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moments-on-film · 13 days

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Moments on Film: Carmy IS The Bear - Opening Scene Analysis

Hello friends. I hope your year is going well. If we have interacted or you’ve read my work before, hello again! If you’re new to my blog, welcome!

This is the final part I’ve been building to in a 3 part character analysis series I have written about the character of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto from The Bear. In the first part, I analyzed how 🔗Carmy doesn’t know who he is yet because he’s never had the safety and freedom to discover who he really is by connecting with his true passion, art. In part two, I analyzed 🔗Carmy’s true purpose and how I believe his destiny is to set everyone up for success, leave the kitchen behind and step into his light.

I have rewatched The Bear multiple times, but nothing ever captures the wonder, intrigue, and immediate empathy I felt for Carmy after that fascinating opening scene in the pilot episode. I have been thinking about it since I first watched it and it has stayed with me.

Since the first time I saw it, I have always believed Christopher Storer wrote the opening scene of The Bear to provide a portal into the entire arc for Carmy’s character. Let me explain.

Think about what Carmy is doing in the opening scene. He’s approaching a bear trapped in a cage. He speaks to it softly and gently, shushes it, empathises with it, coaxes it out and unlocks the cage. Look at the words used in the script:

Trapped, locked away

Whimpers, cries from inside

Emerges

A mass of dirty, matted hair

Mouth bleeding and ill

Shivers

“Shhh…..shhhh…it’s okay…”

Sad, abused eyes

There was a cute animal in there once

“Come on….go….”

“I know.”

Why is The Bear so personified in the script? Why is Carmy talking to it like it’s a person? Carmy looks into its “sad, abused eyes”, and tells it,

“I know.”

In my opinion, in the pilot episode, Carmy encountering the Bear is more than a dream, it’s a premonition because….it is Carmy talking to his future self.

Think about everything we have seen him go through so far and read the scene below:

I think Chris Storer has given us the arc of Carmy’s character in the form of a fevered dream Carmy has while watching over a slow cooking pot of gravy while he sleeps on the metal counter.

Carmy is the bear in the cage. S1 set the trap, by the end of S2, Carmy has fallen deep into it, and I think in future seasons, Carmy will suffer greatly, then will make great attenpts to heal, get in touch with what he really wants and will set himself free.

The fact that the opening scene in the series takes place on the State Street Bridge is an indication that Carmy saving himself—letting himself out of the cage—will save his own life. This is the same Bridge where his brother Michael, trapped in the same cage he is caught in now, separately, but somehow together, saw no way out and took his own life. The symbolism is striking. The Bridge is the connection between the two realms, and the difference between life and death.

I also think that the words used to describe the bear mean that things will get so much worse for Carmy before they get better. Season 1 ended with Carmy committed to opening The Bear. Season 2 ends with Carmy caught in the walk in freezer of the restaurant, a literal bear trap of his own making where he is buried alive by his unprocessed trauma, and inability to thrive in the very place he was supposed to lead, and crippling pressure to turn a profit to pay off his debts. This is because in my opinion, the restaurant, his cage, is not his natural habitat. This is why everything in it always seems like such a struggle and so painful, forced and joyless.

I’m worried to see how things will get worse for Carmy than they already are. In the script, the bear is described as tapped, locked away, crying, whimpering from the inside, a mass of dirty matted hair, mouth bleeding and ill, shivering with sad, abused eyes.

From the moment I saw the drawing on the wall in the pilot episode, I said, wow, look at the bars, it’s a cage. Of course, I didn’t know until 2x6 that Carmy himself drew the sketch himself, as a Christmas gift for Michael, who was trapped in a horrible cage of his own at the time, which makes it all the more telling and poignant. There’s a reason why Carmy drew the sketch this way, even if it was subconscious, with the same bear trapped in a cage, which we see again in his dream.

Photo credit: moments-on-film (me)

At the end of season 2, Carmy is trapped, pacing the cage of the walk-in freezer.

I’ve been so worried about Carmy as a character since the first episode because it is so clear that he’s sick and badly needs help that he’s not getting. He has undiagnosed PTSD, and inner trauma that manifests physically in the form of nightmares, trouble breathing and terrible panic attacks that ravage his body. This has been so visceral to me throughout S1 and S2 that I wrote an analysis post about 🔗Carmy’s Vital Signs, and how they are dangerously visible on screen through Jeremy Allen White’s exceptional acting. The Bear in the pilot script is described as whimpering, crying and ill. If I am correct, this is where Carmy is headed before it can all turn around.

One other little clue that Carmy is metaphorically the bear from the opening scene, is the physical look of Carmy’s hair. From the pilot episode, Carmy’s hair has bothered me. He’s a 3 Star chef, trained with the best, and worked under the abusive chef in New York who must have had him and his hygiene under a microscope. It never made sense to me that his hair at times looked dirty and unkempt while his shirts were immaculately clean, pressed, and white. Below is a quote from an article where Jeremy Allen White talks about his hair as Carmy:

"I also wanted Carmy to always look just a little dirty. There’s a sink on set — everything was functional — and before most takes, I would get water in my hands and run it through my hair to get it looking kind of greasy.”

This always stuck out to me. He’s playing not just any chef, but, in the words of Sydney, “the most excellent CDC at the most excellent restaurant in the United States of America.” A chef who clearly cares about cleanliness, who gets on his hands and knees to scrub the floor more than once with just his hands and a washcloth. Why would he want him to look dirty? But thinking of it now, if he too knows the arc of Carmy, which he has said Chris Storer has shared with him, then he understands that where we are headed is to witness him as the bear is described, emerging from the cage, “a mass of dirty, matted hair.” The slightly dirty hair is a physical clue into the journey he is on as a character.

I think in future seasons we are going to see a great deal of guilt and therefore self flagellation from Carmy to over correct his mistakes from S2 that is going to further impact his mental and physical health. As I mentioned in a prior post, just like his tattoo, he is constantly dancing on the knife’s edge, and literally putting himself in life threatening danger.

I also have predicted in prior posts that Carmy is going to push himself so hard that he has a major health incident that might finally force Claire (if she’s still around) to actually take note of how sick he actually is. I’m not sure if she’s going to be prominently featured in S3, but I would not be surprised if a health emergency forces Carmy into her life somehow. It never made sense to me that her (then) boyfriend is sick, she’s an ER Doctor, and doesn’t seem to really notice or care.

As I mentioned in my last post, Carmy’s True Purpose, I ultimately believe that Carmy needs to get out of the kitchen and into a life where he can be happy and healthy, and connected to his true life’s purpose. I do not believe that this means Carmy will abandon his found family, or that he will do anything to betray Sydney. I believe she’s his shining star and he will do anything and everything in his power to make sure she gets hers. I also believe they will be in each other’s lives forever because they are truly soulmates. This isn’t about anyone else, though, I think this is about Carmy coming to terms with decades of abuse, unspoken thoughts and feelings, buried passions, his precarious health situation, which is in fact, eating him alive, and letting go of his long held mantra to 🔗 “just keep going”, before it kills him.

Perhaps there’s a way to marry art with the restaurant. That doesn’t solely mean he is only drawing. Maybe what Carmy really should be doing is creating, planning and designing menus, traveling the world to discover new flavors and finding inspiration that can help the restaurant, and provide him with much needed creatively, peace and, yes, joy. Maybe the restaurant will become seasonal and he and Sydney can spend the off time traversing the globe and creating menus together. Maybe down the line he can get out of the commercial kitchen, and he and Sydney’s can revamp her catering company and they can create together is a different environment. I must believe we are headed for somewhere healing, positive and beautiful, despite the valley of despair that ended S2.

The character of Carmy honestly breaks my heart. In him I see someone who so desperately needs a breakthrough and help on so many levels. He so badly needs to discover who he is and what actually makes him happy before it’s too late. I think Carmy is subconsciously very connected to this. His dream, which started the series, continues to haunt me.

One great thing about Carmy’s life are the people who now surround him. In my opinion, he needs to be very careful about how he treats them moving forward. He has people who genuinely love him and who I believe have his best interest at heart. If he pushes himself to the brink and then decides to leave the kitchen for the sake of his health, I believe everyone would ultimately understand. However, no one can take the reins of his life and fix it for him. Only he has that power and create his own reversal of fortune.

If I am correct, for his character to follow the arc of the opening dream scene, all Carmy ultimately has to do is unlock the cage and set himself free.

How he will arrive at that point is the journey of The Bear.

©️moments-on-film 2024

#the bear #the bear fx #the bear hulu #carmen berzatto #carmy berzatto #carmy x sydney #sydcarmy #jeremy allen white #scene analysis #the bear meta #character analysis #moments on film #my thoughts

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toribookworm22 · 5 months

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Final Thoughts On 2023

I know I have a very dysfunctional sense of time, but this year seems extra short and long to me. But such is the way it goes. Vague recap time!

Shut Down published! I went to my first therapy session. I toured apartments with my roommate. I traveled for the first time with just a friend. I got to meet the voice actors for The Animaniacs Pinky and The Brain. I celebrated my first Aro week. I wrote my first pilot episode. I got on TikTok for class and ended up not hating it. I volunteered to help at an student Oscar event and for student plays. I lost my best friend. I finally joined my school's writing club. My parents accidentally read my poetry collection and loved it. I moved into my very own apartment. I went on a family vacation to New York and got to see my almost little sister for the first time in 4 years. I hosted my very first book signing! I published Reprogrammed. I learned how to live by myself. I took a pottery class. I started a movie script. I let go of my best friend for good. I became the secretary for the writing club. I found a little bit more of myself in my fashion sense. I hosted a Halloween party. I met the producer of Me Before You. I made more friends and learned how best to love some of my others.

And in what has been one of the greatest decisions I've ever made, I stayed incredibly active on this lovely site and I got to meet, know, and love all of you. You guys are my diary and my joke book and a safe place for everything I am and love. I can be 100% myself on here without a single worry and you guys will never understand what that means to me.

My love list will just have to continue to grow, but that's okay. I love each and every one of you and I cannot wait to spend another year alongside you. Happy New Year! 🥂

All my love,

~ toribookworm ♥️

Love List pt. I

@angryaromantics @minutiaewriter @pluromantic @christiew @candlelightkissess @lady-of-himring @asteroidtroglodyte @panic-in-the-attic @elizaellwrites @writing-and-trying @eli-writes-sometimes @thatndginger @hyuccubus @chargeaznable @master-of-the-pigeon-religion @lividdreamz @ashen-crest @saphoblin @akiwitch @wearfinethingsalltoowell @daisywords @the-orangeauthor @arigalefantasynovels @brianamorganbooks @bluejay-in-write @elijahrichardwrites @alittlewarlord @apocalypsewriters @bookmarks-reviews @pure-solomon @xtakeitisisx @alnaperera @all-my-dreams-and-ambitions @porchswingstories @jlilycorbie @rsdan @midnight-and-his-melodiverse @litbylightning @lyssentome @theunboundwriter @writingforevren @regalserpent @axl-ul @likegemstone

#final thoughts on 2023 #my love list pt. 1 #hello 2024 #happy new year!#♥️♥️♥️#bookworming

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just-antithings · 16 days

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Lol, the second episode of The Amazing Digital Circus came out and everyone is pissed that Jax, the character whose entire personality was repeatedly shown and stated to be "he's an irredeemable asshole"... acts like an irredeemable asshole.

Series creator and local cryptid Gooseworx did seem prepared for this, as she mentioned on her tumblr and twitter a few times since the pilot released that Jax was always intended to be a horrible person and that she wrote him specifically to be that way, and that he's only going to get WORSE as the show goes on, so fans who like him in the pilot might become a little ambivalent towards him.

Still, it's funny how many people are trying to "justify" why he's worse in episode two as if this isn't how he was always meant to be -- including trying to claim that Gooseworx specifically rewrote his personality between episodes, presumably so people would be less inclined to simp for him (this is false btw, Gooseworx confirmed on twitter that the scripts for the first few episodes were finalized before the pilot aired; plus, why would Gooseworx, the ORIGINAL Jax Simp, want there to be less Jax Simps?). I also don't like how many people are being all like "He's not even a funny jerk!" like... says who? Comedy is subjective and I personally think he was hilarious in this episode!

Anyway, if they don't love Jax for the sadistic, selfish, murderous douchebag that he is, then they don't deserve him.

#mod erin #ask #just anti things #posted without comment

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demiaroacejolynekujo · 6 months

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This post contains some spoilers from The Amazing Digital Circus. This post also contains critiques in regard to Vivziepop, Helluva Boss, and Hazbin Hotel. Vivziepop stans (as in the people who defend her work and her as a person) are not allowed to interact with me. Any Vivziepop fan who sends me asks (especially Anon asks) will be deleted. Any fans who DM me will have their message deleted and will be blocked. Finally, anyone who screenshots this post and makes a post tagging me in it to defending Vivziepop will be blocked.

I'm not trying to get people to harass Vivziepop and harass anyone who is a fan of her. And I'm not trying to stop people from supporting Vivziepop and not trying to make people feel bad about supporting her either. Watch whatever you want. Take this post with a grain of salt. And if you get somewhat upset with the criticisms I have for Vivziepop, then that's your problem.

Vivziepop antis and critical fans are allowed to interact.

Earlier today, I watched The Amazing Digital Circus, and these are my final thoughts.

Honestly, the pilot was really good, and I'm looking forward to it finally becoming a full-fledged series. And I'm looking forward to it expanding the Lore as well. I'm curious as to how Pomni got trapped there in the first place and other stuff like the void and the exit door thing.

What I appreciate it is that it didn't need copious amounts of swearing, unlike other comedy web series like Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. There were swears, but they were more spread out and brief on top of the swears being censored.

Even though Gooseworx has worked with Vivziepop in the past, I find TADC to be leagues better than HH and HB. I've seen a video about the drama surrounding Gooseworx, but from what I've seen,the stuff they have done is much more tame than the shit Vivziepop has pulled.

I hope to see more Amazing Digital Circus content to come out in the future. I'm interested as to see where the series will go. Unlike Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, it didn't feel like I was watching something that felt like it was created by an edgy middle schooler. The female characters had much more personality than the ones from HH and HB, despite it being just a pilot.

Another thing to point out is that the cast of TADC had a lot of fresh faces to the voice acting industry, unlike Hazbin and Helluva Boss, where Vivziepop relied on casting big name actors in order to garner more attention to her work. And I'm going to be fully honest, I find it really sus at the fact that the OG cast of HH couldn't return because they didn't unionize in order to get their roles back. A lot of them were fully new to the industry, too, which is the sad part. I wish that Vivziepop wouldn't rely on hiring big-name actors in her work and would hire people who are very new to the voice acting scene who are desperate to land a role as some of them rely on voice acting as their main source of income.

To end this post, I just want to point out that I'm not blaming Vivziepop for the fact that the original cast of Hazbin Hotel didn't get their roles back. But at the same time, that whole situation feels questionable to me. Until I hear the full story about it, then I'll decide if she should be held accountable or not. However, the whole hiring big actors thing has been a critique of mine for a while on top of the use of the r slur in Helluva Boss (even though it was only said once and was almost again, it shouldn't have been used at all as it's an ableist slur and I'm a disabled person who has been called the r slur many times in the past). I'm fully aware that HB takes place in hell, but using hell as a way to excuse the use of the r slur is ableist. It's still ableist to call someone the r slur regardless of the setting and the context. The r slur should never be used as a way to call someone stupid. I'm not sure if Vivziepop wrote the script herself, but whoever is in charge of the script should be careful of the type of language they use in the show. I'm fully aware that both Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are adult shows, but it doesn't mean it's an excuse to normalize offensive and bigoted language. It doesn't help that the shows poorly portray women (like how Millie is just reduced to being Moxxie's wife and likes killing) even though the creator of both shows is a woman.

I'm just gonna stop here for now. I'm going to go back to waiting for more Amazing Digital Circus content to come out.

#the amazing digital circus #anti vivziepop #vivziepop critical #vivziepop criticism #vivziepop critique #anti helluva boss #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #helluva boss critique #anti hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critique

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lol-jackles · 6 months

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When I hear the official (Jensen's) version of the casting, there is one thing that irritates me.

Maybe you can explain it or maybe someone else has facts about this. You describe Jensen as a personality actor who always plays the same type of person successfully. Be it in Smallville, Dark Angel or others, he always embodies the cool, easy-going roughneck with the soft core.

Jensen states that he was originally cast to play Sam. But that doesn't make any sense to me if Dean is exactly Jensen's personality character version. Why wouldn't they have cast him directly for Dean? And a Sam who is 26 and in college doesn't make any sense to me, especially since Dean should have been around thirty by then.

Somehow I can't shake the feeling that there's something wrong with this version.

As Jared said in the 36:00 timestamp, they sometimes make all actors audition for one character. Gil McKinney (Henry Winchester) also auditioned for Sam and he's only 1 year younger than Jensen.

youtube

Scripts, especially pilot scripts, are constantly being revised and what you see on screen are the final revision. If the producers were dead set on wanting Jensen as Sam Winchester, then the character would be rewritten as 26 yrs old living a quiet suburban life with his fiancé.

Lead roles are cast first because they need to cast supporting actors based on their chemistry with the lead actor. Jensen as Sam means they would look for actors who are older than Jensen for the role of Dean Winchester. Jared was obviously too young and wouldn't be cast.

But if producers liked the J2 chemistry and still wanted Jensen to play Sam, then they could have instructed the writers to age up Sam as the older rebellious son who left the family business to have his own life, like become a mechanic and work for Bobby Singer, and age down Dean as the younger loyal son who acts like a soldier of their father. But I couldn't see that working either because Kripke wrote the pilot with Sam and Dean as the Luke Skywalker and Han Solo archetypes. Try to imagine Harrison Ford as Luke and Mark Hamill as Han. Yeah, can't see that working.

#jensen ackles #casting for Sam

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italianpersonwithashippersheart · 18 days

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Looks the FoureverYou Project started to film (finally). I still can't find any info on who wrote the script or who is directing it. It's produced by Studio Wabi Sabi. Does that mean I can just assume it's New Siwaj that is directing this? If anyone has any info please let me know.

The social media pages are not being kept up to date (instagram doesn't have any picture of filming).

I miss cooheart so bad I will take this, and I do want to see him and Pond together. But damn do I not have any faith at all.

Is this going to be another We Are look like??? Like there is nothing wrong with fluffy no plot just vibes middle of the week bls. I am happy so many people on my dash are enjoying it. I love watching you guys enjoy it. But between this and Project 10 liners that appear to be going to same direction, I am a little worried.

If they are wasting Earth and Pond great acting skills for a no plot just vibes and dudes being dudes fluffy university bl, I will be pissed.

From the info I could find of the books there were very interesting concepts and ideas there. They could do so much with all of them. And I am starting to fear we will just get nothing.

MDL says it will have 16 episodes, and all the four couples are in the same faculty.

Tagging a few people:

@blmpff @mysterygrl20 >> Because you guys are usually the ones that posts this stuff.

@heretherebedork > It doesn't look like they are going the anthology route like you first thought when the pilot tralier thing released. Unleass it's like 4 episodes each?

#txt #cooheart #pond ponlawit #fourever you project #fourever you #yeah this is a bit negative #but in my defense i feel bad about this #i miss cooheart and i want him to be free of university bls #I know he looks young #so young the tiktok alghtorithm assume that he was a child when he was wearing PJs #but he can do adult roles #i promise #also pond going from 180 Degrees to classic tropey bl is a bit a downgrade tbh #unleass they do something fun and angsty or at least with substance with the plot #in which case it won't be #but i am not holding breath for that

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leonardcohenofficial · 2 years

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here’s the NYtimes interview with alan alda reflecting on the fiftieth anniversary of M*A*S*H (text below the cut)!!

By Saul Austerlitz Published Sept. 16, 2022 Updated Sept. 17, 2022, 1:10 p.m. ET

When we think of the default mode of much of contemporary television — mingling the tragic and the offhand, broad comedy and pinpoint sentiment — we are thinking of a precise mixture of styles, emotions and textures first alchemized by “M*A*S*H.”

Created by Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, “M*A*S*H” aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983. (It is currently available to stream on Hulu.) Over the course of its 11-year run, it featured alcohol-fueled high jinks and other shenanigans alongside graphic surgical sequences and portrayals of grief, blending comedy and drama in a fashion rarely seen before on television. Set among the doctors and nurses of a Korean War mobile surgical unit, “M*A*S*H” made use of the mockumentary episode decades before “The Office” ever tried it, featured blood-drenched story lines long before “The Sopranos” and killed off beloved characters without warning well before “Game of Thrones.”

The “M*A*S*H” series finale, titled “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen,” remains the most-watched non-Super Bowl program ever broadcast on American TV. The heart of the series was Alan Alda, who played the acerbic and devoted surgeon Hawkeye Pierce throughout the show’s more than 250 episodes and also wrote and directed dozens of them.

The actor revisited “M*A*S*H” in a video interview ahead of the show’s 50th anniversary, on Sept. 17. Alda, 86, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, discussed famous scenes, the series’s battles with CBS (“They didn’t even want us to show blood at the beginning”) and why he thinks the audience connected so deeply with “M*A*S*H.” These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

How have you been feeling?

Good, thank you. You mean with regard to Parkinson’s or the Covid or what?

All of the above, I suppose.

Parkinson’s I’m on top of. And I haven’t come down with Covid yet.

What does it mean to you to know that people are still interested in “M*A*S*H” 50 years later?

I got the script submitted to me when I was making a movie in the Utah State Prison. And it was the best script I had seen since I’d been in prison. I called my wife and I said: “This is a terrific script, but I don’t see how I can do it. Because we live in New Jersey, and it has to be shot in L.A. And who knows? It could run a whole year.” To go from that to 50 years later, it’s still getting, not only attention but it’s still getting an audience, is a surprise.

What kinds of conversations did you have with Larry Gelbart before the show began?

With “All in the Family,” I think the door was open to doing stories about things that really mattered. So when I got out of prison and went down to L.A. to talk to them, the night before we started rehearsing the pilot, I wanted us all to agree that we wouldn’t just have high jinks at the front. That it would take seriously what these people were going through. The wounded, the dead. You can’t just say it’s all a party. And we talked until about 1 in the morning at a coffee shop in Beverly Hills.

Do you feel there was a shift over the first season away from the booze-fueled humor of the early episodes?

Yeah, there was. Partly because people who were submitting story lines thought that that’s what was wanted. Larry Gelbart rewrote most of the shows the first season. Midway through the first season, there was a show called “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet,” and that was a real turning point. Because in that show, a friend of Hawkeye’s shows up among the wounded, and he dies on the operating table. That’s the moment where McLean Stevenson [as Lt. Col. Henry Blake] says: “There’s two rules in war: Young men die, and then Rule 2 is there’s nothing you can do about it.” Something like that. [The exact quote: “There are certain rules about a war. And rule No. 1 is young men die. And rule No. 2 is, doctors can’t change rule No. 1.”]

The network was furious about this. Some guy in charge of programming said, “What is this, a situation tragedy?” Soon after that, we were getting more popular. And the more popular you get, the less they complain.

Was CBS also concerned about the language used to tell these stories?

The most striking example to me was early in the series. Radar [Gary Burghoff] is explaining to somebody that he’s unfamiliar with something. And he said, “I’m a virgin at that, sir.” With no sexual context. It was just that he’d never done something before. And the CBS censor said: “You can’t say the word ‘virgin.’ That’s forbidden.” So the next week, Gelbart wrote a little scene that had nothing to do with anything. A patient is being carried through on a stretcher. And I say, “Where you from, son?” And he says, “The Virgin Islands, sir.”

Early in the show’s run, Gelbart and Reynolds went to South Korea and recorded 22 hours of interviews with doctors, nurses, pilots and orderlies there. How did those interviews make their way into story lines for the show?

We had reams of transcripts of those conversations. I would go through them looking for ideas for stories. And I could see that the other writers were doing the same thing, because there’d be circles around sentences and words. Sometimes one little phrase would spark the imagination of one of us, and that phrase could turn into a story.

Larry and Gene went to Korea at the end of the second season, and they got a lot of material for stories. But they had also found that we had, by paying attention to the lives that they lived, we had made up stories that were very similar to things that had actually happened.

People may not remember that you directed 32 episodes of “M*A*S*H” and wrote 19 episodes. How did you start getting interested in writing and directing?

At the end of the first season, I wrote a show called “The Longjohn Flap.” I borrowed the idea of “La Ronde,” but made it long johns instead because it was reflective of what their lives were like in the cold. I had been trying to learn writing since I was 8 years old. I wanted to be a writer before I wanted to be an actor.

Were there story lines that you thought “M*A*S*H” hadn’t quite tackled yet that you wanted to bring into the world of the show as a writer and director?

When I wrote, I tried to find out a little bit more about each of the characters. Who is Klinger [Jamie Farr] really? What was underneath — I almost said, what was underneath the dresses. [Laughs.] What was underneath the wearing of the dresses? Who was Margaret [Loretta Swit]?

I see on the internet that people assumed that because I was politically active, trying to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed, that in my writing I was trying to make political points, too. And I wasn’t. I really don’t like writing that passes as entertainment when it’s really propaganda. I want to hear a human story.

The unexpected death of Colonel Blake (McLean Stevenson) in the Season 3 finale, “Abyssinia, Henry,” remains one of the biggest surprises in television history. What was it like to shoot that sequence?

Gelbart showed me the scene. I think [it was] the morning of the shoot. I knew, but nobody else knew. He wanted to get everybody’s first-time reactions. And it really affected Gary Burghoff on camera. I think everybody was grateful for the shock.

It shocked the audience, too. I had a letter from a man who complained that he had to console his 10-year-old son who was sobbing. But it was one of the ways for the adults in the audience to realize that another aspect of war is that things happen that you don’t expect.

Was there ever a point when you got tired of fighting the Korean War on TV? The old joke is the show lasted almost four times as long as the actual war.

Around a year before we finally ended it, I felt we were getting toward the end of our ability to be fresh every week. I started suggesting that we do a final movie-length episode that really could end it. First of all, we were getting too old to play these people. And after you tell stories about a group of people 250 times, it’s hard not to repeat yourself or say things that sound like they’re supposed to be funny but aren’t really.

What did it mean to you to have Hawkeye leave Korea scarred by the death of a child in the final episode?

You just described exactly what I wanted to do with all the characters on the show. I was looking for stories, each in a different way, that showed how everybody left the war with a wound of some kind. Everybody had something taken from them. And Hawkeye was just one of them.

Earlier in your career, you had been on another great military comedy, “The Phil Silvers Show,” also known as “Sergeant Bilko.” What did you learn about acting from your pre-“M*A*S*H” TV work?

The first thing I learned on the “Bilko” show was you have to know your lines before you go in for the day’s work. I had come from the stage, where I would learn my lines during rehearsal. And the first thing they did is say, “OK, you’re up for your phone conversation,” where it’s a page of dialogue. It was an eye-opening experience. [Laughs.] I staggered through that.

Why do you think the audience connected so deeply with “M*A*S*H”?

Aside from really good writing and good acting and good directing, the element that really sinks in with an audience is that, as frivolous as some of the stories are, underneath it is an awareness that real people lived through these experiences, and that we tried to respect what they went through. I think that seeps into the unconscious of the audience.

They didn’t even want us to show blood at the beginning. In the pilot, the operating room was lit by a red light, so you couldn’t tell what was blood and what wasn’t. Which, once we got picked up, was ditched.

And giving us a feel for the circumstances that the real people had to go through, so that you could see that the crazy behavior wasn’t just to be funny. It was a way of separating yourself for a moment from the nastiness.

You can’t get as harsh as it really was.

Correction: Sept. 16, 2022 An earlier version of this article described in error the viewership statistics for the series finale of “M*A*S*H.” It was the most-watched non-Super Bowl program ever broadcast on American television, in terms of total audience, not the highest-rated non-Super Bowl program. A rating refers to the percentage of TV households that watch a program. The “M*A*S*H” finale remains the highest-rated program, of any kind, ever broadcast on American television.

#mash #alan alda #M*A*S*H #tv: mash #happy reading!

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accio-victuuri · 1 year

Text

yibo’s btf co-star zhai yujia posted on his weibo and shared stories from filming :

caption:

This is the first scene we filmed with Yibo in the movie #长空之王# . Arrived here at three o'clock in the morning that day, the sky was full of stars and beautiful. Although the altitude is 3,000 meters, Yibo still integrates into our test flight team with full emotions and energy, and cooperates with the shooting over and over again.

In the past 100 days, I have been filled with emotions. Time flies, I wrote some memories, the style of writing is average, but they are all my feelings, please bear with me.

Finally, I want to say: "Wang Yibo deserves to be loved by so many people!”

actual post:

I remember this photo was taken by teacher @摄影机 Rita. That day we drove from the urban area to the suburbs at an altitude of 3000 meters at three o'clock in the morning. It was around 4 o'clock when we got there, because there was no light pollution, the sky was full of stars, Very romantic. Yibo had read the script with us at the time, and we met each other. but this day is the first time we were playing against each other.

I remember the plot at that time was "Handsome Gao", "Jia Shengli" and "Lei Yu" and I, Four of us in a car, we don't know where we're going, but we didn't expect to go to Martyrs cemetery. It is a test of our mentality. That scene broke my inherent perception of him.

First of all, I am a dance fan of Yibo. I like dancing very much, Yibo’s locking dance is very good, so I appreciate Yibo's talent, but I always thought that Yibo may be a bit introverted and slow to warm up. But this scene overturned my imagination of his energy. When we acted together in the car for more than ten hours, he never left. He has driven a car, and has been cooperating with our performances one by one (the day we filmed. He have more than 50 takes, and he will always be in a state of full energy. ) We played our favorite songs through bluetooth, together at an altitude of more than 3000 meters. Fang sang along with the roaring vehicles. I still remember that picture, it is so beautiful.

At that moment, my impression of him changed, because I could feel that after learning the role, He wanted to integrate with us quickly. Including when he got into the tent. He has his own vehicle that can provide him with rest, but in order to let us brothers become more harmonious, Yibo took the initiative to move a chair into our tent. For more than 100 days, we had lunch together (I ate a lot of Yibo's chicken breast, meat and beef, thank you so much) Singing together, in the tent together, chatting about scripts, talking about airplanes, playing games, and becoming real friends. At that moment, I felt that Yibo was a very sincere and serious person. He was very unobtrusive and very humble while we were eating.

When we met the test pilot, the light of admiration and awe in his eyes was not fake. At that moment, my greatest feeling was that Yibo is someone who had great respect for people who are talented and responsible.

How time flies, I remember that at this time last year we were still in Tongchuan eating hot pot together, chatting about airplanes, and overcoming various difficulties at work.

I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with Yibo in the future. I want to learn locking from him!

PS: I want to add that Yibo is a highly motivated person. He's interested in a lot of things and he will work very hard to study them. He's determined to do things well! I remember he especially downloaded a flight stimulation game just to know more about aircraft. He would play the game every day to experience flight and understand it.

What he did inspired and encouraged me. I was positively affected working with such an excellent person.

Well, I’ve talked so much so let me sum it up:

Yibo deserves to be loved by so many people.

link to the actual post

#YIBO DESERVES TO BE LOVED BY SO MANY PEOPLE!!!!#LOUDER LOUDER LOUDER 📣📣📣📣#i am sorry for everyone who haven’t accepted yibo in their lives because mine is so much better with his good boy and gremlin energy #excuse me while i cry in the corner #wang yibo #born to fly #born to fly movie #EVERYONE WHO MET HIM WAS INSPIRED BY HIM #that should tell you everything you need to know about the kind of person he is

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sassy-radio-hazbin-queen · 3 months

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My favorite line from each Hazbin episode including pilot.

Pilot

Alastor - And what can you do for me my effeminate fellow.

Angel- I can suck your dick

Alastor 😮 HA NO.

Angel- Your loss. ( Zips pants)

Overture

Adam- You want drummer dick, I'm fucking Adam, I'm the original dick, all dicks descend from me.

Video killed the radio star

Angel - ( reading a script)I'm a bad man who never got enough hugs, where's an innocent kid i can sell crack to? " Who wrote this?

Charlie- It's great right, keep going ".

Scrambled eggs.

Camilla - Alastor. 🤨

Alastor - Yes I know I've been absent for some time I'm sure youve all been wondering.

Camilla - Not really

Alastor 😑.

Camilla - But welcome back in any case.

Alastor ( in mind ) this bitch. 😂😂

Masquerade

Valentino - Ahh princess Charlotte what can I do for such lovely specimen. ( Licks arm)

Charlie - No thank you

Valentino - you don't want to role do you cause I can make us Richer than your papito.

Charlie - Fuck NOOOOOOOOOOO

Dad beat dad

Ps I think we can all agree this is the best line in the episode

Lucifer- Well I can see why Charlie called it the Hazbin hotel 😂😂😂.

Alastor - 😂 it was actually my idea.

Lucifer - Well it's not very clever.

Alastor - Aha ( gets in Lucifer face) FUCK YOU

Welcome to Heaven

Charlie - Well what do you think it takes to get to heaven

Sera- Adam

Adam- Ok give me a minute bitch ( writes something down and sends to to Vaggie)

Vaggie ( reading) " Don't steal, don't lie stick it to the man" puts paper down. " Are you fucking serious"!?

Hello Rosie

This whole scene.

Rosie- You need to convince all of them and there's one in particular.

Alastor ( ears pinned back) ugh 😩 Susan.

Rosie - Susan who's kinda of a

Alastor - Onary old bitch.

Rosie - That but win her over and the rest is yours

( too much words so I'm skipping a bit)

Susan - Boo bring Rosie back.

Charlie - Susan

Alastor and Rosie- Susan 😑.

After getting interrupted constantly by Susan 😑.

Charlie - FUCK YOU, YOU OLD BITCH

And Finale.

Can we just say the entire scene of Adam fighting Alastor while Vox watches 😂😂😂😂😂.

Highlights include

Vox - Oh yeah I am so hard right now.

Alastor - Adam first man next to die.

Adam- Who are you

Alastor - Alastor pleasure to be meeting you quite a pleasure I'm about to end your fucking life.

Adam - Radio is fucking dead.

Alastor- What just happened Fffuck

Vox - Aha FUCK YOU ALASTOR AHHAAAA THIS IS BETTER THAN SEX.

( he definitely slept on the couch that night just saying 🤣🤣)

Alastor - Hate to disagree with you there, radios not dead yet but it is ending this broadcast.

Vox - NOOOO FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU PUSSY.

and those are my favorite lines from the episodes.

#hazbin hotel

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goingroguepod · 2 years

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Things from the second draft* of Rogue One that are worth mentioning

*for starters, Chris Weitz wrote more than one draft (just like Gary Whitta probably did) but these are some of the changes he made when he took over writing duties on Rogue One:

Everyone dies.

Literally the first thing Weitz said after reading Whitta's draft was "I think everyone needs to die", which director Gareth Edwards (and first writer Gary Whitta) wanted to do, but assumed would never be approved by Disney. But Kathleen Kennedy agreed and the Everyone Dies ending of Rogue One was set in stone from early 2015 (I've seen a lot of people say this was a late change, even as late as last draft/Tony Gilroy - nah, it was the second draft)

2) Jyn was still a rebel commander, but she had baggage - she was a deserter in one draft, and a scavenger in another. This had to be dropped when they were finally allowed to see the script for Episode VII and discovered Rey was a scavenger.

3) Cassian was still a traitor, but Weitz gave him a justification - Saw Gerrera had killed some of his people, so he was feeding information to the Empire on the condition he got to kill Saw (or at least got to see Saw dead). This would have probably made his and Jyn's relationship more complicated too, since Jyn was raised by Saw, but they did still have a relationship in Weitz's draft**

4) Chirrut and Baze were originally a Force Priest and a murderer was a "weird, symbiotic, possibly co-dependant" relationship. Baze did the murdering, and Chirrut forgave him.

5) Bodhi was also added as the team's pilot - in the previous draft, the U-wing was Jyn's ship that she piloted herself (and Whitta had cut the team's original pilot Ria Talla), but as the script became more of an ensemble piece and Galen's rescue was moved to the second act, they needed both a pilot and an imperial defector.

6) The mission to Scarif involved Jyn and Cassian crossing the battlefield with the stolen plans to get to a second transmission tower to get the plans up to the Rebel Fleet. This is where all the trailer footage of Jyn and Cassian fighting on the beaches comes from. It was later cut from time/simplicity, moving the transmission dish to the main tower.

7) Chris Weitz wrote a "Space Hannibal Lecter" scene between Jyn and the Bor Gullet, Saw's octopus creature, which in Weitz's draft had dialogue. It was a much bigger character that fed off memories and traded information to Jyn in exchange for details of her traumatic childhood. This was a way to get Jyn, a relatively stoic character, to actually talk about her past.

What's really wild to me is that this was technically the shooting script. Weitz worked on the script up until cameras rolled in London, meaning a decent chunk of this script was shot (although multiple uncredited rewrites happened during shooting). You can learn more about Weitz's script in Episode II of the podcast, and more about the uncredited rewrites in Episode III yes this was all an ad for my podcast please listen if you're stanning Rogue One on Tumblr the ending of the final ep should actually make you cry***

** Weitz has said that he finds the lack of romantic subplot between Jyn and Cassian in the final film "refreshing", although he also said he wouldn't be surprised if a version of the ending with a kiss was filmed.

***it got my editor teary and he doesn't even like the movie.

#rogue one a star wars story #andor #rogue one #rebelcaptain #star wars #going rogue podcast #jyn erso #cassian andor #chirrut imwe #baze malbus #chris weitz

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accidentalshifter · 2 months

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[March 10, 2024: Now Entering Mystic Falls, Part Two]

⚜️ TW: My Mikaelsons are a ✨️ problem ✨️ and don't play nice at all. Death, sex, blood, violence, manipulation, and dark themes will probably be present. I don't condone any of the actions taken by these vampires, I'm just recording them. For science. Also warning, I am TLDRing yet again. I don't expect anyone to wanna read this long (almost 9 page) hyper-detailed post. But if you do? I appreciate you.

Shifting Notes:

This is my first [awake, lucid] shift where I am actively piloting my DR-self (Zoey) like a Gundam mech suit. For those who have just stumbled across this post by chance, I encourage you to look at the introduction post I wrote about this DR. It can be found on my pinned intro at the top of my blog.

Astrological timing: It was a new moon in Pisces. Saturn and Neptune was on either side of the moon in the same sign. Pisces is known as a natural dreamer. Saturn and Neptune solidify the dream. An excellent time for shifting.

*In my DR, the Webb estate is a property owned by my DR-self's family.

⚜️ Because I've been binging on TVD lately just to hammer Mystic Falls into my brain, I know that there's a Realty office on the other side of the Square, opposite the Grill. It's a white building with large windows & blinds in front. I experience some de-synch with Z as she runs towards the Square. I notice that Z sticks to the outer edge, across the street from the sidewalk of the Square. Preferring to maneuver past the shoppers & specialty shops rather than take a short cut through the Square itself. Even though it seems like a lazy summer afternoon here in Mystic Falls, I feel...this weird chill crawling up the back of my DR-self's spine whenever I try to suggest that we use the short-cut. There's an implicit sense/knowledge to avoid the Square. Is this a part of my scripted "Slayer Senses" at play going on here???

⚜️ Finally, I make it to Mathewson Realty. Z and I pause in front of the doors. We take a breath in unison. I can feel her vibrating with anxiety over the choice she's making while I vibrate with anticipation. This shared second re-synch's us back together. I'm back to first person perspective again as I walk through the doors of Mathewson Realty.

Observation: It's interesting what actions we both do that de-synchs/re-connects us. I did not plan for my DR to have this kind of thing going on, but I'm enjoying this aspect a little.

⚜️ As soon as I step inside, I'm greeted by a middle-aged woman in a powder pink dress suit, wearing a string of classic white pearls around her neck. She seems to immediately know who I am but cheerfully asks me if I'm "Miss. Webb" and Mr. Pogue's three o clock appointment?". I say yes & she mentions in a funny/joking way that I was cutting it a little late. Also, that she was afraid I wasn't going to show up. I mention (straight-up lie) to her that the Greyhound was running a little late on its schedule and apologized. She waves it off, saying that "It's alright, you're here now, and we're so excited to have a Webb back in town." 😬 'yaaaaaaay,' I think while Z also is in agreement, thinking the same exact thing.

⚜️ This lady whom I assume is the secretary or something offers to personally walk me to Mr. Pogue's office and doesn't wait for me to say yes or no to that offer. I can't tell if this is southern hospitality (Mystic Falls is in Va & I'm from Cali) or if this secretary has ulterior motives? This (internal) question of mine is answered a mere moment later as she walks me down the hallway to Mr. Pogue's office... This lady starts talking about "being a bit of a history buff" and is wondering if she could trouble me with some questions about Will Webb the 1st. There it is. The motive. My DR self decides to take the lead on this question and with some amount of awkwardness tells the lady that she wasn't close with her father and never talked much about their ancestors or history. "So, I'm just as much in the dark as you are about it, haha!" Z adds, chuckling a little. I remain quiet during this, staring at the lady and noticing how she seems kind of disappointed hearing this information. But she quickly regains her cheerful, optimistic attitude just as we make it to Mr. Nathaniel Pogue's office door.

Observation: This lady has to be involved in some sort of Historical Society thing in this town. Keep an eye on her. Also, it's weird and interesting to me that my original idea in my fanfiction that the Webb family was exiled by either the church or Mystic Falls itself is not in play here. Why else would someone be asking about William Webb 1 like this? It's too early to tell right now. Another thing that I noticed was that I was shifting in my CR at 3 am and here in the DR, it's 3 pm. The time is swapped out.

⚜️ The lady knocks on Mr. Pogue's door. She states in a sing-song voice, "Mr. Pogue, Miss Webb is here for your 3~". The office door is opened immediately by Mr. Pogue, a tall and dashing man in a fine gray power suit and a silver-blue silk tie. His skin color is the olive tan you see from people who regularly use a tanning bed and his teeth are way too white when he smiles. It's almost radiant, standing out because of the contrast to his tan. With a quick glance, I think he ascertains that his secretary has winded my DR-self with all her questions (or maybe he just heard us talking in the hall, idk) and tells Z to "not to let Mrs. Annette bother me, she's just nosey. " Saying that, he shoos the lady playfully away while inviting me inside the office. Mrs. Anne gives us both privacy, walking back to the front, as my DR self (and I) step inside Mr. P's office...

⚜️ Pogue tells me to make myself at home. I drop my canvas bag by a chair opposite his desk and sit in it while he browses through a shelf full of files. As he does this, he begins talking about how excited he is to aid me in carrying on the "Webb legacy" & ensure that our properties are maintained/in good hands with me. He then pulls out a thick file that's labeled "Webb" in gold plate and places it in front of me on his desk. He opens it, taking out three packets of paperwork. Mr. Pogue tells me that my DR-self's father (Will Webb the later) owned 3 separate properties; two in Mystic Falls and one within New Orleans. And that the one in New Orleans has some "caveats" to it because of details inside Will's will. Stuff that I'll have to talk about later on with the Webb family lawyers present... But for now, all he needs is my signature on the deeds to transfer the properties over to me. He also needs my initials on the NOLA deed because of those aforementioned caveats...

⚜️ He hands me a fancy gold and black pen to sign the papers with. I begin to make the mistake of signing "Alice Hart" on the papers before realizing what my hand was doing & immediately corrected the A to a Z. Making my signature on the first paper look a little funky. My DR-self signs the papers as "Zoey St. Claire". Pogue raises an eyebrow and says that I'll have to sign these documents in my legal surname of "Zoey Webb". My DR-self is annoyed and tacks on "Webb" at the end of St. Claire, making it look like our name is one of those long "Mary Sue" names you'd see during the haydays of Fanfiction.net. (Re: Ebony Dementia Raven Way) Great, super. Ugh. I'm getting the feeling that both Zoey & I have ✨️ issues ✨️ with our paternal side of the family.

⚜️ As soon as I'm done signing my name on all the paperwork, he takes the documents from me and places them neatly back inside the file labeled "Webb." He congratulates me on my new home ownership (my CR self is currently crying over this because this event is probably the closest I'm ever going to get on owning a house) then assures my DR-self that he'll be there to help me get settled into the neighborhood. "Whatever you need," Mr. Pogue says, "Will was always a good client & I want to do right by his daughter." I feel my DR-self bite down slightly on her tongue as she holds back saying something rude when Pogue says 'his daughter'. Instead, she opts for silence.

⚜️ "Now for the final order of business," Mr. Pogue says, "Will left me something to give to you..." Mr. Pogue pulls out a flat, lacquer box from the front drawer of his desk and slides it over to my DR-self. A letter sealed in a white envelope is taped to the box. It does not seem to be addressed to anyone since it doesn't have Zoey's name on it. The letter is customized (only) with an onyx black wax, monogrammed seal of two W's interlinked with each other. As my DR-self touches the envelope gingerly, Mr. Pogue tells her that William instructed him to tell me that I can't open the letter until I get to the estate. And that Will said he wanted it to be a "surprise" housewarming gift. I influence Zoey to try & open the box but find that it irritatingly will not open. It's sealed shut just like the letter. I influenced Zoey to ask why I need to wait & Mr. Pogue chuckles and smiles with a shrug. "Your father liked to keep his secrets, Miss. Webb. He never told me why." Then he says that my family's lawyers might actually have more information on that than him. That I'll probably need to talk to them in regards to the exact wording on William's will to answer that question.

⚜️ With that, Mr. Pogue gives me a set of 3 keys (and one antique skeleton key) hanging on a lanyard. They're the keys to the Webb estates. I ask about the skeleton key and Mr. Pogue mentions that most of the properties in the "historic district" within Mystic Falls still retain their original architecture & locks due to a policy with the town to preserve all places of historical relevance to Mystic Falls. That the skeleton key is for the doors in the estates with antique locks. And also that if I plan on making any alterations, I need to get approval from the Historic Society of Mystic Falls. And all documents need to be done in triplicates.

Observation: The Historic Society is giving me vibes right now. Here they are already on my shit list 😅.

⚜️ Mr. Pogue says that he knows it's been a long time since I've lived in Mystic Falls and he can imagine that my memory is spotty so he's prepared a map of the town for me that marks where the estates are. He hands me a map with 2 red X's marked on it. One X is by a lake on the outskirts of town, another X is just down the street from the Square. My DR self looks confused and Mr. Pogue clears the air by saying, "Your residence is four blocks down from here, just take Washington St. & keep to the left. You can't miss it." I (CR self) assure him that I totally can but he doesn't hear me. Mr. Pogue looks like he's done with our appointment and is ushering me toward the door. He says, while doing this, that he'll be swinging by later this weekend in order to show me the lakeside cabin. Mr. Pogue ends our appointment by shaking my hand firmly and with a huge smile, exclaims "Welcome back to Mystic Falls, Miss. Webb! We hope you'll feel right at home & don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." Then he says "Property is our passion here at Mathewson" in a rhythmatic way that makes me feel like he's referencing a commercial jingle.

⚜️ Armed with the keys, map, and mystery box (plus my ratty canvas bag), I follow Mr. Pogue out of his office and back to the front of Mathewson Realty. I see "Annette" wave to me and wish me a pleasant weekend as I walk past the front desk she's seated at. My DR-self waves back at her a little nervously while I just...kinda stare at her because she's currently on my "keeping an eye on you" list. The minute I leave Mathewson and am back on the street, I feel my CR-self's body give a "check engine light is on" warning that I need to return to CR or face the consequences. If I stay in this lucid trance state for too long, it tends to stress out my body, leading to zero spoons (energy) the next day. I urge Zoey at that point to book it down the street to get to the Webb estate that was marked on the map.

⚜️ As per the canon, Washington St is one of four streets that creates the Mystic Falls Square. It's the street that Mathewson is on, opposite the Mystic Grill on Clark St. across from the Square. I follow Mr. Pogue's advice and just keep going down Washington with my stuff threatening to slip out of my hands. At the time, neither my CR nor DR-self was thinking about how weird it probably looked to everyone else around me that a new face to town was hauling ass down Washington holding a mysterious box but... I'll probably be dealing with that later.

⚜️ As I cross the street on the corner of Washington and Monticello at the southern edge of Mystic Falls Square, I feel it again. That cold chill crawling up my spine like a pair of eyes are upon me. I stop, pause for a moment at the "4-way crossing" sign on the other side of the street. I pretend like I'm catching my breath (and maybe my DR-self is) and take this second to assess potential danger. As soon as I do, the chill goes away. Another yank from my CR-self's body tells me I got another 10 minutes before I end up in my CR whether I want to or not. Zoey gets her wind back and continues her dash down Washington Street.

Observation: Someone was totally spying on me from Mystic Falls Square. I want to know who it was!

⚜️ Do you remember that house from TVD during Season 2, Episode 17, that Isobel and Katherine broke into because in her words, it was "the nicest house in foreclosure" quote un quote? This one:

Well it turns out that this is the Webb manor estate house that my DR-self (Zoey) has just inherited from William. The only differences I can see between my DR and canon is that it doesn't have the foreclosure sign staked into the lawn. Also, the trees outside of it aren't into their autumn foliage. They're green and thriving. I think whatever time frame I'm in is summer here in Mystic Falls. It feels warm & muggy...

Observation: Going back over that episode after this shift, I discovered something very interesting! The foreclosure sign has a name written on it: Nathan Alexander.

It could just be that my brain remembered this detail and incorporated it into my DR or. OR. It could be that the deviations from the canon in my AU (alternate universe) TVD is that Nathan Alexander was named Nathaniel instead and married/was born to a different family altogether. For the record, I did not plan this in the script. It just happened to be that way.

⚜️ I walk through the front yawn and up the porch steps, feeling like an intruder. My DR self has the same feeling as I do as we reach into our pockets & fish out the keys that Mr. Pogue gave us. I can tell Zoey is not having a good time right now. Her gut is twisting up in knots. Old emotions are hitting her. I think she's remembering her childhood with Will. She's doing a good job at hiding it because I can't see the things she's thinking about in this moment. I just know, based on context, that she's about to confront some very old memories by opening the door to this house. By living in Mystic Falls again. I take over at a certain point, force Zoey to open the door, and go inside. Then, lock it shut behind us. You can't ever be too safe in this town given its residents.

⚜️ The first thing I see is an old oil painting of a man wearing a white ruffle collar and a feathered quill hanging up on the wall. This painting is positioned up the staircase when you first enter the foyer, giving one the very unsettling impression that it's judging your every move in this house. My DR-self stares at it for a second before dropping her canvas bag onto the floor and placing the map and mysterious box on top of a side table in the foyer. It's weird because I know that painting is Will Webb the 1st. But I've seen it before... Not in my DR but in the actual TVD show. So, after I popped out of lucid trance I began searching through the television show to see if I could find that painting. Lo and behold:

Not only does the painting show up in TVD canon in the Lockwood Mansion during the first Miss Mystic Falls dance but also in S4 inside the Salvatore boarding house. It's the same dude with the same face wearing the same ruffled collar. And while I'm sure in the TVD canon show, this is just some dude. In my DR, this painting is of William Webb the 1st.

And I'm so curious as to why his portrait is hanging up in the Lockwood and Salvatore houses...

⚜️ I end up in my CR soon after Zoey drops her canvas bag and puts her stuff down. I'll have to come back here soon to do some big time snooping around the house and maybe go to the Mystic Grill to get more clues. I need to figure out when in the TVD timeline I'm in right now...

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swearyshera · 9 months

Note

As this blog's sweary adventures are coming to a close, it is a time to reflect. What I want to know is what you think is the most interesting or funny thing to have come out of Spop fandom, at least so far? I've just sort of been thinking about the power of the Internet to lead to some unexpected outcomes, things that occasionally affect someone's real life, real career. In one of my other major fandoms fairly recently - a person on the X-Birdsite with a fan account in parody of the name of a major character launched an unrelated, somewhat obscure science fiction novel to several bestseller lists by excitedly tweeting about it. If you're a Trigun-fan, you know of this. If you're into indie sci fi, you might also know of this viral story. If you're not, look up "Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood" and prepare for a ride! It got me to thinking about how you've talked about getting into screen-writing / theater writing because of this blog? IIRC? "Spop launched a screenwriting / stage writing career" is a similar funny thing, the amazing Power of Fandom! "How did you get your start?" "I wrote a screencap comic of a popular cartoon to make the characters curse more and then things just snowballed." Best of luck!

I would absolutely be a hell of a story to have "Person who made Catra say fuck now writing TV show", and certainly something I would love to do. Obviously, I know it's a difficult industry to get into, so I'm under no illusions that I will definitely make anything of it, but that won't stop me trying!

That said, I've already had a little bit of success on the stage with a short play at Salford's Lowry Theatre last year. This year I've mostly been working on building up a portfolio of scripts - I've previously shared a draft of Hellspawn (the 'Sweary Frosta sitcom') which is reasonably decent. But I've more recently been working on something even better...

I've completed a pilot script for a comedy drama called 'Snowflakes', about four young trans people who want to bring their creativity to the stage whilst living in a world that often seems to be against them. I'm absolutely in love with these characters, and I've got a short series worked out. I think it's the perfect time for a story about trans joy overcoming hatred, right? If you're a production company who likes that idea, hmu.

Finally, I've also been toying with the idea recently of more Sweary or She-Ra related content. I've been looking to the likes of Big Finish with their Doctor Who audio dramas and pondering... what would a She-Ra audio drama look like? We may not ever get a movie, but could we get a feature-length story created by fans in an audio format? I'm up for writing it. So if you have thoughts/ideas, let me know.

But whatever happens, I'm going to do my best to make "creator of new TV show started off with a stupid tumblr blog" a reality! Dream big, right?

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squish36-writes-and-draws · 7 months

Text

Carry a Torch

Word count: 4401 <- untrustworthy number

TW: alcohol

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @faggot-friday @kamikothe1and0nly @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously @poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @did-i-say-you-could-get-up @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes @callum-hunt-is-bisexual @xanadaus @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @arson-anarchy-death @dizzeners @thefoxysnake @olivedumdum

On Ao3 or below the cut!

I would thoroughly recommend reading this on Ao3 if possible. I originally wrote this as a screenplay for my creative writing class and, as such, tumblr nuked the formatting. Ao3 did as well, but less so.

That being said, it's kind of important to understand my larger concept. This is a script for a pilot episode of a TV show. Each episode is going to be featured around a song (and I was forced to write this one which is why it's bad) so at the end, it's a concept album. You will not be allowed to have the rest of the show. I refuse to write it.) This also takes place in 1925 so I've thrown some less than successful slang in there.

INT. EVERGLEN RECORDING STUDIO - MIDDAY - 1925

KEEFE leans over the antique Vernon family heirloom piano where FITZROY (FITZ) is playing. The intro credit music stops as FITZ looks up at him.

FITZ sighs.

FITZ

Let me guess. You’ve been thinking.

KEEFE gasps overdramatically.

KEEFE

(feigned surprise)

Why ever would I do such a thing? You

know thinking can only lead to dangerous

outcomes. That being said, I did have a

thought.

FITZ

Stars, why do I even bother anymore?

KEEFE smiles annoyingly.

KEEFE

Because I’m very difficult to get rid of.

(beat)

I trust you know we’ve been looking for

a new venue since Tam dusted out on us.

FITZ

And whose fault was that?

KEEFE

Legally? Not mine.

FITZ pinches the bridge of his nose. KEEFE is unbothered by this.

KEEFE (CONT’D)

Anyway I was talking to Sophie—

FITZ

Anything that starts like that is certain

to end badly.

KEEFE

Fitzroy Avery Vacker, listen to me for a

second for once in your life. Foster has a

cousin whose family has a place we could

use. It’s not the most ideal—

FITZ

(interrupting)

Then why are we even going to bother with

considering it?

KEEFE

The back corner of a coffee shop is

better than nothing. Not all of us are

lucky enough to leech off your parents.

FITZ pauses for a moment, considering making KEEFE verbalize why, exactly, he cut off his relationship with his parents.

FITZ

I take it that means you’ve already booked

it.

KEEFE

It’s one gig. Do your best to tolerate it.

KEEFE turns toward the back door. No one knows where he is going, probably including himself.

FITZ

You know I won’t.

KEEFE

And you know I don’t care.

The door closes behind him and FITZ cracks his knuckles before going back to playing the piano.

INT. SLURPS AND BURPS - LATE EVENING/NIGHT

Slurps and Burps is a coffee shop during the day and a Speakeasy at night. People mill about, the space filled with chatter.

BIANA is sitting at the counter, swinging her feet as she talks to SOPHIE, drinking what is likely spiked coffee.

DEXTER (DEX) and FITZ are getting everything set up for the performance this evening. FITZ is trying to be helpful. DEX is left moving the piano mostly by himself.

DEX

(breathing heavy, teasing)

My guy, did you fill this thing with rocks?

FITZ

(indignant)

No. It’s just built to last.

DEX

(proud of his pun)

Well, it could certainly last through me

driving a car into it.

FITZ

Why would you ever find yourself in that

situation?

DEX shrugs.

DEX

I don’t know.

FITZ looks over at KEEFE, who is flirting with some random extra.

DEX adjusts the piano into its final resting place.

DEX

Can I get you anything? Java, tea, what

have you. We’ve got everything.

DEX lowers his voice.

DEX (CONT’D)

A little bit of moonshine? It’s a family

recipe.

FITZ

(low, dangerous)

You know, it’s probably not very good

business practice to disclose that

information to just anyone who walks in

off the street. Somebody’s going to call

copper.

DEX

(unconcerned, irritated)

You rat me out, you’re out of a job.

FITZ snorts.

FITZ

I didn’t want this gig in the first place.

FITZ raises his voice.

FITZ (CONT’D)

Isn’t that right, Keefe?

KEEFE

I got no context, so whatever makes him

look the most like a sap is the one I

want.

KEEFE spends the rest of the conversation watching them.

DEX

(voice low)

Then why are you here? Why did you even

bother?

FITZ leans against the piano, almost protectively, trying to make himself look relaxed. He is not. FITZ shrugs stiffly.

FITZ

I had nothing better to do. Trust me. I

tried. I really did.

DEX

(maximum sarcasm)

Wow, that must have been so difficult

for you.

FITZ

Lay off it, alright? I’m here for Keefe,

regardless of what you might want to think.

DEX

I want to believe you’re a sap, and you’re

not exactly giving me much evidence to the

contrary.

DEX takes a sip out of some unspecified alcoholic beverage. This is a speakeasy, after all.

FITZ

Oh, so you’ve talked to me for what? Five

minutes? And now you think you’re an

expert in my every waking thought? Every

detail of my inner psyche?

DEX puts his hands up, defensive.

DEX

I didn’t say that, Socrates. Watch your

tongue the text time you try to blow

things out of proportion.

FITZ

Like that isn’t blowing things even

further out of proportion?

DEX

If I remember correctly—and please

correct me if I am wrong here—you were

the first to threaten me and my family,

so I think that’s more than a fair

trade from your perspective.

The lights flicker, signaling the start of the show. It is operated by DEX’S BROTHER #1.

DEX

Well.

DEX presses his lips together.

DEX (CONT’D)

(bitter)

I should tell you to have fun up there,

but I don’t think you’re capable of

that. Break a leg and all that

superstitious nonsense.

DEX shifts to his customer service voice, laced with passive aggression.

DEX (CONT’D)

Let me know if I can get you anything

to make your time here slightly less

inconvenient.

FITZ turns away without a reply or a second thought.

EXT. - HAVENFIELD - MIDDAY, FALL

SOPHIE and DEX are sitting under a Jacaranda tree, leaves beginning to fall but not completely bare. They are complaining about many things. FITZ is a large topic of discussion on this fine day, and also KEEFE and BIANA to a lesser extent.

DEX

How do you put up with all of them on

a daily basis?

SOPHIE

Determination, resilience, a lack of

other valid career paths, and a dash

of—

SOPHIE wiggles her eyebrows. It is unclear which one she is wiggling her eyebrows about, but that ambiguity will be important.

DEX sighs.

DEX

Okay, like, on the one hand, I get what

you’re saying and, yeah, you’re

absolutely right.

SOPHIE laughs.

SOPHIE

That’s because I’m objectively correct.

DEX is too far in his own head to react to SOPHIE’s comment.

DEX

But, like, how can you reconcile that

with that personality? I don’t get it.

SOPHIE

There’s nothing to get. Admire from a

distance and your problems solve

themselves. Easy.

DEX pauses to consider this answer.

DEX

No. I don’t like that solution. Give me

a better one. Replace the personality

itself. You went to college. You have a

fancy degree in marketing or something.

Figure it out.

SOPHIE

Okay, first of all, that was several

years ago and I haven’t used it since.

DEX

You have a photographic memory. Don’t

try to pull that on me.

SOPHIE doesn’t know how to reply to this for a beat.

SOPHIE

(feigned anger)

Damn. How dare you know all my tricks?

Anyway, I don’t think personality

replacement was covered in my curriculum.

Sorry. But do let me know if the store

needs new customers.

DEX

Some might argue there’s already too many

people. That doesn’t excuse the fact that

you’re supposed to know the answers to

life, the universe, and everything. This

has been thoroughly established.

SOPHIE

Well, I don’t. Sorry.

DEX pauses for a long time, somewhere in the realm of several whole seconds.

DEX

I just wish…things would be easier.

SOPHIE smiles softly, encouragingly.

SOPHIE

On which front?

DEX laughs bitterly.

DEX

Yes.

DEX pauses, debating with himself if he should elaborate.

DEX (CONT’D)

(frequent pauses, struggling with sentences)

It’s just that…Fitz is…tangling

everything together. I used to be able

to go to work without getting trapped

in my own mind. And, well, to be

completely honest, I don’t much

appreciate it.

SOPHIE

You should go tell him that.

DEX physically flinches away from this idea.

DEX

I have an even better idea. How about

you go tell your boyfriend Keefe?

He’s the one that concocted this whole

booking-Slurps-and-Burps-for-a-gig

disaster. He should be the one to unravel

this Gordian knot of a situation.

SOPHIE

I’m not dealing with your problems.

You can talk to Fitz yourself or you

can deal with it.

DEX

(Making himself sound useless on purpose)

But, alas, I’m incapable of speaking

with people in rational terms. Whatever

am I to do?

SOPHIE

(not buying into DEX’s act)

Don’t make me show you what irrational

terms sound like.

DEX sighs, defeated. This is going to be unpleasant, but he’s already concocting the bribery he is going to offer KEEFE to make him want to relocate. Preferably without destroying his and SOPHIE’s relationship.

DEX is also fairly easily convinced to do things he doesn’t want to do while also being immensely stubborn.

DEX

Fine.

EXT. RECORDING STUDIO - THE NEXT DAY, DAYLIGHT HOURS

DEX walks up to the door and argues with himself in his mind before knocking.

Inside, FITZ sighs and stops playing piano. As he stands, his joints sing the song of their people. Unlocking the door, he finds DEX studying the ground and fidgeting with his sleeve.

FITZ

Hello! What can I—

FITZ realizes who is standing in the doorway and drops the polite act.

FITZ (CONT’D)

(flatly)

—What do you want?

DEX is irritated by this in an effort to not be thinking about how he is engaging in a conversation.

DEX

Believe it or not, not everything is

about you. I’m here to speak with

Keefe.

FITZ considers this, leaning against the doorframe.

FITZ

Nah, I don’t believe that one. Besides,

Keefe isn’t here. I don’t know where

he is or when he’ll be back. Sorry.

DEX feels a rush of relief, taking a deep breath.

DEX

It’s probably futile to ask you to tell

him that I was looking for him, but I’m

going to hope anyway.

DEX turns around to leave.

FITZ

You’re exactly right.

DEX

You don’t have to sound so disappointed.

BIANA (O.S.)

(yelling to be heard from across the studio)

Fitzroy! Stop being so obnoxious!

BIANA’s voice comes down from a yell to a normal speaking voice as the sentence goes on and she gets close enough to push FITZ out of the doorway and take his place.

BIANA (CONT’D)

I’m sure Keefe will return sometime

soon.

FITZ

(muttering)

Lies. Filth and lies.

BIANA

(to FITZ)

He’s going to get hungry sooner or

later.

FITZ seems to accept this, rolling his eyes and wandering back to his precious piano.

BIANA

(to DEX)

Can I get you anything? Fitz has an

obsession with baking and we’re

always trying to get rid of the

aftermath.

DEX smiles awkwardly as he shakes his head. BIANA turns to not be outdoors anymore and DEX follows her inside.

DEX

I mean, if you want to sell them at

Slurps and Burps, I could always

ask my parents.

DEX shrugs.

DEX (CONT’D)

I’m sure they’d agree, but I’d rather

present a possibility than a guarantee,

you know.

BIANA

You sound like him.

DEX and FITZ look equally offended by this and avoid eye contact at all costs.

BIANA takes this opportunity to leave DEX and FITZ together for a length of time while she investigates this route.

BIANA

Well, I’ve got some extra time today,

so I can go ask your parents myself.

Don’t knock each other off while I’m

gone, got it?

FITZ and DEX watch her leave. This is the same door that KEEFE used in the first scene, not the front door.

FITZ

(yelling after her)

How many times do I have to tell you to

stop meddling in my life?

FITZ huffs.

DEX gets up to leave out of the front door that is still open.

FITZ

(irritated and tired)

Where are you going now?

DEX

…Leaving?

FITZ

Well, don’t. Biana is going to think

I’ve planted you in the backyard or

under the floorboards.

DEX releases an exasperated sigh and sits down on a conveniently placed stool.

FITZ (CONT’D)

Believe me, I wouldn’t say that unless

it was absolutely necessary.

DEX

(his temper finally snaps)

What is your problem, dude? You’ve been

nothing but rude during the ten minutes

we’ve interacted. I understand if you

don’t like me. That’s understandable.

But you’re like this toward everyone. I

can also understand you didn’t want to

do the gig for whatever reason, but

instead of being like that about it, you

could’ve figured out a way to sit in

time out until the last minute. It’s not

that hard. There’s a very nice storage

closet where I’ve spent more hours than

I’d like to admit hiding from people.

FITZ’s hands drop forcefully into his lap.

FITZ

(equally angry)

Why should I explain myself to you? I

couldn’t care less about what you

think. I don’t know why you think I

would.

DEX

Oh, I don’t know, basic human decency?

I really don’t care if you disagree,

but I tried my best to be pleasant,

and you made that very, very difficult.

FITZ

That seems like a you problem.

DEX

Well, I’m sorry you couldn’t tolerate

a single evening that wasn’t precisely

what you wanted to do. That must have

been so hard for you. It’s almost like

I’m not trapped in that coffee shop

every single day.

FITZ

Again, that seems like a you problem.

I don’t see why I should be concerned

with a you problem.

DEX

And I don’t see why I have to put up

with your—

DEX gestures vaguely at FITZ, unable or unwilling to say what he’s thinking.

FITZ

(challenging)

My what?

DEX

Your general existence. I don’t want to

be here as much as you don’t want me to

be here. I would adore being able to

leave you alone, but it looks like

neither of us are going to get what we

want.

FITZ

So you’ve made it your personal mission

to make yourself as infuriating as

possible in the meantime?

DEX

I guess so. You didn’t exactly make it

difficult for me.

The sound of the back door opening stops FITZ from responding. KEEFE enters, mild surprise at seeing DEX but he also doesn’t care that much.

KEEFE

Did you miss me?

FITZ and DEX

(in approximate unison)

No.

FITZ and DEX look at each other—this is a pretty significant milestone in them agreeing on something. They laugh.

INT. SLURPS AND BURPS - MIDMORNING

FITZ enters, the doorbell announcing his presence. He makes eye contact with DEX’S SISTER at the counter.

DEX’S SISTER

Dex! Your friend is here!

DEX appears from the back, expecting SOPHIE or maybe even KEEFE. He has severe dark circles and is immediately irritated by FITZ’s presence.

DEX’S SISTER trades places with him, though she will be listening to their whole conversation.

DEX

What do you want this time?

FITZ

I do believe you’re a tea shop when

you’re not running from the police, and,

as such, I’d like a small Earl Grey.

DEX gives him a look. The kind of staredown that requires invocation of the if-looks-could-kill meter.

DEX takes some of the hot water from the coffee and unwraps a teabag, allowing it to start steeping.

DEX

And you had to come here for that?

FITZ

You’ve got the best tea in the shortest

distance from my apartment.

DEX

You can make tea yourself, you know.

FITZ

Yes, but, you see, then I have to

Interact with Keefe. In that case,

the amount I would spend in bribery is

significantly greater than venturing

out into the world.

DEX

I can almost see that.

DEX hands FITZ the scalding mug of tea. FITZ touches it and flinches away.

DEX (CONT’D)

Can I get anything else for you today?

FITZ

If you have a least favorite muffin,

I’ll take one of those.

DEX studies the muffins for a long second before choosing a victim. It is placed into a white paper bag that is slightly too small for both his hand and a muffin.

DEX

That’ll be $1.05

FITZ takes out his wallet and slides over a $20. For reference, this is roughly $350 when adjusted for inflation. That is also why the price of a tea and muffin is scaled the way it is.

DEX’s eyebrows react appropriately to the amount of money this is.

DEX

(projecting calmness and irritation)

Singlehandedly paying for a week’s rent

isn’t going to make me like you.

FITZ

Okay. That’s not going to stop me. Just

think of it like a starting point. A

deposit in exchange for dealing with me

and my—

FITZ gestures vaguely at himself.

DEX

I’m never going to live that one down,

am I?

FITZ

(almost, but not quite, playful)

Not if I have anything to do with it.

DEX

Lovely.

FITZ

Careful, I’m willing and able to have

Keefe perpetuate it even further.

DEX

I hope you know that my siblings have

already added it to their very limited

vocabulary, so there’s really no need.

DEX realizes this may result in additional perpetuity because it sounded like he was trying to make FITZ stop and that means he could take it as a challenge.

DEX (CONT’D)

Although, I guess there is a constant

need to make me suffer as much as

possible, so it’s really up to your

discretion.

FITZ takes the tea, no longer giving him fourth degree burns, and his muffin.

FITZ

Would you care to dine with me on

this fine morning?

DEX makes sure there aren’t too many customers, in case he would be needed to work. There are not. Most of their income comes in after sunset.

DEX

(loud so his siblings can hear)

Yes, I would like to get paid to not

work.

FITZ flashes a small smile that DEX does not see.

FITZ and DEX sit at a booth in the corner for minimum visibility. There aren’t many other people and if they get into another argument, they don’t want to be public entertainment.

DEX

It really is remarkable how determined

you are to both piss me off and remain

a patron here.

FITZ

Well, I’m sure you could solve the

latter fairly quickly.

DEX gestures widely to the doorway to the kitchen, where his siblings are trying to not be caught eavesdropping.

DEX

Behold. The reasons I am physically

incapable of kicking you out. I do that,

I’m never going to hear the end of it,

and that’ll get out to the rest of our

customers—because of course it will—and

then suddenly they start going down the

street for their mediocre morning coffee.

FITZ

Well, I’m not a coffee person, so I can’t

review yours, but your Earl Grey is quite

nice.

DEX lowers his voice conspiratorially.

DEX

It’s even nicer with a little splash of

something. If you get what I mean.

FITZ

(voice low to match)

It’s not even noon yet.

DEX

Then come back later. Time usually

travels linearly in the forward

direction, and then it’ll be after noon

and you’ll have to come up with a new

excuse. If that new excuse just so

happens to be that it’s not five

o’clock yet, wait until I tell you about

what else time can do. It can travel

linearly. In the forward direction.

DEX’S BROTHER #2 (O.S.)

And we don’t have a band tonight so then

maybe you’ll perform and Dex will be—

DEX turns and points at him.

DEX

Don’t finish that sentence if you don’t

want lead poisoning.

FITZ smiles.

FITZ

Allegedly.

DEX

Allegedly.

DEX turns back to FITZ.

DEX (CONT’D)

You don’t have to if you don’t want to.

FITZ

And that sounds like you’re trying to get

rid of me. I’ll see you tonight then.

FITZ brightens his smile and leaves. DEX doesn’t take any opportunity to argue with him, despite the fact that he has more than enough time to react.

When the door shuts, DEX releases a big sigh, deflating.

INT. SLURPS AND BURPS - AROUND SUNDOWN

Slurps and Burps is once again filled with many patrons, and they are once again filling the room with chatter. The piano is already in place, as are BIANA’s saxophone and KEEFE’s drum kit.

FITZ

(at KEEFE)

Stop looking at me like that.

KEEFE

(feigned oblivious innocence)

Like what?

FITZ

You know what you’re doing. Being all

self-righteous.

KEEFE

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

FITZ cycles through a few arguments before deciding it isn’t worth it.

FITZ

Forget it. We don’t have time to argue

about this. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I

do have a small change to the setlist.

KEEFE

Shouldn’t that have been discussed

previously?

FITZ

It’s not like you would care either way.

What’s it you tell me? Fitzroy, it’s

jazz, nobody cares about the setlist.

Half of it is already improv.

KEEFE

That might be accurate, but that doesn’t

mean I like it.

FITZ turns away, grumbling to himself and searching the crowd for DEX.

When he does eventually find him, FITZ smiles hesitantly.

FITZ

So this might be an odd request, but

please hear me out before you say no.

DEX

(already irritated)

Go ahead.

FITZ

(quickly, in a single breath)

I may or may not have a tendency to

process things by writing songs, which

I’m sure is a massive surprise

considering why I’m here. I don’t

remember exactly why I was talking to

Sophie a couple of days ago, but that’s

beside the point. Anyway, I happened to

be blessed with the songwriting curse

immediately after she left, and when I

emerged from the cave, the song’s point

of view was a little wonky. And by that

I mean, of course, that I tried to

project into your head, which is really

weird now that I’m saying it out loud.

DEX

Calm down. I don’t need you passing out

on me. I don’t want to call Elwin. He’s

already mad at Sophie. I don’t need that.

FITZ takes a deep, slightly shaky breath.

FITZ

On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely would

it be that I could ask you really,

really nicely to do the verse that’s

attempting, probably very badly, to

be in your point of view so that I

don’t have to ask Keefe to do it?

DEX

About a -7, presuming it’s a logarithmic

scale, but I’ll do it anyway.

A pause.

FITZ

Why?

DEX

Don’t question my motives. Just be

aware that I don’t know what I’m doing

and if I think about it too long, I’m

going to go cry in the bathroom, so

don’t let me think.

FITZ

Got it.

A longer pause, FITZ contemplates telling DEX something to help with the fact that his blood pressure is visibly rising.

BIANA (O.S.)

Fitz! It’s nine. Get going.

FITZ

(yelling over to BIANA)

Who is this punctual person and what

have you done to my sister?

FITZ turns back to DEX and pulls a crunched piece of paper out of his pocket.

FITZ (CONT’D)

Here’s the lyrics. I didn’t have time to

formalize any sheet music, but just kind

of…vibe with the music. That’s kind of

this whole genre’s mission statement,

isn’t it?

DEX

I am regretting my life choices.

FITZ

I’m sorry to hear that. You’ll be fine,

though. If not, I’ll bribe everyone with

muffins until the complaints stop.

DEX

(physically shaking)

Okay.

FITZ takes his place at the piano, making eye contact with KEEFE.

FITZ

Trust me, okay?

KEEFE smirks.

KEEFE

Yeah, of course. I’d let you lead us off

a cliff.

FITZ

A wouldn’t expect anything less.

FITZ begins playing an introduction, underscored by low rumblings from KEEFE’s floor tom after the first bar. FITZ’s focus remains squarely on KEEFE.

FITZ (CONT’D)

(singing)

HE LEANED OVER THE PIANO

WITH THAT MISCHIEVOUS GLINT IN HIS EYE.

HE’S BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING

AND NOW THERE’S NO GOING BACK.

The tempo ticks upward as KEEFE’s drums develop into a polyrhythm. FITZ leans back, his gaze landing on the ceiling.

FITZ (CONT’D)

THE WORLD IS ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD

I’M HANGING ON TO WHAT I’VE ALWAYS KNOWN

WHAT I’VE KNOWN HAS GOTTEN ME THIS FAR

WHY BOTHER CHANGING THAT?

FITZ finally looks at DEX, his irritation over the past few days on full display in his tone. The instrumentation drops out for a beat.

FITZ (CONT’D)

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT WITH ME?

WHY DO YOU FIND SUCH PLEASURE ANGERING ME?

IF I COULD LEAVE, I PROMISE I WOULD,

BUT I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO ESCAPE.

I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE

AND SO I’LL KEEP ON OCCUPYING YOUR SPACE.

DEX’s voice is so soft even the people standing next to him probably cannot hear him. He’s staring firmly at the ground. It’s not exactly symmetrical in the vocals or instrumentation with the first verse, but there’s no need for it to be.

DEX

(singing)

SHE’S ALWAYS MY WORST INFLUENCE

BY PUSHING ME OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE.

IF ONLY SHE WOULD UNDERSTAND

I WANT TO FIND AN ESCAPE.

DEX gains a bit more confidence, staring at FITZ’s shoes and singing slightly louder.

DEX (CONT’D)

THE WORLD IS ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD,

I’M STILL RUNNING FROM WHAT I’VE ALWAYS KNOWN.

WHAT I’VE KNOWN HAS GOTTEN ME THIS FAR

WHAT MORE CAN LIE AHEAD?

DEX fixes a death glare on FITZ.

DEX (CONT’D)

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT WITH ME?

WHY DO YOU FIND SUCH PLEASURE ANGERING ME?

IF I COULD LEAVE, I PROMISE I WOULD,

BUT I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO ESCAPE

I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE

AND SO I’LL KEEP ON OCCUPYING YOUR SPACE.

Two bars of SILENCE echo through the room.

FITZ and DEX

(start softly, crescendoing)

IF I STAY HERE AND YOU STAY THERE

I’LL STOP STEPPING ON YOUR TOES

IF WE PRETEND LIKE NONE OF US CARE

MAYBE IT’LL COME TRUE.

THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I’LL EVER LIKE YOU

AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIKE ME.

PACIFY THE ELDER GODS

AND THEN WE’LL BOTH BE—FREE.

There is a long break, filled with instrumentation. BIANA and her saxophone have a whole narrative arc. DEX goes and runs off into the back, trying to never be seen again.

FITZ

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT WITH ME?

WHY DO YOU FIND SUCH PLEASURE ANGERING ME?

IF I COULD LEAVE, I PROMISE I WOULD,

BUT I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO ESCAPE.

I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE

AND SO I’LL KEEP ON OCCUPYING YOUR SPACE.

END SHOW

#kotlc #fedex week 2023 #fedex #detz #kotlc fedex #kotlc detz #dex dizznee #kotlc dex #kotlc fitz #fitz vacker #ship: fedex #series: fedex week 2023 #character: fitz #character: dex #character: keefe #character: sophie #character: biana

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harrowharkwife · 2 years

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"it should hopefully buy us a bit more time." 👀? this is not the first time (ha!) that the idea of 'buying time' has come up this season. just food for thought.

may bringing her boyfriend darius by as a surprise, her parents not knowing who to expect, thinking she was bringing a friend or a roommate but instead she brought her partner.

"no, this is all wrong. you've got Schipp International sitting next to ZenithPro. / the donors are seated exactly as you asked, sir. i wrote down all your instructions verbatim. / welp, you must have heard wrong. we all make mistakes, just put RevitaThon next to Post-Everest and we should be fine." schipp/ship, right by zenith? the seating charts being wrong and needing tweaking. revitathon- like, revived, revitalized, rescued, brought back, made new again next to POST-EVEREST. as in, just beyond the mountain peak. or, in storytelling terms, the climax. the ship (buddie) can't be at its zenith (peak, glory days, its brightest) just yet. just move the buddie comeback/revival to right after the big plot climax and we should be fine. Y'ALL. THIS IS IT. especially after that very loaded dialogue from karen in tomorrow, about the programmers "finding the exact right series of maneuvers to make the robots do exactly what we want them to do" and "we need to make sure every single piece of this mission is in perfect shape to give it the best chance of success."

"what are you waiting for? just fix it." us, lol!

"i fantasied about it so many times, you have no idea. but this time i think my subconscious actually made it happen." manifestingggggg

"i'm just saying, i thought we were past the whole keeping secrets phase."

"sometimes talking about your dreams makes it seem all too real. sometimes the fantasy is better than the reality." this paired with earlier lines from animal instincts, "probably knew it'd make for a good cover. smart kid" and "sometimes half the thrill is thinking you're getting away with it." y'all.

"no idea. he's not spilling, i don't feel like pushing."

"i can't believe we're doing this. i know. we're finally about to live our fantasy. this is gonna be so much better than a plane. everybody does a plane. this is legend." you Cannot tell me these lines aren't the writers getting hyped about being able to say they made buddie happen, how groundbreaking it would be. this happening, overhead but hidden and out of sight, while the firefam talks about first kisses? and secret crushes? and said first kisses making you realize you've been looking for love in all the wrong places, and ignoring the perfectly good option that was right under your nose, because you'd just never considered it before? yeah, no, this was loud. especially combined with a line from earlier this season that was something like "we've been working on this mission for five years now. if we don't do something big, we'll get left behind."

"that sounds traumatizing. / illuminating, actually. i realized i was kissing the wrong suarez. his sister martina was more my speed." just like how eddie was originally written for the girl buckley sibling, but the writers + jen realized her brother buck was more his speed?

"i don't know why i tell you guys anything."

"keep young people too distracted to see what's really there." i'm incredibly iffy/hesitant on including this one, considering who said it 😬😬😬😬😬 i highly doubt it's foreshadowing, and that scene/plot was about may & darius & athena, and important social commentary on incels, above all else. i only mention this line bc when i was going through the script it reminded me that there's been a general theme so far this season in terms of weird one-off dialogue lines referring to buying time, element of surprise, paying attention, distractions, secrets, etc. i don't think it's all a coincidence, not with this show. not when the season pilot was literally titled "let the games begin." nope.

"listen, may, fantasy or not, there's no room for error in these situations."

"great. so we lost the element of surprise, too." you guys i cannot begin to explain how much this made me go 👀🚨🛑🧨⁉️ ESPECIALLY after an earlier dialogue line this season where maddie said "you just learned how the element of surprise can shift a listeners focus and make them pay attention"

"he knows that his options are running out real soon."

"-roll cold. no lights, no sirens." secrecy, and element of surprise, AGAIN

"i understand. not everyone's built for my pace." not everyone's willing to stay tuned for this slow of a burn, and i think they get that, but they're not willing to compromise on their storytelling and rush things just to satisfy the audience. this is a good thing!

"so how long are we gonna be able to convince ourselves that this is a sustainable way to live? / as long as we need to. when the right dream house presents itself, we'll know. but in the meantime, this is a pretty great fantasy, too." LMFAO this one is pretty self explanatory. when the time comes, we'll know, but in the meantime this is still a good story. this is especially juicy paired with all the back and forth re: buck, and happiness, and when you're "truly at ease," you'll know.

"so how long do you plan on standing guard out here? just until they get inside."

"all those milestones start to seem like a stupid fantasy. / looks like that fantasy's turning into a reality. how's that feel? / pretty damn good." you guys. it's happening.

"bobby: with everything may and darius have been through, i don't mind waiting for dinner, but how much longer? (does this not sound like us, talking about buddie and the shooting and the will?) athena: i think they're almost done." (‼️‼️‼️)

"there is nothing quite like being young and in love. or just in love." we ended the episode on "in-love". and not young love, either- stable, mature, deep, true, adult love. hm.

all this, in one episode. y'all this ep was fucking loud.

#it's coming and it's going to be soon and it's going to be when we least expect it #911 #911 meta #911 spec #911 speculation #buddie

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