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musclesandhammering · 3 years

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Every Single Issue I Have With S*lki (It’s Not Just The Selfcest)

Here goes. I threatened to post this a few days ago and never did, but I just saw a s*lki stan Twitter account claim that Loki caring about Sylvie more than the whole multiverse was a Good And Romantic thing and it pushed me over the fucking edge, so now you all have to read this. I’ve divided it into categories cause there’s just THAT much.

OOC Bullshit

• First and foremost, no amount of mental gymnastics you do will ever make me believe that this specific Loki- the one that just invaded New York, that just came off a year of Thanos Torture, that just got done being influenced by the sceptre, that was literally in the middle of a crisis already, and then on top of that went through all the trauma of Ep 1- would even be worried about a romantic relationship. That would be the furthest thing from his mind. Go back and watch how he acted in Avengers- you think that guy would abandon his previous mission to become a snivelling simp for a girl he’d just met 3 days prior? Yeah, there’s no universe in which that makes sense.

• “It’s very in character for Loki to fall in love with himself lololol-“ NO, it’s literally not. Out of all the characters in the mcu, I don’t think I can think of anyone that genuinely hates themselves more than Loki. He even referred to all his other male variants as “monsters” and said meeting them was “a nightmare” in this series. He’s got so much self-loathing, plus the fact that he genuinely thinks himself to be an evil backstabbing scourge- so there’s no evidence at all suggesting that he would ever develop a fondness for, or even be inclined to trust, another version of himself, after only knowing them for 3 days.

• Building on that, the whole concept of Loki falling in love with a version of himself just feeds into the annoying ass misconception that he’s a narcissist. No matter which way you stack it, he’s not. If you’re referring to NPD, he doesn’t fit the criteria, and if you’re saying “narcissist” just as a slang term meaning “selfish and arrogant”, that still doesn’t accurately describe him. But when creators like Waldron and Herron do things like having him fall in love with himself, it makes it so much easier for casual viewers to think that he is.

Shitty LGBT Rep

• It’s kinda sus that Loki’s are allegedly genderfluid and yet the only female-presenting variant we see (and apparently the only female-presenting variant there is, cause the male Loki’s all seemed unfamiliar with the concept) is treated as some kind of mind-bogglingly special paradox. Also very sus that, out of all the Loki variants, the one our Loki falls in love with just so happens to be the only female one. What a coincidence.

• The fact that the creators of the show went around bragging about Loki’s bisexuality and Marvel purposefully (lbr) allowed stories about Loki possibly having a male love interest to circulate, specifically enticing queer viewers to watch the show (you know, the definition of queerbaiting), and then instead of having a male love interest (Loki was the first queer main character, so it was the perfect opportunity) they gave us *gestures to this dumpster fire* this… it’s just a middle finger to LGBT fans. The fact that they would rather have this relationship with all its myriad of problems than have a gay relationship is just……. Very telling.

• While him being with a woman obviously doesn’t refute his bisexuality, the fact that they showed/talked about him being interested in 3 different women (flight attendant, Sylvie, Sif) and never even hinted at him being attracted to a man, definitely makes it seem like they were trying to cover up his bisexuality to smooth things over with the more homophobic viewers. You know? It’s like “I know you’re pissed that we sorta confirmed Loki as bi, so we promise we’ll never mention it again! Or even hint at it! As a matter of fact, we’ll give him lots of female lovies and make him seem as straight as possible! That’ll take your mind off of that horrible crumb of queer rep, right? Please please please keep giving us your money!!!”

• Aside from all the other issues, at its core, the biggest reason why I think I’m so irritated with s*lki is that it took one of the most interesting, complex, and diverse characters in cinema atm and squished him into a tired ass unnecessary heteronormative subplot…. Like literally every. single. other. protagonist. ever. Loki is such a unique character, and it’s so so so incredibly disappointing that they stuck him into that same boring cookie cutter romance that happens to every other character in every other movie I’ve ever seen. It’s a disservice, and it’s honestly just not compelling or entertaining at all.

Thematic Issues Galore

• His arc didn’t need a romance. With anyone. It was unnecessary and it didn’t make sense plot-wise. In fact, one of the reasons he was my fav prior to this was because he was the only big-name mcu character whose story wasn’t muddied-up by a romance that didn’t need to be there. So much for that.

• He wasn’t emotionally ready for a romantic relationship with anyone. Hell, just a genuine friendship would’ve been pushing it for him at this point. He was in such a bad state that any relationship he got into would’ve been toxic and unhealthy for both him and the other person, and it doesn’t make sense why the writers would want to put him in one when there were so many cons and essentially no pros (other than “Uwu aren’t they cute together”).

• Sylvie’s character in general was unnecessary and Loki’s character was robbed just by her being there. The whole show became about her post-Ep 2. They spent most of the time giving her backstory, building her up, telling us how awesome she is, trying to convince us to like her, etc when what they really needed to be doing was building Loki up- cause I gotta say, if I had to describe TVA!Loki in a few words, they would be Flat, Boring, and Weak.

• The romance overtakes the plot. They spend time portraying their supposed connection that could’ve been spent adding depth and complexity to literally any of the characters. They make the big Nexus Event them giving each other googly eyes on Lamentis when it could’ve been so many other way more profound things that speak to the fundamental nature of Loki’s. They have the climax of the finale be “oh no she betrayed him to kill He Who Remains” when it could’ve been something way more compelling (Loki having a moral crisis over whether or not to kill HWR, Loki contemplating the state of the multiverse and weighing the pros and cons of freedom vs order, Loki looking into some What If situations and getting emotional about what could’ve been regarding his family, Loki realising the gravity of HWR’s offer and finally coming to terms with how important he is to the universal cycle, etc etc). The entire plot suffered in favour of a romance that half of us didn’t even want.

• It essentially reduced all of Loki’s potential character growth down to “He did it for his crush.” He seemed to at least have some motivations of his own in Ep 1-2 (feeble as they were) but after Sylvie showed up in Ep 3, literally every action he took was just him being a simp for her. Why did he lie in the interrogation? To try to protect Sylvie. Why did he fight the minutemen and Timekeepers? To survive kinda, but mostly cause it was important to Sylvie. Why did he get pruned? Cause he got distracted trying to confess his crush to Sylvie. Why did he try to get out of The Void? Cause he thought Sylvie needed him. Why did he stay in The Void? Cause Sylvie was staying. Why did he try to enchant Alioth? Cause Sylvie told him to. Why did the multiverse get cracked open, leading to an infinite number of Kangs waging war on all of existence? Cause Loki didn’t wanna hurt Sylvie in their fight at the Citadel and then get distracted by her kissing him. It’s uninteresting and honestly pretty embarrassing.

• Throughout their “relationship arc” the writers do their absolute damndest to convince us that we should like Sylvie more than Loki. And you know what? It’s the most hypocritical shit I’ve ever seen. They preach and preach about how Sylvie’s life has been so difficult/we should feel bad for her/she had it so bad/poor poor sylvie/she had it SO much worse than pampered prince Loki…. But then they never even touch on any of Loki’s trauma of hardships (the ones that have been ignored for literally 3 movies now). They frame Sylvie as a good person and a Freedom Fighter after she spent literal decades/centuries mass-murdering brainwashed TVA agents and showing exactly zero remorse for it….. but then they make it their mission to constantly remind us that Loki is a terrible person and constantly put him in situations where he’s forced to acknowledge his wrongdoings/show remorse/admit to how “evil” he is for being a mass murderer for like 2 years. They show him on-screen having a wider range of powers than her, and perpetuate his whole shtick of being a “master manipulator” or whatever….. But then they make Sylvie “the brawn” more competent, intelligent, and physically capable than him. Tell me how it’s a good thing for a ship to be so narratively biased toward one character.

Missed Opportunities

• If they absolutely had to have a romance subplot, then they could’ve paired Loki with one of the characters that have already been established OR one of the characters that were a big part of the whole TVA storyline anyway. It would’ve been so interesting if they’d revealed that Loki had a history with some of the players from previous films (Sif and Fandral both come to mind). It also would’ve been really interesting if they’d given Loki a love interest that actually had some allegiance to the TVA as a whole (Mobius maybe, but not necessarily. It also could’ve been Renslayer or B-15). Hell, imo it would’ve been cool if they’d followed through with that “See you again someday” line that he said to the flight attendant in Ep 1. ALL of these characters have way more chemistry with him than Sylvie, and they were also already relevant to the plot without wasting half the show to give background info on them.

• If they absolutely had to have a hetero-presenting love story involving an enchantress-type figure, then there’s a whole Enchantress (Amora) that was actually Loki’s love interest in the comics. Plus, fans have been screaming for Amora to appear in the mcu for years. Plus, Tom literally pitched an Amora/Loki storyline way back in 2012-13. Also, Lorelei (another enchantress) is also one of Loki’s love interests in the comics, and she already exists in the mcu (she was on Agents of SHIELD). There were several different established characters for them to choose from. Creating a whole knew amalgamation of a character and going with the “she’s a Loki variant” storyline was just completely unnecessary and made no sense.

• They completely robbed us of a Chaos Twins dynamic. Had they handled Sylvie better and not forced her and Loki to smooch, the two of them could’ve had a really really complex and interesting sibling relationship. Loki could’ve stepped into Thor’s shoes and sort of used that new role to gain some self importance, and Sylvie could’ve finally had somebody to look out for her/teach her magic/be there for her. It would’ve been very aesthetically pleasing, the vibes would’ve been out of this world, it would’ve been way more profound than this bs, and frankly it would’ve been much more entertaining to watch.

• Loki’s relationship (read: obsession) with Sylvie completely overshadows all Loki’s other relationships in the show. Loki and Mobius were literally the focal point of the series in Ep 1-2, but after Sylvie showed up in Ep 3, they barely had any interactions with each other, and Mobius pretty much faded to the background entirely. Loki had the beginnings of a pretty interesting antagonistic relationship with Renslayer (with her wanting him pruned, then arguing with Mobius that he couldn’t be trusted), but after Sylvie showed up the dynamic shifted to focus on the history between her and Ravonna. Loki and B-15 started off very badly and openly disliked each other throughout Ep 1-2, and then in the end of Ep 2, Loki showed a little bit of concern for her when she was possessed, hinting that they might be inching toward a reconciliation- especially considering how obvious it was that Loki was gonna uncover the TVA’s sins eventually. There was so much potential for him to be the one to give her her memories back and convince her to change sides, but no, of course that honor went to Sylvie. In fact, after Sylvie showed up, Loki and B-15 never even spoke to each other again.

Various S*lki Fails

• If they were trying to convince us that this affection was mutual, they completely failed. There’s nothing I’ve seen that even hints at Sylvie feeling the same way about Loki that he does about her. At most, I’d say she has a slight endearment to him. She finds him likeable and she’s grudgingly fond of him, but she definitely isn’t in love with the guy. Maybe she thinks he’s cute and hopes that he gets out of this mess alright, but her mission obviously comes before him- whereas, it’s been confirmed multiple times that Loki cares about her above anything else. She doesn’t trust him, she looks at him like he’s an incompetent fool half the time, she shows little to no reaction during most of his confession moments, and she kissed him as a means to distract him so that she could get him out of her way. Look, all I’m saying is, when you get into a relationship where one of you is way more invested than the other, it never ends well.

• This goes without saying for a lot of us, but the selfcest is just straight up odd and cringey. If you’re cool with that sort of thing, fine! People can ship what they want! But don’t pretend it’s not at least a little bit uncomfortable. Yes, I know they’re not technically siblings so it’s not technically incest, and they’re also not technically the exact same person, but they’re similar enough that it makes things weird. And yes I know selfcest can’t happen in real life, so there’s no way to judge it morally, but neither can most of the other stuff that happens in these shows/movies (the Snap, Loki destroying jotunheim, superhero with powers being held accountable, mind control) and yet we still find ways to judge their morality, because they all mirror real-world events. (The snap= genocide; Loki destroying Jotunheim= bombing other countries; superhero accountability= weapons accountability; mind control= grooming and coercion). And lbr the closest real-world mirror to two versions of the same person (who may or may not share DNA, family, backgrounds, physical and emotion characteristics) being romantically involved with one another is incest. And you can be ok with that if you want- that’s your prerogative- but don’t get pissy just cause a lot of us are squicked out by it.

• The whole mirror metaphor (learning self love via each other) thing just fell completely flat. First of all, having Loki learn to love himself by looking at someone who mirrors him did not, in any way shape or form, require them to be romantically involved. But they were. Of course. Secondly, the creators have contradicted themselves so many times on whether Loki and Sylvie are the same or not, that it doesn’t even really register to the viewer that the mirroring thing was what they were going for. Finally, Loki and Sylvie are shown to have so little in common- and to have only the most bare minimum of similarities personality-wise- that it doesn’t even make sense that Loki would “learn to love himself through loving her”. Like? They’re nothing alike. So how would he make the connection that he himself is actually pretty cool, based on her alone? There’s virtually nothing in her that reflects him.

• I know the objective of the entire show was to convince us of how awesome and unique Sylvie is, but honestly her relationship with Loki just did the opposite. A hallmark of a Mary Sue is having her constantly upstage the male lead, and then having him instantly fall madly in love with her anyway. And that’s.. exactly what happened here. Everything they’re doing to try to force her character to be more stan-able is really just forcing her to look more like their self-insert OC. Which is exactly what she is. It would’ve been so much more satisfying if she didn’t have to try so hard to look cool, if they didn’t have to try so hard to make her backstory tear-inducing, if they didn’t have to turn our protagonist into a snivelling simp just to prove how incredible she supposedly is. Very much #GirlBoss energy and we all know how performative and cheap that is.

• The entire thing was too rushed, there was too little build-up, and it was nowhere near believable. As stated above, it’s ridiculously unlikely that Loki would canonically even be interested in Sylvie, and this show did nothing to explain why he was. He just suddenly was. There was nothing they showed us as viewers that would justify a guy as closed-off and preoccupied as Loki falling head-over-heels for a girl he just met. Their was no explanation, no big revelation, no reasoning, it just… kinda happened. And I’m also severely skeptical of any love story that has the characters go in this deep after only 3 45-minute episodes of exposition.

I’m sure there’s other stuff, so if anyone thinks of anything, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to add it. Tagging @janetsnakehole02 @raifenlf @natures-marvel and @brightredsunset800 for expressing interest. This is all your faults.

#antisylki #loki meta #kinda #loki series critical #loki series negativity #anti loki x sylvie #anti loki series #anti sylvie #frosty bby #loki deserved better #I don’t even like TVA!Loki tho so I guess it doesn’t matter with him lmao #tva loki #loki laufeyson

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sadviper · 3 years

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Kim Jin Won: Interview with Kankoku TV Drama vol. 97 (Aug 2020)

Director Kim Jin Won

A transformative drama about the birth and founding of the Joseon nation. Spinning a tale of the common people.

Director Kim Jin Won has been recognized for his delicate and heartwarming productions such as "The Innocent Man" (2012 KBS) and "Wonderful Days" (2014 KBS). From the time he first dreamed of directing dramas, he thought of telling stories from the point of view of ordinary people rather than from the viewpoint of the rich and blessed. It was the same for “My Country” (2019 JTBC), which was the director’s first time managing a full-scale historical drama. Although the theme was the founding of Korea, the starring roles were not famous figures such as Yi Seong-gye and Yi Bang-won, but the common folk at the lowest rungs of history. A human drama performed by fresh young stars and historical facts are exquisitely entwined to create a dynamic historical production.

The contrast of Se-jong and Do-hwan as they unveil expectation-shattering performances

--What is the story behind how you became the director for “My Country”?

KJW: Can I speak frankly? To tell you the truth, I don’t really like historical dramas. But when I read the synopsis, it seemed very interesting. It was refreshing to have well-known figures such as Yi Seong-gye and Yi Bang-won play supporting roles in a story about the early days of Joseon. Instead, it pulls the story from the point of view of the commoners. While reading the script, I understood what regular people were thinking during the founding of the nation. That was interesting to me and I agreed to take on the production.

--When talking about the closing years of Goryeo to the early days of Joseon, aren't there essential people or events that have to appear?

KJW: We also thought it would be more interesting for Jeong Mong-ju (🔺1) and Jeong Do-jeon (🔺2) to make appearances, for they are indispensable to this era. The scale of the story would become larger and more dramatic. However, if we did that, it would be too similar to other works, so I abandoned the idea. First, the scriptwriter and I promised to not distort historical facts, and following this guiding principle, we developed the story.

(🔺1) Jeong Mong-ju (鄭夢周): A Confucian scholar and literary vassal who made a name for himself in the late Goryeo period. Yi Seong-gye and Jeong Do-jeon, who aim to establish a new country, oppose him. While planning their assassinations, Mong-ju himself is assassinated by Yi Bang-won's aides.

(🔺2) Jeong Do-jeon (鄭道伝): A politician who exercised his talents as an aide to Yi Seong-gye. He plays a major role in the founding of Joseon and the early national administration. He comes into conflict with Yi Bang-won, who was trying to succeed his father and become the king, and is subsequently killed.

--On the other hand, there are also fictional characters such as Seo Hwi (played by Yang Se-jong), Nam Seon-ho (played by Woo Do-hwan), and Han Hui-jae (played by Seol-hyun <AOA>).

KJW: Yes. Hwi and Hui-jae are characters we created from scratch. We researched how the common people lived during the founding of Joseon and the civil war that is known as the “Strife of the Princes”, and came up with these fictional characters. Nam Jeon, the antagonist and Seon-ho’s father (played by Ahn Nae-sang), was created by mixing together the real historical figures of Jeong Do-jeon and Nam Eun (🔺3). If anything, there are more elements of Nam Eun than Jeong Do-jeon. Nam Eun had several sons, but we made a single motif out of them and created Seon-ho. However, all his rebellious opposition to his father was our invention.

(🔺3) Nam Eun: A politician who was active from late Goryeo to the beginning of the Joseon era. He supports Yi Seong-gye with Jeong Do-jeon and contributes to the founding of Korea. However, Yi Bang-won launches the civil war that is called the "First Strife of Princes" and there Nam Eun loses his life.

--At the drama’s press conference, you told us about your dream casting.

KJW: Previously I produced “Just Between Lovers” (2017 JTBC) and wanted to cast Yang Se-jong as one of the main characters, however, during the preparation stage, that character was removed and I wasn’t able to make him an offer. Ever since, I’ve kept a close watch. Looking at Se-jong, he has a soft image and seems suited for melodramas, but in reality, he’s very manly and even handles his own action scenes. The character Hwi is adept at martial arts and is intelligent, but behind the scenes, he was a difficult character who carried an extraordinary amount of loneliness and heartache. When I met Se-jong, just as he was, I could see Hwi’s painful silhouette, and on the spot, I proposed that we work together.

--And what about Woo Do-hwan?

KJW: A long time ago, I asked my industry peers if there were any actors that were attracting attention recently, and that’s how I learned about Woo Do-hwan. At that time, he was a real newcomer with only two works in his filmography. To tell you the truth, Seon-ho’s casting was nerve-wracking. If the other actor can’t match Se-jong’s presence, then it’s difficult for a story that is spearheaded by dual male leads. After worrying over it, Do-hwan came out as the top contender and I made him an offer.

--How were the two on set?

KJW: They are the same age, but they are completely different types. Se-jong is the type of actor who acts after his emotions boil out of him. His emotions won’t emerge if he isn’t convinced, so he needs time to immerse himself in the role and empathize with the character. Do-hwan is the opposite; he is the type who enters the character instantly. Their styles differ but that difference created a transformative, synergistic effect. Se-jong said that one of his few friends was Do-hwan; they went as far as becoming best friends. They often came to me and talked about how they learned a lot from each other.

--During filming, at what point did you feel their charisma?

KJW: First of all, the scene where Se-jong was dragged off to jail was a performance that truly exceeded my expectations. He struck his head against the wall and was suffering, but his eyes! They were eyes that you can’t take a second time. Afterwards, I saw that his forehead was red and swollen. For Do-hwan, it was when we filmed the scene where his haggard figure was seated after Hwi’s sister, Yeon (played by Cho I-hyeon), experienced a traumatic episode. During rehearsal, tears spilled out of Do-hwan’s eyes. I didn’t expect him to cry; I immediately stopped the rehearsal and switched to filming. I thought that the actors properly captured the emotions; I told them to play those two scenes as they wanted to. Their performances were realistic and absolutely heart-wrenching.

Regrets for the limited romantic kiss scene

-- At what point did you feel Seol-hyun’s appeal and pick her for the role?

KJW: Casting the role of Hui-jae was a bit difficult. The drama was male-centric, and there was no clear romance. Be that as it may, even though the role is to become Hwi and Seon-ho’s emotional support, I thought that it had to be an actor that everyone understood. If it were Seol-hyun, she would give a skillful performance.

-- Seol-hyun’s performance received particularly good reviews.

KJW: I’m the most glad about that. During the middle of the broadcast, we held a press conference and from the very beginning, the reporters paid her many compliments. Without a doubt, her popularity increased with this work. She had a strong desire to do well, and together we discussed it and made it happen. In particular, Seol-hyun’s charms shone especially bright in the scenes with Seo Seol (played by Jang Young-nam), who manages the brothel.

-- There is one more main character: what is the story behind casting Jang Hyuk for the role of Yi Bang-won?

KJW: This casting was also very stressful. This drama was so nerve-wracking that you could say casting took up more than half the effort. In particular, Yi Bang-won is a figure that symbolizes this era, so I want an actor with a powerful presence to play the role. Otherwise, the scale will shrink and Yi Bang Won’s charisma as he faces the main characters will disappear in the second half. If you watch the drama, you’ll know that Yi Bang-won is involved in everything: he is in conflict with Seon-ho; he develops a close rapport with Hwi; and he fights for power with Yi Seong-gye and Nam Jeon. It requires an actor with profound emotions. The first person who came to mind was Jang Hyuk.

-- While filming, when was the moment that you thought ‘as expected’?

KJW: Jang Hyuk can dominate the screen with just the look in his eyes, without having to say a word. Also, he is as erudite as a historian, so I had an easy time as the director. The most memorable scene is the one with his father, Yi Seong-gye (played by Kim Yeong-cheol). In the scene where the two of them argued over the throne, initially I thought they would show a top-down hierarchy between a father and son. However, after rehearsal, Jang Hyuk and Kim Yeong-cheol were able to portray their relationship on equal footing. Man versus man. There was no discussion, it was a spontaneous expression. I could clearly see that Yi Bang-won was facing his father as a man. I thought it was excellent.

-- From the young to the veteran, the appeal of the actors was outstanding, and I enjoyed the male friendships.

KJW: First of all, what’s wonderful about Kim Yeong-cheol and An Nae-sang is that anyone who performs alongside those two ends up looking better. They only have to stand on the side, and it makes the other person look cool. Even Jang Hyuk, who is already strong enough, doubled in appeal when he was with them. After that, Jang Hyuk gave a lot of advice to his juniors. In the drama he was taciturn, but in reality he is quite talkative (laugh). Whenever he thought he didn’t have to be on set, he was always talking to his juniors by the side of the car that was used as the make-up room. Male friendships are good, but it’s just that I wanted to show more romance.

-- You mean Hwi and Hui-jae’s romance?

KJW: Yes. It wasn’t easy to incorporate the romance because the scale of each episode was so large. The only thing I was particular about was when Hwi was first taken to the battlefield--instead of remembering his sister, Yeon, he remembers Hui-jae. When I went to military service and woke up in the morning at the training center, the first thing that came to my mind wasn’t my family but my girlfriend (laugh). In the end, I changed it so that Hwi remembers both Yeon and Hui-jae. This was because Hwi is in a unique situation where he doesn’t know how Yeon is doing.

-- What about Hwi and Hui-jae’s first kiss scene?

KJW: I also have a lot of regrets concerning that scene. It was the first important kiss scene, but it took place in such a crappy little room! Hwi being beaten up, his lumpy face, and the shabby location are what I remember when I think about that scene. The art director and I did our best to film it as beautifully as possible. Otherwise, Hwi and Hui-jae’s feelings won’t be conveyed properly to the audience.

-- The early scene of paper lanterns soaring into the sky was also beautiful.

KJW: I put a lot of effort into that. It was the only happy time I could give Hwi before he heads out for the battle called the Liaodong Conquest. The script only called for flying kites, but I thought it would be unnatural to fly kites from day until night. After worrying about it, I ultimately decided to fly paper lanterns at night. The atmosphere was romantic, which was very nice.

Putting your heart and soul into the battlefield scenes

The trouble with bows and arrows in acting and film

-- You put in a remarkable amount of effort, not just for the romance scenes but also for the war scenes?

KJW: I poured the most effort into this part. There are a total of three battle scenes, but I filmed them all over six days. Of those, I focused the most on the scene for the Liaodong conquest. Hwi is suddenly taken to the battlefield, he’s bewildered and confused as to why he’s there, and he has to survive. I decided to film in one continuous take in order to highlight the figure of Hwi fighting without knowing the situation he’s in, but an entire day was gone just from checking the flow lines of the cameras and actors…It was an enormous challenge for me. It was very difficult.

-- It was also impressive that bow and arrows were used as the main weapons instead of swords.

KJW: When I first spoke to the screenwriter, I wanted to take a different approach from other historical dramas, so I chose bow and arrow. However, that was the start of my troubles. Swords look cool and film well when you swing them around, but you can’t do that with bows and arrows. This time, I realized this while shooting. The actors also had a lot of trouble. Drawing the bow requires considerable power, so when they spoke their lines, their hands would quiver. Luckily they were all skilled at action and did a great job carrying it out.

-- One month after the start of filming, you regretfully asked yourself, “Why did I decide to do a historical drama?” (laugh) Was this because of the battle scene from before?

KJW: No. I didn’t have regrets during that time. It was during the appearance of the children. Two child actors played the queen’s (played by Park Ye-jin) sons. They only appear a few times in the drama, but for the sake of that scene, those two suffered a lot. I’m a father with a child their age, so it was really heart-breaking. When I was an assistant director, I shot a historical drama and I realized that it didn’t suit me, but unfortunately, over time I forgot. Hahaha.

--Seems like you really value the actors. When viewing the making video, the actors are often heard voicing their opinions.

KJW: That’s not always the case (embarrassed laugh). “My County” had many large-scale scenes, so I communicated the way I would with a contemporary drama. In particular, I had all kinds of discussions with the protagonists Se-jong, Do-hwan, and Seol-hyun. Thanks to this, the burden on each other was lightened, and we were able to save time during filming. After listening to the opinions of all the actors, I have an image of the scene before I film. However, for important scenes, I felt that I should capture the emotions the actors are trying to express rather than just capturing beautiful images.

--This is your second drama since transferring to JTBC. What is the story behind your transfer?

KJW: I wanted to continue directing. KBS is also a very good company and I learned many things there. But as any organization gets older, the time comes when you have to move to the next step on the ladder. It goes from director to producer, then from producer to a desk. I transferred because I still had a strong desire to be in the field instead of in a managerial position.

--What are your plans now?

KJW: I don’t have any plans yet, but I’m joking with the staff that my next project will be set in Seoul, so they don’t have to go to the countryside and practically live there (like for “My Country”), hahaha. There is a project that I want to create for myself. A bright and healing work. After I transferred companies, I was told I could do what I want, so the first thing I filmed was the drama “Just Between Lovers”. After that, someday at least once, I want to try making a drama about the story of the Sewol issue. Nothing exciting, but the kind of story that heals the trauma.

#kim jin won #my country the new age #mctna #woo do hwan #yang se jong #seol hyun #nam seon ho #seo hwi #han hui jae #japanese translation #interview #韓国TVドラマ #yi bang won #jang hyuk

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foxofthedesert · 3 years

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So I just finished my 3rd watch thru of Merlin, and yet again am brokenhearted. Not only by Arthur's death and Merlin's grief, but by Morgana's tragic descent into madness. Though I loathed the choice, I always understood why the writers went the direction they did with Morgana. What I did not understand was the way they handled her relationship with Gwen. It just never made any sense to me that Morgana could be so cruel to someone she clearly loved very deeply - even if only in the platonic sense. To me, it seemed like the Morgana that existed at the end of season 2 was replaced by a totally different, inexplicably cruel and insufferably smirky one by the start of season 3.

Still, prophecies need fulfilled and such, and after all it is a fantasy series based on a complicated mythology where Morgana sometimes is portrayed as evil. I just wish it was handled better.

Be that as it may, as a writer I tend to gravitate toward the untold stories within canon. That being the case, Gwen and Morgana's relationship is a natural attraction. I adore their chemistry, which makes them so easy to pair up. Since I am also not necessarily beholden to canon, that means I can imagine whatever the hell I want for them. Such an AU where their potential is realized before Morgause enters the picture to warp Morgana into her father's daughter.

This little piece is part of that. I may or may not add more entries in the future.

As a side note, this was initially supposed to be much shorter, but my fingers wouldn't stop typing words. Silly digits.

Ficlet below the line!

Morgana awoke giggling in an entirely unrefined manner. Her uncharacteristic bubbly mirth, she discovered, was due to a gentle tickling sensation all across her face. Once the wispy haze of sleep was blinked out of her blurry eyes, a familiar shape resolved into an entirely too handsome face wearing such a love-sick expression that her chest reflexively suffused with an affectionate warmth that quickly seeped into her very bones.

“What time is it?” she asked to the person hovering above her, voice still gravelly and slightly slurred from having been roused out of such a deep, blessedly dreamless repose. The pleasant tickling sensation began anew immediately after her half-slurred inquiry, and when she lifted her gaze she was greeted by rich brown eyes she would swear on her life she could live and die in.

“Just after dawn.” The utterly enchanting creature paying her such lovely attention continued to delicately and reverently brush calloused fingertips across the expanse of her jaw. “Sorry I woke you. I meant to let you sleep in a bit longer, I just really couldn’t help myself.”

A pause allowed a full, dusky lip to be pulled rather invitingly between pearly white teeth before her beloved added, “It seems I never can where you are concerned.”

Morgana smiled. A genuine smile, too. Nothing like the false ones she graced her guardian with, full of barely suppressed loathing and rage. Lately she had been consumed by disgust for the man who so many times proclaimed to cherish her, a man who would see her burnt at the stake if he knew who she truly was. Uther Pendragon claimed to be a fair and just king, yet he waged unlawful wars against territories that dared stand up against his brutish rule and relentlessly persecuted innocents whose only crime was to be born different. People like her. People with magic.

Coming to terms with her gifts had cost Morgana both countless nights spent in wakeful torment over horrific visions that plagued her dreams and untold days spent wrestling with throat-clogging anxiety over the possibility of discovery. There were many occasions during that frightening period in which she felt as though tottering precariously over a dark, abyssal chasm at the bottom of which lie only inescapable madness. Every second spent at court was an exhausting exercise in choking down a nauseating terror of the tyrant who held the power of life and death over her and would surely decide upon the latter should he learn the truth about her magic. Meals were a unique form of torture due to the perpetual knot residing in her stomach and every event she would normally revel in was transformed into a dreaded affair during which she could scarcely breathe for the crushing weight resting upon her chest.

Frankly, if it hadn’t been for Guinevere and Merlin she is sure she would have already plummeted headlong into those foreboding depths, right into the waiting arms of a hatred no human heart could withstand without incurring irreparable damage.

If Merlin hadn’t told her the truth about his magic as he lead her to Aglain’s druid camp, the pervasive sense of isolation and desperation worming insidiously through her mind would have inevitably forced her into drastic choices. Even before her magic manifested she had silently nursed treasonous thoughts toward Camelot’s cruel monarch. What might she have done if the walls closed in so tightly on her she felt there was no avenue of escape outside of acting upon those unsavory impulses? It hardly bears thinking about for risk of inviting such evil desires back in to her heart when of all her attributes, it is her heart which makes her most special – or at least that is what Guinevere insists to be the case.

Thankfully, finding a steadfast friend and ally in Merlin had done much to ameliorate the suffocating feeling of helplessness she felt as a member of the court harboring so deadly a secret. With much diligence and patience he was teaching her to control her powers, to harness them for good, and to have faith that better days were ahead for their kind. It was also mostly due to the Merlin’s deceptive wisdom and boundless optimism – and to be fair what reasonable person could resist that impish, dimpled smile? – that she began to view Arthur through a fresh lens.

If she bothered to look deeply, as Merlin insisted, to ignore the chauvinistic bravado and infuriating superiority complex, it was not difficult to recognize Arthur’s innate nobility and compassion that existed despite his monstrous father. And seeing as Merlin was as stubborn as he was convincing, it did not take long for Morgana to accept with a cautiously hopeful heart that with the aid of loyal friends, Arthur had it in him to become to the greatest sovereign Camelot had ever seen, a king who might actually prove himself worthy of the people both common and magical to whom he would be sworn to serve. Of course, she and Arthur still had their mundane squabbles and butted heads frequently over political and legal matters, but in the months since Merlin began her training, Morgana had acquired a new appreciation for the young man who was to her as good as a sibling.

As much as Merlin had done for her, however, it paled in comparison to Gwen’s contributions to her health and happiness.

For as long as Morgana had known Gwen she had held the blacksmith’s daughter in esteem far higher than any Lady should their maidservant. What started out as mutual respect born from shared grief over the loss of a parent soon flowered into genuine friendship. For many years they were the best of friends, each providing for the other a refuge from the storms of life and a confidante more reliable and wise and loyal than could be hired with all of Midas’ gold.

By the time Morgana entered womanhood, her fondness for Gwen had only swelled to become boundless as it was profound. In her eyes, Gwen was the most wonderful person in all the world; none could hope to be her equal in breathtaking beauty, charitable kindness, seemingly endless stores of patience, altogether praiseworthy meekness, a silent strength surpassing steel, or in nearly saintly levels of graciousness. Gwen was the unfailing light to Morgana’s rapidly encroaching darkness, the quickening sun to her deathly pale moon, the Aurora to her Luna. She neither trusted any more deeply as she did Gwen, nor did she desire the company of another so keenly. As a result, they were rarely parted until retiring for bed, and then only by necessity of station. So inextricably attached were they Gwen’s friends often jested that she must have accidentally stitched herself to her lady’s garments at the hip. The noblewomen were not nearly so kind. Some of the more prominent Ladies in the castle questioned the innocence of their arrangement, going so far as to exchange idle speculation which painted them as clandestine devotees of Sappho.

If Morgana could be bothered to care about the rumors, she would have confronted the useless busybodies long ago. But quite frankly, their opinions on her relationship with Gwen mattered for naught seeing as Arthur dismissed them as absurd upon reaching his ears and, beyond even that, Morgana would rather die than provide the snide gossipers ammunition that might serve as tacit confirmation that their unwelcome conjecture was not without merit – which was in fact the case.

All the same, though, she took great pains to prevent them from reaching the ears of the king. Uther already disapproved of their unusual bond and reminded her of such every time she treated Gwen with an ounce of basic human dignity while in his presence. Rather than censure the prejudice as she might have no long ago, Morgana now bore the chastisement with pride. Were it required, she would gladly wear forty stripes upon her skin if that be the price of Gwen’s love. The haughty bigotry of her guardian could never dissuade her from the path her heart had chosen to travel. Gwen was far too precious to ever surrender without a fight, to death if she must.

For what felt like ages, Morgana had believed her feelings would never be reciprocated. And that was perfectly acceptable to her, so long as Gwen remained an integral part of her life. The constant yearning that caused her chest to ache, sometimes almost painfully, was something she could endure so long as Gwen was happy.

That perspective radically transformed the night Gwen’s father died.

The midnight bells sounded in the citadel as Morgana slipped out into the upper town. Her intentions were pure at the time. She had only meant to visit her friend and offer what support she could, no matter the reckless impropriety of her visiting the her maidservant’s home so late at night. Instead, one glimpse of Gwen’s devastation over the pointless tragedy reignited her rage. All too quickly it boiled over, allowing those old, bitter feelings to spill out as impetuous threats of vengeance, and not only on Gwen’s behalf but for all those wronged by the merciless hand of Uther Pendragon. For what felt like hours she railed, heedless of the effect her malicious speech was having on the distraught girl she was supposed to be comforting.

It was only when Gwen – sweet Gwen, kind and thoughtful and selfless to a fault – had been pushed to her limits that Morgana’s perilous vitriol was interrupted.

Casting aside station, Gwen grasped her by the face and made her swear to never utter such dangerous words again.

“My brother has already abandoned me and now both my parents are dead,” Gwen had said, lips quivering and cheeks stained by tears. “I can’t lose you, too. I can’t. I won’t survive it.”

“Of course you would, Gwen. You’re the strongest person I know,” Morgana had replied, grasping reflexively at lean wrists, Gwen’s hands having migrated to the back of Morgana’s neck, thumbs cupped round the front of her ears. It was the first time she had been embraced so intimately, and if it weren’t for her anger she most certainly would have shivered with excitement at the surprisingly welcome contact.

“I’m not,” Gwen had half-sobbed, voice hoarse from hours surrendered to grief. “I’m only standing at all right now because the person I love most in all the world is here with me.”

Morgana hadn’t understood the nature of that declaration at first. Not until Gwen tucked her lip between her teeth, her nostrils flared with what could not be misinterpreted as anything but raw want, and her eyes went impossibly dark. A sharp gasp of realization was all Morgana could manage as a response, so stunned was she that her most secretive and treasured wish was being fulfilled.

But when Gwen nodded, chest heaving with emotion, despair and fear warring with adoration in her eyes, Morgana could no longer contain herself. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fused together, revealing the explanation as to why a simple smile from Gwen was able to chase away the storm clouds gathering above her head, or why Gwen’s chiming laughter kicked up butterflies in her stomach and a captivating warmth in her chest, or why even the most airy of touches from Gwen left a wake of goose-flesh in her skin. It wasn’t just love. It was destiny.

In retrospect, Morgana probably should have been as if not more terrified of crossing that final, socially forbidden line between mistress and servant, friend and lover, than she was of being magical. The thing of it was, the only relevant factors in that moment was Gwen willingly offering of herself more than she probably should and Morgana being selfish enough to accept.

They made love that night beneath Gwen’s threadbare sheets, and it was glorious, just as Morgana had imagined it would be.

All of their sorrows and anxieties and animosities drifted away like dandelion seeds upon a crisp summer breeze. Cliches regarding such unions suddenly made sense. Somewhere along the journey that began by laving the stiffened peak of a pert breast then languidly progressed into nestling her face into the delicate, aromatic flower situated between smooth bronze legs, she lost all sense of self. It was as if with each bruising kiss, playful nibble, and greedy draw with open mouth, she and Gwen were merging into one being. Gwen’s throaty noises and keening pleas reverberated through her every muscle fiber, down even into the very marrow of her bones. Gwen’s intoxicating flavor permeated her senses until it was all she could taste or smell. And Gwen’s gratification became hers as her hand slipped beneath her ridiculously extravagant undergarments to relieve the desperate pressure upon a mound so slick with arousal that the sound of her feverish rubbing was positively obscene.

Mere heartbeats after Gwen went taut with a silent scream, stars exploded behind Morgana’s eyes as the most exquisite mixture of pleasure and pain engulfed her mind and set her nether regions aflame. Spent and unable to control her trembling limbs, she collapsed across Gwen’s heaving chest. Strong arms immediately wrapped around underneath her arms to pull her in tight, and as she buried her nose in the damp curls at Gwen’s neck, all she could do was weep, utterly overcome by an unspeakable joy she understood without needing to ask was fully mutual. They fell asleep like that, Morgana stretched across Gwen, encased in an embrace that felt like a subconscious announcement of a claim upon her, heart and soul and body, something she not only welcomed but reveled in.

Wonderful thoughts about publicly belonging to Gwen lulled Morgana into a peaceful sleep that went markedly undisturbed.

In the pale light of morning she was still so drunken upon pure, heady, all consuming bliss to realize she would be missed if she did make an appearance in the castle. Had Gwen not pointed that out, she would have been more than glad to spend the entire day wrapped around her new lover, discovering every last spot that made Gwen’s toes curl ‘til the girl was too exhausted to move the tiniest muscle.

Alas, the constraints of reality marshaled both of them to action, and so once they had dressed, they sneaked carefully into the castle by auxiliary corridors during the changing of the guard. By only the slimmest of margins, they slipped into her chambers just as the fresh patrol rounded the corner in their direction. Once inside, the thrill of the close call and euphoria over their consummated love invigorated Morgana into a passion she could not ignore. Overcome by a need – more like an almost maddening hunger really – to touch, smell, and taste every delicious inch of the skin she had feasted upon last night, she unceremoniously dragged a breathless, ruddy cheeked Gwen straight over to her bed.

After that thorough christening, they lingered together in a tangle of limbs, both sated and happy. At least until the sound of Camelot’s awakening resounded through the chambers from the courtyard below and with it the first doubts crept in. Morgana could recall the subsequent conversation as though it had just happened.

***************

“I should see to my duties directly,” Gwen had said, immediately rustling to exit the bed upon hearing Arthur’s booming voice rattle down the hallway, clearly a response to the latest in an endless string of mistakes by his loyal yet tragically clumsy manservant.

Morgana hadn’t wanted to turn loose quite yet, so she tightened hold around Gwen’s waist, halting the undesired escape.

“They can wait,” she replied between leisurely kisses trailed up a shapely arm. “The laundry isn’t going anywhere, nor is the evening gown that needs mending. Stay with me a while longer.” She paused to nuzzle into Gwen’s shoulder. “Stay with me forever.”

Rather than struggle, Gwen melted the embrace. “You know that is all I wish for. I love you, Morgana. More than anything. But…”

“But what?”

“What if someone catches us?”

Morgana scoffed, having missed the long term nature of the question in addition to the concern pouring off of Gwen in waves she should not have missed. It was not her finest moment. She hadn’t meant to be insensitive, though. The idea had just seemed so preposterous at the time because she had thought Gwen was only speaking about the present.

“Who would be so bold as to enter my chambers without permission?” she had said. “Not even Uther at his most disrespectful would dare venture such a trespass. We are entirely safe here. No need to worry your pretty head.”

Gwen shifted in Morgana’s arms then so that they were face to face. “I do, though. Worry that is. And I have to ask: why aren’t you?”

“Why should I be? For that matter why should you be?” Morgana replied. And then she met Gwen’s eyes. Large, and impossibly dark, and unmistakably upset.

All of the sudden it was impossible for Morgana to ignore how frightened Gwen really was. In response, her stomach twisted almost painfully and her heart fell as the happy bubble she had been floating in abruptly burst.

What in all the world, she wondered in a moment of regrettable obliviousness, had Gwen afraid of them being caught? Her brow furrowed as deeply as it ever had as she mulled around potential causes.

Certainly they were going to have to be careful in the future to avoid exposure, she reckoned, but Gwen was as fully cognizant that there were more perilous secrets both were currently keeping. Morgana’s ability to pull the wool over Uther’s eyes was well established, and no one else besides the two of them had unfettered access to her chambers. Besides all that, Morgana knew every nook and cranny of the citadel and was able to slip out and into the upper town undetected at will, of which Gwen was also very well aware. So there had to be more to it. But what?

Only one other possibility occurred to her, and it was the one she least wanted to entertain. And yet...

“Unless you regret what has transpired between us?” she asked at length, unable to disguise her own fear, which manifested through a faint trembling in her voice. “No!” Shaking her head fervently, Gwen grasped Morgana’s face much as she did the night before. “Not even for a second. I’ve lost so much, and I have much to regret, but not this. This is the best thing to ever happen to me. I just…”

Again Gwen trailed off, her hands retreating to clasp together against her mouth. And although Morgana’s anxiety had quieted with Gwen’s reassurance, there was clearly something still bothering her.

“Just what?” Morgana prompted, then reached out to stroke Gwen’s hair. “I hate seeing you so twisted up. Tell me. Please.”

A single, contrite nibble of a kiss-stung lip later, Gwen averted her eyes and gave her answer, “Don’t you wonder, even just for a second in the back of your mind, if what we did was wrong?”

Morgana very nearly sighed in relief. This was a problem she could easily remedy, as it was a one she had wrestled with for years only for Merlin’s simple yet profound worldview to unexpectedly resolve.

During the incident where Gwen was accused of using sorcery to heal her father, he had stumbled upon Morgana beside herself after a visit to Gwen’s cell. In her anxiety and grief she had confessed to having feelings for her handmaiden that although unseemly nonetheless had taken hold of her. Where she had expected disgust, she was instead given only understanding and compassion. In that endearingly provincial way of his, Merlin ensured her that love – if true and pure and unselfish, which he insisted hers for Gwen surely was – could never be wrong.

Morgana had felt something turn loose inside her at Merlin’s easy acceptance, as if her heart had been tied into a knot being slowly and perpetually tightened. Breathing became a relief once again. And as she learned to accept herself the way Merlin did, she began to hope that perhaps one day in the future a door would open for her to act upon her feelings without destroying what she and Gwen already shared. She could not have anticipated Tom’s death being the impetus for her to do so. Yet as awful as his tragic death was, it birthed something so infinitely precious that Morgana would never cease being grateful. And if only for the memory of that kind, thoughtful, patient man, she would never stop fighting for the love she shared with her beloved Guinevere.

“Gwen,” she had said, unsuccessfully vying for her conflicted love’s attention. Twice more she called Gwen’s name, and after receiving no response pushed up slightly on her elbow. “Look at me, Guinevere.” When large, uncertain eyes, brimming with tears, met hers, she leaned over so that she could press her forehead against Gwen’s. “We have done nothing wrong. Do you hear me? If you trust me, if you love me as you assert to, believe me when I say this. Something so wonderful and beautiful and perfect could never be anything less than rightly divine.”

***************

That phrase that swiftly became Morgana’s favorite answer to Gwen’s occasional concerns. The world at large, and most definitely those housed within the vaunted halls of Camelot’s citadel, would most certainly view their relationship as wicked and immoral and perverse. If that was indeed the case, Morgana did not believe she ever wanted to be either innocent or righteous. Their love was wonderful, and beautiful, and perfectly divine; an immutable fact which Morgana was determined to never allow either of them to forget.

No doubt lurked within Gwen’s eyes this morning, however, only unadulterated affection. And that made Morgana exceedingly joyful indeed.

“I understand what you mean,” Morgana at last said after escaping that precious memory. She sighed contentedly and shuttered her eyelids as yet another reverent brush of fingers smoothed along the crest of her chin. And while the diligent attention felt incredible, she grew increasingly curious why Gwen’s focus appeared to have narrowly fixated on that one specific region of her face.

“What’s the matter?” Gwen said after a bit of easy silence.

“What makes you think something’s the matter?” Morgana replied, still basking in the glow of Gwen’s magical touch.

“You have that telltale crease between your brow which means something is bothering you.”

This time Morgana opened her eyes. “I’m not bothered, merely at a loss as to why you suddenly find my chin so hypnotizing.”

Gwen sucked at her lip momentarily as if weighing whether to answer before a crooked smile bloomed across her handsome features.

“Well, not just your chin, but if you must know it’s all these little hairs…” And then she stroked Morgana’s chin again, this time allowing her fingers to feather over said hairs all the way down her jawline.

“Are you saying my face is hairy, Gwen?” Morgana asked, frowning as a thread of hurt pulled taut.

As should be obvious, she didn’t appreciate it pointed out that her alabaster skin failed to conceal what otherwise would have been a nearly invisible coat of fine hairs that covered all humans male and female alike. Arthur teased her about it relentlessly when she was a blossoming teenager, and even now some of the noble ladies who envied her would snidely comment upon how it clearly indicated that she was a witch destined for a life of barren unhappiness.

Up til now, Gwen had made no mention of that peculiar feature and Morgana would be lying if she claimed she wasn’t wounded that it would be brought up only now that they were in an intimate situation.

“No!” Gwen’s eyes went wide as the full moon. “No, not at all! I mean...well, yes, it sort of is.” A huffed breath of remorse followed Morgana’s gasp of offense. “Not that it’s a bad thing! I swear I meant no insult. I have some too, after all. It’s just less visible because of my skin tone probably. And don’t worry! It’s nothing like Lady Johanna’s fledgling beard. Not even close. On the contrary, they’re so tiny and delicate and wispy and soft, and I really am utterly obsessed with them because they are part of you and you are perfect, so they are also perfect by extension, and I just can’t get over how adorable they are, and I am currently babbling like a lunatic with zero manners. I am so sorry, milady.”

At the end of that adorable ramble, Gwen’s shoulders hunched in as her cheeks darkened and she yet again sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Any insult Morgana felt evaporated as quickly as it formed. How could she be upset with such an enchanting creature?

Reaching across Gwen’s waist, she pulled her abashed lover down until they were flush, skin to skin from shoulders to hips.

“Oh, Gwen, there is nothing to be sorry for,” she said, legs instinctively parting as Gwen’s familiar weight settled against her. “My reaction is habit, I’m afraid, due to Arthur’s derisive mocking. It’s actually quite nice to hear a compliment for a change.”

“Are you sure you’re not cross with me? I’d understand if you were…”

No one with a functioning soul could be cross with those doe eyes staring at them, Morgana decided. She danced her fingers with lighthearted mirth across Gwen’s cheeks and over the ridge of her nose.

“Nonsense, sweetling. It’s no different than me admiring your freckles.”

Gwen’s features relaxed into a flattered smile. “You like my freckles?”

“Like them? I love them! How could I not? It’s like you said, they are a part of you, and you are perfect, therefore they are perfect by extension.”

In response, Gwen gave her an appreciative little smile before arresting her hand to place a kiss upon the inside of her wrist.

“So you won’t mind to be awakened like that again should I fail to curb my weird fascination?”

“Only if you won’t should I wake you by mapping the stars written across your cheeks,” Morgana said, then returned Gwen’s tactile affection with some of her own by again acting out her words with her own fingers. She was pleased when Gwen leaned in to the touch.

“I promise I won’t. I think I’d quite fancy that, actually.”

“Then I promise, too. And if you’re a good girl today, perhaps I will indulge your fancy tomorrow morning.”

“Well, then, I’d better get to work, hadn’t I?”

Eyes flashing with eager anticipation, Gwen threw the covers aside and made to get out of bed – a development Morgana was not prepared to authorize. Not only was she of a mind to lounge abed and cuddle away another hour or two, all of Camelot was blanketed in snow and she was loathe to be deprived of Gwen’s heavenly body...heat.

“Now, now,” Morgana tugged at Gwen, almost desperate with a need to curl right back into Gwen’s warmth and never move again while hoping she sounded at least somewhat the dignified noblewoman she was supposed to be. “Don’t be so hasty. Have you forgotten yourself and your duties to your lady? I haven’t yet had my good morning kiss.”

Gwen tumbled back into bed giggling merrily. “For shame! I have failed my lady most unforgivably. I shall rectify the trespass immediately.”

“See that you do, Guinevere, and promptly,” Morgana said, her eyes twinkling as her own merriment curved her lips into a smile. “As you know, your lady does not appreciate being made to wait.”

After a deliberately silly half-curtsy, Gwen draped herself across Morgana’s body, and once settled whispered her reply against Morgana’s already tingling lips.

“My lady’s wish is my command.”

The brief peck that followed was not enough for Morgana. Fingers winding into dark curls, she pulled Gwen into a much more passionate kiss, which lead to another, and another, until the embrace quickly evolved into tangling tongues and undulating hips. Soon enough, Gwen’s head was disappearing beneath the sheets and Morgana was having to recall how to breathe due to the magnificently excruciating pleasure coursing through her loins.

And that was how she came to be late for her first appointment of the morning, where she was relentlessly lectured about the importance of punctuality over manchet, eggs, sausage, and apples sprinkled with cinnamon. It was worth it, though. Her giddy grin throughout breakfast only made Arthur more bewildered and Uther more angry.

#bbc merlin #gwen #morgana #morgwen

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soulvomit · 5 years

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I’m really annoyed with a particular woman-specific social dynamic. Something about the dynamics of social spaces that women end up in, means that we are not seen as individuals but as members of a broader group, even by other women. And we’re always being judged for our alleged moral hygiene. If we don’t know if a particular person is somehow Morally Suspect then we cover our ass by not getting too close to that person or fandom until the whole group has declared it acceptable. I feel like a lot of the “not like other girls” dynamic speaks to this. I’m a person who spent a lot of time in this dynamic, who was the sole female member of lots of male gen X “Loser’s Club” groups and who worked in spaces dominated by geeky/nerdy males in the 90s. (It was different then. I wouldn’t want to do it now. Fuck, I’m not even sure I want to work with *other people* anymore, period.) It’s not rejection of being a girl (unless you are, in fact, rejecting being a girl). It’s *wanting to be allowed to be an individual person* and not enjoying the dynamic where everyone in a group tries to gaslight you into 24/7 consensus. This is a mainstream social experience that a lot of women have in groups and it’s something that can be very, very painful for a person who is trying to protect their own selfhood and their own inner world. One negative opinion of a woman by ONE PERSON is enough to reject a woman from a space - men are allowed to be individually wrong. If one person says a woman is canceled, she is canceled. Women often become afraid that association with the rejected woman will result in their own rejection so are forced to go along with it WHETHER THE OTHER WOMEN WERE IN THE RIGHT OR WRONG. I’m not a fan of the kinds of spaces where men call each other “cuck” - but observe that when men insult each other in groups, it’s not as often a pile-on and there is often more allowance for the insulted party to stand their ground. There’s more tolerance of rough edges between people - “oh, that’s just Jason, nevermind him. He always says that.” In groups where men *do* call each other cuck, it doesn’t mean the men being called that are automatically kicked out, or that everyone is forced to side with the guy doing the calling. Groups of women are expected to pretend to like 100% of everything about each other in ways that groups of men aren’t. Men only expect to tolerate each other. If you’re a woman and another woman in the in-group has a complaint or disagrees with you then you have to grovel to maintain your inclusion. And that’s what a lot of the “performative wokeness” strikes me as. And a lot of the CYA about likes and dislikes (”I realize this is problematic” without referencing how it’s problematic; “I don’t like EVERYTHING about her.”) Do you know how painful and fucked up it feels to know that at any moment a group only likes you *conditionally?* Men (but in particular, middle class and wealthy white men) get to be individuals within the group and their every single life choice or preference isn’t politicized with regard to whether or not they’re conforming to the standards of the entire group. When a group of men acts conformist, we automatically bristle: the cultural association with act-alike dress-alike think-alike groups of men who enforce conformity, is with groups of bullies, or actual violent gangs, criminal groups, or militias. Groups of women are expected to be this kind of a thing by default, and to always look out for the Common Good, whatever that is. We’re not allowed any other passionate preference besides whatever political or social policing our group does. The same thing that when men do it, it’s gang-like, Nazi-like, or criminally adjacent.

In my spaces that are mostly male there are disagreements all the time and men simply stay out of them. (But of course there are also some bad trade-offs.) Look how the media portrays it, groups of guys are always individuals within the group (and the “Loser’s Club” and “Power of Friendship” dynamic of Gen X and Elder Millennial childhood friendship tropes, is a male-dominated trope that usually only has one token girl). The sole woman in a Loser’s Club 80s or 90s group is always different only in being “not like other girls” somehow but she’s never really characterized any more deeply than that. The guys have unique interests and talents that are rejected by the world at large, and unappreciated, that will save the day. It’s only in relatively recent media (particularly in comedy!) that you get to see groups of women who act like individuals within the group. There was no female “Loser’s Club” in 80s-90s media. Groups of girls were always portrayed as a clique with internally conformist standards and it was aspirational to be accepted by the group. I could be wrong about this, mind you, and I’ll eat my hat (figuratively speaking) if I am. I’m sure that there is probably all kinds of granularity to this and I’m talking about the “Karen” dynamic, but the thing is, the “Karen” dynamic exists for us in allegedly non-conformist spaces too. I’m not saying that all disagreements must be tolerated: we can have bottom lines and BOUNDARIES. That’s part of having an actual sense of self. But this is part of how I feel like women aren’t allowed a sense of self until our 40s. I don’t know how or why this is. It’s interesting to me that it’s suddenly much more okay for us to have boundaries and a sense of self at this age but consider that younger women so often consider older women cold and mean, (I guess that at this point what’s different is that I no longer really care what All Women Everywhere think of me? And I’m no longer looking for a group to belong to. The shape of my life changed drastically in middle age and most of my social identity is around family and very long standing found-family, so I’m not trying to fit into some group of people I really don’t know very well. So much of our whole early life seems to be about a quest for the right group from which to crowdsource our identity, and an awful fucked up tap dance on eggshells to make sure we’re not seen around or with the wrong people, or doing the wrong things. Men are seen as safer as individuals but threatening and potentially an enemy army, as conformist groups. People aren’t as afraid of lone men as they are of groups of men. Women are seen as actively antisocial and opposing the social order and all that is Good and Wholesome if we are seen as apart from a group, people are historically afraid of individual women (we might all be witches or something idk? But also, individual women seem to always pose a mate-poaching threat or a bad-influence-on-the-kids threat. BTW if I’m wrong and you think I’m wrong and cuss me out for writing this, I’m fine with that. *Shrug* I can’t please everyone. When you’re over 40, you’ll feel the same way and a sense of profound peace will enter your life that never was there before.

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erlinzhang · 5 years

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[TRANS-ENG] 2019.05.02 IU and Lee Sun Gyun’s My Mister Interview with Japanese Cable Television Station Network, J:COM

Q. Please introduce Park Dong Hoon’s and Lee Ji An’s characters.

Lee Sun Gyun: Park Dong Hoon is a structural engineer. He prefers stability and peace, he is serious and somewhat sorrowful.

IU: Since Lee Ji An has grown up in a hostile/ unfortunate environment, she can not trust people and feels despair at the state of the world. A young character who is trying to protect herself by creating walls around her.

Q. I think you must felt the pressure of working with Kim Won Seok PD who has hit dramas like <Misaeng> and <Signal>, but what was the main reason for you to take part in this drama?

Lee Sun Gyun: I think the director felt more pressure than we did. The reason why I decided to appear in this drama was because I had always wanted to work together with Kim Won Seok director. It was an honor for me to receive an offer from him. The filming process was also fun.

IU: Although it can’t be compared with the director’s, I also felt the pressure that “as a part of the drama production team, I shall not become a hindrance.”

Q. During filming, have you ever felt “It was a good decision to choose this work”?

Lee Sun Gyun: I always felt that during filming. It was also memorable since I was able to meet and act out alongside these co-stars, I also feel happy that the work was finished as what we wanted it to be.

IU: I was happy to see My Mister being broadcasted on TV, I felt it was very rewarding and I thought once again that it was a good decision to take part in this work.

Q. Have you both ever felt the synergy during acting?

IU: I tried to rely on Lee Sun Gyun, but as the filming progressed, I could only see Sun Gyun as Dong Hoon. That’s why when I read the script I could not understand how to portray it but when I was in front of Dong Hoon, I was able to become Ji An, as if the switch was on. The reason why I acted it out with my heart without thinking too much on “I would like to portray it this way” was because Lee Sun Gyun was my partner.

Lee Sun Gyun: I am also thankful that my partner was IU, she helped a lot. Although Dong Hoon and Ji An have different environments and different ages, they both share one common thing which is not good at communicating/ conveying their feelings to others. Furthermore, both of them are disgusted by the world and themselves, feeling troubled, both were able to sympathize with each other. I think that the synergy was shown through filming process. Also IU is a very excellent actress. I also learned from her about how she made extraordinary efforts to keep Ji An’s image.

Q. Dong Hoon and Ji An were both characters with few words. In order to get into the roles, did you usually keep a distance with people around you? Please tell me if there is an episode about role making.

Lee Sun Gyun: The first day of shooting was the company scene. IU was the only person away from us, but in this scene Dong Hoon was close with his subordinates on set so when I was on standby I communicated with other actors. The reason why I was able to portray the role comfortably was all because of the director’s and co-stars’ trusts. Drama is something that everyone makes together. Thanks to the people around me creating a good environment, I was able to immerse myself in acting.

Q. Was IU not feeling lonely when acting?

IU: As we got into the second half of filming process, I got closer to Jung Hee, Hoogye family, and people from team Safety Assessment 3 (Dong Hoon’s team in My Mister). I felt happy as Ji An was filling up her loneliness. The 3 brothers’ (Dong Hoon, Sang Hoon and Ki Hoon) relationship was good, good enough to be misunderstood as if the three of them were dating.

Lee Sun Gyun:

There was no such misunderstanding (LOL).

Q. How was it acting as three close brothers?

Lee Sun Gyun: Our chemistry was perfect. Three actors’ different personalities gave synergistic effect. The three brothers’ descriptions in the script were so unique, I was worried that the mood is going to be a little awkward but when we acted it out it was strangely matched well. The scenes with Dong Hoon’s mother, Yo Soon, were often heartwarming that made me remember of my late mother.

Q. The scene of Ji An and her grandmother, Bong Ae is impressive, but how was it acted out?

IU: I met Son Sook when I went to learn sign language. She is so beautiful that even the word “elegant” is not enough to describe her. However when I went to the shooting place, I met poor Bong Ae which was completely different from my first impression of Son Sook. During filming, Son Sook always gave me gentle hugs as if I’m her real grand daughter, that’s why Bong Ae’s death scene was painful and heartbreaking. Being in the same space with Son Sook drawn me into the world of Bong Ae and Ji An, I am grateful that I was able to took part in this.

Q. Dong Hoon is the second son and the main lead. Have you ever had any trouble doing it?

Lee Sun Gyun: There was nothing special about it. I can’t say much about it but I thought it was my job as the lead actor to enliven the mood during filming, I tried to create a mood that would make others feel relaxed.

Q. Did you not feel frustrated with Dong Hoon’s role?

Lee Sun Gyun: Of course I did. I knew that Ji An and Dong Hoon were the type that suppressed their own feelings but I received directions from the director to “suppress the emotion even more,” at first I felt uneasy. However as the story went on, I was convinced that the Dong Hoon’s character I portrayed at first was correct. I was so impressed by Kim Won Seok director that I called him as “the best director.”

Q. Did IU also feel frustrated with Dong Hoon?

IU: It’s a difficult question. I don’t think I did. When did Sun Gyun feel frustrated?

Lee Sun Gyun: I often thought “I will not do the same thing as what Dong Hoon did”.

IU: I was frustrated when he pretended not to know about his wife’s affair. It is Dong Hoon’s action but I can’t understand why he destroyed the evidence (public phone number) of his wife’s affair (episode 5-6).

Lee Sun Gyun: I don’t feel that way. I won’t do the same thing as what Dong Hoon did but I understand his desire to protect his family.

IU: This scene frustrated me.

Q. There were a lot of scenes where Dong Hoon and Ji An eat together, for example at Jung Hee’s restaurant, but what kind of meaning did it have in the drama?

IU: I think it was a scene that has important meaning. One meal for Ji An means survival. Eating scene between Dong Hoon and Ji An, eating scene between Dong Hoon and his brothers. Eating scene between Dong Hoon and Jung Hee. Each has different vibes. I would say that eating is life. To live reluctantly/ inevitably. To live as human being. To live a life. The word “live” has various meanings. I wonder if this drama showed fragment pieces of “eating” to describe ways of living.

Lee Sun Gyun: Not just eating but also exchanging conversations and expressing anxieties, I think those scenes express profound acts of sharing joy and sadness.

Q. For Ji An, Dong Hoon is a ray of light in hard life, but what is Ji An for Dong Hoon?

Lee Sun Gyun: The first impression I got from Ji An was “abandoned kitten.” I could feel that Ji An who shut herself in her shell and didn’t want to get close with other people had a big wound. Dong Hoon couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

Q. What is Dong Hoon for Ji An?

IU: I think he is a moonlight rather than sunlight.

Q. There are many famous lines, but is there any line that people in their forties like Dong Hoon and Sun Gyun also IU in her twenties could sympathize with?

Lee Sun Gyun: For me when I got stuck in my life, “It’s OK, It’s no big deal” became a sentence that can make me move forward whenever I told that to myself. No matter how harsh the world is, it’s rare for all of us to live without compromises. This drama reminds us about the ideal adult image that has been forgotten that’s why it is very popular among my friends in the same generation as Dong Hoon. Hoogye family is also very popular. For the scene when I got hurt, I was told that they could sympathize with how friendship could bring comfort. This is the first time my work had these kind of reactions from friends, some high school classmates called me while crying after watching the drama.

IU: There is a line that Ji An said to Hoogye family member “I want to get to your age as soon as possible. I bet life won’t be as hard.” Of course it’s wrong, but I know what Ji An felt when she said it. Yu Ra also said the similar phrase to Hoogye member and I can relate to it.

Lee Sun Gyun: I have only talked about Kim Won Seok director but the scriptwriter is also full of talent. I am overwhelmed by Park Hae Young writer’s writing ability.

Q. I think Ji An is a difficult character like never before, but please tell me the secret your brilliant acting.

IU: I don’t think it’s because of my effort, I think it’s because the power of the script and great production/ direction. I portrayed Ji An’s role as described in the script, my heart hurt when she was sad, I cried when she cried, I was angry when she was too, and I was delighted when Dong Hoon was happy. There were many times when I had disagreements with scriptwriters (talking about her other works), but it didn’t happen this time (for My Mister). Even though I have never called Park Hae Young writer by phone and never met her during filming, when I saw her that day at drama release for the first time I felt that she seems familiar to me. I could portray the role fearlessly because I trusted the script and Kim Won Seok director’s directions from the bottom of my heart, I think that a good work has been completed. I am very grateful towards Park Hae Young writer for writing excellent script.

Q. It must have been difficult since Ji An had to use sign language while saying her lines and acting. The viewers mentioned that the scene where Ji An told Bong Ae to be happy is impressive, was it difficult to portrayed?

IU: It’s difficult to act out while focusing on sign language, furthermore it was a difficult scene where sign language could become awkward if I portrayed it too emotionally. I remember every time I tried to portray it, I got confused and failed. I think the reason why it was able to hit viewers’ hearts was because that scene gave me such a hard time during filming process. Sign language is a daily conversation between Bong Ae and Ji An and I am satisfied with sign language scenes because it is essential to describe on how the two of them have spent their life in the past years.

Q. Bong Ae is a hearing-impaired person, did you get any information from the director in advance?

IU: There was no particular explanation but during the meeting the director casually said about it. Because I am a singer, I was thinking about a scene where Ji An sings for her hearing-impaired grandmother, but I heard the writer put that scene on hold and finally it didn’t make it to the drama.

Q. I heard that Hoogye members’ actings were mostly ad-lib. Who was the NG King?

Lee Sun Gyun: The anecdotal interactions/ actions that Hoogye members did while drinking and playing were ad lib but the lines were not. Moreover, it was interesting because the content of the ad lib was different every time. The NG King was Song Sae Byeok.

IU: I agree.

Lee Sun Gyun: Se Byeok was nervous because it was his first drama appearance. The cleaning car driving scene is the most interesting one. He was not good at driving manual car, he caused engine stall several times. All of us were nervous, I was at the sidewalk and I thought that we would all die. Even though we were really pressed for time, he was told not to worry about it because if he make a small mistake it will lead to an accident.

Q. Did the actors actually get in the car for the car overturns scene?

Lee Sun Gyun: I was in the car but there was a device to safely overturn the car.

Q. Whom would you like to choose if you could portray other characters (including Dong Hoon and Ji An) in My Mister?

Lee Sun Gyun: I want to portray Ki Hoon because I am the youngest child. Of course I like the relationship between Dong Hoon and Ji an but I also love Ki Hoon and Yu Ra couple. Ki Hoon is the type who expresses everything positively, I felt frustrated and jealous since that positive attitude couldn’t be found in Dong Hoon.

IU: I would like to portray Joon Young if gender is not relevant. Kim Young Min’s performance was excellent, but it was also a role that I want to challenge my self as an actor. A sly and coward cute villain which is also somewhat humane that people can’t hate.

Lee Sun Gyun: Young Min is also a cute person.

IU: There’s a line saying “What did I do wrong?” when he really did not do anything to Ji An. It’s cute that he even felt sorry for Ji An. I want to act out Joon Young, a cute and attractive villain. I personally like the pure and honest Yu Ra. Many of Yu Ra’s lines stuck in my heart, especially the line saying “I wish AI (Artificial Intelligence) era will come soon.”

Q. What is the meaning of “My Mister” for both of you?

IU: It became a masterpiece for me. I think that I will continue to appear in many works in the future but when I look back on my life as an actress, My Mister will no doubt be the most memorable drama.

Lee Sun Gyun: For me, My Mister is a work that was able to make me grow as an actor, and it has become the standard of what I should aim for in the future. I think it would be difficult to surpass this standard but it was a drama that reminded me the meaning of acting.

youtube

Translated by Erlinzhang

Source: MY J:COM

#IU #TvN #My Mister #Lee Ji Eun #나의 아저씨 #아이유 #이지은 #Lee Sun Gyun #Lee Sun Kyun #이선균 #Kim Won Seok #Park Hae Young

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starwarsnonsense · 5 years

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Top 10 Films of 2018

This is rather delayed (mainly on account of an extended bout of laziness on my part), but I was still determined to get it out there! While I don’t think 2018 quite reached the heights of 2017 (nothing matched The Last Jedi or Blade Runner 2049, for example), there was still a lot of great cinema.

As always, keeping this list at 10 meant I had to omit some great titles. Just so you get an idea of what I had to leave out, here are some honourable mentions: Eighth Grade, Lady Bird, Revenge, Phantom Thread, Thoroughbreds, Lean on Pete and Game Night.

1. Roma, dir. Alfonso Cuarón

Roma is a deeply special film, and I’m very fortunate in having got to see it in the best possible circumstances - projected on a huge cinema screen, with its gorgeous, silvery cinematography a marvel to witness. This film takes the kind of life that would usually be forgotten and turns it into an epic, interweaving the story of a loving, resilient housemaid with the seismic political events unfolding in Mexico in the early 1970s. The shots are highly symmetrical and geometric, with characters passing in and out of pre-established frames. But this is clearly intentional, and - to me at least - the story felt no less personal for it. There are several all-time great scenes in this film, and while I don’t want to spoil any of them with extended descriptions, I will say that there’s a sequence in a hospital that balances the mundane and the monumental in an extraordinary and heartbreaking way. This is breathtaking, masterful filming, and I felt it did justice to Cleo’s life without ever attempting to claim her experience. The film is quiet and the dialogue is almost perfunctory, relying heavily on its visuals - it’s cinema at its purest.

2. Annihilation, dir. Alex Garland

True story: I was so desperate to see Annihilation in a cinema that I flew to New York for it. Of course Annihilation wasn’t my sole reason for travelling to New York, but you can be damn sure I made a point of tracking down an Alamo Drafthouse that was showing it. And boy was it worth it. This movie does a magnificent job of fulfilling the potential of sci-fi, taking otherworldly concepts and ideas and using them to interrogate some of the most profound and frightening truths of what it means to be human. This movie has a quietly hypnotic quality to it, and Natalie Portman continues to prove that she is one of the finest modern actors - she says so much with her face and her movements that lines are hardly necessary. I will continue to follow Alex Garland’s career with great interest...

3. Beast, dir. Michael Pearce

Beast was probably my biggest surprise in film in 2018 - I went in expecting nothing, and was bowled over by it to the point that I rushed out to see it again at the first opportunity. This film follows lonely outsider Moll and her ardent love for the mysterious Pascal. There is a heightened, almost supernatural, quality to their romance, and the actors - Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn - have electric chemistry. This film delights in playing with the viewer’s fears and suspicions, constantly adjusting them as the characters evolve over the course of the movie. It’s a great fusion of genres - mystery and romance - that also functions as a superb character piece, and it is entirely worth your time.

4. Bad Times at the El Royale, dir. Drew Goddard

This film is bonkers in an amazing way. A bunch of seemingly random strangers gather at a hotel that’s far from its glory days, and it isn’t long before all hell breaks lose. The ensemble here is terrific, with all the cast members playing off each other in a succession of utterly delightful ways. Every character conceals a secret history and motive, with their layers gradually being peeled back as the movie plays out. Special mention must go to Cynthia Erivo, who is simply stupendous as a session singer who I wound up considering the film’s real hero - she’s marvellously charismatic and complex, and her voice is a complete wonder. This film is a messy tangle of mysteries, and I had a wonderful time unravelling them.

5. First Reformed, dir. Paul Schrader

I have a weird soft spot for ‘crisis of faith’ movies (think Silence), and this is a very fine entry into that niche. Ethan Hawke is superb here as a priest attending to an old church that has effectively been reduced to a chintzy tourist attraction, and I found the depiction of how he struggles with his faith, overwhelmed by disillusionment and the immense crises facing the earth, fascinating and beautifully written. Schrader wrote and directed this film, and it is one of his greatest achievements - the dialogue probes deep, never feeling trite or obvious. I also appreciated how the spiritual was so often conflated with the personal, with a thin line drawn being drawn between the divine and the carnal (that end scene is a woozy thing to experience). It’s a beautifully judged film, made all the more fascinating for its ambiguity.

6. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, dir. Morgan Neville

The greatest testament to the power of this wonderful, good-hearted documentary is probably that I went into it knowing practically nothing about Mr Rodgers (he just wasn’t a thing here in the UK) and left it thinking he’s the hero the world needs right now. I’ve seen so many documentaries illuminating the ugliest parts of humanity that I didn’t realise how much I needed one spotlighting the best bits. But this documentary isn’t pure sentiment, though there’s a lot of that - I found a lot to admire in Mr Rodgers approach to child psychology and education, particularly his conviction that every child can benefit from a warm, steady presence, even of the source of the reassurance happens to be trapped in a TV monitor. I can only hope this inspires a fresh wave of documentaries on similarly worthy subjects.

7. The Wife, dir. Björn Runge

Glenn Close is coming for that Best Actress Oscar and no one can convince me otherwise. With The Wife, the whole movie transparently rests on the shoulders of one woman - Close’s performance is almost sphinx-like, being enigmatic and low-key to the point that her emotions are almost invisible. But their failure to manifest doesn’t mean they don’t exist, and that is perhaps the point of the whole movie. Joan Castleman might seem like the ideal wife of a great author, but she is revealed to be far more than that - a singular individual with dreams, passions, ambitions and regrets. Glenn Close makes the gradual reveal of each facet magnetic, to the point that the slightest twinges of her facial muscles become potent symbols.

8. Blindspotting, dir. Carlos López Estrada

This is an urgent, gripping movie that tackles some of the biggest issues there are. Collin and Miles are friends, but this film sees their friendship challenged, the dynamics underlying it interrogated. I’ve seen movies described as “empathy machines” before, and Blindspotting is a great example of that. It sucks you into the day-to-day experience of living Collin’s life, whether he’s getting a window into the hang-ups of the people whose belongings he is moving (he drives a moving truck) or just chilling out with his friends. Alongside this, it also portrays how terrifying it is to live as a black man in America, how vanishingly little value appears to be placed on your life by those in authority. There’s a rap scene at the film’s climax that consolidates all of Collin’s rage and hurt, and it truly packs a punch.

9. American Animals, dir. Bart Layton

This film portrays a very different side to young American manhood from Blindspotting. Instead of living from day to day, the protagonists of this film start out with pretty much everything they could need - stability, support and good prospects. They choose to unsettle their existence by staging an outrageous heist, clearly dreaming of becoming legends and injecting excitement into their comfortable lives. American Animals does a fantastic job of pulling their plan apart, and since it was based on a true story director Bart Layton does something quite ingenious - he combines real interviews with re-enactments, the filmed scenes being switched out and adjusted according to the conflicting testimonies. In this way, American Animals becomes much more then a depiction of entitled young men seeking to mythologise themselves - it also functions as an interrogation of truth, and the myriad deceptive qualities of cinema.

10. Mission Impossible: Fallout, dir. Christopher McQuarrie

I have no idea how this franchise keeps on stepping up its game, but it does. It reminds me of how the James Bond films ended up taking Bond to space. I can see MI doing that at this point, except we all know that Tom Cruise would actually fly into space for it. With that prelude out of the way, I just need to stress what a fantastic action movie this is. The set-pieces here are marvellously staged, and their execution made them absolutely gripping - I was anxious over every punch, flinching at every cracked bone. McQuarrie is a true master of tension and suspense, and the movie was simply a magnificent ride. I was lucky enough to see this in IMAX with @bastila-bae, and the mere thought of people watching this on smartphones fills me with the rare kind of sorrow known only to shameless film snobs.

Look out for highlights from 2019 - coming up in a few months!

#roma #film #cinema #movie #movies #film in 2018 #review of 2018 #annihilation #beast #first reformed #blindspotting #mission impossible:fallout #american animals #bad times at the el royale #personal #the wife #won't you be my neighbor

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a-motivation-to-study · 5 years

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Books to Read in 2019

This past year I finished reading MAYBE 2 books. How incredibly disappointing is that? In high school I read ALL THE TIME, and I have a whole wall covered in books, yet I have barely read! I’m really going to force myself to read more this next year. I know for a FACT that my semester next year will hinder my goal, but I’m hoping to follow this plan as closely as I can (although I am darn positive that I probably won’t be able to finish all of these). Most of these books I have selected relate to other personal goals I hope to achieve. The boldened titles are the books I feel are most important in my personal growth (and thus the books I will read first). I’m also hoping my love for reading can be reignited. I know a lot of us can lose the habit of reading, especially with busy college schedules, so I’ve added the descriptions of the books (from the back or from the amazon descriptions) I hope to read in case any of you would also like to read more!

Productivity Books

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principal-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity- principles that give us the security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

2. Getting Things Done by David Allen

In today’s world, yesterday’s methods just don’t work. Veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares his his breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introcued to tens of thousands of people across the country. Aleen’s premis is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective results and unleash our creative potential. From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Dones can transform the way you work an live, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.

Meditation and Buddhist Books (from Wisdom Publications mostly)

3. Zen Vows for Daily Life by Robert Aitken

Zen Vows for Daily Life is a collection of gathas, vows in verse form for daily practice, similar to prayers or affirmations for use at home, at work, and in the meditation hall itself. Reciting these poetic vows can help us be fully present in each moment and each activity of our lives. These gathas serve as gentle reminders to return again and again to our highest aspirations, with acceptance, joy, and compassion—for ourselves and all beings. Zen Vows for Daily Life will be a steadfast companion in keeping the reader inspired and committed on their spiritual path.

4. A Heart Full of Peace by Joseph Goldstein

Love, compassion, and peace—these words are at the heart of all spiritual endeavors. Although we intuitively resonate with their meaning and value, for most of us, the challenge is how to embody what we know: how to transform these words into a vibrant, living practice. In these times of conflict and uncertainty, this transformation is far more than an abstract ideal; it is an urgent necessity. Peace in the world begins with us. This wonderfully appealing offering from one the most trusted elders of Buddhism in the West is a warm and engaging exploration of the ways we can cultivate and manifest peace as wise and skillful action in the world.

This charming book is illuminated throughout with lively, joyous, and sometimes even funny citations from a host of contemporary and ancient sources—from the poetry of W.S. Merwin and Galway Kinnell to the haiku of Issa and the great poet-monk Ryokan, from the luminous aspirations of Saint Francis of Assisi to the sage advice of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama.

5. Open Mind by B. Allan Wallace

Lerab Lingpa (1856–1926), also known as Tertön Sogyal, was one of the great Dzogchen (Great Perfection) masters of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and a close confidant and guru of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. This volume contains translations by B. Alan Wallace of two works that are representative of the lineage of this great “treasure revealer,” or tertön. This volume will be of great interest for all those interested in the theory and practice of the Great Perfection and the way it relates to the wisdom teachings of Tsongkhapa and others in the new translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

6. Interconnected by Ogyen Tinley Dorje

Plucked from a humble nomad family to become the leader of one of Tibet’s oldest Buddhist lineages, the young Seventeenth Karmapa draws on timeless values to create an urgent ethic for today’s global community. The Karmapa shows us how gaining emotional awareness of our connectedness can fundamentally reshape the human race. He then guides us to action, showing step by step how we can change the way we use the earth’s resources and can continue to better our society. In clear language, the Karmapa draws connections between such seemingly far-flung issues as consumer culture, loneliness, animal protection, and self-reliance. In the process, he helps us move beyond theory to practical and positive social and ethical change.

7. I Wanna Be Well by Miguel Chen

A punk rocker’s guide to grow, learn, and appreciate the present moment—in short, to live a life that doesn’t totally suck.

8. Discovering Your Soul Signature by Panache Desai

Your soul signature is your spiritual DNA - it is who you are at your core, the most authentic part of you, and your singular contribution to this world. And yet, we reject our authentic selvs. We allow our soul sigature to become blocked by any number of emotional obstacles that life throws in ou path: anger, fear, guilt, shame, sadness, despair. Any or all of these feelings overtake us and create a density, a heaviness that doesn’t permit us to embrace who we truly are, deep inside. We are energetic beings, Panache Desai reminds us, and emotions are energy in motion. When we are blocked we feel unworthy, less than, unloved, incomplete.

In Discovering Your Soul Signature, Panache Desai invites us on a 33-day path of meditations-- shot passages to be read at morning, noon, and night that are designed to dismantle the emotional burden that holds us back and open us up to changing our lives. Through this distilled, poetic, practical, and inspiring course, he invites us to live a life of authenticity, to rediscover purpose and passion, and to believe from our soul in the possibility of all things.

9. As Man Thinketh by James Allen

This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that -

"They themselves are makers of themselves" by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

Religious Books

10. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

In The Miracle of Forgiveness, President Spencer W Kimball gives a penetrating explanation of repentance and forgiveness and clarifies their implications for Church members. His in-depth approach shows that the need for forgiveness is universal; portrays the various facets of repentance, and emphasizes some of the more serious errors, particularly sexual ones, which afflict both modern society and Church members. Most important, he illuminates his message with the brightness of hope that even those who have gone grievously astray may find the way back to peace and security. Never before has any book brought this vital and moving subject into so sharp a focus. This classic book is a major work of substance and power.

Science Books

11. God’s Equation by Amir D. Aczel

In God’s Equation, Amir Aczel tells the story of what lies between these events: the history of modern physics and the development of the sciene of cosmology, the study of the nature of the universe.

Other Books

12. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?"

13. Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Shedding the trivial ties that he felt bound much of humanity, Thoreau reaped from the land both physically and mentally, and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle—and only then can you reenter society, as an enlightened being. These simple but profound musings—as well as “Civil Disobedience,” his protest against the government’s interference with civil liberty—have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature. More than a century and a half later, his message is more timely than ever.

14. The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian

In the Art of Worldly Wisdom Baltasar Gracian gives us pertinent and pithy advice on friendship, leadership, and success. Think of it as Machiavelli with a soul. This book is for those who wish to have an ambitious plan for success without compromising their integrity or losing their way. Audacious and captivating!

15. For One More Day by Mitch Albom

For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

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leviticus101st · 3 years

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Me disliking these films is probably my most unpopular opinion ever.

Let me say this to cover myself. I don’t think the Raimi Spider-Man films are the worst films ever made. I don’t even think they’re terrible, but I do think they are bad. Bad on a lower end of the scale.

I think they are on the level of the Star Wars Prequel trilogy, where the flaws might be what you like them for.

Let’s start this review with the death nail of these movies. The stylization. Like with Into The Spider-Verse, this movie uses comic book style. The difference is that this one does it insanely poorly.

Most of the film transitions are weird. They don’t match the tone that these movies are going for and they consistently made me feel like I was watching the Adam West Batman show.

Even if they didn’t, there are two other major problems for the tone. I’m not gonna beat around the bush. The acting is absolutely terrible. Like, I was not ready for how bad the acting is.

I don’t remember it being as stiff and awkward as it is. You’d expect from all the memes that the acting was constantly over the top and memorable, like Tim Curry or Jim Carrey. But when you get down to it, while there are moments like this, it actually isn’t memorable at all.

All that most of the actors do for the most part is talk in a quiet voice and an awkward tone. The only one who actually feels they were trying is JK Simmons as J.J.J. One actor who played a supporting character put more effort into their performance than the entirety of the main cast.

That astounds me.

The worst of it all is probably from Tobey Mcguire as Peter himself. He does NOT emote well. He’s actually a microcosm of the acting problems.

He just never gives the appropriate reactions to things or the movie’s work will ruin it for him.

The scene where he finds Uncle Ben’s body is the biggest example of this. We shouldn’t see his crying face all scrunched up like that. We should be further away to feel the emotions we should be feeling.

But to be fair, even if they had the best acting in the world, this movie still would not have worked. Why? Because the script is absolute garbage.

You may have noticed that this is a review of all three movies in one chapter and not doing three chapters to review each one. That’s because they all have the same basic plot and the exact same issues.

The scripting demands that Peter and MJ treat each other like shit. That both of them be absolutely terrible for each other. It demands that right after a serious sequence of Peter getting the symbiote, that there should be a stupid dance scene. It demands that Peter do...whatever the fuck this is.

A wall starts to fall onto MJ. Peter, instead of just grabbing her with his webbing, screams like a banshee.

The scripting lastly demanded that the fight scenes have no excitement whatsoever and just throw in random bullshit.

Let’s see what all of the good stuff Peter and MJ did for each other. They kept secrets that would need to be open in a relationship from each other, MJ straight up cheated on Peter with JJJ’s son because Peter missed her play, and didn't tell him that Harry was losing it.

MJ in these movies is AWFUL! The movies try to paint her as the ‘UWU’ Girl, but her actions are so awful and mean spirited that it makes her look like a miserable piece of shit.

It’s a shame too because her actress was trying her best, but no one could make anyone who says this (MJ: It’s not about you. It’s about me.) look good.

Could you make this kind of relationship work? Yes, but that requires effort and it’s clear that the people behind these movies didn’t want to do that.

The two towers bit is a good example of that. When a Dreamworks kids movie has more balls than you, there’s a problem. Instead of sticking to their guns and making a good reveal, nah let’s just cut out the reveal of Spidey’s costume and put American flags everywhere.

The way that MJ and Peter’s relationship in these movies was handled was so terrible, that I’m willing to bet it played a part in the creation of One More Day. Oh yeah, I’m talking about THAT one eventually! Just you wait.

But Peter doesn’t come out of this movie unscaved, because he is also a miserable piece of shit in these movies. Let me put it like this, he does not develop in ANY positive way throughout these movies. Not once did he change for the better.

He constantly puts his Spider-Man stuff ahead of his loved ones and isn’t given any positive traits. The more I learned about this version of Peter, the more I wanted the villains to win. Like when he's being a creep and looking through his crush’s window. There is nothing to like about him.

Let’s get to the villains. Green Goblin’s stuff was not a good adaptation. The scenes with Norman talking to the goblin persona could have worked, but stupid lines ruined any chance of tension.

Green Goblin: His heart Osborn! We need to attack his heart!

If the movie was trying to portray GG as so far away and cartoony from Norman, it would work, but Norman also acts like a cartoon character (Before and after he injects himself with the serum.), so the contrast is dead on arrival.

Doc Ock is one of those characters who they try to make sympathetic, but fail miserably. The point of sympathy is that his wife died, but that rings hollow when his wife’s death was all his fault.

Also, him turning into Doc Ock is a good instance of the movie’s style ruining thing. The scene where he’s killing the doctors could have been good, but Raimi felt the need to put in so much cartoon shit that it’s just laughable. The nurse scratching the floor is the biggest example of that in the scene.

There’s also him really trying to hit that C note every time he screams. I think he screams to the sky like twice in 2.

Then there’s 3, where the villains are given absolutely nothing. Sandman is there, Harry is also the Green Goblin there, and Venom is there as well.

Could you have made that work? Probably, but, as we established, the people behind the movies didn’t want to put forth any effort to make it work. Raimi himself admitted that Venom was only put into the movie because he was popular.

When people say that these movies are profound labors of love, I’m always baffled. If you genuinely love something, you put in the time to make it good.

You don’t throw in random crap and hope the audience loves it. You make something that you know people will appreciate.

This movie is also very confused about how SM is seen in this world. The scene where those guys start throwing shit at GG and the train scene after SM stopped it are baffling to me.

There was never a point where anyone thought Spider-Man should get their support. You need to build that up. Show Pete saving people, making people admire him, and so on. If you don’t, it looks forced, because it is forced.

The scene in 2 is even more baffling. I’m sorry, but Peter’s identity should have gotten out. There is no believable way that scene would play out like it did and it stretched my disbelief into oblivion.

It says something when a video game adaptation is better than the actual film. No really, the game is better than the movie in every way.

I suppose the last things to talk about are more philosophical in how SM should be handled.

I hate the Raimi costume. Muted colors do not look good for a Peter Parker Spider-Man. The darker red and blue is just ugly and the thick black lines that represent webbing don’t help.

It just looks gaudy and ugly.

The Amazing movies costume also had this problem. It says something when the MCU version got this right.

Then there’s the last thing. I hate how it’s the thing for Uncle Ben to drill the ‘Great Power and Great Responsibility’ into Peter. In the original comic, it was a revelation that Peter came to after Ben’s death. It worked there because it was a result of guilt and a conclusion Peter came to.

By making it Uncle Ben’s catchphrase, you remove the character significance on Peter’s part. It got so bad in these movies that Amazing and MCU went out of their way to not use it.

Granted in the Amazing movies they worded it in a weird way, but still.

And that’s what I think of the Raimi trilogy. This is probably the one that most people are gonna get pissed at me for. It’s a classic for many people, I understand that, but somethings just don’t resonate for some people.

I know what the first thing people are gonna say. ‘You just like the other movies, so you’re putting these films down.’

No that is not what I am doing. I talked about these movies because I have problems with them.

The other films have problems too. The Amazing Films do too much to be generic movie fare, the MCU films push the shared universe angle a bit too hard with Tony Stark, and Into the Spider-Verse has pacing that some might think is too fast with Gwen’s friendship arc being a good example of that.

Everything has problems and attacking people because they talk about them is something that only insecure people do. While I do hate these movies, they did have a big impact on the film world. I personally do think Blade and the TDK trilogy deserve more credit for selling audiences on goofy things, but this film is what sold the general on goofy premises in films. I will grant these movies that.

I refuse to give people crap for liking these movies. All I ask in return is that you don’t give me crap for disliking them. Bring a valid argument sure, but don’t be an asshole about it is all I’m asking.

#Spider-Man #Don't @ me #ltj056 #Review #Going against the Grain #Fanfiction #Plug

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theteablogger · 6 years

Text

Michael Corner and Terry Boot

While working on the timeline, I’ve found myself digressing quite a bit to talk about Mike and Terry’s “evolving” relationship throughout DAYDverse and Andy’s meta. Rather than clutter up the timeline, I decided to post something here and simply link to it later. So I put together an outline, with fic links and excerpts and as much chronological detail as possible, of what Andy wrote about Mike and Terry over the years. It stops in 2013 because their labeling has been consistent since September 2012, and he hasn’t written any significant fic featuring these characters since the following year.

(Cut for length and NSFW content.)

April 2008 - In DAYD, Andy establishes that Mike and Terry are best friends, extremely close, and can “read each other’s minds”. Eventually, we learn that this is literally true; they use Legillimency to maintain a constant mental connection that they rarely choose to break. He also mentions that they have matching tattoos, and that Terry’s says, “L’amitie de la conaissance.”

Sometime between April 2008 and July 2009 - In his FAQ, Andy “bans” people from slashing Mike and Terry. He says:

This is the first thing on the FAQ that is preemptive, not a response to comments or emails, but I feel I need to, particularly after #50. I have given other authors permission to play in my world, but I am putting a few caveats on that. I have no problem with slash or homosexuality. Rowan Glynnis and Malcolm Braddock both “stir their cauldrons in their own direction.” IMHO, both Colin and Luna are bisexual. HOWEVER, I am refusing permission for anyone to slash my Neville and/or Ernie, as well as any Michael/Terry slash. Obviously, these are all four originally JKR’s creations and I cannot ban the pairings in general , but I can ask people not to use my story as material in them. In the case of Neville and Ernie, this is because their relationships with women are just too vital to the plot and who they are as young men in my world, but in the case of Michael and Terry, I have another reason too. As a male writer, I have tried very hard to accurately portray the way the men in my story think and feel, even as I try my best to do justice to the ladies as well. The kind of love Michael and Terry have for one another is an extraordinary sort of brother-bond that men can form for one another under very rare circumstances, and it is one of the most powerful forms of love in the world, sometimes almost as strong as a mother for her child. That is something that I would find debased by making it into romantic or physical attraction, and that is why I am requesting that it not be done. Please respect this, and if I find out that someone has written a story from my canon that violates it, I will be reporting it to ff.net as uncondoned plagiarism.

Prior to June 17, 2008 - Andy publishes “By Consensus”, in which each of the two boys telepathically shares with the other the memory of a sexual encounter that he has recently had with a girl. These are memories such as one might see in a pensieve, except that their telepathic connection allows each to experience it as if he were in the other’s body. This is incredibly skeevy because neither girl is asked for her consent before they share. The experience of sharing these memories is so intense that Mike and Terry “wake up” afterward entangled in each other’s limbs, sweaty, chests heaving, evidently having kissed each other--oh, and they’ve both come. (Link goes to a much later re-posting on the DAYDverse community.) Excerpt:

He was still trembling, there was a hot stickiness at his groin, a deep throbbing that told him he'd come again, but Terry scarcely noticed as he released the connection, the memory fading back to what it had been before he raised it and shared it with his friend. Instead, what had his attention so completely was he and Michael were no longer laying side by side, but tangled together, and he could feel the other boy's erection flagging as freshly as his own. Their arms were wrapped around each other, their hair damp and clinging to their faces, their chests still heaving, and he could taste a faint lingering hint of chocolate in his mouth. He hadn't eaten chocolate that day.

June 19, 2008 - Andy publishes “Empirical Evidence” on hprarepairs. In this fic, Mike and Terry have sex and it's the most profound, amazing, meaningful thing ever precisely because they are male, not gay, and feel no sexual desire for each other despite their extremely strong friendship-type-love. It’s so intense, in fact, that they’re afraid ever to do it again. Excerpt:

Michael chuckled, and the sound was oddly rough in his raw throat. “Kind of defeats the whole purpose of avoiding emotional involvement when I love you more than any witch in this school?” “No fucking kidding.” Terry rolled unsteadily onto one elbow, tucking himself back into his pants. “That was…yeah…but I think if we ever do anything like it again….” He reached out, pushing a piece of the long blonde hair out of Terry’s eyes. “Speaking of your ancient Greeks, the Spartans encouraged their soldiers to have sex with one another because it took the brotherhood bonds to a level that would drive them to acts of insanity on the battlefield to protect one another. Never made sense before, and I don’t think it’s anything like what Stephen and Derek have…that seems to be more like what we have with witches. This was something else, something more raw, and I mean here –“ he tapped his chest, “—not just down there. It wasn’t…it wasn’t about sex at all, but it was certainly sexual, but….” “It was terrifying.” “Completely.” Michael bit his lip, looking down for a moment before reaching out to lace his hand through his friend’s, squeezing it tightly. “Mindless shagging definitely goes somewhere else, then?” Terry nodded. “Definitely.” His fingers tightened on Michael’s. “There’s nothing mindless about what you mean to me, Mike.”

September 30, 2008 - In “20 Random Facts about Tiresius W Boot”, Andy says that Mike and Terry each has half of a quotation by Comte DeBussy-Rabutin tattooed on his upper arm. Mike has “L’amour vient de l’aveuglement” (”Love comes from blindness...”) and Terry has “l’amitie de la connaissance” (”...friendship, from knowledge.”).

November 4, 2008 - In “20 Random Facts About Michael J Corner”, Andy reveals that following Mike and Terry’s deaths in the Battle of Hogwarts, their ashes were mixed and split in half, then buried under identical gravestones with both their names on them. Their parents had intended to engrave the text of their tattoos on the stones, but the Greek characters for "philia" appeared instead, "inexplicably and indelibly of [their] own accord". In this hilarious summary of DAYD, this is described as, “No Homo, in Ancient Greek.”

December 9, 2008 - Andy throws a fit on fanficrants when someone writes what he describes as “a craptastic slash threesome” between Mike, Terry, and Tony. He reports this person for plagiarism because he says that they “stole” his version of Terry.

December 12, 2008 - In “Standing Witness”, Mike is horribly tortured by Belsen while the other students are made to watch. Because of their telepathic connection, Terry shares the experience, and finally casts Avada Kedavra to put Mike out of his misery--but it doesn't work because he doesn’t really mean it. Later, Terry sits at Mike’s bedside and internally monologues at great length about how Mike is indescribably beautiful and intelligent and wonderful and he loves him more than life itself, and now he’s thrown all that away. When he realizes that Mike is still alive, he monologues some more about how much he loves Mike, who no doubt will never forgive him. When these events are described in DAYD itself, the other characters talk about how much Mike and Terry love each other, to the point that they’re closer than brothers. When Mike wakes up, Terry cries over him and Mike kisses his hand. Excerpt from “Standing Witness”:

I've wondered for years what kind of person could burn the Library of Alexandria; all that knowledge, all that art, so much priceless genius, who could look at that and bear to think of a torch or a hammer…but those monsters are still with us, aren't they, Mike? That he could look at you and do…do what he did, knowing you're not just beautiful, but brilliant and brave and good…and how could I help him? What does that make me? Qu'est-ce que creature, quel monstre suis-je? ... We'll fight and we'll survive and all of this, every minute of it and every day of my life I've lived and every day I have left will be worth it if I can just have one more day with you well and whole and seeing you smile, seeing your eyes light up with a new idea, some new bit of knowledge, some new discovery that we can share. ... Maybe, in the end, that's why I'm here…so that at least once, someone would truly know how precious you are, even if you're in the end a treasure only measurable by its cost to lose.

Sometime prior to February 28, 2009 - Andy publishes “Perils of Studying Outdoors”. Caught sneaking around outside by Amycus Carrow, Mike and Terry misdirect him by passionately making out and...well, here’s an excerpt. The non-italicized bits represent the two of them communicating telepathically.

There was no acting necessary to love him, just love him with every bit of his soul, but he rarely let himself just feel it this completely, because it was so overwhelming as to be a little bit frightening, and he heard a tiny gasp escape his lips, a shiver running through him at the raw, almost feral depth of it. You're beautiful too, Terry. I wish you could see that. Not just your eyes, either. Terry flinched back, closing his eyes at the compliment and trying to turn away, but Michael's hands were clasped behind his neck now. You don't have to...he can't hear us. I'm not saying it to him. I'm saying it to you. You're the pretty one. I'm the pin-up. But you're no half-cast spell either. Sometimes I almost wish I could fancy wizards, because you already mean so much to me, and I know if I did, even a little, I'd lose myself in you so easily. You're already so much everything to me, adelphos. Philia et agape... ... The kiss was uncertain at first, edged on barriers neither quite understood and both knew completely, barely a whisper of lip to lip, then the tight set of Terry's shoulders seemed to melt beneath his hands, and arms that had become recently stronger than he had realized were around his waist, pulling them in together until their bodies breathed under one rhythm. It was real in every way that they were, no act at all and so much more than what it was meant to appear to be, expressing every layer of the love that Michael wondered if any other couple in this school - in this world - who could claim simple eros even began to understand. What a pity if they didn't, because even as some faint part of him heard the Death Eater's roar of outrage, knew what was about to come, his mouth was still reluctant to edge away from Terry's, teeth and tongue lingering across the moisture of his lower lip, and the rest of himself was reflected in cobalt that lazed open just in time to lace their hands together and brace themselves before le vilain petit monde cracked over them again.

April 1, 2009 - On the LJ community, Andy posts “Revelations” as a prank for April Fool’s Day. In this fic, Mike and Terry inform their friends that they are involved in a romantic relationship with each other, and then kiss passionately in front of them, as a joke. In the header Andy says, as part of his prank, that he's had writer's block and is curing it by changing the story/characters to fit what the readers want to see. Excerpt:

“There’s no need for rash action,” Michael cut in hastily. “We’re not offended. But if we’re going to be trusting each other with our lives, we can at least trust you with this. It’s been such a year…a lot has changed. We’ve all discovered things about ourselves that maybe we didn’t realize before.” ... Another moment of wordless conversation, and then Neville’s jaw nearly hit the polished surface of the conference table as the two wizards moved as one. Chairs scraped the stone floor deafeningly, and now Michael was almost in Terry’s lap, their arms locked around one another, and they were kissing. Not just kissing, snogging. Bloody near trying to suck one another’s tonsils out. Mouths crushed together, eyes closed, hands sliding up under robes and gripping shoulders, moving over backs in the most passionate, almost desperate embrace that Neville had ever seen. The tendons corded tight on Terry’s neck. The flutter and fan of dark lashes against Michael’s still-pale cheek. Breath sucked quick and fervent between teeth and around tongues, as if any moment it wouldn’t, couldn’t be enough and they would either have to go further or burst from the pure intensity. It was the kind of kiss that was uncomfortable and voyeuristic to watch, even if it hadn’t been two wizards, and he had to look away, staring at the ceiling and wondering what…wondering how…?

April 6, 2009 - Andy posts his completed “Quadrophilia” sketch, which portrays Mike and Terry having sex with the Patil twins.

July 12, 2009 - What is a slash and what do you mean Mike and Terry have subtext; I can't see these things at all in any canon ever.

May 26, 2011 - Mike and Terry are bicurious.

June 2011, just over a week later - Terry is asexual. (Andy copy/pasted a group chat about LGBTQIA characters to the community. Neither Mike nor Terry was mentioned during the chat, but in the comments, another user asked if there were any asexual characters in the DAYDverse. Andy replied, “Terry, as a matter of fact.” I won’t link to it because it includes DAYDians’ full names.)

July 12, 2012 - Mike and Terry = BROTP.

September 2012 - Terry is homoromantic/asexual and Mike is homoromantic/heterosexual.

February 23, 2013 - Andy defends himself when asked whether his portrayal of Mike and Terry constitutes queerbaiting.

December 10, 2013 - Andy publishes “Unison”, the story of Mike and Terry’s establishing their mental link, with an author’s note that tries to preempt further talk of queerbaiting. Excerpt from the fic:

“I’m afraid.” "So am I. Of so many things." The vial stopped. The crease between his brows deepened. He pushed his hair back. “What could you ever fear?” "Falling." From grace. From my pedestal. In love. Too late and he knew it for all of them and I couldn’t breathe. The vial lifted, uncapped, tilted to dampen his finger, all still untouched. His wand was still on the floor somewhere behind us both, glowing and casting its ghosts’ light. Oh, but he was so astoundingly gifted in ways I could barely comprehend. I could never. How could he not see it? Maybe if this worked. He touched my temples with the potion; first one, then the other. “I’d catch you.” ... “...I think I’ve only ever done two perfect things in my life." "Only two?" His left hand on his face now as well, his right on mine. Our pulses had come to match. I felt light headed and didn’t even know if it was beginning. I closed my eyes. We were too young, they said. It was too dangerous. We didn’t have the maturity, the control, the capacity for the necessary level of responsible intimacy, much less to handle the complexities and abstracts of it all. Blocking, maybe, under the direst need, but never probing, penetrating, accepting, inviting, receiving. It could change who you were if it happened too young. Never before seventeen, surely. Not for children. Not for us. Rules were made to be broken by the exceptions. Or the exceptional. "Finding you, and now letting you in."

#daydverse #queerbaiting #andythanfiction #thanfiction #andrew blake #andy blake

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ganymedesclock · 7 years

Note

There's something that really annoys me with how Shiro is portrayed by the fandom and how they seem to forget that Shiro spent a year fighting brutally for his life. It's shown in canon that Shiro was a force to be reckoned with in the arena, rightfully earning his title as Champion and the show even shows other prisoners being terrified of him. Yet the fandom treats Shiro like an innocent cinnamon roll who wouldn't hurt a fly when the canon supports the idea that 1/2

Shiro was anything but that in the arena. I've even seen a few people complaining about how scarred up artists draw Shiro because the only scar shown is on his face. I'm getting the idea that the fandom doesn't want to think of Shiro as someone who most likely killed and injured a lot of other prisoners to survive as he did. 2/2

I think entirely outside of what Shiro did for survival, thinking of him as soft and gentle is... pretty inaccurate.

Shiro is a very angry person. He holds back, he tries not to direct it at the team because he’s got major stripes of the therapist friend who wants to take care of anybody’s problems but like...

S2e4, Shiro’s treatment of Lubos once he realizes what, precisely, Lubos has done. S2e7, towards Zarkon, and s2e8 when Kolivan is tampering with Keith’s mind.

Shiro has the wrath of an idealist who believes in a benevolent world and when things don’t live up to that- when there’s pettiness, selfishness, abuse of power- Shiro gets angry! He grabs people by the lapels and snaps at them because you could be better than this.

There is something way the hell more personal than survival in the way Shiro lays into Zarkon in the astral plane fight. This isn’t because Zarkon’s trying to kill him. It’s not even completely because Zarkon’s threatening and hurting his team through an avenue Shiro sees himself as responsible of. It’s because Zarkon was a paladin, because the universe invested its faith and fondness and purpose in him, looked to him for help, and Zarkon turned into a despot.

Because to Shiro there is no lower form of filth than a leader who abuses power. Who betrays their subordinates. And right at that point where Shiro’s sitting Zarkon did a lot worse than let his team down, he personally tore them to pieces.

And yes- Shiro is compassionate, and kind, and empathetic. Yes, Shiro wants to take care of everybody, yes, he’s the guy who delivers friendship speeches and means them but all of that heartfelt sincerity fuels profound personal rage.

The prisoners in the first episode flinch back from him, but they also know his name. They also know- if they can trust anyone to get them out of this situation, if they can trust anyone to challenge the empire and win- it’s Shiro. Because Shiro’s not just someone they’re scared of. He’s someone they trust the honor of, that if he says he’s here to help he’s not going to hurt them. Someone they respect, and there’s a thread of fear to that reverence, but, to people in a very bitter, bleak, and hopeless situation- I really doubt they’d be able to believe in someone who wasn’t just a little bit scary.

To survive what Shiro did and come out on top you need to be pretty scary. And Shiro was never a quitter.

So, the short version is- I think the idea Shiro’s a ruthless bloodstained gladiator with no hesitations or that he was during his missing year sells him short in one way, and acting like he’s a pure untroubled boy scout with only gentleness and remorse inside sells him short a different way.

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Shiro #bisexualswagbootyloverpunk

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ewh111 · 6 years

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2017 Annual List of Favorite Film Experiences

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

With each passing year, I find it harder to keep up with new release films, as well as the growing queue of ones on my “To See” list. On the other hand, it feels like quality films are sequestered till the end of the year (nothing against summer blockbusters, but with a few exceptions, many are forgotten by the time you get back to your car) and the growing appeal and abundance of quality television fostered by its broader canvas for in-depth storytelling and character development is another distraction.

But that brings me to one of my favorite things about the holiday season in Los Angeles. The last six weeks or so of the year is filled with many appealing options as films jockey for exposure ahead of the awards season. And I have a great deal of appreciation and gratitude (and a bit of jealousy) for the many artists and others who have the passion to make these visions come to life for us to enjoy.

All the best for a wonderful 2018 and hope that you get a chance to see some of the films below that moved me in some way, sometimes filling me with emotion or awe, or provoking long-lasting thoughts, or just trigger the desire to re-experience and see it again. So, here they are, in no particular order.

Cheers, Ed

P.S.–I’ve gotten many requests to also review favorite meals of the year, so that might come in another post. :)

Indelible Coming of Age Tales

Call Me By Your Name — Northern Italy, summer, 1983. Having read the André Aciman novel, this was my most anticipated film of 2017. And it did not disappoint. This beautifully told and lushly shot coming of age romance features a remarkable and revelatory (and perhaps best of 2017) performance by newcomer Timothée Chalamet (also in Lady Bird), who achingly captures the universal yearning, passion, heartache, and torment of first love. Kudos also to Armie Hammer and director Luca Guadagnino. While many moments stand out, including the empathetic and compassionate speech by father Michael Stuhlberg (also in Shape of Water) that is the dream of every LGBT kid, it’s the minutes-long reactive close-up on Chalamet as the credits roll and song of yearning plays that devastatingly endures. My favorite of 2017.

Lady Bird — Sacramento, 2002. A semi-autobiographical coming of age in the suburbs tale featuring the humorous, turbulent, and affecting relationship between mother and daughter by Greta Gerwig in her directorial debut. With a fabulous performance by Saoirse Ronan as the head-strong teen who calls herself Lady Bird, a terrific Laurie Metcalf as her mom, and HW alum Beanie Feldstein ’11 as her best friend, this is the rare comedy that is smart, witty, and endearing.

Compelling Period Piece True Stories

Dunkirk — Dunkirk, France, 1940. A visually and viscerally compelling piece of filmmaking about the miraculous evacuation of 300,000 British troops from the doomed beach at Dunkirk, masterfully crafted by director Christopher Nolan via three intertwined timeframes (a week on the beach, a day by sea, and an hour in the air) that intersect and fold back and ultimately, come together in the end.

The Post — Washington, DC, 1971. Spielberg + Streep + Hanks = a highly timely and relevant telling of the Washington Post’s saga to publish the Pentagon Papers. Resonant on so many levels with urgent themes of today—the need for a free press, the role of women in a man’s world, and a judicial branch independent from an overreaching executive branch—all told with briskly entertaining and thrilling pace.

All the Money In The World — UK/Italy, 1973. I’ll admit that I was initially attracted to this pic to see how director Ridley Scott erased Kevin Spacey and recast Christopher Plummer in the role of billionaire J. Paul Getty and reshot major portions of his film six weeks before its release date. Hats off to him for pulling off a very engaging thriller depicting the notorious kidnapping of Getty’s grandson. Michelle Williams is spot-on as the mother who goes toe-to-toe with her infamously frugal father-in-law who refuses to pay ransom for her child.

Dark Master Works By An Irish Playwright and a Black Comedian

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — Ebbing, MO, present day. Loved this very dark dramedy whose story emanates from a tragic event in a small town. There’s plenty of levity and wonderfully drawn characters via Martin McDonagh’s clever screenplay that mixes revenge, redemption, and moral ambiguity, featuring a trio of tremendous performances by raging mother of deceased raped daughter Frances McDormand, small town police chief and target of McDormand’s ire Woody Harrelson, and racist, violent, alcoholic mama’s boy police officer Sam Rockwell.

Get Out — Suburban countryside, present day America. A creepy, twisted, funny, scary, and subversive version of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” crossed with a little bit of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” for the post-Obama era. A brilliant, provocative, and unnerving nexus of sophisticated horror, comedy, and extremely biting social satire by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut.

Strange and Untraditional Love Stories

Phantom Thread —London, circa 1950s. I love Paul Thomas Anderson, and he’s made one strange but riveting movie here. A gorgeous Jonny Greenwood score swings from elegantly jazzy to intensely haunting, setting the mood for this darkly humorous film featuring hard to describe relationships (I hesitate to call it a love story) between an obsessively demanding and fastidious fashion designer (Daniel Day-Lewis supposedly in his last film role), his muse, and his ever-lurking sister/business partner and their respective emotional/psychological (and ultimately perverse) gamesmanship. And one may not listen to water-pouring or toast-buttering, or mushroom omelet eating in the same way again.

The Shape of Water — Baltimore, circa 1962. Mix in a large dose of Cold War thriller and Creature from the Black Lagoon, plus a little Busby Berkeley, and you either get a political allegory (marginalized “others” whether mute, black, gay, or non-human vs. the Man) or romantic fairy tale. Leave it to Guillermo del Toro to bring us the more “romantic” one in this strange love stories category, an oddly beautiful and enchanting interspecies romance between two mute and isolated beings, one a cleaning woman (a wonderful Sally Hawkins) and the other a Creature From the Black Lagoon-inspired merman kept in a top secret government facility. Arguably, the “monster” in this story is the intensely sadistic government agent played with gusto by Michael Shannon.

Bizarre Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction Tales

I, Tonya — Portland, OR, 1994. A stellar Margot Robbie plays the hard scrabble, trailer-trash, and ultimately disgraced Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in this unbelievably crazy but true story of her life leading up to the infamous incident before the 1994 Winter Olympics. Told in zippy mockumentary style that is fun to watch, Allison Janney as her zany, abusive mother leads a supporting cast of inept characters involved in Tonya’s dysfunctional life. Directed by Craig Gillispie who also directed the offbeat gem, Lars and the Real Girl.

The Disaster Artist — Hollywood, 2003. Another bizarre, but true real life story about the enigmatic writer/director Tommy Wiseau who made one of the most absurdly bad films ever that eventually turned into a cult classic (The Room). Humorously portrayed by James Franco, who also directed this offbeat but unexpectedly poignant movie about making a movie, though it’s ultimately more about the importance of friendship, having dreams, and America’s fascination with celebrity and movies. (And the side-by-side comparison of scenes from the actual The Room and recreations in Franco’s film are hysterical.)

Docs About Felines and Cheating Russians

Kedi — Yes, this a documentary about cats, but it’s not just about cats. Rather it’s a meditative and heartwarming look at the community of felines that inhabit the streets of Istanbul, delving into their centuries-long symbiotic relationship with humans in the old city. The city is teeming with cats that are neither feral or domestic, each with different personalities and lives they share with the people they adopt. And therein lies the heart of this film, as the locals share their bonds and therapeutic experiences with these complex creatures, ranging from the mundane to the profound.

Icarus – Putin + mysterious deaths + performance-enhancing drug conspiracy = A fascinating and crazy documentary that plays like a spy thriller. It starts out as an odd personal experiment by the filmmaker/amateur cyclist mimicking Lance Armstrong’s doping regimen, but through sheer dumb luck and serendipity, he develops a friendship with Gregory Rodchenkov, the affable, eccentric, and charismatic camera-loving head of Russia’s Anti-Doping Lab…and, as it turns out, the country’s mastermind behind its decades-long state-sponsored doping program. It then becomes a terrifying race to uncover the world’s biggest sports conspiracy, implicating everybody including the Russian president (resulting in the NY Times exposé) while trying to save whistle-blower Rodchenkov’s life from the clutches of Putin.

Docs about Life and Death

Obit. —While it may sound morbid, this behind-the-scenes look at the NY Times’ obituary staff writers is enlightening and fascinating, and in fact, quite lively (even its peek into the “morgue,” the paper’s clipping archive). Beyond celebrities and notables, who makes the editorial cut in the pages of the NY Times obit section? And how does one get appropriately celebrated in death, warts and all. Now you can find out.

Chasing Coral – A wake-up call to the accelerating world-wide death of entire coral reef ecosystems by “coral bleaching.” This remarkably emotional doc follows a team of biologists, including a self-proclaimed “coral nerd” in a race against time to document this die-off with powerful visual evidence, and the result is an inspirational eco drama that moves you to act before it’s too late.

Others Worth Mentioning

Baby Driver (the soundtrack and editing alone are worth the thrilling 112 minutes of this stylish heist story about a young getaway driver); It (I don’t generally like horror films, but this retelling of Stephen King’s classic was one of the most engaging and well told of its genre); Star Wars: The Last Jedi (my favorite of the series); Loving Vincent (every frame of the film was hand-painted in the style of Van Gogh); Mudbound; Spider-Man: Homecoming (loved Tom Holland as the new Peter Parker); Beach Rats; The Big Sick; War for the Planet of the Apes;The Only Living Boy in New York; Wonder Woman; Spielberg; Battle of the Sexes; Stronger

In the Queue

Coco, Darkest Hour, Detroit, Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, Downsizing, Molly’s Game, Florida Project, Victoria and Abdul.

Binge-Worthy Television

13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things 2, The OA, Mindhunter, Big Little Lies, Grace and Frankie

Trailers

All the Money in the World: https://youtu.be/KXHrCBkIxQQ

Call Me By Your Name: https://youtu.be/Z9AYPxH5NTM

Chasing Coral: https://youtu.be/b6fHA9R2cKI

The Disaster Artist: https://youtu.be/cMKX2tE5Luk

Dunkirk: https://youtu.be/F-eMt3SrfFU

Get Out: https://youtu.be/sRfnevzM9kQ

I, Tonya: https://youtu.be/OXZQ5DfSAAc

Icarus: https://youtu.be/qXoRdSTrR-4

Kedi: https://youtu.be/w9fwhVx9zR0

Lady Bird: https://youtu.be/cNi_HC839Wo

Obit.: https://youtu.be/BgpMNerK9cU

Phantom Thread: https://youtu.be/xNsiQMeSvMk

The Post: https://youtu.be/nrXlY6gzTTM

The Shape of Water: https://youtu.be/XFYWazblaUA

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: https://youtu.be/Jit3YhGx5pU

#favoritemovies2017

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vod19 · 4 years

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Day 3. ‘A Borrowed Identity’ (2014), dir. Eras Riklis

Intuitively, I treat films based on books with minor suspicion. Some say that theories of medium specificity “fetishise purity over excellence” (Noel Carroll). Although I acknowledge the flaws of hard-core adherence to the doctrine of medium specificity, I cannot help but think that if a book was adapted to a film, it means that something in it would have been expressed in a more powerful way in film than it would have been in a book. That does not imply powerlessness of prose or superiority of film, but that certain thoughts are better expressed in certain media, and pinpointing the appropriate means of expression is akin to finding your favourite pen to write with. (That said, to agree with Carroll, a film that employs ‘cinematic’ means is not necessarily more successful than a film that doesn’t, and a poem that employs ‘poetic’ means is not necessarily more successful than a poem that doesn’t. Unlike Carroll, however, I would argue this it is a matter of extent — a film that includes at least one instance of treating the issue at stake with more profoundness than it would have been treated in other media justifies the choice of making a film at all instead of, say, producing a poem, a symphony, or a painting on the same subject. To be fair, this introduction was more of an excuse to discuss a topic that has been bothering me — whether a work of art must be categorised as a kind of art to be art, or can there be just art, without it being a painting or a poem, or a film — and initially had little to do with the following remarks apart from the fact that the film in question is based on a book.)

A Borrowed Identity (2014), directed by an Israeli filmmaker Eras Riklis, is based on a book Dancing Arabs (2002) by a Palestinian-Israeli writer and journalist Sayed Kashua. I have not read the book and I don’t know what I have missed. The film, however, is a tender melodrama that touches on serious political matters in a non-didactic way. It portrays the coming of age of Eyad, an Arab boy who grows up on the territory of Israel in the late 1980s. Having demonstrated academic excellence, Eyad is accepted to an elite high school in Jerusalem and the first sentence he hears upon arrival is “I didn’t know they accepted Arabs here”. With wit and light-hearted humour, this film demonstrates the utter tragedy of bearing a Palestinian identity in the recently established nationalist state of Israel. Brought up in belief that Israel illegally occupied territories that belonged to his people, Eyad now has to praise the Jewish achievements during the War of Independence in the classroom. The discrepancy between living among the Jews, who treat him with suspicion and mockery only because of his nationality, and coming back to his Arab family, who celebrate the Iraqi bombing of Israel during the Gulf War in 1991, renders Eyad’s existence conflicted, to say the least.

A Borrowed Identity really tries to be fair to everyone. It shows Jews making fun of the Arab boy, but also shows Palestinians bloodthirstily wishing the Iraqi bomb would hit Tel-Aviv. It shows Eyad’s mother smiling upon learning that her son is dating a Jewish girl, and a Jewish lady covering up for Eyad. It shows Eyad helping Yonatan, a young Jewish man with muscular dystrophy, and their tender and heartbreaking friendship. While I want to blame A Borrowed Identity for unsuccessfully trying to straddle two worlds, I acknowledge that I would rather learn about this conflict from a slice of life of a young boy than be lectured about the Israeli atrocities and Palestinian violence in response to them. Opposing committed art pays off — having avoided being patronised, I witnessed the social reality, which I have consistently and self-consciously shielded myself from, through observing a small bit of the experience of an individual character.

The choice of watching this film is no coincidence — I am not a particular fan of either melodrama or coming-of-age genres, but am deeply interested in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Having been pro-Israeli biased my entire adult life, I am now trying to re-evaluate not only the political stance itself but reasons for it. I guess nationalism is akin to chickenpox in that one would better go through it at a young age or else the consequences will be unbearable. I went through the stage of ‘cultural nationalism’, as I liked to call it, roughly from the age of 15, convinced that this was the pathway that would save Russia from its corruption and render it a strong, culturally unified state. I’m afraid that even to this day I still bear the remnants of Romantic ideals, and this is precisely why the project of Israel has been so appealing to me. The establishment of an independent state for a nation that had suffered through historical misfortunes, from pogroms in the Russian Empire to the Shoah, is indeed a historical accomplishment of an immense scale. I would be envious — a country so young has powerful independent institutions and a strong army (army! Since when do I care about the army!) — while Russia is sinking in corrupted jurisprudence and abuse of power. Even now, while acknowledging that things that I admire came at a disproportional cost of seized property and ultimately occupied territories, I cannot help but praise the strength of institutions in such a young country. One’s evaluation of Israeli politics is no matter of personal preference — but that of one’s stand regarding nationalism, which should be dispensed with after coming of legal age.

Thus, I cannot help but wonder what films should really do (not that there is one correct answer, but it would be nice to narrow down the options). A Borrowed Identity fits perfectly within the conventions of melodrama — a genre I have little patience or respect for. It has a conflict (an Arab boy and a Jewish girl fall in love); it appeals to emotions (one cannot help but feel tenderness when watching the friendship between Eyad and Yonatan develop). In a subtle and often humorous way, the film ultimately calls for humanism and non-discrimination. While often rooting for high art, I now find myself thinking that films like A Borrowed Identity are needed — not just in Israel or Palestine but everywhere — not to point fingers, but to start a conversation about political injustice by showing an individual experience. A two-hour long representation of an experience of a teenage boy suffering from discrimination is a more powerful message than a line in a history book about thousands dead.

#film #cinema #palestine #israel #politics #drama #history #art

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whitewolfofwinterfell · 4 years

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Another Ranking game Buffy edition - Rank all the original Scoobies (Giles, Buffy, Willow, Xander) in order of your favorite to least favorite. Again no ties allowed ;) Rank these Buffy ships: Buffy/Angel, Buffy/Spike, Buffy/Riley, Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya. Rank the relationships: Buffy/Dawn, Buffy/Joyce, Buffy/Giles, Buffy/Willow, Buffy/Xander, Xander/Willow. And, finally, rank the seven seasons from your favorite to least favorite. Have fun!

Sorry about taking a while to respond to this, I’ve been crazy busy at work and like to take the time to properly consider my responses to asks like these.

The original Scoobies

1. Buffy - I love Buffy so much. She’s one of my all time favourite characters. There are few characters that are as well written as Buffy; she’s so complex and multi-layered. I love her strength, courage and resillience, and that despite being the Chosen One, she’s deeply flawed.

2. Giles - I love Giles’ wit, sarcasm and intellect. He can always make me laugh with his one-liners. I like that despite being a cerebral type that’s always got his nose in a book he’s also the kind of man that wears and earring and likes to play his guitar. He’s just a very lovable character.

3. Xander - I really like Xander and think he gets a lot of unfair hate. He’s not perfect, but none of the Buffyverse characters are, that’s what makes them so amazing. He’s funny, loyal and a genuine hero.

4. Willow - I’m not in love with Willow’s character, but appreciate the journey she goes on across the series. She undergoes huge change from season 1 to season 7 and seeing her transform from a nerd who lacks in confidence to a powerful witch is interesting to see.

Romantic ships

1. Buffy/Angel - Obviously Bangel were going to take the top spot. They’re one of my greatest OTPs and I’ll always love them. Their relationship is the definition of star-crossed lovers and it’s portrayed so well. Their connection and chemistry will always blow me away. There is simply something profound about their relationship which trumps any other relationship on BTVS.

2. Willow/Oz - They’re so adorable and a genuine partnership. I don’t agree with or like what was done to them in season 4 and find it to be completely OOC for Oz to cheat on Willow. Oz was the first person to genuinely like Willow for who she was and to boost her self-esteem. They were on the same wave-length, they knew how to laugh together and they were always united. They’re not an in-your-face type ship, but they’re the kind that are always there in the background holding hands or exchanging a loving look, and I really like that about them.

3. Willow/Tara - I love how Willow and Tara started out; how they bonded over magic and Willow saw herself in Tara who was somewhat of an outcast and painfully shy and unconfident. I love how they came to develop feelings for one another so authentically just by simply spending time together as friends and how their romance blossomed naturally. I have issues with certain things that happened between them in season 6 and I do think that overall, the relationship was really unhealthy for both of them particularly towards the end, but I see the love and connection between them and I believe it.

4. Buffy/Spike - It may surprise some that Spuffy are so high on this list because I don’t actually ship them at all, but I still enjoy their dynamic. Buffy and Spike are very strong as individual characters, so when they come together they’re compelling to watch. I don’t ship them because I think the relationship was incredibly unhealthy and damaging to Buffy, however, I’m able to see the allure of the ship and think that it’s actually a very unique and authentic relationship considering it follows the enemies-to-lovers trope.

5. Buffy/Riley - I’m pretty indifferent to Buffy and Riley. I don’t ship them but I don’t hate them either. I think they had some sweet moments and weirdly, Riley was probably the best relationship Buffy had in regards to being able to live a relatively “normal” life with him. I also think that he was a positive influence in Buffy’s life, particularly in the beginning. However, Riley was always intimidated by Buffy’s strength and powers as the Slayer and he let his insecurities get in the way as a result. I also think that Buffy, despite loving Riley a lot, was never able to open her heart to him completely because of her history with Angel. By the time Buffy realised how much she loved Riley and was prepared to fully open up, Riley had already decided to move on. Buffy and Riley aren’t and never will be epic love, but I think they loved each other a lot more than people recognise and that Riley was definitley more than just a rebound relationship for Buffy.

6. Xander/Anya - Once again, I’m indifferent to Xander and Anya. I don’t find anything appealing about them as a ship, but I don’t dislike them either. I don’t think they were ever really well-suited and that they only got together because Anya pursued Xander and was pretty forceful with him. In the end, the relationship was never going to work because they were too different. However, I appreciate that they really did love each other and they had some pretty funny scenes together.

Platonic ships

1. Buffy/Dawn - Buffy and Dawn’s relationship is one of the relationships that is the heart of the show. The fact that Dawn was created and in a sense was never truly Buffy’s sister meant that Buffy could’ve easily rejected her. Instead, Buffy accepted Dawn as being her own flesh and blood; a part of her. They argued and disagreed on occassion, just like all siblings do, but they were fiercely protective of each other and loved each other deeply. After Joyce’s death, Buffy took on a parental role and not only had to be Dawn’s sister, but also her mother, father, teacher, guide, friend and everything else in between. Dawn looked up to Buffy as her role model and Buffy allowed Dawn to grow into a strong, beautiful and compassionate young lady. Buffy said that Xander was her strength, but so was Dawn. I think without Dawn in her life she wouldn’t have had the same will to carry on after Joyce’s death.

2. Buffy/Giles - I just love Buffy and Giles’ dynamic. Giles was assigned to be Buffy’s Watcher and had a professional obligation to guide her, but their relationship became so much more than that. Giles saw Buffy’s strength, courage, vitality and compassion; he saw beyond her being the Slayer and understood that she was a girl. His greatest fear was failing her and he did everything he could to guide and protect her for as long as he could, even after his official duties as her Watcher ended. Giles fulfilled the father-figure role in Buffy’s life since her biological father was absent from her life, and Buffy greatly benefitted from that. There were so many people in Buffy’s life who she couldn’t have made it without, and Giles is certainly one of those people. It’s not just his knowledge as a Watcher that made him so needed, it was the wisdom and guidance he provided Buffy with whenever she was in need as a Slayer or as a girl.

3. Xander/Willow - Xander and Willow remind me of the relationship I have with my best friend. When you have a friend that you’ve grown up with and that has been there with you all your life you bond in an inexplicable way. That person almost becomes a part of you. That’s the kind of bond Xander and Willow have. They know and understand each other better than anyone; they accept each other completely and everything is effortless with them. Because they’ve known each other for so long they’re naturally on the same wave-length and get each other. The scene where Xander brings Willow back from the darkness always makes me so emotional and proves how strong their bond is. There’s no one else in the world that could’ve brought Willow back in that moment.

4. Buffy/Joyce - I’m a sucker for mother/daughter relationships. Buffy and Joyce’s relationship is so endearing. Joyce is a devoted mother who always does her best by Buffy. She accepts her being the Slayer and does anything she can to try and make Buffy’s life easier. It’s not a relationship that’s exactly given a lot of focus, but when Joyce dies you immediately feel the significance of that relationship in a way you don’t before then. Joyce is Buffy’s everything and without her Buffy feels like she’s floating in space and completely alone. I think the fact that Buffy’s parents split meant that Buffy and Joyce developed an even closer relationship than before. Joyce most likely felt like she had to try and make up for the absence of Buffy’s father and try and be both parents at the same time. Initially, their relationship wasn’t ideal because Buffy was always having to lie and keep secrets from Joyce, but once Joyce found out Buffy was the slayer they seemed to become closer than ever before.

5. Buffy/Xander - Their friendship is sweet and understated, but it doesn’t stand out to me as being one of my favourite dynamics on the show. I think maybe because Xander has an unreciprocated crush on Buffy in the early seasons it meant that they had a slighly unbalanced relationship initially. However, their friendship was consistent and Xander was fiercely loyal to Buffy and by far the most consistent male presence in her life.

6. Buffy/Willow - Again, Buffy and Willow’s friendship is sweet. I like that on paper they’re unlikely friends with Buffy being the stereotypical popular pretty girl and Willow the stereotypical unpopular nerdy girl. But actually, they were able to connect beyond that and their differences meant that they complimented one another and worked together well. The only reason they’re ranked last is because I feel that Willow massively betrayed Buffy with her actions in season 6 and although it was understandable given the circumstances and Buffy forgave her, I do think that created some ongoing friction between them which simmered beneath the surface from that point on.

Seasons

1. Season 2 - I love this season and my latest BTVS rewatch reinforced my love for it. Spike and Dru are an epic pairing that are intruiging and fantastic villains; Oz and Willow are adorable and their relationship is fresh; Xander and Cordy are an unexpected but again fresh dynamic; we finally see Giles meet someone who genuinely connects with in Jenny; Buffy and Angel’s relationship is compelling and the Angelus arc is fantastic. All of the characters develop so much more in this season in comparison to season 1. The stakes are raised and there are some major moments with Jenny and Kendra’s deaths, and Buffy sacrificing Angel to save the world. All in all it’s a strong and consistent season.

2. Season 3 - It’s a strong season. The Mayor is a great villain, Faith is a complex character who is fresh and intruiging, Buffy and Angel’s relationship is compelling and it feels like there’s a coherent arc and build-up with a strong ending with The Graduation two-parter.

3. Season 5 - The first time I watched BTVS I wasn’t a fan of season 5, but I think that’s because I wasn’t a fan of Dawn. Now that I love Dawn I also love this season. Dawn is a fantastic addition to the show, her entire arc as The Key and Glory as a villain is one of the strongest of any season. Joyce’s death is shocking and heartbreaking resulting in one of the most powerful episodes of television ever made. Willow’s magic grows, Buffy’s character grows more complex and the premiere with Dracula shows that immediately and despite the immorality and to be frank, grossness, of Spike creating the Buffybot, she’s a humourous addition to the show. But the Glory and Dawn plot is definitley what makes this season so strong.

4. Season 6 - Despite the fact that this season breaks away from the humour that BTVS was built on, I really like the change in direction. This season shows the characters going through real hardships in a way we’ve never seen before. BTVS is known for using metaphors to portray the different stages of life and growing up, and this season does the same and shows how incredibly hard life can suddenly become when you enter adulthood. Buffy’s resurrection and consequent depression is hard-hitting and powerful, Xander and Anya’s relationship break-down is sad, Willow’s descent into dark magic is difficult to watch and Tara’s death is shocking and traumatic. And the Trio as villains defy the general expectations of what villains should be. There’s no denying it’s the darkest season of the show, but I appreciate the new depths this season goes to and how far the characters are pushed.

5. Season 4 - This season has grown on me a lot over the years. There are some really great episodes (Something Blue, Hush, A New Man) in this season and I enjoy the humour and lightheartness of it. Spike as a season regular works and I love the humour he brings and the complicated and contradictory nature of his relationship with the Scoobies whereby he’s their enemy but also their ally. I also think that the transition from high school to college is done pretty well considering how important the high school setting was for the show. We see Buffy, Willow and Xander all change and mature as they enter the next phase of their lives. Willow and Tara’s blossoming relationship is a joy to watch and Tara is a nice addition to the group. However, Adam as the Big Bad of the season and the Initative storyline generally massively lets the season down.

6. Season 1 - It’s not a bad season, but I just find season 1 generally slow and a bit dull. It took me about 4 attempts to actually get through the whole season and I didn’t actually fall in love with the show until season 2. It’s a safe season and a good introduction to the series but is pretty forgettable and doesn’t stand out in my mind.

7. Season 7 - This is a bad season, and lets be honest, probably shouldn’t have happened. Willow’s entire development and arc from season 6 is dismissed and it does her character a huge disservice; the Potentials are so dull and it just doesn’t work; The First as the Big Bad is a poor one to finish with; the Buffy and Spike relationship doesn’t work for me and overall it’s a pretty meh finish to an otherwise brilliant series.

#answered #the-tv-shows-became-my-haven #my meta #btvs meta

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brigdh · 7 years

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A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee. A YA novel starring Monty, eldest son of an Earl in mid-1700s England, his childhood neighbor/best friend Percy, and his sister Felicity. The three of them are just about to begin a Grand Tour of Europe, their last summer of freedom and fun before Monty has to buckle down and behave like a noble heir, Percy starts law school, and Felicity is shipped off to a finishing school. Unfortunately none of them are particularly looking forward to their futures. Monty is very cheerfully bisexual, and has engaged in romps, gambling, drinking, and drugs to the point of being kicked out of Eton. Percy is mixed-race (the son of a plantation owner, though raised by his aunt and uncle, minor gentry) and though he's tolerated, his existence isn't always well-regarded in their circles. Felicity is pissed off about being doomed to learn embroidery and manners instead of going to medical school to become a doctor. Oh, and Monty is desperately in love with Percy, but is afraid to tell him and lose his friendship. This is just the beginning – as the book gets going, there are also revelations about epilepsy, child abuse, insane asylums, and more. It's not all serious, though. In fact, most of the book is light-hearted fun: there are encounters with highwaymen, battles with pirates, parties at Versailles, Carnevale in Venice, villas on Greek islands, operas, fortune tellers, hostage exchanges, escaping thieves, and basically every adventure one could imagine in 18th century Europe. There's even a plot about alchemists and an elixir of immortality which, to tell the truth, felt a bit out of place in the otherwise historically-based book. And, of course, there is lots and lots of pining as Monty and Percy engage in the most excellent sort of romantic-comedy suspense, yearning and avoiding telling the truth about their feelings. A++, that bit. My main complaint with the book is that Lee tries very earnestly to handle appropriately the issues of social justice she includes (racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia), but every one of the ensuing conversations feels very 2017-approved, with every term the correct vocabulary, every checkbox checked, every privilege painstakingly unpacked. Not that such views couldn't – didn't! – exist in the past, but the way Lee portrays them doesn't seem to relate to the characters or setting at all. They don't arise out of the environment of the book, but are dropped in wholesale from an outside perspective that wants to be sure we know the right way to think. And then there's the moment where one character tells another about how the Japanese mend broken pottery with gold seams, see, so that the broken places end up more beautiful than the whole, and it's meant to be a profound moment but it's just so embarrassingly like this person in the 1700s is reading off a tumblr post. But nonetheless it's a funny, sweet book, if not quite as good as I expected when I heard "Gay Roadtrip through 18th Century Europe". What it reminds me most of all is reading an AU from a fandom you don't know. Maybe the characterization and setting isn't always that great but you don't care because it's not your fandom. It has the tropes you love and you can't wait to see the couple get together at the end, so you stay up late reading it on your phone. A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is that experience in original fiction. Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer. The sequel to Too Like the Lightning which I absolutely LOVED. However I really should not have waited seven months to read this one, because I'd forgotten some of the characters and plots and this is a series jam-packed with multitudes of characters and plots, and you better have every miniscule bit of such details ready at your fingertips to have a chance of following the action. To briefly summarize the plot (a task that's probably impossible, but I'll try to hit the main points) in the 25th century the world has more or less become a Utopia. Nations have been abolished, religion banished to the private sphere, and gendered distinctions made it illegal; to all outward appearances, it is a world with no reason to go to war. Unfortunately it turns out that all of this has been made possible through carefully targeted assassinations, picking off key individuals to guide the world away from war, riots, major economic downturns, etc. Not many – about nine a year, on average, for the last two hundred years. This information sets off a flurry of activity as the characters take sides, variously trying to figure out the conspiracy behind it, hide the perpetrators, uncover proof, keep the public from finding out, and broadcast the secret to as many people as possible. When several world leaders turn out to be involved, chaos breaks out worldwide. It's not just drama, though; behind the action scenes is the frequently repeated question of if it was such a bad plan after all. Is it worth losing a few lives to prevent the millions of deaths that would happen in war? Seven Surrenders is all about the philosophical dilemma. In addition to the one above, we get multiple debates over the riddle, 'would you destroy this world to save a better one?', and 'If God has revealed proof of His existence, why did He chose you above every human who's ever prayed to believe? And, more importantly, why now?' There is speculation about the power of gender, of sexual attraction, of the effect of raising children as experiments, of the role of Providence in life, of what it would mean for two Gods to meet, of how one conducts a war when there are no living veterans to teach the next generation. But there's plenty of action too – the book includes revelations of secret parentage, long-lost loves, a revenge story worthy of the Count of Monte Cristo, bombs, murders, resurrections, suicide attempts, cute kids, so many disguises, sword fights, gun battles, horse chases, and more. Ultimately I didn't like it as much as Too Like the Lightning. It just didn't feel as deep or as grand, possibly because so much stuff was happening that none of it got enough exploration. One of the most best character arcs (Bridger's) happened mostly offstage, and many of the other characters were too busy reacting to the constantly changing political winds to have a real arc. I still recommend it, because it's just so different from everything else and I have to support an author who mashes up transportation science with Diderot's philosophy. But if you read it, definitely don't wait months between books. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry. A murder mystery, the first in a series set in Victorian London. Charlotte is the middle daughter of a middle-class family, believed by all to be firmly unmarriageable but happy enough with her staid life. The book opens with the murder of a young well-off woman, then Charlotte's maid is also murdered, as are several others. There is no apparent connection between the victims except that they're all young woman, all live nearby, and all were strangled. Inspector Thomas Pitt is assigned the case, and he begins to spend a great deal of time talking to Charlotte – first just to interview her regarding the murders, but then for her own sake. But will Charlotte's family allow her to marry a... policeman??? There are several interesting things about the book. Set very specifically in 1881 (which is to say, before Jack the Ripper) the very idea of a serial killer – as opposed to a thief who murders for money – is new and shocking to most of the characters. So is the concept that such a criminal could appear "normal", that rather than being a dirty, lower-class raving lunatic, it could be a respected neighbor or even a member of their own family. These are such self-evident ideas to modern people (and most characters in mystery books) that seeing Charlotte and the others wrestle with them, discuss their ramifications, and feel guilty for suspecting their husbands and fathers was pretty fascinating. I also liked that the family was so solidly middle-class. Historical fiction has a habit of gravitating toward extremes: everyone is either upper aristocracy or enduring the most grueling poverty. A family of boring bank clerks actually made for a refreshing change. Unfortunately those are the only good things I have to say about the book. The middle 2/3rds of the story drags along interminably, as nothing happens except for characters having the same few discussions over and over again. Charlotte suspects her father! First she must have a conversation about it with her mother. Then her younger sister. Then her older sister. Then her mother and the older sister talk. Then the older sister talks about it to her husband. Then... Well, you get the idea. And it's not as though each new character was bringing a fresh perspective and insight to the issue! No, we just get the same few protests and agreements recycled over and over in slightly different wordings. It's such an awful slog that I nearly abandoned the book. However, I stuck it out to the end, only to be rewarded with the reveal of the killer (warning for spoilers, I guess): a lesbian who has been driven mad by repressing her sexuality! You know, I don't think I've ever actually encountered this awful cliche in the wild before. It would almost be exciting, if it wasn't so offensive. Though there's not a lot of time to be offended, because the reveal, motivation, attack on Charlotte, rescue, and arrest all happen in the last two pages (literally) so none of it is exactly dwelt on. It's probably all for the best that I disliked this book. It's the first in a 32-book series, and now I don't feel any desire to read the rest.

(DW link for easier commenting)(Also goddamn, I am so far behind on putting up my book reviews, you guys. So prepare for a lot of that.)

#book reviews #anne perry #ada palmer #mackenzie lee #books

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