#truly this is based off the addams family musical

[getblackout503]

Here’s chapter 11, next chapter will be the last flash back chapter before we go back to the main story.

TW: mention of abuse, some mention of gore

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The penthouse was more than Amara could ever imagine, it was huge with the softest sofas she could ever dream of. Not to mention the view of the city it gave her, and as she looked around the place in wonder Dante just watched her with a smile on his face. Amara continued walking around the penthouse. She sat on the soft couch, her hands landed on the remote, turning the television on. She jumped from the surprise but soon found herself enthralled by what was on the television.

“S-sir-I mean Dante,” She started. “What is this show?”

“That is what they call a musical dear” He told her. “I believe this is the musical called Six, based off the wives of Henry the eighth”

She looked back to the screen and watched with amazement.

‘Died’

‘Jane seymour, the one he truly loved’

‘Rude’

‘When my son was newly borned, I died but I’m not what I seem, or am I? Stick around, and you’ll suddenly see more’

“Maybe I should take you to see one, you seem to enjoy them” Dante suggested .

“Really?”

“Of course my dear, anything for you” He caressed her cheek gently.

“Dante! We’re home” Amara heard a woman's voice yell out, and she turned to see Vanica Zogratis, the huntress and sadistic sister of Dante. “Oh and what do we have here?”

Amara felt a bit nervous because of the woman and her glare, but Dante made sure she would be fine by answering for her.

“Vanica, this is Amara she is going to be my woman,” He placed his hand on Amara’s shoulder. “She is going to be your new sister in law” He told his sister, who only gave a terrifying smile to the blue haired lady.

“Well, welcome the family then Sis.” She said in a very dangerous tone, but she left to her room nonetheless.

“Sorry if she scared you a bit,” Dante rubbed her back. “She can get that way at times, but she shouldn’t try anything on you”

“T-Thank you Dante, f-for saving me,” Amara told him. “I don’t know how to repay you”

“Don’t worry dear, you alone are enough payment” He told her, and while she didn’t know at the time he meant more than what he said.

Amara would soon meet Dante’s other sibling, his brother Zenon who didn’t show much emotions but sometimes he and Amara would have a cup of coffee together. Though he tended to be on business trips most if not all of the time, she also got to learn about their eldest brother, Lucius Zogratis who sadly passed away in a horrible accident. Most of Amara’s days would be spent seeing what she can do around the house to help when Dante wasn’t around, oftentimes she would spend time with Vanica though they usually ended with Vanica almost stabbing Amara and telling her all kinds of horrible things with a very crazy and love sick tone. Like the time she said she wanted to know what Amara’s guts looked like, since then she has kept her distance from the one eyed woman.

But Amara’s favorite pastime by far was that of watching musicals, and Dante knew that so he would take her to many different ones such as Hamilton, Newsies, Beetlejuice, and The Addams family. Each one filled her with wonder, the music, choreography, the energy it was all so incredible. Yet something with Dante felt off, at times when they were out in public he would stare at family and watch as the parents would laugh and hold their children with such joy and Amara knew why that was, he wanted a kid, Amara didn’t know if she was ready for a child but the more she thought of it the more she convinced herself it would be a great way to repay Dante for saving her. So one day when her and Dante were alone she brought up the topic.

“Dante?” Amara started.

“Yes dear?” Dante responded, he was seated next to her on the sofa.

“I’ve decided something”

“That being?”

“I believe it’s time I really start repaying you back” She declared.

“In what way?” He was curious now.

“It’s time we’ve had a child of our own” Amara said, and Dante was a bit taken aback but with a smirk on his face.

“Very well my dear, just be ready for the time of your life” And so began the long period of them trying to conceive a child, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and soon a year had passed, yet no child. Soon Amara started getting worried because Dante started getting aggravated with all their attempts, so much so that during their sessions he would get aggressive and rough even when she told him she didn’t like it, but he continued his aggressive actions nonetheless. Not the mention that their normal everyday life started getting worse, he would grow more frustrated with her, snapping at her for little things whether that be not wearing the clothes he chose for her, not making his coffee the way he liked it, and worst of all slapping Amara when she had refused to sleep with him one day. Never once has he hit her and sadly it wouldn’t be the last, she had to be careful with what she did, say, or even not do. And it didn’t help how his siblings started acting around her, Zenon would no longer drink coffee with her and even allowed Dante to do horrible things to her, and Vanica only upped her terrifying threats even being able to do some of them, on the account of Dante punishing Amara for nothing.

It would all only get worse when one day Dante had forced Amara to get a check up to see why they weren’t having any children, and what she was told would be the final straw for Dante. She was infertile, that’s the last thing she wanted to hear not because it devastated her but because Dante would no longer treat her like a human, no, he would treat her as a play thing, a toy to mess with, just his slave. It had been three years since Dante had saved…no…took her, and one year since her infertility was discovered, and her life has never been the same, she never went out again, never seen musicals, never even given basic human rights. She was to never be human again, destined to be a slave to a cruel man, who as she had learned was the owner of the very organization her stepmother had sold her to, and she was powerless to do anything, except escape. It wouldn’t be easy but she had too, but she had only one shot because she had studied the Zogratis family’s routine, and she had spotted her opportunity for each sunday night they would all go drink at their personal bar, in which Dante would lock Amara in their room. If she managed to unlock the door and escape then she would be free but she had one problem, if she did escape she would be hunted by them, never to know peace but luckily she had thought of that and it was brilliant, fake her own death. Simple really, she would steal one of their cars to make sure they see her but as she drives away crash the car and hope she actually survives it, simple…right?

Nonetheless she had to try, so when Sunday came she put her plan into action. Once she had confirmed they had left she picked the lock of the door using a bobby pin, sneaking through the place was pretty simple as she had marked secret passages she could use. Making her way down to the garage she chose a car she could speed up and jump out of easily, for her plan involved blowing said car up on impact so as to make it look like her body didn’t survive.

Breath in breath out.

The car started.

Breath in breath out.

She drove by the Zogratis.

Breath in breath out.

She started hitting 90 MPH.

Breath in.

She started going towards a light post.

OUT!!!!!

She jumped out of the car in time as it collided with the light post, igniting in flames as Amara ran as fast and as far as she could.

As she ran and ran Amara wondered where to go next, she soon collapsed in an alleyway, back at square one.

Alone…

“Hey kid, you good?”

[eviltothecore13]

New Wednesday fans--welcome to the Addams Family fandom!

I think this fandom has at least doubled in size over the past few months and it’s great to see so much appreciation for the Addams Family and for Wednesday as a character! (I feel like she’s been written off as someone who’s just cruel for no reason in popular culture for far too long--even though the 90s films already demonstrated that she has a strong awareness of injustice and cares a lot about her family--so seeing people truly appreciate her as a character and realise that she’s not actually a terrible person is honestly such a relief.)

I really enjoyed the new Wednesday show (it has its faults--but I also think SOME of the criticisms of it I’ve seen from some people in the Addams Family fandom are...not actually accurate or fair and are just based in nostalgia/distorted memories of previous versions) and I love several of the new characters it’s introduced, and I also love the show’s takes on the Addamses (I was particularly pleasantly surprised by Fester, who I all too often find annoying but was genuinely very funny in this).

I was somewhat caught off-guard by Wednesday/Enid having (last time I checked) twice as many fics as Gomez/Morticia (in the Addams Family category as a whole, not just when specifically looking at fics for the Netflix show), because I hadn’t realised how many people would start writing Addams fic who hadn’t written any before the new show--but at the same time, Wednesday/Enid is a great ship and I love their dynamic, so I’m not exactly complaining even though Gomez/Morticia will always be my favourite relationship in the series.

I also realise that when a lot of people enter an old and established fandom, especially when the new people outnumber the old fans, there’s a risk of the fandom becoming divided or the two groups being hostile to each other, and I REALLY don’t want that to happen.

Sometimes when this happens it’s caused by old fans being judgemental and unwelcoming. So, to my fellow Addams Family fans: please don’t do that. This includes if you see a headcanon or fic that’s clearly written by someone who’s only watched Wednesday and that you think gets things wrong about the Addamses...there’s A LOT of Addams media out there and it’s not fair to expect anyone to be an expert on all of it before writing their fic, especially if they’re hyperfixated on a new character like Enid. If you want to talk about misconceptions etc you can feel free but please can everyone be polite about it and not start yelling YOU’RE WRONG and FAKE FAN etc at people?

That being said, I do have a couple of pointers for new fans as well...

1) This fandom has historically not really been big on ship wars and “your ship vs my ship” teams, mostly because the canon tends not to be focussed on any romance other than Gomez/Morticia. Many of us enjoy having a fandom where people don’t constantly yell at each other over ships, so we’d...really appreciate it if Wednesday/Enid vs Wednesday/Tyler vs Wednesday/Xavier vs Wednesday/Bianca...didn’t turn into angry arguments and personal enmity and insults. Also, while I have nothing against people headcanoning Wednesday as a lesbian...please don’t tell people who see her as bi that they’re wrong, homophobic, OOC, etc. A bi character is not somehow a “lesser” form of representation than a lesbian character, they’re not “half-straight”, they’re still fully LGBTQA+. Wednesday has had relationships with guys in previous versions of canon, including the musical version of her marrying one--though since there was one production of the musical that portrayed that character as a woman instead, you could argue that she’s canonically bi in that she’s been depicted in relationships with guys and with women? either way saying “the idea that Wednesday would ever be interested in a guy is wrong and OOC and unthinkable and you’re homophobic if you even suggest it”...honestly just feels biphobic imo. Personally, I think Wednesday had more chemistry with Enid than with Tyler or Xavier, I don’t see Wednesday as into Xavier at all, and I don’t SHIP Wednesday/Tyler or think she was deeply in love with him--but she was into him enough to want to kiss him and I have a hard time seeing that as just comphet because I’m not sure anyone raised by the Addamses would really have comphet. Other people are always welcome to interpret things differently but just let’s not get hostile over it?

2) I’ve seen a MINORITY of Wednesday fans making some...really odd assumptions about Gomez. Assumptions that don’t really come from anything in the show--such as people portraying him as a bad husband and/or father even though he was literally willing to go to prison to protect Morticia, and Wednesday (not known for being easy to get compliments from) makes it very clear that she sees him as a good father. Or suggesting that Morticia doesn’t actually love him, which imo is pretty unfair on BOTH of them. The show’s version of Gomez doesn’t get a huge amount of screentime, but from what we’ve seen he really doesn’t seem that different to previous Gomezes to me (the main difference seems to be that he met Morticia as a teenager instead of in his 20s, and so generally had a better time at that age--he talks about Nevermore as “the best days of your life” etc when I can’t imagine previous Gomezes seeing school that way and most of them were to varying degrees an angsty mess before meeting Morticia--but that’s not THAT drastic a change in the grand scheme of things), but I’ve seen some people assuming things about him that were very rarely assumed about any previous version. I can’t help but feel like people are being unfair and harsh in their assumptions/headcanons about a character of colour in a way that they weren’t about versions of the character who are played by lighter-skinned actors, and some of the headcanons I’ve seen (I am not going to name names or call out anything specific here especially as some were clearly only intended as jokes/memes, especially the alignment chart ones and similar) felt like they played into stereotypes. (Also, Gomez and Morticia were the protagonists of many previous versions and so older fans will generally love them. If you go out of your way to portray them as horrible people...don’t be surprised if some people do get a bit defensive, especially as the show really doesn’t give you any reason to think that of them.)

Finally--I realise that some people might want to know more about previous versions and not know where to start, or might be overwhelmed by the amount of different stuff there is out there. I can’t promise to always be 100% objective because I do have versions I prefer over others, and I also can’t claim to be an expert on all versions (I haven’t really watched any animated TV shows, though I watched a few episodes of one of them once and had mixed feelings on it, and I haven’t finished watching the 90s live-action reboot TV show either), but...I do really love infodumping so...if people DO have questions about previous versions I would actually be really happy to try and answer them? And while I can’t make the time commitment to being a full beta for SPaG, writing style, etc...I am very happy to volunteer to do a quick characterisation check or general “person who knows lots of random facts about previous versions” check on fics if anyone wants that. Of course sometimes the answer to a question might be “it’s varied wildly between versions so it’s down to your personal preference” (and I would never try and force anyone towards my headcanons or even my own favourite versions--even if I MENTION them in my answers you’re obviously free to completely ignore anything I say), but other things ARE actually pretty consistent between versions--and since Wednesday has a lot of subtle callbacks to previous versions (especially the 60s show and the 90s films), I feel like there’s a lot of fun potential to include more stuff from previous versions in fics and headcanons.

This isn’t me trying to set myself up as some sort of Dictator Of The Canon because there’s so many versions that canon can only ever be loosely defined--I just feel like there’s a lot of fun stuff from older Addams media that I think people would enjoy knowing about but that can be easy to miss because of HOW MUCH stuff there is and how hard it can be to know where to start.

[ghoulsrules]

Some people let nostalgia rot their brains i fear and cannot have discourse. They also constantly pit morticia and lily against each other, as if they wouldn't be best friends. I know both ways they would despise the way speak about one franchise or the other, because the whole point of both families is acceptance.

The thing with something like the addams family is technically it's a multiverse. the munsters have the series and that's it, (we do not count the new movie that doesn't exist they didn't deserve that/same goes for the addams family musical). They are definitely interracial now and no one ever questions that, and i think the whole basis of their being shouldn't be based off the 60s series because i mean it was made in the 1960s after all and they were considered progressive (which is obviously the bare minimum).

I agree about Wednesday, it was really good at showing more depth to her character. they are obviously more grown up now and complicated family relationships come with that. but it saying that, they made morticia far too mean. Gomez was perfectly cast but he didn't get enough screen times and there were some parts that weren't in character. Pusgley deserved better as always.

I agree their love is definitely a fairy tale, but i've always said that relationships never truly work unless the man is a tiny bit more in love with the woman. It should be expected to have a man love you like Gomez, because often that sets up the bare minimum (men can't be trusted i fear). Lily and herman argue too much imo. like i get having a job, a family etc is hard to balance with your spouse but i don't believe that automatically means you should settle for a relationship that isn't passionate. I know so many working class couples who are like young lovers after decades of marriage. and as a lesbian, it's definitely not hard to come by in sapphic relationships. So many arguments that lily and herman have are quite uncomfortable to watch sometimes and i think it goes beyond bickering. i lowkey used to ship them hard but i've been rewatching recently and i was like woah ??

Gomez and morticia also have seperate hobbies which is always brought up in relationship analysis. Morticia has her plants, she paints, she has other friends and in the second movie gomez is so passionate about her getting into witchcraft so she has something for herself. Gomez also has so many hobbies and things he does outside of them being together but i think he just truly loves her so much he wants to be with her always (we always joke morticia is one of his special interests and he's kinda real for that)

i'd love someone to redo the movie and give young lily a gf (hellooo bride of frankenstein)

I don't know when it became a common misconception that the Munsters are a bunch of sad conformists trying desperately to fit in bc they're ashamed of their monstrous nature while the Addams are not only aware of how different they are, they are proud of it. Which is really just Addams stans' way of going "neener neener, our fav is better than yours" but misses wholly that the entire joke of both shows was that neither family actually knew they freaked people out; both thought they were normal and kindly treated outsiders like friends. (tho the comics were more satirizing blueblood aristocrats and how creepy the rich are, a point they also miss.)

Under the cut for length and some possibly unpopular takes that need to be said about privilege.

Yes, including the Addams. Gomez as much in the very first episode of the series:

Truant Officer: Mr. Addams, surely you want your children to be like other children? Gomez: But they are!

Just as few people can actually explain how TAF is aware they're not normal, even less can tell me how the Munsters worry about fitting in. Especially because in my experience, people who drag the Munsters have not usually seen many of the episodes, making this claim even more confusing to me. At best I can only guess they mean that episode where everyone but Grandpa is excited to be named "America's Average Family", but that's more because they're hyped to be on a nationally recognized magazine than anything else. Who wouldn't be? There is no evidence the Munsters ever try to fit in with their white picket fence neighbors; they believe THEY are the white picket fence neighbors and do not understand why their friendliness and- in their eyes- harmless customs and hobbies bring out the rudeness in guests or neighbors. Being ordinary is not something they TRY to do; it's something they already think they are. That. Is. The. Joke! They're horror icons but want their kids to get a good education and have nice family dinners every evening! They SHOULD be disturbing and disgusting, but they're nice people with reasonable values!

But the humor in TAF comes from how confident they are that they are THE norm. They are the true Americans and assume everyone must think the way they do. This was and is an accurate attitude from the wealthy elite and even just financially well-off middle class families unaware of life outside their sheltered bubble. This doesn't make the Addams bad people btw, it just means they're naive (and in fairness, so are the Munsters, just for different reasons).

Related to that, I'm going to say something that a lot of people won't agree with but it's true. The Munsters do not "try to be normal" or are "ashamed" of their heritage; what they DO is try to assimilate. I think this is lost on many viewers but the Munsters are a working class immigrant family; frightening appearances aside, they do not meet the status quo. Millions of immigrants, since America was founded, have assimilated. Americans themselves will generally assimilate when they move. This is just a thing those living in a different culture do because it's not seen as correct or considerate to ignore cultural norms of the place you are staying in. More to the point, the Munsters very obviously represent what real life minorities went through in the very racist and xenophobic mid-20th century. They would try to balance their own culture while following what the majority (white, middle or upper class people) or adapt entirely to it... and STILL faced prejudice.

The part you won't like: the Addams meet the status quo FAR more than the Munsters. They are rich, white, straight, closer to their aristocratic status (the Munsters technically have nobility but seemingly left it behind when they immigrated, with Herman dismissing it outright as unimportant in the US), and above all, are normal-looking. Add that to their somewhat condescending pity (and Gomez' disgust) for Aunt Ophelia, who is the black sheep of the family, showing that they DO value some sense of normalcy; it's just different from an average person's. Even thinking the Addams were this edgy, rebellious goth family a lot of their fans think they are, they can afford to be quirky because of their privilege. It is not necessarily bold to "be yourself" when "yourself" is already closer to what society says you should be. I am not saying they don't do anything progressive, they are in ways of course; I'm saying this is a very tone-deaf, first-world outlook that takes for granted the fact that the Munsters as both foreigners and minorities and don't get the luxury of flaunting their MUCH MORE ATYPICAL appearances and culture to WASP America. To say they as a marginalized group are just sad conformists compared to the brave and self-loving Addams who are by contrast easier to swallow with their normal appearances and attractive wealth is... naive to say the least, and an offensive disregard to how privilege works IRL, at worst.

But it's not founded in any of the source material. In truth both families are happy the way they are; that's what makes them funny, because they enjoy abnormal things and don't see that this disturbs their neighbors and ultimately their odd ways aren't harming anyone (usually). IDK how this got lost on so many people's heads but I largely blame the fact that viewers (mainly millennials and zoomers) were weaned on the "I'm not like other girls"-y 1990s Addams remakes without ever seeing the Munsters, and as some of them have based their identity too much on the former and see the latter as a "rival" or "other", they assume the Munsters must operate on the opposite end of the scale, I guess? If that makes sense.

I personally think all of this just boils down to classism and (some) Addams fans- mainly those who are most familiar with the edgy 90s films- having this deep individuality complex which comes out not only in their resentful takes and spiteful jokes about the Munsters, but many other franchises and characters too. Like. there's a reason there's a million Addams memes on r/notlikeothergirls and maybe 2 of Lily. There's a reason most of their insults towards the Munsters are about how "trashy" and "poor" they are (NM that these are counts & countesses living in a freaking mansion in one of the richest states in America with 2 expensive custom made cars, ijbol) and much praise for TAF seems to come from how much cool stuff they have or their old family name. There is obviously a need with a good chunk of their fanbase for the characters they identify way too much with to be more special and cool than any others and I've said for awhile that some fans of the 90s version def have this rich, beautiful goth fantasy projected onto TAF, as seen quite grossly by the racist and body-shaming hate Luis Guzman received for daring to be a pudgy brown guy playing... a pudgy tanned guy.

And as someone who greatly enjoys deep dive analyses on seemingly simple fiction like these shows, I won't begrudge anyone for taking their fav fiction seriously... but if you're going to try to act like the Addams are a complex and philosophically deep franchise who did more for fiction than Munsters and then tell Munster fans "bro it's not that deep" when we point out the Addams' absurd socioeconomic/racial status protecting them from societal judgment or how it's much easier to digest nonconformit with when it's coming from a group who is already Have some perspective is all I am asking and stop being so "how very dare you" with angry blocking/downvoting when you face people who appreciate the Munsters as much as you appreciate the Addams. Like... I enjoy both but I am tired of seeing baseless criticism of the Munsters from people who never analyze TAF to that same degree and NO nuanced takes about either side, or being gaslit when I complain about that hate. (Yes, I've been told it's not a big deal and I am basically the real problem to shoot back against people who have harassed or bullied me or my moots for defending the show... seriously.)

Also, I'm putting this in the Addams' tag and I don't want to hear any griping about how I'm "tagging hate" from fans because I'm not; this is not hating them at all, this is a fandom problem with Addams fans that has gone on way too long and I want people to see it (and there is constantly negative stuff put in the Munsters' tags or spaces as well). If you're just gonna do what I said in the above paragraph, please DNI; I am venting but open to good-faith responses.

[battybatzgirl]

Crazier Than You

AO3

Summary:

When you're a Shigaraki, it's family first, family last, and family by and by. But introducing your new (normal) boyfriend to your family can cause a few problems--especially if your father just so happens to be Japan's most notorious supervillain.

Chapter 1 | 2

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Despite what the movies showed, not every organ inside your body was mushy and red. Tendons, for example, were a stark white. Fat, a sickly yellow-green. Muscles, though, came in a wide variety of crimson and merlot and currant and maroon--all of them red.

Red like Katsuki’s eyes.

Bet he’d bleed like that too, Izuku thinks hazily.

“Izuku.”

The sound of his name snaps him back into place, making him jolt on instinct. It messes with the stitch he’s currently working on, the thread pulling taut and ripping out of the flesh. He offers a sheepish smile to Dr. Garaki over the corpse on the operating slab.

The doctor eyes the stitch that Izuku ruined and lets out a little tsk. “If you’re going to keep getting distracted, you should head back upstairs.”

Muttering a soft apology, Izuku works on removing the stitch from the forearm he was working on. He normally had so much more concentration when working on nomu. The doctor wouldn’t let him around one of his little projects if he didn’t. For years, he’d protested Izuku even being down in the basement lab, but luckily, Izuku’s father was always keen to encourage his son's morbid curiosities. Whip-smart and a fast learner, Izuku knew he was the best assistant Garaki ever had.

If, you know. He could get his brain to stop thinking about Kacchan.

The doctor seems to notice his offput attitude, so he says, “We can finish this tomorrow. Go get your cousin for dinner.”

With a nod, Izuku pushes away from the operating table and removes his bloody gloves, then starts the trek through the lab. It’s dark in the basement, mainly only illuminated by the glowing vats of Nomu everywhere. Why the doctor liked to work in near darkness never made sense to him—why not put on a light when you’re operating?

Tomura had this theory about him wanting the aesthetics of a creepy villain from TV, but honestly, it wasn’t fooling anyone. Garaki wasn’t creepy. He was too full of himself, and he was within his right, too. He was a genius. Izuku hated how much he liked the man.

He trots up the stairs, making a beeline through the manor to where he knew Tomura would be. He always played a few rounds of whatever videogame he was obsessed with that week before dinner.

Izuku’s hunch is right. He finds his cousin in front of the TV in their sitting room, slumped on the couch with his feet up on the table. If Dad were around, Tomura wouldn’t be doing it, but Izuku was no snitch.

He flops down next to the older boy, grabbing a pillow and squeezing it tight to his chest. He wishes he could squeeze the weird mushiness he’s feeling right now out of him. Or, even better, he wishes he could squeeze Kacchan, tight enough until his face turns blue and he’s gasping for air. Izuku bets he’d look really cute with bruises ringing around his neck.

“Don’t mess up,” he says when Tomura’s character is making a challenging-looking jump.

“Go die,” Tomura responds without missing a beat. The character clears the jump. It’s been years since Izuku’s been able to distract his cousin’s concentration away from a game, but it’s still the thought that counts.

The clacking of Tomura’s thumbs against the controller is driving Izuku crazy, so he starts talking. “I fucked up another stitch on a nomu again.”

Tomura snorts, “Surprised you don’t fuck up everything you touch.”

“It’s because of Kacchan,” Izuku continues, ignoring Tomura’s comments like he usually does. His heart flutters disgustingly when the syllables of Katsuki’s nickname rolls off his tongue. They tasted so sweet. “He’s gotten in my head.”

“Anywhere else?”

Izuku whacks Tomura with the pillow, feeling a treacherous heat rise to his face. “It’s not like that. At least not yet. We’ve only made out.”

The memory of it makes his stomach swoop like he’s flying over a canyon. Katsuki had been arguing with him about something that was so unimportant, but Izuku didn’t like to lose anything, much less arguments. So, he shut the blond up by yanking him forward and mashing their lips together, biting so hard that Katsuki’s bottom lip bled.

“Fuck,” Kacchan swore when he pulled back, his blood staining his teeth and lip the prettiest shade of red. “That’s hot.”

And then the blond grabbed him by the back of his neck and kissed him so hard Izuku saw stars.

Tomura snickers. “You better tell Dad before it gets too serious.”

That snaps Izuku out of whatever rose-colored haze he was in. His body feels cold all over at the idea. “It’s not that serious.” The day he told his father about Katsuki was the day Izuku died. As the baby of the family, his annoyingly overprotective father to treat him like he was six instead of sixteen. In his eyes, Izuku wasn't allowed date until he was fifty.

“Didn’t you say he’s in a fashion course?”

Glumly, Izuku nods. Katsuki was the heir to the Bakugou fashion empire, and Izuku was the son of the Demon King of the Underworld.

Cupid was such a bitch.

This continues to amuse his cousin to no end. He cracks a smile. “Only you would fall for someone normal.”

“He doesn’t act normal, though,” he protests. “He’s loud and mean and—”

“—dreamy,” Tomura sneers, and Izuku’s patience snaps.

He launches himself at the other boy, going straight for Tomura’s eyes. His face was already full of scratches and scars, some of them put there by Izuku himself. Izuku’s nails tear through the skin on Tomura’s cheek before a boot kicks him squarely in the stomach. Instinctively, Izuku tucks and rolls, falling off the couch and landing in a crouch in a surprisingly graceful manner.

“You made me lose a life.” Tomura lets out an annoyed whine, whipping at the blood beading on his skin before turning back to the game. “Brat.”

“Bastard,” Izuku returns, climbing back on the couch. “Okay, but what do I say to Dad? I think he’s noticing that I’ve been going out more, and I can’t keep using the excuse that I’m digging up bodies.”

Raiding a local hospital graveyard for the freshly deceased sounded like an average Friday night for Izuku—because he was small and knew how to make himself cry, he played the part of a poor mourning child well enough for no one to ask questions. But his father didn’t like him to be out for too long, and Izuku has been sneaking out nearly every night this week to hang out with Katsuki. As well as for the past few months.

And it wasn’t his fault, okay? Something about Kacchan was making Izuku go insane. He was used to people fleeing at the sight of bared teeth, not running toward him with a snarl fierce enough to match his own. It gave Izuku a dizzying high that made him want to cut Katsuki open on his knife while grabbing the blond by the hips and grind into him until the marrows of their bones mixed.

God, he had it bad. He was so fucked.

“You’re fucked,” Tomura echoes his thoughts with a shrug, finally pausing the game. He turns his crimson eyes onto Izuku—the rings underneath them looked particularly dark today. He must have skipped his afternoon nap to keep playing his game.

“I’m not gonna cover for you if he asks.” Izuku shoots him a glare—Tomura was such a little goody-two-shoes when it came to their dad. Even though Hisashi technically wasn’t Tomura’s father, he’d raised them as brothers and expected honesty from them both. Tomura gave it to him without hesitation, while Izuku…

Well. As the youngest, there were a few things he could get away with by simply batting his eyes and cooing a love you to get Hisashi to do whatever he wanted. His dad probably knew Izuku was manipulating him—he’d taught him to do it, after all—but part of Izuku still thinks that the Devil of Japan’s Underworld was secretly a soft family man.

But this? Sneaking out of the protected manor to go have secret rendezvous with his frightfully normal boyfriend?? If Hisashi ever found out, Izuku might as well be another body on a slab.

He pouts at his cousin. “You’re no fun.”

“Bite me.”

Izuku nearly does, but he doesn’t know the last time Tomura took a shower, and doesn’t want to have to wash the taste of dirty gamer skin out of his mouth.

Izuku knew he shouldn’t have trusted Tomura to keep his mouth shut.

That night at dinner, Hisashi casually asks how the new nomu experimentations were going.

“One of them has enough shock absorption that it could get hit with a train and walk away just fine,” Izuku reports cheerfully. “It’s not at the strength we want it at yet, but it’s getting there.” The strength they wanted was to take a punch from All Might, who according to his father, could punch with the strength of two hundred locomotives at once.

“Would probably already be there if you weren’t so distracted,” Tomura mutters under his breath. Izuku kicks him under the table with his iron-toed boots, praying his father didn’t hear it.

Unfortunately, the gods of fate aren’t smiling down on him today. “Distracted?” Hisashi repeats. A warm, knowing smile pulls at his lips. “You aren’t one to drop a project mid-construction. Did you find something else to hyper-fixate on?”

Tomura coughs a way that sounds suspiciously like the word someone, and if his father wasn’t looking, one of Tomura’s spidery hands would already be skewered on Izuku’s fork.

“It’s nothing,” Izuku says quickly—too quickly, he realizes too late. He feels his mouth go dry when his father’s eyebrows raise. “I just…” God, should he lie? Play dumb? No, with Tomura being in this kind of mood, doing either of those things would probably dig himself deeper into the hole he was already being thrown into. “I uh, made a friend when I was out excavating.”

“A friend?” Hisashi’s smile has turned into a frown. “Izuku, you know that talking to outsiders is dangerous.”

Izuku hates how the disappointment in his father’s voice makes him want to cringe. He’s heard the warnings hundreds of times; interacting with anyone outside of the Shigaraki clan circles was risky. If a someone discovered they were stealing bodies for Nomu, the police could get involved, or worse—heroes. And of course, Tomura could leave the manor and talk to whoever he pleased, but the older boy never chose to leave unless he was going out to play D&D with Twice and Himiko or killing someone.

Tomura’s homebody tendencies used to drive Izuku crazy when he was younger, but now, he doesn’t feel all that jealous anymore. He really doesn't have a reason to leave. All he could ever want is under his father’s roof—food, shelter, enough nomu experiments and research projects to keep him busy. Izuku doesn’t remember the last time he actually took a trip into town before he met Kacchan.

And really, even meeting Katsuki was purely an accident.

“He’s not an outsider,” Izuku lies. “He’s got Yakuza cousins.”

Did Katsuki have gangster cousins? Well he did now, because that took a bit of the edge off his father’s expression. Still, his eyes were calculating, and that was never a good thing.

“What clan?”

“The Hassaikai,” Izuku answers smoothly, ignoring Tomura’s sharp glance in his direction. He knows Tomura knows all the Hassaikai members thanks to a few deals they’ve done in the past. They’ve proven to be trustworthy to his father. And really, dragging Tomura into his lie isn’t a good idea, but Izuku is bitter and wants revenge.

He and Tomura share a Look over the table. Screw this up for me and I’ll perform an autopsy on your switch, Izuku tries to relay with his eyes. It seems to work, because his cousin sighs loudly and slumps down into his chair. Hisashi looks like he wants to talk about it more, but the tinny sound of one of their lab alerts rings out through the dining room. The doctor only rang that one when he needed Hisashi’s approval for something.

Hisashi was already on his feet, “Excuse me, boys, I have to attend to that. Oh, and Izuku.” His father’s crimson gaze pierces him like a butterfly on a corkboard. “I’m interested to hear more about your friend.”

Izuku has no idea if the horror he feels inside of him shows on his face. With the click of dress shoes, Hisashi exits the dining room.

The instant he's gone, Izuku launches himself over the table, crashing into Tomura so hard he knocks them both backward on the floor. He hears the wood crack from their combined weight hitting the floor, but he doesn't care. He’s got one foot pressing down Tomura’s left wrist onto the floor, both hands throttled around the other boy’s throat.

“You dirty snitch,” Izuku hisses, “You ratted me out.”

Tomura raises the hand not pressed into the ground dangerously close to Izuku’s face. He knows the older boy would never use his quirk against him—at least, not anywhere permanent—but the movement is enough to make Izuku shift back just enough for Tomura to shove him off.

“You were being annoying. And why did you drag me into this? I have other things I need to do besides be your little wingman.”

Like what, plan attacks on high schoolers because one of them made fun of your greasy hair?  Izuku can’t even muster the energy to sass, he feels so completely drained at the idea of his father knowing about Kacchan.

He presses his face into his hands. Maybe he could invent something that could reverse time and send him back fifteen minutes before the word ‘friend’ had ever left his mouth. “Just… don’t mention it again. I guess I have to tell him now.”

Tomura stands up with feline grace, grabbing a roll off the table and stuffing it in his mouth. “Good luck with that.”

//

Izuku doesn’t like to brag, but he knows he’s a genius. As the son of a highly intellectual villain who fostered his analytical mind from an early age, he can solve and destroy most problems that get in his way. Even if those problems happened to be people with annoying quirks.

This problem, of hiding his boyfriend from his father, he doesn’t know how to solve. And most surprisingly, it’s Katsuki that ends up providing a solution.

“They want to what?! "

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t come as a shock, though. Izuku stares, gaping at the blond from across the diner table. It’s one of those 24-hour places near his high school’s campus that is known to have visits from teenagers at odd hours. They’ve met up here a few times, enough that the staff is starting to smile at Izuku when he enters. Kacchan likes it because it’s close and has absurdly spicy noodles. Izuku likes it because no one bats an eye at his all-black and slinky appearance.

Katsuki slurps his noodles obnoxiously. The sound reminds Izuku of how it feels to squeeze a bunch of intestines between his fingers. He’d much rather be dissecting something right now than facing the consequences of what Kacchan has just proposed.

“It’s my hag’s idea,” he says flippantly once he’s swallowed. “She and the old man think since we’ve been seeing each other for a while, it would be good to get to know you ‘nd your family.”

“But isn’t it a little early?” Izuku protests weakly, grasping at anything to get this conversation away from where he knows it’ll end up. “We’ve only been hanging out for a couple of months. And we’re not even technically in a relationship.”

“D’you wanna be?”

“Yes,” Izuku’s stupid mouth betrays him before his brain can catch up. It’s worth the reaction, though—Katsuki’s sharp, satisfied grin sends Izuku’s stomach fluttering.

And truly, it’s not fair. Kacchan is too damn handsome, with his low-hanging sweatpants and black tank top that reveals so much. His muscles were absurdly defined—what did they have fashion students doing these days??—but his skin is what really enchanted Izuku. It was clear, pure, and unscarred. Izuku wants to drag one of his knives over his skin and lick up all the blood.

Christ, now he was sounding like Himiko.

“’Kay,” Katsuki nods, “We’re boyfriends now. And my parents want to meet you and your parents.”

“My mom’s dead,” Izuku says bluntly, “and dad’s out of the country.” The practiced lie rolls off his tongue like water.

“No he ain’t. You were complaining about what he said about your curfew last night. When you were breaking it.”

Izuku bangs his forehead into the table, making the noodle bowl rattle. He hates it when Katsuki gets to prove a point. His voice takes on a more whiney timbre, “You don’t want to meet him, I promise he’s not that interesting. He’s just a boring businessman.” Who just so happens to run the entire underworld of the country, but that was neither here nor there.

“My parents are boring as hell too,” Katsuki shrugs. “But if we’re gonna start doing this for real, they want to make sure the person I’m seeing is a good choice. Or whatever.”

Izuku barely keeps the hysterical laughter bubbling up in his throat down. A good choice? He was the worst choice, but he didn’t want to tell Katsuki that.

“Besides,” the blond reaches across the table and weaves their fingers together. Izuku feels his heart jolt, hitting every one of his ribs in a xylophone. “Can’t show off what’s mine by hiding it.”

Something in Izuku purrs at the possessive in the other boy's tone. He wants to tie Katsuki up and keep him in a locked room on some remote island so they can be together forever.

Before that happens, Izuku supposes that it would be polite to meet his parents. Villain or no, Hisashi taught him good manners.

But Hisashi knowing about Kacchan was bad enough. The idea of his father actually meeting Katsuki is so much worse.

“I- I don’t know,” Izuku says, pulling his hand back. “My dad doesn’t like meeting strangers.”

Katsuki shrugs. “So? Tell him to deal with it. ‘S for you, so he can be man enough to handle one night.”

As absurd as the argument is, he supposes Katsuki has a point. There was little Hisashi wouldn’t do for Izuku when he genuinely wanted something. The perks of being the favorite child did come in handy.

“One night.” He repeats the words slowly, trying to convince himself this was a good idea. It would put his father's suspicions to rest. Still, the rational side of his mind knew this probably wouldn’t go well, but if Katsuki wanted it… “Okay.”

The blond smirks. “Knew you’d be a pushover.”

“I’m not,” Izuku snarls, bearing his teeth and immediately going on the defensive. Katsuki’s personality teetered on a knife’s edge—one moment, he was charming, the next he was sharp as barbed wire. Even though they’d only known each other for a short time, he somehow knew just how to get under Izuku’s skin.

It was intoxicatingly alluring.

“Yeah?” Katuki’s eyes glint with a hunger that made Izuku’s stomach flip. “Prove it.”

He’s barely finished speaking before Izuku grabs him by the collar of his shirt, already towing the grinning blond to the diner’s shitty bathroom. It was a good thing Katsuki liked to snarl, because Izuku liked to bite back and make him bleed.

//

He had been working on a project when he first met Katsuki.

Well, calling it working might be a stretch. Fixing a mess was probably more accurate.

He had been tinkering with splicing one of Mocha’s genes before the little creature had the audacity to double itself and break out of the tubes that were holding it down. By the time Izuku had stood up the thing was scurrying out of the basement's back door.

Izuku swore in a fashion that would have made his father cut out his tongue, and grabbed a net.

It certainly wasn’t the first time Mocha had run away from him, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. The little thing only preferred Garaki's hands, even though Izuku’s knowledge of quirk splicing was far superior to the doctor’s.

This was the first time Mocha had actually escaped outside, though, which was a Problem.

Izuku doesn’t even bother taking off his goggles, swinging the net over his shoulders as he dashed out the door following the creature. Their manor sat in the middle of a heavily wooded area near a public park, so there were plenty of places the little nomu could hide. The last thing he needed was the creature finding one of the hiking trails and taking a bite out of some poor jogger. It was already late evening, the sun tinting the sky a hazy orange before it disappeared over the treeline.

“Mocha, come here!” Izuku calls sweetly. “I have a special treat for you.” He didn’t, but the nomu didn’t need to know that.

His eyes scan the ground, searching for a hidden fox hole where the little creature could have hidden. It was early August and the late summer heat was making the cicadas go crazy. He started to get nervous, walking farther toward the park area, his attention was so focused on the ground that he didn’t notice the person sliding up next to him.

“Hey.”

Izuku shrieks, whirling around to face the stranger who had spoken. He takes quick note of the man’s long, dark hair, bloodshot eyes, and jumpsuited appearance.

The man’s eyes squint a little as he observes Izuku. “You lost, kid? The trailhead’s back that way.”

I know, I live here, Izuku wants to say, but thinks better of it. “O-oh, I- I’m not lost." He notices the man’s eyes drift toward the net in his hands. “I’m, uh, looking for my cat. The little stinker got out through the back door and ran through the park.”

He isn’t sure if the man buys his lie. “So you dressed up in your Halloween costume to catch it?”

Izuku cringes and feels his ears heat, realizing just how ridiculous he must look to an outsider. He’s still in his lab coat. He subtly hides his hands behind his back, hoping the man didn’t notice the ichor-stained gloves. “Hahaha, ooooh this? It’s just protective measures. He bites.”

“Uh-huh.” Something about this man is putting Izuku on edge, but he can't put his finger on why. The man lets out a tired sigh, eyes finally leaving Izuku to drift to the wooded area around him. “Okay, well hurry up and find them before it gets dark. This area’s had lots of reports of suspicious activity, and we don’t want any civilians out here getting hurt if a villain shows up.”

Izuku suddenly realizes why this man is making him nervous: he’s a hero.

And wasn’t that just the icing on the cake? There’s a hero lurking around on the edge of their property and Izuku lost his fucking nomu. Great, just great.

“I- I’ll keep a lookout,” he promises with a shaky smile, then practically sprints away before the hero can say anything else.

So yeah, his social skills weren’t exactly top-notch, what of it? Izuku barely talks to anyone outside of his family and his brain-dead experiments, he has very little experience socializing. Especially with a hero. That man in particular looked as though he could look into Izuku’s very core, and Izuku didn’t want to stick around long enough for the man to realize the sixteen-year-old in front of him didn’t have a soul.

“Mocha!” He hisses with new fervor, clutching the net a little tighter as his eyes nervously drift around the trees. “Get your butt back here, you little shit!” God, he hoped no other heroes were around. He knows how to kill a person, but Tomura was usually the one who dusted people. Izuku just liked messed with them after they were dead.

A noise on the trail to his right makes him freeze. Without thinking, Izuku jumps out of the bushes, swinging the net out onto the trail and tugging the cord taut. An instant later, there’s an outraged cry and a small explosion fires off. The loud noise makes Izuku jump, and he fights his way through the foliage to see an irritated-looking teenager, caught in a crouch where he had been tying his shoes.

Izuku didn’t catch a nomu. He caught a boy.

The teen looks about Izuku’s age, with spikey blond hair and a face that’s pinched in anger. He's sweaty; must have been pausing on his run to fix his shoelaces. The fabric of Izuku’s net is now singed, the metal pole hanging limply around the boy’s broad shoulders.

The boy shoots to his feet, lips twisted in a snarl. “What the hell do you think you’re—”

Izuku tears off his goggles and drops to the ground, burying his face in his hands with a groan. “Fuck me.” Great, now he’s lost Mocha, interacted with a hero, and ruined his net. Dad was going to murder him while Tomura uses his intestines to play jump rope.

Speaking of, should he go back home and get Tomura? Would adding another person to this rescue mission help find Mocha faster? Or would Tomura go directly to Hisashi and tattle on how terribly irresponsible Izuku was? Would the reprimanding be worth it if they caught the damn nomu before it ate someone and caught the attention of that hero?

The blond, who Izuku honestly forgot was still there, sniffs, “The fuck is a Mocha?”

Shit. Mumbling under his breath was a habit usually his family only had to deal with. Ignoring the way his cheeks felt hot, Izuku stands and faces him. “My cat.” Might as well stick with the lie he already told. The little thing did kind of resemble a cat. If you were squinting at it in the dark and you weren’t wearing your prescription glasses.

The blond snorts, picking at the half-torn net still around his shoulders. “You’re using a net to catch it?”

Izuku frowns. Something about this boy’s sneering makes his fingers itch to claw at it. “You don’t have to tell me how to take care of my pets.” He grabs the net off the boy’s shoulders and rubs the burnt edges of the fabric between his fingers. “What’s your quirk?”

“Hah? Why does it matter?”

“I heard the sound of firework, and this part of the fabric is singed,” Izuku launches into the observed facts. “You have a flammable quirk, but the scent lingering smells like nitroglycerine, which would mean explosions, not fire. Something would have to light that, of course,” he leans in, peering curiously at the boy, who was wearing workout shorts and a black tank top. “Do you carry around matches?”

The boy shoves Izuku away with a growl. “Get off of me! Who even are you?”

Izuku has the right mind to growl back because no one was allowed to touch him without permission, but a sick crunching noise makes both boys look up.

Mocha is in the tree above them, wide mouth clamped down on what looked like a very unfortunate bird.

“No! ” Izuku snaps, “Bad, Mocha. Spit that out!”

The little creature does not, and Izuku lets out a growl before throwing down his net and tearing off his coat, then turns to scale the tree. The nomu didn’t even have a stomach, but has recently become fascinated with the sensory of chomping with its stupidly large mouth.

“Swallow that and your intestines are going to be very upset later. I’ll feel zero pity for you,” Izuku threatens as he swipes at the creature. His fingertips brush on Mocha’s spinal tail, but the damn thing is too far out on the branch, dancing just outside of his grip.

“The fuck,” he hears from below. “That thing is your cat? ”

“Ah—" Izuku hesitates. "It got hit by a car?”

“Better have been a truck. That thing looks like my dead aunt’s ugly stepsister.”

A laugh suddenly punches out of Izuku’s stomach, loud and unexpected. It’s enough of a surprise to make him lose his grip on the branch, and his feet slip. Pain radiates up his spine when his ass hits the ground. He blinks past the stars in his vision to see the blond boy leaning over him with a smirk.

“Dumbass,” he snorts. Izuku shoots up in an instant, hackles raised, hands already curled into fists, but the other boy doesn’t look like he wants to fight. “Here.”

The boy isn’t offering a hand to help Izuku up—which he wouldn’t have taken anyway, thank you—but instead stands on his tiptoes and opens a palm up toward Mocha on the tree. There’s a poppoppop and sparks come to life on his palm, lighting up the semi-darkness with tiny, contained explosions. The noise makes Mocha let out a high whine and jump down from the tree into Izuku’s arms. He’s not paying attention though, too busy being absolutely starstruck by the boy in front of him.

Self-igniting explosions? But that meant the nitroglycerin had to come from somewhere on his skin—was it like a self-secreting mucus? No, because then his entire hand would have lit on fire, not just his palm. Then it had to be a controlled released from his pores somehow!

“Your quirk’s really cool,” Izuku gushes before he can stop himself.

“I know. You’re welcome, by the way.” The blond’s grin is sharp and smug and for some reason, it makes Izuku’s heart skip a beat.

With a rush of sudden fascination, he suddenly has to know everything about this boy. “What’s your name?”

The blond sniffs. “Why would I tell you that?”

“Because if you don’t I can force it out of you.”

The blond throws back his head and barks a laugh. “A scrawny pipsqueak like you? I’d like to see you try. Your quirk ain’t got nothin’ on mine.”

And oh, the adrenaline that rushes through Izuku is absolutely delicious. Something about this boy is making him want to bite and claw and tear into him until they’re both bloody and bruised.

“I don’t need any quirk to kneecap you,” Izuku points out simply.

The boy tilts his head, ruby eyes sizing him up as if to see if he was worth the fight. It makes Izuku want to squirm and snarl at the same time.

Mocha shifts in his arms, burping up some feathers in a much-needed distraction from the other boy’s gaze. Izuku scratches underneath its chin in sympathy, making the creature coo. It was probably going to throw up next, which meant he should probably head back to the lab.

“Katsuki.”

Izuku’s head whips up. “Huh?”

“’S my name.”

“Oh.” For some reason, the boy suddenly looks bashful, but Izuku has no idea why. “Hello, Kacchan.”

“The fuck is a Kacchan?”

“You, you just said that was your name.”

“I said Katsuki, moron, not Kacchan. Don’t call me that.”

“Too late,” Izuku says with a shit-eating grin. It wasn’t like he was ever going to see this boy again. And pushing the blond’s buttons was so much more fun than messing around with Tomura.

“What’s your name, then? I told you mine, it’s only fair.”

Izuku hesitates. He certainly can’t reveal his identity to this random stranger. Admitting he was a Shigaraki was basically asking for that jumpsuited hero to come back and cause trouble. “Deku.”

The blond frowns. “Your name is Deku?”

“It’s a nickname,” he clarifies. It wasn’t a complete lie. Tomura called him that once when he was learning how to read and mispronounced the last kanji of Izuku’s name.

“It fits you,” the blond nods. “You look like a dork.” Then, Katsuki leans forward and flicks him on the nose.

Izuku lets out an indignant squawk and feels his cheeks flush. Katsuki snickers, then calls out a quick see ya and continues on his jog down the trail.

He has half the mind to drop Mocha and chase after the boy to flick him back, but the nomu belches again. This time there’s a foul smell accompanying it, so Izuku pushes thoughts of the blond aside and high tails it back to the lab before he gets covered in half-digested bird bones.

//

As a scientist, Izuku is very observant. He has to be, to be able to tell when his hypotheses are executed correctly. His father is a much harder subject to read, but over the years, Izuku’s gotten good at that, too.

So, he waits carefully until Hisashi is in a good mood to break the news to him.

His father is in his study, scouring the hero news like he always does this time of day. Apparently, the hero commission has been under a lot of fire recently, so Izuku knows that the ravenous opinions of angry journalists always keep his spirits up.

Hisashi looks up a steaming mug of his favorite tea is placed in front of him.

(Izuku wanted to come extra prepared, shoot him.)

Hisashi leans back in his chair and laces his long fingers together. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise. A visit from my little bundle of malice and a cup of tea? You must want something extra special from me.”

“Wh-what?” Izuku tries to feign innocence. “This isn’t a bribe! Nooo, I just…” Hisashi raises an eyebrow, and Izuku gives up immediately, unable to stand the weight of his father’s gaze. “Don’t be mad.”

Hisashi casually blows on the tea, “You telling me not to be mad before admitting something doesn’t bode well for you.”

“I have a boyfriend!” Izuku blurts out, his nervous mouth vomiting up words before his brain can catch up. “His name is Katsuki and I’ve been seeing him for a few months, but now his parents want to meet you and get dinner together and I’m running out of excuses to tell them no!”

Hisashi blinks. Izuku bites his lip before any other treacherous words can come out, watching as the cogs turning in his father’s head.

“Oh,” he says. “Is this that same friend you mentioned?”

“Yes,” Izuku hangs his head miserably.

“I take it he’s not a Yakuza.”

Izuku shakes his head miserably. “I know I wasn’t supposed to get close to a civilian, but he’s different. He drives me crazy. Whenever I’m around him I want to tear off all his skin and wear it.”

“Hmm.” Hisashi takes a long, agonizingly slow sip of the tea, letting Izuku stew in his anxiety. God, he hated it when his father did that. Izuku’s brain could work itself up into mush if left unchecked for too long. He’s halfway there now, nervous energy making his hands tremble.

So that’s why it surprises him when his father says, “Okay.”

Izuku stares dumbly, the word sounding foreign to his ears. “Okay?”

“I’ll meet them.” Despite everything, Izuku feels an excited grin crack across his face. “I’m interested in getting to know the boy who has enraptured my little Atilla, especially if you’ve been sneaking out to see him.”

Izuku normally would have cringed at the obvious dig, but he’s too happy to care right now. “Great! It’s only one dinner, then you’ll never have to interact with them again. They’re free next Saturday.”

“I’ll tell Kurogiri to start preparing a menu.”

Izuku blinks. “Why would he need to do that?”

Hisashi’s lips pulled up in an amused smirk. “Do you not want our guests to eat while they’re here for dinner?”

It takes a split second for Izuku to put together what his father was saying. When he does, his stomach drops through the floor.

“Wha—Dad, no, they can’t come here! ”

“Why not?”

“The Bakugous are normal! ” Izuku cries, “They’re fashion designers. We’re not exactly…” He trails off, trying to think of a word that would best describe the Shigaraki household. His father was a 200-year-old cryptid, his cousin/brother had a hand fixation, and Izuku experimented on dead bodies for fun.

“…Like that,” he finishes lamely.

His father gives him a funny look. “Izuku, you honestly don’t expect me to go over to a stranger’s home and show my face in society.”

“No one has to see your face. We have Kurogiri! He can just teleport us straight to their house!”

“I haven’t been part of a social party in a century,” his father continues. “If I’m going to get acquainted with this Katsuki of yours, I want it to be on my terms.”

Damn his father and his controlling nature. Izuku can tell when the man won’t be pushed from a decision, and now is one of those times.

Well. At least Hisashi had said yes. And for the most part, their home wouldn't indicate that they were a family of villains. There were a few loose jars of body parts and capes Hisashi kept from past hero conquests, but all that could be thrown in a storage closet. Izuku could lock the door to the basement so no nomu got out, and force beg Tomura to wear those gloves so he didn’t dust anything. Or, better yet, he could lock Tomura in the basement and pretend he was an only child.

Surely their family could pretend to be normal for one night.

He lets out a sigh, “Okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t sound too excited,” his father teases. “You know, as much as it offends me that you kept this a secret from me, I do find myself incredibly curious about this boy. What’s his quirk?”

“He secretes nitroglycerin in his sweat and ignites explosions in his palms.”

Hisashi hums, interest alight in his eyes. “That sounds powerful.”

Fear prickles at Izuku's skin. He knows that look. “Dad, you can’t steal it.”

“Do you think so little of me, my child? I’d put it back before he noticed it was gone.”

“That’s not the point,” Izuku stresses. “Normal people can’t take other people’s quirks.”

“That’s why your precious ‘normal people’ are so boring.”

“Please,” Izuku begs, “don’t be weird about this. Just one night, with no quirk stealing or killing or hero politics.”

The Demon King of the Underworld pouts. “You’re no fun.” But then he leans back in his chair with a wistful sigh. “I can pretend to degrade myself for one evening, I suppose. You’ll have to convince Tomura to go along with your little charade yourself, though.”

Izuku groans. “Can’t I just lock him in a vault?”

Hisashi raises a dubious eyebrow. “Do you think the vault would hold him all night?”

“No,” Izuku grumbles miserably. He’d probably have to subject himself to a beating through Super Smash Bros to get Tomura to agree to do anything. He sighs and scrubs a hand across his face, truly wondering if the Bakugou's knew the hell they were getting themselves into.

[aartifex-a]

Before he became a vampire, Gerard was fascinated by them. Vampires became a special interest of his, and he consumed a ton of vampire media. Some of the most important influences he had were books and movies he read in high school and early adulthood.

His first exposure to vampires that truly captured his imagination was watching The Lost Boys when he was about 10. It awakened a few things in him: his love of vampires, and his romantic inclinations towards other men. He wanted to be Kiefer Sutherland and hold his hand at the same time. After that, he watched Fright Night, Vampire’s Kiss, The Monster Squad and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. He would watch old reruns of The Munsters and The Addams Family growing up, but The Lost Boys was what really set off his vampire obsession. 

By the time he got to middle school, he started reading vampire books and horror comics. He really loved Morbius comics and read Dracula over and over in grades 7 and 8. In high school, he watched Interview With The Vampire, Dracula (the 1992 film adaptation), Nosferatu (yes, the silent film) and From Dusk Til’ Dawn as many times as he could manage. He read Anne Rice’s vampire novels, and picked up a copy of Carmilla too. He was thoroughly entrenched in his love for vampires, and it wasn’t a phase.

In college, he watched Blade and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV series). After dropping out of college, he watched Queen of the Damned and read Jemiah Jefferson’s Vampire Quartet books. He particularly loved Jefferson’s works. Voice of the Blood was life changing for him; it was gritty, gross, sexy, bloody, and made his skin crawl in every way imaginable. He was entranced by Ricari, the main vampire, who was a fancy European goth rocker and everything he wanted to be and everything he wanted to fuck. 

In 2004, having been out of college for a few years and in a stagnant place in life, he discovered My Chemical Romance after the breakout success of I’m Not Okay off of their second album. He went back and listened to their first album, and Vampires Will Never Hurt You got him hooked. It combined two things he loved, two special interests all in one: alternative rock and vampires. By this point he was working with and for Yves, and knew vampires were real. He had known for a while he wanted to be a vampire, he wanted to experience it for real, but this music gave him a new outlook on life. It was relatable, it was invigorating, and he damn near formed a whole new identity around My Chemical Romance and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. He still bases his aesthetic on this era to this day.

When Twilight (the novel) came out in early October 2005, he was already Yves’s familiar and assistant and had been for a few years. The plans for him to become a vampire were already made, and the date was set for October 31, 2005. In preparation and excitement, he picked up a copy of the latest vampire book at a bookstore. He read it in a few days, and even though it wasn’t exactly Shakespeare he still enjoyed it. He was already a young vampire when the movie was released a few years later in 2008, but he appreciated the new take on vampires and some of the cheesier elements of the franchise.

[ofstarsandfireflies]

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this movie, but how could I not put it on the list?

Addams Family

A creepy and kooky family get a surprise visitor.

Stephen’s family takes after his last name.

Truly, in every sense of the word.

Peter would seem like the only normal one if he wasn’t climbing on the walls half the time to avoid Harley shooting his potato gun at him, which he often swaps out the potatoes for bombs half the time.

The explosions he can deal with, and the mess they make is quickly cleaned up again.

They’re still kids and he wants them to have as much fun as they possibly can.

They’re just energetic and highly spirited, like their father.

Speaking of Tony...Stephen is just as much head over heels for him today as the first time they met and destroyed a planet together almost twenty years ago.

Sparks literally flew that day, and it was a wonder they even survived it with how they couldn’t keep their eyes off one another.

Stephen proposed that very night and they’d been in wedded bliss ever since.

He would die for him.

He would kill for him.

And every morning he lets Tony sleep in because the man deserves it.

Especially since every night leaves him exhausted.

And sometimes during the day too.

Most time’s during the day.

They can’t get enough of one another.

And Tony is more than happy to deal out just as much as he receives, always kissing Stephen’s hands first and working his way up his arms to his mouth so Stephen knows Tony loves those scars just as much as the man who wears them.

But today, after the kids have gone to school, Stephen can’t help but become distracted.

Today is the anniversary of when the Ancient One left the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, this Sanctum and all its secrets, to Stephen Strange.

He’s guilt ridden at not being able to save her from that portal that swallowed her up, distracted and angry that he knew so little of his magic back then.

Tony misses her too, for without her, he would never have met Stephen in the first place.

Tony knows he is Stephen’s anchor, every year on this day.

And without Tony, Stephen knows he would have drifted a long time ago.

They get regular visits from Shield agents, just checking in to make sure their little family doesn’t want to rejoin the Avengers, but Tony’s made his decision to leave all that behind and he’s not changing his mind.

However, some of these agents actually work for Hydra, and when Sitwell comes knocking one day, he knows they all have to be crossed off the list.

And exactly how to do it.

That night, a woman looking exactly like his old teacher comes to the Sanctum.

While Tony is a little skeptical about her sudden appearance, and his kids seem to be too, Stephen has gotten out of the slump he’d been in for so long, so Tony decides to take this as a win.

But when everyone’s getting ready for bed, Tony lets himself into her room to warn her.

If she isn’t who she claims to be, and Stephen gets hurt because of it, there won’t be any cave, crevice or crack she can squirm her way into that Tony won’t find.

And once he’s found her, he’ll make sure she’s never found again.

Then he wishes her goodnight and closes the door behind him.

It’s a little rocky at the beginning when Stephen keeps asking questions she doesn’t have the answers to, even agent Sitwell doesn’t have anything satisfactory to say about where she’s been all this time.

But Sitwell can’t let them throw this ‘Ancient One’ out.

She’s a Winter Soldier.

One trained to adapt to its surroundings and gather intel on its targets before killing them.

So he tells them to give her some time to adjust. Maybe after a couple of days or so, she’ll fit right in.

But by the very next day, everyone in the Sanctum isn’t so sure this woman is their old friend.

The cloak of Levitation and Wong both seem to be confused as to why her memory is so incomplete.

Surely something would have come back by now?

Even if she can’t remember who they are, she only ever drunk one kind of tea.

Even if she can’t remember all of her training, surely she must remember some of it

But no.

There’s nothing.

Stephen even gives her a sling ring to make a portal with and she doesn’t know what to do with it.

He has half a mind to do what she did to him to make her create one, but he’s too upset to think straight.

He has to come to terms with the knowledge that it might not be his old teacher after all.

Sitwell tries to change his mind, twenty years is a long time to be trapped wherever she was, but Stephen isn’t having it.

That woman is an imposter and he won’t have her in this Sanctum.

Even though she doesn’t feel as welcome as she had been in the beginning, she finds that the kids have really warmed up to her.

They had been brought up on stories about her, and had always refered to her as their aunt.

And she’s never been called aunt before.

But she has a mission.

But she doesn’t want to harm them. Seeing them all, the love that they have for one another (excessive in Stephen and Tony’s case) is unlike anything she’s ever seen before.

And, while she may not remember them completely, she knows their faces, knows they had something to do with her past, and wants to stay to uncover that truth about herself.

She begins drinking the tea she loved.

She begins paying more attention to what she can remember.

And when Stephen hands her a sling ring one last time before he makes his decision, she makes a portal to the very mountain she left him stranded on.

Stephen can’t believe it.

It’s actually her.

So he decides to invite everyone who knew her, everyone who has missed her just as much as he had, to a party at the Sanctum.

But before the big night, Sitwell has had enough of the delay.

He doesn’t know why she hasn’t killed them all yet.

She tells him it’s not time yet, but Sitwell has lost all patience with her.

If she won’t kill them, then he has to move them somewhere where they can be killed easier.

And he knows just how to do it.

This Sanctum would come in very handy training Sorcerers for Hydra, and seeming how he has the Ancient One, the one who rightfully owns this Sanctum, he can move this family of freaks out and deal with them later.

But wrath hath no fury like a Tony scorned, who’s heard everything Sitwell just said.

He’s not going to allow his husband to go through that horrible depression again, and he’s not going to allow his children to live anywhere else but where they’ve called home all their lives.

So he calls Sitwell out on this bs, and Sitwell orders the Ancient One to open a portal.

She doesn’t want to.

She likes living here with this family, but her hands move on their own and they all step through to the Hydra base.

And the cloak sees this and immediately goes to get Stephen.

But the cloak has no idea how to relay this information to him, having no hands to sign and only managing to grab a photo of the family and point erratically to Tony.

Stephen has no clue what it’s trying to say until it takes up his sling ring and begin tapping morse code on the bedside table.

Throwing the cloak over his shoulders, he goes to save his damsel, who is strapped to the very chair where Hydra erase the memories of their Winter Soldiers.

He takes a step to him immediately and freezes when Sitwell emerges from the shadows, pointing a gun at Tony.

He’s going to turn them both into Winter Soldiers to serve Hydra, and then do the same to their kids.

Then he orders the Ancient One to strap Stephen down.

Stephen requests a moment to talk with Tony and Sitwell agrees although he quickly ends it when it becomes disturbingly sexual.

The Ancient One takes Stephen to the next chair, but then notices the cloak.

And takes it from him.

Sitting Stephen down in the chair, she offers him a reassuring smile and sends the cloak at Sitwell, which wraps around him tightly.

Stephen runs to Tony to free him, almost wanting to leave Tony tied up like this, and they get back home safely.

A moment later, the cloak and the Ancient One walk into the Sanctum, quite pleased with how they banished Sitwell to the Dark Dimension.

The day after the party, as Stephen and Tony listen to the explosions almost rocking the Sanctum as if it were classical music, Tony has some good news.

Their adoption papers have finally come through.

They can add a new addition to their family.

Stephen would adopt every single child in the cosmos if it made Tony happy, and Tony expects Stephen to hold that promise.

One child at a time, of course.

Quotes -

“Last night, you were unhinged. You were like some desperate, howling demon. You frightened me...do it again.”

You all know I’m only doing this movie for this quote right here!

“Don’t torture yourself, Gomez. That’s my job.”

Shouldn’t it be They’re kinky and they’re kooky?

“Tish. How long has it been since we’ve waltzed?”

“Hours.”

Tony takes pride in the fact that he and Stephen can waltz anywhere at anytime and they’d both be up for it.

“Morticia. Morticia...what? Slow down! It’s terrible when you stutter! Morticia. In. Danger. Stop. Send. Help. At once. Stop!”

Stephen finally understands what his cloak is trying to tell him.

“Tish. Seeing you like this...my blood boils.”

“As does mine.”

“This wheel of pain...”

“Our wheel.”

“To live without you only that would be torture.”

“A day alone. Only that would be death.”

“Knock it off!”

Your resolved-borderline-obsessed sexual tension is making Sitwell uncomfortable!

“Leather straps...red hot pokers...”

“Later, my dearest.”

Stephen fights against his urges when he sees Tony tied up.

Ancient Lies

Stephen has everything.

A loving husband, two wonderful children, a life where they don’t need to worry about missions and intergalactic threats anymore.

But for as complete as his life, someone is missing from it.

And then she turns up.

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

[nealiios]

The Supernatural 70s: Part I - Corruption of An Innocent

"We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers writers."

-- with apologies to the screenwriter of "Stripes"

Dear reader, I have the darkest of revelations to make to you, a truth when fully and wholly disclosed shall most assuredly chill you to the bone, a tale that shall make you question all that you hold to be true and good and holy about my personal history. While you may have come in search of that narrative designer best known for his works of interactive high fantasy, you should know that he is also a crafter of a darker art, a scribbler of twisted tales filled with ghosts, and ghouls, and gargoyles. I am, dear innocent, a devotee of horrors! Mwahahahaha!

[cue thunderclap, lightning, pipe organ music]

Given the genre of writing for which most of you know me, I forgive you if you think of me principally as a fantasy writer. I don't object to that classification because I do enjoy mucking about with magic and dark woods and mysterious ancient civilizations. But if you are to truly know who I am as a writer, you must realize that the image I hold of myself is principally as a creator of weird tales.

To understand how and why I came to be drawn to this sub-genre of fantastic fiction, you first must understand that I come from peculiar folks. Maybe I don't have the Ipswich look, or I didn't grow up in a castle, but my pedigree for oddity has been there from the start. My mother was declared dead at birth by her doctor, and often heard voices calling to her in the dead of night that no one else could hear. Her mother would periodically ring us up to discuss events in our lives about which she couldn't possibly have known. My father's people still share ghost stories about a family homestead that burned down mysteriously in the 1960s. Even my older brother has outré memories about events he says cannot possibly be true, and as a kid was kicked off the Tulsa city bookmobile for attempting to check out books about UFOs, bigfoot, and ESP. It's fair to say I was doomed - or destined - for weirdness from the start.

If the above listed circumstances had not been enough, I grew up in an area where neighbors whispered stories about a horrifically deformed Bulldog Man who stalked kids who "parked" on the Old North Road near my house. The state in which I was raised was rife with legends of bigfoots, deer women, and devil men. Even in my childhood household there existed a pantheon of mythological entities invented explicitly to keep me in line. If I was a good boy, The Repairman would leave me little gifts of Hot Wheels cars or candy. If I was being terrible, however, my father would dress in a skeleton costume, rise from the basement and threaten to drag me down into everlasting hellfire (evidently there was a secret portal in our basement.) There were monsters, monsters EVERYWHERE I looked in my childhood world. Given that I was told as a fledgling writer to write what I knew, how could anyone have been surprised that the first stories I wrote were filled with the supernatural?

"The Nightmare" by John Henry Fuseli (1781)

My formative years during the late sixties and early seventies took place at a strange juncture in our American cultural history. At the same time that we were loudly proclaiming the supremacy of scientific thought because we'd landed men on the moon, we were also in the midst of a counter cultural explosion of interest in astrology, witchcraft, ghosts, extra sensory perception, and flying saucers. Occult-related books were flying off the shelves as sales surged by more than 100% between 1966 and 1969. Cultural historians would come to refer to this is as the "occult boom," and its aftershocks would impact popular cultural for decades to come.

My first contact with tales of the supernatural were innocuous, largely sanitized for consumption by children. I vividly remember watching Casper the Friendly Ghost and the Disney version of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I read to shreds numerous copies of both Where the Wild Things Are and Gus the Ghost. Likely the most important exposure for me was to the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You? cartoon which attempted to inoculate us from our fears of ghosts and aliens by convincing us that ultimately the monster was always just a bad man in a mask. (It's fascinating to me that modern incarnations of Scooby Doo seem to have completely lost this point and instead make all the monsters real.)

ABOVE: Although the original cartoon Scooby Doo, Where Are You? ran only for one season from 1969 to 1970, it remained in heavy reruns and syndication for decades. It is notable for having been a program that perfectly embodied the conflict between reason and superstition in popular culture, and was originally intended to provide children with critical thinking skills so they would reject the idea of monsters, ghosts, and the like. Ironically, modern takes on Scooby Doo have almost entirely subverted this idea and usually present the culprits of their mysteries as real monsters.

During that same time, television also introduced me to my first onscreen crush in the form of the beautiful and charming Samantha Stevens, a witch who struggles to not to use her powers while married to a frequently intolerant mortal advertising executive in Bewitched. The Munsters and The Addams Family gave me my first taste for "goth" living even before it would become all the rage in the dance clubs of the 1980s. Late night movies on TV would bring all the important horror classics of the past in my living room as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Godzilla all became childhood friends. Over time the darkened castles, creaking doors, foggy graveyards, howling wolves, and ever present witches and vampires became so engrained in my psyche that today they remain the "comfort viewing" to which I retreat when I'm sick or in need of other distractions from modern life.

ABOVE: Elizabeth Montgomery starred in Bewitched (1964 - 1972) as Samantha Stephens, a witch who married "mortal" advertising executive Darren Stephens (played for the first five seasons by actor Dick York). Inspired by movies like I Married a Witch (1942) and Bell, Book and Candle (1958), it was a long running series that explored the complex relationship dynamics between those who possess magic and those who don't. Social commentators have referred to it as an allegory both for mixed marriages and also about the challenges faced by minorities, homosexuals, cultural deviants, or generally creative folks in a non heterogeneous community. It was also one of the first American television programs to portray witches not as worshippers of Satan, but simply as a group of people ostracized for their culture and their supernatural skills.

Even before I began elementary school, there was one piece of must-see gothic horror programming that I went out of my way to catch every day. Dark Shadows aired at 3:30 p.m. on our local ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma which usually allowed me to catch most of it if I ran home from school (or even more if my mom or brother picked me up.) In theory it was a soap opera, but the show featured a regular parade of supernatural characters and themes. The lead was a 175 year old vampire named Barnabas Collins (played by Johnathan Frid), and the show revolved around his timeless pursuit of his lost love, Josette. It was also a program that regularly dealt with reincarnation, precognition, werewolves, time travel, witchcraft, and other occult themes. Though it regularly provoked criticism from religious groups about its content, it ran from June of 1966 until it's final cancellation in April of 1971. (I would discover it in the early 1970s as it ran in syndication.) Dark Shadows would spin off two feature-length movies based on the original, a series of tie-in novels, an excellent reboot series in 1991 (starring Ben Cross as Barnabas), and a positively embarrassingly awful movie directed by Tim Burton in 1991.

ABOVE: Johnathan Frid starred as Barnabas Collins, one of the leading characters of the original Dark Shadows television series. The influence of the series cannot be understated. In many ways Dark Shadows paved the way for the inclusion of supernatural elements in other soap operas of the 1970s and the 1980s, and was largely responsible for the explosion of romance novels featuring supernatural themes over the same time period.

While Dark Shadows was a favorite early television program for me, another show would prove not only to be a borderline obsession, but also a major influence on my career as a storyteller. Night Gallery (1969-1973) was a weekly anthology television show from Rod Serling, better known as the creator and host of the original Twilight Zone. Like Twilight Zone before it, Night Gallery was a deep and complex commentary on the human condition, but unlike its predecessor the outcomes for the characters almost always skewed towards the horrific and the truly outré. In "The Painted Mirror," an antiques dealer uses a magic painting to trap an enemy in the prehistoric past. Jack Cassidy plots to use astral projection to kill his romantic rival in "The Last Laurel" but accidentally ends up killing himself. In "Eyes" a young Stephen Spielberg directs Joan Crawford in a story about an entitled rich woman who plots to take the sight of a poor man. Week after week it delivered some of the best-written horror television of the early 1970s.

In retrospect I find it surprising that I was allowed to watch Night Gallery at all. I was very young while it was airing, and some of the content was dark and often quite shocking for its time. Nevertheless, I was so attached to the show that I'd throw a literal temper tantrum if I missed a single, solitary episode. If our family needed to go somewhere on an evening that Night Gallery was scheduled, either my parents would either have to wait until after it had aired before we left, or they'd make arrangements in advance with whomever we were visiting to make sure it was okay that I could watch Night Gallery there. I was, in a word, a fanatic.

ABOVE: Every segment of Night Gallery was introduced by series creator Rod Serling standing before a painting created explicitly for the series. Director Guillermo del Toro credits Serling's series as being the most important and influential show on his own work, even more so than the more famous Twilight Zone.

[365days365movies]

April 3, 2021: Duck Soup (Review)

I think I’m a Marx Brothers fan now?

I really liked this movie. I really did, and it’s genuinely one of my favorite comedies so far this month...even if I don’t think it’s as good as the other two. A paradox, I’m aware. But, to treat this like the others, let’s see what happened to the Marx Brothers after this film.

Unlike Chaplin and Keaton, I won’t be going as in detail about these guys individually. They were successful throughout the 1940s, partnered with UA (unsurprisingly), and each eventually split off on their separate ways. Zeppo was first in 1933, right after Duck Soup, as he really wasn’t as featured as the rest of them. He and Gummo Marx went into business together, making a gigantic talent agency. Both were also engineers later in life, with Gummo making raincoats, and Zeppo making plane parts!

The remaining three persisted, then also eventually went their separate ways. Chico got WAY into gambling, racking up a fuckton of debt in the process, but he also starting a big band act. Harpo continued to perform on screen and stage for the rest of his life. And Groucho...well, Groucho never really stopped. Television appearances and film appearances persisted well into the ‘50s and ‘60s, until Groucho stepped away...for a bit, anyway.

And then, well...Chico dies on October 11, 1961, of severe arteriosclerosis, and at the age of 74. This broke all of the brothers (and their sister), especially Groucho. Three years later, shortly after an appearance on stage in September 1964, Harpo died of heart failure. Again, this broke Groucho, and the remaining three brothers. The only one of the brothers left to perform now was Groucho, so let’s look at him a little more, shall we?

Groucho, with his iconic eyebrows and greasepaint mustache, was BY FAR the most famous of the brothers. He was married three times, all of which ended in divorce. With the last one, he was 40 years his wife’s senior. WOW. OK. He had three children, two of whom had children of their own. And by the time of his last divorce, Groucho was 79 years old, and was a Hollywood and television legend (due to his appearances as host of the show You Bet Your Life in the 1940s and ‘50s). Also, fun fact, dude LITERALLY danced on Hitler’s grave! HA! NICE!

He continued making appearances in the ‘70s, which may have been the result of his agent Erin Fleming, who maaaaaaaay have pushed the elderly actor too hard. This is also considering the increasingly senility that Marx was experiencing, being in his 80s at this point. Eventually, she was fired, and Marx began to settle into his old age. He was given an honorary Academy Award in 1974, and given a standing ovation. This is the last time that he would appear publicly in such a major setting. Gummo died in April of 1977, and Groucho followed soon afterwards, passing away on August 19, 1977, at the age of 86.

Zeppo, the youngest of the brothers, would pass away in November of 1979 at the age of 78, of lung cancer, and was the last of the Marx Brothers alive. And so goes one of the greatest families in film history. Hot damn. I really should watch more of their films.

But let’s FINALLY talk about this picture! What exactly did I think, after all that? Check here for the Recap, and read on for the Review!

Review

Cast and Acting: 9/10

MAN, the Marx Bros are great! Like, holy shit! Zeppo, sadly, doesn’t really get a chance to truly shine, which was something that haunted his career with his brothers (and eventually led him to leave the group altogether). Harpo and Chico are both REALLY good here, playing off each other and playing to their strengths individually. Seriously, they’re great...but nobody here is as good as Groucho Marx. Like, dear Lord, Groucho is fantastic in this movie. Sure, a lot of that is in the writing and jokes, but the DELIVERY of those jokes! Hot damn! So, why the 9? Well...everybody else. Sorry, Margaret Dumont and  Louis Calhern are just in a different film entirely. In fact...they’re actually not in a film, but in a play. Yeah, Dumont especially is acting for the stage, rather than for a film audience. And...eh. It’s not terrible, but it definitely shows. Still, the Marx Brothers more than make up for any flaws there.

Plot and Writing: 9/10

I thought the Marx Bros. wrote this movie, but no! Instead, it’s Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Arthur Sheekman, and Nat Perrin. Kalmar and Ruby were a songwriting duo, who had been working with the Marx Bros. on stage for years before they’d been in film. Sheekman was their writer for a few of these stage productions as well, and Nat Perrin was a film screenwriter, who would eventually move on to producing and writing...the original Addams Family TV series? DAMN! All four men were friends to the Marx Bros. throughout their lives, and they injected their flair into this film. So, why the 9? The jokes are absolutely fantastic, for sure...but the ending is a little abrupt for me, and hindered by the random-ass musical number near the end. Nitpicking, in other words. It’s still fantastic.

Directing and Cinematography: 9/10

Hey, Leo McCarey, how’s it been? I think you did a pretty good job with this one, although I’m not going to claim that it’s my favorite. I do think An Affair to Remember was a little better than this, direction-wise. But Henry Sharp, your cinematography is goddamn SOLID in this movie, real talk. Still, good job to you both!

Production and Art Design: 9/10

And yeah, this film does look great. Despite not being based off of a stage production, it certainly feels like I’m watching I professionally produced play. The budget for this one must’ve been high, because the costuming and sets are pretty well-constructed all around. Not The General or The Gold Rush good, but still great.

Music and Editing: 9/10

And finally, the music. Done by the afore-mentioned Bert Kalmary and Harry Ruby, this music is...mostly pretty great. The opening song is a little off for me, and I’m not a massive fan of the random ending number, but the songs are still well-made and performed. Seriously, I don’t have any real complaints about it all, even though I would put in in my playlist or anything. And LeRoy Stone’s editing is also pretty solid, while we’re at it.

For you, Marx Bros., I grant a 90%!

This movie is a hell of a lot of fun, and a great introduction to the Marx Bros. I really need to watch Animals Crackers and A Night at the Opera, now. I love it, seriously.

But now that we’re into talkies, I think it’s time to revisit somebody from the past, attempting to break into this new era. I could go for a Laurel and Hardy film, or the Three Stooges, or even Abbott and Costello (yeah, forgot to mention them in the Recap Intro, sorry), but...no. No, we need to move on into the realm of talkies, and also close out this early era with an old friend...who isn’t doing great right now.

April 4, 2021: The Great Dictator, dir. Charlie Chaplin

[holdenhrry955]

Goth Subculture Truths For Youngsters

Content

What Are Goths Personalities Like?

How To Be Goth.

What Does It Suggest To Be Goth?

Goth: Everything You Require To Recognize

There is much more to it than simply style and there is even more to it currently than simply the songs. Personally I position the songs ahead of fashion as well as style in importance. I think obtaining extremely academic regarding goth sort of defeats the purpose of the sub-culture. It's interesting to trace the musical and visual DNA back to its roots, but in fact taking part in the sub-culture is a much more natural process. It is a lot more comprehensive and extra inclusive than it utilized to be.

No goth only bague vancaro tete de mort listens to goth music, unless they are trying as well hard, or are a purist. If you enjoyed any type of songs before discovering goth, keep listening to it. Individuals can obtain a little outrageous regarding what makes somebody a "real" goth. Attempt to disregard this; you do not need to validate on your own. Respond to "yes," or, if you want to prevent more inquiries, state "Well, I like goth fashion" or "I such as goth songs."

This Gothic effect is accentuated even more by the fact that eyes are painted black.

Of course, the more extreme the makeup, the more eyeshadow will be used to make the eyes look more like those of a dead person.

Not only does the makeup make the face look more like a cross, but it also accentuates features that are less visible in the eyes.

For one, make sure that you are dressed in all black (no more dotting the t-shirt with black dye).

Most people who choose to get in on the goth subculture do so because they have something in common with other members.

Tristania has actually remained to succeed with subsequent releases and also has since been regarded as among the globe's best goth steel bands. The goth subculture has endured a lot longer than others of the exact same period, and also has actually continued to diversify. The band shares influences with other bands in the first wave of what is called goth music. During this duration their style was mostly referred to as scary punk or goth-punk. Outrageousness which gleam like comets through the darkness of gothic and superstitious ages.

The goth kids on the show are depicted as locating it bothersome to be confused with the Hot Subject "vampire" kids from the episode "The Ungroundable" in period 12, as well as a lot more frustrating to be compared to emo children. The goth children are typically illustrated paying attention to goth music, creating or checking out Gothic verse, drinking coffee, flipping their hair, as well as cigarette smoking. Morticia Addams from The Addams Family members developed by Charles Addams is a fictional personality as well as the mother in the Addams family members. Morticia was played by Carolyn Jones in the 1964 television program The Addams Family, and after that played by Anjelica Huston in the 1991 variation. Some of the very early gothic rock and also deathrock artists taken on traditional horror movie images and made use of horror movie soundtracks for inspiration. Their audiences reacted by adopting proper gown and also props.

What Are Goths Individualities Like?

Darkwave, a spin-off of goth rock that developed in the 80s. It incorporates aspects of synthpop and new age, integrating dark, reflective lyrics and a touch of grief. Nevertheless the term, initially starting as a post punk design, at some point became its own point as bands began to make greater use of synthesizers and drum equipments. Significant bands consist of Clan of Xymox, Dead Can Dance as well as Black Tape For a Blue Girl. Recognize the personalities and also different descendants of goth music.

Goth is not only limited to goth rock, yet consists of some post-punk, deathrock, darkwave, angelic wave, grey rock as well as afterpunk. Grey rock is the Portuguese term for post-punk/ goth rock and also afterpunk is the Spanish term.Deathrock, which is the American counterpart that developed around the very same time as goth performed in the UK. Created in Southern California, deathrock is a spooky as well as atmospheric descendant of hard rock which contains glam rock imagery, punk-inflected sound as well as perspective, shock rock theatrics as well as b-movie ideas.

Just How To Be Goth.

This often makes them open to objection as well as taunting from others. As a result, the ones that don't "suit" with other teams collaborated so they a minimum of belong somewhere. As the influence of the music press faded and similar people had the ability to collect online in online forums and on social networks, goth made a rebirth, with occasions like the Whitby Goth Weekend break increasing in appeal. By the late 80s and also 90s, goth had actually discolored as a young people society, and was the source of some ridicule by the music press. Throughout the years, goth fashion has actually taken elements from Edwardian as well as Victorian clothing, heavy steam punk, cyperpunk, go crazy, fetish wear, cosplay as well as even more. The Visigoths or goths, were an old individuals from what is now Germany as well as Scandanavia, also called barbarians, well-known for the sacking of Rome in 410 ADVERTISEMENT.

Use of standard scary movie props such as swirling smoke, rubber bats, and webs featured as gothic club decoration from the beginning in The Batcave. Such recommendations in bands' songs as well as pictures were initially tongue-in-cheek, yet as time took place, bands and also members of the subculture took the connection a lot more seriously. As a result, morbid, superordinary as well as occult themes became much more noticeably significant in the subculture. The affiliation in between scary and goth was highlighted in its early days by The Hunger, a 1983 vampire film starring David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and also Susan Sarandon. The film included gothic rock team Bauhaus carrying out Bela Lugosi's Dead in a bar.

The Nickelodeon cartoon Invader Zim is also based on the goth subculture. As there are so many kinds of goth in the contemporary age, there is additionally several kinds of gothic style to select them! Although goths can be identified for being fans of black, it does not quit there. The birth of the light goth scene has actually produced an enormous surge in the blending of all points dark and gothic with light pastel shades. This differs substantially with the conventional charming or fetish style - both noted by attractive figure-hugging gothic corsets as well as littlelatex numbers. This reveals that there is large variation in gothic fashion when it pertains to various sorts of goth in the subcultures. Emo comes from post-hardcore, pop punk as well as indie rock design while gothic rock is a form of hard rock, glam punk and also post punk.

. Enter the regional goth scene as well as take part in goth events, nightclubs, and also performances. Meet new individuals in your scene and listen to tales from when the elders were about. Deathrock, originating on the West Shore of the U.S, deathrock is a much more scary as well as climatic variation of punk. When deathrock bands began to become prominent, as well as trip, they were after that able ahead over and directly affect the UK goth scene. Some deathrock bands include 45 Tomb, Christian Fatality, Bloody Dead and also Sexy, Alien Sex Ogre, Kommunity FK, and so on

What Does It Indicate To Be Goth?

However I such as the ordinary all black, system boots kind point. I have actually constantly wished to do this yet I would certainly be looked down upon by my household. Nonetheless, I seem like I recognize absolutely nothing of the culture itself. If I truly do wish to pursue it, I do not intend to just enjoy the design and also appearance. I need to know what it implies to all of you to be goth. I feel that if I pursue this I will be totally positive. I feel I 'd finally be comfortable with the means I look.

What is a goth club?

They are NOT mainstream.

Goth clubs are much different from regular night clubs. But most goth clubs play a variety of music like EBM, Industrial, Dark Wave, and Witch House to name a few. Most songs you will hear at Goth clubs will never be played on the radio – and that's how we like it!

Gift Suggestions For Goth Types.

You can discover these sorts of garments in a range of gothic-friendly shades. While black is one of the most typical, dark purple and also blood red are likewise typical shades for gothic fashion clothing and accessories. Due to the appeal of gothic styles and also styles, you can find gothic accessories virtually anywhere. A number of websites are dedicated to supplying a full-line of accessories as well as you can also discover this sort of garments at a number of chain store. Several gothic teenagers, though, choose to shop at neighborhood pre-owned stores as a result of the used look and also vintage appeal of the dark clothes that they can discover there. In either case, gothic accessories as well as outfits are generally inexpensive.

[aion-rsa]

Best Thanksgiving Movies to Watch This Holiday Season

https://ift.tt/392gRNP

This year marks a unique Thanksgiving, to be sure. With the pandemic carrying on, families and loved ones across the United States are testing out new ways to celebrate a national holiday that might be best described as food, football, and then, of course, more food. For some that means outdoor gatherings are the order of the day; for others it will mean the first time you might be cutting turkey while wearing a mask.

However you might wish to celebrate the holiday though, gathering with loved ones around a movie never goes out of style. For that reason, we’ve gathered the best Thanksgiving movies to choose from. Some of these films are truly beloved holiday classics, and others might be less obviously about Thanksgiving, even as they wear their affection for the holiday on their sleeves. And yet others still will offer the rare respite: a streak of cynicism for those who think Thanksgiving is for the birds. So pass the potatoes and enjoy a helping of good cinematic cheer below.

Addams Family Values (1991)

Addams Family Values might seem an unusual choice, but then everything about this one is unusual, right down to it being the rare comedy sequel that is superior to its predecessor. That success is in no small part due to the filmmakers realizing Christina Ricci, who made her big break playing the morbid Wednesday Addams, was devastating in her deadpan delivery.

Read more

Movies

How 1991’s The Addams Family Nearly Got Derailed

By Simon Brew

Movies

The Addams Family and Their Spooky New Jersey Origins

By Aaron Sagers

Thus Wednesday gets half the film to herself in this one, and we’re thankful for it. With Addams Family Values, she’s forced to endure the dreariness of summer camp and its middle class morality, right down to them holding a Thanksgiving pageant in July. Surrounded by smiling rich white kids who cast Wednesday as Pocahontas (who, it should be said, was not in New England or at the first Thanksgiving), Wednesday takes the opportunity to keep it real about Thanksgiving.

“My people will have pain and degradation,” Wednesday hisses in her last minute rewrite. “Your people will have stick shifts. The gods of my tribe have spoken. They say do not trust the Pilgrims, especially Sarah Miller. And for all these reasons I’ve decided to scalp you.”

The chaos that ensues is delightful. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!

Alice’s Restaurant

Alice’s Restaurant is an inadvertent Thanksgiving comedy directed by Arthur Penn, who re-envisioned Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as counterculture antiheroes in his 1967 gangster classic, Bonnie and Clyde. Penn did the same with Arlo Guthrie, the son of folk hero Woody Guthrie, the committed anti-fascist who wrote “This Land is Our Land.” The film is based on Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 folk song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” which was about Alice and a restaurant. The restaurant wasn’t called “Alice’s Restaurant.”

That’s just the name of the song, which is very talky, like the movie, which is also pretty violent and fairly drug-fueled. The film doesn’t start on Thanksgiving, but at an army recruitment center, where Arlo, playing himself, is trying to avoid the draft. Turns out he’s got no good reason to stay out of the war.

The Thanksgiving setting, however, gives the film its purpose, and main reason to be thankful. The main plot involves getting rid of some trash after a holiday dinner. Arlo and his friends load a couple months’ worth of garbage into their red VW microbus, along with “shovels, and rakes, and other implements of destruction,” and head to the city dump, which is closed for Thanksgiving. They’d never heard of a dump closed on Thanksgiving before, so with tears their eyes, they drive off to find another place to put the garbage.

It takes Arlo 18 minutes and 21 seconds to tell the plot in the song, in intermittent three-part harmony, but the gist is: he gets arrested for littering, and his criminal record keeps him out of the draft. With it, Penn turns Guthrie into one of the most mild-mannered antiheroes in counterculture cinema. He’s not moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses, and villages because he’s a litterbug.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Perhaps not quite as iconic as the legendary A Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, the third Peanuts holiday special (and 10th Peanuts animated special overall) is still just as charming, wholesome, and satisfying as its predecessors. Once again written by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz and directed by Bill Melendez, the show has been a November staple on TV for decades since first airing in 1973.

This time out, Charlie Brown (voiced by Todd Barbee) and his sister Sally (Hilary Momberger) are getting ready to go to their grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving when one by one, all their friends invite themselves over to his house—despite the fact that Charlie Brown can only make “cold cereal and maybe toast.” It all gets sorted out in the end, and it’s all the little jokes, the delightful voices, and the unforgettable music by Vince Guaraldi that makes this a perennial favorite.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

There isn’t so much as a mention of Thanksgiving in Wes Anderson’s stop motion masterpiece. Yet, somehow, it’s impossible to watch The Fantastic Mr. Fox and not have late autumn brought to mind. Is it the carefully chosen fall color palette that’s all sunsets and foliage? Is it the warm familial vibe of the Foxes and their neighbors that makes you miss big get-togethers? Is it the impeccably dressed cast of animal characters, all resplendent in corduroy, flannel, and tweed, quietly shaming you with their perfect sartorial choices? Or perhaps it’s simply their ravenous eating habits that puts you in the right frame of mind. 

With little resemblance to the Roald Dahl book it’s based on, The Fantastic Mr. Fox is instead one of the most perfect encapsulations of Anderson’s eye for (some might say obsession with) the little details. And it’s those little details, even more than its fuzzy animal characters, that make this perhaps the coziest of the director’s efforts. Alternately exuberant and melancholy (just like the holiday itself), and with numerous scenes of beautifully plated gluttonous excess, it’s remarkable that this movie hasn’t already been adopted as an unofficial icon of the season. Let’s start that campaign right here, shall we? 

Hannah and Her Sisters

The movie that won Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest Oscars, Hannah and Her Sisters is a story about family framed between two Thanksgivings and the year that connects them. With a meticulous insight about the highs and anxieties of upper-middle class life among Manhattan intellectuals, the film is really the travails of Hannah (Mia Farrow) and her sisters Holly (Dianne Wiest) and Lee (Barbara Hershey). There’s also the lust of Hannah’s husband Elliot (Caine), who pursues an affair with Lee, but the film is mostly told from the vantage of three women of varying ages struggling with how they see themselves and their lives in a year of New York living.

Writer-director Woody Allen is here too as a hanger-on in this family, who’s struggling with his own fears of death, but his and Elliot’s roles are ultimately as outside observers who arrive every Thanksgiving to watch the sisters and their parents renew their family ties… and close ranks.

Home for the Holidays

One that feels particularly timely as 2020 adults hole up in their childhood homes for Thanksgiving and beyond, director Jodie Foster’s underrated family gathering comedy wallows in the downsides of going home. The film stars Holly Hunter as a woman who’s lost her job and is growing apart from her teenage daughter (Claire Danes). But all of that pales in comparison to spending Thanksgiving with her parents (Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning), plus younger brother Robert Downey Jr.

Read more

TV

The Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes

By Alec Bojalad

Movies

The Long History of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Thanksgiving

By Gavin Jasper

It’s a familiar setup, but Thanksgiving is a time of being with those you’re familiar with, whether you like it or not. Plus, as a comedy it also has the still vital message of counting your blessings.

The Ice Storm

Based on Rick Moody’s acclaimed 1994 novel, director Ang Lee’s (Brokeback Mountain) masterful adaptation is a scathing portrait of upper middle class suburban life in the early 1970s, when all the experimentation in the world with drugs, alcohol, and sex couldn’t quite stop anyone from feeling like their lives and society were unmoored.

Like other dramas that take place around Thanksgiving, there’s very little to actually be thankful for: the characters (played with flair by Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, and others) are all trapped in emotional black holes of their own making.

Similarly, all the decadence and crazy fashions/trends of that surreal decade can’t replace the feeling that something has gone dreadfully wrong. Lee–before he became obsessed with the latest camera technology–charts this all with patience, empathy, and precision.

Knives Out

Okay, so Rian Johnson’s brilliant little whodunit isn’t actually set on Thanksgiving, but it sure feels like it is and was released around the holiday on Nov. 27, 2019 (God, that feels like a century ago). So… close enough. And while the family gathering at the center of the story is for a patriarch’s birthday, it certainly resembles the kind of large family assembly many hold at Thanksgiving, right down to feeling like it could end in murder.

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Movies

Knives Out and the Villainy of Privilege

By Kayti Burt

Movies

Knives Out: When Murder Makes You a Better Person

By Natalie Zutter

The murder in question, of course, is that of mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), and it’s up to gentleman detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to figure out which of his many bickering, backbiting, scheming descendants might have had a hand in it. Perhaps Harlan’s nurse Marta (Ana de Armas) can help since the clan insists “she’s like part of the family.”

All that’s really missing is the turkey. The knives are out, in abundance.

The Last Waltz

Perhaps no title card in cinematic history deserves to be heeded more than the one which opens The Last Waltz: “This film should be played loud.”

Not just the greatest concert film ever made. Not only the greatest rock documentary of all time. The Last Waltz may lay claim to being the only movie of any stature literally filmed on Thanksgiving. Martin Scorsese shot The Band’s farewell concert on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, where the audience of 5,000 was served a literal Thanksgiving dinner in addition to an unforgettable night of music by some of the most legendary performers of the 20th century.

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Culture

The Last Waltz: Martin Scorsese’s Ultimate Rock n’ Roll Movie

By Tony Sokol

Culture

New Deep Purple Album Whoosh! Coming in June

By Tony Sokol

But this is no mere concert film. Being treated to a document of such legendary musicians at the height of their powers would make this important enough, but when it’s shot, lit, and edited by Scorsese, and with The Band joined by towering guest stars like Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and many more, The Last Waltz becomes one of the most powerful musical statements ever committed to film. Scorsese breaks up the performances with members of The Band reflecting on their career, and even in these quieter moments, The Last Waltz radiates the power and danger of a life lived on the road, in seedy dives, and storied ballrooms.

When you’ve had your fill of football and family for the night, pour yourself a glass of something good and do exactly as that opening title card says.

Miracle on 34th Street

Yes, yes, technically speaking Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas movie. But it is definitely worth noting that the film actually spends more screen time on the actual Thanksgiving holiday than Christmas Day. Indeed, the picture opens with the now legendary Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In the ultimate stroke of product placement, Macy’s New York City shindig got nationwide attention on the big screen, even as the movie focuses on the department store hiring the wrong Santa Claus for its festivities.

Arriving drunk and disgraceful to Macy’s preparations, an inebriated mall Santa creates an opportunity for a man who calls himself Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) to step in. Kris is passing through, presumably doing some holiday shopping ahead of his own big day in December. But upon seeing his personage so besmirched, he demands to take Santa’s reins and in the process saves Thanksgiving. We also see how this affects the turkey time of the film’s central mother and daughter team, played by Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood.

Mistress America

Sometimes Thanksgiving can be quiet and intimate… and desperately needed. That’s the case of the end to Noah Baumbach’s effervescent Mistress America. A mostly successful attempt at emulating 1930s screwball comedy for literary millennials, Mistress America is a clever throwback set during autumn in New York City and, tellingly, a trip to the suburbs of Connecticut. But by movie’s end, protagonists Tracy (Lola Kirke) and Brooke (Greta Gerwig) find themselves alone and isolated in the big city on Thanksgiving. They also thus discover an excuse to reconcile after grievances drove them apart, breaking bread at a restaurant down the street. It’s downbeat, but emotionally cathartic for both the characters and film.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

As the late John Hughes’ masterpiece, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the quintessential “get home in time for the holiday” tale. Steve Martin is Neal, a stressed-out marketing exec who picks up an accidental travel companion in Del (John Candy), a well-meaning but oafish shower curtain ring salesman. As the two struggle to get back to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving amidst a string of misadventures and transportation issues, an eventual friendship forms, leading to a moving conclusion.

Planes was a step forward for Hughes as he began to move away from teen comedies, and the movie’s balance of humor and heart was perfectly complemented by the dynamic comedic chemistry of Martin and Candy. The latter probably had his best role ever in Del Griffith, and it’s a tribute to both actors and Hughes that each lead character can be annoying yet is never unlikable.

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Movies

Christmas Movies on Disney+ Streaming Guide

By David Crow

Movies

Christmas Movies: A Complete Holiday Streaming Guide

By Alec Bojalad

Hilarious and poignant, this mix of buddy picture and road movie is a near-perfect treat for the season—or any time.

Prisoners

We wouldn’t exactly call Prisoners ideal holiday viewing. It’s set at Thanksgiving and immediately afterwards, although there isn’t much cheer during most of the film’s harrowing 153 minutes. The movie opens with a Thanksgiving dinner involving two Pennsylvania families, a pleasant ritual that soon turns nightmarish when two little girls—one from each clan—go missing. From that point onward, the story becomes a downward psychological spiral in which the search for the girls takes a terrible toll on all caught in its wake.

The first Hollywood studio film directed by French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (who has since gifted us with films like Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and next year’s Dune), Prisoners is a brutal, emotionally complex thriller that maintains a high level of suspense and dread over its formidable running time.

Featuring excellent performances from Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, and others, it may not be the kind of cheery escapism we often seek out at the holidays. But it will leave you deeply thankful for the good things in your own life.

Rocky and Rocky II

“To you it’s Thanksgiving, to me it’s Thursday,” Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) tells Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire) as they hit the streets for their first date in Rocky. That date wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the tougher than tough love of Adrian’s brother Paulie (Burt Young). He gave them no alternative but to go out when he tossed the Thanksgiving turkey his sister slaved over all day out the side door. What followed was one of the best first date scenes in film.

It doesn’t seem like Rocky and Adrian have a lot to be thankful for. She says her daddy told her to develop her brains because she’d never get by on her looks. Rocky says he’s so dumb he couldn’t hope to be anything else but a fighter, which is halfway to being a bum.

While the scenes surrounding the ice skating rink date aren’t only some of the most romantic sequences captured on celluloid, they culminate in one of hottest. This is all before Rocky is even approached to fight the heavyweight champ of the world. The battered underdog Rocky stays on his feet until the final bell, and an almost equally bashed Apollo Creed, who barely held onto his title belt, swears he never wants a rematch.

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Culture

Could Rocky Balboa Really Have Gone the Distance?

By Tony Sokol

Movies

The Top 10 Carl Weathers Movie and TV roles

By Wil Jones

Apollo takes that rematch when he defends his title in Rocky II. The fight is set for Thanksgiving Day, and Rocky knocks the stuffing out of that turkey, and laps up the gravy. Many of the Rocky movies, including Creed, opened on Thanksgiving weekends, and are perfect “date movies.” The main bouts may focus on two fighters, but the love stories, starting with the one between Rocky and Adrian, are tenderer than the bird Paulie tossed in the alley.

Spider-Man

The original Spider-Man really is a superhero movie for all seasons. With its romantic and old-fashioned photography of New York City in the spring and autumn, the picture runs the calendar’s gamut in its storytelling of the webslinger’s first year on the job. But it also pivots on a rather eventful Thanksgiving dinner.

Read more

Movies

Why Spider-Man 2’s Train Fight is Superhero Cinema’s Greatest Action Scene

By Mark Harrison

Movies

Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy Writer David Koepp Reveals Original Plans

By Joseph Baxter

Fresh off Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) refusing to team up with the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and after a blow up at a not-Macy’s Day Parade in Times Square, the pair’s alter-egos unwittingly meet up for Thanksgiving in Peter Parker’s apartment. It’s a swanky bachelor pad he shares with Harry Osborn (James Franco). But even with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) there to give it some holiday warmth, things get frosty when Dafoe’s patriarchal Norman realizes the kid passing him the cranberries is his mortal enemy. Awkward.

And yes, nearly 20 years later this strangely does feel like a holiday movie, doesn’t it?

ThanksKilling

This film is terrible. An exploitative C-cheapie horror where a turkey possessed by a demon with a smart mouth hunts and murders coeds. But if that’s your jam… well, it exists.

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[gamex2020]

Best SNES Games

    List of All SNES Games Based on Movies

Here are the best SNES Games of all time. Check out our picks for the best SNES games!

3 Ninjas Kick Back

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $60-$70

This is an action-platformer with co-op gameplay and great sound design. The graphics and controls are a little lackluster.

The Addams Family

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $14-$17

Mediocre SNES platformers can often be saved with great mascots, and this is no exception. You only get to play as Gomez, and the only levels are in the family’s mansion, but it’s worth a play if you’re a fan.

Addams Family Values

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $14-$17

This is A Link to the Past, but with Uncle Fester and friends. The password system is infuriating, but the game itself is solid. Bonus points to the developers for making an action RPG with the license instead of a platformer.

Aladdin

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $15-$17

Aladdin is often considered one of the best licensed platformers of all time. The SNES version and the Genesis version have obvious differences, but they’re both masterpieces.

Alien 3

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $18-$20

Ripley makes her way through a passable run-and-gun adventure. This port is leagues ahead of the NES version, which was only released a few months earlier.

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $70-$75

Fievel gets to take down some 16-bit bosses with decent gameplay variety. The colors are sharp, and the levels aren’t too long are hard; this title is very kid friendly.

Batman Forever

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $8

This is a truly terrible game that’s great fun to watch during speed run conventions. Notably, there is a “training mode” that attempts to be a fully-fledged tournament fighter, but it fails miserably.

Batman Returns

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $18-$20

Unlike Batman Forever, this is a creative side-scrolling action game that uses the Animated Series’ aesthetic effectively.

Beauty and the Beast

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $40-$45

This side-scrolling game is rather generic. You play as Beast and try to save Belle, but there’s little to separate it from other games in the genre.

Bebe’s Kids

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $33-$37

This is the slowest beat-em-up of all time. Walking is slow, attacking is slow, and enemies have seemingly infinite health. Stay away.

Beethoven: The Ultimate Canine Caper

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $8-$10

A simple platformer where you can play as a dog that barks at enemies for damage. No, it’s not about the composer.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $8-$10

This is a semi-sufficient replacement for gamers that crave more Castlevania. The graphics are a little gaudy, but you came to fight Dracula, and fight Dracula you shall.

Casper

Release Year: 1996

Current Value: $85-$100

This plays kind of like A Boy and his Blob, with Casper tethered to Kat Harvey. Oddly, the Japanese Super Famicom Casper is different, with the roles reversed in an isometric perspective.

Cliffhanger

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $5-$7

There’s less cliffhanging and more bad-guy punching. It’s a simple brawler based on a simple movie. Missed opportunity for a cliffhanger ending, of course.

Cool World

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $10-$13

Although a mediocre adventure game, this stays pretty close to the source material. It’s a lot more kid-friendly, though, and appropriate for Nintendo.

Cutthroat Island

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $8-$10

Lukewarm swashbuckling action is backed up by nice graphics and music. It’s button mashing, but hey, swords are cool.

Demolition Man

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $15-$18

Mediocre platforming sometimes switches to decent top-down shooting. Don’t you wish it was one or the other? This could have been a decent Contra clone.

Dennis the Menace

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $8-$10

You have to collect all of Mr. Wilson’s coins and find two of Dennis’ friends. Notably, there’s a timer; it’s just as anxious as the movie.

Dinocity

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $13-$15

It’s based on the movie Adventures in Dinosaur City. The graphics and worlds are fun to explore, and the dinosaurs you choose actually affect gameplay.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $9-$12

Bruce Lee gets a well-deserved tournament fighter, but almost every aspect of the game is poor. At least Bruce Lee was given recognition by getting a character in every other fighting game series.

The Flintstones

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $10-$13

This game uses its overworld as a sort of board game, where landing on a space decides the level you play. Sometimes it’s shops, sometimes it’s bosses, sometimes it’s a normal platformer.

Home Alone

Release Year: 1991

Current Value: $8-$10

Not only does it not follow the movie, but this game can be completed in less than half an hour. Even Macaulay Culkin hates it.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $6-$8

There’s powerups, and this has a little more going for it than the first game, but it’s not a significant improvement. It’s a bit nice to powerslide into enemies.

Hook

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $23-$26

The gameplay is standard platforming, but the graphics are outstanding for the time period. It almost looks like modernized pixel art made with decades of experience.

The Hunt for Red October

Release Year: 1991

Current Value: $6-$8

There’s side-scrolling and underwater action, with Super Scope bonus levels. If you enjoyed Jaws on the NES, this might catch your fancy.

Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $30-$35

Few movie games effectively used the Mode 7 functionality on the SNES, but this game is a joy to look at. It’s the second most iconic sidescroller featuring whip-based combat.

Judge Dredd

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $7-$9

Run-and-guns don’t often give you the option to arrest the enemies instead of blasting them to bits. There’s hard bosses to make it worth strolling through the brightly-covered comic book levels.

The Jungle Book

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $5-$7

This game picked up where the original Pitfall left off. It’s platforming with vine-swinging, so of course it’s satisfying. Is there any game with vine-swinging that isn’t?

Jurassic Park

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $5-$7

Grant has a chibi sprite in this game that utilizes alternating perspectives. Top-down shooting with explosives and tranquilizers switches to first-person gaming when entering a building. No continues and no passwords; you have to beat the whole thing in one go.

Last Action Hero

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $8-$10

Most of the Arnold Schwarzenegger games are shooters, but this one is a beat-em-up. The final boss of the game is the final boss of the movie to boot.

The Lawnmower Man

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $8-$10

Nothing to do with the movie, and nothing to do with the book. Yet, it’s just as weird as both. This is a first-person platformer, a first-person shooter, a sidescroller, and a shoot-em-up (with two different perspectives and three distinct styles) all at once. Each level is different.

Lethal Weapon

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $8-$10

It’s a platformer with shooting elements where you can play as Riggs or Murtaugh. Oddly enough, the developers opted for a more cartoony style than what you’d expect for an adaptation of the movie.

The Lion King

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $8-$10

One of Disney’s best games, this sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone. It’s really hard, but not terribly unfair.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $18-$20

Thank goodness you get to play as the monster and not some boring human. You can attack all of the vengeful townspeople to your heart’s content; the plot closely follows the 1994 film it’s based on, rather than the book or the old-school Universal movie.

The Mask

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $35-$40

Gamers would pick this up for the humor and goof factor, and The Mask delivers. It’s a side-scroller with whacky attacks and ammo meters to manage.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $40-$50

Beat-em-ups suit the Power Rangers cast. Much like other games in the genre, it’s repetitive, but great for fans of the series. There’s six characters, though they do play relatively similarly.

No Escape

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $11-$13

No Escape’s graphics are really, really good, and it has awesome cutscenes to boot. Unfortunately, it controls really poorly. Something good got lost along the way.

Outlander

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $10-$12

Outlander was originally developed as a Mad Max game before the developers lost the rights. There’s driving and shooting, and walking and shooting. It’s a bit repetitive, but maybe it would have sold well with an actual license.

The Pagemaster

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $7-$9

Another Macaulay Culkin game with platforming, this time with magic combat and literature worlds. It’s not bad, but he hates this one too.

Pinocchio

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $13-$15

Old-school platforming with an emphasis on puzzles. There’s storybook cutscenes too, which are a nice reward for finishing each level.

RoboCop 3

Release Year: 1991

Current Value: $13-$15

He’s slow in the movie, but does he have to be so slow in the game too? It would be funny if it weren’t so hard, though fans will get a kick out of it regardless.

The Rocketeer

Release Year: 1991

Current Value: $6-$8

Like many other games on this list, Rocketeer tries to mix genres; it’s half flying, a quarter shooting, and a quarter brawling. The flying segments would be interesting, but it asks you to look at a tiny camera window at the bottom of the screen instead of the big landscape that takes up the rest.

Snow White: Happily Ever After

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $23-$25

Targeted at casual gamers, this sidescroller has three difficulty levels. Though the gameplay isn’t extremely unique, you have to give credit to developers that knew their audience.

Stargate

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $10-$13

Though it controls decently, this is a run-of-the-mill platformer. They played it super safe with this one, considering Stargate lends itself to any number of genres.

Super Godzilla

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $12-$15

Super Godzilla is hard to classify; half of it is a slow one-on-one fighter, and the other half is tactical tile movement. The bottom half of the screen shows tiles you can move Godzilla to, while the top half shows the actual actions Godzilla is taking. It’s methodical and appropriate.

Super Star Wars

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $10-$12

Luke starts off with a blaster, and eventually upgrades to a lightsaber! There’s even more action than the movie for this sidescroller, plus a playable Han and Chewbacca. Even though it’s not subtitled, the game is based on Episode IV, clearly preparing for sequels. Don’t worry, there’s vehicle combat too.

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $11-$13

Episode V follows the gameplay of its predecessor, adding new weapons and special moves for the characters. Plus, there’s double jumping and a final boss fight with Vader. However, the story isn’t finished…

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $14-$16

Once again, this follows the Super Star Wars formula, but adds Leia and Wicket as playable characters. There’s more content and action-packed levels, and this is about as good as it gets for licensed games of the 16-bit era.

T2: The Arcade Game

Release Year: 1991

Current Value: $9-$11

This is a conversion of the lightgun arcade game; don’t bother playing without a Super Scope or a SNES Mouse. If you have either, this game is a super fun novelty.

The Terminator

Release Year: 1992

Current Value: $32-$35

Difficult side-scrolling with no continues are punctuated by fun driving segments. It’s harder than it is long, but you’d wish it was all driving.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $32-$35

It’s a sidescrolling adventure game, but half of it is escort levels. Plus, it’s not always easy to tell what you’re supposed to do. In short: quite frustrating.

Toy Story

Release Year: 1995

Current Value: $10-$13

Believe it or not, this is one of the best platformers on the system. It has awesome graphics, controls nicely and has fun levels. It sold so well, they ran out of chips to make more cartridges.

Toys

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $5-$7

This game is seriously unimpressive. You have to collect toys to fight the enemy with, but most of the screen is covered up by isometric tiles coated in eye-straining blue paint.

True Lies

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $30-$35

Reviews for this are polarized. It’s a top-down shooter almost reminiscent of modern games like Hotline Miami. It’s short, but very sweet.

Warlock

Release Year: 1994

Current Value: $10-$12

It’s repetitive and you won’t want to finish it, but the puzzles and spells of Warlock are impressive for a couple hours.

Wayne’s World

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $10-$12

It’s hard to be accurate to a movie like this, but the Wayne’s World game is goofy and fun. The graphics are pretty good, but it’s hard to pay attention to them with the game’s difficulty.

We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $6-$8

It uses the movie’s characters, but has a new plot to follow. The graphics are nice, but it’s a rather simple platformer. Great for kids.

The Wizard of Oz

Release Year: 1993

Current Value: $20-$25

It’s got some cool ideas; the main cast is all playable and there’s new locations to visit in the World of Oz. Unfortunately, the platforming is broken and the foreground and background blend together.

[writing-of-a-british-bitch]

A Night At The Opera- Chapter 5

Fandom: Queen/Borhap

Specified gender: Female

Pairing: Brian May x reader/ John Deacon x reader

TW: threatening, brian is possessive, mention of a noose, mentions of violence, adam being a twat again

Genre: Horror ig?? ( based on phantom Of the opera)

Series: A Night At The Opera

Requests: CLOSED

Masterlist

A/N: sorry this took me so long, my darlings!! I’ve had no inspiration recently

Everyone was on edge. It had been a month since Brian's last appearance, but that did nothing to ease any tension between the band or the managers. Adam continued with his brattish actions, being favoured only by the two new managers. Probably because they had their heads so far up their arses that they couldn't notice how terrible he truly was. Despite their pushbacks from Adam, Freya, Dr Addams and Mr Goldbrooke, (Y/N) and the boys continued to work on new songs, using the savings earnt from their performances to try and afford an album. Deaky had yet to write anything, while (Y/N) and Freddie had already two songs each. Roger had already written a song, complete with all the backing music, called Modern Times Rock'n'Roll, which, in all honesty, was already sounding like a hit. But Adam, of course, seemed to think all the songs that had been written were absolute garbage, despite all his songs sounding like a 5-year-old had written them. Freya had even attempted to contribute. Even the two managers had to shake their heads, though.

Any time a floorboard creaked or something around the theatre made any sort of noise, the band would tense up and (Y/N) would freeze. Sometimes, it would take minutes to get her to move again. A bulb burst on stage once, and she had an entire breakdown, hyperventilating, knees pulled to her chest. Deaky had never in his life seen her so hysterical. She refused to stay late at night without one of the boys with her. She was paranoid whenever someone turned the lights off without any warning. Or when the lights flickered. Brian made her anxious, even when he was he wasn't around. But he still left those roses in Deaky's dressing room.

November 17th 1972

After nearly two months of intense, stressful work, Queen were finally able to afford an album. Freddie was completely over the moon, however, the recording tended to take over the rehearsal time for the show. Adam insisted that he couldn't drive to and from the studio and the theatre, because he'd been working too hard. Adam, as per usual, was lying to himself, much to the aggravation of everyone around him.

"Come on guys, we need to get back to the theatre unless we want our heads on a platter. Goldbrooke and Addams already hate us at the best of times," (Y/N) pressed the button below the microphone, allowing her to contact the boys in the booth. Freddie and Roger smiled at her, before beginning to pack their stuff away. A scoff escaped Adam's lips but Deaky, oh Deaky was giving her a look of being absolutely lovestruck. His eyes sparkled as his gaze lingered on her, even after she'd turned to chat with the man working in the studio. Deaky's normal rosy smile grew in size when he saw he lean back in a hearty laugh. God, he loved her laugh, even when he couldn't hear it. Adam smacked Deaky in the arm sharply, pulling his attention away from his girlfriend. Freya was sat on the couch behind (Y/N), scowling at her as she quickly skimmed through a cheap magazine in the studio. Adam shot her a wink through the glass that nearly made Roger gag. Freddie rolled his eyes, before walking back through the studio, wrapping an arm around (Y/N)'s shoulders, causing her to let out a giggle, especially when Freddie grabbed her arms, pinning them to her side.

"Roger! Come here!" Freddie yelled, ignoring (Y/N)'s fighting and loud, infectious laughter. A mischevious smile appeared on Roger's mouth and he ran over, taking advantage of the situation, and pressing his fingers into her sides. Adam glared at the bunch, his arm placed around Freya's waist.

"Is there a time where you three can act like adults?"Adam hissed, eyeing them as they slowly unwrapped from each other "The only reason she's here is that she's sucking John's dick."

"Oh yeah? And what about your little blonde thing? What does she do around here? I'm still a roadie, even if I'm not a techie anymore," (Y/N) shot back immediately, narrowing her eyes at the pair. Adam let go of his girlfriend, face red with rage and took a few steps closer, only being interrupted when Deaky strode in front of (Y/N).

"Get out the fucking way, Deacon!" Adam snarled, and Roger carefully took hold of (Y/N)'s arm, just in case she tried to lash out, seeing the way she was shaking in anger. Deaky was never one to get mad, but Adam just seemed to get under his skin.

"I'm not moving, Johnson. If you want me to move, you're gonna have to move me yourself, "Deaky replied so calmly, but every word was dripping with venom and bitterness. Adam stared at him a moment longer but shook his head. He turned, grabbed Freya's hand and stormed out the studio, going to wait by the van.

"I don't know where he's going," Freddie produced the keys, dangling them on his finger "Because I'm the one with the keys."

The other let out a collective chuckle, but Deaky didn't even crack a smile, a stern, disapproving frown on his lips. (Y/N) slipped her hand in his and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Babe, are you okay?" She whispered, her lips brushing his ear as she spoke. The movement made a shiver run down Deaky's back but he turned his head to look at her.

"Everything's fine, gorgeous. I just wish we could get rid of Adam. I'd much prefer you as our guitarist," (Y/N) giggled shyly at his response and shook her head, tongue between her teeth as she smiled.

"I don't see why Goldbrooke and Addams love him so much. But I'd rather you didn't lose the best performance opportunity that you've got," (Y/N) replied, squeezing her boyfriends hand tightly. Deaky allowed himself to chuckle, finally breaking his sulk "There's that smile that I love so much."

"As soon as we finish here in a few months, the band need to have a serious conversation about the members of the band," Deaky shrugged off her compliment, trying to ignore the burning blush on his cheeks, but she'd seen it. And the enamoured look in his eye. As long as he was by her side, she knew she would always be safe.

December 29th 1972

"Love, there's some post here for you!" (Y/N) walked into the kitchen, where Deaky was attempting to make some lunch, and wrapped her arms around his waist, mindful of the letters in her hand. Her lips grazed his bare shoulder gently and Deaky felt his entire body warm-up at her tender touch. Roger and Freddie were still visiting friends and family when she and Deaky had come back from visiting their own family. Rog and Fred were meant to be out until the 30th, so they finally got to enjoy some, well-deserved, peace and quiet with the loves of their lives.

"Oh really? What is it?" Deaky asked softly, continuing to chop the vegetable in front of him, shooting her a quick love-filled glance over his shoulder. Slowly, (Y/N) unwrapped her arms from his body and pried the envelope open.

"Dear Mr John Deacon, you have been formally invited to a New Years Masquerade at our beloved theatre, on the 31st of December, beginning at 7:30 PM, to celebrate a prosperous year. This invitation admits two people, but two ONLY, and you count as one. A mask and a dress/suit are required for you and your plus one's entry. Wishing you the best, Mr S. Goldbrooke and Dr R. K. Addams," She readout, eyebrows lifting slightly. She normally wasn't one for partying but a masquerade did sound really fun.

"Hmm, I wonder who my plus one will be," Deaky pondered playfully, pausing his chopping to turn around and lean on the counter, a smirk playing on his lips. (Y/N) folded her arms and pretended to look deep in thought.

"I do wonder. Perhaps you can take lovely, old Mrs Wallis next door. She'd love a bit of dancing," She offered, barely holding back her laughter, and Deaky's smile grew. Especially when he caught a look at the ring on a chain around her neck. He'd proposed a few days ago, but for now, it was their little secret. Just so they could enjoy the calm. So they could enjoy each other's company and that alone. Before all the questions about when the wedding would be or where or what kind of dress (Y/N) will wear or what flowers she'll have or who Deaky's best man will be. Before all the drama. It was just theirs. With that blissful thought in his head, Deaky grabbed her arm and tugged her to him, lips instantly pushing against her own. Their shared laughter was muffled but very much there.

"God, I love you," (Y/N) mumbled when they pulled away, pecking his lips quickly, linking their fingers.

"Believe me, I love you so much more," Deaky grinned, bringing her hand to his lips.

December 31st 1972

Glittery dresses and finely pressed suits were clustered together in the main hall of the opera house. Masks that looked much to expensive and an overpowering smell of cologne and perfume lingered in the air.

Knowing fully well, how many people would be there, (Y/N) and Deaky made a point of arriving nearly a full hour later, much to the annoyance of their friends and Deaky's bandmates. But as they made their way through the corridor towards the music, exchanging childish giggles between them, it didn't seem to matter. Their masks were left abandoned in their apartment, too distracted by each other. (Y/N)'s engagement ring still hung around her neck, bouncing as Deaky chased after her, laughter ringing throughout the corridor.

"Oh Deaky, think of it! A secret engagement!" (Y/N) grinned and Deaky smiled back, taking her hand in his own.

"But why must it be a secret? What have we to hide?" The pair had finally reached the party, which was already in full swing, dancers, that had clearly been hired by Addams and Goldbrooke, performing in the centre. A few eyes swivelled to the late arrivals. Deaky went to lean in for a kiss, but (Y/N) began to panic. They were in the opera house now, even if Brian hadn't made an appearance in months, they were in his domain. If anything happened to Deaky because of their affection towards each other, she might just die from guilt. So, with a biting feeling of pain, she pulled back, shaking her head.

"No, Deaks, please don't, they'll see," (Y/N) tilted her head towards the party happening before them but Deaky only laughed quietly.

"Well, then let them see.  It's an engagement, not a crime. (Y/N), what are you afraid of?" He asked tenderly, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Let's not argue about this, I promise you'll understand in time," Without another word, she used their entwined hands to pull her fiancee into the crowd, instantly spotting Freddie. Just as suspected, he was wearing the most outrageous outfit she'd ever imagine,d just looking at it made (Y/N)'s wallet cry out. Roger wasn't far behind him, a girl on each arm. He hadn't made much of an effort with his mask, or his suit for that matter. It was surprising Addams and Goldbrooke had even let him in.

"Darling, look at you! You're a stunner if I've ever seen one!" Freddie exclaimed, slightly slurred, wrapping his arms around (Y/N) immediately, causing her to giggle quietly. Over his shoulder, Roger smiled and waved at her. The two girls on his arms began whispering to themselves and glaring at (Y/N) but she only rolled her eyes in response.

"You look so handsome Freddie!" Laughter escaped her lips at how sloshed he already was, while Deaky went to greet Roger. When they separated the hug, Freddie and (Y/N) spotted Adam and Freya atop the staircase with Mr Goldbrooke and Dr Addams, laughing between themselves. Lucille was also stood there, but it looked as if she were only there to be polite. Unless she was here because of Brian... no. She had to stop thinking about him. She wouldn't let him ruin her night. A hush fell over the crowd as everyone turned to look at the dancers, so the group fell silent, respectfully. Deaky found his way beside her, at the front of the group, watching how gracefully the dancers moved.  It was delightful to watch and (Y/N) found herself enjoying the performance, more than she thought she initially thought.

However, just as that thought crossed her mind, the music died down, the dancers awkwardly stopped, and confused chatter overcame the room. (Y/N) shot a befuddled look at her friends but they only responded with the same confused expression and a shrug. A gasp of shock suddenly sounded, and everyone's attention became directed to the opening on the right set of stairs. There he was, towering over everyone stood near him, a black mask covering his the upper part of his face and that damned surgical mask covering the bottom part. He was wearing an all-red suit, and there was a full scabbard attached to his belt. Slowly, he began stepping down the stairs, the crowd of people separating as he got closer, fearful looks being exchanged. One woman even fainted into a man's arms, but (Y/N) and Roger was 100% certain that she had faked it. Even Brian rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

"Why so silent, my good people? Did you think that I had left you for good? Have you missed me, my good people?" Brian's taunting voice sent a shiver down (Y/N)'s spine, and she felt Deaky grab her arm softly. And it only got tighter when Brian turned to the band. Freddie and Roger instantly went into best-friend mode and stood in front of her, protecting her from Brian's unsettling gaze. "I have written you some songs, an album name, perhaps. A Night At The Opera!" Brian pulled out a long sword from his sabbath and Freddie had to take a step back at the aggression in his voice.

But Roger stayed put, narrowing his eyes at the opera ghost.  (Y/N) felt her chest getting tighter and tighter and her heart pounding harder, faster as each second passed. The only thing keeping her grounded was the warmth coming from Deaky beside her.

"Fondest greetings to you all. A few instructions just before rehearsals start. Johnson must be taught to play not his normal trick of playing tasteless notes," Brian's sword was pointed soon at Adam, who froze, tightening his grip on Freya. The managers, Adam and Freya had all followed Brian down the staircase earlier, to watch in curiosity. Now, they were regretting that decision. "Miss Alfords must learn to sober up, this isn't healthy in a girl of Freya's age," Brian commented with a bitter voice, making it clear he didn't give a shit about her health. He then spun on his heel and focused on the managers. "And my managers must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts."

Brian sharply shoved his sword back in the scabbard when he heard scuffling behind Roger and Freddie, and pushed the pair aside to reveal the centre of his undivided attention.

(Y/N).

"As for our star, Miss (Y/N) (L/N). No doubt she'll do her best, it's true her playings good- she knows. Though, should she wish to excel, she has much still to learn, should pride let her return to me, her teacher. Her teacher," Brian glared at Deaky as he stated the last part and all around him, he could hear murmurs of surprise. (Y/N) eyes were cast down in disgrace, though, truly, she had nothing to be ashamed of. But then she looked up, and when their eyes met, Brian felt his breath hitch and his heart stutter tremendously, suddenly feeling like the teenager he hadn't been for many thousand a year. His eyes scanned her face, and he couldn't bring himself to believe the beauty she beheld. She'd entranced him. And he was more than okay with that.

Despite how much fear he bestowed upon her, (Y/N) couldn't help but allow herself to wrack her eyes down his form. He was gorgeous and for a minute, she felt pity for the pain and heartbreak he'd endured. How alone he must have felt. How he must feel. Her heart ached for him.  She could see the softness in his eyes. The man he could be. The man the cruel world wouldn't let him be. She saw the love in him.

But Brian's eyes wandered down to the ring, hung on a silver chain, around her neck. And his expression hardened. His eyes grew cold.  Before she could even blink, his hand grasped the chain and ripped it from her neck, a gasp being pulled from her throat at the harsh motion.

"Your chains are still mine! You belong to me!" He snarled, before storming up the stairs, and dropping through a hole that opened up through the ground. (Y/N) couldn't breathe, her eyes wide as saucers, blood pumping through her veins, her pulse throbbing against her skin. However, before the floor could close up again, Deaky ran past her and jumped straight in, soon being exposed to nothing but darkness and the hole slammed shut.  

"Deaky!" (Y/N) ran forward, but Freddie and Roger surged forward, wrapping their arms around her and gently tugging her into a bear hug.

A dim light was all that was allowed, and as Deaky's eyes adjusted,  he saw the room was made of mirrors. He jumped back in surprise when Brian appeared in the mirror and he spun around swiftly but was only met with more reflections. His arm lunged out in a fist, but he met only air. Just as he went to strike again, hoping to actually make a hit this time, a noose swung down, right before his face, causing him to jump back. A hand came to rest on his shoulder and he whirled around, entirely ready to attack, and came face to face with Lucille, a stern expression on her face. Silently, she took his hand and pulled him out of the room of mirrors, leading him down, seemingly endless, corridors.

"Miss Roberts... Miss Roberts!" Deaky called when she began to storm ahead as they came to the main section of the opera house, that he actually recognised.

"Please, Mr Deacon, I know no more than anyone else," Lucille dismissed quickly, turning into her office and sitting down. Deaky, knowing she had more answers than she was revealing, followed her and sat beside her.

"That's not true," Deaky deadpanned, linking his fingers on his lap.

"Mr Deacon, don't ask, there have been too many accidents," she brushed off, looking in the mirror and pretending to organise her desk.

"Accidents?" Deaky placed his hand on top of hers to get her to stop her fiddling, and she met his eyes in the mirror, before her eyes flickered to a photo on her desk of her as a young girl, with a long plait falling over her shoulder.

"Very well. It was years ago. There were travelling fair in the city- gypsies. I was very young, studying to be a ballerina when the opera house was just that. One of many. I was living in the dormitory in the opera. They called him the devil's son. They abused him, hit him and pained him just for the amusement of those that came to gawk at him. He murdered the man that watched his cell, while I watched, and we ran," Her eyes were saddened and she looked on the verge of tears at the memory "I have hidden him from the world and its cruelty. He has known nothing else of life since then. Except for this opera house. It was his home and now his artistic domain. He's a genius, he's an architect and designer! He's a composer and a magician. A genius, sir!"

"But clearly, Miss Roberts, genius has turned to madness," Deaky pointed, feeling sympathy for the elder woman. And even a little bit of sadness for this opera ghost. The hardships he'd faced. "I must get back to (Y/N)."

Deaky had never felt arms wrapped so tightly around him before, until that very moment, when he rejoined the now empty foyer. (Y/N) came running up to her fiance, a few tears in her eyes.

"I thought he'd killed you! I thought I'd- I'd-I'd never-" Deaky hushed her emotional blubbering and placed a hand on her hair and stroked tenderly, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Breath, sweetheart. I'm okay. I'm alright, I promise," She looked up at him through tear-laced eyelashes. "Nothing's ever going to me, I swear. No phantom or ghost or man will ever come between us."

TAGS: OPEN

Tags (for this series): @queendeakyy@scarlettequinn@stephydearestxo @likesomekindofcheese @mirkwoodshewolf@pirateprincess99 @i-was-born-like-this​ @huskyphilosopher​ @united-fandoms-in-one-home​

Tags:  @writingfortoomanyfandoms @metaphorical-love-for-a-car@queens-n-roses @freaky-dcaky@yourealegendfred@fierce-bab@dusthas-beenbitten​ @bensroger@strangeandwonderfulconcepts@babebenhardy@benhardyjones @silvver-rose @psychosupernatural

[lyzolkomultiverseiii]

Vanna Youngstein : designing, favorite fairy tales, and what is was like to be our guest teacher for January’s Refashion Workshop with Fosterpride NYC.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interview with designer Vanna Youngstein for Multiverseiii blog

Vanna teaches a Refashion How to workshop with us!

@vannakitty

Lyz : Where are you from and when did you move to NYC?

Vanna Youngstein: I'm from London and moved to New York around 10 years ago — but I go back to London for long periods of time, as I love both cities.

Lyz : When did you start your line? Did you intend to start as a full line or did you just want to create some tees?

VY: I started my line a few years ago. I made the first tee for myself, and when I would wear it, everyone would shout out to me in the street asking about the shirt. I would be styling a shoot and people on set would be asking me where they could buy the tee. I eventually started making them and I put the first one in a music video that I styled —  it really took off from there.

Lyz : What is the first shirt you made?

VY: The first t-shirt I made was "Cherry Baby" — the classic one with red flock on a white baby tee. I was really focused on those two words and wanted to start my brand with just one tee. Then I quickly made the baby blue and red version and the baby pink and red version.

Lyz : Your designs are all text based and so perfect for the brand. “Cherry Baby”, “Atomic”, “Tokyo Princess”, “Cara Mia”, “Stellar”..... What do these words mean to you and how did you come up with the aesthetic representation for the tanks?

VY: Thank you! I use mostly text based designs, but I do some cartoons and other images as well. I think about the words I’m going to use for a while before I make them into a tee - It’s something that has to feel right and be true to the feeling created so far. I am constantly researching and going over inspirations, themes and ideas, and then they just gradually come from there. Some phrases stick with me over the years, or I think about what my customers would want to wear at that moment in the year. “Cara Mia” for example is what Gomez calls Morticia in The Addams Family so that always stuck with me. The words/slogans always end up being quite cheeky or romantic or punchy. I try to mix tomboy and feminine together a lot and I like to work with mixing retro and modern techniques together. The Stellar tee has sparkle letters as well as heat press studs. I try to use deadstock tees where possible.

Lyz: What did you study in college and where did you go?

VY: I studied Fashion Design at the University of the Creative Arts.

Lyz : What jobs did you have prior to doing your line full time?

VY: I have always worked in fashion since I was about 16! My first job was working a Saturday job at a cool little shop in Portobello Road in London. Before doing my line, I designed for other large labels in New York and Japan and I am still a stylist.

LYZ : Top 10 favorite movies?

VY:

1- The Godfather 2- Pretty Woman 3- Life Lessons 4- Rocky 5- Vanilla Sky 6- Betty Blue 7- Chungking Express (second part) 8- Jackie Brown 9- Desperately Seeking Susan 10- Goodfellas 11- True Romance (I can't stick to ten!)

LYZ : Top 10 Favorite cartoon characters?

YV:

1- Bambi 2- Jessica Rabbit 3- Betty Boop 4- Snow White 5- Red 6. Count Duckula 7- Toodles Galore 8- Roger Rabbit 9- Ariel 10- Big Bad Wolf

LYZ : Pixar — yes or no?

VY: Yes but I’m a Classic Disney movie girl. I really like Ratatouille and Toy Story though!

LYZ: Favorite colors?

VY: Blue, Baby Pink, Silver.

LYZ: Top 10 Favorite books?

VY:

The Avocado Baby by John Burningham Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare The Godfather by Mario Puzo Une Famille by Cleo Le Tan 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Rare and The Beautiful by Cressida Connolly The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

LYZ : Favorite fairy tales?

VY : Princess and the Pea, Snow White and Rose Red, Rapunzel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood.

LYZ: You have collaborated with some big hitting brands like X Girl Japan, Agnes B and Opening Ceremony — how does that feel, and is there a dream collab you want to do?

VY : it feels amazing to have collaborated with those brands that I have looked up to since I was really young.  It is truly a dream come true to work with them! I have a new, even bigger collection coming out with X-Girl next summer that I am currently working on. My future dream collabs would be Hysteric Glamour, Chanel and Miu Miu.

FH: How did you come about teaching an artist  “How to…….” workshop with Fosterpride? What was your lesson plan?

VY : Lyz Olko who is a good  friend of mine and who actually founded the “Refashion Workshop” series  kindly asked me if I would be interested in teaching a workshop on making tees, and I thought it was a great idea — so we brainstormed together and I decided to do a Puffy Paint workshop. I thought it could be a fun medium to base a class around. It is an easy way of making t-shirts look retro and modern simultaneously. I really was inspired by the work already done by Fosterpride in their workshops. My lesson plan was to start with a brief background on my inspirations and how I go about designing tees. Then I wanted it to be based around everyone experimenting and using different appliqués to enhance their designs.

LYZ : The booklets you made for the class are amazing.

VY : Thank you so much! I really wanted to make a zine-like booklet to go along with the course that had various images that I felt were inspiring and tied everything together. There were pictures of Kelis, Neneh Cherry, The Runaways, and Thora Birch in Ghost World all wearing cult tees mixed with various puffy paint or knitted 80s and 90s sweaters from eBay. I wanted to show memorable images that have inspired me mixed with different techniques and ways of creating a tee. I included a few pages of people wearing my t-shirts, and I had a page for puffy paint tips. The last page was a large blank t-shirt for designing your own tee before you start.

Check out pics from our workshop here!

[agloriousmorningofhocuspocu-blog]

MUST WATCH MOVIES DELIGHTED WITH AUTUMN AND HALLOWEEN FEELS

Now that I have your attention, I put together a list of my favorite autumn and Halloween movies, also links to where you can find them. 

1. I cannot chose between HOCUS POCUS or Halloweentown. They are honestly such opposites though. Hocus Pocus involves the three (evil) witches aka the Sanderson Sisters (Winnie, Sarah and Mary) who come back to life for one day, all Hallow’s Eve when a virgin lights a black flame candle. Also involves a cat. Then you have Halloweentown which is more based on the good witches, good magic theme. A young girl, Marnie turns 13 and suddenly realizes after being suspicious and seeing her Grandmother Aggie do magical things, runs off to Halloweentown in hopes of becoming a Cromwell witch. Both highly, highly recommend. Both happen to be Disney movies, cannot go wrong with either one of them. 

DISCLAIMER: Hocus Pocus & Halloweentown are number one but the rest of these movies are not in any particular order!

Tower of Terror, another Disney movie which is extremely underrated. The Tower of Terror is based on a journalist who chooses to write false stories about ghosts, until one day he comes across this old hotel. The hotel happens to have a mystery wrapped into it, in 1939 five people staying at the hotel vanished from the elevator. Can the journalist solve the mystery?

The Nightmare Before Christmas. Surprise, surprise another Disney Halloween movie. Just like Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown, this movie is another iconic one. Lucky for us viewers, it doesn’t just involve Halloween, it also has some elements of Christmas. Whether you’re in the mood for a Halloween story, some eerie tunes or you’re into creepy things, this is the movie for you. Jack Skellington finds the door to Christmas town, thinking that he’s actually helping, he causes chaos inside. What’s this? A great movie!!

Duh, another classic. The Addams Family, now this movie is brilliant (if you ask me), especially if you are into dark humor. The characters often give you chills, but they are seriously hilarious. Gomez and Morticia have two children (to start) Wednesday and Pugsley. Eventually in the sequel The Addams Family Values (in my opinion, not as good as the first) Morticia gives birth to another baby boy named Pubert. The first movie goes on the adventure of Uncle Fester returning, but something seems different about him. I won’t go into much detail, but it truly is a must see. And you’ll get the “theme” song stuck in your head. 

Here is the link to both of the movies together!

Casper & Casper Meets Wendy, I’ve heard throw the grapevine that it’s hard to choose between the two versions. My personal opinion is that Casper Meets Wendy is more entertaining and who doesn’t love little Hilary Duff? Both of these movies includes a young girl who befriends a ghost named Casper. Casper the friendly ghost doesn’t have the nicest Uncles and of course there are hi-jinks involved!

Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Two sister witches help each other out during times of need, they cover up a crime using their magic but it bits them in the butt. They come together to fight an evil, who doesn’t love autumn vibes and magic?

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, I mean come on... True classic for sure. It’s animated and has such cute characters like Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy, Woodstock the bird, pals like Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, etc. Always light hearted with some good music and fun scenes!

Beetlejuice, just don’t say it three times. Beetlejucie is not a movie I would watch with young children because of he himself, his appearance and all the other creatures and ghosts that appear. It’s another dark humored movie, but definitely intriguing. If you like weird movies, or Winona Ryder, you must watch Beetlejuice.

OTHER FANTASTIC MOVIES:

Harry Potter Series

Coraline

Corpse Bride

Sleepy Hollow

The Haunted Mansion

The Craft

Twitches

Trust me, there’s many more but here’s just some of the ones I could think of. ALL linked besides the Craft (just click the name of the movie).

GIFS ARE NOT MINE.

[byulharang]

All of em :^)

oof

   1: What are youwearing? – A Wonder Woman, Batman and Batgirl nightgown. Silly, I know.

   2: Ever been inlove? – I think so, yes. = w =

   3: Ever had aterrible breakup? – Nope! Thankfully.

   4: How tall areyou? – I say 5’6” but, I could be wrong. You never know.

   5: How much do youweigh? – I haven’t checked myself in a while…but maybe around 120-130 lbs.

   6: Any tattoos doyou want? – I don’t necessarily think about tattoos too often, but I don’t mindthe idea of one. I wouldn’t want a big one, though. And rather than black ink,I’d probably go for a red tattoo, or even a white one.

   7: Any piercingsthat you want? – I’d say do my ears again but it’d be like the 8thtime LMAO. Maybe in the upper ear, but I also am afraid of pain and don’t likecommitting to earrings. So who knows.

   8: OTP? – Oof.Honestly, right now I don’t really have one? If it’s based on like, TV shows, I’dsay Cookie and Lucious from Empire. I like Widowmaker and Mercy, Moira andMercy, uhhh…IDK I GOT MANY SHIPS. Idk if one is specifically an OTP though.

   9: Favorite Show? –EMPIRE BOI.

   10: Favoritebands? – 2NE1, always, BIGBANG, BTS, VICTON, MONSTA X, uhhh ye. I think so far.

   11: Something youmiss? – CL. Duh. All the time. Ok. No but really…uhm. My cats maybe.

   12: Favorite song?– Right now I’m really into “Bubble D.Va” and this one long-named song: Dan Masonダン·メイソン −「Partly 曇った(SUPERMEGA EDIT)」It’ssuch a nice song, sit-com 90’s vibe. Plus, SuperMega.

   13: How old areyou? – 19 years old.

   14: Zodiac sign? –Aries.

   15: Hair Color? –Some sort of…purpleblackthing.

   16: FavoriteQuote? – I got too many, oof. But. “By accepting who you are, all of who youare, you can be free. And freedom is power.”

   17: Favoritesinger? – CL. Yes.

   18: Favoritecolor? – Purple.

   19: Loud music orsoft? – Soft, loud can be nice but I LIKE TAKING CARE OF MY EARDRUMS.

   20: Where do yougo when you’re sad? – In my room. Usually doodle a little, cry a little,imagine being at Starbucks instead.

   21: How long doesit take you to shower? – Perhaps…30ish minutes.

   22: How long doesit take you to get ready in the morning? – OOF. ONE HOUR HAH.

   23: Ever been in aphysical fight? – Nope!

   24: Turn on? – C:

   25: Turn off? –UHM. Pretending to be a know-it all. Yeah.

   26: The reason Ijoined Tumblr? – NCIS. Truly.

   27: Fears? – Beingalone, letting parents and friends down.

   28: Last thingthat made you cry? – Uhm….hmm. Maybe an animal video. Don’t remember.

   29: Last time youcried? – Also don’t remember.

   30: Meaning behindyour url – I love Pusheen. And my nickname is Zee. So I meshed the two.

   31: Last book youread? – A Documentary Film.

   32: Last song youlistened to? – Bubble D.Va.

   33: Last show youwatched? – The Magus Bride!

   34: Last personyou talked to? – C:

   35: Therelationship between you and the person you last texted? – Special!

   36: Favorite food?– PHO.

   37: Place you wantto visit? – Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Dubai, anywhere in Vietnam.

   38: Last place youwere? – In my room. owo

   39: Do you have acrush? – C:

   40: Last time youkissed someone? – UHM…Oof. I don’t remember.

   41: Last time youwere insulted and what was it? – Probably today by my friends. Calling me anerd. Or a bitch.

   42: What colorunderwear are you wearing? – It’s various colors, actually.

   43: What colorshirt are you wearing? – Also various colors.

   44: What colorbottoms are you wearing? – No bottoms. :o

   45: Wearing anybracelets? – Nope!

   46: Last sport youplayed?- HAH. Walking.

   47: Last song yousang? – Probably EXO’s Lotto?

   48: Last prankcall you remember doing? – I don’t do prank calls, I am A GOOD GIRL.

   49: Last time youhung out with anyone? – Probably yesterday with my friend Teemstar.

   50: Favoritemovie? – Oof. I really like…The Lion King. And the Addams Family movies. Andthe Purge movies.

[violetsystems]

#personal

When people wonder how long I’ve spent being ignored down here like everybody else it’s nothing compared to how long I’ve held the same job.  Truly one of the things I’ve been most successful with in proving consistency has been my work ethic.  It helps that it returns financial compensation and benefits not that any of that impresses anyone these days.  I say that work is work a lot and leave it at that.  It is important to note I work in an extremely liberal environment.  I don’t mind being inclusive in fact I think it’s more rewarding in the long run.  You expect that respecting people’s right to be will create an atmosphere that encourages you to do the same.  This is the Utopian vision of liberal America that always has it’s heart in the right place but fumbles upon execution.  Mainly because accepting people in America seems to be largely an egocentric experience.  We the people.  Wait who are we all again really?  It’s true I don’t really feel much in line with extreme politics on either side these days.  I spent years soul searching after making dance music on how to do something more important.  I volunteered for a Korean American Festival for three years back in 2011 through 2013.  That imploded in such a Tarantino-esque way like everything else in my life.  People come together and power struggles emerge out of the vacuum.   Around 2013 I worked with a collective of mostly women from my school in a project called Collective Cleaners.  It was a project about cleaning and the value of human labor.  I learned how to weave rags from old bedsheets.  We did a year long show at Jane Addams Hull House at UIC.  I could go on and on right.   But it seems like I’m telling a joke about my life with no actual punchline.  Like I’m mockumentary in the flesh.  Here I am still out here ambiguous proving myself to some phantom army.  And here I am still not good enough for America staring it in the face.  After all this my life is still a fucking joke to people in the worst and most hurtful way.  It becomes exhausting to remind people you have acted on solutions to these modern problems.  Nobody cares about me and what I do about it year after year.  Trust me I get that part by now.  That’s what it seemed like for awhile.  And then I had the painful realization that the work never stops.  And it seems like I’m all alone doing all the work.  To be truthful a lot of the work and expectations follow me around after I leave my day job.  On my lunch break I had to break up a fight between a white christian woman and a fake monk on Michigan before it happened.  The woman came running down the street making a sign of the cross with her fingers.  I stepped in front of her and calmly asked her what the fuck she was doing.  She ran away in opposite direction.  Where’s my comic book Marvel?  

For all the things I’ve done I’m still just as mistrusted and questionable in the eyes of the social elite.  I’m never quite good enough.  Never quite valid enough to prove I’m just as just viable as a closet misogynist with a six figure salary.  I’ve been questionable for years only to realize that nobody has any answers for me on how to be otherwise without being me.  Other than me.  And so in the end only I really know how successful this has all been.  And only I know when it’s appropriate to stay the course or give up entirely.  I haven’t given up.  That’s self confidence talking.  And sometimes you have to lead yourself forward towards some sort of progress through the hazy chaos.  I spent an entire year answering political calls and surveys out of guilt.  Mostly due to what I would hear from my peers about the intrinsic value of being politically aware and woke in the arts.  When it comes to American politics I do participate at bare minimum in voting.  One robocall asked my political leanings.  I said left.  “So I’ll mark you down as progressive.”  I didn’t know how I felt about it at the time.  Progressive in Illinois is a strange beast.  We elected a billionaire for Governor and a lawyer for Mayor.  At surface level that sounds horrible and I guess the more you dig into Chicago and Illinois politics you’d find the same shit.  You need money in America to have a say in politics regardless of how many free speech arguments you win on the Internet.  You can of course vote and it would be remiss to say I haven’t seen progress in that.  As of January we have recreational Marijuana and abortion legal across the state.  I have seen the drug war up close and personal.  It sounds like I’m a vice news reporter.  I’ve probably nudged up against them too in the field but they pretend I don’t exist.  Maybe that’s a parable of the drug war and the media industrial complex.  Maybe shit was lame.  All I know is through a series of miracles in the democratic process smoking weed in Chicago isn’t as dangerous to your personal freedom as it used to be.  Making friends in public still is.  Welcome to snitchville.  Whereas New York is up close but never personal Chicago is your best friend and your arch enemy at the same time.  Progressive politics signifies that things move on, evolve and change.  I’ve read enough news feeds to understand the Governor made whatever possible by crossing the aisles.  Which can be read as compromise.  That’s government.  I’m a private citizen in America.  Or so one would think.  There’s endless commentary about how people like me don’t do enough.  Americans love to talk all day about privacy and talk can be cheap.  Facing the realities of a growing surveillance state that likes to masquerade as the land of the free is troubling.  So can facing the reality your favorite punk rock festival is using public space for profit in under served neighborhoods.  I’m more concerned about white dad rock masquerading as punk.  But insecure men would rather lash out at the me too movement than rock the boat.  You pick your battles right?  Generally when I’ve been the one to stand up to things it’s been about not moving backwards in terms of progressive beliefs.  I believe in a woman’s right to choose.  I got targeted on the street all summer because of it by Christians who thought it was ok to bring it to my face.  I didn’t get a medal and I sure as fuck didn’t really get a pat on the back.  I still have my secret support systems but I don’t have the luxury any more of hiding from who I am and what I believe.  I often stand by myself and what I believe and suffer for it.  Or worse it gets hijacked, misunderstood, and misrepresented by someone’s interpretation of what I’m trying to say.  And I sit here every Saturday morning wondering if I’ve made any progress in being happy at all.  

After failing so much in everything you get a little tired of falling for the same old tricks.  The personal is the most political you can be and I have years of resistance to draw from.  Nobody ever wants me to be me even after all the passionate posts on the internet about what I believe.  It goes nowhere.  There are people who do understand and people I trust.  But the reality in America is that is few and far between in public space.  The propaganda that we’re all free is largely based on some huge stipulations.  Money is one of them.  I work for a non profit.  You can do the math.  It feels like everything that the Left wanted me to be based on critique is largely ignored unless I have my wallet out.  And even then I’ve been happier being less liberal with my money in places where it isn’t respected.  I guess I could run away to Hong Kong and start over.  The irony of that is pretty funny right now.  I haven’t talked to that side of the family in a while since I’ve been off Facebook.  I haven’t left the country since I came back from China, Korea and Japan by myself since the first summit between Moon Jae-in and the other guy.  I don’t know that I feel very safe leaving the country.  I don’t feel very safe leaving my house these days.  So do I shrivel up and waste away hoping somebody will save me.  What have I done to deserve all this I’m not sure.  I’ve spent over three years clocking in hundreds of miles running around desolate and abandoned areas of Chicago.  What am I really afraid of at this point?  Dying alone and forgotten?  I feel dead inside already every day.  I have no hope any of this will change no matter how much we sit and argue about it.  Nobody does anything.  Nobody is out there with me other than the people close to my heart.  Nobody invites me to a special club other than me at my kitchen table on a Saturday morning.  For all the good I’ve done I’m still the first person to scapegoat as ‘problematic’ after all these years.  And I can’t even profit off it on the internet?  That’s a joke.  If listening to all these criticisms and taking them to heart got me where I am why do we still pay so much attention to Dave Chapelle’s career and for profit opinion?  I’m invisible.  Just like all the victims out there who are invalidated when somebody says they’re over reacting to sexual abuse and harassment.  I think America has enough problems that nobody wants to confront without us having an opinion about any other country’s sovereign dirty laundry.  And this is where I think we can all learn a little something about progress.  I got to where I am by believing in myself and resisting people’s judgements of who I am.  I got there by challenging my own perspective and growing into my own by putting my ideas into practice.  It hasn’t been easy.  It has been largely thankless and a complete mind fuck.  But I haven’t been alone as much as it seems.  People use so many words and get nowhere.  And then people learn how to communicate without ever opening their mouth.  People can say they love you all day long.  I’m always going to be out here showing you just how much it means to me regardless of who sees it and how they feel about it.  In that I err on the side of consistency.  If that makes me a loser I’m happy with the results.  <3 Tim