#i binge played this game over the weekend. IT'S EXCELLENT!!

[evercelle]

( just follow the script. )

[ecto-american]

Liar Liar

Phic Phight Oneshot for Ectopal: After an argument with her now grounded son, Maddie wishes that Danny wouldn't lie to her-and Desiree overhears. [TransDanny]

The OG prompt: After an argument with her now grounded son, Maddie wishes that Danny wouldn't lie to her-and Desiree overhears.

Potential TW for trans-related venting and implied violence, but there’s nothing graphic

on FFN and AO3

The front door opened, and Maddie frowned as she glanced at the clock that informed her that yes. It was definitely hours past his curfew.

No lights turned on, but she still could tell from the faint light of the one kitchen light, the light that the family just never turned off so that they could see at night, that it was definitely her son doing his best to remain quiet. And now that she knew he was safe, all of her fears about if he was okay and his safety melted away and allowed for anger to start boiling.

"Daniel James Fenton," she finally called out. The figure froze, and she flipped the light switch on. Before her was her son, looking as guilty as ever. One hand was on the wall, guiding him as he approached the stairs, the other holding onto his binder and shoes. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"...Um...Can I plead the fifth?" he asked weakly. Her frown deepened.

"It's nearly two in the morning, and on a school night!" she scolded. "Let's not even talk about how you snuck out right now." His shoulders slumped. "You could have been dead for all I know!"

"I'm sorry," he replied quietly.

"Where were you?" Maddie asked.

"I was at Tucker's, we got caught up playing video games," he said. Maddie scowled.

"Tell me the truth," she said. Danny scowled back.

"I am!" he insisted.

"Then how come Pamela called me?" Maddie asked. At the name of Mrs. Manson, Danny paled.

"...She called you?" his voice croaked out.

"You bet she called me," Maddie snapped. "What were you thinking?"

"I wi-I just!" Danny cut himself off as he seemed to struggle to find his words. "I'm just wanting more freedom! I'm an adult now! I can legally buy cigarettes!" Maddie couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Well I wish you wouldn't lie to me!" Maddie argued back. Danny flinched at her words. "And maybe if you didn't, I'd let you have more freedom! But you lied about going to your room, you lied to me just now about where you were, and I already know that you're going to lie to me when I ask you what you and Sam have been doing!"

"We weren't doing anything!" Danny half-yelled back. "We fell asleep binge watching one of her true crime shows!"

"Don't lie to me!" Maddie told him.

"I'm not!"

Maddie made an angry grumbling noise, crossing her arms.

"You're ground, all weekend," she informed him. Danny didn't respond; he simply made a face at her. He brushed past her to angrily stomp up the stairs. She didn't bother snapping at him over that too.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be."

Maddie turned around rapidly at the voice. It wasn't Danny's...and Jazz was miles away at college…But what she did hear was Danny slamming his bedroom door shut. She'd get onto him about that in the morning.

A quick inspection, and she found nothing, and she decided to just call it a night. She went upstairs herself, pausing at Danny's door to listen. She could hear Danny shuffle around for a moment, though after a moment, she saw his light go out and heard his bed creak as he rested on it. She just knew he was going to fall asleep in class tomorrow. Maddie sighed, and she went into her room.

Jack was just coming from the bathroom with a light yawn, and she felt guilty.

"Did we wake you up?" she wondered. Jack gave her a small smile and shrugged.

"It's okay," he assured her. Maddie huffed.

"No, it's not," she insisted. "He should have been home. He was over at Sam's house until about ten minutes ago. Pam called to complain about it."

"Ah, he's just doing what teenagers do," Jack replied. Maddie frowned as she got into bed.

"Well that mentality is how we end up grandparents way too early," she reminded him. Jack gave a light sigh as he also slipped back into bed.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "I'll talk to him about it soon."

"Thank you. He's pretty mad at me right now," Maddie turned her bedside lamp off. Jack chuckled.

"He'll probably be mad for a bit, but he'll get over it," he reassured her. He switched his own bedside lamp off as he got settled back in. "Night, love you."

"Love you too."

-----------------

Despite the late night, Maddie was up early. She could hear that Danny was already up and getting ready in the bathroom, so she didn't feel the need to say anything to him just yet. They could reserve any conversation for after school.

By the time she came downstairs, Danny was in the kitchen staring at the toaster, backpack on the kitchen table.

"Morning, sweetie," she greeted him warmly.

He gave her a somewhat dirty look, and he mumbled a cranky and short "morning" in response. She opted to ignore his attitude for now, and she went over to the coffee maker. While she was waiting for Danny, she had gone ahead and scheduled the coffee maker to start making coffee, and man was she glad. It was already pouring, and it smelled great.

"Danny, do you want a cup of coffee?" she asked him. He glanced over, and he shook his head no.

"Mm no thanks," he replied.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"I slept like shit."

Maddie glanced at Danny in surprise, and he stared back at her, equally as confused. Danny never cussed at her.

"Cause you stayed out all night, huh?" Maddie lightly accused, leaning her hand on the counter.

"No, cause I slept with my binder on and now my chest hurts," he snapped back. Maddie frowned.

"You're not supposed to do that," she told him.

"Well maybe if I wasn't fucking born like this-," he began but cut himself off. He looked so confused, and Maddie was too. Not at the statement. She had no doubt that it was true, but where did all this cussing come from? He knew better than to talk to her like that, and it was so...weird. Danny glanced back to the toaster, clearing his throat. "Sorry, I...I uh…" Two pop tarts popped out of the toaster, and he quickly snatched them up. "I gotta go. Bye."

"...Have a good day," Maddie called after him, staring as he quickly walked out, and she heard the front door close. She made her cup of coffee, and she got to work.

-----------------

She jumped as their ghost alarm went off, but Jack and Maddie wasted no time quickly collecting their things and rushing out the door and into the RV. It led them right to the scene. A fight against Amity Park's most popular ghost and another fairly familiar ghost, a green skinned woman with flowing black hair dressed exclusively in blue.

Maddie messily pulled into a parking spot off the side of the road, and Jack immediately hopped out. Maddie followed suit, and she hurried towards the action.

"Stop granting every damn wish you hear! I swear, it's ridiculous!" she could hear Phantom yell.

"I'm merely giving people what they ask for," the woman, Desiree Maddie believed she was called, replied smugly.

Phantom looked like he was gonna say something more, but stopped when he seemed to glance over and notice their arrival.

"Let's just finish this," he said instead, and he blasted her, only to miss. The woman smirked, but it was quickly cut off by a secondary blast from Jack.

"Jack!" Maddie gasped in excitement. "Excellent shot!" Jack grinned proudly, firing another. Only to miss, as sorta expected.

"I do not have time for this!" Phantom scowled. Maddie rolled her eyes. What the hell does a ghost have going on? He pulled out the Fenton Thermos and sucked the other ghost in.

"You ever going to return that?" Maddie called out sarcastically.

"It's my thermos! You gave it to me!" Phantom called back, immediately giving her a weird blank look. Maddie narrowed her eyes.

"We didn't give you anything," she replied. She held her hand out expectantly. "Give it back."

Phantom opened his mouth to rebuttal, only to get blasted. It knocked him back and made him drop the thermos. Maddie dove for it as Jack fired more shots, and she was thankfully able to grab it before it hit the ground. However when she looked up, Phantom was gone.

"Mads! Did you see that!?" Jack asked. She looked up at him with a proud smile as he jogged over to her.

"I did!" she replied cheerfully. "You've gotten a lot better!" Jack puffed up proudly. "Where did Phantom go?"

"Dunno," he admitted, and his shoulders immediately fell a bit. "After I got him, he flew off. Musta been scared." He offered his hand out to her, and she accepted it.

"Probably," she agreed. She held the thermos up. "Least we got this back though." Jack nodded. "We'll put her back in the Zone later. Let's get some lunch."

-----------------

Maddie made a point to make sure she was upstairs so that she could make sure Danny came home on time, given his grounding situation. While she waited, she began to make some cupcakes. As she was mixing batter, she heard the front door open and close.

"Hey Danny," she greeted from the kitchen. She glanced at the clock. He was ten minutes later than he normally would have come home, but it wasn't enough for her to say anything.

"...Hey mom," came the reply. He stepped into the kitchen, and Maddie glanced at him, only to do a double take. His right cheek was badly swollen from a bad bruise. Maddie immediately wiped her hands on a dish towel, staring at him.

"What happened?" she asked, stepping towards him. He stared at her in confusion before putting his hand to his face. He pressed his lips tightly together and didn't answer. She asked once more, more firmly. "Danny, what happened?"

He opened his mouth to say something, only to choke on nothing and close his mouth again. Maddie went to the freezer to get an ice pack. She motioned for him to sit down. He sat at the kitchen table, and she pulled a chair up to him. She pressed the ice pack to his face, and he took it from her, leaning his elbow on the table.

"I'll only ask you one more time," she began, only for Danny to angrily cut her off.

"I got beat up today, okay?" he replied, sounding exasperated. Maddie blinked.

"By who?" she asked. Danny gave her a sour look, and he refused to speak. "Danny…"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he finally spoke. He began to stand up. "Look, I'm fine. It's not a big deal."

"It's a huge deal!" Maddie argued. She grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down. "You're going to tell me what's going on right now. Who hurt you?"

"Just some dudes at school," he tried to keep his answers short. But Maddie was having none of that.

"But why?" she pressed. Danny stayed quiet. "Daniel James-"

"What do you want me to say, Mom?" he snapped. "That I constantly get my ass kicked for being queer? That every day I get reminded that they think I'm some freak that shouldn't be allowed to exist? Let alone in any kind of relative peace? People don't like me. Why do you think I want to get my name changed as soon as possible? Why I've been begging for surgery as a birthday gift? It's so that when I go to college, nobody will know."

"...I had no idea," she said slowly.

"Yeah, I know," he said shortly. He got up, managing to evade her touch again to go for the stairs. Before she could say anything else, he was upstairs, and she could hear his door closing.

What had gotten into him? Maddie had never heard Danny talk about any of those things to her before. How long had these feelings been going on? Why had he never talked to her before about this?

She forced herself to stand and return to her baking. Mindlessly, she began to fill her cupcake tray up with batter, slipping them into the oven when she heard noise in the basement. She frowned, quickly setting her timer before going down.

Phantom was there, looking through her stuff. Snooping around. He was carefully looking around, muttering to himself as he hunted for...something.

"Can I help you, Phantom?"

The ghost jumped, turning on his heel.

"I'm looking for the wishing ghost so I can undo a wish," he replied. She raised an eyebrow at his blunt honesty.

"What wish?" She asked. Phantom scowled, narrowing his eyes as he seemed to think hard.

"That's private," he replied. She glared back at him, but then it hit her.

"Well I wish you wouldn't lie to me!"

Her son couldn't lie to her. Because of the wishing ghost still trapped in the thermos. She hadn't had a chance to empty the thermoses of ghosts she had Jack had caught over the past two weeks.

"I suggest you leave through that portal then before I blast you through it," she said. "The wishing ghost is staying here with me." Phantom narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.

"Not without that wishing ghost," he replied. Maddie picked a blaster off the table near her, pointing it at him. He held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, take it easy. Why do you want Desiree so bad? Don't you normally throw the ghosts back into the Ghost Zone anyway?"

"I do, and let's start with you," she replied. She pulled the trigger. It hit Phantom square in the chest, pushing him into the open portal. She quickly stormed up, slamming the closed button.

-----------------

It was hours before Danny finally came down from upstairs. She knew that he had stayed upstairs, for once, instead of sneaking out again, from occasional footsteps and the sound of him talking on the phone. Maddie had actually just gotten off the phone with him, having called him to ask what he wanted from their favorite Chinese restaurant before she sent Jack out to pick it up. Soon as Jack was out the door, Danny came out of his room and downstairs. She gave him smile as he came into the living room.

"Hey sweetie, dad will b-"

"I know about the wish."

Maddie instantly felt guilt wash over her as Danny stared at her with a frown, arms crossed. She stayed where she sat on the couch.

"What makes you say that?" she questioned. Danny's lips tightened, and she knew that he wasn't going to answer her. "Danny-"

"And I know that you know about it!" he accused. "I've been through this kind of thing before! Why haven't you undone the wish yet?"

"Because you don't need to be lying to me!" Maddie finally snapped back as she got to her feet. "For once, I'm getting honest answers from you after almost three years of constant lie after lie!"

"And you're okay with this being how you get those answers?" Danny talked back. His fists balled up, though they stayed by his sides. "Instead of making me feel okay and comfortable telling you these things? Or wait for me to be ready to say something?"

Ouch. Maddie flinched, and she just knew that had Jazz been here...she'd be absolutely agreeing with Danny. And she knew in her gut that Danny was right. Maddie's shoulder slumped.

"I know," she said quietly. Danny looked completely taken aback. "...But why haven't you said anything? You know your dad and I love you so much. I had no idea you've been in this much pain."

Danny stared at the ground, shifting to lean against the doorway.

"...I didn't want you guys to feel like you were bad parents," he replied. "Because you're not. It's not your fault everybody else sucks, or that I have to wait for surgery or to get my name changed and everything. And you can't fix it. It's just how it is."

"Dad and I would have started fighting harder for you had we known," Maddie said softly. "All we ever want is for you and Jazz to be happy and healthy."

"Yeah, I know," Danny half-grumbled. "It's just...It's just how it is. And I can't even tell the therapist that, cause she keeps pushing back everything if I hint at being depressed about it."

"If that's the case, we can find a new therapist," Maddie replied. "One that'll take you more seriously." Danny shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I'll be done with school this year, and I'll be seeing a new one anyway when I go to college," he said. Maddie frowned.

"But still-"

"Mom, it's fine," he interrupted. He smiled. "Seriously." She sighed. "Please, just. Undo the wish."

"...Okay," she finally agreed. She began to walk towards the basement, only to pause, turning to him. "But first." Danny raised an eyebrow at her. "What were you and Sam doing up so late?" Danny gave her a sour look, rolling his eyes.

"...Sam's been having a hard time lately. Lots of girls at school bully her for the same reason as me, and it's just been hitting her super hard lately," he explained. "I was up late with her cause she was crying so much, and we fell asleep while I was holding her to make her feel better."

Maddie's heart twisted a bit. She truly wish she had known. And she already made a mental note to march into Casper High first thing Monday morning after having a long phone call with Pam that night. A call to Vlad too, to get in touch to see if he'd help hire a lawyer. She had absolute hell to raise, and a school she was ready to sue.

"But seriously," Danny's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "I'll eventually come and tell you these things when I'm ready. Don't rely on dumb ghost wishes."

"Yeah, I know," Maddie replied somberly. "I'm sorry, Danny." She took a few steps towards him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. After a moment, she felt him return the hug. She let go, cupping his cheeks and making him lean down a bit so she could kiss his forehead. "I just worry about you. I want you to feel like you can always come to me. You're my baby boy."

"I know, Mom," he smiled. "And I will when I need you, but I'm not a little kid. I can handle a lot of things on my own."

"Yeah, but you're still my baby," Maddie sighed. Hell, he and Jazz were both taller than her by now. They definitely got that from Jack. Or in Danny's case, he got nearly everything from him. Almost a mirror image the older he got. Danny's cheeks flushed a bit.

"Mo-om."

Maddie chuckled.

"Come on, let's go undo the wish. I have the wishing ghost still in the basement," she said. She paused. "But once we undo the wish, will you honestly tell me how you knew?"

Danny stared at her for a moment, seemingly thinking. And he nodded.

"Yeah. After dinner, just you and me," he promised. "I'll tell you the whole story. Start to finish."

[therollingstonys]

Fic Recs of the Week!! June 8-12, 2020

Here we go!!! More under the cut!

Puppy Love by @jehbeeeh

One shot: Stony, COMPLETE

Rated: G

Steve gets turned into a puppy by Loki.

12/10 THE MOST FLUFFY 🥰🥰 So cute and soft and fluffy!! So many cute moments that made me just go AWW out loud. Must read!!

The Tutor by @tisfan and @27dragons

Multi chapter: Winteriron, WIP

Rated: E

When a scandal drives Tony Stark from his family and home, he takes a position as tutor to the children of a far-off boyar. He arrives in the country to find the boyar himself absent and the castle staff mistrustful. The children are their own challenge, the elder openly hostile and the younger entirely too clever for her own good. Despite various mishaps such as the appearance of a ghost, the boy getting himself arrested, and Tony getting lost in the woods, the work is satisfying. Tony is beginning to think he might be able to make a place for himself here... And then the boyar comes home. Now, things are really hard.

Listen my love for Jane Eyre style fics knows no bounds. I LIVE FOR THIS SHIT. Tisfan and 27dragons never fail to deliver a HEA, and in this day and age that’s something incredibly comforting to sit down and enjoy.

Blood Will Tell by @thewaythatwerust

Multi chapter: stuckony, winteriron, stony and stucky, WIP

Rated: E

Bucky should have never intervened...

But 'should have' had never been his strong suit. Which is how he finds himself in a cell, with the inexplicable urge to protect the human charged with holding him captive, from the aberrant lycan threat rising up around them. He thinks it can't get worse... until a strangely familiar face is staring at him through the bars, out for his blood. That's when things start to get really interesting.

Vampires and werewolves and drama oh my!! I love this fic so much!! It’s so fun and intractely built—the lore is completely believable and interesting and the characters are so well written it’s amazing!! 11/10 MUST READ!

Blind Side Tackle by @longhornletters

Multi chapter: Stony, WIP

Rated: M

Steve Rogers wants two things - for a team (preferably not Dallas) to draft him and to not make an absolute fool of himself on an NFL field. He's trying to find his own way in a complicated system, but through the ups and downs of transitioning to the pros, he's got more help than he realizes. Tony Stark wants two things also - a face of the franchise-quality quarterback and a bit of that "little life" he's always just kind of ignored up to now. He's trying to find the work-life balance everyone keeps telling him he needs, but the things he wants can sometimes come from unexpected places.

I am American and so I was raised with American football, and combining this love with stony means I’ve found a fic that I just adore. The writing is absolute superb and the characterization is spot on!! Add it to your list folks, you’re gonna love it!!

Cabin Fever by @winterstar95 

Multi chapter: Stony, COMPLETE

Rated: E

After Ultron, the team needed something to pull them back together. A long weekend away at a cabin in the woods sounded like an excellent idea. They could binge watch favorite shows, cook, eat, play games. It would be great. Except it wasn't, because the storm of the century hit and Tony ends up stuck with Steve - alone in the cabin.

Honestly, there were so many cute parts of this I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but tbh, the sled riding was just too fucking cute!! I loved watching these two idiots slowly figure out their feels and learn to communicate like they need to. So so good, and so sweet!!

Tryst by @hollyandvice 

One shot: Stony, COMPLETE 

Rated: E

Steve slips a hand into his pocket and rubs his thumb over the remote he’s carrying. The temptation is so close to his heart, something in him wanting to push Tony a little higher, make that perfect mask slip even just a little bit. It's a hell of a temptation and Steve might have given in if not for the slightly desperate look Tony shoots his way.

Steve smiles. A concession. Tony deserves a reward for that.

Tony makes Steve an offer he can't refuse. Steve ups the ante. Everyone gets what the want in the end.

WHOOO BABY was this one HOT. *fans self* First of all, I adore this premise anyway, and then how it was written?? OOF. 100/10 please please read lol 

Silver Fox by @missmoodybear

One shot: stuckony, COMPLETE

Rated: E

Steve nudged Bucky’s arm, “Silver foxes are his type.” He quickly took a sip of his beer before Bucky could hit him. Bucky could feel his heart beat faster.“Hmm…not the first time I’ve been called that, honestly.” Stark sipped his whiskey. He looked at them both, his eyes almost like a physical touch, “So, what’s your type, Blondie?”“Oh! Uhh...well,” Steve rubbed the back of his neck.Bucky knew an opportunity for revenge when he saw one. “He is a bossy fuckin’ bottom, and his type is anyone who can put up with that.”“Dammit Buck,” Steve sputtered, his ears turned pink in a flash.“I can handle that. Well, if you two are sober enough to consent, my car is waiting out front.”Steve’s eyes locked with his. It wasn’t their intention to go home with someone when they came out, just to look, but he was the one putting it all out there, and Bucky could see a challenging smirk on Steve’s plush lips, the one he gets when he wants to play. Stark waited for them both to nod, then he drained his glass before pulling out the blue-tinted glasses and settling them back on his face, “Shall we?

*deep breath* y’all....Y’ALL!! THIS FIC!! It’s SO GOOD. So hot! Absolutely amazing, and I adore every word! 😍😍😍😍 This fic is only visible to users who have an AO3 account, so do yourself a favor and sign up so you can read it!!

[likesomekindofcheese]

What about the Bo Rhap boys with a reader who’s sign is Cancer?

Sure thing! Here ya go, a warm, delicious Zodiac headcanon! Enjoy!

cw: mentions of sex, drinking, and swearing.

Joe:

When you met him, you liked him at once. After all, he knew the entire Single Ladies dance frontwards and backward from each step to each hand flip!

You are naturally compatible and homebodies! When you began as friends you would sit binging shows together and then come back the next weekend and binged some more. Soon, however, kissing got involved. Whoops.

You tend to be withdrawn, needing to come back into yourself, in your skin, so Joe has the patience to deal with that. But you can also be yourself around him.

You are both also protective of your space. You make your shared home very nice and cozy. Joe has all of his shorts folded and organized by color and you have your books and plants.

There is no drama at all. There might be a bit of conflict or disagreements, but not shouting or slamming doors, just two people in love.

You provide empathy and intuitive support and he has attuned physical senses and lots of integrity.

Even though sex can be super vanilla, it is deep and meaningful, Joe even sings little silly songs in his aftercare ritual of pulling you on his chest for a bit and then getting you some water as you both talk while sitting down and the blanket draped over your shoulders.

When you cry, you sometimes don’t even know what’s going on but Joe is there for you. He chooses careful kindness overcorrection. He softens his thoughts and you even notice relaxes his body with you.

You both are Natural partners, excellent friends, and even better lovers.

Rami:

 Rami is an old school romantic, loving chocolates and flowers and cute lil shit like that. He knows your worth and what you can bring to his life.

 He takes you to candlelight dinners, plays soft music, dances with you every excuse he gets, and takes you on walks in the park. All that stuff that makes you go squeeeeee! He will pampers you, bring you small gifts, and sends handwritten love notes. 

He's a touchy-feely too. Expect for Rami to give you surprise hugs and caress your face. He makes an experience even out of a simple kiss. It’s all so much that as soon as you get home or leave to use the bathroom away from him, you are a blushing, laughing, smiling mess.

You can see Rami being a husband and father to your babies, that’s why you’re dating! You are won over. And you don’t fall in love easily or often.

You both enjoy quiet social life. Your friends love spending time with Rami and the few times you have been with the people he knows, the BohRap gang included, you feel welcomed and a part of them.

He keeps your feels in check. One time you got hurt by a friend so much you were a crying mess, Rami’s arms didn’t leave you for one second, just to keep you safe.

You share mornings strolling through antique markets, and then evenings sipping champagne by candlelight. Admiring the glow of the fire on each other's skin and comparing it.

Gwilym:

At first, Gwil seems like a player to you so you are hesitant but he is very friendly and sweet and charming and proves himself so you two end up falling for each other, whoops.

You find ways to have fun at home. You both enjoy playing board games with beer even though Gwil has his competitive streak showing and it’s hilarious to watch him lose.

Meanwhile, Gwil takes you out and shows you off. It makes you smile when he pulls you up to someone and says “this is my darling, Y/N! Jealous, yet?”

He also challenges you to have more fun and to be more active and out there. One time you were nervous to try a certain roller coaster but he made you go saying he’d buy you anything you wanted and you had fun and yelled at the top of your lungs when it got upside down.

Your living arrangement is super creative- full of your collections, your tastes, your memories, and cute photos.

You nourish Gwil and give him a home in between travels. As soon as his bags drop after being flown somewhere to film, he flat out runs to you and hugs you for a whole hour.

You are both natural friends! If you storm home from work/school/whatever, fuming, you would say “hey, you know what that bitch Abigail did?” and he would go “oh shiiiiit, what did she do?”

You are both engaged in every experience! When Gwil took you to the beach, you both didn’t talk for the first five minutes because of how lovely it was. The smell of the salt in the wind. How the sand looked a little pink at sunset. It was perfect

He learns slows the hell down and realizes and respects your moody nature. He enters your world of closeness and stability and sees joy in it.

You learn to gather your courage, take risks, mix up your schedule, and have more spontaneity. Both of your lives would have been meaningless and dull had your paths not intertwined.

Ben:

Your story together is basically like a rom com: Ben works so hard and bent on success, but on the inside, he is lonely and sad!!! So that’s where you come in! And suddenly he realizes there is more to life than just winning all the time and finds love!

You are the key to his softness! He finds rest and release in you! Sometimes Ben will be tired and just rest his blonde head on your shoulder and nothing more needs to be said. Often he even falls asleep there, wrapped around you like a koala.

Like Ben, you only appear a little cold sometimes. Beneath your cool, calm exterior you are a softie full of flower crowns and uwus. And Ben brings that out because of how secure he makes you feel.

He makes you feel accomplished. If you complete something at work or school and brag about it, he will be so proud and hug you and kiss your cheek, beaming. He gives you stability as well! With his movie money coming in, he’s happy to help you out when you need it.

When he’s unsure, you use your intuition to help him. If Ben goes to you and says “hey, should I accept this role?” You will go and say “I have a funny feeling about it, so probably not.” Then that movie or show turns out to be a humiliating flop. When Ben reads that review, he laughs for an hour and thanks you (”you’re blood psychic!”)

 He also uses his strength when you are feeling low. You can rely on him as your rock.

You show love through making him food, spending long hours together, and well intended nagging! (Which Ben secretly loves bc it means you can take control and keep him in check).

Sometimes Ben isn’t sure if he is good enough for you. Sometimes you feel a little jealous of women who oogle and flirt with him. This is healed when you show physical signs of affection to each other. Lovemaking heals your fears and doubts of rejection from the other, you both feel assured. And afterward, he spoons you and kisses your head, you feel his soft voice and hot breath whisper “I love you”.

He means it too.

Taglist: @queenlover05

[destiel-love-forever]

Fireworks & Falling in Love

Castiel

“Dean! Come here!”

I look in the same direction as Sam, wondering which one of these people could be his brother. I nearly gasp when the man working the grill just a few feet away looks up. He’s not who I expected.

Not at all.

Whereas Sam is a complete nerd with his sweaters and his books and his green tea, Dean is… damn. Dean Winchester is sex on a god damn stick. He’s wearing low-hanging shorts and a ‘kiss the cook’ apron with no shirt beneath. Tattoos swirl around his skin, covering one leg, his left arm, his left shoulder and pec, his back, his right shoulder, his right arm, and his right ribcage. The ink brings his muscles out in high definition.

I’m pretty sure I could spend the rest of my life just watching this man work a grill and I’d die a very happy man.

Things just get worse when he starts toward us. The sun shines through the tips of his hair, making it nearly glow. Freckles are scattered along his nose and cheeks. And his eyes….

His eyes are breathtaking. One glance sends me spiraling back in time to when I was a small boy, lying in the freshly cut grass on a warm summer day. I can almost feel the breeze on my face despite the fact that there’s no wind today.

“This is Cas,” I hear Sam say from a distance. It takes effort, but once I manage to force myself to look away from Dean’s eyes, I come back to my senses.

“Sammy’s roommate, yeah.” Dean wipes his hand on the apron before offering it to me. His smile is dazzling. Bright white teeth. Soft pink lips. They’re glistening as if he just licked them. I wonder what they taste like. I bet they’re good. I bet they’re damn good. “It’s great to finally meet ya.”

I open my mouth to say something polite but what comes out instead is, “You look like someone I’d very much like to kiss.”

I’m not sure what’s more awkward in the following moment. Perhaps the way Dean’s eyes widen and his head tilts like he’s unsure of what just happened. Maybe the way Sam chokes on his own spit beside me. Of course, there’s the fact that my face is so hot that I know it must be bright red.

Or, above all, it could very well be the fact that I’m still holding Dean’s hand.

I twist my wrist with the intention of breaking free but Dean just tightens his grip.

He’s recovered now. I took him by surprise, that was clear, but the man has bounced back. The smile he gives me is even more charming than before with just a hint of mischief in it. His calloused thumb runs along the curve of my finger and I’m very proud of myself for not whimpering like I desperately want to.

“You would like to kiss me,” Dean assures, his voice dipping low with lust. “I’m an excellent kisser.”

“I-” I nearly swallow my tongue and shake my head.

I don’t have 'game'. Like… at all. Never have. There’s a reason Sam and I are best friends. We both would prefer hanging out at our off-campus apartment together reading books and drinking tea than hitting a party. We’re both virgins. We’re both dorks. We go to comic con and play D&D.

We do not flirt with the Dean Winchesters of the world.

“Question is,” Dean continues. “Are you a good kisser, Cas?”

“I - well, um…” I glance over at Sam to find that he walked away.

Walked away! Can you believe that? Just abandoned me with a sex god that’s looking at me as if he wants to eat me alive! The audacity.

I am 100% messing up his alphabetized bookcase when we get back to school.

100%.

“I didn’t mean it,” I blurt out, feeling my face getting even hotter - something I didn’t know was possible.

“You didn’t mean what?”

“The… the kiss thing.”

“You didn’t mean it, or you didn’t mean to say it out loud?”

The knowing smile he gives me, as well as the one step forward so that our bodies would be pressed flush against each other if our hands weren’t in the way, lets me know Dean is fully aware of which one of those two options is the truth.

“You’re Sam's brother. I can’t kiss you.”

It’s weak.

He laughs.

“Sammy’s been in love with my best friend Gabe since the kid popped his first boner. He doesn’t get a say.”

Gabriel.

The infamous Gabriel.

Yeah… I’ve heard all about him.

Shit, shit, shit.

“In fact,” Dean whispers in my ear, crushing our joined hands against our chests. “That’s where he just went off to. He’ll be following Gabe around like a puppy all night, so we’re free to do whatever it is you’d like to do, Cas.”

I’m unable to answer.

Instead, I just close my eyes and pretend I’m not here.

After a very mischievous yet dark chuckle - one that sends shockwaves through my entire body - Dean steps back and lets go of my hands. I open my eyes to look at him, praying that he can’t see the grief I’m experiencing at the sudden loss.

“I’ll see ya around, Cas.”

“I - uh.” He turns around before I can formulate real words, heading back to the grill. A friend of his comes up and hands him a beer before the two of them start to bullshit. Dean laughs.

He doesn’t look over at me.

Not once.

“Yes,” I finally manage to whisper, even though it doesn’t matter anymore. “See ya around, Dean.”

Dean

I don't see much of Castiel after that first encounter but I'm not too concerned. From what I've heard from Sam, alongside the one interaction I've had with him, he's probably off hiding somewhere. I let him be most of the day, focusing on my friends instead. We take the boat out on the lake. We jump off the docks and swim. We play yard games. We build a bonfire as the sun goes down.

It's when the fireworks begin that I go to find Castiel.

Just as I had hoped, the boy's guard is down as he stares up at the display in the sky. It also probably helps that he's climbed onto my damn roof. He probably thinks no one will find him up here.

He startles when I come to sit beside him and I immediately put out my hand to keep him from falling. The look he gives me in return is unimpressed. It's an interesting shift from the flustered boy from before but I have to say I enjoy both versions. This one seems riled up and haughty.

I start to plot ways to make him blow.

"Wanna kiss me yet?" I tease, looking up at the sky instead of him like I could care less about his answer.

I should care less about his answer. There's no reason for me to suddenly be so hung up on one guy when I could have my pick of men, women, or non-bi's at this party.

Truth is - though I'd never admit it - I haven't hooked up with anyone in 7 months. Yeah, you heard that right. Dean fucking Winchester hasn't been laid in 7 fucking months. I've been actively avoiding any and all scenarios that would lead to a night of no strings fun this past year. It sounds cheesy, and the old me would roll over in his imaginary grave if he knew, but I'm just… over it. I'm over getting wasted every weekend. I'm over going home with people I can't name. I'm over sneaking out after they've fallen asleep to avoid any awkwardness in the mornings. I'm over eating breakfast by myself.

I want a partner. Someone to be there when I'm watching movies on a rainy night. Someone to listen when I talk about something funny that happened at work. Someone to cook dinner with as we laugh and dance to music on the radio. Someone to hold at night.

I realize that Castiel still hasn't answered me so I elbow him and ask, "What, not interested anymore? I'm hurt." I put a hand over my heart for emphasis.

He side eyes me before returning his gaze to the sky. "It's bad enough I made a fool of myself in front of my best friend's brother who I'm probably going to end up seeing more than just today. You don't have to ruin my entire 4th of July, too."

"Ruin it?"

"Yeah. I'm mortified. I'm sure you've told all of your friends." Castiel looks at me and my breath catches in surprise. Tears are in his eyes. "It's my first 4th of July where I get to be normal. I've never seen fireworks before. Please, just… just leave me alone, okay? I get that taunting the nerd with a crush is fun but-"

I cut him off by grabbing the back of his head and quickly guiding his mouth to mine. A word or two is swallowed up between us before he fully registers what's happening. He tenses for half a second but just before I can pull away to apologize, he knocks me over so I'm on my back and starts kissing me like his life depends on it. It's sexy but adorable. I'm entranced by him as he mauls me like a wild animal but does it with such clumsy moves that I know for sure he's inexperienced.

I stop him when his hand goes to my belt, rolling us back over so I'm on top of him. After a glance over my shoulder to make sure we're nowhere near the edge of the roof, I look down at him and smile softly. "One hell of a kiss there, kid."

He glares but a smile ghosts across his lips. "I'm not a kid. I'm only a few years younger than you."

"I stand corrected. That was one hell of a kiss there, young man of a considerable age." He laughs and it might just be my new favorite sound. I run a hand through his messy curls and ask, "Why have you never seen fireworks before?"

"My dad. He's a veteran and hates them. My family spends every 4th of July at the movie theater. You can't hear them in there."

I nod in understanding, thinking of my own father binge drinking every 4th of July. Though, John Winchester takes almost any excuse to binge drink, so that's not saying too much.

Just as I'm about to suggest we watch the rest of the show together, everyone starts to clap and cheer. It's the only noise in the air. The fireworks are over.

"Shit." Guilt starts to swallow me up. "I'm an asshole. You missed the show."

"It's okay… they come every year. This is-" he pauses and looks away, his cheeks pinking up enough for me to see in the darkness. He finishes - "Once in a lifetime."

"Doesn't have to be."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Sam says you never tap the same ass twice - your words, according to him."

I flinch. "That's not me anymore."

"You're just saying that to get in my pants."

"Trust me, Castiel. I have no intentions of getting in your pants tonight."

He seems to consider me for a moment before carefully nodding. “Okay.”

“Though, just to go on record - since I’ve been trying to work on communicating with friends and family better - you look like someone I’d very much like to sleep with one day.”

Castiel laughs softly. “That line sounds strangely familiar.”

“I heard it earlier from a guy that I’m starting to really like.”

“Is that so?”

“It sure is.”

“Maybe-” Castiel pauses and looks over to his left. At first I don’t know what he’s doing but then I hear the same thing he must have.

Someone is calling my name.

I look down at Castiel again, not wanting to leave him.

“Guess you have to go, hey?” The sadness in his voice makes my decision very easy.

“No.” I kiss him again. Slowly. Thoroughly. Against his lips, I whisper, “I don’t wanna be with whoever that is. I wanna be here with you.”

Castiel laughs nervously. “You barely know me.”

“So... let’s change that.”

                                                             ----                                                                

Exactly a year later, back up on that same roof, Dean Winchester proposes to Castiel Novak. At the very moment Castiel says yes, the firework show begins. They miss it again. How could they not? Castiel can’t help but make out with Dean in celebration until their lips go numb.

They miss the show the next year when they get a flat tire on the way to the 4th of July party at Sam and Gabriel’s house.

The next year they’re on their way to the beach to watch it with all of their friends when they get the phone call from their adoption agency. A 7 month old baby boy and his 3 year-old big sister were orphaned. They wanted to know if the newly married couple were interested in them.

They’re convinced their fifth show will be the lucky one. Then their son Jack has a meltdown just minutes before the show starts, hating the earmuffs they were making him wear, which set off their daughter Claire into a tantrum about her ‘stinky brother that ruins everything.’

The following year, they start their own tradition. On the 3rd of July, after receiving a permit from Sheriff Mills, they have family and friends over for a party and set fireworks off the end of the dock over the lake. They aren’t as large as the professionals, and there aren’t as many since those things are damn expensive, but Castiel still stares at them like they’re the best thing in existence.

Castiel never loses that sense of wonder. Every year that follows, when they have their 3rd of July party and firework show, he stares up at the fireworks like it’s his first time seeing them.

What Dean loves even more, though? The moment when the show ends, smoke filling the air and people clapping, when Castiel turns his head and looks at Dean with a goofy grin. Dean swears in those few seconds every year, they’re back on that roof again, two idiots that had no idea what a beautiful, messy life they were about to get into.

Please consider buying a ko-fi to support my writing during this crazy time of not being able to work (stay healthy folks!) : My Kofi

Or become a Patron for only $3 a month to see all bonus content plus regular content early: My Patreon

[walkingshcdow-a]

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 (talk to me u never talk to me u scary girl)

Send me 🌻and I’ll tell you whatever I want | Accepting!

Soooooo scary.

Anyway, that’s 10 things you want me to talk about. OKAY!!!

I have a stack of TBR books by my bed, but on the side that I don’t sleep on that doesn’t have a lamp. It’s the most useless setup. Like, I’m not gonna reach across a queen-sized mattress to rifle through these books before bed. I fantasize about reading them - luxurious bath times, cozy rainy days, sunning myself in the common patio with a book - but I haven’t been able to bring myself to read them. I think I’m scared of being disappointed. I don’t have time to be let down by fiction anymore. Last year, I read so many duds and so this year, I can’t quite motivate myself to read. It’s super lame and I feel like a sham since I’m an English teacher.

My BFF bought me a beautiful oracle deck/tarot deck when we were in college. She knew I wanted to get into reading tarot but that I was superstitious AF about buying my first deck for myself - something I now think is ridiculous, but I was twenty and anxious - so she bought me this glossy, gorgeous deck. I haven’t learned to read it but I want to. I really, really want to. Especially since I’m pretty good at the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Maybe I’ll offer free readings online as I learn the deck. IDK.

I really, really want to play a DnD campaign. I’m really still angry that the last one I tried to DM didn’t pan out past one session. I understand why and it was for the better, but damn. I love tabletop RP. I love board games. I love regular RP. Just let me play games with friends!!!

I cosigned a statue of Sekhmet to my friend’s metaphysical shop. Everyone who looked at the statue kept asking me if it was Sekhmet or Bast and my friend and I were both like The headdress is quintessential Sekhmet. Bast doesn’t wear that kind of headdress. But ngl, the statue looked more like a cat than a lioness so... Who knows?

I binge-watched Season One of Gravity Falls yesterday while I was nursing a sinus headache. I don’t know what my deal is, but I have a THING for chaos twins. I just kept imagining a world where the relatives Dipper and Mabel had to spend the summer with were their creepy goth third cousins on Piffling. It delighted me.

If you have a mask that ties over your head instead of with ear-loops, it’s so much easier to wear when your hair is in a ponytail. I prefer my mask that ties around my head to my ear-loops one BUT MY GOD I WANT THIS MALEFICENT ONE OR THIS ONE. Actually, when I saw the blue and pink on the second mask, my brain was like “Sleeping Beauty is a bisexual film”. All the characters in it are bi. Aurora, Maleficent, Phillip, Diaval. Every fairy. Even the king and queen. Bi af. If you argue with me, you owe me ten dollars.  

I bought the more expensive model of Mazda when I bought my car in part because I liked the features but also because I was more at ease driving to Fleetwood Mac than I had been driving to whatever was playing in the first car I tried out. NO REGRETS!! MY CAR IS AMAZING. I drove it through a high water crossing today and it excelled. I say these sentences like I bought my car recently, but like, nah. I got my car while I was student teaching three years ago. I’m just thinking about it because I’m listening to Fleetwood Mac right now and I just drove for 3 hours. I know fuck all about cars, though. I want to learn a few things but I’m scared to ask. I’m very good at calling AAA and talking to the guys at Discount Tire, though.

My sister has spent the last two years trying to convince me that I’m secretly a cat person. I actually would secretly rather have plants than animals because I don’t even feed myself, but I do stay hydrated, so I think I’d do better with plants. I might drag Courtney to help me pick out succulents this weekend. They’re 10 for $10 at Kroger and ADORABLE.

I want to go on an apartment cleanse/redecorating spree. I spent so much of my childhood moving that I’ve never felt very comfortable decorating or making a space my own. It’s time. I also have a ton of stuff to donate to Goodwill.

ICB you want me to make an audio loop of every time someone says “Finnegan” in the 2015 film. ICB I might do it. Why do I love him so much? It’s not like Max Landis gave him a personality. That’s 100% Freddie Fox and the costumer’s handiwork. Well. Plus me. But that’s just between us.

[the-strongest-stars]

since everything's a little weird right now & most seem to be bored I thought we could play a quarantine game 💘 answer the following! 1.how has your day been? 2. what is the last thing that made you smile? 3.what's keeping you entertained these days? 4. if you are in some kind of quarantine/self isolation: is there anything you'd like to achieve in this time? 5.post a selfie! (if you're comfortable with that) 6. last but not least: send this to some mutuals to keep the game going 🥰

1) I.... discovered my favorite bagel shop is doing drive thru, so EXCELLENT!

2) My dog being a derp

3) Umm... I watched an episode of tiger king with the BF earlier? But haven’t binged TOO much TV. I’ve been knitting a lot, really enjoying cooking some new recipes, writing fic, and reading. I’ve gotten in some good hiking. I also helped my Dad deliver a calf by C-section over the weekend so that was fun!

4) I’d like to finish one of my WIPs! But that is a BIG goal, not sure if I can reach it!

5) I’m not really a selfie taker, but I’ll post the most recent picture of me... boyfriend took it yesterday when we were out hiking and came across a challenge course!

Tagging @rebelle-capitan @golden-states @callioope @oh-nostalgiaa @rebsrising @cats-and-metersticks

[utilitycaster]

It’s weird to think about when and where you consumed media.

I’d been listening to Sawbones for years, before I moved to New York, and started listening to MBMBAM in late 2016. I was interviewing for 2-year positions in early 2017 and was also awkwardly between grad school and said position, which meant a lot of travel and a lot of free time, so I quickly made my way through.

I also first played D&D in late 2016 when my sister despaired in getting any of us to watch Critical Role, but did convince us to do a one-shot over Thanksgiving. I liked it well enough; it was her first time DM-ing and our first time playing so it wasn’t great but it was fun.

I listened to TAZ in October 2017. I had started said 2-year position in July, I was tutoring in the evenings, my laptop was in the shop (so to speak), and my friends were getting married - lots of intra-city travel and no laptop during my downtime, so I decided to try the McElroys’ other podcast. I remember listening to Petals to the Metal on my way to the rehearsal dinner, accidentally getting off the train a stop early because I was so engrossed in how Lucretia survived the year on her on, and walking through the streets biting back tears on a Friday night as I listened to Magnus meet Julia once again.

I ran the Thanksgiving 2017 one-shot.

TAZ gave my sister an opening and she convinced me to at least give the new campaign of Critical Role a shot. I liked it, but it was long, and they kept obliquely referencing the older campaign which got me curious. I was still tutoring. My sister also got a remote D&D game started which my brother joined.

A month or two into 2018 I unexpectedly had to find a new apartment, which is stressful at the best of times; March also tends to be a rough month for me in general for reasons I don’t entirely understand, and I was still sitting on a lot of long subway rides to and from tutoring sessions, and I was having trouble sleeping, so amidst the stress I turned to binge watching and binge listening Campaign 1.

I found my roommate through my sister’s D&D game. Pretty much every moment I was awake and not apartment hunting or at work (and sometimes when I was at work wrestling with Excel) I listened to the podcast and watched the youtube videos absolutely non-stop - while also keeping up with Campaign 2, a slightly dizzying task.

The last episode of Critical Role I watched in my old apartment was the Thordak fight, as I mopped and swept my old bedroom after the furniture had been moved.

The first episode of Critical Role I watched in my current apartment was the (first) Raishan fight, as I unpacked.

I slept on a mattress for a few days until my bed arrived; I put it together while wearing wireless headphones listening to Scanlan leave Vox Machina.

I would walk around the park in late May and early June near my new apartment listening as Vox Machina searched for their blessings and forged the trammels, and about a year ago I finished Campaign 1.

Last July a friend who generally doesn’t like fantasy but does love MBMBAM asked if she should try TAZ and I said yes.

Last September I offered to DM her first D&D game.

Last October I watched Critical Role live at the United Palace.

Last November I ran the third siblings thanksgiving one-shot.

The last episode I’ll watch in this apartment will probably be tomorrow’s; I start my new job in a new state in mid-July. The D&D game my sister runs is remote, so I’ll continue, though my tradition of making dinner with my brother before we play. The game I run for my friends is infrequent and I won’t be moving too far away, so every few months I’ll take the train and come in for the weekend. I know I’m coming back in October because we have tickets to see TAZ live together. 

I never played D&D in college (and from what I hear I don’t know if 4th edition would have been my thing) but it’s been a thread throughout the past few years, and it’s been so, so good. I’m glad to have it through the next change.

[hannahgoestomars]

2018 year in review

This year feels like it has been long. So, so long. It’s been a good year, I think, filled with a lot of great things. But also hard. And I feel very, very tired. Still, here’s the roundup:

It’s been just over a year since I moved to California. Since my 2017 roundup, I found my own apartment in Pasadena, filled it with furniture, and did the very grown-up thing of buying a car, a old silver Toyota Prius that I’ve named Mae. I knew since I found out I’d be moving out here last year that I’d need a car for living in the LA area, and having it has been exceptionally freeing. I can go visit other areas like Burbank or downtown LA without too much trouble, I can offer people rides, I can be a bit spontaneous with what I want to do. I can go on road trips! Such as taking the Thanksgiving weekend to go on an epic drive up to Sacramento and along the route of the Pony Express through to Fort Churchill in Nevada. That was a lot of fun.

The ruins of Fort Churchill. I promise to do Thanksgiving properly another time!!

Work at Caltech has been good - I’ve finally finished the two papers hanging over from my PhD, and have had the opportunity to get my teeth into new projects. In between the never-ending cycle of writing telescope proposals and conference talks, of course. It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m enjoying myself, and I’ve landed in a really good group that I get on well with.

Very soon after moving out to Pasadena, I found and joined an excellent church called All Saints. It felt long past time for me to find a church where I can be every part of myself and be welcomed and loved for it, not despite it. I’ve thrown myself into it gleefully - I joined a choir, took part in a book club, got involved in the LGBTQ ministry, and recorded a podcast on pronouns. I love this church dearly and I feel incredibly fortunate to have found it. Here, I am thriving. 

As far as Mars One is concerned, it’s been another quiet year. There have been some rumblings concerning investments, but otherwise we continue to wait for Mars One to be ready to take the next steps. An impatient part of me wants everything to hurry up and happen, but none of this is quick or easy. I’ve just got to keep on trucking - to be ready for when things start to happen again, but also give thought to what I want to spend this part of my life doing. I don’t know yet if I’ll even still be in the same country this time next year, although I hope so.

Still, outside of Mars One itself, I’ve been leaning into my interest in religion in space this year - I wrote a post about Ilan Ramon on the 15th anniversary of the Columbia disaster, and I gave a talk (paper; video) at the Mars Society Convention in Pasadena. That was a lot of fun to attend - I learned a bunch of interesting things and it was great to meet other Mars enthusiasts. And in broader Mars news, the biggest thing is probably the launch and successful landing of the Insight lander - I drove up with fellow candidates Sergii and Jay-Mee to see it launch back in May, and it landed without hitch in November. Congratulations to the team, and I look forward to the science that comes out of it! Also, SpaceX performed its first launch of the Falcon Heavy back in February, which was a joy to watch - landing the two side boosters near simultaneously, and sending a Starman out into the Solar System. 

Godspeed, Starman, wherever you are now.

The wider world continues to be stressful. It was very interesting to be in the USA during the midterms, and watch it unfold around me even if I didn’t get a say in anything myself. All things considered, the results did give me a sense of hope that the tide of awful in the States is beginning to turn. On the other hand, watching Brexit unfold from a distance has been chaotic and frightening. It feels like everything is incredibly unpredictable, changing from day to day, and I’m very worried for the future, especially on behalf of my friends living in the country. The year was rounded off by the Gatwick drone crisis, which unfolded in a manner beyond satire - to my relief, though, I was at least able to get back into the country for Christmas and New Year (which I have spent with my family, and my Durham friends respectively).

In the process of settling into a new country and having to make new friends from scratch, a lot of my spare time has been spent at home or on solo trips out to various places. Most days, though, I’m just very tired, so it’s been a good year for flopping onto the sofa and watching TV. Good job there’s been a lot of great TV to watch - highlights for me include Anne With An E, Altered Carbon, The Good Place, and the entirety of Person of Interest which was excellent binge material. Kids cartoons are also a good staple for when I come in from work and just want to wind down, and I’ve very much enjoyed the Voltron and She-Ra remakes on Netflix. I got back onto the Doctor Who bandwagon I fell off a few years ago, which took me over to Burbank where I found a weekly watch-along and after-show, which was a lot of fun (and got me out of the house!) I have not yet got around to finding a LARP game over in LA, but I did play a wuxia-inspired event when I was back in the UK over the summer. Hopefully this year I’ll get myself a little more involved again.

Revolutionary firebrand, champion of the people, wielder of ridiculous giant fans: Eternal Service Tin!

One positive development is that I’ve done a lot of writing this year. I’ve enjoyed doing creative writing ever since I was a kid, but this past year I’ve really decided to put time into it. I’m not at a point where I have stories to share widely right now, but I am looking to work towards getting things to a point where I can submit them for publication, and it’s very satisfying to look over what I’ve done over the year.

Looking back at my last roundup and not-quite-resolutions, I mentioned driving. If 2017 was the year of learning to drive and be comfortable with it, 2018 was the year of it becoming normal and even enjoyable. LA traffic no longer intimidates me, and my aforementioned road trip found me actively enjoying traversing the landscape of America while listening through my podcast backlog (Alice Isn’t Dead is fantastic solo road trip listening). I definitely want to keep exploring while I am out here, for however long that is.

I also mentioned keeping an eye on my mental health. This has been a year out of my comfort zone, living on a new continent, taking a step up in the work expected of me, getting involved in things and exploring - and I like my life right now but it is stressful. Keeping on top of the news does nothing to help that stress either. I spend an awful lot of time being very tired. I need to remind myself that resting and not doing much is not necessarily a problem. And those tired times have been really helped by having writing to work on over the year, even if just in little chunks. Still, while it’s been a good year for me in a lot of ways, it’s not been an easy one. This coming year, I hope to keep looking after myself.

Thanks once again for following along with me. I’m feeling quite tired again today, and I have a feeling that 2019 is going to be very tough. I wish us all the strength to face the upcoming year head-on!

[jackiebarnard11]

(updated 3/11/19)

Drum roll…

These FIVE Oscar Pool Players Will Now Receive a Prize-In-the-Mail!!

First place: Jane!

This is Jane’s 5th Oscar Pool and 4th win!

Jane is the Meryl Streep and Katherine Hepburn of the Oscar Pool...

Second Place Three-Way Tie: Caroline, Josh, and Sam!

This is Caroline’s 3rd Oscar Pool and 1st win!

This is Josh’s 5th Oscar Pool and 1st win!

This is Sam’s 5th Oscar Pool and 2nd win! - see new 3/11/19 press posting with his prize-in-the-mail. The Academy confirms all prizes are now in the mail. 

In last, but not least place, Diana who also was the first to join this year’s pool – thank you!

Final scores:

Jane                 17

Caroline           14

Josh                 14

Sam                  14

Lizz                  13

Ben                  12

Sarah                11

David                10

Holly                10

Mollie               10

Debbie              9

Rebecca           9

Amanda             7

Tracy                7

Jeanne             6

John                 5

Patty                5

Diana                4

My ballot doesn’t count, but I got 9 correct 😊

I liked this year’s Oscars; had to watch it over two days on DVR…but it was fun. I especially liked 3 of the song nominee performances: Bette Midler (Mary Poppins), Jennifer Hudson (RGB), Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper (A Star if Born). Loved Olivia Colman’s and Alfonso Cuaron’s acceptance speeches, too.

Thanks to the 19 of you who played; the biggest turnout thanks to Sam getting his friends to play! This was fun.

Winners: stand-by your mail boxes for your coveted 2019 Oscar Pool prize-in-the-mail!! (small type: you must send me a photo of you with your prize-in-the-mail and be available at anytime for interviews and TV appearances!)

Congratulations again Jane, Caroline, Josh, Sam, and Diana!

2019 official Oscars website with stuff:

https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019

Random comments below from me with the full list (updated 3/11/19):

Best Picture:

“Black Panther” - JT: Fun but sometimes get bored by marvel-type movies

“BlacKkKlansman” - JT: Sam says problematic FBI wrong doings, we liked it

“Bohemian Rhapsody” - JT: well done. Debbie has seen this at least 3 times! 

“The Favourite” - JT: I liked it but a bit dark for me

“Green Book” - winner. JT: entertaining, but bit dated, formulaic. Lots of criticism out there on this choice. 

“Roma” - JT: great

“A Star Is Born” - JT: I want to see this. There’s an “encore” version playing in NY for one week w/20 extra minutes..

3/11/19 update: we saw the “Encore” this weekend. 12 extra minutes...I loved it and thought Bradley Cooper did a great job and what a good singer! Lady Gaga was amazing, what a good actress! Very sweet, romantic, believable (except for two glaring moments to me: one when they first met and two, when they first sing together). Otherwise, now I want to get to know the soundtrack and see the other versions (Streisand, Judy Garland, Mitzi Gaynor). I just bought “American Sniper” with Bradley Cooper on Google Play for $3.99...

“Vice” 

Lead Actor:

Christian Bale, “Vice”

Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”

Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”

Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” - winner

Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book” - JT: just saw yesterday at the schmancy dine-in IPic theatre South Street Seaport. Thought he was really good and should have won best actor, though I loved, loved Rami’s performance. Haven’t seen much Viggo - his movies are too rough for me

Lead Actress:

Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”

Glenn Close, “The Wife” - she was good, but I found the movie mediocre, so not surprised she didn’t win this time

Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” - winner

Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”

Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” - JT: excellent movie and she was amazing; could have won this. 

Supporting Actor:

Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” - winner

Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”

Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”

Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” - JT: he was excellent

Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams, “Vice”

Marina de Tavira, “Roma”

Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” - winner - JT: want to see this

Emma Stone, “The Favourite”

Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Director:

Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” - JT: should have won in my opinion even though Roma was great

Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War” - JT: want to see

Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”

Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” - winner

Adam McKay, “Vice”

Animated Feature:

“Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird

“Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson

“Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda

“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman - winner - JT: so good, trippy, fun to see on big screen

Animated Short:

“Animal Behaviour,” Alison Snowden, David Fine

“Bao,” Domee Shi - winner - JT: want to see

“Late Afternoon,” Louise Bagnall

“One Small Step,” Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas

“Weekends,” Trevor Jimenez

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen , Ethan Coen

“BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee - winner - JT: good choice

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty

“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins

“A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters

Original Screenplay:

“The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

“First Reformed,” Paul Schrader

“Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly - winner

“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón

“Vice,” Adam McKay

Cinematography:

“Cold War,” Lukasz Zal

“The Favourite,” Robbie Ryan

“Never Look Away,” Caleb Deschanel

“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón - winner

“A Star Is Born,” Matthew Libatique

Best Documentary Feature:

“Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi - winner

“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross

“Minding the Gap,” Bing Liu

“Of Fathers and Sons,” Talal Derki

“RBG,” Betsy West, Julie Cohen - JT: still need to see this

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“Black Sheep,” Ed Perkins - JT: Sam told us this was produced by The Guardian newspaper!

“End Game,” Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

“Lifeboat,” Skye Fitzgerald

“A Night at the Garden,” Marshall Curry

“Period. End of Sentence.,” Rayka Zehtabchi - winner - JT: this is free on Netflix, excellent, funny, touching

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Detainment,” Vincent Lambe

“Fauve,” Jeremy Comte

“Marguerite,” Marianne Farley

“Mother,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen

“Skin,” Guy Nattiv - winner

Best Foreign Language Film:

“Capernaum” (Lebanon) - JT: must see, so moving and well done

“Cold War” (Poland) - want to see

“Never Look Away” (Germany)

“Roma” (Mexico) - winner

“Shoplifters” (Japan) - JT: we are probably renting it for $3.99 today..

3/11/19 update: wow, what a wonderfully filmed, acted film. Sweet, but also very heartbreaking. 

Film Editing:

“BlacKkKlansman,” Barry Alexander Brown

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Ottman - winner

“Green Book,” Patrick J. Don Vito

“The Favourite,” Yorgos Mavropsaridis

“Vice,” Hank Corwin

Sound Editing:

“Black Panther,” Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Warhurst - winner

“First Man,”  Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan

“A Quiet Place,” Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl

“Roma,” Sergio Diaz, Skip Lievsay

Sound Mixing:

“Black Panther”

“Bohemian Rhapsody” - winner

“First Man”

“Roma”

“A Star Is Born”

Production Design:

“Black Panther,” Hannah Beachler - winner

“First Man,” Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas

“The Favourite,” Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton

“Mary Poppins Returns,” John Myhre, Gordon Sim

“Roma,” Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez

Original Score:

“BlacKkKlansman,” Terence Blanchard

“Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson - winner

“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell

“Isle of Dogs,” Alexandre Desplat

“Mary Poppins Returns,” Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

Original Song:

“All The Stars” from “Black Panther” by Kendrick Lamar, SZA

“I’ll Fight” from “RBG” by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice - winner

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Makeup and Hair:

“Border”

“Mary Queen of Scots”

“Vice” - winner

Costume Design:

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Mary Zophres

“Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter - winner

“The Favourite,” Sandy Powell

“Mary Poppins Returns,” Sandy Powell

“Mary Queen of Scots,” Alexandra Byrne

Visual Effects:

“Avengers: Infinity War”

“Christopher Robin”

“First Man” - winner

“Ready Player One”

“Solo: A Star Wars Story”

jacquelinetien@gmail.com

Jane: if you make it this far in this post, check out David’s comment about you, he he!

[deeeelightfuldee]

surveyss 014.

The person you had the strongest feelings for dies, do you care? I would be devastated. Absolutely devastated.

Is there something you’re happy about at the moment? I am excited to use my pool tomorrow. I’m happy I will be having mama marias tacos this week. I’m excited for my birthday weekend.

Do you want someone dead? Definitely not. 

Do you ever wonder what your ex is up to? No, can’t say that I do. The only two that I would have been curious about.. one I know was married (may still be? I’m unsure) and the other passed away while we were close. So, no.

Have you ever fed or taken care of a stray animal? SO many times.

What is something you tend to worry about? Grad school.

What is something you do that is unhealthy? Probably just my phone habits.

What is something you do that is good for you? I don’t speak poorly about myself to other people.

What last caused you to force a smile? When kile left me a message on snap saying he thought about me all day. It was maybe the first ounce of relief I’ve had in a while. 

What was the last video game you played? Was it fun? ACNH. It is always relaxing to play.

What is something not many people know about you? That I’ve been assaulted.

What word describes your basic style? Classic.

Have you ever been told you were going to Hell? Oh sure. 

Have you ever rejected a guy, only to have him push the issue by asking “why?” and insisting that you just need to get to know him better? Yes. 

Is there something that you believe everyone should do and you can’t believe that some people don’t do it (e.g., recycle or go to the dentist regularly)? Respect the time of others.

Regarding the last good choice (healthy choice, kind choice, selfless choice, etc.) you made, what was your real motivation behind it? I wanted to lighten someone else’s load.

What is something that you have had to practice at to get the hang of it? If you can’t think of anything, that’s okay, what’s something you are currently practicing at and trying to master? Having good posture. I used to have crap posture but I changed that when I started school.

Have you ever gone to the store to buy something, like a video game, when it came out at midnight? Not for myself, no. I have gone with a friend to get something.

Regarding the last novel you read, was there a romance included? If so, was it central to the plot? Yes there is, but I’m not finished with the novel. Going to read it again tomorrow in the pool

Have you ever done relaxation meditations or listened to relaxation guides or positive-thinking/healing recordings? I did in school for a class. It was nice

Do you have any interests that are also often shared by children? Coloring, switch, kids movies. I think a huge reason why my nephews/niece are so close to me is that I put in concerted effort to be interested and up-to-date on what they like.

Is there something that could be a solitary activity but you really only like to do it with other people (e.g., watching movies, playing video games, etc.)? Eating out, shopping.

Are you satisfied with the interior design or decoration in your home? Or do you think it needs a total home makeover? I love my room. Kile and my family really spoiled me last year in allowing me to get a room makeover for my birthday. I feel as though I shouldn’t have this stuff now that it’s all Kile’s. I am OK with our house decor, but it isn’t my style per-se.

Is there something that you’d like to own but you can’t find it anywhere? If not, can you a remember a time when you wanted something? Did you ever end up finding it or did you eventually stop wanting it? Yeah a pair of teva’s that I can’t find. My perfume that is always out of stock.

Who makes you smile the most? So for the loooooooooongest time it would be Kile who would just say these sweet, kind, loving things to me that just made me feel like a total queen. That all stopped real abruptly the week of graduation. Since then I’m relying basically solely on myself to smile. It isn’t that I don’t smile, I’m just retraining myself on this. 

What piercings do you want/have? Just each ear. I wanted second holes and my cartilage but those never last.

What's your favorite website? google prob..

Do you own a fish tank with fish? currently? no. have i before? yes.

Do you like the movie 300? never seen it.

Do you pop your knuckles? I dooooo

Do you have Photoshop?

heck no, its expensive lolol

Do you use tinypic or photobucket? I remember tinypic but I don’t use either.

What’s your favourite song from the 1980s? I’m not sure if I could choose 

How about the 1990s? I hate having to narrow it down.

Have you won anything recently? Uhhh, no not that I’m aware of. OH yahtzee.

How often do you make Excel tables? What for? Never. not if I can help it.

What was the last baby animal you saw in the wild? a bunny

Are you always available or online? Uhhh, always? no. I used to be. I’ve noticed that without Kile, I just don’t really have a reason to be by my phone all the time. I’m learning to get better about leaving my phone at home.

Do you have dietary restrictions? Or do you just eat what you like? gluten free. dairy free (though I’m bad at following this)

Do you prefer gold, silver or steel jewelry? Or no jewelry at all? So my preference is silver, but gold looks better on me.

Have you been binge-watching any shows lately? If so, what? lol Bob’s burgers. right now I’m into my old classic movies that have male character personalities that I long to have a relationship with.

If you dye your hair, do you do it yourself or go to a salon? I haven’t been to a hair salon in sooooooo long. One day when I have money I might start to take care of my hair again. I always felt so good about myself.

If you have any, do you like your in-laws? No in-laws.

Would it bother you, if your partner had cut contact with their parents? It would be dependent on the reason. For example, I’m not close to my father but I think the reason is very valid. If someone cuts ties with their family over something stupid, that might be concerning to me.

Have you ever wondered whether you were adopted? Haha, well my parents definitely didn’t have money for that and I’ve seen photos of my mother at the hospital with me, very clearly with a post-partum physique. But I do not resemble my family so that was always concerning lol.

What’s the best physical feeling in the entire universe? knowing someone else’s life is made better because of you

Have you ever grown a berry bush? Nope.

Have you done something new to your hair recently? I am about to chop it. I went brown again.

Do you have bad anxiety? If so, do you take any kind of medication for it? I do not find myself feeling anxious hardly ever. 

One thing you’ve experienced that you thought you never would have? losing kile

What was the last thing someone said to you that kept repeating over & over in your head? the boys kept saying how this was the most memorable holiday they’d had. 

How often do you have late nights out? Not often. Errrr.. when I do, it’s because I want to go out on my own and just be alone.

If you could, would you work from home? Do you think that would make you more or less productive? I would prefer to work from home given the chance, but I’m not employed at the moment.

If you had the ability to change the weather, what would you change it to right now? A good thunderstorm, but to be honest then I would need to go cover the pool. So, as it is right now is fine.

Is there something that you really need to do, but can’t seem to get motivated to do it? Continue to go thru all my belongings. I’m just allowing myself time to be sad, grieve, mourn, move on.

Most disturbing movie you have ever seen? probably gremlins.

Has a life goal or dream ever come true for you yet? If yes, what is it? If no, do you think you’ll achieve it? I was accepted into my all-time dream schools. I was into honor societies I could never have imagined. I’ve traveled alone. 

Have you ever had food poisoning? Yup.

What are you listening to? sleepless in seattle

Do you think there will be a WWIII? I don’t think it would surprise me, necessarily. There is so much hate evident around this world.

Has anyone ever asked you if you were emo? loooooooool. no. I smile all too much.

Has someone ever liked you that you never thought would? Mhmm, to the point where I questioned the legitimacy.

In all honesty, can a person be too nice? Kill ‘em with kindness. I think boundaries are important but I’d rather be hated for being overly kind, than to be unkind.

Has one of your friend’s boyfriends ever tried to cheat on them with you? I had a friend in HS who had a boyfriend who tried to grab my butt but I did not go for that.

Is mental abuse really as bad as physical abuse? absolutely.

Do you shop at Sephora for make-up? I am not wealthy.

Zelda: Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time? I didn’t play either.

Do you own a rosary? no.

If you were homeless, how would you cope? I would go to one of those shelters and just work with the leaders to find a job and section 8 living.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior December 20, 2019 – STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, CATS, BOMSHELL, INVISIBLE LIFE

I’m doing a lot of writing about J.J. Abrams’ STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Lucasfilm/Disney) and Tom Hooper’s CATS (Universal) over at The Beat, so I don’t have too much more to add here. I have only seen the latter, and I’m under embargo, so can’t say much more about it anyway.

I mentioned last week that Jay Roach’s BOMBSHELL (Lionsgate), starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie -- all SAG Award nominees!! -- was going to expand nationwide this weekend, and I’m still hoping to review it sometime this week, but haven’t had a chance to write it just yet. Sorry!

LIMITED RELEASES

Not a lot of limited releases this weekend, thank God, but I do want to draw attention to the Brazilian Oscar entry INVISIBLE LIFE (Amazon), which will get a limited release this weekend.  Directed by Karim Aïnouz (Madame Satã), it’s the story of two sisters from Rio who are separated in 1950 as the elder one, Guida, travels to Europe to marry a sailor and is estranged by her parents when she returns alone and pregnant. The younger sister Euridice is forced into a loveless marriage, and the two of them end up living their lives unaware that the other is still living in Rio. The movie takes a little time to get going, but once it does, it’s quite an emotional experience, especially the last act where Oscar nominee Fernanda Montenegro takes over one of the roles. Invisible Life won the Un Certain Regard at Cannes earlier this year, but sadly, it did not make the shortlist in the Oscar’s International Film category, which is a shame. It will open at the Film Forum in New York Friday, as well as the Laemmle Royal in L.A.

It’s actually the only film I’ve seen this week, although the Bollywood action-comedy Dabangg 3 (Yash Raj Films) brings Salman Khan’s badass cop Chulbul Pandy back for his third movie, which should do decently over the holidays.

Xiaogang Feng’s Chinese drama Only Cloud Knows (China Lion) will also open in select cities this Friday about a Chinese man (Xuan Huang) who returns home to New Zealand after the death of his wife and learns that she has all sorts of secrets.s

Irish filmmaker Alexandra (Lotus Eaters) McGuinness’ indie drama-thriller She’s Missing (Vertical Entertainment), starring Lucy Fry and Eiza Gonzalez, playing Heidi and Jane, best friends living in a small desert town, and what happens when one of them goes missing.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Another movie I hoped to review, and I just didn’t get a chance to is this the amazing drama THE TWO POPES, starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, which will hit the streaming service this Friday. It’s a wonderful film directed by Fernarno Meirelles (City of God) about the relationship between

This Friday, Netflix will also begin streaming the fantasy series THE WITCHER, based on the popular video games and starring Henry Cavil. I really don’t know much about the series, but it looks like the kind of big-scale fantasy I love.

Although the seventh episode of Disney’s series The Mandalorian will air on Weds. this week, as to not conflict with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s opening. Friday will see the debut of the new Disney+ movie Togo, starring Willem Dafoe and a Siberisan husky named Togo. Don’t know much about it, but Dafoe has been great in recent years, so I’m sure it’s worth watching.

REPERTORY

You’ll notice a lot of the same movies playing in the repertory theaters in New York and L.A. this weekend, maybe because Christmas is next week?

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

The big retrospective in New York this week is FilmLinc’s comprehensive “Varda: A Retrospective,” which will run from Friday through through January 6, and it is indeed comprehensive, showing all of her films, including four shorts programs and some television work. It ties into the late French filmmaker’s excellent last film, Varda by Agnès, which has been playing there for the past couple weeks. (It’s an exceptional introspective film class that I highly recommend.) If you want a taste of Varda’s work but can’t figure out what to sees then maybe you can check out the free five-part mini-series Agnés Varda: Here to There, each episode screening on the afternoons starting Friday and running through December 24. (Even though it’s free, you still need to go to the FilmLinc site and register for tickets.) The series will include a wide range of films from her part in the early French New Wave to her more recent documentary work, and it’s a slew of riches for those who’ve already seen Varda by Agnès and want to see some of the films discussed.

On Thursday night, FilmLinc will have a special 20th anniversary screening of Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey with Soderbergh in attendance along with cinematographer Ed Lachman and some of his cast.

METROGRAPH (NYC):

“Holidays at Metrograph” continues this week with screenings of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Mitchel Leissen’s Remember the Night  (1940), The Thin Man (1934) and of course, Todd Haynes’ 2015 film Carol, Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 movie Phantom Thread, and Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Metro’s holiday standbys. Welcome To Metrograph: Redux will screen Lizzie Borden’s Born in Flames  (1983) and Haile Gerima’s Bush Mama (1979) while this week’s Late Nites at Metrographis Eric Rohmer’s Claire’s Knee (1970). This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matineesis the classic It’s a Wonderful Life, in case you haven’t seen one of the 200 showings at IFC Center.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Wednesday’s “Afternoon Classic” is The Bishop’s Wife (1947), starring Cary Grant, while Friday’s “Freaky Friday” matinee is John Carpenter’sThe Thing  (1982). Wednesday night’s double feature of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Scrooged is sold out (of course) but Thursday night, you can see It’s a Wonderful Life (of course) with Brad Pitt’s Meet John Doe. Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogsis the Friday midnight offering while the horror film Christmas Evil screens Saturday at midnight, while the weekend’s Kiddee Matinee is The Muppet Christmas Carol, which shows that even Tarantino can get in the Xmas spirit. Monday’s “Afternoon Classics” matinee is expecting that kiddee’s will be out of school, as it’s screening Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, while Tuesday night aka Christmas Eve is a double feature of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas (1954) and Holiday Affair (1949), starring Robert Mitchum. Also on Tuesday are two sold out screenings of the Xmas classic Die Hard (of course), the night screening a double feature with Silent Partner (1978).

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

The Egyptian’s “Holiday Spirit 2019” series begins with a double feature of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil and Things to Comeon Thursday, then they will screen It’s A Wonderful Lifeon Friday night. (Why not? Every other rep theater is playing it.) Saturday is Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (ditto) and then Saturday’s “Christmas Noir” is 1950’s Backfire on 16mm! Sunday evening is a double feature of the Oscar-winning The Apartment, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, paired with the 2015 film Tangerine. No, I don’t get it, either.

AERO  (LA):

A lot of the same movies are playing here this week including Die Hard(as part of “Greg Proops Film Clumb 2019” on Weds, a double feature of The Thin Man (1934) and Mr. Soft Touch (1949), as part of the “Christmas Noir” series. “Holiday Spirit 2019” continues on Saturday with a double feature of White Christmas and The Holly and the Ivy (1952). Saturday’s midnight movie is The Exorcist III (1990), then Sunday is a screening of Will Ferrell’s 2003 movie Elf, and then Monday might, what else? It’s a Wonderful Life.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

On Friday, the Quad is beginning a new series called “A Face in the Crowd: Remembering Lee Remick” including a 40thanniversary restoration of James Ivory’s The Europeanswith Ivory appearing on Friday. The series will also include 1957’s A Face in the Crowd, 1959’s Anatomy of Murder, as well as one of my favorite movies of all time, 1976’s The Omen, and more.Wednesday night’s One-Shots offering is Jean Cocteau’s 1950 film Orpheus.

MOMA  (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Iris Barry’s History of Film continues this week with the 1930 film All Quiet on the Western Front Wednesday, 1921’s The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on Thursday, and the classic Battleship Potemkin (1921) on Friday. Monday is a double feature of Dream of a Rarebit Fiend from 1906 and Buster Keaton’s The Navigator  (1924). Fred Newmeyer’s The Freshman  (1925) screens on Tuesday.  The Wonders continues through the weekend with its look at the films of Italian sisters Alice and Alba Rohrwacher, including Luca Guadagigno’s I Am Love (2009) on Wednesday evening and other more recent films including Alice Rohrwacher’s 2014 eponymous film The Wonders on Monday night.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

While all the other rep theaters in New York and L.A. have been jumping on the It’s a Wonderful Life bandwagon, the IFC Center has been playing it consistently for weeks with Donna Reed’s daughter Mary Owen introducing many of the screenings. That continues through Christmas Day. Next year, you’ll be able to watch all of the Studio Ghibli movies on HBO Max, but if you can’t wait that long, the IFC Center is celebrating the holidays with “The Films of Studio Ghibli” from Friday through January 16. It’s a pretty comprehensive series including many films not directed by Miyazaki, but there’s a lot of great stuff, and you can click on the link above to see when various movies are playing or check out the full calendar here. (There are a few 35mm prints in there, labelled accordingly.)

Weekend Classics: May All Your Christmases be Noir is … also Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. Seriously, if you live in New York and still haven’t seen this movie, then I don’t know what your damage is.  Waverly Midnights: Spy Games will screen Matt Damon’s The Bourne Identity (2002) and Late Night Favorites: Autumn 2019 is Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), which you also should have seen by now.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

The Film Forum will begin screening its own holiday offering, the 1962 thriller Cape Fear, starring Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck, through Christmas Eve. The weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is a sing-along version of 1954’s White Christmas.  Lee Grant will also be at the Film Forum Thursday night to screen her 1981 documetnary debut The Willmar 8.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

The Nicholas Cage-a-thon continues Thursday with 1996’s The Rock, directed by a very young Michael Bay, as well as Leaving Las Vegas, for which Cage won an Oscar. On Saturday, you can get in the Xmas spirit with Bill Murray’s Scrooged  (1988) and Home Alone (1990).

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

This Friday’s midnight offering is Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988).

Next week is Christmas, and there are two new movies in the animated Spies in Disguise (20thCentury Fox) and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.

[miss-musings]

The Defenders: Review

****SPOILERS FOR ALL THE NETFLIX/MARVEL SHOWS.****

Not like anyone is really asking for my opinion on the Defenders, but I thought I’d throw this out there for the Tumblrverse, to see if anyone agrees or disagrees with me.

A very long-ass review below the jump.

Some background: I love the Marvel movies. I really enjoyed Daredevil S1 when it first aired, and I loved Jessica Jones so much that I watched all of S1 in a single night. I was kind “meh” toward Daredevil S2. I didn’t really care for the Punisher storyline, and while I really liked Frank’s interactions with Matt/Daredevil, I didn’t like any of the scenes Karen had with Frank. In fact, I didn’t really like Karen at all, especially her ~thing~ with Matt. I’ve never liked them together, and while I understand they are a couple in the comics, I’m not a fan of the pairing. I didn’t really like Elektra or the Hand that much either. I was much more interested in Fisk and his Kingpin Empire in S1. All the mystical stuff really changed the tone and direction of the Daredevil story, and made it feel less grounded in reality, something I thought both JJ and Daredevil S1 did really well. I can buy blind guys who can “see” through their other senses, and weird psychopaths who can control people using pheromones or whatever. But, mystical ninjas who are resurrected and don’t have heartbeats… yeah, no, you lost me.

I started watching Luke Cage, but lost interest after Cottonmouth got killed off. Last episode I watched was Luke falling backward into a trash truck, unconscious, after getting attacked by his brother.

I didn’t have any interest in watching Iron Fist to begin with, but after I read the reviews saying it was mediocre and not as good as the other ones, I REALLY didn’t have any interest.

Basically, for me, the Netflix/Marvel shows had a strong opener with DD S1 and then peaked with JJ, and has been steadily going downhill from there.

So, yesterday I finished watching the Defenders. I had seen the first two episodes about two weeks ago, then was on vacation, and finally got the chance to sit down and finish the show during my Labor Day weekend. I watched the final six episodes in one sitting, which may have lessened my opinion of it. I get that the point of these shows is to binge-watch them, but sometimes I feel like that makes their flaws all the more obvious.

So….

I’d like to point out what I didn’t like about the show… things that I thought were weaknesses and then move on to what I *DID* like and thought the show did well. I realize that back-loading the positives like that will make it seem like I didn’t like it at all… and that’s probably fair. It wasn’t horrid, but I definitely didn’t like it as much as DD S1 or JJ. If I had to give it a letter grade, it’d probably be a C- or D+. It wasn’t a complete waste of time, but I’m not going to be watching it again anytime soon, and I’m not sure if I’d watch the second season (if there is one).

Basically every problem I had with the show can be boiled down to two main things:

1.     This show tries to accomplish so much that it ends up accomplishing little to nothing in the end. (The opposite of Ron Swanson’s “Don’t half-ass two things; whole-ass one thing” philosophy.)

2.     People and things matter!!!! … until they don’t.

So, first, my list of things that annoyed me about the show:

First of all, the fucking lighting and filters and shit. I get that it makes it feel like each character is in their own little ‘world’ of their own show. But, damn, does it have to be So. Fucking. Obnoxious? I get it: Matt is Red. Jessica is a bluish-purple. Luke is yellow. Danny is green. Switching back and forth between all the little filters in their individual scenes and the neon lighting during their shared scenes fucking hurt my eyes.

The music – especially in the later episodes – was also really obtrusive. Like, different times, particularly during that fight scene in the last episode, it felt so out of place. I didn’t notice the score, which may or may not be a good thing, but I definitely noticed the soundtrack at various points, and that was not for a good reason. The music was something I really liked about the first episodes of Luke Cage. At Cottonmouth’s little club, there was always some kind of musical act going on, and I felt like that really contributed well to the show’s tone and atmosphere. Here, sometimes the musical choices detracted from the show, IMO.

The action is all over the fucking place. Where DD excelled in the hallway and stairwell scenes, where all the action was across one long take, during this show’s larger action sequences, it cuts back and forth so much and so often between characters, giving them all of about 10 seconds before moving onto the next one, so that I can’t really appreciate their powers, their teamwork with each other, or just the action as a whole. It was more of like, “Okay, Jessica threw that guy against a wall, now let’s cut over to Luke taking some bullets. Okay, now over to Matt flipping around and kicking some dudes. Okay, quick, over to Danny throwing some punches.” I couldn’t really tell who was winning at any given point, until it cut back to a longer, wider shot and suddenly, all the ninjas were on the ground, and the good guys were all still standing. Also, they never really felt like a ~team~. Like, they all worked to accomplish a shared goal, but they never had any combos or instances where they played off one another’s abilities, really. It was all a bunch of one-on-one melees. Toward the end, the show also suffers from the Game of Thrones syndrome, where all the scenes are really fucking dark and it’s hard to tell who’s who and what the fuck is going on.

But, the biggest thing for me is that I feel like the show didn’t do much in the way of character development. Plot-wise, the show was all over the fucking place, but at least some shit got done in the end: the Hand is seemingly crushed, never to rise again. But, I didn’t feel like I got any real growth from any of the characters. Yes, there was some. I think Danny matured a bit. Jessica maybe became more self-aware of her own shortcomings when it comes to keeping in touch and taking care of the people she loves. Matt had to confront a resurrected Elektra. But… for as much time as we spent with them – especially all of them together – I really don’t feel like they changed all that much. Yeah, a lot happened; but that doesn’t mean they grew any.

Now, I understand that you could make the argument that the Avengers didn’t really grow all that much during their Avengers movie. Especially during the first one. Yeah, okay, but “Avengers” is a movie. And I think it’s fair to judge a two-hour movie differently than a 8-ish hour TV series. I think one of the reasons we don’t have more character development is so much time is spent introducing these characters and their respective worlds to each other and the audience. We have to talk about what the fucking Iron Fist is and what he can do and how he got his powers and what his responsibilities are at least once every episode. Matt has to get frustrated with Stick and refuse to talk about his personal life/details at least once every episode. So much time is spent on exposition and action sequences that it doesn’t leave a ton of time for character development.

Again: this show tries to do too much and ends up doing… well, not much at all, really. They try to give each character their own little arc and subplot, only for it to boil down to: fighting mystical ninjas in an underground dragon graveyard thing until they can blow up the building above them. I can’t describe any of the Five Fingers of the Hand (outside of Alexandra) in more than a sentence; the side characters are there just to either give or receive exposition; and the main characters (the four Defenders) don’t really grow all that much (as stated previously).

And, again, my other main point: things/characters matter until they don’t. Each of the Defenders’ sidekicks are okay with being sidelined in a police station for several episodes. Misty and the NYPD don’t do jack-fucking-shit during the penthouse or the Chinese restaurant fights, but only show up at the end of the season, when it’s a detriment to the good guys, and we have to stretch out the action over another two episodes. Trish and Karen are in a police station together for several hours, perhaps days, but don’t really talk to each other until the final episode. Jessica keeps saying that the only reason she’s staying in this fight is so she can get answers for her client, but then never has any kind of resolution with them at the end. The police give Colleen her sword back, and she doesn’t want to be sidelined, but then she’s okay with it, but then she’s not and she gets back into the fight, and then she’s okay with going with Claire to set the bombs and not to save Danny, which was the whole reason she even felt like she had to get out there to begin with. But, whatever.

The good guys are just running around for hours (days?) at a time, not ever eating or sleeping or changing clothes, really, which they sometimes call attention to.

The whole big thing about them possibly getting charged with terrorism and obstruction of justice and all those other crimes… nah, they all just get dropped for no reason. Let this be a lesson to you, kids: if you endanger dozens of people by blowing up a building in a densely populated urban setting, you too can get away with it scott-free!

The only other big thing that I had with it was that Alexandra was built up as the driving force behind this whole thing. We spent a significant amount of screen time on her just doing random stuff – listening to music, eating food, going to the doctor’s office, putting on her clothes. She might be the only character that we got to have nice, quiet little moments where she just did stuff that was all character-driven, rather than plot-driven. Then, Alexandra gets taken down by Elektra. I get why: adds drama, eliminates one bad guy while building up another, and subverts the audience’s expectations. But, this was a problem I had with Luke Cage too. In Daredevil, for instance, we spent a lot of time getting to know Fisk. And he ends up being the overarching Big Bad of S1 and makes an appearance in S2. He’s still around; he still has the ability to make an impact in Daredevil’s plotlines moving forward. Imagine if they had decided to kill off Fisk in the third-to-last episode of S1 just to set up the Hand. Ugh. I liked getting to know Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, and while his exit ~kinda~ made sense, I still didn’t like how we spent so much time with him only to have him NOT be the Big Bad and die half-way through the season. Same thing here. I think Netflix/Marvel likes doing this to pull the rug out from under us, but really it’s more annoying than anything. I would’ve much rather Gao had been fucking with Alexandra and playing like she was trying to keep everyone together, when really she was the one driving them apart, and then she gets everyone else to betray Alexandra with her. Or something. That seemed to be what it was building toward organically; but no, let’s throw everyone off by having Elektra kill her. And, then Elektra’s reasoning was really weird. She wasn’t really Elektra or the Black Sky, but kind of some hybrid that had some of Elektra’s memories and desires (like, wanting to be with Matt) but also had the Black Sky’s ruthlessness, and then also had this selfishness and fiendness to her that kinda came out of nowhere. Whatever.

Other little things that bothered me:

I still don’t like Karen. I’m sorry; I just don’t. She was fine in most of DD S1, but I absolutely hated her throughout S2. I feel like she gets the Mary Jane treatment: worrying and hand-wringing and nagging her superhero love interest so much so that, even though we should empathize with her, she really comes off as being more of a nagging bitch than a woman worrying about the man she loves.

Stick just died and Matt remembered it for like all of five seconds, and then nobody ever brought it up again. You’d think it would’ve been mentioned by Danny or somebody. Or Matt would’ve brought it up in his fight against Elektra. Stick was a major side character in Daredevil, Iron Fist (I’m assuming) and then had significant screentime in this show. Kinda weird how nobody ever talked about it or mourned for him. Also, super weird how they decided to have Stick attack Danny when he ended up getting killed off by Elektra two seconds later. Why have his character do a 180 like that out of nowhere, only for him to die right after? Doesn’t really make sense.

The way the Five Fingers of the Hand had described what was behind the wall, it made it sound like it was some kind of portal to the actual K'un-Lun, to like this paradise-like setting where they could finally be at peace or some shit. But, nah, dragon bones. It felt so anticlimatic by comparison.

Also, how long had they had this substance and they just NOW ran out? How long did that shit last? Have they had to resupply at other points over the years? Maybe it’s because I didn’t watch Iron Fist, but some of this shit didn’t make any fucking sense. And, didn’t they have like a whole army of undead ninja in Daredevil S2? Were all those assholes brought back using the substance? I’m so confused!!!

Danny was an absolute idiot for using his Iron Fist anywhere near that door. Like, dude, she told you exactly what she needed for you to open the door. Don’t give her what she wants, asshat!

Both Elektra and Alexandra did the whole “we’re not so different, you and I” thing, which I only noticed because I watched a great video on how overdone and poorly used this trope is. It’s cheap and it’s lame, and in both cases here, it didn’t really work. There was no emotional impact from it, and I didn’t feel like it was true in either case. It was like villain monologuing for the sake of the writers buying time until the good guys could show up, or something.

I feel like Iron Fist can be summed up as “A Knock-off Bruce Wayne.”

Anytime the ~mystical~ was involved, it lessened my enjoyment of the show. The scene where Luke is comforting the mom after her son dies in jail… that felt real to me. The scene where Jessica is talking the mom and daughter who are trying to find their husband/dad, that felt real to me. The scene where Matt is trailing Jessica and then gets frustrated when he loses her… that felt real to me!!! Any time Iron Fist or the Hand did virtually anything felt like such a different show. I imagine it’ll be the same whenever Iron Man starts hanging out with Doctor Strange in the Infinity Wars movies, but still, Daredevil, JJ and Luke Cage (the shows) all felt like they were grounded in some form of reality. One that had superpowers, yes, but it was also one that was akin to our own: with gray areas, and questions about actions and their consequences, where people died and got hurt. This show felt like a weird cross-over where all the good guys just happen to all be in the same place at the same time, all fighting against the bad guys, so why not team up to fight FUCKING MYSTICAL UNDEAD NINJASSS!!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!! OUR BIG BAD FOR THIS ENTIRE FUCKING SHOW WAS A GROUP OF MYSTICAL UNDEAD NINJAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!

Oh, and I should mention that … and I get that this is a superhero show where the weirdest stuff can happen… But the most unbelievable thing was that all four of them showed up to Midland Circle/ Hand HQ at the same fucking time. Why the hell was Luke even on the top floor? The ticket he found from that kid said to go to the parking garage. How the hell did Jessica and Luke even get up there? Danny was with that lady, and Matt took the stairs, but… Don’t businesses like that usually have some kind of pass you have to swipe in the elevator to access the top floors like that? That way randos don’t just walk into the building and go straight to the top floor??

What the fuck happened to those poor Chinese restaurant workers? Did they die? Did they go home? Were they just peachy-keen with their whole place being wrecked??? WTF?!?!?!

I like how Stick pointed out how he found Danny via his phone while they were hiding out at the restaurant… and then everybody kept hauling their phones around the rest of the time. Including Claire, who was answering calls in the middle of a sword fight. WTF?

And during the whole last two or three episodes, all I could think was: WHY THE FUCK DOESN’T SOMEBODY CALL THE AVENGERS?!!?!? THEY’RE RIGHT THERE, AREN’T THEY?!?! CALL IRON MAN, OR SOMEBODY!!! Gosh.

Okay, okay. I’ve ranted enough about the different parts of this show that annoyed the fuck out of me. But, if I disliked it so much, you might ask: why the hell did I finish watching it? Why didn’t I just give up midway through like I did with Luke Cage? What things does this show ACTUALLY have going for it? What did I LIKE about it?

First of all, as a Netflix/Marvel show, The Defenders has an amazing production value. The fact that they could afford Sigourney Weaver for even just six episodes is amazing. The effects and sets are all fairly good; and (again, outside of the mystical stuff) this felt like a real place. There was dirt and grime, and a lot of working parts and side characters who made an appearance (which could be a detriment sometimes). It’s a world that had coincidences, yes, but the fact that only two of the Defenders (Jessica and Luke) had met each other previously showed that, while some of them had heard of the others, this wasn’t such a small place that they’d all serendipitously crossed paths before. Claire introduces Luke and Danny. Foggy introduces Matt and Jessica (sort of). It felt just right. It wasn’t such a small world that everyone already knew each other, but it makes sense that in that in such a small area like Manhattan, there would be some connections (like Foggy working for Hogarth, for instance) that ultimately bring them all together when it’s needed.

Going off that, I really liked the contrast between Alexandra’s world and the Defenders’ world. All our heroes are in the grimy, poorer, dim-light, grungy areas. Even Danny, who’s a billionaire, seemingly lives a run-down dojo. They all seem to be kind of lower-class everyman sort of people. Whereas, Alexandra is very clean; she either wears or is surrounded by a lot of white and lighter colors (like cream and light tan), and she always seems to be in really good lighting – sometimes it even looks a bit harsh on her features. She’s got these refined tastes: eating fancy meals, listening to classical music, private performances, owning a bunch of antique books, etc. Whereas the Defenders eat at what looks like a two- or three-star Chinese restaurant as their first real pow-wow together, and none of their apartments look very clean or organized or fancy. I thought the contrasts between the good and the bad guys was strong, and did well to build up the world and ambiance of the show.

But, what really carries this show for me are the character interactions among the Defenders, once they start meeting each other. Like many people on Tumblr, I seriously enjoyed the dynamic between Jessica and Matt. You can tell that, in the short time they were together, Jessica grew to like and respect Matt – hence the whole scene with her client’s daughter where she alludes to Matt’s backstory. Matt also really respects Jessica’s grit and intelligence. Similarly, I also liked Danny and Luke’s friendship, although not to the same degree. I think when you break down a larger group of four or five people into pairs or groups of three, it really helps to develop the connections between not only the group as a whole but everyone’s individual dynamic with everyone else. For instance, that scene where Matt, Jessica and Luke are going to rescue Danny in the elevator worked for me, because Jessica and Luke already had a strong dynamic from her show (although I feel like they should’ve worked together more, and not just had a shoe-horned resolution at the end), and Matt and Jessica were building a friendship, so they felt like a fairly good unit together. Matt and Luke didn’t have that strong of a dynamic throughout the show, but the three of them in the police station, then on the run, then going down the elevator all worked because two of those three core relationships had some strength and weight to them.

This show also had a good amount of humor and heart to it. While I don’t think it was always well done, I seriously appreciated the effort. As I said before, that scene where the lady breaks down and cries in Luke’s arms because all her children are dead was fucking heartbreaking. The scene where Luke tells Danny that there are people out there caught in the crossfire of his war who don’t know any better, and are just trying to help their families… that was really powerful and well-done. As was the scene where Jessica keeps checking up on her client and daughter, because she’s worried for their safety (especially after what happened on her own show). And Elektra’s scenes in Matt’s apartment. And Matt deciding whether to attack the store owner who’s attacking the kids during the riot. There are some really good moments in there. Anytime there wasn’t mystical undead ninjas, a fuck-ton of exposition or any “we can’t tell you for your own protection” bullshit, this show could be really, really good.

Okay, I’m almost at 4,000 words, and I feel like if I’ve forgotten anything, I can add it in later. As I said, this show was kind of disappointing, considering how much it had been hyped up, and how long (since DD S1) I’d been waiting for it. But, eh. Between DD S2, Luke Cage, and the bad reviews of Iron Fist, I feel like the Netflix/Marvel shows haven’t been as good as I once felt like they were.

Again, this is all my opinion. Feel free to disagree with me. I haven’t really talked to anyone else or looked up any other reviews, so I don’t know if I’m in the minority on this one. Did you guys like it? What problems did you find with it? What were its stronger points? Do you agree or disagree with my review?

Thanks! ~miss-musings

[whitennerdiest]

13 Things for You to Know About me For When I get Famous

Rules:

1. Share 13 things about yourself.

2. Answer the 13 questions asked to you and invent 13 questions the people you tag will have to answer.

3. Tag 13 people. (Tag-backs ARE allowed!)

4. Be creative with the title.

Got tagged by @ma-lemons

I am an engineering student. I’mma lurnin’ ta build robots.

I read way more fanfiction that I do actual books, which I already read quite a lot of.

I have two tiny little dogs. They are adorable and I love them.

The internet is my refuge. And books.

I am an absolute mess of a human being, but somehow the good Lord has made everything work out okay so far.

I can solve a rubik’s cube. My personal best is 52 seconds.

My favorite food is potato salad. Sue me.

My least favorite movie of all time is “Field of Dreams”. I know it’s trying to be deep or whatever but it’s just so aggravatingly dumb and doesn’t make any sense.

I like stories about people with superpowers entirely too much.

I have had 10 teeth removed (including an extra wisdom tooth).

A lot of my interests are things that I haven’t even gotten a chance to participate in yet because I am constantly going down research rabbit holes.

I was the “smart kid” in my class and now have horrendous study  and time management skills. (probably the ADHD. Did I mention that I am an absolute mess of a human being?)

I wasn’t going to give a 13th one because it’s an unlucky number, but it’s bad luck to be superstitious, so here.

The questions I was asked:

1. What is your favorite TV show/webshow?

Hands down Avatar: The Last Airbender. Dear Jesus that is one of the most amazing pieces of writing and animation that exists anywhere. I know it was targeted towards kids, but I would argue that it is even more enjoyable for people who are able to understand the deeper implications of the different story elements. It’s an excellent example of why a story doesn’t have to have “adult” elements (extreme violence, profanity, drugs, sex, etc.) in order to be enjoyable for adults. It also has what is probably the best redemption arc of all time in it and is just an all around amazing work of worldbuilding and character development. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly suggest that you block out a weekend and binge watch it for the full effect. 

Notes: 

1) The first few episodes are dedicated to setting a good foundation for the rest of the story and might seem a bit slow at first, watch through it. Trust me it’s worth it.

2) You can continue on to Korra if you want. It’s not quite as good (it’s pretty difficult to get anywhere near the quality of ATLA anyways). It’s got its ups and downs, but It’s still pretty decent. 

I should probably avoid writing another essay but dear God I love that show.

2. What is one stereotype you wish people would stop associating with you/your identity (sexuality, race, ethnicity, gender) ?

I have ADHD and it really bugs me when people act like that just means that I’m “not trying hard enough”. Not having full control over something as basic as your own attention can be really problematic and often the real difficulties are where it bleeds over and starts impacting other aspects of your life. The difficulty with focusing and being able to shift our attention is incredibly aggravating, but there are also a lot of other little things that really add up like having trouble with losing things, organization, finishing things, going off on tangents, judging time, and learning certain things. This all can have some serious impacts on our jobs, relationships, etc. and can be really demoralizing. 

3. How do you stay true to yourself when you really want to impress someone?

I struggle with this one myself, but I would say that the best thing to do would be to try and impress them with things that are important to you. Do you like music? Impress them with your music knowledge or find a way to show them your skills at singing/playing an instrument. Enjoy things like board games/D&D? Invite them to play in a session and do your best to make sure that they feel comfortable and have a good time. That way they get to know you better AND you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not.

4. What is your favorite candy (If you have one)?

Chocolate covered gummy bears. They sell them in the bulk section at the grocery store near my house and I have to limit myself to only buying them on special occasions or I’d just be constantly inhaling them.

5. I know sometimes we see horoscopes as a joke, but what is one star sign you’d stay away from at all times ?

I also think that they are a bunch of bull feathers, but I would probably have to say my own (gemini) because I am an absolute mess to be around sometimes

6. Favorite flavor of ice cream?

French vanilla. It’s like regular vanilla (which is already pretty good), but, like, seventeen and a half times better.

7. If you could campaign for one world issue for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Education. Yes, there are other, more pressing issues, but higher education levels would go on to support all of them properly. The better educated a populus becomes, the better equipped they will be to advance as a civilization and find bigger and better solutions to all of the other problems. On average, a better educated society has more potential and worth to themselves and future generations than a less educated one.

8. What type of music are you mainly into?

I listen to a ton of different types of music (electronic, classical, pop, sappy love songs, etc.), but I would say that the type that I like/listen to the most is hard rock and different types of metal.

9. Do you want kids one day?

I think so. If my future wife would also want kids.

10. Foxes or bats?

Bats are cool. Foxes are cute. Depends on what kind of mood I’m in.

11. If you could marry one celebrity or sort of famous person, who would it be?

That’s tough, cuz I can’t stand the thought of having to deal with the paparazzi, but Zendaya seems kind, confident, and would probably be a lot of fun to hang out with. Also, she’s gorgeous and about my age. 

12. Would you own a business or work for someone else? And if you did one a business, what kind would it be?

I plan on going into tech (specifically robotics/automation, possibly some other areas like VR/AR/MR, AI, or cyber security) so working for a company that is already established and has the resources to actually work in that field would probably be the best option. If I were to have a really good, economically viable idea though (and meet other people like me to help with it) a startup might also be a possibility.

13. What’s your favorite animal ?

Easiest question here. Dragons. They’re just so freaking cool. If I got actual wishes from a genie or something, one of them would be to be able to polymorph into a full on dragon like the ones from D&D. That would be a dream come true.

For my questions I tried for a mix of fun and serious cause why not.

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up and why? (you may list multiple things if it changed a bit)

Who is one of your heroes? Actually think about it.

What is one hidden talent that you have?

Name one of your accomplishments that you’re most proud of.

What is the most unusual item you own?

What do you think is the most important thing for a healthy relationship?

Guilty pleasure?

How do you spend your free time?

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

What small things make you happy? 

Favorite kind of stories?

What would be your perfect first date?

How do you feel about pineapple on pizza? (be honest)

I don’t have a lot of people that I interact with on here usually, so I’m just going to tag some of my favorite blogs:

@galahadwilder

@inkshila

@premed-with-adhd

@gale-of-the-nomads

@australet789

@glumshoe

@jealouscartoonist

@screamingatanemptyroom

@ladyblargh

@edendaphne

@ma-lemons

@doubleca5t

@lnc2

[mattkeepsrambling]

New Years Weekend Movie Extravaganza

In an effort to use some days off before the new year I took December 28th and December 31st off. Using my five day weekend, I decided to engage in that self-care I keep talking about and watched what I sure was a literal metric ton of movies. 

Aquaman 

First up was "Aquaman." Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) has lived on land his entire life, denying his Atlantian lineage. When his half-brother wants to wage war on the surface world, he is forced to discover who he is-King of Atlantis. 

This movie was insane. It was almost two and a half hours long, and I enjoyed so much of it. There was some terrible dialogue, "Did we hit something?" "No, something hit us," some fantastic action sequences, a story that is secondary to everything else, and tons of fun to be had. 

This was not a good movie, but that has never mattered to me; so long as I am having fun while watching a movie. 

7/10

Mary Poppins Returns 

Set after the first movie, "Mary Poppins Returns" find the titular character returning (obviously) to help the Banks children through a tough time in their lives. 

Emily Blunt is a national treasure. Sure she's British, but she's married to an American, so that makes her a national treasure. She is a fantastic actress and, as co-star Lin Manuel Maranda said on "Late Night With Seth Myers," she is "human sunshine." If she is in it, I will watch it. 

I loved this movie. It dealt with some tough topics; the death of a mother/wife, and didn't shy away from mixing the lightness with a little dark. It can have a song like "Can You Imagine That?" in which Mary Poppins takes the Banks children into a magical world in their bathtub and then, late have her sing "The Place Where The Lost Things Go" as she comforts them in dealing with the loss of their mother. 

I have heard people complain that the music is not as good as the original. The best argument against that has to be from The Empire Podcast. I forget which host said it, but they pointed out that the original songs have had 50 years to work their way into popular culture and become what they are. I liked the songs in this movie a lot; particularly "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" sung by Lin Manuel Maranda's Jack. It's a great song with an impressive dance number in the middle. 

One last thing before I move on to the next movie of the weekend, I feel obligated to mention Dick Van Dyke. He has a small role in this movie, but in that role, he became my new hero. He is 93 years old, and when given three options for a dance number in this movie, he chose the hardest one and refused any help in performing it. I can only hope that when I am 93, I'll still have that same drive. 

9/10

Roma 

Based loosely on the life of director Alfonso Cuarón's housekeeper, "Roma" follows a year in the life of Cleo and her job working for a family in Mexico. 

Hype for a movie can be dangerous. All I heard about this movie was how great it was. It was available on Netflix, and it was a possible Oscar nominee. I enjoyed it, but I did not love it. The movie is over two hours long, and it was not until the last 45 minutes that I found myself even remotely enjoying the movie. That final act of the film was terrific and emotionally riveting. 

7/10

Birdbox 

According to Netflix, this was one of their most watched offerings ever. Now, Netflix has never been too forthcoming with their numbers, and since there are no Nielsen ratings for them, we have to trust them. 

The most natural comparison for this movie is that it is like "A Quiet Place" but with seeing as opposed to hearing. The world is attacked by creatures that, if you see, drive you to homicide/suicide. 

It was a good movie-no where as good as "A Quiet Place"-but it was gratifying. It was not particularly scary, but it was interesting enough to keep me interested for its runtime. 

7/10

Ballad of Buster Scruggs 

Look! Another Netflix movie! 

"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is a new movie by the Coen Brothers. It is a western anthology. There are six segments following different characters. 

Some of the segments are better than the others, the title segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is one of the best. There are some that fail to live up to their premises; "The Mortal Remains" ends way too soon and leaves a lot unexplored and then there are some that despite it cast, are just nothing stories; "Meal Ticket" has Liam Neeson and is boring until the ending reveal. 

6/10

Minding the Gap 

Hulu is where I found this one-streaming services are getting into the movie game big time. This is a documentary about three young men growing up in the rust belt and bond over their love of skateboarding as an escape from volatile family lives. 

I watched this because of the Slashfilm Cast. Every summer they do their Summer Movie Wager where they all predict the box office ranking for the top 10 summer movies. The winner gets to pick one thing, under three hours, for them all to watch. "Minding The Gap" was the winner's choice this year. 

"Minding The Gap" was a fascinating look at the lives of three young men who have all experienced domestic violence or abuse in their lives. Two of them are doing their best to escape it (Kiere and Bing), while one seems doomed to repeat the cycle of violence in which he grew up (Zach). 

It can be tough to watch at times, hearing that all the reason Zach's coffee table is broken is that he put his girlfriend through it is heartbreaking to hear. Zach is very opinionated on people who lead a traditional life of office work and all these other things he sees as bad ideas as well as when it is OK to hit a woman. 

8/10

Mary Queen Of Scots 

I don't have too much to say in this look at Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I, so I'll keep it simple. Great performances from Saoirse Ronan, who plays Mary and Margot Robbie, who plays Queen Elizabeth, but other than that this movie is boring and slow. 

5/10

And these are just the new ones I watched. I also rewatched Arrival (still a masterpiece), Atomic Blond (excellent action movie and I would love to see a sequel), Crazy Rich Asians (if you have not seen this, you are missing out) and Iron Man 3 (my friend Mike and I are rewatching the MCU movies before Captain Marvel and Avengers End Game this year).