#Mark Dignam | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blurhawaii · 2 years

Text

yuletide 2022

dear yuletide writer,

another year, another yuletide! hello and thanks for reading my letter. even if you’re not my assigned writer and are just checking it out for the hell of it. i’m still terrible at putting what i like into words, hopefully all this rambling makes sense. just know that the prompts are only suggestions–if you’ve got something else in mind you’re longing to write, then go for it.

and i feel like this goes without saying but i am more than okay with receiving treats.

likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers, power imbalances.

vulnerability in men, uncertain intimacy.

UST, slow burn, first times.

supernatural/magical realism/cosmic horror. weird hints of it in an otherwise normal universe.

redemption arcs.

found family.

big loyalty kink. love it when trust is earned and kept.

praise kink.

open and honest communication between partners.

polyamory. it’s the journey of them getting together and making it work that interests me the most. or how a couple goes about bringing in a third person.

stories set in canon. or a divergence of canon. fix-it fics.

soulmate/soulmark fics. i’m mostly interested in these kinds of scenarios when they’re dysfunctional takes on them. e.g. they don’t actually have each other marks but get together anyway.

daemon AUs. i’m especially into the intimacy of touching/comforting each other’s daemons, them expressing thoughts and feelings they otherwise don’t say out loud.

dark/bleak fics. don’t be afraid to drag characters through the mud. happy endings are welcome but i like the struggle.

i’m fine with anything from gen to porn but would be happiest with something in the middle.

canon typical violence is fine and to be expected from some of my choices.

characters and the development of their relationships are more important than plot for me.

dislikes:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. high school, coffee shop AUs.

established relationships, unless they are already together in canon

crossovers

genderbending

feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely fluff

A/B/O fics

PWP

mpreg

first person fics (i have no problem with second person fics tho if you feel like experimenting and think that could work.)

The Departed (2006)

*Billy Costigan *Sean Dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this as i'm just thirsty for anything.

most of my love is for dignam and his tough love attitude towards his job and the undercovers he's responsible for. i am endlessly endeared by his wild card quality, expletive fueled speech and hair trigger temperament. his father/son relationship with queenan contrasted against billy’s father/son relationship with queenan--how cyclical the whole set up is. his complete disregard for everyone else in that office, especially sullivan. and despite all of that, it's obvious that he cares. i don't think you could do a job like that and not care in some way, and it’s those few and rare moments where we see him soften around billy --we need you, pal-- that's what i would like to see more of. that juxtaposition of good cop/bad cop all coming from the same guy.

shipping fic is what i am craving but honestly whatever you are comfortable with writing is fine, as long as it involves them both. due to the nature of the film i am perfectly comfortable with violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation vs the fact that they need each other to get through it is what i am all about.

things that really get me with these two: codependency, power imbalances, the enemies to lovers trope, unexpected moments of vulnerability, loyalty.

prompts:

fics where billy survives are my usual go-to. i'd love something that explores the angst of billy's ‘where the hell were you when i needed you’ reaction towards dignam, supposing that he survives that ending. because from billy’s POV, at least, dignam basically disappears from the film after queenan’s death. maybe dignam still kills sullivan, and billy’s reaction to that. is he thankful or is he pissed?

i’ve wasted a lot of time thinking about the line --why don’t we meet up, sweetheart, let me buy you an ice cream-- the jokey seriousness of it just kills me. if you can somehow write that happening in a believable, in character fic you would earn my eternal respect. whether that’s a clandestine meeting during billy’s undercover period, or some kind of post-film scenario where dignam makes good on his promises, i have no idea but i’d love to see it.

daemon au - very curious how this would impact going undercover. daemons expressing feelings that the characters otherwise can’t. and the intimacy of touching/comforting each other’s daemons is an absolute favourite trope of mine.

soulmate au - either having their names on each other or their first words. or something else more uncommon/unusual. this interests me particularly here for the same reason the daemon au does because i’d love to see how this would work in a universe where you’re going undercover. i’m thinking about that scene where costello is smashing billy’s arm cast and the idea that it could be hiding something other than a wire.

time loop/groundhog day fic - there’s a lot of moments in the film i think they would both like to change, and it kind of makes sense to me to have billy’s survival be the pivotal thing triggering the loop.

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

*Arthur O’Dwyer *Samantha O’Dwyer *John Brooder

i’m a huge fan of westerns and i’m a huge fan of thinking too deeply about potential ot3s. bone tomahawk gave me both of these things to gorge on.

every time i watch it i latch onto all the little hints dropped about the kind of relationship brooder has with both of the o’dwyers. he’s a weird, vain, loner, dandy man type who is rude to pretty much everyone else in the film, except the married o’dwyers. it’s established that he was interested in samantha o’dwyer, presumably before she was married, flirted with her, but was ultimately rejected by her. instead of this being a point of conflict in the film, brooder is nothing but cordial with her, respectful even--knowing to go to her when told to find a doctor--and is quick to hold himself responsible for putting her in danger once she is taken.

it would then be very easy for the film to pit brooder and arthur against each other because of this past. but, excluding a couple moments when tensions are high, they’re both unusually friendly with each other. the way arthur jokes about wanting no flirtations between brooder and samantha but still allows brooder to escort his wife into town when he can’t because of his leg. arthur is the only one who ever calls him john. arthur is the only one to ever call brooder out when he’s being too rude, and have brooder actually listen to him and reel his rudeness in. i am especially floored by brooder calling arthur ‘cowboy’ multiple times, in the most fond manner possible. in fact, this might be the only way he refers to arthur, thinking back on it. i also love the little moment where brooder helps arthur down from his horse. such a small moment that means a lot considering the kind of man he’s been shown to be.

the film has an extremely violent end, hopeful in a few ways but largely not. anything written for this would inevitably have to draw on some of this violence, which i am fine with, but i’m mostly interested in how the characters deal with the trauma and less the trauma itself. it probably goes without saying that i ship all three of them in all configurations.

prompts:

anything set before the events of the film. how the three of them might interact on a day-to-day basis in the town of bright hope. how they reached this level of fondness. how outsiders might view the different way brooder interacts with the o’dwyers, compared to the face he shows to everyone else.

brooder lives AU - not gonna lie, my enjoyment of this film dips slightly once brooder is gone. (i’m always pleasantly surprised by how much matthew fox is the MVP here.) but maybe they find him hurt but not quite dead as they’re escaping, and all three of them get to return home. maybe for convenience sake samantha sets brooder up to recover in their home, so she can tend to him and arthur at the same time.

would love to see something that explores brooder having to come to terms and live with the amputation of his hand, considering how vain he is. he explicitly states in the film that he’d rather die than live like that, but maybe the o’dwyers can help him through this with what i imagine would probably have to be tough love.

Il buono il brutto il cattivo | The Good The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

*Blondie *Tuco Ramirez

i rewatched this recently and it sent me down a bit of a spiral of watching spaghetti westerns. i love the landscapes, the loneliness, talking around campfires under the stars, sharing a smoke, the constant underlying search for fortune and a place to settle down. the good the bad and the ugly remains my favourite simply because it has all these things and the added bonus of an antagonistic, reluctant partnership. and i especially love when partnerships eventually grow a layer of trust, no matter how flimsy.

these two fascinate me because the whole set up of their partnership in the beginning--the bounty hunting and the subsequent rescuing from the hanging--requires so much trust between them, and i am a firm believer that there is a certain amount of fondness between them, even when they’re trying to kill each other. this feels obvious to me by the end, what with blondie going out of his way to orchestrate a situation where tuco lives.

i love the darkness and the humour of their relationship and how they can both be deceptively smart when they need to be. i feel like they really do bring out the best and the worst of each other, in way that can only happen when you feel very strongly about someone. i do ship them but would be fine getting something that just explores their relationship.

prompts:

anything that explores the willingness of tuco putting a rope around his neck. how they got themselves into that situation, the trust it requires on tuco’s part to do that, the discussion they must have had to hash out all the details. maybe there’s a part of this deal we don’t see in the film, some kind of quid pro quo thing where blondie lets tuco do the same to him when they’re alone, as a way to even the score and it’s probably the only way to get tuco shut up about it. go as kinky as you like, breathplay and choking kink is welcome. i have a tiny obsession with the black neckerchief the man with no name usually wears, how thick it is, how he always wears it so close to his throat. if you can incorporate that somehow i would be crazy pleased.

post film reunion. would they just fall back into routine? whether that is going back to the bounty hunting scam or trying to kill each other again. i kind of doubt either of them would be able to hang onto the money for very long but what if one of them does use the money to buy some land. what if there was some very strange domesticity for a time.

weird west. go wild with ghosts, hauntings, legends of the old west. i love it most when the weirdness sits on the outskirts and creeps slowly into canon.

feel free to try out a soulmate/daemon fic here. it could be an interesting interpretation of the trust they development. even more so when they still trade murder attempts.

Uncharted (2022)

*Nathan Drake *Victor Sullivan

i’m a fan of the games which, in turn, should probably make me dislike this film. however, i regrettably had an okay-ish time with it. i wouldn’t exactly call it good but it was a passable buddy adventure film. uncharted 3 was always my favourite game because it focused on the relationship between these two, on how they met specifically, and so i was pretty much predetermined to get some enjoyment out of this concept here.

the things i like: the older man/younger man, mentor/protege dynamic. the competency shown when treasure hunting, pick-pocketing, pilot/flying kink. the friction of sully’s prior relationship with nate’s brother, how that didn’t end well, how that affects his and nate’s relationship, the insecurity of being seen as a replacement. i like that nate eventually softens sully’s edges but i also like that they are still kind of dicks to each other. i, for some reason, even enjoyed all the bubblegum teasing, the fondness towards sully and his cat, and the terrible attempt at sully’s infamous mustache at the end. and i cannot believe it’s canon that they spent many hours spooning in the trunk of that car.

i do ship it. i have since the games and i’m fine with acknowledging the age gap.

prompts:

a case fic of sorts. just them on the hunt for treasure. more focus on how they learn to work together when nate is more used to working alone and sully sees a lot of nate’s brother where he probably wishes he didn’t. maybe sully acknowledging how different his and nate’s dynamic is in comparison. because of feelings.

any kind of exploration into role reversal. some kind of situation that puts nate in charge. sully, despite being the older/more experienced one, being forced on the back foot.

i love the moments in the games when it crosses over into the supernatural. where, for the most part, the universe is perfectly normal, but the deeper they get the more things like yetis and immortality just becomes the norm. like indiana jones films when the religious objects and myths exist just below the surface. i would love something where they stumble on it during a treasure hunt.

The Color of Money (1986)

*Eddie Felson *Vincent Lauria *Carmen

i almost nominated this but eventually dropped it for something else. so i was pleasantly surprised to see someone else had thrown it into the ring.

the thing i really love about this film is that it’s made very obvious that they are all bad for each other. all three of them make each other worse in some way, and it’s largely about the corruption of goodness. most obviously of vincent, but i think it could be argued for all of them.

i like how each pairing gangs up on the other for different reasons at different times to best reach their goal. how eddie and carmen use vincent’s naivety and his softer heart against him. the way they work together to manipulate vincent--you make him feel good, i teach him how to run. how they both share the understanding that they’re not good people--they’re professionals, vincent.

i love the older/younger dynamic and the attempts at being a mentor between eddie and vincent. but i especially appreciate that the film lampoons the idea of it being a father/son kind of relationship when they use it in a grift and treat it like a joke. same with eddie and carmen when he outright says it’s not like that. eddie allowing vincent to get hurt to teach him a lesson, but then touching him with kid gloves when he checks out the damage done. the unavoidable phallic-ness of eddie giving vincent the pool cue--he’s been thinking of nothing else all day. then there’s the betrayal of vincent throwing his game against eddie. being confronted with the fact that they’ve created this monster, so what did they honestly expect would happen?

vincent becoming jealous of eddie and carmen acting like a couple. but which one is he jealous of exactly? eddie throwing his money around, sugar-daddying the younger couple. but also trying to keep his distance at the same time.

the way vincent and carmen keep pushing eddie, like letting him into their room while they’re showering and getting dressed. contrasted with the moments where we see them hanging out, watching tv together, just being happy in each other’s company. and the odd kindness they show him sometimes, like when eddie eventually gets played himself.

i definitely ship all three of them in all configurations.

prompts:

anything set during their time on the road. maybe having to share a hotel room for some reason. not sure if the ‘there’s only one bed’ trope counts when there’s three of them, but i’d still love to see it. vincent and carmen having to coax eddie into the bed with them because an old man like him shouldn’t be sleeping in a chair. stopping at diners, driving late into the night, deep conversations, falling asleep on people, fooling around in the back seat and the voyeurism of the third person pretending not to watch.

eddie and vincent teaching carmen how to play pool. maybe they’re the last ones left at a pool hall late at night. and their natural one-upmanship takes over.

anything post film where they keep running into each other. tripping up each other’s plans and grifts on purpose.

#yuletide #yuletide 2022

5 notes · View notes

newmusicradionetwork · 4 months

Text

Mallow Hill Set To Release “Thinkin’ Bout My Baby” June 7

Baltimore quintet, Mallow Hill are set to release their debut song “Thinkin’ Bout My Baby” June 7, 2024. Recorded at famed 3Sirens in Nashville, “Thinkin’ Bout My Baby” was produced by Grammy-nominated Dex Green (Elvis Costello, Margo Price, Nicole Atkins, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Shemekia Copeland) and engineered by Joe Costa (Ben Folds, Caitlin Rose, Amanda Palmer), the song also features some of Nashville’s best session players, including Jack Lawrence on bass (The Raconteurs, Dead Weather, Jack White), Meg Coleman on drums (Alison Russell, Brandi Carlisle, Jenny Lewis), and Ray Jacildo on keys, synth, mellotron (The Black Keys, Marcus King, Yola). Mallow Hill’s debut album will be released later this year. Mallow Hill sparks a bright light into modern-day blues and rock & roll creating music that melds together a mesmerizing symphony of raw emotion, pulsating rhythms, and electrifying melodies. The band channels an eclectic mix of musical inspiration including Gary Clark Jr, The Black Pumas, Marcus King Band, Led Zeppelin, and The Black Keys, among others, to shape their unique sonic identity. “Thinkin’ Bout My Baby” features a spellbinding bass line to accompany Mikayla Joseph’s sultry and powerful vocals, weaving a timeless narrative about personal growth amidst the tumult of toxic relationships, individuals, and habits. “’Thinkin’ Bout My Baby’ is about recognizing my own bad habits and patterns that were learned through toxic relationships and an unhealthy lifestyle and trying to heal, grow, and learn from them,” says Mikayla Joseph. “Writing this song and the album as a whole has been quite a healing experience for me. It marks the beginning of finding out who I am as a writer and musician. Being able to write and use my voice to express my emotions, experiences, and trauma then turn them into songs I can share with the world is something I think every artist dreams of doing.” The name, Mallow Hill pays homage to the street in Baltimore where the band’s origin story began. The street “Mallow Hill” has always served a purpose as a headquarters for music creation and collaboration, with an open door policy that has been established by band leader and founder, Danny Gwinn. This hub of musical creativity and collaboration eventually led to his introduction to Mikayla, helping to gradually shape the musical sound and soul that is Mallow Hill. It was this framework that led to the emergence and establishment of the band. After near sell out performances in and around the Baltimore, Virginia, Eastern Shore area, Mallow Hill have already gained a strong following in the region. They will be performing several dates this summer (see below) with more dates to be added soon. Mallow Hill is Mikayla Joseph (vocals), Danny Gwinn (guitar), Mac Dignam (keys), John Menefee (drums), and Chris Reynolds (bass, harmonica, vocals). Mallow Hill Tour Dates: June 1 – The Lurman Theatre in Catonsville, MD June 14 – Fleet Week Festival at Broadway Square, Fells Point in Baltimore, MD June 15 – The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE June 16 – The Kennett Flash in Kennett Square, PA July 19 – 118 North in Wayne, PA July 20 – Still Partners in Sea Cliff, NY Mallow Hill Website Spotify Instagram X Facebook YouTube Read the full article

0 notes