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rosesnvines · 2 years

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American anti-Catholic sentiment is so interesting to me. One border between us and things are so different. Catholics are our largest Christian church. Even our 2nd largest church (Anglican) and 3rd largest church being Protestant don't give us the same anti-Catholic sentiment. My ignorant guess is certain large denominations of USA Protestants are the cause, and because their numbers are smaller here it's not so widespread? I was at a Baptist service once 10 years ago and it was the first/last time I heard someone say "Catholics are pagan, etc." in person. Would love to learn more.

It is certain USA Protestant sects, and not all of them, I can guarantee, as I am friends with several Protestants. By technicality, it kinda started with Henry VIII when he created Anglicanism, and further perpetuated by his daughter Elizabeth, hence the Catholic/Protestant divide in Ireland. Many of the Protestants and Anglicans got into the high positions of Academia, and they looked upon anything that the Irish did as pagan, so to speak. They were considered "backwards" and "superstitious". The Puritans were also hated, hence why they immigrated to America, to create their own society. Protestants followed, of course. The Catholics followed later, settling in what is now Maryland. But with the English Protestant also came the anti-Catholic sentiments. And thus it spread in America. France (until the French Revolution) and Spain, England's two biggest competitors in the "colonial race", were the two big Catholic countries, followed by Ireland. So many of the places they colonized were far more friendly to Catholics as a result.

Also, one has to look no further than Halloween. Halloween does occur the night before Samhain, but it does not take any of the traditions from Samhain. Samhain was the Celtic New Year's Day/Thanksgiving, but not a harvest festival. Samhain was the first day of winter, not of autumn. That is Lughnasa, in August, that is the autumn holiday, while Imbolc in February is for spring and Beltane in May is the summer festival. All the traditions that we associate with Halloween are primarily Catholic. The dressing up is from the French and the tradition of dressing up as saints to commemorate All Saints Day. The trick-or-treating is from an English tradition called souling where the homeless went around during November 2nd, All Souls Day, and exchanging prayers for the dead for a soul cake. Carving pumpkins does come from Ireland, where they carve turnips, but the idea that we need to make ghoulish figures to ward off the devil is also the same thinking that got Notre Dame those gargoyles. The spooky scary skeletons? Momento Mori, the remains of saints, and a church in Portugal made of bones. Zombies? Taking God out of the resurrection of the dead. Chanting done by witches? People muttering their prayers under their breath, probably in Latin and most likely the Rosary. Witches? Well, besides the obvious, malicious rumor, typically single Catholic women, probably tertiary, not a nun but not able to marry, as being single was an option for men and women in the Catholic Church. The Headless Horseman? Tales of people still alive after their head was chopped off, usually to ask for a priest. The best known saint to have that was Saint Cecilia, patroness of music. The Gothic style and music? Catholic churches and organ music. Ghost stories? Those were actually used to be told around Christmas time, hence why A Christmas Carol is the way it is. Oh, and campfires too. It's only in recent years that horror stories have become a Halloween staple. In short, this culture has turned everything Catholic into something to fear. Or, well, very nearly. The whole notion that Catholicism stole from pagan traditions is a trend that started in the Victorian era by, you guessed it, a Protestant.

But America is not the only one with such an anti-Catholic history. Look into the Cristero War. The State and Catholics were battling it out a little over a hundred years ago in Mexico. Meanwhile, China has currently banned the Catholic Church, or Christianity of any kind, while also suppressing any kind of religion. It's all happened before, and it will all happen again.

I hope that cleared up a few things for you. The history of the Catholic Church is a long and complicated series of events, full of good people, bad people, and people forgotten in the sands of time. There have been wars and peace, saints and sinners, true belief and masked intentions. And I feel like I've only scrapped off the tip of the iceberg. While the anti-Catholic rhetoric isn't as in your face as openly trucking us off to concentration camps, it is still present. Pay attention to the few Catholic movies out there, to the movies that have a few Catholics in them. Or, more than likely, what the media and Hollywood are saying when we try to stand up for our beliefs. There's one more thing, one thing they want to leave out of our history books. Italians and Irish were treated no better than the blacks, maybe even worse. How do I know? It practically slapped me in the face when I read the original text of The Hidden Staircase from the Nancy Drew books. The version that was originally printed in the 1930s, not the revised version in the 1950s, which did take out a lot of the prejudices. Also, my grandfather, who was Italian, couldn't find work except working alongside blacks in the field. There were signs that stated Italians and Irish were not allowed, right next to the blacks not allowed. Everyone seems to be lead to believe that things were only bad for blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and the Native tribes, but there is a reason why the Native tribes stand in solidarity with Ireland. when your government is trying to slowly eradicate you and your culture, you will stand with others who are being treated the same. By technicality, the Irish and the Italians only gained "white status" in the past fifty years. And only in America.

So, yeah, there's a whole history of it, and hence the acronym, WASP, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Usually the root of most of our problems, but not every one, like any other group, is bad. But there still is a bit of a prejudice in them, but when you compare it to the prejudices of a hundred years ago, you do get to see just how far we have come. But we still have a ways to go as the anti-Catholic rhetoric seems to be growing another head.

#but really #there is so much #and there is a lot of digging to do #but unfortunately it seems Google doesn't have all the info #and I don't have all the books that I found this info in #so yeah

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twiceblackvelvet · 3 years

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-soft halloween movie night mihyun just because uwu-

“Come on, Dahyun. It’ll be fun!”

For as long as she can remember, Mina has always been able to rope Dahyun into just about anything with those words. When they were kids, Mina could tell that Dahyun was a little more frightful than she. However, that never stopped her from trying to get her to try out some new experiences. When an invite to their first college party arrived, Dahyun needed a little more encouragement from Mina, but eventually agreed. When a job application she had sent came back positively, Dahyun was terrified of being interviewed, but Mina managed to sway her opinion and get her to attend. She ended up getting the job with ease, and Mina was so very proud of her.

The same could be said with their relationship. Dahyun had been so nervous about making the jump from strictly friends to dating. Worried about whether or not their friendship would survive if they realized being a couple wasn’t going to work out. But, Mina assured Dahyun that there’s no one else on this Earth that she wants to spend her days with. From there on, they’ve become inseparable, and their friendship is still their favorite thing about being together.

Halloween, however, is where Dahyun draws the line. The holiday has never been interesting to her. Frightening either yourself or others is not something that Dahyun wishes to partake in. But, Mina adores the spookiest night of the year, in fact; it’s her favorite holiday. But whilst she appreciates the pumpkin carving, poorly made costumes, and abundance of candy. Her favorite tradition is binge-watching horror films.

Thus, Mina has landed herself on their couch with several blankets thrown over her body. Mountains of snacks lined up on the coffee table, wine glasses filled to the brim, and the television waiting to play the first Friday the 13th film. Dahyun detests the genre of gore, spookiness, and worst of all ghosts. She always has. But that doesn’t stop Mina from trying every single year to get Dahyun to watch along with her.

“Please! I got your favorite snacks, come on!” Mina whines, motioning toward the table. If all else fails, there’s a sure-fire way to get Dahyun to agree and it’s by catering to her grumbling stomach.

Dahyun’s eyes flicker from the snacks to Mina’s pleading face looking up at her. It’s moments like these that Dahyun realizes just how much she’s fallen for her and how dangerous that pleading face could one day be if Mina decided to try and turn them into a couple of bank robbers.

“I wanna watch all of the Friday the 13th films, but not the remakes. They’re awful.” Mina states though Dahyun doesn’t process her words, too busy focusing on her face.

Grabbing some of the snacks off the table, Mina wraps her arms around Dahyun’s waist and pulls her down to sit beside her, offering her cheek a quick peck before hitting play on the remote. Dahyun does her best to pay attention to the movie, but her stomach comes before Jason Voorhees and his hockey mask.

“Hey, chew your food! You’re going to choke if you keep throwing them in your mouth like that.” Mina jokes, lightly tickling Dahyun’s side as she slows her chewing to a stop.

“You know that I don’t like this sort of thing, Mina. Let me eat my snacks and pretend to watch in peace.”

“Fine.”

The first ten minutes of the movie is a blur to Dahyun. She tries her best to concentrate and participate in the movie marathon for Mina’s sake. But that isn’t easy when every second she’s expecting someone to jump out in front of the camera and scare the living daylights out of her. However, she continues watching and sinks farther into her seat, becoming more comfortable and relaxed. Though, that could be because Mina is holding her hand and stroking it gently with her thumb.

There are only a few jumpscares thankfully, but it isn’t as scary as she had assumed it would be by the time the credits roll. However, Mina takes notice of how the blanket Dahyun originally had positioned over her legs halfway through the movie ended up by her chin towards the end. Her eyes remain on Dahyun for a few seconds too long as Dahyun turns toward her to see why she hadn’t hit play on the next film yet.

The curve of her lips up into a smile is enough to make Mina wonder just how lucky she got to have Dahyun, and how she may just be the death of her too.

“Are we still watching this or no?” Dahyun asks, smirk still placed on her lips but her voice barely a whisper.

“Oh.. um, yes. Sorry!” Mina quickly presses play but shifts in her seat a few inches closer toward Dahyun wishing to remain within her warmth.

The second movie flies by, it helps that the wine is flowing very easily between them. Dahyun isn’t sure why she refused to pay attention previously, just very aware of how Mina’s head has dropped to rest softly on her shoulder and how her hand is lazily holding the remote atop her thigh. She tries her best to remain as still as possible. However, her breathing becomes unsteady as she tries to hold it so as not to disturb Mina, which instead is what causes Mina to be disturbed.

“Why aren’t you breathing?” Mina asks, moving her head and hand away. Dahyun immediately misses the contact between them and holds out her arms for Mina to return to cuddling her.

“I was… I just... I was.” Dahyun stutters. Mina looks at her curiously but moves back into position, wrapping her arms around her waist tightly.

The third movie doesn’t interest Dahyun nearly as much. Somewhere, in the beginning, Mina dozes off and her light snoring is the only sound Dahyun has any interest in focusing on. Mina has never been one to handle her alcohol well, usually resulting in her crashing a lot earlier than anyone else. But, she always looks at peace when she sleeps.

Dahyun watches as Mina’s chest rises and falls beneath the blanket, how her hands twitch every few seconds to keep a light grip on the remote, and how her hair has fallen across her face. The movie continues to play in the background as Jason stalks toward yet another kill, but Dahyun doesn’t care.

“You’re so beautiful.” She whispers.

Pushing herself up from the sofa to grab the remote from Mina’s hand, Dahyun turns off the movie and places the remote back down on the table still hidden by leftover snacks. She pulls the blanket up a little higher and makes sure every part of Mina is covered as the nights have gotten far colder lately. If she hadn’t taken part in drinking also, she may have considered carrying Mina up the stairs to their bedroom, but the fear of dropping her halfway up them puts Dahyun off the idea.

Leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, Dahyun stands once more to double-check their doors are locked, grabbing her own blanket as she passes and lays down beside Mina as close as she can possibly get. Her legs dangling over the side of the sofa, but it is still somehow comfortable just from being beside Mina like this.

When Mina’s eyes flutter open and it’s clear Dahyun is still in the dreamworld, Mina quickly offers her those same forehead kisses in return and hopes that her dreams are only of the two of them, and not at all of the frights and hockey masks. She curls herself closer into Dahyun and falls back into her own peaceful sleep, happy to have convinced Dahyun to participate in her favorite tradition.

#twice imagines #twice scenarios #mihyun #mina x dahyun #kpop imagines #girl group imagines #girl group scenarios #kpop scenarios #twice mina #twice dahyun

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theweirdestperson001 · 3 years

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The Pumpking Picking and Charming Events

Uhh, trying out Grimmtober. Am I doing this right? So these are kind of like one chapter stories on fun prompts right?. Okay so some people will probably need a explanation for this story. Back in the early 1900s, children particularly, liked to play pranks on halloween. Thus the term trick or treat. So in these days, the most popular trick was for children to get flour and knock on peoples doors. Then they’d throw it at that person because they didn’t like him, usually wishing for that individual to be killed. Meet Me in St. Louis is a good example of what children would do. They’d also light giant bonfires to scare away fairies and wards. Another old belief was to dress up in a costume to scare devils away and that’s where the tradition came to dress up. And the biggest and the one tradition I’m going to use the most is the Pumpkin, which was from the Irish who used to carve potatoes and turnups into faces, it was only until Irish immigrants came over and discovered the pumpkins and started using them to make faces. The point of carving a pumpkin was to scare away evil spirits. I’d like to explain more, but this is getting pretty long…..

Sabrina opened up her closet slowly, readying herself for whatever the boy living next store to her room did to it. Hopefully he didn’t find my All-Hallows Eve dress. Sabrina knew he probably did, she was very tired the previous night and knew for a fact she didn’t hide it very well at all.

Everything seemed to be in the proper place or at least she thought so, but she suspected highly that everything wasn’t all there. Evening dress, check. Church dress, check. Nightgown, check. All-Hallows Eve dress. And it went on like this three times before Sabrina finally concluded that nothing was missing in her closet. He’s got to have done something, but what?. Then she started checking everywhere in her room for something that was missing or something that could look like a trap. After finding nothing Sabrina stubbornly sat down on her bed trying to think of something he could’ve done.

That’s when it hit her, there is something he could’ve done. Sabrina ran over to her hand mirror and on her desk and held it to her face.

“Ahhhhhhh!.” The blonde screeched so loud it even surprised herself. Sabrina turned around and saw her Grandmother barging into her room.

“Liebling, what’s wrong?.” Her grandmother said in her sweet voice. Sabrina closed her eyes tight, this will be embarrassing. She turned around and showed her grandmother what the evil boy did to her face.

“Look what that horrible boy did to my face!.” Sabrina yelled a little louder than she meant to.

“Oh Sabrina, keep it down, it's not very ladylike to be shouting like that.” Sabrina was about to object, but her grandmother kept going. “It’s most likely just some ink, you stay here I’ll be back in a minute.” Grandmother left Sabrina's small room leaving her alone with ink written on her forehead. How many times will he do this to find it satisfying enough?.

“I’m so sorry this happened, I'll give him a talking too.” Her grandmother said coming back into the room holding a few rags.

“He drew a pumpkin on me!.” Sabrina said coldly, showing no sympathy for the boy. “Why did you let him stay here? He's horrible, rude, and mean.” Right as Sabrina said that her little sister Daphne came into the room holding a bowl of water, and putting it carefully onto Sabrina's desk.

“It wasn’t that long ago when you didn’t have a home either.” Her grandmother said to Sabrina, washing the ink off her forehead. Sabrina knew that this was true, after her parents disappeared she was thrown on the street and was left to take care of her six year old sister. Now Daphne is seven and turning eight in two weeks. I've lived here a whole year. Time flys.

“But he’s so- a fool, smelly, a cheater, an annoying behind.” Daphne finished her older sister's sentence. The girl's grandmother shot both of them a glair.

“There of all the inks of beautiful as ever.” Her grandmother said clearly satisfied with herself. Sabrina grabbed the mirror on her desk again and looked at her forehead with it.

“Now get dressed for All-Hallows Eve.” Daphne smiled happily.

“This early?.” Sabrina said annoyed.

“Oh, yes, I forgot to mention it to you. Charming is having some problems with his pumpkins.” Both of the girls started laughing.

“He’s so superstitious, and boring. He makes us all do so much work for nothing.” Sabrina said. Sabrina honestly had more to say about Charming, but she knew her grandmother wouldn’t want to hear it, and she’d probably get in trouble for it.

“Yes, I’m afraid he does that a lot, but he is the mayor and a very good business man. We'd best stay on his good side.” Then she left the room, closing the door behind her, Sabrina could hear her walking down the hall into Puck’s room, probably going to give him a good lecture. She thought still annoyed.

“Sabrina what does superstition mean?.” Her little sister, Daphne, asked questioningly.

—------

“Girls, are you ready?.” Grandmother shouted to the girls who were down stairs sitting on their favorite chairs.

“Yes!.” They said up to their Grandmother at the same time. A pair of feet and some wings came running and flying down the stairs. And Sabrina knew whose wings.

“Grandmother, why does he have to come?.” Sabrina asked, annoyed.

“It’s his punishment for putting ink on your face.” Grandmother said.

“Wouldn’t this just be a punishment to all of us?.” Sabrina asked, still annoyed at her Grandmother for making him come.

“Sabrina, you haven't been on your best behavior recently either. I think this will be a good thing for all of you.” Her grandmother said harshly, and when she spoke like that there would be no changing her mind.

“Okay children go get into the buggy.” Her grandmother said in a very German accent.

—-----

“This is Charmings house?.” Daphne said quietly.

“Who else's house would have three fountains, four balconies, and a private river. It’s been in this town ever since I got here and It’s been expanding ever since.” Puck said playing with a piece of string he found in the buggy.

“Does he really have a river?. Or did you make that up?” Sabrina asked. Puck smiled.

“I wouldn’t ever lie to you.” Puck said sarcastically.

“In case you haven’t noticed you’re here.” The buggy driver interrupted their banter.

“Indeed we are, children best behavior is that understood?.” Daphne nodded, Puck smiled, and Sabrina just staired. Grandmother excited the buggy and helped Daphne down then they started walking to Charmings door. Sabrina was about to exit the buggy when Puck pushed her out of the way and jumped down to the ground first.

“Royalty before peasant.” Puck said mockingly as Sabrina jumped out of the buggy. They walked over to Charmings door with Grandmother and Daphne already knocking at the door.

“Well, good to see you got my letter.” Charming said, almost surprised.

“As I explained to you in the letter, I believe that someone is taking my Pumpkins.” Grandmother nodded.

“Where have they been disappearing?.” Grandmother asked, Sabrina wanted to laugh. It’s just Pumpkins.

“In the back field, I believe it’s the spirits, I must of done something to them. I wanted you to negotiate taking my Pumpkins with them.” Puck and Sabrina looked at each other at the same time both grinning at the superstitious English man's words.

“Hmm, we’ll see what we can do.” Grandmother said to Charming.

“Yes, just so you know you’re great great great grandmother Matilda Grimm owed me a favor you can pay it now.” Charming said and then gave us a fake smile. Then he shut the door.

“Grandmother you can’t let him do that!, we don’t even have a great great great Matilda Grimm!” Sabrina said, We’re going to go broke if you keep letting people take advantage of you like that. Although Sabrina didn’t say that out loud.

“Sabrina, we’re Grimms it’s what we do.” Everyone went silent. “ Children, follow me.”

—------------

“Grandmother, we've been in this field for hours. And It’s about to be the hour soon and I’m hungry.” Daphne said.

“You’re always hungry.” Sabrina said harsher then she meant too.

“I’ll think we’ll have to go on a steak out.” Grandmother said calmly.

“But what about All-Hallows Eve!.” Daphne said annoyed, ”They're going to start to light bonfires soon!.”

“I hate the bonfires.” Puck muttered.

“Yeah we know Fairy boy.” Sabrina said rudely. “I should light one of those in my room, then maybe Puck would stop going in there!.” Sabrina said angrily.

“Hey did yo- Lieblings stop it, I want you three of you to go tell Charming we’re on a stake out is that understood?.” Grandmother interrupted.

“But it’s almost dark and I'll be scared.” Daphne said.

“Okay, you can stay here with me. Sabrina and Puck will go.” Grandmother said hugging Daphne.

“Do I have too?.” Puck said, mocking Sabrina's voice.

“Yes, I’m already in a bad mood don’t make it worse for yourselves.” Grandmother said. No way, am I going with him. But before Sabrina could say anything Puck grabbed her by the hand and started to fly.

“Puck can’t we walk?” Sabrina asked.

“Do you hate this?” Puck said.

“Yes.”

“Then No” Then he added. “Look, we're almost there already, it would've taken forever to walk dogface.”

Once they were close enough to land at Charmings house, Puck slowly flew them to ground level. He let go of her hand and then smiled.

“Why are you smiling this guys a jerk.” Sabrina said while stepping onto Charmings porch. Then Puck pulled something out of his pocket. No, he didn’t.

“Hey Grimm, you want to get revenge on Prince Charming?.” Sabrina smiled and opened Pucks bag. Flour. He really did. She grabbed a big handful of it and locked it in her fist tightly. Then she went to knock on Charmings door.

“Hello, children do you- I hate you Charming and rudeness toward my family. I wish of you to be dead.” Sabrina blew the flour in his face and Puck threw what was left in his bag on him. Then Sabrina and Puck ran very far into the woods.

“We’re in big trouble.” Sabrina said.

“It’s worth it, did you see the look on his face?” Puck said while interrupting it with laughter.

“We should she head back to the Pumpkin patch.” Sabrina said.

“Hello Lieblings, you missed the show.” Sabrina and Puck looked at each other, no you missed the show.

“Oh, Charming was pretty surprised when we told him we were going to be on a stake out.” Sabrina said trying to keep herself from laughing.

“Well, we caught the guy. It was Jack O'Lantern. He said that this was his land first, and he’d like to keep the Pumpkins. We said that he could have them if he stopped messing with Charming. He agreed.” Grandmother explained.

“So we can go home and have dinner?.” Grandmother nodded.

“Yes, I don’t feel like talking to Charming this late at night. I’ll send him a letter tomorrow morning explaining the situation.” Sabrina and Puck smiled.

“Yay!.” Daphne said.

Okay, I just want to say I wrote that in one sitting and I didn’t edit it. Also this is set in like 1910 so this is set in historical times. I explained a lot of it at the beginning of the chapter so just go read that. I tried my best to make it Pumpkin based but it turns out that's really hard. Lol.

#grimmtober

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zootopiathingz · 3 years

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Thanksgiving in Quarantine

(A/N: more Pixar AU!! no there's not really a plot I just wanted to write something for thanksgiving. Also friendly reminder I've never cooked a day in my life so Imma just be vague on those details)

"Alright Pixars, listen up!" Mike called to get everyone's attention. After their conversations died down, he stepped forward towards the front of the room so all eyes would be on him. As the group leader, it was his job to host the monthly meetings and inform them of recent events or decisions made by him or their creator, Luxo Sr.

Once he was sure they were listening, he proceeded to explain, "So as you all know, even though we aren't affected by Covid, we still have to stay in quarantine for the sake of others. So that means that this year, we won't be spending Thanksgiving with the Disneys—"

"YES!!" Everyone cheered ecstatically, some standing up to pump their fists or high-five each other.

Mike was taken aback by their joyous reaction. Not just because it was a response to what he said, but he couldn't remember the last time all of them were that excited about anything. "—like we usually do.." He finished.

"Oh don't act like you're not relieved about it, Mike." McQueen said, "You hate the Disneys just as much as we do."

"Excuse me, but we do not 'hate' here." He said, "We just strongly dislike. Anyway, I'm not that relieved like you guys are. I was actually looking forward to our tradition."

"Well, I'm just glad we won't have to be greeted by them singing 'Be Our Guest' for the millionth fucking time." Woody scoffed, earning some murmurs of agreement from the rest.

Their relationship with the Disneys was complicated, to say the least. Luxo Sr. started the alliance with Mickey Mouse himself several years ago, and thus they joined the Disney family. But the Pixars were never given a say in the deal, and while they did admire the Disneys and were grateful for the success they brought them, that didn't mean they were tolerable to be around. The Pixars didn't hate them (despite constantly joking that they did), they just despised their arrogance and their random outbursts of songs every ten minutes.

"Wait so if we're not going to the Disneys, we're gonna have Thanksgiving at our house?" Marlin asked, "You do realize we haven't done that in like, 14 years? And obviously the family's grown since then."

Mike nodded, "I understand that, but if we're able to somehow survive Halloween, Easter, Christmas, and New Years on our own, then how hard can Thanksgiving be?"

"Your optimism is appreciated." EVE said, "But from past experience, this feels like yet another disaster waiting to happen."

"Yeah, I mean, who's even gonna cook dinner?" Remy asked.

"You are." Mike shrugged.

The rat man widened his eyes, "Say what now?"

Remy was a great cook, and honestly he was the only one who actually knew how to use an oven. But cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal for the whole group was asking a bit much.

"I can't cook that much in one day by myself!"

"You won't, some of us will help you. Right, guys?" Mike asked. But he got no responses, instead everyone just awkwardly looked away.

Remy sighed, "Come on, guys. Do you really want to eat burnt turkey for Thanksgiving? Imelda?"

She put her hands up in defense, "Don't look at me. I don't know how to make white people food."

"Okay, relax. We'll have WALL-E help you." Mike said, gesturing to the robot man—who gave an enthusiastic wave.

But this offer didn't make Remy feel any better. Out of all the Pixars Mike could've suggested, it just had to be WALL-E. "Seriously?" He asked, "You know he burns toast, right?"

"He'll be fine." Mike waved a dismissive hand. "..probably. Okay, does anyone else want to help with Thanksgiving dinner?"

Once again there was nothing but silence and awkward glances. Remy looked around with a pleading face, trying to get anyone to agree, but no such luck. Well, until Atta got tired of the lack of responses and and decided it was best to take one for the team. "Alright fine. I'll help you." She said to Remy.

"Thank Luxo." He sighed with relief, "You are a saint, Atta."

She shrugged, "I try."

"Then it's settled." Mike said, "Thanksgiving will be hosted by Remy, Atta, and WALL-E. Let's pray they don't screw it up."

The three gave him a cold look, while the others nodded in agreement.

—

Thursday came sooner than they realized, and unfortunately due to the pandemic, buying groceries was a pain in the ass and getting what they needed for dinner took longer than they would've hoped. Luckily they were able to have it all in their kitchen and (hopefully) would have enough time to make it. And even though they were spending the holiday by themselves, the Pixars still got dressed up and decorated for the occasion.

Since the kids would be joining them at the table as well, that meant having to cook for even more people. Remy, WALL-E, and Atta were hard at work in the kitchen making gravy, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, etc. And of course, turkey. At first it didn't seem like cooking was going to be so bad. They got an early start before most of the Pixars even woke up. If all went well, they would have dinner done by the afternoon.

"Okay guys, we've got a full house of hungry Pixars so we gotta get this done quick." Remy reminded them, "Atta, you're on pie detail, and you're gonna help me with the turkey. WALL-E, you focus on the casserole, eggs, and making sure Atta stays away from the marshmallows."

Atta slowly looked over at him while he pointed at her, "Yeah, I see you."

She narrowed her eyes at him before slowly reaching her hand toward the bag of marshmallows. He scolded her as she popped another one into her mouth, smirking at him and holding back a laugh. But then the two quickly moved on, since they couldn't waste much time on banter and jokes.

"I don't see how the Disneys do this every year." WALL-E commented, taking a bite of bread.

"Well, they don't actually make it. They have a whole cooking staff that serves them every meal. Which is kinda why they invite us in the first place." Atta explained to him, helping Remy baste the turkey.

Remy scoffed, "And yet there's only one chef in this house. Man, I'd love it if I could get more help around here. Hopefully the new Pixars will know how to cook."

"That's what you say every time." Atta chuckled.

"Maybe if I keep saying it, it'll happen." He shrugged.

After a few minutes, the turkey was ready to cook. They placed it in the oven and set the correct amount of degrees and time. Now all they had to do was wait and finish the rest of the meal.

Violet walked into the kitchen, inhaling the strong scent of half-cooked food. "Mmm, smells great in here." She commented, opening the fridge to grab a water bottle. "So how's slaving away for the others going?"

"We're not 'slaving away', Violet." Remy rolled his eyes. Although now that he said it out loud, it kinda seemed like they were, considering not a single other Pixar was offering to help. Instead they were all hanging out around the house doing who knows what. "Regardless, we're doing just fine."

"You wanna help us?" Atta asked with a mouthful of marshmallows—which earned a scowl from Remy.

Violet sighed, shutting the fridge. "I'd love to, but Joy's taking me out shopping for Christmas presents.

"But stores aren't even open today." WALL-E said.

"That's what I told her." The teen shrugged her shoulders, "But she insisted on taking me and a couple others. I honestly think they're just trying to get out of the house so they have an excuse not to help out."

The three exchanged an annoyed glance. While they expected that sort of behavior from their friends, it was still irritating to know they didn't care enough to even stay home for Thanksgiving. But then again, ditching her friends when they need her didn't sound like something Joy would do.

Before they could question it, they heard Violet's name being called from the other room, signaling her to walk away. "Well, good luck with dinner, guys." She said.

"Okay, have fun today." Atta said to her right before she left. The three then gave each other the same confused expression, all thinking the same thing. But it was a short-lived moment, as they quickly got back to work.

"Alright, making conversation is nice and all, but we can't spend much time having social interactions." Remy reminded them, "From now on, no more distractions, okay? Focus is key."

He turned around, seeing a certain someone once again stuffing three marshmallows in her mouth. "Atta!"

"Leave me alone!" She retorted.

—

Several hours passed since the three started cooking, and they were getting close to being finished. It was hard keeping the kids out of the kitchen to stop them from sneaking bites of the food, since they always did that even when eating at the Disneys' place. But in a display of irony, Remy always shooed them away or chased them out with a broom.

A little after noon the meal was finally ready to be gorged. Everyone had a little bit of everything on their plate and had to pull up a few chairs and small tables so they could all sit together in one spot (one of the tables was actually just an old nightstand). Usually when eating meals, the Pixars would just sit in different areas around the house since the table wasn't big enough for all of them to sit at. But since this was Thanksgiving, they wanted to be together.

"Alright everyone, before we eat, we should go around and say what we're thankful for." Woody said, "And I'll start if that makes it easier."

"It would." They all agreed.

They all joined hands as Woody began, "Well, I'm thankful for all of you. You're not just my friends or people I'm forced to live with, you're my family. Which is kinda the same thing but has better meaning. I'm also thankful for our success, and I'm thankful we're doing this here and not at Disney hell."

A few of them laughed and nodded, although they never thought they'd hear the words "Disney" and "hell" in the same sentence.

"I'll go next." Sulley said, "Let's see, I'm thankful for the food on my plate, and the hard-working people who made it for me."

Remy, Atta, and WALL-E smiled at him.

"And I'm thankful to have the privilege to celebrate this holiday with the people I love."

"Awww!!" They cooed.

Barley leaned towards Sadness to whisper, "Wait, are we supposed to say meaningful shit like that every time?" The girl merely shrugged in response.

Once everyone had a turn saying what they were thankful for, they were finally able to dig in. The turkey was even better than they were used to. The whole meal tasted far better than what they would've received at the Disneys' Thanksgiving. Except the sweet potato casserole appeared to be missing quite a few marshmallows.

"I'm so glad it's Thanksgiving." Joy said, a little out-of-the blue.

"Why's that, Joy?" Bob asked her curiously.

"So I can finally get in the Christmas spirit without people telling me to 'wait until Thanksgiving'." She rolled her eyes.

Out of all of them, Joy was definitely the Christmas fanatic, so much that all other holidays around the end of the year were irrelevant to her. The Pixars didn't mind it, though. They loved Christmas, and they were glad she was always the one to go all out on decorations so they didn't have to.

"Can't argue with that." Jessie said, stuffing a piece of pie in her mouth. "But sadly it's not gonna be the same this year."

"No kidding." Merida scoffed. "If people had just done what they were told back in March, this wouldn't have happened."

McQueen raised a brow, "Dude, we had a whole ass celebration for the Swearing-In in March—"

"That was before quarantine, shut up." She was quick to defend.

"When's quarantine gonna be over?" Dash asked, "I'm tired of staying inside all day."

Mike sighed, as he dreaded this topic every time it came up in conversation. But as the leader, he had to be the voice of reason. "Look guys, I know it's tough, okay? We can't even die from Covid but we're being forced to stay at home, and I know it's frustrating. Heck, there's probably not even gonna be a Swearing-In ceremony for 'Soul'."

"There's not??" Dory asked with a frown.

"If things stay this way, then no." He said, even though it hurt to admit. Swearing-Ins were a big deal for the Pixars. It was what made them apart of the family. "But there's nothing we've been through that we've faced alone, right? We've always had each other, and we always will."

Even though they were still sad about the situation, and even if what he said was a little cheesy, they knew he was right. They were the Pixars for crying out loud, they could handle any challenge as long as they stuck together.

Mike raised his glass, signaling everyone else to do the same. "I propose a toast. To our Pixar family."

"To our family!" They cheered, sipping their drinks afterward.

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Best Horror Movies on Netflix: Scariest Films to Stream

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Editor’s Note: This post is updated monthly. Bookmark this page to see what the best horror movies on Netflix are at your convenience.

Is it Halloween when you’re reading this? If not we’re still close enough with fall here and the month of October almost upon us! It’s the time of year where we like our drinks spiced with pumpkin or apple, our flannel light, and the movies we consume scary. And lucky for you there are more than a handful of worthwhile scary movies on Netflix.

There is nothing quite as fun as embracing the spooky, the creepy, the scary, and things that go bump in the night. Thankfully we have horror movies to help us down these paths. If you ever find yourself in need of a thrill or a chill, check out some of the best horror movies on Netflix, we’ve gathered here.

Enjoy your tricks and treats.

Looking for the best horror movies on Netflix UK? Click here!

As Above, So Below

We know what you might be thinking: a found footage horror movie? Yes, this was one of the later adherents to a genre craze that got run into the ground during the 2000s and early 2010s. However, As Above, So Below is the rare thing: effectively creepy. With a crackerjack premise about the real Catacombs of Paris being a secret gateway to Hell, the film casts an energetic Perdita Weeks as a modern day Indiana Jones in a Go-Pro helmet. She and her colleagues make the unwise choice to go off the tourist-guided path in the catacombs, which is home to the remains of more than 6 million people who died between the early middle ages and 18th century.

But once deep below the City of Lights, the film’s dwindling protagonists find themselves crawling beneath a wall with the words “Abandon all Hope Ye Who Enter.” And things just get bleak from there. This is a ghoulish good-time for those who are willing to indulge in the gimmick storytelling.

Apostle

Apostle comes from acclaimed The Raid director Gareth Evans and is his take on the horror genre. Spoiler alert: it’s a good one.

Dan Stevens stars as Thomas Richardson, a British man in the early 1900s who must rescue his sister, Jennifer, from the clutches of a murderous cult. Thomas successfully infiltrates the cult led by the charismatic Malcom Howe (Michael Sheen) and begins to ingratiate himself with the strange folks obsessed with bloodletting. Thomas soon comes to find that the object of the cult’s religious fervor may be more real than he’d prefer.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter

Some kids dream about being left overnight or even a week at certain locations to play, like say a mall or a Chuck E. Cheese. One place that no one wants to be left alone in, however, is a Catholic boarding school.

That’s the situation that Rose (Lucy Boynton) and Kat (Kiernan Shipka) find themselves in in the atmospheric and creepy The Blackcoat’s Daughter. When Rose and Kat’s parents are unable to pick them up for winter break, the two are forced to spend the week at their dingy Catholic boarding school. If that weren’t bad enough, Rose fears that she may be pregnant…oh, and the nuns might all be Satanists.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter is an excellent debut directorial outing from Oz Perkins and another step on the right horror path for scream queens Shipka and Emma Roberts.

The Evil Dead

1981’s The Evil Dead is nothing less than one of the biggest success stories in horror movie history.

Written and directed on a shoestring budget by Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead uses traditional horror tropes to its great advantage, creating a scary, funny, and almost inconceivably bloody story about five college students who encounter some trouble in a cabin in the middle of the woods. That trouble includes the unwitting release of a legion of demons upon the world.

The Evil Dead rightfully made stars of its creator and lead Bruce Campbell. It was also the jumping off point for a successful franchise that includes two sequels, a remake, a TV show, and more.

Gerald’s Game

We are living in a renaissance for Stephen King adaptations. But while there have been many killer clowns and hat-wearing fiends getting major attention at the multiplexes, the best King movie in perhaps decades is Mike Flanagan’s underrated Gerald’s Game. Cleverly adapted from what has been described as one of King’s worst stories, Gerald’s Game improves on its source material when it imagines a middle-aged woman (Carla Gugino) placed in a terrifying survival situation after her husband (Bruce Greenwood) dies of a heart attack during a sex game.

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Handcuffed to a bed in their remote cabin in the woods, Gugino’s Jessie must face the fact no one is coming to save her in the next week… more than enough time to die of dehydration or the wolf prowling about. Thus the specter of death hovers over the whole movie, seemingly literally with a monstrous shade emerging from the shadows to bedevil Jessie each night. A trenchant character study that frees Gugino to show a wide range of terror, determination, and finally horrifying desperation, the movie delves into the shadows of a woman haunted by trauma and demons almost as scary as her current situation. Almost.

The Gift

Who knew Joel Edgerton had it in him?

The Gift is the Australian actor’s writing and directing debut and it doesn’t disappoint. Edgerton stars as Gordon “Gordo” Mosely. He’s a nice enough middle-aged man if a little “off.” One day while shopping he runs into an old high school classmate Simon (Jason Bateman) and his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall). After their brief encounter, Gordo takes it upon himself to start dropping off little gifts to Simon and Robyn’s home. Robyn sees no problem with it at first. But Simon becomes disturbed, perhaps because of the unique past Simon and Gordo share.

Many horror movies understand there must be a twist of some sort or at the very least an unexpected third act. Even still The Gift‘s third act switch up is particularly devastating because it’s so mundane and logical. The Gift ends up being an emotional drama disguised as horror.

The Girl with All the Gifts

Just when you thought there was nothing left to be done with the zombie genre, in comes a shocking and original idea… one that has sadly grown only more scary in 2020 with regards to The Girl with All the Gifts. A brilliant little indie from Colm McCarthy, this underrated gem imagines a zombie apocalypse as something closer to a viral pandemic that lasts for generations…. and one where a vaccine is always just out of reach.

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Thus enters the class of Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton). Years after a fungal infection ravaged the planet, turning the infected into “hungries” (breathing zombies), their offspring have shown a creepy ability to retain the ability to think, learn, and love… even as they crave living flesh.

Hence the students in Helen’s class, including her favorite Melanie (Sennia Nanua). The child is special… too much so when it’s believed her biology could create a vaccine that would spare anymore humans turning “hungry.” But to harvest her body, the military will drag Helen and Melanie through an urban hellscape which has reduced London to an abandoned refuge for Hungries and feral children who likewise hunt uninfected humans for food.

The Golem

The Golem is such an awesome monster from Jewish mythology that it’s hard to believe they don’t make more movies about him. Well now they have. The Golem isn’t a straight-up remake of the 1915 movie of the same name so much as it is the next step in the evolution of this grim mythological beast.

During the outbreak of a plague, Hanna (Hani Furstenberg) will do whatever it takes to defend her community from outside invaders. Unfortunately, and in true fairy tale fashion, the creature she conjures up to defend her community quickly develops a murderous mind of its own.

Green Room

Green Room is a shockingly conventional horror movie despite not having all of the elements we traditionally associate with them. You won’t find any monsters or the presence of the supernatural in Green Room.

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Instead all monsters are replaced by vengeful neo-Nazis and the haunted house is replaced by a skinhead punk music club in the middle of nowhere in the Oregon woods. The band, The Aint Rights, led by bassist Pat (Anton Yelchin) are locked in the green room of a club after witnessing a murder and must fight their way out.

Horns

A horror vintage for a distinctly acquired taste, Alexandre Aja’s Horns is a bizarre fairy tale for adults. As much a revenge fable as a typical chiller, this movie which put “Harry Potter in Devil Horns” is actually something of a grim love story based on a novel by Joe Hill.

Daniel Radcliffe plays Ig Perrish, an outcast in his local community who wants nothing more than to forever be by the side of his lifelong love Merrin (Juno Temple). After her brutal unsolved murder prevents that, Ig swears he’d sell his soul to get revenge.

Funny thing is the day after he makes such a proclamation, horns begin growing from his forehead. The greater they grow, the easier it is to get sinners around him to confess their most hidden shames, and indulge in others. But with the clock ticking before he becomes a full-fledged demon, and his soul is presumably claimed by Beelzebub, there is only a narrow window before he can get revenge while raising a little hell.

Hush

In his follow-up to the cult classic Oculus, Mike Flanagan makes one of the more clever horror movies on this list. Hush is a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse within the typical nightmare of a home invasion, yet it also turns conventions of that familiar terror on its head.

For instance, the savvy angle about this movie is Kate Siegel (who co-wrote the movie with Flanagan) plays Maddie, a deaf and mute woman living in the woods alone. Like Audrey Hepburn’s blind woman from the progenitor of home invasion stories, Wait Until Dark (1967), Maddie is completely isolated when she is marked for death by a menacing monster in human flesh.

Like the masked villains of so many more generic home invasion movies (I’m looking square at you, Strangers), John Gallagher Jr.’s “Man” wears a mask as he sneaks into her house. However, the functions of this story are laid bare since we actually keep an eye on what the “Man” is doing at all times, and how he is getting or not getting into the house in any given scene. He isn’t aided by filmmakers who’ve given him faux-supernatural and omnipotent abilities like other versions of these stories, and he’s not an “Other;” he’s a man who does take his mask off, and his lust for murder is not so much fetishized as shown for the repulsive behavior that it is. And still, Maddie proves to be both resourceful and painfully ill-equipped to take him on in this tense battle of wills.

Insidious

Insidious is the start of a multi-film horror franchise and a pretty good one at that. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne star as a married couple who move into a new home with their three kids. Shortly after they move in, their son Dalton is drawn to a shadow in the attic and then falls into a mysterious coma from which they can’t wake him.

It’s at this point that the Lamberts do what horror fans always yell at characters to do: they move out of the damn house! Little do they know, however, that some hauntings go beyond mere domiciles.

The Invitation

Seeing your ex is always uncomfortable, but imagine if your ex-wife invited you to a dinner party with her new husband? That is just about the least creepy thing in this taut thriller nestled in the Hollywood Hills.

Indeed, in The Invitation Logan Marshall-Green’s Will is invited by his estranged wife (Tammy Blanchard) for dinner with her new hubby David (Michael Huisman of Game of Thrones). David apparently wanted to extend the bread-breaking offer personally since he has something he wants to invite both Will and all his other guests into joining. And it isn’t a game of Scrabble…

It Comes at Night

Surviving the apocalypse comes with a certain amount of questions. For starters, what do you do after you survive a global pandemic thanks to your secluded cabin in the woods…and then someone comes knocking? That’s the situation that the family consisting of Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) find themselves in in It Comes at Night.

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When Paul and his family come across another family in the woods seeking shelter and water, they hesitantly welcome them in. But this soon proves to be a dangerous decision. Having guests in the real world is annoying enough to deal with and it only becomes harder when you suspect that any one of them could be sick with a highly-contagious, utterly fatal illness.

Paranormal Activity

Ignore the sequels. Yes, you know they’re bad and we know they’re bad. But long before “the Ghost Dimension” (whatever the hell that means), there was this eerie surprise hit that started it all. A movie which was estimated to be the most profitable movie of all time in its day–earning $193.4 million worldwide on a budget of $15,000–Paranormal Activity put Blumhouse Productions on the map and is still a supremely affecting piece of atmosphere.

Presented as the true story of a young, and not wholly likable, couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat), the film follows the pair as they attempt to document the bumps they’re hearing in the house at night–only to discover a demonic presence and some repressed memories for one party. A still brilliant exercise in sound design, tension, and the uncanny ability to trick audiences into believing what they’re seeing is actually happening, this remains the best found footage horror movie ever made.

Poltergeist

Before there was Insidious, The Conjuring, or a myriad of other “suburban family vs. haunted house” movies, there was Poltergeist. Taking ghost stories out of the Gothic setting of ancient castles or decrepit mansions and hotels, Poltergeist moved the spirits into the middle class American heartland of the 1980s. With a smart screenplay by no less than Steven Spielberg (and, according to some, his ghost direction), Poltergeist finds the Freeling family privy to a disquieting fact about their new home: It’s built on top of a cemetery!

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You probably know the story, and if you don’t you can guess it after decades of copycats that followed, but this special effects-laden spectacle still holds up, especially as a thriller that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Fair warning though, if your kids have a tree outside their window or a clown doll under their bed, we don’t take responsibility for the years of therapy bills this may inflict!

Red Dragon

The often overlooked other child of the Hannibal Lecter movie family, Red Dragon is no The Silence of the Lambs, no matter how much it wishes it was. Nor is it as visually evocative or luscious as Ridley Scott’s decadent Hannibal. Nevertheless, we find this prequel to both films to be at least worthy of association with the former, and ultimately more satisfying than the latter. A definite attempt to reshape Thomas Harris’ first novel to feature the Lecter character into a Silence of the Lambs clone, Red Dragon still has quite a bit to enjoy.

At the top of the list is of course Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal for the third and final time. Definitely his hammiest iteration of the character, even a campy Hopkins is impossible to resist given the not-so-good doctor’s droll wit or distinct taste palate. Director Brett Ratner’s framing around Lecter is competent enough, and he wisely gets a superb supporting cast who can overwhelm any shortcomings.

Edward Norton is a compelling lead FBI detective; Philip Seymour Hoffman is delightfully repellent as a tabloid journalist who suffers a terrifying fate; and Ralph Fiennes roars as the serial killer who inflicts that fate on Hoffman. It may be no Manhunter–Michael Mann’s first adaptation of the source novel–but Red Dragon‘s the one on Netflix. So love the one you’re with!

The Silence of the Lambs

If you are only going to watch one Hannibal Lecter movie, this is the all-time masterpiece which remains the sole horror movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture. An absolutely gripping thriller even 30 years later, Jonathan Demme’s movie is an all-time great because of stellar performances and a sharp screenplay told by an even sharper eye.

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Here is the movie that kicked off the serial killer craze in Hollywood during the ’90s. Yet more than the gory details, what lingers in the mind are little things like an opening sequence that introduces Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as the lone woman on an elevator full of FBI ubermensches, or the way Anthony Hopkins breaks his unrelenting stare to mispronounce “Chianti” with dripping disdain for the Yokel sent to interview him. Every facet of this movie works, and thus it hasn’t aged a day. We do recommend watching it with a side of fava beans, though.

Sinister

One of the better Blumhouse chillers to come out of the 2010s, Sinister is the case of a brilliant elevator pitch meeting a superior pair of talents in director Scott Derrickson and star Ethan Hawke to bring it to life.

The setup of the movie is simple: There is a pagan demon god who will consume the soul of any nearby children whenever someone sees him. And not just him, but recreations of his image on walls. And wouldn’t you know it, true crime journalist Ellison (Hawke) just moved into a house with an attic full of home movies stuffed to the gills with Bughuul. And Ellison’s daughter is right downstairs. Uh oh.

Sleepy Hollow

As much a comedy as a horror film, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow should always be on the table when discussing October viewing options. After all, this demented reimagining of Washington Irving’s classic short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” never forgets the selling point is to have them rolling in the aisles. And more than a few heads do just that.

As a film with the most varied and imaginative uses of decapitation, Sleepy Hollow cuts a bloody path across Upstate New York. In fact, despite its American setting, we might as well confess what Sleepy Hollow really is: a modern version of a Hammer horror movie.

Burton incorporates all of his favorite tropes here: The intentionally stuffy faux-British acting (even though all the characters are of Dutch descent); the exaggerated and formal clothing; more than a few heaving bosoms; and lots and lots of gore. This film is so perfectly macabre and gleefully grotesque that you might even be forgiven for not noticing at first glance how dryly funny and deadpan a place this Sleepy Hollow tends to be.

Splice

What if Dr. Frankenstein banged his monster? That is just one of several creepy elements to Splice, a weird psychosexual sci-fi/horror hybrid. Directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as the world’s worst scientists, Splice follows two not-so-smart doctors who attempt to play God by creating an entire new species of creature they name Dren (Delphine Chanéac).

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At first a computer-generated child with alien eyes and a roping tail, Dren soon grows from girl to young woman, seducer to… well, something even more unexpected. Weird, unpleasant, and ultimately unshakable like that one bad dream, Splice plays with ideas of identity, gender, and parenthood.

Sweetheart

Don’t let the name fool you, Sweetheart is very much a horror movie. What kind of horror movie, you ask? Well, after a boat sinks during a storm, young Jennifer Remming (Kiersey Clemons) is the only survivor. She washes ashore a small island and gets to work burying her friends, creating shelter, and foraging for food. You know: deserted island stuff.

Soon, however, Jenn will come to find that the island is not as deserted as she previously thought. There’s something out there – something big, dangerous, and hungry. Sweetheart is like Castaway meets Predator and it’s another indie horror hit for Blumhouse.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a fantastic little satire on the horror genre that, in a similar fashion to Scream, is packed with laughs, gore, and a bit of a message. When a group of preppy college students head out to the backwoods for a camping trip, they stumble upon two good-natured good ol’ boys that they mistake for homicidal hillbillies.

Their quick, off-the-mark judgment of Tucker and Dale lead to these snobs getting themselves into sticky, often bloody, and hilariously over-the-top situations. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil rides a one-joke premise to successful heights and teaches audiences to not judge a book by its cover.

Under the Shadow

This 2016 effort could not possibly be more timely as it sympathizes, and terrorizes, an Iranian single mother and child in 1980s Tehran. Like a draconian travel ban, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her son Dorsa (Avin Manshadi) are malevolently targeted by a force of supreme evil.

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This occurs after Dorsa’s father, a doctor, is called away to serve the Iranian army in post-revolution and war-torn Iran. In his absence evil seeps in… as does a quality horror movie with heightened emotional weight.

Underworld

No one is going to mistake Underworld for high art. That obvious fact makes the lofty pretensions of these movies all the more endearing. With a cast of high-minded British theatrical actors, many trained in the Royal Shakespeare Company, at least the early movies in this Gothic horror/action mash-up series were overflowing with histrionic self-importance and grandiosity.

Take the first and best in the series. In the margins you have Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen portraying the patriarchs of warring factions of vampires and werewolves, and a love story caught between their violence that’ shamelessly modeled on Romeo and Juliet. It’s ridiculous, especially with Scott Speedman playing one party. But when the other is the oft-underrated Kate Beckinsale it doesn’t matter.

The movie’s bombast becomes the movie’s first virtue, and Len Wiseman’s penchant for glossy slick visuals, which would look at home in the sexiest Eurotrash graphic novel at the bookstore, is its other. Combined they make this a guilty good time. Though we recommend not venturing past the second or third movie.

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lycorogue · 5 years

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Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 4 – Images)

We've made it to the home stretch! This post should be a lot more fun, though, because you get to literally see Willow! I shared some images here and there throughout this mini-series about Willow, but the vast majority of my images of her will be below.

Before I continue, how about another quick recap of my Meet My OCs series thus far?

I started up this multi-post series almost exactly a month ago. I had wanted to do something like this for MONTHS, and I'm finally getting my lazy butt in gear. This way, you guys get a chance to learn about these vocal people that have been hanging out in my head for years.

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept, as well as explained the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches.

Part 2 of the series talked about the inspiration that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters.

Part 3a did the same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters.

Part 3b then talked about the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters; each one originating as a canonical X-Men character.

Today is Part 4 Day; the official start of the individualized characters' bio posts. I couldn't think of anyone better to start off the next part of the series than my most present character: Willow Driver.

In Meet Willow: Part 1, I shared Willow's background, gave an overview of her personally, and talked about her powers.

Meet Willow: Part 2 focused on her main relationships.

The epic post that made up Meet Willow: Part 3 told her plot line/story arc main events within the play-by-post game X-Future that Willow originated in. The end of the post also discussed which of those main plot events will find their way to my original story Glitches.

Next up, I’ll have a few writing samples to showcase Willow, and I’ll conclude today’s massive series of posts with two customized wrestler entrances I created on Hubby’s WWE13 game. So.. just two more to look out for! 0_0

All caught up? Great! So let's get to the fun of Willow's Multi-media presence. Starting with some more fun art of her.

I know I already shared this in Meet Willow: Part 1, but I love this image of Willow so much I'm going to show it off whenever possible.

Prior to commissioning @edendaphne to draw me the gorgeous above photo, I had some other hand-drawn artwork of Willow. For two different birthdays, @chibisunnie included the X-Future core group for personalized cards she drew me.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Hubby and I routinely pointed out the almost perfect parallels between the “Girl Meets World” characters Lucas, Maya, and Riley and our X-Future characters Chayse, Willow, and Lia, respectively. So Chibi went ahead and drew Chayse, Willow, and Lia as Lucas, Maya, and Riley all hanging out in Riley's bay window.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Last birthday, I wanted Chibi to have my X-Future characters interacting with her Team Giraffe Guy characters. Willow is dancing with her OC Todd, Trish is giving her OC Zahir a mini-heart attack, and Lia is chilling with her OC Bob the Pumpkin Cat from her other original story The Pumpkin Prince.

I still absolutely love how energetic Willow looks in both of these images, and I think Chibi really captured who she is. <3

Prior to the commissioned piece by Eden, or the two works of fanart as birthday cards drawn for me by Chibi, I used doll makers to help me visualize Willow.

My first incarnation of Willow was thanks to a hodge-podge of items designed by ChaZie for her Dollz over on Dollz Mania. (anyone else remember these being huge in the early 2000s?) You see, ChaZie designed easily a hundred different Dollz creators/designers, each of them with their own themes: Halloween, fantasy, fairies, Scene, Kardashians, Lady Gaga, Valentine's Day, etc. Back in 2012, I had spent WEEKS saving nearly every element of nearly every doll designer ChaZie created. I gathered them all into one MASSIVE Photoshop file with nearly all of ChaZie's doll bases, hair, clothing, accessories, pets, etc. That way I wasn't restricted by the designer theme groupings ChaZie created; I could take hair from Lady Gaga, put it with a Halloween costume, and throw on some fairy wings. Using this method of Frankensteining ChaZie's designs, I created a large portion of the early X-Future cast. One of the firsts was, obviously, Willow, shown here in her first X-Men uniform design.

Sorry for the quality. My computer crashed about 3yrs ago, and I lost that ChaZie dollz design master file, so all of the ChaZie design dolls I showcase will be downloads of my posting the images online.

Anyway, once Sebastian was introduced into the X-Future canon, I decided to re-design Willow to see how she might look in the future. So, here is Mama Willow with newborn baby Sebastian, as well as Adult Willow in a much more traditional X-Men uniform as she took on the mantle of one of the Great Protectors.

Finally, a picture of Willow in street clothes while with her brother Shawn. I had already posted this in Meet Willow: Part 2, when I talked about their relationship. However, why not re-share it, right?

A couple of years into playing X-Future, I was introduced to the Chibi Maker doll generator by gen8. (can also be found here) I couldn't resist coming up with Chibi-fied images for the main X-Future characters. Naturally, I went with Willow's classic Cheshire Cat illusion for her chibi verseion.

After losing my ChaZie master file, I tried to rebuild it, but at that point Dollz Mania had shut down. I'm slowly beginning to find ChaZie's doll makers popping up on other websites, but I needed other alternatives for character designs and re-designs. That was when I was introduced to the X-Girl doll maker by Candy. I've had a lot of fun designing characters in this game, and decided to re-designs Willow to give her a more mature look now that she's not 15 anymore.

Hubby and I also tried to re-create, and then re-design, Willow's X-uniform.

I really like how the uniform re-design turned out.

I was fairly content on my representation of Willow with the wide variety of above images. Then, late last year, I started playing the fashion designer mobile game Love, Nikki.

I was just enjoying the game for what it was; not even thinking about X-Future/Glitches. But then I started finding more and more blue and white clothes that made me think “Willow would like that.” Soon that was my mission. I found a few white/silver hair options that I tried out, and aimed for a make-up set that would give me aquamarine eyes. Since hitting my main Willow make-up and hair goals, I've had loads of fun designing and re-designing Willow in the game.

The blue and white striped socks and those blue eyes were what first made me want to find a way to build Willow. I also tried out just about any silver/white hair and blue eyes combo.

After getting the aquamarine eyes I loved, the next trick was trying out the hair styles. There are soooo many platinum-white, white, gray, or silver hair styles in this game! This isn't even all of them; just the ones that seemed Willow-esque. First up was an an attempt to keep Willow's short hair:

Picture #3 was the only one that really worked, and I ran with that hair for a little bit. I just liked the pseudo-punk look of those sharp edges.

A lot more of these could possibly work, although they aren't the Willow I had in my head. Even so, I could picture Willow with hair styles #2, #3, and #4.

I really can't picture Willow growing her hair out so long. It would bother her to have so much of it. However, out of the above pictures, #2 would be close, if it were the right color. Beyond that, I think #4 feels the most like Willow, with #1 being close behind.

Sadly, the ones that are the closest to Willow's hair style are all the wrong color. #1 is almost exactly Willow's hair style, just parted the wrong way; her longer side is over the right eye. Although it's a bit too short, and clearly the wrong color, #2 is at least parted on the correct side, and it does have some blue tips; probably the second closest to her canonical look. I could picture Willow in all of those hair styles, though.

This hair style isn't all that bad, and it is pale, but it's still platinum-blonde instead of Willow’s silver.

After a LOT of working and re-working, I decided this hair style works best. It's short, but not terribly masculine, choppy, or overly fancy. It's also the right shade of silver, and the low-lights in the hair almost look like they're blue. Once I had it figured out, the next trick was the outfit. I had her in this one for quite some time. Then I was playing Love, Nikki during the winter. I also got some coats that would work really well for her. I went formal and fantastical with the cape, and then more canonical and “real world” with the down vest. For both images I also included some extras that made it look like she was creating illusions.

I then had to switch her up for spring:

And again for summer, so this is what she's currently wearing in my game:

We'll see what other kinds of visuals I can make of Willow over the next few months/years.

------------------------------

Alright, well now that you have a good mental image of what Willow looks like, how about we find out how she talks and acts?

Next up: Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 5 – Stories)

#writing #LycoRogue writing #OCs #Meet My OCs #Meet Willow #long post #pictures #Glitches #Willow Driver #Willow #series post #8 out of ?#updates every other Sunday #LycoRogue original

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jkl-fff · 6 years

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ALL OF THE HALLOWEEN ASKS!! 🦇👻🎃

Afraid: What’s something you are no longer scared of?Snakes, I guess. Their lack of limbs used to unnerve me a bit, but now I’mmore-or-less over that.

Bats: Do you sleep with stuffed animals?Nope, and haven’t for a long time—not since I was about 10. That was when we adoptedour first dog (a black lab puppy we named Portia) who pretty much immediatelystarted sleeping in my bed with me. Since I had a real animal to sleep with, I nolonger saw the point of having a stuffed one, too.And then we got our second dog not long after (a hound-lab mix we named Steve),and with both of those real animals sleeping in my bed, there practically wasn’tany room left for *me*, let alone some additional stuffed animals.

Broomstick: What’s your favorite chore?Sweeping and mopping the floor, I’d say. When I was a child, I hated doingthem above all other chores and preferred doing the dishes … Yet now, as anadult, it’s swapped around completely; doing the dishes now feels like futiledrudgery, while sweeping and mopping have become almost therapeutic … justreally relaxing …

Candles: What’s your favorite scent?A pine forest high in the mountains (near the tree line for preference) inthe morning after a rainstorm. Very specific, I know, but I used to work at asummer camp (Camp Steiner, should anyone feel like looking it up) with thesegeological conditions, and the summer weather brought fairly regular thunderstormsto us. Thus, I practically lived in this scent for months at a time. Nothingcompares. It’s downright magical.

Cat: What are the names of your pets?My dog (a Belgian shepherd, Australian cattle mix) is named Fiona. My fivecats are Beatrice and Benedict, Peter and Harrison, and Josephine. All six ofthem are black.

Cobwebs: Are you scared of insects?Scared? No, I wouldn’t say so. Not even of spiders, really, provided theydon’t take me entirely by surprise. Though I find their presence in my home alittle distasteful.

Fangs: Would you become immortal if you could?Yes, provided it would come with eternal youth (physically being somethingbetween 26 and 30, as I’ve no interest in retaining consciousness in a bodythat keeps aging forever and ever) and I could choose at any moment to opt outof it (in case I should one day decide I no longer want to live, as I don’twant to drift through the endless vacuum of space billions of years from nowafter the earth has been consumed by the sun). Otherwise, no; there are just toomany problems with the practical side of being immortal.

Ghost: have you had a supernatural encounter?

Gore: Are you squeamish?I’d say I’m squeamish-ish. Like, I’ve got no problem with the sight of blood orof separate organs. Heck, I’ve even been to 2 different “Body World” exhibits (layersof muscles, recreations of the circulatory and nervous systems, etc. made fromactual human bodies) without feeling in any way nauseated. Just fascinated, y’know?But the sight of live viscera or intense and unusual injuries does get to me.So, yeah, squeamish-ish.

Mummy: Do you believe in curses?Words have power. Emotions and Affects have power. Spiritual Energy (for want ofa better phrase) has power. And, like all forms of power, some people know how toharness it benevolently and/or malevolently.So, yes, I do believe in curses. And blessings, too.

Nightmare: What’s your favorite Halloween movie?Are we talking horror? Are we talking spoopy? Are we talking specificallyHalloween-themed?Guess I could just answer for all three …For legitimate horror, I think “The Village” by Shyamalan is pretty damn good,topped by the original “The Wicker Man” (not the Nicholas Cage remake, but theoriginal from 1973). I’m really more into psychological horror than gory stuff,personally, because it’s almost always just so damn cheesy.For spoopy … “Young Frankenstein” would have to be at the top of the listthanks to its seriously delivered silliness. “Dracula, Dead and Loving It”, too.For Halloween-themed, “ParaNorman” is unbeatable. Personally—at the risk ofhaving my Gay Card™ confiscated—I think it even rivals “Hocus Pocus”.

Potion: do you have a ‘party trick’?Oh, indeed, and a very impressive one. Once more than 10 people are inattendance … I disappear, only to reappear in my own home.Other than that, my trick is to show up on time with an experimental cake I baked.

Pumpkin: Do you prefer sweet or savory foods?While I thoroughly enjoy both, I’ve noticed that I definitely have a sweettooth … and rather wish I didn’t.

Skeleton: Have you ever broken a bone?Never one of my own. Pretty sure I broke a guy’s rib once (don’t worry, hedeserved it).

Spells: What superpower would you choose?Telepathy and Telekinesis, hands down (ba-dum cheee!). Gonna use the powerof my mind to bend inanimate objects and people to my will! MWAHAHAHA!Yeah, I’d probably become a supervillain pretty damn fast.

Sweets: Have you ever been trick or treating?Lots of times, what with being raised a suburban American. It’s just a culturaltradition, like in all the movies.

Tomb: Have you ever been in a graveyard late at night?No, and I don’t think I wish to try the experience. Graveyards are, in myopinion, creepy. Not because of a fear of ghosts or anything, but because thereare dead bodies right beneath your feet. *shudder* Creepy.

Vampire: What do you want to dress up as for Halloween?I don’t want to dress up. I don’t really like dressing up for any occasion atall, personally. Seems like so much of a hassle—so much ado about nothings,really—and Halloween is no different for me. *shrug* Sorry. I know I’m not fun and festive in that regard.

Witch: How long is your hair?Pretty dang long at this point; it goes halfway down my back. And I loveevery inch of it.

Zombie: Do you believe in an afterlife?Tricky question, that … I’m not entirely sure I do anymore, though I admitit depends on the day.One thing I do most definitely believe, however, is that whether or not thereis an afterlife ought to be irrelevant. We exist here and now, and that oughtto be enough to occupy our minds. Meaning that we ought to focus on living agood life here on Earth and helping others to live a good life, too.If we do that, I’m pretty sure whatever afterlife there might be will sortitself out.

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bills-pokedex · 6 years

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It’s starting to get kind of chilly out where I live, and it’s got me thinking about autumn-time holidays. What festivities go on in the pokemon regions around the world?

Well, I suppose the best place to start would be Johto, not only because Johto is very fond of its festivals but also ... because I’m from there, so naturally, I would know a thing or few about Johtonian holidays.

But yes, Johto is big on holidays throughout the year, and autumn is the temporal home for quite a few. For starters, there’s of course the Autumnal Equinox Festival, which is when we honor our ancestors and give thanks to nature for the upcoming harvest. There are also minor holidays for the harvest throughout the region, depending on which town you’re visiting. The coastal towns tend to bookend the season with two separate holidays (Autumnal Equinox and the Fisherman’s Day holidays) to ask/thank Lugia for safe waters to fish and sail in before the weather gets too rough and bitter for doing either. In the more mountainous or farming-oriented communities, you tend to have more festivals, often geared towards asking/thanking Celebi or the legendary beasts for blessings. (A side note: You only honor Ho-oh; you never ask Ho-oh for blessings. And you do this during the summer solstice, not the autumn. Autumn is considered to be the beginning of Lugia’s domain more than Ho-oh, but that’s an entire side point.)

And of course, you have Goldenrod, which considers itself in a historical sense to be both a fishing and a farming community, which means it celebrates all of these (or at least it uses this as an excuse to celebrate all of these, as the Goldenrod custom is to use any excuse possible to throw a party).

Either way, these are celebrated with feasts centered around the bounty in question (fried and raw fish for the fishing communities; fruits, vegetables, and grains for the farming), and offerings are often made to local shrines for the deceased.

Then, after the harvest festivals, you have the Respect for the Aged Day, which I admit is more of a media-based holiday (in that you will often see the news or hear the radio interview the elderly during this time), but it’s also often celebrated (at least in Johto) simply by visiting the elderly members of your family. There is also a holiday meant for children (Shichi-Go-San), which is often considered a rite of passage: it’s when Johtonian children pass from young childhood into middle childhood, which might not seem like much to an outsider but essentially means you begin your preparations for a pokémon journey (or adulthood) at this age. So you’re dressed in traditional clothing (for the first time, if you’re male or a younger female) and taken to your nearest shrine to pray for luck and prosperity. As a note, Shichi-Go-San is not to be confused with Kids Day, which is a general celebration meant to honor and respect children, rather than a rite of passage from one stage of life to the next. Kids Day is celebrated in May, so it’s more of a spring/summer festival than an autumn one.

Finally, there’s also Thanksgiving, which is technically a labor holiday outside of Johto. Inside of Johto (particularly Goldenrod), it’s often celebrated much like it is in Unova, as another harvest holiday, because Johtonians are not at all ashamed to admit that they’re fascinated by Unovan culture.

This is, of course, just speaking in terms of broadly celebrated holidays. Some towns in Johto have additional holidays that they celebrate locally, such as one town dedicating an entire festival in November to wobbuffet. No particular reason; it’s just that this specific town really likes wobbuffet.

Other Japanese regions—including Kanto, Sinnoh, and Hoenn—share many of these holidays because, quite obviously, we’re all one country (which means that state holidays apply to all of us, and we all share a baseline culture), but attitudes towards them tend to vary by regional culture. In Sinnoh, there’s a particular emphasis on local harvest holidays and the autumnal equinox because it’s largely a farming region, and even then, many of its stories center around giving thanks to pokémon. This is not only a reference to Shaymin but also to the Sinnoh folk story about returning the bones of the animals and pokémon you’ve eaten to the wild to be resurrected. It’s important, in other words, to give thanks and respect even the pokémon you intend on consuming in order to ensure the balance of life is maintained—or at least, this is true for a Sinnohan. That having been said, Sinnoh does indeed have one other holiday not shared with the other regions, and that is Gratitude Day, to honor Shaymin and the Sinnohan ancestors.

Then you have Unova, Kalos, and Orre, which as western regions, tend to celebrate similar holidays due to the shared heritage of either their founders or their countries themselves. For example, all three celebrate their military veterans in a holiday that’s called Veterans Day in Unova and Orre and Armistice Day in Kalos. Both holidays are celebrated on the same day (November 11) and in similar fashions because ultimately, they share an origin (World War I specifically, but World War II and the Great War all play important parts in those regions’ histories).

On a lighter note, though, each of these regions also celebrate Halloween, although there’s far more emphasis placed on the fun of it (that is, costumes, candy, and horror) in Unova than in elsewhere. In Kalos, it’s often celebrated just after a festival dedicated to gourgeist, the Gourgeist Festival. In fact, the Gourgeist Festival is often when most of the customs associated with the Unovan Halloween are observed, particularly the costumes. Conversely, in Unova, Halloween is celebrated just before the a number of holidays meant to honor the dead, including the Wishing Bell Festival (if you live in Mistralton City) and Day of the Dead (if you’re Mexican-American). As a side note, Day of the Dead is a very fascinating holiday with its own history, and its customs tend to vary from community to community. For example, in Castelia, there’s often a parade, whereas in relatively quieter towns such as Nuvema, celebrants simply bring offerings for the dead to their local cemeteries. Sometimes, these celebrations also incorporate Halloween and other autumn festival customs as a means of “rolling it up into one,” so to speak.

Finally, there’s the second biggest autumn holiday to Unovans and Orreans, Thanksgiving. Supposedly, this is meant to be a holiday dedicated to the story of Unova’s founding, but really, it’s more of a modern-day harvest festival, in which the Unovan family gathers together over a massive feast (often involving turkey, pumpkin pie, and awkward political conversations). Or at least, that’s what it is from my understanding. This is not to be confused with the Grand Harvest Festival, which is a Unovan festival in mid-September meant to honor a time when Unovans learned to settle their differences and work together in peace to restore and protect the nature around them. On the other hand, this holiday is followed quickly by the ones where Unovans fight over resources to the detriment of their fellow Unovan, so I suppose one could say these holidays are unintentionally related.

Alola technically is part of the same country as Unova and Orre and thus shares many of its holidays, but because Alola possesses a very unique culture with a separate history, less emphasis is placed on the state holidays and more on the local ones. In Alola, this means that there’s a lot more emphasis placed on honoring the tapu. While each of the tapu have their own holidays, Tapu Bulu is especially celebrated throughout the autumn season. Each of the islands has their own separate festival for them, but on Ula’ula Island, Tapu Bulu’s home territory, the Tapu Festival is a week-long celebration in mid-November. Some of the customs include leaving offerings within the ruined buildings of Tapu Village (or Ruins of Abundance, if you’re willing to traverse the often unrelenting Haina Desert), as well as the standard battles (often at the top of Mount Lanakila) to entertain the tapu. The latter also involves a series of challenges staged through the Lanakila cave system that participants must get through to reach the top of Lanakila.

And finally, there are a few globally celebrated holidays, including Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights) and the Jewish High Holidays (primarily the Jewish new year Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur). This isn’t to say that the above-mentioned holidays—Day of the Dead, for example—aren’t celebrated outside of the regions mentioned above. It’s more to say that practically every region has a significant population of Hindu and/or Jewish people that these holidays are recognized on some level by practically every region.

Of course, this just scratches the surface because the world is such a vast place with so many different peoples and customs that it’s impossible for me to cover them all. However, if you’d like to mention your own region’s autumnal holidays, by all means, send an ask!

#asks #our world #samthewindwaker

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mandeebobandee · 6 years

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Pumpkin Surprise

My contribution for Prompt #3 of @sanderssidescelebrations, Pumpkin Carving. Hope you enjoy!

It was Roman's idea initially. It was Patton who named it. Pumpkin Surprise. "Its like Secret Santa, only with pumpkins!" Patton explained in delight. "Then why not just call it Secret Pumpkin?" Logan quirked an eyebrow upward, looking supremely unamused. "Pumpkin Surprise has a better ring to it!" Roman chimed in.

"It sounds like a mystery dessert you'd find in a school cafeteria," Virgil mumbled.

The object was to pull names out of a hat and carve a pumpkin for the person whose name you pulled. Even Deceit got in on the action.

On Halloween Night, the five Sides approached the living room table, where they'd each placed their pumpkins. It was easy to tell which pumpkin was carved for which Side. One pumpkin had an elaborate crown, the next a kitten and puppy playing with a miniature pumpkin. There were also pumpkins with a detailed carving of a rattlesnake, the Crofters bear, and... "...is that Hanson?" Virgil gaped at the final pumpkin which bore a carving of the cover of Hanson's first album. "You said at the Q&A in Australia that you liked Hanson!" Roman protested. "I think we know who carved Virgil's pumpkin," Patton said with a giggle. "You...actually remembered that?" Virgil gaped at Roman. He thought it was such a throwaway comment, and yet Roman not only committed it to memory but utilized that knowledge to carve Virgil's pumpkin. "Thanks, Princey," Virgil mumbled, one corner of his mouth twitching upward into a half-smile. "Me next, me next! I assume the kitty and puppy are for me!" Patton clapped his hands together. "No, they're obviously for me," Deceit drawled. "Uh, Deceit, I think yours is actually..." Patton started. "Deceit knows full well which one is his pumpkin," Logan squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, as if trying to work out a headache. "I hope your Halloween is enjoyable, Patton." "...you did this, Lo?" Patton asked in a quiet voice. "Yes?" Logan half-answered, half-asked. "AWWWWW! Thank you so much!" Patton threw himself at Logan, his arms pulling the logical Side into a bear hug. Logan spluttered, his glasses askew as he awkwardly hugged Patton back. "I am not at all curious as to who carved my pumpkin," Deceit's voice cut through the reverie. "They did a horrible job with the snake. It does not look at all like my dear Samantha," Samantha being Deceit's pet snake. Patton pulled away from Logan at once, looking stricken. Virgil immediately clenched his hands into fists. "You take that back," he growled before shifting his gaze to Patton. "Virgil, Patton, I believe the two of you are forgetting something," Logan cleared his throat. "Deceit's syntax only permits him to speak in negatives." "...what?" Patton's voice was small. "Deceit can only tell lies," Roman explained. "Which means..." Virgil relaxed considerably. "You liked it! You really liked it!" Patton beamed, turning to Deceit and enveloping him in a bear hug of his own.

That left two pumpkins - The Crofters bear and the crown. Logan eyed the bear on what he was sufficiently confident was his pumpkin. "The detail on this bear is impeccable. I am most impressed with the workmanship." He glanced at the two remaining carvers. Deceit was still enveloped in Patton's arms. Virgil... Virgil's face was beet red. "This is your work, Virgil, is it not?" Logan traced over one of the carvings. Virgil nodded, shifting slightly where he stood. "I know it's not the greatest..." "Virgil, I just told you that I was impressed with this pumpkin. That does not change on the basis of who carved it. You did a good job," Logan assured him. "Yeah, well...Crofters, right?" Virgil scratched at his elbow with the hand on his other arm. "That means..." Roman eyed his own pumpkin. "This is Deceit's handiwork." "You're wrong, it most certainly is not," Deceit called out from behind Patton. That was as good as a confession. "I LOVE IT!" Roman shouted, causing Virgil to jump and cover his ears and Logan to glare in Roman's direction. "Was that really necessary?" he snapped.

"Of course it is. How else will you all know how much I love it? It makes me want to siiiiiiiiing," Roman called out in a sing song voice. “Truly a pumpkin befitting a prince!” Logan groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Well kiddos, what do you say? Should we do this every year?" Patton asked them all once he finally freed Deceit, Deceit letting out a massive sigh of relief.

Various agreements echoed through the room. And thus a new Halloween tradition was born.

#ts deceit

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oneandahalfspinsters · 5 years

Photo

#inktoberday31 Happy Halloween! Today's prompt was to show all the characters we drew thus far trick or treating. I got a tablet to do art! I know Inktober is supposed to be traditional media, but I can't stop drawing on this thing. I need to work on shading and put more time into finished sketches before I ink, but I'm excited to explore! . . . . . . . . . . . #one #and #a #half #spinsters #ghost #witch #gay #swaetshirt #pumpkin #jackolantern #scarecrow #girl #floating #orange #gold #brown #black #gray #grey #matoon #yellow #digitalart #new #firealpaca #halloween #spoopy #inktober #inktober2018 https://www.instagram.com/p/BpnpIoFhqCN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tkh06luzwzey

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millennialmoderator · 4 years

Text

10 Great Seasonal Marketing Ideas from Real Brands

Whether we like it or not, our life is organized around seasonal events to a great extent..

Originally published on millennialmoderator.com

Seasonal marketing is a professional response to those culturally long-established occasions and is an excellent example of the skillful taking of every opportunity to keep the business successfully running.

Marketing is the art of attending to the needs of many, while good marketing is the talent to professionally use every significant public event to spice up promotions. The seasonal events are the perfect opportunity for marketers to bring something new on the table by merely implementing all the ready symbols and topics of the particular holiday.

Holidays - an inexhaustible source of marketers' inspiration

The first holiday to sprang up in everyone's mind when talking about holiday marketing is, with high probability, Christmas. So let's cite an example without further ado. In order to prepare content for the Christmas campaign, marketers do not have to face a tremendous obstacle of reinventing the wheel; the set of ready-made, time-tested ideas, marks, and symbols is right here at their disposal. We are talking here about traditional red and green colors, brightly wrapped presents, good old Santa, Rudolph, Christmas miracles, cookies, family reunions - you name it.

The list goes on, giving the perfect, fertile ground for marketers to generate fascinating ideas. Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day, St. Patricks Day - seize these opportunities of driving more interest to your business, thus boosting the revenue! Customers will not only lose track of their wallets, but also get inspired by festive spirit and, quite often, really enjoy the mastery of marketer's merry-making campaigns.

We have put together a list of great seasonal marketing ideas from real marketing craft professionals - get inspired for new campaigns and do not waste your seasonal opportunities!

Let's Hear it From the Real Brands

1. Grammarly's guide to the faultless Valentine's Day.

Nowadays, it is more than ever difficult to imagine the actual communication percentage that has moved to the online world. And as we all know, written communication leaves a lot of room for error. This unfortunate truth is particularly embarrassing when it comes to a romantic relationship that strives online. Grammarly, a software company that runs an English language digital writing tool, has got you covered. The company's specialists have a campaign each year to come up with the top tips on making a beautiful romantic gesture and not to embarrass yourself with their app's help. What a great idea! If you set out on a quest to write the perfect love note - Grammarly can help.

2. Nintendo's launch of Luigi's Mansion 3 on Halloween day, what a treat!

Halloween presents yet another excellent opportunity to stand out among the competitors. Some brands really know how not to miss this train. We are talking about universally recognized masters of all things scary — video game companies.

On the 31st of October, 2019, Nintendo presented their fans with a spooktacular Halloween gift - the new game's launch, loudly promoted using all the famous Halloween-related codes. The company celebrated the launch with special offers, thematic rewards for users, and impressive social media campaigns. The launch later turned out to be a sweeping success, chartered as the best ghostbuster game ever released. Well played, Nintendo!

Seasonal marketing does not exclusively include holidays; Johanna Bohm, the Head of Marketing at Adsy, shared. There is one big annual marketing event that all the professionals anticipate. And it is, absolute beyond comparison, Black Friday. Both small and big businesses introduce time-sensitive sales to boost their revenue. Make sure your content marketing campaigns are working a few weeks before the biggest sale of the year; for example, by submitting a guest post to Adsy.com and reap the results.

3. Opt outside with REI on Black Friday.

While we are on the topic, there is one intriguing campaign we cannot omit to mention. REI, an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation, launched a campaign to protest the annual rise of consumerism associated with Black Friday, inspiring people to spend this day outdoors. All the current and potential customers and users of their services were encouraged to share their outdoor adventures on Instagram with the hashtag #OptOutside.

This bold marketing move, which rang true to the brand's values, formed the outdoor enthusiast's; community, loyal to the brand all year round.

4. Virtual Easter egg hunt with Freefly VR

There is no Easter without an egg hunt, and, in this day and age, comes the time to finally test intriguing, ultra-modern approaches to this festive activity from childhood. Freefly VR, a company dedicated to offering robust, highly engaging virtual reality products, knows how to use the time of year to its advantage and set a festive mood for its customers.

The company came up with unique promotions around Easter, announcing a virtual Easter Egg Hunt where customers can find eggs around the website for the chance to win prizes and special offers.

5. HotelTonight: Visit. Don’t Stay.

This is a unique example on our list since it does not relate to any of the seasonal events in particular. At the same time, it applies to all the holidays that involve family gatherings. HotelTonight took a different approach to the joy of family reunions, stressing sheer uneasiness of staying with the family under one roof. We find this plot absolutely brilliant since almost everyone can relate.

The campaign presents the message across many formats, including various visual ads, social media posts, and offers to take part in a competition to win a stay at one of their hotels during the holiday season. Such a brilliant and concise storytelling! They definitely managed to engage human emotions, quickly making people want to share their experience, and, in a joking manner, reevaluate their housing decisions.

6. Hinge - find someone special to share holiday joy with (or maybe even your life journey).

Around Thanksgiving, this dating app sent out an email inviting people to reconsider their everyday dating habits and concentrate on finding someone special to build long-lasting relationships with. Family and loved ones' importance is usually highly stressed in the media and other cultural narratives around Christmas, so Hinge marketing professionals decided not to let this beautiful opportunity of sentimentally reminding their current and potential users of what is truly important leak away.

Within the letter, they recommended to stop swiping the perfectly retouched portraits and instead concentrate on starting a new meaningful relationship, of course, with the help of their service.

7. The Body Shop is sending Kisses!

This deserves a spot on this list because it is an excellent example of how a simple campaign, presented at the right time, still may get the desirable brand exposure and increase revenue around holidays.

Marketers at the Body Shop decided to act by employing an effective method of user engagement. They promoted Valentine's Day launch of a new lip balm by encouraging the audience to share a photo of them blowing a kiss to someone special with a hashtag #SendingAKiss. The campaign went international and included prizes for the most ingenious photo ideas. Needless to say, thanks to perfect timing, the company’s marketing goals were achieved.

8. Macaulay Culkin stays Home Alone again for Google Assistant.

Opening our Christmas-related great seasonal marketing campaigns is the most famous child (well, not anymore) to have spent Christmas alone at his home. Google marketing team members are well aware that seasonal events are fantastic opportunities to provoke positive emotions connected with the particular holiday, and skillfully extrapolate them onto your product. And they couldn't be more right about picking the hit Home Alone as a set for the sentimental setting of Christmas atmosphere to remind what Google's voice-activated gadgets can do.

Being at home alone around Christmas time, the actor uses a Google Home Hub, his phone to check the calendar, set reminders, order pizza, and adjust the house temperature. We think it is a perfect case of skillful appropriation of festive emotions brought around by this iconic classic.

9. Starbucks’ holiday marks.

The company is well-known for its highly professional and diverse seasonal brand amplification. Starbucks lavishly spreads festive cheer, whether it's Halloween o'clock, aka pumpkin spice latte season, or hot cocoa in annual reddish holiday cups around Christmas. Moreover, the company takes many other paths to make the most significant winter holiday their perfect marketing actor.

As mentioned above, one of the time-proven and most popular with the customers marketing ideas is encouraging user-generated content, such as photo competitions. In one of the annual winter holiday campaigns, the company encouraged its customers to design their red cups and share them on Instagram with a specific hashtag. The winners got valuable prizes; the company acquired the desired promotion.

10. Coca-Cola's Holidays Are Coming.

Last but not least, the long-running ad that, with the years, grew into one of the most recognizable marketing Christmas campaigns - Coca-Cola's Holidays Are Coming. The famous trucks have become unquestionable Christmassy icons since they were launched on TV in 1995. Since then, spotting this ad somewhere around the beginning of November marks the sweet starting point of anticipation of the marvelous winter holiday.

Each year, Coca-Cola adds something new, like social networks integration, new outdoor activities, decorations, prizes, and ads that viewers already perceive as mere Christmas family and friends reunion stories. All the ideas mentioned above work perfectly, boosting positive engagement with the brand.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are numerous options to choose from. Your main goal is to opt for those most applicable to your niche. Do not worry if you currently find yourself out of brilliant ideas; look for inspiration within ready-made ones that have proven to be effective in the past. Our list above is a great starter pack to get inspired by real brands and unravel your own creative potential.

If you enjoyed this Mod, you might like to read more about these How to Start a Dropshipping Business! Please share this Mod using the social links below. Any questions or comments? Let us know on Twitter!

Originally published on millennialmoderator.com

#blog #blogging #holiday #shop #black friday #millennials

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worldinferno · 7 years

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There is a lot of myth but there is an awful lot of Mister. Greetings from your happy warrior friend. You know, people often ask me “What is it you actually do for a living?” I don’t like answering direct questions and the truth would lead to a whole slew of other questions which I won’t want to answer like “oh yeah, what band?” and the problem with that scenario is if they don’t recognize the band it’s embarrassing and if do they recognize the band, it’s embarrassing. So I’ve taken to responding “You wouldn’t believe me and I’d probably be lying anyway”. which usually ends the conversation. Last night I was sitting in an empty bar typing and the particularly young and bored bartender was chatty and asked me what I was writing. My life has been fairly solitary lately so I’m not quite on my game deflecting enquiries. “uh,” i wittily replied “an article?” “oh” he said “You’re a journalist?” “yes,” I said “Yes”. Which of course led to more questions “Oh, what about?” The trick to lying is, as you know, sticking to truth as much as you can so I replied, “Halloween.” This made him uncomfortable for some reason but I sussed it. “I had a friend,” i said finally taking my eyes off the keyboard “who grew up a Jehovah's Witness and wasn’t allowed to celebrate Halloween”. The poor kid actually blushed. “How did you know?” So I put the ‘article’ aside and we talked about our triduum of Allhallowtide. Thus I will make good on October 2’s Hallowmissive promise and report some hard facts on our holiday. Thus making me indeed, at times, a journalist. Did you know the first All Saints Day took place in 610 AD but on May First! that would make the first Halloween April 30! Imagine! That was changed 200 years later when the church was trying to ease The Celts into Christianity by appropriating their traditional holiday Samhain which was vaguely equivalent to the spirit of the celebration insomuch that spirits of the dead roamed the earth and had to be either appeased (with candy) or frightened away (with Jack o lanterns). Another interesting fact is that originally Jack O Lanterns were carved turnips, not pumpkins. Ok, I am bored of interesting facts. The morning after Hallowmas, which invisible friends will you be lining up shots for then walking out of the bar untouched? That always freaks out the poor hung over bartender. I got a bunch, maybe I’ll share more with you as the month wears on but here’s one: “Garrett found real solace in music. He, more than any one of us, needed it. The rare smile that cracked his movie star death head of a face that was hanging over the collar of the leather jacket we shared (every other day, alternate weekends) when the volume flew up made me gasp. The music was so bad it made me listen to the lyrics. I grasped the lyrics with the rapidity of a young mind and changed a belief system. Next I remembered that the jacket was mine tomorrow and as beautiful as Garrett looked in it I would look better. In one snare hit of a 45 second song the future for me was not changed, it was determined. we left the half draft beer we were sharing but didn’t want in the bar we were too young to be in, got back in Garrett’s mother’s car which we were too young to drive but she wouldn’t remember if she ever found out, i got out down the street from my parent’s house waved goodbye, in that jacket.” As a side note, if the soul you are honoring died before they could drink you can leave chocolate. get it? in the temple of orphan gloves- from the garden of forking paths- Jack Terricloth, F.S. Greenpoint, Brooklyn October 3, 2017 https://youtu.be/yk4xj_a4SbA

#world inferno #world inferno friendship society #hallowmas #jack terricloth

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lilacmoon83 · 7 years

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Happy Halloween with a Charming family Halloween one-shot!

Enjoy this special holiday one-shot! Neal is four and Emma is three. Snow and David take them trick-or-treating for the first time.

Perfectly Charmings

Trick-Or-Treat

In the Enchanted Forest, All Hallow's Eve was a time when legends spoke of the night when the dead could return from the grave and in a land with magic, that had always led to all kinds of ghost stories and occurrences.

In some villages, they used All Hallow's Eve to celebrate the lives of loved ones passed on with festivals filled with music, food, and mead.

In Storybrooke, Halloween was almost as big of a deal as Christmas. It was a holiday that had carried over. Ghost stories were still told and parties were always held. But the people of Storybrooke had also adopted this land's traditions as well. And Beggar's night was fast approaching.

Their first year with Neal and Emma, their children were much too young to go out trick-or-treating, so they stayed home, cuddled up, handing out candy and watching movies together.

The second year was spoiled by an early snowstorm and they spent another Beggar's night sequestered in the house. But they didn't mind. Spending an evening cuddled on the sofa together with their babies would always be an evening well spent.

Finally, this year, everything seemed to be working in their favor. This fall had been unseasonably warm and both Emma and Neal were old enough to understand what it was all about.

First, they had to pick out costumes. Snow and David needed them too since after trick-or-treating, they were going to the big Halloween Bash that was being held at Town Hall. This year's assortment of costumes, poofed in by Storybrooke's magical assortment of monthly goods, were for sale at the library and the funds would be split between new inventory for the library and technology upgrades for the schools. It was an idea that Regina and Snow came up with to raise money to enrich the academics in their town. Newer computers and resources were allowing people that wanted to take college courses, but didn't want to leave Storybrooke, to take them online.

The task of actually narrowing down which costumes to pick was quite the trial though, for Emma and Neal wanted to be everything. Snow and David were busy discussing what they would be as well.

In the end, Neal decided on the child Spiderman costume and Emma liked the Supergirl costume they had for toddlers. It came as no surprise to Snow and David that their babies wanted to be super heroes.

The big night came and after they had the kids in their costumes, they put them in front of a kids movie, while they got dressed in theirs. Since their children were set on superhero costumes, they decided to keep with that trend.

"Well...what do you think?" Snow asked, as she came out of the bathroom in her Wonder Woman costume. He was pretty sure his jaw was on the ground, as he took in his always stunning wife in a costume that accented her curves.

"Did it come with the lasso?" he asked. She giggled and showed him the prop.

"I have many ideas about what to do with this later," she purred, as she kissed him.

"I think I'm going to like these ideas," he replied, as their lips met again.

"Mmm...you're looking very sexy yourself in your costume," she mentioned, enjoying the Asgardian armor.

"It's actually not a lot different than some of the armor I used to wear back in the Enchanted Forest, though I'm a little surprised you wanted me to dress up as Fandral and not Thor," he mentioned.

"I have my reasons," she mused.

"You really think I look like him?" he asked. She smirked.

"You could be his twin," she replied, as their children scampered in.

"Wow...you look pretty, Mommy," Emma said in awe.

"Thank you baby," Snow cooed, as she hugged her.

"I think it's time for this family of superheroes to get this show on the road," David said, as they filed out the door with Wilby, who was appropriately wearing a Superman cape made for dogs.

They arrived at Regina's house first to pick up the rest of their Superhero clan and they weren't disappointed by the costumes.

"I look ridiculous. Why can't I just go as myself, you know the Wicked Witch?" Zelena complained.

"Because we made a rule. No one can go as themselves or any Disney version of themselves," Regina replied, as she admired her Black Widow costume in the mirror.

"Fine, but why do you get to be Black Widow and I have to be this cat girl," she complained.

"Cat Woman," Henry corrected, enjoying his Aunt's fury. Zelena scoffed.

"Isn't she a villain?" the redhead asked.

"More like an anti-heroine, thus why she's perfect for you," Henry replied, as Regina snickered in amusement.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?," Zelena accused, as Robin toddled up to her in the cutest baby bat girl costume ever.

"Come see Mummy, little one," she cooed, as she picked up her daughter, just as the doorbell rang and Henry hopped up to answer it.

"Hey…" he greeted, as more of his family arrived.

"Captain America...looking good, kid," David said.

"Thanks Gramps, you're like a dead ringer for Fandral," Henry mentioned.

"So I've been told," he replied, looking at Snow fondly.

"Well...shall we?" Regina asked. They nodded in agreement and started off to hit all the neighborhoods and businesses in Storybrooke.

Once the kids collected what was an impressive haul, they headed off to Town Hall for the Halloween party. Music played thanks to the DJ they hired and the place was decorated all out for the occasion. They arrived to find many of their friends, including Marco, August, Archie, and the dwarves to name a few.

There was plenty of activities, like pumpkin painting for the children and bobbing for apples for the adults, the latter of which Snow was not interested in partaking in. Instead, she and Charming danced nearby, while Emma and Neal painted their pumpkins with little Robin.

"Happy Halloween, my darling," he said, as he gazed into her eyes.

"Happy Halloween, my love," she replied, as they shared a passion filled kiss. The party continued well into the night, but Snow and David took their sleepy little ones home long before it ended. Once they were in their pajamas, they kissed their little ones goodnight and they were out.

Emma and Neal's first trick-or-treating experience was a rousing success and Snow and David knew there would be many more years like this. But they would never take even one of them for granted.

"Come on...it's time to see what's under all this armor," she leered, as she led him to the bedroom.

"You still gonna use the lasso?" he asked cheekily. She smirked, and wound up, lassoing him perfectly.

"Oh definitely," she replied, as she pulled him into the bedroom and shut the door...

#Snowing #Charming family feels #Neal Nolan #de-aged Emma Swan #Happy Halloween!#feat Regina and Henry #feat Zelena and baby Robin #and Wilby!

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