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[wordynerdy]

May the Fourth be with you! We do a group costume and house setup every year to hand out candy for trick-or-treaters, and a few years ago we did Star Wars. I was Han, and his hip holster thingy is a pain in the ass; to make and to wear! It rained, as it usually does when I'm outside in a costume, but we had a blast. We gave out Starbursts and glow sticks and Milky Way bars. 😄

#star wars #cosplay #han solo #leia organa #luke skywalker #darth vader #stormtrooper #may the fourth be with you #halloween #trick or treat

[wordynerdy]

This is my Gish team!

May the Fourth be with you!

[wordynerdy]

It’s Gonna Be May Day

Today is the first of May, and after what seemed like an eternal April, it’s welcomed beyond the Justin memes. While May Day is not a widely celebrated holiday in the United States (instead better known for being International Worker’s Day), Europe still holds on to this traditional holiday in many different ways. It is exactly halfway to Halloween today, and the changing of seasons always calls for some good Pagan fun.

Today is celebrated as the beginning of spring as May Day, with many ancient rituals still being carried out, such as the May Pole and the crowning of the May Queen. If you’re in Germany, you might be celebrating today and last night as Walpurgisnacht, where festivities and fires are held to help keep away evil spirits, with the assistance of Saint Walpurga. In Ireland today, they’re celebrating Beltane, a Gaelic holiday which glorifies the creation of a new season with sexuality and fertility.

Basically, May Day is a time to look forward at the good that will be approaching, and we can all use some of that right now. So to help you celebrate, here is today’s Friday Five:

Five Movies You Can Stream Today in Celebration of May Day

1. Wicker Man (1973)

This movie is one of my all time favorites. It’s probably the most Pagan movie you’re going to find, and if you haven’t seen it you really should just stop whatever you’re working on and watch it immediately. That Zoom meeting can definitely wait. This is a horror movie, and while I don’t find it very scary, I’m desensitized to everything so take that as a warning. There is some violence and some nudity in this film. But the best thing of all about this film- Christopher Lee! My favorite performance of his of all time. Seriously, just watch this movie. And do not mention the horrendous remake. This is NOTHING like that movie, and we do not speak of it.

Wicker Man is currently streaming on Netflix.

Midsommar (2019)

Chances are, if you’re into horror movies or witchy movies or Pagan movies or Florence Pugh (which is basically all of us), you’ve seen this one already. I loved this very much, but when the lights came up in the cinema I said, “So that was basically Wicker Man.” Which is unfair of me, because there are a ton of differences. For one thing, this really IS a horror movie. It’s gruesome and includes lots of dub con-esque actions. Many times during the movie, I thought, oh wow, they DID that. It’s from the same people who brought you Hereditary, so if you’ve seen that but not this, you know what you’re getting into. (Hereditary, by the way, is also a good horror watch for May Day and is also available on Amazon Prime, but it wasn’t top five for me.) If nothing else, this film is gorgeous and there’s lots of eye candy for us bisexuals between Florence and Jack Reynor alone. Besides a TON of violence and gore, this movie also features nudity and language.

Midsommar is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Häxan

This one is taking it old school. Almost a century old, actually. It’s a Swedish documentary about witches, the occult, supernatural stuff, all the goodies. The film is silent, but there are English subs for those of use who don’t speak Swedish (me). More than anything, this film is a visual masterpiece, although it can definitely make you feel like you’ve had some edibles. Not saying this should be watched while high, but it might be a fun experiment. I claim no responsibility for anything that may happen in that circumstance, just FYI. As with everything on this list, this movie may be disturbing to some. It also contains some nudity.

Häxan is currently streaming on YouTube.

Agatha Christie’s A Pale Horse (2020)

This one is technically a mini series, but it’s only two hour long episodes, so that’s basically a movie. Based on the Agatha Christie book, this is a BBC version of the story of a woman who is found dead with a list of names in her shoe. What does that list mean? One of the guys on it wants to find out. There is a really awesome May Day festival that goes on in this film, and it’s very centered around witchcraft. There is an awesome mini-coven of ladies who steal the show in all their scenes. And lots of twists, of course. Be warned for muuuuurder and some violence and people being assholes. There’s a bit of nudity, too, thrown in for good measure.

Agatha Christie’s A Pale Horse is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

The Witch (2015)

This one has less to do with Beltane or festivals and is centered around being, well... a witch. And what that witch does to the people of this little village. Again, this is a horror movie, but I want to stress that atmosphere is everything for this one. I didn’t find it nearly that exciting the first time I watched it because it was in the daytime and I was multitasking (because if I’m ever doing any less than three things at a time I feel I’ve failed at life). However, if you can force yourself to do it, I highly recommend watching this at night with the lights out and doing nothing but watching the movie. It’s far more scary and enjoyable that way. This movie has the least gore and violence and nudity of all the ones on my list, but it is a high quality film nonetheless. Suspense is the game here, so if that makes your anxiety go wild, take heed.

The Witch is currently streaming on Netflix.

#May Day #Beltane #Walpurgisnacht #Midsommar #The Wicker Man #Haxan #A Pale Horse #The Witch #paganism #Friday Five

[wordynerdy]

I finally have a facebook page for my cake business! If you wanna give me a like, I’d appreciate it! https://www.facebook.com/icancakethat/

[wordynerdy]

Reblog for kindness, good cheer, and love. Also, honey is delicious.

[wordynerdy]

The casual fan knows him from Drop Dead Fred, a timeless 90s movie that boosted us all into childhoods of rebellion. But you probably would recognize the name Rik Mayall from one of his classic, utterly hilarious TV shows. I grew up on The Young Ones and Blackadder, thanks to my mother’s love of British Comedy. I truly believe that this man is at the very depths of my love for all things absurd and over-the-top.

The day he died, I was at an amusement park with my family. It was quite a sobering discovery for anyone who loved him. Despite the quieting of his career in the late 90s following an accident, he was still louder than life and full of color. My mother and I were talking about him and how shocking it was when my young sister asked who he was. Without pausing to consider, my mom answered, “He was our friend.” If you loved him and his work, you likely feel the same way.

If you aren’t familiar with Rik Mayall, do yourself a favor and check out some of the 100+ titles in his body of acting work. You will not be sorry you did.

Rik would have turned 59 today. Gone way too soon, but too wild to be forgotten.

#Rik Mayall #The Young Ones #Drop Dead Fred #Blackadder #Bottom

[wordynerdy]

Today is Barry Bostwick's birthday! Flashing back to November when I got to meet him in my hometown! #fbf

#fbf #Barry Bostwick #celebs

[wordynerdy]

I finally have protest buttons up! Very proud of how popular these have been in person.

Hello tumblr friends! If you’ve been following me a while, you might know that I’ve been unemployed for a few months and have been working to build my handmade business. Ideally I’ll be doing that full time soon, but for now I’m just trying to get by doing what I can. Luckily, all this off time has allowed me to attend many protests and rallies recently, and I’ve been making buttons to give out at them for donations. Enough people have asked me for these that I finally added them to my etsy (tinnedpineapple.etsy.com).

I have three different protest packs available; click the links to view them on etsy: The Anti-Trump, The Pride Power, & The Girl Power. I figured a lot of people on tumblr might want these to wear to protests or to just make a statement. I got a lot of notes on my picture of Chris Evans punching Trump, and now you can have that as a button! Do me a favor and share this post if you don’t mind to help support my business. I am making donations to the ACLU, The Trevor Project, and Planned Parenthood respectively for each sale I make as well. Thanks everyone!!!

[wordynerdy]

It’s Throwback Thursday! Here are some nerd-tacular pictures from about 11 years ago when I had a Harry Potter costume party. Not for anything in particular, just so me and my dorky friends could dress up like HP characters, drink butterbeer, watch the movies, and take pictures of each other while giggling.

As you can see in the pictures, we had a Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Lupin (who became a werewolf half way through the party), Trelawney, Lucius Malfoy (that’s me!), Moaning Myrtle, Whomping Willow, a random Slytherin student (who later changed into a Dementor), and a baby Harry Potter! We had chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes and butterbeer and firewhiskey (all homemade because back then it wasn’t easy to buy all this stuff), and posed for pictures mostly from Prisoner of Azkaban because that’s where all our favorite shippy things went on.

Yes, we are grown ass adults and we are huge dorks and we are proud of it, dammit!

#Harry Potter #Albus Dumbledore #Minerva McGonagall #Severus Snape #Remus Lupin #Lucius Malfoy #Whomping Willow #Moaning Myrtle #Sybill Trelawney #cosplay #TBT

[wordynerdy]

Happy 95th birthday, Betty White!

Here are a ten things about Betty that you might not have known!

She was an only child.

She was the only one of the four Golden Girls to receive an Emmy nomination for her work on the show every year of the show’s run.

She was a regular on ten different game shows over the span of her career.

She was married three times but has no children, although she is a step-mother to three.

She was the oldest of the four Golden Girls, and is the only one still alive.

Her middle name is Marion. Also, Betty isn’t short for anything; that’s just her name!

Her favorite drink is vodka on the rocks with lots and lots of lemon.

She called Deadpool the best picture of the year in a video on her twitter account (@BettyMWhite) and said, “Ryan Reynolds looks so f*cking handsome in his red leather suit!”

Her favorite episode of The Golden Girl was “A Little Romance.”

She loves hot dogs and red vines.

“Everybody needs a passion. That’s what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go though life without leaving any footprints.”

-Betty White

#Betty White #Golden Girls #celebrity birthdays #January 17th

[wordynerdy]

Friday Five: Friday the 13th Edition

For today’s Friday Five I’m celebrating the lovely lining up of dates that creates a Friday the 13th. Here are my five favorite scenes in Friday the 13th movies. This was a hard list to make; I have a soft spot in my heart for nearly every death!

5. Come here and eat my stew! (from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning)

This may the worst of all the movies. Well, I take that back. Jason Goes to Hell is probably THE worst. But this one gave us a few gems like this death scene. It’s campy as hell and I LOVE it.

4. Your face will freeze like that! (from Jason X)

I really enjoy this movie because it’s Jason... in space. So you gotta tech up the deaths a bit. Somehow this kind of death is scarier than regular hatchet and ax killings.

3. Crazy Ralph (from Friday the 13th (original))

Who doesn’t love Crazy Ralph? His first appearance is my true favorite, but someone has kindly put both of his scenes from the first movie together for us! Definitely one of the most underrated characters in these movies!

2. Sleeping bag of DOOM! (from Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood)

This is not the only sleeping bag scene in the series, but it’s the only sleeping bag death scene! Part 7 is probably my fave of all the movies. So many cool deaths and a lot of back story going on.

1. Crispin Glover dancing- ‘Nuff said. (from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter)

First of all, let me say how much I love that the 4th movie in a series of (currently) 12 is called The Final Chapter. Never give up, folks! Second, there is just no debate. This is the greatest thing the entire Friday the 13th series has given us. Crispin Glover, love of my life, dancing like he is on fire and wants to put it out very slowly, one limb at a time. Oh, my love for this scene knows no bounds. This movie also features a young Corey Feldman for some extra 80s awesomeness. But really, this is the scene that makes the whole thing!

#Friday Five #Friday the 13th #Jason Vorhees #Crispin Glover #horror

[wordynerdy]

TBT- Three years ago today I had the privelege of seeing Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and Billy Crudup in an excellent production of Waiting for Godot in New York. I got to meet Mr. Crudup and Sir Ian after the show, and in one of my favorite celebrity memories of all time, Ian McKellen asked to look at my buttons. What a lovely day that was!

#Ian McKellen #New York City #theatre #tbt #celebs

[wordynerdy]

Be Still, My Little Robotic Heart!

I finally saw Rogue One the other day. I know, I know. And I saw The Force Awakens extremely late last year too. At least with TFA I had the excuse of working at a busy bakery during the holiday rush. I have no good excuse this year.

I’d like to first give a shout-out to AMC for giving us Stubz members $5 off movies on Tuesdays. You have won over my little broke soul once again. And secondly, I’m gonna warn you all that spoilers are very likely to exist under this cut.

Now that we got that out of the way...

I went into seeing this movie knowing a few spoilers. Mostly that Mads Mikkelsen’s character built the Death Star, that there was some archive footage, and, according to tumblr, everyone in the movie is gay. Well, while I didn’t get any serious shippy vibes from this movie like I did TFA (Storm Pilot for life!), I’d be okay with whatever ships have come out of this. Let me run down a few thoughts I had from this movie.

Did anyone else find it oddly disturbing that Mads played a good guy? I mean, he’s a very talented actor. I just... didn’t know what to do with that.

People seem to think that Diego Luna had more of an impact in this movie than Oscar Isaac did in TFA. Sr. Luna definitely impressed me, but I think I’m just destined to love anyone named Oscar.

I’d like to just officially register my appreciation that we are still using creatures that look like that were rejects from Jim Henson’s nightmares.

I love movies/shows/books that are bold enough to kill off main characters. I LOVED THIS MOVIE. Don’t get me wrong- it was sad. I was sad. I shed a wee tear when Chirrut Îmwe died. But it’s just realistic, especially for a story like this. My friend leaned over during the end and said, “Who’s left???” I told her I went into the movie assuming they would all die. After all, they’re not in the other movies. To do this kind of standalone story, especially one involving an obvious suicide mission, you kinda have to kill everyone off.

Seeing Leia at the end made my heart smile. Especially since Carrie’s death, I think that was the nicest ending we could have hoped for. It probably affected me a lot more now than it would have if I’d have seen the movie right when it opened.

Finally, Star Wars... can you please stop making bots and droids and other metallic characters for me to fall in love with? I can only have so many favorite lovable robots within one franchise. K-2SO was like the C-3PO I always wanted. No hate on C-3PO, but he never stood a chance to be my fave next to my beloved R2-D2. I always wanted him to be a little less bumbly and a little more sassy. It’s like they knew.

And along that line, can I get a short film starting R2-D2, BB-8, and K-2SO? I’ll even throw C-3PO to make it an even four, and also because I’d be hella curious to see his interactions with K. Somebody write this? Draw this? Please?

As a general review, I really enjoyed the movie and thought it did a great job holding up to the standards and feel of the original trio. Definitely liked TFA more, but that was a movie I went into with low expectations. When I expect a movie to suck and it’s amazing, it kinda destroys my comparison basis for other things.

I give this movie a 8/10. Now if only the Han Solo movie would get here faster...

#Rogue One #Star Wars #movie reviews #movies #give me bots or give me death!

[wordynerdy]

Times like these, times when I have a lot of personal things happening and I’m worried and anxious and also concerned about the state of the world and how people like me are going to fit in and survive going forward, it’s these times when I tend to forget to do things I like. I forget to move forward and tend to get hung up on anger and frustration and so much stress. I recently lost my job. I’m fighting with the people at unemployment over whether I’m qualified for benefits. I want to take this time to move forward into a career that I love and will see me thrive, but at the same time, I often don’t know how I’ll pay next month’s health insurance bills. And then, on top of that, the election.

Now, whatever you may feel about Trump or Hillary or whoever, you can’t deny that this has been a frustrating period for most people. A lot of people have resorted to hate and name-calling, and I’m not innocent of this either. It’s human nature. But in times like these, when you feel the most useless about politics or your own world, that’s when you have to step outside and come together over your fears and hopes and just being human with other humans. And yes, I am still angry. And scared. And worried. I know so many who are. It’s okay to feel that way. But don’t let that consume you.

I used to go to a lot of protests when I was in college, during the Dubya years. Luckily, I was never arrested or hurt, but I saw many become violent (towards the protesters). While I have been concerned somewhere in my mind that the recent Trump protests could also turn out this way, this is an issue I feel strongly about, and so I took to the streets with many other Pittsburghers. And I felt a way I’d forgotten about for a while. The feeling of unity, and coming together with your neighbors to express your opinions. I know these protests are not likely to change what has happened, but the point has always been to speak out, to get people talking, and to join together to exercise our right to protest.

There’s something about marching in the streets and chanting “Build bridges, not walls” or “Love trumps hate” that really makes you feel alive, like you mean something to these people walking next to you. That you’re cared for and a part of a community. I made several hundred buttons to give out at the two events I went to last week, and people were just amazed that I would give them away for free. Some people gave me donations to make more buttons. Some people hugged me. The excitement in their faces over something I’d made, something they’d be proudly sporting around the city to silently proclaim their opinions, that was certainly payment enough. (Note: I will be selling said buttons on our etsy page within the next week, but I wanted to give them out locally to get people involved and talking about it even when they are not at a protest event.)

So what’s my point with all this? Why is it on my writing blog? Because I’ve been neglecting this blog, too worried and stressed to do anything creative. And I don’t want anyone else to feel that way. Writing here makes me happy. Going out to protests makes me feel better. I need to keep doing these things. I need to keep creating and putting myself out there, because people need to feel that humanity. People need encouragement. I encourage you to spend some time at least a few days a week creating, socializing, and doing something that makes you feel human. Find a local protest or march if that’s your thing. Make a craft, write a story. Keep yourself creatively fueled. Don’t let fear and depression kill those things inside you. I know it can be hard to even begin these things, but if you’re like me, starting is always the hardest part. Find a friend who can help push you to do things. Set reminders for yourself. Give yourself a reward. It’s worth it. This country is worth it. And you are worth it. I hope you always remember that.

#Pittsburgh #depression #American election #protests #Trump protests

[wordynerdy]

Last week, Soldier’s and Sailor’s Museum in Oakland, Pittsburgh, had a little Halloween party and recreated the cage scene from Silence of the Lambs. That scene was filmed there, so it was very cool to see that scene really come to life. The cage was built for the event by the creative team at Hundred Acres Manor in South Park, and they donated it to the museum for use at future events. It was relaxed as far as Halloween parties go, but the ambiance of the cage room made up for that. There was a dance area, some food, a caricature artist (the brilliant Sam Thong who you can find in the mall at Station Square), a candy bar, tarot readings, and some of the people who work and the museum and were around for the movie’s filming to chat with about the cage. They even had themed cocktails.

It was a “costumed-encouraged” event, and they had a little costume contest in one of the rooms towards the end of the evening. My friend Althea does a pretty great Hannibal Lecter, so I told her she should wear it. We’re both really happy she did. When we were getting our tickets scanned at the door, a woman who worked at the museum approached us. She told Althea that the actor they’d hired to play Hannibal in the cage was a no-show, and she asked if Althea would be willing to fill in to take pictures. They told her she could just pop in for five minutes if she wanted.

Well, let me tell you... she was amazing. It seemed like she had a fantastic time in there, because she only came out to get a chianti and do an interview with a local paper. I was watching her bag and taking a billion pictures. From the moment she stepped into the cage, she really acted the part. Her stance, her movements... perfectly from the movie. It was incredible and also very surreal. There was a Buffalo Bill and a Clarice there, but no other Hannibals. We got some pictures with the group, and she posed with about everyone at the event.

The last half of the photos are ones I edited. I can’t believe how good she looked in there! When cosplay goes REALLY REALLY right!

EDIT: Here is the video that the Trib put out about the event. My friend is interviewed and featured a few times!

#Silence of the Lambs #Hannibal Lecter #Pittsburgh #cosplay

[wordynerdy]

[wordynerdy]

It is that time of year again everyone! On October 20th, wear purple for the seventh year of #SpiritDay (holy smokes!). Show LGBTQ teens that you support them and take a stand against homophobia and bullying.

In addition to wearing purple, here are some other ways you can support #SpiritDay:

Join the Facebook event and share it with your friends

Download the #SpiritDay app (sponsored by Toyota Financial Services) to turn your photos purple

Tweet your favourite celebrities and companies and ask them to “go purple”

Reblog this post :)

Take the pledge as well as read up on #SpiritDay, it’s history, it’s impact and it’s past and current participants on the official website

Encourage your school, workplace or faith group to participate as well

Thank you all for your constant participation and enthusiasm and I look forward to hearing from you this #SpiritDay 2016.

-Brittany McMillan (Founder of @glaad’s #SpiritDay)