#she directed three episodes of russian doll

[jacquelinemerritt]

Queer Media Review: But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)

Originally posted September 16th, 2016

A tonally mismatched, endearing cult classic.

This review is part of a weekly series of pieces on queer and trans media. See them all here!

Jamie Babbit’s1 first feature film, But I’m A Cheerleader, has, in the years following its release, become something of a classic piece of queer representative media. It frequently tops recommendation lists of films about queer people that don’t end in tragedy (lists that are far shorter than they have any right to be), and it is a film I have heard described as “quintessentially lesbian.”

This film’s status as an iconic lesbian film baffles me. Cheerleader is not a bad film, per se, but it is, in almost every way possible, a sleazy teen comedy that attempts to mine humor out of an incredibly traumatic and horrifying scenario (namely, being sent off to a gay conversion camp). That designation isn’t inherently negative; the same can be said of the original American Pie and John Tucker Must Die, and both of those films are entertaining because they revel in just how sleazy they can be. If But I’m A Cheerleader had committed to reveling in the sleaziness of turning the trauma of conversion therapy in a light comedy, then it might have succeeded on those (less than savory terms.

But Cheerleader is caught in between two worlds. At its core, it’s a film that wants to be a down to earth romance about good people finding love in a dark situation, but that core is constantly at odds with the low-brow humor and unintelligent satire that fills nearly every scene. It never attempts to examine the absurdity inherent to its scenario, and the only clear statement it makes about conversion therapy is that it’s ineffective, which is as obvious a statement on the matter as a film could make. The film also has a wildly inconsistent visual language2, frequently switching between bland stationary shots and handheld tracking shots for no apparent reason, only to return to its bland cinematography a moment later.

And yet, despite all of those flaws, I still rather enjoyed watching Cheerleader. Even with all the poorly designed sleaze surrounding it, the emotional core of Cheerleader is damn compelling, presenting us with a slowly budding romance between two highly likable characters.

That solid emotional core is established early-on through Megan (Natasha Lyonne, of Orange is the New Black fame), a very sympathetic protagonist who is confused about her own sexuality. She frequently fantasizes about her fellow cheerleaders while making out with her boyfriend, and she has a picture of a bikini clad woman in her locker, contrasted with her friend whose locker is adorned with a male model. When she’s ambushed by her friends and parents (in one of the few good uses of visual storytelling, I might add), she’s completely blindsided by them, and she quickly submits to their demands that she attend conversion therapy, despite her beliefs that none of the “evidence” presented was abnormal or confirmed her supposed “homosexuality.”

Megan’s cluelessness and empathy make her romance with Graham (Clea DuVall), another attendee at the conversion therapy camp, all the more believable, as their coupling is treated as a subtle slow, burn. We see them holding hands and touching each other, carefully avoiding the watchful gaze of Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty), the camp’s strict headmistress. There’s a clear understanding of the danger of their budding relationship in the film, as when Graham deflects suspicion off of their rebellion by claiming to have a crush on Joel (Joel Michaely), a gay Jewish man also attending the camp, Megan is never shown to be jealous of the affection he’s receiving (she even takes a chance to stare flirtatiously at Graham while she’s holding hands with Joel).

The film also does challenge one idea, and that’s the idea that gender expression and fulfillment of gender roles are connected to or determinate of sexuality, though it does so with mixed results. Early on, there’s a scene where the characters must all think about and confess what the “root” of their homosexuality is, and one of the men at the camp claims that his mother allowing him to wear her pumps was the single experience in his life that led to his same-gender attraction. The film wants to paint this as the ridiculous connection that it is, but its strength is lost because so many of the film’s jokes rely on the association between gay men and femininity.3

The film is more successful in challenging stereotypes about sexuality and gender when the masculine presenting Jan (Katrina Phillips) storms out of a group therapy session, upset that her love of softball and unconventional looks have led to her attending the camp despite the fact that she has always been fully and exclusively attracted to men. Her rejection of the camp’s attempt to foist femininity onto her rings true thanks to Phillips’ compelling performance and the film’s lack of insistence that masculinity in women is in any way indicative of same-gender attraction (an acknowledgement that is present in the film’s title).

The ending of the film, despite being rather annoyingly cutesy, is fairly compelling as well, setting up a scenario in which one of the members of the lead couple is about to “graduate” from the camp, and the other must fulfill a wish the graduating partner made in order to convince her to run away with her. It’s an incredibly sweet gesture, and their relationship is given a satisfying conclusion, capping off the film with passionate kisses and annoyingly chipper music. That this scene works despite its presentation is a testament to Babbit’s strength as a director (of actors) and Natasha Lyonne’s strength as an actress, as the two of them sell the emotion of the scene that would otherwise be drowned out by a bad pop musical score.

Such a tonally conflicted, endearing scene is arguably the perfect ending to this film.

Rating: 3.5/5

But I’m A Cheerleader can be rented and purchased on iTunes or streamed via Xfinity.

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

1While Babbit hasn’t directed many features of significant acclaim since But I’m A Cheerleader, she has gone on to become a rather prolific TV comedy director, specializing in smaller, character-driven comedies such as Gilmore Girls (for which she directed eighteen episodes), Malcolm in the Middle, and more recently working on hit comedies like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Silicon Valley (she even directed one of the best episodes of Supergirl’s first season!) All of this to say, she’s got a rather impressive body of work behind her, and it would not be surprising if her name were to show up on a highly successful feature comedy sometime in the near future.

2Bonus points if you caught the reference.

3These jokes are made in spite of the film’s inclusion of Dolph (Dante Basco), a varsity wrestler whose masculinity is never in question, and Larry (Richard Moll), an “ex-ex-gay” who looks like a lumberjack right down to the flannel.

#but i'm a cheerleader #jamie babbit #natasha lyonne #clea duvall #lesbian film #lgbt film #queer film #queer cinema #queer movies #queer media #queer media reviews #this review is pretty solid #only thing i have to say is that i was totally right that jamie babbit was capable of better #she directed three episodes of russian doll #and did an incredible job with them #so suspect many of the issues in this film are just a result of being an inexperienced artist #and she learned her craft plenty well later

[capybaraonabicycle]

Let's write an episode together and talk about the TARDIS(s)!

Anyone still there? Sorry, I got a little distracted by other things. But I am still having fun with this, so I will slowly continue it. Come along if you like :D (If you’re new: we’re writing a dw episode with my options that I am giving you and your choices in the polls. When it’s done I’ll force RTD to write it properly /j )

So far, we have decided on a multidoctor episode with the teams:

9 travelling with Rose, Bill and Jack

10 travelling with Martha, Donna and Jack

13 travelling with River and Yaz

Now, the last poll decided, that our episode will mostly take place inside the TARDIS. As we are dealing with a multidoctor episode, the question is: (How) Do they end up inside the same TARDIS? I have come up with some answers.

Explanations and examples can be found under the cut. Please remember while voting that no matter the scenario, the most time the camera will show the inside of one or more TARDIS-s (well, it’s all the same one anyway but you know what I mean), i.e. the console room, hallways or other rooms inside the ship.

I'll give you a little more time this round as I am expecting I might stay this slow with updates.

please reblog to gather more writers ❤

Scenario Different TARDIS-s, different plots

The distinct TARDIS teams don’t interact directly. The scenes switch back and forth, showing three distinct (but related?) stories inside the three TARDIS-s of the three teams. In different points in time and different locations. The teams don’t interact with each other except for possibly the Doctor and Jack remembering a similar situation or objects inside the TARDIS being used. Or things one Doctor and team do influencing another incarnation (think 11 ordering a fez and 13 receiving it). To the teams it has no relevance that we are seeing the scenes together but they enhance each other through subtle references.

Scenario Different TARDIS-s, same plot

All the teams stay inside their own TARDIS, at least for most of the episode, but they can communicate. Either directly, video call style, or a little more like Sally and her DVD’s with the Doctor/Jack leaving notes for past and future selves. The three teams work together to fight some impeding doom™, perhaps resulting in a celebratory party in the end outside the TARDIS-s.

Scenario Same TARDIS

For some reason two teams end up inside the TARDIS of another. I am imagining 13 purposefully tries to borrow 10’s TARDIS to do something specific (maybe she needs the round things for it or something) but miscalculates the time. Thus, contrarily to her belief, 10 and his team are already inside, taking a calm day to explore some rooms or something. And it’s not just them because right before 13 plus team arrive, 9 and his friends have made their way on board, mistaking her for their own TARDIS. The TARDIS, ever helpful, provided them their rooms, too, at the usual place. So, everyone’s inside the ship somewhere, none the wiser, when 13 and Yaz and River are starting the engine. Everyone comes to see who is abducting ‘their’ ship and find those strange women. Half of the episode is probably consecrated to the Doctor’s bickering about whose ship this is and who gets to fly her and the other half to actually pulling themselves together and solving the issue 13 was concerned with together.

Scenario Merged TARDIS – Doors

An error occurs and suddenly, while believing to have landed somewhere else, one team opens their door to leave the ship and finds itself entering the console room of another team, through the TARDIS door again. When they try to leave and go back, they end up inside the third team’s console room. Only at the third try they get back, but no matter where they try to fly to, the doors stay merged together. The outside of one TARDIS has become the inside of another (a tiny bit like in ‘time’ and ‘space’). The main issue of this episode is to figure out how to detach the TARDIS’s again and which Doctor belongs into which TARDIS and which Jack to which Doctor before the split happens and they’re all separated again.

Scenario Merged TARDIS – Interior

The TARDIS incites the teams to venture further into her depths until they reach the inside of another TARDIS incarnation. She has merged her insides together, producing a way of easily moving from one timeline to the other (although you have to run quite a long way, I suppose, I’m sure Donna and 10 will provide some segways to help out eventually). This helps with fighting several issues outside two or three of the TARDIS-s. This episode will feature a lot of running through TARDIS hallways, getting lost, searching for items that only exist earlier or later in time and loads of chaos and shouting to get a grip on the issues happening outside. Also probably someone getting locked inside a room on accident or one of the console rooms being no longer safe to enter.

Scenario Merged TARDIS – Russian Doll

One TARDIS is having steering/stabilising problems. To solve them, she lands inside the safest place: Herself. But not herself right now, but a former/later console room. When that TARDIS, disturbed from the impact of having herself inside, tries to land, the same thing happens. The Doctors storm out, managing to prevent the third TARDIS from landing and repeating the process, but now we have a TARDIS inside a TARDIS inside a TARDIS that can’t land. And the inner ones are too ruffled to start flying as well. The main issue is to resolve the connection and get all the TARDIS-s to be normal again.

(possible extra option with this one: one or several of the TARDIS-s get shrunk in the process together with the travellers. Picture mini-13 climbing over the console and leather jacket up to 9's ear to yell at him to notice them and help them out for Gallifrey's sake! (also tiny Jack hitting on giant Jack and vice versa) If people like this extra option, regardless of which option wins, I'll see if we can include it there, too)

Scenario Merged/One TARDIS – Echoes

We are following the storyline of only one of the teams but the TARDIS is supplying memories/echoes of former/later companions and Doctors to help with the plot. A little like River in ‘Name of the Doctor’ or 13 and the fugitive Doctor in ‘Once upon time’. Some possession, some ghostlike figures and images in mirrors and tapestries, some people suddenly being displaced in time and disappearing again. The echoes are interacting with the main TARDIS team but it is clear they are not completely there. When that particular adventure is lived, the TARDIS stops producing the echoes or is repaired so she doesn’t have to anymore.

Scenario The Master’s TARDIS

We are not inside the Doctor’s TARDIS at all but some incarnation of the Master has abducted/lured all the three teams into their own TARDIS where they have to work together to survive whatever the Master can throw at them in their own realm. Also possible with several incarnations of the Master working together.

Scenario Trenzalore

What it says on the tin. The three teams end up on Trenzalore inside the giant TARDIS that is the Doctor's grave. This one is angsty, friends ❤

In any case, feel free to leave your own ideas for scenarios in the tags. If I like them enough, I might to a redraw between your ideas and the most popular ones here :)

#poll-who episode #tardis #the tardis #doctor who #ninth doctor #tenth doctor #thirteenth doctor #bill potts #rose tyler #captain jack harkness #donna noble #martha jones #river song #yasmin khan #if you're still here and voting: I love you ❤

[gffa]

FUTURE LUCASFILM PROJECTS REVEALED GET READY FOR PATTY JENKINS’ ROGUE SQUADRON FILM, AN AHSOKA TANO LIVE-ACTION SERIES, THE RETURN OF HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN AND MUCH, MUCH MORE.       Today at The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day event, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced a staggering number of new films, series, and surprises that will expand the Star Wars galaxy like never before.

Rogue Squadron The next Star Wars feature film will be Rogue Squadron — directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman franchise). The story will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy.       “It’s been a lifelong dream as a filmmaker to one day make a great fighter pilot film,” said Jenkins. “As the daughter of a great fighter pilot myself, some of the best memories of my life are of seeing my father’s squadron take off in their F4s every morning, and hearing and feeling the awe-inspiring power and grace. When he passed away in service to this country it ignited a burning desire to one day channel all of those emotions into one great film. When the perfect story arrived in combination with another true love of mine, the incomparable world of Star Wars, I knew I’d finally found my next film. I’m extremely honored and excited to take it on, and grateful to Lucasfilm, Disney, and the fans for extending that thrill to me.”       “Patty has established herself as one of the top directors working in the film industry today,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “She’s a visionary who knows how to strike the balance between action and heart, and I can’t wait to see what she does in the Star Wars galaxy.”       Lock S-foils in attack position: Rogue Squadron arrives in theaters Christmas 2023.

Untitled Taika Waititi Film       A brand-new Star Wars feature with acclaimed filmmaker and Academy Award-winner Taika Waititi is in development. “Taika’s approach to Star Wars will be fresh, unexpected, and…unique,” said Kennedy. “His enormous talent and sense of humor will ensure that audiences are in for an unforgettable ride.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi Last August at D23 Expo, Lucasfilm announced the return of Ewan McGregor in the iconic role of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for a special event series on Disney+. Officially titled Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where he faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. The series is directed by Deborah Chow, who helmed memorable episodes of The Mandalorian Season 1.      This will truly be a day long remembered, as it was confirmed that Hayden Christensen will be returning as Darth Vader. “This will be the rematch of the century,” Kennedy said.      “It was such an incredible journey playing Anakin Skywalker,” said Christensen. “Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t on the greatest of terms when we last saw them… It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all. I’m excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to be back.”

Ahsoka After making her long awaited live-action debut in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka Tano’s story, written by Dave Filoni, will continue in a limited series starring Rosario Dawson and executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. Rangers of the New Republic Set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, this new live-action series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will intersect with future stories and culminate into a climactic story event.

Lando Everyone’s favorite scoundrel Lando Calrissian will return in a brand-new event series for Disney+. Justin Simien, creator of the critically-acclaimed Dear White People and a huge Star Wars fan, is developing the story.

Andor  Andor, a tense nail-biting spy thriller created by Tony Gilroy, is set to arrive on Disney+ in 2022. Diego Luna, reprising the role of rebel spy Cassian Andor from Rogue One, will be joined by a fantastic new cast that includes Stellan Skarsgard, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma. Production kicked off three weeks ago in London.

The Acolyte Leslye Headland, Emmy Award-nominated creator of the mind-bending series Russian Doll, brings a new Star Wars series to Disney+ with The Acolyte. The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.      The animated series will arrive exclusively on Disney+.

Star Wars: Visions Presenting all-new, creative takes on the galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Visions will be a series of animated short films celebrating Star Wars through the lens of the world’s best anime creators. The anthology collection will bring 10 fantastic visions from several of the leading Japanese anime studios, offering a fresh and diverse cultural perspective to Star Wars.

A Droid Story As Lucasfilm continues to develop new stories, the intersection of animation and visual effects offers new opportunities to explore. Lucasfilm Animation will be teaming up with Lucasfilm’s visual effects team, Industrial Light & Magic, to develop a special Star Wars adventure for Disney+, A Droid Story. This epic journey will introduce us to a new hero, guided by legendary duo R2-D2 and C-3PO.

#obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #high republic #news #disney investor day #bad batch #cassian andor #lando calrissian #rogue squadron

[photolover82]

Masked Singer Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: Group A Returns With a Wildcard (Commentary & Guesses)

Hi guys! Welcome or welcome back to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. Ok, so I'm on time this time I swear (I try to do these the weekend after the show airs or Friday), and now we are starting to get the wildcards which was super exciting and Joel Mchale was guest judging so it was a very fun episode to watch! We’re back onto Group A but this time someone new joins the group, so stay tuned until the end to talk about that someone. Anyways, let’s get into it, starting with the eliminated contestant:

So the eliminated mask was...

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

The Raccoon 🦝

Commentary: honestly, I am not even the slightest bit surprised that he got eliminated... he should have gone home earlier but that’s neither here nor there, the Masked Singer likes to do that to us so whatever. But like honestly this is gonna sound mean, and look, not everyone is a singer, and he gave it the good old college try and I respect the hell out of that, but omg all I gotta say about his performance of Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash is yikes. That’s it, that’s all I gotta say about that... anyways, let’s reveal this rodent or mammal, idk man who told you guys I was an animal expert?!

Raccoon was revealed to be (I got this one too yay!)

Danny Trejo

Yeah, I guessed it baby! I even have proof, just look at my 1st recap of the season and it’s there, I got it! Yayyy! Anyways, I mean I know him, I have seen him around ofc (he has done a lot of acting and he even has a restaurant and everything), but like he can’t sing and that’s ok, he had fun, it’s what matters. Good job Danny Trejo and thank God he’s gone because finally my ears can be in peace.

Having said that, let’s move onto our remaining 4 (yes, 4 because wildcard baby!):

1. Seashell 🐚

Commentary: Her performance of Confident by Demi Lovato was to me much better than her last performance. It seemed like she was more confident (hehe no pun intended) in this one, kind of came into her own and let out the power in her voice. She was a bit timid and nervous in the first performance and it kind of reminded me of how Jellyfish started out, but this one was a lot more diva and powerful, I enjoyed it a lot. I really love Seashell, she is quickly becoming one of my favorite contestants (except nobody can beat my favorite who you will see in a moment)

I am doubling down on my guess:

Tamera Mowry

Clues/Reasoning: ok, like this one I feel super confident about and the clues kind of seal the deal for me:

The doodle of “Seashell with the shell mask on”= reference to the intro of Sister Sister

A certain shell man asked her out and the baseball on the screen= she is talking about her husband, Fox News correspondent Adam Housley (which btw is another reason why she is on this show, bc it runs in the Fox family), who used to be a professional baseball player (oh and the required her to do things she was scared of means that he helped her feel more comfortable about being on TV aka when she was on the Real)

2 minute stopwatch= she’s older than her twin sister, Tia, by 2 minutes haha 😂 (this was a very weird thing to be like yeah bro ik that... again I say, Google is a magical thing)

2. Robopine 🦔

Commentary: He sang All of Me by John Legend and honestly song choice was 👌, like I would have picked that for him too. It was absolutely stunning and I can just close my eyes and enjoy the song, which that’s what some of the best ballad performances tend to do. I absolutely loved it, he is my favorite, if you can’t tell, and this was my favorite performance of the night. I have a prediction that Robopine might make it to the finals honestly because he is just that amazing.

I am changing my guess and I am more confident now with:

Tyrese Gibson

Reasoning/Clues: alright so I know that he isn’t 60 but I have a feeling he is lying about that and that he’s from Costa Rica (that’s too direct of a clue to be true you know and I feel like he is lying... Ken did say in the beginning that Robopine is the most confusing, so I do think that he is lying)... anyways clue time:

A lot of superhero clues= he will be playing one in Jared Leto’s Morbius film from Marvel

The lying means something = he has an album called Alter Ego, someone in the YouTube comments told me that he did a shoot with GQ called “60 the new 30” so that’s where the age thing might come from

IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE HIM, OK?! Legit this is the most logic bomb I can give you right here... he’s trying to fool us but the voice is what matters... if you wanna compare voices go ahead, here’s a video that can help (it helped me even though the background singers kinda took over, but you get the point, it was live)

3. Russian Dolls 🪆

Commentary: THEY DIVIDEDDDDD... omg there’s 3 now! I FREAKING CALLED IT!! Anyways, they sang Wonder by Shawn Mendes and again I say their harmonies are so on point, it’s fantastic! I throughly enjoyed this performance, it was great! Their voices work really great together (ofc duh because they are a band... they have to be) and it was a really great song choice as well.

Again, I am gonna double down here (and them being 3 makes it even more convincing for me):

Hanson (All 3 of them this time)

Reasoning/Clues: ok, so now that there’s 3 of them, I don’t have to sound dumb and be like ummmmm it’s 2 of the Hanson brothers, which two I am not sure, but two of them. This time I can say it is all of Hanson, all 3 of them! WOOO! This performance really solidified it for me. Anyways, here are the logic bombs aka clues:

He was doing what he loved and rushed to the hospital = Zac, one of the brothers, was involved in a motorcycle accident in which he (get this, it’s really bad like reading it on Google made me go ouch that must have been a terrible accident) broke three ribs, his collarbone, and scapula.

The fire truck= the fire department was involved in the accident, which he spoke about in October 2019

4. Surprise! It’s Wildcard Time: Introducing the Orca (whale) 🐳

Commentary: ok, so he performed We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister, and it was meh, it was ok. He sounds like a comedian, and his voice is so familiar, it’s killing me. Anyways, he is talk singing the entire time and there are parts where he sounds out of breath, so I don’t think he is a professional singer. The costume though (since I couldn’t really review that beforehand) looks like a pool floatie on top and a blue version of Banana from season 3 from the chest down, which is kind of cool (I would give it a 8/10 if I were to rate it). I really love that top head part, it looks super great, the costume designers killed it.

Ok, this one I am more unsure about but I am gonna say that I am between these 2:

Bill Burr or Adam Sandler

(Burr is the one pictured below, couldn’t put both images because Tumblr doesn’t let me do more than 10 pictures so just pretend you can also see Adam Sandler’s photo)

Reasoning/Clues: I am gonna have to skip this one... because I am not sure about this one, I am just going off of voice, the clues confuse me, but you have any ideas, feel free to comment them please, I need all the help I can get.

So that’s it, wildcard and all. I hope you guys enjoyed this, I am so sorry for the picture issue, it’s something that bugs me about Tumblr but whatever. I will see you guys in the next one, where we will see Group B sans Phoenix perform and add in a new wildcard, which omg I know who it is I just don’t know what it looks like, but it is the CRAB 🦀! Anyways, I will see you all next weekend, please like, comment, do all the social media things! Bye everyone! 👋🏼

#the masked singer #themaskedsinger #celebrities #music #the masked singer season 5 #hollywood

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Texan-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and TikTok personality Allison Ponthier makes a splash with 'Cowboy' – it's the enthralling first taste of her upcoming EP. Finding a path away from her conservative upbringing, queer singer-songwriter Allison Ponthier is another artist making country music her own. Taking references from Kacey Musgraves and Orville Peck, Ponthier's take on the genre is high camp and features a kaleidoscopic visual world too. Growing a huge following on TikTok, 'Cowboy' marks the start of a whole new chapter for Ponthier with her debut release with Interscope and Polydor. The track itself references her move from the bible belt to New York City and her journey accepting her sexuality. Warm and inviting 'Cowboy' is cinematic pop with some real heart-on-sleeve confessional songwriting. Complete with a masterful music video that runs like a mini-movie complete with impressive special effects, on reflection, cinematic is an understatement. The video itself is a striking and exciting introduction to this new artist, “I probably watch movies more than I listen to music,” Ponthier says of the video. The clip, directed by Jordan Bahat (Christine and the Queens) adds a whole new cosmic energy to the track and aims to amplify the lyrics' detailed storytelling. As she unveils more of her forthcoming debut EP, Ponthier explains what we can expect from her; “a lot of my songs are about being uncomfortable in your own skin but getting to know yourself better, figuring out who you really are.” [via the Line Of Best Fit]

Miley Cyrus has shared the full video for 'Angels Like You'. The pop rebel returned in 2020 with her excellent album Plastic Hearts, a series of superb empowerment anthems. Album highlight 'Angels Like You' has received the video treatment, shot at the Superbowl in front of an audience of fully vaccinated healthcare workers. Miley has also provided a note for the video describing her feelings of gratitude to these workers. [via Clash]

LA punk four-piece The Paranoyds have dropped a new video for track 'Egg Salad', taken from their album Carnage Bargain which is out now on Suicide Squeeze. The video's director Nicole Stunwyck comments "The video presents the glitzy & glamorous world of a teenage girl who, after accidentally catching a beauty pageant on TV, dreams of her rise to stardom & subsequent downfall... It’s not a commentary on anything but an experimental depiction of my own personal fascination for young tragic starlets alà Valley of The Dolls."

Noga Erez and collaborative partner ROUSSO have shared a fifth compelling new single from forthcoming album KIDS which is set for release on March 26 via City Slang. 'Story' is a snappy, addictive song about how couples relationships are always a relationship between two people’s past and present. "Everyone brings their past experiences to the relationship even if things are great" Erez comments. "Sometimes past situations come in and take over." As with the album's previous singles 'Story' is brought to life with a captivating video, starring Erez and ROUSSO, who also provides vocals on the track. "ROUSSO is my partner in music as well as my partner in life" she explains. "This is the first time we tell a story about our relationship in a song and video. It’s a song about a couple fighting and how, in that situation, sometimes what you hear the other person say is not what they actually said. The making of this video was a 10-day couples therapy session for us. As we rehearsed the pretend fighting and martial arts moves we knew that, at times, one of us would get punched just a little too hard. It was so intense and interesting to live in this world, where our relationship comes alive in the most physical way."

After announcing Detritus with lead outing 'Stories' last month, Sarah Neufeld has unveiled the album's second single 'With Love and Blindness'. Neufeld says of the song and Jason Last-directed video, "The video for 'With Love and Blindness' came together through a long-time collaboration between myself and videographer Jason Last. I knew that Jason and I would work together again on some visual aspect for my third solo release, and it so happened that before I even began recording the album, we were presented with the opportunity to do a mini residence on Corsica with Providenza; an amazing collective with a farm, cultural laboratory, festival and residency program." She continues, "I was doing a short solo tour in Europe in the summer of 2019 in order to re-work some of the pieces from the dance collaboration to begin to find a shape for the album that was to be recorded in the Fall. In the middle of that tour, Jason and I travelled to Corsica for several days (graced once again with a suitcase containing Esteban Cortazar’s unique and beautiful creations). Besides performing in Providenza’s outdoor amphitheater, we were immersed in nature, literally staying in a treehouse perched on the side of a mountain, overlooking the dramatic coastline." Neufeld adds, "I found that the pulse of the landscape resonated with the essence of the music, especially "With Love and Blindness"; a sense of rawness, of sensuality, of a strange gravity intensified by the hypnotic summer heat and the general otherworldliness of the place." [via the Line Of Best Fit]

Molly Burman was brought up around music. At every family event, every party, the soundtrack would resonate with her, providing an education in itself. Both parents were gigging musicians, and she always wanted to follow in their footsteps, to use performance as a means of self-expression. Lockdown brought the time and space to bring these ideas into focus, and she's working to unveil a series of one off singles. Her debut single proper 'Fool Me With Flattery' is out now, a blissfully melodic piece of indie pop with some whip-smart lyricism. There's a tongue in cheek element to her sound that is fantastically endearing, matched by the subtle lo-fi elements of her bedroom pop confection. She comments: "I wrote the song after a long day of feeling overlooked and ignored by some of the guys in my life. I was fed up, angry and used the stereotype of a mansplaining misogynist to let it all out. This song is for anyone who feels belittled and like they’re being made to shrink themselves; be as big as you possibly can, and don’t let anyone fool you with flattery." The video is a hilarious showcase for Molly's offbeat sense of humour. [via Clash]

Punk provocateurs Pussy Riot have unveiled their latest song 'Panic Attack', as well as a music video that features a hologram of singer Nadya Tolokonnikova. This is the final release from Pussy Riot’s new Panic Attack EP, a collection of three linked songs that, for now, can only be streamed as separate singles. The title track features punk guitars underneath a tinkling music box melody, as Tolokonnikova turns anxiety into a sports cheer. “Gimme an A,” she says, “Gimme a T/ Gimme a T/ Gimme an A/ Gimme a C/ Gimme a K/ Okay? Okay.” While upbeat and seemingly cheerful, the synth-punk song comes out of the trauma she experienced in a Russian prison camp. As she explained in a statement, “After serving 2 years in a labor camp, I’m still struggling with mental health issues. Trauma, fear and insecurity never fully go away, causing depression episodes and deep anxiety. ‘PANIC ATTACK’ was born as the result of me staring at the wall for 24 hours in the middle of the pandemic, feeling 100% helpless. I was trying to write something uplifting to encourage people to get through the tough times. But I was just failing and failing. Magically, at the second I allowed myself to be honest and write about despair I was experiencing, I wrote the track in like a half an hour. Depression is a plague of the 21st century, and it tells me that there’s something broken in the way we treat each other. The video ‘PANIC ATTACK’ reflects on objectification of human beings, loneliness, disconnection from the environment that causes us to feel small and powerless. And it’s us who caused it with our own hands – that’s why in the end of the video I’m fighting with my own clone.” The music video for 'Panic Attack' was directed by  Asad J. Malik. He used 106 cameras to capture all angles of Tolokonnikova, then converted that information into a photoreal hologram. Afterwards, Tokyo-based creative technologist Ruben Fro built out landscapes reminiscent of video games through which the virtual Tolokonnikova could frolic. But as the visuals progress, those idyllic settings give way to a hellscape, and the singer faces off against a clone of herself. [via Consequence of Sound]

The wait is finally over. BLACKPINK’s Rosé shines like the star she is with her official solo debut. On Friday, she released two solo songs on her debut single album titled R, 'On the Ground' and 'Gone.' With its deep lyrics, angelic bridge, and Rosé’s high note at the end, 'On the Ground' is an exemplary song for her solo debut. Add the fact that Rosé is credited as a writer for the song, and one can really tell how much time she spent perfecting it for release. The accompanying music video, meanwhile, expands the story of life and growth. Rosé starts off looking lost and trying to find herself amidst all the wildness of life; she eventually encounters past and present versions of herself while searching for answers and purpose. By the end, she finds herself and her path forward, and one can’t help but smile as she sings an explosive outro. [via Teen Vogue]

On Ellise's latest alt-pop concoction the rising pop star gets gothic as 'Feeling Something Bad...' transforms a crush into an obsession. An expert at catastrophising everyday experiences, the LA-based artist has arrived fully formed with not only a consistent and cohesive sound but a striking visual identity too. That's even more clear when you press play on the accompanying video for her latest infectiously catchy track. With the clip directed by Joakim Carlsson we get to see Ellise in her absolute element as she brings "Feeling Something Bad..." to life in a macabre world of its own. “I just love dramatising little everyday feelings in life, so this is my big dramatic ‘I have a crush on you’ song,” Ellise explains – it's a song she wrote about a boy she barely knew. [via the Line Of Best Fit]

With President Biden determined to get the majority of American adults vaccinated by summer, bands are earnestly beginning to look forward to the return of live music. Purity Ring are the latest to announce 2021 tour dates, which they’ve shared alongside the video for their track 'sinew'. The song comes from WOMB, the synth-pop duo’s first album in five years that was released just before the pandemic struck. Directed by Toby Stretch, the clip brings back the abstract graphics and costumes that featured in the 'stardew' music video, continuing the enigmatic story of the domed bicyclist and their sun-headed sidecar companion. [via Consequence of Sound]

Australian Pop Princess, Peach PRC releases the official music video for her debut single 'Josh'. Peach PRC comments on the official 'Josh' visuals, “The music video was inspired by growing up watching the same five infomercials, morning news channels and old movies on my little pink box tv when I was a kid and couldn’t sleep on a school night. The idea was to have “josh” feel just as harassed the more he tries to call. Every creative step along the way was entirely my vision, from writing the music video script, to the lyrics and everything in between. I’m so happy and hope all the girls, gays and theys who dated “josh” will sing along.”

#videos of the week #allison ponthier #miley cyrus #the paranoyds #noga erez #sarah neufeld #molly burman #pussy riot #rose #ellise #purity ring #peach prc

[cjrae]

Lucifer Is Not A Nice Guy. Or; Why Chloe Decker will not get a recap of Seasons 1-3.

So, I’ve been running into a lot of commentary and/or fanfic that goes something along the general lines of, “I can’t wait for Chloe to find out everything Lucifer’s been through for her!” The reasoning behind this seems to be a mix and match of the following

- If she had just understood Lucifer’s perspective of the last three seasons, she would have had a better reaction to her partner literally being the Devil.

- If Chloe knew about certain key plot points; Malcom’s bullet, Lucifer killing himself for the antidote, Lucifer killing Uriel to save her, Candy was just about Lucifer protecting Chloe from himself, she would understand just how much Lucifer loves her.

- If Chloe knew about her status as a literal miracle ordained by God, she would see that she and Lucifer were meant to be soulmates (after a potential freakout).

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that these impulses are necessarily coming from an insane place. All of this seems to be rooted in what is the bedrock of a successful romantic relationship; communication. If Lucifer and Chloe had been communicating more clearly in Seasons 1-3, a lot of their issues would, if not go away, at least be something they could face together as a united front.

Granted, that wouldn’t be much of a TV show, now would it?

But what’s bugging me is an underlying assumption that’s being pretty throughly ignored. If Chloe knew everything that Lucifer had done for her, she would be grateful and would accept Lucifer entirely because he has proved that he loves her.

Stop the bus!

Where have we heard this trope before? I’ll give you a hint - it’s in a lot of places, but it’s very prevalent in romance. The Nice Guy who does Things for the object of his affection, who only learns to return that affection once she knows of his sacrifice and/or actions.

Here’s the TV Tropes page, if you want a refresher. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NiceGuy

Um, guys? We do remember who our main character is, right? The Devil is very definitely not a nice guy. Who remembers Chloe’s description of him when she’s confronting him in 1x06 about his container being stolen?

Actually, let’s take a closer look at 1x06 for a minute. All italics are mine.

Chloe: “For the first time, I don’t think you’re being honest with me. You have this mysterious container that was stolen - that someone was willing to kill for. You make shady deals with shady people. You’re violent, your personal records only go back five years and the books from Lux are way too clean.”

This is 100% accurate, everyone. We’ve seen Lucifer engage in every bit of the behavior Chloe accuses him of here. He may not lie to her (as he goes on to reassure her further into the scene), but that doesn’t prevent him from obfuscating the truth. And that’s exactly what he does within this very scene - he tells her two truths about what’s in the container (”a gift from my father” and “Russian dolls”) while concealing what’s actually been stolen (his wings). 

We’ve seen Lucifer be violent before too - before it’s always been pointed at people who we, as the audience, have little to no sympathy for such as the agent Lucifer throws through the glass or Malcom’s drunk partner in the bar. Here in 1x06, though, we see this illustrated twice and not to Lucifer’s benefit. 

First is only a scene later as he quite literally hunts their suspect down through the warehouse, taunting him as he stalks his prey, only for the man to throw himself off the building when Lucifer finally catches up with him and flashes his Devil face. This is already pretty damn disturbing and is demonstrably unnecessary. The police have recovered the container without Lucifer needing to catch and question the man, which makes their suspect’s death not only gratuitous but also means that the man can’t stand trial for shooting the head of the biker gang. Still, Renny was just a “bad guy,” right?

The second time within 1x06 that we see Lucifer become violent is his therapy session with Linda, when she attempts to break through to him with the use of his Father’s name for him - and he screams at her and punches a hole straight through her wall and out the other side in a completely uncontrolled display of celestial strength.

These are important early character moments for Lucifer and they do help us, the audience, establish that Lucifer is not evil. You can see how disturbed he is when Renny throws himself off the building, his shocked, quiet line to Chloe “I couldn’t stop him.” It never occurred to him that someone might kill himself out of fear of him. And he knows, even in that moment, that his behavior in Linda’s office is completely out of line - he doesn’t even look at her, he just runs away and doesn’t go back to therapy until episode 8. 

And this is only a single episode in the first season, people. Lucifer demonstrates over and over that he is not a nice man to the world in general. Part of what makes Lucifer compelling is that we see him begin to offer kindness to others as his own capacity to feel and deal with his own emotions expands.

But a Nice Guy? The trope of the Nice Guy is based on a contractual obligation - I perform acts of service for the object of my affection and in return I receive love/sex/acceptance. 

Huh. I know where I’ve seen favors before in this show and it’s also not something Lucifer does out of kindness.

C’mon, guys. Do we really think Lucifer wanted Chloe to accept him out of a sense of obligation for everything he’s done for her? As if all of his actions in Seasons 1-3 were some kind of favor that is to be repaid with Chloe’s love? This is not to say that some of these major plot events won’t come up in any potential future seasons, but I suspect that if Chloe is brought up to speed on these events they will be connected to a current issue/plot point that’s much more pressing than comforting herself or Lucifer. 

Also, we the fans are able to re-watch and remember what happened. Chloe’s own memories are probably much fuzzier - some major events will stand out, but the fine details are probably pretty faded. Don’t believe me? How well do you remember the details of a work conversation you had a year ago? A month ago? Heck, how about yesterday?

After all, to quote Chloe Decker herself, “Going backwards is not good for anyone.” 

In short, Chloe doesn’t need a recap. She already knows how much Lucifer loves her and some of these events that people keep bringing up are far more likely to cause conflict than understanding if they’re ever brought to her attention. I mean, killing Uriel may very well have been justifiable homicide, given that he was actively threatening to kill two other people, but the idea of presenting a fratricide as proof of love would probably have most sane people run screaming in the opposite direction, let alone a homicide detective. Lucifer dying/killing himself to get to Hell? That’s even worse. 

And let’s not get started on the idea of Lucifer needing to hurt her in order to protect her, (thank you, Candy). The show runners have already teased the idea of Chloe finding out her miracle status, so this one is the most likely past event to come up, I suspect. So, show of hands, who thinks Chloe would be beyond pissed?

Chloe Decker owes Lucifer Morningstar absolutely nothing. That’s what makes her acceptance and love of him so powerful. To introduce these past events is to allow the specter of obligation to color every single interaction they’ve had - along with guilt. And some fans are speculating with the very best of intentions, in the name of open communication.

But we all know where good intentions and guilt lead, now don’t we?

#lucifer meta #lucifer analysis #deckerstar #lucifer morningstar #chloe decker #lucifer on netflix #lucifer on fox #lucifer season 4 #lucifer season four #lucifer season 3 #lucifer season 2 #lucifer season 1 #feminism #gratitude is not love

[tisfan]

Why Do you Have to Go (And Make Things So Complicated)

Title:  Why Do You Have to Go (And Make things So Complicated) Collaborators: @27dragons and @tisfan AO3 Link Square Filled: N1 - Character is a Femme Fatale Ship: winterironwidow Rating: E Major Tags: threesome, anal, oral, vaginal Summary:  He could see the headlines now: Stiff with a stiffie. Or He died happy. Or Stark monument already erected. Word Count: 4963 Created for @mcukinkbingo

A/n: This continues from Something Truly Shocking which was a little sarcasm prompt. All you have to know is that Tony was pretending not to notice how Sexy Nat and Bucky are.

Tony was going to die. Specifically, he was going to be murdered, right here in his own workshop. Either Natasha was going to give him a heart attack, or Bucky was going to clue in and come after him with a knife.

Pepper’s worst nightmare was going to come true: Tony was going to die with an erection, and she was going to be stuck trying to keep that out of the news cycle.

He could see the headlines now: Stiff with a stiffie. Or He died happy. Or Stark monument already erected.

Jesus. Natasha had always, since the first day Tony had met her, been a femme fatale, but even when she’d been trying to seduce her way into his company under Fury’s orders, she had never been quite so determined about it. And the femme was a lot closer to fatale, these days, because she had a boyfriend now. An impressively sexy, resting-murder-face, not-quite-ex-assassin of a boyfriend, who would absolutely come after Tony’s balls if he realized that Tony was thinking about his girlfriend that way.

Even if it wasn’t his fault. He was trying not to, but Natasha did not make it easy on a guy, with her barely-there bikini, asking him to put sunscreen on her, for pity’s sake, because the stuff gummed up Bucky’s arm.

Why couldn’t Bucky just use his other hand to lube up his girlfriend? Why did it have to be Tony’s job?

Christ on a cracker, and the draping herself seductively over the furniture all the time! Logically, Tony was pretty sure that was just a habit for her, left over from the days when she was earning her codename much more literally, seducing marks into her deadly web. Damn it, Tony was only human! And since he and Pepper had split a year or so back, he hadn’t exactly been on the dating scene, so he had a lot of pent-up urges floating around.

This last episode had been far too close; Tony had actually found himself staring down into her cleavage, trying to decide if he was actually seeing a bit of nipple or just imagining it, when he’d glanced up and caught Bucky staring at him. He’d nearly died on the spot.

Possibly literally.

(more under the count)

Not that Tony wouldn’t have deserved it, even though he and Bucky were on pretty decent terms these days. It had been a rocky path to start, but now Bucky came to Tony for trouble with the arm, then stuck around and watched old episodes of Star Trek with him. Sometimes Bucky brought Tony snacks when Tony was working late, and let Tony ramble on to him about whatever the latest project was. (Tony had actually worked through several knotty issues simply using Bucky as a sounding board.) Also, Tony would never admit it, but Bucky had long since ousted Steve in Tony Stark’s Avengers Sexiness Rankings. All the same supersoldier muscle topped off with a bad-boy cherry? It was like goddamn catnip.

Still, their hard-won friendship was probably not up to the pressure of Tony leering at Bucky’s girlfriend.

Tony slumped onto his stool and put his head in his hands. Maybe he could hide in the workshop until they’d finished swimming and then put clothes on again. Lots of clothes.

That didn’t seem very likely, as there was a rap on the glass door of the workshop and there were two bathing-suit-clad not-quite-Russian superspies right outside. Natasha had Bucky by the strings of his shorts, and the way she was tugging on them was not disguising at all that Bucky had a rather impressive package just underneath the nylon-spandex material.

Yep, he was going to die with an erection. Iron Man’s hard end.

“Got a minute?” Natasha mouthed, waving her free hand around to indicate-- something. Her, her boobs, maybe. Tony wasn’t quite sure, but the gesture made her body wriggle impressively.

And because he’d never been able to resist either one of them for very long, he waved back, signaling FRIDAY to open the door. “Thought you two would be splashing it up by now,” he said as they came in.

“We had a question,” Natasha said. She walked over to one of the workshop tables, still dragging Bucky, which was both hilarious and very distracting, because there was an awful lot of Winter Skin on display. He turned, just a little, and Tony got a really good look at Bucky’s shapely ass. He lifted Nat up so she was seated on the work table, and then practically lounged between her pale thighs.

“She’s been going about this all wrong,” Bucky said, and Natasha smacked him on the shoulder.

“Shut up, you said I could ask,” she said.

“No, I said you could just open your mouth like you were an actual grown up and everything,” Bucky retorted. “She could, really. I’m not sure if she will, however.” He gave Tony a look, like he was expecting some sort of male solidarity sympathy or something.

Which Tony was absolutely not going to give him while Natasha was watching, because Tony liked all his body parts right where they were, unskewered. “What’s the question?” He picked up the nearest tool to fiddle with, because he needed something to do with his hands that was not touching all the gorgeous skin in front of him.

“It’s complicat--”

“It’s not complicated. What’s so hard about ‘would you like to have sex’?” Bucky demanded. “It’s not that complicated, is it?”

DOES NOT COMPUTE. Tony opened his mouth, closed it. Considered some sort of hard-reboot option for brains. “I’m sorry, what?”

“That-- that’s why it’s complicated,” Natasha said. “Look, you broke him. What good is he to either of us if his brain leaks right out?”

Bucky leered. “I can think of a few things-- Ow, stop hitting me, woman.”

“You’re going to have to back up a few lines,” Tony said. He felt like someone had kicked him in the head, only without the pain. “Someone forgot to give me a script.”

“We’ll start with the softball questions,” Natasha said. “You like both women, and men. Bi-- or pansexual. If we’re wrong about that, obviously, the whole question is off the table, but you don’t have a particular objection to… men. Or women. As partners, dating, bed or otherwise?”

Tony had to snort at that. “You researched me, Romanov,” he pointed out. “You’ve seen my sex tapes. All of which were, if somewhat ill-advised, entirely consensual and enthusiastic.”

“See, I told you. If he’s got a problem, it’s not with the gender. So, you want to, or no?” Bucky leaned back against Nat’s thigh, spreading her legs even further to accommodate that impressive body.

“This is where you lose me,” Tony said. “Am I hallucinating? FRIDAY, you’d tell me if I were hallucinating, right?”

“You bet, boss.”

“Forgive him, he has no sense,” Natasha said. “Comes from being frozen so long. His brain, it’s all… freezer burned. See? You don’t do any better than I do. We try-- looking pretty, flirting. You ignore us, both together, or separate. You look, and then look away.”

“See, doll, we think you’re pretty swell,” Bucky said. “And, spending so many years -- both of us -- not gettin’ what we want, we aren’t hung up on… stuff. It’s a indecent proposal, maybe, but we’d like you-- to get with us.” Bucky pointed, like Tony might not know which you he was talking about, or which us.

“It’s all right, if you are not interested,” Natasha said, but there was the slightest pout to those perfect lips. “We have each other, and that is enough. But I’m greedy. I want it all.”

“Fri?” Tony couldn’t quite take his eyes off them.

“Still not hallucinating, boss.”

“The Black Widow and the Winter Soldier want me in a three-way,” Tony summarized, testing the surreality of that statement, tasting its flavor.

“Tony sandwich, extra mayo,” Bucky added, directing that leer at Tony again.

Tony blinked at him. “What is the mayo in this metaphor?” he wondered. “Because I can think of a couple of different-- Wait, never mind, wrong focus. That’s what all the... this has been about?” He demanded, waving a hand at Natasha’s unfairly skimpy bikini.

“He is crude, but to the point, yes,” Natasha said. “We like you. If you like either of us-- together is best, but if only me, then Bucky will content himself with watching, or hearing about it later.”

“Bucky will, will he?” Bucky wondered. “I don’t recall agreeing with being content about that.”

Tony watched them bickering for a moment. “This is for real? You’re not pranking me, or got dared, or something?”

“Why the hell would I do that? I mean I get why Tasha would, she sometimes does things just because someone tells her no--” Bucky reached a hand out. “We like you. There's nothin’ objectionable about me, is there? I mean… look you don't gotta let me down easy or nothin’. If you ain't interested, just say so. We can be, you know, adult about it.”

“Speak for yourself,” Natasha said. “I reserve the right to cry and eat way too much ice cream and drown myself in vodka.”

“I-- Yes. I’m in.” He couldn’t think of a single reason that he’d want to say no to two of the most gorgeous, amazing people he knew.

“Heh, too bad for you,” Bucky said, and for a moment Tony's heart absolutely stopped, here it came, the punchline. Maybe even literally. “No excuse to eat too much ice cream.”

Holy shit, this was real. “Ice cream is its own excuse,” Tony said, talking on autopilot through the spinning daze of his brain. “Uh. Logistics?”

“Tony sandwich,” Bucky said with enthusiasm. “Seems only fair to let you get all the reward, at least the first time.”

“Come here and kiss Bucky so his brain will stop glitching,” Natasha told him. “And I will watch and decide if you get to do it again.”

Tony almost asked, Now? but it got caught in his throat, arrested by Natasha’s expectant look. “Right. That’s... Right.” He put the screwdriver down and slid off the stool, moving toward them through what felt like a dream. Toe to toe with Bucky, feeling the heat baking off their skin, Tony thought, well, if it’s an audition, then I’d better nail it.

Heh. Nail it. His lips pulled slightly into a smirk. He reached up with one hand, tangling his fingers in Bucky’s hair and pulling Bucky down. He fell into the kiss, tentative at first as they felt each other out, and then more confident.

Bucky turned until he had his back to his girlfriend, her knees still around his hips, as he moved into the kiss, tongue flicking out to test Tony’s reactions, one hand going around Tony’s waist to draw him in even closer, the other sliding down Tony’s shoulder, to his bicep, then around, until Bucky’s fingers were tracing the line between Tony’s tee and his jeans.

It had been a while since he’d been in a threesome (or foursome, or moresome) but not so long that it was weird when Nat started petting them both, her fingers moving curiously from Bucky’s shoulder to Tony’s hair, and then along the back of his neck, fingernails dragging lightly, eliciting a shiver.

Tony finally had to pull away first, panting for breath. “Those of us who are not supersoldiers need to breathe occasionally.” He grinned at Bucky and then looked past Bucky at Nat. “Verdict?”

“We will take you upstairs and demonstrate the supersoldier’s ability to breathe through his ears,” Natasha told him. “And he has a very long-- tongue.”

“Among other things,” Bucky added, easily enough. “Don’t scare him off, Tasha. At least wait t’ panic him after I get my hands down his jeans.”

Tony shook his head. “I’m not panicking. Confused and surprised, but not panicking.” He backed up a step to make space and held out his hands to both of them. “My bed’s the biggest.”

“You lead, then. I’ll follow with the good view,” Bucky said. “Seriously, can I just--” He made a squeeze-gesture in front of Tony, like he was starring on an old-time Charmin commercial.

Tony smirked a little wider. “Don’t damage the goods, but feel free to test the springs.”

Bucky pulled him back in, hands going straight down Tony’s back to explore Tony’s ass. God, Bucky had huge hands, practically spanning the entire expanse of Tony’s cheek, palming him like a basketball at a Globetrotter’s game. “Perfect,” Bucky purred in Tony’s ear.

“Save some for the rest of us,” Natasha told him, like there was a line queuing up or something. She slid one hand into Tony’s back pocket as she hopped down from the workshop table, which did interesting, bouncy things to her anatomy. And Tony was allowed to look, and admire, which was a relief, because he wasn’t sure he could really, actually do anything but. Bucky crossed his arm over Nat’s, reaching into the other back pocket, so they formed an X; one on either side.

Well, okay then. Tony took a step and they moved with him, in tandem, as if they had rehearsed it. Spies and assassins and their freaky ways. Which, Tony thought, would make for very interesting and athletic sex, he suspected. Jesus, how was he even going to keep up?

Mental breakdown later, he told himself firmly, and continued through the workshop to the elevator. “My floor, Fri. Express route.”

There was a pointed silence before the elevator moved, as if Friday was registering some sort of… artificial judginess. He’d thought JARVIS was the only one who preferred his sexcapades to be tame, but maybe Friday had picked up more from her predecessor than Tony had supposed. It didn’t seem to bother Bucky, who was absentmindedly tugging on Natasha’s bikini strap, threatening to spill her out of it entirely.

There was another pointed little pause before the doors opened again, and Tony made a mental note to have a chat with Friday later. Much later. And then he stopped thinking about anything at all that wasn’t the two perfect specimens in front of him.

He reached for Natasha, hand stopping an inch short of her hair. “Okay?”

Natasha took the outstretched hand, planted a delicate kiss in his palm, and then put that palm directly over her breast, pushing herself into the touch. “Yes?”

“Oh, hell yes.” Tony cupped her breast, delicately exploring, testing, finding the most sensitive places, the pressures and movements that made her eyelashes flutter, her mouth fall open in a gasp. He leaned down to kiss her, flicking his tongue against her lip and then opening to her own explorations.

Bucky moved in behind Tony, giving his ass another squeeze and making an utterly adorable squeal of delight. Tony shouldn’t find that cute, should he? That was undignified, or -- whatever it was was going to have to wait, as Bucky reached all the way around, his fingers hauling Natasha even closer. Tony was starting to feel remarkably overdressed for the party, because when he pulled back a little, Bucky had -- or maybe Natasha had -- undone the strap to her bikini top and she was, in fact, spilling out of the tiny thing.

“Isn’t she lovely?” Bucky murmured in Tony’s ear. He knew exactly what to do, making a vee with his fingers to pinch her nipple erect, and then thumbing lightly over the tip while Natasha juddered and shivered and tried to move closer, going up on her toes and whimpering.

Tony couldn’t resist leaning down to lick over that captive nipple, and then moving to the other side, sucking it in, letting his teeth graze just lightly over the skin as he traced circles around it with his tongue. He wrapped his arm around her waist, wanting to feel every shudder and moan.

Finally, laughing and still shivering with too much stimulation, Natasha pushed them both away, swatting at Bucky’s hand. “You promised a very big bed, Mr. Stark,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him like she was some blushing virgin. The tone was convincing enough, even if her casual ease with nudity gave it the lie.

“Also, someone is wearing too much clothing,” Bucky said.

“Absolutely, you’re completely correct,” Natasha said. The bikini bottom unfastened at the sides and she flicked the little scrap of fabric in Bucky’s face before bouncing off in the direction of the bedroom. She didn’t need directions, because, of course she didn’t.

Tony glanced at Bucky, and gestured. “After you. My turn to ogle.”

Tony half-expected Bucky to shuck his shorts with the same gleeful anticipation that he’d done everything else, but suddenly he was flushing, neck red and ears burning. He fumbled with the strings at his swim trunks before shoving them down and stepping awkwardly out of them. “Yeah?” That glorious blush kept going, crawling down Bucky’s chest as he lifted his chin to let Tony look at him.

And wow, was there a lot to look at. “Yeah,” Tony said, letting his eyes linger, even as he reached back to pull his tee over his head. He dropped it to the floor, then unzipped and dropped his jeans as well. The view wasn’t as nice -- Tony was no supersoldier, and on the wrong side of forty-five, to boot -- but he thought he did okay. Bucky’s eyes certainly seemed to agree. “Ready?”

“I’m waiting--” Natasha called from the other room.

“Bad idea to keep her waiting, she gets inventive,” Bucky said.

And, apparently she did, because as they got to the door, she was posed dramatically on Tony’s bed, the comforter kicked onto the floor. She paused, then sunk until a perfect split, legs going from one side of the bed to the other. She bent forward from the waist, tossing her head back to give them a sultry look.

“I’m failing to see the downside to this inventiveness,” Tony observed.

“What do you like, doll?” Bucky wondered, tracing that metal hand up and down Tony’s spine, inspecting the line of it. “Bottom? Top? Middle? On your knees between Tasha’s thighs while I stroke you from behind?”

“I’m flexible,” Tony said, suppressing the shiver from being touched with that hand. “Not as flexible as Natasha, mind you, but who is? You got something you want to try, lay it on me. Or what you said, that sounds great.”

Bucky made a deep, snarling noise right in Tony’s ear. “I will absolutely lay it on you.”

Natasha rolled over, spread across Tony’s bed like an offering. “I like that idea. I get to lay back and let you two do all the work,” she said.

“Why do I doubt that?” Tony wondered. He climbed onto the bed and knelt between her legs to nuzzle between her breasts, kissing upward toward her neck, dragging teeth along her earlobe. He propped himself up on one arm and let the other roam over her smooth, creamy skin.

“Mmmm,” Natasha hummed, arching into his touch. “His hands aren’t cold.”

Bucky slid that metal hand down Tony’s back, along the curve of his ass. “Do you think my hand is unpleasantly cold?” Slick, cool fingers explored Tony’s thigh, almost frictionless.

“Uh, no,” Tony said, “but I have an unnatural boner for tech, so I might not be the prevailing opinion there.” He made his way back down to Natasha’s breasts, teasing and toying with them and watching in awe as she twisted and arched under him.

“Your boner doesn’t feel unnatural,” Bucky pointed out, keeping that chilly touch very light-- to avoid pinching with the minute plates in his fingers, probably. He swapped out, warm skin replacing cool metal, and the contrast was enough to make Tony wobble. “It’s interesting. The difference, I mean.”

“Ug, he gets like that,” Natasha said, rolling her eyes with affectionate exasperation. “Give him a condom or a pair of gloves and he’ll stick that finger places it’s really not supposed to be.” Tony wasn’t sure if that was supposed to dissuade him or not.

“I am one hundred percent down for that,” Tony admitted. “Though at the moment...” He wriggled and slid further down the bed so he could drag his mouth down Natasha’s stomach, hand stroking the inside of her thigh. He glanced up at her to make sure she was on board, then flicked his tongue along her folds.

Natasha hummed, her hips rocking up to meet Tony’s mouth with approval. Her hands went into Tony’s hair, tugging lightly, and then her thumbs brushed along his ears. She tasted sweet and tangy. Fresh, like she’d actually been planning on swimming and had showered not more than an hour ago.

Tony almost lost the thread for a moment, as Bucky reached around Tony’s middle, teasing at him with one cool hand and one overly warm one. “You have lube? Condom? I didn’t know if you were actually going to say yes, and… well, there aren’t pockets in a swimsuit for a reason.”

Without lifting his head, Tony made a vague gesture toward the nightstand where he kept such supplies. It had been a long time since he’d done this sort of thing, but he remembered that it was best to get his rhythm established before activities at the other end got too far along, because otherwise he’d get distracted and someone would end up irritated. He spread Natasha’s labia with two fingers and went to work, letting her hands in his hair provide hot-and-cold clues.

Natasha’s legs kept shifting, rubbing against Tony’s arms. Her knees would come up for a bit, squeezing at his shoulders, and then flopping back down again, spreading herself wide for him to work.

“For you, if you need them,” Bucky told him, putting two wrapped condoms near Nat’s shoulder. “And for me--” There was a soft snick as Bucky opened the lube. He drizzled a line down Tony’s crack, working it in with his flesh hand, rubbing along Tony’s hole, up his crack, and then down to his balls, teasing as he went. Circling the opening to Tony’s body and inhaling as Tony shifted. “God, your ass is pretty. Like, sorry, Tasha, but Tony’s got ya beat there.”

“He keeps doing what he’s doing, and he can beat me wherever he likes,” Natasha said, her voice spiraling up toward the end as she gasped and then flexed again.

“I don’t usually discuss the heavier kink until the third date,” Tony quipped, and then went back to what he was doing. He’d always liked going down on a woman, but god, she tasted sweet.

“Pretty sure threesomes count as heavy kink, Tony,” Natasha pointed out. “Although, as you say-- aaah! -- I have read your dossier. Hell, I wrote-- mooost of it.”

Tony squeaked as Bucky leaned over and nipped at the curve of his ass, leaving a spark of teeth, and then spread into welcoming heat. “Lovely.” Bucky’s finger slid around Tony’s hole again, and then breached him. “Like that, do you?”

“Mm-hm,” Tony hummed. Which seemed to do interesting things to Natasha, given the way she gasped, so he did it again.

It was easy to lose himself in the push and pull of bodies, the tastes and smells and sensations. He pushed forward into Natasha and back into Bucky and let the rhythm take over the endless whirring of his brain.

Bucky breached him, nice and slow, and dear Tesla, thick as hell. He reached around Tony’s middle to stroke him, keep him hard and eager. It was a little awkward; Bucky was left handed, but Tony supposed that lube in those finger joints would be a bitch to clean up. “Oh, you feel so tight,” Bucky murmured. “You should see this, Tasha--”

“Take -- ah! A picture. It’ll last longer,” Natasha scolded, poking Bucky in the ribs with a long leg. Bucky caught her ankle, which did interesting things to both the way she was positioned, and the way Bucky moved into Tony. When Natasha groaned, and pushed her other leg up, Bucky rocked all three of them together, using his grip on Natasha’s legs to give him leverage.

“Oh my god,” Tony said, because that was definitely different. “You two are going to be the death of me, but at least I’ll die happy.” He reached up and found Bucky’s hair, wrapping his fingers in it and tugging.

“Don’t die,” Bucky told him. “If you die, you’ll miss the good bits.” He rocked slowly, perfectly, in and out of Tony’s body. Under Tony, Natasha could barely move, her legs wide spread and pinned, glorious.

Being held like that seemed to make her more sensitive, every lick and stroke met with desperate, pleading gasps as she twisted and moved. Trying to get closer or squirm away, and neither worked. She let loose a torrent of Russian that Tony didn’t quite catch, but made Bucky laugh, which-- oh, that felt amazing, the way they all vibrated together.

God, Tony wasn’t going to last very much longer if this kept up. He redoubled his efforts, determined to bring Natasha off before he succumbed. Bucky was moving faster now, and for a few moments, they worked together like a well-calibrated machine, every movement serving the greater purpose of the whole. It was beautiful, it was sublime, it was intense, as close to flying as Tony could get with his feet on the ground.

Natasha threw her head back, practically arching off the bed, her whole body going rigid. Air hissed in and out of her lungs, and then she screamed, a strangled, glorious gasp. She kicked one leg loose from Bucky’s hold and-- ow, that was probably going to leave a mark, but it was good, because she was completely out of control, oblivious to everything except the way she shuddered and cried out.

Bucky had gone still while she came, watching intently over Tony’s shoulder at every movement.

When Natasha came back to herself, she grinned at him, pulled her knees up. “Wanna finish off in me?”

Tony shuddered. “Oh, yeah.” He scrabbled for one of the condoms Bucky had tossed up earlier and rolled it on with hands shaking from need. He climbed up, positioning himself, acutely aware of Bucky still pressed against his back, and slid into her. Heat and wet and a perfect tension that crawled down his spine and lodged in his balls. “Oh, fuck.”

Their well-oiled machine lost its rhythm for a bit. “Let me drive,” Bucky growled in Tony’s ear, and he surrendered to Bucky’s grip on his hips, the way they all moved together, instead of tangling up. They got going again, and it was a continuous line of Bucky sliding into him, and he pushed into Natasha, and then out again, perfect harmony, sweet and slick and so, so hot.

“There you go, there you are, my pretty Tony,” Bucky crooned.

Natasha moved with them, hips rising to meet Tony’s strokes. Her hand was on Tony’s waist, and Bucky linked his fingers with hers, a sweetly innocent gesture.

With Bucky’s relentless pace driving them, the heat built quickly. Tony tucked his head down and tried to prolong it, but there was only so much he could do to stave off his climax with so much perfect sensation surrounding him. He gasped, caught his breath, gasped again, and the world went white for a while -- a few seconds, or an hour, or a year. “Oh god, oh god.”

Behind him, Bucky made a sound, some sound, and then he smacked Tony’s ass once, sharply. Not enough to really hurt, but it stung for a second, and then the whole area flooded, hot and perfect. Bucky jerked, once, twice, and then went utterly still, exhaling with a low, shaky moan.

Tony tried to catch his breath. “So that’s a thing we did.” He gave Bucky a minute to breathe, then nudged him gently. “Off. My arms are giving out and Natasha does not want to be crushed.”

Bucky peeled himself off Tony’s back, dropping a kiss between his shoulder blades, before collapsing onto the mattress. “Yeah, that’s a thing we did, all right,” he agreed.

Natasha squirmed out from under Tony, letting him fall face down in between them. “It was a good decision.”

“I need to record that,” Bucky said, and going down to cup Tony’s ass fondly. “She doesn’t credit me with a lot of sense.”

“Two thumbs up, five stars on Yelp,” Tony agreed, not bothering to roll over. He wondered what happened next, but couldn’t quite bring himself to ask.

Natasha rolled over, cuddling against Tony’s side. She reached over his back and linked her hand with Bucky’s again. “We should,” she said, kissing Tony’s ear, his neck, shoulder, “snuggle for a while. Take a nap. And then you will feed us, since we worked so hard. And then, we will figure out what we’re doing next.”

“What’s to figure?” Bucky asked, voice muffled by one of the pillows. “We are dating each other, and we are dating Tony. It’s not complicated. She always makes it complicated.”

“Tony may have opinions of his own, you know,” Natasha said, tart. “That don’t always agree with yours.”

Bucky scoffed, then immediately looked concerned. “I will be needing all that ice cream you were talking about earlier if this is a one and done.”   

Tony thought about it for a moment. “No reason we can’t have ice cream and be dating,” he offered.

“Ice cream as a date?” Natasha suggested. “We can do that. I like this idea, I’m happy to be a part of it.” 

#mcukinkbingo #winterironwidow #tony x bucky x nat #lemon

[stopandimagineloveforever]

It's rare for a television show to get its first Emmy nomination in its fifth season, but sometimes voters are late to catch on to a good thing. Building on its loyal fanbase, Schitt’s Creek has been on the receiving end of a Netflix bump after the streaming platform first debuted the series in 2017 (each season airs first on the CBC in Canada and the Pop network in the U.S.). It also helps that creatively, Schitt’s Creek continues to hit new peaks, injecting heart and humor into a simple fish-out-of-water premise. The Rose family lost all their money in the first episode, forcing them to move to a town that was purchased as a joke, but the emotional riches continue to pour in with each passing year.

Dan Levy co-created Schitt’s Creek with his comedy icon father Eugene, but the younger Levy has been showrunning in a solo capacity since the second season. As a triple-threat, Levy has three shots at an Emmy nomination in writing, directing, and acting. Competition in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy category is stiff: there's last year’s winner Henry Winkler for Barry, previous Veep victor Tony Hale, Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Andrew Scott (Fleabag), and Alan Arkin for The Kominsky Method. There is an argument to be made that David Rose is the lead character on his show, but as Schitt’s Creek is very much an ensemble comedy, so it makes sense from a name recognition point-of-view to submit his dad in that category.

As David, Levy wears his emotions on his black-and-white designer sleeve, and all over his expressive face. A ball of skittish anxiety with a dating history that is “one bungle after another” (as per his mother’s description and David’s many horror stories), his relationship with Patrick (Noah Reid) has evolved into one of the best love stories on TV. Queer romances on sitcoms are typically chaste, with fleeting moments of intimacy and non-existent PDA. However, this is not the case in Schitt’s Creek, a town that Levy purposefully wrote as homophobia-free. They are able to serenade and smooch in public, with Levy explaining to Esquire, “To be able to present a love story that's without fear of consequence was something that I wanted from the very beginning.” As a result of this union, David has let his guard down after realizing he is someone who deserves to be loved, which builds to a beautiful moment in this season’s penultimate episode.

“The Hike” is Levy’s submission for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, an episode in which Patrick’s planned proposal hits many snags along the way before leading to a swoon-worthy declaration of love. Initially, David isn’t particularly enamored with the great outdoors as he can’t track his eBay bid and his backpack is heavy. But when Patrick has a nerves-induced meltdown and injures himself, David swoops into caring mode. A few seasons ago, David would’ve turned around at the first opportunity, now he is piggybacking his boyfriend up a mountain. Other contenders in this category include last year’s winner Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bill Hader for Barry, the Big Bang Theory finale, and the returning Veep (which is likely to reap quite a few Emmy nods for its final season).

While the four-ring proposal — to match the silver rings David has worn since the first episode — is the crowning moment of “The Hike,” the B and C plots are just as strong, mixing the signature heart and humor of Levy’s vision. A health scare for Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) prepping for her trip to the Galapagos Islands with Ted (Dustin Milligan) open up new avenues for Rose family drama and growth. This is a tear-inducing episode for the characters and audience, as Stevie (Emily Hampshire) has a very visceral response to Johnny’s trip to the hospital. This vulnerability from Stevie is a thread that runs into the season finale, “Life is a Cabaret.”

Taking on a stage and screen musical classic like Cabaret is no easy feat, but a move this bold is perfect for Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara). This is only Dan Levy’s second time behind the camera, co-directing with Andrew Cividino — the Christmas special was their first joint Schitt’s venture — an audacious move that more than pays off. David’s perfectly planned engagement announcement goes off the rails when Stevie goes “missing” pre-show, but Dan is not David and he flawless executes the staging. Giving us front row seats to the revival of the year, the camera sweeps across the auditorium during “Wilkommen” making sure we get to enjoy this very different side to David’s butter-voiced beau. When it comes to Stevie’s big Sally Bowles number, aside from a few reaction shots, the focus is entirely on her as she belts out an emotional “Maybe This Time.” If only we could see the whole musical.

As with writing, returning winner Amy Sherman-Palladino and Veep are in the mix. But Dan Levy isn’t the only Emmy comedy triple-threat as Natasha Lyonne and Bill Hader could also get recognized in three different categories for Russian Doll and Barry, respectively.

Schitt’s Creek was nominated earlier this year for a Critics Choice Award, and more recently by the Television Critics Association. And just last week, Dan Levy won the MTV Movie/TV Award for Best Comedic Performance. So the show is certainly benefiting from a surge in viewers who've  discovered the series on Netflix (I am one of those late adopters). In March, Levy announced that the show's next season will also be the last, choosing to go out on a high note. Emmy voters shouldn’t wait until then to nominate Dan Levy in at least one of these categories.

June 24, 2019

#Dan Levy #Schitts Creek #David X Patrick #LGBT #Emmy Awards #June 2019

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S2 Ep 43: Things Get a Lot Less Vague, But it’s Still Pretty Vague

I’m taking full advantage of the laziest time of the year and I’m watching even more Yugioh. I even gave myself a buffer. Sort of. I kinda lost a day playing Octopath Traveler and I don’t even remember that happening.

Now this episode doesn’t have anyone getting struck by lightning, but if that happened, it would have fit right in. A lot happened in this episode. So, to start off, Mai decided to play one of the three cards we were given explicit instructions to never ever play and it has immediately screwed her over via orb.

Everyone else watching the orb has become completely enamored by it. Especially Kaiba, who is pretty positive he can turn this sphere into a dragon. I don’t know why anyone would ever come to this conclusion, but welcome to Yugioh, it’s well into S2 and I’m just still jaw agape and saying “HOW?” at my screen.

Like y’all I don’t know how to play this game, which should be hella apparent from reading any of my posts, but like there is one thing that everyone knows--even I knew--about Yugioh the game. Let me just, once sec

Ah, there we go.

Like sometimes it shows that your game is originally in a language that doesn’t require spaces between words. And like this is coming from me. You know how verbose I am, I freakin love words. But maybe that’s too many words for a card.

(read more under the cut)

And while this is pretty much the worlds most BS card already, what’s even better is that none of this jargon appeared until after Mai played the card. Like basically the card pretends to be completely normal and then is like “Boom, gotcha. I’ll just be a cool Ikea orb lamp instead!”

At this point, while everyone is scrambling around trying to fathom what to do about this huge ass fake sun blinding everyone down in Domino, Marik decides to deposit some more bizarre lore.

I kind of assumed Yugi and Kaiba were born with the correct soul formula to become the reincarnation of these people from 3000 B.C.E. without any actual blood relations but apparently, somehow, you got people from Ancient Egypt migrating to Ancient Japan. Sure, I mean if you did enough trading routes it could happen. It just seems like it would be a difficult transition?

And we could get real head canon and talk about their parentage since there’s a lot we don’t know. Mokuba and Kaiba could have different fathers, since they are quite different looking, which may be how Mokuba is exempt from all this lore while it still applies to Seto (Cuz Mokuba has been staring at that card for like quite a while and he cannot read it). But like, I don’t know if the show will even bother to cover that.

I don’t know if we’ll find out when in their bloodlines Kaiba and Yugi’s Egyptian cursed lines arrived in Japan. Was this during like the Edo period? Was this to set up a really bizarre Shogun Yugioh spinoff?

Wait, is that a thing? I don’t actually know, Yugioh seems to have like 8 spinoffs that all look a lot of the same to me. It may just be 1 spinoff that Netflix keeps changing the preview image of to trick me into thinking there’s 8 of them.

Or, did Kaiba have a relative that showed up in the 80′s and had a crazy weekend and a one night stand? Would Kaiba even know who his real Dad is?

Whatever, I’m sure there’s plenty of fanfic made over the last 20 years to cover this so I don’t have to. Moving on.

And then this kid’s show decided to tie up Mai to a wall or something? Man, Marik and chaining people up, this is the fourth person he’s chained up today! At least this time she doesn’t have a box over her head.

Still pretty kinky though.

Yo did Mokuba just...casually walk out of Marik’s Shadow Realm just now?

Again, do they cancel the game at this point because the equipment is...clearly malfunctioning? Like, this is the part that Kaiba is supposed to have full control of because he made all the equipment they’re using and he’s just...glossing over this? Like, this is the one thing that Kaiba would be like “OK wait, wait, we can’t ship it like this, my company is actually ruined if the game can do this, one sec, cancel everything.”

Nah. They just kinda watch.

And now, Marik decides to say the bird chant so we can hear what was actually written on the card and it was...a...

...it was the definition of what a poem is all right...

This is the lyrics to the Ra poem, just so you can see how bad it is. My search engine history will never be the same, but I just want y’all to glory on how kid’s show this poem is, compared to everything else going on in this kid’s show at this moment.

"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry./

Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight/

Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe./

Unlock your powers deep within so that together we may win./

Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name,/

Winged Dragon of Ra"

Bravo, writers. Bravo. This corny as hell poem with its very awkward meter was voiced over alllllll the other nuts stuff going on in this show and guys, it’s a juxtaposition.

Now at this point, Kaiba has his poem he needs to make the card works--so he no longer needs to translate it--so he can just cancel. He’s got everything he wants now. Time to just cancel. Throw the cursed boy in whatever prison you got on this ship. In fact, just toss him off the ship entirely. You no longer need him. He doesn’t even have the card anymore. Mai has it.

I honestly think Kaiba just spaced the hell out at this point.

Also then Marik follows it up by saying this:

Joey gets wind that this is pretty bad and we’re going to get a very dead Mai--I mean Joey was the one who just recently got struck by lightning so it’d make sense that he’d be the one to say "I know for a real true fact none of you are going to do a damn thing about this unless I do this myself.” So he runs directly over to Kaiba but then I think the show decided to edit out him talking to Kaiba because it just jump cuts to Joey talking to Roland instead.

Like it really felt like Joey went the long way around to get on this platform but I dunno, maybe he tried to punch Kaiba in the Japanese version and that’s why they edited it out? I dunno.

Also, how many times will Joey get DQ’d before he actually gets DQ’d? Will anyone ever in fact get DQ’d in this entire tourney?

As Ra starts warming up his engines to start spewing fire all over the field, Joey decides to take a moment to try and talk to Mai. To tell her that yes, he did have a dream about her, but didn’t want to tell her earlier, because no teenage boy in their right mind would tell an adult woman that they had a dream about them during a near-death experience.

Which honestly most of it was lost on the fact that Mai can only hear him as a sort of ghostly spooky echo.

So then, through the power of...the show only calls if friendship, but it’s very vague, y’all...they break the curse that Marik put on Mai, and she remembers Joey. Also because Joey is touching her face. Like literally touching her. This would have been way spookier if she could not see him at this point.

So Ra is getting ready to fry these two up and I thought “wow, we’re gonna get two bodies at the end of this episode. What a treat!” but there’s a twist.

What? Lol what?

Within like 3 milliseconds, Yugi goes “dammit what are these assholes doing?” and leaps up to the platform and then takes yet another direct fireball hit in order to save Joey Wheeler. No one even asked Yugi to do this--he’s not even competing in this game, but he certainly got up there and took it.

This episode must have been a right up shipping frenzy when y’all were 12.

Marik is so pleased that he got to eff up Yugi more in this duel than the one that he actually tried to kill Yugi Muto in. If I remember correctly he did mention that this all was very convenient--I mean he got 3 in one go and he wasn’t even trying. So, Because Yugi is passed out and because Kaiba will never actually step in and stop anyone in this show unless Mokuba orders him to, Marik walks straight up to Joey and Mai and makes some more nonsense right in front of everyone on this show.

This is right in front of most of the entire cast.

Maybe it’s the color scheme but I got strong Stinky Cheese Man vibes from this magic effect.

I thought of pulling more caps from this point but there was waaaay too much shirtless Yugi in it. In my mind, all cartoon characters, when they take their shirt off, have another shirt on underneath. And if they take off that shirt, it’s yet another shirt. It’s shirts and boots leggings on all the way down to infinity like a russian nesting doll, and the image of shirtless Yugi really puts a kibosh to my world view and I didn’t like it.

No kinkshame, of course, if that’s your thing, well, you got a 18x18 pixel shirtless Yugi right there for you to enjoy. Enjoy.

Now that Mai has been trapped here in this hourglass resort, she will lose her memories of her friends for the rest of time, obsessively watching everyone else's vacations that are full of friends having way more fun than she is having.

This is just Instagram basically. Y’all, this is just Instagram.

And some of y’alls Instagram has shirtless Yugis in it, I just know it.

And not to get too real but like, last episode we went through how Marik basically gave Mai depression--and it says a lot that his way of doing this was illustrated in a show written like 20 years ago in a lot of the same way social media works today. Just throwing that out there. 

Overall, I feel like the theme of the Mai ark is “Marik just sped up what they were already doing and it was super effective.” Mai trapped herself in her own false and negative insecurities. Kaiba failed to moderate anything. Joey waited way too late to say the right thing. Yugi sacrificed himself again to such a degree that he couldn’t save Mai later when Marik was just strutting around cursing people willy nilly.

And I’m not going to lie, Marik’s cargo pants/cape strut was hilarious.

It was probably supposed to be menacing, but this long cut of this ridiculous cast just watching this weird boy go was great.

Up until now Seto has been a very patient impatient person, but now it’s finally his duel, and he’s so excited to duel Ishizu--but y’all it’s just Seto up against a phsycic again. I imagine it’s gonna go real great.

Other than that one guy in town, will this boy ever duel a normal person?

Also...been debating on whether Mai is dead or alive, and her soul still seems attached to her body--like she’s still salvageable? So I’ll say alive for now. Seems more like a dream than like she literally got transported elsewhere.

Dude. It is S2 and I just realized that Mai Valentine is a pun.

Damn.

If you just got here, this is the end of S2 and things are rapidly losing their mind. Click here if you want to read from ep 1

#yugioh #yugioh recap #photo recap #s2 ep43 #So like this season is almost over and nothing is getting resolved? #joey wheeler #mai valentine #yugi muto #seto kaiba #marik ishtar #How many times in one day can yugi Muto get hit with a fireball #Do not understand how this boy isn't in smash yet #mokuba #tea gardner #tristan taylor #I guess duke devlin was also here in the background

[handsupinthebalorclub]

Anagapesis (chapter 4)

pairing: the shield x reader

word count: 3,606

summary: Anagapesis (n.) no longer feeling any affection for something or someone you once loved. After three years, you’re officially the manager of the Shield once again. But, things aren’t quite the same as they used to be.

warnings: cursing, mentions of betrayal, trust issues, consumption of alcohol 

chapter one / chapter two / chapter three / chapter four / chapter five

“Dean, if you don’t take your feet off of the desk…”

Dean’s eyebrows arched upwards at the unfinished threat and a smirk slid onto his face. He leaned further into the hotel office chair and clamped his hands together behind his head in a very relaxed fashion.

“What? What are you going to do?”

You completely ignored him and turned towards Roman.

“When are you guys leaving? The clock strikes midnight in less than forty minutes, y’know.”

“As soon as Seth gets out of the bathroom.”

You’re not exactly sure how the guys can go out to the bar after the hectic episode of RAW you had all just witnessed, which included Roman almost going face first into a piece of metal when Miz took off a turnbuckle. But it was New Years Eve, after all. Like last time, they had offered for you to come, but you kindly declined.

You were actually looking forward to having the hotel room to yourself and bringing in the new year with a long bubble bath and maybe even a face mask. Plus, if you were lucky, you’d be in bed and sleeping by the time Seth had returned. It felt extremely awkward that you’d be rooming with him for the next week, but you didn’t want to break the rotation rule.

As if on cue, Seth exited the bathroom in a white button down and jeans. He scanned the room and patted his pockets, likely making sure he had everything, before speaking.

“You guys ready?”

Dean grunted a response and stood up from his seat. Roman nodded and turned to you, his mouth swinging open to say something.

“Ro,” you said, giving him a kind smile. You already knew what he was about to say. “I’m fine, really. You guys have fun.”

“Alright, call us if you need anything.” Roman gave you a small hug before he made his way to the door. Dean followed in suit with Seth being the last one to exit.

“Don’t get locked out!” Seth warned and shut the door, leaving you with your thoughts.

* * *

Your eyelids fluttered numerous times before you concluded that the person standing in front of you was actually there.

“Hey, y/n.” Lana’s thick russian accent was apparent as she greeted you. You quickly rushed forward and gave her a tight hug, which she returned.

Lana became a very close friend of yours while you worked on the Smackdown brand and helped keep you sane whilst you were with Dolph. She knew first hand how hard it was to work with him and, to be honest, you still found it surprising that they had dated at one point.

Once you pulled away from the hug, your happiness quickly turned into suspicion.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in Tampa for Smackdown tomorrow? How did you even find my room?”

She chuckled and lifted her palms in front of her.

“Whoa, calm down. One question at a time, yeah? By the way, can I come in?”

You took a step back and allowed her to step into the hotel room before you closed the door behind her.

“Okay, spill. What’s going on?” You sat down onto your bed and patted the space next to you for her to join.

“We’re filming Total Divas tonight at a local club, a big party scene to bring in the new year. And I want you to come! As for the room, I have my ways.” She sat down with a large smile on her face. It took you a minute to process what she was actually asking.

“Lana, I really appreciate you coming all the way here to get me, but I’m really not in the mood to go out tonight.”

Her hazel eyes rested upon the side table and a prominent frown was on her face.

“I was really looking forward to having you there, since most of the other girls and I don’t necessarily get along, but if you’re too busy...” She pushed up from the bed and began to walk towards the door in a slow paced fashion.

A sigh escaped your lips as you rolled your eyes at her actions. It was obvious she was trying to guilt you into going to the club, something that she’d done many times before. And, like all of those other times, you caved.

“Alright, alright. Fine. I’ll go.” You threw your hands up in frustration, but smiled when a giggle escaped the blonde’s lips.

“Yay! Do you still have the gold dress I bought you for your birthday last year?”

You nodded and walked over to the small closet that Seth allowed you to take over for the time being. It actually shocked you that even after all of these years, he still preferred to just live out of his luggage than taking the time to hang up his clothes.

You pulled out the knee length sparkly dress. It was barely worn, only being used for one or two carpet events. When she bought it, Lana knew it wasn’t exactly your style, but it brought her peace that you had one statement piece for situations like this.

“And the matching heels?”

“I left those at home, but I have a pair of white flats I can wear.”

“That’ll do. Quickly, go get changed. We have twenty minutes until the ball drops. Don’t bother about makeup; I’ll do it for you in the car.”

You nodded and slipped into the bathroom to follow her orders.

* * *

A thumping beat pulsated throughout the club as Lana led you to the VIP section where various other Divas sat, cameras linked to their every movement. You had appeared on Total Divas a few times before, whenever they did something at a company event, but because your work focused primarily on the male side of the rosters, you weren’t particularly close with any of the women. Of course you had spoken to all of them numerous times and liked to consider many of the girls on this season’s cast as acquaintances, but the only one you were really close to was Lana.

“Lana!” Naomi was the first to approach the two of you as she pulled Lana into a hug. When they pulled away from each other, Naomi’s eyes landed on you. A smile stretched across her face and she gave you a quick hug, which you returned. “Y/n! It’s nice to see you! How’s RAW treating you?”

“Good, actually. It’s weird being back there after being on the blue side for so long - and well, other reasons - but it’s going good so far.”

Lana got your attention by resting her hand on your arm.

“I’m going to go get a drink from the bar, do you want anything?”

You knew you were going to regret saying this in the very near future, but you shrugged.

“Surprise me.”

A smirk crossed her lips as she nodded and rushed into the crowd towards the bar, leaving you with Naomi.

“Come sit with everyone,” She smiled kindly and gestured to where the other cast members were. Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Maryse, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Nia Jax all sat on the circular white couch chatting. Naomi guided you over to the other females and took a seat next to Nia.

“Hey, guys. Lana invited me. I hope that’s alright,” you greeted the seven females. You made sure to make eye contact with the friendlier of the bunch, which was basically anyone other than Maryse. The two of you often butted heads in the past because of the rift between the Shield and her husband, and you doubted any of that would change any time soon. But, admittedly, a part of you wanted to question where she had been for the last couple of weeks.

“Of course it is!” Brie was the first once to speak up and pointed towards the open seat next to Naomi. “Go ahead, sit down.”

You complied and sat down upon the white leather seat, the others falling back into their previous conversations fairly quickly. Eventually, you joined into Nia and Alexa’s discussion about clothes.

“I love your dress, y/n,” Nia complimented.

“Yeah,” added Alexa. “I actually didn’t recognize you at first because I’ve only ever seen you in black, but the gold looks absolutely stunning on you.”

You bashfully looked down at the shiny fabric and ran your hand across your lap, smoothing down any of the wrinkles that may have formed when you sat down.

“Thank you. Lana actually bought it for me as a gift.” You looked upwards and locked onto the image of Lana weaving through people as she headed in your direction. “Speaking of Lana…”

Once she reached the group, she placed down the two drinks she was holding and greeted the other girls. A few, such as the Bella Twins and Alexa, gave her hugs whilst Natty and Maryse just gave quick hellos. When she sat down next to you on the couch, you pointed towards the drinks she had put down earlier.

“Are one of those mine? Or are you just double fisting glasses tonight?”

“Oh, I wish,” she replied as she leaned over and took one of the cocktails. “This one is yours.”

You took the glass and studied the drink. The color started off as orange but it slowly faded into more of pinkish-red color and the rim was lined with a pink substance. You had a feeling that Lana was trying to distract you from the presumably high alcohol content with the prettiness of the drink, but it was kind of working.

“What is this?” you questioned as Lana sipped upon her drink, which had a very vibrant pink hue. But even you could identify that it was a Cosmopolitan.

“The house special. They call it a Sunset Lullaby.”

“What’s in it?”

“That’s all I’m telling you, doll. But I promise it’s nothing bad and won’t mess you up too much.”

You sighed but brought the Sunset Lullaby to your lips to take a sip. It had some fruity undertones and you actually thought the taste was better than the beautiful appearance.

After a few minutes of talking to Naomi and Lana, a unfamiliar voice overtook the speakers of the club, putting the music on pause.

“Excuse me, everyone.”

Up on stage, where the DJ previous stood, was a man wearing a navy blue suit with his hair slicked back. He was probably either the owner or someone who worked at the club.

“I’d like to take a minute to just say thank you for choosing the Penthouse to bring in the new year. And if you’d like to join me, we’ll now begin counting down the seconds until 2018!”

A chorus of cheers went throughout the club as the man glanced down at his watch in order to get the timing correct.

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6,”

By this time, the Total Divas group had joined along with grins on their faces.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”

The club erupted into an array of different sounds. Music overtook the speakers once again as people clapped, jumped, and celebrated the year to come.

“Should we make a toast?” Nikki practically yelled over the noise. Everyone around you nodded and stood, raising their glasses upwards in a circle. You weren’t going to join at first, in respect for them having their big start of the year moment for their show, but the girls insisted.

Once you stood, Nikki went on with the toast.

“Over the course of the past year, I’ve gotten the opportunity to watch all of the strong women here thrive. 2017 was filled with happiness, sadness, and everything in between. I know that we all have professional and personal growth coming our way this year, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. To 2018!”

“To 2018!” Everyone echoed before clinking their drinks together.

* * *

“One more song?” Lana smiled, despite that fact that she had asked that question four other times that night.

“Lana, my legs are going to fall off. I need to sit down,” you said, laughing.

“Aw, c’mon!”

“What are we, chopped liver?” Nia commented as she pointed to herself and Naomi.

“Let the poor girl sit,” Naomi added. Lana dramatically sighed but used her head to gesture towards where the others sat. You mumbled a ‘thank you’ to the two females and left before Lana changed her mind.

Back at the white couch, Nikki, Maryse, Alexa, Brie, and Natalya idly chatted. You took a seat next to Alexa and took a sip of your Sunset Lullaby, which you were very close to finishing. At this point, you weren’t exactly drunk, but the alcohol was beginning to show its presence in the form of a low buzz in the back of your mind.

“Y/n, can I ask you a question?” the current Smackdown Women’s Champion, Natalya, asked. It wasn’t often that Natty spoke directly to you, so you quickly nodded.

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“What exactly happened to you? I mean, I know you’re on RAW now. But I was so used to seeing you backstage at Smackdown, and then you just suddenly disappeared.”

Without thinking, your eyes dashed over to the camera that lingered a few feet away. You couldn’t exactly be a hundred percent honest and say that you had been forced to rejoin the Shield against your will. If word got out, there would no doubt be a strongly worded email from Stephanie the moment the episode aired. Plus, you had kept up the façade of the Shield having a strong reunion so far, might as well keep it going.

“Well, I found out that Dean, Seth, and Roman had gotten rid of any bad blood right after it happened. It kind of took me awhile to come to my senses and realize that one, they all can’t plan as a unit for shit, and two, I truly missed their company. So, I scheduled a meeting with the McMahons and did a business proposal to see if they’d let me manage the Shield again. And, well, here I am.” You made mental notes as you compiled the story, just in case you needed to reference it later.

Natty nodded and another conversation picked up very quickly after that.

A few more minutes later, Carmella came over to the group with a large smile and a tray full of alcohol.

“Shots?” She offered the plate to you all. Everyone but Maryse accepted her offer.

“Might as well,” You said as you picked up the clear liquid.

* * *

“This is your room, right?” Nia asked as she pointed to the number plate on the wall. You narrowed your eyes at the number before giving a big nod.

“Who are you rooming with?” Alexa followed it up with another question as she knocked lightly on the door.

“Seth? Seth. I think it’s Seth.” You answered.

Just then, the door swung open to reveal shirtless Seth with a pair of grey sweatpants.

“Nia? Alexa? What are you guys doing here?” He asked with furrowed brows. Nia pointed towards your slumped figure that was leaned against the wall.

“We wanted to walk y/n here. Lana invited her out with us and she kind of got drunk.”

“I am not drunk!” You retaliated, but your comment was quickly dismissed.

“Oh, that’s where she was? I just assumed she was hanging out with Balor.”

“Really? Finn? Huh,” Alexa said thoughtfully.

“Apparently they’re friends or something. Well, thank you for delivering her, girls.”

“You sure you’re good?” Nia looked at Seth with a concerned look, but the male only nodded.

“Yeah, I got her. Thanks. Have a nice night.” He walked over to where you were leaning, guided you into the room, and sat you down onto your bed.

Seth didn’t really mind watching over you while you were drunk, he had done it a few times before. You weren’t really a loud or boisterous drunk, just spacey and sometimes childish. Like now, you were just slumped over and analysing your clothes. A sudden thought crossed Seth’s mind, which made him hold out his hand to you.

“Give me your phone.”

You looked at him with confusion written across your face.

“Why?” “Because you drunk text.”

There was a moment of silence as you glared at Seth with narrowed eyes, but you eventually gave in and handed him your phone.

Seth traversed the room and placed the cell phone into his bag for safe keeping. The sound of you mumbling made him turn back around and a sound of worry escaped his lips as he noticed you attempting to walk away from the bed. However, you just ignored him and tried to stop your swaying.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like, Rollins? I’m walking.”

Seth’s face deadpanned.

“You won’t even say my name while drunk, huh? And I meant where you’re walking to.”

“The closet. I want pajamas. I can’t sleep in this.” You gestured to the golden dress, but lost your balance while doing so. Seth caught you by the arm and help you steady yourself.

“Alright, alright. How about you sit back down and I’ll grab you something to sleep in?” He didn’t step away until you had sat back down onto the bed. He walked over to the closet and started sorting through your clothes. After a few minutes, he returned to your side with a pajama set you had bought not too long ago.

“Is this good?” He questioned while handing the outfit to you.

You gave it a once over and nodded.

“Alright, I’m going to go wait in the bathroom. If you feel like you’re going to fall, try to fall onto the bed. If you need anything, just call out.”

Seth sent you one more glance before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door.

You stood up and wiggled yourself out of the dress. You lost your balance once or twice, but heeded Seth’s advice and used the bed to catch yourself.

* * *

Roughly an hour ago, you had crawled into bed with the intent of falling asleep but ended up twisting and rolling across the mattress. Boredom, along with the steady buzzing that coursed through your head, was enough to change your mind about sleeping.

“Seth?” You propelled yourself upwards from your lying position and looked over to where he sat.

“Yes?” He looked up from his phone and met your gaze.

“I’m bored. Let’s play a game.”

He let out a small sigh but positioned himself so he was looking at you. The childish side of your drunkness was starting to show and he knew from experience there was no way to go against it.

“What kind of game?”

You pondered for a second and mimicked his sitting position, the two of you finally staring face to face.

“21 questions?”

Seth’s eyebrows lifted upwards as he questioned your choice, but he nodded anyway.

“Alright, you first.”

The first few rounds revolved around questions about recent topics. You asked what book Seth had recently finished, knowing that he often read novels in his spare time. Seth asked how you became friends Finn Balor. You asked him if he was still doing Crossfit tournaments, which lead him to ask for a status update regarding your family.

You shifted your sitting position and drew your legs upwards so you could rest your head onto your knees.

“Favorite color?”

Confusion overtook Seth’s features as his famous, boisterous laugh filled the room.

“Stop playing and get on with your questio-” Seth’s words stopped abruptly when he noticed the naivety that lingered in your (eye color) eyes. “You’re serious? You’ve known me for how long now?” He scoffed.

You turned your head sideways.

“I don’t know you.”

“Okay, there’s no way you’re that drunk-”

You quickly cut him off.

“No, no. I mean yes, I know you. But not like I used to. I know the old you.” Seth recoiled at your words, the memory of Dean saying something similar haunting him, but you were too busy fiddling with the bed sheets to notice. “The Seth that was basically the heart of the Shield. The Seth that would pop his head over the airplane seat and thrust an earbud into my ear, so excited for me to hear the latest song he was addicted to. The Seth that I had freaking sleep overs with during our short, but amazing, days off.”

You paused and looked up at him.

“I don’t know the new Seth. The Seth that broke up the Shield. ‘Kingslayer’ Seth. The Seth that was apparently so arrogant during his Money in the Bank and World Heavyweight reigns.” There was another short pause. “But this Seth,” A small smile tugged at the ends of your lips as you pointed towards him. “Also apologized to Dean on live television and was willing to take a chair shot to prove it. He also managed to gain back the trust of both Dean and Roman. I don’t know this Seth. But I think I want to. If people can change this drastically, I think favorite colors can too.”

Seth just sat there. Staring at you with a slightly open mouth and frozen thoughts. He was so taken aback from your words. Was this really how you felt? Were you willing to give him a second chance?

“Seeeeeth?” You blinked and waved your arms around. “Oh Seeeeeeth!”

“Sorry,” He shook his head and forced a smile. “Favorite color, right? It’s still black.”

@scuzmunkie / @alyj12 / @letshaveadepressingtime / @theroyalbrownbarbie / @shieldgallover / @nikora3010 / @zombiewerewolfqueen / @insaneship / @sausagefest1996 / @kingslaxerpark / @houndsofjxstice / @viperslunatic / @kenyadakblalock / @twisted1ginger / @captainfoxy22 / @calwitch / @staystrongyoureawarriorfighter / @shamaness1171

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[papermoonloveslucy]

SALUTE TO STAN LAUREL

November 23, 1965 on CBS

Directed by Seymour Berns

Produced by Henry Jaffe, Seymour Berns

Written by Hugh Wedlock Jr., Charles Isaacs, Alan Manings with Carl Reiner and Aaron Ruben

Cast (in order of appearance)

Dick Van Dyke (Host, Himself) was born Richard Wayne Van Dyke in West Plains, Missouri, in 1925. Although he’d had small roles beforehand, Van Dyke was launched to stardom in the 1960 Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie, for which he won a Tony Award. He reprised his role in the 1963 film. He has starred in a number of other films throughout the years including Mary Poppins (1964) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). From 1961 to 1966 he played TV writer Rob Petrie in “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” He also starred in “The New Dick Van Dyke Show” (1971-74), “Van Dyke & Company” (1976), on which Lucille Ball guest-starred. Van Dyke was often compared physically to Stan Laurel.

Lucille Ball (Woman in the Park) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon, which was not a success and was canceled after just 13 episodes.

Ball has no spoken dialogue in her sketch.

Buster Keaton (Painter in the Park) was born in 1895 to parents who were vaudevillians. His legendary film career began in 1917.  He became a star known for his slapstick comedy, pork pie hat, slapshoes, and deadpan expression. In 1960 he was given an honorary Oscar. Lucille Ball worked with Keaton on the 1946 film Easy To Wed. He died in February 1966, just two months after this special aired.

Keaton has no spoken dialogue in his sketch.

Harvey Korman (Policeman in the Park) is best known as part of “The Carol Burnett Show” (1967-77).  He made five appearance on “The Lucy Show” as various characters. In 1977 he had his own show on ABC which lasted just one season. At the time of this episode he was a regular on “The Danny Kaye Show” (1963-67) which aired Friday nights on CBS. He died in May 2008. 

Korman has no spoken dialogue in his sketch.

Bob Newhart (Himself / Uncle Freddy) is a stand-up comic with a deadpan delivery who headed two eponymous  television sitcoms: “The Bob Newhart Show” (1972-78) and “Newhart” (1982-90).  

Audrey Meadows (Pearl) is best remembered as Alice Kramden on “The Honeymooners” (1955-56), a role that won her an Emmy in 1955, against Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” She also played Lucy's sister on an episode of “Life With Lucy” (1986). Meadows died in 1996 at age 73.

Meadows has no spoken dialogue in her sketch “The Perils of Pearl.”  

Cesar Romero (Rod, Leading Man) was born in 1907 in New York City to Cuban parents. Despite earning more than 200 screen credits, Romero is perhaps best remembered for playing the Joker on TV’s “Batman” (1966-68) and in a Batman film in 1966. He played Ricky Ricardo’s buddy Carlos when “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana” (LDCH 1957), the very first hour-long episode of “I Love Lucy” set in Cuba in 1940, as well as Lucy Carmichael's date in “A Date for Lucy” (TLS S1;E19).  He died on New Year’s Day 1994 at age 86.

Tina Louise (Wilma, Leading Lady) is best known as 'the movie star' Ginger Grant on “Gilligan's Island” (1964-67).  This is only appearance with Lucille Ball.

Louise has no spoken dialogue in her sketch.

Leonid Kinskey (Silent Movie Director) was born in Russia in 1903. He played a variety of Russian and middle-European characters. One of the few to share film credits with Stan Laurel, they were both seen in Hollywood Party in 1936. He died in 1998 at age 95.

Louis Nye (Mood Music Musician) was a character actor skilled in accents and voices. He appeared with Lucille Ball in the films The Facts of Life (1960) and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). He died in 2005 at age 92.

Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster) was the star of two iconic television series: “Car 54 Where Are You” (1961-63) and “The Munsters” (1964-66), the role he reprises here. This is his only time working on the same show as Lucille Ball (although the two TV icons share no scenes together). He died in 1993 at age 66.

Gwynne has no dialogue in the sketch.

Danny Kaye (Himself) was born David Kaminsky in 1911 and left school at the age of 13 to work in the Borscht Belt of Jewish resorts in the Catskill Mountains. It was there he learned the basics of show biz. In 1939, he made his Broadway debut in Straw Hat Revue, but it was the stage production of the musical Lady in the Dark in 1940 that brought him acclaim and notice from agents. Also in 1940, he married Sylvia Fine, who went on to manage his career. She helped create the routines and gags, and wrote most of the songs that he performed. Danny could sing and dance like many others, but his specialty was reciting tongue-twisting songs and monologues. In 1964 he appeared on “The Lucy Show” as himself and Lucy appeared on his special in return. He died in 1987.

Phil Silvers (Himself) was born Philip Silversmith in 1911 (the same year as Lucille Ball). He started entertaining at age 11. He made his Broadway debut in 1939. In 1952 he won a Tony Award in the Broadway musical Top Banana in which he played a TV star modeled on Milton Berle. His feature film debut came in 1940. Silvers became a household name in 1955 when he starred as Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko. In 1963, Ball and Silvers performed the classic ‘Slowly I Turn’ sketch for “CBS Opening Night.” In December 1966 Silver guest-starred in “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (TLS S5;E13). A year later Ball and Silvers both had bit parts in the film A Guide for the Married Man (1967). He died at the age of 74.

Bern Hoffman (Pop / Street Bully / Cop) was a burly character actor seen with Lucille Ball on the first season of “The Lucy Show” and in the film The Facts of Life (1960). He was seen on Broadway in the original casts of the musicals Guys and Dolls (1950) as Joey Biltmore and Li'L Abner (1956) as Earthquake McGoon, a role he recreated in the 1959 film version.  

None of Hoffman's characters speak.

Mary Foran (Mom / Tango Dancer) was a heavyset character actor usually cast for her size. She appeared as one of the women at the health club in “Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (TLS S3;E21) earlier in 1965.

Foran does not have any dialogue.

Gregory Peck (Himself) was one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s. Peck received five Academy Award nominations winning for his performance as Atticus Finch in the 1962 drama film To Kill a Mockingbird. Although Peck and Lucille Ball never appeared together professionally, his name was mentioned several times on “Lucy” sitcoms.  He also never worked with Stan Laurel.  Peck died in 2003 at age 87.

Archival Footage

Stan Laurel (Archive Footage) was born as Arthur Stanley Jefferson in England in 1890. Laurel began his career in music hall, where he developed a number of his standard comic devices: the bowler hat, the deep comic gravity, and the nonsensical understatement. He began his film career in 1917 and made his final appearance in 1951. From 1928 onward, he appeared exclusively with Oliver Hardy (1892-57). Known simply as Laurel and Hardy, the pair became one of the most recognizable comic duos in history. Stan Laurel passed away in February 1965, eight months prior to this tribute show.  He was 74 years old.

Oliver Hardy (archive footage) was born Norvell Hardy in Georgia USA in 1892. He appeared with his comedy partner Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. He was credited with his first film, Outwitting Dad, in 1914. In some of his early works, he was billed as "Babe Hardy". He died in 1957 at age 65.

Dorothy Coburn (Nurse in “The Finishing Touch” Archive Footage) was ideally cast as a perennial foil for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in films like The Second 100 Years (1927) where Stan inadvertently covers her bottom with white paint; Putting Pants on Philip (1927) in which she is being chased by an over-amorous, kilt-wearing Stan Laurel around town; and as a dentist's nurse in Leave 'Em Laughing (1928). She died in 1978 at age 72.

Edgar Kennedy (Cop in “The Finishing Touch” Archive Footage) was seen with Laurel and Hardy in more than a dozen films. He was also seen in three RKO films with Lucille Ball in the early 1930s. He died in 1948 and his final film was released posthumously.  

Betty Grable (Pat Lambert in Footlight Serenade Archive Footage) was a starlet who did three films with Lucille Ball from 1933 to 1936. In 1958 she appeared with her husband bandleader Harry James as themselves on an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” Footlight Serenade (1942) was also supposed to feature Lucille Ball, but she refused to be loaned out to Fox to play a secondary role. 

Stan Salute Trivia

The tribute was not well-received by critics, who opined that the program felt less like a celebration of Laurel's career than a promo for the new fall shows; the same critics were, however, in general agreement that Van Dyke's devotion was palpable and heartfelt. Consequently Laurel and Hardy biographers tend to regard it as well-intentioned, but ultimately inconsequential. Wrapping up the season in April 1966, TV Chronicle's Neil Compton would dismiss the special’

"Not much of a tribute to the late comedian (who appeared briefly in a number of film clips brutally hacked out of their original context), and did not enhance the reputations of participants such as Dick Van Dyke, Lucille Ball, or Phil Silvers."

Dick Van Dyke (who was also one of the producers) reportedly complained that his vision for the Salute had itself been hacked to pieces by network corporate types. Van Dyke had delivered the eulogy and Stan Laurel's funeral. An appearance by Fred Gwynne in full Herman Munster regalia clearly had more to do with CBS (home of “The Munsters”) than with Laurel. A lengthy biography of Phil Silvers in the show's second half also has little to do with Laurel. On the whole, the special is a tribute to both Laurel AND Hardy, who passed away eight years earlier.

The Salute aired opposite new episodes of “McHale's Navy” and “F-Troop” on ABC and “Dr. Kildare” on NBC. It was preceded on CBS by “Rawhide” (starring Clint Eastwood) and followed by “Petticoat Junction.”  

The day before (Monday, November 22), “Lucy and the Undercover Agent” (TLS S4;E10) was aired for the first time.  In the episode, Mrs. Carmichael goes undercover as Carol Channing to break into a government installation! 

One year after this special aired, Lucy Carmichael and Mr. Mooney were put under hypnosis by Miss Pat, “the hip hypnotist” (a nightclub entertainer). Their hypnotic suggestion was to imitate Laurel and Hardy. Lucy, naturally, was Stan Laurel.  

The underscoring of the Salute makes liberal use of “Dance of the Cuckoos” which was Laurel and Hardy's theme music. It was written by Marvin Hartley as the 'hour chime' for a radio station. It was first heard during a Laurel and Hardy film in 1930.  

This was the last comedy performance of Buster Keaton, who had been diagnosed as terminally ill and would die a few months later. Lucy and Keaton were there own mutual admiration society, Lucy considering him her mentor and Keaton championing Ball's talents, even before her TV fame.  In the above photo, Keaton and Ball watch the dailies from their sketch on the Salute. 

Although Buster Keaton never guest-starred on a “Lucy” sitcom, he did visit the set of “I Love Lucy” to see his now successful protege.

The Salute begins with a production number called “Stanley” featuring singer / dancers dressed as Laurel and Hardy inter-cut with film footage of the pair and the opening credits. 

After the first commercial Dick Van Dyke introduces the show. He says that he never got to meet Oliver Hardy, but did know Stan Laurel. Film excerpts from “Wrong Again” (1929), which was re-released by MGM as “Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20s”, a compilation of Laurel and Hardy shorts.  

Lucille Ball and Buster Keaton perform a silent sketch set on a park bench. Harvey Korman plays a cop. The sketch is without words, but includes background music, exaggerated sound effects, and the ubiquitous laugh track. 

After a brief clip from the Laurel and Hardy short “Putting Pants on Philip” (1927), Dick Van Dyke gives a lecture on comedy rooted in observing physical pain in others. He notes how comedy has changed, all the while having a series of funny accidents. This “comedy lecture” was specially written by Carl Reiner and Aaron Ruben.

Blooper Alert! When Van Dyke gets a waste paper basket stuck on his foot, he kicks it offstage. It apparently collides with someone off-camera, which makes Van Dyke laugh and apologize. Just before this happened, the boom microphone dips down into the frame.  

The 'lecture' ends with Van Dyke tripping over a footstool on his way out, something he did in the opening credits of his show.  

Bob Newhart talks about his research on Laurel and Hardy.  He does his impression of a stereotypical kiddie show host named Uncle Freddy. Such TV kiddie shows were often the outlet for showing Laurel and Hardy shorts.

After a clip from “Call of the Cuckoo” (1927), an audience at an old time cinema sings about seeing ‘The Perils of Pearl’, the type of serial melodrama that typically played alongside a comedy feature by Laurel and Hardy. 

Audrey Meadows plays Pearl, in a variety of her 'perils':  As a women about to be bisected by a mill saw, a harem dancer pursued by an over-amorous Calif, a cowgirl burned at the stake by Indians, and a woman sitting atop a giant time bomb.

Movie-Goers: “Will they blow up little Pearl?  Is her life at stake?  To be continued [the look into the camera] ... after station break!”

After the commercial break, the movie-goers are still looking at the camera. They look back at the movie screen where Pearl is still atop the bomb.  

Pearl laughs and her hat falls off.  The matinee audience is suddenly onstage in a full out dance number! 

Dick Van Dyke introduces a comedy sketch about the filming of a silent movie. 

It stars Cesar Romero as The Leading Man, Tina Louise as The Leading Lady, Leonid Kinsky as The Director, and Louis Nye as The Mood Music Musician (aka violinist). 

The comedy comes from Nye trying to stay out of the pantomimed action while providing the mood music to help the actors emote. After destroying several violins, Nye himself falls out the window.

Crashing through the door comes his replacement, Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) playing the fiddle!  This is the first time a 1865 TV audience has seen Gwynne in color, although his green complexion would be on display in a 1966  Munsters movie.

Danny Kaye is sitting beside Stan Laurel's honorary Oscar, which Kaye accepted for Laurel in 1961. A clip of “The Finishing Touch” (1928) shows Laurel installing a window. 

Color (but silent) footage shows Laurel polishing his Oscar from his home in 1961.  

Sitting among a stack of film reels, Dick Van Dyke introduces another clip from “The Finishing Touch” (1928) in which Laurel and Hardy are renovating a house.

Phil Silvers compares Laurel's youth as “a little man” to his own life story.  A sketch shows a bespectacled Silvers in a baby bonnet and crib with his mother and father beside him. His teen years (in a page boy wig) feature his cracking voice singing “Shine On Harvest Moon.”  

The mini-biography tracks Silvers' career from street performer to vaudeville. 

In Burlesque, he plays Linksy's theatre (a pun on the real-life Minsky's Burlesque) wearing the same huge plaid cap that he wore onstage and screen in the musical Top Banana ten years earlier.  

Actual footage from his big break in movies shows Silvers and Betty Grable in Footlight Serenade (1942).  Silvers finally brings his story back to Stan Laurel, but not without a few quick clips of him in “Sergeant Bilko”!  

Gregory Peck closes the program by thanking everyone and giving a last pitch for the new MGM film compilation of Laurel and Hardy's shorts.

The singers and dancers who opened the show return for a final chorus of “Stanley.”  The number ends on a shot of a painting of Stan Laurel.  This same painting inspired the creation of the show.  

Dick Van Dyke returns for yet another pitch for the MGM film compilation “Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20s”. Van Dyke gets a face full of cake at the very end, inter-cut with Oliver Hardy slipping on a banana peel while carrying a huge cake excerpted from 1928's “From Soup To Nuts.”  

This Date in Lucy History – November 23

"Redecorating the Mertzes' Apartment" (ILL S3;E8) – November 23, 1953

"Lucy's Contact Lenses" (TLS S3;E10) – November 23, 1964

“Lucy and Jack Benny's Biography” (HL S3;E11) – November 23, 1970

#A Salute To Stan Laurel #Lucille Ball #Stan Laurel #Oliver Hardy #Laurel and Hardy #Buster Keaton #Harvey Korman #Dick Van Dyke #Carl Reiner #comedy #slapstick #silent movies #Hal Roach #Audrey Meadows #Tina Louise #Cesar Romero #Louis Nye #Leonid Kinskey #Bob Newhart #Danny Kaye #Phil Silvers #Gregory Peck #Bern Hoffman #Mary Foran #Dorothy Coburn #Betty Grable #Edgar Kennedy #Seymour Berns #CBS #TV

[madegeeky]

Giftening 2020: Obligatory Vote for These Post (spoiler version)

Want the non-spoilery version? Seriously, though, super spoilery for main plot points for a lot of these. Skip the ones you don’t want to know about.

Ones with * are my nominations, so you know where my biases lie. :P Ones in bold are my top pick for the categories. I did not include things that don’t need the boost (like Utena).

ANIME 

Aggretsuko - A tv show about an unassuming shy red panda woman who works in an office building and deals with the stress of it by going to karaoke and screaming out death metal. The show largely deals with her making friends with two women who she admires and a dude who likes her. The dude who likes her is actually a geniunely interesting storyline because at the end of the first season (which I’ve not seen beyond), he basically admits that he’s built this image of her in his head that isn’t real and he wants to know the real her. (Which, fuck yeah.)

Fushigi Yuugi* - This is a story about two teens who used to be friends fighting over a man which is literally the antithesis of everything Jet is. And yet, Jet watched the whole damn thing. Watch her squirm as she has to deal with that in a liveblog format. You can get a preview of some of that in Doc’s liveblog of it that she did for Jet.

NON-ANIME ANIMATED

Archer* - This is an animated parody of James Bond made for adults. It's offensive as fuck because Archer, the titular character, is a James Bond stand-in and that character can also be offensive as fuck. In fact, one thing to appreciate about this show is that all the characters are shitty, awful people and the show never attempts to excuse their shitty, awful behavior. Plus, it's one of the few shows where half the main characters are women. I am a tiny bit hesitant to rec this for a liveblog due to the offensivness however, as far as I can tell it's not popular on tumblr, and those are generally the ones that cause the most trouble so... 

Daria - The story of a misanthropic teenager, her family, and her best friend. The characters are specifically meant to appear to be tropes before slowly being unveiled as three dimensional people. It's got a dry sense of humor that I think Jet will enjoy. I actually didn't know until years after I watched this that it was a spin-off of Beavis and Butthead (which I hated) so don't let that dissuade you. 

LIVE ACTION

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - I haven't seen past a certain point because it starts going super deep into exploring depression and that is one of my main triggers for a depressive episode, so I cannot speak of later eps. However, this show starts out funny and silly and evolves into a show exploring how toxic the main character actually is and how unhealthy her coping mechanisms are. It's amazing to see a character type whose actions are usually excused or written off as funny instead be specifically called out as being awful and toxic. (It was a Shit Show is still one of the best songs I've ever heard and Mr. Geeky and I sing it to each other whenever shit hits the fan.) 

Hannibal* - If you know of Hannibal, you know the basics premise is that of a man who eats people and is chased by the FBI. The writing in this is some of the best writing I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in a piece of media: it's subtle, smart, and trust its audience to follow along without having their hand held. However, what's really great about the TV show is that it's not afraid to do its own thing. It constantly fucks with your expectations and deconstructs and explores tropes in ways I've never seen before. I haven't seen the ending yet but I highly doubt it's going to end in a place where Silence of the Lambs will happen. The acting is fucking great and even though Anthony Hopkins gives an amazing performance as Hannibal Lector, after seeing Mads Mikkelsen play him there's no going back to Hopkins. In general, if you're looking for something original (which is ironic considering it's based on a book and there are several movies) and smart, I cannot recommend this enough. 

Russian Doll* - (Doc, please skip this one, as in 5 years when you're done with Two Storms, this is one of the things I'm considering nominating should I ever win a liveblog again.) I don't really know how to explain this show because it's so fucking weird and is so focused on character and ideas that the plot is both super simple and extremely complicated. It's a story about a woman who starts to relive the same day over and over again except, instead of the typical thing where it starts over when she falls asleep, it's only until she dies (so sometimes she lasts for hours, other times for a couple days). However, almost immediately there are signs that something else is going on, that something outside of the main character's repeating day, something has gone horribly wrong. (Count the fish.) It's a very thoughtful, character-driven show, more about exploring ideas than plot which I, personally, didn't mind at all. Another one I highly recommend overall with much less blood and gore than Hannibal.

Xena - IT'S FUCKING XENA PEOPLE! Okay, but just in case you don't know what the show is about is through cultural osmosis, Xena is a show about a woman who used to be a truly horrible murderous bitch and her continual attempts to make up for the wrongs she has done. The main relationship in the show is between Xena and her (girl)friend, Gabriel, and although the show can be ridiculously silly (time is made up and history doesn’t matter!), it also explores deep, dark issues. One of the best things this show explores is the idea of redemption and forgiveness and that perhaps nothing Xena does will ever get her those things.

LIVESTREAM

Crank* - Jason Statham plays a man who has been given a poison that slowly cuts off his adrenaline, meaning that eventually he'll die. He has to do increasingly ludicrous things to get his adrenaline pumping overtime to make up for it slowly being cut off. It's one of the most fucking bananas thing you'll ever watch but is just a bunch of fucking fun. (CW: Public sexual assault. I only mentioned because it’s a scene that last for a bit. It's a complicated scene so I won't get into it here but send an ask if you want more details.)

Dale and Tucker vs Evil* - Dale and Tucker, two hillbilly best friends, are going into the woods to fix up their vacation home when they stumble across some college kids. Random circumstances make the college kids think D&T have kidnapped their friend and so they decide they need to attack D&T to get her back. Hijinx ensue. I don't want to say much more because there's a moment that is, to this day, still one of the funniest fucking things I've ever seen, largely because I did not see it coming.

GAMES

Doki Doki Lit Club - This is a game about games. You play a guy in a dating sim. Your first playthrough everything seems normal enough. You join the literature club, meet and talk to girls, and then one of the girls commits suicide. And then game restarts and the girl who committed suicide just... doesn't exist anymore. Your replay the exact same days but it's as though she never existed. Things only get weirder from there. This game does a great job of turning dating sim tropes on their head, as well as exploring games in general. (Content warning for a lot of things. Let me know if you want more details.)

Slime Rancher (stream) - There's really not much to spoil here. You play a woman who is in charge of a ranch full of slimes. There's some messages you'll find, left by the old owner, telling story about their romance. There also some messages between you character and a deliberately gender-ambiguous significant other. And that's about the closest to story you get. Otherwise it's just catching and ranching slimes.

Subnautica* - Fucking fuck I love this game. When this game first starts it appears to be your typical survival game with no real direction other than what you want to explore. But then you find an alien structure. And you realize that your spaceship didn't randomly crash. And you find out that there's no way get off this planet except to explore deeper and deeper and find out what the aliens were doing on this planet. A genuinely beautiful story, told mostly through entries in data pads and voice messages left behind, this ending is one of the most moving ends I've ever experienced and I never ever would have expected to be able to say that about a survival game.

We Happy Few* - In this alternate universe, the Germans invaded Britain during WW2 (although, through exploring the world, you learn that the differences started well before that). When the story starts up, the Germans have left Britain behind and Britain, for unknown reasons, appears to be cut off and/or abandoned by the rest of the world. The majority of the country is constantly hopped up on a drug called Joy, which is specifically used to help them forget something horrible that happened in the past. (I have theories.) The story starts when your character goes off his Joy and gets kicked out of society. There's a general sense of unease about everything and the more you learn the more that unease grows. The art style is great and the world building fascinating.

MISC (there’s nothing spoilery here but it feels weird to not have it)

Interactive Horror Story Livestream - Doc has talked a bit about this in at least one of her Xmas streams and it sounds amazing. Not only is Jet hilarious with horror stuff but knowing Doc’s writing skill, it will be something that we’d never want to miss.

Bean Boozle When Failing a Hard Game* - I am a sadistic bitch, I admit to this, and I love watching people eat Bean Boozle, the jelly bean of horrible flavors. One of my favorite videos content creators has done is playing an incredibly difficult game and then being forced to eat a random one every time they fail. 

#giftening 2020 #giftening recs #spoilers for jetwolf

[bigyack-com]

With ‘Upload,’ Greg Daniels Takes a Leap Into the Great Unknown

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The new Amazon series “Upload” was in its final week of shooting last May, and Greg Daniels was chewing on everything he could get his hands on, including his hands. Time was waning, and the set — a convincing facsimile of a claustrophobic Queens apartment — was tricky to navigate. Daniels, the series’s creator, watched a monitor as the crew worked the tight spaces and the director shouted commands.He chewed his gum. Cut! — another take, please. He chewed his fingers. Cut! — let’s try again. He leapt from his chair, consulted the crew and came back chewing his thumb. Cut! — one more time for safety.“At least I get to sit back and let her direct,” Daniels said, nodding to the episode’s director, Daina Reid, which was maybe half-true. He had complete faith in his directors, he emphasized, but this was a passion project three decades in the making. There wasn’t much actual sitting back.“It’s hard not to micromanage,” he admitted.Perhaps more than “Parks and Recreation,” which Daniels cocreated, and more than the American version of “The Office,” which Daniels developed and oversaw, “Upload” is his baby, based on an idea he conceived as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1980s.A sci-fi dramatic comedy set in 2033, in which the souls of the dying are uploaded to a virtual afterlife, “Upload” is also Daniels’s first major creation since “Parks” ended in 2015. And when it debuts, on May 1, it will do so in the wake of several other notable series focused on similar themes and issues. The pressure was palpable.“It’s been three and a half months of go, go, go,” Daniels sighed. “It’s been a little bit crazy.”As much as anyone in television, Daniels is responsible for a successful brand of TV comedy that feels as familiar now as it felt groundbreaking when “The Office” debuted 15 years ago. His half-hour, single-camera sitcoms, with their deep ensemble casts and tonal blend of cringey awkwardness and heart, offered viewers the easy reliability of the best multicamera comedies but without the one-liners and studio audiences.“Upload,” however, is new territory for Daniels. Gone is the hand-held, mockumentary aesthetic he is best known for. He took a more cinematic approach to “Upload,” which Amazon encouraged him to write as a single contained story. It is his first creation for a streaming service (his second, the astro-political satire “Space Force,” lands next month on Netflix). The plot — told over 10 mostly half-hour episodes that will drop all at once — is tight and binge-ready. The special effects are complex.It also has action. And a murder mystery. And cursing and nudity. And competition.“There are so many good shows,” Daniels said during a car ride between sets. Audience attention is strained, he said, so he packed as many of the things he likes into “Upload” as possible.“Part of the impulse here is to kind of do a genre mash-up — to have satire but also to have romance and the mystery,” he said. “There’s a lot to look at and a lot to think about.”

Heaven, for a price

People love the characters Daniels creates and writes — as in, actually love. The way viewers talk about Michael Scott and Leslie Knope, they might as well be real people. Pam and Jim could be a real couple. Put “Ron Swanson” on an election ballot, and he’d probably do OK.Along the way, the list of actors his series have turned into stars is impressive. Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, John Krasinski, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt: All were relative newcomers before appearing in Daniels’s sitcoms. Fans of “The Daily Show” knew Steve Carell as a correspondent, but it was his role on “The Office” that catapulted his career.“Upload” has a sharper edge than Daniels’s earlier shows (including the animated “King of the Hill,” which he created with Mike Judge), but the cast has familiar qualities: charismatic, diverse, good-looking but approachable, and led by actors who have the glow of indwelling stardom but aren’t widely known.“I think that’s really exciting from a casting standpoint, is to find somebody and see how you’re going to break them,” Daniels said. “And I think there’s a pleasure for the audience in going into a show and being like, ‘I don’t know any of these people.’”One of them is Andy Allo, who plays Nora, a customer service representative at Horizen, a company that manages the virtual afterlife and its digitized human souls, known as uploads. (The reps function as the angels of this digital heaven.)In the series, Nora’s father, a religious man, is dying, and he hopes to join Nora’s deceased mother in the celestial afterlife, not some digital one.“It does bring in so many questions of your existence after death,” Allo said between takes. “Heaven, on this spiritual level, is what my dad believes in, but I work for this company that has created heaven.”Like today’s wireless companies (note the name), Horizen offers different data plans based on what families can afford. If customers exceed their limits, things get glitchy.“How darkly funny it is that you end up almost in a similar way and place that you were in real life?” Allo said. “It’s like pay-by-month” on the bottom tier, she added — heaven when you can afford it. “You get two gigs a month, and once you run out, you freeze.”Although Nora has dozens of other clients, she grows close with Nathan (Robbie Amell), a handsome young upload who took his charmed life for granted before he was critically injured in a self-driving car crash. Ambiguity surrounds the circumstances of his eventual death, drawing Nora and Nathan deep into a dangerous mystery.Meanwhile, Nathan is even more beholden to his rich and controlling girlfriend (Allegra Edwards) than he was before he died, because her family is financing his digital existence.“Being uploaded and essentially being owned as a human being, or as intellectual property, by my girlfriend throws a huge wrench in my life,” Amell said. “So although I get to continue living, it’s definitely not on my own terms.”To create the show’s complex mesh of realities, Daniels relied on multiple directors with prestigious, wide-ranging résumés. (Reid got an Emmy nomination for “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Jeffrey Blitz directed the Oscar-nominated documentary “Spellbound.”)Daniels was among them, directing two episodes including the 45-minute pilot. It is a rare role for him — “I am probably the worst director of the bunch that I have hired,” he said laughing — and “Upload” presents its own technical challenges. Dogs talk. Heads explode. Characters and objects (and useful body parts) appear and disappear.On an outdoor set, an actor whacked a nonexistent golf ball toward a green screen, then traded barbs with a patch of grass. In the finished version, the empty space became a hologram of another actor playing Arnold Palmer, who died in 2016.“The game just keeps getting harder,” Daniels said. “I shot the pilot, and then ‘Ready Player One’ came out. Spielberg is master of special effects, and he had, like, a 20-minute opening shot with no cuts in it, zooming through this world, going in and out of VR and the real world.”Thirty years ago, Daniels likely wouldn’t have measured himself against Steven Spielberg. But in the era of streaming and prestige TV, the competition had evolved.“I was like, ‘Oh God,’” Daniels said. “‘His one shot is like 20 times the budget of my entire pilot.’”

A convincing future

TV has become highly interested in post-mortem journeys of self-discovery, in shows like Amazon’s “Forever,” TBS’s “Miracle Workers” and Netflix’s “Russian Doll.” Daniels is aware of the micro-trend but doesn’t consider “Upload” to be following an increasingly well-trod metaphysical path.Ask about “Black Mirror,” and he is quick to tell you he devised and sold the idea for “Upload” well before the debut of “San Junipero” — an episode that won two Emmys in 2017 for its story set in a digital hereafter.Ask about “The Good Place,” however, and he is thoughtful to the point of appearing vulnerable. “The Good Place” wasn’t TV’s only comedy about the afterlife, as he noted. But it was the only one put out by his “Parks and Recreation” co-creator, Michael Schur.“I couldn’t believe that Mike had the idea for ‘The Good Place’ while I was doing this,” Daniels said. “I don’t watch ‘The Good Place’ because of the similarities. I don’t want to watch it.”Given the creators’ shared history, comparisons between the shows will be inevitable. Each is a high-concept comedy set in an afterworld with design flaws and equally flawed but charming staff. But “Upload” has a detailed and believable universe all its own.Perhaps its greatest distinguishing feature is the focus on technology and class. The tone is sometimes dark, not just darkly funny, and even frightening.Daniels said he’d wanted realism, a version of the near-future that was convincing and recognizable. A Tinder-like app lets people rate their hookups. Unemployment might keep you out of heaven.“For the pitch, I was referencing Kafka and Charlie Chaplin in ‘Modern Times,’” he said. “That’s, to me, why to do it, because it feels like it says something about income inequality and capitalism.”Traditional notions of heaven are about “both living past your body’s death but also, supposedly, some sort of fairness or ultimate reward for the good and the meek,” he added. “In this version, that’s not happening — it’s just the rich and capitalistic getting it.”That pitch had traveled its own Kafkaesque journey, metamorphosing as it went. Daniels conceived an early version while brainstorming “S.N.L.” sketches but ultimately decided to table the idea, and then later tried to turn it into a short story. During the writers’ strike of 2007-8, he took a stab at making it a novel. He didn’t pitch it as a TV show until several years later, selling it to HBO in 2015.HBO spent some time developing the concept, but then the executive who bought it left. Daniels resold it in 2016 to Amazon.“There have been other shows that dealt with the afterlife, but I think the way that Greg has designed the show is truly and fully unique,” said Ryan Andolina, the head of comedy at Amazon Studios. Andolina also bought Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag,” a favorite of Daniels’s, and he viewed “Upload” as another kind of auteur comedy. “Greg is very meticulous and specific, and had a very clear idea of what the show was.”It would’ve been easy for Daniels to make another network mockumentary, but he seems determined to push himself. “Space Force” will reunite him with Carell, who pitched him the show in July 2018, not long after President Trump announced his desire to create a new military branch of the same name.The Netflix series is not quite science fiction, though there are spaceships, and the cast and cinematic production signal a significant budget. Another thing it isn’t: a network mockumentary.“Mockumentary is terrific — it’s a really fun style,” he said. “But after nine years of ‘The Office’ and seven years of ‘Parks and Recreation,’ I don’t know, I felt like I wanted to do something else.”He paused, then laughed. “After dealing with this many green screens, I could see going back to mockumentary.” Read the full article

#1technews #0financetechnology #0technologydrive #03technologysolutions #057technology #0gtechnology #1technologydrive #1technologydrivemilpitasca95035 #1technologydriveswedesboronj08085 #2technologydrive #2technologydrivestauntonva24401 #2technologydrivewarana #2technologydrivewarrennj #2technologyfeaturestopreventcounterfeiting #2technologyplace #2technologyplacemacquarie #2technologyplacemacquarieuniversity #3technologybets #3technologybetsgenpact #3technologycircuithallam #3technologydrive #3technologydrivemilpitasca95035 #3technologydrivepeabodyma #3technologydrivewestboroughmassachusetts01581 #3technologyltd #3technologyplace #3technologywaynorwoodma #360technewshindi #3dtechnews #3dtechnologynews

[itsfinancethings]

November 29, 2019 at 07:00AM

List season has hit particularly hard this year, as the end of our first full decade of social media immersion has culminated in a multi-month spree of ranking and revisiting the likes of which humanity has probably never seen before. So I feel compelled to open by thanking you, the reader, for giving yet another highly subjective hit parade your attention.

My hope is that along with a few of the zeitgeisty critical darlings (Fleabag, Watchmen, Succession) you’re sure to find in every other top 10 of 2019, this list will point you in the direction of some equally wonderful series (Vida, David Makes Man, Back to Life) that haven’t gotten the shine they deserve. What you won’t find here, incidentally, is anything from the initial slate of shows on brand-new streaming services Apple TV+ or Disney+. Whether that disappointment turns out to be a pattern or a fluke, only time will tell.

10. Back to Life (Showtime)

Few characters have embodied the saying “you can’t go home again” as fully as Back to Life creator Daisy Haggard’s Miri Matteson. Out on parole after spending half her life in jail for a crime she committed at age 18, Miri returns to her small English hometown—not because she’s missed the place, but because she has nowhere to go but her parents’ house. While enduring harassment at the hands of neighbors who will never forget what she did, she struggles to find work, companionship and peace. From the producers of Fleabag, this quieter, gentler traumedy weighs Miri’s crime against the less extreme but more malicious transgressions of her family and friends. It poses the question of whether anyone who pays their debt to society really gets a fair chance to start over—and it suggests that you can tell a lot about a community by getting to know its scapegoats.

9. When They See Us (Netflix)

Ava DuVernay is the rare popular artist fueled by an irrepressible optimism about building a better future as well as righteous anger about the past and present. She brought both of these defining traits to bear on this four-part drama about the Central Park Five—whom her miniseries rechristened the Exonerated Five. Along with exposing how and suggesting why a broken New York City criminal justice system was so eager to vilify blameless children of color in the aftermath of a monstrous act of sexual violence, DuVernay and her stellar young cast worked with the real Five to create multifaceted portraits of regular kids with hopes, ambitions and communities that suffered as a result of their incarceration. And she found echoes of their story in the current movement against mass incarceration and in the presidency of Donald Trump, who stoked public fury at the boys. When They See Us celebrates the righting of a grievous wrong while acknowledging that no vindication, or remuneration, could fully heal such deep wounds.

8. Watchmen (HBO)

For those of us who haven’t enjoyed our culture’s never-ending superhero craze so much as endured it, the news that the most prestigious of all prestige cable outlets was adapting a DC Comics book sounded kind of like a betrayal. Et tu, HBO? But we should never have doubted The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof’s ability to make Alan Moore’s brilliant, subversive 1980s classic resonate more than three decades later. Instead of revisiting the Cold War, Lindelof set his Watchmen in an alternate 2019 where the events of the comic are canon, Robert Redford (yes, that one) has been President for decades and a white supremacist group called the Seventh Kavalry is slaughtering police who are loyal to the liberal administration. Into this mess rides masked vigilante Sister Night (Regina King, in the would-be hero role she’s long deserved), a cop who is supposed to have retired from crime-fighting. There is (or should be) enough carryover from Moore’s original to appease its cult fandom, but the show is at its best when contending with our confused, misinformed, politically polarized current reality. And in that respect, it’s every bit as intelligent, provocative and mysterious as it is entertaining.

7. Undone (Amazon)

Fans worried that BoJack Horseman mastermind Raphael Bob-Waksberg would turn out to be a one-hit wonder could take comfort in this wildly imaginative sci-fi dramedy that he co-created with Kate Purdy, about a disaffected young woman (Rosa Salazar’s Alma) who narrowly survives a catastrophic car crash. In hospital-bed visions tied to her sudden physical trauma and preexisting mental illness, Alma reunites with her long-dead father (Bob Odenkirk), learns that he was murdered and allows him to guide her on a time-travel mission to prevent the crime from happening. Yet Undone is more than just a high-concept mystery; it’s a journey into human consciousness, a beautiful example of Rotoscoped animation and a subtle meditation on family, identity and spirituality.

6. David Makes Man (OWN)

The success of Moonlight sent ripples through Hollywood, elevating writer-director Barry Jenkins and a cast including Mahershala Ali, Jharrel Jerome and Janelle Monáe to the highest echelon of their art form. It also opened industry doors for MacArthur honoree Tarell Alvin McCraney, who wrote the play on which the film was based. This year he unveiled David Makes Man, a lyrical drama about a smart, troubled 14-year-old (Akili McDowell, astonishing in his first lead role) in the Florida projects who’s struggling to get into a prestigious high school and avoid being drafted into a gang, while mourning a mentor. Though it shares a lush aesthetic and many themes—black boyhood, complicated role models, queer identity—with Moonlight, the expanded format allows McCraney to explore the people around David. His privileged best friend (Nathaniel McIntyre) suffers abuse at home. His gender-queer neighbor (Travis Coles) takes in runaway LGBT teens and plays a delicate role in the local ecosystem. And his single mother (Alana Arenas), an addict in recovery, holds down a degrading job to keep the bills paid. This isn’t just the old story of excellence and poverty battling for the soul of one extraordinary child; it’s the story of a community where both qualities must coexist.

5. Lodge 49 (AMC)

At least once a year, a series too smart for prime-time gets canned even as network execs re-up long-running bores like NCIS for 24 more functionally identical episodes. In 2019, it was Lodge 49 that ended up on the wrong side of the equation. A loose, semi-stoned account of a young man (Wyatt Russell’s Sean “Dud” Dudley) treading water in the wake of his beloved father’s death, the show expanded over the course of its first season into an allegory for the isolation of contemporary life. The Southern California landscape around Dud, an affable dreamer, and his self-destructive twin sister (Sonya Cassidy) had been scarred by pawn shops, breastaurants, temp agencies, abandoned office parks. Refuge came in the form of the titular cash-strapped fraternal organization, where Dud found two precious things late capitalism couldn’t provide: a sense of community and a mysterious, all-consuming quest. Both propelled him and his cohorts to Mexico in this year’s funny, bittersweet second season; perhaps sensing the end was near, creator Jim Gavin’s finale provided something like closure. Still, the show—which is currently being shopped to streaming services—has plenty left to say. Here’s hoping the producers find a way to, as the fans on Twitter put it, #SaveLodge49.

4. Vida (Starz)

In its short first season, creator Tanya Saracho’s Vida assembled all the elements of a great half-hour drama. Mishel Prada and Melissa Berrera shined as Mexican-American sisters who come home to LA after the death of their inscrutable mom, Vida—only to learn that the building and bar she owned are on the verge of foreclosure. It also turns out that Vida, whose homophobia destroyed her relationship with Prada’s sexually fluid Emma, had married a woman. Meanwhile, their angry teenage neighbor Mari (Chelsea Rendon) raged against gentrification. These storylines coalesced to electrifying effect in this year’s second season, testing the sisters’ tense bond as they found themselves in the crosshairs of activists who saw their desperate efforts to save the family business as acts of treachery from two stuck-up “whitinas.” Thanks largely to the talented Latinx writers and directors Saracho enlisted for the project, Vida brings lived-in nuance to issues like class, colorism and desire—yielding one of TV’s smartest and sexiest shows.

3. Succession (HBO)

Right-wing tycoons and their adult children have gotten plenty of attention in the past few years—most of it negative. So why would anyone voluntarily watch a show in which the nightmare offspring of a Mudoch-like media titan (Brian Cox) compete to become his successor? A rational argument for all the goodwill around Succession might point out the crude poetry of its dialogue (from creator Jesse Armstrong, a longtime Armando Iannucci collaborator), the fearlessness of its cast (give Jeremy Strong an Emmy just for Kendall’s rap) and the knife-twisting accuracy of this season’s digital-media satire (R.I.P. Vaulter). But on a more primal level, one informed by the increasingly rare experience of watching episodes set Twitter ablaze as they aired, I think we’re also getting a collective thrill out of a series that confirms our darkest assumptions about people who thirst for money and power. It’s a catharsis we may well deserve.

2. Russian Doll (Netflix)

To observe that there was a built-in audience for a show created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland in which Lyonne starred as a hard-partying New York City cynic might’ve been the understatement of the year. But even those of us who bought into Russian Doll from the beginning could never have predicted such a resounding triumph. In a story built like the titular nesting doll, Lyonne’s Nadia Vulvokov dies in a freak accident on the night of her 36th birthday. The twist is, instead of moving on to the afterlife or the grave, she finds herself back where she started the evening, at a party in her honor. Nadia is condemned to repeat this cycle of death and rebirth until she levels up in self-knowledge—a process that entails many cigarettes, lots of vintage East Village grit and a not-so-chance encounter with a fellow traveler. Stir in a warm, wry tone and a message of mutual aid, and you’ve got the best new TV show of 2019.

1. Fleabag (Amazon)

Fleabag began its run, in 2016, as a six-episode black comedy about a scornful, neurotic, hypersexual young woman caught in a self-destructive holding pattern of her own making. The premise didn’t immediately distinguish creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge as all that different from peers like Lena Dunham, Aziz Ansari and Donald Glover. But the British show’s execution was sharp, funny and daring enough to make it a cult hit on both sides of the Atlantic—and to anoint Waller-Bridge as TV’s next big thing. She went on to helm the exhilarating first season of Killing Eve, giving this year’s second and final season of Fleabag time to percolate. It returned as a more mature but, thankfully, no less audacious show, matching Waller-Bridge’s somewhat reformed Fleabag with an impossible love interest known to fans as the Hot Priest (Andrew Scott). The relationship offered a path to forgiveness for the kind of character most millennial cris de coeur have been content to leave hanging. By allowing Fleabag a measure of grace without sacrificing her life-giving vulgarity, Waller-Bridge conjured the realistic vision of redemption that has so far eluded her contemporaries—and closed out the 2010s with the decade’s single greatest season of comedy.

#IFTTT #Blogger

[chestnutpost]

Why You Should Watch This Netflix Original During Women’s History Month

This post was originally published on this site

“Russian Doll” opens with its protagonist, Nadia Vulvokov, standing in a bathroom and then going through a door designed to look like a vagina to rejoin a birthday party in her honor. Nadia’s friend Maxine (now famously) coos to her, “Sweet birthday baby,” and Nadia compliments the door.

“Congrats, it’s terrifying,” Nadia says. Maxine and another female friend, Lizzy, made it together.

“Is it vaginal enough?” Maxine asks Lizzy later in the episode.

An all-female team of creators, directors and writers brought “Russian Doll” into the world. Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler created the project together. Headland directed half the episodes, Poehler co-executive produces the series, and Lyonne stars as Nadia.

The show debuted on Netflix on Feb. 1, the day before Groundhog Day. That’s apt because the plot follows a structure similar to the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day.” In “Russian Doll,” Nadia dies over and over again, only to be reborn at the same spot in that New York City apartment bathroom ― the cosmos forcing her through the vaginal door again and again to celebrate her 36th birthday.

“Russian Doll” earned super-positive reviews after its premiere and may just be the best show of 2019 so far. (I recently named it Netflix’s No. 1 original show for the year through February.) As we honor Women’s History Month this March, there’s no better show to watch in celebration.

Netflix

Lyonne in “Russian Doll.” 

In “Russian Doll,” the male characters are borderline throwaways and exist to serve the female characters. SPOILER WARNING: Alan (Charlie Barnett), a man going through the same death-and-repeat trap as Nadia, doesn’t appear in the series until about halfway through. Unlike Nadia, Alan gets little backstory. Lyonne portrays Nadia as a vibrant, brash, unique and strange hero who has the confidence to do anything. Alan can barely string sentences together and has borderline no personality.

While Nadia and her female friends have charisma that jumps off the screen, the men are just kind of there. The women are explicitly the stars of this world.

The most obvious tell of intentionality is that the show reuses male actors to play different characters. The same three dudes play Wall Street bros, paramedics and Nadia’s co-workers. In a reverse failed Bechdel test, the men are just accessories to the female-focused plot.

Perhaps written as a response to the sexist online Gamergate movement of the last few years, Nadia works as a software engineer, coding games so advanced that men struggle to get on her level. A co-worker named Bob messes up her code with a mistake. Alan struggles to beat a game she created. Contrary to the 2017 news story about a Google engineer’s belief that women can’t code because of inferior genetics, Nadia’s skills are so advanced that the men just can’t keep up.

Netflix

Charlie Barnett as Alan and Lyonne in “Russian Doll.”

Women rule the world in this New York City, despite contemporary reality. In reality, men outnumber women in Nadia’s software engineer role by a staggering amount. In the television industry, women continue to hold only a sliver of producing, directing, writing, editing and creating jobs. “Russian Doll” is a proud anomaly that makes a strong case for empowerment and upending this system.

But, importantly, it’s also just about having fun.

“Russian Doll” is a treatise, but it’s more a thrilling, mystery-filled narrative full of jokes. You may watch “Russian Doll” and not pick up on any of the show’s larger points at first and instead just get lost in this world of incredibly costumed characters with exceptional dialogue and lovable personalities. First and foremost, “Russian Doll” is a great show that truly has beat out the male-led competition this year.

The writers make it clear they embraced this ethos. After Maxine (Greta Lee) asks if her door is “vaginal enough,” Lizzy (Rebecca Henderson) has a telling response. “Let that go,” Lizzy replies. “It’s a party. C’mon, we’re dancing.”

“Russian Doll” is a television show; you’re supposed to have a good time watching it. Just make sure that you recognize who’s responsible for your enjoyment.

If you want to stay informed on what’s joining Netflix on a weekly basis, make sure to subscribe to the Streamline newsletter.

Ji Sub Jeong/HuffPost

The post Why You Should Watch This Netflix Original During Women’s History Month appeared first on The Chestnut Post.

from The Chestnut Post https://thechestnutpost.com/news/why-you-should-watch-this-netflix-original-during-womens-history-month/

[serenagaywaterford]

9) No. 1 here. Three days later... Apparently, I'm good at this. #not // Just finished the "Russian Doll". It was enjoyable. Loved how they took a good, old, clichéd trope and turned it into sth fun and touching. That upbeat OST didn't hurt either. Anyway. a) "Then sometimes [fangirls/boys]’ll annoy me so much that I end up liking the complete opposite of what they like. Dunno why." Kinda same, LOL. b) "[Westworld] another shot but when shows get overcomplicated, they’re not much fun anymore"

10) Tbh, I'm not sure if I'll watch S3, I'll probably watch the pilot and decide. Overall, S1 >> S2. I'm usually a fan of plot twists, but they're getting tiring at this point. Almost as tiring as "Once Upon a Time"'s fucked up genealogy tree. (Ugh, since I went there... What a ridiculous trainwreck of a series that was. I tried getting into it for all the good femslash/fanfiction, but I ended up on Wiki + Youtube for summaries/clips instead, bc YIKES.) c) "IIRC, her character was my fav (other

11) than Clementine lol)" Clementine has SUCH potential! I adore her. Honestly, she should've gotten WAY more screen time in S2, but alas. Ngl, I kinda shipped her with Maeve (even though I liked Maeve's canon love interest too). d) "The only blogs I block are ones that are gross, RP, or spam" Spam + porn blogs are an automatic blog for me. With actual people, I'm usually (keyword: usually) more lenient. E.g., if someone gets into drama all the time, I'll probably ignore or unfollow them.

12) I used to keep a blog (not on Tumblr) for sociopolitical issues, which ofc attracted plenty of creeps that started threatening/harassing me. Those I did block. As for RPers? Hm. Generally, I don't mind them, but I DID have a bad experience with one of them once: they privately asked me if I wanted to start an RP blog with them. Well, since i. RP was never really my thing, ii. I didn't have enough time for a new blog, I politely declined. All good so far. But, as it turned out, they wouldn't

13) really take the hint. They kept messaging me again and again and again, while taking a more aggressive tone each time. They ended up deleting their blog for unknown reasons, so I didn't have to block them. e) "HOLY GROSS… I just got up and a centipede fell off me! "Holy shit, those things are HUGE! A friend of mine often gets these kinds of "visitors". That's why he basically sleeps with a bug spray next to him, LOL. f) "For Emily to do those things, you don’t do those crimes without being

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LOL NO WORRIES, MY GOOD DUDE! Take all the time in the world. This is all fun and games (and nobody’s losing an eye) :D 

Russian Doll, imo, was just you know, a tight little show. Well acted, well paced, well directed, well editing, well written. Was it the best show ever? Nope. But it was solid. I really appreciated how they kept it tight and didn’t drag it out. A show like that can easily get tiring really quickly because of the basic concept. But almost every refresh was actually fresh. It moved at a good clip and ended right when it should have. And I appreciate that in a show, lol. (Mostly cos I’m accustomed to UK shows.)

Okay, you may have talked me out of S2 lol. Mostly, overcomplicated? Nah. Less Clementine? Very nah. But....ARE YOU ME? Seriously. I totally shipped Maeve/Clem as well! Again, not that I didn’t appreciate her canon partner cos that was fun too. I honestly thought I was like one of 2 people ever to dig Maeve/Clem, lol.

(I can’t speak to OUAT cos I think I’ve seen one episode of that ever and I had to nope right outta there. But I did watch those scenes with Ruby and Dorothy and had friends into Swan Queen -- which makes the most sense in that whole show, or what I know of it anyway.)

Why are people such creeps? I honestly don’t understand online harassment. “You don’t agree with my opinion on some issue, therefore I’m going to send you death threats!” ??? But yeah, RP blogs... part of my reasoning too is so I don’t have to see 600 of their posts in character tags. I like my searches to be clean and not have back and forths between RP blogs talking to each other. (OMG it was so bad in GoT fandom for a while. Yet another show that I gave up on after 2 seasons lol.) It’s funny you mention that story about an RP blog cos I feel like... a lot of RP blogs I’ve had run-ins with also had no idea how to accept a “no”. A few did, which was nice. But some just don’t understand “Please don’t.” or “Please stop.” And just bombard me with notifications of them carrying on conversations on my posts. (Which generally I actually have no issue with and it’s tumblr and public so really, what can ya do? But normally, people have something to say and that’s cool. There was one post that was like my own character analysis thingie and an RP group took it over and weren’t even debating or discussing my points but literally just using the photo as fodder for, on top of everything else, a character conversation of a NOTP of mine (which I outlined in the original post I’d made). It was just like... There is literally no reason to jump on my post. The photo I used isn’t even that great lol.) ANYWAY. I sound like a child whining about fandom but ... lol, that’s why I now appreciate the block feature. Sometimes.

#Anonymous