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weaselbeaselpants · 1 year

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Trying to be careful in how I go about this post, since it's not an accusation or slander of any kind, more of a trip down deviantart memory lane for me. I'm nervous mostly because I've seen some Lackadaisy fans and HazbinHelluva fans starting to butt heads about which animated short is better. C'mon guys, no fights or I'm putting you all on time out.

The first time and the first person who introduced myself to Tracy Butler and the Lackadaisy comic was actually Vivzmind (that's VivziePop's old da username. Will always subconsiously call her that in my head even though 'Pop' sounds better). I vividly remember Viv had filled out one of the then really popular 2010 meme template things called an "Inspiration Map", and in the bottom she had Lackadaisy and linked to Tracy's page and called it "so good". I'm 100 percent sure that much of Lackadaisy, the webcomic, inspired Viv's interest with jazz age memorabillia. I mean it was already there given that Viv loves Princess and the Frog and Chicago, but I really think Lackaidaisy had a hand in creating Husk and Angel as they were seen in 2013- onward.

Yes, I know protoAngel and Arachnis died in the 1940s and Husk died in the 60s I think (also, I think Husk's final design was mostly done by Faustisse??? the hazbin stans feel free to correct that one ), but Husk's extraevegant casino-inspired look and detailed design feels like a Hazbin fusion of Mordecai, Rocky and Zib all at once and if nothing else inspired by Tracy's grand stand alone artwork of the Lackadaisy cast. Viv takes a lot of inspiration from fellow artists and to me it's clear she mused Tracy back in the day. Meanwhile, I'm not convinced half the reason Angel was/still is a mobster is related to her love of Lackadaisy, even if he and his brother are spider things, not cats. I can't unsee it, is all I mean.

If we're talking jazz-age inspo, I think Viv's world is flashy and simple in terms of depth where Lackadaisy's characters and world is a lot more nuance and definitely more researched, than Hazbin. Viv kins Chicago way better than she does Lackadaisy with her use of aesthetics and flare. When I say I personally take issue w Viv's art it's not that I think it looks bad on principle or because "ew sexymans everywhere = bad". I like sexymans and I love Viv's style. What frustrates me and other critics of Viv's art is it's all about what looks pleasing to her at the time and that's it. For the record- that's not inherently a bad thing-

Tim Burton, in case you didn't know, works the exact same way with his personal art and why he puts certain things in his movies. Ever wonder why Oogie Boogie's theme is casinos and Mars Attacks ends in Vegas? It's literally just because Tim spent a lot of time in Vegas and thinks Vegas and casinos are cool. ((Oogie was also kind of Elfman's brainbaby and a loveletter to Fleischer, but regardless)). My issue with Viv liking herself some edgy sex jokes, bowties, skinny guys, sharp edges and loud designs isn't that they're bad on that 'draw what I feel like' principle. It's that, unlike Tim or Tracy Butler, she continues to do it in ways that kind of hurt the character's designs and even personalities. You can absolutely pitch a character as "demon who died a 40s gangster so looks like a mobster spider freak and is just as manic and obnoxious in death as he was in life"- but when you keep only some aspects of his mobster look alive and get rid of others in lieu of the new personality you've basically grafted him into; "complex sleazy pornstar who's at once unapologetic about his perviness but feels trapped and exploited by his own interests and is also named after a drug from the 80s"...it just kinda falls apart.Because almost every other male character in Hazbin and Helluva have bowties, Angel's doesn't exactly stick out or feel like either a gangster or a cheeky pornstar aesthetic. Same goes with Moxxie in Helluva- he's supposed to be a gangster from a gangster demon family, which as a twist is kind of neat but in execution kinda fails because he doesn't exactly read hitman or gangster the rest of the time even though he wears a suit. Between his personality+demeanor, Moxxie's outfit screams more...tap dancer than gangster. It feel confused and kind of overconvuluted is what I'm trying to say.

While not everyone can be Tracy Butler, by contrast you can see through the ages how her characters have come into their own through the decade since Lackadaisy started, which leaves in interesting feel for characters like Mordecai, f.e.

In the comic proper Mordecai is a straight-faced and kind of terrifying hitman who's both good at killing and getting the job done, so he feels very serious even when he's cracking jokes or playing off the goofier characters. In the years since the first volume was finished though, while Mordecai himself has stayed serious in the comic, the readers have gotten the peek into his past ahead of the 'main'-ish cast with the prequel comics about Morty and Victor working together and Mordecai still being an overly serious nerd but also a pissy neat freak. I think the latest parts of the comic featuring Mordecai have done a great job at alluding to what's funny about him while still keeping him relatively serious. It's obvious the fandom love for this character and Tracy's own love for him rubbed off on his portrayal in what exists of vol 3 so far. Tracy's also made changes and add ons to Mordecai's final character that feel consistant with the mostly basic character he was introduced as, more of a fleshing out of his character than a departure of who/what he has always been written to be.

I want so much to like, even love Viv's characters y'see, it's just that they kind of feel like Viv decides them a finished character upon first creating them and not when after she's truly introduced or finished working on them. This is the case with Angel, with Millie, with Stolas, with Lucifer. It's why I don't care for Sir Pent as his design reads too competant for the kind of folly he's ultimately supposed to be. Viv literally made him a permanent part because she just really liked his design, but what's been seen of him in and out of canon kinda shows two different types of characters the writers are desperate to insist are one in the same, or which naturally flow into the other...but they just don't? Yes, even for what is seen now. Some ppl say the way Viv's characters are fleshed out is like if the writers are writing fanfiction of their own property. It feels that way because rather than writing and designing for the sake of the character, the writers are writing for themselves. They're being self indulgent. Their appraising with the cast that doesn't feel earned because the actual depth the cast needs as characters hasn't happened yet (see also: Millie), just alluded to, and the writers being fans of their own work so much means they can't recognize that and keep up the indulgence parade. I "know", because I can recognize myself doing it when I get hyperfixated on my blorbos and so only write about them and my headcanons relating to them. The rest o the cast is important because otherwise your fav side character has nothing/no one to bounce off of. As much as I love Mordecai, the tale of Lackadaisy is not his story alone and the main character is Rocky.

Still tho, none of this should ever imply that Lackadaisy as a property is competition or better or worse than Hazbin and Helluva Boss. All of this is just *Dude voice* my opinion mayn. Even if it wasn't, both shorts and series have their own world and inspirations. Maybe all the business I laid out about Viv's writing is what's actually appealing to you as a fan and not a take away, maybe my Mordecai hypothesis doesn't cut how underwhelmed by the character and the short. IDK. While I think they have inspiration to thank for each other's existence...please don't bother the staff who worked on these or act like their problem is that one of them 'needs to be' the other. That wasn't my point. I don't want Hazbin or Helluva to be Lackadaisy at all. They're their own thing and shouldn't be treated like one in the same because of who created what and who worked on both pilots.

Let's not dip back into the time we were all "Star vs the Forces of Evil is what Steven Universe SHOULD BE, there's no way comparing these two it's a competition could cloud our judgement of either shows!!8D 8D 8D "

#helluva boss critical #hazbin hotel critical #spindlehorse critical #lackadaisy #lackadaisy critical #This entire post was a ruse to demand Angel Dust's hat back btw

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full-of-roman-angst-trash · 4 years

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A Prince’s Room

Part 2

Concept by @yeet-ceit

TW: Unsympathetic Sides (Except for Roman), Perfectionism, Self-Doubt, Cursing, Arguing, Injury? (Roman gets slapped). If I missed any, pleased tell me and I will add it.

Pairings: None

Word Count: 1807

Roman wants to be perfect. No, he needs to be perfect. And part of being perfect is being a good friend. Roman loves the other sides. He loves them more than anything in the world. Even more than Disney and musical theater. His friends are the main reason why his still holding on. He doesn’t want to lose them. He can’t lose them. He won’t survive if he does.

So, to make sure he doesn’t he takes notes. He writes down ways to make sure he’s constantly improving. Any bad habits that the others point out or flaws he writes down and tries to fix.

The lists went on and on. Hung up on the walls of his room to make sure he always remembers. And as time goes on, more and more is added to the list. Every small addition getting him one step closer to perfection.

Remember to keep your voice level normal. Don’t talk too loudly.

Stop being so dramatic, you're taking too much attention away from the others.

Don’t be too confident, it comes off as cocky and no one like someone that’s too cocky.

Don’t rant about your interest for too long it gets annoying and boring.

Don’t be selfish, no one likes a selfish person.

....................

The chart came along a few months later.

Roman had already been taking notes on how to please his friends however he decided to reorganize his notes into a chart. Each side had their own section containing list of what they liked, disliked, what cheered them up, and what upsets them.

Logan

Likes: Crofters, astrology, coffee, books, teaching, silence, human anatomy, schedules, deadlines, Thomas being productive, debating, constellations, being listened to, law, learning, classical music, poetry, Sherlock.

Dislikes: Being ignored, unnecessary emotions, sweets, dumb people, someone being too loud, childish movies, games, being behind schedule, illogical decisions, jokes, unrealistic dreams.

What makes him happy?: Stargazing, writing, meeting deadlines, winning debates, telling random facts, rapping, his onesie, reading, being left alone, being called cool, teaching.

What upsets him?: Being treated as a joke, being teased, being reminded of his mistakes, making mistakes, being ignored or overlooked, losing a debate, feeling dumb.

Patton

Likes: Cookies, drawing, cure animals, compliments, happy songs, seeing his friends happy, t.v shows, helping others, singing, dancing, playing dress up, stuffed animals, gifts, holidays, baking, sweets.

Dislikes: Screaming, loud noises, getting stuff thrown at him, blood, weapons, violence, seeing his friends injured, sad movies and stories.

What makes him happy?: Cuddles, movie nights, being showered with affection, cookies, drawing, karaoke nights, talking about his emotions, playing games with his friends, helping others, his onesie.

What upsets him?: Seeing an animal die, seeing people in pain, being forced to grow up, seeing his friends in hurt, not being able to help someone, disappointing someone, letting Thomas down, letting his emotions control him.

Virgil

Likes: Candles, alternative music, spiders, his hoodie, Tim Burton films, My Chemical Romance, headphones, fidget cubes, staying up late, drama shows, bats, knives, collecting pins.

Dislikes: The ocean, sudden loud noises, cheesy pop music, people that are too optimistic (except for Patton), someone being mean to his friends,

What makes him happy?: Doing makeup, painting his nails, listening to music, Patton’s baking, playing with his pet spider, meditating, watching murder myterious, watching Disney and Tim Burton movies.

What upsets him?: Being put on the spot, being called evil, being treated like an innocent kid, being called a darkside, being called a disorder rejection, talk about serious topics such as suicide and self harm.

Remus

Likes: Gore, blood, mud, fighting, collecting weapons, deodorant, musicals, inappropriate jokes, Fleischer Studios, pranks, dancing, mythical creatures, things that glow in the dark, random t.v shows, horror movie, slime, candy, octopus, skirts, crop tops.

Dislikes: Cheesy love songs, rules, normal food aside from fast food, birds, learning, shaving, reading, romance movies/shows, backstabbers, lying, shaving cream, showers, losing fights.

What makes him happy?: Dissecting stuff, fighting, pranking others, dancing, singing, coming up with outfit ideas, punching stuff, playing with slime, reenacting horror movies, inappropriate jokes, hanging out in his trash can, being pet, Shrek, eating deodorant, someone doing his makeup.

What upsets him?: Being abandoned or left behind, being told he isn’t good enough, being compared to me, seeing Janus upset, seeing Virgil upset, being told to shave.

Janus

Like: Snakes, philosophy, Greek mythology, sewing, horror movies, mystery books, murder documentaries, self care, sleeping, warm baths, weighted blankets, debating, law.

Dislikes: The cold, when someone takes his hat, dumb comedy movies, eagles, action movies, unnecessary violence or gore, close minded people, liars, sharing secrets, being vulnerable.

What makes hims happy?: Massages, weighted blankets, cuddling, hanging out with Remus, acting, having debates, seeing Remus and Virgil playfully argue, watching murder mysteries, singing.

What upsets him?: Being called evil, being ignored, seeing Remus or Virgil upset, Thomas not taking care of himself, being replaced, being left behind, people not understanding him, someone making fun of his scales, taking off his gloves.

....................

“Come on pussy! Let’s just march into his room, what’s the worse that could happen?”

“Language!” Patton quickly scolds Remus.

“What if he’s in there and he screams at us for barging in?! What if he gets really mad and chooses to get physical!? What if we see something we don’t want to!? What if he’s asleep and he get mad that we woke him up!? What if-”

“Virgil,” Logan interrupts the panicking side, “Your anxiety is causing you to catastrophize. Please, take a deep breath and try to filter out your cognitive distortion.”

The anxious side nods and takes a few deep breaths to calm himself.

“Now, I would like to add that I personally believe that Remus’ plan isn’t the worst idea ever and is currently the best one we have.” The logical side states.

“Well, while I love to agree with Remus, he is wrong in this instance,”

Remus smirks widely, “Awe! Thanks Jany~ You’re too generous~”

The deceitful side rolls his eyes, “Let’s just go.”

“Fine,” Virgil stands up, looking rather done with everything.

The rest of the sides stand up as well and begin to make their way to the prince’s room.

Once they make it to his door, Remus immediately just breaks the door down and lets himself in.

“Surprise!”

They walk in, greeted only by silence.

“He isn’t here?” Patton mumbles to himself.

“Doesn’t look like it. Let’s not go then.”

The other sides nod and start making their way out. Well, everyone except for Logan.

The logical side instead gets distracted by a paper stabled to the wall. He walks over to it and reads it to himself. Once he’s done reading his looks around the room and notices all the papers on the wall. As well, as the lack of theater and Disney merchandise.

“Wait, doesn't Roman’s room look,” He pauses to search for the right words, “Wrong?”

The other sides stop walking and looks around.

“Now that you mention it,” Remus mumbles, “His room has changed a lot since I last saw it...”

The other start reading through the endless papers of tips to improve himself and advice.

Suddenly Patton stops in front of a chart titled “Duties”

He slowly goes over it and buy the time he is done he is fuming with rage.

“What the hell!? Guys come look at this!”

The others go over, slightly amused and concerned.

Each of them take turns analyzing the chart.

Roman had spend his day at the Imagination. After the whole wedding accident, he’s been stuck in a very toxic place and well he thought a small guest might help. So, he left early in the morning and began his guest. He hadn’t meant to stay there for as long as he did but he lost track of time.

“Kiddo, we have a lot to talk about,” Patton mumbles in a passive aggressive tone.

....................

As the tired side starts approaching his room, he notices that all the either sides are gathered outside his room. Once he’s a bit closer, Virgil is the first to notice him. To his shock though, Virgil rushes to him and slaps him

“Roman, what the fuck!?”

Roman stands there shocked for a few minutes before looking at Patton, expecting to hear him scold Virgil. Instead however, Patton just look away from him.

“ANSWER ME!”

“I-...” Roman bites his lip to hold back the tears in his eyes, “I-I don’t understand... W-what did I do....?”

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING!?”

The prince-like-side flinches and looks down.

Remus puts a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, "Let me handle this.”

For some reason, Roman thought that Remus would be on his side. He thought that if anyone understood what he was trying to do, it would be his brother. Or that his brother would at least explain what happened and let him tell his part of the story.

So, he looked up with a hopeful expression.

“Don’t look at me like that. What the fuck is wrong with you!? If you think we were such a hassle then why did you stay friends with us!?”

Any hope that Roman had immediately leaves his body, “I-I... I never said that! Where is this coming?!”

“DON’T BULLSHIT ME, ROMAN!” Remus summons his morning star, “WE SAW THE FUCKING CHART! SO, WHAT!? WE’RE NOTHING MORE THAN “DUTIES” TO YOU!?”

The usual confident side is now frozen in shock. They weren’t supposed to see that chart. They weren’t supposed to see his room at all. If Roman was being honest, he could understand why they took the chart the wrong way. The name of it wasn’t exactly the best but it was all he could think of while actually making it. Now though, he wished he would have pushed himself to think of a better name.

“N-No! You got it all wrong!” He is now crying, flinching away from his brother, “I was just trying to make you guys happy!”

Remus scoffs and puts his weapon away. He walks away from Roman and returns to Janus’ side.

“Whatever, Roman.”

His knees give out and he falls to the floor in defeat.

“I would greatly appreciate if you keep your distance from Patton and I from now on. If you fail to do so, I can’t exactly guarantee that I will be nice. Goodbye Roman.”

“Fucking pussy.” Remus throws out.

And just like that Logan sinks down with a crying Patton.

“And I thought I was the snake,” Janus adds, looking at him in pure disgust.

Then, they’re gone.

For a few seconds Virgil stares at the broken prince in front of him.

“You really are an idiot.”

He looks away from him and sinks down with a scoff leaving the weeping prince on the floor.

Alone.

....................

#my writing #unsympathetic light sides #unsympathetic dark sides #unsympathetic virgil #unsympathetic deceit #unsympathetic logan #unsympathetic patton #unsympathetic remus #unsympathetic sides #tw perfectionism #perfectionism tw #tw cursing #cursing tw #tw arguing #arguing tw #tw self doubt #self doubt tw #tw slapping #slapping tw

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Psych: The Essential Episode Guide

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As a TV series, Psych is like one of those frozen yogurt chains where the wall is ringed with different flavors and you can keep pulling levers for whatever combination you want. There are the Shawn/Gus episodes, the “Shawn’s psychic lie is threatened” episodes, the increasingly genius and lovingly rendered (often ‘80s-tastic) tributes, and the ensemble classics where the whole cast is just a well-oiled machine after years of riffing off one another. You can have whatever flavor you want. And don’t even get me started on toppings (there’s gotta be pineapple, at the very least).

Over its eight-year run, Psych interrogated its own premise, built out its supporting cast, let its characters play their favorite movie characters, and adapted its own internal mythology into trilogies that would make any movie-buff weep with appreciation. Here is a baker’s dozen of the most giggle-worthy, self-referential, surprisingly dramatic episodes of Psych. (And with so many to choose from, your favorite flavor combinations might be different from mine—share your own best episodes in the comments!)

Season 2 Episode 1: “American Duos”

Once the show had had a season under its belt of the fake-psychic shtick, the writers and actors got to really start playing in the sandbox they’d created. The second-season premiere has it all: a pop culture riff on a certain popular reality show competition; Tim Curry and Gina Gershon going above and beyond in their parodies of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul; and Shawn and Gus giving a truly spectacular mashup performance as Curt Smith and Michael Jackson.

Season 2 Episode 3: “Psy vs. Psy”

I’m a sucker for the episodes where Shawn might have to come clean about his big fat lie. Season 2 poked at that possibility early on, with a counterfeit case that brings in government agent Lars Ewing (Lou Diamond Phillips) and female psychic Lindsay Leiken (Bianca Kajlich). Not only does Lars ruffle Lassiter’s feathers and get Jules hot and bothered, but Lindsay seems to be a lot more intuitive than Shawn—to the point where the SBPD may be looking to replace their consultant. Shawn has a knack for making things harder for himself, but the situations in which he has to actually fight his way out are always rewarding.

Season 2 Episode 13: “Lights, Camera… Homicidio”

The second season really cemented the series’ delight in its own ridiculousness—not just in the bizarre cases, but in how Shawn and Gus (and the rest of the SBPD) react to them. This week, it was an accidental murder via botched prop knife on the set of Explosión Gigantesca de Romance, Gus’ (and Henry’s) favorite telenovela, that really highlighted Psych’s embrace of the absurd. While doing his psychic thing, Shawn gets “discovered” enough to play the sexy delivery guy, who becomes a beloved character in his own right… only to learn for himself how badly the show’s fans blur the lines between characters and actors. Though not as outright meta as the tribute episodes, it still was wonderfully self-aware about the pitfalls of emotionally investing in fictional characters.

Season 4 Episode 5: “Shawn Gets the Yips”

This episode is a bit of a bait-and-switch in that Shawn having the yips (about baseball, not being a psychic) doesn’t really impact the plot, which starts with a shooting at a known cop bar and culminates in a commentary on the police force not properly punishing drug lords who sell opioids. The subplot about the drug lord supposedly targeting SBPD members is a bit of a red herring for the more nuanced twist about the cost of the opioid epidemic, but it contains one of my favorite moments, in which Shawn unintentionally gets a great workout because he believes that the message on his water bottle (your heart rate drops below 150, you die) is a threat. Just a solid mid-series episode.

Season 4 Episode 16: “Mr. Yin Presents…”

Just like with Bones, Psych really came into its own when it mixed the laughs with actual life-or-death stakes—and in both cases, that was thanks to a serial killer obsessed with our protagonist. Season 3 ended on “An Evening with Mr. Yang,” which introduced Ally Sheedy (one of many, many famous cameos) as the eponymous serial killer who kidnapped Shawn’s mother to get closer to him. But with her locked away and more artfully arranged kills discovered, the SBPD have to confront that Yang might have a Yin—which of course spawns a trilogy.

Movies

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Review

By Natalie Zutter

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Stars on Hitchcock Homages and Special Reunions

By Natalie Zutter

The Empire Strikes Back of the Yin/Yang saga is my personal favorite, though I highly recommend watching all three. The team’s introduction to Yang’s twisted mentor is through his love of Alfred Hitchcock movies: He casts each of them in an iconic role while leading them on a wild goose chase through Santa Barbara, ending at a movie set mashup and presenting Shawn with an impossible choice between saving girlfriend Abigail or Juliet. The latter has one of her most powerful moments, stoically accepting her death while suspended from a clock and later breaking down in Lassiter’s arms. Her PTSD remains through the Yin/Yang saga, another sign of the series’ maturity as it explores the ripple effect of its more dramatic plots.

Season 6 Episode 2: “Last Night Gus”

While Shawn and Gus are the series OTP, part of the show’s beauty has been in building up its other bromances. This spoof of The Hangover has Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and Woody waking up in the Psych offices with no memory of their antics the night before, but plenty of incriminating clues tying them to a dead body. Their attempt to solve the mystery of how they got so memory-obliteratingly drunk has them encountering a sweet gay bartender couple, a murdered donut mascot, and a hot girl who’s very into Last Night Gus… if only he knew what he did. In addition to riffing superbly on the movie, the episode is a fun commentary on our present selves solving the mysteries of our past personas.

Season 7 Episode 5: “100 Clues”

I managed to watch this without realizing what the Psych crew was going for, so the moment that Shawn and Gus pulled up in the Blueberry to a mansion in a rainy homage to Clue, I was squealing harder than Gus at the notion of a secret chocolate room. For the series’ 100th episode, they lovingly parodied the perfect locked-mansion murder mystery, with killer cameos from Lesley Warren, Christopher Lloyd, and Martin Mull (plus little nods to the Clue alums who couldn’t be there, like Eileen Brennan). From the Singing Telegram Girl to the secret passageways, only true fans could achieve this level of detail—a perfect landmark celebration.

Season 7 Episode 7: “Deez Nups”

The sign of a great ensemble series is that they can make the standard, super-tropey wedding episode feel fresh again. It helps that it’s Lassiter’s nuptials, and everyone wants to see the guy happy, which is what leads to Shawn, Gus, and Woody kidnapping the detective for a bachelor party, while Juliet and the Chief get roped into being Marlowe’s bachelorette buddies. The threat of a mob boss taking revenge on Lassie takes a backseat to such wedding fare as Vick getting weepy-drunk on shots and McNab popping up as a police stripper (I cackled at the payoff of his Chekhov’s tearaway pants). Just like with a real-life wedding, when you know the people involved, it feels special and unique. (There is also a gross, transphobic joke about a stripper, one of the aspects of Psych that did not age well.)

Season 7 Episode 8: “Right Turn or Left for Dead”

Tribute episodes are Psych’s bread and butter, but rarely do they advance the plot as effectively and emotionally as this riff on Sliding Doors. After Juliet finds out that Shawn has been lying about being a psychic, which makes her believe that everything about their relationship has been a lie, Shawn indulges in a fantasy in which he’s 1990s Gwyneth Paltrow (naturally) pondering the diverging paths of whether Jules does or doesn’t discover the truth.

The story immediately splits into two takes on the same case, but in one she’s a Jane Doe and in the other Shawn actually has a chance to save her… only to discover that her life path was already set in stone after an abusive childhood. Even with subtle moments of humor that highlight the parallel universes’ differences in solving cases, overall the episode is a study in how one choice has ramifications far beyond the initial action—a lesson Shawn needed to learn, in the penultimate season.

Season 7 Episode 11: “Office Space”

If the boys trying to cover their tracks in “Last Night Gus” was worth a few giggles, Gus and Shawn tampering with a murder scene and then trying to clean their hands of it in this episode is the kind of laughter that hurts. When Gus publicly confronts his abusive boss, only for the man to wind up offed and poor Guster very incriminated. The sequence in which they hysterically stumble their way through the crime scene is worth watching alone; but as evidence mounts and it looks like they could actually be caught in the crosshairs, the levels of ingenuity to which they’re pushed shows why this is the show’s best partnership.

Season 8 Episode 1: “Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels and Burton Guster’s Goblet of Fire”

This is the episode that got me back into the show after years of casual viewing: a mashup of Guy Ritchie and Harry Potter that manages to add a whole new layer to one of Psych’s best recurring characters, refined art thief Pierre Desperaux (Cary Elwes) while giving him a proper send-off.

Like the Yin/Yang trilogy, the entire Desperaux quartet is worth watching for the heists, the Indiana Jones lampooning, and especially for his continued double-crossing of his greatest fan Shawn. But this one takes the cake because it adds a new layer to the Desperaux mythology: He’s actually Royston Staley, an Interpol agent who went undercover as a gentleman thief. Or is he?? Plus, add in the runner about poor Gus in his Hogwarts robes just trying to make it to PotterCon, and you have a near-perfect episode.

Season 8 Episode 3: “Remake, A.K.A. Cloudy… WIth a Chance of Murder”

What better way to mark your final season than by remaking one of your season 1 episodes? What’s incredible about Psych is how many different ways it goes meta, but there was something especially entertaining about its remake of season 1, episode 12 “Cloudy… With a Chance of Murder.” With periodic reminders that this episode is set in 2006, it recasts almost all of the characters—a teacher accused of killing a local weatherman, the lawyer for the prosecution (Ralph Macchio)—and makes space for new jokes (about remakes and My Cousin Vinny) and new twists. All long-running series should get a chance to try and redo their early episodes after they’ve gelled their characters and dynamics.

Season 8 Episode 10: “The Break-Up”

After trying to make their long-distance relationship work, Shawn decides to move to San Francisco to be with Juliet, a far easier choice than actually breaking the news to Gus. Of course the Psych series finale would be about these two facing the end of their partnership. Specifically, Shawn’s inability to say goodbye, so instead he and Gus wind up investigating a case involving special guest star Billy Zane, careening around in their high-school drivers ed car, and competing with SBPD’s peppy new detective Betsy Brannigan (Mira Sorvino). When none of this helps Shawn come out with the truth, he does so through DVD—a whole batch of DVDs, tailored to each of his colleagues and dear friends. Because Shawn loves telling a story.

There’s no better end for Shawn and Gus than a bromantic one, complete with driving cross-state (albeit turning back 12 times), dramatic declaration of love (at a crime scene), and pledging their lives together before Shawn actually proposes to Juliet (as a formality). And it’s not just about them: The finale has sweet moments of closure for new junior detective McNab (aww) and especially Lassiter, who finally gets Shawn’s confession—then breaks the DVD. If the Psych movies had never happened, it would have been enough; but instead, it’s the sugary-sweet end of one chapter and the opening of another.

The post Psych: The Essential Episode Guide appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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carolinesiede · 4 years

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My 2019 Writing Roundup

Not to get too New Age-y, but 2019 felt like a very ~transformative~ year for me. I turned 30, got a literary agent, and became a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. After feeling like I’d hit a plateau in my late 20s, it was nice to experience a sense of forward momentum again, even if the lack of financial stability in this career is a constant background stress. Still, on the whole my sixth year as a full-time freelancer felt like a time where I kinda, sorta figured out what I’m doing. Instead of struggling in murky waters, I’m at least actively swimming in them.

I continued to write for The A.V. Club, The Spool, and Consequence of Sound, plus took on new outlets in The Verge and Polygon. I also had an article about romantic comedies published in Southwest Airline’s in-flight magazine and was asked to talk about Hallmark Channel Christmas rom-coms on Canadian radio. Speaking of rom-coms, 2019 was the second year (and first full-year) for When Romance Met Comedy, and I feel like the column really came into its own this year. It’s by far the biggest undertaking of my career (I’ve covered 47 films in total so far!), and I’m really excited to continue shaping its voice in 2020.

Beyond finding a regular fitness routine and seeing Cats onstage for the first time, the biggest personal project I undertook in 2019 was immersing myself in the world of film and film criticism—something I started in mid-2018 and really amped up this year. My goal was to watch 300 new-to-me movies this year, and I wound up watching 355! (Including 129 new releases.) Regular access to CFCA screenings and screeners allowed me to be a bigger part of the film critic conversation than I’ve been in the past, which was exciting. I also tackled a bunch of blindspots from the past decade and put together a list of my 50 favorite films of the 2010s, which you can see right here:

Over on the TV side of things, I bid farewell to the Netflix Defenders universe with binge-review coverage of the final seasons of The Punisher and Jessica Jones. Those Marvel binge-reviews were a big part of my early career, so seeing that universe come to a close was bittersweet. It’s always nerve-wracking when a semi-regular assignment ends, but I’m hopeful that new projects will pop up to take its place.

Putting together this year-end retrospective also made me realize I was on a lot of podcasts in 2019, including jumping in as a regular guest on the Cinematic Universe podcast in the latter half of the year. Podcasting is something I really enjoy (I find talking so much easier than writing!), and I’d love to do more of it in the future.

With that, I’ll leave you with wishes for a Happy New Year and a roundup of all the major writing I did in 2019. If you enjoyed my work this year, it would mean a lot if you would support me on either Kofi or PayPal. Or just share some of your favorite pieces with your friends!

My 15 favorite TV shows of 2019

My 15 favorite films of 2019

Op-eds and Features

“Rom-Com Revival” for Southwest The Magazine

Avengers: Endgame doesn’t earn its big “girl power” moment

An MCU breakup could be a terrific step forward for Spider-Man

“What is a weekend?”: A catch-up guide to Downton Abbey’s cast and characters

Nope, seeing Cats the musical will not help you understand Cats the movie

Let’s talk about the ending of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women

TV Coverage

Doctor Who’s 2019 New Year’s Special

The Punisher S2

Jessica Jones S3

The Crown S3

This Is Us S3 and S4

Supergirl S4 and S5

Rent: Live

Jane The Virgin fill-in

The Tony Awards

The Little Mermaid Live!

When Romance Met Comedy

27 Dresses doesn’t deserve your hate and neither does Katherine Heigl

Bride & Prejudice weaves an impressive cultural critique into a Bollywood-inspired Jane Austen update

How does the original What Women Want hold up two decades later?

In 1990, Pretty Woman changed romantic comedies forever

For one brief, wonderful moment, Eddie Murphy reinvented himself as a romantic-comedy star

20 years later, 10 Things I Hate About You remains a model for how to do the teen rom-com right

Lloyd Dobler is Cameron Crowe’s original manic pixie dream date

We're just not that into He’s Just Not That Into You

Romance is the weakest aspect of one of the most celebrated rom-coms of the ’90s

To All The Boys and Netflix reminded the world why it’s smitten with rom-coms

Imagine Me & You gives a lesbian love story the classic rom-com treatment

Queer resilience thrives in this rom-com about love in the time of the AIDS crisis

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is bubbly and smart, just like Marilyn Monroe

The Best Man capped off one decade of black rom-coms and inspired another

Nicolas Cage romanced Cher in one of the weirdest rom-coms ever made

After a decade of discourse, (500) Days Of Summer is basically the Fight Club of rom-coms

It’s No Strings Attached versus Friends With Benefits in a rom-com showdown

Adam Sandler’s sweetness makes The Wedding Singer a rom-com worth growing old with

The Philadelphia Story delivered one of the most star-studded love triangles ever

13 Going On 30 made Jennifer Garner a rom-com star—and gave tween girls a sleepover staple

Celebrate Halloween with Warm Bodies, the film that tried to make zom-rom-coms a thing

In the 2010s, rom-coms went indie and saved themselves in the process

Sandra Bullock became a rom-com star with a cozy love story about crushing loneliness

With just two storylines, The Holiday paid tribute to the entire rom-com genre

The A.V. Club

The maudlin Five Feet Apart anoints a new pair of winning young stars

After thinks it’s beautiful, that’s what makes it tiresome

Teen Spirit has plenty of it

Ramy is a Muslim millennial comedy with impressively big questions on its mind

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson’s new comedy The Hustle pulls an inelegant con

The Sun Is Also A Star turns a compelling premise into a lackluster teen romance

The Art Of Racing In The Rain is a doggone mess

You don’t need to love Springsteen to like the thoughtful crowd-pleaser Blinded By The Light

The well-meaning Brittany Runs A Marathon can’t quite go the distance

Renée Zellweger zings in a Judy Garland biopic that clangs

The Downton Abbey movie is as pleasant as a cozy cup of tea

Tall Girl’s familiar teen love story fails to reach new heights

The new Lady And The Tramp feels like a ’90s update of a ’50s classic

The Verge/Polygon

Tigers Are Not Afraid puts a Pan’s Labyrinth spin on a poignant Mexican drug war story

The gloriously surreal space epic Ad Astra is half a great movie

An AI affair fuels a midlife crisis in the eerie science fiction drama Auggie

The painfully generic new animated Addams Family deserves no snaps

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is boldly bonkers

Netflix’s apocalyptic teen comedy Daybreak is an exhausting sugar rush

The Current War is basically Amadeus for electricity

Is Playmobil: The Movie just a reskinned Lego Movie?

The Spool

The LEGO Movie 2: Everything is About Half as Awesome

Isn’t It Romantic: An Instant Postmodern Rom-Com Classic

The Aftermath: Sumptuous but Surface-Level Melodrama

Late Night: A Sparkling Comedy With a Lot On Its Mind

Plus One: An Indie Millennial When Harry Met Sally

The Farewell is A Poignantly Funny Goodbye

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A whimsical mid-life crisis

After the Wedding: A grown-up drama that doesn’t trust its own story

Falling Inn Love: Love, New Zealand Style

Paradise Hills: Harajuku Gossip Girls

Consequence of Sound

Brexit Takes An Engaging But Ultimately Shallow Look At the 2016 Vote

What Men Want Flips the Script and Finds Mixed Results

Dumbo Delights Without Ever Fully Taking Flight

Someone Great Continues Netflix’s Romantic Comedy Revival

Aladdin Has the Animated Classic’s Songs, But Less of Its Personality

MindMeet Interviews

Nadine Hack and Global Citizens Circle: Creating Connectedness

Podcast Appearances

Filmography: When Harry Met Sally

Filmography: Tim Burton’s mature films (Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, Big Eyes)

Debating Doctor Who MCU Edition: Avengers: Endgame

Cinematic Universe: Alita: Battle Angel

Hall of Faces: Friends

Cinematic Universe: Joker

Hall of Faces: The West Wing

CBC Radio: Hallmark Christmas movies

Cinematic Universe: The Wolverine

Cinematic Universe: Awards Special—The Cuppies 2019 (Part One)

And here are similar year-end wrap-ups I did in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.

#Best Of #Year End

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years

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Survey #243

honestly too lazy to think up random song lyrics here, so just have the survey.

What is the one thing you remember most about January of last year? Nothing. You look at the clock and it’s 11:11, do you wish? I never do, no. How do you think you will look 3 years from now? I pray the fuck to god I'm finally at a weight I want. And of course more tattoos and piercings. And colored hair. What would be number one on your bucket list? Meet, thank, and hug Mark profusely while ugly crying. How old do you think you’ll be when you make your will? I don't know. You get a text message. who do you hope it is? Sara. Are there any songs that you hear that just make you wanna dance? Not really, no. Do you get any of your songs from Limewire? lol how old is this... but no. I did when it was "the thing," though. You and your best friend get in a fight. Why do you think that is? I don't know. Probably said something that came across wrong over a text. What is your biggest annoyance at the time? Financial shit. You see the person you fell hardest for. What do you do? Apologize to him if he's even okay with me speaking a word to him and then letting him on his way because I don't want to make him think I'm still stuck on him. I'd wanna know how things are in his life, but I don't want him to get the wrong impression. It'd be better for both of us. Have/are you depressed? I mean I'm diagnosed with depression, but it's well-managed. At the moment I'm not *depressed*, no. Did you grow up in the United States? Yeah. Never left it, even. Do you call anybody "baby"? Besides my cat and snake, no. Who is the one person you can completely be yourself around? Sara. Are your pop-ups blocked on your computer? Yeah. Do you wear earrings on a normal basis? No. How old were you when you realized that life goes on? I don't know... This is such a vague question. But I guess probably when a childhood cat disappeared or died sometime in elementary school. Are your parent’s night owls or morning birds? Well, I don't live with Dad, but Mom is a night owl more than a morning bird for sure. She can be so grouchy in the morning. Do you like to sing? Eh. Who is your favorite author? *shrugs* I don't read enough. How many pillows are on your bed? Two. What’s your favorite thing about the holidays? Seeing my niece and nephew so excited. What is your favorite type of cake? Red velvet, baby. How many rings do you wear on a day-to-day basis? One. Have you ever been in a mental hospital as a patient? Multiple times. Probably WOULDN'T have been multiple if the psych hospitals here were worth a damn. Went to the same one like five-six times and one other and both sucked. It was a partial hospitalization program, WHICH ISN'T AS "SERIOUS" AS AN ACTUAL FUCKING PSYCH HOSPITALIZATION, that saved my ass. What’s your favorite brand of flavored water? None. Have you ever had an ulcer? No. Do you take birth control pills? Not anymore, no. I was only on them for serious period pain, but as of recently my psychiatrist wanted to test out how I do mood-wise without them, especially as it was a regular occurrence for me to be borderline or actually suicidal the day before my cycle started, and the whole week leading up to it was sketchy. So far, I've been fine - I think even better. I was on it for years, and I mean your body changes, so. Do you like soy sauce? Noooooo no no no. Do you have a good doctor? My psychiatrist is literally the reason I'm alive. That's no exaggeration. I would've killed myself by now if it wasn't for him setting my medicine right. I know I would've. My therapist is great, and my primary physician is fine. What’s your favorite store to browse around? Morph Market, ahaha. I love looking at all the reptile morphs, especially the ball pythons. Do you ever meditate on Scripture? No. Do you like poetry? Yes. Do you have expensive tastes? Nah. What is your favorite color? Pink, particularly lighter hues. Have you ever made a scrapbook? Yeah, for a little while when I was younger. What is a question you get asked too much? If my lip piercing hurt. It doesn't bother me, I'm just asked it most. Worst grade you’ve ever gotten? Zeros on things I didn't do/missed. Who are your 3 closest friends? Sara, Girt, and uh... Chelsea, I think. Maybe Lisa. What is something you have always wanted to do? Travel somewhere cool/really memorable. What are you listening to? A playthrough of The Last Guardian. God, I wanna play it so badly. Do you like the smell of cinnamon? It's one of my favorites, omg. Are you in a relationship? No. Do you like the band Hollywood Undead? Yeah. Do you like Taco Bell? Only the quesadillas, THE CINNABON DELIGHT THINGS, and fiesta potatoes. Who was the first person you spoke to today? My mom. Who was the last? I was just texting the woman who adopted Kaiju; she's catching me up on how she's doing, and apparently great! We're trying to plan a day for me to come see her. :> Have you told anyone you loved them today? Yeah. What song is stuck in your head right now? You mentioned HU, now "Bullet" is looping in my head lol. Does it snow where you live? Sometimes, but rarely a lot. What are you currently sitting/laying on? My bed. Have you ever dated a friend of one of your siblings? No. How old is your oldest living grandparent? 80-something. Do you wear contacts? No, I wear glasses, but I wish I could do contacts again considering I desperately want an undereye microdermal but it'd look stupid with glasses, so. Contacts just annoy me. Where are the last three places you went? Taco Bell, my doctor's appointment, and the gas station. Do you ever go hunting/fishing? I would never in my life hunt, and I don't even want to fish anymore. Both are cruel (hunting more than "cruel"...) imo. I'd only ever fish again if Dad asked me to go with him, because since I was a kid, that's always been our "thing," our bonding experience. I wouldn't be able to say no. Do you know anyone who is a nurse? A lot, actually. Would you prefer to own a lapdog or a bigger dog? Sigh. Didn't think I'd want a dog after Teddy, but as of very recently, I've found myself missing the companionship of one. I don't know if I'll end up with another, though, but if I do, I'd want a medium-sized one, like Teddy was. Are you more of a cat person? Yes. What is your worst subject? Math. Do you know anyone who plays guitar? Yeah. Do you play guitar? Not anymore. Have you had to have stitches at all in the last year? No. Have you ever stayed up all night and then gone to work in the morning? No. That sounds like hell. How many relationships have you been in so far this year? It's a week into January lmao. No. Do you prefer to be single or with someone? With someone. Though now that I am single, I kinda think that's for the better right now...? Eh idk. Do you have any tattoos? Yeah. Are you planning on getting any? Oh, plenty. My Mark tribute is getting tidied up by a great artist on the 4th next month and I CANNOT contain my excitement. Did you lose your virginity before you were sixteen? No. Have you ever dated someone who had a child? No, and I never would. What are the middle names of everyone in your family? Wow yeah, lemme share that on the Internet. Where did you go the last time you took a vacation? The beach. Would you ever consider adoption? I don't want kids so like, Who is someone you aspire to be like? Man, there's a lot of people who inspire me in different ways. I think the world knows I look up to the wisdom, determination, dedication, creativity, compassion, etc. etc. etc. of Mark, I adore the heart and empathy of Shane Dawson, Steve Irwin is my absolute idol in terms of passion for animals, and Jeffree Star's work ethic is like, unbelievable. There are plenty others, but those really stand out. How do you feel about your life right now? oof What is your favorite game show to watch? Family Feud with Steve Harvey. He is so fuckin funny. How good are you in trivia games? What’s your best category? Idk. I'm probably best with animal knowledge though, judging from games I've played along with. Would you much rather test your knowledge or share opinions? I guess it depends on the subject and with whom. How do you feel about word games? Fun. Who is your absolute favorite film director? TIM BURTON. THERE IS NO COMPETITION W/ HIM. When’s the last time had to cover a coworker’s shift? Never. Have you ever had a really unreliable coworker? I've never worked long enough to know. Have you ever had to have a ring resized? No. What is a question you would never ever ask somebody? "I would never ask someone what they weigh." <<< This. I'm not a doctor, so I don't see any situation where that'd be an appropriate question to ask anyone. What sounds like a rude word but really isn’t? I'm sure there's something, but idk rn. Have you ever made a blanket? If so, how did you make one? No. How many godparents do you have? Do they care about you? Zero, I think. What is something that should not exist? Rape. Is there a word you have an emotional connection to? It sounds weird I'm sure, but "petrichor" (the smell of the earth after it rains) makes me feel... weird. Nostalgic, anxious, melancholy. Shortly before becoming a couple, Jason and I were just outside at school while it was raining, and we wondered what that smell was called. When we went back to the computer lab (where we were after exams were done), we looked it up and found out "petrichor" was the term. I remember those days too clearly for them to have happened eight years ago. How about a sound? Any emotional connection to a sound? Ummm not that I can think of. Is there something coming up that you are dreading? Not really, no. Do you ever read graphic novels? No. What is the most ridiculous product you have ever seen? Oh idk. Are there any spiders in your home right now? I mean realistically, probably? None that I know of. What was the last thing that made you laugh hysterically? I can't remember exactly what it was, but something on YouTube. I think on Game Grumps. Are there any candy stores where you live? Not that I'm aware of. Do you own any fingerless gloves? Yeah, I still have them in my drawer, actually. I wore them every day in high school. Tell me about the last animal you touched. My cat Roman. :') Have you ever witnessed a birth? Only cats. Can you see your reflection from where you are sitting? No. Wait, yes I can, though only slightly. My snake's cage is just across the room, so I can see against the glass a bit. Quick! Sniff the air. What can you smell? Cat. .-. Have you ever been in a restroom that actually had a restroom attendant? No? What was the last photo you took of? A deer! There were like, seven or eight in the field just across the road a few evenings ago. My lens didn't go out as close as I'd want, but I took some as practice anyway. I only got a few shots though; I came out to the front porch, and after about a minute, they gradually went back into the woods. What do you look for in a mate? Physically and personality-wise. Am I the only one who hates when human couples are referred to as "mates"???? Idk man it shouldn't because we're just animals, but it's weird. ANYWAY, I don't have like, a concrete vision of a partner, but I do have some set-in-stone personality/moral alignments that are musts, such as just being a generally good person, empathetic, you must love animals or shoo, be in touch with their emotions, understanding, soft stuff like that. I also have a strong preference for having a good sense of humor, I lean more romantically towards outgoing people, you gotta be laid-back and approachable... that kind of stuff. Physically, I really, really don't care, but I think we all have preferences; ex., while it really doesn't matter to me ultimately, I tend to find longer hair on guys more attractive than short. Your thoughts on bacon? Ugh, I wish I didn't love it. I wanna be a vegetarian again so badly. What are your thoughts on little kids with cell phones? If they're of an age where they may be separated from their parents semi-regularly and without the constant presence of a guardian, I'm actually for them having *simple* cellphones. Emergencies exist, and even I, someone who doesn't even want kids, would be scared knowing my child is without an easy, quick method of contact with me. Now, remember I did say "simple" cellphones; I don't believe a little kid should grow up unhealthily attached to technology (like me lmao), so especially in developmental years, I wouldn't want my kid to be glued to their phone playing games or roaming the Internet too freely. What was the last lie you told? I'm not sure. Is there anyone in particular you always try to tune out? Ugh, yes. For political bullshit that I cannot stand hearing. Do you work out? No. What was the last thing you ate with a spoon? Uhhhh probably oatmeal. What is a food that you always are in the mood to eat? Ice cream lmao. Ever held a newborn animal? Yeah. Is there anything you’re in denial about? What? Maybe, idk. Have you ever been to a Chinatown? No. Do you prefer chunky or creamy peanut butter? CREAMY. Don't come near me with chunky pb. Do you stop to pick up heads-up pennies? No. Do you make a wish when you blow out your birthday candles? Yeah, even though I don't believe it does anything. It's just for the novelty of it. Do your pets have collars? Describe them: Bentley just has a blue, average collar. Roman doesn't because he absolutely hates them. What is the last thing you searched for online? Surveys. Do you use any scented lotions? What do they smell like? No. Do you have any friends that speak any languages you don’t understand? I mean yeah, Spanish is common in America.

#survey #quiz #questions #random #bored

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letterboxd · 6 years

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Horror.

Letterboxd presents our community’s 25 top rated horror films of all time.

With the release this month of the newest Halloween, and an embarrassment of riches in the form of thousands of new horror film reviews thanks to all the Hoop-tober / Shocktober / 31 Days of Horror challenges, we are feeling brave enough to open the crypt and pull out the Letterboxd community’s 25 Highest Rated Horror Films of All Time.

Don’t @ or stab us, these are computed from your ratings of all feature-length films tagged in our horror genre, as at 24 October 2018. It’s a wide-ranging list, with some perhaps surprising omissions—for example, the original Halloween, Night of the Living Dead and Evil Dead 2 all just missed the cut. See the full list or read on for data insights and member reviews of our highest rated horrors.

Strangling the numbers:

Though there is some genre crossover (into comedy with Young Frankenstein, mockumentary with What We Do in the Shadows and One Cut of the Dead, and zom-rom-com with Shaun of the Dead), these films are all categorized as horrors by us (and IMDb).

In the battle of great horror decades, the scary sixties wins with seven films, over five films from the slasher seventies and three from the evil eighties. Shout out to the terror twenties, with three films.

By country, USA has most films in the list, but Japan comes in strong second with four, Germany has three and France, Sweden and the UK are represented with two each. India, New Zealand and the Czech Republic also make the cut.

The most obscure film on the list (from a Western perspective) is Manichitrathazhu, from Kerala-born director Fazil, watched by just over 250 members.

All the directors are dudes. We can’t make any excuses for that, but we can point out that, behind-the-scenes and on-screen, women played important roles in these films. The Phantom Carriage, for example, is based on the novel by Sweden’s Selma Lagerlöf, who in 1909 was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. And what would Jaws be without the editing prowess of Verna Fields?

There are five films on the list from this century, some by directors of color, including Jordan Peele, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Roll on the 21st century of horror.

On that note: this top 25 is based on member ratings, but we also have a popularity index—based on the sheer amount of activity for each film regardless of rating—which produces quite a different list, heavily favoring the 21st century.

Letterboxd’s 25 Highest Rated Horror Films (as at October 2018):

1. Psycho (1960, USA) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

“Throughout his career, director Alfred Hitchcock has enriched the world of cinema with some truly groundbreaking thrillers and despite that, Psycho feels like something of a first from him. It’s his first stint with the genre of horror, it breaks through the barriers of censorship unlike any film before and over the years, it has played a major role in influencing not only films but pop-culture as well.” —CinemaClown

2. Alien (1979, USA) Directed by Ridley Scott

“When shit hits the fan it comes with the best first impression of any monster. PERIOD.” —TKettle

3. The Shining (1980, USA) Directed by Stanley Kubrick

“As soon as Jack Torrance is in frame, that uneasy feeling takes over. I feel as though I wish I could warn all of the other characters in the movie to walk on eggshells, don’t upset him! Maybe you shouldn’t talk to him right now! Can’t you see it! Just leave him alone! There has never been another character to give me such all-consuming anxiety.” —HollieHorror

4. The Thing (1982, USA) Directed by John Carpenter

“The man responsible for the movie’s stomach-churning physical effects deserves most of the credit for its appeal and success. Rob Bottin worked so hard he was hospitalized for exhaustion, pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer! And he was only 21 at the time! Pure underrated genius.” —Josh Stoddard

5. Rosemary’s Baby (1968, USA) Directed by Roman Polański

“I’m awestruck by how good this is. Every little detail from the very beginning means something and you really experience exactly what Rosemary experiences. Masterful spectatorship alignment.” —Sean Upton

6. Get Out (2017, USA) Directed by Jordan Peele

“When you prod underneath the surface here there’s so much just waiting to be unpacked. As a piece of writing it’s a masterclass in foreshadowing and subtext.” —Alex Secker

7. Jaws (1975, USA) Directed by Steven Spielberg

“Bruce, the mechanical shark, still works today. Even with all the VFX-heavy films that are commonplace now, the shark is [as] scary and compelling now as it was in 1975. The camerawork is masterful, and it feels like films now are still trying to catch up to what was happening behind the camera on this movie.” —EJ Moreno

8. 修羅 (Demons) (1971, Japan) Directed by Toshio Matsumoto

“Matsumoto è stato uno dei più grandi innovatori del cinema giapponese e fonte di ispirazione di grandi registi del cinema mondiale. Quest’opera non fa che confermarne l’importanza e la genialità.”

Translation: “Matsumoto was one of the greatest innovators of Japanese cinema and a source of inspiration for great world cinema directors. This work confirms his importance and genius.” —Tonino Mannella

9. Les Diaboliques (Diabolique) (1955, France) Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot

“It was extremely suspenseful and you can see how this film had such a huge impact on Hitchcock when he made Psycho… Five out of five overly dramatic heart attacks.” —Libby Ajayi

10. Possession (1981, Germany, France) Directed by Andrzej Żuławski

“Ana’s spectral screams as she flows and dances like a ghoul in the subway. All I could do was cry at it, with her, for her.” —Claire Diane

11. 怪談 (Kwaidan) (1964, Japan) Directed by Masaki Kobayashi

“Every frame of this movie is a piece of art… To ask for more would be greedy.” —Gabe

12. മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴ് (Manichitrathazhu) (1993, India) Directed by Fazil

“Perhaps the most popular film to come out of Kerala in this generation. The screenplay, the performance, and the plot are worth a study in [themselves]. Fantastic package of thrilling entertainment and storytelling.” —Vinay Warrier

13. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962, USA) Directed by Robert Aldrich

“Normally my heart really aches for ‘crazy’ characters who have been brutalized by the concept of womanhood but… it’s very hard for me to feel bad for Baby Jane.” —Caroline

14. The Innocents (1961, UK) Directed by Jack Clayton

“Exquisite and captivating… it’s the only movie I’ve watched this Hooptober that has genuinely scared me. Squirming, nail biting, chills down the back, all of it.” —Xebeche

15. Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) (2008, Sweden) Directed by Tomas Alfredson

“Deep down, it’s just a story about human misunderstanding, but it is gracefully put together to give you a thrilling ride that will make you root for an evil you’re not really sure is there. It makes you question your moral standards and puts you in a nice grey area.” —Charlie Bluu

16. カメラを止めるな！ (One Cut of the Dead) (2017, Japan) Directed by Shin'ichirô Ueda

“The film starts as a Z-list zombie movie and looks cheesy as hell, but when we discover we are watching more of a mockumentary of this film being made and the director on the verge of a breakdown, the fun really begins. The first 37 minutes are completely one cut… one cut, that actually blows my mind.” —Coles84

17. 鬼婆 (Onibaba) (1964, Japan) Directed by Kaneto Shindō

“In good ol’ black and white, Onibaba is a visually stunning erotic horror film painted in deep shadows and flesh… it’s less a ghost or monster tale and more of a morality play about the passions and desperation that arise in splintered, war-torn communities, and how no matter what we fear, we are ultimately our own demons. Creepy, sensual and effective.” —Doug Bellak

18. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) (1920, Germany) Directed by Robert Wiene

“From Murnau’s Nosferatu and the American noir of the 1940s, to contemporary horror films and every piece of work where Tim Burton asks Johnny Depp to dab black around the actor’s eyes, the influence of Wiene’s film can be felt… it is the stuff of nightmares that still has power nearly a century after it was made.” —Travis Lytle

19. Spalovač mrtvol (The Cremator) (1968, Czechia) Directed by Juraj Herz

“I find it hard to fathom a film as stylish and mesmerizing as this is, 45 years old! It was obviously way ahead of its time! The cinematography is as captivating as the film is deliciously macabre!” —Juli Norwood

20. The Exorcist (1973, USA) Directed by William Friedkin

“The Exorcist remains one of the greatest achievements of the horror genre. The things they were able to accomplish with sound mixing at the time have yet to be outdone. The makeup department deserves a heap of credit, and the effects still look great. Acting is something that typically gets sacrificed in most horror movies, but this is one exception where every actor delivers a quality performance.” —Sean

21. Körkarlen (The Phantom Carriage) (1921, Sweden) Directed by Victor Sjöström

“It was not for nothing that Selma Lagerlöf became the first woman to get the Nobel Prize. She’s a great storyteller, and there’s a melody in her writings that is hard to not get sucked into… Victor Sjöström has really understood the tone of the novel and the music that comes with it is in tune with the melody of Lagerlöf's writings.” —Terése Flynn

22. Faust – Eine deutsche Volkssage (Faust) (1926, Germany) Directed by F. W. Murnau

“I watch this, and cannot fathom how this one man could make the cinematic medium look so relentlessly groundbreaking in its mere infancy. It’s obscene that he died so young… in a sense, Faust’s quest for the ur-truth becomes Murnau’s own quest for his own epic cinema: one that maximizes the potential for awe at every turn, leaving behind mundane methods for totalizing ones.” —Darkness Lingers

23. Shaun of the Dead (2004, UK) Directed by Edgar Wright

“I understand tossing Batman when your other options are [Prince’s] two biggest contributions to the world of music, but it still saddens me that Shaun and Ed so carelessly tossed away a truly undervalued record. Perhaps, we all do crazy things when we’re trying to survive.” —Willow Maclay

24. Young Frankenstein (1974, USA) Directed by Mel Brooks

“When Mel hits, he hits big… [he] may not employ nuance often, but he’s got broad comedy and wordplay down pat, and some of his best examples of this are in Young Frankenstein.” —Joe Campbell

25. What We Do in the Shadows (2014, New Zealand) Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi

“An absolute must-watch for fans of horror comedy, horror, vampires, brilliant comedy in general, and great improvization. According to their IMDb trivia, Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and co. shot over 125 hours of improv for this film before finally whittling it down to 90 minutes of the best stuff.” —Voidember

Right. Now that that’s all done with, we are ready to go into town and party.

#highest rated #horror #horror films #25 highest rated horror films #psycho #alien #what we do in the shadows #alfred hitchcock #letterboxd #best of

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thenightling · 5 years

Text

How my obsessions work:

When I was a kid the school psychologist suggested that I was “obsessive impulsive.” Keep in mind this was some twenty five or so years ago, before the era of autism being understood, so I don’t know (and can’t claim to know) if I fit in the spectrum but I do tick a lot of the boxes.

Anyway, she had explained that it’s not the same as obsessive compulsive. What she meant was that I fixate on something, obsess about it and become impulsive in regard to that obsession. I’m not sure how right she was...

Also every psychologist I’ve spoken to since then has more or less claimed there’s no such thing and asked me repeatedly if I meant Obsessive Compulsive. So I guess she was trying to make something up to explain what today many people call hyper-fixations.

Here’s how I analyze myself...

When I was about four or five years old I morbidly imagined it was a dungeon in the form of a big donut. The cells were pointed inward and in each cell was a favorite fictional character like Zummi from Disney’s Adventures of The Gummi Bears or Egon Spangler from The Real Ghostbusters and so on. And every so often one of these characters would get free of his or her cell and run loose in my brain.

Today I imagine it more like a carousel (Merry-go-round). And each mount is an obsession. My obsessions alternate but the order is not always consistent so it may be hard to figure out the pattern if there is one.

The current mounts in the obsession Carousel include:

Dracula (various incarnations but not the NBC show. I hated that one. I didn’t really like Dracula 2000 either. But i do love most versions, particularly the the Frank Wildhorn Dracula musical, and Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula book series.) Frankenstein (Literary version of The Creature only). This is a very specific obsession as I do not like the simple minded version of The Creature in pop culture. Nor do I like the bald head or flat head also common in pop culture. Versions that fit my obsession are the Richard Campbell Frankenstein Metal Opera, Frankenstein a New Musical (2010 off-Broadway cast recording), the version from the 2004 Hallmark mini-series starring Luke Goss, the version from Penny Dreadful, the comic book series Frankenstein: Alive, Alive, and, of course, the novel itself. Goethe’s Faust (Parts 1 and 2). Adaptations include The A. S. Kline translation of the original German to English, the Harry Clarke illustrations, the silent film adaptation by F. W. Murnau, and the Kamelot power metal albums Epica and The Black Halo. Even the version retold in the kids’ show Wishbone. My preference is for adaptations that try to tackle both parts. Too many people only know part 1 if they know the story at all.

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. A new obsession to the carousel but it has the potential to linger here for decades like the ones I listed above. Pretty much only the content written by Neil Gaiman himself and a few well made fan films like 24 Hour diner, The Motion comic of Sound of Her wings, and the fan film of Fear of Falling. Loki from Norse Mythology Puck AKA Robin Goodfellow from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the version from Disney’s Gargoyles.

Minor obsessions that come and go sporadically include: Fright Night (specifically the character Peter Vincent), and by extension from that: Doctor Abraham Van Helsing (of the original Dracula novel, older movies and particularly the Hammer Dracula films). I always loved brain vs. Brawn, and the cunning, kind, older man vs. the powerful and predatory immortal.

Dark Shadows (Original TV series) Beauty and the Beast (various adaptations) Guillermo Del Toro movies

Tim Burton films (Mostly until around Frankenweenie...) Roger Corman / Vincent Price movies Various comic books.

Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes Disney’s Gargoyles

Overlapping themes to my obsessions include The Supernatural (Not the TV series, mind you): Magick, the arcane / occult, folklore, Gothic Horror, The Victorian era, and humanoid monsters such as vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, ect.

Anyway, that’s how my brain works. Most of my obsessions are old ones that just occasionally circle back to the front of my mind. Faust is one of these and he’s currently hogging the spotlight. I don’t know how long he’ll be there but rest assured, the old ones are still there as well.

#Faust #Frankenstein #Dracula #The Sandman

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headoverhiddles · 6 years

Text

Attention [Bill Skarsgård x Reader Smut]

This is based on that Charlie Puth song, Attention. Reader and Bill have been separated for a few months, and the reader knows exactly what to do to get him right back in her arms. Also, Luke Evans cameo!

Warnings: Cheating, sorry if your name is Nicolette, rough/angry sex, semi-public sex/fingering, jealous/possessive!Bill, and steamy public teasing. Also the reader is pretty savage lmao.

The straps on your dress glide up your shoulders, slotting over your collarbone. This outfit you've got on is sure to attract the stares every man at the party you're headed to... but you're only looking to target one. He'll be there, you're sure of it. Whichever woman he's decided to bring this time to insist to the press, "see, I have a girlfriend, now will you leave my private life alone?!" won't stand a chance against you.

Stepping into your heels, you text your friend that you're ready to go, and head out to your car, parked underneath the palm trees of smoggy LA. It's evening by the time you swing by your friend's place, the lights of the city glowing and making it almost what it's made out to be by hopefuls: the land where dreams true. You much prefer New York City, but work is where work is, so Hollywood is a necessary evil. You remember when you and Bill used to joke about it in bed.

"Why can't we just move to New York?"

"Stockholm is nicer."

"Not nicer than New York!"

"Everything is nicer than New York," Bill smirked.

"What would we do in Stockholm?" you had asked playfully, rolling over onto his naked chest so that your breasts were pushed up against his pectorals. He bit his lip with a mischievous grin, bouncing you on his lap slightly.

"Fuck."

"Every day," you growled in his ear, nipping at his ear lobe.

"Every night." He squeezed your ass, causing you to squeal.

"Mmm, but other than that?" you rolled back over to lay beside him on the pillow.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "See my parents every once and a while. Invite your parents out. Find a nice hot spring- we have a lot of those there, you know- and uh... get naked?"

"Everything leads back to getting naked, doesn't it?" you stuck your tongue out.

"When you drive me this crazy?" he groaned, tilting your chin up to meet his gaze, "Yeah."

You cluck your tongue as your gaze shifts to the exit off the freeway. You knew how crazy he was for you... and tonight, you were going to exploit the hell out of that.

"What're you thinking about?" your friend asks you, turning down the music a little.

"How accessible my panties are in this dress," you reply, turning onto a street.

Your friend laughs. "Are you sure Bill's worth the money you spent on those? He's a huge jerk, remember?"

"The look on his face'll sure be worth it," you explain, pulling over the car. You give the keys to the parking employee, who works for whichever studio is throwing this party, and you walk in together.

"(y/n)!" someone shouts, and you turn to see someone you've grown close to. It's Barbara Muschietti, sister of Bill's director on It. You two had met a while ago during the filming of that, when Bill had taken you one day to set.

"Hey," you grin, "You look nice tonight."

"Thanks, love. Look at you! Who are you trying to rope in tonight with this outfit?"

"Oh, you know," you smile, "Someone who'll probably make it extremely challenging for me."

"But who doesn't love a good challenge when it comes to men?" she grins, and clinked her glass against yours. Her brother approaches.

"Ah, (y/n)! How are things going?" he asks, and you nod.

"Good, Andy."

"You, uh... you know Bill's here, right?" He knows about your bad breakup, as it had happened during the press tour for It, which is why Bill was absent for most of it.

"Oh?" you feign, looking around, "Is he?"

"Yes, I just saw him over by the washrooms. We were chatting about his new project, Castle Rock..."

The rest is drowned out as you think about that project, and how you two had discussed it in a much different context.

"I've got a big surprise," he grinned, pulling away from your lips for a second.

"Yeah?" you grinned back, holding his hands above his head as he ground up against you.

"Yeah. A new project I'm tied to."

"Aaand what is it?" you breathed against his lips, and he was momentarily distracted, dragging you in for another kiss until you pulled away again. "Well?"

He groaned, sitting himself up on his elbows. "It's called Castle Rock. Stephen wanted me for it, cause everyone's big on Pennywise right now."

"Shit," you grinned, "Another Stephen King? You're becoming the Johnny Depp to his Tim Burton."

He laughed. "You know, everyone's making that joke. Anyway, I guess so. I don't mind though. His stuff is pretty fun to do."

"Well, who are you gonna play this time?" you ask playfully, mouthing kisses along his neck. He swallowed, Adam's Apple bobbing.

"Can't tell. C-confidential."

You bit lightly in the junction of his neck, feeling his hips roll up against you wantonly.

"Mmmph, Shawshank prisoner," he breathed, mouth opening in a gasp. "Fuck."

You giggled. "You're hot when you're powerless." He glared up at you, then used his leg to kick you beneath him, rolling on top.

"Not for long, sweet thing."

You phase back into the conversation with Andy, and nod along with whatever he's just finished saying about Castle Rock.

"Oh yeah?" you pretend to seem enlightened, "I had no idea Bill was attached to another Stephen King project!"

"Yeah. He's becoming the Johnny Depp to Stephen's Tim Burton!"

You seal your lips in a tight smile, and excuse yourself to get a drink, saying goodbye to them. Your friend is waiting at one of the tables, hyperventilating.

"What is it?" you ask.

"I just flirted with Ellen Page," she cries, fanning herself, and you laugh.

"Looks like both of us are in for some fun tonight."

Just then, you spot him. It's impossible to mistake his tall, lanky frame in that bespoke suit-- and fuck... he's wearing the pink tie you got for him for your first premiere together. Asshole. Shaking your head, you quirk an eyebrow at your friend, taking a sip of champagne and cocking your head. She frowns and follows your gaze, then her eyes widen.

"Now?" she murmurs.

"Gradually," you smile, and brush past her to approach your prey. "Bill?" you say, smiling, "God wow! Fancy seeing you here."

He turns, and you can tell you've caught him off guard. He recovers well.

"Oh, (y/n). Huh, didn't expect to see you at a party like this," he chuckles, not meeting your gaze, and you clench your jaw.

"Likewise," you grit out, and he clears his throat, looking over at his date.

"Uh, Nicolette... this is (y/n)."

"Nicolette," you say the name slowly, and give her a sweet smile. "Pleasure."

Bill frowns, and coughs again.

"Right, um..." his eyes fight to tear off of your chest, and you know you're already well on your way to stealing his attention for good, "W-we should be going." The dress is karma, and you know your perfume is affecting him too. He’s intoxicated by it, thinking back to when you were his, only his.

"Home already?" you ask innocently.

"No," Bill growls, and you smirk to yourself as your tall ex-boyfriend whisks "Nicolette" away through the crowd.

Fine. You can work from far away.

You go over to the dancing area and find the first body in your way, who happens to be Luke Evans, an old friend of yours. You knew each other from an MTV awards back when you were first starting out as an actress- you had forgotten your presenting notes, and he had stepped in. You tap his shoulder.

"(y/n)!" he grins, "My god, it's been too long!"

"It has," you say, hugging him, "I've missed you."

"Same here. Jon and I saw your latest film, it was quite something."

"Where is Jon?" you smile, and Luke jerks his head back, motioning for his boyfriend.

"Somewhere around. I think he's going around telling everybody he's just met Madonna a week ago. He got to be in her music video- never gonna hear the end of that one, let me tell you."

You giggle, then see Bill looking over at you from the opposite side of the room, trying to pretend he's scanning the room instead of watching you.

"Big favour," you murmur, looking up at the Welshman, "I need you to look absolutely enthralled with me."

"Ahhh, you need the treatment to make someone jealous, eh?" he grins, "Okay, won't ask. This'll be fun." He rubs his hands together, then grabs your shoulders, pulling you in and rocking his body against yours. He then kisses you hard, hands settled comfortably on your hips. You make sure to turn so that Bill gets a full view of the feel copping.

"Fuck," you breathe, pulling away, "Jon's a lucky man." It's not Bill, but it's good, nonetheless.

"So he's told me," Luke smirks. Suddenly, you turn to come face to face with your ex. He looks down at you, almost incredulously.

"Luke Evans?"

Luke makes his exit with a pointed stare, and you turn fully to Bill.

"What about him?"

"Thought he was gay."

You shrug. "Doesn't matter that he's gay."

"Really? Your best friend is gay, would you make out with her?"

"Oh, don't you wish." You hate how entitled he sounds, even though this was your goal anyway.

"Wait Bill, how do you know all that about her friend?" Nicolette asks apprehensively, and Bill grinds his teeth, patience sufficiently tested.

"(y/n) and I used to know each other."

"Oh yeah," you add, placing a hand on Bill's shoulder and letting your breasts pop a little more, "Right before he decided to go and ruin everything."

Bill lets out that frustrated, almost petulant sigh he always did, and let go of Nicolette's arm.

"I'm gonna go out for a smoke, I'll be right back babe," he says to her, kissing her cheek, and walks toward the door. He turns back, shooting you a look that says, "follow me or else." You do, snapping your straps once more.

As soon as you've left the pad, the door is slammed. Bill's fist is pounding against the wall, but you get the first word in.

"The tie I bought you for the Atomic Blonde premiere? Seriously Bill?"

He whips around, opening his arms. "What, should I have just burned everything you gave me?"

"No, but you don't have to wear it with another girl. Real classy."

"I'm not the one with her breasts in my face," he snaps back, eyes venomous.

"Still. You could've picked one that didn't bring back our memories." You think back to when you had given him the tie.

"For you," you smiled. His eyes lit up, and he took the pink tie, wrapping it around his neck.

"It'll look amazing with my suit," he said, kissing your cheek.

"That's what I thought when I picked it out," you replied, tying it and patting his chest gently. "It's gonna make your green eyes pop."

"Just like your necklace is," he said, feeling the small gems in your chain. You nuzzled your head against his chest, and he sighed, stroking your hair. "How long do we have before we go for hair and makeup?"

"An hour or so. That's when the car is coming," you said, then giggled. "Why? Wanna get up to something?"

"For once, fuck no. I just wanna take a nap," he chuckled, and pulled you down on the bed with him. You hummed.

"I hear that. We've been working on this damn movie for so long I've forgotten what sleep is."

"And we weren't even top billed cast."

"I think we got even less sleep than the guy doing the latte runs for Charlize," you laughed. Bill snorted.

"That's really fucking saying something."

"Poor guy looked like a zombie," you laughed. "To be fair though, she was very nice about it."

"I should hope so, dude nearly got hit by a bus coming back over from Starbucks."

You two looked at each other, and you really shouldn't laugh at that, but you did, until you were in stitches, limbs criss-crossed over each other's on the bed.

"We're gonna look like that guy at the premiere if we take a nap, you know," you sighed, "You always look like a firecracker went off in your face when you wake up."

"What?!" he laughed.

"Trust me, it's not good."

"Mmm," Bill mumbled, and grabbed blindly for the remote. "Netflix it is, then." You turned to the screen and peeked over his arm, frowning.

"What the hell? It's not gonna be Christmas for like another eight months, Bill," you said as Home Alone starts playing.

"Fuck it," he muttered, tossing the remote away, and you smile, settling down on him. He planted a kiss on your forehead, and you looked up, prompting him to kiss your lips. You deepened the kiss, scooting up closer so that you're slotted together, holding each other, as you clutched the new pink tie your bought him in your fist.

Your memory fades out on Bill's angry expression, nose all crinkled.

"Is it the thought of me with someone else so god damn terrible that you have to ruin that too?!" he shouts at you.

"I wasn't ruining anything, I was just telling her the truth," you reply, closing your eyes bitterly.

"Right, yeah. Like the truth you told the press, that I cheated on you with a casting director so I could get Hemlock Grove?! You thought I’d just call you up once I heard that, right? Were you trying to provoke me?"

You pause, inhaling sharply. "I was pissed, you were an asshole," you shoot back.

"So you wreck my public image?!"

"That's..." you sigh, feeling a stab of regret. That was one thing you wished you hadn't done. "...Not what I was trying to do. I talked before thinking. Besides, your image was doing just fine, Bill."

"No thanks to you."

"You're the one who left me!" you finally shout, getting close to his face.

"(y/n), I was ready to marry you!" he shouts, and you blink at him. "Shit." He takes a step back, puts a cigarette in his mouth, then puts it away again after realizing his lighter is out of fluid. "Yeah, okay? I had a fucking ring and everything. It was pretty, too... fuck..."

"You were gonna propose?" Your thoughts are swirling, thrown off the night's meticulously laid out plan, "Then... why did you leave, you dipshit?!"

"Because I thought I was in over my head!!" he shouts, "I hate rejection, you know that, and I was so scared you were gonna say no."

"Why in hell would you think I'd say no, Bill?" you murmur, "I lo-" You stop yourself, and shake your head.

"Because the thought of hearing you say no kept sticking in my mind. I couldn't go through with it." He runs a hand though his hair, swears again, then turns back. "Anyway, we're over now. You think you can just run around to every party in LA until you find me, prance around in that little dress and watch me go nuts over you all over again?"

You shrug at him, watching his gaze for a few seconds. His chest is heaving. His blood is up, and he looks predatory, like he wants to grab you and take you as roughly as he possibly can without breaking you. Now that the two of you were right here, standing face to face, you already knew that you had won.

"That's exactly what I think."

He stares at you, licks his lips, and exhales sharply. "You're right," he mutters, and grabs your hair, pushing you back against the wall and shoving his lips into yours. You moan a little, and he slides a hand up your leg, lifting your dress.

"I'm all for freaky shit," you whisper, "But if we're gonna avoid a pretty racy headline here, we'd better do this in the bathroom."

He pulls away, looking absolutely feral, and picks you up, carrying you down the hall until you find a washroom. Grabbing the end stall, he locks it, then loses it again, mouthing up your neck.

"I fucking knew I'd have you desperate for it," you whisper, "Ahh..."

"Yeah, well I've been wanting to fuck you again since the day I left," he tells you, lifting you up again, "Your lips... your hands... god, your pussy is fucking magic." You wrap your legs behind him, and watch as he unbuckles his belt with one hand, the other one supporting you with ease. "God, I wanna get my fingers in there..."

You breathe in, biting your lip as he shoves your panties aside, burying three fingers deep inside of you because he knows you can take it like that. He continues to finger you until he lifts you up further, moving your dress up to just under your breasts and reaches into his pocket. He digs around and pulls out a condom, rolling it on. In a swift push, he buries himself inside of you, and you moan his name, hooking your legs behind him as he begins to fuck you against the wall.

The thrusts are just as rough as you had expected, Bill taking out all of his anger from the past few months. "Don't stop," you breathe, and he shakes his head, grabbing a fistful of your hair to tug. So... he still remembers you love that. Well, you remember what he likes too.

Leaning down and out of the sloppy kiss, you sink your teeth into his shoulder, and he groans, thrusts increasing in pace and force as you pull away to admire the bruised skin.

"You're hot," you smile playfully.

"Yeah... ditto," he mutters, belt jangling every time he thrusts into you. You clench around his cock, and grab his ass, sending you both into a better position.

"Fuck me harder, Bill," you whine, "You're gonna make me cum..." He slams his palm against the wall for leverage, pounding into you.

"Shhhh, we're at a party full of really important people. Someone could leak this shit."

"Let them," you grin, and he gives you a look, before you bite his bottom lip, sucking it into your mouth. You rock your hips down onto him, meeting his thrusts, and he gasps, throwing his head back. "Fuck, love fucking your pussy... yeah, that's damn good..."

You cry out his name, and grind down hard as you cum. "OhhhgodBill-"

"Ahh, (y/n)," he cries, and pounds you both through your climaxes against the wall, the loud jangle of his belt getting quieter as he slows to a stop.

"Fuck," he mutters, letting you slide back down. You fix your panties and your dress, and Bill cleans himself up, depositing the condom.

"See you inside," you say, and smirk at him. He swallows, and runs a hand through his hair.

"I've got a girlfriend."

"Yeah, I know," you say, "I met her." You saunter past him.

Back inside, you see Bill rejoin Nicolette, rubbing his swollen bottom lip and looking around. He tries to smile at her, and kisses her cheek. His eyes meet yours, and you look at him-- if he looks that guilty all night, she's gonna find out. You shake your head. He always was a shit liar. You turn to glance around-- your friend is on the other side of the room, making out with... geez, she wasn't lying about Ellen Page?

Suddenly, your phone goes off, and you put it to your ear.

"Hello?"

"(y/n)!" It's your manager, Joe.

"Joe, hi," you smile, going to the corner to finish catching your breath.

"I just got a call. They want you for a new TV show."

"Uh huh?" you murmur absently, "Which one?"

"Castle Rock."

You begin to smile, and you turn to look at Bill one more time from across the floor. "Well," you say into the phone, "Won't that be a good time?"

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izurukuras-blog · 7 years

Note

ndrv3 boys with their S/O on Halloween?

this was really fun to write!! i hope you enjoy! :D HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS! *in the beat of the cha-cha slide* it’s time to get spooky

Shuichi Saihara

doesn’t really want to go out

would much rather just stay in and do whatever

that’s how you ended up watching movies

you didn’t wanna pressure him if he wasn’t going to enjoy it anyway

you popped some popcorn and grabbed the bowl of candy you were going to pass out

sleepy hollow ended up being a movie of choice

nothin like a good ol tim burton film

you just kinda sit in each other’s company

you end up asleep on his shoulder with 20 minutes left in the movie

does he wake you? does he turn it off?

he ends up finishing the movie himself before waking you up gently and suggesting you two move from the couch

Kiibo

doesn’t dress up

i mean does he really need to?

you’re out trick or treating, it’s a fun time

until someone compliments his costume

stress

“W-what do you mean, costume?”

the person just kinda stares and blinks

you take his hand and guide him off the porch

“Was that person being robophobic?!”

he’s a bit upset now

you have to explain to him that they meant no harm, it was a compliment if anything

he’s unsure but takes your word for it

you head home after that

Kaito Momota

oh god, help him

you probably stay in passing out candy

you will not be able to drag him to Halloween attractions under any circumstances

he doesn’t care if it’s fake, he’s terrified

of course he won’t outright say that, he’ll make up an excuse

but you know

you still dress up though!!

Starlord and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy? Yes please.

he has a lot of fun with it, gets really in character when kids come to the door

you can’t help but smile

you may just be able to get him to watch a scary movie or two later on in the evening

he just has no excuse not to

but he gets to hold you so, hey, a win for him

you end up holding each other, you’re both scared shitless

Rantaro Amami

you’d been the one to suggest going to a haunted hotel attraction

but he was totally down

and you couldn’t tell but also totally excited

you held his hand and stayed really close to him

he Protec

he was doing pretty well, he’d jump at a few things

he’s the kind of guy to start conversations with the actors

“Oh, hey, how’s it going?” “Nice weather, huh?”

gives a few “Man, do you want a mint?”

even if you run ahead because something scared you from behind, he keeps his pace

he laughs as they chase after you that is why you don’t run folks

he does catch up and “saves you”

you near the end and you smell the gasoline, putting two and two together

but he doesn’t

you enter a room with stobe lights and fake meat hanging from the ceiling

then, you hear it, the revving of a chainsaw

suddenly, Rantaro is out of there

he actually books it, they chase him, it’s your turn to laugh

Kokichi Ouma

oh you know y’all are going trick or treating

pulling some pranks later on in the night too

but are you surprised? not in the slightest

gets mistaken for a little kid, but that has its benefits

basically he goes up with a large group of younger kids first and then again with you

he’s pleased with the biggest smile on his face

it’s actually really pure he’d have so much fun

and then, the pranks begin

“Do we really have to?”

“Nishishishi~ Well of course, S/O, what’s the point of trick or treating without any tricks?”

he has a point

don’t worry, they’re harmless and nonviolent pranks

still he picked another neighborhood so you wouldn’t have angry neighbors

harmless or not, toilet paper is a pain in the ass to clean up

you’re on the third house when suddenly their lights turn on

you drop everything, minus the candy obviously, and BOLT

Korekiyo Shinguji

he wants to go to a haunted house

no, not an attraction, an actual haunted house

you convince him that an attraction will suffice

he reluctantly agrees

is convinced it won’t be as enjoyable

surprisingly calm when people are jumping out at you?? he even laughs???

he likes you jumping and clinging onto him the entire time though, he finds it utterly adorable

afterwards when you ask him how he wasn’t scared whatsoever he just says “Oh, S/O, real encounters are much more eccentric than that.”

that explains it

he didn’t expect to enjoy it so much, but he surprisingly did??

probably because you were so close to him the entire time

now every year he sets to find the scariest attractions possible, it’s the closest he can get to the real thing with you

he’ll still try to get you to participate in some sort of ritual though

Gonta Gokuhara

“Haa-low-eeeen?”

after you explained, he was excited and all for it

he loved the idea of dressing up

you help him figure out a costume

“What is the best costume for gentleman?”

LIGHTBULB!

a knight and you’re a princess/prince

he’s really excited now

chivalry is not dead my friends

he gets really into the character of a knight

it gets you both extra candy from some people because he’s acting so cute towards you

he has a really memorable experience!!

looks forward to it every year after

Ryoma Hoshi

you two just stay in watching films

it’s a very chill, laidback night for the two of you

the house was decorated solely by your request

not very jumpy so jumpscares don’t get him

he’ll gladly hold you if they get you though

you make a point to try and scare him yourself

spoiler: it doesn’t work

he just glances at you, blinks, looks back to the tv

you tried, A+ for effort

enjoys the time spent with you

you bring him joy

#mod ibuki #danganronpa #danganronpa imagine #danganronpa imagines #ndrv3 imagines #danganronpa scenarios #ndrv3 #shuichi saihara #kiibo #kaito momota #rantaro amami #ouma kokichi #korekiyo shinguuji #gonta gokuhara #ryoma hoshi

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onecentsgamedev · 6 years

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Don’t Starve Game Review

Don't Starve, published by Klei Entertainment, is an open world, survival game that came out on steam in 2013. In this review, I'm only going to talk about the base game, without any of the DLC. However, I’d still recommend getting the DLC if you like a lot of the challenge in the game. Don't Starve is quirky game with a Tim Burton-esque art style that appeals to people who enjoy exploration, crafting and building, and a bit of challenge in their games.

The game starts players off in sandbox mode, and the only way to progress to adventure mode is by activating Maxwell's Door in sandbox mode. This is a really nice mechanic, because it gives the player time to learn how the game works and come up with different strategies for survival before they move on to the more difficult part of the game. In sandbox mode, the player starts with nothing and has to use what they can find to survive as long as they can. In order to survive, the player must maintain their Health, Hunger, and Sanity. This means the player has to make sure they have a consistent collection of food, ways to recover their Sanity after being out in the dark or rain, and ways to heal themselves after taking damage from Mobs and other causes. On top of that there are changing seasons that affect what food sources are available, what the player needs to be wearing, and how long the day lasts in the game. This creates a difficult environment that prompts the player to go through a series of trial and error to truly understand the game. Once the player finds and activates Maxwell's Door, they have to worry about all this and more in adventure mode. The player starts adventure mode with the Divining Rod, an item that helps them locate the four objects they need to collect to proceed to the next chapter. Each chapter in adventure mode has a different catch to it on top of the regular conditions the player has to survive in. Some examples are quicker seasons with constant rain and snow, endless winter, separated islands that cost the player's sanity to travel between them, and more. These added challenges really amp up the difficulty, even for players who’re used to the game.

One of the things that stands out the most of this game is the style and aesthetics. The game has an art style that resembles Tim Burton films, and also has the look of cardboard cutout in a 3D environment. It makes the world of the game appear as a Gothic style pop-up book or set pieces on a stage, which compliments the lore of the game. Even the sound design is super stylistic too. The game has both ragtime style and dark cabaret style music, really highlighting the aesthetic of the game. Aside from the background music, each character's voice is comprised of different musical instruments. Wilson speaks with harmonica muted trumpet, Willow with flute, Wolfgang with tuba, and so on. When put together, all of these sound choices really complement this game's unique style and is one of the reasons I adore this game. Character design is another thing this game did fairly well. One interesting detail in this game is that all of the characters names start with a “W”, aside from the main antagonist, Maxwell. Each character has their own theme and different pros and cons about them which makes trying each of them out a fun experience. The pros and cons for each character are balanced pretty well, such as WX-78, a robot who can eat spoiled food and upgrade himself with gears, but takes damage in the rain and loses a lot of sanity when struck by lightning. Another example is Willow, who starts with a lighter that never runs out, but she also lights fire under her feet when nervous which can start a forest fire or burn down the player’s property.

Overall, Don’t Starve is a game I would highly recommend that offers a fun survival experience in a stylistic world. The sandbox mode of game play allows players to learn through trial and error without needing a tutorial, and adventure mode is where the real challenge is posed. Lastly, both the great art style and music helps to keep the player immersed in it for hours.

#game review #dont starve #don't starve #klei entertainment #game design

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victorluvsalice · 6 years

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Happy Birthday, Poesdaughter

@poesdaughter, I know that greeting doesn’t really make sense this year -- my condolences. I hope this does bring you at least a little happiness. It’s a crossover between your favorite Tim Burton property and mine -- or, at least, the beginning of one, since I’ve never seen Beetlejuice in full. ^^; We start off in one of those timelines where Victoria got to the church just that bit too late. . .

"Victor?"

Victor looked up. Emily was standing over him, twisting a bit of her dress between her hands. "Any luck?" he asked, although her sad expression was really answer enough.

She shook her head anyway. "The Elder doesn't think there's anything we can do," she said, slumping next to him on the coffin. "The dead are forbidden to interfere too much with the living. Even if we do go Upstairs again, we almost certainly couldn't get Victoria away from Barkis." She put her hand on his wrist. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Victor said, sandwiching it with his own blue-toned fingers. "None of it. I'm the one who thought she threw me over. I should have asked more questions, been more t-trusting--"

"You met yesterday afternoon," Emily interrupted, voice gentle. "You told me so. Even I wouldn't have agreed to run away with 'Eddie--'" She spat the name out "--after three hours. And you certainly couldn't known who 'Lord' Barkis really was. I'm the one who dragged you down here -- made it so her parents started looking for another groom."

"And I'm the one who didn't tell you right away I was already engaged," Victor responded. "Perhaps we should just agree to take the blame equally." He stared at the earthen sky above. "I thought -- I figured this would be a happy ending," he murmured. "That's why I wanted to have such a grand procession Upstairs. So you could get the wedding you always wanted. That we could start our afterlife together off right."

Emily's hand slid out of his. "We don't have to stay together," she whispered. "I understand if you -- our vows never really were completed, what with -- everything. I won't force you."

"Oh, no!" Victor jerked his head back down, taking her hand again. "Emily, that's -- that's not w-what I meant. I want to spend my afterlife with you. I wouldn't have a-agreed to the poison if I didn't. It's just. . .it was s-supposed to be with Victoria also happily married up Above. I could rest easy if I knew both of you were content."

Emily nodded. "I didn't want her married to my killer either. When I saw her in the church, so pale and worn. . .and then Barkis coming in on her heels, saying she was his wife and he wouldn't leave empty-handed. . ." She sighed, the breath hissing out through the hole in her ribs. "If she'd come a little earlier, if I'd seen her before you'd. . .I could have stopped this just in time. . ."

"There's nothing we can do about that now," Victor said, shaking his head. "I made my choice. I can live with it -- er, m-metaphorically." Emily let out a sad giggle. "I like Downstairs. I like you. I just -- I need to know she's safe. I need her to live -- not be another you."

"Me too," Emily replied, tears in her eyes. "But I don't know what we can do."

"There might be something I can recommend."

Victor blinked, then looked up to see Emily's black widow friend descending from the ceiling, Maggot sitting on her back. "The Elder doesn't like to talk about him -- but I think he's just what you need," Maggot continued, grinning.

"Who?" Emily asked, plucking the little green worm off the spider and putting him on the side of the coffin.

"A bio-exorcist," Maggot told them, as Black Widow settled beside him.

"A what?" Victor said, baffled.

"You know how an exorcist removes ghosts?" Black Widow explained, gesturing with a front leg. "A bio-exorcist is the reverse -- he removes people. Usually from a specific house, but I don't think he'll object to simply separating Barkis and Victoria."

"Oh yes," Maggot agreed, bobbing his head eagerly. "Just the sort of job he'd enjoy, I think. A beautiful lady in need of rescue? A fiend requiring a good scare? Right up his alley."

"He can be -- crude," Black Widow said delicately. "And his hygiene leaves something to be desired even for the dead. But he's very effective. I don't think Barkis would last long at all with him around."

Victor and Emily exchanged a desperate, hopeful look. Victor still wasn't sure what to make of it, or why Gutknecht hadn't offered this up as a possibility himself. But if Maggot and Black Widow were so confident that this "bio-exorcist" could save Victoria. . . "How do we contact him?" he asked, twisting his hands in his lap.

"All you've got to do is say his name three times," Black Widow said.

"That's all?" Emily clapped her hands. "What's his name, then?"

Maggott beamed. "Betelgeuse."

Emily blinked. "Beetle-juice?"

"Betelgeuse?" Victor echoed. "Like -- the star?"

"Well, I do consider myself one."

Victor nearly leapt out of his skin. He whirled around, only to come nose to nose with a pale man in a striped suit. Curiously enough, he wasn't blue, despite clearly being dead (the moss growing in his hair and around his mouth attested to that) -- instead, he was as pale as Victor had been in life, with flyaway hair and deep black circles around his eyes. He smirked at Victor, revealing rotten teeth. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Ah -- Be--" Victor started.

The man shoved a finger in front of his lips. "Ah ah -- three to summon, three to send away, and seeing as I just got here. . ." He knocked on Victor's head, the sound echoing around the alleyway. "Then again, don't sound like you got much in the way of brains anyway." A cockroach skittered out of his sleeve and up his arm -- he caught it in his hand and popped it into his mouth as he stepped back. "So, what do you guys need me for? I ain't got all day." He crunched the insect thoughtfully. "And even if I did, I wouldn't want to spend it all on you losers." He ran an appreciate eye up and down Emily. "Or maybe I do. That is some gorgeous rot there." He nudged her, grinning like a penny dreadful villain. "Too bad I wasn't available earlier, huh? Ain't usually one to think of settlin' down, but baby, you got a bod to die for."

Victor and Emily shared another look -- this one much less hopeful. "Crude" had apparently been putting it mildly. I really hope we're doing the right thing. Although Black Widow probably has a point -- I can't see Barkis lasting long around him either. He sat up a little straighter. "It's about another wedding that just happened Upstairs. . . ."

#Happy Birthday #poesdaughter #I'm very sorry about your loss :(#also sorry if Betelguese sounds a bit off #I'm guessing from what I know of the character #I figured he'd be a great guy to set on Barkis in one of these CB AUs #and I've seen people ship him and Emily before (in a semi-joking manner admittedly) sooo #I do hope it lifts your spirits a bit #all my best #queued

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not-so-perfect-porcelain · 7 years

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MY TL IS FULL OF SHIT AND TBH I JUST WANT SOME IMPROVEMENT

I have a terrible habit of following blogs based on a few posts I like, but not the overall theme. I’m trying to be more picky so my TL better reflects my interests!

Like/reblog is you post any of the following, and I’ll check you out!

-witchery, especially spirit work, green, urban, kitchen, sea/ocean, Catholic, snow/winter, lunar, pop culture magic

-tarot, tasseography, dictiomancy, and palmistry

-Catholicism in general, esp Biblical or saints

-Philosophy

-Psychology

-Poetry

-Literature (all kinds welcome, but I’m especially a fan of Poe/Fitzgerald/Byron/Shelley/Shakespeare or anything in the romantics.

-1920s aesthetic

-1980s aesthetic

-witchy aesthetic

-bookish aesthetic

-anything gothic, ESPECIALLY bats, ravens, fashion, graves, literature or music (The Cure, Type O Negative are faves), monsters (Drac and Frankenstein), Addams family, history, cathedrals

-PUNK (including fashion)

-Anarchy

-liberal/left wing politics

-Space

-conspiracy theories and cryptids

-rock/metal/punk/goth/classical music

-pastel fashion and aesthetic

-decor, especially gothic or really Victorian/fancy/luxe

-tea and coffee

-Tigers

-Coral reefs, sharks, dolphins, blowfish

-Disney (Pooh, Stitch, Beauty and the Beast)

-creepypasta and horror

-Horror movies

-Tim Burton (Corpse Bride/Nightmare Before Christmas/Coraline/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Sleepy Hallow/Edward Scissorhands/Beetlejuice)

-Heathers (movie or musical)

-dogs, cats, hedgehogs, guinea pigs

-hygee

-cosy interior design

-apartment design

-plants

-ocean

-Star Wars

-Star Trek

-The Crow

-books, shelfies, book recommendations, anything w literature

-Welcome to Nightvale

-90s grunge

-Nirvana

-The Smiths/Morrissey

-The Cure/Robert Smith

-elegant buildings

-elegant dresses

-classic art

-art

-type one diabetes, wellness

-healthy recipes

-sweet recipes

-tattoos, especially poetic, floral, watercolour, nature related

I wil most likely add to this, but please!! I need new blogs

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stevefoxe · 7 years

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Everything I Read in 2016

For the third year in a row, I logged every novel, short story collection, poetry compilation, graphic novel, and collected edition of monthly comics I read, excluding individual monthly comics (on which I continued to fall catastrophically behind) and anything I read (and reread, and reread again) for my day job. My only big change? A lot of these books were read on my iPad Mini. And a good number were for my gay book club (you can guess which ones).

If you don’t yet keep track of your reading, you should start in 2017. It’s your best bet for hitting a reading goal, and for folks like me who read a ton, it’s a nice way to recall books that otherwise departed your memory.

For the tl;dr crowd, here are my Top 13 for the year, in the order in which I read them:

On Writing, Stephen King

Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

The Girls, Emma Cline

I Am a Hero Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, Kengo Hanazawa

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz

The Hero: Book Two, David Rubín

Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Ocean Vuong

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders (I read an ARC)

A Choir of Ill Children, Tom Piccirilli

Habitat, Simon Roy

Prez Vol. 1, Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, Domo Stanton

Bones of the Coast, edited by Shannon Campbell, Jeff Ellis, Kathleen Jacques

(New X-Men Omnibus was a re-read, or it would be up here.)

The rest is below the jump!

I don’t really feel like dumping on anything this year. I definitely got burnt out on comic anthologies, and I hated A Little Life, but the good outweighs the bad. Below is the full list, divided by month, followed by a few statistics and an evaluation of my 2016 reading goals as established last January.

[A note on comics: I feel guilty that I’ve left off colorists and inkers, as they contribute so much to a book, but I defaulted to cover credits while logging my reading and don’t have most of these books on-hand to fix it now.]

January

The Amazing World of Gumball: Fairy Tale Trouble, Megan Brennan, Katy Farina, Jeremy Lawson

Adventure Time: Masked Mayhem, Kate Leth, Bridget Underwood, Drew Green, Vaughn Pinpin, Meredith McClaren

Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland, Kim Newman, Maura McHugh, Tyler Crook

On Writing, Stephen King

Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016, edited by John Joseph Adams & Joe Hill

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, Kai Ashante Wilson

February

Planet Hulk, Sam Humphries & Marc Laming

Future Imperfect, Peter David & Greg Land

Hail Hydra, Rick Remender & Roland Boschi

House of M, Dennis Hopeless & Marco Failla

Marvel Zombies, Si Spurrier & Kev Walker

Old Man Logan, Brian Michael Bendis & Andrea Sorrentino

The Girls, Emma Cline

The Gilded Razor, Sam Lansky

March

Civil War, Charles Soule & Leinil Francis Yu

New X-Men Omnibus, Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Phil Jimenez, Ethan Van Sciver, Igor Kordey, Marc Silvestri, Keron Grant, Chris Bachalo, John Paul Leon, Bill Sienkiewicz, Leinil Francis Yu

The Eye of the Cat, Elejandro Jodorowsky & Moebius

All the Birds in the Sky, Charlie Jane Anders

Beyond Anthology, edited by Sfé Monster & Taneka Scott

A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara

Balloon Pop Outlaw Black, Patricia Lockwood

April

I Am a Hero Vol. 1, Kengo Hanazawa

The Nameless City Vol. 1, Faith Erin Hicks

Ody-C Vol. 1, Matt Fraction & Christian Ward

Lovecraft Country, Matt Ruff

Husk, Rachel Autumn Deering

New World: An Anthology of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, edited by C. Spike Trotman

Chainmail Bikini: An Anthology of Women Gamers, edited by Hazel Newlevant

Broken Frontier, edited by Frederik Hautain & Tyler Chin-Tanner

Love in All Forms: The Big Book of Growing Up Queer, edited by Serafina Dwyer

Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1, Grant Morrison & Yanick Paquette

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz

The Hero: Book Two, David Rubín

The Girl With All the Gifts, M. R. Carey

Regular Show: Noir Means Noir, Buddy, Rachel Connor, Robert Luckett, Wook Jin Clark

Night Air, Ben Sears

Revenger: Children of the Damned, Charles Forsman

Magic for Beginners, Kelly Link

May

Dark Engine Vol. 1, Ryan Burton & John Bivens

Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird, Brandon Seifert, Karl Moline, Filipe Andrade

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, Aimee Bender

Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire

Mr. Splitfoot, Samantha Hunt

Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Charles M. Blow

Revival Vol. 1, Tim Seeley & Mike Norton

The Fireman, Joe Hill

Colder: Toss the Bones, Paul Tobin & Juan Ferreyra

The Fly: Outbreak, Brandon Seifert & Menton3

Faker, Mike Carey & Jock

What If? Infinity, Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson, Riley Rossmo, Mike Norton, Jason Copeland, Goran Sudžuka

June

Hawkeye vs. Deadpool, Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, Jacopo Camagni

Outcast Vol. 3, Robert Kirkman & Paul Azaceta

Lady Killer Vol. 1, Joelle Jones & Jamie S. Rich

The Fiction, Curt Pires & David Rubín

The Amazing World of Gumball Vol. 2, Frank Gibson, Tyson Hesse, Paulina Ganucheau

Arcadia, Alex Paknadel & Eric Scott Pfeiffer

Black Market, Frank J. Barbiere & Victor Santos

Dream Thief Vol. 2, Jai Nitz, Greg Smallwood, Todd Galusha

Contest of Champions Vol.1, Al Ewing & Paco Medina

The Infinity Gauntlet, Dustin Weaver & Gerry Duggan

The Amulet, Michael McDowell

The Dark Half, Stephen King

The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Steve Moncuse & Art Adams

Steven Universe: Too Cool for School, Ian Jones-Quartey, Jeremy Sorese, Asia Kendrick-Horton, Rachel Dukes, Josceline Fenton

Bob’s Burgers: Medium Rare, overseen by Loren Bouchard

Bob’s Burgers: Well Done, overseen by Loren Bouchard

Zombie, Joyce Carol Oates

Kare-Kare Komiks, Andrew Drilon

Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Ocean Vuong

The Witcher: House of Glass, Paul Tobin & Joe Querio

X-Men: No More Humans, Mike Carey & Salvador Larroca

Cold Moon Over Babylon, Michael McDowell

July

Black Hand Comics, Wes Craig

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, Paul Tremblay

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: The Devil’s Wings, John Arcudi, Mike Mignola, Lawrence Campbell, Joe Querio, Tyler Crook

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: Flesh & Stone, John Arcudi, Mike Mignola, James Harren

Abe Sapien: Sacred Places, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Sebastian Fiumara, Max Fiumara

Abe Sapien: A Darkness So Great, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Sebastian Fuimara, Max Fiumara

Hellboy & the B.P.R.D. 1952, Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Alex Maleev

Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster!, Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Tonči Zonjić

Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, Jeff Jensen & Jonathan Case

The Witcher: Fox Children, Paul Tobin & Joe Querio

Children of the Night, John Blackburn

Frankenstein Underground, Mike Mignola & Ben Stenbeck

My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Grady Hendrix

August

The Well, Jack Cady

Angel Catbird Vol. 1, Margaret Atwood & Johnnie Christmas

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders

September

Fellside, M. R. Carey

The Twilight Children, Gilbert Hernandez & Darwyn Cooke

Veil, Greg Rucka & Toni Fejzula

Negative Space, Ryan K. Lindsey & Owen Geini

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 1, Alex De Campi, Chris Peterson, Simon Fraser

Bitch Planet Vol. 1, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Robert Wilson IV

Ody-C Vol. 2, Matt Fraction & Christian Ward

Tampa, Alissa Nutting

Clive Barker’s A-Z of Horror, compiled by Stephen Jones

The Missing, Sarah Langan

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 2, Alex De Campi, Federica Manfredi, Gary Erskine

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 3, Alex De Campi, R.M. Guera, Chris Peterson

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight Vol. 4, Alex De Campi, Mulele Jarvis, John Lucas

Audition, Ryu Murakami

Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show, Suehiro Maruo

In the Miso Soup, Ryu Murakami

October

Ghosts, Raina Telgemeier

Anya’s Ghost, Vera Brosgol

One Week in the Library, W. Maxwell Prince & John Amor

A Choir of Ill Children, Tom Piccirilli

The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter

I Am a Hero Vol. 2, Kengo Hanazawa

The Beauty Vol. 1, Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley

The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo Vol. 1, Drew Weing

November

Gerald’s Game, Stephen King

Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman

Invisible Republic Vol. 1, Gabriel Hardman & Corinne Bechko

Roche Limit Vol. 1, Michael Moreci & Vic Malhorta

What Belongs to You, Garth Greenwell

Roche Limit Vol. 2, Michael Moreci & Kyle Charles

Roche Limit Vol. 3, Michael Moreci & Kyle Charles

One-Punch Man Vol. 9, ONE & Yusuke Murata

One-Punch Man Vol. 10, ONE & Yusuke Murata

Habitat, Simon Roy

December

Beowulf, Santiago García & David Rubín

The Oath, edited by Audrey Redpath

Star Wars: Tales From the Far, Far Away, Michael Moreci, Tim Daniel, Ryan Cady, Phillip Sevy, etc.

Prelude to Bruise, Saeed Jones

Grief is the Thing With Feathers, Max Porter

Tomie Deluxe Edition, Junji Ito

Krampus!, Brian Jones & Dean Kotz

Fantasy Sports Vol. 2, Sam Bosma

The Beauty Vol. 2, Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, Mike Huddleston, Brett Weldele, Stephen Green

Prez Vol. 1, Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, Domo Stanton

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe, Ryan Q. North & Erica Henderson

Love is Love, edited by Marc Andreyko

Joe Golem Vol. 1, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Patric Reynolds

Baltimore: Cult of the Red King, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Peter Bergting

Abe Sapien: The Burning Fire, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara, Tyler Crook

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire, Neil Gaiman & Shane Oakley

Bones of the Coast, edited by Shannon Campbell, Jeff Ellis, Kathleen Jacques

Total:

140 Books (up from 128 in 2015 and 87 in 2014)

Breakdown:

39 Novels or short story collections (down from 43 in 2015 and 44 in 2014)

98 Graphic novels/collected editions of comics (up from 84 in 2015 and a measly 42 in 2014)

3 Books of poetry (triple the 2015 and 2014 counts!)

About 35 Books written or edited by female authors (up from 20 in 2015 and 16 in 2014; note that I’m only counting writers and editors, not artists, and I’m counting books, not unique authors)

Roughly 19 books by (known-to-be) non-white authors (down from 30 last year but up from 9 in 2014...but both this year and last were inflated by multiple entries from manga creators)

...and at least 16 books written or edited by queer and trans authors.

So...any suggestions for 2017?

#best of 2016 #best of #best books #top ten books #books #comic books

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mysticdragon3md3 · 7 years

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With WonFes 2017 Winter over, it’s time to post the obligatory wishlist! ^o^

Even though there were a lot of exciting figure announcements and prototype reveals at Wonder Festival 2017 Winter today, I don't feel my wallet is in too much danger. There were a lot of Nendoroids that looked interesting, but I likely won't buy. And the figures I ABSOLUTELY POSITVELY HAVE TO PREORDER, were fairly few (at least compared to previous WonFes).

Below, the squares shaded darkly are figures I likely won't buy. They caught my eye, but seriously, I'd rather spend my money on other Nendoroids. The squares clouded in white are figures that if I was forced into a corner, I might be able to give up. But it'd be nice if I didn't have to.

Good Smile is going to kill my wallet if they announce more Harvest Moons! ;u; If every Crypton Future Media Vocaloid gets a Harvest Moon version, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Those costumes are just too pretty. XwX

I feel like I'm obligated to get Figma Utena and Nendoroids Ed & Al, but I don't feel as strongly about those fandoms anymore, enough to justify the money those figures cost. On the other hand, I have a rule about not passing up merchandise from an old fandom, for that reason alone. The last time I passed up a Devil Hunter Yohko artbook, just because it was no longer my all-consuming obsession, I regretted it. And I kept hunting for it at each succeeding con. *That* is a regret. Which is why I bought Figma Hikaru Shidou, even though I haven't been into CLAMP's manga, let alone Magic Knight Rayearth for years. So when I see Utena, Ed & Al, my nostalgia dictates that I preorder them, even though my current obsessions say that I shouldn't be spending on old fandoms like Utena and FMA.

I'm not really into these paritcular swords, but I've got a completionist problem. * I already have Kashuu Kiyomitsu, so I have to get Yamatonokami Yasusada, right? And Yasusada has a generic hakama! Before Touken Ranbu Nendoroids, it was so hard to find nice, generic, male wafuku that could go on any character. Still, even now, though it's gotten easier to get hakama from Tourabu, it's hard to find male kimono or yukata. So I snatch up any versatile male wafuku wearing Nendoroid, I can find. * Izuminokami Kanesada isn't really a character I'm particularly attached to, since I'm more a Dategumi fan than a Shinsengumi fan, but I've always liked his character design. It even managed to make me ignore the long hair, even though I usually don't like that character design on males. His costume was just elaborate enough, and the color scheme, contrasting between the deep red and intense blues, just really pop. ^_^ * So that being said, I really shouldn't get Horikawa Kunihiro. His costume design is closer to modern Western and I'd rather throw my money at wafuku designs. But damn it, he's got the same intense blue contrasting against dark hair, just like Izuminokami. ~_~; That contrasting color scheme---or rather, contrasting intensity or value scale---just work too well on me. And after seeing Horikawa in the Touken Ranbu Hanamaru anime, I'd feel bad if I split him up from the senpai partner he idolizes. ~__~! Anyway, I already preordered his brother (Yamanbagiri Kunihiro), so my completionist itch should be happy about that. ...Even though the Kunihiro brothers don't seem very close... x_x * As for Ookanehira! You can't trick me into wanting your Nendoroid! ~w~! I told myself not to buy any more characters I didn't already know! (Unless they were exceptionally cute!) I don't care if your eyes and hair color remind me of one of my main character OCs! Nor if your seiyuu is Ono Yuki! You're too full of yourself and I should be spending my money on cuter characters! Stay back, I say! Keep your charms away from me! ~W~!

The Disney Nendoroids are cute and I like those classic "2nd Renaissance" movies, along with Tim Burton, but not enough to get figures. But if I ran into them at a con or something, really cheap, and there was nothing else I was spending at during a small con, I might go ahead and get them. Like what happened with Nendoroid Anna.

I didn't include Nendoroid Yuri, because I already preordered him. It's strange that I'm certain about getting Nendoroid Victor, even though I'm not as totally obsessed with Yuri on Ice as everyone else seems to be. But despite YOI not taking over my life, I still do like the characters. They're sweet! And I want that ambiance in my display cases!

Karasuno Nendoroids. No question there. I just want all my Karasuno starters. Announcing Yamaguchi and Sawamura together, when there are only 2 more starters on Karasuno, makes me think they'll be announcing them in pairs. Here's to hoping for some Asahi and Tanaka Nendoroids! ^o^ And if they decide to make a Nendoroid Ennoshita, I'll consider him.

Japan. Kiku Honda. My rule about still collecting for old fandoms, as if they're still my current obsession, applies here. Except that my Hetalia fandom doesn't feel that long ago. Probably because I saw Hetalia the World Twinkle at AkibaFest2016. Let's hope that if we show demand for Japan, USUK will get some Nendoroids too. *o*!

Nendoroid More Dress-up sets are my favorite Nendoroid more. The outfits are so nicely generic and versatile, and help put a stop to me buying Nendoroids of characters I have no attachment to, just for their wardrobe. (I've given Masamune & Yukimura enough wardrobe options already---but I just can't stop! It's for DateSana! ;o; ) It’ll be great to put some period era Nendoroids, uniformed characters, and fantasy costumed characters into a modern AU. Groomsmen for those Nendoroid More wedding sets...Haikyuu boys in formal wear...my KanColle girls as office ladies... *U* I could make a cubicle diorama! O.O Still waiting for male wafuku Nendoroid More sets, but until then, any Nendoroid More Dress-up sets are always welcome!!! ^U^

Ice Kirby is so cute and I love blue. But if I wasn't willing to get original Kirby, with all his cuteness, and I didn't get MetaKnight, despite his cuteness, then I should probably save my money. I wasn't deluded for a second into buying that robot armor Kirby. It's on my wishlist because I just like to look at it. ^^; I mean, what the heck is that giant, cute thing?! ^o^

Nendoroid More face cases are cute, but if it comes down to it, those are the first things I cut out of my budget. After all, I skipped on that Konnosuke faceplate case, and I love Touken Ranbu. Still, that penguin and fishing bear are ADORABLE. When I saw the penguine case's announcement last year, I wanted to get it to re-create Chiyo's costume scenes from Azumanga Daioh. ^u^

I'm not watching Re:Zero, but Emilia is beautiful! *.* I have a weakness for pastel hair and her outfit, on top of that, is just so pretty. Her character design just screams "ingenue" deredere, and that's my favorite type of waifu (alongside kuudere and sometimes dandere). And if I remember correctly the spoiler I heard once, then she could also be one of my favorite mythological archetypes, the "universal mother goddess".

I'm not going to buy a Racing Miku. Let's be honest. They always look so cool, but they're $80, instead of the usual $50-$60, because they're supposed to support Good Smile's racing team. But damn, this mint green fairy is cute! I thought it hurt to pass up the knight themed Racing Miku. But this is adorable! ;w; And I had needed a green female Nendoroid for my rainbow figure photos.

I was flabbergasted when I saw the Lum Nendoroid and the Rinne Nendoroid. I thought it might be a hoax, a different figure line from Nendoroid, or maybe even from years ago, long out of print. But it's actually just one of those Nenodroids made by a different company; Good Smile only does the distribution. (Like Tomytec's Wixoss Nendoroids.) So it's not even on Good Smile's WHL4U website, which catalogs all their WonFes announcements. It might be too easy to not realize when these are even released. But I absolutely have to support Rumiko Takahashi Nendoroids. I'm more a Ranma 1/2 fan, than Urusei Yatsura, and I've barely read much Rin-ne. But if we support these, then maybe Play Future will make some Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, or Maison Ikkoku Nendoroids. I would go nutz if Mermaid Saga Nendoroids were ever announced.

The kimono Nendoroids for Puella Magi Madoka Magica are an absolute buy. I never thought I wanted more than just Homura and Madoka, but if all the girls are going to get kimono Nendorids, then it's a good time to get the entire Holy Quintet. ^-^

Last but not least, Nendoroid More sets for Halloween and Christmas. I really hope these are Dress-up sets and not just some accessories. I'm a clay crafter; I can make little accessories on my own. So these better be full-blown outfits. Halloween is my favorite holiday and these would just be so useful for holiday figure photos. I'm really looking forward to more info about these sets. ^o^

It was a really great WonFes. And right on my birthday, it made the best present. ^u^! Hopefully, despite this long wishlist, I'll be able to keep things civil with my wallet. ^^;

#wishlist #wonder festival 2017 winter #wonfes2017winter #wallet dying #rationalizing #figure convention #figure collecting

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