#because things were going very well. they got along wonderfully when things were ambiguous -- when it was just flirting.

[rosymorns]

god im really in it w nate/rosanna

#im not having a good day so i am thinking about my beloved-s. sue me. #i keep thinking of like. after heavy flirting shes just like nate youre adorable but you dont have to try this hard to get me into bed #this like. at the door to her townhouse. she is unsubtly inviting him in. if we're gonna do this let's do it. #and hes like. well. yes i do want to sleep with you but i'd like to get to know you first because i like you as a person #and i do not want this to be casual :) #and her to emotions are: ?????????????? and no nononono nonono no no non ono nope #if this were a text convo she would ghost him immediately #unfortunately hes an old man and also they work together. she considers packing her bags and moving away. #as it is she just. avoids him as much as she can. for maybe a few weeks. and hes kind of hurt and confused the whole time #because things were going very well. they got along wonderfully when things were ambiguous -- when it was just flirting. #but he doesn't press her on it because well he has more than a modicum of emotional intelligence lel #i don't think she's forthcoming about what happened to her at all. but nate knows it's something. #he knows pain and fear well enough to recognize it when he sees it. #anyway i was trying to fit this into the books and i think that would be book 2-ish. and THEN i thought. #'house of mirrors role reversal where falk CAN read the detective' because rosanna's would definitely be killing her husband #and she would definitely get a guilty verdict xoxo. and then i was thinking about how N tends to panic in stressful situations. #and well. baby we got us a tasty stew simmering over here. #carly.txt #carly's oc #oc: rosanna

[mc-critical]

What are your thoughts on Ibrahim? For me it went from indifference and dislike in season 1 to liking in season 2 and becoming my favorite male character in season 3 tbh. Actually the only good male character by season 3 (season 4 has many other options too). He is probably the most complex and well written character and I really sympathise with him. His arrogance was his downfall but if Suleyman wasn't such a bitch it wouldn't have been lol. He wasn't wrong in that imo. He was a slave, a fisherman's son but his intelligence and skill took him farther than anyone else and it's not wrong to be proud of such a feat. He deserved the pride more than just about anyone, even Suleyman. What I dislike the most about him is his treatment of Nigar after their relationship ended. She's my favorite character and although their relationship itself was my favorite in the whole show (other than Nurbanu and Selim) it ended really badly

Ibrahim is one of my most conflicting characters on the series: one time I feel like I don't get the appeal, especially not the stans in one Bulgarian forum, he doesn't elicit such a strong emotional reaction in me as he does in others, but then once he hits an incredibly strong arc and I begin to analyze his character and all its dimensions, I come to love him for what he is and realize how much effort has gone in conceiving and developing him. He's certainly the most well-written male character that isn't a sultan or a prince in the entire franchise. (the sultans aren't the brightest, but the bar is so high when it comes to their writing. There isn't any of them that is badly written. The princes are also well developed, but now that I think about it, Ibrahim surpasses some of them as well!) He's delightfully fleshed out with every detail; his actions, while morally ambiguous at times, are very understandable and you can clearly see the deeper, nuanced reasons why he does what he does. His arc was a sight to see from beginning to end and watching it reach its inevitable tragic conclusion was heartwrenching. At a point he became so important to the narrative, whether it was intentional or not, that the show (or actually, S03B in particular, because S04 was absolutely fantastic!) began to lowkey miss something without him. He had such a strong presence that couldn't be matched by anyone else after him.

[To be brutally honest though, I find his dynamic with Hürrem in terms of screentime to be kinda overrated. Not that it's bad or anything, quite the contrary - their chemistry was great, they were consistent and fun to watch, they had quite a few great scenes that were definetly more than Hürrem and Mahidevran's, I dare even say this is one of the most solid antagonistic dynamics of Hürrem's writing-wise, but I just find it sometimes gets way too much credit? It's weird, I know.]

The most interesting thing about him is, without a doubt, his fatal flaw that I... actually don't think is arrogance. It's not up for argument that Ibrahim can definetly come off as arrogant, but the arrogance is rather a manifestation of his fatal flaw, not his fatal flaw itself. I believe that it's precisely his inferiority complex that is the root of his vulnerabilities: as you said, he's been only a fisherman in Parga, and his background is both a source of memories where he can recall his more "innocent" days with his family and a tough spot for him where he is consistently reminded of something that is already in the past after all he has achieved. He did want to return to Parga, to see who he used to be one more time, but after that it's as if he never gets a chance to forget, to put it behind him. He pretends he has forgotten, but that consistent reminder of how he has started seems to be constantly haunting him to the point he begins to remind himself of it. It's not only people like Figani, Iskender Çelebi or the other members of the divan in early S01 that don't let him forget, it's as if he himself doesn't want to forget. It's undeniable that he had climbed up to heights he wouldn't dream of and the role of a grand vezier needed getting used to and to be dealt with with care. On one hand, we could argue that he reminds himself of Parga as a way to preserve his moral compass, in a way, to realize when and how he has screwed up or remind himself of the limitations of how far can he go, for Süleiman is his friend and companion who he wouldn't want to disappoint. But on the other hand, the more he rose in the hierarchy, the stronger became a wish for him to exceed these limitations placed upon him by everyone around. Süleiman is able to give him everything if he wishes, so why not let it happen? Then he's going to prove to everyone, prove to his inner demons, this sense of inferiority that he, in fact, can not only become the most politically adept grand vezier there is, but a person who has his own country within the country and can rule it with ease. The political arena ultimately becomes a target of his inner conflict where he projects more power than anyone else, is most influential and does the best in order to gain the goal, not only to gain SS's approval, but show that, yeah, he can do his best for the role he's put in, fixating on the Ottoman country he claims to be a ruler of and his apparently endless rights. It turns into a coping mechanism where he can escape his past and background and he gets so sucked in it that his self awareness becomes less and less. That's where his arrogance comes from and I feel that if he didn't possess that complex of his, he would've managed things way better and had more self control, as a result. He was a very good politician in the show, setting in motion many good strategies (his strategy gave them the Mohacs victory after all), having a strong, pragmatic mind and many innovative ideas and if he didn't try his hardest to convince himself he's worth something that isn't just the story of the fisherman in Parga, Hürrem wouldn't stand a chance against him.

This inferiority complex is the reason for his infidelity, too. He loves Hatice dearly and he never expected that she of all people would do the very thing he dreads the most. Her pulling rank on him came as such a shock for him that it seemed he would never forget or forgive. It put infinetly more salt to the wound, deeply hurting his ego and the self-esteem he was just beginning to gain. That's why he let himself in Nigar's hands for so long, for she would only want to please him, for that relationship would have no limitations whatsoever and wouldn't restrict Ibrahim in any way. It was something that was his, something the dynasty would never touch or learn about. I love Nigar and Ibrahim's relationship, too. Principally, I'm not a fan of love triangles at all, but that one is a notable exception for how wonderfully, but crushingly psychological it is. It wasn't added in only for the sake of the drama, it was set up for very long and it was like the characters actually got there through their own actions and they had to truly face that struggle to flesh out and evolve. But there wasn't genuine love there, not in Ibrahim's part. That was his biggest weakness speaking, causing the illusion of love, not the real feeling of it. He wanted to preserve this relationship as the fisherman in Parga, but to me, it felt like he showed something more similar to his own confident assertions of the power of a grand vezier than actual regard for Nigar's feelings. It all was a lie he wanted to believe, because of his ego's denial, and he believed it so much he told Nico that Nigar was the person he truly loved in E51. And when he did get out of the lie (the monologue in E57), see how he reacts differently in front of her now - he turns off every single try of hers to give him affection, he reacted very badly when he learned she was pregnant, it was as if he wanted her to wake up from the dream and move on, too? And due to his inner conflict that perpetuates his arrogance grew even more in S03, he got over Nigar, but not over her child. Esmanur's birth made him return to and enforced his old habits that made him consider that child as another piece of solace, something out of the dynasty, also only his, trying so desperately to have her live with him and Hatice. The infidelity and the way he treated Nigar after he realized the error of his ways are ones of the worst things Ibrahim did, along with Leo (now, I get he wanted to knock Hürrem down a peg, but that was admittedly much for me.) and while I understand why these events and interactions came to fruition, I can't justify him for them.

I agree that had Süleiman not given him as much power, his inferiority complex would be highly downplayed, at the very least. He underestimated the possible consequences of Ibrahim's rise and it really doesn't look like he knows him as much as he thinks he does. Whether he did it to test him (SS's lasting reminders that Ibrahim gets closer to death) or because he loves him dearly and wants to embrace his potential ("I want you to use that mind only for me!") or both, it's like he gave him both too much freedom and too many boundaries at once. I mean, I understand why SS executed Ibrahim: his affirmations, no matter their backstory and how metaphorical they are, pose a definite threat for a padişah and along with his growing paranoia of betrayal, he couldn't be sure how far he was going to go anymore. It's as if Ibrahim crossed every line, openly acting like he controls the padişah and his state in front of the fellow pashas, efendis and ambassadors and that couldn't be controlled anymore. It's as if he had done his best efforts to bring him down to earth, but since none of it was working, he decided to act accordingly. The many "failures" of Ibrahim have been piling up in the narrative in the span of 81 episodes and I get why SS would finally snap for what was the final straw. However, doing so much unprecedented stuff for a grand vezier was bound to bring disasters for the padişah due to the chance in his mind that he would try to question or prevail over him, hence Süleiman should've realized that it was only natural one would want more and more. And that happened with S03 Ibrahim - he fought more and more with his inner demons, hence wanting to have more and more to be validated by the others and by his own ego that perhaps wouldn't feel satisfied regardless.

While his fatal flaw underlines his complexity, it also gets complimented by his many positive qualities: his love for Hatice was very sweet in the beggining and after the Nigar plot, it turned out to be really genuine - their reconciliation was very telling in that aspect; his relationship and loyalty to Süleiman deserves respect, even though his inferiority complex came in the way, he still would never give him up and never once lost hope in his recovery when he was in his deathbed and while that may become up for debate in S03, he would never openly stand against him and would gladly try his best to please him; his bond with Mustafa is amazing, too - I love how he practically raised that kid and gave him sound advice as well as his mother; that said, his relationship with Mahidevran deserves more appreciation and it is one of the most reciprocal and understanding, soft and "carefee" dynamics of the show; I love his dedication to his family and how he loves them as much and remembers them with the same fondness as ever before. In short, when going in depth, this multifaceted character has so much to offer, like, wow!

Okay, when I first watched the show, there was that point where I felt Ibrahim overstayed his welcome and I even wanted for Hürrem to finish him already (heh, those were the days! 😅) but now when I've rewatched and reexamined MC many times, I see that despite of his few negative traits, everything about this character flows so well and so organically and it's one of the characters in the series that have aged really well with time in my eyes. And I respect him so much for that.

#magnificent century #ibrahim pasha #ask #illusorybeing

[thenexusofsouls]

What were your thoughts on BW?

{i am the caretaker of souls} MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BLACK WIDOW BELOW THE CUT!

I really liked the movie. It was entertaining but also very hard to watch at times, which is exactly what it should have been. I like that we finally got a better fleshed-out background for Nat in the MCU, I liked her "family," and I thought there was the right mix and balance of the calculating assassin and morally-conflicted hero Natasha that we know and love. We saw her be a hero, but we also saw her falter, deceive, and do some terrible things too. I think too often we forget or ignore that she is a morally ambiguous character in favor of "but she's cool and I like her." The movie didn't shy away from saying look, she's done some horrible things, and she's going to have to face them. That was very well done. I also adored Yelena so so so much. Seeing positive Ace representation in the MCU (even if not explicitly said yet but I can hope) is great. But... some things bugged me a lot about the movie.

So... no one noticed a huge floating Red Room in the sky (Ghibli anyone?) for years? I know MCU tech is crazy but that just seemed desperately contrived. Also the level of violence for non-super-soldiers to only get a few bruises in the end was just... absurd. Natasha and Yelena both would have been dead ten times over, I'm sorry. But it's crazy superhero stuff, so I just nod and pretend not to notice, heh.

I really hated what they did with Taskmaster. I mean, I honestly loved the whole "sins come back to haunt Nat" arc, I did. And it illustrated just how heartless, cold, and depraved that girl's father was. It worked, it did. But... that should not have been Taskmaster. He should have been his own thing, closer to the comics, in my opinion. Even genderbent, I'm fine with that, but don't tie it to this added MCU plot that changed Taskmaster's identity, style, motivations, etc. They should have been two separate characters. I feel like the whole thing was a troll to people who read some of the comics, like oh hey guess what SHE WAS THIS CHICK ALL ALONG, GOTCHA! Mmm... no. That wasn't cool, it was a giant troll. Shame on you, MCU. This is why I have trust issues. XD The only way they redeem Taskmaster at this point would be in the Frankenstein sense (for all you Death Race fans out there), whereby the mask and mantle remain constant while the person behind the mask changes. That... could be cool.

Also, Yelena was just freed from life under someone else's control and then she takes up with Valentina? Why would she do that? Why would she want to do anything like that? Wouldn't she want to just live normally with her finally-acquired dog, or at least on her own terms instead of again being told what to do? I dunno that seemed weird to me.

I got confirmation of my headcanon that Nat was involved with the Raft breakout, so that was cool, but also learned that Wanda was incarcerated at the Raft for at least two if not likely over three weeks, so that's upsetting. Adding that into my girl's canon on her blog like... sorry luv.

I can't watch Rachel Weisz and not think Evelyn Carnahan, and if you get what I'm talking about, I love you for it. So it was weird seeing her as a Russian spy, but it was wonderfully uncomfortable, lol. My Ardeth muse is wincing right now haha. It's okay, bruh. XD

But yeah, even with all its problems, I did enjoy the movie a lot. And I have so many feels. Not all of which are good, though. One thing that really limited my enjoyment of the movie is that it happened already during a time at which we now know all is said and done. Nothing in this movie changes anything. We already know what happens. We know how and when Nat dies. So the usual pumped up excitement for the future of a fandom that I have with a new installment of an action movie... was dampened. Because this movie changed nothing. EXCEPT... that as Natasha fans, we now have a better understanding of her perspective during IW and EG. We now know she went though this whole other ordeal before she ever showed up with Steve to aid Wanda and Vision in Edinburgh. We now know some of her past and silent struggles that she carried with her for so long. So we, as fans of hers and maybe as writers if she's our muse, now have a better idea of her perspective in life in general and at the time of the last couple Avengers movies. And that is valuable. But as far as the excitement after the fact, it was dampened by knowing... there is no more for Nat. We do get the tie-in with the end of TFatTW, and we do get a lead-in to Hawkeye and all, but for Nat... that's it. And it just felt anticlimactic to me. I felt... sad. And I don't usually feel that way after an action film, heh. But... yeah, I guess all told it was appropriate to feel that way, but it was definitely... a mood.

That's my assessment of the movie and my reaction to it. What are your opinions of it? =)

#{ i am the caretaker of souls } ᵒᵒᶜ #black widow spoilers

[gplusbfics]

1994 Interview All About Garak & Andrew Robinson

I’ve seen this great interview posted a bunch of times online, but it’s alway seems to be as graphic scans, which I have a hard time reading, so when I actually got my hands on DS9 magazine Vol. 9, 1994, I was psyched. I could read it AND I could scan it! So here it is, with all the text, plus photos. I’ll be posting the photos all separately afterward, including a few that don’t fit. Enjoy!

I love Garak and Andy so much. Also, I love that this interview is all after Season 2 (and I believe before Season 3 aired), so you have Robinson saying things like “I wish I’d get to do more plots with Rene and Avery!” and “It’s going to really interesting when Garak’s secrets come out!” He he. It’s really zero surprise he wound up writing a book. Or that the book would be well written -- he uses great words in the interview, just popping in stuff like “apotheosis.” 

-Wendy 

According to his former superior in the Obsidian Order, Garak has a "rare talent for obfuscation." The same, fortunately, cannot be said of the man who plays him, Andrew Robinson. Given the chance, he willingly expounds upon the delights of playing this charming, yet devious, Cardassian. 

"This role has been quite surprising and wonderful," Robinson says. "The way the character is progressing is a delight for me. When I auditioned and got the part, I had no idea that it was going to be a recurring character. They've been writing really interesting things for Garak; each time that he appears, there's something more to play." 

What first attracted him to the role was "the mystery about the character. At the same time, there was also this wonderfully refined and urbane intelligence about Garak. Not only did he have a secret, but his secrets were very deep and potentially very interesting. I don't know where it's going from here, but I look forward to the day --- if the day ever does come -- when the truth about Garak emerges. I have a feeling that the secrets he has are going to be a great deal of fun to play." 

Because he didn't receive any back ground from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writers or producers, "I just created my own, so I had something to work from," says Robinson. "I went for the approach of something that was reptilian, someone with cold blood, who would have that same deliberate, measured style. In terms of mystery, I played 'I've got a secret.' The writers and producers have been taking what I'm doing and building from that, as well as whatever they have in mind for Garak, which really is the best. Very few shows do this. Very few."

Not surprisingly, Robinson's least favorite aspect of this role is enduring the makeup. "That's the worst part of it. Garak is a three-and-a-half hour makeup job. Sometimes I'll have a 2 or 3 a.m. call! There are seven prosthetic appliances that they put on, including the neck. It teaches you a lot of patience," he admits. "Once I'm in it -- and these are long days I put in on the set, 14 to 16-hour days sometimes --- I just have to 'Zen' out. Otherwise, if I start getting cranky, then I'm done; I can't act or do anything. I really have to move into an almost beatific state. I have lost weight, though; that's one good thing!" he adds, laughing, before relating a more serious makeup-related tale.

"When the earthquake hit in January, it was 4:30 a.m. in Los Angeles, and I was already in the makeup chair, along with Armin Shimerman [Quark] and a couple other actors. It was pretty bizarre: this earthquake hits, all the power goes out, and all these aliens in varying stages of makeup are milling about in the darkness! People like Armin and Ed Wiley, who was playing this Cardassian, couldn't get through on the phone to their families, so they just jumped into their cars -- Armin in his Quark makeup and Ed with his Cardassian makeup on -- and drove through the pre-dawn streets of Los Angeles. I can only imagine what the other motorists saw -- I think that would be more bracing than a cup of coffee!"

Robinson made his Deep Space Nine debut in the series' second-to-air episode, "Past Prologue." There, "plain and simple Garak" made first contact with Dr. Bashir (who immediately suspected him of being a Cardassian spy) and helped foil a fanatical Bajoran terrorist's plot. Interacting with the Klingon sisters Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) proved to be some of Robinson's favorite moments. "That was just a gas!" he exclaims. "We had a great time doing those scenes; I hope we can do that again." 

Garak next appeared in "Cardassians," where he was instrumental in uncovering a scandal concerning the abandonment of Cardassian orphans on Bajor after the war. "The best thing about that was the scene where he and Bashir go to Bajor and run into the orphans. We learned a little more about their culture, that children without parents have no status in Cardassian society, so they just abandoned them. The fact that Garak was faced with this, and realized that there is something very basically wrong about it, was great."

Although both Bashir and viewers alike still wonder which side (if any) Garak owes his allegiances to, Robinson thinks that "Garak's a good guy," and cites the second season episode "Profit & Loss" as "the turning point. When I got that script, I thought, 'Oh, I guess this is the end of Garak,' as I was reading. Then, I got to the end and he decides, no, he's not going to kill Professor Lang and her student dissidents, nor turn them in. He has the change of heart and lets them go. He was faced with that moral dilemma, and for most Cardassians, there would have been no dilemma; they would have just done what they were expected to do." The actor hastens to add, however, "That's not to say that the man doesn't have an... ambiguous past. He's very complicated, very ambiguous, and there's no doubt that there are things in his past that aren't very nice. He is, after all, Cardassian!" 

One of Robinson's greatest pleasures on Deep Space Nine, he says, has been working with Siddig El Fadil, who plays Dr. Bashir. "Siddig and I get along so well, and we have become very good friends from this show. The chemistry works out beautifully, where you have this older, reptilian mystery man who isn't what he seems to be, and this young innocent. It's easy to see what Bashir's getting from Garak: a political education. He's learning about the byzantine, labyrinthine subtleties and intricacies that go on in the station. 

"It's less clear, but equally strong, to see what Garak is getting from Bashir," he continues. "Bashir is a very decent person, a veru moral man, a responsible scientist with a soul. I think Garak is learning some of this, becoming socialized. I don't mean 'humanized,' because that would be a 'specist' thing to say. He's gaining a certain sense of compassion, a certain morality and that's very touching-that's what I love about the relationship." 

That being said, Robinson would also like to see Garak interact more with the rest of the Deep Space Nine crew. "It's a great company! I would love to do more with Rene Auberjonois; he and I have known each other forever. I think they'll have me do more with Quark this season, because we had some really nice scenes together in 'Profit & Loss.' Armin and I worked together just before DS9, in a production of Richard II. Also, I would love to do much more with Avery Brooks. He's a very powerful actor who has a lot of wonderful inner strength."

Garak's next two appearances, "Crossover" and "The Wire," showed two very different sides of the Cardassian. In the Mirror Universe, lntendent Kira Nerys rules Deep Space Nine, with Garak as her menacing second in command. "That wasn't hard to do," Robin.son says, "but that was interesting because I found the negative image to Garak: that Nazi, that typical Cardassian persona of the oppressor, the fascist, the totalitarian. There are no secrets to this man -- and no hiding any from him; he's just into sheer power. [The real] Garak is not into pure power at all; that's not his agenda! Now when I come back to Garak, I have more information about him, and he will be a deeper character as a result." 

Robinson's favorite episode to date, "The Wire" raised many questions about Garak's past and provided very few concrete answers. When an endorphin-releasing implant in Garak's brain begins malfunctioning, Dr. Bashir goes to great lengths to save his friend, ultimately discovering that Garak, among other things, used to be part of the Obsidian Order, a secret information-gathering Cardassian police force renowned for their brutal tactics. "'The Wire' was a dream," Robinson notes, "the type of episode I would like to do -- well, not all the time, because I would die! -- but frequently. That's the kind of episode that does indeed stretch my 'acting muscles,' because it demanded that I go inside myself and pull things out that perhaps didn't want to come willingly."

Originally a New England native, this "man behind the mask" recalls that "as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an actor. Not necessarily as a profession, but I always wanted to act. When I was 10, I went to this school in Rhode Island that had a wonderful drama program. It was run by a man who became my mentor. He was very supportive and helpful, and I just did plays and plays and plays." 

Robinson describes his college days similarly. "I had an art history teacher who encouraged me to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to study acting in London. I did, and I got it against all odds," he explains. "When I was studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, I was doing a student production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull; I was playing Constantine, this young man with a lot of troubles, and I had -- I can only call it an apotheosis -- this very deep emotional experience. That's when I decided I would act for a living." 

This led to several years of stage acting until Robinson landed his first movie role as the Scorpio Killer in Dirty Harry. "I liked Clint Eastwood," he says, "but for me, the excitement was working with the director, Don Siegel. He was an amazing man, the best director I've ever worked with. Basically, he taught me whatever I now know about filmmaking. The character I played was very underwritten and very under-realized in the original script; it was only because Don Siegel was the kind of director he was that he hired me and said, 'OK, give me the character.' At the time, I had no idea the kind of chance he was taking. It just blows my mind!"

With his film career established, Robinson appeared in all manner of movies, TV shows and plays. One of his most visible roles came in an ABC TV movie, Liberace. Portraying the flamboyant entertainer, Robinson says, "was a great experience. It ended up being one of the best things I've ever done. You see, the art of acting, for me, is quite liberating. There's a lot of freedom have when you're behaving in the skin of another person, so to speak. That, to me, is the most interesting thing about being an actor . Also, I never wanted a nine-to-five job, and I'm grateful for the fact that I've been able to fashion a career where I work at jobs and a job doesn't work me." 

Robinson first attracted the notice of SF and horror aficionados with his work in Clive Barker's debut film, Hellraiser. "That was a wonderful experience," he says fondly. "For one thing, the character chance to play two characters, basically, the good and evil sides of the same person, was a thrill. The good brother, Larry, was quite repressed, and behind that repression was his evil brother Frank. 

"Also, working with Clive Barker -- who's a genuinely mad, eccentric genius ---was a lot of fun. It was his first film; he really didn't know much about filmmaking, so he really had to rely on people around him who had more experience, and he was open to that. It became a genuinely collaborative experience, and there was a lot of creativity flowing on the set, which doesn’t always happen.” 

His next genre appearance came in Child's Play 3, in which the evil doll Chucky arrives at a military school and terrorizes the cadets. Robinson played the sadistic barber, Sergeant Botnick, who gets a fatal shave from the diminutive killer. "A friend of mine, Jack Bender, was directing it and asked me to come in and do this character," Robinson remembers. "Jack's a very bright guy, and he saw something that I couldn't see at first reading. Then, we got working on it, and what happened was one of those fortuitous occasions when I made something really interesting, a character who was like nothing I had ever seen or done before. Sergeant Botnick the barber usually goes totally unnoticed, but it’s a piece of work that I'm very proud of." 

Similar circumstances led him to Trancers Ill as Colonel Daddy Muther . "Again, it was a friend of mine, Courtney Joyner, who wrote and directed it. I did it because he asked me to. He had written the part for me, and because he was a friend, we were able to create the character as we were shooting it. Unfortunately, the shooting circumstances were very pressured because resources were very limited. It was an extremely low-budget film, and also Courtney's first ." Robinson got along very well with his fellow cast, however. "Tim Thomerson, who played the lead, is terrific, a very funny, lovely guy. I enjoyed working with him a lot." 

While lately he has been appearing in projects with a definite SF slant, Robinson says he doesn’t have any one favorite genre of acting . "One of the things I appreciate about myself -- if I may say that -- is the range I have. It's something I've developed consciously, because I really love playing different kinds of characters. For example, in this British farce by Alan Bennett called Habeas Corpus, I played a guy who sells and adjusts false breasts! It was a funny, crazy role, just knock-down British humor. And in the middle of it, I went back to Rhode Island to do my one-man show, which is a very serious meditation based on if Jesus had kept a diary. This person/actor finds the diary, shares it with the audience, and ends up portraying different aspects of Jesus and His life. It's that kind of contrast that turns me on as an actor." 

To Robinson, the most enjoyable aspect of playing a recurring character like Garak is the chance "to explore the character from various angles, so that you go from 'plain and simple Garak' to an episode like 'The Wire,' which goes into a very deep, personal story about the man. You get the kind of information about a character that you rarely ever get in a single episode, or indeed a single film. The writers don't sit down with us and say, 'OK, this is where your character is going,' and I rather like that . It's a surprise every time I get a script!" 

In future episodes of Deep Space Nine, Andrew Robinson feels that viewers will eventually learn the truth about Garak. "Right now, all we do know is that he's in exile and he misses his homeland very much," he notes. "I know the producers have really become attached to the character, which means more and more of a commitment to me. For instance, this season I will be on the show several times. I think eventually, by the time the show ends, we will know where Garak is coming from. Perhaps we won't understand him completely in terms of his motives, or the 'why' of Garak, but I certainly think we will understand the 'what' of Garak, what he's doing on the station."

Was this not an awesome article and interview, or what??? -Wendy

#andrew robinson #elim garak #ds9 #deep space nine #star trek ds9 #star trek #star trek interview #ds9 magazine #andy robinson

[septic84]

Strawberries and Eggs

The origin story of Dan and Phil could have been fabricated from a writer's mind, crafted to be a love story for the big screen. When Dan started to watch Phil's videos he knew that he had found the perfect channel, relating to and enjoying the creative goof's content, Dan was hooked.

A03

  After watching several videos, he worked up the courage to create a Twitter account in May of 2009 and Tweeted at Phil. In June Phil had tweeted him back and later in the month became is Facebook "friend," shortly after Dan had turned 18. This was around the same time Dan had started to assert himself as an adult, so to celebrate Dailybooth milestones, he started to take risqué pictures, now coining them as "Nakedbooth." Honestly, Dan loved the attention, but he was pretty much only valuing the attention of one specific person.    

In later October, they were already spending hours talking and Dan's sexual ambiguity came into question a lot; especially after hinting at intimacy between him and Phil. With comments such as, "can you be pillow?" Or Phil asking, "can I be player 2," (in response to a naked Dan with a controller over his crotch,) the internet wildly speculated on the nature of their relationship.  Both of them flirted openly at this time but made no real effort to address or define their relationship. They flirted without acknowledging they were doing so, at least not to the outside world.  

Phil had convinced Dan to upload a video, so "Hello, Internet," was unleashed on the world. It was well-received and shortly after, "Butterfingers" was also uploaded. Phil was right, they were good videos and people liked Dan's content as well. That week was wonderfully stressful because on the 19th Dan and Phil met in person. Dan stayed with Phil for a few days, they recorded the first PINOF and got to know each other better. After that, they made frequent trips to see each other and to go to events together. Dan went to Uni in Manchester and Phil had a flat there as well; they were uncertain of the future, but they knew they wanted to be together. This proved to be very useful when Dan had to be admitted to the hospital in Manchester, when he needed to do laundry and when he needed Phil's support when he decided to ultimately withdraw from University. They were spending all of their time together anyway, so in the late summer of 2011, they moved into a flat together.    

They had been here a few months now; they were getting to know each other's day to day habits. Messaging over the internet, taking trips together and visiting each other's homes was one thing, living together was entirely different. It was great and it was also trying. Phil left every drawer and cupboard door open, Dan sang loudly in the shower, but for the most part, it was great. They were able to do more things living together thus "The Super Amazing Project" was born. They were having the time of their lives, and the followers were increasing and coming along with them.    

"Phil, why are your socks on the coffee table?"    

"I may want them again later."    

"But why do they need to be on the coffee table?"    

"So I can find them again later,"    

"You're so annoying,"    

"Your mum's annoying,"    

"Shut up," Phil smiled, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth.    

In December they filmed "How to make Christmas cookies," editing out the sticky kisses and excited chatter about their upcoming Christmas special on BBC Radio 1. Everything was going great and they both were in awe thinking about this new opportunity. They had never dreamed that being Youtubers could transition into mainstream media, but it had.

They decided to film a "Day in the Life" video, showing off Manchester. They filmed themselves getting groceries delivered, watching shows, reading emails and even the prison they lived near. Once in town, they filmed themselves going to various places and just having fun. It seemed like whatever they did together, their followers loved it. Dan and Phil were allowed to be spontaneous, silly and creative and everyone loved it.    

They went to Playlist live together, meeting some of their audience and getting to know other Youtubers. Soon after Phil decided to do a live show on a site called "Younow," this was yet another way to connect with their followers who were paying their bills. As questions flew by, he saw one about the infamous breakfast bar, "Dan climbs on it more than anything,"    

In the background, Dan yelled, "It's fun, you should try it!!"    

"It is meant to eat at, Dan, not climb on."    

Dan wanted to go to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday, so that's what they did. Dan had every intention of uploading footage from the festivities, but as the adage went, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  Maybe he would upload something at some point, but he didn't make an asserted effort to do so. There would be a lot that would have to be edited out anyway.  If he were honest, he doubted he would ever post any footage from that trip.  

After Vidcon, they decided to look for flats in London, Dan announced this on his first live show in a hotel room with terrible acoustics. They needed more space and wanted to be in London for more career opportunities.    

When they got back, Dan knew how he wanted to say goodbye to the Manchester flat.  When Phil had left to get more boxes to pack the Kitchen, Dan set his plan into motion, making sure everything was in place.    

Phil rode the lift back up to their apartment with an armload of boxes, he struggled to open the door, but when he did, he was greeted with Dan, laid on top of the breakfast bar.  His nipples covered with whipped cream and bright reddish-pink panties covered his crotch. The room smelled of Strawberries.    

"Ah, Dan?"    

"Hey, Phil. So, you know how you said the Breakfast bar was for eating at, not climbing on? Well, tonight we are doing both, I am the meal. Eat me,"    

Phil smirked dropping the boxes and shedding his coat. "You do smell very tasty," Phil swiped the whipped cream off one of Dan's nipples with his thumb and made a show of sucking it off. “When did you get these, I wonder,” His finger then trailed down Dan's belly, stopping right before the panties, bending down and licking the parts covering Dan's hardening cock. "Mmm, I love strawberries," Phil sucked at the panties, small parts started to break away. "You're so delicious," Dan moaned.    

"See, it's good to climb on and eat at," Dan choked out.    

Phil sucked at the head of Dan's strawberry covered cock, “Yeah, I think you’re right,” breaking the gummy covering, Phil now was just sucking on skin.    

"Yes," Dan hissed.    

Phil dug his tongue into the hole he had created, taking more of the panties into his mouth and exposing more of Dan’s skin.    

“Please, more,” Dan moaned.    

Phil used his hands to free Dan the rest of the way from the panties, he didn't think he could eat any more of them. He maneuvered his red-stained tongue up to Dan's stomach, circling his belly button, traveled up his treasure trail onto one nipple, then the next, licking them clean. “Mm, tasty boy.”    

"God, that feels good," Dan moaned, "Phil, I want you to fuck me on this breakfast bar. I've always wanted to do that. I don't want to move out until we have, please,”    

Phil laughed, "I'm not opposed to this idea, especially since you've laid out a feast for me, we're gonna have to improvise, "    

"Okay?" Dan watched Phil walk to the other side of the kitchen, he started to rifle through the cupboards, pulling out various items and leaving them on the counter.  His face lit up as if he had an idea, and went to the fridge. He pulled out the carton of eggs, cracking the last two and pouring the egg whites into a bowl.    

"Get on your hands and knees,"    

Dan complied, "Are we using egg whites as lube, Phil?"    

"I saw it online once, that they work," Phil started to trace Dan's entrance,    

"Holy shit, that's cold!" Dan shrieked, recoiling.    

"Sorry, all of the lube is packed," applying some to himself he gasped at the temperature change. As he entered Dan, the coldness quickly faded. "Not so cold anymore.” He gasped,    

“No, it’s not, fuck me, Phil,    

“I'm so glad we did this,"    

"Me too, even if we are all sticky." Phil sped up his pace, thrusting into Dan, kissing the back of his neck. “Close,”    

“Me too, harder, please,”      

After they had finished, they cleaned up the breakfast bar and showered, then they continued to pack the kitchen.    

“I’m going to miss this breakfast bar,” Dan said,    

“You are so sentimental, Dan,” Phil smiled.  

“Shut up, I just showed you how amazing it could be, didn’t I?”    

“Yes, you did. I will miss this apartment too, we have so many "firsts" here,”    

“Yes, we do." Dan shook his head, this was bittersweet. "We’re never going to miss it if we don’t move out, we need to keep packing,”    

“Right you are,”    

Dan opened one of the cupboards, “Phil!" Look! We had olive oil!  Why the fuck did we have to use the freezing cold egg whites?"    

Phil shrugged, "eggs needed to be used anyway,”    

Dan threw the empty carton at his head, “You idiot,”    

“But you love me,”    

“Yeah, I do.”   

Bingo Card:

Breakfast Bar That's not lube Edible Pants

*-*-*-*-*-*

Huge thank you to: @adorkablephil for their  Phan-Timeline This helped me out tremendously with the dates and timing of this story.  

(I meant to add that when I posted it yesterday, but I completely forgot. Boo, I’m A bad human.) 

#pff bingo 2019 #phanfiction #Phanfic

[fridakahlosvoice]

Birth Day

   I was born on the 3rd of July. Not the 4th, the 3rd. Not Independence Day, but it’s little sister. Just the day before. When people start popping off their fireworks and shooting their patriotic loads into the sky, as a warm-up, you know, for the big one. When I was little my ma used to tell me the fireworks were for me. And even though I had sensitive ears, and watched most of the fireworks show from the living room while slurping down some slightly melted ‘nilla ice cream, I thought to lil self: hey bitch, that’s fucking cool! Look at those bright ass colors, magic fire flowers pelting across the sky. The huge, satisfyingly horrible booms that shake the ground below your sunburned feet: those bombs bursting in air. 

   When I got a little older, like, old enough to watch the fire works outside with the rest of the family, I had learned the Historic, His Story of everybody's favorite American Revolution. And I fuckin’ loved it. How could you not? Rebels and underdogs, our dear fore-fuckin’-father paved the way for a long line of racist white dick heads to control and condemn an entire population of people. The cruelty enlisted and employed by men in power was (is) far reaching and undeniable: to their wives, their children, the immigrants that seek safety under Lady Liberties smelly arm pit, people forced here by nasty white hands, AND in fact, the very people that lived here first! Gosh be darned! That’s a whole lot to celebrate, aint it?! Happy fucking INDEPENDENCE Day to Us! 

   HA. Independence from what? From one white oppressor just to turn around and be another? No thx America. Nooooo thx. And then one day, I was born. On July the 3rd. So. I like, share this birthday with…America. And I’ve never been able to escape it. The beaches are flooded, camp grounds destroyed, restaurants pillaged, all to get a day off from you cubical and some tired, yet magical, crazy fire light show (honestly, I can’t help it, fireworks are amazing to me.) Maybe you drink lukewarm Budweiser and eat a weenie. Happy fucking birthday, ‘Merica! you say as you peel your thong sandal that’s been sunburned to your smelly ass foot. Your red, white and blue swim trucks sag as you sway in a ‘too many beers with the boyz’ haze. USA! USA!! Literally. Fuck right off! Fuck right off! 

   It has never really felt right that my birthday was so close to Lady Liberties, though in some ways it’s just the kind of curious so wrong it’s right-ness that I have always lived.

   I was born in Washington state, and though my little heart is plum full of evergreens, I was really raised in, and would call myself a native Californian. When my parents split, I moved to San Diego with my mom and my grandparents. This was where the curiosities began. You see, I looked a lot like this one huge community of people settled along the Pacific coast line, yet I acted much more like this other group, this whiter group, that I lived with. 

   From a very young age I understood dads side of the family (mostly only seen at summer or Christmas) was the Mexican side, and my ma’s side, the side I spent my day-to-day with were…well…comfortable. I hate to admit that. But that was how it was. 

   I always felt different among the Corrals. They were all so beautiful, and loud. Constant streams of yelling, singing, laughter. And I always wanted to be like that, but always I felt quiet and shy. Soon, I realized that what I felt was white, even though my skin was the darkest in the group. I was dark, chubby, and tall. I always felt I stuck out in family pictures. It was a wonderfully awkward place to grow. 

   I only have one cousin in that mesh of marvelous Mexicans that speaks Spanish. None of the rest of us can, none of our Mexican fathers ever could. The sadness of that story is for another day, but I wonder how it felt for her to be the only. Someday, I will ask. 

   See, here’s the thing. No one ever sat me down and said ‘Maiya, you are mixed race.’ I think a lot of that is because of the free-love-hippy-moment my parents were having out in Santa Cruz when they met. I think part of what was powerful about their time was that they just kind of, went for it. But no one ever set some time aside to explain to me that How I Look is going to garner some questions along the way. Especially when How I Look is hard to pin-point and define. 

   Often, especially when I was younger, people would look at me and ask the Golden Standard: ‘Where are you from?’ And honestly, when I was really young I was like, ‘Um, Bothell Washington?’ Because I didn’t fucking know what they meant. Later, I caught on. So when they would ask, I would pipe back: ‘Are you asking me why I’m brown?’ Because I could easily answer the question with: Bothell, or San Diego or the Bay Area or ‘Oh! My mothers family is Scottish’  but thats not what they are asking. They are asking me why my skin is so dark, and my hair is so straight. 

   One time I was in a market Ashland, Oregon. I love Oregon but god is that place a racist shit show. I was excited to buy my most favorite Hawaiian BBQ chips (they don’t carry them in Chicago. CHICAGO FIX THIS PLEASE.) I am standing at the end of the isle excitedly holding my chips while my partner pays the tab. A super well-meaning, mega-dangerous white lady looks at me, and my chips. She smiles. ‘Those look good.’ She says. ‘Oh they are.’ I answer. ‘Hawaiian BBQ’ She sighs. ‘Oh yeah.’ I answer. She looks at me. At my chips. I’m like, sheesh back-off lady these are mine. She looks at me again. Smiles. ‘So. Are you from the Islands?’ The Islands? What? Wait. What is happening right now? ‘No.’ I say. ‘I am from Bothell, Washington.’ And I skulk away to eat my chips. It’s not her fault, that the bitch is white. I’m white too, I’m not judging you on that. But why say something like that? Why look at my brown skin, holding some dank-ass chips that happen to have a Hula Dancer on the front and be so bold as to ask me some whiteass question like: ‘Are You From The Islands’ ?! And here is another crazy thing about this: I have found only my other blended, ambiguous, mixed ass friends understand the frustration and violence in this story. Because even here I have trouble finding the words to properly name that feeling. And maybe that is the magic and the tragedy of it all. 

   Without a language, my brown skin has been the source of constant confusion for me. Of course, I went through the natural stages of being mixed-race (and raised mostly around white folx) like trying to hide it and feeling really different and awkward then most of my friends. Lucky for me, my mama gave me a huge gift. She told me I was beautiful. Over and over again. Beautiful and smart and interesting. And so it didn’t take me long to get over that awkward feeling and start to really adore this beautiful brown skin. Because really, it is fucking stunning. And it is true I love it more and more as I grow. Feel proud of it and honor its strength and glow. But it’s also left me alienated. I’m not, like, Mexican enough. And I’m brown as fuck so sure as hell not going to be white enough. The divide and distance between those two worlds leaves me stupefied and shrugging. 

   So as I watch calendar tick down the minuets away from my birthday, the 3rd and toward Independence day, the 4th, I seriously can’t help but wonder: Independence for whom? From whom? For what? Beyond the obvious understanding of facts and myths about the Revolution, beyond the mythos of the time we, Americans, banned together to kick our stuffy big brothers out the door: who is this independence for? Who is it from? What. Do. You. Celebrate? There is not a lot to celebrate now. Immigrants to this country hold keys to cages that hold people native to this land. War mongering idiots ask us to pledge allegiance to a flag that has never stood for us, it’s people, not really. When I think about personal Independence, it means inner revolution. It means loving myself so much I wouldn’t let anyone or anything take it away. Independence means being able to buy your own beer, or stay up writing words you’ve never said before, or kissing someone beautiful so hard it’s like you become them. This is what I am realizing: the forth of July is not a holiday, it’s not important or reasonable. And really it just promotes too many Joe Budweisers picking their white assholes at the beach. Let’s face it, Joe. Ya time is up. Erase this Holiday. Let’s find more meaningful ones that celebrate our beautiful nations roots, honoring the trees that grow here or the people that nurtured this dirt. Let’s ask them what we should celebrate. Let’s ask our neighbor what she or he or they need to celebrate. Let’s celebrate mixed-race confusion and Mexicans and the ocean. And if all else fails, let’s just celebrate my birthday. I am totally fine with that. 

#america birthday fourthofjuly cancerseason mixedrace

[stilljumpingback]

Black Sails Episode 108 - VIII Recap

REWATCH REACTION

This episode is FANTASTIC, and my notes while rewatching it become increasingly caps lock-y, culminating in a brief mental breakdown because of my love for Flint.

BEST FLINT MOMENT

Literally every scene with Flint in this episode is Top Notch, but I’ll highlight one in particular:

After aligning the ship to fire on the Spanish Man O’ War, Dufresne accuses Flint of “tyrannical crimes” against his crew.  When no one will obey Flint’s orders to fire, he strides down the stairs to light a cannon himself.  Dufresne SHOOTS HIM, at which point he CRAWLS along the deck to light the cannon.  Even though the fuse is taken from him, it does not stop this from being the sexiest display of determination I have ever seen.

TODAY’S RUNNER UP

Silver!  I suppose it is fitting that in Gates’ last episode (RIP), we see Silver stepping up to be Flint’s right hand man.  Their partnership is the show’s central relationship, and I think this is really the first time we see how powerful they are when acting together.

It’s just one thing after another:  When Silver walks in on Flint after he’s just murdered Gates, he immediately sides with Flint, no questions asked about what has just happened.  Then Flint hides and tells Silver what to say to the Spanish ship.  Silver later tries to talk Dufresne into being calm, and when that is unsuccessful (leading to Flint’s being shot and unable to light a cannon), it is SILVER who shoots at the Man O’ War and makes the fight inevitable.  Finally, when Flint allows himself to sink, it is Silver who pulls him out and makes sure his wound is bandaged (this is explicitly addressed in episode 1 of season 2, but it’s implied here).

In the previous episode, we saw how desperately Flint needed an ally that shared his vision.  Although Silver shares this vision only so far as it pertains to him acquiring some gold, they are undeniably a good match.  Both smart men who can create new plans in an instant, they are formidable when working together.

LOL MOMENT

Jack’s finally got the brothel in order thanks to Max, and Mrs. Mapleton is unhappy to see her profits decreasing.  When she threatens to expose his past misdeeds, Jack pauses before saying, “Well, Mrs. Mapleton, that sounds like gross insubordination to me.  That, coupled with the graft you’ve been responsible for, leaves me with no choice but to terminate your employment here.”  And later, when he and Max are basking in their victory, he says, “Please don’t judge me, but I really enjoyed that.”

WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS

We’ve got to talk about Flint murdering Gates, yeah?  WOW, is that not any easier to watch, even knowing it’s coming.  This is mostly because the previous scene between Flint and Gates, in which they share a drink and laugh about old Craig who drank a bottle of piss, is so much weightier when you know what’s about to happen.  I love the ambiguity of the scene:  does Flint think things are okay between him and Gates?  Is he hoping a boy’s night drinking will MAKE things better?  Or do they both just truly realize that they might die next day, so they may as well set politics aside and have a good time?

But it’s not enough.  When Gates sees that the Urca isn’t where they thought it would be, he’s done.  Flint is mad, thinking that Gates means to see him hung as a pirate.  But he is FURIOUS when he realizes that Gates wants something worse for him:  to be sent with Miranda to Boston.  This is DEVASTATING to me, because in his attempt to do something “better” for Flint, it shows just how little Gates understood him.

As Daphne and Liz always say in their podcast Fathoms Deep, this is the scene in  which people really get sold on Black Sails, because how can a show present us with a scene of a man murdering someone he called friend…and we’re left pitying the murderer??  God, Toby Stephens is amazing, and the writing is just gut-wrenching.  “Please, please don’t do this.”  “This is not what I wanted, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”  And after it’s done, he is so protective of Gates against Silver, and even strokes his cheek!

All this, and we’re left wondering, “What could POSSIBLY be fueling this man to do such heinous things that even HE obviously finds heinous?”  He he he, we’ll have to get there in season two!

FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS

Just in time for the season finale, we’ve got a ton of boobies again.  Alright, whatever.  I guess this is meant to show us that Jack is running the business well again?

I want more scenes of Silver as Caretaker for a curmudgeonly Randall.

After Silver successfully tells Flint the final piece of the schedule, he says: Silver:  Now that I’ve fulfilled my end of our bargain, I’m just wondering where you and I stand. Flint:  Keep wondering. Silver leaves, and then FLINT GRINS.  I am so in love with this Flint who enjoys messing with his crew (see also: “Billy, who?” which I think I have successfully proven had to have been a joke).

Eleanor is still surrounded by men, but instead of them fighting against her, they’re all on her side.  It’s very cool to see her varying reactions to their praise:  With Hornigold, she couldn’t care less.  With Vane, she is mildly impressed by his observations (but not fully – I think his assertion that she doesn’t want fathers telling her what to do should be enlarged to include MEN telling her what to do, which includes you, Vane!).  But with Mr. Scott?  She’s genuinely touched.  And that’s because Mr. Scott knows her and validates her.  That scene between them is entirely lovely.

“There are no legacies in this life, are there?  No monuments.  No history.  Just the water.  It pays us, and it claims us.  Swallows us whole, as if we’d never been here at all.” This is a gorgeous observation by Gates, though it unfortunately only highlights how different his perspective is from Flint’s.  While Gates lives in the here and now and expects nothing different, Flint is determined to live bigger and bring about change for himself and everyone else.

Runner up for the LOL segment:  Jack and Anne saying, “Fuck you, Jack” in tandem.  Poor Anne has caught FEELINGS for Max and doesn’t even know what they are yet.

Flint’s inspirational speech is so great, and when they see the empty bay, the disappointment is heart-wrenching.

During this rewatch, I’ve been able to be more objective about my feelings for Flint (this might not be obvious, but trust me).  Honestly, I can see why people are terrified of him.  Beloved, powerful people keep dying around him.  I mean, Dufresne and DeGroot were scared Gates would betray them, but then Flint CLEARLY murders him and carries on as though nothing has happened, and they’re left believing that no one is sacred to that man.  They don’t know Flint’s history or plans.  I get why they want him gone.

HOWEVER, Dufresne really has the most appalling timing.

I think his decision to read Gates’ letter is half sincerity, half annoyance that Flint took his information (don’t say tobacco from St. Augustine) and twists it to his own purposes.

Vane is a selfish bastard.  The loyalty he extols (poor Jack and Anne!) is very small – it doesn’t extend to anyone beyond his crew even while the rest of Nassau is learning to band together.

I do love the ambiguity of why he took the fort.  Is it to prove his power?  Is it to piss off his enemies?  Or is it to give Eleanor the defense she needs to run Nassau effectively?  Because this is Black Sails and our characters are wonderfully complex, I think it’s all three.

RANDALL SAVED SILVER AND IT WAS SO GOOD.

Dufresne is an idiot!! It is physically painful to watch him make decisions too slowly.

OH SHIT, that is the only reaction to watching the Man O’ War turn and open her gunports, and OH SHIT OH SHIT that is carnage like we have never yet seen.

Oh my GOD, the sadness of Flint watching his ship and his crew be destroyed, slowing fixing his hair, letting himself be blasted overboard and then sinking, sinking, sinking.

Max and Eleanor finally have a real conversation, and it is so sad.

Max:  You have nothing to be sorry about.  I was standing between you and your dreams for this place.  You did what you had to do. Eleanor:  I thought you said this place was just sand. Max:  Sand has its virtues.  On sand, nothing is fixed.  Nothing is permanent.  Fates change so quickly.

And then we get Flint, alive and shirtless, wondering why this is so.  It’s because the Urca crashed in a storm the night before, and everyone is at least smart enough to realize that FLINT IS THE BEST and they need him if they’re going to get their gold.

He is looking SO GOOD standing there in his tight black pants, billowing shirt, and loose hair.  Toby Stephens has ruined me.

That’s the end of the first season!  Shaky at first, steadily better, and ending with SUCH a great twisty finale!  Can’t wait to keep going – season 2 is my favorite!

(via Episode 108 - VIII)

#Black Sails #blacksails #108 #VIII #s01e08 #Captain Flint #James Flint #Gates #Urca gold #John Silver #season finale

[thesymphonyoflife]

2018 Favorite Movies

It’s been a while since I’ve made one of these lists. This year was filled with great foreign films and documentaries, as (spoiler alert) you will see many of below. As always, I have not seen every movie of the year, but I think I have gotten better over the years at understanding what kinds of movies I would find interesting, and what directors I will always look out for, so in that regard, I think I have been as exhaustive as I can to make this list.

Honorable Mentions:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: I’ll watch anything the Coen’s do, and if history suggests anything, I’ll probably like it. This is one of the most unique formats I’ve seen a Coen film (anthology), but I’m glad I got to see their take on this film format, because I do enjoy films like this (Paris, Je’Taime, and Wild Tales are two of my favorites). This film did a good job of keeping with the overall western theme they were going for, even if some of the stories were more engaging than others. The timings were a little uneven as well, as some stories were (and felt) longer than others, which kind of threw off the pacing and rhythm of the film. If I know the Coen’s though, they might not be done exploring the genre of the Old Western.

Green Book: One of the more “meh” best picture winners of the past several years, maybe since The Artist. Viggo Mortenson did a great job and the chemistry between him and Mahershala Ali felt authentic, but I wish there wasn’t so much cheese spread across the film. I wish I could have a caution sign that pops up in front of a director’s eyes before they shoot a scene, reading: “Does this scene require this much drama (cheese) to effectively move the plot or build upon the character(s) in an appropriate manner? If it is not a resounding YES, please RECONSIDER altering the scene to be more authentic!!” I’m rambling and may be piling on this movie for the shortcomings of a lot of Oscar “bait,” but I (and many others) see it every year and every instance of it gets more and more frustrating.

They Shall Not Grow Old: War documentaries are nothing new, but I was thoroughly impressed by this take on the documentary format by Peter Jackson. I highly recommend sticking around to the very end of the film (after the credits) to see a mini-documentary on how they made the film and their thinking behind the structure, layout, and overall design of the film. The amount of work they put into the project is even more apparent after seeing that, and it just underscores the grand scale a world war was. 

Minding The Gap: This documentary does a great job of utilizing time to its advantage. I’m not talking about run time or pace, but rather telling a fluid story about several people over a period of several years. It felt very natural and allowed you to take a journey with these people and understand their story even more. It’s a documentary that is easy to empathize with, not just for the struggles the characters deal with but more so the journey the film takes us through, and how we can relate to the themes of childhood, family, community, friends, dreams, escapes, our future, mortality, and many other heady themes. 

Cold War: There’s a lot to unravel when watching this movie, from the shot compositions, to the juxtaposition of the music, to the journey of the relationship between Wiktor and Zula. I love the way music is used as a storytelling device, and the beauty of the minimalist style of music plays perfectly with the beautiful cinematography (black and white never looked so colorful). A lot was done well, but the pacing and the ending kept it from being an even better film.

10. Burning

I admit I needed to be aided in terms of figuring out what all happened in this film exactly. But once I started delving into what other people had to say about the film, I think that’s exactly what was supposed to happen. I love how even as slow prodding of a film this is, it still manages to simultaneously leave time for you to think and not at the same time. For as many times as I felt like I was going to fall asleep, I still feel like the pacing of this film was done as best as it could have been. This is a film where ambiguity is the end goal, and that’s perfectly ok, especially with how the film is laid out and shot. 

9. Eighth Grade

The passage of time is never kind to us. Even with the most positive outlook on life, and a happy childhood or upbringing, there is just something about reflecting on a period of time in your life (i.e. nostalgia) that brings about an inherent sadness. Not because the memories may be sad or because you wish you could go back to that time in your life, but because there is this huge amount of pressure we give ourselves when assessing our impact through the lens of time. A time capsule is the perfect representation of this concept. I have done this many times now (it is ever so easy to do now in the age of the internet. Hey, even this blog is basically a time capsule!) and each time it makes me feel like I have not grown or accomplished as much as I (maybe unfairly) should have in that time period, however long that may have been. I think it is just incredibly difficult to gauge how much we will actually change or “accomplish” in a given amount of time, or at a specific age. There is this pressure that comes naturally with time that hits everyone, whether or not it is fair or not. It is that constant reminder of the competitiveness in the world, and the brutality of time that may be wasted, which is one of the scariest and worst feelings anyone can have.

Rambling aside, I thought this film did an excellent job of encapsulating this thought in the eyes of the main character. It felt odd being so disconnected but also connected at the same time with the tribulations of the main character, as the setting and environment was so different from my childhood, but the fundamental change we all go through during that time period was very much the same. It’s tough to capture a specific time frame in our lives (especially in our formative years), just because nothing is ever static during our lives, we are in constant dynamic shifts. But this film was brutally funny and sad at times, which, if anything, encapsulates so much of what life at that time (and all others too) is all about.

Oh and I thought the music was outstanding (content and timing).

8. Roma

Professional filmmaking. That is one thought I had after coming out of this movie. As much as the story felt heartfelt and authentic (because it was), the film really showcased a director (Alfonso Cuaron) who knows his style, how to compose shots, and how to invoke authentic emotions. I go back and forth debating whether I think going with black and white was truly needed, but one thing is for certain in that it helps give the film a “timeless” feel to it. One that I know he thought about when making it, in that I believe he did not want to simply capture a snippet in time, but rather focus on the story and characters at hand, one which generations to come would relate to in their own way. 

7. Shoplifters

This was another foreign film that had a timeless feel to it. It’s always nice to watch foreign films, for a multitude of reasons, but in particular to be immersed in another culture for a brief period of time. That is certainly the case in this film, as the production design and sets do an outstanding job of putting you right into this world and help establish the atmosphere which helps understand the characters motivations and story a little more. The film had a unique plot and great acting, and the pacing felt very natural and thought out. 

6. If Beale Street Could Talk

I love the way dialogue is shown in this film. The composition of the shots, the intensity of the delivery, everything is heightened when there is dialogue in this film. And it is imperative that this be the case, as this is what drives the fairly simplistic plot along. This is certainly a film that shows more than it says, but Barry Jenkins does that extremely well in this case as he does a good job of portraying the themes in subtle ways that give the audience just the right amount of room to interpret themselves. It is always a difficult balancing act, in dialogue heavy films, to spell things out too much or show too little leaving audiences lost. Another aspect this film does well is the music. The score is imperative in setting the mood in atmospheric, melancholic movies such as this one, and Nicholas Britell does a fantastic job creating a nuanced, rich, and evocative score, and implementing at opportune moments throughout the film. There are some directors that just “click” when watching their films. Barry Jenkins is starting to become one of them.

5. The Favourite

One of the best part of watching movies (or art in general) is when you see something truly unique that it changes your perspective on what you like or how it can be portrayed. For Yorgos Lanthimos, his films have changed my perspective on comedy and how I feel it can be portrayed. His films have the shell of a distinguished drama, but the core of a slapstick comedy. I never knew comedy could be so funny and portrayed so differently than how he does it, in particular here in The Favourite. The acting, writing, and plot all work seamlessly together to create genuinely hilarious moments all while advancing the story, developing strong characters, and establishing strong themes that lead to a wonderfully crafted ending, wrapping up the film in a beautiful way. I can’t say enough good things about this film, and am in awe at how someone can craft a style and execute it so brilliantly in such a short amount of time (just 3 films to date). He’s certainly made the list of “directors I will see films they release no matter what unless they make 3 bad movies in a row.”

4. Spider Man: Into The Spider Verse

I have admittedly been far behind on my superhero movies, but I got a recommendation to see this one and I am extremely glad I did. I hope, when we look back at this decade of films, this one is the example of how much animation has grown over the years. The colors, the creativity, and even the technicality of it are all showcased in this film, but what makes this film so great is that it does not rest on just this alone. The characters, even with the high amount of them, are all relatable in some way, contribute to the story in their own unique way, and help establish this film as one different than any other superhero movie. The film does an excellent job of crafting a story truly fit for anyone, and it is a great film to discuss with others because they will certainly have a different way to relate to the story/characters. So that is a not so subtle suggestion to not only watch this film but tell others about it and talk about it with them!

3. Isle Of Dogs

This list is just starting to sound like an expose on my favorite directors, but it is hard not to talk about the director for this film, because it is so inherently Wes Anderson-ian. I find it incredible that he can utilize his techniques and creativity in similar ways for such nuanced and unique stories. Characters are always at the root of his stories, and there are no shortage of good ones here. He has an uncanny ability to write and craft characters around the voice actors as well, as it is so seamless in the way the voice acting portrays the characters in this film. His writing style never ceases to garner guffaws throughout the film, and I am always impressed with the amounts of twists and turns the story takes. It is a craft he has certainly mastered and one that makes it easy to just sit back and enjoy everything that unfolds before your eyes. The film does a great job of being topical as well, with underlying satire that is tastefully done and never over the top. Wes Anderson’s movies are always so dense that it’s so easy to watch over and over again and find new things to fall in love with. It’s one of the reasons why he’s one of my favorite directors and also on the list that I mentioned above, although I’m starting to think it’s pretty unlikely he’ll make a movie I dislike.

2. Free Solo

After the initial shock you have when trying to comprehend the magnitude of the athletic feat Alex Honnold is trying to accomplish, you start to shift your attention to the filmmaking. And that is almost (ok, not really) as impressive. The shots need to do the scale justice, and I think they did an excellent job of not only crafting a well shot film but also immerse you in this world many of us cannot even comprehend. I think they also do a good job of outlining this as much of a character study than anything, because it really is imperative to showcase the reasoning behind his actions, just for us mere mortals to understand a little better. And it turns out, in my eyes, he is just a supremely motivated individual seeking perfection and solitude. And as a result it is easy to come out of the movie exhilarated, energized, and motivated to accomplish any goals you may have. It’s a mark only a true story could do. Even if everything he does is so hard to believe.

1. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

“If you want to truly do a bio-pic justice, just make a documentary.” 

I made that statement after watching Bohemian Rhapsody, but the juxtaposition between that film and this one even more so justifies that statement. I won’t get into my thoughts on Bohemian Rhapsody, but I will just say that the documentary medium is really the only way to do Fred Rogers’ story justice, just so that you can show audiences, in this day and age, someone like that really did exist.

I will preface by saying I did not watch Mr. Rogers very often as a kid growing up. I knew when it was on, but I was more into Arthur and Wishbone on PBS. I also think the timing was everything, as there was a limited window to watch TV (cough I mean do homework) after school before my parents came home. And that’s ok, for his story does not need to be fully appreciated by watching him as a kid. Sure, I would love to go back to my childhood and sit down and watch him through the eyes of my inquisitive, imaginative young self, but I think no matter how or when you digest his story or listen to his words, you will wholeheartedly appreciate who he was and what he stood for. 

I really started to take a deeper dive on him in high school, when he had just passed away and there were news stories on him. I watched some youtube videos and gained an appreciation for what he did, but it was only when I was thrust into a situation where I had an impact on another kid did I feel like his story was more pertinent and important than ever. I mentored an elementary school kid through the national honor society for 2 years during high school, and as an introvert, that terrified me. What scared me more was that these kids were there for a specific reason, either hardship at home or just needing someone there in their lives. I did not know how to communicate to people older than me, let alone people younger than me. I didn’t know what to do. So I remembered what Mr. Rogers would do. He would talk to kids like his equals. And I did just that. I would play games, run around in the snow making snowmen, make arts and crafts (many of which his was better than mine), and just try to take his mind off of things. If I felt like it was appropriate, I would ask him how things were going. He wouldn’t always answer at first, which was fine, but once he got more and more comfortable with me around, he would open up a little bit at a time. And believe me, just that little bit was some of the most rewarding moments I have had in my life. It wasn’t a normal feeling of success or accomplishment either. It was a feeling of unparalleled joy by seeing someone else happy and growing as a human being. 

Joey, if you’re reading this, just know that I miss you, hope you are doing well, and I hope you continue to instill the values that Mr. Rogers had on others around you as well.

That was the power of Mr. Rogers. The power of being an inherently good, kind individual was a weapon we could use in times of struggle or hardship. Being a decent, respectful individual has gotten me more than any textbook or class ever did (not to say those aren’t important). It’s just that life is made up of all the relationships you have with people. The memories you have. The friendships. The laughter. The fights. The adventures. All made better by people at your side, and all made better (and easier) by living it with kindness in your heart. 

They say that a mark of success is to leave an impact on society. Well I would say that Mr. Rogers did that and much more, as he will hopefully force society to to teach the next generation to be better, which in turn will teach the generation after to be even better than the one before. It’s the best pyramid scheme ever invented.

Even as I grow older, I will always refer to him as Mr. Rogers. I will always look up to him, and I don’t know if I could ever duplicate what he did at that grand of a scale which his accomplishments were. But if I just impact a few people in my life, and live it with joy, imagination, kindness, and respect, I think even he would say that’s a job well done. 

The word neighborhood has always had a positive connotation in my life. Growing up, that meant friends, sports, sleepovers, endless summer nights, and no worries. Now, I associate that word with childhood, friends, kindness, respect, and joy. 

And Mr. Rogers.

Thanks, Mr. Rogers.

[prozach27]

Resident Evil 7 Rant

OKAY Y'ALL, I just finished two playthroughs of resident evil 7 that included reading all documents and getting both endings, so now I'm ready to sit back and talk about it. That being said, I have a lot I gotta say. First of all, THE PROS: *Dude that theme song is BOMB. I wanna download it. I L-O-V-E the music of RE7, and I never say that about games outside Zelda *Returning to its horror roots was done very well, in my opinion. RE5 & 6 were honestly terrible, and amounted to nothing more than forgettable action games. RE7 turns the charm of survival horror that it captured in its first games to a modern, FPS gamestyle, and it does it wonderfully. I was hella impressed, and even on playthrough 2, got freaked when jack jumped out at me or was right behind me when I didn't expect it. *Immortality -- I have to say, I love it. It's great having these main enemies that nothing works on, especially when it means you have to hide (and on higher difficulties when it's a death sentence if they find you, all the better). It's great knowing that your weapons don't work, and how much damage they do makes it so much more thrilling. My first playthrough I was genuinely petrified while I ran to hide under floorboards and the like. *Eveline is a GREAT ADDITION TO RESIDENT EVIL. I L-O-V-E the way they could 'scientifically' pull off her supernatural tendencies, I love the aesthetic of the twisted ten year old girl luring in victims because she wants a family, and I love the reveal at the end that she was the grandmother all along. *THE ENDING. Okay, not the cutscenes because they were boring; but when you stab the toxin into Eveline's neck and it cuts to it being the grandma and she starts crying "Why does everyone hate me?" My heart melted just like her body did. On playthrough 2 it still made me SO DAMN SAD TO HURT THAT POOR OLD WOMAN. SHE JUST WANTED A FAMILY TO LOVE HER. Now, what I WISH they'd done: *They REALLY could have made the Eveline storyline hit harder and they dropped the ball, I think. I get that she's a bioweapon, but the way she acts towards the end (and apparently at the beginning when she told Mia to kill you) seems out of character. She wanted a Dad, and she wanted YOU to be the dad. She invited you there. Why would she suddenly want to kill you when you try to escape with Mia? I understand that the "plot" argues it's because she thinks you're both trying to abandon her, but they could have fleshed this out better. Mia could have said something like "please stay, don't you want to be a part of the family?" And when Ethan says no, Eveline could have gone rampant. *Furthermore, they totally could have had a plot point be trying to find ways to protect the girl from the family, too - since Mia was babysitting her, it would have been easy to sell that the girl was trapped there also. It would have made the game WAY more compelling as you find notes suggesting the girl isn't right, and the reveal at the end would have been all the wilder. Especially if instead of being psychotic and losing sympathy, if Eveline played on the fatherly instincts (why are you trying to hurt me? Etc). It would be way more compelling as a BOW too. *My critique of missed plot aside... SO MUCH OF THIS STORY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. *Why did Ethan not use serum on himself to cure the infection? Why does he only use it on Zoe or Mia? *Why does literally NO ONE address that Ethan is infected and just whisk him away in a helicopter at the end? THIS GUY IS INFECTED. You could argue that killing Eveline somehow kills all the infection (which as far as I remember was never once stated in any document?) but that still doesn't explain why he got on a damn boat and tried to sail away from his problems and everyone was just fine with it. *Why didn't Eveline calcify him???? We see that she could literally kill anyone under her control at any time when she kills Zoe out of nowhere. If she sees Ethan has the toxin and is coming for her, why isn't she instantly killing him? Maybe it's because his infection isn't far enough, but then why isn't that addressed? She just sits back and lets it happen (literally lol). *Why was Ethan so down for his wife to just go out to other regions entirely to babysit? That's not a normal thing. They're married. If she has a job that involves nursing bio-organic weapons, how does she just casually hide that? *What tf is going on with Lucas *No like really what were they trying to do here with him. He's totally unhinged (and they set it up that he was before the infection), but like?? I get that he got free of her mind control with the help of the unnamed organization, but why is he delighting in killing everyone so often? Where is the transition there? What the hell? *Where does he go??? He literally is like "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU" and you see his traps all through the next stage so I expected to fight him but nah. He's not in the game ever again. What? *What is going on with Zoe??? *She's apparently been infected for three years so it can't just be "willpower" keeping her from being psychotic, and as far as we're told, Lucas isn't sharing his drugs with her that keep her from being under Eveline's control. The game would have made TONS more sense if Zoe was the one working with the organization, but no -- it's the deranged brother, and she just somehow is fine and herself and the family is alright with her constantly trying to help intruders kill them. *The enemies and some of the bosses are literally SO. STUPID LOOKING. *No like really, the mold things don't look scary, they just look dumb. Jack and Eveline's final forms look like something that wouldn't pass on the Nintendo 64 without a laugh. It's 2017, tentacles and sixteen weirdly-shaped eyes aren't scary anymore, they're just dumb. FINAL THOUGHTS: Re7 is a mixed bag. Truthfully, I do love the game and it is officially one of my all-time favorite installments in the series. I think it built off of a lot of the survival horror that made older games great while imbuing it with modern gameplay. You get a really great experience that keeps you terrified and engaged as long as you don't over-analyze what they're showing you. However, the storyline - while novel and an excellent addition to the series - needs a lot more clarification for it to even start to make sense. I'm fine with ambiguity (who knows what organization made eveline!) but ambiguity around key parts such as why Zoe still has her wits about her detracts from an engaging plot. Furthermore, enemies are boring and lack anything horrific -- especially two of the bosses. The baker family and Mia as a whole are terrifying and make the game great, but the additional enemies are repetitive and uninteresting. That being said, the game is DEFINITELY worth a play through and is one of the best survival horror games I've played in years. I strongly recommend it to anyone wanting a good scare 😱

#I just have a lot of feelings about resident evil 7 and needed to vent them all at once now that I've spent a lot of time with it #resident evil #resident evil 7 #video game reviews

[nellie-elizabeth]

Elementary: The Art of Sleights and Deception (5x20)

Well, damn... I really hope that what I think just happened didn't actually just happen. Let's dive in and take a look.

Cons:

The case this week was actually quite interesting, but I will admit the whole twist at the end where Nazis were the bad guys felt... a bit too simplistic. I'm not going to deny the existence of Neo-Nazis by any means, but here we had a story about a magician, and a mystery, and lots of twists and turns, and then in the end the bad guys are extra bad because they're profiting off of a Nazi. A great way to avoid moral ambiguity? Sure. An interesting twist? Maybe not.

The subplot with Marcus is troubling for a couple of reasons. Basically, Marcus is framed by Chantal's ex-husband, and IA is looking in to it. Bell makes a scathing comment about Internal Affairs, and of course he's innocent as can be, so IA comes across as the bad guy. In today's political climate, what exactly is this story-line trying to prove? The opposite is true in real life - cops are trigger-happy, and IA isn't nearly as interested as they should be. Maybe there's some good commentary here about Bell being used as a scapegoat to prove that IA is hunting out dirty cops. Bell is targeted because he's black. Something like that. But so far, that hasn't even been touched on at all. It made me pretty uncomfortable.

Secondly, the episode ends with a chilling shot of Chantal's hand around the corner. She's on the ground. Dead? Merely injured? If she's dead, I'll be really pissed. If she's been injured, I'll be watching very closely to see where they go with this. Either way, it seems like her fate is being used as a motivation for her boyfriend, which kinda sucks.

Pros:

I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the case. The mysterious author of a book about card tricks, the bullet trick that killed a magician, the publishing house that knew the real identity all along... secret Nazis notwithstanding, I really did enjoy the journey that this plot thread took me on. I was more invested than I usually am in the case of the week.

Joan gets MVP this week. She's really nosy with the whole Bell subplot, which I quite liked because I think it will probably lead to problems down the road. Joan has this wonderfully compelling quality of being a bit morally grey when it comes to protecting her friends. Also, in the main case, Joan is the one to identify a key clue leading to the identity of the secret author. I always love it when she's able to crack the case, especially when she uses her medical background to do so. She got my favorite line of the night, too. When the Neo-Nazi is talking about how "we don't ban books in this country," Joan replies: " I get the sense that the irony of that statement is lost on you." Ha!

Joan and Sherlock's relationship is so domestic and precious to me. I love Joan pushing Sherlock angrily after being scared half to death by the bullet trick, I love Sherlock standing awkwardly at the end of Joan's bed waiting for her to wake up. I just love the way they operate around each other as a unit. They're an old married couple in almost every way, and I just eat that sort of thing up.

I hope that Chantal's alive, because I actually like her. Any chance to focus on our secondary characters is a good thing in my book, and I think there could be something really interesting going on here with Bell and Chantal. Whatever happens, Sherlock and Joan are bound to get caught up in it, which could add some interesting tension. Already, the Bell/Chantal situation feels more interesting to me as a through-plot than Shinwell ever did.

That's where I'll stop. Not a great episode in some respects, but the compelling case of the week did a lot to help it rise above mediocrity!

8/10

#review #elementary #elementary review

[punkmuseology-blog]

The hour is late and you know the time waits for no-one...

The Damned, Shadow of Love

Well, we’re late. Little rebels that we are. And we don’t care none, neither. Nah.

*cough*

Anyway. We meant to say...we got a bunch of stuff for you this month. Some of it happy, some of it sad. Some of it joyous, some of it angry. Some of it bear-shaped. And some of it gloriously, wonderfully, rainbow.

Revolverlution, make your brains explode/ When understanding, knowledge, wisdom/ Love, elevation and activism...Public Enemy, Revolverlution

We wanted to start with this piece from the Museums Association’s Chris Garrard, talking about tools for museum activism. It’s a start, and it’s ideologically commendable; but we need to see practical, pragmatic examples, solid things that can be done, issues to be tackled, methods for tackling them, and ways to self organise. Museums need to, also, consider their ethical and ontological stances here, and not engage in activism for the purposes of fashion, or to appeal to a particular political policy. If they are to be activists, it needs to go to the very heart of their organisation and be visible in every facet of their existence. Ethics of any kind - and particularly activist ethics - cannot be mere baubles decking Doric columns. They must be made to mean. How can they be made to mean? We’re thinking about that right now. Send us your thoughts on how museums can be activists, and what it means for them as institutions.

One of the things that museums can do, of course, is to be venues for the presentation of evidenced, scientifically gained, knowledge. We’re leery about using the term truth - bizarrely, perhaps, it’s a little too ambiguous for what we want to mean. Nonetheless, this article about the  Ingenium triumvirate in Canada showcases how it is possible for museums to be vendors of information, and ‘keepers of evidence.’

But should museums be activists? That’s the question pursued here by Museum Next. It’s an interesting survey indicating that whilst most people don’t see museums as activists, a large proportion of those under 30 think engagement with social issues would encourage them to visit. There’s also this really interesting piece on Museum Next which raises the thorny issue of museums becoming echo chambers if they choose to engage in activism. What do you think?

We think the answer to the question of whether museums should be activists is a big, defiant, yes. The echo chamber argument, taken to its logical extreme, suggests that one should never say anything, should never stand up for change, because you’ll only be speaking to those who already agree.

Not if you are passionate about being heard and use the power museums have as public institutions to start, shape and inform debate. Museums have consistently punched below their weight when it comes to shaping public discourse. Time to pick fights that matter.

Like any public performance or institution, museums are inherently political, and they always present a stance on issues; even, and especially, if that issue is demonstrably, loudly, absent from their programming. The performative mechanics of activism - ability to produce publicity, to articulate information, to argue and provide space for dissent - are already present in museums. They just need to be prepared to stand up for issues, and against abuse, and to shore this stance up with their heart and soul and blood and guts.

In Garrard’s article, we were particularly interested in the fact that, during his tenure at Dresden State Art Collection, Hartwig Fischer decided ‘not to remain neutral’ in the face of the far right Pegida movement. And yet the British Museum’s deal with oil giant BP remains in position for another five years. It’s interesting to see what people will and will not choose to speak out about that.

Speaking of BP, this short announcement from Art Not Oil is indicative of a truly disturbing willing blindness on the part of some of the UK’s most well known institutions. The report from Culture Unstained on the connection between BP and the National Gallery can be downloaded here, and is equally disturbing. I can’t think of any excuse for the environmental and human rights abuses uncovered in this report, and I cannot justify museums gaining sponsorship from a company so widely reviled. Nonetheless, the British Museum recently announced their latest BP sponsored exhibition, ‘Scythians - warriors of ancient Siberia'. It just won’t stop, will it?

Well, only if we let it. Every single one of us has a duty to refuse, point blank, to glitter shit. To stand up, speak out, and boycott if need be.

Who controls the past, controls the future...George Orwell, 1984

This response to a Guardian article about arts funding, and those it goes to, suggests that we do need to speak out, and that there needs to be support for emerging, grassroots organisations. It’s very easy to claim improvements, when there is still so much more to do. This is our purpose at Punk Museology - to agitate for further change, to never be satisfied whilst there remains disparity and inequality.

That said, museums can still be used to make fun of those in power. A museum of the current POTUS’s tweets? Good job, Daily Show, good job! Does the phrase ‘hoist by your own petard’ seem appropriate here? We think so.

And arts and museums are tackling social issues of way more significance and importance than the ravings of that orange bag of bollock pox. For instance, the charity Crisis have partnered with arts institutions around the UK to explore and discuss the ever increasing issue of homelessness. For one of us, the prevalence of homelessness in their home city has risen immeasurably in the last two years, and homeless people seem to be massing for justice; there have been many protests and tents sporting ‘Justice for the Homeless’ slogans have appeared across the town. Projects such as Art In Crisis, then, are important sources of validation and support and the exciting “Museum of Homelessness” is unabashed in the advocacy and activism they engage in. Their website comes highly recommended.

Artworks for Change is another great organisation advocating for museums to stand up. They work with artists to produce travelling exhibitions tackling a variety of issues, and tour with them to institutions worldwide. Fascinatingly, in light of the above echo chamber argument, they’ve found that their projects diversify audiences by up to 20%. That’s no echo chamber.

Then there’s the Climate Museum. Inspired by the Paris Agreement of 2015, this venture launched in 2016 with the mission of creating ‘a public space where we can gather to learn about climate change, face our fears, share solutions, and commit to change.’ That seems like a fairly decent mission to us.

For young activists-in-training, the People’s History Museum in Manchester runs pARTicipate, a session exploring historical and contemporary protest. It’s vital to teach kids to be critical citizens.

And then, oh and then, there are the Jodi Awards, which are enough to cause flutters of something warm and fuzzy in even the darkest of hearts. This year, one of us was lucky enough to be able to attend; and they cried. Real tears. This was a truly inspiring set of awards; rewarding real hard work, genuinely dedicated to inclusion, and improvements in life for people living with disabilities. Everyone should know about and support the Jodi Mattes Trust.

the children of the sun/ And the moon/ And the earth...Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Speaking of the warm and fuzzies, it was So. Damn. Good. to see museums coming out and supporting this year’s Pride, celebrating 50 years of decriminalisation. Here’s a bunch of lovely tweets for you to make you feel like things aren’t necessarily as bad as they sometimes seem. And, yes, there’s still much more to do and be done, in terms of tolerance and acceptance in the public, in museums, and in the LGBTQIA+ communities. And as long as there is still intolerance and violence and suicide and sadness and pain we have to work, and work hard, to make sure those things are eradicated. But if it’s a start you’re after, there’s one right here, where museums and political, activist engagement can acknowledge the coming of a new dawn, when who you love does not matter; merely, that you do.

First, there’s this lovely shout out to the people and museums appearing in support of Pride from Queering Museums (check out their podcast immediately!), and another one here. Then, the V&A flies the Pride Flag, along with their LGBTQ tour coordinator, @DanNouveau. The Science Museum got in on the act too. And, then, of course, there’s NMM Greenwich, showcasing the long history of diverse gender and sexual identities/performance in the Navy. @Theaidoo also celebrates her time at Pride in this lovely tweet citing the Museum of London and Charterhouse. Even the British Museum and National Gallery took part. And then, there’s this lovely t-shirt.

Photo by @art_love_learn on twitter, #MuseumPrideLDN

Beyond the Twittersphere, you’ll find more... if you know where to look.

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/exhibitions/2017/07/28/coming-out-exhibition

http://www.afterellen.com/people/490399-history-women-pride

Someplace, sometime, there’s always a sliver of rainbow.

Here’s a couple of stories about objects for you. This story about Chief Poundmaker’s belongings should show that objects are about so much more than just themselves, and have a power...to draw admiration, to condemn, and to demand justice.

Then, there are of course the sadder stories of objects - those which are lost due to corruption, illicit trade and war. Here is ICOM’s Red List of West African Cultural Objects at Risk.

But since I can't stay/ I'll just keep playing back/ These fragments of time/ Everywhere I go/ These moments will shine...Daft Punk, Fragments of Time

We’re going on a Bear Hunt!There are bears all around Birmingham, raising money for the Children’s Hospital. There’s a Spock one. We have more warm and fuzzies.  

We found the LA Punk Museum too! Don’t know how active they are, but it seems a great idea - a punk museum running events.

Recently, the Bishopsgate Institute (@BishopsgateInst) hosted an event called ‘We Are Angry: 200 Years of Protest in Britain.’ Did you go? Let us know what it was like. The Hammer Museum recently hosted a forum called ‘Who is Leading the Resistance?’ and a recording of the event is available here.

Tate has just opened ‘Soul Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power’, which is on until the 22nd November. It begins with 1963, at the peak of the Civil Rights movement, showing the contributions of Black artists to American Art. And on the 29th September, the Curiosity Carnival is opening its doors in Oxford.

And, finally, a piece from the Guardian about the new influx of music events into galleries and museums. Yes to museums and galleries getting loud!!

Phew. That was our whistle-stop tour of the last month. Anything we missed? Anything you’d like us to include in our next roundup? Write to us! We want to showcase awesome stuff - and it’s you out there doing it.

Track of the Month:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZkXuP0Dl_c

Then suddenly

Like a fly in a cup of tea

I'm stirred and no longer free

To fly away

I think back to the other life

That was borrowed the other night

#punklove #punkmuseology #bishopsgate #actviism #museumactivism #billybragg #hamlet #activistmuseum #homelessness #museology #thedamned #britishmuseum #lgbtqa #museumprideldn #pride #london #phmmcr #jodiawards