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whorrorgrl · 2 years

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Reviewing all the Scream Movies

I’ve written the review on the new Scream movie, the fifth one in the franchise, but for some reason never published it and had no energy to rewrite the parts I didn’t like. But! I decided to watch the entire franchise and review it all all. Heavy spoilers, of course.

Scream (1996) dir. by Wes Craven

10/10

“Rule number one. Don’t fuck with the originals.”

Considering this entire franchise is a homage to the classics of horror, I really think Skeet Ulrich was casted because he looked like Johnny Depp in 1984′s Nightmare on Elm Street (confession, I’m not obsessed with that movie).

Rewatching it, I just realized that after the murder of Casey Becker and the Ghostface attacking Sydney Prescott, a high schooler runs through the hallway in a Ghostface mask. The two boys are then reprimanded in the principal’s office. The two boys had the same hair styles to Billy and Stu who’ll be the killers.

This movie is a classic and have made it up there with the films it pays homage to. Every time I watch it, there’s something new to peel back. While I always thought Billy killing Sydney’s mom and doing all of what he did over a divorce was bizarre, I then remember that they’re teenagers. Of course your parents divorcing sends you into a psychopathic, serial killing spree. Or whatever. I love Gail Weathers going to great lengths to get a story, only to be put in it, I love the call-outs of movie tropes, and I love Mathew Lillard. Sydney is relatable. While she criticizes how stupid girls are in horror, I always love the irony of her doing the exact same thing they do (like running towards the stairs instead of the door) - it shows that you really don’t know what you’d do until it’s you. The reveal is always iconic. Endlessly rewatch it.

Scream (1997) dir. by Wes Craven

9/10

The movie opens up with Jada Pinkett-Smith and Omar Epps playing college seniors Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens. Maureen criticizes slasher films as being predominantly white with their black characters being killed off...and then she and Phil get killed shortly after. In fact, even Sydney’s black roommate gets murdered. Maybe she wasn’t the first to be killed off, but she was definitely murdered....which made the entire self-awareness monologue in the beginning not so self-aware. I always questioned the point of it.

I automantically felt the I Know What You Did Last Summer references, especially with casting Sarah Michelle Geller, and even the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer set-up. Scream 2 came out before I Still. Not sure when each movie were filmed as opposed to released, but I peeped it. I’m not the most knowledgable person on horror references but I picked up on a few. Casey Cooper’s death reminded me of The House on Sorority Row, Friday the 13th’s killkillkillkilldiediedie when Cooper talked to her friend, and the Psycho reference at the very beginning of of the movie. There are a lot more, especially when Randy and Mickey listed off movies, but those were the ones I caught.

I picked up on Mickey being the killer right away, or at least were 70% sure of it. I assumed he was Billy’s brother since they looked so similar, but the random news reporter being Billy’s mom? Did not even think of that in a million years! I assumed it would be movie 3, so I wasn’t expecting her yet. I don’t really rewatch Scream 2 or even 3, so I only knew the killers of 1, 4, and of course 5. For a second, I thought the killer was Sydney’s boyfriend. The lingering camera angles and lighting made me go back and forth with if I thought he were the killer. One thing I love about these movies is that you’ll constantly ping-pong on if all the characters are guilty. Even when Randy so obviously calls out Mickey, that 30% pulsed. Even when Mickey was revealed and shoot Sydney’s boyfriend, I thought, “Probably fake.” He’s gonna get up and be the second killer. But when the eager news reporter, Billy’s mom, holding a gun? Blew my mind.

It following the iconic first one as a sequel and holding up against it I thought they did well. Ms Maureen had the worst roster of men because Cotton is grimy from head to toe. Mr. Loomis having a son like Billy and a ex-wife like that alone makes me question him too. Even when Cotton killed Ms. Loomis it was only because Sydney promised him an interview. So grimy. I especially loved the mock-movie that reenacted the first movie. I don’t know why I don’t rewatch it enough.

Scream 3 (2000) dir. Wes Craven

6/10

So whenever I remember the franchise, I always confuse whether or not 2 or 3 was the one the weak link of the three. After finishing this one....it’s so obvious which one it is. I talked so much shit about 2 assuming that it was the one I didn’t care for and now I wonder if whoever I told that thinks I have terrible taste. At least Cotton dies. Hi, Ms. Van Der Woodsen!

I fell asleep halfway through and had to restart it again. Other than the original cast, the new ones I wasn’t obsessed with. The setting didn’t do it enough for me either. It was like The Seed of Chucky but that released four years ago so I’m not sure if it’s derivative of it. The new setting was Hollywood on a set that’s built to resemble 261 Turner Lane and Sydney’s house. Gale has these terrible bangs. Dewey finally has grown man weight. Sydney works at a call center under the name Lauren in a secluded house that would’ve been perfect for Ghostface to trip and stumble around trying to kill her in. Even the woods that moated the property would’ve been great to have the characters running into. It would’ve given When A Stranger Calls vibe. Instead, it’s in some large mansion owned by John Milton which was a Wes Craven cameo.

This movie promises that a sequel in the franchise will make you question something from the original. What this movie gives us is more details to Maureen’s death and someone claiming to have killed her. Turns out, she was an actress in Hollywood that got assaulted by Milton While in Hollywood, she also had a child she abandoned and no longer claimed...even when when he showed up on her doorsteps. His father was Milton, so.

That child is Roman Bridger, the director of the movie they’re working on. He's angry that Sydney had a life with their mother when he didn’t. He convinced Billy to drag Stu into murdering Maureen, which isn’t hard since we know Billy’s family broke apart because of their dad’s affair.

Record scratch for a second. Mrs. Loomis and Billy needed to focus their energy on their off-screen ex-husband and dad and leave Sydney alone. Maureen’s already dead, that’s spilled milk. But why is Sydney being lugged into this day in and day out and this mysterious Mr. Loomis is just somewhere in a one bedroom apartment glad he’s no longer paying alimony since Mrs. Loomis wants to redirect her anger to a college student.

The end of Scream 3 was better than the beginning and made me forgive them for not using her house as the final scene. But everything else? I just wouldn’t rewatch it, or at least not as much as I would the others. It’s like a filler anime episode. I take nothing that happened in it seriously.

The jokes just fell flat. I honestly didn’t care who was running around killing people. Oh, and the black cameraman Tyson from the second movie finally dies. It was bound to happen.

I like that Sydney in the end no longer allows fear to rule her life.

But as long as she’s alive someone will get inspired by the crime in some cryptic online chat and come after her. At this point, even I would feel honored to kill the Sydney Prescott because there’s only so many times you can evade death before I call up Jason.

Scream 4 dir. Wes Craven (2011)

10/10

“You just won’t die will you? Who are you, Michael fucking Meyers?”

I already know my rating of all five of the movies and Scream 4 is up there. One of my favorites. I mean, only one of all the movies sucks for me, but Scream 4 is the one I rewatch the most behind Scream 1.

This movie gives me Sorority Row remake vibes. They’re vastly different but I think it might just be the filters being similar. Jill, Sydney’s cousin, is the Ghostface killer along with a film fan Charlie Walker.

I can see where she’s coming from. Not with the fame hungry, final girl obsession but because, from an outsider’s perspective, everything is about Sydney-fucking-Prescott. Even Jill’s mom, Maureen’s sister, mentions that she also lost a sister. The sorority girls from movie 2 is passive aggressively annoyed at the attention Sydney gets for being the survivor or a serial murder. Every killer has had some obsession with being the one to gut Sydney. She’s always in the center of it all. For people like Jill and Cotton, even Sydney’s publicist Rebecca, they will try to milk her of what they can. They act as if she purposely survives these murders to get media attention If anything, there was a time she wanted a secluded life before she embraced the attention she’ll get regardless. She goes into hiding, Ghostface brings her out. She becomes public, Ghostface still attacks.

Kristen Bell’s character in the intro mentions that there’s something so good about just someone with a knife murdering. I think that’s what I love about the Scream franchise. While I love me a good demonic entity, I love realism too. In the second Scream movie when Ghostface is just running around, tripping over shit, getting knocked out, it was just so good Even in the sinful third movie when he’s running around the set clumsily, I enjoyed it. Movies like Texas Chainsaw or Jason, no matter how slowly they walked and how fast the victims ran Jason and Leatherface always caught up. It’s bordering on supernatural. I think this is why people flock to movies like The Strangers (2008). Humans are just as evil as any monster.

Everything pointed to Jill being the killer but Scream 4 did it in a way where you still question it. I never had the pleasure of not knowing Jill wasn’t the killer since my first watch of it I’d already been spoiled, but still a good movie. Jill’s face the entire movie is just so sly. You probably wouldn’t pick up on it your first time watching, but every line delivered was so...layered. She seemed amused by the whole thing, always holding back a laugh. Her reaction to her friends dying was so bad! The acting was terrible! Although Emma Roberts is not my favorite person, she’s a great actor so the bad acting is purposeful. Jill is what’s wrong with everyone trying to get big off of a tragedy. I’d rank her the second best Ghostface behind Stu and Billy.

What I never understood with these murderers staging the scene is if they don’t think professional investigators can see something’s off with the placement of bodies, blood splatter, gun shots/knife wounds, all that. When you give them a play by play and it doesn’t match, what then? And these videos you plan on being found, how will you explain you getting stabbed, getting your hair ripped out, crashing into glass coffee tables not being on the videos? This is Gonjiam all over again; I’m over thinking it. But...be fucking for real, Jilly girl.

I’ll suspend belief, I guess. Iconic villain. Who knew a domestic abuser could perfectly play a believable murdering bitch. ❤️

Scream (2022) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

7/10

I like it. I do, I swear. Just...

This is the only one not directed by Wes Craven since he, you know, died. This man is iconic, directing movies that pays homage to his own is crazy. Directing Vampire in Brooklyn? You’ll be missed, king.

So will you, Dewey.

Yeah, Dewey dies.

I’m a basic bitch when it comes to horror. I own The Witch, Get Out, and Gretel and Hansel so I can appreciate a “complex, emotional and thematically underpinned” “elevated horror” every once in a while, but I love a good “schlocky, cheeseball nonsense with wall-to-wall jump scares.” In fact, they’re my favorite.

Yeah, Tara.

There’s nothing wrong with watching a good senseless slasher with decent enough “underpinning.” BTW, it means a foundation of ideas, motives, or devices to justify the basis of something, or the foundations of a fucking building. Had to look that up. Fuck you, Tara. This is why you and Anna Paquin got stabbed up for being rude.

I do like Scream. There’s another coming out next year so I’m guessing the Carpenter sisters will be the new final girls. Sydney Prescott yet again survives. Love you girl, but it’s your time. Clearly Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrerra will continue on the legacy. They already have the questionable mom to start off. I loved seeing Skeet Ulrich reprising his role. I adore (practically obsessed with) Jenna Ortega. Ms. Barrerra is okay. I liked her in Keep Breathing (2022). I feel as if she’s up and coming too. She’s in Vida, which I haven’t watched, along with a few telenovelas, so she’s a seasoned actor. However, her acting in Scream was so stiff!

The new friend group, Tara’s friends, are all descendants of the originals of the Woodsboro murders, except Amber who lives in the old Macher house. Deputy Judy Hicks also dies too but I never liked her or her lemon squares, so whatever. Dewey advising that it’s always the boyfriend is hilarious because it turned out to be in this movie. Any mother fucker that looks like Curtis Lepore is questionable. Not sure if it’s based off of other horror movies, but it’s really only been the boyfriend twice, and that’s if you count that random film freak in Scream 4.

How do you not look at Amber and not know she’s the killer? This is also another movie I got spoiled so I knew she was the killer from the get-go, but the boyfriend was an educated guess. I love how Mindy, Randy’s daughter and the show’s film nerd, theorized that Judy Hicks and her son Wes won’t be killed since Judy’s not in the original only for Richie and Amber to promptly kill them.

I don’t know...I didn’t like the ending. When the Richie tries to play with Sam’s mind on who the killer might be and suggested Tara, tell me why I fell in love with that idea. Imagine if they all were Ghostface? Sam being surrounded by the friend group who secretly hate her for abandoning Tara and wanting their fame for killing Loomis’s mysterious child. Tara could’ve stumbled on her mom’s old journal and fueled her hatred for her sister, planned it with her friends to lure her back, and now she’s dealing with countless ghost faces. Never been done before. Speaking of her mom, her existing with a demon child in her is so bizarre. It’s plausible. Still bizarre.

“Something about this feels different,” Dewey had said. But it didn’t. It felt like when Sydney found out the had a random sibling. Why is everyone having secret children? Pretty Little Liars (the books) is the only one that did it right.

Plus Ms. Prescott has kids! Endless remakes that’ll last into my grandkid’s generation.

Furthermore...

I don’t have high hopes for this franchise. I don’t know....I don’t know why I don’t but I don’t. No amount of Jenna Ortega scenes is going to convince me. But who knows.

My Ranking:

1. Scream (1996) is obviously first. It’s just so perfect and layered that I can’t think of putting anything else above it. I rewatch it so much, so much so that I have all the lines down. As Sydney loves to say, no one can mess with the original.

2. Scream 4 (2011) is second. My second most rewatched. Jill being the killer, the kills, even the surprise second killer was so good. It payed homage to the remakes of originals while Jill parallels trying to be the new final girl by taking out her cousin. Kirby Reed panicking as she lists off all the remakes give the same energy as April Kepner stammering out her life story to a gunman.

3. Scream 2 (1997). I’m conflicted on if this deserves second spot or third, but then I remember the ending. Didn’t like it as much as 4. Mrs. Loomis took me by a surprise, but Jill still tops it. Ilove the setting being college and that mini sorority scene. That crashed police car scene where Sydney and Hallie have to crawl over an “unconscious” Ghostface alone was so good, especially when I was waiting for Hallie to get stabbed when it was her turn to go. Lastly, everyone was rocking bouncy, cute bobs.

4. Scream (2022). I didn’t like it that much, but I did like it enough for it to be fourth and Scream 3 to be last. It’s not a bad movie. I realize the way I’m writing about it makes it seem like I hate it, but I don’t. Just really wanted the entire group to be Ghostface.

5. Scream 3 (2000). Beautiful, lovely, transcendent gowns. Those damn bangs, Ms Cox, obliterate them!

#scream #wes craven #horror #slasher #ghostface #movie #whorrorgrlreviews #whorrorgrl #Jenna ortega #Sydney prescott #Courtney cox #90's

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ottspot · 1 year

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My First Impressions of Metroid Prime Remastered... Way Better Than I Thought!

It's been over 20 years since Metroid Prime originally released on the Nintendo GameCube, and many will argue that it's one of the best games ever made. Its focus on exploration, fights, and scanning features combined with the classic Metroid formula definitely makes it a game worthy of that title. It was way ahead of its time.

But its time has come once again! Metroid Prime has been faithfully remastered for the Nintendo Switch with new controls and visuals- and extra features I didn't expect! What do I think after sinking a few hours into it? Read on and I'd be delighted to share!

My story with Metroid Prime goes on quite a few years, and it all started when I was living in my old neighborhood as a kid. The Metroid Prime Trilogy game was always that one strange Wii game my neighbors had. Whenever I saw it, it stuck out amongst the other white cases, notably because it had a Steelbook case. I had played Echoes' multiplayer mode with friends while sleeping over, but that was really it. That is, until I was able to get the game. The neighbors' father had given it to me after they got rid of their Wii system. My mom insisted on paying, but he was kind enough to let me keep it for free.

Alas... as much as I liked the game, I never got too invested. I would always play a couple of hours of the first game, get lost, then stop. I would pick it back up some months later but I wouldn't be able to figure out where I was and where I had to go. It was a shame, as I really liked the controls on the Wii, and I was still interested in the series. I even tried the GameCube version when I got my copy of that, but that didn't help at all, especially with those controls.

Fast forward to these modern times though, and I now own the first game once again on my Switch. I chose to get it digitally, as I didn't want to wait to get the physical copy. And let me tell you... I already had high hopes from what I read about this remaster before, but this still blew me away.

This is a complete graphical overhaul of that original 2002 game, with incredible lighting and textures that I haven't even seen before on a Switch game. And it achieves this without even dipping to 720p or below. It's easily the best-looking Switch game I've ever played. It even feels great to play, too.

For those unaware, Metroid Prime is a first-person shooter/exploration game similar to the other 2D-style games in the franchise. You search a world for suit upgrades while fighting enemies, and each upgrade can allow you to explore a new area. And if you're a bit stuck, just backtrack- there's surely somewhere new you can go to with all those new upgrades. Never think you're done with one area just because you moved on to the next. Scanning enemies for their weaknesses is also a big key factor in this game, and necessary for 100% completion.

There are several ways to play this game now, controls-wise. There are options to go for the classic GameCube-style controls and Wii pointer controls, but now for the first time- you can officially play Metroid Prime in true dual-stick first person shooter fashion. Playing that way with the lock-on ability is a bit broken, but it's the most comfortable way for me to play this game. It was the one thing holding me back from continuing on the Wii (well, that and I just keep forgetting), and now that problem just isn't there.

Metroid Prime Remastered has a few new features and options that I wasn't entirely expecting, either. In the main menu, you're able to view models of enemies and suits and listen to songs from the game, how much is depending on how far you've gotten in it. Something I had no idea would be included at all was the European and Japanese-exclusive narration for certain scenes. These were entirely new to me, and I completely forgot they existed until now. Upon starting my playthrough, I decided to opt for the European narration. From my understanding, it's only in the beginning and end of the game, but from what I heard when I started, it's that perfect early-2000s action movie narration. Cheesy, but very cool.

One thing I did notice, as many others have, is that the bonuses from linking Metroid Fusion have been removed. In the GameCube original, if you linked your copy of Fusion with a Game Boy Advance/GameCube link cable, you could unlock the Fusion Suit (if you beat Prime) and a playable version of the original Metroid (if you beat Fusion). The latter being taken out makes sense, it's literally on the NES Switch Online app, but the Fusion suit would have been a nice inclusion still. Oh well, maybe when Fusion gets added to the GBA app or something.

At the end of the day though, Fusion suit or not, this is still one incredible game. This will definitely hold fans over until Metroid Prime 4 releases. Here's hoping that a remaster of 2 and 3 are in the works- and will be as good as this one.

Thanks again for reading! Been putting this off for a bit, but I'm glad I finished it now.

Next up: Remasters Shouldn't Be Lazy, Broken Ports! Why Have So Many Been Like This?

#metroid #metroid prime #metroid prime remastered #nintendo switch #nintendo #remaster #HD game #impressions

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fqreverwinter · 2 years

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“the after-party”

— — — — — — —

relationship: tom holland x fem!reader, tobey maguire x fem!reader

summary: after attending the premiere of spiderman: no way home, you find yourself at a production-exclusive after-party. you just so happen to catch the eye of the star of the movie, but you have your heart set elsewhere.

warnings: light cursing

word count: 2.7k

notes: this was requested by @photoshopart15! hope i do your story justice!

masterlist

A brush of cool air hit your warm face as you stepped out of the theater and into the packed street. A giddy smile was permanently plastered on your face, along with fading tear stains and running mascara. After having a few last laughs, you turned to your friend with a smile, "Oh. My. God!"

Jennie, your friend, responded with a laugh and a hug. You felt like crying again as you squeezed her.

It was a warm night for December in Los Angeles. You just left the theater for premiere of "Spiderman: No Way Home." Marvel movies, especially Spiderman movies, held a special place in your heart for years. After hearing that your best friend Jennie Winters was hired as lead costume designer for the newest addition to the franchise, you begged and begged her for insider information. You anticipated this movie for years, and it killed you to know that your best friend knew so much about it.

Jennie was good at her job, however, and refused to tell you anything. But when she got notice that she would be able to bring a plus-one to the premiere, she knew you were the only choice. When she asked you to go, you swear you fainted. It was a dream come true.

You decided to make the weekend of the premiere an ultimate girls trip. You booked facials, manicures, pedicures, and purchased brand new dresses. You flew first class from Atlanta to LA, enjoying champagne and sappy romance movies on the way there. Once you were in your shared suite at the hotel, you drank some more champagne and laid out your dresses for the event.

You picked out an elegant evening gown, sewn from black satin with an off-the-shoulder neckline. You paired it with silver jewelry and silver heels. Even though you knew your feet would hate you, you had to look your best in front of the world's biggest stars.

"Remember," Jennie warned you in the taxi ride to the theater. "This is still a work event for me. Please don't be so loud? It's going to be an exciting movie, but I need you to behave."

"I can't make any promises," you joked as she rolled her eyes at you. "But I'll try my best. I appreciate you for inviting me."

She squeezed your hand with a smile. Your nerves doubled as your driver was guided through the busy street leading up to the theater. You saw limousines, paparazzi, stars, socialites - It seemed like the entire state of California turned out for the premiere. An escort guided you and Jennie from your car to the theater. Your heart skipped a beat as you passed the red carpet, spotting the stars of the film: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

"Jennie!" you muttered through a giant smile, nudging her shoulder. She looked over at the starts and giggled.

"I know them, honey. Did you forget that I literally have sewn their pants?"

"I know but still! This is so cool!"

She laughed at your enthusiasm as you were guided to your seats. About an hour later, the inside was packed. The director and producers introduced the movie and its stars. The lights began to dim, and you sat back with a beating heart, anxiously awaiting the film's events.

And as you expected, the movie blew you away. From start to end, you had a stupid smile on your face, and you felt your cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much. But you cried, laughed, gasped, cried again, and laughed some more. The best part for you, being an avid Spiderman fan, was all three generations of the character sharing a screen: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and, of course, Tom Holland.

When the first two Spidermen entered the movie, you gasped and whacked Jennie on the shoulder.

"Ow!" she whispered. "What was that for?"

"You bitch! You knew they were in this all along!"

Jennie giggled, which caused you to just roll your eyes. For months, you asked her if the rumors of the three Spidermen being in the movie were true. She adamantly denied it. You felt so betrayed but so floored at the same time.

When the credits began to roll, the entire theater erupted in applause. You stood up, along with everyone else, and cheered. It was a brilliant film with amazing acting, writing, and, clearly, costume design. You congratulated your friend when her name appeared on the screen, hugging her and laughing happily.

You followed the crowd out into the streets. That's where the two of you stood now, you with that obnoxious smile and Jennie with a sense of pride.

"I have an invite to the production after-party. Do you want to stop by and see what it's about?" she asked.

"Yes, please!" you responded with an excited laugh. Jennie shook her head and guided you down the street to the ballroom of an elaborate hotel. She showed the doorman her invite to the party, and he let you both inside with a smile.

As you stepped into the party, you felt the energy double. Cast and crew, family and friends all floated around with bubbly smiles. Years of hard work and production finally paid off to a great reaction. You spotted so many stars that you felt your heart start to beat faster.

"Jennie!" you gasped, reaching for her hand. "This is so cool!"

She laughed, "Isn't it? These are always my favorite parts of premieres. Plus, open bar!"

"Oh my god," you groaned, tugging her into the line for drinks.

As you waited, you looked around, seeing movie star upon movie star chatting with each other. It was like you were launched straight into every fangirl's daydream. You couldn't believe it was reality.

"Hey," Jennie said, placing her hand on your arm. "I spotted some of the other costume crew. Do you mind if I go say hello?"

"No, of course not! Go ahead," you assured her. "I'll just be here, waiting for my free cosmopolitan."

She laughed and waved before walking over to her friends. Finally, you made your way to the front. You opened your mouth say your order, but someone pushed you out of the way and took your spot. In heels, you stumbled backward a bit, but the older couple that took your spot didn't even seem to notice. You furrowed your brows, ready to tell them off, but you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright?" a smooth voice asked in a British accent. You turned around and almost fell over.

Standing next to you, with his hand still gently on your shoulder, was the Spiderman himself, Tom Holland. You stumbled over your words as you looked into his bright brown eyes.

"Oh my god—Yes, I'm fine. I'm totally okay. Are you okay? Did I bump you?"

"No, you're alright," he said with a laugh. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I saw how they pushed you. Let me order your drink."

Usually, you would go on a rant about how you didn't need a man to buy you a drink and you were perfectly capable of ordering it yourself, but it was free, and he was a movie star, so you smiled and said, "Okay."

"What will you be having?"

"A cosmo, please."

Tom smiled at you before telling the order to the bartender. Within seconds, you were holding your beloved pink beverage and following him out of the crowd.

"I really appreciate that," you said with a smile, once you were in free space.

"It's no problem," he said with a cool shrug. "What brings you to the party?”

You took a second to respond, a little shocked that he actually wanted to talk to you. "My friend, Jennie Winters, invited me to the premiere."

"Oh, Jennie! I love Jennie! She did costumes, right?" Tom shouted with an excited look.

"That's her," you answered with a smile. "She knew I was a fan of the movies, so she chose me to be her plus-one."

"And how did you like it?"

"It was absolutely amazing!" you squealed, making Tom laugh. "You were amazing. Your performance during those scenes with Aunt May and the villains and—It was just incredible."

He couldn't hide the bright smile on his face as you rambled on about how much you loved the movie. "I appreciate it. We were all a little nervous about how the whole three-Spidermen thing would be received."

"It was like a childhood dream come true," you admitted with a giggle. "I grew up on all these movies, so seeing the three of you together was just so cool."

"Me too! When they came to me with the idea, I couldn't believe I was going to be sharing a screen with Tobey and Andrew."

"How you kept that secret for so long is beyond me."

"It was tough. I was so excited, I just wanted to tell everyone. But obviously, I couldn't."

"Well, major points to you. I would've been telling everyone I know, screaming it at the top of my lungs."

Tom laughed, "It took a lot of practice. But I'm sure you could've handled it."

"I was asking Jennie for spoilers the second she got hired. I don't think I stood a chance."

"Well, if it means that much to you, I could take you to meet some friends of mine."

"Friends?”

"Just follow me."

With a shrug, you towed behind Tom as he made his way through the crowd. He stopped at a group in the back, clearing his throat. Everyone turned, and you nearly fainted when you spotted the two other Spidermen.

Tom introduced you to them while you stood at his side, surely looking like a mad woman. With a giddy smile, you shook Andrew's hand, noticing just how much more handsome he was in person. But you felt a wave of excitement when you locked eyes with Tobey.

He was your first crush, way back when you were in elementary school. His Spiderman trilogy was your absolute favorite of the three. They were the coolest movies at the time, and to you, they never lost their appeal.

"It's so nice to meet you both! I can't believe this is real!”

Andrew laughed at your enthusiasm. "Lucky for us, we were allowed to attend the event with an open bar.”

Tom began to explain you were Jennie’s friend. Everyone agreed that she was a wonderful person.

The four of you chatted for a few minutes. You kept glancing over at Tobey, still in disbelief you were standing right in front of him. He definitely noticed your looks, but he acted oblivious. Tom kept inching closer to you, but you were too focused on the conversation to notice.

Andrew excused himself to “tend to his date.” With a smile, he hugged his two friends, then turned to you with a laugh.

“It was lovely to meet you! Hope to see you again sometime!”

“You as well!” you responded with a giggle.

“And my brothers, I will see you Sunday morning for brunch. Bye!”

With a small wave, he disappeared into the crowd. You giggled, “You guys go for brunch?”

“Just this once. We’re still tough,” Tobey said with a playful smile.

“Oh, yeah. Just trying to celebrate before we go back to the UK.”

“It’s so sweet that you guys are so close. I still can’t believe this is real.”

“Join the club. You’ll never feel older than when everyone comes up to you and reminds you that these movies came out twenty years ago,” Tobey joked.

“Stop, now I feel old,” you said, hiding your face in your hands.

“Before we get any deeper, can I get you another drink?” Tom asked, gesturing towards your empty glass. You nodded and smiled as he took your glass and walked back to the bar.

“So, how does it feel to be back?” you asked Tobey as silence fell.

“It feels good! I never thought I’d be in this position, but it’s nice to know that people still care.”

“Of course we do! This means so much to so many people, including me,” you said with a giggle.

“Well, thank you,” he answered with a bashful smile. “Plus, I had to show my kids I still got it.”

“Of course. Did they know you were gonna be in it?”

“Surprisingly, no. I made sure they were away the week we filmed, and I never brought it up.”

“Even when the leaks came out?”

“Even then,” he admitted with a laugh. “I just denied it. They still don’t know. They think I’m at an awards show tonight.”

“Oh my god,” you said with a laugh. “Do they like your movies?”

“They actually like Tom’s more than mine. They complain that my movies didn’t have enough Iron Man in them.”

You laughed. “That’s an interesting take, considering how much ‘Iron Boy Jr.’ we hear.”

“‘Iron Boy Jr.?’” Tom asked, reappearing with your drink. You saw a slight pang of disappointment on his face as he handed you the glass.

“Oh, no, no, no. It’s not like that,” you said quickly. “Tobey and I were just talking about which series his kids liked better. I wouldn’t—I’d never—.”

“I’m just messing with you,” Tom said with a smile and a laugh. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t offend me.”

“Okay, good. I love your movies. I think you are incredible as Peter Parker, and you definitely fit this whole MCU series.”

“I second that,” Tobey spoke with a reassuring grin. “Much better than me.”

“You guys are too much. My ego is to the ceiling right now,” Tom joked, taking a sip of his drink.

“But you deserve it! Both of you do!” you exclaimed, feeling your inner fangirl re-emerge. “And, Tobey, don’t even get me started. I wore out the DVDs of your movies when I was a teen. Hell, me and my husband’s first date back in high school was going to see Spider-Man 3.”

“Husband?” Tom choked out, trying to act like he wasn’t surprised.

“Yeah. My husband knew I was such a big fan, so he took me to see it. It’s how he won me over.”

You recounted the memory with a smile, but Tom faked his. Before you could notice his surprised and slightly disappointed expression, you heard Jennie calling your name. You turned to see her running towards you, pushing through the crowd.

“I’ve been looking for you! You told me you were gonna stay at the bar!” she scolded.

“Well, I got whisked away,” you quipped, looking at Tom with a wink. He faked a quick smile, but you barely noticed

“Oh, hey, guys,” Jennie said with a smile and a wave. “Sorry my date was bothering you, but I need her to meet some people.”

“No problem. She was good fun,” Tobey said, making you giggle.

“Come on, honey. Everyone on the team has been waiting to meet you.”

With an eye roll, you turned to the two actors. “It was so lovely meeting you both! Congratulations on the movie! And thanks for saving me, Tom!”

“All in a day’s work,” he said softly. You laughed before waving, then allowed Jennie to pull you away and into the crowd.

Tom watched you go as the smile quickly fell from his face. Disappointment plagued his heart as he stared into the bottom of his glass. Tobey placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“Guess you didn’t see that one coming,” he joked, making Tom shrug.

“I-I honestly didn’t. I thought I was making it pretty obvious I was into her.”

“Don’t worry about it. She was starstruck; she probably didn’t even realize that you were hitting on her.”

“I guess so,” Tom sighed.

“C’mon, pick your head up. You’re young. This is your party. Just find someone else to impress.”

Tobey guided Tom away, wanting to be as supportive as possible. But secretly, he was smiling inside, happy that he finally won one over the two younger guys.

#spiderman #spider man no way home #tom holland #tobey maguire #andrew garfield #peter parker #tom holland x reader #tobey maguire x reader #marvel imagine #imagine #oneshot #marvel

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1kook · 4 years

Text

kissanime & foreplay

this is part of my netflix & chill collection !

summary; You get a glimpse of the KissAnime screen for a good two seconds before about seven ads pop up. Another tab to a raunchy hentai website opens, and Jungkook groans. warnings; mentions of hentai yes u read right, kook leads most of it, cunnilingus, masturbation (f), oral (f), use of a sex toy, fingering, nipple play, face sitting/fucking/riding idk (f), praise kink, hints of dumbification, cum eating, jk is like passive aggressive in this one, 4 (f) orgasms, this is the kicker: sub kook at the end😳, like 2 sec of dom yn lol, & u get 0.002 sec of adams apple kink misc; more dumb story lines, made up sex stores bc my creativity knows no bounds, Jungkook plays nice but is actually mean for the majority of it, once again doyeon plays a pivotal role in the furthering of women empowerment, internal love monologues about jk best boy<3 wc; 8.2k

notes; back when kissanime was offed I remember looking at this fic in the drafts like what the hell we gone do now.. n almost deleting it but I was like yknow what this isn’t a 1kook fic unless there’s smthn weird going on so here we are. also yes I know ohshc is on Netflix shut up!!!!!

HAPPY BDAY MY LOVE AND MUSE JEON JUNGKOOK !!!! 🥺💜

—

The good thing about getting your own apartment is that you finally have a place to call your own. There’s no limit on how many potted plants you can squeeze into a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment, and if there was one, you’re twelve in and no one has said anything to you yet. You don’t have to share the shower space with anyone, label all your products with a hastily scribbled name. There’s a bathtub—something you haven’t had the pleasure of using during college—and a fairly open living space. There’s so many empty spots to fill with useless decorations and family heirlooms and that ugly plastic rooster Jungkook won you at the summer kick-off fair last month.

The bad thing about having your own place is that the entire world and their mothers seem to know now. Despite graduating from college, you still keep in touch with your trusted graduate mentor Kim Namjoon, who is still very much in school, and has made it his mission to bring you a new plant every week, hence your growing collection. Your childhood friend comes over every Saturday morning to lounge around after her Friday nights out. Jungkook, although the only one who is ever actually invited, runs through your strawberry scented body wash like a madman.

And of course, Doyeon.

Your beloved college roommate of four years, Kim Doyeon, has been the bane of your apartment experience so far. Unlike you, who had slaved away for four years, saving every penny you made during college for this moment, Doyeon was a big spender. She blew every dollar she ever came across, which is why she’s going to be stuck living at her parent’s house for at least a couple more years.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, if she wasn’t the most maniac online shopper in existence. It hadn’t been a problem in college because she was always good old pals with the students who worked the mailroom. If they saw something questionable, they’d let it slide as long as it was under Miss Kim Doyeon, Room 229.

The reason it became an issue for her now is because it’s poor Mrs. Kim who signs over the package from Sexuality Unleashed: The Best Toys Worldwide! one Tuesday afternoon as it is delivered to their suburban home.

So now she’s taken to ordering all her freaky stuff to your new apartment, where the small cabinet by the door has quickly become home to her impulsive shopping habits. Truthfully, you don’t mind accepting Doyeon’s weird packages, and have long since grown used to the uncomfortable looks the mail carrier gives you.

Jungkook’s supposed to come over today and you really hope he doesn’t ask about the state of your hall cabinet. Now that you work at a small company outside of your degree to make ends meet, time with Jungkook has been significantly decreased. You weren’t in college anymore, so you didn’t have the luxury of dropping by his house whenever you wanted to in between classes. Of course, it’s mostly your schedule that conflicts with your planned hangouts, because Jungkook is still working his dream job from home.

However, because Jungkook is quite possibly the most amazing person on this planet, he’s started coming over every Saturday night to make sure you’re still alive and not dying. And so weekly media binges are a thing, and it’s currently week four.

He gave up on showing you the Marvel movie franchise last week, after you had asked where Wonder Woman was three times in a row. Since the Barbie Movie Debacle of last month, you’ve found a nice medium between who picks when. Jungkook picks most of the time, because most of the time you don’t really care. It’s become a running joke between the two of you that movie binges are usually just terribly masked excuses to go to town on each other, so you don’t mind missing an entire 15th Century French Revolution documentary if it means Jungkook is deep in your guts by the time King Louis XIV gets beheaded or whatever they did to him. Is it too obvious you didn’t watch the documentary?

Occasionally, there are instances where one of you genuinely does want to watch something, in which case you have an intense match of rock-paper-scissors to decide who’s picking that night. Most of the time, Jungkook wins. But for every match Jungkook wins, he promises you’ll pick the next one so you’ve long since stopped trying to actually beat him.

Long story short, last weekend you sat through a two part Ancient Aliens episode on the connection between aliens and American presidents.

It was the most god-awful conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard of, but Jungkook ate up every minute of it. By the time the two hosts announced their conclusion you were just about ready to rip your own ears off and single-handedly fist fight every producer on the channel for allowing the production of such an atrocious show.

Anyway, because you had so bravely sat through the entire evening without complaints— well, no complaints towards Jungkook’s terrible taste; the show, however, was not safe from your wicked tongue —Jungkook has so graciously allowed you to pick the media for this weekend.

You’ve been telling him for the longest time that you were going to hook him on anime. It was one of the few interests you always believed Jungkook should possess, being a weeb and all, because it was only fair that he had one questionable trait to balance out the rest of his perfection. Liking anime isn’t bad— if a hottie like you enjoyed it, then it obviously had its perks. However, you know a lot of other people are turned off by anime-enthusiasts due to preconceived notions of the genre and the viewer-base.

Now, it was a widely known fact that you always had ulterior motives. So maybe turning Jungkook into a weeb was just a ploy to turn other women off from him and keep your jealousy at bay. Sue you, your boyfriend was a walking wet dream, and you’d do anything to keep him to yourself.

After long deliberation, you’ve decided on introducing Jungkook to anime with a classic: Ouran High School Host Club, a god among anime, a true Beyonce among shoujos. The only problem was that you absolutely refused to pay Crunchyroll or Funimation when you could so easily find the entire show on KissAnime.com, home to only the finest of hentai ads and Are You a Robot? questions.

He sends you a text when he’s outside your building, and five minutes later there’s a rap against your door.

“Hi,” you smile up at him, heart fluttering in that same trademark way it did whenever Jungkook was within a five foot radius. He smiles back softly, leaning down to peck your lips as you step aside for him to enter. He’s got on those cotton sweats that you love, the ones that send your brain into a censored frenzy. But he’s also got that soft curl to his hair that lets you know he came here straight out of the shower in his hurry to see you. How you managed to bag a dream boyfriend like him was beyond you.

You bask in the overwhelming feeling of unannounced love for all of ten seconds before Jungkook is lifting up a square package you hadn’t seen at his hip. “Mailman gave me this,” he says, waving around the signature bright pink packaging of Sexuality Unleashed. Jungkook, for all his politeness and respect, seemed to falter in those categories when it came to you. He turns the box over, reading the big fat name of the company on the side. “Since when did you start buying sex toys?” he asks rather loudly in the hallway.

You yank him inside, hurriedly slamming the door shut before any of your neighbors can come out into the hallway and get a peek of this avid sex toy consumer. “They’re not mine!” you hiss, standing still when he uses you to balance himself as he tugs off his shoes. You snatch the box out of his hands, turning it around to make sure it is actually addressed to your home. Sure enough, it’s for you. Couldn’t there have been some other sex toy fanatic on this floor?

With his shoes off, Jungkook wastes no time enveloping you in a hug, the Sexuality Unleashed box tumbling to the ground. “It’s okay, baby, no need to be embarrassed.”

You groan, leaning your forehead against his shoulder as he continues to pat your back like you’re actually embarrassed to be caught buying toys— you’re not. You’re embarrassed he caught you with a sex toy you simply can’t put to use. “Whatever,” you sigh, “your gross popcorn is in my bedroom and it’s probably stale.”

He releases you, not before pulling you into a slow and languid kiss that has you clutching tightly at the front of his shirt. He pulls away with a soft smooch, right eye falling into a wink. “Bring the box, gorgeous,” he teases, before sauntering off in the direction of your bedroom.

You groan loudly. “It’s not mine!” you repeat, but for some reason do as he says.

Not only do you have no idea what’s in this package, but you’re frankly not too keen on finding out. You’re more interested in Jungkook’s reaction to one of your favorite animes of all time. The package is tossed onto the end of the bed, where Jungkook has already stripped himself of his socks and cuddled beneath your covers.

Your laptop has gone dark from inactivity so you slam down on the space bar to bring it back to life. Your first mistake was pressing anything at all. It flickers back on alright, but you forget that you are working with a minefield of ads ready to explode. You get a glimpse of the KissAnime screen for a good two seconds before about seven ads pop up. Another tab to a raunchy hentai website opens, and Jungkook groans.

“What the hell is this?” he asks in a tone that screams he has never had to fight viruses off his computer just to watch something at two in the morning.

You ignore him, cuddling into his side as you hurriedly type in the title of the anime before another annoying ad can intercept you. “KissAnime,” you answer for now, accidentally clicking down on the mousepad with the heel of your palm. Another tab opens up to some sketchy credit site. You huff.

“Baby, I swear I just saw like twelve viruses,” he says. “And what even are these?” he scoffs, jabbing a finger at one of the many ads that lines the perimeter of the website. “Animated teacher porn?”

By the grace of god, you somehow manage to get onto the episode selection screen without having another tab open on you. You smile in relief, turning the power of your excitement onto Jungkook… only to find his eyes narrowed in on the square advertisement for some hentai website. “What? You wanna watch hentai now?” you snort, placing the laptop on his legs as you cuddle into his side.

Jungkook sputters, cheeks tinting red at the mere insinuation he would ever consume such media. “No,” he glares, releasing the arm around your shoulders to huffily cross them over his chest. “I am not going to watch anatomically incorrect illustrations of a woman teacher relieving herself, ___,” he says rather matter-of-factly.

You snort, repeating, “a woman teacher,” mockingly and in a high pitched voice that, honestly, doesn't sound anything like him. You click play on the video box that appears after only about twenty more pop-up ads. “Silence, you nymphomaniac, the episode is starting.” Jungkook pulls you close with a displeased expression, finally quieting down when you put it on full screen and the ads disappear from his view.

You’re beginning to wonder if Jungkook really is the script and plot dissector he claims to be, or if he just lives to get under your skin. He doesn’t make it three minutes without finding something to critique. First it’s the quality of the frames, and then it’s the characterization of the lead character. He nitpicks everything about the best anime in existence, and by the end of the first episode you’re considering breaking up with him.

“Oh my god,” you groan, tearing yourself away from him. He’s all laid up against your mountain of pillows, tongue prodding at the insides of his mouth in that ridiculously attractive habit of his. Usually, you’d be tripping over yourself to kiss him, but you’re about two seconds from ripping his head off. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, baby,” you sigh, picking up his hand in yours. “You gotta shut up.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes. “I have to shut up?” he asks in a scandalized tone. “You sang through the entire intro, off tune may I add.”

At this rate you’re getting nowhere, so you just snatch the laptop back up before you actually hurt his feelings. You escape the full screen, met with those hentai ads that are slowly becoming the bane of Jungkook’s existence.

“Who actually watches those anyway?” he mumbles, covering the sidebar full of naked cartoon ladies with his palm for you, a real gentleman if you ever saw one. “Really?” he says, knocking his pointer finger against a particularly raunchy ad with the caption Be a Good Boy and Let her Play beneath it.

You snort. “You are such a baby,” you tease, pinching his cheek much to his annoyance. “What? Can’t handle seeing some anime titties?”

Jungkook shoves your hand away, leaning back to become one with the pillows as you continue onto the next episode. “They’re just weird,” he admits. “And make unrealistic faces.”

“Unrealistic,” you repeat, finally giving one of the ads the time of day. There’s an adorably drawn character making the most perverted expression, knees hiked up to her chest. Her face is twisted up, drooling like a dog and with her eyes crossed in ecstasy. You shrug. “Just because you can’t get those faces out of me doesn’t mean they’re unreal.”

The second the words leave your mouth Jungkook is letting out a scandalized scoff, sitting up to level you with another glare. “First of all, I can get you like that,” he defends, tapping his finger against the ad on screen. “In fact, I can get you like that without even trying, so let’s not say anything too drastic now, okay?”

His sudden bout of defensiveness makes something playful in you switch on, laying back down beside him with a smirk. “Oh, you can make me all stupid like this?”

Jungkook scoffs. “Yes.”

“Uh huh,” you drawl, tracing a finger up his chest teasingly; Jungkook knocks your knuckles away, obviously still butt hurt about your comment. That’s fine, because a slightly riled up Jungkook was always the best Jungkook. You sit up and lean in close, letting your hand slip beneath his hoodie, palm running over his bare shoulder and around the top of his back. You give his nape a light squeeze, lips pressed against the shell of his ear. “Why don’t you prove it to me, Jungkookie?” you purr, before pulling away.

His jaw twitches at the nickname, one shapely brow unconsciously arching as he regards you with a calculative expression.

The thing about Jungkook was that, after almost a year of dating, you know just how to push his buttons. He has a rather calm and collected exterior to him, the same one he’s had since the day you met him, but beneath it all was a childish competitiveness that raged with the heat of ten suns. He disliked being taunted like you were doing now, especially when his credibility was at stake.

Honestly speaking, you don’t doubt Jungkook can make you look as goofy and messy as those hentai ads. In fact you’re rather confident he can. Either way, him being right or you being right, you would still get some fun out of it.

“Hm?” you add, tracing your hand up to dance over the skin of his cheek, pads of your fingers running over that stiff jaw. “Are you scared I’m right and you’re wrong?”

A hand snaps up to catch your wrist, fingers tight around your skin until you’re shivering against him. “Oh baby, I can make you cum until you cry,” he murmurs, his usual sweet and lilting tone dropping to a low vibration that makes your pussy throb beneath your panties. Your heart leaps in your chest, lips falling open when he ducks down to brush them against yours. It’s too light, just a simple touch that makes you follow his mouth when he pulls back.

With one firm shove, the laptop is tumbling off the bed, thudding loudly against your bedside rug. Jungkook leans over you, his usual trademark doe eyes zeroed in on you with the focus of a laser. “Have a little faith in me,” he teases, and when he presses close you can feel his fattening cock flush against your thigh. Your body is begging to be touched, every brush of his fingers against your skin searing trails in their wake.

Suddenly, he’s drawing back. “Kook?” you frown, barely biting down on a childish whimper when he snuggles back into your mountain of pillows, one arm stretched behind his head.

He flashes you a smile. “Go on,” he says, arms behind his head. “Show me how to get you like that.”

“By myself?” you ask, shifting onto your knees anyway. Jungkook nods, a soft jut of his chin as he gives you another one of those easy going smiles of his. His goal seems a little unclear, but you had a ridiculous amount of trust in your boyfriend that whatever he had planned was certain to be good. With one final skeptical glance his way, you sink down onto your bum, knees spreading and giving him a clear view of your little pink boy shorts, elastic band hugging your waist.

The material of your t-shirt is guided away, held to your chest by the hand currently not traversing the length of your stomach, gliding across soft skin, over your belly button and past that band until it slips beneath. You chance another look Jungkook’s way, only to find his eyes wonderfully downcast in the direction of your core. That smile is gone now, replaced with a somber look as he watches your hand move mysteriously beneath the fabric of your undergarments.

The first brush of your forefinger against your swollen button makes you twitch, back arching at the sensation that is magnified by his watchful gaze. “Mmh,” you bite down, hand twisting in the material of your shirt. Jungkook’s eyes glare a molten path across your skin, from the comfy bra that peeks out from beneath your rumpled shirt to the wrist slowly working beneath your panties.

A hand falls over your thigh, tattooed fingers giving the skin a light squeeze as you get to work swirling your bud around. The sight of his inked skin on yours makes something warm blossom in your lower abdomen, your eyes following the inky swirls up, up, up. They lead you to the face of your very handsome boyfriend, long lashes fanning across his cheekbones as he watches you play with yourself. “Wanna take these off for me?” he says, the tip of his pointer finger wiggling beneath the fabric of your shorts.

You nod hurriedly, wiggling around on the bed until you’re on your back, legs bent in front of you. The shorts come down your legs; the simplest press of your thighs makes something quiver in your abdomen. You toss them off to the side, and just as you go to sit back up, Jungkook places a hand on your knee. “Stay like this for me,” he says, sitting up from his mountain of pillows to glance down at you. You melt into the plush mattress beneath you, staring down at him between your legs. He’s got that adoring look in his eyes, the one that makes you feel so warm and in love, it’s only natural your hand slips down to play with your bare clit again. “That’s my girl,” he smiles, rubbing a hand down the outside of your thigh, urging your legs to fall open.

There’s this overflowing vat of arousal that builds up inside of you everytime Jungkook is around, like the moment your eyes land on him you’re reminded of every position he’s ever had you in. You remember the soft brush of his hands on your body, the way his lips feel on yours, the soft tickle of his hair when he gets too close. It makes your heart lurch in your chest, like if you don’t grab onto him tightly this feeling will slip through your fingers and out of your life. So you were crazily in love with your boyfriend— now what?

A puckered set of lips meets the inside of your thigh, the action ripping you from your overly gooey, overly soft inner rambling. Your hand trails down your quivering pussy lips, collecting your dripping wetness as you go. At the same time, Jungkook kisses down the inside of your thigh, soft smacks of his lips against your skin filling the air with an emotion that makes you bite down a whimper. Your hole puckers at the brush of your fingers, anticipating an entrance that you yearn to give into soon.

His mouth is on you before your finger can go deeper than a centimeter in. But Jungkook doesn’t brush your hand off, doesn’t shove you away to prove his mouth was undoubtedly better. He places a kiss over your knuckles, before swallowing up your significantly smaller hand with his, that of which he clasps together over your navel.

You groan, head rolling from side to side. “Don’t be so soft with me,” you whine, leg twitching when he presses a kiss against your engorged bundle of nerves. “Push me around like that one time, you know I like it.”

Jungkook grins, mouthing over your clit with practiced ease that has you releasing all kinds of whimpers and sighs. He’s got his other hand wrapped around your thigh, strong arm pulling you closer to that devious mouth and tongue that lavished attention on your clit. “Need me to be mean to you, baby?” he purrs, curling his tongue in such a way that it makes your entire body tense up, muscles pulled tight. “Want me to push you around like the stupid little girl you are?” You moan, head bobbing up and down at the ideas he stuffs in your mind. As he moves down the length of your cunt, that round nose you love brushes against your bud, and the cheeky shit takes an obnoxiously loud sniff of it, a soft groan breathed against your lower lips. “But isn’t this better?” he hums, languidly molding his lips against your lower ones, much in the same way he does with the ones on your face; he moves slowly, slips his tongue in every few seconds before eventually diving in head on. “Slow... and so easy.”

“Kook,” you mewl, getting this overwhelming urge to cover your face with your hands. But you can’t, because he’s knotted one hand with yours and his fingers only tighten when you try to yank them apart. Instead you’re left pressing one knuckle against your mouth, brows pinching as he begins slowly fucking his tongue into your cunt. “F-Faster,” you beg. He, of course, ignores your plea.

The wet mass moves past the clenched muscles around your hole, nose brushing against your lips with every intrusion. Every few cycles he stops to press a kiss against your pussy, so hard and wet that it hurts when he pulls off. You’re left writhing and moaning, your heel knocking against his shoulder when he pushes your leg up closer to your chest. “It’s enough,” you cry, your entire body shivering.

Jungkook pulls off with a loud pop, lips glistening with your arousal. He’s got this glint on his eyes, like he’s thoroughly entertained by your reactions. He shuffles around to get comfortable, finally releasing that grip on your hand. Immediately, your newly freed hand jumps forward to tangle in the hair above his ear, tracing down the delicate curve of his cheekbone. Jungkook turns his head, pressing a soft peck against your open palm that makes your heartbeat thunder in your ears.

As he moves around, his leg bumps against something that has both of you pausing. It sounds out of place next to your shallow breaths, and both of you glance down only to catch sight of that stupid package from Sexuality Unleashed teetering on the edge of the bed.

The moment you see it, it’s like you’re transported into an omnipresent view of the scene, the next few hours flashing before your eyes as Jungkook snorts. You know he’s going to reach for it in two seconds, and you know he’s going to tear the hot pink packaging apart with his bare hands. He does so with a scary amount of power, the industrial tape not standing a chance against him. A box roughly the same size as the package falls out, and before you can kick it away and save yourself from suffering beneath Jungkook’s teasing antics, he’s snatching up the box.

“The Bullet Bestie,” he reads aloud, dark eyes flying across the text with lightning speed before that box is also being ripped open. (Briefly, there’s a voice in your head that thinks of Doyeon, but you’re not sure why.) Out tumbles a little pink bullet with a strap on one end that bounces against your thigh and an even smaller remote.

“Baby,” you rush out, the sight of the tiny toy making your heart thunder in your chest. “We can look at it another time,” you try, hands coming up to brush against his face again. “Why don’t you finish off here?” you ask, a sickeningly sweet politeness dripping off your tongue as the knot in your tummy fades into the background of his attention.

Jungkook ignores you, picking up the remote with a wondrous look in his eyes. Before you can try to persuade him back between your legs, a quiet click cuts you off and the little bullet whirls to life. You yelp at the sudden vibrations against the inside of your thigh, so close to your throbbing core. The jump of your thighs has it falling onto the mattress below you, wide eyes snapping back to the smirk that grows on his face.

“No,” you say slowly, sitting back up, “no, no,” you try, your usual assertiveness melting into a whiny cry as you try to wiggle away from him and the nefarious ideas infesting his lust-addled mind. You’re barely turning, ready to make a run for it and hand him his victory by forfeit, when Jungkook is catching you by the waist. Your hips get pulled up, arms clawing uselessly at the sheets beneath you as he drags you close to him. He’s fast, already having moved onto his knees behind you, and when he yanks you up, you can feel every hot plane of his body aligned with your backside. “Kook, please just make me cum,” you gasp.

There’s a smile pressed against your shoulder, lips still wet from before, kissing along the side of your neck. “Look at my girl,” he murmurs, and you nearly jump out of your skin when something smooth is traced along your thigh. One hand slips beneath the material of your shirt, soothingly rubbing circled against your skin. This hand also holds the tiny remote between two fingers, and every nerve in your body is on edge waiting for it to be used. “Where’s that smartmouth now?”

“Jungkook,” you try to warn. But there’s no bite to your words, only an anticipation that grows the closer he moves that damned toy between your thighs. “Baby, we-we can play another time, okay? Just please—“

A soft click, and suddenly your spine is giving out on you, upper body flopping forward as Jungkook runs the vibrations over your clit. Of course Jungkook follows, never letting you slip far from his reach. A loud moan spills from your lips, lower lip wobbling at the unreal amounts of pleasure he bestows upon you with such a small toy. “W-Wait,” you sob, the coil from before suddenly magnified tenfold. It makes your orgasm loom over you bigger than ever, a wave that threatens to spill over and drown you in one go. “No-please.”

His mouth presses against your ear, hot breaths fanning against the skin there. “Hey pretty girl, does it feel good?” he husks out, kissing just below your ear. “Aw fuck,” he groans, something stiff pressing against the cleft between your cheeks, “can’t even see if you’re making that stupid face right now.”

You are, but you don’t even have the words to tell him that. The moment the vibrator had made contact with your already ravished clit, your eyes had rolled into the back of your head. You don’t doubt you look like those silly ads you’d laughed at earlier, mouth opening and closing every few seconds as he circles the toy around your bud. You settle on a high-pitched whimper that has Jungkook laughing meanly against your ear.

It ends too soon, the stimulation from Jungkook eating you out for a few minutes combining with the bullet to form a powerful duo that swallows you whole. An embarrassingly loud moan rips itself from your throat, hands twisting in the sheets beneath you as it washes over you. It’s so powerful, it blinds you, pussy spasming. Jungkook’s name is repeated about a thousand times in between, your body eventually melting back into the mattress as the final shocks run through you.

The vibrator clicks off just as quietly as it turned on, your harsh breaths filling the room in its place. “Good girl,” Jungkook praises, raining down a parade of kisses against your shoulder. You mewl in appreciation, still awkwardly shoving your face into the mattress, and your hips in the air. From the corner of your eyes, you watch him set the glistening toy off to the side, and you’re just about ready to thank the heavens for such an experience with your boyfriend, when said boyfriend hits you with a curveball.

The gentle pecks against yours shoulder dissolve into harsh kisses, rough hands trailing up your waist. The t-shirt gathers around his knuckles, pushed and pushed until he’s got those same hands cupping your breasts. “Did you like that?” he asks, biting down against your shoulder; the sensation is dulled by your shirt being in the way but it still makes you whine. You moan softly, nodding against the mattress as he gets to kneading your breasts over your bra. “Mm,” Jungkook sighs, “my pretty girl was so good for me, wasn’t she?”

Those deft fingers run back down, crawl beneath the elastic of your lounge bra and push it away until your breasts are bouncing out of their cage. “Kook,” you sigh, eyes fluttering shut as he traces circles around your nipples. “W-Wait,” you whimper, suddenly reminded of the swollen cock pressed against your backside when he leans closer.

“Shhh,” he soothes, tweaking your nipples. “Relax for me, sweetheart,” he coos, flicking your hardened nipples with his fingers. You can’t relax, not with your body still so sensitive and him playing with you. Still, the low intonation makes something soft and warm settle in your chest, the kisses against your jaw making your eyes fall shut. “That’s it,” he says, giving one nipple a playful twist that draws a high-pitched moan from you.

Just as you’re beginning to fall into the rhythm of Jungkook’s caresses and voice, he releases one breast to traverse his hand down and over your tummy, to your sensitive pussy. You gasp, biting down on your lip as he teasingly flicks your clit with his fingers. “Bet you could come again now,” he murmurs, taking the tip of your earlobe into his mouth and nibbling softly. You groan, shoving your face into the sheets as if that will save you from your doom. “Bet your pretty little pussy can cream itself just like this, isn’t that right, sweet girl?”

You whimper, hips bucking back against him when he begins nudging your bud, lewd sounds reaching your ears. His other hand remains on your breast, no longer toying with your nipple but simply holding it almost comfortingly. There’s a smirk pressed against your skin, that pearly white smile you usually adore so much teasing you as he circles your nub.

“Come on,” he encourages quietly, kissing up the column of your neck again. You moan, thighs quivering as he strokes a second orgasm out of you with no struggle. Your eyes and throat burn at the heat that washes over you, and you release a hoarse scream into the mattress— Jungkook chuckles at the sound, egging you on with that low voice until your muscles go limp a second time.

When he rolls you onto your stomach again, you try desperately to cover the tears that blur your vision, turning away from him like a child when he tries to look. “Crybaby, crybaby,” he sings teasingly, prying your hands away to capture your mouth with his for the first time that night. “Lemme see those tears, baby,” he purrs.

He tastes like you, tongue dripping with that sweet tang of your pussy, and he smells like you too. It strokes the flames of you ego, arms eventually wrapping around his shoulders as he settles above you. He pulls off with a curl of his tongue against your swollen lips, brown eyes lazily staring down at you. It’s embarrassing how well kept he still was compared to your half-nude state of dress. His skin is all glowy and pretty, not a single tear track in sight, and his grin is still too relaxed for your liking.

Jungkook’s body feels so warm and comforting against yours, muscles keeping the heat trapped between your bodies. You go to brush a hand through his hair, needing to feel the familiarity of those silky locks, before he’s suddenly leaning away. He shuffles onto his knees again, glancing down at your thoroughly abused cunt with a quirk in his brows.

“God,” you groan, knocking your foot against his side. “Just fuck me already,” you huff despite your earlier fatigue. You could only go so long without feeling Jungkook’s fat demon cock inside of you.

He snorts at your snappy tone, cutely tilting his head to the side to move his hair out of his face. His jaw looks sharp from this angle, facial features covered in shadows the lamplight behind him can’t touch. “Can’t,” he announces, and you could pull your hair out from all this unnecessary build up.

Truth to be told, you and Jungkook were both equally as unrestrained when it came to each other. Most of the time, the lead up to actual, penetrative, key-in-lock sex included a couple minutes of heavy petting from his end, and maybe a half assed handjob from you. Sometimes if you felt extra attentive, he’d eat you out and you'd him off. But for the most part, the two of you jumped straight into it after an orgasm, like horny teenagers despite the two of you being twenty-three now.

The most adventurous you’d ever gotten up until the point was maybe two orgasms bestowed upon you by a crazed Jungkook. And, well. You had hit two orgasms now. You were ready for his monster cock.

“Kook,” you whine childishly.

Jungkook shakes you off, placing a palm on both your knees. Slowly, he spreads your thighs apart again, eyes zeroed in on the glossy folds that come into view, the sparkling pearly cum that leaks out of your hole. “I can’t, baby,” he says, almost pained. “I gotta clean you up first,” he insists, and before you can tell him how counterproductive it is to lick you clean of your arousal before fucking you, he’s diving face first into your cunt.

But the biggest surprise doesn’t come from Jungkook going in for thirds, but from the hands he clasps around your thighs, the sheer strength he uses to roll you over (ignoring the shriek you let out) to sit you on his face. “No, no,” you yelp immediately, “I-I‘ll break you,” you cry, trying to escape from his hold.

From beneath your thighs, dark eyes peering up at you daringly, you can see the clear warning on Jungkook’s face. It’s a look that loudly says don’t you dare fucking move, shapely brows sending a jolt of genuine fear down your spine for a moment. “Jungkook,” you fret, trying to ignore the arousal that only continues to blossom as his tongue laps against your folds for the second time that night. “I’m, I’m,” you stammer, hands burying themselves in his hair as he ignores your cries. “I’ll break you,” you try again, spine arching when he slurps your clit into his mouth. “I-I’ll—“

He pulls off with a pop. “Fuck my face, baby,” he says, as if he hadn’t heard a single of your concerns at all. His nose nudges against your clit, a whimper catching in your throat. Briefly, his hand disappears from around your thigh, and when it returns, that tiny bullet vibrator from earlier is pressed against your thigh. “You got that?”

You nod, internally torn apart by your fear of crushing him and your need to drag your cunt all over your boyfriend’s handsome face. You glance down at him, watch him slip that vibrator into his mouth for just a second and lewdly coat it in his saliva, before he’s reaching around to shove it past your pussy lips. They’re still swollen and puffy, but have long since relaxed enough for him to slip it in. “B-But what if—“

“You won’t,” he cuts off, readjusting himself closer to your cunt again, “come on, pretty girl.”

The reason you think you and Jungkook click so well was because he was able to bring that vulnerable side out of you every now and then. He knew you liked to parade around with that huge superiority complex, and he loved it. But he also knew there were things you liked and disliked, and sometimes it took a little pushing for you to reveal them.

For a second, that horny cloud over his irises lifts, and he gives you one of those cute, sloppy winks as he taps your thigh gently. “Fuck my face, sweetheart,” he whispers, “drag that pretty cunt all over me until I can’t breathe.” A gasp catches in your throat, hands unconsciously curling against his scalp. He notices, and flashes you a lazy smirk. “You can do that, can’t you?”

Something akin to adoration blooms in your chest, and before you can blurt out something embarrassing—like I love you—there’s a soft click that has The Bullet Bestie revving up inside of you. You gasp, the sudden vibrations deep inside your pussy making your hips snap forward, clit rubbing against Jungkook’s nose.

“O-Oh,” you cry, and that’s all it takes for you to lose it. Your hips start off slow, at first just savoring the wet drag of his tongue against your lips, his nose against your clit. He sticks his tongue out for you, and part of you wants to tell him he’s a good boy, that corny hentai ad flashing in your mind, but you doubt you’ll survive the aftermath of that. Once you find that perfect pace, your hands are practically yanking at his hair, pushing him further into the mattress as you ride his face like he’s nothing but a toy. “Kook, Jungkook,” you pant, grinding your lower lips against his all too eager mouth.

It feels oddly weird being over him like this, using him like this. You like to think you and Jungkook have equal power in the bedroom, but you will admit that more often than not, he assumes control by default. You’re not particularly bothered by that, because you doubt you’d ever come up with the crazy ideas Jungkook did when he was horny (okay, a lie, because you definitely have thought of crazy sex schemes before).

But, this moment…

The power was quickly going to your head. “Fuck,” you sob, roughly dragging the length of your pussy over and over his face. The hands around your thighs are pressing against your skin with a strength that would hurt were you not blinded by arousal. His eyes are shut, lids fluttering open every now and then as he watches you buck wildly over his face like he was a pillow in high school and your parents were gone for the weekend.

It doesn’t help that the rhythmic pulses of the vibrator inside of you are doing their job well, the tongue that slips into your pussy joining together to form a powerful combination. It’s ultimately what has you halting your manic thrusts, instead falling into a slow grind over him. Your hips circle, eyes squeezed shut as you lose yourself in the lapping of his tongue against your dripping hole. “Mmmf,” you mewl, biting down on your lower lip as the wet muscle prods against a delicate spot within you. You hear feels light, view of the gorgeous man beneath you obstructed by the eyelids that can't seem to stay open. “N-No,” you cry, pulling his hair more roughly than you intended to in order to redirect him. “There, there,” you whimper, holding him tight against your pussy.

Beneath you, Jungkook exhales harshly against your lips, hands moving frantically over your thighs as he works his tongue inside of you alongside the bullet vibrator. If you weren’t so caught up in your own pleasure, all kinds of sounds spilling from your lips, you would have heard the quiet moans that fall from his. Alas.

It takes a few more pulses from the toy and a few more licks from Jungkook until you’re coming for the third time that night, features twisting up as your pussy clenches around his tongue before spilling down his mouth. Your back arches, a defeated moan escaping you as you release the same mess he’d claimed to clean up onto his lovely face. You can barely breathe afterwards, mouth dry and head dizzy when Jungkook finally pops back out from between your thighs. You barely have enough time to lift yourself up, pussy lightly brushing across his Adam’s apple as you stop yourself from crushing his windpipe. It makes you twitch.

“Good girl,” Jungkook praises with a cheeky smile that distracts you from the bullet toy he retrieves from your quivering cunt. His face is absolutely glistening from your arousal, skin warm and flush. He’s looking up at you like you’re some mythical goddess and he’s but a humble villager coming to pay his respects at the temple that is your body. Fuck, were you okay? You don’t think you’ve ever felt this good in your entire life, and Jungkook’s mushy gaze was doing things to your heart.

He presses a kiss against the inside of your thigh before helping you off of him, laughing meanly when you flop limply down beside him. He’s still fully clothed, a fact that irks you when he leans over to kiss you with that glossy face of his. “D’you like it?” he mumbles, kissing softly down your face. You nod, legs twitching from the aftermath of that wild ride. “I saw it, y’know,” he says suddenly.

“Saw what?” you mumble, mindlessly rolling your head to the side and exposing more skin when he begins kissing along your neck.

Jungkook says nothing, just rolls over you. Part of you thinks he’s crazy, but you’re suddenly hit with the realization that while Jungkook’s drawn three orgasms out of you in the course of an hour, you hadn’t done anything for him. Before you can dive head first into swallowing his cock, he’s kissing you softly. “That stupid face,” he smirks, slotting his mouth against yours. “That weird, now realistic face,” he tacks on.

You huff out a laugh, throwing your leg around his waist comfortably. Jungkook smiles, kisses you one last time before settling in your arms, face cutely pressed in between your boobs. “Hey,” you call, “don't you wanna cum too?”

He shakes his head, a soft sigh filling the air. “Nah,” he says, cuddles closer into you. “Rest now, baby.”

You roll your eyes. “I can feel your dick against my thigh,” you point out, wiggling your pelvis upward to brush against his throbbing erection. Jungkook holds you down in an effort to stop you. “Fuck me.”

He groans against your collarbone. “No, you’re tired,” he tries to convince you, but his skin is warm and flushed in the way it always gets when he’s riled up. “Sleep.”

With the leg around his hip, you pull him closer. “Fuck me, Jungkookie,” you purr, using the hands in his hair to turn his face up towards yours. His dark eyes are drawn down cutely, pouty lips too. “Use my body,” you suggest, “I’m yours anyway.”

His eyes flutter shut, a quiet whimper falling from his lips. “Don’t say that,” he sighs, “makes me wanna do very mean things to you.”

You smile. “You can do whatever you want to me, don’t you know that?” Another groan, his head falling forward until he’s hiding in your neck. Still, there’s movement from below, he sweats slipping down at his hips until that throbbing cock is pressed into the tiny crease where your thigh meets your pelvis. There’s a moment of hesitation, and you wonder if this is what he felt like earlier when he’d managed to get you to sit on his face. “Inside, Jungkookie,” you murmur, reaching down to line him up with your sensitive entrance. He whines softly, arms wrapping around you as he pulls you close. “Good boy.”

Despite your earlier belief that you’d never survive an encounter with Jungkook after using such a term on him, the result is much different from what you had anticipated. He visibly melts into your arms, cock slipping past your folds easily. “No,” he says, his voice feathery and whiny against your ear. “I can’t.”

You soothe a hand down his back, eyes fluttering shut as he begins slowly rutting against your swollen lips. “That’s it,” you encourage, tugging softly at his wavy hair. Jungkook moans wantonly against your neck, rolling his hips harshly against you until his arms are the only things keeping you from jostling out of his hold. “Do you like this pussy?” you ask, purposefully clenching around him, tummy tightening at the stimulation you keep packing on.

Jungkook shudders, pace growing slipping inside of you. “Yes,” he pants, “s-so wet… creamy.”

“Yeah?” you huff, pressing a smiley kiss against his forehead. “It’s yours.”

“Ffffuck,” Jungkook chokes, picking up his pace as his well-deserved orgasm reaches its peak. He’s breathing harshly now, and it’s taking everything in you to keep your pussy tight around him. But after the night he’d given you, the sounds and faces he pulled from you, it’s the least you can do. Besides, your body, after being so thoroughly pleased, still rears up for one final orgasm with him. “Mine,” he growls, bucking his hips into you. “You’re mine, baby, mine,” he seethes, ending his little tryst with a piston of his hips that makes you gasp, body almost unconsciously spasming around him. It’s painful, but so, so delicious how he manages to pull this last orgasm from you as he finally busts inside of you.

He comes with a stuttering garble of words, none of which you catch as he collapses into your hold for the final time that night. “Fuck,” he pants afterwards, leaning into your touch when he finally registers the soft combing of fingers through his hair. “That was evil.”

You laugh, pulling him closer. “As evil as you making me suffer through three orgasms before putting your dick in me?” you tease. Jungkook slips out of you, and you know it’ll be a hassle to clean your sheets tomorrow but it’s worth it.

“It’s called building the scene,” he weakly defends, blindly tugging the puffy blanket over the two of you. “I was gonna rhyme it with that horrible website you made me use but I already forgot it’s name.”

“Rude,” you snap, “it’s called KissAnime.”

“And fore-play,” he suddenly says, and you almost yank his eyeballs out of their sockets for doing that stupid thing again.

—

epilogue

Two weeks later, your favorite website and home to hentai ads is shut down after years of piracy. Jungkook laughs at your demise, sits and actually cackles at your heartbreak, until he eventually comforts you with his flaming demon cock and a subscription to both Crunchyroll and Funimation. Doyeon spends weeks tracking down a missing package, apparently some freebie she’d gotten for being such an avid customer on Sexuality Unleashed: The Best Toys Worldwide! before eventually finding it in your drawer. And because her and Jungkook have some awkward life-long rivalry for your attention, he doesn’t pay for that.

—

#goldenclosetnet #networkbangtan #bangtanhq #ksmutclub #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook smut #jjk smut #jeon jeongguk smut #jjk fic #jungkook fic #bts fic #bts smut #mine

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thevindicativevordan · 3 years

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Any thoughts on Grant Morrison's Action Comics run? Beyond T shirt-and-jeans Superman being great.

That whole run reinvigorated my love of the character.

There have been numerous thoughtpieces about New 52 Superman, how he worked and how he didn't but these two entries really do a great job of summing up why Morrison's take on Superman was great. Morrison laid the foundation for a new generational Superman that DC completely fucked up and ran into the ground. I'll always be bitter about that, even if I had tapped out of reading the New 52 Superman books by the end due to how bad they got. Editorial and their idiotic mandates were what screwed over the potential of this take in my eyes.

Now I get that it wasn't to everyone's taste, but I cannot fathom how anyone could ever claim that Pre-Flashpoint Superman was better. If you liked Byrne's reboot better, your guy already got rebooted after Infinite Crisis. For someone like me who really enjoyed the Johns/Busiek era, that era's potential got spoiled after Johns & Busiek left, with New Krypton imploding and the awful Grounded taking it's place. When you get to the point where the best Superman book is the one starring Lex Luthor, it's time to reassess the franchise and figure out where the hell it went wrong.

Which is exactly what Morrison did. For this new Superman, Morrison mined all the best ideas of every Superman era to really give what I consider the ideal "base" for Superman. They also took pains to address common criticisms about Superman, working to correct his pop culture image. People have been complaining that Superman is "too perfect", "too unrelatable" for a long time, so Morrison addressed that. They gave Superman his balls back, and let him reacquire that Golden Age edge he had originally.

There are a lot of complaints you can make about Morrison's Superman, but I don't see how you could accuse this guy of being "flawless" or "bland". He definitely had a personality that you could describe, love him or hate him. Compassionate, but not a pushover. Clearly holding himself back, but unafraid to occasionally let loose. Flaws that were patently obvious, Clark had a temper here that could get him into trouble. There was a real showcase of anger here, of Superman being furious at the way people were treated by the rich and powerful, then doing something about it that I ate up.

I read this run just as I was coming into my teens and it hit perfectly for where I was in life. Did not want a Superman who would smile and tell me it gets better, I wanted a Superman who looked you in the eye and told you he felt that same anger, and then encouraged you to go out and do something about how you felt. That was what this run delivered in spades, and it expanded what I believed could be done with Superman.

While it totally blew my mind to see Superman acting this way the first time I read Morrison's Action Comics run, in retrospect it really isn't that different from how Superman has acted even under Byrne. One of the few traits I've seen carry across Superman incarnations in the comics is that he has a temper underneath that affable nature. "Don't tug on Superman's cape" as the old song goes. This run simply elevated that to the forefront of the character again, for the better in my eyes given I believe "Wrath" is Superman's Deadly Sin.

In fact, one of the strongest features of this run is that Superman gets actual character development over the course of the run, analogous to what Batman underwent in Morrison's Bat-Epic. While the Bat-Epic was merely Morrison re-canonizing Batman's entire history, and applying a retroactive character development storyline that culminated in Morrison's current Batman work, their Action Comics run had them attempt to craft something similar for Superman from scratch. What that meant was Morrison attempting to draw on the most important traits of every Superman era and incorporate those into this new take. So Superman had the Golden Age temper, compassion for the oppressed, and cockiness. The Silver Age supergenuis, proud scion of Krypton who cherished his Kryptonian nature, member of the Legion of Superheroes, and participant in stories that weren't afraid to get weird. Superman's wrestling with his place in the world, the importance of Clark Kent, and making journalism a key part of the character strike me as all being hallmarks of the Bronze Age. From Post-Crisis we got that Clark views himself as human and loves his adopted parents, considering them as equal to his birth ones.

One of the big frustrations for me with the endless origin stories for Superman, is that so many of them follow a predictable and stale formula where Clark puts on the suit and is essentially ready to go. Doesn't interfere with human affairs, is modest and humble, restrained in usage of his powers, it's like Clark has meta knowledge of what he "should" be, despite that he shouldn't have any foreknowledge of what a "superhero" should look like. He operates the same way at the start as he does in the modern day, and that's really boring to me. This Superman, because of the difference in powers and attitude, operated extremely different from his "present day" incarnation. Dangling Glenmorgan over the edge of a building isn't something a fully powered and mature Superman should do, but it works great to make his early days different and exciting to read about, it makes returning to that era something you can do different storytelling with. This run is the only time where I really cared that Superman is "supposed" to be the first superhero, because figuring out what that means here is a big part of how he develops.

We all know the common complaint that Superman is "too powerful" and that "nothing can hurt him" (funny how Thor never gets hit with those accusations), so Morrison made sure to show that this take on Superman could be beaten even if he could never be defeated. Events conspired to force Clark to use his brains as well as his powers to overcome the challenges in front of him.

Examples include him using his heat vision to fry Lex's equipment and escape the military, using his rocket ship to defeat Brainiac, and rallying the population of Metropolis to banish Vyndktvx. Not to say that Clark never used his brains before to win, but this run was very upfront and in your face about how important Clark's intellect is to triumphing over his foes. Can't take seriously the complaint that Superman is too overpowered when Morrison constantly showcased how even a very powerful Superman could get his shit wrecked by his Rogues.

Another example of Morrison addressing criticisms is Kryptonite. A lot of people poke fun at how convenient it is that pieces of Superman's homeworld follow him all the way to Earth. Isn't that a bit of an asspull? So Morrison made Kryptonite the power source of Superman's rocket, giving it a perfectly natural and believable reason both for it to end up on Earth, and for Lex & the military to get a hold of it since Pa Kent gave the military the rocket. That's still my preferred explanation for how Kryptonite ended up on Earth.

It also provides a better explanation for all the different Kryptonite variants. DC can handwave away the different types as a result of Lex experimenting or the different "forces" on Earth such as magic or the Speed Force or whatever creating the different variants. That to me is much more believable than Kryptonite travelling all across the galaxy yet still ending up on Earth somehow.

There have also been a lot of complaints about Superman's villains, and Morrison diligently set about reworking them. By far one of my favorite aspects of the run, was the villain revamps. Nimrod felt like a clean revamp of Terra-Man, making him into Superman's Kraven the Hunter struck me as a patently obvious route to go, wild no one has followed up on that or used him since. Metallo felt like a good synthesis of Johns take of him as an Anti-Superman weapon, and the sympathetic aspects of Corben's origin that are always there, I liked that Morrison didn't make him a total bastard before his transformation like Johns did. Brainiac got some sympathy added to him in that the collected worlds that were already marked for damnation, thus he was "saving" them in a fashion. Clay Ramses embodied toxicity as a wife-beater even before becoming Kryptonite Man, and I thought his backstory was a great way for Clark to still deal with "real" issues via a manner he could punch. Ramses is still the best take on Kryptonite Man. Vyndktvx felt like the greatest realization of the threat Mr. Mxyzptlk could pose should he decide to get serious since Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, plus I'm a sucker for stories where superheroes fight the Devil. Drekken and Superdoom took the only interesting aspects of Doomsday (his ability to evolve and that he can kill Superman respectively), and were much more interesting characters.

And oh my God, speaking of Superdoom, that part of Morrison's Action run has aged like fine wine. I don't know if they caught wind of DC's plans for the character, or if they were just prescient, but everything that Superdoom is playing on is still sadly all too present. What Superdoom is as a character is a condemnation of what DC keeps doing with Superman: killing him off or making him evil.

When you realize what Superdoom (demand for a more violent and "realistic" Superman) and Vyn (WB/DC) stand in for, it makes the frustration Morrison is channeling much more palpable. Those two plotlines are all DC can think of to do with the character, returning to those again and again. Endlessly attempting to recapture the high of Batman and Doomsday beating the shit out of Supes in The Dark Knight Returns and Death of Superman. Overcoming these two obstacles is Superman's greatest challenge as conceived by Morrison, because both are out to corrupt and ruin the very idea of him. It's not just a physical death he faces, but a metaphysical one as well. Sadly it's a threat Superman just can't seem to lick in the real world, with more and more takes on "Evil Superman" coming.

Lois and Jimmy are great here, because Morrison actually made the investigative journalism aspect of Superman important. Lois is an active participant in the story, trying to break in to the base where Clark is being held by her father, competing with Clark for stories (I love how Morrison writes the banter between the two of them), and generally being classic Lois. Jimmy though benefitted from being positioned as a peer rather than as a kid in comparison to the two, something I wish the comics had carried forward. It looks like My Adventures With Superman is going with that interpretation at least, so I hope others do as well. Jimmy being Clark's roommate really adds to their bond, and I wish we had gotten more stories with that status quo.

Investigative reporter Clark Kent was so actively used here that it feels jarring reading other Superman runs where they tend to downplay and ignore it. Following Clark as he travels to different areas of Metropolis and actually interacts with people, instead of hovering above them as Superman, makes him feel human. Watching Clark actively pursue stories aimed at bettering peoples livelihoods, and seeing how those stories crossed with the superheroics, was one of my favorite aspects of the run. It's one unfortunately few other writers seem all that interested in, especially the New 52 writers who followed Morrison (I know editorial probably bears a lot of blame for that though).

Besides all that, this run was a lot of fun! The Legion of Superheroes showed up, their connection to Clark restored, and they got to play a big role in Clark's adventures! Krypto the Superdog! Martian colonies! Memorizing all of medicine, Superman performs a lifesaving operation! Lex using a "bullet train" to knock Clark out! 5-D imps! Rampaging robots from beyond! A Phantom Zone Halloween story! John Henry Irons suits up as Steel and kicks ass alongside Clark! Every Superman Rogue teams up to try to kill him, but Lex Luthor saves his life because that's a privilege he reserves for himself! Showcasing their trademark love for the Supermythos, Morrison took us on a tour of Superlore that demonstrated the depth and width of what could be done with Superman. Meanwhile the backups by Sholly Fisch excelled at giving us smaller, more human stories about Superman (the one where Clark meets Pa again via time travel "after" Pa has died always gives me a lump in my throat to read).

Ultimately this didn't get to be the foundation for the next generation of Superman stories as it deserved. Johns made New 52 Superman the scapegoat in Doomsday Clock for a lot of storytelling choices he did over in Justice League, something that pisses me off to no end. You want to tell me that this guy "didn't relate" to people, didn't inspire "hope"?

Like hell he didn't. This guy was Superman in every way that mattered and he deserved better than to be framed as the scapegoat for all the stupid decisions DC made about what to do with him. Greg Pak was able to do some great work with this version after Morrison, and just like how Gene Yang got a redemption work starring Superman, I hope to one day see Pak return to the character. Would love to read a Black Label Superman story by Pak that follows his take on young Superman.

All wasn't lost however. Against all odds, and Rebirth trying it's damndest to sweep everything under the rug, it looks like parts of this era have actually survived to the current Infinite Frontier era. With Morrison being heavily involved no less, both as an ideas guy and as an actual writer.

Superman & the Authority is explicitly Superman coming full circle back to the attitude displayed by his young counterpart under Morrison. Janin has outright said that the costume Clark wears here is reminiscent of the t-shirt and jeans era of Superman, and this book so far feels saturated with an energy level from Morrison I haven't seen in their work for hire since they left Action. Reaching old age and realizing he never really delivered on the high ideals of his beginnings, it's Superman putting together a team to hopefully succeed where he couldn't alone. Scathing in how it criticizes the superhero status quo, this has been extremely entertaining to read. Wish Morrison was writing 12 issues with this team, and that ultimately it will be up to PKJ to deliver on the potential is a drawback (although I've loved PKJ's Action run so far), but I'm glad to see DC finally treating Morrison and their ideas with more respect than was shown during Rebirth.

Jon meanwhile feels like an even more explicit attempt at redoing New 52 Superman. There's the updated new suit, designed to appeal to a new generation with it's streamlined look. Positioning Jon as a Superman who wants to tackle the "real" issues, with Taylor explicitly comparing him to Golden Age Superman which as I mentioned was an era Morrison tried to reincorporate into their reboot. There's the Legion of Superheroes connection which played an important role in Morrison's reboot. The rumors about Jon's sexuality are interesting, hinting that DC is willing to go outside the box with him in a way they never would with Clark. I'm excited to see what kind of Superman Jon ends up becoming, if he can deliver on the promise of the New 52 Superman all the better.

This run deserves to be remembered and to have the lessons it tried to teach respected. Probably my favorite mainline run on Superman, I hope more people come around to liking it as time goes on.

#superman #grant morrison #action comics #new 52

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omegangrins · 3 years

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Universal took Tremors from its creators after 30 years of work.

TL;DR After 25-30 years making the series, Brent Maddock, Michael Gross, Nancy Roberts, Ron Underwood and S.S. Wilson were kicked out so Universal Studios could make more money off the merchandising before the Tremors copyright expires in 2025.

*****MAJOR SPOILERS**** This will make you sad, angry and frustrated. But there is hope. #StampedeTremors

Soooooo, ever since I blew up and sidetracked a post about David Fincher's Queen Biopic with Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury discussing the Tremors 7 ending, I've done some more research on the whole thing. The Graboid hole for this goes deep.

Michael Gross didn't want it.

“There’s a part of me that feels that Universal Home Entertainment might’ve had enough of Tremors. The suggestions that were made in the course of this [movie] made me think maybe they’ve had enough. They came to me and said, ‘What if we ended it at 7?’ and I said, ‘Whatever you choose to do, I’m good with that.'” “That being said, The door is still open for an eighth Tremors. It may seem unlikely by what people see on the screen, but it is possible. There could be an eighth. And if there were, and if it were an interesting story, I would be up for it because Burt is always a great deal of fun. It would depend on his physicality. How much they want me to do. If it’s in another two years, I’ll be 75 years old. So I will continue to hope and pray that I stay in shape, to do what is asked of me – if it is asked of me.”

AND Universal even killed off any ambiguity that he fought for.

"We shot it both ways, where everybody's mourning Burt, and he climbs up over the cliff and looks at all of them in mourning and goes, 'Jesus, God, I'm not dead. And he's really pissed off at them. It's like, 'How would you possibly think...?' But he's bloodied, just he's a mess. He looks like he's been through an earthquake, crushed by a house, but he's alive. And he says, 'You idiots. Of course, I'm alive.'" "They decided it just had this punch. Frankly, I thought to myself -- I didn't express it to them, but I thought to myself -- 'Maybe Universal's getting a little tired of this franchise.' Because this wasn't my idea." "I said, 'I can live with this. Because they came to me. They said, 'Look, you've been doing this so long. What do you think?' And I said, 'Well, as long as we kind of leave the door open.' I mean, I can kind of see an eighth film where it opens with Burt in a hospital bed, in a full body cast and saying, 'I survived.' He could hardly move a muscle. And maybe eight is...if I had a concept for eight, it would be Burt horribly injured, but in a motorized, weaponized wheelchair that has rocket mounts on the side and can leave an oil slick behind like James Bond's car. So nobody can chase him." "I always said, if Kevin Bacon or Fred [Ward] or Reba [McIntire] or anybody [wanted to return], I'd be there in a minute. Just because one, I love Burt, but I always thought of him as this guy kind of on the fringes, and I just came to the fore because everybody else walked away."

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3637682/michael-gross-says-door-still-open-potential-eighth-tremors-movie/

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/tremors-shrieker-island-michael-gross-on-burt-gummer-death/

While Universal ignored how Michael Gross was setting up his son Travis Welker to pick up his torch (Which I'm give or take on Jamie Kennedy yet he brought a Grady-like optimism to the shittier of the series.)

"My reaction was disappointment, as I had planned an entire storyline around his participation."

Even Jamie Kennedy tried to but they wouldn't let him.

"Lot of people have been asking me, so I might as well spill it. I will NOT be in the upcoming TREMORS 7. I had a great time making the last two. But no TRAVIS this time around. But hey you neva’ know what can happen in the future.... have a great time boys! Tdawg out!!!"

https://mobile.twitter.com/JamieKennedy/status/1188981479973347329

After 7 movies and a TV show, nothing more than a spit in the face for the man who carried a franchise. Then when they do the montage at the end, we get clips of Hiram Gummer but NOTHING of Burt Gummer from the TV show. It's 13 episodes of Burt in Tremors that's longer than all the movies combined but yet they don't even include it in the ending montage while including his dead grandpa.

Same with the original creators. Did you know Stampede Entertainment (Brent Maddock, Nancy Roberts, Ron Underwood, and S.S. Wilson) were working on Tremors for 25 years and even had the 5th one written, "Thunder/Gummer Down Under".

Then were told to sit on it for 10 years before Universal eventually told them to eat dirt? That's gotta hurt. It hurts me and I'm not even connected to these movies. All that work down the drain just because of someone's say so. And for no reason. Well not exactly....

Universal knows fans want Tremors merch. I mean, look at how they took #BurtGummerDay from @BabyFarkMcGeeZax. And they want ALLLLLL of that merchandising money. With none of it going to Stampede because it would give them leverage. Not to mention they don't want anyone else getting the idea to make cute monster toys before they can roll out their own line.

Don't believe me? See Universal pull some Hollywood Accounting with Tremors already.

http://imgur.com/gallery/mFNIHV3

Half a billion dollars... completely untraceable. I've tried. Emailed the numbers people and they can't tell me anything unless you pay $50 a film to see the numbers. Which makes me ask, who paid for the numbers on 1,5, 6, & 7? And why only what they made? Not their cost. Same for the numbers on 2, 3, & 4. Why numbers on the cost, but nothing on what it made? It seems weirdly targeted to make it look like the Stampede Entertainment ones only cost money but made nothing.

Then when you find out that the copyright to Tremors will revert to its creators after the 35 year mark, which makes that date 2024-2025 since Tremors was filmed in '88-'89 but released in '90.....

Wellllllll some things start to add up. Especially when you consider it's Universal. They already know about owning copyrights for things long out of due. Ask Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman. Or Nintendo when Universal tried to sue them because Donkey Kong was too similar to King Kong.

Ask Stampede (S.S. Wilson) yourself. They have a Question and Answer page right on their site.

Like did you know you can't find ANY official Tremors merch? But you CAN find tons of fan-made creations. Give it a Google. They don't even list Tremors on the Universal website. Go ahead. Ask them. I try weekly. No responses ever.

https://www.universalpictures.com/about

Even with a longer history, more money made, and amount of sequel potential in comparison to their other films?

http://imgur.com/gallery/ZnXEsI3

Fans are clamoring for more but Universal says no?

Hell, you can watch the TV show for free on the NBC site.

But before my investigating, the episodes were so jumbled and missing it would ruin people's enjoyment.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tremors/comments/m0wvwu/tremors_episode_9_graboid_rights_is_back_on_nbc/

What about how they made a Tremors series pilot with Kevin Bacon? The only bad thing about it is that they need to pull a Sonic redo on the Graboid at the end but who knows, I suspect it's like that for plot reasons after reading the unaired script.

https://youtu.be/hWU3GpKmIvw

That Universal/NBC/SyFy has proceeded to hide deeper than a Graboid burrows. https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/tremors-star-kevin-bacon-confused-sequel-series-picked/

Despite no one knowing why. http://imgur.com/gallery/w7rbUvZ

Read the script for yourself if you don't believe me. They've already hidden it for two years. Andrew Miller worked too hard for it to be hidden. And it plays. It works and plays with what's already there while being new and old. Quite good.

Have you seen the Kevin Bacon/Michael Gross commercial featuring them in Perfection Valley? The whole commercial is a sly way to use Tremors WITHOUT actually saying anything Universal would have claim to call copyright on. "Sandworms" "My old co-star" "Trevors". It's a great big middle finger to Universal.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E_O0K9hmlrw

How about the original script for Tremors 2: Aftershocks. The creators have wanted it seen for 20 years but it took a crazy Larry like me to get it out there. It's got Val, Earl, Burt and Heather in it too. Pretty good too. So good they reused the ending in the TV show episode "Shriek and Destroy".

All these things swirl together and make me wonder more and more. For the plethora of Tremors fandom goes deeper than even me... Like Imgur user @BabyFarkMcGeeZax. They created Burt Gummer Day five years ago through sweat and love alone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tremors/comments/mb2rtz/babyfarkmcgeezax_created_burt_gummer_day_and/

Yet what does Universal do? Take the day, plaster it over the end of their hero's death, and not even give a line credit or thank you to @BabyFarkMcGeeZax or a mention on Twitter as they blurb it everywhere.

Ever seen the gif battles about Tremors at r/HighQualityGifs?

https://www.reddit.com/r/GifTournament/comments/luvt39/giftournament_battle_13_round_3/

https://www.reddit.com/r/HighQualityGifs/comments/dtz11k/battle_178_tremors/

How about The Everything Sequel podcast where they discuss how amazing all of The Tremors Saga is after discovering it for the first time. Even going so far as to pitch their own sequels.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/e24901de https://share.transistor.fm/s/bdea7b5e https://share.transistor.fm/s/cf79bbc1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fac66438 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a90415cd https://share.transistor.fm/s/c0e8153e https://share.transistor.fm/s/6b6572f9

There's so much fan content and people screaming for more Tremors! Like "Perfection, NV", a fan film.

youtube

Or this collection of alt Tremors posters.

http://imgur.com/gallery/MgkhnfE

Including the thousands of pieces of fanart.

http://imgur.com/gallery/6f7Txh0

http://imgur.com/gallery/nXG1ph1

The story behind Tremors comics. http://www.enemyofpeanuts.com/2013/03/09/the-short-story-behind-tremors-comics/

Even the new Tremors game. OR games.

https://youtu.be/G6PX1QY2oIc

https://stefanocagnani90.itch.io/tremors-thegame

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremors:_The_Game

https://www.playfg.com/dirt-dragons-game.html

Look at all this love.

And this isn't even an officially licensed game.

"A fortune", you say? Interesting....

So let's make Tremors 8 Ouroboros with the OG creators back on board.

https://imgur.com/gallery/o2kCFLu

We restart the TV show and end the movies for a while. Just like The Librarians. If Marvel can switch between movies and TV, Tremors can too.

If you think I'm crazy too, just see and know how I've been in this position before. I'm well aware of how this "story" plays out.

I mean, Tremors *does* foreshadows its ending with a sleeping bag. https://imgur.com/gallery/5HexQ

Notice too how you can find little Behind the Scenes for Tremors 5-7 despite a smorgasbord of material for 1-4 and both TV shows.

http://imgur.com/gallery/b4STAkl http://imgur.com/gallery/gSlZ1fC http://imgur.com/gallery/fnFt9MD http://imgur.com/gallery/6mDHTtg http://imgur.com/gallery/4M28quW http://imgur.com/gallery/w7rbUvZ http://imgur.com/gallery/6l0Dogl

And it's not like Universal isn't known for shady business practices. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Pictures

What about how they own the rights to damn near every monster except for Godzilla. And not just the classics like Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, Mummy and Invisible Man. They have Kong, Hulk, Jaws, Michael Myers, The Thing, all the Jurassic Park dinos, all the Romero zombies, Chucky, Casper, Riddick beasts, Hellboy, and Jaegers/Kaiju. These dudes know merchandising rights and they're looking to score the next Poke'Mon franchise.

https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/10/24/how-universal-re-copyrighted-frankensteins-monster/

Take a gander at all these articles gushing with love for Tremors:

Why the 'Tremors' Franchise Is Better Than the 'Alien' Movies https://collider.com/why-the-tremors-franchise-is-better-than-the-alien-movies/

As Kevin Bacon's Tremors returns to TV, we explain the entire franchise It's way more complicated than you think. https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a807140/tremors-franchise-series-guide-kevin-bacon/

20 Fun Facts About Tremors https://ew.com/article/1990/07/13/tremors/

Thirty Years After Tremors, Reba McEntire Tells Us Why She's Absolutely Down to Return For a Reboot https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a30457996/tremors-30-anniversary-reba-mcentire-interview/

30 years ago, Tremors became perhaps the most perfect bad movie https://www.thv11.com/mobile/article/entertainment/movies/film-on-11/getting-reel/30-years-ago-tremors-became-perhaps-the-most-perfect-bad-movie/91-8f6854df-9dcc-4870-ab3a-4f91a658ac3f

How Tremors 7 Succeeds Where Other Horror Movie Franchises Failhttps://screenrant.com/tremors-7-movie-succeeds-better-horror-movie-franchises-reason/

A Complete Rundown of the Entire Tremors Saga https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/363290/beneath-perfection-thoughts-on-the-entire-tremors-franchise/

Kevin Bacon Wants to Revisit His Only Film He Ever Re-Watched https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kevin-bacon-tremors-1234956657/

Look at all this #BurtGummerDay love. That adds up to thousands of people watching Tremors for the first or fiftieth time. And this is only the first "official" year. It'll only grow.

http://imgur.com/t/burt_gummer_day

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2215552755347508/permalink/3124638257772282/?ref=m_notif¬if_t=group_comment

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2215552755347508/permalink/3124638397772268/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tremors/about

Can you see the Tremors? Can you feel them? Fans want Tremors and they want it from Stampede. http://imgur.com/gallery/ZaVL7Mc http://imgur.com/gallery/f37bEV7 http://imgur.com/gallery/De6DlqQ

After all this time, and all this love, and all this greed, it's time we break Hollywood tradition and give power back to the people. When people can #RestoreTheSnyderVerse or #SaveTheVentureBros, we can #StampedeTremors for #BurtGummerDay.

Take this hope and fly!

#StampedeTremors

BTS, gifs, and videos of The Tremors Saga. Tremors: The Lost Tapes from S.S. Wilson's personal collection https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1EA9246EF966DDA2

Monster Makers https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tmm-tremors/ https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tmm-tremors2/

ADI's creation documentaries https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR9WUo3tIVnb4CyMR1SLVsxPyBwz1Met_ BTS gallery of Tremors http://imgur.com/gallery/b4STAkl

The making of Tremors https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m-HUUt21tRA

Inside the Graboid workshop https://youtu.be/YgPuC2tNBpM

Stampede Entertainment's video archive for Tremors https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/category/videos/tremors/

Tremors opening https://youtu.be/gnqPYTOzc38

BTS gallery of Tremors 2: Aftershocks http://imgur.com/gallery/gSlZ1fC

Stampede Entertainment's behind the scenes of Tremors 2 https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tremors2/

The making of Tremors 2 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fAlqzM0CyPI

Tremors 2 original script with Val, Earl, Burt and Heather. http://imgur.com/gallery/8QaHPRy

Tremors 2: Aftershocks opening https://youtu.be/pVi24Gc0KdQ)

BTS gallery of Tremors 3: Back to Perfection http://imgur.com/gallery/fnFt9MD Stampede Entertainment's behind the scenes of Tremors 3 https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tremors3/

On the set of Tremors 3 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZhrvkB5nKs

Stampede Entertainment's video archive of Tremors 3 https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/category/videos/tremors3/

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection opening https://youtu.be/UXjdZitldB4

BTS gallery of Tremors the Series http://imgur.com/gallery/6mDHTtg

Stamede Entertainment's https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tremors-series/

Behind the scenes of Tremors the Series lost monsters. https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tremors-series-lost/

Cold opens for Tremors the Series https://youtu.be/srB6rZgv_Po https://youtu.be/v3ZkC08rKtg

BTS gallery of Tremors 4: The Legend Begins http://imgur.com/gallery/4M28quW Stampede Entertainment's behind the scenes of Tremors 4 https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/tremors4-2/

On the set of Tremors 4 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bppXVxldTqU The weapons of Tremors 4 https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/photos/weapons-of-tremors-4/

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins opening https://youtu.be/3gDlAEUBesg

BTS gallery of Tremors 5: Bloodlines http://imgur.com/gallery/6l0Dogl

Tremors 5: Bloodlines opening https://youtu.be/t8jrCVI676Y

BTS gallery of the unaired Kevin Bacon Tremors pilot http://imgur.com/gallery/w7rbUvZ

Script for the unaired Tremors pilot http://imgur.com/gallery/UbtTvyf

Trailer for the unreleased Tremors pilot https://youtu.be/hWU3GpKmIvw

Kevin Bacon talks Tremors. https://youtu.be/TAGOlEIR7mA

Interviews with Alec Gillis, Brent Maddock, Nancy Roberts, and Ron Underwood https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmUAAK3guQ8t6dKzwH9V0RzerkdLr0d1

S.S. Wilson talks his Tremors career. https://youtu.be/ZJhZmty_dKs Making Perfection https://youtu.be/hpCSCQJEmnk

Have a question about Tremors? Find it here and if you can't find it, ask S.S. Wilson yourself! https://stampede-entertainment.com/site/fan-extras/tremors-faq/?include_category=general

And if you love Tremors enough to have made it this far, enjoy a collection of gifs for you to use at your pleasure.

Tremors http://imgur.com/gallery/kPiEe3d http://imgur.com/gallery/5Sb4Vpg http://imgur.com/gallery/1uZxiue http://imgur.com/gallery/NX5r2

Tremors 2 Aftershocks http://imgur.com/gallery/i1IZZf8 http://imgur.com/gallery/krcmrgQ http://imgur.com/gallery/GjTxAg1 http://imgur.com/gallery/DabFZTt http://imgur.com/gallery/QLTStyx http://imgur.com/gallery/P92e1ri http://imgur.com/gallery/IUAvd http://imgur.com/gallery/h8BZ0qN http://imgur.com/gallery/ZQi2KOb http://imgur.com/gallery/WDZdM

Tremors 3 Back to Perfection http://imgur.com/gallery/5ebddmR http://imgur.com/gallery/Rj9fqIy http://imgur.com/gallery/ikzXFbd

Tremors the Series http://imgur.com/gallery/cqSMk40

Tremors 4 The Legend Begins

http://imgur.com/gallery/ufV3of1 http://imgur.com/gallery/zPGBOW3 http://imgur.com/gallery/ri5jLRd http://imgur.com/gallery/y7A3l5D

Tremors 5 Bloodlines

http://imgur.com/gallery/Pmunxjo http://imgur.com/gallery/0yazNVG

Tremors 6 A Cold Day In Hell http://imgur.com/gallery/S4qlPCI http://imgur.com/gallery/Xa2mUsS

Tremors Pilot http://imgur.com/gallery/RXXjbKr http://imgur.com/gallery/kCErQyF

Tremors 7 Shrieker Island

http://imgur.com/gallery/FzpJllb http://imgur.com/gallery/JGweZjH

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ultrahpfan5blog · 3 years

Text

Rewatching The Hunger Games series

So I saw The Hunger Games quadrilogy after roughly a year or so. Its a series that I genuinely enjoy for the most part. When the first movie came out, I had gone because the critical reception had been so positive that I got interested in the film. After the film, I bought and read all three books before Catching Fire came out. This series was the peak of the young adult book adaptation era and was definitely the highest quality of those, even though that isn’t saying much because majority of the adaptations were pretty poor.

When it comes to the movies, the first two especially are damn good. Gary Ross deserves more credit than he gets for the success of this series because he puts the essential pieces in place. He got critical casting choices right on the money with Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Elizabeth Banks being the highlights. The shaky cam technique becomes a little much but it does lend to the gritty feeling of the movie. The film managed to strike the right balance of showing the morbidity of this world but also giving some excitement and entertainment by contrasting it with some truly bright and energetic visuals and characters, lending to the social commentary of the class differences in this world.

Catching Fire was even better. Clearly, you could tell that the movie got a major upgrade. Francis Lawrence brought a much steadier and cleaner visual technique. I think the expansion of the world and the ensemble cast works in its favor The returning cast were all excellent but the new additions of Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, and Seymour Hoffman worked wonders. I liked that Lawrence aptly captured the horror of the arena. The poison fog sequence in particular is quite horrifying. The film is kinetic and much more fast paced. It gives a lot more texture to the things going in this world.

The last two movies are inferior in comparison. Part of that has to do with the source material and part of that has to do with the decision to split the book into two. I do think Mockingjay is the weakest book of the three. Unfortunately Katniss becomes far too reactionary a character in the book. While that may be realistic as a teenager in a war scenario, it doesn’t make for very interesting reading when you are following her POV in the book and in the movie. Fundamentally I am ok with splitting a final book where its warranted. I feel it definitely worked in Harry Potter, but it doesn’t quite work here. In Mockingjay Part 1, you can feel the film trying to fill empty space. Also, with the film almost entirely set in underground bunkers, there isn’t much visual color as entertainment as well compared to the previous film. The film also just doesn’t have a climax that packs a punch. The cliffhanger is handled well but the climax leading to the cliffhanger is fairly dull and again, the main character is never in any real danger throughout the film.

Part 2 is slightly better but its about as bleak a conclusion to a series that I have seen. It definitely has way more in terms of action. But there is almost no humor in the movie with Effie and Haymitch, the main sources of humor from Part 1, are largely absent. Again, the issues of the book kind of affect the movie as well. Katniss’ mission throughout the movie has no impact on the eventual outcome as she fails to actually accomplish her mission. So the whole mission of her and the team fighting their way into the Capitol feels a little pointless from a narrative standpoint. But it does have a lot more momentum than Part 1. Certainly, the mutt attack sequence is pretty terrifying and the film does earn its ending.

Similar to Harry Potter, one of this franchise’s biggest strengths is casting. I didn’t know much about Jennifer Lawrence prior to the first movie, so she pretty much blew me away and she continued to sustain that level of performance throughout. She’s obviously playing the character a little older than the book version but it really works and she carries the franchise effortlessly. The casting masterstroke of the franchise for me was Donald Sutherland. Reading the books, I honestly can’t think of a better casting decision for the role. He’s perfect as the brilliant snakelike devil of a man. He’s a scene stealer throughout. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch is fantastic. He brings a lot of humor to the table. He is really missed when his role gets reduced in the last couple of films. Elizabeth Banks as Effie is the one major upgrade from book to movie. By giving Effie a much more rounded and sympathetic character arc and having her being a part of the overall story in Mockingjay, the performance and the character shines a lot more. Banks is terrific. Adding heart and humor when required. Josh Hutcherson wasn’t exactly whom I thought when I think of Peeta but he grew into the role really well. I think he improved with every movie and he was pretty fantastic in Mockingjay Part 2. Liam Hemsworth was one who I felt was just ok. To be fair to him, he really doesn’t have to do much other than look good and then pine for Katniss. Sam Claflin and Jena Malone lit up the screen in Catching Fire. Its a pity they don’t get all that much to do in subsequent films though they do get a handful of good scenes there too. Hoffman as Plutarch was a good screen partner for Sutherland and later for Moore. Moore herself came in and delivered really well as President Coin. There was also a nice performance by Maharshala Ali as Boggs. Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was another welcome addition in the first two films. Overall, it was a good pack of actors who were really giving it their all that made the series work as well as it did.

#the hunger games #catching fire #mockingjay #jennifer lawrence #josh hutcherson #donald sutherland #woody harrelson #liam hemsworth #elizabeth banks

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lokiondisneyplus · 3 years

Link

For his entire tenure as an Avenger, Anthony Mackie had never been the first name on the call sheet.

In a galaxy of stars populated by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, the actor was aware of his place in the on-set pecking order, but would never miss an opportunity to make his presence felt.

“Number six on the call sheet has arrived!” Mackie would routinely shout on films like “Captain America: Civil War” and the box office-busting “Infinity Saga” sequels, according to Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige.

It exemplifies the sort of winning tone that the 42-year-old actor has brought to his superhero character the Falcon, aka Sam Wilson, for six movies from the top-earning studio — wry and collegial humor, with the potential to turn explosive at any moment. Both Mackie and his character are set to burn brighter than ever when the Disney Plus series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” lands on March 18.

On that call sheet, “Anthony is No. 1,” Feige is happy to report, “but it still says ‘No. 6.’ He kept it because he didn’t want it to go to his head.” The series is essentially a two-hander with his friend and longtime co-star Sebastian Stan, the titular soldier. All six episodes were produced and directed by Emmy winner Kari Skogland (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Loudest Voice”). The series, for which combined Super Bowl TV spot and trailer viewership earned a record-breaking 125 million views this year, is reported to have cost $150 million in total.

For Mackie, though, the show comes at a critical time for both his career and for representation in the MCU. Sam Wilson is graduating from handy wingman (Falcon literally gets his job done with the use of mechanical wings), having been handed the Captain America shield by Evans in the last “Avengers” film. While it’s unclear if he will formally don the superhero’s star-spangled uniform moving forward (as the character did in a 2015 comic series), global fandoms and the overall industry are still reeling from the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed Marvel’s Black Panther to culture-defining effect. With this new story, Mackie will become the most visible African American hero in the franchise. And when asked whether he’ll be taking the mantle of one of its most iconic characters, he doesn’t exactly say no.

“I was really surprised and affected by the idea of possibly getting the shield and becoming Captain America. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I did it the way they said you’re supposed to do it. I didn’t go to L.A. and say, ‘Make me famous.’ I went to theater school, did Off Broadway, did indie movies and worked my way through the ranks. It took a long time for this shit to manifest itself the way it has, and I’m extremely happy about that,” Mackie says.

Feige says that, especially with the advent of Disney Plus and the freedom afforded long-form storytelling, the moment was right to give the Falcon his due.

“Suddenly, what had been a classic passing of the torch from one hero to another at the end of ‘Endgame’ became an opening up of our potential to tell an entire story about that. What does it really mean for somebody to step into those shoes, and not just somebody but a Black man in the present day?” says Feige.

Like many comic book heroes, Mackie has an origin story marked by tragedy at a young age — specifically around the loss of a parental figure. The New Orleans native is the youngest of six children from a tight-knit middle-class family, whose trajectory was spun into chaos when his mother was stricken with a terminal illness.

“It was unexpected and very untimely. I was 15 when she was diagnosed with cancer, and a few months later, she was gone. She passed the day before my ninth-grade graduation,” Mackie recalls. “If my mom wouldn’t have passed away when I was so young, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Mackie had already gravitated toward the performing arts before the loss of his mother, having enrolled at the pre-professional school New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Like many young people grappling with trauma, Mackie says he began to act out. A core group of teachers helped get him out of trouble. Ray Vrazel, still an instructor at the school, personally drove the student to a Houston-based audition for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he was accepted for his senior year of high school.

“Everything I did, I did for my mama. The idea of leaving home at 17 to go away to school would have never been an option if she was still around. She was my best friend. Losing her gave me a kind of strength, and a desire to succeed,” Mackie says.

Succeed he did. Spending that formative year as a minor on a college campus helped Mackie find his “tribe,” a misfit crew of artists and performers, which propelled him to acceptance at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School in 1997. There he was part of the breakthrough class of students of color to be chosen for the notoriously selective drama program, which Mackie says was liberating given the institution’s track record.

“Our year was a huge transition. There were hardly any Asian people in the drama program, maybe one or two Black people and hardly any Black women. In our class, we had three black women, two black men, one Native American, one Asian female, out of 20 people. Ever since then, the classes have been wildly diverse,” says Mackie, whose fellow students included stage and film star Tracie Thoms and actor Lee Pace.

Following his training, Mackie launched a staggeringly versatile career. He has played Tupac Shakur and Martin Luther King Jr. to similar acclaim, a juicehead bodybuilder in “Pain & Gain” and a homeless gay teen in the Sundance player “Brother to Brother.” He has exhibited remarkable staying power in an industry that often pigeonholes actors and has a pockmarked soul when it comes to inclusion.

“I was drawn to Anthony because of his electrifying ability to combine intensity with sensitivity, courage with compassion, and all of it comes across as inevitable, as if it could be no other way,” says Kathryn Bigelow, who directed him in the 2009 best picture Oscar winner “The Hurt Locker.”

Samuel L. Jackson, whom Mackie calls a mentor and has played alongside in several films, says he has “an innate quality that first and foremost makes everyone want to cast him.” On a recent idle Netflix search, Jackson came across Mackie’s latest sci-fi film, “Outside the Wire,” and it triggered a memory of sitting in the audience for his performance in the 2010 Broadway production of Martin McDonagh’s play “A Behanding in Spokane.”

“Watching him onstage, I thought, he’s a very adroit actor capable of putting on many hats. He’s fearless and will try to be anybody. Then, on my TV, he’s playing a nanobyte soldier or some shit,” Jackson says.

Though always humble about getting the next job, pre-Marvel Mackie was rarely offered pole position.

“There were certain pegs. My first was ‘8 Mile.’ It was a monumental step at the beginning of my career,” Mackie says of the 2002 Curtis Hanson film that elevated rapper Eminem to multi-hyphenate stardom.

“After that it was ‘Half Nelson.’ It blew up Ryan Gosling, so I was there to ride the wave. Then ‘The Hurt Locker,’ and it blew up Jeremy Renner. It was the joke for a long time — if you’re a white dude and you want to get nominated for an Oscar, play opposite me. I bring the business for white dudes,” says Mackie.

He remembers the sensation “Hurt Locker” caused during its awards season. It was a moment he thought would change everything as he stood on the stage of the Dolby Theatre with the cast and filmmakers, having just sipped from George Clooney’s flask while Halle Berry radiated a few rows away.

“I thought I would be able to move forward in my career and not have to jostle and position myself for work. To get into rooms with certain people. I thought my work would speak for itself. I didn’t feel a huge shift,” he says, “but I 100% think that ‘The Hurt Locker’ is the reason I got ‘Captain America.’”

He’s referring to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the 2014 Marvel film that was the first to be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (the current title holders for the highest-grossing film of all time with “Avenges: Endgame”). Mackie says that blockbuster not only gave him his largest platform to date but changed expectations of superhero movies forever.

“It was the first of the espionage, Jason Bourne-esque action movies at Marvel. After that, the movies shifted and had different themes and were more in touch with the world we live in, more grounded,” he says.

Bolstered by the words of another mentor, Morgan Freeman, Mackie feels no bitterness about his path.

“We did ‘Million Dollar Baby’ together, and when we were shooting this movie, I got offered a play. When you do Off Broadway, it’s $425 a week. In New York, that’s really $75 per week. I got a movie offer at the same time, and it was buckets of money. Three Home Depot buckets of money were going to be dropped off at my door,” Mackie says. “The script was awful; the whole thing was slimy. I went to Morgan’s trailer and asked him what he would do. He took a second and said, ‘Do the play. When Hollywood wants you, they’ll come get you. And when they come get you, they’ll pay for it.’ That blew my mind, and I left him that day with such a massive amount of confidence. He’s been a huge influence on me.”

He used the currency of that first Russo Brothers film and five subsequent ones to do what many creators and performers in Hollywood have done in recent years to help balance the scales of profit and representation in content: make things on his own.

Last year, Mackie produced and starred in “The Banker” — what would be Apple Studios’ first foray into original streaming film distribution and the awards landscape — through his banner Make It With Gravy. The film follows the true story of America’s first Black bankers and the white frontman they deployed to acquire the institution, all while supporting Black-owned businesses and communities in the process. A late-breaking scandal over sexual misconduct accusations involving the real-life family members of the film’s subjects delayed the release, overshooting awards-season deadlines and entangling the fledgling producer.

“It was a good lesson, and gave me a new perspective on the world around us. It’s very important to me that the women by my side are treated equally. It was a valuable lesson learned. I was very humbled by my sisters, for once not being mean to me,” he says.

Mackie is in development on the film “Signal Hill,” about the early days of lawyer Johnnie Cochran and the theater he brought to courtrooms long before the O.J. Simpson trial, and is hoping to secure the life story of civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin as a vehicle for his directorial debut. Raising four sons of his own now, Mackie wants his off-screen work to make them well-rounded men.

“Look at Robin Williams,” he says. “He used to be crass and funny, and then he had kids, and he started doing all these family-friendly movies. Same thing with Eddie Murphy. I’m trying to curate my children’s experience with the things that I’ll be producing, rather than starring in. That’s what is most important. They know my job is my job; they know who I am. I’ve given up the idea of them ever thinking that I’m cool,” he says.

Jokes about the call sheet are among many of Mackie’s filming quirks. Jackson says that sets are often littered with hidden cigar stubs, to be fired up between takes or after long days. Bigelow says his rapport with crew has led to nights where the “clock was ticking but it was impossible to regain composure enough to shoot.” But according to Evans, no Mackie-ism is more famous than the phrase he bellows whenever his directors cut a scene: “Cut the check!”

Evans says this “will be forever associated with Mackie. I find myself saying it on sets all the time. I love it. But I’ll never be able to say it as well as him.”

As the man handing Mackie his armor, Evan says the Falcon’s “role within the Marvel universe has answered the call to action time and time again. He’s proven his courage, loyalty and reliability over multiple films. Sam has given so much, and he’s also lost a lot too. He believes in something bigger than himself, and that type of humility is necessary to carry the shield.”

The question of Sam Wilson’s humanity will be explored at length in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” what Mackie calls a deeper showcase for both himself and Stan and their characters. It was a prospect that at first confused and frightened him.

“I didn’t think we could do on the television what we’d been doing on the big screen. I didn’t want to be the face of the first Marvel franchise to fail. Like, ‘See? We cast the Black dude, and now this shit is awful.’ That was a huge fear of mine, and also a huge responsibility with playing a Marvel character,” Mackie says.

He was quickly assuaged by the level of depth in the scripts from head writer Malcolm Spellman (“Empire,” “Truth Be Told”), especially when it came to the nuances of Wilson — a Black American man with no powers beyond his badass wings.

“Sam Wilson as played by Mackie is different than a Thor or a Black Panther, because he’s not from another planet or a king from another country,” Feige says. “He’s an African American man. He’s got experience in the military and doing grief counseling with soldiers who have PTSD. But where did he grow up? Who is his family? Mackie was excited to dig into it as this man, this Black man in particular, in the Marvel version of the world outside our window.”

Mackie celebrates Sam’s relatability in a universe full of mythological gods and lab-made enforcers. “I’m basically the eyes and ears of the audience, if you were put in that position where you could go out and fight alongside superheroes. It adds a really nice quality to him, that he’s a regular guy who can go out there and do special things,” Mackie says.

While bound by standard Marvel-grade secrecy, the actor confirms there have been no discussions of a second season for “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” As the majority of domestic movie theaters remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, he is equally unaware of the theatrical prospects for his Falcon character — or the Captain he may become by the end of this Disney Plus run. For now, he’s content to take up the mantle left by Boseman, a quietly understood pact of responsibility to Marvel-loving kids the world over.

“For Chad and I, [representation] was never a conversation that needed to be had because of our backgrounds. There was a hinted-at understanding between the two of us, because we’re both from humble beginnings in the South; we have very similar backgrounds. We knew what the game was. We knew going into it,” he says.

Outside comic book movies, Mackie is not done searching as a performer. There is a particular genre he would very much like to cut him a check.

“My team gets mad at me for saying this, but I would love to do a cheesy old-school ‘When Harry Met Sally’-type of project,” he says. “One of those movies where I’m working outside and have to take my shirt off because it’s too hot. I want a romantic comedy. I want to do every movie written for Matthew McConaughey that he passed on.”

#Anthony Mackie #The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #Disney+#interview

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britesparc · 3 years

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Weekend Top Ten #497

Top Ten PC Games No One Talks About Anymore

Blimey, Quake is rather good, isn’t it? Have you heard about it? I really hope so, because it’s only twenty-five years old. I mean, Jesus. What’s up with that? Quake is meant to be the future. It’s full of true-3D polygonal texture-mapping and real-time dynamic light-sourcing. Fancy it being a quarter of a century old. That’s ridiculous. “Old” is for things like, I dunno, Space Invaders or The Godfather or I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Stuff that our parents heard about before we were born. It’s not – it’s absolutely not – used to describe something that people bought 3D accelerator cards for. It’s not used to describe a game that popularised online gaming.

But old it is, getting silver anniversary cards and everything. No longer the angry, hungry young tiger, devouring its ancestors and growling at upstart rivals like Duke Nukem 3D – sure, you’ve got non-linear levels, interactive scenery, and toilet humour, but we’ve got grenades that bounce with real physics – Quake is now an aged beast of the forest, resplendent, battle-scarred, weary with gravitas. Quake is the game that shaped the now, but it does not represent the future anymore. In fact, arguably its greatest rival – Unreal – is the game with the lasting, living legacy, its progeny building the next generation of gaming with one of the most popular and impressive engines around, the framework underpinning everything from Gears to Jedi to Fortnite. Quake blew us all away, but arguably it ceded the conflict, secure in its status as one of the most important and influential games of all time. Quake II got plaudits for actually having a proper story and an engrossing single-player campaign (and coloured lighting!), and its immediate descendants such as Half-Life changed the nature of what FPS games could do, but in a funny way it feels like Quake has long since retired. A sleeping titan. It got old.

So it’s great that they rereleased it on modern systems! The version of Quake released last month is basically the game I remember, but tarted up a little around the edges, with texture filtering and dynamic shadows and other stuff that I couldn’t manage on my Pentium 75 back in the day. It plays great – it’s slick as anything, and you go tearing round the levels like a Ferrari with a nail gun, blasting dudes and ducking back around a corner before you get hit with a pineapple in the face. It’s the first game I’ve played in a long, long time that evokes the feel of classic PC first-person shooters of that era – which, y’know, kinda makes sense as it is a first-person shooter of that era. But that style of fast-paced run-and-gun, circle-strafing gameplay has gone out of fashion now, with FPS games usually favouring slow, methodical, tactical combat, or larger-scale open-world warfare usually involving vehicles. Whether it’s a straight-up no-frills blaster like Quake, or a game that takes you on more of a linear, narrative journey, like Quake II, or even just a multiplayer-focused arena shooter, like Quake III Arena, it does feel like a dying artform, like a style of gameplay that could do with a resurgence (and, to be fair, there are games on the horizon that look like they’re harking back to the era, so that’s cool).

But it’s not just first-person shooters like Quake that I feel have slipped from gaming’s shared consciousness. Maybe it’s my age (it’s definitely my age) but there seems to be quite a lot of games that were a big deal twenty or so years ago that are utterly forgotten now, whereas some – Doom, Duke Nukem, Command & Conquer, Age of Empires – are often namechecked or rebooted (even before the full-on 2016 reboot, Doom must have been one of the most re-released games of the last thirty years). But there are lots of others where sometimes I feel like I’m the only one that remembers it. And that’s where this list comes in: inspired by the excellent re-release of the Quake franchise, here are some other great PC games of that general era that I feel still need shouting about, even if I’m the only one doing the shouting. Maybe they don’t all need a full-on remaster or whatever, but it’d still be nice if they got a bit of modern gaming love.

No One Lives Forever (2000): coming at a time when most FPS games were still Doom-style blasters with little in the way of real plot, NOLF was different: stylish and funny, genuinely well-written (as in the dialogue), with interesting objective-based missions and a cool female protagonist. It skirted similar ground to Bond and the then-white-hot Austin Powers franchise. Two games were made and then, as far as I’m aware, it evaporated into a mess of tangled rights, hence no sequels or remakes. A shame, because it was great.

MDK (1997): the next game from the people who made the multimedia phenomenon that was Earthworm Jim, MDK was a really cool slice of sci-fi style, all sleek level design and intriguing features. It had a supremely bonkers plot which bled through into a game with a sense of humour, but mostly it was the run-and-gun gameplay and innovative use of a scoped weapon – possibly (don’t quote me on this) the first sniper rifle in a videogame. An even wackier sequel followed, but despite its cult status, that was it.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Klingon Honor Guard (1998): it’s probably fair to say that Star Trek has not had as many great videogames as Star Wars, perhaps because Trek’s historically straightlaced earnestness just didn’t translate as well as bashing someone up the chops with a laser sword. Honor Guard shook things up by casting you as a Klingon, showering levels with pink blood and going Full Worf. It was the first game to licence the Unreal engine, and had a cool level where you walked along the outside of a ship like in First Contact. Also: shout out to the Voyager game, Elite Force (2000), which was another really good FPS set in the world of Trek, with intriguing gameplay wrinkles as you fought the Borg. It also let you wander round the titular starship between levels. Trek deserves more quality action games like these.

Earth 2150 (2000): the nineties on PC really saw RTS games come down to those who liked Command & Conquer or those who liked Warcraft, but as the decade drew to a close other titles chased the wargame crown (including Total Annihilation, which would have made this list, except I feel like the Supreme Commander franchise is a sequel in all but name). 2150 was notable for its Starcraft-like mix of three factions with contrasting play styles, and its use of 3D graphics and the ability to design and build weapons of war that could lay waste to armies and bases with spectacular results. I think the genre has ossified into something more hardcore, and this was probably an inflex point where idiots like me could still get a handle on things.

Midtown Madness (1999): Microsoft has a history of building up great racing franchises and then abandoning them, but their “Madness” line of games in the late nineties/early noughties was terrific and much-missed. Back when tooling round actual 3D cities was still new and exciting, this was a no-holds-barred arcade racer, with some gorgeous shiny chrome effects on the cars, and very nippy handling. It was great fun smashing up VW Beetles and the like. It was surpassed, I guess, by Project Gotham on the Xbox, and sadly the whole franchise was then forgotten, despite the ascendent Forza franchise mostly shunning city driving.

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (1998): part tactical war game, part puzzler, Commandos was famous for its gorgeously intricate graphics and its difficulty – I mean, it was way too hard for me. But its beautiful top-down design and its slow, methodical gameplay was compelling, as you evaded Nazis and solved missions with a team of unique units with special skills. Sequels followed, and western spin-off Desperados, but there’s not been a true follow-up for quite some time, despite promises; and few games have echoed its style or look.

The Pandora Directive (1996): okay, so really this is just a placeholder for an entire subgenre of game that appears to have been forgotten: interactive movies. I know, there are flirtations with this from time to time; and many of these games featured obtuse puzzles and relatively little gameplay strung between FMV scenes. Pandora was great though; a first-person 3D game with loads of old-school adventure aspects, as well as FMV, it was a noir-tinged detective story but set in the future. The Tex Murphy series (of which this was the fourth instalment) has had sequels – the most recent one was sadly cancelled only this year – but many other games of a similar ilk, such as Phantasmagoria and even Wing Commander – have fallen by the wayside. With in-engine graphics now allowing the fluidity and expression of cinematic renders of old, shooting movie inserts doesn’t seem like it’s worthwhile; but I still always loved a point-and-click game that featured digitised actors milling about. Toonstruck, anyone?

Marathon (1994): before Halo there was… Marathon! Back when I used to lug my Pentium round my mate’s house so we could play different games on different machines side-by-side, he’d bang on about this Mac-first series of games, like Doom but better, with an intricate plot and complex levels. And y’know what? He was actually onto something. There’s a style and an earnestness to the Marathon franchise, along with many concepts that would be refined in Halo years later. With Bungie now seemingly committed to Destiny, and Halo in Microsoft’s hands, I’m not sure what could possibly become of this, their forgotten FPS forebear, especially as it shares so much DNA with its offspring.

Outlaws (1997): LucasArts are famous for two things, really: their Star Wars games and their adventures. But they made loads of other stuff too – including this intriguing Western shoot-em-up. Back when Western games were rarer than Western movies (which were rare at the time), this quirky and difficult cowboy-em-up saw you rounding up outlaws in typical oater locations such as saloons, trains, and mines. It had great music and a really intriguing set of weapons, including (don’t quote me on this) the first sniper rifle in a game. Sadly Outlaws’ success could be described as “cult” and it never got a proper sequel. and, weirdly, despite the success of Red Dead Redemption, we’ve never had a bit Western-themed FPS again. Which is really odd.

Soldier of Fortune (2000): I pondered whether to include this one, as if I’m honest I’m not sure I want this licence brought back. But I can’t deny the game was a huge deal and has seemingly been forgotten. A relatively gritty and realistic combat game with a huge variety of excellent real-world weaponry, its big hook was its incredibly detailed damage modelling, that could see you blowing limbs off enemies, or splitting open heads, or disembowelling them. Whilst its OTT violence made headlines, the granularity of its systems meant you could be more tactical, shooting weapons out of hands. But really its biggest controversy should be its association with a big old gun magazine.

There are many, many other games that nearly made the list - I almost had a Top Ten of just FPS games, for instance. Little Big Adventure was here, till a sequel was announced the other day. Hexen and Heretic I think still have a place in FPS history. Toonstruck, although without a sequel, was only really a cult hit at the time, and I feel the people who’d love it already know about it. I do tend to overthink these things, y’know.

So maybe not all of these could make a comeback, but all the same I don’t think they should be forgotten, and it does make we wonder what games will fall by the wayside twenty or more years from now. That game about the big green space marine dude in a mask – what was that called again…?

#top ten #games #pc games #fps #shooter #strategy #1990s #2000s

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mandaloriangf · 3 years

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I get more and more disappointed with what happened with Leia in tlj when I think about how she had the potential of having the most emotional story arc in the entire film. Han just got killed by their own son, she’s probably anxious about seeing Luke again, her complex relationship with Kylo could’ve been explored, her relationship with her new son figure and the person she wants to lead the resistance, Poe, could’ve gotten more development, she could’ve bonded with Rey and Finn over the force, her role in the new republic could’ve gotten more backstory, and seeing those planets get destroyed could’ve brought back memories of Alderaan. And they just put her in a coma, like there’s no way they could’ve known this was going to be her final time as Leia but still, they thought the best they could do with one of the most beloved characters in the franchise was that?

she was connected to so much of the plot in the trilogy and they just fucking WASTED it. it blew me away that there was basically no discussion on rian putting leia in a coma for half the movie. she is one of the most iconic female characters of all time and he PUT HER IN A COMA FOR HALF THE MOVIE and people have to gall to call it a feminist film! im in a twilight zone episode.

#ask amanda #Anonymous

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datheetjoella · 4 years

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Fantober 2020, Day 27: Breakup

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Part: 27/31 (read the full collection here) Word count: 1,778 Tags: Canonverse, Established Relationship, Fluff, Movie Night, Teasing, The Life of a Rat Read at: AO3, FFn, or right here!

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Heavy rainfall pattered against the building and washed over David, whose head was concealed by his fedora. This was it. This was the climax and Makoto hugged the pillow on his lap to his chest.

"That fateful day, a rat got lost in the middle of an experiment."

"It's okay," Veronica said from the bottom of the stairs, clutching her pet cat, Snowball, against her chest. "No matter who you've changed into, it won't change the moments we shared or my love for you!"

Happy memories of David and Veronica flashed across the screen as she said her piece and Makoto held his breath.

"Thank you, Veronica, but…" David whipped his head up and the wind blew his hat away. Lightning struck behind David and Veronica gasped loudly, eyebrows raised in terror. The handsome face she had fallen in love with was gone, replaced by a rat's head. Tears shimmered in David's eyes as he said, "Since you love cats, I can't live with you!"

"David! Please, no!"

"Please forgive me!"

With that, David ran off. Veronica collapsed on the stairs, weeping loudly in Snowball's white fur.

A melancholic melody began to play as the credits rolled down the screen. Makoto couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"This can't be it," he mumbled under his breath, leaning forward to fetch the remote off the coffee table. He fast-forwarded through the credits to check if there was a final scene at the end, but there wasn't. This was all there was to the movie. "I can't believe this, this can't be the end! There has to be a sequel, The Life of a Rat 3?"

"I don't know," Haruka said, absentmindedly munching on some of the leftover popcorn. "Ask Rin. He's been a fan of this franchise since day one."

Earlier that day, they were video chatting with Rin and talked about the remarkable things that happened since they last caught up with each other. When Rin asked them if they had any plans for the night, they told him they were probably going to relax and watch a movie, but they didn't have anything specific in mind. Rin recommended this duology; he'd seen both films in the cinema when they were first released a few years back and they made a lasting impression on him. By then, they'd known Rin long enough to decipher that meant he cried at least once while watching them.

Neither of them had heard of this franchise beyond an off mention here and there and while the title was a bit odd, they decided to give it a go. They watched both movies back to back and the bittersweet ending didn't exactly move Makoto to tears. Rather, he was left frustrated.

"This can't be the end of David and Veronica. They can't break up just because David has a rat head now," Makoto said, "I know Veronica loves cats and I understand that, but that doesn't mean they can't look for a solution to bring David back to who he was. Or in the very least, they could've found a way to make it work despite David being a rat!"

"Makoto, it's a movie," Haruka, who was a lot less invested in the plot, said. "Not every story has a happy ending."

"But David and Veronica love each other so much! Isn't true love supposed to conquer all?" Makoto said, adjusting his position on the couch to face Haruka. "Would you break up with me if I got fused with a rat by accident?"

"Definitely."

"Huh?" Makoto's jaw plummeted to the ground faster than Veronica fell to her knees. "What, why?"

"You know I'm only with you for your looks, right?" Haruka said, expression blank as he continued to stuff popcorn into his mouth. "If you lose that, then I don't know what's left for me to love."

Makoto stared at him in incredulity, but then the corners of Haruka's lips twitched up and a hint of a smile broke through his aloof facade. "Haru!" he complained as he smacked Haruka's legs with his pillow. "That's not funny."

Haruka pulled in his legs, folding them beneath himself and he snorted. "No, Makoto, if you somehow got amalgamated with a rat in some freaky experiment, then I wouldn't break up with you. But if you get on my nerves, I might consider setting up mouse traps around the apartment."

"Stop," Makoto said, grabbing the bowl from Haruka's arms. "If you're going to keep teasing me, then you don't deserve any more popcorn."

"I made that popcorn myself, I think I'm entitled to it."

"Try taking it back from me then." Makoto shot him a challenging look.

One glance was enough to determine it would be a losing battle for Haruka, so he tapped out before he started. "You can have it. I've had enough popcorn anyway."

It was a measly victory, but a victory nonetheless. Makoto rewarded himself by popping a piece into his mouth, the buttery yet slightly salty flavour spreading over his tongue.

"What about me?"

Haruka's voice made Makoto look up from his snack of triumph. "What about you?"

"Would you still be with me if I got turned into a rat?" Haruka asked, "And before you say yes, you have to keep in mind that that would mean you can never have a cat. I cannot, under any circumstance, be turned back human."

"I would train the cat not to attack you," Makoto said, but Haruka shook his head.

"No. There is no way for a cat and me to coexist in the same house, and you can't have a separate room or shed or anything to facilitate a cat either."

Makoto rubbed at his chin to feign contemplation, wanting to tease Haruka back a little, but then he said, "Yes, I would still be with you."

"What if you couldn't even pet your friends' cats or stray cats as long as you're with me, because my rat-scent would cling to you constantly?"

Makoto grimaced at that detail. "That sounds gross."

"It would be gross," Haruka said, "So what would it be? No more cat cafés, no more burying your face in soft fur, no more pink paws or rough tongues as long as you're together with me?"

"I'd still pick you," Makoto said decisively because there was not a grain of doubt in his mind about this, "I can always watch cat videos online."

"What if that wouldn't be allowed either?"

A chuckle left Makoto's lips. "You just want me to say I'd give anything up for you, don't you? But yes, even if that wouldn't be allowed, I would still choose you. I'd choose you over anything because I apparently love you more than Veronica loves David."

Judging by the satisfied grin that briefly darted across Haruka's face, that was indeed the answer he was fishing for. "Aren't you glad it's just a movie?" he said as he leaned back against the couch, "Next time, tell Rin to recommend us better movies."

"Well, I didn't think the movies were bad, but I wish the romantic subplot ended differently," Makoto said, "I want to see a romance that's strong and can withstand anything, no matter what. A relationship like ours."

"There aren't any movies like that," Haruka said and he sounded vehement about that fact, like he'd already watched every film that was ever created and none of them held up. "And I can't imagine one will be made soon."

"Why not?"

"Because romances in movies are fictional while our connection, our feelings for each other are real."

That reply made Makoto's mouth fall open once again, his heart melting inside his chest. Haruka stated it like it was the obvious truth, which it was, but Makoto hadn't expected him to say it. Despite their unswerving bond, there were still times when Haruka could catch him off guard, with kind words or equally thoughtful gestures.

"I guess you're right," Makoto said, a soft smile stretching his cheeks. "Maybe we should make our own movie then."

"And star in it ourselves?" Haruka said with a huff of amusement, "This movie is going to be as much of a disaster as the swim club recruitment video we shot back in high school."

"It won't be, because unlike with that video, we're actually fit to play these roles," Makoto said, "I was born to play the part of the compatible love interest. Want me to prove?"

"Show me what you've got."

Makoto put the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table, then he grabbed Haruka's hands. His gaze locked onto Haruka's as he vowed, "I don't care what you've turned into, when I said I wanted to be with you forever, I meant it with all my heart. As long as you're Haru, that's all that matters to me because I love you more than anything in the entire world."

A bright blush lit up Haruka's face and he whipped his head around, breaking the spell Makoto cast over them. Although every word he spoke was true, Haruka's reaction made him grin. It was good he wasn't the only one who could be surprised by a sincere confession.

"How was that? You can't possibly break up with someone like that, can you?"

"I wasn't planning to," Haruka said before shoving the last handful of popcorn into his mouth to distract himself.

"I thought you had enough popcorn?"

"I changed my mind."

Makoto chuckled. "As long as you don't change your mind about our relationship, that's fine by me."

"I would never," Haruka mumbled while he chewed, "You're perfectly cut out for your role in this movie."

Even though he already knew that, the reassurance was very much appreciated. "So are you." Once Haruka's mouth was empty, he leaned in and stole a kiss from his lips. Salty kisses rarely tasted this sweet. "I would love for this movie to continue and reach its climax, but it's getting pretty late. Shall we postpone it till tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Haruka said, stifling a yawn at the mention of the time. "You can be a good love interest and carry me to the bathroom."

"If that's what it takes to stay by your side, then gladly." Makoto leapt to his feet and scooped Haruka up in his arms. "You can go brush your teeth first, I'll clean up here."

"Thanks," Haruka said as he pressed another kiss to Makoto's lips.

There might not have been any cameras rolling and they weren't following a script, but as far as love stories went, Makoto was certain that theirs exceeded every other tale that had ever been told.

#i'm sorry i'm stupid #makoharu #makoharu fic #my fic #fantober2020 #colourful days with you #let me preface this by saying that no this is not a breakup fic #sorry if that's what you were expecting but look at me #do i look like someone who could write a breakup fic?? absolutely not #i can't even think about it let alone write it #nevertheless i tried my best to stick to the prompt a little #and this is the closest thing i've ever written to crack lmao #but i hope you'll like it anyway #ok that's enough from me thanks for reading i love you

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whorrorgrl · 2 years

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Favorite Childhood Movies

Ever since I was a kid, I always loved horror movies. Well, technically I was terrified of them, but for some reason I continued to watch them until I grew into the growing fanatic that I am now. Movies like the 1986 Troll will forever be stuck in my head, even if it looks silly now. I lay awake at night scared Chucky would pop out and stab me. I was glad I lived somewhere tropical, far away from cornfields I swore Jeepers Creepers haunted. Didn’t matter what cornfield. He was in all of them. But there are three movies that I love to go back to and watch. I love them because of how nostalgic they are, sure, but they hold up so well all these years later.

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998)

I can make an entire thread alone on my favorite Scooby Doo episodes and movies, but Zombie Island is my top one.

While Scooby Doo has always taught us that the true monsters are people in disguise (usually political figures or other people in power), the gang gets tired not actually catching real monsters, Velma even wondering if they exist. So the gang break up. It’s like One Direction all over again.

Fred and Daphne run a successful television series documenting their monster hunts. However, they’re never actual monsters and their fans are getting bored. Fred gets the idea to bring the gang back together again to catch a real one, so they travel across the country looking for exactly that. But end up encountering the same costumed humans. That is until they head to New Orleans where they meet more than they expected.

So in love with this movie. It’s just the most comforting thing to watch. Horror/Thriller cartoons are so underrated. Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, the Thriller Bark arc in One Piece! I’m getting so excited thinking about it. There’s not enough and there needs to be more. Zombie Island was so refreshing as a kid, and turns out it was the only Scooby Doo movie without as much studio interference so they went darker than most Scooby movies got. Best decision ever.

I was always used to the monsters turning out to be the local politician that’s pouring oil into the lake or something like that. But when Daphne tried to yank off the head of the Zombie and it wouldn’t budge, it blew my little kid head. The Louisianan bayou is such a good backdrop to the horrors that awaited the gang. The swampiness, misty, unclear waters and old Southern history makes it the best.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Witches, black cats, cauldrons, Sarah Jessica Parker. Yes.

Every time October came around, Disney channel went all out. The Halloween Town franchise, Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out, that one episode of of the Suite Life of Zack and Cody: The Ghost of Suite 613, That’s So Raven Cake Fear, etc. It traumatized me in the best ways. But Hocus Pocus....a classic rewatch. There’s something about witches being involved that also amplifies a movie. I’ll say that for a lot of things in movies, but witchcraft is always a win. I think that's why shows like Charmed, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; movies like Practical Magic, the Craft, and Death Becomes Her (not really witchcraft but still) are my favorites. You cannot go wrong with a good witch. Hocus Pocus had three.

In 1993, Max Dennison and his sister Allison are new in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, where there are a lot of stories of the infamous Sanderson sisters three centuries ago who were witches persecuted for draining the youth of children in order to remain young. Before being persecuted, the witches cast a curse that resurrects them during a full moon on All Hallow’s Eve if the Black Flame Candle is lit by a virgin. Thackery Binx, a boy whose sister was murdered by the witches and got turned into a cat when he tried to stop them, guards the witches house for centuries to make sure that curse never comes to fulfillment. But when skeptical Max wanders into the house and lights that very candle, the witches are resurrected and Max spends the entire Halloween night protecting his sister and the kids of the town from the Sanderson sisters.

This movie is so campy. Not so overly serious like Practical Magic or dark like The Craft, but has a more fun twist. The maniacal laugh, the costuming, Bette Midler. My favorite scene is when the witches are flying over the cemetery, harassing and taunting the trio. Plus when Sarah sings, entrancing all the children of the town to lure them in....gold. Hocus Pocus 2 is set to come out in late 2022 and I’m excited to watch it. A little nervous - remakes are nothing new but we can all agree the 2000′s did a better job at them than now, so I hope they don’t ruin it. If it sucks, we’ll pretend it doesn’t exist. But many of the original actors are reprising their roles, even iconic Doug Jones and Billy Butcher, so that’s a good sign, right? Right?

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Who remembers this movie? I forgot Eddie Murphy was in this gem, but I rediscovered it again a few years later and now rewatch it on days where the sky is gloomy and the days are slow. Murphy’s humor paired with the beautifully haunted mansion is just perfect. Whenever I watched it as a kid, the backyard filled with hundreds of graves always creeped me out. Thriller Bark and Addam’s Family reminds me of it sometimes whenever I rewatch them too. Jennifer Tilly is a goddess no matter how minor her role was, it was needed and appreciated.

Jim Evers, played by Eddie Murphy, is a successful realtor, along with his beautiful wife Sara Evers (played by the gorgeous Marsha Thomason) with their two beautiful children Michael and Megan. Jim is a workaholic that prioritizes his job over his family, which frustrates Sara. When he misses their anniversary, he tries to make it up by taking the family on a trip to a nearby lake. However, on the way, Sara gets a call from a occupant of the Gracey Manor to sell their mansion. She wants to refuse it, but Jim, eager to make a sale, encourages her until she gives in. The mansion is located in the deeps of a bayou (more horror movies in the fucking bayou please!), so Jim makes a detour that won’t take long. However, awaiting them is more than they expected.

Terrence Stamp as Ramsley, the stoic butler content on keeping things in order, was the creepiest man I’d ever watched as a kid. The house is a close second. A black family in a horror movie....I loved. I was always used to seeing white horror movies, which I loved, however I wanted to see people that reflected myself being terrified and murdered...but in a non-systemic way, you know? I have the physical copy and rewatch this movie every time it rains and pours.

All in all, I watch these movies whenever I want to feel something. I loved my childhood and the movies that came out or played during those times. Horror isn’t the only thing I watched as a kid, but since this is my horror page I wanted to share the ones of a horrific nature. If anyone comes across this post, I hope you discover it for the first time or remember them and run to watch them again.

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medea10 · 3 years

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Medea’s Worst Year of All-Time Anime/Game Superlative

Nobody saw this year coming…except for maybe Barbara Walters! Who could have predicted that this year would bless us with Australia burning, the entire west coast of the U.S. set on fire, stupid people setting fires because they wanted to reveal a baby’s gender, murder hornets, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dying, an almost war with Iran, serial killer mascots arrested, policemen killing unarmed black folks for having a counterfit $20, policemen killing unarmed black folks for breaking up a fight, policemen killing black folks for holding sandwiches, policemen killing unarmed black folks for fucking sleeping, a wide variety of “Karens” coming out of the woodworks, the end of Bojack, the end of Steven Universe, the end of Empire, and a pandemic so huge it’s killed the economy, canceled fun, and given the U.S. president the dumb-fuck idea of injecting bleach to kill the virus!?

SERIOUSLY, WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED ALL OF THIS WAS GOING TO FALL IN OUR LAPS LIKE HOT COFFEE ON THE CROTCH?!

At least there was anime this year.

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At least there was SOME anime this year.

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Biden won the election and Vickeblanca came out with Black Catcher this year.

Hey internet, it’s Medea here to give you her trashy opinion on this years anime and games that she’s watched or played. Because for some reason, my loser-ass loves to do out-dated as fuck memes! I shouldn’t complain, this shit brings a lot of attention to my page every year when I do this. Yes, 2020 was a complete dumpster fire so large that Domestic Girlfriend is crying foul. Many of us had to go on lockdown and ended up binge-watching the entire 957+ episodes of One Piece. I did no such thing. I am one of those “essential workers” so I didn’t hunker down for 9 months straight. But when I was home, I was watching anime. Actually, I would have done that even without the pandemic. I’m an introvert and find the human race to be deplorable.

You all know how this goes. I go over the best this year had to offer me. I had to search really hard to find the good in this year, especially in the anime world. Many things had to be put on hiatus or were delayed to a later date. Just a reminder, I don’t discriminate in what year the anime or game came out. If something came out in the happier times of 2007, that anime or game counts! Let’s get at it!

First Fandom of 2020: Interspecies Reviewers

Did anyone expect a fan-favorite of 2020 was going to be a hentai? Did anyone have on their batshit 2020 bingo card that a hentai was going to grab everybody’s attention? At the beginning of the year, my mind was set on the Railgun sequel and Eizoken. It wasn’t until licensors, streaming sites, and TV stations in Japan dropped this series that I started to pay attention. And got immediately hooked! It’s about three men going to different brothels and reviewing their time with the ladies. And these ladies are of different species! So with every bang comes possible enlightenment, new kinks, or a night of having your dick sucked off more than humanly possible. This anime blew away all of my skepticism and first impressions right out the window. Maybe it’s because I’m a degenerate and am often curious about sexual content, but this was a guilty pleasure of mine this year.

Favorite Main Character of 2020: Moroha from Yashahime

I know the majority of this story is going to revolve around Towa and Setsuna, but can we please focus a little more energy on the spunky, quarter-demon girl?! I know they’re pitting Moroha as the comic relief, but I’m hopeful that she’s going to surprise us one day. We fans of InuYasha would spend the past decade and some change wondering what InuYasha and Kagome’s daughter would be like. This year, we got our answer with Moroha. She’s got this wild side to her, probably due to the fact that she’s spent her entire life on her own. And while she’s silly at times, she can get down to business in a pinch. She has her father’s sense of smell. She has a sword. She’s able to shoot sacred arrows much like her mother. And to top it all off, she has this special rouge that if she puts it on, she’s able to unleash that ¼ demon power inside her and become Beniyasha! Yeah, I know the power only lasts a minute, she’s only 14, give her a break! I will gladly go through another week scratching my head at the confusion this story gives me if I get to see one more second of Moroha and her crazy antics or her bad-ass slaying.

Favorite Villain of 2020: The Devil Believers from Black Clover

This was one hell of a year for Black Clover. It would have been an easy choice to pick the devil and possible super devil that appeared during the elf fight. But I’d like to give a nod to the filler arc villains. And you can’t blame this group for wanting the power of the devil. They’re literally the bottom-rung of the Clover Kingdom and ones with little to no power or mana. So I can agree with why they would want the power of the devil. For one thing, they’d have more power. And for another thing, they’d be able to exact revenge on those who have wronged them. On some occasions I agree with exacting revenge and when it comes to the nobles and some characters in Black Clover, some folks do deserve death. I mean, have you met the king of the Clover Kingdom? Plus, this town and many other poorer towns get looked over by the kingdom. Peasant uprise! Anyways, I thought these people were really crafty in their crimes. I mean, they were able to knock Asta out on his ass with specially made poisons. I was actually hooked to this story of Black Clover (despite it being a filler arc). I know we’ll never see them again as they have been exiled, but it did have me semi-rooting for them.

Favorite Video Game Character of 2020: Honey from Pokemon – Sword & Shield (Expansion Pass)

Sorry Raymond from Animal Crossing!

Honey is the saucy wife of Mustard…I did not expect that to come out the way it did, but here we are! She has one hell of a team you can fight once a day. She looks out for her husband, the dojo, and the students of the dojo like they were her own children by providing food, drinks, and others. However that does come at a price as you do have to give up a sizable chunk of your watts that you collect in raid dens. I’m sure a bunch of MILF chasers were more than happy enough to give her all their hard-earned watts just so they can have their one-on-one moment on the beach with Honey.

What won me over was when that one guy from a rival dojo bad-mouthed her husband’s dojo and she…I think she kicked this guy’s ass herself. I don’t think she used any of her pokemon. Game Freak won’t show it, but we all know she kicked this guy’s ass to a point where he’s begging for mercy.

Honey, for the win!

Favorite Game of 2020: Animal Crossing New Horizons

This game was just Zen for me. I know the release of this game came with some controversy like Gamestop saying it’s an essential business and will remain open for people to get their copies of the game. Hell, I was one of those assholes in line waiting to get a copy on March 20th. Did I predict that a pandemic was going to rage out of control when I got a prepay copy of this for Christmas 2019? NO! I only predict political things, not deadly pandemics! The good news, we social distanced, didn’t catch the covid and got the game.

Anyways, this game has been a non-stop calming and fun ride. I can even forgive their botch-up of Bunny Day. They even have events for holidays I never thought they would ever touch. I mean, does anybody know when Museum Day is? Probably not until Animal Crossing had an event for it! I’ve been able to let my freak-flag fly with designing my island. And this goes way beyond New Leaf for the 3DS. I can make a sign post with the words “Fuck Trump” on it and post it in my yard. I can dig up trees and plant them elsewhere. I can poop in a toilet. I can craft furniture and put my own design on it. My furniture can have Tracey Sketchit’s beautiful mug on it. I can sit on Tracey Sketchit’s face. I am a sick fuck and I don’t care. I can give Raymond and Bob maid outfits. Magical time in my game! My hopes for next year…I don’t know, get the Festivale furniture, get Papi and Olivia to join my island, maybe visit Danny Trejo’s island, who knows, sky’s da limit!

Favorite Het Couple of 2020: Nasa and Tsukasa Yuzaki from Tonikawa

This is one of the most unorthodox marriages I’ve ever seen. But in this 90 Day Fiance world we’re living in, I shouldn’t pass judgement on these two getting married in episode one and not knowing much about each other. Nasa meets Tsukasa as he was about to be plowed by a truck. Tsukasa saves his life. Nasa says she’s beautiful. Tsukasa says she’ll be his girlfriend if they get married. He agrees. She disappears. Four years later, Tsukasa appears in front of Nasa’s front door with a marriage registration form. Congratulations buddy, you’ve got yourself a waifu! In some way, this felt like watching Yamato and Takeo from My Love Story. I was fascinated with them progressing through their relationship. The only difference is that Yamato and Takeo took the old-fashioned route. This couple did everything ass-backwards in terms of having a relationship. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Nasa and Tsukasa’s relationship during each episode. I find them cute.

Favorite Yuri Couple of 2020: Karin Asaka x Emma Verde from Love Live Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

AAAAAAAAAH! I’M IN IDOL HELL AGAIN! Yeah, no kidding! I came this close to putting Miu x Nicole from that abomination 22/7. But thank God for Love Live! There’s no telling if any of the girls from the Love Live franchise are confirmed to be lesbians. But fuck it, all of them attend all-girl schools, no males exist anywhere, and Sunshine gave us Kanan x Mari! Yeah, you know Kanan and Mari is canon as fuck, don’t at me. So naturally, I found more third-years to ship in the new Love Live series. Now I know I should have put up Ai x Rina or Ayumu x Yuu. Especially the latter due to recent events! But Emma x Karin is my OTP.

Now Emma is an exchange student from Switzerland and in coming to Nijigasaki, she first meets Karin and they became instant friends. When Emma said she wants to become an idol, Karin helped her quite a bit. Even though Karin had no interest in being an idol as her modeling career is starting up, Karin would occasionally help Emma out. And surprise, surprise, Karin ends up fascinated with the idol world and Emma helps her come to the light to be herself there. Okay, I’m totally reading this in some fragmented way, but I’m currently playing Love Live School Idol Festival All Stars and the app game has a lot more stuff involving stuff the anime has yet to talk about. Confirmed or not, Karin x Emma for the win!

Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2020: Eiji Okumura x Ash Lynx from Banana Fish

It took me a while to get here, but I finally made it to 2018’s overlooked gem. Forgive me for not being fully caught up, but from what I’m watching at the moment, I’m sticking to my guns and supporting the hell out of this. I mean, I could have mentioned The Titan’s Bride here…but fuck no, I ain’t goin’ down that mess! Ash has gone through a lot, I mean a helluva lot in his past. His cute boy looks have made him a target on the streets of New York, with mafia dons, and with prison inmates. But dude can kill if you mess with him. Then you have Eiji, who is just a literal example of a “pure cinnamon roll (until episode 8)”. These two are as opposite as you can possibly get. Ash is from New York and Eiji is from Japan. Ash likes hot dogs with everything on it. Eiji likes grilled fish and natto. Ash spent the majority of his life killing on the streets. Eiji was a track superstar. You get my meaning. But when we got these two together it’s quite adorable. Ash is really able to change when he’s around Eiji. Ash isn’t some heartless killer on the street about to kill a thug with prosthetic fingers. When he’s with Eiji, he’s a joker that can easily get scared of pumpkins. And even in later episodes, you got these two acting like a husband and wife.

Fandom That You Didn’t Expect to Get Into: Les Miserables – A Girl Named Cosette

Let me explain a little something. Les Mis! I have never seen the play, watched the movie, or read the novel prior to picking up this anime. Not a single one of those! And that’s a bit of a head-scratcher when you realize I was a bit of a musical theater nut in my teenage years. But one thing I do like is when Japan does an anime based on plays or historical events (like Romeo x Juliet or Rose of Versailles). The second I popped in Les Miserables the anime, I wanted to binge watch the whole 52 episode series. It is by no means a perfect adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Several key players end up surviving all the way up to the end of the story! But because this was my very first viewing of anything Les Mis, I took to the story of Cosette and was eager to see what was going to happen next in her tale. Unlike the movies and play, Cosette was the main focus of the story besides Jean Valjean and Javert. And thanks to watching the unfortunate stories of Cosette, Jean Valjean, the Thenadiers, Javert, Marius, and the rest, I thought it was time to watch the OTHER adaptations to Les Mis.

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Russell Crowe sucks.

Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

Higurashi or When They Cry is one of my favorite fandoms of all time! So naturally when we heard that it was making a comeback, I was excited. It was also very odd that Higurashi was given this sequel or reboot. Ahem! There’s another franchise that needs a face-lift. Umineko still deserves a better treatment. Plus, now that this series was out of the faulty hands of Studio Deen, Higurashi will get the special care it deserves. Believe it or not, it wasn’t just the anime that made a comeback for me, but the manga as well. Since 2009, I’ve read several volumes (out of order) and would every now and then come back to read the story. Back to the anime, this reboot or sequel…you know what, I’m gonna call it a “rebooqual”! This rebooqual sucked me back to the town of Hinamizawa and all the murders. Every week, I find myself comparing the current episode to one from the 2006 version. But then the fourth episode of each arc seems to catch me off guard.

Where are they going with this story and these twist endings to our favorite arcs? I did not expect Rena to turn a simple attempted murder into the end of School Days! I didn’t expect Rika to die in the most disgusting fashion they could think of. Could someone kill Teppei fucking Hojo? I will pay ¥5000 for someone to do that job. So yeah, because I know how much of this plays out and who does what, I’m usually watching and reading while making wise-ass remarks. But I still have fun with it.

Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: Konosuba

In a year where I caught up with the popular Isekais like Shield Hero and Re:Zero, I found the wacky misadventures of Kazuma Satou to be amusing as all get-out. From the first 5 minutes, I found myself laughing at Kazuma’s misfortune. Seriously, how the fuck do you mistake a tractor for a car, have a heart attack, piss yourself, and fucking die in the first couple minutes to the series? You can only get away with this shit in gag animes! But it’s not just Kazuma’s dumbass, there’s a mage who only does explosions, but loses all her energy after one blow-up. Then there’s a busty, blonde who gets turned on by getting hurt and can’t strike anything with her sword. Anime’s biggest masochist or Cheryl Tunt incarnate, I haven’t decided which one to believe! Then you have this loud, crazy goddess chick named Aqua. She’s also useless about 86% of the time! Watching their unfortunate missions is all the crack that I need to get through this year. Seriously, Darkness is just all kinds of fucked up, but we love her.

Last Fandom of 2020: Yashahime

That’s right, the InuYasha sequel gets top spot here! Even though week after week I find myself asking more questions than when the episode started, I’m still hooked. If you’re like me, you watched and fell in love with the series InuYasha. So if they’re doing a sequel, you’re expecting to see all of your favorite characters from the prequel like InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Sesshomaru, Koga, Rin, and the rest. Actually, no! Quite the opposite! We’ve got Sesshomaru’s daughters, but no Sesshomaru. Rin is sleeping in a tree we think! We’ve got InuYasha and Kagome’s daughter, but they’re M.I.A. None of the girls even know a thing about their birth parents.

Now are these new characters a catch like the ones from the previous series? Some are! The three main girls, yes! Especially Moroha! I’ve already praised her name earlier in the superlative. Towa and Setsuna do take on some personality traits from their parents. Setsuna is definitely serious like Sesshomaru and Towa sometimes has a carefree yet loyal aura to her like Rin. I know I’m always skeptical when a series gives us a sequel featuring the offspring of the main characters. Especially when you’ve got some lame examples like Boruto and Eureka Seven AO (I might retract my diss on Boruto later)! As each week gives us a new episode, we’re unraveling new clues into a lot of things involving our old favorite characters, as well as the new ones. So I have high hopes for Yashahime for the time being!

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