Fan-made Marvel vs DC Movie Trailer

Have you guys seen this fan trailer? I stumbled upon it today and I'm obsessed with it. It's so well done and actually feels like it could be a trailer for a real movie. I know Marvel vs DC is always such a hot topic amongst nerds (my brother and I have had more than our fair share of arguments about it), and it's highly unlikely a movie of this nature would ever get made, so it's cool to see what it could potentially look like. I mean seriously- Superman vs Hulk, Justice League vs Avengers, Black Widow vs Black Canary, Quicksilver vs Flash; It's like they took every one of my "Who would win in a fight?" scenarios and put them into one place. Someone needs to make a Kickstarter to get this made for real.

What do you guys think of it?

Kenner-style Reaction Figures

Ok,  I don't know what rock I've been living under, but I had no idea that these figures existed. One of my old professors from college had a few of the original Star Wars figures that Kenner had brought out when the movies first came out, and she had given them to me and I instantly fell in love with them, but I had no clue that Funko had started a whole line in the same style. I've always been a huge fan of the style of old toys, especially the packaging, so I was super excited when I found these in stores. It took all my willpower not to buy every single one on the shelf.

If you or anyone you know is addicted to collecting figures or old toys like I am, I would definitely recommend checking these Reaction figures out. The figures themselves are so cool and have that whole retro feel about them, and the packaging is amazing. So far, I've only seen them for sale in Barnes and Noble, and they're all pretty affordable too (around $9.99 each.) I'm going to need more wall space because I'm planning on buying as many as I can. You can see the full line of what they offer on the Funko website (here).

Top 5: Christmas movies

Aside from Halloween, Christmas time is my favorite time of the year. I love decorating, I love buying people presents, I genuinely love Christmas music, and most of all, I love Christmas movies. Here are just a few of my favorites:


1. A Christmas Story: Ever since I could remember, my Christmas tradition has been to come home from my family's Christmas Eve shindig, and watch the 24 hour marathon of this on TBS. No one else in my family even remotely likes this movie, so I could just sit there and watch as much of it as I wanted without interruption. It's hands down my favorite Christmas movie ever. They even turned it into a musical on Broadway which my mom took me to see, and it was amazing.

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: This is an extremely close second. I love everything about this movie, and Clark's freak out over his Christmas bonus and Cousin Eddie emptying out his toilet saying, "Shitter was full!" into the sewer will never not make me lose it.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas: It combines my two favorite holidays: Halloween and Christmas. How could you not love it?

4. Home Alone/Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: Who doesn't love the Home Alone movies? It's so hard for me to pick which one I like better cause they're both so good, but I think Lost in New York has a leg up for two reasons: 1- it has my favorite insult ever, "Suck brick, kid!" and 2- it has Tim Curry, and Tim Curry makes everything better.

5. A Muppet Christmas Carol: I'm not ashamed to admit that at 26 years old, I still am obsessed with the Muppets. It isn't just a great holiday movie, it's a great Muppet movie. Gonzo and Rizzo do a hilarious job at narrating the story, it has Michael Caine, the songs are super catchy, and the ghost of Christmas Past and the "We're Marley and Marley, whoooooooooooaaaaa" scene still creeps me out to this day.

What are some of your favorite Christmas movies? Let me know!

Suicide Squad movie

For those of you who may not have heard, Warner Bros. recently announced their line-up for a movie based around the DC super-villain team of the Suicide Squad. I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the Suicide Squad comics, I mean I have a few of them and it's not like I'm completely clueless about who they are, but I just never followed it religiously. I'll give you a quick breakdown for those not familiar with the team: Basically, the Suicide Squad is just a rotating team of villains in the DC universe who are contracted, or usually coerced, by Amanda Waller to go out on special high risk government missions.

That aside, I do think the casting for the movie (which is set to come out in 2016) looks pretty good. You've got: Jared Leto playing the Joker, Will Smith playing Deadshot (Big Willie styles all in it! Sorry, I had to), Tom Hardy playing Rick Flag, Margot Robbie playing Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney playing Captain Boomerang, and Cara Delevingne playing the Enchantress.

I think it's awesome that DC is taking a risk with putting out a movie based on a team of villains, there are so many movies coming out about the good guys that one from the bad guys point of view is a nice change of pace. With the focus being on the bad guys, you add this element of excitement because you never know if one of them (or all of them) are just gonna turn around and stab the other in the back. This isn't a team who got together because they wanted to, they all literally have guns pointed to their heads forcing them to work together. Well, technically, explosives inside their heads, but you catch my drift. Director, David Ayer has already been quoted saying that this movie is gonna be like "the Dirty Dozen with super-villains." You can't tell me that doesn't sound awesome.

I'm interested to see how they incorporate the Joker into the mix seeing as how as far as I know, he isn't usually a traditional character, and also, Harley Quinn is one of my favorite DC characters and I've waited very long for her to be on the big screen so I really hope that it isn't lame. Honestly though, I was pretty much sold on the film when I heard Will Smith was going to be in it.

What do you guys think about it?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

Please, please tell me you all have seen this absolute beauty. I've been waiting for the day that this trailer would be released and crossing all my fingers that it wouldn't look super cheesy, and lemme tell you, I'm not disappointed. I spent the majority of my day yesterday just sitting in front of my computer replaying this, and I am not ashamed to admit that.

What's not to love? You've got a new rolly droid who I already think is adorable, Stormtroopers looking like they're about to go into battle, what I hope is Leia and Han's daughter, some X-wings, a super cool upside down cross lookin' lightsaber, and the Millennium Falcon all set over some ominous voice. Who's voice is that? Does anyone have any theories? I have a few of my own, and I would really like it to be next December now so I can spend all my money seeing this over and over.

What do you all think of the trailer?

Jack Burton vs. Snake Plissken

One question that I always find myself thinking about is who would win in a fight: Jack Burton or Snake Plissken. Every time I’m watching Big Trouble in Little China, I think, “Oh, Jack would totally win”, but then I’ll watch Escape from New York/L.A. and I think to myself, “What am I crazy?! Snake could definitely take Jack!” I know some of you may be thinking, “Heather, how does one choose which Kurt Russell is superior?” So let’s break it down:

Their Mission:

Jack Burton, a sort of doofy truck driver, has to rescue two green eyed ladies from the clutches of the creepy David Lo Pan.

Snake Plissken, a former war hero turned criminal, has to enter into the heavily guarded maximum-security prison of Manhattan in order to rescue the President.

Winner:

Even though Snake has a huge job of saving the President and making sure he gets to the super important summit meeting, Jack gets the babes.

Weapon(s) of Choice:

Jack uses both a TEC-9 and a knife that he so cleverly keeps in his boot.

Snake uses everything from modified Mac-10s, .357 Magnums and throwing stars.

Winner:

Obviously, Snake. His time in the war gave him an extensive knowledge of how to handle different varieties of weapons and he does not hesitate to use them.

Skill Level:

I think the only real shot Jack actually landed was when he threw his little knife into Lo Pan’s head. (It's all in the reflexes.)

Again, Snake is a military man who mows down anyone in his path.

Winner: 

Snake. I wonder how that makes Jack feel losing to a guy with only one eye.

Sidekick:

Jack has Wang, who despite his size has insane martial art skills.

Snake has Cabbie, whose name says it all, he drives a cab.

Winner:

Jack. While Cabbie is sitting around complaining, Wang is kung fu fighting and he is fast as lightning.

Bad Guy:

Jack has to go up against David Lo Pan, an ancient magician who shoots light from his mouth and has really long fingernails.

Snake has the Duke of New York, who basically rules the entire city.

Winner:

Snake. Not only does the Duke run the whole city, but also Isaac Hayes plays him. As in Shaft, can ya dig it?

Friends:

Jack has the Chang Sing, who are a group of martial arts experts, and the old wizard Egg Shen.

Snake has Brian and his girlfriend.

Winner:

Jack. Brian talks a big game about knowing the layout of the minefield on the bridge, and then proceeds to blow his own ass up on one; Egg has a Six-Daemon Bag and potions.

Obstacles:

Jack has to deal with the Wing Kong, more kung-fu guys; the “Three Storms”, who are just supernatural martial arts guys; the Lords of Death, a Chinese street gang; and a variety of other monsters and a floating mass of eyeballs.

Snake has the Crazies, the sewer dwellers who are much like C.H.U.Ds; a big bald wrestler dude; and oh yeah, an entire island filled with violent prisoners.

Winner:

Snake. Jack may have had all the weird magic stuff to deal with, but Snake has to deal with C.H.U.Ds and no one wants that.

Mode of Transportation:

Jack has his trusty semi the Pork Chop Express.

Snake has the fancy Gull Flyer, which is a super stealthy plane.

Winner:

Jack. Snake’s plane may be cool, but Jack’s baby can hit 6.5 on the Richter scale.

Outfit:

Jack’s got the 80’s jeans with a Buddha/snake/sun tank top.

Snake’s goes for the more subtle black tank top and what looks like snake skin leggings.

Winner:

Snake. Seriously, those babies are tight.

Morale:

Jack does the best he can to keep it together under unreasonable circumstances.

Snake answers everyone who says that they thought he was dead with the oh so emo response of “I AM dead.”

Winner:

Snake. How can you argue with that kinda conviction?

Misc.:

Jack has some pretty sweet one-liners, “Son of a bitch must pay!”

Snake not only escaped from New York, but L.A. as well.

Winner:

Snake. He’s one tough cookie.

Overall: Sorry, Jack, but it looks like Snake may have just swept the floor with ya.

So, there we have it. Based on these statistics, it looks like Snake could totally take Jack in a fight. Do you agree? Let me know!

Parlor Tattoo Prints

I don't know about anyone else, but I love nerd related artwork and I'm also really into tattoo art, and I feel like I found the Holy Grail in the Etsy shop Parlor Tattoo Prints (here ), run by the insanely talented Quyen Dinh. You can find everything from traditional tattoo flash to the best fan art you have ever seen.

All prints are done in a flash style and they're all so good that if I didn't have them on my wall, I'd probably get them tattooed on me. Let's be real here, I would get them tattooed on me regardless, cause they're just that wonderful. I'm constantly restraining myself because I want to buy every single thing in her store. They're all reasonable priced (also, the store takes both PayPal and credit which is super convenient), ship fast and are just amazing pieces of artwork. This is definitely a must if you're looking for really unique, awesome nerd art to spruce up your place.

Here are the ones I have so you can get an idea of how fantastic they are:

Top 5: Sci-Fi Spaceships

I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but I tend to like making lists. I decided to dedicate this one to my love of sci-fi spaceships. If I was ever given the opportunity to travel through space, these are some of the babies I would want to go on:

Moya: Being a living Leviathan ship means Moya basically can maintain herself, with the help of some DRD’s and Pilot, of course. And yeah, she started out as a prison ship, but she became so much more than that. She was always there for John and co. and I think really cared for all of them. Plus, Starbust is really freakin’ cool.

Red Dwarf: This mining ship has the ability to take all the hydrogen that’s in space and convert it into fuel, which means that it could keep on truckin’ for-ev-er, and seeing as how it’s been going for more than 3 million years, I’d say it’s doing a fine job of that. Sure, the entire crew was killed due to a radiation leak thanks to a faulty drive plate, and the only survivors were the ship’s computer system who’s gone a bit wonky, a cat/human hybrid, a mechanoid Kryten, a hologram of the smeg-head Rimmer who died in the blast, and the curry loving slacker Lister who wakes from suspended animation to find he’s the last human ever, but they’ve been to parallel universes and the ship has a virtual reality simulator room so that more than makes up for it in my book.

Serenity: This ship is the heart and soul of its crew. They treat her like she’s one of them and she is; Mal said it best, “Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens. Makes her a home.” All the crew-members put their own personal touches everywhere and that’s what makes it feel so real and adds to the charm. Plus, I just would really like to be part of Mal’s crew.

TARDIS: Like I could possible talk about spaceships without mentioning the TARDIS. Who doesn’t wish they could travel throughout time and space and other dimensions with the Doctor? It’s bigger on the inside, regularly undergoes interior designs and is so unlike anything else. Just the wheezing sound of the brakes is enough to get me all giddy inside.

Millennium Falcon: There are so many amazing ships to pick from in the Star Wars universe: you’ve got the X-Wings, Boba’s Slave I and the SSD Executor’s (which totally look like flying pizza slices), but I, like many others, was drawn to the Millennium Falcon. Not only can it easily maneuver through asteroid fields, Death Stars and Exogorth mouths, make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but it can also in a pinch be used as gambling currency. She may look like a hunk of junk, but she’s got it where it counts.

Honorable Mention:

The Satellite of Love: It’s shaped like a bone, has a crew of man-made robots and plays terribly cheesy movies which you and your robot pals can mercilessly mock. Sounds like an all around good time to me!

What are some of your favorite ships?

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so in honor of that, I decided to make a little playlist to get everyone in the mood. Enjoy and Happy Halloween from Elliot and ET! Let me know if you dressed up as anything fun!

Top 5: Zombie Apocalypse Team Members

I have a confession to make: I spend a lot of time thinking about what I would do if a zombie apocalypse ever broke out. Whenever I used to get bored at work, I would try to design the best possible escape routes in case my building came under attack, I would argue with friends over the best weapon of choice (FYI, katana sword. Ain't no one got time to worry about their weapons running out of ammo), and I've made countless lists as to which fictional characters I would want on my side of the fight. Here are just a few:

Buffy Summers:  This is a gal who knows a thing or two about apocalypses, I mean she did stop at least six being the Slayer and all. She's a great fighter, good with weapons and she's sure to make some excellent puns while she's at it.

Sam and Dean Winchester: Killing monsters is what these guys do (Saving people, hunting things- the family business!) They have the knowledge, the tools and the will power to fight until the very end and that kinda perseverance is good for morale. They've never let the other give up on anything, which is the sort of mentality one is looking for when faced with an apocalypse. Not to mention they have an awesome bunker that's filled with weapons, reference material, and who knows what else that would probably come in handy.

Ash Williams: He did face an army of Deadites and succeed, so fighting evil dead (pun intended) things is pretty much in his wheelhouse. Besides, chainsaw for one hand, shotgun boomstick in the other, need I say more?

Tallahassee: Have you ever seen Zombieland? He is well-versed in the ways of the "Double Tap." The man knows what he's doing.

Oliver Queen: If being tortured for 5 years on a hellish island taught him anything, it was how to survive. Fighting for his life is not new to him. During his time on the island, he didn't have any food or shelter, so he had to improvise and fend for himself. He's like Bear Grylls with a bow and arrow. He's smart and resourceful and definitely an asset when it comes to fighting.

Who would you want on your zombie fighting team? Let me know!

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Review

When I was little, my mom used to take me and my brother to our local comic book shop on the weekends and let us pick out whatever we wanted. My brother would go for the latest X-Men or Silver Surfer, but being the youngin' that I was and not knowing much about anything, I would always go for the Mystery Bag. These were brown paper lunch bags stapled shut so you wouldn't know what you were getting until you opened it up. They were never anything too fancy, usually just a bunch of Archie Comics, which means I always got at least one Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic in just about every bag.

Besides being a fan of the comics, I was also a fan of the show, so you can imagine my excitement when I read that Archie Comics was planning on releasing a new twist on the teenage witch titled, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Lemme tell you, this is not the Melissa Joan Hart Sabrina I grew up on, this is more like Rosemary's Baby Sabrina, and I'm lovin' it.

This monthly series takes place in the '60s, and tells the story of Sabrina in a way that you've never seen before. In the prologue, we learn that Sabrina was born to a mortal mother and a warlock father. Mixed relations like that don't go over so well with her father's coven, especially his sisters, so her mother's mental health is depleted landing her in a psych ward, and her father seems to get turned into a tree (talk about a tough break). Her aunts then take Sabrina to live in Greendale in an abandoned funeral home across from a cemetery (which is where her aunts get their food from. Diggin' up graves, eatin' corpses-- my, Hilda and Zelda, you've changed). They decide to homeschool Sabrina in the ways of witchcraft, while sending her to normal school "for everything else."

Aside from her aunts and everyone's favorite talking cat, Salem, Sabrina lives with her cousin Ambrose, who left England after a little magical mishap. You can tell that he's a troublemaker when he convinces Sabrina to cast a spell to make the high school heartthrob, Harvey, notice her, even after Salem tells her how bad of an idea it is. So she casts the spell and Harvey asks her out and you just know that nothing good is going to come from this, but we'll have to wait for another issue to find out what.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes the characters that you know and completely throws you for a loop. It's dark and it's eerie, but it's also funny (I mean, Betty and Veronica show up as witches from a rival coven and summon a succubus, hilarious). The artwork is fantastic and the storyline is great, this is definitely one I'll be picking up again.

Let's Talk: Halloween Movies

Every October, I have a little tradition of watching a Halloween-ish movie every night for the entire month. It can be anything from straight up slasher film to campy sci-fi to a Disney Halloween movie. Here are a few of my yearly staples:

Halloween—Lets get the most obvious one outta the way first. Halloween is not Halloween without Michael Myers. Also, one of my neighbors sets up a speaker in their yard that plays the theme music anytime someone walks past and it always makes my life seem a bit more suspenseful.

Hocus Pocus—No surprise here. I love everything about this movie; it’s definitely one of my favorites to watch this time of year. How can you not love the Sanderson sisters? Plus, Thackery Binx, be still my beating heart.

Monster Squad—Whenever I mention this movie to people, I usually get a blank stare in response. I don’t know why more people haven’t heard of it because it’s 80’s gold. A bunch of Universal monsters try to take over the world and a group of horror movie obsessed kids have to stop them, it’s brilliant. Also, it has one of the best lines I’ve ever heard: “WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS.” Watch it, you’ll see what I mean.

Frankenstein—I’m a huge fan of the original Universal Monster movies and Frankenstein has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. I don’t think anyone will ever be able to play the role of the monster as well as Boris Karloff.

Young Frankenstein—How can I mention Frankenstein without throwing this gem in as well? Gene Wilder is perfection, and I can’t help but quote along with this entire movie, maybe that’s why no one likes to watch it with me.

Evil Dead trilogy—Oh Bruce Campbell, you wonder of a man. There’s nothing better, in my opinion, than really campy horror movies; there’s just something about them that I can’t get enough of and these movies are the cream of the crop for me. You can’t tell me that watching Ash cut off his possessed demon hand with a chainsaw, then replacing it with said chainsaw doesn’t make for good entertainment.

Creepshow/Creepshow 2— I mainly like these because they’re made up of a few movies, so you never have to worry about getting bored while watching, and I’m a fan of old horror comics as well. Win/win in my book!

Beetlejuice— Another classic. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like this movie. It’s so good, and young Alec Baldwin is a babe.

The Exorcist—This is probably the only movie I’ve ever watched that has really freaked me out. The first time I ever saw this was at a friends house and halfway through all the power in her house went out and I was sure we were going to die.

The Shining—Jack Nicholson you creepy, creepy man.

What are some of your Halloween favorites? Let me know!

Make Your Own Butterbeer Latte!

Harry Potter fans, this one’s for you. I’ve been dreaming about going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios since before it opened, so until I actually get there, I found this recipe on Pinterest for homemade Butterbeer latte to hold myself over until I can go to the Promised Land and drown myself in the real thing. The recipe is super simple and delicious, so here we go!

What you’ll need: (This recipe is only for one cup, but you can easily tweak it to however many you need)

2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup of milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

-       

Heat the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan on medium heat until it starts to caramelize and you see bubbles start to form on top. Make sure you stir it often so it doesn’t burn.

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Slowly add in your milk and stir until it’s all combined. It may take a few moments until all of the brown sugar and butter is melted in, so don’t worry, just keep stirring.

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Once that’s all mixed together, add your vanilla and cinnamon and stir until it’s all combined.

Once that’s all mixed together, turn off your heat and carefully (it’ll be hot) pour or ladle into your favorite mug and enjoy! I added whipped cream and caramel syrup to mine and it was basically like a little bit of heaven. Let me know if you give it a go and how it comes out!

Let's Talk: Doctor Who

I think it’s finally safe to say how much I love Peter Capaldi as the 12^th Doctor. Like many others, I’m always a bit hesitant whenever a new Doctor comes around and it takes a few episodes for me to finally adjust to a new face, but let me tell you-- I’ve pretty much been in love with him since Robot of Sherwood. The way he moves, his physicality, his embodiment is just so the Doctor.

His take on the Doctor is way different than that of Matt Smith’s, but I actually really like it. Where Smith’s incarnation was wide-eyed and child-like, Capaldi’s is more brash, abrupt and a bit cold. I also really like the new direction they’re taking with his relationship with Clara; it’s developed into something more familial rather than the Are-they-into-each-other feel they had in the past.

The same characteristics that made me fall in love with the Doctor are still there—he’s still as sassy as ever (maybe even a little more so, ahemgivingRobinHoodthebird), he’s still willing to help people (although he doesn’t seem to get as invested, he did say Clara cares so he doesn’t have to), and his adventures are still bigger than ever (not only did he go inside a Dalek, but he even robbed the most secure bank in the universe! Talk about chutzpah!)—but now he also questions himself and his ethics more, trying to figure out if he’s a good man or not. Capaldi has turned the Doctor into more of a thinker; you can see him using his mind to find answers to his problems rather than relying solely on the TARDIS or his trusty sonic screwdriver. I also absolutely love that he kept his Scottish accent, it really adds to the whole “rebel time lord” thing, and not to mention his styling is on point.

Underneath the new face and attitude, the Doctor is still the same character I fell in love with so many seasons ago. He’s still insecure, still awkward, still hesitant to be called a hero, and that’s what I love most about Doctor Who, the Doctor himself may change, but at the core he stays the same.  Also, can we talk about how pretty the inside of the TARDIS looks? And the opening title sequence? And who the heck is this Missy cause I really need to know? Dang you, Steven Moffat and your secrets!

Marvel Reprinting Dark Horse Star Wars Comics

Just look at how pretty it is *insert heart eyes emoji*

Two things about me: I am a huge Star Wars fan, and I love basically everything Marvel does. So when I heard that Marvel was planning on reprinting all of the Dark Horse Star Wars comics, I was obviously more than excited.

Beginning in 2015, Marvel announced that they would be taking over the printing duties for the Star Wars franchise, and the first book they’ll put out will be called “Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire Vol. 1.”  These Epic Collections will be in chronological order and are aiming to be large (the first volume is 440 pages of galactic goodness) and affordable for all (around $34.99- TAKE ALL OF MY MONEY). The first volume will be stories set after the events of Episode III, with material written by John Ostrander, Randy Stradley, Haden Blackman, among others.

Now, these are not new stories, only previously published comics from Dark Horse, only now under the Marvel moniker.  The Dark Horse issues are still available, but will be going out of print once the licensing shifts over to Marvel, so you better hurry on down to your local comic book shop and snatch them up quick.

As if these reprints weren’t enough to get my fangirl blood pumpin’, Marvel also announced at Comic-Con that they’d be publishing a set of three new Star Wars comic book series in early 2015: “Star Wars”, “Star Wars: Darth Vader”, and “Star Wars: Princess Leia.” All three of which would take place after the events of A New Hope.

Words can’t express how super pumped I am on this. I have issues from both the Dark Horse and Marvel runs (Marvel actually published the original Star Wars comics back in the 70s) in my collection so I will be counting down the days until these new ones come out. Look for me pushing kids out of my way to be the first to get my hands on these babies.

Let's Talk: Mortal Kombat

One of my favorite video games is Mortal Kombat. I spent a lot of time when I was younger perfecting my button-mashing technique, yelling at my TV screen, and trying to find which character’s Fatality suited my personality the best. Now, with the news that NetherRealm Studios will be releasing a new installment of the beloved fighting game next April, I think it’s only fitting to list some the greatest (in my opinion) MK fighters. Cue the electro theme music.

Photo credit: mortalkombatonline.com

13. Cyrax - Once the creators of MK exhausted their supply of ninja warriors, they turned to the next best thing- robot ninjas warriors. Cyrax is the yellow one who shoots nets from his chest. What more could you ask for?

Photo credit: mortalkombatwarehouse.com

12.  Smoke – He pretty much looks like a grayscale version of Scorpion or Sub-Zero, but with Don King hair and trails of smoke coming from his body. I’m guessing that’s so if he doesn’t take you down with one of his finishing moves, he can still give you emphysema. WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?

Photo credit: mortalkombatwarehouse.com

11.  Goro – The match I most dreaded while playing the original MK game was going against Goro. He’s the big boss of the game and the most frustratingly annoying to take down. You’d think that since all Johnny Cage had to do in the film was give’em a swift punch in the ‘nads to slow him down, he wouldn’t be that bad, but no, just thinking about it is making me angry. Also, homeboy had 4 arms; you’d think he could’ve come up with a better hairstyle than that stupid ass ponytail.

Photo credit: mortalkombat.wikia.com

10. Jax – When he first came along, Jax didn’t look like anything special, then he came back in MK3 with his bionic arms and became one of the coolest characters.  He’s probably one of the most physical in the game, especially at close range, I mean he can beat a person down into the pavement and then kick their head off without batting an eye. He is not playin’.

Photo credit: digital-art-gallery.com

9. Raiden – Raiden is the god of Thunder, former Protector of the Earthrealm, and he can pull off a very wide brimmed hat, which not many can. A lot of his moves remind me of a mix between Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars and the Lightning guy from Big Trouble in Little China, so that makes him A-Ok in my book.

Photo credit: wikia.com

8. Liu Kang – Not only did he take all the tournaments by storm with his Bruce Lee-like physique, he’s probably the invisible bike-riding champ of the world. If that wasn’t enough, his animality changes him into a freakin’ dragon so you know he’s got to be the blood of old Valyria, obviously.

Photo credit: mortalkombatonline.com

7. Reptile – Any person who tells you they unlocked Reptile as a hidden character is a liar. You had to get a double Flawless victory in single player mode, finish off with a fatality, and it’d only work if there was a shadow across the moon and you sacrifice your first born to it. Ok, so maybe not that last part, but it certainly seemed like that was the only way you’d ever get it to work. He’s the only reptile I know of that can spit acid and turn invisible, and I may or may not say “REPTILE WINS” while doing his victory pose any time something good happens to me. Seriously, try it, it makes everything way cooler.

Photo credit: mortalkombatwarehouse.com

6. Mileena – Mileena was supposed to be the perfect copy of Kitana made by Shang Tsung, except thanks to the Tarkatan DNA he used, she’s got a messed up demon grill hiding underneath that face bandana. She is definitely a lot more vicious than her counterpart, and will take any opportunity to take her “sister” down. Out of all the female fighters, I definitely think Mileena is the most formidable; she has incredible speed, agility and brute strength. Also, in one of her finishing moves, she inhales her opponent and then spits out their bones, making her one lady you do not want to piss off.

Photo credit: mortalkombatwarehouse.com

5. Baraka – The answer to critics and parents alike complaining about how bloody and violent your game is? Add a newer, more terrifying character! Seriously, apart from him having some of the most brutal moves in the whole series, he has blades coming out of his arms that would make even Wolverine hide in a corner.

Photo credit: perdrowp.com

4. Sonya Blade – I’ve got to give it up to the original female character. She could literally burn you to a crisp with her kiss, and homegirl can hold a grudge- just ask Kano. Unless we’re talking about the movie, in which case you can’t, cause she snapped his neck between her legs like it was a little bitty toothpick. Girl power.

Photo credit: mortalkombatonline.com

3. Kitana – Hands down, my favorite MK character. Not only is she good at hand-to-hand combat, she has a ton of combos to choose from. She can use her fans to lift her opponent in the air rendering them immobile and useless, she could teleport and reappear behind her opponent taking them off guard, and one of her Fatalities was decapitating her opponent with her fans and who doesn’t like that?

Photo credit: mortalkombat.wikia.com

2. Sub-Zero – I’m talking about the original Sub-Zero who only appeared in the first MK game, before getting killed by Scorpion, becoming a ghost and changing his name to “Noob” (we’re gonna look past that). He’s probably one of the most noted characters in the game, with good reason too- he would rip his opponents head off with their spine still attached! Plus, not only could he freeze your ass, but he could also keep your drink chilled on a warm day.

Photo credit: playground.ru

1. Scorpion – Big surprise here, right? I don’t think it’s possible to think of the words “Mortal Kombat” without the iconic “GET OVER HERE” popping into your head. He’s the one character I feel like everyone can agree on as being the best and most badass of the entire series. If I’m not playing as Kitana, you can be dang sure I’m fighting someone over playing as Scorpion, never has a ninja assassin been so beloved.

What are some of your favorite Mortal Kombat kharacters? (See what I did there- so good.) Let me know in the comments!

Saddest Moments on Fringe

One of my favorite things to do is binge watch TV shows on Netflix, my most recent addiction being Fringe. I know, I know, I’m super late to the party and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to watch it, but now I’m obsessed. I blew through the five seasons in like two weeks and it was one of those shows that made me laugh and then two seconds later made my heart break. The show is filled with such great characters who you become attached to and you feel for them and you root for them, when they’re sad you want everything to work out and when they’re happy you want to celebrate with them. Each character and storyline grew so much with each season it’s hard not to get caught up in it. When I set out to make this list, I didn’t realize just how many moments I would actually have and I tried to cut it down but it was just impossible, so I broke it down by season. So here ya go, here are my “Oh, my heart” moments from Fringe.

Season 1:

•  Walter returning to St. Claire’s to help solve a kidnapping case.
•  Finding out Olivia was one of the children in Walter and William Bell’s Cortexiphan trials and then when she confronts Walter in the diner about his involvement.
• Walter willing to sacrifice himself to the snake/scorpion creature in the sewer in order to save Peter and Olivia. And if that in it self wasn’t enough, then he starts to sing that “Menagerie” song to calm himself down, which you find out is the same song he used to sing to his dog Rufus who suffered from night terrors. Just hit me with a ton of bricks while you’re at it.
• Walter visiting Peter’s grave.

Season 2:

• Walter getting stranded in Chinatown and not remembering Peter’s phone number. When he breaks down and starts to cry to that old woman, I can feel my heart breaking into a million tiny pieces.
• When Walter gets back to the lab to find out Astrid was injured by the men from Chinatown who looted the lab. Their friendship is one of my absolute favorite things about the show, and this really shows just how much he cares for her.
• Peter calling Walter “Dad.”
•  Charlie being killed and then replaced by the shapeshifter AND THEN Olivia having to kill him. He was one of her most trusted friends and she put a bullet through his head.
• Olivia returning to Jacksonville where the Cortexiphan trials were held and going back into the room she set on fire.
• Walter receiving the white tulip in the mail, which is his symbol of God’s forgiveness.
• Peter realizing he’s not from this universe and telling Walter that he’s not his son.
•  Olivia telling Peter he belongs with her.

Season 3:

• Olivia getting replaced by the Olivia from the alternate universe.
• Fauxlivia starting a relationship with Peter. NO JUST NO.
• Walternate giving Olivia drugs to make her think that she is Fauxlivia.
•  The alternate Broyles sacrificing himself so that the real Olivia can cross back over to where she belongs.
• Olivia breaking down about Peter and Fauxlivia’s relationship and how he couldn’t tell it wasn’t her.
•  Peter entering the machine and then getting erased.

Season 4:

•  Peter getting erased from the timeline, but Olivia and Walter still seeing flashes of him, which then leads to Olivia finding Walter trying to give himself a lobotomy.
•  Peter finally coming back but no one remembering him.
• Alternate Astrid coming over to see Astrid after her father’s funeral. Basically everything about AltAstrid makes me so happy/sad.
•  Astrid getting shot while trying to protect Walter.
•  Walter shooting Olivia in the head in order to stop Bell from creating a third universe with the help of her Cortexiphan abilities.
•  Peter then cradling her afterwards and pushing Walter away. Excuse me while I drown in my tears.
• Walter saving Olivia and then her finding out that she’s pregnant with Peter’s baby. This should be a happy occasion, but seeing how this show goes, you know that something horrible is coming.
• And it does. September mysteriously telling Walter “They’re coming.” Meaning a future overrun with Observers who have taken over humanity. Just once I would like for them to have nice things, but nooooo.

Season 5:

• The whole season occurring in 2036, where Observers have taken over the Earth and humanity is separated into Loyalists (those who serve the Observers) and the Resistance (those opposed to the Observers)
• Walter, Olivia, Peter and Astrid being rescued from amber from Olivia and Peter’s grown up daughter, who was taken from them the day the Observers invaded and who just so happens to be a member of said resistance.
• The flashback to Peter, Olivia and their daughter Etta in the park when she was a child on the day the Observers invaded.
•  Etta getting shot by Captain Windmark (the head of the Observers) and Peter and Olivia having to lose their daughter again.
• Olivia watching a video Walter gives her of one of Etta’s birthday parties.
•  Nina shooting herself in the head so Windmark can’t read her thoughts to find out Walter's plan to overthrow the Observers.
• Walter leading the Observer child, Michael, through the wormhole in order to create a paradox that would erase the Observers from ever invading Earth.
•  Flashing back to that day in the park, this time without the Observers invading and Peter receiving a white tulip in the mail from Walter.

The entire series is a complete emotional rollercoaster; one minute you’re happy and the next you’re curled in the fetal position sobbing, but that was what made it such a great show. Let me know some of your favorite moments in the comments!