#The Sturridge Effect

[laurelwen]

Pardon me. I feel that no one is devoting adequate attention to this Very Important Topic covered in Sweetbitter 2x04.

This coy little midriff flash? The demure little thumb hooking the shirt down? Are you kidding me??

[kirbyskisses-main-moved]

Tom Sturridge goes through the first entire episode mute and without props almost completely stationary and gives hours worth of acting prowess and emotional intensity in less than 50 minutes. 

That’s my Morpheus. 

[just-french-me-up]

#his face screams bad decision #but there's also other screaming involved asdfggkflsjsnkj incredible 😂

WHAT CAN I SAY THIS CHARACTER GETS ME IN A MIX OF CONTRADICTING HORNY EMOTIONS

[pavlovianfuckery]

lets not pretend we're not all nuts for The Voice

i blame the dreamcast and tom sturridges voice entirely for this, it's all his fault really, here is some lazy hypnosis for you

That you found his hands beautiful had never been a secret. It seemed to amuse him how you could watch him do the most mundane things, never tiring of simply looking at him. The first time he'd truly noticed the extent of the effect his hands had on you, it had been completely by accident. You'd simply been reading in companionable silence after a long and tiring day, as you sometimes did. As per usual, you couldn't help sneaking glances at him from time to time, like a schoolgirl with a crush still. Taking in the lean lines of his body, your gaze ended up lingering on his hands again, which was not unusual in itself.  What was interesting was the way he absentmindedly kept drumming his index finger on the back of the book in his hands. At first, you simply enjoy the graceful way his tendons move, the delicate look to his wrist as he turns the page.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

The rhythm was almost like a heartbeat, and soon you found yourself unable to look away. Your body felt a bit heavy, thoughts going a bit fuzzy at the edges, the book you had been reading forgotten in your lap. 

Tap... Tap... Tap...

It was...nice. You didn't want to look away. Your own heartbeat was a dull thunder in your ears as everything was reduced to that one small movement of his finger.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

Everything felt warm. Relaxed. Soft. You were vaguely aware that he was speaking, but it was hard to pay attention. Shaking your head, you tried to clear your thoughts. "Sorry. Guess I spaced out for a minute there..." "Is that so?" He put the book to the side and gave you a curious look, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You scarcely even blinked for quite some time, my love." You winced, a bit embarrassed. "It is quite alright. In fact, you might have given me...an idea, of a sort."                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You're not sure what he meant by 'idea', but you supposed you'll find out sooner rather than later. He hasn't been secretive per se, but not exactly forthcoming either. Watching him shrug off his coat and leave it folded over the back of the couch, you wrack your brain, trying to figure out what he's planning. You come up empty though, distracted by the way the muscles of his forearms move as he unlaces his boots, taking them off. Everything about him looks softer like this, more touchable. But he's rarely in this kind of playful mood and you're too curious to see what he's going to do to risk derailing it somehow, so you wait, fighting down the urge to run your hands across his shoulders, so tempting in just the thin t-shirt.  "Do you trust me?" "You know I do." That seems to please him, otherworldly eyes softening as he kisses you lightly, fingers brushing your cheek. "Will you indulge me for now, then?" You kiss him back, unable to hold back a smile. "Of course, I will." "Good." With that, he gets on the bed, leaning back against the pillows, resting his hands on his bent knees. "Undress for me." His voice feels like molasses sliding over you, and you waste no time obeying, his eyes on you the entire time. The look on his face can only be described as mischievous as he pats the covers next to him. "Come here." He doesn't need to ask twice, the words barely have time to leave his mouth before you join him on the bed, eager to please. With the barest flash of a smile, he spreads his legs a bit wider, beckoning you closer. "Here. Let me hold you, my sweet." Not what you thought he was going to say but you don't object, letting him pull you close, enjoying the press of his chest against your back. When he speaks, his voice vibrates against your skin like something almost solid. "I simply need you to relax for now, will you do that for me?" It's a bit of an odd request, but you don't see any harm in it, leaning back against him a bit more, unable to suppress a grin. "What are you up to?" "You will see. For now, just breathe." It's not hard matching your breaths to his, slow and even. His shoulder is a surprisingly comfortable headrest too, and it doesn't take long to feel like you could almost drift off, right there in his arms. When he speaks again his voice is low, words dripping like honey, slow and sweet. "You enjoy my hands, do you not?" "Yeah, a lot." It's a bit of a silly question, and you can't help smiling. "You enjoy looking at them too, yes?" "Mm-hm."  "Would you look now?" With that, he brings one of his hands up in front of you. "You do not need to do anything, simply keep your eyes on my fingers for a while."

At first, he simply turns his hand over unhurriedly, back to palm and back again. You love how his hands look so delicate yet strong at the same time, and you want to keep watching, feeling too heavy and content to move. As he flexes his fingers gently a phrase springs to mind; piano fingers. You can't quite remember where you first heard it though, only that it must have been long ago. It's hard to think, to focus. Almost as if he heard what you were thinking, his fingers start moving slowly in front of your face, as if playing invisible keys. The movement is graceful, mesmerizing as his hand flits effortlessly across your field of vision, this way and that.

It's beautiful, and you don't want to look away. It reminds you of all the times he's touched you, always knowing precisely where and how. Your thighs squeeze together without you meaning to do it, seeking relief from the heat pooling at your core. He notices, of course, his breath soft against your cheek as he speaks. "You are enjoying this, good."

You love his voice, if you could eat it, you would. Did you say that out loud? Without taking your eyes off his fingers you can tell that he's smiling, hear it in his voice and it makes your chest swell with pride; you love making him smile. To make him happy. You feel so heavy though, like you might sink through the mattress if he wasn't holding you. It feels good though. Safe. The fluttering motion of his fingers is making your head swim. Turning you on. You squeeze your legs together again, wishing you could lie down with him, that he would touch you.

"We can lie down, if you wish." You don't remember asking, but he lowers you gently down next to him all the same, fingers still moving lazily in front of your face. Your eyelids feel heavy and you blink once, twice, everything moving at half speed. "You can close your eyes, if you need to." Maybe just for a minute. With your eyes closed, his voice wraps around you, sinking into your every pore.

"Can you feel my touch? How well your breasts fill my hands, like they were made for me alone?" At first, you're not sure if you can feel him, but then there is the distinct feel of his hands cupping your breasts gently. "I can." The words feel slow, clumsy in your mouth. You bite your lip, enjoying the teasing but still wanting more.  "The tips of them are so sensitive for me, are they not?" He rubs his thumbs over your nipples until they're stiff, fanning the embers of your desire into a flame until you feel like you might combust. "Let me see you. Spread your legs for me."

You feel the bed shift as he moves in between your legs, gripping your thighs as he talks, forcing them wider, stroking ever closer to where you really need him. "You open your thighs so willingly for me, so obedient. Do you want me to touch you?"  "Yes, please." It's hard, talking. You don't remember it being this hard. "Feel how easily you part around my fingers," he murmurs, dragging his fingers between your folds. "So lovely, all but dripping already. And this little nub must be aching, for only the faintest touch," he rubs the pad of one finger across your clit, making your hips jerk,"to affect you like this."

He pauses for a few seconds, keeping his finger pressed to your clit but not moving, his voice filling your head like treacle, pushing every thought away. "You need to come, I think. Would you like that?" Your mind feels sluggish, his words landing like smooth pebbles in a bowl of jello. Coming sounds good though, you know that much, want to, badly. "Uh-huh."  "Tell me what you want." As he whispers it you can feel the words bouncing off of you like the lights of a sparkler, making your skin tingle. All you can think about is his mouth. It takes a while to get the words out though. "Give me your mouth?" It comes out sounding like a question, and you're not sure why. "Of course you can have my mouth, my love. Can you feel my tongue, lapping at you?" And you realize that you can. The slide of his tongue against you is unmistakable, making you moan as it flicks over your clit. You can feel his breath against your ear though, and you're dimly aware that he's still talking, his voice flowing into you like waves. You don't know how he's doing it, but it doesn't seem important. Nothing matters except the way he's making you feel.

"You always respond so beautifully to my touch." His voice is scrambling your thoughts, making it hard to do anything except listen, letting his words wash over you like a thick syrup until you can nearly taste them. "Particularly when I suck on that little nub, you love that, do you not?"

And he does just that, making your back arch of its own volition. You can't help grabbing at him then, the skin at the nape of his neck so soft under your hands, hair made to wind your fingers through. Perfect. Somebody is making noises and you think it might be you, but you're not sure of that either anymore. Everything feels so far away, everything except his mouth, his voice, his touch. "Are you going to come for me, my sweet?" His voice is so warm, so soft, enveloping you. "Y-yeah, 'm so close," the words come out stuttered and slurred, but you don't care, the pleasure short-circuiting your brain. "Go on then," he's smiling again, you can tell that much, "come."

And you do, fisting your hands in his hair to keep his mouth on you as your hips rock against him helplessly. The waves of pleasure are drowning you, making it hard to breathe, but you can hear yourself whimpering. Coming apart on his tongue feels like shattering, like being unmade and remade again. "Morpheus!" His name is ripped out of you, tumbling from your lips like a prayer. Maybe it is. As you come down from your high your heartbeat is loud in your ears and you feel like if you looked, you could see your ribs moving from the pounding of it, heart trying to break free. It's easier to think again though. To move. "Open your eyes, my love."

As you do, you realize that he's right next to you, inches away from even touching you, still perfectly composed. The look on his face might be the smuggest you've ever seen him, though. "If I had known that I could bring you to release with my voice alone, I would have done this a lot sooner." "Wha...no, that's not a thing." You blink, confused. "You seemed to enjoy it well enough."  "But you were touching me, I could feel you, feel your mouth..." "I was right here next to you the entire time," his voice is almost a purr, he's so obviously pleased with himself, "but I never touched you." You can't help being embarrassed, hiding your face behind your hands. "Oh my god, Dream, fuck." He chuckles then, gathering you against his chest again before pressing a tender kiss to your temple. "Maybe later. For now, just rest." "You break my brain sometimes, you know that? Fuck, I love you."

[dsudis]

a gentle observation

I love you, Dreamling writers, and you should all format the text of your stories as you see fit, but I just want you to know that for me and a non-zero number of other neurodivergent readers (and probably some who aren't neurodivergent but have a difficulty with this for other reasons), when you bold all of Dream's dialogue the effect is not just a bit of emphasis on those lines or somehow evoking Tom Sturridge's voice, it's like you put all of Dream's dialogue in size 84 font and the rest of the story in size 8. I just flat out stop seeing all the text in between Dream's lines.

I can fight through it! I have definitely successfully read stories where Dream's dialogue is all in bold, and sometimes I do even manage to stop noticing the effort. But that formatting choice does make it significantly harder for me to actually read all the words in your story.

Just. In case you were not aware that that is a thing some readers are experiencing: here is your heads up.

[gabessquishytum]

I keep meaning to send this ask but always forget, anyways.

saw this post a million years ago: https://www.tumblr.com/potato-frenzy/696514052604788736/can-i-just-talk-about-how-jarring-seeing-gifs-of?source=share and I thought about Hob wanting to get some food in Dream because he's looking dangerously skinny. Just hollow cheeks, extremely pale skin, can see every muscle on his body though his skin, not to mention his spine! And ok, that's just how he looks, he's fine, it's not like Hob actually thinks that he's sick in the way humans are and he likes his goth Twink of a boyfriend just fine, really. There's no need to change anything about how he looks. But at the same time he just can't help feeling that maybe Dream looks like that because he's lacking *something*. Maybe it's not food what he needs, maybe Hob's already providing all the love Dream needs and he's actually a lot better than when he'd just been out of the fishbowl for 6 days and they met at the new in. But he's a simple man (not really) and he just needs visible proof that his boyfriend is getting better.

And maybe Dream picks up on this and he decides that he can look a bit less skinny if that would make Hob happier, he doesn't really have an opinion on the subject anyway it's not like he cares about that. But then Hob's so happy with the result (and so appreciative of it in bed) that Dream just keeps adding the metaphysical pounds until he looks like an actual average person and not like a shaved panther (God bless Tom Sturridge for that description)

I don't know, I just think that Hob would appreciate Dream filling out throughout their relationship like he's nursing him back to health, mental or physical, it doesn't matter. And also I like the idea of Dream with a cute little tummy sue me :p

—🌛

You honestly can’t know how obsessed i am with this!!! Relationship weight gain is probably my biggest kink of all (and y’all know I have many). Whether it’s physical or metaphysical, the idea of partners shaping each other’s bodies and growing soft because they’re safe and happy and in love… that’s maybe the hottest thing ever??

Dream looks Like That partly because that’s how people perceive him, but also because it’s a reflection of his inner self, just like the dreaming is. So when the dreaming is falling to pieces and literally crumbling, or being warped by the vortex, of course Dream’s human form is impacted in some way. He looks hungry and desperate because he is, in a way.

And Hob hates seeing his boyfriend in the aftermath of those events, looking so thin and deprived. To Hob, being all skin and bone like that conveys a lot of meaning - it means that Dream is hurting and afraid and unsafe, like Hob was when he was starving. He’s determined to put a bit of meat on Dream’s bones, whatever it takes.

Feeding him actual food doesn’t have the effect that it would on a human. Dream doesn’t actually have a digestive system… but when Hob cooks for him, or brings him a special drink from Starbucks, or shares a slice of cake? That has a big impact. That makes Dream feel loved and safe, and that love is the thing that adds a little padding to his half-starved form.

It takes years, maybe decades, but Hob’s intentions pay off. Dream looks relaxed and warm, he fills out his big billowing coat properly. He’s got a nice little belly hiding under his t-shirt, and Hob always grins when he gets to see it and give it a little squeeze. Dream looks hot as fuck with a bit of padding, but more importantly he looks safe. Loved.

[tsintotwo]

(Part 1/4)

Like a lot of us, I've been going through Tom Sturridge's filmography since watching Sandman on Netflix. I've watched a good amount of stuff so far, and I have Thoughts™ . Writing a few lines about him in each of the projects (because apparently this is a Tom Sturridge fan blog now??)

Now, you watch Tom in interviews and he is the DEFINITION of a cinnamon roll, so you would never think this- but this man has been absolutely wildin for over a decade. The projects he chooses? The roles he takes on? Half the time it's as if he's like 'if it's not excruciatingly dramatic, absolutely insane, and/or heart-poundingly, breath-chokingly sexy, don't even bother'. Also something else I think I figured out from watching these and Tom's interviews- it's possible that in his mind, wild/dangerous = seductive. So, anytime he's playing a character of that sort, he turns it on and immediately has intense sexual tension with everyone in sight. It's mind-blowing.

This is what I've watched so far:

Like Minds/Murderous Intent (2006)- Eddie Redmayne's first movie. Tom plays Ed's boarding school classmate, a psycho. He was 20/21 in this, unbelievably pretty, and nailed the 'devil with an angel's face' character to a tee. The chemistry with Ed is, predictably, insane. He says and does some seriously disturbing things in the movie. This was so early in his career too! It's possible that Tom's always been a 'choose the interesting project' person vs 'choose something that might make me a popular sweetheart' person.

Waiting for Forever (2010)- I have to say this first, I legit loved this movie so much. It strikes just the right balance between soulful and real, and the whole effect is incredibly sweet and touching. They don't make movies like this anymore. Tom's character is a very innocent type: naive and clueless to the extent of disturbing, but full of hope and belief. Tom is SO good in this. He plays it a bit slow and spacey, and captures the wide-eyed wonder and confusion of the character perfectly. *chef's kiss*

The Hollow Crown s2 (2012)- This was a series of BBC adaptations of Shakespeare's historical plays based on English kings. Tom was Henry VI, and I was fkn depres*ed for a week after watching this, no lie. Henry VI on screen is spineless, pathetic, and being manipulated left and right by every single person in his vicinity. The politics is nasty, the murders are brutal, and King Henry, 17, doesn't want any of it (but is still too much of a wuss to give up his crown so he clutches on religion instead). Tom, with his young face, long hair, gray cloak and his rosary that he desperately hangs onto, speaking of hope and heartbreak in Shakespearean lingo, just made me feel lots of emotions - terribly angry and frustrated with the king, then sad and horrified for him. It was draining. (The series overall is fantastic tbh.)

On The Road (2012)- Based on Jack Kerouac's novel, this movie is all sorts of nasty- drugs upon drugs, lurid sex, people treating other people terribly. Tom in this is sensitive writer boi in unrequited love with a fuckboy, and his personality is "we can take sexuality out of it, just hold me, man". I pray for the gays who will see this movie now because they won't survive Tom in this. (I mean I'm straight and I barely survived). The messy hair? Thick black-framed glasses? The hurt glances? Manic-pixie smiles? Teary-eyed, swollen-lipped monologue? (Edit: Scene) I'm f*cking deceased. (No kidding tho, I can't take movies that are so on-the-nose seriously and I skipped through it, and still Tom with his limited screen time managed to make me genuinely feel for his character. He was amazing.) Fun fact: The scene of him being bodily carried away for a threesome and proceeding to break the bed (literally) lives rent free in my head. No, I am not all right.

Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)- Adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel. Tom plays Sgt. Francis Troy (opposite Carey Mulligan) and is a regular no-good rake. Listen, you'd think Tom with his sweet mouth and wispy facial hair couldn't pull off a moustache. You'd be wrong. He looks great. And he has that charisma that makes you wanna drive off a cliff for him even though you know he's an asshole. They made his character halfway decent tho, Troy is worse in the book. (EDIT: No they did NOT! I was skipping thru the movie and missed a scene lol. But I've watched the whole thing now and, yeah). And Tom switches vibes from sinister to emotional without missing a beat. What a goddamned treat watching this man is.

I'll stop now, and do the next installment on another 5 Tom projects (I guess Remainder, Mary Shelley, Sweetbitter, Irma Vep, Sea Wall/A Life? We'll see.)

(Edit: Part 2 , Part 3, Part 4, Part 5/ Bonus)

[morgause1]

Tom Sturridge does... Sandman ASMR??? He sounds like black coffee but has the exact opposite effect.

This stuff is so good it must be illegal.

[byneddiedingo]

Two Takes on a Hardy Novel

Julie Christie and Alan Bates in Far From the Madding Crowd (John Schlesinger, 1967)

Cast: Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch. Screenplay: Frederic Raphael. Cinematography: Nicolas Roeg. Production design: Richard Macdonald. Film editing: Malcolm Cooke, Jim Clark. Music: Richard Rodney Bennett.

Matthias Schoenaerts and Carey Mulligan in Far From the Madding Crowd (Thomas Vinterberg, 2015)

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge, Michael Sheen. Screenplay: David Nicholls. Cinematography: Charlotte Bruus Christensen. Production design: Cave Quinn. Film editing: Claire Simpson. Music: Craig Armstrong.

Almost 50 years separate these two adaptations of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, and the differences between the two owe as much to film technology as to changing tastes. As always, translating page to film involves compromises. Screenwriter Frederic Raphael remains faithful to the plot, with the paradoxical result that characters become far more enigmatic than Hardy intended them to be. We need more of the backstories of Bathsheba Everdeen (Julie Christie), Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), William Boldwood (Peter Finch), and Frank Troy (Terence Stamp) than the highly capable actors who play them can give us, even in a movie that runs for three hours -- including an overture, an intermission, and an "entr'acte." These trimmings are signs that the producers wanted a prestige blockbuster like Doctor Zhivago (David Lean, 1965), which had also starred Christie. But Hardy's works, with their characters dogged by fate and chance, don't much lend themselves to epic treatment. David Nicholls's screenplay for the 2015 film is much tighter than Raphael's, and about an hour shorter. Nicholls makes most of his cuts toward the end of the film, omitting for example the episode in which Troy (Tom Sturridge) becomes a circus performer, one of the more entertaining sections of the Schlesinger-Raphael version. I think Nicholls's screenplay sets up the early part of the stories of Bathsheba (Carey Mulligan) and Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) much better, though he has to resort to a brief voiceover by Mulligan at the beginning to make things clear. His account of the affair of Troy and the ill-fated Fanny Robbin (Juno Temple) is less dramatically detailed than Raphael's, but in neither film is their relationship dealt with clearly enough to make us understand Troy's character. John Schlesinger, a director very much at home in the cynical milieus of London in Darling (1965) and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and New York in Midnight Cowboy (1969), doesn't show much feeling for Hardy's rural, isolated Wessex, where the weight of tradition and the indifference of nature play substantial roles. What atmosphere the film has comes from cinematographer Nicolas Roeg's images of the Dorset and Wiltshire countryside and from Richard Rodney Bennett's score, which received the film's only Oscar nomination. And where atmosphere is concerned, Thomas Vinterberg has an edge thanks to technological advances: In Schlesinger's film, despite the fine cinematography of Roeg, the interiors seem impossibly overlighted for a period that resorted to candles and oil lamps for illumination. The change in film technology now makes it possible for us to see the way people once lived -- in a realm of darkness and shadows. (We can almost precisely date when this change in cinematography took place: in 1975, when director Stanley Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott worked with lenses specially designed for NASA to create accurately lighted interiors for Barry Lyndon. Since then, the digital revolution has only added to the arsenal of lighting effects available to filmmakers.) So cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen's adds an element of texture and mystery to Vinterberg's version that was technologically unavailable to Roeg, and not only in interiors but also in night scenes, such as the first encounter of Bathsheba (Carey Mulligan) and Sgt. Troy (Tom Sturridge), when he gets his spur caught in the hem of her dress. The scene is meant to take place by the light of the lamp she is carrying, which Christensen accomplishes more successfully than Roeg was able to. On the whole, I think I prefer the newer version, which is less star-driven than Schlesinger's, but in the end the best version of the story is Hardy's novel.

[peacefulomens]

I’m only four episodes into The Sandman and I am in love. The way that they use different camera lenses and angles to give a feeling of the immateriality of the Dreaming and how Dream moves through the world is spectacular. And the colors!! Oh my god the color schemes. They’re pulled pretty much directly from the books and even though I haven’t read them in years the exact images immediately pop into my head. The style of the effects is giving me MirrorMask vibes and I am here for it. Fantastic. I love the indie-artsy style. It’s so *chef’s kiss*.

I also adore the casting choices. Tom Sturridge is absolutely wonderful. Whoever did his hair deserves an award cause it’s just perfect. As close to the drawings as it can be. I love it. Jenna Colman as Johanna Constantine instead of John makes me wonder if there will be a flashback with John as her ancestor instead, but even if there isn’t it’s fantastic. And Cain! Abel! They look like the characters come to life! (Abel more so than Cain, given that Cain’s a different ethnicity, but it’s so good!!) As does the Corinthian! Lucienne is also brilliant and I love her outfit. Oh yeah. PATTON OSWALT IS THE PERFECT PERSON FOR MATTHEW. I didn’t know that’s what I needed until it happened and I’m so happy. David Thewlis is brilliant as usual, and once again, whoever did the hair got. it. right. (Idk why, but hair is apparently important to how I see these characters).

It seems like this season is just focusing on Preludes & Nocturnes and if that means we get a season for each novel I will be over the moon!!

Ok, I’m done gushing for now. There’ll probably be more as I keep watching the show. Especially since they’re going to Hell in the next one. I am so ready for Gwendoline Christie’s Lucifer.

[magicallymalted]

THE VAULTIES - Day 4 | Greatest Angst Moment: Janet Spindle's Death.

When I cry, do you hear in color or black and white, bird?— Blackbird by Lisa O'Neill

I'm aware there are others, perhaps more sad than Janet's death, but whenever I think of an angsty moment with my characters I'm drawn back to her, particularly for the circumstances leading up to the event of her murder, and the at-large inconsequential effect it had thereafter.

She knew what she was getting into by going undercover with the death eaters and the risks that followed, not to mention having all evidence of her involvement with the Order being scratched from the record for her protection as well as their own, but her attachment to Barty Crouch Jr. certainly complicated things beyond the inherent dangers of her work. 

Mulciber II had always been suspicious of her, but his anger tended to get the better of him due to her interference with him and Mary Macdonald. On a particularly chilly and snowy day in November, 1980, he caught her en route to Mary's home and confronted her, in the heat of the moment strangling her to death in the lake. With no actual substantial proof that she was in cahoots with the Order beyond an offhand comment from Barty, he never admitted to the murder, letting her be considered missing for a time. When her body was finally recovered, the fact that she bore the Dark Mark made the papers decry her a death eater. The Order never stepped in to clarify her deeds out of safety for their own mission, and she was likewise condemned by the death eaters. Her work would only live on in the memories of those closest to her, and to the rest, she was simply a failed follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named...

-> hosted by @hphmmatthewluther fancast: Tom Sturridge as Mulciber II

[dukeofriven]

Saw the first episode of Sandman. It's fine. All the weird and outré bits of the original were cut away in order to have the most functional, serviceable, unobjectionable first episode possible. That's not to say there isn't potential: there's enormous potential. Tom Sturridge does wonders for a guy whose entire performance is nearly silent for most of an hour run time, the cast is uniformly excellent, so there's things to be excited about. The effects are, well, exactly the sort of bland-yet-servicable Marvel-style photorealism that we seem to just be stuck with these days. The colour grading has none of the verve and style of the original, it's all very Realistic and looks Like The Thing It Is Meant To. The score desperately needs to shut the fuck up.

It is exactly the sort of script I would use to sell a studio that doesn't take any risks on making an adaptation of The Sandman. I'll hope for something more creative, but I won't expect it. If Good Omens and American Gods (at least season 2 on) are anything to go by, it will be the most literal adaptation possible and it will all just be there: watchable, entertaining, and mildly diverting, but not a transformative work of art. Nothing that could be marked on a calendar in order to denote a time before and after its existence changed storytelling. If we're lucky, though, with the power of this cast and creative team it might shake off its generic prestige-tv torpor and give us something really wild and fun, because goddamn there are some amazing people in this, and the source material is so very strong.

[humanransome-note]

we're watching The Sandman

S1: E1 "Sleep of the Just"

The GRAvitAS!!??? HUH???

It's both smooth and crunchy??

I saw a post saying that Tom Sturridge's voice was perfect, and i didn't know how that would really work but now that i'm listening to it, yeah that post was right.

as someone who sometimes gets auditory hallucinations when especially tired, I had this very specific idea of what Dream would sound like. Something both powerful and fading, like an echo with no real source, if you weren't careful you might completely forget what was said. obviously you can't do that in an audio/visual medium, not throughout the whole thing at least, maybe for specific "moments" but constantly? no, it would lose it's effect and lessen the power of the voice.

but this smooth crunchiness, like combining the sensation of coffee grounds and the smell they produce then turning that into audio, hit the mark lad

Lucienne is literally just standing there being worried about Morpheus but I already love her, her vibes are like that cool teacher that you wish was your mom

And I know about editor crunches and "CBB" approval, but the fluctuating quality of the effects feels right, like thematically

I've read a good chunk of The Sandman, but I lent my copies to someone at youth group and they never gave them back :(

So I have an idea of what is gonna happen, and what some set pieces may look like, and idk what it is but this overhead shot of Dream in freshly summoned feels right

Getting HR Geiger vibes Tom is very pale, and along with the helm very not comfy

also, they're so certain they caught Death, and I can see why. popular depictions of Death are usually skeletal if not bony

and male

so could you imagine if they actually caught Death? taking the form of/being played by a black woman? the pandemonium? the disrespect?

just remembered that Dream is naked until he finally gets out... and this is netflix... gods i hope the set wasn't too cold

The Corinthian has the vibes of a used car salesmen who would definitely stabs me

Why would Dream be able to resurrect someone? like he has power sure, but it is a specific sort of power

HE SHOT JESSAMY!!???

Did she call the Corinthian to pick her up? IS ETHEL GONNA BE OKAY???

johnny? like JON DEE??

Alex I love you and part of me understands but also... i would have just asked then hoped that the fact I followed through was proof enough

Paul, sweetie, you're doing amazing, and I'm also sorry

Love how the gates of The Dreaming were covered in relief versions of the comic book art

[mister-brightside]

I finally, FINALLY finished season one of the sandman tv series and speaking as a fan of the comics I loved it so much. my long and winding thoughts (with minor spoilers) under the cut.

it was really refreshing to have so much trust in the creators. by the last few episodes I’d be like, I can’t wait for them to get to this scene, and then the scene happened, and it would be so good and so spicy.

for ages literally every comics fan (myself included) was saying that a good and faithful adaptation would be impossible. I was actually fully prepared to pass over the tv series cause there was no way they could pull it off, right? thank god some reviewer on reddit changed my mind, because I’m so delighted to be proven wrong for once. it’s honestly crazy impressive how well they took all these disjointed narratives and somehow made them tonally consistent but still kept the edges. I thought maybe they’d skip the more out of line stories, like the one with the cats or the massacre in the diner, but they really went there. in fact I reread some of the comics after the episodes and I was really surprised to find that they lifted quite a bit of dialogue word for word.

(I love how hob gadling’s story was basically retold verbatim EXCEPT they went out of their way to make the breakup a million times more angsty)

there were so many throwbacks and visual references to the comics which were really lovely and never felt forced. and speaking of visuals, the show is as good as you’re gonna get for a production this size. I was worried it was gonna be a CGI mess and, well, it does veer on that edge at times, but most of the cinematography and effects are truly gorgeous and in the end it’s the actors who keep me connected to the heart of the story.

when I first saw photos of morpheus I was like what the hell? they’re just making him look like Some Guy? but my god tom sturridge knocks it out of the park. he’s absolutely perfect. he sold me immediately. someone else said that when he’s imprisoned in the glass cage he moves almost like a creature and they’re dead on. he does a spectacular job of convincing me he’s not human.

so in the end I think the decision to humanise morpheus’s appearance was absolutely the right one. I always found his character in the comics to be a bit distant because yeah, at times he can be arrogant and self-righteous and somewhat terrifying since he’s so unreadable. and that doesn’t change in the transition to the screen but having tom as he is (with those sad, sad, pathetic, emo eyes) softens his edges a little, you know? he makes you feel for him a bit more.

and I’ve said this before but it’s like. I never really pictured a specific voice when reading the comics, but all of morpheus’s dialogue comes in these special black speech bubbles so you know he’s Different. and as soon as tom’s voiceover began in episode one it felt Right. almost like it had been buried in my subconscious for all these years. insane.

(I kind of want to watch more of tom’s roles but I literally can’t imagine him as anyone other than dream of the endless, like I’m afraid to even google him because it would probably break my brain to see him behaving like a normal human person)

the rest of the cast is fantastic as well. the highlights for me: gwendoline christie as lucifer – chef’s kiss. kirby baptiste-howell as death – for real though, if I met her when I died, I wouldn’t feel too bad about it. david thewlis adds a layer of nuance to john dee that somehow makes him quite sympathetic despite the complete lunacy. vanesu samunyai is very cute and likeable as rose and I hope the show sticks around long enough for her to make her return. likewise, lily travers is really sweet as barbie and I think she’d be a really good lead if her storyline ever comes around.

okay, time for the nitpicking. I do wish they’d cast someone older as lucien, he always had this exhausted ‘no one helps me in this house’ vibe that I just don’t get from vivienne acheampong. and I think boyd holbrook needed to be a little more maniacal as the corinthian. oh well, it’s not like we can have everything. and both actors do a great job as they are so I’m not gonna whine too much.

(if this was 2014 tumblr I probably would be seeing extremely, uh, controversial takes on the corinthian but I haven’t come across any yet thank god)

I’m really hoping the show gets more seasons because it’s doing a wonderful job of bringing all the stories to life. I hope enough casual viewers stick around because I know the lack of narrative structure will throw a lot of people off. in the comics, some characters turn up once and never again, some wander in and out, others leave the story only to show up again several volumes later. some stories last for only a chapter and others go on for ages. and the genre swings from urban fantasy to historical fiction to horror to straight up batshit insanity and everything in between.

but in the end that’s what makes the sandman one of my favourite comics ever. every time I read it I feel like I’ve experienced a big fever dream. and like a dream it promptly fades until I literally forget why I love it so much. then I reread it again and I’m like, oh yeah, that’s why.

so I don’t know how to say it better than this: the show FEELS like the sandman. and that’s all I can ask for.

[shelleysmary]

i’m thinking a lot about why the sandman grabbed me by the throat because, to be honest, i did not expect to like it or to care as much as i did, and i’ve been reading a lot of other people’s reactions and looking at interviews with the cast and neil himself, just to make sense of the strange and unexpected phenomenon that occurred in my brain over the weekend, lmao. so don’t mind me, i’m just gonna dump Thoughts here, with the full disclosure that i have never properly read the comics (although the characters and certain panels have kept cropping up in my life like a weird, often baguette-themed game of whac-a-mole, and i think the universe may have been trying to tell me something 👀)

we’ve probably all seen the british gq piece about the “emo leading man” and you know what, points were made and they are all valid. we love to see a sad miserable wet cat of a man making trainwreck decisions and being so messy that you want to slap him across the face but maybe also give him a lil kiss and a voucher for 10 discounted therapy sessions so he can learn to communicate like a normal person. it’s the “i can fix him but do i really want to when he’s so entertaining” effect, which i call The Top Layer and the knee-jerk reaction of anyone who’s grown up on the internet. what lies beneath, though, is very greek - or let’s use the more general term of “mythological,” but i say greek because i find it to be a tradition that made its gods as human as they were powerful. (mr neil gaiman sir, don’t come @ me, i know you are very clear on the fact that dream is a king and not a god.) the voice goes a long way towards reminding us that morpheus is not human, that he is an endless with all the arrogance and capriciousness and capacity for capital-D destruction that comes with being NOT A GOD OK, but with having god-like power. the whole point is that he isn’t one of us, and i know the show elucidates motivations that are missing from the comics themselves and that, coupled with tom’s acting choices and the display of so much contained emotion in the eyes, paints dream as more human than he was in the source material. i can’t speak as to whether that’s gonna be everyone’s cup or tea or not, i can only say i find it compelling - and dare i say i prefer it to the theoretical alternative - to lean into the humanity of the sandman precisely because it activates that switch in my brain that associates the endless with the olympian family, wherein lots of folks had a bunch of power they used for their own amusement and/or squabbles and the rest of us got tugged along for the ride (with a rare few of us managing to throw a little chaos into the mix). basically, *tom sturridge voice* i like eternal beings... and so does neil gaiman! that man has spent 99.9% of his career analyzing humanity through immortal creatures and his specific brand of fantasy (and you know what, as a die-hard stardust fan i will be writing letters of complaint asking why no one picked it as their favorite book during the buzzfeed quiz!!)

so yeah, that guy’s my emo leading man, not the least because he’s weary and beset by bad luck and has the emotional intelligence of a toadstool, but also because, as tom has so often repeated in interviews, the sandman isn’t actually about him? or at least not fully. “dream is the host” is how he puts it, but in my mind dream is also the prism. which makes sense, because that’s what dreams are!! they’re not fixed, they’re like smoke figures taking one form now and another faster than you can blink an eye, and in light of that we get to meet all these other people and spend time with their humanity and their stories, and we become so attached to them so quickly! no wonder dream tells the corinthian that his rules are a necessity. something that changeable, that ephemeral, requires a rigid framework, although he often sometimes takes it too far.

and isn’t a resistance to change just so freaking human?

call me sentimental, but i like that dream’s story arc has to do with embracing change, with recognizing that he needs to change, because he’s forgotten that if he is indeed all dreams, if all of humanity’s dreams reside within him....... then pal, all of our dreams are in you!!!!! that’s what death tries to get through his thick skull, that yes, the endless are separate, but they are also part of the whole! and cutting yourself off from that is cutting yourself off.

that’s not to say that the characters who are not on that journey or don’t subscribe to that way of thinking are any less compelling. lucifer and desire spring to mind, but we already know that lucifer has a whole nest of issues, and desire fucking with their brother springs from that well from which all disgruntled siblings drink. it’s just that morpheus is our specific vehicle as the quote-unquote protagonist and titular character, and for heaven’s sake, aren’t we all just trying to balance our weariness and disenchantment with an annoying built-in need for connection? we can ignore it, distract ourselves with petty fights and quests or by hunting down our purpose, but you’ll just end up on a park bench glumly feeding birds somewhere, feeling like you’ve hit a giant wall. sure, some people wanted to see more action from the main character of a fantasy series, but i find the questions and possible answers raised more interesting.

ultimately, like... okay, i fully understand why some comics fans are disappointed with this version of dream but. not to get all batman - i think this is a version of the sandman we need more, at least right now. and that includes the broader representation, it includes changes made to certain storylines, and it includes the decisions made as to which parts of morpheus are given emphasis via the writing. the thing about comics is that there is so much blank space. they’re not like novels, where you’re dropped into the minds of the characters and given a front-row seat to their exact, word-for-word trains of thought. comic books are artwork with a more succinct style of communication, and as such, their adaptations should be a reflection of the current time. they’re not period pieces, they’re not snapshots. they’re archetypes, more akin to the old stories than anything, and they have depth and canny observations in them but they require a bit of coloring-in of the lines, and the most effective page-to-screen adaptations are the ones that merge the spirit of a piece with contemporary attitudes. idk about you, but a slightly more emotional approach and nuanced diversity and the overall caring that comes through in the script and in the direction is something i was really happy to see. basically..... soz for you if it wasn’t the sandman you wanted, i’m sure it sucks if you waited 30 years for something you don’t like, but /I/ had a really good time and left episode 10 feeling fucking great, like maybe people aren’t so bad and maybe we’re all just doing our best and we should try embracing change and being nicer to overworked librarians.

besides, i’m tired of grimdark!! if i want grimdark i’ll leave my house or watch the news 😭 and tbh, expecting the neil gaiman from the 80s to do exactly what he did in the comics all these years later, without honoring how he’s changed as a person and as a creator, and what he wants to give to his audience now, is very dream pre-fishbowl of you 😠

respectfully. if you didn’t like it because you just didn’t like it, i get it, carry on. but if you didn’t like it because you didn’t like the rep, i’m more than happy to fight :)

[samwellwinchesterthebrave]

I just finished The Sandman and I have Thoughts.

First, this is everything 16 year old me could have wished for. It's beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, and amazing. And, according to what Neil Gaiman has been saying, so much was practical effects and I'm in love. The Dreaming was absolutely perfect.

Which brings me to Dream. I had no idea who Tom Sturridge was before this but he was perfect. He /was/ Dream and there was never a moment that I was thrown out of the story. He embodied Dream so well, down to mannerisms, how he stood, how he held himself, how he emoted. Dear gods, the emoting. It was subtle, small, just perfect. It was exactly Dream. It was beautifully done, just enough to pick up on the emotion but not too much to make it out of character.

Speaking of emotions, I felt all of them. I laughed, I cried, I flinched, everything. Every single actor was brilliant and I never, for a single second, thought any of them were not their characters. Extra kudos go to the actor who played The Corinthian because damn. In the comics, I always found it hard to understand why people would throw themselves at him. But I always knew the truth under the glasses. Seeing him on screen, hearing him speak, I get it now. There's a charm and charisma the actor exuded that was brilliant.

I loved the things that were taken directly from panels in the comics. Most of them I noticed were to do with Dream and what he looked like. Especially in reflections or in distance shots were a little judicious cgi can enhance things.

I cannot overstate how important this story was to me as a teenager, for multiple reasons. It is a huge reason why I write myself. The whole thesis of stories and why they exist and why we tell them, often exemplified by Abel in the comics, had a huge impact on me. Death and how she describes death and the end of the universe has always stuck with me and helped me face my own fear of death. I no longer fear it because of her. The sheer wonder and possibility and impossibility of the Dreaming forever occupies a part of my mind and imagination. I would live there myself, if I could.

And now, before I ramble on for several more paragraphs, I will end by saying the show has absolutely lived up to the comics, even as some things were changed for a different medium. It was brilliant and I love it so so so much