#new post version of the pub scenes

[bobbie-robron]

Robert better be on his A game cause he’s old school is Mike.

26-Mar-2019

[actual-changeling]

welcome back to alex's unhinged meta corner, today's topic: the chest touch at the pub. that scene has me in a chokehold for some reason and i still cannot stop thinking about it.

the first thing i wanna talk about is crowley's reaction, since this is the shorter part. he did not expect aziraphale to reach out to him like this and freezes for a second while aziraphale happily chatters away.

they were both walking and the hand on his chest stops him, so he comes to a stop right next to him while he was slightly behind him before that. his gaze also snaps to aziraphale's face, who is very much not looking at him.

they were having a conversation, but the touch essentially shuts crowley up and zira leaves him to get their drinks.

now, my question is why aziraphale does it. sure, it could just be an absent gesture since they're in a crowded place, just that he has never really done so before. i think it was very much planned, like asking crowley to dance and grabbing his hand later on.

a second before he actually reaches out, he also looks back to check whether crowley is where he thinks he is. that is the only time he does that, he was busy looking for a free table and miracles them one when he cannot find one - the look back is deliberate. especially since crowley is practically glued to his side, he has no need for confirmation, he can feel him brushing against him while walking.

the hand motion he does gets me, too. he is busy fidgeting with his hands like normal and has them clasped in front of him. aziraphale lifts them once he gets to "that is precisely the point", yet also already moves it slightly towards crowley, realizes he miscalculated where exactly he/his chest is, looks to check, then looks away again before actually touching him. am i reading too much into it? maybe.

i think it is his version of a little temptation. not only does it make crowley's brain short-circuit for a second, he also gets them their drinks and is now (or so aziraphale hopes) a bit calmer and will take the news aziraphale is about to give him better. the conversation at the cafe did not go entirely as planned, after all.

additionally, something i am not sure if other people have noticed or not is that aziraphale does not just touch crowley, it is a caress. he moves his hand down his chest.

the movement in order:

bar girl unfortunately moves in front of them, but you can clearly see the way his hand takes. to give you a direct comparison of the starting and end point:

a good point of reference is crowley's bolo tie but also the angle of aziraphale's arm while it is still visible.

the best part, in my opinion, is that aziraphale puts his hand right on top of crowley's heart. i think the symbolic importance of that is pretty clear and does not require any more explanation, although it makes me want to throw myself into a river. but that's by the by.

to summarize, aziraphale caresses crowley's heart chest to get him to calm down and not go insane over the news he is about to give him. he is also simply a bastard and knows exactly what he is doing to crowley.

as always, this is me going nuts with analysis, but i'm also curious to hear other people's thoughts on this.

don't tell my therapist about my unhinged meta posts or she will probably be very concerned for my mental wellbeing

[kimberleyjean]

Good Omens S2 Discontinuity Roundup

Hello Good Omens fans! Did you know the Good Omens team has put a lot of work into making “errors'' in the second season? Whether you were already aware, or just catching up, please take a look at the links below. Clicking any link will take you to one of the original posts that mentioned the discontinuity.

This post will continue to be updated and extended as new meta are published. Is there anything missing that you'd like to add? Reblogs, comments or messages are welcome!

Why are there so many discontinuities? Well, existing theories include different perspectives being shown, time-loops, separate timelines, a story told “out of order” and more! What's your opinion?

Discontinuities across multiple episodes:

Crowley’s sideburns.

Crowleys’ sunglasses.

The bookshop clock is frequently showing the “wrong” time (and other time inconsistencies).

The bookshop porch pillars/columns are sometimes clean, sometimes marked.

Randomly dusty streets (on a closed set no less!).

Street signage (Maggie’s and 1001 nights).

Almost every scene with visible extras, see here, here and here for examples.

Episode 1

There's TWO scrolls in Before the Beginning?

Gabriel’s/Jim’s entrance happens twice.

Crowley's conversation with Shax in the park shows him putting down the newspaper twice, and Shax's bag is all over the place.

Honolulu Roast sign.

Moving lamps inside GMCoGMD.

Disappearing eccles cakes.

Crowley's watch is set an hour ahead of his phone.

Episode 2

The lane where Crowley parks his Bentley varies between being wet and dry as well as the position it’s parked in, the colour grading, and the amount of dust on the Bentley windscreen! Also - the backdrop of the lane where Crowley parks the Bentley is impossible.

The amount of dust on Jim’s book changes in between cuts.

Job Minisode - varying wigs used for Bildad.

Episode 3

Muriel's arrival continues from a much earlier scene in E2 - see here and here.

Aziraphale parks in an unexplained location before going to the Resurrectionist pub, and also mysteriously loses his suitcase.

Resurrectionist Pub’s outdoor sign has two versions (no I don’t just mean the Jesus side!).

Bentley now 4-door (may be explained by the transformation sequence).

Awning of a new age, extras are discontinuous and standins for Nina and Maggie are visible.

Edinburgh Flashback - Crowley’s muttonchops change in size during the mausoleum scene.

Episode 4

Each time they are at the Windmill theatre, items in the background keep disappearing.

The polaroids (yes, two!) on screen are different sizes.

The polaroid itself is very confusing with Crowley’s weird arm.

The morse code in Hell is saying something slightly different to the loud speaker...

Episode 5

Nina and Maggie switch places? (Who knew they could teleport like that lol?)

High ranking demons are bottom of the barrel?

The “Surrender the angle” sign is thrown in twice?

A child randomly appears upon exit from the ball (approx 32:36).

Episode 6

Gabriel’s statue sometimes has a cross, sometimes not.

Crowley/David's stand-in is visible as Nina and Maggie leave.

French restaurant Fairy lights.

Final 15 clock shenanigans - why does the clock change from 9:25 to 9:40?

Are there two suns at the end of the episode?

These are the one's I've seen published so far and I'll keep adding to the list as more are published. In the meantime, if you spot anything missing from my list, please share the post about it :)

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Hunting for Clues-with-a-capital-C, a meta of Good Omens metas, and GO fun!

*I'm adding to this list as I find new and interesting Clues and theories!

*This post version is dated 19 Jul 2024; the current version is pinned to my profile.

* I maxed out Tumblr's link limit! Here's the Google doc with many of the Clues, links, discontinuities, and metas I've collected from all over the fandom. There's a new section at the top called "Discontinuities and Reports from the Ineffable Detective Agency"! (Inspired by this post from @kimberleyjean!)

Below, you'll find a list of my original posts, most of which are filled with fact-finding, Clue-hunting screenshots that will probably leave you with more questions than answers! Several of these posts are also presented in partnership with the Ineffable Detective Agency:

The Appearing Sign:

The Honolulu Roast sign appears in the middle of a scene?! AND the lamp moves?!

The Bentley:

How to tell the "three" Good Omens Bentleys apart, without talking about color

Ineffable discontinuity and the Bentley's roadtrip transformation: new back doors and other changes (after it was yellow)

The open Bentley window at the end of season 2

Clocks and Time:

The Ineffable Detective Agency Presents: The Main Bookshop Clock's Hands are BACKWARDS and Other Revelations!

The ineffable discontinuity of time in ALL of Good Omens season 2?

Crowley's watch doesn't always have hands

Good Omens season 2 ending and Crowley's (probable) Time Stop

Crowley's sideburns:

Crowley’s sideburns

Crowley's sideburns aren't even consistent in the promo photos.

Extras Behaving Strangely:

Hawaiian Shirt/Pub Table Guy

Marking the Columns

The Demon in an Orange Hoodie

Gabriel's Memory Returns:

The Ineffable Detective Agency presents: Gabriel's memory

Plus, hidden audio in the memory tunnels?

More Assorted Discontinuities:

Edinburgh and the Briefcase, presented by the Ineffable Detective Agency

The disappearing textiles storefront (and Maggie's second sign)

When does Mr Arnold's shop arrive? After season 1, except Neil says it was in the 1970s

Season 1: First Wombat in Space (also, Bentley bullet hole decals)

Set Furnishings:

The circular bookshop rug CHANGES?!

The Good Omens bookshop furniture changes between s1 and s2 (but NOT after Adam reboots reality!)

The s2 Bookshop / s1 Hospital Sink

Other Speculation and Questions:

On Neil's Tumblr asks, Staying Skeptical, and Gravity Falls

Finding hope for s3 and perspective for s2 in Neil's s1 podcast with David Tennant

The BTS parking ticket translation

The S2 Opening Title Sequence: analysis

The Ineffable Detective Agency presents: the origins of the white bust in the bookshop (a really lovely theory, you should read it!)

Parallels with Nightmare in Silver (Doctor Who written by Neil) - multiple Crowleys?

Has Aziraphale been meeting with Floating Head Metatron throughout s2?

Would even vulnerable, heartbroken Crowley try to protect Aziraphale at all costs? A possible hidden transfer in the kiss.

I have questions about Nina and ESPECIALLY about Maggie...

Don't pay the guy with the blue glasses, he doesn't work here!

If you enjoyed my research, stay tuned for future posts, and take a look at my Google doc for even more Clues and metas from all over the fandom!

Some closing bits of encouragement:

A: "You just said it was the only way to prevent something terrible happening!"

G: "Really? What?!"

A: "I don't know!"

G: "Well then, I expect it will be fine. Most things are fine in the end."

Neil: "Tell him that it will all be all right in the end, and that we are not yet at the end."

Plus, for fun:

Good Omens ✨Clues and Detectives✨:

Celebrating lots of milestones, including my 1500th follower! See all the posts here!

Good Omens Day of ✨Dance✨:

Learn all about my GO "Day of Dance" and get a link to all the fandom art I shared, here!

My Fanfiction:

From the GOMM holiday exchange: Cocoa and Fairy Lights, How to Fight Your Chemistry and Lose

GOMM 2024: Orbiting a Memory, featuring a gorgeous illustration of Saraqael by @altonthebard

Fan Fiction Friday: The Universe Might Answer: Broken Moonlight

From the GO Song & Poetry Exchange: The Ineffable Dance

GOMM reverse bang 2024: Silver Screen Solace, featuring a playful book omens theater drawing by @ufofrommarss

[drconstellation]

Come Back When You Can Make A Whale

This is going to contain some speculation for S3, so you know what to do! Or not do!

SITIS: What did God say? JOB: Um... I'm not sure. I didn't understand much. Things too wonderful for me. Ostriches came into it. SITIS: Ostriches? JOB: And whales. God's very proud of the whale. Went into some detail about... how great whales are. SITIS: But did They explain? JOB: [shakes head] I think the point was, if you want answers, come back when you can make a whale.

Whales, huh?

If you aren't well read, this could be quite the misdirection. It should be reasonably obvious, given who is doing the talking - Job - what he is actually referring to, then we can join a couple of dots to make some speculative leaps.

You still with me?

No? Then let us start with how do you make a whale?

By giving it another name.

Leviathan.

Chapter 41 of the Book of Job is all about the Leviathan, a great sinuous sea serpent with impenetrable scales and breath like fire. It sleeps beneath the sea until the end of days. Over time it came to be associated with any sea monster, then anything large, and what is the largest animal ever known to have lived? The whale.

The top of the matchbox is also worth a look. We have a skull and crossbones, which is classic Memento mori symbolism, fitting in with the resurrection theme of the Second Coming - but look at the way the address of the pub is spelt! Now, this not the same way it is spelt on the record single Maggie gives to Aziraphale; Goatgate is spelt as one word, not two. A little bit of searching reveals the meaning behind this fictional address that backs up and reinforces the quote on the side of the matchbox.

Strong's Concordance for 66 gives us "wild, savage, fierce." Goatgate is an interesting one, because it turns out to be a relatively modern term from the urban dictionary, and I'm just going to refer to the polite version of it here - it's another word for "mouth." So 66 Goatgate is a "fierce and savage mouth." Yes, that does sound about right - in more ways than one, once you know who it is. (If you want to look up the impolite version, go ahead - I'm sure you will still find the connotations very amusing.)

Our metaphorical Leviathan is Crowley. He gave the game away at the end of S1 during the appearance-swap.

This also means Aziraphale is his counterpart, Behemoth. Why - well, I made a bit of joke in my post here that he was playing at being a "river horse" while he wallowed in the bath of holy water during his part of the appearance-swap scene. Modern day scholars think the description of Behemoth in the Bible may be that of a hippopotamus in real life history. If that is so, I'd still be betting this is what the "dark horse" comment from Nina in S2E1 is foreshadowing.

Maybe none of this new to you if you've been hanging around the the fandom for a while. That's fine, I'm just trying to establish the scene. And the next bit we need to talk about is this one, where Job gets a lecture from God.

During this sequence, we hear lines that come from Job 38 and 39.

GOD: Job, if you have questions for me, I have questions for you. Do you know how I created the earth? Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, Job? Were you there when all the morning stars sang together and all the Angels shouted for joy?

These lines are paraphrasing some of the beginning of Job 38.

Then we have:

GOD: Do you know the rules of the heavens? Did you set the constellations in the sky? Can you send lightning bolts and get them to report back to you? Did you give wings to peacocks, Job, or teach the ostrich to run?

These lines are again, paraphrasing Job, half from 38 and half from 39.

So then, we need to ask, why highlight these lines in particular?

Job 38 is mainly about setting the boundaries of the universe around us. The Earth might seem impossibly huge to a human, but it started with a single stone at its foundation. Earth and the other planets obey certain laws as they move around the Sun. The patterns of the stars in the sky take so long to change that it seems like they are set and inconstant. Even the chaotic form of lightning respects its Creator and returns to its point of origin.

From the last part of Chapter 38 to the end of 39 God challenges Job with a list of animals. The theme here is about freedom and wildness. Whether it is a noble lion, a loathsome crow, a nimble mountain goat, the head-strong wild ox or the willing war horse, they all flourish upon the Earth under the sight of the Almighty. Even the mightiest and most fierce beasts of all, Behemoth and Leviathan, have a place, although only God has the means to control those two.

None of this needs a human to be involved. We are so often the center of our own universe, and try so hard to control every aspect of the world around us that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Shit happens. Some things are out of our control. That doesn't mean its your fault and you're wicked and damned to go to Hell because of it. And that was the point God was trying to make to Job. The world is a far bigger, wilder and chaotic than you can imagine, but its also incredibly beautiful, and it runs itself within the rules and limits that seem to be set by invisible forces you can't see.

So back to the script from the show.

The first set of questions from God could apply to both of the duo. They were both around when Earth was created and were more than likely there when the "morning stars" (the highest angels, such as Lucifer, Gabriel, Michael and angel!Beelzebub) sang together.

The second set of questions are the ones that seem to have got the most attention so far, with ops cross-matching them to things Crowley does in S2.

Do you know the rules of the heavens?

Did you set the constellations in the sky?

Can you send lightning bolts and get them to report back to you?

Did you give wings to peacocks, Job...

(I make a suggestion this has something to do with Michael, but also see comments below)

...or teach the ostrich to run?

The first three of those questions are fairly straight forward, and I doubt many would dispute what they are referring to. But the reference to the peacock and the ostrich are more subtle and curious, and I would like to take a moment to look at the actual verse - because it is only one verse that is providing both questions - that is being paraphrased here.

Job 39:13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?

Did you realize that the King James Version of the Bible is the only one that mentions peacocks in this particular verse? All the other versions mentions the first sentence of that verse in relation to the wings of ostriches: "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly." The ostrich is considered a cruel and witless bird in the Bible, pleased with the way it looks, and seemingly careless about its young.

Why does that sound familiar...

Shax thinks this ostrich feather-clad angel in disguise isn't too smart either.

So using the peacock line is a curious choice in the script. Other than the "eyes" in the tail of the peacock having a connection to Michael's many watchful eyes on the world, it's still not clear how Crowley helped them upwards. Unless both lines are supposed to refer to Gabriel, and how the vain peacock was helped to both fly and run to a distant location in the stars.

Edit: Since I first wrote this, @beebopboom pointed me to some more peacock lore, and this helped me delve a bit deeper into them. Peacocks were associated with wealth and royalty, but they were also associated with immortality in early Christian beliefs. There was a belief that the flesh of the peacock did not decay after its death. The bright colours in its tail came from its eating venomous snakes, which reminded people of Christ becoming sin for humanity's sake (think of Crowley downing the laudanum to save Elspeth from Hell in the crypt in 1827, its a similar action.) The "eyes" on the males tail also represented the all-seeing eye of God. So we have a connection with both royalty and resurrection here.

(Oh - just as an interesting connection here - a number of the newer versions of the Bible not only don't mention the peacock in this verse, they compare the ostrich to the stork! The meaning is meant to be that the stork cares more for their young than the ostrich, but if you read the words at face value, you could take a double meaning away...)

Let us return to questions, answers, and whales.

Questions. Always questions. It's like the proverbial toddler who's always asking a never-ending string of "but, why?" for funsies and you just want them to shut up for a moment and think about the last thing you said first. They, too, are a bit like Job. They are the center of their own universe at that age, having not had much experience of the world. They have no grasp of how far it extends beyond them, and how little even we as adults know.

If at this point you're going "oh, no, no, no, no, op, please don't tell me the point of this meta is it's all ineffable," relax. I'm not.

The point was to set you up for some nice, juicy, awesomely sweet S3 speculation.

Because I believe Crowley will finally get to ask his questions of God.

(oh lordy, I made the mistake of taking a break to have a shower before trying to finish this off, because I was having trouble seeing how to finish this in a tidy way, and that caused me to have "shower thoughts" and now the nice sweet simple speculation has turned into a slightly bat-shit crazy kind-of one, although still on the same track as what I was originally thinking. Here goes...)

We have this three card spread from waaay back at the beginning of S1. We all think its something to do with the three babies.

What if its not?

Because we need something like this to happen again - Aziraphale and Crowley either side of a third protagonist. What if it's the King of Kings, Love personified, Jesus, in the middle? (Or Adam again, I wouldn't discount that option either...)

If you would look at the GIF and the screenshot together again and go, well that makes, sense, white for the angel on the right, and green for the demon on the left, I would jump up and shout at you - NO!

Look at the cards again! In the Tarot, that's the Ace of Swords on the right - it belongs to Aziraphale. It's a very powerful card, about new beginnings and change.* Lets call the one of the left Knight of Wands, which also represents the element of Fire. Knights are all about movement and journeys. Who owns the Bentley? And look what Gabriel has instinctively done with his hands - he has held his screen-left hand out to Aziraphale, the Sword, the angel who wears green, and his right hand out to Crowley, the Knight of Fire. The yin and yang qualities are actually swapped. That was what I was trying to tell you in this post. They aren't as obvious as they seem at first glance.

And love is the answer, it turns out. Did you see my comment the other day on another post? In Strong's Concordance 25 = to love.

Anyway, we should get a third parallel scene somewhat like this, and like when Aziraphale and Crowley took Adam out of time to talk to him in S1.

Only this time the three of them (with who ever is in the middle) should be having a talk with God about what is or isn't supposed to happen.

JOB: I think the point was, if you want answers, come back when you can make a whale.

Crowley could be a literal serpent (though I would be very surprised if he did manifest that way) but it should be a metaphorical Leviathan that stands before the Almighty to ask his questions and get his answers. And it will be that he has earned the right to be there, because he finally understands the lessons of Job.

@makewayforbigcrossducks I hope this answers one of your questions

*The Ace of Swords speaks of new beginnings, but it is a two-edged sword that can cut both ways. It is strength in adversity, victory out of struggle, good out of evil, a change in the old order on the way.

[mjfsupremacy]

EXCHANGE PART TWO

It's been a hot minute since I dropped the first part of this, it's been written for months, I guess I just kinda forgot to post it! Oopsie. Thanks to the folks who read it recently and commented. Reminded me of this cute lil ficcy.

Part One

“Elle.”

Its Friday, an unusually quiet one at that and you decided to tackle Hemmingway, which means you were also simultaneously reading something by Austen and Roxanne Gay to numb the pain. You were leaning back in your chair; ankles crossed on the desk and books and post its strewn around them waiting out the final hour of your shift.

You glance up from your book with a frown. Maxwell leans against the glass with a proud smirk, arms crossed over his broad chest. “Why do you have a highlighter in your mouth? I know things are a little backwards this side of the pond but I think when it comes to holding stuff were in agreement on how its usually done.”

You snatch the pink marker from your teeth quickly offering him a mighty scowl. “Don’t call me ‘Elle’.”

“That chick from last weekend told me your name was ‘Elle’.” He retorts with a roll of his eyes.

“Her name is Lisa, you absolute tosser, and she didn’t tell you my name was ‘Elle,’ you eavesdropped on a conversation where she called me ‘Ellie.’” God you really hate this guy.

“Sorry, I assumed it was a cutesy version of Elle. What’s it short for?” He asks eyes flitting over the mess on her desk, trying to collect any information he can.

“Why?”

“Why does anyone want to know anything?”

“Impetuous nosiness?”

“Or so I know what name to save your number under when you call me. Speaking of which, when were you planning on doing that again, Sugar?”

“The day I tell you my name probably.” You reply bored, your eyes sliding back to A Farewell to Arms. “Wait,” You slide your feet of the desk and stand up suddenly. “How did you get in here? You can’t be in here without someone who lives here.”

Max grins, adjusting his Burberry scarf under his expensive looking coat. “Relax, Toots, my new...friend is outside talking to some girl from her class, she let me in. I’m not standing around in the cold like a poor person while she titters like half her brain was taken in a lobotomy.”

“Well, God forbid you go home with someone and like their personality.” You roll your eyes, relaxing slightly.

“I liked her personality just fine. Both of them.”

Your mouth pulls down in distaste and you all but throw the clipboard and pen at him. “Does the local clinic know about you? I assume the CDC alerted them to your arrival in the country.”

“Haha,” He responds dryly. “Does the local pub know about you? The comedy offerings on Thursday’s got nothing on you.”

You snort taking the clipboard and setting it down. You look him up and down, still leaning against the window in his expensive coat. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“I am grown, baby, if you’d let me take you out, I’d prove it.”

“How long can you hold your breath? Have you tried tripling it?” You shoot back. He laughs, surprising a small smile out of you. His laugh is brash and loud just like him but there is something genuine within it, like he’s picky with who gets to hear it.

“I’m a wrestler now and hopefully I’ll be one when I grow up too. I’m here on exchange for the year but I wrestle whenever I can. The UK has a strong scene.” He replies openly, his eyes alight as he talks about a subject he clearly adores. You suppose how built he is makes more sense with this information. “Plus, the ring rats out here are way better than the ones in the states.”

Your hesitant to ask but the question falls out anyway, “What’s a ring rat?”

“Wrestling groupies, girls who just come to the shows to fuck the wrestlers.” Maxwell smirks in reply.

“I knew I shouldn’t have asked but I still did. That’s completely on me.” You mutter to yourself, sitting back in your chair with a disgusted sigh and picking up Roxanne Gay’s bad feminist.

“You were reading that book before,” Maxwell points to the red cover of Hemmingway. “Did you forget? I have been known to have that effect on women when I get them alone.”

“You don’t, How I wish I could forget you.” You reply, flicking through the pages. “Hemmingway makes me want to stab myself in the face. You need alternatives or you won’t make it through the book.” You wave bad feminist in his direction.

He gestures for you to pass him the book and you do with a raised eyebrow. He immediately starts flicking through, stopping at the pages filled with notes. “You can read?” You joke, watching his eyes devour the words.

“You write in your books, what, think your better than the greats or something?” He snarls back his eyes never leaving the page he’s settled on.

“Or something.”

He’s quiet for a moment while he flips the book carefully in different directions trying to break apart your loopy handwriting. You aren’t sure why he’s being so gentle with a book you’ve all but taped back together from how many times you’ve stuffed it into tiny bags or pockets but you find it a little bit endearing. “You know they make more sense once you’ve actually read the words that are supposed to be there.”

That gets Maxwell’s attention and he glances up at you, closing the book on his thumb. “Are you saying I can borrow it?”

You frown, that wasn’t anywhere near what you’d meant but you supposed it wouldn’t hurt to let him borrow it. It’s not like he wasn’t around pretty much every weekend. “Sure, you can borrow it. I don’t know if it’s your speed though.”

Maxwell grins, tucking it safely into the inner pocket of his coat before pushing off the glass. “Thanks, gorgeous, I’ll take good care of it. Promise.”

He steps toward the front door and offers you a little smirk and a wave, “Enjoy the rest of your night, Ellie.”

You roll your eyes but offer a wave of your own in the form of a shooing motion. “Until next time, Maxwell.”

His playful smirk evolves into a wide grin and he disappears out the way he came. You shake your head, grabbing your trusty sign I’m sheet.

MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN

2133 361 6693

You have a post it on your shoe. Enjoy your noodles. Call me if you are ever up for real food. -Max

You snatch the orange post it from the bottom of your ugg boot with a groan, finding your shopping list for the week cramped into the small space.

Later when you put the folded-up sheet and the post it into your drawer for a moment you consider saving his number. You were desperate to know what he thought of the book and even more so to know what he was thinking while he read your notes and dissections.

You decide against it, you’d likely see him in a few days on the arm of another pretty girl from your building anyway. Besides, he was an ass and you didn’t want to give him what he wanted.

Your last thought before finally dozing off was the realisation that Max never came back tonight. And no one else did either.

*

The following Saturday is your weekend off and a few people from your class drag you out for a night on the town. Everyone knows you prefer to be home but they try to talk you into one night out and you can’t help but agree. You thrifted a pair of leather bell bottoms last term that still has the tags on them. It was time.

So, with a copy of Elizabeth Barrett Browning rolled up tightly in your purse (just in case, you weren’t trying to be a pick-me, you’d just been caught out waiting for a lift home by yourself more times than you cared to admit.) you head out for drinks with your friends and end up in a nightclub not long after. You are swaying your hips to the beat and spinning around carefree. Your friends are chanting your name and you can’t help but laugh. You had to admit, it felt nice to let loose every now and again.

It wasn’t a change of pace, per se, you went out, you knew how to have typical university student fun. You even went on the occasional date, but, and you admitted it was probably a bit snobby to say, the late nights, the boys... well, they weren’t especially intellectually stimulating. Not in the way a book was or the tiny Zagreus inside her switch. Still you can admit you have fun, and stay out much later than you’d thought.

When you stumble tiredly into the dorms just before 1 am, you are surprised to see the girl who does alternate weekends asleep in your chair. You didn’t want to be left working every weekend so you know you aren’t going to dob her in but it still annoys you to see her being so careless. There was a reason the girls who lived here had to sign in their visitors, everyone living here deserved to feel safe.

You slap the lip of the counter, shocking the girl so much she nearly falls from her chair. “Ellie, Hi, sorry, I was doing my physics homework.” She explains and you feel a little bit of sympathy. “Oh! Here, some guy dropped this off.” She passes you the book you let Max borrow last week. “He also told me to give you this.” She hands you a folded sign in sheet. “He tried really hard to get your room number from me, but I swear I didn’t give it to him, he called me a ‘stupid whore’ and then left these here. American” She offered as explanation.

“Thanks, sorry.” You offer with a grimace heading down the corridor with a final nod.

MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN

2133 361 6693

You went out? You can do that? Have fun? You’ll have more when you finally call me. I liked this Roxanne chick. I liked what you thought of her too. Maybe I’ll catch you next time and we can talk about it. What I don’t like is discount you at the front desk. Serious attitude. Snores like a truck too. Hope you had a good night, Gorgeous. -Max

You snort softly, tucking the note with the others and sliding the book back into its home on your bookshelf. This guy was unlike anyone you’d ever met, a total shit-stirring wanker and man-whore but for some reason, despite how much he annoyed you, you were beginning to find him entertaining and dare you say, endearing.

Suddenly you couldn’t wait for next week.

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (#182):

3 tap-dancing Bojangles-related musicals:

🍿 The Band Wagon is maybe not the "very best" of Vincente Minnelli's musicals, but some of its numbers are classics (It introduced the tune 'That's Entertainment' and the opening dance with a real-life, black shoe-shine man was unique.) But all this melted away at exactly mid-point, when Fred Astaire first falls for Cyd Charisse, as they take a stroll through Central Park, and start dancing together in the dark - that scene was transcendental. Even the Steve Martin and Gilda Radner Joke recreation 30 years later was nice...

Bojangles didn't appear in this movie, but his name 'Bill Robinson' kept being compared to 'Bill Shakespeare' throughout. (Screenshots Above).

🍿 Besides 'Carmen Jones', I haven't seen many of the so-called 'Race Films' before, 'Segregated Cinema' produced to black audiences, with an all-black cast. Stormy Weather is one, a plot-less musical starring the wonderful Lena Horne, Bojangles, Cab Calloway, The Nicholas Brothers, Fats Waller and 'Play it again, Sam' Dooley Wilson...

(Of the many versions of ‘Stormy Weather’, my favourite is by Ben Webster).

🍿 First watch: That's Entertainment! is a terrific compilation film, released by MGM in 1974 to celebrate the studio's 50's anniversary. It includes highlights from about 100 song and dance numbers performed by MGM enormous stable of stars and appearances by many, many of the stars from these 50 years. Since I'm getting more and more into musicals, I watched it with a giant smile on my face. 9/10.

2 (actually 3) sequels were released later, and I'm going to watch them as well. I'm also going to visit the movies of some of the famous performers (Esther Williams!) I haven't seen before.

Note; Fred Astaire is by now one of my all-time favorite actors, bar none. He has 50 screen credits on IMDb, and I've only seen about 15 of them, but I'm going to plough through the rest.

🍿

Something’s Got to Give (1962) is Marilyn Monroe's very last film, and the only one showing her butt-gloriously-naked. It's a remake of the 1940 Cary Grant screwball comedy 'My favorite wife'. It was made by George Cukor, with Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse. But it's mostly remembered because it was unfinished, due to Marilyn Monroe's death.

🍿

Finally, Miyazaki's last film The boy and the heron became available. Auto-biographical, philosophical, full of pathos and whimsy, it is not the best Ghibli, but it's important as the (surely) last film from Miyazaki.

It tells of a conflicted war-time world and the flight of fancy of an orphan boy looking for his mother. Waruwaru creatures replace the Sooth-spirits from the previous films.

🍿

Another Japanese romance film, Haru from 1996. A young man and a young woman meet via the first generation online chats, two years before 'You've got mail'. Like a boring Éric Rohmer, I couldn't get into it, and quit after 30 minutes. (^ ─ ^)

🍿

Re-watch: I've been bored with much mediocrity, so I had to go back to Tati’s debut feature, the masterpiece Jour de fête (The original 1949 B&W version). Magical joy and simple physical comedy of the purest type (Fighting a bee! Raising a flag post!). I can't remember the last film with so many spontaneous belly laughs one after the other. And the innocent, idealized rusticity of a French village as it may, or may have not, have existed 100 years ago, with geese in the alleys, goat on a string, hay, rooster crows, and friendly pubs. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes. 10/10. ♻️. Extra: How Tati Directs Beautiful Comedy, an interesting YouTube essay from ‘This Beautiful Fraud’.

🍿

2 by Pixar’s Kelsey Mann:

🍿 I loved the first ‘Inside Out’ and saw it many times, with Adora, and, later, without. I was excited to wait for the new Inside out 2. But it’s clearly a product of lesser qualities. The 13 year-old hockey-loving Reily enter “Puberty”. This is depicted with genuine fondness, and is a joy to behold. But the manufactured world of her inner thoughts, which worked before, when they were few and clearly defined, is now muddled, loud and artificial. It suffers from being a sequel, a financial construct which rarely works. 4/10.

🍿 His first short, Party central (2013) was a Monster University appendage, a zero-calories suck-fest. 1/10.

🍿

2 by French Guillaume Canet, both with François Cluzet:

🍿  "User name: Concert. Password: Olympia."

My 3rd or 4th re-watch of the tense nail-biter Tell no one. A modern slow-built Hitchockian thriller about an innocent doctor accused in the murder of his wife. The director, good-looking actor Guillaume Canet, decided for some reason to play the role of the sadistic rapist

The first time I saw it, I awarded it 7/10. But now I give it a 9/10. The final explanation ties the many twists too tightly and nicely together perhaps, but It's still a terrific 'Guilty Pleasure'. Highly recommended! ♻️.

🍿  His Little white lies is an ensemble drama, a bit like 'The big Chill', with many current French stars: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Jean Dujardin... A group of about 15 close friends deal with small personal problems, after one of them, the 'Glue' that held them together, is gravely injured in an accident. In the opening of the film, he rides his bike drunk in the empty streets of Paris, and a van suddenly crashes into him (All in one shot, just like the beginning of Erin Brockovich.)

It's semi-interesting, meandering drama, especially as they spend leisure time on 'les grandes vacances' at a beach house, boating, eating fresh oysters, playing the guitar, and enjoying the pretty locales. But at 2.5 hours long, it lost its focus halfway in. 3/10.

🍿  

Sean Penn is a decent director. He's also driven to get involved with large-scale disasters around the world, in Sudan, Haiti, New Orleans after Katrina, Etc. Superpower is the 4th of his 8 movies directed by him that I've seen. It's a semi-personal documentary about the war in Ukraine and the special relationship he managed to develop with Volodymyr Zelensky (He interviewed him on the day before the invasion, and again on the night of the invasion). It's not too insightful, but he did put himself at harm's way to make it. This war is too tragic and historically-significant to be ignored.

(I was going to follow that up with the other doc., '20 Days in Mariupol', but didn't).

🍿 '

“The muzzle of the Luger looked like the mouth of the Second Street tunnel, but I didn’t move.”

Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles is a 1988 documentary, narrated by Richard Widmark. It tells of a fascinating British writer living in a mythical and dark city. And specifically about the 'The Clifton bombing' affair of 1938. Corruption at City Hall and crooked Police Force, the real-life morbid inspiration to the much sunnier 'Chinatown'. But the doc. itself is not very good.

How come nobody ever made a movie about the gambling ships out in the water outside long beach and Santa Monica, f. ex. 'The Rex'?

🍿

A random Vimeo short, Caroline, was not what I expected from the poster! A mother to 3 small kids, is under a lot of stress, and leaves them in a parked car while she goes of for a quick job interview. It's so raw, and tense, and harrowing, it's really hard to sit through. Amazingly realistic, I don't ever want to see it again. Celine Held, the director, who also plays the mother, is a force to be reckoned with. 9/10. [*Female Director*]

🍿

2 silent Buster Keaton 2-reelers:

🍿 The Paleface (1922) is filled with very out-dated racial trops. Villainous oil barons are murdering Indians with impunity, stealing the deed to their land, and banishing them from said lands. The 'Redfaces' are bumbling, scalping 'savages' who burn palefaces at the stake. There's even a nod to good ol' asbestos. But there are some outrageously daring stunts here, as he falls a few times from great heights.

🍿 Obviously, Keaton was not a golfer. He tried, but soon found himself in prison, mistaken for Convict 13 (2020), and sentenced to be hanged.

🍿

Throw-back to the Adora Art project:  

Buster Keaton Adora.

Adora in Los Angeles.

Inside out Adora.

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here).

[romaine2424]

Daily Blog July 3, 2023

Not feeling chatty today, too many errands and chores to do. At least I don't have to buy fireworks this year for the 4th of July. They were just outlawed last year where I live. Before that, we were all out in the street shooting of aerials and and lots of other things. Neighbors around the corner always put on quite the show. Had a few scary moments over the years. But it was all fun until the clean up!

What I'm reading:

Oh wow Everybody Hates a Tourist by anon for the @hd-wireless fest definitely earned it's right to open the fic portion of the fest. It created quite the atmosphere in Brighton were we find one Draco Malfoy living the gay Muggle scene for the last 8 years.

Summary:

On a stag do in sunny Brighton with the Gryffindor lads, the last person Harry expects to run into is Draco Malfoy. After a glimpse of Malfoy’s Muggle life in Britain’s gay capital, Harry’s curiosity gets the better of him and he finds himself returning to the seaside again and again, drawn to the city, drawn to this new version of Malfoy that Harry barely recognises from school. Meanwhile, Draco’s just trying to live his big and best queer life: working for the weekend, chasing hot men, getting lost in Brighton's nightlife, and making friends with the neighbourhood cats. Why does his former school rival and crush have to show up and spoil everything?

There was so much to enjoy about this fic given the summertime atmosphere and just hanging out in the pubs, having some smokes, and eating bits of this and that. Harry in this fic is going through some changes in his life but is still on solid ground physically and mentally. We think Draco is too, but there is a vulnerability there and, of course, Harry wants to fix it. One of my favorite things about this fic is Harry's innocence but also sense of adventure. Draco introducing him bit by bit to his lifestyle and the atmosphere of Brighton and Harry is wide-eyed but also enthusiastic. Very cute. Oh and asking for gossip about fellow classmates was a riot. Poor innocent Harry. :) A lovely feel-good fic with definite moments of seriousness. Read and definitely give MA some love with comments!

Everybody Hates a Tourist on AO3

Drarry Tumblr Fic/Art Resources

I know most of you are probably already following @thedrarrylibrarian, but not everyone goes to the home page of someone's Tumblr site. This is a must for @thedrarrylibrarian because there is so much packed into a few links. The first thing you should do is read the FAQ on the home page before you get started. Especially if you're looking for a type of fic. Some fic genres and tropes aren't covered. Also, if you're looking for a specific fic, this is not the place as noted. That is @lostdrarryfics, another great drarry fandom resource.

What is on here is a Card Catolog, which gives a plethora of subject matters to find fics under. Like Beach Reads, or Spy!Draco or Raising Teddy. And even better, they are being continually updated.

Also there is the Reference Section, which is extremely helpful. Here's a few examples: How to Tag your Fic, How to Gain Friends & Friends Writing Fanfic, and How to Write Fanfic Summaries!

The last category, I've mentioned before and that is Friends of the Library, which is a list with links to the collaborations with other writers/artists/reccers/friends, which includes The Happy Hour events.

And finally, you can always ask for a type of fic(s) to fulfill a certain want or need. :)

A lot of work has gone into the site. It's very easy to use, which I particularly am a fan of. So go play around and see what you can discover in the @thedrarrylibrarian!

Tomorrow is a holiday and I'm not sure I'll be making a post as we have some family plans. Hope everyone enjoys their week!

Rom

[gritsandbrits]

Self care is designing outfits for your ship through dollmaker sites

Because i want more shrek fandom that aren't just ironic memes or shitty sex jokes, I decided to create outfits based on the romantic subplot between Charming and my OC Gwynn. I found this cute little site on Doll Divine which fits their dynamic perfectly!

Analysis down below!

First Meeting: Gwynn works at the villains' pub when ex rich kid comes waltzing in with a proposal she hastily refused. She wears a muted blue hinting at her future *wink wink nudge*

One potential scene is Charming (when he was still wealthy) encountering the mysterious thief "Black Swan" they don't know each other yet. Gwynn wears a lot of dark greys as pure black would've been too expensive at the time. Charming's costume is based on what he wore in Shrek 2

Argument scene where Gwynn tells Charming he is taking things way too far after he threatens to harm innocent kids. He says some harsh words to her so she ends up leaving. Charming's fit is loosely based on the movie version. In this context it's ironic: What he feels as the highest point of his life is actually his lowest bcuz now he's totally under his father's control & losing the only real friend he ever had. Two more wobbly steps towards his canon fate. Gwynn's dress is gray to reflect on the sorrowful mood.

Happier Ending (aka MY CANON NOW) this is whwre I say "screw you Dreamworks for fucking over Charming!" After reinstating Fiona to the throne & throwing deadbeat daddy in jail, Gwynn becomes the new Witch Godmother. Charming becomes a fashion guru. He's back to wearing blue symbolizing how he's no longer controlled by Uther, & sticking true to himself. Gwynn wears purple bc it's a mix of blue&red but also true to herself (& of she can finally afford to purple dye)

Shrek 4 ever after (4 yrs after 3) Charming & Gwynn are still dating and so not rushing into marriage yet! Also she has a new hairstyle. They're at the Golden Apple to celebrate the triplets' fourth birthday. I did play around with the idea of Gwynn being pregnant but I decided they should wait a few more years. Not every couple needed kids!

AU Gwynn where Rumple borks things up! She is one of the key figures in the resistance. Didn't have time to make Charming. Since they never met Charming ended up as a puppet king. LITERALLY. Gwynn still has her magic but it is VERY limited. Her dress is symbolic of yin-yang fitting the goal to restore balance

Post (my) Canon: Wedding Bells! They get married quickly after the events of Shrek 4. Gwynn wears blue, and Charming white and gold. It's a decent ceremony.

However there may be a scene where Gwynn stays anyways and does the play. Her gown is blue as a reminder that Charming still has time to make the right choices.

Bonus: the two other play dresses one to match with Charming's outfit the other is also based on Rapunzel since technically Gwynn fills her role as his love interest (only she's actually relevant) I think maybe as a meta joke she ends up wearing a wig to emphasize her playing a damsel in distress when she's the kinda damsel who causes distress! 😂😂😂

I know Charming looks like France from APH but it was as close as I can get it (kinda dig the waves) & the dollmaker didn't have 5 o clock shadow.

Gwynn canonically has scarring thay she sometimes wear makeup over. I felt that for her, she learned to embrace her flaws, so that helps Charming learn to embrace his.

Link to maker here!

[sideboot]

👀👀 @ the potential analysis of jamie choosing to drink vanilla vodka

SO APPARENTLY THIS BEING A DEEP AND LAYERED CHARACTER DECISION REQUIRING AN EXPERT ON ALCOHOL (or at least someone who actually drinks, unlike me) IS NOT TRUE what happened is I told my partner that jamie was drinking vanilla vodka at the club with some of the guys and internally my partner went he’s drinking that at the football club, at the place he works? Fucked up! And then we actually watched the scene and they were like :// why did you lie to me, lmao

The short version is this is definitely my fault. The long version is apparently it super matters that keeley is there? To decode this from a masculine dominated setting? I did not realize that o’brien or goodman or whoever the fuck’s sitting in the corner also had a girl with him, I thought it was the boys + keeley.

So the canonical character implications is that roy is from a generation where masculinity means you drink the types of hard liquor with nothing to cover up the burn nor any fruity flavors because you’re a fucking man hurr durr, and he’s making a little dig at jamie’s masculinity but also at jamie’s immaturity for. You know. Doing nothing more than being twenty-three and picking a beverage at a club that is an expedient way to get drunk.

roy is masc and old and judgy, even though his reasons in this particular moment are understandable: he is specifically replying to yet another comment about how he's old.

Anyways, more under the cut for the probable canonical reasons jamie is drinking vanilla vodka in this specific scene and for the original draft of the meta when I thought vanilla vodka was just Jamie's favorite and go-to drink

jamie is drinking this because either 1) keeley actually likes it, or is at least nostalgic for the drink that she got drunk on from her early twenties, and so originally ordered it (you can see her drinking from a bottle with the same branding in the background) and jamie’s just shrugging and getting the same cause he wants to get drunk, or perhaps 2) as is my fun new headcanon, he was introduced to this drink by a previous girlfriend and liked it and despite what people expect from appearances and gender stereotypes, keeley is actually the one who wouldn’t usually drink this if it wasn’t for her partner, or 3) he’s just a fiend for vanilla flavoring on the level of naruto’s sasuke uchiha has a post fandom flanderization boner for tomatoes.

But yeah jamie drinking this is apparently a generic young party boy in a club with his girlfriend thing.

The original version of the meta went something like this:

First, a disclaimer. I don’t drink. Neither does my partner, but they used to. As much as we wish otherwise, neither of us can help but be American. America has a very specific drinking culture, mainly shaped by our weird alcohol laws. Our legal drinking age is very high and once you hit twenty-one, you gain legal access to every type of alcohol at once. We also don’t have the same pub culture, which I would also guess is partly due to the fact that our shit public infrastructure means most drinkers can’t get home as easily without drinking.

Meanwhile, Jamie would be growing up in England meaning at the very least, his first legal access to alcohol would come when he is in his mid or early teens and able to order his own beer in a pub. He would be experimenting with drinks with a low percentage of alcohol in a supervised environment.

Let’s try getting into it anyway, and if I’m an idiot I can find out later.

Vanilla vodka that’s commercially available is for the most part cheap and for the purposes of mixing into cocktails. Most flavored vodkas sold just anywhere run towards being cheap and shit with the purpose of the flavoring to hide alcohol that would otherwise probably taste like nail polish remover.

Someone is in a liquor store picking out this to drink straight needs to either really, really like vanilla flavoring or to be trying to get drunk cheaply without tasting alcohol only they have no idea what they’re doing. Otherwise, usually they would be more likely to pick things like a sour fruit or candy flavored vodka which have tastes that generally more people would find interesting enough to enjoy.

This interpretation made me very excited. It makes perfect sense with Jamie’s background he would view drunk as a fun destination with a shit journey best kept short as possible. I pictured a possible Jamie with a lot of baggage around drinking who could be mellow about it when definitely sober or definitely drunk but would get into his own head when in the awkward in between.

It would also make sense if Jamie had no real education in alcohol. Jamie’s most likely drinking experience came with his peers, who would also be young and not know shit, and his father. Tartt Sr. is, I imagine, shit for Jamie to be around when drunk, and does not have the personality where he would be a nice teacher for anything much less drinking. Less someone holding your hand as you explore your tastes and more a guy who pours you a shot and when you cough and tear up he laughs and calls you a pussy.

I could imagine Jamie pretending to being all about getting to hang out getting drunk with his dad and his mates the one time and then never doing it again and forming very bad associations with whatever they happened to drink that night. I headcanon James Tartt Sr. as being a whiskey drinker, and the kind of guy who saw the James/Jameson pun and immediately ran that joke into the dirt. Cheap whiskey drinking also falls under one of the three main flavors of longterm alcoholism but this is getting long so I will expand on that in another post

Jamie is clearly willing to throw his money around for things like fashion, which he knows he likes. So him drinking something cheap and probably not very tasty shows a discarding of the idea that alcohol could be tasty or a hobby improved with consideration.

In summary, Jamie drinking something cheap and awful reeemphasizes a lot of what we know about his background. It could mean that for all his party boy reputation, he views drinking as means to an end that isn’t enjoyable in it of itself. He has a background that meant he didn’t have access to anyone who serve as a teacher for the nuances of alcohol culture. Jamie begins the series at a point in his life where there’s much about his tastes and identity he hasn’t bothered investigating, until the instigation from people like Keeley, Ted, and Roy. All of this would be perfect characterization.

It also works as perfect characterization if Jamie drinks of vanilla vodka because he enjoys it. Jamie has other tastes that people judge, like his fashion choice to go without a shirt, and he does these things because he cares more about enjoying himself than he cares, or is even able to register, the judgment of others.

The other part of this discussion that held up were post maturation arc drinks for Jamie, but this is so goddang long I’m going to make that its own post.

[polizwrites]

PoliZ’s Birthday Self-Recs: Stuckony

{got busy yesterday and forgot to post this!}

Indulging myself in the week leading up to my birthday by sharing some of my favorite MCU/Marvel fics I’ve written, grouped primarily  by pairing/relationship.   

After posting my WinterIron, Stucky and Stony lists, I don’t think anyone would be surprised to find out I also ship Stuckony aka  WinterIronShield aka  Bucky/Steve/Tony.    I’ve written 22 fics featuring this throuple which IMHO gives us the best of all three ships, as well as some primo pining opportunities!  Whether it’s Steve and Bucky as an established pair with Tony feeling like a third wheel, or Bucky coming in from the cold only to find Tony and Steve are together.  For that matter - Bucky and Tony could be a couple first, with Steve mourning over lost opportunities with both of them.  But happy threesome endings (smutty or otherwise) are almost always in store for these remarkable men. 

Here  - in reverse chronological order  by pub date - are a few of my favorite Stuckony fics I’ve written, at least as of this moment.   If  you’d like to know why I picked these particular ones, feel free to send an ask, and if you go read them, I’d love to hear what you think, either here or as a comment on the fic!   Finally, a big shiny No Prize to anyone who identifies the song that one of these titles came from!

A Slow Thaw

(Teen, canon-divergent established relationship, 16,087 words) --  Written as a follow on from  @27dragons​‘ most excellent  From Winter's Cold, this fic presents the threesome from an outsider POV - Peggy Carter, aka The Winter Soldier.   This fic picks up about three weeks after the end of FWC and focuses on Peggy's recovery and its ups and downs.   There is drama and angst; and a bit of fluff, and an oddly appropriate movie choice by Barton.   ( I have an multiple POV version of this story as well:  A Slow Thaw - Take Two)

Take What Was Wrong (And Make it Right) 

(Teen, wingfic & getting together, 18,565 words)  Afghanistan took more from Tony Stark than most people understand; the surgery in the cave stealing his ability to fly.  But in the wake of the Battle of New York, Tony discovers an unexpected sympathizer.  However, the revelation of the Winter Soldier’s identity and his recovery spurs Tony to reach for the skies once again.

In a Fix      

(Mature, established relationship, 788  words)  -- Steve is called in to do some plumbing repair work for a very handsome (and very flirty) man who is also apparently married.  Can he keep his cool or is he going to be in hot water? (NOTE: This is a pre-negotiated roleplay scene - no actual cheating occurs) 

Color Our World 

(General, kidfic + established relationship/adding a third, 1374 words)  - On their way back from Peter's preschool, Bucky and Peter find a painting they want to buy for Tony.  When the  three of them return to the gallery, they meet the attractive artist responsible for the piece.

Flawed Hypothesis 

(Mature, non-traditional a/b/o, 7617 words)  What everyone knows about certain members of the Avengers turns out to not exactly be true. NOTE: Co-written with @psychiccatpanda

Fill Me Up With Your Love

(Explicit,  PWP with very mild D/s, 1613 words) Steve’s lovers had told him three things before blindfolding him: he could come whenever he needed to, at least one of them would be touching him at all times, and before the scene was over,  they’d both be inside him.

[notasimpleslater]

also that vid u posted brings up an EXTREMELY good point that unfortunately some tabloids are way more trustworthy than others, which has already been covered on this blog. basically if it's something you'd see in line waiting to check out at the supermarket, it's probably not credible and the news outlet version of fanfiction. there's pretty easy ways to figure out which tabloids are reliable and which ones arent, and like i said, all of the tabloids known to have credible sources have left us-

-with the story that ari and ethan are taking space apart. again, like i said, literally the only outlet to break that 'they're heating up behind the scenes' horseshit was us weekly, which is basically one of the lowest of the low. also, saw someone on reddit bring up something called a 'catch and kill', which they describes basically as PR teams finding out paparazi or someone has photos or info on their celebrity and paying them off to ensure those photos dont get out, and those contracts- -are legal and basically function like an NDA. however the assumed theory here is that that contract wasn't completed in time and so that's why ari's team probably felt the need to break the story, even though by now whoever has those photos is legally unable to publish them. just a really bad case of jumping the gun. however I don't believe the pub makeout story- you're telling me nobody at the time took a picture or tweeted or texted their friend or something, but was able to identify- - ari and ethan positively enough to sell that story to tabloids months after the fact?? hmm. sure jan. anyways sorry for basically talking to myself in your ask box but i just thought that was interesting; the person who explained the catch and kill thing made it clear that they thought that the proof some paparazi have will likely never be published now due to the contract and probably a massive payout from ari's team. so thank god for that and hope it's true

Ooh I didn't know the "catch and kill" thing existed?? That's very interesting (I've unintentionally learned so much about celebrity pr from this whole thing dfgbf!). And thank goodness they're not legally allowed to publish the pics! I don't want to see them ever 😅

And yeah, I don't think I believe the public making out either. I feel like if a fan saw Ariana Grande out in public making out with a man who wasn't Dalton when everyone assumed they were still married, they'd probably use the opportunity to take a pic 🤷‍♀️

(Listen, you don't ever have to apologize for ranting in my inbox! I genuinely love reading what y'all have to say)

[wordsinhaled]

1, 15, 30 👀

Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike? totally a mix of both! sometimes too much daydreaming is the enemy of actual writing, though!!! am very guilty of dreaming out an entire sequence of scenes in my head and then realizing i have not written a single word of any of those scenes lmao

15. What’s your favorite time to write? thinking about it some more, i'm not sure i have a favorite time. whenever the words are flowing i suppose is the best time!

30. How much do you edit your fics?  Do you edit as you write or wait until you finish the first draft? i am... chronically bad at drafting and at thinking of things as a First Draft, Second Draft, etc. (same thing in academics. coming up with drafts instead of just the Final Thing was always something i struggled with). if i'm writing something short i usually edit as i go and almost never have first drafts for short fics. word choice and things like that, i tend to edit as i go in general for longer fics, i do have drafts just because i haven't figured out or written all the scenes i have in my head yet, or sometimes haven't figured out what order they're best in; plus i tend to only have stamina for short bursts of writing at a time so i end up just dumping everything into a doc... so, right now i have (i think) 3 actual fic drafts (not in order of priority, lol): grunge hob fic, knight!hob ring-kissing fealty fic, and a fic inspired by @valeriianz post about dreamling messy first meetings - in which they don't realize they're actually neighbors and also fight over wanting the same table at the pub... 🥰

actually. well. i'm looking at my drafts on tumblr and i have a bunch of other... random fic fragments in here but i don't think i'd call those proper Drafts ??? ??? i have, like... six different little versions of new inn reunion in here. some vampire fic. some eldritch dream stuff, some eldritch hob stuff. hob receiving a letter from dream. dream and hob just... talking about time, while cuddling? hot mess sadgoth dream being a patron at the new inn and bartender hob. ... i feel like i wrote half of these lil fragments in a fever dream state or something but i. should probably go back and finish some of them, flkjghg

thanks for the ask, ev! <3

[sullenarchives]

Mark Hollis

Director's cut version of a piece originally published in The Wire 459, May 2022

Mark Hollis: A Perfect Silence

Ben Wardle

Rocket 88 hbk

Biography, as Ben Wardle admits in his introduction to the first full-length work on Mark Hollis, is of dubious value in considering his music. Avoiding interviews wherever possible, insisting his personable face not appear on album covers, pressing his idea of his work against resistance from labels and his own bandmates in Talk Talk, he appeared as a classic romantic aesthete. Not only are primary sources scarce – he was notoriously private and his family and close collaborators consistently refuse interviews – but Hollis himself felt his work was untouched by his life and opinions: “At the end of the day the record is what I have to say… I can’t add anything.” And yet, of course, he abandoned art for life. After his sole, self-titled solo album in 1998, he remained a stay-at-home dad until his death in 2019, living on the substantial proceeds of Talk Talk’s 1980s hits in Switzerland and the Netherlands. As Wardle outlines, Hollis was far from shy, but his ready, dry sense of humour and occasional manic intensity deflected from an armoured silence around his life and feelings.

Wardle, a former major-label A&R man, was able to convince a few figures – some, like Talk Talk manager Keith Aspden and keyboardist Simon Brenner, key to his success – to open up and fills in many of the blanks that Hollis left in his biographical record. The results are, inevitably, somewhat thin and textureless. We see Hollis entirely from without, through his often cryptic statements in music press interviews and the clashing perspectives of a handful of observers. Moreover, while Wardle is strong on the music biz politicking that went on around Talk Talk – such as Hollis’s quixotic sallies against his patient and indulgent bosses at EMI and Verve – and he’s able to shed a surprising amount of light on the increasingly idiosyncratic recording processes Hollis adopted from 1986’s The Colour Of Spring onwards, the music’s inner meaning and intent remains elusive.

This is, in some ways, fortunate. Opacity has been kind to Hollis, allowing legend and rumour – that he’d used heroin, that Spirit Of Eden had been recorded in an incense-filled abandoned church, among other stories Wardle debunks – to intensify his work’s effect. Nothing here, still, really explains how in five years he went from playing overwrought synth-pop on Saturday morning kids’ TV to composing Spirit of Eden, an album that combines music’s modern technological decomposition – atonality, free improvisation, studio-as-instrument – with the intense expression of an inscrutable private theology.

At its best, the colour Wardle adds only deepens that mystery and gives it amusing new facets. Growing up in Essex’s overspill towns, Hollis was a teenage hanger-on to the Canvey Island pub-rock scene. His older brother Ed emerges as a vivid figure who guided young Hollis: an encyclopaedic record collector, party animal and manager to Eddie And The Hot Rods, who Mark briefly roadied for, he succumbed to a worsening heroin addiction, dying in 1989 at just 37. Though Hollis lacked musical training, he had an incredible ear, a massive, detailed knowledge of music and a remarkable confidence from early on. (Journalists were frequently baffled and annoyed by his incessant references to Debussy and post-bop.) Apart from a few sympathetic collaborators – particularly Tim Friese-Greene, who masterminded the micro-collages of Spirit Of Eden and Laughing Stock – he frequently bullied and belittled musicians who couldn’t give him what he was fumbling for or weren’t his flavour of workaholic. (He often barracked Brenner with cautionary tales of his time working in a toilet-seat factory, a spell, according to Wardle, that in fact lasted just a few months.). Recording with Hollis after 1985 was slow and torturous; he had a habit of cultivating intense partnerships and then dropping people entirely, including his Talk Talk bandmates. As Aspden comments, “He needed other people, but he didn’t want other people.”

Hollis insisted in late interviews, somewhat implausibly, that the barely-there structures of Spirit Of Eden – the musics once called “jazz” or “punk” persisting only as half-erased fragments of the old world after the Biblical flood – were “where the first three albums were always heading”. Wardle is careful to show how their musical sophisticationand Hollis’s discontent with routine performance and promotion steadily grew in tandem. The increasing tension in his relationships with other performers, along with disappearing major-label largesse, seems to have been the all-too-human reason for his retreat. After his 1998 self-titled solo album he recognised he could only release new music in the independent sector, but had never learned to do without vast recording budgets or tolerant collaborators. That album’s setup of two room mics, a few session players and pre-written arrangements would have been standard for an experimental artist, but it ended up costing well over £100000. His particular obstinacy about music played a part too. As Wardle reveals, Hollis did in fact work on some projects after 1998 – including a bizarre offer to score Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006) – but always encountered some personal sticking-point. By then he’d “had enough of that life” and had long since lost interest in contemporary music, only listening to older jazz and modern classical. What remains, rent between innocence and experience, flush with texture and pockmarked with silence, is among the strangest and most moving popular music of the century. It’s a music that reflects back on life, its tragic contingencies and intimations of immortality, but extends life’s vistas past the vanishing points of biography.

[copperbadge]

Question. When you say 'adapting into a novel'... does that mean 'wil be posted on AO3' or are we talking 'I will post a link you can buy a digital copy from'? Either is fine! Just so I know where i should be looking.

I'm actually working on what I want to do with it when it's complete right now! Normally the process is "post to AO3 for feedback" and then "Self-pub after AO3 feedback". But I think with this one I might go straight to publish once it's where I want it. I'm kind of in awe of romance novelists who can put out new content every few months, even if it's relatively shortform content, so the idea with this story is to do, perhaps not my best work, but work that's a lot faster than my normal, and see where that takes me. The original script took two weeks to write, mostly on weekends, because I was trying to hold myself to a Hallmark standard and not a Fandom standard. (To be clear: Fandom’s standards for good writing are much higher than Hallmark’s, on the whole.)

When I selfpub I always make a PDF, identical to the book, available for free, so either way you will have access to it if you can't purchase. Whether it goes on AO3 or not, links to the hardcopy, epub, and pdf will be posted to this account, so here on tumblr is where to keep your eyes peeled. It'll be probably a while yet -- the goal is just to get this draft adaptation finished by end of month, and if I get a second draft and/or a ready-for-pub version done, that'll be gravy. Especially since I have some surprise emergency travel coming up next week (nothing life-threatening or horrible, I'm just going to have to take a trip home none of us anticipated). So it may be four to eight weeks before it goes up, or slightly longer.

I'm also thinking of trying something like I've seen with a couple of indy romance novelists, where I make a version with sexy scenes and a version without both available -- I haven't written any sex scenes yet but there are several fade-to-blacks where a scene could be included easily, and the change in page count would be negligible enough they could go for the same price.

[literaticat]

Wrote a novel in 2019. Self published for some friends in 2020. Found out that was a bad idea and took it down after about a week. Had a freelance editor edit it and I changed the name, rewrote, cut several scenes and dropped around 10,000 words. It was too long. have I ruined any chance of getting it published? Can I consider this book not being in the world? Not sure what to put when I see on query manager if its been published. Thank you for your help!

You put "no" - it has not been published.

First of all - It's always best to stick to the truth. And the truth is, THIS version never has been published.

It could be argued that an earlier version was published, I guess -- but if it was basically "for fun", it was never widely distributed in the world, few people ever saw it, and if I googled and looked for it today, nothing would come up? Then it absolutely isn't a problem in any way, shape or form, and it's not even worth mentioning.

IF, somehow, some way, you are talking to an agent and this DOES come up, or the concept of self-publishing in general comes up, or they ask you something like "what's the genesis of this manuscript" or some such -- it's not a big deal, you have nothing to hide. Just chuckle knowingly and say, "oh I did have a short-lived experiment with self-publishing! Silly, really, I just put it up for some friends and took it down again after a week. The plus side was, that was an early draft of the book that ultimately became THIS book, so this manuscript might not exist without it -- and, it taught me that I really don't want to self-pub! I admire people that can do that successfully but I don't think I'm one of them. :-)"

I think it's safe to say that MOST people who are at all interested in books or writing, and came of age during the time of the internet, probably tried some experiment in publishing their own work, or posted fan fiction, or tried serializing stories on their livejournal, or WHATEVER. Any of that? Truly not anything to concern yourself over.

If you did ACTUALLY self-publish -- like the book was available for a long time, lots of people DID read it, if I googled it, something would come up -- that's OK, too -- but probably that book will not get traditionally published later unless you did SUPER MEGA numbers. So if you want to trad publish -- write a new book! That other book already exists!