Van Dennis
@vandennis.bsky.social
1K followers 1.2K following 2.6K posts
He/his, early 30s, media writer, as seen on @unwinnable.com Talks about movies, videogames, TV, and the Seattle mariners (and also anime, cars & lefty politics)
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vandennis.bsky.social
watching Materialists earlier this year got me thinking about some retroactively relevant romcom movies, which I wrote about in this month's issue of Exploits!
Check out my thoughts on the surprising "2013 romances featuring Scarlett Johanson" double-feature: Her, and Don Jon.
unwinnable.com
If you're cold, they're cold. Let your witch in this October with the newest Exploits, featuring writing on El Vampiro, alt metal, Timeguessr and more.

Buy: buff.ly/cfuSfmb

Subscribe: buff.ly/4LOpl1Q

Read John Goodrich's essay on El Vampiro: buff.ly/3qqIhSX
The cover for the October 2025 issue of Exploits, featuring vintage art of a witch looking into a house where children are apple bobbing. Text at the bottom indicates that this issue covers The Mystery of Mammoth Mansion, Interview with the Vampire, El Vampiro, love, alt metal, and Timeguessr.
vandennis.bsky.social
And I've always loved how addiction is a core theme of midnight mass, but to know not only that unceasing hunger, but that empty pain that's left when you kick the habit... it's definitely a feeling when you understand a character better.
vandennis.bsky.social
When you get past the pain of recovery, the emptiness that remains, it's like a black hole. You know something's left, and yet something has taken its place, and it doesn't feel great.
Those highs, those "good feelings", when they're gone, it can feel like nothing is good enough to be worth pursuing
vandennis.bsky.social
Watching midnight mass, and the new perspective I have gained from first watching it in late 2023... that "listlessness" the protagonist has, which previously I thought was from his guilt and having no direction in his life, but now I think another factor is him being a former addict.
vandennis.bsky.social
The downside now is that even if we somehow make it past the blue jays, we'll either have to face the brewers who we've dropped 3 straight series to over the past 3 seasons, or the dodgers who we're currently 0-12 against.
vandennis.bsky.social
"we might be fated to lose, but that doesn't mean we can't win this one, right here."
The reward? At least a couple more games in Seattle, some more cards in The Show, and a couple more chances for former mariner greats to throw out first pitches.
All that... I'm good with that.
vandennis.bsky.social
BUT, in the preceding 24 hours to that final game, my line of thinking changed: if neither the mariners nor tigers can truly beat Toronto to get to the world series, and if we really are this evenly matched, I wanna win one last time.
I really wanted game 5.
vandennis.bsky.social
At the start of the mariners tigers series, I had a feeling it was gonna be evenly matched, and the blue jays still look so dominant that I wouldn't have felt too bad if we fell short in the division series.
I honestly wanted at least one home playoff win.
Reposted by Van Dennis
jonbois.bsky.social
mariners fans are my favorite bunch of fans of any team in any sport. i watched the bottom half of the last seven innings standing up in my living room. thanks for letting me hitch a ride
vandennis.bsky.social
(doing best David Ortiz impression)
DEEEE-TROIT LOSE!
vandennis.bsky.social
I 100% put humpy winning as to what got the good karma unlocked for us
vandennis.bsky.social
1995
2000
2001
And now, 2025
They have at least matched the other greatest mariners seasons
vandennis.bsky.social
JORGE THAT MOTHER FUCKER POLANCO
vandennis.bsky.social
WE'RE HALFWAY THERE, WE ARE BEING GIFTED EVEN MORE GHOST RUNNERS
vandennis.bsky.social
JUST TAKE THE WALKS, WALK THIS FUCKER IN (AND THUS OFF)
vandennis.bsky.social
THE FATES ARE GIFTING US GHOST RUNNERS
vandennis.bsky.social
Bazardbros, let's ride, one final time
vandennis.bsky.social
This game will end when the commentators say 1 singular nice thing about the mariners.
vandennis.bsky.social
The bar is now chanting Leo Leo Leo
vandennis.bsky.social
"canzone can hit lefties" truthers, your moment has come.
vandennis.bsky.social
IF THEIR LEFTY CAN HOMER OFF OUR SOUTHPAW THEN SO CAN WE TO THEIRS.
vandennis.bsky.social
Killed the man but not the idea (playoff Robbie Ray)
vandennis.bsky.social
It would be, if your former pilots didn't have inexplicable beef my Ms 😭
vandennis.bsky.social
WELCOME FUCKING BACK ALL-STAR GEORGE KIRBY.