#remember the fucking set details and nuanced lines and funny jokes???

[xrosekissed]

feel like pure shit just want s1 tua back

#i miss early fandom culture and the show’s consistent tone #and the way the music choices were always perfect #and i really did think it was a well crafted show #bc it was!! #remember the fucking set details and nuanced lines and funny jokes??? #god…….. #tua critical #tua criticism

[honestgrins]

Resonant || Klaroline

Inspired by the world of Onward, where technology edged magic out of daily existence because all creatures learned to adapt to a new life. Caroline might have taken the DNA test, but she doesn’t take her magical origins nearly as seriously as some people. Klaus, however, takes his birthright and the power it lends very, very seriously - but why would he kidnap an elf?

.

"I don't know what you want from me," Caroline snarled, her wrists raw from fighting her bonds. "But I do know this is not the way to go about it." The chair was cold through the thin silk of her dress, an excellent dress her date so didn't deserve. "Seriously, let me go, Nik. This isn't funny."

He pulled another chair from the edge of the cell where she awoke, tied up and confused. Twirling it before her, he straddled the seat to rest his arms on the back as he watched her with a gleeful smile. "Perhaps, now is the time to tell you my name isn't Nik. Not technically."

The laugh she let out was harsh. "Surprise, the guy who drugged me during dinner isn't who he said he was. I don't give a fuck, let me go."

"No, I think I'll keep you," he answered, amusement all too clear in his voice. "That is, unless you can free yourself. Then, I'm willing to negotiate terms."

She gave another jerk against her ties, but the metal cord obviously held. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

Smirking, Not Technically Nik traced his bottom lip with his thumb. "I trust you'll figure it out. Until then, let me introduce myself. Niklaus Mikaelson, at your service."

"Really crappy service," she spat, only quailing when her brain caught up with the bomb he just dropped. Horror dawned on her slowly as she saw him watching her with great interest. Not only had she been kidnapped - she'd been kidnapped by the Original Hybrid out to set a new world order. 

Magic had always been an accepted part of the world. Gnomes, elves, wizards, and so much more, everyone had their origins and lived as they chose. Specialized knowledge was shared through the generations, lovingly passed down to children and nurtured the necessary skills as they grew. Little ones were taught all the lore for such a world of wonder.

And then, the advancement of technology caught up. Wings were traded for sensible, mid-size sedans, and sorcery gave way to invention. The world became connected in a way it never was before, and all creatures adapted to new common goals until magic eased itself out of existence. Lore was still taught, mostly, though some stories had been forgotten, lost to time as populations mingled. The knowledge was generalized, until schools only taught the big points, nuance and details only so important as they appeared on standardized tests.

So, magic existed - at one point. The last vestiges only remained among those who trained in the skills their ancestors once held as a sacred practice. All creatures could be dangerous if they chose to be, and most people had a wide range of lineages to choose from in their quest for some ancient power. Bonnie had bought Caroline one of those DNA tests the year before; she presented and lived as an elf her whole life, it was kind of a kick to learn she was three percent centaur. "Maybe that's why I had a horse phase growing up," she had joked.

But Klaus Mikaelson was staring at her with greed, and she didn't think it had to do with a penchant for pony tails and killer legs.

The news was always talking about the underground revolution inspired by the Original Hybrid. Rumor had it he was cursed by a witch, his werewolf genes bound and useless. He was left to fend for himself when a rogue vampire attacked him. They were drawn to the healing arts, their need for fresh blood often a handy currency for those with terrible or no insurance. But when they were hungry, it could get ugly. For Klaus, though, the turn was particularly traumatic. Finding the witch who cursed him, he killed her to release his werewolf side, which allowed him to become something entirely new and untested in the world.

That last half was confirmed, Klaus himself having spread the story far and wide as his many surrogates tried to recruit new blood to his cause - to return to the natural state of magic until the world respected all species for the danger they posed. Caroline thought it was a resistance-flavored attempt at elitist elimination of diverse families, and she usually turned the TV off whenever some outlet dared to grant the monster some legitimacy and a chance to reach new ears. If she'd waited a bit longer, she might have recognized his face when he showed up on her dating app.

She'd been so excited for this date. He was charming and funny, a little acerbic, but she liked that mixed into her banter. He seemed like the perfect guy for her, passionate about his art. If only she'd known he was passionate about magical dominion over the entire world, then she might have tempered her expectations.

As he watched her every expression, though, she wondered why he went to such trouble. There was no need to sit through an entire dinner with her, to flirt with her and make her feel seen. It had been going really well, yet he had to have slipped her something for her to wake up in an actual dungeon. Who had a dungeon? 

Biting her lip, there were too many other things that didn't make sense. From what she had gleaned over the years his little movement had been actively acknowledged, Klaus went after powerful species. Giants, trolls, wizards he could win over to his way of thinking. She was an elf, with some siren, nymph, and a negligible bit of centaur in her line.

"What the fuck do you want with me?"

His head tilted to the side, that insufferable smirk only widening the longer it took him to answer. Her irritation grew until she tried to shake the metal ties again, and he narrowed his eyes with something like pity. "You truly don't know, do you?"

Caroline didn't want to give him the satisfaction of asking, but it wasn't like she was getting out of this nonsense by herself. "I know you're nuts and I'm filing a restraining order once I get out of here."

"Have you never wondered what magic might be bubbling under your skin," he question softly, his eyes lingering over the red welts on her wrists, "just begging to be released?"

"I took a DNA test," she bit back with a sharp grin, "turns out I'm a hundred percent that bitch who wants nothing to do with you or your little power trip. You don't want me, and I sure as hell don't want you."

Klaus propped his chin on his hand, chuckling. "I thought dinner was going pretty well, actually."

"You made a good impression," she admitted. "I'm a fast learner, though. Besides, don't you recruit big strong fighters to serve as cannon fodder for your worst ideas?"

With a casual shrug, he seemed annoying unperturbed by her accusations. "We all have our strengths. I'm most interested in discovering yours, however." His voice lowered, almost seductive as he leaned toward her. "Escape your bindings, sweetheart. I know you can."

She refused to ask how, not that she particularly wanted to pass his twisted test. But, she did want to escape. "I've never shown an aptitude for magic, ever. My best friend is a witch, and she would have noticed."

"No one noticed." He was watching her steadily, pleased she appeared to play along. "I wouldn't have if I hadn't gotten ahold of your results from the ancestry testing database."

"Stalker!"

His lips curled upward. "Not just yours, mind, I have a talented mole on staff there to keep me abreast of any...abnormalities in gene reports."

Blinking, Caroline tried to remember what that stupid app had told her. "Th-there was an eight percent unknown strain," she recalled. "But that's normal. 'Within the accepted range for interpretation,' is what I think it said. Too many species and generations to clearly delineate."

"I don't care for percentages," Klaus said. "Percentages mean nothing. It's about what resonates throughout your very being, whether it be the lion's share or a single thread. According to your genetic code, you have a very, very rare thread that I think resonates within you. And I think you can call it forth to escape those bindings."

Her heart was pounding. "What are you talking about?"

He stood, moving toward her to gently lift the pendant from the hollow of her neck. "This is very pretty, just like you," he flirted. "Have you never wondered why you favor gold jewelry?"

"It suits my coloring. What does my personal style have to do with anything?"

"Or why you can't help but soak in the sun at every chance you get? Your profile pictures are all outside, often lounging next to a pool."

"Hi, it's an excuse to post a bikini pic!"

Klaus smiled knowingly. "You tend to latch onto your friends, loathe to share them with others. Bonnie, was it? The friend who called halfway through our dinner? You're awfully possessive of her, aren't you?"

Anger welled within her, a boiling rage she'd never quite felt before and had no idea what to do with.

Of course, he just kept smiling. "It'd be a shame if something were to happen to this Bonnie, should you not be able to escape."

Her hands balled into tight fists and her breathing grew heavy. "Don't threaten my friends."

"Your friends," he asked, taking a tighter hold of her necklace as his fangs finally slid out to show just how dangerous he was, "or your hoard?" Then, he ripped her necklace off.

And all hell broke loose.

#klaroline #kcauweek2020 #drugged #kidnapping #day 2 #sci-fi/fantasy #fic: resonant #captive audience

[flying-elliska]

salut ellie! someone once asked you about your writing and you recommended falling in love with language and finding ways of writing you love. i was wondering, what books and/or writing styles are you in love with? it's just so interesting to know what somehow had an impact on the way you're writing bc i honestly adore your style

wow do you remember that ? that is such a flattering question oh my god. well, i’m still working on it. some of my favorites are (i’m very eclectic lmao) : 

- His Dark Materials (it’s a fantasy book series ‘for kids’ but it’s actually insanely deep and philosophic) is pretty much the first book series that made me fall in love with stories, and made me want to write. I think I found it when I was 10, and it completely shaped me. It’s so ambitious and clever, it never talks down to the reader, brings up those amazing worlds and philosophical concepts and is still accessible to kids. Most of all it is so committed to atmosphere, to making it vivid, to really make you go through what the characters are. I’m thinking of it and I can remember exactly certain passages in an almost sensory way : the witch Serafina Pekkala describing what it feels like to feel the Aurora Borealis on her bare skin as she is flying through the arctic. The polar bear Iorek giving Lyra frozen moss to help bandage his wounds after a battle. The grilled poppy heads that the Jordan College scholars at Oxford eat during a meeting. The little Gallivespians on their dragonflies and the way the sun reflects off their poisonous spurs. That’s how you make a story stick ; that’s how you can put in deep stuff without ever making it boring. I am so excited they’re making a tv series because that shit deserves some recognition. And I mean the whole plot about the importance of stories, free will, the horror of religious fundamentalism....always relevant. Philip Pullman’s stuff is great in general, I love his Sally Lockhart series, which is more adult and adventure focused, and is a great deal of fun. And of course, the sequel to HDM he’s been putting out recently. 

- I spent a lot of my teen years reading either crime novels or historical novels. (When I think of some of the stuff I read when I was 13 I’m like oh my god what were my parents doing lmao some of that was really horrible.) And I think it gave me a good feeling for suspense and setting, and how important tension is. One of my all time faves is Andrea Japp. She is a French writer who does mostly crime, involving complex/monstrous woman characters and a very sensory, poetic approach to language, often involving food, plants and poisons. My favorite by her is the “Season of the Beast”/Agnès de Souarcy chronicles, which is a crime series set in medieval times, with a cool independent lady at its core, crimes in a monastery, and this very gloomy end of times vibe that I love. I also read a lot of Scandi Noir stuff, I love the kind of ...laconic approach to life. And again : vibe. Vibe is so important. And Sherlock Holmes stories. I love the Mary Russell series that take place in that universe and are basically a big Mary Sue self insert guilty pleasure but are just. So much fun. 

- I like poetry a lot - not stuff that is too wordy, but something short, sharp and vivid. i think reading poetry is essential to feeding your inner ‘metaphor culture’. I love Mary Oliver. Rimbaud, too, that I read at 17 and rocked my world. One of my underrated faves is  Hồ Xuân Hương, a Vietnamese poet from the 18th century who was adept at using nature metaphors to hide both erotic stuff, irreverent jokes, and political criticism, and correspond with all the great scholars of her time under a pseudonym. Badass.  Recently I bought ‘Soft Science’ by Franny Choi, which is about cyborgs, having a female body, emotions and politics and it’s absolutely brilliant. 

- I love reading fairy tales, too. Currently reading (i always read a lot of books at once lol) Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales, basically fairy tales for grown ups, collected from folklore all over the world, with an amazing kind of gruesome humor and wisdom. Norse mythology is also so damn funny. That one bit with Thor dressing up as a bride or Loki’s shenanigans...amazing. And I like fantasy, I find it very soothing to read for some reason, my fave has to be Robin Hobb and her Realm of the Elderlings series. And Terry Pratchett, especially the series with Death or the Witches. Just brilliant. Neil Gaiman too. 

- I tend to be very impatient when it comes to literary fiction, I find a lot of it is self-indulgent, dreary. I’m a genre reader through and through, I need to be amazed. I loved ‘the Elegance of the Hedgehog’ by Muriel Barbery though. Some stuff by Amélie Nothomb, Virginie Despentes occasionally (they’re French writers with a very dark, wry approach to life, tho the first is more polished acid and the second very punk rock). And ‘Special Topics in Calamity Physics’ by Marisha Pessl is pretentious as hell but a lot of fun, if you like dark academia. Salman Rushdie has a way with language that is amazing. 

- I read a lot of non-fiction. At the moment : the Cabaret of Plants (about the symbolic/socio historical meaning of plants and how they shaped history) by Richard Mabey and ‘Feminist Fight Club’ by Jessica Bennett. One I absolutely love is ‘the Botany of Desire’ by Michael Pollan in which he traces the history of four plant species (apple, potato, cannabis, tulip) and how they impacted us as much as we impacted them. I was obsessed with plants for most of my life as you can see lol (my mother is a herbalist and I wanted to become a botanist for quite a while.). Also philosophy/anthropology in little bits. I love Tim Ingold. Things about witches. Anything by Rebecca Solnit is incredible. 

- I’ve been reading a lot of YA recently, because it’s fun and quick and keeps me reading, and has a lot of good female characters. Big fave recently : Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. It’s about a young bisexual woman who’s grieving and comes to this weird house full of doors, each of which leads to a different path in life, and we follow her through each choice she can potentially make, each of one becomes a different genre of story : creepy ghost story, spy story, sci-fi, cute romance, etc. It’s so innovative and it’s a story that is also bisexual culture at its core. Also I absolutely love love love love love (etc forever) the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. What she does with language is just so cool, because she stays simple and efficient but uses her metaphors in such a fulgurant, vivid way. Some of her lines are just. bam! genius. #goals. Also Ronan Lynch is probably THE character that helped me the most with my coming out. He’s one of my forever faves.  Of course Harry Potter, lmao, I was of the generation that pretty much grew up with him, the last book came out when I was 17. JK Rowling really should just stop rn. But I learned so much from those, about the importance of making your story feel like home, and having a clear emotional journey. And Harry is such a sarcastic little shit, I love him. And I love a Series of Unfortunate Events too, the darkly funny tone of it, the celebration of knowledge and resilience. 

- I think in terms of the classics (I had to read in school lmao), I do like Victor Hugo a lot even though some of his stuff just doesn’t fucking stop. I also like Balzac and his Comédie Humaine, he’s very observant, mean and funny when it comes to people (even though it’s depressing.) Colette is my grandma’s fave writer and she is a rockstar, I love her (also hella bi culture). Jane Austen is great, I read Pride and Prejudice in one night straight, I was so hooked. Love Jane Eyre too. I read On the Road by Jack Kerouac while hopped up on opioid pain killers and that’s probably the only way to appreciate it, but it did mark me.  

- But to be completely fucking candid, I probably read the most fanfic nowadays still. Esp since I got to college, I need to unwind when I read, and having characters you already know can be so comforting. Now, of course, there’s a lot of fanfic that is just fluff (nothing wrong with that) but I honestly really believe in the literary value of fanfic. Because some of that shit simply just really slaps and is well written. But also as a genre on its own : you just simply don’t get so much emotional nuance, and depth in most other things. Because these are characters we already know and the writers are not afraid to be self-indulgent and plot is secondary, we see shades of things that we never see anywhere else, we see relationships developping in the small things and wow that shit is breathtaking, bro, sometimes. The art of infinite variation on a theme. Even though a lot of fic writers could use a bit of stricter editing, and do stuff a bit too many unnecessary details in here, so does Victor Hugo soooooooo....

lol i could go on forever. i love book soooo much. uni kinda killed my reading appetite, I used to read several books a week when I was in middle school. hope i can get back there (although maybe not as much bc i have a life now lol.) but thinking about everything i have yet to read makes me sooooo happy. I want to get more into sci-fi, English lit classics. Basically I like stuff that’s witty, dark, political, hedonistic, with dry humor, but a warm heart. Stories that celebrate knowledge, curiosity and human weirdness. And that gets to the point. When I get bored by a book, I put it down, because I just don’t have the time. I also hate writers where you can tell that they think they’re better than other people. Misanthropy is boring. Thank you for this question anon I had a blast

#reading #books #book recs #literature #anon asks

[poipoi1912]

Carisi-centric thoughts on Ep 19x01

A new season of SVU, and a new series of these posts! It appears I still have a lot of things to say about this show, lol. Welcome to new readers/followers, and welcome back to my old friends :D

Overall Thoughts

A good premiere. Surprisingly so. I forgot what it was like to watch SVU without my blood pressure rising every 2 minutes because of muddled messages and heavy-handed preaching. We had a relatively straight-forward case, good actors playing the perp and the victim, a memorable defense attorney, good dialogue (what???), a little rule-breaking which gave us interesting legal arguments, a little team work. I liked it.

There was a stronger-than-usual focus on Liv, but she is the star of the show, and this was a pilot of sorts, so I was expecting it. This premiere was about the new showrunner tweaking the format and the overall vibe of SVU for Season 19, so I didn't mind that he chose to focus on Olivia. I wish we had something other than Noah drama for her to do, but I suppose that's the easiest source of anguish for her, writing-wise, so the investigation storyline makes sense.

Squad Thoughts

We didn't get as much of the squad as I would have liked, and everyone's characterization was pretty thin, but again I attribute that to the new showrunner's attempt to set the story and use broad strokes to define the main players. I hope we'll see more character development later on in the season.

At this point, I felt he wanted to re-establish all the characters, so he chose to showcase (in a somewhat clumsy, overly expository way) everyone's main attributes.

Sonny - Italian, smartass funny, lawyer with morals Amanda - mother, weirdly attuned to perps, abrasive Fin - rule breaker, fashionable (lol), has negative fucks to give Barba - smart, sarcastic, supportive Liv - mother, leader, saint

I think there were better (and certainly more subtle) ways to convey all of those things, but again, if we treat this premiere as a pilot, I can see where the showrunner was coming from. He wanted to show us which parts of the old show he wanted to keep, and which parts he wanted to change.

We know he sees Sonny and Amanda as platonic buddies, so he gave us the classic S16 dynamic (Sonny getting on Amanda's nerves with his law stuff and her snapping). We know he wants to establish a bond between Amanda and Liv, so he gave us that lovely supportive moment between them. We know he sees Barba and Liv as close friends, so he gave us warm, shoulder-bopping Barba (awwww, btw) (also, Rafael, my guy, you’re friendzoning yourself at every turn). We know he wants to show a tortured Liv, so he gave us both the Noah moments and her chastising Fin as his boss, because (finally!) she's concerned about lawfulness.

Bottom line, I can see the effort to build new (and rebuild old) team dynamics, something sorely lacking in S18. So I'm willing to wait it out and see what else the writers want to do this year.

Sonny Thoughts

Again, the show focused on the few things we already knew about Sonny, and gave him a few (mostly clunky) lines to establish his personality. The writers went a little too hard with the "jokes" (that fridge thing especially, yikes), but they also gave him that solid line about revenge being a food group. I've always thought Sonny was at his strongest as the comic relief (not the butt of the joke, mind you. Just the character who brings some levity with his Munch-like, out-of-left-field observations.) so I'd be happy to see S19 returning to that.

Sonny and the Law

The show also remembered that Sonny is a lawyer. Sort of. They remembered he went to law school, at least, which is something. I do wish Amanda had been more specific, perhaps saying, "I know you think you’re a bigshot now that you passed the bar, Carisi, but STFU" but we can't have it all. Plus, the writers were smart enough to have him be the one to question Fin's actions. Sonny’s always had a strong moral compass, but he’s also been a stickler for the rules.

This was a textbook (a Constitutional Law textbook, in fact) case about the rights of the accused. Someone like Sonny (a former law student) would certainly enjoy arguing the merits of both sides of the argument, and he’d probably think nothing should undermine the rule of law, if only from a philosophical standpoint. Conversely, someone like Amanda (or Fin) would only think about the bottom line. So that conversation (and Amanda’s anoyance) worked for me.

Mostly, I appreciated the fact the writers remembered that Sonny cares about the law. I was reminded of the police brutality episode in S17, when Sonny was so adamant about getting a warrant, and Liv was less so. 

I've made several posts about Sonny being a caught-in-the-middle type of character, having a cop's heart but a lawyer's mind, and I'm hoping this season might revisit that. Sonny is not just another generic cop. He has more nuanced opinions, and he articulates them. He speaks out, even when his views isolate him from the rest of the squad. That's what makes him stand out.

Which brings me to:

Barisi Thoughts/Hopes

I'm really looking forward to seeing Sonny's interactions with Barba this season. I'm curious to see how the new showrunner wants to play that angle. As I said, Sonny is not just another cop, but he's also not a prosecutor. Theoretically, he won't agree with Barba either. He's always been somewhere in the middle.

Sonny is the character who can complain about jurisdiction or a international law and get shit from the other cops, but he's also the character who can say something like "hindsight" to support his fellow cops when a lawyer like Barba just doesn't get it.

And yet, Barba gets what the other cops don’t. And we know he’s shown interest in Sonny’s potential legal career. I’d be happy to see them arguing about the specifics of each case, but I’d be even happier to see them forming a front against the rest of the squad, or discussing Sonny’s hesitation to leave the force even when he spends most of his time arguing the legalities of it all.

There's a lot to mine, when it comes to the Sonny/Barba dynamic. I hope the writers take advantage of the characters' history, their contrasting personalities, and their unique (to this group of people) shared perspective when it comes to the law.

Sonny may no longer need a mentor, but he could use a friendly ear.

Stray Thoughts

Sonny's ass.

Was that a CGI cab in the opening?

Fin's surprised/amused "I didn't even know it was legal!" was everything.

Liv's new/old hair is flawless.

Barba felt like a lawyer again. For the first time in a long while.

Is Brooke Shields with Child Protective Services?

The squad was following the guy but they didn't have anybody covering the exits? Nor did they have anybody with the victim who was about to testify (i.e. the victim whose death would kill the case)? Come on.

Are Cassidy and Munch working together now? And can we see that?

Will Chase was fantastic. One of the best acted perps in recent memory. And Amy Smart was great too. As was Peter Jacobson. Truly, solid dialogue makes all the difference. We had great guest stars last season, but they were mostly wasted. In this episode, they all had a chance to shine.

Legal arguments? Cases cited? Foreign governments intervening belatedly? A defense attorney who was extremely smart but not extremely evil? One who chose to use his legal knowledge instead of resorting to victim-blaming? What?

A Latina wife of a perp who did the right thing? A black victim with sympathetic characterization? A less than wealthy victim with sympathetic characterization? What??? What show is this? (seriously, it's so easy to be mindful of things like that)

Speaking of the victims, how about respecting their wishes not to testify? Wow. That said, Sonny did seem to get momentarily possessed by the spirit of S18!Benson, when he tried to say that they could subpoena the first victim. I'm just glad that he looked and sounded conflicted and regretful, even as he was trying to say it. That detail, the way Peter practically mumbled that line, like he had a hard time even saying that out loud, it made the moment count. You can look for justice, and you can sometimes be harsh in that pursuit, but our characters shouldn't lose their empathy.

Conclusion

After a whole year, I finally watched an episode of SVU without it feeling like a chore. Or without having to fast-forward through anything. This premiere was hardly groundbreaking, but it was a decent, competently written hour of television. At this point, in S19, that's the most we can ask for. I'm glad we seem to be getting it.

#sonny carisi #rafael barba #olivia benson #barisi #svu #law and order svu #episode thoughts #long post #i missed writing these #and i also missed writing these without feeling like i'm typing out a college essay #i missed being excited to lay out my thoughts #so there you have it #i'd love to hear what you all thought #as for an episode tag #hm #not much to work with #but maybe inspiration will strike #until then #i love you all