#also the idea that the fans of the two key female characters are /jealous/ is so hilarious sdksdkdskds

[fromtheseventhhell]

Stansas think Dany and Arya stans getting along is a conspiracy because they can't comprehend someone liking more than one female character 😂

#/dany and arya stans team up to hate on sansa/ and it's just us shutting down theories by people who hate them and haven't read the books #and if you ask them for evidence of this supposed bullying they have to create fake accounts and make some #yeah we can comprehend multiple female characters sharing a space and having their own importance what a crazy concept #also the idea that the fans of the two key female characters are /jealous/ is so hilarious sdksdkdskds #they can only handle a female character if she doesn't get in the way of the ending they want for Sansa #anti sansa stans

[lokolokong-manunulat]

Introduction

Hi! I'm Argeraint. Weirdo writer with too many thoughts and has trouble writing them down. I'm 20 years old. I'm a Scorpio. My pronouns are she/her but I don't mind if you also use they. I like to read books and lie in bed. I also like to write and listen to music. I am fond of old things like classical music, vintage music and fashion, and 90s anime. My favorite artists usually includes The Beatles, Buddy Holly, and Queen. This is my Wattpad account: Argeraint18_007.

What I Write About

I usually write reader inserts, poems, fanfiction, and stories. I mostly post my reader insert stories here but I hope that one day I can share some of my poetry, fanfics, and original stories here too. I usually write for a female reader. In terms of smut, I can write smut though I am not a fan of dark themes. I also find that I would write smut between two people who already have an established relationship.

In terms of reader inserts, I've written for:

BTOB (Seo Eunkwang, Lee Minhyuk, & Lee Changsub)

Adrien Brody

Hetalia (Germany & Prussia)

Requests & Asks

Requests are currently: closed

Asks are currently: open

I am open to receiving asks and I am still hesitant to accept requests. My conditions if you want to request something would be that you specifically put what type of fic you want and what is your main scenario or theme/s. Pay in mind that if I don't like the request thenI have the right not to work on it. Also pay in mind that it may take time for me to write these since I've never done requests before.

List of OCs [In Progress]

Each of my stories have a cast of characters. Even my reader inserts have a cast of characters for [Y/N] to interact with. These are the cast lists of each universe:

BTOB Cast List

Espionage Cast List

Hetalia Cast List

Unsorted OC List

List of Works

Legend: 🎶 = Songfic/Inspired by a song | 💋 = Smut

Seo Eunkwang x Reader

The Moon (🎶): [Y/N] gets a phone call from Eunkwang while he's in the military.

Fairy Tale (🎶): Eunkwang becomes your knight in shining armor.

Black and White Keys: [Y/N] visits a childhood friend she haven't been in touch with for years.

on the rocks (🎶 | 💋): Eunkwang comes home after a stressful day at work and [Y/N] helps him unwind.

Adrien Brody x Reader

SHORTS:

Flapper Girl (🎶): Beautiful memories of a love that was meant to last only to have a present too broken to mend.

SERIES:

ESPIONAGE

Espionage Introduction

Espionage, Act One

Espionage, Act Two

Espionage, Act Three

Espionage, Act Four

Espionage, Act Five

Hetalia Germany x Reader

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (🎶): Ludwig wants to confess to [Y/N]. Adrian, their friend, gives him an idea.

She Loves You (🎶): Ludwig and [Y/N] had a bit of an argument. Adrian helps clear Ludwig's mind so they could get back again.

Hetalia Prussia x Reader

SERIES:

VIOLET EVERGARDEN OP & ED

Sincerely (🎶)

My Light (🎶)

Lee Minhyuk (BTOB) x Reader

Jealous: [Y/N] is mad at Minhyuk. Her friend, Ae-Cha, decides to invite him during their hangout without telling [Y/N].

White: KPOP Idol AU! You're hired to be a model for a wedding themed photoshoot. The problem is, your partner is Lee Minhyuk and the public isn't aware of your relationship yet.

Lee Changsub x Reader

Movie: High School AU! Your whole class decided to have a movie marathon. You end up sitting beside Changsub during the whole thing.

Random Pieces of Writing

She Marveled

A & W

Argeraint's Essays: "Gabu" by Carlos Angeles

Writing Ideas/Prompts

Shared Sketchbook Prompt

SasuSaku

Maybe This Time Ship Idea/Prompt

Lock The Door Dialogue

Answered Writing Prompts

Sam Black the Time Traveler

Mary and Tom's Coffee Scent

Currently Writing

I am currently writing nothing. I haven't had the time to because I've been swamped with schoolwork since I'm a graduating student.

#writeblr #writer #writers on tumblr #songfic #imagines #stories #prompts #ideas #writings #argeraint #masterlist

[iuinspires]

Persona - One Lee Ji Eun, Four Personas

IU is perhaps better known for her identity as a singer-songwriter rather than an actress, but she has mentioned her love for acting on a number of occasions, explaining that it allows her to assume different identities and express emotions in a manner that she may not be able to in reality.

Persona, a four-part anthology on Netflix that marks actress Lee Ji Eun’s first foray into the world of film-making, allows her to do precisely that: take on the challenge of portraying four characters with completely different personas, displaying a wide range of emotions that fans have hitherto not seen from her. Comprising four short films produced by four critically acclaimed Korean directors, each film is greatly different in terms of style and tone, with no apparent connection to each other - but I think they all tackle the theme of love and passion to some extent, manifested in different forms: jealousy and anger (Love Set); deceit and betrayal (Collector); friendship and revenge (Kiss Burn); as well as separation and loss (Walking at Night).

I’ll be completely honest – as these are essentially indie arthouse films with ambiguous plots and cryptic characters, they are an acquired taste which may not appeal to everyone; being no film expert myself, I’m not sure I understood everything that the filmmakers were trying to convey. But I certainly had great fun watching actress Lee Ji Eun take on four very different personas in each story, and also reading the thoughts of my fellow uaenas who have enthusiastically dissected the films. Let me just share my thoughts on each of the films as well.

(WARNING: Spoilers ahead)

Love Set

This was the film which I had been looking forward to most before its release, for the premise seemed so intriguing from the trailers: an angsty and jealous IU locking horns with her prospective stepmother (Bae Doona) in a game of tennis with high stakes, where the loser would “end it all” with the man of their shared affections (IU’s dad and Doona’s lover). I was also excited to see how IU would unleash her character’s unbridled fury that seemed to be the key motif of the story, especially since she had mentioned in interviews how challenging it was for her to portray anger in such a manner that was contrary to her personality.

I must confess that I was slightly disappointed when I first watched the film though, for the story didn’t seem to go beyond what we already knew would happen – IU and Doona engaging in a heated battle on the tennis court. A significant amount of time was devoted to slow motion shots of them whacking the tennis ball, and close-ups of their hot, reddened faces of intense agony that was almost painful to watch. I was also somewhat frustrated by the seeming apathy and emotional detachment of the two male characters (IU’s dad and an unnamed Caucasian friend haplessly dragged in to “seduce” Doona) – both sat silent and almost expressionless with their heads turning back and forth rhythmically like puppets following the movement of the tennis ball – a direct contrast to the fury and fierce energy displayed by the women on the courts. I couldn’t quite fathom why IU’s dad seemed indifferent to his daughter’s angry outbursts or suffering, even calmly saying “Out!” when she missed the ball and fell down – did it signify the fact he cared more for his lover and was rooting for her? Why then did he seem emotionless even though Doona was winning?

I did however enjoy observing the dynamics between the women and their contrasting personalities – Doona, the older and more mature of the two, was clearly at the upper hand throughout, remaining level-headed and taking an almost sadistic pleasure in calmly taunting IU; poor IU, on the other hand, was a loser not just in the tennis game but in her complete failure to rein in her emotions, seeming like a complete wreck with her expletive-laden outbursts. Towards the end, however, Doona handed over the tennis ball to IU with a gentle stroke of the thumb in what seemed like a conciliatory gesture, and told IU that she didn’t intend to marry her father, suggesting that she had never been serious about their bet to begin with – and ending off the movie on an almost anti-climactic note.

One thing which struck me was the sexual innuendoes that was evident throughout the story – the suggestive shrieks and panting with each hit of the tennis ball, the sensuous close-up shots of IU’s lips biting a plum, and of the women’s hot, sweaty bare skin – but I didn’t quite comprehend how it quite fit in with the context of the story. One of my fellow uaenas, however, has offered an intriguing explanation: that IU and Doona were actually in a sexual relationship before, with Doona betraying IU by getting together with her dad – which explained IU’s extreme agitation at the entire situation, and at puzzling moments like Doona’s flirtations with the Caucasian. The sexual innuendoes would then be a deliberate hint of the relationship between the two, with the tennis match signifying a lover’s quarrel, and the caressing of IU’s hand at the end a romantic gesture on Doona’s part. I think that’s a fascinating and plausible interpretation of the story, and could possibly also explain the two men’s indifference and insignificance throughout the show – they are mere spectators on the sidelines, observing the relationship that is key to the story: the secret passion between IU and Doona.

Collector

Prior to watching the film, Collector left the vaguest impression on me for I wasn’t sure what it was about beyond a love story between a man and a woman; as it turns out, this was the most memorable film, and my favourite of the series for its surreal, eerie plot and rich use of metaphors.

Director Im Pil-Sung has explained that in making this film, he was inspired by IU’s song Jam Jam - which is essentially about a non-committal and superficial relationship between a man and woman, with jam serving as a metaphor for the sugar-coating of lies and pretensions binding them together. And indeed, this idea of deceit in a relationship was evident in the film with the character of Eun portrayed by Ji Eun; while she seemed tender and gently seductive at times towards her entranced lover, there was also clear indifference in her attitude, shown from her boredom with his conversation attempts, and her open flirtations with other men. Her lover, however, was not completely innocent himself, for it seemed that he had betrayed his ex-fiancé by breaking off their engagement to be with Eun. This fact was revealed through an abrupt switch of scenes from his conversation with Eun to an empty white room in a surreal, clinical setting that seemed to represent his subconscious mind. In one particularly gruesome scene, the man’s head was sliced off in his subconscious state, suggesting a blow to his ego after finding out that Eun had gone travelling with two male friends. Notably, his head was fixed back to his neck after he had waxed lyrical to Eun about his pompous theory on the superiority of females, probably representing a restoration of his ego from the self-pleasure of his intellectual discourse.

Nothing however, could rival the shock factor from the bizarre twist towards the end of the story, when the man, egged on by Eun, literally dug out his heart of his body and handed it to her. As he sat motionlessly in tears, now a heartless man, Eun carefully placed her prized possession in a jar, and smilingly declared that she would “salt it to prevent it from rotting”. This, I think, was a chilling but clever reference to the following lines in Jam Jam:

“Tell me that you love me

Say the pretty things smeared on your lips

Sticky sticky, I’ll keep it pickled

So it won’t rot, for a long time”

In the final scene, the man opened up a small box which Eun had handed to him as a gift, only to find a miniature version of himself trapped in the empty white room – which I interpreted as symbolising that her parting gift to him was the gift of conscience, a reminder of his heartlessness for betraying his original lover.  

The story left me unnerved and shaken with its gory and disturbing elements, but I loved its use of metaphors, and how it brought a whole new meaning to the lyrics of Jam Jam. What I appreciated most, however, was Ji Eun’s portrayal of the callous and mysterious seductress that Eun was; her acting was nuanced and deliberate, with subtle gestures and expressions that brought her character to life. I can never forget the look of rapt eagerness on Eun’s face, for instance, as she watched the man dig out his heart, and how she gently licked her lips at one point, almost like a predator anticipating a bite of its prey. Watching it gave me the chills, and made me forget that the Eun we saw onscreen was the lovable Lee Ji Eun who has inspired all kinds of emotions in me before, except for fear. In short, I think this film was the most effective in allowing her to take her acting skills at a whole new level, and to experiment with a different persona that viewers have never seen from her before.

Kiss Burn

Kiss Burn features Ji Eun as Hanna, a spirited school girl who visits the rural home of her good friend Hye Bok to seek her company, only to find her locked in by her authoritative father. Hye Bok’s hair has been shorn off by her father in a drunken fit, possibly as punishment for returning home with kiss marks after making out with a boy at a beach. Annoyed by his unjust behaviour, Hanna vows to exact revenge, and the two girls embark on a series of hilarious attempts at pulling off pranks to punish him.

Compared to the other films, the story is relatively light-hearted, with many comedic moments. However, it takes a slightly dark turn towards the end: while the girls’ deliberate and carefully thought-out pranks fail to achieve their desired outcome, a careless gesture – a flick of a cigarette butt into the chicken coop – eventually sparks off a fire, ironically turning out to be the biggest punishment for Hye Bok’s father, who works as a forest fire lookout.

Interestingly, the director chose to use chickens as a recurring motif to carry the dark humour of the story: in one of the early scenes, Hanna chomps on large chunks of roast chicken, and towards the end, the girls cheerily comment on smelling the aroma of fried chicken, blissfully unaware of the growing blaze presumably spread by a chicken which had gone astray after its tail caught fire in the coop.

In terms of acting, I think the role of Hanna was less of a ground-breaking one for Ji Eun, because it isn’t the first time we’ve seen her portray lively characters like that before. That doesn’t mean, however, that she didn’t do a good job in delivering her role – Hanna was a character with an endearing mix of rebelliousness and naiveté who found her way to my heart. For all her deviousness in conjuring pranks to seek revenge, Hanna still possessed an innocence about her, as evidenced from her curious probing of Hye Bok’s making out session, her amusing attempt at kissing herself to produce a hickey (after insisting wide-eyed to her friend that she knew how it was created), and her eagerness at visiting the beach (which Hye Bok claimed was a good place to “relieve stress” through making out). It was also a pleasure to watch Ji Eun’s chemistry with actress Shin Dal-gi, who played Hye Bok. Ji Eun had mentioned in interviews that director Jeon Go Won had employed unique techniques prior to the start of filming for the actresses to bond with each other, and that camaraderie was indeed evident onscreen, making the friendship between Hanna and Hye Bok a believable and funnily heartwarming one.

Walking at Night

Walking at Night appears to be a favourite amongst many uaenas, and I can see why: it is a hauntingly sad but beautiful and poetic piece, which would appeal to the sensibilities of those who gravitate towards IU’s sentimental ballads. I love it myself, and would rank it as my second favourite, after Collector.

Shot entirely in black and white, it tells the story of a man who meets his dead girlfriend in his dream, and together they revisit old haunts, reminisce their time together, and muse about love, life and death. Director Kim Jong Kwan had mentioned that he was inspired by the air of loneliness Ji Eun exudes despite her lively public persona, and indeed, the film delves into the theme of loneliness; mid-way through the show, it is revealed that the girl had killed herself because of her desperate sense of loneliness. Anxious, the man asks if he had caused her to be lonely, and she reassures him that he hadn’t:

“No. You were always there for me. There are people who know me and people who don’t. You were one of those who knew me, and there were others besides you. Those people were the ones who made me feel lonely. There were so many people who knew me other than you, but the way they treated me made me feel lonely. You were always there for me, but I just suffered in vain until I died.”

These poignant lines made my heart ache and struck a chord with me; it is so true that not being alone does not equate to not being lonely, for there have been moments in my life when I am surrounded by people, yet feel overwhelmed by an odd sense of loneliness.

Ji Eun’s words in the final scene are just as beautifully sad, a reminder of the ephemeral nature of our existence, and how we are all but transient visitors on this earth:  

“Dreams and death lead to nowhere. They will end up nowhere…and eventually be forgotten. We are here, but no one will remember us. Everything is gone, and only the night remains.”

I’m not sure if I imagined it, but as the camera pans out in one of the final scenes to show the couple embracing, there appears to be a silhouette of a man standing in the distance. I recall shuddering involuntarily when I first noticed it, and even now, I feel an odd mix of fear and intrigue as I ponder who that man could be. Is it the protagonist himself, looking on at himself with his lover, as how we are wont to view ourselves from a third party perspective in dreams? Is he desperately trying to cling on to his memories before they fade? Or is it perhaps an onlooker bearing witness to their existence, proving that Ji Eun’s words may not entirely true – for while death leads us to disappear from this earth, we will still leave traces of ourselves behind, in the memories of those we’ve crossed paths with? I guess the beauty of such films is that there’s no right or wrong answer.

Compared to the other films, Walking at Night has the simplest narrative, with no notable climax; but I think its beauty lies in its simplicity, which allows us to focus on the poetic nature of its dialogue, and ruminate on what it means. In the same vein, Ji Eun’s acting is understated and restrained; there is no need for dramatic expressions, for so much of her emotions is conveyed in subtle ways, like a simple gesture, an inflexion in voice, or the expression in her large, soulful eyes.

Conclusion

Ji Eun’s acting career has been a rocky one, and there will always be people who love to hate her acting. Yet slowly but surely, she has been establishing her credentials as an actress over the years; My Ahjusshi was a breakthrough role which gained her recognition for her acting skills, and with Persona, she has proven once again her remarkable versatility as an actress, and added another notable work under her belt. Persona is probably not a show which will have mainstream appeal, but I believe it is the kind of acting project which will fulfil Ji Eun’s desire for more creative freedom, and I hope she’ll continue to take on such projects that will allow her to find joy in doing what she loves.

#persona #IU #lee ji eun #love set #collector #kiss burn #walking at night #netflix

[niralamba]

Xavier against Magneto

interview for GQ México, May 2019

link to the source below =>

In an interview, the actors James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender tell us about their participation in Dark Phoenix and their history behind the X-Men saga. James McAvoy has it clear, he is jealous of Michael Fassbender and the rest of the cast in the x-men saga. The reason is simple: he would have liked for Professor Xavier to have a suit too. One very showy, a superhero one, and yes, he is a little bit jealous. "Yes, a little, the truth is I would have liked to wear an attractive superhero costume, even so, I have the look of an action man with a turtleneck, which I like" says Professor X and his reflection comes after a decade to be in the skin of the mutant leader and when many point out that the mutant path has come to an end. Sometimes, memory fails and more with superheroes movies, because the first thing that comes to mind is the marvel cinematographic universe, the MCU monopolized our attention the recent 10 years, however, if we analyze it carefully, those who marked the pattern for the action genre of the 21st century was the mutants and they got it through the first X-Men (2000) by Bryan Singer. Dark Phoenix is the twelfth feature film of the franchise and the fourth installment of a series that continues to explore the origin of its characters. And also it would seem that it wants to play with our heads, what is known as a deja vu, why? Everything points out that the film is closing the circle of its era with 20th century fox before Disney takes control of the rights of the franchise and will do so adopting one of the most complex storylines among its fans, the dark phoenix created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in 1980. Some years ago, the franchise of x-men first class (2011) managed to renew the popularity of the series thanks to the exploration of the origin of the enmity between Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr aka Magneto, generating more than satisfied viewers and with the expectation of seeing more thanks to the work of two actors who are not only the pillars of this story, but in recent years emerged as icons of Hollywood and world cinematography, and what better to chat with them about what it holds for this movie (and what the future may leave) A FAMILY MORE THAN MUTANT. If something they have in common the trajectories of McAvoy and Fassbender is that their natural histrionic talent has allowed them to diversify and not fall into an interpretation stereotype, from one film to another we see them in very different characters, disparate, for example: Michael looked futuristic and chaotic as David in Prometheus, while James showed off his talent in Split and Glass playing Kevin and his multiple personalities. But x-men has something special for them, something that motivates them to come back and repeat "I think it's a combination of several factors" says McAvoy "We all enjoy playing these characters as I do, I love this company of actors, here there's a true family that goes back 10 years ago and for which you feel a lot of loyalty and affection " In that sense, Michael agrees with that idea and delves into what it's like to be a fundamental member of this family. "I love the journey that has led to Dark Phoenix and I specifically wanted to return, because Simon Kinberg would direct, I wanted to do everything I could to make things turn out well, he is a fantastic collaborator and seeing him in the director's chair made me very emotional" says Michael, highlighting the fraternity that has been formed within the production crew, although it's not the only reason that motivates them. The depth of their characters, as they have evolved throughout the movies, in addition to the political and social settings where they are developed are also excellent pretexts. The mutant phenomenon within x-men brings to the table racial issues, class, social inequality, prejudice and the reasoning of these issues, through their characters is, in essence, the pillar of the franchise. Magento seeks to locate his race above the pyramid and Xavier appeals for equality with humans, but how do they develop in this new delivery? What evolution we will see from Magneto and Xavier? Michael answers enthusiastically "Finally he has become the leader of Cuba that has always lived inside him! (Laughs) He has formed Genosha, his own community: an independent state/nation where the mutants live in harmony, without being attacked and in where anyone who agrees to help can be incorporated, is a self-sufficient community, not locatable and that was the struggle of Erik during the franchise " For his part, McAvoy makes it clear that the professor also presumes a profound transformation "Charles may be the leader of a social movement, but now he is the leader of a political movement, I think that's what he looks like now. which justifies by saying that he is loyal to his principles, although it seems to me that he has forgotten that those principles only exist to protect his family and his species, Charles somehow has forgotten that" says James, almost in love with his character. It's true, Dark Phoenix's argument is one of the most popular and puts one of his allies Jean Grey in direct confrontation with them, a situation that drives the characters to join forces, rethink their current situation and evolve. "What I find most interesting about Charles is that he is not selfish and he is not very vain, he is very wise and his empathy is what drives him and his detachment and almost sacerdotal nature are what defines him. somehow that disappeared in the two previous films and returns in this one. It was something that I liked, I really enjoy exploring that notion of fallibility" James finishes. REVENGE TIME. In Latin America, Simon Kinberg's name may not be as popular, but he is a select member of the mutant family, he has written and produced previous installments of the franchise, such as Apocalypse, Days of Future Past and he also wrote The Last Stand. Now his revenge has arrived. On this occasion, Kinberg debuted as a director and his place in that chair was something natural for Fassbender who knows and appreciates him. "Kinberg was very relaxed, very confident, he seemed to be doing this for years, he is also a very intelligent man, he is the kind of person who doesn't speak unless he knows about the subject, he observes, he listens. That makes a great director" Says Michael. While James, in turn, points to the particular style that the director printed on his debut. "The interesting thing was his instinct to make the film something more subtle, based on the performance, we're still going to have a show, but that was his way of doing it, going down to make it look more real. of the emotional drama "says McAvoy. Added to the cast is the consecrated Jessica Chastain (Zero Gravity, The Help) and her participation, although she is not the star, is key in Phoenix's journey to this dark stage. She is one of the reasons for her unbalance, to keep her out of control. Although her skills in front of the camera were that this duo almost completely missed. "It was great that she joined," emphasizes Fassbender. "But we didn't have many scenes together, just a few moments in the final scene, she is present with Jean, so it was mainly through acting patterns that I interacted with her character" James is not left behind the anecdote. "I think we only have one scene together ... unfortunately! In fact, I have a couple of scenes with her character, but she was not there, sometimes, it was just a special effect, one of the reasons she says that she took the job was because she expected to meet and act with me, but barely and we crossed paths! " RISE OF THE PHOENIX. When Sophie accepted the role of Jean Grey, surely she knew that in her hands she had a vital character for this cinematographic stage who, incidentally, is considered by experts as the most powerful female figure in the Marvel universe. In Apocalypse, Phoenix only had a few flashes of its potential, although it made it clear that in this movie it would have greater strength. Fassbender, from the beginning of his participation, was more interested in the weight of the different female characters but clarifies that the conjuncture we saw today did not influence for this to happen. In fact, that was the original idea almost 10 years ago. "I think the seeds of female roles were present, Simon had some unfinished issues after The Last Stand, he wrote the script! So that was already there, and at the moment this happens, it seems to be in sync with what happens in the real world, but Simon has always thought this way, equality in everything, both for female characters, as for male ones ", he concludes. With the premiere getting close, the fate of Jean Gray along with Professor Xavier, Magneto and the rest of the X-Men will be solved, and Dark Phoenix will unveil us if it represents the end of this cinematographic universe that infected of emotion the audience, it also had inconsistencies and errors. In this last letter, we will see until the final credits. For now, neither Fassbender nor McAvoy knows what the future holds for what they consider as one of their most endearing characters. "As far as the X-Men are concerned, I've always said: If this is the last one, it's been great, we have new owners of the franchise and who knows what they're going to do? But if this is the last one narratively, it feels like a good ending " James concludes. goodbye mutants?

#Michael Fassbender #fassy #fassbender #james mcavoy #x-men dark phoenix #gq #interview

[modernlifehistorian]

Timeless “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” Reaction

Where are the words? To describe this episode? I don’t know if I have them yet, but I’ll try my hardest.

I don’t usually write a reaction so fast, but this episode has me drowning in feels.

The Minor Story Points:

Okay all I’ll say about this opening scene is Hollywoodland morning vs. this scene. No comparison. I won’t waste my time trying to explain this away for people who want to see it for what it isn’t. 

As far as the scene with Flynn and Wyatt in the bathroom. I applaud Flynn for trying to prod Wyatt’s jealousy while also calling him out. Wyatt needs to talk to Lucy. And what we see here from Wyatt isn’t just a jealous rage like some people make it out to be. I’ve posted about it before and I’ll say it again. To Wyatt the soldier, Flynn is a terrorist. Just as bad as the men he fought in Syria. He has every right to be concerned. He can’t tell Lucy or Flynn what to do, but I’d be shocked if Wyatt didn’t react in this way. Not everyone’s heart is as big as Lucy’s, not so quick to forgive. And that’s okay.

“Sir control your wife”

I swear I head the squealing from g*rcy fans from my bedroom, but chill, k? Flynn was the closest to Lucy in that moment. It was also 1919. And Lucy didn’t look overly pleased with the accusation. 

“Sorry, I don’t take romantic disputes.” 

Just... everything about this scene. This is the catalyst Lucy and Wyatt need to have a real discussion, and discuss they do.

“What she needs to do is stop making speeches.”

I will never get over Timeless’ history aspects. It would be crowd pleasing if all the women were all gungho about suffrage, but that just wasn’t the reality. This is real history. It’s not as cut and dry as we want it to be.

“The time is now!”

But what was even more beautiful is the way they displayed the change of heart for her. It wasn’t just through words. It was through getting down in the trenches with the rest of the women, seeing first hand what all of this was really about.

Characters and Relationships: 

Connor “The Most Honorable Battle is the Losing One” Mason

Honestly, that’s all I really have to say about that. It was a beautiful line. Keep at it, Mason.

Rufus “I’m Not Gonna Die Today” Carlin

Okay but this was hilarious. Way to see the positive out of the visions. I don’t have any real deep thoughts on this. 

Rufus and Flynn Tag Teaming

This was a great move by the writers. They’re partnership was effective and hilarious. I hope to see it again. 

Riya

I was very worried about them at the beginning, thinking we were going to have another whole episode of Rufus being super pissy about the visions and Jiya getting the blunt end of everything. And the first scene proved me almost right. It was Rufus at his max level of dickery, and I was about to be furious.

But THEN COMES THAT BEAUTIFUL END SCENE.

It is exactly what needed to happen. Up until now Rufus has only been avoiding avoiding avoiding the problem, and that’s where tension builds in a relationship, but here he comes clean, says what he’s feeling, and that’s where relationships find healing. Now they’re going to move forward, face the future together instead of against each other. I’m pretty damn pleased with that.

Emma

I knew there had to be more to this woman than met the eye, and I was right. The story she gave was one that everyone feels sympathy towards, no matter who was the victim or what they’ve done. I’m also pleased in general that this female villain is so much more than just a gun in tight clothes like female villains can tend to be. Her brain is what makes her valuable and up until the end of this episode she hasn’t been kept around as a sex toy or anything like that. She is a self-made villain rather than being the side show of a male villain. 

Although all of this made me call into question her devotion to Rittenhouse for three reasons:

1) Rittenhouse sought her out. They came to find her from Cal Tech. She had aspirations before this, so since her loyalty to Rittenhouse isn’t blood deep, that leaves so room for personal doubt about why she joined them in the first place. And I think 1919 is going to be the beginning of a chain reaction for her losing loyalty to Nicholas and Rittenhouse.

2) They left her in the 1800s as a means of proving loyalty. Did that mean she had done things in the past to call her loyalty into question? Or just because she wasn’t pureblood? Either way I think that might build some resentment. 

3) She’s beginning to see what Rittenhouse is really about, and she’s not sure if she wants to be a full part of it. 

Flemma

Okay first off, I love this ship name. Second, I always thought the idea of Flemma was just a crazy idea that I had fleeting thoughts about in season 1, BUT HOLY CRAP IF TONIGHTS EPISODE DIDN’T REIGNITE THAT FLAME.

“This gets you all hot and bothered doesn’t it?”

“Did I hurt your psycho feelings when I double crossed you?”

There are exactly 19082340923 things that Emma could have said in this scene to get under Flynn’s skin, but these are the two she chose. They’re pretty personal. And very full of implications. I’m getting a sense some hanky panky went down in the Mothership with these two in it.

“Was any of it true?”

Flynn takes on a very passionate, emotional response to this scene with Emma. To me it didn’t seem rooted in anger, but instead rooted in hurt. The way one feels when they get betrayed by someone they cared for. And I get the sense that Flynn cared for Emma at least a little bit. 

Jessica F*cking Logan

She’s been walking a tightrope with me since her very first scene. A very thin tightrope. In Salem she was a bitch to Wyatt. In JFK she was a fun addition kind of. In Delta Blues she was exactly where she needed to be nonexistent. And here in Sherlock Holmes she just fell off the tight rope. This chick had the discussion with Lucy during JFK, she knows that there was a thing with Lucy and Wyatt, but she makes damn sure to make out with him RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY BABY GIRL. Uh uh. Nope. She’s up to no good. And at first I thought she might just be being petty but NOPE. She’s somehow connected to Rittenhouse and is intentionally trying to drive a wedge between Lucy and Wyatt. I’m not having that. This Yoko needs to make like a tree and leaf.

This is all for my first post.... to be continued with a Lucy, Wyatt, and Lyatt post in a couple minutes. Stay tuned.

thoughts? @chasethesun18 @enchanted-keys @timelessbae12 @dopemixtape @bestshipcaptainswan @chloeswans @wyatttoldme 

#timeless 2x07 reactions

[ladyloveandjustice]

Winter 2018 Anime Overview: Devilman Crybaby and The Ancient Magus Bride

(the weird symbols in place of punctuation will go away if you click on read more. sorry I cannot fix them).

It’s that time of the season! Time to look back on the anime I watched over the Winter 2018 season and give my thoughts on them. We’ve got at least five anime to get through here. l start out with the two that gave me the most conflicted feelings.

Devilman Crybaby

Devilman Crybaby is a 10-episode anime adaptation of Go Nagai’s 70s manga Devilman, revamped for a modern audience. It was released all at once on Netflix. The story follows a young man named Akira Fudo, a Nice Young Man (tm). His childhood friend Ryo gets him involved in hunting demons and he ends up merging with one! He becomes Devilman, a demon who retains his good human heart. With Ryo at his side, he vows to use his powers for justice and fight the bad demons.

I...watched this for some reason, and I pretty much already did a review  (beware spoilers) and covered my thoughts on it in my liveblog. I didn’t come out exactly a fan of the show overall, but it was an interesting experience at least. I had a fun time looking into the weird history of the franchise and with all the memes. Devilman Crybaby is based on a old, influential manga and there’s a good breakdown of some of the smart adaptation choices the series made here. Probably the thing that a lot of people in my circle talking about it the most is it’s EXTREMELY queer, and while the representation is a mixed bag to say the least, it makes an effort.

Overvall, there’s some cool concepts and arcs in this series, such as the the depictions of Satan and God.There’s also some neat animation and aesthetics, but plotwise it’s uneven with the first half being very weak in the pacing department and the characters were not explored as much as I’d like.

There’s also a lot of badly handled and salaciously framed sexual assault junk as well as gross, exploitative framing of women’s bodies while mens’ bodies are largely left alone. The tired way it deals with sexuality is really boring and standard when you get down to it, rather than “shocking” like it tries to be.

What i really got out of it was I will keep the doomed queer lady couple and carry them in my heart along with the other gay stuff and I will laugh at how Extra Ryo is forever, but in the long run, not much else is memorable and will stick with me.

The Ancient Magus Bride (Episodes 14-22)

Read my review of the first half of the Ancient Magus Bride here!

Hoo boy. There is a lot to unpack with this one. I am going to get pretty detailed with my analysis here, so major spoilers. The TLDR version is: good stuff with Chise’s mom, bad ending episode, read the manga.

Let’s start with the good. We see Chise grow a lot as a character during this second half of the series and there’s a really nice focus on her forming friendships with girls closer to her age. The series shows her building a life outside Elias for herself and she becomes more self-possessed. She and Elias have a lot to teach each other, and they have some refreshingly honest conversations.

The series also doesn’t shy away from depicting Chise’s trauma and shows her grappling with it a lot.. She still places a very low value on herself and feels guilty for relying on others, and Elias calls her out on that. She’s taking steps forward, slowly. Episode 22, probably the strongest episode of the series, deals with the issues she has with her mother and her backstory and there are a ton of cool things there

Chise’s mother attracted monsters in a way similar to Chise does, and when her husband abandoned her, she struggled to both support and protect herself and Chise. It was near impossible task considering all the things trying to kill them and her desperation eventually led to a complete breakdown, where she tried to strangle Chise and lessen her burden. When she snapped out of it, she was so horrified at what she’d done, she committed suicide.

Chise takes a deep dive into her memories and comes to the realization the “mother” that has haunted her all this time was a version of her mother she herself constructed in her head based on her mother’s worst moment, a mother who wants her dead. But her mother didn’t actually want that in the end, otherwise she wouldn’t have let go of Chise or hated herself for what she did. Her mother, like any human, was not just one emotion or one moment, she was a fragile and flawed person who really did care for Chise before she broke down. Chise recognizes that now.

But, and this is the key, and what really made this episode work for me: Chise explicitly does not forgive her mother. Her mother is complex and more than just that one act, but that doesn’t mean that one act can be overlooked, or is any less scarring for Chise. She crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed, and Chise doesn’t have to forgive that to move on. Her mother abandoned her and now she has a new life. She chooses not to let her mothers actions define her.

I really enjoyed that. It’s true the images we construct in our heads are different from the real people we interact with, who are more complex, and the way this episode explores that is cool. One important moment can define the version of that person we keep in our hearts. And this episodes message that you can recognize someone who abused you as a complex and even pitiful person and still not forgive them. The most important thing is to move forward. A lot of stories wouldn’t have handled this sequence that deftly. The narrative sympathizes with Chise’s mother, but it doesn’t excuse her and neither does Chise herself.

But hey, speaking of abuse and narratives glossing over it! Let’s talk about Elias.

So you know all those female friendships Chise’s having and how she’s like, getting a life outside Elias? Elias is not okay with that. In fact, he’s SO possessiv he threatens Chise’s life at one point- she has to threaten to hurt herself to get him to stop squeezing her. It’s pointed out that Elias is like a child, which is true enough- he’s very new to feelings and interacting with people. But the excuse “oh it’s because he’s like a child” is eerily reminiscent of how abusers are excused in real life- “he can’t control himself, he’s just throwing tantrums”. Abusers are often babied in this way.

The idea Chise is obligated to “mother” him and teach him basic morality and self control even at risk to herself is a dangerous one. Nobody should be expected to do that, much less a traumatized teen. Yet Chise instantly forgives Elias for nearly killing her, when she clearly needs to get out of this relationship before she is harmed more, because this behavior can only worsen.

And I actually don’t have a problem with this for most of the narrative- because it’s not romanticized  It is clearly a mistake that Chise indulges Elias’s behavior because, realistically, it escalates.

Chise’s days are numbered thanks to a curse and he promises Chise he’ll work with her to solve the problem. But he goes back on his word and tries to sacrifice another human to save Chise. He even goes so far as to make Chise faint to keep her from interfering, utterly denying her agency. And the kicker is he chooses to kill the a little girl Chise has befriended for this, explicitly because he’s jealous that Chise “looks at her” differently that she does him. He is literally so possessive he’s willing to kill children Chise dares pay any attention to.

it’s unbelievably fucked up, and the narrative treats it as such. It also make it clear this is the natural result of how toxic this relationship has gotten. Chise arrives in time to stop Elias and her sheer horror and rage is very powerfully done. For the first time, she sees him for how selfish and dangerous he is, how much he doesn’t respect her wishes and their relationship is broken. In a powerful (and satisfying) moment, she slugs him in the face.

Then she leaves him, stating “I can’t be with you as you are now.” Her rage and pain is the central focus here. And I have no problem with the narrative- it depicts an abusive relationship without endorsing it. It shows how these things can escalate, and it shows that Chise has very much outgrown Elias.

There’s a good scene shortly after where the fey tell Elias to take Chise back by force, as is their fairy way, and he says no, he needs to try to understand how humans work and change how he does things. That’s some really interesting stuff- the supernatural beings have their own entirely different way of approaching "love”, and Elias was entrenched in that. But now he has to learn how to love in a more honest, less possessive way, like a human is supposed to. That would be a really interesting journey to see- I love contrasting morality systems between various magical beings.

So,    It’s no longer a good idea for Chise and Elias to be near each other. Chise needs her space from him and Elias needs to seriously change and make amends.

I fully expected this to be how the anime ends. With Elias and Chise seperating and the promise that they will both be able to grow and change and learn to be without each other. And probably a hint that they’d reunite eventually, when Elias has truly changed (not just SAID he will). It seemed to be the natural arc of the narrative and honestly what these two characters NEEDED to really progress.

But the anime said “fuck character development, fuck healthy relationships, fuck pacing, fuck everything” and threw the arc it had been carefully building out the window.

In an extremely rushed and jarring final epsiode, Chise does a dangerous thing and asks for Elias’s help and he complies and...thus she instantly forgives him. Despite the whole thing being treated as a huge deal, suddenly this very real issue of their toxic relationship is forgotten, she goes back to him and their disagreement is treated as nothing more than a cute spat (with Elias claiming Chise is equally at fault because she acted on her own without waiting for him once, proving he has learned NOTHING  and does not understand the severity of what he did and how it is in no way equivalent to Chise simply being reckless), they even turn chibi.

THIS IS AN ARGUMENT OVER HOW ELIAS TRIED TO MURDER A CHILD CHISE LIKED OUT OF PETTY JEALOUSY. IT’S A BIG DEAL. DON’T TRY TO MAKE IT SOME CUTE AND SILLY THING WHEN YOU TREATED IT SERIOUSLY THREE EPISODES AGO.

Oh, but it gets worse. Elias and Chise resolve their argument offscreen and apparently it’s all solved by Elias saying he won’t do it again. Yep. That’s it. No demonstration he’s changed or even understands why his actions are wrong. It’s just “I won’t do things you don’t like”. Problem solved!

And the Chise does what any girl would do after a guy broke her heart and tried to murder her ten year old friend: get a wedding dress and make her vows to him!

No. i’m not joking. As much as I wish it was.

And this scene is not framed as creepy or dangerous. It is framed as sweet and romantic.

Let’s put aside the fact Chise is 16. Let’s put aside the huge power imbalance in their relationship and the fact Chise is in his care. Even putting those things, this makes no sense from a narrative and characterization perspective

Elias has done nothing to warrant Chise wanting the make this step! He literally just betrayed her! There was absolutely no buildup to this, no natural relationship progression! Elias and Chise are both in no way ready to be in a romantic relationship! Elias proved he isn’t emotionally equipped to function as FRIEND and reasonable being right now, much less a husband! Does he even know what a bride is? Last time we checked, he didn’t even understand the concept fully! He has no idea what he’s supposed to do as a husband. Why would Chise choose NOW of all times to make her move when he’s done nothing to show her he won’t pull shit like, i dunno, trying to murder her friends because he’s jealous, again?

This is so tonally jarring with the rest of the series and it comes out of nowhere. It seemed fundamentally opposed to how the relationship between Chise and her mom was handled, where moving away from abuse and letting go of your abuser was emphasized. Where not excusing horrible actions and taking time to fully deal with your hurt and pain was emphasized. Apparently none of that applies to Elias! No time apart, no time to process and heal and have him take responsibility for his actions!

It’s also just terrible from a narrative perspective- it’s ridiculously rushed, it’s a complete tone shift that treats what was presented as a big dramatic conflict that seemed like it would shake these characters at their foundation as a an easily resolved cute little spat, it fails to be satisfying as a conclusion. Compared to the rest of the show, it feels like it was written by an entirely different person.

And it was. I immediately went to check if this whole conclusion was anime original and yep. This is where it overtook the manga. This ep was the shitty, rushed conclusion they tacked on to a story line that really, really needed more time to breathe. I have no idea why they’d want to do this, why they couldn’t just wait for the manga to finish this arc and end the anime there, but here we are.

I hope the manga will have a more satisfying conclusion to this storyline, that it will give the resolution the room it needs. Ideally, I’d like Chise to live apart from Elias for at least a while. She’s grown a lot, and she needs space to grow further and learn how to function without him. They’ve gotten dangerously codependent and it’s stifling her. Meanwhile, Elias especially needs to learn how to not treat Chise so possessively and taking time apart from her and respecting her wishes to be left alone would help him learn to do that. He needs to work on himself so he isn’t a danger to her. If they stay together right now, things will only get worse.

The manga is about their relationship, so I have no doubt they’ll eventually reunite, but I want to see it happen only after Elias proves he’s changed significantly and after Chise is allowed to become more confident and independent. I hope the manga delivers on that and tells a satisfying story where the characters actually grow, that treats the issue of abuse and toxic relationships seriously, that gels with the stuff that came before.

Of course, there was other stuff going on in the midst of Chise and Elias’ emotional journeys. We learned the Cartaphilus backstory and it was actually pretty interesting stuff. it fully explored exactly how horrific it would be to wander the earth and never die- Cartaphilus was being punished for a crime that was so long ago he couldn’t even remember what it was. When he finds out it was “threw a rock at the Son of God” he’s like “wtf just for that? other people did way worse shit!” and you have to agree with him. It also offers the ishiness of using Cartaphilus as an antagonist a bit by making it clear he only started killing after fusing with a boy named Joseph. In fact, the Cartaphilus part of Joseph seems mostly benign as he was the one who tried to talk to Chise.

So it’s a compelling take on an old story. Lots of parallels are made between him and Chise, he’s a great antagonist thematically. The conclusion...well like everything in the last episode, it was rushed, weird, and I couldn’t really tell what was going on. Hopefully the manga's version will be better.

I enjoyed a lot of this anime- the rich fantasy world, the exploration of trauma, the complex characters- but the last episode was just so infuriatingly BAD that it damaged the narrative as whole. It undid and contradicted most of the positive things about the story. It just left me feeling skeeved out.

So in the end, I don’t recommend this anime. Because you’re better off reading the manga. I went through it, and it was better paced than the anime overall, has many details that strengthen the story and the emotional beats hit much harder. Watching the anime can be a confusing experience at times, but the manga is much easier to follow. I feel pretty confident based off this that however the manga wraps up the current arc, it will at the very least be slightly better paced and executed. So be kind to yourself, and go with the better version of the story if you’re interested in this. And cross your fingers for a good ending.

#anime overview #the ancient magus bride #devilman crybaby #winter 2018 anime #mahou tsukai no yome #mahoutsukai no yome #hatori chise #chise hatori #elias ainsworth #anime #abuse cw #suicide cw

[rewolfaekilerom]

thoughts on the beguiled.

I’ve wanted to watch The Beguiled since I saw the trailer for it in 2017, but I never ended up seeing it. I also didn’t hear much hype around it in the 19C US lit academic community, which I was definitely a part of at the time of its release. I saw–I think–a Vogue article on it, and a few articles came out about the costuming or historical setting. It was directed by Sophia Coppola, so that carries some weight–or it should have. I can’t speak much to the film’s popular success, but I can say that it wasn’t a thing in academia. That surprises me now, especially given how popular the recently released Green Knight movie has been in the medieval academic internet. Maybe The Beguiled didn’t get much buzz because it’s a remake, so anyone who would’ve hyped a movie in 2017 had already seen the original, or maybe it’s just that 19C US lit academia hasn’t come to fully appreciate films about that time period (I’m not sure I buy that because everyone had something to say about the most recent Little Women adaptation). Basically, I’m surprised the 2017 The Beguiled wasn’t required viewing for every PhD student in 19C US lit in the same way that literally any single one of the Little Women or Anne of Green Gables adaptations has proven to be. Is it because The Beguiled focuses on the South? Is it because it’s a remake? I don’t know, and now that I’m not in academia, I’m not sure I really care. It’s just a casual thought that prompted this post.

If you haven’t seen or heard of The Beguiled, it’s like Misery meets Little Women but set in the Civil War-era South. The recent adaptation stars Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell. The basic premise is that Colin Farrell’s character is a Union (Northern) soldier (originally of Irish descent) who is wounded in battle and hides in the woods to die or … recover? He’s found by a young Southern girl who’s attending an all-girl’s boarding school in the area; she’s out picking mushrooms, finds him, and brings him back to the school so the headmistress can care for him. The five or six other female students at the boarding school–and the headmistress–quickly become enamored with Colin Farrell and begin competing for his affections. They heal his leg, and he begins reciprocating everyone’s attention. He tells Kirsten Dunst he loves her, he shares a few heavy emotion moments with Nicole Kidman, and he flirts repeatedly with Elle Fanning–all while the other girls and women are in the room. It’s bold behavior, but what does he have to lose? Well, actually, a lot because Kirsten Dunst finds him one night in bed with Elle Fanning, and when he approaches her to apologize or explain (honestly, what is his goal????), she pushes him away from her–and down the gigantic plantation house’s stairs. He’s knocked unconscious and his sutured leg injury reopens, so Nicole Kidman decides to amputate because he’s losing a lot of blood (but actually because she’s jealous that he went to Elle Fanning’s bedroom). He awakens from the surgery and is BIG MAD. He calls everyone on their bullshit but also goes into a drunken rage because he only has one leg and the amputation was performed for, frankly, illegitimate reasons. Kirsten Dunst tries to calm him down by having sex with him, but the other women plot how to get rid of him (oh yeah, he grabbed a weapon–I missed how he got it. Did he already have it? I thought Nicole Kidman had one too?), and they decide to have Mushroom Girl go get the bad mushrooms. They feed them to him, he dies, and the leave his body outside the gate for whichever army to pick up as they pass. That’s it. That’s how the movie ends.

I liked this movie; it was fine. Was it what I’d hoped for from Coppola? Not at all. Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite movies and I always how Coppola will make films in that same style. The Virgin Suicides has a lot of that same energy, and I love that film too. The Beguiled definitely feels like a Coppola movie. It has a similar dreamy and ethereal quality, but here there’s a darkness and underlying tension that some of the (literally) brighter films don’t always have–visually, at least. Or, maybe a better way of putting it is that the true bright, dreamy, and ethereal scenes are fewer and further between in The Beguiled than they are in the other two films I mentioned. Whereas the dark, saturated tones appear pretty much throughout in The Beguiled (except in a few very key moments), Marie Antoinette and TVS are dominated by those bright, dreamy, ethereal tones, and the darker, saturated tones appear in very strategic moments to signal Serious Business happening. As a viewer, I don’t mind the difference, but I’m not sure if the dark, saturated tones in The Beguiled always accurately reflect other depths of the film–most notably, its plot. But more on that in a second.

To get the thing out of the way that I’m supposed to talk about as someone with a PhD in 19C US lit, the historical stuff in this film works. It’s not trying to be irreverent or fanciful with historical tropes like, say, Marie Antoinette. That’s not a value judgment; it’s just a comment. Frankly, I don’t really have too much to say about this film’s historical aspects. Whereas I usually have some opinion of costuming (the recent Little Women adaptation is wonderful but there are … things I don’t love) or how historical subject matter from the period gets treated in films, in this case, I really wasn’t distracted by any significant historical inaccuracies and there were only a few times that I was like “wait a second, is this right???” Honestly, the biggest cause for that question related to some of the evening wear, which looked a little cheap, but that’s whatever; also, Civil War-era garments aren’t something I know especially well, so who am I to judge?

I appreciated the film’s take on women’s–well, some women’s–concerns during the Civil War, including the threats posed by roving military troops on both sides of the conflict, the loss of loved ones (and the sense that their lives are halted but also must go on), the mindless regurgitation of stereotypes about enemy soldiers, etc. I also love the way the film portrays some of the more mundane aspects of these women’s lives–the monotony of sewing, housework, and learning French to speak … with one another–and some of the unique situations caused by wartime population changes, including middle- and upper-class women’s need to perform outdoor labor (I was surprised to see them using shovels, for instance).

I was, frankly, extraordinarily disappointed to see that the film pares the household economy down to a group of middle- and upper-class white women with a casual comment about how all of the enslaved workers left prior to the film’s opening. I understand that this detail further emphasizes how alone and isolated this group is, but for a film released in 2017, it frankly felt like a cop-out. It’s unfathomable to me that a Southern Gothic film set during the Civil War wouldn’t have one single Black character and could write an entire population off in a throw-away line at the beginning of the film. Black Americans played essential roles in the US economy during this period–in all periods, but I’m talking about this one specifically here–and they were pivotal figures in the Civil War itself. They held especially pivotal roles in the South’s (really, the nation’s) economy, and their relationships with domestic life in that region were so complex, rich, and, frankly, worthy of all the attention in the world. Did the film’s producers not want to hire more actors, or did they think a group of white people having old-timey white people problems was enough to bring in audiences? The 19C was full of a million different stories of how enslaved southerners responded to the war and how their lives changed–especially in the South–because of it, so to not depict even one of those stories strikes me as … well, representative of what’s wrong with this film.

Okay, so I lied when I said I didn’t have an opinion on the historical stuff in this film.

My big issue with the film–well, other than (or connected with) the fact that it completely ignores literally the most important population of society during the historical moment it depicts–is that this film’s content doesn’t seem to live up to its visual richness and depth. What I mean by this is that the film’s deep and rich visual style–the color saturation and tones mentioned above–don’t mesh with the plot and characters, which are collectively underdeveloped. I think the underdeveloped plot is fairly straightforward–I didn’t need to leave much out in my summary above, and that paragraph is shorter than most emails I send. This is a film without subplots, which has made me realize how important subplots actually are for fleshing out a fictional world–even a fictional world I know a lot about and am able to imagine my own depth for. The story is a love triangle (with a few extras) in the South during the Civil War. That love triangle could take place literally anywhere and anytime else and it’d have basically the same tension. I’m not even sure you really even need the enemy soldier dimension of Colin Farrell’s character because it’s barely an issue; the majority of the tension comes from the threat a man poses–even an injured one–to a group of women, and that’s timeless. We, as a society, are also obsessed with the idea of women fighting for a man, a storyline I’m getting a bit sick of because it’s just another way we pit women against one another. But that gets to something else, which is the lack of character development. The characters–all seven of them or whatever–are stereotypes. Kirsten Dunst is the shy one who underestimates her beauty, Colin Farrell is an undercover Casanova (a 19C fuckboy, shall we say?), Elle Fanning is a flirt, and Nicole Kidman is a stern (and vindictive) older unmarried woman. We also have the spoiled rich girl and the silly sweet (but also unexpectedly vicious) girl. And Mushroom Girl is the nature-lover, who we know will be expected to conform to societal expectations the second the war ends and she reaches a certain age.

Frankly, the most interesting part about this film is imagining what is happening and will happen outside of what it shows on screen. I spent the entire time I was watching it wondering what these girls’ families were doing, how the soldiers just beyond the camera shots were faring, what the home’s previous (enslaved) domestic laborers were up to and where they had gone (and what their lives were like here before the war), what would happen to the girls in the days and months following the events of the film, etc.

TL;DR: It’s a flawed film that wasn’t terrible to watch, but left me wanting more–a lot more, and not in a “oh, make a sequel!” kind of way but in a “what was left on the editing room’s floor?” kind of way.

xoxo, you know.

[got7isbasicallyheaven]

[GOT7 Reacts] To their idol girlfriend being shipped with another member

request by a fab anon: Can you do a request where you are an girl idol and your relationship with one member is a secret to the public, but the fans ship you with another member. Sorry if that’s confusing :)

a/n: Sorrrrrryyyyyyy for the hiatus. I moved into a new apartment and shit went down with my boyfriend and it was a lot to handle. But sorry this took so long my love ~~~ JJ

Mark: The public saw you and Jackson together on a variety show and the familiarity between had fans shipping you and Jackson hard. It would make Mark jealous in a low-key way. He wouldn’t want to reveal your relationship because he’s said many times he won’t do that until he’s married but he would make sure in your private life to show you more affection than usual and probably make sure the two of you hang out alone together more than hanging out with all the members together especially trying to avoid situations where you’re left alone with Jackson even though he knows there’s nothing between you. “Hey, you still love me, right?”

Jackson: Jaebum called you to do a duet on an Immortal song 2 with him since you were the only female vocalist he knew. Fans noticed your amazing chemistry which was really just your friendship but it didn’t stop them from creating cute ship names and hashtags about you. Jackson would be the most likely of the boys to announce his relationship with you. He would purposefully take you somewhere kind of busy and hold your hand or put his arm around you for photographers to see you are his. “Yeah she’s MY girlfriend look at her everyone”

Jaebum: When you were cast as Jinyoung’s love interest in a new drama it was a bit awkward considering your relationship with JB but you and Jinyoung tried to keep it pretty professional. Fans immediately fell in love with your characters and extended that love to you and Jinyoung as a couple. Jaebum would be pretty annoyed with the whole situation. He would feel upset because he doesn’t want to reveal your relationship and risk losing everything but can’t stand seeing you being paired along with Jinyoung either. He would try to not let you see it’s bothering since none of this is really your fault “ Yah ______, it’s so funny I can’t believe they think you would date him” 

Jinyoung: The paparazzi caught snaps of you and Youngjae walking your dogs together which sparked a scandal right away. Your agencies denied the rumours right away but fans kept shipping you anyways. To hide his jealousy Jinyoung would probably lecture you to make it seem he is watching for your best interest when really he seriously hates the idea of you being with anyone other than him. All the media attention towards you and Youngjae makes him a little self-conscious of the relationship though he tries to not let it show. “What were you two doing alone together anyways? ______-ah you’re both idols you know better.” 

Youngjae: You and Bambam were spotted shopping together downtown and fans were quick to notice your similar outfit mistaking them for couple clothes. The shipping immediately begins online and Youngjae was really sad about it. He wished he could shop like that with you in public but he didn’t want to ruin the privacy of your relationship. He would mostly be upset with Bambam taking you out somewhere knowing well that something like this would be bound to happen. He would likely get all cute with you every time you’re alone “I don’t know why he always wants to go places with you alone _____-ah. I know he’s just your friend but it makes me jealous.”

Bambam: Your friendship with Bambam and Yugyeom was pretty well known in the idol world. However, fans for some reason always thought it was you and Yugyeom who should end up together since you were always bickering. Bambam would try to drop sly hints about your relationship. Like every time you were on a program with them he would put a friendly arm around you or joke around with you a lot so that more fans ship you and him together. If dating rumours start about you and Bambam he would most likely Instagram a couple photo just with the caption “Yaaassss”

Yugyeom: You and Mark were temporarily hosting After School Club together and fans quickly fell in love for your charm and visuals together making names like “visual couple” or “English couple”. Yugyeom would be the most jealous. He really wouldn’t like it and would be conflicted about whether to reveal your relationship. In private he would be half-annoyed with you but also trying to impress you with flowers and things to remind you that you are his. “Baby, sorry I’ve been so uptight. I’m just really crazy about you. And maybe it’s time everyone knew.” 

#got7 #igot7 #kpop #jaebum #mark tuan #jackson wang #jackson #jinyoung #JB #JR #youngjae #choi youngjae #bambam #yugyeom #got7 reactions #reactions #got7 scenarios #got7 imagines #kpop reactions #got7 reacts

[shinas-spicy-chicken-leg]

Character Development

BASICS

Full Name: Shina Mizushima Nicknames: I don’t … think she really has one? There isn’t really a whole lot of nicknames you can get out of ‘Shina’. Sex/Gender: Female Right or Left: She’s actually left-winged Age: 28(Though she turns 29 in May) Height: 2'6"(So smol, though truthfully, this is actually due to me bumping UP her height. REAL Satsumadori hens are only 1'6") Eye Colour: Pale gold Hair Colour: Chickens don’t have hair silly. But plumage-wise, she’s mostly black and silver, with salmon coloured chest feathers Distinguishing Marks: She doesn’t … really have any, I don’t think. Paragraph Of Physical Traits: Um … chicken? She’s built like an Asian gamefowl(since that’s what Satsumadori chickens are), so, long legs, lean build, small pea comb. Beak and legs/feet are yellow. Sides of her tail fan out, similar to a peacock’s train. I know everyone makes fun of her for her size, but honestly, she’s only considered short in comparison to other species. By chicken standards gamefowl are considered tall breeds. She isn’t even the smollest of the smol.

FAMILY/RELIGION

Parents: Isamu(father) and Hatanaka(mother) Mizushima Siblings: None. Siblings are rare in her people’s society. Marital Status: Engaged(In one of her ship!verses anyways) Significant Other/s: Mainly @ishdarosieposie’s Angelo and @blizzardbones’ Hanleng. Children: None currently. She may adopt eventually in the future. Other Relatives: Her only other living relatives are her cousin Minako, and Minako’s parents, who don’t have names yet because I’m a horrible dirty procrastinator. Pets: Friends: Aside from Satoshi and Tatsuo, mainly Rose and the Soothsayer and … Fung and Gahri, I think. Oh yeah, and Sing Sing. :3 Enemies: Uuuh, I don’t think she currently has any, really. Unless you count her weird frenamy relationship with Shen? Ethnicity: Japanese Religion: She likes exchanging stories about the mythology from her country, but I don’t think she really follows any set religion. Beliefs: Kind of hard to pinpoint any of her beliefs because her moral compass flip-flops so damn much based on circumstances. For the most part though I think she’s mostly a neutral character with a slight inclination towards good. Superstitions: Shina herself isn’t superstitious, though superstition is so ingrained in her culture that she may subconsciously partake in superstitious behaviours out of habit(I.E., not sleeping with her head towards the North, not sticking chopsticks upright in her food, etc.) …. Diction/Accent: The dialects in Kyushu are more distinct than in Eastern and Western Japan. Because of her place of birth she would probably have a Satsuga(Kagoshima) dialect.

SCHOOL/WORK/HOME

Education: Academic education isn’t considered high priority to her people, so she really only grew up learning the basics of reading, writing, math, etc. Anything else she learned after she came to Gongmen. Otherwise most of her education is in fighting and military training. Degree(s): Occupation: Spy for hire and thief(sometimes also for hire). Own or Rent: Technically rent, since her home in Gongmen is actually owned by Satoshi. Living Space: Aside from having her own room, she mainly shares a kitchen and dining/living space with two other people(and sometimes three if Shen decides to drop by … usually unannounced). Work Space: Varies given her job is less than legal and requires her to travel sometimes. Main Mode of Transport: Her legs. :U

PSYCHOLOGY

Fears: Thunder(the main big one), mannequins, may have some low-key abandonment issues. Secrets: She tends to keep her career a secret from most people since it’s kinda … less than legal. I don’t know if she’s even told Rose or Angelo. As an extension to that the Soothsayer is not yet aware that she was never an ACTUAL servant in the Gongmen tower and Shina plans on keeping it that way and just kinda … low-key stresses over it(I think she kinda just expects Goat Mom to just barge in and start whopping her with her cane one day if she ever finds out hahaha). IQ: I don’t know the exact number, nor do I care since IQ tests are flawed and really not a good measure of intelligence at all … but as much as I yell at her for pissing off dangerous people with reckless abandon, she really isn’t all that stupid. Just … lacking in common sense. I tend to think of her as more wily than book smart though. She can articulate herself fairly well when need be can lie/manipulate pretty convicingly, which is essential to her job since spying is basically just one big act. She has to be able to convince other people that she is actually who she’s pretending to be. Eating Habits: She mostly eats whatever she’s in the mood for. Because of the way bird metabolisms work she eats pretty frequently. Food Preferences: She’s mostly a veggie eater, but she also has a thing for hot/spicy foods. Not … really a common palate in Japanese culture but a dare involving wasabi back in her childhood kinda fucked up her tastebuds I think. XD; Sleeping Habits: She tries to maintain a fairly regular sleep schedule. She usually sleeps with her legs tucked under her body and head under her wing(so … like a bird basically), though sometimes if she’s really tired or drunk she’ll kinda just … flop onto her bed and fall asleep in whatever position she lands in. Book Preferences: She doesn’t read much, honestly. She enjoys stories and folklore though. Music Preferences: She mostly prefers instrumental music. Usually something light and cheerful. Groups or Alone: I wouldn’t exactly call her a loner, but she generally prefers to hang out in small groups, like maybe two people total. Large groups make her uneasy. Leader or Follower: She can go either way, honestly. Planner or Spontaneous: She needs some level of planning for her job but as far as personality and personal life overall she’s gung-ho spontaneous. XD; Journal: She doesn’t keep one, no. I don’t think she considers her life exciting enough to record any of it. Hobbies: Cooking, art, SEX …. How Do They Relax: Alcohol She likes to draw mostly. What Excites Them: …. I’m sorry I can only think of ‘excites’ in the sinful way goddammit brain. Uuum, she tends to be pretty exciteable during festival season though. What Stresses Them: Shen, all these damn secrets she’s keeping from people about what her job is, and recently wedding plans. Pet Peeves: You had better chew with your goddamn mouth closed or she will straight up shank you with a chopstick. This isn’t a ‘sea/see food’ restaurant nobody wants to see your food while your mashing it up in your gross facehole. Prejudices: Honestly fuck this question because I can't think of a damn answer. I'm sure she has them but she gives so little of a fuck about sticking her nose in other people's lives that nothing is coming to mind. Attitudes: ??? I’m not sure what this one is referring to exactly but like, Shina basically IS an attitude? Covered in feathers?? She’s all about the sass life. Obsessions: Money, Angelo, food Addictions: Sex, alcohol Ambitions: *Loud shrugging* I think one of her main character flaws is that she’s really not all that ambitious. She’s pretty complacent with her life as it is now. Much to Shen’s aggravation lol

ASTROLOGY/PHISIOLIGY

Birth Date: May 10th Western Astrological Sign: Taurus Traits Associated with Western Sign: Persistent, tough, sensual, realistic, loyal, generous, friendly, loving, reliable, but also stubborn, jealous, resentful, possessive, spiteful, materialistic, inflexible, and lazy. Chinese Zodiac Sign: Rooster. *Bricked* Okay I don’t actually know since she’s not living in a specified time frame so I picked the most fitting choice. :U Traits Associated with Chinese Sign: Observant, hard-working, resourceful, courageous, outspoken, frank, open, honest and loyal. Can be overzealous, egotistical, and abrasive. Handwriting: Her handwriting is not that great ahahaha. It’s readable, but kinda sloppy. Sexual History: Extensive. *Wink wink nudge nudge* …. Okay I’ll stop. No but for real uh … she lost her virginity when she was 15. To another girl. She realized shortly afterwards that she swung both ways. She had a couple other partners after that but the nonstop casual fuck-fest didn’t start until she came to Gongmen. General Health: Physically speaking she’s pretty healthy. Mentally/emotionally is a whole different can of worms Allergies: None that she’s aware of.

OBJECTS KEPT IN

Purse/Bag: Mainly money, maybe a few random trinkets/charms she likes to carry around, some notes and a shopping list. Wallet:N/A Fridge:N/A Medicine Cabinet: She … has no idea. Usually whatever medicinal crap Satoshi has stored in there. Mostly things for everyday ailments and common sicknesses. He does technically have their names and uses labelled on them though because he honestly doesn’t trust the other two to figure it out themselves. Especially not a drunk Shina. :P Glove Compartment: CARS ARE NOT A THING YET. N/A. Junk Drawer: She mainly keeps art supplies and sketches there. Maybe some old family portraits and a few cool rocks or seashells she’s found. Backpack: If she’s backpacking then she’s probably traveling a ways and therefore would mostly be carrying survival supplies. A sleeping mat, non-perishable food items, etc. Desk: That would be where her junk drawers are. :’D On top of the desk is generally where she writes notes and letters so she most likely has her stationary supplies there. The top of her desk is surprisingly tidy in comparison to the rest of her room. :U Clothes Pockets: Her clothes don’t usually have pockets. That’s what her bag is for.

OTHER

Halloween Costumes: IDK knowing Shina it would probably be some sort of monster from her own country’s lore. Talents: Art(I guess that’s technically a learned skill but meh), cooking, tessenjutsu, acting. Politics: Uuuh, in general she tends to be pretty progressive-minded, I guess? But for the most part her outlook is ‘stay out of my business and I’ll stay out of yours’. For social politics anyways. As far as country/provincial politics she really doesn’t give a shit. Flaws: Stubborn, impulsive, alcoholic, flip-floppy, jealous/possessive, hot-headed, blunt, doesn’t know how to process her emotions in a healthy way. Strengths: Loyal, reliable, affectionate, will feed you(Yes I consider that a strength shush), everybody’s mom. Drugs/Alcohol: I don’t think she has much interest in a lot of drugs. Except for alcohol. It’s already kinda been established that she’s an alcoholic. She’s not really picky about what she drinks but plum sake is her favourite. Passwords: Nnnnooonnneeee?? What would she need one for computers don’t exist yet?? Prized Possessions: Her war fans, the kimono she wears for special occasions, old family portraits, pretty much anything she brought over from her homeland. Time and Place: Song Dynasty China, according to my own headcanon. Though since she’s Japanese in origin … Heian/Kamakura period. I don’t know the specific time she currently exists in and both eras came about during the Song Dynasty time frame so I just kinda … mashed the two periods together cause fuck it. Special Memories: The wasabi dare has been mentioned before but it will always have a special place in Shina’s tiny chicken heart(and in Chicken Mun’s as well). Exploring the beaches with Minako and Obaasan, looking for shells and other cool ocean stuff. Most of her happier memories center around those two.

#*sobs* it's finally done #oh my fuck this took forever #it's also long as shit sorry

[zdbztumble]

Justification

A follow-up to this post.

So, we know one reason why the TRio was kept instead of Misty; they were Takeshi Shudo’s favorites. Another reason is that Mr. Shudo felt that Misty was the “least justified” of the main cast members. It’s worth noting that he wasn’t happy about this (a fair section of his blog post on the subject concerns his regrets over not doing a better job writing for Misty), and that he didn’t want to cut her from the show, but given the choices offered by the higher-ups, this was the call he made.

Let me be blunt: Takeshi Shudo was a very interesting writer with a lot of unique ideas, and I wish he’d had a bit more authority and scope to pursue some of them in Pokemon, but I cannot understand how he came to the conclusion that Misty’s presence in the main cast was the least justified, especially when he and his staff had already proved otherwise.

Look - I really like Brock. He’s got a great character design, he was given an excellent dub VA actor in Eric Stuart (let’s just ignore TPCi), he’s a likable personality, and he’s fiction’s most innocent and entertaining of borderline sexual predators (kidding, kidding). But if I divorce how appealing he is as a character from his actual function in the series, then a few things become obvious, at least to me. The big one being that Brock is very much a supporting role, by design I would argue. He is the group’s patient navigator, the mediator of disputes, the cook and cleaner, a source of comic relief, and an exposition bank. He performs very well in all these roles, and in the show’s initial stages, such a supporting figure was vital, not just to the protagonist, but to the audience as well.

However, when he left during the Orange Islands, the absence of that supporting role didn’t really hurt the show. In part, that’s because the more essential supporting functions were outsourced; there was plenty of comedy in the show without Brock in those days, a variety of other characters delivered exposition and handled navigation, shifts in Ash and Misty’s relationship lessened the need for a strong mediator (though it was still there, and Tracey...tried), and it’s just not necessary to see where the food and clean clothes come from.

When Brock returned, he took back all his roles, and still excelled at them. Even as Ash evolved into a more mature character, and as the need for so much exposition for the audience lessened, it was still useful to have an expositor and a mediator. In that latter function, Brock still played off of Ash and Misty really well, even though their relationship had changed. They were, after all, designed as a trio meant to be together through all the time that (the staff thought) the show would run.

Then we come to AG and DP. Both series seem to be in good standing with many fans, but one of the most common complaints about both that I’ve seen is that Brock was essentially redundant, shifted to the sidelines and left with no real purpose. I’m limited in how much I can comment, but based on what I have seen of both series, that criticism is definitely justified. I think this partly is because of changes in Ash’s personality. Brock’s original function was to calmly support a brash, cocky, inexperienced kid of a protagonist, but in AG and especially DP (and extra-especially XY/Z, for better or worse), Ash had matured, and had even taken over some of the mentor role to May, Max, and Dawn. Another problem Brock may have had in those years was that he was designed to be part of a trio with two specific co-stars. May and Dawn may have fought with Ash sometimes, but neither had the same kind of chemistry or dynamic with him that Misty did; it follows, then, that the need for a mediator between Ash and the female lead didn’t exist, at least not in the same way that it did when Misty was part of the cast. The need for exposition and comedy remained, but as the Orange Islands had already demonstrated, that job didn’t need to be performed by a single character.

None of this is to say that Brock was a bad character. Far from it. But it does demonstrate IMO that, as the show evolved and the cast changed, his role - which again, was vital at the beginning - became less essential. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t or shouldn’t have gotten better treatment in AG and DP, or that the staff couldn’t have tried shaking things up by expanding or altering his role, but left to try and fulfill the same functions he started with even as the need for them decreased, he suffered.

Compare that to Misty. Like Brock, her role was as a support to the protagonist. She could offer some exposition and navigation, and served as a mediator between Brock and all his would-be dates. But mostly, she served as a foil to Ash, the lead. On paper, that might seem less impressive than Brock’s function. But looking that the show itself, Misty as a foil:

Bickers frequently with Ash, drawing out his anger

Banters playfully with him even more frequently, bringing out Ash’s snarky and humorous sides

Battles with Ash, serving as an in-group rival of sorts

Coaches Ash, sometimes in a much tougher manner than Brock does.

Has a crush on Ash, which he sort-of returns, resulting in some jealous fits and awkward moments.

Other characters fight and tease Ash, and he has no shortage of battle challengers. And, if we’re being painfully honest, a “first love” subplot is not necessary to a show like Pokémon, and would and should never be more than a subplot. But no other character served all these roles at once, and Misty did very well in all of them right up to her departure. Being a much more explosive and reactive character compared to Brock’s more passive nature, she could more easily take the foreground than the background. And in being the one main character to draw jealousy and possible attraction out of Ash, she brought something unique out of him. Any supporting character who can do that to the protagonist is valuable. (And yes, in this instance, I am defining Misty, and Brock, by their roles in relation to Ash, but only because I’m looking at story function, and leaving issues of their strengths and potential as characters in their own right aside.)

Misty was also able to maintain her role as a foil to the hero without issue, even as the cast shifted around her, in the Orange Islands. Things even evolved with her at that time, since that was when the crush really started to figure as a subplot. This isn’t to say that Misty is a better character than Brock, by any means; issues of “better” aren’t even a factor here. But it is an argument that, while Brock’s function diminished as the show evolved, Misty could continue to serve as a key foil to Ash because of the specific roles she played in relation to him, even as the show around her changed. She even had room to expand in certain areas.

All this may be a good argument for why Brock shouldn’t have been on the short list of main characters up for the axe; removing him for good at that time probably wouldn’t have caused the shake-up the higher-ups wanted. But it is a solid argument against the idea that Misty’s role was the “least justified.”

#critique #commentary #pokemon #misty waterflower #brock #takeshi shudo

[toyfrog]

Sherlock S4 Final Episode Breakdown

I'm doing this as a favor to @frosty-chatterbox (I do adore your screename) So for the record I do not watch this show. But script doctors are sent scripts to edit, visualize, look for loopholes in plots and story placement. Those of us who can write a script, must also know how to dismantle one. So, I think what Sherlock fans need to remember "the elephant in the room" and double entendres with subtext. It's how we avoid the censors. If it's not cable, there are rules we must abide by in order to please networks so family content does not disrupt advertising dollars and the crucial demo. But we writers are sneaky and want our story told no matter what because it's our vision. So here's theirs: Sherlock (He turns to leave. Just then Sherlock’s phone, face down on the table beside him, lights up and a very familiar female orgasmic voice sighs from the speaker. John stops dead on the landing. Mary, smiling towards John’s back, looks down in surprise. Sherlock, raising his mug to his lips, glances across at the phone.) [okay right here in set direction. Mary is the distraction so you don't see the real story unfolding. There's only two people in the room Mary doesn't exist she is a figment of John's PTSD-like when he came back from the war. John is hallucinating because he feels betrayal. Now as I explain John's dialogue, those of you who watched, pay attention to Sherlock --that's who John's confessing to. Otherwise it makes no sense because Sherlock never implies for John to do this.] MARY: That noise: that’s a text alert noise.[yes The texting was key to he emotional affair building. John texts and Sherlock texts. Yet you don't see Sherlock pick up his phone, but it prompts John to confess.] JOHN (to Sherlock, turning round and coming in again): What was that? (Lowering his mug, Sherlock looks around the room as if confused.) SHERLOCK: Mm? (He swallows his mouthful.) What was what? [guilt. John is in emotional turmoil. Since day one John is a bisexual character but cannot bring himself to admit it out loud, so he deals with it] MARY: That’s the text alert of Irene Adler. She’s the scary mad one, right? [ [how would Mary the subconscious of John know this? Irene is the woman John believes Sherlock is in love with, is it not?] JOHN (to Sherlock): That noise. [the guilt stress] SHERLOCK (raising his mug to his mouth again): What noise? [again audience doesn't realize John is confessing to Sherlock and himself plot point] (Mary walks around to Sherlock’s side and looks down at him.) [Confess to Sherlock John your subconscious is telling you to admit your feelings.] MARY: But she’s dead. (She sucks in a long gasp and looks at John.) Ooh, I bet she isn’t dead! [Yes what does this mean? Mary purposely stands next to Sherlock regarding Irene and John's feelings about Sherlock.] (John walks slowly closer while Mary bends down to look at Sherlock, smiling at him.) [John walks closer to Sherlock] MARY: I bet he saved her! (Laughing) Oh my God! (Sherlock tries to look as if he doesn’t understand the fuss as John walks closer to him, frowning.) MARY: Oh, the posh boy loves the dominatrix! [I recall this dialogue from abominable bride I know I read it plot point about dominatrix going after Sherlock? Still in John's subconscious. There's no text sound it's in John's mind.] (Raising her eyes to John as she speaks) He’s never knowingly under-clichéd, is he? [Getting John to see Irene is not Sherlock's type] (John stops in front of his chair, looking thoughtfully . Sherlock looks up at him.) SHERLOCK: John? [yes he's gazing right at him. So now he confesses to "Mary" but it's really Sherlock.] JOHN: I’m gonna make a deduction. [that he's in love with Sherlock.] SHERLOCK: Oh, okay. That’s good. [yes it's good it's healthy John is slowly realizing where he belongs.] JOHN: And if my deduction is right, you’re gonna be honest and tell me, okay? [this is IMPORTANT] SHERLOCK: Okay. Though I should mention that it is possible for any given text alert to become randomly attached to a ...[telling him at this point it's not Irene.] JOHN (interrupting): Happy birthday. [Plot point. Did the show ever have an episode that was Sherlock's Birthday or is there another?] (Mary, now standing up straight, smiles down at Sherlock as he looks up at John silently for a moment, then nods his head.) [Yes John is slowly realizing what he's fought so long. Sherlock is Mary's replacement, she's leading John to realize that on his own. Extremely complicated but not really.] SHERLOCK: Thank you, John. That’s ... very kind of you. (He looks down to his mug.) JOHN: Never knew when your birthday was. [Thats important to him. Plot point] SHERLOCK (quietly, lifting the mug to his lips): Well, now you do. (He drinks.) JOHN: Seriously, we’re not gonna talk about this? [About "THEM" ] SHERLOCK (keeping his eyes lowered): Talk about what? JOHN: I mean, how does it work? [Yes John wants to know he's jealous of the dominatrix. He's jealous of Sherlocks texts are we seeing the big picture here?] SHERLOCK (precisely, still not meeting his eyes): How does what work? JOHN (smiling briefly): You and The Woman. [Because he separates them. Apart. How can you be with "her" why are you with "her" I'm not gay so to those outvthere that had a similar experience reflecting on your feelings acknowledging who you are, was it like this? Because a birthday is like a rebirth a mount out "it's my new birthday" in a way it's John wanting to share everything with Sherlock.] (Sherlock closes his eyes and sighs in exasperation as John continues.) JOHN: D’you go to a discreet Harvester sometimes? Is there a ... night of passion in High Wycombe? [Jealous lover. He knows deep down Sherlock is in love with him. How did you ppl miss this?] [Harvester is a restaurant chain in the UK. High Wycombe is a town in Buckinghamshire.] SHERLOCK: Oh, for God’s sakes. I don’t text her back. [Oh for God sakes I'm not seeing her! I'm not cheating on you!" This is like broke back mountain British style. If you can't fix it you got to stand it.] JOHN (chuckling as he moves a few steps across the room): Why not?! [Because he's in love with you. And John wants to hear it.] (He stops and looks at him, grinning, and his voice becomes louder.) JOHN: You bloody moron! [Yes the ones we love are the last ones to know.] (Sherlock stares up at him.) JOHN (loudly): She’s out there ... (he points towards the stairs) ... she likes you, and she’s alive. [Forcing Sherlock to admit it. Sherlock is Asexual in the books. Cannot admit it to himself.] (His voice starts to get angry.) JOHN: ... and do you have the first idea how lucky you are? [Ih yes. He's gazing at John right now. I'm guessing this is played like a lovers spat, yes?] (Beside Sherlock, Mary smiles down at him as he looks up at John, his left hand upturned on the arm of the chair as if still pretending he doesn’t know what John’s talking about.) [Yeah because Mary is forcing John to admit his feelings.] JOHN: Yes, she’s a lunatic, she’s a criminal, she’s insanely dangerous – trust you to fall for a sociopath ... [Jealous.-] (As he was speaking, Mary has walked across the room towards the kitchen. Now she turns her head towards John as she loops around his chair.) [Because the passionate confession is between Sherlock and John. Mary is the excuse nothing more.] MARY (exasperated): Oh, married an assassin! (She heads off across the room and ends up in front of the dining table. She turns and leans against the back of one of the dining chairs while John talks loudly to Sherlock, his hands on his hips.) [Love interest angst. This is what we writers call ANGST] JOHN: ... but she’s ... you know ... (He stops, unable to find the words.) SHERLOCK: What? JOHN: Just text her back. SHERLOCK: Why? JOHN: Because High Wycombe is better than you are currently equipped to understand. [The doctor realizes Sherlock cannot admit his own true identity] (Sherlock looks down, pouting a little.) SHERLOCK: I once caught a triple poisoner in High Wycombe. [Deadly. Women are poison. Dancing around the ballroom avoid elephant in the room.] JOHN (quieter): That’s only the beginning, mate. SHERLOCK (sighing): As I think I have explained to you many times before, romantic entanglement, while fulfilling for other people ...[Not for me! I'm asexual until I can slowly admit that the only human I love is you.] JOHN (interrupting): ... would complete you as a human being. [There it is. ] SHERLOCK: That doesn’t even mean anything. [Nope because women are poison.] JOHN (leaning closer to him): Just text her. Phone her. Do something while there’s still a chance, [This is all subtext and double entendres. John revealing his true feelings Sherlock has trouble expressing emotion it is what it is.] because that chance doesn’t last forever. Trust me, Sherlock: it’s gone before you know it. (Firmly, emphasising each word) Before you know it. [Meaning him. This isn't about Mary, or Irene it's ANGST BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE IN LOVE TERRIFIED OF THE IMPLICATIONS] (Mary lowers her head, her face sad. [BECAUSE NEITHER CAN REVEAL TH TRUTH] Sherlock flicks a couple of nervous glances up at John. After a moment, John tilts his head towards where Mary is standing.) JOHN: She was wrong about me. [Yes Mary was. You're not in love with her.] (Mary raises her head. Sherlock looks up at him.) SHERLOCK: Mary? How so? [Now it's Sherlock's turn waiting for the confession.] (John looks towards the fireplace, then pulls in a breath and walks a little closer.) JOHN: She thought that if you put yourself in harm’s way I’d ... I’d rescue you or something. [Because he's in love with him. Getting bored stating the obvious but it's to build tension.] But I didn’t – not ’til she told me to. [EPIPHANY THERE IT IS. Now John gets it.] {He briefly glances towards Mary as he says ‘she.’) And that’s how this works. That’s what you’re missing [Love and sacrifice.] . (He points towards Mary.) She taught me to be the man she already thought I was. Get yourself a piece of that.[Yes. Mary now a saint not the evil ex not jealous nor resentful truly loved John. This is like Martin's marriage, saying goodbye to it. I can see why this is painful.] SHERLOCK: Forgive me, but you are doing yourself a disservice. I have known many people in this world but made few friends, and I can safely say ... JOHN: I cheated on her. [That gets a reaction. Mary knows who with so does Audience. John uses the woman as the excuse the same way Sherlock did with Irene. Avoiding reality.] (Sherlock stops. Mary straightens up from where she was leaning on the back of the chair, looking shocked. John gestures towards Sherlock.) JOHN: No clever come-back? (Immediately he turns to directly face the ghost of his wife.) JOHN: I cheated on you, Mary. [With Sherlock.] (Sherlock blinks, perhaps realising what’s happening, but he stays silent as he turns his head towards where John is looking.) JOHN: There was a woman on the bus, and I had a plastic daisy in my hair. [Is the daisy thing a symbol of something to mention it in a speech and if it has significant meaning means its subtext and not subtle either ] I’d been playing with Rosie. (He pauses for a moment then raises his eyes.) And this girl just smiled at me. (Mary gazes back at him. There is no condemnation on her face.) [Because He did not cheat with the woman. He flirted. He has an emotional affair with the person he's texting. That isn't the woman. I stand firm on that, because watch Sherlocks face. ] JOHN: That’s all it was; it was a smile. (Sherlock’s eyes turn back to John.) JOHN (to Mary): We texted constantly. You wanna know when? Every time you left the room, that’s when. When you were feeding our daughter; when you were stopping her from crying – that’s when. (Mary lowers her eyes and gives a small smile. John swallows, his eyes starting to fill with tears.) JOHN: That’s all it was, just texting. [With Sherlock. That will be revealed when the show ends. Watch his face.] (Sherlock has lowered his eyes and is gazing into the distance.) [Guilt yeah because that's how Sherlock expresses his true feelings without revealing it.] JOHN: But I wanted more. [Now Cyrano knows John's feelings are real, but still cannot reveal it is him.] (Sherlock lifts his head and his eyes to John again. Mary is smiling tearfully at her man.) [Sherlock is stunned because John is confessing to his dead wife he's got feelings for the person he texted. It's not his cuckoo sister it's HIM ] JOHN: And d’you know something? I still do. [Watch Sherlock's face.] I’m not the man you thought I was; I’m not that guy. I never could be. [Hes in love with Sherlock. And Sherlock now realizes it. ] But that’s the point. (He sniffs, then looks at her as his eyes fill with more tears. He bites his lip and speaks tearfully.) That’s the whole point. [DO YOU SEE THE POINT? John wants that back he still does feelings for the one texting hasn't changed watch Sherlock's face.] (Again he bites his lip. Mary looks back at him, her own eyes filled with tears. She smiles at him as he speaks again.) JOHN: Who you thought I was ... (she nods at him) ... is the man who I want to be. [Honorable, honest with integrity. Incan see why Ben Cumberbatch loves working with Martin his range is incredible I can visualize the tone and flection in his voice while saying this.] (He swallows, fighting off his tears. She smiles gently back at him.) MARY (softly): Well, then ... John Watson ... (She raises her head and smiles widely and fondly at him. He stares back at her. She looks at him for a long moment.) MARY: Get the hell on with it. [Yes. Get on with your life, and be the man she thought you were. Live without shame, without regret. Go back where you belong. Is this making sense?] (She nods at him and smiles through her tears. The perspective changes and she has gone. John stares ahead of himself for a long moment, then gradually lowers his head into his left hand and starts to cry. Sherlock quietly puts his mug onto the table beside him, then stands up. John sobs, tears pouring from his face and falling to the floor. Slowly Sherlock walks across to him.) SHERLOCK (softly): It’s okay. [Grief, fear, comfort from the person he loves the most, but cannot express it. This is ANGST.] (He tentatively raises his arms, perhaps hesitating momentarily for fear of being rejected again, then slowly puts his left hand onto John’s arm and his right hand onto his back before sliding it upwards to gently cradle his neck. He moves closer, sliding his left arm up to hold John’s shoulder.) JOHN (tearfully): It’s not okay. [No it goes back to Heath Ledger's line in Brokeback. If you can't fix it, you got to stand it.] SHERLOCK (softly): No. (He lowers his cheek onto the top of John’s head.) SHERLOCK (softly): But it is what it is. [See? If you can't fix it you got to stand it. Sherlock knows John is in love with him. Sherlock cannot bring himself to reveal how he feels. Not yet. If there's a season 5, or the last season, that's when you get it. But now it's kicking up a notch because they're in live fighting the feelings, Rosie is "Their" child she's the excuse to live together and the cases but not the real reason. Classic 101 love story ANGST. Powerful.]

#SherlockFinale Johnlock Breakdown TheWritersAdvocate

[shadyb00ts]

Horizon: Zero Dawn - A Review

Right, gimme a moment to compose myself after the INCREDIBLE RIDE that was this fucking game.

Okay. So. Picture it: E3 2015. There I was, minding my own business, completely PS4-less and only scoping out upcoming PC titles since at the time I was a proud PC gamer. Deep down I was always bitter that I probably would never get a PS4, though, so I usually knowingly avoided any footage of PS4 games like inFamous: Second Son, Uncharted 4, etc. I’ve always been a naturally jealous person, so seeing footage from those games at the time sorta stirred up some jealousy there.

But regardless of that, I still end up seeing the original gameplay trailer anyways. And holy fuckballs, I was so pissed. There in front of me was footage of a game that was literally MADE for me, I swear to god. It had all the elements that I loved in a game. Let’s list them, shall we?

Lush open world with gorgeous vibrant landscapes and incredible graphics: check and check

Female protagonist that looks badass and is voiced by ASHLY FUCKING BURCH: check, check and check

Bow and arrow combat: check

Stealth: check

RPG elements like side quests, skill trees, dialogue trees, etc: checkcheckcheckcheck

Intriguing and mysterious story: check

Platforming and climbing mechanics a la Tomb Raider & Uncharted: check

Honestly, I could go on and on but you get the idea. I never thought I’d see the day where a game could so perfectly fit the criteria of everything I like. So 2-Years-Ago-Me was completely heartbroken since at the time I was convinced that I’d never own a PS4. It was up there with Kingdom Hearts III as the games I thought I’d never get to experience.

Flash forward to now, having been a PS4 owner for about several months. This game was pretty much top priority on what to get, so as soon as it was available for preorder, I clicked that shit so fast I almost broke my mouse. So naturally, when the game finally became playable, I completely immersed myself in it.

This may be a bold statement, but I think Horizon is going to be one of my favorite games of all time. For real.

So all those elements I listed up there were true, but there were also additional elements I love that I had no clue were even in it, prior to playing. Like for example, I had no idea just how deep into the RPG category it was going to go. This game was so freaking immersive. I was immediately in Aloy’s shoes and experienced the world through her eyes, starting from childhood. And then what a pleasant surprise it was when I discovered that the game presents you with moral choices, too! At that moment I knew that the game was going to exceed my already extremely high expectations.

There are also dialogue trees in which you can exhaust a lot of dialogue from, and I of course took every chance I got to choose all the options. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this intricate world Guerrilla Games has built and encountering its inhabitants. I loved finding out more about all the different tribes and their own unique traditions and religious beliefs, as well as their relationships with each other. It also helps that their outfits are all so fucking rad. In addition to all that, there are collectibles called “datapoints” where you could find various text, audio and holographic documents from the world of the “ancient ones”, and there’s so many interesting tidbits you can discover from these files. Guerrilla really has fleshed out this world as fully as they could. And let’s quickly touch on the diversity this game has. Man oh man, there were so many people of all different races throughout this game. Lots of strong female characters who weren’t one-dimensional, and I even stumbled upon a gay character during one of the side quests. The diversity showcased doesn’t feel contrived or there to appease the masses, it feels natural and well represented.

I was a bit worried about the story at first, since Guerrilla were definitely shrouding it in mystery and being extra vague every chance they got, which I guess a part of me did like, since it made me not know what to expect and heightened my sense of discovery while playing. But these devs have crafted a really amazing story with a likable cast of characters, including the star of the show Aloy herself. I’m a little biased about her though, since she’s voiced by Ashly Burch who I adore to pieces, but even regardless of that she was simply a wonderfully written character. I just loved watching the story unfold, finding out more and more about what happened to the world and witnessing Aloy finding out the truth about who she really is. The lowest expectation I had initially about this game was probably the story, but it didn’t disappoint at all. I was thoroughly hooked and craved to know more. I won’t spoil anything, since I want those of you who are going to play the game to be more engrossed by it as you have your own experience through it.

Those of you who have seen screenshots and/or gameplay know that this game is a visual masterpiece. The environments are lush and full of life despite the post-apocalyptic nature of it. Originally I had thought the Last of Us had the most gorgeous post-apoc landscapes of all time, but Horizon definitely takes the cake for this one, no question about it. There’s a photo mode available, and because the game itself is so beautiful, it’s probably impossible to take a bad shot. Even without using the filters provided, the graphics have that gorgeous pinkish glow that I always love in games, very reminiscent of Dragon Age: Inquisition I think. The screenshots in this review were some snaps I took using the photo mode feature, and it’s really fun to play around with. You could probably spend hours with it taking scenic shots and action shots to your heart’s content.

Now let’s talk combat. A game automatically has me sold when it has archery. My love of this developed through the 2013 Tomb Raider remake, which I’m sure I reviewed on here a long while back. It grew when I played the sequel to that remake, Rise of the Tomb Raider. This game takes that style of combat and amps it up to a hundred, adding a bunch of various unique and craftable arrow types, as well as multitudes of elemental traps and explosives. Most unique out of these is probably the Ropecaster, which allows you to tie down enemies to leave them immobilized. These are extremely useful for the flying machines that you’ll encounter later on in the game, since they can be pretty tricky. The combat relies heavily on weakpoint takedowns, so you’ve definitely gotta have real good aim in order to slay them robots, especially the bigger ones. Unlike most action games, you can’t just go in guns blazing and continuously shoot arrows at random spots on the machines’ bodies. Focusing on their weakpoints is key, as that’s where all the real damage lies. Most of the robots are also weak to specific element types, so exposing those weaknesses gives you an even bigger advantage. Some enemies you could even strip off their ranged weapons and use it against them, which I thought was fucking radical. I did it more than a few times and it was a hell of a lot of fun.

There’s also melee combat in this game, although I rarely ever used it to be quite honest. The only use I found for melee are the silent takedowns during stealth, but in battle I would say ranged is the way to go. Battles with the machines are very exhilarating and intense, since they are clearly much more stronger than you, even the weaker ones. There are also human enemies like bandits and cultists, but they’re pretty easy to pick off since all it takes are headshots, basically. The machines are the real challenge. I played on Easy since I’m a scrub, and have always had no shame in playing games on easy difficulties anyways since, unlike most gamers, I’m not much of a fan of challenge. Basically for me, Easy is my Normal. That’s just how I roll. But even easy mode was a bit of a challenge at times, at least for me. I had some trouble with the huge, stronger machines. Then again, I pretty much spent the entirety of the game doing nothing but side stuff and power-leveling, so by the last few main quests I was already at max level. But even at max level and wearing arguably the best outfit in the game, the final boss was a lot to handle.

I’ve spent the majority of this review gushing about this game, but was there anything I disliked? In all honesty, not really all that much. Most of my negatives are pretty much small nitpicks. I thought the climbing mechanics could’ve been a little bit better, since unlike Tomb Raider or Uncharted, most of the platforming can be done just by pushing the left stick and only pressing the jump button once in a while. I would’ve liked it better if the jump button was more frequently used during platforming, basically. You also can’t filter between icons on the map, and the map interface can get pretty hectic as a result since there’s so much stuff cluttered in it. Not sure why they didn’t add the option to filter between machine sites, collectibles, etc. Would’ve made for an easier time navigating.

Another negative is probably how I wish the outfits were more customizable. As it stands, each outfit is already one full set, and the only modifications you can make are by using two or three slots where you can insert mods to increase certain effects like elemental resistances, stealth, etc. I wish it was a little more in-depth in that you could get different pieces for each body part, like most RPGs, and maybe be able to insert modifications to each individual armor piece. Actually, the modification system in general, for both outfits and weapons, is a bit too simplified for my taste. You can’t really upgrade them, it’s as simple as just inserting a mod or two and you’re done. This may be ideal for more action-oriented players, but since I’m an RPG enthusiast, I find it to leave much to be desired. There are some other small nitpicks I have with the game that hold it back from being absolute perfection, but honestly they’re all pretty much easy to ignore. The positives crush the negatives.

So yeah, overall I’m extremely overjoyed with how this game turned out. It’s everything I had been hoping for and then some. It literally just came out a few days ago and already I’m aching for a story DLC or, hell, even a sequel. This game better branch out into a franchise; there’s so much Guerrilla can explore with this world that they’ve created.

I give Horizon a 9.75/10. 9.5 seemed a little too low and 10 seemed a little bit too high, so I thought fuck it, 9.75 it is. This game is near perfection, and if you have a PS4 or are going to own a PS4 in the future, then I swear to you that you won’t regret having Horizon in your game library. It’s a mishmash of various elements in open world, action-RPG gaming all rolled into an impeccable, beautiful package. And for all you trophy hunters out there, it’s pretty easy to platinum too.

Man, do I love this game. Jesus. Looks like I’ve found something new to unhealthily obsess over.

#horizon zero dawn #hzd #ps4 #ps4 games #game reviews #aloy