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drdemonprince · 4 months

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something im kind of connecting the dots to re: your posts about shaming people who don’t wear masks…in ‘20 and ‘21 I spent a lot of time posting shaming instagram stories telling people they needed to mask, and i yelled at family until i was blue in the face bc they weren’t masking, having big weddings, etc. and it really created a rift (obviously) in my relationships. I’ve also spent a lot of time and energy in the past 4 or so years telling people that it’s not possible to be an ally to trans people if they still engage in any media created by jk rowling. Especially given that her anti trans manifesto has been cited in anti trans legislation in the uk, she says that she assumes that anyone who continues to engage with Harry Potter media approves of her transphobia, etc the list goes on. And yet i still see my friends going to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, marathoning the movies with their friends, going to see the new movies in theaters, and so on. Obviously my aggressive shaming posts and conversations (which have alienated a lot of people) aren’t doing jack shit. Your mask shame posts made me realize that it probably wasn’t right of me to do that. But I don’t see how I can stand up for what I believe in and show people that it’s not okay to keep doing this shit AND play nice and not create trouble. Do you have any thoughts?

Thanks for this great question and for sharing your experiences.

I think when we shame, part of it is a grappling with our own powerlessness. It feels terrible to confront that no matter how much we care, and no matter how much we plead, we cannot make another person take action. When people we love or rely on won't hear our pleas and won't take action, it wounds us so deeply, and it makes sense we react in anger or seek to shame them hoping it will make them care. But it isn't effective.

I think one of the first steps is accepting our powerlessness as individuals. We have to stop expecting ourselves to somehow persuade people to change their behavior and views, when all the research indicates that such change is rare, slow, and very hard, and cannot be accomplished on a person who does not already want to be influenced. We have to sit in the humility of not being able to make others care, and take time to grieve how badly it hurts. Our understandable and huge hurt feelings need to be processed. many of us have a powerful need to express our rage and have it witnessed by others who understand.

From there, we have to think very strategically about what kind of collective work we can do that will shift social norms, facilitate the behavior we want to see, and fight for systemic changes that will actually address the root issues.

This may be things like passing out masks at protests. Joining a local mutual aid fund to contribute to the expenses of people who are quarantining. Protesting an event space to make them institute a masking policy. Unionizing with our coworkers to demand paid sick leave. Shoplifting tests and redistributing them to people in need. Terrorizing the business leaders who dragged us all back into the office. Sharing the wastewater data. Asking loved ones about their COVID mitigation decisions in a sincere way. Organizing outdoor events for our communities. Paying for a buddy's vaccine.

There are countless ways for us to be plugged into an active community that is larger than us. The work is humble, and ongoing, and what you do personally will never be enough on its own, and you must accept that in order to believe that it does not have to be. We are in this together.

In short, I think the tough emotional realities of feeling disrespected and not cared for much be addressed by finding community with people who do care and will give us room to voice our outrage. And then we have to work together to create the circumstances that allow real systemic change to germinate.

Right now, people conflate that emotional need to express rage with the political need to take action. And what feels cathartic to do or say is not necessarily what's persuasive. There has to be room for both.

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jujitto · 4 months

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▬▬ [𝗘𝗡𝗛𝗬𝗣𝗘𝗡] QUARANTINE W/ YOU

HEESEUNG, quarantine with him would be the most chill quarantine of your life. the two of you are usually lounging around either watching movies or playing video games. the two of you are occasional bakers which started during quarantine. karaoke and dance competitions would be a thing in the house as well as nap cuddles. quarantine with the two of you is something you both enjoy and you guys get to spend some much-needed time together.

JAY, at the beginning of quarantine, you guys were just how you were before. though when it finally hit you guys that you couldn't go out of the house it was around week 10. though you both didn't say it you guys knew that you both would annoy the living daylights out of each other and that's just what happened. you would always pick on jay for no reason while he ignored you. at one point you guys acted normal which consisted of you guys eating junk food, watching nonstop anime marathons, and online shopping. quarantine for the most part would be nothing but the norm for you two.

JAKE, your quarantine where it would be mostly him trying to encourage you to do fun things with him. around the second week of quarantine, you kind of warmed up to the idea of doing something fun. quarantine with jake would be hella funny because this boy would just have jokes for days. there is no doubt in my mind that you guys will have a talent show and just for the fun of it too. jake is your #1 cheerleader/hype man for just about everything. i feel like jake would have a checklist for all the fun things you guys could do while stuck in the house. layla is with y'all so don't worry about that. with having two chaotic puppies in the house with you for quarantine I'm sure you'll find something to do.

SUNGHOON, sunghoon would try his best to enjoy quarantine with you. yes, I said to try his best. deep late-night conversations because like where y'all gotta go in the morning? staring contests which sunghoon would most definitely win unless you cheat. quarantine is the best time for changes. you decided to change your hairstyle so many times meanwhile sunghoon was just sitting there watching like this 🙂. 24/7 surprise kisses like mans could be watching a movie and you would be right there just to kiss him before going to do whatever it is you were doing. at some point during quarantine, he hid from you just to get peace for himself. but you found him eventually and you guys had a quiet picnic in the backyard. quarantine is soft and cute but please let this man breathe some.

SUNOO, you poor baby. you are going to be struggling during quarantine with sunoo. this boy just won't let you breathe with his sassiness but don't worry you'll be right there keeping the same energy. from day one you guys are clowning one another. at some point he gets tired of it all and just wants to cuddle. cuddling takes up most of the day as he wraps his arms around you and lays his head on your shoulder. big fat cheek kisses become a thing during quarantine also star gazing. disney movie marathons are a must with you two. you going bankrupt from the amount of money spent on takeout. doing his makeup all pretty and having runway shows. a fun and somewhat iconic way to spend quarantine with sunoo.

JUNGWON, now jungwon our precious leader of Enhypen has no problem staying in the house especially since it meant he had you all to himself. quarantine is where the iconic moment where you killed him on among us happened. he didn't speak to you for like a few days after it happened. once he gets over it you guys are back to what you were doing which was either cuddling or making goofy faces at each other because I feel like that is something you guys would do. doing his hair is a must and you bought little hair barrettes and clips for him. blanket forts are a thing, especially ones decorated with fairy lights, comfortable pillows, and tons and i mean tons of snacks. Oh and don't forget about playing animal crossing because that's something you guys do too. but being yourself you trapped him and stole from his little village. quarantine was a time when you gave the poor boy tons of headaches and betrayals but he would do it all over again if he had to.

NIKI, quarantine with mr. nishimura riki would be the most chaotic and yet funniest quarantine ever. you guys would be playing childhood games like marbles, tic tac toe, tag, and hide and seek but during the hide and seek game you would get the jump scare of your life because niki is a menace. cooking should not be something you guys do because of you burned ramen. how do you manage to burn cup ramen?! 🤦🏾‍♀️. niki also telling you ghost stories is a must. during the entire story time you're either like this 🤔 or 😨. pick your side babes. during the entirety of the quarantine, there will be an ongoing prank war happening between you two because that's just what chaotic weirdos do. there would be a brief intermission in the war for you guys to stop and chill. you guys would cuddle and act all cute towards each other before continuing your war. overall quarantine with you two is just simply the most chaotic headassery shit ever.

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optimist-pine · 2 years

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The rise boys reacting to the reader being sick?

A/n: This was a fun prompt to think about, thanks, Anon!

Word count: 641

Warnings: none

Leo:

- honestly, he's a little bummed, it's hard when he just wants you to feel better but he can't just make you instantly better himself

- but he's good at making sure you're thoroughly entertained - not too bored but nothing too crazy to overstimulate or wear you out

- things like video/card/board games (trash talk included), comics, or a movie/show marathon with sufficient commentary

- funny enough the one thing he remembers is that you should be drinking a lot of fluids so he's constantly reminding you of that or just absent-mindedly passing you something to drink

- that said, he is surprisingly attentive and will constantly be taking care of you in little ways that could easily be overlooked

- he'll make you the comfiest nest out of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals that neither of you will want to leave

- you'll curl up and take turns rambling back and forth between serious topics and goofy ones until you both fall asleep

Raph:

- this guy's number one priority for you is rest

- so if you enjoy cuddles this might be the best few days or so of your life

- he's pretty well stocked up on medicine and such so he doesn't have to worry about leaving and can just focus on keeping you comfortable

- he's gonna do some really sweet and sappy stuff like keeping your pillows fluffy, reading to you aloud, painting your toes, etc - whatever low-impact activities he can do with you even if you fall asleep during them

- cuddling with him is such a relief no matter what symptoms you have - his shell is cool to the touch, and his skin is warm - so either way, it's soothing

- he'll put on some old mellow records in the background

- sometimes - you don't think he even realizes it - he hums along or laughs and the gentle rumble is comforting

Donnie:

- not gonna lie, he's grossed out by it

- like of course he cares, so he's gonna try his best to help you get better quickly and all

- but it can tend to be more of an interrogation when he's checking to see if you're doing literally every single thing possible to feel better

- his brothers gently remind him that maybe right now you just need someone to take care of you

- after that he really tries to set aside other things and focus on tending to you, being as patient as possible and withholding forcing you to test every possible cure

- this in itself, Donnie slowing down and giving you this special attention, is worth feeling miserable for

- you encourage him that he does actually have a good bedside manner, and he wants to live up to it

- he'll do a little well-being check every so often and adjust his "treatment" accordingly

- by far your favorite of the cures is cuddles though

Mikey:

- he's got a cure for everything

- sore throat? he's got a soup for that

- headache? he'll make you the best herbal cooling wrap for your forehead

- an upset stomach? he's got a tea that'll make that disappear instantly

- you do have to be careful what you say because if you make any sign of discomfort he's gonna hop right up and have to fix it

- but on the plus side, you'll barely be sick for very long at all

- he'll make a pillow fort out of blankets and fairy lights for you to have a quiet space

- Donnie calls it quarantine

- he'll get you flowers, your favorite plus whatever will help you feel better

- he's also a master masseur, so those aches and pains have nothing against Mikey and his mystic hands

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lunaraindrop · 11 months

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One word/One sentence prompt thing; "Steve's Eddie the Bat plush"...does that count? Just Steve having a bat plush that reminds him of Eddie 🖤🦇🖤🦇

I have to tell you, this little bat plushie made my plot bunny go rabid! This is insanely long! I hope you enjoy it!

---

Steve stared down the candy apple in annoyance. They looked okay at the vendor's table, but Steve was pretty sure Granny Smiths didn't have an onion aftertaste. What he wouldn't give to be back home and have one of Mrs. Byers candy apples.

At that moment, he should have been eating pizza and a ton of good candy at the scary movie marathon at the Munson's new place. He should be passing around the Tupperware of his peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to his friends. Instead, he was hours away, three states over, eating a mediocre candy apple and hanging out at some Fall Carnival with a girl named Kaitlyn.

Don't mistake this. Steve Harrington was not on a date.

He had not been on a date with a chic in many months. Say...before Spring Break? The ready excuse was all the trauma everyone experienced. Another was all of the doctors visits, recovery, and endless volunteer hours. Who had time to date when Max needed to get to physical therapy and FEMA sent in another case of canned goods for the food bank? When did he have time to flirt with the ladies if he was constantly surrounded by kids? When would he have time to hang out with his adult friends?

Plus, as Steve had come to realize (after many, many car conversations with Robin), he was kinda done with meaningless relationships. Steve wanted the real deal. He wanted to settle down. Steve didn't want a hookup. He wanted a lifetime of love.

Yes, these were all very good excuses. Ones that even Robin believed when he would turn a cute girl down.

But the truth was that Steve *was* ready to date.

Had been for months now.

Maybe, kinda already was?!?

He just didn't know if the person he wanted to be with felt the same way.

You see, Steve came to the realization that he madly was in love with Eddie Munson.

In his defense, he didn’t know what he was feeling right away.

Steve and Eddie shared a hospital room when they got back from the Upside Down. While Eddie had been in worse shape, both of them had been bitten by the bats. They had to be quarantined together for 96 hours before Steve was cleared to go. And go he did....to take a shower and change his clothes. He was right back after that, visiting Eddie and Max.

It turned out that Dustin had been onto something (the ego boost for that, Jesus Christ), trying to get them to hang out. Contrary to outward appearances, Steve and Eddie had a lot in common. When you get past all of the high school bullshit, it was obvious that they could have been great friends before all this. So, they made up for lost time.

When he and Eddie became friends, like actual friends, and not just linked by the kids and trauma, Steve thought that what he was feeling was the joy and connection of having a best friend. Someone he could unapologetically be a dude with. He loved Robin to bits, but there was something special about bonding over fart jokes and impromptu wrestling matches in a living room. While he and Tommy H had been close, they were never *this* close. It was similar to how he and Robin cemented into their friendship, but just...more, if that were even possible.

He actually felt *guilty* for a while because he felt like he was best friend-cheating on Robin. It broke his heart to think that she would ever feel like second best or that she wasn't as important in his life, because she was! He wanted to spend time with her. She was still his best friend, his twin. Robin was like an extension of his own body.

But, with Eddie...it was just *different*. There was this need, the constant craving to be as close to him as humanly possible. An ache that was only soothed by having him by his side.

And it wasn’t just him, either. If Steve was a clingy friend, then Eddie was a fucking koala. Where one would go, so would the other, much to the amusement and annoyance of the other people in their lives. Their whole ragtag group liked to spend time with each other. Of course they would both be there too. And, sure, it was expected to see Steve taking Eddie to his physical therapy appointments. Wayne usually had to work. It wasn't a weird jump that Eddie and Steve would be at Max's together either.

But...Steve got some strange looks at the Corroded Coffin practices for a while. Eddie definitely got strange looks helping Steve sort out clothes and canned goods at the food bank. Steve let Eddie host D&D at his house, and Eddie let Steve put a basketball hoop over the Munson's new driveway.

When they did have to part, Eddie would get all dramatic about missing him, and while Steve rolled his eyes at his antics, he couldn’t help the bashful grin on his face. Eddie missed him. Eddie counted the time, loudly, to anyone who would listen, how long they were apart. (And he was pretty sure he was always right, because Steve counted too. He wasn't the best at math, but it was always close or the same to what Steve counted. He would even tell Eddie, which always pull a curl over his face.)

When Mike said that normal friends don't pine like some war widow when their friend went to the grocery store, Steve...started to figure out that they maybe weren't best friends. Best friends don't have to force themselves to part ways at night and sleep in their own beds, alone, only to sleep and nap on a couch together the next day. Normally, best friends don't find excuses to touch and hold onto each other and hold hands in the car. Best friends do give each other nicknames, but usually not "Sweetheart" or "Baby Love".

Best friends don't want to kiss their friends.

So when Robin had absolutely enough of not having Steve time and dragged him off to defend her best friend title, it was Steve that said, "Robbie... I'm freaking out. I'm not sure if he and I are Platonic with a capital P. Something's going on...and I'm kinda in love with him. "

Robin, wide-eyed, said "Oh. Oh! That's completely different!" and demanded to know every detail of what she had missed.

So, why was Steve hours away, three states over, at some Fall Carnival with a girl named Kaitlyn?

Easy.

His parents called.

As grown up as Steve was, there was still a part of him that was the eager boy, wanting to get their approval and attention.

They had been back to Hawkins only once since the "earthquake", and it wasn’t even for him. It was to get an estimate on the property damage. (They had been there two days and eleven hours. Eddie barreled down the driveway and nearly crushed his ribs when they left town. And Steve could have sworn Eddie laid a barely there kiss to the top of his head. They later watched Murder, She Wrote and cuddled on the couch. It was the most content he had been in a long time.)

On the day that Steve decided he was going to talk to Eddie and figure out what they were doing, his parents called and invited him to their business trip. They had a round trip ticket. They said they would love to see him.

He was so torn. He didn't want to leave the kids, or Robin, or especially Eddie...but they were his parents.

It was Hopper, of all people, that told him to take the break and see his folks. "You have been running yourself ragged, Steve. The kids will keep Munson busy. Go eat some fancy shrimp cocktail and remind the Harringtons that they have a son."

The airport was...hard. He honestly wanted to stuff Robin and Eddie in his carry-on, and maybe Dustin in the overhead bin. There were fucking tears, and laughter at the fucking tears. But Steve did get on the plane.

The first day there nice. Fall in Pennsylvania is really pretty. The hotel was five star. He went to the hotel's spa with his mom. She took him to lunch and dinner.

He didn't see his dad until the next day's brunch.

And that's when he was told that he would be spending time with Kaitlyn Caissiere, the young daughter of his new business partner.

At first, Steve was terrified that his parents were trying to set him up with this girl, and then horrified at the idea that maybe he was actually being pimped out to "entertain" her.

But, the real truth, while a relief, was annoying.

"Always the God damn babysitter." He grumbled.

That's right. Steve was there to babysit the most annoying preteen he had ever met. And he knew Mike Wheeler as a preteen.

Kaitlyn was a spoiled brat.

A spoiled brat with a ton of money and an itinerary.

The worst kind.

"By 8:00pm you must win me a stuffed animal. If you don't, I will tell Daddy that he should not do business with your dad."

"Yeah, yeah kid. I got it. Get you a stuffed animal."

He had been following her schedule for the past couple of days. Thankfully, he would be flying out the next day. He just needed to keep tabs on the she-devil, and "cater to her every whim" as his dad had said.

Walking towards the games, they passed by a fortune tellers tent.

Kaitlyn stepped on his heel. "Ow! What the hell?"

"I wanna stop here! I want my fortune read!"

"But this isn't on your list-"

"Let’s go now!"

Steve looked at the sign. Fortunes cost $5.00. A little steep, but it wasn't his money. Along with Kaitlyn watching came a wab of cash that was more than four of his paychecks from Family Video.

Kaitlyn insisted Steve stand outside of the tent while getting her fortune told. As she went into the tent, another came out. There were actually two people working the tent, but this older lady stepped out for a smoke break. When she realized she didn't have a lighter, Steve pulled out his own and offered it to her.

Taking a drag from her cigarette, she turned her head and smiled at him. "I like you. You remind me of my grandson."

Steve thanked her before pitching the candy apple into the garbage can like a three pointer.

The lady looked him over. "Sonny, since you are a kind young man and dealing with that child, I'm going to give you a free fortune."

"Oh really, ma'am. That's not necessarily."

"Oh hush! Now, watch the smoke."

Steve felt silly watching this stranger's cigarette smoke. He didn't exactly believe in fortune telling. But then again, he has seen crazier things.

Steve watched as the smoke took a form. He looked closer. "What the fu-"

The smoke took shape as a perfect arrow, pointing left.

"The answers you seek will be found over there. You will know what to do."

Well, what the hell did that mean?

He soon found out.

When Kaitlyn was done berating the fortune teller for getting her future wrong, Steve steered her toward the games. Which ironically was also where the arrow pointed.

Kaitlyn decided that Steve would win her a unicorn from a milk bottle toss. It took him seven tries on the rigged game before he finally won the damn thing.

"That was actually kind of pathetic, you know? Good thing you don't have a girlfriend to get a prize for. We would be here all night!"

Steve knew a challenge, and couldn't let that stand.

"That is because you picked a game that isn't in my skill set."

He looked around and saw a basketball throwing game in the distance with what looked like Halloween plushies.

"There! That's my game. I bet I can win a prize in one shot."

Kaitlyn drew up her nose. "I don't want any of those prizes. Yuck."

"Then it's for me."

She checked her paper. "I will allow one plushie for you. Any more and I will tell my daddy you stole them from me."

Steve was too busy at first looking at the distance of the rim to see what all the prizes were. But he stopped in his tracks when he did.

This was a game he could win easy. And there, on the top row, were a line of black and purple plushie bats with "Ozzy" stitched in lurid orange on the belly.

That...was definitely a sign. He also needed to have one of those bats, and pronto!

The man running the booth gave him a smile. "You a fan of Black Sabbath?"

Steve smacked the bills down with a grin. "Sir, I am tonight."

And just like he thought he would, Steve won the bat easily.

The man handed it to him. "Ha! Good aim! This little guy was meant for you"

As the man gave him the cute plushie bat, Steve knew he had his answer.

Thank you, fortune teller lady.

---

Eddie was waiting at the airport for him. The kids wanted to be there, but they were not allowed to skip school. Robin also wanted to be there, but work wouldn't budge. A "Welcome Home" party in Steve's honor would be had later that evening.

Man, Steve loved his friends.

Eddie held up an obnoxious cardboard sign with his name written in red craft glitter glue. A sign that Steve threw down to hug the bastard as tightly as he could.

"Welcome home, Big Boy! Your chariot awaits!"

On the drive back to Hawkins, Steve told Eddie about his trip. Eddie liked that he got to get the "Pampering he deserves" at the spa, and fumed loudly at his parents having him go out of town just to play babysitter.

"They had to take you away from your home, your *family*, from everything you've ever known-"

"-to toss you a ward?! Your parents are a real hobnobbing dick-weasles."

"Bit dramatic there, Eds-"

"-for 76 hours and 34 minutes-"

"-Wait, where did you get that extra hour?-"

Steve laughed so hard he cried at "dick-weasels."

When they passed the Welcome to Hawkins sign, Steve asked Eddie to drive them to the rock quarry. It was one of the few places they would escape to just drink beer, listen to some tunes, and just...be together.

When they parked, they sat in silence for a minute, before Steve grabbed his carry-on from the back.

"Whatcha got there, Stevie?"

"Its actually something I wanted to show you."

Eddie rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Ooo...what wares do you bring me, traveler?"

Steve shook his head in exasperated fondness. "You're so weird."

Pausing for a second, he brought out the plushie bat. Eddie gasped and snatched it out of his hands.

"Steve! This is the cutest fucking bat I have ever seen. And it's name is Ozzy! Whoever made this has taste!"

"Yeah, it's a carnival toy. I won that."

Eddie smiled at him briefly before his large brown eyes went back to his soft new friend. "Of course you did. Steve Harrington: Slayer of Demon Bats and Cheap Carnival Games!"

Steve laughed, but felt nervous inside. This was it. Make or break.

"Yeah. I just had to get him. He reminded me of my boyfriend back home. I really missed him, but Ozzy here helped."

Eddie froze. He looked back up at Steve again, eyes wide as saucers.

"B-boyfriend? He reminds you of your boyfriend?"

Steve licked his lips, gaining some confidence that Eddie's eyes tracked the motion.

"Yeah, boyfriend. Soul mate. Idiot I love and co-parent seven kids with."

Eddie hands were shaking. He carefully placed Ozzy in Steve's lap before cupping his face.

"Sweetheart. Oh, my love, your boyfriend missed you too!"

Eddie surged forward and finally, finally kissed Steve. It was like coming home. Steve let out a happy whine, and leaned forward into the kiss. Fingers slipped into hair. Worshipping kisses were laid upon cheeks and foreheads. Hickeys were nibbled and lovingly sucked into necks and collarbone.

---

Later, at Steve's Welcome Home party, they showed up together, hands entwined. Steve had Eddie's mood ring on his left ring finger. Still, nobody knew they were officially a couple until they saw the hickeys.

That night, the boys went to bed together, content that they no longer had to hide the extent of their feelings for each other. Taking a break from making out on the bed, Eddie placed Ozzy on the chair and turned him to face the wall. He didn't need to see what his dads were about to do.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #luna is a writer #answered

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jadespeedster17 · 1 year

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A Father of Spores

Summary: Grian hasn’t been feeling himself since coming out of the decontamination room. Though he has a clean health, and no more shrooms are growing on or out of him, he still feels weird all over. He keeps hearing Scar’s voice too, but the man isn’t any where to be seen. And Mumbo has him staying away from the main areas where the resistance has been hitting, as par for the course after exposure. But, that didn’t stop Cub from paying him a visit.

Warnings: Mentions of Body Modification, Brainwashing, Body Horror, Corruption, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Cannibalism, and Altered Reality.

No Beta lol, give into the spores please.

The usual after decontamination was a period of which one had to quarantine away from any and all forms of the mycelium. Which meant Grian was stuck in his simple house away from the main area of infection, which was mostly the outskirts and inner city. Luckily his area was mostly untouched, and made for some time he could gather his thoughts. Truth be told he didn’t remember alot of it. Mumbo was being vague on purpose, so he could only guess it was bad. His arms and back were healing up fine at least, no more shrooms growing out of them. And he was taking it slow for the time until the week was up to head back to work, once they were sure all signs of infection were gone.

It was... dull, boring, going on day 3 with Grian doing a movie marathon of the Scooby Doo films... they were bad but in a cringy good way. He was also was watching Mystery Incorporated, and trying to keep his mind off things as he petted his cats. Lately it’s been.. odd, he swears he hears Scar’s voice in his house. But, each time he turns around, no one is there, and not a sign of spores in sight.

Maybe he really is starting to lose it? Maybe it’s a prolonged effect of after exposure? He had heard altered state of mind was a common side effect for a few days, so... he tried not to let it get to him.

He finished peeling the potatoes for a pot roast he was making, getting started on cutting them into 4′s when there was a knock at his door.

“Hm?” Grian looked up confused, could that be Mumbo? Maybe even Impulse or Doc coming to check on him? The latter was more likely as Mumbo knew better than to go to someone during quarantine period, he was target number one after all. Washing his hands quickly, as another knock was heard, he walked over to the door.

Opening the door after turning the lock, Grian looked outside, and felt his inside turn cold at the sight before him.

Green and black fugus like stuff ran up the side of his face, creating these horns that poked out from black hair. The eyes were pure black with blue orbs looking at Grian, glowing blue shrooms grew out the side of the face as well and along his shoulders. Cub smiled brightly at Grian, “Helloooo Grian.” he said cheerfully to him, the horns flicking a bit like cat ears.

SLAM!

Grian had his back to the door his heart rate rising as he looked startled a bit in disbelief. He stood there in shock, staring at the ground. For a second, he wondered if he had imagined it.

More knocking behind him as it vibrated through his back. “Grian.” Cub’s voice said, “I promise I won’t make more shrooms grow in your walls or couch. I just came to talk.” his tone almost a slight whine to it, playful and teasing.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Grian groaned in annoyance as he stood up again and opened the door again peering at Cub around the corner. Cub was smiling brightly at him still, despite the stuff growing out of his skin and face, the smile was the same as Grian remembered it. Opening the door fully Grian sighed, “... Don’t try anything.” he grumbled before allowing Cub inside. He was an idiot, but frankly he knew Cub could force his way in if he wanted. So, civil was the best course of action, and calling the cops wouldn’t do shit, as that last time the happen Scar infected them all.

Cub walked in and did take off his muddy shoes in the mud room, Grian closed the door again, but didn’t lock it just in case. He looked at Cub who was petting on his cat, she didn’t seem to mind purring away happy to see him again. Cub smiled at Grian, “I’ve missed you.” he told him, “Didn’t mean to be gone so long, or cause you to get a new couch before then.” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a fanged smile.

Shifted a bit Grian made a face, “Darn well better be, that was a good leather couch.” he grumbled a bit as Cub did laugh, it... sounded off, it was Cub’s voice but also distorted a bit. He looked at the other and sighed heavily, “Hungry?” he asked him curiously, trying to keep calm and even voice.

The horns flicked as Cub perked up, “A bit, any meats will work, or anything mushroom and vegetable related.” he said walking with Grian to the kitchen taking a seat at one of the bar stools.

“Mushroom related?’ Grian asked confused as he put the potatoes into the pot.

Shrugging, Cub leaned on the counter, Grian was gonna have to disinfect things again. “I mean, fungus is cannibalistic by nature, we eat dead things, even other dead shrooms.” he explained. “well, it’s not really ‘cannibalism’ as we don’t have the same moral standing as most humans. Just a way of life really.”

Grian hummed at that looking intrigued as he put the pot on high and sat across from Cub. This felt painfully familiar, days and nights they spent together when dating just chatting and laughing. Before Cub got infected, before he fell off the face of the earth for 6 months and came back... looking like this.

“Been a long time, huh?” Cub smiled at him calmly, “I’ve missed our nights together, Scar likes hearing me talk about you. He really likes you.” he chuckled faintly as Grian looked at Cub with sad yet curious brown eyes. His feathers shifted a bit as the faint sound of chuckling was in his head, but it was gone as quick as he heard it.

A pause in the air as Cub hummed faintly, “he wants to see you again,” he said slowly, “the father I mean, Scar, he wants to get to know you on a personal bases, as I talk to highly of you.”

Grian said nothing as Cub watched him without blinking, in fact the other didn’t see to blink at all. A moment, before Cub continued, a sad, and quiet sigh escaping his mouth. “I wasn’t forced like this Grian.” he said, as it shattered the silence like glass, and Grian was now looking at him with wide eyes. Cub gave a sad smile, “I was very willing.”

Wide, and shocked brown eyes looked at Cub, that... that couldn’t be true! He remembered Cub being among the ones that went missing when the Father Spore had made his appearance, after he infected the building Cub had been working in. The day he came back, stumbling and a bit dazed in Grian’s door and near contaminated the whole house beyond repair... before vanishing again.

“I know, hard to believe.” Cub said calmly with a shrug, “but I’m not lying, i have no real reason to lie like this. Trust me, the brainwashed ones are obvious compared to ones like me. We are gifted with more freedom of will, our thoughts are more our own, but we are still connected to The Father.” he explained to Grian messing with one of the shrooms on his arm. As he did so it did spew out some blue powder, which Cub cleaned up from the counter.

Ones like Cub couldn’t produced heavily spore pollen like Scar, but he was still contagious through contact. Even more so than some of the others infected, but Sculk was a very advance form of fungus that grew in the darkest parts of the world.

Chewing on his lower lip for a moment, Grian narrowed his eyes at the table, the silence stretched as this info sank in. “Why?” he finally asked after a long moment of his thoughts swirling around, taking in the fact Cub, his Cub, became this monster like creature.

Another shrug, Cub sat up a it, “The Father isn’t just some guy infected with overgrown mushrooms Grian... he’s something much more powerful and more than a mere man now. He’s the new age coming, of which all will be either connected or food.” he said in a matter of fact tone. Then a grin, “I know sounds very ‘Cultish’ doesn’t it? But it’s the honest truth, Scar speaks often of his plans to me, of how not all will be infected, but used to spread the spores with their decaying bodies.”

Another round of insides being dunked in cold water, Grian swallowed hard at that. They had.. suspected that was the plan, given some were killed by Scar and found with lots of mycelium and shrooms growing out of their dead bodies. But, to hear it from a source, it just made it all the more scary.

“I was tired Grian,” Cub looks out the nearby window in thought, “I loved you so much, but other parts of my life were just so dull. I felt like I was doing things on a loop, and felt empty without you or other connections.” He seemed lost in thought for a moment then a faint smile, “Then I met Scar, he broke into the building, and spoke in a charming voice. He was cunning, threatening, but gentle and so calm. The building was over run with spores, mycelium, and Scar gave all us a choice. To accept his gift, or be the example.”

Grian stared at that as Cub stared outside at the darkness, there were many bodies that day, all taken over by mushrooms, that area was still under heavy rules, no one was allowed inside it. It was a prime area to be infected, and the process to get rid of it was slow and with little fruition. Thus it was blocked off from the general public.

“I accepted to go with him, me a very few others. I was actually the first to speak up that I’d go. On the promise of a new start, something more...” Cub spoke again catching Grian’s attention again. “He was so... gentle Gri, he cupped my face, smiled at me so lovingly, and promised all that and more.” a near whisper, reverently, and in so much awe.

Cub looked back at Grian, “He took me to his home, the resistance base as you know it, and carefully helped me through the process. It was scary at first, I won’t lie, but the results are worth it.” his eyes almost glowed, “We are a part of him, and he of us. We are his children, Grian...” he reached out, but paused looking at up Grian with longing, loving, and pleading eyes. “I want you a part of us too, Gri, to feel like this. Loved, cherished, wanted.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, before there was a hissing sound, Grian turned and swore rushing to the stove as he turned it down before it could mess up the burner. Once he was sure it wasn’t going to boil over, Grian looked at the contents in the pot, eyes narrowed a bit as Cub’s words rang in his head over and over again.

Cub was clearly infected badly, but, he spoke so highly of how he was now. The idea of what Scar wanted in the end was terrifying. Though he could picture it clearly, the grass gone, now a soft purplish grey, perhaps a few more trees here and there, tall shrooms also that grew, the air cleaner and clearer than it ever had been.

‘What a beautiful imagine, no?’

Scar’s voice in his head as Grian gripped the handles of the pot tighter. He frowned a bit, before getting out some food for him and Cub. Placing the bowl in front of his old flame, who didn’t take his eyes off him once.

For a while they ate in silence, Grian messing with the food and Cub adding a mushroom to his happily. Then he spoke up, “I don’t know Cub,” he admits after a long moment, “I... just don’t know.”

His thoughts were jumbled, a mess, and he just wasn’t sure. He was afraid, scared of what he’d become, repulsed by the idea of letting mushrooms grow out of him. But the way Cub spoke of it, a painful longing. What would being loved like that taste like? What would it feel like? To be cherished so easily? he had felt that with Cub, and in that moment in the office with Scar. And, Grian would be a liar if he said he didn’t want that.

‘I could give you all that and more, my song bird.’

Cub finished eating and smiled at him, “you don’t need to answer right now Grian.” he said gently to him, “The Father can wait, even though you might see him later.” he smiled, then paused, “Oh... wasn’t suppose to say that.” he said.

“What?’ Grian looked at cub, “What do you mean? What is he planning?’

Shaking his head, Cub stood, “Can’t say Grian, secret and all,” a teasing wink, “if you joined us though, I could tell you so much more. All I’ve found out about what we are.”

A glared from Grian, as Cub smirked at him, “But for now,” his eyes gleamed over green and his voice changed, “tell no one you saw us here, little bird.”

Grian froze at that, eyes widening... he felt like something fogged over his mind and he nodded to Cub. Cub smiled at that, eyes turning back to blue, he bent down for a moment, “Until then my flower.” he ghosted his lips over Grian, but didn’t touch them. And slowly pulled back from the dazed bird turning and leaving.

It wasn’t until the door clicked shut did Grian blink back into awareness. He looked around at the empty bowl, and some of the sculk on his counter. He felt... sad that Cub was gone, and he was alone again.

Sighing after a moment, Grian got up to start disinfecting the counters and bleaching the bowl. His mind lost in thought as he went through the motions.

Maybe if he wasn’t distracted by his thoughts, he might have noticed when he moved, his body who puff out these faint purple spores. Or might have also noticed that the blue of his feathers was turning a bit purple as well.

#tw body horror #tw body modification #tw corruption #tw cannibalism #tw mentions of death #Grian #cubfan135 #Sculk Cub #cub/grian #goodtimeswithscar #The Mushroom Man AU #hermitcraft #hermitshipping

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spiderwing-nightman · 1 year

Text

I got sick despite doing nothing and going nowhere so have how I think various members of the batfam react to having to quarantine.

Dick: Is absolutely losing it. He would like to go outside or hug someone but he also knows that he’s doing his duty by not doing that, so he settles for FaceTiming people almost non stop.

Jason: Simply does not care. He takes the time to get through the big stack of books he's been meaning to get through. He will send texts to 1 person per day (it’s a different person everyday) so ppl know he’s still alive.

Tim: Is ready to fight whoever got him sick. He does however get very very sick when he does get sick so he is unable to leave bed period. Maybe to use the bathroom, but that’s about it. He uses the time to wax poetic about how his life is a curse and how he’s going to kill whoever got him sick. When he isn’t doing that, however, he’s burying under the blankets and watching brain rotting YouTube videos even though looking at technology while ill gives him a headache. When he gets a little better he abuses his power by making his siblings (and bruce) get things for him, even if they insist on throwing them at him so they don’t get sick themselves.

Cass: Cass takes the time to get some much needed me time and also to text all of her friends and family excessively. She occupies her time by stirring the pot on twitter and scrolling through various dramas.

Babs: Babs hacks everyone’s phones and computes and tablets and any other device they might have just to keep herself occupied and then proceeds to spy on them (she may also occasionally cause drama, she’s bored ok)

Steph: Steph decides to completely rearrange her room. Then reorganize her desk. Then her bag, then he phone, then her computer, then her- I think you get it.

Duke: He does multiple movie marathons and comes out of the quarantine looking and feeling a little bit like a zombie, but that’s just because time has lost all meaning.

Damian: He does research on a bunch of animals and spends his time trying to make sure that his pets aren’t sick. He then proceeds to obsess over finding out how he got sick and making sure that none of the people he's been around have fallen ill.

Bruce: Pretends like he isn’t sick until every single one of his children refuses to be around him for fear of becoming sick themselves.

#batfam #guess which one is based off of me #dick grayson #Jason todd #Tim drake #cassandra cain #Barbara gordon #Stephanie brown #duke thomas #Damian wayne #bruce wayne

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klirk-hammurton · 2 years

Note

New follower here! I love your Metallica imagines! 🥹

If you are still taking requests, can you write for how the members of Metallica would help if you were sick/injured and how they may go about cheering you up/making you feel better?

I need this in my life right now. 🤒

I most certainly can my dear! I hope you get to feeling better! Hopefully this brings a smile to your face. Thank you for the love and support as well ❤

James Hetfield

He's attentive to your every need. Brings you fuzzy blankets, fluffy pillows, hot coffee/tea

He's going to cuddle the fuck out of you. Don't try pushing him off either. He's 6'2" of pure adorable dorkiness and is determined to have you feeling better

"Who hurt you? They'll pay dearly for this"......."James, sweetie….you can't punch a cold in the face…"

Movie marathon. He doesn't care how much he dislikes a movie, if it's your absolute favorite comfort film, he's snuggling up with you and watching it

He's not going to let you do anything. You just worry about getting better.

He's gonna do his best to make you some soup. Homemade soup can kick any cold in the ass.

Probably makes a trip to the store and overstocks on everything. You send him for one thing and he comes back with $60 worth of stuff from CVS and a receipt long enough to cover a football field.

If you're too sick to bathe, he'll handle that for you. It's little small things like this he loves to do. He'll help you wash your hair, sit back and relax.

He'll put all of his plans on hold for you. He hates the idea of himself having fun when you can't. You're his first priority

It might be cheesy, but he'll lay with you and hum soft and soothing lullabies to help you relax. He's a giant teddy bear

Cliff Burton

He's going to do everything he can think of to get you better.

Blanket forts and tons of pillows. Look, he's a big kid and laughter speeds healing.

Don't be surprised when he brings you tons of stuffies after also soup shopping. It's the thought that counts, right

Would probably Google some home remedies for you. "This should work. It's an old timey family remedy."

Don't worry about the smoke alarms going off. He has everything under control. Kirk is probably shaking his head in the background mouthing 'he doesn't have it under control…'

He's a try hard. He's going to put in so much effort into the simplest of things.

"Are you comfortable? Do you need more blankets? I have more." You're already buried in blankets and just don't have the heart to tell him no. He's trying

Poking the canned soup with a spoon. "This definitely doesn't look right…." ……"You're supposed to add milk or water to it first."

He'll help you brush out your hair and shower you in kisses

Lay's next to you and runs his fingers through your hair until you fall asleep. He won't sleep until you do

Kirk Hammett

He's going to absolutely baby you. Catering to you hand and foot.

Don't be surprised if he tries to get you to come meditate with him. Sometimes natural medicine is all you need

He's an excellent cook, so of course he's gonna go all out in taking care of you.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner in bed. He's so proud of himself and all of these extravagant dishes he's bringing to you.

Is going to snuggle you and look at you like a lost and sick puppy. Not the puppy dog eyes….yes, the puppy dog eyes.

Body massages to help ease any tension. Certain massages help in boosting the immune system

"I know you said chicken noodle, so I bought that, cream of chicken, chicken vegetable….is that too much?" He's an overachiever.

He'll let you lay on top of him on the couch and cuddle. Head scratches and back rubs and forehead kisses.

Runs you a hot bubble bath with Epsom salts. He'll sit next to you on the edge of the tub and stroke your hair

Would probably get sick too because he can't stand the idea of quarantine.

Lars Ulrich

Probably sanitizes everything to make sure you don't get sick again. Can't take no chances.

He's known to be a pretty good cook, especially with soups. You're in good hands with him.

Asks you taste test everything he's making. Pouts a little when you say no but then remembers you're sick and you don't eat him getting it too. Don't mind his pouty face, he'll recover from it

Brings you tons of things you'll need. Hand sanitizer, tissues, spare garbage can for the trash, cough drops, you name it. "So I might have gone a little overboard…."

If you're a bookworm, he'll buy tons of books and snuggle up with you to read them. It melts his heart when you fall asleep on him.

Don't be annoyed if asks you a million times a day on how you're feeling, if you need anything,

Probably brings board games as a way to help waste time and help keep your mind occupied. He only has to grow old, not grow up.

Brings you a giant stuffed animal with get well balloons. Don't judge him, he's trying. It's comical because the bear is almost as big as him.

Does small things around the house so you don't have to worry about them. He just wants you to focus on getting better

Snuggles up with you to watch your favorite TV show or comfort movie.

Jason Newsted

Goes all out in the 'I'm gonna take care of you' department. Don't get mad if he goes overboard

Brings little small care packages to help cheer you up. Little baskets with your favorite teas/coffees, sweets, probably some candles and bath products

He's very attentive to you and pays attention to even the smallest of things. Sure he's known to be the tough guy, but around you he's like a harmless puppy

Brings you lots and lots of pillows and fuzzy blankets. So many pillows. You can never be too comfy at this point

He'll surprise you with your favorite flowers to help liven up your mood. He just wants you happy and healthy

Movie baskets equipped with the first movie you watched together, snacks, some cold meds for you, a cheesy love note or two

Even if you're sick as a dog, he's still gonna give you compliments on how pretty you are. Don't tell him you aren't, he WILL argue otherwise

Does little small chores around the house. He doesn't want you doing anything that you're not supposed to

Makes you a mixed tape of some of his favorite songs and artists that he'd listen to when he's feeling down

Lots and lots of audio books to listen to together

Robert Trujillo

Surprises you with several care baskets. One for when you're sick, another of your favorite bath products, and a third for staying in together and enjoying each other's company

Leaves you handwritten love notes for when you wake up. You'll find them everywhere.

He'll help you with your hair, brushing and braiding it for you.

He's going to snuggle and cuddle the fuck out of you. He's a total snuggle bug.

Brings matching snuggy blankets to cuddle up with and watch shows and movies with you

Gentle body massages to help you relax and unwind, peppering you in little kisses all over

On a day when you're feeling a little better, he'll serenade you. He's a hopeless romantic no matter the situation

He's a big kid, so when you're up to it he's breaking out the board games with you. He'll let you win a few times too

Home cooked meals. Being Hispanic and Native, he has a lot of recipes for remedies to help get you feeling better

Lots of nice hot bubble baths. He'll stay right by your side, stroking your hair and keeping you company

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non-binary-laurie-strode · 5 months

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It is, once again, that time of the year! Friends, film queens, and everyone else who follows this blog for whatever reason—It is time for my Pink Bette film awards!

The Pink Bettes, if you are new or out of the loop, are my personal Oscars. They're named after Bette Davis and, of course, my favourite colour. Bettes can be awarded for anything—there are Bettes for my favourite performances, but also they can be given to cool creature designs, bad performances, bizarre line readings, overall weird movies, anything! For better or for worse, something with a Bette made an impact on me.

So let's start awarding! (Warning: Extremely long post. I had originally written a paragraph for each individual winner and got to ten single spaced pages before looking at the length in mute horror. As I write this, I am consciously cutting my commentary down because it's still getting too long!)

This Pink Bettes ceremony is dedicated to the almost 300 movies I watched or rewatched in 2023. A good portion of that came from my Universal Horror marathon, which ran from July through the end of October (with me adding a few extras in November). This is the second biggest year for movies for me since 2020, when that was The Thing We Did during covid quarantines. (I was only 30 or so movies away from topping 2020!)

Honestly, 2022 was not a good film year for me. I didn't feel much passion for it; I think I was beginning to burn out after the strain of 2020/21. My heart wasn't in it. And 2023 started that way for me too. But the Universal Horror marathon really did jumpstart my movie watching and reignited my passion and energy and love for film as an art. For as much as it may have melted my brain at points, that marathon inspired such joy and interest in me. And so, I've made a few alterations to the Pink Bettes this year to reflect that!

How This Works

In order to qualify for a Pink Bette, a movie be considered a "first watch" for me for the year 2023. This means something like our rewatches of the Child's Play (Chucky the killer doll) series are ineligible, because I watched those for the first time in 2019. I don't split the categories by gender, and I don't only have one winner per category; this is to celebrate all the films of the year, and there's room for everyone. Bettes can be for any category I have a whim to create. Many categories are labelled as "Favourite X" because I don't pretend to have haut taste or that I can pick the quantitative best performance. (Nor do I really believe a quantitative best performance is even possible, really.) At the very end, I also award my Keanu Reeves Awards For Slutty, Slutty Film Men—these are for the performances that left us all hot and bothered and filled with horny thoughts. Because we are sex-positive here and we love men.

This year only, I am creating a special subsection that I am dubbing "The Elsa Lanchester Awards," so named after Elsa Lanchester from The Bride of Frankenstein. This subsection is a sort of containment zone for my Universal Horror marathon movies—all movies in that marathon are assigned to the Elsas. Many of them were rewatches, and so they wouldn't qualify for the Bettes normally; however, this presents a problem—Many of those movies had their first watch pre-2019, when the first Bettes happened, and were thus never at all eligible for a Bette, some of them missing the cutoff by only a month or so. That should be corrected. Plus, this marathon was such a significant thing to me that I feel like it needed some recognition. Finally, reappraisals happen! Our opinions change. And so I decided to give the Universal Horror marathon movies a space to have their moment in the moonlight.

Format

Each category name will be in a larger font size; the Elsa categories will be clearly distinct. There may be a short description of the category, and then a list of the winners. Below that, I will talk a little about the various winners. Finally, there may be an honorary mention line.

And so—let's start!

Category Is: Biggest Surprise

Movies that I went into with low expectations and came away pleasantly surprised. They should have been bad movies, but they weren't!

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Saw X (2023)

Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)

Paranormal Activity as a franchise is not good; the series is middling found footage movie one after another. (The entire found footage genre is low quality, low budget dreams with rare gems scattered thinly through it, let's be real.) PA3, however, has a very likeable protagonist, good scare effects, and some interesting use of the camera. Saw, as a series, is not one I am very partial to, and some of the later sequels are.... almost incomprehensible. I had absolutely no hope going into Saw X—and then walked out thinking it was one of the best horror movies of the year! How many franchises can say that the tenth installment is the definitive best one? Not many!

On the other hand...

Category Is: Biggest Disappointment

Movies I was excited to get to, often based on reputation, but which left me wanting much more.

The Goonies (1985)

30 Days of Night (2007)

As Above, So Below (2014)

WHY IS EVERYONE SHOUTING IN THE GOONIES THE WHOLE TIME? We were excited for baby Ke Huy Quan, but that movie was just a headache. As Above, So Below had so much potential and has a strong reputation, and it was the first movie that got permission from the French government to shoot in the legendary Parisian catacombs—and it's just a mid National Treasure kind of thing. Bleh.

Category Is: This Is Terrible; I Love It!

Eegah! (1962)

This award goes out to a very special movie that is absolutely unquestionably terrible, but I had great fun watching it. Usually I don't care much for "It's so bad it's good!" (usually it's Just Bad), but this truly takes the cake. This movie is about an ancient caveman that comes to life (the titular Eegah), and the young hip-for-the-50s-early-60s couple that he terrorises. Everything about this is wooden and flimsy. The dad self-financed this movie to push his son as an Elvis wannabe (including such lines as "I swear on my Elvis Presley EP!"), and... well, I don't think it was ever going to work out for them. There are bizarre musical interludes, some good jokes (*points to a cave painting* "This is from Grog's blue period.") But it's a trainwreck. I watched this with Elvira's Movie Macabre, and she had a field day too. It's an amazing time.

Category Is: I'm A Weirdo (Weirdest Movie)

Skinamarink (2023)

If you know, you know. This is by far the oddest little movie of 2023. It's supposed to be liminal horror, very soft and whispered and weird camera angles, and nightmare logic, a confused and buried plot... It's indescribable. Some people hated it; some people felt very seen by it. I feel like it's almost something of an ink blot test in movie form, where your brain either fills in the missing spaces with horror or it doesn't. Mine did not.

Category Is: Musical Pro-Shot/Concert Film

Over the course of the year, but especially in the second half, we got to see quite a few musicals (and a particular concert...) in the movie theatre. We are, of course, former musical theatre queens, and so we went to as many as we could.

Waitress (2023 Pro-Shot)

The Eras Tour (2023 Concert)

I fully cried through the entirety of the second act of Waitress. What fun and heartbreak that show is. And well, Miss Swift certainly does put on a show! The lighting design too was very impressive.

Category Is: Favourite Miyazaki

Starting in March, our theatre had a Ghibli Fest that led up to The Boy and The Heron being released in December. Each month, they'd play one or two Miyazaki movies, and we were very enthusastic about going!

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Spirited Away (2001)

Ponyo (2008)

Okay, the last two are also grandfathered in because I last saw them in like 2017/18. But all of these are delightful and incredible in different ways.

Category Is: Line Readings That Live In My Head Rent-Free

[Spooky Win] Eva Moore, The Old Dark House (1932) — "NO BEDS!! THEY CAN'T HAVE ANY BEDS!! NO BEDS!!"

Alan Rickman, Galaxy Quest (1999) — "By Grabthar's hammer, what a savings." / "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged."

Brittany Murphy, Riding In Cars With Boys (2001) — "My doightas a tramp! MY DOIGHTAS A TRAAAAMP!"

Kathy Bates, sort of, in the most roundabout way in Rat Race (2001) — "You shoulda bought a cocka-doodie squirrel!"

Mia Goth, Infinity Pool (2023) — "JAAAAAAMESYYYY" and "ATTENTION PEOPLE OF THE BUS"

Rosamund Pike, Saltburn (2023) — "Times New Roman."

Margot Robbie, Barbie (2023) — "I'm not a fascist! I don't control the railways or the flow of commerce!"

Brittany Murphy killed us with that line. Drew Barrymore's character wants to practice with Brittany Murphy, practice telling her parents that she's a pregnant teen. She tells Brittany, and... Brittany explodes, in the middle of the street, screaming at her. And she's like, well, you have to be ready for that!

The Kathy Bates one needs to be explained. So.... that is not a line that is spoken in the movie; it isn't even in the movie. It's a mutant phrase that we made up based on a similar line that is written down in Rat Race but filtered through her character in Misery (1991). That's just how we are!

Category Is: Favourite Wardrobe

Barbie (2023)

Truly, all of her outfits are amazing. My personal favourite is that look that she's wearing when she returns to Barbieland and finds that the Kens have taken over.

Category Is: Creature Design

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

There have been a lot of Godzillas over the decades. But this one? This one looked so cool, especially when it charges up to do its beam attack.

Category Is: Visual Aesthetic

Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) (1975)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Poor Things (2023)

I'm most interested in Poor Things here: I cannot ever get over those skies. Beyond that, the camera work, the design of the world, the clothes, it's all so specific and delightfully weird.

Category Is: Gayyyy

Movies that centre around being gay and gay experiences.

Carol (2015)

Eileen (2023)

Dante & Artistotle Discover The Secrets Of The Universe (2022)

Yay lesbians! We love them!

And now, to take a spooky detour into the Elsas—

Spooky Category Is: Directorial Achievement

James Whale: Frankenstein, The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein

Jack Arnold: It Came From Outer Space, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature, Tarantula, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Space Children, Monster on the Campus

Both of these directors were artists whose work I admired pretty much across the board. They have style, they have a point of view, and I would some day like to do deep dives on them!

Spooky Category Is: The Joan Crawford Award For Especial Awfulness

The Mummy's Tomb (1942)

Captive Wild Woman (1943)

I have only awarded The Joan Crawford once, to The Purge, because I hated it and its ideology so much. This year, I found two new Especially Awful movies to add to that list. Both of these movies truly made me question if I wanted to keep going with the Universal Horror marathon, they were that bad. The Paula the Ape Woman series (of which Captive Wild Woman is the first) in particular made me stop for a week because I lost faith in the process!

Spooky Category Is: Supporting Performance

Elsa Lanchester, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Una O'Connor, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) + The Invisible Man (1933)

O. P. Heggie, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Ernest Thesiger, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Boris Karloff, The Raven (1935)

Edward Van Sloan, Dracula (1931) + Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Eva Moore, The Old Dark House (1932)

Joan Weldon, Them! (1954)

Mara Corday, Tarantula (1955)

Joanna Moore, Monster on the Campus (1958)

I promise I did not make this category just for The Bride of Frankenstein!! I just have a lot of Feelings about that movie this year!! (I only named the entire subsection after Elsa Lanchester herself.)

Spooky Category Is: Lead Performance

Bela Lugosi, Dracula (1931) + The Raven (1935)

Claude Rains, The Invisible Man (1933)

Boris Karloff, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Gloria Holden, Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Simone Simon, Cat People (1940)

Martin Kosleck, House of Horrors (1946)

Rondo Hatton, House of Horrors (1946)

Charles Laughton, The Strange Door (1951)

Lori Nelson, Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Grant Williams, The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

We were in Spirit Halloween this past October, and I remember looking up at a cardboard sign that had Boris Karloff's face, giant and in his monster look, which was glaring down at us. And it just struck me that some of these performances (Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in this category in particular) have just been iconic for literally a century. All the bad vampire impressions go back to Bela's Dracula. One of the most enduring monsters is Frankenstein's monster and the way Boris Karloff represented him. And I just think that's wonderful.

Spooky Category Is: Overall Favourites

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Dracula (1931)

The Old Dark House (1932)

The Invisible Man (1933)

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

The Raven (1935)

Cat People (1940)

Tarantula (1955)

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Many of these need no explanation: They are classics for a reason. What I do want to draw attention to is that there are two silent films on this list! I watched The Phantom of the Opera from 1925 with, I believe, the 1927 scoring, and it was simply wonderful, especially the very early-tech technicolour masquerade scene. Same with The Cat and the Canary, a silent spooky comedy that I loved. I've always been... interested? I suppose? In trying to get into silent films more and never really actually doing it. And the book that I was following just went straight into them. Sometimes you just have to do things!

Anyway, that's the end of the Elsas, which means we can get back to the main body of the Bettes and give out their big awards!

Category Is: Supporting Performance

Alan Rickman, Galaxy Quest (1999)

Brittany Murphy, Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

Logan Lerman, Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

Samantha Sloyan, Midnight Mass (2021)

Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Dominique Blanc, L'Origine du mal (2023)

Ryan Gosling, Barbie (2023)

Rosamund Pike, Saltburn (2023)

Taraji P. Henson, The Color Purple (2023)

Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple (2023)

I'll admit, I was a little on the fence about Ryan Gosling a week ago—was he actually that good? But then we rewatched it, and yes, it's an excellent comedic side role; he did wonderfully.

Samantha Sloyan for Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass was so good that I had to break my own rule about this being cinéma only and allow in a television series performance. (And let's be real, it's Netflix, the line has already been blurred extremely.)

But I really want to talk about Taraji and Danielle Brooks. Those two are just so so so wonderful. Taraji in that red look, when she's about to perform? That might be one of my favourite images of the whole year. And Danielle Brooks has such charm and such warmth; I'm not surprised they wanted her to come with the role after doing it on Broadway.

Category Is: Lead Performance

Judy Garland, The Clock (1945)

Michelle Yeoh, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Zhang Ziyi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl (2014)

Cate Blanchett, Carol (2015)

Margot Robbie, Barbie (2023)

Marin Ireland, Birth/Rebirth (2023)

Judy Reyes, Birth/Rebirth (2023)

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Ryunosuke Kamiki, Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Emma Stone, Poor Things (2023)

I'm sorry, I could not get this down to ten. I actually started this list with TWENTY THREE that I wanted here! All of them are so deserving! And I could not cut it beyond these—I mean!! JUDY! Michelle and Zhang Ziyi! "I'm so much happier now that I'm dead, technically missing!" CATE! The Barbie herself! Our mad scientist and the most determined mother on the planet! Lily!! The most sad little meow meow who has ever had to stand up to Godzilla! And one of the best character performances I have ever seen!

And most of them are this year! What an amazing year of amazing performances.

Category Is: Favourite Horror

Scream 6 (2023)

Birth/Rebirth (2023)

Saw X (2023)

Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (2023)

Do you think I liked the new horror releases of 2023? Half of these I didn't even expect to like! I'm so happy especially that Hell House turned out well; we LOVE the first one and enjoy~tolerate the second and third, so we weren't quite sure how we'd feel about the fourth. But it's soooo good!

Category Is: Favourite Comedy

Galaxy Quest (1999)

You Hurt My Feelings (2023)

Barbie (2023)

Anyone But You (2023)

Poor Things (2023)

Okay, and 4/5 of these are 2023 too. We're both spooky and funny this year, I guess. Three of these actually came in the last month of the year for us—Anyone But You and Poor Things were December releases, and we didn't get to You Hurt My Feelings until December.

Category Is: Favourite Drama

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Panic Room (2002)

Gone Girl (2014)

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Well I guess this category is more "David Fincher thriller-dramas are my kind of thing" plus "Asian excellence."

Category Is: THE Favourites Of The Year

Birth/Rebirth (2023)

Poor Things (2023)

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

These three are my absolute tops of the year. I get so excited just thinking about them!

Birth/Rebirth is such a smart take on Frankenstein and has two incredible lead performances. It's wet and horrifying, it's funny, it's just perfect. Poor Things: Emma Stone is a revelation. She has such perfect physical comedy. The whole movie looks beautiful. And Godzilla is an incredible, moving epic with perfect emotion and a brilliant creature design to boot.

Anyway. Enough of that respectable stuff.

The Keanu Reeves Awards For Slutty, Slutty Film Men

For appearences that made yours truly filled with horny thoughts.

Keanu Reeves, Point Break (1991)

Early 90s Keanu showing full ass. I watched it on Valentine's Day just for Keanu and got THAT! I was delighted.

2. John Bromfield, Revenge of the Creature (1955)

I watched the Creature movies for the creature, of course.

3. Kyle MacLachlan, Showgirls (1995)

Had to edit the front-facing one because I was scared tumblr was going to flag it. But let's just say you can see some shaft.

4. Paul Mescal, Aftersun (2022)

He's just that that whole ass out, huh?

5. Ryan Gosling, Barbie (2023)

I remember when the first look at Barbie came out and people were being SO annoying about him and how he looks. And I think he looks delicious!

6. Simu Liu, Barbie (2023)

I would love to watch them beach off together, personally.

7. Josh Hutcherson, Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)

Whatever you say beautiful dot gif.

8. Barry Keoghan, Saltburn (2023)

The scene that shook the internet. Of course, there's more to see, if you know what I mean, but I'm not about to get this post flagged.

9. Glen Powell, Anyone But You (2023)

More like Anyone Butt You, am I right? He has a bit the credits where he just fully bent over. But I couldn't find that with a quick search. Alas!

Anyway. For realsies, if you made it this far, thank you for reading my word salad. These things always end up a little longer than I mean for them to. I am naturally verbose in writing and I was very excited about films for this year!

#the pink bettes #i said i'd get them done for thursday and i did!#also please believe me when i say it is an extremely long post girlies

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andhumanslovedstories · 2 years

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Hey if you think you weathered the quarantine badly, I’m not even an essential worker and as a result of working from home I’ve seen all the Karate Kid movies (including KK3) and also the bad Netflix spinoff Cobra Kai multiple times. (Note: don’t do this). I feel like Karl Urban can’t be worse than this

Okay if we’re using this blog as a confessional Alsace space for our quarantine sins, I must reiterate that I at one point called in sick to work so I could continue marathoning yugioh

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inlocusmads · 1 year

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Promises Made, Promises Kept

A thirty day writing challenge project:

Day Ten: Write with the title, "Promises Made, Promises Kept".

The universe has a funny way of assuring people. It takes everything from everyone and leaves them with scraps, before slowly supplying them with shrivels of hope.

Featuring: Maura Tauber, Sledge from Wake the Dead

Slight Gore/Teen+/WC: 1.9k

The Park Street neighborhood was a paradise the same way a desolate sewer would be a home for fugitive rats. It was empty; its buildings hollow and full of regret and shame. The people in it were told they'd be leaving and it was just a little mixup, that's all. The Drone situation was merely an outbreak and that, people would likely return home after their time in mandatory quarantine camps. And yet, they never returned.

Maura grew up in Park Street. To see it in a devastating condition was heartbreaking, but it was nothing new anyway. Behind her was Sledge and the two of them were on Scavenging Duty - gathering medical supplies, any morsel of something they could find - anything for them to get through the winter with clothes on their shoulders and food in their stomachs. Sledge surveyed the small community, as they walked briskly against each other; between long and boxy apartments. Tall, narrow and almost hollow. The act of living went from being a privilege at birth, to a chore during adulthood and in the recent years, a matter of great pride. To have survived so far; to see the children at Camp Cypress grow up with knives and armours and who were taught to defend and hold their ground was a bit of a gut punch, because children were.. children.

They were young.

Maura could imagine the days. She was just a little kid - about four years old during the summer of 2018 and about seven before the Outbreak. At some points in her life, she'd played several games of street football. She'd especially hated Gina Weissman; this notorious pig-tailed girl whose parents had just gotten her a Wii console when she could barely recite her ABC's. She hadn't been a very bright child but they'd play football like the funny men on TV.

To think that Gina Weissman was now dead was a tough pill to swallow. Likely torn apart by a Drone and she'd have been so young too. Helpless. She'd have run away with her Wii console, crying for her Ma and Pa when they were long gone and Turned. She'd have been likely bitten by one of them too. Gina Weissman was Maura's sworn enemy, but to conceptualise the fact that she was living when everyone else who'd grown up with her, who'd shared the same laughs, the same jokes and sometimes even the same food from the plate - were all gone.

"We can look for a different place." Sledge said. "I doubt there's anything good here."

"No, I know this shop just down the street. It's this pharmacy and they'd probably have coats and jackets and cardboard boxes."

"Alright, then. Let's make it quick."

***

The pharmacy was more of an apothecary owned by this gentle man named Stephan. He was half Italian and half Cuban and would narrate all sorts of stories. He'd kept the old ladies entertained and the young children out of trouble and his pharmacy had the biggest TVs. You see, when Maura got into petty little fights with her friends from class, her dads would put her on probation to make her learn her lesson. Which meant no TV, no mobile phones or tablets and absolutely no music. It is safe to assume that Maura spent all her summer afternoons, tending to her rough wounds as she listened to Stephan speak about his uncles and aunts and his weird cousin Allie, as the big TV played all the latest daily soaps, sometimes even reruns of news broadcasts and if she were really lucky, late-noon marathons of all the best Pixar movies.

The pharmacy was now a crumbling piece of infrastructure. The beams were filled with patches of dried blood, like a five year old's finger painting drawing. The columns were slowly losing themselves; being subjected to corrosion - the slowest and most painful forms of death there ever existed. There was no more Stephan or his stories or the TV or anything, really. The fridge where the best lemon sodas were cooled down, was broken into smithereens. Bloated corpses hung low and they had to be careful with their eyes and feet, because even the slightest of sounds might trigger a wave of chaos.

They couldn't make any noise. It was too dangerous.

Sledge signed in ASL. Check the cash register if you can find stationery and novelty stuff.

Maura signed back; a hand holding a shopping bag and her other hand doing the signing. We need jackets, plumbing stuff and duct tape.

Sledge gave her a little nod. She proceeded to walk to the end of the aisle in the silence. Maura turned to the cash register and quickly studied its workings before holding on and opening it without making any noise. She spotted loose change, which were unnecessary at this point and several collection of pens and pencils. Maura pocketed the stationery, then turned to the drawers to see if she could find soap. Stephan usually had an assortment of homemade soaps somewhere here…

The first thing she noticed were several bars of ginger soap. Delighted, she grabbed them all in a handful and put them inside the bag as slowly and steadily as she could. The next thing she saw were some important heavy-duty equipments. Well, as heavy-duty as screwdrivers and other tool kits could get. Either way, it was better than nothing and besides, they were running short of them anyway. Thirdly, there was a collection of pictures. Which was not odd, considering Stephan was the only one who managed, purchased and maintained the store and it was perfectly reasonable for him to store any and all important things if he wanted to.

Maura grabbed the pictures and shifted through them as quickly as she could. As Shannon once claimed, "The greatest of cures and ideas stem from the unlikeliest of places." So it was only warranted she go through personal documents - anything that might help them survive and get a scientific edge over the Drones.

The first was a picture of Stephan in his shop. It was old, crinkly, the kind of picture a grandpa would have preserved in between pages of a book, only to open years later and reminisce about the good times. It was back in 2019 when Polaroid pictures were incredibly popular and having them on your dormitories or on your walls made you preserve certain key memories. Stephan was accompanied by a girl and Maura recognised the face instantly.

Gina Weissman.

She looked so happy. She had long red hair and always wore a pink shirt. She'd been -- six then, by the looks of it and she had her arm around Stephan's side, like she was an incredibly proud daughter and had a winning smile. Gina Weissman wasn't Stephan's daughter or anything. She was just the neighborhood girl who was mean to everyone and had Wii parties every other Saturday. Captioned with the date and time and other little quotes and something in hasty Italian.

Maura turned to the next one. This time, it was a different picture. Stephan, Gina and her mother were standing in front of a beach on a winter's day. Her father wasn't pictured but it is likely he could've been the one taking the photo. Stephan had his hands cover his eyes and he had bits of gray in his hair. Maybe he was a family friend. A friend who was more than that. An old uncle, maybe.

Maura recognised the beach and the sky. It had been Silja's eleventh birthday and they'd gone to the beach to celebrate because Silja had always wanted to get one of those candy floss on a stick things they had in little rolling stands. It was all that she ever wanted and Papa and Dad had taken them there. Dad talked on and on about birthday wishes and promises and so on and how eleventh birthdays were important and what he did and everything, so much so that it got extremely boring and Papa had to silence him with a proper kiss, to which Dad became intensely flustered. Silja had chuckled and Maura had gagged and the four of them then enjoyed some falafels under the night sky.

The third and final picture had a clear shot of the night sky, with a comet whizzing by at just the right time. Underneath the picture, it said: Made a wish! and once again, in rapid, but now coherent Italian, it read: Non auguri! Promesse! Accadranno sicuramente. (Not wishes, promises! They'll definitely happen)

Her Dad had said the same thing. "You don't wish for things. You make the universe promise you that good things will happen and I tell you, the universe never fails to listen. It's hard to get there, but it is worth the run."

Silja had asked. "Is it sort of like the time when you had to run after Papa in the pouring rain because you had this massive fight?" to which Papa laughed and Dad shook his head, exhausted from being the butt of all jokes. He'd taken it well, except later that night when they'd all gotten home, ready for some celebratory dessert as a little surprise for Silja, he'd taken a bite out of her icecream in mock resistance.

Why?

Why did they have to leave?

Maura stuffed the photographs in her bag and searched the drawers for anything extra. There was nothing else left. She decided to hold onto those pictures. If Gina Weissman wanted anything, she'd have asked for everyone to keep talking about her. And if Stephan wanted anything as his last wish, he'd have hoped people would continue to tell stories, have some fun, enjoy a night out in the starry sky, make unlikely friends and find a family - even if they aren't always by blood.

Sledge emerged from the back aisles, carrying a bag full of coats and a duffel bag full of parts.

Did you find any food? She signed.

No. Just soap. Maura signed back.

We should head up to the next street. There's a bakery.

Okay. Let's go.

If there was anything she learned from Papa and Dad and Stephan, it would be a lesson in hope. Dad was a person of reason and yet, he believed, till the very end, that it was nothing more than the universe paying him back - telling him that it'd one day fulfill its promise. The promise of finding love and a family. Dad would complain. He'd spent years talking about how his twenties flew by with him moping about as if he was in a doomsday of his own making. Everyday, he'd beg the evil puppeteers that controlled his life; his every step, to be a lot more kinder. And with hope came trusting those promises. Trusting that even though nature was cold and cruel, there was something about it that made everyone feel instantly at ease.

Stephan had talked about it too. How lonely it was, being of mixed blood. He spoke Italian but he was never Italian enough. He spoke Spanish but was never Cuban enough. And there was this family that showed him hope; showed him that even in the darkest corners, that even in the crooked little mind of a vindictive little child spoiled with Wii games and three-tier birthday cakes, there existed hope. The promise that everything will be okay and the hope to fuel that belief. To trust the process and to understand that though, not everything happens within a reason, it isn't the end.

The Universe had always kept promises. It delivered right when it meant to - carefully playing around until Dad "happens" to bump into Papa; listening to Stephan and placing him right at the Weissman's place.

And if it hasn't fulfilled a promise just yet, it means it isn't the end.

___

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! I drew the ASL concept from A Quiet Place where you had the same situation with hyper-sensitive creatures with insane hearing abilities. Though Maura and Sledge don't have difficulties hearing, they prefer to use ASL in places where they're not sure about the Drone infestation and it is required to be quiet.

Thank you so much for reading! (I ended up finishing both Day 9 and Day 10 prompts today, which is.. the 25th of January 2023, if you must know lol!)

Tag List:

Perma: @tessa-liam @writing-not @peonierose @trappedinfanfiction

Wake the Dead only: @aallotarenunelma @jerzwriter @cariantha

30 Days: @jerzwriter

Once again, I am super duper sorry for spamming your notifications lol. Please do let me know if you'd like to be tagged for this or if you'd like to be removed/added, etc. I want to keep people's preferences in mind!

#wake the dead #maura tauber #sledge wake the dead #w:inlocusmads #thirty days writing challenge

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himluv · 2 years

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Goals Summary 2022 - Wk 25

Another doozy of a week. This one complete with a writing marathon, quarantining, and two whole movies!

Yes, yes. I’m aware that it’s Sunday. I know! I know I usually post these summaries on Mondays. But my “week” starts on Sunday, so I always write these things on Sunday, I just don’t usually post them until Monday. So, psych! I gotcha! Honestly, though, I don’t know if I’m just ahead of the of the game because I’ve been stuck in the house all week (Trev tested positive for COVID on Wednesday), or…

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#covid #editing #fiction #folk horror #goals #novellas #novels #quarantine #revising #science fiction #short stories #urban fantasy #willamette writers #workworkwork #writing #writing community

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ozma914 · 5 months

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Covid Keeps Quarantines Coming

I'm not even sure how to start when it comes to Covid. As a writer I'm a professional smart-ass, but with this I got my ass kicked, and didn't feel too smart about it.

Illness or injury traditionally accompany our vacations: Last December Emily and I came down with the flu when we were supposed to visit her family and friends in Missouri. This year we decided to head down on a Thursday.

On Wednesday we started to feel a little ... off. By Thursday morning we had to call it--we couldn't risk giving her father whatever bug was now traveling with us. It wasn't until Friday night that we began to suspect the modern medical boogieman, Covid. We missed the trip, we missed Saturday's Holiday Pops concert, and I felt so bad I couldn't even write. By the time it was done I had to contact my editor at History Press to push back our deadline for the Haunted Noble County book, because I'd planned to use half of my vacation to work on it.

The only question left: Could I turn it into a funny blog?

It doesn't LOOK like 102 degrees. No. No, I could not.

The only thing we did was marathon the TV show The Expanse, and unsuccessfully try to listen to Good Omens on audiobook. (We kept having to go back when one or another of us fell asleep.)

You know, watching TV and reading books wouldn't be such a bad vacation. The problem is that for the first couple of days we were unable to enjoy anything, and in fact we were too sick to sleep. You heard that right. Over that first weekend I, who can't function on less than eight hours of sleep, stayed awake for twenty-fours straight. Even Nyquil wouldn't put me out.

Then, for a week after that, we were too sick to stay awake. That was the period during which we kept having to go back and decide what we remembered last from the audiobook.

"It was Agnes Nutter and the book, wasn't it?"

"No, it was Adam and the Them meeting the dog."

(We were both wrong: It was Crowley terrifying his house plants.)

I took this photo of Emily at the same time the one above of me was taken. She's in there, I swear.

Part of it--let's face it--is that I'm no spring chicken pox. When I was in my early 20's I once rode the back step of a fire engine to a mobile home fire on the edge of town--while running a fever.

This truck, specifically. What an awesome truck.

A couple of years later I rode a different engine to Kendallville, to a tire fire so big it could have been seen from the International Space Station, if there'd been one at the time. I was coughing up junk that looked like it belonged in an alien invasion horror movie, despite never getting into the smoke. Yet there I went, for twelve hours. Our Chief later ordered me to go home and go the hell to bed.

No more.

It's not just that Covid is bad. My normal temperature runs around 97.6, and by the time it hit 100 not only could I not go to a fire, I couldn't pick up the TV remote. (Thus the marathon of one show.) It reached 102 at one point. My skin kept trying to crawl away to somewhere cooler, or so it felt.

Emily was running about a day behind me, so I had the pain of knowing what she was about to go through. She's still got a terrible cough weeks later, while mine is just awful. We were like the grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just laying there in a lump. Christmas preparations? Hah! We'd bought a new, pre-lit tree, but we never even got a chance to fluff out the branches, let alone decorate it.

I kinda like it like this, though. Yes, it's black.

I was so sick--brace yourself for this--I lost my appetite.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've completely lost my appetite, and I was in the hospital for most of those. I dropped six pounds. This is not a recommended diet.

The moral of this story is, of course, don't get Covid. We didn't mind at all being quarantined, at least not until the chocolate ran out. (Everything tasted salty or metallic, except chocolate.) Other people in this area passed away from it, so we count ourselves lucky now that we're feeling 50% better.

Yeah, I'm exhausted all the time, but I work nights--I was already halfway there, anyway.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

Remember, books aren't effective as masks, but they're great for quarantine.

#humor #family #coronavirus #pandemic #quarantine #corona virus #health #medical humor #medical stuff #firefighting #writing

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charles5436 · 9 months

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The OnePlus Nord: Everything You Need to Know About Its Features, Design, and More || NEoDrafts

Mobile phones have become the de facto best friends of everyone in these tough quarantine times. Becoming so intimate with the mobiles that they begin to seem boring is an unexpected aftermath. With many models and upgrades in the market, it is not difficult to rectify such situations. All You Need to Know About OnePlus Nord, Features, Design and Many More

Out of all the available brands and models, OnePlus NORD surely sweeps the top spot in the hearts of the people. Eager to fulfil the tagline of OnePlus “Value for Money”, OnePlus released NORD in an affordable price range. Let’s dive into the specifications and features of this unarguably the best smartphone of 2020.

OnePlus Nord Background:

Exclusive for the mid-tier smartphone section, OnePlus has launched NORD on July 21st. Available exclusively with Amazon and the company’s own website, NORD aims to go on sale from August 4th. Also, with its a high-end variant set to hit the market in September. Keeping in mind the global economic crisis and staying true to the company’s concept, the launch of OnePlus NORD will bring the best of both worlds.

Playing in the affordable price ranges of ₹24,999 to ₹30,000 for all the NORD variants, OnePlus smartphone seems to have returned to its roots. Also, the likes of such quality mobiles at reasonable prices had been the youth of OnePlus as a brand.

Specification of OnePlus NORD:

Available in head-turning colors of Blue Marble and Grey Onyx adds to the aesthetics of this smartphone.

With 6.44 inches AMOLED display with resolution 1800X2400 pixels and 90Hz refresh rate, OnePlus ensured that there was no compromise with quality with respect to the price. And an option of tuning the refresh rate down to 60Hz is also available to save battery life. No stopping you on awesome games and an endless movie marathon.

OnePlus boasts of 6 cameras, 4 rear and 2 front. 48MP main camera + 8MP ultra-wide + 2MP macro + 5MP depth sensor. 32MP Sony IMX616 primary sensor + 8MP secondary sensor for the front cameras. Super slow motion, Time-lapse and a 4K video recording can satisfy every amateur photographer’s needs.

Updated software to suit today’s fast-paced generation, OxygenOS10.5 based on Android 10 is the best offered at this price range. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G processor with Adreno, everything on the mobile becomes faster and efficient.

Going along with the trend, NORD supports face unlock and fingerprint scanner. This sensitive equipment is protected by strong Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back.

Do not get disappointed with no micro SD slot for with The OnePlus Nord the base model of 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant, the 8GB RAM/128GB storage and 12GB RAM/256GB storage variants remove this necessity of separate storage space.

With a 4115 mAh battery (non-removable), and fast charging 30W guaranteeing 70% charge in 30 minutes, it is the best deal available at the mid-price range.

What Is Unique in OnePlus NORD?

The number of variants with the quality and features at the given price range is a feat worth mentioning. The focus on user experience rather than the specifications is a welcome shift in the series of OnePlus smartphone launches. And the OnePlus NORD surely packs a punch in its performance.

Another scarcely mentioned advantage of NORD is that its thermal footprint is well in control even if the phone usage is pushed to the limits. This means you do not have to scald your hand when excessive usage of the smartphone is unavoidable. The better selfie cameras and filter options are definitely an upgrade from OnePlus’s previous models. The photographer’s soul in you will assuredly be super satisfied.

In conclusion, with OnePlus NORD, you get more than you expected and at a reasonable price range. And also with OnePlus as a brand that continuously strives for perfection, new upgrade in the software are available frequently. To sum up, this makes the NORD smartphone stand the test of time and usage for years to come.

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craseycazy · 1 year

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I hope this doesnt come across as rude, but I am genuenly curious. You said that you fucking hated back to the future. Since i am one of the biggest bttf fans out there, thats hard for me to understand. But i want to learn about criticism to these movies i love do much and so far i have not met anybody who activly disliked these movies, so i am taking this chance to ask, for what, if any, reasons there are to hate back to the future. I hope this isnt a rude thing to ask

dw anon its not rude at all!

in all honesty i haven't watched back to the future since the quarantine and my mom showed it to my sister and i as part of a movie marathon.

i tried really hard to get into it but it never really hooked me in like other 80s movies did (like the michael keaton batman movies or bill and ted did). the plot seemed, odd. like there wasnt much reason to go back in time. and the whole "marty getting a crush on his mom" misunderstanding didnt help either

basically; i don't really know why i hate it. the sequels werent very good either and i felt it couldve done better in general. also im a hater. i love hating.

#toad croaks #anon #asks #anon im rlly sorry its just #i love hating #/lh #/nm #bttf

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nedflix-n-chill · 1 year

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12 Days of Christmas #11 Await Further Instructions Oh, I dug this. Yep this is my shit right here. I grew up on a steady dose of Twilight Zone marathons. Into adulthood I'm all about that Black Mirror. Personally, I like my scifi dripping with socially conscious morality plays. I'm talking first time your memaw saw Elvis swing his hips DRIPPING. Star Trek over Star Wars every day all day. It also helps that I got this blu-ray for free at a trivia contest. I never even heard of this movie. It's easy to enjoy something you have ZERO expectations for. Plus the only thing better than something free is when you won it so it was kinda the perfect storm of instances designed for someone to be "pleasantly surprised" by something that basically just has to clear the low bar of not causing me physical harm. And with that I realize I basically undermined those instances that set up the perfect viewing. By a) telling you it's good, and 2) mentioning such titans of the genre I'm setting unreasonably lofty expectations. Really shooting myself in the foot here but that's why I use a fake name so y'all can't catch me on the street when I recommend I Know Who Killed Me and you think I need to answer for those 105 minutes I robbed from you (I'm a coward). Yo this is about going to your racist ass family's for the holiday but some external force makes you unable to leave. Like Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel with boomers instead of the bourgeois (OK now I'm just being obnoxiously hyperbolic, I'm sorry). But then they start receiving commands they need to follow and that's where the shit hits the fan in a really fun crazy way. It's super timely, rife with allegory regarding media consumption and presciently mirroring the pandemic/self-quarantining though this came out in 2018 so if you think it has any specific covid agenda it's probably you projecting. But isn't drawing those parallels exactly what makes this type of scifi engaging and ultimately hold up over time? Also it has a pretty bonkers ending which I'm sure will lose some but fuck it, I'll stand by this one and meet you out behind the Wawa and we'll settle this like 2 people who peaked in high school. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmkKOlTvZ5a/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#11

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orihara-infobroker · 4 years

Text

Seclusion Day Seven

This was the fourth of Mikiya’s daily conference calls and the executives had all given up on formality - some more than others. Izaya had curled up on Shiki’s lap as they sat on the couch, laptop resting on the coffee table. Aozaki appeared to be sitting in his hot tub and Izaya was theorizing on whether or not the laptop would end up in the hot tub with him at some point. Akabayashi looked like he just woke up and finger-combed his hair into place. A half-drunk glass of what Shiki suspected was whiskey sat just in view of the camera. No one knew what Kazamoto looked like since he continued to keep his camera off but Shiki felt it safe to assume the lizard was probably just as casual as the rest of them. And the leader of this conference call? Well, he was currently helping Akane with... something?

“Hey, Akabaka, it’s a bit unprofessional to be drinking at work, don’t you think?” Izaya teased, leaning forward a bit to stare pointedly at the glass. Akabayashi pushed it out of the frame, giving Izaya a one-eyed glare.

“I don’t think sitting on your boss’s lap is particularly professional, Izaya. Neither is taking a bloody bath.” He grumbled, gaze shifting to Aozaki. The larger man shrugged.

“Just imagine we’re having a friendly chat at the onsen,” Aozaki responded with a grin. “Oh wait… you don’t have a hot tub cause you live in a fucking shit apartment.”

Akabayashi just rolled his eye and took a sip of his drink. “Not like these friendly little chats actually serve a purpose.”

“On that, I can agree with you,” Shiki replied. “So why don’t we run the agenda before Mikiya gets back then we can just give him the details and get back to work?”

Izaya leaned back, glancing at his phone. “Well I got Akabayashi’s list and it seems most of the girls are fine to work from home if we can get them the equipment they need. I sourced for various levels, depending on whether they just want to do phone calls or full video. Just a matter of order and delivery. Most of the girls are young so they should be able to set things up without too much trouble on their own.”

“I’ll review the numbers and give Mikiya the options I think are the best match for each girl,” Aka replied with a nod.

“I’d like to discuss the suspension of lease payments,” Kazamoto spoke up. “I know Mikiya won’t like it but I think we need to consider some leniency in the matter. Not for any of our corporate tower holdings, mind you. Just for the smaller businesses, especially the buildings that have restaurants or small retail. We have the overhead to cover it and I think it’s a better choice than evicting those businesses right now.”

Shiki exchanged a glance with Izaya then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Evicting them at this point wouldn’t help us anyway. There are no businesses to take their places. Aozaki, how are your men handling their new jobs?”

“They’re just happy to be doing something and the people they’re helping have been really grateful. One of the older ladies has been hand sewing masks since there’s a shortage and she’s making sure all our boys get one since we’ve been taking them over to the medical centers for her. I sent a few guys down to the food bank to help them with making up and delivering boxes. Seems demand is up with so many layoffs.”

Shiki nodded thoughtfully. “Kaz, send me a list of restaurants we have leases with. I have an idea.”

Izaya glanced at Shiki with curiosity. “Are you-” He began but then Mikiya reappeared, giving everyone a good look at his flannel pyjama pants as he sat back down.

“Sorry about that. Akane’s gotta do her schoolwork from home now, over the computer or some shit so I gotta cut this short.”

“Mikiya! Language!” Mikiya’s wife could be heard in the background, drawing amused grins from Akabayashi and Izaya.

“It’s no problem, sir,” Shiki replied. “We’ve already discussed the current projects and everything is progressing as planned. We will forward you the reports to review.”

“Ah… very good. I’ll look them over and we can discuss them tomorrow.”

As the executives logged off, Izaya gave Shiki a considering look. “You’re thinking of trading that free rent for service.”

Shiki gave the very perceptive raven an approving smile. “They need a way to keep employing their people. If we subsidize their rent during this mess, they can continue to pay their staff. If their staff are also cooking meals for those in need, they can write it off as charity and those people will remember. They’ll come back when times are better. Benefits everyone in the long run.”

“But do you think they’ll agree? And more importantly, do you think Mikiya will agree?”

“Yes. I have no doubt the restaurants will agree because it keeps them in business when they might otherwise have to shut down. Mikiya… I’m confident I can sell it to him but if he does prove difficult, I know I can sell it to Dougen.”

Izaya chuckled. “If they gave out yakuza awards, you’d get Cleverest Executive.” He teased then grew serious. “I wouldn’t normally say this…” His gaze shifted back to the laptop. “I’m a bit worried about Akabaka.”

Shiki studied the raven quietly for a moment before answering. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. But yeah, I’m worried too. Invite him over, tell him you need help with something for work, whatever works to get him out of his house. I have a suspicion he’s been drinking himself stupid.”

“Because that’s what you’d be doing if I wasn’t here to keep you entertained?”

Shiki snorted. “Unlikely. Akabayashi’s an extrovert and he really doesn’t have anyone outside the clan as I understand it. This is probably hitting him a lot harder than the rest of us.”

“Make cookies.”

“What?”

“Remember that time I brought your cookies to the office?”

Shiki chuckled. “You’re suggesting we lure him over with the offer of cookies?”

“Well, maybe dinner and cookies? I doubt he’s had a decent meal since this whole thing started.”

“Fine, if you think that’ll work.”

Some hours later Akabayashi arrived bearing files Izaya had requested as an excuse, still looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. Izaya gazed at him critically.

“Have you even showered in the last week?” He asked as he let the redhead into the apartment. Akabayashi narrowed his eyes then pushed the files into Izaya’s hands.

“Of course I have.” He retorted and his words slurred a bit. Izaya arched a brow as he took the files.

“You know drinking alcohol won’t kill the virus, right?”

“I didn’t come here to listen to you criticize me, Orihara,” Akabayashi sneered.

“Sit down, Mizuki,” Shiki ordered. “Dinner is almost ready.” Akabayashi arched a brow at Shiki then discarded shoes and coat in the entry and made his way to the seldom-used kitchen table. Shiki had pulled it away from the wall since the breakfast bar only had two seats. Izaya followed behind, dropping the files on the coffee table beside his laptop before joining Shiki in the kitchen. “Have you been talking to the girls? How are they doing?”

Akabayashi gave Shiki a suspicious look. “They’ve been supporting each other. Most of them have roommates or family to stay with so they aren’t in a bad way.”

“That’s good. What about you?”

“What about me?” Akabayashi replied with irritation as Izaya placed a bowl of salad on the table. The raven sat down across from him, grinning.

“We’re going to watch the Marvel movies in order. Shiki’s never seen any of them.” Izaya informed Akabayashi, shaking his head in disappointment. “You should watch with us.”

Shiki brought over a hot casserole dish of lasagna. “He says this as if everyone watches comic book movies.”

Akabayashi looked between the two then sighed. “I see what you’re doing.”

“Feeding you dinner and inviting you to watch movies with us?” Izaya replied with an innocent smile. Akabayashi rolled his eyes and reached for the serving spoon, helping himself to a generous portion of lasagna.

“You promised me cookies, Izaya.” He pointed out with a smirk.

“After dinner.” Shiki went to the fridge for beers.

Akabayashi grinned. “He’s really never seen any of them?” Izaya nodded as he filled his own plate. “There’s what, twenty of them? That’s gonna take a while to get through.”

“Well, if we watch a couple of them every few days, we should be able to get through all of them by the time this quarantine passes.”

“Every few days, hm?” Akabayashi took a bite of the lasagna as Shiki joined them. “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen all of them either.”

Izaya grinned. “You? The hippest of the executives? Unbelievable! You absolutely have to join us now. Your reputation depends on it.”

“Not like I have anything else to do, anyway.”

“And with you around, Shiki can stop using the excuse that there’s no one to eat his baking,” Izaya added, turning his grin on Shiki.

Shiki cracked a smile. “I do have a few dessert recipes I’ve been wanting to try out.”

#durarara #fanfiction #shikizaya #have a house guest #quarantine movie marathon #my wiriting

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