#for that film i think it's important to remember that they're just one interpretation of them/the source material <3

[cobragardens]

Notes on the Scene in Job's Basement

Crowley is not tempting Aziraphale here. He's experimenting on him.

Getting Aziraphale to sin, or even getting him drunk, is not Crowley's intent in this scene. Eating food, taking pleasure in food, drinking alcohol, and even being drunk are not sins in most of Judaism or Christianity (and they're certainly not sins in British Christianity, regardless of any church's doctrine). When Aziraphale turns down alcohol, Crowley just suggests he try food instead; so it's not important to Crowley what Aziraphale tries, but it is important to him that he try something.

This scene is also the first time (chronologically) we see that Crowley likes to drink and likes to be drunk.

We know from

and from

as well as from Book Omens and Word of God that angels have no instinct beyond curiosity pulling them toward eating or toward gender. From this we can reasonably presume they have no instinct toward Beverages either.

That means that in this moment--

--Crowley is very likely the only metaphysical entity he knows on either side of the divide, or even knows of, who has ever experienced a physical pleasure.

And he probably has some Lingering Questions about it, like we all did the first time a physical pleasure blew our minds. Like,

Is it this strong for everyone?

Is there something wrong with me?

Am I going to hurt myself if I do this, like, a lot?

And it's not like the poor creature can ask anyone, because the answers for humans aren't necessarily going to apply to him.

So when he sees an opportunity, Crowley gets that one angel he knows who'll talk to him to try a human thing, and then he watches to see if physical pleasure hits the angel as hard as it hit him.

And that's why he looks so creepily pleased when it does.

Apparently it is this strong for everyone and there isn't anything wrong with him. Now he can relax and get sloshed without worrying, and he even has someone to talk to about how rad human stuff is.

A Dip Into Speculation

We know because we're shown this isn't the first time Crowley has gotten drunk that, watching Aziraphale, Crowley understands what he's seeing. I think it's really interesting that Crowley doesn't laugh at Aziraphale at any point during this scene, and he doesn't correct the way he's eating, either.

Maybe it's because this is what it was like for Crowley the first time. Maybe he got so drunk he passed out and woke up in a puddle of his own sick. Maybe he got so drunk he passed out and didn't wake up at all, and there was Paperwork and he had to get used to a whole new corporation just when he'd got the hang of having legs in the old one. Maybe somebody had to show him how to use a fork or whatever they had going on for eating utensils in Ancient Mesopotamia. I distinctly remember having to learn as a small child to chew with my mouth closed. There is every possibility Crowley doesn't consider the way Aziraphale is eating to be worthy of ridicule because whatever Crowley did the first time was worse.

Maybe he wants to leave Aziraphale set up for later embarrassment over his table manners. Aziraphale was a judgy bitch about the wine.

Or maybe it's something like Let him have this one. There can be rules to it later; let him just enjoy it, once, like a little kid with both fists in their birthday cake.

Maybe it's desire. There is some textual evidence for this. Once Aziraphale learns to eat properly, the way he does it is very attractive, and we know Crowley loves watching him do it.

I don't think it's overreaching even to interpret David Tennant's physical performance of Crowley watching Aziraphale eat as one of sensual or erotic pleasure. I mean--

I'm not saying it absolutely has to be erotic, but it's not a reach, or even a full extension of the elbow, to read it that way.

There's another meta somewhere [I'll link it when I find it again; if you know this meta, please drop it in comments!] that discusses how this exchange in Job's basement is filmed like an erotic scene.

Like Crowley, we all want to kiss this face.

Aziraphale isn't eating prettily, but he's eating lewdly, ravenously, desirously, and it's lit like romantic sex, not like gluttony. Whether that's funny or poignant or hot may depend on the viewer. Here's how Crowley's handling it:

Srs tho, any frame of this scene could have been painted by Artemisia Gentileschi.

Or maybe--and this is my favorite of the available interpretations--maybe this is what it was like for Crowley the first time and he doesn't interfere because he wants Aziraphale to come out of this as someone who's had the same experience Crowley's had so Crowley won't be so totally alone in having had it.

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

Okay, so there's two things being discussed in here that I will try to answer separately.

The first is about Obi-Wan "lying" to Luke about the Darth Vader/Anakin distinction and implying that they're separate people. I tend to agree with you that Obi-Wan isn't doing this for his OWN sake, but is in fact doing it for Luke's because Luke ISN'T READY to hear the truth yet. Mark Hamill has said that he sort-of sees the moment on Bespin when Luke falls away from Vader as almost like a suicide in some respects. If you take that as your interpretation of what happens in that scene, then it's pretty clear that Obi-Wan wasn't wrong about Luke not being ready for this particular truth.

Even if you don't take that as your personal interpretation, I feel like assuming that Obi-Wan was separating Vader and Anakin for his OWN benefit is just a disingenuous reading of the text. Once the truth is out and Luke calls him on it, Obi-Wan has no issue discussing the topic more overtly. And Obi-Wan is incredibly calm when facing Vader in ANH, there's no obvious conflict in him during that sequence. He knows who he's facing, he knows what it means to him, and he's prepared to manage it. He's completely in balance, which is why he's able to just let himself go in the end. If Obi-Wan were truly incapable of handling the whole CONCEPT of Anakin being Vader, I feel like we'd have seen way more distress in him in this film and in this sequence, and we'd see him attempting to try to continue the practice when conversing about it with Luke in ROTJ.

What they have Obi-Wan do in the Kenobi show is actually the OPPOSITE of what everyone assumes is happening. Obi-Wan isn't forced to separate them in his head because he can't deal with the pain of thinking about it, he's just choosing to mourn the version of Anakin that he remembers, the version of Anakin he raised and loved. He HAS to move on, he has to let go, or he'll remain as stuck in the past as Anakin himself is and won't be of any use to anyone. I do love that the separation seems to come more from Anakin himself than from Obi-Wan, something that the Kenobi show didn't even begin. We see Anakin say something similar to Luke in ROTJ and Ahsoka in Rebels, too. Anakin being incapable of coming to terms with what he's done and therefore having to separate who he was from who he's choosing to be is ENTIRELY in character for him. Anakin CAN'T accept change, he CAN'T accept reality, that's such a major core of who Anakin is and why he does the things he does. What Obi-Wan is doing is just accepting that Anakin has CHANGED, that he's choosing to be a Sith, and so he can mourn the person he remembers while accepting that the person who currently exists is now his enemy (and not someone he can save).

Which leads nicely into your second question which is about whether Obi-Wan WANTED Luke to kill Anakin or not. Let's look at what the dialogue is.

Luke: There IS still good in him. Obi-Wan: He's more machine now, than man. Twisted and evil. Luke: I can't do it, Ben. Obi-Wan: You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again. Luke: I can't kill my own father. Obi-Wan: Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope.

Now, personally, this doesn't scream to me of Obi-Wan WANTING Luke to kill Anakin so much as it does Obi-Wan recognizing that so long as the Sith remain alive and in power, there will never be peace.

However, you will notice that Obi-Wan never actually SAYS that Luke has to kill Vader. He says that Luke has to FACE Vader. This is important because the OT is, for many reasons, LUKE'S story. It's not actually Anakin's. And one of the major things happening for Luke across ESB and ROTJ is that he has to face his own darkness and accept it in order to rise above it. That's what Vader represents. Vader is not the tragic hero Anakin Skywalker at this point, he's just the physical manifestation of Luke's own darkness. Obviously you can choose to look at this scene with all of the context of Anakin's story from the Prequels and TCW and all the numerous other things that have been released since then that explore Anakin's character further and add more nuance to him. But the truth of the matter is that this scene was written long before any of that was out there in the world. Lucas had some idea of how that story was going to look, he'd written out a certain amount of it, but it wasn't something that was SUPER impacting the story being told in THIS film. This film is NOT Anakin's story. It just isn't.

And the other thing that happens in this scene is the revelation of Leia as Luke's sister. So not only are they discussing the manifestation of Luke's darkness, but they're bringing in a representation of LIGHT, as well, of Luke's GOODNESS. His love for Leia, for this person who's done nothing but fight for peace and freedom since we've met her, who's most well-known line is about HOPE, who is constantly being dressed in white to help get all of that across. THAT'S the other side of the coin. So this scene is telling us that obviously Luke HAS good in him, of course he does, but that he also needs to accept that he has the capacity for darkness, too, or that goodness can be corrupted towards evil, the same way his father's was.

Balance means making the choice to face your own darkness and accept it in order to be able to control it so that you do not succumb to it. And balance is what makes the Jedi who they are. Luke will never be a true Jedi until he achieves balance, and he can't achieve balance until he faces his darkness. So sure, what's happening on the surface is that Obi-Wan is telling Luke that he has to be willing to face the possibility that he's going to have to kill his own father. Other people have pointed out that, with additional context from things like the Prequels and even the Kenobi show, Obi-Wan is saying that Anakin likely won't GIVE Luke another option and that Luke needs to be able to do better than Obi-Wan, finish the job Obi-Wan was unable to complete before. And I'm happy to sort-of incorporate that more Watsonian idea into the Doylist concept of Luke just needing to face his own darkness, but the Doylist one HAS to come first and so many people choose to ignore it in favor of just getting mad at Obi-Wan for telling Luke he might have to kill his father or everything is doomed. Looking at it like that is really such a surface-level reading of the scene that ignores all of the deeper meaning of the entire story Luke has gone on over the course of three films, to me.

[idleglowingpixels]

I was rewatching Monster High: The Movie (2022) cause the sequel's coming out next week and upon rewatch, the fucking signs that Komos was actually Hyde's son not from the writing but from the COSTUME DESIGN for him was so striking to me that I'm pissed I didn't realize sooner.

Not only does he have the glasses, sideswept bangs and general human appearance of Jackson (minus the horns, I think in this universe Komos's mom was like a centaur or something, would explain why he's still so human-looking besides the horns), but there's nods to Jackson and Holt specifically all throughout his outfits in the movie.

(Also for the sake of ease I'm referring to the teacher as Komos cause typing Hyde Jr. or something constantly is gonna drive me nuts)

First, there's his main outfit which we see across the film as well as in promotional images, and YOU CANNOT FUCKING TELL ME the posing for his promo pic wasn't an intentional nod to Jackson LIKE LOOK AT THIS SHIT!!

The main thing that strikes me is the inversion of the yellow/gold and blue with Komos's tie and shirt, also the fact the colors are significantly desaturated in comparison to Jackson's flashy yellow and blue. My interpretation of this is that it's representative of the bad-guy/villainous interpretation Komos represents, in comparison to Jackson/Holt which seem to be a rare good-guy/positive interpretation of Jekyll and Hyde. It's like, yes this is the Jekyll/Hyde guy of this gen, his outfits are nods to G1 but is otherwise an entirely different character than Jackson/Holt. Which I mean, I do respect the writers for not having Komos be this gen's Holt Hyde and just as "Hyde's son," I feel like separating the two (three??) characters is and was the best decision. Just two different interpretations of the "descendant of Jekyll and Hyde" thing.

Another part of the decision to go with Jackson's more traditionally nerdy or professional type of fashion style is interesting to me. Komos does not want to be perceived as his Jekyll half, he wants to just be Hyde, hence why he refers to himself as Hyde's son not Jekyll and Hyde's son. And yet, it's like he can't deny his human Jekyll side. To be honest Jekyll's only referenced a few times in the movie (which okay, Hyde's the monster half, I get that, but you'd think he'd be a little more important yeah??) so it makes sense they're focusing on Hyde more but I did find it an interesting decision.

Next there's THIS OUTFIT which on rewatch made me audibly point like that soyjak meme like "THAT'S A REFERENCE TO JACKSON AND HOLT CAUSE OF THE YIN YANG DUAL COLOR SHIT"

Red and blue are mainly Holt's colors, but Holt's signature outfit's shirt is also dual-toned, split through the middle.

It's just with Komos, there's less of an emphasis on the yin-yang thing Jackson & Holt had in their interpretation of Jekyll & Hyde -- he's unbalanced in comparison to them -- hence it's not a black and white cardigan. Also, THE BOWTIE! Can't get more obvious with the Jackson nods than that.

There's also this outfit I wanted to mention, the one he wears during the Founders' dinner toward the end of the movie. Notice It's fully red-toned, where his initial outfit was mainly blue-toned, and the cardigan showed the transition between. It's like at first, he's studious and mellow-natured with a bit of flare but nothing too crazy -- Jekyll. Then when he's wearing the cardigan, he asks Clawdeen about her research, almost insisting she provide him the information she's gathered because of his desperation to lose the duality going on with him. And finally, at the end, he takes the potion his father made, fully embracing Hyde and abandoning Jekyll once and for all.

---

That's pretty much all I wanted to mention regarding the outfits, but I remember when I first watched the movie, I was severely disappointed that Jackson/Holt were basically confirmed to not be making a return in this generation (or at least in the live-action films but I imagine it'd be pretty confusing to have two characters represent the same specific monster character in the same gen). They were a really underutilized character concept outside of Ghouls Rule, and I feel like especially with Clawdeen being half human in this version that they could've been friends or something!

Maybe Jackson/Holt could've served as the antagonist of the film in Komos's position, but not out of malice, moreso misguidance. Holt was kinda hinted at in his diaries to have depressive symptoms, it would've been interesting to explore that with how he might have low self-esteem because of his half-human-ness. Also, apparently Deuce in G1/G2 was half human too? Why did they get rid of that this gen??? I don't know why they keep shifting representation around at times.

Questionable decision making aside, I actually did enjoy this movie a lot. From an objective standpoint it's a DCOM-quality movie with average writing (except Frankie bro they were funny as hell in this movie), slightly more fashionable outfits than DCOMs, and a basic self-acceptance plot. There's several movies, including one or two in G1, with similar but better-executed writing and storytelling and similar themes. But DAMMIT I can't get enough of this movie when I see it. It's a comfort movie. :'D

I could go ON about the Jackson/Holt erasure all throughout this movie, especially with the rumors it was based off an abandoned movie concept for the two back in G1, but this post is too long already and I've distracted myself from my work enough. :'D If anyone on this side of Tumblr wants to hear that ramble, I shall ramble about it another day.

Also, HAPPY SPOOKY MONTH!!! My Monster High AU is beginning this month with the main 5 ghouls' designs as well as a one-shot I've written. Maybe stick around for that if you want to idk! :D

[flagellant]

What's your favorite depiction of werewolves (including any idea that is like, a generally humanoid person turns into a more animalistic type creature, like twilight princess or sonic unleashed)?

It changes per media.

Literary: Honestly? Twilight. Set aside all the Mormon fuckery and the quantum indigenous appropriation. The way that werewolves work as a sort of metaecological immune response, as a way to keep your community safe against foreign parasites? Big sexy. And then there's the supernatural traits of the pack being able to essentially hivemind? Again emphasizing the point of community and cooperation???? Aaaaaaugh. And then the actual creatures themselves literally just being wolves the size of thoroughbreds???????? I'm really sorry but Twilight werewolves really were just the biggest bait to me. That said, there was a pair of books which I cannot overstate how influential they were on me: Goosebumps' Werewolf of Fever Swamp set me down a lifelong fascination with the act of transformation, and then there was this one short story, and I swear I wish I could find it because of how much it has stuck with me, but I cannot find any information on it and haven't for years.

The whole plot of the short story was just this teenage boy who volunteers at a vet, gets bitten by a fox I think, and then it just has this absolute strangest descent/transformation into werevulpine vibes? I remember, or at least I think I do, very clearly that the fox was growing out of his stomach or something, and there was this very tense dinner scene where it was chicken for dinner? I truly have no idea where the fuck I read it, but I think it was probably my first experience with lycanthropy-as-adolescence-metaphor intermingling with lycanthropy-as-sexuality metaphor. And it probably shows, if anyone else happened to know what this story was.

Tabletop: Okay so I have to preface this by saying I actually hate World of Darkness Werewolves. I kind of hate it in general with very few exceptions, it always feels as though it's openly offensive or blatantly trying to show how definitely-not-offensive the 2.0 is (which just highlights other problems that weren't addressed at the root). With that said, the sociocultural implications of WoD Garou are honestly really neat! Especially because--again--their purpose is as protecting their communities from metaphysical threats and dangers! That is so fucking compelling to me--and the history they have intraculturally, with how they interpret themselves, their theology, and their place in the world--I find it all potentially fascinating. And as much as I fucking hate the fucked up nazi ecofash werewolf tribe concept just as an idea that needed to exist in that manner, any game where I can be both a werewolf and a nazi-killer is a game I will try very hard to critically support at least certain parts, and tabletop makes it easier to just throw away bullshit I dislike and keep the stuff I do like.

HONORABLE MENTION: Exalted Lunars, which aren't so much werewolves as they are furrybait flesh warping nightmare shoggoths who luxuriate in heresy and taboo, whose very presence in reality functions as a sort of existential terror akin to The Thing, except Lunars can also steal your memories along with your shape, so like, get fucked. They don't play like werewolves at all, so they don't get to be the actual victor, but I love them and everything about them so much that it'd be irresponsible not to mention them.

FILM: I have two answers to this, and they're both equally important. The first is An American Werewolf In London. It was the very first piece of film which has a non-wolfman type werewolf. It is also surprisingly a little bit camp in certain parts, but it's the original transformation sequence which gets its spot here. I would rewatch it on 2008 YouTube over and over and over, fascinated by it in the same way a fractal is. AmWolf is an incredibly important piece of werewolf media for a lot of reasons which are far more important, but for little-kid me, I just thought it was the coolest shit.

And then the other movie is Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf. Mostly bc I just really loved Scooby-Doo growing up and I also really loved werewolves so there'd be no contest. In hindsight the fact that it's a blatant speed racer parody is the funniest shit in the world to me. It's not actually even a mystery at all! It's just Scooby-Doo Speed Racer Monster Mash!!!!!! I love that! It's the sort of crazy silly media we don't get to have anymore, not really.

POETRY: Yes, I'm making the last favorite media rep a poem. You'll see why in just a moment.

[mod-doodles]

If Sydcarmy is not meant to be interpreted in a romantic light, why is it easier to make romantic edits of them (with little to no scenes taken out of context) than it is to produce edits of the actual canon romances on the show?? We've just had them in two short seasons with mostly 30 minute long episodes and we've already been given enough incriminating material against them...Like, it's apples and oranges, since one is a film vs. a series and they're two different genres, but peep how many romantic fan edits there are of them compared to let's say Juliet and Dawson from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or some other romantic work. If you don't plan on making them romantic then Mr. Storer, Sir, brother-man, babes...then why tf are you giving us so much romantic material? 🥴

Me if Sydcarmy isn't romantic endgame:

‘Oh ye of so little faith…’

(Me a cynic trying to put my faith in a production team that has done little to appease my anxiety)

Is it that they are testing the waters to assess the audiences reaction to the potential romance? Are they trying to protect Ayo from the vitriol fans have been known to spew at black female leads on shows where they are paired romantically with the white male lead? Are they being truthful and this is not going to be the happy ending that I would prefer? Unfortunately only time will tell.

As a optimistic cynic lmao, I’m not only trying to be hopeful and delulu but between the very heavy handed romantic cues, the parallels that we don’t get of any one else on the show and the song they chose to represent season 2 of the show; there’s no doubt in my mind that its not intentional. Is it possible that someone exec can ruin it all sure but I’ll take solace in knowing that FX is the ‘indie HBO’ unlike the CW they tend to take on some pretty risky/non conservative shows. 

Another thing is while I don’t think we’ll get them in a relationship unless we’re really lucky; I think it’s more likely that we’ll get a romantic movie ending. Maybe a big final kiss or something version of what we saw at end of s01 that would be heavily suggestive. A lot of writers don’t know how to write past such a high even in the romance genre, thankfully we have fanfics for the happily ever after and beyond. 

When all else fails I remember Kasama is the goal, and like Genie said I do see a lot of parallels lolllll, the only important one is that the owners are married and operating the business together!

[thatfreshi]

Some thoughts I want to share about the #freshiau

1. I do really love this story, despite the fact that I am in fact very busy, so I apologize that I haven't been able to give it the love I want to consistently. It makes me more and more nervous the longer I'm away from Tumblr to come back and write more. While this is one of my favorite things I've written, I'm a poetry author, a full-time art school student, freelancing and volunteering on film sets, chronically ill, and also just a person who isn't on here all the time. This isn't to like make anyone feel bad for missing my content, but it's just to explain that my absence here has nothing to do with anything about my fanbase of this app, but it's just because I'm a busy creative with a bunch of ventures. Anyways, onto the fun thoughts.

Possible spoilers ahead if you are not caught up to Part 19 of the AU!!!!!!

2. I like this fic particularly because I've been able to take these characters and put them in a situation where their fuck-ups are more forgivable. I don't think anyone in this AU is morally correct 100% of the time, and I know that can be frustrating for some people, but it's important to remember that these are barely adults in their late teens or 20s who are going through a lot of bullshit!! And that's one of my favorite parts about it, is their relationships are constantly evolving because of what they're personally going through and how they react to their friends' problems. For example, Gale and Shadowheart will not hate each other forever! We see this in part 19 as Shadow admits she is just genuinely concerned for Gale's safety and wants her friend back, but Gale throws it back in her face after finding out about her own issues. They do genuinely care for each other, but that fear of what their friend is going through, plus the stress of their own problems, is overwhelming. I really love this dynamic, and I'm excited to watch them be friends again.

3. I feel like some people may not agree with some of my interpretations of the characters, but it's important to remember that they are in an entirely different setting. These characters were originally in a very rough and tough fantasy environment, and now they're in the modern world in a college setting. Their problems are going to be spun differently, and their traits are going to portray themselves differently in a different environment. For example, despite all of Astarion's issues and trauma with Szarr, we see in this universe that he does get to have his own space: the dorm room. In the original BG3, Astarion is never given a space to himself, and therefore has much more fight or flight. Because of this ability to have his own space, he portrays himself differently inside the dorm room, because he gets to have a space that is entirely his. However, before college this wasn't necessarily the case, as we see references to the fact that he lived in his car for a couple of years prior to college. While it was still his own space and he clearly has an attached to it, the evolution of having an abode to himself makes him different in said abode (that cozy, coffee, heavy ass blankets everywhere vibe).

4. As with all my fics, the relationship between Astarion and Tav will not be perfect, but specifically because of their age. Keep in mind, Astarion in the original BG3 is like hundreds of years old, and here he's just about to turn 21. Tav and Astarion have had way less experiences than in their fantasy universe, and have had way less experiences with others. There will be times where these two are not 100% wholesome to each other, because they are two troubled individuals who are getting into a relationship early on in life. While they are well-intentioned with one another, it will get shitty at times, and that's okay! I do promise that there will be wholesome moments, but there's a long road here left to go after a couple of kisses at a Halloween party.

Anyways, I just wanted to discuss some of my thoughts on the series. I cannot currently promise a schedule or anything, but I do plan on continuing this project until otherwise stated. If anyone is curious or has questions about the series, I'd love to talk about it! Discussing my writing is my favorite part of the result. Thanks for staying interested in my stuff, and I hope you guys enjoy where the rest of it goes.

[somethingshifted]

as i wrote, this became longer and longer, so i'm sticking it under a readmore to save your dash, i'm just waffling about the plot

as someone who feels like the band taking their own plot too seriously with plastic beach pushed the writing into a box ever since then, i still find myself wanting to connect each phase to each other. like surely there was an underlying point to be made between murdoc painting the plastic beach pink and the last cult's main color being pink. why is russel struggling again after they've set up shop in LA, his birth country but the other corner, in what i consider tumultuous times that in the end has Del return (even if unacknowledged). but then i kind of shrug my shoulders as canon is still a hodgepodge of 100 things marching in a circle. it's still easily entertainable in my head and i can't help but pick out tidbits i thought have meaning, and re-arrange them in my head like a dollhouse. i may actually dislike it if they did try to connect the two album phases officially and go down a serious route again but PB existing just makes those connections in my head. a fan interpretation is always fine but i think it's best left to the fans. that sounds haughty to say but, for the band to stay a band, i prefer it that way.

so whats the point of this post. the thing is, i'd genuinely be satisfied if gorillaz continued not taking their own plot so seriously, with the disclaimer that i do wish they'd be steadfast with characterization. like it'd be nice if any of them actually held commentary on cults practices considering theyre usually open about their view on world events, but i think enough griping about CI promo material is out there i have nothing new to say other than falling back to CI being a spur of the moment album with a release schedule out of the creators control plus the shitty fact that russel & noodle have been kind of nothing for almost 10 yrs OOPS. they could explore more avenues if they were freed from having to address past events as if they're characters in a storybook and not symbols that change with the times. and maybe if they remembered they can give characters new traits as russel's done things like pick up taxidermy and cooking but only one is referenced for several albums as his sole trait and *zips my lips*

i really feel like a bitch for wanting to harp on the lost chord as it's a beautiful, beautiful song outside of the characters, and additionally i'm a sucker for moments murdoc is faced with how he used to act, but i don't think i'd ever take it as part of a linear plot? which is why i can't fully feel like he's gone back on his word being a cunt to 2D again and falling back into the grandeur lifestyle and all that with the cult stuff.. like, let me wear my pretentious hat for a second but the lockdowns leading people to reminisce about so many things so openly and retreading memories in lieu of making new ones due to being cooped up, resonates more with my feels on the last chord, rather than uh blowing the island up and such and using portals. see, Song Machine can be written around easier bc you can say they're filming the MVs and they're metaphors, even the art reflects this (i didnt listen to the podcasts yet). but then it references the events of PB so openly that you can't just go "well thats the fake MV they shot" and that, incongruence, is hard for me. so was it refreshing to have CI not walk in circles of Murdoc is trying to say sorry guys? yes? i don't know what redemption would do for his character, as the topic of abuse and trauma (when explored with tact) is pretty important to me story wise honestly, but it's kind of... getting repetitive at some points. or maybe too much focus on murdoc 'redeeming' himself at the cost of 2D having traits stripped away and noodle & russ being silent. i don't want the events of plastic beach to be erased from both his and the band's history. having him be the villain of the plot du album is also meh, which is why i can appreciate the less serious canon on him where recent writing is concerned. 2018 is like yesterday to me and they (writers) were still poking fun at murdoc being not only assaulted in prison but also being in the psychiatric ward of prison. like what was that all about, i really really prefer peepaw livestreaming for attention to them taking harrowing events and making them the butt of a joke. i feel like it was handled better in pirate radio even if that itself wasn't meant to be all doom and gloom. it just made more sense. and theresssss my problemmmmm

all that being said i will always adore plastic beach. some of the plot heavy things contain my favorite moments and i'm easily baited with nostalgia so this isn't a bashing post at all... just looking back and wondering if the written material is best when they're dropping tidbits and leave it for fans to imagine up scenarios, rather than adhere to a canon timeline all the time. it's so hard to sum up my feelings on this and stay in perspective of the band because my genuine feeling is that i actually love a lot of the murdoc storylines and i can't reconcile that with feeling put off that it requires believing some MVs and story beats are "real". because i'm shaking the gorillaz dollhouse regardless. and writing angst in my head revolving around how recovery isn't a straight line. and how tbh russel's journey is a direct foil to murdoc's. because all the ingredients are there

like read that and call me a hypocrite, i am! i just have a lot of thoughts. i think if i knew how to write fanfic i'd just shut up and do that but my dialogue writing skills make me uncomfortable due to not being BRITISH.

TL;DR, i'd be satisfied if plot being canonically recognized wasn't a drawback on the band because they honestly suffer when they do fall back on addressing the timeline and treating the characters as Vessels who Had Someting Happen To Them rather than whatever symbol for the current topic of the album. i do think the current writing gets repetitive and sanded down. at the same time i will always encourage fan interpretations regardless because i find those very fun. in being non linear it opens their world up to diff. perspectives. and i #support peepaw listening to weyes blood

[wolfepirat3]

Hi! I have enjoyed some of those western movies you listed, but many of them have eluded me. I'm writing a modern AU and I figured we could help each other out! I get info and you get to talk about your favs 😁 So aside from the Clint Eastwood classics, are there any on the list you'd think a southern, macho soldier guy born in '66 and who is also really into western would count among his favorites? Which one would touch a person who doesn't know how to live out his emotions, but western movies would kinda sorta give him an outlet? Which one has the best villain, which one has the best hero?

Oh my gosh hi!! Sorry for the late reply, but Thanks for the question (and thank you for letting me talk about westerns!) 😁😁😁

for movies, I'd say some of the best to think of are definitely:

-Once Upon a Time in the West, I think Frank is an excellent villain while Harmonica and Cheyenne are, definitely not heroes, but important in their own right and convey a sense of justice while not exactly being 'good guys.' The soundtrack is also excellent as well and also helps set the mood for the scenes, whether it be an intense scene or one with faint hope.

-Shane, it's such an amazing film and I think (from what i understand of how you described the character you're talking about) could relate somewhat, he's an enigmatic and closed off figure in the Starrett's life and you never actually find out what his past is nor where he goes once he leaves, but you can tell that he cares for the family-- hence being part of the reason why he decides to go after Ryker, but you can tell that somewhere in his somewhat grey morals that there's a good and honorable man in him

-The Magnificent Seven, the original movie (despite being a remake of the seven samurai) is one of the best stories ive seen played out in a western. There's a lot left up to interpretation about the seven, but theyre all heroes in their own right because even though they all took a job that didnt even pay well, they were willing to risk their lives to protect a town that none of them have an attachment to. Calvera isn't the strongest antagonist I've seen, but he plays his part well and is able to give the seven a reason to fight.

-Django, the og italian one, is interesting. I don't have much to say, it's been awhile since I've seen it, but it could have something of use. But, Django himself is a curious character, we know virtually nothing about the man, but it's clear that he has a mission and will use his resources to follow through until he achieves his goal.

-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I love this movie. Despite the main characters technically being the bad guys, you can't help but find yourself hoping for them to succeed. The dynamic between the two is fantastic, Sundance being the quiet one willing to do what needs to be done while Butch is the ideas man. It's really interesting seeing how your perception of them is skewed once you remember that they're not good people, but understand and find yourself in the characters?

I'm really hoping this helps you out somewhat and wasn't tooooo confusing? (If you need me to elaborate on anything just shoot me another message and ill try and clarify anything!!)

Good luck on your writing ventures! Have a great day 😊

[hatgame]

UMUMUM *shakes sputters shakes sputters*

HI IM THAT ANON THAT REQUESTED U DRAW MOONJUMPER THAT ONE TIME *i still cry in happiness abt that everyday btw thank you!!!*

BUT UHH...CANN U TELL ME MORE ABT UR THOUGHTS ON SWEETENED DEAL? (Snatcher x Cooking Cat) I THINK ITS REALLY CUTE OKAY BYE THANK YOU! *peddles away on my Dora big wheel bike*

oh hello :) im glad you liked that drawing! & sure ^_^ glad you like it too

i commonly see it interpreted as snatcher n cc acting as hats parents and while that's sweet its not how i see it at all. i like them a lot more as her adult friends who take care of her every now and then but ultimately leave and trust her to handle her stuff, not taking that much responsibility. im not sure what thatd entail but older sibling snatcher (to hat) is kind of fun i guess. EMPRESS IS BOWS AUNT FOREVER THOUGH this im hellbent on.

ok i think i wanna talk about how ccs relationship w hat n snatcher developed. i always thought of cc as someone hat is the most verbal with, relying everything that's happened to her to him. while enthralled, proud and concerned, i dont think ccs that protective of her, hes shown to be much less responsible than people usually write her as tbh. she trusts hats capabilities n skills but still definitely recognizes that she is a child in need of support, and shes certainly warm and affectionate with her, but at the same time its not intruding or obligate, like a parents affection.

i think cc would be somewhat intrigued by what's up w snatcher because their behavior is so puzzling, probably especially so from hats retellings. once snatcher becomes a regular on hats ship (not his territory=cant assert hinself as much as he does in forest), where they probably meet, i dont think shed be intimidated at all, because i dont honestly think hed try to create that impression (it certainly didn't in the cut cafe scene. like, youd expect them to force someone to pay for them, but they're just kinda docile. they cant even get the people around them to answer their question lol)

i think snatchers like immediately completely pacified by ccs presence. i dont think theyd speak at all either. its lije those silent films where you have to rely on expressions and body language to tell what means what. its a little funny abd disarming because its clear they DO want to get something across, and thats a friendly gesture. it signals engagement abd cintact being established. snatcher would probably struggle with non scripted speech so this sort of communication would probably feel the least threatening. also would add to their already strange and interesting image in ccs mind

while idk how likely snatchers would be to actually do that ive been imagining him curling up in the pillows and napping only to wake up to cc sleeping either on top of or near them, since cuddle piles are probably common among cats + ccs impulsive. they probably would straight up forget to react. maybe they wake up to cc kneading them, make eye contact. one of them remembers cat social cues and slow blinks. other one slow blinks back. snatcher lies back down allowing itself to be kneaded. cc lies down on it. it changes position to be closer to it. not a single word said the whole time. its never brought up again but not forgotten.

uhh if they do eventually begin dating and hats there to witness it she probably wouldnt care much. bow would go awwwww Aawww though. mu is disappointed in ccs taste but probably warms up to snatcher eventually since they have a lot in common + snatcher mu friendship real and important to me

Ok this is not all but ill stop now. hope you enjoyed :) thank you for the ask. i really really loved dora the explorer as a kid

[gillianthecat]

that detail you mentioned is so cute, siwon closing his eyes to give daun a safe space, i love that interpretation!

i also find it super cute when they were holding hands in class, dawoon took siwon's hand to comfort him and they could have easily ended the scene there but siwon turned his hand to hold dawoon's hand back and 🥺🥺

also when siwon saw his dad and didn't know how to act so he decided to run! (maybe it's a poor reaction but i've been there) he did not run alone but took daun's hand and daun ran with him

something about that moment feels so metaphorical for their relationship

and daun asked no questions "i guess you figured it out. the person we bumped into earlier was my dad. he has his reasons. it's nothing important" (oh but it is!)

it was his birthday!!! every time i remember it was his birthday and he got to spend it with siwon and it turned out being a really special day for him. i need to sit down

and that little scene where dawoon goes to pick siwon up on his first day of filming with a cup of coffee ready for him... it might be only 30 seconds long but oh it's so sweet, i find their faces in that scene absolutely endearing

this turned out to be just a list of things i love about blueming lol i could talk about the little details in this show for hours sorry to hijack your inbox

i think i read that you liked tms2? i loved it! i think i even enjoyed it more than the first season, something about the already established relationship satisfied me deeply, we need more of it in the bl world! yeah i find it super cute watching boys fall in love but i want more of seeing them navigate that love! what did you enjoy the most about it? hope everything's going well xxx

Yes!! 🍻

You're welcome to come rave about Blueming in my inbox any day, Blueming Anon. I love everything you've said about it.

I loved To My Star 2. I can see why people didn't, it's not really a BL, and of course it's hard to see a beloved couple torn apart. But for me it really worked. I think part of that was because in the first To My Star, Seo-joon and Ji-woo never figured their shit out. So in the sequel it didn't feel like they were tearing a happy couple apart artificially just for the drama, but a natural extension of who they were and and all the things they still needed to figure out. So a similar sequel to Blueming, for example, wouldn't work because Da-woon and Si-won have a much more functional relationship by the end. A lot of the story of Blueming is them figuring out how to communicate and take care of each other, which Ji-woo and Seo-joon never do in the first To My Star. That story is primarily about them getting together, and ends when they do.

My favorite part of TMS2? It's so hard to pick! One thing I really liked about both of them was how much Seo-joon felt like a movie star to me - in the sense that it really felt like he had been warped in the way that a fundamentally good person would be warped by all the attention and lack of privacy that come with it. I don't know any movie stars myself, so I don't know if that's accurate, but it felt that way to me while watching.

A moment that comes to mind now, perhaps because I've been thinking about kisses in BL that feel very specific to the characters and their story (hi The Eclipse👋), is the scene where they're looking for the little girl. It's so revealing of both characters and their relationship at that time--Seo-joon's panic, Ji-woo's almost emotionless affect, which we see in a whole new light when he tells Seo-joon that he's only keeping it together because Seo-joon is falling apart. Their relief, falling to the ground in the middle of the road, something about that just felt so human. And then Ji-woo revealing more about himself and all his complicated feelings about Seo-joon in that one line - "How could you be so honest about everything? How can I ignore you now?" - than he has yet in either of the series. And of course the desperation and relief of their kiss and how much it felt like exes falling back into old habits in a moment of extreme emotions. And it felt well placed in the timeline of the series overall - not a kiss that would fix things, but maybe one that would shake things up enough so they could eventually be repaired.

I also loved everything about Ji-woo's ex-girlfriend Jung Sung-yoon - the character herself, how cleverly they subverted all the audience expectations of the evil interfering ex, how she and Ji-woo processed their relationship and how necessary that was for Ji-woo and Seo-joon to rebuild theirs.

Anyways, in sum, I cannot pick a favorite thing and I could write about a dozen more aspects of the series that I adored, but I will stop with those three. Thanks for giving me an excuse to think about it!

[likeabxrdinflight]

I apologize for the fact that I'm probably going to be listening to/watching a lot of sondheim musicals this week and you're all definitely going to hear about it. but I truly cannot overstate the impact this man's work has had on me. I always loved theater, and honestly I probably have to credit ALW shows as being my gateway into the broadway world. but sondheim...sondheim was on another level. I may not have grown up with sondheim shows, but his are the ones that always leave me feeling exposed and vulnerable, comforted and connected, like I need to lay down on the floor for several hours contemplating the meaning of life or like I should be out there living it. sondheim hits different. dunno what else to tell you.

sweeney todd was my first sondheim show, and it was the burton movie version to boot. I saw it in theaters, I think I was 13. it was a good intro to sondheim, honestly. complex enough for me to get invested but simple enough to not go entirely over my head. and I loved it. something about it hit some emotional beat for me, even at that age, despite the subject matter. there's a painting I did in high school in my mom's closet inspired by the show.

into the woods was next, and this was also my introduction to the broader works of bernadette peters. I distinctly remember watching the filmed version of the stage show one night. I had to stare at a wall for a good half hour after it was done, it affected me that much. it was all downhill from there, really.

follies, sunday in the park, a little night music, company, gypsy, passion...I found as many of his works as I could, and watched many artists' renditions of them, though admittedly none more so than bernadette. her performances always captivated me most, and I've always seen why she was so beloved by sondheim. but though the interpreter is important, the works always stand on their own. it's easy to give a bad rendition of a sondheim song, because they're so difficult, but there's no bad sondheim song. see them performed by someone whose acting and singing choices speak to you, and you'll connect with them. I do believe that.

I also believe there's a sondheim song for just about every emotional experience under the sun. and we were so lucky to have him as long as we did, because he wrote so many. and there's so many you could quote or post in light of his death, so many that are more blatantly about death. but I'm going to leave this one here instead. one of his shorter and most simple, but one that is definitely not about death or loss, but feels like it could be directed at him now.

this performance is one of my favorites because it's exactly as simple as the song needs- a very restrained, pared down rendition during the height of quarantine last year by a singer known for being brash and loud and over the top, with nothing but a basic piano accompaniment and an internet connection. it's gorgeous, it make me sad, and I love it. so maybe that's why it's the song that's been stuck in my head since learning of sondheim's death.

[hey-there-juliet]

Random Drabble Day (2/23)

Summary: First off, let me just say that this is more like a one-shot than a drabble because I'm a wordy bitch and I cannot control myself 😅

That said, I always had a hard time imagining Julie writing some of the Perfect Harmony's lyrics about herself, so I thought why not make this just another song that Luke and Julie wrote together? This is set somewhere between Finally Free and Edge of Great, in that week when Ray was stress-eating. This is supposed to fit back into the show at the end, so it might seem like a cliffhanger, but it's not.

Quick shout out to @jamestkirkish for betaing this for me! I love you and you are amazing! Any remaining mistakes are my own. And to the fabulous Sloan, for helping me out with Luke's handwriting! Enjoy 🧡

Fandom: Julie and the Phantoms

Relationship: Juke 💜

in the great scheme of life and ghosts

No matter how many times Luke insisted that she had been snooping through his things, Julie knew for a fact that she had done no such thing. In reality, she had simply been cleaning the studio when she came across it.

For three ghosts who didn't eat and could barely even touch anything most of the time, the boys sure knew how to make a mess. Every morning Julie would walk into the studio to find the chairs or coffee table rearranged, at least one of the rugs was always askew, and the clothes... the clothes were everywhere, and the worst part was: they reeked. 

And so every morning before leaving for school Julie would shoot them a stern look and tell them to pick up after themselves. Which they did - when she got back home, things were mostly in their rightful place. Still, every weekend Julie would make sure to take a moment away from homework and rehearsal to tidy the place up to perfection, just like her mom liked it. She'd dust off the furniture, water the plants, sweep the floor, and even vacuum the whole place. One Saturday when she was home alone (her dad photographing a wedding, and Carlos at a friend's house), she even went through the trouble of washing all of the guys' old clothes. 

Somehow, and she didn't even want to think about how that worked, the clothes didn't stink when they were actually wearing them, but at any other moment when they made no contact with their skin? Yeah... not good. So she washed them all (three times, using every trick and product she had). She washed them a fourth time for good measure and, by the time she was finished, any traces of twenty-five year old mold was gone, and so was the smell.

So no, she was not snooping - no matter what Luke said - when she came across the crumpled paper ball between the couch and the low cabinet, just behind a big vase her mom had gotten from tía Victoria.

Julie sighed, making a mental note to tell Luke to put his discarded ideas in the bin (again) if he didn't want them anymore, when one scribbled and wrinkled word caught her attention: Perfect Ha-

She bit her lip, staring down at the teasing word. Perfect what? Was it lyrics? Maybe half formed ideas? Doodles? Julie knew Luke liked to doodle in the margins of his notebook whenever he got stuck trying to come up with the next best piece of lyric or melody. She also knew she should probably just leave it alone, put it with his stuff to ask him later if he wanted to keep it, or put it in the garbage. Except the more she glanced down at that damn word, the stronger she felt it pull her towards uncovering whatever else the crumpled paper ball was hiding. 

In the end, the pull was too strong. She'd just take a quick look, make sure it wasn't anything important before she threw it away. And, she reasoned with herself, trying to squish the guilt that was making itself known in the pit of her stomach: Luke had gotten rid of it, so he clearly didn't care much for whatever was in there. 

Not able to resist any longer, Julie carefully unfolded the paper, slowly making her way towards the piano and using its surface as a table to help smooth the page over.

Luke's (horrendous) handwriting covered it with the bare bones of a song, random lines were scribbled in the margins with a couple of doodles for company, and even a little note from their bassist - ‘Reggie was here ;)’.

It took her a minute before the chicken scratches became words, and then Julie's breath left her in a rush, as the guilty feeling in her stomach turned into butterflies and flew away with her imagination. 

It was a song, parts of one, anyway, and - more importantly - it was a love song.

Unprompted, her own words came back to her, "Wow, Luke! I didn't know you were such a romantic." Quickly followed by Alex's short reply, "He's not."

She knew now who Unsaid Emily was really about, but these new words were clearly about a different kind of love. The romantic kind, and Julie couldn't help letting herself believe - just for a moment - that the song might be about her.

Before she could let herself be carried away in a daydream, there was a - now familiar - shift in the air, a sound almost like static, the only thing letting her know of a ghost's appearance. Without a thought, she crumpled the page again and shoved the paper ball in her pocket for later inspection. 

"Hey, Julie!" Reggie's cheerful greeting sounded across the studio from where he had poofed in, and soon - with his "help," bless him - Julie was finished with her weekend clean up. 

As if summoned by the end of her chores, Luke poofed in, ready to rehearse. Alex soon followed; and by the time Julie retired for the night, the song had been almost forgotten where it hid inside her pocket. 

Almost.

***

After getting ready for the night, Julie settled on her bed with the wrinkled page and her dreambox. She read over the words again and again, imagining they were about her.

Step into my world, 

Bittersweet love story about a girl 

Shook me to the core 

Voice like an angel, 

I've never heard before, 

- 

You and me together, it's more than chemistry 

- 

Love me as I am 

I hold your music 

Here inside my hands 

- 

You are my brightest burning star 

- 

We create Perfect Harmony.

And unless Luke had been singing with another girl, there didn't seem to be many options on who it could be about, right?

From the beginning, Julie had felt something connecting her to him; to all of them, in different ways. But Luke had been the one to give her a little piece of his soul right after meeting her when he let her use Bright to earn back her spot in the music program. Seeing his passion reflecting back on her, the way he treated music like she used to, made her miss it more than anything for the first time in almost a year. It made her miss the way it felt to use music to connect with her mom.

After they spent a whole weekend finishing each other's songs and working on new ones, getting to know each other's inner workings - the part of them that bled out feelings into paper to create beautiful melodies, Julie knew she was a goner. Finding out he'd been the one to write the words that shaped her taste in rock certainly didn't help. Like he'd been helping her find her way to music long before they even met.

Her crush on him had been inevitable from the start, and while falling for him was probably one of the worst things she could’ve done, it was too late to stop it. She'd been free falling for a while, and hopefully she'd land in his arms soon enough. Reading over his words again gave Julie a warm fluttering in her stomach that made her think he was more than ready to catch her once she reached the ground. 

Carefully folding the piece of paper, she put it inside her dreambox, then placed the box back on the shelf.

***

The following week went by without any hiccups. Every once in a while, Julie would remember Luke's song and a familiar warmth would fill her up, leaving a soft smile on her lips and glazed eyes staring off at nothing. Just as often, Flynn would have to shake her out of her daydreams.

She didn't think much would come of it until her dad decided to throw the band a party so he could film them and post their video on YouTube. Which was fine. Amazing, even. It was most certainly great! Until Luke came to the school, staring at her with his stupid, beautiful, awed eyes, and with his soft, perfect smile, saying things that made her combust and melt, all at the same time.

"I think you make me a better writer." 

    "I think we make each other better."

Calling Nick 'Luke' was bad enough, but slipping into a complete musical sequence as she danced with him? "Goner" didn't even begin to describe her. 

Like the other times they'd written together, the lyrics flowed through her, finishing the song he'd started with the same ease as one would take a breath.

Julie knew that whatever was going on between her and Luke couldn't happen or, if it did, it couldn't last. In fact, in the great scheme of life and ghosts, she didn't know much, but what she did know was that - be it in life or in death - love was constant. 

He didn't need to have a heartbeat or to be able to touch her for her to love him. He was just as real to her as the next person, and whether it would hurt in the long run or not, it didn't matter. 

She knew Flynn was only looking out for her, but that ship had sailed, and Julie was already so lost in his ocean eyes that avoiding eye contact wasn't going to bring it back. She would entertain her though, even knowing it wouldn't work. Just like the tide, eventually he'd pull her right back in.

She could love him just as he was, for however long they had together, and especially after that.

-

End notes: I hope you guys enjoyed it! And, if you'll notice, at the beginning it kind of gives off the impression that Luke eventually finds out about the song and Julie tells him how she found it. Which may or may not lead you to believe that they're in a relationship. I guess it all depends on interpretation though ;)

Oh, also! Shout out to the chaos squad folks that guessed right! You guys are no fun :( /j lmao

[callonpeevesie]

I don't know what I'm going to unleash with this question, but I'm asking it anyway — what are your opinions on Charmurti (1978)?

Oh man you unleashed all my petty rage and nitpicking, god bless. Heads up for anyone who likes it, I'm going to BITCH. And disclaimer that I haven't watched the movie in a couple of years and I'm going off memory.

So. To start off I'm super nitpicky about adaptations especially when the source material is something so important to me so I rarely like any adaptations of Tenida. And my criticisms are possibly too harsh. I don't mind changes to minor story details, I really don't. Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies did that. Minor adaptations don't bother me as long as the general essence is faithful and changes are often necessary for book-to-film adaptation. My problem with Charmurti is that Umanath Bhattacharya does not seem to Get the essence of the story and characters.

First of all What was that ending oh my god. I don't remember exactly what happened but there were some dumbass fight sequences which. what was the point? The book had a perfect climax, it was dramatic and funny but not over the top, it was Handed to you on a Platter and you choose to drag it longer for no reason? Eijonyo desher kichhu hoy na. Even more than the disservice to the canon ending, what bothers me about the ending is that. they're not meant to be op. They're literally just kids who want to have a good time. They're not meant to like, fistfight criminals while cops uselessly hang around in the background. I cannot stress this enough, they're average humans. Chaotic and dumbass yes, but they're not Fight Sequence people. Adaptation directors be like "this generally peaceful domestic character can fistfight. As a treat." (Byomkesh Gotro I'm looking at you)

Anyway moving on. Manna Dey's intro song was nice though the other songs were So random. The comedy was. well. I don't exactly remember why I'm not a fan of the comedy but it seems like the sort of easy-flowing humour of the books translated to pointless yelling and slapstick comedy in the movie? I think it ties in with the director not Getting It but I don't remember these things very well so I'll give it the benefit of doubt.

Now my favourite part: the characters. I did not like Chinmoy Roy's casting At All. I don't get why he's so hyped up in that role because it was objectively bad casting? I mean I know why, it's because people interpret Tenida as slapstick comedy with no depth, but I don't understand. He just didn't have that Personality or even look the part tbh. And you know what? Prabhat Mukhopadhyay whom Tenida was based on didn't much like his portrayal either. Validation right there. (I wish I could link the article I read that in but I can't find it rip)

Habul, Pyala and Kyabla were good appearance wise. Vibe wise not so much. Kyabla was. Idk he's so chill in the books, but he was just? yelling all the time in the movie? He honestly felt kind of dull compared to book Kyabla's bright personality. I really wish I could appreciate the part with Kyabla being emo about Habul being kidnapped but I can't, it's just so over the top. Like the movie does show that they care about each other but it's hard to take seriously because everything is so extra, unlike how in the books there are wholesome parts and they seriously Experience Things even though the style is lighthearted.

And speaking of Kyabla, why are the filmmakers so obsessed with his mother and if they are why don't they show her properly? They rushed through the main plot while wasting half the time on her. The 2012 movie did that too, she's there in the movie all the time and serves no purpose except moping around. She's Not Like That. She was super chill in the books (Kyabla came from somewhere right?). She's the only functional character in the series imo but that's just my opinion. I just? If you must drag her into the story for no reason then do it properly jeez.

Habul was one of the few redeeming qualities of the movie though. And Santosh Dutta. Shantosh Dutta being in the cast is always a good thing. Jhonturam was great, and as far as I remember I liked Satya Bandopadhyay and Rabi Ghosh. I don't remember anyone else rip. Habul was accurate to the books, they somehow miraculously retained his subtle humour and the actor did a Wonderful job with the whole joking with a straight face thing. Genuinely made me laugh in the same way book Habul does, love him for that.

I saved Pyala for last because ofc I'm most passionate about him. He was SO UNDERPLAYED. He comes across as just super try-hardy and extra™ and all he does is whine and get dunked on all the time? Not that I'm surprised, he's always underplayed everywhere. If I were to voice all my grievances about his misinterpretations we'd be here all day but my biases aside: Pyala is super important in the books right? The plot follows him because he's the narrator obviously and that's enjoyable because the reader has that extra connection with him. He affects the narration so much. Sometimes he has more protagonist energy than Tenida and that's fine, Tenida is not meant to be More Capable than the rest like Feluda is.

This is what adaptations go wrong with. They always hold up Tenida as the MVP and don't bother to establish the relationship between Pyala and the viewer. Yet the plot follows Pyala anyway even though he's not established as that special. Why? Why would anyone care so much about him? Either give him the importance he has in the books or nerf him and change the narration accordingly. This is just lazy.

Adapting books with first person narration to movies without first person narration is hard. Afaik some of the Byomkesh movies keep Ajit the narrator and that works. Feluda movies don't keep Topshe the narrator and that also works because the narration is adapted accordingly. In case of Tenida I honestly feel the best way is to keep the first person narration just because the narration affects the story so much.

Yeah I think that's all I have. All that being said, I don't actively hate it, I'm mostly meh on it (especially after seeing the 2012 movie, the 1978 one seems like heaven by comparison) and I guess I only have so many grievances because I'm extra possessive about the books. I don't think it can be judged separately from the books either because it's Supposed to be a direct adaptation. The plot mostly follows the book (other than that ending) so that's good. Overall I guess it's fun but lacks a lot of nuance of the books. THANK YOU for the ask, it was super fun to let off all this steam.

[annetteblog]

I got a very long ask and wrote even longer reply, and now Tumblr for some reason doesn't want to publish it through asks. So I'm making a separate post, because what else can I do? 😀 I hope Anon wouldn't mind

Hi!

Thank you for such a long ask! I really enjoy replying those, although it may take some time to actually write whatever I have on my mind 🙂 However, I feel like for every question that you posed, it's possible to write its own big reply or even an essay, so this piece of mine probably won’t give them justice (but I’ll try my best.)

As usual, one big IMO.

1) Ethics, “gueer coding” and discussions

I believe I’ve already partly touched this subject here. Shortly, I think that everything the boys did (and still do) had its own purpose. They decided to put these "undertones" (or whatever one may call them) in their art. They made some statements with a very small room for interpretation. And it didn't happen once or twice. More like, it's been a consistent behaviour throughout years.

I don't buy this excuse some fans write - "oh, he just didn't know about this/didn't understand how it looked like/didn't..." So apparently, JK wasn't able to figure out shit about Troye, didn't give a damn about his GCF, didn't think how his tattoo looked like; JM didn't realize to what conclusions could lead his quite bold words about 4am or waking up and seeing JK; both of them didn't have second thoughts about the Black Swan dance; Bang PD is just a CEO who pays zero attention to BTS in general and KM actions in particular (which sometimes actually backlash, e.g. that stop gay fanservice thing after the Seoul concerts), because he clearly just doesn't care AT ALL; whatever PR service they have in BH is just asleep all the time... Etc etc etc, you got the idea

Well, if one wants to perceive JM, JK and BigHit as a group of complete morons with no brains, this "oh, they just didn't know" explanation may work. But if all of them were idiots, how would BTS become the biggest group on a planet? They are smart enough, deal with this.

And YET. KM still do what they do. It's their choice, so apparently they have their motives. You wrote it yourself too - "Jikook and BH put out all that stuff for a reason."

Keeping this in mind, I truly think it's fair to discuss queer undertones or KM's bond. It's meant to be discussed and speculated. They made it public, and they continue to make it public (and quite obvious, to be honest). Why? Well, I guess they want us to speculate.

From here comes the second point

2) Art and its interpretations

In general, I believe that any good art should allow various interpretations. That's what a good piece of art is supposed to do - provoke a thought. As well as it's quite customary to analyze and (sometimes) overanalyze art. Thousands of universities worldwide have programs which are focused on fine art, literature, theater, music, film, etc.

And why is it okay to write about Avengers or Madonna or whatever weird art you're able to find in the closest Contemporary museum (like a banana taped to a wall), but not okay to interpret BTS' songs and/or performances? Again, I strongly believe that art is meant to be discussed. Especially as cool as theirs 🙂

Actually, some popular fandom theories turned out to be true here. Since Spring Day release on Feb 2017, fans speculated about its connection to the Sewol ferry tragedy based on the song's lyrics, MV and choreo. We got this confirmation like when, December 2020? But before it was also just an interpretation.

Coming back to KM. Combining these with the idea that JM/JK/BH clearly know what they're doing and how it may look like, I don't see a problem in having various interpretation of their art. Including queer ones.

3) Escapism

Isn't all art targeted to escaping in a sense? We want to take a break from reality and/or mundane life or just gain some new experience. In this sense what's the radical difference between staring at pictures or sculptures in a museum, watching a movie, reading a book or scrolling through Tumblr reading BTS/KM centric posts? All of these are means to escape and entertain ourselves.

As for this "if they are a queer couple, is it okay to derive pleasure and 'what a beautiful love story' feelings from two members of systematically oppressed minority?" - and you would prefer doing what - ignoring them? pretending that they don't exist? 🙃 In case if they are a queer couple, I guess showing support and benevolence is even more important. Exactly because, as you mentioned, they are a part of the oppressed minority. And the hatred is/would be definitely in place.

4) Fanfiction

Oh my, what a controversial theme these days.

Firstly, some forget it was not invented in the 21st century. Even slash fanfiction (cough Star cough Trek). As for incorporating real people, it's been a part of literature for like what.. always? There are millions of different writings about emperors, nobles, military figures, lives of saints, etc. And it's not like personal opinion of people in question bothered those, who write or wrote about them. I clearly remember a scene in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, where Alexander I [Russian emperor 1801-25] after losing a battle against Napoleon, hits a birch tree with his sword while crying hard and just being kinda hysterical. Would real Alexander be satisfied with such image if he read the book? Idk 😄

About having "the right to comment on such [different from your own] experience". I suppose, if authors wrote only about what they had experienced, our literature would be 95% poorer than it is. How can one write books in historic settings if they didn't live there? How do books about future and space travel exist, if we live in 2021? Is it needed to be a part of mafia to write about mafia? What about other cultures? Should an American author write only about American people and American lifestyle or it's fine to have characters from other countries?

Writing is not about experiencing something and then making a fanfic or a book, it's more about research and compassion. If you have reliable info on your theme and are able to look at the world using different lenses, why not?

I don't perceive fanfiction as a worldwide evil. Sure, there are creepy examples as well as authors, who write fetishizing weird shit. But it doesn't mean that all fanfiction=bad and all slash fanfiction=objectification of male homosexuality. Fanfiction is just one form of fiction, it can be good or bad based on how it's written. But the label itself doesn't define anything, as well as reading it should not be a reason to accusations.

5) Jikook, shipping and politics

I'm among those, who perceive pretty much everything as a part of politics. We all exist within some political conventions and have certain political laws over our heads. And yes, it includes art. Even if an artist says something like "oh, I decided to stay away from politics, my work is beyond it". The decision to stay away from politics is also political, because apparently there was something within the political structure what made this artist say that and forced them to make this distinction between them and some institutional conventions.

And that makes me believe that shipping/supporting KM is also political. But I don't think it's necessarily bad? Basically, you decided to support potentially queer people from a country, which doesn't really approve LGBTQ+. It puts you in the opposition towards a particular government. You made a choice. You could google some SK stuff, read all that you mentioned in the beginning of your ask, and say something like "oh, that's not okay there? well, fair enough, I guess their government knows better"🤠 and forget that this KM thing even exists. But apparently you didn't

Imo, is it politics? Yes

Is it bad that it's politics? Well, no? 🙃

|

P.S. I hope I was clear enough with my ideas. Thank you again for the thought provoking ask, and I hope I'll hear from you again 🙂

And honestly, I don't think that you're problematic in any way :)

[skyeknight-hyperfixations]

This spot in the Hinterlands

This tower. After doing a few quests, or basically walking around the hecking map of a place, whenever I walk through this place (first time only at least) a banter usually triggers. They're talking about another movie reference. So whenever Solas and Cole do that, whoever is in the party comments on it at least once. So this is always Bull's line to it.

Depending on who's on your party at these moments, the follow up always changes.

So if you're going through a new playthrough, you could save before entering through here the first time. Get a party member you want to hear a banter with. And go through here again after maybe 15-20 minutes of doing other quests nearby or what not.

I can't guarantee it. But since it happened twice for me has got to mean something.

Spoilers alert below

Cole: She wants a Chantry, but it does other things instead.

Solas: She did not need a Chantry, she needed to remember her faith.

Cole: But it also spent time with her. It wanted to fall, feeling.

Solas: They are always attracted to the world of the living.

Cole: Why did it only talk facing one way?

Solas: We all have a face we want to show, and a face we we do not.

(References the film The Bishop's Wife)

───────

Cole: It sees him ready to jump. Pain pounding, pulsing, life of frustration can finally fall, to freeze.

Solas: Ah, yes.

Cole: It holds him high, shows the hole, where everything falls without him. He never needs to leave. He matters here.

Solas: That is one interpretation, yes.

Cole: You think it is different.

Solas: I think he fell, and it held him as he died, leaving him with images that told him his life was worthwhile.

Cole: That's much sadder. But yes. Calm, comfort, as the cold takes him away.

(References the film It's A Wonderful Life)

───────

Cole: It makes sense. It holds them as they die. But then it's a man, and he wants a woman. Why?

Solas: When they possess people, they often indulge in feelings they have never before experienced.

Cole: But it changed. It is blank, black, blunted from being. It never wanted before.

Solas: Have you felt no interest in women since you came through the Veil?

Cole: No.

(References the film Meet Joe Black)

───────

Cole: They can only return to the Maker if they become real. Why can't they be forgiven as they are?

Solas: People say they lack the ability to learn or grow.

Cole: Yes.

Solas: But the more contact you have with this world, the more ability you gain.

Cole: Why would they want to prove the Maker wrong? He's already far away.

Solas: It isn't about right and wrong. It's about attention, when you think you have been forgotten.

Cole: And rolling the ball so it goes in the hole.

(References the film Dogma)

───────

Cole: A war in the Fade, waged with human hate. (Shudders.) I should never want to see that.

Solas: It would be a terrible thing.

Cole: It was wrong to hide it in the child. It hurt her.

(References the 1995 film The Prophecy)

───────

Cole: They left for love, and then love lost them. More pain, more joy than anyone can bear, and yet they embrace it.

Solas: How could they not?

(References the film City of Angels)

───────

Cole: It was a game, but more than a game. It meant he would get a family.

Solas: Competition brings passion, Cole, and passion lets people attach import to trivial things.

Cole: Why didn't they help at the end?

Solas: People wish to accomplish the truly great things on their own.

Cole: They didn't give the boy what he wanted.

Solas: They did. The boy got a family.

Cole: They gave him a new one. He wanted his old one. I would have done it better.

Solas: The wise must sometimes give people what they need, not what they want.

(References the film Angels in The Outfield)

───────

Cole: Why would they want to make people fight? Why would they fight the Maker?

Solas: It is easier for people to believe that they were tricked into making terrible decisions.

Cole: The brothers shouldn't fight. They should tell their troubles. Their father didn't teach them to talk.

Solas: Often a problem, yes.

(References the television show Supernatural)

Other Companions' Comments

(Other companions will comment on Cole and Solas' cryptic conversations the first time they hear them. These comments always occur immediately after any of the slightly obscure pieces of dialogue.)

(if Cassandra is in the party)

Cassandra: What are you two talking about?

Solas: It will make little sense unless one has spent more time in the Fade.

(if Vivienne is in the party)

Vivienne: You should not encourage that thing.

Cole: Solas is not a thing.

Solas: Well said.

(if Iron Bull is in the party)

Iron Bull: Right. You two just work whatever that is out of your system. Like poison. Weird-ass poison.

Cole: It's good. I can explain.

Iron Bull: I really didn't ask.

(if Dorian is in the party)

Dorian: It's fascinating listening to you two. Like working out a puzzle with only half the pieces.

Solas: I'm pleased you're enjoying yourself.

(if Blackwall is in the party)

Blackwall: The two of you make no sense sometimes.

Solas: That is a matter of perspective.

(if Sera is in the party)

Sera: You're both nutters.

Cole: You want to be the one with the words that wander.

Solas: True.

Sera: Stop it!

(if Varric is in the party)

Varric: There are times I almost understand the two of you.

Solas: You are a rare soul, master Tethras.

[ornament-of-rhyme]

Hi! I read your Spazkins fanfictions and I think they're really adorable! Can you perhaps give us some headcanons about them?

Hi there! Despite what it may seem,considering how long it’s taken me to reply to you, I am goddamnstoked that you asked about this! (I am so sorry to keep you waiting,though.) Thank you for asking, and thank you very much for reading mystories. I’m happy you liked them.

As the length of this post can attest,I have a lot of feelings about these characters to share with anyonewho will listen, but I must confess that many of my headcanonsdevelop during the writing process. Seeing as I’ve only written acouple of short fics for this pair, I still haven’t developed myversion of them as much as I would like. However, I do have someheadcanons, both for these characters as individuals and as a couple.It’s entirely possible they’re not exactly interesting HCs,but they help me flesh out the characters as I continue working withthem.

Before I go on, I want to take a moment to state that these are only headcanons, interpretations, and observations, not things that I am trying to present as fact or push into fanon. I’m just having too much fun with these characters.

Since you read my stories youalready know, but for anyone else who stumbles upon this, when Iwrite these characters I use the names Gilbert “Gil” Braun akaSpaz, and Edwin "Eddie/Ed” Hopkins. I’m also throwing in a fewheadcanons about another background character in the film, listed inthe credits simply as Stick, though I call him Norman “Norm”James. In my mind, he’s Gil’s best friend, so he’s relevant toSpazkins in that way.

This cutie is Stick, by theway:

Now, on to the headcanons! Hopefully Ican put them in some sort of coherent order. (Note from future Orn:This post oscillates between being a disorganized essay and a list, but hopefully it’s intelligibleanyhow!)

I’ll start with Gil and Norm, seeing asI headcanon them as having known each other the longest out of thesethree. In fact, I like to think Norm was Gil’s first friend atWelton.Norm was given the nickname Stick by his peers becausehe is the smallest kid in their year. Seriously, look at the guy.

Stick indeed.

I began to associate him with Spazbecause the two of them are seen with the Poets multiple times in thefilm—including at meals, where they are the only two non-Poets atthat table. I imagine they have complementary personalities, and werefast friends because of it. Likely they were drawn to each otherbecause of the things people think are odd about them; namely, Gilhaving health problems and Norm being small and thin. I headcanonthat Gil and Norm are able to bond over being avid readers of sci-finovels and pulp fiction, and once they’re out of school they becomeequally eager viewers of The Twilight Zone. (The latter, Edwin findshimself enjoying as well.)

In my mind, Norm is related in some wayto Nolan. Grandfather, uncle—I don’t know how yet, but I amdetermined to work this into one of my future stories. Due to hisrelationship to the dean, he isn’t bullied like Gil, but he is teasedon occasion, as most boys know he isn’t the type to tell Nolan. (It’snot like he’s overly fond of the man, either.) The teasing he gets isnot as rude as that which Gil has received. But after a number ofyears at Welton, someone came along who did much to stomp out theworst of the bullying on Gil’s behalf…

Two years before the events of thefilm, Edwin Hopkins enrolled in Welton Academy and was assigned adorm room with Gilbert. It was tense at first, with Gil unsure how tointeract with someone so aloof and, according to how Edwin presentedhimself to his peers, apathetic. However, they slowly built up acompanionable relationship when Edwin began to take it upon himselfto blandly intimidate or retaliate against those who teased orbullied Gilbert. Edwin wouldn’t react violently, or even loudly, buthe knew how to get people to knock it off, if only temporarily.

At first, Edwin was taken in by Gil’smore awkward, innocent demeanor and became protective of him becauseof it, while Gil’s feelings developed as he floundered in surprisethat he is being defended by someone he would have expected topartake in the bullying. They started speaking more in their room,and their friendship developed from there.

After Edwin madeit known to others that Gilbert was under his wing, so to speak, thebullying generally eased into lighter teasing. Though it remained anissue for Gil, his time at Welton improved significantly with thischange.

And while Edwin is something of aguardian angel to Gil, Gil pulls his weight in the friendship.Gilbert is the voice of reason, the wiser mind, of the two boys. Heknows how to get Edwin to listen, to stop and think before doingsomething reckless or impulsive. He also takes care of Edwin in hisown ways; he makes sure Edwin is awake in the morning and doesn’tmiss breakfast, offers help with homework, puts in an effort to cheerEd up if he is brooding, and so on.

Edwin is surprisinglythoughtful when it comes to Gil’s needs as well. As I wrote in TheSickly and the Meathead, he even thinks to tell Gil where he’sputting aside his glasses, that way he doesn’t have to blindly searchfor them. This is because when it comes to something he cares about,Edwin is quite detail-oriented. This is also the case with hisinterest in carpentry (touched upon in Safe in the Boughs, as well aslater in this post.) He considers the little things, and he thinksahead. Along that same line, Edwin checks in with Gilbert to makesure he doesn’t miss any doses of medication. He does it so casually,one would think he’d been doing it for years. Gil might be puttingaway his clothes as Edwin works at his desk, and without turningaround Ed asks if he remembered to take his medicine. Gil says yes,because of course he remembered, Ed grunts in acknowledgment, andthat’s that. Gil thinks it’s sweet.

Another way Edwin expresses hisaffection is through gifts, and the best example of this is TheBlanket of ‘58. See, Gil has two more blankets on his bed than theother boys, but they don’t hold in heat well enough for him. Knowingthis, in late November of his second year at Welton, Edwin gives Gila heavy crochet blanket as an early Christmas present. His motherbegan working on the blanket the previous winter after Edwin wrylycommented that his roommate was likely to freeze to death during oneof the cold winter nights at Welton. Despite his typical stoicism,she saw his fondness for Gilbert early on and was eager to make ablanket for this friend who mattered enough to Edwin to be mentionedoutside the context of sports and class. Later, Gil’s mother wouldexpress her thanks to Mrs. Hopkins by inviting their family todinner, where the parents hit it off. It is this meeting thatinitiated the friendship between the Hopkins and Braun families.

Above all, Eddie is a man of actionover words, and thus it is through his actions that he mostfrequently expresses his affections. Touches, kisses, favors—whetherrequested or not—he makes it known to Gil how he feels. And hisfeelings can run deep, especially where Gilbert is concerned. Even ashe threw himself into building their tree house (featured in Safe inthe Boughs), Edwin more than once indulged in idea of one day havinga real house to share with Gilbert.

All that said, it isn’t entirelyunheard of for Edwin to verbally express his feelings to Gil. Termsof endearment they’ve come to use are simply “baby” (Edwinaddresses Gil as such, though it is in private and not too frequent)and “Eddie.” Edwin’s pals at Welton often refer to him asEddie, too, but he finds that Gil’s voice can make it ring with sucha level of emotional intimacy that it may as well be an entirelydifferent name.

Kissing was a bit difficult for them atfirst. It took the two of them a while to get used to heavy kissingdue to Gil’s braces, but eventually they learned how to work aroundit. Another problem that occasionally crops up is that Edwin is verygood at taking Gil’s breath away, and as nice as that sounds, Gilneeds as much as he can get because, of course, he suffers from SteveRogers Syndrome. That is to say, his medical records are expansive,but he’s not on the verge of death. He is even able to participate insports at Welton, but is given much leniency. Chess and croquet aremore his deal.

Alright, I feel like this would be agood time to talk about their hobbies and other activities.

I believe Hopkins may canonicallybe captain of the soccer team. Though if this is the case, why did heflub his kick in the poetry/soccer exercise? To joke around? I don’tknow. My jury’s out on this one, but I think it’s interesting. I’mmostly basing this theory on the shirt he wears in these scenes:

I don’t know a dingle damn thing about sport ball, but I’m pretty sure that shirt denotes something important.

(Along a similar vein, though it isn’tnecessarily relevant to this post, I believe Keating may be thecoach. He even has a history with soccer. According to his schoolannual, he was the captain of his soccer team for a bit.)

Along with soccer,I have a headcanon that Edwin has a passion for carpentry! It beganwhen, as a child, he was told that Jesus Christ had been a carpenter.Thinking that was rad as fuck, Ed took a strong interest in it. Eventhough his faith grew weaker over the years, he maintained his lovefor carpentry independently of that.

General aloofnessaside, Edwin also likes to joke around with and show off in front ofhis friends. He’s even willing to do so in front of authority figuresif he thinks he can get away with it. Though he doesn’t strike me as someonewho brazenly defies authority when he knows it will end inpunishment. Keating in particular has proven he is willing to put upwith Ed’s dumb shenanigans—though, as is shown in the movie, hedoesn’t appreciate or reward them. I agree with Keating’s jabs at thestunts he pulls. They’re not just disruptive, they’re lazy. I like toimagine that the laziness of the jokes is more of a bother to Keatingthan the fact that they’re happening in the middle of class.

As for Gil’spreferred activities, he is a pianist. The organ player at Weltonpicked up on his interest in the instrument, and offered to teachhim. Gil agreed, and discovered he enjoyed it. As he pursued theactivity outside of Welton, his family was able to procure a pianofor their home on which he continued to practice. He also enjoysbird-watching. (With this in mind, Edwin gives him a new pair ofbinoculars for his birthday one year. He doesn’t get the appeal ofthe activity, but Gil lights up when he talks about the birds, so Edhas no qualms humoring him.) And as I said before, Gil has fungeeking out with Norm over sci-fi.

Now for some stragglers:

-Gilbert’s fatherreminds me of George McFly. That’s all I have to say about that.

-Gilbert’smedications are kept in Hager’s office, so Gil has to visit him inthe morning and before bed to take his medicine.

-I can’t tell forsure if it’s true to life, but I like to imagine that Gil is tallerthan Ed.

-Edwinloves the silkiness of Gil’s hair, and Gil likes to card his fingersthrough Ed’s shorter 'do. And, though he doesn’t appreciate the cause,Ed thinks Gil’s consistently red nose is adorable.

-Edwin’s friendsat school are not a tight-knight group. Notice that as he smugly readhis Truly Great poem The Cat Sat On The Mat (coming to a poetry slam near you), Hopkins was looking for the reactions of some of the boys around his own desk. None of these boysstood at the end of the film. Not saying this is canon, but it makessense to me.

-Gil’smother embroiders handkerchiefs before gifting them to him. Some aremonogrammed, others are only patterns or simple images. He sometimesfinds it embarrassing, but she puts so much love into herembellishments that he has never spoken a word of dissent.

-And finally, if you manage to catch agood look at Hopkins in the film, he has some birthmarks on hisface–small indentations on the left side near his hairline, and aline coming off the outer edge of his right brow. Wait, I have ascreencap for this one, too!

Sometimeshe’s asked if they’re scars and what caused them, and just for kickshe comes up with a different answer each time. He doesn’t care thatpeople notice, and isn’t particularly self-conscious about them. Moreoften than not he only remembers they exist when Gil gathers theinitiative to press his lips to them.

And that’s my current lot of Spazkins headcanons!

Thankyou again for asking, iamidentical. Your question not only helped me think more complexly about these characters, but it also led to a new idea for a Spazkins fic. It felt good to share thesethoughts with you.