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Final Thoughts This year, I set a goal to watch at least 365 movies for the first time, a goal which I've unexpectedly gained a lot of free time to accomplish. Since I was going to watch a lot of new movies anyway, participating in this challenge seemed it would be fairly simple. I'm glad I did the challenge because it gave me the chance to cross a bunch of movies off of my "to see" list, like the German Expressionist movies and Funny Games. It also taught me a lot about my movie habits. I can't imagine seeing a hundred horror movies in a month, especially when it seems like the people in this thread who did that ended up watching a lot of stinkers. I just don't have the mindset where I can watch a movie just because it's there. The only time I've ever done something like that has been when I've attended film festivals, but in those cases I trust that the people running those festivals have curated movies that are worth my time. During this challenge, I mainly stuck to well-respected directors (Fritz Lang, Dario Argento, David Lynch, Michael Haneke, Nobuhiko Obayashi) or movies that have been otherwise acclaimed (The Eyes of Laura Mars, The Hunger, Near Dark, Jacob's Ladder). I did take some risks in watching Roar and Porno, both of which more or less payed off. Even in those cases, though, I picked those out through the Music Box Theater's streaming offerings, so I had an expectation of being in safe hands. After doing the challenge, I think I'd be more inclined on taking a chance on movies that I'm not immediately inclined to watch. Some horror movies that I'd like to check out soon include Human Lanterns, The Enchanting Shadow, Gozu, and The Alchemist's Cookbook. As for the raffle, I'll be watching movies on streaming for the next few weeks due to some guests in my house, but normally I'm fine watching movies on American Blu Ray. DVDs work too, but I prefer Blu Ray.
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May 3, 2020 02:05
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Oh let me put some effort into my final thoughts. Take two! Final Thoughts! I set the goal of watching 66+6 movies from the 🌈Opening the Vault: A Chronological History of Queer Interest & LGBTQ+ Cinema list, and managed to beat it, getting to a final score of 87. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty burned out and limping across the finishing line by the end, but I made it! I don't like the feeling of repeating myself during reviews, so I probably beat myself up way too much towards the end. Next time I'm just going to try and have more fun, and just remember to speak from the heart. Movies Watched Disco Beaver from Outer Space, Midnight Meat Train, Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives, Mausoleum, Ticks, When Animals Dream, Baba Yaga, Anna and the Apocalypse, Bear Creek, The Toxic Avenger, The Shiver of the Vampires, Evolution, The Ninth Configuration, Fascination, Twins of Evil, Symptoms, Suspiria (2018), The Old Dark House, Diabolique, Psycho Beach Party, Sleepaway Camp, Fright Night, Another Yeti a Love Story: Life on the Streets, 301/302, Cannibal, Apartment Zero, Little Shop of Horrors, Inferno, Multiple Maniacs, Nightmare Sisters, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Mother of Tears, Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde, Juan of the Dead, Jennifer's Body, Monster in the Closet, 2LDK, The Lure, The Carmilla Movie, The Seventh Victim, Cat People, Amer, Chastity Bites, Daughters of Darkness, Desperate Living, Nightbreed, The Case of the Bloody Iris, Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness, Eyes of Laura Mars, Gothic Successive Slidings of Pleasure, Gozu, Jack & Diane, Killer Nun, May, Blood for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, The Hitcher,Raw, The Girl Next Door, Velvet Buzzsaw, Pola X, The Kiss of the Vampire, The Fourth Man, Killer Condom, The Uninvited, Tombs of the Blind Dead, Virgin Witch, Teeth, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treat, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Hellraiser: Inferno, Hellraiser: Revelations, Hellraiser: Judgment, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter, Blood Quantum, One Cut of the Dead, Child's Play, Child's Play 2, Child's Play 3, Seed of Chucky, Child's Play (2019), Dracula (1931) The Good Anna and the Apocalypse - Utterly charming zombie musical, that leans hard into both Symptoms - Bleak psychological horror about an emotionally tortured lesbian recluse, played by the wonderful Angela Pleasence Suspiria (2018) - An improvement upon the original in my opinion. It really goes hard into the characters, the setting, and the emotional drama Diabolique - Classic suspense thriller than manages to be wonderfully charming and playful Sleepaway Camp - I was not expecting to be so blown away by this one. It's at once an insane spectacle, and a touching, heartfelt drama 301/302 - Great psychological arthouse horror drama thriller, from a very interesting Korean director. Little Shop of Horrors - It's a classic for a reason. Watch the director's cut! The Bride of Frankenstein - An iconic camp classic. I'm really going to have to dress up as The Bride at some point Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde - I wasn't expecting this one to lean so hard into the queer subtext, but it goes there and makes it work 2LDK - Wonderful little bottle movie action slasher, with a great production backstory Cat People - Suspenseful supernatural thriller, that really puts you into the shoes of the "villian" Amer - Best film of the month. It's three films in one, it's arty, it's gothic, it's sexy without trying. GO WATCH IT! Successive Slidings of Pleasure - Very fun murder mystery(?) thriller(?) sexploitation(?) arthouse film with a sense of humour When Animals Dream - It's like Ginger Snaps, but give me bleak and brooding. I loved it. Daughters of Darkness - Prepare to be charmed by Elizabeth Bathory as an older rakish lady, who charms couples before devouring them Desperate Living - About as anarchic as John Waters gets, and that is pretty far. It's a home invasion movie, but with the mother invading her own home. Then it twists into a hobo shanty town anti-monarchist ren-faire lesbian peasant revolt thriller??? I don't even know. Go watch it! May - Adorable and charming tale of nerdy awkward girl's attempt to make friends, by any means necessary Raw - Intense cannibal coming of age story, that's contrasted with a warm tale of two sisters coming together. Still processing this one, but I like it. The Kiss of the Vampire - I accidentally watched this, but it was a great surprise! It's basically "What would you do if Dracula slapped your girlfriend's rear end" the movie. The Fourth Man - Wonderful suspenseful queer as gently caress horror tale, which is more about deconstructing storytelling as it is about anything else Killer Condom - Incredibly funny and charming midnight movie Tombs of the Blind Dead - This is a zombie movie for people who are tired of zombie movies. It made me feel like a little kid watching NotLD again. Teeth - Very cute movie that uses the abstinence only movement as a springboard to tell a very fun and disturbing tale One Cut of the Dead - It's loved for a reason. Every times I thought I had the film figured out, it blindsided me with another genius twist. The Toxic Avenger - Very fun midnight movie, that was a lot gorier and nastier than I was expecting Evolution - A very emotionally turbulent but also cold look at mermaids The Lure - A very fun and bright look at mermaids, with singing and Polish people! The Shiver of the Vampires - The one Jean Rollin film I liked this month, with reservations, but still... The Old Dark House - Gothic horror done right, and with lashings of queer subtext The Rocky Horror Picture Show - I was slow to come around to this one, but I'll watch Tim Curry in anything these days Dracula (1931) - The last two acts aren't amazing, but that first act really swings for the fences Disco Beaver from Outer Space - It's on YouTube, go watch it. I'll wait. The Bad Midnight Meat Train - I had a hard time getting into this one, the lead was unlikable and cold, and the twist was a bit meh Baba Yaga - This felt like two films smashed together, one worked for me and the other didn't Bear Creek - Charming for its production values, but it's still just a bunch of friends goofing about in the woods Another Yeti a Love Story: Life on the Streets - Charming and funny, but not quite enough of either Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives - Some really great performances drowned by a very mediocre film The Case of the Bloody Iris - Dull, cold, racist, and uninspired Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness - It's not terrible, but it's really nothing special either Gozu - This film is desperate to shock you, but it just comes across as juvenile Velvet Buzzsaw - Really cold film full of unlikable characters and dull kills Killer Nun - Some promise here, but not enough to escape from the fact that it isn't as shocking as it thinks it is. Blood for Dracula/Flesh for Frankenstein - Meh. I expected a lot more. Shock Treatment - A musical with a tin ear, and it isn't even fun. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh - Deeply mediocre. Hellraiser: Bloodline - We're in space, we're in the past. The only thing we're not in is an interesting movie. Hellraiser: Inferno - Well it tries something, it just does a really poor job Hellraiser: Judgment - They began writing a really interesting film, got two pages in and said "gently caress it, we'll wing it" and the rest is mediocre. From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money - More fun than people give it credit for, but not good, not good at all. Child's Play 3 - Mediocre. Seed of Chucky - The meta references and humour fall flat for me, but it's a spectacle. They also try to do something respectful with non-binary identities, but bless them, I'm not sure it worked. Fascination - I was not fascinated  Twins of Evil - A film that warped itself around the fact that hammer had some twins who'd do T&A Nightmare Sisters - A film that warped itself around the fact that Linnea Quigley has boobs The Ugly Chastity Bites - This film tries so hard, and falls just short. Bless them for trying, but it just wasn't enough. Psycho Beach Party - A comedy genre mashup with lots of queer text and subtext, but just falls a bit flat. Mausoleum - I actually loved this film, but it's bad, real bad. Ticks - Nice little gory film, but it just gets a bit lost and muddled with the story The Ninth Configuration - I really loved this film, but it left me feeling a bit cold. Fright Night - Cool sfx, charming film, I just wish the douchey boyfriend wasn't the main character Cannibal - Imperfect but actually kind of impressive. Apartment Zero - Strong character film, that feels like the thriller aspect was tacked on at the last minute Inferno - They hurt cats, don't they? Multiple Maniacs - Very rough embryonic John Waters film, but stick around for the giant lobster The Mother of Tears - A lot more enjoyable than I was expecting, but not good either Juan of the Dead - I really liked this, but it makes a few too many questionable choices to be called "good" Jennifer's Body - Another one I enjoyed, but it left me feeling cold. I don't think it took the premise seriously enough Monster in the Closet - The more I think about this film, the more I love it, but it's way too long for what it is The Carmilla Movie - A love letter to the fans of the web series, but not much here for anyone else The Seventh Victim - Another one I felt was a bit cold, though it goes in some interesting directions. Nightbreed - Very ambitious horror superhero movie, but it feels more like an origins tale than an interesting film in its own right. Eyes of Laura Mars - I liked this, but I didn't love it. It just didn't grab me. Still friends? Gothic - Cool little film, with some great performances, but a little hollow. Jack & Diane - A great lesbian coming of age film which is kind of ruined by a visual metaphor that doesn't work. Go watch it anyway. The Hitcher - Really enjoyable, but feels more action than horror, and doesn't really do a great job of maintaining tension. The Girl Next Door - Torture porn starring young children. Would be a lot more enjoyable if it wasn't shot so pedestrianly. Pola X - Really excellent art film, but I'd feel awkward recommending it as it's a bit of a struggle. The Uninvited - The tone is constantly shifting in this between light and dark, and I don't think it's successful. Good film otherwise though. Virgin Witch - It's a skinemax movie that becomes cool and anarchic in the last half hour The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again - Shot for shot remake, with a couple of great performances. Hellraiser: Revelations - A Hellraiser sequel that uses the source material, colour me shocked From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter - Wild, fun, sexy, and goofy, but still a little rough around the edges. Blood Quantum - Cool concept done a little too predictably for me Child's Play/Child's Play 2/Child's Play (2019) - These are fun, but they didn't really break out and become anything more than just throwaway fun for me. Well I got a little carried away there, if you read all that you're a trooper. This has been a really fun month, and I definitely want to thank Fran for setting it up  As for the raffle, I don't have any means of playing physical media right now, so it's 100% streaming for me
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May 3, 2020 02:29
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I know I'm coming in late but I barely managed to finish my challenge in spite of work overload. Posting reviews just kind of fell to the wayside. 7. Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning 8. Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives 9. Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood I have to say on the re-watch of these three I had a greater appreciation of Part 5 than I did before in spite of it's flaws. But it did move ahead to put itself as my second favorite of the post Final Chapter F13 films. 10. The Last Shark (1981) 11. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged 12. Chopping Mall 13. Halloween
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May 3, 2020 02:31
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Here's my Final Thoughts. I'm a bit disappointed that only twelve of my thirteen were new to me, and of those, some entries like The Blob were movies that I've seen enough of that they were mostly rewatches. But it's been a hectic month, and taking an afternoon to curl up in bed and rewatch Color Out of Space was the right call. There were no outright stinkers in my list, though Spawn of the Slithis only ekes out of one-star territory due to the unhinged performance of the police commissioner in the final act. It was a pretty mediocre run, honestly, with only The Crazies and Lords of Chaos really surprising me. And Lords of Chaos is pretty debatable as a horror movie, so that's just great. (I watched it because of the related episode of The Evolution of Horror podcast. I listened to that episode today, and was surprised to hear even the hosts concur that no, this isn't a horror movie. I was the victim of deceit, I tell ye!) I think what stands out most about my list is just how contemporary it is. Of my 13 movies, 6 are from 2018 or later. A couple (Sea Fever and The Other Lamb) just debuted on VOD within the past month. And even though neither of those films grabbed me, it's nice to have the opportunity to see movies before any consensus can form around them. Here's the final tally (again): 1. The Crazies (1973) - 4/5 2. Shutter (2004) - 3/5 3. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - 2/5 4. Daniel Isn't Real (2019) - 3/5 5. Wishmaster (1997) - 3/5 6. The Blob (1988) - 4/5 7. Sea Fever (2019) - 3/5 8. I'll Take Your Dead (2018) - 3/5 9. The Other Lamb (2019) - 3/5 10. Spawn of the Slithis (1978) - 2/5 11. Lords of Chaos (2018) - 4/5 12. Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) - 3/5 13. Color Out of Space (2019) - 4/5 And I'll opt out of the raffle, but props to Fran for making it happen!
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May 3, 2020 02:50
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Final Thoughts: I had a relatively modest goal of 13 new to me movies, which I hit (I actually got in a couple more, but I didn't get them marked in time). Most of what I watched had been recommended at some point in the horror thread. There were a bit more misses than I expected honestly-nothing I'd say was outright horrible but some I definitely wouldn't recommend. That said there was some obviously great movies too. Here's how I'd break them down: Great-Parasite, The Platform, The Lighthouse, Color out of Space, One Cut of the Dead, Come to Daddy Not bad-Wake in Fright, Creepy, Exorcist III, Gozu Meh-Bliss, The Fury of the Demon, In the Tall Grass Most of the movies I watched were fairly contemporary, so I may try to mix in some older stuff later. Also I just noticed that 7 of my selections were non-US, which kinda surprises me. The one thing I do wish was that I had found some more found footage but I think I've seen most of the decent ones and it doesn't seem to be as many being made. Either way was fun, and looking forward to the next challenge.
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May 3, 2020 06:21
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1. VFW (2019) 2. Human Lanterns (1982)  3. Night of the Devils (1972)  4. Underwater (2020)  5. As The Gods Will (2014)  6. Project Metalbeast (1995)  7. Leviathan (1989)  8. Color Out of Space (2019)  9. Scanners (1981)  10. Sole Survivor (1984)  11. November (2017)  12. Night of the Demon (1957)  13. A Dark Song (2016)  Final thoughs I wish I could've watched more but paradoxically whenever I have more free time I never really have the energy to watch a lot of movies. I also wish I could've watched a more diverse roster of films both in the chronological and geographical sense. I did manage to watch films from three continents and I've never seen an Estonian film before so that's a win. As for highlights I think As The Gods Will and Color Out of Space where the definite highlights. Human Lanterns was also great fun as were Underwater and Scanners. The worst film was definitely Project Metalbeast because it has such an amazing concept that it just fails completely to live up to despite some neat effects. P.s. Sign me up for the raffle please. FreudianSlippers fucked around with this message at 19:12 on May 3, 2020 |
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May 3, 2020 18:29
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Here's how the Spook-a-Doodle Raffle works. Everyone that watched a minimum of 13 movies and/or matched their personal goals (excluding anyone who opts out) is put on the spinning wheel .  and it spins around, lands on a name and spits out the winner for me! This challenge's random winner is...   Dorium, who watched an impressive 41 films for the challenge! Hooray! Your prize: A brand new copy of the Arrow's special edition blu ray of An American Werewolf In London .  Or, if somehow they already own this, we'll work out a new prize. Dorium, since your PMs are closed, you need to contact me either through PMs or Discord. Thanks for everyone participating! Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 13:38 on May 4, 2020 |
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May 4, 2020 13:24
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Franchescanado posted:The guinea pigs that completed the experiment are going to receive a mark showing their vitality to abject horror. Hooray! (The process for getting marked is slow and painful; some may not survive.) The suspense has killed me
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May 7, 2020 16:50
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I woke up to find a crude pentagram etched into my forhead, 10/10 will participate in next challenge
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May 7, 2020 18:49
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I actually ended up watching a couple movies before the end of April that I never marked down here... 42. Possessor (2020) - Brandon Cronenberg What a flick. It's visceral, intriguing, exciting and executed nearly flawlessly. I really enjoyed the splitting of the personalities and how they visualized it happening inside this contraption and the practical effects were all solid work and visually interesting. I kept wanting to know more and more about this world and the people inhabiting it. I dont think it needs sequel of any sort, but there's just so much to mine here. Great movie with a fantastic lead and supporting cast. 43. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) - Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman WOOF. zero likable people in this one and I was most just bored getting through it. It did move at a faster pace than the first two did (the third as of viewing the fourth being the best one of the quadrilogy at the time), but this one while having some pretty good gags could've been shorter and gotten to where we were inevitably going a lot faster. 44. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014) - Christopher Landon Finally! a good one. Maybe its the change of environment, really building out some of the lore in interesting ways and having a cast that I actually gave a poo poo about, but this one is a lot of fun and has some great found footage moments. The shining star next to part 3 that showed what this series was capable of when it had some focus and a script worth filming. 45. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) - Gregory Plotkin and then we get to this one. well, it's a movie. it's got a beginning, middle and end. It does some ok-ish gags with the ghost stuff, but then we actually get to see the ghost/demon thing and you're kinda wishing you didnt. oh well. that basically sums up my time with the PA series. Oh well. 2/6 aint bad right? Final Thoughts: I think the month felt quite long in retrospect. Everything has felt long now that we're kinda forced to confront the doldrums of the world without distraction, so to sit down and watch 45 movies in a month was an interesting task that I didnt set out to do, but just sort of built over time (my original goal was just the 13). With that said, looking over my movies from the month there's definitely a theme going on with disease, societal upheavel, forces larger than one person to handle, and isolation. Top Ten of the Month (no order) Invasion of the Body Snatchers  Posessor  The Silence of the Lambs  The Thing  Candyman  Near Dark  Mandy  Sleepaway Camp  The House on Sorrority Row  Underwater  thanks to Franchescanado for putting up the thread. I will enjoy my copy of American Werewolf in London very much! See ya'll in October (or just in the horror thread I guess).
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May 7, 2020 22:18
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Debbie Does Dagon posted:The suspense has killed me I think I know what it is and it's even killing me too
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May 7, 2020 23:23
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I was dead several hundred years before the challenge began and yet it is still killing me as well.
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May 8, 2020 00:15
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dorium posted:45. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) - Gregory Plotkin is this the one where there’s a time traveling cult or something? I remember the plot being unnecessarily complicated
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May 8, 2020 19:23
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I think the time travel cult is 3. I mean, they're back in that one but it gets way weirder. I can't say I'm a fan of the Paranormal Activity meta plot but let it never be said they rested on their laurels. The PA ride is a wild one.
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May 8, 2020 19:29
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You get a hint of a time travel bit in 3, it really comes out in 5 and is totally there in 6.
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May 8, 2020 23:48
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OMG I just noticed my spook a doodle tag and as someone who has always avoided them before now I'm SO HAPPY about it!
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May 11, 2020 20:56
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 Hell yeah!
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May 11, 2020 21:13
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If someone completed the challenge (13 film minimum) and I somehow missed giving you a tag (It happens!), please PM me and I'll get it queue'd up for you.
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May 11, 2020 21:14
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Yesss, thanks Fran!
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May 11, 2020 21:38
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Finally I have a crew.
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May 11, 2020 21:49
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Its very silly but like... I'm actually kind of heart warmed to feel like I'm part of the crew. But in fairness its been a long quarantine.
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May 11, 2020 21:50
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STAC Goat posted:Its very silly but like... I'm actually kind of heart warmed to feel like I'm part of the crew. Plague pals
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May 11, 2020 21:58
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Basebf555 posted:Finally I have a crew. 
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May 11, 2020 22:27
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Welcome new pals to the best crew I'm on my phone right now do I have it
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May 11, 2020 22:46
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COOL CORN posted:Welcome new pals to the best crew Yep  
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May 11, 2020 22:52
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drat that's a good tag
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May 11, 2020 22:53
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Thanks, Fran! That is cool as hell.
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May 12, 2020 00:02
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Posting just to see my tag  Thanks Fran! Edit: ahhhhhhh gently caress Edit 2: eh, maybe it's time for a new AV, anyway Sarchasm fucked around with this message at 00:33 on May 12, 2020 |
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May 12, 2020 00:28
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Gang gang We a crew
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May 12, 2020 00:36
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Will this give us immunity from being called a poser?
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May 12, 2020 01:16
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married but discreet posted:Will this give us immunity from being called a poser? Permanently.
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May 12, 2020 01:29
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See, that's exactly the kind of question a poser would ask. Being a poser is like original sin, there's no escaping it. All we can do is perform painful acts of contrition, like watching Nekromantik 2, and hope those of the true faith look kindly upon us.
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May 12, 2020 01:30
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COOL CORN posted:Permanently. Now I’m confused. Kvlt wouldn’t give a single heck about this but kvlts consigliere says we are in the clear?
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May 12, 2020 01:41
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TheBizzness posted:Now I’m confused. Kvlt wouldn’t give a single heck about this but kvlts consigliere says we are in the clear? I have a much lower barrier to entry than my other half.
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May 12, 2020 01:42
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Sarchasm posted:Posting just to see my tag Ah, yeah. Sorry. That happens when AVs have older HTML, usually when they haven't been updated in years
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May 12, 2020 01:58
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Franchescanado posted:Ah, yeah. Sorry. That happens when AVs have older HTML, usually when they haven't been updated in years It's no big deal. New AV for a new gang tag sounds like a fair trade to me.
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May 12, 2020 02:08
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Thanks Fran, I'm enjoying the contrasting imagery of blood as it pertains to life and death in my gangtags
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May 12, 2020 17:59
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