#but he gives better Ralph vibes

[imababblekat]

Pushing Buttons

Anon Request, “ Love your content it’s sooo cute! Can I get a snarky sarcastic reader who calls April for a chat on speaker phone then gets into a funny argument with Ralph trading jabs. Like he tries to get April to hang up because their in the middle of something important but reader gives him a snappy comeback. They keep going with everyone listening. Tired of this April is gonna hang up on them but before that happens “Wait wait! give that guys digits he sounds hot! You know how I love pushing a guys buttons!”

A/N: I hope this is okay, gonna be honest I struggled to write this one for some reason. Hope it’s still at the very least readable \TvT/

~xXx~

April hadn’t meant to answer the phone, but Mikey curiously nudging into her had caused her to ultimately accept your request. As if to make a point at your horrible timing as April and the boys were in the mist of a game plan to take down a new gang, you’re voice rang loud through the speaker causing everyone to simultaneously jump.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! April you are not going to believe what happened to me at work today!!”

April sighed, giving the ninja turtles apologetic glances. 

“I can’t really talk right-”

“I’ll make it quick! I swear! Okay, so I got up at seven like I usually do, right? I was really tired though, so I went to snooze my alarm and-”

Before April could politely ask you to skip ahead to what had happened at your job, the human girl was thrown for a shock when Raphael had suddenly snatched the device straight out of her hand. She went to reprimand him but all he had done was hold a large hand up to block her as he angrily snapped into the call.

“She’s busy. Call back later.”

*click*

April’s eyes had never been as wide as they were in that moment. No way did Raphael just hang up on you of all people. Said terrapin, with a triumphant grin, reached out to hand her back the phone, when it had suddenly started going off again right in his palm. If it weren’t for the growing agitation, he could have sworn it seemed to vibrate with a vengeance. With a hard tap, he answered the call ready to repeat what he had done only a few minutes ago.

“I said-”

“Excuse me!!”

Raphael felt himself fumble at your sudden shout, April standing across from him with a knowing look.

“And who the hell do you think you are, huh?! You do not cut me off when I am talking to my gal pal!!”

Raphael sputtered, caught off for but a second before snapping back.

“Who do I-?! April’s busy! I’m sure whatever little issue you got goin on at work ain’t that important!”

“Oh, and how would you know that?! You read minds huh?! I’d ask if you’re some sort of phycologist but frankly just from your voice alone I’d say you’re need of one.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!”

“I think you know what I mean, big boy.”

Raphael felt his blood boiling in that moment, his brothers Mikey and Donnie doing their best to stifle their laughter behind him while Leo simply smirked at his dismay. All the while all April could do was hide her face in her hands at the embarrassment she felt for her close friend on the line.

“Don’t call me that.”

“What? Would you rather I call you big baby instead? Ya gonna cry about it? Good, cuz sounds to me like you need to shed a few tears. It’s perfectly healthy by the way. Just thought I’d let you know that since you give off the vibe that you’d rather walk around with a stick up your ass then express your emotions.”

“A stick up my ass?! Seriously?! How about I come over and shove one up yours?! You’re just all bark and no bite!”

“Ooo, don’t promise me with a good time~.”

If it were possible, Raph’s face would match the color of his mask at your raunchy response, the suave to your tone not making things any better. It was at the sudden burst of laughter behind him from his brothers and Aprils own snickering that the brute decided in that moment the best course of action was to, once again, hang up the damn phone. 

A groan bubbled up from his throat at he tossed April back her phone, sending a glare to his still cackling siblings. 

“Will ya all stop laughin. Let’s just get back to the stupid plan.”, he glared, arms crossing.

It was Leo, who had to take a few breaths to gather himself, that brought back the others to focus.

“Okay, okay, you heard the big boy. Let’s ready up.”

Green eyes glared daggers at the leader in blue for his jab, the other winking back with a shit eating grin. Raphael stepped forward to make a quip in response to Leo, when a chortle behind him had alerted all the turtles. It was from April, who’s eyes crinkled in the corners as she did her best to bite back some giggles, holding up her phone to show what had caused such a reaction out of her. Each brother leaned in, squinting at the small text on screen and then let out more laughter, Mikey rocking a groaning Raph’s shoulders with congratulations.

On the screen before them, read a text sent by the very person who riled him up quicker then anyone on record.

*Hey girly, you gotta get me your friends digits! Dude sounds hot af 😉💗*

~xXx~

[vanilla-rainbows]

WIR - GUARDIAN AU

Ok, let me preface this by saying three (3) things:

- English is not my first language. I’m currently incapable of writing fanfiction in a language that is not my own, so forgive me. I wanted to do this idea justice, but it’ll have to be crude written paragraphs for now.

- Anxiety might make me delete this later, because my perfectionist ass cannot tolerate any kind of mistakes and this is my first time posting something like this. But I had these concepts festering in my brain for far too long. I need to get them out or else they’ll consume me. Also I’d like to thank the bird for showing me the light.

- This might get long and messy. I haven’t really planned out anything with this AU and all of this is 100% vibes, but I’m open to suggestions and might expand/change/delete things as I go. Also expect some art in the future (I'm slow and lazy sowwy).

The (quite long) premise of this AU is basically this: Turbo survived the events of the first movie (original I know) because he rewrote so much of himself into Sugar Rush that the game now thinks he’s actually part of it. So he respawns, but gets kicked out of the game and is forced to go back to his previous life as a gameless character in Game Central Station. Only difference, everyone this time KNOWS he’s alive and what he did (because Ralph and/or Vanellope explained the whole situation to the rest of the arcade). So everyone basically treats him like shit (think of Vanellope). He’s both shunned and mocked by the other characters, and is forcefully kept away from every game in the arcade, to prevent him from “going Turbo” again.

But the thing is, he’s actually powerless now, and can’t actually do anything dangerous anymore. He lost the cy-bug part of his code (sorry kcb fans but the tall menacing cockroach doesn’t exactly give out the pathetic wet cat vibes that this au demands) because of the reset, and now keeps glitching between his Turbo and King Candy model, even a mix of the two at times. He’s hit rock bottom and he knows it. And obviously he blames it all on Vanellope and Ralph, and wants to take revenge on them. So, knowing how powerful his cy-bug form was, he decides to wait for a chance to sneak into Hero’s Duty and get himself eaten again by one of the creatures. THEN he will be free to wreak havoc on the arcade and happily destroy every single game in it (starting with Sugar Rush of course). And ABSOLUTELY no one will be able to stop him. So naturally he gets stopped again. This is where I’d introduce the OC I’m planning for this AU.

Her name is Luna and she is the titular protagonist of Luna’s Adventure (might change later), a fantasy adventure that resembles the first Zelda game in terms of graphics and mechanics. Luna is essentially an optimistic, but not an hopeless one. Being one of the oldest characters in the arcade, she knew Turbo back in the day and is fully aware of the situation, but doesn’t really like to be part of the “let’s all laugh at him” mentality. So she mostly ignores/pities him, and makes sure he doesn’t try anything funny with her game. That is, until she spots him as he’s sneaking into Hero’s Duty during opening hours. She immediately takes action and follows him into the game. First she tries to talk him out of it, but her pleads fall of deaf ears, as Turbo is too fixated on his revenge plan to even listen to her. He doesn’t care in the slightest, all he wants is to be great again. He feels like he has no other options. He has nothing. He’s nothing. In the eyes of the other characters, he’s but a pest, a worthless loser. Better be feared than respected at this point. This desperate attempt (which seems more like self-destructing behaviour) is his last chance.

The heated back and forth between the two grabs the attention of a solitary cy-bug, which immediately attacks them. Luna quickly avoids the creature and safely gets to a hidden spot, but when she notices that Turbo has no intention of running away, on the contrary, he’s purposefully exposing himself like the snack he is, she jumps on him and saves him from the incoming cy-bug attack. So for a few minutes we have the comical situation of Luna continuously saving Turbo and herself from the cy-bug, and Turbo trying so hard to get eaten but getting saved everytime. Eventually the cy-bug is shot to death by Calhoun herself, who IS SO READY to blast Turbo out of existence with all of her arsenal, but desists when Luna explains the whole situation to her. Still, the sergeant has no intention of keeping the glitchy gremling in her game a second longer, and escorts them out of the game. Turbo lashes out at Luna for ruining his ultimate plan, but before she can say anything back, the arcade opens. Luna leaves in a hurry, telling Turbo to behave while she’s away because she’s not done with him. So he’s left in the middle of GCS wandering what the hack she meant by that.

That night, all main characters from each game reunite to discuss what to do with Turbo. Felix, Ralph, Vanellope, Calhoun and Luna are all present. Turns out they have no idea how to handle the situation. They can’t let him run freely around the arcade. What would happen if he tried to infiltrate another game? Unsurprisingly, no one mentions Surge Protector. Someone suggests they could simply kill him. Ralph is neutral, Vanellope is slightly against the idea, but Felix jumps up and firmly says that they are not going to kill anyone. If they did, they wouldn’t be better than him. Then Calhoun makes a proposal. Just like keeping the cy-bugs inside Hero’s Duty is also part of her, well, duty, someone should take on the role of a warden to Turbo, keeping him inside their game and out of everyone else’s. Obviously she can’t do it, so another character will have to.

The problem is that no one wants to have anything to do with Turbo. They may mock him during the day, but they really are all just terrified by him. The fear of getting unplugged is so strong that no one is willing to take the risk. No one, but Luna. While everyone argues, she slowly stands up and offers herself to be Turbo’s guardian. The room goes silent for a few seconds, but eventually everyone applauds her courage. Luna gets relieved looks by Felix and Vanellope, and a special nod of approval by Calhoun. Ralph is the only one who’s still not fully convinced. He had to battle him on the top of Diet-Cola Mountain and knows full well how badly he treated Vanellope all those years. But the little girl gives him a reassuring nudge on the arm, and all the tension he had accumulated magically goes away. If she’s not having a problem with it, so he won’t. Deep down, though, even Vanellope feels somewhat restless. She just doesn’t want to see her game devastated again.

Now comes the hard part. Luna has to find a delicate way to break the news to her colleagues. They obviously have A LOT to say about it, but she is able to convince them. Sort of. Things might not be so simple after all. Even though she agreed to keep an eye on the short menace himself, she’s not sure how exactly this decision will affect her and her game. Was it really the right thing to do? And if he became really dangerous? She’s actually starting to reconsider, when an idea forms in her coded mind. What if… she were to teach him goodness? What if she offered him a chance, instead of blindly avoiding him like everyone else? All I have to say is that Turbo will definitely take advantage of the situation and play along, all so that he can finally have his sweet revenge.

---

That’s all for now. I have a few ideas on how the story could continue, and a few interactions that I absolutely want to incorporate as well. Also I already have a finale in mind, and I hope to eventually get to that (the final scene is the one most clear in my mind right now). So, if you actually managed to read all that, thank you! Now I can go back to being a normal human being again (delusional).

[64-jungle-planks]

Night at the Museum: Redesigning Characters 2/4(?)

Character profile: Al "Scarface" "Snorky" Capone

This character is based off of and takes inspiration from the historical Al Capone.

Real Name: Alphonse "Al" Gabriel Capone

Nickname and Meaning: Scarface - He earned this nickname because of the three scars on the left side of his face, two on his cheek and one on his neck. Embarrassed by them, Al hates the nickname and never shared the real story of how he got them, siting that he actually got them fighting in WWI.

Snorky - Snorky was slang for sharp dresser. Al loved expensive, flashy clothes. Only close friends used it for him

Age: 26 (January 17, 1899)

Time Period: America's Prohibition in the 1920s, around mid-1925 Johnny Torrio, Al's boss, stepped down and let Al take over the Outfit.

Family: James "Jimmy" Vincenzo Capone, Raffaele "Ralph" James Capone, and Salvador "Frank" Capone + Three younger brothers and one sister that wasn't brought back.

(Headcanons under the cut)

Based on/taken from History:

Can play Banjo and Mandolin, prefers Mandolin

involved in the Five Points Gang with mobster John Torrio as a kid. John Torrio mentored him and gave him the role as the Chicago Mob leader

Only got into the mob for the money to care for his family

Can go from 1 to 10 very quickly

Played in a semi-pro team in Brooklyn as a kid/teen with Ralph. They were known as the Al Capone Stars

+ Intelligent + Generous + Confident - Overdramatic - Attention seeker - Petty

My own silly headcanons:

A little twerp, Al doesn’t respect authority

Feels that he’s better than Ivan and Napoleon because he’s from a newer generation and knows more.

“Okay boomer” vibes

Acts like he hates Napoleon and Ivan (mostly Napoleon), but likes them secretly. They are two men in history that did grand things- in fact he liked learning about Napoleon in school! Al just thinks he had a too big of a head.

Only has one tone of voice- really loud

Swears every other word

He’s a basically still a kid, one with too much power. Al knows his way around the mob, he’s been in it since he was around 15, but now he’s been given power over the Outfit and hasn’t come down off that high yet of being in charge.

Hes happy to have Frank back, they were four years apart in age and were extremely close. He’s missed Frank the year he’s been dead

Was extremely tempted to play baseball using the Einstein’s as balls. He doesn’t like them.

On that note, Al is slightly unnerved around the miniatures. He doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself around them.

He likes sitting at the bench in middle of the hall of miniatures just watching them. Al liked Cowboys and liked playing cowboys and robbers with his brothers as a kid. Some part of him wishes he could be part of their group.

After finding the Sinatra songs made after Al died, he’s constantly found humming them and making up his own lyrics to go along with them. He likes That’s Life the best.

Al somehow acquires a camcorder and films the whole night that they’re trying to take over the world, making himself a big star and part of the plan. He wants that stardom, he loved it when he was alive – he was just getting a part of it when he was alive

Really loves making up nicknames and short stories for people around him. One of his favorite things to do with Ralph is people-watch.

Al: I don’t like Napoleon! He’s a fuckin’.. fuckin’ bitch! A short ass goblin! Ralph: Yeah.. goblin’ that dick. Frank: MMHHEHEHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! Al: What.

Makes jokes about Napoleon and his boys being gay because he's frightened about questioning his own sexuality. He knows he likes women, but he's got that good ol' "1910's Christian beat the gay away" ideal still stuck in his head. It takes a bit for Al to realize he's bi

Loves giving gifts

He likes having at least one of his brothers by his side. Historically it's been Ralph, but during the events that take place during NATM 2, Al kept Frank close because he was frightened of loosing him again.

Frank, Ralph, Napoleon

[inbarfink]

Okay, so I just found out that I can watch the whole 2015 stage production of ‘Shock Treatment’ on YouTube and, like, I have… so many thoughts and feelings. It really does demonstrate how Shock Treatment’s biggest flaws is just how unfocused and messy and… just needing one or two more rewrites to reach it's full potential. 

Like there are a few tweaks to the dialogue that makes the whole narrative a bit simpler and easier to comprehend, the satire is a bit more focused on the core themes, I thought most of the jokes were pretty solid (and the more sexual ones offer somewhat of a stronger thematic link to ‘Rocky Horror’) and now there’s actually Shock Treatment in the plot of Shock Treatment!

I do really like how they tweaked the lyrics of some of the song to smooth over some of the remnant ‘these were written for a very different RHPS sequel and re-fitted into this plot’ weirdness. I especially like ‘I they need some young blood’ and the change to the title line in ‘Looking for Trade Fame’ and ‘Look what I you/he did to my Id” (meaning Farley). Sometimes ya just need to change just one lil' pronoun and the whole-ass song makes a lot more sense. 

But the biggest positive change this Stage Version brought is the cast. Because ‘Shock Treatment’ the movie just has way too many characters. Like, look at this compared to RHPS’ cast list.

While this is maybe a natural result of the setting shift from an isolated castle to a whole town, it also leaves a lot of the secondary cast feeling flat and with no real space to develop. Comparing both of Little Nell’s roles is probably the best example. Nurse Ansalong is fun and Nell's performance is great as usual, but she’s just kinda around to be a RHPS nod and so Little Nell has Something to Do in this movie and an excuse to run around in a sexy nurse’s outfit. And these are all noble goals but… well, Columbia was an actual character, as campy as RHPS is, she was a character with emotions and pathos and tragedy and an important narrative and thematic role. Ansalong just never had the time to develop into someone with even a tenth of that depth.

(It also makes ‘Shock Treatment’ waaaay harder to Shadow Cast.)

So the stage version just cutting her out and… basically cutting everyone out except for Brad, Janet, Farley, the two Dr. McKinleys, Betty and Ralph just gives a much better chance for all of these characters to feel like actual people. Campy, exaggerated cartoony people - but definitely people. 

Like, we get to spend a little more time on making the manipulation of Janet into a superstar feel more gradual and convincing. Which both help her work better as… basically the Emotional cornerstone of the whole story and make the villains feel more despicable and more competent. Which of course really helps the two Dr. McKinleys since all of Farley’s other minions have been cut. In general they get more opportunity to say funny stuff and can really see how they use their faux psychology and therapyspeak to control people. 

....There's some level where I maybe think this script went a little too far in the other direction. That it's kinda disappointing that this Janet didn't never quite go off the deep end like her movie counterpart did. In general this version's slightly more.... grounded vibe - compared to the Movie's kinda Surrealist Nightmare Vibe - is one of the things I feel most conflicted about.

Like on one hand, this kinda campy nonsense world where gameshow hosts committing husbands to mental asylums and living your whole life on a sound-stage are normal is one of the most compelling parts of 'Shock Treatments' satire and it's kind of a shame to lose it... but also this more grounded tone creates a story that it's easier to follow an, more importantly, emotional stakes it's easier to get invested in. I think the Ideal Perfect Version of Shock Treatment’ that Exists Only in My Brain would be, tone-wise, in the middle between the movie and the stage show, but also maybe lean more towards the stage version?

The added details that Brad and Janet’s marriage has been hitting a rough patch because Brad has been fired from his job just as Janet has gotten a promotion (which I think is a detail from "The Brad and Janet Show" draft that was dropped from the 'Shock Treatment' movie?) adds some thematic resonance about the characters dealing with the Changing Times, the idea that Brad might feel emasculated with Janet’s success while has been (temporarily) regulated to the role of a househusband is maybe understandable but it is also understandable why it would frustrate Janet and thus lives her open to the McKinley's manipulations. Again, the characters are still kinda campy, still kinda silly - but having a bit of grounding for Brad and Janet’s relationship does help when this is basically… all the emotional stakes in the story.

Now, in the Ideal Perfect Version of Shock Treatment’ that Exists Only in My Brain, the rift in Brad and Janet relationship would’ve been created by the lingering effects of the events in the Frankenstein's Place. Janet would rather pretend they never happened but Brad is still visibly reeling from that time he got forced-femmed by aliens. And although the events of ‘Rocky Horror' did definitely happen in this version, it’s mentioned as just a throwaway joke (“We’ve been through so much together! Infidelity, homicide, aliens, fishnet stockings… and that’s just the engagement party”). Still, it was a funny throwaway joke - and the promotion-and-firing idea they went with makes thematic sense in this version of ‘Shock Treatment’. 

Farley Flavors also get a bit of a ‘boost’ from the trimmed cast but… honestly the changes to his character are the ones I am most split about. Because this version of Farley Flavors is generally better because there’s a bit more… flavor to him. A more visibly wacky personality, a few more gimmicks to him. And when I first saw him I was actually… pretty hyped about him as the main villain.

Because, okay, the main problem with Farley as a villain is that, despite Cliff De Young’s excellent performance, he really is just another Evil 80’s Businessman and that feels a bit bland in the wacky world of Rocky Horror. Like, the whole ‘long-lost twin brother’ twist is supposed to feel like the counterpart to the Alien Twist in RHPS and a parody of stupid soap opera twists in general. But… the thing is that even before we found out he was an alien, Frank was already an incredibly distinctive and unique character. Being revealed as an alien in the last act of the story doesn’t define him.

But since Farley doesn’t have as much going for his character, the stupid parody long-lost brother twist does end up being his defining trait and it makes his whole character feel lackluster because… it’s a stupid parody twist! 

But since Twenty-Fifteen Farley is Fairly Far-Fetched right from the get-go this means the twist has more of a chance to feel more like the original Aliens Twist. Plus, there’s bits of dialogue here and there that feel like Foreshadowing. Farley constantly reiterates that Denton is his hometown, and that he’s a self-made man (which connects to the briefly-alluded-to implication that he was adopted into a poorer family than Brad’s and that's the source of his resentment), him saying some very Ominous Things to Bard at the end of ‘Lullaby’

And then…. It turns out this version decided to cut the long-lost twin thing!

Which… honestly I probably should’ve seen coming from the casting choices. 

And like, I see the logic here. Obviously the double-casting gimmick does not work on stage, that was supposed to be a parody of soap-opera twists and that element is a lot more downplayed in this version of ‘Shock Treatment’ and like… since this plot point has been already been heavily criticized in the film version I can see why they would want to cut it. 

But… it’s not just that I feel like this twist would’ve worked better in this version it’s also that… cutting this plot point and replacing it with nothing just makes Brad - who is already kinda relegated into glorified McGuffin for most of this story - feel like he had even less to do with the plot and makes Farley’s apparent animosity for Brad even more inexplicable and shoddy.

Like, Farley still says he chose Janet ‘because of [Brad]’ so I guess we’re supposed to believe that he just finds Brad to be such a massive lameo that it makes him seethe with a burning hatred of a thousand suns. Which is an even flimsier motivation than that Twin Stuff in the movie. 

‘Duel Duet’ always has that problem that it was originally written for two characters with a very powerful well-established rivalry and emotional stakes (Dr. Frank N’ Furter and Riff-Raff) and then had to be transplanted into being about these two schmucks who barely even know each other. And removing the Twin Twist just kinda removes whatever emotional stakes they did have and exacerbates the problem. 

.....Honestly, I think the main way to really ‘fix’ Duel Duet is… instead of that one kinda ‘Girl Power’ moment they tried to give Janet that I feel is a bit too heavy-handed and obvious…

Just make ‘Duel Duet’ a Farley versus Janet song!

Like, Janet is unquestionably THE Main Character of the story with the most important emotional journey of all of the characters, she was the core target of Farley’s manipulation and the focus of his schemes, she’s the one who actually got to interact with him and developed any sort of relationship with him, the focus of this scene is on how Janet realizing she has been used by him, she already spends all of Duel Duet physically kicking his ass…

Janet should also be the one to musically face-off against Farley, especially if you remove the only reason why Farley has to hate Brad so much. Like, yeah, she does get to beat him physically... but because this is a musical - the Songs are the thing that gets the biggest emotional and narrative priority. The person who gets to Duel Duet with the Farley is the person who really beats him. And this is really moment that should belong to Janet in this version of the story.

And maybe removing one of the few Things Brad actually gets to do in this plot which is also his Big Musical Number would kinda suck for him, but… well, this version also gives Brad a nice lil’ Triumphant Reprise of ‘In My Own Way’ where he reaffirms his love for Janet and maybe you can expand that into his Big Musical Number and… y’know, if the rift in their marriage was at least kinda about Brad’s insecurities about Janet becoming the Main Breadwinner of the household… Maybe it’ll be a good resolution to his story to embrace being Janet’s little Damsel in Distress?

(I mean, I think this is an element in this musical as it is but.... but you could've leaned into it more!)

And with both Oliver Wright and Macy Struthers cut, that gives more material to make Betty’s character more interesting. Without Oliver, Betty generally gets to talk about her ongoing investigation with Janet - and that means the two of them get to have more interactions and a more visible friendship. And on the other hand, She starts out as Ralph Hapshatt’s cohost, putting on a very Macy-esque false smile and pretending they’re still happily married. It’s a fun, character-specific spin on the whole ‘falsehood of television’ motif of ‘Shock Treatment’. 

(Also since Oliver is cut, it means Betty, Janet and Brad sing “Anyhow, Anyhow” as a trio. Which… I think that means they’re gonna have a threesome. And you know what? I support Janet Majors and her two girlfriends!)

And Ralph… really got the biggest boost in personality from the trimming of the cast - especially as most of the singing roles of these cut characters for assigned to him. Like, okay, I think something that’s kind of a problem with the ending of the original ‘Shock Treatment’ is how… unambiguous it is when compared to ‘Rocky Horror’. 

Because ‘Rocky Horror’ has a very morally ambiguous cast - pretty much every character has some element that makes them at least a little bit sympathetic and also… well, if not morally wrong than at least an (Audience Participation Voice) ASSHOLE (but also yeah, a lot of them are morally reprehensible even when working against other morally reprehensible characters). And the ending leaves it ambiguous whatever Frank got what he deserves or whatever his death is a tragedy, or some combinations of the two. Not to mention the ambiguity of what happened to Brad and Janet; whatever they’ve been liberated or exploited or corrupted and whatever or not they’re better off being left behind on earth or remaining in Frank’s clutches.

And meanwhile ‘Shock Treatment’  has a VERY clear-cut ending. There is a unambiguous differentiation between the characters who are the Good Guys, and those who are Bad Guys and those who are the Bad Guys’ Gullible Victims. And, like, yeah, all the Bad Guys succeeded in their evil scheme and and are now basically literally rolling in cash

…but literally any character who has any redeeming qualities gets to happily escape this Nightmare Studio while singing a cheery song about sex. 

Even Oscar Drill and the Bits, who are quite literally Bit Characters and have very little characterization or connection to our Main Foursome, get to escape. Basically just because what little we got from them made them seem like a nice group of young gays and they never did anything bad. 

And all of the people who stayed behind were portrayed as such exaggerated cartoonish bigoted caricatures literally rushing in excitement to get themselves exploited. Nor do we get any moment for our protagonists to show any sort of concern or regret or sadness about these people who they've known all of their lives. So it’s really hard to care about them as, like, Real People who've been duped into being ground down by this awful machine of capitalism and conformism. 

I understand the idea that having a wider cast makes Denton feel more like a Town compared to the isolated feeling of the Frankenstein’s Place, and that seeing all of these people fall for Farley’s bullshit in their own slightly-different ways help drives home how prevalent and influential and powerful this capitalist proudly-selfish image-obsessed philosophy really is. But… none of these characters get enough time to develop into anything but shallow parodies of Society. There’s just not enough humanity in them to sell even an ounce of the tragedy of Columbia and Rocky's deaths. 

So condensing all of these slightly-different characters into Ralph Hapshatt… that really made him the most complicated and morally-ambiguous character in this whole musical. Because, yeah, he is a self-obsessed sexist asshole driven primarily by a desire for fame and fortune but…

We spend enough time with him to humanize him. To see how he’s struggling with internalized homophobia and how he does have his doubts about what Farley and Co. are doing to his best friends even if his thirst for fame keep winning the moral battle and that said thirst for fame is pretty obviously born from a desperate need for love and validation that this homophobic corporate world just can’t give him.

So when the show ends with him being happily strapped unto to the Shock Treatment device he illegally modified with his own two hands because he just can’t allow himself to refuse a chance to star on TV - on some level this is karma, but it’s also a grim reminder that even if our threesome of heroes are happy and free, this exploitative entertainment machine also 'just got to keep going', just got to keep grinding down other people in the name of mental health, the American family and quality entertainment. 

And although we’ve technically scaled down from a whole town to just one guy, this feels so much more tragic because as selfish as Ralph is, and as silly and intentionally-ridiculous as the writing is sometimes, he still feels so much like a person. 

[world-cinema-research]

Carrie (1976) Movie Essay

By Aiden McKinney

Carrie (1976) was Stephen King’s first published novel and a year later, was the first of his to be adapted into a film. With the creative direction of Brian De Palma, Carrie brought life back to the horror genre and has become a cult classic. In fact, five years after the release of the film, King complemented the filmmaker's work:

"De Palma's approach to the material was lighter and more deft than my own—and a good deal more artistic ... The book seems clear enough and truthful enough in terms of the characters and their actions, but it lacks the style of De Palma's film. The book attempts to look at the ant farm of high school society dead on; De Palma's examination of this 'High School Confidential' world is more oblique ... and more cutting.” 

The movie stars Sissy Spacek as an overly shy and self conscious high school senior who doesn’t have a friend in the world. In fact, she is an outcast with an overbearing, abusive, mentally unstable, religious fanatic for a mother. Margaret White fears everything is a sin in the eyes of the Lord, especially anything remotely provocative, sexual in nature, or regarding the female anatomy and its physicality. She is so out of touch, that she never taught Carrie about a woman’s menstrual cycle. When Carrie suddenly gets her first period in the shower after P.E. in school, she is absolutely horrified and scared to death. Reaching out to her classmates for help, the girls only laugh at her and throw feminine hygiene products at her. The bullying only gets worse for Carrie, who begins to realize she has telekinetic powers. She can move objects with the power of her mind This, of course, only makes her more of an outcast. To better prepare for the role, Sissy Spacek isolated herself from the rest of the cast during production. “In a 2013 interview with Vulture, co-star P.J. Soles recalled how on "the first or second day, Sissy came over to a group of us, maybe at lunch, I don’t remember, and said, ‘I love you guys, we’re going to have a great shoot, I’m very excited to be working on this. But I just want to let you guys know, I’m going to alienate myself from you. I want to feel that alienation. But I really like you and afterwards we’ll party and we’ll have a great time. But don’t take it personally. I just want to let you know I’m doing it on purpose because I want to get into the part.’ We all really respected her for that, and that made us even more eager and able to be as mean as we could to her, because we knew it was going to help her." (Facts about Carrie- Mental Floss) 

It also makes her mother believe that Carrie is the spawn of the Devil, as she was conceived in a moment of impulsive promiscuity, prior to marriage. Margaret White has a monologue that explains her moment of weakness:

Carrie: It was bad, Mama. They laughed at me. Hold me, Mama. Please hold me.

Margaret White: I should've killed myself when he put it in me. After the first time, before we were married, Ralph promised never again. He promised, and I believed him. But sin never dies. Sin never dies. At first, it was all right. We lived sinlessly. We slept in the same bed, but we never did it. And then, that night, I saw him looking down at me that way. We got down on our knees to pray for strength. I smelled the whiskey on his breath. Then he took me. He took me, with the stink of filthy roadhouse whiskey on his breath, and I liked it. I liked it! With all that dirty touching of his hands all over me. I should've given you to God when you were born, but I was weak and backsliding, and now the Devil has come home. We'll pray.

Carrie: Yes.

Margaret White: We'll pray. We'll pray. We'll pray for the last time. We'll pray.

Youtube Carrie trailer

The movie trailer covers quite a bit of the film, but it also gives a genuine vibe and  creepy feeling of the film. 

Box office

Budget

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Gross US & Canada

$33,800,000

Gross worldwide

$33,801,936

Carrie was a box office success both in numbers and in Academy Award nominations. Nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Actress (Spacek) and Best Supporting Actress (Laurie). This is notable, since the horror genre is not ordinarily recognized at the Academies, especially since Saturn Awards launched in 1972 to honor films of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Original review from Roger Ebert in which he praises director Brian De Palma for creating a horror film that doesn’t rely on the gore and violence of a typical horror film. De Palma focuses on characterization and the reality that Carrie is a teenage girl who everyone can possibly relate to, at least once in their lives.

“I wouldn't want to spoil the movie's climax for you by even hinting at what happens next. Just let me say that "Carrie" is a true horror story. Not a manufactured one, made up of spare parts from old Vincent Price classics, but a real one, in which the horror grows out of the characters themselves.The scariest horror stories -- the ones by M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, and Oliver Onions -- are like this. They develop their horrors out of the people they observe. That happens here, too. Does it ever.”

 Roger Ebert Carrie 1976 

Carrie is a conventional film with unconventional technical aspects. There is a central character, Carrie, and she experiences conflict (so much conflict) who has a goal. There are antagonists (so many antagonists) who stand in the way of her goal. The cinematography is unconventional, in the sense that De Palma used unusual camera angles and motions that translate different emotions and feelings in different scenes. For example, at the Prom, Carrie and Tommy are dancing and the camera is spinning around them as they are spinning, creating a sense of euphoria and confusion, at the same time. 

youtube.com Carrie dance scene 

The movie Carrie subscribes to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension of High Restraint. Carrie is raised by an overly religious mother who controls her and tries to keep Carrie from breaking from her strict upbringing and expressing herself in her own way.

Historical Events

United States - First Space Shuttle

NASA unveils the first space shuttle, the Enterprise.

More Information for the first space shuttle

NASA unveiled the first space shuttle, the Enterprise, to the public during September of 1976. The Enterprise was only a prototype created to conduct test flights and the official launch of the Space Shuttle Program did not occur until April of 1981 with the launch of the Columbia. The Enterprise weighed about 150,000 pounds and cost nearly $10 billion to create. While the first space shuttle never actually made it into space, it did become the first of the space shuttles to fly during a test in the following year after it was unveiled.

Jimmy Carter defeats incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976 Presidential election.

Britannica 1976 Presidential election 

[merv606]

About hair…

TIG’s best hair is in Crackerjack in my opinion, bar none. He looked so handsome there with that floppy cut it’s not even funny. Also really loved the shorter, salt n’ pepper look in that movie where he goes to Poland or something (and he’s a cop). Super handsome and also distinguished! I have mixed feels about the Excessive Force hair (not a fan of mullets, but TIG’s such a looker so…). Also liked his hair in Escape from Alaska and silver fox look in The Kidnapping/Black Friday.

Might be an unpopular hot take, but my all time favorite “Daniel” look is in Cuba and His Teddy Bear as Teddy. What a total doll, the messy, shaggy hair just WORKS for him because it frames his face and brings out how very pretty he really is, how dark and expressive his eyes are. Another hot take—the Naked in New York haircut only looks good from certain angles. From the front it looks not so good, and sets weird, though from the side/profile it looks great.

That is a a good choice - crackerjack and I think Black Friday is my fav Silver Fox Look 🤔

I like Behind Enemy Lines and Beyond Forgiveness really deserves more love than it gets.

Ulterior Motives - but I think that’s just adorable because it’s his wife as his costar.

Hollow Point - Max Parish is a good look.

Valek - love him but that’s just the vampire vibes more than anything and the character itself - love Valek.

I do love Ralph in NINY but I can appreciate those feelings about it.

Tragically I like him in Too Much Sun 😬

Cuban and his Teddy Bear is what I picture when I think ABO Daniel in heat - it’s the sweaty hair and skin, flushed face and crazy eyes - screams omega in heat.

Happily Divorced Ralph - hot damn - he deserves all the love.

The Deuce Officer Haddix really really needs more love - something about him as a crooked detective - and him at the PREMIERE FOR THAT 🥵

I have an idea for a fic where Terry has Haddix/Daniel on his payroll and they have nasty, dirty sex - starts with Haddix on his knees giving Terry BJs in seedy back alleys and Haddix getting fucked in suspect bathrooms or equally seedy clubs/bars. It progresses to

Or maybe Daniel is a detective - refusing to be bought - until Terry gets black mail info or threatens to have Miyagi deported or something - “I can make it happen, Danny.” Cue him agreeing to go on the payroll only for Terry to tell him he wants something more ….. Daniel giving his 🍑 up - and of course, after a while, well, “I don’t like you working such a dangerous job, sweetheart,” which is funny - the target he has on his back since becoming Terry’s side piece is much bigger ….. but there is something 🥵 about older Daniel becoming some kept, pretty thing on Terry’s arm - getting through life on Terry’s dime by the spread of his thighs.

* Fans self *

Older sugar baby Daniel - esp reluctant older sugar baby Daniel is just soooo 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Anyway / that went off the rails …..

But I reference these pics a lot:

This one below is PERFECT for Terry Mob AUs - you couldn’t get any better - and when I think of any of my many Mob AUs / this is the Terry I am imagining.

And that one is just Sugar Daddy™️

And I’m leaving these two of Ralph form Ugly Betty because they are some of my favs - he’s so pretty in them 😍

That’s really just not fair dammit.

[aviagin]

ROTTMNT Personal HeadCanons

The way I’m a Leo kinnie longed to be Mikey, seen as Ralph, and could never be Donnie is just wow to me. A couple of stray thoughts.

Leo gives Jake Peralta from Brooklyn99 vibes tell me I’m wrong you can’t

Mikey learns how to make teapots to be able to replace ol'skully for their dad. RIP pour one out for a beloved member of the family for generations.

I bet Splints probably misses the taste of plastic and evil too lmao. Mikey makes two versions he made the “Jupiter Jim sure taste funny” and the “before a sports ball was found.”

Leo starts chipping away at his shell to compensate for breaking Raph's shell. They start to notice the carelessness he has for his shell. Donnie is the first to realize how often he’s just softening blows or covering Mikey. Sure he can walk it off but just as easily he could have dodged.

Raph goes into Leo’s room and sees him picking at his shell. “Now I know I’m not the medic but he’d tell me to not pick”

Leo gets startled and does immediately stop. “Raph! What can yours truly most handsome brother do for you!?”

Raph sits with him not sure how to approach the topic. Of course, Raph has always been a talk less act now type of turtle why should that change now. He can’t hesitate, not when it comes to his brothers. . .his family. He brings it up. . .Seeing the twinge of guilt flash across Leo’s face is enough for him to want to drop it. No he has to explain and reassure Leo it’s not his fault. He didn’t break his shell the Kraang did. “But if you start to break yours for me. That means I’m causing it. Come on you want big bro Raph to lose his #1 EXboss mug.” And Leo is just like no I would never want you to lose your mug. He would lightly chuckle teary eyed. Raph would give him the warmest bestest most big brother hug he can give Leo. “Let’s go we can’t leave the mad dogs watching pops commercials for too long!” They both head out feeling relieved. When they join the fam Donnie let’s a sigh of relief. Mikey has a bright smile. “Told y’all Doctor feelings is never wrong. Nothing can heal unless we disinfect the area ain’t that right doctor.” Mikey winks a Leo. April laughs hyping Mikey up. He shakes his head ready to have a movie marathon with the fam.

Donnie has fs Raph proofed everything that’s been destroyed. Of course he could do it all in one go scan what’s most likely too fragile and Raph proof it but BORE YAWN!!! Wheres the fun in that. When something does get broken usually by Raph hence the name Donnie makes sure it only happens once. He makes bets with the rest on what breaks next. Any on on purpose breaks means zero claim to the pot. They take their gambling very serious and have no idea how April keeps wining.

Leo gaslights and starts fights for the fun of it or causes fights for fun. He makes remakes like “me personally I wouldn’t take that” or “daaang bro you gonna let that one slide!” Just egging both sides.

Splinter tried his hardest to get his sons to call him master splinter or sensei at least during their training but clearly he didn’t win that war and now he knows when they get mad at him they call him splinter. He won’t say it out loud but he prefers it when his sons call him pops/dad/papa and finds it funny when they come up with new ones.

Leo and Donnie are nail biters. If Leo is a nail biter one hundred percent Donnie is too. Or vice versa. They compete to see who can go the longest without biting their nails, who bit less nails, and the loser who has shorter nails. Both started to get concerned for the other when their nails were so short there was a thin line of blood. I love the idea of how In sync they are without knowing. They’re both like I’m going to trick him by making it seem like a competition then he’ll have to stop! Nothing feels better to him then beating me what a great plan! It works for the most part. It started backwards at first with them biting even shorter to lose and give the other a win. Then one of them gloats too hard it finally flames the fire of competing. Of course there’s good weeks and bad weeks.

Sooo we all agree Leo is the type to make a big deal out of small cuts he’d ask nay he’d dramatically plead for a pretty blue bandaid from his brother Donnie. “Donnie it’s so dark I think I’m not going to make write my final Will please” when he trips. “Raph I can see the light gram gram what are you doing at the other side of the river” when it’s a scratch. But when it’s a serious injury “Tis but a flesh wound” he’ll take care of it himself pssh no need to worry. Your just being dramatic omg and multiple eye rolls. He still can’t understand how his brothers know is a serious injury or when it’s a bad one. Leo doesn’t realize he uses his brothers colors with bandaids.

Leo at first felt some resentment just the tiniest bit and even when he denied that resentment he still felt it. It was resentment towards Mikey his little brother, the tiniest turtle out of the 4. He loves his brother, he loves all his brothers of course he does…but why does MIKEY get a softer treatment from their one parent, why does Mikey get to be irresponsible because he’s younger. Why does Mikey get all the attention from their dad when here’s there too. Then one day when Mikey starts to really get into art he goes to Leo right away for his opinion on his first pieces. Leo feels that tangle in his feelings unravel. Then it happens again when Mikey starts to cook his first taste tester/judge was Leo and it happens again when he starts something new. Over and over Leo would be the first person to approve and praise his creations. Of course what kind of big brother could Leo call himself if he didn’t still get annoyed of Mikey from time to time. He gets it now tho. That tangle unraveled the moment he saw the enjoyment of watching Mikey grow. He felt pride in being the first one Mikey went to before showing off to the rest of the family. Leo likes to joke how he does have a favorite brother and won’t tell. But no matter how much thought, time, and effort he puts into answering that question it’s always the same answer they all are. Raph is his big brother their overprotective gentle boss man plus he practically carries them of course he’s his favorite. Donnie well Donnie is his twin of course he’s his favorite, and Mikey oh sweet sweet Angelo watching him grow *clutching pearls* becoming so strong with his naive trustworthy heart of course he’s his favorite. So yeah he does have a favorite. . .it’s April.

[cutekoala1001]

I made Spotify playlists for a couple of Sing characters that didn’t get one! (Song lists are under the cut) ↓

And I made a new Buster playlist! Since he has TWO playlists from the first and second movie, I combined them into one and added some showtunes, some upbeat jazzy stuff, and a few songs that gives off Buster vibes ♡ (sorry it’s so long, he had a lot of music! Mostly oldies but goodies ♪)

♘ Eddie Noodleman ♘

✿ Miss Crawly ✿

⭐︎ Buster Moon ⭐︎

EDDIE:

8TEEN (Khalid)

Moonshadow (Cat Stevens)

Let’s Go Surfing (The Drums)

Ukulele and Chill (Cody G)

Sunflower (Post Malone, Swae Lee)

Ventura Highway (Paco Versailles)

Love Your Days (Cherokee)

Swept Away (Vanilla)

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Wham!)

No Rain (Blind Melon)

California (from The O.C.)

Days Like These (Lakey Inspired)

Dream With You - Bosq Remix (Jeffrey Paradise)

Young Folks (Peter Bjorn and John)

Tropical Heartache (Poolside)

California Sunset (Poolside)

Weather (Ralph)

Inbetween Days (The Cure)

End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys)

Pink Sky (Bay Ledges)

Australia (The Shins)

Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Paul Simon)

Baroque Hoedown (Perrey and Kingsley)

MISS CRAWLY:

Lagoon (Havana Swim Club)

You Make Me Feel So Young (Frank Sinatra)

What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Billy Holiday, Teddy Wilson)

Chop Suey! (System Of A Down)

April Showers (Proleter)

Frenesi (Artie Shaw)

Come Fly With Me (Frank Sinatra)

When I’m Sixty Four (The Beatles)

Shooby Shooby Do Yah! (Mocean Worker, Steven Bernstein)

C’est Magnifique (Kay Starr)

Blinuet (Zoot Sims)

The Last Time I Saw Paris (Vaughn Monroe)

Them from New York, New York (Frank Sinatra)

Sweet Happy Life (Peggy Lee)

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles)

きらきらキラー (Kyary Pamyu Pamyu)

BUSTER MOON:

Flirty Cha Cha (The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra)

Safe And Sound (Capital Cities)

Don’t Rain On My Parade (Barbra Streisand)

There’s No Business Like Show Business (Harry Connick, Jr.)

Gimme Some Lovin’ (The Spencer David Group)

My Type (Saint Motel)

Walking On A Dream (Empire of the Sun)

The Showman (Little More Better) (U2)

Blinuet (Zoot Sims)

Come to Me (Koop, Yukimi Nagano)

Cake By The Ocean (DNCE)

Dream A Little Dream Of Me (Teddy Wilson)

Over and Over (Session Victim)

Soulful Strut (Horst Jankowski and his Studio Orchestra)

Dancing in the Moonlight (Toploader)

A Happy Song (Victory)

Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Lovely Day (Bill Withers)

End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys)

Seasons of Love (Rent the Musical)

Times Are Hard for Dreamers (Amelie the Musical)

Keep Your Head Up (Andy Grammer)

Hang On Little Tomato (Pink Martini)

Smile (Nat King Cole)

When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) (Louis Armstrong)

My Song (Labi Siffre)

Wouldn’t It Be Nice (The Beach Boys)

Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra)

Faith (Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande from Sing)

I Got You (I Feel Good) (James Brown & The Famous Flames)

The Wind (Cat Stevens)

Hallelujah (Tori Kelly from Sing)

I’m A Believer (The Monkees)

Faith (George Michael)

You’re All I’ve Got Tonight (The Cars)

Keep It Comin’ Love (KC & The Sunshine Band)

Happy (Pharrell Williams)

Sing (Ed Sheeran)

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell)

Sing a Song (Earth, Wind & Fire)

Your Song (Elton John)

Golden Slumbers (The Beatles)

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)

Listen to the Music (The Doobie Brothers)

I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (The New Seekers)

Saturday (Twenty One Pilots)

Someone In The Crowd (La La Land soundtrack)

The Blue Room (Zoot Sims Quartet)

Turandot, SC 91, Act III: Nessun Dorma! (Giacomo Puccini)

Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

You, Me, Here, Now (Dam Swindle)

Dancin’ - Krono Remix (Aaron Smith, Luvli, Krono)

Feel the Heat (Ghosts of Venice)

Flashing Lights (Kanye West)

Beautiful People (feat. Khalid) - NOTD Remix (Ed Sheeran, Khalid, NOTD)

Get Down Tonight (KC & The Sunshine Band)

Got To Be Realm(Cheryl Lynn)

Sing a Happy Song (The O’Jays)

Do You Believe in Magic? (The Lovin’ Spoonful)

You Can’t Stop the Music (The Kinks)

Can’t Stop The Feeling! (Justin Timberlake)

Don’t Dream It’s Over (Crowded House)

Take A Chance On Me (ABBA)

The Moonbounce (Koop)

Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) (Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars)

Off White Limousine (Client Liaison)

Old 45’s (Chromeo)

Pick Up The Pieces (Average White Band)

He’s The Greatest Dancer (Sister Sledge)

You’re The Top (Jeri Southern)

Let’s Go Crazy (Prince)

Daydream Believer (The Monkees)

Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey)

It’s Gonna Be Good (Next To Normal the musical)

[kitkatt0430]

1, 4, 12, 18 and 23 for the salty ask game?

1.) What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Harry/Barry

Harry and Barry's relationship just lacks any kind of non-platonic chemistry to me. I kind of feel like Harry becomes the mentor to Barry that Eobard pretended to be? I dunno, they just don't click in my brain in any manner other than platonic, so I can't see them being QPPs or romantic partners.

4.) Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

Caitlin/Cisco & Frost/Cisco

Killervibe - specifically the Caitlin/Cisco flavor of it - is a fairly popular OTP. And while I can get it as Caitlin ~ Cisco QPPs... I just really don't like them as a romantic ship. I attempted to get in the ship and while there were a couple of fics that were good, I just... got less and less interested in the ship until I reached a point where that ship showing up is often enough for me to close the tab if an otherwise interesting sounding req list fic I click on includes the ship.

Frost/Mark

WTF were the show runners thinking. I avoid this ship like the plague.

12.) Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Maybe? I think I tend to like the Nora 1.0 story line in S5 more than average. Yeah there was a looot in that season that was not handled well, but I think for the most part Nora was pretty well done. She definitely should have been younger - college aged maybe? - though I get that there was a comparison was being made between Nora and what S1 Barry was like, as well as a look at how far S5 Barry had come in maturing as a person yet still had to go before becoming a father.

Iris' side of the the story line deserved better, but that's basically a repeated refrain for every season.

18.) Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?

Not inherently, no. But it is important to be able to interrogate yourself a bit to determine why you don't like something.

Take the Barry Allen/Iris West ship. There are a lot of reasons people don't ship the tv show version of these characters. Some people prefer Iris with Eddie because he treated her better in S1 than Barry did. Some people don't like the psuedo incest vibes that come from Barry and Iris being foster siblings - foster sibling romance is understandably a bit squicky for some people regardless of who is involved. It could be that Iris' lack of agency in the relationship is too uncomfortable for some people to enjoy the ship. But if the reason someone doesn't like Barry/Iris is solely because they only ship Barry with Caitlin or Patty or Linda - two of whom are white women and one who is a very light skinned asian woman - and no other reason than that (or the only other reason is they dislike Iris for reasons that boil down to misogynoir) then that person may want to consider that they've got some internalized racial biases or colorism to unpack.

Not shipping Barry/Iris isn't an automatic sign of biases that need unlearning, but it's important to understand why you don't like something because sometimes we internalize things like 'stuff that squick us out are morally bad' or racial biases. Learning to recognize those parts of ourselves in every day life - including social arenas like fandoms we're active parts of - is important in order to unlearn them.

As for being in denial, that tends to be more about non canon ships. There is a lot of amatonormativity wrapped up in that particular assertion. "of course I ship these two, friends don't act like that" :/

I really just can't be bothered to give people who argue that people are 'in denial' for not shipping a popular ship the time of day as a result.

23.) Unpopular character you love?

Ralph Dibny. He does start off as a misogynist asshole and he definitely deserved to get fired from the CCPD in his backstory, but his character growth is really impressive and... honestly? I think we need more stories where someone is an unlikable asshole but grows out of it. Complex characters who, when given support and kindness, realize they don't like who they are and take active steps to correct that. Stories that remind us it's not to late to turn your life around, if you're willing to take responsibility for yourself and unlearn the bad habits that weigh you down. And that if you're already in a good place yourself, supporting people trying to change, even when they stumble along the way, is an important thing to do to make the world itself a better place.

I mean... that's what the show the Good Place was all about and I loved it so very, very much. So it's really not any wonder that Ralph - who is kind of a male version of Eleanor Shellstrop in many ways - is a character I enjoyed as he learned to grow as a person.

[brunhielda]

Nothing New Under the Sun

Just read the down low on character backgrounds for TMNT Mutant Mayhem. Found here: https://www.tumblr.com/i-restuff/719316649676832768/leo

The biggest takeaway for me is this: This time Leo is the one with the crush on April.

On one hand, I get it. It is a character dynamic to explore. And especially if you intend for April to have no feelings back, it is a way of exploring how alone the boys feel being the only ones of thier species. Like, the potential for drama and angst is there. I see it.

But also… can we not? I love found family. I love it so much. Way more than romance, reciprocated or unrequited. And to be honest “the boys have a crush on thier human female friend” has been done. Done to death. The only TMNT to avoid it entirely is ROTTMNT. 80s and 90s kept it to a “teenage crush on an older woman that was hinted at and went nowhere” which honestly was sweet. I kinda dug that.

But then we get into the 2000s, and it is now full fledged embarrassing. Mostly for Donny, poor fool, but the live actions of that time also show a rather painful Mikey that goes no where. I think the idea was “it will add another layer to the brothers that get pushed to the side and seem flat” to which I say, there are other ways to fix that! Again, I don’t want to keep banging the same drum as it’s not even my favorite version, but ROTTMNT had four distinct personalities without tying anyone to a doomed romance with April.

Also want to point out? Unfair to April! This girl throws herself into a dangerous and weird world because “that’s what friends do” and then demote her to “the girl” by making her a romantic subplot. Like, it would be interesting if she came to a crush, over time, first, or on any level seemed interested, but the writers inevitably turn her into someone who will have to reject one of the guys, making us dislike her, even for just a moment, when as a person, she is brave, badass, and just GOOD. We don’t need that moment of vilification.

And now you are handing this mess to Leo. LEO. The boy does not need anymore angst or characterization. He has been done. He has been over done. I love and respect him, as an older son myself I often find myself paying most attention to his issues, but he doesn’t need more development. No more major screen time. Give Mikey or Don an A plot, PLEASE. And no, not a romance. Let them have the major issue that needs to be resolved. It is time.

At this point the only one to never crush on April (arguments to be made for 90s movie pending) is Ralph. And while I honestly do not think he needs it, and would role my eyes at it, you could at least argue for an interesting OT3 by the end. Leo doesn’t even have those vibes going for him. Just more pointless angst.

I am hoping there turns out to be some other interesting tales in Mutant Mayhem, because you just hit me with a big smack of disappointment. I literally groaned out loud.

Come on my guys. Do better.

[lavellenchanted]

finished s3, that was a fun few hours. some spoilery thoughts:

samuel and lady susan were an unexpected highlight of the season

I liked georgiana’s arc of going from disillusionment to embracing hope again, but I’m not sure how I feel about them bringing back otis (especially since they kind of glossed over the fact that he was one of the first to set georgiana on the path of disillusionment and believing everyone wanted her for her money)

I also felt they’d allowed more nuance on the georgiana/harry/arthur situtation, which . . . actually is a very honest and practical setup for all three of them, and would give them all more protection and freedom to live as they choose 

and the ending as is kind of ignores the fact that harry is still going to be under pressure to marry and produce an heir

well maybe they’ll meet a nice lesbian couple in wales and form a happy lavender quandrangle

poor ralph

he did not deserve that

also felt there were a lot of classist undertones in how he and his entire life in general were implied to be not good enough for charlotte rather than it just being about charlotte loving someone else

very similar to how stringer was handled in s1

which is why I’m giving him the same headcanon I gave stringer, that eventually he meets a nice heiress who appreciates him and they live happily ever after

I was struggling with the idea of edward having a full redemption arc but I appreciated they managed to find a balance with him

although I am furious that they gave him one of frederick wentworth’s lines, how dare they

also felt very frustrated with charlotte during the elopement, like “girls should be trusted to know their own minds” is a nice sentiment but augusta is a teenager being manipulated by a much older man who is a serial abuser of women, come the fuck on

similarly “she won’t be ruined, she’ll still be augusta” is a nice sentiment in private but came off as incredibly naive as to the public impact that sort of scandal would have on both augusta and the entire colbourne family, there is a reason lydia’s elopment with wickham is the dramatic climax of pride and prejudice

it just felt very obvious that these were 21st century writers

but very glad it did not end up with augusta and edward getting married, that girl deserves so much better

mr price gets a gold star for not being as much of a jerk as he could have been

him/lady denham and the doctor/vicar’s sister storylines both felt a bit contrived just to pair everyone they could off but they were enjoyable, so they can stay

mary parker is a socialist hero

charlotte’s hair was up for 95% of the season, it’s a freaking miracle

big darcy/knightley vibes in alexander going to get the brother he hasn’t seen in ten years just to help charlotte’s friend, 10/10 no notes

it was a very sweet ending, I liked the parallel to the ending of s1 (and I will never not be happy that sidney was killed off and we got a much better hero in alexander)

[weclassybouquetfun]

The End is the Beginning is the End. We put the Golden Globes back in the doghouse and look forward to the last batch of awards shows to close out the film awards season. The SAG awards nominations were announced today, the BAFTAs will be announced on Jan. 19th and the Oscars on Jan. 24th so there will be more fashion to look forward to. I hope those red carpet looks will be more impressive than the Golden Globes.

Donald Glover in Saint Laurent *Best dressed man of the night. No competition. Suave, sexy, love the moustache. The entire look is gold.

Diego Calva in Gucci *Second favourite male look of the night. I adore it! It has a retro vibe which is fitting as he's the star of BABYLON. Love the cut and colour. He looks amazing.

Laverne Cox in John Galliano *I was saying during last year's award season how former awards staples Marchesa (Georgina Chapman, former wife of Harvey Weinstein) and John Galliano will never seemingly be embraced again, and while it is not a new design as Galliano is still in Designer Jail, Cox reached back in the vault for this vintage Galliano gown and it's the best she's ever looked. She looks sensational.

Lily James in Versace *One thing Lily James is going to do besides have an affair with her costar, is look great on the red carpet.

Angela Bassett in Pamella Roland. *Love this quasi nod to Old Hollywood look. Very glam.

Barry Keoghan in Louis Vuitton *I'm torn about the neckerchief/bow tie gone wrong, so it must mean in my heart of hearts that I like it. The look gives me Guy-Running-From-the-Garda-Runs-Into-Costume-Shop-And-Puts-On-Bullfighter-Costume.

Rihanna in Schiaparelli Couture.

*Bad Girl Ri-Ri didn't walk the red carpet and could, seemingly, be seen exiting the event early after congratulating her competition, MM Keeravani whose "Naatu, Naatu" won.

MORE FASHION

Billy Porter in Christian Siriano

Ayo Edebiri in Rosie Assoulin *Now she knows those gloves are a mistake. It's like when Andre Leon Talley (RIP) dressed Jennifer Hudson the year she won her Oscar and gave her a great dress with pockets (yes) but put her in a bolero (no).

Letitia Wright in Prada

Ana de Armas in Louis Vuitton

Newly married Anya Taylor Joy in Dior

Jenna Ortega in Gucci *That's too much dress. In consideration of her height everything should have been shorter - hem, sleeves. It would have been even better to modify it to a sleeveless dress. Her hair colour looks great with the dress, though.

Jeremy Pope

Jessica Chastain in Oscar de la Renta *This dress is like the film THE GOOD NURSE. Good, but basic.

Eddie Redmayne in Valentino *He's looking as if he just caught his reflection and wondered WTF his stylist was on to put that on him. The flower should be burned and it would have been nice if he had on black shoes to not look so monochromatic and the pants are too long. The only brown clothes he needs to be in is Thom Browne.

Niecy Nash in Dolce & Gabbana *People should just embrace capes and go. This puffy floor length wrap nonsense is for the birds. The plum-colour dress is gorgeous and the wrap just distracts.

Margot Robbie in Chanel *Please get this woman a better stylist. Someone adventurous; someone to take her out her comfort zone. Nice dress, but underwhelming.

Sheryl Lee Ralph in Aliette. *My favourite female look of the night. Colourful, hair fits the look.

Britt Lower in Bach Mai

Bailey Bass (AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER and the fantastic INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (AMC+) in Dior *It's a great dress for sure - though I wish it was either an empire waist or it was a two-piece with the top being a corset, but barring that, I wish she would have gone with how her hair is in IWTV. If she wore her naturally curly hair it would look so great framing her face.

Viola Davis in Jason Wu

Michelle Yeoh in Armani Prive *Exquisite.

Salma Hayek in Gucci *Of all the Gucci designs at her disposal she went with this??? I have seen her in some insanely incredible Gucci designs over the years so the fact that she wore something so relatively matronly offends me.

Michelle Williams in Gucci *Oh jayzus. What a disaster. It's THE SON of dresses.

Pregnant Claire Danes in Giambattista Valli *I'm guessing she left the house forgetting that she was wrapped up in her quilt.

Andrew Garfield in Zegna *Love the colour. I'm disappointed because I mistook the overly long psudeo-tie for a sash and thought there was some creative flair to the look. No such luck.

Tyler James Williams in Amiri *He gets 10 points for not being boring. Do I love that he looks like he just come out of the rain (and considering it's been storming here for two days, maybe he did), but I love the wide legs trousers and jacket.

Emma D'Arcy in Acne Studios

Michaela Jae Rodriguez in Balmain

[thepropertylovers]

A Small Tour of Our Little Beach Shack

It’s been a few days since we’ve been back from the beach and staying in our little Beach Shack for the first time ever. We bought this cottage last May and it looked completely different when we were handed over the keys. The walls were dark, the carpet was gross, and the bathroom was…interesting.

After working on it for a year, we would say the house is about 95% complete. We had so much fun staying there and experiencing life by the beach for two weeks, and I wanted to share with you what the cottage looks like as of today, because it’s so cute and it’s come so far. We haven’t purchased any new furniture yet for this house, everything you see in it we already had and we hauled down to the beach from our storage building. I love that because it helps us clear out our overcrowded building and saves us some money while furnishing the cottage!

These photos were taken literally as we were walking out the door to drive back home to Tennessee, so they’re not staged or even remotely professional, but I kind of like that about them. It’s very much where we’re at right now in life, and I am more than okay with that.

Dining nook/back entry

This little room is our main entrance. We have a front door in the living room, but at the risk of carrying wet sand throughout the entire house every time we enter it, we use this little light filled back entrance to get in and out of the house. It’s also the only dining area in the house, so though it’s teeny tiny, it’s so cozy and bright, and one of our favorite rooms in the house. It was previously an addition of some kind that had a sinking floor, so PJ ripped it off and had it rebuilt and voila!

Kitchen

When we got to the shack a few weeks ago, the kitchen hadn’t been painted yet. It is the only room the painter couldn’t get to in time for us to stay here, so over the course of a few days, PJ began sanding, caulking, priming and painting the kitchen.

We went back and forth on if we should keep the ceiling the original wood (we’ve painted all the ceilings white in the rest of the house, as you’ll see) to give the kitchen a little warmth, and so far we’re liking it. The mix of the dark green cabinets, white walls, and wood ceiling give me Ralph Lauren vibes and I’m here for it.

This is the room that is the least complete. We still need all the appliances and open shelving on the sink and stove wall. PJ installed the cabinet hardware he found for a steal of a deal at a random Habitat for Humanity in Georgia last year, and the bronze really pops against the hunter green. The counters are honed Carrera marble.

We survived the week on a Keurig, a mini fridge, and a microwave. Can’t wait to have actual appliances and be able to cook in this kitchen!!

Our bedroom

The bedrooms in the cottage are tiny, barely enough room for a queen sized bed and two night stands, but I kind of love it that way. With white, wooden walls and ceilings surrounded you, you kind of feel like you’re sleeping on an old ship in the 1940’s. It’s very cozy and, though the bed itself wasn’t comfortable, it was a very comfy room to sleep in.

We have plans for new lamps and to add some curtains, a rug, some art, and a very narrow dresser on the wall across from the bed, and maybe new nightstands, but other than that, this room is basically finished. There’s a full bath to the right of the bed but it isn’t finished just yet.

The living room

Ahhh the cozy and bright living room! The biggest room in the house is the one we do pretty much everything in. It’s also the room that’s undergone one of the biggest transformations. The window by the lamp didn’t exist before PJ framed it and had one installed, and the front door didn't, either. You used to enter the house through an enclosed sunporch with a side door, and there was a huge casement opening that lead into the living room. Now, it’s more traditional and has a much better flow overall. We love this little living room and it comfortably fit all five of us.

The couch and rug were Facebook Marketplace finds, as were the chair and the coffee table. The nesting tables are from TJ Max years ago, and the lamp came with the house. We had a little schoolhouse light where the ceiling fan is, but after being there a week, we realized a fan would be better for this room to help circulate air in the 100 degree weather, so PJ took down the overhead light and installed this fan we got at Lowe’s.

The curtain rods and blinds are from Home Depot and the curtains are drop cloth.

Kids’ bath

The biggest bathroom in the house, and right now, the only one that is completed (ours still needs tile on the shower walls). For such a small cottage, this is such a good sized bathroom and fits all of us perfectly. We brought this vanity down from a local store in Chattanooga and had marble tile that looks like little water droplets installed on the floor, and went with a wavy white porcelain tile (that reminds us of ocean waves) on the shower wall.

The bathroom used to be two little choppy rooms with the strangest layout, but we expanded and built on and had the contractors add new wood to the walls and ceiling to make it all match, and then just painted it all white.

In the space across from the toilet is where a stackable washer and dryer will be, so this room is pulling double duty as a bathroom and a laundry room.

So there you have it!! Next time we go down there, I will show you the kids’ room and our private bathroom. We still need a back deck and a small front porch, but for the most part, our little Beach Shack is basically finished. Well, finished enough to live in. And we love it.

[fukia]

More on my approach towards depicting the LOTF cast (idfk how many of these I’m gonna make), including “signature” looks

• Jack: popped collar, sometimes goes for punk, sometimes goes for classy, messier hair, slightly more roughed up, his relationships with everyone is somewhat balanced; that is to say in general, he dislikes his enemies as much as he likes his friends with Ralph-Piggy-Roger being exceptions, can be surprisingly generous if he so chooses

• Ralph: bracelet, short sleeves, knows how to pose! Stands relaxedly but exudes confidence and authority, his expressions give a small sense he’s holding some of his emotions back for the sake of others (however, Jack brings them out full swing), occasionally hangs with Maurice one-on-one for similar tastes in media, kinda protective of Simon & Piggy

• Simon: some grunge, some industrial look (bracelet, necklace), short sleeve and waist-tied or unzipped cargo/utility jacket; a bit messy but in a charming way, somewhat similar to Roger style-wise but while they have the occasionally friendly interaction, Roger always says something to purposefully ruin the mood

• Roger: I was originally gonna give him peekabangs on his beauty mark side but that’s a lot of facial intrigue on one man, track boots, oversized tops, longer sleeves to better cover bloody hands - think Ichimatsu but “slutty” lmfao, he blanches a bit quicker than he tans, somewhat clingy towards Jack (and Ralph if Jack isn’t there)

• Piggy: casual but groomed, higher socks, rarely overdresses, occasionally dons contacts, gives the vibe that he feels he’s surrounded by idiots, hates both Jack & Roger of course but Roger gives him more room to fight back because it’s more fun that way, doesn’t admit how much he still seeks Ralph’s approval despite acting as if he has matured since

• Maurice: never wears short sleeves, just long-sleeves rolled up, I feel like he and Bill had a short-lived thing once that they refuse to talk about, with the latter not particularly pleased about Maurice’s allegiance to Jack (nor interactions with Roger who’s purposefully a home-wrecker in spite of Rice ignoring it)

•Samneric: raglan, occasionally wears different clothes from each-other and they are conflicted as to what this means for them as twins, one of them might be experimenting with jewelry and the other with hats - dunno which ones, both resent Roger for reasons, one resents Piggy and seeks to be Ralph’s second in command, one resents Simon for being Ralph’s spiritual/emotional center

[beetlereads]

The Feelies

by Mick Farren

Scifi

Love, Death & Robots, meets American Gladiators, meets Avatar.

In a not-so-distant future, things have gone a bit sideways. The gap between the haves and have-nots is wider than ever, and if you're not flush with cash, life is tough as nails. Enter Combined Media Corporation. These guys have cooked up a virtual product, a primo ticket to fantasyland, but it's a privilege only the rich folks can afford. They're ducking out of the real world, living their wildest dreams for hours, even entire lifetimes. The rest? They're stuck on the sidelines, hoping to scrimp and save, or maybe get lucky on a game show called "Wildest Dreams," just to get a taste of the "Feelies."

Our story centers on two characters, Ralph and Wanda Jean. Ralph's just a regular Joe, working in the CM Corp's vaults, but he's got his eyes wide open and sees the whole thing for the sham it is. Wanda Jean is a bright-eyed gal who lucks out and lands a shot at a lifetime Feelie contract on the game show "Wildest Dreams."

But, hold on, 'cause stuff starts to hit the fan. One day, a 'lifer' in the vault ends up dead as a doornail. Something's rotten in the state of CM Corp. Is there a cover-up in the works? Have they been feeding everyone a load of bull? Hang onto your seats, folks. The truth is out there, and it's got teeth.

Bookish Beetle Ratings

Cinematic Potential: 🪲🪲🪲🪲

The story itself doesn’t have a clear line through to make it a very good film. However, there’s tons of potential here for a TV show. 

Sensitive Content: 🪲

There are some some mild drug and seggs related content, but nothing crazy. 

Tough Read: 🪲🪲🪲

This book was written in a very strange way. Most chapters are contained, giving a glimpse of the whole story from different angles. The story does follow two character lines that give it a little cohesion, but the true protagonist isn’t clear until the very end. 

Cultural Sensitivity: 🪲🪲🪲🪲

There’s really nothing in this book that would shine a positive or negative light on any cultures or minority groups, though a few choice words wouldn’t be cool by today’s standards. Hence, the 4 stars.

Female Characterization: 🪲🪲🪲🪲

The women in this book, especially Wanda, are independent, strong women. No crazy fantasies here, except for the blonde bombshell trope. 

My opinion:

This was an incredibly fun read for me! At first, I was taken aback by the way the chapters were written - most of them are self-contained bits of information about the story as a whole and the people living in the story world. Once I realized this, though, I started vibing pretty hard with it. 

It was wild how relevant it felt to what we are experiencing in our world today. We don’t have tanks to live out completely immersive virtual experiences, but we’re definitely on the brink of something like this. Then there’s the wage gap between the 1% and middle class, our collapsing society, and capitalism devouring its consumers. I felt this book. 

Here’s a passage that was a complete slap in the face. Picture Frank, a new public relations hire, sitting in a corporate testing tank receiving training, aka company propaganda.

“The people don’t like the corporation, Frank. They don’t like us at all. We are the only thing that stands between them and the fulfillment of their fantasies. The corporation is the bogeyman. It set up the price system that limits the service to the wealthy. It is the corporation that excludes the poor and the underclass. They hate us, but we don’t mind. We understand, and we forgive. We know what is best, and we will do what is best even if cruelty is the ultimate route to the ultimate kindness. It is better they resent the corporation than feel that the service was something being inflicted on them. This way, they want the service, Frank. And they believe that it’s their own idea that they want it. And it doesn’t stop at wanting. They covet it; they yearn for it. They’d go into debt or steal for it if they thought that would bring it within their reach. "

"Anything that will one day be the ultimate means of confining the excess population of this planet has to be something that the excess population desires with all its collective being. That’s public relations, Frank.”

If you can find this book, I absolutely recommend it, just trust the process.  

[lostparadox]

The Flash Season 9 episode 13 review

Last week, I made a post (https://www.tumblr.com/basilisk06/719046628704731136/its-been-over-a-week-so-i-think-i-can-post) about the final season of the flash. All but one episode, the last one. This will be my review of it. For the record, anything I say will not be used to be hateful towards the show or the crew and actors. I understand certain things that I say here could not have happened due to certain issues but I will say it because this is what I personally feel would have been better.

First off, make the finale longer. Make it like an hour and a half at the very least. The villains interacting in the first scene was amazing (though Godspeed’s actor having a beard makes no sense because when August Heart died by Thawne’s hand, he doesn’t have a beard) The only downsides is that they (minus Eobard and possibly Eddie) didn’t know who Savitar truly was. I read somewhere that Grant Gustin was with Covid when they were filming, but if only they used old footage and voice lines and stunt doubles to make the scene feel good. Also i imagine that the finale would have been better if more villains of the series had appeared. Like smaller speedsters like Trajectory from season 2 and The Rival from Season 3 Flashpoint, to a recently seen villains like Dark Flash/Bloodwork/ Ramsey Rosso and Red Death, Ryan Wilder. The bus metas, to torture Barry from the fact that he couldn’t save them, to the main villains of previous seasons, Devoe the Thinker from season 4, both Cicadas from season 5, Mirror Monarch from season 6 and 7, to Deathstorm from season 8. Hell, even add some of the lower metas and rogue gallery (for some examples of metas and rogues, look up ‘Top 340 on YouTube and pick the video with Superman about live action DC characters) to mess with Barry more. I know they probably didn’t have the budget for all of this, but I feel like it would’ve been better. And and the long awaited and teased Chronarch. Also I wished that they got Matt Letscher to return, and give Thawne some excuse that he could change faces whenever he wanted (to keep that line that he would kill Allegra with the face of her mentor, Nash Wells).

Next, I wish that when the speedsters are running, there lightning is the same color as it was before, but with a red energy encasing it. When the villains reveal themselves, I wish that more heroes returned for the (currently) last fight of the Arrowverse: Melissa Benoist as Supergirl (maybe others from her show too), some of the legends (to help wrap up that show since it ended on a cliffhanger and probably isn’t getting an 8th season), Jordan Fisher as Impulse (scheduling conflicts cause him to be absent from the finale), Keiynan Lonsdale as Kid flash (or better yet, have another actor play a future version in the actual flash suit since Barry is in space dealing with the Chronarch), Violet Beane as Jesse Chamber/ Jesse Quick (say that crisis and the new multiverse Oliver as the Spectre created help her find her way back) Vibe/Cisco Ramon (Carlos said he wanted to return in the finale but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts), The Elongated Man/ Ralph Dibney ( imagine if we got to see Hartley Sawyer one last time, since his cancellation in season 7, he’s been off the grid) and more.

For the fight, I wish it had been, Impulse(Bart) and XS(Nora) against Savitar, mainly for him to see what he himself took from himself. Zoom against Quick/Jessie Chambers Wells, and Flash/ Dr Jay Garrick, since it would be ironic for him to see a speedster he had a hand in creating be faster than him and be the person he kidnapped and used as leverage to gain Barry’s speed, and Jay to use the ability he learned from his earth-90 counterpart against Zoom to show that strength and speed aren’t the only aspects of a powerful speedster. For Godspeed, I would say Flash/Kid Flash/(Future) Wallace ‘Wally’ West due to them being the faster of the other speedsters. For other villains, the ones I mentioned above, have them fight the heroes I also mentioned above as well, like Cisco, Ralph, and Allegra and Chester against The Reverse Flash, before he runs away to fight Barry.

Eddie (with blue lighting instead of red) and Barry would be fighting, but would be interrupted by Eobard, and Eddie see how he has become just as evil as The Reverse Flash, eventually leading to Eobard betraying Eddie and trying to steal the full power of the negative forces. We’d get to see the three chasing each other in the time stream, and eventually landing in the future, where Barry saves some people, and then we’d see a young Eobard Thawne, hateful at Barry for stealing his fame, or even Barry, allowing the past version of Eobard Thawne to save the crowd, before going back to the chase. Back into the timestream, we’d see the trio arrive in the past, on the night of the Particle Accelerator Explosion, and in order to save himself, we’d see Barry throw lightning, and strike himself, and run back into the fight. Eventually, imagine how yourselves, the villains would all be defeated, and Eddie and Barry would merge the forces like in the actual show (I think that’s how it happened) and the rest of the ending of the actual episode would be the same. Only we’d also see the people Barry struck with lightning in their suits, and then we’d end the show.