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justthegreat1 · 1 year

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Friendship Evolves: M3GAN Review

Pictured above is the “M3GAN” poster.

Image credit: Universal Pictures, BlumHouse Studios, Atomic Monster Productions

This review is going to be a little different because I usually review the theatrical version of the movies I cover, but for todays review I’m going to be reviewing the Unrated version of M3GAN as that was the version that was going to go to theaters before it got toned down to a PG-13 rating. I’m so excited that they released this version of M3GAN so soon after making $171.2 million in the global box office. So, lets get straight to the spoiler-free review.

M3GAN is a 2023 science fiction horror film directed by Gerard Johnstone, Written by Akela Cooper (Malignant (2021)), Produced by James Wan (who also directed Malignant (2021),and Jason Blum. The soundtrack is done by Anthony Willis. The cast involves Allison Williams as Gemma, Violet McGraw as Cady, Ronny Chieng as David, Amie Donald as M3GAN, Jenna Davis as the voice of M3GAN, Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole, Jen Van Epps as Tess, Stephane Garneau-Monten as Kurt, Lori Dungey as Celia, Amy Usherwood as Lydia, Jack Cassidy as Brandon, Michael Saccente as Greg, Samson Chan-Boon as Officer Carter, Kira Josephson as Ava, Renee Lyons as Holly, and Arlo Green as Ryan.

The Plot:

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll that’s programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by Gemma, a brilliant roboticist, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend and teacher, playmate, and protector. When Gemma becomes the unexpected caretaker of her 8-year-old niece, she decides to give the girl an M3GAN prototype, a decision that leads to unimaginable consequences.

Positives:

One positive I have about the movie was the cast and the use of the character of M3GAN. An example of the use of M3GAN was the descent from a protective friend to an obsessive, psychotic, and cold-blooded killer…. who dances which had me laughing. I really liked the relationship of Cady and Gemma as they bond over time and how the bond they built pays off in the third act of the movie.

Pictured above is the M3GAN dance scene (which is already a meme)

Image Credit: Universal Pictures, BlumHouse Studios, and Atomic Monster Productions

The second positive I have about the movie is how they nailed the tone; it is campy but at the same time it is scary as hell considering the technology we have now. It also discusses the dangers of technology while not being too preachy.

The third and final positive I have about the movie is the kills as it is bloody in the unrated version while kills in the PG-13 version happened offscreen and bloodless. The kills are pretty creative whether its with a power washer or a paper cutter, the movie (Unrated version) doesn’t hold back on the blood. While it’s not as bloody as “Terrifer 2” or the “Saw” franchise, some of the scenes are horrific.

Negatives:

The first negative I have about this movie is that I wish we spent a little bit more time with evil M3GAN. Evil M3GAN shows up at the halfway point of the movie, but that’s alright as it pays off. The second negative I have is some of the acting was questionable at some points, however it’s okay as it matches the campiness of the movie.

My overall thoughts:

After watching the unrated version of M3GAN, I believe releasing the unrated version a month after the PG-13 was released was a smart move considering the success of the PG-13 version. In saying that however, I believe this is the version that should have been released in theaters. If you are into killer doll movies or movies that deals with the dangers of artificial intelligence, then this is the movie for you. I found the movie to be really entertaining, darkly funny, and has rewatch value. I can’t wait until 2025 to see M3GAN 2.0

Where to watch M3GAN?

M3GAN can be watched on Peacock, Digital retailers, Blu-Ray, and DVD coming out March 21st, 2023.

What did you think about M3GAN?

Feel free to comment on this post and please keep the comments respectful.

Thank You

#m3gan 2023 #horror movies 2023 #peacock #horror #killer doll

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tessacxstello · 4 years

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hello im (F, 24) an idiot and forgot to post tessa’s (F, 22, fictional) intro!

pls bare in mind most of this was written 5+ years ago n i haven’t written tessa since 2015...... but lets get this show (LOCKWOODRP) on the road (DASHBOARD).

tw school shooting, tw bipolar disorder

art hoe. always covered in paint. why?? she bad at painting

the mark rothko jackson pollock kind of bad tho wher people are like.... omg.... revolutionary..... its a badly drawn vagina

fuckin loves astrology, but cant take it that seriously bcos one of her bfs was a gemini so there’s some lenience there. but she WILL blame her hormones and mood swings on the positon of mars

embodies pure sunshine.

one of those really annoying people that can go through the most traumatic shit and still find a positive spin.

cares so much for others but does not really care for herself n it’s meant she just bottles up all this shit n when someone asks her how her day has gone she just falls on the ground like tht bit in midsommar when florence does that loud wheezy noise and sits down

has never really had much money at all. learns to make-do with what she has. loves upcycling!! her bookshelf is made from cardboard which she’s reinforced by pappering it over with pages ripped out of thrifted books. her sofa is an old car boot which she’s repainted, put on wheels and stuffed w cushions so that it’s actually bearable to sit on.

her knitted cardigan? its made out of wife material.

knits all the time. will crochet you a christmas scarf. if ur lucky you might get a knitted jumper with a penis in a santa hat

still sleeps with cuddly toys n then wonders why ppl dont think she’s mature enough for a serious relationship

very passionate about Sister Doing It For THemselves!! raised by a single mom who worked her ass off so that tessa could do fun activities after school, have lelli kelly shoes, and go to college (not necessarily in tht order of importance)

tessa was born out of wedlock as the result of an affair between her mom (a journalism intern in her early 20s) and a new york times editor.

the editor offered to pay tessa’s mom off to have an abortion, but she was like fuck u and told the papers he’d done that and used the money to cover the cost of her internship which they refused to pay her for

and because of the scandal, he ended up going through a pretty messy divorce with his wife, and losing custody of his kids. so as a child tessa was seen as the cause of a divorce and received mutliple letters from the editors wife (to tessa personally!) and his kids saying how she had ruined everything, but her mom moved them to another town so tessa didn’t have to deal with that crap.

her mom worked 3 jobs to put her through school, so in return tessa pushes herself incredibly hard to succeed. needs a break and a hug and to get laid to be honest.

an old soul. likes old films, old music, old people. only recently got an iphone 5s so not really with this century yet

very sweet and soft and kind but also a fucking mess and won’t listen to anyone else’s opinion. she’ll take comfort, but not advice.

feminist buddhist bisexual vegetarian for human rights and animal welfare. standing on a soapbox shouting about the climate in the quad, shoving flyers into your hands. flyers everwhere. she turns up at your grandmas funeral and shoves one into her mouth. she’s stolen the mic from the vicar to talk about pandas.

says “mother of pearl” and “heavens to betsy”.

had an affair with her married piano teacher and he’s now facing a custody battle and his wife is leaving him and tessa has completely internalised that guilt despite her being the victim in the scenario

aesthetics: paint splattered jeans, loose curls spilling from a scrunchie, thrifted blouses in bright yellow, guzzling coffee in the library at three am when a term paper’s due, shoddily illustrated campaign posters to save endangered species, polaroids plastered to your bedroom walls with scribbled dates on the frames, jumping into a stack of autumn leaves, jumping off piers in the summer months and stripping off your wet clothes on the beach, digging your thumbs into peaches to leave a bruise, smoking with the extractor fan on to hide the smell, bath bombs, letting the girls at lush rub samples all over your skin, cacti with knitted bobble hats, decorative pillows and sun and moon blanket throws, basic bitch fairy lights hanging from every single window, painting the name of the boys you’ve loved inside your wardrobe door.

studies fine art and philosophy, and wants to become either a lecturer or the first woman president. vibe wise, very similar to leslie knope, missy from big mouth, and basically the naive everygirl with a high opinion of themselves trope

gets drunk off like one double vodka lemonade because she’s small and she’s a pretty messy wild drunk. it’s when slutty tessa comes out, and the next day she’ll thoroughly regret every choice made and decide she’s never drinking again and cutting out all men and starting daily sudoko

on the cheerleading team and is a flyer, which she sees as a HUGE responsibility and she works really hard to make sure she’s on it for her team. one of those get up at 7am and go to the gym before school types its sickening

she had a really traumatic time at high school because there was a shooting in her school. she was in the next classroom when it happened, and she lost one of her friends in the shooting. she had to take two months off school, was diagnosed with depression and put on anti-depressants because of it. in her 2nd year of uni she was rediagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety, which she’s now on medication for. she can be really good for several months at a time and feel super creative and determined (she actually finds manic periods helpful for her creativity n art, n sadly sometimes doesn’t take her meds in these periods to push herself more which is obvs super bad.....). but when the bad periods come they can also last months n she had to take a semester out of school last year because of her mood, so she should be a senior by now but she’s retaking junior year

she attends weekly stress-management sessions prescribed by her doctor which she finds pointless.

very childish in the sense that she can only see her own point of view and kind of views herself as the “protagonist” and thinks her ideas are super important and life changing and she IS Destined for Greatness! despite being pretty much average af

pinterest board.

STATS

age: 22

height: 5'2"

positive traits: kind-hearted, gregarious, selfless, philosophical, open minded, idealistic, courageous, feisty, charismatic, loyal, adventurous.

negative traits: stubborn, hot-headed, reticent, escapist, self-destructive, easily led, naive, troubled, complicated, stepford smiler, envious, overdramatic, explosive.

distinguishing Marks: heart-shaped birthmark on the right of her chest, splattering of freckles across the cheeks during summer months, full lips, large eyes, porcelain features, long wavy hair, tattoo of a bird and a cage on her ankles and a basic bitch arrow tat on her wrist (srry to anyone with an arrow tat).

skills: jack-of-all-trades, talented pianist, perceptive, knows the correct way to throw a punch, good survival instinct, is able to remain calm in stressful situations, endures, artistic, excels in academic studies, hard-working and self-motivated, expert liar and talented actress.

likes: wolves, vintage thrift store fashion, old leather-bound books, left-wing democratic politics, cigarettes, poetry, John Hughes movies, cold coffee, hot tea, the sound of laughter, staying up til 4am having deep conversations, Tchaikovsky, having deep conversations about life, stationary, DC Comics, horoscopes, winged eyeliner, cats, knee-high socks, house music, abandoned buildings, studio ghibli, the smell of the earth after rain, Wes Anderson films, herbal tea, old people, solitude, esoteric things, the smell of freshly baked bread, Charles Bukowski, the moon.

fears: death, oblivion, global warming, losing those she loves, isolation, clowns, guns, enclosed spaces.

nicknames: Tess, T-Dog, Tessie, Socrates, Princess, Sunshine Girl, Florence Nightingale.

alignment: Neutral Good

MBTI type: INFP

BIOGRAPHY

tw school shooting

Her story begins with Cordelia Costello, a twenty-three year old college drop-out, turned beautician, turned columnist, turned intern at a local publishing company. She was a youthful, beautiful, siren of a women, always surrounded by an aura of enigma and an entourage of men. It was no surprise to the gossips in the office that within six months working at the company, Cordelia had added to her list another title – mistress to Franklin Hozier, the Editor of the New York Times. After two blissful months and three hundred and twenty seven orgasms, Cordelia decided she wanted a baby. Franklin laughed in her face. Feeling isolated and used, Cordelia continued her affair with her boss’ boss for another month, before deciding to take matters into her own hands.

It started with a turkey baster.

Soon the infant cries of a baby girl graced the world, her wrinkled skin puckered and pink as her mother held her in her arms, glancing upon the most beautiful thing in her life. Once Tessa, named after Cordelia’s favourite literary heroine, entered the world, Franklin left her life and things took a turn for the better. Despite living in a rented one-bedroom apartment in Staten Island, on what little money Cordelia had saved, Tessa’s childhood years were filled with nothing but the happiest of memories. Times were tough, but what they lacked in money, the Costello’s made up in love. While Tessa was at school, Cordelia did odd jobs cleaning, child-minding, working in local nurseries, in order to save up enough money to give her daughter the best start in life.

Despite what she had been led to believe by television shows and teen movies, the first few years of High School were some of the best years of her life. Tessa threw herself into a multitude of activities that High School offered her, including the drama club, the orchestra, choir, badminton and the school newspaper. While she certainly wasn’t considered ‘popular’ at school, Tess had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. In fact, High School was a place where she made some of the greatest memories of her life, but come her final year, it was also a place where she was haunted by some of her worst.

On the January 17th of Tessa’s senior year of high school, a shooting took place in Westville High School. For two hours Tessa locked herself in a supply cupboard, her head between her knees as she tried to stay silent despite the screams of horror from the corridor. Eighteen students were caught in the crossfire, two of which were Tessa’s best friends. Bouquets of flowers, laminated photographs, Teddy Bears in cling-film bags attached to balloons littered the streets as families and friends came to pay tribute to the eighteen students withered before they had a chance to bloom.

It took two months of therapy before Tessa could return to school. Some of the survivors could never return due to the horrors that their eyes had laid witness to. Sometimes Tessa felt like a part of her had died with the friends that were stolen from her too soon, but one thought kept her going through: she had survived, she was alive and breathing, and she could not afford to loose a second of the precious time she had been granted on this earth. Despite the nightmares that continued to haunt her each night, Tessa found in the aftermath of the disaster a new sense of motivation. She began applying for scholarships for colleges without her mother’s knowledge, in the hope that her academic success would be enough to carry her through further education. Thankfully, it was, and after three torturous months of waiting Tess was offered an arts scholarship to her dream school, Lockwood University, where she hoped she could finally start to rebuild her life.

THE PRESENT:

Life at university was like a separate world. Students came and went like moths among the whisperings and the tequila and the stars. In this new world, Tessa was exposed for the first time in her life to alcohol, drugs, and the sexual appetites of other students her age – though she politely declined all three. Instead, Tessa threw herself into the vast array of activities in the hope that by distracting herself she could escape the terrible flashbacks that continued to haunt her. Tessa joined the lacrosse team, despite never having played before, and took up cheerleading discovering a new talent; she joined the musical theatre group, and the film club, and even set up her own acapella singing society. But despite how much she tried to throw herself into student life, her past hung around her like a bad smell, and with the added pressure of the Sinking Ships zine, Tess began to feel the weight of her secret tying her down like a pair of shackles around her wrists.

PERSONALITY:

If someone was to describe Tessa in a single word, it would most likely be ‘bubbly’, ‘open-minded’ or ‘sweet’. But they would be wrong – Tessa is not bubbly, or sweet, or stubborn, or hotheaded, or fiesty, or infectious, or any of the things the world see her as, but merely a numb and lonely echo of the gregarious, halcyon girl she once was. Tessa Costello was one of life’s enigmas. No one knew who she was, for to each person she met she wore a different mask – she dripped confidence, or was painfully shy; she was an exhibitionist, or a brooding wallflower; she took things too seriously, or not seriously at all. She was an actress and the world was her stage, each person she met a different member of the audience in the performance of her life. In truth, Tessa no longer even recognised herself. Insecure, and self-destructive, she tried to hang on to the extroverted, mischievous pieces of herself that everyone had once loved, but day by day it got harder to know what lay in the vacant holes blown through her mind. While she was stubborn and hot-headed, Tessa always saw the best in people, which meant that she was easily led astray. While she had grown up learning to be street smart and astute, she was idealistic and allowed silly fantasies to cloud her mind. By nature, she was passionate, which lead her to misimagine and romanticise those she met. Despite the hell she had witnessed, and the anxiety that feasted upon her, she believed that people were innately good and that to have courage and be kind could cure anyone of their sadness – yet she was unable to cure herself.

TWITTER:

@500daysoftessa: i blame disney films and musicals for my high expectations of men

@500daysoftessa: i am in love with the boy who works at starbucks. today i asked for a double latte and he gave me a tripple, which i think is proof that my love is requited. our children will be smart and talented and beautiful.

@500daysoftessa: little known historical fact: pharaohs were burried with their hands crossed over their chests because it was a popular belief there would be countless water slides in the after life.

#huntingtonintro #pounce on me for plots #tw school shooting #tw bipolar disorder #tw depression

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zerozeroluckybang · 5 years

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Roswell New Mexico: Tearin’ Up My Heart Thoughts and Theories…

As with the past two weeks, SPOILER ALERT!

This became more of a stream of thoughts because I’m still with the feels.

Can we take a minute before we get into this to appreciate the title of the episode? As a teenager, *N SYNC was my jam. I had posters of them on my walls, their photos taped to my planner and I’m pretty sure they were on my locker, too. So, yeah. Okay.

I want to take a moment to talk about Alex and Michael. Because, if they aren’t the most heartbreaking and stressful pairing on this show, I don’t know who else is.

Their opening scene was sweet and kind of hot, until Isobel interrupted.

I think I can see why Carina said that Michael and Alex’s relationship would be bumpy. And I can also see a path in which they don’t get a happily ever after. Their relationship isn’t just complicated. Its nuts. They have this thing from teen years ago that seems to have ended with Alex walking away and leaving Michael behind in Roswell. I think what they had ten was intense, but in a lot of ways, not a lot has changed. Alex still desires his father’s approval and that conflicts with his feelings for Michael. At this point, I can genuinely say I’m not sure which side will win out.

I’m not exactly sure if Alex is necessarily closeted, and I have a feeling Jesse may know that his son is gay. But the point of contention seems to be Michael, this troubled kid from the wrong side of the tracks who can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble. Jesse seems more upset that his son is possibly in a relationship with Michael.

I guess we finally have the answer to whether or not Isobel knows about Michael’s bisexuality. She does. And he doesn’t care that she does.

Speaking of Isobel, does she knock? Like what if Max had a girl over for reasons other than scientific experiment purposes?

I’m not so sure about Liz in this episode. She knows how Max feels about her and she’s definitely manipulating those feelings to her own purposes. Last week, the argument was ‘he lied to her’ and she didn’t confront of him because ‘she was afraid of him’, but she didn’t seem to have an issue confronting him here. Whereas last week, I could definitely sympathize with her (while feeling sad for Max feeling sad), I’m not sure I can at this moment.

So, Max, Michael, and Isobel are the same age, and Max and Isobel are ‘twins’, and Isobel refers to Max as her and Michael’s brother, does that mean that technically they’re triplets?

MARIA! I like Maria. I’m glad we finally got more of her and I’m hoping that now that she’s had an entire episode of her adventuring with Liz, we’ll be getting more of her. She’s involved now. This episode means she’s involved now, right?

Cam. I don’t know much about her, and I’m not sure I really want to. Like, I can’t blame Max for trying to move on from Liz, and Cam is someone familiar to him, but, I feel like nothing good can come from this whole thing between them. Either she’s going to get her heart broke or it’ll be revealed that she’s an evil alien and Max will be in trouble.

Also. I hope Cam has a notion of what is going on when he chose to go after Liz rather than stay with her.

Any guesses on who Ophiuchus is? For some reason, I want to say Isobel. Mainly because of her seeing Rosa when she was trying to mind warp Liz.

Oh. And MIND WARPING?! So, she essentially has Tess’s abilities. I don’t know how to feel like that.

NOAH. I like Isobel’s husband. I like that he seems to understand her, is there for her, and is encouraging for her. And a night on the veranda (that’s what it is, right?) watching Land Before Time is not a bad night. He’s a winner. Don’t ever let him go, Izzy!!!

Kyle Manuel Valenti. Mama Valenti full named his ass.

I’ve got a theory about Kyle, but in general, I wasn’t sure how I felt about him going into this episode, but I love him now. That’s all.

And a reveal about Jesse. Hmmm..

Are we ever going to meet Alex’s brothers?

The whole drive-in thing… Makes me wish I lived in a small town where we had events like this. I mean, we have a movie at the park thing during the summer, but, it just doesn’t have that small town feel.

Okay. So, the whole thing with Alex and Michael was… I had a pout on my face the entire thing because ultimately, I’m gonna always be Team Michael, and seeing him hurt, hurts me.

Liz’s confrontation of Max. The complete and utter heartbreak on Max’s face when she accused him of murder… I’m fairly certain what’s of my broken heart shattered.

Also. Liz touched Max’s lip and the whole school blacked out.

Also Also. Max’s ‘How did you’ come across as “how did you know” or a “What? How do you know?” kind of exclamation?

I understood Liz’s POV even though I felt bad for Max last week. But, and maybe it’s the biggest bluff in TV history, but Max just doesn’t come across as the type to murder the woman he love’slittle sister.

I love that Max’s pain caused a power outage, it being a physical manifestation of what he’s feeling.

I really want to know what Michael went through as a child. I mean, I don’t need my heart.

In Max’s confession, so his guilt is that he could have done something to help Rosa and he didn’t? That instead of getting her help or just watching out for her, he drove off? And he kept that a secret to protect Liz?

After Max’s confession, with him confessing that everything is about her to him, I think if she has any heart, she’ll take a step back. If she can. Unless the haha part of their life is that the only way he can be calm if she’s around.

That said, her “I don’t trust him” in the end makes me so mad. I stayed neutral last week (ish), but I’m solidly in Team Max’s camp this week.

Noah is perfect and I want one.

Isobel’s favorite movie is The Land Before Time. Me and her should be best friends.

Is it canon that Paul Ryan is an alien?

Kyle growing a back bone. Hope this doesn’t kick him in the ass later.

Okay. Theory time.

I’ve been debating for some time if they were going to pull a storyline where Max has to use his healing powers to save another one of the main gang. For a while I was debating on whether or not it would be Kyle or Alex, and up until last night, I was banking on Alex. But I feel like maybe they’re going to follow the original show (I haven’t read the books in YEARS, so correct me if this is a book thing too) and have Kyle get fatally wounded and Max has to save him.

Isobel has some type of history with Rosa. Whether they were friends or more, I think out of the three aliens, she had a deeper connection with her than we’re being led to believe.

I think there’s a chance that they’ve had a ‘protector’ all along and after seeing her confront Max (after leaving the letter), he perceived her as a threat.

I think that not long from now, the who killed Rosa will shift from Michael, Max, and Isobel to someone killed Rosa, it was an alien, and holy shit there’s more than just us out there!!! I think the aliens will become involved, whether they want to or not.

I have about a million more things to say and I’m sure I’ll put it out there over the week, but what did everyone else think?

Also. I can apparently only put four tags in here before it disappears from the search so when you reblog, add some tags?

#roswell new mexico #max evans #liz ortecho #michael guerin #alex manes

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zoeygreensimblr · 5 years

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King of My Heart (episode 3)

On Friday afternoon we convinced Angus to cut our session down to half hour, he agreed under the condition that we did an hour and half session Monday. I have the feeling Im going to regret this arrangement come Monday but today Im grateful for the shorter session.

"And why exactly are we cutting our time short today girls?" Angus asks, looking suspicious

"We are going to the Stargazer Lounge to celebrate Declan's 18th" Tess explains

"Well I suppose I we better push ourselves today girls, to make up for the amount of sugary cocktails I know you two will consume tonight" He laughs and points in my direction "Especially this one"

We hadn't spoken about what happened on Wednesday night, the night of the blizzard, I didn't bring anything up because I only remembered parts of the night and those memories made me cringe and Angus didn't bring it up at all the next day, he left as soon as the streets were cleared.

"You should join us Angus, Declan won't mind and you will get to met our friends" Tess asks, "Plus, you know the Stargazer Lounge is known for its romantic aura vibe, you could come along and protect Zoey from getting hit on by some undesirable douchebag"

I shoot her a death stare but she takes no notice of me, she's scheming up a plan.

"I'll consider it, I've got some things to do at home tonight, nothing too big, I'm expecting a FaceTime call from Imogen sometime over the weekend, she's not good with remembering that we are in different time zones so when she says she'll call Friday night it could happen anytime tonight or tomorrow morning" He explains, "But you can leave your school bags in my office? It will be locked so they'll be safe in there and I'll get them back to you on Saturday"

Angus' office is at he back of the gym, just a small room containing a desk, chair and a laptop, no photo's in frames, no motivational posters on the walls. As rooms go, it's somewhat boring. Tess, never one to shy away from pointing something out "Remind me to get the details of your interior decorator Angus, I just love what you've failed to do with the space" We all laugh.

The Stargazer Lounge is located just across from Skye Fitness, on top of some of the most expensive apartments in San Myshuno, it features an undercover bar, karaoke and even a massive heated pool. Tess made me wear my swim suit under my dress, I thought she was crazy though considering how cold it is tonight but when we arrive the pool crammed with people.

Tess spots our group sitting in the back, Declan and Sam are doing shots, while Mika and Cassandra are sipping on vodka sodas. The girls greet us both with hug, Declan kisses Tess on the cheek and Sam just waves.

Tess sends Declan to the bar with our drink orders, she explains to the group that she could go up to the bar herself but her heels are really only for decoration, she can barely walk in them. I, on the other hand wore sensible, knee high flat boots, dressed for warmth and comfort, not decoration.

Declan returns with 2 cosmopolitans and tells us he ordered food for the table. We settle in for the night, laughing and talking about our weekend plans, what we plan to study at university and where we are holidaying during Winter break. The drinks are flowing, everyone's having fun and then Sam suggests we should go swimming, I look over at the pool which is still crowded. Everyone starts stripping off down to their swim suits and running towards the pool.

"You coming in Zoey?" asks Cassandra

"Too many people Cass, Im gonna sit this one out"

she nods understandingly, all my friends know I don't like crowds.

I don't want to stay sitting at our table alone though, that just screams "loser", so I get up and take a seat at the bar. The mixologist approaches me and asks "what will it be miss?"

Before I can even answer I hear a familiar voice behind me "she'll have a cosmo and I'll have a light beer"

"Beer has carbs Angus" I tease him without even turning around.

"I'm making a rare exception tonight" He explains, taking the seat next to me. He smells amazing and looks divine.

"Why are you not swimming Miss Green?" he enquires

"Ah, did you see how many people are in that pool right now?"

"And here I was thinking that the girl may not know how to swim"

"Are you joking? I live in Brindleton Bay, we spend every day of Summer in the lake"

Our drinks arrive, I try to pay but he won't let me.

"Ok, but Im getting the next round" I tell him firmly "Otherwise you'll have expectation that you'll be getting laid tonight, I know how these things play out, I've seen it in all the Frat House, boys club movies, you by the girl drinks and she sleeps with you" I laugh at my little joke.

"Do you really think I'm that kind of guy? The type that goes around picking up girls in bars and sleeping around?" He asks, clearly insulted.

"I'm sorry Angus, shit, I was trying to be witty and I just say the wrong thing. You're right, I don't know what kind of guy you are and I shouldn't just assume based off of movie stereotypes"

He turns to face me, pulling my bar stool closer to his and says "Zoey I don't sleep with a woman unless I'm in a committed relationship with her and it's been 2 years since Steph so..."

"Steph? She's the one who cheated on you with your best friend?"

"Yep"

"what an idiot she must be then"

He looks at me and smiles, "And whys that Zoey"

"Because you're hot" I reply

"And you're drunk Miss Green"

"Yeah but I'll be sober in the morning and you'll still be hot so there's that"

"And you'll go back to avoiding talking to me so there's also that"

"I like you Angus and I know I'm speaking with the help of liquid courage right now but I want you to know I am attracted to you, like a lot" I confess but he's looking past me, I turn around to see what's caught his attention and I see it's Tess, wrapped in towel and smiling to herself, she heard everything I just said, great, now these two will spend the whole Monday training session making fun of me.

"Zoey, Declan wants me to stay at his tonight, being his birthday and all, he wants to have some private "Celebration" time, if you get what I mean" Tess says

"So I'm catching the train back to Brindleton Bay alone?" I reply

"You could stay at Cassie house?"

"The Goth House? No way, that place is haunted, I'd rather take my chances on the train with the murderers"

"You can stay at place, you can sleep in Immie's room" Angus offers

Tess locks eyes with me and says "Zoey and I need to have a private conversation", she grabs me by the hand and leads me to an empty table

"Zoey you don't have to do anything you don't want to do OK? If you stay at his house it doesn't mean you owe him anything. Don't let him pressure you to do anything that you don't want to do"

"I won't, I don't think he would either"

"I love you Z"

"Love you too T"

Tess walks me back to the bar where Angus is sitting, staring at his beer.

"Zoey is going to stay at your place tonight but if you do anything to hurt her, anything at all, I will punch you in your pretty boy face, you got that buddy?" Tess threatens

"I'd never do anything to hurt Zoey" he promises.

Tess hugs me goodbye and leaves with Declan.

We sit in silence for about a minute until he speaks

"I mean it Zoey, I'd never do anything to hurt you, I remember everyday what it felt like to have my trust broken"

"I know you would hurt me Angus, if I thought you would then I would never have agreed to come back to your place.Do you have edible snacks and netflix at your apartment? Or do we need to make a pit stop?"

"I have Netflix and carrot sticks"

"pit stop needed and we will need vodka too"

"Zoey?" he asks

"yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

I don't answer him, instead I lean over, place my palm on his check and move my lips in to meet with his. My first kiss, it feels like time is standing still, I can feel my heart rate is racing, don't overthink this Zoey, just go with it.

"I wasn't expecting that to happen tonight" he says after we pull away.

We step out into the night, the air is chilly. He takes my hand and leads us, first to the mini mart for snacks and then on to his apartment. Angus lives in a huge, two story penthouse apartment overlooking the river. He gives me a private tour, showing me the backyard oasis and the swimming pool on the deck.

"No crowds here" I muse, he laughs, wraps his arms around my waist and whispers in my ear

"We could take a dip?"

"Tempting as that sounds it's freezing out here and there was talk of Netflix before"

He leads me to the lounge room and hands me the remote, "You pick the movie and I'll get the snacks ready"

This is the last thing I remember before waking up, alone, in a strange bedroom in the middle of the night with a pounding headache

#sims 4 #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 city living #sims 4 get to work #sims 4 cats and dogs #sims4 #sims4simblr

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fireflythecinnamonjollyrancher · 3 years

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hello it is once again time for my end of the year wrap up. this should be... interesting

january

finally finally got to have a happy apartment experience!!!!! tried out tea drops which are dope. there was a fair amount of stress revolving around APO induction and the musical rehearsal, but we made it!!! partied hardy (the infamous tess in the washing machine incident) kelli was watching always sunny more often than not. i wore some arguably bad clothing but ya know. gays. we tried to take off my closet door (it did NOT work). the beginning of the goose saga! there was a sleet storm so kelli and i made some popcorn and watched mike birbiglia’s new special. darci, kelli and i went out to eat and then ended up in babcock playing air hockey before watching videos with kai who was on duty. PEP BAND???? some good memories formed there. dogs in the library! got bullied by my library boss to put gas in my car and i sent her a video of proof that i did it “daddy long legs” “stop. what?” “the musical” (i do love timothy) i actually practiced my instrument lol wild. WE (becky, celeste, timothy and i) WATCHED SPIRIT and got wildly drunk -- the origin of “[redacted] [redacted] who???” which is my favorite joke.

february

MORE PEP BAND im actually really glad i spent my last few college months dicking around with the band. one man drumline!!! kai made some good tiktoks in our apartment! miss hanging with them it was really fun. oh i hung out with sam and celeste watching movies “he was a boy, she was a dolphin, can i make it anymore [strangled dolphin noises]” OUR MICROWAVE HANDLE BROKE OFF while kelli was gone man that entire apartment was falling apart (hey dumbass grab from top) -- a list of things that were broken in our apartment: fridge light, front entry light, showerhead, phone. the birth of the beans insta!!!! got hit on when i was at taco bell with timothy by being accused of being trans (taco bell guy was not far off to be fair). oh the improv posters as compared to the posters i built for an organization fair. went out and got daRUNK at what appears to be wandas. really struggled with my period. cut hair with kelli n darci. MOZZ STICKS. “you still a lil bitch???” oh we did kpy pal-entines!!! where we ate good food and watched the princess bride!!! i received the plush goose. there was a possible bombing at the bank next door to where we rehearsed for band. aw i went on a tommy’s date with becky that was cute. they tried to STEAL the QUESO. disagreed with a curb and still have those scars. worked a horrible gig at the theatre. closing shifts at the library baby! middle school tours EW more library dogs! fish hooks song oh my god. drunk mash nights!!! i rewatched HAVEN and had lots of feelings. actually got drunk alone a lot which was Bad. however michael malloys birthday! watched choir concert at work lol. stats final whilst drunk!!!! becky got a piercing

march

here things go downhill rapidly. hit up the trains at least once. oh late library nights with timothy!!!! the best nights i miss hanging with him while at work. struggled with my car. went on a college sponsored adventure to a back alley farm. SCURVY FEARS. opening shifts that were lonely. oh celeste played plague and named it covid and won lol yikes. the infamous apartment cone. we stayed up long enough to see the sunrise on literally the last day in college I would ever have. that was good. I FOUND OUT KELLI HAD GLASSES im still pissed. came home indefinitely. went to st patty’s day at brookes with karrigan and that was SO much fun (this was before things seemed real) the best part of that was the irish pub owner who happened to have a son that went to my college. got my mom onto tik tok. took a gay lit class. can’t believe i took daily fckn walks around the pasture who was i. hosted virtual meetings for apo and played around with the closed captioning. that was fun. shaved my moms head lmaooo. worked on my capstone which im like super proud of? i wish i could have directed it but say law vee.

april

BAGPIPE CORPS INTERNATIONAL. virtual band wreaked havoc on my animals mental health. my grandmother would always bug me while i was working which i understand now was misplaced love but it was so irritating at the time. we had library meetings once a week or so that was vital to mental health. hosted a really fun “panel” about queer identity for my queer lit class that was able to educate a lot of people. having a capstone class with am*lia was a nightmare. watched a cirque du soleil show for free and lost my mind. wrote a comedic monologue that i suffered through. suffered through papers and projects. worked on a project with celeste and kelli and we had SUCH a good time. i hosted several jackbox nights for both apo and kpy. that was SUCH an exhausting experience. also uno and drawful with the uno group (kelli would win 100% of the time). ranted about group projects lol i struggled. OH THE MOVE OUT DEBACLE i really went off the deep end. kelli’s virtual birthday!!!!

may

we had so many good jackbox nights. academic showcase and honors convocation happened wherein i was name bronco award winner and that really wrecked me too lol. we had a sunday crew hang out for library workers. clarinet game night too! i tried so hard to build community during covid and im not altogether sure i accomplished it but ya know whatever. watsky broke the record! made my “aced it” grad cap which was so FUNNY and still is tbh. becky taught me how to do makeup. took grad pictures at an abandoned farmhouse lol OH MY GOSH BEAUX ARTS AND APO SKIT i was so proud of that night and annette said it was the best one we’d ever had. wish i had done more but we did it boys. also got VERY drunk for it lol completely redid my room. bc it was NASTY. the way i write papers is so SO funny to me. had our last capstones class and then dressed in grad outfits for our last lit meeting . graduated and got all my stuff from college finally. went shopping with timothy, had el puerto with becky (i think?). oh the infamous miller moths UGH shit is nasty. THE FORMING OF BANJO SHRIMPS occurred on may 24 2020 and that was the absolute best thing to come out of this year. started working at my dads agency which was the absolute worst thing to come out of this year. attended my first protest in cos which was good and healthy. started protesting regularly after that. my most poignant memory was laying down in front of city hall and chanting “i cant breathe” for 8 minutes.

june

it snowed???? i was angry. part of my job was reading my dad’s email and there was some WACKO shit in there. went to brookes for pride as a surprise which was cute n fun. had a horrible interaction with a client. the appearance of the bigfoot statue!!!! we had a vanilla beans hang out. there was a WILD storm that literally made my hide out in the office.

july

went on a bonkers rant about america bc fuck this place. helped mom out with homework. we had several clients get divorces which was messy. went to a Bad party where i was angry the whole time. went to the top of pikes peak with my grandma and saw many much bigfoot things. we got a GOOSE he hated us so much. oh there was a night where darci and kai came over and we hijacked kelli’s spotify and communicated that way it was SO funny. took a video of the dichotomy of man bc of my long ass leg hair and short ass head hair. shaved my head to the BONE and tried dragon fruit. GOT NIKO ON JULY 24 my sweet sweet boy lil bat looking motherfucker. got denied for life insurance for mental health reasons.

august

went back to hc for a birthday “party” and to see the band. did a lot in that weekend (stayed with timothy’s family, helped becky move, met kelli’s look-alike, saw timothy and karlie’s new house!!! had lunch with kellis family which is closest to “meet my parents” i think i’ll ever get lmao). got my prof headshots and hate every single one of them but more for self esteem reasons lol. neighbors got goats and my mom lost her marbles. got trapped in traffic on the way back from hc. niko had crackhead energy. oooooooh documented gender crisis. ma got more chickens. went to a birthday party for a high school friend and was just... so out of my element. its weird. took off my grandma’s bathroom door bc she had knee surgery. started a full time job as my grandmother’s caretaker (love working for the family business lol).

september

went to breckenridge with a friend!!!!!! spicy times lol. cleaned the cupboard. had a birf. turned 22. cas finished her drugs!!!! and felt much better. we did a charcuterie board for my birthday which was very fun. Got a mixer set!!! went to hc for homecoming and graduated!!!!! surprised celeste and hannah with a celebration party for them (it was a lot of fun). came up with my BEST joke (summa cum laude). got called tf out for my gender crisis via tarot. got the goose game!!!! played the goose game!!!!

october

applied to chicago center!!!! will now be working there for a year!!!! this was the first documentation of banjo shrimp nights. surprised my dad for boss day by working with the team to fill his office with balloons. house sat for dad’s friends. started taking showers in the dark. went to celestes and made PASTA wow got very drunk and while she slept i just explored a strangers house. voted!!!!! wow. finally (finally) started to accept that i was maybe agender. had a snow day but i couldn’t work so that was fun. had halloween with banjo shrimps where i dressed up as david rose. that was SUCH a good night. participated in ace week!!! then, dressed as radar for actual halloween and had monumental. worked a volunteer haunted house and like... actually did pretty good?? felt like a real adult!!!!

november

so many things happened in november. i finished miraculous ladybug on netflix. had another bad interaction with a client bc the customer is always wrong. shaved my head. PRESENTATION NIGHT to distract from the election lmao what a good time. had so many emotions about the election. then biden won and we lost our damn minds -- video called with celeste and becky to celebrate (with the reminder that we know that this doesn’t solve everything but it was such a huge sigh of relief). started watching the last kids on earth. made more PASTA and soup! got my GHOSTY TATTOO. kahoot night with the banjo shrimps lol. watched the supernatural finale with kelli (what good memories) rewatched 3below good shit. got the chicago job so i quit being an insurance person!!!! brooke came for thanksgiving!!!

december

i dont wanna talk about it but i finally started watching unus annus (theres an archive its not the same but it provided me wild amounts of serotonin). “call that invisible split dye”. crimmus. had a video call with people from high school i rarely if ever see. this entire month has been a fuckin blur my guys but i’m so excited for what’s next. in two days i will be in an apartment in chicago. i will be reunited with my best friend in a little under two weeks. i cannot emphasize enough how excited i am for this next chapter. so yeah. that was my year. im sure there was more memories but that’s what the sideblog is for lol

#firefly talks #yearly wrap up

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jenmedsbookreviews · 7 years

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This has been one very long week. Productive in work terms but very, very long. And to cap it all off I have decided to try and get myself back on the diet which means I am tired and irritable right now. Which in fairness is my default mood/status so there isn’t actually anything unusual in that fact.

Funny old week. We have had go live with the first set of victims, sorry drivers, using the new proof of delivery app at work. Seems to have gone well all things considered. A few minor glitches, but nothing we couldn’t fix so happy days. It has meant early starts but that has also meant earlier finishes so I have been able to get to reading much earlier in the day than normal. This means I’ve had an unusually productive week on the blogging front too clearing a relatively high number of books (for me) without resorting to one audio book (or Mr Men) to help me out. Who knew?

I also had a bit of a surprise earlier in the week when this happened:

Yes. I recieved an email from Reedsy informing me that I’d been listed as one of their recommended best book blogs of 2017 over on their website. A great honour, especially when you look at some of the other blogs on the list – there are some really high profile blogs with massive viewing figures making mine look kind of tiny in comparison, but I am very chuffed and humbled to be up there considering I am just a babby in blogging terms. It’s been a very long time since that statement applied in real life…

I have tried to be good on the book purchase/download front this week. Failed miserably but it’s the thought that counts right? In my defence, some of the books I have bought in preparation for a forthcoming Christmas feature month on the blog, currently pencilled in for November. I blame Mandie as we came up with the idea while on a walk yesterday morning. What started as a couple of weeks of Christmas posts is now a whole month of madness, espescially when you consider that neither of us actually likes Christmas. 😉 Other books (namely the Netgalley download for which I blame Bookouture) are books I need to read for blog tours (well one is) so it doesn’t really count. That’s right isn’t it?

Books I ordered: Murder Game by Caroline Mitchell (preorder); Thorne at Christmas by Mark Billingham; Dying For Christmas by Tammy Cohen; Frost at Christmas by R.D. Wingfield; and six Mr Men Christmas Books. Audio book wise I only ordered one which was Perfect Prey by Helen Fields. Netgalley wise I only downloaded Hide and Seek by Richard Parker (blog tour fodder I promise).

I also received a lovely bit of book post this week in the shape of Santa Claws by Gabriela Harding. Can’t wait to dive into it and it’s part of what inspired the Christmas posts mentioned earlier.

Isn’t it fabulous? Send in the clowns lol. Blogging wise I’ve been quite productive too. I had, how shall I put this, a backlog of unwritten reviews – a mere nine – nothing to be concerned about. Much. I managed on Saturday to get six of the nine written … then promptly read another book so I am back to four to write but they will be done imminently. I probably would have completed all ten reviews but I was a) running out of new ways to say ‘really bloody good’, and b) starting to get my sarcastic, comedic head on due to blogger fatigue which is never a good thing ;). Reading wise, as I said, I’ve had a pretty good week clearing four books off my tbr. And four corkers they are too.

Books I have read.

I Know A Secret by Tess Gerritsen

I have a secret. And someone wants to make sure I never tell . . .

In a house decorated with horror movie posters, a young woman’s body is found. She lies on her bed, two bloodied objects clutched in her palm. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are called to the murder scene, but even faced with this gruesome sight they are unable to identify the immediate cause of death.

Their investigation leads them to a high-profile murder case that was seemingly solved years before. But when another body is found in horrific circumstances, the link between the two victims is clear. Was the wrong person sent to prison? Is the real killer out there right now, picking off new targets?

One woman knows the killer is coming for her next. She’s the only one who can help Rizzoli and Isles catch him.

But she has a secret that she has to keep . . .

Confession time – I have a secret too … I have never read any Rizzoli and Isles before this book! I know. I should hang my head in shame. I have seen the TV series on occasion but not read any of the actual books. Until now. I shall be heading back to the first eleven books as soon as I can as I absolutely loved this and have no doubt fans of the series will love it too. Sucked in from page one I raced through to the conclusion. You can see my thoughts as part of the blog tour tomorrow but in the meantime why not preorder it here.

…

Hide and Seek by Richard Parker

The sun is out. Your little boy is smiling. The next time you look… he’s gone.

When Lana and Todd win a trip to Blue Crest Adventure Park, their four-year-old Cooper is ecstatic, but when Lana goes to meet them, Todd is out cold, and Cooper is missing.

No one stopped the man carrying the sleeping boy. The cameras don’t show where he went. Then Lana receives an anonymous message, telling her to visit a local school with a horrifying history…

This is no random attack. Whoever took Cooper is playing a twisted game, and if Lana wants to find him, she must participate.

What is the link between the school and her missing son? Can Lana uncover the kidnapper’s identity and save Cooper before it’s too late?

Now it may come as a surprise to some, but I absolutely loved Richard Parker’s last book, Follow You, so as soon as this appeared on NetGalley had to have it and as soon as I had it I had to read it. Did it meet my expectations. Well, the cheesy grin on my face while reading may have been a give away, but yes. I enjoyed it. Muchly. You can see just how muchly next month when I post my review in the meantime do yourselves a favour and go preorder it here.

…

The Good Sister by Jess Ryder

Two sisters. One secret… A lie that could destroy them both.

When her father dies, Josie is devastated to uncover he led a secret life: another house, another family and a half-sister called Valentina.

Both with red hair and icy blue eyes, Josie and Valentina could be mistaken for twins. But the similarities end there…

Josie – Sweet, reserved, jealous, thief. Valentina – Care-free, confident, dangerous, liar.

There is a perfect life here for the taking. But which one of them wants it the most?

Two sisters. One survivor.

I thought initially this may have been a biography about me as I am clearly the good sister of all of my siblings but turns out I was wrong. What it is, is a twisted tale centred around long held secrets which have deadly repurcussions. What it also is is extremely gripping and a fluffing good read. My review will be up in a little over a weeks time, in the meantime you can preorder here.

…

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel by Lilly Bartlett

Wriggle your toes in the sand and feel the warm breeze on your face when you check into the hotel that’s full of dreams…

Three years after ditching her career in New York City, Rosie never thought she’d still be managing the quaint faded Victorian hotel in her seaside hometown.

What’s worse, the hotel’s new owners are turning it into a copy of their Florida properties. Flamingos and all. Cultures are clashing and the hotel’s residents stand in the way of the developers’ plans. The hotel is both their home and their family.

That’s going to make Rory’s job difficult when he arrives to enforce the changes. And Rosie isn’t exactly on his side, even though it’s the chance to finally restart her career. Rory might be charming, but he’s still there to evict her friends.

How can she follow her dreams if it means ending everyone else’s?

I loved Lilly Bartlett’s Carlton Square books so when asked by the author if I wanted the chance to review her new book, how could I possibly refuse. I’m very glad I didn’t as this was a wonderfully funny book and having only recently been on holiday to Yorkshire when we spent a day over in Scarborough, where this book is set, everything about it made sense. A great cast of characters and some heart warming romance to boot, if you love rom-com you’ll love this. I’ll be reviewing on release day 18th August but you can preorder the book here. You can also watch the promo video below – make sure to leave the sound on …

…

So that was it reading wise. Four books. Are you impressed. Believe me when I say I am as I have never felt so tired as I did last week and I am pretty sure the books are partly to blame as they were too good to put down. Blogging wise I had a full week with a mixture of reviews, a couple of impromptu cover reveals, and the good old #booklove features.

#BlogTour: Review – Red is the Colour by Mark L. Fowler

#BookLove: Carol Cooper

Cover Reveal – @Bookouture & Tracy Bloom

#BlogTour: Review – Long Shot by Jack Steele

#Blogtour: Review – Till the Dust Settles by Pat Young

Cover Reveal: @Caroline_writes @Bookouture

#BlogTour: Little Bird by Sharon Dempsey

#BookLove: Lorraine Rugman

Guest Review: Stalker On The Fens by Joy Ellis

…

The week ahead is just as busy. I have two blog tours this week, both tomorrow. First up is I Know A Secret by Tess Gerritsen and then I have a guest post by Jo Huey, author of Transition. I will have a selection of reviews and also #Booklove posts from Louise Walters and Abbie Rutherford. I do hope you can join us. I also have a very exciting afternoon and evening planned on Thursday, but more about that next week.

Have a fabulous week’s reading all and I’ll see you same time next week.

Rewind, Recap: Weekly roudup w/e 06/08/17 This has been one very long week. Productive in work terms but very, very long. And to cap it all off I have decided to try and get myself back on the diet which means I am tired

#Best Book Blogger #Rewind Recap #Weekly Round UP

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