#who dies in the very beginning of the show because her name is jessica) share the same birthday. it is the birthday of kripke's wife

[tommybowefuneralattendee]

projecting my depressive disorder and autism onto the chosen like it's a projection off and my opponent is eric kripke

[emmym1]

My thoughts on... Captain Marvel: The End 2020 (#1)

So as part of my read through of the 2019 Captain Marvel run i've been told that 'Captain Marvel: The End' is an important read that will factor into the story later on. This comic is part of a series where they showcase a possible end for a certain character, these comics take place outside of the normal continuity. So i was quite curious to see what this was all about and how it'll tie into the story. So in this comic we catch up with Carol in the year 2051. Carol is quite litterally a different person now, she doesn't seem to be made out of flesh and bones anymore but moreso out of pure energy. This alone had me very intrigued as it's clear that some really big stuff happened to her that caused her to transform into this energy form. She gets an Avengers distress call from earth and is quite shocked when she recieves it. It turns out that decades ago earth was destroyed by an unknown threat and Carol was at the other side of the universe while it happened. When she arrived she only found destruction and remain of what once was earth. Because of this Carol has a lot of mixed emotions about returning to earth. When she arrives things look worse than she initially remembered them to be. When she finally finds the source of the distress call she is quite shocked to see who is behind it are Gerry & Jessica Drew along with other people whose parents once were heroes. It's revealed that they called upon her to deal with her a radioactive monster that is coming out of the sea. It turns out the earth is a radioactive wasteland and that Hazmat is creating radioactive free zones with her powers. This allowed the remaining civilization to live, however they all live underground. Carol initially thinks this is because of the monster but once they defeated the monster it's pointed out to her that the sun is dying and that normal humans can't surivive outside. Upon learning about this Carol knows what she has to do. And Hazmat realizes this too, she tries to stop Carol from going but Carol points out that Jessica knew that this is what was going to happen from the moment she contacted Carol. So Carol flies into space, to the sun and transforms into the sun itself as she dies. And so this comic ends with the remaining survivors on earth being able to live again and Carol finally being able to save them after not being able to the first time around. This comic was honestly so emotional to me and it made me tear up quite a few times while reading it. Seeing Carol deal with her guilt of not being able to be there when earth initially fell, wondering if she could've made a difference. It was really heartbreaking to see that and how she then realizes that she wasnt there then so she could save them now. Her death was incredibly emotional and honestly was the perfect finale for her character. It was a super bittersweet moment. The way the art visualizes her transforming into the sun was also really beautiful. It was such a perfect moment.

Carol going back to earth and seeing all the survivors who turned out to be the children of certain heroes was also really emotional. Such as Rhodey naming his child after Carol or Nat and Clint naming their daughter katie. It was also really bittersweet because in the beginning you see a bunch of old pictures of Carol and her friends on her spaceship and then you learn most of them are death or have aged significantly compared to Carol. I feel like it must be really rough to see everyone around you die and grow old while you yourself are basically immortal. Carol & Jessica's reunion was also very emotional to me. They shared such a strong bond together and it shows when they finally see each other back after decades. It becomes even more emotional as you realize why exactly Jessica called upon Carol, knowing what she was going to do. It was pretty hardhitting to see how the guilt of not being there for the initial battle destroyed her. Her talking about she hasn't been this happy in ages after meeting the remaining survivors on earth and how no matter how many battles she won or how many good experiences she had, that she always carried the guilt of not being there to save earth. It hit pretty deep to see how all of this affected her. And that her death basically was a moment of freedom for her as she finally was released from this guilt and was able to save earth in the end. It's really well written and it's such an emotional finale for the character. This was an amazing one shot and me tear up quite a few times while reading it! It's a super emotional read and seeing Carol in her final moments and how she thought about her dying was really bittersweet. Seeing her reunite with some of her old friends and meet the new generation of some of her old friends was also incredibly emotional and it really showed how much time has passed around Carol. Her new energy form was also intriguing and really showed she went through a lot through these decades and it really makes you wonder what happened to her. So yeah this was an absolutely amazing read and i'm super excited to see how they'll tie this into the 2019 Captain Marvel run!

[babygirl06301]

SPN S1 Review

I honestly have no idea if this post is about to be hella long or moderate, but I feel like a lot of my feelings got aired out when I was reviewing each individual episode, so I’m just gonna dump the rest of my thoughts that I’ve jotted down while watching this season here. This is basically gonna be me saying, “Wow, this was interesting,” or, “This is similar to/different from later seasons because…” These are all coming from notes on my computer, so they’re half-baked. Nothing too fancy or analytical, but I’ll be doing one of these for every season.

Random thoughts:

I don’t like the monster-of-the-week, episodic format that much, and a lot of those episodes this season felt average in quality for me. However, when you don’t have much else to focus on besides an arbitrary goal of the boys finding John to kill something they know nothing about, it isn’t so bad. Filler episodes suck more later because they’re often completely disconnected from the main story, which isn’t the case for most filler episodes in this season. Plus, the main stories later have more involved goals for the season than this one did, which made the filler episodes later more annoying. For example, if Sam and Dean want to hunt a Tulpa at a haunted house because John is off doing something somewhere, that’s fine. Kill the time. But if Sam and Dean really need to figure out a way to kill God, like, now before Chuck decimates every fleck of existence he’s ever created, maybe don’t waste my time with an episode about a wood nymph, you know? If the stakes are higher, then the quality episodes shouldn’t appear with less frequency. All I’m saying.

The tone, acting, and writing of these characters is so different. Like, when you know a show intimately, these kinds of differences between one season and the next are natural to you. It’s not like I wasn’t aware that the boys looking for their father feels a lot fucking different than the boys having a kid, but when you actually let yourself be aware of how much the show has changed, it’s kind of crazy. Like, if I just think about it offhand, I’m like, “Yeah, this is Supernatural.” But if I break the fourth wall a bit in my mind, it’s like, “Damn, I really did watch these characters and their actors mature for fifteen years, didn’t I?” Crazy.

There are so many episodes that end with the Impala driving down the road. Like, an aerial shot of it. And if the very last scene isn’t that, then it’s probably the scene right before the last scene. Until the last few episodes, that is.

I don’t know why I’ve written this down, but it’s easier to remember episode titles in season one because you can match it to the creature without having to remember the plot. Like, “Oh, the Wendigo episode.” I’ve also said in this same note that the folklore plots died out later on in the series, which is true.

A quote from my notes: “The show really does feel better with Cas, huh?” Look, I’m not gonna say that the S1 finale didn’t slap, because it did. However, I will say that Cas can brighten any episode up, so, had he been in the series from the beginning, the season finale may not have been the only S1 episode to slap. Not that there weren’t other episodes that were good, but you know. Also, this isn’t to say that Cas should’ve been around the whole time because him coming into Dean’s life when he did was exactly perfect.

They do this later, too, but a handful of episodes in the early seasons will be like, “Here’s a girl. Now, one of you Winchesters, go bond with her this instant.” And it’s weird? You don’t need to bring a girl in just to make googly eyes at one of the boys? You could just give her the story she was supposed to have but minus all the flirting?

So, Sam is meant to be the central character for the first five seasons, right? Yes, Dean is supposed to be his equal; yes, he went to Hell and had that whole storyline; yes, he’s Michael’s vessel, but it was always really about Sam, you know? Sam was the one who had the connection to the biggest, baddest thing imaginable (at the time), that being Lucifer. Sam was the one chosen for Lucifer. Sam was the one with the psychic abilities and the one to drink demon blood and the reason Dean sold his soul. Dean is obviously a main character with his own story, but Sam was meant to be the special one, yeah? But even so, Dean is such a beautifully complex character because he wasn’t special. You can see that, even in S1—that his specialness came from his lack of central focus. It’s almost like the plot was saying, “Sam,” and Dean went, “I’m gonna cause problems anyway,” and that’s awesome. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I just feel like Dean is the most interesting character in the entire series, and he wasn’t even the one S1 picked out as special.

Sam’s psychic abilities seemed a lot cooler when you didn’t know as much about them. Like, yes, Sam having those abilities for the purpose of housing Lucifer is cool and all, but it felt so much more mystical when it just seemed like something Sam could do for some reason. Not that that would’ve been a better payoff than what we get—it’d be stupid for the story to say, “I know a demon chose you to be the vessel of Lucifer himself, but the psychic thing you can do? Just a coincidence”—but it’s some food for thought.

John is barely fucking there even though his existence permeates the entire fucking season. I thought he was so much more present than he was in this series. They treated him like they treated Cas. “We said his name a few times, that’s good right?” No. No, it isn’t.

I hate the pattern the episodes have in S1. It goes: location name, bad thing happens in said location, Sam and Dean talk about said thing, they go to said location, they research and maybe flirt with some random girl, they fight, they drive away in the Impala. Like, nearly every episode is like that.

Without demons in the mix that often, the tone of S1 is really different when you compare it to every other season.

Dean is a lot more emotionally vulnerable in this season. I mean, he’s not sitting down with Sam to talk about his feelings all the time, but his emotions are definitely closer to the surface. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he hasn’t had to emotionally shut down to protect Sam yet. Obviously, he represses things because of the way he was raised, and because he had to raise Sam; however, he still had John to lean on at this point. So, he hadn’t developed that habit of hiding his feelings and leaning on no one but himself yet as he did when he lost John. Because of that, he was able to be scared and tell Sam that he was afraid of losing his family and stuff like that. He becomes a way darker character in after John dies, and he more or less only leans fully on one other person for the rest of the series, albeit in a different way.

John saying in 1x21 that he wants Dean to have a home after Azazel is killed is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. For one, because John is aware that he deprived Dean of a real home, and by extension, is aware that Dean is damaged because of that. But also, it’s sad because Dean has lived 26 years of his life up until now without ever having a home he felt safe and loved in.

Dean running from a potential fight with Azazel in 1x22 is super interesting because he’s fighting to be a part of his family rather than simply fighting for them to be saved. Dean doesn’t want to die, isn’t willing to die. That’s something that definitely changes later. Big time.

Filler episode rate:

By my count, which admittedly might be wrong, there were 7 episodes that were primarily main story episodes this season and 15 monster-of-the-week/filler episodes. 

Now, in the early seasons, it isn’t as easy to separate the filler from the main story because almost every episode will deal with character conflict that’s tied to what’s going on with the main story. However, I called it a filler if the primary plot was just a random hunt. For example, I called “Scarecrow” a filler because, even though Meg was introduced after Sam and Dean have a big fight, the main plot is hunting a god.

My bottom 5 episodes in order:

These next two sections are based on my ratings of these episodes from my reviews of every episode. I’ve just ordered them, with one being my least favorite/favorite episode this season.

5.) 1x07: Hook Man

4.) 1x03: Dead in the Water

3.) 1x02: Wendigo

2.) 1x13: Route 666

1.) 1x08: Bugs

My top 5 episodes in order:

5.) 1x14: Nightmare

4.) 1x06: Skin

3.) 1x15: The Benders

2.) 1x21: Salvation

1.) 1x22: Devil’s Trap

My top episodes for Sam:

This section and the next will just be me bringing up some good points of development for Sam and Dean throughout this season. I mean, of course they develop almost all the time, but these episodes are some of the best/most interesting. At least, in my opinion. If you want to read more about my reasons, check out my reviews. Just search for “spn s1 reviews” on my blog.

1x05: Bloody Mary - Sam’s psychic abilities got alluded to for the first time during this episode, but it also told us how much Sam blamed himself for Jessica’s death.

1x10: Asylum - Sam’s resentment for Dean is voiced, and though he’s under the influence of a ghost while he talks about Dean, some of it is supported by development in other episodes this season.

1x14: Nightmare - Sam bonds with Max over their shared abilities and pasts. We also get to see that Sam initially related his own trauma when growing up to Max’s, even though he acknowledged that Max had it worse at the end. It’s an interesting point of development that Sam saw his upbringing that way.

1x19: Provenance - Through Sarah being a part of this episode, Sam reveals that he sees himself as dangerous because the abilities he has has put the people he loves in danger in the past.

1x21: Salvation - Sam reveals that he’s willing to die, and by extension, risk his family to get the job of killing Azazel done.

1x22: Devil’s Trap - Sam has to choose between losing his family through getting his revenge or losing his chance at revenge to save his family.

My top episodes for Dean:

1x06: Skin - Dean’s abandonment issues are touched on for the first time.

1x09: Home - Dean shows fear when faced with returning home and dealing with the trauma of what he went through the night Mary died.

1x12: Faith - This is the first episode that we see a serious internal conflict in Dean about the worth of his life, which is interesting, because we can see in later episodes that he doesn’t want to die. However, his attitude in this episode seems to suggest that he doesn’t see his life as valuable.

1x18: Something Wicked - Honestly, this isn’t my favorite episode in the world, but it’s the first flashback episode of the series; in it, you’ll see the reason behind Dean’s feelings of responsibility regarding Sam.

1x21: Salvation - Dean insists that nobody will die to kill Azazel, showing that he wants to be a part of his family rather than just saving them.

1x22: Devil’s Trap - Dean shows a darker side of himself in an attempt to get John back, and his fears of being unneeded by his family are revealed as well as his fears of losing his family.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this season’s review. I’ll rate this season in my series review that I’ll write once all this is over, but my impressions right now are that the first season of Supernatural was all right. It didn’t necessarily walk in a straight line, but it still felt like there was a definite destination. And, on top of that, the season ended in one of the most banger ways an SPN season has ever ended. The monster-of-the-week stuff has made most of the episodes this season ones I would probably not revisit, but S1 is definitely still special. 

We’ll see if this changes later, but for now, my rating (and average, based on my ratings in my reviews) for S1 is ★★★☆☆.

[justjessame]

The Deal Chapter 32

When we arrived back at the Sanctuary, I saw where ‘D’ had been. He was riding Daryl’s bike, and I supposed that, like the weapons, was the spoils of war. Or a skirmish, since as far as I could tell, it hadn’t gotten to full war.

I followed Negan without thought. Without fear, without a care or the need to even pretend that I was aware. Every part of me was so used to this, going through the motions, that I could do it without a single aware thought. Once again I was in his room, and seated in front of him.

“Jessi,” he tried the name that my dad must have used to ask for my return. I flinched. It was a name I only heard out of the people closest to me, and he was for all purposes, a stranger. “You don’t like the name?”

I kept my eyes on his. “It’s fine.” I answered, sitting ramrod straight and as still as a stone.

He was still examining me. Looking for what, I truly couldn’t say or care. “Did you want to stay there, with Rick and the hick?”

I felt my brow furrow. What kind of question was that? Was it a trick or a test? In the end, what did my answer matter? I’d made a deal, life for a life, and here I was. “Does it matter?”

He leaned back in his seat and sighed. “Consider me fucking curious.”

I still didn’t get it. Why would he care? What difference could my wants, or my feelings matter? “Where I am doesn’t make one bit of difference to me.” It was true. Here or there. What did it matter to me? Not like I could let myself stay present, or aware. Nowhere was far more tempting than anything my surroundings could offer. Here, at least, I didn’t have to pretend as much, or I didn’t think I did.

“I believe you,” he said, leaning forward and staring at me intently. “But I still wanna know why the fuck you think that?”

His curiosity bothered me. I’d given him my life for Glenn’s. I’d agreed to whatever was coming. I’d assumed death, sure, but I would do whatever he asked of me. Except this. I would not bare my soul to him. Not just because he was a stranger. Not simply because he had monstrous tendencies. Because in the end of it all, I didn’t think I had to share it with anyone, much less him. I was his property. And that was it. Pet or prey, I really didn’t care.

I didn’t answer him. My silence is answer enough. Or it should be. My eyes remain locked on his. And we reached a stalemate.

Time passes, how much I have no clue, but it must. The shadows from the sunlight dappling through the window move subtly. “I can’t help you if you won’t share,” Negan offers, cutting through the quiet.

Why bother? What’s the point of trying to help me? I traded my LIFE and I suppose my body, but the rest? It doesn’t play a part, not really. “Why does it matter?” I finally asked, a tinge of curiosity coming to the surface.

He stared at me, considering obviously how to answer me. “Why didn’t anyone else?” He countered.

I tilted my head and took my time to perform my own inspection of him. He looked far too interested in my opinion. He had, aside from throwing my lack of answer in Alexandria in Dad’s face, treated me with kindness. And even with his not so subtle dig at Dad, it was more about how he’d failed me.

“I suppose,” I finally leaned back in my own seat, feigning a relaxation I didn’t feel. “That no one noticed or thought that I needed help.”

Negan ran his hand down his face. The tell I’d noticed when we were in the RV. I still couldn’t tell what it meant. Frustration? Irritation? Calming himself? His mouth was closed and it looked like he was chewing his words. Tasting them, and deciding which ones to use. Which ones to toss out, which ones made the most sense.

He sighed, long and deep. “Why didn’t they?” And I couldn’t decide if he was asking me, or if he was ruminating on the lack of attention that my people showed me. His eyes were locked on mine, almost trying to draw the answers he wanted so badly to questions he hadn’t asked yet, right from my brain. “Jessi, if I could see it. If I could take a fucking single damn look into your goddamn eyes and see it, then why couldn’t they?”

My mask, I wanted to say. The mask that I wore so carelessly, yet so absolutely covering my every lack of emotion, or overly emotional reaction that I didn’t know how to deal with. Why would they want to slip it off? When every single day we’d survived, another fucking terrible thing showed up. Humans who wanted us dead. The dead who wanted us dead. The fucking very nature of our environment wanted us dead. Why would anyone, much less the people who loved me, want the added burden?

“Why would they want to?” Question for a question. And it was true. If I didn’t want my own fucking burdens, why would I expect someone else to pick them up?

His eyes were looking at me like I’d disappointed him. That somehow that wasn’t good enough. That I should have done better. Yeah, well, get in line, I thought. “People are resources, Jessi. Family, if you’re left with family and loved ones, then they are MORE than just resources.” He was so focused, yet there was something behind his words. Something that I couldn’t quite grasp. “Your dad, your hick, they-” He stopped, and shut his eyes, letting me have a break from his scrutiny. “What was your place in your group? Your purpose with them?”

I was about to say that I took care of my brother and sister, but I wasn’t sure he knew about Judith, and even though I wasn’t available to her bodily, I wouldn’t put her in danger. “I-” I tried to think of the best explanation. “I took care of my brother. I made sure that our people stayed-” what was the way to say it. “I meditated, in the beginning. I made sure that no one blamed themselves for the inevitable losses.” Daryl, I thought, I made sure he knew that it wasn’t his fault. Not when Merle died. Not when he couldn’t bring back Sofia. Not when Zach was lost on his run. I took it from him, the burden.

“And what did they give you in return?” His voice was quiet. He wanted the comparison. My burden versus theirs.

My chin raised in defiance. I wouldn’t make my family sound selfish or neglectful. They weren’t. We lived in a horrible Hell on earth. We all had burdens. “They loved me. They kept me safe.”

Negan’s eyes were slits as he squinted at me, as though he were trying to filter through my scarce answers to find something to latch onto. “Love is a two way street, and safety? Why are you here, instead of anyone else, or better yet, why did anyone have to be here?” He stopped, letting me roll it around in my head. “Your dad didn’t need to start shit with me, Jessi. They didn’t have to attack my people. They had no reason to pick a fight that they weren’t going to win.” He leaned forward again, closer and more intense. “You weren’t in the groups that we gathered, why?”

“I didn’t go on runs.” It was the truth. I hadn’t been on a run since before we settled at the prison. It wasn’t something nefarious. It wasn’t.

“Why?” He asked, always wanting more.

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to go.” And Deanna hadn’t given me the task for a job, and Dad hadn’t asked either, I added in my head.

“Why?” Again.

“Because. I. Didn't. Want. To. Go.” I was getting aggravated with this, why did it matter, damn it?

“Why?” His tone never changed. He didn’t raise his voice.

I sighed, and glanced at the wall. “I didn’t want to go.” I sounded defeated. Even to me. A crack in my mask.

“Did your dad, did your-” he stopped, skipping over Daryl, but including him in his own way. “Did they ever ask why you didn’t want to go?”

No, they hadn’t. They had left. And most of the time without a backward glance or a goodbye. I shook my head. Not willing to speak. Not knowing how my damn voice would sound. And not willing to allow another crack to form.

“When was the last time?” He asked, and I looked back at him. Last time? He saw my confusion. “The last time he touched you, the last time he LOOKED at you?”

He wasn’t talking about Dad. He wanted to know about Daryl. I swallowed and blinked back the burn in my eyes. “I don’t know.” My voice was a breath. But as quiet as his room was it could have been a scream.

Negan leaned back in his seat again. He was breathing slightly harder, as though interrogating me was a workout. “They didn’t see you, HE didn’t see you breaking because it was inconvenient to them.” He bit out and I was shocked at how angry he sounded. Why was he pissed, he barely fucking knew me? “They let you fall completely fucking apart and didn’t fucking see it because they might have to fucking take care of you.” His eyes were flashing like fire. “It was FINE when you built them back up, when you took their fucking guilt for whatever your group went through, but they couldn’t, HE couldn’t fucking take a moment to do the same for you.”

“You don’t know him.” I spit out. Defending Daryl against his accusations.

He glared at me. “I don’t fucking think you do, either.” He returned.

I glared right back at him, feeling more than I’d felt in God knew how long. How fucking dare he? How dare he challenge it, what Daryl and I shared. But how long ago did you share it? A traitorous part of my brain asked. “You know nothing. About me. About him. You don’t know shit.” I was angry. With Negan, with myself.

He raised his eyebrow. “I know that this is the first fucking time you’ve shown ANY fucking emotion since you walked out of that fucking strand of trees. I know that you sleep so you can fucking leave the world behind, so you don’t have to fucking face the realities that fucking surround you and no one is willing to help you through it so you can wake the fuck up and see that you’re barely fucking alive.” He was as irritated as I was. “I can tell you this much, Jessica Grimes. If you were mine, like you were his, and you’d stepped up and offered your fucking life for another person’s, I’d have fucking stopped you. I would have fucking put my own down in your fucking place, because that’s what love is.”

I felt the first tear fall. And then I was sobbing. That first crack in my fucking shell, it had broken the whole damn mask. There I sat, unmasked and broken. As Negan sat before me watching.

[waterfall7290]

SSHEPS.COM - Jeremy Wade Delle (5)

COMMENTS LEFT ON SSHEPS.COM BY PEOPLE WHO KNEW JEREMY (2)

Jessica A. JUST A QUICK FYI ON JEREMY. I HAVENT SEEN IT MENTIONED ON HERE, BUT HE WAS ALSO A DRUMMER. HE WAS ONE OF ONLY A FEW DRUMMERS I HAVE LISTENED TO THAT COULD PLAY "WIPEOUT" FROM BEGINNING TO END WITH ALMOST NO MISTAKES, AND THAT WAS WHEN HE WAS LIKE 13 OR 14. I WONDER WHAT HE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THAT TALENT IF THINGS HAD BEEN DIFFERENT. OH WELL JUST SOME MORE INFO FOR YOU.

Doug Hi. My name is Doug and I was looking at your website about Jeremy Delle. I was in the classroom the day Jeremy killed himself. [...] That year I was Mrs. Barnett's student aide. So during 5th period I was tasked with grading her quizes/tests and doing other clerical work for her. I bring this up because one week (before the suicide) I was grading vocabulary tests and came across Jeremy's. He hadn't answered most of the questions on the test and had written a note to Mrs. Barnett apologizing for his not performing well on the quiz. After his death, I dwelled on that note. I thought that, although I never knew him personally, the note really illustrated the kind of heart that Jeremy must of had. I still believe to this day that our 2nd period English class was a place that he felt comfortable and, hence, was why he chose to end his life there.

Jessica YES JEREMY HAD A WONDERFUL FUNERAL. I WENT TO THAT FUNERAL AS DID MANY OF MY FRIENDS. IT WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY AT HIS FUNERAL, AND IT WAS A GOOD SIZE CHURCH. THE CHURCH WAS IN DALLAS ON GUS THOMASSON NEAR HIS OLD NEIGHBORHOOD. RIP JEREMY, YOU ARE MISSED. :-(

Michelle I went to school with Jeremy Delle before he x-ferred to RHS. The yearbook picture you have is from 90-91. That is likely the reason he is not listed in the "Not Listed" section of Richardson's yearbook. I didn't know Jeremy very well, although he was close friends with my high school sweetheart and their group (I was a year behind all of them.)

Leah I just read all you have written on Jeremy Delle. I went to middle school with him. He was a good friend. I was brought to tears by the photo of the Richardson High School yearbook's memorial: Your eyes will forever be in our memories. That is what I can bring into my mind still so vividly. And his freckles. He played the trumpet. He was funny. He was kind. I guess I never knew the troubles behind that smile, nor he mine. I wasn't around when all this happened.

Robert B. Jeremy would be thrilled to see all the attention he has gotten since he died. He was a close friend of mine as we both went to Bryan Adams and to Casa View Baptist Church together. All he ever wanted was attention, as he didnt get much at home. Rest in Peace brother...you are still missed.

Dorie, June 8th, 2016 I attended school with Jeremy in 9th grade at Richardson Jr. High and then in 10th grade at RHS. [...] As we walked out of the front door of the school a reporter must have taken a photo of me with my head down crying while my mom tried to console me. Little did I know that photo would be across the front page of the Dallas newspaper the next morning. I attended his funeral and was floored at the amount of people and teens that came. Some of them the same ones who wouldn't give him the time of day. Who mocked him for being someone who did weird stuff in class just for attention. Why now? Why come and support now? I will admit that the majority of my friends consisted of the cheerleaders, drill team, the "popular" crowd. But something in Jeremy caught me when he sat next to me in math on his first day of Junior high. He would confide in me about the special girl in his life. His eyes and face would light up when talking about her. But things got worse for him during that summer before high school. I don't talk much about my connection to him or "the song" which means I don't share that he stopped me on the way to class that morning and had a huge smile on his face and hugged me. [...] I will always remember his eyes that showed so much of him if you only took the time to get to know him. I will always remember his corny jokes and the little notes we would pass back and forth in 9th grade. Jeremy's death happened over 25 years ago but I think of him often, especially when I drive by his resting place each morning on my way to work. I hope that the people who visit this site take the time to really read the posts from the ones who knew and loved him and not just remember him for the song. Don't get me wrong. It's a great song. But we also lost a great boy who still had so much life to live. […] Dorie (Davis) Hill RHS Class of '93

In the early 2000s, Steele Shepherd was the first person online to try to humanize Jeremy and research about the kind of person he was. His website and hard work were an important source of inspiration for every person who decided to get to know Jeremy after him. Sadly, following his death in early 2020, his website domain expired. I have therefore decided to preserve part of Ssheps' work by re-posting it on my blog. Please notice that the info I will share will only be about Jeremy's personality and the things people who actually knew him had to say about him. Since my blog aims at humanizing him, I won't focus on his last day or the song.

For more details, you can find a copy of Ssheps' website here on the Wayback Machine.

All posts from Ssheps.com will be organized under the hashtag #ssheps.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

My pitch for an alternate version of the Star Wars sequel arc (Episodes 7-12):

(NOTE: Aside from some characters being reused, this is completely separate from the actual sequel trilogy) 

1) All six movies comprise of one arc but episodes 7-9 and 10-12 can be seen as their own trilogies. Think of this like a TV show season; the first half of the season is different from the second half. 

2) The initial main protagonists are Ben Solo and Rey Nebula, Luke Skywalker’s proteges and the top two students of the reformed Jedi Academy. However, there’s a change in protagonists after episode 9, which I’ll explain when I get there. The main protagonists from episodes 10-12 are Nico Palpatine (Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter), Finn (a former stormtrooper), Poe Dameron (a Mandalorian bounty hunter), and Rose Tico (an inventor from Coruscant).

3) Episodes 7-9 focus on defeating the last of the Imperial forces (renamed “The First Order”) and Luke ordering the capture of Nico Palpatine, the last of Emperor Palpatine’s line. The trilogy is set up like a traditional Star Wars story; Empire and Sith are the villains while the Republic and the Jedi are the heroes. However, in episode 8, we start to see the cracks in the story. Nico, despite being a Palpatine, is revealed to be a scared, severely depressed young woman who is trying to escape her legacy. She’s not interested in the Sith or even avenging her grandfather, she just wants to live her life. In addition, it’s revealed that there’s unrest in the Republic with Leia’s government becoming more unpopular each day. The main concern is that, in their quest to stamp out all traces of the Galactic Empire, people are fearing that the New Republic is on the road to becoming a fascist dictatorship as well.

4) While all that is going on, Luke learns about this “Force boogeyman” who has resurfaced. This boogeyman, known as “The Equalist”, is a legendary figure who is feared by both the Jedi and the Sith. Apparently, they have survived for thousands of years (using the Force to extend their lifespan) and they have an intense hatred towards both orders of the Force. The Equalist is the main antagonist of the sequel series. 

5) The big reveal in Episode 9: Rey Nebula, who was presented as the main heroine of the sequel series, is revealed to be “The Equalist”. She entered Luke’s academy with the intention of infiltrating the Jedi Order and destroying it from within, as well as getting close to Luke. In addition, she’s the one who has been influencing the political unrest in the New Republic. The reason for her hatred of the Jedi and the Sith is that she was part of an ancient order of Force users that predated the Jedi and the Sith (think: Dai Bendu). Her order, instead of emphasizing the differences in the Light and Dark sides of the Force, preached a “Grey” interpretation that believed the Light and Dark sides worked in tandem. Rey reveals that her order was destroyed by both the early Jedi and Sith as they felt threatened by the “Grey” interpretation of the Force. 

6) Some dialogue I came up with for Rey/The Equalist: “When the universe was first formed...do you think the Creators had a set of morals in mind for the Force? The answer is no...we were the ones who gave meaning to the Force. The problem is...we couldn’t agree which interpretation was correct and, as a result, millions of people died. Over a difference of faith. How pitiful.” / “The Jedi preaches that the Dark Side is evil. The Sith preaches that the Light Side is evil. But yet, despite the differences in your religions...you both agreed that my people were a threat. We were a threat...for believing that the Force was neither good or evil. For our beliefs, you sentenced my people to death.” --> author’s note: If this sounds like Pain from Naruto or Zaheer from Legend of Korra, I admit that they were inspirations for the Equalist. 

7) Ben Solo goes from the main male protagonist to the secondary antagonist of the series. Although he starts out as an honorable Jedi, he becomes swayed by Rey’s mission to destroy the Jedi and the Sith once he learns their “hidden history” (namely, the destruction of Rey’s old order of Force users). He also becomes disillusioned by the New Republic when he learns about the war crimes and atrocities that the Rebels committed during the war with the Galactic Empire (history that was also buried by the New Republic). Ben feels betrayed as he was taught that the Jedi and Rebels were pure heroes, leading to him joining forces with Rey. So in this version, Ben’s turn to darkness comes from his inability to see the world through a grey perspective; he’s stuck in a black-and-white moral mentality that makes him unable to comprehend the nuances of war and politics, which then leads to him helping Rey in her dangerous revolution. 

8) Nico Palpatine goes from a supporting protagonist to the main protagonist of the series. Although she’s treated with much hostility from Luke Skywalker in the beginning, Luke slowly warms up to her when he realizes she’s nothing like her grandfather. Also, when we get to know more about Nico, we learn that she has a strange connection to the Force. She’s as powerful as Emperor Palpatine but she doesn’t feel a strong connection to either the Light or Dark sides since she was never formally trained. As a result, she’s developed a sort of “Grey” relationship to the Force, just like Rey. However, Nico’s pure heart clashes with Rey’s thirst for vengeance, which leads to them becoming archenemies. 

---------------------------> side note: my fancast for Nico is Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing from Iron Fist) 

9) Finn, Poe, and Rose are all elevated to co-protagonists in episodes 10-12. They start out as supporting allies in episodes 7-9 but are elevated in importance when they befriend Nico and form her inner circle. So if Nico is the Luke of the sequel series, Poe and Rose share the Han Solo role while Finn fills in the Leia Organa role. In this alternate version, Rose is an inventor who sells state-of-the-art weapons to the New Republic, Finn is a former stormtrooper who has enlisted in the New Republic’s army, and Poe is a Mandalorian bounty hunter who specializes in hunting down Sith lords. 

10) Just as a side note, I pictured Finn being more important than Poe and Rose since he also has a subplot where he learns that he’s Force-sensitive.

11) Episodes 10-12 focus on Nico, Finn, Poe, and Rose trying to stop Rey, Ben, and their faction from destroying the Jedi, the Sith and the New Republic. We learn that Rey’s grand plan is to cause as much unrest in the New Republic as possible, causing the Republic to fall into a civil war. Combined with the ongoing war against the First Order, this would eventually lead to the Republic collapsing into complete anarchy. So as a stark contrast to the original and prequel trilogies, our main villain isn’t a fascist dictator but a vengeance-fueled anarchist who wants to destroy all traces of the Jedi and the Sith. 

12) Fates of the OG trio: Han Solo is killed in episode 8 during a battle with the First Order. His death sends Ben Solo into full despair, which Rey takes advantage of. Leia Skywalker is killed in episode 10 by Ben. Leia tries to convince him that Rey is the real threat and, in response, Ben stabs her through the chest (so she gets Han’s death from TFA). Luke Skywalker heroically sacrifices himself in episode 12. He destroys a Death Star-type weapon that Rey had taken control of while still inside. 

13) There’s a major time jump between episodes 9 and 10 because Luke Skywalker has taken on Nico Palpatine as his protege  Episode 10 takes place six years after episode 9 in order to explain how Nico is suddenly a capable Jedi, as well as how Rey and Ben were able to raise an army while hiding in the shadows. 

14) The ending scene of episode 11 is Luke Skywalker naming Nico Palpatine as the next Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. When Nico protests, saying that she should be disqualified due to her lineage, Luke reminds her that his father was Darth Vader. He says something along the lines of, “You may be a Palpatine by blood...but you’ve proven more than once that you are your own person.” He also says that the Jedi could benefit from Nico’s “Grey” view of the Force since she could teach about the Dark Side without falling into it and becoming a Sith.

15) Showdown in episode 12 is split between Nico’s confrontation with Rey and Ben, as well as the New Republic engaging the Equalist Army. Both conflicts are resolved in a way to symbolize that the galaxy is willing to make an effort for peace. First, the New Republic is assisted by the factions that were threatening to break away, signifying that Rey’s plan for complete anarchy has failed and that the New Republic is whole again. Second, after Rey is fatally wounded by Nico, both women decide to sit together in peace and discuss their place in the universe. Before she dies, Rey says that Nico has a chance to be better than her predecessors and to not repeat the mistakes of the past Jedi. 

16) Ben survives but is imprisoned for life due to his actions in episodes 10-12. 

17) Ending of the series: Nico takes her place as the new Jedi Grandmaster, Finn joins the Jedi Academy, Poe is made a leading general in the New Republic (the first Mandalorian to take on the position), and Rose becomes a Senator. 

Some more thematic stuff I forgot to add:

* Aside from being “Grey Force” users, I wanted Rey and Nico to parallel each other in the sense that they both are the result of a hateful environment. Rey’s people were senselessly destroyed since their beliefs were feared while Nico’s very existence made her a target of the galaxy’s hatred. 

* In the original trilogy, the main sin was pride. In the prequel trilogy, the main sin was envy. For this sequel series, the main sin is wrath (Luke hating Nico’s existence before getting to know her, Rey’s hatred fueling her anarchist campaign and Ben’s anger after learning the hidden history of the Jedi and the Republic)

* The first half is set up as a traditional Star Wars story in order to set up the contrast of the second half. We go from having a Skywalker as the main protagonist to a Palpatine as the lead, the main villain isn’t a Sith but someone who challenges the beliefs of both the Jedi and the Sith, and the conflict isn’t about toppling an empire but making sure the current regime survives the unrest. 

* EDIT: Another thing I forgot to add. The conflict between Rey’s Grey Order, Jedi, and Sith was inspired by real-life religion. Rey’s order is a Pagan religion while the Jedi and Sith can be seen as parallels to Catholicism or Christianity (both orders believe in the Dark-Light belief of the Force, but differ on which side to follow). The destruction of Rey’s order is a parallel to the Inquisitions. 

[bettsfic]

We spend a lot of time appreciating you as an amazing writer, but even just from online interactions, it's obvious that you're also a great teacher. If you feel like sharing: any good teaching stories that made you feel great about undergraduate teaching / reminded you of why your work is important?

at the end of my first semester, a student, i’ll call her jessica, sent me an email saying how much she enjoyed the class and how she was planning to be a teacher some day, and she wanted to be a teacher like me. i printed the email out and put it in my journal. it was the first kind email a student had sent me, and i read it over and over.

a couple months later, at the beginning of the next semester, just an hour before i met my new students, i found out that jessica had died over break. it was alcohol and drugs, a party where she left and no one followed her back to her dorm to make sure she was okay. she was nineteen. i looked at her instagram, where her final post was a selfie with two friends, and the caption read, “i love college!” 

it’s hard to say exactly how her death affected me, but i think about her all the time. i think about how fragile life is, and about the toxicity of college culture, and all the pressures and expectations put on students, and how they’ll graduate with mounds of debt that will take decades to pay off. i think about how hard and hopeless it is to be a young person today. i think about the surprised, grateful faces i get when i show students the smallest shred of kindness or empathy.

this is my fourth year teaching and i’ve now had around 300 students. i have yet to meet a bad one. i’ve met students who have been pushed to their limits, who are exhausted, who are in the wrong place and have no idea, who have unchecked trauma, who are utterly terrified, who are lonely, sad, overworked, or just plain overwhelmed. 

once, i did a Q&A for a practicum of new creative writing teachers. i’d given them my syllabus prior to the class. they were surprised to read my lax policies, and one of them asked what i do when a student does the bare minimum, or maybe even less. creative writing is an “easy” class. inevitably you get the “lazy” students who sit in the back and work on homework for other classes, and hand in five dr. seuss sounding poems at the end of the semester.

to that i said, any student who doesn’t want to write is either overworked, afraid, or both. being overworked can’t be helped. college students are working to master their time management skills in an environment that doesn’t allow them to fail. but fear can be faced and conquered. i base my entire class around fear. they have one major assignment: write your biggest risk. i firmly believe your biggest creative risk ends up being your greatest reward. sometimes students aren’t up to the task, but if you build an environment in which they’re eager to show you the dark, ugly parts of themselves because they know you will receive them eagerly and openly, they tend to make amazing things.

i start each semester with probably over half my students utterly apathetic or even flat-out disgusted by the idea of creative writing, and i end the semester with a stack of self-assessments and evaluations talking about how much the class helped them not only see their own creative potential, but also to be less afraid to take creative risks in other environments. 

i had a student, we’ll call him alex, in my composition course last year. admittedly i put less effort into comp than creative writing, mostly because it’s not my curriculum or my primary field of study. alex sat at the back of class the entire semester, asleep, on his laptop, or talking to the people nearest him. he did not participate. he did not do the reading. he did not turn in his homework. he didn’t even know my name. on the second to last day of the semester, he turned in several assignments at once, and came to me before class started saying he’d done most the work, and could he come to office hours so i could get him caught up on the rest?

no, i said. i was too busy working with students who had been seeking my help throughout the semester. he took it well, and said thanks anyway, and in the end scraped by with a B-, mostly due to my lack of a late policy. if i’d had one, he would have failed.

i was surprised the next semester to see him on my roster for creative writing. it was clear he didn’t like or appreciate my comp class. on the first day of spring semester, he came to class high. at the end of class, i have all of my students fill out a notecard with their name and other pertinent information, and on the back i have them draw a picture. when alex turned in his card, he had only scrawled his name across the front, and on the back he drew a bird smoking a giant blunt.

the next class, i announced that anyone who came to class drunk or high would be asked to leave and they would lose their attendance for the day. i didn’t want to call him out directly. honestly, i didn’t know how to handle the situation. my mentor told me to deal with it head-on, but i didn’t heed her advice, and i wish i had. 

alex kept coming to class high. he didn’t do the reading. he didn’t participate in small or large group discussion. he didn’t do the prompt-fills or turn in any assignments. when he’d behaved this way in comp, i wasn’t bothered by it. nobody really likes comp. but this was creative writing, a class i put 200% of myself into and which i expected students to appreciate in kind (and for the most part they really do). 

midway through the semester, i ask students to schedule a one-on-one conference with me. it’s required. they get a grade for showing up, and another for doing a write-up of what we talked about. alex, like the prior semester, did not show up for his conference, or even write a risk draft for me to comment on. he sent me an email an hour later apologizing and asking if we could reschedule. the kicker: he began the email “liz.” i ask my students to call me by first name. i tell them at the beginning of the semester and again in week 5 when they inevitably forget. so alex had now been through 4 of my “the name you need to call me” lectures. and he still called me liz. and he had the audacity not to show up for his conference with no notice, wasting a half hour of my time, and then ask to reschedule.

my mentor was right. i should have dealt with it sooner. i shouldn’t have let myself get as angry as i did. but i replied to his email with a laundry list of things he’d done wrong, and i told him he was out of chances. i wasn’t rude, but i was very firm, and expected him to forward the email to his parents and the department and try to get me fired.

instead, a couple hours later when i arrived in class, he was sitting in the back of the room with his hood over his head. i was surprised to see him. it was the last day to drop classes and i expected him to be gone. he approached me as i was getting set up, and he was weeping. like blubbery, snot-nosed weeping. my first thought was that he was manipulating me somehow. boys who don’t get their way do desperate things sometimes. he told me he turned in all the assignments, and did the reading, and he’d do better from them on, he promised, and could he come to office hours? would i give him one more chance, please?

i told him to see me after class. during discussion, to my surprise, he raised his hand for every question. he was extremely off-base on most of his comments but i appreciated the courage it took not only to show up to class a weepy, tear-filled wreck, but to actually participate through it. after class, he apologized for having lost his shit earlier. he asked how he could make everything up. i told him i’d give partial credit for what he’d turned in, but he needed to come to a conference.

a couple days later he showed up at my office. i asked if he had a rough draft for me to look at and he said he didn’t, not because he didn’t try but because he didn’t know what his biggest risk was. i asked him to write an essay about how he’s struggling in college, and to use it as an opportunity for self-reflection.

up to this point, alex had been a bad bullshitter. before, when i’d confronted him about not doing the reading, he said he couldn’t because he hurt his knee. i asked what a knee injury had to do with reading, and he blubbered through an answer. he even feigned a limp, but later that day i saw him walking normally to another class. he had ridiculous excuses for everything. so when he sent me his essay, i was expecting more of the same.

what he wrote was not bullshit, but a blunt and honest account of all the problems he was having, sans whining or pity-seeking. the boldest statement he made was that he was extremely lonely. i searched between the lines for ways he was trying to manipulate my sympathy but found none. he was flat-out admitting the truth: he felt like college wasn’t right for him, he was far away from home, he thought he would make friends but he hadn’t made any, and his girlfriend was still a senior in high school and he missed her a lot. 

“it feels weird not having a happy ending,” he told me. “i kept wanting to find a positive note to end on.”

“sometimes things just suck. an essay doesn’t have to answer the questions it poses,” i said.

suddenly i got a different picture of alex’s life: he was depressed and alone, self-medicating with weed and who knew what else, and slipping through the cracks of all his other classes, where he had professors who, like me the prior semester, paid no attention to him. 

he told me he really liked the class, and liked me as a teacher, and he would spend the rest of the semester trying to be better. i’d had students say similar things just to placate me and then didn’t follow through, but alex did for the most part. he still struggled with due dates, but he kept an open line of communication with me, and owned up to his failures. he did all the reading and participated in every class. by the end of the semester, he was a different person. he told me his girlfriend had gotten into our school and that she was coming to visit him soon. he revised his essay several times, got an A in the class, and gave me a hug at the end of the semester and thanked me for my patience and understanding.

i think this story stuck with me so much because it’s about my own failure. i do my best to reach out to struggling students, but most of the time if you lend a hand, they don’t take it, and there’s not much you can do. i should have tried to help alex sooner, or be more firm with him earlier on like he apparently needed. i need to learn to be more comfortable with confrontation and own my authority in the classroom. but mostly it reaffirmed my belief that everyone is hurting, and “bad behavior” is nearly always the result of a bigger picture that sometimes we can’t see. 

[rebelminxy]

Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Dina (OFC)

Word Count: 2522

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Forced marriage, mentions of a past death

Square Filled: Arranged Marriage

A/N: This series is meant for my squares for @heavenandhellbingo​. I have been putting my all into it and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have been writing it. Please like, repost and comment on anything you would like to say about it and seriously hope you have a great time reading this. Ratings will depend on what is in each chapter so please read the warnings before continuing. Images are not mine, they were found on Google and Pinterest.

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“Father you can’t do this to him!”

King John Winchester turned to glare at his eldest son, Dean, the anger from his yell clear on his face.

“You dare speak to your king in such a way boy!”

“I dare speak to you this way as a son to father,” Dean stated as he dropped down onto one knee. “I beg you, Sam won’t handle this well. He just lost his wife in the battle of Lebanon only a few months ago. He still needs time to mourn.”

“He was given enough time to mourn a useless wife. She never produced an heir after so many years of marriage. I forgave and allowed him to marry the peasant girl when he begged. Now he will take responsibility as prince and heir to the throne, just like he should have when you gave your rights away.”

Dean cringed internally, wishing he had never given his rights away if he had known this would be the outcome.

“Please, give him the year at least…” Dean began to beg.

“I have given him enough time! He is a grown thirty-year-old man!” John bellowed in anger. “And we don’t have a year, not with how strong Lucifer’s forces have gotten. This arrangement is to benefit both our Kingdom and the Kingdom of Heaven. With their magical powers, we will defeat the demon horde once and for all, and seal off the portal just as agreed.”

“You are trusting a king who has never shown himself! We only know the truth of this kingdom because of the history books and the so-called ‘angel’ feather that this family has prized for centuries. Are you even sure this is a man!”

“He is no man, but a powerful being. He was respected as a god, as God, when he came down here all those centuries ago. We must trust that this alliance will benefit us both and hopefully his daughter will give us the heir we deserve.”

John climbed down from his throne, near Dean.

“Imagine, the child of a human and an angel. How much of a powerful being that will be, and they will be ours to train and mold to our desires. If male, they will become such a powerful king, and if female, they will be a great pawn to marry off for our benefit.”

“All you care about is your reign,” Dean whispered. “Can you at least keep your youngest son in mind? He is still in pain from losing the woman he loves. As the eldest, I understand why I sacrifice my life for your wars, to keep the people safe. But Sam doesn’t need to do this. You can find another way for this alliance to work.”

“There is no other way. The king has promised his only daughter so Sam is not the only one sacrificing here. He must step up to the mantle and do his duty as heir, just like this girl is doing.”

Dean watched as his father turn away from him, dismissing him with just a wave. Dean got up and stomped out the throne room, trying to find a way to stop this marriage for his brother’s sake.

“YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!”

Dina flinched at her father’s scream. She was on her knees before him, begging him not to marry her off. He had just confirmed the alliance, receiving the news about it from her brother Castiel hours earlier when he barged into her room.  

“Father, you know I would do anything you ask. But, I have made it clear that I wish to never marry. You have never forced any of your children to…”

“You will obey then because I command you not as your father, but as your king,” he replied coldly. “This unification will help temper down your annoyance of a brother, Lucifer. Do you want me to outright kill him?”

Dina held her tongue, knowing he was baiting her with her favorite brother.

‘Then, if you have no other ideas, we will continue with the alliance. In one week, you will go down to the Earthly realm and marry the son of the powerful Earth King, Samuel Winchester. We are very lucky his wife recently died.”

Dina kept still at her father’s words. She wanted to yell and scream at how cold he was behaving, but this was nothing new to her sadly. 

“Now, will you be an obedient daughter and go back to your room until it is time for you to go for your marriage?”

“Yes, I will father,” Dina replied softly.

Once King Chuck waved her off, Dina made her way to her room, angelic guards right behind her. Once she entered her room, she waited at the door for the guards to leave. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she left her room and ran to the Gardens, hoping her friend was still there for the day.

One Week Later

“I did everything I could, Bobby,” Dean cried out to the old man he perceived more like a father. “Now, that girl is on her way here and I still couldn’t get Sam free from this.”

“He hasn’t left his room ever since John told him the news, has he?” the old lord Bobby Singer asked as he sorted through the kingdom’s finances. “He knows staying in there won’t change a thing.”

“He hasn’t stopped mourning Jessica’s death, he hasn’t even removed her belongings from his room. This girl won’t be happy knowing the man she is about to marry is still dedicated to a dead wife.”

“Can you blame him?” Bobby asked. “Jessica was his exposure to the world. She was the one that showed him there was more than what John shows. Plus, John doesn’t know that she was pregnant at her death.”

“Sam is traumatized after that, losing his wife and unborn child in one swoop. Sad to say, this is why I gave up my name to the throne. I can’t marry knowing my life is on the line every time I go out there.”

“John was angry when you did that, but since you dedicated your time to his soldiers and heading to the front lines for him, he forgave it.”

“Y’know,” Dean chuckled. “I am still surprised my old man still allows you to call him by his name.”

“He can’t complain. I am his chosen voice of reasoning.”

“Couldn’t you have reasoned with him for Sam’s sake,” Dean begged.

“If I am going to be reasonable,” Bobby began as he looked up from the paperwork. “I have to see things with interest for the kingdom. And this alliance is enough interest. Not only will we have the promised angelic powers of the Heavens, but this alliance will keep these realms unified. And avoid any war against the Heavens. If this war is an example of angelic powers, since Lucifer is the banished son of King Chuck, then imagine us going against the father. We would surely lose.”

Dean sighed, knowing what Bobby said was true. Before he could say another word, a guard yelled out a warning of the portal opening from the Heavens. Dean and Bobby shared a look before heading towards the castle’s entrance. John was already there, waiting with his appointed guards. Once Dean stood next to his father, he looked around curiously.

“He still hasn’t left his room,” John clarified. “You better convince him to be at that altar before the bride enters or I will disown and banish him.”

“Just like King Chuck did to Lucifer?” Dean asked warily. “Yeah good idea to threaten your youngest with the off chance he unites with the Demon King and comes after us.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” John growled.

“I wouldn’t blame him if he did. But let’s hope he is willing to go with your stupid alliance.”

Dean didn’t wait for the arrival of this princess, longing to search for his brother. He ran towards the hall where Sam’s room was, barging through the door to find his youngest brother standing by his window, looking outside. Dean walked over to him, looking to the direction he was watching. From the window, both brothers could see four angelic guards exit through the portal, dressed from head to toe in white armor. Another male stepped out, his face uncovered but still dressed in white, his hand still inside the portal. They watched as the man helped a woman dressed in white step out the portal, her head covered with a veil. Once she was through, four more guards walked through behind her. The portal then closed off, allowing no one else to walk through. 

“There she is,” Sam mumbled, his eyes following the womanly figure guided by the man that never let her hand go. “Sure that isn’t her lover sending her to me?”

“Sam, we have to go down there. Father told me he will…”

“Disown me and banish me like the Demon King?”

Dean groaned as his brother looked at him with anger.

“I tried my best to get you out of this,” Dean began.

“I’m not angry with you. It’s father I’m angry at. He never liked Jessica, let alone approved my marriage to begin with. He was happy the moment he received the news of her death and couldn’t wait to marry me off once the King of the Heavens came with this alliance.”

“Sam…”

“Don’t worry, I will marry this girl. But one thing is clear, I will never share my bed with her nor will I give her any hope of this marriage ever working. Jessica is my one true love and no one will ever replace her.”

Without another word, Sam stormed off, exiting his room with the slam of the door behind him. Dean flinched at the sound of the door, wishing he could really take his brother’s place.

‘Maybe I can,’ Dean thought as he ran out the room, following his brother.

“She will only be seen until her promised husband arrives,” Castiel stated as he stood between the king and his sister. 

“I am her father in law,” John began.

“Future father in law,” Castiel clarified.

“You would correct a king?”

“As prince and the leader of my father’s army, yes I will.”

John eyes Castiel up and down before nodding. 

“This is my youngest sister, we are entrusting to you humans, and I will make sure her promised husband understands what precious gift we are giving him.”

“I fully understand who I am marrying.”

John and Castiel looked at the church entrance to see Sam standing there, dressed in his finest clothes. He walked towards the small crowd at the altar, never missing a beat of his confident walk. Once he was standing in front of Castiel, he stretched his hand out.

“Now, may I take my promised wife and marry her before you decide to declare war on us?”

Castiel eyed up the man before placing his sister’s hand in his. He moved to the side, allowing his sister to see her future husband. Sam guided the young woman to the altar, and as the priest began to say the rites of marriage, the doors to the church burst open. Dean was standing there, out of breath.

“He will not marry her! I will!”

A soft gasp echoed in the church, John looking at his eldest with intent to kill. Dean walked up to the altar and grabbed his brother’s shoulder.

“I can’t let you do this, Sammy.”

“Dean, stop…” Sam began to beg.

“No, I will not let you sacrifice yourself. You still need time to mourn Jessica. I will give you that time.”

“No one will marry my sister other than her betrothed,” Castiel said, standing with his hand on his sword. 

“Your father wanted a son of Winchester, I am a son of his.” Dean declared.

“Dean Winchester, you will stand down from that altar at once!’ John bellowed.

“I won’t! You want an alliance, you will have one!”

“STOP!”

Everyone turned to face the veiled girl who had screamed out. She stood there, the flowers her brother’s had given her before she left in one hand, her other gripping the veil. She had pulled the veil down to reveal her face. And no one in that room could deny her beauty. She had a slender, heart-shaped face, which was surrounded by her flower-covered midnight black waves which had a mix of barely noticeable blue streaks, which shone from the sunlight coming from the glass window she stood in front of. Her almond-shaped eyes were purple, long lashes fluttering across her high cheekbones whenever she blinked. A slender petite nose and full lips flourish on her face. Sam looked down, examining her body now that the full-body veil was gone. She had a slender yet curved figure, the white dress accentuating her round bosom. The skirt of the dress hid her lower half, but Sam figured she was just as shapely below as she was above. 

“I am here to marry Samuel Winchester and only he will I take as a husband.”

Dean began to argue but she silenced him.

“If you take his place, then this alliance will falter. You gave up your rights to the throne, and my father wants a prince promised to the throne. Which means Sam is the only one I can marry for this to continue.”

Dean wanted to fight her, promise that her marriage to him would work. But she was right. This alliance would not work since John had promised the heir to the throne, not just one of his sons. Dean backed away, wishing he could help his baby brother.

“I’m sorry Sam, I wish I could get you out of this.”

“You can’t, what was promised must be given.”

Sam turned to his bride and took her hand as she gave it to him. They turned to the priest and the priest continued the rites of marriage. 

“If there is anyone that does not support this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

The room was silent, the priest giving a minute or two. When no one spoke, he continued the rites. Once the ‘I do’s’ were given, the priest finished the rites with the husband kissing his bride. Sam hesitated, looking down at the young woman who was now his wife. She looked up at him for a moment before giving him a small smile, leaning her face closer for their first kiss as husband and wife. Sam leaned in and placed his lips against hers. He felt how soft and sweet they tasted, actually enjoying the feel of her lips against his. But then, Jessica’s face came to mind and he immediately broke the kiss, backing away as if he was burned. 

Applause broke through the room, congratulations, and cheers echoing. Sam looked over at his father who only nodded at him. Sam then took his wife’s hand and guided her out of the church towards his room. The room he only planned on sharing with her once.

[cursedserpenthq]

(jessica lowndes, 30, female, sorceress) Blimey! Is that (ALESSANDRA (GEM) VALENTINE)? (SHE) is the (NAVIGATOR) on the Cursed Serpent and has been onboard the ship for (TEN YEARS). Legend has it they are (ADVENTUROUS & CHARMING), but don’t get on their bad side, because I hear they’re (MYSTERIOUS & CRUEL). Aye! Stop staring! (ALESSANDRA) has their (TWO OBSIDIAN BLADES) out! (ooc: britt, cst, 22, she/her, drugs)

THE CURSED SERPENT

She was born into a very powerful family of witches that were looked at like legends from the other members of their Coven. Her descendent was part of the sorcerers that created the Jewels of Destiny. So she considered herself untouchable, but she was found to be wrong. It didn’t take long for her Coven to be spotted by dangerous people. Quickly, her home was raided with stakes, torches, and different weapons to kill her and her family. The hunters wanted to get information from her family to find the Jewels, but they did not know. It was a painful experience she blocked from her memory, because of the very few witches who survived, they were quickly hunted down and killed. Somehow she was able to escape and found herself, at only 7 years old, on a random ship. The shipmates found her and nearly killed her until she told them about her history with the Jewels. So from then on she traveled as a pirate and grew up on that ship. Her days were spent studying maps and trying to use spells to track down the powerful Jewels. 

They got close, but then they were attacked. She escaped just before being captured and at 20 years old, spent 2 weeks out at sea on a tiny piece of floating wood. After those two weeks of starving and using up what little magic she could muster to keep herself alive, Captain Bradway found her. With the help of his crew, he pulled her on board and nursed her back to full health, leaving only a few scars to remember that horrible day.

She kept to herself on the boat in the beginning, hiding in her room and ignoring anyone who tried to talk to her. But eventually, she started to come out of her shell and show everyone what a spitfire she could really be. She got herself the nickname Gem from the Captain because she refused to give out her real name, and it was a name he gave her on the spot. Said if she didn’t want anyone to call her by her real name, he’d give a fitting one to her and the moment he looked into her dazzling blue/green eyes, he decided Gem was fitting. 

She is a secretive and mysterious woman. Only the captain and a select few know about her abilities and ONLY the captain knows about her history. Though, she does have a personality that helps her make friends quite easily. She’s likable, exciting, fun, and of course, she helps guide the ship from her vast knowledge of the Ocean, which makes her a good Navigator. Gem feels the weather and currents, she knows when there’s a storm ahead so that makes it easier for her to navigate around it. While people might know nothing about the sorceress, she sure knows how to keep them on the right path.

em keeps herself slightly closed off, but they’re technically her family now. Especially after 10 years, she knows most of them fairly well. Of course, she butts heads because of her spitfire attitude, but for the most part, she can get along with people. Although, some tend to keep their distance from her because she does have an anger issue, and she has broken noses or said something far too hurtful.

Gem was absolutely heartbroken when Captain Bradway died. She blamed herself for setting them on the wrong path and now takes her job far more seriously. She spent days in her room alone, ignoring anyone trying to talk to her. The Captain was her family, he knew so much about her life, helped her deal with all of the pain and death in her past… Eventually, 5 days later she emerged from her room like nothing happened. She buried the pain and used that as a reason she needed the Jewels even more. They called to her, and she had no idea what she would do the moment they got to them.

SECRET

Jem is a sorceress. Her last crew used her a weapon, and now she struggles with hiding and keeping control after the death of the Captain. She doesn’t know if one day she’ll burst and set the ship aflame, but she uses her magic at night or on the deck when she’s alone. Nighttime is when she feels most powerful, when she can feel the light of the moon upon her skin.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Someone she had a romantic or sexual connection with in the past. Gem has slept with a lot of pirates, but she never shared any type of connection with them. She kept them away from the inside of her head or her thoughts… but, somehow this person got rare thoughts from her. In the middle of the night while they lay in bed, she talks. But while they are together in front of people, they act like nothing is going on.

Someone who’s like a bestfriend to her. They hang out together, possibly drink together, and overall feel comfortable spending their time with one another.

ANYTHING ELSE

N/A

[ila9182]

What about CSI NY?

Thank you so much Erin @spindleofaspinningwheel​ for the ask! CSI NY, one of my favorite shows... let’s make that trip down to memory lane! This might be a long post, so you can find my answers after the cut!

The character I least understand

Probably Lindsay. I know she was one of the most loved characters of the show, but I never felt a connection with her... and despite the great and interesting background storyline she had, I just don’t seem to understand her and I’ve been pretty indifferent to her.

Interactions i enjoyed the most

There are a bunch of interactions I loved in the show...

- The family interactions: the team being a big family and having each other’s back, Jo and her children, Flack and his sister, Danny and his brother... the little glimpses we had of their personal lives were always very appreciated.

- Mac & Jo: they are my OTP and I just enjoy the banter, the teasing and the complicity/chemistry between them. I love how comfortable they are around each other and how Jo seems to be the only one to be able to make Mac smile.

- Danny & Flack: The BROTP of the show. I love those two together, the funny and silly moments they shared, the sadder ones... and through it all, they always had each other’s back.

- Jo and Sid: their friendship was one of the most beautiful thing of the show. Light, funny, real... in good and bad times (as the last season showed us).

The character who scares me the most

None, even if grieving Flack got pretty closed. His self-destructive and enraged behavior was kinda scary (but understandable), because I didn’t recognized my sweet Flack anymore.

The character who is mostly like me

Definitely Mac Taylor. I’m the one in the corner, silent, shy. No private life, workaholic. Not very sociable. That’s just me. 

Hottest looks character

Don Flack was definitely one of my first crushes since the beginning of the show and I was like 13 back then, it was that half Italian, half Irish look that won me over. Hahaha 

One thing I dislike about my fave character

That Jo arrived only in season 7 when I wanted her to be around from the start? Okay, more seriously, how can I dislike anything about Jo Danville? Maybe she’s sometimes a little too bubbly or get easily overwhelmed by her feelings, but I don’t really dislike that (not when it ends up with her confessing to Mac how much she adores him).

One thing I like about my hated character

One thing that I like about Stella Bonasera?! Uhm, really? The fact that she left at the end of season 6? She should have left sooner though Hahaha

A quote or scene that haunts me

Jessica Angell’s death and Don Flack holding her - his girlfriend - in his arms and driving her to the hospital. Flack killing the guy who killed her. The whole storyline destroyed me. Fuck, it still hurts.

Aiden Burn’s death: when the team finds out through the facial recognition system that the dead burnt body found in a car is Aiden’s. That wrecks me every time. And how fucking ironic is it that her last name was Burn, really?

Jo Danville being beaten up by John Curtis (even if this led to one of the most beautiful scenes for my OTP) and her personal storyline about her sister dying and Jo meeting the man who got her sister’s heart.

And for the quotes... one that keeps haunting me is this one “Promise me you’re not telling me goodbye” said by a sobbing Jo after she discovered that Sid has cancer. Sela Ward killed it in this scene, I’m still emotional about it. 

A death that left me indifferent

None, absolutely none. I’m still sobbing over Jessica Angell and Aiden Burn’s deaths.

A character I wish died but didn’t

Christine. Definitely Christine. The most useless character ever introduced, just to destroy the real OTP of the show (that last season was the worst, really). I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Mac would want to marry such a whiny, annoying character. I still can’t believe they didn’t killed her off after she got kidnapped, it would have been just perfect. 

My ship that never sailed

More than never sailed, one that never got a chance to last. Don Flack and Jessica Angell, they were absolutely adorable together and their relationship lasted just a few episodes before Angell got killed. My Don Flack definitely deserved some happiness in his life. 

Aiden Burn and Danny Messer would definitely be the ship that never sailed though. Their banter, constant bickering and teasing was cute and I’ve always thought they were more than friends (and I might be the only one to believe that).

[ospreys-watch]

Bird’s Eye Review: Pokemon Detective Pikachu

Video game adaptations tend to not do very well as feature-length films, mainly due to the length of most games being far too long to squeeze in the extensive details and lore many games entail. As such, game adaptations of any kind often tend to do better as graphic novels or animated series (i.e. Persona 4: The Animation or Netflix’s Castlevania). And with the absolute travesty that was the trailer for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog film (I honestly don’t know if overworking the animators to redesign the title character will save that movie), I admittedly had some reservations when I sat down to watch Pokemon Detective Pikachu on Sunday. However, the general response from my friends who had seen the film had been very good, and the response online even better.

I think what partially saved this film was that it was only covering the plot of a single game in the series’ 20+ year history; a Nintendo 3DS title with the same name, that wasn’t all that connected to the main series. The plot of the film (and game) centers around Tim Goodman, who teams up with a talking, wise-cracking Pikachu to discover what happened to his father Harry, who supposedly died in a car accident. However, the Pikachu has no memories of its past, with its only clue being Harry Goodman’s address stitched into its hat. It should be noted that the premise and some other plot points are the same between the game and film, but most of the characters are different to include a bit more diversity. From here on out, I’ll only be discussing the film.

When Tim goes to his father’s apartment (and meets Pikachu), he encounters and (stupidly) opens a mysterious vial containing a purple chemical; as he opens a window to air out the room, unknowingly causing a group of wild Aipom to go on a temporary rampage and attack the pair. This begins the investigation of a second plot point—a strange chemical compound called R being produced to drive pokemon mad. It becomes clear that Harry was also investigating this R, as when Tim and Pikachu manage to find a lead and encounter an underground pokemon fight club (Ryme City, where the film takes place, does not permit pokemon battles, normally a staple of the game series), the club owner recognizes Pikachu—and doesn’t take kindly to its return.

There’s so much I want to discuss about this film, but I’ll begin with the pokemon themselves—they’re fleshed out beautifully in this film, as if they actually belong in the scenery, affected by lights, shadows, water and other aspects of their environment. There is a scene early on where Tim is licked by a Lickitung, and saliva appears on Tim’s face right beneath the massive CGI tongue. Later scenes seamlessly blend CGI pokemon attacks with special effects, such as fire and water. Human actors are impacted by animated characters very clearly, though I feel like in some cases the movements were a big exaggerated. Pikachu’s fur is shown as short and fuzzy without seeming to be too much; Charizard’s scales have full detail, and even details of an electrical burn from a previous battle. The pokemon characters are a seamless blend of human and animal, visibly changing expression and showing that they’re not beneath instincts (such as when Pikachu is scratched on the chin and begins tapping his foot like a dog). My favorite pokemon depiction in the film, however, is Mewtwo. Heeded in-universe as one of the most powerful pokemon in existence, the genetically-created psychic type is shown as a blend of highly intelligent, yet still an animal at its core. It communicates telepathically, and I absolutely love the way they blended the audio for Mewtwo’s voice, using two voice actors, one male and one female—Mewtwo is a genderless pokemon, so this was a very nice touch. It’s clear the people who worked on the film were people who loved the series and wanted to be as loyal to it as possible.

The human characters were, honestly, a bit flat, but nothing terrible. Tim, played by Justice Smith, is a cynical adult who gave up his dreams of being a pokemon trainer and hasn’t spoken to his father in years, harboring a sort of resentment toward him—he at one point in the film states it sometimes felt like his father, who lived in Ryme City while Tim was cared for by his grandmother (his mother had passed), cared more about pokemon than his own son—this can sometimes be a sentiment shared by children whose parents work demanding jobs, or travel frequently for work. Lucy, played by Jessica Newton, is an okay character, but at the same time, I feel like she looks too young to be an adult character (that’s just a personal thing, though). To be honest, she reminded me a lot of Hilary Duff during the Lizzie McGuire era—and that’s a bit young. But that’s really a minor gripe; other than that, Lucy’s a nice supporting character who proves herself to be useful to Tim without falling into the “sexy lamp” category (i.e. she has enough of a presence on the screen where she can’t just be replaced with a sexy lamp—look that test up if you’re curious), not to mention having her own ambitions that happen to coincide with Tim’s.

Naturally, the one who steals the show is Ryan Reynolds as the titular Detective Pikachu. He’s crass, overconfident, and a good foil to the much more strait laced Tim. It’s pretty clear he’s pulling a lot from his role as Deadpool in 2016’s titular Deadpool, but that doesn’t make him any less funny in the role.

Now, at this point, I want to talk about a few things in the film that bugged me, or I felt were worth noting. They’re relatively minor, but they are spoilers, so they will be down below the Read More.

[[READ MORE]]

I feel like the dialogue was a bit weak in some areas; most noticeably in the scene where Mewtwo speaks to Pikachu before merging Harry with him. Mewtwo simply states that “not all humans are bad.” I understand this is a children’s movie, but Mewtwo is a highly intelligent creature, and is highly likely the same Mewtwo from Pokemon: The First Movie, who said the famous line, “The circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” I simply feel like “not all humans are bad” could have been said in a more sophisticated way. On the subject of Mewtwo, I understand he’s a powerful pokemon, but the idea of him being able to merge humans and pokemon seems a bit out of his range of abilities as a psychic-type.

The other issue was with Ryan Reynolds playing the actual father at the end of the film. Ryan is far older than he looks, but his youthful appearance did not work for him in this film—he simply looks too young to be the father of an adult son.

The villain’s motive, to merge people and pokemon to advance humankind, is a bit more complex than the typical, “take over the world” plot—the villain is an old man, confined to a wheelchair, who wants nothing but strength, and uses Mewtwo’s body and DNA (to produce the chemical R) to achieve that end. I have seen some arguments that the film is ableist because the villain is disabled. I just don’t think the film set out to be that way, and calling it “ableist” may be going a bit too far—granted, I am not physically disabled, so I can’t speak for anybody whatsoever.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and I highly recommend it—the people who worked on the film made it clearly as a love story to the decades-old series that’s inspired and entertained millions of players since its inception, and their hard work and research shows, from subtle dialogue hints (Pikachu says “Arceus” instead of “God” at one point, referring to the godly pokemon), to references in the environment that are there and gone in the blink of an eye. It’s a good film that’s worth a watch, with a decent mystery and plenty of action.

Gotta catch ‘em all, indeed!

[peculiarbob]

Desolate Souls and Broken Minds

Chapter 5: Angel of the Lord

Chapter 4: Nice to Meet You

Chapter 3: Good as Dead

Chapter 2: The Dream

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Word Count: 2328

Summary: Jessica finally gets to know more of Tim’s story and Tim gets to know more of Jessica’s story as well. Not to mention the odds of defeating the famed monster are in their favor when a mysterious man shows up at the hospital. He knows a thing or two about monsters and knows someone who can help them out.

“You have to promise to just listen.”

“I promise. Now please, I need to know the full story.”

I ask her where she wants me to begin from, she says from the very beginning. But I still don’t know where to start. I could tell her about when we started filming Marble Hornets, or maybe when I was still a child. I think it’s best to start there. I don’t really want to resurface those horrid memories, but it’s necessary. She deserves to know.

“You can’t tell anyone.”

“Who would I tell? It’s just us now.” We both sit in silence for a moment before I start.

“When I was a child I tried to be normal but I saw things. I saw things no one else could see. I would hallucinate horrible things, including the delightful creature that stalks us now. A little while later I’m diagnosed with schizophrenia. But it didn’t seem like the doctors even knew for sure though. I was able to go to school but I was on serious medications. Occasionally I would see that monster, but usually if I took my meds I was alright. Then I went to collage. For the first semester I was so lonely, but then I met Brian.”

Remembering meeting him put a smile on my face. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Jessica smile when she sees my face. Wow, times when I was genuinely happy. Brian had a smile that could brighten anyone’s day. He loved wearing hoodies, he wore them till the end. He had wavy light brown hair that went well with his brown eyes. He occasionally showed up to class with a faint mustache, personally I think it looked good on him. He was so nice to me, no one ever really treated me like that before. We ended up hanging out outside of class and became friends.

“If I wasn’t doing good mentally I could always go to him for help. Things were great and I peaked in emotional and mental stability around this time. I was doing pretty good, not to mention I was doing good in my classes. But then Brian went to audition for Alex’s student film, Marble Hornets. I went along with him, he convinced me to audition too. We both got parts and then things went downhill.”

It’s difficult to talk about this, even though it’s on the internet now. Thanks Jay. There were two other “significant” people that worked with us, Jay and Alex. Jay was a small skinny guy. He had brown hair and beautiful light eyes, he always wore a brown jacket with a matching hat. He also had dark bags under his eyes and was always tired because “that’s what happens when you’re script supervisor”. Alex had light brown hair and was really tall. He wore glasses and usually had on a striped blue jacket. He was an okay director and his script was very…. Interesting.

“Alex stopped production after a while, went missing and ended up becoming a murderous bastard. Course we didn’t know that last part at the time. Jay took the tapes, looked at them years later, and realize that things were a bit off. He went out looking for answers, you got wrapped up in this, and people’s memoized got erased. After going through a lot of torture the hooded man, Brian, set up Jay to get shot by Alex, I was alone and Brian….”

“He what?” Jessica asked cautiously.

“He k-killed himself. I had him hanging off the side of the ledge of a building. After he fell he died slowly. After that I killed Alex. You and me were the only survivors. Me and Jay record everything that happened, including what happened to you. You really can’t remember?”

“Most of it is a blur, some parts I remember vividly.”

“We documented a lot of things so did ‘totheark’. It’s confusing, but it’s on YouTube so you can watch it if you want.”

“I’m really sorry Tim, I didn’t know.” She sits up fully in the hospital bed and says, “I think I will watch it later. And I guess I should tell you everything too.”

“What’d you mean?” She takes a deep breath, “Last year seven months of my memory was erased. And in that time my girlfriend broke up with me, and I don’t even know why. I called her but she sounded scared and was crying. I almost lost my job because I hadn’t been there in two weeks. But I was able to talk my way out of being fired. My body ached, I was bruised all over, scratched, and the clothes tossed on my floor was covered in blood. I’m scared Tim.”

I don’t know what to say. She has her forehead against her blanket covered knees. I turn to the window trying to speak, but I can’t find the words.

“Uh, hello?” says Jessica. I turn around to so see a man leaning against the doorway. He was an african american man, maybe about twenty years old. His head was half shaven and the other half was flowy and jet black. He wore a leather jacket over a gray shirt.

“Nice story telling.” he says with a chuckle, “I should introduce myself.”

Me and Jessica share a look that says, “What the heck?” Was he listening to our entire conversation?

“My name is Zayden, and I’m an angel of the lord.”

“Excuse me?” Jessica says while slowly scooting away.

“You heard me.” he says in a lighthearted voice, “Don’t worry, you can trust me. Angels are messengers of God, I’m here to help.”

I don’t trust him at all, I tell him that but he shows us his wings. His aren’t broken like Castiel’s though.

“Sorry for eavesdropping, I just wanted to know the full story. Guess I gotta watch Marble Hornets on YouTube. Ya know, you guys are hard to track, just about impossible.” when we don’t say anything he continues, “Well, I came here because I think I can help you two.”

“Why would angels want to help two nobodies?” I say while standing up.

“First of all, you two aren’t nobodies, you’re important. Second, whatever is stalking you is affecting things on a larger scale. Third, it’s not ‘angels’ it’s ‘angel’. More specifically, this angel. Many of my brothers and sisters are either dead or can’t find a good purpose. Once you check out,” he gestures to Jessica, “then we can get to work.”

In the blink of an eye, he’s gone. We’re not really sure what we should do. On one hand, the last angel we met was kind and we could trust him. On the other hand, this angel could be different and he’s going to kill us. Either way, we check out and head to the car. Just beyond the sliding glass doors is Zayden. He asks us if we’re ready to go, I say that we were just heading to our car. But then Jessica speaks up.

“Where would you be taking us?”

“To an old lady’s house. She’s very knowledgeable and could help us. Not to mention her house is warded against every evil to ever exist.”

Long story short, we’re now at some old lady’s house. It’s a lovely place, two stories with an attic, colorful flowers on the green lawn, and white fencing around the property. There was also small Japanese lawn decorations, I’m not sure what they’re called though. Me and Jessica drove there while Zayden was just waiting on the porch the whole time. I almost forgot that angels can fly.

“So, who exactly are we meeting?”

“I’ll have you find out yourself.” he then knocks on the door. “It’s Zayden, I brought some friends with me.”

I can hear the clicks of multiple locks unlocking then she opens the door. She’s a tiny old japanese woman, she’s chubby and has a friendly smile. She’s wearing, what looks like to be, a hand knitted sweater and matching pants. Her big round glasses sat a bit crooked on her button nose. She invites us into her cozy looking home.

“Come in come in, you all can have a seat in the living room.”

The place looked like a stereotypical grandmother’s house. Photographs in frames hanging on the walls, a couple bowls of hard candies on desks, and other things of the sort. It was a bit cluttered but still for the most part organized.

“Hello, welcome to my home! My name is Atsuko Watanabe.”

“Hello!” I say, “I’m Tim, Tim Wright.”

“And I’m Jessica Locke.”

“I told them that you might be able to help them with a monster problem. Wanna take a crack at it?” Zayden asks.

“Of course. But first, snacks and drinks.”

She is a kind old lady and we were welcomed us into her home as if we close family friends. I like her. While Atsuko goes into the kitchen I take this time to look around the room. The first thing I notice is the picture of a young man, Zayden. I then notice pictures of him but as a boy, teenager, and baby. I found it strange that these pictures looked pretty old and he looked as if he didn’t age since he was twenty.

“Is this you?” I ask while getting up to take a better look.

“Uhhh. Sort of.” he looks uncomfortable when I asked him that.

“Something wrong?”

“It’s just that-”

Just then Atsuko walks back into the room with a plate stacked with different type of cookies and another tray with four glasses of milk. Zayden says something to her in Japanese and her expression saddens a little.

“Those pictures are not exactly Zayden. That is his vessel, James. He was my adopted son.” she could probably tell that both me and Jessica were a bit confused, “An angel needs to possess a human to walk the Earth. James was dying when Zayden came to him, they made a deal: He could possess my son’s body if he could be able to go to heaven.”

“Most angels possess bodies with souls still inside them, but I made an acception.”

“Ever since then Zayden has been possessing his body, he can not physically age. That is why he looks the same.”

She looked so sad while talking about James. I guess I would be like that too if my son died and I had to see his face knowing that it’s not really him. Why did he make that deal, was there more to the story? I decided to not ask these questions, it felt like an invasion of privacy. We give our condolences then begin talking about what we really came here for.

“When I first came to America I knew nothing about the supernatural. But after I met my Megan, my girlfriend and who was a witch, I wanted to learn more. I learned about things like sigils, spells, and how to kill just about every type of monster that has walked this planet. In this universe and reality of course, I can not say for sure about other ones.” Sorry what? “Now tell me about your monster that has been troubling you. Werewolf? Wendigo?”

We explained what’s been stalking us but she doesn’t recognize what this thing is. This could mean one of three things: one, it’s something new, two, it’s something that flew below her radar, or three, it’s not of this world. I’m placing my bets on the third one. We all sat there awkwardly for a minute eating the, admittedly delicious, cookies. Atsuko then changed the subject by talking about how great it was to have a child and what an amazing person James was. When she finished, Zayden said that we needed to get going. We thank her for everything and head out.

“You two should get back to the Winchesters and that angel.”

“You mean Castiel?” Jessica says.

“I aint saying his name. We weren’t on good terms when we last met and he’s a dangerous bastard. Don’t know who’s listening, don’t know who wants to get to him. ”

I’m curious so I ask, “What’d you mean?”

“Castiel isn’t an ordinary angel. He’s strong, powerful, resourceful. Not only that, he can influence people, he’s smart. He was a leader of his own garrison, lead a rebellion, and killed and archangel! He’s capable of a lot more than you might think. It’s not only him though, Sam, Dean, and Jack are also dangerous. Sam and Dean have died and come back to life too many times to count, started and ended the apocalypse, and killed so many monsters that some demons are afraid of them. And Jack, don’t get me started, he’s a nephilim. A half angel half human child, one of the most powerful creatures in the multiverse. He can kill you and your friend with a snap of his fingers. It’s best for you two to go back, but never mention that you met me. Stay safe and stay close to each other.”

The next thing I know we’re both standing in the middle of the bunker’s library. No one seems to be home. I look outside and see that the car is parked outside. We both walk to our old rooms to see everything is placed how it was before we packed up and left. This is weird even by my standards. What Zayden said is slightly alarming, angels are scared of other angels. We don’t have to wait long for the four to come back.

I can’t tell if they’re happy that we’re back, nevertheless they welcome us. But they soon start interrogating us. We answer most of their questions honestly, like “Where did you go? Or “Why didn’t you tell us you guys were leaving?” Other questions we completely lied about, “Were you safe?” or “What happened when you were gone?”

Lying is easy now.

[shorthairdontcare22]

The King of the Delta Blues

Okayyyyyy, here I come, freshly finished 2x06 and a LOT to say (for a change)

let’s start by the overall coverage of the episode :

Timeless have tried new things those last weeks, and man it works ! we’ve been in Salem then for the first time, we stayed in the present chasing after JFK and this week, again the show dynamic is thrown while we have both : present and past, exploring a new balance in the team, from three to four, with Flynn and Mason nonetheless, and boy, those two brought their share and I am glad they did.

How about beginning with Connor Mason :

Connor Mason was OUTSTANDING ! the writers really gave the punch the character needed to be known and liked. In 16 episodes in season 1, I feel like they didn’t give us one moment to get attached to this character and therefore sometimes, at one point it is necessary to think about a character : “Yeah, I can identify to him, I like human, he’s more accessible”.

Mason looses his company, for good and as he says, drunk as ever, “ there goes the obvilion” where everybody is forgotten, for good. Mason is afraid to be forgotten, to be remembered if he is, as a man who failed his company and the values he stood for before RH got in the way, before he “ gave his soul to the devil”.

Then, we learn that Mason never actually did time travel and his reaction to time travel is absolutely HILARIOUS and as every new time traveller, Mason Connor turns out to be a real fanboy when it comes to historical figures, in this case, Robert Johnson.

My favorite part was when he convinces Robert to record his album and his speech is everything I could hope for because it has a strong meaning, to Robert and to Connor : “ you fight back... and this bad luck is gonna keep chasing you until you decide to stop, stand your ground and fight” Paterson Joseph, you’re a KING !

At this moment, Connor knows this is not the end, he’ll find another way to get back to what and where he was, only this time, he’ll do right, he will fight and he’ll stand his ground.

Let’s continue with Flynn :

I always said that Flynn was the most complicated character because he had so much complexity. He acts without a moral compass, he kills, he’s been doing this for too long and the thing is, he can’t stop now, I personally think that he’s into deep.

I LOVED his scenes with Lucy : the first one had a weird vibe and not weird in a romantic way ( please, tell me where are the romantic moves/vibes/words). I mean, the man is literally using Lucy’s own thoughts to get her to talk, this is not romanticism, this is a violation of privacy and almost psychotic. But, in his own weird way, he tries to get her to talk, he tries to get her feel something and it doesn’t work because right here, Lucy is still numb, she’s still off, and this needs to stop.

The second time, when they talk, in the car, that’s when we feel Lucy’s guard down. I loved that Flynn recognized that it was a bit pushy to use what is written in her journal and make it seems like he knows her because he read the journal and I loved that he wants to get to know her, the lucy in the Journal is not enough and she never was because what are the odds that Lucy in the Journal will exist exactly one day ? What is the whole point of giving the journal to Flynn if we have the same outcome when it comes to Lucy ? Maybe it is one of the reasons Old Lucy gave the journal to Flynn, to help our Lucy to make better crucial choices, and keep the mantra that “ we make our future” even if Fate has its ways sometimes.

And I am sorry Garcy fans, but I didn’t get any romantic vibes there either : Flynn talks about his wife, about the little things she used to do, and more importantly he says : “somehow, some way, we’ll save the people we love”. Flynn role is to help Lucy, not only getting Amy back, but helping her, right now because she is lonely, she drinks at night, she goes to sleepless night to sleepless night : Lucy can’t fight back and can’t stand her ground ( Connor Mason resonating ?) if she keeps acting like this.

Lucy is spiraling, wherever we want her to be strong, she’s not right now and I thank Flynn for the real smile he put on her face for the first time in weeks.

How about Wyatt ( and a bit of Lucy and Rufus by the end, because OTT (Orignal Time Team)  :

WYATT LOGAN ( does anyone knows if he has another name because this is a situation when i want to call him by all his names and taking him by the ear and say) : I WON’T SAY I TOLD YOU SO !

Let’s be clear, I won’t even talk about the joke between him and Rufus because I just didn’t get what was funny : Rufus is talking about leaving the towel on the door but yet Wyatt seems to not understand, there is a pause and he laughs; I didn’t get why he laughed, that was not funny, there wasn’t even a joke, I didn’t get it. ahah

I just want to aknowledge three scenes :

- when Wyatt stays behind, he is confused, and Lucy is practically running to the Lifeboat without looking at him : he only gets half a glance while she leaves and that baby was GOLD. Sorry, i KNOW I KNOW we say we don’t go hating on Wyatt BUUUT I am a woman and when I see another woman hurting, I can’t help myself, even in those circumstances ( #ProtectingWyattSquad, pardon me).

- Carol Preston is SAVAGE : YOU CAN’T, CAN YOU ? omg I died on the scene. Wyatt is a soldier, he listens to orders, he doesn’t second guess his orders, he’s acting on them but NOT WHEN IT COMES TO MS LUCY PRESTON. He knows he can’t take the shot, he does not hesitate on taking it because from the moment he sees Carol, he knows he won’t shoot. It’s not about killing Carol, about leaving Lucy with no one, it is about taking a step forward to hurting her and by now I think he realizes that maybe, Lucy’s not all about Wyatt giving a chance to his marriage, and maybe Lucy does have feelings for him, he’s just so oblivious to them ( that’s okay I forgive him)

- THE REALIZATION finishes striking by the end of the episode : he comes back from the raid, he sees them all, smiling, laughing and I don’t know he seems kind of lost ? I personally think he’s actually very lost, not only when it comes to Jessica and Lucy but when it comes to his place in the team. is he still the hot head and reckless soldier he used to be when he joined in? spoiler : NO. Is he still capable to follow the orders we give him without giving the chance to his feelings to play out ? spoiler : NO. Every of these things will come into play when he decides what he wants to be and who he wants to be with.

Realization hits him HARD in the face (THE LOOKS MATT LANTER GAVE DURING 1 MN : WORTH ALL THE EP AHAH)  when Lucy tells him TWICE to get back to Jessica ? ( How many times does Lucy need to tell Wyatt to go back to his wife ? Seriously ?)  She tells him to go to his wife while he only want to talk to her, be with her, only if it is for chatting over a drink, over a stupid boardgame. He doesn’t even take the time to take off his gears, he wants to know how it was, with Flynn ( Yeap we saw that jealous look when she said he was more than fine, WE SAW IT WYATT), he wants to know everything but Lucy is a Queen and she’s not giving in, she stands her grounds and partly thanks to Flynn and his pep talk in the car.

I AM NOT MAD at Wyatt because he has his own s**/% to deal with and I hope he’ll deal with them nicely but I AM SO PROUD OF LUCY !!

Little notes aside :

- Lucy, stop drinking, that’s it, switch to ice cream, you can given the body you have

- I want to hug Jiyja

- that RIYA kiss “ and that’s my love it is how you upgrade a time machine” I LOVE THEM

- LOVE Flynn’s faces and expressions

- Rufus, I am bit mad at you for not comforting Lucy, ONCE ! we’ll talk about it later there were more pressing issues. You deserve to wait for peeing !

- MAMA DENISE... BAD ASS !!

Well if you’ve arrived till here, thank you for reading and we don’t jump, we hang on !!!

@modernlifehistorian @chasethesun18 @simply-anya @bestshipcaptainswan @timelessbae12 @enchanted-keys @fangirlishsite @chloeswans @wyatttoldme

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

The Biggest 'Grey's Anatomy' Cast Exits

Grey's Anatomy has had its fair share of goodbyes.

As the 14th season winds down, ABC's long-running medical drama has gone through significant cast changes in front of the camera and its fair share of on-set drama and scandals. While Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. are the only remaining members of the original ensemble who have been with the show since its March 2005 debut, many of their colleagues have come and gone -- some in tragic fashion and others with hopeful beginnings.

With Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw's exits looming ahead of the 15th season, there promises to be even more transitions for the veteran series. From T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl to Sara Ramirez and Patrick Dempsey, ET chronicles the history of Grey's' biggest and most dramatic cast exits over the past 14 seasons.

Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington)

ABC

Washington was one of the original doctors on Grey's when it debuted in 2005. He was fired in 2007 after the third season, following an incident where Washington allegedly used a gay slur in reference to T.R. Knight during an on-set argument and clashed with other co-stars. The actor eventually returned to Grey's for a 2014 episode to help kick off Sandra Oh's exit.

Dr. George O'Malley (T.R. Knight)

ABC

Knight was the first major cast departure for Grey's, leaving in tragic yet heroic fashion at the end of season five. In his final episodes, his beloved character, George, ran in front of a bus in an effort to save a woman but was hit himself -- still one of TV's most shocking moments -- resulting in being completely unrecognizable to the doctors when he was rushed in. He would later die from his injuries, which became the topic of early season six, as his former colleagues mourned his death and attended his funeral. One of the original interns on Grey's, George was a puppy-eyed doctor whose close friendship with Meredith, fumbling romances with Izzie and Callie and adversarial dynamic with Alex made him even more relatable to viewers.

Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

ABC

While Morgan only appeared in about two dozen episodes, he remains one of Grey's most memorable characters, playing Denny, a patient-turned-love interest for Izzie in the second and third seasons. Though the heart transplant Denny came in for was successful, he died suddenly after a stroke -- but not until after he'd proposed to Izzie and she'd accepted. Later, Izzie used the money he left her to open up the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic. In season five, Morgan returned for a new arc when Izzie began hallucinating Denny around the time she discovered she was diagnosed with cancer. 

Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl)

ABC

One of the original Grey's stars, Heigl left midway through season six after playing the bubbly, upbeat intern-turned-surgical resident Izzie for over 100 episodes. In her final episode, Heigl's character discovered she was cancer-free, attempted to reconcile with her ex, Alex, and turned down an offer to get her job back after getting fired, opting to move on for a fresh start. Heigl, who won the Emmy for her Grey's role in 2007, memorably took her name out of consideration in 2008 because she didn't feel she "was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination," a reference to her reduced workload that year.

Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh)

ABC

Addison's introduction on Grey's at the end of the first season is still one of the most memorable moments of the series. Still, she left after season three after deciding to have a baby and visiting her friend Naomi, a fertility specialist in California at Oceanside Wellness Group, making the move to the Golden State permanent. Walsh's spinoff, Private Practice, debuted in the fall of 2007 and ran for six seasons, but she would pop back in and out on Grey's through its eighth season.

Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh)

ABC

Meredith's half-sister Lexie entered the picture in season three as part of that year's new class of interns, but became an integral part of the fabric of the series when she was upped to series regular at the start of season four. She became romantically involved with Mark in an on-again/off-again romance, and the two eventually reunited not long before they were both victims of a horrific plane crash at the end of season eight, during which she was the first to die. "My experience on Grey’s Anatomy is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I want to take this time to say thank you to the fans," Leigh told TVLine. "Your unconditional love and support have made these last five years very special for me. I look forward to my next chapter and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey.

Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)

ABC

The "McSteamy" to Patrick Dempsey's "McDreamy," Dane joined the ABC drama as a recurring guest star in the sophomore season before being promoted to series regular in season three, and his character, Mark, was immediately dubbed the ladies' man of the hospital. His presence at the hospital caused more wrinkles than it stabilized the staff, with spicy affairs with Derek's estranged wife Addison, Callie and Lexie -- the latter a relationship he grew to embrace. Dane was written off in dramatic fashion; after Lexie's death following the eighth season finale plane crash, Mark succumbed to his injuries. 

Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh)

ABC

Oh was one of the original cast members on Grey's when it debuted in 2005 and was on the show for 10 seasons until she left in 2014, when Cristina made the leap to relocate and start anew in Zurich. As Meredith's "person," Owen's on-again/off-again love and a star surgeon, Oh's character was one of the most beloved of the series and speculation of a potential return has permeated ever since her departure. "I've gotta tell you, those rumors, I don't know who starts them but it really is tough," Oh admitted to ET Canada in 2016. "No, I have no plans to return to Grey's any time soon." But Oh did say in a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she'd be game to return for the series finale. 

Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)

ABC

Dempsey's exit in season 11 was one of the most shocking moments in the history of Grey's, as his character, also known as "McDreamy," was one-half of the main couple on the series alongside Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey. In his final episode, Derek was rushed to the ER after a large semi truck struck his car and the team of under-trained doctors were unable to save him in time, forcing Meredith to pull the plug. “Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character -- for Meredith, for me and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our 'McDreamy.' Patrick Dempsey’s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example -- happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true -- of what young women should demand from modern love,” creator Shonda Rhimes said in April 2015. “His loss will be felt by all.”

Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez)

ABC

Ramirez announced her decision to leave the show after 10 seasons of playing one of TV's groundbreaking bisexual characters following the season 12 finale. In Ramirez's final episode, she and her ex, Arizona, agreed that they would co-parent their daughter together. “I’m deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family at Grey’s Anatomy & ABC but for now, I’m taking some welcome time off,” Ramirez wrote in her note in 2016. “Shonda been so incredible to work for, & we will definitely continue our conversations!”

Dr. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton)

ABC

Hinton joined the medical drama in its ninth season, staying on for five seasons as Stephanie, one of Grey Sloan's surgical residents, and leaving at the end of the season 13 finale after suffering devastating burns following a fiery explosion in one of the hospital wings. Her near-death experience was enough for Stephanie to change course, and she made a declaration that she wanted to live her own life now. Hinton revealed to ET in February that she pitched a version of Stephanie's final episode where she died. "My heart grows to think that I did get a hero's end -- that I got to go out in a way that was not just incredibly human and honest, but also inspirational."

Dr. Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson)

ABC

Though Henderson's time as Riggs on Grey's was relatively brief -- he joined midway through the 12th season and left early on in season 14 -- he made his time on the series count. An Army doctor who had a friendship and deep history with fellow Grey Sloan doc Owen, he grew to become Meredith's main love interest following Patrick Dempsey's departure, but Riggs and Meredith's romance was cut short when he was reunited with his former love, Owen's previously presumed dead sister, Megan. In the end, the pair decided to move to Los Angeles together.

Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew)

ABC

Drew, who has played April since season six, was written out of the show at the end of season 14 and she got her happy ending, walking down the aisle in a surprise wedding with an old flame, Matthew, with her ex-husband Jackson witness to the happy day. She also decided to leave Grey Sloan to do God's work, helping homeless communities in Seattle. But there was some worry that she wouldn't survive the season. Things weren't looking good for the devout Christian doctor in the penultimate episode as she was seen unconscious and barely clinging to life after being in a car accident. Thankfully, she made it out with barely a scratch. Whew. Ellen Pompeo hinted to ET in May that Drew's character would not meet a horrific end -- and thankfully, she was right. "You only get killed off when your behavior is bad. If you're a nice actor, you die nice. ... But, yeah, these endings aren't tragic."

Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) 

ABC

In the penultimate season 14 episode, details of Capshaw's departure from Grey's were revealed: She was moving to New York City to be closer to the daughter she shares with her ex, Callie, and helping Nicole Herman open up a new clinic. In the finale, it was hinted that she and Callie may also be rekindling their romance. The announcement in March that she would be leaving after playing one of TV's few LGBTQ characters for 10 seasons was a shock to the system for fans. "I am sad to see her go, but I am consoled by the idea that she will continue to live on and on in all of our consciences and our imaginations," Capshaw wrote at the time.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Star Ellen Pompeo Says Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew Won't Have Tragic Endings (Exclusive)

[msmovingforward]

Re-Engaging: SLC Reunion Pt I

Part one of the the first season reunion! We get the typical footage of the women’s jitters before the reunion begins. Whitney and her glam team saying they’re going to really feature her new boob job in the look for the evening. Jen and Heather saying they’re excited. I would be excited too! I mean, I’m a shady bitch... I would love to get paid to sit around and talk smack to people’s faces. 

The set is actually pretty shah-mazing. Imagine a very gay food court set up for Santa, but socially distanced. Andy Cohen says, “This is the Super Bowl, guys!” Accurate. These reunions really are like the gay Super Bowl, complete with fumbles, MVP’s, and emotional tackles. Those are the four football terms I know. OK... Roll footage. I love that!

Andy opens by saying he gives the season two thumbs up, and congratulates the women. “Hey, Lisa! Does God care now that you own at tequila company?”

“Yeah. He’s blessing me by selling more.” All the women look very rested, and their makeup for the most part in my opinion is pretty understated. Lisa has a somewhat modest outfit. Her tan is looking very nice. Very white teeth. A curled look for her hair. It’s sort of fancy free, and I love that for her.

Heather is wearing a light pink dress with a bejeweled motif that is somehow both tight, but also does almost nothing to show off her curves. It’s very Mormon, but make it fashion.

Whitney is giving me beachy vibes with her blonde bob this evening with a plunging-neckline maroon sequined number and a pair of really EXPENSIVE white gold hoops.

Mary looks like Beyonce’s wax figurine at Madame Toussaud’s, with a rose gold sparkling dress and eyeshadow to match.

Meredith looks like Jessica Rabbit got dressed in the dark and is now ushering a Cirque Du Soleil knockoff show at the Nomad Hotel Casino, but what do I know? This is probably just too fashion forward for me to understand.

Jen stopped at the Spirit Halloween inside the closed Linens-n-Things next to Heather’s new Beauty Lab+Laser and bought a knock-off Jasmine from Aladdin costume.

Some highlights from the customary 20-minute greetings are Heather being DM’d by Rihanna and being told Rihanna thinks Heather is “everything,” and Jen promising to be “Zen Jen,” unless somebody “makes [her] turn up.” So basically no one has learned anything. We’re off to a great start for this reunion. I’m glad everyone is on the same page for what makes a good viewing experience. These reunions are like group therapy if no one were willing to change, and everyone lied and yelled the whole time. I’m NOT disengaging for this one.

Round one! (This is a boxing reference. I’m basically a jock now). Whitney’s journey this season is shown, and Andy brings up the whole swinger situation. Whitney denies being a swinger herself, but says she knows a lot of Mormons who do it, and it’s very Mormon 2.0. I give this one to Whitney because Lisa is riled up, and it was like very nuanced shade, especially for Whitney. Whitney zing!

Next Andy asks how Meredith feels about Jen’s reaction to Brooks’s sweat suit line at Park City Fashion Week, asking “Are you appalled that Jen would be picking on a child?”

Meredith replies, “One hundred percent I was ... He saved his own money to launch his brand ... He should be commended, not criticized.” So Brooks (who by the way is well over 21 at this point, but at the time of filming was definitely NOT a child) should always be commended no matter what, even though he couldn’t even be industrious enough to rip off two Givenchy track suits? Also how was Brooks saving his own money? What does he do for work to earn this money? He couldn’t even call the coordinator of the fashion show himself to say he was going to be late!

We also learn that Meredith was not upset that Jen made Meredith’s birthday party all about her, but she was upset that it was thrown on Lisa’s actual birthday. We are shown unseen footage of a thousand-plus dollar wedding cake for Meredith being wheeled out and a comparatively tiny birthday cake for Lisa being brought out behind it. Unseen footage of Lisa singing happy birthday to herself is also shown. So that makes two women who were confused as to whose birthday party it was and singing anyway: Lisa and the drunk woman whose name I won’t mention because she attempted to overtake the Capitol. Conversely, Lisa reveals that she wasn’t upset about the birthday party itself, the thing that she found to be upset about was how Heather gave her a quick once over because Heather had heard that LIsa was calling Heather a “good-time girl.” Don’t worry though, because Lisa explains what actually happened, saying, “ I said she was a good time! My friend told me an antecdote ... Heather was so much fun. She would press her boobs up against things.” Heather denies all allegations of ignoring Lisa, and Lisa yells, “Roll footage!” Heather tells her that’s not a thing, as the footage of Heather blatantly ignoring Lisa is shown. Lisa calls Heather a pathological liar.

I will say, In this situation originally, I was on Heather’s side, but it does seem like Lisa really didn’t know Heather prior to filming. If we remember even more though, it was Jen who told Heather that Lisa had said this about Heather in the first place.

Andy asks Whitney what he thought of Lisa’s comments regarding her love of the stripper pole. Whitney says she is more angry at the overall vibe Lisa gives that she’s better than Whitney. I definitely can see where this is coming from; Lisa and Meredith do seem to have an elitist attitude toward the other women, however, Lisa hypocritically claims that she doesn’t have a problem with Whitney’s dancing in general, just how she handled herself at Sharrieff’s put-put golf birthday party, “twerking” in front of another woman’s husband. Footage is shown of Lisa trying and failing to one-up Whitney’s splits on the dancefloor. The editors throw in a helpful arrow to let us know where in the crowd Sharrieff is standing (far closer to LIsa). Whitney says Lisa called Whitney trash multiple times, to which Lisa replies that she only called Whitney trash once, AND SHE CAN’ EXPLAIN THAT! I’m glad we’re only sticking to the facts here. Objectively, Whitney, you are trash, but I’ve only called you that once. Love that.

After commercial, we are shown Jen’s season highlights (This really is similar to SportsCenter, isn’t it?) It’s mostly footage of Jen yelling, throwing things, crying, more yelling, and crying more. We find out that Heather’s father passed away in April, though. Mary shares that her father also died this past year, but she has this weird dreamy chipmunk look in her eye when she says it. Also, I love how these women aren’t even going to pretend for the cameras they know even the most basic things the others are dealing with when the cameras aren’t rolling. HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR “FRIEND’S” FATHER DIED?! Heather says that there’s more than enough drama to talk about during this reunion without talking about her dad’s passing. Exactly! The really important stuff, like how Mary can fit into a loofah dress that most people can’t.

Andy asks Jen what it is exactly all her assistants do. We learn that Jen actually has a real job in the marketing field. While I doubt that she actually came up with the technology she uses, I was impressed with the amount of industry jargon she threw out. She says she does “direct response marketing.” I worked in advertising for five months, and I was basically an assistant. I can confirm that telling people they were pretty all the time was about 90% of my job as well.

Jen goes into the story of her father’s passing and Sharrieff missing the funeral. We learn that Jen nearly kicked him out for missing it, and it’s a very big point of contention for the two of them. This is where I start to feel sorry for Jen. While I can’t justify much of her behavior this season, it does seem like she’s dealing with both the loss of her father and realizing that her 20-year marriage is not as solid as it could be.

Speaking of Jen’s behavior, someone from Hawaii asks if Jen thinks it’s appropriate to act the way she did all season at 50 years old. At this, time stands still, and the women are ALL flabbergasted. How DARE?! Jen is only 48! So distracted by being confused for someone two WHOLE TWO YEARS older, Jen needs to regroup before saying, “Shit happens.” and that she’s just “temperamental,” which, according to Oxford Dictionary means “liable to unreasonable changes of mood”. Jen just admitted her behavior is unreasonable. ROLL THAT FOOTAGE! Mary jumps in and talks about how she has been a scapegoat for Jen all season, which didn’t really make sense because Mary seems like a genuinely terrible, racist scam artist. Don’t kick her off the show, though. It’s very entertaining!

Andy brings up vagina-gate. This was very revealing to me. (See what I did there?) Meredith says she’s upset with Jen for purposely “rattling” her kids. Jen claims that she loves Meredith’s kids, and she would never do anything to harm them. Jen says that the whole story was taken out of context, and Brooks had caught Meredith smoking, which is the real reason Brooks was so upset. Meredith reveals that she does occasionally smoke a cigarette (but so what? Meredith is cool, and smoking is very elegant), and she says that Jen recorded Meredith smoking without her knowledge or permission. Jen denies this allegation (but looks like she’s lying to me). The real confusion is cleared up, though, and we learn that Brooks in fact did see Jen’s vagina, and he had to go to Best Buy at that point. Meredith also reveals that she had not invited Jen to sleep over that night, but Jen passed out in Meredith’s bed and had to borrow one of Brooks’s track suits in order to have something to wear home the next morning. Jen denies this as well, and doubles down, saying that Meredith was actually the one who passed out. This is like the time my mom caught me drinking when I was 16, and she said, “:You’re drunk!” and I said, “No I’m not. You’re drunk!” Jesus, Jen!

Meredith accuses Jen of attacking Brooks on social media, calling him white privileged. (Um, that’s not an attack, Meredith. That’s just the truth. I’m white privileged, and I can’t even open a credit card right now). Jen denies this too, and the following tweet is shown: “ @therealitybitch R U SERIOUS?????? I never went spread eagle... it's COMPLETELY INSANE to me that NOT ONLY did you all SEE I DIDNT but bcuz a white privelaged family tells you I did, you somehow think I Sis something wrong. (Girl with face palm emoji).” Arguably my favorite part of this episode is the dramatic music playing as the misspelled words “white privelaged” are highlighted on screen.

Next we’re shown Lisa’s highlight real, where she mostly says, “I love that,” and talks about how much she loves herself and what a go-getter she is. Andy asks Whitney which couple out of the group she would swing with, and Whitney answers Meredith. Not Seth. Just Meredith. Really, Whitney? You don’t want to get down with Mary and her grandfather? At this point, Jen’s superiority complex is brought up by essentially all the women except Meredith. I understand LIsa’s response; she doesn’t feel like she owes anyone an explanation for how she acts like a boss bitch, and I truly believe her. I guess I have a soft spot for Lisa? I am team Lisa on this one for sure, though. I don’t understand why Heather and Whitney feel the need to change Lisa’s attitude. Meredith jumps in and says that Lisa says the same things to her in the same tone, and Meredith doesn’t take it personally, which is why she and Lisa have been able to remain close friends for ten years. This rings true to me.

What gets tricky to me, though, is then Heather and Lisa start fighting. Lisa plays a victim, claiming all the bad press she got for coming off as elitist was in direct response to how Heather portrayed her on the show. I feel like Lisa is trying to walk a line of owning her bossiness, but still wanting to throw Heather under the bus for people hating her for being a boss. I truly don’t understand where Lisa is coming from on this one, and it’s not a good look.

Mary then brings up that she NEVER talks down to people or makes them feel less than, and Lisa tells her that she most certainly does do that to all the members of her church. Dramatic music plays, as Mary blinks and twitches Bewitched-style, and says that Lisa better not bring up Mary’s church, or Mary will bring up Vida Tequila.

in the midst of all of this nonsense, Whitney tries to have an epic moment in which she reveals she has TEXTS from Lisa regarding the bartenders she had claimed made a mess of her party at the beginning of the season, but when Andy goes to read them, he says, “This is a bad Xerox, babe.” (”Jen, you know I’m a straight shooter.. wait. Can I start over?”) Before we’re shown the scenes from next week’s episode, everyone basically starts talking over each other, and Lisa says something about Taco Bell.

My final thoughts: I’m wondering what it is Jen has to offer that is so appealing to Meredith and Jen that they’re giving her so much grace. Beyond the fact that neither of them seem to vibe with her at all, the sudden change of heart Lisa had in the finale was VERY fishy to me. Meredith didn’t seem to have much to say in the way of Jen, but I assume that bridge will be crossed in the parts of the reunion to come. I was also a little shocked to learn that the bartenders Lisa hired really were a gift, and they really had nothing to do with Vida Tequila. Maybe there is something to what Lisa is saying about Heather and Whitney portraying her as more of a monster than she really is. Did she get a bad edit? Also, though it may be a long shot, I would love to learn that Whitney is actually an evil genius playing dumb. There are hints of it I’ve seen so far. She DID organize the whole trip to Vegas, and she DID start the ball rolling on Sharrieff’s birthday-gate. One thing is for sure, after the reunion thus far, I’d say these women all came to PLAY, and I’m living for Salt Lake. 

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Rest of the Weekend Warrior’s 2020 Top 25… and His Terrible 12 Movies!

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that my Top 10 has already appeared over at Below the Line, and you can either go there and read those first or start with the movies that fell just outside my top 10, including a few movies you might not have heard about.

Back at the very beginning of 2020, I made a private resolution that I would watch more screeners. This is because I had become quite legendary for publicists sending me screeners and me just not getting the time to watch them with all the running around I was doing to screenings. I will never make a resolution like that ever again. (In fact, if my 2021 resolution was to have more sex, I only really need to do it once.)

This year, I wrote (no joke) slightly under 300 reviews, which may be more than I wrote in the three years prior. Part of this was having extra time from not travelling around the city trying to get to screenings, but also, once I decided to transition my weekly box office column into a review column, I decided that I was gonna watch and review as many movies as I possibly could this year. I’m sure there are others who do this all the time, but man, I don’t know how you do it. There were days where I got so burnt out at staring at my laptop for 15 hours every day that I just had to stop.

Still, when you’re watching 300 movies in a single year, any movie that can get into my annual Top 25 (or even get an Honorable Mention) should feel somewhat honored.

Anyway, onto the second 15 movies in my Top 25 (click on the title for a link to each of my reviews!):

11. Herself (Amazon Prime Video) – One of my more recent viewings is this film directed by Phyllida Lloyd  (Mamma Mia!) and starring British actress Clare Dunne (who also co-wrote the script) as a mother of two young girls who got out of an abusive marriage with a man who still shares custody with her daughters. She wants to give her girls a place to live so she decides to build her own house on a plot of land given to her as a gift. It’s such a simple premise but Lloyd and Dunne have made a wonderful not-too-heavy drama that still slams you with its raw emotions.

12. Jungleland (IFC Films) – I really enjoyed Max Winkler’s earlier movie Ceremony, but this underground boxing drama about two brothers (Jack O’Connell, Charlie Hunnam) was also a solid crime-drama that follows them on a road trip to deliver a mob boss’ mistress (Jessica Barden) back to him on their way to a big match. Winker really outdid himself in terms of the storytelling and somehow managed to avoid most of the normal boxing movie cliches while allowing this to stand up to some of the greats.

13. Palm Springs (NEON/Hulu) – One of the first of this year’s Sundance movies that really connected with me, Max Barbakow’s sci-fi comedy starred Andy Samberg as a guy stuck at a horrible wedding who ends up in a Groundhog’s Day situation with the wonderful Christin Milioti was so much fun. Adding to the madness was JK Simmons as a guy who seems to be out to get Samberg’s character for reasons we don’t learn until much later. Such a brilliant and hilarious movie with so much great re-watch value.

14. Soul (Disney•Pixar) – The latest from the animation studio that seemingly can’t do wrong – but that depends on who you ask – follows jazz pianist Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who dies and ends up “The Great Beyond” desperate to get back to earth having just gotten his big break. Helping him (sort of) is a soul voiced by Tina Fey, and things don’t go quite as Joe helped. Co-written and co-directed by Kemp Powers, the film goes in a different direction from Docter’s last animated film, Inside Out, but still retaining some of the same metaphysical fabric that made that Oscar-winning animated film connect with adults just as much as with kids.

15. Mangrove (Amazon Prime Video) – The debate on whether Steve McQueen’s latest “Small Axe Anthology”  should be deemed a TV series or five separate movies continues to rage as Amazon decides to save the movie for the Emmies. At  two hours long, Mangrove is the closest of the series to being a  great stand-alone film, and frankly, I thought it was better than McQueen’s Oscar-winning film, 12 Years a Slave. This told the true story of restaurant owner, Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), and how he’s persecuted by the racist local police in the late ‘60s, but when he teams with a local Black Panther activist (Black Panther’s Letitia Wright), a protest march turns into a tense court trial for a number of people involved in it.

16. I Will Make You Mine (Gravitas Ventures) – Actor Lynn Chen’s directorial debut was actually the third movie in a trilogy of indie films centered around musician/songwriter Goh Nakamura, who appeared in all three films. I watched this the first time thought it was just okay. When I realized it was part of a series of films, and I went back and watched the other two movies, I was completely blown away by what Chen did within this finale. With movies, you generally only have a limited time to explore its characters, but like Richard Linklater’s “Before” movies, this movie helped to really create depth in the characters by revisiting them. I was kind of shocked that I hadn’t seen the other movies – few critics have – and though only 18 other critics reviewed this one, the film is still 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, which should tell you how good it is.

17. Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Prime Video) – Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha starred in Eugene Ashe’s 50s-60s-set romantic drama about an early television producer and a jazz musician, following their relationship after a summer fling that ends with him leaving for Paris. Separated for years, she remarries and raise the child from her former lover, but then they reconnect and… well, you’ll have to watch it for yourself. It’s on Prime Video right now, so if you’re a subscriber, you have no reason not to. (And Erik Davis of Fandango had a great idea… watch this as a double feature with McQueen’s Lovers Rock from “Small Axe Anthology”!)

18. The Traitor (Sony Pictures Classics) – Last year’s Italian section for the Oscar International Film was a fantastic The Godfather-like crime-thriller, this one starring Pierfrancesco Favino as Tomassso Buscetta, a Palermo-based Casa Nostra family member responsible for the heroin trade in the ‘80s who flees to Brazil. It’s an amazing story showing that filmmaker Marco Bellochio did his research to create a movie that didn’t really get the critical love or attention it deserved.

19. Weathering With You (GKids) – And here is Japan’s selection for the Oscar International Film, a rare Anime film, this one by Your Name director Makoto Shinkai, this one more about a fantasy-romance about a young man who meets a young woman who can control the rain, which they turn into a lucrative business. I didn’t love it quite as much as Your Name, which was a truly inventive turn on the “body-switching” movie, but this also had some of the same characterizations that make Shinkai’s work so terrific, so it was impossible not to enjoy how it translated into his latest feature.

20. Lingua Franca (ARRAY Releasing/Netflix) – Trans filmmaker Isabel Sandoval’s film was released in the same weekend as another movie with a trans lead, Flavio Alves’ The Garden Left Behind. While they were both good, Sandoval wrote, directed and starred in her movie which was about her character Olivia having a romance with a guy surrounded by transphobic bros. Olivia is also trying to get her green card, and the immigrant aspect of the film really added a lot to what seemed like a deeply personal film.

21. The Outpost (Screen Media Films) – I’ve been a fan of Rod Lurie’s work for almost as long as I’ve been writing reviews. In fact, one of my very FIRST movie reviews was for his movie The Last Castle in 2001. I’ve also been fortunate to call him friend. I’ve watched Rod transition into quite a skilled television director, but I been waiting over ten years for him to make a movie as good as his amazing political thriller, Nothing but the Truth. Working from Jake Tapper’s non-fiction novel, Lurie created a full-on and unapologetic war movie as good as Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor, Blackhawk Down or any other modern war film… but also a film as personal as any others released this year.

22. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) – Aaron Sorkin’s second film as a director stepped things up, WAY up, as he decided to take on one of the more noted events that signified the famed “Summer of Love” of 1969, as a number of peaceful protesters were tried by the federal government for “inciting a riot.” The amazing cast included Eddie Redmayne, Sacha  Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen 2, Michal Keaton, Mark Rylance, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong and many more. It was an abundance of acting riches and when you have such a fine wordsmith in screenwriter/playwright Sorkin, it’s hard to go wrong. The thing is that by the time I saw this, I had already seen Steve McQueen’s Mangrove, which in my opinion is a far superior version of a similar story from the same time period.

23. Words on Bathroom Walls (LD Entertainment/Roadside Attractions) – A movie I didn’t expect much from but totally fell in love with was this romantic drama starring Charlie Plummer as Adam Petrozelli, a young man sent to a Catholic School where he hopes to keep his schizophrenia a secret from his new classmates. The film co-starred Taylor Russell from Waves as Adam’s friend and love interest, who also gets worried about Adam’s erratic behavior whenever he goes off his meds. Adam’s condition was shown by the personalities he interacts with, played by Anna Sophia Robb, Devon Bostick and Lobo Sebastian, but the movie also stars the great Molly Parker as Adam’s mother and Walton Goggins as her live-in boyfriend. All of this adds up to a great coming-of-age film from Thor Freudenthal that also became one of the first couple movies since March to test out theatrical waters months after the pandemic shutdown.

24. Sputnik (IFC Midnight) – An amazing Russian sci-fi thriller from Egor Abramenko (remember that name!) that’s likely to be compared to Alien  but adds so much more depth by taking place in communist Russia during the ‘80s. It stars Pyotr Fyodorov as a cosmonaut who brought something back with him from space and Oksana Akinshina as the psychologist who has to figure what is happening. It starts quite, reminding you of the original Russian film Solaris, but by the end, it gets pretty insane. More than anything, it finds a way of doing something original within an overused sci-fi trope.

25. Parallel (Vertical Entertainment)  - Similarly, I had pretty low expectations for Isaac Ezban’s sci-fi/horror film about a group of Silicon Valley friends who discover a mirror that allows them to travel to and from alternate versions of their own dimension, which they use for criminal activities. Soon, some of them have gotten out of control with the power and money that this access gives them, but like Palm Springs, it’s a great take on another overused sci-fi trope that’s done so beautifully. (Warning: There have been a LOT of movies with this title in the last five years. Make sure you choose the right one!)

Honorary Mentions: The Prom (Netflix), Kindred (IFC Midnight), On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+), Yellow Rose(Sony), Misbehaviour (Shout! Factory), Premature (IFC Films), Spontaneous (Paramount), The Climb (Sony Pictures Classics)

Oh, and as a reminder, here’s my top 10, this time with links to my reviews where applicable:

10. One Night in Miami.. (Amazon Prime Video) 9. Pieces of a Woman (Netflix) 8. Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime Video) 7. Mulan (Disney+) 6. Synchronic (Well GO USA) (Tied with Disney+’s Hamilton) 5. Nomadland (Searchlight Studios) 4. News of the World (Universal) 3. Minari (A24) 2. Corpus Christi 1. Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

And some MORE DOCS I liked that didn’t make my Top 12 over at Below the Line:

13. Robin’s Wish (Vertical) 14. PJ Harvey: A Dog Called Money 15. 76 Days (MTV Documentaries) 16. Rebuilding Paradise (NatGeo) 17. The Fight (Magnolia) 18. Collective (Magnolia) 19. Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story (Shout! Studios) 20. We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (Hulu) 21. My Name is Pedro (Sweet 180) 22. Crock of Gold: A Night with Shane MacGowan (Magnolia) 23. You Cannot Kill David Arquette (Super) 24. Feels Good Man 25. Suzi Q (Utopia Distribution)

The Terrible 12 of 2020!:

And it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for -- and the reason I guess most people are reading this -- so I apologize for making all five of you read through all the great movies and docs of 2020 before getting to the juicy stuff. Let’s get to it!

12. Superintelligence (HBO Max) – There was a time when I loved Melissa McCarthy – years before Bridesmaids – but her success after that film and her decision to keep making movies with husband/director Ben Falcone has only led to a few halfway decent comedies. (I didn’t think The Boss was that bad, but that’s cause it co-starred Kristen Bell.) So imagine if you’re one of the first big studio comedies to be dumped to Warner Media’s new streaming service, HBO Max, and that was almost SIX MONTHS BEFORE COVID HIT! How bad could a movie be to have that little support and confidence from the studio? Well, I found out that very thing, as I sat through this horrible movie that had McCarthy play another one of her usual “everywomen,” this one who encounters an Artificial Intelligence, voiced by James Corben, who has achieved sentience. Trying to learn what it is to be human, the AI starts giving McCarthy’s character everything she wants, including a relationship an old workmate, played by Bobby Canavale. The movie wasn’t very funny but it also branched into a rom-com plot that just didn’t suit either McCarthy or Canavale, so yes, quite an epic fail.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “'Superintelligence' is not a term I'd use for whoever greenlit this piece of crap.”

11. Hubie Halloween (Netflix) – I don’t think that Hubie Halloween was anywhere near Adam Sandler’s worst movies ever, and probably not even his worst for Netflix – although there have been some VERY bad ones. The problem is that any opportunity Sandler was given in this movie to show he can deliver something other than “more of the same” had him instead resorting to the physical humor that appealed to his fanbase. And yet, it wasn’t even the worst movie to come out that week it debuted on the streamer. (See below.)

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “A perfectly fine Netflix movie, not something I’d ever want to have to sit in a movie theater watching with others.”

10. Max Cloud – This sci-fi-action-comedy didn’t have a terrible premise – I mean, I enjoyed it in all three Jumanji movies --  but it was marred by being such a monumentally badly made movie that stars one of the one actors in the business, namely Scott Adkins. Set in 1990, Adkins plays the title character in a video game, in which a teen girl finds herself transported as a character. If you wondered what a Jumanji movie would look like in the hands of a completely incompetent cast and crew, well, here you go.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “Pretty awful, a bad faux video game movie that should have had its plug pulled.”

9. The Stand-In (Saban Films) – Not to be outdone by her frequent co-star Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore threw out all of the love she’s garnered from previous movies and her new talk show by playing dual roles of a raunchy comedy star best known for her pratfalls (so kind of a cross between Sandler and Melissa McCarthy?). Barrymore also played her nearly identical stand-in who didn’t get as much acclaim but gets to stand in for her famous lookalike when the latter goes on a bender and ends up hiding in her mansion for five years. Not sure why Barrymore thought this would be a good way to put her back on the movie screen, but yikes… one of her character’s big gimmicks is falling face first into a pile of horse shit – not funny and just plain gross.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “Guarantees Barrymore a double-dose Razzie nomination.”

8. The War with Grandpa (101 Studios) – For whatever reason, I decided not to review this Weinstein Co. cast-off family comedy starring Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman. Maybe that’s because I hated the movie so much I could barely get through it, and with a Friday review embargo, I just decided not to waste any more time thinking about it. So why didn’t it end up lower, you ask? I have no effin’ idea.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: N/A

7. Pearl – There have been some bad young adult romances over the past few years, and while I don’t think Bobby Roth’s is actually based on any existing book, it might as well have been, because it was very, very bad. It stars Larsen Thompson as a 15-year-old piano prodigy who is sent to live with her unemployed film director uncle, played by Anthony LaPaglia, who was so super-creepy in that role. I don’t remember much else, since I deliberately scrubbed my memory of this movie’s existence.  Little did I realize that I’d be watching an even WORSE version of this movie a few months later.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “LaPaglia is way too good an actor, who deserves better than this.”

6. Black Water: Abyss – Another movie I watched late in the week and just didn’t have time or bother to review. Honestly, I remember very little about this. I think it involves crocodiles? Who knows, who cares? Not me or anyone else I expect. Everything about this movie was pretty bad.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: N/A

5. The Turning (Universal) – Probably the biggest studio movie to wind up on this list, and possibly the only reason I didn’t review this was because I interviewed the director, Floria Sigismondi (The Runaways), who is generally a pretty awesome artist. But I love the original source material on which this is based and seeing how much better Netflix’s The Horror of Bly Manor was a few months later just made me a little sore that a movie starring the great Mackenzie Davis with Finn Wolfhard and Brooklyn Prince could end up with one of the lamest endings of a horror movie in recent memory.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: N/A

4. Butt Boy (Epic Pictures) – Tyler Cornack’s comedy-slash-thriller was my worst movie of the year for many, many months until the three movies below it reared their ugly heads. Still, this one is pretty ugly as it stars Conack himself as Chip Gutchel, a man who becomes obsessed after a proctology exam so that things just keep vanishing up his own asshole. Yeah, I think my RT quote is fairly apt.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “I wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy.”

3. Buddy Games (Saban Films/Paramount) – The fact that Josh Duhamel’s directorial debut came out the same week as Superintelligence yet ended up lower on this list is fairly telling. It involves Duhamel and a group of his friends taking part in ridiculous competitions for money, and shows what happens when these friends reunite five years later to throw another Buddy Game. It was just very low-brow and disgusting and a not particularly funny take on the Jackass movies. There was scene that almost made me stop watching.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “To call Buddy Games moronic, idiotic or even asinine, would be an insult to morons, idiots or asses, who are also likely the movie's target audience.“

2. Sno Babies (Better Noise Films) – This poorly-conceived “Afterschool Special” that follows a high school senior named Kristen (Katie Kelly) and her ever-growing drug addiction was almost like a young adult version of Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream if just about everything about the movie was bad from the writing to the acting to just really horrible images that no one would want to watch or be put through. If the film just followed Kelly’s character, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad, but it’s a narrative that follows a bunch of characters including a couple wanting to have a baby… and when Kristen becomes pregnant due to her being on drugs, well, you can probably guess where it’s going. The only movie this year that had me literally yelling at my laptop like a lunatic.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “The people who made this movie should never be allowed to make another movie again.”

1. Dead Reckoning (Shout! Studios) – Scott Adkins makes his second appearance in the Terrible 12 with a movie in which he plays an Albanian terrorist. In fact, when I first heard about this movie and the fact it was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, the cinematographer/director behind Romeo is Bleeding and lots of trashy action flickers from the Aughts, it made me expect something in that vein. Instead, this is another young adult drama set in Nantucket with K.J. Apa from Riverdale playing Adkins’ brother who falls for a local teen lush, played by India Eisley, who proceeds to chug alcohol in every scene. Oh, her parents were killed in a terrorist act… coincidence? I think not. Eventually, we learn that Adkins’ character is planning a terrorist act by blowing up a boat on the 4th of July, and that’s maybe an hour or more into the movie. And yeah, there’s a number of action scenes awkwardly shoehorned into the story as well… Adkins’ fight with a nurse trying to help him was particularly hilarious. But the fact that the movie is being sold as “a thriller inspired by the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013” just makes the whole thing even more awkward and insulting. This one ends up in the “What on earth were they thinking, whoever financed this movie?” box.

Rotten Tomatoes Quote: “The only way to have any fun watching this disaster is to play a drinking game where you take a drink every time Eisley's character takes a drink.”

That’s it for this year…. Happy New Year and on to 2021!