#i’m only 3 episodes into hill house but i already like it more than bly

[blackmagicanimation]

i wanna know how you rank mike flanagan’s netflix series, for me it’s

1. midnight mass

2. the haunting of hill house

3. the haunting of bly manor

i’m curious what everyone else thought of them!

[novelconcepts]

(1/4)In one of your tags from the gifsets when Jamie walks into the kitchen and Dani first saw her! I just realized how oblivious until now with that narrative “how the au pair felt when she first saw the young woman” I was even oblivious with the way they look at each other. This is a romantic set up! To be honest, at first I thought they would not get along at first, and will come to parts where they’d start a fight one way or another.

(2/4)And then the part where Jamie asks Owen if he thinks Dani is pretty, the way Owen blushes I swear I thought that Owen and Dani were gonna be a couple!! Thanks goodness Owen answers he’s only got eyes for Hannah!! I mean, I started this show with a blank page without knowing if there’s any lgbtq character (I was hoping since we got Theo from HH)

(3/4)This says so much how we often, in media, being disappointed, being called too much as we read between the chemistry of any interaction of two same sex characters! And here’s in Bly, they set us up with that romantic first not-encounter encounter and we had to step back to see if this is intentional or we’re being reading too much again!

(4/4)And then nine episodes later, we got the most heart wrenching true love story of two women! Masterchef kisses!!! Thank you show! I was starting to root for Dani x Jamie interaction after their 1:1 with Jamie tries to calm Dani. What about you, what moment from the show that got you root for them?

So, here's the thing about me: I will always, always ship the ladies together in a show. And, like you said, I’m very accustomed to being let down when showrunners decide that in order for character to be queer, it has to be saying something. Like, they have an allotment of queerness they have to dole out. And to have a story coming in on the heels of a really successful show where we did have a queer character--and a really well fleshed-out one who never felt like she was gay for gay’s sake, but still, a character in the ensemble rather than The Lead--I felt like...in most other shows, that would have qualified as the “allotment”, as it were. “We already gave you Theo, what more could you ask for?”

So Dani turns up in this show and I think, “Okay, she’s a delightful Midwestern 80s girl with some real trials on her shoulders, she clearly lost someone, let’s see where this goes.” And I honestly didn’t think she was going to be anything onscreen, in terms of romantic story. I sort of assumed that if she had lost someone, the crux of her story was going to be about coping with that loss and moving on. Even when they introduced Owen, I didn’t think, “Oh, okay, here’s the romantic co-lead of the story”; they did a really excellent job of having both parties perform that car ride with platonic care. Like, we have the potential to get along really well, we’re likely going to bond, but there were no long camera shots of one watching the other, no sense that he was going to have interest in her or vice versa. They felt like instant friends. So, I thought, “Okay, cool, she could use some friends, she’s probably still going to just have this arc of coming to terms with losing this person.”

And I didn’t know who she’d lost yet, so I did think it could have been anyone. Brother. Father. Friend. I wasn't sure it would matter, I just figured that was going to be the focus.

And then Jamie walks in. And in retrospect, you’re right: this setup for romance was instant. The introduction, the narrator’s line, the way Dani looks up, the quick glance Jamie gives her before promptly pretending not to notice, all of these are textbook filmmaking tricks to Introduce The Love Interest. And Jamie, naturally, is styled like a classic lesbian in every way, so I thought, “Huh. That’s interesting. But they already gave us Theo last time, so...”

Which is deeply unfair. It’s unfair to the creative team, it’s unfair to the story, it’s unfair to me as a viewer, to have that knee-jerk assumption on my shoulders. And I like to think that Bly surprising me as it did will help me not make that I’ve been burned assumption in the future, because...we really have come a long way. But even so, on this first watch, I thought, “That’s interesting. I could ship it. But I don’t think that's the story they’re going to tell”, because I didn’t yet trust the creative team to prioritize queer relationships on the same level as straight ones. 

Things continue, and we get all the little clues that, in retrospect, are huge: Jamie thinks Dani is “too pretty” and quite frankly can’t shut up about her. Dani physically brightens when Jamie’s in the room. Jamie reassures Dani that she’s doing well, and does so with the gentlest nudge at flirtation, and Dani swivels her whole body to follow Jamie as she leaves, making sure to catch every last glimpse she can before Jamie disappears into the house. And we’re getting these clues from other characters, too, in the way the kids exchange that look when Jamie’s first introduced, in the way Owen constantly looks to Hannah with every indication that he’s not kidding in the least when he says he only has eyes for her. But I still wasn’t...sure I could trust it. 

Which is silly. Because there is nothing, not a single thing, that is subtle about this love story. The music cues, the camera work, the angling of the actresses toward one another in every scene they share. The way Pedretti makes certain Dani looks the easiest in her body and in her smile when it’s Jamie making her laugh. It’s so intentional all the way down, like the entire team was saying, “Here. This is important. This is valuable. And we absolutely refuse to let anyone watch this show and say, oh, we didn’t feel it. It came out of nowhere. Couldn’t they just have been friends?” 

Episode 3 went a long way to hammering it home, of course. Between the conversation on the couch about love and possession, where the silence between them stretches on with a sort of comfortable heat, and the way Dani looks at her--and the camera looks at her--when Jamie is asleep on the couch, and that final moment with the hand grab, I realized they were really going for this thing. And obviously by Episode 4, you’re supposed to know what’s up. The gloves are off, the story is fully tilted in this direction, and I think it was around this point that I started to realize who the narrator probably was. Originally, I think I thought she’d be a very grown up Flora; once I realized Jamie was in fact the Romantic Lead of the piece, I went, “Oh. Ohhhh. Oh shit.”

The moral of the story here is, I trust this team now. I trust them to prioritize queer love with just as much “this is normal, guys, get over it” care as straight relationships. And, frankly, it makes me re-evaluate my opinion of the sexuality tackled in Hill House. The first few times I watched that show, I thought, “God, it’s nice that they gave us Theo. She’s flawed, she’s human, she’s funny, and her being gay is non-negotiable.” Now? Now I watch it and think all of that while also thinking, “You know what? Luke could be queer. His response to Joey all the way through really reads more like a friend who wants to help, with nervous confusion in the event that she nudges too close.” And especially after that interview where Victoria Pedretti said she always assumed Nell was queer, and that her ending up with a man didn’t negate that, it just wasn’t really relevant to parse it all out onscreen, I thought, “You know what? She’s right. There is absolutely nothing stopping that from being true.” And that’s how I’ve approached all media since I was a teenager, fair, but the difference is it feels...like these shows agree. That this is why they didn’t announce the LGBT rep ahead of time. That it’s not gonna be “gay for gay’s sake”, that it’s not going to be for drama or to cause a ruckus, but that these stories say, “Hey. This is a real thing. Love looks like this, too. Here: watch this beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking story of two women who love each other more than anything in the world. Watch it, and understand that they are so normal, and that them being gay changes nothing about how they live out their story together.” And I love that. 

[localhorrornerd]

Horror Shows for the Halloween Season

I was gonna do the 31 horror movies like I did last year, but that took up way too much time that I do not currently have so - Here’s a list of 10 horror shows you may wanna check out for the season!

1. Ghost VRos

A fairly short horror comedy series consisting of eight 10 minute or so episodes, it focuses on a duo who runs a sort of ghost hunting business in which they talk to ghosts through VR technology. It’s just a fun little thing you can watch in one sitting, and I think it’s fairly enjoyable!

2. Lost Tapes

So if you watched Animal Planet back in the day you probably know this show. It’s basically an anthology show where each episode discusses a different cryptid/monster and also shows ‘found footage’ of it on tape. It always discusses the creatures as if they could be real and it’s honestly a lot of fun! Especially if you watched it when younger I’d say to give it a rewatch for nostalgia. 

3. Goedam

Another short little series consisting of eight short episodes, this focuses more solely on horror, and it’s basically just a series made up of different short films. There’s not too much for me to say without going into talking about each short, but I’d say it’s worth the watch (warning for a lot of body horror though)!

4. Psychoville

So this series is actually done by the same people who did Inside No.9! Though this one is not an anthology series and is about a group of people all connected by someone sending them weird letters all indicating that they know that they did something wrong. It’s a lot more comedic than horror, but it still has those aspects!

5. Slasher

So this series currently has 3 seasons, and each season has a different plot. I would recommend the first season the most, but that’s just my personal preference. I will give a heads up though as Slasher has a lot of triggering content.

6. Re:Mind

A group of classmates all find themselves waking up in a room with them trapped together and their feet locked down to the floor. They’re all trying to figure out why and how they got there, but in the process start uncovering many secrets about each other.

7. Two Sentence Horror Stories

Another anthology show, though this one is based off of the short two sentence horror stories that float around the internet. Each episode focuses on a different story where you see the first sentence at the beginning and the second at the end. It’s a lot of fun and is confirmed it will have at least two more seasons!

8. Strangers from Hell/Hell is Other People

If you’re looking for a show about serial killers, well look no further. This centers around a man who moves into a cheap residency- the only place he can afford- and starts to learn quickly his new neighbors might not be all that they seem. And that he might just be risking his life by living there. This series was actually based off a webtoon/comic and I believe is very interesting.

9. What We Do in the Shadows

This one is definitely more comedy than horror but it does not matter to me because I feel like everyone needs to go watch the TV series for this - which was originally a movie. Especially if you like vampires as it’s a mockumentary type series that follows a group of vampires living in the modern day world, and it’s really fun. It currently has two seasons with a third planned.

10. The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor

Okay, I’m sure most know about this series already, but I’m bringing it up as it has a second season (Bly Manor) about to come out on the 9th. The second season will be a completely different story from the first, but the first focuses on a family who’s lives were pretty much ruined from a Haunted House they lived in as kids. If you haven’t seen it, I do suggest you go watch it now before the second season comes out.

[lesbianlotties]

list 10 different female faves from 10 different fandoms

I was tagged by @lightdescending thank you so much!! i loved reading about your faves <3 so it’s time to pour my heart out for my favorite fictional ladies in the world

1. Elena Alvarez - One Day at a time

Elena is for sure the most relatable character to me! I freak out for days after finding out about her. She’s latina, a lesbian, a feminist, a nerd, so close to her family, dramatic and grumpy, hilarious, and I just love her so much!!! All my favorite odaat episodes are focused on her, I think. The quinces episode still makes me cry like a baby. I relate so much to everything about her, the way she navigates her sexuality, her relationship with her very latina family. and I’m forever bitter the show was cancelled...

2. Dani Clayton - The Haunting of Bly Manor

*terrible british accent* I’ve fallen quite in love with London. And since then she’s lived rent free in my heart!!! I’m obsessed with absolute everything about Dani (and Jamie but I had to pick one). She’s in a constant state of anxiety and still she’s so incredibly brave again and again. She’s impressive, and adorable, and the cutest ghost you’ve ever seen

3. Theo - The Haunting of Hill House

okay this one’s though. because I’m thinking about the book, the old movie, and the Netflix show. In the book I love Nell and her gay awakening more than anything else in the world. But if I include the movie and the show, Nell is just a bit too tragic and a little less gay. So I pick Theo, who brings me so much comfort. She’s fascinating, iconic horror lesbian, and always so much fun? I love her so much

4. Andromache the Scythian - The Old Guard

Do you ever hear Charlize Theron say “I’ve been here before...” and think yep I’m going to devote my life to this character?? Well, I did. Andy is the most, the most, the most incredible character. And criminally underrated and treated not very well by her own fandom but anyway... She’s the oldest person in the world, so old you can’t barely think about it, and still she has a heart so big she can find all of humanity in it!!

now we leave behind characters that changed my soul and move to character that I just love because it’s fun and I’m a lesbian!

5. Tammy - Ocean’s 8

Sarah Paulson!!! She’s Debbie’s ex. She’s cute. She’s hilarious. I love her. “As you know, they’ve never lost a pope.” “The Met Gayla” “Ebay” “You’re becoming a criminal because you’re lonely?” That’s an icon.

6. Helena Bertinelli - Birds of Prey

No I have never read the comics or anything, I just watched the Birds of Prey movie and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is so tall and I’m weak, okay? I have a weakness for tall, socially awkward, deadly, grumpy, unexpectedly funny, undeniably lesbian characters. And Helena fits every mark!

7. Fran - I Care a Lot

Probably not one of my favorite characters ever but definitely one of my favorite characters right now!! Yes, it has a lot to do with Eiza Gonzalez in general and her incredibly chemistry with Rosamund Pike. The crime wives. I love them. I specially love Fran for being so unapologetically in love with a very terrible woman <3

8. Heloise - Portrait of a Lady on Fire

I just love her a lot. Her entire story. Adele Haenel. Her relationship with Marianne. The way she did everything she could to make all the few decisions she was allowed, and just went for what she wanted when she could. She’s fascinating.

9. Grace - Terminator Dark Fate

Okay, yes, technically I only watched the movie veryy recently but... Mackenzie Davis’ arms... incredibly expressive blue eyes, and devotion, and strength, and humor, and absolutely everything about her!!!! Technically I could pick Dani but there’s already a gay Dani on the list, and also another tiny gay latina, but I have a lot of love to give.

10. Therese - Carol/The Price of salt

this was so difficult to choose!!! (shout out to Carmilla and Catra because I almost picked them) but look, watching Carol was lifechanging. and The Price of Salt is incredible and I love Therese from the book soo much more. Not my fault. She’s overdramatic and gay and she brings me comfort!!!

I’m tagging: @lilolilyr @diving-llama @alessandramortt @waxwingsfail @alloutofgoddesses @cryhardanddanceharder @lgeelove

[mrsgreenworld]

Sen Çal Kapımı Episode 16 aka Mistrust Is In the Air

Last week brought us another light and funny but, unfortunately, also a filler episode. Actually, for me, it turned out to be one of the most conflicting ones. I absolutely loved it while I was watching it live. I guess it's because the Haunting of Bly Manor / the Haunting of Hill House pulled out all of my insides and then ripped them to shreds so watching SCK was such a reprieve. This episode was even funnier and lighter than episode 15 which still had some lingering angst. I can declare episode 16 almost completely angst-free.

After having rewatched the episode with the subs I've got a feeling that the writers are trying to mess with some of my favourite characters and dynamics. I don't appreciate it. Still love the show, the cast, the characters. Just didn't enjoy certain writing decisions in this episode. Let's get down to it.

Now I'm going to break my habit and start with the one thing I hated:

❌☣️❌ Eda and Ceren: what the hell was that scene in the office when Eda spotted Ceren and Ferit talking and then tried to... do what exactly? warn Ceren? give some constructive relationship advice? support her?🤔

the first and the main problem I had with the scene was the energy - I don't know what caused it but it lacked the love and warmth that had always been there between all the girls; no matter what happened - even in that shitty situation with Kaan and when Ceren was the first to find out about the contract or even when Fifi and Melo finally learned about it - there was true girl power, they didn't allow anything or anyone mess up their friendship, they supported each other, tried not to judge and be understanding; so for me to see Eda so cold and kinda detached towards Ceren was a shock; maybe it would have been ok in a conversation with Pırıl or Selin since they're not friends but given that Eda was talking to one of her closest friends the way she spoke with Ceren was just wrong; moreover, Eda came off downright condescending; that's why Ceren's reaction was understandable in a way; I liked how she called Eda out on her lack of support;

if you think that your friend is making a huge mistake it's ok to show concern, it's ok to even say "hey, what the hell are you doing?" but you have to do this with love, you have to make sure that your friend knows - even if they mess up you will be there not with "I told you so" but with silent support; I didn't see that kind of love from Eda;

and while (as I have already mentioned) I partially understand and support Ceren's reaction I think it was a bit too aggressive;

and the way they parted with *itch faces just left a horrible aftertaste in my mouth 🤢 - THE *UCK THE WRITERS ARE DOING MESSING UP WITH MY GANG LIKE THAT???

The things I didn't like / was annoyed with:

❎ Selin: what's her problem with Ceren? have I missed something and Ceren stole her man?👀🤔 nope, don't recall anything like that happening;

Selin's channelling the kind of behaviour I really hate - she didn't give a shit about Ferit when they were together, was ready to dump him at the snap of Serkan's fingers and now when they're not together she's behaving as if Ferit has no right to even as much as talk to another woman; what's even more infuriating is that it's not jealousy because it would require having some sort of feelings and there are none on Selin's side; which brings us back to her ego and unbelievably self-centred persona;

her mistrust in Ceren as a lawyer also seems to stem from a personal dislike and Ceren's interactions with Ferit (at least it looks like that to me);

all in all this tension between Selin and Ceren is messing with the female dynamics because it's brought something the writers managed to avoid in the past - women being petty and bitchy towards each other;

❎ Efe: man, if he was just shady in the past, in this episode he was freaking snaky 🐍👀;

I understand that Serkan's attitude is unpleasant to say the least and there were moments when he was downright rude but in his case it's not being rude for the sake of rudeness; I think Serkan has excellent gut feeling; he didn't trust Efe even for a second from the very first meeting and his rudeness stems from this mistrust; Serkan is not a type of a person who's going to pretend to like someone for the sake of appearances, hypocrisy is not in his nature (which is one of the things I admire about our precious Scanner 😍❤️);

but back to Efe - yes, Serkan's not making it easy for him but he was like that from the very beginning and Efe seemed so nice, so friendly, so open to this partnership; all smiles and down-to-earth attitude; so what happened to his face in this episode? Serkan spat into his coffee?🙈😆🤣

I mean, really, have I imagined it or there was barely contained irritation and something even darker on his face?👀🤔 there was a small moment when he was moving a chair with a little bit more force than necessary 😬

I also don't like him getting so close to Eda; I still don't see anything romantic there but rather his malicious forethought is becoming more obvious;

also - was I the only one to think that a black rose he talked about with Eda was symbolic? here's what I have found about black roses:

"In the language of flowers, roses have many different meanings, with black roses specifically symbolizing ideas such as hatred, death, and despair"👀😳😱

ok, I am not calling him a Horseman of the Apocalypse quite yet but damn, he's gonna bring chaos, I am sure 😱😳😬

❎ Engin and Serkan: okay, these two dummies deserve the titles of the worst boyfriend and male friend respectively🤦

honestly, Engin forgetting about Pırıl's birthday shows him as careless and superficial; a man who claims to have been in love with Pırıl for years and who's also been friends with her for so long would have remembered such a small fact unless he's got a serious head trauma🧠🔨

as for Serkan, a character whose certain qualities have been constructed with remarkable consistency, forgetting about Pırıl's birthday is just ridiculous, unbelievable and completely OOC; sorry but that's just lazy writing🤷

it could have been avoided with just one line: "Yeah, it's Pırıl's birthday. I had Leyla send her flowers in the morning" - BOOM! that's it!

❎ Edser: yeah, I know, it's unprecedented for my babes to make it into this section 😬 but there were certain things I didn't quite enjoy;

1 - while the office scene where Serkan asked Eda whether or not she had accepted Efe's offer was humourous and funny it was also painfully immature; that's a conversation between two pre-schoolers not a conversation between two adults;

2 - Eda's conversation with Leyla where Eda asked about Selin; I smelled some jealousy and, honestly, I think it was completely out of nowhere; and Serkan's reactions to them talking also seemed kinda weird because he normally looks like that when Efe is around Eda; jealous of Leyla now?👀😆🙈

3 - karaoke bar scenes; Serkan's appearance was also kinda out of nowhere; since he was adamant about not going it would have been nice to see what had changed his mind; didn't like him telling Eda something along the lines of "we're broken up but I don't want to see you with Efe" - it's the type of "I wanna eat a cake and have it too" attitude that I cannot stand; I understand that it's hard for Serkan but he's made a decision, he's made this bed so to speak, now he has to sleep in it; moreover, discussing this with a clearly tipsy Eda - not a very smart idea;

a dance scene - while romantic and all it lacked logic and seemed a little bit like Serkan was taking advantage of the situation;

4 - a visual side of the flashbacks; they looked weird, as if I was looking through dim glass;

And finally the things I liked😏:

☑️ Edser: while immature and all I cannot deny that their kindergarten level fights are cute; it's better than them being petty, angry and cruel towards each other;

the beginning of the episode was just GOLD, with disoriented and doped up Eda and her calling Serkan "Aşkım" and his reaction like WTF?👀😳 and how when she said something nice he was like "ok, I should write that down and then remind you of this" - he's such a little shit😏😆;

there was also a moment when Eda cupped his cheek and I swear I saw Serkan melt, he was a breath away from nuzzling into Eda's palm and purring😹😻

them being in that house broken up, trying to maintain distance, avoiding physical contact - such contrast with the flashbacks where they couldn't keep their hands to themselves, where they were practically glued to each other;

I loved how the flashbacks were shown through Eda and Serkan's eyes - wherever they looked they saw ghosts of those happy moments;

the scene where they tried to talk and Eda asked Serkan to tell about a day he hurt someone, then a day he was hurting, then a day he was the happiest - so painful to see both of them clearly hurting; while Eda was openly crying, Serkan's eyes were red-rimmed and I swear I thought he was going to start crying too; it's so freaking hard for him to see Eda in pain 😭💔

another heartbreaking moment - a parallel scene when they both talked about their rings; I loved how they used the same, word-for-word reasoning for not taking their rings off; must be the soulmate thing😏😊💞

Serkan's inability to say no to Eda even when they're broken up is my gem; if one day they have a daughter her and Eda will have Serkan completely wrapped around their fingers😂😆🙈

in that last scene when Eda was leaving after her meeting with Aydan, when Serkan asked "Did my mother upset you?" - oh boy, could you maybe be less obvious? your love and concern are right there, on your forehead 🙈😆

☑️ Leyla and Erdem: I dunno I kinda ship them now🚢❤️ 🙈😂

honestly I am so over Erdem's obsession with Fifi; him and Leyla, on the other hand, look really cute together, both a bit cray-cray 🤪

the scene with them hangover in the office, wearing dark glasses - cracked me up; also has anyone noticed Erdem's cup with "Ciao" on it? a nice nod to Italy and maybe a bit of foreshadowing? Italy is not going anywhere; I feel like we're going to get the freaking time jump where Eda leaves to go to Italy 👀😬

loved the "I hate you / Our feelings are mutual" parallel with Edser

☑️ Aydan: this lady has a long way to go until she is in my good graces but I really liked that the writers decided to move her storyline forward;

I think lots of her unlikeable qualities stem from her traumatic experiences and in order to make her character grow and develop those experiences need to be addressed so I am all for this therapy thing; I just hope they are going to continue showing us the progress instead of just turning this into a one-time thing;

I actually liked that she reached out to Eda and asked her for help; while it might seem selfish I think it was clear that Aydan hesitated before calling Eda, she didn't want to trouble her, was embarrassed to ask for such a huge favour - that shows a sort of humility I hadn't detected in Aydan before;

☑️ overall mood and humour + I freaking loved that they addressed Serkan's OCD or maybe it's not really OCD, just a symmetry tick 🙈😆😂 we had snippets of it in other episodes and I have seen people wonder if that's Kerem's acting choice or something he himself does; now it's an official canonical part of Serkan's personality 😁🥳

And... that's pretty much it! Yay!