#but nothing can stop me from cosplaying ben's characters because i love them

[dannysdandyfandy]

we really don’t know much about Oculus, huh

[chil2de]

hihi this is for my 🥰 anonie you may scroll if u are not them :) or read idk it’s up to you haha

whenever i try responding to your ask tumblr just crashes and decides to not exist, so here’s this instead!! i pulled up google docs and read ur ask line by line and responded that way <3

pls stop ur making me blush HSBFFHBSD

i don’t mind either way baby! if you wanna spam my inbox or if you wanna chat in dms, that’s completely up to you (: i’m totally okay with either i promise, so don’t worry ab it. oh, and! i have a tiktok, though i religiously detest tiktok and absolutely purely hate it and wish for it to burn to the ground, the jjk fandom is extremey funny on there. and the cosplays— AHEM. idk if you’d prefer to talk to me on there so that way your url on tumblr is still unknown to me? even if you want it anyway, just gimme a shout and say its you or sumn. if you don’t have it thats okay <3 but incase you want it, it’s @y_uutaswife and i have the same pfp :)

LMFAO PLEASE this is such a summary of me i hate it- it’s so accurate too? i don’t wanna go up to them… want them to go up to me, but i also don’t because, well, then what…? what do i say LMFAO

and i know right? so sad he didn’t get mentioned more / had more animated scenes. i won’t lie i flew to yuuta like a moth, ever since we got those crumbs of him in the anime i sat there respectfully waiting.. seriously, i’m unsure why but i’ve never felt so invested and compelled by a character in such little time. and even now when i rewatched jujutsu kaisen last week to polish up some of my characters, i sat there like an absolute bumbling idiot just replaying his scenes :( he just looks so cute and soft but i can’t wait for his actual design bc that was him before.

i tried making a schedule once but it just didn’t work so i’m glad i broke out of it. but plssss <3 thank you🥺 no honestly this brought me so much relief and pure serotonin. i think i’ve reread your ask ab 5 times already because you’re genuinely such an angel and it makes my heart wanna explode out of my chest <333 we need more people like you i wish everyone was so mindful and kind hearted like you dear anonie

BUT BESTIE WHEN YOU SAID TEENAGE KEVIN FROM BEN 10- STOP. LMFAO i am so so sorry i could not stop the ugly cackle that ripped out from me, the neighbours must think there’s a witch residing next door

i won’t lie i couldn’t stand watching ben 10 whenever it came up on cartoon network orsmth i just switched the channel and said no maams, not today

i love how times were so simpler as you said it was just you know wholesome fluff wanting to hold hands, etc- but now when we got men like yuuta? toji? OOF

i’ve been watching anime for a little over 3 years now so i’d love to give you some recommendations whenever you do have the time but we once again stan the same characters😭 literally down to a t BAHAHA

flaming hot piping ball of angry ginger aka chuuya nakihara is hands down one of the best characters in bsd <3 i like dazai, i guess, but he’s got the same type of personality as gojo and i think i would honestly get fed up being as an intj, it’s just a no from me

todoroki is one of my all time favs <33 he’s the second anime crush i had, first being levi (of course, i mean. why wouldn't he be?)

before tumblr and gintama i actually wrote a whole fic on ao3 for todoroki, which i think was my first public piece anyway? it’s kind of funny how the reason i got into writing was purely because i got fed up of sifting through ao3 and i went “alright. if no one’s gonna do it, i will.”

ALSO MAAMS YOU’RE FROM ENGLAND TOO???? i know this may not be extremely obvious because i tend to keep my works neutral (i tend to write in the standardised american way save for the main words like, ‘favourite’ ‘colour’ etc because i don’t want people reading things in a british accent… even though mine isn’t very noticeable, it’s just very standard, not chavvy or essex etc, it’s honestly a pet peeve. thats why i use pants, mom, grocery store) and we have freaking nothing, as you already know!! there’s a hmv near me and i was SO excited to see their anime collection just to see it was chock full of mainstreams like one piece, naruto, dbz 😐

but i managed to snatch an aot poster for £3!! and it’s really big too! it’s bigger than a1 so it’s a chunky boy

i don’t plan on wearing the merch outside because i’m just self conscious like that, i don’t hate human interaction and i’m not socially inept but i’d rather not answer mundane questions from people who don’t watch anime… also my waterstones is always sold out 😭 they almost never have any good manga and whenever they do it’s in the middle of the series, like book 7 or something..

yeah they totally have a statue of him! they’re doing a jjk exhibit in general. and at the train station they have cutouts of the characters, they might be to size too? ‘m not sure about the height or anything but i do know that they’re there. there’s also a haikyuu store that shows the players hand prints and you can put your hands flat against the displays to see the difference 🥺🥺🥺

going to japan in general is such a bucket list for me, there’s so much i wanna try but i’d love to go when the cherry blossoms are in season!

let’s call it even and we both buy each other merch then we can take some really cool photos :):) i’ve seriously been checking their website every day to snatch a few prints so i hope that you can grab ahold of some as well! u want the window seat on the airplane when we go shibuya?

love you!!! take care of yourself :))

[etherealellaelf]

Disney Remakes: they’re not all bad.

I submit that some of the disney live action remakes are, regrettably, a bit off. But not all of them. A lot of them are really good. Here’s why.

-Lion King did really put me off with the lack of expressions. I’m not sure if I have much to say about it, lol I’ll have to see it and let you know. Honestly though I don’t think I can because I love the original Lion King so flipping much, it’s a masterful movie and part of its mastery is the beautiful hand drawn animation and its expressive characters. I can’t think I can watch a bunch of real lions just talking. Who knows? I’ll keep you posted.

-Alice in Wonderland, one of the first of them, had some really good feminist moments. I love the Hatter and Alice’s love for each other, I guess he’s like the only human in Wonderland so it makes sense. But I get some weird ideas because the denizens of Wonderland are supposed to mirror the characters in Alice’s real life, and since the only redhead in Alice’s life is Hamish, that weirdo who asks her to marry him and he’s a total jerk.... and the Hatter is a redhead too.... idk it’s weird. Also it’s weird if he represents her dad because number one he’s dead and number two it’s incest, but the Hatter does say a few things that her dad said at the beginning....hmmm... fishy. However I feel like I can rest assured because this might just be the case of “Johnny Depp came to shoot today in a homemade cosplay and nobody can stop him because he’s just a mad genius”, in which case why do they keep letting him do that??? I don’t mind the hatter’s design, but can you imagine Just Plain Old Johnny Depp In All His Sexy Glory as a mad hatter? It would have been fine. They had to give him a gap between his teeth, CGI enlarged eyes, crazy red hair, white and pink makeup... oh well, whatever, it’s fine. I like how Underland looks a bit more like Narnia than like a Tim Burton land; I honestly don’t know if they gave him complete creative control when it came to the CGI set design. It might’ve been cool to see that.

-Cinderella was wonderful, I thought. I really love how Cinderella and the Prince interacted a lot more, falling in love over a long period of time. In fact, I feel like it was a spiritual remake of Ella Enchanted(which, in my opinion, Disney really botched up because the book was just so amazing), so they did really good in my book. My brother, however, hates that at the end she just twirls in her tower and doesn’t do anything to save herself, when in the original she tried to escape. He thinks it’s really unfeminist and he doesn’t want his daughter to act like that. I agree on that mark, but I’ll let everyone watch it. Also they threw a little bit of the Beauty and the Beast original fairy tale in there when her dad, a merchant, asks what she wants and Cinderella asks for the branch that brushes his arm or whatever; similar to a single rose, when her sisters ask for riches. I also liked the handling of Lady Tremaine; it really humanized her and I felt for her. The stepsisters were silly as per the usual. The King went from a bumbling psychopath(the cartoon) to a very melancholy, concerned father, and I cried at his death scene. Bravo, Kenneth Branagh, bravo.

-I really like all of Beauty and the Beast, although I do think that they made Lumiere & friends a little bit too important in this movie. I needed more moments between Belle and the Beast that were in the animation! Evermore was breathtaking though, let’s be honest. Although let’s be honest, I REALLY REALLY wanted to see a shirtless Dan Stevens emerge from a wall of rose petals because that sounds absolutely magical and super HOT. I’m so mad they had to redo it. Also I like the subtle crush Lefou has on Gaston; I’ve always wondered if he liked him. I do wish that Josh Gad had toned it down with his fabulousness though, because although I love fabulousness I wonder if it was slightly offensive. I really liked Gaston, and I feel like he could have gone a little bigger and with more bravado, could have been from slightly comedic to VERY comedic, but I think that’s alright. He did a great job. And as for everyone complaining about the villagers being really nasty and openly evil towards Belle, I actually liked it. It’s clear in the cartoon that the villagers whisper behind Belle’s back, but I feel like she just has a small smidgeon of an idea that they think she’s weird. In this, they freaking ATTACK her. They’re like ‘We can’t have smart bicc’s in our town! Get out me town!” It is a bit on the nose sometimes but I think it works because it helps Beast and her relate to feeling like outsiders. I do think the Beast knowing how to read kind of gave them something in common as well, but I disliked how he scoffed at her favorite book, Romeo and Juliet. I wish he had been more understanding like, “There’s this poor girl whose library is like, seven books, and amongst those seven books, one of which is probably the freaking bible because they belong to a pastor, her favorite is basically a romance. She’s not well read; I’m going to show her the classics.” Which back then was probably, like, idk, Voltaire? Too soon? Eh I’m not sure when it takes place. I do wish he’d gifted the library to her though, that was a nice gift for her in the previous movie. (Here’s the thing; the Beauty and the Beast cartoon is basically a perfect movie and I don’t think anything can live up to it, but this one was good too. It wasn’t better, but nothing can be better than that movie. Except maybe the Princess Bride or the first Pirates of the Caribbean or the stage production of Phantom of the Opera. No, not even then.)

-Dumbo? I haven’t seen it yet, I’ll have to and update this.

-Okay so Aladdin is really good. I entered the film with the meme cringe in my mind, totally expecting it to look weird and bad, but honestly Will Smith was such a great actor! And I actually freaking cried so many times because number one: the genie was aladdin’s father figure that he never had! He taught him how to date! Number two: the genie got his true love as well, and you see her and their kids at the beginning of the movie! SPOILERS btw. Sorry. Also Number three: they picked Will Smith to play the genie because he’s HITCH of course! The matchmaker extraordinaire! (I just love Will Smith. I wish he would run for president; it wouldn’t be the first time we had an actor in the white house. Just kidding, I don’t want to burden him that way, and there are really smart candidates this year to choose from. I just am urging everyone to go vote, and no more harambe crap!!!!) Also Jasmine had a nice new empowering role in this movie. I just sort of wish Jafar had been more menacing and villainous. But his actor was fine, just a bit soft-spoken.

-Lady and the Tramp- I started it on Disney+, I need to finish it. I’m halfway there. 

-Christopher Robin is a gift; it’s both simple and complex. It has a lot of nice metaphors and I could feel my heart hurting for much of the film. Seriously good aesthetics as well, Director of Photography!!! 

-The Jungle Book is a really good remake! So much excitement, and I could totally see Bill Murray in Baloo. (I think it’s equal in terms of story to the movie Mowgli, although Mowgli had that nasty little surprise at the end, I’m still hurt about it.)(also in comparing, the CGI is similarly good, but Mowgli wanted to do a really ambitious face capture thingy and I’m not sure if it worked,(uncanny) but it was interesting! It was also a lot darker. I think they’re both good.) Ben Kingsley was superb, of course, as Bagheera, as always, and he has a really fatherly voice(I thought Christian Bale did well as Bagheera as well, but he was more of an action figure in that movie, less of a father/teacher figure). And John Favreau, as always, went the extra mile to bring the action, the writing, and the moral through, and made it super good for children at the same time!(the same cannot be said about Mowgli, as there were some violence/action things that go beyond ‘peril’, hence it’s PG-13 rating) My one discrepancy was the voice of Kaa. Scarlet did fine, but I always thought of Kaa as a boy. I think they could have found a slithery voice actor for Kaa. Benedict Cumberbatch did really well as Smaug, hissing and growling, and he could have done well. I also think that Tom Hiddleston could have done a great job; he has a really gentle and pliant voice that can turn menacing in the matter of seconds, and if it’s about the snake being sexy as Scarlet Johanssen(haha what??), I think that Hiddles can bring it.(I’m not quite sure what I’m talking about at this point so I’ll shut up now.) I do feel like Mowgli started shooting way before The Jungle Book was even a glimmer in John Favreau’s eye, and that kind of makes me want to root for Mowgli because I’m sure that different movie houses have people working in both, probably swapping stories with their friends, and I’m sure it wasn’t an exact copy, but I can totally see Bill Murray in Baloo’s face and that can’t be by accident. Just saying. Not calling Disney out or anything, but I’m sure they can take it, they have like a trillion dollars. Anyway. Still a good one.

-Haven’t seen Pete’s Dragon.

-101 Dalmations, I know this shouldn’t count but it just does. I loved watching this as a child. I’m so happy they didn’t make the dogs talk? Haha it usually works when they do, but it gave a lot of room for Doctor House and Mister Weasley to interact. Also Glenn Close is great. I think this movie’s a good example of a career woman who decides to get domesticated and her sista is like, “Girl, you can’t do this! We have to be strong women! You have to come back to work!” But Anita is all, “Girl, respect my decisions! Feminism isn’t forcing your girl to be exactly like you, it’s giving me the respect to make my own decisions. If I want to have a baby with my husband, that’s fine. I want to be a mom!” I feel like the “new” 101 dalmatians remake they’re gonna make, will have a different opinion. Similar to wicked and maleficent, it’s going to humanize Cruella, but I just hope that they’re nice to Anita. She’s such a smol soft bird and if she wants 2 billion dogs and one baby, that’s fine... ugh, that’s gotta be like so much dog poop in her house... anita what are you doing...

-Maleficent. Obviously I love it. I love how those arguing fairies are super incompetent at raising Aurora because they’re too busy fighting, so Maleficent has to swoop in and rescue the princess. I like how Maleficent is a fae and it’s so sad how there’s like this rape metaphor when Stefan cuts off her wings, and that would be reason to curse his baby, especially because they were in love and he betrayed her! Stole her wings! Married someone else! T^T Maleficent, you poor misunderstood fairy! I love her motherly relationship with Aurora. I love that she’s the one who kisses her forehead to wake her up because Philip met her just that day. However, I don’t like how they just shove Philip out of the way, because Sleeping Beauty is honestly so romantic, and I love how they dance together and everything. I also like the raven boi. I ship him and Maleficent so hard and I hope he doesn’t die in the sequel, I haven’t seen it yet.

-So technically the Parent Trap is a remake. It’s awesome. It gave my childhood so much romance and prank ideas. It’s much better than its predecessor, especially because the mom in the old one is, like, urged to look prettier by her butler(wtf?!?! YOu’re FIrEd?!?). I’m so glad we’ve come so far.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Are the remakes better? In some cases they are. I think Cinderella is better than its predecessor. I think the original Alice is very good, as a nonsense movie, and I feel like the remake is equally good, but they’re different movies with different motives and plots. The original Beauty and the Beast is my favorite and it’s perfect, so the new one isn’t better, but it is really great and I love it, too. Anyway, that’s all.

[distractedhistotech]

Before MSA + 1: Halloween

Arthur had managed to put together something that acted like a diaper but which fitted into his pocket instead of around the hamster.  “It takes a little bit to put them together though…”

Cadence seemed happy with the pocket diaper considering how much time she was spending in Arthur’s shirt and coat pockets.

“I wonder if you could incorporate it into your Halloween costume,” mused Vivi.

“Uh…What’s Halloween?” asked Arthur.

Sydney and Lewis gave Arthur startled looks.  “You don’t know what Halloween is?!”

Arthur panicked a bit as he realized this was something everyone was supposed to know about. “My parents were super religious,” he said quickly.  Sydney and Lewis seemed to accept it.

“Halloween evolved from the Celtic celebration of Samhain,” explained Vivi.  “It was the ending of the year at sun down, but the new year didn’t start until the sun rose.  Being outside of time as it were meant that ghosts and the like had an easier time manifesting. It probably makes magic easier and stronger too.  At some point, people started wearing scary outfits to try and blend in or scare away the spirits.  That ritual eventually became putting on costumes for fun and, in the case of kids, going around to houses and asking for treats.”

The other kids were staring at her in surprise at the info dump, while Arthur was wondering if this meant Halloween was technically a pagan holiday.

“Actually, the Catholic church took a lot of pagan holidays and incorporated them into their religion.  Christmas takes place in December because that’s when a big festival called Saturnalia took place in the Roman empire.  Evidence suggests that Jesus was actually born in Spring,” continued Vivi as if she’d predicted Arthur’s thoughts.

The more Arthur learned the more he wondered if the adults in his early life knew what they were doing.

“Anyway…My dad makes cosplay as a side job so if you want he can make you guys costumes too,” said Sydney.

Lewis nodded. “He always makes costumes for us.”

Vivi perked up.  “Really?”

Sydney nodded. “But nothing super complicated, okay? He’s gotta budget.”

“What’s cosplay?” asked Arthur.

“Costume play,” explained Lewis.  “People dress up like characters from anime or videogames that they love.  Some of the outfits are really complicated or accurate.”

“We usually do a theme for Halloween,” continued Sydney.

“We did Sailor Moon for a couple of years,” said Lewis.

“Another time we were Ed and Al Elric,” said Sydney.  “I’m not sure what we could do with four people.”

“Power Rangers?” suggested Vivi.

“There’s usually five of ‘em though,” said Sydney.

“Is that a big deal?” asked Arthur.

“Not really,” said Lewis.  “It would just seem a little weird to be short a ranger.”

“So, we need a group of four people,” muttered Sydney.  “All I can think of are Transformers, but that might be too complicated.”

“All I can think of is the Scooby Doo gang,” said Vivi.

Silence.  The kids turned to stare at Ben.  “Would Ben let us dye his fur?” asked Lewis.

“I have no idea,” admitted Vivi.  “Would the dye be safe?”

“I have no idea,” repeated Sydney.  “Dad knows a bit about hair dye…”

“I think you could get away with leaving him white and black,” said Arthur.

“So, who would be who?” asked Lewis.

Vivi and Sydney promptly pointed at Lewis.  “Fred.” Then they pointed towards Arthur. “Shaggy.”

“You do have the muscle tone going on,” agreed Arthur.

And Lewis blushed because he was somehow the biggest one there despite (probably) being the youngest.  “W-well, who’s gonna be Velma and Daphne?”

Sydney and Vivi exchanged looks.  That was…less obvious.  Both wore glasses, had relatively short statures, and were fairly tomboyish.

“You’re shorter,” said Vivi.

Sydney pouted. “Yeah, I am.  Guess that makes me Velma…What kind of name is Velma?”

“I dunno.”

“Will we need a van?”

“None of us can drive,” pointed out Arthur.

“Maybe a toy or something,” suggested Lewis.

“Oh, yeah, that makes more sense,” admitted Arthur.

The four kids (and dog and hamster) just lay there for several minutes.  It hadn’t been a particularly odd conversation, but something in the air seemed heavy, as if something life changing had just happened.

Then Ben started licking Arthur’s face, ending the moment.  Arthur let out a laugh.  “H-hey! Stop!  Stop!”

Vivi grinned. “You’re saying ‘stop’, but you’re laughing.”  Ben decided to switch targets and started licking Vivi instead.  She giggled.  “Ben!”

“We should teach him how to talk!”  Ben turned his attention to Sydney.  “Hey! Ew!  Your breath smells like fish!  Why does it smell like fish?  You’re not a cat!”

“Ben’ll eat anything if you give him the chance,” said Vivi.

Lewis pulled a bag of chips out from somewhere and grinned.  “Like this?”  He popped the bag open.  He was immediately tackled by the dog.  “Ack!” Ben quickly stuck his head in the bag and quickly snapped up the contents before transferring his ministrations to Lewis.  “Oh yuck! Your breath really does smell like fish!”

“Hold him for me,” said Vivi.  “I’ll brush his teeth!”

The whole thing devolved into a wrestling match.  No teeth were cleaned.  Everyone needed a bath afterwards.

 Sydney had been right about the Scooby Doo costumes being fairly simple to make.  She hadn’t stopped to think about make-up and hairstyling though.

“Are you almost done?” asked Sydney Jr.

“Almost…Just one more pin…and done!”  Sydney Sr stepped back to admire how Sydney looked with the brown bob wig in addition to the rest of her costume.  “The shape of the glasses aren’t the same, but I don’t think anyone will care.”

Sydney Jr. twirled and did a hop-skip over to Vivi, who was messing with her noticeably longer orange wig.  “How ‘bout you?”

“I prefer shorter hair.  Hair this long just…gets in the way,” said Vivi as she glared distastefully at a lock of orange hair.

Sydney nodded. “I hear ya.  I just want it long enough to ponytail it.”  She glanced at the boys.  “How ‘bout you two?”

Unlike the girls, the boys weren’t wearing wigs.  They’d just had their hair styled into a close approximation of their chosen characters. Sydney Sr claimed this was because the wigs would look too bulky unless the boys were willing to shave their hair. They weren’t.

Arthur fingered his hair.  “This doesn’t feel too different from usual besides the colors.”  He was wearing green and red.  He was coming to prefer bright colors like orange and yellow.

Lewis was happily studying his reflection.  “I kind of like this hairstyle.”  He turned to Sydney Sr.  “Will you teach me how to do this?”

Sydney Sr gave him a grin.  “Sure! I’ll get you some decent hair mousse. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go change into my costume.”  On his way out, he ran into Hiro.  “So, how’d Ben like the vegetable dye?”

“He tolerated it.” That was a lie.  Ben had taken one look at the dye, snorted, and changed his fur color to the proper brown color.

“I’m leaving you alone with Noelle and the kids for a bit.  Behave now.”  And Sydney Sr hurried down the hallway.

Hiro raised an eyebrow.  The Sydneys were pretty darn odd.  Still, they got along with the rest of the family and friends, and Hiro did like them…in reasonable amounts.

He walked Ben over to the kids, who all started petting him.  “Wow, this dye is really realistic,” said Lewis.

Sydney nodded. “My dad knows what he’s doing.”

“How you holding up boy?” asked Vivi.  Ben licked her in response.  “Good to know.”

“Oh, you kids look so cute like that,” said Noelle.  “Let me get my camera!”

Hiro let the kids pose for the camera for several moments before clearing his throat. “Now, I don’t know how much you know about the holiday, but it is easier to come into contact with the supernatural starting tonight and lasting until November 2.  It’s most intense on Halloween though.  So, Mr. Scoville and I will be escorting you tonight.  I have tools prepared to chase off anything that may take an untoward interest in your group, and you will all be spending the night here.  Mr. Scoville also has some sort of repelling ability, so I’d imagine this is one of the safest places in the county.”

Arthur let out a sigh of relief.  “That’s a relief.”

“Had some bad experiences?” asked Vivi.

Arthur nodded. “I just knew they were at the end of October.  I didn’t know about the Halloween thing.  Why does it get so much worse anyway?”

“That’s not something with a simple answer,” said Hiro.  “Something makes…magic for lack of a better word more potent during these days, which makes it easier for people to see ghosts and for ghosts, along with other normally invisible entities, to become visible to people.  It’s a good time for them to be heard if there’s something they want to get across to the mundane, living population.”  Hiro glowered.  “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a tradition among the supernatural to have fun and try to scare humans.  It’s what people are expecting to happen after all.”

Ben gave a barely noticeable shrug.  Hiro wasn’t wrong, but it was more of a ‘teenagers messing around and doing things their parents won’t necessarily approve of’ sort of thing.

Arthur crossed his arms.  “Well, I don’t like it, whatever it is…”

Vivi turned to Sydney and Lewis.  “Have you guys ever noticed anything weird around this time of year?”

“I haven’t ever noticed anything,” said Sydney.  “Lewis says there are ghosts all over the place though.”

Lewis nodded. “Yeah, some are pretty scary. It’s a lot more active in the cemetery and house.  Sydney always spends the night since some of them look pretty scary.”  Lewis made a face as something suddenly occurred to him. “Uh, this is the first Halloween we haven’t slept over at my house.  Do you think Mom and Dad and Belle will be okay?”

“I put some ofudas up at your house that should keep away most dangerous entities,” reassured Hiro. “Honestly, you probably attract half of the activity so just spending time away from them will put a stop to a portion of the paranormal activity.”

“Huh, really?  I had no idea,” said Lewis.

“Oh, yes, once ghosts figure out someone can see them word spreads very quickly.”

“Wait.  I can’t see ghosts, so why do they keep following me around?” asked Arthur.

Hiro shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure why, but you…leak energy.  Being around you is like it being Halloween all the time,” said Hiro.  “You also have an aura that the supernatural find pleasing, like how kids will gravitate to a kitchen where cookies have just been cooked.”

“I could go for some cookies,” said Vivi.

“You’re going to be getting plenty of candy tonight,” said Noelle.  “You can see about having cookies after you finish off the candy.”

Vivi grinned. “Challenge accepted.”

“No,” said Hiro.

“Aw…but-”

“No, you remember what happened last time,” said Hiro.

“Ooh, what happened last time?” asked Sydney.

“When she was five she ate all of her Halloween candy at once and didn’t sleep for three days,” explained Hiro.  “She tried to feed Ben chocolate.  Dogs can’t eat chocolate.”

Ben huffed because he could eat chocolate, thank you very much.  Stupid need to hold up the illusion all the time.  He couldn’t wait until Vivi was mature enough to know what he really was so he could relax at home.  Not to mention it would be easier to snatch some of whatever that was Noelle was cooking.

Lewis must have noticed how Ben was staring longingly towards the kitchen because he grabbed a treat out of his pocket.  “Would you like a Scooby Snack?”

Eh, it’ll do. Ben snapped it up and gave Lewis a lick of thanks.

“What’s taking your dad so long?” asked Vivi.  “He said he was going to be a zombie.  It can’t take that long to put on some torn clothing and fake blood.”

Sydney grinned. “Dad put in way more effort than that. There’s latex and make-up and contact lenses…”

“Mr. Scoville’s costumes are really complicated,” agreed Lewis.

Any further conversation was interrupted by a groaning sound.  Everyone turned to see…a zombie.  It was covered in bite marks, half rotten, had clouded over eyes, and dirty, torn clothing.  It was completely unrecognizable as Sydney Sr.

“…Okay, that is a convincing zombie costume,” admitted Vivi.

“Thank you,” said Sydney Sr, briefly breaking character before going back to groaning.

“You look like a dead body!” said Arthur.  “Which I guess is the point, but it’s creepy.”

Sydney Scoville groaned again.  He sure was taking the zombie thing seriously.

“So…”  Sydney Jr held up her treat bag.  “Can we go trick-or-treating now?”

“Unnngh!”

“Taking that as a yes!”

Thankfully, the other adults decided to agree with the translation so the kids were able to head out. “There are a lot of costumes,” commented Arthur.

Vivi nodded. “Yep, it’s a popular holiday.”

“What a cute baby!” cooed Lewis at a young couple and their baby, all of them dressed like dinosaurs.

“Thank you!”

“But most of them seem to be younger than us,” continued Arthur.

“That guy’s older than us,” pointing at a guy dressed like a robot.

“People just prefer to go to parties once they get older.  I don’t know why.  They’re sooo boring,” complained Vivi.  “Where’s the darkness?  Where’s the creepy shadows?  Where’s the questioning of if there’s a ghost around the corner or if that’s a really good werewolf costume or some werewolf decided to go to the store to pick up milk?”

“There are some ghosts following us,” commented Lewis.

Arthur tensed up. “Why?”

Lewis glanced towards the ghosts.  “Are you sure he’s not a zombie?  He looks pretty dead.”

“It’s Halloween. It’s obviously a very good costume.”

“He smells like a zombie though.”

“We’re ghosts! We can’t smell!”

“Oh yeah.”

“Besides, wasn’t there a Scooby-Doo movie with zombies?”

“Since when are there Scooby-Doo movies?”

“Mr. Scoville’s costume is really convincing,” said Lewis.

“Unngh!”

“Are zombies real?” asked Sydney.

“Yes,” said Hiro. “Under very specific circumstances. It takes one of a few specific rituals. It’s very dangerous and is not something that should ever be done unless you have prior permission from the subject of interest.  Even then, it’s not recommended because of the possible side effects.”  He paused.  “Actually, this is a very complicated subject.  Let’s talk about it when we have more time.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it at all,” muttered Arthur as they walked up to a house.

They took a moment to ring the doorbell, ask for treats, and thank the woman handing out the treats. Ben tried to beg for treats.  This wasn’t allowed, and the group went on their way.

“Do ghost hunters have a lot of work on Halloween?” asked Sydney.

“Paranormal investigators,” corrected Hiro.  “While we do look for ghosts, calling us ‘hunters’ suggests we intend to hurt ghosts in some way.  That’s a last resort in cases where the ghosts in question seek to harm the living and cannot be convinced otherwise.  And whether an investigator works on Halloween or not varies.  Most will take the time off because they might get false positives.  Some like working on Halloween though since they might get results they wouldn’t usually come by.”

“That doesn’t sound very professional,” muttered Arthur.

“I agree,” said Hiro. “Personally, I feel that circumstances that modify magical strengths can be dangerous, even if it’s something to your advantage.”

“Wouldn’t that make things easier?” asked Sydney.

“Yes, which might be good in an emergency, but it can make you under or overestimate a situation.”

“How is overestimating bad?” questioned Arthur.

Hiro took a minute to think about how to describe what he was thinking.  “It’s like using a hand grenade to make a hole when a drill will suffice.”

Vivi, Lewis, both Sydneys, and even Arthur laughed.  Hiro had to admit it wasn’t the best analogy, but it’s what he came up with on short notice.

“It’s like you thought the corn was sweet so you put in the wrong amount of salt,” said Lewis.

“That’s a better analogy,” admitted Hiro.  “Anyway, once you outgrow trick-or-treating, you should find some way to spend Halloween that doesn’t involve the supernatural.  Maybe go to a party or stay home and watch movies.”

“Watching movies would be nice,” said Arthur.

“Ooh!  We could watch the Nightmare Before Christmas again!” said Vivi.

“You will not. It’s a school night,” said Hiro.  “As it is the only reason you’re spending the night together is for safety’s sake.”  He looked to Sydney Sr.  “I’m trusting you and Mrs. Scoville to get the children to sleep and awake on time.”

“Nggggh!”

“That means yes,” said Sydney Jr.

“I still wish we could spend the night at Lewis’ house,” said Vivi.  “There’s a lot more space, and it seems more fitting to spend Halloween in a haunted house.”

“Belle sometimes cries at night.  She might wake you up,” said Lewis.

“Or we might wake her up,” countered Arthur.

“I don’t wanna wake Baby Belle up!” agreed Sydney Jr.  “She’s cute when she’s sleeping.”

The subject of conversation rapidly changed to siblings and sleepovers.  Hiro watched them absentmindedly before feeling something brush against his side.

It was just Ben, who gave him a smile unseen by anyone else.  Hiro found himself smiling back.  It was nice…seeing the children all so happy like this.

It would be nice if it would last forever.

[kylermalloy]

My Official Unofficial Ranking of the Top 10 Funniest Supernatural Episodes That Literally One (1) Person Asked For

This post (and subsequent ones, if I ever get around to posting them) is dedicated to the lovely anon who gave me the idea to do this.

Without further ado, from bottom to top:

10. Fan Fiction (10x05)

The 200th episode was just a fun-land of meta goodness. The fangirl side characters were OTT but still relatable, Sam and Dean’s reactions to seeing their stories brought to life and interpreted in such strange ways were accurate but not cruel, and the silly monster Calliope lended itself to the goofy tone of the episode. Overall, this episode was just a nice, positive exploration of what it means to be in fandom—and you get to meet your fictional heroes! If only fandom was always so quirky and uplifting...

9. Hunteri Heroici (8x08)

Here’s one episode from that meh opening half of season 8 that I genuinely enjoyed. It’s just a one-off, with very little ties to any overarching story. It’s just a wacky hour of cartoonish fun. One of the things I most appreciate about it is the unusual nature of the MOTW. Not only was the villain just a greedy human, but the case itself was strange enough that Castiel could come along and not stick out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t a case that an angel could solve and fix immediately, so his presence was justified and well-used and even enjoyable! “WHY DID YOU KILL YOUR HUSBAND?” still cracks me up.

8. Tall Tales (2x15)

This was the first episode that I’d categorize as “off-the-wall” crazy. It’s just wacky! Obviously the Trickster aka Gabriel is an entertaining adversary, and the back-and-forth storytelling by Sam and Dean (can anyone say “unreliable narration”?) is raucous. Not only do we get some truly iconic lines from this episode (TOO PRECIOUS FOR THIS WORLD!) but we also get a humorous insight into how Sam and Dean view each other. Brothers, am I right?

7. Wishful Thinking (4x08)

Ah, the talking teddy bear episode. Do I even need to say more? That’s one of the scenes I use to show people how wacky this show can get. This ep balances out humor with truly heavy plot points—like Dean’s struggle with his guilt. And there’s an especially nice bit about playing God to get what you want.

6. Monster Movie (4x05)

“A good old black-and-white case.” Isn’t that what Dean says at the beginning? Oh, Deanbean. Ben Edlund is one of my favorite writers for the show, because he can give us crazy content that still tugs at your heartstrings. A lonely shapeshifter who enjoys vampire cosplay, old-timey monster movies, and rides a motorbike? Who’s also played by Todd Stashwick? Yes please! It’s almost a shame you can’t do episodes like this more often.

5. Yellow Fever (4x06)

Season 4 really killed it with the funny episodes! It’s like they knew we’d all be crying by midseason, so we had to get all our laughs out right at the beginning. Anyway, this episode is iconic. From Dean’s petrified screams at cats to his realized fear of boyking!Sam and the return of little-girl Lilith, I love every second of this one. And the after-credit bts video!

4. Bad Day at Black Rock (3x03)

Two words: Slap. Stick. (I know that’s one word, don’t care. I’m trying to be funny here.) I think I’m one of those rare Sam fans who actually enjoys when the show makes light of Sam’s pain. Yes, I know he’s suffering throughout this episode. I know he doesn’t deserve any of it. I don’t care. It’s still funny. Also, this episode gives us a fantastic intro to Bela, who honestly deserved more screentime than she ultimately got.

3. Mystery Spot (3x11)

Yes, yes, yes, another episode that makes light of Sam’s pain. This might be the episode where Dean dies a hundred times, but for once the show’s POV was focused on Sam’s suffering. Dean’s ridiculous slapstick deaths, while hilarious, don’t take away from the raw shock of Sam losing his brother no matter what he tries to save him. And the ending is just...so sobering. Another masterful example of how this show could play with so many emotions in just the span of one episode.

2. Changing Channels (5x08)

Trickster episodes are just the best! This one ups the ante with the archangel Gabriel reveal—and a Grey’s Anatomy parody! Sam and Dean reacting to being dropped in all these TV genres is a great (yet still subtle) meta joke about their own place in our idiot boxes. (we hadn’t completely broken the fourth wall just yet—that honor is saved for the top spot)

1. The French Mistake (6x15)

There’s nothing super profound or touching about this episode; it’s just pure meta madness. I can never stop giggling through the entire thing! The silly “real world” they created, so close to ours yet still so SO different, makes some great jokes about show business and celebrity culture and—wait, I take back what I said about there being nothing touching in this episode. Sam and Dean take one look at this alternate universe, this haven from the supernatural armpit that is their lives as hunters, where their doppelgangers are wealthy and carefree—but not brothers—and say no thanks, we’re good. Let’s go home. That hits deep.

[scribeofmorpheus]

I Don’t Dance To Dubstep Part 4 (A Deadpool Fic)

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

A/N: I don’t even know what the hell inspired this chapter tbh! I just love the banter between all the characters and the reader. Also, Dopinder is a killer cinnamon roll. I will say this: the next chapter contains TIMETRAVEL SHENANIGANS!!

Remember: Reader’s alter ego (nickname) is DJ

Words: 2621

Warnings: Mature Language, Mention of Sexual Kinks,Stan Lee what are you doing here?

(gif isn’t mine)

The taxi was parked in the lot of a clothing and specialists store tastefully named 'Dom N' A's Tricks.'

You had never rolled your eyes so far back into your head you thought they'd roll like bowling balls until you read that tacky sign.

When everyone was arguing amongst themselves as to who should do the shopping, Wade had suggested a sing-off and the loser would have to buy the supplies. As soon as Cable heard 'sing-off' he practically threw himself out of the car and hurled himself into the store.

Wade and Dopinder were singing along to Sonny and Cher's: I Got You Babe playing on CD in an overly enthusiastic performance to pass the time.

You and Domino sat in the back seat of the taxi with your mouths agape and a bug-eyed expression painted on both your faces.

"They say we're young and we don't know, we won't find out until we grow," Wade sang Cher's part in a high pitch, of course.

"Well I don't know if all that's true, 'Cause you got me, and baby I got you," Dopinder was smiling euphorically as he sang along in a pleasant voice.

Dopinder and Wade turned their heads towards each other at the same time like it had been choreographed.

"I got you babe," they sang together, Deadpool theatrically gracing Dopinder’s cheek as though they were filming some romance musical.

Dopinder, feeling not at all uncomfortable with Wade's lack of acknowledging other people’s personal space, played along and swayed his head from side to side.

"I got you babe," they continued singing along.

"Kill me now," Domino said in an exasperated huff.

You were speechless as you watched the act Dopinder and Wade were putting on.

"It's like I'm watching a re-run of all the nightmares I didn't know I had repressed play through in high definition..." You said to no one in particular.

Feeling in no particular mood to listen to the duet between the two weirdos in the front, you used your ability to generate a white noise hum to drown out all other noises. What you were doing was basically generating an ability induced set of earplugs.

Unbeknownst to you as the calming thrum of the white noise lulled you to the brink of sleep, a panicked Cable came sprinting to the car while red lights blared from inside the store and a skinny tatted woman shot off her shotgun in the direction of the car.

There was a busted window behind the woman that had the jagged but noticeable outline of a large man. It looked like a cartoon outline. Deadpool flailed about in his seat as a splatter of his blood missed Domino's face by an impossible inch, no doubt a shotgun pellet had managed to hit him.

You opened your eyes when you noticed Dopinder panic and put the car in reverse, bumping into a light post jerking you from your seat.

You stopped producing the white noise and suddenly you were bombarded with too much information for a sane person to process all at once.

"Drive!" Cable shouted as he threw the box of clearly shoplifted goods in between you and Domino.

Dopinder put the car in drive and his tyres screeched as he burned rubber behind him. The lady with the shotgun let off another shot and shattered the rear window. All three of you in the back ducked on instinct.

"What the fuck did you do, Cable?" Wade chastised in the same high pitch he used to sing Cher's lines.

"I don't carry cash on me and I figured we were in a hurry!" Cable bit back.

"Who doesn't bring money with them when they go shopping?" Wade asked idiotically.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe a half-human cyborg from the FUTURE?" Domino shouted over the two of them.

"Then why did he volunteer to buy all the sexy roleplay stuff?" Wade asked.

"Maybe because you threatened to make him sing a duet with you when he was clearly uncomfortable, Mr Pool," Dopinder enlightened him.

"Can everyone stop referring to me in the third person, please? I'm right here!" Cable exclaimed.

"Well if you're from the future an argument could be made for the fact that you are actually existing in two places simultaneously..." You chipped in.

Cable grumbled at you and Deadpool looked in the distance and said, "And that is called a continuity plot-hole ladies and gentlemen!"

"A WHAT HOLE?" You, Cable and Domino asked in unison, completely confused by Wade's comical shtick.

Wade noticed a street sign up ahead that read Parker Ave and pointed to it hastily, "Quick, Dopinder, take the next left and go down the street Uncle Ben will undoubtedly not be killed in during the current MCU reboot!"

Dopinder followed Wade's instructions and drove down Parker Ave and used the back roads to drive to your destination while avoiding the freeway and the mass of cops that were probably out searching for the five assailants that robbed Dom N' A's Tricks store.

***

"I look utterly ridiculous!" You pouted as you looked at your distorted reflection through a store window.

True to the singer persona Wade had given you earlier at the Chinese Restaurant, you wore a platinum blonde wig, a leather corset and fishnets, coupled with six-inch heels that could kill someone just by tripping over a cobblestone walkway.

"Here's the finishing touch," Wade held out a pair of fake teeth with a gap in the middle.

You looked at Cable in astonishment, "Did you buy a set of faux teeth?"

"I take no credit. That was all him," Cable said as he stared at you with intense eyes.

"I'm not putting on a set of fake teeth, Wade!" You warned as you focused the sound waves generated by the whooshing cars driving passed to shatter the plastic teeth into a million pieces.

"You have no respect for the art of role-playing," Wade said.

"I think you mean Cosplay?" Domino corrected him.

"I meant what I said!" Wade shouted as he reached into the backseat to grab another outfit from the box of stolen goods. "Alright sweet cheeks, your turn," He handed the clothes to Domino.

Domino gave the outfit one glance then looked at her own attired and gave Wade a condescending look, "Uh, no thanks. I'm already in costume."

Wade was about to protest against Domino's refusal to change into a new costume when you interjected, "Look I can do the whole infiltrating and catching the target off guard routine on my own. Domino you're on crowd suppression duty, Cable just cover my six from a vantage point, Dopinder keep the meter running and Wade…"

"Yeah?" He questioned cautiously.

"Put on the wig and heels. You're my dance partner, sweet cheeks!" You retorted with a sinister smile.

Domino and Cable laughed, enjoying your little power trip and the fact Wade had to wear a wig and a pair of heels... again!

Feeling a bit flustered, Wade dropped the box on the taxi's boot and placed both his hands on his hips, "Well, jokes on you! I've actually been looking for an excuse to wear heels again. They make my calf muscles pop!"

"Sure thing Queer Eye. Go get changed." You shooed him into the cab.

***

When Wade was fully in costume -above his regular costume, naturally- he quickly made his way up a three-story window that was the entrance into the Burlesque clubs dressing room with ease. You'd die before admitting this, but Wade's agility was something you envied.

You looked up at the window and then down at your heels wondering how on this God's green Earth would you manage to get up there without busting an ankle. Maybe if you focused the sound waves from a considerable sound generating source you could levitate on a cushion of sound waves, but there was nothing loud enough to draw from in your vicinity.

Domino noticed the crease of your brow and smacked Cable's chest before nodding her head in your direction to let him know his assistance was needed.

Cable stood up from the hood of the car, the temporary indent straightening out when his weight was removed. He walked over to you and looked between you and the window, before making a brace with his fingers and getting low on one knee.

"Need a boost?"

You looked down at him, took off your heels and placed your foot on the brace he made, "Since you're offering."

"Hey, don't get any ideas. He's mine!" Wade shouted from the window as he sat on the sill and stretched his arm out for you to grab.

Cable hoisted you up, his metal arm grabbing your ass for the briefest moment. You tried to act like the contact of hard metal on your ass wasn't invigorating and pleasantly different. Fuck! Now you had a new kink to add to your ever expanding list: Metal Arm Ass Groping. Quite the mouthful, you'd have to think up some catchy abbreviation for it later.

With his mechanised strength, he flung you high up into the air and you managed to grab Wade’s hand and he pulled you into the club. Domino and Cable made scarce and disappeared to get with the plan.

You put your heels back on.

"Naughty, naughty," Wade tut-tutted as he noticed your flushed cheeks and devious grin.

"Please, like you haven't thought about it!" You retorted as you marched out of the dressing room and down to the private parlour’s dancer entrance, more than ready to kidnap this Madam Mayflower and pay your rent to your sleazy landlord.

Behind you, Wade gasped in exaggeration as he followed suit walking like a model with poise and grace.

***

The upbeat tempo of the music you were dancing to filled the private lounge where Madam Mayflower sat with a glass of champagne in one hand and a cigar in another. She was guarded by four bodyguards who seemed to be having a hard time appearing stoic and immovable since they were constantly stealing glances of your seductive dance number.

Mayflower eyed you with desire clearly advertised on her face as she licked her lips and eyed you up and down.

"I count two guards on the second floor," Domino's voice rippled out to you through Wade's earpiece as he sat waiting patiently for you to give the signal to make the move on Mayflower.

"I count six others circling the perimeter." Cable's voice rippled out too.

"Something tells me there isn't a stealthy way to handle this," Wade whispered.

"Tell me I didn't dress up like a dominatrix for nothing, Wade!" You said in annoyance, your hands rubbing at your sore temples as you blinked rapidly. You dance routine thrown out the proverbial window.

Madam Mayflower looked at you in confusion, "I'm sorry is this part of the act? I don't remember role play being a part of the package… not that I'm complaining." She said with a heavy lilt as she proceeded to suckle on her lower lip suggestively.

You didn't have time to deal with her horny attitude right now so you raised a finger at her and said plainly, "Just hold on a minute," You curved your back a little and leaned back so that you could peak through the curtain Wade was hiding behind, "Wade just come out here and do your thing, toss me the earpiece."

"What the hell is going on here?" Mayflower demanded from you. Her bodyguards circling in around her, creating a human barrier.

Wade emerged from behind the curtain full of energy and pizzazz, a leather whip in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other.

"You do know Burlesque and BDSM aren't the same thing right?" you asked him.

"Don't ruin this for me," Wade shushed you as he tossed the earpiece your way. He cracked the whip against the open space and made a neighing sound, "Come on boys!" He teased the bodyguards.

"Just keep it quiet, Wade," You reminded him.

Mayflower made a motion to jump out of her chair but you thrust her back into it using a controlled burst of waves.

The sound of Wade fighting off the bodyguards with his whip was thankfully drowned out by the loud music that played in the room.

"Cable, when I say when, I need you and Domino to generate a loud noise right above the window I'm waving to you from." You said through the earpiece.

Cable searched for your waving figure through the scope of his gun. When he spotted you, he saw Deadpool engaging in a fight with four other guards still wearing his heels and wielding a bullwhip.

"What the?" Cable whispered through the earpiece.

"Remember, when I give the signal, generate big boom!" You said in a baby voice as you thrust Mayflower back into her seat for the umpteenth time again.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Domino asked.

"Get lucky I guess," you joked.

When you turned to see if all the guards were knocked unconscious you looked over at Deadpool who was wiping non-existent sweat from his masked face. During all the excitement you noticed someone had snatched his wig off.

"Hey, Indiana Jones, throw Mayflower through the window," you told him as you opened the large window.

"Wh-What?" Mayflower shouted in shock, her eyes wide with fear.

"What? No, I'm not gonna throw my paycheck out the wind-"

You cleared your throat and clicked your heels, "You mean our paycheck?"

"That's what I said!" Deadpool said all too defensively.

"Just do it, Catwoman!"

"Okay geez, enough with the outdated references already," he groaned as he flung a very scared Mayflower out the window.

"The woman currently hurtling to her death, is that the signal?" Cable asked an instant later.

"Yes!" You shouted as you jumped after Mayflower too.

“WHAT THE FUCK DJ?” Deadpool shouted after you as you began to free fall with Mayflower down several stories.

“Oh, not good,” you heard Domino scurry about anxiously over the earpiece.

Mayflower was screaming like one of the Bond girls.

Please, don't let me die swan diving after a Madame, you secretly prayed to whatever cosmic entity watched over your universe.

Suddenly, a large explosion of fireworks went off in a dumpster near the taxi and the sound of the exploding gunpowder and the vigorous force the projectiles produced when they hit the metal lids generated strong enough sound waves for you to generate a cushion of waves to catch you and Mayflower before you turned to street pizza.

Your prayers have been answered my child, A smiling Stan Lee whispered in your inner ear. Where the fuck did that come from, you wondered.

You landed gracefully on both feet while Mayflower landed in a puddle on her face next to you.

"Okay, we can go now!" You shouted up to Wade who decided the quickest way down was the same way you made your exit. He was lucky the fireworks were still producing enough sound that you were able to catch him and lower him mid-air onto the ground.

Domino appeared out of nowhere as a small explosion went off behind her and Cable grappled down the side of the building he had set up his sniper position by using his metal arm to dig into the brick and slow his momentum.

All four of you (plus a muddied Mayflower locked in the trunk) got into the cab and headed for Al's apartment before any of the bodyguards could fully realise what had just transpired.

MASTERPOST | For Tumblr App

As Always: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don’t be afraid to be added to the tag list and... Metal Arms right?!

Tags: @demonhunter1616  @msstarsword @originalwinchestervamp 

Permanent Tags: @gruffle1 @thechickvic @notawarriorjustyet

[clairen45]

Red Re-Read: The Company of Wolves and the ST

This meta is long overdue. When I started my blog in January, I had a list of prospective articles I wanted to write about Kylo and Rey, or some themes that I was seeing suggested in the ST. On top of the list was Little Red Riding Hood, and I never even imagined going there without at the very least a honorable mention to Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber (1979) and the extended movie companion to 3 of these tales, Neil Jordan’s 1984 The Company of Wolves. Special request by @missnomerblr pushed me to finally complete the task. Also tagging our dear Reylo she-wolf extraordinaire, @ravenmaiden. The aesthetic and special effects left quite an impression on my mind as a child when the movie was released. Of course I was only allowed to watch it years later, and I didn’t get all the symbolism as a young girl, of course... but the idea that men with Frida Khalo eyebrows could turn into wolves, and that the wolf could get as seduced as the girl, were forever ingrained in my mind. How is it relevant to Star Wars, will you tell me? Ok, I will imagine that you didn’t catch any reference before, or read any meta on the sexual subtext of the movies,  but how could you miss the obvious red-themed campaign for the release of TLJ in theaters, with all the characters’ clothing dipped in red, and that little piece, very much unabashed about its reference:

Daisy Ridley even joked at the time about her poster, calling it “Little Rey’d Riding Hood”. That’s a good one, Daisy.

Officially, so many tales have been used by the Star Wars team to describe the ST. JJ compared Rey to Cinderella in his audio commentary to TFA. Sure, it’s a rags to riches story for Cinde-Rey-lla who is an orphan, undervalued and under-appreciated, and who maintains through her many hardships and trials a positive outlook on life and people, and a sunny character. Like your classic Disney princess who can talk to birds and mice, Rey understands every language. And if it’s not with a glass slipper that her prince identify her as his future bride, it is a blue lightsaber that does the trick. A saber, which like the slipper in Disney’s version, gets broken in the process right before the epilogue (part 3). Second reference: the characters were apparently coded as Goldilocks and the Bears during the shooting for TLJ. Again, that’s fair, because Rey, like Goldilocks, takes an adventurous stroll into the woods and ends up borrowing, like a cuckoo, things that don’t belong to her: a saber, a MF etc... She also trespasses onto Luke’s island, and then onto the Supremacy. And, like Goldilocks, in the positive versions, after a narrow brush with danger, she escapes barely unscathed with possibly a valuable life lesson. There is also Snow White, and the glass pod/ coffin that Rey uses to meet with her prince. I will add another element later, but I’ll hush for now. There is also the implicit Sleeping Beauty in the title The Force Awakens and the idea further developed in TLJ that Rey’s powers have been dormant ... until a prince awakened it... And then, there is Little Red Riding Hood.

This tale belongs to the cycle of educational tales about menstruation and loss of virginity. They are pretty easy to spot (intended pun): they are the ones with the color red encoded somewhere, with numbers that evoke the passing of time (12 fairies, 7 days, etc...), and also stories that require the heroine to lose a bit of blood: from the finger pricking of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White’s mom to the potential gore of Bluebeard and Little Red Riding Hood. And yes, usually menstruation and seduction go hand in hand pretty nicely. Because, traditionally, a woman who bleeds has just become fair game: she is desirable because able to bear children. So cycle of blood it is: menses, hymen, labor. What is fairly subtle, symbolic, and innocuous in cautionary tales aimed at children is brought to full light in Carter’s take on the classic tales aimed at adults. Her heroines, though, are given more obvious agency. More attention is given to the fact that it is also a time of budding sexuality for the heroines as well, a time when desire shifts from narcissim to the desire of the other. In tales, this otherness gets the extreme treatment: the object of desire is a monster, an animal, that normally becomes civilized by the end, so that desire fits conventional standards and doesn’t disrupt society. So the monster turns back into a prince when he can be salvaged (The Beast, the Frog), and he is killed when really too far gone (Bluebeard). I will also argue that, most of the time, the transformed one is actually the princess: though she doesn’t change physically, she has learned to accept her desires and stops seeing male desire and sexualty as monstruous. She has accepted the otherness, so she stops seeing him as a monster. She has changed psychologically. That being said, Carter was not the first one to bring a magnifying glass onto the implied sexuality in Little Red Riding Hood. It is implied for children, but has been very much understood as it was by adults... Think of Tex Avery’s wolf and Red for instance. What chance would have Wolfie against the very savvy and alluring vampish Red Hot Riding Hood? So the story of seduction has been going both ways for quite a long time, with Red being seduced or seducing the wolf... Then you have different outcomes, and frankly, writers and directors have done them all: girls gets devoured by wolf, girl gets devoured and rescued, girl barely escapes, girl outsmarts wolf,  girl kills wolf, wolf falls in love with girl, girl becomes a wolf, girl tames wolf... you name it.

ELEMENTS FROM LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

It was quite a bold choice in TLJ to have Rey in full Little Red Riding Hood Cosplay when so far the elements had been merely subtext in TFA. Red, so far, had been mostly coded as Kylo’s color. But as we get to find out more about him, the color seeps and bleeds, especially in TLJ, the litteral “core” (aka heart) of the ST, the middle chapter which is very much about Kylo’s exposed wounds (both figuratively and symbolically), culminating with Crait, the planet that seems to be bleeding every time you  but skim its surface. Remember also that “raw” was the keyword in the trailer, and defines Kylo: “raw untamed power”. Raw means what it means. Exposed flesh, scorched, flogged. I thought I had read somewhere that the throne room scene had been coded with Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf during shooting, but I have never been able to find the link through my research... Please, if you happen to know or remember that, just let me know. But back to the hood...

There has already been many metas on the importance of Kylo and Rey meeting in the woods. They could have met on Jakku, they were that close... But they didn’t. There’s the woods, but there’s also straying from the path. Red, like Goldilocks, is cautioned against that. Nothing bad will happen to little girls who stay on the straight and narrow. Possibly nothing at all wil ever happen to little girls who remain on the path... In most stories, though, straying a bit will be the good start for some journey... And indeed, Rey, given a clear path, “the first steps” on the famous Path of the Jedi, through her Force visions, refuses it. Rather than following the path, she runs away... straight into the woods... Where she meets her big bad Wolf. As in the original story, he starts out being more cunning than Red, and is able to get her where he wants her to be. Abduction in TFA. Long way to Granny’s house while he takes the short cut. Plotwise, there are also some common elements. Red carries a basket full of goodies that she is supposed to take to her sick grandmother. Her mother commissioned her to the task. It’s all female realm. The grandmother lives alone, far away, in a secluded place. The grandmother represents knowledge, and also fate for the little girl: one day she will be a mother, and then a grandmother. The wolf wants to get there and get it all: the girl, the goodies, and the grandma. By getting away with the grandmother, he also symbolically tampers with the girl’s future: aka, being seduced/bedded (and not married), she will never be a wise, old, respected lady one day. As for Rey, this is not too far off. Her basket of goodies is short round BB8 which holds information. Information that is of importance to Leia. And which can lead to an old, wise... Granny Luke? living alone in a far away, secluded place... And who in a way represents a potential future for Rey, being the Last Jedi. Kylo also wants to get there. So just as in the tale, there is a potential race towards Luke’s place. And by getting the girl, Kylo is also tampering with her future: dark Side or Light Side Rey?

ANGELA CARTER’S SHORT STORIES

3 tales deal more specifically with wolves in Carter’s The Bloody Chamber : “The Werewolf”, “The Company of Wolves”, and “Wolf Alice”. I am just going to undeline a few elements that can resonate with what we have seen in the ST so far.

“The Werewolf”: the little girl gets attacked on her way to see her grandmother. She defends herself and cuts off the forepaw of the wolf. The paw turns out into a human hand. When she finally gets to her grandmother she finds her really sick and feverish, and understands that the wolf was actually her grandmother. She kills her and takes her place in the house. For that one, I want to underline the idea that monsters can hide under familiar faces, or that something that was deemed monstrous can reveal a human side. Depending on what side you are looking at it. That was the point of the ST in the cross flashbacks that tell us about Luke and Kylo. The monster gets humanized, and we get to see something unattractive and upsetting about someone who had all our trust. I am not saying that Luke is a monster, but that he potentially could have done something monstrous, which it turns out he did, because this fleeting moment turned Ben into a monster. And on the other hand, Rey gets to see Ben the man under Kylo the monster. Special bonus to the Skywalker special in the Werewolf story: the cut off hand. And in the end, Rey is indeed the one in Luke’s stead.

“The Company of Wolves”:  different folk tales and folklore about wolves and werewolves...  I have underlined that one for you: “Before he can become a wolf, the lycanthrope strips stark naked. If you spy a naked man among the pines, you must run as if the Devil were after you”. It reminded me of half naked Kylo. And then the story of the girl.This description of the girl:

She stands and moves within the invisible pentacle of her own virginity. She is an unbroken egg; she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance of which is shut tight with a plug of membrane; she is a closed system; she does not know how to shiver. She has a knife and she is afraid of nothing.

Some of these images of virginity (and virginity consumated and broken) we have seen played out on the screen: from the veil covering the MF on Jakku, the eggs on Ahch-To, the curtains on the Supremacy, to the cave on Crait... In Carter’s story, the girl is not a little girl, she is described as a pubescent, or verge of pubescence, girl, barely formed. She meets a young man in the woods who holds a reamarkable object, “a compass”. It’s nature versus culture. He bets her a kiss that he can get to Grandma before she does. The girl will take her time, she wants to lose that one. In the meantime, the man does away with the grandmother, but not before stripping naked and showing his genitals (”His genitals, huge.Ah! huge!”). When the girl walks in, she is no fool. She understands fast enough. She starts by showing compassion to the lot of wolves howling in the cold night. Then she starts shedding her clothes she “took off her scarlet shawl, the colour of poppies, the colour of sacrifices, the colour of her menses, and since her fear did her no good, she ceased to be afraid”. As the man talks about eating her, she starts laughing: “she knew she was nobody’s meat”, and she joins him in bed. The last line sees her sleeping sound and sweet “in granny’s bed, between the paws of the tender wolf”. Which reminds me of Isaiah “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” and the coming back of a Golden Age.

“Wolf Alice”. That one is about two awakenings. On the one hand we have a young girl who was suckled by wolves and is found by nuns. Desperate to fully civilize her, they deliver us to the house of The Duke, who is some kind of a monster. You think he is a vampire at first, since he has no reflection in the mirror , then some kind of monster feasting on corpses. But he turns out to be a werewold at the end of the story. So the two creatures are actually very much alike. There were a lot of elements there that reminded me of a particularly twisted AU Reylo, to be honest. To begin with, their circumstances: she is a nobody, without any family, barely a first name, and he is a Duke, with a castle and countless trinkets from the past. For instance, Alice’s description:

Like, the wild beasts, she lives without a future. She inhabits only the present tense, a fugue of the continuous, a world of sensual immediacy as without hope as it is without despair.

It could fit Rey on Jakku, marking down each day. She does not have any plans beyond today. She is caught in a stasis.The Duke is constantly described by his hunger: “huge, inconsolable, rapacious eyes. His eyes see only appetite. These eyes open to devour the world in which he sees, nowhere, a reflection of himself”. That also reminded me of Kylo’s need to cover his face and his body in TFA, as if he wanted to disappear. They never interact with each other. The castle is referred to as “the den where she and the Duke inhabited their separate solitudes”. Alice changes, though, as she discovers the passing of time through her menses, and her reflection in a mirror. The mirror scenes can also evoke Rey’s experience on Ahch-To... At first Alice is very happy about finding a girl in the mirror because she thinks she has made a friend, that she has a companion to share experiences with... After a while, she ends up understanding that this companion is “no more than a particularly ingenious variety of the shadow she cast on sunlit grass”. With this knowledge, she puts on a wedding dress that she found in the castle and starts roaming outside. Her wanderings take her to the graveyard where the Duke is having a feast, and where he is hunted by an angry mob who manages to wound him. That’s when Alice (in full bride attire) and him interact, and that seeing him in pain, she nurses him back to life.

Poor, wounded thing... locked half and half between such strange states, an aborted transformation, an incomplete mystery, now he lies writhing on his black bed in the room like a Mycenaean tomb, howls like a wolf with his foot in a trap or a woman in labour, and bleeds.

The whole beginning could have been written for Kylo. And the symbolism at the end is clear rebirth. As she gently licks his face. Where there was nothing in the mirror, gradually appears the face of the Duke under her ministrations:

the prey caught in its own fishing net, then in firmer yet still shadowed outline until at least as vivid as real life itself, as brought into being by her soft, moist, gentle tongue, finally, the face of the Duke.

It sure reads like some smutty AU fanfic... And not far from Rey’s own experiences and interactions with Kylo. Two solitudes that meet. The girl so hopeful to find what she wanted to see in a mirror and finally crying when she understands it was all a lie, a shadow, and not what she wanted. And who turns to another solitary person right afterward, who may be the only person in the world to understand what she goes through. A creature that is caught between two states. A monster tracked down and wounded, whose human face she is alone able to reveal.... Ummm...

THE COMPANY OF WOLVES: CINEMATIC PARALLELS

Though Neil Jordan’s adaptation of Carter’s tales is contemporary to other fairy 80′s classics such as Labyrinth, Legend, The Neverending Story  or Dark Crystal, that one was never aimed at children. In an article from Film Ireland, this movie is best described as

more influenced by filmmakers like Jean Cocteau (Beauty and the Beast) and 1970’s Parisian pornographic art movies that embedded fairy tales with a salacious twist. The result is a film drenched in sensuality, richer than chocolate cake, and sporting enough themes and allegory to keep film students occupied indefinitely.

Neil Jordan worked with Carter herself to write the script for this movie. And, interestingly, most of the crew for the movie came from the Star Wars movies... The story goes like this: in a house in the country, a young girl is sleeping in her bedroom, dreaming, and visibly upset. She has an elder sister who doesn’t like her, and parents who are at a loss about her behaviour. In her dreams, the girl imagines she is a peasant girl from an XVIIIth century village, plagued by wolf attacks. Her elder sister gets conveniently killed at the beginning of the story. The girl spends most of her time with her grandmother (Angela Lansbury), some kind of a witch/fairy godmother, who knits her a wonderful red coat, and who warns her about men and wolves. Most of the stories do come from Carter’s tales but are fleshed out. The girl, who doesn’t have a name in the original story, becomes Rosaleen. She also has a suitor in a village boy... But then one day she meets a strange man in the forest and then...

There are indeed many interesting parallels to draw between Jordan’s movie and what we have seen so far in the ST, as far as Rey’s journey is concerned. The Company of Wolves is supposed to be a journey after all, an experience, what Film Ireland superbly calls “ a timeless and psychedelic daydream/nightmare, undulating and shifting”, that is supposed to reflect a young girl’s fantasies and fears as she is on the cusp of womanhood. This is about transformation, and, as the girl is portrayed sleeping most of the movie until the end, about an awakening. Which is not too far off from what Rey is experiencing, albeit in a galaxy far far away, and in a totally different genre. But, it would not be smart to overlook the implications of the title for the first installment: The Force Awakens. We know, from Snoke and Kylo’s conversation in TFA, and from Rey’s conversation with Luke in TLJ, that it is not so much about the Force Awakening (did it ever sleep?); but about someone awakening within/to the Force. And who else but Rey has been awakened? “Something inside of me has always been there... But now it’s awake.  And I'm afraid. I don't know what it is or what to do with it. And I need help. “ Which could honestly be uttered by any teenage girl (granted, boys too) as she experiences puberty... The novelizations insist on Rey’s dreams and nightmares, something we unfortunately never got onscreen...

There are more parallels to draw between Rosaleen and Rey. Rey, like Rosaleen, is the girl with the rose. The wilted flower in her AT-AT was a subliminal call to the Beast’s magic rose in Disney. White roses, red roses, are not just emblems of love, they also represent female sexuality, and female blood.

They both are fighters. Rosaleen carries a knife with her into the forest. And when her grandmother tells her a story that ends with a husband beating his wife, Rosaleen’s reaction evokes Rey: “I'd never let a man strike me!”. Her meeting with the wolf/man is also interesting to compare with Rey and Kylo. In Carter’s story, the man is described as a hunter, but in the movie he is turned into a rich man, a marquis. There is a class divide that did not exist in the short story. When she finally quizzes him about what he really is, whether he is a man or a wolf, his answer is that he doesn’t belong in one or another, that he belongs to both. Something that is further echoed by the Priest who finds the wolf girl and wonders whether she is “God’s Work” or the Devil’s, and finally decides it is better to show compassion to a suffering creature. Like Rey, Rosaleen ponders about the nature of her adversary, and decides first on hurting him: she shoots him after stealing his own gun (like someone we know who got somebody’s saber and struck thet somebody down). But then, when she sees him in pain and crying, she offers her compassion and realizes they are not so different. Her mother had warned her that there was also a beast in women’s hearts, so the ending shows Rosaleen turned into a wolf, apparently from her own free will. She chose to become the man’s companion. Much like our characters in TLJ who realize they are more connected than they thought, and Rey seeing Kylo differently.

I would like to offer further parallels in themes or scenes between the two movies:

Before meeting the wolf man, the girl has a suitor: a boy she met in her village. She is not romantically interested... and sees him more as a friend.

Meeting in a snow forest, both armed

Blood on the snow.... This classical Snow White reference is also a symbol for loss of virginity or first period... In both movies, the guys are the ones “bleeding” the snow... Can’t get more obvious than that...

The “duel” involves a “red moon”... Before the girl gets inside Granny’s house, the moon turns red, and looks like an eye. Starkiller base has this reddish eye, and it explodes (turns red) after their fight...

Both women wound the wolf... Rosaleen shoots at the wolf and wounds him in the shoulder. Rey cuts Kylo’s face and part of his chest.

High waisted pants...

Do you like subtle phallic symbols? (Remember that in Carter’s short story, he was showing his huge genitals... Well, that’s the best they could do... LOL)

And more of that...

From hunter/prey dynamic:

To real intimacy by the firelight, in “Granny’s House”... Luke is the “Granny” of the story...

The compass... It is the object that the hunter shows the girl as a lure. Compass is a song in Rey’s spotify playlist, and we have seen a compass in Luke’s hut.

The mirror, the eggs, and the nest.... The need to breed. Proof that it is all linked and that Ahch-To was indeed sex-ed class.

A lot of points can be made between Luke and the grandmother. If, unlike Luke, the grandmother is more than willing to teach the girl, they both have magic skills. She turns out to be a (good) witch. The girl loves her grandmother and believes all her stories to be the truth, but her mother warns her at one point about the grandmother’s biased view of the world. Luke’s views also turn out to be partial, and the truth slightly twisted. During one of her strolls, the grandmother encounters a snake...

Remember Luke on Dagobah?

When the wolf faces the grandmother, he shows up with blood on his mouth, implying that he has “enjoyed” Rosaleen. The grandmother asks what he did with her. The wolf: “Nothing she didn’t want”. We find these two ideas first in the smut hut when Luke is shocked to discover that Rey has allowed herself to get this close to Kylo, and then when Kylo tells Luke that he will destroy Rey...  Also, if the wolf kills the grandmother, no blood is shed. When the wolf attacks the grandmother, she breaks as if she were a doll. She is thus a simulacrum: she was not a real person, she was the image of a person. Just like Kylo unable to kill Luke because he is just an image projected from across the galaxy. I think this is a very intriguing point. The point here is to shatter illusions, dreams, and fantasies. The girl in The Company of Wolves is sleeping next to a horror book called “The Shattered Dream”.

Other possible parallel? The pack!

The Snow White references and subversion. From this:

To this:

I was also interested in the little scene when the grandmother explains how the Devil meets a young man in the wolf and gives him the potion that turns him into a wolf. This reminded me of how Snoke ensnared and turned Kylo... Heck, for that matter, Snoke is even like a very grotesque Terence Stamp!

Oh, and the Hamlet scene...

And yes, I can definitely see some parallelisms in the potential ending as well with Rey running away with Kylo... Look at this poster for the French DVD, which fuses the face of Rosaleen with the wolf and compare it with the TFA poster where Rey and Kylo merge their weapons (prelude to sex, right?) and complete each other, as well as the concept art in Art of The Last Jedi that merged their faces for Ahch-To:

The point is not to say that the writers thought of this movie or this set of story to create the ST. Maybe they did, but that doesn’t really matter, anyways. The many similarities, in my view, are mainly due to the fact that both stories tap into similar themes. The coming of age of a girl, the fears and fantasies stemming from the desire for the other, the ambivalence between disgust and attraction about sexuality, the fear of losing oneself and one’s identity (the path, the compass, the metamorphosis). Again, this is a tale as old as time. Which is why it has so much appeal and resonates into our psyche. Maybe this will never be the main event for many people who will just enjoy the cool battles and special effects. Maybe it is this extra depth that irks the discontented fanboys, because, though they don’t fully see it, they still understand that something else is at play there... But this is why this movie will endure the test of time as a story. Themewise, it has universal SEX appeal.

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/3jMGhDX #

The Voyeurs, premiering through Amazon Prime Video on September 10, is an intense erotic thriller that deftly combines voyeurism and ennui. The story starts with one young couple Pippa (Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria) and Thomas (Justice Smith, Detective Pikachu) on the verge of a life together in their new apartment, but soon takes a turn when they learn they can see a little too much of their neighbors’ lives.

Said neighbors (played by EastEenders‘ Ben Hardy and The Greatest Showman‘s Natasha Bordizzo) start to become more interesting and consuming to Pippa than her own life and relationship, much to Thomas’ dismay. But the real danger begins when she stops seeing them through a window and binoculars and starts meeting them face to face.

Related: 10 Best Erotic Thrillers, Ranked By IMDb

Sweeney and Smith spoke with Screen Rant about how they approached the more intimate scenes in the film, what lies behind the surface of Pippa and Thomas’ relationship, and what their director’s preferred nickname is.

This couple seems very much in love, and yet they’re at a place where spying on their neighbors is their idea of a good time. Did you talk with each other or with Michael about the road that led here?

Justice Smith: Yeah, I think that Thomas and Pippa have different ideas about what they’re doing at the top. Thomas is very happy in this next step of settling down with Pippa, getting this lease and creating this life together. And Pippa still is yearning for excitement, and she doesn’t want to settle down too much.

So, when they get a glimpse of their neighbors, Thomas sees it as something light and fun. And Pippa does too, but it evolves into something different for the two of them.

Sydney Sweeney: [Something] darker.

Sydney, I know that you brought your intimacy coordinator from Euphoria over to The Voyeurs. How did that help the collaboration in those intimate scenes that you do?

Sydney Sweeney: The role of intimacy coordinators is – there’s multiple roles that they hold – to be your voice when sometimes you feel pressured or nervous or just can’t speak up in the moment. Also, they’re there to provide breath mints, gum, and they also have yoga pads so you’re really touching each other. There’s so many things that go on behind the scenes, because it’s very technical – it’s not as intimate as you think they are.

But having Amanda, who I’ve worked with [many times] – she came from Euphoria, she also came to The White Lotus and worked with [Alexandra Daddario and Jake Lacy] – she knows her shit. She makes sure that, if we’re doing a scene multiple times, she’ll come and be like, “Alright, I think that they’re about done. You have one more take.” She’s really good at just being observant and sensing how you are feeling.

Justice Smith: Yeah, she’s in your corner. But then, at the same time, she’s a choreographer. She’s making sure that it looks real and believable, and it’s this balance.

Sydney Sweeney: It’s really funny – sometimes you think you’re doing it and then, on the screen, they’re like, “That wasn’t right.”

Justice Smith: There’s clearly nothing happening.

Sydney Sweeney: I do want to say that Mike –

Justice Smith: You call Michael “Mike?” Ben also calls Michael “Mike.” I’ve always called him Michael. Is his name Mike? Everyone calls him Mike but me. Why don’t I get to call him Mike?

Sydney Sweeney: You have a special relationship with him.

Michael is the most kindhearted human being; he embodies the word kind. So, there was never one moment where I felt I needed Amanda to speak up for on my behalf or Amanda needed to. He really was so thoughtful and took to heart how intense and physical and intimate these scenes were. So, having the mix of Amanda and Michael was like the safest space you could be in.

Justice Smith: [It’s wild] how he wrote a script this dark and intense, because he is so nice and sweet.

Without spoilers, what theme did you most take away from the film or from your character?

Justice Smith: There’s this theme of – obviously, voyeurism – but also a privacy-publicity comparison and obsession.

But with my character, specifically, it was this idea of not being enough. I think that’s what a lot of people struggle with. I think that we’re constantly told we’re not enough through different avenues. We’re not enough if we don’t buy that house or have a nuclear family or have kids or buy that product or pursue our dreams. There’s all this pressure to be something, and a lot of people feel like they’re not, they’re unfulfilled. So, I liked playing a personification of that.

More: Sydney Sweeney’s 10 Best Movie & TV Roles

The Voyeurs arrives September 10 through Amazon Prime Video.

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The post Justice Smith & Sydney Sweeney Interview: The Voyeurs appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

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[hopethedork]

Hey remember me? The one who asks you to do all of the asks in an ask me? Can you do thay for emoji asks?😂

How could I forget you?! 💛💛 And oh my gosh, there were so many so sorry it took awhile- but I did it!

🐰 what is one secret that you’ve never told anyone?

 I don’t think I have a secret I haven’t told anyone? I have webbed toes though so I guess that’s pretty weird lol 

💗 if you could hug anyone, who would it be?

My dog ;-; 

🐹 what are some of your favourite Pokémon and why?

Charmander and Aerodactyl! Charmander is a cutie and Aerodactyl is just super cool, I also really like Eevees.

👀 what was the most recent vivid dream that you had?

I think I was eating yogurt? with strawberries?? I have no explanation  

☀️ what do you like the most about your best friend?

We go months without seeing or talking to each other (long distance) but once we’re together nothing at all has changed~

💁 if someone was rude to you, would you be rude back?

nahhhh

🌟 what do you like about yourself? (must choose at least 3 things!)

I… am good with dogs? I like that I can set my mind to something and that I enjoy making things as well.

🐾 what are you scared of most? how will you overcome it?

regretting the choices I make= overthinking  E V E R Y T H I N G

🎁 what never fails to make you happy?

mint chip ice cream

💙 what annoys you about some people?

the inability to empathize with others

😤 do you get angry easily?

under the right circumstances

🐇 what do you always daydream about?

stories I want to write! 

🌻 if you could change 3 things about the world what would you change? 

I honestly wouldn’t know where to start ._. 

✈️ what is your dream city and why?

I really love Tokyo. My favorite thing about it is that there are still large trees and shrines everywhere despite the fact it’s one of the world’s major cities. NYC is a close runner up though- I think I mostly enjoy places where you can still see some of the history through the city itself.

☕️ talk about your ideal day

I’d like to eat breakfast and go on a walk with my doggo, then I’d work/run any errands, then spend time with people I care about ^,^

🌸 are you an introvert, ambivert or extrovert?

oh boy I’m definitely ambiverted

💧 when was the last time you cried?

like an hour ago rip .-. 

🎵 name 5 songs you love at the moment

1. “Even For You” from Infinity War, oh man…

2. “Beautiful World” from Evangelion 2.0

3. “Breaking of the Fellowship” from FOTR

4. “He Mele No Lilo” from Lilo and Stitch

5. “Alive” by Phil Lober

⚡️ if you had any superpower, what would it be and why?

I’d either want to be a shapeshifter because that’s amazing or be something like the Avatar and control air and fire C:

💛 if you could talk to your younger self, what would you say?

keep movin’ forward

💚 who are you jealous of and why?

I’m not sure that jealousy is the right word… but I had a lot of trouble recently with people who went to the same school that I did and could without having to work or take out any loans to do so. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it was really frustrating for me because I wasn’t able to focus on school alone as they could.

💎 which one would you rather have more of: intelligence, beauty, kindness, wealth or bravery? why?

Each I feel has a major flaw- but I’d choose intelligence because with it you can achieve the others.

🙊 what are you ashamed of?

I mean… a lot 🙃

🌺 which languages do you know? which do you want to learn?

I only know English which is SO frustrating to me ToT I’ve tried now to learn both Spanish and Japanese, but I have a loooooot of trouble and didn’t even pass my last language class ;^;

🍀 if you could be any fictional character’s best friend/lover, which fictional character would you be?

I’m actually shocked that I’ve never put any real thought into this before??? I’m torn between A BUNCH tbh but if I really had to pick I love Peter Quill in MCU.

💜 which acts of kindness are you going to do today? 

I SHALL SMILE AT STRANGERS IN A NON-CREEPY FASHION

🐬 if you could transform into any animal/magical creature, what would you be and why?

DRAGONNN

dragons are cool

🍄 talk about someone/something you really dislike

AHA no 

😣 talk about some things that have been making you depressed/angry/anxious lately

WHERE AM I GONNA LIVE

🍪 what did you want to be as a kid, and what do you want to be now?

I wanted to be a dog 😂 

I still wouldn’t mind being a dog

🍰 what are some of your favourite sugary foods?

ALL OF THEM

🍑 what are you obsessed with?

I don’t really think… anything?

💘 what happens to you when you’re stressed?

I usually go into this weird survival mode where I won’t stop until everything I need to do is done. On rarer occasions I’ll do nothing at all and stress myself out more 😂 

I wouldn’t recommend either

🙀 are you an adrenaline seeker?

I don’t usually seek it out, but I definitely have a blast once I’m in that kind of a situation!

💥 what are some unpopular opinions that you have?

I hate avocados

☔️ would you consider yourself a good person?

I try to be

😊 what do you like to do as hobbies?

Aside from cosplay I also love drawing, writing, and hiking/exploring. I also used to be superrr active and played volleyball and water polo and did rock bouldering until I got injured and couldn’t anymore.

🎤 what’s the last song you hummed or sang by yourself?

“The Calendar” by P!atd

🐝 what’s your worst trait? how are you planning to improve it?

I get very very anxious, and most of the time it’s for no reason 

🎨 what do you always doodle when you’re bored?

usually eyes!

🐻 what’s stopping you from chasing your dreams?

I think I’m just trying to figure out what they are still 😅

👑 who are your favourite celebrities and why? 

A majority of the Marvel/Avengers cast. I admire a lot of them for different charity work that they do and I think it’s amazing whenever they visit children’s hospitals costumed and in character. It really hits home aha. 

🍋 do you consider yourself an emotional person?

yes lol

📚 share 3 books that you love and your favourite quote from them.

Lord of the Rings (Tolkien)- “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” & “There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”

Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)- “Stuff your eyes with wonder. Live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world, it’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”

My third book is “Petey” by Ben Mikaelson but I can’t remember any quotes because it’s been years since I’ve read it ToT 

😔 what do you always do when you feel sad? does it help?

I try to relax or reach out to friends to spend time with, it usually helps just depending on the situation~

😌 what thoughts keep you going when you’re sad?

It’s weird, but a special I watched on Animal Planet yearssss ago said that if sharks don’t keep swimming that they can’t breathe and will actually drown .-. So I tell myself to move forward and keep doing things because that’s the way to get through tough spots!

🌍 which country do you live in?

le U.S.

🐧 describe yourself in 3 words

 Tall, Weird, & Clumsy

🐵 which quotes changed you?

“It is what you do with failure that ultimately determines your future” 

💭 do you keep a diary?

not a diary in the traditional sense, but I try to write sometimes to keep track of my thoughts.

💫 who inspires you?

Stephen Hawking, Tolkien, Dwayne Johnson 

👻 do you believe in ghosts and why?

Weird experiences definitely lead you to believe in something of the sort!

🎀 what’s your fashion sense like?

shorts in winter and pants in summer AKA bad choices

🎬 what are some of your favourite films?

Big Fish, Fellowship of the Ring, The Winter Soldier

🍦 what is one treasured childhood memory?

My mom and sister took me to a really cool coffee shop for like my 11th birthday, it was one of those nice occasions where a bad day becomes good ^,^

🐼 if you could meet anyone, who would it be and why?

J.R.R. Tolkien for very, very obvious reasons~

[esonetwork]

Comic book review: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren’

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/comic-book-review-star-wars-the-rise-of-kylo-ren/

Comic book review: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren’

The Star Wars saga has already covered — quite extensively — the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. And we’ve seen that Vader’s grandson, Kylo Ren, also fell to the dark side.

But how did Ben Solo — son of two of the greatest heroes of the Rebellion — become Kylo Ren? Was he a remorseless villain, or in some ways was he also a victim?

While we’ve seen the end of Ben Solo/Kylo Ren’s story in “The Rise of Skywalker,” thanks to a recently completed comic series called “The Rise of Kylo Ren,” now we also have the beginning of the story.

“The Rise of Kylo Ren” is a four-part comic book miniseries that began in December and wrapped up in March (the trade paperback is scheduled to come out in May). It’s written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Will Sliney, and it’s probably the best comic book series I’ve ever read.

Now, I feel like I have to include a couple caveats in that praise, because A) I’m just getting started in the hobby of comic book reading, so my experience is still pretty limited; and B) Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is one of my top three favorite Star Wars characters, so I was predisposed to love this series before I even started reading it.

That being said, Soule really does do a wonderful job getting inside Ben Solo’s head, giving us a complex and tortured character whose story becomes even more of a tragedy. Sliney’s art is excellent, and really makes the story come to life. If you want to learn more about how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren (and just who the Knights of Ren are), then this is the series for you!

I was heartbroken when my local comic book shop closed last year, but thankfully I was able to order all four issues online from Things From Another World. Confession time: I ended up paying about $40 in total for these four comics ($20 value) because they all shipped separately. However, in my defense, this comic series was so popular it kept selling out and I didn’t want to risk not getting copies. Also, since I’m now stuck at home for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus quarantine, it’s not like I can go out and spend my entertainment budget on much else, right?

Anyway, as a major Star Wars/Kylo Ren fan I would say that yes, these comics were worth the extra money I had to pay for them.

The first issue gives us a little backstory on the Knights of Ren, Kylo Ren’s mysterious squad lurking behind the scenes in “The Rise of Skywalker.” The Knights of Ren look super cool (making a Knight of Ren costume someday is on my list of cosplay goals), but it is nice to know a little more about who they actually are.

“The Rise of Kylo Ren” issue No. 1 opens with a brutal scene that shows just how dangerous the Knights of Ren are, and then cuts to the night Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple burns. This is the night we saw flashbacks of in “The Last Jedi” from multiple points of view. Luke is tempted to kill his nephew due to the rising darkness within Ben Solo, and now Ben feels he has nowhere else to turn except for Snoke.

Snoke was already creepy enough in “The Last Jedi,” but he’s even slimier in this comic series. While to a certain extent yes, Ben is responsible for his own actions/choices, we also see how he’s been haunted and manipulated by Snoke/Palpatine throughout his entire life.

Issue No. 2 depicts Ben struggling with his legacy. We all love Han and Leia, but it would be hard for a kid to grow up with such famous parents. When your mom, dad, and uncle are all living legends, how do you live up to that? That’s a lot of pressure.

Speaking of “Uncle Luke,” issue No. 2 has a super cool fight scene with Luke and the Knights of Ren. I know I already mentioned Will Sliney’s great art, but his panels really are amazing and I would love to frame some of them one day.

Issue No. 3 has more flashbacks to Ben’s time as a student at Luke’s Jedi Temple, and although he doesn’t seem to have ever been a super social guy, he did have one good friend, a fellow student named Tai who tries to understand him and help him feel less alone.

In the “present” timeline, Ben attempts to persuade the Knights of Ren that he really is willing to commit to the dark side, but they still sense his pull to the light — a struggle Ben maintains throughout the sequel trilogy films.

Issue No. 4 depicts Ben going on a mission with the Knights of Ren and still hesitating to kill. Some of Luke’s former students show up to confront Ben, and he’s forced to choose what side he’s really on.

Issue No. 4 had one of my favorite bits of dialogue from this whole comic series, and really shows how much of Kylo Ren’s anger is just a twisted form of self-doubt. He feels he’s doomed to fall and there’s nothing he can do to stop it.

“I have no choice and never did,” he says. “Even my name isn’t a choice. The dark side and the light both claimed me for their own the moment I was born. Whether it’s Luke Skywalker or Snoke, neither one sees me as a person. I’m just a…legacy. Just a set of expectations.”

In short, “The Rise of Kylo Ren” is a fantastic series, and I’d love to see Soule and Sliney team up to create more Ben Solo/Kylo Ren content someday. I’ve always found Kylo Ren to be a sympathetic character, but this comic adds even more nuance to his background. Highly recommend!

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1256

Monday April 1, 2019

 Call me an April fool. I thought that the pure joy of comic book collecting was going the way of the Dodo bird but judging from the attendance of yesterday's Capital Comic Book Convention I'm glad to say I am mistaken. No celebrities. No cosplay. No special events. Just a room full of vendors who also love the hobby and collectors looking for unique and fun comics. I want to thank my partner Chris for all his hard work. He made Jee-Riz's booth a standout in the room. "You don't see this sort of stuff very often" was heard more than once.

 Archie #703 - Nick Spencer (writer) Sandy Jarrell (artist) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). So much going on. We find out who attacks Jughead in the woods and why. I want to be a roadie for Josey and the Pussycats. Betty and Veronica enlists the aid of Cheryl Blossom to ferret out if Archie has a new girlfriend. As long as it's not Betty I'm not jealous of the ginger bonehead.

 Avengers #17/LGY #707 - Jason Aaron (writer) David Marquez (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue has some of the cheesiest dialogue I have ever read. I really hope that the Vampire War is over. This Avengers team is a bit too goody two shoes for me.

 Batman #67 - Tom King (writer) Lee Weeks & Jorge Fornes (art) Lovern Kindzierski (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 5. Batman's in his Batman: Year One costume chasing a masked killer. You'll feel like you're watching a Roadrunner cartoon. The guy in the mask is William Ernest Coyote. You're in for a shock when Batman unmasks him.

 Savage Sword of Conan #3 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Ron Garney (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Conan is captured by the evil wizard Koga Thun but manages to escape to continue his search for treasure. It looks like he's got to fight zombies to get to the treasure. I got all excited when I saw the cover showing Conan fighting alongside Belit but nothing like that happens at all inside. I'm not reading any more of these. I don't like being played for a sucker.

 Immortal Hulk #15 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love this couch session with Doc Samson and the Hulk, sans couch. The two talk it out after a sniper shoots Betty and the Hulk. Some of the stuff they talk about is quite insightful. You think they're trying to find Betty but they're not. Their final destination is a surprise.

 Thor #11 - Jason Aaron (writer) Lee Garbett (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Thor goes looking for his best friend thinking he's going to need all the help he can get in the coming War of the Realms. The Lady Freyja has to make her son stop his foolish search. I like the little snippets showing characters we haven't seen in a while and I can't wait to see what their roles are in the war. Get ready true believers, Malekith is about to invade Midgard.

 Avengers LGY #714: No Road Home #7 - Jim Zub, Mark Waid & Al Ewing (writers) Paco Medina (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue features Monica Rambeau/Spectrum. Who better to fight the Queen of Darkness than a being of light. The last page made up for the disappointment I felt reading Savage Sword of Conan #3.

 Heroes in Crisis #7 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art pages 1-6, 11, 17,-19, 23-24) Travis Moore (art pages 8-10, 13, 14-16, 20-21) Jorge Fornes (art pages 7, 12, 22) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). You could read this one issue and it wouldn't make a lick of sense unless you've read the previous 6. I even had a hard time understanding what's going on and I've read every issue. I think the only reason I'm going to read the last two issues is to find out if anything makes sense in the end.

 Hulkverines #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Guiu Vilanova (art) Morry Hollowell with Chris Sotomayor (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). We go from Hulkverine, the Hulk and Wolverine fighting each other to the three of them teaming up. Meanwhile the Leader and Doctor Alba, who created Hulkverine, do the super villain equivalent of what the three super heroes did. The result is going to be very interesting. This is the first I've seen of Guiu Vilanova's art and I think it's great.

 Ironheart #4 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's a rematch with Midnight's Fire. This new super villain reminds me of Miles's uncle Aaron AKA the Prowler. I hope there isn't too much overlap between these two young super heroes, otherwise I will get bored with one of them.

 The Avant-Guards #3 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The team has their first practice and play their first game. Major points to Noah for showing the players following through on their shots. I used to love playing basketball but never made my high school team. So I ended up managing both junior and senior teams and got to practice with them. I would love to find someone my own age to shoot some hoops with right now.

 Black Widow #3 - Jen & Sylvia Soska (writers) Flaviano (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Natasha's mission to shut down an online pay-per-view torture site goes horribly wrong. I can't wait to see how she gets out of this predicament.

 Sabrina the teenage witch #1 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Veronica Fish & Andy Fish (art) Jack Morelli (letters). This new comic book is more like the TV show than the gritty ghoulish title that was on the racks a while ago. I liked the old show but haven't seen the new one. I had a crush on Melissa Joan Hart. I really like the writing and art in this so it's going on my "must read" list.

 Dial H for Hero #1 - Sam Humphries (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Dave Sharpe (letters). I mainly bought Marvel comics when I got more spending money and could afford new comic books but I did buy this DC title because I liked the concept. Robby Reed was this nerdy kid who finds a rotary telephone dial that changed him into a different super hero whenever he dialled H-E-R-O. he always had different powers and a different costume. This updated version has a kid named Miguel who is an adrenaline junky. An old timey telephone, the whole thing with handset this time, appears before him as he's plummeting towards certain death and he changes into Monster Truck. The Monster Truck pages are quite Kirbyesque. Throw in a page with Damian/ Robin, Lobo, Snapper Carr, Angel and the Ape, Harley Quinn and Alfred and I am hooked. I liked the town troublemaker Summer too. I am looking forward to seeing their further adventures.

 Doctor Strange #12 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Scott Koblish (inks) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Herald Supreme part 1. Stephen Strange is bored but he won't be for long. An alien from a warrior race of mystics comes to Earth to ask Doctor Strange how he defeated Galactus. I guess there's no Marvel comics where this guy is from. Seems the world eater is fixing to eat his planet. The super aggressive Zoloz manages to steal all of Doc Strange's mystical power and banishes Galactus in the Mystic Realms. Read this issue to find out why that's a bad idea. Now it's up to Stephen to keep the big purple planet eater from feeding and destroying our universe too.

 Action Comics #1009 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Steve Epting (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Leviathan Rising part 3. Lois is pissed at Amanda Waller but she reigns in her anger to come up with a plan to find out what Leviathan is. We get to see what Gold Kryptonite does, which is kind of cool. It's fun when something new gets added to a story. Superman's transformation surprised me.

 Sharkey the bounty hunter #2 - Mark Millar (writer) Simone Bianchi (art & colours) Peter Doherty (letters). This one's a fun space romp. The hunter finds his prey but she's not going to come along quietly.

 The Superior Spider-Man #4 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I hope this change is permanent but it's going to take some getting used to calling Otto but his new identity Elliot. I like how Anna Maria is the woman behind the man. She teaches him a lesson in humility in this issue. Now I have a craving for Polish sausage.

 Shazam #4 - Geoff Johns (writer) Dale Eaglesham & Marco Santucci (art) Mike Atiyeh (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Yay, my wish came true. We meet Tawky Tawny the tiger in the first 6 pages. This version is quite dapper. The kids get separated with two in the Wildlands, two in the Gamelands and Mary and Billy in the Funlands, contrary to what the cover shows. Who's going to rescue the Marvel Family? The last page will enlighten you. I'm not excited about the movie hitting theatres on April 5 but if it's as good as this comic book, I might go see it.

 Fantastic Four #8 - Dan Slott (writer) Aaron Kuder, Stefano Caselli, David Marquez & Reilly Brown (art) Matt Yackey (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Did someone forget to tell cover artist Esad Ribic that Victorious was female? Doctor Doom has captured both Galactus and the Fantastic Four. He's siphoning off the former's cosmic power and is going to execute the latter. Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny are sure in a pickle. I can't wait to see how they get out of it.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #18 - Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 2. There's a spectre of danger hovering over Mary Jane in the side story. That's always a good plot twist to keep a Spider-Man fan hooked.

 Daredevil #3 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Know Fear part 3. Daredevil's been shot and is about to be arrested for murder. Detective Cole North aims to bring the suspect in no matter what it takes. I wonder if Canadian Chip Zdarsky picked that name as an inside joke? Just when the "tough-as-nails" ex-Chicago cop is about to succeed, Daredevil is rescued. I chuckled when I saw who it was, and it's not Man-Thing.

 Detective Comics #1000 - Is this worth $9.99 US? You bet your sweet bippy it is. I might even buy one for myself, but which cover to pick? Here are the choices.

 Main cover by Jim Lee (pencils) Scott Williams (inks) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1930s by Steve Rude (art)

1940s by Bruce Timm (art)

1950s by Michael Cho (art)

1960s by Jim Steranko (art)

1970s by Bernie Wrightson (art) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1980s by Frank Miller (art) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1990s by Tim Sale (art) & Brennan Wagner (colours)

2000s by Jock (art)

2010s by Greg Capullo (art) & FCO Plascencia (colours)

 We get 3 pin-ups by:

Mikel Janin (art)

Jason Fabok (art) & Brad Anderson (colours)

Amanda Conner (art) & Paul Mounts (colours)

 Then there's all the terrific stories inside that not only shows Batman as a crime fighter but more importantly for this title as a consummate crime solver. You will find all of Batman's family and rogues gallery in here. I loved how this issue was a feast for the eyes too. I'm just going to list the titles of the stories and their creative teams. If you don't buy a copy for your comic book collection then you're missing out on what will be a classic. With a line up like this you can't lose.

 Longest Case by Scott Snyder (writer) Greg Capullo (pencils) Jonathan Glapion (inks) FCO Plascencia (colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters).

Manufacture for Use by Kevin Smith (writer) Jim Lee (pencils) Scott Williams (inks) & Alex Sinclair (colours) & Todd Klein (letters).

The Legend of Knute Brody by Paul Dini (writer) Dustin Nguyen (pencils) Derek Fridolfs (inks) John Kalisz (colours) & Steve Wands (letters).

The Batman's Design by Warren Ellis (writer) Becky Cloonan (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Simon Bowland (letters).

Return to Crime Alley by Denny O'Neil (writer) Steve Epting (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters).

Heretic by Christopher Priest (writer) Neal Adams (art) Dave Stewart (colours) & Willie Schubert (letters).

I Know by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art & colours) & Josh Reed (letters).

The Last Crime in Gotham by Geoff Johns (writer) Kelley Jones (art) Michelle Madsen (colours) Rob Leigh (letters).

The Precedent by James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez-Bueno (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) & Sal Cipriano (letters).

Batman's Greatest Case by Tom King (writer) Tony S. Daniel & Joelle Jones (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters).

And finally Medieval by Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza & Doug Mahnke (inks) David Baron (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters).

 That last story introduces a new (at least to me) Gotham City crime fighter named the Arkham Knight. His story continues in Detective Comics #1001 and I'm going to snag that issue off the racks to find out who he is.

[templeofgeek]

This week’s featured cosplayer is someone that we wanted to feature for a long time! Her name is Waifutella and she builds some of the most impressive cosplay but if you as her, she will say she is just the world’s okayest cosplayer. Temple of Geek has reached out to Waifutella to chat about her cosplay to which she graciously accepted. Continue on to learn about her cosplay, her fandoms, and her love for Nutella.

(Danniel Slade) Can you start off by telling me a little bit about yourself?

(Waifu Tella) I’m afraid there’s not really much to say! I’m a lot more boring than people give me credit for. I’m a full time student, cosplayer, and huge hecking nerd.

Photo by Emmy Mrozowska

(DS) Okay, I need to ask. What does your cosplay name, Waifutella, mean and how did you come up with it?

(WT) Waifutella is a combination of two words- the first being “waifu” (a term that anime fans know well). A waifu is a character who is so perfect you would snatch her up in a hot second and marry her if you could. The second word is nutella- anyone who follows me knows how much I adore it. It’s a bit of an addiction actually- I eat it straight from the jar, on the daily.

  (DS) Why do you use the subtitle “world’s okayest cosplayer?”

(WT) *burts out singing Ingrid Michaelson’s “I just want to be okay”

I don’t do well with compliments. I’m a vending machine, compliments are a wrinkly dollar bill- it’s just really frustrating and uncomfortable for everyone involved. When I wore my first real cosplay (Bucky Barnes) to a convention and later posted pics on Instagram, people were complimenting it left and right, and I would insist that my work was at best okay. One of my friends joked that I was the “world’s okayest cosplayer” and… it just stuck ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Photo by Ernie Jay

(DS) What fandoms are you into?

(WT) Marvel (cinematic and comics) is definitely my go-to, particularly Captain America, Captain Marvel, and both Hawkeyes. I also adore Blizzard Games, (Overwatch/StarCraft II/Diablo III) No Game No Life, Welcome to Night Vale, the Tolkeinverse, HP (hufflepride!), The Witcher, Doctor Who, Legend of Zelda and Kingdom Hearts.

  (DS) When did you get into cosplay?

(WT) My friend and I went to our first con together-SDCC- and all of our information about conventions was gathered through Tumblr posts. They made it seem like everyone there cosplayed, and I didn’t want to be the only person left out, so I brought along my Halloween costume. When we got there, it seemed like hardly anybody else was dressed up, but I had a lot of fun! So I kept doing it, and I’ve found it to be a really great and diverse creative outlet as well as a great way to make new friends. Excluding Halloween costumes, it’s been a little over two years now!

  (DS) How do you choose what you are going to create for cosplay?

(WT) I’ve actually recently changed my entire approach to this. I used to make cosplays for characters that I liked well enough and weren’t a huge financial burden to make (textbooks aren’t as fun as cosplay, but they’re definitely my priority.). Nowadays, I need to be a hardcore fan of the character and the design. I’m tying to put a lot more craftsmanship and technique into my work; so I try to choose characters that I love enough to spend repeated all nighters working on. It means I haven’t had a steady stream of new content, but I’m a lot more excited to show everyone what I’ve accomplished!

  (DS) In total, how many costumes have you created over the years?

(WT) Oh heck. Definitely more than seven. Ummm… I’ve done quite a few, and about half of those were so awful that they’ve never been shown to the internet (and they never will)

Photo by Michael Benedict

(DS) Do you have a favorite costume that you want to wear over and over?

(WT) I would love nothing more than to wear the winter soldier over and over again, but last time I was in it, I broke the elbow! So, sadly, it will have to wait until I can make a new arm.

  (DS) What was your easiest build?

(WT) My easiest build was definately the punisher. I grabbed my gun, shoes and shorts from the winter soldier, roughed up and old pleather jacket, added paneling to the sleeves for aesthetic, and painted his logo on a T-shirt. That, plus wig styling, took the better part of an afternoon.

Photo by Michael Benedict

(DS) Now on the flip side, what was your hardest build?

(WT) My most difficult build- I would have to say it’s a tie between two characters. I’ve been working on Captain America and on Twilight Princess for the better part of a year, but every time I finish, I put it on and decide it’s not good enough to represent them properly. So I’ve remade them each at least six times. I think I’ve got them pretty much set this time around, though, so hopefully I can show the final versions off soon.

  (DS) What is your favorite convention to cosplay at?

(WT) I think it’s going to be Blizzcon! Last year I went for the first time, and I didn’t really cosplay for it but it was such an amazing convention, it felt like home. I’ve got big plans for Blizzcon 2018, I’ve been working on the cosplays for months now- they’re definately my hugest builds yet.

  (DS) Do you have a funny or embarrassing story that you are willing to share that happened while in cosplay?

(WT) So, my second time wearing my Winter Soldier cosplay at SDCC, it got a lot of attention. I was being stopped for photos left and right. Since people may not actually know you, they have a tendency to shout out your character’s name to get your attention (as its a lot more effective than shouting out “hey you” or “cosplayer!!” in a crowded con) I kind of got into it that year, whenever someone would shout out “Bucky” I would turn around and reply as best as I could in character, “Who the h*ll is Bucky?” People loved it. In the evening my friends and I went out for dinner- still in cosplay, and I was still getting pressed for photos left and right. I was waiting at the bar to get a drink and when I heard someone say “Bucky” I grabbed my airsoft rifle, turned around, gave the guy my best winter soldier deadpan and delivered my line, hand resting on the trigger. His face drained and he stammered out “my girlfriend..” turns out he was on a business trip and he and his friend were just grabbing dinner after a day at the office and he was telling his coworker about his girlfriend Becky. He had no idea what Comiccon was and had never even heard of my character. I felt awful! I ended up buying him and his friend a drink as my way of apologizing and reassuring him I wasn’t going to pelt them with airsoft bullets.

Photo by Hino Ben

(DS) Are you affiliated with any cosplay groups?

(WT) I’m not with any official groups, but I’m part of the @Cosplay_And_Babes Instagram family! I’m also a page model for @Hotandgeeky (also on the Instagram), and I’m definitely an advocate for @butternut_gouache’s #ForceAgainstCyberBullying campaign.

  (DS) Looking back at your early cosplay years, is there anything you would tell yourself that you know now that you didn’t know then?

(WT) I’d tell myself not to wear a cosplay that I’m not 100% passionate about. There was a really brief period where I’d make a new costume for the sake of new social media content, and eventually I started getting pressured into wearing specific cosplays because “it would get you more Instagram followers” or “your followers would like that more.” The moment I let that last one start to effect me I had to take a break from cosplay and think about a few things. And honestly? It’s ridiculous that it was even pressured on me to do so. The people who advised that were 100% trying to help me out in their own way and I don’t harbor any resentment towards them for it, but catering to strangers on the internet isn’t me. I’m not getting paid to do this, I don’t have a Patreon, and I’m not here to try to get famous. I’m here to dress up like fictional characters and have fun with my friends, and I shouldn’t let anything influence that.

  (DS) Do you have a cosplay that you consider empowering to wear?

(WT) Definately steve.

  (DS) What is on your cosplay bucket list?

(WT) I’d love to cosplay every version of Captain America, Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter one day.

  (DS) Outside of cosplay, what do you do for fun?

(WT) I never have fun I’m too focused on my GPA! But okay, I also do archery, play video games and collect vinyl records.

  (DS) Are there any other cosplayers that inspire you?

(WT) My best friend Mikky (@mikkydyer on the Insta, Internet do your thing) is a huge inspiration for me. I actually adapted my pants for Captain America and my new version of HydraCap and my upcoming Captain America cosplay from her work. Mikky is absolutely amazing, the craftsmanship and attention to detail she puts into each cosplay astounds me. As someone who never learned how to properly sew (I usually just put fabric in front of a machine and pray it doesn’t fall apart as I’m wearing it… yes that has happened before.) it’s really amazing to see people who put in proper technique and methods into their craft. Besides, she’s not just an inspiration to my cosplay, she’s an inspiration to my daily life, she’s without a doubt one of the best people I have ever had the privilege to meet, and the honor to call my friend.

Photo by Michael Benedict

(DS) What is your next convention that fans will see you at?

(WT) I really only go to one or two conventions a year- between school and finances, it gets rather difficult to do more than that- I’ll be at Blizzcon this November, and after that the only thing that I guarantee is SDCC 2019.

  (DS) What would you say to someone who might want to build their first costume but don’t know how to get started?

(WT) Research the heck out of it! You can never find too much information on how to do something. Look at tutorials for characters with similar designs, different tutorials for the same pieces, research the materials you use, try to see how a bunch of other people have done it and use their methods to find what works best for you! And be sure to hit up your local thrift store (I’m partial to goodwill) and see if they have any pieces you can buy for your costume. There’s more than one way to make a cosplay. I started writing a series on my Tumblr page about cosplay research and building.

  (DS) How can our readers find out more about you?

(WT) On Instagram @waifutella, On Twitter @waifutella, On Tumblr at waifutella.tumblr.com and on Kofi (bonus content) ko-fi.com/waifutella!

  GALLERY

Photo by Square Noodles Film & Photography | IG @square_noodles

Photo by Ernie Jay | IG @yo_ernie

Photo by Ernie Jay | IG @yo_ernie

Photo by Michael Benedict | IG @michaelbenedictla

Photo by Bill$ Costello | IG @billscostello

Photo by Square Noodles Film & Photography | IG @square_noodles

Photo by Ernie Jay | IG @yo_ernie

Photo by Ernie Jay | IG @yo_ernie

Photo by Michael Benedict | IG @michaelbenedictla

Temple of Geek's Featured #Cosplay - @Waifutella #Marvel #CaptainAmerica #WinterSoldier This week's featured cosplayer is someone that we wanted to feature for a long time! Her name is Waifutella and she builds some of the most impressive cosplay but if you as her, she will say she is just the world’s okayest cosplayer.

[fanfics4all]

Something Good From Something Bad

Request: Yes / No Yeah can i get uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh one friends to lovers Reggie x female reader during s3e5 when reggie reveals his black eye and reader freaks out and is wondering why no one else cares and she abd Reggie leave and he's all like "why do you care so much" and the reader suddenly confesses and then just a lot of fluff ensues? @southsidehufflepuff

Request are closed <3 Have a nice day/night

Reggie Mantle x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1520

Warnings: Nothing

Y/N: Your Name

Y/N/N: Your Nickname

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you!

Masterlist

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Nothing can be normal in Riverdale can it? Jason Blossom was murdered by his own father, then we had our very own serial killer The Black Hood, and now this weird game is plaguing our town along with the Gargoyle king. Which brings us to today. Betty had asked Josie, Kevin, Reggie and I to meet her in the Blue and Gold office. She said there was something she wanted to tell us. Once we got there she told us about what our parents did in high school, how they played the game.

“Hold up. You’re telling me that my mother was a rule breaking, anti apartheid activist in high school?” Josie asked. She told us how our parents were pretty much the opposite of what they are today.

“And that she and my dad were together back then?” Kevin added, Betty simply nodded.

“I don’t buy it.” Reggie said and I nodded.

“There’s no way my old man hung out and did like cosplay with a group of lameass nerds.” He said.

“Yeah my mom for that matter, minus the offensiveness.” I said, I loved Reggie and he was my best friend, but sometimes he could be a bit rude.

“Okay it’s true guys.” Betty said.

“And you want us to find out, what exactly?” Josie asked with a sigh.

“My suspicion is that whoever was running the game back then is running it now. Which is why we need to stop them before things get any worse.” She said and Josie and I couldn’t hold back our scoffs.

“Wait, what are you trying to say?” Kevin asked.

“That one of our parents might be responsible for what happened to Dilton and Ben?” I said shocked.

“Maybe, and that’s why you can’t tell them that you know about their Midnight club. Okay? You have to be careful and subtly when you ask them what they know.” She said and we all just stared at her.

“Alright, fine.” I said and everyone looked at me.

“I’ll ask my mom what she knows about this stupid game.” I said.

“You can’t be serious Y/N/N!” Reggie said.

“Look, no offense Betty, but if it shuts you up about this dumb game then fine I’ll ask.” I said and everyone sighed.

“Fine. Me too.” Josie said.

“Yeah, I’ll ask my dad.” Kevin said and we all looked at Reggie.

“Alright fine.” He said and I gave him a small smile.

“Great, thank you.” Betty said. We all left the room and went on with the school day. Once the day was over I went home and luckily my dad was at work and my mom was the only one home. I walked into the kitchen and saw she was baking cookies.

“Hey mom?” I asked putting my books down.

“Yes dear?” She asked putting some cookies on the cooling rack.

“I wanted to ask you about Griffins and Gargoyles…” I said and she dropped the spatula she was using on the counter.

“You’re not playing are you?” She asked.

“No, I’m not into that sort of thing.” I said, her sudden change in behavior made me think about what Betty had told us.

“Then why are you asking about it?” She asked.

“Because I heard that Alice Cooper played it in high school and I know you’re friends with her and were good friends with her back then too.” I said and she spun around to face me.

“I have never touched that game! Whatever you heard from her mouth is false!” She said annoyed and my eyes widened.

“Okay…” I said carefully.

“Now, go up to your room and do your homework!” She said and turned back around to the cookies. I grabbed my stuff and rushed up to my room. That was the weirdest thing ever.

The next day at school we all met Betty in the Blue and Gold office once again. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother’s weird reaction to me mentioning it. It was very obvious she was hiding something, but there was no way I was going to get it out of her.

“So they said nothing? Admitted nothing?” She asked.

“All they did was lie and act like they didn’t know about G&G.” Kevin said.

“Bury the lead Kevin, They also announced they’re getting married!” Josie said in shock. Kevin pointed to her and slightly nodded.

“Seriously, as what? A smoke screen?” She asked.

“No clue.” Josie said with her head in her hands.

“My mom freaked out on me a little, thought I was playing the game.” I said.

“You think those were crazy reactions…” Reggie said and took off his sunglasses. I gasped when I saw the black eye he has.

“This is what I got when I asked my dad about that stupid game.” He said and everyone sighed. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder.

“Why are our parents being so cagey about something that happened 25 years ago?” He asked and we all looked at Betty.

“Yeah, what aren’t you telling us Betty?” I asked. Before she could answer Veronica walked in.

“Guys, whatever this is, it has to wait.” She said slightly panicked.

“What’s wrong V?” Betty asked.

“I saw Archie.” She said and we looked at her shocked.

“He’s caught up in some diabolical teen fight club and I need to break him out of juvie before he dies or kills somebody. And you all have to help me.” She said. We all agreed and she said she would text her when she has a plan. Betty left to go find Jughead and Kevin and Josie left to go deal with their parents news. I walked in front of Reggie and looked at his eye. I gently touched it, he flinched back a little and I pulled my hand away.

“Come to my place, my parents aren’t going to be home tonight so you can stay over if you want.” I said and he looked at me with a smirk.

“Trying to hook up with me Y/N/N?” He asked and I rolled my eyes.

“You wish.” I said giving him a smirk back.

“Let me just help fix up your eye.” I said and left the room. He soon followed and we were at my place in no time with his car.

“Sit on the couch, I’ll be right back.” I said and went into the kitchen to grab an ice pack. I walked back in and gently held it to his eye.

“This should help that swelling go down.” I said and he pulled my hand away.

“Why do you care so much?” He asked. I bit my lip and looked down at the ground.

“Because we’ve been best friends for so long now…” I said hoping he would buy it.

“That’s not the only reason.” He said and I sighed.

“Reggie… just forget it.” I said standing up and went to go to the kitchen to make us something to eat, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me. I wouldn’t look at him, I knew if I did everything that I’ve held back would spill out.

“Look at me.” He said quietly and I shook my head. He gently pulled my arm and spun me around to face him, we were so close and I could smell his cologne.

“Reggie…” I breathed and his dark brown orbs stared down at mine. I couldn’t help myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up till our lips connected. He was shocked at first but soon enough his hands found my waist and he pulled me closer. He licked my bottom lip trying to deepen the kiss, but I pulled away. What I just did hit me and I quickly got out of his grip. I started at him with wide eyes and bit my lip.

“I-I’m sorry Reggie! I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t help it and I just- I’ve just had feelings for you since we were in middle school, and I’ve always dreamed about kissing you and I-” I was cut off by his lips on mine again. He slowly pulled away and looked down at me with a smile.

“You’re always so cute when you ramble like that.” He said, his warm breath fanning my face.

“I thought you would never love an asshole like me, so I never tried.” He said and I looked at him shocked.

“You’re not an asshole Reggie, a little rude and sometimes you don’t think before you do something, but you’re not an asshole.” I said and his smile grew.

“You’re too good for me Y/N/N.” He said and I smiled.

“I love you Reggie.” I said and he pecked my lips.

“I love you too Y/N.” He said and pulled me over to the couch. He wrapped his arm around me and I rested my head on his chest.

“Be mine?” He whispered in my ear and I looked up at him.

“I would love nothing more.” I said and pecked his lips.

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @xrosesareredx @herokyolachan @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs @schisbro87 @lover-of-books-and-teas @nerdygaloresposts @alex--awesome--22 @teenwolfbitches2 @genius2050 @drw0301bieber @pharaoh-of-time-and-space @marveloverdcsstuff @lady-of-lies @simonsbluee @hiya-imthatgirl @answer-the-sirens @mindsetjupiter @averysinclaire @mittelerde1999 @sweetest-peas @rousewriter @jjkingston @k-is-cray @camiconfessions @thecaptainsgingersnap @pettyjayy @cenyddtheunicorn @jacksxsouthsideserpents 

[chickenarmageddons]

allll the spooky asks!

Thank you sm ;-; tbh whoever you are, ur an angel and I luv u

Answers under a read more because I went full ramble on one lol

ghost: have you ever seen a psychic?Nah. I did Tarot cards with a friend once, but never a psychic lolwitch: do you believe in heaven?Yes and no. I believe that an afterlife would be based on what the individual believes in themself (ex. an atheist does not have one, a Christian finds Heaven/Hell, etc, etc.)black cat: favorite urban legend?I really love cryptids in general, but I don’t know if those count as urban legends. I really like the BEN Drowned urban legend (staying away from the creepypasta fandom) because I grew up with Zelda lolbats: are you superstitious? I have never not been superstitious, I think.coffin: have you ever had a paranormal experience?My sister and I had to live with a poltergeist in our closet for years upon years before we grew old enough to learn what it was. I put up sigils in the closet (it’s just my room now) and it hasn’t bothered me sincecauldron: strangest dream (or nightmare) you’ve had?Hooooo boy here we go. So I have really weird dreams sometimes. One dream, I attempted to choke Taylor Swift with a balloon, which failed. In another dream, I walked down a never-ending hallway, high-fiving a group of people in masks that just kept appearing. In the most disturbing dream, I was at my old elementary school. I don’t know why, but I was just stopping by before my classes when I realized that I was late. As in a few hours late. So I accuse the elementary snake of molesting me before I lose all control of my bodily movement for a few minutes before I am physically able to control myself in the dream. I hide from teachers around a corner when my sixth grade homeroom teacher comes and gets a pot of rice and vegetables from a locker. I’m talking an uncovered spaghetti pot, and she doesn’t seem at all concerned that I’m there. So I decide it’s safe and go to walk out of the school. The lobby is slightly different than what I remember, and a college acquaintance gives me a strange look for being there, but I pay no mind and go out of the doors. The outside is a mess of paths. I can see where I’m supposed to be though, so I take a path that looks like it might take me there. It goes to a pool with a raised room with a second pool and surrounding windows. The bottom pool’s walls are clear and there’s a back wall of dark wood. There’s a couple of guys there, and one of them has a girlfriend in the upper pool, which they keep yelling at and insulting. I’m just trying to get through, but the boyfriend asks me specifically if the girl looks like a sl*t, wh*re, etc. She’s actually really pretty, and her swimsuit looks like stained glass, and I just go by. I have to get to a door at the back of the pool, so I start wading through. The girl ends up in the bottom pool, and the boyfriend is pulling her hair. I can hear her screaming, and out of the corner of my eye I can see that he’s pulling hard enough that her scalp is ripping off and she’s bleeding. I’m too terrified to do a confrontation, so I try to ignore the screams and go through the door. I end up on a random street, and by that time it’s late so I say fuck it and go in the hopeful direction of home. I def forgot a few things and there were other dreams that connected to it but whatever.wizard: do you believe in aliens?It would be egotistical to not believe in aliens. Science suggests that the universe is infinite, which means that somewhere, there are even aliens that are just like us, and aliens that are so abstract that the human mind could not create themenchanted: what fictional character scares you most?Right now, It. I had an incident with a clown recently, which combined with my usual fear of killer clowns is aaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHhaunt: do you believe in haunted objects?Anything can be haunted. A n y t h i n gspells: do you believe in magic?Oh h e l l yeahgraveyard: do you believe any conspiracy theories? if so, which ones?I read all about conspiracy theories and cryptids. However, I don’t believe in anything because nothing is real lolpotion: favorite horror movie?I would have one if I waS ALLOWED TO WATCH HORROR MOVIES (I’m not allowed to watch them because my parents are afraid I’ll end up messed up, but they watch Dexter while I’m in the room and let me watch Criminal Minds and listen to Satanic music, so pARENTS WHATS GOOD)

full moon: do you believe in reincarnation? I have the same answer to this as the question about heaven. If someone believes truly in reincarnation, they will be reincarnated.vampire: are you afraid of death?I sucked death’s d I’m a Gen Z kid what do you thinkpumpkin: do you believe in ghosts?Considering I’ve had encounters with some…midnight: last horror move that you’ve watched?Gremlins. When my mom and sister would go out (which doesn’t happen anymore), my dad and I would watch old horror moviesskeleton: what is your biggest fear?Bees. and spiders. But mostly bees. TheY CAN CATCH THESE HADNScrystal ball: when is a time you got caught?Caught what? I mean, I almost got caught dancing in cosplay once, but I mean??? I’m careful when it comes to things I could get caught with bc of my parentsmagic: have you had any near-death experiences?Nah. I’ve felt like death a couple of times, but never a full NDEraven: favorite fairytale?I’m not really that into fairytales, but hOLY SHIT Fair Folk folklore and Mythology??? Sign me the fUck uPouija: have you ever played with a ouija board?Nope. My parents are weird about that stuff, and I don’t want to be communicating with that thing in my room. Literally once I touched a ouija board wallet at hot topic and my mom yelled at me lolfangs: favorite poem?okaY I really love People You May Know by Kevin Kantor but I also liek by homeboy Edgar Allan Poe so y’know