#i miss you original boy king portrait </3

[skitskatdacat63]

My Christmas wish is to finish all my pertinent wips 🙏

[dcxdpdabbles]

Phantom's Number 1 Fan Part 3

John Constantine calls a joint Justice League and Justice League Dark meeting.

It's not something he wants to do. He barely works with the LJD, but at least that lot understands his work and knows what to do and where to go.

The JL members always ask questions and forget proper manners when working with the paranormal- John isn't the most well-mannered bloke around, but even he knows to permanently say goodbye to ghosts so that they don't follow him home- and it's like trying to teach an intern while dodging bullets.

He prefers to avoid the whole origination, especially since Bruce's death; everyone has been walking on eggshells, and there is a sense of disorganization drenched in grief that John breaks into hives just thinking about, but this is big.

Bigger than he can handle it on his own or with just the JLD. Even if the whole group gives the bats not-so-stable glances as they filter in.

John notices that one of Batman's brats is missing- the smart one- but he has heard that the kid suffered some kind of psychotic break from his father's death. It's sad, really, mainly because John used to believe that the third Robin was the one with the good head on his shoulders.

What's worse is that the Third Robin up and ran off, having gone off the grid when he refused to accept Batman's death. The boy hadn't said anything besides, "The portraits told me!" after having a miniature breakdown in his home.

It didn't help that around this time, the boy teammates had all dropped like flies except for one. So yes, John knows it wasn't a big surprise that he lost it, but it was still sad to see. Kid is only seventeen.

He hopes they find him soon to give him the help he needs. John would offer a spell to try and find him, but he needs to learn about the kid better, which means his spell can only point in a general direction.

Nightwing looked downright ragged, but losing a father on the battlefield and a younger brother to his grief did a number on anyone.

John hates himself just a little for dragging the grieving family here. He does, but again, this is bigger than all of them. This is a matter of life and death- literally.

"Listen up. We have a bloody level ten on its way to Earth if it's not already here." His words cut through the muttering crowd, shutting everyone up. A level ten makes even the big, lousy Superman sweat. He snaps his fingers, allowing his magic to shift into the image of a King Phantom sitting on his throne- painted in the early 1200s and the picture that can be used to identify him.

The art style would have been almost modern if it wasn't for the unease that the painting could cause due to the glowing green from his majesty's portrait. They say the green was ectoplasm from the king himself- and that alone should warn others to not mess with him.

Everyone Justice League Dark member hissed through their teeth, sitting up straighter and a few even pale. John is once again grateful that they understand just how deep in shit they genuinely are.

"This is the Ghost King. He is not to be confused with a god or king of gods. He's something else entirely because he makes gods nervous. He is on his way here to kill whoever is dumb enough to threaten his pregnant fiancee, and I fear the rest of Earth will be collateral if we don't prepare-"

"That's Danny Phantom," A young voice cuts John off. He is surprised someone would talk over him in a level ten briefing. All eyes turn to Robin- er, the new Robin.

The kid is frowning at the image, his signature scowl already deeper than usual. He's also heard the new Robin was a spoiled boy who was not a team player.

"You know King Phantom?" John asks.

Robin nods. "Placeholder is obsessed with him. Half his room is covered with King Phantom's heroics."

"Do not call him that.," Nightwing hisses a second later. He frowned when Robin ignored him but returned to the room without further comment on the boy's cheek. "Danny Phantom is a low-level search and rescue hero. He pops up around the world but only sometimes interacts with people. Robin- Young Justice Robin- was obsessed with him."

The room gains an awkward weight as no one is willing to bring up the mentally unsound MIA teenager.

It's too bad for them. John has never cared about making anyone comfortable. "You said his room is covered in images of King Phantom?"

From the corner of his eyes, John catches sight of Zatanna's face. She's pale white, with a horrified expression as if though she was standing before the grim itself. Every other member of the Justice League Dark is in a similar state.

"Yes, he has a whole wall of posters and stuff." Nightwing conforms, and shit John knows who Phantom's after now.

The thing is, one just doesn't have pictures of King Phantom. No one knows why, but the Ghost King can not be documented. Not without having some kind of connection to the King.

Throughout history, the only ones who have ever had even one solid picture of the king- John's magic doesn't count cause he can't well hold the thing up forever- usually meant that the King would appear before them at one point.

There is also a myth if one could beat a member of the royal ghost family, then one wish is granted to them. If one can kill a royal ghost member, death can be overturned.

It's not true, obviously, for death is not easily beaten like that, but John knows that as an expert, would a mentally unwell teenager know the same?

It was also known that if the King appeared before you, something terrible would happen. The sighting of King Phantom often came as an omen and usually right before a terrible disaster.

In the last disaster, they lost Batman, and if King Phantom had shown up, where the Third Robin have spotted him? Where the Third Robin have thought the King could return the dead?

Not to mention the rumors!

King Phantom was hunting down a group of humans known as "The Bats." John hadn't put that much stock in that rumor simply because it could have been anyone- hell, when he looked up the bats seven different groups appeared, varying from boy bands to zoologists.

But if he placed the name "The Bats" next to the Third Robin's psychotic break, his obsession with King Phantom, and his intertwined fates...well, shit.

There is a slight chance that the Third Robin's fate could be intertwined with the Ghost King in a positive light, but John has learned to not be optimistic in his line of work.

"I think the Third Robin is gunning after the Ghost King's fiancee and unborn child in a misguided attempt to bring Batman back to life. He may have kicked started a war that humanity can not win," He announces. He hates to say. hates to even suggest it, but the needs of the many outweigh those of the few. "We have to find the Third Robin and attempt to stop him. If we can't reason with him, we must put him down."

Wonder Girl gasps a sob, pressing her hand against her mouth.

John hates himself a little more as she sobs; a few rushes to confront her, but no one is unaffected by the news.

"I'm ordering a hunt for the Third Robin," Wonderwoman speaks up to her steady leadership, returning everyone from their despair. "Every available hero will help. Do not use lethal force unless there is no other choice. We may be able to find him before King Phantom's armies arrive."

John just hopes they are not too late.

Meanwhile, across the plane of existence, unaware of the manhunt for his head, Tim Drake is trying to stare down a Yeti, attempting to put him in silk clothes that are just fabrics held together by strings.

"No."

"But-But- but you have such a flattering figure! You must flaunt it! The Great One will barely be able to contain himself if he sees you in this!"

"No. It looks like something you wear on a honeymoon to seduce your spouse. I'm not walking around in that."

"Well, you don't need to bewitch his majesty. You already have a child on the way." The Yeit mutters, considering the fabric in his claws with a frown. He is Frostbite's royal tailor and has been attempting to dress Tim for over an hour. Everything he's suggested so far looks like it came from those romantic fantasy games.

It's like they want to make him a sexy consort or something.

Tim's teeth grind against each other. He hates how often his role is reminded, how casually the yetis mention that Ra's expects a child from Tim.

He doesn't even know how that child will come to be, and it makes him sick. He's been bidding his time, waiting for his wounds to heal and to find a weakness in the frozen fortress, but so far, he is unsure how he will escape.

And Bruce is still out there, waiting for Tim to get him. He can't waste any more time here.

"How about this cloak?" The Yeti offers, holding up a dark metallic fabric that reminds TIm of his Robin cape. "If we are going for a more conservative look, something that screams power is just the way to make the masses wild!"

Ugh, he really needs to think of a plan soon.

[heaveninawildflower]

For Halloween, I have decided to post the ‘welcoming’ Chillingham Castle, near Wooler, Northumberland, England, known as Britain’s most haunted castle which I recently visited.

The most famous ghost of the castle is the ‘Blue (or radiant) Boy’ who haunts the ‘Pink Room’ where the skeleton of a boy dressed in blue was once found bricked up behind a wall.

Chillingham was originally a monastery, a 12th century stronghold which became fully fortified in 1344 by the Grey family. In 1298, King Edward I stayed at the castle on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by William Wallace. A glazed window in a frame was specially installed for the king, a rarity in such buildings at the time.

Chiilingham is also famous for the herd of Chillingham cattle which has remained remarkably genetically isolated for hundreds of years.

There is an enormous open fire place with a fire in the castle tea shop and the staff are constantly throwing huge logs onto it. I tried to take a photograph from the Minstrel’s Gallery but it sadly turned out pretty awful as I was in a rush and trying not to photograph the diners but I have included it anyway as it’s an interesting room.

The photographs were taken during a recent visit to Chillingham. Next time I go I shall try and get some photographs of the cattle.

1) ‘Welcome’ sign in the car park, which is a fair distance from the actual castle.

2) Frontage of the castle.

3) Through the entrance arch.

4) Napkin embroidered with a bat.

5) Carving of a Chillingham bull from the castle chapel.

6) Stone stairway.

7) Statue in chapel.

8) Window in Edward 1st’s Room.

9) The castle tea room with open fire.

And as it’s Halloween I also have ‘The Legend of the Spanish Witch’ of Chillingham Castle. If you look at the portrait of the ‘Spanish Witch’ (which is hanging on a wall in the castle) and into her eyes and should you take anything that you shouldn’t from the castle, she will put a curse on you. She actually looked quite a pleasant lady - anyway the wall, on which the portrait is hanging, has numerous letters pinned to it with returned objects (everything from a door handle to lucky heather) from guilty visitors to the castle who have suffered the Spanish Witch’s curse and are begging for forgiveness.

I didn’t steal anything but maybe she did pay a trick on me, I was wearing a pendant of a disc of Whitby Jet with a silver design of a sun and moon attached to it (regular followers of this Tumblr may remember that I have Whitby, Yorkshire connections). After leaving the castle, I noticed that the Whitby Jet was missing from the pendant and I was left with just a silver pendant, Perhaps a reminder from the witch that my roots are also in Northumbria that some of my great, great (say ‘great’ about 20 or 30 times) grandparents actually were the de Greyes who lived in Chillingham Castle so many hundreds of years ago...... I did find the jet a little later though, in my bra.

[truly-madly-slytherin]

The Dark Princess

*gif not mine//credit to the owner

A/N: Hello loveliessss! 🌸 so I’m hoping that my writing in this chapter has improved somewhat from the last and that it is as magical for you to read as it was for me to write ☺️ I appreciate every like, reblog and follow so thank you all so much 🥰🥰 there’s a bit of a jump between the prologue and the main story so this is more of a filler chapter and in case anyone is confused she has the diary because Tom makes sure (Y/N) intercepts it in between Ginny getting rid of it and Harry finding it. Alsooo I suck at introductions so bear with me 😅 Happy reading peoples! 🥳🥳 Italics = flashback/dream, (E/C) = your eye colour, (H/C) = hair colour

Summary: It is the beginning of the summer after your fourth year and you are moving into Riddle House with your father, at his insistence, making you think back to when you first met him during your second year at Hogwarts. You won’t be there for long though... 

Pairing: AU Lord Voldemort x daughter!reader, Tom Riddle x OC!

*I don’t own any of these characters except the OC, all rights belong to J.K. Rowling and the filmmakers

 PROLOGUE

Chapter One

➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰

Riddle House once stood as the most prestigous mansion in Little Hangleton. Now whimpering on top of the hill, a ghostly shell of itself; it’s derelict and decrepit condition reflected the sinister history encased within the walls. Each room explored was more somber than the last, and emptiness clouded the air so thick it was almost suffocating.

*gif not mine//credit to the owner

The floorboards creak beneath your feet as you traipse down the hallway, your father a few steps ahead.

“And now... we have the kitchen” he announces with a flourish of his arm. Dimly lit by a grubby window, the room, like the rest of the house, left a lot to be desired. Tiles hung from the walls whilst every surface was caked in decades worth of dust. Cobwebs strewn here and there, the sink was more rust than steel and there was a large cavity where the cooker once stood.

“It’s.... interesting” you force out, the weak taste of iron flooding your tastebuds as you bring your teeth down on the flesh of your bottom lip. Taking out his wand Voldemort flicks his wrist and the dingy room quickly transforms itself into a modern kitchen.

“Wow!” you whisper running your fingers along the cool marble.

Turning to face you, his nonexistent lips contort into a terrifyingly sweet crescent. “Luckily I had the foresight to prepare your bedroom before you arrived.”

Trudging back through the hallway, you take time to notice the portraits hanging along the wall, a series of black smudges where the faces once were. Wandering upstairs you spot a door with a wooden rose-embossed sign reading ‘Y/N’s Fortress’.

“Here goes nothing” you sigh.

Entering, a gasp escapes your lips. In the middle of the large room stood a king sized four-poster bed, adorned with a rose quilted headboard and white chiffon curtains. To your left was a beautiful vintage french dressing table complete with matching bedside tables decorated in tiny hand-painted black, red and pink roses. The grand wardrobe standing beside it, decorated in the same tiny roses, could surely house more garments than you even owned. To your right hung a wicker swing seat, pink rose buds woven throughout, appearing as though it was made entirely from the delicate plants, positioned perfectly in view of the large Edwardian window. Hanging above the headboard were pictures of you, your mother and father, clipped evenly along a piece of string intertwined with fairy lights, glistening as each scene plays out before you.

“I mustn’t take any credit, Bellatrix was in charge of the preparations.” Your father states watching you from the doorway.

“It’s beautiful” you whisper, tears welling in your eyes.

Voldemort set about fixing the rest of the house giving you time to settle and take it all in. Lying on the soft mattress, you think back to the first time you met your father, a stark constrast to the man you know today.

Sitting at your desk the blank pages stare back at you and your fingers rake through your messy (H/C) curls for the hundredth time. Front to back the diary was barer than the day it was made.

You had been in the girls bathroom during lunch when you noticed something on the floor. Finding a small black book with leather as soft as feathers and gold lettering along the bottom, you pick it up to inspect it further.

“Tom Marvolo Riddle.” 

Your eyebrows crease as the name rolls off your tongue, a frown etching it’s way onto your forehead. What would a boys diary be doing in the girls bathroom? Nevertheless you keep the book, and make your way to class, letting it burn a hole through your satchel until the end of the day. Your last class was Potions and with any luck it would go quickly. Settling into your seat, you spin around to the cute blonde haired boy behind you.

“Is there any one at Hogwarts named Tom Riddle?” You ask him, red hot flames licking at your cheeks as his crystal blue eyes meet yours.

“Not that I know of. And I know everyone who is anyone around here” he snorted. Choosing to ignore the radiating arrogance you turn back to the front, mind racing. The diary didn’t belong to a Hogwarts student at all, so how on earth did it end up in our bathroom?

Your leg jerks up and down repeatedly below the desk and your eyes wander back to the clock. 3:43pm. Exactly one minute had passed from the last time you checked. Ahead of you Professor Snape is droning on about a potion you hadn’t yet caught the name of. 

“And the 5th step in the brewing of the Wiggenweld Potion is...?” Snape drawls out, his beady eyes searching out his next victim. Chewing on your lip you try to concentrate, to no avail.

“Miss Rosier?” His expectant eyes land on you, lips curling into a signature smirk.

“A-add more salamander blood until the potion turns t-turquoise” you splutter.

“Very good. Someone who has obviously been making notes, wouldn’t you agree Mr Weasley?” The air escapes your lungs with a whoosh as he narrows his eyes at Ron across the room. Ron gulps, ducking his head in an attempt to hide the crimson blush now creeping up his cheeks.

Finally the clock stikes 4 and you make sure you’re the first one out, darting between the students and managing to make it halfway through the dungeons before the bell rings out. “Pureblood” you mutter, the portrait swinging open. “Ooh someone’s in a hurry!” Paying no mind to the painting you dash up the stairs.

“Tracey?”

“Daphne?”

With no answer you plonk down at your desk and begin writing.

“My name is Y/N Rosier, and this is my diary.” 

Your (E/C) eyes go round, lids refusing to blink as you watch the words slowly sink into the page. Your small hands vigorously rub at them and yet the page remains just as blank as it had been originally. Your brain scrambles to make some sense of what is happening, but not giving your thoughts a chance to untangle themselves, words begin to materialise across the page.

“Hello Y/N.”

Curiosity trumping any thought of sense, the tip of your quill connects with the aged paper once more. “Who are you?”

“My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle.

And I am your father.”

Your breath hitches in your throat. The fluttering birds that previously occupied your ribcage die out as your heart threatens to beat right out of your chest, pumping ice throughout your veins at an ungodly speed. The pounding in your ears nears defeaning as the middle of the book suddenly throws out streaks of blinding light.

Regaining your vision you’re surrounded by stone walls and green glowing lamps. The click-clack of shoes echo through the dungeon as hushed whispers become audible.

“No Tom! I told you- I warned you- I told you something bad would happen- that something so evil would surely have consequences, and you ignored me. And now look! A girl has died Tom!” The young woman vigorously shakes her head, her wild ginger curls bouncing about her face while she scolds the boy. 

“Lower your voice before somebody hears you.” He hisses, the pair coming to a halt in front of you. His lips curl into a sneer as his large hand wraps around her dainty wrist. “I am Lord Voldemort after all.” 

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that!” she seethes. Snatching her wrist from his grasp, her perfectly manicured finger points at his face. “Your name is Thomas Marvolo Riddle and I am not one of your little followers bowing down at your feet and kissing your arse! And most importantly Tom, I am not scared of you!” She storms off and Tom continues hot on her heels as you scurry behind. 

“For Merlins sake! Fleur wait-” Blocking her path, Tom’s hands come to rest on the girl’s arms, this time gently caressing her skin. “I’m sorry I should never have spoken to you like that, I don’t want you to be scared of me... I forget myself sometimes. Forgive me?” His hands move to cup her cheeks, and her slender arms wrap loosely around his torso as her anger seemingly dissolves.

“Well don’t forget yourself too much around me otherwise one day you may turn around and I won’t be here Tom.” At least a foot shorter than him, his chin rested comfortably atop her head. 

“Don’t worry, Princess, it won’t be long now before I am crowned the greatest sorcerer the world has ever seen.” Her head buried into his chest ignoring the icy tones lacing the boys words.

Your hand shoots to the base of your skull as a dull ache begins to resonate. ‘He needs to work on his landings.’

“Y/N there you are! Where were you? We missed you at supper. And what on earth are you doing on the floor?” Daphne gives you a quizzical look before extending her hand and helping you up.

As you dust off your robes you try to think of a convincing lie. “I wasn’t feeling very well after Potions. I had to run straight to the loo and then came to lie down - I suppose I must have fainted.” With a shrug of your shoulders you begin to change out of your robes, Daphne following suit.

“Lumos.”

With everyone else now asleep you decide to take your chance to figure out just what on earth is going on. The faint glow illuminates the makeshift tent you had created with your bedcovers, an inkpot balanced expertly between your knees and quill secured between your teeth. Opening the diary with your free hand you reposition the wand. 

“Are you there?”

Just as before the ink disappears, so sucking in a breath you stare at the page. After a few moments nothing had changed. ‘Of course it’s blank you bloody idiot. I must be going bloody barmy!’ 

Before you could finish scolding yourself, the words appear across the page.

“Hello again Y/N.”

“What happened earlier?” Not having much time you wanted to get straight to the point. 

“No beating around the bush, I like it. Just like your mother.”

“My mother Fleur?”

“Yes, Fleur. She truly was a wonderful witch. Say, do you think you could do me a favour Y/N?” 

You weigh up your options before replying. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.” 

“I will answer all of your questions, but it must be in person.”

“But how would I? You couldn’t even see me earlier.”

“I will show you how, just go to the girls bathroom on the first floor.”

Under the mask of the invisibility spell you sneak out of the common room, diary clasped tightly under your arm. Moving through the dungeons it doesn’t take you long to reach the first floor bathroom. As you await your instructions you begin to feel a strong magnetic pull towards one of the sinks. Unable to resist you move to stand opposite. Lightly tracing the stone serpent beneath your fingertips, your mouth opens and words of a language unknown to you flow out. Suddenly the marble sink shifts to reveal a vertical tunnel.

“Jump Y/N. Jump!”

Without giving it a second thought you launch yourself down the hole. Your face scrunches up like a ball of paper as you brace yourself for an impact that doesn’t come. Landing on something soft and scaly, you open your eyes.

Below you was the largest snake you had ever laid eyes on, with skin the colour of green ivy and piercing red orbs easily the size of your skull, if not bigger. Bowing down, it repositions your body on its spiky head, and begins speeding through the tunnels. Coming to a stop in front of a large stone monument, the creature bends down and gently slides your slim frame off, and onto the wet floor.

As you stand upright, a silhouette steps out from the cover of the shadows.

"My darling Y/N..."

KNOCK. KNOCK. 

Bolting upright, your confused eyes dart around the room. The sky was now jet black and above you the fairy lights were glowing softly in the darkness. Rolling your legs off of the bed you answer the door to find your father standing on the other side, arms tucked neatly behind his back. 

“My apologies love, did I wake you?” he asks with a level of affection you hadn’t been expecting.

“Yes but no matter, I hadn’t meant to fall asleep in the first place” you reassure him, shrugging off the last remnents of sleep. 

“Very well. I have some unexpected business to attend to, and as you are still new to this house I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone, so I have arranged for you to stay with a dear friend of mine for the remainder of the summer” he states matter-of-factly, leaving no room for compromise. 

“Oh. I hoped I would be staying here for the summer.” 

With your (E/C) doe-eyes and lips pouting just enough to be noticeable, you were the image of your mother when she was sulking, and Voldemort found a dull warmth spreading throughout him at the reminder of the distant memory. 

“I know Princess I do apologise. I hoped we would have the opportunity to bond during your time away from Hogwarts. However the situation is simply unavoidable.” 

“Fine” you sigh in defeat. “So who will I be staying with? Anyone I know?”

“You’ll be staying with the Malfoy’s.”  

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

I have decided to post my list of all the stuff I watched this year (that I kept track of anyway!), so you can understand why I am incredibly not productive at reading, writing, or keeping my house clean.

Italics are used to indicate rewatches!

Movies Watched In 2020

January 1. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Ehh!) 2. The Biggest Little Farm (yay! nature! i guess.) 3. Cats (oof - but also, amazing!) 4. Like A Boss (I honestly barely remember what this is at this point. A relic from an age where we went to the movies just because we were bored!) 5. The Turning (NOPE! Thank God we got Bly Manor later in the year!) 6. You, Me, and Him (Very promising premise. Lucy Punch and David Tennant are there, even. But BAD!!!!!!!!) 7. Dolittle (Going to the movies just because you’re bored: Part 2) 8. Miss Americana (YES!!!!!) 9. THE VELOCIPASTOR (YES!!!!!!) February 10. Knives Out (a good ‘un) 11. A Little Princess (the BEST ‘un) 12. Enchanted (always an important rewatch!) 13. Birds of Prey (x2!) (THE ONLY WAY TO WATCH BIRDS OF PREY. can you believe that in this calendar year, i got to go see birds of prey in the theatre twice?) 14. Austenland (ALWAYS!) 15. Vita & Virginia (found it kind of a slog but might try it again someday) 16. Honey Boy (my boyfriend wanted to watch it okay) 17. Brittany Runs A Marathon (a decent dramedy time!) 18. Ideal Home (like sherlock holmes always called irene adler the woman, i always call this movie The Movie) 19. To All The Boys 2 (okay, with pretty colors and stuff!) 20. Best in Show (can you believe it took me this long to see it??) 21. Tell It To The Bees (nooooooooooooo! don’t tell ME about it, anyway!) 22. Napoleon Dynamite (PERFECTION ITSELF WAS ACHIEVED IN THE YEAR 2004!)

March 23. Mr. Right (trying to remember what this was. i think it’s that movie with anna kendrick and sam rockwell! in which case: a solid action romcom, VERY fun chemistry betwixt them!) 24. Mansfield Park (1999) (always a good ‘un full of hot mess people!) 25. Wild Nights With Emily (YES!) 26. Emma. (and on that day, we all knew austen aesthetic perfection) 27. Fighting with my Family (a solid watch always. plus: a movie about a teenage girl with no love interest!!!!! i am STILL thrilled about that.) 28. Jojo Rabbit (laugh-sob!) 29. Last Christmas (laugh-sob ft. emma thompson! emilia clarke make me one million more movies in the romcom-ish department! you were made to be sparkling and hilarious!) 30. Roman Holiday (this was the first time i’d seen this movie as an adult and it owned my whole soul) 31. The Big Year (i like birds and jack black and rashida jones and movies that feature alaska. who doesn’t?) April 32. Onward (this was fun!) 33. Parasite (this was fun, and then it TEARS YOUR SOUL OUT!) 34. Love. Wedding. Repeat. (.............. NO. do not, under any circumstances, repeat. why would you use sam claflin like this?) 35. Damsel (mia wasikowska and rpattz cool western weirdness!) 36. Jane Goodall: The Hope (jane goodall rules!!!!!!) 37. The Secret Garden (PERFECTION ITSELF, like and yet not at all like napoleon dynamite) 38. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (such a beautiful and aesthetically exquisite film!) May 39. Sense & Sensibility (1995) (ALWAYS) 40. That Thing You Do (i still had the soundtrack 100% memorized from my childhood!) 41. Click (DO NOT RECOMMEND) 42. Much Ado About Nothing (2011) - Not a movie, but it was 2 hours and 40 minutes so I'm counting it! Such a joy to see the T&T Delight Factory up to their antics in classic romcom shape! (that was my original note when i put it on the list; i stand by it. WHERE IS OUR TENNANT/TATE MARRIEDS SHOW?) 43. The Half of It (so good!) 44. Yes Man (i mean ... it happened!) 45. The Lovebirds (not amazing BUT a very fun pair of characters) June 46. If Beale Street Could Talk (beautiful! heartbreaking!) 47. Her (i mean ............ okay.) 48. A Mighty Wind (do you ever feel like eugene levy is eugene levy-ing TOO hard?) 49. Rocketman (a great ‘un!) 50. The King of Staten Island (i had some feelings! pete davidson did good!) 51. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (hey! i watched a classic movie this year! it was good! it felt more modern than i expected!) 52. Cat People (1982) - GOD HELP ME (my original note; i stand by it) 53. Blow the Man Down (aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!) 54. Outside In (what is this? i guess i’ll have to google it. oh! it was a lynn shelton movie! poignant and weird.) 55. The Hundred-Foot Journey (really nice if you want the feeling of going to very aesthetically pleasing europe without actually being able to go to europe! plus: FOOD) 56. The Good Liar (oh my god this movie was BLEAK and i wanted it to be FUN, damn it!) 57. The Blackcoat's Daughter (I hated watching this ... SO MUCH!!!!!!!) 58. Eurovision Song Contest: the Story of Fire Saga (I loved watching this ... SO MUCH!!!) July 59. Carrie Pilby (i mean, it happened) 60. Big Eden (so sweet!!!!!! this dude also made the family stone and i’ve realized i kind of love his movie style.) 61. Love Jacked (some classic made-for-tv-level romcom goodness!) 62. Uncut Gems (AAAAAAAAAH) 63. Late Night (i mean, it’s mindy kaling and emma thompson, come on) 64. Spaceship Earth (i watched a documentary! i’m a really smart person now, guys! like, if you asked me what this documentary was about, i would say, “blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah!”, giving you the exact right answer!) 65. Desperados (BAD, but a winston/aly reunion is not something i’m gonna turn my nose up at) 66. Palm Springs (so good!!!!!!) 67. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (so good!!!!!!!!) August 68. Summerland (SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!) 69. Outlaw King (no thank you please! i just wanted the whole thing to be about chris pine and florence pugh’s arranged marriage, because i am me) 70. 10 Cloverfield Lane (a forever gothic fave!) 71. Crimson Peak (another forever gothic fave! [we were watching all these because my boyfriend was writing a paper about all my gothic faves]) 72. Get Out (see above!) September 73. Rear Window (what a zany time this movie is! grace kelly = PERFECT, window guy with broken leg whose name i’ve forgotten = A DAMN FOOL for stringing her along) 74. Little Women (2019) (i mean, you don’t need to hear me talk about this even more) 75. Ex Machina (gothic fave again!!!!!!!!!!) 76. Enola Holmes (this movie really just made me so happy with its bright sunny aesthetic and enola being epic, hilarious, plucky, and awesome) 77. Parasite (again! this time for the whole modern gothic movies purpose! by this point me and the bf were starting to get kind of depressed/freaked out!) 78. Leap Year (MY LOVE, MY LIFE) October 79. The Witches (1990) (um. WHAT! i thank the good lord that i never saw this as a child, because it would have been the mental ruin of me.) 80. Hubie Halloween (hey, it happened in front of my eyeballs, okay!) 81. Rebecca (2020) (x2) (yes. i watched it twice for some reason. and by ‘some reason,’ i mean SHIPPING MRS. DW 2 AND MRS. DANVERS BECAUSE WHY NOT, THEY WERE VIBIN’!) 82. The Witches (2020) (would NOT scar me for life; i did find it nicer than critics seemed to) 83. The Addams Family (i mean, *chef’s kiss*) 84. Addams Family Values (DEBBIE IS MY HERO!) 85. Holidate (this was dumb but also quite fun?) 86. Hocus Pocus (THE essential october watch! god, i miss the 90s.) 87. Ready or Not (s’more excellent halloween viewing! i didn’t find this movie quite as fun rewatching as i did the first time around, but danged if it’s not a great lead performance.) November 88. Downhill (well, no. i guess what this gave to my lif was when i read the new ruth ware novel shortly after this, i was like, “dang, avalanches are really factoring into my fiction lately!” and that’s what this movie gave me. would have loved to see a stronger movie from these actors!) 89. My Best Friend's Wedding (rewatchin’ a classic! this movie kind of rules?) 90. Easy A (the parents are my lifespiration always!) 91. Ideal Home ❤️❤️❤️ (sometimes, you watch a movie you love very much yet again, and your soul cannot rest until you put three heart emojis beside its title) 92. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (so fun and pretty to look upon!) 93. The Invisible Man (2020) (AAAAAAAH! this was a great movie.) 94. An American Pickle (rather poignant and diverting!) 95. The Princess Switch (i don’t know why the exact degree of sweet stupidity in these movies charms me so, but it does. it does!) 96. The Princess Switch 2 (EVEN BETTER! MORE VANESSAS TO SWITCH!) 97. Big Miracle (alaska movie!!!!!!! with lots of great people in it!!!!!) 98. Happiest Season (i mean, i don’t know. i’ve read so much discourse on either side of the issue that i just DON’T KNOW. it happened! i watched it!) 99. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day (AMY ADAMS BEING PERFECT, FRANCES MCDORMAND BEING PERFECT, LEE PACE BEING PERFECT, CIARAN HINDS BEING PERFECT) 100. The Family Stone (i hated this movie when it first came out but i loved it watching it this time around??? i love movies when it’s a bunch of people just interacting within a small, not very dramatic setting. that’s my catnip.) December 101. Godmothered (i love the f/f version i made up in my head) 102. Little Nicky (yeah! that’s right! i watched little nicky this year! i blame spn!) 103. Emma (2020) (sometimes a girl needeth a rewatch) 104. The Secret Garden (2020) (nah.) 105. Batman Returns (WHAT!) 106. Batman Forever (WHAT!!!) 107. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (i did it! i finally watched them!) 108. The Holiday (i, no joke, love this movie more every single time i watch it.) 109. Little Women (1994) (SAME!) 110. The Hobbit 2 (probably the one i enjoyed the least in the trilogy? but also: tauriel!) 111. Little Women (2019) (some years, you just keep watching cinema auteur greta gerwig’s adaptation of little women.) 112. Wonder Woman 1984 (*shrug*) 113. The Hobbit 3 (i actually liked this one, maybe the best of the lot! but not enough to include the actual title in my list!) and my list of tv for the year, but sans commentary because i’m tired. if you want to ask what i thought of anything, go right ahead! you’re sure to get a thrilling answer!! TV Shows Watched in 2020 January Spinning Out, Season 1 New Girl, Full Series Grace and Frankie, Season 6 The Mandalorian, Season 1 Sex Education, Season 2 February The Crown, Season 1 Sanditon, Season 1 Locke & Key, Season 1 The Crown, Season 2 Fresh Off The Boat, Season 6 March Hillary, Full Series (Huh, something weird must have happened this month! Ahahahaha ......)

April The Office, Full Series Anne with an E, Season 1 Happy Endings, Full Series Avenue 5, Season 1 Derry Girls, Full Series The Kingdom of the White Wolf May Never Have I Ever, Season 1 Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Season 1 Good Girls, Season 3 Bless This Mess, Season 2 Sense & Sensibility (2008), Full Series The Last Man On Earth, Full Series Broadchurch, Full Series The Great, Season 1 The Mick, Full Series Poldark, Season 5 June Beecham House, Season 1 Wanted, Seasons 1-3 The Baby-Sitters Club, Season 1 July Anne with an E, Full Series The Mindy Project, Full Series Four Weddings and a Funeral, Full Series This Is Us, Season 4 The Big Flower Fight, Season 1 Atlanta, Season 1 Catastrophe, Full Series August Lovesick, Full Series The Miniaturist, Full Series Harley Quinn, Season 1 Doctor Who, Season 1 Episodes, Full Series Harley Quinn, Season 2 The Comeback, Full Series Doctor Who, Season 2 Torchwood, Season 1 September Reign, Season 1 Reign, Season 2 Doctor Who, Season 3 Torchwood, Season 2

Escape to the Chateau, Season 1-Season 4 The Duchess, Season 1 Torchwood, Children of Earth Superstore, Season 1-3 Reign, Season 3 October Superstore, Season 4-5 Emily in Paris, Season 1 Over the Garden Wall, Full Series Doctor Who, Season 4 Pen15, Season 2 Last Tango in Halifax, Season 5 Reign, Season 4 The Haunting of Bly Manor Doctor Who, Season 5 The Baby-Sitters Club, Season 1 Dickinson, Season 1 November Ted Lasso, Season 1 Flesh and Blood, Full Series Supernatural, Season 1 Supernatural, Season 2 Brooklyn 99, Seasons 1-7 Miracle Workers, Season 1 Supernatural, Season 3 I Hate Suzie, Season 1 December Supernatural, Season 4 Dash and Lily, Full Series Supernatural, Season 5 Supernatural, Season 6 The Undoing, Full Series Life in Pieces, Full Series The Flight Attendant, Season 1 Ghosts, Series 1-2 Doctor Who, Season 6 Supernatural, Season 7 Doctor Who, Season 7 His Dark Materials, Season 2 Bridgerton, Season 1

[schmergo]

The Winter’s Tale at American Shakespeare Center: Informal Review

It’s less than two weeks until auditions for the production of The Winter’s Tale that I’m directing this summer, so my friend and I went down to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton last weekend to get some inspiration and get hyped… and it worked! Ever since, I’ve felt compelled to write one of my little informal reviews, so here goes!

If you’ve never been to ASC, first of all, you should. It’s my favorite place to see Shakespeare’s plays in the entire world. They’re this little recreation of Shakespeare’s indoor Blackfriars Playhouse (fancy people saw shows there in winter months in London), a cozy and intimate place that replicates Renaissance traditions like keeping the lights on through the show and using a small ensemble of actors to play multiple roles. But just because they take Shakespeare seriously doesn’t mean they take themselves seriously. Their shows are always fun, energetic, pleasantly irreverent, and full of creative little surprises in staging. They always pull out the spirit of the show. Another thing that they do is incorporate lots of music into the shows—they present a lively preshow and intermission mini-concert featuring the talented troupe of actors playing instruments and singing folksy renditions of contemporary tunes. My favorite this time was “Mr. Brightside,” sung by the actor who played  King Leontes. For those unfamiliar with The Winter’s Tale… well, that song is extremely fitting for Leontes’ state of mind.

The Winter’s Tale is—there’s no doubt about it—one of Shakespeare’s weirder plays. One part tense psychological drama and one part comedic pastoral romance separated by a 16-year time gap, it somehow all comes together in the end with a magical, intensely moving family reunion. I used to dislike this show, and I still think that on paper, it’s not Shakespeare’s best work, but seeing an imaginative production at the Folger Shakespeare Library the other year was a revelation to me: this show could be unbelievably powerful to watch if acted by passionate actors who are truly absorbed in their characters journeys without winking. As one character, Paulina, says in the play’s final act, “It is required that you awake your face.” Even the smallest shred of cynicism can shatter the delicate illusion that Shakespeare creates in The Winter’s Tale. Its plot is as fragile, intricate, and impractical as a Faberge egg.

I’ve seen six productions of The Winter’s Tale. Four of them only reinforced my snarky feelings about it. The Folger’s reimagined, highly original take on it was a breath of fresh air. ASC’s was different. It completely captured and reflected Shakespeare’s play for better AND worse, without doing any rewriting or reorganizing to cover up some of the play’s more awkward moments. It was unapologetic and authentic. All in all, it was emotionally exhilarating yet messy.

The story goes thusly: King Leontes of Sicilia is hosting his best friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia, for a long stay at his palace when he suddenly begins to suspect that his wife, Queen Hermione, has been cheating with his bestie. This is especially worrisome because Hermione is pregnant. Although she is actually totally innocent, Leontes’ paranoia spirals out of control until he tears apart his own family and destroys multiple lives—yet lost family members sometimes come back in the most unexpected way.

The final scene of the play, when done well, is a transcendent moment that brings tears to the most jaded eyes. I always judge a production’s Leontes—and, really, the production itself—on whether that final scene feels deserved, whether I want that happy family reunion for the penitent king. ASC’s Ronald Roman-Melendez completely delivered. I wanted his happy ending so badly that my heart was pounding.

               Roman-Melendez took a surprisingly long time to fully inhabit his character, however. In Act 1, he struggled a little with Leontes’ fragmented speech, sometimes seeming not to understand when Leontes’ phrases change direction. Some lines came out disappointingly Shatnerian. “Oh boy, this’ll be a long night,” I thought glumly, anticipating four more acts of this. But I needn’t have worried. When Leontes’ madness hit its full pitch in Act 3, Roman-Melendez crafted an incredibly complex portrait of conflict, sleep deprivation, rage and mental disorientation that was so believable that it was scary—and pitiable. After the play’s time skip, he beautifully reflected the passing of sixteen years of guilt, grief, and pious contemplation, his eyes sad but his voice warm. Leontes is, in my opinion, one of the most challenging roles ever written by Shakespeare,  and even the most talented actors often don’t seem to get it. Roman-Melendez is one of the few actors I’ve seen who seem to understand that Leontes’ tyranny is not an expression of strength. He craves control only because he’s completely out of control.

               As Leontes’ queen Hermione, Ally Farzetta resembles a Renaissance painting of the virgin Mary, with beautiful long dark hair, pensive features, and a halo-like headdress that seems to hint at her virtuous nature. Her Hermione is both playful and elegant, gentle yet strong. When she tells us in Act 2 that she is not prone to weeping as many of her sex are, it’s not bragging but overly naïve: she has no idea what kind of horrors will befall her. When she later appears bedraggled at her public trial, too soon after childbirth, her husband resolutely facing away from her, she cries.  I cried with her. Farzetta doubles delightfully as a ditzy shepherdess named Mopsa before a stirringly emotional turn in Act 5.

               The most powerful player in the ensemble was unquestionably Annabelle Rollison, who plays Leontes’ sharp-tongued advisor, Paulina. This may be a little unfair because Paulina is probably the coolest character in the play, with daring one-liners like “It is a heretic that makes the fire, not she that burns in it,” but Rollison takes a role that could be a one-note ‘strong female character’ and makes her utterly real: proud, emotional, manipulative, loving, devastated, hopeful, and much more. Her words feel like a punch in the gut half the time and an encouraging arm around the shoulders the other half the time. She commands the stage in every scene with a confident, stately bearing. (Her shepherdess character is even goofier than Ally Farzetta’s. The character’s name is Dorcas. That’s all you need to know.)

               Topher Embrey stole every scene as the adorably gullible Shepherd’s Son, an overgrown child with a sunny disposition and a fondness for the ukulele. Embrey plays the Shepherd’s Son (aka Clown) as unaware of his own strength to hilarious effect and, with his warm voice and wide eyes, is one of the most lovable lugs you’ll ever see. No wonder the two shepherdesses squabble so much over him—that and the fact that he carries more money than is good for him.

As young lovers Perdita and Prince Florizel, Constance Swain and Josh Clark show strong chemistry and energy and wonderful dance skills, as wild and free as you’d expect Bohemian revellers to be. They’re a treat to watch, yet I couldn’t help but feel some elements of their characterization could have been more carefully calibrated. Swain’s Perdita, though utterly lovely, came across as more 'manic pixie dream girl' than regal, no matter how much other characters commented that she seemed too great for her humble surroundings. Clark’s Florizel was a hair more petulant and irritable than I’d like to see in the impulsive poet-Prince.

The rest of the ensemble was good, though some characters (especially wise advisor Camillo) made less of an impression than I'm used to seeing. The energetic Madeline Calais failed to entertain as the mischievous peddler and scam-artist Autolycus, but that's not exactly her fault-- I've never found that character amusing in any of the productions I've seen. The scenes featuring Autolycus dragged even with the presence of audience favorite Topher Embrey.

Jessica Van Essen's sumptuous costumes enhanced every scene. She dressed Sicilia's royals and courtiers in formal Renaissance garb, with Leontes decked out in regal purple, while creating colorful costumes for the foreign land of Bohemia that seemed equally inspired by traditional Turkish, Ukrainian, and Bavarian dress. Plenty of flower crowns, silk jackets, intricate patterns, and a cool turban for Kenn Hopkins' commanding King Polixenes. In Act 5, Leontes appeared in a huge fur cape that seemed to represent the weight of sorrows heaped upon his shoulders.

Special effects were simple, as is common at ASC, but well-timed thunder sounds were often used to dramatic effect. The famous bear, simply played by an actor in furry costume, was nonetheless effective, both brutal and darkly comedic. One more modern touch included an automated pedestal that glided out across ASC's stage in the play's final scene-- a departure from the usual low-tech staging conventions, but magical enough to fit seamlessly into the play. "If this be magic, let it be an art as lawful as eating." I sobbed through the final scene.

Though this may not have been a perfect production of Winter's Tale, it was a wonderful recreation of Shakespeare's charmingly imperfect play. If you get the chance to go down to Staunton, don't miss it!

I can't wait for auditions!

[jq37]

oh my GOD the new ep!!!! like!!!!!!!!! SO MUCH happened but then also the preview for the next ep looks SO GOOD

**spoilers for first kisses and last words**

Hoo boy this was, as I predicted, a BIG one. Not that I needed to be an oracle to figure that out since there’s only a few eps left but man did it deliver.

I still think that Cool Kids, Cold Case had the most off the wall nonsense happening in the shortest period of time but this ep I think was overall the most consistently wild ep.

So let’s take it from the top.

I think I forgot to mention it before but Adaine’s, “I go into a rage,” hardcore cracked me up.

“I have hold person.”/”I stuff a sock in her mouth.” Insult to injury Adaine. 

The entire group dunking on Aelwen, forgetting that Riz is literally bleeding out, half dead.

“sausage festival” 

Adaine really was dead serious about her snitching threat huh?

Ally miming a boom mic.

I love how everyone including Siobhan mess up Aelwen’s name or mix it up with Adaine’s half the time.

And speaking of, wow. What a rise and fall for her in 3 eps (and about an hour in game time). She’s queen of the nerds. She’s not even cool at her own school. And terrified of whoever she made whatever shady deal with. I know she literally tried to kill the whole party last ep and that she’s the worst but I almost feel for her.

Almost.

“This is not on you. This is on the world within which you inhabit.”

I love Adaine’s semi-indigent, “We’re not going to kill you,” because Alwen was 100% ready to murder them which, side note, imagine how much on an international incident that would have been.

Lol at the group tag team bullying Aelwen about going to Mumple and Adaine using her magic jacket for super petty BS.

“Hey mom!”/”GodDAMMIT honey.”

The parent/kid relationships are so good in this show.

Everyone but Kristen parkouring off the roof when Sklonda specifically set up a ladder. 

“The put a girl in a palimpsest,” followed immediately by, “She went to a party,” as if those are on the same level.

Sklonda Gukgak DUNKING Aelwen into the squad car with a technical assist from Adaine. I knew she was gonna be my fave parent from her intro scene and I love her even more than I thought.

“With all due respect, (A/N: Which is none), suck my dick, fuck you.”

“She tried to murder me.”/”BE THAT AS IT IS.”

“Eh, you carry a gun.”

“No one who’s detecting maidens is a maiden.”

I feel like I’m quoting a lot today but there were so many money lines this episode. 

Everyone always loses it when Brennan starts doing the Identify spell voice and I love it. 

Adaine’s dad is T R A S H

Adaine’s mom on the other hand…I’ve been wondering about her for a little while because usually the outright emotional abuse has been from her dad while her mom is either not there or not saying anything. So I’ve been wondering was her deal is and we finally got the start of an answer. I know we only have a few eps left but I hope we go a little deeper into what exactly is going on there. It seems like Adaine’s parents are gonna be a big factor in whatever endgame is planned so fingers crossed,

Everyone cracking up as Emily backs Fig into a corner talking to Penelope. 

I love Gorgug so freaking much. Just his good natured, lumbering self. EVery time Zac opens his mouth gold falls out. 

Emily MAXED out her deception huh?

I think Siobhan must have forgotten that she took the crystal with Ostentasia away from Aelwen at the end of last ep. Either that or they willingly gave it to the cops and I forgot (but I think it’s the former because she said in this ep that it was in Aelwen’s pocket when at the end of the last ep she def took it).

My autocorrect keeps wanting me to type Ellen for Aelwen. I WISH.

I knew it! He’s a PIRATE. Suck it Fabian. (lol at Adaine stirring the pot. That was like Adaine being sincerely polite and Siobhan trying to cause problems and I love mixed motive player/character decisions). 

I wonder if the banker is named after John Hughes. 

I can’t believe the dumb bank is actually a huge plot point.

Yikes, re: Bill and Fabian. That got tense. Though I’ve kinda been waiting for some kind of blowout for a while. His dad runs very hot and cold and I figured it would only be a matter of time before we saw some of the cold.

Also, Lou breaking character in the middle of that very intense moment to clarify a plot point. 

Sidenote: For a hot sec after reading the title of the ep and remembering how Sklonda is competent to the point of (probably) breaking the original plot, I was so concerned she was gonna eat it this ep. So glad she didn’t.

Anyway, the idea of swinging sadly on a rope is so freaking funny.

Fig: Can I offer you a sad song in this trying time?

Huge portrait of Bill Seacaster in Fabian’s room. 

Adaine is gonna bring up him kissing her sister very time she needs to get out of something w/ Fabian for the rest of her immortal life. 

Another sidenote: This is a little thing but I always think it’s interesting when fantasy worlds have the same months and days as us when they’re named after like Norse Gods and Roman statesmen that wouldn’t exist in their world. Same with Roman numerals and Irish coffee. 

“Am I allowed to smoke in here?”/”Of course.”

I really like the character detail that Adaine is always really polite to everyone, including/especially people like Fabian’s maid and Basrar. People that she wouldn’t necessarily “have to” be polite to, you know? It’s like she’s trying to make up for the fact that her family is a bag of dicks. 

“Fantasy Google”

The whole bit with Fabian’s porn stash was so good. This group is so good w/ yes-adning each other.

“Privateer me a new one.” Emily is so good.

“Special investment” Suspicious  

I was thinking “I can’t believe looking at a bank’s FAQs is part of this game,” right as Brennan said it.

So I went back and watched Siobhan’s face from when Emily first mentioned Kal Vaxis to when she got the connection to KVX and it took her 22 seconds. I also missed the quick cut to Brennan when Gorgug asks, “What is Kal Vaxis,” and you can tell he knows they’re so close to breaking it with the little grin on his face. I wish we had gotten a reaction shot right after she got it. Anyway, great team solve w/ the MVP trophy to Siobhan/Adaine. 

I loved when Zac, Emily, and Siobhan all whipped out their laminated maps in tandem to figure out what was happening. 

The hard mood change from Adaine dropping the bomb about Riz’s dad and to forming a committee to help Gorgug flirt with Zelda was wild.

Kristen telling anyone to be suave is hysterical. 

What a DISASTER of a committee Gorgug’s friends are. Well meaning but so trash

Fig: Tell her you got a SICK tattoo

Adaine: Bring her to see art in the middle of the night

Fabian: You cannot date this person (Kristen: You absolutely have to)

Kristen: Actually not garbage advice but she is in no position to be giving dating advice to anyone 

Riz: Having a literal existential crisis 

“Who else is he gonna date?” WOW, savage Adaine.

I meant to say this before but I love how Adaine’s go-to is immediately ice cream and she’s always on board to go to Basrar’s. Like how when she texted everyone 2 eps ago she was like, “Let’s get ice cream now.”

Mmm, don’t love that Gorthalax isn’t answering his phone. I have been waiting for a significant adult to die for a while now.

OK, look, the whole thing about Penelope and Dayne being eternal prom king/queen. Is it wild? Yes. Is it implausible? No. No it’s not. Even Murph, most veteran player, was kind of like, “Wait, does that make sense?” Because, in this setting, it kind of would? I’m not sure it fits within the story so far and I’d have to go back and listen to the more lore-y stuff again but the conceit itself is like the exact right amount of crazy to fit in this setting? And they never cut to Brennan like I wanted so I could judge his face for any kind of tell. But anyway, you guys know I’ve been predicting a prom finale and this would fit right into a prom finale. 

The girls giving Gorgug a pep talk before his date was ADORABLE. 

Gorgug having to check his phone to remember three words, “You look nice.”

“Your friends are popular and loud” True

Zelda’s a BARBARIAN! She’s a MEGA BARBARIAN! 

I know they mean ecstasy like intense emotion but I kept thinking, like, molly.

Hmm, so Penelope wanted to know if Zelda had hooked up w/ Gorgug, ie: if she was a maiden. Can they only palimpsest maidens? Or (as we will get to later) does nice guy Biz only want virginal maidens for his creepy reverse Weird Science arcade setup?

Zelda listing off every type of metal and then Gorgug’s, “Same stuff,” was perfect comic timing on Zac’s part.

Imagine the Hangman screaming down the road on fire, Zelda completely terrified. 

I love the Hangman so freaking much.

“DO NOT GIVE TREATS TO MY MOTORCYCLE.”

I can’t believe everyone is living at the freaking crappy apartments. I knew they were all gonna end up hanging at one persons’ house but I kinda figured it would be Fabian’s house or Gorgug’s house. 

I”m also concerned about Bill. I feel like we keep getting reminded that he’s mortal a LOT.

Did Gorgug’s parents have indoor fireworks on tap for Gorgug’s first date?

Oh my God the whole docking conversation. Never play chicken with Brennan because the dude will not blink.

“We didn’t do that.” That’s his other best comic timing moment of the ep.

“Polishing my axe”

Kristen this episode 

I really wish they’d made the roll to find Ragh later in the ep. Fig is so ride or die for Gilear now and I love it.

“I fall asleep.”

Adaine almost making her parents dunk on Gilear but then pulling back.

But also, Adaine and Gilear going off the the oracle together.

“Fig pack it in.”

Affirmations with Fig and Gilear.

Fig, do you really think platonically cuddling with Kristen is the move?

Riz setting himself up for a dramatic entrance is so fantastic.

Hmm, so Biz and Zayne were attacked at the same time. That’s why that cold pill detail was in there way back. I’ve been trying to figure out what was always planned and what was quick re-working but Brennan is so good I can never really tell.

Are multiple unrelated groups just getting into palimpsests at the same time? Or mostly unrelated groups tied to one person?

“We are not gonna get our security deposit back.”

RIZ’S DAD IS JAMES BOND! YES! I didn’t know I wanted that to be the case until it happened and now that’s the only acceptable option. 

Riz didn’t get the 20′s he needed when fighting Aelwen but man he got it at the best story moment this week.

Oh man that home movie

The pearl is grey. Interesting. 

“Mom our family is so awesome Mom we’re all so badass, I thought it was just us but Dad is awesome too, why didn’t you tell me Mom?”

Sklonda: Internally screaming. 

Man he went full Inigo Montoya.

“I’ve got nimble escape so…”

“I guess we have a two bedroom,” I think was a really underrated funny line.

Did Riz ever tell his mom about the time of death thing.

Everyone inundating Gilear with overlapping chatter.

lol the Hangman likes Zelda’s family

Ally’s panicked, “FUCK” is always hilarious. 

Why are all the adults in Gorgug’s life trying to get him laid?

OK so the elementals were conjured by Aelwn’s magic Brennan said. He said by Aelwen’s magic, not by Aelwen. I wonder if that turn of phrase was specific or arbitrary. Like, we were told where Aelwen is but we don’t know. Was she forced to do it (either by threat or by magic)? Clearly someone (Biz?) is pulling her strings to at least some degree. 

“It’s probably about marriage.” “WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED.”

That happened fast

Fun fact from my International Law class: When a government kidnaps someone, it’s called rendition. 

“There’s a war, fuck school.”

Yeah it is wild that Adaine’s parents didn’t call her.

OK so did the Elves get Aelwen back but also go, “But you still need to go to jail.” Because they cut Brennan off before the end of that sentence which might have had more clues in it.

“I text my mom k”

I also wanna know who gave Kristen a slushy marg (It’s war times. I bet things are looser now)

Murph’s face when Brennan said, “Lucky Stones” was so good. That was so Riz.

S/O to Ally for pre-casting Guardian of Faith. Good instinct. 

AHHHHHH BIZ

As I said in an earlier conversation s/o to Adaine for DUNKING on him at every opportunity because he DESERVED IT. Also, her instincts for who sucks in this game have been spot on.

Another s/o to Riz for having the presence of mind to not pull a Star Lord and to pretend to be on the bad dude’s side for long enough to gain some kind of upper hand.

OK, wow was not expecting that twist. I feel like I need to go back and rewatch some stuff to get a better handle of the timeline and stuff. Like, when exactly did the girls start going missing again? And what year is Biz? Has he been masterminding this whole thing? I feel like no but I feel like he’s masterminding his own thing which happens to a puzzle piece in something bigger? BUT IT’S A PRETTY DAMN BIG PIECE. Who opened the new arcade? Is it connected to the bank?  How did Biz get involved? Who’s his supplier? Did someone hook up Biz, Daybreak, Penelope, and Aelwen with Palimpsests to do their own separate things, hoping that at least one of them would succeed which would somehow be good for the mystery person? I am so excited to find out and I really hope Brennan and the cast do a Q+A sesh after S1 is over to hash some stuff out.

Siobhan’s face when Biz said he was going after Adaine.

ALSO, you’re just gonna TELL RIZ and you wanna PUT ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS into a MAGIC CRYSTAL???? AND YOU THOUGHT HE’D BE ON BOARD? Like, even if he was, what about the 4 other people who are there?????

(sidenote, wild Gorgug’s parents just left them alone, no questions asked)

Theme-wise, this is the fight ep I’m most excited for. It seems rad as hell.

All that yelling in the promo for next week. Either the raddest thing possible happened or there was a TPK. There is no other option.

Wow, that was a stellar ep and this is a really long post. I really can’t wait for next week’s!

Edit: I meant to say before, is Penelope’s FB album like…a hit list? Like does whoever’s doing the actual dirty work (Biz? S/o else?) know that whoever she takes a picture with is who they should target?

[matrixaffiliate]

Like the Storybooks

From the dynamic duo that brought you Glimpsing Happiness, PJ and I are proud to bring you another Blackinnon AU! Please enjoy, Like the Storybooks!

Marlene is the next in line to the throne, until her cousin James provides the kingdom with an heir. Being an eligible heiress attracts loathsome suitors. King James’s right hand man, Sir Sirius, could help her fend them off, but the knight of mysterious origins seems intent on becoming the next Sir Galahad.

We’ll update two chapters every Saturday, but you get four chapters today because I’m MIA next week. We’ll pick up again on Dec. 1st. <3 

Co-written with @hufflepuffmarlenemckinnon

FFN and AO3

Chapter 1

It was unnerving, how quickly one's life could change. Half a year ago, Marlene had been far enough down the line of succession to be able to live her life more or less the way she wanted. Then the storm began. First, her Uncle and Aunt, Their Majesties King Fleamont and Queen Euphemia were taken by the plague, leaving her cousin James and his new wife Lily to reign over the kingdom of Phoenixordo, earlier than anyone had prepared for. Then, out of nowhere, her parents succumbed to the plague as well. Like the thunder after a strike of lightning, the newly anointed King James sent orders that Marlene was to live at the capital castle. As heiress presumptive to the throne, she needed protection. James’s letter, written to his cousin in his own hand stated, ‘I already have a Kingdom to manage, thus, I needn’t expend my energy fretting endlessly over my only family being kidnapped or murdered because she's too far away for me to keep an eye on her.’

Marlene resented the comment, but she had to admit, she had a bit of a reputation. Her father and mother had doted on her endlessly. She was their only child, and she was as bright as she was beautiful. Marlene was exactly what fairytales wrote about when they described princesses. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves. The spark behind the vibrant blue of her eyes hinted at her spirited nature. She moved with such a grace that she’d become something of a distraction for the stable hands and serving boys. Her father had insisted that she was the most beautiful princess in the kingdom from the time she was 10. Her mother had constantly fussed over her, her hair, her clothes, and her posture. They'd given her the absolute best tutors and she'd excelled in her studies and was as sharp as a whip. Marlene was everything the world had expected of her. But after the course of the last month, the Princess was also very much alone.

At least with her cousin, King James, she might have some reprieve from feeling the constant weight of the loss of her parents. It hurt, and Marlene couldn't seem to move past the pain that ached in her chest. The thought that someone would use her as bargaining was troubling enough on its own, but added with everything else made her breathing labored. She welcomed the feeling of safety that came with living in the same fortress as his Majesty. It helped her to feel more secure than she had managed those few nights in her father's castle - her castle, she remembered - after James’ letter and guarded escort had arrived. She hadn't brought much, well, except her entire collection of dresses - which now included her mother's wardrobe - but those were essentials. At some point, she'd be able to put on her colorful dresses again without feeling a sense of wrongness within herself. Someday she wouldn't see her mother in every damned mirror. Someday.

Marlene had hated carriage rides since she was a child. They gave her headaches and made her spine rattle. She would have preferred to ride the whole way there on the back of her chestnut mare, Truda, but James’ guards advised her that it was completely out of the question. She missed the feeling of being a few very important places further down the line of succession. As a girl, and even as a maiden princess to some extent, she’d been permitted to do as she pleased; now she felt like someone’s gold chess piece.

Her ill temper was only increased by one of the courtiers of His Majesty's Court who decided his presence was necessary for her arrival. She stepped out of the carriage and tried to ignore the pounding in her very bones as the man stepped up to her. His features were not in and of themselves hideous. But it was somewhat disconcerting that it looked like he'd seen a portrait of her and then taken it upon him to recreate her image on himself. The way he styled and presented himself though was astoundingly garish. He wore an all lavender outfit, which he strutted about in with such flagrant pride that the color must have been intentional choice, rather than some aging tailor’s error. It made him resemble a decorative baked sweet. His curly blond hair was a bit of puffed cream topping and his blue eyes were some sort of garnish. That sort of thing never even tastes any good, in Marlene’s opinion. The overall image was hideous, and it would have perhaps been something to laugh to herself about later if it were not for the idiot believing that he was permitted to speak.

“Your Grace,” the man bowed and Marlene's upbringing and training kicked in and she nodded politely to acknowledge him before continuing to follow the escort to His Majesty’s office.

“I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Marquess of Occamy, heir to the Duchy of Oblivium, It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.” He followed after her and Marlene bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at him. He had no right to trouble her with his loathsome voice, let alone trail along after her like a spaniel.

“How lovely for you, my Lord.” She picked up the pace of her steps, in hopes of getting the point across.

“Not as lovely as you, dear Princess. You are everything that was rumored and more.”

“Yes, well,” Marlene focused on being a princess and controlling her tongue, “kind of you to listen to Court gossip about me and all but I have an appointment with his Majesty.”

“By all means, but do allow me the honor of escorting you to the door.” He moved to take her arm but she sidestepped him.

Marlene pursed her lips and let out a slow and even breath to steady her will. She knew there was no polite way to get rid of this clown, so she’d need to endure him for another hundred paces or so. She would just have to survive the pain of swallowing her more brazen insults.

“If you must.” She chose a lofty tone to try and push the issue that she was anything but interested in his company.

“I must. And I must confess that I have been longing to meet you since I saw your portrait. Never in my life have I seen a noble lady who looked quite so like myself. If we were to wed, our heirs would be so beautifully golden that the sun itself would look dull by comparison.”

Was this dunce truly out of his mind? Marlene smiled as her destination came into sight. “Right well… Best not give the sun any cause for anger. Good day, Lord Gilderoy.” With that, she let the door slam in Lockhart's face, taking pleasure in the moment of silence before she heard James chuckle.

“Little Marly is still slamming doors I see. Welcome to your new home, Cousin.” He stood and embraced her and Marlene took a moment to just be glad to be with family again, the last few months had been incredibly lonely. She and James had been great friends as young children, but it became dangerous to travel about a year before James started as a squire, Marlene’s parents put her visits to a halt. They kept her at home to protect her, and consequently, the cousin pair drifted apart. She took note of the small changes in what was Uncle Monty’s office while she was a child, with her only cousin's arms around her shoulders. Her only family now, she reminded herself. Whatever differences there were, the warm welcome of her cousin was a relief. She could finally start to fill in some of the emptiness that dwelt within her since they'd buried her parents.

“I only slam doors when someone has made themselves a pest.” She stepped out from his embrace and smirked up at him. He had gotten impossibly taller in the years she hadn't seen him.

“Who could possibly be pestering you?” James laughed and pulled a soft chair out for her. Marlene fell into it gladly.

“Some Lord Lockhart seems to be under the impression that I'd be his perfect bride,” Marlene drawled as James handed her a drink.

“Ah, that unfortunately,” James took a seat across from her and threw his feet onto the desk, “will be a problem in the foreseeable future. You’re my heiress presumptive. Even imbeciles like Lockhart know that marrying you is the best chance any other family has to ending up on the throne.”

“James, the absolute last thing I want is to end up on the throne. So would you mind doing your heiress presumptive a favor? Presume to go get an heir upon your wife! I’d be forever in your debt if you’d bestow upon me a little nephew or niece to dote on... and push all this ridiculous responsibility on to. Immediately would be preferable, but I’ll be kind and wait 9 moons.”

Marlene nearly jumped when a woman with beautiful red hair and piercing green eyes walked in laughing, accompanied by a tall man with jet black hair and pale skin. He could easily be the best looking man she'd ever seen, but Marlene reminded herself that after dealing with Lord Lockhart for five minutes she may very well have found something deeply appealing in anyone who was not him.

“Ah, my love,” James stood and the tall man smirked.

“Really your Majesty, not in front of the Queen! You’ll make her jealous.”

Marlene laughed, this man was dry, but there was something about the way he held himself that made Marlene feel like he was carrying a weight far greater than his humor could maintain.

James rolled his eyes and pulled the woman into his arms. “Lily this is the Princess Marlene, my cousin, and as she reminded me, the next in line until we produce an heir. She seems to think we ought to be putting more effort into that endeavor.” He nuzzled her neck and Queen Lily laughed.

Marlene curtsied low, with practiced elegance, “Your Majesty, it's so wonderful to meet you.”

Lily bowed her head, “Your Grace, I hope you'll find our castle to be a home to you now.”

Marlene chuckled, “Is that enough formality?”

“Heavens, yes!” Lily laughed and embraced Marlene. “I've heard so much about you from James and I've been so excited to get to meet you! He tells me you're quite the scholar. None of the Ladies here were properly educated and if I have to spend one more afternoon discussing the most popular color for fabrics this season, I'm going to scream.”

“Well, just respond to every comment on fabric colors with something philosophical or ask them about the fabric dye that most represents their mortal soul.” Marlene grinned wickedly and Lily laughed.

“I'm going to abscond with her,” she turned to James.

“Ah good,” the tall man drawled, “now my dearest King and I can profess our undying love and escape away unhindered.”

Lily rolled her eyes, “Marlene this is Sir Sirius. He's our cousin on his Majesty’s mother's side and his dearest friend. He’s let his reputation as the bravest knight in the kingdom go straight to his head. He thinks he can command an army and the heart of my own loving husband… the nerve” Lily smiled at her jest.

“One simply does one's best. Your Grace,” he nodded to her.

Marlene nodded politely and noted that he didn't immediately propose marriage, or really bother with her at all. That was what she wanted with these new courtiers, to be left alone.

“I regret that we must bid you farewell until dinner, dear Ladies.” James kissed Lily's hand and stared at her for a moment like a lovesick puppy before sighing and pulling away. “Sir Sirius and I have some work to hammer out.”

Lily linked her arm with Marlene's and pulled her through a different door that thankfully didn't have Lord Gilderoy Lockhart standing on the other side.

[kxlebcross]

hippity hoppity here goes the long ass rant about my cousin

for context - i was a kid when i started liking kpop, like 13-14 yrs old? i was still collecting plushies, reading magazines for young teens, enjoying some music and playing sims. yes, i may have had my emo episode back then with some heavy music too, and that never went well with my mum’s older sister and her heavily religious husband, but oh boi, the worst was my cousin. she is 6 yrs older than me and that was around the time she started picking out an university to go to, so the focus HAD to be on her, the important future student and her boyfriend and this and that... she was always going on about going to art school and she was really fucking talented so she had all chances to be a really great artist, getting married to her boyfriend, wanting a family and all her future, while i was just a middle school kid dressing in all black, who suddenly started enjoying some fun kpop song on their otherwise heavy metal/rock music playlist.

when she find out, she was GIVING ME HELL for it. do you remember 2013 kpop? adtoy by 2pm, ringa linga by gd & taeyang, gentleman by psy or fantastic baby by bigbang? i fucking loved those songs. i was a kid in a really bad place in life after moving 2 countries away from the place where i was born, from all my friends, my school, my life... listen, it’s 10 years hitting this year since my mother decided about moving and i’m still not over it, so just imagine, how bad i must’ve felt back then, when it wasn’t even a year after the move? i was a devastated little kid who found a little joy in some fun, jumpy kpop tones in contrast to the usual heavy music i was listening to usually (do you remember the oldest bring me the horizon songs, all the screaming and anger? think of it as my regular playlist, my mother hated it haha). i was never a diehard fan, never had posters of idols on my walls, i only have like 2 merch pieces (and those aren’t even original cuz we were poor and could never afford it, so i looked up the merch online and my mum had a similar thing done in a local, cheaper workshop for my birthday one time, please don’t judge me for that) and it was just music for me, as well as the english, american, japanese, polish and hungarian music was just music too. 

and i got terrible shit for it from my cousin, who pretty much criticized everything about me: my clothes (we were poor, i was mostly dressing out of second hand shops and surprise - her hand-me-downs), my shitty phone (and old samsung model i got for my 9th or 10th bday), my taste in books (i really REALLY loved king’s books to which one of my classmates introduced me back then), my inability to perfectly speak the language (though i was raised in a bilingual household, the main language in my house was hungarian, and i was a stubborn kid who rarely ever wanted to speak polish at home, so when we moved i could barely speak the language, had to take extra classes every day in school for almost the entire first school year i spent here because i had to learn to write and speak properly), but the biggest shit i always got for kpop, that it’s garbage, that i don’t even understand it, it’s just shitty party music with extra steps... i resented her for that A LOT, which probably had smth to do with the age difference too, but hey, whatever. i always closed up when we visited them and my mum was understanding about it, she pretty much allowed me to just hang around the place and listen to my music, play on my phone or just read a book, and my aunt hated it - but it was at least peaceful, i occasionally got the kpop jab from my cousin which i shrugged off, but that was it... until one time i spoke up.

i can’t remember what it was about - but we were all having lunch and it was easter or christmas maybe, and at a certain point i got called out for something, maybe using my phone under the table? anyway, i spoke up about treating me like shit because i was already 15 by that and i had a big fucking mouth and no tolerance for their bullshit after listening to it for two years, which ended in my mother almost going into a shock after hearing my vicious remark, my aunt’s husband going into a raging fit and my aunt telling my mum that she’s a terrible mother and raised a terrible kid. we left after that and i didn’t return to them in the following years - i just heard from the grapevine that my cousin ended up dropping out of college because “it was just too tiring and too much”, broke up with her boyfriend and then was just sleeping around with some random dudes, and generally just misrailed her life and had to move back in with her parents who were devastated after all their hopes about my cousin went to hell.

i haven’t seen them for years - we sort of reconciled a few years later when my mother forced me to do it; my cousin probably forgot by then whatever shit she was giving me earlier and we hanged out a bit, caught up and shit... i’m pretty sure it was only because she was to get married to her boyfriend and wanted the whole family there? not important. 

the boyfriend is a pretty awful person imo tbh - he has some nationalist tendencies, not once spoke up in a very homophobic and derogatory way about all kind of lgbtq+ people, which in the end resulted in me removing him from all my social medias, because miss me with that nationalism babe. anyway, they got married and moved into their own place and into the family spotlight again, while i finished school and then years after their wedding my mum announced very proudly that i finished school with good grades and got into university - which immediately stirred the shit in the old shit bucket our relations were. my own fucking aunt dared saying that i’ll never succeed in life and will drop out than her own daughter would because i’m not made for a successful life. she never said it to my face - said it to my mother, who gave up a job she loved just so she could send me half a country away from my home so i could study where i wanted. i mean, i have my own issues with my mother too but i can’t not admire her sacrifices she made for me - so that sort off hit it off again with me and i once again burned bridges with them when moving out 3 years ago. seen them maybe two times since then? i mean, i never tried reaching out to them - they only ever got some happy birthdays and merry christmases on facebook, because my mother insisted i do that. they never called or wrote back, not for my birthday, not for christmas, not for anything else. i only found out in the last few months that on that christmas 2 yrs ago, which i spent alone, they were asked by my mum to please invite me over at least for a coffee. they never even called and my mum was heartbroken over it, because she was literal thousands of kilometres away, working and counted on her sister to invite me... my mum’s friends, basically strangers, ended up inviting me over for a christmas dinner in the end. i spent a family holiday with people i’ve literally seen five times in my life and they were more than joyful to have me in their company and they even got me a present, while my technically closes family couldn’t even spare a phone call.

now i’m 23 and my cousin is closing on 30 - and she’s suddenly overcome with that kpop obsession she has, spamming both instagram and facebook with mv links, fantaken photos, band-related posts and news articles, all heart emojis and “OmG i LoVe ThEm” kind of bullshit captions, she’s intensely drooling over certain members she’s posting a lot about, i’m seeing at least 15 posts daily about her bad drawings of members of the band.... listen.... if an artist doesn’t practice for 7+ yrs, the skills they had just start to fade away even if they were really talented (trust me, i know it from my own experiences, i used to know how to draw, sing and play a few instruments when i was young but then i stopped practicing and now the most i can draw in a stickman, i can’t play any instruments for shit and i’m a low average in singing too), but she thinks she’s some motherfucking superstar of drawing portraits (trust me, shes NOT) and keeps spamming all those pics and posts and shit.... and just seeing that sort of brought the memories back, of her treating me like shit over a thing she’s now obsessed with and i’m just sitting here like.... gag.

i could absolutely understand being a fan and being a group stan but there is a certain limit after which being a fan turns into that gross, twisted thing. do you know all those memes that go along the lines of “i don’t hate kpop because of the music, i hate kpop over the r*tarded fans it has”? that’s a whole ass mood. i’m sure that everyone who’s at least interested in kpop heard of the insane psychofan part of the fanbase.... and she’s turning into it. she’s fucking drooling over some famous strangers while she’s like... 30. and has a husband. would it be so hard for her to “keep it in her pants”? i’m super NOT interested in seeing all that crazy fan shit she’s pulling and honestly she’s grossing me out and you know people like her are the reason i can’t even fucking enjoy kpop anymore the way i did earlier - because it’s being fucking pushed down my god damned throat every-fucking-where i look. just calm the very fuck down, please. behave like a god fucking damned adult. 

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: FEATURE: Final 2020 Awards Tracker

FINAL 2020 AWARDS TRACKER

Welcome to the ninth year of Every Movie Has a Lesson’s “Awards Tracker.”  My goal every year is simple: Help each and every one of you win your Oscar pools. As a member of three recognized awards-voting bodies of film critics (OFCS, OFTA, and Chicago Indie Critics), it’s a pleasure and honor to see my own picks made it into the award season discussion. Here’s how this little page of my personal interest works.  I find value in tracking the trends and following the tea leaves of the all the minor lead-up awards before the Oscars.  I chart the winners of each category with listed winners and comments on the surrounding buzz. 

FINAL TAKE: Prediction-wise, I was a so-so 16 of 24. Not great, but not bad. I’ll take being wrong to watch a night of history honoring women and international film!

BEST MOTION PICTURE

FINAL TAKE:  Folks, in another year of #OscarsSoWhite and questionable gender appreciation, the 92nd Academy Awards dropped (or was it raised, LOL) a microphone of history in favor of diversity. Say it out loud. Parasite is first foreign language film to win Best Picture. Boom! What a boom!

WINNERS:  

26- Parasite (ATL, Cannes, NYO, SEA, PCC, CIC, NC, FCC, Chicago, BO, CO, DC, DET, HOU, LA, NSFC, SE, UT, VAN, AUS, EDA, GA, GAL, OFTA, Online, London, Oscar)

10- Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (OK, STL, LV, SAT, Globe, CC, SF, IA, HI, ND)

7- 1917 (KC, Globe, DFW, PGA, DEN, HC, BAFTA)

6- The Irishman (HFA, NBR, NY, SD, NT, NM)5- Marriage Story (GI, IN, NV, GW, DUB)

2- Knives Out (CIC, PHI)2- Little Women (Boston, WC)1- The Farewell (Spirit)

OTHERS: 1- Joker (PHX), 1- Jojo Rabbit (TIFF), 1- Ford v Ferrari (SAT), 1- Portrait of a Lady on Fire (FL), 1- The Nightingale (ACT), 1- Avengers: Endgame (PC), 1- Us (AA), 1- Dolemite is My Name (BF), 1- The Last Black Man in San Francisco (AA), 1- The Souvenir (Sight & Sound), 1- Clemency (Sundance), 1- Wild Rose (BAS), 1- For Sama (BI), 1- The Composer (GSA)

BEST DIRECTOR

FINAL TAKE:  We all thought the WOW and WHOA of Parasite ended here. Man, were we surprised. Keep multiplying the history and reverence!

WINNERS:  

27- Bong Joon-Ho for Parasite (ATL, NYO, SEA, Boston, PCC, CIC, NC, FCC, IN, Chicago, BO, CO, DC, GW, HOU, LA, VAN, AUS, CC, EDA, GA, GAL, SF, OFTA, Online, ND, London, Oscar)

10- Sam Mendes for 1917 (KC, Globe, DFW, NT, UT, DGA, CC, DEN, PHX, BAFTA)

7- Martin Scorsese for The Irishman (OK, BF, DET, PHI, SE, DUB, NM)5- Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (NBR, STL, LV, IA, HI)3- Josh and Benny Sadfie for Uncut Gems (NY, SD, Spirit)

2- Greta Gerwig for Little Women (CIC, NSFC)

2- James Mangold for Ford V. Ferrari (HFA, SAT)

2- Noam Baumbach for Marriage Story (NV, HC)

OTHERS: 1- Olivia Wilde for Booksmart (HC), 1- Celine Sciamma for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (FL), 1- Kasi Lemmons for Harriet (BF), 1- Jordan Peele for Us (AA), 1- Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for American Factory (DGA), 1- Jennifer Kent for The Nightingale (ACT), 1- Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for Young Ahmed (Cannes), 1- Matt Pinder for Murder Case (BAS), 1- Jon S. Baird for Stan & Ollie (BAS)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

FINAL TAKE:  This may have been Adam Driver’s year and arguably his decade, but this made for a platform win for Joaquin. Moved and motivated, his late awards season surge culminated all the way to the biggest stage and microphone.

WINNERS:  

29- Adam Driver for Marriage Story (GI, ATL, SEA, KC, PCC, SD, CIC, NC, FCC, IN, NV, Chicago, CO, DC, DFW, DET, FL, GW, HOU, PHI, SE, UT, VAN, DUB, EDA, GA, WC, Online, OFTA)

14- Joaquin Phoenix for Joker (NYO, SD, Globe, NT, CC, DEN, SAG, PHX, HC, IA, HI, ND, BAFTA, London, Oscar)

8- Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems (NBR, OK, STL, Boston, LV, BO, AUS, Spirit)

7- Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory (HFA, NY, Cannes, LA, NSFC, SF, GAL)

2- Eddie Murphy for Dolemite is My Name (BF, AA)

2- Taron Egerton for Rocketman (SAT, Globe)

OTHERS: 1- Levan Gelbakhiani for And Then We Danced (NM), 1- Christian Bale for Ford v Ferrari (SAT), 1- Josh O’Connor for Only You (BI), 1- Damon Herriman for Judy and Punch (ACT), 1- Lorn MacDonald for Beats (BAS)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

FINAL TAKE:  Rambling speech or not, Renee peaked at the right time, even in an underseen movie. She joins a very exclusive list of multiple Oscar-winning women. Someday like Adam, Scarlett is going to get that make-up award for a late career success that harks back to her growth in Marriage Story.

WINNERS:  

26- Lupita Nyong’o for Us (NY, NYO, SEA, OK, KC, PCC, SD, CIC, NC, FCC, IN, BF, Chicago, AA, BO, CO, DC, PHI, AUS, EDA, GA, WC, SF, Online, HC, OFTA)

16- Renee Zellweger for Judy (HFA, BI, ATL, NBR, LV, Globe, HOU, SE, CC, SAG, PHX, IA, Spirit, BAFTA, GAL, London)

12- Scarlett Johansson for Marriage Story (STL, FCC, NV, SAT, DFW, DET, FL, GW, UT, VAN, DEN, DUB)

4- Awkwafina for The Farewell (GI, Globe, SAT, HI)

2- Mary Kay Place for Diane (LA, NSFC)

2- Charlize Theron for Bombshell (NV, NT)

OTHERS: 1- Adele Haenel for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (NM), 1- Florence Pugh for Midsommar (ND), 1- Cynthia Erivo for Harriet (WC), 1- Saoirse Ronan for Little Women (Boston), 1- Jessie Buckley for Wild Rose (BAS), 1- Aisling Franciosi for The Nightingale (ACT), 1- Emily Beechem for Little Joe (Cannes)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

FINAL TAKE:  The show led off with lasting popular history. Pitt was the acting lock of the night and the moment did him right. Bravo!

WINNERS:  

29- Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (ATL, NBR, OK, STL, Boston, Globe, CIC, BF, Chicago, BO, DC, DFW, HOU, NSFC, PHI, SE, VAN, AUS, CC, DEN, EDA, SAG, SF, PHX, Online, IA, OFTA, HI, BAFTA, NM)

13- Joe Pesci for The Irishman (NY, NYO, KC, SD, NV, DET, FL, GW, PHI, UT, GA, HC, London)

7- Willem Dafoe for The Lighthouse (SEA, LV, IN, SAT, CO, Spirit, ND)

4- Song Kang-Ho for Parasite (PCC, CIC, LA, GAL)

OTHERS: 1- Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (NT), 1- Jamie Foxx for Just Mercy (AA), 1- Shia LeBeouf for Honey Boy (FCC), 1- Al Pacino for The Irishman (HFA), 1- Joel Edgerton for The King (ACT), 1- Hugh Laurie for The Personal History of David Copperfield (BI)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

FINAL TAKE:  As of this award, the acting prizes went pretty chalk with odds and trends. Laura Dern prevents a Marriage Story shut-out.

WINNERS:  

21- Laura Dern for Marriage Story (HFA, ATL, NY, NY, Globe, DFW, DET, FL, NSFC, SE, VAN, CC, DEN, SAG, PHX, IA, ND, HI, BAFTA, Oscar, London)

14- Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers (SEA, OK, FCC, IN, NV, SAT, DC, LA, AUS, SF, Online, HC, OFTA, GAL)

9- Florence Pugh for Little Women (NC, Chicago, BO, CO, GW, PHI, UT, EDA, GA)

5- Zhao Shuzhen for The Farewell (SD, CIC, HOU, NT, Spirit)

3- Da’Vine Joy Randolph for Dolemite is My Name (KC, BF, AA)

2- Margot Robbie for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood/Bombshell (STL, LV)

OTHERS: 1- Yeo-Jeong Jo for Parasite (NM), 1- Thomasin McKenzie for Jojo Rabbit (PCC), 1- Kathy Bates for Richard Jewell (NBR), 1- Magnolia Maymuru for The Nightingale (ACT), 1- Ruthxjiah Bellenea for The Last Tree (BI)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

FINAL TAKE:  Bong Hive! I was in the #AnyoneButQuentin camp of one, but this category didn’t become about preferences. This was a win for international cinema. It’s extremely rare for the scene to have attention, let alone victory, in these top categories.

WINNERS:  

21- Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-Won for Parasite (ATL, NYO, SEA, NC, Chicago, AA, CO, NSFC, SE, UT, AUS, EDA, GA, SF, Online, HC, OFTA, GAL, BAFTA, WGA, Oscar)15- Noah Baumbach for Marriage Story (GI, STL, SD, FCC, IN, SAT, DC, DFW, DET, GW, LA, VAN, DUB, Spirit, London)

9- Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (NY, STL, Boston, LV, Globe, NV, BO, CC, HI, ND)

8- Rian Johnson for Knives Out (OK, KC, CIC, PCC, HOU, PHI, DEN, PHX)

2- Josh Sadfie, Benny Sadfie, and Ronald Bronstein for Uncut Gems (NBR, FL)

OTHERS: 1- Robert Eggers and Max Eggers for The Lighthouse (NM), 1- Lena Waithe for Queen & Slim (BF), 1- Nicole Taylor for Wild Rose (BAS), 1- Jennifer Kent for The Nightingale (ACT), 1- Celine Sciamma for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Cannes)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

FINAL TAKE:  This was quite a late season surge for Waititi. He is beloved and someday Greta Gerwig will get hers. It’s a matter of time.

WINNERS:  

16- Greta Gerwig for Little Women (KC, CIC, NC, IN, Chicago, CO, SAT, DC, FL, UT, USC, AUS, CC, DEN, EDA, OFTA)

9- Steve Zaillian for The Irishman (NBR, OK, BF, GW, SE, GA, Online, HI, NM)

8- Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit (FCC, NV, SF, PHX, HC, BAFTA, Oscar, WGA)

OTHERS: 1- Todd Phillips and Scott Silver for Joker (SAT), 1- Anthony McCarten for The Two Popes (HFA, LV), 1- J.C. Lee and Julius Onah for Luce (SD)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

FINAL TAKE:  This was the forgone conclusion spot, despite some staunch competition. Go see the other nominees and you’ll find some lovely works.

WINNERS:  

32- Toy Story 4 (HFA, ATL, SEA, OK, KC, STL, PCC, NC, FCC, NV, Chicago, BO, CO, DC, DFW, DET, GW, HOU, NT, PHI, SE, PGA, CC, DEN, GA, PHX, Online, HC, OFTA, IA, HI, Oscar)

14- I Lost My Body (Cannes, NY, NYO, Boston, SD, CIC, BF, FL, LA, UT, Annie, AUS, EDA, SF, ND)

2- Missing Link (LV, Globe)

2- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (NBR, IN)

2- Abominable (GSA, AA)2- Klaus (Annie, BAFTA)1- Weathering With You (NM)

OTHERS: 1- The Lion King (SAT), 1- Love, Death, & Robots – Helping Hand (BAS)

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

FINAL TAKE:  An excellent winner with a Chicago connection in its director Matthew A. Cherry.

WINNERS:  1- Hair Love (Oscar)

OTHERS: 1- Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (Annie), 1- Grandad Was a Romantic (BAFTA)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

FINAL TAKE:  I didn’t know this category well, but I loved the Zack Gottshagen appearance as the presenter. That made my night.

WINNERS:  

1- The Neighbor’s Window (Oscar)

OTHERS: 1- The Distance Between Us and the Sky (Cannes), 1- The Devil’s Harmony (London) 1- Anna (BI), 1- The Joke That Isn’t Funny Anymore (BAS)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

FINAL TAKE:  There was no Obama shout-out or red carpet appearance, but the love was there. I’m still going to be pissed for years for omitting Apollo 13.

WINNERS:  

34- Apollo 11 (CCD, ATL, NYO, SEA, KC, STL, PCC, LV, CIC, NC, FCC, NV, Chicago, BO, CO, DC, DFW, DET, FL, GW, HOU, NT, PHI, SE, UT, AUS, DUB, EDA, GA, SF, Online, HC, IA, OFTA)

8- Honeyland (NY, Boston, NSFC, Sundance, VAN, DEN, ND, GAL)

6- American Factory (GI, OK, LA, EYE, Spirit, Oscar)

6- For Sama (BI, Cannes, IN, IDA, BAFTA, London)

3- One Child Nation (SD, Sundance, PHX)

OTHERS: 1- Diego Maradona (NM), 1- Varda by Agnes (WC), 1- The Black Godfather (AA), 1- Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (BF), 1- 63 Up (SAT), 1- Amazing Grace (KC), 1- Maiden (NBR), 1- The Cordillera of Dreams (Cannes), 1- Real Kashmir F.C. (BAS)

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

FINAL TAKE:  Let this be a lesson to me to always follow the IDA Award winner in my picks.

WINNERS:  

3- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl)  (IDA, BAFTA, Oscar)

1- Period. End of Sentence. (CCD)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

FINAL TAKE:  This was a no-doubter and the minimum of the top prizes Parasite was thought to win tonight.

WINNERS:  46- Parasite (BI, ATL, NBR, NY, SEA, OK, KC, STL, Boston, PCC, SD, LV, Globe, CIC, NC, IN, BF, Chicago, AA, BO, CO, DC, DFW, GW, HOU, NT, PHI, SE, VAN, AUS, CC, DEN, EDA, GA, SF, PHX, Online, HC, Spirit, HI, BAFTA, ND, NM, GAL, OFTA, Oscar)

4- Portrait of a Lady On Fire (NYO, FL, WC, London)1- Pain and Glory (LA)

OTHERS: 1- Truth and Justice (SAT), 1- The Souvenir (Sundance), 1- Monos (Sundance)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

FINAL TAKE:  The GOAT maintains his GOAT status. Speaking of locks, the technical/artistic lock of the night stayed the lock of the night.

WINNERS:  36- Roger Deakins for 1917 (ATL, NBR, NYO, SEA, KC, STL, PCC, LV, CIC, NC, FCC, NV, SAT, BF, Chicago, CO, DC, DFW, FL, HOU, NT, SE, UT, ASC, AUS, CC, EDA, GA, SF, PHX, Online, HC, HI, OFTA, BAFTA, Oscar)

5- Claire Mathon for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (NY, Boston, GW, LA, NSFC)

5- Jarin Blaschke for The Lighthouse (SD, PHI, Spirit, ND, NM)

2- Robert Richardson for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (OK, BO)

OTHERS: 1- Hoyte van Hoytema for Ad Astra (DUB), 1- Adam Arkapow for The Nightingale (ACT), 1- Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma for Honeyland (ASC), 1- Mihai Malaimare Jr. for Jojo Rabbit (HFA), 1- Benjamin Kracun for Beats (BI)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION

FINAL TAKE:  I may have been a big fan of the massive work in 1917 and not a huge Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood lover, but I cannot argue with the artistic brilliance on display here. All the neon, the dinge, the sets-within-the-sets, and the period architecture were worth this.

WINNERS:  

15- Barbara Ling for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (SEA, STL, LV, NV, Chicago, DC, FL, LA, CC, SF, ND, London, ADG, Oscar, NM)

5- Dennis Gassner for 1917 (SD, GA, PHX, BAFTA, Online)

4- Ha-Jun Lee for Parasite (Online, HI, ADG, OFTA)

OTHERS: 1- Charles Wood for Avengers: Endgame (ADG), 1- David Crank for Knives Out (CIC), 1- Ra Vincent for Jojo Rabbit (HFA), 1- Beth Mickle and Michael Ahern for Motherless Brooklyn (SAT), 1- Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton for The King (ACT), 1- Bob Pauley for Toy Story 4 (ADG), 1- Cristina Casali for The Personal History of David Copperfield (BI)

BEST FILM EDITING

FINAL TAKE:  While Ford v Ferrari was the awards season leader going in, the editing work was not the entering favorite. However, this was a superior technical win, which I’ll always respect and enjoy.

WINNERS:  

7- Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland for Ford v Ferrari (HFA, SD, LV, SAT, DC, BAFTA, Oscar)

6- Thelma Schoonmaker for The Irishman (Boston, Chicago, BO, EDA, HP, NM)

4- Lee Smith for 1917 (CIC, CC, PHX, HC)

4- Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie for Uncut Gems (SEA, GW, AUS, Spirit)

3- Jimno Yang for Parasite (ACE, Online, OFTA)

2- Fred Raskin for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (STL, HI)

2- Todd Douglas Miller for Apollo 11 (LA, UT)

OTHERS: 1- Louise Ford for The Lighthouse (ND), 1- Tom Eagles for Jojo Rabbit (ACE), 1- Axel Geddes for Toy Story 4 (ACE), 1- Todd Douglas Miller for Apollo 11 (ACE), 1- Bob Ducsay for Knives Out (CO), 1- Peter McNulty and Anthony Maras for Hotel Mumbai (ACT), 1- Chloe Lambourne and Simon McMahon for For Sama (BI)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

FINAL TAKE:  When in doubt, pick the period piece. This stood as the single consolation spot for all things Little Women.

WINNERS:  

7- Ruth E. Carter for Dolemite is My Name (SD, LV, CIC, SAT, BF, CC, OFTA)

4- Jacqueline Durran for Little Women (Chicago, BAFTA, OFTA, Oscar)

3- Julian Day for Rocketman (PHX, HC, HI)

OTHERS: 1- Jenny Eagan for Knives Out (CDG), 1- Mayes C. Rubeo for Jojo Rabbit (CDG), 1- Ellen Mirojnick for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (CDG), 1- Anna Mary Scott Robbins for Downton Abbey (HFA), 1- Jan Petrie for The King (ACT), 1- Suzie Harman and Robert Worley for The Personal History of David Copperfield (BI)

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR-STYLING

FINAL TAKE:  Much like The Darkest Hour, flashy individuals beats volume and that’s perfectly OK. Great to see the wealth spread.

WINNERS:  

6- Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, and Anne Morgan for Bombshell (CIC, CC, MH, HC, OFTA, Oscar)

2- Nikki Ledermanm, Tania Ribalow, and Sunday Englis for Joker (MH, HI)

OTHERS: 1- Lizzie Yianni-Georgiou, Tapio Salmi, and Barrie Gower for Rocketman (HFA), 1- Jeremy Woodhead for Judy (BI), 1- Zeljka Stanin, Paul Pattison, and Cheryl Williams for Lambs of God (ACT)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

FINAL TAKE:  1917 entered the night a big favorite, but this was not a spot it was favored, making this a very cool win. I was in the #AnythingButTheIrishman mosh pit of one.

WINNERS:  

8- Dan Deleeuw, Matt Aitken, Russell Earl, and Dan Sudick for Avengers: Endgame (STL, LV, NC, NV, CC, PHX, HC, OFTA)

5- Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, and Dominic Touhy for 1917 (CIC, HOU, DEN, BAFTA, Oscar)

4- Allen Maris, Jedediah Smith, Guillaume Rocheron, and Scott R.Fisher for Ad Astra (SEA, SD, Chicago, Online)

3- Joe Letteri and Eric Saindon for Alita: Battle Angel (SAT, FL, HI)

2- Robert Legato, Andrew R. Jones; Adam Valdez, Elliot Newman, and Audrey Ferrara for The Lion King (HP, VES)

2- Pablo Helman for The Irishman (HFA, VES)

OTHERS: 1- Brad Schiff, Travis Knight, Steve Emerson, and Benoit Dubac for Missing Link (VES), 1- Benjamin Fiske, Alex Moaveni, Jesse Erickson, Dimitre Berberov, and Kee Nam Suong for Frozen 2 (Annie), 1- Brendan Seals, Michael Perdew, Andrew Zink, and Adam Gailey for Spider-Man: Far From Home (ACT), 1- Howard Jones for A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (BI)

BEST SOUND EDITING

FINAL TAKE:  Excellent and correct technical win and not a Best Picture sweeper. Well done!

WINNERS:  

4- Donald Sylvester, Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Steven A. Morrow for Ford v Ferrari (HFA, SAT, HI, Oscar)

2- Oliver Tarney and Rachel Tate for 1917 (BAFTA, OFTA)

OTHERS: 1- Tim LeBlanc, Tom Ozanich, Erik Aadahl, Nancy Nugent, and Jason W. Jennings for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (HP), 1- David Bowtle-McMillan, Joakim Sundstrom, and Robert Farr for Beats (BI), 1- Liam Egan for Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (ACT)

BEST SOUND MIXING

FINAL TAKE:  The technical skill of 1917 is fitting for this position. It was going to be between this and the editing winner Ford v Ferrari. This boosted totals nicely.

WINNERS:  

3- Donald Sylvester, Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Steven A. Morrow for Ford V. Ferrari (HFA, SAT, CAS, HI)

3- Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson for 1917 (BAFTA, OFTA, Oscar)

OTHERS: 1- Doc Kane, Vince Caro, Michael Semanick, Nathan Nance, David Boucher, and Scott Curtis for Toy Story 4 (CAS), 1- David J. Turner, Tom Myers, David Blanck, and Frank Rinella for Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (CAS), 1- David Bowtle-McMillan, Joakim Sundstrom, and Robert Farr for Beats (BI)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

FINAL TAKE:  I love this moment of history for Hildur and her speech was fitting and matching of the moment. Joker haters, be damned.

WINNERS:

11- Hildur Gudnadottir for Joker (PCC, LV, Globe, SAT, CC, DEN, HC, HI, ND, BAFTA, Oscar)

8- Thomas Newman for 1917 (ATL, STL, DFW, AUS, GA, PHX, IA, OFTA)

5- Michael Abels for Us (CIC, IN, CO, DC, Online)

4- Daniel Lopatin for Uncut Gems (SEA, OK, BO, FL)

2- Alexandre Desplat for Little Women (Boston, Chicago)

2- Randy Newman for Marriage Story (HFA, GW)

OTHERS: 1- James Newton Howard for A Hidden Life (NM), 1- Emile Nommensen for The Last Black Man in San Francisco (SF), 1- Matt Morton for Apollo 11 (UT), 1- Dan Levy for I Lost My Body (LA), 1- Matthew Margeson for Rocketman (NYO), 1- Alberto Iglesias for Pain and Glory (Cannes), 1- Francois Tetaz for Judy and Punch (ACT), 1- Jack Arnold for Wild Rose (BI)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

FINAL TAKE:  The legend won in the spot where legends win. I would have loved Cynthia Erivo, but who can argue with Elton John.

WINNERS:  

6- “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” from Wild Rose (HOU, CC, DEN, GA, HC, ND)

6- “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman (Globe, SAT, CC, HI, OFTA, Oscar)

OTHERS: 1- “Swan Song” from Alita: Battle Angel (NM), 1- “I Punched Keanu Reeves” from Always Be My Maybe (CIC), 1- “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4 (IA), 1- “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2 (PHX), 1- “Letter to My Grandfather” from The Black Godfather (HFA), 1- “Stand Up” from Harriet (LV)

ACRONYM KEY FOR AWARD GROUPS

African-American Film Critics Association (AA), ACE Eddie Awards (ACE), Art Directors Guild Awards (ADG), Annie Awards (Annie), American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), Atlanta Film Critics Circle (ATL), Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (ACT), Austin Film Critics Association (AUS), British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), BAFTA Scottland (BAS), Black Film Critics Circle (BF), British Independent Film Awards (BI), Boston Society of Film Critics (Boston), Boston Online Film Critics Association (BO), Cannes Film Festival (Cannes), Cinema Audio Society (CAS), Costume Designers Guild (CDG), Chicago Film Critics Association (Chicago), Chicago Indie Critics (CIC), Broadcast Film Critics Association/Critics Choice Awards (CC), Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCD), Columbus/Central Ohio Film Critics Associations (CO), Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (DC), Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFW), Denver Film Critics Society (DEN), Detroit Film Critics Society (DET), Directors Guild of America (DGA), Dublin Film Critics Circle (DUB), Alliance of Women Film Journalists/EDA Awards (EDA), Cinema Eye Awards (EYE), Online Association of Female Film Critics (FFC), Florida Film Critics Circle (FL), Georgia Film Critics Association (GA), Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association/Dorian Awards (GAL), Gotham Independent Film Awards (GI), Golden Screen Awards (GSA), Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GW), Hollywood Critics Association (HC), Hawaii Film Critics Society (HI), Hollywood Foreign Press Association/Golden Globes (Globe), Hollywood Film Awards (HFA), Houston Film Critics Society (HOU), Hollywood Professionals Association (HP), Iowa Film Critics Association (IA), International Documentary Association (IDA), Indiana Film Journalist Associations (IN), Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KC), Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LA), London Film Critics Circle (London), Las Vegas Film Critics Association/Sierra Winners (LV), Makeup and Hair-Styling Guild (MH), National Board of Review (NBR), North Carolina Film Critics Association (NC), North Dakota Film Critics Society (ND), National Society of Film Critics (NSFC), New Mexico Film Critics (NM), North Texas Film Critics Association (NT), Nevada Film Critics Society (NV), New York Film Critics Circle (NY), New York Online Film Critics Association (NYO), Online Film and Television Awards (OFTA), Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OK), Online Film Critics Society (Online), The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences/Academy Awards (Oscar), People’s Choice Awards (PC), Producers Guild of America (PGA), Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PHI), Phoenix Critic Circle (PCC), Phoenix Film Critics Society (PHX), Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), International Press Academy/Satellite Awards (SAT), San Diego Film Critics Society (SD), Southeastern Film Critics Association (SE), Seattle Film Critics Society (SEA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SF),  Independent Spirit Awards (Spirit), St. Louis Film Critics (STL), Sundance Film Festival (Sundance), Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), USC Libraries Scripter Award (USC), Utah Film Critics Association (UT), Vancouver Critics Circle (VAN), Visual Effects Society Awards (VES), Women Film Critics Circle (WC), Writers Guild of America (WGA)

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Mademoizelle Movies Challenge 2020

Un film dont le titre est issu d’une chanson - Going to Brasil

Un film avec un(e) journaliste - The girl in the spider’s web

Un film réalisé par une femme - Lady Bird 

Un film ayant gagné un ours d’or - Sen to Chihiro no Kamikashuki (Le voyage de Chihiro)

Un film avec une voix off - Cinderella (live action - 2017)

Un film qui se déroule à la campagne - 3 Billboards, les panneaux de la vengeance

Un buddy movie -  Dumb and Dumber

Un film avec un personnage atteint d’un handicap - Inside I’m dancing / Rory O’Shea was here

Un court-métrage - What did Jack do ?

Un film qui n’est pas sorti en salles en France - L'ultime sacrifice

Un film choral - Reservoir Dogs

Un premier film - The cabin in the woods 

Un film sur le monde du travail

Un film réalisé par un(e) acteur/trice qui joue dedans - Jojo Rabbit 

Un film tourné dans la région de mon enfance - Taxi

Un survival - Instinct de survie

Un film sorti l’année de ton bac - X-Men: First Class

Un film qui se déroule avant le XXe siècle - La favorite 

Un film avec un caméo de réalisateur/trice - Clueless

Un film d’animation européen - The Queen's Corgi (film d’animation belge en langue anglaise)

Un film qui n’est ni en anglais ni en français - Millenium 1 ( Suédois VOSTFR )

Un film dont l’affiche est esthétique - Knives out

Un film français d’avant 1980 - Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959)

Un film avec un titre en un mot - Venom

Un film qui aurait dû avoir un Oscar - The Stranger (1946)

Un film adapté d’une pièce de théâtre - L’étudiante et Monsieur Henry

Un film qui m’a fait découvrir un(e) acteur/trice

Un film avec un meurtre - Millenium 2 

Un film avec un jeu - Rollerball (1975)

Un film sorti l’année de naissance d’un de mes parents

Un film avec une scène chantée ou dansée - Pan 

Un film avec un(e) acteur/trice que j’adore - Assasination Nation 

Un film avec un anti héro - Hancock

Un film muet - The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Un film qui se passe à l’hôpital - The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Un film avec un titre contenant un aliment comestible

Un western - The lone ranger

Un film adapté d’un livre que j’ai lu - After : chapitre 1

Un film autour d’une grossesse

Un film d’un(e) réalisateur/trice asiatique - Parasite

Un film de guerre - Dunkerque

Un film avec des personnages principaux queer - Portrait de la jeune fille en feu 

Un film se déroulant pendant les fêtes de Noël ou pendant la Saint-Sylvestre - Taxi 3

Un film dont l’actrice principale est racisée

Un film que tu n’avais pas envie de voir - Kingsman : the golden circle

un film qui t'a fait pleurer de rire - Mr Popper’s penguins 

un film avec de la magie - The Covenant

un film vu au cinéma (transformé en : que j’aurais dû voir au cinema , vu le contexte ... Merci le Covid ...) - Sound of Metal

un film exclusif netflix  - You get Me 

une comédie musicale - Drôle de Frimousse (Funny Face)

un film dans lequel un objet est important - Le Seigneur des anneaux : le retour du roi 

Un film avec un scène en hélicoptère - Kong : Skull Island 

Le film préféré d'un.e ami - Mortal Kombat (film préféré d’ Eric lorsqu’il était petit et qu’il m’a recommandé à la base pour la catégorie “un film avec des ninjas” , mais le film est hors thème...)

Un film où l'eau / la mer est important - A cure for wellness

Un film que tu as trouvé nul - Ocean’s thirteen

Un Disney - Aladdin

Un film en huit-clos - Crawl

Un film avec des ninjas

Un film considéré comme un classique - Halloween 

Un film où le personnage est coincé dans une histoire en boucle - Edge of Tomorrow

Un film en noir et blanc - L’homme qui en savait trop (1ère version)

Un film avec une scène improbable - Alien Resurrection (Après avoir dégommé un alien particulièrement coriace à l’envers sur une échelle , le personnage de Ron Perlman en se redressant se retrouve nez à nez avec une petite araignée !)

Un film considéré comme l’un des meilleurs de la décennie selon Première - Gravity

Un film sensuel ou érotique - The Love Witch

Un film d’horreur psychologique - Get out

Un film qui te rassure - The jungle book ( dessin animé - 1967 )

Un film d’Amérique du Sud

Un film ayant reçu un oscar de la photographie - The Revenant 

Un film dont les personnages principaux sont des personnes âgées - Youth

Un biopic historique - Unbroken 

Un film avec un monstre surnaturel - Aliens : le retour 

Un film sur les enfants - Artemis Fowl

Un documentaire - Miss representative

Un film avec une saison dans le titre - Captain America : the Winter Soldier

Un film qui se passe en prison - Hunger

Un film avec des effets spéciaux qui ont mal vieilli - Silent Hill 2

Un film ayant passé le test de Bechdel - Captain Marvel

Un film ayant gagné l’oscar du meilleur décor - Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Un film dont un personnage a le même prénom que toi - Delicatessen

Un remake ou film ayant été objet de remake - Flubber 

Un film basé sur des faits réels - I,Tonya 

un film faisant partie d’une trilogie - Millenium 3

un film avec un(e) prof - Freedom Writers

un film ayant lieu dans un pays que j’aimerais visiter - The secret Scripture 

un film d’espionnage - Burn After Reading

un film avec un(e) psy - Sibyl

un film qui m’a mis en colère - The Miseducation of Cameron Post

un film se déroulant dans le futur - Aeon Flux

un film dont le titre commence par la première lettre de ton prénom - Joker

un film que j’ai aimé contre toute attente - Skin

un film avec un animal qui parle - Avengers : Endgame 

un film avec un couple de cinéma que j’adore

Un film sorti cette année - Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Un film dirigé par un.e réalisateur.trice de moins de 30 ans - Tom à la ferme

Un film dont le personnage principal n’est pas humain - Cats and Dogs

Un film avec une couleur dans le titre - Green book

Un film dont tu aimes la BO -  Le seigneur des anneaux : Les deux tours

Un film avec un mariage - Wedding nightmare

Un film que ta mère/ton père/ta soeur*aime (* petit joker je n’ai pas trouvé les films que mon père m’a recommandé...) - Le loup de Wall Street

Un film dont je voudrais changer la fin - Mrs Doubtfire

EDIT 28/12 : 91/100 (dont un documentaire)

Films vus qui ne rentrent pas ( ou plus ) dans les catégories ci dessus :

- Spider man : Far From Home 

- Dark Shadows

- Peter Pan (dessin animé)

- Les 101 dalmatiens (film)

- Marvel Studios : Assembling a universe (documentaire)

- X-men 1

- L'Âge de glace : Les Lois de l'univers

- The talented Mr Ripley

- Kubrick par Kubrick (documentaire)

- Les Aristochats 

- Mulan (dessin animé)

- Who framed Roger Rabbit

- Marvel Studios : Expanding the universe (documentaire - présentation des series MCU à venir)

- Rogue One : A Star Wars Story

- X-men : the last stand

- Yes man

- X-men origins : Wolverine

- Atonement

- The lion king (dessin animé)

- The ruins

- The lucky one

- 21 Years : Quentin Tarantino (documentaire sur les oeuvres du réalisateur)

- The losers 

- Billy Elliot

- Julie Andrews , la mélodie d’une vie (documentaire sur la carrière de la chanteuse et actrice)

- Chef

- Push 

- Alice au pays des merveilles (dessin animé)

- Coming to America

- Robin des bois (dessin animé)

- Underwater

- 2 Fast 2 Furious ( volume 2 de la saga Fast and Furious)

- The Cell

- Captain America : Civil War (VOST)

- Ève ( court métrage)

- It

- I am Legend

- Triple frontier

- Busanhaeng (Train to Busan) (Sud coréen - VOSTFR)

- Destroyer

- Arrival

- The old guard

- Valkyrie

- Le Mans 66

- Peter Pan (film)

- Hook

- In Darkness

- Ingrid goes West

- The Wolverine

- The devil all the time

- Ex Machina

- X men : Days of Future past

- This is Paris Hilton ( documentaire sur la femme d’affaire )

- X men : Apocalypse

- Chadwick Boseman : a tribute for a King (documentaire en hommage à l’acteur - non référencé sur Senscritique )

- Trixie Mattel : moving parts ( documentaire sur la drag queen)

- Terminator 2: Judgment Day

- Disclorsure: Trans Lives on screen ( documentaire sur la transexualité et sa représentation dans les médias)

- Lights out

- The Conjuring

- Annabelle 

- The Witches (1990)

- La Leggenda del pianista sull'oceano

- Girl with a pearl earring 

- The Conjuring 2

- Edward Scissorhands

- Logan lucky

- A couteaux tirés (deja vu cette année en version original sous titré - Knives out)

- Il a déjà tes yeux

- The Sound of Music

- 102 Dalmatians

- Alien vs Predator

- Mulan (live action)

- Logan

- The King 

- Doctor Dolittle (1998)

- Dr Dolittle 2

- Star Wars : The Last Jedi

- After We Collided

- Bronson (titre original , vu en VOSTFR)

[leedo0131]

2020

1/8 love with flaws

1/11 cheer (3)

1/12 cheer (3)

1/17 PARASITE

1/18 JAGGED LITTLE PILL

1/20 sex education s2, MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON

1/25 chilling adventures of sabrina s3

1/31 stove league, itaewon class

2/1 crash landing on you, PARASITE, itaewon class

2/2 crash landing on you, tell me what you saw

2/3 MISS AMERICANA

2/4 Friday joy package (2), everything’s gonna be okay

2/8 MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE, crash landing on you, itaewon class (2)

2/9 CHICAGO, crash landing on you

2/10 the cursed

2/11 the cursed

2/12 TO THE ALL THE BOYS: PS I STILL LOVE YOU

2/13 BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

2/14 itaewon class

2/14 stove league

2/15 crash landing on your, friday joy package (2)

2/17 the cursed

2/18 the cursed

2/21 hyena

2/22 hyena, itaewon class (2)

2/24 the cursed

2/25 the cursed

2/28 hyena, itaewon class

2/29 hyena, itaewon class, THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)

3/1 CLASSIC NYCB II: IN G MAJOR, ROTUNDA, DGV

3/2 the cursed

3/3 the cursed

3/7 everything’s gonna be okay, itaewon class

3/8 Hilary (3)

3/13 hospital playlist

3/14 kingdom (6)

3/15 hyena (2), westworld s2, westworld s3

3/16 THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL

3/17 fosse/verdon, the plot against America

3/23 little fires everywhere (3)

3/24 START-UP (2020)

3/25 BEASTS CLAWING AT STRAWS, heart signal s3, Friday night joy package

3/27 the world of the married, hyena, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

3/28 the world of the married, hyena, rugal

3/29 westworld, tiger king (7)

3/30 nobody knows

3/31 nobody knows

4/1 heart signal s3, 365: repeat of the year, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, JUST FRIENDS (2019)

4/2 hospital playlist, ADDICTED, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/3 hyena, the world of the married, making the cut, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/4 hyena, knowing bros, the world of the married, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/5 MY LIFE ON THE ROAD, westworld

4/6 how to buy a friend, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/7 how to buy a friend, kang’s kitchen s2, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/8 kang’s kitchen s3, heart signal s3, little fires everywhere, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/9 hospital playlist, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD, SALT

4/10 hyena, the world of the married, devs (7), MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/11 the world of the married, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/12 KNIVES OUT, westworld, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/13 MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/14 MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/15 mrs. america, devs, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/16 hospital playlist, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD, THE TWO POPES

4/17 the world of the married, the king: eternal monarch, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/18 the king: eternal monarch, the world of the married, #blackAF, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/19 westworld, killing eve, insecure, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/20 the new journey to the west s7, METHOD (2017), MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/21 MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/22 heart signal s3, THE MAN STANDING NEXT (2020), MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/23 real housewives of beverly hills, hospital playlist, mr. robot, TIME TO HUNT, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/24 the king: eternal monarch, the world of the married, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/25 the king: eternal monarch, the world of the married, MY LIFE ON THE ROAD

4/26 ozark s1, westworld, killing eve, ANNA KARENINA

4/27 ozark s1, insecure, ANNA KARENINA

4/28 ozark s2, ANNA KARENINA

4/29 ANNA KARENINA, ozark s3

4/30 hospital playlist, FRANKENSTEIN, ANNA KARENINA

5/1 the king: eternal monarch. the world of the married, extracurricular (5), ANNA KARENINA

5/2 extracurricular (5), the world of the married, ANNA KARENINA

5/3 westworld, ANNA KARENINA

5/4 killing eve, insecure, the king: eternal monarchthree meals a day mountain village, ANNA KARENINA

5/5 COUNTDOWN (2011), ANNA KARENINA

5/6 new journey into the west s4, heart signal, hollywood, ANNA KARENINA

5/7 hospital playlist, road to kingdom, ANNA KARENINA

5/8 the world of the married, the king: eternal monarch, ANNA KARENINA

5/9 the world of the married, how do you play, omniscient interfering view, ANNA KARENINA

5/10 1 night 2days s4, three meals a day: fishing village 5, ANNA KARENINA

5/11 insecure, hollywood, THE PLATFORM, ANNA KARENINA

5/12 three meals a day: mountain village, hollywood, ANNA KARENINA

5/13 three meals a day: mountain village, hollywood, ANNA KARENINA

5/14 hospital playlist, road to kingdom, oh my baby, good girl, ANNA KARENINA

5/15 the world of the married, three meals a day: fishing village 5, ANNA KARENINA

5/16 the world of the married, how do you play?, knowing bros, ANNA KARENINA

5/17 1 night and 2 days, insecure, killing eve, ANNA KARENNINA

5/18 killing eve, ANNA KARENINA

5/19 oh my baby,  three meals a day: mountain village, ANNA KARENINA

5/20 heart signal 3, kkondae intern, oh my baby (2), ANNA KARENINA

5/21 good girl, road to kingdom, hospital playlist, kkondae intern, three meals a day: mountain village. ANNA KARENINA

5/22 real housewives of New York, three meals a day: mountain village. ANNA KARENINA

5/23 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (National Theatre Live), knowing bros, ANNA KARENINA

5/24 master in the house, ANNA KARENINA

5/25 killing eve, sweet munchies, SPY (2015), ANNA KARENINA

5/26 mystic pop-up bar, ANNA KARENINA, NORMAL LOVE

5/27 heart signal s3, kkondae intern, ANNA KARENINA

5/28 road to kingdom, kkondae intern, real housewives of Beverly Hills, good girl, ANNA KARENINA

5/29 hospital playlist, legendary, ANNA KARENINA, NORAML LOVE

5/30 how do you play?, legendary, where your eyes linger (2), ANNA KARENINA, LATE NIGHT

5/31hollywood, killing eve, ANNA KARENINA

6/1 insecure, ANNA KARENINA

6/2 THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, ANNA KARENINA

6/3 kkondae intern, heart signal 3, ANNA KARENINA

6/4 kkondae intern, the real housewives of Beverly Hills, ANNA KARENINA

6/5 three meals a day: fishing village 5, ANNA KARENINA

6/6 how do you play?, GAME NIGHT, ANNA KARENINA

6/7 insecure, never have I ever, ANNA KARENINA

6/8 never have I ever (2), my room row1, ANNA KARENINA

6/9 ANNA KARENINA

6/10 heart signal 3, kkondae intern, ANNA KARENINA, HAPPY TOGETHER (1997)

6/11 kkondae intern, when your eyes linger, ANNA KARENINA

6/12 cardcaptor sakura

6/13 THE WITCH: PART 1 SUBVERSION, three meals a day: fishing village 3, card captor sakura

6/14 three meals a day: fishing village 3, lennox hill (3), insecure, 1 night 2 days, master in the house

6/15 iennox hill (5), hollywood, ANNA KARENINA

6/16 IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, ANNA KARENINA

6/17 america to me (4), kkondae intern, ANNA KARENINA

6/18 america to me (2), love victor (10)

6/19 america to me (2), kkondae intern,  ANNA KARENINA

6/20 ASSASINATION CLASSROOM, how do you play?, america to me (2), ANNA KARENINA

6/2 1 night 2 days, ANNA KARENINA

6/22 cardcaptor sakura, UPGRADE

6/23 THE GOOD LIAR

6/24 lennox hill, ANNA KARENINA

6/25 good girl

6/26 i-land, three meals a day: fishing village 5

6/27 how do you play?, DOCTOR SLEEP

6/28 1 night 2 days, hollywood,

6/29 I may destroy you, ANNA KARENINA

6/30 LES MISERALBES (2019), I may destroy you, ANNA KARENINA

7/1 heart signal 3, ANNA KARENINA

7/2 WELCOME TO CHENCHNYA, cardcaptor sakura,

7/3 ANNA KARENINA

7/4 how do you play?, knowing bros, ju-on: origins (6), ANNA KARENINA

7/5 1 night 2 days, ANNA KARENINA, TRAIN TO BUSAN

7/6 the good detective

7/7 the good detective, i may destroy you, PSYCHOKENESIS

7/8 heart signal 3.,

7/9 real housewives of beverly hills, ANNA KARENINA

7/10 THE OLD GUARD, i-land, graceful friends, real housewives of New York

7/11 how do you play?, knowing bros,  graceful friends, train

7/12 master in the house, 1 night 2 days,

7/13 the good detective, expecting Amy (3), dark, ANNA KARENINA

7/14 dark (2), ANNA KARENINA, HONEST CANDIDATE

7/15 dark (2), ANNA KARENINA

7/16 dark (3), real housewives of Beverly Hills

7/17 dark (4), real housewives of New York, summer vacation

7/18 knowing bros, dark (4)

7/19 master in the house, dark (4), ANNA KARENINA

7/20 I may destroy you, the good detective, dark (3)

7/21the good detective

7/22 ANNA KARENINA

7/23 real housewives of Beverly Hills,

7/24 summer vacation, graceful friends

7/25 how do you play?, HAMILTON, knowing bros

7/26 running man, 1 night 2days

7/27 the good detective, i may destroy you,

7/28 last chance u s5 (2), the good detective

7/29 radio star, last chance u, new journey into the west s3 (2)

7/30 flower of evil (2), real housewives of beverly hill,

7/31 real housewives of New York City, umbrella academy (10)

8/1 summer camp, how do you play?

8/2 FROZEN 2, ANNA KARENINA

8/3 the good detective, TOY STORY 4

8/4 the good detective, last chance u s5 (3)

8/5 THE MERCILESS, flower of evil

8/6 the real housewives of Beverly Hills, flower of evil

8/7 summer vacation, JURASSIC PARK

8/8 NIGHT FLIGHT (2014), how do you play?, knowing bros, THE HOST (2006)

8/9 FORGOTTEN (2017), MAGGIE (2018)

8/10 Harley Quinn, the good detective, I may destroy you, JANE (2016)

8/11 the good detective, Harley Quinn, I may destroy you, JOJO RABBIT

8/12 flower of evil, Harley Quinn, SHOPLIFTERS

8/13 Harley Quinn

8/14 summer vacation, POWER PROJECT, INSIDE MEN (2015)

8/15 how do you play?, knowing bros, stranger s2, stranger (2)

8/16 stranger s2, avatar: the last airbender, lovecraft country

8/17 avatar: the last airbender (5), the good detective, stranger

8/18 avatar: the last airbender (10), Harley Quinn

8/19 avatar: the last airbender (3), in the stoop, fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood, I may destroy you, flower of evil

8/20 flower of evil, fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood

8/21 summer vacation, THE YELLOW SEA (2010)

8/22 how do you play?, stranger s2

8/23 1 night 2 days, stranger s2, ANNA KARENINA

8/24 lovecraft country

8/25 I may destroy you, stranger

8/26 stranger, flower of evil

8/27 radio star, KUNDO: AGE OF THE RAMPANT

8/28 summer vacation, Alice

8/29 stranger s2, “amazing rumor” (60)

8/30 stranger s2, stranger, BLACK PANTHER

8/31 stranger, missing: the other side, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE

9/1 stranger, video star

9/2 in the soop, real housewives of Beverly Hills, INCEPTION

9/3 six sense, real housewives of New York

9/4 summer vacation, alice, MULAN (2020), PENINSULA

9/5 stranger s2, alice, lovecraft country

9/6 stranger s2

9/7 record of youth, SPIES IN DISGUISE

9/8 signal, record of youth, #ALIVE, SEA FOG

9/9 in the soop, real housewives of Beverly Hills, ASH IS PUREST WHITE

9/10 real housewives of New York City, ANNA KARENINA, UNCUT GEM

9/11 summer vacation, alice

9/12 knowing bros, how do you play?, NORMAL LOVE, stranger s2

9/13 1 night 2 days, THE SOCIAL DILEMMA, alice, stranger s2, Lovecraft country

9/14 DELIVER US FROM EVIL (2020), record of youth

9/15 we are who we are, record of youth, THIS IS PARIS

9/16 record of youth, NORMAL PEOPLE

9/17 record of youth, real housewives of Beverly Hills, real housewives of New York, NORMAL PEOPLE

9/18 in the soop: bts

9/19 stranger s2, OKAY! MADAM

9/20 summer vacation, lovecraft country

9/21 we are who we are

9/25 the school nurse files (2)

9/26 how do you play?, NORMAL PEOPLE, the school nurse flies (2)

9/27 stranger s2 (2), lovecraft country, the comey rule

9/28 NORMAL PEOPLE, we are who we are

9/29 the school nurse files

9/30 the school nurse files

10/2 mr. heart (8)

10/3 THE BOYS IN THE BAND, stranger s2, normal people (3), NORMAL PEOPLE

10/4 stranger s2, lovecraft country

10/6 we are who we are

10/10 new journey to the west s8, the tale of nine-tailed, private lives (2)

10/11 Lovecraft country

10/12 the haunting of Bly manor (2)

10/13 we are who we are

10/16 new journey to the west s8

10/17 search

10/18 search, the haunting of Bly manor (3), lovecraft country

10/20 we are who we are

10/24 knowing bros, private lives

10/25 private lives, search

10/26 penthouse, we are who we are

10/27 NORMAL PEOPLE

10/30 new journey to the west s8

10/31show me the money s9, private lives (2)

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

Super Yoshi?

I had a wonderful idea. I present to you the first chapter of the very first story I ever wrote. I was just about 11 years old when I started writing this. In the summer of 2001, I went on vacation to Montreal, Canada, and just had the idea. This was the start of my writing career - a Yoshi fanfic. I wanted him to be the hero instead of Mario and Luigi. It has LOTS of awkward shit. I don’t mean this first chapter, but the rest of it. I’m willing to post maybe several chapters but not all of it because of the cringe. Maybe one day. Not sure. By awkward shit I mean thinking I was funny when I really wasn’t. I shamelessly stole jokes from Spongebob Squarepants and TV commercials and anything else I soaked in. I wrote this story, as well as all my middle school stories, on paper. A couple years back, I decided to copy every written story on Word to preserve them. So without further ado, here is the very first story I ever wrote in all its glory - grammar mistakes and spelling errors included. Nothing is doctored. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Super Yoshi? An Action Comedy Ch 1 The Idiot    Yoshi stood in the middle of the crowded front of the Mushroom Castle.   

He wondered why the king ordered everyone to the castle. Suddenly the huge red doors opened and the king came out.    

“Silence people silence,” he said. The crowd noise came to a complete stop. “The princess has been captured again but this time she will die if we don’t give Bowser $1,000,000,” the king said.

The crowd gave a gasp.

“Where’s Mario and Luigi?” Yoshi said to himself. They both usually came to a meeting like this. In the middle of the speech Yoshi ran to look for Mario an Luigi.   

#    

Yoshi found Mario’s Pipe House (from Mario RPG) and knocked on the door.     Mario open it and Yoshi said quickly, “Mario Mario! The Princess is,--“ “I know!” Mario said cutting him off. “Then why don’t you go and save her?” Yoshi asked. “Why doesn’t she save her own ass for once!” Mario said angrily. “I’m tired of saving her all the time,” “But she’ll die!” Yoshi said. “Better her than me!” Mario yelled. And with that he shut the door. “There’s one more person,” Yoshi said to himself.   

#   

“Luigi! Luigi!” Yoshi yelled as he ran to Luigi’s house. “The princess is captured, you want to help?” He ran to the door. There was a paper on it and it said “NO.” “Are you sure?” Yoshi asked. He tore down the paper and there was another one that said “YES.”  

 “I wonder if Toad can help,” Yoshi thought.

    #    

Toad’s house was a small mushroom house.    

Yoshi knocked on the door. “We don’t want any!” an angry voice yelled. “It’s me, Yoshi,” Yoshi said. Toad opened the door.    

“Waddya want?” he asked. “I. . .I want to be a hero and save the princess,” Yoshi stammered.  

  “And you want me to train you right?” Toad said. Yoshi nodded.

Toad thought for a moment, then said, “No can do. Out of the question,”

When he was about to close the door Yoshi stopped him. “Mario and Luigi are too lazy to do it and if no one saves her she’ll die,” Toad muttered something low and sighed. “Meet me in the courtyard,”

Toad said. “Does that mean I have the job! Oh boy!” Yoshi said jumping up and down.

“Please don’t do that,” Toad said.   

#   

Yoshi stood alone in the courtyard. There were flower pots, fountains, and a pool.    

The back door opened and Toad came out. “Okay I retired earlier, but since you told me all the details I thought I might help,” Toad said. “First I’ll give you a manual about becoming a hero,” He went back in the house and when he came back he held a huge book and dropped it near Yoshi with a loud thud. “There!” he said gasping for air. Yoshi opened to the 1st page out of a billion. “Oh great. No pictures, just the way I like it,” Yoshi said sarcasticly.    

“Okay let’s start with the basics,” Toad said. “Level 1, punching and kicking, first we—“ “Excuse me,” Yoshi interrupted. “But how many levels are there?”

“8,000,” Toad answered.

“Oh boy,”

“As I was saying, we start with punching and kicking,” Toad brought a big punching dummy and put it in front of Yoshi. “All right start by punching this dummy,” Toad said.    

Yoshi looked at the dummy and stared at it. “Well aren’t you going to punch it?” Toad asked.    

“Uh, well I. . .um,”     “Toad laughed. “Don’t tell me you don’t how to punch right?”  

  “Uh. . .no,” Yoshi answered.  

  Toad stopped laughing. “Oh boy, it’s gonna be a long day,” Toad said.  

  So then Yoshi trained day after day after day from punching to somersaults. Then one day Yoshi was up to his final test. “Okay Yoshi, this is your last test,” Toad said. “What is it?” Yoshi asked.  

  “You have to run a 2 mile race with traps along the way in under 5 min., the track starts from my backyard, past the neighborhood and to the Mcdonalds by the Drugstore. I’ll have a lakitu following you with a camera so I can time you all right?” Toad asked.

“Sure,” Yoshi said. Yoshi got ready at the staring line.

“On the count of 3 run,” Toad said. “1. . . .2. . . . 3!” Yoshi ran as fast as he can when suddenly he tripped over a rock causing him to tumble on a pillar with a vase on it. The vase flew in the air and landed on his head. Yoshi stood up and ran around trying to get it of his head. His foot stepped on Toad’s pet cat’s tail, causing it to give a shriek and bit Yoshi’s butt.    

“Ahhhhhh!” Yoshi yelled. He ran into the house with the cat stuck on him. Toad followed him when then his wife came out of the house. “Don’t ask,” Toad told her. “Don’t tell,” she said. Suddenly there was a loud crash. Toad’s cat quickly ran out the door. “Oh no,” he said. Toad went into the kitchen where he saw Yoshi on the floor and pieces of the vase and some dishes near him. “Are you okay?” Toad asked.  

  “What?” Yoshi groaned.   

Toad went up to him. “Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?” Toad said holding up 5 fingers.    

“Uh. . .8?” Yoshi said dazed.  

  “That’s close enough, now get up,” Toad said.  

  Yoshi got up and they both went to the backyard. “Well so much for the final test,” Yoshi said. Toad looked at his watch. “Get ready,” he said.  

  “For what?” 

  “You have to go now; Bowser said he’d execute the Princess today at 6:00 pm, think you can do it?” Toad asked.

Yoshi thought for a moment, then said, “Yeah,”   

#    

They both took the route to Bowser’s castle. Yoshi looked up and saw the huge castle and saw lightning and thunder. “Why is it always thundering only on Bowser’s castle?” he asked. Toad shrugged.  

  Yoshi gave a heavy sigh, cracked his knuckles and went up to the door.      What an idiot. Toad thought. I bet he can’t get through the front door.    

There was a sign on the door that said push but Yoshi ignored it and pulled instead.  

OF course the door wouldn’t open.    

Toad couldn’t take the stupidity anymore.  

  “Hey mor---I mean Yoshi, look at the sign!” he yelled. Yoshi looked at it.     “Oh. . .I knew that,” he said. “You’re gonna wait here right?” he asked. 

  “Oh sure,” Toad replied. Yoshi went in.    

“Sucker,” Toad said. He turned and ran.   

The castle was dark and big.    

There was a huge rug with Bowser’s face on it and on the wall was his family portraits. Dinosaur statues line up against the the wall. Yoshi slowly walked ahead to the door. It was locked. Then he heard a low growl and swift wind, he turned but nothing was there. Except he noticed one of the statues moved, it was the raptor statue. “Must be my imagination,” he thought. He went back to trying to open the door. Behind him the statue’s eyes glared like fire, picked up a sword and moved toward him.   

(Artwork by Willy Abeel - Yes, this was original artwork of my story from way back in 6th grade)

Yoshi turned and ducked just in time to avoid the sword. Yoshi did a tail whip and a round kick but it had no effect. Yoshi ran to another statue with a sword with the raptor behind him slashing the sword crazily. Yoshi grabbed the sword and blocked the attack. Yoshi and the raptor slashed and blocked attacks with the swords until Yoshi stabbed it into it’s stomach and pulled the sword upward, causing the raptor to split in two. He heard footsteps behind him and he knew. He turned and cut the next raptor in two with only it’s legs running around bumping into walls. For a moment there was silence. Until all the statues came alive armed with swords and spiked chain balls. Yoshi slashed, cut, and did somersaults while fighting the statues. He loss track of how many he killed. There were so many. One of was in front and back of him. The front one swung his sword. Yoshi ducked and it hit the one behind him. Yoshi stood and beheaded the raptor. Suddenly something hit him in the back causing him to fall to the ground. 

  He saw the spiked ball come down. He rolled over and it missed.  

  The raptor turned to him. Yoshi was about to stand when he saw the wepon in front of him. He swung the sword causing the chain to cut. The raptor looked at his broken weapon puzzled when Yoshi stabbed the sword in it’s face causing it to crumble into pieces. There were no more statues. Yoshi was ready to strike at anything that moved. Suddenly the lights went out, then the torches. Yoshi panted in the pitch black room. He went to wipe the sweat on his forehead when he noticed it was blood. It was quiet. . .too quiet.   

  Yoshi could almost hear his heartbeat. 

  Behind him a cloud of purple dust came out of a vent forming into a dragon.      The dragon flew and hit Yoshi on the back with a sharp blow. He tumbled into the door. He quickly stood and slashed part of the dragon’s body. He roared and belched out a ton of fire at Yoshi. Yoshi retreated dodging the fire. He threw his sword as it flew pass the dragon and cut both it’s ears. The dragon roared in pain. Yoshi ran to get his sword and he stabbed it under the dragon. The dragon was filled with rage and swung his claws and scratched Yoshi’s face. Then the dragon flew in the air and disappeared. 

    Yoshi looked up, wondering if he would come again. Suddenly the chandilers fell to the ground and part of the ceiling fell. Yoshi quickly ran to the door as all the rocks and lamps fell behind him. He looked up when the dragon flew down from the sky and Yoshi threw his sword at the dragon’s mouth. Both the dragon and the sword stood in mid-air. Then it exploded into a million pieces. The pieces where coins. Yoshi gathered as many as he could. He saw a brown bag at the corner of the room. He took it and put all the coins in. The only thing was now is he didn’t have a sword. Then the torches lit up and the door opened, leading into the next room.

[sammyshuno]

100 Questions Nobody Ever Asks!

I was tagged by @simsomedia!

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

Closed.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?

I work at Lush Cosmetics so I only ever use my own shit.

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

What does this mean...?

4. Have you stolen a street sign before?

Yes! Well, kind of. I found one on the side of the highway and gave it to a friend for his birthday. I also had a bunch in my backyard because my dad is a sign thief.

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?

I prefer digital notes. Post-Its are fun, though.

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

I just throw them away or let them expire.

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?

Are they definitely going to attack me? Because I know how to deal with bears and how to avoid being mauled by them. And also it’s really hard to get attacked by a swarm of bees. If it was wasps, however, I’d take my chances with the bear.

8. Do you have freckles?

A few!

9. Do you always smile for pictures?

With my teeth or...? I haven’t really perfected my photo face....

10. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

There are literally too many for me to pick just one. The one that I have to deal with most often though is people being rude to retail workers.

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

Only sometimes.

12. Have you peed in the woods?

Plenty of times. I hate doing it, but I have.

13. Have you ever pooped in the woods?

Probably.

14. Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing?

Not often.

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils?

I used to.

16. How many people have you slept with this week?

I’m engaged and it’s monogamous, so only one...but we have a very active sex life.

17. What size is your bed?

California King! So much room.

18. What is your song of the week?

Tell Me I’m A Wreck by Every Avenue.

19. Is it OK for guys to wear pink?

Is this an actual question? It’s dumb as hell. You know what’s not okay for guys to wear? Fragile masculinity. Pink was originally a masculine color because it’s a shade of red and red is a ‘powerful’ color. Dresses were also deemed masculine in the early 1900s. Fuck gender roles, honestly.

20. Do you still watch cartoons?

Yes! I’m currently re-watching ATLA!

21. What is your least favorite movie?

Least? I don’t have a least favorite...I don’t watch movies that often.

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

My hometown? I don’t know.

23. What do you drink with dinner?

Water, energy drinks, something alcoholic.

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

Barbecue sauce.

25. What is your favorite food?

Pasta!

26. What movies could you watch over and over again and still love?

Fight Club, Donnie Darko, Anchorman...a lot really. Like I said, I don’t really watch movies that often. When I do, it’s ones that I’ve already seen. Those are just my favorites.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?

My fiance!

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

Fuck no.

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

I thought about becoming a Suicide Girl for a while. I’d definitely do underwear modeling.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

I used to do it all the time but I can’t remember the last time.

31. Can you change the oil on a car?

By myself? Probably not. I can’t even drive.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

I don’t drive.

33. Ever ran out of gas?

I DON’T DRIVE.

34. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich?

Okay, story time...there’s a sandwich at a deli by my old college called an Elbows Up. It’s literally an elbow macaroni and cheese sandwich with pulled pork and barbecue sauce. It’s the bomb.

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?

Steak, eggs, french toast, hashbrowns, and grits.

36. What is your usual bedtime?

Anytime after midnight.

37. Are you lazy?

To a fault. It’s the depression, my dude.

38. When you were a kid, what did you dressed up as for Halloween?

I was a princess every year for a while. I was a witch twice. I was a dark fairy once. I was Kurt Cobain once (poor taste). I was Dead Riding Hood when I was fifteen and again when I was eighteen. And ever since then I’ve been Harley Quinn.

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign?

Pig.

40. How many languages can you speak?

English, but like...proper English because my mom was raised in the UK. I also took Spanish for three years, but I’m rusty.

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

Nope. I get enough junk mail as it is.

42. Which are better: LEGOS or Lincoln Logs?

Holy shit! Lincoln Logs were my SHIT! LEGOS are pretty cool but I’d just like to mention real quick that...no one spends hundreds of dollars to collect Lincoln Logs.

43. Are you stubborn?

I’m an Aries and an eldest child. Does that tell you anything?

44. Who is better: Leno or Letterman?

I don’t care.

45. Ever watch soap operas?

Only to drag them.

46. Are you afraid of heights?

I’m not afraid of heights. I do not like heights...for personal reasons.

47. Do you sing in the car?

Only every time I’m in it.

48. Do you sing in the shower?

Not really.

49. Do you dance in the car?

My fiance and I both do it and we look really ridiculous but it’s super fun.

50. Ever used a gun?

Not a real gun. I’ve used BB guns and dart guns, though.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

Family portrait when I was a little kid. I usually take my own photos.

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?

Usually. The only one I’ve ever found that executed it perfectly is Across The Universe. That’s some good shit right there.

53. Is Christmas stressful?

Only because I constantly have to remind people that tell me “remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas” that it’s a pagan holiday and not a Christian holiday. I do love shopping for and giving gifts, though. I’m really good at it.

54. Ever eat pierogi?

I LOVE PIEROGI!

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?

Does lemon meringue count? Or key lime? Or banana cream?

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

I wanted to be an artist and a vet.

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

Bitch, I’ve seen ghosts.

58. Ever have a deja-vu feeling?

Pretty much every single day, I feel like I’m living in a dream-world. It’s not fun.

59. Do you take vitamin daily?

Nope. Just try to eat my daily greens.

60. Do you wear slippers?

Nope! I hate wearing shoes, especially in my own house.

61. Do you wear a bath robe?

All the time. When I’m lazy, when I don’t care, when I’m cold. It’s not even mine. It’s my fiance’s. But I steal it.

62. What do you wear to be comfortable?

Ethica underwear. Comfiest shit in the world.

63. What was your first concert?

I’ve been going to local and underground concerts since I was ten. My first arena concert was my favorite band of all time: My Chemical Romance. They played with Matt & Kim and Blink-182.

64. Walmart, Target or KMART?

Target, because they’re a great company. Also, my fiance works in the Electronics section.

65. Nike or Adidas?

Vans.

66. Cheetos or Fritos?

Both!

67. Peanuts or Sunflower Seeds?

Pistachios.

68. Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?

Sounds familiar.

69. Ever take dance lessons?

Nope.

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

We’re both gonna be rock stars.

71. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes! I can’t roll it, though.

72. Ever won a spelling bee?

Never even participated. I would, though. I can spell anything.

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

I cry all the time for multiple reasons.

74. Own any record albums?

Yes, actually. I own The Black Parade, The Moody Blues Best Hits, and the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange.

75. Own a record player?

There’s like four in my garage, so technically I guess I do.

76. Do you regularly burn incense?

I love incense. Yes.

77. Ever been in love?

Too many times.

78. Who would you like to see in concert?

I’d like to see MCR again.

79. What was the last concert you saw?

Green Day and Against Me!

80. Hot Tea or Cold Tea?

Both, every day.

81. Tea or Coffee?

Energy drinks.

82. Sugar Cookies or Snickerdoodles?

Those soft sugar cookies with that shitty frosting...god, I love them so much.

83. Can you swim well?

Well enough.

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

Underwater? No. Otherwise, yes.

85. Are you patient?

Absolutely not.

86. DJ or Band at a Wedding?

I don’t even know yet. I should probably figure that out soon.

87. Ever won a contest?

Maybe. Can’t remember.

88. Have you ever had plastic surgery?

Nope! But people used to ask me if my boobs were fake in high school because I was so skinny and they were so big.

89. Which are better: Black or Green Olives?

I HATE OLIVES.

90. Can you knit or crochet?

Not really. My mom is a pro.

91. Best room for a fireplace?

Living room, probably...but I’d put a fireplace in any room.

92. Do you want to get married?

More than anything!

93. If married, how long have you been married?

We’re getting married next October.

94. Who was your high school crush?

I had a lot, but I dated the same guy through junior and senior year, and for some time after. So, mainly him.

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?

I used to, and I’ve been guilty of it in my teenage/adult years. I’m a brat.

96. Do you have kids?

Not yet. Three years.

97. Do you want kids?

Yes! I only want two, but maybe we’ll consider a third later down the road.

98. What is your favorite color?

Yellow, for my long lost love Vincent Van Gogh.

99. Do you miss anyone right now?

I miss so many people all of the time.

100. Who are you going to tag to do this tag next?

Anyone who wants to.

[toraonice]

Yuri on Ice BD booklet translation (with Jun Shishido & Yuusuke Tannawa interview) - Volume 4

The full translation of the booklet of vol.4 is finally done... Actually, one of the reasons it took me so long is that I spent most of the time I was home from Thursday to Sunday watching Fuji TV’s live coverage of the World Championships, lol. And I’m glad I did because it was really exciting. It does make a difference to watch it live without knowing the results... I will work on the audio commentary and choreography part in the next few days, and hopefully on other stuff too.

The booklet has 3 parts: 1) Character introduction for Phichit, Chris and Guang-Hong. 2) “Topics”, in other words random curiosities.  3) Interview with chief director Jun Shishido and screen designer Yuusuke Tannawa. Most of you will probably have no idea who they are (and their titles are by no means a good explanation of what their actual role was), but I really recommend reading this interview because it gives more insight on the creation process of YOI and maybe it helps understand how hard it is to animate figure skating. The parts in round brackets are exactly like they are in the original text, it’s not something I added.

***If you wish to share this translation please do it by reblogging or posting a link to it*** 
***Re-translating into other languages is ok but please mention that this post is the source***

He’s going to leave a mark in Thai’s skating history with his blades!

Phichit Chulanont voiced by Kenshou Ono

Profile Date of birth: April 30th, 20 years old Height: 165 cm Blood type: B Thai

Introduction A new hope for Thailand, that didn’t have any skaters who got remarkable results. His popularity is quickly growing also thanks to his spontaneous and pleasant skating style that mirrors his friendly personality. This season he is skating both his short program and free to songs from the movie “The King and the Skater”, which is something he had always dreamed of doing. He is the first Thai skater to have succeeded in a quadruple jump and he also obtained his first Grand Prix victory. He is continuing to rewrite Thai’s figure skating history. He used to train under Celestino in Detroit, but from this season he has moved his base back to Thailand. He loves hamsters and has a lot of them. Posts about them can be seen on his SNS. The lethal weapon made of sex appeal that shines on the ice.

Christophe Giacometti voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto

Profile Date of birth: February 14th, 25 years old Height: 183 cm Blood type: undisclosed Swiss

Introduction 10 years since he moved to the senior class, he is one of the world’s best skaters fighting for the top. Beside his quadruple Lutz and his characteristic sexy moves, he is also praised for his unique and precise spins. As a veteran, he never breaks down too much, but he is a slow starter and tends to not perform at his best in the Grand Prix series, which is held in the first half of the season. Last year he came in 2nd in both the Grand Prix Final and the World Championships. With his long-time rival Nikiforov missing this season, he is one of the candidates to snatch the king’s throne. He is a popular skater who captures the hearts of women all over the world with his passionate and alluring performances that ooze the sex appeal of a grown-up man. He has a cat. To become, one day, China’s hero.

Guang-Hong Ji voiced by Yuutarou Honjou

Profile Date of birth: January 7th, 17 years old Height: 160 cm Blood type: O Chinese

Introduction A growing 17-years-old who moved to the senior class this season. In the Grand Prix’s America tournament he placed 3rd, achieving the amazing feat of standing on the podium on his debut performance. The success rate of his quadruple jumps, which he started training for this season, is also high, and as China’s new ace he is expected to grow further in the second half of the season. He has a shy personality, but at the same time he also uploads many selfies on the SNS. It seems that he also bought a lot of clothes during his training camp in Canada. Together with his friend Chulanont from Thailand and Japan’s Minami, he is called by fans “one of Asia’s 3 cutest skaters”. YURI!!!’s TOPIC

TOPIC 1: Grand Prix Series It consists in a total of 7 tournaments: 6 tournaments held in different countries every year from the end of October to the end of November, and the final that sees the 6 skaters who got the highest scores in the other tournaments as its participants. The 6 tournaments are always held in the same countries (the order may vary), but the location of the final changes every year, and this season it’s Barcelona in Spain. The participants are chosen based on their results in tournaments regulated by ISU (International Skating Union), their world ranking, recommendations by the host country etc.; however, each skater can only participate in a maximum of 2 tournaments. In addition, only up to 3 skaters from the same country can participate in the same category of the same tournament. The period when the skaters’ allocation is announced is somewhat of a festival among skating fans.

*It’s night in Japan when the skaters’ allocation is announced *The first 6 tournaments are held in 6 countries over the span of 6 weeks *In every tournament skaters receive points depending on their placement (15 points for the 1st place, 13 points for the 2nd place and so on), and the final ranking decides who will participate in the final

TOPIC 2: Quadruple Jump (*at the moment of the Russia tournament) One of the techniques that decide the game in male figure skating is quadruple jumps. Since the number and type of jumps greatly influences the score, recently it’s common for skaters to include multiple quadruple jumps in their programs. However, according to the rules the same jump can only be repeated a limited number of times, therefore skaters try new types of jumps and train hard to be able to have more quadruple jumps to put in their programs. Currently, 5 types of jumps except for the Axel have been successfully landed in official competitions. The one with the highest score is the Lutz, which top skaters such as Victor, Giacometti and JJ are using in their programs. The quadruple toeloop, which has the lowest score, is successfully used by young skaters such as Kenjirou Minami, Guang-Hong and Phichit too. Yuuri can jump the toeloop and Salchow and is currently training to master Victor’s trademark flip. After the Lutz, the flip is the jump with the highest score.

*Yurio in his junior years getting scolded for jumping a quadruple that was not planned *Seung-gil is the first who successfully landed a quadruple loop *Emil is a jumper that has 4 quadruples in his free *JJ jumps an amazing quadruple Lutz in the second half of his program *Victor uses as his weapons 4 types of quadruples, except for the Axel and loop (in the EX he landed a loop too)

TOPIC 3: Support Item (cheering goods) It often happens to spot flags and banners used as cheering goods in figure skating venues. After a performance flower bouquets and plushes are also thrown into the rink. Banners do not only feature the skater’s name and flag; sometimes they have a message or a portrait of the skater with which people try to show their support, and in some cases they are even made using photographs. Yuuri is often thrown plushes of food. The bouquets and plushes are picked up by children who are learning skating, usually called “flower girls” and “flower boys”.

*JJ’s cheering group, called JJ girls. *Yurio’s hardcore fans are called Yuri angels. *Flags are basic items. Some fans bring different types. *Present snacks from fans for Yuuri who is on a diet? *After popular athletes skate the flower girls and boys have a hard time picking up everything *Sometimes skaters will actually put on the items that are thrown into the rink

TOPIC 4: Kiss & Cry The kiss & cry is where skaters wait for their score after a performance. The name comes from the fact that it’s a place where athletes can experience both happy and sad feelings. Normally the skater and their coach will sit there, but in some cases there might be people from a country’s federation or the choreographer too. In many venues there will be a microphone, therefore skaters can also send messages to their family and fans. If you listen to the broadcast closely you might be able to hear the athlete and coach reviewing the performance or other conversations.

*Sometimes the coach might strike a pose too *It’s also a place where athletes vow to make up for a defeat *”Please support me!” addressed to the viewers *The JJ style gesture in the kiss & cry is a recurrence *Michele’s sister Sara can be seen in the kiss & cry too Chief director / Screen designer Jun Shishido & Yuusuke Tannawa interview

I want to make the gag scenes dynamic. (Shishido) The opening of episode 11 was possible thanks to the viewers’ response. (Tannawa)

Shishido: I’m the chief director, but in fact I did a lot of things. Director Yamamoto was too busy, so she mainly did sound and editing, and then since it’s an original story she focused on the story composition… Tannawa: Shishido-san was like the site supervisor. We would ask things related to the story itself to director Yamamoto, but the one who actually took action and gave directions was Shishido-san. Though in the credits I appear as “screen designer”, the anime’s screen design was created by the director of photography, and my job in this series mainly consisted in creating the footage for PVs, OP etc. and checking the final product before delivery. I started working on the PV at the beginning of 2016. I asked director Yamamoto what kind of layout she had in mind, and decided how to set the visuals of the series. Regarding the contents of the episodes I also discussed with Shishido-san about various topics – for example, “this processing can be done with camerawork, this expression can be recreated with CG” – and shared this information with the involved work groups.

-Trial and error to create the huge amount of skating scenes.-

T: In figure skating athletes perform while continuously moving around, therefore it was extremely difficult to understand where an athlete was and in what direction he was skating in each frame. In the 1st episode we created a CG model of the skater based on the real choreography footage and had it skate in a rink created with 3DCG, then we followed it with tridimensional camerawork and used that footage as a base for the animation. It was a very elaborate process. However, we realized that it was impossible to continue using this method with the production schedule of a TV series, therefore we switched to a different method where we would create camerawork on a general background map. Also, after episode 5, for certain characters we preceded the creation of the key animation with 3DCG. The final animation is all done by hand, but by having a base to use as a reference it was possible to calculate the available time frame and create the animations accordingly, thus shortening the working time. S: Even if you suddently ask the 3D staff to create figure skating animation, of course they have almost no knowledge of the jumps and techniques. They create the animation based on the reference footage, but they cannot express complex details such as how athletes balance their feet the moment they jump, so for that I and (figure skating animators) Abiko-san and Tatenaka-san adjusted the animation. Among the people working on the series, the only ones who had technical knowledge about figure skating were the 3 of us and director Yamamoto. And it’s not something that you can just explain verbally, so we took on all those jobs ourselves. We checked… everything, probably. Actually, until episode 4 the skating scenes were all created by Abiko-san and Tatenaka-san, so I didn’t need to check them, but from episode 5 the amount of skating scenes became so huge that we asked Tannawa-san and the others whether we could get help from the CG team… I completely trusted Tannawa-san, because I knew that if we explained what to do he would understand what was needed. T: I basically asked what they couldn’t do, and we did all we could to make up for that and reduce their workload. We would never have finished the series otherwise. That’s why for this anime no one ever said “isn’t that your job?”. For every episode, everyone just fought toward completion. S: Everyone took responsibility for their job and worked with extreme care, like no one was going to double-check what they did afterwards. We thought, “if we don’t do our best, this series will not make it to the broadcast, therefore we must all be responsible and work hard”…

-A scene you especially paid attention to.-

S: All the storyboards for the skating scenes were drawn by the director, but I drew them for quite a lot of daily life scenes. I especially like the scene where Yurio gives a pirozhki to Yuuri (in episode 9). I was particularly careful to make Yurio look cute. I wanted to show that, even though normally he is rude (to Yuuri), he actually rather trusts him and they do get along. I also like gag scenes, so I had fun with scenes such as the hug competition at the end of episode 9. Gag scenes do not need to be drawn as neatly as serious scenes, therefore I decided to animate them in a very comical and dynamic way. T: I paid a lot of attention to the opening. The way we changed it in episode 11 to reflect the current story development is something I myself suggested to the director. Actually, only the opening of episode 1 was still incomplete when it was broadcasted. From episode 2 onwards it was always the same footage, but the viewers wrote a lot of comments about it (and were wondering whether it was changing every time). Since everyone was watching it every time without skipping it, we decided to really change it in the end. S: My favorite character is Georgi Popovich! He’s a man who can talk about love seriously. He actually makes a few appearances since the 1st episode. When we were working on episode 1 we only had Kubo-sensei’s character plans and the storyboard saying “a character named Popovich is standing here”. We made him stand out a little because we understood that he would show up in the story later on. And what a character he was, when he was introduced in episode 6! T: He was so striking that I was actually shocked! I like Popovich too. Also, among the programs, I like Yuuri’s FS “Yuri on ICE”. It’s the first song I listened to working for this series, and at that time I used it for the PV without knowing that it was going to be Yuuri’s FS. In the PV Yuuri is skating in Hasetsu with his slender appearance from episode 3 onwards, and (the character designer) Hiramatsu-san commented “it’s a wonderful video, but now we have to make him fat”. I remember thinking “what is he saying??” (LOL).

-The power of the support that reached the studio.-

S: When we were creating the anime we were so busy with the work at hand that we didn’t really realize how much of a response the series was having. However, we received lots of presents, food, goods and letters of support from fans. T: Even items based on the contents of the series, like (retort-packed) borscht. That made us feel that fans were really supporting us because they liked the series, and it boosted our morale. Knowing that there were so many people watching and cheering on us motivated us to our best even it meant working overnight without sleeping. S: The charm of this series is the love of the original creators, director Yamamoto and Kubo-sensei, that you can feel from it. It’s just so strong. T: It also feels like you are touring various countries to follow Yuuri and the others and watch their matches. You can watch it with the eyes of a spectator and think “I didn’t know a lot about this athlete, but now I see how he skates”. I think that another element that allows viewers to really get into the world of the series is how not only the matches but also the skaters’ practice scenes and the back yard are drawn with lots of details. Everything is detailed, even the different shape of each skater’s blades. The director herself is full of very sincere love for figure skating, and that was transmitted to both the staff and the viewers. S: The animation studio had a very nice atmosphere. It’s the first time that I’m working with Tannawa-san, but when I saw his work I realized right away that he was someone I could trust. Trust and unity are something you find in the staff of many series, but for this one it was especially strong.

On a side note, Kubo & Yamamoto went to see the Worlds in Helsinki and are now in St.Petersburg. I am confident it’s tourism but with a spoonful of location hunting... (What a timing, though. I hope none of you or your acquaintances were personally affected by what happened the other day in the subway)

[ptiasims]

Ayyy a question thingy I was tagged in.

100 Questions No One Asks

I was tagged by my name twin @thedancingsim. <3 

The questions and answers are under the cut because wow lol that’s a lotta questions!

1. DO YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR CLOSET DOORS OPEN OR CLOSED?

When I had a door, I slept with it closed. Now I have a little doorway that leads into the kitchen, like a bachelor suite so it is open... as there is NO door. But I’m slowly getting used to it. 

2. DO YOU TAKE THE SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONER BOTTLES FROM HOTELS?

If I stayed at hotels often, I would. The last time I stayed in one, I didn’t take anything, though. 

3. DO YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR SHEETS TUCKED IN OR OUT?

They stay tucked in, I rarely ever sleep with the little flat sheet. I used to when it was hot, because I can’t sleep without something covering me, but now that I live in a little basement suite, it’s always cold so i can use my blanket. 

4. HAVE YOU STOLEN A STREET SIGN BEFORE?

I can’t say that I have, no! 

5. DO YOU LIKE TO USE POST-IT NOTES?

I tell myself yes so I can justify buying them, but I never do.

Yes, same here. I wish I used them. 

6. DO YOU EVER CUT OUT COUPONS BUT NEVER USE THEM?

I haven’t cut out coupons yet, but I have a feeling I will eventually in the next few months haha. 

7. WOULD YOU RATHER BE ATTACKED BY A BIG BEAR OR A SWARM OF BEES?

Bees because I think I would have a chance of outrunning them or jumping into water.

I’m going to go ahead and agree with this as well. 

8. DO YOU HAVE FRECKLES?

They mostly start sprinkling my nose in the summer, uner the sun. 

9. DO YOU ALWAYS SMILE FOR PICTURES?

Generally, yes. 

10. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE?

Racist/homophobic/transphobic/etc. people who are unwilling to listen and understand how absolutely absurd their opinions on those matters are.

Tèa had such a great answer, that I’m going to leave it, because honestly I’m so laid back and in my own world that I rarely let things get to me for very long. 

11. DO YOU EVER COUNT YOUR STEPS WHEN YOU WALK?

Not my steps, but I have a habit of counting any stairs I’m on. Always. 

12. HAVE YOU EVER PEED IN THE WOODS?

Several times. One of my best friends likes to go walking in woods in the middle of the night, which is super great, especially when he purposely tells me about a ghost story just before we go into the woods, and I often end up peeing in the woods because I never go before I leave the house. 

13. HAVE YOU EVER POOPED IN THE WOODS?

No.

14. DO YOU EVER DANCE EVEN IF THERE’S NO MUSIC PLAYING?

There’s always music in my head, but yes I have done this. 

15. DO YOU CHEW YOUR PENS AND PENCILS?

Nah, I’m a writer, I respect the pens and pencils too much.

16. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU SLEPT WITH THIS WEEK?

None, I like to be alone recently. 

17. WHAT IS THE SIZE OF YOUR BED?

It’s technically a twin right now, but once I get the second mattress, it will be a king size. It’s a daybed from IKEA. 

18. WHAT IS YOUR SONG OF THE WEEK?

I have been on a Hot Chelle Rae kick lately, so either Tonight Tonight, or Honestly. They are such a great summer band.  

19. IS IT OK FOR GUYS TO WEAR PINK?

It’s okay for anyone to wear whatever they want, what do I care? 

21. DO YOU STILL WATCH CARTOONS?

Not really! I watch animated Disney and Pixar, but that’s it. 

21. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MOVIE?

Paranormal Activity. 

i’m also going to stick with Téa’s answer for this one, because another friend of mine likes to have wine night and watch horror movie night because apparently i’m HILARIOUS to scare the shit out of and this is one of the movies he enjoys making me watch. 

I should get better friends?? 

22. WHERE WOULD YOU BURY HIDDEN TREASURE IF YOU HAD SOME?

Omg I don’t even know, but I’d probably build something over it, too for extra safe keeping. 

23. WHAT DO YOU DRINK WITH DINNER?

Water or soda. 

24. WHAT DO YOU DIP A CHICKEN NUGGET IN?

Barbecue sauce 100% 

25. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

Ugh I don’t even know how to answer this. I love shrimp, Panda Express, tacos.. my mom made this wonderful crab bake and invited me over for dinner last night and it was so good. 

26. WHAT MOVIES COULD YOU WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND STILL LOVE?

Zathura, How to train Your Dragon (1&2), Harry Potter, Hunger Games (Except the first one)... honestly I rewatch a lot of movies. 

27. LAST PERSON, YOU KISSED/ KISSED YOU?

I made out with my boyfriend the other night at his friends’ house out on the balcony while he was loaded. Hi Joshua. 

28. WERE YOU EVER A BOY/GIRL SCOUT?

I was a girl scout, for probabl one season, but I did do a lot of boy scout stuff with my brother and my mom when my brother was in the scouts. 

29. WOULD YOU EVER STRIP OR POSE NUDE IN A MAGAZINE?

UNLIKELY. 

30. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A LETTER TO SOMEONE ON PAPER?

I wrote something to my mom I want to say two years ago, but I never sent it. 

31. CAN YOU CHANGE THE OIL ON A CAR?

No, but I do get a discount for being a student. 

32.EVER GOTTEN A SPEEDING TICKET?

Two of them. And on the last one, my grandma told my mom that “your daughter needs to slow down!”  AND MY GRANDMA HAS PROBABLY TEN TIMES AS MANY TICKETS AS I DO she has a lead foot!!! 

33. EVER RAN OUT OF GAS?

Not yet, but I do lock my keys in my car a lot, so let’s not rule it out. 

34. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF SANDWHICH?

TUNA WITH SPINACH AND CELERY 

35. BEST THING TO EAT FOR BREAKFAST?

Cereal or like eggs or a smoothie 

36. WHAT IS YOUR USUAL BEDTIME?

Lately, I’ve been crashing whenever I’m tired so that’s anywhere between 7pm-2am. 

36. ARE YOU LAZY?

Oh yes, absolutely. I’m filling this out rather than adding text to the next Remedy post ha my bad y’all. 

38. WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU DRESS UP AS FOR HALLOWEEN?

my mom actually used to make our costumes, like shit she was good. but idk, halloween was never really a big deal to me, but I remember being a witch several times, and i remember asking for this one cloak during halloween solely because i wanted to play dress up with it for the rest of the year, i had no interest in it for halloween. 

39. WHAT IS YOUR CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SIGN?

I have no idea?? I googled it and it says dog?? i’ll take it. 

40. HOW MANY LANGUAGES CAN YOU SPEAK?

just the one, but i’d love to eventually learn spanish. my name is spanish for aunt, and i can apologize in spanish, so i’m getting there. 

41. DO YOU HAVE ANY MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS?

Not a one. 

43. WHICH ARE BETTER: LEGOS OR LINCOLN LOGS?

EITHER as long as I can build a really big fort with it. that’s all i’ve ever wanted. 

43. ARE YOU STUBBORN?

NO. lol yes, completely bull-headed. 

44. WHO IS BETTER: LENO OR LETTERMAN?

I don’t care for either. 

45. EVER WATCH SOAP OPERAS?

Nope

46. ARE YOU AFRAID OF HEIGHTS?

For like two seconds, and then I get over it. 

47. DO YOU SING IN THE CAR?

Only when I’m in the car. 

48. DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER?

Not so much anymore. 

49. DO YOU DANCE IN THE CAR?

Yes... always. 

50. EVER USED A GUN?

I’m originally from the states... it’s basically mandetory to shoot a gun. (It’s not, but I have used a gun, yes). 

51. LAST TIME YOU GOT A PORTRAIT TAKE BY A PHOTOGRAPHER?

Lol I think it was a family portrait when I was in grade school, so a good ten or so years ago. 

53. DO YOU THINK MUSICALS ARE CHEESY?

Some are, but some I love. It’s a hit or a miss. 

53. IS CHRISTMAS STRESSFUL?

Absolutely it is, but I love it. 

54. EVER EAT A PIEROGI?

Heck yes! 

55. FAVORITE TYPE OF FRUIT PIE?

I don’t like cooked fruit. 

56. OCCUPATIONS YOU WANTED TO BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID?

Actress, singer, and writer. So i’m really practical. 

57. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

As much as I believe in breathing air. 

58. EVER HAVE A DEJA-VU FEELING?

All the time

59. DO YOU TAKE A VITAMIN DAILY?

Nah, but I should. 

60. DO YOU WEAR SLIPPERS?

I have fuzzy pig slippers that I adore. I rarely wear them because I want to keep them forever. 

61. DO YOU WEAR A BATH ROBE?

No, but I’ve been wanting to have one just to make me feel grown up. 

62. WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO BED?

Big shirt & panties, boxer shorts and a tank top, sometimes something... just depends. 

63. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT?

Britney Spears! And I got to meet her before the show. She had rened out my mom’s salon a few nights before hand so my mom went home to get me, take me back to work and I followed her around the store and told her DJ I wanted to sing when I grew up. I think I also cartwheeled around the store, but I didn’t even realize that it was her, I don’t thinkg, when I was following her around. 

64. WALMART, TARGET, OR KMART?

Target (I miss it in Canada, RIP) 

65. NIKE OR ADIDAS?

N...either. 

66. CHEETOS OR FRITOS?

Cheetos AND Fritos. 

67. PEANUTS OR SUNFLOWER SEEDS?

Neither. 

68. EVER HEAR OF THE GROUP TRES BIEN?

No

69. EVER TAKE DANCE LESSONS?

Yes, and I wish I still did. 

70. IS THERE A PROFESSION YOU PICTURE YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE DOING?

Whatever they want, idc as long as they’re happy. 

71. CAN YOU CURL YOUR TONGUE?

Sure can. 

72. EVER WON A SPELLING BEE?

No. 

73. HAVE YOU EVER CRIED BECAUSE YOU WERE SO HAPPY?

Only all the time. 

74. OWN ANY RECORD ALBUMS?

I do not. 

75. OWN A RECORD PLAYER?

I do not. 

76. DO YOU REGULARLY BURN INCENSE?

I burn candles, does that count? 

77. EVER BEEN IN LOVE?

I have! 

78. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN CONCERT?

Ed Sheeran and Mumford and Sons again, and Maroon 5 again, Miley again... I don’t know about anyone else tb. 

79. WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU SAW?

Awolnation with my ex ... NO WAIT, it was the last bit of July Talk which my ex was supposed to take me to, but I went with my friend instead. 

80. HOT TEA OR COLD TEA?

Hot

81. TEA OR COFFEE?

Tea for sure. 

82. SUGAR COOKIES OR SNICKERDOODLES?

Making me choose between two things I love is stressful. BOTH. 

83. CAN YOU SWIM WELL?

Yup! I used to take lessons lol 

84. CAN YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH WITHOUT HOLDING YOUR NOSE?

Yeah

85. ARE YOU PATIENT?

Most of the time. 

86. DJ OR BAND AT A WEDDING?

I like the idea of a band, but probably DJ for a better sound quality. 

87. EVER WON A CONTEST?

Yeah

88. HAVE YOU EVER HAD PLASTIC SURGERY?

No

89. WHICH ARE BETTER: BLACK OR GREEN OLIVES?

Neither, they’re both gross. 

90. CAN YOU KNIT OR CROCHET?

I can crochet in my sleep, but I’m just now learning how to knit. 

91. BEST ROOM FOR A FIREPLACE?

My room right now omg it’s so cold. 

92. DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED?

I’m not sure, tbh. Some days I do, some days I don’t. 

93. IF MARRIED, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MARRIED?

Not even a minute. 

94. WHO WAS YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH?

Aww, his name was Jesse and he was a cutie for sure. 

95. DO YOU CRY AND THROW A FIT UNTIL YOU GET YOUR OWN WAY?

Not since I was like 3. Okay... maybe last week. Just kidding. 

96. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

I do not! But I have lovely niece’s and nephew’s whom I love so much. 

97. DO YOU WANT KIDS?

Only like three, or so. 

98. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?

Yellow

99. DO YOU MISS ANYONE RN?

Seger, the pup. 

100. WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TAG TO DO THIS TAG NEXT?

Oh man, I’m gonna go ahead and tag anyone who wants to do this! and also @malcolmlandgraab 

oh shit wait, i’m also going to tag @vodkasims for the name twin thing!!