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#british commentary imagine
hopeinthebox · 25 days
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tagged by the gorgeous and fabulous @cordiallyfuturedwight and @aprylynn for february's roundup:
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tagging the usual music favs: @jiminsproof @thvinyl @jimin-gaon @visionsofgideontheninth @spicyclematis @kimchokejin @jihopesjoint @monismochi plus @kimtaegis for the amy macdonald of it all 💜 and also you, dear reader. MWAH
#heads up! here comes the director's commentary:#16 Carriages - now listen. i love texas hold 'em as much as the next daddy lessons supremacist#but holy shit. it doesn't hold so much as a candle to this track.#just unbelievably stunning. i'm begging you to give it another chance if you skipped over it the first time#Don't Forget Me - me and kayla and apryl all having ms rogers in this month's list... i think we might be better than everyone else actuall#End Of Beginning - good GOD we couldn't gatekeep djo any longer but it's worth it if only for all the bear tiktok edits.#and thus i have fallen for this track all over again. yes CHEF#Showtime - now if you've known me long enough you'll know i'm an absolute sucker for british indie rock bands#especially if their frontman looks like they might not make it through another winter#so you can imagine catfish has had an inexplicable hold on me. anyway their comeback single is actually pretty good#This Is The Life - fantastic tune. 2007 if you can believe it?#what a time to be alive and at the school disco and you're singing the songs and thinking this is the life and so on and so forth#Loving You Will Be The Death Of Me - tom odell can do no wrong in my eyes (ears?) anyway. lovely lovely new album#Never Need Me - been loving rachel for a while now and this single is brilliant. highly recommended.#plus the video features florence pugh and if that doesn't sweeten the deal then christ i don't know what will#Baby Now That I've Found You - i didn't even realise this was a cover of the foundations until hearing it again recently#because alison krauss just has an incredible way of making them her own and thus it's been on repeat.#Deeper Well - okay so now i'm seeing the country thread through this month's picks.#this is another lovely new one. hearing it on the radio and the fact that they have to censor “i used to wake and bake” is hilarious to me#shoutout kayla again because great minds..#Stay For Something - CMAT is phenomenal and if you haven't listened to her yet i can't recommend her entire discography enough.#she had her arsecrack out at the brits last night and well. i would die for her#(speaking of the brits. raye... i literally cried for her. go find the recording of her live at the royal albert hall.#-watch it twice and then come back and thank me)#artists-wise - most of these guys are consistently up there.#katie melua is a new feature this time because all my amy macdonald-ing put me back onto nine million bicycles.#used to get that one mixed up with 99 luftballoons but they're really very different. i'm a fool#so tl;dr: fantastic tunes. do listen#tag#receiptify
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mariocki · 2 years
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Play 20: Phaedra's Love by Sarah Kane
First performed: Gate Theatre, London, 1996
Quote: "There's a thing between us, an awesome fucking thing, can you feel it? It burns. Meant to be. We were. Meant to be." (Phaedra)
Stage direction: [Opens her mouth. No sound comes out.]
Notable cast: the original Gate production included Andrew Scott in a minor role. Laurence Penry-Jones starred in a 2005 revival at the Old Vic.
Notes: Only Kane's second play, Phaedra's Love was commissioned by the Gate Theatre, who asked for a drama inspired by a classical text. Reworking Seneca's Phaedra, Kane produced a clipped, precise distillation of tragedy as narrative. A paean to self-destruction which comments on voyeurism, faith and the inadequacies of love; critical reception was muted when compared to the histrionic moralising that greeted her first play, Blasted (1995). Featuring scenes of astonishing violence and horror, contemporary readings often focus on the brutality and nihilism of Kane's dialogue - but they're missing an extraordinary tenderness which unfolds alongside it. A masterful, troubling work from one of the greatest (and most sorely missed) voices of a generation of theatre.
Read: for the first time, but definitely not the last.
#100plays#phaedra's love#sarah kane#modern drama#modern theatre#seneca#phaedra#andrew scott#laurence penry jones#gate theatre#Kane was just 25 when she wrote Phaedra's Love‚ but her work was already both highly regarded by some champions in the established theatre#(Edward Bond was a mentor of sorts‚ Pinter an admirer) whilst simultaneously provoking outrage among critics and audiences#a remarkable work from an extraordinary playwright‚ one of the most significant voices in British theatre and a burning visionary whose#untimely death robbed us of who knows what kind of incendiary work. Sarah's work has been much reevaluated and appraised in the years since#she took her own life‚ and her current critical standing is beyond anything she could have imagined in her own lifetime; but still academic#work on her texts focus on the perceived nihilism and bleakness of her work‚ equating the graphic violence and strong language with her own#struggles with depression. i think there is some truth there‚ certainly‚ but what I think is missed is the flipside: the tenderness in the#scenes between Hippolytus and Strophe is rarely written about with as much zeal as the horrific scenes which close the play. Blasted‚ the#play which both made her name and brought astonishing condemnation from the press and government‚ remains a distressing and#disturbing work; but again‚ it's rarer to find critical commentary on the revolutionary act of kindness which ends the play. Sarah captured#something deep and true about humanity‚ something cloaked in deep ugliness and terror and violence‚ but at its heart something still very#human and capable of kindness and love in even the most grotesque of situations. and in that she found a unique voice that sees her work#still performed and written about and appreciated as something startling and new and different‚ nearly a quarter century after her death.
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samwhump · 3 days
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a (very inexhaustive, wincest-heavy) sam whump reclist
@transfemmesam asked me for Sam whump recs a few days ago, and I've had other requests in the same vein before (I can't imagine why.../s) so I thought I would throw this together, since these authors deserve all of the love and support for their contributions to our li'l fandom corner.
like I mentioned in the title, this is not at all a comprehensive list; I have at least ~200 more fics in my to-read queue that could thematically fit here, but alas, I have stupid shit like a job and a body and a dog to take care of, so. I'm always happy to get recs along these lines, so if you notice anything important missing, hit me UP. (and don't take any omissions as any specific commentary by me -- it's likely I just haven't had the chance to read it yet, haha.)
disclaimers:
some (most, honestly) of these contain potentially triggering and dark content, including but not limited to rape/noncon, torture, and suicidal attempts & ideation. I have tried to note content warnings where applicable, and most of the works are hosted on ao3, so the tags should have most of the information you need to make an informed decision. that being said, tread with caution. all of the summaries provided are from the original author, with warnings added after by me.
the list is in alphabetical order and separated into wincest and gen categories. a lot of the gen is also focused on the sam & dean relationship, because...I am what I am. and what I am a sucker for these two dipshits. there is also a brief section at the end with a few fics that don't fit into either category.
gen
All That Goes Unspoken by amnesiawife:
A case forces Sam to confront something long kept buried. (Set nebulously in season 12.)
CW: discussions of past rape/noncon, victim blaming
Beneath the Trees 'verse by Lise (5 works total, starting with Beneath the Trees, Where Nobody Sees):
Sam doesn't go to Stanford. Everything goes downhill from there.
CW: suicidal ideation
a boy is a cage by ad_castra:
After expelling Gadreel from Sam's body, Dean thinks they're in the clear. If only they were that lucky. // S9 fic wherein Gadreel's grace causes some adverse side-effects in Sam's mind.
CW: past referenced rape/noncon, body horror
body of proof by Askance (doomcountry):
There are things Sam hasn't told his brother. They're all in the envelope laid on Dean's pillow.
CW: heavy discussion of past rape/noncon
break these bones 'til they're better by redskyatmorning:
After Sam’s torture at the hands of the British Men of Letters, the latest in a long string of violations, he is rescued by Dean and Mary – and forced to ponder his broken relationship with his own body. Months later, when Sam is resurrected and tormented by Lucifer yet again, Dean confronts Mary and Sam gets his revenge against the devil.
catching my death (staring out an open window) by ad_castra:
Sam gazes at the window, catches the faint pink hue tinting the sky. It’s so realistic - he could breathe in the fresh air if he were really here. ----- They got Sam out. Sometimes, just knowing that isn't enough.
CW: implied past rape/noncon
Death of Convenience by WilsonTheMoose:
It should have been easy. Wendigos are no joke but daylight slows them. The weather's been unpredictable though and perfect, idyllic hunts don't exactly stay that way where they're concerned. Or Sam has one card to play and never stops to think that Dean would care if he killed himself.
CW: suicidal ideation, references to suicide
Echoes of Hell by The_Nightbreaker:
It wasn't real. He wasn't in Hell anymore. That's what he tried to tell himself over and over. But two centuries of torture don't disappear in a day. Sam struggles with visions of Hell, fighting to maintain his grip on reality. Dean hates that he can't protect his brother from what isn't real—but curse him if he doesn't try. When the boys stumble on a case with ties to the Devil himself, will they be able to pull themselves together in time to stop the sacrifices? Or will the echoes of Hell finally overtake them? Aka, season 7, but the plot is Hell trauma, not leviathans.
CW: suicidal ideation
Evening Shadows by withthekeyisking:
Sam is hallucinating the monster who tortured him for nearly two centuries, Dean feels like he's failing his brother, and a diner waitress bears witness.
CW: past rape/noncon
Everything Dies Given Time by Lise:
AU from 5.03. Sam discovers something wrong with himself, and learns to live with it. Only a lot less functional.
CW: suicide/temporary character death
The Freedom to Be Loud by jribbing:
It hadn’t occurred to Dean that maybe Sam remembered so much about that little nowhere town because something memorable had happened there.
CW: referenced past rape/noncon
golgotha by redskyatmorning:
There’s a vacancy on the throne of hell, and Sam is desperate enough to save Dean from Michael’s possession to give into the abyssal depths of his own darkness.
Head Space by ameliacareful:
A witch curses Sam leaving him blind, deaf, and bedridden. Left with only the inside of his own head and the occasional touch, Sam begins to unravel.
CW: suicidal ideation
Hiraeth by inkandpaperqwerty:
(n.) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past "Dean... I made a really big mistake." For a second, Dean actually thought things were going okay. He was out of Hell, Sam agreed to stop drinking demon blood, they had just wrapped up a successful hunt... for once, everything was okay. And then it wasn't. "I overdosed." Not at all.
CW: suicide attempts, suicidal ideation
if i could leave (i would've already left) by serendipity0930:
“I have a mission from God for you,” the Angel whispers to the man. “It is time for you to do what you were born to.” The man’s face twists into a smile, delighted over being chosen by Him, a purpose from God digging into his heart, carving out a place to fester. “Hunt.” ... 05x03 AU where Zachariah is even more determined to keep the brothers apart and hunters are all too willing to take Lucifer's True Vessel off the board for good
CW: referenced suicide
It's A River (But Not In Egypt) by Lise:
He's still a liar. Maybe always has been.
CW: toxic Sam/Lucifer dynamics
Kindred Instruments by PinBitch:
They’re in a tug of war and Sam is the rope. He doesn’t need to be alive for that. OR Sam dies in detox, being flung against the walls of a metal box will do that to you. Dean and Ruby pick up the pieces.
CW: temporary main character death, permanent supporting character death
lazarus trick by katsidhe:
Sam's alive, so everything is gonna be okay. 13.22 coda.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence by Lise:
Sam's back. He's in one piece. That's the problem.
CW: self-harm
love is like ghosts by redskyatmorning:
I’m poison, Dean had said instead of I’m sorry. Well, Sam wants to say, what does that make me? What the hell does that make me? (A look into Sam's mind in the aftermath of the Gadreel possession.)
The Other Brother by RadioFriday:
Sam and Adam are pulled from the cage at the same time. Sam is not right, and Adam, stuck as his caretaker, is not pleased.
Oxygen by inkandpaperqwerty:
“Cas! Cas, please! Please, answer me! Cas!” Castiel ignores Dean for several minutes, but then Dean gives him an opening that might help him complete his mission. So, he goes to investigate, and what he finds is a very bloody, nearly dead Sam. Dean tells him where the injuries came from, and Castiel quickly becomes confused. It doesn't make sense, but Dean tries to explain it to him, and slowly... Castiel begins to understand.
CW: suicide attempt
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc by AmberSock:
Sam waits, kneeling, for his execution. What if Dean hadn't missed?
CW: temporary character death
Safety In Distance by GalaxyThreads and SpiritClusters:
The Mark of Cain is a brand of violence. Sam was an idiot to think that he'd be exempt from it, just because he and Dean are siblings.
sometimes a kind of singing by adi_rotynd:
Sam gets cursed. They're dealing with it. Jack can see souls. That one they're not dealing with quite as well.
CW: past referenced rape/noncon
Soul Windows by GalaxyThreads and Spirit Clusters:
A few months after his birth, Jack learns how to see souls. Then he comes to a realization about the Winchester brothers, Sam in particular, and it's not a pleasant one. (gen)
Starry Night by keepcalmsmile:
Sam attempts suicide-by-monster. Dean tries to help. It sort of works...until it doesn't.
CW: suicide attempts, suicidal ideation
such fragile, broken things by The_Bookkeeper:
Sam wishes that Dean would just get it over with already.
The Tale of Sir Galahad by keepcalmsmile:
Sam once said he could never be clean like Sir Galahad. Dean assumed he was just talking about the demon blood. Turns out, Sam was talking about something else too. WARNING: Extended discussions of the aftermath of rape and childhood sexual abuse (but NO description of the actual events). Happy(ish) ending, but potentially very triggering.
CW: past rape/noncon, mentioned CSA
They Hammered in His Teeth by jribbing:
Sam has a secret.
CW: suicidal ideation
today's troubles (are history tomorrow) by a_good_soldier:
"It's not really something I know how to share," Sam had said. In which Dean figures he ought to help Sam out a bit.
Touch and Go by themegalosaurus:
Tag to 9.19 (Alex Annie Alexis Ann) in which Dean realises why, exactly, Sam is so angry about what happened with Gadreel.
trust fall by ad_castra:
“I’m nothing like you,” Sam hisses. Nevermind relating to the anguish of going it alone. Nevermind that he knows what it is to be strapped down and forcibly cleansed against his will. Sam wonders if these trials are purifying Crowley as well. 
Words Like Glass by broken_cinders:
Dean never figured the cage wouldn't leave a mark. He was prepared for memories, flashbacks, and nightmares. He wasn't expecting the words Sam brought back with him or the way they made him seem just a breath beyond Dean's reach.
Wound and Unwound by fascra:
Sam stops eating spring of his freshman year.
CW: eating disorder
wincest (dean/sam)
Brittle by thecapn:
Sam Winchester has an eating disorder.
CW: eating disorder
Don't You Cry No More by sixtysevenlmpala (schittyfic):
The first time Sam gets badly hurt on a hunt, he doesn’t cry. Dean does.
Fall On Your Knees by dollylux:
Sam doesn't quite make it home on the last day of school before winter break.
The Fall Will Probably Kill You by killabeez:
Set between 7.04 and the aftermath of 7.07. Dean is not as okay as he'd like you to think. Neither is Sam.
CW: self-harm
Feels so good to feel again by Trojie:
The pain keeps Lucifer at bay, at least to start with.
Follow In Your Form by withthekeyisking:
Sam is hallucinating Lucifer in the wake of Cas bringing his Hell Wall crashing down. To make matters worse, it seems like this has his dormant powers flaring back to life.
Last Temptation by merle_p:
Sam is running a fever again, the kind of fever no Ibuprofen or cold compress will bring down, the kind of fever that is eating him up alive, eviscerating him from the inside. He is too hot and too cold and too pale, delirious and shaking, resonating with whatever divine energy the trials are subjecting him to, and Dean is not sure how much longer he can stand to see him be in this state. Because Sam is quite possibly dying, and there is nothing Dean can do to stop it. Because Sam is dying, and he just. Won’t. Shut. Up.
CW: mentioned past rape/noncon
leeches by Anonymous:
Sam discovers a spell to make everybody forget him. He’s convinced it’s for the best. Pre-Stanford.
CW: attempted kidnapping/torture
Make Thick My Blood by themegalosaurus:
“You’re going to kill me, Dean,” Sam says, eventually. And all Dean can say is, “I think I am.” A season 10 AU, set after 10x14 ('The Executioner's Song'). Cas finds a solution that might cure the Mark of Cain; but if they're going to go through with it, Sam has a terrible price to pay.
CW: mentioned past rape/noncon
Prophecy of an Abomination by ashitanoyuki:
Sam is kidnapped by fanatically religious hunters and crucified. Coming back from this won't be easy. Canon-divergent from midway through season 2.
Recall by De_Nugis:
Sam's having a hard time telling what's real and what isn't, especially when it comes to some voicemails from Dean.
The Room Upstairs by brokenlittleboy:
Sam comes back from hell, but he’s inside-out and all wrong, and Dean can’t fix him.
CW: mentioned past rape/noncon
Ruin You (and its companion fic Worth) by Mumble_Bee:
Cole fucks Sam with Demon!Dean watching from a devil's trap, snarling that anyone would dare touch what was his. “I told you I don’t care what you do to his face or his blood or his fucking nose,” Dean growled, “but you put your dick anywhere near him and I will end you.” “Better hurry up then, Dean, because I don’t think I can wait much longer.”
CW: explicit rape/noncon
Snowed In by HelloStarlingFics:
When working a case, Sam and Dean get stuck out in a shack in the woods when the snow comes in hard and fast. Trouble is, Sam’s hated the cold ever since the Cage. Time for Dean to step up and look after him.
Wake by minchout:
Gadreel has had Sam for four years, and Dean, lost in guilt and obsessed with finding a way to get his brother back, has isolated himself in a cabin in the Missouri Ozarks with nothing but the woods, a stray dog, some chickens, and all the books the Men of Letters had to offer to keep him company. Then Sam shows up one day without his passenger, and Dean learns quickly that it doesn't matter that Sam is with him again - there is still a lot of work to be done before they can find their way back to each other.
Wanting to Forget by morganaDW (morgana07):
1-shot. S1 fic. After getting Sam freed from the Benders Dean thinks all he has to cope with is some bruises and cuts. He learns quickly just how wrong he is when Sam wakes up with a nightmare, reliving his brief but bad captivity in every detail. Sam just wants to forget & Dean has to try to get him to let him help. Will one night of cruelty and pain ruin what’s been formed between them?
CW: referenced past rape/noncon
when I wake up I'm afraid, somebody else might take my place by quake_quiver:
Sam doesn’t remember the last time he cried for Dean like he did that night. And now it’s been…two weeks. Maybe more. Sam is tired, and in pain, and starting to doubt that Dean’s going to show up. He’s weak and shaking from a combination of constant pain and hunger. Sam longs for Dean. Dean would make it better. Dean would fix it.
CW: rape/noncon, body horror
Wire Inside Me by merle_p:
There are a lot of things Sam hates about his current condition, to the point where he sometimes feels for the gun under his pillow at night, blindly toys with the safety, imagines pressing the muzzle into the underside of his chin and pulling the trigger just to make it stop. But there’s nothing he hates as much as the shadows he sees in Dean’s eyes whenever his brother is looking at him these days. It’s not an expression he remembers ever seeing before, but Sam thinks it’s probably something like revulsion. Horror. Disgust. What else could it be.
CW: referenced past rape/noncon, body horror, forced pregnancy
Worth (and its companion fic Ruin You) by Mumble_Bee:
Episode 10x01 "Black" where Dean is a human, and very, very, pissed off to hear someone has hands on his brother. “It’s nothing personal,” Cole whispered into Sam's ear, too quietly for Dean to hear, “but I need to kill your brother, and I need him off his game when he gets here. I don’t wanna hurt you, kid, but I’m going to, anyway. I’m going to hurt you a lot."
CW: explicit rape/noncon
you'll never see us again by according2thelore:
Then finally, his eyes trail over to Dean. His pupils are pin-point thin, and his hair is straggling in his face so Dean can’t see most of what expression lies there. Sam usually wakes up from nightmares in one of three attitudes: confusion, fear, or calm. A scary, sense-prickling calm that Dean hates more than anything else. Resignation, almost. Or: Sam suffers from nightmares and touch starvation post-Cage. They do their best to deal.
other Sam/Lucifer noncon
Cage Fight (No Way To Do This Right) by Dyed_Red:
Sam’s visit to the cage is already going awry, but Dean’s one-man rescue ends up skidding it sideways into territory neither him or Sam are ready for. (Gratuitous episode scene re-write. If Cas hadn’t come till after, if he hadn’t been there yet when Dean ran down to the 'parole' cage after hearing Sam scream - how bad could it have got for the brothers before he made it?)
CW: graphic rape/noncon
Into Being by withthekeyisking:
When Sam wakes up in the cave on Apocalypse World after having been killed by vamps, it's not just to find Lucifer there with him. It's to find him in him.
CW: graphic rape/noncon, necrophilia, forced pregnancy
Reggie/Tim/Sam noncon
a pointless resistance for you by withthekeyisking:
Sam doesn't know how long he's been with Tim and Reggie by the time Dean shows up and tries to take him out of there. Long enough that's he's already lost one baby and is pregnant with the next. Long enough that this life is starting to feel like all he knows.
CW: graphic rape/noncon, forced pregnancy & miscarriage, victim blaming
screaming birds sound an awful lot like singing by withthekeyisking:
Sam has done his best to move past what Tim and Reggie did to him, pretending it never happened at all. But running into them again makes that very difficult—especially when Dean gets involved.
CW: referenced past rape/noncon
Waste 'Em All by withthekeyisking:
When Tim and Reggie try to force the demon blood down Sam's throat, he spits it back out. He has no interest in being turned into their own personal attack dog. They don't...take it well.
CW: explicit rape/noncon
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bluetomorrows · 9 months
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Clone High: It's About the Contrast
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Something I've seen a lot of is Clone High S2 redesigns. People taking the new characters of S2 of Clone High and changing the designs, usually cause they don't like what we did get. Some of these are neat. I saw one that tries to combine their new designs with their S1 designs from when these characters were incidentals. A lot of them seem to take the personality out of the design. Most of them look hard to animate, but that isn't the point I'm trying to make.
People seem to really dislike these new designs. There are valid design reasons (some are a bit overdesigned, and they definitely clash with the S1 designs) but it just seems people are mad at them in concept. Especially Harriet Tubman. How could they turn Harriet Tubman into... this?
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It's outrageous! And yeah, it is. It's supposed to be. That's the joke. In the 20 years since Season 1, the Clone High Fandom has grown and shipped and gossiped and a lot of people have forgotten that the incongruity of the characters is part of the joke. Joan of Arc was not in fact a goth girl who constantly thirsts over tall men. The same goes for several other characters.
Harriet Tubman isn't Harriet Tubman. She shares her DNA but she is decidedly a different person. That's the point of Clone High, the show is less about historical figures interacting in a high school setting and more about how these people might be if they were raised under different circumstances. Ideologically, Clone High is an argument against great man theory.
Gandhi changed the world. But when he isn't born and raised in British controlled India under very specific circumstances, he's just some guy. The same goes for Cleopatra, JFK, Joan of Arc,, Jesus Christ, and yes, even Confucius, Frida Kahlo, and Harriet Tubman. It's circumstances that create people, not people making the circumstances.
Imagine if you had the chance to have a conversation with the real Harriet Tubman. What do you think she would say? How would she act? I'm sure she'd probably be an interesting and nice person, but she wouldn't be a character fit for a wacky animated sitcom. You don't really expect former slaves to be bubbly like that.
It both literally and metaphorically takes the basic DNA of these figures and subverts and modifies their existence through modern society, or rather the tropes of teen dramas. Not just asking what would happen if these people were in high school but if they were ordinary people. Instead of being a hero whose life is in danger, Harriet Tubman is a girl who gossips and whose biggest worry is becoming a basic bitch.
Look at the S2 finale. The board of shadowy figures have assembled their great men and put them in competition. They'll weed out the best of the best to become the great men of the future. And out of about 100 clones, only one actually makes it to the end. Everyone else fails. The one clone who does make it, Joan, is born again into extreme circumstances. Being left for dead by her friends and suffering a psychic break. There is no such thing as great men, just extraordinary situations.
I think this theme of subverting these legendary figures is something that should be kept in mind when talking about the show. It isn't really a show about historical figures, just historically-themed characters. And that's okay. It's very funny when done well! It's a cartoon and it really acts like it. It was never asking to be taken as a serious drama and definitely wasn't asking to be a commentary on historical figures. It simply parodied its contemporary teen dramas a little too well and we got invested in joke characters and everything changed. The S2 writers were in a very unenviable place, and I applaud them for taking things in bold new directions. If you haven't watched S2 or even just watched a few episodes, I'd recommend giving it another chance. It's not perfect but it gets better as it continues. It has its own distinct feel and style while still understanding what "the point" of the original was.
Also Kahlopatra for life ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜
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overleftdown · 3 months
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saltburn and privilege; an investigative tangent
god, where to begin.
i've seen a lot of people discussing this moving and specifically using the word "privilege," along with power, dominance, desire, control, greed, etc. me included. these are all very essential aspects of this movie. what i want to focus on is emerald fennell's nuanced portrayal of how different types of privilege interact. which one trumps the other? which types of privilege are more visible, while others are more subtle? what differentiates different levels and layers of privilege?
when emerald fennell describes the core of this movie, her inspiration for this script, she talks about desire versus untouchability. she chose the most absurd type of wealth to represent untouchability: the british aristocracy. old wealth, generational wealth, so far removed from the majority of their ancestors' sins that they can arguably ignore that the money they're standing on is dirty. and they live in fucking castles. this is one of the most unbelievable, gaudy, visible types of privilege you can imagine. everyone is entirely aware and feels entirely justified to call attention to this type of privilege.
oliver, being the main character, might be considered the least privileged within this movie. i'd like to take a critical look at this. this movie is not a straightforward class commentary; there is no traditional "the poor eat the rich" dynamic. because although some people perceive oliver as the least privileged character in this movie, he is incredibly privileged. oliver comes from a comfortable upper-middle-class home in the suburbs. oliver has two loving parents and two sisters. oliver is white. oliver is a man. interestingly, from oliver's perspective, he's not privileged at all. he hates the cattons because they are more wealthy, more comfortable, more untouchable. this extends to venetia and farleigh, even though oliver has applicable layers of privilege stacked above even them. he knows he has a certain type of power over them... yet he still hates them because they have one type of power he doesn't have.
that brings me to my next point. the existence of one type of privilege does not negate the effects of another, entirely different, type of privilege (or marginalization) [quote]. this is what venetia and farleigh's characters draw attention to. venetia experiences some of the same struggles as many women; she is ignored in her own household, perpetually existing within her brother's shadow (rosamund pike once lovingly pointed out that venetia does not have a single conversation with elspeth in this movie). she's insecure about her body and her worth, so she takes what little opportunity she has to use felix's friends as a form of self-fulfillment. farleigh is not only half black, but he's also queer, non-immediate family, and unaccustomed to english culture (specifically this type of english culture). farleigh is, in some ways, more financially unstable than oliver's family because his mom was too sheltered to understand money and his dad is, apparently, "a lunatic." (that's not to say farleigh isn't economically privileged because oh boy, he absolutely is).
this movie doesn't intend to incite pity from the viewers for any of these characters, and it generally doesn't. oliver is pathetically greedy, ungrateful, and desperate for a chance to lick the boots (or bathtubs) of those above him. venetia is pathetically bored of the privilege she does have yet is still so entrenched in emotional turmoil due to other areas in which she is marginalized. farleigh is pathetically attached to uninterrupted comfort and arbitrary white-centric expectations, constantly running from or attacking any threat of struggle. none of these people understand, comparatively, what the less fortunate experience. they are so ignorant to the bubble they exist in and just how grateful they should be for what monumental privileges they do have. but... felix.
felix is the epitome of privilege. oliver is specifically obsessed with felix. just like oliver, felix is a white man. but felix is more wealthy, more comfortable, more untouchable than oliver. oliver isn't as infatuated with farleigh and venetia because he's fully aware of the privilege they lack. he's fully aware of the privilege he holds above them, and he enthusiastically uses this power he has against them. to be in the position of oliver is to be consumed by jealousy and greed so bottomless that you will assert your dominance over any group that you're able to. felix doesn't need to do this. he's been handed every privilege under the sun and therefor welcomes the less fortunate with childlike interest and an equally childlike attention span. there's an aspect of farleigh and venetia's marginalization that is so invisible, so quiet and unassuming, that felix doesn't even notice it. he can't possibly be confronted by it. to be in the position of oliver is to understand what power you hold over others, because there is always more power to have.
racism, sexism, wealth, power, control, desire. there are so many facets of this movie that come into play. it may seem overwhelming, but this is... how things work. commentary on wealth is, and should be, equally a commentary on other areas of privilege. to be black and wealthy means different things than to be white and wealthy. to be a wealthy woman means different things than to be a wealthy man. to be rich to some also means you're much less rich than others, unless you're the richest person in the world. and, as this movie so beautifully portrays, to be richer than most doesn't make you less messy. the catton family is an ugly one, but also a complexly human one. each catton (or start) is jealous of someone else for another reason. each catton is emotionally damaged or incompetent for another reason. each catton has a different layer of privilege over the other. and each catton loves everyone in saltburn, because this is still a family, albeit a terrible one.
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acesofspadess · 28 days
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The Brits
a/n: aaaaand we're back. thank you for keeping my motifs active with likes, and reblogs, I promise more frequent updates 🙏🏾
little bit of time jump... apologies
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February 2012
Only a month or two had passed since you started the tour and it was beyond magic. You had turned 17 and Louis had turned 20
The first few weeks of the tour were beyond what you could imagine, sharing the stage with the boys and seeing all the fans at the locations you went to, you were beyond thankful that this was your job. Today was the Brits Awards and ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ was nominated for ‘British Single Of The Year’. You were putting your shoes on when the door that connected the rooms the band was staying in opened and you saw Harry and Niall looking at you with wide eyes. 
The thing is, these past two months have been some sort of special. You had all agreed that with tour, even though you would be with each other all the time, that dating on tour would probably get in the way of what you guys could truly have. You still acted as if that talk never happened though. 
You saw their eyes and knew you looked good. You didn't really ‘dress up’ a lot. You had good style and would say it looked good, but dressing up like you were now was special. “Wow Petal, you look so beautiful.” you giggled at the airiness of Niall's voice and immediately got up to give them a big hug. 
“Thank you Ni.” you kissed his lips lightly so as to not get gloss on them. Harry stood there still. “Haz,” you turned to him a little worried, “you ‘right?”  It seemed your voice snapped him out of his daze and he surged forward catching your lips in his hard. You hummed into it before Liam interrupted. “Quit snogging you two, and Niall fix your trousers please.” He groaned walking into the other room to get Louis and Zayn. You pulled away from Harry with a giggle wiping the gloss off his lips. 
You turned to Niall who was adjusting his trousers and saw that his shoe was untied. You walked over squatting down to tie his shoe and you heard his breath hitch. “Sorry.” you realised shyly giving him a kiss in apology, which he happily accepted.
Getting out of the van at the O2 and seeing the fans lined up against the fencing was so strange. This was your guys first award show and -wow- did it live up to your expectations.
The performance and the winners, especially the commentary from James Corden was to die for. It was now time for the category your song was up for.
“It's time for British Single. This one is voted by you the fans. Now to announce the winner, it's a double Brit winning man who…” 
You were so anxious you tuned James out. Niall grabbed your hand from next to you seeing you zone out. You looked at him and your hearing came back as the nominees were being listed.
Hearing the band's name with the song in the background could have made you cry. You all connected your hands as you heard the famous lines.
“And the winner is…” the wait seemed longer than it actually was, “ONE DIRECTION!!” You all jumped up and stayed jumping in joy. You all went around the table hugging those who sat with you before walking up the steps with Niall and Harry escorting you, one hand in each of there's. 
You and Harry already knew ‘as the front runners’ of the band that you two would be handed the mic, but you passed it off to Louis instead. You hugged Tempah as he handed you and Harry the award. 
“Wow, we cannot believe that we are stood here on this stage. I wanna start by first saying this award belongs to the fans. We’d absolutely be nowhere without you. Thank you so much.” Louis thanked humbly while you turned to Harry. 
“A massive thank you to the fans. Everything we do is for you. This is yours,” he thrust the trophy in the air. “So thank you so much.” He handed the mic to you next and before you could even speak the room went up in applause making you smile bashfully, and the boys knowing that those cheers are because you are the only girl, encouraged them.
“I just want to say a quick thank you from the bottom of all our hearts to our family and friends who have stood by us  in these crazy almost 2 years. You mean the world to us, and to our fans…” you let the cheers die down. ‘We couldn't have done it without you, we love you so much, this win is for you.” 
Liam thanked all of our team and Niall thanked the fans one last time before James came up. “One Direction everybody! Thank you so much, you beautiful boys and gorgeous girl. Go and ring your mums, tell them you'll be home late tonight.” You all laughed walking down the stage and heading backstage to wait until the next break to sit back in your seats.
“WE WON!!” You cheered as you were all backstage and the boys jumped around you successfully tackling you into a hug which ended with you all on the floor. “Get off me you smelly boys.” you laughed as they all took offence. “We don't smell.” 
“How's this for smelly.” Niall kissed you hard his hands resting against your jaw, as Harry came behind you and put his hands on your waist moving them softly, while waiting for his turn, which he eagerly took leaving you with no air in your lungs after the heated kiss with Niall. You regretfully broke the kiss when you herd the cue for the break. Niall and Harry quickly kissed each other, before you were wiping lip gloss off their lips. “Don't know why you keep putting it on.” Harry whispered in your ear as you back to your seats and you rolled your eyes at him.
“This is a joke, don't start getting carried away.” You all laughed at James as he was sitting in between you and Louis. “How you feeling, Autumn? Great night right?” you nodded in agreement.
“It's absolutely amazing. I mean being here itself is an honour but being nominated and winning. We’re on top of the world right now.” you summed up briefly as James agreed.
“I mean it's been the most incredible year. Let’s get this right. Now your album is currently number 1 in Thailand, Sweden, The Philippines, Italy, Singapore, it's in another 20 top 10’s, and it's currently number 9 on the U.S. iTunes chart. Like how’d- Harry how did you feel to suddenly have an international album?”
You looked at Harry who was already looking at you. “I think it's just like- it just all kind of blew up so fast for us, it's been a complete whirlwind and it just completely shows how dedicated the fans are and worldwide it shows how good our team is. You know they've worked so hard and we’ve been working hard and having a lot of fun and you know, it's been amazing.”
 “Now Harry can you confirm or deny the rumours that you will be stepping out with denise welsh?” James turned the mic towards him and he paused. “No, I will not. I’ve got my dates right here.”
“You heard it here first folks…” but you couldn't focus on James when Harry was looking at you and Niall like you hung the moon and the stars, a soft smile gracing his face.
You found yourself in the middle, next to Harry on the winners couch after the show. It was just commotion as you all were a bit drunk. “You've got your first Brits. Congratulations!” 
You all screamed and cheered into the mic. “We can’t believe it all. I mean it's amazing to even be here let alone win a Brit, but I mean it hasn't quite sunk in yet. To the fans thank you so much.” Liam spoke first as you leaned over Harry. 
“I assume you're not going straight home tonight?” you all laughed and muttered some excuses. “Well we’ve got work tomorrow so…” you shrugged and the boys added on to that. 
They showed your winning speech and you all cheered after like you had just won again. “So Autumn we had Rihanna on earlier and she commented on your dress. We want to know who it is you are wearing?”
Your jaw dropped at the comment. “Rihanna asked? Oh god, um well my best friend made my dress and she helped put together the boys suits, so a big thank you to Beverly, I love and miss you.”
The boy whooped after you spoke also thanking Beverly. “So who gets the award guys?'' Without hesitation they pointed to you and you smacked your head. “They said this backstage.” you shook your head before continuing.. “But i'm gonna cast it and make-”
“Make jellies?”
“Yes, make jellies.” you laughed. “Right cause then you can just whip out the ole Brits jelly.” you and Harry fell into each other and laughed even harder at Nialls laughter through the mic.
When leaving you walked through the red carpet again and were handed a mic. “We just wanted to say thank you again to the fans, you've been rooting for us ever since it was out that we got nominated. Thank you all so much again.” you spoke in front of you. 
“Hello, well done.” You all looked to your left at the voice and realised the person asking you questions was over there. “Who is getting the award at the end of the night?”
“They keep saying me.” you laughed as they all agreed, “but honestly they might break it if i give it to them so i might be the smartest option.” They all booed at your answer teasingly and you rolled your eyes at them. 
You talked a bit about the continued tour throughout the rest of the U.K and Ireland, and then what was still normal in life. You honestly felt like the answer was everything and nothing. Of course you were still you and the boys were still the boys. You still had all your friends and family, but your life was on screens now, and to you and the boys you knew it was a part of the job, an abnormal job to say the least. 
“Now if you could snog anyone in the room tonight who would it be. You had no idea who to say but you were too shocked when Niall and Harry said you. “What?” you were shocked  considering you all said no dating and thought also meant no outing the fact that you practically were. “Oh yeah im changing my answer.” Zayn looked towards you. “Have you seen Autumn tonight?” Louis added and you just started shaking your head at them. “I believe we all want to snog Autumn.” Liam finalised and you slapped a palm to your face.
“Do you all have a crush on Autumn?” they asked and you looked at the boys with an eyebrow raise. “Who doesn’t have a crush on Autumn, is the question you should be asking.” Niall answered first and you giggled. “Right Niall. Of course we all have crushes on her. You would be an idiot not to.” Harry added and you rested your head on his shoulder in gratitude.
“Hold the trophy up one more time for the fans.” you all cheered as Zayn thrustedthe trophy in the air. “Thank you so much for having us.” you thanked one last time before getting back in the van.
“So you guys have a crush on me?” you asked when you were settled into the van. “Don't let it get to your head.” Liam groaned and you all laughed. Another successful night down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
taglist:
@youcan-nolonger-run @ravenclawdirectioner
@luxiorchive  @superlegend216
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corvidcrybaby · 2 months
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Say, after reading your last commentary on Integra, now I need your POV on something I've been wondering.
What do you think will happen to Hellsing once Integra dies? To Alucard and Seras? Integra has expressed no interest in having children, and since she wants to avoid becoming a vampire, we know she won't be alive forever. Does she have a plan for that?
Hi! Omg so sorry to take so long to get to answering this, life has been insane on my end.
To answer your question, I'd wager there's a plan in place. Whether it pans out according to Integra's expectations or not is what remains to be seen. Integra mentions that the Organization will be passed over to the general military once she passes, and the Crown will thus assume direct control of the agency and its vampires. I'm willing to bet good money that the sigils that bind Alucard and Seras could potentially be transferred. If they are, then they'll keep up their job as the UK's resident vampire pest control until something extreme happens to break that bond of servitude. The nature of these sigils is unfortunately never explored fully, nor how they work, which leaves us with naught but speculation. However, this is my educated guess at how they probably work.
On the other hand, let's entertain the more interesting prospect of if those sigils are less malleable than we think, and it becomes impossible to bend Alucard and Seras to the will of someone else. From there? If the British military effectively has to try to keep these two under control through... What, good will? Threat of force? Both ideas are ultimately laughable. If that is the case, then I think Alucard is going to assess the inheritor's character and convictions. If he finds Integra's replacement to be unworthy, and there are no magic spells forcing him to play nice, then I think he probably peaces out to take a nice long nap. I think he probably goes into hibernation after Integra's passing - which, mind you, I think he'll be destitute following. It would be hard to read from him, but he holds Integra in high esteem, and went out of his way to return to her after Schroödinger-gate. That shows a high degree of loyalty, and I think Alucard would be laying low for a minute. After he wakes up, however, is when I suspect he might piss off into the unknown, wandering around the world - perhaps in search of interesting people to meddle with the lives of, secretly hoping he'll find the next Anderson, the next Integra, et cetera. I suspect he'll probably go right back to eating people, though. I'd put money on him perhaps being a bit more Punisher-esque on the humans he kills for food than before, since he has hinted at the idea of humans rubbing off on him in the series before. So less the kind of guy who devours the most innocent and defenseless people imaginable, and more likely he interferes with mortal affairs that he can justify to himself are morally bankrupt so he has a steady supply of enemies to destroy and humans to feed on. I don't see him turning all of England into a necrotizing wasteland with him at the head. I think that would beneath his interest by now. I think harassing and stalking people he deems unique or entertaining would occupy much of his time post-hibernation.
Seras, however, is interesting. I suspect Seras would stick around at Hellsing of her own volition, and would continue aiding Britain in its cause to protect people and slay undead monsters. That's what she became the person she is while doing, and I think with or without Alucard, she'll keep on generally being a goody two-shoes. But I think even she would grow weary of it eventually. With Integra gone, I think it becomes less and less like the home Seras "grew up" in - and if the new commanders are inept, then I think eventually Seras would reach a breaking point where she too, might go rogue. She might tag along with Alucard for a while, and I'd wager they keep regular contact and check in with one another on a semi-frequent basis (which, for vampires, might mean catching up once a decade or some shit). Seras is her own independent person, especially after accepting her vampirism and drinking blood to become autonomous as Alucard always urged her to be. But just as that's true, I feel their relationship was always one of Seras, despite everything, wanting to remain by Alucard's side. Their relationship would no doubt shift, and I suspect they might grow more reserved with one another, but I think they might find a new kind of emotional intimacy with one another - not romantic (I like Aluseras from time to time but this is my baseline read), to be clear, but I think Seras has the vampire equivalent of her late-twenties-development after Teggy passes. And from there? Anybody's game, but I think she keeps on bumping off rogue vampires - although I think with time, it might become more territorial than altruistic in how she carries herself. Less general heroics talk and more like, a vigilante warden type of dealio. She might come to see Britain as HER TERRITORY which would spell doom for any foreign vampires thinking they can feed on "her" humans. I think time as a vampire makes everybody go a little dark, but this is still pretty tame. It's Seras, after all. She'll flay you to ribbons but only if you really, REALLY press her.
Thanks so much for the ask!!!
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jomiddlemarch · 2 months
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You’re responsible for your rose
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“Beltane, sex magic, and a botanical aphrodisiac,” Hermione said.
Someone who knew her less well than Draco did would have thought she was incredulous. 
Though, to be fair, a year ago, Draco himself would have thought she was incredulous.
She was analyzing. He’d been willing to wager the contents of Malfoy Manor’s East Wing that she was developing a runic arithmantic composite set of equations to determine the odds of success.
That was because he’d wisely chosen botanical aphrodisiac for the phrase Neville had used, quoting the blithely unconcerned Luna.
Sex pollen.
If he’d said sex pollen, all bets would be off.
And their chances of having a child would be nil.
Lower than nil. Like a Dementor had got a hold of nil and sucked all its joy in nil-ness of it and left a little nil-husk.
(He’d been up most of the night before trying to figure out the most effective verbal workaround for sex pollen and had still put in a full day at the British legal division of the International Confederation of Wizards trying to reconcile the Tasmanians to the valid claims of the trans-Aeolian merpeople. It had left him a bit punchy.)
“When you consider it, as I know you are, you’ll agree that it makes sense. Synergistically and intuitively. Neville said—”
“You talked to Neville?” she interrupted, her cheeks turning pink, her dark eyes lit up. Someone less familiar with her might imagine she was angry. Well, maybe she was a little angry. 
“Of course I talked to Neville, sweetheart,” Draco said, striving for the calm tone that would engender an answering calm in her and not the one that tipped her over into a seething cauldron of piqued ire. “He’s our closest friend, he’s the most brilliant Herbologist in the British Isles, and no one understands the impact of one of Bellatrix’s curses better than he does.”
“That’s true,” she said.
“And he’s the only one who Luna reliably answers and we agreed she would have an invaluable perspective on our situation,” Draco said. Hermione dropped her shoulders, a sign that she was sufficiently convinced. 
“I hate that we have to ask,” she said. It was rare for her to admit it. She had decided upon a nearly invariable, inviolable determined cheer as her approach, which served her well in the face of the advice tendered, generally unasked for, by various Weasleys (though never Bill or Fleur, who had permanently endeared themselves to Draco therein), both Patils, Minerva McGonagall, and the cadre of “fertility specialists” that St. Mungo’s purported to have, though their expertise had been based on outdated herbals, a faulty grasp of lunar charms, and a misguided belief in the addition of gigglewort to any Potion.
She had not reacted well to the gigglewort. And her insincere gales of laughter had not done much for his stamina. His climax had been due solely to hydraulics that time.
“I know,” he said. He’d learned not to offer any additional commentary that started with But. But our friends don’t mind helping. But it’s what we need to do. But if we don’t, there won’t be a brown-eyed baby with curly blond hair to be carried in one of those Muggle baby-rucksack contraptions. 
“I thought when Riddle died and she was gone, it would be over,” Hermione said. “And it’s not.”
She was Bellatrix, his aunt, the witch who had cursed Hermione under the Malfoy chandelier, a moment which had been the inflection point for Draco, landing him squarely, irretrievably in Hermione’s court, Order of the Phoenix, falling in love with a woman he had never expected to do more than nod civilly at him and hold her tongue. Bellatrix had added something to the Crucio-carving combination she’d unleashed on Hermione, something purely Black, something Voldemort would not have recognized nor approved, a waste of her power on extinguishing an enemy. It had made it well-night impossible for Hermione to conceive with a Pureblood, let alone another member of the Black family.
Andromeda, when consulted, had shut her eyes for a long moment and muttered Toujours pur, before offering a pat on the shoulder and offer of a slice of apple tart. She’d also been the one to point out Hermione would have met the same fate had she married a Longbottom, Weasley, Prewett or Potter.
(It was worse marrying a Black. She might have carried a Squib to term with another Pureblood.)
(It had taken three miscarriages to convince Hermione it wasn’t simply bad luck. Draco had had his suspicions after the first, when she’d jerked away when he touched the arm still scarred with Mudblood in Bellatrix’s jagged script.)
(He hadn’t told her what he suspected. He wished to be colossally wrong. He had a decent track record in that regard.)
“It is and it isn’t. Like the tide on the shore,” Draco said. The visual soothed him and Hermione had a fondness for the ocean, memories of trips to the seaside as a child. It could possibly help.
She took a long breath and harrumphed it out in a way he found endlessly adorable. She also used it when she’d lost her latest match of Wizarding chess to Ron, whom Draco tolerated because what else could he do and at least the man, grown up (so far up, truly, were there Giants somewhere in the Prewett line because the man was a bloody tower), had learned to appreciate Hermione and smiled at Draco, a little secret smile, when she furrowed her brow squinting at the board, moving a piece that was going to put her into check in another two moves.
“Beltane isn’t a problem,” she said. “Unless, do we have to be naked in the woods?”
“No, indoors, you in lingerie works,” Draco said, grinning.
Luna had suggested they couple on a ley-line and not to discount the amplification of earth magic and bad puns. Draco planned to save that suggestion for another time.
“For the sex magic, Coniugalis? Procreo melior? Izorratu?” she said.
Draco reached over and picked up her left hand, the one with the ring he’d given her. He cast windlessly exclusively with his right hand and he let her feel the magic warm across his palm.
“Witch’s choice, I believe,” he said. “I’ve heard tell Izorratu is the most fun.”
“I suppose having fun isn’t a confounding variable,” she said.
“Might even help,” he said.
“Do we really have to use sex pollen, Draco?” she asked.
“I said botanical aphrodisiac,” he replied.
“Right, but I knew you meant sex pollen,” she said. “It’s so…campy.”
“Like, camping? Tents and fishing? Too much like your great Horcrux Hunt?” he said.
“No, like badly written media. Like Celestina Warbeck covering Elton John,” she said. “It’s not like I don’t already want you.”
“I assure you, that’s mutual,” he said. “I can check with Neville. He’d be the one harvesting the pollen for us.”
“I wonder, you said botanical aphrodisiac. Maybe we can just use chocolate?” Hermione said.
Draco considered. Hermione had previously demonstrated some delightfully unrestrained randiness after consuming a chocolate lava cake, a pudding whose name had made him turn up his nose while she insisted it was haute cuisine among Muggles. There had been so much heartbreak and misery in the past several months and if it didn’t work, they could take a break and wait for the next Beltane. Or she might want to try that in-vitro thing her parents had mentioned, even if it was going to require Confunding some Muggles in the NHS to accomplish.
“I don’t see why not,” he said, then paused while an idea occurred to him. “Truffles might split the difference.”
“What?”
“We could see whether Hannah can whip up some chocolate truffles with passionfruit filling and dust the top with the pollen,” Draco said. “Less campy, more romantic?”
“You are terribly clever, aren’t you?” she said.
“I’m clever enough to have married the Brightest Witch of Her Age,” he replied.
*
Later, Draco decided it was relocating to the charming, high-end inn on a ley-line that was responsible for the triplets and that if they’d stayed home and gobbled the truffles in their bedroom, Hermione wearing a pair of woolly socks and nothing else, Scorpius and Leo would not have been accompanied by Roseline. He didn’t mention this to anyone but Luna still caught his eye and winked when she saw him. 
She didn’t have to lobby him to become his daughter’s godmother. They did, however, have a lengthy discussion about the risks of any Fae involvement, with Draco a hard no. Luna only said.
“We’ll see. And I mean, Roseline and me. And perhaps her mother. And Scorpius. Leo is most obviously 100% in agreement with you.”
Leo, at that moment, was fast asleep.
Draco did not argue.
Tagging @ficwip for the Hey Sweetheart 2024
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cogitoergofun · 1 year
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A proposed law in Florida would force bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis and other elected officials to register with a state office and file monthly reports or face fines of $25 per day. The bill was filed in the Florida Senate Tuesday by Senator Jason Brodeur, a Republican.
If enacted, the proposed law would likely be challenged in court on grounds that it violates First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and the press. Defending his bill, Brodeur said, "Paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk. They both are professional electioneers. If lobbyists have to register and report, why shouldn't paid bloggers?" according to the Florida Politics news website.
The bill text defines bloggers as people who write for websites or webpages that are "frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content." Websites run by newspapers or "similar publications" are excluded from the definition.
The proposed registration requirements apply to bloggers who receive payment in exchange for writing about elected state officers, including "the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature." Bloggers who write about a member of the legislature would have to register with the state Office of Legislative Services, while bloggers who write about the governor or other members of the executive branch would have to register with the Commission on Ethics.
"If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register with the appropriate office... within 5 days after the first post by the blogger which mentions an elected state officer," the bill said. "Upon registering with the appropriate office, a blogger must file monthly reports on the 10th day following the end of each calendar month from the time a blog post is added to the blog."
“Hard to imagine” a bigger First Amendment violation
The reports would have to name the "individual or entity that compensated the blogger for the blog post" and specify the "amount of compensation received." There would be fines "of $25 per day per report for each day late, not to exceed $2,500 per report." The blogger requirements would use the "same procedure by which lobbyists are notified of the failure to timely file a report and the amount of the assessed fines."
"It's hard to imagine a proposal that would be more violative of the First Amendment," New York-based civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby said, according to an NBC News article. "We don't register journalists. People who write cannot be forced to register."
Scott Wilkens, senior counsel at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told Ars that the "bill raises serious First Amendment concerns about free speech online. It seems very hard to draw a meaningful distinction between paid bloggers who write about the Florida executive or legislative branches and journalists who do the same. The bill regulates speech about issues of public concern—issues that lie at the heart of the First Amendment."
We also got a statement from Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "When a bill this plainly unconstitutional is introduced it's essential that journalists explain to the public why it runs afoul of the First Amendment," Brown said. "Our system of free expression rejected the British tradition of licensing printers because we recognized that it was the essence of self-rule to have complete freedom to criticize the public officials who act in our name. The registration regime proposed here would encumber that and deny Floridians their right to hear from a variety of voices about the conduct of their elected leaders."
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demani-dusk · 18 days
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I really loved Babel or the Necessity of Violence a lot and I want to get some more of my own thoughts out.
What I liked: I mostly read/listen to/watch scifi/fantasy stories, and while I love scifi/fantasy for allegory and metaphor that can focus in on and provide sharp commentary on the real or how the hyper real can heighten the emotions of a real thing, it turns out it was very grounding to read a story about empire set in the actual British empire about people who would have been its actual victims. And even then, I really do love the fantastical elements of the setting and the way silverwork and translation convey the ideas and themes so well.
I like the way the premise of the story and the positions of the characters so clearly and directly conveys the exploitation and extraction of imperialism, the way educating and shaping Robin into an Oxford student is so deeply and inherently abusive. I love that actual real world translation work from the time fits so neatly into the story. Commentary on everything being translated into English but rarely would something be translated from one colonized language to another. Commentary on the way imperialists treat texts written by cultures they don't respect. It all works together so satisfyingly well.
Translation as a kind of magic, as a central theme is also just such a great tool for a writer to do fun and good writing stuff with. I love the way etymology and translations give weight and new layers of meaning to the text the way other literary devices might. It's a book where the thinness of any single language is part of the conceit of how the magic works and Kuang is like, supplementing the inherent thinness of language by offering the reader translations as supplement, trying to get *us* closer to the "realm of true meaning" as it were.
I love very much Robin's internal turmoil throughout the first 2/3 or so of the story. His love and hatred of Oxford. His inability to choose between his father and his brother. His fear, his wonder, his resentment. The way he feels extremely at home and never at home at Oxford. It's all done extremely well imo.
Things I'm less sure about:
I really wish Victoire were more fleshed out earlier in the book. I think what we get makes sense with the story being Robin's perspective, because Victoire and Letty are pretty much always together and Letty has a way of sucking all the air out of a room. But I still wish more room had been made for us to learn more about Victoire before the last act.
I would like to see a little more about sexism and Letty's relationship to feminism. We know she is very aware of the sexism she faces at Oxford but what does she think of suffragists? I can imagine white feminist Letty supporting women's suffrage and still not taking racism or imperialism seriously, and I can also imagine ivory tower rich girl Letty being entirely skeptical of addressing any social issue in a way that isn't about personally fighting to improve your own position, including sexism. I also think Victoire's experience of misognoir is relatively underexplored and that's too bad.
There's also this thing in the writing I'm not sure how I feel about. That is, there are a couple of intractable arguments characters have repeatedly on and off the page. I found myself not loving this as a reader, but I'm somewhat convinced that the way I didn't like it was that it effectively conveyed the boredom and discomfort of having the same argument over and over without making progress, and isn't that the book doing its job well? I still sort of feel like it would help to get these arguments in ways that highlight different character's perspectives each time or something. Or like, ifl having the same best reappear in a story you want the circumstances to change such that the thing happening feels importantly recontextualized, and I didn't always feel like this was happenijg. idk I'm not sure my instincts about this are good.
Anyway, it's a good book, I liked it a lot.
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saezurumurmurs · 8 months
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Hey!!...how are you??. I just wanted to ask you about what do you think about Alice Osman words about bl/yaoi. From my point of view, she sounds quite pretencious, because I dont feel "heartstoppers" is that great , and she just from be british she has the opprtunity a big plattaform as netflix oppen their doors, so she cant imagine what is been an asian author and how actually his work is BL.
Taking Advantage of A Fandom
I watched the show, and haven’t read the comic. However @absolutebl posted a terrific commentary on this issue a while back:
From my perspective, BL and by extension, yaoi, is a uniquely Asian sub genre of erotic romance.
Alice Osman is a British creator who wrote a young adult LGBT+ romance comic. So the comparisons made seem ‘convenient’ for ‘marketing purposes’.
I personally resent the accusations lobbed against fujoshi of fetishisation, because it’s rooted in anti-woman rhetoric and I won’t have my tastes dictated to me. Everybody has opinions, but not all of them are valid.
BL is full of problematic tropes, just like regular M/F romance… and I’ve been reading romance and erotica for forty odd years. But these tropes are part of romance as a genre, and these tropes reflect our lived context. To single out BL/Yaoi as unique is nonsense. The tropes exist because the reality exists. Storytelling exists to allow us to find empathy for one another.
There are some good academic pieces out there, that debate this far better than I can. What I can tell you is that the internalised and externalised misogyny regarding BL content, is quite painful to me. Somebody always gotta rush on to tell women what they can and cannot enjoy. Dictate their sexuality and shame them for their pleasures.
We literally can’t have a damn thing nice, without some bozo trying to make us feel bad because we like it. Chile, I’m too old for that shit. We are allowed to like what we like, and enjoy problematic media just like anyone else. We are people too!
And lest you think otherwise: homophobia and transphobia’s roots are in anti-woman thinking and policies. That women do it to other women… well, it’s nice to be somebody’s favourite pet isn’t it. You get a padded cage, and the best kibble.
Osman benefits from the BL label, even though her story isn’t in my opinion BL. But criticising and alienating potential readers within the BL fandom seems to be a bit of a sport across ‘BL’ as it’s being broadly defined here. Because throwing shade on fans happens too much… by too many creators both Asian and Western.
Which is interesting, because the global market consuming this content is HUGE. You don’t understand the numbers of people reading Painter of The Night. I believe last year, it was more than all the people who bought romance novels in the West COMBINED. So if you think the Western authors don’t know the market for their stories are pale compared to what BL is doing on a global level, I should encourage you all to get interested in the business of BL. There is a lot of money and soft power in it.
But because it’s a FEMALE audience interested in SMUTTY stories, well… it’s a PROBLEM. Even in the countries of origin.
I get that we should analyze the problematic tropes in BL/Yaoi, but that’s what storytelling is for. I’m not for false equivalencies, because I personally disdain most Western content… and where do you see these types of stories in profusion from Western creators? No place. That’s where.
Maybe Osman has feelings because her story is no Painter of The Night. Maybe somebody asked her one too many times about our smutty stories… and what we got was shade and salt.
I did watch Heartbreaker on Netflix, and it was cute but I don’t feel compelled to rewatch it, the way I do say KinnPorsche or Love In The Air. I haven’t been moved to hunt down the comic to find out what happens next, the way I did when I watched that last scene of Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather.
Chile… Osman could NEVA.
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I keep thinking back to Muse playing Survival at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics, and I keep saying that one of these days I'm just gonna spew all my feelings about how it's not just one of my all-time favorite Muse moments, but also a hilarious, if perhaps unintentional, moment of social commentary.
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I still remember our postgrad professor showing those same closing ceremonies in class, explaining the not-so-subtle propagandistic purpose the entire spectacle served on the global stage. (For those who don't know, the 2012 Olympics closing ceremonies were essentially a three-hour star-studded tribute to UK music and pop culture.)
Picture this: you just sat through about two hours of the UK's various national exports - One Direction, the Spice Girls, the Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox, erm, Russell Brand. You've just seen live performances of Bohemian Rhapsody, Imagine, Wonderwall, and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, alongside tributes to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. And you still have Queen, Take That and The Who to go after this.
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Interestingly, that class glossed over what an afterthought the Muse performance felt like by comparison. You could argue a lot of extenuating circumstances: the controversial reception of Survival as the official London Olympics theme song, the infamous NBC debacle where it inadvertently got cut from the US broadcast of the ceremonies, or the simple fact that this far into the festivities, a fairly straightforward stage performance* by a band with slightly less name recognition than Coldplay was pretty underwhelming.
* Not sure if this is common knowledge, but apparently this performance was mostly playback with the exception of Matt's vocals. Which also makes this an underappreciated entry in the annals of Muse miming shenanigans.
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But something becomes very apparent once you actually reach this part of the show: Survival is fucking bananas. I'll never forget that one internet commenter calling it the world's most epic villain song that doesn't know it's a villain song. I mean, just look at the lyrics:
Life's a race / and I am gonna win
And I'll light the fuse / and I'll never lose
And I choose to survive / whatever it takes
You won't pull ahead / I'll keep up the pace
And I'll reveal my strength / to the whole human race
This is how the song starts! You can sort of see the logic behind making it the Olympics theme song. And then it gets weirder from there:
Yes, I am prepared / to stay alive
I won't forgive / the vengeance is mine
And I won't give in / because I choose to thrive
Yeah, I'm gonna wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin
Good grief. No wonder it's called "Survival". The song makes slightly more sense in the thematic context of The 2nd Law, the album it was released on. But on its own it's just.... yeah.
And this performance ramps up the insanity even more by just taking the piss. Between Matt Bellamy peacocking in a sparkly suit and Union Jack t-shirt, the batshit guitar solo, the pyro, the backing choir, and the fact that everything onstage (including the grand piano) is pretty much just for show (and wobbling like mad), Survival feels cheesy and irreverent in a way that makes you suddenly hyper-conscious of how tightly orchestrated everything else you just saw (including the Monty Python and Mr. Bean stuff) was. Remember that this was all broadcast to an international audience of millions.
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Pairing the sheer pageantry of the ceremonies thus far with the actual lyrics of Survival kinda puts everything in an uncomfortable new light. Then it dawns on you that you pretty much just watched an accidental three-hour love letter to British imperialism. (Okay maybe that's overselling it a bit but it's still pretty funny.)
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ivy-and-edelweiss · 1 year
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Calling all Squadron members!
In light of the "Red Baron Musical Fracas" of a few days back (to my knowledge, the libretto of The Death of Von Richthofen as Witnessed from the Earth has still not been found), I am soliciting the Squadron at large's input on the plot, staging, title, and other aspects of the ideal (though imaginary) Red Baron Musical.
Personally, I think @subtile-jagden has it right that any such production would have to be campy in the extreme. Bummer musicals have their place, but I daresay this ain't it.
I humbly submit my contribution, The 100% Absolutely True Story of the Red Baron, featuring:
A fourth-wall break wherein the audience is told that attempting to portray realistic dogfights onstage would be far too expensive, so instead, all aerial battles are narrated by two reporter characters (one English, one German) as though they're giving live sports color commentary
Further leaning into the sports motif, to better differentiate between characters wearing similar costumes, the surname and number of the character's eventual total victories should be bedazzled onto the back of their coat/uniform--like a football jersey, but sparkly. MvR's is in red rhinestones, obviously.
As characters die, their actors appear above the stage on a catwalk visible to the audience. They sing in any numbers which include a group chorus, but may not be mic'd. Otherwise, they silently react to what's happening down below throughout the show.
Exactly how many of the real-life Jasta 11 or JG1 members should be included would be determined by the size of the production, making it a fairly flexible show in terms of casting. Some smaller parts could even be double-casted.
The major roles would be: British Correspondent, German Correspondent (make up funny names for both and change them every night), Manfred von Richthofen, Lothar von Richthofen, Werner Voss, Kurt Wolf, any other appropriate figures, and a nurse character.
The Nurse should be deeply unimpressed with the proceedings and in no way romantically involved with anyone. She's a banter partner for anyone who ends up in her hospital and her very sweet soprano should be a counterpoint for her acid wit. I do imagine she has a duet with MvR, but the song is him dictating a letter to her while recovering and is very passive-aggressive.
There shall be a number in which there is rhythmic banging of beer steins. It is law.
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copperbadge · 2 years
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Shivadhverse: What are the odds of Jerry’s Roman Ruin Dig unearthing something like the Warren Cup ? (British Museum)
I think it will depend on the plot! I hadn't really gotten much beyond the idea of there being a Roman ruin under the Shivadlakia estate, and what happens with that ruin will depend (eventually) on what I come up with plotwise, but it'll take a while before I'm there. Although certainly it's difficult to imagine there wouldn't be a place for an erotic drinking cup in a romance novel :D Perhaps for them a mosaic, erotic mosaics were certainly a thing.
I will say, the poses on the cup don't look terribly comfortable.
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I've got hip cramps just looking at it. Although, this being Askazer-Shivadlakia, they probably would appreciate the comedy of the awkward sex on the sexy cup. I was going to say "Imagine Jerry getting his first good look at it and offering commentary" but no. Imagine Michaelis getting his first good look at it and offering commentary. Poor Gregory.
"It just looks like a young man's sport. If I tried any of that I'd put my back out."
"Dad."
"What? You can't possibly be that squeamish about it, I assume you and Theophile have -- "
"FATHER PLEASE."
"Stretch first, son, that's all I'm saying."
[ID: A photograph of the Warren cup, a bowl-shaped ancient silver drinking vessel. The sculpted relief on the side of the cup shows two naked men in the midst of sex; one is gripping a rope or curtain hanging from the ceiling, sitting in the other's lap with his butt visible to the viewer, while the other, penetrating him anally, holds him by the hips, face pressed between his shoulder blades. It looks like they're enjoying themselves despite the slightly awkward positioning which seems designed mainly to show off the butt.]
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man-reading · 4 months
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2023 POLARI PRIZE SHORTLISTS CELEBRATE QUEER STORIES THAT “ENTERTAIN, ENRICH AND INSPIRE”
Memoir, non-fiction, and critically acclaimed literary fiction from a mixture of independent presses and larger publishers dominate the dynamic shortlists for this year’s Polari Prize and Polari First Book Prize, the UK’s only dedicated awards for LGBTQ+ literature.
“The quality of long-listed titles this year was so exceptionally high, a number of much-loved titles didn’t make the shortlists” said Paul Burston, founder of the prizes. “Taken together, this year’s shortlists are a powerful testament to the quality and diversity of LGBTQ+ writing in the UK and Ireland today. From dazzling debuts to writers delivering on their earlier promise and really upping their game, these are books to entertain, enrich and inspire.”
Powerful stories of resilience and resistance are the focus of this year’s Polari First Book Prize. None
of the Above by Travis Alabanza (Canongate) is an electric memoir exploring life outside the gender boundaries imposed on us by society. Edward Enninful’s A Visible Man (Bloomsbury) also makes
the list, detailing how the man behind British Vogue has built an extraordinary life; more memoir makes an appearance with It’s A Sin’s Jill Nader and her heartbreaking and eye-opening memoir, Love from the Pink Palace (Wildfire). Fiction titles spotlighted in this category are Jon Ransom’s complex and transporting The Whale Tattoo (Muswell Press) and Tom Crewe’s historical debut novel, The New Life (Chatto & Windus). Rounding up the Polari First Book Prize is Livia Kojo Alour with Rising of the Black Sheep, the only poetry title in the shortlists.
Poet Sophia Blackwell, Polari First Book Prize judge, said:
“The shortlist is full of fearless, moving and original stories. Full of insights about how the authors came to occupy their particular places in the world, they also set out hopeful, ambitious visions for the future.”
Rachel Holmes, Polari First Book Prize judge, said: “Look no further for this year’s quintessential queer bookshelf to illuminate and inspire the approaching autumn evenings, winter weekends and festive season. There’s a beautiful, brilliant read here for all the queer family. Comfortably encompassing diverse genres and multiple points of view, fledgling emerging talent and celebrated household names, this year’s shortlist bravely re-empowers the past, interprets the present, and boldly imagines the future.”
Adam Zmith, Polari First Book Prize judge, said: “The titles on the shortlist for this year’s Polari First Book Prize wrestle with history and the present moment in engaging and empathetic ways. I loved reading these books, and feeling the queer power in them and their authors’ visions.”
Karen McLeod, Polari First Book Prize judge, said: “This shortlist is dynamic, expansive, moving and truly novel (is it too late to request a box of tissues as a rider?) I am proud we have such a diverse and emotionally intelligent set of queer voices being published today.”
Queer utopias, further memoir and exquisite prose feature in the Polari Book Prize shortlist with Jack Parlett’s Fire Island (Granta), a vivid hymn to an iconic destination, being selected and poet Seán Hewitt turns his hand to memoir in All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape). A varied spread of fiction completes the shortlist with Julia Armfield’s deep sea love story Our Wives Under the Sea, Okechukwu Nzelu’s tender study of family and grief Here Again Now (Dialogue Books), Sophie Ward’s gripping thriller The Schoolhouse (Corsair) and concluding the list is Douglas Stuart’s heartbreaking Young Mungo (Picador).
Joelle Taylor, Polari Book Prize judge, said: “This year’s Polari Prize shortlist reflects the complexities of contemporary LGBT+ lives in work that is nuanced, expansive, intimate and strange. History, futurism, crime, poetic memoir, and social commentary collide to create rich narratives that rewrite us even as we read.”
VG Lee, Polari Book Prize judge, said: “We have a strong and diverse shortlist for the Polari Prize. These are books that will appeal to many. They are that odd word, “keepers”- books to return to.”
Suzi Feay, Polari Book Prize judge, said: “This year’s shortlist highlights the sheer range and power of LGBTQ+ writing across all genres. Passionate, stylish and outspoken, these are voices to haunt and seduce. Our six choices deserve the widest readership.”
Chris Gribble, Polari Book Prize judge, said: “This year’s Polari Prize shortlist lays out the joys, challenges and complexities of contemporary and historical LGBTQ+ lives in a brilliant array of fiction and non-fiction that will leave no one in any doubt that our stories are worthy of their places on every book shelf and in every library. These writers are working at the peak of their powers and if you haven’t read their work yet, you have a real treat in store.”
2023 Polari Book Prize (non-debut)
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (Picador)
All Down Darkness Wide by Seán Hewitt (Jonathan Cape)
Here Again Now by Okechukwu Nzelu (Dialogue Books) Fire Island by Jack Parlett (Granta Books)
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (Picador)
The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward (Corsair)
2023 Polari First Book Prize
None of the Above by Travis Alabanza (Canongate Books)
Rising of the Black Sheep by Livia Kojo Alour (Polari Press)
The New Life by Tom Crewe (Chatto & Windus)
A Visible Man by Edward Enninful (Bloomsbury)
Love from the Pink Palace by Jill Nalder (Wildfire)
The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom (Muswell Press)
Established in 2011, The Polari First Book Prize is awarded annually to a debut book that explores the LGBTQ+ experience, and has previously been won by writers including Kirsty Logan, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Mohsin Zaidi and last year’s winner Adam Zmith, for his keenly-researched history of poppers, Deep Sniff.
Established in 2019, The Polari Book Prize awards an overall book of the year, excluding debuts, and previous winners include Andrew McMillan (Playtime), Kate Davies (In At the Deep End), Diana Souhami (No Modernism Without Lesbians) and last year’s winner Joelle Taylor for her remarkable collection C+nto & Othered Poems which explores butch lesbian counterculture in London.
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Fuck yes First Hunt!! All the girlies love First Hunt! <3
It's great that the episode opens by telling you the entire meaning of the Hunt as an Entity; killing was always besides the point. The chase is the thing. This is what separates the Hunt from the Slaughter (in addition to the Hunt being about intimate violence while the Slaughter is about impersonal mass violence). The Slaughter is all about the kill; the Hunt plays with its food.
So the Hunt is one of the Entities that I just enjoy without over analysing it too much (by my standards anyway; I am a person who will be posting a commentary for all 200 episodes of TMA largely for my own amusement). It's not one of the Entities that really terrifies me or that I really emphasise with, in universe I don't think I'd be in any particular danger of being consumed or claimed by it. I just think it's a vibe. I have fun with the Hunt! Like, hunting prey/being hunted by a predator seems a bit too outdoorsy for me, but I get it and if it's your thing then I love that for you.
I guess I'm saying I think I want to be friends with a Hunt avatar? I think we'd get along great. Maybe I just want a werewolf girlfriend?
Anyway I love this statement, it's one of my favourites.
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And a big part of why this is a favourite of mine is the statement-giver Lawrence Mortimer. What a guy! He's just such a jolly, cheerful dude. I love all his weird turns of phrase and the way he's so I genuinely excited and enthusiastic about going on his little adventure. As much as I love Jonny's voicework on this one, I really wish we'd gotten to meet him in person. He's got dorky dad energy for me.
Fuck I've just realised how much he reminds me of my actual dad. Two screenshots in and this is becoming and epsiode of Revelations for me.
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Amazing. Imagine travelling alone to another country to meet an absolute stranger who you've only ever spoken to via message board, but who is openly a gun nut that wants to take you on a remote hike in the wilderness. Men really do be living in a different world, don't they?
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Haha fuck yes Lawrence! I love this guy!! He's a funny little man.
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Oh god the mortifying ordeal of realising that you've committed to spending a prolonged period of time alone with an extrovert. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Also I have to assume that the part about being laughed at for his accent is written from either personal or anecdotal experience, because I ran this by one of my best friends who immigrated from England to Australia when we were teenagers and he was like 'Yes, everyone did that to me incessantly for years, especially you Reeah, because you're a bad person and a terrible friend.'
(He loves me. I will be a bridesmaid at his wedding next year. His accent is cringe tho. Imagine being British. 😬)
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Okay, BIG YIKES here. This is the only thing about this epsiode that I really dislike. As mentioned above I'm Australian. We have strict gun control here and I generally cannot stand anyone who likes guns or thinks of them as cool fun toys. Massive red flag. Especially if you add the entire premise of the episode; hunting and killing animals for sport, another thing that I absolutely loathe irl!
But mostly I don't mind just letting these things go in this instance. Partially because, as I said, it's the premise of the episode and engaging with a story demands a certain amount of good faith. The other reason I have figured out while typing this; it's because Lawrence's general sense of wonder and enthusiasm about guns reminds me of my dad and his most beloved special interest -- WWI era tanks. The Tiger 1 is his favourite and he is overcome with joy and excitement every time he gets a chnace to talk about it. If I can let go over my objections regarding the military for long enough to allow my dad to re-tell the story of the time he got special permission to go inside the Tiger 1 at the the tank museum, I guess I can let this fictional man enjoy his fictional gun holiday.
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More big yikes!! Hate this!! Terrible!!
Geuinely the worst thing I can imagine encountering out in the wilderness is just a guy with bad energy singing a creepy little song. I'd take a bear or something any day of the week. At least I know what a bear's deal is.
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Very telling that two grown men (both of whom are down for a days long hike through the wild with an internet stranger) immediately pick up on this dude's terrible vibes and seemingly agree instantly and silently to not help him or offer any information about themselves. Girlies having each other backs in the club energy.
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Ahhh! I hate this!! He stopped to get their scents!! What would you even do? Like, obviously they are doomed form this point because he's chosen them as targets and won't let them escape, but if it were me I'd still be tempted to risk a night hike to get the fuck out there.
Attention all creepy strangers in the woods: stay the fuck away from me (unless you are a werewolf and interested in being my girlfriend).
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I'd completely forgotten this part! So the Hunter hung around their camp all night making sure they couldn't sleep. Do we think this was because he wanted to make sure that they would be tired and afraid for the big chase tomorrow, or is this just like the murderer's version of edging?
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