#the way he found out about the games is that dennis showed them to charlie when he was bored and stressed

[nailgunstigmata]

i know deep in my heart that mac had a phase where he got really into shitty phone games but specifically on dennis‘ phone. he pokes dennis with a fork during breakfast until he just goes WHAT and mac is like can i play some games bro….pls 🥺🥺 and dennis throws a spoon at his head yelling at him to just install them on his own phone (same model). and then dennis angrily eats oatmeal with water while mac plays bejeweled on dennis‘ phone at full volume and every time he loses a heart he goes FUCK and tells the computer hes going to kill it

[lemonwrld]

Credit to ohbeeones for uploading the linked video from which I took the above screencap.

I’m pretty sure it’s been pointed out before about the balding Gollum vision board behind them and how obviously the Sunny Make-up Department used this for inspiration re. Dennis in s14.  (Sorry, I can’t find that post. If someone made that and wants me to credit them for that discovery, I will. Please just send the link.)

EDIT: pizzashakes made this discovery and kindly sent me the link! You all should check it out, it’s a great find. Also you can see the vision board way clearer there.

Anyway, do you think they are going to continue with this look for Dennis in s15? Part of me thinks it’s an interesting idea (”That’s what his soul looks like”, etc.) But then maybe Waiting for Big Mo was the conclusion of it?

Like, I don’t know if I 100% got that episode… but it clearly alluded to Dennis actually kinda being Gollum-like in his obsessive pursuit of “staying on top of the leaderboard and winning at the game” at the expense of actually enjoying his life. It concluded with him and the others seemingly understanding that they have to let go of this compulsive need to control everything and just try to live more freely and in the moment.

(Although it was also likely a reference to the creators and granting themselves the freedom to pursue their other projects. It also randomly turned into a psych-out about rcg ending Sunny, which they then made clear that they absolutely don’t intend to do. So yeah.. again not 100% sure if I added all the meta references together smoothly. I personally found it all to be a little bit jumbled.)

Nevertheless, my general take-away character-wise was that Dennis worked through some of his control issues with the support of Charlie and the others. He seemed in a better headspace by the end. S14 was him at his lowest in terms of physical appearance. And rcg clearly intended the audience to see that as a manifestation of his internal state as well.

I’m interested to see what Dennis looks like in s15. Is he going to look better / more like normal Glenn? Because part of me feels they didn’t fully complete that arc. Like, Dennis still has so many issues to deal with before he resolves anything about his identity or the way he lives his life (at least in my eyes).

But if you look on other sites like reddit, a lot of people didn’t even seem to link Dennis’ change in weight/physical appearance with a deliberate creative choice. I feel the general audience understood that Rob gained weight for s7 as a deliberate acting choice and in service to the show. I’m not so sure the general audience wholly understood that Glenn lost weight and was made-up to look quite sickly on purpose. And if they did note it, I’m not sure everyone understood exactly why… y’know?

Anyway, I’m interested to see where they go with Dennis in s15!!

[walkwithheroes84]

Lucifer: Season 5, Part 1 Thoughts

Part 1 of Season 5 of Lucifer came out on Netflix on August 21. And you bet your bottom dollar that I binged all 8 episodes. I stayed up until 2 am on August 22, but it was worth it. I’m not sure if the cast, crew, writers, and producers went into this season thinking it was their last (It’s not, Part 2 of Season 5 is rumored to be out in February of 2021, with the final season, Season 6, rumored to be released in early-mid 2022.) or what, but they really brought their A game for the first 8 episodes of the season.

What follows are some random thoughts I have on the season. Yes, there may be spoilers!

- I really like that the last couple of seasons have explored  the supporting cast more. Maze, Ella, Linda, Dan - they are being fleshed out a lot and I am living for it. 

- Seeing more of Linda’s backstory was great. And, I liked the way it tied into Maze’s own feelings regarding Lilith and abandonment. I am here for Linda x Maze, may that be a deep friendship or something more. I always love them together.  

- Speaking of Maze - it is getting repetitive to see her be pissed at Lucifer (who really needs to step up and see that she is her own demon with thoughts and feelings.) or being down on herself for not being able to make solid connections. Maze, you have connections: You have a best friend in Linda, friends in Chloe, Ella,  Amenadiel, Trixie, Charlie. These people are your found family! They love you, Maze. But, Maze has to learn to love herself. Stop betraying them because she’s upset. All that said, Lesley-Ann Brandt always brings her A-game. 

- I didn’t care for Lilith. I get what she was trying to do and that, in the end, she wanted mortally and love, but even she couldn’t find it. But, she abandoned her children. :( I’m thinking her ring will play a key role down the road: either to give Maze mortally/a soul, give Eve immortally (so she and Maze can be together?), make Lucifer human, save Chloe, something! That ring is coming back into play.

-Amenadiel worrying about being a good father to baby Charlie. It was really cute, as is his friendship with Dan. The scenes with Dan, Amenadiel, Lucifer, and Jed trying to calm the baby were comedy gold. I also really loved seeing Amedadiel working a case with Chloe. He’s just grown so much as a character during the last five seasons and I’m here for it. 

- Dan finding out about Lucifer was a bit of a surprise. Poor guy. He’s been lost since Charlotte’s death and all this new age stuff seems to be his way of trying to find meaning in his life. And, now he has to deal with the fact that EVERYTHING is real and his ex-wife/friend is in love with the actual Devil. And, he has this great fear that he’ll go to Hell, because of all he’s done - and knowing the Devil is real - of course that is going to mess with his mind! And, Michael - playing on fears - knew just want to do with that. I’m interested to see where Dan goes during Part 2 of the season. 

-I felt so bad for Ella. She decided that she wasn’t going to go for the “bad boys” and that she was going to look for a nice, normal man for a normal romance and what does she find? A freaking serial killer! Who was using her and planning to kill her! Like, Ella, girl, take a break from dating for a while. She either dates men with no futures, serial killers, or Dan.

- I have to give it up to Tom Ellis in his portrayal of Micheal. So twisted and cowardly and yet weirdly I get it? From what the show has told us or implied - before his fall, Lucifer was one of their parents favorites, made Michael miserable, was a favorite of some of the other siblings. I can see a twin becoming jealous and causing issues. It’s interesting that Michael straight out stated he planted the idea of rebellion in Lucifer’s head. Michael planted the idea of causing Eve to sin. Of coming to Los Angeles. I’m wondering how much of it is true and how much was Michael just speaking nonsense. And, what else has Michael planted in Lucifer (or anyone else’s) head? Did he plant Chloe in God/Dad’s head? Did he pretend to be God/Dad and tell Amenadiel to bless the Decker’s with a baby? Oh, the possibilities. 

-While I didn’t love episode 4 (it felt a bit like filler) - it was so good to see  Tricia Helfer, back on the show. I miss Mom and Charlotte. 

-Chloe finding out she was a blessing/gift from God/Dad? I am so thrilled they didn’t get too angsty with it and played it perfectly. Yes, she had every right to be confused and upset. But, thank goodness they didn’t drag that out! The writers really hit a lot of great beats with Chloe this season.

-  I have read that some viewers were annoyed that Chloe was/is worried that Lucifer doesn’t lover her back - when he has shown his love via actions - but, I get it. Lucifer is Lucifer. He self sabotages, he refuses to deal with issues, and he tends to pull away. He become invulnerable - right after it was more or less agreed by everyone that Lucifer chooses to be vulnerable around Chloe because of his love for her. She might be thinking: “Okay, will he get bored? Is this real? Will something else happen that makes him pull away?” Chloe needs to have a solid talk with Lucifer, and it’s a talk that he may not be ready to have. As a show-runner hinted: “You can’t fully be in love with someone until you fully love yourself.” And, we all know that Lucifer is still working on loving himself. 

- I was really proud of Lucifer during the first half of the season. He stayed in Hell to protect Charlie, Chloe, and the world. He only left to deal with Michael and he was smart enough to leave Amendadiel in charge. He was honest with Chloe, he tried (in his own way and to the best of his abilities) to give her space, he bonded with Dan, he got jealous (that was hilarious), he moved forward with Chloe, he tried (again in his own way and to the best of his abilities) to not freak out over losing his “mojo”, he admitted (to others and himself) that he NEEDS Chloe, he found Chloe. He showed some nice growth. He’s by no means a mature and fully realized “person” yet, but it’s clear he is trying. 

- When Dad/God showed up? I had no idea Dennis Haysbert had been cast in the role, so I was so excited. He’s a great choice. I love that he came down from the Silver City to break up a fight between some of his children. His ex walking around Earth? Demons coming to Earth? A half-angel being born? Eve coming down? Cain and Lucifer fighting? Dad/God’s not bothered by that. He’s not coming down for that. But, his children fighting? Yeah, he’s physically and completely coming down to break that stuff up. I’m excited. 

- So, 5A mentioned the Silver City and some of the other angels often. We learned that many of Lucifer and Amenadadiel ‘s siblings are praising Lucifer for going back to Hell to protect Earth. Something which Michael can’t stand. We also learn that Dad/God has locked himself away and that Michael is the only one he speaks to. You guys - I NEED to see some of the other angels or at least hear about them. Maybe even hints of what the Silver City looks like? Uriel may be dead, but Azrael and  Remiel are still in the Silver City. And, the show has mentioned a Castiel, who enjoys music. We’ve also heard about Gabriel and Raphael, who are apparently proud of Lucifer for being mature enough to return to Hell on his own. I’m actually wondering how many children Dad/God and Mom actually had together? So far we have nine angels/children. Did they have hundreds? Thousands? Just those nine? 

- Let’s talk Deckerstar. If you are a fan of Deckerstar, as I am, then you were loving 5A. There was awkwardness, angst, cuteness, sweetness. They were flirty and playful. When they FINALLY had sex? Linda and Ella weren’t the only one celebrating. And, I loved that it really seemed that BOTH Chloe and Lucifer spent 5A trying to be honest and straight forward with one another. They seem to have realized that they’ve wasted too much time and they have to try and be honest with one another, even if it is very hard. 

- Overall, I LOVED Part 1 of Season 5 and CANNOT wait for Part 2. 2021 cannot come soon enough! 

-And, I’m sorry, but Lucifer gifs are lined up in my queue for days to come. 

[doubleattitude]

24/7 Dance Convention, Atlanta, GA: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

Sidekick Solo

1st: Charlotte Brayman-’Wonderful World’

2nd: Emersyn Lawson-’Beautiful Things’

2nd: Khylie Wilkerson-’Proud Mary’

3rd: Audrey Mikkelson-’Shake the Room’

4th: Brenna Ferrell-’Showstopper’

Mini Solo

1st: Mia Clark-’Dem Beats’

1st: Carrigan Paylor-’Orange Colored Sky’

2nd: Elizabeth Scott Lanier-’Bitter Earth’

2nd: Kaylee Schwamb-’See Me Now’

3rd: Ashley Otano-’Dark Matter’

3rd: AnaKate Danner-’Malfunction’

3rd: Ella Barnes-’Nobody’s Watching’

3rd: Layla Karadchy-’Tomorrow’

4th: Jasmine Pando-’Amelia’

4th: Georgia Beth Peters-’Come Together’

4th: Allie Plott-’Fire’

4th: Savy Luetchtefeld-’Sound of Silence’

5th: Lauren Fenton-’Boogie Shoes’

5th: Cora Wunder-’Faith’

5th: Rudie Bolton-’Still Don’t Know My Name’

6th: Isabella Shortridge-’In This Shirt’

7th: Bella Smith-’Against The Music’

7th: Sami Nix-’Bridges’

7th: Rose Mangan-’Make Someone Happy’

7th: Ruby Wilkes Petty-’Once Upon Another Time’

8th: Alessandra Gauger-’Morning’

9th: Kenzie Wagoner-’Recharge’

9th: Laila Taylor-’Riot Rhythm’

10th: Belle Brining-’Ain’t to proud to beg’

10th: Malea Moore-’Big Time’

10th: Gabi Brown-’Brown Skin Girl’

10th: Sydney Lawrence-’Everybody Wants To Rule the World’

10th: Lyrah Atkins-’Keep It Moving’

10th: Vivian Liu-’Opportunity’

10th: Channing Jones-’Tight Rope’

Junior Solo

1st: Giselle Gandarilla-’All Human Beings’

2nd: Nicholas Moreno-’Blue Lips’

2nd: Emme James Anderson-’Resume’

3rd: Mia Doyle-’Designated Harmony’

3rd: Brinkley Pittman-’Gravity’

3rd: Belle Richardson-’Seven Birds’

3rd: Leila Winker-’Takt’

4th: Addison Bradley-’Dynamite’

4th: Maddie Shaw-’Final Goodbye’

4th: Caroline Powell-’How Rare’

4th: McGowan Howell-’Resurface’

4th: Maely Weaver-’Staggered In a Configuration’

4th: Cadence Lyles-’Warrior Queen’

5th: Amanda Fenton-’Devil In Disguise’

5th: Emma Martin-’Dreams’

5th: Leah Midgett-’Mirror Mirror’

5th: Morgan Belyeu-’Older’

5th: Vanessa Johnson-’Over The Rainbow’

6th: Kaden Brown-’Resolution’

7th: Mollie Mikkelson-’Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’

7th: Gracie Elder-’No More Tears’

7th: Sloane Dawson-’TEA’

7th: Scarlett Liu-’Unaccompanied���

7th: Sydney Martin-’Vibeology’

8th: Isabella Burdo-’Dance, Dance, Dance’

8th: Estella Guzman-’No Contamination’

8th: Alora Freeman-’Sing to the Moon’

9th: Lila Jane Meadows-’Friend Like Me’

9th: Ever Martin-’Long Time Traveler’

9th: Ensley King-’Ruby Blue’

9th: Gracie Hawkins-’Smokestacks’

10th: MacKenzie Meissner-’Be Strong’

10th: Kinsleigh Gullette-’Despicable’

10th: Pierce Bevans-’Float’

10th: Stella Adamson-’Gamzatti Variation’

10th: Sophia Bell-’Waving Through A Window’

10th: Taylor Dillard-’Way Down We Go’

Teen Solo

1st: Brady Farrar-’Once More’

2nd: Oliver Keane-’Electric Pulse’

2nd: Georgia Greene-’Warning’

3rd: Preslie Rosamond-’Possibly Maybe’

3rd: Sophie Garcia-’Warrior’

4th: Emma Vaughan-’Tango’

5th: Camille Pepper-’1,000 Faces’

5th: Savannah Manning-’Line Thickness’

6th: Emery Sousley-’Birds of Paradise’

6th: Addy Beckham-’Fame’

6th: Natalie Bumgarner-’Lullaby’

6th: Angelina Brennan-’Woman’

7th: Loren Puchalski-’All The Time’

7th: Nika Nosova-’Epiphany’

7th: Sydney Jones-’Raise Your Voice’

7th: Jackson Smoak-’The Longest Time’

8th: Abigail McKinney-’Shout’

8th: Haley Midgett-’Smile to Me’

8th: Callaghan Johnson-Untitled’

9th: Hadley Snell-’Like This’

10th: Emmy Fuller-’Be Be Your Love’

10th: Tierney Denny-Lybbert-’Lean Back’

10th: Sophie Hunsicker-’Take Flight’

10th: Kayleigh Atterton-’Wild Is The Wind’

Senior Solo

1st: Xavier logan-’Self Memoria’

2nd: Thiago Pacheco-’I’m Naturally Platinum’

3rd: Lily Sledge-’My One and Only’

3rd: Kayleigh Everhart-’Thunderstruck’

4th: Grace Robinson-’Always;

4th: Wysdem Ceaser-’Blades’

4th: Niya Smith-’Down2Ride’

4th: Seth Gibson-’Identity’

5th: Chloe Jeffcoat-’As For The Fall’

5th: Dai Boyd-’Try A Little Tenderness’

6th: Alexandra Jinglov-’Action Reaction’

6th: Maika Takemoto-’Changes’

6th: Bella Mills-’Everywhere, Still’

6th: Shaeleigh Person-’Mine’

6th: Christian Butts-’Ohm Sweet Ohm’

6th: Brittany Willard-’Unchained Melody’

6th: Javon Moore-’Visions’

7th: Tristin Edsel-’And So It Goes’

7th: Belle Mason-’Drones’

7th: Saleya James-’Fix You’

7th: Lily Thompson-’Foolish Games’

7th: Savannah Folding-’Heart Shaped Birthmark’

7th: Kirsten Brown-’Trainwreck’

7th: Ella Samellas-’Without You’

8th: CJ Parker-’A Letter From France’

8th: Bailey Cerio-’Free Falling’

8th: Mallory McCormick-’Rose’

8th: Chloe Barr-’Still Light’

8th: Jalen Scriven-’TIME’

9th: Jasmyn Hopper-’Another Lifetime’

9th: Raven Rutledge-’A Pale’

9th: Sydney Scott-’Forsaken’

9th: Katelyn Midgett-’Georgia’

9th: Morgen Watkins-’Gonna Love Me’

9th: Ryin Corcoran-’Red Dust’

9th: Sophie Hooker-’We’ll Meet Again’

9th: Hannah Rivers-’Will You Ever Return’

10th: Blair Southerland-’Desperation’

10th: Izzie Bringle-’Hush’

Sidekick Duo/Trio

1st: West Main Studios-’Colors Of the Wind’

2nd: To The Pointe-’Wildside’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: Carolina Collective Dance-’It’s Quiet Uptown’

2nd: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Loves Me Like A Rock’

3rd: Carolina Collective Dance-’Proud’

3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’To Build A Home’

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Even The Sun’

2nd: Milele Academy-’Fiyah Speak’

3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Nothing We Can Do’

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Let Me Follow’

2nd: Milele Academy-’Down We Go’

2nd: The Royal Dance Academy-’Grieving’

3rd: Great Gig Dance Co-’Canon In D’

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Addictive’

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Verlust’

2nd: Milele Academy-’Darkest Hour’

3rd: Studio 413-’Black Flies’

Sidekick Group

1st: Studio Powers-’Big Love, Small Moments’

Mini Group

1st: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Daisies’

2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Bones’

3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Hey Hi Hello’

3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’The Moment’

3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Wepa’

Junior Group

1st: The Southern Strutt-’A Young Mind’s Thoughts’

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Made of Stone’

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’The Swan’

2nd: Studio Powers-’Cry Me A River’

3rd: Milele Academy-’Save a Horse’

Teen Group

1st: Milele Academy-’Close Up’

1st: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Slack Jaw’

1st: Studio 413-’Social Media Overload’

1st: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Wooden Hymnal In C’

2nd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’He’s A Dream’

3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Shaken Lung’

Senior Group

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’I’m Delighted’

2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’What A Girl Wants’

3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Dying of Thirst’

Sidekick Line

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Mr Piano Man’

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Rainbow Brite’

2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Besties’

3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Dump Him’

3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Reflections’

Mini Line

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Fergalicious’

2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Brown Skin Girl’

2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Found A Good One’

3rd: The Southern Strutt-’As Good As It Gets’

3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Back At It’

Junior Line

1st: The Southern Strutt-’This Place About to Blow’

2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Dance Apocalyptic’

2nd: The Southern Strutt-’I Will Leave The Light On’

3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Genesis’

3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Kill The Lights’

Teen Line

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Lay Them Before Me’

2nd: Studio 413-’Hold On Tight’

3rd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Midnight Street’

Senior Line

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Sunny Side of the Street’

2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Charlie Boy’

2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Deep Fried Flavor’

2nd: Great Gig Dance Co-’I’d Love to Change The World’

2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Layla’

2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Matter’

3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Full Bloom’

3rd: Studio 413-’Rumors’

Sidekick Extended Line

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Flying Solo’

Mini Extended Line

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Fly Kicks’

2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Wonderland’

3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’The Happy Disco Show’

3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Yacht Club Cuties’

Junior Extended Line

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Foot On The Gas’

2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Walk It Out’

3rd: Studio 413-’Girl Boss’

Teen Extended Line

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Work’

2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Earthquake’

2nd: The Southern Strutt-’The Wave’

3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Angels’

3rd: The Southern Strutt-’XR2′

Senior Extended Line

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’The Reception’

2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Here Comes The Boom’

Sidekick Production

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Chewy Chewy’

Mini Production

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Yacht Club Cuties’

Junior Production

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Ski-A-Rhythmdale’

2nd: Studio 413-’Electricity’

Teen Production

1st: exonerated

2nd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Southern Hospitality’

3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Bay 2 the A’

High Scores by Performance Division:

Sidekick Jazz

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Chewy Chewy’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Rainbow Brite’ 3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Dump Him’

Sidekick Hip-Hop

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Besties’

Sidekick Tap

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Mr Piano Man’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’ABC’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Shout’

Sidekick Contemporary

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Flying Solo’

Sidekick Lyrical

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Reflections’ 2nd: Studio Powers-’Big Love, Small Moments’

Mini Jazz

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Fergalicious’ 2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Brown Skin Girl’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’The Happy Disco Show’

Mini Ballet

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Concerto In D’

Mini Hip-Hop

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Fly Kicks’ 2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Found A Good One’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Back At It’

Mini Tap

1st: The Southern Strutt-’As Good As It Gets’ 2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Love Shack’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Jitterbug’

Mini Contemporary

1st: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Daisies’ 2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Bones’ 3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’The Moment’

Mini Lyrical

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’3000 Miles’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Fly Me To The Moon’ 3rd: Studio 413-’Helium’

Mini Musical Theatre

1st: The Southern Strutt-’Wonderland’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Yacht Club Cuties’ 3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Little Shop of Horrors’

Junior Jazz

1st: The Southern Strutt-’This Place About to Blow’ 2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Dance Apocalyptic’ 2nd: Studio 413-’Electricity’ 3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Kill The Lights’ 3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Genesis’

Junior Ballet

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Violin Fantastique’

Junior Hip-Hop

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Foot On The Gas’ 2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Walk It Out’ 3rd: Studio 413-’Girl Boss’

Junior Tap

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Sussudio’ 1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Here Comes The Sun’ 2nd: Studio 413-’Into the Night’ 3rd: Great Gig Dance Co-’Tiny Dancer’

Junior Contemporary

1st: The Southern Strutt-’I Will Leave The Light On’ 2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’The Swan’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’A Young Mind’s Thoughts’ 3rd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Off The Rails’

Junior Lyrical

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Made of Stone’ 2nd: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Daisies’ 3rd: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Firework’

Junior Musical Theatre

1st: The Southern Strutt-’First Day Fruge’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’The Gospel Truth’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Zero to Hero’

Junior Acro

1st: The WHEREHOUSE-’Day-O’

Junior Specialty

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Ski-A-Rhythmdale’ 2nd: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Grease!’

Teen Jazz

1st: The Southern Strutt-’XR2′ 1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’I Hope My Life’ 2nd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Shake’ 3rd: Studio 413-’Body Language’ 3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Kick It’

Teen Hip-Hop

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Work’ 2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Earthquake’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’The Wave’ 3rd: Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Southern Hospitality’

Teen Tap

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Rock Your Body’ 2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Hook’ 3rd: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Wooden Hymnal In C’ 3rd: Studio 413-’Gold Watch’ 3rd: The Southern Strutt-’Gold Watch’

Teen Contemporary

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Exonerated’ 2nd: Studio 413-’Hold On Tight’ 3rd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Embrace the World’

Teen Lyrical

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Midnight Street’ 2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Angels’ 3rd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’This Particular Dream’

Teen Musical Theatre

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Groundhog Day’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Beetlejuice’ 3rd: Heather Wayne’s Dance Company-’Too Darn Hot’

Teen Acro

1st: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Oceans’ 2nd: Studio Powers-’Area 51′

Teen Specialty

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Lay Them Before Me’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Book of Love’ 3rd: Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Hip Hip Chin Chin’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Born to Be Alive’

Senior Jazz

1st: Studio 413-’Rumors’ 2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Human Nature’ 3rd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Saved By The DJ’

Senior Ballet

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Recomposed’

Senior Hip-Hop

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’Deep Fried Flavor’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Here Comes The Boom’ 3rd: North Georgia Dance and Music Factory-’Power’

Senior Tap

1st: Rhythm Dance Center-’What A Girl Wants’ 2nd: Great Gig Dance Co-’I’d Love to Change The World’ 2nd: Rhythm Dance Center-’Layla’ 3rd: Great Gig Dance Co-’Faith’

Senior Contemporary

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’I’m Delighted’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Charlie Boy’ 2nd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Dying of Thirst’ 3rd: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Full Bloom’

Senior Lyrical

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Matter’ 2nd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Tides of Lamentation’ 3rd: Dothan School of Dance-’It’s All Coming Back to Me’

Senior Musical Theatre

1st: Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Sunny Side of the Street’ 2nd: The Southern Strutt-’Too Darn Hot’ 3rd: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Might As Well Be’

Senior Specialty

1st: Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’The Reception’

11 O’Clock:

Sidekick

Studio Powers-’DANCE’

The Southern Strutt-’Flying Solo’

Rhythm Dance Center-’Besties’

Mini

Studio 413-’Helium’

West Main Studios-’Spiders’

Milele Academy-’Move Your Body’

Studio Powers-’Iconology’

Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Bones’

Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Daisies’

Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Found A Good One’

Rhythm Dance Center-’Fly Kicks’

The Southern Strutt-’Fergalicious’

Junior

Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Dance Apocalyptic’

Studio 413-’Girl Boss’

Rhythm Dance Center-’Foot On The Gas’

The Southern Strutt-’This Place About to Blow’

Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Kill The Lights’

Milele Academy-’Missy’

Studio Powers-’Cry Me A River’

Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Made of Stone’

Teen

The Southern Strutt-’The Wave’

Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Hip Hip Chin Chin’

Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Exonerated’

Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’Lay Them Before Me’

Oconee Youth School of Performance-’Poppin Party’

The WHEREHOUSE-’Changes’

Studio Powers-’Stand Up’

Milele Academy-’Close Up’

Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Southern Hospitality’

Studio 413-’Hold On Tight’

Rhythm Dance Center-’Earthquake’

Senior

Dothan School of Dance-’You’ll Never Walk Alone’

Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’The Reception’

Rhythm Dance Center-’What A Girl Wants’

Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Sunny Side of the Street’

The Southern Strutt-’Charlie Boy’

Great Gig Dance Co-’I’d Love to Change The World’

Studio 413-’Rumors’

Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Exile’

Milele Academy-’Get It’

Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Bitter’

Heather Wayne’s Dance Company-’Old Skin’

Smitty’s Performing Arts Center-’Where Is The Love’

Studio Showcase:

Milele Academy-’Close Up’

West Main Studio-’E R’

Variations Dance Studio-’Through The Cracks’

Upstate Carolina Dance Center-’Exile’

The WHEREHOUSE-’Changes’

The Southern Strutt-’Charlie Boy’

Studio Powers-’Stand Up’

Studio 413-’Rumors’

Rhythm Dance Center-’Earthquake’

Oconee Youth School of Performance-’Poppin Party’

North Georgia Dance and Music Factory-’Tap Dat’

Heather Wayne’s Dance Company-’Old Skin’

Gretchen Greene School of Dance-’Hip Hip Chin Chin’

Great Gig Dance Co-’I’d Love to Change The World’

Dancemakers of Atlanta-’Exonerated’

Columbia City Jazz Conservatory-’The Reception’

[jealousbitchdennis]

Since we didn't end with jealous Dennis and Mac with a boyfriend in TGGR, I'm prepared to settle back in for a normal, silly season of classic MacDen shenanigans. Which is perfect! That's exactly what I want! I want each episode to be just a little more cute and a little more clear about how comfortable and deep Mac and Dennis's bond has really become. I want insight into how their texting relationship has regrown since Dennis came back from North Dakota. I want homoerotic tension ala the old Hollywood Noir films in TJAMT. I want explicit, over the top, on the nose metaphors in Solves Global Warming with Dennis making faces in the background because he's the only one who notices only for those faces to fade into little shrugs and nods and maybe even smiles to himself because it doesn't scare him anymore. I want little domestic moments all through the whole thing, references to the movies they watch and each others' opinions on coffee.

And then I want them to play laser tag in Waiting For Big Mo. It's dark, and the adrenaline is pumping, and they've been waiting forever for this Mo guy that Frank insists is going ti be here any second but clearly is never going to show. They started a game with the promise of restarting should the mysterious man actually make an appearance, and they've all been joshing around and pissing each other off to pass the time, teams forming and breaking every few minutes, and it feels natural. Classic Gang stuff.

I want the atmosphere to get to Dennis, the annoying but familiar sounds of the arena pinging off in the background, and the constant, comforting presence of Mac at his side. A noise a few yards away puts them on high alert, and without a word, Mac yanks his arm, and the two of them duck to the side, finding a short lived safe haven behind one of the stacked-cube obstacles. When Dennis looks up, the neon lights break through the shadows and paint Mac's face in slices of inhuman colors, blue and green, exaggerating his cheekbones and putting a synthetic shine in his eyes. His hair is all ruffled from the gameplay, and they're both panting from running around so much.

It makes Dennis's eyes go wide and he starts to get that feeling he's been fighting for a while - the same one from the restuarant and the RPG and... he starts to lift a hand to Mac's face. It's so easy, even though before it always seemed so hard. Maybe that means he's finally ready... for whatever comes next... Then the lights go up, and he freezes, and they whip around to find Frank walking up with a big cheesy grin, Charlie and Dee grumbling furiously on his either side.

"Hey, assholes! Look! I told you he'd show any second. We're starting again - with real teams this time. Hope you losers are ready to get your ass beat!"

The three of them part, and a moderately fit and attractive man in his forties steps through from behind to apologize for being late, it was a family emergency or something, when he stops short. Dennis follows his eyeline to Mac, who stares back with his mouth hanging open.

"Mac?" The man starts to grin, a little taken aback.

"Wait," Frank interrupts, waving his hands around. "You know this homo?"

Just the look on Mac's face alone confirms it. Mac and the random man that Frank found on craigslist who knows his name - Big Mo, according to Frank, Morgan according to Mac - marvel over running into each other for a second, before Dee gets the bright idea to cut in and demand to have it explained how the two jerkwads know each other anyways. Mac stops short, fumbling for a moment, and the two men lock eyes. It's weird and obvious and Dennis is starting to lose feeling in his legs.

"Well," Big Mo says, looking to Mac, who immediately flushes.

"Right... so..."

"Well?" Dee prompts.

"I mean..." he starts, but doesn't get any further.

"Oh!" Charlie claps, looking between the two, then scrunches his nose. "Ohhhh..."

"Oh! Woof," Dee grimaces. "You and him?"

Mac glares at them.

"What?" Frank narrows his gaze, looking around at each of them. "I don't get it."

Charlie turns to answer his troll-like roommate, voice sliding a bit higher as he uses made up terms to explain that Mac and Big Mo are, in fact, gay lovers. Dennis can feel his brows furrowing, and his scowl deepening but he can't do anything to stop it. Something, a feeling, an impulse, is clawing at his ribs. Dee corrects Charlie's terminology with a sick combination of glee and repulsion contorting her expression, and Mac practically trips over himself to correct her and then tell all three of them to shut up because that's not it, okay?

"Actually," he says, "we didn't just hook up, okay? We went on a date. We dated. I'm dating material now, so."

The response he gets is a chorus of "Oof," and "Awkward," and "Wait, Big Mo's a gay? I hired a gay guy off Craigslist?"

Mac scowls, agitated. "No, no, not awkward! Not oof, because it didn't end badly!"

"It didn't end at all," Big Mo notes, linking their hands. "We're still dating"

"Exactly!"

"What?" The word rips from his throat like it's been waiting impatiently to escape. Dennis can't even appreciate finally finding his voice, as everyone stares at him. He only has enough eyes to stare back at Mac.

Big Mo nods, oblivious to the tension. "Yeah. We've been seeing each other about - what was it, babe? Three months?"

The entire gang balks before losing their shit. "WHAT?"

"No! No, we. I mean, our first date was..." Mac's eyebrows jump. He clears his throat awkwardly, before untangling their hands and wrapping an arm around Big Mo's waist. "Okay. So... guys... I guess I have something to tell you."

"Oh, do you?" Charlie drawls.

Mac swats at him with his gun. "I have a... boyfriend, now. And, uh, this is him."

Dennis feels the gun slip out of his fingers. The others have already processed the information, are responding and poking fun and telling him his boyfriend must be an asshole for making them wait so long, and arguing with each other about the game they've already played and whether it's Mac's fault seeing as it's his boyfriend that Frank hired who ended up late, and all Dennis can think is, seriously? That's it? They're just going to nod their heads and except this massive, earth-shattering shift to the status quo as if they were in any way prepared for this to happen? Seriously? Seriously?

"The laser tag arena will be closing in fifteen minutes," a voice interrupts their thoughts over the loudspeaker. "Please wrap up your games and return your guns to the stations, located at the front desk, or to any of our standing attendants by the arena exits."

The words echo in his head as Charlie starts yet another fight with Frank, and Dee complains over the top about being undervalued as a player because she's a woman. He can't seem to stop staring at where Mac's hand rests on Big Mo's hip. Nobody else seems to have heard the overhead announcement. They have to go soon, but nobody else seems to even realize. They can't stay, but nobody is moving. Only Mac's brow furrows, and he turns to look at Dennis.

"Hey, did you hear that? Should we get going?"

Dennis blinks before forcing a smile. "Right, yeah, of course. No, of course. Actually, you know what? You two go on ahead."

"You sure?" Mac's mouth turns down.

Dennis keeps his smile pinned. "Course! We'll catch up."

He nods, brow furrowed, shrugging and taking Big Mo with him through the exit, leaving Dennis to stand there, like an idiot, watching after him as their three other idiots blow his ear drums out with their incessant screaming.

[theentiregdtime]

hey if you’re still in a mood for bryan adams/macden asks: please consider “cuts like a knife”

Dennis is dropping Mac off on a date.

Which is fine. It’s an inconvenience and a complete waste of an hour of his evening, but otherwise… it’s fine.

Traffic is light, he can pick up dinner on the way back, and he’s playing his Bryan Adams CD in the car without any objection from Mac, for once- presumably because he feels guilty for asking this favor of him.

Which he should! And he should give Dennis the usual ‘thanks, man, you’re the best!’ and swear to pay him back and babble on and on about how awesome this is to the point where it’s entirely annoying (but Dennis doesn’t tune him out, he never tunes him out, even when he’s rambling incoherently).

Mac isn’t doing any of that, though. As a matter of fact, they’re hardly talking at all. It’s quiet between them. Not the effortless, familiar quiet, but the kind that sits on the back of your tongue and burns a hole in your throat.

The only thing filling the stillness between them is the stereo, good ol’ Bryan Adams singing about how there was only you and me and there’s nowhere unless you’re there and you told me that you’d wait forever.

“I feel like you’re mad at me, dude,” cuts the silence like a knife.

What? He isn’t-…!

Ah, shit, that’s fair.

Dennis does have quite a history of berating Mac over his dates- but that’s because they were always thinly-veiled charades that he made a big, flamboyant show of so everyone could see just how well he was keeping the closet doors shut.

But they’re open now. They’re open and it’s different and Dennis isn’t mad. He’s not even jealous or bitter about how he’s going to go home tonight and watch a movie alone and his best friend will be out here gallivanting about town with someone else. There’s just…

Something in him is burning. He can’t quite place it, but at the same time, he knows exactly what it is and simply doesn’t wish to look it in the eye.

Mac is out of the closet. He’s dating guys now, and this is the first of them he’s formally gone out with, at least as far as Dennis is aware. He doesn’t pretend to know what Mac gets up to when he spends the afternoon at the Rainbow and comes back covered in sweat and glitter, or what he did over the course of the year they didn’t speak.

It’s real now. It’s genuine. It isn’t a stage act. It isn’t a six-ring bullshit circus of Catholicism and heterosexuality and look how normal I am whilst he parades around like a damned rodeo clown.

That means if he grabs someone by the shoulders and says he loves them, he’ll mean it. If he ducks in to give someone an excited kiss, it’s going to connect and he’s going to want it.  If he goes out on a dinner date, he’s going to wear two colognes and someone is going to like the smell of it. If he moves in with someone, they’re going to sleep in the same bed, and if they sleep in the same bed, they’re going to hold each other. If he buys someone a gift, it’s going to be because he knows them, really knows them.

And there aren’t going to be any more movie nights or monthly dinners or drunken brownouts at the bar. Dennis is going to be alone- and he’s never been truly alone. It was Dee and his parents, then it was Mac, then it was Maureen, then Mac, then Mandy, then Mac-

He isn’t certain what silence is going to sound like.

When he pictures it, he’s on the sofa watching a movie, and no one is eating chips too loudly and leaving crumbs, no one’s feet are encroaching upon his personal space, no one is pausing to make idiotic commentary every ten minutes, and the movie just plays and plays and keeps going until it’s over and time is passing and everything is growing old. He’s reading a book undisturbed because there’s no one in the other room on a goddamned exercise bike or making themselves a sandwich or taking a shower. There is Dennis Reynolds and then there is blackness, deafening quiet, like the vacuum of space, and there is nothing in between.

“I’m not mad,” Dennis insists unconvincingly. He’s not sure why it sounds like a lie, because for once, it isn’t.

The CD skips over to the next song, and an upbeat guitar begins blaring a bit too loudly for their conversation. He doesn’t turn it down, though, because he doesn’t want to have to hear the nothingness in between.

Driving home this evening, could have sworn we had it worked out…

Dennis likes this song. Of course he does, it’s his mix CD- but it strikes him differently now. Typically, he’s slapping the steering wheel and cutting people off in traffic and singing loudly, thinking about wanting something so badly and feeling it slip away but still wanting it, and the reckless thrill and romance of the give-and-take of it all.

Well, I heard it on the street, heard you might have found somebody new…

But it doesn’t feel that in real life. There is nothing exciting or arousing or mysterious about this. It just feels like trying to hold onto water.

Who is he, baby? And tell me what he means to you…

“I do think this is a waste of my night, but I didn’t wish to hear your whining, so I’m here!” Dennis snaps a little callously, but he isn’t shouting yet. “I’m driving the car, aren’t I?”

Mac doesn’t respond right away. It’s just the music again.

Mac was supposed to wait. He was supposed to wait for Dennis. He was supposed to be fine with nothing for years and years, fine with both of them stalling by messing around with inconsequential women, until Dennis decided he was finally ready. He was supposed to always be an option. He was supposed to always be there, just waiting in the corner of the ring until Dennis tapped him in.

The door was always supposed to be open and now it’s starting to shut.

I took it all for granted, but how was I supposed to know that you’d be letting go?

Yeah, that stings.

“It’s just, like, we’re not talking and-”

“Then talk. Why must I be the one to talk? I am trying to focus on the road, Mac!”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to, because you’re just gonna yell at me.”

Dennis doesn’t glance over, but he’s sure Mac is pouting.

Or even worse, maybe he’s not making puppy dog eyes and sticking out his bottom lip as he does when he’s being melodramatic. Maybe he’s hurt, wholly and genuinely hurt, and his face is just dead.

Dennis doesn’t glance over.

“Oh, that is- I am not going to yell at you, you sound like a child-”

“You’re yelling at me now, Dennis.”

“Because you’re being absurd!”

It’s silent again.

Can’t you see we did the best we could?

Mac clicks his tongue.

“See, this is what I was talking about,” he sighs in defeat.

Dennis is not going to apologize. No way in hell is he going to apologize. He isn’t even going to pretend to- Mac is acting absolutely ridiculous.

“Sorry, but you left for like a year,” Mac continues to rant, loud enough to drown out the stereo. “All I’m trying to do is go out on one date!”

Dennis comes to a sudden halt at a stoplight, hoping Mac’s seatbelt locks and snaps against his collar. It’s what he deserves for starting this purposeless argument.

“I didn’t make you drive me to North Dakota,” he levels, voice devoid of any tone whatsoever, and raises an eyebrow.

“Okay, yeah, but I’m doing this for you!”

Oh, what in the hell is that supposed to mean? Is he meant to get down on his knees and thank him for the opportunity to be his chauffeur?

“I didn’t want you not to have the car tomorrow morning if I end up…”

Someone behind them honks, even though the light’s been green less than a second. Normally, Dennis would spin around and memorize such a rude man’s face to seek reprisal, but he doesn’t have the time nor the energy at the moment. Instead, he merely hits the gas and takes the next corner.

“And what if you don’t? You expect me to come back out here at god knows what hour of the night to pick you back up? Like some sort of schoolchild? As if it would be beneath you to take a goddamn taxi?”

Mac is broke, he’s always broke, Dennis knows that. He knows that because all of their money was in the same place for years, and it was all Dennis’, and then he was a ghost and Mac was left to pay the bills alone.

But he seems to have spent the past year getting himself together, supposedly enough to save his money and actually spend it on something other than ironic shirts and scratch-offs and dangerous schemes with Charlie and shopping on the dark web. He’s gotten himself together enough that he really doesn’t need Dennis for anything…

And that’s terrifying.

Oh, it cuts like a knife…

“Fine, then don’t pick me up.” Mac throws his hands in the air in an act of surrender. “I’ll figure it out myself.”

Dennis’ fingernails dig into the steering wheel, and he tosses some words around in his head, feels them out, because he needs to say something and it needs to be convincing, and goddamn it, he’s going to say something because-

“You should get over. It’s coming up.”

He wonders what would happen if he didn’t hit the turn signal, if he missed the stop by accident, if he just kept on driving. He wonders if the door would still be open.

When he looks over to check the flow of traffic in the turn lane, he catches a glimpse of Mac’s face. It’s only been a year, but he looks a lot older than Dennis remembers. He looks less energetic, less happy, less carefree. He supposes they both do.

It’s like there’s a weight on them now. Mac is out of the closet, and suddenly it’s not just fun and games and casual touching and almost kisses and laughter and late nights and sharing beers and crafting fake marriage schemes and pretending it all means nothing. They can no longer fall into the safety net of denial. Everything means something now, and that makes Dennis want to say and do nothing at all, because every word and every touch is a glass one drop from spilling over into something for which he isn’t ready.

But Mac was supposed to wait.

There’s no more time for him to wait, though, because they’re at his stop.

“Thanks,” Mac mutters under his breath before kicking his door open.

He’s angry now, but he isn’t going to do anything about it, because Dennis did him a favor by driving him here. That’s how Mac is. Even when he’s bursting at the seams with rage or excitement or something else entirely, he chokes his emotions down for the sake of their friendship. Dennis is usually apt at keeping things in, too, but tonight it feels like bile is rising in the back of his throat.

Mac’s feet hit the pavement and he tugs his jacket sleeves over his wrists, bracing against the cold air. He turns to close the passenger side door, but before it shuts, Dennis reaches an arm out. His knuckles just barely graze Mac’s shoulder.

“Mac, wait…”

Mac doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t walk away, either. He simply stands there, staring like a fish, eyebrows curved and lips tense, like he might go if Dennis tells him to go, but he might stay if Dennis asks him to stay.

He doesn’t ask him to stay.

“I’ll pick you up later, okay?” he offers, their eyes finally meeting dead on. He hopes Mac will know what he means by it, to save him from having to admit to anything aloud.

Mac swallows, contemplating, and for a moment, Dennis thinks he may respond with an ‘I’ll let you know’.

“Okay,” he says instead.

Dennis wonders what Mac might say if he tells him he’s ready, tells him he doesn’t have to wait anymore, tells him he doesn’t even need to go meet this guy because there doesn’t need to be another guy.

He doesn’t say any of that, either.

“I’ll… rent a movie,” he mumbles, “and you can tell me about your date.”

“Okay.”

Mac nods softly, looking at Dennis like he could say anything in the world and he would still reply ‘okay’.

'Stay with me.’

'Okay.’

'Don’t go on any more dates.’

'Okay.’

'Wait for me.’

'Okay.’

“Text me,” is all that ends up leaving Dennis’ mouth.

“Okay.” Mac closes the car door.

Then he’s stuffing his hands in his coat pockets, spinning on his heel, and making his way into the restaurant. Then he’s gone.

And the door is really shut.

All that’s left is the music. All that’s left is Bryan Adams still singing to him like he knows him and sees exactly what the fuck is going on and just how fucking pathetic he looks right now.

Oh, it cuts like a knife…

“Yeah,” Dennis says to himself, as he turns forward and pulls back onto the road. “It sure does, buddy.”

[borderlinedennisr]

fic: mac/dennis, dennis-centric

i started thinking about what dennis would do if ur heard that ms kl*nsky had just passed, and i got carried away

warnings: csa mentions, suicidal ideation, self harm mentions, alcohol abuse

.

Dennis is drunk. It’s not out of the ordinary. What is, however, is the fact that he’s wearing a half-buttoned suit, Italian leather shoes, and he’s sat in a waiting cell with three other arrestees.

His head is swimming. Every noise reverberating through the police station is starting to chip away at his patience. Could someone just get him some fucking ibuprofen? He’d happily comply to anything for 400 mg of Advil and a cup of hot coffee.

He tries to focus. He taps a steady rhythm on his knee. His vision is cloudy. He had a lot to drink tonight. And this afternoon. And this morning. His stomach gives a wrench and he involuntarily groans.

“Turn the other direction,” someone hisses at him. “I just bought these shoes.”

Dennis wants to laugh, but everything hurts.

“Hey, this dude’s ‘bout to hurl! Can we get a trash can or something.”

“I’m fine,” Dennis protests. He holds up a hand, but it trembles.

“Dennis Reynolds?”

He points his head in the direction of the voice, but closes his eyes against his blurred vision. He might actually throw up if he doesn’t get it under control.

“It’s time for your phone call.”

Dennis is hoisted upward involuntarily. He’s glad he doesn’t have to think about who he’s going to call. His head is pounding.

.

Mac’s woken up by the sound of his phone vibrating against the coffee table. The sad part is it’s only 9:30 P.M. He’d clearly fallen asleep watching some ... game. His hand grabs the phone and answers it automatically.

“What’s up?”

“Mac? It’s Dennis.”

Mac’s heart stumbles a little. Dennis sounds weird.

“Dude, where are you? Are you okay?”

Dennis heaves a long sigh. “Look - I’m a little bit drunk and I, uh - well - just come to the police station, okay? I’ll explain in person, when ... when I’m more sober.”

Mac blinks. “You got arrested?”

“I’ll explain when you get here,” Dennis insists.

“Dennis, are you okay? What were you doing tonight?”

“Mac, I’m kind of on a tight schedule, here.”

Mac doesn’t seem to register that, because he continues waxing poetic.

“It’s just - you’ve seemed off lately.”

“Mac,” Dennis says sharply.

“Yes?” Mac asks

“Just come to the police station. I have to go.”

He hangs up, leaving Mac listening to the dial tone. Mac sighs.

.

Nobody at the police station knows how to do their goddamn job. Mac just needs to make sure Dennis is okay. He seemed spooked on the phone. In that way that Mac knows to associate with dissociative episodes.

“I’m just looking for my roommate,” Mac presses, pleading with the officer currently on desk duty.

“Sir, you’re gonna have to wait a minute; I’m on in important call,” she snaps out.

“You don’t understand,” Mac retorts. “He’s - he’s vulnerable. I need to make sure he’s okay.”

“Sir, if you just give me one second - “

“I can’t wait a second. I need to know he’s okay. He - he gets in these moods sometimes, and well - I don’t really know what he did to end up here, but he’s usually more of a danger to himself when he’s like that, and - “

“Dietrich?! Get over here, and get this man out of my face.”

Mac watches an officer at least a foot taller than him round the desk. He falters.

“Look, I’m not trying to cause, trouble. I’m just worried about my friend - “

“Mac!”

He turns, a grin of relief spreading across his face. Dennis is walking down a hallway, hands cuffed, being lead by the arm of another, nicer-looking officer.

Mac makes a dash for it, skirting the freakishly tall Dietrich, and heading for Dennis. The officer holding his arm grips tighter.

“Excuse me, sir. Please take a step back.”

Mac does. “I’m his roommate. Just tell me what his bail is, so I can get him out of here.”

The officer sighs. “He doesn’t have a bail yet. We’re on the way to his initial hearing right now.”

“What? What are you charging him with?”

“Indecent exposure - “

“It’s not what you think,” Dennis immediately protests. “I - uh - “

“Disorderly intoxication.”

“That’s just downright - “

“And grave desecration.”

Dennis just purses his lips in respond.

“Not to mention your priors.” The officer tugs him roughly. “Now let’s go.”

“Wait - “ Mac starts.

“Boyfriend! You can come too,” the officer says. “Now, quit wasting my time.”

Mac pulls out his cell phone as he follows after them.

“I’m calling Frank,” he tells Dennis. “We’ll figure this out.”

.

“Mr. Dennis Reynolds.”

“That’s me,” Dennis mutters.

“You’ve been brought to council under the chargers of indecent exposure, disorderly intoxication, and grave desecration. Do you understand these terms.”

“Yes,” Dennis says shortly, “but if I could just explain - “

“You’ll get your chance in a minute. Now, - “

“Ayooooooooo!”

The doors to the room fly open, and through them walk Frank, Charlie, and Dee. Dennis groans. He’s still way too drunk for this.

“Uh - excuse me - who are you?” the judge asks.

Dennis wishes he could break out of these handcuffs. Just to give Frank a good neck-wringing.

“Not. Now.” he hisses through his teeth.

“I’m here to pay my son’s bail.”

“Right,” the judge says. “Well, that is what I’m trying to decide. If you could please take a seat and allow me to do my job, we will get there.”

She clears her throat.

“Mr. Reynolds, when you were brought in, your blood alcohol content was .25.”

Somebody whistles. Dennis doesn’t want to know who, but he has a feeling it’s his dumbass father.

“I was drinking today, yes.”

“That excessively?” The judge’s gaze bares down on him over the rim of her wire glasses.

“It’s been a hard day,” he forces out. His throat is suddenly dry.

“Mr. Reynolds, it would be easy to assume the ramifications of grief in your incident, had we only the public intoxication and the presence of yourself in a graveyard, yet -“ She makes a show of checking the police report. “You were found urinating on a grave.”

Dennis clenches his jaw. “Did you get a name on the grave?”

The judge checks the file. Her eyebrows crease together. She glances to someone off to her right, who then approaches her. They whisper something Dennis can’t hear.

“We did not get a name, Mr. Reynolds. However, the owner of the grave has no relevance to - “

“Klinsky,” Dennis interrupts.

“I beg your pardon,” the judge says.

“Klinsky,” Dennis repeats. “The name on the grave was Klinsky.”

Dennis doesn’t have to look to know that behind him, all members of the gang have become rife with tension. The judge clearly notices it too, because her expression changes. She glances at the members of his support party.

“I take it you know this person,” she says, awkwardly clearing her throat.

Dennis laughs, darkly. It probably doesn’t help his case.

“She was my school librarian.”

He lets the silence ring for a second. He doesn’t know exactly where he’s going. He doesn’t like sharing, but it feels almost involuntarily.

“When I was 14. She - “ Dennis swallows hard. This better fucking emancipate him. “She molested me, several times.”

After a long, agonizing second, the judge takes a deep breath and collapses against the chair.

Dennis feels impatience buzz under his skin. “What, you don’t believe me?”

The judge shakes her head. “Mr. Reynolds, I’m dropping all charges. You’re free to go.”

A couple odd claps ring out. Dennis doesn’t care. He shoves his wrists to his public defender, who motions for the attending officer to join them. He unlocks the handcuffs. Dennis glances at his long-fading scars while he rubs his tender skin.

Mac is the first to reach him, placing both hands on either of Dennis’ upper arms. “Den, are you okay?”

Dennis chuckles. “Why wouldn’t I be? I just got off scott-free. I don’t even know why she believed me.”

“Because you’re crying, Dennis.”

His eyes snap up to meet Mac’s. An involuntary hand feels his face. His fingers come away with tear stains.

“Oh.”

Mac wipes a fresh tear from his cheek.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Dennis shrugs. “It was just a chance I saw that Facebook post. Everything after that was rage.”

Mac cups his jaw with one hand, keeps the other on Dennis’ bicep.

“Let’s go home, get you sobered up.”

Dennis doesn’t really like the idea of sobering up, but at least if he’s with Mac, there’s a silver lining.

.

Dennis falls asleep with ease, lying comfortably in his bed. Pleased, Mac passed out beside him, foolishly reassured.

It’s still dark outside when Mac wakes up to an empty bed. Panic floods Mac’s bloodstream. He unceremoniously de-tangles himself from the blankets and stumbles upward. He hears a violent fetching sound and hurries to bathroom.

Dennis is pale-faced on the floor, and in the fluorescent light from overhead, Mac can see the excessive damage he must have done to himself in the past 24 hours. He makes a mental not to keep on eye on the state of the wounds while Dennis regains his composure.

“I drank . . . a lot.”

Mac eases himself to his knees.

“How much are we talking?” he asks, placing a hand on Dennis’ clammy forehead. “Should I be worried?” He grabs Dennis’ chin and forces it up, trying to get a better look at Dennis’ eyes.

Dennis clears his throat. “Nah. I always thought alcohol poisoning was pretty much how I would go anyway.”

Mac frowns. “Don’t do that - “

Dennis laughs, darkly. “It’s not like I have a history or anything.”

Mac’s expression flips, and he looks at Dennis with glassy eyes and a trembling mouth. “Were you - ?”

Dennis shrugs. “Who knows.”

Mac grabs his neck, almost roughly, and cradles his hand against Dennis’ skin. “Talk to me,” he begs.

A warm, disruptive tear slips down Dennis’ cheek. He sighs. He’s tired of involuntarily crying. He’s still blasting chunks, but god does his hand itch for the bottle.

“What do you want me to say, Mac?” he asks, voice low and gruff, barely above a whisper. “That I’m angry? That I’m sad?” He offers a crooked smile. “That I’m furious at that bitch for fucking me up beyond repair? And maybe I wish I could have gotten even just a word in edgewise before she decided to croak? That now I’m so fucking depressed that I want nothing more than to just kill myself so I can stop feeling this horrible and endless hurricane of emotions?”

He spits into the toilet. “Because I’m fine. I’m glad that perverted old bitch is dead. I’m ecstatic.”

Mac heaves a deep breath. “Dennis - “

He’s saved the trauma of continuing the conversation by another wave of vomit forcing its way out.

.

When dawn breaks, Mac hears his name in a soft voice. It takes him a moment to register that Dennis is awake in the bed beside him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks earnestly.

Dennis’ voice trembles. “If our situations were reversed, I would remove everything sharp from our apartment.”

Still a bit bleary, Mac takes a second to digest the words before fully realizing what Dennis is saying. Then he’s on his feet.

“Is your secret blade stash still in the loose floorboard under the sink?”

Dennis blinks. “I - “

Mac nods. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

By the time Mac has packed every knife, blade, and vaguely edgy kitchen utensil in a plastic bin and dropped it off at Dee’s, Dennis is asleep again.

Mac doesn’t disturb him.

.

It happens when they’re eating breakfast. Mac looks up to discover Dennis crying into his eggs. He makes a move to get up, but Dennis shakes his head.

“Den?”

And he laughs. He laughs and he wheezes and his eyes start to water even more and Mac just stares, confused.

“Mac, you should have seen everyone’s faces when I walked into the funeral home drunk as shit and grabbed the mic. I made up a touching story about how I babysat her cats once and may or may not have stolen a family heirloom in a crime they cannot prove.”

Mac stares at him, half horrified, half amused. “You crashed funeral?”

“And I flirted with her grandson. Sorry, babe.”

“It’s fine. Clearly, it didn’t work out.”

Dennis heaves a stuttering breath the tears starting up again.

“I always hated you guys for bringing her up, but you were always right.”

“Dennis - “

“And, I know I’ve done a lot of bad things, and - “

He presses a shaky hand against his chest. He might be hyperventilating, but he can’t stop babbling now.

“Dennis, you don’t have - “

“Sometimes I think - sometimes I think I deserve it.”

“ . . . Dennis.”

He smiles at Mac. “You can’t argue that, and you know it.”

Mac shakes his head firmly. “You were a kid - “

“And look at me now.”

“Dennis Reynolds, stop being fucking stupid. You were a kid. You did not deserve that, and you still don’t. And I’m sorry.”

Dennis looks up, curiously. “For what?“

Mac shrugs. He’s crying. Dennis doesn’t comment on it.

“That that happened to you, man. It’s like - you know how you and everyone else kept trying to get me to come out of the closet and admit who I was to myself?”

Dennis nods, uncertain where this is going.

“It was killing me. Keeping everything bottled up, not letting myself feel things, forcing myself to live in fear everyday - it made me hate being alive. Dennis, you’ve been suicidal since we met. You have to let go of everything you’re holding inside, and this is the start. I know it hurts now, but it’ll change.”

Dennis looks to the ceiling and squeezes his eyes shut. A sob chokes it’s way out of his throat.

“I don’t even know where to start, Mac,” he whispers.

“Anywhere,” Mac tells him.

Dennis wishes he has the energy to smile, but he’s so tired. He pushed his plate away. He wipes at his eyes and sniffs.

“Can we call in today?”

[globrights]

iasip s12 rated by macdennis content

The Gang Turns Black: Mac and Dennis spend the entire episode together, getting arrested and put in an interrogation room with each other, and get to sing a DUET together. Charlie even ditches them at some point to go get their VCR from Dee’s place and they don’t care one bit because all they need is each other. Also features a cute bit where Mac leans back into Dennis and sings “I think we’re in The Wiz...” it’s all a dream but if you watch the episode you’ll be glad it was a dream. 7/10

The Gang Goes to a Water Park: They don’t have a plot together in this, but in the cold open Dennis brags about how he can enjoy his time at the water park for free, and is very impressed (”Nice!!!!!!”) when Mac reveals he laminated his admission bracelet and hasn’t even paid to get IN the water park since he was 14... also Dennis bonds with a little girl the whole episode by passing on his swindling ways which proves that he could definitely raise kids with Mac one day, albeit ones just as horrible as the both of them combined. 5.5/10

Old Lady House A Situation Comedy: While Mac and Dennis do interact in this episode, it’s never a one-on-one situation. Dennis does spend the whole episode trying to help Mac (and Charlie) with their moms supposedly being at loggerheads though (and makes a fake tv show out of it, in which he edits in some laughs for Mac when he says some classic, funny catchphrases), and is “outsmarted” by Mac when Dennis claims that he wants to cut Mrs Mac out of the show, and that there’s nothing Mac can do about it because Dennis is, as he so claims, a genius. Dennis then proceeds to eat his words when Mac places his mom in every shot, maneuvering her around so that her face can be seen in all the cameras. Oh, and also, Mac touches Dennis on the shoulder at one point, which is pretty sweet. 4/10

Wolf Cola A Public Relations Nightmare: This episode had its moments, but not macdennis moments. Boo. At no point were they sitting next to each other, which is a huge bummer. That being said, Mac does say the words “Now I’ve always been very passionate about dominating other men. There’s nothing like the feeling of another man submitting to your will. Now that’s power. In a lot of ways, that’s love.” Make of that what you will. 1/10

Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer: There was a surprising amount of macdennis stuff going on in this episode, considering how it was a crime documentary accusing Dennis of murder. The first picture shown of Dennis in the episode is a picture of him and Mac, which Mac probably submitted because he looks happy in the picture whereas Dennis is a mixture of unprepared and irked—based on the picture it’s also fair to assume Mac put his arm around Dennis when he took the photo. Cute shit. Dennis also recounts how an average Friday night for him is spent watching a movie with Mac. In a later interview, Mac is introduced as Dennis’s best friend, and we proceed to find out that when they watch movies (or just Operation Dumbo Drop, at the very least) Mac likes to turn the volume down so that he and Dennis can make wiseacre remarks. They get into a squabble on camera about whether Mac stole this concept from Mystery Science Theatre 3000 or not, and about how funny Mac’s jokes are. Dennis gets annoyed and leaves, prompting Mac to whine “Wait, w-hold on, Dennis, D-don’t leave without me... Are you mad at me?” Cue sad music. Actual, sad instrumental music that the documentary plays. But sad music aside, it’s funny how Dennis complains about Mac and his supposedly unfunny played out unoriginal jokes yet still spends most average Friday nights at home watching movies with Mac. I see you Dennis, I fucking see you. 7.5/10

Hero or Hate Crime?: Mac comes out for real in this episode! Which is amazing in and of itself making this episode groundbreaking and perfect, but how does that play in terms of macdennis? Well, first off, through gay Mac macdennis is more possible, so jot that down. Second of all, Dennis looks INCREDIBLY offended when Mac tries to claim that he’s not gay, and then is the first one to start gently coaxing Mac to come out of the closet, by telling him they support him and that it’ll make him feel better. He’s also the first one to bring up Mac’s dildo bike, the renowned Ass Pounder 4000, and he also voluntarily brings it from the basement of Paddy’s all the way to where the arbitration is being held. Aside from all the touching of the dildo bike Dennis commits in transporting it, he also touches the bike a ton when Mac is explaining the “workout bike” to everyone. This includes leaning his hand, wrist, even his entire forearm on the bike handles, and wrapping his fingers around it, odd behavior for him to display seeing how Mac presumably fucks himself with the bike, and is reinforced as even weirder in a future episode where Frank and Charlie refuse to even so much as go near the bike. Dennis then proceeds to suggest that Mac penetrating his ass with a dildo bike is just a sexually devious thing to do, and has nothing to do with being gay (Dennis, what are you trying to tell us buddy? Just come on out and say it, we’re all in support). Yeah. Okay, and then when Mac comes out and leaves, and the gang decides to make Mac pay the arbitration fee, Dennis speaks up for Mac and convinces the gang to delay telling Mac where $9,986 of his lottery winnings are going, just so that he can have one triumphant, happy day of being out and gay. 6/10

PTSDee: “Is he blowing someone?” Right off the bat we have Dennis staring at Mac playing a game in Virtual Reality. Why do you care if Mac’s fake blowing someone, huh, Dennis?  Anyway, Dennis decides to become a stripper in this episode, which clearly has an effect on Mac, who’s suffering from fake war flashbacks from the game he was playing with Frank. After a traumatic dream about his father, he dreams of himself waking up and immediately looking for Dennis so he can tell him (and possibly seek consolation from Dennis) about his awful dream, only to see a half-naked Dennis dancing. Upon seeing Mac, Dennis walks up to him and kisses him, prompting Mac to wake up for real, and walk out to see the same half-nude, red-capped Dennis from his dream, actually dancing half naked. Dennis spots Mac and starts amping it up—he pulls off a few different moves—including one where he dances all the way up to Mac, slamming his hands on either side of the doorway Mac stands in, causing his eyebrows to rise in extreme interest, right before Dennis shuts the door because he’s a huge tease. This is definitely the most aroused/interested in something sexual that’s about to happen that Mac has ever been in the series, possibly his entire life. We thank Rob McElhenney for his service, and every single facial expression he produced in those scenes. This is the first explicit interest Mac has taken in Dennis ever since he came out, and it further confirms that Mac really wants to make out with Dennis (amongst other things). Later, Mac wakes up from a 35-second long dream five minutes after arriving at Frank and Charlie’s place, where Dennis is, so it’s easy to presume that he was looking for Dennis. And when Dennis talks about how he, Charlie, and Mike would be an elite stripping force capable of winning the “war against women” he so declared, he tries to invite Mac—who is asleep, sadly—to join them in stripping too. But who cares about all that, because really, all we think about for this episode is the kissing dream and the Dennis dancing for Mac scene, right? 9/10

The Gang Tends Bar: What a wonderful fucking episode. All ‘round beautiful, Megan Ganz truly is a treasure. Mac spends most of the episode trying to get Dennis to open this crate he has supposedly ‘found’. However, because Dennis spends most of the episode trying to get the gang to do their jobs for once on Valentine’s Day, a day he claims he does not want to celebrate or include as a theme in the bar the whole day, he refuses to play along with it, stubbornly bartending for most of the day, no matter what Mac says. This causes Mac, and the rest of the gang, to speculate over why Dennis is being like this. After Dennis orders Mac and Charlie to clean up the yuck puddle in the bathroom, Mac confides in Charlie, saying that he feels like Dennis has been acting distant towards him, he believes that Dennis is uncomfortable with him being gay and is trying to punish him for it, which Charlie disagrees with, because, duh, and says that it must be something else. Mac then theorizes that Dennis actually wants them to talk through their feelings because it’s Valentine’s Day, and that he’s entrusted Mac to do that because he’s a gay man, proceeding to reveal that he has a huge surprise for Dennis, which he feels Dennis is not emotionally available enough to receive at the moment. Later on, Mac brings the crate into the bar, and Dennis opens it to find that Mac’s gifted him an RPG for Valentine’s Day. This entire scene is a clear romantic gesture on Mac’s part, who gives Dennis the one thing he’s always wanted, despite also thinking (like the rest of the gang) that Dennis has no feelings and hates Valentine’s Day (he has also never given Dennis a Valentine’s Day gift prior to this moment). But as Dennis reveals in his most vulnerable moment on television, he does have feelings. Big feelings, at that. 10/10

A Cricket’s Tale: No. Nope. Nothing. Fuck this entire episode, actually, because not only does it completely drag down the quality of the whole season, it has no macdennis! Nothing! Can’t pull anything out of my ass, since this is technically set over the events of PTSDee and The Gang Tends Bar. The gang is barely in this too, and as I’ve implied, it just plain sucks. It’s the worst episode, and I might even go as far as to say that it’s the worst episode of the series. So Cricket, I love you, but fuck this episode for existing, and for creating a big drop in the macdennis momentum this season had going on. -4657348924385738492/10

Dennis’ Double Life: Apparently, Dennis and Mac had some bet to decide who got to redesign their old apartment, which Mac won. Very cute stuff, makes you trust, makes you think that this episode has got your back and isn’t going to stab you in the face, makes you think it makes up for the previous episode which will go unnamed. Cue Dennis having a son with Mandy, a girl he picked up under a fake identity back in North Dakota, and now he wants to get rid of her in case she tries to come after the bar for money. Mac and Dennis pretend to be a couple—or well, according to Dennis—two people who don’t have sex but are emotionally involved. Watching Mac be completely into pretending to be a couple with Dennis, claiming that they make love, bringing back lines from when they pretended to be a couple in season 5 (oh, those days), is equally heart breaking as it is heart wrenching. So it’s good, but also horrible, but also bad. After Mac enthusiastically volunteers to raise Mandy’s son as his other dad with Dennis, he wraps his arm around Dennis’ arm which is so sad because it all comes crashing down later. Mac tries to offer to sleep with Frank for $5,000 which Dennis stops because “you’re emotionally involved with me”, a strange thing to bring up because if Dennis can sleep with women whilst being in an emotional relationship with Mac, what’s stopping Mac from banging Frank for five grand? Jealousy (and some discomfort), that’s what. Also Mac claims that Dennis is his gimp. But at the end of the day, none of that matters, because Dennis up and leaves! He leaves Paddy’s, he leaves Mac, breaking his heart, my heart, and the entire state of Pennsylvania, probably. fuck u/10

[d2diamond]

Chris/Phichit/Yuuri, Emil/Chris/Phichit, and Yakov/Lilia/Celestino 😘

Oh, dear Anon. (And I say Anon, but I know exactly who you are! 😘) I hope you forgive me for this being so late. I burned myself out with the last two asks I wrote. Hopefully, these will make up for my lack of writing. Please enjoy. You crazy, wonderful person!! 💜💜

Slow Burn: Emil/Chris/Phichit

They were three peas in a pod. The three amigos. They spent the entire summer working for the traveling carnival. From small town, too small town. County fairs to festivals. Emil, Chris, and Phichit could be found wearing their black and stripe polo shirts as they worked the game booths. Emil ran the dart throw, with prizes ranging from small tchotchkes to posters to novelty glass mirrors with brand named beers etched into them. Chris ran the skeet ball races with a plethora of plushies that hung over his head. Phichit either worked with Yuuri at the frog toss game, or he would help Chris with the races. He tried to help Emil once, but after an enthusiastic kid almost pierced his ear with a wayward dart, he kept his distance. Instead, he and Chris would laugh at Emil from the side stall where they would have fun with the people trying to win their supply of stuffed pokemon.

Although each had their BFF that they would be seen going to their designated trailer with, Yuuri with Phichit, Victor with Chris, and Michele with Emil, the three of them always seem to have the most fun when together. Phichit and Chris would taunt Emil, trying to pit their patrons against Emil’s. Placing ‘bets’ about who they thought would win the most prizes. Getting their patrons in the competitive spirit.

“Well, I have this Pikachu, and I bet this … what’s your name mon cher?”

“Tiffany?” The blond said shyly.

“I bet Tiffany can win this Pikachu before any of your people can win that Budweiser mirror,” Chris taunted.

“Really? Well, I bet that this guy,”

“Charlie,” the guy in the sleeveless shirt and a trucker hat, responded.

“I bet that Charlie can win that Budweiser mirror. Ready to win, Charlie?”

“Hell yeah, I am!”

“You ready to kick some butt, Tiffany?” Phichit asked with a laugh.

“I sure am!” Tiffany responded, giving Charlie a stare down.

“Let the battles begin!” Phichit cheered.

It would go on like this, day after day. They’d have their fun with the patrons during the daylight hours and some of the night. Then they would spend their evenings laughing, drinking and recounting the day before they went off with their BFFs to their respected trailers.

As the summer wore on, their fun banter turned into flirtatious teasing.

“Looking a little hot out there, mon beaute,” Chris called over to Phichit as he passed by, arms full of green rubber frogs freshly cleaned for the frog toss.

“Little? I’m a LOT hot!!” Phichit threw a wink and a smile over his shoulder to Chris, who blew him a kiss in return.

Chris was helping Emil in his booth, and when a dart came a little close, he pushed himself into Emil’s side for safety. For the rest of the night whenever a dart zoomed past, Chris made sure to stand just a little closer to Emil. By the end of the night, Emil would pull Chris back by his waist to keep him safe, a shy smile on his lips.

When it came time to close down the stalls for the night, they would help each other, and Phichit couldn’t help it if his hand brushed over Emil’s or giggled when Emil caught Chris from falling backward when a balloon popped all of a sudden startling the Swiss. Their flirting was noticed by everyone.

When the end of the summer finally arrived, instead of laughs or smile as they tore down their booths one final time, there were frowns, tears.

With hugs all around, they said their final goodbyes. Phichit left with Yuuri, whose sister came to pick them up as Yuuri’s apartment lived nearest. Victor had a hand on Chris’s shoulder as he escorted his friend and roommate away towards where his rental waited to take them to the bus station. Michele and Sara exchanged a knowing look as Emil silently loaded up their SUV. Ready to take them on the long drive home.

It wasn’t more than two weeks when a small group of people met up at a local Denny’s for a friendly lunch. It was there that Victor and Yuuri announced their engagement. However, with this new development, that would mean that Chris, Victor’s longtime roommate, would need a new place to live. It also meant that Phichit, who has been staying with Yuuri, would also need a new home. Especially when Mari told him that she planned on going back to Japan to help their family at the inn. Thankfully it was Michele and Sara who spoke up and suggested that perhaps the two now lone wolfs should move in with Emil.

“But… I only have a one bedroom house. Not that I wouldn’t mind the company,” Emil said with a wistful look on his face.

The others just laughed and smiled when Mari stated the obvious. “Like you would need more than one bed.”

Emil, Phichit, and Chris all smiled but didn’t argue.

Fake Dating: Chris/Phichit/Yuuri

Chris was in a bad situation. His mother was INSISTING he come home for dinner to meet this ‘lovely young lady’ she had met at her book club. This was the fourth time this month alone. No matter how many times he told her he wasn’t interested in the daughters of his mother’s gossip group, she wouldn’t hear it. All she saw was that he was still unmarried and she still didn’t have grandkids. He had vented his frustration to his circle of friends the last time they had gathered for wine and their own kind of gossip.

Imagine his surprise when he left his house for his mother’s dinner party and standing on his doorstep was both Yuuri and Phichit. Both dressed to impress, and each held their own bouquet of flowers and both slightly red in the face. Apparently, they had each had the bright idea to show up as Chris’s date and pretend to be his boyfriend, but didn’t bother to tell the other. So they both showed up at the same time. The three had a good laugh, but before a decision could be made, Chris’s mother arrived to pick him up.

In an attempt to explain why two men, dressed up, holding flowers were standing there with Chris, the three stumbled over themselves, all talking at once, in a comical way. In the end, a very confused Mrs. Giacometti was told that Yuuri AND Phichit were both Chris’s boyfriend. (Yeah, that’s it. Both)

In a very rom-com-esque way, the three had a very awkward dinner with Mrs. Giacometti, her BFF from her book group, and the poor young lady who was supposed to getting to know Chris. Needless to say, there was a lot of red faces, stumbling over explanations on how Chris ended up with TWO boyfriends, and a mother who had her doubts.

Chris thought it was done and over with after bidding his mother fare-well, with a kiss on each cheek. Except it wasn’t. Not by a long shot. She started showing up at his house at unexpected times. Asking personal questions about his ‘boyfriends’. He knew he had to act fast, so he explained what was happening to Phichit and Yuuri, and they agreed that they should hang out more at Chris’s place to help field any questions and give the illusion that No Chris was NOT available for Sunday night dinner with Mrs. So&So’s daughter.

Except, hanging out meant… hanging out. Spending time getting to know each other more. Laughing at terrible jokes, and watching a library of movies. It meant impromptu dancing in the kitchen and the slow realization that they were slowing falling in love.

Except it wasn’t a smooth transition from friends to lovers. At first Phichit and Yuuri, both realized they were falling for Chris which put them at odds. It took almost losing each other’s friendship, someone threatening to kick their ass, and an epiphany to realize that they are just as much in love with each other as they are with Chris for the three of them to finally go from fake dating to real dating.

Chris’s mother finally came to accept them when she let herself into Chris’s home one day, only to find three nearly naked men in a heavy making out session. When she could face them again, she brought a delicious cake as an apology.

Enemies to Lovers: Yakov/Lilia/Celestino

When Celestino first became a senior skater, he had the biggest crush on Russia’s Prima Ballerina, Lilia Baranovskaya. She was the epitome of beauty and grace, but unfortunately, she was also married to a snarly old man (In Celestino’s opinion) whose records in skating were still a bane to Celestino’s career.

Celestino had the opportunity to meet Lilia during Worlds of 1996. She had accompanied Yakov and his skaters that year. Yakov had a promising skater by the name of Ilia Kulik, and Celestino was determined to get Lilia’s attention. So he made Ilia his target. He had to show Lilia he was worthy of her.

With pride and his heart in his hand, he approached Lilia where she stood next to her husband. He took a deep breath and told the most prestigious ballerina in the world that his free skate was dedicated to her. He kissed her hand, and for a brief second his eyes met Yakov’s and he issued a silent challenge in a single look.

Celestino took the gold that year. Lilia noticed. So did Yakov.

Celestino kept dedicating skates to Lilia, and Yakov kept sending him death glares, but he didn’t care, because Lilia would smile. And those smiles were just for him, so he kept skating for her.

It eventually came to a head during the Grand Prix Final of 2001. Celestino planned on retiring after Worlds and Yakov had been spending most of his time training his new prodigy. A boy named Victor.

Celestino approached Lilia like he always did, except Yakov was ready this time. He tried to intervene, but it was Lilia who spoke up. She told Celestino if he could win gold she would go out on a date with him. (Yakov’s jaw hit the floor.) She explained that her husband had been ignoring her in favor of his new student, and she wanted some attention. She told Yakov if his skater won gold then Celestino had to back off. … BUT if HER student, (though technically Yakov was his coach) won gold, she got to have them both.

Lilia wore a smug smile that night as her student wore the gold medal.

Ask Game!

Ko-fi | Ao3 | Twitter

[mostfunnystuff247-blog]

Actors Who’ve Disappeared From The Spotlight

Celebrities & Pop Culture Some of these stars haven't been seen on the big screen in years. Anna Weaver 2018-09-05

Getty Images | Scott Halleran Celebrities who’ve reached household name status are often expected to stay that way. While it can be hard to imagine big-name stars slipping out of the spotlight, it happens. For some, it’s an intentional choice to step away from acting. Others simply are just waiting for a role that really gets them jazzed. Check out all the Hollywood stars we haven’t seen onscreen in years.

Michael Schoeffling

Could any teenage heartthrob ever hold a candle to Jake Ryan from “Sixteen Candles”? As loyal Jake Ryan fans may know, the actor who played him, Michael Schoeffling, has left Hollywood behind. After memorable roles in “Mermaids” and “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken,” he disappeared. Schoeffling now apparently lives in Pennsylvania and has a carpentry business. He and his wife have two grown children, including a model daughter.

Universal Pictures

Stacey Dash

Stacey Dash made a name for herself in “Clueless” as Cher’s best friend. But her acting career has fizzled since then. Nowadays, Dash is known more for being a conservative political activist. She’s appeared as a FOX News commentator and recently ran for a congressional seat before deciding to pull out from the race.

Getty Images | Kevin Winter

Phoebe Cates

Best known for her roles in “Gremlins” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” Phoebe Cates left acting years ago. She’s married to actor Kevin Kline, with whom she has two children. Cates did appear in the 2001 movie “The Anniversary Party,” but only as a favor to friend Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Getty Images | Frazer Harrison

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones has kept a lower profile in recent years. Up until recently, the Oscar winner’s last big project was 2012’s “Rock of Ages.” She’s been open about her bipolar disorder diagnosis and also dealt with husband Michael Douglas’ cancer battle. But Zeta-Jones came back to larger acting roles with last year’s “Feud” and is currently working on a TV show called “Queen America.”

Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

Sarah Michelle Gellar

The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Cruel Intentions” actress has left acting on the back burner. Instead, she’s been focusing on her new company, Foodstirs, which makes sustainable, fair trade and organic baking products. She has two kids with husband and fellow actor Freddie Prinze Jr.

Getty Images | Emma McIntyre

Freddie Prinze Jr.

After playing a teen heartthrob in “She’s All That” and other films, starring in the live-action movie remake of “Scooby-Doo” and leading his self-titled one-season show “Freddie,” Freddie Prinze Jr. left much of acting behind. He prefers to be a stay-at-home dad with side jobs like being the voice of a “Star Wars Rebels” character. He has also written a cookbook, “Back to the Kitchen,” and continues to have a strong marriage with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Getty Images | Nicholas Hunt

Matthew Fox

“Party of Five” and “Lost” made Matthew Fox famous, but he hasn’t made a movie since 2015 and has gone on the record saying he doesn’t love acting. Fox had a couple run-ins with the law several years ago, and he popped up in the news recently when his Bend, Oregon, house went on the market. Below, Fox and his wife Margherita Ronchi and their son, Byron, take in a tennis match in Rome, Italy, in May 2018.

Getty Images | Dean Mouhtaropoulos

Calista Flockhart

Calista Flockhart found a starring role in late ’90s/early ’00s classic “Ally McBeal” and then jumped quickly from that into the family drama “Brothers and Sisters.” But after the latter went off the air, Flockhart took a more low-key acting path. She had a prime role as Cat Grant on “Supergirl” until the show switched filming locations from Los Angeles to Vancouver and she became an occasional guest star. Perhaps she’s just more content spending time with her son, Liam, and husband, Harrison Ford.

Getty Images | Matt Winkelmeyer

Jack Nicholson

Iconic actor Jack Nicholson hasn’t been seen in anything since 2010’s “How Do You Know.” A U.S. remake of “Toni Erdmann” was supposed to bring Nicholson back to the big screen, but he backed out of the project. His friend Peter Fonda says Nicholson is basically retired.

Getty Images | Kevork Djansezian

Cameron Diaz

Remember the days of “There’s Something About Mary,” “Shrek,” “Charlie’s Angels” and the many other films that made Cameron Diaz famous? Where’d she go? Apparently, the last movie the actress appeared in was “Annie” in 2014. Turns out she’s retired from acting and is just enjoying life with husband Benji Madden. Though Diaz did say in a recent interview that she’d be open to a sequel to “The Sweetest Thing.”

Getty Images | Stuart C. Wilson

Amanda Bynes

The former teen comedian had a very public breakdown several years ago. After receiving treatment, she’s kept a low-profile life. She hasn’t acted on screen since 2010, instead choosing to go to fashion school. Though she did say in a 2017 interview that she’d like to get back into television acting.

Getty Images | Jason Merritt

Dominic Monaghan

The “Lord of the Rings” and “Lost” actor Dominic Monaghan hasn’t had a big role since “Lost” went off the air in 2010. He’s slated to appear in the Australian television drama “Bite Club” and he just scored a part in the currently filming “Star Wars: IX,” though what his role will be remains to be seen.

Getty Images | Jonathan Leibson

Bridget Fonda

Peter Fonda’s daughter (and Jane’s niece) Bridget made a name for herself in movies like “It Could Happen To You” and “Single White Female.” Fonda hasn’t had a screen credit since 2002, but she’s no doubt been busy raising her son, Oliver, whom she shares with music composer husband Danny Elfman.

Getty Images | Frazer Harrison

Chuck Norris

The last big roles the martial artist and actor best known for “Walker, Texas Ranger” did were in 2005. In recent years, he’s been supporting his wife through health issues. Even though Norris himself is in semi-retirement, his tough-guy legend lives on through things like the popular Chuck Norris Facts meme.

Getty Images | Jerry Markland

Dennis Franz

“Hill Street Blues” and “NYPD Blue” actor Dennis Franz hasn’t acted since the latter went off the air in 2005. Apparently, it was a hard act to follow. Now, Franz is just enjoying retirement. He did present an Emmy award with co-star Jimmy Smits at the 2016 awards ceremony.

Getty Images | Kevin Winter

Doris Day

Iconic ’50s and ’60s actress and singer Doris Day has been in too many great films to list them all. But the actress hasn’t appeared on screen since her sitcom “The Doris Day Show” went off the air in 1973. Instead, the now-96-year-old is known as an animal welfare activist with her own foundation, and lives in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Wikimedia Commons | Paramount

Gene Hackman

Prolific actor Gene Hackman isn’t planning to come back to acting, having been retired for a number of years now. His last role was in “Welcome to Mooseport” in 2004. He and his second wife live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he enjoys bicycling and writes books.

Getty Images | Vince Bucci

Rick Moranis

“Little Shop of Horrors,” “Ghostbusters,” “Spaceballs” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” actor Rick Moranis seemed to be all over the place in the ’80s and early ’90s. Then his wife passed away and Moranis stepped out of the spotlight to raise his kids. He’s done mostly small parts, voiceover work and country comedy albums (believe it or not) in the years since. He recently came out of retirement to reprise the voice of Dark Helmet from “Spaceballs” in an episode of “The Goldbergs.”

Getty Images | Theo Wargo

Randy Quaid

Randy Quaid might be best known for “Independence Day” and the “National Lampoon” movies, plus some erratic behavior in the last decade-plus. But the Oscar-nominated actor is due to return in the movie “Weight” this year after a nine-year absence from the screen.

Getty Images | Scott Halleran

Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen

The Olsen twins have put acting behind them. Mary-Kate and Ashley declined to join the “Fuller House” reunion with their old “Full House” costars and don’t like to be in front of the camera much anymore either. The twins run clothing lines The Row and Elizabeth and James together. Mary-Kate is also married to French financier Olivier Sarkozy while Ashley is unattached.

Getty Images | Theo Wargo

Emilio Estevez

Emilio Estevez, son of Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie Sheen, has taken a quieter career path since his “Mighty Ducks” and “Breakfast Club” days. He’s focused more on writing and directing, such as in the 2010 film “The Way,” which he collaborated on with his father.

Getty Images | Matt Winkelmeyer

Ali MacGraw

“Love Story” actress Ali MacGraw has been off the screen since 1997. She toured with “Love Story” co-star Ryan O’Neal doing the play “Love Letters” in 2015. But nowadays, she lives in New Mexico, does yoga, is involved in animal welfare causes and designs clothes.

Getty Images | Aaron Davidson

Sean Connery

Even legendary actors with prolific careers want to retire at some point. Or so it is with Sean Connery, whose last onscreen credit was 2002’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” Connery is living a quiet retirement in the Bahamas with occasional public sightings, like at the U.S. Open.

Getty Images | Clive Brunskill

Mara Wilson

Mara Wilson was a well-known child actor back in the early ’90s. “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Matilda” made her famous. But a few years after her mother passed away, Wilson decided she was largely done with acting. She’s had a few bit parts primarily as a voice actor in more recent years, but Wilson is now focusing on a career in writing, and recently published a memoir.

Getty Images | Jason Kempin

Jack Gleeson

The “Game of Thrones” king hasn’t acted since he was killed off of the HBO miniseries. Instead, he did his university studies at Trinity College and has made a lot of fan convention appearances, too. He’s also gone on humanitarian missions.

Getty Images | Jamie McCarthy Originally published on The Delite. We were not paid to write this story. The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website. Previous post This Nurse Discovered Her Colleague Was A Premature Baby She Cared For 28 Years Ago Next post This is the most recent story. Read the full article

[oskarwing]

Video Game curse

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. “Could you turn the game quiet please, Dean?” Sam asks. “You don’t have to play it that loudly...”

“I’m not playing! I am doing research.” It was their new case. So much weirdness was almost too much even for them.

A girl witnessed her brother getting killed by a creature looking a lot like Bowser from Super Mario, a group of friends got attacked by Trevor from GTA five, one died the other two are still in the hospital, a boy was beaten up by Nathan Drake... everything seemed to be about video games. They called Charlie to use her expertise on the topic to see if there were any connections between the characters, but seemingly there wasn’t really.

Sam sighed and looked through the files they already had. It wasn’t much but at least the victims were seemingly connected. They were all big nerds loving the Games they got attacked by.

And now Dean uses the case as an excuse to play Pokemon Alpha Saphir on the Nintendo 3 DS.

“Yeah show ‘em!” Dean shouts. Sam looks over his shoulder. “You named it ‘Cas’?” He asks his brother amused.

“Shutup, it has the same color as his eyes.” Dean mumbles, face flushing red.

“Yeah, it’s blue, but I don’t see any other similarities...” Sam looked at the Pokemon that was seemingly a Mudkip. “Dean... come on, we have to get going, you know we wanted to talk to the boyfriend of the guy that got beaten up by that climbing-guy... Nathan... the boyfriend's name is Steve Davidson.”

Dean sighs and closes the DS. “Okay. Let’s go to the guy.”

“So you are saying that Thomas was totally into that Nathan Drake Game?” Dean asks. That fits with the other guys. 

“Yeah... Tommy... he always loved Uncharted. Just like Dennis, they used to talk about it a lot... but Dennis also loved the old retro stuff you know...” Steve says the poor kid has red-rimmed eyes, probably cried a lot, since his boyfriend still didn’t wake out of the coma.

“Wait, Mandy’s brother... they were friends? We didn’t get that impression after our interview with Mandy and her parents.” Sam says raising his eyebrow.

The boy laughs sarcastically. “Yeah, I bet. They didn’t like Tommy that much...”

“Really? Why’s that?” Dean says leaning forward a bit.

“Why? Why the fuck do you think, agent? ‘cause he’s gay, obviously. They didn’t want their precious son to have contact with a guy like that... they damn religious... like ‘God doesn’t like fun’-religious, like most of the town... Tommy and I wanted to move because of that. Especially after the fire...” The guy stops and looks on the ground.

“Fire?” Sam asks.  

“N-nothing...” He stands up. “I shouldn’t talk about this... please go now.”

“Well, that was weird...” Dean says as he sits down in the Impala. “What kinda fire did Steve mean, no one else mentioned any fire...”

Sam nods. “But I’m guessing that it was recent if it had any influence on Tommy’s and Steve’s decision to move. We should definitely look into this.”

“Soon,” Dean says and puts his hand on his stomach. “Now I am hungry. Let’s find a good Diner...”

They are waiting to get their orders, both of their gazes locked onto screens. Sammy’s on his laptop, researching the fire and Dean’s on the 3DS, he has to fight an Arena Boss soon and his Pokemon need some training.

“Dean! Get this. There really was a fire in town only a few months ago and guess where.” Sam says with a smug smile, that Dean doesn’t see because he’s still playing.

“Dunno.” Dean feels ready to get into the Arena now. Or should he wait? He doesn’t want his Pokemon to die again...

“In a video game store, doesn’t that fit a bit too well with this very video game themed murders?”

“Maybe... a bit.” Dean looks up from the DS, just to look down again.

“Dean. Focus!” “I am focused...” “Then put that thing away...” “Just one sec...” “Dean!”

The blonde waitress interrupts their quarrel. “Gentlemen. Your order...” Then she spots Dean’s DS. “Sir. Honestly, in your free time you can do whatever you want... but in our establishment, we don’t need games of the devil.” She says.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Dean looks up. What has the waitress against his DS.

“We believe in the lord and do not encourage any kind of devilish behavior...” The waitress says and goes away.

Dean puts his DS away with a bit of a pout. “Don’t get what’s devilish about my poor Game...”

“Maybe the hypnotic impact it has on you...” Sam says and starts eating. “What I wanted to say is that during that fire three people died. Two customers and the owner...”

“So you’re saying... vengeful spirit?” Dean asks.

This time Dean sees Sam’s grin and rolls his eyes. “Let’s check it out.”

The video game store is burned down completely. Dean looks at it. “Well, I’m guessing we won’t find anything useful here.”

“Nope...” Sam sighs nothing here. “Completely burned down.”

“And that’s good if you ask me!” An elderly man behind them says loudly. “Our priest is right. The stuff that this devil sold...” The man’s face twists in disgust as he shakes his head. “It’s good that he burns in hell now that bastard... tries to get our youth...” The man spits out and walks away. 

“Well, have a nice day too...” Dean says, looking at Sam who seems just as irritated.

“I guess this town just has something against Games... I mean first the waitress, now that guy...” Dean raises an eyebrow. “Almost seems like the video game characters are trying to get revenge...”

Sam looks at his brother thoughtfully. “What if... there was another part of the article... apparently the cause of the fire wasn’t clear... the police looked into it... but dropped it after a few weeks. Because ‘there was no reason to believe that the cause was malicious arson’ one policewoman even got fired because she didn’t stop nagging.” 

Dean grins. “Huh... and that guy just talked about a priest... so...”

“I’ll take the policewoman,” Sam says fast, not wanting his brother to get all of the fun.

“Aw come on... I don’t wanna talk with a stuck-up priest...”

Dean hates Sam, hates his stupid puppy dog eyes and how he always gets through with the stuff he wants.

He looks around in the church the only one in the small town. It’s not very big but there are a lot of people sitting around and preying. All of them are eyeing him strangely.

He eyes the pictures of the saints, all of them seem to look at him judgingly.

“Can I help you?” Dean looks at the small priest. “Yes... uh, are you the priest here? I’m Agent Chinaski, do you know a place where I we could talk, privately?” The priest shakes his head and looks at him sternly. “I have no secrets in front of my sheep.” He says and Dean sighs.

“We are looking into the things that recently happened in the last few weeks.” Dean starts and the priest nods. “Tragic... all of them... I wished I got to save them...”

Dean raises an eyebrow. “Save?” The priest nods. “Yes... they were all involved in those awful, awful games...” “You mean the video games, right?” Some of the people start to whisper horrified. “Yes. They capture the youth, devilish, devilish things...” The priest's eyes narrow. “You are not... also a victim of them... are you young man?”

 “Me? No... no. I don’t... have the time. Being an Agent and all...” Dean smiles.

“Realy... Agent Chinaski... don’t you know that lying is a sin?” The priest asks and Dean feels the warm breath in his neck. He turns around... Behind him stands a big blue monster... a tall monstrous version of the Mudkip he named after Cas. 

Before Dean can say anything it attacks.

The visit at officer Bell’s hadn’t got Sam very far. The only thing he now knew was that the local priest seemed to have a personal grudge against video games and that he often rambled on about it in his services, something Sam had already figured and Dean probably knows more about it anyway, since he got to visit the priest himself.

Where is Dean anyway? Sam tries to phone him for the sixth time but no one is answering. Is he still at the church? Sam decides to go to the church himself.

It’s a short walk from the motel to the church and Sam has a bad feeling... Dean would have answered him long ago.

Dean runs for his life. The damn monster close behind him. He can hear the loud THUNK! THUNK! of its feet.

Dean is constantly slipping in puddles of water the Mudkip leaves.

Dean doesn’t even notice where he is running to. The Mudkip chases him into a forest and soon Dean stumbles over a wet root.

When he looks up the Mudkip is over him.

“MY DEAR SHEEP! THE SINNER WILL SOON BE WIPED FROM THIS EARTH. HE AND ALL THE OTHER SINNERS WE HAD TO SACRIFICE FOR GOD WILL BURN IN HELL!”

Sam has a bad feeling that Dean is the ‘Sinner’.He listens anxiously the service that the man is holding in there. People are cheering loudly at the idea of people burning in hell, yet another clue on how brainwashed the town looks up.

He looks around there is a small barn just behind the church... it looks very new. Sam goes and opens the door.

Dean is drowning. Drowning in water from a freaking Pokemon... that is looking down on him.

He’s trying hard to catch his breath again, but there is no way, his lungs are full of water... he looks up into the eyes of the Mudkip.

Eyes that suddenly don’t seem like those of a video game monster at all. They look like Cas’...

In the barn, the smell of fresh wood mixes with the ones of different herbs. There's a plan on one wall, a plan on how to burn the video game place with exactly three people in it. Sam looks over at a small table in front of him. On it lays a book... seemingly... magic.

Sam reads the first page.

When three sinners burn in the place of their sins, use their ashes to bind their souls, then they will clear the earth from the rest of the sinners...

Sam looks over on a small altar is a bowl with ash and some herbs... and oh god... Dean’s name is written with blood all over the altar. Sam wipes it fastly from the altar, hoping it will help Dean. Then he looks at the rest. He decides to just knock over the altar and hopes that is enough for the spirits to get freed. He calls officer Bell and tells her that he has found evidence that he has found evidence that the priest was involved in the fire. 

Now he needs to find Dean.

“Dean! Dean, wake up... wake up...” Someone is clapping his cheeks.

Dean blinks fast and looks into his brother's eyes. He coughs loudly and tries to sit up.

“Easy there... easy...” Sam says when he slips down again. “Damn... what happened.” 

“Cas... Cas tried to kill me...” Dean mumbles and coughs.

“Cas...?” Sam is really worried now. “Cas is not here, Dean...” 

“Not that Cas... the other one the... Pokemon...” Dean sighs and coughs loudly again. “Dude... let’s get out of this town...”

Sam doesn’t object.

[ramajmedia]

10 Funniest Schemes The Gang Took Too Far In Always Sunny, Ranked

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is, hands down, the funniest TV show that FX has to offer. Its 14th season is set to premiere this year. The show follows a group of morally ambiguous bar owners who are constantly trying to find shortcuts to the luxury life, and it always comes back to bite them in hilarious ways.

RELATED: Big Bang Theory: The 10 Worst Things Amy Has Ever Done, Ranked

But with so many ways that the characters on this popular show have tried to make money, it’s hard to decide which one of their despicable schemes was the funniest. Luckily, we’ve compiled some of the top 10 schemes that went a bit too far.

10 Dennis And Dee Go On Welfare

Never underestimate how low these siblings will stoop to make sure they get what they want. It’s why we love them. In this episode, we see Dennis and Dee try out unemployment, thinking that the free money would be a sweet deal. Frank reminds them that unemployment wouldn’t last forever, and they would eventually have to go on welfare.

RELATED: 10 Funniest It’s Always Sunny Memes We Can Relate To

After Dennis tries to act like a recovering drug addict, while trying to pass Dee off as mentally handicapped, they were turned down, leaving them to actually get addicted to crack cocaine. This happens at the same time Mac and Charlie find out about Frank’s secret account and decide to splurge.

9 The Gang Exploits A Miracle

When Frank stumbles on a stain in his office that resembles the Bloody Mary, the man immediately saw dollar signs and phones the media about it. Frank advertises the stains and gets irritated when he doesn’t make enough money from the people who visit. A former classmate who is in the priesthood stops by and the gang remembers him as Rickety Cricket, a boy who had metal legs and a huge crush on Dee.

RELATED: IASIP: The 10 Worst Episodes Ever, According To IMDb

Frank convinces Dee to manipulate Cricket into blessing the stain, and her promises lead him to actually abandon the priesthood, where he slowly started a downward spiral from hard drugs.

8 The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis

With gas prices in Philly reaching an all-time high, the gang quickly jumped on the chance to turn this problem into profit. Their idea? Sell gas at a competitive rate, right at the person’s door. How would they get it? By siphoning gas from a fuel tank they found after being rushed away from a gas station.

They were unable to sell it back to the gas station so they started selling it from a lemonade-stand like a booth. Charlie and Mac get the bright idea to shoot off fireballs to get people’s attention, leaving Mac to get his head burned.

7 The Gang Buys A Boat

After selling their domain “dicktowel.com,” Mac and Dennis get their hands on $2,500. With the idea to buy a slick, P-diddy-ish type boat, and with Charlie and Frank's ambition to start shrimping, the gang ended up actually buying a boat. While buying supplies for the boat, Dennis reveals he has dark things planned for the boat in the future. With a hilariously sociopathic bombshell dropped, we could understand Mac’s uneasiness.

They returned back to a trashed boat, lose the keys to the boat, and get irritated with Charlie at the idea of having to rent scuba gear to get them. The boat is destroyed in the end, with Charlie criticizing the investment choice.

6 The Gang Beats Boggs

Admiring Wade Boggs record of drinking 70 beers on a flight, the gang took it upon themselves to beat that. Each member wears a white t-shirt throughout the episode, with the number of beers consumed marked on them. The gang gets extremely drunk while Dennis and Frank see who can join the “Mile High Club” first.

RELATED: Dee Reynolds: 10 Funniest Quotes From Always Sunny’s Golden Goddess

This leads Frank to drug a college-student, and Dennis having to leave the group to get rid of the woman he took to the cargo hold. After 40 beers and some uppers, Dee immediately gets on the plane’s PA, getting the whole gang cut off.

5 The D.E.N.N.I.S. System

This is hands down Dennis’ best episode. Dennis brags he has the perfect method of attracting any female he wants and takes the gang through his process step by step. The D.E.N.N.I.S. System is highly manipulative, and it’s a clear indication of how much of a predator Dennis has the potential to be if motivated properly.

This episode shows him threatening the woman he likes over the phone with a voice modulator before rushing to her side to comfort her and become intimate with her before “Separating Entirely.”

4 Mac and Dennis Move To The Suburbs

After failing to find a suitable place in Philly in their price range, Mac and Dennis decide it would be best to move to the suburbs. Frank tells them that “city scum” like them could never make it in that life, and he bets them that if they fail, they would have to sleep with an old man in their bed for a year.

RELATED: IASIP: 10 Dennis Quotes That Show He’s A Sociopath

They accepted that bet, adding that if they did make it past their first month, Frank would have to pay their rent for a year. Things start off fine at first, but the pair quickly lose their sanity. Mac feeds Dennis their dog, and the pair eventually quit, forcing them to hold up their side of the bet.

3 Mac and Dennis: Manhunters

When Charlie and Dee steal some of Frank's meat and fall in love with it, he tells them they have eaten human meat, and that they were now addicted. When Mac and Dennis overhear this, they decide to hunt the ultimate game: man. This leads them to put out traps in Philly to capture someone, specifically, Rickety Cricket.

They actually succeed by telling him that Dee wants to see him at Paddy’s Pub. Dee and Charlie’s craving for meat ends with them putting spices on a young kid’s arms. The entire episode is a downward spiral in terms of morals.

2 Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth

With a teacher being out of commission for one of Philly’s schools and Charlie getting a new job as a janitor, Dee tries to influence other students to pursue acting. The student’s don’t care, and she’s sad to see the teacher who gave her the inspiration not care either. With failed play attempts, and the students still losing interest in her, Charlie starts to become more and more popular amongst the school students.

Charlie even is called “The Professor” by them. She eventually leads the group of kids into Paddy’s Pub to see the gang’s rendition of Lethal Weapon 5.

1 Mac Day

Every member of the gang gets a set day of the month where the rest of the members have to do whatever they want, for a full 24hrs. This was Mac’s day, and in Mac fashion, it had to be over the top and completely nonsensical. He starts off by jumping off a bridge to prove how badass he is with his cousin Country Mac, whom the gang falls in love with.

He forces the gang to oil up bodybuilders, only strengthening their arguments that he should just come out of the closet as it would be better for him. The day ends with a massive brawl at a karate tournament due to an angered Mac.

NEXT: IASIP: 10 Best Charlie Quotes

source https://screenrant.com/funniest-schemes-gang-took-far-always-sunny-philidelphia-ranked-tv-show/

[80alleycats]

“Dennis’ Double Life” Defense & Explanations

In this post, I’ll attempt to explain/defend all of the controversial scenes in the Season 12 finale, “Dennis’ Double Life.” This write-up has helped me to appreciate the episode a lot better and it might help some people who have mixed feelings about the episode to view it in a different light.

NOTE: This is a mix of speculation and canon evidence.

Question 1: Why was Dennis a butt to Mac the entire episode, especially after he was so nice to him at the end of “The Gang Tends Bar”?

Answer 1: I will break this answer into three parts:

Part 1: I got the vibe that Mandy surprised Dennis with the visit, which explains why Dennis had mere seconds to tell the Gang to pretend that he was someone else. With the flesh-and-blood reality of Brian Jr. on his mind, I don’t think he had the mental energy to consider Mac at all. (In “The Gang Tends Bar,” Brian Jr. wasn’t there, so Dennis didn’t feel that immediate/strong pressure. Also, Dennis was emotionally vulnerable and available after having told the Gang about his “big feelings,” so he was able to react better to Mac)

Part 2: I’m not sure Dennis fully comprehends Mac’s feelings for him. I think he knows, to some degree, that Mac is attracted to him, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he sees Mac’s attraction to him as a kind of strange “hero worship.” Dennis verbally confirmed that Mac is gay in “Mac Day,” but he constantly acts weirded out or confused when Mac does/says something that shows that he has feelings for him. For example, in “Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs,” Dennis thought it was weird that Mac would name their dog Dennis Jr. That reaction, of course, mirrors Dennis’ reaction to Mac’s reveal that he perfectly recreated their old apartment. I don’t think he was trying to hurt Mac. He just flat out does not understand why Mac would go through all the trouble.

Dennis also doesn’t appear to understand his own feelings for Mac. He has asked Mac to “get off with him” (a “mostly sexual” manipulation game) and tried to get him to participate in a threesome with a male golf caddy in “Frank’s Back in Business,” admitted to Dee that he made his sex tapes for himself and Mac in “The Gang Group Dates,” stated that he has a thing with Mac where he picks out porn for them that he doesn’t want Charlie to join in on (“The Gang Spies Like U.S.”), and danced for Mac when he saw him avidly watching him in “PTSDee,” but he doesn’t see anything strange about this. It’s just par for the course in their relationship.

If Dennis has trouble seeing his own feelings, then like hell is he going to fully see Mac’s feelings. And if he can’t see Mac’s feelings, he can’t deal with them properly. 

Part 3: In the back of Dennis’ mind, he was seriously considering leaving the Gang and being a father to his son. He knows that leaving the Gang is going to hurt him, so he emotionally pushed them away. When the Gang becomes “lesser” in his mind, it doesn’t hurt as much to leave them.

Summary: Dennis was stressed the heck out about Brian Jr. and didn’t have the energy to deal with his relationship with Mac.

Question 2: Were Mac’s feelings for Dennis treated as a joke?

Answer 2: Not necessarily. Even though Dennis likes to act like he’s the smartest member of the Gang, Mac is clearly more aware and accepting of the nature of their relationship than Dennis is. Mac was 100% fine with them pretending to be a couple and raising Brian Jr. (with or without Mandy), not because he’s super desperate and lovesick, but because, no matter what they call their relationship (lovers, partners, pretend, friends), they’d still be together. Mac just loves being with Dennis and wants to help solve Dennis’ problem, so, of course, that would be his plan. (And it’s actually a good plan.)

It hurts the empathetic audience members to see Mac treated the way he is by Dennis, but it’s normal Dennis behavior that Mac has accepted. Mac has survived his internalized homophobia, his father’s dislike of him, his mother’s indifference to him, and the Gang’s occasional dislike of him. Mac is stronger than we think he is. And if he gets tired of Dennis, he definitely has the strength to walk away from their relationship relatively unscathed.

Summary: Mac was pretty much having fun playing a character (he even wanted his character’s name to be Griffin) and hanging out with Dennis and Dennis was stressed the hell out about Brian Jr.

Question 3: Charlie wanted to have sex? With The Waitress?

Answer 3: Yes. In "Charlie Has Cancer,” Charlie was visibly disappointed when he realized that he missed the chance to possibly have sex with The Waitress. In “Who Pooped the Bed?” a drunk Waitress stated that she would get drunker and bang a random dude and Charlie asked her if it could be him. In "The High School Reunion Part 2: The Gang's Revenge,” when a drunk Waitress told the Gang that she’d bang the next person who talked to her, Charlie opened his mouth and stepped forward, but Schmitty came out of nowhere and The Waitress went home with him.

Summary: I know some people headcanon Charlie as ace and/or sex-repulsed (I personally headcanon him as gray ace) and that’s fine, but Charlie has expressed interest in having sex with The Waitress in the show.

Question 4: Why did the Waitress have sex with Charlie?

Answer 4: Surprisingly, the possibility of that happening was set up in a previous episode. In "Charlie and Dee Find Love,” (which was written by RCG) the Waitress reacted in an arguably jealous manner towards Charlie’s then-girlfriend Ruby (“Who the hell is this, Charlie?!”). Also, at the end of the episode, the Waitress told Charlie that she needed him in her life and that she was thinking about reducing his restraining order. Admittedly, the Waitress’ strange behavior was after Frank accidentally put rat poison in her shampoo (which made her sick) and hit her with his car (which put her in a hospital), so she could have some kind of permanent brain damage.

In the beginning of the show, the Waitress wasn’t attracted to Charlie, but was concerned about his well-being sometimes. (In "The Gang Gives Back,” she tried to help Charlie with his alcoholism) It’s possible that after “Charlie and Dee Find Love,” the Waitress’ view of Charlie started to change. As the years went on, the Waitress’ problems started to get worse and worse, and, like Cricket (her male counterpart), she still found herself continually drawn to the Gang. Even though she still thinks Charlie’s a mess, a part of her might think that he’s all that she has left. (And that might, sadly, be true) And, if Charlie can help her to fulfill her dream of having a baby, maybe things can get better for her.

Something I noticed as well is that the Waitress never said she loved Charlie back. It’s possible that she still doesn’t love Charlie and never will, but sees him simply as a partner that can help her to take care of her child. (Also, in order to get Frank’s money, she needs to be partnered with Charlie)

Question 5: What’s the deal with The Waitress acting the way she did after having sex with Charlie?

Answer 5: We don’t know that much about The Waitress, but we do know that she sometimes does/thinks weird stuff like the rest of the Gang. (In "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom,” The Waitress slept with Frank, a man she’s not attracted to at all, in an attempt to get back at Dennis because she thought he was cheating on her with older women. In “Charlie and Dee Find Love,” it’s hinted at that The Waitress might be stalking Dennis because she has his phone number even though he changed it. In “The Gang Group Dates,” after years of Dennis’ mistreatment of her, The Waitress was still excited about possibly being Dennis’ girlfriend.) Also, even though she was kind of aggressive towards Charlie, all of her points were valid, some of Charlie’s responses were dumb, and her dislike of Charlie is totally understandable.

Question 6: What’s the deal with Charlie freaking out after finally getting The Waitress’ attention?

Answer 6: Surprisingly, the possibility of that happening was set up in a previous episode. In Season 9’s "Flowers for Charlie,” Frank paid The Waitress to hang out with Charlie because he was getting worried about him after he started taking “intelligence” pills for an experiment. When the Waitress began talking about her life, Charlie immediately started getting annoyed, started hearing a ringing in his head, and had to leave. We found out at the end of the episode that these pills were placebos. Basically, this was a strong hint that Charlie might be in love with the idea of The Waitress, not the actual person. So, even though he has been stalking The Waitress for 15 years, he might not really want to be with the real her. (The fact that he thought of The Waitress’ negative reactions as a “game between them” is another hint, of course)

Also, even though Charlie fantasized about raising multiple children with The Waitress in “The Gang Saves the Day" (which aired before “Flowers for Charlie”), it was still a fantasy. Charlie might fantasize about having a nice house, a wife, and children, but he still likes living in his unfancy and dangerous apartment and doesn’t handle stress well. There are huge conflicts that he doesn’t see.

Also, keep in mind that he came up with the plan only a few hours earlier and he mentioned that he wanted to get The Waitress pregnant so she would be tied to him for life. (clearly no thought about the actual baby and being a father)

So, with Charlie being Charlie and the reality of the situation crashing on him, he is starting to freak out.

Summary: Charlie freaking out is 100% in character.

Question 7: Why was Charlie a butt to Dee after having sex with The Waitress?

Answer 7: Charlie is an idiot and a misogynist, so he projected his issues with women and The Waitress onto Dee. Also, as Charlie mentioned, Dee possibly tried to have sex with him an additional time after “The Gang Misses the Boat” and he didn’t want that to happen again that night. So, overly-stressed and tired Charlie absentmindedly begged Dee not to be a whore numerous times before immediately falling asleep on top of her because even though he has issues with women, he feels comfortable with Dee.

Summary: Charlie and Dee’s relationship in a nutshell.

Question 8: Why did Dennis want to leave the Gang to take care of Brian Jr.?

Answer 8: I get the vibe that this might have been the first time that Dennis actually held Brian Jr. (or he hasn’t held him in a while?). Holding the child made him really understand that he is a living, breathing being he created and not just an obstacle to overcome to get back to his usual life. And then the child knew who he was, which made everything feel even more heavy. This is the first time in Dennis’ life that he’s been responsible for someone other than himself. He knows that if he stays with the Gang, he’ll feel guilty for whatever happens to the child. He’ll feel guilty that the child knew who he was but couldn’t see him. And the fact that the Gang doesn’t comprehend this at all (Mac, for example, excitedly told him “The plan worked!”) pushed him even further away from them and towards his child.

Question 9: Why didn’t the Gang seem to care when Dennis left?

Answer 9: The Gang has a great track record of unusual responses to deaths and departures.

In "Dennis and Dee's Mom Is Dead,” Dennis reacted to his mother’s death by partying/hazing guys in his mom’s house and Dee and Frank seriously considered grave robbing her. In "The Gang Gets a New Member,” Mac and Dennis had no problem kicking Charlie out of the Gang and replacing him with Schmitty. In "The Gang Beats Boggs,” Mac’s only response to a drunk Dennis spontaneously leaving their plane was to write the number of beers he consumed on his forehead. In "The Gang Misses the Boat,” the Gang “broke up,” yet everyone just spent the episode doing their own thing. In "Frank Retires,” the rest of the Gang started cheering and clapping after Frank declared that he would be retiring from the Gang. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

It’s very likely that the rest of the Gang is still in shock/denial about Dennis leaving and they are expecting him to come back soon like everyone always does.

Since the highlight of the night was firing Dennis’ RPG, they decided to not let Dennis’ departure stop them. (It also doubled as a nice, fiery distraction)

As for blowing up the Range Rover? They think Dennis intentionally left it and it’s the perfect target to take out any frustrations they had/have with Dennis. (This is also one of the reasons Mac, who gave Dennis his cherished RPG, is the one blowing up the Range Rover, one of Dennis’ most prized possessions)

When Dennis comes back, they can excitedly tell him that they blew up the Range Rover and it was awesome.

Question 10: Why did Dennis leave the Range Rover?

Answer 10: Dennis wants to take care of his child, which is a good thing, but he is clearly going through a crisis and is not thinking clearly. He mentally/emotionally disconnected himself from the Gang (notice that he said “The bar’s done” and turned off the lights even though the rest of the Gang is still there and can run the bar) and left everything that reminds him of the Gang behind (which explains why the Range Rover is still there). He did not even think about packing, called a taxi, and headed straight to the airport to fly to Mandy and Brian Jr.’s location. This is one of the reasons the ending feels so “off.” It mirrors Dennis’ mindset.

Question 11: Why did Dennis name his child after Brian Lefevre?

Answer 11: This was probably Mandy’s idea and Dennis went along with it because he couldn’t think of anything else. He also probably wasn’t in the right headspace to complain since he wasn’t ready to have a child.

[trashangel-dee]

Since there’s some minor ship wars going on and just general discussion and disagreement, and I just feel like sharing my thoughts on the Charlie/Dee relationship, since it’s one of my favorites, and I think one of the most interesting.

Do I think they’re actually in love? No. But I do think they’ll settle for each other. Their relationship feels like one of those things in movies where two friends decide “if we’re both still single [at a certain point], let’s just get together” They both realize they can’t escape the gang, both because they’re all so codependent, but also because no one else will have them. Even meeting someone and bringing them in is unlikely and would throw off the balance.

Charlie may finally accept that it’s never going to happen with The Waitress- he’s already admitted it some in “The Gang Group Dates”, then kind of in “Frank Falls Out the Window”. He decides that he’s getting tired of constantly being rejected and all the work he puts into doing stuff for her/attempts at courting.  Maybe she even gets better at avoiding him, and becomes harder to track down; which could come from experience but also, she apparently doesn’t have a home anymore and might have a new, or even no, job for Charlie to stalk at and hang around. I think after so much rejection, Dee finally admits that some rich, successful, attractive guy isn’t going to whisk her away from Philly and the bar to what she thinks is a better, more classy, life. And that she’s stuck with the gang forever, and the way things are now are the way they’ll stay.

I don’t see them having any really sweet, romantic love story with flowers and presents, and mushy stuff, but they both seem to have a similar, slightly warped, sense of what a relationship is and what they both want. In “Charlie and Dee Find Love” we learn the things Charlie does for The Waitress to keep her safe and healthy. He puts vitamins in her shampoo, chases people away from her bike, and even somehow tests her food for poison. Though I feel like her standards have fallen some over the years, Dee probably still has somewhat high expectations for a lifestyle and wanting to be somewhat pampered by someone. And while both of these beliefs are fairly unhealthy, they work together in a way; one wants to essentially obsess over someone, while the other wants to be obsessed over.

It appears they both want a relationship, or at least the idea. In “The Gang Saves the Day” Charlie imagines moving The Waitress in with him, getting married, and even raising rats, and eventually kids, together. He really sees them living a storybook life. Dee, apparently, also has some desire for an exclusive relationship with someone. In “The Gang Group Dates” she goes out once with a guy, on what probably wasn’t even a “real date” and assumes they’re exclusively dating: calling him her boyfriend, buying him a promise ring, and even deleting her dating profile. Then, in “PTSDee” she hooks up with Mike once, and thinks they’re dating and have a “really amazing connection” and “meaningful sex” Yeah, she used to sleep with guys to get something out of it, or to make herself feel better/prove some sort of self worth; but now it seems like she’s actually looking for someone to be with on a more personal level. She even tries on wedding dresses every Saturday for over a year, and says “I should be the one getting married”

In “The Gang Misses the Boat” they both admit that Mac and Dennis, and maybe Frank?, make them do things they don’t really want to do. Not that they’re any better or nicer than the others but maybe don’t dislike each other as much as they pretend to, essentially out of self preservation. I may be reaching here, but there’s the obvious attack the other before they get it, but there’s probably also a knowing that defending the other one when being teased will result in criticism. I read an article that called them both “the kicked dogs of the group” and it really is a good description as to how the gang treats each of them, and also how they treat and relate to each other.

Together, just as 2, they support each other. Dee explains to Charlie that he doesn’t have to eat beak at all when he admits, and even seems a little concerned, that he doesn’t want to but is made to, and is even genuinely happen happy for Charlie when he successfully orders the sandwich after he seemed stressed about it. She even says “I’m very proud of you” then later, when Charlie suggests they go right out to an open mic night, Dee admits to being scared and he authentically tells her, that she’ll “do great”*

So, I feel like my “shipping” of these 2 is wanting them to essentially have what Mac and Dennis already do. A mutual understanding and support of each other and having that one person they connect with automatically in the group, mostly by having a need the only the other person can fulfill, mostly through a symbiotic relationship. Frank has Artemis, the bridge people, and hookers, and seems to be okay with disappearing from the other 4 for a while. Mac and Dennis have their monthly dinners and movie nights, and I want Charlie and Dee to have the same thing. Maybe they rent a crappy movie and order take-out, or Charlie writes songs and she hangs around listening and giving ideas. (“Well, you know I like making music.” “Yeah, and I like listening to it.”)

I support that they’ll eventually just fall into a pattern of spending time with just each other, doing things they both enjoy that the others will criticize (def poetry and characters for example). And they’ll eventually just give up on chasing other people, because they’ve both found a connection with each other, and actually feel emotionally content. No one in the gang really is capable of having a normal relationship, and honestly, I feel like just giving up on that and settling for each other is the best they’ll ever get. (and maybe even deserve) I’ve seen a few people on here say that they have a good friendship, but platonic and romantic attraction is getting mixed up. In a way, I agree, and think that’s what works. No one in the gang actually knows what a healthy relationship is. Like Dennis’ marriage to Maureen failed partly because marriage wasn’t what he envisioned, and didn’t want to change his lifestyle and give up on friends and doing what he wanted. They both have some sort of romantic drive, and might not find it as great as they expect, but still find something from inside the gang.

It’s also interesting how they were kind of thrown together. I imagine that Charlie and Mac were friends in high school and always were together (obviously). Dee probably hung out with Dennis because they both didn’t really have any friends, and still had that codependency they hadn’t shaken since childhood. Mac and Dennis started to get closer and Charlie and Dee kind of got stuck together because they still wanted to be around Mac and Dennis, respectively, then when those two started getting really close, the other two hung out by default.

tl;dr- I don’t see Dee and Charlie having some sort of real romantic, love driven relationship that’s expected of shows, but they do seem to have a special rapport and a mutual understanding with each other, and need for acceptance they get exclusively from each other.

* I feel like the way she says it is important. It sounds so sincere and vulnerable. Dee has had to put up such a strong front for years, and she’s 100% putting out a weakness in both words and tone. She’s putting real faith that Charlie isn’t going to take an opportunity to insult or put her down.

————————————————————————————–

I know there’s talk and disagreements about sexuality and that kind of thing, and I’m 100% not trying to start discourse, and as much as I love Charlie being on the asexual spectrum, he seems to initiate anything between them that happens along those lines. There is some sort of attraction there. I don’t really want to tie this in with the first part, but want to at least acknowledge it.

There’s something about “Underage Drinking” that feels like there’s something there; when Charlie and Dennis are talking and drinking, Dee comes out of the backroom and he actually calls her over and says “come here, let me take a look at you.” He then seems a little surprised by her outfit, as if he was initially expecting/anticipating something nice and starts out trying to compliment her, rather than having intentions to make a joke. In “The Gang Gets Held Hostage”, he’s the one to kiss her. (then pretty much leaves her to die, but still does something first). Then in “Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty Magoo” when Charlie is getting worked up over the drawings, and Dee snaps him out of it, he asks her what she’s doing, because she looks pretty… before getting cut off. It might have been pretty good, or just more of an okay/good enough thing. In “Charlie Rules the World” after learning what consummate means he seems to think, and maybe even be slightly hopeful, that she means for real; he asks “so, we should have sex, then” instead of something like “we have to have sex then” and when she tells him in the game he responds with “either way” Finally, in “The Gang Misses the Boat” Charlie is the first one to make any sort of move/acknowledgement. He’s the first one to say “I feel like I’m feeling something” then after the silence, he’s the one to acknowledge there’s still something there (the subtitles say “chuckles”) and seems to move in first.

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Kevin Wozniak on Kevflix: What’s Streaming This Month? – June

At the end of May, HBOMax launched and really elevated the streaming services to a new level.  Along with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and the Criterion Channel, HBOMax is another streaming service that is loaded with infinite content.

Even with so many streaming services, the quality of content coming to streaming is possibly the best I’ve seen in a long, long time.  Some true classics will be available for viewing, along with some fun genre fare and some new 2020 films.

Here are my picks for the best movies coming to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, the Criterion Channel, and HBOMax in June.

          NETFLIX

Full list of everything coming to Netflix in June can be found here.

    CAPE FEAR (Martin Scorsese, 1991)

Underrated in every way: an underrated Scorsese picture, an underrated Robert De Niro performance, and an underrated remake.

    CASPER (Brad Silberling, 1995)

A silly, childhood classic that is still a technical marvel 25 years later.

    CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling, 1995)

A timeless classic that could be argued as the greatest Shakespeare adaptation ever made.

    DA 5 BLOODS (Spike Lee, 2020)

Spike Lee’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning BlackKklansman is a look at a group of African American vets who return to Vietnam to find the remains of their fallen Squad Leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.  One of my most anticipated movies of 2020.

    THE DISASTER ARTIST (James Franco, 2017)

James Franco gives a brilliant, uncanny performance as the legendary Tommy Wiseau in this look at the creation of the midnight classic, The Room.

    E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg, 1982)

Not much to say about this one other than it’s one of Spielberg’s best and bonafide cinematic masterpiece.

    INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee, 2006)

Spike Lee’s fun and twisty heist thriller features a trio of stellar performances from Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster.

    THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathon Demme, 1991)

As good as thrillers get, Jonathon Demme’s Oscar-winning masterpiece is one of my all-time favorite movies.

    STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven, 1997)

My favorite Paul Verhoeven film is a delirious, violent, darkly funny war satire.

    WEST SIDE STORY (Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise, 1961)

A bright, lively, beautiful, stunning musical.

    ZODIAC (David Fincher, 2007)

One of David Fincher’s best films, Zodiac is one of the best movies of the 2000’s.

    AMAZON PRIME

Full list of everything coming to Amazon Prime in June can be found here.

    CRAWL (Alexandre Aja, 2019)

A fun little thriller about a woman trying to survive a siege of alligators during a hurricane.

  DIRTY DANCING (Emile Ardolino, 1987)

An 80’s classic.

    GROWN UPS (Dennis Dugan, 2010)

It’s stupid and peak Sandler-is-on-vacation-movie, but it’s mindless, funny entertainment.

    HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, 2010)

As good as any Pixar movie, How to Train Your Dragon doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves as one of the best animated movies of the 2010’s.

    KINGPIN (The Farrelly Brothers, 1996)

Featuring a great performance from Woody Harrelson and a scene-stealing performance from Bill Murray, Kingpin is the best Farrelly Brothers movie and a great sports movie.

    KNIVES OUT (Rian Johnson, 2019)

One of the best movies of 2019, Rian Johnson’s whodunnit gets better with every viewing.

    MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL (Brad Bird, 2011)

Featuring one of the best action sequences of the last decade where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest building in the world, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is one of the great action movies of the 2010’s and a perfect mix of a maniac director working with a maniac actor.

    THE NATURAL (Barry Levinson, 1984)

One of the great baseball movies and a great Robert Redford performance.

    SEX DRIVE (Sean Anders, 2008)

A wildly under-seen and utterly hilarious sex comedy.

    WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Spike Jonez, 2009)

A visually stunning, emotional adaptation of a childhood classic.

    HULU

Full list of everything coming to Hulu in June can be found here.

    THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (Rob Reiner, 1995)

A charming political romance featuring a pair of lovely performances from Michael Douglas and Annett Benning.

    A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (Marielle Heller, 2019)

Tom Hanks becomes Mr. Rogers in Marielle Heller’s beautiful movie about love and forgiveness.

    BUFFALOED (Tonya Wexler, 2020)

One of my favorite movies of 2020, Buffaloed is a wild and crazy crime film featuring an off-the-wall, brilliant performance by Zoey Deutch.

    CASINO (Martin Scorsese, 1995)

A sprawling gangster epic from the crime maestro Martin Scorsese.

    CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR (Mike Nichols, 2007)

A solid movie, but worth the watch for some solid Aaron Sorkin dialog and a top-tier Phillip Seymour Hoffman performance.

    CLEMENCY (Chinonye Chukwu, 2019)

Alfre Woodard and Aldis Hodge are outstanding in this powerful, heart-wrenching look at the relationship between a warden and a death row inmate.

    I AM LEGEND (Francis Lawrence, 2007)

A smart and intense movie bolstered by a one-man showcase performance by Will Smith.

    OUT OF SIGHT (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)

One of Soderbergh’s best, Out of Sight is a stellar crime film features George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez at their absolute best.

    TRUE ROMANCE (DIRECTORS CUT) (Tony Scott, 1993)

Quentin Tarantino’s writing plus Tony Scott’s plus an all-star ensemble equal one of the wildest movies of the 90’s.

    YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (Dennis Dugan, 2008)

One of Sandler’s weirder movies, but really entertaining and funny.

  DISNEY+

Full list of everything coming to Disney+ in June can be found here.

    ARTEMIS FOWL (Kenneth Branagh, 2020)

Director Kenneth Branagh and a stellar cast of Colin Farrell, Josh Gad, and Judi Dench look to bring this YA adaptation to life.

    PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTING THIEF (Chris Columbus, 2010)

A fun but forgotten adventure film.

    TARZAN ( Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, 1999)

A late-90’s animated classic with a banging soundtrack.

    CRITERION CHANNEL

Full list of everything coming to Criterion Channel in June can be found here.

*The Criterion Channel does things a little differently than every other streaming service.  The Criterion Channel, a wonderful streaming service that focuses on independent, foreign, and under-appreciates movies, doesn’t just throw a bunch of random movies to stream.  They get more creative, by having categories like “DOUBLE FEATURES” or “FILMS FROM…”, giving us curated lists of films that somehow blend together or feature a specific artist.*

  DOUBLE FEATURES

  CITIES OF SHADOW:

The Naked City (Jules Dassin, 1948)

In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)

A pair of noir murder mysteries presented by directors Josh and Benny Safdie.

    FIGURES IN LANDSCAPES

Museum Hours (Jem Cohen, 2012)

Columbus (Kogonada, 2017)

Two movies that look at unexpected human connection between two people in which art, architecture, and environment serve as characters themselves.

    DIRECTED BY MIKE LEIGH

Mike Leigh is a huge blindspot director for me.  I’ve seen a couple of movies of his, all of which I’ve liked, yet have dove more into his filmography.  Thanks to Criterion, nearly his entire filmography (the only films missing are his last two films, Mr. Turner (2014) and Peterloo (2018)) will be available to view, which has me very excited.

Meantime (1984)

High Hopes (1988)

The Short and Curlies (1987)

Life Is Sweet (1990)

Naked (1993)

Secrets & Lies (1996)

Career Girls (1997)

All or Nothing (2002)

Vera Drake (2004)

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Another Year (2010)

    SCORSESE SHORTS

Criterion just dropped this on Blu-Ray not too long ago.  The collection features five Martin Scorsese short films from his time at NYU to through the early 60’s.  Martin Scorsese is my favorite director ever, so seeing his early films has me very intrigued and excited.

    JAZZ SHORTS 1929-1939

Another short film series, this one focusing on tune-filled shorts, featuring some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time in their electrifying prime.  These films were made as preludes to accompany feature films and feature the legends of Jazz like Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday.

Black and Tan (Dudley Murphy, 1929)

St. Louis Blues (Dudley Murphy, 1929)

I Surrender Dear (Mack Sennett, 1931)

A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (Aubrey Scotto, 1932)

A Bundle of Blues (Fred Waller, 1933)

Sing, Bing, Sing (Babe Stafford, 1933)

Cab Calloway’s Hi-De-Ho (Fred Waller, 1934)

Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (Fred Waller, 1935)

Artie Shaw’s Class in Swing (Leslie M. Roush, 1939)

Hoagy Carmichael (Leslie M. Roush, 1939)

    HBOMAX

Full list of everything coming to HBOMax in June can be found here.

*HBOMAX is brand new, but it has already changed the game of streaming services.  The content is so extensive and features something for everyone, whether its a Hiayao Miyazaki masterpiece, an Oscar winner from the last couple years, or a Hollywood classic, HBOMAX has it and their library is so expansive, it’s easily worth the price.*

    AD ASTRA (James Gray, 2019)

One of the very best movies of 2019, James Gray’s moody space drama sticks with you long after it’s over.

    ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING (Chris Colombus, 1987)

This 80’s gem is also a Chicago classic.

    DOCTOR SLEEP (DIRECTORS CUT) (Mike Flanigan, 2019)

One of 2019’s most underrated films is a bizarre, haunting sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

    FIRST MAN (Damien Chazelle, 2018)

Damien Chazelle showed us the difficulty and horrors of going to the moon in 1969 in stunning fashion.

    FORD V FERRARI (James Mangold, 2019)

Another one of my favorite movies of 2019, Ford v Ferrari is a classic American sports tale featuring a pair of dynamic performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale.

    HE GOT GAME (Spike Lee, 1998)

Spike Lee’s powerful look at basketball, redemption, and family.

    THE IRON GIANT (Brad Bird, 1999)

One of the greatest animated movies ever made.

    MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER (Robert Altman, 197

A Robert Altima Western starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.  What else do you need?

    SPEED RACER (Lily and Lana Wachowski, 2008)

Panned on its initial release, Speed Racer is a gloriously bizarre and visually astounding triumph that needs to be revisited by all.

    TITANIC (James Cameron, 2007)

A movie that literally has everything.  It’s a big, bold, epic movie with romance, action, comedy, and drama and I love all 194 minutes of it.

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[yeskraim]

Crane season, corporal punishment, Common Core: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Mobile: A vote by the Mobile City Council has moved the northern Gulf Coast one step closer to resumption of regular Amtrak service for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Members voted 6-1 to approve a grant application for restoring passenger train service to the city, news outlets report. The train would link New Orleans and Mobile twice daily with stops in Mississippi in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis. Mobile would be asked to pay about $3 million over three years beginning in 2023, and the state could be asked to help. The states of Louisiana and Mississippi have already committed millions. The Southern Rail Commission said it is applying for nearly $8 million in federal grant money for the project, and Mobile’s commitment was needed to move forward. Actual train service is still likely years away, officials said.

Alaska

Kaktovik: An overnight fire destroyed the only school in this North Slope village early Friday morning, Anchorage television station KTUU reports. The school, part of the North Slope Borough School District, was a total loss, Kaktovik Mayor Amanda Kaleak says. Kaktovik resident Melvin Kayotuk captured video of the fire. “We woke up then heard the school was on fire,” Kayotuk says. The official cause of the fire hasn’t been determined. Pipes had frozen in the school, Kayotuk says, and heaters were attempting to thaw them out. “I feel sad for our kids that are gone right now,” Kayotuk says. “They went to play a ball game in another village, and they’re going to come home, and they’re going to have no more school.” No injuries were reported. Kaktovik is an Inupiat village of 250 on the Beaufort Sea about 75 miles northeast of the Canada border.

Arizona

Phoenix: Legislators are proposing a new law to block airports across the state from raising fees on ride-sharing services, like Uber and Lyft. Rep. Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, says House Bill 2817 rolls back the fees on rides to and from airports to the same levels as at the end of 2017. That would cut existing fees and block an increase that Phoenix Sky Harbor is planning for ride-sharing services, says Grantham, who is sponsoring the measure. Phoenix already charges a fee of $2.66 for ride-share companies picking up passengers at the airport. But the city had planned on a new fee of $4 for picking up passengers as well as $4 for dropping off passengers. The fee would then increase by 25 cents each year, reaching $5 each way in 2024. Uber threatened to stop operating at Sky Harbor if Phoenix implemented the new fees.

Arkansas

El Dorado: Officers on Friday shot and injured a man who authorities say struck a deputy with his vehicle outside the sheriff’s office and threatened to shoot officers inside. The El Dorado News-Times reports multiple deputies were placed on paid administrative leave while the Union County Sheriff’s Office and Arkansas State Police investigate the incident. Union County Sheriff Ricky Roberts told the newspaper that officers approached the man who was in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office after he made the threats. The man drove toward the approaching officers and struck Chief Deputy Charlie Phillips, Roberts said. Deputies fired at the man and struck him in the arm, causing him to crash into a sheriff’s office employee’s vehicle in the lot. Roberts declined to release the man’s name but said he had been treated and was in custody.

California

Sacramento: Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause physical education tests for students for three years due to concerns over bullying and the test discriminating against disabled and nonbinary students. The move also comes after annual test results show a growing percentage of students scoring not healthy. H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Department of Finance, said the state has received complaints that the current examination’s measurement of body mass index is discriminatory to nonbinary students. A measurement calculated from weight and height, BMI screenings require students to select “male” or “female,” he said. Annual state reports of the fitness test since the 2014-2015 school year show a steady decline in the share of students scoring healthy, according to a review by the Associated Press. Students’ scores have particularly dropped in the category of the fitness test that measures “aerobic capacity.”

Colorado

Denver: A bill that aims to boost immunization rates and make it more difficult for parents to opt their children out of vaccinations is expected to be introduced soon at the Capitol, and Gov. Jared Polis says he’ll support it. The proposal – sure to heat up the discussion on immunizations, protecting public health and parents’ rights – would require parents who want to opt out to get a signed document from a medical professional or watch an online video, produced by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Right now, parents simply submit a form to a child’s school. The proposal would not eliminate non-medical or personal belief exemptions. Polis’ office said as it stands, he backs the measure. “The governor is encouraged by the conversations he has had with the bill sponsors and appreciates their hard work,” said a statement from his office.

Connecticut

Hartford: Initial testing has failed to identify two victims of the 1944 Hartford circus fire whose bodies were exhumed from a cemetery, the state’s chief medical examiner said Friday. Dr. James Gill also announced that anthropological examination and dental comparisons excluded a Vermont woman as being one of the two people whose remains were exhumed. The bodies were removed in October from two of five graves of unidentified circus fire victims at Northwood Cemetery in Windsor. A state judge approved the exhumations in hopes of determining whether one of them was Grace Fifield, a 47-year-old woman from Newport, Vermont, who was never seen again after attending the circus on the day of the fire. The fire at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus on July 6, 1944, killed 168 people and injured 682 others.

Delaware

Wilmington: University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis has told a legislative committee that a lack of qualified students is to blame for low in-state enrollment at the school. During a hearing Thursday before the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, Assanis was asked why less than 40% of the school’s students come from Delaware. “I am not the one holding back the kids in Delaware to come into the university,” Assanis said. “We need better-qualified students who come out of our K-12. Because we don’t want to put them into a first-class environment and then lead them to having mental health problems.” Legislators quizzed Assanis about the university’s enrollment of Delawareans and underrepresented students, groups the school has long struggled to recruit. Assanis said a slowdown in population growth and a lack of qualified students coming out of Delaware high schools are to blame.

District of Columbia

Washington: The white nationalist group Patriot Front marched near Union Station on Saturday afternoon, WUSA-TV reports. Members of Patriot Front shouted “reclaim America!” as they moved down the streets of D.C. The group ended its march at a Walmart in the Union Station area, as some onlookers called them cowards, witnesses say. Dressed in similar long-sleeved clothing with hats, masks, sunglasses and American flags, the group was trailed and surrounded by police officers who were there to de-escalate any issues that arose. The group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is an image-obsessed organization that rehabilitated the explicitly fascist agenda of Vanguard America with garish patriotism. The SPLC says Patriot Front focuses on “theatrical rhetoric and activism that can be easily distributed as propaganda for its chapters across the country.”

Florida

Tallahassee: Common Core is over in the Sunshine State. The state Department of Education said in a statement Friday that the controversial set of academic standards “has been officially eradicated from Florida classrooms.” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said he is recommending that the state Board of Education adapt Common Core’s successor, Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking. The Common Core standards were first proposed a decade ago by associations of governors and state education chiefs, and they were embraced in Florida by former Gov. Jeb Bush. The standards were adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia but have come under criticism in the past decade. A broad coalition of conservatives, liberals, parents and teachers found fault with Common Core for different reasons. After taking office last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis promised to get rid of Common Core.

Georgia

Atlanta: The state could soon loosen safety standards for dams that sit above newly built homes, under a proposal unanimously passed by a state Senate committee. Senate Bill 319 would allow for homes and other inhabitable structures to be built in a dam’s inundation zone – the area that would be flooded if the dam fails – without causing the dam to be recategorized and required to meet higher safety standards. The structures would have to be built to withstand a breach of the dam and receive certification from an engineer approved by the state Environmental Protection Division’s Safe Dams Program. The bill’s sponsor, Republican State Sen. Frank Ginn of Danielsville, said it would protect dam owners from having to choose between taking on costly upgrades or removing a dam. The proposal, passed Tuesday by the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee, could soon go to the full state Senate for a vote.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A bill before the City Council proposes to reduce the long-term carbon footprint of Oahu’s buildings, but the measure has encountered opposition from the island’s gas utility and construction industry, Hawaii Public Radio reports. The changes to the building codes would be the first in more than a decade. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports almost 40% of energy consumed in the United States is used to power buildings. That has led many state and local lawmakers to modify building codes in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Honolulu’s Bill 25 includes provisions such as mandating more efficient insulation and lighting in buildings. But other parts of the bill have generated opposition. The state’s construction industry opposes the bill’s proposed ban on gas water heaters in new single-family homes and a requirement for more electric vehicle charging infrastructure in apartments and commercial buildings.

Idaho

Boise: Former gubernatorial candidate and Democratic state lawmaker Paulette Jordan announced Friday that she’s challenging two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch. “I’m running because we need a senator who will work to reengineer our government to prioritize American prosperity, protect our precious land and resources, fight for affordable, quality health care, and ensure a world-class education for our children,” Jordan said. In 2018 she became the first woman to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho but lost in the general election to Republican Brad Little. The 40-year-old Jordan is a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. She’s a former two-term state representative with a long history of working on the tribal council. Jordan said she’ll fight for the rights of rural Idahoans and Native Americans while focusing on the environment and justice.

Illinois

Peoria: A thrift-store find has prompted its buyer to find the person to whom it rightfully belongs – and might not know it’s even gone. A bargain-hunting Robert Ray spotted what was labeled a figurine in a Peoria Goodwill store. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it was actually an urn, with ashes still inside, The (Peoria) Journal Star reports. Ray said he bought the $2.99 jar, decorated with a military-style flag and eagle, with the intention of finding the owner. He bought it in late December, just a day or two after it arrived in the store. Goodwill officials say they don’t know the source of the donation. Ray hopes someone realizes the urn is mistakenly donated and contacts the newspaper. “I’m shooting in the dark and hoping the best,” he said.

Indiana

West Lafayette: Purdue University will offer free tampons and other feminine hygiene products in the campus’ bathrooms in response to student advocates who have been pushing for the move for three years. University President Mitch Daniels on Thursday credited the University Senate, a faculty-led body, for proposing the initiative in a resolution that described feminine hygiene products as a basic necessity that should be in campus restrooms free of charge. The measure was set to be voted on later this month, but Daniels obtained permission from the University Senate to go ahead and implement it. Alison Rickert, a junior studying neurobiology and physiology at Purdue, founded The Period Project – an initiative aimed at providing menstrual products to those who need them both in and out of university walls. She said Purdue’s decision resulted from her and other students advocating for the issue.

Iowa

Cedar Rapids: Staffers at a winter homeless shelter are working with police to reduce problems that have led to complaints from neighbors. Since the Fillmore Center opened in mid-November to offer a warm place to sleep, police have received 82 calls for service, according to The Gazette. Those calls include 41 for disturbances and 31 for medical needs, as well as others for theft, a warrant and other issues. Police said there have been 10 arrests, including seven for public intoxication. That led to neighborhood complaints and an effort by staff to take a firmer stance with rule-breakers and plan more activities in the center, which can house up to 70 people. “I am not sure what all helped the most, but we have seen a decline since we made all of these changes,” said Phoebe Trepp, of Willis Dady Homeless Service, which staffs the shelter.

Kansas

Lawrence: Douglas County law enforcement officials are undergoing training and planning to coordinate investigations and prosecutions of sexual assault cases after facing criticism last year for charging women with making false sexual assault complaints. Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said last week that other changes planned in the county include a task force and continuing education on handling trauma and sexual assault cases, The Lawrence Journal-World reports. In October, Branson dismissed a case against a woman who was charged with filing a false rape report, after a Lawrence police detective said in an affidavit that he thought the woman reported the rape because she was angry the man involved was seeing another woman. Advocates for sexual violence victims criticized Branson and investigators, saying filing such charges would make victims reluctant to report sexual assaults. Two similar cases were dismissed in December.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The state would ban the paddling of students under a bill that won House passage Friday after a couple of state lawmakers recalled being on the receiving end of disciplinary swats. The measure, which would prohibit schools from using corporal punishment, cleared the House on a 65-17 vote. It now goes to the Senate. Kentucky is among 19 states that still allow corporal punishment as a form of school discipline. Republican Rep. Steve Riley, the bill’s lead sponsor, said corporal punishment fails to change behavior in a positive way. Another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Kevin Bratcher, said he was paddled in high school after being caught sneaking out with some classmates to chew tobacco. “All it really did was make us set up a guardsman the next time,” said Bratcher, who voted for the bill. The paddling, he said, was delivered by a longtime school principal who is now his House colleague, Democratic Rep. Charles Miller.

Louisiana

New Orleans: The Mississippi River was below 15 feet at a key gauge in the city Friday, leading the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to end, for now, a “flood fight” protocol calling for daily levee inspections. The corps said in a news release that it was moving from a “Phase II” flood fight, implemented when the river hits 15 feet at New Orleans’ Carrollton Gauge, to a “Phase I,” maintained as long as the river is between 11 and 15 feet. Phase I calls for twice-weekly levee inspections. And it requires special waivers for certain types of construction or other work on or near the levees. Phase II is implemented when the river hits 15 feet at the Carrollton Gauge. It calls for daily inspections and no waivers for the prohibited work.

Maine

Bath: The state has been the site of more than a half-dozen attacks on people by foxes in the past few months, prompting one city to try trapping the animals. Foxes are common in Maine and are typically skittish around humans, but the state’s mid-coast region has been the site of numerous attacks in the past six months. One man, Norman Kenney of Bath, was attacked twice by a rabid fox on separate occasions and had to undergo treatment for the dangerous disease. The Bath City Council voted unanimously Feb. 5 to spend $26,000 to lay out traps to catch foxes. The city is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the effort, WGME-TV reports. Maine is also in the midst of its annual season for fox hunting. The season starts in October and runs until the end of February.

Maryland

Annapolis: Foods made of animal tissues cultured from cells outside of the original animal, or made from plants or insects, could not be labeled “meat” in the state under a Republican-backed bill in the General Assembly. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Jason Gallion, R-Harford and Cecil, who called it “truth in advertising.” Eleven other GOP senators are co-sponsoring the legislation. “Laboratory-grown meat will become more prevalent in the future, and this bill will proactively prevent these ‘franken-meat’ alternatives from being labeled as meat,” Gallion said at a bill hearing Thursday. Meanwhile, Dan Colgrove with the Plant Based Foods Association told lawmakers that “we just think it’s unnecessary. … These products have to be very clearly marked as veggie, vegetarian or plant-based. That’s sort of the point, to offer alternatives to meat products.”

Massachusetts

Boston: One of the largest unions in the city has filed a lawsuit against Mayor Marty Walsh’s administration alleging repeated violations to the union’s collective bargaining agreement. The lawsuit filed by Boston Fire Fighters Local 718 names the city and Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn and cites three instances in which a firefighter’s status was changed from injured leave to sick leave or light duty, the Boston Globe reports. This change forced firefighters to either work or use up sick time. The union alleges that the city acted “in an arbitrary manner and without justification or cause” in changing three firefighters’ status. The union has asked in the suit for a judicial ruling to prevent the city from taking similar action until the matter is solved through arbitration. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court.

Michigan

Lansing: A major figure in the Michigan Republican Party whose Lake Michigan property is eroding suggested that political donations would fall unless GOP lawmakers do something to help, according to a memo. Peter Secchia, a Grand Rapids businessman, has been a Republican donor and activist for decades. His name is on the state party headquarters in Lansing, and he served as U.S. ambassador to Italy when George H.W. Bush was president. Secchia sent a letter in November to Republican leaders in the Legislature, noting a $6 million property loss in Ottawa County due to extraordinarily high lake levels eroding the shore and threatening homes. “There seems to be little interest in the Michigan House of Representatives or the Michigan Senate,” Secchia’s memo said. “This lack of concern mystifies me. Our property values will diminish greatly … hence, our donations will also diminish.”

Minnesota

Minneapolis: The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota called Friday for an investigation into the conviction of a black teenager who is serving life in prison, after the Associated Press uncovered serious flaws and inconsistencies in the police probe. Myon Burrell was found guilty in the 2002 shooting of an 11-year-old girl, who was killed by a stray bullet while doing homework at her dining room table. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was the top prosecutor in Hennepin County at the time, has highlighted that case throughout her political career as an example of getting justice for victims. ACLU-MN Executive Director John Gordon says not only was there no physical evidence tying Burrell to the scene, but the AP investigation also showed police made no attempt to speak to Burrell’s key alibi and discredited co-defendants who said he was not at the scene. One of them, Ike Tyson, has for years insisted he himself was the triggerman. Police also relied heavily on jailhouse informants, who were given reduced sentences for coming forward.

Mississippi

Purvis: A court ruling is ending a legal fight over the voluntary merger of two school districts in south Mississippi. The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that opponents waited too long to file a lawsuit. In April 2017, the Lumberton Public School District and the Lamar County School District voted to consolidate. The plan included some territory and affected some students in Pearl River County. The Mississippi Board of Education approved the plan in June 2017, and the two districts consolidated in July 2018. Lamar County schools officials agreed to keep Lumberton schools open and have Lumberton students attend those schools. The officials also hired Lumberton teachers. Pearl River County officials filed a lawsuit to oppose the merger, arguing that students who live in Pearl River County should attend school in Pearl River County.

Missouri

St. Louis: Two local black educators have formed a support group to inspire more black students to go into teaching and to give them a place to network with one another. Darryl Diggs, a 37-year-old assistant principal at Parkway South High School, co-founded Black Males in Education-St. Louis in 2019 along with Howard Fields, the principal at Givens Elementary in Webster Groves. The men created the organization for other black people, particularly men, to feel secure in their professional roles in urban or suburban schools. The group on Friday hosted the State of Black Educators Symposium at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. About 1,300 people signed up. Among the speakers was Kelvin Adams, superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, who says recruiting teachers of color is a top priority for the district, where 79% of students are black compared with 37% of educators.

Montana

Kalispell: A one-eyed hawk that went missing after a weekend windstorm knocked over its enclosure at a rehabilitation facility in western Montana has been found safe. Bird rehabilitator Kari Gabriel climbed the ladder of a Kalispell Fire Department bucket truck with a firefighter who used a net to capture the bird in a tree Thursday, NBC Montana reports. In a Facebook post, Gabriel said Hawkeye was dining on her favorite food – beef heart. Gabriel realized Hawkeye was missing when she found her cage overturned Feb. 1. Gabriel, who runs a program called the Montana Bird Lady, asked the public for help searching for the hawk. The bird was spotted several times, and after several chases Thursday, Hawkeye stayed in one spot long enough to be captured. Gabriel took in Hawkeye after the bird was hit by a car in 2014. The hawk could not be released back into the wild because she is missing an eye and is partly blind in the other.

Nebraska

Lincoln: Sandhill crane watchers are getting ready for a new season in central Nebraska after a prolonged cold spell and flooding last year that kept some people from seeing them in person. Everything is on track this year for the Crane Trust to open as scheduled March 1, said Chuck Cooper, the group’s president and CEO. As many as half a million sandhill cranes converge on the Platte River in central Nebraska from mid-February through mid-April, according to the Grand Island Independent. The cranes fly in from their winter grounds in Texas and New Mexico and stop for about a week or more to fatten up on loose corn in the surrounding agricultural fields. During their time here, the cranes roost at night along the Platte River, congregating on sandbars for safety from predators.

Nevada

Las Vegas: The state Department of Motor Vehicles has eliminated the parallel parking portion of the driving skills test. The test still meets the national standards set by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators even without the parallel parking element, department public information officer Kevin Malone said. The changes took effect Jan. 13. Nevada joins several other states – including California, Colorado and Florida – that have removed parallel parking from their driving skills exams. “Testing of the parking skills needed is met by the requirements of entering, and backing out of, a perpendicular parking space and by other vehicle control requirements,” Malone said. The changes are expected to reduce the number of repeat visits by drivers who can pass everything but parallel parking, officials said. Some driving schools have since stopped teaching parallel parking unless a student requests it, officials said.

New Hampshire

Concord: The state Senate has passed a bill that would let qualified patients grow their own medical marijuana. The measure approved by senators Thursday allows designated caregivers or patients to grow up to three mature plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings each. Although the state legalized medical cannabis in 2013, growing the plant for personal use is currently a felony offense. Rep. Tom Sherman, a Democrat from Rye, said dispensary costs can be prohibitive for patients and caregivers, and that dispensaries sometimes don’t carry the type of medical cannabis patients need to treat their conditions. The bill now heads to the House. A similar bill cleared the House and Senate last year. Republican Governor Chris Sununu vetoed it, citing public safety concerns.

New Jersey

Trenton: Lying on applications to get tax breaks should open companies up to prosecution, and the state should create an inspector general post to watch over the agency handing out incentives, according to a report published Friday by a legislative committee probing the credits. Those were just two of more than two dozen recommendations in the Special Committee on Economic Growth’s final report, issued after nearly a year of looking into the now-expired tax incentives and holding four public hearings. The Chris Christie-era tax break program expired June 30, meaning that new applications aren’t being considered, though previously approved awards could still be paid out. The committee’s report comes about a year after Gov. Phil Murphy put tax breaks in the spotlight, citing state auditor and comptroller reports that raised questions about how the awards were handed out as the rationale for the creation of his own task force.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The state Senate on Friday endorsed a red-flag gun bill prompted by concerns about a mass shooting last year in El Paso, Texas, and suicide prevention efforts. The bill won Senate approval on a 22-20 vote, with Republicans and four Democrats voting against it. The proposal moves to the House, which last year approved a similar measure that languished. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has urged the Democrat-led Legislature to provide new avenues for law enforcement to prevent gun violence and better secure the safety of schools. “The extreme risk protection order is part of an effort to give law enforcement every single tool,” she said after the Senate vote. The bill as currently written would allow law enforcement officers to petition a state district court to order the temporary surrender of firearms.

New York

Albany: The state will require manufacturers to disclose the use of potentially dangerous chemicals in children’s products under a new law signed Friday. The law, which goes into effect March 1, also creates a children’s product safety council that will advise state environmental regulators about which chemicals to restrict and how. Currently, New York prohibits the use of dangerous chemicals on an individual basis. But child safety advocates for years have pushed for more comprehensive regulations over concerns that children can be more sensitive than adults to small amounts of chemicals. The new law requires manufacturers to phase out the use of certain chemicals including asbestos. It also creates a process for state environmental regulators to ban other chemicals down the road. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, signed the bill into law Friday.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Thousands of people took to the streets Saturday in an annual march and rally designed to call for action on social and economic justice issues in the state. The 14th annual Mass Moral March on Raleigh drew support from the state NAACP, more than 200 other organizations and their supporters. Participants marched to the old Capitol building for a 14-point “People’s Agenda” that includes laws that expand health care coverage, create livable wages, redress racial wrongs and grant collective bargaining for government employees. The event began in 2007 with the leadership of then-state NAACP president the Rev. William Barber of Goldsboro, who is now president of the national organization Repairers of the Breach. From the dozens of signs and banners people carried during the march, a clear message emerged: Change starts at the ballot box.

North Dakota

Fargo: Move over, meat. An agriculture research center on the North Dakota State University campus is plugging plants as an alternative protein source. The Northern Crops Institute is planning a three-day course this spring to provide information on the basics of plant-based foods and show participants how to produce the best products. The seminar is targeting foodies, restaurateurs, food bloggers and “pretty much anyone with an interest in it,” institute spokesman Grant Christian said. Many restaurants and fast food chains have recently bolstered their menus with vegetarian offerings. That includes the introduction of meatless tacos, meatless burgers and meatless wings. The course is scheduled for May 19-21 at the Northern Crops Institute. It will feature crops such as soy, wheat and pulses and include hands-on training in using raw ingredients and developing final products.

Ohio

Columbus: Opponents of a bill that would repeal the ban on using fireworks on private property are warning the legislation could lead to dangerous consequences. Current law allows consumers to legally buy fireworks in Ohio but requires they be taken out of the state within 48 hours of purchase. Critics of the law have noted for years that it’s widely ignored. The bill before the House Commerce and Labor Committee would repeal the transport requirement and allow individuals to buy and use consumer fireworks in Ohio. Roughly 1 in 5 of the 10,000 serious consumer fireworks injuries each year are to the eye, Sherill Williams, president and CEO of the Ohio affiliate of Prevent Blindness, testified Wednesday. Other opponents include firefighters, the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and veterans concerned about fireworks’ impact on vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A group that wants to change how the state’s legislative and congressional district lines are drawn has refiled an initiative petition in hopes of bringing the issue before voters. People Not Politicians refiled a new version of its petition Thursday, two days after its original petition was struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. In that ruling, the court said that the proposal itself was constitutional but that a shorthand description of the measure, called a gist, didn’t adequately describe the proposal. The group needs to gather about 178,000 signatures in 90 days to qualify for the ballot. The plan calls for an end to partisan gerrymandering of Oklahoma’s legislative districts by creating an independent, bipartisan commission to draw district lines. The commission would include an equal number of Republicans, Democrats and members unaffiliated with either party, selected by a group of retired state Supreme Court and appellate judges.

Oregon

Salem: The cost to hike and camp in three of the state’s most popular wilderness areas won’t be as high as expected. The U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday that it would cost $1 for a day permit and $6 for an overnight permit to enter the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington wilderness areas beginning this summer. That’s a drop from the $4 to $11 per person, per day, that was proposed earlier this year and received an overwhelmingly negative response from over 13,000 public comments. The permit system is intended to limit overcrowding and environmental damage in 450,000 acres of Oregon’s most beautiful but fragile backcountry. Permits will go on sale at Recreation.gov beginning April 7 and be required from May 22 to Sept. 25, even though some key questions about the system still need to be finalized.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: The last jailed member of the radical group MOVE was released from prison Friday, according to an attorney who represented the members in their parole appeals. Brad Thomson, an attorney for Chuck Sims Africa, posted on Twitter that the man had been released. Africa was the last of the so-called MOVE 9 to be paroled after being convicted of third-degree murder in the 1978 shooting death of Officer James Ramp in Philadelphia. The nine members of the anti-establishment, back-to-nature group were each sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in prison. The 1978 standoff with police came after officers tried to evict the group from its Philadelphia headquarters, saying they received noise and sanitation complaints from neighbors. The members barricaded themselves inside and have said they believe Ramp was killed by friendly fire. Police contended there was gunfire exchanged from both sides, but MOVE members have denied returning gunfire.

Rhode Island

Providence: The City Council has introduced a resolution to rename a bridge to honor a local civil rights leader. The Providence Journal reports the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge could be renamed after Michael Van Leesten, who died last year. Van Leesten helped co-found and served as CEO of the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island, a nonprofit that provides job training, career counseling and other programs for people from underserved communities. “Michael Van Leesten was a dear friend of mine and a ray of inspiration and hope to many,” Ward 3 City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune said. “He was also a bridge builder and architect of connections, and that is why so many of us believe it would be appropriate to name the bridge after him.” Council members voted Thursday to send the resolution to the Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal and Planning for approval.

South Carolina

Charleston: College students will help archaeologists map the walls used to defend the city more than 250 years ago. Students from Clemson University and the College of Charleston will use ground-penetrating radar in downtown Charleston’s Marion Square to find exactly where the fortification called the Hornwork was built, the American Battlefield Trust said. The 30-foot-tall wall built in 1758 stretched for three city blocks and also had a ditch or moat. The wall was made from tabby, which was a mix of seashells, sand and lime, the organization said. The Hornwork played a vital part in Charleston’s defense over the next several decades, including during the British siege of the city in 1780 during the Revolutionary War. Some of the wall remains visible in Marion Square, and archaeologists have an approximate location of the fortifications, but the radar will help pinpoint exactly where it was built.

South Dakota

Pierre: Democrats called foul Friday after the Republican-dominated state House shot down their efforts to allow Native Americans use their tribal IDs to register to vote. The defeat prompted several Democrats to level accusations of voter suppression. Republicans say their resistance is all about keeping voter registration secure. “The way our voting system is set up does disenfranchise in particular Native American voters,” said Rep. Ryan Cwach, a Yankton Democrat. In the 2018 general election, tribal communities reported some of the lowest voter turnout figures in the state. Native Americans make up 9% of the state’s total population. Rep. Shawn Bordeaux, a Mission Democrat who is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said tribes in the state have improved the quality of their IDs in recent years. They include addresses, holographics and other security measures; are recognized by federal agencies; and can be used to take flights.

Tennessee

Lawrenceburg: A tornado that hit this southern Tennessee city has damaged several headstones in the community’s second-oldest cemetery, where the actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson is buried. Lawrenceburg City Administrator Chris Shaffer said officials won’t know how many headstones were damaged by Wednesday’s EF-1 tornado at Mimosa Cemetery until several large oak trees are cleared away, WTVF-TV reports. WTVF says the trees narrowly missed Thompson’s headstone. One of Tennessee’s senators from 1994 to 2003, Thompson was also an actor who appeared in at least 20 motion pictures and the TV series “Law & Order.” He died in 2015. Local resident Jennifer May told told WTVF she was driving nearby when she noticed something different about the cemetery. “Walking through here and seeing this breaks my heart because these are loved ones,” May said.

Texas

Houston: The Texas Legislative Black Caucus has announced it’s working on a bill that would ban discrimination based on hair textures and styles commonly associated with race following the suspension of a black high school student near Houston. State lawmakers, accompanied by black officials and advocates, introduced the CROWN Act at a press conference Thursday, the Texas Tribune reports. CROWN stands for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, and the measure would protect against “unjust grooming policies that have a disparate impact on black children, women, and men” in workplaces and public schools, CROWN Coalition advocate Adjoa Asamoah said. The coalition is a national alliance of organizations working to end hair discrimination. The bill is a show of support for students like Deandre Arnold, who was suspended from Hill High School in Mont Belvieu and won’t be able to attend graduation unless he cuts his dreadlocks.

Utah

Provo: Residents getting married in the state can now get their marriage licenses online, officials say. The state auditor’s office has already launched the digital application process on its website, KUTV-TV reports. Most states require the couple to appear in person, fill out paperwork and present identification, a process some clerks have called labor-intensive. “You and your significant other handed that to one of our clerks, who then retyped everything you had just handwritten,” clerk Amelia Powers Gardner said, citing the possibility of human error. Utah County issues about 10,000 marriage licenses each year, county officials said. The 10-minute online process requires both people to use one smartphone or computer to fill out a form and take pictures of themselves and their IDs so the system can verify identities, officials said. The couple is then emailed a PDF document with the marriage license, officials say.

Vermont

St. Johnsbury: A guinea pig found on the street was taken to the local police department for safekeeping, and firefighters and police are already clamoring to keep it if an owner doesn’t come forward. The furry creature was found Wednesday by a pedestrian walking down Railroad Street, Cpl George Johnson told the Caledonian Record. Firefighter Phil Hawthorne said that if no owner comes forward, the guinea pig should become a resident of the firehouse. Det. Daniele Kostruba also volunteered to take the creature home as a pet. The animal, dubbed Harvey by dispatcher Karen Montgomery, was given food, water and a box to stay in. Police asked that the owner of the guinea pig go to the public safety building on Main Street to confirm ownership of the animal and take it home.

Virginia

Richmond: Democratic state lawmakers are advancing legislation to ban the sale of assault weapons and the possession of high-capacity magazines despite fierce opposition from gun owners. A state House committee on Friday advanced legislation backed by Gov. Ralph Northam to ban the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms, including popular AR-15-style rifles, and silencers and to prohibit the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds. It’s the most ambitious measure proposed by Northam and one that’s met the most pushback, including from members of his own party. Gun owners packed the committee room Friday and erupted in protest when the measured passed. Capitol Police cleared the committee room of almost every spectator after the vote. Heated debates over guns have dominated this year’s legislative session, as Virginia has become ground zero in the nation’s raging debate over gun control and mass shootings.

Washington

Olympia: Lawmakers have passed a bill that would change a tax that’s supposed to make it easier for the state to pay for the Legislature’s promise to make college more affordable. The Seattle Times reports that initially, the 2019 package planned to use a business-and-occupation tax to pay for a measure making higher education more accessible, starting in the 2020-2021 school year. The new bill, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, replaces the tax lawmakers approved last year with a different version of the levy. In addition to worries that there wouldn’t be enough funding, lawmakers were concerned last year’s version was so complicated that there could be trouble collecting it. The new measure, which has passed the Senate, now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee. If he signs it, the law would take effect April 1.

West Virginia

Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice says he has committed $1 million in state funds to encourage participation in the 2020 census, saying federal officials have told him the state is “behind” in the effort. “We need to get cranking,” he said at a press conference Thursday with Census Bureau officials who encouraged residents to apply for temporary jobs helping with the count. An estimated 74% of West Virginians responded to the previous census in 2010, according to the governor’s office. Justice said a lack of participation in the count has led to the state missing out on “tens and tens of millions of dollars” in federal grant funding. Justice said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has twice told him that “West Virginia’s behind” in the census.

Wisconsin

Madison: The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved tuition increases Friday for nonresident and graduate students at six institutions. Increases will range between 1.5% and 25% at UW-Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point and Whitewater starting this fall. The schools say they need more money to cover instruction, raises, recruiting faculty, technology and training clinical professionals. Republican lawmakers have kept tuition frozen for in-state undergraduates since 2013. System officials have long complained that the freeze has hamstrung them financially and have tried to compensate by raising out-of-state and graduate tuition over the years. The board approved the plan unanimously during a meeting at UW-Madison. There was no discussion.

Wyoming

Rock Springs: A public comment period has started for a draft resource management plan amendment and associated draft environmental impact statement for wild horse management in southern Wyoming, land agency officials say. The Bureau of Land Management has made the draft amendment and related documents available for review and comment until April 30, the Rocket-Miner reports. The draft amendment would update wild horse management direction within the White Mountain, Great Divide Basin, Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek herd management areas, officials say. The analysis considers strategies for the herd management areas, which encompasses about 4,400 square miles, agency officials say. The Bureau of Land Management hopes to protect wild horses and burros on public land through its wild horse and burro program, agency officials say.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

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