#except for when betty exploits it

[missmarreynolds]

Cheryl losing her twin in every timeline is so sad ): She’s cursed to always be born with another half and then to lose it. She lost Jason and Julian. Abigail loses James. She will ALWAYS lose him. It upsets me greatly, she will always lose her family because they are horrible people and her brother because he will always die. Cheryl NEEDS a hug

[via-the-cryptid]

I can see bubblegum meeting simon befor betty with her girlfriend finding him and all, and i see this playing out two ways. if bubblegum realy does try to sabotage betty alot marcy would hide who simon really is from her, as he is the best bargaining chip. Or simon and bubblegum because BFFs, much to everyone's concern. (They both self destructive nurds who lose themselves to there research)

Marceline does her best to simply Not Mention the connection between Simon and Betty to Bubblegum (and at this point they’re both still kinda salty with the other), but Bubblegum does eventually make the connection and when she does… yeah, it’s not pretty.

This is the guy that the Snow Queen has been tearing apart Ooo over for the last thousand years, and he’s in her grasp. This is the Snow Queen’s only weakness.

Bubblegum, of course, wants to exploit it. She thinks that if she can hold this ‘Snow Prince’s’ safety over Snow Queen’s head, then SQ will bend and do whatever she wants, specifically leaving her Kingdom alone. As long as Bubblegum has the Snow Prince, she’s safe from Snow Queen.

except she’s not.

because y’know what happens when Snow Queen finds out that this princess really does have her prince, and she’s keeping him hostage? oh, HELL no. Snow Queen is ready to throw down, and she ends up attacking the entire Candy Kingdom and freezing a good half of it at the least during her rescue mission. Bubblegum’s plan fires spectacularly, because she didn’t account for just how crazy Snow Queen would go over the matter of the Snow Prince’s safety.

(Simon thought he was friends with this princess, but it looks like he was only a pawn this whole time. He can’t help but be glad to see Betty for the first time in a thousand years, even if the crown has taken her over. At least he knows this is one person who doesn’t want to use him.)

[gildinwenthekittenblog]

I'm not @amarriageoftrueminds or @cosmicmechanism but I'll try to explain where this argument is coming from, because I think it (Bucky's story beats and characteristics being to Peggy) is valid and a legitimate criticism of the writing of Peggy.

As you've already pointed out it's mostly seen in Agent Carter (where Bucky isn't mentioned AT ALL), by the writing giving the impression that Peggy was on the ground fighting alongside the Howlies.

She bonds with Dum Dum over Bourbon and even (IIRC) bribes him with a bottle from her personal connection. Dum Dum goes to say she fought alongside Captain America longer than of the Howlies did.

And sure it works. If you turn your head and *squint* seeing how they were both seemingly involved in taking out Richard Armitage's HYDRA Agent, and then she was tangentially involved with the rescue of the 107th....but Bucky is right *there*.

(Dum Dum even goes to suggest, that Peggy gets a code name here "Miss U" and later on in the same episode when he and Peggy are having a ....heated discussion when the mission goes south Peggy asks him what Steve would tell him to do. And Dum Dum answers with "do as Peggy says").

All of this would be fine (except for the Bucky erasure) if it wasn't for the fact that as you say- that doesn't match up with what we saw in TFA.

In the film she appears to be a Office worker, mostly wearing a skirt suit while out in the field, (except for the raid on the Hydra base at the end)

Most of her scenes are not being an action girl, she's again filing, and analysing maps and placing targets on said maps. An important role for sure, but one that wouldn't allow for the level of closeness that Agent Carter implies she had with the Howlies.

And the scene that most heavily implies that she wasn't in the field with the Howlies, if at all is the one where she comes to comfort Steve after Bucky's fall from the train.

On the surface this seems.....fine right? But on rewatch there's something about the language used in the scene, that hints heavily that Peggy wasn't a field operative the way Agent Carter would have us believe.

Specifically the lines "Did you respect him.....your friend,?" like surely if she was bonding with Dum Dum over Bourbon she'd have seen the bond between Steve and Bucky. And "Give Barnes the dignity of his choice, he must have damn well though you were worth it," wouldn't she know that Bucky thought that Steve was worth it if she had been part of the team.

Also, the fact that she "read the report" instead of being part of the team on that fateful mission. Yes, it's possible she wasn't there (again, im just going off the idea that Agent Carter posits) for that mission, but it just doesn't add up....

And (I'm nearly done I promise) in the Agent Carter series, there is an in universe radio play telling stories about Captain America in a serial format.

One of the characters is named "Betty Carver" clearly an expy for Peggy herself. In the one play that we hear, the general plot line is that "Betty" has been taken hostage by "Hitler's elite guard" (I wonder who that could be referencing) and it's up to Captain America and the 107th to rescue her. If we posits that the plays are inspired by Steve's real life exploits, and IMO it's *incredibly* obvious what really world events this particular play storyline was inspired by.....and who "Betty" is replacing in the narrative.

Finally (told you I was nearly done), I know you referenced the deleted scene....where Bucky is very clearly implied to be *Dum Dum and Gabe's* superior.

Now yes the Howlies were a crack team so maybe military hierarchy goes out of the window but Steve clearly respected, so why the hell would he tell his team to listen to a woman with no rank. It's almost as if they removed Bucky from the narrative in her show, to slot Peggy into his place.

But that could be my tinfoil hat talking.

Thank you for coming to my overly long Tedtalk

If I'm not mistaken, and I apologize if I am, I remember seeing, in two different discussions on this blog, someone claim that, in the Agent Carter series, there is an attempt to incorporate Bucky's characteristics into Peggy's character. One example they gave was her dynamic with the Howlies. Does this really happen?

I haven’t watched Agent Carter so I’m not really equipped to answer this. I’ll tag @cosmicmechanism and @amarriageoftrueminds who have written excellent meta about this before, if they have time to give their thoughts. I tried to have a look on their blogs but as you know it’s impossible to find anything on tumblr.

The talks about Peggy taking Bucky’s attributes mostly happened in Agent Carter (and maybe What If, I stopped watching that show when it became clear it wasn’t “What If” but “What If Peggy Carter”). Granted, we don’t see a lot of Bucky interacting on his own with the Howlies. The one instance where he’s with them without Steve was a deleted scene. But we know Bucky knew them quite well (“Told you, they’re all idiots”) and likely suggested them to Steve. Movies Peggy on the other hand was never seen in the company of the Howlies. As multiple other metas also pointed out, she couldn’t have been on the frontlines with them so the idea that she “fought alongside” them is a retcon (although I'm not sure about the specifics of it).

[twilightofthesandwiches]

I’ve seen some interpretations of the Rocky Horror Picture Show that compare Frank to the Christian Devil and/or the Serpent of Eden. And… it’s not like that doesn’t make sense. Frank is a tempter who stands against the restraint of the explicitly Christian morality of the mainstream culture our protagonists come from. The Criminologist even calls his temptation of Brad and Janet a “forbidden fruit”.  But… I just think that’s not the only angle one can take when looking at Frank. Frank is many things both as an in-universe person and a narrative character. But we are first and foremost introduced to him, before we even get a chance to see him, as a Frankenstein Pastiche.

Is it any wonder that he does such a good job of playing God?

Like any good Postmodern Prometheus, Frank creates new life, but this goes beyond just Rocky. It’s Brad and Janet who are kind of the Adam and Eve in this comparison, and while Frank didn’t literally create them with mad science - he did re-make them in his own image.

(And after first turning them to stone - a form of earth - and then back to flesh)

Also, if we're looking at the Frankenstein's Place as a sort of twisted Garden of Eden -  a place where Brad and Janet lose their innocence, gain greater knowledge and understanding of themselves, commit a transgression by giving into temptation, and then get cast down to Earth unsure of what to do with what they have learned - then Frank as the Master of the castle, who first welcome Brad and Janet but eventually then targets them with furious punishment, fits much better playing the role of God than a random snake or even the Devil himself. 

Yes, it's a weird-reverse-sort-of-God whose creed is exactly the opposite of the Conservative Christian God in whose church Ralph and Betty got married - but this is already a weird-reverse-sort-of-Eden as well. Adam and Eve started off so 'innocent' in that they felt no shame about their nude bodies, and when they lost said innocence is also when they started feeling the need to cover up. Brad and Janet’s 'innocent' state has them dressed very modestly, and their 'corruption' is marked by them... well, they're never fully naked, but certainly gradually get more confortable walking around in their underwears or lingerie.

And following the narrative thread of this weird-reverse-Garden-of-Eden, the real Forbidden Fruit isn’t actually Frank’s dick, it’s Rocky. The Garden of Eden was this wonderland of earthly delights where Adam and Eve could pertake of any fruit they desired.... except for the Tree of Wisdom. That was the one pleasure they were forbidden from. And the Frankenstein’s Place is similarly a paradise of desires - just less of a fruitbowl and more of the Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll variety - but the one thing you can’t do, the one person you’re not allowed to have sex with... is Rocky.

And I think the interesting question here is ‘why is Rocky the one thing that’s off-limits in Frank’s Fantastic FuckCastle?’.  Because, well, if we look at it from an Eden Perspective, here’s what the Serpent had to say about the subject of the Fruit of Knowledge:

Eating the Forbidden Fruit isn’t just about succumbing to mortal pleasures about godly morality or whatever, it’s about becoming kinda like God. And maybe that’s the real reason why Frank’s so upset about the idea that Rocky has slept with someone else. It’s less actual romantic jealousy and more... galling at the idea that someone else can tempt his Significant Other to cheat on him. That’s his thing!

And like, espacially since Janet has that line in “Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me”

Which I always read as a kind of admission that she’s like... exploiting Rocky’s desire for an emotional connection for own sexual pleasures. She is maybe falling into this very Frank-Brand of hedonistic manipulativeness. Her newfound knowledge of her sexuality is making her more like ‘God’ in a way, and now this God is pissed about that idea.

And this also does places a ‘Serpent’ figure in our Garden of Eden and that’s Riff-Raff. It’s through his manipulation of events that Janet get offered that Forbidden Himbo in the first place. He probably wasn’t really counting on it directly, more like just causing random chaos in the hopes of distracting Frank long enough to prepre for the coup. But still, without Riff-Raff and Magenta’s tormenting of Rocky, he wouldn’t have fallen in Janet’s lap like this.

And I think, this is taking very directly from the Christian interpetation of the Garden of Eden myth, where the Serpent is retconned as Satan. Riff-Raff is, after all, a resentful servant planning to usurp his master out of jealousy and uses the humans as pawns in his scheme to do that. If Frank is playing God, than Riff-Raff is clearly playing Devil here!

And, like the pitchfork is OBVIOUSLY a reference to the American Gothic motif but... there’s no reason why you couldn’t also connect it to a Satanic motif? Especially as, with Frank being a Reverse-God who preaches for sin and pleasure, Riff-Raff is a Devil of... well, I dunno if he necessarily believes in all of that sexual conservatism stuff - but he’s certainly willing to use it as an excuse for his personal beef with Frank! Either way the point remains, the pitchfork ties together the concepts of traditionalism and sexual shame, as symbolized by American Gothic, with the Devil.

[lovedinapastlife]

Rec List

Hey. It’s me. Sunlit Garden on AO3. If you would like to find a bughead fic, beta, be long-term groomed with positive feedback and helpfulness, then have your self-confidence chipped away, be isolated from other support systems, be negged, insulted, and emotionally harassed/toyed with to output to her idea of perfection -- or find someone who did this to others and will most likely weasel their way into doing it again -- I recommend none other than jandjsalmon, the gal who runs theblueandgoldoffice - a handy fic-finding website.

I made a prior post about my personal experience but apparently not everyone knew it was her because I didn’t name her specifically. Hopefully, this is the last post I’ll ever make about her. A lot of wonderful people reached out with similar experiences or sympathy but I’ve also seen some continue to interact with her or rec her as someone to follow. Now, I’m putting it in the tags. Her name is out there. If I see her on rec lists, at least I know the info is out there that she abused me and others and whoever posted didn’t want to deal with having to deal with her bullshit of her harassing them or they think I’m a liar. I have nothing to lose in this fandom or to gain by outing her. I’m doing it because I don’t want her to be introduced to new waves of authors/readers/people will trust her without protecting themselves or doing something to protect others. Unfortunately, me and the victims I talked to did not feel comfortable sharing how much she hurt us with each other until she’d done a fair amount of damage, and we were all trying to make it work with her until we hit a breaking point.

As a reminder... this is just a potential scenario based on past experience.

If you do become mutuals, and she thinks you have an ounce of fandom fame or MIGHT post things she likes if she bugs you enough, she might make you aesthetics, reblog, comment, buddy up to your friends to get closer to you, find out and exploit your insecurities or mental illness, notably withdraw support to prove a point if you like something she doesn’t or even show love for another person who doesn’t love her, keep records of your convos, show them to other people, vague post about you (sometimes even going so far as to message you without you even asking to make sure you know ‘oh it wasn’t about you’ to rub salt in that wound), let her husband talk shit about and to you even when on good terms with her, and try to get involved in your personal life to be your (only) best friend and support system... only to tell you you are nothing without her, people rely on her for recs and she can turn the tides on fandom favorites, you should not write original works because original romance is “disgusting” YA is “immature” and no one likes your work and your mind is too fucked up to be productive without her. No one will love you or have time for you like her.

She will insist you include scenes even if you don’t want them there, then try to claim she helped write your fic in the comments of it when all she did was tell you to add something you already wrote and deleted back in, though she did comment on the doc and talk through your million ideas and pick her favorite OF YOUR OWN IDEAS and help with grammar. She will also tell you at least one of your fics is disgusting and berate you to the point of not wanting to post it, especially if it shows Betty even slightly interested in someone besides Jughead at some point in her life, claiming “that’s not her!” but OOC or Jughead with past/current partners is no problem... and she will be very apologetic to have to tell you and make you feel bad, but brag in DMs of her friends that she “made you change your mind” and “taught you how to think” if you eventually cave and adjust something. Conversations become drags where you agree with what she says just to avoid confrontations and meltdowns sometimes.

If you talk to her and try to rebuild your friendship or set boundaries, she will either lash out or apologize and be good for a few days until she can find a reason to turn on you again. When you distance yourself for protection or make new friends, she will harass you in DMs asking why you unfollowed (even if it’s a tumblr glitch) or followed so and so, why you did or didn’t like something, tell you how awful everyone except her is, and try to get you to talk shit about your own friends when you know she’s talking shit about you, too.

Oh and if you compliment her on something you’re considered good at that she’s insecure about (prompted or unprompted), be prepared to be called a fake liar and a judgmental bitch in general for having an opinion -- yes, even if it’s positive, so imagine how fun it was to disagree on something neither of us even made.

She is not a neutral party when it comes to abuse and harassments either. Despite being very anti-cheating, she stoutly defends the Sprouse brothers despite multiple women and outlets coming forward claiming they cheated on or abused their partners, claiming the sources are “crazy” or “jealous” or “unprofessional.” I have some pretty ironic in retrospect screenshots someone sent me of some of her rants but I won’t post them publicly here. What Jandy told me of her former victims was that they blocked her for no reason. She was nothing but supportive of them and they got too big for their britches and had other friends and abandoned her. I’m sure she says similar if not worse things about me for calling her out and cutting her off.

So yeah, it will be uncomfortable to unfollow, ghost, and/or block her. It might even be inconvenient because of the service she provides to this fandom. But please keep in mind that even the slight fear/dread of her shadow-banning or harassing you is a sign that she’s affected you, too.

If you really miss that one extra comment per chapter, hit me up. I’ve got a lot going on but I’ll make an exception for people who need that extra support as long as I can. For additional support, please see local and online organizations to talk to a professional or volunteer trained to help with emotional abuse, toxicity, depressive, or anxious thoughts like therealdepressionproject. Good luck and have a wonderful day.

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

I agree with what you're saying. Armando, from his inner circle, was the least preoccupied with class and status. Or at least, it didn't completely determine the way he treated somebody (as a boss, he was equally neurotic with everybody lol). You see it from the beginning when he doesn't think it's such a big deal for Betty to accompany him in business meetings, even though he's aware she lacks a lot of etiquette and that her image is "out of place", completely contrasting Marcela's reaction who is mortified at the thought of Betty mingling with her inner circle. He also, isn't bothered by Betty gaining power in his company, unlike Marcela and even his parents. And as you said, he respects Betty's humble background and actually see's that as an asset in her. I guess what I was trying to say, is that at least from Betty's perspective, Armando's mistrust and paranoia of her and Nicholas came from his prejudice and superficialness because beauty and class were the two main qualities that determined the way people were treated and the way they were interpreted in Ecomoda. And up until discovering the letter, Betty saw Armando as the exception. Then she hears Armando rationalize his mistrust to Mario because "let's not forget that these two before coming to Ecomoda were just a pair of pobres diablos, educated and with degrees, but above all they were just pobres diablos". As the audience, we know that's not the root of the problem and that he's also extremely jealous due to Betty possibly liking another man. Betty (and even Armando 🤣)is unaware of that, so she just puts him on the same boat as everybody else. At the same time, there were a lot of ideologies and prejudice that Armando was confronted with once the possibility of Betty and Nicholas taking the company away was put on the table. Which is why his character is so rich, because many of his actions contradicted his words, but you could see the influence that his environment had on him and how he's constantly battling what he's experiencing with Betty, and complying with the social norms and ideologies established for him.

Oh yes I could totally see that. With Armando and Betty it was very clear that their character development was closely tied to them needing to "die" and then rebirth themselves into better and more conscious human beings. Whereas Marcela was never able to begin the process because she never held herself accountable for her actions. Her constant need of victimizing herself, neglected her the possibility of starting over. Like in the scene where Armando finally confronts Marcela about their relationship and has a heart to heart with her, meanwhile Marcela's just interested in maintaining the role of victim. When in reality, not only was she was fully aware that Armando was only marrying her due to guilt and obligation, but she exploited that sentiment as much as she could for her own selfish gain. Even through their suffering and their metaphoric deaths, Armando and Betty were able to hold themselves accountable for their part in their respective tragedies, and therefore were able to pick up the pieces and start all over.

lol Mario got the worst out of Armando, but from a story telling standpoint, it was a great way of reflecting Armando's character. The good, the bad, and the hilarious 🤣

Yes, exactly. We as the audience know Armando’s issue doesn’t stem from classism or superficiality, like Marcela’s did, but rather jealousy, but as you say, neither Betty nor Armando understand this lol Calderon was truly the greatest idiot ever by leaving that letter so exposed, uh? Lol

Exactly. That’s why I think it’d be even harder for Marcela to truly understand the full complexity of the issue that separated her and Armando. Up until Armando told her straight up what she had contributed to the toxicity of the relationship, she didn’t understand and didn’t think there had been anything wrong with her actions; meanwhile Armando was always aware of his wrong actions and just preferred to ignore it because he felt he had no other option. Betty and Armando were abe to grow and understand their mistakes and therefore want to fix them in the future (Reborn), meanwhile Marcela just stayed in the sad, broken phase (Death— and the fact that she herself decided to “give it up” by both telling Betty the full truth and leaving Ecomoda, could be taken as the suicide foreshadowed earlier, because she “willingly” left her whole old life behind). I think for someone like Marcela, it’d take a long time to truly understand that she wasn’t the only victim, that Betty was not a villain, and that she made Armando suffer deeply; and it’d take time for her to change her ways, just like Armando didn’t change in the blink of an eye.

Lol, yes, Mario is like a little devil whispering in Armando’s ear lol but I love his character so much. Best villain/antagonist ever💯💯 we don’t even understand WHY he’s like that, but it’s impossible to hate him lol

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S3 E3 (Every type of Spoiler ahead)

- Bughead is the gift that keeps on giving.  The two of them looking at *each other* generates a lot of fizzy energy, but I think that might be topped by all these moments of them looking at the same thing together, thinking their Couple Hivemind Thoughts, in unison.  I’ve said that sad, upset Jughead is my favorite Jughead but I must update - Jughead listening intently to Betty as she talks out her thoughts while they examine a thing / person together, whether or not he’s wearing the hat - THAT is my favorite Jughead.

And knowing the future (up to S5 E10) is a terrible horrible burden because Betty and Jughead lose this.  Betty is not listened to this with this much care by anyone I saw her with (including Archie, alas) in S5, and, you know, Fuck Glen. (Sorry Glen). And Jughead, without this connection, tries to leave the planet altogether (and give himself over to the Mothmen).  OK so before I get too sad, here goes.

- This was one of the sexiest episodes of Riverdale to date, blatantly so, and I feel weird about some of it.  We have Alice+FP, post-coitus;  Bughead, post-coitus, *twice*; Archie’s slow-motion fight scenes with two boys; Joaquin’s fight scene; Veronica looking triumphant at the opening of Bonne Nuit; Josie singing a torch song while bathed in purple light; and Reggie taking his shirt off to show Veronica he has abs, too.  So much beauty, and such a cornucopia of thrills.

-  I’m so glad I got my Archie mojo back on right before this episode (like they meant for me to) because wow this boy can move.  I know nada about boxing (or any other sport) but the slow motion fights between these boys with athletic bodies, muscles rippling, in intense engagement with each other are so very entertaining.  It looks beautiful.  And even when he’s exchanging punches to the head, saying things like “Hit me! Come at me!”, Archie looks and sounds warm and trustworthy, and that tension makes my heart clench.  “That kid is a star!”   Except this makes me exactly the same as that fucking warden who just slavers over these teen boys he is exploiting, so I am turned on and grossed out by myself and life is very hard.

Being in this terrible, blighted place finally makes Archie fully recognize how magical and wonderful his Dad is, and he summons the spirit of Fred Andrews to hang on to his humanity. Being raised by a loving, stable man gives Archie massive amounts of resilience. Truth!

- Bughead cuddling in the bunker. Oh what a beautiful couple.  I now have the wherewithal to examine the environment they’re in, and you know, it’s still cruddy. It has those Blair Witch twig dolls all over.  All they’ve done to it is rig up a Gargoyle King board to scribble on, because Bughead makes boards. What made the bunker looks nicer after the initial introduction is that Bughead are glowing in it and throwing chemistry all over the place. 

- Betty & Veronica have a chat at the diner.  The mirroring ponytails, placed at the same place on the back of the head, as B and V talk about the speak easy made me think of B&V having adventures together, and I miss that so very much.  HOWEVER, Veronica putting her whole life on hold ‘waiting for Archie’ is a bit disturbing, and it’s expanded on in the way that she handles her marriage, later, doesn’t it.  Veronica over-commits to her partners.

- The problem that is Ethel Muggs.  I want to like Ethel, because I think the show is fatphobic, but if I take the approach that I’ve been taking with the rest of the characters, you know, Ethel is a manipulative jerk.  So let’s say, you know, Ethel thought this was the only time she’d have a cute boy in her vicinity who might be induced to kiss her, and that’s why she forced Jughead to give her that kiss, in the way that he does, hating it. This makes me sad for Ethel, even as I’m upset by it.  But the thing is, even after Jughead is kind to her immediately afterwards, she is not ashamed of what she’s done.  ETHEL!

-  But I wonder if Bughead brought it on themselves?  Bughead’s synchronized head tilt of contempt for Ethel irks me.  This completely unwarranted contempt that that Bughead have for Ethel makes them not take the dangers of G&G as seriously as they would’ve if it was almost anyone else, and it leads to Jughead going to the Bunker and placing himself in a situation where he has to play Russian Roulette.

- Jughead though is a person capable of caretaking of others and self-reflection.  His  contrition about how callow  he’d been when treated this thing that he knew had lead two boys to die with dismissive disregard once he knew Ethel was in it, leads him to stay with Ethel until she wakes up.  He speaks nicely to her, doesn’t swat away her hand when she grabs his, even after the forced kiss, and seems genuinely worried.  I appreciate this big wide streak of kindness in Jughead.

- When did Veronica and Reggie make up and build up this relationship of trust?The summer of Archie’s trial?  While buying shoes for Archie?  Last I saw the two of them, Veronica had punched Reggie’s lights out at school.  What changed?  Also, I see you Reggie, taking your shirt off, after moving those boxes, for Veronica’s benefit.

- Alice saying things like “I trust [the Farm] more than I trust you, Betty” in this episode has creepy music playing over it like Alice is being so very crazy, but that’s because this is how Betty takes it. Betty acts like Alice’s aggression towards her comes out of nowhere.  

But Betty, Alice trusted your assertion that Chic was her son, Alice trusted you to tell her if you’re getting creepy psychosexual Elektra complex phone calls from the Black Hood, but you failed her.  You’re not in fact trustworthy.   Betty IS NOT SORRY for or about anything.  

Since Betty is Protagonist Girl, the rules of the Riverdale universe bend to protect Betty and only Betty.  In order to get revenge and protection from this Protagonist Girl, Alice has to enlist the Farm and the Evernevers.  Alice doesn’t know why she’s so afraid of Betty, but she should be, because she’s not the protagonist.

- There is always so much plot in any given Riverdale episode.  Penny Peabody and Minetta and also Hiram all show up trying to figure out a way to shake down Veronica. Veronica and Choni break into the JJ meth lab (I hate that catsuit that V wears, it makes a shapely small woman look squat and ill proportioned). FP+ Alice are discovered by their children in the super strange semi-incest Cooper-Jones arrangement that lasts two more years, but that’s superseded by the need to burn the G&G Scripture.  Whew!

[zumpietoo]

Oh Lookity

Babyman Ted can’t even keep his own narrative straight....

Actually, I don’t, asswipe....seems moar like you, I don’t dislike FT because her character sexually assaulted Jughead (tho that is ONE of the reasons I think Tinkle IS, in fact, also a jackass)----I dislike FT because she’s a snide, talent-free jackass who labors under the gross misconception she’s not A, but THE main character on the show, versus the side character she is.

She’s also utterly obnoxious, brought that anger on herself by routinely insulting the show’s biggest fandom/half its viewers in interviews and then waved the victim card, tried to home wreck/snake Cole when first on the show, is a total and complete slut (in fact, why don’t Lili stans object to this?) and frequently admits to being a complete bitch (like when she and Moochie Maddie called the cops on a club, because they wouldn’t let them in the VIP room, leaked RAS’s cell # and have countless times encouraged her fans to bully peeps she was pissed off at). Oh and exploited a cause about black way of death in America to whine about not getting moar screen time.

Which, since she can’t act for shit, she doesn’t fucking deserve.

Also love how Babyman then deflects and fully ignores the actual question and, BTW, again, she was hired as a side character, she is NOT a Core Four. There’s zero reason to expect her to get more screen time, purely because you want it.

But he blames it on fandumb....

Dude....this is such bullshit on soooo many levels.

A) caring about the characters you like being on screen more doesn’t make you “a hypocrite”, it makes you somebody who likes a character and wants to see more of them

B) Why should they be required to care about your faves because you want them to?

C) Dude, it’s a fucking CW show, based on very dumb comics....for 12 year olds. With trees as villains and drugs called Jingle Jangle and Fizzle Rocks. “Real World Issues” were never on the table. And it’s hardly high art.

Plus, guess what? I do care about “real world issues”----and I still don’t like your fave characters. Because you write like shit and favor talent-free hacks. Oh and the only cast member who DOES care about “real world issues” is Cole----and you hate him. For being smarter and more creative/talented than you are.

That isn’t what hypocrisy actually means, anyway....which, good to know a “professional writer” doesn’t know these things. Also, the Pinkle fan has a point. And, again, funny how Babyman’s faves are wingnuts, no? Plus, again, them not sharing his views and concerns doesn’t make them hypocrites and, honestly, they aren’t obligated to do so.

Yeah, those three are soooo awesome and soooperrr likable, especially when they’re fucking over others (like dragging Betty to a lobotomy), cheating, being entitled jackasses, sexually assaulting/coercing/pressuring others, etc...

Actually, of the peeps Babyman then names, only ONE (Pop Tate) is likable. Tom was a dick (especially in season 1), Uncle Frank nearly got Douchie killed, let his brother take the fall for his DUI and was a minor, brief side character: I ship Falice, but Alice is a bitch; Molars is a dick; Peabrain is a dick who was on once, for 2 seconds in the entirety of season 4.

Also, it’s fascinating that he doesn’t mention four of the five other main characters....and I don’t even like Pussy or Vermin, but still....

Again, except how will she interview? I currently have no opinion, but, also, you’re the one who writes this shit. And maybe you could just not engage, hmmm???

Oh so now not even YOU have control? But I thought you had such deep creative vision?? Plus, dude, it’s quite obvious the network is concerned with ratings and thus wouldn’t endorse where you were headed....and just earlier today, you were all braggy about how amaazzzinnggg the season was gonna be and how genius YOUR scripts were.

Did somebody already bitch slap your ass hard, then?

And I thought the actors had no say? And you got pissed off when they dared to attempt anything?

Oh and if you hate everything so much and suffer so deeply....why not quit? We wouldn’t miss your bitch ass, or...at a minimum, you could stop engaging and picking fights on twitter, hmmm???

[thetaoofbetty]

thought i knew what love was (what did i know?) 

Here you go, anon prompter! Hope it lives up to your expectations! 

(prompt: after Betty and Jughead’s argument in 4x11, Betty gets into a bad accident and is in a coma. Jughead feels guilty and anything after that is up to you.)

“This is all your fault,” Veronica hisses, pushing Jughead’s shoulder so hard he hits the wall behind him. 

“I know,” he whispers, sliding down to the floor with his head in his hands. “I know, okay?” 

“What’s wrong with—” 

“Ronnie,” Archie interjects, pulling Veronica back, “leave him alone.” 

She spins on her heels, pushing a finger into Archie’s chest. “How can you defend him? He’s the reason she’s unconscious in a hospital bed!” 

Archie wilts. “Do you think he wanted this to happen?” 

“I think,” Veronica hisses, “that this wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t go behind her back!” 

“What?” 

“You don’t know?” Veronica asks, arching an eyebrow. “Jughead decided to write his little book about Betty’s dad.” 

“Jug,” Archie says in disbelief, eyes wide. “Why?” 

“I needed something to lock my spot—”

“Don’t!” Veronica yells, cutting him off. “You can’t justify your way out of this one.” 

“I know,” Jughead whispers, looking up at Archie. “I was going to tell her, Arch.” 

Archie sits down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “She’s gonna wake up and you can grovel then.” 

Jughead laughs weakly, sniffing. “I am pretty good at groveling.” 

“See? It’ll all work out.” 

Veronica scoffs, crossing her arms. 

“Ronnie—” 

“No, Archie,” she says acidly. “Groveling was for when he lied about the Serpents, not when he decided to exploit her family. That’s worth a little more than groveling!” 

“She’s right,” Jughead tells them, nodding. “She’s right.” 

Standing up, he doesn’t look back when Archie calls out his name, making his way back to Betty’s hospital room. She looks serene in the sterile sheets and no one would know she was hurt except for the bruises on her face and the cast on her arm. Sitting heavily in the chair next to her bed, he’s thankful Alice Cooper is nowhere in sight when he takes her hand and intertwines their fingers. Kissing her knuckles before resting his forehead against their joined hands, he sighs into the quiet of the room. 

“I’m sorry,” he tells her, his voice low. “I just—I wanted to be with you at Yale and I would have done anything to get there with you.” He shakes his head, wiping under his eyes with his free hand. “Even do something thoughtless without asking you first.” 

Looking at her, he reaches to brush his thumb across her cheek, wincing at the discoloration. 

“You know, Betts, sometimes I look at you and I think I know what love is but you just keep proving me wrong.” Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath. “So I need you to wake up, okay? Because living in a world where loving you a little more each day that doesn’t have you in it isn’t—”

He’s cut off by a squeeze to his hand and his breath hitches with the sound of her beautiful voice in the room. 

“I love you too, Jug.” 

Two Weeks Later 

Betty’s trying to fit the arm of her sweater around her cast, her face screwing up in annoyance. Narrowing her eyes with determination to escape the confines of her room and Alice’s overbearing nature, she starts adjusting the fabric again slowly when she hears a knock at her bedroom window. 

Walking over to open it, albeit one handed and slowly, she tilts her head in confusion when Jughead pops his head through and smiles up at her. 

“Hey there, Juliet. Nurse off duty?”

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Were I to have an insane and unrealistic amount of power over at Marvel I’d re-organize the Spider-Man relevant trades. I share the belief that the hurdle to new readers isn’t so much that there is a long history so much as a history spread all over the place. Wanting to read Spider-Man isn’t simple even if you do have the time and patience to read 50 years worth of comics. You need to know WHICH comics and WHAT ORDER to read them in. And the latter has a multiple choice answer!

This is part of why USM was so strong in it’s early days. 1 title, no satellites, no spin-offs. All you needed to do was pick up issue #1 or trade volume 1 and read sequentially from there. Not just easy to follow but easy to catch up and thus allow readership to grow.

Thus I propose that we simply organize the Spider-Man brand into a series of sequential trades. Functionally these will be like the Deadpool Classic trades, but with multiple trades following the various characters of the Spider-Verse. Want to read just about Peter Parker, you pick up his trades. But want to read just about Miles or Venom? The trades will have you covered going across their respective histories in the in-universe reading order.

In other words you need not worry about whether story arc A in ASM happens before story arc B in Spec and where Guest appearance C fits in. The trades would sort it all out for you. You’d just pick up any volume and read cover to cover, with tiny subplot pages and text inserted where relevant to clarify things. E.g. if there were 2 three part stories happening at the same time, you don’t want to interrupt that, so you’d just print one then have some text saying ‘the following three issues take place during the events of the ASM #X-Z’.

Additionally, in order to not make things unnecessarily confusing I’d omit retroactive stories like Untold Tales of Spider-Man, Symbiote Spider-Man, etc from these trades. My rationale is that not only would these spoil certain things but more significantly as time goes by people will inevitably write more retroactive stories meaning the trades would need to be constantly amended.

Instead I’d simply make a ‘Companion’ trade series reprinting such stories in publication order with a few notes explaining where they take place relative to the original issues. E.g. you’d pick up ‘Peter Parker: Spider-Man Classic Companion Volume 1’ and before you read Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1 a note would inform you it happens after ASM #3 or whatever.

So what would these trade series be exactly?

Something like this:

1.       Peter Parker: Spider-Man Classic: Simply every Peter Parker appearance or relevant comic book. ASM, Spec, New Avengers, Secret Wars, guest appearances, everything!

2.       Mary Jane Classic: Same thing for Mary Jane, albeit to save some time we could simply reprint the MJ relevant pages from various comics as there would be little need to reprint a whole Spidey adventure she just cameos in. The info text could simply give you context for each appearance before we got to meatier stories. I’d employ this method for all of the following whenever relevant.

3.       Black Cat Classic: Obviously this would include her solo minis but also and team appearances like in Heroes for Hire.

4.       Daily Bugle Classic: It occurred to me there were several stories focussing upon a lot of the supporting cast that didn’t feature Spider-Man himself. That aside people love the supporting cast so I figured some trades chronicling their exploits would make sense. For this trade series it’d focus upon J. Jonah Jameson first and foremost but also Betty Brant, Joe Robertson, Ben Urich, etc

5.       The Many Loves of Spider-Man Classic: Same idea but with the Spidey girlfriends who don’t have that many appearances to their name. The main focus would be Gwen Stacy because for good or ill she’s a character who people are interested in. But you could also throw in appearances from Deb Whitman, Carlie, etc.

6.       Spider-Man’s Tangled Web: TBH I couldn’t figure out a good name for this one, but essentially this would be about Peter’s friends who aren’t superheroes, Bugle employees or girlfriends of his. This would include Flash Thompson (pre-Venom), Liz Allan, Randy Robertson, possibly Glory Grant although she’d also fit in with the Bugle trades I guess. Throw in the Tangled web issues and your good to go!

7.       Clone Classic: As you might expect this would chronicles Ben Reilly and Kaine’s exploits, but also for good measure ALL the clearly clone related stories. So we’re talking appearances involving Miles Warren and Gwen’s clone too. Although I guess the latter could fit in ‘the Many Loves of Spider-Man’ trades.

8.       Spider-Man’s Amazing Friends Classic: All of the superhero friends Spider-Man has who are closely associated with him and have had off and on titles over the years. Prowler, Silver Sable, Rocket Racer, Sandman (when he reformed), Jackpot, Alpha, Will O’ Wisp, etc

9.       Goblins Classic: I thought of doing a trade purely about the Osborns but this seemed more logical. It’d cover every appearance of the Goblin related characters. We’re talking Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Bart Hamilton, Roderick Kingsley, Ned Leeds, Jason Macendale, Phil Urich, Green Goblin V, Hobgoblin from Bendis’ Secret War, Gabriel+Sarah Stacy, Lily Hollister and whoever else will become a Goblin

10.   Doctor Octopus Classic: Speaks for itself, and yeah it’d include his clones from Superior onwards too.

11.   Symbiotes Classic: I thought of having this be about all the symbiotes OTHER than Venom and Carnage but having 3 sets of trades for symbiotes seemed ridiculous. This would cover every symbiote (Venom, Carnage, Hybrid, Scream, Toxin, Mania, Sleeper, etc) along with major hosts of theirs. Eddie Brock, Cletus Kasady, Mac Gargan, Flash Thompson, Andi Benton, etc

12.   Sinister Six Classic. Maybe you couldn’t call these guys A-listers strictly speaking but these would be the real famous Spider-Man villains who haen’t already been mentioned. We’re talking the Vultures, Electros, Kravens, Mysterios, Chameleon, all the really classic costumed Spidey bad guys you could think of with the exception of some of the folks I’m gonna name below

13.   The Many Foes of Spider-Man Classic: This would chiefly chronicle the stories about the characters from Deadly/Lethal/Superior Foes of Spider-Man, most importantly Boomerang, Beetle and Shocker

14.   Spider Women Classic: All the 616 centric Spider Ladies. Jessica Drew, Julia Carpenter, Mattie Franklin, Cindy Moon, Anya Corazon, maybe even throw Madame Web in there for good measure. I think it makes sense to consolidate them together into a trade series as their publication histories meant they were usually passing the baton onto one another.

15.   Miles Morales: Spider-Man Classic: Guess who this is about. Obviously this would include his appearances in Champions, Avengers, etc

16.   Gwen Stacy: Ghost Spider Classic: Every Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider/Earh-65 Gwen appearanceD

17.   Spider-Ham Classic: You get the picture. Although I’d also add in versions of Spider-Ham that are from different Earths as well

18.   Spider-Man 2099 Classic: We’re actually already doing these in real life, but I’d want them to include every version of Miguel too and brief appearances across other titles

19.   Ultimate Spider-Man Classic: Obviously the same deal for Ultimate Peter Parker, but I’d also include Ultimate Jessica Drew as well

20.   Web of Spider-Verse: A trade series that reprints in publication order every other AU Spider-People out there. All the What Ifs, the Earth X stuff, House of M, X-Men: Forever, 1602, Noir, India, Peni Parker, Fairy Tales and of course Web Warriors

21.   Spider-Girl Classic: We’re already doing this one too. Just wish it’d come out faster!

22.   Spider-Man: Japan Classic: ALL the Japanese Spider-Man stories. Every appearance of Supaidaman from Spider-Verse and beyond. Every appearance of Spider-Man J, Mangaverse Spider-Man, Spidey Fake Red and most controversially Spider-Man: The Manga (deffo gonna have to put a mature readers disclaimer on those ones.

[aion-rsa]

The Incredible Hulk’s Diminished Legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Love it or hate it, one of the things that makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe work is the long term synergy. With Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, over a decade of movies came together to pull off one of the most entertaining spectacles of our time. It’s a universe that, for the most part, feels consistent and it builds on itself as each movie feels like an essential cog in a larger machine.

Some cogs are bigger than the others, though, and when it comes to “the others,” one can’t help but notice that 2008’s Incredible Hulk is something of a black sheep in the Marvel movie roster. These days, they’re just starting to dust it off as a property with the return of Tim Roth’s Abomination in She-Hulk and William Hurt’s General Ross’ gradually increasing role in the universe itself (he’ll appear in Black Widow and possibly other projects soon enough).

Now, there are plenty of reasons why Incredible Hulk is the green-skinned stepchild of the MCU. It made the least amount of money (about $42 million less than Captain America: The First Avenger, which was the second worst showing), the lead actor was recast afterwards, and its status as a Universal co-production meant that it would be the only movie in the first three Marvel phases that would not get its own sequel, no matter how popular Hulk was in the Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok.

It’s not like the MCU acted like Incredible Hulk never happened, but the creators definitely had a tendency to shove it into the corner and be somewhat vague about its existence. It became easier as the MCU became rich with more and more properties, but early on, it was very much the rage-filled elephant in the room.

The Hulk Design

There were a couple of ads for Avengers: Endgame that included shots from all the previous MCU movies in chronological order. For one, when it came to Incredible Hulk, all it had to show for it was Hulk’s fist bursting through the wall. In another, they just used shots from later movies and hoped nobody would notice. That’s because CGI or not, Ed Norton’s Hulk and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk were two very different beasts. Not only did they roughly resemble their actors, but Norton’s Hulk was more of a giant, angry bodybuilder with green skin while Ruffalo’s came off as more Cro-Magnon, like a shaved gorilla.

It means that while they could talk about Hulk’s exploits, they could never really show any flashbacks, as it would just look awkward. Similarly, Incredible Hulk filmed a cut opening where Banner tried to shoot himself, but the Hulk wouldn’t allow it. While it was a bit too extreme to show, Banner at least got to talk about it happening in Avengers.

The Effect on the World of the MCU

When you look at the events of Incredible Hulk, it keeps things focused on the characters and not the world at large. Sure, it would have been bigger news if the Abomination defeated the Hulk and went on an even bigger rampage, but that problem was nipped in the bud. If you’re a citizen of Marvel Earth, all there is to know is that some soda has been recalled and there was a monster fight in Harlem.

In the movies themselves, the only time the Harlem fight is brought up is in the background of Iron Man 2, where Nick Fury’s map signals it as a place of interest.

With the exception of the Hulk straight-up existing, the most lip service his movie got early on was the scene in Captain America: The First Avenger where Steve gave blood for further study. They needed something to give Emil Blonsky down the line and turn him into an angry Ninja Turtle.

Speaking of…

Whatever Happened to the Abomination?

Of Marvel’s Phase 1 villains, one died, a couple vanished confusingly into space only to come back later, and three were taken into custody. Ending up in custody means you’ll be back soon enough because prisons usually can’t hold the type of enemies who can throw down with the Avengers. Usually.

In other words, it’s pretty damn impressive that the Abomination has been kept off the grid since the Hulk choked him out in Harlem. She-Hulk will be his first real appearance since then, but his name has been on the tongue of Phil Coulson on Agents of SHIELD a few times.

The scene of Tony Stark appearing at the end of Incredible Hulk to confront General Ross is something that came off as a big deal at the time, but afterwards didn’t make too much sense. Piggybacking off the Iron Man post-credits scene, Stark was seemingly trying to recruit the Hulk into the Avengers. That didn’t exactly jibe with what they were going for afterwards, so they released a short film to make sense out of everything.

The Consultant featured Agent Coulson and Agent Sitwell discussing the unfortunate decision by the World Security Council to demand the Abomination join the team. After all, Blonsky is a decorated veteran and the Harlem incident could easily be blamed on Banner. Fury wasn’t in a position to refuse the Council, so the only hope was that General Ross – the guy in charge of Blonsky’s captivity – turned them down. And so, they sent Tony Stark. That final scene in Incredible Hulk was reframed as Tony Stark obnoxiously asking for the keys to Abomination for the Avengers and Ross being so annoyed by his antics that he straight-up refused.

Afterwards, Abomination was namedropped a couple of times in Agents of SHIELD, which is par for the course considering early Agents of SHIELD was about reminding us about stuff that happened in the movies and saying, “We’re part of all that!” According to the show, Abomination was kept in a special prison in Alaska that only a select few know about. There was an episode where SHIELD’s main prison lost power and one of the writers realized that they probably needed to note that Abomination wasn’t going to be an issue in this situation.

But hey, at least he finished his story. The Leader on the other hand…

Samuel Sterns and the Fate of the Leader

At the time, it was the right play. Tim Blake Nelson played the kind of surprise villain you’d find in your average CGI animated Disney movie. As Mr. Blue, he existed as Bruce Banner’s potential salvation, only to be revealed to be kind of over-the-line and sinister in terms of his gamma experiments. After turning Blonsky into the Abomination, Sterns was knocked to the floor and a sample of Banner’s irradiated blood dripped into the open wound on his head. Sterns seemed especially jazzed with a crazed expression as his head started throbbing and increasing in size.

And then…nothing! Not even a mention in a different movie or Agents of SHIELD. That’s what happens when you set up a villain for a sequel and then have legal reasons keeping you from making that sequel. That said, there is a follow-up to what the hell happened with Sterns.

Back in 2012, a prequel comic was released to coincide with the first Avengers movie. The Avengers Prelude: Fury’s Big Week showed that the events of Iron Man 2, Thor, and Incredible Hulk all happened over the course of a few days. We got to see those storylines from the perspective of SHIELD, especially a very overwhelmed and fatigued Nick Fury. That makes sense for the stuff with Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 as well as Mjolnir and the Destroyer in Thor, but what of Incredible Hulk?

As shown in this story, Black Widow was in the background of its events, keeping an eye on everything and realizing that she was way in over her head. She played clean-up on the Sterns situation by coming across his giant, mutated head in the aftermath. Sterns was quick to figure out her homeland from traces of her accent and thought to bribe her in some way, but she stonewalled him with a couple of bullets to the legs.

A year later, Sterns was shown floating in a tank, unconscious, as various SHIELD scientists studied him.

Will we ever see the Leader pop up in the MCU? I can’t imagine Tim Blake Nelson is too busy to appear on She-Hulk at some point.

Betty Ross

Bruce Banner’s old flame is now nothing but a footnote. Considering Banner moved on to another relationship and then another planet, there was never a reason to reintroduce Betty. The only nods to her were Tony Stark naming his Hulkbuster armor “Veronica” (get it?) and the Russo Brothers saying in an interview that Betty was one of those turned to dust by Thanos.

Maybe one day we’ll see Red She-Hulk. Don’t hold your breath, though.

Thunderbolt Ross

General Thaddeus Ross does the heavy lifting for keeping Incredible Hulk relevant. The guy came back for Captain America: Civil War, a movie that didn’t even have the Hulk in it! But it did give him the Henry Gyrich role in a time when Gyrich was probably off-limits since he was considered part of the X-Men corner of Marvel (he already had a very minor role in the first X-Men movie). A familiar face, Ross got to be the government liaison type who spoke with logic, but came off as an antagonistic killjoy.

Right or wrong, Ross’ insistence that the Avengers sign with the Sokovia Accords ruined the team in the face of Thanos’ rampage against the cosmos. He still got to show his respects as Tony Stark’s funeral at the end of Endgame.

Yet, that’s not the last we’ll see of him. In Black Widow, Ross is shown in the trailers. We don’t know his role quite yet, but there’s a lot of fan speculation that Ross might tie into the next roster of the Avengers. Maybe a team that’s government sanctioned and controlled. Maybe a team that’s an awful lot like the Thunderbolts.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

It does seem that as the MCU reaches further and further outward, it looks back more and more on the events of Incredible Hulk. Then again, I doubt we’ll be seeing Ty Burrell’s Leonard Samson turn into a gamma-irradiated psychiatrist with long, luxurious hair any time soon.

The post The Incredible Hulk’s Diminished Legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/38YGDRp

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Lorax (2012)

Not since M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender have we been betrayed like we are by The Lorax. It incorporates all individual elements of the original source material and completely misses the point. I didn't leave angry. I felt exhausted and depressed.

Ted Wiggins (Zack Effron) is a 12-year-old boy living in Thneedville, a city in which no plants grow and everything is made of plastic, glass or metal. When he learns that his crush, Audrey (Taylor Swift) wishes to see a real tree, he leaves the city to talk to the Once-ler (Ed Helms), who knows where they've all gone. Meanwhile, the evil, greedy ruler of Thneedville, Aloysius O’Hare (Rob Riggle) begins worrying the history lesson will destroy his profitable bottled oxygen company.

It all begins because of a teenager's crush for a girl who likes trees but is too dumb to find out what happened to them. She's just one of many insufferable characters which include the rockin’, wise-cracking grandma (Betty White), the awkward-because-she’s-trying-to-be-hip mom (Jenny Slate). They add nothing to the story except obvious, bad jokes. Then we’ve got the most 2-dimensional, cartoonish, evil industrialist I’ve ever seen. You can tell this movie is as far removed from reality as possible, which nullifies the environmental message. No one watching this 2012 version of “The Lorax” could possibly be motivated to change or re-evaluate their behavior because no one could associate themselves with these characters.

Instead of a faceless, greedy business owner that did wrong things for the right reason, the Once-ler is now a singing, hat-wearing, easily manipulated pretty-boy. The bulk of the narrative is focussed on him - as if it’s trying to make you forget the dystopia in which Ted lives is a result of his actions (seriously, if there are no plants, what do the people eat? Soylent Green? cockroach cubes?).

What about the titular Lorax? Voiced by Danny De Vito, he's reduced to a funny little hairball meant to misunderstand modern technology while sometimes discussing how important trees are and is buried beneath the minion-like humming fishes and musical numbers.

This film plays like a Bizarro-world version of the 1972 animated short. The former was short and aside from a couple of unmemorable songs, stuck extremely close to the source material. This movie pads the story out so much the is nowhere to be seen and features are genuinely catchy songs. In the first film, the villain was the Once-ler, a character who acknowledged he might be doing something wrong, but even when debating with himself the need for moderation, constantly found legitimate reasons for continuing to exploit the environment by selling a useful product. The villain in this movie sells a product so ludicrous and useless no one would buy it, freely admits to being a villain and proves it continuously. Arguments against it are boiled down to simple black-and-white points as subtle as circular saws to the forearm. Down to the ending, it's a series of knives in your back.

There are only two things to be admired in 2012's The Lorax. First, the animation. Second, the songs. For all of the reasons listed and more, this is an atrocity. Obviously, I hated it. What I find even more loathsome is that because the film is technically well made, many will not realize what a disservice it is doing to those watching and call it good. (On Blu-ray, December 13, 2014)

[bewareofchris]

oh man!!! illogical husband swith 21??? ahhhhhhh!!!

Nc-17 | Alec Hardy/Bill Masters | “First one to make a noise loses.”

“Are you alright, Alec?” the blonde one asked.  It had to have been her, because she’d offered him the barest of side-glances, between one topic of dinner conversation and the next, the way any hostess checked on her guests to make sure everyone was fine-just-fine.  She’d glanced and she’d seen his face in what he hoped was a typical scowl, and she’d looked down at his hand curled up in a fist against the top of the table.  His fork and his knife were laying across his plate with no indication that he’d made any attempt to use it lately.

She’d narrowed her eyes, and slid her focus sideways and she’d found Bill, her boss and best friend, sitting there with a pleasant smile on his face.  Bill was holding a conversation with Virginia about something-or-something else.  It sounded like politics or sex or politicians having sex.  Bill was eating with his left hand, as naturally as you pleased, as if he had always been ambidextrous and that wasn’t a new, fascinating discovery to make.

Betty had eagle eyes and a vicious smile, because she’d noticed the motion of Bill’s arm (and how, how could she have noticed it?  How could she have noticed anything when Bill’s hand was moving so slowly it was more torture than anything?  When his fingers were slow dancing--  Rather than outrage, she had twisted up with delight, and her stare had slid back to him.  Her tongue had peaked out of the corner of her mouth and she shifted in her seat so she could look at him more naturally.

Bill had noticed, he must have noticed, because he’d walked his fucking fingers up Alec’s crotch to his zipper and eased it down.  The sound was covered by a round of laughter that should have waken the baby (Hardy hadn’t seen a baby but he was told there was one).  Virginia was retelling a story with a great deal of hand waving and it must have been hilarious because nobody was paying any attention to him except Betty.

Betty was licking mashed potatoes off her fork like she was staring in a food based pornography.  She lifted an eyebrow when Bill’s hand found Hardy’s cock in his pants.  She smiled at him as he squeezed his eyes closed because it was far-far past too late to offer objections.  It had been all over and done with as soon as Bill’s hand slid up the inside of his thigh.  

And he’d been locked in a staring contest with a sadist of a woman, who had stretched the moment out-and-out.  Who had laughed at him under the guise of following with the story in progress.  She’d wound the tips of her hair around her fingertips and shifted on her chair and back again, and when she knew, when she could see the flush crawling up his neck--she’d finally, finally spoken.  Are you alright, Alec?   Are you alright, like they were friends and she didn’t know he was getting jacked off under the dining room table in front of a collection of women that weren’t offended to be considered Bill’s friends.

He was going to cum in his pants like an idiot, and now everyone was looking over at him with refreshed interest.  Virginia said, “now remember he doesn’t like being called Alec,” like the last thing she wanted to hear ever again was his rambling dissertation on his name (and names in general).  

“Best not to get him start again,” Bill said agreeably.  His hand hadn’t ceased, no, no, his hand had squeezed a little tighter, but the slide had been smoother because he was collecting up the precum.

“I wasn’t in the room,” Betty said, because she was filled up with petty joy at awful situations, “why is it you don’t like being called Alec?”  She over pronounced his name.  She made the C at the end sharp and present, and Bill was looking at him with such expectation.

Hardy’s fist was pressing against the table so hard he thought he might be breaking bones, and that bastard with a hand on his dick was participating in this exploitation as if he were ever going to get laid again.

Betty’s wife (because being jacked off wasn’t really embarrassing enough until it happened in front of happily married lesbians he was meeting for the first time) frowned when she figured it out, not at him and not at Bill but at Betty.  “I think I hear the baby,” she said.  “Virginia did you want to help me get him up?”

“Oh,” Virginia said as her stare lingered on how deeply amused Bill was, “sure, yes, I’d love to.”

“Betty,” Helen said, “you should make him a bottle.”

“I didn’t hear the baby,” Betty said.

Hardy grabbed Bill’s wrist under the table because he was not going to cum in front of a crowd.  His body was losing the ability to be still, and there was no decent reason for him to collapse onto the table or arch back into the chair, so he was pressing his feet so hard to the floor he might be leaving a permanent impression of the soles of his shoes.  

“I did,” Helen assured her.  “Bottle.”  Then she looked over at them, with an uncertain smile and ushered Virginia out of the room.  

That left the two of them with Betty taking her time about dropping her napkin on the table and Bill accepting that he’d been stilled as he started squeezing and loosening his fist instead.  “Well,” Betty said as she got to her feet like there was no use in hurrying, “I’m sure we’ll all take a few minutes.  It sure wouldn’t be very polite of you to make a mess at my table, boss.”  She winked at him as she turned with a swish of her skirt and went toward the kitchen.

Hardy sucked a breath in through his clenched teeth and snarled, “I’m going to kill you,” as soon as they could be reasonably thought to be out of earshot.

Bill’s smile wasn’t worried in the least, his cheeks were pink and pleased as he slid out of his chair and ducked under the table.  Hardy collapsed backward, legs sprawled open, arms hanging at his side, and hoped that nobody walked back in before Bill put his mouth to good use.

[fangirl-heart]

Riverdale 3x21 spoilers ahead

You have been warned, read at your own risk. 

If not, just keep scrolling, just keep scrolling, just keep scrolling scrolling scrolling scrolling. 

-

It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these, but ya’know life gets in the way sometimes. (yea no, i’ve just been super lazy and slacking off)

There was a lot going on in tonight’s episode. Betty was exploiting The Farm, which turns out to be a legit organ farm (we all knew something shady was going on, but damn), Veronica and Archie were taking down Hiram (hopefully once and for all, but I doubt it), and Jughead was finding out who the Gargoyle King really is. 

There’s not much to talk about with the Farm harvesting organs, except the question: how in the hell are these people so blind to this? I get that there’s hypnotism and shit, but holy hell. (also im very happy that Toni was able to get away and hopefully get help for everyone still trapped there). 

Now that that’s out of the way, lets move onto the fact that I’m 99.9% sure that Reggie is blackmailing Veronica. Veronica never said that she felt the same way for him, she only said “That’s what I said”. There was no, “Yes I feel the same way.” Normally there would be a sentence along those lines in a situation like this. but all she said was “That’s what I said”. Another hint would also be that she asked Archie to stay. If I was her, I would want some alone time with my boo, preferably without my ex. Also the obvious, and biggest, clue would be the way she looked after Archie when he left, and the stance Reggie was holding.         

And finally, Jason Blossom is back from the dead (Or is he?).

Jason Blossoms murder is what set the story line for season one, and played a part in season two and our current season. His death is what got this show running. But now, according to our dear Princess Ethel, he’s alive and well. Also, he’s the Gargoyle King.

BOOM

Yea that was one big mouth dropper. Sure, he was on my list of possibility's. It would be a real plot twist to have the dead twin of Cheryl Blossom be the Gargoyle King, when there is a recording of him being shot by his own father, and his body later being found in Sweetwater River by Moose and Kevin. Him being alive and the King, that’s impossible right? Well Jughead did some grave digging just to check, and yet again...

BOOM 

His casket is empty. Yup, that’s right. E-M-P-T-Y. Hiding that it was empty would have been easy, considering it was a closed casket funeral. No one questioned it, because they all knew that the body was extremely disoriented due to it being in the water for so long. But the real question is; If Jason is still alive, how did the Blossoms pull it off? The fake body, the fake video of him being shot in the head by his own father? Clearly Cheryl had no idea, considering that she continued staying at the farm because they let her visit with “Jason”. But what if it really was him? What if Jason really did manage to get to The Farm, and stayed there, helping behind the scenes, later to come out behind the mask of the Gargoyle King? 

After all, in season one Polly did say that Jason wanted to go to the Farm, and Polly later did in fact go to the Farm. 

But here’s another theory; what if Cheryl isn’t Jason’s twin sister, and he in fact has a twin brother? And that twin brother just so happened to at the Farm, hiding from their parents, and Jason wanted to go join him? 

Honestly I don’t even know with this show anymore, but I do know that I cannot wait for next weeks season finale.  

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

As the audience, you know she's clinging onto Armando for all the wrong reasons, yet her pain is so genuine that you can't help but sympathize for her.

Aw yes, I felt for Patricia there too. Also when she finds Mario and Aura Maria making out in his office. She wasn't a good person, but that was fucked up. I didn't expect for Patricia to have a full on evolution in the story, but she definitely had more potential than just being reduced to those petty fights with el cuartel. I mean Patricia was always childish, but the way they exploited the tension between Patricia and el cuartel to the very end was so annoying🙄. The only redeeming thing about that whole thing was what it meant for Marcela and Betty's relationship as the two main heads in the company and them developing conflict resolution skills despite their differences. Not that the animosity between Patricia and the secretaries wasn't funny (I lived for those early scenes, like when Berta bought Patricia's wardrobe 🤣🤣) but it was just so overdone and exaggerated towards the end that it lost its charm. Patricia deserved to get some sort of closure with Daniel, or at the very least, I was expecting her to become somewhat of a decent employee. I thought they were going somewhere with her when Betty decides to keep her on board and then when she offers to help her develop a financial plan for her to budget her money more efficiently, but sadly that went nowhere🤦🏽‍♀️

Michel and Alejandra's served to prove that Betty and Armando both chose each other, despite having respective love interests that were "perfect" for them. But yeah, that whole storyline with Alejandra comes across as forced and as you said, Armando's flirtatious attitude and the sexual tension between them, made the rejection less impactful . At least with Michel and Betty, we saw the relationship develop, and in what context. There's also a reference on Michel, he's a friend of Catalina whom she rates very highly and is very fond of. Betty was going through a lot when she met him, and he accompanied her, making their bond significant because he saw her broken and starting to pick up the pieces to rebuild herself. Alejandra is supposed to have the same significance in Armando's life but they don't bother to show us how it all started. Not to mention that Armando was officially still with Marcela at this point, which makes his behavior and over the top attention towards Alejandra even more irritating. He was making both Marcela and Betty uncomfortable with his attention towards Alejandra. At least Betty was single when she met Michel, she deserved to give herself another opportunity at love. That didn't take anything away from her evolution. Meanwhile Armando still had a whole relationship to resolve and attend to (he already knew at this point he didn't want to be with Marcela 🙄) and there he was parading himself with another extremely attractive woman in front of the two women he still had to make amends with (ok maybe that did bug me more than I had realized 😅🤣) In conclusion, the concept was there, but it was poorly executed and contextualize lol.

Exactly. You can really tell that by the end of the novela (or around the time Betty comes back from Cartagena) everyone qas super tired and just wanted to get ig over with. I sort of not blame them, tho, after all, the cast went through a lot during those two years of filming (harrassment, bad payments, horrible work schedules, etc.), but it’s very obvious that the quality of story decreases.

Lol sorry I awakened a new frustration with the show lol but yeah, the Alejandra part was very basly executed. The whole last part was badly executed, with the exception of some little gems like Armando and Marcela’s breakup, Marcela’s confession to Betty, Betty and Daniel’s dinner (oh, another frustration is how little interaction those two had), and the collection launch. The show just feels so rushed!

[outweek30]

Speaking in Tongues

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DYKE, GIRLFRIEND?"

Lesbians haven't always been lesbians. Not that there haven't always been lesbians; it's that we haven't always been called lesbians. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, we were (and sometimes still are) Sapphists, Uranians, homosexuals, and just plain unnatural. For some good reason, all the really nasty names seemed to stick it out for a good half-century or so. But as the lesbian community and the times have changed, rules as complex as a Latin textbook have spring up: just what do you call whom, and who wants to be called what?

So for the benefit of all gay men and lesbians who are just becoming aware of the strange looks that they get when they say the dreaded "H" word, here is a short (but by no means comprehensive) list of the most-often heard terms, and the unwritten rules that surround them.

butch: can be used two ways: 1) by other girls about someone...(dreamily) "oh she's so butch"... 2) by idiotic guys who are always standing in front of your house at 3 a.m. and will say it no matter what miniskirt you're wearing.

femme: used almost solely by other girls about each other, either teasing them about their poor lipstick application ("Cut the femme act, Olive"), or as use #1 for butch: "She's so femme, you just want her to take you home and make Betty Crocker..."

lipstick: These women are the femmes of the 80s, with a little less roleplaying and more fashion consciousness. Because of the stupidity of some straight people, they are often mistaken as members of the breeder nation. They are fun to date, if only for the jungle red they leave on your t-shirt collar.

lesbo/lezzie: the only time you ever hear these variations on a theme is when you're in a playground full of eight-year-olds, and some little blond creampuff in a frilly dress has just whomped the class bully.

gay woman: (related term: "glamour lesbian"; as if the others weren't) what once was a fairly adventurous thing to call yourself has now become the upscale, Y-girl term for women who identify more with their careers/their gender more than what they're doing with their girlfriends (and the implications thereof).

diesel dyke: a relative of truckdriver and bulldagger, this particular epithet is usually used by middle aged men. Deep in our heart of hearts, we truly love diesel dykes as the first women who were out everywhere (along with butch/femme couples pre-Stonewall) This exchange (overheard) may epitomize this phenomenon: First Dyke (upon seeing a cute girl): Hey, chickee, baby... Second Dyke: Oh man, I'd like to get me some of that. First Dyke: Yeah, boy, she was hung like a doughnut.

muff-diver: seems to be a regionalism. Only to be used by gossip columnists and dyke porn writers

crunchy: sort of a cross between lesbian feminist and a Grateful Dead fan, can be detected by their choice of fragrance, food and music. They're political beasts, and never miss a chance to sing "We Are a Gentle, Angry People..."

homosexual: formerly a term denoting gay men and lesbians. The only people who currently still use it this way are deranged psychiatrists and right-wing homophobes, excepting [New Jersey] Governor Tom Kean, who remembers that we're lesbians in the same sentence as Satan-worshippers and lunatics

bull-dyke: I have never heard anyone say this, except in bad 70s prison exploitation films.

woman-identified-woman or woman-loving woman: pretty self-explanatory, wouldn't you say?

lesbian-identified bisexually-active woman: let's get over this one

dyke: a word which has gone from hated to loved to despised to liked to loved. These four little letters are so nuanced that gay men are afraid to say it to their friends because they might say it the wrong way. Lesbian activists use it gleefully in the company of straights. Two things: 1) straight men should never use this word, 2) gay men in the company of lesbians, should wait and see what word they're using

girl: Not all women are girls, not all girls are women, some are wombin, wimmin, etc. When lesbians are discussing girls, you can be sure they are discussing other lesbians for the most part (or women they wish were lesbians). This word is usually prefaced by the word "cute," or suffixed by "with a bad attitude she couldn't afford."

girlfriend: could be the girl you're sharing your days, nights and sex toys with, or the girls you spend time with trying to hunt down someone to play with. Friends or lovers, it's obviously adopted from the boys (thank you), and can be used in all its variations in everyday conversation.

* NOTES ON "GIRL" AND "DYKE": Nowhere have these words been heard more than in the activist community. In conjunction with "fag" and "boy," it seems to signal not a regression but a reclamation on the community's part to seize control of the language surrounding it, and put the joy and passion into these words which have been alternately denied to us, and used to cause us pain.

— Liz Tracey, OutWeek Magazine No. 8, August 14, 1989, p. 50.