#he is a Clown but also a commitment for life ( --- and beyond; in the supernatural verses....... . ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daisyachain · 2 years

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There’s a scale of media where its ambitions strain against its essence. Supernatural is at one far end. A beautiful but ultimately fatalistic story of humans and angels fighting for free will and—ultimately—defeating the God in their narrative but not the narrative itself. Falling at the last hurdle and murdered for their refusal to obey. And all that trapped in the cheesiest truck commercial Americana crossed with budged X-Files. The show should be bad an accidentally achieves greatness.

Red Dwarf is at the opposite end of that scale where the constant shifting of the status quo with budget/scheduling lead to a whole bunch of interesting development! Rimmer obvs has the most prominent character arc but Lister I’d say has the better one. The constant ping-ponging between different universes shows is the Rimmers that could have been, the Rimmers hiding within the actual horrible Rimmer that exists, but Lister more than anyone is able to react to the barrage of possibilities and grow and change in response. He starts as a genial clown but in the constant company of actual clowns (Rimmer, Kryten, Cat) he approaches heroism.

The series seem to catch on fairly quickly. The alternate Rimmers keep coming back with a side of psychoanalysis, Lister keeps getting dramatic moments or surprisingly moving speeches with clown shoes squeaking in the background. This trend maxes out in s7-s8 when Rimmer leaves and Kochanski is brought in. The comedic hopeless crush turns into a romance, a life they could have had.

But the problem with Red Dwarf is that it was a good comedy before its characters grew beyond it, where Supernatural was always a 6/10 monster of the week. Supernatural was a bad show elevated by its characters, the drama between the leads was the only thing that kept it going through bland supernatural fantasy that was too light to be horror but too dark to be anything else. It was free to follow that drama wherever it went! Red Dwarf didn’t have that freedom, it had to dilute the comedy to make room for the drama and in doing so it had to choose between what made it great (the jokes) and what had potential (the character drama). It couldn’t fully abandon the comedy, so it compromised by not delivering on either. Lister couldn’t become a tragic sci-fi hero because that would abandon the whole premise! Rimmer could never get better because he would no longer have a purpose on the show!

So rather than going the Supernatural route and growing flowers in a corpse, Red Dwarf alienated a lot of its audience but also failed to commit to the drama. Was it telling the story of Lister seeing everything he dreamed of represented in having Kochanski back again and struggling with the knowledge that she loved him back, but only the other him? Was it telling the story of Lister realizing that Rimmer really was the only thing keeping him sane? Neither, Kochanski went back and Rimmer was recreated and Lister was the same in a few episodes. So what was it doing, diving into our hero’s psyche with those two plotlines? It couldn’t decide, which was the problem.

#kelsey liveblogs red dwarf #it’s a great funny sci-fi made greater by its willingness to do Absolutely anything and everything #and its characters are fantastic! lister especially is an ode to the Everyman. he’s clever and funny and kind and fantastic #but it hints at far more than it delivers and it would have been a more perfect show had it never attempted to be deep #I wish I could watch the red dwarf that is implied but even in the late seasons #it never quite steps beyond the status quo. never quite lets kochanski stay or lets lister settle down

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samsoleil · 3 years

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9 and 10?

ask game

V I am sending the most fond vibes in your direction I hope they make it there okay!!

10. Your favourite season and why.

Honestly? Either S2 or S11.

Season 2: Sam has psychic powers and Dean is terrified that his brother might actually be bad, but is still ride or die for him. This is where we can see their relationship flourish without the search for John hanging over their heads. But y'know what does hang over their heads? John telling Dean he'll either have to save Sam or kill him, and Sam who is desperate to be saved and willing to be killed. And then!! when Sam dies!!! Dean saves him in the worst possible way!!!! Also, it's visually gorgeous. You've got the high contrast vibes from S1 but slightly less desaturated and you've still got the grainy film texture. An excellent time.

Season 11: Listen. I still think it should have been Chuck sending Sam visions. And I don't particularly care for the B plot. But Sam and Dean peak in this season for the first time since pre-s4 and it was amazing. It's the immediate aftermath of Sam literally unleashing "a force on the world that could destroy it" to save Dean. Codependency at its peak. And in two mid-season episodes they absolutely nail the S2 energy. I mean, establishing beyond any doubt that Dean loves Sam? And then making him think Sam is dead in the very next episode? Where Sam is also the dictionary definition of BAMF? Not to mention, Sam is just. so understanding of Dean and his messy feelings about Amara. Love that for them.

9. What episodes best encapsulates the brother’s relationship? Does this change throughout the series? Doesn’t have to be the best episode btw.

To answer the second question, the brother’s relationship very obviously changes throughout the show. It’s obviously very codependent from the get go (especially from Sam’s perspective! Literally unendurable), and it varies in toxicity. Some seasons they are very soft! Some seasons I want to shout at Sam to run for the hills and never return. And then there are some episodes in seasons where their relationship is literally awful that are wonderfully tender (like 08x21 when Dean says “You gotta let me take care of you, man”).

Imo, S1-3 are peak brothers. S4/5 are excellent to watch but not the most tender. S6 is on thin fucking ice. S7-10 are, generally speaking, when I would absolutely be willing to kill a man (Dean), but are still SO compelling because these crazy kids are devoted and have no moral boundaries when it comes to the other. S11 is a return to the good stuff! I haven’t seen the seasons after that but from what I have seen, Sam becomes a Dean apologist and Dean just gets worse. But they’re still codependent, so that’s fine. “You were gonna leave and you weren’t even going to tell me?” and “What about me? Would you trade me?” are baller lines. Sam is a grown man but he’s out here saving the world by being Dean’s baby brother. Iconic of them.

OKAY so. First question. I originally had several episodes per season but I have to limit it to 2, this is going to be too long otherwise. Also, as you well know, I've only watched up to 12x06, so I won't include S12 here.

Episodes (and explanations) under the cut!

Obviously, both 01x01 Pilot and 15x20 Carry On. Literally the perfect bookends for this show. I don’t need to elaborate.

01x05 Bloody Mary - Has the moment where Dean actually has an emotional conversation with his brother, because he’s switched on to Sam’s emotional needs. He was willing to let Sam blame him for Jess’ death so that Sam didn’t blame himself! And near the end it has the iconic line "You're my brother and I'd die for you." Dean, right? No! It was Sam!! Anyone with any sort of reservations about whether Sam cared about Dean in early S1 can refer to this episode. It’s episode 5!! of the whole show!! and it has that line!!

01x11 Faith - Sam has absolutely no regrets about someone dying to save Dean's life. In retrospect, this episode says a lot about how much Sam loves Dean.

02x01 In My Time of Dying - Sam can sense that Dean is there, either through psychic powers or because they are soulmates. Both are good. Also, Dean is told that he may have to kill Sam, which influences their dynamic for the rest of the show <33

02x21 All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1 - Dean, on his knees in the mud, telling Sam's corpse that it'll be okay and screaming his name. That is all. Also, after thoroughly chewing out a victim earlier in the season for selling his soul to save a loved one, Dean sells his soul to save a loved one.

03x08 A Very Supernatural Christmas - Sam decorated a Christmas tree with pine air fresheners to give Dean a Christmas. Obsessed.

03x11 Mystery Spot - Dean dies repeatedly, then dies for good for about 6 months, and Sam becomes a ruthless hunter in order to bring him back. Dean spends longer dead in this episode than he actually does at the end of S4.

04x14 Sex and Violence - Dean's siren is literally just a version of Sam that is devoted to Dean and would do anything he says.

04x22 Lucifer Rising - Bobby coming for Dean's life. The VOICEMAIL!! Dean acting as though them being family is a cure-all and saying he'll beat Sam up, but also apologising. I'll take it. And then, of course, the voicemail Sam hears, which is more or less what Dean said in 04x04, and that being what tips him over the edge. The edge, of course, being killing Lilith to avenge Dean’s death, which has been his quest since the end of S3. Excellent.

05x16 Dark Side of the Moon - Ohoho. This episode. You know why this episode is here.

05x22 Swan Song - Same as the above! Dean who doesn't have a plan, just doesn't want his little brother to die alone. Sam, who fights off the devil himself and (essentially) kills himself to save his brother and the car they call their home. That memory sequence, for me, gave Sam the power not to save the world, but to save his brother. The world was just a bonus.

06x11 Appointment in Samara - "Dean doesn't care about me, he just cares about his little brother, Sammy, burning in hell. He'll kill me to get that other guy back." Dean's anger at himself for screwing up and forfeiting Sam's soul was. a lot. Also, Sam begging for his life and Dean just continuing anyway? Horrific. But very testament to their relationship at this point. Dean wants Sammy back and he WILL kill this other guy to do it.

06x22 The Man Who Knew Too Much - Sam being right about the consequences of having his soul put back in. And "You know me. You know why. I'm not leaving my brother alone out there."

07x03 The Girl Next Door - I was tossing up between this and 07x02 but. this has some flashbacks to past Sam!! Unfortunately, it also has Dean punching Sam for using the Impala, the car they both rely on to get around. And Dean murdering Sam's childhood friend for killing rapists. This isn’t an episode that makes you think “Awh, they’re codependent!”, it’s an episode that makes you send Sam vibes screaming at him to get out.

07x14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie - Ever think that maybe Sam fears clowns because he associates them with being abandoned? Also, nostalgia vs reality.

08x09 Citizen Fang - The voicemail from S4 is still hanging over our heads. Dean asking “Does that sound like the Benny we know?” and Sam replying “I don’t know Benny.” Dean keeping Benny away from Sam because Sam is apparently the one who will kill monsters with no nuance or remorse. But this episode is on the list specifically because of how pivotal the line "Yes, I do – too well. In fact, every relationship I have ever had has gone to crap at some point. But the one thing I can say about Benny – he has never let me down." is in absolutely wrecking Sam's mental health down the road!

08x23 Sacrifice - For obvious reasons! “You know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down!” and then Dean’s speech of blatant lies. It sounded good, though. Dean really is that devoted, but unfortunately he has amnesia.

09x01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here - Autonomy violation. This is what advanced care directives are for. Dean being so dependent on Sam that he would violate his autonomy and trick him into consenting to possession. Dean will do anything to keep Sam alive, including destroy Sam.

09x16 Blade Runners - The parallels between Colette and Sam are unbearable. “Drop the blade.” Also, Dean becomes SO feral when Sam’s cheek gets cut.

10x19 Book of the Damned - Sam’s speech! “But I can’t do it without my brother. I don’t want to do it without my brother. And if he’s gone, then I don’t….”

10x24 Brother's Keeper - Ahahahahaaa. Sam kneeling down in front of Dean and letting him kill him, if he wants. Dean not doing so. Please do not emulate this relationship in your real human lives.

11x04 Baby - Obvious reasons. Also, the perfect example of how these two communicate. Dean clearly states his opinion so that Sam has something to base his arguments around, and then Sam provides his perspective. That meta about how Dean and Sam communicate and how Sam is the major decision maker opened my eyes. Impeccable takes.

11x16 Safe House - The thing Dean loves being Sam (and Sam being genuinely relieved that it was!!). Sam propping Dean’s sleeping body against the fridge while saying “I got you! Stay with me.” Him cradling Dean in his arms and patting his head and Dean being SO confused but not fighting it.

11x17 Red Meat - Okay, I lied about the 2 per season thing, I just needed all three of these episodes. They are too good to not include. Dean joking to hide how scared he is for Sam? Being willing to let all three of them die just because he thinks Sam is dead? Attempting/committing suicide to try to bring him back? Sam fighting through immense pain to get back to his brother? This episode is so good. They are absolute lunatics (affectionate).

#emblian #ask game #answered #spn #V I LOVE YOU!!#kael.txt

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adonis-koo · 5 years

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Chasing Ghosts (and my boyfriends)

Note: I’ve been binging on Buzzfeed Unsolved waaaay to much but like, Shane and Ryan remind me so much of Yoongi and Hoseok I’m just doing god’s work yall. Might turn this into a drabble series, might not?? Lemme know what y’all think.

Plot: Nobody ever told you joining the Unsolved department would result in you being together with a sarcastic dumbass and the biggest coward on the planet. You wouldn’t change it for the world

Pairing: Yoongi/Reader/Hoseok

Word count: 2.6K

Genre: Fluff, drabble, attempted humor, poly relationship, buzzfeed!au

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“Alright it’s rolling.”

“Sh! He’s already paranoid as fuck. Over here.”

You let out a giddy snicker as you gripped the camera tightly, filming your boyfriend Yoongi who was currently mirroring your crouched position. Waddling his way with the utmost determination you had to applaud, your thighs however, were already burning in the uncomfortable position and you were well aware this couldn’t have been good footage for the show.

But it was such a funny idea you couldn’t resist it when Yoongi had kept poking your sides with that dumb gummy smile that made you melt.

The topic matter at hand though was not so melt worthy, to Hoseok at least, who suddenly gasped out. Rightfully so due to Yoongi being an asshole, knocking his hand against the wall three times, “G-guys?” Hoseok whimpered out, you could already imagine his lips quivering while parted and his eyes blew out wide, “Y/n? Yoongi?”

You had to resist the urge to laugh due to partially feeling bad, your other boyfriend was the biggest coward you knew, but that was what had made him so endearing. Hoseok was already making his way over to the sound of the knocking, his flashlight in hand as Yoongi jumped out, screaming. His voice matched Hoseok who had jolted so hard he fell backwards onto his ass, “Holy fuck nuts! What the fuck! That wasn’t funny!”

Hoseok had immediate objections to your prank as the camera fumbled in your grip, you kept laughing despite his gaze shooting to you with puppy like betrayal. You couldn’t help it though, he was just so darn cute when he got scared, “You guys are such assholes! You know I don’t like this place.”

Yoongi had already pulled him up off the ground, howling out with laughing as he wrapped an arm around him, “C’mon on that was funny, you have to admit it. What did you think I was? A haunted door? Ah yes there’s nothing more painful than being shut in half”

“In half?” You wheezed out, “I don’t think that’s a thing.”

Hoseok was giving his signature nervous laugh as he relaxed into Yoongi’s grip, “Y-yeah I did actually,” he sputtered indignantly, “I can only hope with your insufferable ass here, maybe he’d be doing me a favor.”

After finishing your rounds of laughing you had all began making your way further into the house until you found the parlor on the second floor- See somewhere along the lines in your life you thought it would be hilarious to apply as a buzzfeed worker, well technically it was for journalism, who wouldn’t wanna write about 12 GIF’s that describe your existential crisis while in the shower, or what scented candle matched your personality the best? You didn’t think you’d actually land the job.

How you ended up in the Unsolved, department was beyond you. But what were you supposed to say when your boss asked if you wanted to be apart of a show where you got to go to haunted places all around the world, for free.

Well it wasn’t free obviously, but the expenses were paid for and that was the best part about it, okay so it wasn’t the best part. The best part about your show was how it had introduced you to both your wonderful dumbass boyfriends that shared one whole braincell with you, and you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

You had dusted off your chair as you placed it between them, Yoongi on your right and Hoseok on your left as the cameraman gave the thumbs up clearing you for recording, “Brrr, a little chilly in here already.” Yoongi commented, sarcasm invading his voice at Hoseok teetering around, his eyes flickering around as paranoia set in.

The room, was like any other room at a haunted area, musty and dust coating everything, some of the wallpaper had been stained and peeling and their was plenty of debris on the floor. You weren’t a nonbeliever in the supernatural, but you also weren’t a non believer. You had considered yourself a skeptic, leaned towards believing.

Except you radiated absolute chaotic energy with your over optimism in trying to find ghosts, you wouldn’t consider yourself taunting them, it was more like a...open minded approach in how you got them to communicate, where as Hoseok was always treading lightly. Yoongi on the other hand, was more likely to get levitated and yeeted against the wall with all of his smart ass comments and snide remarks to try and provoke the ghosts.

“It is man, do you not feel that?” Hoseok instantly replied, wrapping his arms around himself as he shifted in his seat, his eyes those cute dilated pupils, “Feels off here guys.” Hoseok looked towards the camera, laughing again with that nervousness on his face.

You laughed as you sunk into your seat, making yourself at home as you smiled at his endearing nervousness, “The only Off in here is from Yoongi since he couldn’t stand the mosquitoes outside.”

You all began laughing again as Yoongi chimed in, “It’s a valid fucking concern mosquitoes are real, they drink your blood! You don’t see Ghosts running around trying to snack on my ass.”

The wheezing got louder from both you and Hoseok as you slapped your thigh.

“Jot that down for our new bumper sticker,” you laughed towards the camera, excitement running through your veins at the realization kicking in that you were officially at the haunted attraction and not just for an investigation, no you’d be spending the night, “Alright, why don’t you tell us the rundown? Who are we hunting for today?”

Hoseok had began to tell his tale of the haunting of the house, apparently this had been a psychiatric ward back in the 17th century when the medical field had still been developing. Various of the doctors had used the patients on rather, well unfortunately painful and useless operations and experiments. The body count of the tortured souls was over seventy five in counting and that was only the ones confirmed, some of the doctors and nurses both had also commited suicide throughout the years, legend had it you could still hearing them walking down the halls.

The large estate was eventually bought and renovated after it was closed for inhumane treatment and intentional homicide, ever since the house had been passed around like a hot potato from renters due to paranormal activity, ominous and foreboding feeling they had gotten while living here.

Naturally after your banter had finished clowning the previous owners you had all gotten up too explore, stopping by one of the more spooky rooms where apparently one of the patients had died in an electroshock therapy that was a little too high in voltage.

“If brain exploding guy is present in this room, make yourself known to us,” Yoongi clacked his tongue, pushing his hands in his pockets as Hoseok began objecting, “You can pop a light bulb, make a sound or noise, preferably throw him out the window but- y’know I’m good with whatever.”

You had already began snorting a laugh as Hoseok flailed his arms about while muttering a ‘jesus christ’, the poor boy was gonna have a heart attack one of these days because of you both.

It was silent for a moment as you all waited before you sighed, “I don’t think he wants to talk about the brain thing, it’s a bit grueling y’know?” You waved your hands against your head as you gave a grimace, “I’d like to think it’s like having a migraine- but like…on steroids.”

“Steroids that make your fucking head explode?” Hoseok curved a brow, but you began wheezing a laugh as he waved his hands about, “One of these days you’re both gonna get throat punched and I’m just gonna stand there and laugh.”

You and Yoongi were already laughing though as you began to make your way out of the room, you had all began shuffling room to room, occasionally getting some responses though most were so distorted it was difficult to make out what they were saying.

Finally you had sat down in the most active room, setting up your flashlight as you opened the conversation, “If there is a ghost here present with us, we’re going to ask you some questions now. There are some rumors surrounding your death, if you were murdered, could you turn on the flashlight for us?”

Hoseok was practically pale in the face from holding his breath as you all watched the flashlight do nothing, after a few more seconds he exhaled in relief, “If you commited suicide, can you turn on the flashlight?”

It was another ten seconds before Yoongi scoffed, crossing his arms as he waltzed over to the flashlight that laid against the old stacked cardboard boxes, “What a fucking wimp. If you were at least a decent ghost you’d be able to flick the light on.”

“Dude shut the fuck up!” Hoseok almost squealed out, bouncing on his feet as his eyes darted across the room, you had began howling out laugh as he nervously teetered closer to you, jumping at a thump in one of the other rooms as he grabbed your hand, “Do you want us to die?”

You had kept laughing as you coo’d at Hoseok who kept looking at both of you like you were insane, wrapping both your arms around his as you gave his bicep a pat, “Okay, okay fine. Jokes aside, ghost, if you want to throw me and Yoongi out the window just flick that shit right on.”

“Y/n! No sto-” Hoseok suddenly screamed, jumping in your grip as the flashlight instantly flicked on. Yoongi took a step back as he kept laughing, not looking the least threatened as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

Tongue pressed into his cheek with that gummy smile as he continued your statement, “If you want to hurt me and Y/n, turn the flashlight off.” Hoseok was practically whimpering as he ran a hand through his hair, his shrieking heightened at the flashlight flicking off.

“Alright stop! Let’s just set up our shit and get to bed.” Hoseok whined, already grabbing the flashlight as he hauled ass out of the room leaving you and Yoongi laughing like no tomorrow.

You both followed behind before going into one of the doctor’s bedrooms, setting up camp for the night.

After mounting the camera to the wall you gave it a flick as you laughed out, “What if some paranormal activity shit happens? Like what if Hoseok just got his ass dragged right out of bed?”

“Hey! Why me?” Hoseok called out, slumping down on the bed as he hugged his pillow closer, complaining about you using him in your weird ideas.

Yoongi snorted a laugh as he dove onto the bed, sprawling out as he yawned, giving the camera a thumbs up as he ignored your distressed partner, “They’d be doing us a service.”

“Rude!” Hoseok howled out, tossing himself towards the side of the bed, his voice whiny as you laughed. Hopping down from the chair as you gave the camera a thumbs up before crawling onto the bed in between them both.

Most nights spent at haunts were long, mainly because Hoseok was awake the entire night, freaked out by every little sound he heard.

Tonight, wasn’t any different. Yoongi had been spooning you from behind, his nose nuzzled into the crook of your neck dead asleep. You however? You were on night shift, watching Hoseok stiffen, and if the room wasn’t so dark you were sure you would’ve seen the dilation in his eyes, “Did you hear that?”

You yawned, stretching your arms towards him, trying to pull him back against you but he wasn’t having it, “No…?”

He shushed you, popping up from his spot as you whined, your front body now cold without your other boyfriend to keep you warm, “Shh! There’s footsteps.”

You both quieted down for a moment, and that’s when you heard it. Large thuds above you on the second floor, it was like heavy boots trudging up and down the hallway. You weren’t gonna lie and say it didn’t creep you out, because it definitely did. But you were also a pragmatic person at heart, it could’ve been a lot of things. Albeit not a lot of things were very loud like that but...

“Oh my god we’re gonna die.” Hoseok’s breath hitched, his body shuddered as he flopped back down, looking like he was ready to stroke out. Why your boss thought someone with so much anxiety would make a good addition to Unsolved was beyond you. But your heart washed with remorse for him as you felt his hands shake against you.

The footsteps didn’t cease, constantly trudging across the ceiling, it was unnerving. Really unnerving, but your love for your boyfriend was stronger as you sighed, sitting up as you felt Yoongi shift, eyes cracking open sleepily at his personal pillow breaking away.

“Come on, let’s switch spots.” You coaxed, feeling too bad for nervous boyfriend. As much as you wanted to sleep between them, like you always did. You also didn’t want to see Hoseok have a nervous breakdown at the new constant sound. The great thing about having two boyfriends was double the cuddles. You felt invincible between both of their bodies at night. That being said it was usually easy to fall asleep during haunts, that was if Hoseok wasn’t such a scaredy cat.

“N-no I’m fine.” Hoseok tried to insist but you were already crawling on top of him, trying to shove him towards the middle. He was fumbling again, trying to say he would survive, obviously not wanting you on the edge of the bed.

Yoongi let out a loud exasperated sigh at the noise you both kept making, “Shut the fuck up and come here you baby.” grabbing his wrist he dragged him towards the middle of the bed, Hoseok had let out an indignant sound but didn’t protest as Yoongi pulled the new body pillow into a spoon, resuming his usual position like he had before with you.

Smiling victoriously you crawled closer, wrapping your arms around him as you nuzzled your way into his chest with a content sigh, “See? No ghost is gonna drag you off the bed…” You pressed your lips together before snickering, “Granted if I go, you’re coming with me.”

“Well then Yoongi’s gonna tag along too because I don’t think he’s gonna let go.” Hoseok had relaxed into your grip, digging his nose into your hair as he smiled. Even with the footsteps stomping around, and he was distinctly sure he heard something down the hall, it was hard not to relax into the arms of the loves of his life, “Maybe spending the night wasn’t so bad after all.” he hummed out, arms tightening around you as you yawned.

“It’s all fun and games until the flashlight over there turns on, on its own.” You teased, your eyes beginning to droop as you felt him tense again slightly.

“We are not staying the night if that happens.” Hoseok huffed indignantly, shuffling in your grip before relaxing again.

The night was long. It always was with Hoseok, but it wasn’t unpleasant by any means, not when you were with both of them. Life had definitely become a much bigger adventure when you met them both, and you had a feeling that wasn’t gonna change anytime soon.

In the end, when dawn broke Hoseok was practically pushing you both out of the house, finally breathing in relief at being outside as he insisted to Yoongi about what you and him had heard throughout the night, whether it was a ghost or not though, would remain unsolved.

Given how easily scared Hoseok was though, that would probably be for the best.

#bts #bangtan #bangtan boys #yoongi #min yoongi #suga #jhope #jung hoseok #hoseok #suga x reader #yoongi x reader #jhope x reader #hoseok x reader #yoongi x you x hoseok #polyamory #buzzfeed!au #buzzfeed unsolved #bts scenarios

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Batman: Can a Superhero Movie Be Too Dark?

https://ift.tt/2Yz8gMr

“What are you?” It’s a question posed to any self-respecting Batman in his first movie, and it’s one that always gets the same answer. “I’m Batman.” That’s the iconic bit Michael Keaton whispered in Batman (1989), and Christian Bale growled in Batman Begins (2005), each arriving in a movie that stunned audiences in its day. Yet those moments seem like child’s play when compared to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, a film that, despite only being 25 percent filmed, shocked fans during this weekend’s DC FanDome.

When Robert Pattinson’s Batman is asked “what the hell are you supposed to be?” he responds with a brutal, almost sadistic beating of the other party. Using the kind of violence that would be deemed excessive force if he were in blue instead of black, the Batman pummels the man into a puddle before gasping, almost to his own surprise, “I’m vengeance.”

This isn’t your father’s Batman. It isn’t even your Batman from five years ago.

Like new iterations before it, Reeves and Pattinson’s interpretation of Bruce Wayne crawls deeper into the abyss and the crime dramas it emulates, finding something more grotesque and unsettling than we’ve previously known… which makes it irresistible to adult comic book fans. Whereas Christopher Nolan had grand success with his epic interpretation of Batman, pulling as much from the sweeping moviemaking of David Lean as he did the chilly criminality of Michael Mann’s Heat, Reeves appears to be diving into something decidedly grittier and more unsettling. The Riddler-based crime scene at the beginning of the trailer, where a riddle accompanies a presumably mutilated corpse, recalls the neo noir fatalism of David Fincher’s Seven.

In fact during the DC FanDome panel, Reeves outright named Roman Polanski’s Chinatown as his “key” cinematic inspiration. That 1974 classic is a detective thriller in the mold of other 1940s and ‘50s film noirs, but in Chinatown the tropes were liberated by ‘70s cynicism. Thus the movie depicts a Los Angeles rotten to its core, and far beyond redemption. The downbeat and defeatist ending even confirms there is no salvation for anyone.

While it’s still early goings for The Batman, it would appear the new movie is leaning into that sentiment, making the hopeful optimism of saving Gotham City at the heart of Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy appear doomed, or at least naïve. Consider Reeves also said at the panel, “Where did Bruce’s family sit in that [citywide corruption]?” He’s teasing a third act revelation as crippling to Bruce’s belief in the system as the revelations that damned Jack Nicholson’s gumshoe and everyone he ever met in Chinatown.

But then that may be par for the course, with nearly every cinematic adaptation of Batman trying to justify its existence by being more ruthless, more sinister, and ultimately more cynical.

Treated as a beloved relic of ‘80s and ‘90s kids’ nostalgia today, when Tim Burton’s Batman opened in 1989, it stunned audiences with a black-clad superhero who brooded as much as he saved the day, and a performance by Jack Nicholson so nasty that his Joker was publicly dismissed by his predecessor, Caesar Romero. Keep in mind that in the late 1980s, Batman was still the subject of pop culture ridicule and camp thanks to Adam West’s 1960s television series, on which Romero played a harmless prankster in a purple suit.

Upon seeing Nicholson’s Joker, who killed people with a smile and electrocuted mobsters to death with a joy buzzer, Romero said Nicholson “was just so violent” and the movie was “dreary.”

Of course compared to Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar winning portrayals of the Clown Prince of Crime, Nicholson looks camp himself. But this showcases the creeping need for adults to darken their Gotham heroes and villains. The generation of parents who grew up with Adam West would revolt against Tim Burton’s stylized noir aesthetic in Batman and even grimmer Gothic fairy tale in Batman Returns (1992), with some parents protesting the second movie specifically and McDonald’s association with it via Happy Meals.

“Violence-loving adults may enjoy this film,” lamented one angry letter from a parent to The Los Angeles Times. “But why on Earth is McDonald’s pushing this exploitative movie through the sales of its so-called ‘Happy Meals?’ Has McDonald’s no conscience?”

Following the parent backlash to Batman Returns, Warner Bros. momentarily conceded the point and hired Joel Schumacher to make a pair of toyetic and Happy Meal-friendly superhero movies. But when that vision fizzled out, Christopher Nolan stepped in to make his groundbreaking superhero trilogy.

The film that coined the term “reboot,” Batman Begins eschewed the fantastical excesses of the Burton and Schumacher years, and revealed a strong allergy to anything camp. Nolan’s films were intended to be big old school Hollywood epics, with each having its own specific inspirations. On the whole though, they offered standalone action dramas that defied modern convention with an emphasis on in-camera stunts and somber-to-a-fault characterizations. Bale’s Batman even went about his crime fighting with the exacting vision of a campaign strategist, seeking to turn his Dark Knight persona into a political platform that would inspire Gotham to save itself.

And his villains, in their various forms, were allegorical stand-ins for all the anxieties facing Americans in the early 21st century: foreign terrorists scheming in the mountains; the lone gunman who just wants to watch the world burn; and a populist demagogue who would drag our institutions to collapse. That last one is eerily prophetic these days. At the time, however, it was all in service of an entertainment spectacle as big as James Bond or Michael Bay, but now filmed in dazzling IMAX photography.

Heath Ledger’s Joker was terrifying to many, but he was also a beloved figure for his seemingly supernatural ability to know and undermine everyone’s motivations and to speak with a forked tongue as seductive as the Devil. Feeling like a real-life monster, he could be scary to adults, unlike Nicholson’s Joker, but he was still a rock star as far as internet memes were concerned.

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In other words, a far cry from what came later in Phoenix’s lonely and visibly unpleasant murderer, Arthur Fleck. But before Joker or Pattinson as The Batman, we got a nominally darker Batman than Nolan’s. As portrayed by Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Caped Crusader was now a deadened, self-righteous fascist who liked to prove his badassery by branding criminals with bat symbols and driving his Batmobile through someone’s skull. Nolan’s Gotham created the illusion of a grounded, grim reality, but Snyder’s was just grim: a humorless exercise in violence that appeals to a certain type of angsty teenage nerd. Nevertheless, Snyder recently insisted on Twitter that his vision of DC superheroes is “made for grownups.”

While I personally find the end result unconvincing in that regard, the desire for a more serious, “grownup” Batman is evident from Burton through Snyder, and now Reeves. Future generations who grew up with The Dark Knight Returns comics or Burton’s movies don’t feel the need to protest if a Batman movie isn’t made with Happy Meals in mind. In fact, they demand it—and revel when a Joker movie is so macabre and nihilistic that it creates misplaced anxiety about “These Times,” and wins Oscars for Best Actor and Best Original Score.

The results can be as exhilarating as The Dark Knight or as numbing as Batman v Superman, but both appear to benefit in appeal from fans who, after growing up with ostensibly serious versions of these characters, wanted to see that taken further into mature storytelling—which better justifies liking a child’s power fantasy.

This is not necessarily a bad thing: The Dark Knight and Logan remain my personal favorite superhero movies, likely in part because they renew inherently silly concepts with modern context and a deeper complexity. Matt Reeves appears to simply be going farther in this direction with The Batman, a film that may also be as far removed from the dry sense of humor of Bale’s Bruce Wayne as Affleck’s was. But judging by only a teaser trailer, it’s a movie so committed to its vision of Batman as a noir hero in a broken city, and not a blockbuster spectacle, that its director won’t need to tweet anyone that this is for grownups.

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