#as an aside I’m curious as to what del toro will have to say about children and fascist propaganda

[deadpoppet]

Computer, enhance.

uh oh!

#as an aside I’m curious as to what del toro will have to say about children and fascist propaganda #I mean I am down with candlewick/lampwick getting an ironic fate as usual BUT I wonder if we’re going a Jojo Rabbit route here too.. #Pinocchio #a post #guillermo del toro #facism cw

[5thinvictus]

The Strain 4x05: A Write Up

Disclaimer:  The point of this is not to belittle or undermine anyone else’s interpretation or headcanon of the episode.  The point of this is simply to get it off my chest.  This is in no way an attack or a troll.  It’s simply what I do after episodes, I just normally attach it with GIFs.

As MANY people in this fandom already know ... I’ve never been a Tasa shipper, but I accepted the relationship as a part of Quinlan’s life which allowed him to grow and feel.

I admit, full-heartedly, that The Strain is no longer a good TV show, but until now it was a HELL of a guilty pleasure. I watched it despite some part of myself understanding that it was bad, because I dug some of the characters and actors. I spent a LOT OF TIME pushing the show and creating content for it. I even spent nearly all of my time at SDCC doing so, knowing it wasn’t critically acclaimed or anything. However, this past episode wasn’t a guilty pleasure. This past episode, the creators actually insulted my intelligence a bit.

From the truck action (there were a few cool bits, but i.e. Quinlan falling to the truck for SEVERAL seconds, as the strigoi looks CONFUSED at him before getting cut in half. The wire was REALLY high up. It would have been so much cooler if Q had ducked under it at the perfect time) to the flashbacks to the unnecessary meandering dialogue/romance with Eph and his new lady friend (did we need that scene at all? There are only 5 episodes left and … what was the point of it all?), to Eph just letting that woman go to become the Master and know his location ... the writing and direction in this episode was scattered all over the place.  ಠ_ಠ

I could likely go on for pages about the rest of the episode, but I’m not going to rant about anything in this post except the flashbacks and their personal impact on me.

Quinlan: out of Character? Perhaps ... Perhaps not.

The Strain is a bit notorious for not being able to keep any of their own characters straight. I think this might be because of the wide range of writers and I know this happens on TV shows because of that fact, but they flip-flop back in forth for everyone, with the only exceptions being Abraham and possibly Mr. Quinlan. Until now.

The flashbacks.

Very simply put, I would have accepted this all better if he was younger. That’s the crux of my problem with it. Not Louisa. Not that Louisa isn’t Tasa. Not that they’ve, once again, changed canon. I’ve read some arguments for this behavior that conjecture he was just "curious" and he had talked about being “curious” in Rome two thousand years prior. But that was when he was very young. If you follow the canon timeline, he was in his late teens or early 20s in that scene.

That was when he was STILL trying to figure out humans. In this scene, he is 1848 years old (1888 A.D. - 40 A.D.). Take a moment to fathom that number. 1848 years old. If human’s average lifespan is around 70 … that is a little more than 26 lifetimes. At this point in the story, he has lived 26 lifetimes. He has traveled the world, leading the life of a demigod undead hunter, integrating with societies all over. He was a gladiator, which meant he was likely used for sexual purposes. He would not be as curious as a schoolboy, or confused by a woman painting his face. Makeup is not a new invention. Over 1848 years, it’s ludicrous to think that he hasn’t TRIED to paint the strigoi out of himself before.

What I find the most hard to swallow about this scene is not that they replaced Tasa with Louisa or that they gave him a woman at all. I don’t care either way. It is that he acted like a child for most of the flashback. When the little girl ran in and met him, he acted like he’d never met a child before … Wait what?

So, if they had done this "love story" in Rome or sometime around that part of his past, I would have actually bought into it, because he was still on his first lifetime and he was still trusting, and curious, and childish, and … naive.

This leads me back to my headcanon about it. Louisa and her daughter remind him of Tasa and Sura, so he bought into the "romance," or the “idea” of it. He’s been alone for a long time and he’s grown tired and this woman pops out of nowhere and offers him a chance to revisit what he had lost so long ago, then maybe he would be more open to … moving in with her after a couple of days / weeks? (I agree with @theforgottensheikah on this. I fully understand they are rushed, but some kind of montage would have made it seem like more time had passed? The quickness was terribly OoC).

Expectation vs. Execution: The scene itself

Intimacy + Bonding vs. Strange Stinger Kink + Porno Moans

IMHO, this was weird. He’s feeding on her. There’s no kiss, there’s no intimacy, there’s no bonding.

They could have made that scene very sexy and made the audience feel the emotion that was supposedly there (even with the unbelievable Quinlan makeup) by having something like:

Forehead or nose touches (I fucking love these, sorry).

Quinlan refusing at first, telling her he didn’t want to hurt her, expressing concern for her.

Kissing … good lord, some kind of kissing.

Twitching and rattling with excitement over just the possibility of touching her.

I’m not daft or a fool. I get what they were trying to convey, but it fell flat. I’m not a crazy fangirl because I was more than open to see this. I DIDN’T MISS THE POINT AT ALL. But I wanted to see some intimacy. I wanted to see how Rupert would convey that intimacy. I was excited to possibly see Quinlan kissing someone.

IT … FELL … FLAT and then they made it weird.

He drinks her. Hmmm. To him, humans are food. To him, humans have always been food. 1848 years of food food food. I get that she’s got the kink and he conforms to it, but that’s not his kink He does what she asks but I’ve never been a huge vampire/blood play fan because … You like a good steak, but that doesn’t mean you want to fuck the cow, and if you are fucking the cow, doesn’t mean you are eating them at the same time. This disappointed me because it’s an incredibly clichéd vampire trope and I would hope that someone like Quinlan would be beyond it, especially at his age.

Also, I want to point out something particularly poignant here. Given how he reacted to the Master reminding him of Ancharia in 2x07, her death is still very much an open wound. So, I would think that being encouraged to drink from Louisa would be uncomfortable for him, to say the least. Since the Master forced him to drink the last known human that he cared for to survive, this scenario should actually be quite traumatic to him.

And, why would he want to drink someone he loves, especially after she just told him he was more beautiful as a human than a strigoi?  Isn’t that confusing?  She just painted him up like a human and then told him to drink her like a strigoi.  I digress ...

When I watched this part of the episode, I wasn’t crying, I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t even cringing. When I watched this part of the episode, I started laughing. This is no exaggeration. Even my husband asked me what I was ‘cackling’ about because these flashbacks played as if I was watching them re-enact a bad fanfiction. After it was over, I was more embarrassed and a bit creeped out about being a fan than angry or even disappointed.

What ran through my head was:

Oh good god. Is this what the show runners think of us?

Someone who accepts him in all of his unique beauty vs. Someone who tells him he needs to be human to be beautiful

I don’t need to touch on this subject as many already have. Instead, I’ll let Guillermo del Toro speak for all of us:

Well, I have said this in the past, so I hope i don’t bore you by repeating it, but I think that we live or die under the tyranny of perfection. Socially, we are pushed towards being perfect. Physically, beautiful to conform to standards that are cruel and uncommon, to behave and lead our lives in a certain way, to demonstrate to the world that we are happy and healthy and all full of sunshine. We are told to always smile and never sweat, by multiple commercials of shampoo or beer.

And I feel that the most achievable goal of our lives is to have the freedom that imperfection gives us.

And there is no better patron saint of imperfection than a monster.

We will try really hard to be angels, but I think that a balanced, sane life is to accept the monstrosity in ourselves and others as part of what being human is. Imperfection, the acceptance of imperfection, leads to tolerance and liberates us from social models that I find horrible and oppressive.

— Guillermo del Toro, on why he has always been intrigued by monsters

Passive vs. Submissive vs. Dominant

Quinlan was uncharacteristically passive in this episode. HE WAS THE SEXY LAMP THIS TIME. From Ancharia to Rome to modern day, he’s never been this passive. Even when he was working with Abe, he was still contributing and arguing.

This breaks the continuity of his characterization.

Aside

For those comparing him to Dracula AND/OR Lestat and using that as a basis for belittling others into loving what they saw: I didn’t pick Mr. Quinlan because he reminded me of other critically acclaimed vampires.  I picked Mr. Quinlan as my favorite fictional character because he was uniquely interesting and beautiful.

I chose him because of how intriguing and new he looked, how he acted and how Mr. Penry-Jones portrayed him.  I picked him because he was different than any other vampire/dhampir/nephilim I had ever seen.  Comparing what they did to him with other vampires, regardless of how I feel about those other character, actually cheapens his uniqueness for me.

Also, Gary Oldman was a shapeshifter in that movie and thus, it was well within my suspension of disbelief that he could change the contours of his face to look entirely human.

Now ... Understanding Your Fanbase

Part of the reason I, and many more fans, like the character of Quinlan is because he doesn’t conform to modern beauty standards. I loved that he wasn’t your average handsome, makeup-laden (cough - Twilight) vampire hunk. I loved that he was unique and complex. They took one of the most important aspects of his character and they wanted us to buy into a rushed and botched romance with a woman who wanted to fundamentally change him. Tasa fan or not, it’s very clear why this bothered people.

Would you and SHOULD YOU be with someone who convinced you that you needed to get plastic surgery?  I guess, since this is made by ‘Hollywood’, then this is an acceptable thing in that space?

In Conclusion: 4x05

No, we did not miss the point. No, we aren’t being stupid fangirls who don’t want to share Quinlan. The fact is, we just aren’t that gullible. Many of the people in this fandom have written their own fics, whether it be explicit or not, whether it be with an original character or Tasa or another canon character.

An impressive amount of us have actually sat down and put pen to paper in an attempt to characterize Quinlan. This is a difficult thing to do, because we like to think that he’s incredibly complex and mysterious. But, everyone is free to have their own interpretation of him.

Mini rant: Why does The Strain always make their female characters so sexually aggressive?  From Nora ripping Eph’s clothes off in the middle of an episode, to Anya being the one to invite Gus into her warm bosom, to Dutch VERY AGGRESSIVELY seducing both Fet and Eph, to Louisa begging for it?  Is this really the only type of woman that exist in this world?

In Further Conclusion: Quinlan and The Strain Fandom

I’ve never been a superfan of anything in my life and, while it has been a phenomenally creative outlet, the toxicity and ugliness of the current fandom makes me realize that I’ve got to get back to being an adult now. At the end of the day, it’s just any old terrible TV show and they’ve decided to remove the one thing that was inspiring me to continue watching and the bragging that it’s only going to get worse only tires me more.

It’s absolutely no secret that if the Strain didn’t have Quinlan in it, I would have stopped watching it halfway through season 3. It was all over the place, from the plot holes, strange character direction, and … of course … the treatment of women.

On that note, allow me a tiny tangent.  Something has seemed significantly off about the Strain since it came back together to film Season 4. Speculation on the cause of this tepidness shown from the creators, crew, and actors has driven mad speculation throughout the remaining members of the dwindling fandom.

What was going on that no one wanted to say anything? Was it that good that they didn’t want to spoil anything or … was it that bad that people are actually embarrassed about their contractual involvement? Why wasn’t the cast promoting it very much anymore? Why wasn’t the social media team themselves promoting it very much? Why weren’t there any teasers or anything to drive anticipation. And … most importantly … where the fuck did Guillermo del Toro go?!?

While we’re desperate to know why everything seemingly fizzled out, as just ‘simple fans’ who’s opinions don’t matter, we will never be privy to such information. If anyone has any insight into this and they’d like to share with me as a parting gift, please do so. It would be a private conversation.

I’ve been putting far too much passion into promoting and generating content for this show and after the atrocity that was the last episode (and the manner in which people reacted to criticism of the episode), I’ll be taking an indefinite hiatus from further involvement in this fandom. (Indefinite: lasting for an unknown or unstated length of time.) After all, I’m just a ‘simple fan’, and the only way that I can really show my disdain for the misdirection is by boycotting further direct involvement in the fandom.

WAIT! WAIT! WHAT ABOUT THE GODDAMN FIC!?!

。゜゜(´Ｏ｀)°゜。

I do not regret the time I’ve put into this as it gave me the confidence to reach beyond what I thought I was capable of and it drove me to start writing finally. I don’t even regret that the Strain was terrible in Season 3, because the best fanfic actually comes out of terrible shows (for obvious reasons). And regardless of what happens next in the show (which I am politely declining to watch further), no one can EVER take away the headcanon that I’ve created for myself and my version of Quinlan. Overall, I am incredibly proud of the characters that I built and the fandom that I have for my own interpretation.

With that being said, the latest episode was amazingly uninspiring and it kinda murdered my muse a bit. I will see what I can do about that. I promise. And if there is enough interest in me continuing it, I will.

Now, my fierce and lovely fandom … prepare yourselves for one final and epic commission for Straining for Originality. I’d wanted to wait until the chapter, but fuck it all …

Gif by @quintustheinvictus

#the strain #quinlan #Mr. Quinlan #quintus sertorius #the born #rant #the strain rant #the strain review #review

[neverreallythoughtaboutthefuture]

Hey guys!

So, I’d promised to give you a little review of the movie “Radius” after I went to the world premiere, and OMG!  Where do I even start?

First, as you can see, yes, I had the incredible pleasure and great privilege of meeting with Diego  Klattenhoff.  Actually, I had not been expecting how ridiculously relaxed the whole premiere would be.

We were among the first who arrived (roughly 4th in line), and they were asking people to wait in line outside for the theater doors to open (but you could still freely walk into the lobby, go buy popcorn, go to the bathroom, etc.  It was just to make sure we didn’t get confused with those who had worked on the movie, and were waiting in another section of the lobby inside).

At some point, I noticed two people (a man and woman) greeting those who were waiting in line behind us and chatting a bit with them. Then, they said “thanks for coming to see the movie!”, and I realised that they were the directors.  Their friends were in line like everyone else, and they were just there, hanging out and chatting with people.  No stress.  They eventually went inside but would just walk around and mingle.  No security in sight (or if there was, they were dressed casually like the rest of us), no nothing.

I almost missed Diego and Charlotte’s arrival, because I was looking inside – expecting them to either already be waiting inside the theater, or come join the group that had worked on the movie from another entrance.  But they basically just stepped out of an SUV that dropped them right in front of the building, and entered the lobby by the same door as everyone else.

So, it’s Frédérick (my partner) who tapped me on the shoulder, and made me notice he’d just arrived.  If Fred hadn’t said anything, I kid you not, I literally could have been walking right beside him without noticing him, because we entered the building at the same time roughly side by side, and I’ve been known to have tunnel vision when I’m focused on something else.  Lol!

Since he lingered a bit in the lobby while most people were continuing to walk towards the theater to go get a good seat without really paying attention to him, I decided to take the opportunity to ask him if he had the time to take a picture with me, and to sign my copy of “Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero”.

The moment I said “Hi,”, he immediately introduced himself by saying “Hi, I’m Diego,” and extending his hand towards me.  Of course, I introduced myself back and we shook hands, but I found this moment kind of adorable, because I wasn’t exactly sure if he was introducing himself by giving me his name to put me more at ease, or because he wasn’t exactly expecting me to know him.

I’ve had one other experience thus far where I was lucky enough to meet with some actors (mainly from “Battlestar Galactica” and “Stargate”, in case you guys are curious), and, from what I remember, they tended to say “Hi, what is your name?”, and ask you how you were.  They didn’t usually say their own name when greeting fans, because they assumed you already knew.

So, I did have that moment where my brain went “OMG! You’re so cute!”, because of course I knew who he was given that I went to the premiere in great part to support him and his new movie. 

But then, I realised that this was a movie premiere, and not exactly a meet and greet event (unlike the “Réunion Stellaire), so there was absolutely no way for him to know I was a fan of his work.  Not to mention that a lot of the movie’s publicity over here had been made around the two directors, and the fact that this was Quebec movie (from the direction, to the cinematography, to the sound mixing, most of the people that worked on it are Quebecers, though the filming locations and part of the crew are also from Manitoba).  Therefore, introducing himself by name made a lot of sense.

He and Charlotte really behaved like they were just part of that large group of people who’d contributed to the movie, and did not try to bring the focus of the event back to them at any point.  I didn’t think to ask Diego if he understood French (some English Canadians aren’t comfortable speaking it, but they can understand some of it), because although the film was made in English, the whole event was held in French (except for the Q&A, where they invited the audience to ask their questions in either language.  Some of us decided to ask them in English, especially when they were more directed at the actors).

Still, that very first contact and him saying “Hi, I’m Diego” really made me smile.  And @alyblacklist, you were so right about him being just the nicest man!  He is so patient, kind, and gracious with his fans.  Shortly after he took that picture with me, he got called to take a few more official pictures with Charlotte, the directors, producers, etc. (i.e. those that were originally posted on Facebook and Twitter that some of you have re-posted here), but told me he’d be right back to sign the cover of my book.

Sure enough, the moment he was done, he came back, immediately apologized for the delay, and reassured me that he hadn’t forgotten about me.

He’d been gone for less than five minutes. : D

I know he’s Canadian, and we do have the tendency to apologize a lot, be super polite, and try to make sure others are comfortable, but how are you even real?

So, having already had the chance to meet him before the movie even started, seeing that he was starting to get a little busier, and floating on my own little cloud of happiness, Frédérick and I went inside to find a seat.

There was a small presentation / introduction where we got the chance to get to know a bit more about the directors (and learn about their sense of humor, I really need to translate that part later…) and other people involved in the movie.

Then, everyone started mewling like cats before the movie began (apparently, it’s a tradition at Fantasia), and, after the movie, there was a Q&A with the directors, actors, and the rest of the team.

And yes, there was indeed a scene near the beginning of the movie where Liam (Diego’s character), who has lost his memories, uses the tip of a garden gnome’s hat to break a window so he can slide his hand inside, and unlock the door of what is apparently his home.

@coopers-blacklist-gnome  will be pleased to learn that no gnome was harmed in the making of this movie, though.  ;  )  The gnome helps Diego with the breaking and entering, but totally survives the encounter.  :  D  It’s so good to see these two collaborating together for once!  ; )  Perhaps there’s hope for a peace, or at least a truce, after all!

So yes, I just had to ask if the scene had been intended to be a nod to the fans of “The Blacklist”, or if Diego just somehow randomly happens to have gnomes randomly following him a bit everywhere.  ;  b

Apparently, it was a nod to Peter Jackson and the directors’ other movie “Turbo Kid”. 

So the answer is yes, it seems he really has gnomes “haunting him” ever since that unfortunate encounter.  ;  )

But, from what I understand, Diego was totally aware that fans of “The Blacklist” might notice the gnome while filming the scene (but did not tell the directors about garden gnomes being sort of part of “The Blacklist” lore, so that moment of them realizing it and Diego making that evil mastermind laugh was kind of funny!).

Hmm…  What else? Oh yes!  There is a shirtless scene!  Very important key point of the movie, obviously.

Aaand that’s about the extent of the spoilers I am willing to give.  Lol!  I will give you my impressions of the movie itself in a moment, though, just after I finish my little retelling of the evening (otherwise I’ll get hopelessly sidetracked and forget tons of things).  ;  )

So, after the whole Q&A, most people were leaving, while a few got downstairs to talk with the directors, cast and crew.

Since I’d already had the chance to meet him before (albeit briefly), I stayed a little aside, and waited for Diego to be alone before approaching him again.  We spoke a bit about “Pacific Rim”, and he told me how he’d suggested to Guillermo del Toro that Yancy should show up again on a lifeboat or something at some point during or after the movie (with amnesia, and a special power where everyone within 50 feet of him…  Okay, just kidding!  Uh oh. Shit.  Too late.  Now my mind’s already exploring crossover possibilities…  I need help.).

And Guillermo basically told him “Nah man, you’re dead.”  But really, if they can bring back Hannibal Chau, they can do anything!  :  D

He also said that “Pacific Rim” was initially intended to be a trilogy, but now he’s really not sure they are sticking to that initial plan (and/or the initial scenario / story that had been planned originally), especially given that Charlie Hunnam (Raleigh Becket) won’t be part of the sequel. 

Though he said that you never knew, and perhaps the next one will be even better than the original!  I might have expressed a slight doubt, given how the first movie raised the bar ridiculously high in my humble opinion (and especially, given the many reasons and rather unique circumstances why I became so attached to it). But hey!  I’ll try to keep an open mind!  ; ) 

So, I walked into the building with him, and I basically also ended up leaving the theater to get to the lobby after the movie with him, too.  Another thing I noticed, is that he either opened and/or kept the doors open for me while we walked together, and always let me step in first.  It briefly confused me, because I usually do the same with people. This could easily have ended up in a “after you,” “no, after you” scenario, but I managed to tame those instincts.  Lol!

After I wished him a good evening (because it was getting late, and Fred and I needed to get up early the next day), someone else came to introduce himself to him, ask him his full name, and some questions. Later, on my way out of the bathroom, I met that person again, and he asked me if I’d been among the people who had worked on the movie.

His question took me a bit by surprise, so after answering “no”, I asked him why he thought I was involved in the movie.  He said that he’d watched me talk with Diego a few times, overheard part of our conversation, and he thought we knew each other.

Nah, Diego’s just super kind, genuine, down-to-earth, and very easy to approach like that. : D  And, well, since there was no guarantee I ever would be given an opportunity to physically meet with him again, and I didn’t seem to be keeping other fans from having their chance to interact with him, I decided that I would make the most of the time I was given.  ;  )

Also, it seems that, no matter how I keep expecting for the world to run out of plaid shirts for him to wear, he’s found a never-ending well!  : D  And it’s a good thing, because he absolutely looks great in them.

As for the movie itself, I really loved it!

The concept behind the story is very intriguing, and it is very well acted, directed, and edited.  I didn’t feel like some moments were moving too slow, nor did I get confused by the numerous flashbacks as the two main characters slowly recover their memories.

The story essentially starts with a blank slate, and slowly, pieces of the puzzle get together.

I’m also quite thrilled and very grateful for the fact that the story and the way the relationship (as in “how they are related to each other, and the nature of the connection they share”) between the two protagonists evolve gave Diego an opportunity to really show a lot of range as an actor.  Once again, I’m trying to avoid giving too much information, but his character ended up being extremely interesting, and much more complex than originally expected (by me, at least).

As a huge fan of the whole nature v.s. nurture debate, the movie really struck a chord with me.  And having seen it before most people definitely feels both like both a blessing and a curse right now, because there aren’t many people I can discuss it with!  Lol!

But it truly is a blessing more than anything else, and I’m fully aware of just how ridiculously lucky I am, do not worry.

That’s pretty much all I can think of for now.  If you guys have any other questions, please feel free to ask!

As for spoilers, I might be willing to give you a bit more of them in private, should any of you be currently going mad over not knowing what happens in the movie, but I do have to warn you that this is one of those extremely rare movies where I feel that spoilers might take a little (actually, pretty big) something away from the whole experience. And the thing is, it’s not even a HUGE twist or something that you couldn’t guess at per say. I did see the ending coming a little before getting confirmation of my suspicions, but the way the movie was directed and edited made it so that the timing was just right.  It didn’t occur so soon that it took anything away from the moment where you get said confirmation, nor lessen the emotional impact.

But it is hard, and painful, and I’m not saying if this has a happy ending or not, but it really got to me and I’m still not fully over it.

And I really think that having known everything since the very beginning would have completely changed my perspective, and I would have been more or less hurting and mourning for those characters from the get go.

So, my suggestion really is to experience it first in an unspoiled manner to fully appreciate it.

But that having been said, as someone who reads the end of every book before the beginning, and tends to walk into a theater knowing the plot of an entire movie by heart before having seen it, I will respect your choice, and won’t hold those spoilers back from you if you absolutely must know about them.

But I’ve sworn to Diego that if I did personally give anyone any spoilers, it would be in private, and I’d clearly ask those people not to publish them where the information can easily be found publicly.

I know the video of the Q&A already offers tons of spoilers and pretty much gives the ending away (at least partially), but I still intend to make good on my word, so I’d sincerely appreciate it if you guys respected that, and kept any spoilerish information I might give you to yourselves.

Also, the reason why I only have so few photos, and they are taken from so far away, is because I used the better camera I had with me to film the whole Q&A, and the three pictures here were taken with a cellphone.  But I might eventually take a look at my copy of that video, and do more screen captures if I find something interesting.  :  D

I’m glad someone made a more professional video of the Q&A, though, because my version is probably going to be pretty shaky (because I was filming most of the time without looking at the camera.  I mean yes, videos are a nice way to keep and preserve memories, but not at the price of forgetting to watch Diego being there live right in front of you.  Lol!   So yeah, I was trying to film it and keep my hands steady, but there are times when I glanced down and went “Ooops! People are moving out of the frame now!” Lol!), and at some point, I had a major issue with the focus (and was trying to find a way to fix it without stopping the video, so I wouldn’t miss anything of what they were saying in it).

But yeah, since the video had a much better zoom and was HD, some screenshot might make interesting photos, at least, so when I get the chance to watch it I might post more.

#Diego Klattenhoff #Radius Movie #Radius #Yancy Becket #Donald Ressler #Pacific Rim #The Blacklist #Garden Gnomes #related #; ) #Yes #I touched a Becket #My life is complete now #: D #My Posts #My Stuff #My Thoughts #OCC

[lucidlucy]

Firstly, are you feeling better? (I think you mentioned you were sick recently?) I was wondering what some of your favorite tv shows/movies are? And on a completely different note, I was also curious what you studied in college and if you have any advice for new students? If you don't mind sharing? (I start my freshman year on Monday and I am kind of nervous and already stressing) Sorry, I know that's a lot of questions! Love your writing!

Oh boy alright! ok. Here we go.

So: first, I’m feeling much better, though it’s been slow going. I had a crap week and a half there health wise and it sucked, but I’m much better now! thank you

TV SHOWS! I’ve been watching a whole lot of things I watched as a kid lately (binge-watching them anime shows, man…all of them, so many of them), slowly chipping through Hannibal episodes, the 100 episodes, but mostly kind of obsessed with watching funny kdramas lately. 

Movies I’ve been feeling rather underwhelmed with too many movies lately, but one of my forever favorites will always be Pan’s Labyrinth (Del Toro), Pride & Prejudice, and an odd one that few people seem to know: Eternity and a Day, directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos. A+  storytelling, though on the sad end of the spectrum. Definitely worth watching, though. 

As for college stuff, I was a double major in the fine arts =] and as for advice: don’t slack your freshman year. It’s very easy to fuck up your GPA that first semester, because you have freedom, and nobody’s telling you what to do of going after you to do your homework. It’s easy to skip when you have time to go sit out on a park during nice weather instead of being in class ;p but honestly… not worth it. I had friends who ended up in academic probation right out of the gate for doing this, and while i certainly indulged in some of those things, it was a hell of a fight to make sure my GPA remained high enough for the rest of my academic career after that. It’s easy to screw it up, but hard to bring up. I ended up graduating cum laude, but it took buckling down and studying until my eyes bled to get there, and lemme tell you… it’s a pain in the ass to raise it even a half a point. 

But aside from that though! I say make the best of it during your free time. Make friends, get to know your RAs if you’re staying on campus (they’re a lifesaver), participate in school activities, EAT HEALTHY (those college pounds are a real thing, man. especially once the stress starts kicking in during sophomore/junior year) and exercise, go to the college games. Seriously, there’s nothing more exciting than a whole stadium of people screaming when your school’s team scores a point, even if you don’t understand the sport ;p it’s good to go if only to hang out with friends. Keep a daily planner. It’s a pain in the ass until you get used to it, but trying to use the “I’ll remember this assignment’s duedate later” is the fastest way to forget it and miss your deadline, or be pulling crap overnighters at the last minute lol. 

Try your best to schedule your classes in blocks if you can. I found that for me it was great to frontload my classes monday to wednesday, with a few on Thursday. that meant I had friday all to myself, and most of Thursday through Monday to get all my assignments done without having to be running about campus at all hours. Whatever works for you, though, just don’t schedule so many that you’re starting to fall apart at the seams (I did this too, unfortunately, and carrying two majors was stressful af). Classes early in the morning sound like a great idea but if you can, maybe do them after 10 if you enjoy your sleep. Get familiar and become good friends with your writing center (they will help you through a lot of your papers and you will thank them for the rest of your life), your math center, your campus clinic, and make sure to actually enjoy the facilities available to you. You’re certainly going to be paying out of the ass for those facilities and resources out of your tuition anyway, so might as well put them to good use. 

Most of all though, enjoy your time. College being one of the best experiences for people is not an understatement, it can be an amazing experience - and an eye opening one, as long as you’re responsible with your time.

#;;mailday #thefandomsawaken #somebody talk to me