myself to any of the masters like Mel Brooks and the 2,000-Year-Old Man with Carl Reiner. We gave it a shot. I love audio and I like radio plays.

Bruce Campbell vs the Classic Monsters

1428 Elm: So, tell us what is going on with your political satire, House Divided. Are you still working on pitching that once everything gets back to business as usual?

BC: It will be on the sales block. It’s a harder sell. There’s no blood. It’s not a horror movie, it’s a political satire. Associating Bruce Campbell with political satire isn’t the first thing investors whip out their checkbooks for.

To combat that, I just finished writing a sequel to My Name Is Bruce. The idea is we want to take Bruce and have him go through each of the classic film monsters. The sequel is Bruce vs Frankenstein.

We’re done. I finished my draft and sent it to Mike Richardson, my partner at Dark Horse Comics. We’re actively looking for money on that one. It is the Expendables of Horror. I fully intend to load the cast with so many familiar horror faces. It should be a lot of fun.

It would be a cavalcade of genre stars, old, young, on TV now. We really want to cover the bases. A lot of people will be getting killed. Guest star kills. Basically, Bruce bumbles his way into being a hero.

1428 Elm: Will you have to go through Universal to get permission to use the classic monsters?

BC: Some stuff is public domain. I’m not a lawyer but we would figure out a way to do this.

I think the bolts on Frankenstein’s neck are trademarked, as well as certain looks. But you can make a Frankenstein. That story is under public domain.

It’s also a parody of a Frankenstein movie and that gives a lot of leeway legally as well. I don’t think you can say, “Wolfman,” but I think you can say Bruce vs the Werewolf. This is my version of the Bob Hope road movies.

Ted has two parts; I have two parts for Robert Englund and I have a couple of parts for Kane Hodder. If they’re a name, I am going to put them in it.

After we come out of the zombie apocalypse that we’re in and everyone gets back to work, that is what I will be actively pitching. There’s plenty going on. So, I have been self-isolating in a constructive way.

It’s an Evil Dead World

1428 Elm: We’re curious about the 1970’s period piece that you were working on when we talked to you last year. What happened with that?

BC: It’s currently on my action board. I will eventually get to it. I am going to finish my book of essays first and then I am going to get to that one.

The story is set in 1979. The idea behind it is what would have happened if us raising money for Evil Dead went horribly, horribly wrong. It becomes a horror movie in and of itself.

1428 Elm: How did this idea come to fruition?

BC: I was going through projects in my computer. People who have a lot of downtime do spring cleaning. Clean out your woodshed, toolshed when you have extra time. In this case, I went to the head of my projects folder.

This one popped up and it was just an outline that I had written 15 years ago. I thought, wait a minute, this is pretty well thought out.

In the 70’s, filmmaking was real, you didn’t have a lot of options. You had to get cameras from a certain place, you had to have insurance. There were a lot of steps that you had to take that made the process really difficult.

I remember making calls for money from payphones in blizzards and s*** like that. You had to leave messages, you’re getting busy signals, you’re not texting anyone. There are no computers, there’s no email, its old school. You sent things in the mail.

Today, filmmaking is not difficult. I can go to a store and buy a 4K camera. I can make a movie with $5,000 worth of equipment. Probably less.

1428 Elm: Well, you can do it on your phone too. Sam Raimi is on Quibi now with 50 States of Fright, which is entertainment tailored to your device. If his series continues once everything settles, do you think there’s a chance you might appear on the show?

BC: Never say never, that’s all verbally at this point. They have to succeed; they have to survive. Any new format, any new platform, I’m game and if Sam’s involved all the more reason.

1428 Elm: Have you ever thought of doing anything like Quibi?

BC: Not yet. I’m used to writing 90-page screenplays with a three-act format. I can adapt anything too.

I was thinking the other day, I have a few screenplays that might be tough sells but maybe I might convert them to a fricking novel and put them out as books. There’s lots to do. I’ve got plenty going on.

1428 Elm: Has the current situation affected the new Evil Dead? We remember that you talked about possibly going into production at the end of this year. Is that pushed back like everything else?

BC: No, not really. It was so early in the stages that we can keep going. I just read the first official draft today. So, then we’ll give notes and additional writing will take place.

Then you have to budget the thing so you know how much money you need to raise and then you have to get the money. Nothing will stop any of that.

You can make calls for money, you can send the script to people, you can do budgets. The only thing that will be affected will be the actual start date. Which we didn’t know anyway. We may end up not being delayed at all.

Many thanks to Bruce Campbell for chatting with us.

#Bruce Campbell #Ted Raimi

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The 21 Best Christmas Horror Movies

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Technicolor lights are about to illuminate every other home in the neighborhood; carolers are marching through the streets; even that old tree in Rockefeller is shining brightly.

For some folks, that’s enough to make you want to grab an axe. But don’t do that. Watch demented men dressed as Santa Claus or a demon Krampus indulge your Anti-Christmas sentiments with maximum gore. Indeed, this list isn’t about the most charming, heartwarming, or schmaltzy Christmas viewing traditions. Nah, this is about the 20 grossest, nastiest, and all around most fun Christmas horror movies. The kind where the greatest gift you’re going to get on Christmas morning is escaping with your life and maybe some psychological triggers whenever you see jolly men in red suits.

Yep, these are the very best Christmas horror movies. Ho. Freaking. Ho.

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

Almost certainly one of the sweetest, most positive, and upbeat Christmas movies on the list is this wonderful feel good musical romance from director John McPhail, which also happens to be a zombie movie. It follows a group of friends in a small Scottish town who are just about to finish school and are making plans for the future when a zombie outbreak lands.

Incredibly catchy tunes which take inspiration from Buffy musical episode Once More With Feeling, mix with inventive festive kills – zombie snowman decapitation is a highlight – in a way that manages not to tonally jar. It’s mostly thanks to the super-likeable performances of the young cast, headed up by Ella Hunt, and the teenage troubles, romances, and heartbreak which form the backdrop of the movie. Paul Kaye also pops up as the school’s tyrannical headmaster – his musical numbers aren’t the best but he brings cartoon villain energy to an unusual but rather adorable Christmas horror that’s way better than you might expect.

– Rosie Fletcher

Better Watch Out (2016)

Home Alone is surely one of the most popular and iconic Christmas movies of all time, though it is not, of course, a horror. However, if it was, it would look something like Better Watch Out, a slick reinvention of the home invasion sub-genre. Olivia DeJonge plays babysitter Ashley, who attempts to protect her charge, 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller), when they are threatened by intruders in his home. But all is not as it seems.

DeJonge and Miller spar beautifully in a movie which plays with gender and coming of age tropes and includes handfuls of gruesome set pieces, while Ed Oxenbould brings comic relief. This is clever, funny and gruesome stuff from director Chris Peckover which might not become a new Christmas tradition but should definitely be watched at least once.

– Rosie Fletcher

Black Christmas (1974)

Getting stabbed by a unicorn head to the tune of carolers singing “Silent Night” is probably not how you want to spend Christmas Eve. This pre-Scream holiday slasher claims its victims in a sorority house haunted by creepy phone calls (sans ghost mask), demonic noises, bodies eerily shrouded in plastic wrap, and one perverse killer whose voice alone is enough to freeze your blood.

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When an unidentified caller keeps harassing your entire sorority house with obscene things you can only half-understand (because he sounds like a deranged Donald Duck that laughs like the Joker), you should run even if it is 10 degrees outside. The blizzard of murders keeps raging with one victim dragged screaming by a hook, and another bludgeoned to death. Never mind the one suffocated by plastic wrap and left next to the window like the vacant face of a doll staring out into the night. You’ll hardly sleep in heavenly peace after this one.

– Elizabeth Rayne

Christmas Evil (aka You Better Watch Out) (1980)

In his one and only film as writer/director, Lewis Jackson crafted a smart and clever black comedy that’s more character study than straight horror film. John Waters insists it’s a comedy about a closeted transvestite (of a sort), but it’s much more than that—it’s the Taxi Driver of Yuletide shockers. Brandon Maggart plays a man who takes Christmas way too seriously. His home is filled with bright holiday decorations all year-round while Christmas carols are playing on the stereo. Santa is his role model, a symbol of all that is good and just in the world. He even works at a toy factory.

He so identifies with Santa, he takes to spying on the neighbor kids, keeping his own carefully annotated naughty and nice lists. But when he recognizes the level of cynicism and hypocrisy among his co-workers, bosses, and the people around town as the most joyous time of the year approaches, well, he goes a little funny in the head. He reaches for the suit and beard and axe, determined to reward the good and punish the evil.

Maggart has since tried to desperately distance himself from the film, but he gives a remarkable performance here as a completely isolated figure with a head swimming with both joy and rage. In the end, the film remains king of the sub-subgenre. Screw It’s a Wonderful Life and Rudolph. Apart from Blast of Silence and Invasion U.S.A., Christmas Evil is the only holiday film I watch annually.

– Jim Knipfel

A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

Admittedly, a number of horror-based Christmas movie have gone with the anthology angle for their storytelling. Hell, this isn’t even the only anthology film on this list. A Christmas Horror Story may not be on a lot of people’s radar, but it’s a worthy installment that goes to some unusual places purely because both the Christmas and anthology playgrounds have gotten so bloated at this point. This film also benefits from being executed by a cabal of directors who are responsible for directing some of the best horror movies to come out of Canada in passing years, such as Splice, the Black Christmas remake, and the Ginger Snaps trilogy.

A Christmas Horror Story deliciously uses a radio DJ (William Shatner) as the connective tissue that holds together the four stories that comprise the film. Parables on ghost possession, clone doppelgangers, Krampus, and zombie elves all get their due here. The film also has a pretty inspired ending that actually casts the picture in a whole new light. It’s got Santa Claus fighting Krampus. What’s not to like?

– Daniel Kurland

Dead of Night (1945)

Never play hide and go seek in a house where someone was murdered. While it might be best known for Michael Redgrave’s night-terror-inducing ventriloquist dummy scene that sparked the phobia of possessed puppets, Dead of Night also invites you to a Christmas party with a spectral guest. Spacecase Sally’s genuine terror at realizing what she thinks she saw is what she really saw will forever have you second-guessing shadows creeping in the cold.

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What is obvious in this scene—encroaching darkness and shadows looming over what a place you know is haunted without ever having to hear the big reveal—is hardly as chilling as what is not so obvious until the truth silently materializes. The ghost of the little boy plays hide-and-seek with the other children as if warm blood courses through his veins. Unlike many stereotypical see-through phantoms of the era, this one doesn’t have that telltale translucence which would set off a chorus of screams. Being almost disturbingly normal is exactly what makes him so terrifying.

– Elizabeth Rayne

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Eyes Wide Shut was the non-denominational star at the top of Stanley Kubrick’s Christmas tree. Originally conceived as a Woody Allen vehicle, it almost starred Steve Martin after Allen insisted on reading the script from right to left. It is as much a cautionary tale as Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, bringing the whole family together with a different Christmas tree in almost every frame.

Kubrick pours on the cheer from the opening sequence at the Christmas party where the first gifts are unwrapped, and oh boy are they unwrapped. Bill Harford, played by Tom Cruise, dives right into the muffled spirit of giving after he performs a more than charitable deed for the party’s host, played by Sydney Pollack.

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Harford spends most of the film looking for the perfect gift like a slow motion version of Jingle All the Way, rushing around from New York City’s famous toy repository FAO Schwartz to downtown specialty shops, to the suburbs, where he can find collectors’ editions. Cruise pays Harford like a wooden windup toy, and not a particularly cute one, either. In spite of all the colorful lights and trips above and below the rainbow, Harford just can’t get into the Christmas spirit. He’s not even moved by the uplifting seasonal tunings of “I Want a Boy for Christmas” by the Del-Vettes. He recovers his seasonal facilities while humming along to the chant during the climactic illuminati sex party, though! The song is actually “Here Comes Santa Claus” sung backwards in Latin, adding more menace to the proceedings than Silas Barnaby brought to Toyland in The March of the Wooden Soldiers.

– Tony Sokol

Gremlins (1984)

Santa doesn’t exist… unless it’s your father in a red suit who met his untimely end trying to slide down the chimney with a sack of presents before getting stuck. Don’t tell that to the innocent bat-like ears of a harmless (for now) Mogwai. It’s exactly the kind of story you expect to hear while hunkering down in the shadows with a flashlight while a bunch of leathery green things with too many teeth ransack the neighborhood.

And as for Santa? That smell coming from the fireplace weeks later was no dead cat. Worst. Christmas story. Ever.

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This movie should be on every hardcore horror fan’s holiday playlist just for the musical monstrosity of those reptilian things decked out in Santa hats and earmuffs singing “Deck the Halls” at the neighbors’ door, sheet music and all. This is continuing proof that animals have a sixth sense, because her yowling cat senses something off about the voices warbling “Joy to the World” outside. She’s right to have an aversion to Christmas carolers.

– Elizabeth Rayne

Holidays (2015)

There have been so many holiday-themed horror films at this point—reaching Christmas and going far, far beyond that—so why not make an anthology film that takes that idea to the extreme? Holidays hits the expected staples such as Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day, but part of the fun here is how holidays with lesser expectations like Easter or St. Patrick’s Day deliver some truly horrifying content (seriously, the St. Patrick’s Day segment is disturbing, bonkers chaos).

The Christmas segment comes courtesy of Scott Stewart (Legion) and has Seth Green trying to survive the holiday as he attempts to get his son the perfect gift. Stewart’s installment feels very reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode with virtual reality, consumerism, and the dangers of mob mentality all playing their part here.

A lot of these anthology films also try to bank off of the name recognition and notoriety of the assembled directors, but Holidays proudly features a collection of mostly fresh faces (although Kevin Smith and Starry Eye’s Kevin Kolsch contribute segments). It’s fun to discover a bunch of new blossoming talents here.

– Daniel Kurland

Jack Frost (1997)

This ain’t the cringeworthy father/son bonding vehicle starring Michael Keaton. No, this is the Jack Frost where the killer snowman’s nose functions as both a killing tool and a device to sexually assault his victims. All square? But hey, at the least the film isn’t afraid to ride its ridiculous premise as hard as possible.

First of all, an actual killer named Jack Frost crashes into a truck of “genetics material” that causes him to transform into this cold abomination in the first place. That sets the tone pretty nicely for the abundant murders, sex, and plot holes that plague the town of Snowmonton (yup). It’s hard to believe that this film got made, with all of the visuals being some real spectacles that you don’t typically see in the horror genre.

Sponsored

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The 16 Best Winter Horror Movies

By Daniel Kurland and 3 others

Jack Frost is the perfect Christmas horror film to shut your brain off and watch, or the title that you should be selecting right in the middle of your deep eggnog haze. It’s utter nonsense, but it knows that it is and has tons of fun with itself. We need more talented individuals trying to tap into the killer snowman subgenre. There’s still a true classic waiting to come to life here.

– Daniel Kurland

Krampus (2015)

Morbidly funny in its anti-holiday sarcasm and ridiculous demons, Krampus is like a mashup of the Griswolds, the Grinch, and every mythical beast that has ever been rumored to devour children on the naughty list. You’d rather get coal in your stocking than a killer jack-in-the-box jump scare… or find chilling hoof prints in the snow that are definitely not from Rudolph.

Krampus is one Yuletide monster actually worse than the Grinch. The grisly inspiration for this tale is a Germanic one about a hairy, horned, and cloven-hooved demon who stuffs naughty children in his sack and either beats them with a wooden switch or eats them (depending on who you ask). Also, his heart won’t grow three sizes from gorging on human flesh, either.

This version of Krampus is also hungry for anyone who’s lost their holiday spirit—whether or not you otherwise qualify for the nice list. Watch this with the lights off for the full effect of the power outage that works to the creature’s advantage as he goes hunting for holiday nonbelievers. Kids, don’t scorn Santa or Krampus will come to collect you.

– Elizabeth Rayne

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

There are some of us who know this movie verbatim and to the point where we will shamelessly break out singing “This is Halloween” and raise Jack’s quasi-Shakespearean monologue from the dead even in the middle of July. Or keep warning people that tragedy’s at hand. Or correct anyone who says there are 365 days until next Halloween by growling “364!” The stop-motion animation saga of the talking skeleton turned “Sandy Claws” bewitched an entire generation of ‘90s kids.

Even people who hate Halloween will stare with delight and awe when Jack’s skull bursts out of a snowdrift, and he first puts colored lights in his eye sockets and explores every “what’s this?” in Christmas Town like a spook in a coffin shop. You just can’t help but love the adventurous skeleton, even if he does end up making haunted houses out of people’s living rooms on Christmas Eve. Whether you’d rather be making Christmas with strangely somber carols, reanimated reindeer or toys that bite back, it’s now an officially unofficial holiday classic.

– Elizabeth Rayne

P2 (2007)

On the sillier end of the Christmas horror spectrum comes P2, a film named after a section in a parking lot, starring Wes Bentley and Rachel Nichols. She’s a business woman trapped in a multi-story parking garage on Christmas Eve, he’s the insane Security Guard who’s obsessed with her and really wants her to try his festive eggnog, so to speak.

Camp and gory, this is the directorial debut of Franck Khalfoun who would follow it up with a remake of Maniac. The movie was co-written by Alexandre Aja who made one of the greatest cat-and-mousers ever in Switchblade Romance. The set up is formulaic, perhaps, but the game performances and relentlessness of the action makes this worthwhile. And if that’s not enough check out a deranged Bentley dressed as Santa, for the angel on the top of the Christmas tree.

– Rosie Fletcher

Rare Exports (2010)

There couldn’t possibly be a more sinister place to search for Santa’s ancient burial mound than in the frigid depths of Lapland. It’s the same supposedly enchanted place Dick van Dyke hiked to in the search for Santa in an ‘80s musical Christmas special, except this time you won’t find him in a cozy cottage with stockings hung by the chimney with care. You won’t find the guy in red from the mall, but anything that takes a disembodied pig’s head as bait couldn’t possibly be jingle-belling on a sleigh with eight tiny reindeer, especially when he seems to have a ravenous appetite for said reindeer.

This time, “the spirit of the season” is literally the most malicious Christmas spirit that has ever terrorized the Yuletide. Even if you watch the whole thing in Finnish and don’t understand a word except the screaming, the ghost of the child in you that really did believe there was a guy in the North Pole will be forever traumatized. This glaze-eyed zombie incarnation of Mr. Claus doesn’t laugh like a bowl full of jelly. You better watch out, indeed.

– Elizabeth Rayne

Santa Claws (1996)

You do have to wonder what happened to John Russo along the line. 30 years after co-writing Night of the Living Dead, he came up with this decidedly sleazy but sadly unoriginal wonderment, which was much more focused on boobs than Yuletide butchery. In what by that point had become a battered cliché of the Slasher Santa subgenre, a young boy named Wayne (Grant Kramer) sees his mom having sex with a man wearing a Santa hat (!), and so murders them both. I’m not exactly sure how this transference would work in Freudian terms, but when he gets older, he a) becomes obsessed with a low-budget scream queen named Raven (played by low-budget scream queen Debbie Rochon) and b) decides he’s Santa.

As you might imagine, stalking someone when you’re wearing a Santa suit is no mean feat, but Wayne gives it his best shot. Most of the film, however, focuses on Raven and her extended family as she gets undressed a lot and wonders not only why that creep in the Santa suit keeps showing up everywhere, but why everyone around her keeps dying in a particularly bloody fashion. It can feel like there are two films going on here, a by-the-numbers stalker/slasher movie and a holiday horror film, which leaves me thinking Russo had one of them in mind, but after some eight-year-old smarty-pants came up with that clever “Santa Claws” pun, well, he just had to run with it.

– Jim Knipfel

Santa’s Slay (2005)

Christmas can sure scare the Dickens out of people. Hence why you can’t not watch a holiday horror flick in which Santa is the Antichrist, sentenced to 1,000 years of delivering gifts after losing a curling match with an angel, and played by former pro wrestler Bill “Who’s Next?” Goldberg.

As the only son of Satan (you know what they say about rearranging the letters in that name) whose grim legend is immortalized in the Book of Claus, he can now at last spread Christmas fear with weapons, karate kicks, hand grenades, exploding presents, and his own perverse idea of what “Ho ho ho” should really mean. Them’s the breaks once the bet’s terms are done.

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Santa’s methods of murder are fiendishly festive—to say the least. There is no naughty or nice list when it comes to an insatiable appetite for violence. He even knocks out poseurs in red suits and drives a sleigh with a rocket engine like it’s the Batmobile. Mall Santas everywhere are shaking in their pleather boots.

– Elizabeth Rayne

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Naughty children get punished with more than just a stocking full of coal in this Christmas chiller. Just the opening scene with all those empty-eyed animatronic toys haunting a window display after-hours should tell you that this is not a movie that’s going to end in visions of sugarplums. Forget that it’s supposed to be the season of all things magical. Those things can be more terrifying than every single plastic skeleton and gaping zombie mask you’ll ever see in a haunted house around Halloween.

You’d better watch out for that psycho in the red suit who grabs a hatchet off the wall as if it was his bag full of toys and packs an automatic pistol in his fur-lined pocket, murdering misbehaving kids he’s been watching undercover of shadow. This sadistic Santa clearly doesn’t believe in sliding down chimneys—and the only red he’s interested in wearing is the blood of innocents. If that won’t convince you to stay awake because he sees you when you’re sleeping, you must be Freddie Krueger.

– Elizabeth Rayne

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)

Three years after the shit-storm sparked by the original’s ad campaign, some smart cookie decided a sequel was necessary. A tough call there, given most all the principals were killed off pretty thoroughly the first time around, but still, right?

But there was money to be made, so they brought in an untested director (Lee Harry), a mostly untested crew, and a cast of mostly non-professional actors. After a half-dozen writers took a swipe at the script, they came up with a confounding but tepid rehash of the first film. This time around, and mostly in flashback, we learn that after the first killer Santa was sloppily dispatched at the end of Part 1, his brother Ricky becomes determined to uncover what went wrong.

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He pays a visit to the sadistic Mother Superior at the Catholic asylum where his brother had been kept, and before you can say “ho ho ho,” Ricky ends up donning the red and white suit himself to do a little rampaging, though without nearly half of his brother’s imagination. They even used the same fucking poster design, just slapped a “2” on it. I guess hoping they might raise the same sort of ruckus the first one had. Sadly, it was too late for that.

– Jim Knipfel

Sint (2010)

Dutch director Dick Maas took some early steps toward Krampus territory with his re-imagining of the legend of the warm-hearted Saint Nick. Borrowing heavily from earlier Italian, Spanish, and American horror films, as well as Danish folklore, “Sinterklaas” here was actually a bloodthirsty medieval murderer and all around brute who oversaw a savage reign of terror. Finally fed up with all his nonsense, the ornery local villagers banded together on the night of Dec. 5 and lynched him. As per tradition, however, in the moments before he died Sinterklaas vowed vengeance from beyond the grave, promising to return every 32 years on that very night to do bad and icky things to the villagers’ descendants.

Over the centuries, the story was mainstreamed and soft-pedaled, becoming part of the local folklore. The character of Saint Nick became much more benevolent and child-friendly so as not to scare the wee folk. Then, well, wouldn’t you know it? That anniversary creeps around again, Sinterklaas is true to his word, and Amsterdam turns all bloody, leaving it up to an intrepid teenager named Frank to put a stop to the mayhem.

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A stylish, wicked, and hugely entertaining take on the darker history of a beloved legend. It was also the top grossing film in Denmark in 2010, which either says something about the Danish film industry or the Dutch themselves.

– Jim Knipfel

Tales From the Crypt: And All Through the House (1972)

The Crypt Keeper first emerged as a ghoulish EC Comics horror host in the pages of Tales From the Crypt who crawled onto the big screen in this horror anthology, welcoming unknowing tourists to his catacombs with bony arms open. What the tourists don’t know is that they’re all recently deceased. The invite is to a subterranean story-time in which he unearths the gruesome details of their deaths with a gap-toothed grin. Creatures are obviously stirring when killer wife Joanne is stalked by a homicidal Santa in this warped homage to ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas titled (appropriately enough) “… And All Through the House.”

So it is that “O Come All Ye Faithful” is interrupted while playing on the radio by a scratchy warning of a homicidal maniac run amok. And wouldn’t you just know it, this occurs right as Joan Collins is offing her husband with a shot to the head—and then realizes she has to dismember the body before cashing in on his life insurance. Her blissfully naïve daughter lets the killer jolly old elf in, shrieking that Santa finally came before he erupts into psychopathic rage. Clement C. Moore must be turning in his grave.

– Elizabeth Rayne

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Certainly less purely Christmas-y than other entries on this list, The Wolf of Snow Hollow is nonetheless a wintry delight set during the holiday season. Carols play ominously in the background during key moments, and the immaculately snowy white setting of Snow Hollow, Utah is broken only by splashes of color from lights on homes and Christmas trees. Oh yes, and the blood of the titular werewolf’s victims.

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The Wolf of Snow Hollow Review: A Quirky Werewolf Movie

By Don Kaye

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13 Must-See Werewolf Movies

By Mike Cecchini

Jim Cummings’ film is heavy on cozy, ski town holiday atmosphere without leaning on its actual Christmastime setting at all. But good werewolf movies are a rare breed indeed these days, and a werewolf movie set at Christmas? Well…now you know what to watch when the moon is full each December

Mike Cecchini

Got any other suggestions for Christmas horror movies that we missed? Let us know in the comments!

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 4 years ago

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Carnival of Souls: The Characters

Every film, no matter how big or small, needs characters.

You can have a killer plot, amazing special effects, and a great musical score, but without compelling, interesting characters, it won’t be enough to hold your audience’s attention. Even in cases like Carnival of Souls, where the characters appear to be quality over quantity.

The cast for Carnival of Souls is the smallest we’ve seen so far. With a total cast of fifteen people and a main cast of only two, the list of characters is incredibly tiny. Pretty fitting, considering the very contained nature of the plot.

Unlike many of the casts we’ve looked at on this blog, in this film, there are no definitive heroes or villains. Of the listed cast members on the poster, there is a protagonist, (Mary Henry) and only one listed supporting character. This renders it quite an unconventional cast for a horror film: without enough characters to be killed off or terrorized, we are left with only one, alone in a crowd, the sole witness to the hauntings taking place. While there is interaction between the characters, it’s very limited, giving us a window into mostly one character, period.

As you’ve probably guessed, today, we’re going to be analyzing the characters of Carnival of Souls. Be mindful, there are spoilers below, so go check out this movie and then come back when you’re ready. Let’s take a look.

The easiest (and the most sensible) character to start with would, of course, be our Haunted Heroine, Mary, our protagonist.

Traditionally, the protagonist is the character the audience spends the most time with. They are the main character, they push the action forward. They tend to be driven by a specific goal, a desire. The chief problem with Mary as a protagonist is that she doesn’t seem to have one.

Mary’s characterization, as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, is rather hard to get a handle on. She’s inconsistent, difficult to pin down, alternatively distant and desperate. She has no primary goal besides being left alone, and being drawn to the haunted carnival. While at first, that might seem like enough, it throws a bit of a monkey-wrench into our traditional methods of protagonist-measuring.

See, the chief problem with Mary as a protagonist is that she is extremely passive. It is not her decision to enter the drag race in the beginning, she is along for the ride, and that remains her role throughout the entire film. Her job is in Utah, so she moves there. She is drawn to the carnival, she is pursued by The Man, and through no fault of her own, she finds herself flickering in and out of reality. She is hired, fired, pursued by her fellow tenant, kicked out by the landlady, but she never seems to make any decisions of her own. She is a reactor, not an active proponent of her story.

Typically, a way to determine the strength of your protagonist is to examine their goals and actions. The best protagonists are traditionally those that propel the plot forward intentionally, or at the very least have core desires that they are constantly striving for, even if the plot shuffles them along. Marty McFly desperately wants to get his parents together and to get back home, even if the events that led him to his position are not due to his own direct actions. Rocky Balboa did not actively seek out the championship heavyweight fight with Apollo Creed, but made the decision to aim to go the distance with him. It is not Phil Connor’s choice that keeps him in the Groundhog Day loop, but he proactively attempts to get out of it.

But Mary Henry’s only goal is to be left alone, except for when she is.

Mary has no driving force, no central goal, no way for the audience to connect to what she wants because she doesn’t seem to want anything. While this is unconventional for a film protagonist, there is a way that storytellers can make this type of aimless character work: with an intensely unforgettable personality.

There are certainly characters in films that don’t exactly have clear cut goals or motives, and are still absolutely beloved. The characters from Ghostbusters don’t have much by way of driving forces, and yet their personalities are so vivid and charming that we don’t mind because we enjoy spending time with them. Indiana Jones isn’t a proactive character in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but his character is so memorable that, again, we want to follow him through the film.

In Carnival of Souls?

As I’ve mentioned in the previous articles, there is very little to Mary Henry’s personality. She is hot and cold, alternating between extreme indifference and hysteria. As such, she’s rather hard to follow and get invested in. And yet, we watch, and we are invested.

Why is that?

Honestly, it’s got a lot to do with the genre and story.

I said in the last article that one of the most interesting things about the film is its mystery. The twist ending, trying to figure out why what’s happening is happening. As a result, we care about Mary because we want to know what happened.

Because, of course, Mary is dead, and has been since the crash in the first few minutes of the story.

And as a matter of fact, this actually saves Mary’s characterization.

Mary Henry as a character is confusing, and somewhat bland. With no arc, growth, or motivation, all that is left is her personality, which isn’t much to speak of. She’s inconsistent, alternatively frightened and icy calm. All of this makes sense with the revelation that she is dead, and as a matter of fact, it makes a lot of sense.

With the reveal in mind, Mary’s personality is less ‘bad writing’ and more indications of Mary’s true nature. It serves as another clue in the mystery. The audience does not so much sympathize and empathize with Mary as they do observe her, watching from the outside. The viewers get to see her visions, her sudden inability to be perceived, as well as her interactions with people in reality. We aren’t really privy to her inner struggles, her growth or arc, because her growth is done. She’s dead. Her story is over. As such, she is displayed as someone who doesn’t belong, framed as sticking out, not really supposed to be there, by both the people around her and the camera.

Carnival of Souls doesn’t give us much by way of protagonist, but it does give us a bit in looking at a victim. Mary is passive, frightened, and sometimes seems to be a Sugar-and-Ice-Personality, all coming across as rather odd and inconsistent. While this can seem off-putting, it serves as a large clue to the mystery the audience is still trying to solve. It is that mystery that carries the audience through, the interest in the reason for the horror in the first place that keeps the viewer interested.

But Mary isn’t the only character in the film.

Every story has side characters. Whether it’s an ensemble piece or not, there are more people sharing the screen and interacting than just the protagonist. Supporting characters and antagonists help round out the cast of a film, making it more interesting and helping us see what the character is like in the context of other people. In the case of Carnival of Souls however, the remaining cast is rather unremarkable, including, oddly enough, it’s monster.

In the history of horror, there have been some pretty unforgettable baddies. Jack Torrance, the Xenomorph, Norman Bates, The Thing, Chucky, Jason Vorhees, Michael Meyers, Freddy Krueger, and of course, the originals: The Gill-Man, the Invisible Man, Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and his Bride, and the Wolf-Man.

In Carnival of Souls, we don’t get to see any of the monsters of that magnitude. Instead of anything particularly bombastic, we are treated to a Silent Antagonist with a Slasher Smile: The Man, who rises from the water in Mary’s visions to torment her.

Unlike the aforementioned villains, we don’t really get any information or personality from this particular villain, mostly because, unlike most of the above, he’s not a simple ‘monster’. As it turns out, he’s most likely the embodiment of death itself, the Grim Reaper. It’s unclear if he means any legitimate harm, or merely frightens Mary with his appearance, but the implication seems to be that he is trying to put her where she belongs: among the dead. As the audience, that’s all we really know about him.

But what of the land of the living? Surely there are other memorable individuals who are still alive?

Well, as it turns out, not really.

Of the remainder of the ‘supporting cast’ of Carnival of Souls, very few characters are very memorable. Only three receive names (John Linden, Dr. Samuels and Mrs. Thomas) and each of the three has a relatively small part to play.

Each character has their own specific relationship with Mary. Mrs. Thomas is the landlady who begins a little suspicious, but is kind to Mary until she begins to notice her odd behavior. John attempts to aggressively pursue Mary’s affections despite her alternating attitudes towards him. Dr. Samuels tries to help Mary figure out where her trauma came from, offering what help he can. There are other characters (The Minister, who fires her in horror upon hearing her disturbed organ playing, the man in the organ factory, and the sales lady), but for the most part, the supporting cast exists to fill very simple roles, with very little by way of characterization.

In fact, they all exist to share the same type of role: people who don’t understand Mary.

As I said previously, Mary never comes across a character who understands her plight, or tries to help. No one is sympathetic, or if they are, not for long. These characters exist to increase the isolation felt by the protagonist, to increase her frustration. Without a supportive supporting cast, Mary has no one to fall back on, and in the end, must succumb to Death as she should have at the beginning.

In the end, when it comes to characters, Carnival of Souls comes up rather short, but intelligently so. The writing knew its limits, and used them wisely, focusing on the purpose for the characters rather than the characters themselves. The unconventional use of the cast emphasizes the mystery and the horror of the overall film, rendering their lack of personality less intrusive than it would be in a less masterful production. Every character is there for a reason, and as a result, it all works in the end.

Join me next time where we’ll be looking at another interesting aspect of Carnival of Souls, namely the impact of the culture. Feel free to drop a suggestion or thought in the ask box, and thank you so much for reading!

#Film #Movies #Carnival of Souls #Carnival of Souls 1962 #1962 #60s #Horror #Mystery #PG #Candace Hilligoss #Sidney Berger #Herk Harvey

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silasmadams · 5 years ago

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YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING...READY OR NOT 👰🏼

(Theatrical Poster, image courtesy of Ready or Not (2019 film) )

The world has gone to shit so I’m here to recommend some movies to pass the time or offer up a momentary distraction. Remember to stay safe and continue to self-isolate/social distance. If you’re able, consider the following ways to help out frontline workers. (How to Help Your Community During the Coronavirus Crisis | The Strategist )

Now, onto the review…

Ready or Not is a 2019 film written by Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. It follows the story of a young woman, played by Samara Weaving, NOT Margot Robbie as everyone seems to think, it’s ok I made that mistake too. Her character, Grace, is about to marry into the family of her boyfriend of roughly over a year and a half, Alex Le Domas (more like dumbass am I right?! I apologize for this joke…in my defense the movie makes this joke too).

Alex comes from an affluent family that runs a board game empire and has recently stretched out into sports. Whenever someone marries into the family they are required to play a game with the family after the wedding ceremony is done and night falls. This game can be chess, checkers, OR it can be hide and seek aka the one deadly game. In hide and seek, the family must hunt the person marrying into the family until sunrise. If the family succeeds then they get to live but if they don’t they die. This is due to a deal their ancestor made with the devil to stay wealthy and powerful. I’ll keep the review relatively spoiler-free. Be warned though if you want to go watch the movie now, there is a lot of gore and violence.

What I liked about it and why you should definitely watch it:

The special effects aren’t the CGI fake blood type effects, rather they’re practical effects that are well done. Some of them are reminiscent of another wonderful dark comedy/horror movie, The Cabin in the Woods (2011). The effects in the final scene are both hilarious and horrifying (I mean that in the best way possible), and they sent me into a fit of laughter. I’ll be honest I felt guilty for laughing but hey, it’s dark comedy for a reason.

The characters are an absolute delight. The family is full of just the worst, most selfish people, save for one character and I love them all. The dynamic of the family is clear from the moment they’re on screen. You don’t need long-winded explanations or backstories on the spouses of the other family members, rather you get tidbits and you’re able to get a general idea of what’s going in their lives. Basically, the characters of the family are a great time without having to be exposition machines or overstaying their welcome.

Grace is an interesting character in not only her relationship with Alex but her own survival tactics and her backstory. Like many of the other characters, we don’t get too much detail on her but we know she comes from a poor background and has a history with foster families. From looking at the poster one would think that Grace would go Rambo on these people and she does to an extent, but the majority of the movie involves Grace having to be stealthy because she is not some jacked-up fighter or soldier ready to take down an entire extended family. She’s one woman that thought her wedding night was going to be the best moment of her life. I like that the filmmakers went this route instead of what the poster implies which is that she has a complete handle on the situation and she is able to take them all down, because where’s the fun in that?

The setting and the set design. I’m not one to usually notice set design but some of the details here were something even a casual viewer would take notice off. The games that they showed at the start of the movie and throughout in various other scenes are all fake but they’re designed so well in their logos and their names that you could actually believe they were odd old-timey games that can be hunted down now on eBay or the like. As for the actual setting, the manor is isolated on a large plot of land with the only other neighbors being similarly rich folks. These neighbors are hinted at having made similar deals with the devil and are thus no help allowing for a tense atmosphere. The manor itself is decorated in an extravagant way allowing for it to be eccentric and creepy though not too skin crawl worthy. It captures the feel of an old-money home.

It’s fun. It’s just a genuinely funny movie that manages to also keep you on the edge of your seat fearing for Grace’s life. Treat yourself and give it a watch, have a thrill and a laugh.

SOURCE

Ready or Not (2019 film)

BUY OR RENT IT HERE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.6eb65015-0ac3-1f7e-1a79-659a6bbe965b?autoplay=1

https://youtu.be/FRo-T87hTKU

https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Ready-or-Not/1216785

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#review #dark comedy #horror #ready or not #ready or not review #Thriller #Why you should watch #List #Popcorn flick #blog #blog post #movie review #movie recommendation #movie recc #samara weaving

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devilsskettle · 4 years ago

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can i ask u to elaborate on ur feelings/notes about swallow? i rly liked it and i would love to hear another person’s thoughts!!

yes! i’m so glad you asked, i was just writing about it actually!

the main two things i think this movie has going for it are the visual appeal and the strength of the acting. every shot in this movie seemed intentional and considered thoroughly, none of them seemed unnecessary or even boring to look at. everything from the set and costume design to the camera work was well done. i think that’s really impressive! most films don’t have that kind of intentionality. it felt kind of like “wes anderson does a psychological thriller” lol but not in a way that felt distracting to me. also the actress who plays hunter, haley bennett, did such a good job of conveying her as a character, and with so much nuance to her emotions. i also think it’s thematically interesting, the way it explores ideas about health, bodily autonomy, financial inequality (this is another “rich people suck” movie), gender, i could go on but you get the idea. it’s very gothic in a lot of ways, discussing the confinement of and violence towards women in the domestic sphere, especially the entitlement to their bodies and ideas about motherhood. i’ve also rarely seen stories about pika but i think here it’s framed in a sympathetic and respectful light that points out its seriousness but doesn’t place the blame on the person who struggles with it, which is a good way to handle any mental health issue in stories imo. i also think it’s rare to have abortion portrayed as a neutral choice that is right in certain circumstances so i think it did that well enough (there have been several movies/tv series in recent years that also discuss abortion without bias so it’s hardly revolutionary but i still like the way they went about it). however, i didn’t love the direction the movie went, i was hoping for more horror than that, in fact the only reason i think it’s labeled a psychological thriller is because people aren’t used to seeing pika portrayed and while it’s a scary problem to have, i don’t think the movie as a whole feels like a thriller. it feels more like a drama about marriage and mental health, if maybe a little bit more intense for that genre. like you can tell it’s intended to be a thriller based on the tone and everything, but the story itself doesn’t back that up. also it only really gets at surface level issues, and gives you a clear reason and solution for her problem (reason: guilt about the method of her conception + problems with her home life + pregnancy. result: pika. solution: confront father + leave husband + abortion. i wish it hadn’t been that simple)

which brings me to: the things i would’ve changed about it or liked to see more:

1. they opened the movie with several close up shots of food and i thought that would be a motif that they carried through the movie, which it was with the items that hunter ate, but not with actual food. like i thought in the birthday party scene, they would have a close up shot of the tray of sandwiches she was carrying, for example. i would’ve liked to see that and how by treating both the food and the objects the same way visually it would blur the line between the two, also i just think it would be visually appealing

2. i’m uncomfortable with the way they portrayed getting mental health help, with the therapist breaking confidentiality and the family of her husband coercing her into checking into an inpatient facility, even though imo that’s exactly where she needed to be (she almost died! she should’ve been in more intensive treatment). i don’t mind the therapist thing as much because it shows how money can open any door and how alone hunter was, but there’s nothing wrong with having to go to a psych ward even if it feels like an extreme step so it kind of felt bad to me but maybe i’m just hypersensitive about that kind of thing

3. again, i wanted it to go darker. i wanted for her to snap at the end and do something fucked up to her husband or his family. honestly i didn’t mind the ending, i thought the bathroom scene under the credits was a very strong final shot, but the narrative after she leaves the hotel feels like it diverts into soap opera melodrama territory. in some ways i like the ending but i wished it had something else to it

4. i wish we got to see more of hunter’s real personality but i think that’s difficult when she’s so isolated. maybe in some of the therapy scenes she could open up more and we’d see more past the facade (besides when she’s having a breakdown, which is also not indicative of her “real” personality)

5. the fact that we get to hear from her father and very little from her mother - none of which is positive - is a little bit questionable to me given that he raped her and we see him humanized and her - maybe not dehumanized, but she’s framed as not being a very good mother, at least to hunter, despite what she says about it. but it’s also surprising and moving in unexpected ways to see her confront the real person face to face instead of literally carrying around the image that she has of him and never really dealing with it, and it also shows that what he did and who he was when he did it was truly pathetic and entitled and massively harmful to both hunter and her mother and potentially to the family he has now, and also there’s not some magical line that separates “normal” people from people who do terrible things to other people, they’re also just people, which isn’t to say “we should forgive them and give them another chance! they’re only human,” more like “you are a person who is capable of hurting others so think about your actions and hold yourself accountable for them.” so i don’t know if it works or if it doesn’t work for me, i maybe have to sit with that one a little longer

6. while i think this movie is better, it does feel like it’s potentially getting into promising young women territory with the pastel aesthetic, focus on women, and shallowness of the storytelling (everything in either of these movies stays very surface level imo). i think it’s a much better movie but still there were parts that felt pretty meh in the same ways

that having been said, it’s a movie i think is going to stick with me and i definitely think it’s worth a watch for anyone curious, but if you’re not already curious, i don’t think you’re missing out so terribly much if you skip it

if you enjoyed this movie (or even were just interested in its themes) here’s some things i would recommend checking out: the yellow wallpaper by charlotte perkins gilman (a woman experiences a mental breakdown after being shut away in her room to recover from “hysteria” while suffering from postpartum depression), white is for witching by helen oyeyemi (also deals with pika as well as horror in domestic spaces), the invisible man 2020 (i feel like these movies have a lot of overlap - isolated glass houses on a cliffside, abusive/possessive men that they have to escape both of whom threaten to - or actually do - hunt them down, a woman experiencing a serious problem that no one takes seriously and is threatened with - or actually experience - institutionalization, commentary on wealth and autonomy), wide sargasso sea by jean rhys (after reading jane eyre of course! follows the character of bertha from jane eyre during her childhood, the early days of her relationship with rochester, and the breakdown of that relationship - similar in relationship with her husband, etc)

anyway yeah that’s all i have to say about it for now but i’d love to hear what you think about it!

#swallow 2019 #swallow

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ladyloveandjustice · 6 years ago

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Winter 2019 Anime Overview

I enjoyed every single one of the five anime I watched this season: Dororo, My Roommate is a Cat, Mob Psycho 100 II, The Promised Neverland and Kaguya-sama: Love is War.

So here are my reviews! I’ve cut back on the anime overview a lot, so these are shorter reviews than usual (though not quite as short at I’d like. someday I’ll be able to restrain myself)

Since I liked all of the shows, these aren’t in a strict worst-to-best order or anything, but the ones I found most impressive ARE nearer to the bottom. So let’s dig into last season’s anime.

My Roommate is a Cat

Premise: An antisocial writer in his early 20s adopts a cat and they both get their worlds expanded as they bond.

My take: Much like the kitty it centers on, this show is super cute, sweet and fluffy. If you’re a cat-lover and want to bask in some kitty adorableness, I encourage you to check it out. At first, I was afraid the main character Subaru’s grumpy misanthropy might be too much- I could certainly empathize with being socially isolated and avoiding people, but the way he was just rude toward others was grating. Fortunately, his character development is swift, so he quickly went from misanthrope to anxious-introverted-mess-who-awkwardly-muddles-through-social-interaction-for-the-sake-of-his-kitty, which I found EXTREMELY relatable. Subaru is coping with the loss of his parents and the fact he took them for granted while they were alive as well, so there are quite a few heart-string tugging moments.

The show’s central gimmick is that events will be told from Subaru’s point of view and then we’ll get his kitty Haru’s side of things. Yep, the cat narrates part of the show, which is how I knew I was in it for good. And Haru’s a very good cat! She’s adorable without being cloying, and at least realistic in how most of her thoughts revolve around food. Seeing her warm up to her hopeless human is just as sweet as seeing Subaru warm up to her. As a former stray cat, she has a rough backstory, so if even a restrained depiction of kitty death is too much for you, look out for that part. This show isn’t afraid to bring the feels, but it keeps things positive overall. Subaru’s friends are supportive and help a new pet owner out, and we even get a cute doggie in the mix. Overall, if you want a relaxing, nice watch with a simple, sweet story, you could do a lot worse than My Roommate is a Cat.

Dororo (Episodes 1-12)

Premise: Thanks to his father making a deal with demons, Hyakkimaru has to wander Japan and fight monsters to get his body parts back. He meets up with a young thief named Dororo.

My take: Dororo is a very loose adaptation of the 1960′s manga by Osamu Tezuka, who’s known as the godfather of manga. I was familiar with Dororo thanks to watching the live action movie for an article when I worked at epicstream (it must not have left an impression bc I remember very little) so I was curious to check this out. I ended up reading the manga too, and overall, I find it pretty impressive as an adaptation. It does a lot to make a really dated and incomplete-feeling manga more palatable and cohesive for a modern audience. Maybe I’ll do a full post expanding on those thoughts sometime, because the changes really are worth examining.

Dororo is definitely not for everyone- it’s a grim, dark show with lots of death and destruction.The story is especially not kind to women, who tend to die or be demons. The exceptions to this (such as a lady demon actually being presented as sympathetic) are mainly anime-original. Actually, while the anime eschews the original manga’s cartoon-y, jokey tone to be more serious, it actually has a much lower body count and more hopeful tone than the original, a contrast I find pretty interesting. But “more hopeful” is still not very hopeful. The story has pretty strong anti-war undertones and criticism of how authority exploits people, and there’s a lot of “these are the horrors of war” scenes and even a scene where Dororo witnesses a woman engaging in unhappy, reluctant sex work.

The premise of the story, a guy made up of mostly prosthetics on a quest to get his body parts and senses back, is also a dicey one in how it treats disability. The anime does at least make updates to the manga that lend the story a little more complexity on that front. In the manga Hyakkimaru can basically hear and speak through telepathy already and he’s portrayed as simply joyous whenever he gets a body part or sense back, despite not having a practical need for them.

The anime wisely jettisons the telepathy thing, meaning that Dororo and Hyakkimaru have some difficulty communicating, something that adds an interesting layer to the story. It means we find out about Hyakkimaru’s personality in bits and pieces alongside Dororo, going on a journey of discovery with him. And Hyakkimaru getting senses back is treated in a more realistic mixed-bag way- when he gets his hearing back, for instance, he has difficulty adjusting to it and experience serious sensory overload. It’s not really clear how he feels about a lot of things, much less the changes he’s going through.

Dororo himself is the heart of the show, really, and I find him to be really endearing and engaging as a character. His boundless energy and chattiness balance out the aloof Hyakkimaru, but he never gets overbearing or obnoxious. He’s been through a lot himself, and has a good heart. One thing worth keeping an eye out going forward is how Dororo’s gender will be handled. Dororo is afab, but in the original manga very vehemently lets everyone know he’s a boy. The anime also lets you know Dororo’s afab halfway through, but hasn’t really done much otherwise in exploring Dororo’s gender identity. I do think it’s unlikely we’ll get a handling of it as bad as the manga’s final chapters (Manga Hyakkimaru had a lot of strong, intrusive opinions about what Dororo “really” is that I think his anime version is unlikely to have based on his restrained characterization so far), but who knows.

Overall, Dororo is a nicely animated and well put-together dark action series so far. I’m not sure I would have ended up watching it if I wasn’t so interested in examining it as an adaptation, but the ride’s been pretty okay and worthwhile.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Premise: Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are the top students at their prestigious school, and heads of the student council. They also have a crush on each other, but both are too full of pride (and nerves) to make the first move, so they come up with schemes to trick the other into confessing. Hijinks ensue.

My take: Kaguya-sama is a wildly funny rom-com about two idiot smart kids who don’t know how to say how they feel. It’s mostly a really good time. There’s a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. The characters are a lot of fun, especially Kaguya’s friend Chica, who is pure chaos in human form and has some of the best lines in the show. The animation and direction of the show are also impressive and lavish, elevating already good gags into greatness. The finale also does that thing where it’s all suddenly surprisingly emotional and hits you really hard with all the feels, showing a little depth and true friendship among all the characters involved.

However,there are a few “yikes” moments, and the most uncomfortable one and likely the biggest deal breaker was the “Kaguya gets sick” arc, which happens roughly the last half of episode 9 and the start of 10. In it, we’re treated to tropes that are both really tired and really uncomfortable, like Kaguya being sick and her friend, for some reason???, tacitly encouraging Miyuki to take advantage of her in her weakened state. Miyuki does not, but Kaguya pulls him into bed and he falls asleep due to sleep deprivation (which is admittedly relatable) and when they wake up she believes for a time he did assault her and throws shit at him, at which point he whines about being villainized even though he “held back”.

During the next episode, Kaguya is ~secretly kind of upset he didn’t assault her because doesn’t he find her appealing~, a trope that really needs to die bc the myth girls “really want to be assaulted” is dangerous. There were a couple okay moments in the whole thing, like Miyuki deciding he should have shut the whole thing down more firmly and apologizing for an infraction, and since Miyuki didn’t cross a significant line it doesn’t ruin their relationship or make them impossible to root for or anything, but the whole thing is tired and gross and unnecessary and not all that funny. I was able to handle it because I got warned ahead of time, but it was a chore of an arc, so here’s my warning.

The Promised Neverland

Premise: Emma and her friends Ray and Norman are orphans being raised in the happy, idyllic Grace Field House. They’re never been outside it though, and there’s a wall they’re never supposed to approach. When Emma discovers the truth behind the orphanage, a tense thriller begins.

My take: I was looking forward to this one based on word of mouth, and mostly it doesn’t disappoint! The writing hooked me enough that I’ve picked up the manga to continue the story. This a rich story. It’s an intense game of cat and mouse between genius kids and unscrupulous adults where the stakes are super high. Emma and her friends pull out all the stops to outwit and escape the ones holding them captive, and the twists and turns of the narrative are delivered well. There’s also some social commentary buried under its horror to add some bite. This essay goes into how it comments on forced societal gender roles, for instance.

A thrilling plot can only shine thanks to its characters, and Emma is great protagonist. Her determination to save her family and unpredictable nature make her fun to follow. She’s a rare and refreshing example of a female shonen protag, and she sells that power of friendship stuff pretty well when she has the brains and skills to back it up. The three main kids balance each other well, with Ray’s cynicism and pragmatism contrasting Emma’s stubborn idealism, and Norman stands in the middle as someone who’s inclined to think like Ray but WANTS to be more like Emma. Despite the many conflicts and differences between them, these kids are ride and die, and the show does a good job selling their familial-friendship. A lot of the moments between them are truly heartwrenching.

The story has a big glaring flaw, though, and that’s Sister Krone and the racism regarding her. It’s not my lane, so please read Jackson P. Brown’s essay here for more info. The anime not only replicates the problem with her design but makes things arguably worse than the manga by making her personality a caricature as well. The anime portrays Krone as far more unhinged and exaggerated than her vindictive but more controlled and canny manga counterpart, even adding this weird thing where she rants at and beats up a doll. This review on episode 8 talks about the author feels the anime failed with sister Krone and his feelings on Krone as a black character well, it’s definitely worth a read.

While I have those issues with the anime’s choices, I was impressed with how the last few episodes were directed. They hit it out of the park, leaving me breathless, emotional and wanting more. Thanks to that, I’m now reading an enthralling adventure manga! This anime was definitely flawed but I can’t deny I’m interested in seeing how the second season will shake out.

Mob Psycho 100 II

Premise: Season 2 continues to tale of Mob, a ridiculously powerful psychic middle schooler. He’s in the employ of Reigen, a con-artist who has fooled many (Mob included) into thinking he has legitimate psychic abilities.

My take: Holy wow. Mob Psycho’s first season had some incredible animation, atmosphere and direction, but season two fires on all cylinders. I’m glad I caught up in time to experience the show with everyone else these last few weeks, because it was always a treat- a visual feast full of heartpumping action and lots of sincere emotion.

Mob Psycho is an animation extravaganza, with some sequences that wouldn’t feel out of place in a high budget movie, dripping with atmosphere, artistry and aplomb. But the story and characters are really solid too and it has some nice themes and messages at its core. Mob is one of the goodest good boys in all of anime and he grows a lot throughout this season. At the core of the show is the idea that no one is worthless and also no one is more “special” than anyone else, that having power doesn’t give you the right to put yourself above others, that no person is inherently superior or inferior to any other, that even if you’re born with some super talent, you still need to try to improve yourself, value other people and the things they can do that you can’t and work hard to live a balanced life. Being powerful or born with a talent doesn’t mean you have the answers or know better-so it’s all about striving to make good, compassionate choices and taking control of your own life.

There’s a lot of stories that pay lip service to themes like these without really doing much to back it up, but this show sells it with an earnestness that few manage. Mob is a quiet and gentle boy, and you genuinely believe it when he says he doesn’t like fighting or using his powers on other people, and when he breaks down in tears because for all his power he can’t figure out how to set someone on the right path this time, your heart aches. The fact that Mob actually has difficulty coming up with the right answers and will sometimes gets overwhelmed by emotion and loses control, but keeps striving for honest communication, makes his approach come off as a lot more believable than the typical shonen-hero-converting-bad-guys-with-a-confident-friendship-speech bit.

The character relationships in the show are also good stuff, particularly the relationship between Mob and Reigen, which develops a lot this season with Reigen having to grapple with how yeah, he’s been kinda terrible and dishonest, especially with this kid he cares about and there’s a point where people have enough of it. There’s a lot of nice growth there.

All together, Mob Psycho is just Good with capital G. I do wish there were more girls in it, and there is a dark skinned character who’s caricature-ish in his design (he barely shows up in this season iirc), but otherwise it’s a quality rec and breathtaking example of the truly transcendent heights anime can reach.

#winter 2019 anime #anime overview #Mob Psycho 100 #my roommate is a cat #the promised neverland #dororo #kaguya sama love is war #kaguya sama: love is war #kaguya sama wa kokurasetai #my reviews

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trans-advice · 5 years ago

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Hey there I’m sorry to bother you I just wanted to ask something. I have noticed after about 3 years of being properly in the community that there is a much greater acceptance for trans men than there is for trans women and there are practically no resources for trans women relative to what you can find for trans men, I literally type in gaff and a binder comes up before gaff on tumblr. I just wondered if maybe you knew why this is? I don’t mean it negatively towards trans men btw, not at all

you cut a band off some underwear that fits you. you cut off the ankle part off of a sock. you put that onto a relatively tight underwear waistband. you put it over your junk. you then put on regular underwear. voila!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfwkfkikyJk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjZFhnFFItM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO6S8c4Wxbk

this way you can use clothing that’s kind of discreet (well, unless you use stockings, but whatever)

good luck, peace & love,

eve

now to get into how society tends to put trans women down.

TW: a ton of discussion about cissexism, gender roles, transmisogyny, transphobia, misogyny, misgendering, sex objectification,

frankly, i do not know at all. so this is guesswork.

trans women tend to have a longer history of representation than trans men. sadly, that representation has often conflated us with being sex workers or sex objects. granted, women both cis & trans tend to have more representation in these social roles then men. there’s also the fact that since there is this common enough conflation & that porn is essentially rejected by youth & considered out of the domain of youth that it is harder to look at transition materials if you want to be respected as a woman than as a man.

do not forget about the bigoted parents of transgender youth who especially cannot separate gender identity from sexuality from sex organs from gender roles. they think that us trans girl kids are talking about kink, as if we understood how sex acts worked to begin with! ironically, my mom trying to get me to conform to cissexism is how i became a relative expert in sex education compared to my classmates! (although, i am definitely undereducated, and if you ever want sex ed questions answered look up the youtuber Sexplanations (by Lindsay Doe)).

also there’s the fact that being a drag queen was considered more rejection of gender roles to the point of being like a toilet joke while drag kings were considered more like career advancement. it’s less gender non-conforming for designated women to do something with their breasts than it is for designated men to do something with their balls (unless it’s something sexuality related, ugh). seriously, a binder conforms to the celibancy gender role for women because it hides the breasts & it can be explained away as a form of like body slimmer. however, a gaff is literally a form of underpants, and parents of trans women often be like you aren’t wearing panties because they’re way too sexual. even granny panties! so this means it’s harder to explain away gaffs & it’s harder to get & harder to dry after laundry.

it’s literally why “mulan” is transphobic, she crossdresses to conform to sexist gender roles as if that’s going to actually end sexism, and the movie ends with a “men in a dress” joke working as her sidekicks. like enough people think that movie is the stuff of trans people, but at best, it’s the stuff of trans men.

a trans woman experience is more like “the little mermaid” where you make a deals with unsavory characters, the people who love you try to control you, when you do transition you’re told to basically shut up & seduce with your body, and then in older times you die alone, but at least with the reward of authenticity & these days we can now have more love & such, but whether it’s in stealth or in acknowledgement of our misgendered pasts is still playing catch up.

on top of this, testosterone/HRT does a lot for a trans men, while HRT for trans women doesn’t do as much. therefore, it’s not a simple fix. that harder job of transitioning is then compounded by the fact that puberty is a time of sexist conformity. so us trans girls are already trying to escape cissexism & toxic masculinity, but then we get confronted by sexism & transmisogyny within our transition. we are also at the mercy of our parents when transitioning & for trans girls the first puberty is like a horror show. granted, cis people feel horrified too. that being said, it’s especially disgusting when people have the gall to say “but oh think of the children, HRT is permanent, regrets!” as if (natural) puberty wasn’t already permanent was not being faced with regret & mourning!

so trans women/girls having a lack of bodily autonomy, like... we might be more inclined to reject/get dysphoric the vocabulary that older generations which then isolates us from a lot of knowledge which could be helpful. that’s in addition to the fact that tumblr users are rather young & older people tend to be on facebook. this is relatively harmful since our parents are often not transgender themselves which means we barely have role models. again this is on top of the fact that the consensus is that asking about genitals is rude, that sex organs are conflated with sex acts, and that we are literally asking our elders about how to deal with sex organs.even cis people & cis people struggle with this!

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master-sass-blast · 6 years ago

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Found Family Part Three: Ellie, Russell, and Yukio.

Welcome back to the Found Family miniseries! Part One and Part Two, in case you need to catch up!

Summary: A look at your friend/family-ship with Ellie, Russell, and Yukio.

Rating: T for mentions of abuse, mentions of death, mild language, and mild angst. This one’s pretty fluffy, though.

Pairings: Piotr Rasputin x Reader and Ellie Phimister x Yukio.

Set after: Dig the Needle In.

@marvel-is-perfection, @chromecutie

Your relationship with the other occupants of ‘Casa de la Mutants,’ as Wade calls it, is probably best described as “tenuous.”

(Except for Scott Motherfucking Summers, who is on the specific status of “go fuck yourself” at all times, regardless of what he’s done, is doing, or will do.)

Most of them don’t mind you. You do your stuff, they do theirs, and it’s all pretty fucking hunky-dory.

Granted, they think the fact that you hang out with Wade is weird, but you’re also the chief grading assistant and the one reason the teachers aren’t constantly swamped with an abundance of work, so it all balances out in the end.

Jean’s cool, as is Remy, and anyone Piotr is close to is pretty friendly to you, but in all honesty you get along better with the teens and college-age students that stay there.

Which is fine, as far as you’re concerned. They don’t judge you for your choices in life or friends –and if they do, they keep their mouths shut about it—and have better taste in hobbies and pastimes. It’s a little touch and go since they tend to bounce in and out for the school year, depending on which age bracket they’re in, but it’s fun.

There are, however, three very specific teens that you’ve adopted into your little found family. It took some time for all of you to warm up to each other, but it was time well-spent and you wouldn’t trade them for anyone else in the world.

This, ladies, gentlemen, and noble gentry of non-conforming gender identities, is the very dramatic tale of how you came to know and love Ellie Phimister, Russell Collins, and Yukio.

It isn’t a very dramatic tale, actually. It’s not even plain old dramatic. Really, it’s kind of run-of-the-mill, maybe even a little boring.

Let it be known that hype has limitations, especially when what you’re trying to sell as the next best thing is really just average.

Anyway.

Getting in with the three teens that are honorary members of the X-Force –because Ellie and Yukio are still technically X-Women and Russell’s too young to be fighting crime—isn’t all that hard, either. Yukio genuinely loves people, Russell’s basically Wade’s shadow when the merc’s around, and Ellie is Yukio’s girlfriend and Piotr’s mentee. You’ve got more than enough connections to be in with the teens.

Also in your favor is that you’re not an actual authority figure at the mansion. You might grade essays, but you’re not a teacher or a trainer; granted, if shit hits the fan you’ve got enough clout to tell anyone younger than you to duck for cover, but that’s about it.

That, and you’re usually helping start trouble instead of policing it. The latter’s Piotr’s job.

Anyway.

The four of you aren’t super close, though. Ellie sticks with Piotr, Russell sticks with Wade, and Yukio bounces between groups as she pleases but always winds back up with Ellie at the end of the day (which is understandable). You’re sort of disjointed. You know each other, you know the same people, and you all find each other to be agreeable enough, but that’s about it.

Until the four of you are really the only company you all have.

It happens during the summer, when all the “school year only” residents head back home to their families –which takes out about half of the ‘population’ at Xavier’s to begin with.

Then, some sort of conference comes up about mutant rights. Charles heads out to attend that, taking Piotr, Ororo, and a few other X-Men with him.

Then, within days, some sort of big mission comes up that clears out the rest of the X-Men, along with Wade and Nate. You don’t know the details, only that it’s an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ situation –one that you’ve been benched from until you get your episodes under better control, and one that Ellie, Yukio, and Russell can’t attend because they’re too young.

The mansion may as well be a ghost town. The whole space is eerily devoid of noise, and the lack of human contact has you a bit twitchy.

You sigh over your latest text from Piotr –a reminder that he loves you and to eat more than Poptarts while he’s gone—and flop back onto your bed, dejected. I wish he was home already.

As it turns out, you’re not the only one disquieted by the lack of noise and human contact.

Russell walks in on your late night Poptart run –you love Piotr, but you do what you want—and sits across from you at the breakfast table. “Hey.”

You nod at him. “Hey,” you garble around a mouthful of toaster pastry that’s more preservatives than pastry. “Whassup?”

“Nothing. Not much going on without everyone here.” He shifts in his seat, gaze bouncing from you to the window to you to the floor to back to you. “Do you… do you know when they’re going to be back?”

“The conference ends next week,” you say with a shrug. “And I know jack shit about the mission, so I can’t say anything about the rest of them.”

Russell nods, shifts in his seat again. “So, uh—”

Before he can say whatever he was going to say, Ellie and Yukio walk in.

Yukio waves cheerily at the two of you before sitting down. “Hi, Russell! Hi, Y/N!”

Ellie just grunts and sits next to her girlfriend, eyes glued to her phone screen.

You smirk and cram more Poptart into your mouth. “Hey, Yukio. Ellie. I didn’t realize you two were still up.”

“It’s summer,” Ellie says drily. “Sleep is for chumps. Besides, it’s too damn quiet around here.”

“Yeah,” Russell agrees quickly, looking relieved at the fact that he’s not the only one thinking it. “It’s almost like something out of a horror movie.”

“We’re all used to the noise,” Yukio chimes in. “It’s just lonely without everyone else here.”

And then they all look at you, like they’re looking for some sort of direction on what to do.

Oh dear sweet Cthulhu, that’s exactly what they’re doing. You’re the adult now. They’re looking to you for guidance.

Who the fuck let that happen? You think, terrified by the sudden prospect of being the responsible one. Okay, Y/N. Put on your thinking cap. You’ve got three teenagers looking to you to act as the adult. Fuck, what do I do?

Okay, step one: isolate the problem.

Okay, that’s simple enough. They’re lonely. Maybe even a little scared at the prospect of not having the usual people around.

Step one done. Step two: determine what the need is.

Again, simple enough: they’re looking for companionship, but they don’t know how to ask for it because they’re usually surrounded by people –and they’re also at that tender age where asking a grown up for direct help is “uncool.”

Step two done. Step three: find a way to get from being lonely to not being lonely.

Which is easier said than done, actually. Sure, y’all could hang out and watch a movie, which would help to some degree, but you’re practically the only four people in the house right now. Somehow, watching a movie and then splitting apart again for the night doesn’t seem to be enough.

You glance over your shoulder; the rec room’s right behind you, dark since no one’s using it, and oh, hey, I’ve got an idea. “You guys want to camp out in the rec room for the night?”

And that’s definitely the right answer, if the way all three teens’ faces light up is anything to go by.

Step three done.

It takes the better part of an hour to get the rec room set up for your little camp out; none of you are really sold on the idea of sleeping on the couches, and even Ellie doesn’t remember where the pump for the air mattresses got stored, which means the four of you have to drag down your regular beds from upstairs.

Which means rearranging all the furniture in the rec room so there’s space for four twin-sized mattresses on the floor, and since none of you can lift a couch single handed –Piotr—it takes a lot of sweat and team effort.

But the four of you do manage, and by the end of it you’ve got four mattresses settled on the rec room floor with blankets and pillows.

Russell sits down on his bed, gaze bouncing around the room as his uncertainty manifests again. “So… what now?”

It’s Ellie who makes the first suggestion.

“You guys ever play Mario Kart?”

You and Russell, as it turns out, suck at Mario Kart.

Not that it matters. You’re all too busy busting a gut at just how bad you and Russell –more specifically, you, since you decide to ignore the idea of winning in favor of fucking around on the courses—are at the game.

And Ellie, as it turns out, is a good teacher. By the end of it all, you and Russell are decent enough at Mario Kart to beat most of the computer characters.

(None of you are good enough to beat Ellie, though.)

The sun’s well on its way to being high in the sky when you wake up the next morning.

Ellie jerks awake with a snort when your phone’s alarm goes off.

You smirk as she tries to get her hair looking somewhat normal. “Sleep well?”

“Meh.” She rolls over to Yukio’s mattress and flops on top of her girlfriend. “It’s time to get up.”

Yukio groans and shoves Ellie off her. “I’m awake.”

You grin at their antics, then turn around and nudge Russell awake. “Hey. You should probably eat something.”

“Probably.” He rubs at his eyes. “What’s in the kitchen?”

“Uh…” You frown. “I’ve got Poptarts.”

“Those will spike my blood sugar too fast.”

“Right. Uh…”

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you two how to cook?” Ellie comments drily, eyebrow raised as she watches the two of you.

“No,” Russell says, glaring at her.

You shake your head when she looks at you. “Forced dependency. Abusers use it to keep their victims dependent on them for survival so they’re less likely to run away.”

She stares at you and Russell for a long, silent moment, then clenches her jaw and stands. “Come on. I’m teaching you two how to make a decent breakfast.”

She teaches the two of you how to make pancakes –without burning them, something you’ve never managed before—and the four of you eat breakfast in the rec room while watching reruns of the original “Teen Titans” cartoon series.

“The reboot is utter blasphemy,” Ellie comments when you ask her about it. “Just… don’t even try to watch it, okay?”

You all spend the rest of the day together; you play video games, you explore the house and the grounds, you watch TV and movies…

And then before you know it, it’s night again, and the house is still too damn quiet.

It’s clear that the three teens think the same, judging by the desperate looks they give you.

You glance at the mattresses, which are still on the rec room floor, then look back at them. “You guys wanna camp out another night?”

Russell’s face lights up. “Yeah!”

“I think it sounds like fun!” Yukio agrees.

Ellie shrugs and taps at her phone. “Whatever.”

You grin. “Sounds like we’re all in agreement, then.”

The next few days follow the same pattern: stay up late playing video games and watching TV, wake up mid-morning and eat breakfast, spend the day playing games, watching movies, or getting into mild mischief, then do it all over again.

It’s great. A little care-free, a little irresponsible, but it’s great.

It’s hard to feel lonely when you’re surrounded by friends, after all.

“So, wait.” Russell puts his slice of pizza down and focuses intently on Yukio. “Your family’s okay with you being a mutant?”

Yukio smiles and nods. “Yes. I am very fortunate, of course, but mutantism is viewed different in Japan. It’s more celebrated. Mutants are said to be blessed by our ancestors and the spirits.”

“I wish it was that way here,” Russell mutters, somewhat dejected. “I’m glad you have a supportive family, though. That’s… that’s good.”

“You have a supportive family, too,” Yukio says with a sweet smile. “All mutants are family to each other. Don’t forget that.”

You can’t help but smile as Russell perks up. “So, when do you go and visit your family?”

“I have an aunt in California,” Yukio says. “She hosts my parents during spring break so I can see them, and I go home to see them during winter break and part of summer break.”

“Is she a mutant too?” Russell asks.

Yukio shakes her head. “The last mutant in my family before me was my great-great grandfather.”

“It’s pretty rare for families to have long histories of active mutations,” Ellie chimes in as she munches on her pizza crust. “The X-gene’s pretty fickle.”

Russell frowns. “I thought Colossus came from a mutation family.”

Ellie snorts. “That’s just Russia, dude. Russia’s weird.”

“What about your family, Y/N?” Yukio asks. “Do you have any mutants in your family?”

Your mind flashes to your uncle automatically –his work as a mercenary, his history as a non-voluntary government agent, how spending those rare few weeks on his farm were the best weeks of your life when you were growing up.

You smile and shrug. “We’ve had one or two along the way.”

The four of you play video games for maybe an hour at a most, that night.

The rest of it, you spend talking.

“My parents threatened to kick me out when I came out as gay.” Ellie takes a swig from her water bottle. “They actually did it when my mutation manifested.”

Yukio frowns sympathetically and squeezes her girlfriend’s hand. “But your aunt’s been very supportive.”

Ellie smirks. “Doesn’t hurt that she’s gay, too.” She glances over at you. “What about your family?”

You roll your eyes. “Who gives a shit.”

Ellie laughs and nods. “That’s a mood.”

“What happened when your mutation manifested?” Russell asks. “I blew up a toilet.”

“I was outside when it happened,” Ellie says. “I got lucky. I did destroy a couple trashcans, though.”

“I made a few lights explode,” Yukio adds.

You look down at your hands when everyone looks at you. “I accidentally killed someone.” You swallow hard and take a deep breath. “I was five.”

Yukio moves to sit next to you and wraps her arms around you in a hug. “It wasn’t your fault.”

You manage a smile and pat her arm. “Thanks.”

“Does it feel good to kill people?” Russell blurts out.

Ellie whips her half empty water bottle at his head. “You don’t just ask that, idiot!”

You hold up a hand before she can rip into the poor kid. “It’s okay, Ellie.”

Because you know why he’s asking. You know he’s gotten different bits and pieces of the story from Wade and the X-Men –and a few from Nate when he was feeling vindictive—about why Nate was trying to kill him and why Wade worked so hard to save him.

You can hear the unspoken question he’s asking: Am I at risk? Am I going to become the monster people always said I am?

You asked yourself the same question growing up, after each incident you had with the men that liked to hunt you with guns when you ran away.

You look him in the eye. “It doesn’t. The only people who really get off on killing people are psychopaths. You aren’t a psychopath.”

Russell relaxes visibly.

“What does that make Wade?” Ellie mutters, half sarcastic and half serious.

“Psychopaths hurt people for the sake of hurting them,” you interject quickly. “Wade does it to take out people who hurt other people.”

“He’s a psychopath killer,” Russell says.

You shrug. “Basically.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Ellie argues.

“I never said anything about right,” you fire back. “Wade definitely breaks nearly every single ethical and moral convention there is, but he has a code. And knowing that he goes after the kind of people that hurt me growing up…” You shrug again when your voice trails off. “I sleep better at night. I’m not ashamed to admit that.”

“I sleep better, too,” Russell chimes in quietly. “If it wasn’t for someone like Wade, I would’ve become a monster. Or the people at Essex would’ve kept hurting me.”

“It takes all kinds to make the world go around,” Yukio says, reaching over to hold Ellie’s hand again. “Wade is just one of the many kinds we need.”

Ellie lets out a huff. “He’s the crazy kind.”

But there’s no malice behind it, no insult.

The corner of your mouth turns up in a smile. “I doubt even he’d argue with you on that.”

Professor Xavier and the handful of mutants he took with him return home a couple days later.

It’s Piotr that finds your little set up in the rec room, though, which is probably for the best.

He crosses his arms over his chest and smiles down at the four of you. “I see you redecorated.”

The four of you look at each other, grin, then look back at Piotr. “Yeah.”

#sass writes #piotr rasputin x reader #colossus x reader #negasonic x yukio #tw: abuse #tw: death #mild angst but overall fluffy #deadpool fanfiction #x men fanfiction

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rohobi · 7 years ago

Text

Serendipity 04 | (M)

pairing— jeon jungkook x reader, friendwithbenefitsAU genre/warnings— smut, fluff, slight angst, swearing NSFW AT ALL words—7, 012 ↳ CHAPTERS → CHAPTER 5

chapter 4 summary: ❝O is for Oral❞ A/N: I’m sorry. Also, this is the last part of Serendipity and the following chapters will be called Reciprocity with a more detailed background of both reader and Jungkook. I was originally going to split this into two but thought against it because all of you are hell-dwellers anyway. In any case, happy reading/nutting.

You haven’t seen Jungkook in two weeks. Which isn’t awfully different from your usual, being two working adults with parents who have exceptionally high expectations for your futures.

But this time, it was different.

You actually kind of miss him.

Jungkook, being the in demand academic, had been pulled into a rip tide of study, pulled under the murky waters of social isolation and into the perils of his education; a last minute assignment and a forgotten seminar on health and architecture that he had to attend.

And you were left astray, turning to more immaculate reads through pages composed by Malorie Blackman instead of some 34 year old divorced woman discussing a dick drought during golden showers.

Urban dictionary has this flip a coin feature of being on one side, completely comedic and on the other, bloody disturbing as it’s explanation of that saying has you immediately deleting your search history and leaving the fucking planet. Humans are disgusting yet, creative and outlandish creatures.

So in saying that, you hadn’t received any word from Jungkook until this very beautiful Friday evening, 6 hours post-hand in doomsday and 2 hours post-seminar where Jungkook had inhaled their hot horderves to the point of notice and had been kicked out in front of his superiors for excessive eating.

And who did he call? Ghostbust-

-you.

In pulling up to the side walk in your BMW, he hadn’t ushered another word about his shovelling adventures but you did ask him how many plates he had eaten when you arrived outside his apartment.

“How many plates?” He had turned to you, a smirk accentuated by the orange hues of the streetlight. “All of them.”

And you were pleasantly not surprised this time.

“You should’ve seen my professors face when I was dragged outside the seminar hall. He looked like he regretted ever forcing me to go,” Jungkook says, laying on his back, computer sitting hazardously on his stomach. “Seriously though. The system is fucking bullshit. Fuck them all. I just want to watch mindless movies and feel my brain leak out of my ears. If that’s okay with you.”

“People are dying around the world Jungkook, complain about things that matter,” You stammer. Laying next to Jungkook with a pillow under your knees, and his socks on your feet. You turn up your spotify playlist. “And, excuse you, what brain?”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.”

“Just watch a korean drama. You’ll waste 2 days of your life binging it and you would’ve lost some brain cells in the process too. I recommend any drama Suzy is in.”

“What have you got against her? She’s so hot,” He snorts, scrolling through his netflix account. “And this is coming from your experience?”

You kick his leg. “She’s the same character in all of her dramas and it’s getting pretty boring. And, do you want to die?”

Grinning sheepishly at you in response, he continues searching through his recommended tv shows, cursor falling short of season 9 Rupaul’s Drag Race.

“Have you seen season 9 of Rupaul’s?” he asks, and you shake your head. “No, not yet.”

Scrolling past it, he says. “I’m not impartial to watching it if you want….”

“Nah not in the mood today.”

“That’s fine. If you don’t love yourself, hell the hell you gon love somebody else.”

He rolls his eyes.

“Um, hey Jungkook, can I ask you something?” you ask, scooting closer to his side. “Please?”

He nods without looking away from his computer screen. “You just did.”

“Beside that?”

“You just did again.”

You slap his chest. “Can I ask you lots of questions?”

He snickers. “Sure, shoot.”

“Don’t laugh at me but what is fellatio and why do guys beg for it? Is it good?” you ask him and you hate how serious you sound when the next thing that you hear is a condescending rupture of cackles.

“What?” You watch Jungkook choke on his spit before jerking up and coughing. “What did you just fucking ask me?”

Your cheeks heat up. “I was just reading and they were talking about their partners begging for fellatio …it’s gelato right? Unless of course it isn’t …then just ignore me and let’s pretend I never said anything.”

“What makes you think it’s gelato Y/N?”

“Remember when we went to that new gelato place in town and we got their new flavours, you got their staccio and I got their fellatio with crunchy nuts on top?”

Jungkook laughs so loudly, you aren’t sure how to react. “Omg, I can’t believe you,” Ripping off the covers, Jungkook falls onto the floor laughing. You watch him roll around with tears in his eyes. “Fucking fellatio, omg.”

“What?” you ask, “Did I say something dumb again?”

Wiping the tears from his cheeks, he looks up at you on the bed. “Did you mean fragola?”

You shake your head. “No, of course not. I’ve had fellatio before! It was the one with the nuts”

“Are you kidding?” He laughs again. “I mean, you’re right about the nuts part but are you sure you aren’t thinking of pistachio? I don’t know if you’re joking.”

The realisation feels like you’ve been doused in warm water. “…pistachio?”

Jungkook cackles so loudly, he starts coughing again. “I can’t believe you thought fellatio was a type of gelato, you moron! You’re supposed to be a law student???????? How are you this dumb?”

Sitting up in his bed, you lean against the headboard. “Well, are you going to tell me what it is or not you wanker?”

He wipes the tears away from his eyes. “Fellatio is oral sex Y/N, blow jobs you idiot.”

You make a silent ‘O’ shape with your mouth. “Oh, that makes so much sense. I was wondering why they were talking about techniques with your tongue. They even made a guideline. I didn’t even read it.”

“A guideline? I already sent you a load of information about oral sex?”

You nod. “Yes, but it all makes sense now.”

“For a smart person, you can be really dumb sometimes. And what were your other questions?” Jungkook asks, putting his phone on his side table to give you all of his attention.

“So if it’s not gelato and you haven’t found a movie and you probably won’t …can I do it on you?” You ask it so nonchalantly that Jungkook chokes on his saliva. Coughing into his pillows again, you pat his back. “Jungkook, you okay?”

He nods. “Yeaah, I am ffiinne,” he stutters, clearing his throat. “Just was not expecting that so soon. You want to give me a blow job?”

Hesitantly, you nod. “Right now?”

“Hell fucking yeah, are you agreeing to have sex with me?”

You hold your hands up in surrender. “I said I’d give you a blow job and you go ahead and speed down the highway of jumping ahead. No Jungkook, just a blow job.”

Jungkook sits up, turning to face you. Grabbing your hands, he looks you straight in the eyes. “Y/N, you realise that if we’re going to do this every now and then, we need to make some rules okay. I don’t want it to feel like I am taking advantage of you.”

“Oh so, you’re in control of this?” Smiling, you say. “I don’t think so. You want to make rules? New Rules? Like… one, don’t pick up the phone …you know he’s only calling because he’s drunk and alone….”

Sitting up, he frowns at you. “Don’t you dare sing that song. Can you please take this seriously for once in your life?”

Raising your fingers in a peace sign, you serenade him with the song of your people. “Two, don’t let him in you have to kick him out again.”

“Stop singing you butt.”

Pulling his arms with yours, you sing louder. “Three, don’t be his friend you know you’re gonna wake up in his bed in the morning and if you’re under him, you ain’t get-ting over him. I got new rule-

Slapping a hand over your mouth, Jungkook pushes his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “You’re a fucking cliche Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Is it a cliche because it works or because you feel threatened by my amazing talent?”

“I would hardly call that amazing,” he objects. “By rules, I mean, to keep you safe and to keep me safe. If we were to do this, it could become unhealthy. Almost all friends with benefits relationships don’t end well.”

You slap his hands away from yours. “Someone gets attached and if you think that is going to be me, I’m sorry to tell you first that I have a deep and intricate relationship with your netflix account only, not you. I’ve seen all the movies Jungkook I know all the possible endings, like-

“You’re going on a tangent Y/N, just sto-

“-you could get me pregnant or I drown you in the bathtub.”

Staring at you in horror, he sighs. “Rightio …which part of your small brain did that come out of.”

You smirk. “The same part that remembers when you used to like wearing my makeup and being called princess.”

“Okay,” clearing his throat, he holds his chin in a vice grip. “Let’s make some rules. First rule: Good communication. We tell each other what we’re feeling even if we think it’s stupid. Sound good?”

You hold your hand up to high five him. “Yasss boi, communication is the key to all good and healthy relationships.” He high fives you back. “Rule 2: Purpose. Sex is only happening if it’s for an educational purpose, for example, you think fellatio is a type of gelato and I want to show you why it definitely is not.”

You pout. “Fuck you, it sounds like a type of gelato though.” “It does but only you would think it actually is. Rule 3: No sleepovers after sex. I love having you stay over but it would make me confused if I were to wake up and you had your arms and legs all over me indisposed. So only sleep over if we’re watching Stranger Things or something.

You blush at the thought. “Rule 4: Reciprocity. You do for me what I’ll do for you. If you want to stick a plug in my ass, I’m sticking one in yours. And, we only sleep with each other. We want to keep this both emotionally and physically safe, I don’t want to use condoms if I know you’re on the pill and that we’re both free from sexually transmitted infections. Again, this is a recipe for an emotional disaster.”

You hold your finger up in the air. “And we both know that you’re a horrible cook.”

Frowning he shakes your comment away. “Those rules sound good?”

“Aren’t you going to say, Rule 5: No one falls in love with each other or this thing is over?”

“I’m not going to police your emotions and I hope you don’t police mine either. We are two consenting adults and we communicate together, if that’s something that ends up happening, we’ll deal with it then. Sound good?”

Sitting in front of him with your legs crossed, you push out your hand to shake. “Sounds exceptionally mature of you Jeon Jungkook.”

He puts his hand into yours. “So, to summarise this relationship. You can do whatever you want with me so long as I can do it back to you. You’re uncomfortable with something? Me too. I am uncomfortable with something, so are you.”

Tightening your grip on his hand, you grin. “It’s a deal. Want to start tonight?”

The smile that crawls across his face, is a one you haven’t seen before. It’s a mix between being given an early christmas present and wanting to steal your neighbor’s gopro when they’re on vacation. “Sure,” says, laying back down. “Ladies first.”

“First to what?”

He laughs softly. “I’m going to eat you out first, ladies first.”

“Ew. Can you not say it like that you ugly mole rat?”

Jumping out of bed, he rips off his shirt before jumping on you. He falls on your knees, trying to wiggle himself between you legs.

“Um, Jungkook?”

“What?”

You push him away from you. “Ya girl is having a shower first. There’s things a lady needs to prepare okay?”

Jungkook groans before rolling back onto his side of the bed. “Well, will you hurry up then. It’s past midnight and I want to sneak an episode of something in.”

“Oh shut up, I need to prepare myself physically and mentally. I’ll be right back.” you snap. Jungkook doesn’t say anything as he watches you storm off towards the bathroom.

And he doesn’t say anything for the half an hour you take in the shower. He all but strips naked and starts watching the pilot episode of Dark while you do acrobats in the shower trying to get a perfect landing strip with his razor.

He doesn’t even notice you come back into the room until a slippers been thrown at his face when he feels the bed dip.

“Don’t fucking look! I’m moisturising my legs!” you shout, throwing your other slipper at his face. “Give me some privacy.”

“I wasn’t even looking at you and you’ve taken so long that I’m nearly finished this episode.” He grits his teeth, closing his computer and putting it on his bed side table.

“I won’t be long, I just want to make sure everything is right.” you whisper, moisturizing your neck.

Groaning behind you, he falls back into the bed sheets. “Stop being high maintenance, you always smell nice to me.”

“Who the hell said I was doing this for you?”

Turning to face you, he watches you dry the ends of your hair with the corners of his towel before letting the strands dangle down your back. You were wrapped in one of his old white towels sitting at the end of the bed.

“I’m just waiting for my legs to be dry now okay? I don’t understand why you’re in a hurry. Good things take time.” you mutter, feeling nervous. You had shaved your pubic area in the shower and had shaven a nice landing strip before your neck got cramped and then you sat on the shower box asking yourself why you even bothered with your pubes.

You’re a woman. Women have hair.

“Okay, I’m ready. How do you want me?” you say, turning to look at him over your shoulder.

“In the bed beside me please.”

“Your manners are sure nice, why can’t you be like this all the time?” Standing up, you slowly drop your towel down your body. You can tell Jungkook watched every inch of that towel disappear from your body, how could you not, you could feel his eyes scour down your body like two probes.

“Damn,” he whistles.

Ugh. You weren’t even trying to be sexy, just efficient.

Slowly turning around, Jungkook stares wide eyed at your body. You cover your breasts, insecure of what he might think of them. “Can I wear a shirt?”

Jungkook stutters. “N-no, ggeett in. It’ll be too hot for a shirt.” Jungkook doesn’t know where to look. He hadn’t expected your body to be so feminine.

Walking to your side of his bed, you slip under the sheets, one hand still covering your boobs. “Would you stop staring at me? You’re making me feel insecure.”

Laying on his side, he smiles softly. “You really shouldn’t be because damn girl, you have a nice ass.”

“And it’s off limits Jungkook. Thanks though.”

“For now,” he laughs. “And, you’re welcome.”

An awkward silence hangs between you before you lean over to the bedside table and press play on the playlist you had been listening to in the shower. It hums softly on Jungkook’s speaker, filling the silence between you. Jungkook leans onto his side to turn off the lamp and turn on the fairy lights wrapped around his curtains.

The silence hovers uncomfortably as you grip the sheets up to your chin. You hadn’t thought of this part. Who makes the first move here? Do I? Should I just lean over and tickle his chin or something.

“Y/N,” he whispers, leaning his head on his arm beside you, face hovering above your. “You okay?”

You nod. Please make the first move, I don’t know what I’m doing.

Jungkook closes his eyes, feeling suddenly intoxicated by the smell of your passion fruit shampoo. It was his favourite, something he wouldn’t tell you on a normal basis but one he remembered to buy every time he shopped just in case you stayed over. He had used it before but it had only ever smelt good when it was on you.

Collapsing on top of you, he digs his face into your neck. “God, you smell so good, what the hell.”

You laugh as your rub his bare back. “Didn’t know this was apart of our agreement.”

Pulling away from your neck, he stares down at you. There are no words for the feeling he suddenly has but other than the feeling of electricity tingling beneath his skin, he feels comfortable.

And all he knows is that he wants to kiss you.

“Didn’t know you being a smart ass was apart of the agreement either, but here we are?” he whispers, brushing his nose against yours. Filling the small space between you, he slides his soft lips over your warm ones without warning. You relax underneath him when he cups your cheek tenderly.

Separated by the thin layer of folded sheet, you can feel his cock begin to harden against your pubic bone.

Running your hands down his bare back, you imagine what Jungkook would look like with back tattoos. You didn’t want to tell him but ever since you saw him shirtless 4 months ago, you wanted to pin him down and tattoo a dragon on his back and across his shoulder blades. Nothing says sex appeal like muscles and tattoos. At the time, the morally good part of your brain shook that one right out of the nest and you decided that maybe just manipulating him at a later date would be more conventional. Jungkook remains on the fence with that idea.

Brushing his nose against yours, he tilts his head to deepen the kiss and if there is one thing you like about Jungkook, it’s the way his mouth is shaped and how you think his lips fit into yours like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together. It’s a lame piece of poetry but when something feels right, it might just be right.

Jungkook begins to kiss the hell out of you. You aren’t sure what he’s thinking about or what’s gotten into him but you refuse to french kiss him when you know he hasn’t brushed his teeth. You can already smell his morning breath and it’s enough to make you reconsider this whole thing.

So when Jungkook tries to stick his tongue into your mouth, the most you do is suck on his tongue and then push it back into his mouth while clamping your lips shut. Shops closed Jungkook, I’m not taking any customers at this present time. Please come again at a later date when you learn what a toothbrush is.

“Jeon,” Angling his face, he kisses across your cheek, latching his mouth onto the skin behind your ear. “Why do neck kisses feel so good? It makes my fanny feel like a fire hydrant.”

He laughs against your neck. “What? I’m serious, you just kiss my neck and pow, I’m ready to do the boom boom.”

“I’ve only kissed your neck like once, who else has kissed you here enough for you to think that?”

You shrug. “Irene Bae in 7 minutes of Heaven at Taehyung’s party last year.”

“Wait,” He hovers above your head for a second. “You and Irene? Did you guys do anything else…”

You look at him in thought. “We just kissed, she tried to do things but yeah …I’m not interested in women.”

Jungkook looks at you in new found interest. “Did you guys use tongue? Was it super hot?”

“Not really, I had too much too drink and vomited all over her.”

“Are you serious?”

You stare in disbelief at him. “Of course not. We made out like normal people, admittedly, there was a lot of tongue I think but yeah, you’re still the best kisser I’ve ever had, now keep kissing my neck.”

You turn your head away, allowing him to work his magic against your neck. You don’t give two shits if he gives you hickies, you wore turtlenecks on the regular anyway.

Jungkook returns his lips to your neck, slowly dragging them across your sensitive skin. “Hey,” you moan, feeling it ripple desperately from the bottom of your throat when he rolls his tongue over your pulse points. “That feels so good.”

You can feel his growing erection against you as he grinds softly into you. Rubbing your feet together at the feeling of electricity, you’re embarrassingly wet already and you hate it.

Jungkook presses kisses down your neck, to over your collarbone before grabbing one of your breasts and lightly squeezing. Kissing around your areolar, he flicks his tongue over your nipple.

You slap his hand away. “Hey, what are you doing with my boobs.”

He looks up at you, tongue still touching your nipple before he quips “Relax hagrid, it will feel good.”

Latching his mouth over your nipple, he rolls his tongue and boy be damned. It actually feels good. Weaving your fingers through his hair, you hold him close to your chest.

When you were 14 years old, you had watched this film called Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging and you and your friends had sat on your hands for 10 minutes before fondling your own boobs. Jungkook had been on the end of the couch, completely confused as he tried to fondle the skin of his own chest. Sure, it felt like someone else but when someone else actually touched you, nothing else compared.

And the feeling flowed straight down to your groin.

Lowering himself, Jungkook grinds his cock through your folds and the feeling is like electricity striking you down and melting you against the bedsheets. That’s a pretty shitty metaphor but there’s no other way to describe it for you, it just feels so good.

Scratching down his back, you open your legs wider for him. “Jungkook, I’m so wet, I’m sorry.”

He ignores you, as he grinds into you harder.

You wrap your feet around his waist, moving your hips against his. “Oh shit, not this again,” He bites into your shoulder, sensually rolling his hips against yours. “Jungkook, we need to reconvene, I’m too hot and you’re not eating me out and at this rate, we’ll have sex because your dingaling feels so good rubbing against me like that, that I’m very close to saying fuck this all and sitting on it. I want you but not like this.”

Jungkook moans loudly at your words, gradually halting his hips. “You make me feel like a 16 year old boy, I’m so close to coming already.”

“God, ew.”

Pushing him off of you, he falls into the sheets beside you. Perspiration drips down his forehead as he pants. His erection stands at attention, pre-cum already leaking out of his slit. “You have a filthy mouth Y/N, a filthy goddamn mouth.”

Ignoring him, you gasp. “Christ, what is wrong with my vagina.” Looking under the sheet, you frown at just how wet you had become. “Hey, how about I get you off first?”

Putting his hands underneath his head, he whispers. “I’m not against that. Do as you please boss.”

Sitting up, you rustle beneath the sheets, sitting between Jungkook’s thighs. “You aren’t going to like that I’m going to take it slow so remember to take some deep breaths okay?”

With his eyes closed, he nods. “Did you want me to talk you through it?”

“Only if you think I’m doing a shit job.”

He whispers. “You won’t, but I can make you the queen of blow jobs if you want?”

“Fuck off Jungkook, i’m only doing this once.” Rolling your eyes, you lay down between his legs. You’ve always imagined being that person who takes it slow but considering how quickly you get turned on, you don’t think you’d ever have the patience.

Taking a deep breath, you start slow. “I’m just gonna get to know your body okay?”

He hums his response. “As you wish.”

Kissing the area above his knee, you press soft kisses up to his inner thigh. Jungkook hums with approval already feeling skittish when your hot breath hits his balls.

Caressing his thighs, you ask. “Can I suck on your balls? You can say no.”

“Fuck yeah, do whatever you want. Why would I say no to that.”

“I don’t fucking know. You were the one that emphasised asking because consent is important.” Kissing around his penis, you press open mouth kisses on his balls, taking each one into your mouth and sucking. You’re cringing as you do it because not only does he smell bad but because you’re so goddamn close to his butthole and you aren’t ready for that yet.

The reaction from Jungkook is explosive as he jerks against your face. “YoU’VE DONE THIS BEFORE WHAT THE FUCK.”

You cower at his expression. “Username Davidismydick94 told me to never neglect the huevos.”

Falling back onto his pillow, he says. “Well thank you Davidismydick94.”

“Can I continue…?”

“All night long.” he whispers and you lean back in. Pressing your fingertips on the underside of his cock, you lightly run your finger tips over the veins of his penis. It’s the first time you’ve been able to look at his penis in the eye but it’s enough to notice the slight curvature of it and the protruding ridges you think might feel good inside of you.

“What are you doing?” Jungkook asks, leaning up on his elbows to watch you. “Are you teasing me?”

“Are veins good or bad on a penis?”

He looks at you with an alarmed expression. “Why? are they ugly?”

You look up at him before wrapping your fingers around the base of his cock and using the tip of your tongue to lick his up his veins. “Not at all. I like it, very sexy like your arms.”

Flattening your tongue, you don’t stray from his eye contact when you lick from the underside of his balls to the tip of his leaking head. His eyes are hazy from the feeling of your wet hot tongue and his heart is pounding at the innocent doe of your eyes.

“Jesus.” he moans.

“Why are you thinking of a man when I’m licking your balls?” you ask, blowing hot air on his balls. “Got something to tell me?”

“Says the one on her knees.”

“Touche and hell no am I trying to make you soft, getting you hard again would give me neck strain.” Swiping your tongue across the tip of his cock, Jungkook hisses at the feeling.

You focus your mouth on the tip as you hold the shaft with both hands. You’re confused but you don’t want to admit it. “How the fuck do I …do I just shove it in my mouth and suck on it?”

“Basically.” he replies.

“Well okay,” you reluctantly, open your mouth taking him in until your nose hits your fingers. Sucking, you hollow your cheeks before bravely moving your head down on him like how the movies do it. You massage his shaft with your tongue as you do it and Jungkook hums as you do it.

“Oh fuck.” he whimpers.

Taking your mouth off of him with a pop, you begin pumping his shaft as you lick down to his balls again, sucking on them gently. “Y/N, seriously fucking hell. You’re doing so well baby, so well.”

Licking back up to his head, you suck on him again, bobbing up and down to a nice rhythm. You’re thinking about what food to eat after this and why blow jobs are called blow jobs if you’re sucking on and it not blowing, when Jungkook moans your name loudly, pushing on your head to take more of him in. Sinking down to the base of his cock so your nose hits his pubic bone, his dick painfully hits the back of your throat.

“Oh fuck, your mouth feels so fucking insane, so good, so fucking good.” Tangling his fingers in your hair, he fucks into your mouth.

You continue to bob up and down his shaft and for a terrifying second, you think you might vomit on his dick.

Abort. Abort. Abort.

Quickly returning your hand to the base of his cock, you continue to safely massage your tongue around his head. Keeping a nice rhythm, you pump his shaft while sucking on the tip.

“Use your tongue. Like you’re sucking on your thumb, try that.” He suggests and you do exactly that.

He quivers against you, feeling a desperate need to fuck your mouth again. “I want to fuck your mouth so badly. Can I?”

Pumping him harder and faster, you stammer. “No way on this planet will you be fucking into my mouth again Jeon. I will vomit on your dick.”

“I don’t care what you do baby, you’re so damn beautiful when you do anything.”

You cringe at that. “So bloody entitled.”

Rolling your eyes, you lower your mouth to swallow him down to your fist. You feel comfortable with this as you let him thrust into your mouth. You never signed up for this amount of exercise and your body was beginning to ache at the effort but if you just lay like this and let him do all the work, it still counts right? Pulling a leg over Jungkook’s leg, you grind against his leg, desperate for some form of friction as you suck on his dick.

“Fuck, Y/N. I want to cum.” he chokes. He sounds like he’s tethering across a threshold and everything inside of you just wants to push him off already, no matter how insanely fucking sexy he sounds moaning your name.

Jungkook looks like a mess. You’ve never seen him so desperate to cum in his life. Then again, you haven’t seen him desperate to cum before.

He whines, stuttering his hips.

“I think I’m going to cum.” he says, wrapping your hair up into a ponytail and pulling tightly on it. You hum around his cock and Jungkook moans loudly, making you grind harder against him.

Removing your hand, you take him in as he thrusts down your throat. In a perfect world that wouldn’t be painful but as tears fall down your face, you can’t wait for this to be over.

“I’m going to cum. I’m coming.”

He tries to take his cock out of your mouth, but you slap him away, letting him finish in your mouth. He doesn’t deserve it but you know for a fact Jungkook would cum on your face if you didn’t.

He’s moaning recklessly before he cums down your throat and you’re goddamn thankful you didn’t eat before this because the taste of Jungkook’s abandoned children is not one compatible with the residual afternoon food in your stomach.

Falling into the sheets, he twitches in oversensitivity when you pull your mouth off with a pop. Patting his shaft goodbye, you roll over Jungkook’s leg to climb into the sheets beside him. Your heart’s pounding and you think you can hear Jungkook’s heart pounding too as he lifelessly lays beside you.

“You okay?” you ask.

Jungkook turns to you. “You’ve got cum on your face.” Wiping your face with the back of your thumb, you suck the residue off your finger. All Jungkook can do is stare at you as you do it.

“Why did you let me cum in your mouth? Not many girls like doing that?”

You roll your eyes, didn’t he want a compliment or something? “I can see why they wouldn’t. Did you know that you’re cum tastes fucking awful. I can already feel my blood pressure rising from how salty it was.”

“Really?”

You watch insecurity wash over his face. “Why are you looking at me like I kicked your dog?”

“Does it really taste bad…” “It just tastes …different from the inside of a kinder surprise is all,” you smile, trying to reassure him. “I swallowed because I read in this random academic text that semen was full of protein and I think I’m deficient because I keep saying really dumb things so I thought, why not two birds with one stone.”

He laughs before turning on his back. “Man, I’m pooped. I’m glad you got off too though, I nearly blew my load when I felt you grind your clit against my leg.”

“Who said I got off? You moved your leg when I was about to. Don’t judge me, I just like it when you moan and I needed some good o’l friction on me private parts, your leg was all I could reach. You sound so hot right before you cum by the way. I feel good about myself when you’re vocal when it feels good.” you admit, smiling at the ceiling.

“Speaking of,” Jungkook grins, before jumping between your legs. Grabbing his duvet, he pulls it over his back, before settling on his stomach between your thighs. “Rule 4: Reciprocacy. My turn.”

“You don’t have to Jungkook, seriously,” you push his sweaty head away from you. “It’s okay.”

He shakes his head. “No, I want to. I want you to feel just as good as you made me.”

“Fine,” you sigh, grabbing his pillow, you put it under your knees for him. There’s a moment of pure silence as Jungkook stares at your lady flower.

“What are you doing?” you ask, unable to decipher the look on his face. “Jungkook, why do I feel like I’m getting my pap smear?”

“Please don’t take offence to what I am about to say,” Jungkook looks up, staring at you. “But did you shave your vagina for me?”

Your cheeks glow red. “What? The vagina is the entrance, you know, the inside of the pink part.”

“You know what I mean,” he says, running a finger through your labia and over your clit. It makes you jolt. “But you did right?”

“I tried my best. I didn’t know if you liked pubes or not and frankly, I don’t give a fuck if you do or not. I wanted to be neat and fresh for myself and if you don’t want to eat me out because of my hair than you’re already missing out because she’s-”

“-shut up, will you. It’s your pussy, your rules. Just, be you and that is all I can ask for.” he smiles up at you and you cower away from his expression.

It was too intimate.

His hands were hot. Two furnaces as he pressed his palms on knees, slowly caressing up the soft skin of your thighs. Leaning his chin on the pillow half way under your ass, he presses soft kisses on your pubic area -much like how you did to him.

Pulling your legs wider, he plants your feet outside of his shoulders. Making himself more comfortable. “Yeah go on, make yourself at home down there.”

“I plan to,” he admits. “You smell good.”

“Those comments make me feel awkward.”

Shoving a fist in your mouth, you whimper against your knuckles as he tenderly kisses just above your slit. “Don’t be.”

Dipping his tongue between your folds, he cups his mouth around the top of your slit, pushing his tongue against the hood of your clit.

“Oh good lord,” you whisper. He repeats the movements of his tongue in figure 8s when your hands fly to his hair as you quiver beneath him. You like this image, his head between your thighs, his large hands around your thighs. “Right there, keeping doing that thing. Spell out Micky Mouse or something.”

Rolling his tongue up and down, you buck your hips against his mouth in a loud half whimper half meow. Obviously, you hadn’t expected to make such a noise and when Jungkook looks up at you with your juices glistening on his chin, you get embarrassed immediately at that stupid look on his face.

He grins. “What was that?”

“No idea,” Biting your lip, you shake your head as you look left and right. “Wasn’t me.”

Smiling in amusement, he adjusts your legs, so each one sits on his shoulders now. With both hands gripping your thighs, he dives back in. It’s more passionate now, he wants you to finish just as good as you did to him.

You stare at the ceiling, never wanting this feeling to stop. It feels like you’re breaking and you don’t ever want to get fixed if this is how good it feels being broken.

He licks every part of you in every pattern and motion your brain can be bothered to form in your mind. If you focus hard enough, you think he might be spelling out his name but who knows, who cares anyway.

“Jungkook.” you moan, closing your eyes. Sucking your labia into his mouth, he twirls his tongue all over it, trying to find the spots that make you moan the loudest.

He growls when you whimper his name again.

Arching your back off the bed at a particular spot, he tilts his head to the side, bringing your lips into his. Gently sliding his tongue all over it. He looks up at you, eyes clenched closed, hands grippin the sheets for dear life. It was the hottest thing he had ever seen and his heart fucking implodes at the sight.

Flattening his tongue again, he dips his tongue between your folds. Incoherent high pitched moans flutter aimlessly from your lips, slipping past the fist you shoved into you mouth trying to make yourself shut up.

“Does this feel good?” he asks, and you shove his head back as a response.

“Of course it does.” you whimper, biting down hard on your bottom lip. Using his other hand, he trails his finger down your clit. “Can I finger you?”

“Like, put your fingers in my vagina?”

“Yes.”

“Be my guest homeboy.”

Slowly pushing in his index finger into your entrance, you quiver at the weird feeling as he pumps into you. Keeping a rhythm with his tongue, he suddenly flattens it, you grind your hips against his wide flat tongue as he inserts another finger into you.

“Shit, that’s a weird feeling.”

“Is it bad?” he asks.

You shake your head. “Nope, it’s a good kind of weird.”

Hooking his fingers up inside you, he slowly pumps into you with a smile on his face. It’s messy and it’s loud and you’re thankful that you put on music because you’re so wet and the sound is gross and you don’t want to remember it when you wake up from this stupor. Leaning forward, he moans as he covers your clit with his mouth, sucking on it gently. Massaging your g spot, he pumps his fingers into you faster and harder as he licks, feeling your walls clamp down on his finger. God, you’re so tight. He can only imagine how you might feel when he pounds you into his sheets and even that thought is enough to make him hard again.

“I think I’m going to cum. I think.” you choke, becoming restless beneath him.

Jungkook groans against you as you whine, bucking your hips against his face. Using his thumb to massage your clit, he thanks the heavens for his gamer fingers as he pulls his fingers into a “come here” expression inside of you. He puts all of his energy into doing that quick and hard inside of you as he watches your hands grabs out to your breasts, squeezing them for dear life.

“You close? God, you look amazing.” he says, rubbing the pad of his thumb over your clit. You pant, feeling your orgasm sneak up behind you. You’re so close you can feel it breathe down your neck.

“If this is what you’re like with my fingers, oh man, I want to fuck you so hard, you’ll see stars.”

“Jungkook you fuck.” you scream, arching your back as high as you can, reaching a blinding white peak of your high. You quiver underneath him as he removes his fingers, gently suckling on your clit.

You whimper his name again, writhing beneath him as you cum on his face.

Falling back to the bed, your thighs shake as Jungkook laps at your juices. Feeling oversensitive and gross, you languidly push him away.

You’re still on that high when he pushes himself off the bed, standing up to grab one of his clean basketball shirts.

Wiping your thighs, he licks his lips as you watch him through tired eyes. You’re still panting. Your heart is still racing. And your groin is still recovering.

Falling onto his side of the bed, he says. “I’ll let you stay over just because I know how wrecked you are but if you fuck me up tomorrow morning, just know that it was because you stayed and broke the rule.”

Punching his arm, you frown heavily at the brown haired boy. “Shut the fuck up Jungkook, don’t ruin this for me.”

“Did it feel goood?”

You nod. “More than good. I think I just had my first orgasm. I mean, I don’t know if I did but yes, it felt really really good.”

“You had an orgasm?” Raising his eyebrows, he pushes his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “Well, I am that good.”

“Fuck, you can’t be humble for even a second of your life,” you twist yourself out of his bedsheets, sitting up on the side of the bed. “I’m getting an uber.”

“Hey,” he asks, sitting up behind you. Placing little kisses over your shoulder blade, he whispers into your skin. “It’s late, just stay here. We can have cold pizza in the morning and we can make out in the shower.”

“As much as I like the sound of that idea …I’m going to pass on that,” grabbing your phone, you open up the uber app. “I like kissing you and if you keep doing it, I’m going to want to do it all the time.”

“Really?” he asks, leaning his chin on the junction between your head and your neck.

You nod.

“I’m fine with that.” Jungkook slaps your phone out of your hand and you watch it fall to the floor before you could even confirm your pick up destination. Pulling you back to the mattress and against his chest, he quickly grabs the blanket and throws it over you both.

“You’re staying,” he whispers, rubbing his nose against your cheek. You turn to him, rubbing your nose against his. “Oh my god Jungkook, you were the one who made the rules. What are you doing?”

You can feel him smile before he closes the space to kiss you. “Rules were meant to be broken anyway.”

“Oh for fuck sake Jeon. Get your shit together.”

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