#i think other siblings haven't even touched any musical instruments?? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

deer-time · 3 years

Note

So far I haven't seen anyone talk about Vanya watching Pogo die. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on that scene

holy shit holy smokes I have SO many thoughts thank you so much Anon because there’s a lot of subtext and so many interesting dialogue choices, blocking choices, and musical choices that add so much to the scene. Major fucking props to Elliot Page for his stellar acting and major props to the CGI team for the subtle emotions on Pogo’s face, as well as Adam Godley for a heart-wrenching voice performance.

you know its a big deal when i actually rewatch the scene instead of going off my shitty memory

I’m gonna try and break it down so let’s actually start by establishing the vibe between these two before this scene.

Episode 1 established that Vanya does love Pogo or at least to some degree she does, she is someone that she trusts. He’s the one who tells her that the mansion will always be her home, he’s the one who tries to assure her her father did love her (that’s fucked up Pogo, come on man), and he’s concerned about her safety (offering to call her a cab). Vanya’s defenses are still there but they aren’t as raised as they are with Diego or Allison, there is some level of trust in their relationship (she opens up about the sandwiches in an attempt to make small talk, she does not actively make an attempt with her other family members). If she was stuck in the house while her siblings were out, no doubt she probably latched onto this old chimpanzee as a pseudo-father figure.

She trusts Pogo, she is not aware of his complacency in her abuse. Pogo holds affections to all of them but I do think there was a bond between Vanya and him that’s being alluded to here.

Let’s fast forward to the scene now that we’ve established there is a bond, because we have set-up so let’s have some pay-off:

Vanya tearing down the mansion is a fucking treat to watch, there’s no denying that. However, the events leading up to it are sad, distressing, she should never have reached this point of destruction. She was betrayed by the people she loved (Allison with the rumor, Leonard with the journal, and her siblings by locking her in a cage and walking away and leaving her there). She’s breaking down mentally and she’s taking the house down with her - she is both tearing down her cage and herself.

Look at how calmly she’s walking, she’s done.

So when she gets to the living room (is that what it’s called?) and she has the flashback of Reginald telling at her to be quiet, yeah she’s fucking pissed. He tore apart her life, he told her time and time again to be quiet, continuously muted her (physically with the cage, mentally with reinforcing the rumor). She is done with Reginald, she’s done with it all. Except-

(We’re going line by line now)

“Miss Vanya, that’s quite enough!” Pogo talks to her like a child throwing a tantrum and in some ways, she is. He talks to all of the Hargreeves if they were children and in many ways, they really all are. They’ve never grown up, Vanya never got the chance to grow up. When was the last time she was in touch with her emotions, before they were strangled by her pills? When she was four years old. Of course everything is overwhelming, she’s been sedated for years now.

“Miss Vanya, I under how upset you are. But I can assure that none of your siblings bear any of the responsibility for what happened to you as a child.” Pogo is trying to defend the other Hargreeves and to some extent, what he’s saying is true. But the thing is...what happened to her as a child is continuing into her adulthood and destroying her life. She has lived sedated and under the influence of a poorly thought out rumor. She’s struggling physically and mentally. What happened to her as a child is still clearly fucking her life up and the other Hargreeve siblings contributed to it, unknowingly or not.

And when she turns to them, her eyes turn brown again. She is herself and she needs to be to hear his answer. This is someone she trusts, this is someone she has turned to for comfort time and again throughout her childhood and when she moves towards him, pretending to be lax and casual, you can tell there’s a storm brewing. She doesn’t want him to be a part of this, she doesn’t want to believe that another person she thought could trust is complicit in this fucked up conspiracy of her life.

She asks anyways: “Did you know?”

Listen to her, she’s on the verge of tears and she so desperately wants Pogo to say no, she wants to spare him but only if he admits that he still cares, that he wasn’t a betrayer. This is an opportunity for him to escape, to lie, and Pogo, who has been so wrapped up in keeping secrets throughout the season, now knows that lying will only make things worse. He tells the truth but he does it in a way that let’s us know what we’ve always known: Pogo’s loyalties have always lied with Reginald, never with the children.

“Your father discovered...that you were capable of great things. Much like your brothers and sister. But your powers were...too great. He only wanted to protect you from yourself as well as your siblings.” Vanya has been told she’s ordinary, that she is not worth much because of that. Now she’s being told she was too great? Pogo pretty much just said: You will never be good enough.

Then the last line...fuck he has shifted the blame onto her, that her father was only doing what was best, that she was too dangerous. Pogo, what the fuck.

Vanya asks again, she needs to hear him say it, and there is no triumph in this scene, this is another betrayal of someone she thought she was close to, someone she could trust. All he’s done is say you’re not enough and you’re too dangerous.

Major fucking props to the CGI on this part where Pogo is silent, he is thinking this over. He has spent years fanning the flames of this lie and if he lied again, if he said, Vanya would not have killed him. But Pogo knows the time for lies is over, that Vanya, who is a little girl that is hurting from years worth of abuse and lies, deserves the truth: “Yes, Miss Vanya. I knew.”

There is no one left that has not betrayed her in some way or another, Pogo has just admitted it. Vanya hangs her head, her face grows shadowed and both the gears in the audience’s head and Pogo’s head are turning: what will she do? Then she looks up and her eyes are silver. Vanya is letting go of any sliver of hope she once had for her family, she’s done. She thought had a bond with Pogo, a level of trust from a bond forged in childhood to one quieter in adulthood but still there. It’s gone and he’s said as much.

She lifts him in the air and keeps him there, lets him writhe in agony in a similar way to Leonard. Both of them have betrayed her, both of them are going to pay for it.

Look at where she flings him! The symbolism is SO fucking blatant here: He is impaled on antlers underneath Reginald’s portrait. The show has shown us these taxidermied animals (she’s turned Pogo into one) and how Reginald’s portrait looms over them. She knows where his loyalties die now and in some ways, it reads to me as Vanya saying: “You will die like a dog by your master’s side.”

She’s watching someone she thought she could trust die, she did that to him. She’s not enjoying his suffering, she didn’t relish in the act of impaling him, but she did because that is what she believe needs to be done (the parallels between this and Leonard’s death...fuck man). She needs to be sure he dies, she’s not taking any chances While he dies, he is being forced to look into the eyes of his killer, the killer he helped create.

The music is sorrowful as Pogo gasps for air, blood dribbling down his mouth. As with any Vanya soundtracks, there is a heavy use of strings, strings are Vanya’s instrument. It’s grieving, Vanya is grieving for what she has lost and for what she never had to begin with.

Thank you so much for the question, it was a real treat to go through the scene again and just dig into how phenomenal it is. I hope this somewhat answered your question, even if I did go a bit overboard!

#the umbrella academy #tua meta #i think?#deer rambles #so sorry this got real long #i got REALLY excited sdhfjks #Anonymous #tua #vanya hargreeves

91 notes · View notes

sherlockmonkeesstartrek · 6 years

Note

aw dear i hope everything's alright :O you can talk to me if you want. i don't know what to request, but what about some good old Beatles, maybe a cute fluffy early days Starrison? haven't read that in a while. i'm sorry i can't think of anything else. I hope you'll feel better soon my dear!

Hi my Luv. Everything is ok. I hate to be the type who complains on tumblr about my woes, so I thought I’d turn it into something positive. This has ended up longer than expected, so I haven’t finished it, but I hope you like it.

The Chance to be Alone

Neither Richie nor Georgelived in the kind of home they could invite the other to. That was the sadthing really. Sure, George’s parents wouldn’t have minded much if he’d broughtRichie over, but with all his siblings, that wouldn’t really be fair. And Richie’sparents were a little too overbearing, even if he did live in the kind of placehe would be cool with inviting George to. Basically, they were in this paradoxwhere the only time they got to spend together was when they were playing atthe same joint. And they certainly didn’t get alone time.

Money was short, so when theycome into some, they didn’t get to use it. It went to their families instead.So, this, this was a very special occurrence, one Richie kind of felt guiltyabout. This money probably could’ve gone to the family. They’d done so much forhim, sacrificed so much for him. And what was he doing? He was sacrificing themto spend a night with his friend. What kind of a son would do that?

But he scolded himself forthat thought, because honestly, he didn’t really do all that much for himself.And this wasn’t a life-changing amount of money. It was enough to buy a hotelroom for one night. A shitty hotel room in Liverpool, their home city.

They weren’t getting far awayfrom home. They weren’t going on holiday. But they were leaving the worldbehind for one night, just one night.

Oh, but Richie hadn’t toldGeorge yet. He thought he’d make it a surprise. He thought of the smile onGeorge’s face, one with his little vampire teeth showing. That would be areward enough for the night. That seemed to make this little sacrifice of moneyworth it. He couldn’t wait to tell him.

The area Richie lived in waspretty rough. He kept his head down and walked fast. His mum had worried abouthim leaving the home without her. It didn’t matter to her that he was probablyold enough to go out when he pleased. He was a boy that, in her eyes, reallydidn’t need to get into any trouble. He’d been a sickly boy, as she’dconstantly remind him. He wasn’t well, she’d tell him. Well, his health didn’treally have an effect on him, and it wouldn’t make all that much of adifference if he was mugged. Without anything worth stealing- save for themoney in his back pocket at that moment- he’d probably get roughed up no matterwhat. And having lived around there all his life, he wasn’t afraid. Very littlecould stop him from going to George’s house.

It always seemed noisy andfull of music at George’s, whether it was playing or not. His mum loved music.

Richie strode up to the door,which was open, and politely knocked on it. He wasn’t just going to walk in.That would be something John Lennon would do, bloody arrogant guy, thought heowned every home of his friends. Not that Richie had anything against him.Actually, he liked John. He probably just got the wrong impression from otherpeople. Of what he heard from George, who knew him better anyway, he wasn’tthat bad a guy. Though George would probably say that arrogant is a good wordto describe him.

Richie, in comparison, wasquiet and gentle and certainly polite. He waited on the doorstep for a coupleof long minutes, soon realising his knocks hadn’t been heard, but out of fearof annoying his friends and family, he didn’t knock again. It was instead bychance that George himself, the slender thing dressed in a plaid shirt twosizes too big for him and trousers that hung off his hips, walked passed theopen door and saw Richie standing there. He paused and smiled so friendly. Morefriendly that he would have afforded anyone else.

“What yeh doing out there?”He asked.

Richie smirked. This is whathe had been waiting for. He’d decided that he didn’t see George enough. Seeinghim when he was with the rest of the Beatles or when he was hanging aroundcertain pubs, just didn’t satisfy him. And he didn’t turn up like this enougheither. He thought, then and there, it might be worth doing it more often,especially when George seemed quite pleased.

“Coming to see you.”

“No, I mean what yeh doingoutside?”

“I’m not staying long.” Hesaid with a smile, “And I’m hoping on taking you with me when I leave. Do yehthink your mum will have a problem if yeh stay the night?”

George suddenly neared thedoorway, lowering his voice, but the smile on his face told Richie he was allup for it.

“Are yeh serious? At yours?”

“No. At a hotel.”

His eyes then widened.

“How did yeh manage to swingthat?”

“Don’t ask. Now, go and getyour things”

George didn’t have to be toldtwice, even though he worried. Hotel rooms cost money, and he had none, so wasRingo going to pay for him? No way, he didn’t like that. Course it was sweet ofthe boy, typical Richie, but George knew he wouldn’t be able to pay him back.It wasn’t fair.

Still, he also felt as thoughhe couldn’t say no. He didn’t want to let Richie down like that, just becauseof his ow pride and politeness. He ran upstairs and packed a bag full of achange of clothes and a pack of cards. He also snuck into the kitchen to takesome bread.

“Hey mum!” He called fromthere, “Richie’s here. Can I stay at his?”

He didn’t really hear thereply. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure where his mum was. He just heard areasonably positive tone as he rushed to the door and joined Ringo in walkingdown the street.

They didn’t have a hotel inmind. They just started walking and hoped they might come across something.They considered catching the bus, but that cost money too. They were happyinstead to walk with each other, where ever their feet may take them, because,for once, they were alone, they had no excuse to hang out together other thanthe fact that they wanted to. For once, they were two friends, just hangingout.

Well, friends… Both boyswished it could be more. After being around John and Paul for so long, the twoguys in George’s band, they kind of got wind of this idea that guys could fancyguys. And then then sort of noticed just how attractive guys could be. Richienoticed George’s pleasantly slender body, his evil little mouthless smiles andshaggy handsomeness. He also loved watching the boy play guitar, as it seemedthere was nothing Georgie could get more pleasure out of then coaxing gorgeoussounds from that instrument.

And George was totally takenby Ringo’s huge blue eyes. He also liked the way he looked in leather, hishair, the rings he wore, but it was those eyes, those eyes that melted George’sotherwise stole cold heart. As he walked along beside the drummer, he sometimeslooked up and caught his gaze, and just seeing the blueness of them, made himsmile.

“What?” Richie chuckled,“What are yeh laughing at?”

“Not laughing.” George said,as though he was lying. He wasn’t at all, but to tell his mate that he wasgazing into his eyes, that was far too cheesy for his liking.

“Yeah yeh are! What areyeh finding so funny? Do I make yeh laugh?”

“Yes.” George shot back,quite genuinely, “But in a good way.”

“Oh good, that’s notworrying at all.”

“Worrying?”

“Ok, not worrying…” Hetrailed off. He wasn’t really sure what to say, nor what he wanted to say. Herolled his bright blue eyes and reached out to grab George’s tiny shoulders.Clumsily, he drew him into a sort of manly embrace, though he was sure, for a moment,he got dangerously close to pressing a kiss on his cheek. He wondered if Georgehad even noticed.

Judging by the pink colouringhis pale cheeks, he thought that he might have. But neither acknowledged it.

Had George noticed the wayRingo had gotten almost a little to intimate? No, he hadn’t, but any touch,like the affectionate hug he’d been pull into, was enough to make him blush.God, even if he wasn’t in love with this boy- which he was starting to fear wasthe case- he did love him, like a brother, like the closest mate he’d ever had.He hadn’t even realised he’d possessed so much love within him, but for Richie,he did. He couldn’t even explain it.

And now he felt as though hewas becoming as bad as the cheesy love ballads his band avoided singing.

Theywalked for a while, until their legs hurt. Then they found a pub with roomsthey could rent. The place was pretty rough, people in there drinking earlyenough to suggest to the boys that they’d been there for much of the day. Itwasn’t the ideal place to ask for one room to share, but Richie cared not. He’dtake the prejudices and slurs. He’d shoot every person a dirty look. For allthey knew, these two boys could be brothers, yet they’d think the worst,because they were too drunk to have a clear thought.

At thebar, George tapped Richie on the back.

“Justgoing to the loo.”

“Alrightmate. Don’t be too long.” He chuckled back. As George left, Richie caughthimself watching, fondly. He convinced himself it was to ensure he got to theloos safely, though was sure if anyone else saw that, they’d probably guessthat he was certainly not that boy’s older brother. He couldn’t help smiling tohimself, an inner voice practically screaming that he’d finally done it, he wasfinally going to get time alone with Georgie.

Andhe knew how that sounded. If George was a girl and Richie had booked a hotelfor them both, the implication would be that they would have sex. The thoughthadn’t even crossed his mine. Well, this one had. Course, he knew what it may’veseemed like, even to George (he so hoped George didn’t think anything of it.)But he hadn’t thought of having sex with George that night. That wasn’t whatthis was about. He’d hardly even told George of his deeper feelings really. Itwas sort of an unspoken mutual understanding they both had. They didn’t need tosay it.

No,this night was literally a chance to be with George for longer than a couple ofminutes, before swarms of people joined them.

“Oneroom, please.” Richie told the owner of the bar. The man was a red faced, hardlooking guy who seemed to judge everyone quite openly. He may not have seenRichie come in with George, but Richie felt as though he was judging him forthat, those dark eyes of his narrowing as he took Richie’s money.

Therewas some left over. Richie hadn’t exactly thought of dinner or anything likethat. He’d literally just thought of getting into a hotel room and hanging outwith his little mate. But now he had some money, just a little, just enough for…

“CouldI also have a sandwich?”

He wantedto be quick. He wanted it to be a surprise for George. Bet he wasn’t expectinga whole night out. The owner shrugged and pissed off into the tiny, grubbylooking kitchen as Richie reclined against the counter. He was feeling quitesmug, treating this boy. Ok, this really was worth spending his well-earnedmoney on something a little less… responsible for once.

Thankfully,the sandwich came before George came back, so Richie stuffed the thing into a loadof tissues and hid it under his jacket. In his hand, he clung to the hotel key;his one chance at privacy with his friend, the one chance to block out theworld.

“Alright?”

Hehad been so excited, so distracted by the thought of getting into the room thathe’d hardly noticed George’s return.

“Oh,yeah, do yeh want to get going?”

Georgelowered his voice. Ringo understood why. “Yeh got a room?”

“Yeah.Come on.”

Therewas no second floor. All the rooms were in a second part of the pub, and therewas only around three, none of which seemed occupied. The two boys could guesswhy as they got into their room. The covers on the narrow bed didn’t seem to beclean, the carpet was covered in so many stains that its normal colour was inpatches and the en-suite, which they did actually have, was grotty. Propergrotty.

Still,it was a room. It was their room that night. A soon as the door closed, theydidn’t care what they could hear or see of the outside world, because they’dlocked it out. For once, they were the only ones in the entire world thatmattered…

…andthey quickly realised they had no idea what to do.

“Sooo,”George hummed as he hazarded sitting on the bed. It dipped beneath him to suchan extent, he felt as though he would be swallowed by the mattress, “What’s up?”

Richiesmiled. Throwing the hotel room key on the rotting bedside table, he shrugged. “Areyou hungry?”

Georgedidn’t know how to reply. He was always hungry, but saying yes would mean thatRichie would probably find him some food. He’d already bought them a room, thatwas all George could allow.

IfRichie had not already spent his leftover cash on a sandwich, which he producedbefore George could formulate an answer. Staring down at it, George was stunnedinto silence.

Itwas just a sandwich. It shouldn’t have meant all that much. If anything, thehotel room was a bigger gesture than a bloody sandwich which Ringo could’vemade at home for all George knew (ok, he knew that Ringo hadn’t been hidingthat thing under his jacket the whole time, but that wasn’t he point.) YetGeorge took it as though Richie was handing him a new guitar.

“You…”

“Ithought yeh might get hungry.” Richie said quite casually as he took up a seaton the opposite side of the bed. George held it in his long-fingered hands. Hefelt truly undeservingly spoiled. He felt simultaneously guilty and utterlyflattered.

He wishedhe had some way of showing Richie how much this meant to him, but the best hecould think of was, “Share?”

BeforeRichie could reject the offer, which George knew he would do, George thrusthalf of it into his friend’s hands and stuffed a mouthful into his own face, asif to say ‘no take backs.’

Aftereating, George drew out a pack of cards.

“Whatare we playing for?” He laughed.

Richietapped his coat, as if checking for money, or something to play for. Of course,he had nothing. And neither did George. Or so they thought.

“How’sabout we play for a kiss?”

Richiedidn’t hesitate, “Sure. If I win, I get to kiss you.”

“Andif I win,” George laughed, “I get to kiss you.”

Neitherwere sure if the other really meant it, but somewhere inside them, it was nojoke. George had suggested it, because he wanted some kind of intimacy withRichie, to show him, if he couldn’t tell him, how much he meant to him, whichwas certainly beyond his vocabulary by then. Richie agreed because he thought,why not? Why not try the whole intimacy thing, to see how far his attraction ofGeorge went?

Andwith this win-win situation, they were going to find out either way.

“Bestof three?” George suggested.

Richieknew he was never all that good at cards, and George was a big cheater. Once,when he was playing with a mixture of the Beatles and the Hurricanes, George somehowproduced 6 Aces. 6! Not even one more than should be in a pack, but two! Andhow they missed it, Richie will never know, as the design on the back of thecards were totally different to the pack they were playing with.

Hedid, however, manage to bag the first game. The other two, as was expected,went to George, who smirked, glimpsing Richie as he collected the cards. He wasrecalling the wager. Did Ringo really mean it? Would he really…?

“So…”George hummed, “This kiss.”

“Yeah?”Richie replied, filing the cards into a neat pile, nervously.

“Arewe actually…?”

“Well,you have to… you have to kiss me.”

“True.Do you mind…?”

“Whywould I mind?”

Theawkward politeness had gone on long enough, George decided. It was just makinghim even more nervous. Because he was actually going to do this. Richie wasstill playing with the cards, shuffling them, the rings on his fingers glintingin the low light. George took the opportunity, as Richie’s attention wasn’t onhim, to turn towards him, kneel on the bed and lean down. He caught Richie’s fulllips with his own, quickly, chastely. And for that brief touch, his eyesfluttered closed. When he opened them, sitting back beside him, Richie was halfsmiling, staring at him with those bright, stunned eyes.

“Thatwas nice.”

“Thatwas.”

6 notes · View notes