#but imo it still stands

[meraki-yao]

RWRB Movie Analysis: Henry's Seclusion and Perception-Part 2

A little follow-up of this post after I realized something while watching Henry flinch after Alex tried to hold his hand during their Paris date.

This is more up to interpretation but in the same way Henry was isolated in a space without any sort of moral support during the week after the email leaks while Alex wasn’t, I think the same could be possibly said with their view on public displays of affection.

I’m gonna preface by saying that even in the RWRB Movie verse, both UK and USA are evidently mostly LGBT+ friendly. Alex’s US kind of goes without saying, while for Henry, given the sheer amount of people that ended up coming to support him all across the country, I think the same could be said for his UK.

So given that their big environment is LGBT friendly, the difference here is their own circles.

Before President Claremont was elected, Alex was just like any of us, as he put it himself, “an anonymous working class kid”. His socializing circle wasn’t really limited. On top of that both of his parents are democrats. Even before he figured out his own bisexuality, he was definitely exposed to LGBT communities and individuals, colourful queer people who showed off their gender, sexuality and relationship/partner proudly. Besides, from his interaction with Nora, his mom, even Henry during the NYE party, Alex is clearly a physically affectionate person to begin with. He is used to displays of affection, and has see queer public displays of affection.

So when he starts to fall for Henry (which I firmly believed started properly since the state dinner), he doesn’t really register displays of affection as something to be hidden despite now being in a homosexual relationship. This aspect is not that different in his mind. The only times we see Alex really make an effort to conceal it is when they want to… do dirty things, like the polo match (Matthew/Prime release the full scene please) and the DNC hotel visit, which in any case is something that one would make effort to hide even for a bit.

Look at the movie again. Alex reaches out to hold Henry’s hand in Paris, Henry flinches. Alex steps forward to kiss Henry at the airstrip after the night in the V&A, Henry stops him, even if it’s private airstrip with only Henry’s staff. The one sentence Alex said that sent Henry spiralling and trying to break things off was “We could walk through Austin holding hands, and it won’t even matter if anyone sees us.” (which is one of my favourite lines in the book by the way, granted used in a different situation) Alex finds public displays of affection towards Henry very natural.

Henry doesn’t.

However much he loves touching and kissing Alex in private behind closed door throughout the entirety of their relationship, he was never comfortable, or confident for them in public settings, even if there’s actually no one except their own professional secret service/ personal staff there.

And I think one of the contributing reasons is unlike Alex, he never really got to see queer people be openly proud of their identity and partners.

Henry, as the prince, has his social circle and travels limited. You’re not gonna see him on the subway or walking through Trafalgar Square. He’s not gonna be able to walk the streets and just see queer citizens out and about the way Alex did. Given the context clues in the movie, I’m guessing he’s limited to causes the crown wants to serve (veterans, climate, diplomacy, which all have their own values as social issues but doesn’t suit Henry) and unlike the royals in our world (yes I pay some attention to the irl royal family) he couldn’t even choose topics that interest him, that he wants to serve, like arts, LGBT, and mental health (there’s a sequel idea!!! Henry getting to choose how to use his title for causes he’s part of and care about), plus it’s clear his family, the king at least, had no interest in getting involved with LGBT issues, so he didn’t have any chance to approach the community while on duty either. Considering his grandfather warned him against pursuing relationships when he was 18, he probably was forced into some sense of shame or fear regarding any possibility of having a public relationship, which was also part of his argument during the Kensington confrontation. Seeing as Nick and Matthew decided Paris was Henry’s first time with someone he actually had feelings for, I’m guessing past hookups in said “English Boarding School” were done out of sexual frustration and some degree of rebellion, but even then it was more on the sexual side instead of anything truly affectionate, and that was still extremely secretive with stacks of NDAs.

So on Henry’s part, he was secluded in a almost forcefully heteronormative environment, never really got to see people like him in real life, in front of his eyes (reading queer history and news about LGBT rights is very different from seeing it yourself), and was told that this was something to be ashamed about, something he can’t do, something impossible. That’s why he never felt confident enough to ask for touch or touch Alex in anywhere remotely public. (He was drunk at the karaoke, and I think most of the Texas vacation was on the Claremont-Diaz’s private property, so those don’t count)

Until the palace pride protest, where thousand of people like him came to storm the palace with their rainbow flags and banners, their support, and their own identities display.

Faces with this massive display of queer pride right in front of him, Henry, maybe for the first time, sees so many people like them, and he sees that it’s okay for him to be gay, that there is nothing selfish, shameful, repulsive or unacceptable about who he is and who he loves. They’re here for him. They’re just like him. They’re proud of it. They show it.

So this time, in front of his family, a window away from the outside world, it’s his turn to ask for Alex’s hand, held between his. He’s finally confident enough in everything so tell Alex, through a wet smile, “I love you.”

Both of them look out, at the sea of colourful love and pride. Alex, who has seen this many times before in his life, but probably the first time he sees this knowing he’s part of that sea. Henry, who gets to see the crowd be proud of something he’s tried so long to conceal and hide.

Henry can be proud of his sexuality too.

And he shows it, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, with thousands of people cheering for him and his boyfriend. 

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry hanover stuart fox #firstprince #nicholas galitzine #taylor zakhar perez #rwrb thoughts #rwrb movie analysis #rwrb meta #meta #in all honesty this is more context clues than concrete evidence #but imo it still stands #will write something about Alex's physical affection

[gaytobymeres]

Benoit Blanc's similarities to other fictional detectives

Specifically Holmes, Poirot and Columbo because I'm most familiar with them and saw many of their characteristics in Blanc.

Impeccable clothes - Poirot

Cigar - Columbo

Post-case slump - Holmes

Eccentric - Holmes, Poirot, Columbo

Detection as a means of helping people, not just for the sake of solving crimes - Holmes (and Poirot and Columbo to a slightly lesser extent)

Fun name – Holmes, Columbo, Poirot

Referred to by surname (almost) all of the time, even by close friends/partners – Columbo, Holmes, Poirot

Kindness to and deep respect for vulnerable women – Holmes, Columbo, Poirot

Said to be the best detective in the world – Holmes, Poirot

Fun American accent – Columbo

Hates rich people who abuse their financial influence – Holmes, Columbo, Poirot

Polite – Columbo (of course Holmes and Poirot can also be very polite but I don't feel like it's a defining characteristic for them the way it is for Columbo)

Rude to mean rich people in a way that is so polite the horrible rich people don’t realise they’re being made fun of/talked to rudely – Holmes, Poirot

Politeness and diplomacy that is often pushed too far and they explode into explicit anger – Holmes, Columbo, Poirot

Drama in resolution – all three to varying degrees, but especially Poirot

Understated and affable – Columbo

Involved in self-contained stories – Columbo, Poirot, Holmes (though a couple of Holmes stories do link closely to previous stories)

Uses the word 'afoot' – Holmes

Gay – Holmes, Poirot (I'll let you decide if this applies to Columbo)

#feel free to add to this or debate it (but kindly) #sherlock holmes #hercule poirot #benoit blanc #columbo #knives out #glass onion #acd sherlock holmes #obviously many of these were intentional and the films have a definite poirot vibe #like benoit blanc is a homage to other detectives but still fresh - i like that he is not the most central character for example #hes an homage to older detective fiction but the films bring a different perspective #i could maybe make this into a venn diagram but for ease it is a list #holmes doesnt necessarily help women get their revenge but he also doesnt stand in their way #like with kitty winter and then the women who shot CAM #actually im not too familiar with kitty winter's story so dont quote me on it but im pretty sure she fits the point im making #left out some obvious ones like 'consults with police' bc that's boring imo

[carlyraejepsans]

for real WHERE does the idea that [utdr humans] are nongendered so that "you can project on them" come from. their literal character arcs are about NOT being a blank slate to be filled in by the audience

i think i understand the assumption on some level for undertale, because there is a very intentional effort to make you identify with the "player character" in order to make your choices feel like your own (the beating heart of undertale's metanarrative lies in giving you an alternative path to violence against its enemies after all, and whether you're still willing to persue it for your own selfish reasons. YOUR agency is crucial).

of course, the cardinal plot twist of the main ending sweeps the rug from under your feet on that in every way, and frisk's individuality becomes, in turn, a tool to further UT's OTHER main theme: completionism as a form of diegetic violence within the story. replaying the game would steal frisk's life and happy ending from them for our own perverse sentimentality, emotionally forcing our hand away from the reset button.

i think their neutrality absolutely aids in that immersion. but also, there's this weird attitude by (mostly) cis fans where it being functional within the story makes it... somehow "editable" and "up to the player" as well? which is gross and shows their ass on how they approach gender neutrality in general lol.

but also like. there's plenty of neutral, non PCharacters in undertale and deltarune. even when undertale was just an earthbound fangame and the player immersion metanarrative was completely absent, toby still described frisk as a "young, androgynous person". sometimes characters are just neutral by design. it's not that hard to understand lol.

anyone who makes this argument for kris deltarune is braindead. nothing else to say about it.

#this is a very difficult topic to discuss imo because on Some level I don't completely disagree with people who make that argument for chara #in SPIRIT. if not in action. like my point still stands characters can just Be neutral. and if that level of customization had been intended #well Pokemon's been doing the ''are you a boy or a girl'' shtick for ages. no reason why that couldn't have been included as well #but i do feel that we're supposed to identify with chara within the story. not as in chara is us but as in we are chara #and i think someone playing the game without outside interferences and (wrongly) coming to the conclusion that chara IS literally #themselves in the story. and thus call them by their own name (the one they likely inputted at the start) and pronouns #will be someone who grasped undertale's metanarrative more than someone who went in already spoiled on the NM route who thinks of chara #(and on some level frisk as well) as completely separate from us with independent wills and personhoods at any time #who treats them as nonbinary. even if their approach is more ''appropriate'' to a gender neutral person #systematic error vs manually changing every measure to fit what you already think is going to be the correct result. ykwim? #of course this opens a whole new parentheses while discussing the game outside of your personal experience #because even if you DO see chara as a self insert then they are a self insert for EVERYONE. women men genderqueer people #i don't call chara ''biscia'' even though that's what i named the fallen human in my playthrough. neither do i use they because i also do #if you're describing the character/story objectively in how they are executed then you're going to talk about them neutrally #because you ain't the only sunovabitch who played the darn game sonny #so like. either way you turn it. even in the most self insert reading you'd STILL logically use they/them so ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ git gud #answered asks

[don1t1red]

I know that this is a very unpopular opinion but hear me out!

I think not enough people consider Corvo as an unreliable narrator. We see the story from his point of view and all we know about Jessamine Kaldwin comes from his perspective. So, to think on that, do we really know how good Jessamine was as the Empress? 

I know that she is usually portrayed as a good person if not a saint but what if it wasn't that way? A lot of people in the streets are indifferent towards her image, if not hostile; the situation with Delilah; how both Geoff Curnow and Corvo are treated because of their nationality; two hatters recalling how greatly Corvo dealt with workers uprising under her command  – a lot of things are a tell-tale signs that something is not quite right. 

And at this point I have to clarify that I'm not saying things like "boo no I hate Jessamine". No, it's actually quite the opposite, I love her character. But the way it is usually portrayed seems to be so dull and static. Let her not be a saint. 

Let her be manipulative. Let her tell Corvo that "he is not like other serkonans, he is sooo special and that's why he is where he is and not somewhere deep in the silver mine", while being (just as any nobility in Gristol) not very welcome to any outlanders. 

Let her be power-hungry and afraid to lose this power. Remember a bonecharm in her hidden room in the Tower? Who knows how it ended up here! Maybe she knew (or felt) that Delilah was coming, capable of overpowering and taking everything from her. Maybe Jessamine was so afraid to lose her posh life that she was ready to use some kind of a black magic! 

Let her be disloyal. Obviously, she and Corvo developed some kind of codependency. But along with that, she was the Empress so who could stop her from having an affair or two? And Corvo was just the safest option, with a way less unnecessary risks and questions. 

Let her be an imperfect person. 

Obviously, Jessamine could be easily born a perfect ruler and a perfect loving woman for her chosen one and her daughter. But maybe she had to learn it the hard way. 

Maybe she changed along with Corvo. Maybe the plague was a critical point for her character, maybe those months without Corvo made her rethink a lot of things. 

And isn't it tragic, finally understanding and becoming the Empress everyone wants to see in you, just to be killed the other day, because all those changes have been seen as a weakness? Have nothing but faith in your closest one, faith that these people will be more wise than she was? 

Give her some development, give her some motion! She could easily  be a saint, static point.  But in my opinion, she deserves to be not perfect but in constant motion. Trying and learning, understanding and making mistakes. She was too young when she became the Empress, she was a part of gristolian nobility, not so kind to anyone but themselves, she literally had no prerequisites to become a good person. And yet somehow she did. 

It's always so easy to be a "saint" from the very beginning. And it's always so hard to learn how to become one.

#dishonored #jessamine kaldwin #imo all women deserve to be evil #(as a treat) #and esp disho women #ngl i kinda feel as a great part of Emily criticism could be applied to Jess as well #which doesnt make either of them a bad character #just as a fact #oh and also - while im still there - its not a bad thing to write Dauds development as a reaction to her death #but i feel like it was rather a reaction to the *changes* that her death triggered #i understand that she is a “woman in the refrigerator” trope in canon but we all are better than this #so again imo but it would be better to concentrate Dauds character growth aroud those changes and leave this poor woman alone #i really want to write a separate post about him rn lol #anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk #dt (stands for doni talks)

[desolate-flame]

im feeling so fucking insane about daisira and jonmartin parallels rn basira basically already lost daisy (or her version of daisy/the daisy she knew) after the unknowing while despite jon not being Himself (human (though this is another can of worms i wont open)) after the coma martin was able to get to know the actual jon for the first time during the safehouse era and beyond but regardless both basira and martin were in love with people who were already dead and withering away, who could not return to their old selves, who were destined for death . basira will forever be waiting for someone she know cannot return and martin will forever be cherishing a version of someone he knows he will lose ARGHH

#toxic yuri doomed yaoi fr #its almost 4am tjis is not coherent in the slightest but i need to scream about them #daisira is a qpr to me btw i think it’s important to mention #obvs ​id like to think that daisira had small moments of reprieve during the post coffin era but #my point still stands #theres not enough meta about these two pairings imo !!!! #feed me it !!! #tma #basira hussain #daisy tonner #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin #daisira #the magnus archives #my beautiful brain

[lesbinewren]

underrated bit of rogue one is how it really holds back on the imperial march in favor of its own (also very cool) imperial theme that evokes it. it makes its uses of imperial march a lot more effective when it does happen, while still having a strong musical sound for imperials without using it all the time

#the rogue one imperial theme really like builds up to the imperial march imo and it works so well #kind of a metaphor for rogue one in a way. created decades later yet building up to the original material while still standing on its own #listening to sw soundtracks while i work if you can’t tell

[plantaagomaajor]

Quest for Camelot is a movie that dares to ask the question "does a movie have to be good to be enjoyable?"

#the answer is no #it's high key not a good movie but still an enjoyable watch imo #quest for camelot #united we stand is a banger but otherwise I wasn't too impressed by the soundtrack #I've seen a lot of hate towards the dragons but idk I thought they were funny #this movie would be better if they were allowed to say gay because the tall half of the dragon....... #also idk why so many people in the quest for camelot tag are so hot for ruber #ALSO maybe it's because I'm obsessed with DK's portrayal of King Arthur in Xcalibur but I was disappointed in qfc's portrayal of Arthur

[banished-away]

I honestly can't wait to get to generations bc i need the massive shotgun of the whole zak-drizzt father-son relationship to go off

#i love zak and he did the best he could #but when i see art of him being all cutesy with small drizzt all i can think of #is that one of the first things he did when meeting him was dislocating his jaw #which makes sense in context. physical punishment is near daily for male drow so it doesnt stand out as particularly cruel #its just what zak knows and he may even have been soft by menzo drow standards #but i think a lot abt that one passage in one of drizzt's thinkpieces #i cant for the love of god remember which book #where drizzt outright mentions how he was grateful that his father tried to kill him (twice!) #and how incredibly fucked up that is #zak's hand was forced to a degree. in his head the drizzt he knew might've been already dead anyway #and zak's life is all about kill-or-die. so he didnt know any other option. and if he did they wouldn't have mattered anyway #but it is still an incredibly fucked up thing to do. and imo erasing that part of him does an incredible disservice to zak's character #the zak drizzt remembers is not the full picture. its the image created by a young man desperate to have someone guide him #of a man that he had just discovered was his father and then was killed that very day #IDK. just. gestures vaguely. zak Do'Urden #bani.txt #legend of drizzt

[multicolour-ink]

Pretty sure Luigi has a sliightly greener tint to his eyes than Mario, but they're both still blue. I think it's easiest to see in the difference in the plumbing commercial where they're in the same lightning

One quick rewatch of the Mario Bros Plumbing advert later.....👀

...

This is the best shots I could get that show their eyes in a good light.

And then you have the money shot (ha!) that really shows their eye colour!

I think we can confirm that their eyes look the same here!

#I THINK Mario's eyes still look bluer #actually I think thst Luigi's ARE sightly darker in the games #but the point still stands #eyes are said to be windows to the soul #imo having the bros have eyes thst are so alike reveals all you need to know about their bond #just my opinion #super mario #mario #luigi #the super mario bros movie #super mario movie #mario movie #twins #brothers #mario and luigi #genetics #eyes #multicolour ink answers

[divortion]

jordan firstman's home

#the whole place is pretty cool but the bedroom especially imo #i just know that fur would get all matted and gross after a bit of use but wow it's pretty #design #i normally can't stand these AD things like. idgaf about these rich people houses. and that is still true but i do like these photos

[victoryrifle]

Red Dead Redemption 2 locations - Valentine’s Gunsmith

#rdr2edit #reddeadedit #gamingscenery #gamingedit #reddeadredemption2edit #videogameedit #vgedit #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #mine #gif:mine #gif:rdr2 #gif:rdr2scenery #sr its the same shot but to have a nice one of the opposite view i had to essentialy try to stand behind HIM and he did not like that #so um yea i couldnt get the rest how i wanted it to be. this will have to do. still pretty imo look at that freaking bench #bears as bench legs im <3<3<3<3<3<3<3

[every-kakashi]

#hatake kakashi #kakashi hatake #manga screencap #ch.008 #& sasuke #& naruto #& sakura #fascinating how in naruto world you can break the rules but not too much. stuck in this perpetual environment where #you gotta be a good soldier for the good state but also the cast is full of people Standing Up against vague Authority #but the state is still good #dont break the rules too much but also u gotta break them dont let people tell u waht to do. #more of a writing issue than any given character flaw imo but it is interesting to take in a like. character level i guess #esp bc as it goes on itjust draws more and more attention to itself #knowing that an underdog character is more likely to be likable vs doing anything with it. I guess. #anyway you arent here for Some Cunts serious opinions on naruto the most youre here for is me cooing over sasuke in the tags #that being said im sure its no surprise ihave the opinions i do. given that i see sasuke and go (points) beautiful baby boy baby

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

I believe in Hanya supremacy.

#just a simp doing...something #literally the most gut-wrenching character lore imo #ok MAYBE not considering its her sis that died #but my point still stands #i love her #tho she's just a bundle of self deprecation and depression... #HOW RELETABLE! /hj

[lezbianz]

listen guys it’s not gonna make a difference vis a vis election results if communists on this website don’t vote for biden. that man is not winning this fucking election

#my post #genuinely if you think he has even a slight chance i’m kind of in awe of you #like literally how can you think that😭 #not only is he personally responsible for a genocide (thus losing him the vote of ppl who stand in opposition to this genocide) #he also has 100000% lost the vote of most undecided/moderate voters #for imo less important reasons but still like #inflation has only gone up under him and most people uhm don’t like that

[jaqobis]

tbf i get why the show avoids using the terms saidin or saidar and explicating their differences, like. the second you really start getting into differences in the One Power is when you're putting yourself on the fast track to gender essentialism city, avoiding which in tyool 2023 is a solid and understandable choice. i get why people miss the terms!, and it does sometimes lead to odd narrative beats like siuan criticizing rand for not learning more when he has objectively fewer opportunities than a girl who could study at the white tower or with a wisdom or something. but overall i think it makes a lot of sense to draw less attention to this beat outside of the salient madness issue.

#like for the issues the show does have. imo this is not one #also i know rand potentially could've learned from logain but 1) he tried 2) my point still stands #that said i'm not criticizing siuan here just the. writing choice. #anyway welcome to my insomnia wot rambles #wot on prime #wheel of time

[robotsandramblings]

i agree Echo should get the handprint back on his armor

but what if... what if.........hear me out?...........

he doesn't get Rex's handprint, but Omega's

whaddya think TBB fam? 😏👉👈 (explanation in my tags)

#omega #echo #the bad batch #star wars #''why'' you might ask? ok here's my thought process #he kept rex's handprint from rishi moon because rex saved them and because he looks up to rex right? #rex was his hero and inspiration and mentor and he followed that man towards the jaws of death every day #and he'll continue to do so every day until his last #BUT imo at this point they're very much equals now #rex has taught echo everything he knows by this point #in fact rex is probably looking at echo as an inspiration and a hero in return #and as we've seen echo can very much stand on his own as a solider and especially as a leader #like yeah im sure echo still looks up to rex and all #but who else is he probably drawing inspiration from these days? #who's also doing a lot of good heroic deeds? who else is inspiring him to keep helping people and fighting the good fight? #omega omega and omega #her handprint is less of a ''nod to my mentor and hero'' and moreso a reminder and inspiration as to why they keep fighting #but that's because ECHO is now the one mentoring and leading people and being THEIR hero #plus of course omega's handprint would be a cute heartfelt symbol of their growing bond <3 #idk that''s just an idea thats been knocking around in my head for awhile :)))