#yeah I was YOUNG when I saw watership down

[hamable]

Burrows End is extremely good so far. Aabria Iyengar said “Let’s do Watership Down, specifically capturing the scarring, haunting feeling of seeing it as a child” and she nailed it.

Anyways I’m gonna ride this sad, scary high (low?) and watch watership down for, no shit, I think the first time in like 18 years.

[veliseraptor]

Top 5 animated movies?

I see asks like this one for this meme and I'm like "lise what if you just wrote a short and simple response listing movies, then maybe you would actually end up answering all your meme asks" and then my brain goes "nope <3" and I end up with five paragraphs. I'm just not very good at shutting up.

anyway!

1. The Last Unicorn. This is the "no-brainer" one for me because I always feel like this is just...such an important piece of media, and it's one of those things where when I show it to new people I feel very vulnerable about it and kind of go "please understand that in sharing this with you I am showing you my vulnerable underbelly and if you hate it don't tell me." I don't even know that I could articulate why exactly, but it occupies a very particular place in my heart that few other pieces of media can claim to have. I have watched it so many times and here I am going "maybe I should rewatch it today, actually. plug in my external cd drive and pull out the dvd and everything." It's like that.

2. Princess Mononoke. Another one that came to me immediately as I was coming up with this list. I'm pretty sure I watched it a little too young and the opening scene with the boar creature vs. Ashitaka kind of scarred me a little bit but...lord, what a movie. It's beautiful visually and as a story I also love it. I feel like chronologically Spirited Away was my first Studio Ghibli I remember, but this was the one I latched onto. ngl, the fact that there are wolves in it probably helped.

3. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It started to get a little harder here, but then I remember how I felt when I saw a caption referencing a song from this movie's soundtrack (thanks for the bangers, Bryan Adams! unexpected but I'm grateful) and went "!!!!" like my brain was lighting up like a lightbulb. So yeah, I'm going to say this is an important one. You can take the horses away from the horsegirl but you can't take the horsegirl out of the girl. or something like that. And this was one of my horsegirl movies. I also just now remembered the paint by numbers extras that were on the dvd that I was weirdly obsessed with, so that's cool.

4. Watership Down. Actually this one should've been third and I don't know how I forgot it! I joke that the fact that the animated movies I rewatched most as a kid were this one and The Last Unicorn and that probably explains a lot of things, but honestly it might. This movie has a reputation that's in some ways bigger than it deserves (though the destruction of the warren segment is pretty much as awful as everybody says it is), but it is also just legit a really good story and well-adapted into a movie, in my opinion. I watched the remake and was profoundly disappointed mostly because I felt like the animation style was boring, and one thing this movie definitely had going for it was the style.

5. Atlantis: the Lost Empire. I almost went with The Lion King but then I remembered this movie, and, yeah. What a film. Truly everyone who has talked about the brief period where things were very weird and therefore very interesting at Disney were right. Also Helga probably turned me gay (and specifically gay for female villains), I just didn't notice until later.

Honorable mentions to The Lion King, The Rescuers Down Under, and Mulan. And probably several others I'm forgetting that I'll think of as soon as I hit post.

There are definitely the animated movies I want to see, most notably Song of the Sea, because I suspect I would really like them. I am just terminally bad at watching movies, you know.

shout out to The Secret of the Seal though, which was a movie where I sort of thought one of my sisters and I shared a collective hallucination until finally I managed to track it down with something like "seal macaroni penguin animated movie." not to be confused with the 1992 anime film Tottoi, mind you.

...though considering now that I'm looking again all I can find to prove its existence is a cover, I'm beginning to wonder again. The Rotten Tomatoes page I thought was going to take me to it returns a 404 not found.

IT WAS REAL she screamed as they dragged her away. I SWEAR IT WAS A REAL MOVIE

[thealmightyemprex]

FAvorite Films part 1: Sentimental Favorite Movies

I am fascinated by the idea of a favorite movie .....But I cant just pick one....So I am going to cover a few favorite films in diffrent lists,unranked ,just cause I love movies

This first one shall be the films that mean a lot to me for various reasons

The one passed down:The Wizard of Oz

I mean many of the films I saw as a kid were shown to me by my folks(Mostly my dad) but this is one I have shared with my grandma,who would often sing Somewhere over the Rainbow

The one that started my obsession - The original Star Wars Trilogy

As soon as I caught a glimpse of a black armoured figure with a billowing cape battling a young hero with swords of light on a mechanical bridge,a bug was planted in my brain.Not only did I think it looked cool....But I wanted to know how they made that happen .

The film that solidified my love of the classics -Frankenstein

While the Disney classics and Wizard of Oz where staples for me ,this was the first old black and white movie that I really loved .It was spooky and had a monster I really felt for

The one I sought out -King Kong

I had seen both remakes ,but I had not seen the original ,and tried like heck to find it,and eventually I was able to convince my parents to get it for me

The film I waited for -Evil Dead

So when I was young my dad let me watch Army of Darkness,the third in the Evil Dead trilogy....And I could not see the other two till I was old enough .It was kind of an event for me when I was finally old enough to check out this movie ,and it lived up to the scary hype

The film that hit me at the time I needed it -WAtership Down

So the day I saw this film,my brother and me were in a car accident :No one was hurt,but we did get a day off of school and we were both pretty shaken and this came in the mail around the same time (Having heard about it cause I wanted to get into darker animated stuff ) .....But while most talk about how dark the film I latched onto how moving I found the film

The film that changed how I viewed film-My Dinner with Andre

A movie with no action or anything fantastical which usually interested me ,just two guys talking to eachother in a restraunt ,and for some reason It captivated teen me

The film that I found out about Fandom :Lion King

Yeah this is themovie where I first encountered fandom:I found out about fanart,fanfics ,got my name from it , met my best friend @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark thanks to it,and even helped them on a fan comic

The one a friend shared reccomended to me : Black Orpheus

A movie I would not have seen if @ariel-seagull-wings hadnt reccomended to me and it has very much stuck with me

The best film experience I have ever had :The Princess Bride

This film was already a favorite for me and my stepmom when I took her to see it on her birthday on the bigscreen. sSome theater friends happened to be there too,we decided to sit with them.....And it was just a joy cause this film has such an infectious charm to it and all of us were loving it

@ariel-seagull-wings @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @amalthea9 @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1 @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland

[belorage]

Wes for the full clear on the OC asks? 😘😘😘

— OC QUESTIONS

BASICS

What’s their full name? Wesley Daniel Brooks

What does their name mean? Why were they named that? Wesley means “western meadow,” Daniel means “God is my judge,” and Brooks means “stream.” You can find my real world reasoning for choosing his name here. As for the canon reasoning, Wesley is a family name on his father’s side and Daniel is a good Christian name. 

Do they have any nicknames? Lots. Wes is the big one (Hwes if you’re Hurk Jr.), Rook, Dep (Deputy if you're as extra as John Seed), Bright Eyes (Raf only), Sundance (Nick only), Darling (Lyra, when she’s being cheeky), and probably a handful more that I’m forgetting.

How old are they? 28, almost 29 as of the start of FC5.

When’s their birthday? November 11, 1989

What’s their zodiac sign/element/birthstone/etc.? Do they believe that holds any significance? Scorpio sun, Aries moon, Aquarius rising. Year of the snake. Birthstones are topaz and citrine. He isn’t aware enough of any of this to believe in it.

What’s their species/subspecies? Do they have any special/magical abilities? He is a natural disaster in human form. His special ability is that he somehow manages to survive that for as long as he does.

What “class” do they belong to (for fantasy characters)? If none, what weapon do they favor? A revolver (Steel & Ivory), a sawed-off shotgun (Sin Eater), or basic hand-to-hand. Close combat is preferable to range. He also uses homemade C4 in his tireless crusade against cult infrastructure.

APPEARANCE

What do they look like? He’s 6′3″, has brown-ish hair (specifically, a warm golden bronze color) and hazel eyes with long eyelashes. Fit, moderate-to-lean build. Sharp features, angular jaw, a pronounced Cupid’s bow. He has the facial hair of a man who has forgotten to shave for two weeks, because he is—you guessed it—a man who has forgotten to shave for two weeks.

Do they have a face claim? Tomas Skoloudik

What’s their style like? Clothes, hair, makeup? Casual clothing—flannels (often tied around the waist), t-shirts, henleys, jeans, boots, jewelry (gold, leather), leather jacket, cargo jacket. His hair is messy and soft, just like he is, because he doesn’t overload it with hair products unlike some people. He’s got an ouroboros tattooed around the lower part of his right forearm and (universe-dependent) John and Lyra’s names on the inside of his wrists.

How do they carry themselves? What’s their default expression? He attempts to project swagger and indifference, but to anyone who knows him and is paying attention, he’s an open book. In a comfortable environment, he’s loose and casual. His default expression is fixated if he has something to occupy his mind and distant if he doesn’t.

Do they have any physical ailments or disabilities? No, but he’s got bruises and flesh wounds aplenty! He’s got bite marks and scratches galore! You want knife-slashing scars? He’s got twenty. But who cares? No big deal. Wes wants mooooore! 🎵

PERSONALITY

What’s their alignment? Chaotic Good/Chaotic Neutral

Which one of the 16 Personality Types do they fit into? ISFP

What are their hobbies and interests? Do they have any particular “favorites” (food, books, and so on)? I answered for his favorite films and TV here, and his favorite book is Watership Down. He likes the Beatles and bar snacks and black coffee. His favorite cultists are Lyra, John, and Shaggy—please don’t judge him.

What are they bad at? Dancing!

What kind of things do they dislike/hate? Hates being controlled, dislikes very sweet things.

Do they have any vices/addictions/mental illnesses? Impulsiveness, reactive behaviors. He smokes and drinks, although neither of those are done with a shocking amount of excess. Previously, harder drugs. 

What are their goals and motivations? Freedom and acceptance.

What are their manners like? Any habits? He’s not a jerk; he has passable manners when the situation calls for them, but Emily Post would like him not. His habits are covered in much more detail here, but the big one is that he tends to busy his hands and/or mouth with things wherever possible.

What are they most afraid of? Rejection, abandonment, enclosed spaces, death (specifically, the possibility of an afterlife). 

BACKGROUND

Where were they born? What was their childhood like? Born in Hope County. He was an only child and his home life was suspect, but made moderately more bearable by his best friend. Once he realized trying to please his father was a losing battle, he said hell yeah to a downward spiral of rebelliousness and troublemaking.

What’s their family like? His dad was a jerk of the sort that would never be satisfied. Big on toxic masculinity, short on acceptance. His mother loved him, but she fell in line more often than not.

What factions or organizations are they a part of? What ranks and titles do they hold? Hope County Sheriff’s Office (probationary sheriff’s deputy), Hope County Resistance (figurehead, pot stirrer, problem magnet). 

How do they fit into their “story”? Barely. Next question. I hate to use this word yet again, but it’s the only one that fits: his story is mostly about acceptance—self, fate, fault, sorrow, joy—because as much as he desired acceptance from others, he denied a lot of it for himself.

Where do they currently live? What’s their place like? He grew up in the Silver Lake trailer park, way up on the northeastern end of Holland Valley, near the Whitetails. For the duration of the game timeline, I picture him spending more time crashing where he can—with the Ryes, in the woods, wherever—but his own place would be sparse and fairly untidy, with clothes tossed everywhere. 

How do they eventually die? Wesley intends to live forever. How dare you insinuate—

RELATIONSHIPS

Do they have any friends? Would they consider anyone to be their best friend? Within the timeline of the game, he has quite a few. Raf is his best friend (and has been since they were kids), but Nick (and Kim) are both up there. He has a soft spot for Mary May; that seems to be reciprocal. He appreciates Grace because she doesn’t ask unnecessary questions. Sharky and Hurk offer unconditional friendship, which he appreciates and sorely needs. Adelaide is the vodka aunt who thirsts after his ex. She tries to rile him up sometimes (in a myriad of ways), but he likes her. And if you account for other universes, his friend count goes way up thanks to the various and sundry brat squad kids.

What’s their friend group like? What role do they play in it? When he was younger, he was the introvert-adopted-by-an-extrovert. He was a bit too withdrawn to have friends outside of that, though he wasn’t unfriendly. For a bulk of the current timeline, his friend group is “ragtag misfits” status and he basically gets ping-ponged between them as they try—with varying amounts of success—to fight a cult.  

What’s their love life like? (See also: ship question meme.) Do they have any kids? Depends on the universe. In canon, it’s messy but becomes significantly healthier later on. His previous relationship was promising and likely would have been ideal, except that they were young and unable (or unready) to deal with the realities of their situation. In AU, he is enemies-with-benefits but also grossly in love with the Judge of Eden’s Gate and her husband (who was a fun surprise, but it’s fine, because Wes got Lyra back by giving her a gracious two-for-one deal on children)!

Who do they look up to? Who do they trust? Whitehorse is something of a father figure, though Wes would never say that out loud. For the record, neither would Whitehorse (at least not directly to Wes)—mostly for Wes’s benefit. He trusts Raf, Pastor Jerome, and the rest of his friends listed above.

Who do they hate? Do they have any enemies? Joseph, because Joseph is daddy issues incarnate. Jacob, because Jacob understands Wes well enough to yank him around like a dog on a leash. By the time the Collapse hits, everyone is his enemy to some extent (as evidenced by the adorable horns and pointy tails drawn all over his wanted posters). Notable exceptions are John, Sharky, Hurk, and Whitehorse; however, all but the first are functionally unknown to him.

Do they have any pets? Just Boomer, who is the best emotional support animal a disaster could ask for.

Are they good with kids? Animals? He’s naturally good with both children and animals, but he lacks practical experience, especially with the former (shout-out to the Ryes for finally adding that to his resume).

FUN FACTS

Which tropes do they fit? Which archetypes? Tropewise, he’s Troubled, but Cute and I can’t refute it; apart from the high school thing, it’s a full BINGO clear. He’s also Bruiser with a Soft Center, Inferiority Superiority Complex, Cosmic Plaything, Desperately Craves Affection, Hero with Bad Publicity, I Am Not My Father, and almost certainly a whole host of shameful others that I don’t dare brave the rest of TVTropes to find. Of the twelve classic archetypes, he’s some combination of The Hero and The Outlaw. Otherwise: fallen angel, antihero, byronic hero, prodigal son. 

Do they play any instruments? Sports? He can play guitar, but only at an intermediate level. He’s not big on sports, but he can ice skate and he likes to swim.

What are some items they always carry? Steel & Ivory and a lighter; later, Sin Eater. In New Dawn he carries John’s watch.

Do they collect anything? Bad decisions. Minicultists, apparently. Nothing in particular.

What position do they sleep in? His default position when he’s alone and in a comfortable place is on his belly. There are exceptions listed in greater detail here.

Which emoji would they use the most? Honestly, he’s not really the type to use emojis, but he will send his love interest pictures of things he likes or finds pretty with no context. Otherwise, his texts tend to be short, to-the-point, and lacking in punctuation or capitalization. Believe it or not, he’d much rather communicate in person. My most frequently used emojis for him are 🍰 and 🐍. (Awww, cake and snake... They rhyme. How precious!)

What languages do they speak? English. He knows a limited amount of Spanish, but he’s better at understanding it than he is at speaking it.

What’s their favorite expletive? Damn or fuck.

What’s their favorite candle scent? Pine.

What songs remind you of them? I have a playlist for him here, but it—much like him—is a bit of a mess. I also have a playlist based on his own taste in music here.

Which animal would you say represents them? Snakes, stags, swans, scorpions.

What stereotypical high school clique would they fit into? Loners or troublemakers, probably. Stoners on a technicality—he doesn’t fit the stereotype, but he does have a history. He has some of the soul of an art kid but, tragically, none of the talent.

What would their favorite ride at an amusement park be? At a real amusement park, probably the roller coasters. At something more lowkey like a carnival, he’d like the classic, aesthetically pleasing rides like the Ferris wheel or the carousel.

Do they believe in aliens? Ghosts? Reincarnation or something else? He’s not an “I Want to Believe” sort of guy, but he still can’t explain the Larry Parker debacle. He tries very hard not to believe (or at least not to think about) any sort of afterlife, because he fears it.

Do they follow any religions/gods? Do they celebrate holidays? His family was Catholic, but he endeavors not to be. He likely wouldn’t celebrate holidays as a bachelor overmuch, but he would take part in holiday activities with others.

Which Deadly Sin do they most correspond to? Which Heavenly Virtue? Pride and Fortitude.

If you had to choose one tarot card to represent them, which would it be? The Tower, The Devil, The Wheel of Fortune.

[admutual]

i love francine got any headcanons for when she was growing up

!!!!

- she def has a bit of religious-based trauma from her time spent at the orphanage. it took her years to come to terms with it, but she’s worked on recovering and healing and she has a much healthier relationship with religion now than she did years back.

- she’s been obsessed with rats ever since she was little, they’re definitely one of her fave animals. i kinda like to imagine a rat was her first ever pet. it took a bit to convince mah-mah and bah-bah to let her have one, but they eventually came around (mainly because francine kept gathering them into the living room to give presentations on why she should be given a fucking rat come on guys i’ll take good care of them i promise).

- she was the type of kid who was really loud and rowdy around her friends and family, but around strangers she was withdrawn and anxious. it wasn’t until towards the end of her high school years (and especially college) that she pulled a 180 and allowed herself to open up more.

- the protective streak she has,, yeah that’s always been a part of her since she was little. like usually she was quiet and stayed to herself up until she saw someone who couldn’t stand up for themselves getting picked on, and then she was ready to Throw Hands. there’s been times where her parents would get calls from school because she got into a fight but once they found out it was because her friend was being bullied and francine refused to put up with that, they’d reward her afterward with ice cream.

- in general mah-mah and bah-bah?? god tier parents. from the start they were really loving and super supportive of her, there’s a reason francine’s still super close with them.

- francine and gwen were really close growing up. before The Incident they were the epitome of sibling culture. just gwen and francine playing together in the backyard, gwen accidentally hits francine a little too hard and then gwen whispering frantically at her “no no you’re fine you’re okay don’t tell mah-mah.”

- i’ve mentioned this before, but she’s been a metalhead for as long as she can remember. i kinda like to imagine mah-mah and bah-bah were secretly into that kinda music too and she got into it through them. the image of the two of them in the car blasting loud metal music while little elementary school gwen and francine are in the back losing their minds and jamming out is really cute to me skdngks.

- she was a watership down stan growing up. don’t argue with me on this, she‘s read the book dozens of times and she has the movie pretty much memorized.

- i think everyone had that one mythical creature they had a bit of an attachment to when they were kids,, and for francine it was mermaids. idk i can just see her being really into them.

- actually marine creatures in general were always something she’s been fascinated with since she was young. she had dozens of encyclopedias based around sea creatures that she’d read in full in the span of a few hours.

- i .. kinda like the idea of her playing piano and taking classes when she was growing up. she doesn’t play much anymore but when hayley and steve were little she’d play for them sometimes.

i def have some more,, i have a habit of throwing hcs into random google doc files rather than organizing them so there’s def some just strewn around, i’ll prob update when i clean them out, but these are the ones i remember off the top of my head dkfgmfdg

[letbenfuck2021]

I saw that you saw Watership Down. I wasn’t able to see it until I was a teenager. Probably helped me.

ahahaha!! Yeah I think I might have been around 8? or 9? I had a lot of older cousins (and younger ones...lots of cousins) and they had us watch it and thought it would be funny to watch us react ahahah. and I was really disturbed at the time (I fucking WAILED) but! It really stuck with me and I appreciate it a lot now in retrospect.

but I was definitely way too young to have watched it. glad you got to see it when you were a lil older ahahah (but really. when ARE you old enough to handle watership down????)

[violentmouths]

I... Wanna talk about V...

Hello again starlights,

No, this ain't about Owen this time... Its about V. . .

Shocking shit, huh?

Alright I seriously don't know why but I can't shake the damn game out my skull, especially... The secret prologue ending...

It's the picture at the end...

Yeah, that one...

As well as the ending entirely, I just love how the picture just cuts off V... And to that I say...

FUCK YOU DMC5!

YOU KNOW I CAN'T LET THINGS SLIDE SO DAMN EASILY!!!

Like seriously, UUUUUUUUGHH!

Why is V's face cropped out?!

And before you say, "Maybe it's because he's still crumbling... Without Urizen, he'll die..."

Come on little ones, mind if I leave ya with a couple of quotes?

Shall we start off with a quote from a character in one of my books; Jude Light.

"Try not to dwell so much in the dark, 'cause if you do, I'll just have light you a path and get you out of there."

Let's try not to look on the dark side by saying he crumbles... Let's try to think on the bright side...

What if... V's hair is white? What if he's just completely human. No demonic energy, no familiars, just a regular human walking around with a cane... Or his hair could still be black and he just can't use the familiars anymore...

Here's where I leave you with another quote... Fiver, from Watership Down;

"You pay for it! The food, the warren, but nobody ever talks about death!"

Key words: Nobody ever talks about death.

This absolutely stupid of me to think... but, what if Urizen is now stuck in V? And because of this V could still use his powers...

We don't know what would happen if Urizen died. Yeah sure they're connected... but they ain't connected like creatures that I've seen in movies (hell, even in the book I'm writing!)

Example;

1) Do any of you remember Hellboy 2? If you don't... Allow me to tell you about two characters in particular. There's a brother and a sister in the movie who practically feel each others pain. When the brother held a knife to his sisters cheek, it gave her a cut, moments later, he forms the same cut she did. Same spot too!

2) I remember watching Eragon (a movie about a boy and his dragon) when I was young and one of the characters named Brom explains how if the dragon dies the rider will live on, but if the rider dies so does the dragon.

3) If ya heard of the name Grima Li (yup the character in my Devil May Cry fanfic who'ssupposed to be V's love interest.) you'd know this character is a monster. Monsters can create bonds with a human. A monsters pain would become the humans pain (vice versa). If the monster dies, the humans body will become sore and will be in pain for a few days, while as if the human dies the monster will begin to form a bruise on wherever the human got shot or stabbed by. But if the human died a peaceful death, it's an endless pain, a fate worst then death.

The three points are little ones is that;

1) If Urizen got punched in the face, V probably wouldn't feel it.

2) We don't know what happens to Urizen if he ever died, we saw him on the ground groaning... But not dead. So we can't say what would've happened.

And 3) They're connected, but ain't THAT connected...

Also one more thing... I feel like this should be addressed... I love how (I think Nico write on the pics and takes them as well, tell me please and thank you...) the pic says;

'And they all lived happily ever after.'

Key word; all.

Meaning V has a happy ending as well, but the main Q is... Where would V go?

I personally think he'd go with Nero, V has a strong connection with Nero and I mean come on, I love how Nero listens to V and never goes against him. It would make sense for V to go with him anyways...

Like, look at this photo!

What could they possibly be talking about?! Why does Nero seem so invested with whatever the fuck V is saying (I've also noticed that V has sat down 4 to 5 times in the game)? And look at him smiling!

I mean, maybe Kyrie and Nero offered him a room, maybe he occasionally visits Dante. I mean, we'll never know...

One last thing... I love how you have to unlock it... Like they wanted you to find this ending, to make you question it... It's in there for a reason... Everything is done for a reason...

I gotta go now, gonna go listen to music... I just love how I was listening to 'Dancing with a Stranger' by Normani and Sam Smith while writing this and now I can't shake the idea that V sings like Sam smith... And now you can't EITHER!

I will see you again soon...

[allieinarden]

2018: Year in Review

Hey @fictionadventurer, thanks for the tag!!

No particular order:

Top 5 films you watched in 2018

Actually, I think the following five were the only films I watched in 2018 if you don’t count rewatches (yes, I still haven’t seen Infinity War). 

ETA: the BEST movie I saw for the first time all year was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I can’t believe I forgot about that, they must have...erased my memory...

Black Panther: A solid MCU film. I'm considering rewatching it, I might have been more dazzled by it if I hadn't been watching it on a tiny airplane screen. 

Incredibles 2: A sequel to compete with its predecessor it was not (maybe if I'd been wearing my glasses I would have been too blown away by the animation to nitpick the story as much) but the Edna-Jack Jack relationship was worth the ticket price. 

Donnie Darko: Pros: great 80s soundtrack, a young Jake Gyllenhaal as a remarkably convincing and arresting vector for a teenaged existential crisis. Cons: If your entire story is only remotely comprehensible based on the bonus material then you didn't do a very good job telling the story. 

Wreck-It Ralph: I can't believe I missed this one on the first go-round, my friend's been after me to watch it since like 2013. Nothing to write home about on the story end but the animation, the characters and the arcade-game world are a collective charm overload. Plus it did my heart good to see Jack McBrayer effectively playing Wander before Wander Over Yonder existed. 

Ralph Breaks the Internet: See, I wish I could put the emotional plot of Ralph Breaks the Internet into the far more lovable arcade world of its predecessor, because in between the misfires was a great Alan Menken number and a pretty good story about letting go, even if they kind of beat me over the head with it. (Deeply disappointed by the way they dropped what would have been a really excellent B-plot, though. Felix and Calhoun got stiffed!)

Top 5 TV shows you watched in 2018

Arrested Development: I finally pushed through the rest of Season 4 just to watch Season 5, and it was so good that it made me rewatch the entire first three seasons. I was going to plow through the Season 4 recut but I couldn't make myself. 

The Simpsons: Usually it's only the newer episodes that are on TV, but I was in a hotel room during a recent marathon on Fox and it was like a game of Spot the Cultural Reference, I swear I saw “I just think they're neat,” “I for one welcome our new insect overlords,” Homer melting backwards into the bushes, “Money can be exchanged for goods and services” and “Tramampoline” in context within just that brief sit-down, and all of it was somehow still funny. (Also, I really don’t understand why this was never a meme.) 

Seinfeld: Obligatory watch in order to better communicate with my mom. Best episode: "The Limo." 

The Good Place: [Vague spoilers—] Unlike many others, I don't think it's the funniest show I've ever seen, but it makes up for that by being maybe the most bonkers show I’ve ever seen. It started with a straightforward concept and by the second season it's radically switching up its entire premise every 3-5 episodes. (And fine, the handling of philosophical concepts is excellent, I’m actually learning a lot.) 

Voltron: Legendary Defender: Say what you will but I really enjoyed Season 6. 

Footnote: Where was Milo Murphy’s Law?!??!

Top 5 songs of 2018

Shadrach - Beastie Boys:  You go watch that video, okay. 

Don't Play No Game that I Can't Win - Beastie Boys ft. Santigold: Yeah, I went on a bit of a Beastie Boys kick this spring, but in my defense they were sleeping on this song back in 2011 and I will do everything in my power to make it the big summer hit of 2019. 

When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin: Can’t think of a comment that wouldn’t take away from it. 

Say Amen (Saturday Night) - Panic! at the Disco: I make fun of Panic! a lot but darn it they come out with a song and I listen to it 88 times. 

All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands - Sufjan Stevens: Made me want to become a film director just so I could put it on a bittersweet montage of time passing. 

Looking more closely at this phrasing, I might have been supposed to list 5 songs that actually came out this year but I’m just not very hip, I’m sorry. Did you know I still haven’t listened to the new Twenty One Pilots album because I needed to forestall my heartbreak?

Top 5 books you read in 2018

Vampires in the Lemon Grove and Other Stories by Karen Russell: My favorite of her books, imaginative and visual and really really fun. 

Watership Down by Richard Adams: I can't believe how long it took me to read this book. It was so worth the trip. 

Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jeff Bell: Intimate, painful and funny. 

Fresh Complaint: Stories by Jeffrey Eugenides: Eugenides is really more a long-form guy than a short-storyist, so I was surprised by how solid this collection was. 

The Witch Elm by Tana French: Her strongest since 2012′s Broken Harbour, a stirring psychological portrait and a legitimately compelling take on some current issues. I miss the detectives but I think she probably needed the fresh start. 

5 Good/Positive Things that happened to you in 2018

I wrote a sci-fi novelette [glorified short story]! I was proud!!

I had an incredible time camping with my dad's family.

I managed to get an ARC of the new Tana French book (see above)! 

Having all my family home at Christmas was amazing.

I dressed up as Marty McFly for Halloween and now I think I should dress like him every day, it was a great look for me.

Happy 2019! Do this if you like, everybody!

[thelifetimechannel]

This week’s bonus content brings us Jake and John discussing the likelihood of  a robot apocalypse:

JAKE: Hey there pal! JAKE: So youre jades... brother? JOHN: that's right! JOHN: compared to how confusing everyone else's family trees are, we are very straight forward. JOHN: even if we did not know we were related at first... JOHN: i wasn't sure how YOU were related to her, back when you were pen pals. JOHN: do you remember sending me that letter? JAKE: By jove i almost forgot about that. It feels like ages ago. JOHN: i don't know how long it was for you, but i got it three years ago. JAKE: I mean from my point of view it was only a couple of months but a lots gone on. JOHN: it arrived on my birthday so it was right on time. JOHN: it came in handy in a tight spot. JOHN: you were right in your letter, i DO love movies. JOHN: even if i am not into wrestling that much. JAKE: Oh well ive had my fill of fisticuffs for awhile anyway. Movies on the other hand i havent had much time to dig into! JAKE: By the way did you like your present?? And little terry kiser? JOHN: um... JOHN: well, i named her liv tyler, actually. i didn't know you already named her, or him. JOHN: anyway, she saved my butt in a big way! JOHN: and then she flew off on a ship heroically, but ran off again i guess? JOHN: and then she somehow joined dave and rose on their even more heroic mission to blow up a sun. JOHN: which they failed to do mostly because they actually MADE the sun, but the important thing is that they tried. JOHN: they came back, but i think the bunny didn't make it. :( JAKE: I live by the philosophy that when a stuffed toy changes hands its appropriate to change its name. It gives things a history like that. JAKE: At least she died doing something i presume she enjoyed. JOHN: blowing up? JAKE: No!! Being a hero and dicing up bad guys! JOHN: was the robot sentient? JOHN: maybe we should have treated it with more respect, so it would not turn evil and destroy us like a watership down version of skynet. JAKE: I mean dirk helped me a little in making it and all of his projects seem to enjoy that kind of mayhem. JAKE: Not as much as his own version of the rabbit but i think in giving me advice at least a couple of his engine greased fingerprints are on it. JOHN: man, everyone is some sort of robotics genius around here. JOHN: if we hadn't already had an apocalypse ushered in by rogue technology i would be worried. JAKE: I briefly suspected hal but no worries. JAKE: I think if he were going to attempt a robopocalypse he wouldve done it a long time ago when he was bored and had less to do. JOHN: he and terezi would get along. they both seem to enjoy wreaking mayhem for fun, although she says she's sorry now. JAKE: They might try but dirk would go spare. JAKE: And I think hes tossed out all his spares for today already. JOHN: everyone has learned their lesson about devious deeds! JOHN: i'm confident that will not happen in the future. JOHN: instead we can relax and do things like watch that movie you were recommending. JAKE: Oh yeah!! JAKE: Which one did i recommend again? I think it was weekend at bernies. JOHN: the one about the corpse getting moved around to trick people? JAKE: Oh yes! Two gentlemen discover that their boss has died shortly before throwing a party and try to convince people hes still alive by puppeting his body around! Its really quite hilarious! JOHN: it sounds good. JOHN: although apparently i'm already locked in to watching a few others. JOHN: including dave's? JOHN: i can't believe he became a big deal movie star in your world, that's hilarious. JAKE: He did. Ive got one of his characters tattooed on my arm! JOHN: um JOHN: you do? JOHN: wow. JOHN: have you told him that? JAKE: Not yet. Should i? JOHN: you might actually make him speechless, which would be a first. JOHN: definitely try it. JOHN: wait, which one is it anyway? JOHN: also, how did you get a tattoo? JOHN: i thought you grew up alone or something, like jade did. JAKE: Ive got sweet bro. Dirk gave it to me after we met up! JAKE: Hes got hella jeff. We match! JAKE: Let me tell you it was a harrowing thing getting it! Id heard getting a tattoo really hurts but you know what i just closed my eyes and before i knew it it was over just like that. JOHN: ... JOHN: huh. JOHN: well, that sounds exciting. i'm sure he'll be thrilled. JOHN: none of us have ever shown that level of devotion. JOHN: mostly we just repeat his shitty memes. JAKE: Dirk takes memes to a whole new level pal. JOHN: i haven't really had a chance to meet him before this. JOHN: i've been missing out on so many reunions today, maybe because i keep bouncing around taking people places. JOHN: out of you guys i've mostly talked to jane and roxy. JOHN: and i only talked to jane once! JOHN: i'm already behind. JAKE: Oh im sure youll get along great! Hes a cool dude and super smart. A little odd but he genuinely means well. JOHN: i'm looking forward to meeting everyone! JOHN: wait, i did meet him once, that's right. JOHN: back in the bad timeline, i saw him floating in space and asked him what happened, because i'd just come back from fighting calliope's brother. JOHN: but all he said was 'i failed' and then he... turned into glitter? JOHN: there were lots of glitches floating around, it was a hazard. JOHN: hopefully we can overcome that first impression. JAKE: ...yeah that sounds like dirk. JAKE: He can be pretty dramatic. JOHN: rose and dave are super dramatic too, he'll fit right in. JOHN: with all of us together it's going to be all drama all the time. JOHN: it will be up to us normal people to keep things under control. JAKE: He grew up all alone so sometimes i think he only knows how to act from movies too but who knows. Maybe it runs in families. JAKE: Family. Weird. JAKE: Hey that means were family too arent we? JOHN: i guess so! JOHN: you're my... JOHN: hm. JOHN: relative. JAKE: Relative. I guess. JAKE: I cant exactly go calling you great uncle john even if i still call jade "grandma". JAKE: Has a ring to it though! Great uncle john! Its all folksy like poppop crocker. JOHN: that's right, i was jane's grandpa in your universe, i guess. JOHN: which is also weird to think about. JOHN: and i was sort of everyone's dad, by mixing our slimes. JOHN: so it keeps getting more outrageous. JOHN: as for knowing how to act from movies... JOHN: i didn't even grow up alone, and i think sometimes i have that problem. JOHN: you want your life to make sense that way! JOHN: but real life is a lot more complicated sometimes. JAKE: Yeah!! JAKE: God yes it is. ESPECIALLY when it comes to romance. Good grief. JOHN: i know! JOHN: the movies make it look like it's essential or something, when usually in real life it mostly seems to cause trouble. JOHN: but you can't get a good ending otherwise, unless you accomplish that and a bunch of other arbitrary criteria. JOHN: most of which we haven't accomplished ourselves, but i think we're going to get a good ending anyway. JOHN: still it can mess with your head. JOHN: real life is not like the movies, that's for sure. JAKE: Its hard to have a romance going when your life is constantly under threat by skeleton monsters. JAKE: Also your first time seeing another person in ten years and your first boyfriend happen on like the same day. JOHN: see, that's how it happens in the movies sometimes. JOHN: the main characters meet up and get together right away, and i guess you have to assume it all works out, because the movie ends. JOHN: but when you're actually doing things it is not that convenient, you have to keep going. JOHN: although i hope we're going to get a break soon. JOHN: i would be happy for the credits to close on the constant heroics and dying for a while. JAKE: Me too. JAKE: I want a nap. Without an evil spider troll waking me up. JAKE: Movies also dont tell you how tiring the whole rigmarole of adventure is. JOHN: the main characters always look great, if fashionably ruffled, and they can keep going no matter what. JOHN: but i'm kind of tired. JOHN: especially since i've lived through the same hours twice in places i think? JAKE: You and your weird time travel nonsense again huh? JOHN: i will probably be mostly retiring that, i wouldn't want to cause any more trouble. JOHN: for now it looks like everything is turning out fine on its own. JAKE: Yessir i think were on the right path now and as soon as were done here im gonna take a long nap and anyone who cares to wake me up can throw down about it even if they are a hitherto-perfectly nice troll lady. Or human lady. Or anyone else. JAKE: The suplex of slumber justice is unisex. JOHN: that's the spirit! JOHN: we will all pass out and righteously beat up any one who disturbs us. JOHN: except hopefully once we are settled somewhere a little less exposed. JOHN: if we were asleep here someone might roll off. JAKE: But we can fly? JAKE: Where would we even fall? Towards the frog since its like a planet? Or... down? Were being pulled down by gravity i guess but how can we fall down if theres just space? JAKE: Would we float in our sleep? Maybe just get sucked back to the victory platform? JOHN: that sounds like a question for jade, she's more interested in how this works. JOHN: i told her science was dumb and boring if it didn't work the way i wanted, which made her upset, but i guess i got what i wanted. JOHN: so hah. JAKE: So science works how you want now? JAKE: Are you ganking my power set young man?? JOHN: not all of science, just space and time i guess. JOHN: and all of the scientific laws i am violating with my wanton displacement of matter and energy. JOHN: what ever those laws might be. JOHN: i am not a scientist or lawyer. JOHN: or science lawyer. JAKE: You fiend. Ah well as long as you dont go abusing your power im sure nothing terrible will happen. Like you flap your windy hood and cause a hurricane down south like an errant butterfly of causality. JOHN: well, i sort of lured lord english here, but i had to to save calliope, and we had to fight him anyway, so hopefully you can let that slide. JOHN: like i said, i will be taking it easy from now on. JAKE: I hear you there. Im over here asking myself do i even want to go wandering around this wonderland of dreaminess or do i just want to curl up over in that edge of the lily pad and have a nice snooze? JAKE: You know i can nap almost anywhere. I consider it a talent. JAKE: I have fallen asleep on clear grassy hills except thats probably not a good thing because centaurs can track through at any moment and they arent too careful about where they step! JOHN: jade was like that too! JOHN: although it MIGHT have partly been a troll messing with her brain again? JOHN: trolls sure are meddlesome. JOHN: anyway, this is probably our last chance to explore the dream bubbles, so maybe hold off on the naps until later. JOHN: also, centaurs? JAKE: Centaurs! JAKE: Oh yeah did i never say my island was full of alien monsters? JAKE: Because my island was full of alien monsters. JOHN: wow, your life actually WAS like a movie. JOHN: no wonder it was tempting to see yourself as an action hero. JOHN: everyone else had such weird and dramatic childhoods. JOHN: i don't have many bragging rights but JOHN: i liked mine. JOHN: i guess i'm one of the people that actually... left something ok behind? JOHN: but that's fine! because there can be ok things in the future too. JOHN: or hopefully more than ok. JAKE: I hope so. JAKE: I mean most things would probably be better than having to keep an eye out for monsters while walking to the pantry for canned friggin beets. JAKE: Not that i couldnt handle myself but beets arent worth that much. JOHN: bluch, no. JOHN: jade kept trying to make us eat our vegetables. JOHN: it was terrible. JOHN: she doesn't even know about lunchables. JAKE: My grandma ONLY stocked veggies. JAKE: And this weird stuff called spam. JOHN: i think our jade would probably have a heart attack if she saw spam. JOHN: although she does like raw beef these days. JOHN: which is a little alarming if you see her eat it. JAKE: I think she mostly included it as a courtesy to me and also i dont think theres many other great ways to keep meat. JAKE: So i hunted! Hopefully most of those creatures were edible and i didnt give myself any weird diseases. JOHN: the rest of you were like man versus wild! JOHN: including dave and rose kind of, even though they lived in real houses. JOHN: i will have to catch up if we are in some sort of survivor situation in the new universe. JOHN: i'm not really sure how that will pan out. JAKE: Youll be fine. Well watch your back! JAKE: Dirk will probably like. Invent a house if you give him long enough. JAKE: Just stick with jane and youll be fine. Shes kind of like you in that she also had a pretty cushy upbringing if you count out the assassination attempts. JAKE: Not that i hold it against her anything. We all take our lumps as theyre given. I mean she also has a dead grand- JAKE: Wait a minute. JAKE: Did you say you were...? JAKE: *Suspicious squinting.* JOHN: what? JAKE: Janes... JAKE: Poppop? JOHN: i... guess so? JOHN: that would make sense, she was my nanna. JOHN: oh man, was i also crushed to death by a flying baby? JOHN: that would be so undignified. JAKE: But hold the damn phone!! JAKE: You were ALSO jades brother in my timeline! JAKE: So if you were siblings and youre also janes poppop... JAKE: Would that make her and i... related?? JOHN: um... JOHN: not genetically? JOHN: but i think you were adopted siblings in our world. JAKE: !! JOHN: she grew up with a brother under a wicked alien queen. JOHN: which was betty crocker! JOHN: and the troll empress. JOHN: it is all connected. JAKE: So we were always family! JAKE: Gosh shell be so surprised to find out i bet. Just over the moon. JOHN: who doesn't want more family? JAKE: Of course! Good gravy aint that just like a movie. So many of us grow up without any family to speak of and we find out we were all family all along! JAKE: Consarnit id even call that some kind of irony. JOHN: at least it's a pretty crazy coincidence. JOHN: except since skaia set it up that way it's not a coincidence at all. JAKE: The chilly wind of fate whips through our unshielded undercarriages. JAKE: Get out of there skaia that zone is closed for business! JAKE: Its not enough to be whipping round my legs its gotta go and nab my shorts too... JAKE: Well ive had the last laugh. Ive got PANTS now! AND family! HAH! JOHN: well, fate or coincidence or whatever, I'M happy about it. JOHN: and i think both pants and family are important.

[asreadbydana]

The Darkest Minds Series | Reading Reactions

Hey guys! I decided that in preparation for the new book coming out at the end of July I would (finally) read The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken. I also thought, hey, why don't I post my reactions while I'm reading it? And so that's what I'm going to do! I'll be adding to this post with my thoughts as I work my way through the series. Feel free to keep up with it if you are interested 😊

The Darkest Minds

Update #1

Thrown right into the story, ok!

I can't even imagine how scary it would be to have children dying at such an extreme rate

The way the children are treated in this is just a little too real.

Alright Alexandra, the powers have intrigued me... I wonder why she chose the colors she did? And why is there never purple? Lol

So far, not too much has happened but I'm excited to see where the plot goes, although I have a good guess...

Update #2

First impression of Martin? DO. NOT. LIKE.

Well if that ain't the sketchiest memory to see when meeting a new person! Like, hi, I'm a murderer???? wtf

Ooohh, new friends!

And now it's time for some action! Finally got a glimpse of some of the powers. Yellows seem pretty scary tbh, nothing like Pikachu

Ok, yeah, definitely not Pikachu. Holy heck! If yellows can do that, I can't even imagine what oranges have done that's made the adults fear them so much (that was an odd sentence to read in my head lol fear the fruit!)

Update #3

Is it bad that I haven't read Watership Down so I don't really know what the significance is? Maybe I'll ask my brother, I know he's read it.

Also the whole sock exchange was very awkward and I'm impressed with the second hand embarrassment it gave me.

I'm glad Ruby and Chubs finally found some common ground! I mean, I understand Chubs' suspicion, but it's definitely a better group dynamic when THE CHARACTERS LIKE EACH OTHER. Just sayin'

The orange power is pretty crazy!

Okay, finally seeing what Ruby did to her parents was really sad, but also frustrating.

Hey look, they found the camp.

Yay, school! I hope if the world turns dystopian children will continue to do what they can to learn.

I was wondering when this guy was going to show up!

Tbh, not really feeling the romance. I think I'm just more interested in reading about friendships nowadays than about relationships. Maybe it will grow on me...

Update #4

This Clancy kid is kind of creepy. I definitely don't trust him.

OK wait, this better not turn into a love triangle, I swear...

Why am I not surprised that oranges are rare and oh so powerful?

Still sad about what happened to her parents

Does anyone else find Clancy's teaching sketchy? Like, yes Ruby, show him all your embarrassing memories and things you want kept private, nothing can go wrong there!

No, Zu is leaving us! Also, did we find out why she doesn't talk and I just missed it??

Fight, fight!! (But in all seriousness, calm down boys)

Give the girl a break, she hasn't had years to train and hone her skills like you, sheesh

Wow, way to bring new meaning to mind rape (p.s. I knew Clancy was a bad egg)

Ruby, sweetie, that's not gonna help

Would Liam have believed her if he didn't see/feel what happened?

Seriously?! In the last 2 chapters?? Dang, Alexandra Bracken. You really know how to play with my emotions!

Well, onto the next one...

Never Fade

Update #1

Right away we've got some new characters, alright cool

Oh, and the League is being sketchy yet again!

Were Vida's looks really that important to Ruby?

Jude seems sweet, kind of like a little brother

And we've got a lead on Liam! Knew he wouldn't be gone long 😜

Can I just say that it's so scary that in these dystopian novels the adults are always so willing to kill children? Like what the heck!?

Very unsure about Liam's brother...

I feel very unclear on what the League actually wants. Are they pro powers or against? Or are they just using the children with powers as a means to an end?

Update #2

Well they didn't stay there long!

I like that Ruby is more open to using her powers in this one. Embrace who you are!

The exchange with Andy is how I hope a lot of the adults in this world are feeling. Fear makes us do crazy things, but you can only justify it for so long.

🎶 Reunited and it feels so good 🎵

Well hello, Vida, you snake! Do I trust her? No. Am I supposed to? We'll see...

Another group of young adults abusing their power? You would think they'd want to stick together and help one another!

Update #3

Ick, do all the leaders have to use people in that way????

Whoa, finally seeing what Clancy was talking about in the last book is pretty crazy. I hope we learn more about what he did to the reds.

Ruby to the rescue! (Again)

Well they knew it would be a trap, but they went anyway

Holy heck, Jude has got some crazy skills and quick thinking! I'll say it again, yellows are not to be messed with!

That went bad fast!

Omg, is that the true power of an orange? Damn, Bracken, you know how to cause some nightmares.

Also, does anyone else get an uncomfortable feeling reading some sentences? Not even gory ones, but like, about digging nails into asphalt for example? When I read that I can picture myself doing it and let me just say, no thank you that is not a feeling I like!

Update #4

I'm curious how Internet and other connections even work when the world is so messed up. And how hackers can navigate them!

Ah, Clancy, we meet again. NOT nice to see you.

"I blew out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding" omg. Bracken has used some variation of this several times so far in this series and let me just say, I have noticed Every. Single. Time. Why is this concept/sentence so popular in YA, my gosh?

Wow that tunnel would make me claustrophobic!

Oh shit! That's the thing about oranges! When you are around them you can never really trust what you are seeing, ahhhh

"He let out the breath he'd been holding" really?? Again?? 😧

Ok, this professor has me intrigued. I can't wait to find out what Bracken set up as the reason the children have developed these powers.

Also, Cole? Didn't expect that!

Dang, who is that kid and where did he find the nerve!? So much for peace!

How was Ruby not smart enough to figure out that's what L.G. was doing as soon as she saw the research? I mean come on, that's pretty obvious.

Thanks for breaking my heart Bracken! The next book just won't be the same...

In the Afterlight

Update #1

Why is it that adults are always obsessed with money? And how come they never want to PROTECT the children who are different

Oh ok, I’m gonna be reminded of the sadness throughout this whole book, aren’t I?

I knew they were in California, but I didn’t even think about those other kids !!!!

Also, can I just say, poor Chubs and breaking his glasses. I feel you, bro.

Update #2

Why can’t Cate just accept that Ruby and the others are right?! Ugh!

I was waiting for Vida to display her true emotions. But to think that Ruby doesn’t care? She’s obviously not very observant.

Brothers, eh? Can’t live with ‘em… that’s about it lol

I wonder what the government hides from us in regards to other countries…

I don’t understand why Cole doesn’t just tell Liam? Would it really be so bad?

Truth: I’m still not feeling the romance. And I could do without the kissing scenes.

There’s that darned Watership Down again

Clancy is still such a mystery. I get why he’d want to embrace his powers, but doesn’t he also want to know why he got them?

Chubs and Vida get to spend some quality time~

Ok, no more sparring matches you two!!

Update #3

Those poor kids. Afraid even to be rescued.

Why did Liam hide this from Ruby???? Maybe she would have been a bit more open to it had he been honest.

Also, don’t like the reporter lady.

Omg! Zu!!!!

I can’t believe people think it’s fake? Why would children lie about those kinds of things?

Ah, yes, the red army.

Again, don’t like Alice.

Finally Cole! Was it really so hard?

Ok, this is sad but I totally care more about the side romantic relationship than I do the main one. I just don’t see their chemistry, honestly. It seems like it’s more a relationship of convenience than feeling.

Man, another one? Come on, Bracken, why you gotta do that to us?

I was wondering why the sleepwalking was relevant… not the answer I would have wanted, but alas

Update #4

Still going through with the plan, huh, Ruby?

I guess it makes sense that you can erase memories but not feelings. And that Sam would have images once Ruby’s influence was gone

Wow that wrapped up quickly

Tbh, even though he was horrible, it sucks Clancy had his ability to choose taken from him

Family reunion ♡ not so sad anymore!

Where do they go from here…?

[littlewalken]

Sep 24

All these months without internet so I have to like update everything to the point of I don't even know what I'm downloading any more because its impossible to know.

It's not quite that but I have a list of things to go from and if the connections fail then I have to start it again.

A little patience and the internet bill here is 1/5 what it was at the last place, and because I qualified for the plague plan it's currently free.

We also have credit card bills that are 10 times our monthly income, the car insurance has gone up, and other expenses that somehow we'll have to meet so I think my disabled ass deserves free shitty WiFi. Your billionaire ass doesn't deserve a fifth yacht.

We're storing winter clothes in garbage bags in the back patio poor. Neighbors complained about that, accused the only people around who practice witchcraft of storing garbage and having rats, landlord believes us.

It's yarn, the last four bags I dragged out there have yarn. I had to make room for the cabe guy to wire us for WiFi which meant moving my DVDs into my room and the yarn could go outside because its washable.

And if I don't keep my DVDs separate they'll get lost or damaged or something because some people around here don't know how to take care of nice things and 40 years later bitch is still so against me liking Battle of the Planets and Robotech that she'd "accidentally" give them away just so I don't have them.

Which is why before we moved I made sure I went thru the haul from the DVD store we cleaned out to make sure I had all of Michael Sheen and Alexander Siddig's playing a terrorist who gets blown up movies.

Having an animal on the cover doesn't make it a good movie. That's not what Kangaroo Jack is about. Bewitched isn't funny at all. No, we will not have any copy of any version of I Spit On Your Grave in this house.

Just because its animated doesn't mean it's for kids. I know I was very young when I saw Heavy Metal, I shouldn't have seen it then, but it was too late because that was after you had thrown me under a bus full of wolves so the TV helped me thru my trauma because you were too busy with Princess Replacement.

Seriously tho, I wouldn't even let little kids watch the furry version of David Copperfield because of the nightmare fuel. Or Animal Farm or Watership Down or Plague Dogs. I was college age when I first saw Animal Farm and what happened to the horse with the split hoof upset me.

But yeah, if I link something to Archive get your ass over there because they disappear fast. Or they're dubbed in a language you don't speak :[

[veliseraptor]

Top 5 animated movies?

1. Watership Down. This was a very formative movie for me (and I watched the movie before I read the book, though I also love the book). I was scared of it, to be sure. The scene where the warren is destroyed scarred me in particular. But I loved it. There was a long span of time in which I would hardly watch movies with people in them, and this movie was ideal for that version of me, who felt that human beings were profoundly boring.

I knew this movie was dark and intense and involved a lot of death and honestly that was probably part of the appeal. Also “Bright Eyes” still makes me cry like a total fucking idiot.

The Netflix remake is dead to me.

2. The Last Unicorn. There is probably no other single movie that owns as much of my heart as this one does. If I think of one piece of media that like. Defines my childhood, it might be this movie (again of a book! and I love the book too, but I have watched this movie so many times so I remember the adaptation better, in this case). It’s beautiful, and strange - out and out weird, in places - and it tells a different kind of story than the Disney movies that I did also watch but didn’t latch onto in quite the same way. 

I always loved the unicorn. I remember being profoundly upset when she was a human being temporarily - and in love with a prince! - and being very pleased when she was a unicorn again. I appreciate now that is a bittersweet sort of thing, but, well. Again, I thought humans were boring for a significant portion of my childhood.

3. Princess Mononoke. I was like eight years old when I first saw this movie, which was kind of too young for it, but even though I remember screaming when the monster attacks Ashitaka at the beginning and definitely large portions of it went over my head, I was hooked. This has remained probably my favorite Miyazaki movie (though I did/do also love Castle in the Sky), and it’s not just because there are wolves in it. 

Though the wolves probably do help.

4. Atlantis: The Lost Empire. This movie is...one of those weird Disney movies that fell into the period of time where Disney was making some very interesting things, and it’s...it might be my favorite Disney movie? The Lion King presents steep competition but at least as of now I love it very much as a heist movie with a fantastic cast that is also just...extremely funny, in a lot of ways I don’t think I fully appreciated when I was younger.

Also I just. Love Helga Sinclair deeply. Which is why the gif here is her. Iconique.

5. Prince of Egypt. I can’t believe I missed watching Prince of Egypt for Passover this year. This is what a pandemic does to you.

But yeah, what a movie. What a goddamn fucking beautiful movie. 

[backstage-bucknell]

Tuckasegee

by Mark Hutchinson

In the summer of 1989 I took a job as a warden in the Smokey Mountains on the Tuckasegee river in North Carolina. My junior year of college left me needing to evaluate what I was doing in this world-- how would I be helpful moving forward. December 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland by a terrorist bomb. All 259 people onboard were killed—35 of the passengers were returning to Syracuse University from their semester studying abroad, 5 of those students were classmates in the Theatre department and my friends. It turned everything on it’s side—breathing became more difficult——long cold walks at night down empty Syracuse streets filled something and calmed the feelings of loss because I felt connected to those gone–spirits passing overhead and through my body. It was when I felt connected to the whole.

So I took this job in the mountains as a warden on private land where the owners would come up on nice weekends to vacation and I would look after everything during the week. If weather was bad I might go two weeks without seeing anyone. I had a boombox that I could play tapes because there were no radio stations, I had a Mac 512—I had bought it off my brother when he had upgraded and I thought I would write a play—yeah—I think I wrote some scenes but never had the concentration to finish a play. I’d write then read- hate it- erase it and then start again. I read books -On Directing–The Empty Space—Tolkien –The Hobbit through to The Silmarillion— Watership Down and lots of books about dragons. I walked upstream and downstream once or twice a day –supposedly looking for people poaching the stream that the family stocked but only met a few people getting some sun down at Paradise Falls.

Meeting people was always shocking because I was so used to being alone. I would need to ask them why they were there and explain it was private property but I never thought people would take this young college student seriously. It was the worst part of the job.

The Chair

Sharing my thoughts visually took the form of taking this chair on my walks. I didn’t want to take picture of myself, I wasn’t a sightseer travelling to Europe—I was offering a chair that anyone could sit in and take in these sights. There is nature and then there is me in nature and you in nature. The one below is definitely inspired by Robert Frost and choosing between the two paths in the woods. I was making the choice everyday to get up and explore, to try and figure things out.

Skoshi

I wasn’t completely alone—a friend of the family left their dog with me for the summer as they were travelling and needed someone to watch her. Skoshi was smart, she was a border collie that would catch every Frisbee I threw, if my throw was half way decent.  I’d let her start running across the field and then send the disk calling out so she’d look back and see which side to turn her head to catch the Frisbee while running at full speed. It challenged both of us and we’d practice most sunny days. 

That’s Skoshi with me -we’d stay in the tent when all the family came up and the cabin was full.

Risk

 When the water was high on the weekend, we’d all skinny-dip—running up to a bridge and leaping 12’ into the stream which had become a river from the rains. Into the frigid water and pulling out downstream to race back up and do it again. It was a family tradition that had happened as long as when the bridge had existed—there was laughter, scares, excitement—watching out for other-- helping pull them towards shore. It felt good to be alive—to be challenged, to have companionship. 

The weekends would race by and then alone again—alone with Skoshi—I would clear fallen trees off the trail with a chainsaw and Skoshi would run ahead on the trail and sit waiting while I worked –As soon as I turned off the saw she would run back and make sure I was OK and then off on the trail again. I was always careful when alone—I would think about what rough time I’d have if I was careless with the chainsaw or broke a leg on a trail or stepped to near a copperhead that was sunning itself (this happened to my sister on one of her hikes). I thought about how we don’t know when our time will end and that it takes care and luck to survive. 

I took this job to think about people I’d lost and it turned out the house had its own stories of loss. The family that hired me had started with 6 brothers and 2 sisters but one summer when they’d come up when the water was running extremely high the kids raced to the nearest swimming hole where one of the identical twin brothers dove in and never came back up. I don’t know if he hit his head or got sucked under a log but he was gone and they didn’t find his body until much later. The house would always be a reminder of this lost brother but it was just one story and there were so many others stories about wild adventures at Tuckasegee. Racing horses down old logging roads, deck tennis rivalries that lasted years, meals cooked and shared, children growing up together away from society. The sadness of the loss didn’t overshadow all the happy moments. It was part of the whole, most of the memories of this place were filled with joy and love. All our lives are filled with joys and sorrows. I accept the sorrow, I understand it’s part of journey but I try not to get stuck in it. In this life I will work at leaning into the joy.

Today-- I act carefully—I think about risk—but I also live with laughter and challenges. I realized that summer that I’d rather live within a community than alone and although isolated feels like a natural part of the whole it’s not where I want to spend the majority of my life. This coronavirus reminds me of that time alone—it reminds me of friends whose lives were cut short—it reminds me to be careful when the danger is close but also to live a full life and enjoy adventures with my companions.

[surveystodestressme]

46.

5000 Question Survey Pt. 7

601. Do you have a lust for life? i dunno, i guess??? 602. Do you want to get more out of life? i mean, kind of 603. Would you want to learn to: Convert to Buddhism? nope Cure a hangover? i already know this Lie persuasively?i try not to lie as often as i can 604. What character from a movie is most like you? i’m not sure 605. Are you comfortable with the idea of your own death? not at all

606. How do you feel about arranged marriages? i think they’re ridiculous, honestly.  and a lot of the time it’s an older man and a really young woman, or sometimes a little girl and that’s sickening to me. 607. What do you hate that everyone else seems to like? channing tatum 608. What do you like that others seem to hate? peeps 609. If you had to be named after a month, which month would you pick? June 610. Is time more like a highway or a meadow to you? meadow 611. What is your favorite movie? the saw movies 612. Which would you choose to be back in the day: a warrior, an alchemist, a minstrel, a bard, an oracle, a peasant, or a merchant? a warrior 613. What is your favorite song lyric? i don’t have one. 614. What will you never run out of? hopefully happiness 615. If you could force someone to fall madly in love with you, (anyone you choose) would you do it? absolutely not.  i want the love to be reciprocated bc it’s true not forced 616. Have you ever seen the Disney movie The Black Cauldron? never heard of it 617. Have you ever read The Black Cauldron by Alexander Lloyd (or any of his other books in the Prydain Chronicles)? nope 618. Have you ever written a paper the night before it was due? How about the day it was due? yeah 619. Is there a movie you have watched so many times that you can quote it line for line? absolutely 620. What is your favorite season? winter 621. Do you mind being described as cute? i don’t mind at all 622. What is the tackiest object in your home? oh, there’s plenty 623. What do you think people are most ignorant towards? a lot of things. 624. What is it that makes you an interesting person? i don’t know, people think i’m pretty funny and i guess that’s interesting??? 625. What makes other people interesting to you? anything, really.  something that they do that’s extraordinary 626. How open to suggestion are you? always open to suggestion 627. Is Michael Jackson black or white? he’s black 628. Are you often lonely? nope 629. What’s the most unusual pet you’ve ever had? i’ve had a snake but i don’t feel like that’s an unusual pet to have 630. Have you ever threatened an authority figure? hell no 631. If you had to choose would you rather make all your decisions henceforth with your head only or with your heart only? with my head 632. How imaginative are you? pretty imaginative i’d say 633. Do you like the Counting Crows? i don’t even know what that is 634. If you took this survey from the diary (5000 Q Survey V2.0) did you note me so I could read it? i stole this from someone else 635. Are you more tense or laid back? i’m a little of both, actually. 636. Does your happiness depend on anyone else, or are you happy no matter what any one says or does? it depends on some people around but i try to mostly base it on myself 637. What do you think of the idea of putting the bible into the format of a fashion magazine to attract the interest of teenagers? i don’t care man, i won’t read it though

638. How often do you drink to get drunk? not very often at all 639. Would you consider yourself to be diplomatic? nope 640. Do you think that most of the classes you have taken were taught in such a way as to make plain the relevance of the subject matter in your everyday life? not really, honestly. 641. Do you remember Crystal Pepsi? i’ve heard of it 642. When was the last time you spent a night away from home? it’s been a couple weeks 643. Some people say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Is that true? absolutely not 644. What is the most interesting TV channel? discovery or animal planet or history channel 645. Name one song you could live without hearing ever again: call me maybe 646. Do your pets understand you when you talk? i think maybe a little bit 647. What are three things you HAVE NOT done that might surprise people? there’s a lot i’m sure 648. Have you ever had a secret admirer? i don’t remember if i have or not 649. Have you been to a museum this year? yeah a couple weeks ago 650. Do you ever watch porn? i do on occasion 651. Do you think that it would be a good idea if people served in the army, navy or air force for a while before they were allowed to vote? i don’t care either way honestly 652. If you were required to do this to vote, would you? no, i wouldn’t.  i was in the national guard for a while and i didn’t enjoy it very much 653. Do people often give you weird looks? i don’t really pay attention 654. Do like Japanese cooking? yeah 655. Do you care for stray animals? i feel bad for them and wish i could give them a safe pace to live 656. Which animated movies have you seen and what did you think of them: A Charlie Brown Christmas: i liked it when i was a kid A Garfield Halloween: i haven’t seen it The Secret of Nimh: haven’t seen it The Last Unicorn: ^^ The original Lord of the Rings cartoons ^^ 657. Are you ambidextrous (equally good at using both hands)? no, my left hand is useless 658. Do you always say; “bless you” after someone sneezes, or do you hesitate? not usually 659. If you and your friends could go away for 2 days over Halloween weekend where would you go? to the spookiest haunted house around 660. Which of these animated movies have you seen and what did you think of them: Watership Down As the Wind Blows Grave of the Fireflies How the Grinch Stole Christmas: love love love this movie Spirited Away 661. Do you feel that society is male dominated, female dominated, or neutral? idk 662. What words offend you? not many at all 663. They’re just words. Can you get over it? yeah 664. Have you ever looked into different religions? i had to do a project on a religion.  i picked satanism and it was quite interesting 665. Which ones have you looked into? ^ 666. What do you think of Satanism as a religion? i mean, i know to classify as a religion there has to be a certain amount of people following it right? i guess it can be a religion.  i don’t care either way.  i think it;s interesting regardless 667. Do you like it better when your classes are taught sitting in rows or sitting in a circle? i don’t care either way 668. Have you ever read your own tarot cards? nope 669. Which ones do you like better, the three old star wars movies or the 2 new ones? i like the older ones 670. If you scream in outer space does it make a sound? no 671. If you saw The Queen of the Damned did you want to be a vampire/Goth afterwards? never seen it 672. If you saw SLC Punk did you want to be punk afterwards? didn’t see it 673. What is your favorite zombie movie? shaun of the dead 674. Best kids birthday party: ceramics, chuck-e-cheese, roller rink, bowling, sleep over, movie theater anything really 675. What were your parties like when you were a kid? they were pretty fun from what i recall 676. Best teen (about 15-16) birthday party: ceramics, chuck-e-cheese, roller rink, bowling, sleep over, movie theater, house party, catered in a hall, restaurant, family trip, concert in my teenage years i would’ve wanted to go bowling or something like that 677. What are/were your 15-16 year old parties like? i didn’t have any by the time i was in high school 678. Best 18th birthday party: ceramics, chuck-e-cheese, roller rink, bowling, sleep over, movie theater, house party, catered in a hall, restaurant, family trip, concert, club, pool hall, college party college party, ig 679. If you are 18 what was your party like? didn’t really party for my 18th 680. Best 21st birthday party: ceramics, chuck-e-cheese, roller rink, bowling, sleep over, movie theater, house party, catered in a hall, restaurant, family trip, concert, club, pool hall, college party, bar, Atlantic city/Las Vegas trip las vegas would’ve been cool 681. If you saw The Craft were you interested in wicca/paganism/magic afterwards? never saw it 682. What are your top 3 priorities? being happy, getting my dream job, making sure jack is happy 683. If you saw fight club did you want to get into a fistfight afterwards? nah 684. What is your favorite smell? i have a lot 685. Give everything below a humor rating (1 = laugh your ass off, 2 = lol, 3 = smile, 4 = lame, 5 = not funny, 6 = offensive): People falling 4 Rape jokes 6 Sarcastic comments 3 Blonde jokes 4 Dirty jokes 1 God/religion jokes 2 Long-ass jokes 5 Death jokes 2 Pain/sickness jokes 3 Animals doing cute stuff 2 Bodily functions 4 Knock jokes 2 Ethnic jokes 3 Puns 1 Ironic situations 1 685. If you saw Cruel Intentions did you want to have lots of meaningless sex afterwards? never seen it 686. Do you get at least three hugs per day? probably 687. What should someone never say to you/call you if they want to remain on your good side? a cunt? idk 688. If you saw Trainspotting did you want to do drugs afterwards? never seen it 689. Do movies have a great influence on you? i think so, sometimes i guess? 690. Do you have a favorite reality TV show? are you the one 691. Are there certain roles that people are pressured to play in society or can they basically do whatever they want? i mean, i feel like some people are pressured 692. How does the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake compare to the original movie? i’ve never seen the original 693. Have you ever held a magnifying glass over an insect to burn it? nope 694. Have you ever pulled the wings off a fly, butterfly or any other insect? i once put a butterfly in a jar and that’s it 695. What would you think of a guy (if you’re into guys) or a girl (if you’re into girls) who wanted to take you to the park to feed the birds and look at the turtles and fish in the water on a date? i think that would be adorable 696. Do you use public pools? i haven’t in a while, but i would 697. Do you use public bathrooms? yeah 698. Do you use public showers? helllll no 699. How old will you be in 17 years? 38 700. Would it effect you at all if you knew that a very large meteor was headed towards earth that would impact in 17 years? that would suck

[igsy-blog]

BBC 100 books (with commentary)

thanks for the tag @thegreatorangedragon  As an English major I was compelled to read a lot of these, and I may only have skimmed/read chunks of some of them if I could get away with it....

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen: not my favorite Austen, actually (Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility are 1 & 2) The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien - OMG, SO many times. My siblings and I had rituals around the reading of LOTR.

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte.  Yes - it’s OK Harry Potter series - JK Rowling - Yes!  My kids grew up to them and the experience was almost as good as the books.  But I also really enjoyed watching Rowling mature as a writer over the course of the series.  I don’t ask for perfection from my writers, but warmth and growth.  :-)  Also, they got my stubborn non-reader sons to READ. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee  - like probably every other person who went to MS/HS in the US. The Bible - yes, and twice all the way through.  once at about 10, and then more recently along with Slate’s Blogging the Bible (ok it was just the Old Testament).  That was a stage on my journey to my current fallen-catholicness 
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - yes, but prefer the Pat Benatar song :D Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell - yes and really need a re-read 
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman - No, keep meaning to. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
.  Yes, and can I say I love Dickens - LOVE Dickens - but I hate this book.  I think it’s always assigned because it’s shortish.  I regularly reread the glorious messes that are Pickwick Papers, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, and my fav, the insane Our Mutual Friend (but ONLY the Lizzie Hexam/Eugene Wrayburn segments). Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - and the sequels.  I think Jo’s Boys might actually be my favorite. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
.  yes - I am pretty sure??? Catch 22 - Joseph Heller.  read enough of it to count Complete Works of Shakespeare - William Shakespeare; yes! my mom was a Zefferelli Romeo & Juliet junkie - we had the album of the film - and I must have heard it 3 dozen times before I was 7.  She bought a complete works and I read all of it over the years. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier. No 
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - Yes.  My husband’s favorite book.  And I really liked the Rankin-Bass film, when I was young.  Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk  No Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - yeah The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger  Realllly?  This is a good book but I’m not sure it belongs on this list.  First novel and feels fresh out of an MFA program.  My other complaints I won’t say here because I tend to get very snarky about this book. (Another book I read around the same time [mid-oughts] was Then We Came to the End, the debut novel of Joshua Ferris - much better, like DeLillo without the air of self-importance.) Middlemarch - George Eliot; love me some Eliot (but prefer Silas Marner, mainly because of a very good tv adaption). Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - Again: really?  I read this book because I spent the summer between HS and college in a really small town with a teeny library and I basically read my way through the fiction stacks.  Won’t say more than that, because I would get political. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald Yes, but not a favorite. Bleak House - Charles Dickens. A great, great book for which two amazing miniseries have been done in my lifetime.  But rightly criticized, IMO, for the annoying tone of its first-person narrator, Esther.  Dickens was dazzlingly, spectacularly wrong in writing about women.  Not to mention other groups.  But my god did he skewer institutions on behalf of the (British) poor - none better. This book wins for the Jo’s death scene and its sweeping, bitter, critique of church and state and society and everything - and so human.  “Dead!  And dying thus around us, everyday.”  I was 12 when I first read that, recovering from chicken pox, and I sat straight up in bed.  This is the book that made me a socialist. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy This is so horrible, but I haven’t! The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams.  Yes, fun, but not a favorite. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh - No.  I started to and have a copy at work, for some reason I don’t even remember.  But not enough to county Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky  No :( Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck.  Yes, oh and my grandma’s family were Okies.  Everyone in my family has a copy of the Sacramento Bee front page story sneering about the dust bowl immigrants arriving in town and my great-grandmother is mentioned by name (though they mistakenly think she is her widowed father’s wife).  I love Cali, and Sactown, but we have a long history of being not-so-welcoming to everyone at certain times (was it in the 80s where the “Welcome to California, Now Go Home” bumper stickers were everywhere?).

Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - yes The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame - yes but so long ago I don’t remember it at all Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy yes. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens.  Yes, not his best by far.  Another “easy” read like Great Expectations Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis - and many other of his works, when I was trying NOT to be an atheist - Mere Christianity, his sci-fi trilogy and Til We Have Faces, a retelling of my favorite myth, Psyche and Cupid.  I like the more obscure books in this series best - The Silver Chair and The Horse and his Boy. Emma - Jane Austen Persuasion - Jane Austen - oh, here it is!


The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis .... uh, yes The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - was a group read at work a couple of years ago.  recommend. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne - yes Animal Farm - George Orwell - another book I want to re-read. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - nope 
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez; YES A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving 
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ... did I?  I’m pretty sure. Or was it The Moonstone? Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery.  YES.  Anxiously awaiting the new adaption.  Why is it so hard to get Anne of Windy Poplars on kindle?  That is the funniest one.  And Rilla of Ingleside so heartbreaking 
Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy 
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood, yes and ever so long ago.  Another book to re-read soon (haven’t started watching the series yet) Lord of the Flies - William Golding Atonement - Ian McEwan; LOVE this book and his writing in general.  He also wrote the screenplay, and the movie and the book are a perfect match in tone. 
Life of Pi - Yann Martel No, but on my list Dune - Frank Herbert - no Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons - yes, Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - yay! 
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 
A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - my intro to Dickens, though not his best Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - starting to get depressed at all this dystopian fiction that needs to be re-read as a primer for the present times 
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - lives at my desk at work.  Not even a favorite book of mine, but I love diving into his words every once in a while Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov The Secret History - Donna Tartt The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold  - when I saw the movie it reminded me why I wasn’t into reading the book Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - plot better than the story 
On The Road - Jack Kerouac Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy - yeah, I had to read so much Hardy Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie - no, want to though 
Moby Dick - Herman Melville; I can’t even think about this book without remembering our class discussion of the “circle jerk” chapter.  I remember literally nothing else. 
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - meh Dracula - Bram Stoker 
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett  - an ALL-TIME favorite Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson Ulysses - James Joyce; all hail the master, and the bastard responsible for my sick dependence on the em-dash The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome Germinal - Emile Zola Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - unfortunately, yes Possession - AS Byatt A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens; of course Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell The Color Purple - Alice Walker - excellent The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry Charlotte’s Web - EB White: yes The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yes.  I prefer Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter series hands-down, but despite her association with Tolkien, Lewis, et al, she got squashed between Conan Doyle and Christie.  Her Gaudy Night is one of my top five books.

The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - yeah The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery heck, yeah The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks Watership Down - Richard Adams yes A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole - my kids read this book in HS, so I have a copy lying around, but have never read it A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas Hamlet - William Shakespeare - yes, probably too many times.  What are my favorite Shakespeare dramas?  Maybe King Lear, Richard III? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl. yes 
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

[coutelier]

Scary Movies

Watership Down was a very disturbing film to see when I was very young, but it didn’t actually scare me.  I can only think of one movie that I was genuinely scared after watching, and that was Aliens.  Although it had more to do with the environment I was in when I first saw it than the movie itself.

I was staying in a hotel in the country with my dad, and Aliens was on TV.  He decided to watch it, despite the fact I was very young and in the same room (he would have turned it off immediately if my mum was there).  There were few other guests at this hotel and later on, when I needed to go the bathroom, I had to creep along a long dark corridor in this empty, silent hotel... suffice to say, after seeing them ‘coming out of the walls’, yeah... I was a bit jumpy.