qsdblogging

We’ve all heard of writer’s block. It’s a thing. It happens. For a while, when I was still a student, all the writing I really ever did was for school work. I tried writing outside of work necessary to pass classes, but it felt draining to try and do.

I would spend ten minutes staring at my screen, wanting so badly to write one of my story ideas so I could finish it and edit it and hell, maybe eventually publish it and become an author like I want to be.

But being forced to write for school seemed to have drained me of any and all creativity outside of just making ideas. I couldn’t get them to come to life in a document.

Except for the rare moments I could.

The first work I ever finished, and at the time of writing this article was the first of three, was a short story. Now, all of the works I’ve managed to complete are short stories. Two, the more recents ones I’ve managed to finish drafts for, are less than 5,000 words combined.

The first one was on the longer side of being a short story. It’s over 10k words if I remember correctly and I wrote it over a span of 6–8 months during my senior year of high school and managed to finish it right before I went off to my first semester at college. But we can discuss that short story in detail another time.

That work is my longest completed work.

And the reason it took so long to finish was because my motivation (and inspiration) has always come and gone in small bursts. I can write thousands of words in two days and then never touch the document again until months later. I hate that it’s how I work.

I still love writing and over the past year since completeing that short story, I’ve managed to change my mindset regarding my writer’s block.

I made it my goal when quarantine hit to start (and hopefully) finish a book. I had no distractions once my second semester of college ended and with me deciding to drop out for a gap year with everything going on, I have a lot more free time on my hands.

So, I got to planning. I was originally going to work on a different novel and once that was done, work on the one I’m currently on. Now, I’ve flipped the two since I have a lot more motivation to get this one done.

I’ve had this idea for years and being able to finally decide how I want it to go and bring it to life (even though no one can currently see it but me) makes me so happy right now.

I started writing roughly around August 10. And here we are, just over two weeks later with over 30k+ words written for this book. I’m coming up on the half-way point in the next five or so chapters, but it’s my first draft so I’m okay if it isn’t 100% perfect. I can edit and change things once it’s done.

But this is the most I’ve ever been able to write for a story and to have done this much in such a short amount of time? I’m proud of myself.

I don’t even feel drained or stressed.

I have the next four or so months to finish this book and with the progress I’ve made just in this past month or so, I can go days without writing if I need to. I don’t need to force myself to write unless I feel like I won’t be able to meet my goal in finishing this book by the end of 2020.

And for me, the way I pace my chapters, having just over 30k words done means I’ve hit 15 chapters done. All in less than a month.

I’m insanely proud of myself for doing such a thing.

So, here is a list of the few things I’ve been telling myself these past couple of weeks that made it all possible.

I. Don’t force it. It’s weird to say, yes. A lot of published authors write on schedules and have deadlines, but right now? I don’t and depending on how you plan to publish, you won’t either. That is, if you plan on publishing (since you may not be writing something that will become a published work).

Writing is creative, so let it be. You in the mood to write? Go for it. Don’t know what to write? I feel you. It’s easy to be in the mood and have no idea what you want to create.

II. Make sure you know what your goal is. This isn’t the normal explanation one would assume would be put here. Obviously the goal is to finish a book and to do that, you need to know what’s going to happen.

However, as long as you know what the focus is for a scene, that counts as a goal. If you know what needs to happen to be able to move onto the next scene and you write it out, great. You completed that goal. Move on to the next scene, which would be your next goal.

While it’s good to know the main points of the story (or piece your writing in general), it’s a lot better to focus on the smaller pieces too.

III. It’s going to have flaws. As this is my first draft, I can fix things later. It doesn’t need to be perfect. As much as I want it to be, I had to constantly remind myself of this.

I already know of a bunch of things I know I need to go back and fix, but you know what? I can do that once the rest of the story is done, because maybe a few things won’t need fixing if I can make it make sense later down the line.

Stories change, even while you write them.

IV. Take breaks. Breaks are important. While I did write a lot in a span of two/three weeks, I went days without writing.

I. The Librarians.

Does this have to do with the movie franchise The Librarian? Yes. 

The Library has chosen a new group to help safeguard magical cursed artifacts throughout time and around the world. An art historian, a thief, a mathematician, and a warrior are tasked with finding and saving all the mysterious, ancient artifacts. (IMDB). 

This show covers action, adventure, comedy, horror, fairy tales, and much more. It’s a good choice of a new show if you’re a fan of Doctor Who and Warehouse 13, which then makes this feel like a strange mixture of the two shows. 

You might find some familiar faces in Rebecca Romijn who has played the older version of Mystique in the X-Men movies, Christian Kane who’s acted in Angel, Leverage, Supernatural, and is quite the Country singer, and Noah Wyle who is the original Librarian from the movie series reprising his role, Fallen Skies, ER, and Donnie Darko.

II. My Babysitter’s A Vampire.

Technically, this did air on Disney. However, it was a Canadian production if I’m remembering correctly. The show follows after the events of the movie by the same title, so I suggest giving the movie a watch first for some background before diving into the show. 

Now, because of the fact that it aired on Disney, it is a little more child friendly but it’s still quite a good show if you’re looking for a laugh. It holds more than just vampires and while things happen a little quickly (in the movie, at least) everything makes sense.

Unfortunately, it only has two seasons, but it’s worth a watch if you’re looking for something a little more light-hearted than most of this list.

III. Killjoys.

In the Quad, a planetary system on the brink of a bloody interplanetary class war, a fun loving trio of bounty hunters attempt to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants. (Taken from IMDB).

Set in space with loads of action and adventure with all the added scifi bonuses. And while I haven’t gotten around to watching the show in full myself, I do quite enjoy what I’ve already seen of it. 

I highly recommend giving it a shot.

IV. Dark Matter.

Set in the 27th century, Dark Matter focuses on six people who wake up on a deserted spaceship with no memory of who they are or what exactly they’re doing there. The six of them reluctantly team up and set off to find answers regarding their presence on the ship together with the help of a female android.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m quite the fan of scifi and futuristic shows. Dark Matter was unfortunately cancelled, but not until it already produced three kickass seasons. 

V. Stargate SG-1.

If you’re a scifi fan, chances are you’ve seen this or heard of it. Maybe you’re like me, who grew up watching it over and over again because rewatching shows seems to run in the family. 

However, if you want to give this a go, be aware that there is a movie you need to watch first, Stargate (1994), that gives a bit of background before jumping into the show. Warning, actors were changed from the movie to the show but once the show started, those actors stay in those roles. 

Stargate SG-1 follows a secret military team formed to explore other planets through the discovered form of space travel, the stargate. It spans over 10 full seasons and a couple of movies too. Plus, two spin-offs.

I highly recommend watching this show if you’re a fan of scifi, ancient mythology, and just wacky goodness in general.

VI. Stargate: Atlantis.

Stargate: Atlantis is the first of two spin-offs to Stargate SG-1. This team is sent to a whole other galaxy in order to expand interplanetary communications and trade and end up coming across a whole new powerful enemy. You might see a familiar face or two pop up and I don’t just mean characters from SG-1. 

It’s a great spin-off and while the third spin-off (Stargate Universe) is not on the list, if you like the first two shows, you should give the third a shot. I, personally, have not seen or gotten around to seeing the third installment of the Stargate shows just yet, so I won’t recommend it until I do.

(Plus, Jason Momoa is in this one!)

VII. Sleepy Hollow.

When Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to his founding fathers, things get a little crazy in the town of Sleepy Hollow.

While I’m a huge fan of sci-fi, I’m also quite the fan of fantasy. Sleepy Hollow was a wonderful show while it lasted and while it’s been a while since I’ve watch it on any screen, I know I’m still going to love it as much as I did when I first saw it. 

(Keep in mind, there are some issues that happened BTS with the lead Nicole Beharie [played Abbie, who is pictured above] and how they treated her alongside her character, so I completely understand not wanting to give this a go if that bothers you!)

And you might recognize a few faces amongst the cast. Orlando Jones who’s known for his role in American Gods, John Noble who’s known for roles in Elementary, Salvation, Legends of Tomorrow, and Fringe, Nikki Reed who known for the Twilight Saga, and Janina Gavankar who is known for her roles in The Morning Show, The Vampire Diaries, and The Mysteries of Laura.

VIII. Firefly.

Now, if you know underrated shows, there’s a high chance you know Firefly. Firefly is one of Joss Whedon’s works that unfortunately got cut way too short in its life span. 

Even with only 14 episodes to its single season and a movie that wraps up the story on the big screen (but don’t worry, there’s extra content available online to find to know more about the lovable Browncoats), Firefly is highly respected.

Set in the future, the show follows a ragtag team of renegades aboard a small ship named Serenity (Class: Firefly), they find themselves wrapped up in a bigger mess than intended and work their way out of it the best they can while still evading the authorities trying to hunt them down.

Now, Firefly had been aired out of order so I highly recommend searching up the correct order before giving the show a shot just so you understand everything going on. 

The cast is full of familiar faces that include Nathan Fillion who is best known for his roles on Castle, The Rookie, Big Mouth, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Con Man, plus his upcoming role in the second Suicide Squad film, Gina Torres who is known for her roles in Angel, Westworld, Pearson, and Suits, Morena Baccarin who’s known for her roles in the Deadpool movies, The Flash, Gotham, and V, and a young Zac Efron even appears in an episode. 

I will always highly recommend this show to people looking for something quick to binge while also being highly entertaining and catching. 

IX. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

If you’re a Whedon fan or was alive at any point in the 90s, or have a father like mine, you’ve probably seen this show. Hopefully, you’ve at least heard of it if you haven’t seen it. The title kind of explains it, but you get seven full seasons (plus a bunch of comics that continue the story afterward) plus a spin-off. 

The show follows Buffy Summers, the chosen Slayer at the time, and her adventures after moving to a new town (after burning down the gym at her old school to kill a bunch of vampires, but she can’t really explain that one to the authorities) that happens to be sitting above a Hellmouth.

Between the action and slightly disturbing relationships, Buffy the Vampire Slayer handles a lot of teen angst and comedy. 

I always laugh throughout the one scene from the episode Hush and if you know what scene I’m talking about, you know why. 

It’s truly a great show and had a great ending. Highly recommend starting to watch ASAP.

X. Angel.

Lastly on this list, Angel. If you don’t know, Angel is the spin-off to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It follows Angel, the vampire, after he leaves at the end of season three of Buffy and moves to the lovely city of Los Angeles. Along the way a few familiar faces show up and new ones get added to the mix.

Some soul-reading karaoke happens, and a few people get killed along the way. Maybe even get turned into a puppet once in a while. 

Overall, it’s one of the best spin-offs to exist and holds it’s own through action, comedy, and pure spite. 

I highly recommend giving it a shot. It’s up to you however if you try watching it at the same time it lines up with Buffy. My dad does it due to crossover episodes, but I know it can be quite the difficulty figuring out. 

DEODATE; a gift to or from god

GLAIREOUS; slimy, viscous

DEPURATE; to purify

This is one of my very, like top one, favorites. I don’t know why, but I enjoy the word.

THEOLEPSY; seizure or possession by a god

When I found this word and read it’s definition, I just really wanted to know if it ever got mixed up with demonic possession.

TARDILOQUENT; speaking slowly

SENOCULAR; having six eyes

OPSIMATH; a person who begins to learn or study late in life

Did you know there was a word for this? I didn’t.

PRIMORDIAL; existing at or from the beginning or time, primeval

This one I knew, but I included it because I feel like more people know primeval rather than this one, but they mean the same thing. And now, I really want to start rewatching Primeval.

TAUTCHRONOUS; lasting the same amount of time

WOWSER; a puritanical, prudish person or a killjoy

This is how I like to describe my sister, or I call her a bluenose, which is, I think, 1920s slang for a prude.

VICINAL; neighbouring or adjacent

ZETETIC; proceeding by inquiry or investigation

SECURIGEROUS; bearing an axe

Oddly specific, right?

WABBIT; exhuasted or slightly unwell

I can’t read this one without thinking of that one Wabbit Game I used to play online as a kid. Kill the Wabbits, I think?

YLEM; (in big bang theory) the primordial matter of the universe

I just think this one is fun to say.

THEANDRIC; divine and human at the same time

WINEBIBBER; a heavy drinker

VELLEITY; wish or inclination which is not strong enough to lead one to take action

This was interesting for me to find considering I definitely can use it and apply it to myself regarding practically anything. I have so much I want to do, but I’m not in a rush to ever start anything.

UMBRIFEROUS; shady

VAGARIOUS; erratic and unpredictable in behaviour or direction

TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA; extreme superstition about the number thirteen

I. Warehouse 13.

Pete and Myka, U.S Secret Service Agents, are deployed to South Dakota’s Warehouse 13 with a new assignment from an authority above and outside the government. 

Intrigued?

With the Warehouse comes assignments regarding objects that hold some sort of abilities that can cause people to do wild and crazy things. It’s their job to find the artifacts (as they all hold significance to history) and bring them back to the Warehouse for safe keeping.

Things get wild and some serious topics get handled, but the show isn’t alone. It’s connected to another on this list, Eureka. More on that when you get to Eureka.

Some familiar faces are Eddie McClintock who played a part in Bones, one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Joanne Kelly who played a role in The Dresden Files television series, Allison Scagliotti who played roles in Stitchers, The Vampire Diaries, and Drake & Josh, Aaron Ashmore (twin brother to Shawn Ashmore, who has been in the X-Men movies alongside appearing in The Boys, and voicing Conrad in Man of Medan) from Killjoys, Lost Girl, and Smallville, and Jamie Murray from Castelvania, Gotham, The Originals, Once Upon a Time, Defiance, and Dexter.

I highly recommend, especially because the dynamic of the characters is really interesting and covers a lot. 

II. Eureka.

As mentioned above, this is connected to Warehouse 13. But only in the last two seasons of this show are the two connected. 

Eureka is a town full of geniuses and advanced technology that the government funds, and when a new sheriff comes to town, he’s exposed to all the daily occurrences the locals get up to. And maybe a couple instances of time travel that may or may not have to do with the connection.

The town is full of faces you may recognize. Colin Ferguson who has roles in Haven, The Vampire Diaries, and Maytag commercials, Erica Cerra who has roles in The 100, Supernatural, Deadly Class, and the first Percy Jackson film, Felicia Day who has roles in The Magicians, Supernatural, Con Man, The Guild, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Trevor Jackson who has roles in Grown-ish, and a couple Disney productions.

It’s a huge science fiction show and if you’re into that, give it a watch.

III. Alphas.

Now, like the two above is, Alphas is a science fiction packed drama. And it’s rumored to be connected, like be in the same universe, as Warehouse 13 and Eureka. It’s never been confirmed, but there is one character (same name and job) that plays a part in both Alphas and Warehouse 13, which is the stem for the theory. (Plus, some other ideas floating around). 

But Alphas focuses on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities while they, themselves, have abilities. These powered people are referred to as Alphas, due to their nature.

Unfortunately, this show ends on a cliffhanger in its second season.

Yet, I still recommend giving it a shot because it truly is an interesting show and it’s got some people you may recognize. 

IV. Haven.

If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s “Colorado Kid”, you’ll most likely enjoy this show since it’s loosely based off of it. 

Set in the coastal town of Haven, Maine, FBI Agent Audrey Parker comes to town to find that the residents have dormant curses, or rather troubles, that can be triggered at any given moment. She, along with the Sheriff and the town’s black sheep, must deal with the troubles’ deadly effects. And a few things may be revealed about herself too along the way.

It’s pretty interesting and I enjoyed it quite a lot when I first watched it. I’m not the biggest fan of Stephen King, and the connection seems to barely be there, but I wouldn’t know given my dislike for King. 

I highly recommend giving Haven a shot, however, especially if you’re a crime and fantasy fan. 

V. Lost Girl.

Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth of her own mysterious origins. (Taken from IMDB). 

Plus, there a lesbian romance or two. 

Now, the show itself is pretty strong holding in its own storyline and lore, but the last season does get a bit rocky feeling. It could’ve been better, and it definitely feels a little rushed, but it wasn’t too bad of an ending. However, it’s not a show that got cancelled before it could wrap things up and it leaves things pretty open-ended.

In my books, that’s a point. I highly recommend this is if you’re a fan of fantasy.

VI. Almost Human.

Unfortunately, this is one of the ones in the list that only has one season (that seems to be out of order and frankly I’m not entirely sure of the order myself, so rely on googling it yourself and hopefully you find the right order) and was cancelled not long after airing. 

BUT, it’s a good watch. It’s set in the distant future, where cops are assigned an android partner to protect and serve. Things get pretty wild and I’m quite sure there are some bombs involved at some point, but there’s a bonus to all the madness of Almost Human.

Minka Kelly and Karl Urban. Two incredibly beautiful human beings.

I highly recommend bingeing this single season show. 

VII. American Gods.

This shows feels very confusing. But it’s still a good watch. 

It centers on a recently released ex-con named Shadow Moon. He runs into a man full of mystery named Wednesday (and you’ll later come to find out who he really is, or you may already know given your knowledge on the book of the same name or just how well you know mythology) who seems to know more than Shadow about his own life and past. 

There are Gods, mischief, and a lot of crazy shit in this show. So far it’s on it’s third season as far as I know (I have to rewatch the first two before I pick it back up).

You should give it a shot, but I won’t blame you if you feel way too confused about the whole thing.

VIII. The Boys.

Now, there’s a lot of controversy regarding this Amazon Original Series, but honestly, I think everyone should at least give it a chance. I know a lot of Tumblr users were put off on trying to due to the advertisements on the site. 

If you don’t know what this series is about, it follows a group of vigilantes set on taking down the corrupt superheroes that are abusing their powers and status.

It covers a lot of ground. Murder, sabotage, terrorism, capitalism, and a lot more. Feminism and sexual harassment occur, but there are warning before each episode for what you may see in the contents.

Some familiar faces include Karl Urban, who’s known for his roles in Thor: Ragnarok, the newer Star Trek movies, Almost Human, Lord of the Rings, and more, Erin Moriarty from Jessica Jones, Laz Alonso from The Mysteries of Laura, Chace Crawford from Gossip Girl and The Covenant, and Jensen Ackles from Supernatural has been confirmed to be joining the cast for its third season.

The Boys is currently on it’s second season, being released on a weekly schedule. So, if you like superheroes and graphic content, this show might be it for you.

IX. Chuck.

Chuck is the result of when a twenty-eight year old computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. assign two agents to protect him and exploit the knowledge, turning Chuck Bartowski’s life upside down. (Taken from IMDB).

This is one of the shows I cannot recommend enough to people. It’s the right mixture of action and comedy, plus a little romance. Spies, love, and murder, oh my! What more could you want? 

Plus, Zachery Levi plays Chuck. If you don’t know him by name, you probably would recognize him from some of his roles with the most recent being in Shazam!, Fandral in the second and third Thor films, voicing Eugene Fitzherbert (or Flynn Rider) in Tangled, and Heroes: Reborn. 

If Zachery Levi playing a lovable computer geek turned spy doesn’t interest you, maybe some more familiar faces will. 

Yvonne Strahovski from The Handmaid’s Tale, The Astronaut Wives Club, acting as Daenerys in a Princess Rap Battle on Youtube, and Dexter. Adam Baldwin from Firefly/Serenity, Bones, Angel, The Last Ship, and Independence Day. Brandon Routh who plays Ray Palmer from the DC Shows. Matt Bomer from Doom Patrol, American Horror Story, White Collar, Magic Mike, and True Calling.

X. Deadly Class.

Unfortunately, I have a truly bad streak with new shows. Deadly Class, like others that have been mentioned in these lists of mine, got cancelled and on a cliffhanger no less. However, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the action-packed coming-of-age story set in the 1980s. 

I. Don’t take any of the criticism personally. 

It’s hard, I know. 

But it’s important to try to figure out if the criticism being present to you is skewed by the person’s personal views. Nonconstructive criticism can say more about the person giving it than you, the one receiving it.

II. Distinguish between the facts and subjectivity. 

This kind of goes right with the first one. Try to focus on making sure you, yourself, know the difference between what’s incredibly helpful and what’s personal views.

III. Look at the beliefs you hold to yourself. 

Sometimes, criticism feels like a direct attack even when it isn’t. If you can focus on thinking better of yourself (and your work, if that’s what’s being criticized) then you’ll know for sure what’s your own issues and what’s trying to be helpful.

IV. Learn what you can from comments being made and discard the rest as useless information. 

Use what you can when it comes to criticism. Ignore the rest. It’s easier said than done, I’ll admit to that, but with time comes practice and with both time and practice, it’ll become a lot easier to know what you can use to make yourself better in the long run. 

V. Decide not to contemplate on criticism as it will reinforce the message. 

Don’t think about any criticism you receive any more than necessary. If you take parts and apply it, there, you’re done. You did all the thinking about the criticism that was needed, don’t start overthinking about any of it and applying it in places that don’t need that specific pull. 

It’ll only make you feel worse in the end and that isn’t the point of criticism. 

VI. Choose to spend more time with people who are affirming. Look for a role model who handles criticism and try to implement their techniques.

If someone else’s techniques don’t work for you, don’t sweat it. Not everything works for everyone. If you like the idea of a technique but it doesn’t seem to work for you exactly how you like, tweak it to fit you better. 

AGASTOPIA; admiration of a particular part of someone’s body

This word can be used in a romantic setting, especially when you want to add in a description of a character without it being just random.

MACROSMATIC; having a good sense of smell

NUDIUSTERTIAN; the day before yesterday

I always wondered if there was a word I could use when talking about the day before yesterday, and to my surprise there was one. However, it’s not the… prettiest word to include in writing sometimes.

PAUCILOQUENT; uttering few words, brief in speech

ABAPICAL; at the lowest point

For someone who constantly feels as if she may be at her lowest point mental health wise, I really enjoyed finding a word for it, strangely enough. It wasn’t one I expected to find, but I have actually found use for it in some of my writing.

ABDITIVE; remote, secret, hidden

ABJECT; humble, miserable, craven

Now, this one isn’t as unique or weird as I know I’ve come across it more than any others on this list. But, I enjoyed it and with it’s many possible definitions, knew it could cause a few moments of confusion if used in writing.

DACNOMANIE; obsession with killing

I don’t know how I could ever use this word, but I really want to one day.

DEICIDE; destruction or killing of a god

I had gotten weirdly happy over finding this word and what it meant. It’s so close to decide and they have such different meanings that if you mispell decide and write deicide, it’s a whole new sentence.

DELOPE; to fire one’s gun into the air in a duel

GAMIC; sexual, sexually produced

NEVUS; birthmark

NODDY PEAK; fool, imbecile

Now, I’m sure this is more of a slang term rather than a true term, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and included it on my list. It’s something that’s not heard often and could have some pretty funny uses.

THANATOID; apparently dead, deathly, deadly

Considering the Greek God of Death is Thanatos, I wasn’t that surprised to find out the definition behind this one.

NULLIBICITY; the state of being nowhere

DEMIURGE; creative spirit or entity

I. Fringe.

I cannot recommend this show enough to people. It’s got five full seasons (although the last could’ve been a little better, but it’s honestly not that bad of a final season) of high-risk scenarios revolving around almost unexplainable phenomena regarding a tear in the fabric of reality. It deals with experiments that gives superpowers (basically), advanced technology, and a parallel universe. 

Plus, there’s a cow.

What more could you want from a show?

Some familiar faces that are in the main cast or show up at some point include John Noble, who you may recognize from Sleepy Hollow and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lance Reddick, who was in The Wire, White House Down, American Horror Story, and played Charon in the John Wick franchise, Leonard Nimoy, who you should know from the original Star Trek series, and Anna Torv from Mindhunter. 

II. Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.

Now, if you know crime books, you may know exactly what this is based off of. If not, fear not, I am here to tell. This series (which, like a lot of the others down the list, unfortunately, got cancelled and won’t get to see a second season) was based off of The Bone Collector, a first in a series of novels by Jeffery Deaver. 

If you like crime shows, you should definitely give this a shot. Don’t let the fact that it’s only one season stop you.

Things get pretty wild in just one season as it revolved around a retired forensic criminologist, who had been trying to catch the Bone Collector only to get injured, that gets back into the game three years later when an ambitious young detective is determined to help solve the case when a new body shows up.

You might even recognize a face or two, like Arielle Kebbel (the ambitious young detective) from her role as Lexi in The Vampire Diaries and Olivia Charity in Midnight, Texas, and Russell Hornsby (the retired forensic criminologist) from Grimm, The Hate U Give, Proven Innocent, and The Affair.

III. Manifest.

Luckily, this show is said to be getting a third season and so far, isn’t going to get cancelled. It focuses on passengers from Flight 828, who show up five years after their plane went missing. Some passengers start experiencing what they call ‘callings’ and try to figure out if they were chosen for some sort of duty that the callings led them too, but things get a little confusing when someone who wasn’t on a flight seems to have a year missing of their own life after being deemed missing.

Things get a little weird and dangerous along the way, and not everyone is happy about how things turn out.

It’s pretty interesting and I’m really looking forward to what else they come up with. There’s a few familiar faces that play a part in the show that includes Daryl Edwards, who you may recognize from the first season of Daredevil, Ellen Tamaki who is also in the reboot of Charmed, Athena Karkanis, who’s been in The Expanse and Lost Girl, and Josh Dallas, who one may recall playing Prince Charming in Once Upon a Time, and Fandral in Thor.

It’s a rather good show to get lost in and I definitely recommend giving it a go.

IV. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

If you don’t have an idea as to what this show is, I don’t know what to say. The title kind of gives it away. It’s the only Marvel Show (as of now since none of the shows in production have come out as of yet) to technically be connected to the MCU itself.

That’s found in one of the main characters, Phil Coulson, who you’d recognize from Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers. Plus, Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) both give a cameo in the show. 

The show was rumored to have been set in a different, but similar, timeline to that of the MCU movies, but I don’t know for sure if it’s true or not. 

It follows its own set of issues, including a deeper dive into the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., issues with HYDRA, and so on and so forth. The last season, which I honestly cried during, gives such good twists and callbacks to previous seasons and the MCU movies that you can’t help but enjoy how it’s handled.

As a show, it probably has one of the best final seasons possible and I highly recommend giving the full seven seasons a watch if you haven’t already.

V. Primeval.

Now, if you like dinosaurs, this is a show for you. It’s BBC, so obviously everyone has an accent. It gave a run of five seasons (which is kind of funny because I didn’t realize that until just now writing this as the show is listed as number five on the list) with different episode amounts. 

The show centers around anomalies that seem to open up a window to the very distant past of Earth when dinosaurs still roamed the land. It causes a lot of issues, especially if one person has anything to do with it.

It’s pretty interesting and honestly has got some great characters (my personal favorite is Captain Becker, played by Ben Mansfield) and while it can get pretty serious, it’s also pretty entertaining. It’s one of the three shows on this list to get to end on a good-ish note. (AKA, no cliffhangers!)

Obviously, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It’s kind of the point of this list.

VI. Terra Nova.

Now, like Primeval, this show technically has to do with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs aren’t the main focus, but they do play a part in this one season (because cancellations) story. 

Terra Nova is focused on both the future and the past. In the distant future (2149), the Earth is dying. A group of people, researchers, and military as well as some of their family members, are sent to the past (85 million years) to inhabit Terra Nova, a colony of humans given a second chance to build civilization. 

So, obviously, dinosaurs are going to make an appearance now and then. And unfortunately, the show only got one season and ends on a cliffhanger. Which I hate, because I really enjoy this show and wish it had been able to at least get a second season.

Plus, there are some familiar faces amongst the cast. Jason O’Mara, who plays one of the main cast members, played Jeffrey Mace in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Christine Adams, who plays Lynn Pierce in Black Lightning. Allison Miller, who played Sonya in 13 Reasons Why. And Naomi Scott, who is known for her roles in Lemonade Mouth (one of my all-time favorite DCOMs) and Aladdin. And this was just to name a few of the cast members. 

Shame it got cancelled, truly, but I recommend giving it a shot.

VII. MTV’s Scream.

I think you can figure out the basis of this show. While it doesn’t have anything to do directly with the movie franchise, it is kind of similar and a lot of the characters reflect those from the show. Neve Campbell even said that if the show did well, she would be willing to do a cameo.

It revolves (at least the first two seasons as season three is an entirely different set of cast and premise that I refuse to watch because of that) around Emma Duval and her group of friends as they’re picked off one by one by a serial killer going around town. Things get bloody and suspicions arise amongst the crew when things are revealed as the show continues, but things eventually work out in the end.

And personally, I really enjoyed the show even when the second season ended on a cliffhanger. I have theories about that cliffhanger, however, so watch out for a possible post regarding it. 

I highly recommend giving it a chance if you haven’t seen it. 

VIII. The Society.

Now, the title doesn’t give you much. A group of teenagers, who were sent off on a trip, suddenly are dropped back off in their town to find it completely empty aside from themselves. They have to form their own society to survive and figure things out.

Once you know that, it makes a little more sense.

It seems really similar to the Pied Piper tale, but it doesn’t seem like we’re going to really know for sure. Season 2 had been given a go-ahead, but not too long ago Netflix announced the cancellation of the show.

That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the first season like I do. Plus, if you’re a fan of Supernatural and the character of Claire Novak, Kathryn Newton plays one of the main roles in this show.

It’s a shame the show got cancelled, especially on a cliffhanger, but what can we do?

IX. The Mysteries of Laura.

Laura Diamond, a Homicide Detective, cracks case after case while trying to raise twin boys and locking horns with her less than helpful Police Detective ex-husband. At least, this is according to IMBD and frankly, it’s not really wrong. 

For two seasons, it’s packed with comedy and crime. It’s more of the former, but it still gets pretty serious every now and then, and unfortunately ends on a cliffhanger. 

However, some cast members may be familiar. Like Josh Lucas, who voices Home Depot commercials (and trust me, it made my family laugh when we first heard one after watching the show), Laz Alonso who plays MM in The Boys, and Debby Ryan, from Disney Channel. 

If you like light-hearted crime shows (like Brooklyn-Nine-Nine) you should definitely give this a watch.

X. Warrior Nun.

As far as I know, this show has been renewed for a season two. I’m really hoping for it because it’s honestly kind of interesting. You can kind of tell by the title what it may be, but I’ll dive a little deeper.

After waking up in a morgue, Ava, an orphaned teen, discovered she now possesses superpowers as the chosen Halo Bearer for a secret sect of demon-hunting nuns. (Taken from IMDB). Interesting, right?

With characters like Shotgun Mary, Sister Beatrice, and Sister Lilith, you know the show’s going to be interesting. But the premise is pretty interesting on it’s own too.

There’s even a character called JC, who apparently has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, but I still like referring to him as such because it’d be pretty funny if that’s how it turns out. Also, someone gets beat up with a whole chicken at some point.

I. Hard Candy’s Sheer Envy Fix-It Serum: Redness Relief.

I use this one almost every day whether I’m going to wear makeup or not. Redness stands out a lot with my complexion and while this serum only does so much (definitely not for individual spots, use a thicker redness corrector for those), it does pretty well under a face full of makeup. 

It also feels quite soothing on the skin for me and relieves some aggravation.

With a blend of green tea and cucumber extract, this product can be mixed with any primer, skin, or foundation product you’d like to mix it with.

II. Albolene: Moisturizing Cleanser.

This is a moisturizer, but it also removes makeup. It’s slogan is literally that the makeup comes off and the moisture stays in. 

It’s paraben, preservative, and fragrance free and even if you use it every day it’ll take a while to make a dent in the product. I’ve had the 12 oz for over a year now and have barely gotten even two centimeters in. I don’t use it every day since I use it more as a primer for makeup (because if you apply it before the makeup goes on, it makes the process a hell of a lot smoother and makes it easier to wash it all away at the end of the day, just a little personal tip), but I do use it a lot. I tend to apply it after showers.

As a rather good product, to me at least, I highly recommend giving it a shot.

III. 7th Heaven Charcoal Peel-Off Mask: Cleansing & Detoxifying.

Charcoal masks are always a good investment as they are one of the most satisfying peel-off masks to exist, in my opinion anyway. 7th Heaven’s has been my go to for a while now and the only face mask I continuous use.

It’s free from parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, microplastics, and silicones and is technically meant for oily/combo skin types. I have a pretty normal/sensitive skin type, but it does wonders for me. So, even if you don’t know your skin type or don’t know if this would work for you, give it a shot anyway.

I try to use it once a week, but if I barely wear makeup during a week I don’t really bother. I also do my best to do the makeup before doing any sort of full face makeup to really make sure my skin is clean before putting more stuff on it.

IV. Mario Badescu’s Mint Lip Balm.

I’m talking the mint balm here. Don’t get me wrong, the others are okay too, but lately the mint has been a favorite of mine.

Like the other lip balms, I’ve seen from Mario Badescu, it’s meant for all skin types and soften and smooths the lips. It feels a lot.. weirder than the others in my opinion but that’s because of the peppermint infused into the product to make it mint. 

POP CULTURE

Why It Doesn’t Make Sense      ― N/A

Why It Makes Sense      ― The Whedonverse Theory      ― Kevin Duval is the Third Killer

Trivia     ― N/A

Top 10     ― Top 10 TV Shows You Need To Watch..     ― 10 More Shows You Need To See..     ― Another 10 TV Shows...

Lists     ― N/A

Misc.    ― N/A

LIFESTYLE

Self-Care + Beauty       ― 4 Skin-Care Products I Swear By

Misc.       ― 6 Ways to Work on Becoming Thick-Skinned

WRITING

World Building     ― N/A

Words     ― Weird & Wonderful Words     ― More Weird & Wonderful Words

Prompts     ― N/A

Names     ― N/A

In Season 1 Episode 1, we first meet Nina Patterson and Tyler O’Neil. They’re the first characters we’re truly introduced to (as Audrey and Rachel are in the video clip they’re watching, but we don’t know who the two of them are at this point) and a couple minutes go by and within minutes of the start of the show we get our first two murders. 

Yet, the characters only know of the one and think the other went on the run because he (as in Tyler, as the killer was framing him) committed the murder. A new boy comes into school that same day and worms his way into the group that Nina and Tyler had been a part of. 

As the season goes on, we learn more and more about the events Lakewood has been plagued with over the years. 20-something years prior did Brandon James allegedly go on a murder spree, leaving only Kevin Duval alive (albeit, injured, but alive). Now, the new killer in town seems to be targeting Emma Duval, daughter of Kevin (who’s been an absentee father for the most part of Emma’s life it seems but more on that later) and Maggie Duval. 

The killer leads Emma on a chase for the truth, where it’s revealed that Brandon James and Maggie Duval (who he called Daisy) had a sort of relationship that resulted in Maggie having a child, who then turns out to be the crime podcaster that came to town, Piper Shaw, who also turns out to be the killer.

At least, the first one.

It’s a dramatic reveal and honestly, not one many could’ve seen coming because in an earlier scene in the first season, someone else wearing the mask the killer was using, knocked both Piper and Will (someone from Emma’s group) out. 

And when Piper reveals herself as the killer, she even tries telling Emma that she has one last surprise for her, but Piper never gets to tell Emma because Audrey ends up shooting Piper.

Wild.

Come the second season, we get to find out that Audrey was so quick to shoot Piper because Audrey thought Piper was going to tell Emma that Audrey sent Piper letters that ultimately brought the podcaster to town.

But also come the second season, someone’s going around killing people again. Noah, resident crime geek and host of a podcast revolving around the events of Lakewood, thinks Piper had an accomplice and Audrey keeps panicking because she thinks it’s her.

As the second season continues, a couple more people end up dead as the new killer in town taunts the survivors from the first season. There are new faces, and even Kevin Duval shows up this time, and a lot of suspicions about who it could be. Audrey gets cleared as a suspect and by the end of the season, it turns out to be Kieran Wilcox, the new boy from the first season (and son of the sheriff of that season before he was murdered), as he had actually been dating Piper Shaw prior to coming to Lakewood.

Even wilder.

Right?

Kieran was the second killer.

So, I’m not here to say that Piper and Kieran were lying at all. No, I genuinely believe that they were the killers for the first two seasons. There’s no doubt about it.

Right at the end of the second season, Kieran is locked up, but gets a phone call that the guard tells him is his lawyer. Yet, we get to hear the call and comes through is the voice associated with the killer, which was revealed to just be done through an app that anyone could purchase on their phone in the first season. 

This is a cliffhanger that season two ends on.

So, we know at this point that there’s a third killer. We don’t know who or why, but they even break into the area Kieran’s being held months later and kills not just Kieran, but the guard at his cell first. This happens in the Halloween specials (it’s a two part-er) that has its own killer and plot line, but the killer of the special reveals that Kieran’s death wasn’t done by him.

And that leaves to the question, who killed Kieran?

This is where I get into explaining why I think it’s Kevin Duval that is the third killer.

Now, in season one, we don’t get to know much about Kevin Duval. We learn he was the only survivor of Brandon James’ massacre and that he’s Emma’s dad. He’s obviously not in the picture after issues between him and Maggie that led to divorce and him leaving Lakewood years prior.

No contact on either end. No way of knowing what he got up to during those years he spent outside of Lakewood.

Kevin shows up in Season 2 under the guise of wanting to help Emma after getting emails from Riley Marra (who died in Season 1). He’s shown to be leaving town just before the new killer reveals themselves to allegedly get help for his own issues. But at the end of the Halloween specials, he’s seen looking at Kieran’s grave. Suspicious, right?

Here’s a little background plus a bit of theory: Kevin and Maggie were dating in high school and having a bit of issues. Maggie spends more time with Brandon and goes as far as getting intimate and Kevin finds out. 

Now, here’s the theory part: He puts on one of Brandon’s masks and tries getting revenge on Brandon for taking Maggie from him. Basically, framing Brandon for the whole massacre. And it works. 

Brandon James suffered from some defects that caused him to have to wear surgical masks which were then the inspiration behind the killer’s masks. Hence, why it would be easy to frame him. You wouldn’t know for sure if it was Brandon in the mask unless you remove the mask.

He then stabbed himself, but help got to him in time and he, as the sole survivor, could easily paint the picture for the authorities. 

It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen someone on the screen turn themselves into a victim to throw suspicion off of them (I’m looking at Criminal Minds for this one, if you know then you know). Add all the anger he would’ve felt from finding out about Maggie and Brandon plus his timings, things kind of click into place.

This theory essentially starts off with Whedon’s works: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as it is it’s spin-off series. As it takes places the earliest amongst the bunch, in the late 1990’s and early 2000's.

Buffy’s lore is the main focus of the thoery as the biggest point of all refers to active Slayers (and the Potentials, before they were activated for the most part). In the last season of Buffy, they round up any Potentials and in the final fight, get their Slayer abilities activated to turn the tide of the fight in their favor.

It broke the tradition (AKA, the magic behind it all) that the Slayer line followed. One died, a new emerged with the powers and got thrust into a world they didn’t, most likely, know about with a giant burden to bare.

Buffy, having died twice and come back both times, kept her abilities and instead of one Slayer, there were two. First, Kendra, who later got killed after meeting Buffy. When Kendra died, as she was the current activated Slayer, Faith emerged. So, when Buffy died the second time around while still being a Slayer, it didn’t cause another to emerge as she wasn’t the latest activated. Make sense?

But a while later, after all the Slayers were activated, Angel ran into his own amount of issues that had been piling up in Los Angeles.

During Angel’s final season, which is just around a year later after Buffy’s show came to a close, Wolf Ram and Heart defeated and destroyed the Circle of the Black Thorn. This causes a lot of destruction in the process and Angel’s series finale ends with those left standing ready to die fighting whatever is coming their way (including a dragon, apparently).

According to the theory, this event esstentially kickstarts the awakening of the Senior Partners. Hoping to appease them and prevent an apocalypse, The Initiative, a group Buffy deals with during her fourth season, began to give sacrifices.

That leads us to the events of The Cabin in the Woods, which takes place in 2012, barely even a decade after the events of Buffy and Angel.

A ragtag group of misfits who think they’re just taking a small trip to Curt’s cousin’s (who may or may not exist) cabin in the woods. Once there, find a few odd things and a lot of weird and strange items littering the basement of the cabin.

It’s a suspenseful scene to watch, as you get the feeling it’s what is going to make things go sideways for the group and eventually, as everyone is playing with their own chosen objects, Dana reads from a notebook and doesn’t realize the consequences the group will face from doing so.

The Buckner family, an undead redneck family, attacks the group later on in the night.

In the Initiative, who is watching everything go down on the cameras, is hoping it’ll work out for the best as they are the last chance of appeasing the Senior Partners. All of their other locations have failed in their tasks for the year of sacrificing a group.

The group members who are left, in efforts to save themselves, try leaving and run into a wall. Literally. As the movie goes on, you learn that this branch of the organization follows the five person sacrifice that most horror and thriller films seem to follow.

The Whore dies first, followed by the Jock, then the Brains. The Fool is assumed dead this time around, but we learn that this movie’s fool isn’t quite dead. The last death, the Virgin, is optional as long as she (or he) is the last to go.

Dana, the coined Virgin, is saved by Marty, the presumed dead fool. He brings her to what he found to be an elevator that the Buckner Family had crawled out of. They find themselves amongst many other elevator cages, filled with monsters and creatures alike.

It’s Dana that realizes they picked their own fate down in the basement.

Eventually those in the Initiative find the cage the two are in and try to bring them around to kill them (but, Marty has to go first). However, the two are a force to be reckoned with as they take advantage of the severed arm of a Buckner member attacking the guard and find their way into the control station for the cages.

They press a button that releases all of the creatures and monsters in their cages on the security team sent after the two remaining sacrifices. After a while of bloodshed, the two make their way around the base in hopes of finding a way out.

Along their way, they find themselves in the sacrifice room, where the Director at the time, meets them. A lot of arguing and explanations, followed by a betrayal here and there, ultimately ends with Dana and Marty saying screw it all and refusing to finish the sacrifice as the Director planned.

With sacrifices unfinished, the movie ends with the Senior Partners being unleased on the world.

But of course, that didn’t mean there was no way the Initiative ever planned for something like this, right?

Well, the Initiative planned for something like this to possibily happen because you always need to plan for the worst.

Some of humanity manages to escape the destruction on Earth that was and formed the Alliance (with heavy influences from the Initiative, we should assume).

Which brings us to the events of Firefly and Serenity.

Hundreds of years have passed before a child is born. You wouldn’t think anything of it, children are born all the time. However, the remaining remnants of the Initiative inside of the Alliance recognize her for what she is.

A Slayer. Or, at least, a Potential.

River Tam is lured into a school that is meant to challenge her intellect, but according to the theory, the experiments they held on River were attempts to trigger her Slayer abilities.

After her brother, Simon, manages to get her out after a letter in code telling him they were hurting her, the two find themselves on Serenity, a Firefly class spaceship run by essentially, space cowboys. Now, a string of events in the first episode lead to the crew deciding to go on the run and reluctantly keeping Simon and River on board.

But, as the two siblings stay on for longer then Mal had planned and originally wanted them on for, attachments are formed and the need to do the right thing takes over.

The first, and only, season of Firefly gets cut short (and aired out of order, but that’s a whole other thing) and there’s a lot of loose ends that didn’t get tied up.

With one last chance to tie things up, Whedon puts out Serenity, the movie surrounding the crew’s adventure on figuring out what exactly River knew that the Alliance didn’t want her to know.

Originally, River and Simon were meant to leave the crew in the beginning of the film, but some things lead to another and a few extra details are revealed. The crew was made well aware of River’s uncanny ability to shoot a gun without even looking at her targets, but watching her fight and take down multiple people bigger than her was a strange occurence, I’m sure.

It’s the first moment you see her supposed Slayer abilities.

By the end of the movie, things are revealed, some deaths happen to beloved characters, River has finally tapped into her Potential and is an active Slayer, and you get an explanation of who and what exactly Reavers are.

But, for this theory, it’s been mentioned that maybe the Reavers are simply Vampires who managed to get aboard the escape from Earth after the rise of the Senior Partners, and driven to extremes in order to survive in space themselves.

A Slayer had been born again, restarting the Slayer cycle, and there was a chance that things could go back to how they used to be.

Not sure how it would happen, but the basics of the theory make sense. Obviously there are specifics that are harder to include and most likely make sense of in regards to all of this, but in the grand gist of it all, it makes sense.

It’s a fun little theory that can connect multiple works made by one person.

Now, obviously this wasn’t a shortened version of the theory. And there have been some portions of the theory put into question, especially in regards to some of Whedon’s other works.

Dollhouse, Fray as a character in the comics, and The Avengers.

Personally, I don’t include the Avengers in this. It’s Marvel and Whedon was the director of the film for it, but I don’t see it fitting in with this particular theory in any way. People have included it (mostly S.H.I.E.L.D being with the Initiative became, but it just doesn’t make any sense to me given Marvel as it’s own identity), but I prefer not to.

As for Dollhouse, I never actually watched the show. My dad did, but I was too young at the time to be allowed to watch it and I was just never interested in it. Maybe one day I’ll get around to it, but this meant I had to do a little bit of digging to understand this a bit more.

For most of the takes on this theory that have mention the show, mention it may just take place in the parallel universe. They, as in parallel universes, were confirmed to exist in Buffy, Angel, and the comics that continue after them, it’s a plausible theory.

This also means that this theory could follow a majority of the canon information from the shows, films, and comics mentioned, before dividing into it’s own events. It simply means that some things that were difficult to explain in specifics may just be different in this theory’s parallel universe.

So, Dollhouse could take place in the same universe, but events could have differed greatly by universe. We don’t know for sure.

That, in all, also explains the comic series by Whedon surrounding Melaka Fray, a Slayer from a future timeline where things are a little post-apocalyptic on Earth. Monsters run amock and eventually, Fray emerges. Now, it could mean there’s a parallel world where the Avengers and Buffy take place in the same world, but I still don’t like that idea, so I ignore it.