#i’ll watch anything except for horror films lol

[giac222]

It’s so funny to see people on Twitter get so worked up over TCOAAL. It’s like they go out of their way to talk about how much they hate the game. They will literally go to the accounts of people who post fan art/content of the game and act like a dick in the replies 🤦🏻‍♀️. It’s like omg get a damn life, if you hate the game so much why are you going out of your way to interact with people who like it???

Also, people getting this angry over a fictional animated horror game is so incredibly unserious to me, mind you there’s literally nothing super graphic in the game either. This is a prime example of a 1st world problem. I remember hearing about the controversy through a YouTube video and I was like wtf? Let me see what’s going on lol. Then I watched a play through on YouTube and I thought to myself “This is what people are so upset over??” I’ve never seen such fake moral outrage in my life 💀.

That’s actually how I became a fan of the game, I’ve been a fan of horror stuff for quite some time now and I love weirdo horror computer games, so I was glad to find something new! After watching the play through I bought the game and played it myself. Andrew and Ashley Graves have now wormed their way into my heart 🙄✋🏻 lmao. Seriously though, once you look deeper into their characters you see how they weren’t born evil, they’re just a product of their god awful environment and how their parents failed them. I’ve talked about this before so I’ll keep it brief, but ESPECIALLY Ashley, that girl had a terrible childhood and Andrew was the only one she could rely on, so of course she’s terrified of losing him. Not making excuses for her, but that explains why she goes to extreme measures to keep him around, because she thinks that’s the only way he’ll stay with her, she doesn’t think that someone could love her without her doing all that. Even though we know he’s equally obsessed with her and would stay no matter what, Ashley doesn’t know that yet. That’s why it’s frustrating for me to see people completely ignore that Ashley is a victim too. She was quite literally treated as disposable by everyone except for Andrew.

I have such a soft spot for both Ashley and Andrew as characters, because even though they’re flawed individuals, they both had a shitty upbringing and the world they live in is trash + it hates them. That’s why I want them to have a happy ending, after everything, they deserve some happiness for once. 🥲 🥲

Anyway, I also think these people have a hard time differentiating fiction from reality and that’s actually concerning to me. I’ve seen this type of behavior before but now it seems worse than ever, not just with TCOAAL but other forms of fictional media too. An example I can think of is when people will ship two costars in real life because they played lovers in a movie or TV show, to the point where they even talk shit about the actors real life partners. It’s so embarrassing to see. I also would not be shocked if one day people started saying we can’t make slasher films anymore because they “glorify” murder. The way some of these people act, they make it sound like if anything bad is portrayed in media that means it’s automatically being glorified or encouraged. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Now don’t get it twisted, I understand if someone simply isn’t a fan of the game, it’s not for everyone and I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I respect that. I just think it’s stupid af to go and harass fans of the game just because YOU don’t like it. Not to mention people attempting to dox Nemlei causing her to nuke all of her social media presence. I don’t blame her though because doxxing is scary. I’ve seen people say she deserved the attempted dox just because she created the game, so.. you’re angry over a fictional psychological horror game with fictional characters because it portrays bad things, but you support the attempted doxxing of a real person? Which could have been really dangerous for them… Alright. Lmao, like ok, yeah, you’re soooo morally superior to everyone else 😍. I do not understand their thought process.

Let me just share what I saw someone post about TCOAAL on Twitter tonight. This is what they said:

“its literally ashley manipulating andrew into just agreeing with the incestuous relationship that shes forcing onto him. if i remember correctly they literally have sex in the game.”

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. If someone has a take which involves Ashley solely being the problem and that Andrew is just a softy who can do no wrong and was forced to do everything he’s done, I discard their opinion because they don’t know what they’re talking about and are just seeing what they want to see 🤷🏻‍♀️. Mind you, Andrew is the one who has sexual feelings for Ashley, not the other way around. We know Ashley loves Andrew, but sex isn’t a big deal to her and if they never slept together she wouldn’t care. The way they haven’t even had sex in the game either, people love to say that lmao, it’s a vision and we don’t even see anything explicit, we just know what happened.

Not only do we have haters of the game blame Ashley for everything, but other fans of the game (Reddit community) do the exact same thing. It’s rough out here y’all. 😭 I need them to stop speaking about her immediately. 😂

Another reason I don’t take them seriously is because I can guarantee you they didn’t keep the same energy for Game of Thrones, House of the Dragons, or Flowers in the Attic. I’m sure there’s more, but those are the main examples I can think of. That’s another reason why I didn’t understand the controversy, they act like it’s the first time incest has ever been portrayed in fictional media??? Regardless though, I just don’t understand why people would get this worked up over something that’s not real. Andrew and Ashley are literally pixels on a screen, they aren’t real people. 💀

But the worst of all, I’ve seen people call TCOAAL pedophilic???????? Words used to mean things! I have no idea how someone could even get that from the game, Ashley is 20 and Andrew is 22, so? People just say anything.

Adding this in here even though this has been posted already, but now people are saying that Ashley groomed Andrew on Tik Tok….. I am tiredddd. 💀 These people will jump through literal hoops to try and prove that Andrew isn’t as bad as Ashley I cannot.

At the end of the day, anyone with common sense can differentiate fiction from reality and knows that what the game portrays is wrong in real life. I mean it’s a psychological horror game. Psychological horror focuses on mental, emotional, and psychological states to disturb and unsettle the viewers. I just feel like the hate for the game is so forced at this point.

Me when I see yet another god awful take about TCOAAL:

Lmao

I decided to make a post on this because I’ve had these opinions for a while and I wanted to talk about it.

Thanks for reading. ❤️

#tcoaal #the coffin of andy and leyley #just my thoughts #just my opinion #andrew x ashley #ashley x andrew #nemlei #leyley x andy #andy x leyley #gravecest #coffincest #i hate twitter #fiction vs reality #ashley graves #andrew graves #leyley graves #andy graves

[nekropsii]

wow i straight up had no idea that was how horror-slash-gore circles operated. never would have suspected that perception of the community to have been from christians and the satanic panic but now that i think about it it makes complete sense. do you have any recommendations for anyone who was interested in hostilestuck as a concept? as you said its absolutely not real but id love to hear some recommendations to those of us who liked the idea behind it. ty fr having such an informative blog btw

Glad I could grant you some new knowledge! Horror Fans and Horror Communities are often heavily misunderstood, and I’m more than happy to dispel some negative stereotypes and misinformation. I feel like I’m talking about a dog breed right now. We’re like Pit Bulls. Anyways.

Any time you hear people trashing Horror Fans just because… They like Horror, just remember they’re tackling that with the same Puritanical, Wholesome Christian Mindset as those guys who said D&D was Satanic and encouraged Sexual Deviancy, Homosexuality, Drug Use, and Prostitution. Same shit, different font. It’s a genre, who fuckin’ cares, lol.

If you like the concept behind Hostilestuck, specifically for the “Super Gory” aspect of it, go check out some Splatter films, or track down some particular gnarly Slashers. As always, I recommend the Saw franchise- especially the first four movies. I’ll also recommend the Reboot Timeline of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise- start with Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), and THEN watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). That’s the chronological order of it. My review is as follows: Thomas Hewitt is hot, and holy shit is everything super fucked up all the time.

Or you can just poison the well of your entire life and watch the Human Centipede trilogy. I don’t know. Live your life. I did it. It sucked, but it’s definitely pretty fucking gross, if the gross factor was the appeal for you.

You want something fucked up, but you’re more musically inclined? Babuchan. Go listen to Babuchan.

I literally can’t recommend anything based on the plot- we don’t know anything about the plot, except that it’s Homestuck but with more gore and hyperrealistic blood or whatever. Read some Creepypasta. You want a good Creepypasta? Check out I'm a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service, I Have Some Stories to Tell. Baller fucking story, I reference it to this day.

Go have fun. If any of you guys check any of these things out, tell me about it! Love watching people react to the things I recommend, lol.

#i understand those are some pretty easy recommendations but that just makes it more accessible I think!! #homestuck #hostilestuck #nekro.pdf #nekro.sms

[x-nephophile-x]

15 Get to Know Questions

I saw @fereldanwench do this and wanted to fill it out for fun! 1. Are you named after anyone?  My mom named me after a baby she used to babysit; my name is not Cas of course, its a pseudonym I use for social media.

2. When was the last time you cried? Like full-blown unhappy tears? Uh, last week. My one family dog passed.

3. Do you have kids? No, and I don’t want any, but as I’m getting older, I’m considering it.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?  So much. I use text tone notes though if I’m writing, or say I’m being sarcastic to people like my mom who doesnt get it lol.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?  Usually physical traits, like colored hair, eyes, and brows. I’m very hyperaware so I’ll notice the way they sit or if they feel left out in a conversation. I feel like I’m very aware of people’s moods as I can usually spot if people are less happy than usual or something is bothering them.

6. What’s your eye colour?  Green.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?  I really enjoy happy endings! I like scary movies but not gore fests. Psychological thrillers screw with me too much anxiety wise. But slashers are fun and so are paranormal films. My favorite horror film is the 2006 Silent Hill or They/Them. 

8. Any special talents? I can do that one yoga pose where you throw your legs over your shoulders and balance on your hands and have been able to do it since I was 5. I’m also double jointed in most of my body, most notably my hands.

9. Where were you born?  Pittsburgh.

10. What are your hobbies?  Projecting onto fictional characters, liking morally gray or bad fictional men, being a raging bisexual. I write fanfic and play the same twenty games.

11. Have you any pets?  4 dogs now that one passed. Two small, two big, all are elders except for the one big who is 3.

12. What sports do you play/have played? 

I was never much of a sports person. I like watching hockey occasionally during the play offs mostly but other than that, never played anything outside of gym. I did do color guard and dance for several years though.

13. How tall are you?  4′11 /  149.86 cm

14. Favourite subject in school?  I always enjoyed English, Reading and History. I’m in college taking several history electives for fun. I love learning new things and I always found reading assignments fun as it encouraged me to explore new stories.

15. Dream job? Youtube, actually. I want to start doing it but I have no ideas for content. Like I said, I play the same twenty games, Bioware and Bethesda titles mostly, so I have no real ideas since I’m not a horror fan nor do i play most triple A title games aside from the occasional like A Plague Tale (Did that count as a Triple A game?? The second one did for sure right?) And RDR2. I would probably love to do some Sims content and Bethesda game challenges though! No pressure tags! <3 @travelbystarlight @the-delicate-disaster @thebookwormgal and @themechaneer

#get to know me #misc tag: Cas Rambles #tag game

[psychojay26]

First post on tumblr so let’s do a little about me! My name is Jj but everyone calls me Jay! I go by he/they pronouns and I’m pansexual! I’m a 31 year old wolf who is quiet but likes to have a good time and gets easily excited and chatty on some topics. My likes are: all types of music except country. However, I love punk rock, alternative and metal. I like video games and some of my fave are, Zelda majoras mask, doom, the fallout series and Pokémon! But I like playing most games. I love movies! Especially horror and action films. Also musicals. If you wanna be my main squeeze, invite me to watch Sweeney Todd or Repo! The genetic opera. The Matrix series and Back to the future series are absolute faves too. I love guitars and bass! Im currently learning how to play! Sports like football and wrestling, as well as mma and boxing are awesome! I really enjoy winter and rain, long walks at night and stargazing. If I could stare at the night sky all night, I would. Im sure there’s more but that’s all I can think of now. Some dislikes are: the color yellow! I do not like it. I don’t know how or why I just never liked that color. I don’t even like saying it. I do not like loud noises. I have very sensitive ears. Im not too big on bright lights either. I have mild photosensitivity. On bright days, if I’m outside too long, the light starts to hurt my eyes and I get a very bad headache. Also I don’t like wearing bright colored clothing or shorts. I don’t like how I look in bright clothes, besides teal and cyan of course and I don’t like my legs exposed for some reason, I do t know. It just doesn’t feel right. I do not like homophobia or bigotry of any kind. Always be mindful and respectful of others, please. I am terrified of needles and I have an extreme fear of falling. So none of that for me! I’ll eat almost anything but I do not like black licorice, black jellybeans, stuffing and Swiss cheese. Baby Swiss is okay though. I do not like fighting, yelling or arguing either. It stresses me out and it gets me sick to my stomach. Not fist fighting but like arguing fights lol. I will throat punch an asshole. Now interesting facts! I am ambidextrous, I know how to pop a sick wheely on a quad, I am very much a lover, if I like you, I will purposefully go full on out of my way for you. I once saved up a lot of money just to fly out to cali to be with a guy I was dating at the time. So it’s safe to say i can be a bit of an affection whore lol. I’ve never had stitches and I’ve only fractured my middle finger. So honestly no broken bones, thank god. I’ve been held at gun point before and I’ve been shot with a BB gun. I collect bandannas, scarves, hoodies (I’m also a whore for hoodies too. I will steal yours if it’s comfy!) I also have ADHD too yay! So feel free to follow or message me at any time! I love to chat and make new friends! My reference was done by candy at pleasefeedthebear.com so go check out there amazing work! One of my best friends ever and it’d mean a lot if you give them a follow on there other socials too! Thanks!

#cute furry #furry #furry art #furry character #furry community #furry fandom #furry oc

[pennylanefics]

A Promise - pt. 1 | Will Schofield

a/n: i broke this into two parts bc it was super long. this is the really heartbreaking story idea i had...i also stopped writing it for a few days bc im not expecting to get much notes on it and it discouraged me, but i loved writing it, so why not 🤷🏼‍♀️

another a/n: it’s my birthday!! :) this is the second will fic i’ve posted on my birthday for a second year in a row 🤣 i’ll be sitting at home, making a cake, being snowed in from the winter storm, enjoying some cheesecake factory, drinking kool-aid and watching hamilton lol

•••

Having Tom home for the holidays was amazing. He had so many stories from training, about other soldiers getting caught in hilarious situations. It was so nice to hear his laugh again and just be in his presence.

You’ve known Tom for a short time, but you fell in love instantly. He was delivering a basket of cherries to your house, from his mother to yours, and that’s when you met. From then, you’ve spent all your time together, in his backyard, at local parks, even in your homes; you were inseparable.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do when you go back,” you whisper against Tom’s chest. Your night was filled with passion in his dim-lit room, the covers surrounding your sweaty bodies.

“You’ll survive,” he teases you with a couple kisses here and there. You giggle softly and curl into his body, not wanting him to leave. He was home for the holidays, but unfortunately, he was being sent to France in a few days. “I’ll write to you every chance I can.”

“You better.” He smiles and kisses you deeply.

That was one of the last passionate kisses you shared.

About a month after he left, you found out you were pregnant. You knew it was from that night, and you were so excited to write to Tom and tell him.

Dear my Tom,

I have wonderful news... I’m pregnant! You’re going to be a dad! I cannot wait for your next leave so you can be here for at least some of the pregnancy. It’s going to go so fast, they’ll be here before we know it. I love you. Come home soon.

Love, (Y/N)

He wrote back very quickly.

Dear my love,

I am so elated that we’re going to have a baby! It’s always been my dream to start a family with the woman I love. I cannot wait to see pictures of your baby belly and hear about everything.

Love, your Tom

Those letters continued for the next few months. You gave Tom updates every single week, dreamily writing what your life would be like when they’re born, and if the war would be over. Every letter contained sweet comments from him, until one letter stood out to you one day in April.

“Iris,” you shakily walk to where she sat in the living room. You had moved in with her when you found out you were pregnant. She was so excited to have a grandchild, and she wanted to take the best care of you, for yourself and for Tom.

“What is it, darling?” You hand her the paper covered in someone else’s handwriting, not daring to read anymore than the dreaded greeting, “To (Y/N) and Iris”. Not “dear my love” like Tom writes.

She scans it for a few seconds before bursting into tears. This makes your heart speed up and anxiety builds in your body. She suddenly screams out in horror, and you know something bad happened.

Picking the paper up, you carefully read over the writing, your heart shattering to pieces as you read the statement, “Tom has been killed”. At first, you don’t react. It doesn’t feel real. It feels like someone’s messing with you, one of Tom’s good mates did this, right?

After reading it over and over, you finally look at the closing, which is written by Will Schofield, Tom’s trusted friend. That’s when you break down.

You fall to your knees, your hands covering your face as your body goes numb.

He’s gone. He’s really gone.

“Why!?” You scream in heartbreak. Iris rushes over to you immediately, attempting to put her own grief aside to comfort you.

“(Y/N), you h-have to relax, you can’t stress yourself out. It’s bad for the baby.” At the mention of your unborn child, you cry out even more. He wouldn’t get to see his child.

A sob escapes your lips and you clutch at your chest, images of your first and only love running through your mind. How could you go on?

You managed to get through a month since receiving the news of Tom’s death. It definitely wasn’t easy, but being with Iris made it all the better. You comforted one another when you needed to, and often went into town to shop or have lunch, just to get your mind off things.

A month and a half later, you were still so heartbroken, but you knew you needed to stay strong for your baby. According to your doctor, they were still pretty healthy, as were you, surprisingly. You told him about what happened, and he was very understanding, but he assured you that everything so far was fine, and to just take things easy now.

One day, you and Iris were baking a few cherry pies to deliver to people around town, when a knock on the front door interrupted you. Wiping your hands, you walk to the grand entryway and open it, coming face-to-face with a nice-looking young man.

“Can I help you?” You ask. He takes a deep breath and smiles.

“I’m William Schofield,” he says softly. The name triggers you instantly, and you suddenly feel dizzy. He senses this and helps you inside and onto the couch.

“Who was it, darling?” Iris walks into the living room and sees Will helping you. “Who are you?”

“My name is Will Schofield. I was a friend of Tom’s, and the one who sent the letter informing you of…” he tapers off, hoping she would understand. She does, nodding and motioning for him to take a seat. She walks back into the kitchen while you are still trying to process it all.

The room is silent and awkward. Will doesn’t know what to say, or if he should say anything at all. Thankfully, Iris returns with three cups of tea.

“So, Will. Are you on leave or were you sent here?” He takes a cup from her hands and thanks her softly.

“I was discharged. I sustained some injuries on, uh, the, um, the-”

“It’s okay,” Iris whispers. He nods and wipes his cheek. You stare at him, taking his appearance in. He was nothing like Tom described him as. He was very handsome, bright blue eyes that sparkled with tears. You suddenly feel guilty for staring at him for too long, still attached to the thought that Tom was still alive and he was still your boyfriend.

You zoned out, thinking of Tom once again. What he was like, his laugh, your favorite sound in the world.

“Love?” Iris’s voice breaks you from your daze. That’s when you realized you were silently crying, tears streaming down your cheeks.

“Sorry,” you mumble, quickly standing and running to your room. The door shuts behind you and you fall onto your bed, sobbing quietly into the pillow that used to be Tom’s.

About ten minutes pass and you’re no longer crying. But, your heart still feels heavy and you feel a little numb. A soft knock sounds through the room, and you call out weakly for whoever it is to come in. Sitting up, you see Will cautiously stepping inside. He closes the door gently and awkwardly walks further into the room.

“Hi,” you mumble. He waves and looks around for a chair, but you pat the bed next to you. He sits down slowly and fiddles with his hands.

“I’m so sorry for what you’re going through,” he whispers, keeping his eyes forward.

“It’s probably affecting you as well. According to his letters, you two were great friends.” He chuckles and nods.

“We were friends, but I wasn’t his love or mother of his child.” Tears spring to your eyes once again.

“Yeah, that’s…” you were at a loss for words. You’ve talked about this countless times with Iris, but suddenly, being around Will made it hard for some reason.

“Tom was so excited to be a dad,” he murmurs, a hint of love in his voice. “Every letter he got from you, his face lit up at whatever update you gave him. And he told me about every single one.” You laugh through your tears and finally look at Will. He also had tears in his eyes, yet there was a deeper emotion behind them.

“He was a good man,” he continues. “Always telling jokes and stories. He honestly made the whole experience better.”

“Yeah, that was his specialty, his stories. He had an endless amount of them.”

“That he did.” A silence hangs in the air for a moment.

“Um, can we please change the topic? Because as much as I’d love to talk about Tom more, I don’t think I’m quite ready,” you shyly mumble.

“Yeah, of course. Have you seen any films recently?”

For the rest of the night, you and Will get to know one another, talking about everything and anything, except for Tom; he respected your wish and avoided the topic as best as he could.

After that night, Will visited you every weekend, spending Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with you and Iris. He made sure you were staying healthy and resting, and one night, you asked him about it.

“Will?” You whisper. He was sitting in the guest room, at the desk in the corner. It was well into the night, but you had to ask him now.

“What’s wrong?” He’s standing within seconds, running over to you to make sure you weren’t injured or something was wrong with the baby.

“Nothing. But, I am curious about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Why have you been visiting so much? Not that I don’t enjoy your company, it’s been really nice and Iris loves having you here as well, but why?” He sits on the bed and motions for you to join. You two crawl to the top, against the headboard, and he begins.

“When Tom was...dying, he asked me to care for you, to make sure you have a healthy and happy baby. He asked me to check up on you often and make sure you’re okay, both with the baby and yourself, mentally. He knew what he was leaving behind, and he hated that you were going to be left alone, with just his mum.” Tears pool in your eyes and threaten to spill over as Will continues.

“I made a promise to him that I would protect you and the baby. So I’m going to do that.” Your tears finally fall, and your hands rest on your bump, wishing they could have met their amazing father.

“I just wish he was still here,” you quietly sob. Will wraps an arm around your shoulder and pulls you close to him.

“I know, love. They’ll get to know him through yours and Iris’s stories. Their father won’t be forgotten, I promise you that.”

—

The months go by, and Will keeps his promise till the end. In early October, you gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. You named him Percy Thomas Blake; Tom had always talked about how he loved the name ‘Percy’ for a boy and wanted to use it one day, so you had to keep his wish.

Will was up with you, in the middle of the night as Percy cried out. You were in tears, having tried everything to calm him. Changing him, wrapping him in a blanket, trying to feed him, but nothing worked.

“Here,” Will says, removing his shirt, “let me try something.” He takes the baby from you carefully and rests him against his bare chest. Moments later, the room goes quiet and Percy is fully content. You breathe out a sigh of relief and fall onto the bed.

“Thank you,” you murmur, closing your eyes and enjoying the peaceful moment. Will goes to sit in the rocking chair in the corner of your room, but you invite him to lay beside you. He’s hesitant at first, but he gently lays down, Percy now fast asleep on his chest.

“I really appreciate you doing this,” you say softly. “Being here and helping Iris and I. I have no idea what I would have done if I was alone.”

“Like I said, it was my promise.”

“I know, but to drop everything and help take care of a baby that’s not yours is so incredibly nice.”

“He may not be mine, but that doesn’t mean I won’t care for him when I promised to for a friend.”

A smile spreads across your lips and your hand comes to rest on your son’s back. For a moment, you forget everything bad that’s happened. You feel happy for the first time in months. You just hoped that would last.

To your surprise, it did.

Will basically lives with you and Iris now, and you’re so thankful that he stayed. Him and your son created this unbreakable bond, and you were more than happy that Percy was able to have someone like Will in his life.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years came and passed, and Will was by your side as you mourned the memory of the last time you saw Tom, a year ago. But, as you got through the days together, you couldn’t help but have one thought on your mind.

“Alright, goodnight, bubs. Tomorrow morning, we’re going to see grandmummy!” Your son cheers tiredly at your words, and you give him a kiss on his head. Will appears behind you and proceeds to do the same routine. He follows you out of the room, turning the light off and shutting the door. He begins to walk into his room, but you stop him

“Can I talk to you about something?” You wonder quietly, nerves filling your body. He nods and grabs your hand, guiding you to the living room couch. Iris was gone for the weekend, so you had the house to yourselves.

“So, what is it?” Taking a deep breath, you keep your eyes on your hands, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

#will schofield #william schofield #will schofield imagine #will schofield x reader #george mackay #1917 #william schofield imagine #william schofield x reader #imagines #fanfiction #fanfic

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian Chapter 15 reactions; *nobby nobbs voice* ‘s all gone a bit percychological, sir

 - so from both chapter 6 and now this: rick famuyiwa is incredible at portraying prolonged discomfort and tension (and also at getting din’s endless love for that baby across through the stress of being separated from him. this is the very first episode with no baby in it at all, isn’t it? wow that’s a heartbreaking milestone to reach im crying)

I liked this episode SO MUCH but I had to pause it pretty often and take a breather because it all made me so viscerally uncomfortable on din’s behalf -- not just the armour and having to take the helmet off and be seen for the (almost, ilu IG-11) first time in decades, people keep touching him in this episode when he clearly doesn’t want them to but can’t stop it and it makes me want to claw my own skin off in sympathy, it’s so awful. that’s really neat film making to manage to keep that tension steady almost all the way through!!! 

honestly this episode felt a little bit like psychological horror, with the cheering storm troopers and din in the wrong armour and clearly not digging it and there’s the palpable absence of baby and that ever present dread of being Perceived when you’re not ready for it; everything’s turned upside down from how it should be. and it’s playing with that discomfort both in the main character and in us, the audience, in having the familiar be made unfamiliar and also introducing these questions that shake up everything (that feeling you get of ‘but... if it’s not the helmet, and not the armour, but there’s his face, but we’ve only seen that face once before so it’s still basically new to us, is this... is this still him. is this still Dad’ (oooh I wonder if we’re... sort of getting some of the ??? the baby would be feeling about it too?) we’ve all imprinted on that t-shaped visor like little baby birds, and this was a very clever episode to break us out of that and start to really get used to the thought of him having several faces that are real simultaneously, in a way, and not just a voice. it’s all very smart and interesting and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of incoherent thoughts about this in the weeks to come lol)    

- the actual reason din can’t take off the helmet is that if people were able to see his wide confused puppy eyes they would no longer find it in themselves to send him on long arduous side missions and would help him immediately just so he’d feel better, and that would rob us of like 80% of the content for this show 

mayfeld in this episode: clearly a casualty of this. he literally sees one glimpse of the vulnerability there and then within five seconds goes on to materialize a few redeeming character traits after being a complete jackass for an episode and a half. (I mean. he was 100% still an imperial so I’m a bit ‘hm.’ about how easily especially cara let him off the hook, but with the way it was set up I guess it would have been quite shitty of them to just throw him back in prison so I mean I GUESS. I would be endlessly grateful someone got my awkward bff out of there alive and well too I suppose)

- I actually think din’s sense/integrity of self has gotten so much stronger and more resilient (though probably still quite fragile pls handle with care precious cargo within); if this had happened in the first season I think it might honestly just have killed him (and if it weren’t for IG-11 it probably would have lol)

- can you beLIEVE din is so bad at lying that they literally should plan for contingencies over it fjkasdlhfskajdhfsdj     

- very grateful for the scene with the spear throw that’s basically there to reassure us ‘uh-huh, he absolutely knows how to use it, don’t worry about that part at least’

I want to make a whole post about that fight scene, though, it’s just so GOOD! there’s so much storytelling and characterization in it! even out of the armour din has some real hand to hand MOVES!! he clearly came out of that aching all over, he can barely get back in his seat!!!

- so what I’m mainly taking away from this is that din absolutely cuts his own hair and you know what? he does a good job considering the conditions he has to work under, I love him  

I still find it so goddamn darling that he meticulously maintains that little mustache/stubble combo under there even when there’s every reason to believe no one will ever see it 

I suppose we can also gather that he did not ask cobb about whatever insane feat of magic he’s come up with to avoid helmet hair, but I don’t care looking a bit frazzled and tousled is exactly right for him (he’s so put together when he’s in the armour and a MESS when he’s out of it and I  l o v e  it) 

- boba fett is honestly so fucking hot in this I don’t know what to do with myself haha. he’s so CALM and CALCULATED and COLLECTED in his newly painted armour and he’s GOT THIS and he made that ‘I’ve got one of those faces. one of jango’s many, many, many faces’ joke and he’s so thicc now, he looks like he could easily lift me over his head with one hand and he’s just quietly steady and undramatically supportive and sdalfhsdjhfsa 

- ...din does know who the clone troopers were, right. I mean of course he does. he has to. but does he though. I’m sure he does and just wasn’t thinking. 

- no matter how stressful it was I’m still really grateful that in the end taking the helmet off was something din got to do himself -- it’s under some duress, but it’s still his choice and for the sake of the baby, and almost in two more manageable steps between putting on the storm trooper gear for a different helmet before taking it off altogether. it’s not something done to him by gideon, for example, that would be. so much yuckier and worse. he still has that control and agency intact, even if it’s been tested really hard, and now gideon doing that doesn’t hold the exact same nightmarish power anymore because there’s already a little space opened in din’s mind for different things it can mean, if you see what I mean. I’m not sure I see what I mean actually I just have a lot of feelings haha. so I guess thank you mayfeld for being decent about it and helping him towards that realization that he can still be himself outside these really really inflexible structures he’s set up around himself for like. stability and keeping himself upright for a really long time, and that even someone halfway decent won’t disrespect the boundaries he still has about it at any given moment. man there’s a lot in this episode isn’t there

- the sigh din gave when he saw even more pirates coming and knew he had to get back up... never has a single moment in cinema better captured how I feel about being alive. most relatable man in the world din djarin

- it was really cruel of them to make me listen to din’s dead bleak voice say ‘the child is gone’ again, it wrecks my heart every goddamn time 

- again... I wish carano wasn’t Like That in real life because the cara & fennec scenes should have been everything I could ever dream. ah well fennec was still wonderful and if I just allow myself to think in-universe for a few seconds it was really touching that din would entrust cara with his entire armour, that’s some prime BrOTP energy right there

I love that we got two female characters who were just allies and working together, no competition or nothin’. listen the bar is low but it’s nice to see something actually leap gracefully over it as well lol

- this was one of those with some pretty big open plot holes (why, exactly, would a scan of a completely unknown face be helpful to get into this classified system lol), but a) I don’t care, the emotional storyline was so sound it doesn’t really matter and b) eh handwave handwave let’s say mayfeld programmed that little stick with the good shit and overrode the code saying there needed to be an identity match within the system, it’s all fine 

- I know I joke a lot about this but din really is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever had. just watching him struggle with eye contact and going pretty much nonverbal under enough stress is like. wow a bit close to home there could we, perhaps, nOT?? (honestly though these are trauma/anxiety things I really don’t see portrayed a lot, especially in protagonists, it’s so odd but healing to see it in a character I love and who’s EXTREMELY competent in many other settings)

- din repeating gideon’s speech back to him word for word (except for the crucial detail that he calls grogu ‘him’ instead of ‘it’ 😭😭😭) and saying nothing else is truly Everything. I’ve said some stuff about din’s deliberate and thoughtful relationship to language in the past and this is such an amazing example of it; he’s remembered that pitch perfect all this time, he’s kept it around in his head and mulled it over and then redeployed it to change the meaning of it completely from dehumanization to love. can you. can you even imagine. and it’s yet another example of his hilarious wonderful petty streak and I can never get enough of it fasjhdfkjalhs    

- din always noticing the children first and foremost Y_______Y (the kids running by is the only thing you see him sort of acknowledge when he’s walking into the covert in season 1 too)  

- please... please I just need him to be able to hold that baby against his chest all safe and sound and okay again I can’t it’s........ hh

NO SEASON END CLIFF HANGER ON THIS I AM  B E G G I N G  YOU 

- I would be having some thoughts about how much space there actually is on slave 1 and what that might mean (do not kill boba again please don’t kill him again), but honestly there’s only ‘GET BABY’ hours in here now, I can’t speculate about anything

#star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #the mandalorian meta #this is an episode in the 'wow that was awesome but I need to go lie down in a quiet room for a while afterwards' tradition lol

[red-sector-rivendell]

media reccs? 👀 since apparently you are a man of good taste?

Wow thank you 😏 I have a masterlist of movies that have changed me I often recommend to people, I'll just copy and paste here with quick synopses lol, it's kinda long. I'm not super great at writing synopses tho so bear with me

Dead Poets Society (1989)

One of my favorite movies of all time and a total classic. It's about a group of boys at a strict boarding school who are inspired by their new English teacher (played by Robin Williams) to think for themselves and chase their dreams. This movie literally changed my life lol

Quadrophenia (1979)

This movie is based off of the story behind the concept album by The Who of the same name. It follow the life of a young man named Jimmy who is in a gang called the Mods. Theres this huge gang war between them and the Rockers (I think that's their name, it's been a while since i watched it) and Jimmy questions his beliefs about coming-of-age and his values in life throughout the film

Cabaret (1972)

Based off of the Broadway musical of the same name, this movie is about a British man who moves to Germany during the beginning of the rise of Nazis. He meets a woman who basically turns his world upside down, and it follows their love affair and sexuality and anti-semitism, and it's hilarious and heart wrenching and a beautiful movie

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

This is a super trippy romance film. Basically in the universe of this movie, theres a technology that is developed that can delete memories of an entire person from your mind while you are in a dream-like state, and the main character of this movie (played by Jim Carrey) decides to undergo the procedure after a bad breakup. Its soooo good I highly recommend this movie

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

This is an animated film about a man named Bill who is going through brain cancer. Its told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator essentially communicating everything Bill sees, hears, and experiences. This is the movie that got me into film and it is still a complete masterpiece and one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen

The Dirties (2013)

Loved this one a lot back in high school, it's been a while since I watched it. This is a film made in Canada about a high schooler named Matt Johnson and his friend Owen who decide to make a short film for their class about them killing the gang at their school that bullies them, and things take a dark turn. It's a hilarious movie and hits pretty close to home for me in a lot of ways haha

Logan's Run (1976)

Great movie, pretty cheesy though so be warned. This is based off a book with the same name, and it takes place in the future where most of humanity is wiped out except for a small society that lives under a domed structure. No one is allowed to leave the dome, and to control overpopulation, no one is allowed to live past the age of 30. It's really bizarre but I love this movie

Donnie Darko (2001)

Pretty sure this was Jake Gyllenhaal's first big hit when he was super young (I think he was like 19 in this movie but I'm not sure) basically about this kid, Donnie Darko, who is somewhat schizophrenic and has a habit of sleepwalking. After one particular incident he has a near-death experience and starts seeing a man in a bunny costume everywhere who makes him do weird stuff. Another pretty trippy movie with a crazy ending

American Psycho (2000)

Honestly I'm sure a few on this list you've probably seen (most likely this one included) but I didnt wanna leave any out because they're all so good. If you haven't seen this, it's about a Wall Street executive named Patrick Bateman who is a materialistic phony by day and a serial killer by night. I tried to read the book but the inner dialogue was really hard to get through lmao. Awesome movie though huge recommend.

Clockwork Orange (1971)

Yet another trippy one. And fuck it's been a long time since I've seen it so I might get some stuff wrong here. But it's basically about this serial rapist guy who hangs out with this group of goons and they all like to go beat up homeless people and shit, but the main character gets captured and has to go through reformation therapy to make him a better person. It's an extremely bizarre movie but soooo good and kind of hilarious lol

Creep (2014)

Of course this is on my list haha. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a horror movie about this freelance film guy who answers an ad on craigslist to help a man with cancer film a movie for his unborn son. And shit gets weird real fast. One of my favorite horror movies ever, I wouldnt say it's super scary but it's fun as fuck

Hereditary (2018)

If I'm being honest, I don't like a lot of big movies made in super recent years and especially not horror movies (mostly because they're all cheap cash grabs with no substance) but this one is an exception for me. Hereditary is fucking masterful in my opinion, legitimately creepy as hell and well-produced and well written. To put the plot as vaguely as possible without spoiling anything, it's about a family (mostly the mother) who go through some crazy fucked up shit. That's literally all I can say without giving anything away. Super good flick, big recommend

Gattaca (1997)

This list isn't in any particular order, and I love all these movies to death, but if I had to rank them this would probably be on the lower end. It's not a bad movie, it's still great but it's just not as life-changing as the other ones lmao. This takes place in the future where genetic modifications have progressed to a point where you can modify your unborn child's DNA to have the perfect baby. This has led to, essentially racial bias against those who never had that procedure when they were born. The main character was not one of these "special" children, but he wants an extremely prestigious job which requires that of the employee. Through the film, he is trying to fake his identity and fool the company into thinking he is one of these perfect people. Still a great film

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Johnny Depp, man, he is something else. I LOVE this movie. Based off a true story and a book written by the man who lived it, Hunter S. Thompson, this follows the adventure of the writer and his attorney as they go on a drugged-out, psychedelic romp through Las Vegas with the original intention being to cover a story on a motorcycle race, but things go off the rails as they both terrorize the entire city in a way. Just a fun ride the whole way, a great movie

The Truman Show (1998)

God I'm realizing this list is long as fuck. Don't watch all of these movies, it might take you a lifetime lmao. Anyway, this is a classic Jim Carrey movie and another one you've probably seen. But again, if you haven't, this movie is about a man whose entire life has been fabricated and shot for television without him knowing. Super great, super moving, fantastic film 10 outta 10 I gotta wrap this shit up

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

A lesser known Keanu Reeves movie, but fuck I wish more people have seen this. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it's based off a book which is just as amazing. This movie takes place in the near future, where facial recognition technology has progressed wayyy too far, and drugs have gotten to the point of no return. The plot follows a detective who is undercover in a junkie house trying to figure out who is the top of the drug dealing totem pole, but ends up wrapped in the junkie lifestyle a little too deeply. Seriously, I recommend this movie to everyone who asks, it's so damn good

Fight Club (1999)

Another popular one. If you havent seen it, it's based off a book by Chuck Palahniuk following the story of a man (the main character actually doesnt have a name lol) who meets a guy named Tyler Durden who changes his entire perspective on how the world works. They start an underground boxing club together to help themselves and other men blow off steam and get away from the capitalist consumer-centric lifestyle they are forced into. Big twist at the end, great movie five stars on yelp

Harold and Maude (1971)

This is a weird one. Gotta say. It's about a guy in his 20s who meets an old woman at a funeral and falls in love with her. Sounds pretty ok at face value but theres a lot of really strange subplots and a huuuuge twist at the end (one of the subplots being the guy compulsively fakes his suicide to get his mother's attention) big recommend

Polyester (1981)

This one I cant even explain u just have to watch it its fucking bizarre

Fargo (1996)

Ok lightning round on the synopses, this movie is about a man who wants to commit fraud by hiring guys to kidnap his wife so her father can pay them ransom and instead the husband gets the money but everything goes wrong it's really good

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Another modern movie I actually like, last time I watched this I was on shrooms and it was crazy but it's about this hotel right on the border of california and (Nevada I think?) And all these weird people are staying at it and there are twists at every turn and chris hemsworth is a cult leader in it its great

Memento (2000)

GREAT MOVIE GOD PLEASE WATCH THIS ONE it's about a man who develops short term memory loss after witnessing the rape and murder of his wife AND WHEN I SAY THERE ARE TWISTS LIKE EVERY TEN MINUTES I MEAN IT. The film is chronologically backwards, in that the first scene takes place at the end of the story and works back from there in increments of like 5 minutes. Basically each scene is a segment of time that this guy remembers before his memory loss kicks in and he forgets and FUCK it's so good please god watch it

Almost Famous (2000)

This is another one that would probably be low on my ranking but still a great and fun movie, it's about this kid that wants to write articles about rock stars for the rolling stone (based off a true story btw) and he ends up running away to go ride on a tour bus with some band and gets into all types of shenanigans and its great and sad

Parasite (2019)

Another modern movie I love, fuck this is getting too long lmao. Poor family wants to make money and they hatch a scheme to pretend to be bougie and work for this rich family but shit gets weird and everything goes wrong and it's so good (also literally the only film ever that made me speechless afterwards)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pretty much lives up to the hype, I totally forgot the plot but it's pretty damn good I remember that lmao

The Warriors (1979)

Fun movie, theres a bunch of teen gangs in New York and the leader of all of em is like "hey we should rally all the gangs together and fuck up the cops so we can rule this city" but then he gets shot by someone in the crowd and the gang The Warriors gets blamed so the whole movie is them running from all the other gangs so they can get back to home base and it's just an all around fun time movie

12 Monkeys (1995)

THIS MOVJE IS CRAZY it takes place in the future where a virus has almost completely wiped humans off the face of the earth so these scientists send this guy back in time to figure out where it came from so they can stop it from ever happening but obviously everything goes wrong and yadda yadda yadda it's amazing

Waking Life (2001)

Gonna preface this by saying this film is definitely not for entertainment, it's kind of an arthouse-type flick. It's the type of movie you have to think really really hard about to watch. The basic plot is the main character is stuck inside his own lucid dream, and is walking around listening to all these characters in his dream talk to him about, idk like the meaning of life and consciousness and shit. It's really good if you're in the mood for that type of thing.

Okay I'm finally done, you probably didnt expect this but I've been meaning to put my movie recommendations on this blog anyway haha. I deleted some just cause it was getting wayyyy too long. If u want a shorter list I can just give u like a top 5 in DMs but there u go have at it, every movie on that list is a banger I swear

#long post #movies #film #cinema #cinephile #ask #movie recommendations #you have no obligation to read all that #really shows how bored i am that i wrote out this whole fuckin thing on my phone lmao #youre welcome?

[survey--s]

98.

What's your favorite drink? Coffee, fruit juice or pepsi max. How many US states have you visted?   I’ve never been to the US before. What is the longest amount of time you've spent on a video game?   Like, overall? I’ve been playing Klondike for almost two years now. But if you mean in one go, probably a good 6-8 hours back when I used to play The Sims. What color is the last cup you drank from?   White with multi-coloured polka dots. What song is stuck in your head right now?   Stop the Calvary by Jona Lewie as it was just on TV a few moments ago.

Do you still have a MySpace?   No. I deleted my account when I started using Facebook back in 2006. When was the last time you saw your father?   In person, about eighteen months ago. We barely have a relationship. Do you have any siblings?   No. Have you ever had an aquarium in your house?   Nope. What's your favorite sea/under water creature?   Dolphins, otters, starfish, sharks. Have you ever ridden a horse?   Yeah, I ride regularly - normally I have weekly lessons but my riding school is shut for the winter at the moment as it just turns into a mud bath lol. Do you have any pets?   Yeah, three cats and a dog.   Who is the one person who knows you the best?   My husband and my mum. Did you or someone else buy the last pair of shoes you wore?   I bought them. Where's the last place you actually traveled a decent distance to?   Workington about a month ago. Are you particular about people's grammar?   I notice but I would never go and correct it or anything like that. Have you ever been to a gay bar?   Nope. What color are your shoe laces?   All my shoes have white laces, except for my hiking boots which have black and pink laces.

What bug freaks you out the most?   Cockroaches. What's your favorite flavor Pop-Tart?   I’m not a huge fan of poptarts but the fudge brownie ones were okay. What's the last game you played?   Klondike. Do you take any medication?   Yes.   Do you bother with matching your socks?   Yes.  Mis-matched socks really, really bother me. Do you wear any jewlery that has sentimental meaning to it?   Yeah, my wedding and engagement rings. Give me some random lyrics.   You want rainbows, you get rain, We'll all be forever changed (forever changed) I'll sail my boat and fly my kite Walk in the park, go out at night And hold my loved ones extra tight” Do/did you watch Christmas specials?   Yeah, if they’re on. Who's your favorite Pokemon?   I never really had a favourite. Did you prefer Pokemon or Digimon?   I never had anything to do with Digimon. What's your favorite cartoon?   Arthur. Spongebob. Who is/are your favorite cartoon characters?   Winnie the Pooh. Do you use a lot of txt speak?   No. What's the last remote you used?   The one for the NowTV box. What's your worst habit?   I don’t know, really. Are you imaginative?   Sometimes I can be, sure.   What's the last thing you drank?   Pepsi Max. Who's profile did you last look at?   I honestly couldn’t tell you. What's your favorite movie?   Alice in Wonderland. Breakfast Club. Garden State. Grease. Rocky Horror. Name one thing most people don't know about you.   I get really stressed out if my plans end up changing last-minute. Do you have any artistic talent?   Nope.  What's something about you that hasn't changed from growing up?   I’m still really introverted.   Do you read more books, comics/manga or magazines?   Books, for sure.   Do you prefer to write in pen, pencil, crayon or marker?   Pen. Do you know anyone who skates?   Not seriously, no. What was the last movie you watched?   I honestly don’t remember, a Disney film most likely. Do you keep your keys in a specific place?   Yes, in the back door. Do you lose things often?   No.   When is the last time you brushed your hair? After my shower this morning, so about five hours ago.

#survey #surveys

[madmadmilk]

yes yes for a spoiler-free review!! I was going to read the book but never got the time, lmk how it is. I love true crime but I know there's a *cough* LOT of warnings in this movie, so please lmk!! <3

ok! this is gonna be my spoiler-free, just scratching the surface partial review of “The Devil All The Time” (2020) !! :

short note: i really came into this movie knowing nothing except that it was “dark.” and after a full watch through, yes, it was definitely grim. but,,, not as nearly as [visually] horrifying as i thought it would be (take that as you will). that being said, we all have different levels of visual and mental tolerance, so look out for yourself! there is literally a trigger every step of the way, so i urge you to do a bit of research beforehand.

i’ll just cover the surface level of these categories as a friend to another friend. it’s up to you to assess it for yourself!! truthfully idk i’m still digesting if i “liked” it? it was just an interesting display of acting and characterization to me lol. btw slight and non-specific spoilers ahead:

 🌿 plot: pretty straight forward, even jumping back and forth through time and location. the story follows fucked up people fucking up other people’s fucked up lives, intentionally or not. paths intersect in more ways than one, and you watch it unfold in quiet displeasure and suspense. it’s the kind of movie where /you/ don’t really relate or latch onto any of the characters, instead you are on a taken on a tour of their mounting distress, unable to do anything to guide or comfort them (or yourself).

🌿 imagery: i really liked the grainy texture over the film and how ‘washed’ out the clothing and town was lol. idk it’s charming to me in a ‘unsettling, middle-of-nowhere-in-the-american-south-mid-west-ish”lol. loved the way they dressed and how it reflected on each character, the way that their hair was never quite pristine. the pastors goddamn ruffle shirt, arvin’s stiff denim clothing and hat to hide his face, the cop zipping up his jacket, the women’s modest dress–– ha ha. i was thankful that a lot of the violence happened during wide shots, or were partially covered. but i always wish for tighter close-ups during dialogue lol, like waay up there. but yeah, overall–– tasteful? maybe? if you watch/listen to a lot of true-crime i think that the depictions are not far off.

🌿 the triggers/warnings: lol there’s a lot. like literally one every few steps into the movie. idk if i can list them all here, and u should definitely look up a more comprehensive list than what i can say here. but a lot of the physical violence is partially obscured or taken at a wideshot. it just so happens that a lot of the time, ‘the faces’ of the person are covered. the actual pans to “gore” is not gratuitous, apart from 2 scenes where my eyes were already focused elsewhere. BUT the sexual violence does creep in there quite boldly. it may just be me, but that really sticks with me, whether is verbally or physically represented. There’s also of sexual horror/gore depicted in the mix too, so brace yourself for that. horrible suggestions, religious fanaticism... everything you can imagine is there. so, be careful if you follow through. i’m just here to say that the camera and characters to do not linger on violence for very long. you are not forced to stare, you are only shown a glimpse of the horror. (the shock value of even seeing/thinking about it for a second is enough)

🌿 “the major take-away”: [SLIGHT SPOILER] ?? i’m still trying to figure out how i feel about this movie lol. i think what i take away from this is that all the characters in this story just woefully accept the life that the live, and accept the violence they give and receive without resistance. it doesn’t suggest ‘changing your life for the better’, or anything idealistic like that, they just are. they just do. it’s just.... keep going to you go. (i’m pretty sure the line is “some people are born just to be buried” lol) and THE WAY that we don’t get many explanations of Why They Do What They Do.... kinda love that. some people... are just Like That, and the movie lets you understand that. but yeah. please let me know if you have a greater takeaway than i do

🌿 post-watch thoughts: lol kinda wish this were a 4 episode series or something, and i kinda wanna read the book now. i enjoyed the several stories mashing together and the brief time we spent with them. it was like a lil peak into a huuuuuge story that none of the characters would ever know. but!! it would be cool to see some reasoning or fallout. ––it felt like reading a book tbh, i could feel the chapters. so yeah! i’m not sure if i would recommend this to anyone?? but i might watch it again at night time some time to really get the feel lol

please feel free to share your thoughts with me! and if you have any questions, i can help ya! watch carefully!

#littlebookbengal #tdatt #tdatt spoilers #the devil all the time #the devil all the time spoilers #spoilers #tw #tw violence #personal #madmadmilk #madwatch #long post

[bangtan-madi]

All Of Our Lifetimes — Five: Requiem

Pairing — Taehyung x Reader

Tags — boyfriend!Taehyung, husband!Taehyung reincarnation au, lovers to strangers and to lovers again, established relationship, implied soulmate au

Genre — fluff, angst, crime (ish)

Word Count — 2.5k

Summary — Does love ever truly end, or does it simply take another form in a new life? The cycle is like clockwork: your lives end and you’re reborn again. You’ve lived it over and over. Each cycle, one of you loses your memories and is tragically unaware until the other finds and awakens their lover. After all these eons, all these lifetimes, is it possible to find each other again—even when neither of you awakens with your memories?

Part — 5 / 15

Warnings — language

A/N — Taglist is open! Comment, message, or ask and I’ll add you to the roster :) (Also I’m a freakin’ moron and forgot to post on Wednesday night like usual, which was yesterday. So enjoy this late chapter lol!)

Previous — Next

The first person you text is Namjoon. To you, he was the obvious choice. Friendly, open, and the first of the members to accept you into their enclave. It wasn't anything in particular, just saying hi and reminding him of who you are and that you were looking forward to tomorrow.

Not two minutes later, he replies and invites you to join a group chat he'd just created for you and all seven members.

"This way, we can all keep in touch!" he says. "DMs are fine, of course, but if we all wanna get to know each other, group chats can be a lot of fun."

He wasn't wrong. The remainder of Sunday evening is spent texting the members. On the way home, while you cook a quick dinner, and when you're relaxing before bed. They're flooding your messages with all kinds of hilarity. Jungkook and Hoseok are a fan of memes, while Yoongi seems to prefer the straightforward communication that gifs provide. Jimin and Namjoon adore emojis, and Jin sticks to his usual bad dad jokes. Taehyung replies to a question every now and then, but for the most part, he's absent from the conversation.

"You're awfully quiet, Taehyung-ssi," Jimin teases half-way through a conversation on whether or not mint ice cream is edible.

"I'm working, but you guys are blowing up my phone so it's hard to concentrate."

A sigh slips out as you reply, "You can put your phone on vibrate, Taehyung. Really, we won't mind. Or at least I certainly won't."

His response is speedy. "Okay. I'll talk to you all tomorrow."

Namjoon sends you a private message. "Don't let him bother you. He can get like this when he's focused. He doesn't do well with things distracting him."

"Yeah...you're probably right."

"Oh, I definitely am!"

"Hey, thank you again for everything. Except for Kim Taehyung, I really feel at ease with everyone. I feel like we're going to get along great at the set tomorrow."

"My pleasure, [Y/n]. I really wanted to avoid you feeling like more of an outsider than you probably already do. Being in a new country, even if you speak the language, can be scary. I've been to enough of them to know that there's no place like home...but maybe we can make it a bit easier."

A smile spreads across your face at his genuine spirit and pure kindness. "You have, big time! Each of you is really fun to be around. Honestly? I can't wait for 'Run' tomorrow! Can I ask where we're going? I didn't see a production report yet, and Director Hyeon hasn't responded to my email."

"We'll probably knock out a few episodes in one night, and I think we're closing down the Seoul Museum of Art. They're going to close a bit early so we can have it to ourselves. The games we have planned will happen there!"

You turn your eyes away from your cell phone at the mention of the museum. Recalling what happened over the weekend, returning to that place doesn't seem like a terrific idea. But then again, if you are there with Taehyung, maybe the two of you can finally talk about what you see in your dreams.

Maybe, just maybe, you can get those answers.

Your resolve strengthens a little bit, and a new message comes through, one not from the group chat or Namjoon. You click out of your conversation with the leader and check the notification.

"Who are you?"

The question is blunt and straightforward, coming from the second-youngest member via a private chat. You open the message, and your fingers hover above the keyboard for a few moments.

"Hi Taehyung. What do you mean?"

"I know we've met before. I can't remember where."

You bite your lip at his statement. So you were right; he does have some sort of familiarity with you, too. Now, to figure out just how much.

"Have you been to a concert before? Or a fan-sign? Maybe you worked on the set of Hwarang?"

"None of those. I actually didn't listen to much of your music before recently, and I've never been to a concert or fan-sign. And I've never worked on any set before."

"You weren't a fan of BTS? Even though you applied to Big Hit?"

"Nope. Actually, my roommate Milo was the Bangtan superfan. I heard of you guys through her, and then of Big Hit. I applied because I wanted to live in Seoul. It's been my dream all my life. Big Hit just happened to have the job I wanted in the ideal location. Call it fate, I guess."

A half-truth, but it will have to do for now.

"I know. I remember. Your gut feeling."

You pause, your fingers halting mid-type. How did he already know about that? You hadn't mentioned it in either the group chat or in the earlier conversation. In fact, the only person you'd mentioned the gut feeling about Seoul to was—

"I have to go, sorry. I'll see you at the museum tomorrow. I think you know the way."

The museum looks almost spooky after the sun begins to set over the buildings that touch the sky. Downtown Seoul is as beautiful as ever as the bright oranges and pastel pinks bathe the exteriors of each in brilliant colors. If it weren't for the thirty or so Big Hit employees rushing about, you might've stood at the entrance for much longer than thirty seconds.

But the moment you're on-scene, you go to work. One of the producers flags you down, offers a brief introduction, and tells you where to hide the English words.

"Have you seen what we did a few episodes back, eighty-seven and eighty-eight?" he asks, shoving a stack of stickers into your hands. "When we put Hangul all over the Oil Tank Culture Park?"

You shake your head, offering a sheepish smile. "I haven't...exactly watched too much 'Run.'"

The producer waves it off. "Just run around the building and stick these wherever you think seven boys may or may not find them. Feel free to go crazy. We have fifteen minutes to get everything set before filming starts. The boys should be here soon. So, go! Once you're done, come back here. While they're running around, you can help me with the grading system."

"Grading system?"

"They're going to make sentences with the words they find. Since you know English the best, you can award points to each word based on difficulty in using."

A smile spreads across your face. "Got it! Sounds fun."

You speed off into the museum, weaving past the sound and lighting crew that are attempting to set up. Several of the museum staff have also stayed behind to give guidance, and you're relieved that the boys and company have the entire building to themselves. This wouldn't be possible during daytime hours when the public is here.

You begin sticking several dozen stickers along the walls, on the frames of pieces of art, on the marble floor. Basically, anywhere you can reach. You cover the Van Gogh exhibit with difficult words like "effervescence" and "halcyon," along with colorful words like "lilac" and "vermilion."

The further into the building you move, the fewer and fewer people you see. Once you've passed the room of modern art and approach the Winged Victory of Samothrace, there's no one in sight. Down to your last few words, you slip into the dimmed hallway and turn the corner.

Winged Victory is just as you remember. Tall and beautiful and haunting. The statue is still so familiar to you. Looking at the base, you can almost see the body of the woman from your dream. Right before you and Taehyung started running for your lives, this was where a murder occurred.

You flinch at the memory of the blood, but something else inside you is pulling you out of the room and towards the fountain. Last time you saw it, you ran from the room and left the friendly acquaintance behind. Part of you wonders what he must've thought. Surely, you looked like you'd seen a ghost.

But you might as well have.

Your feet tip-toe on the marble. The boys have most certainly arrived, and the filming has started from the sound of it. Their crazed and excited laughter fills the echo-y halls. Seeing as there aren't any stickers this far into the museum, you take your chances and continue moving deeper in. The producer could wait just a few more minutes, couldn't he?

The last of the sunlight ricochets across each panel of glass in the dome ceiling, greeting you with shards of light skewed in every direction. Like fireflies dancing together, they bring an almost magical aura to the open space, one very different from the horrors of your nightmares. The columns are made of ever-moving fire, and the fountain is made of glittery stars.

As you stand in the doorway, your throat drys and tightens. Seeing this place again, no matter how different, brings back the memories you can't explain. Are they even memories? Surely, that has to be what they are. But from when or from whom, you can't explain. They're a requiem for someone you hardly know.

Does Taehyung know the answers? Does he know more than you about this event you keep playing over and over in your mind? He's been in your dreams ever since you were a child, as a version much older than you were then and even older than you are now. Who has just one dream their whole lives, unless the explanation is that he has that dream, too?

You shake your head at the absurdity of it all. "What am I doing here?" you murmur, running your hand through your hair.

"Are you okay?"

The deep voice behind you causes you to jump and spin, eyes wide as you spot a familiar face at the entrance to the fountain. Taehyung stands with his hands in the pockets of his pants, his head tilted as he observes you.

"Holy shit, don't sneak up on people!"

The brunet smirks a little and shrugs. "Didn't mean to, sorry. You were staring off into space and didn't even hear me walk down the hallway. And it's hard to be quiet on marble floors."

"God, sorry, I didn't mean to snap." You run your hands over your face. "This museum has...some strange memories for me. I thought coming back here would help, but I think I've made it worse."

"How do you mean? I thought you hadn't been to Seoul before?"

"I haven't. It's complicated." Your eyes flicker to the corridor behind him. "Where's your cameraman?"

"I ditched him, told him I was running off to the restroom. But I didn't see you anywhere, so I figured you'd be back here."

Eyebrows pulling together, you reply, "How'd you figure that?"

"Well, you seemed really freaked out last weekend. You ran out of here like a ghost was chasing you. I was honestly worried until I saw you at Big Hit the next day, and you seemed fine, so..."

He trails off, and the realization of his words hits you. "Wait...shit, were you the one I was talking to both times I visited here this week? The one in the hoodie and mask?"

Taehyung nods, though there's a tiny line between his brows that shows he's as confused as you are. "Yes? I thought you knew that from day one, when you spoke to me at the Van Gogh exhibit."

Shaking your head fervently, you spout, "No! Not at all. I had no idea, honest to god. I just thought you were shy or introverted or maybe had a tough time talking to girls. I never, ever thought you were..." You gesture to all of him.

His brown eyes widen as he steps closer and out of the doorway. "Wait, really? You had no idea."

"None!"

He chuckles softly, turning to gaze at the fountain as the sunlight fades to soft blues of night. "I'd assumed you knew who I was. You were so open and friendly to a perfect stranger. I thought you'd recognized me."

"Not at all," you retort. "I was being nice and friendly because there was something about you that was so damn familiar. Kind of like this whole place, actually. I don't know. I can't explain it."

Taehyung nods and runs a hand through his curly locks. "I won't lie, there's something off about this place for me, too." He shifts his attention from the fountain to you. "You weren't lying about anything you said before, were you? About you being called to Seoul and not knowing why?"

You lock eyes with him as you reply, "I promise, everything I said was true."

"Then why did you run away?"

A heavy sigh slips out, and you sit down on the water fountain's edge. Looking into the water to your side, you run various ways to go about this disclosure. Blunt truth? A comforting lie? A bit of both?

"[Y/n]?"

"I've had this...nightmare, ever since I was a little girl. Ever since I could remember. It's always the same. I'm running for my life with someone I know that I care deeply about. We're trying to escape a murderer who's closing in behind us. He's just slaughtered one of our friends and he's coming for us."

You pause to take a breath, and Taehyung takes that pause to sit beside you. He doesn't say a word, only waist patiently for you to continue.

"We're eventually trapped. The man with me tells me to run while he distracts the murderer. Of course, I don't listen. There's a fight. We're both injured. And we both die."

There's a pregnant pause in the air before Taehyung hangs his head and murmurs, "That sounds horrible."

"I haven't told you everything," you reply. "I'm afraid I shouldn't...but what the hell." You gesture to the space around you. "In my dream, the entire thing is set here, in the Seoul Museum of Art. Our friend was killed at the base of Winged Victory. The fight happens among these columns. And the man and I, we die in this very fountain, bleeding out from gunshot wounds."

You turn to face the man beside you, seeing his eyes shift from his feet to yours as his head tilts slightly. "And every time, it's the same three people besides me. The same woman at the base of Winged Victory, the same murderer with a gun, the same man that this nightmare-version of me loves. I have no idea who the first two are..."

In your hesitation, Taehyung says, "But you know the last one."

Nodding, your knuckles turn white as you drip your knees. Here it goes. All or nothing. No turning back now.

"I do. He's—"

"—Me."

Taglist — @just-call-me-trash-can​, @jaienn​

#bangtan-madi writes #all of our lifetimes #aool #taehyung #taehyung x reader #kim taehyung #kim taehyung x reader #bts #bts v #bts taehyung #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #soulmate au #soulmates #reincarnated au #reincarnation au #strangers to lovers #established relationship #bts fluff #bts angst #taehyung angst #taehyung fluff #bts fic #fanfic #taehyung fic

[selfcareparker]

okay fghsgdj yes you can say girl ! my pronouns are she/her :) okay but fr pause, i read this like 3 minutes after you posted it (or at least my notif said 3mins lmao) bUT IM IN BED AND I USUALLY HAVE MY COMPUTER OPEN WITH YOUR RESPONSE SO I MAKE SURE I ADDRESS EVERYTHING AND THEN SEND IN THE ASK ON MY PHONE HDGSJSH anyway, time to get my ass up 😔 but wait i find you so funny like honestly, reading that cracked me all the way up. and i feel the “lol” thing so hard!!!! idk why i do it all the time (i’m tryna stop) but i’ll say something with lol at the beginning and lol at the end... it might be a defense mechanism at this point lol (😔) AND (i need to stop with the uppercase too it’s not funny anymore) I DONT KNOW WHY I LAUGHED SO HARD JDHSK WHEN YOU SAID ALSO AGAIN HAHAHAH LIKE UR HAHHAH also my sleep schedule is not pretty either lmao but i’m homeschooled so i never have to get up for anything? hhdhsis idk but i’m glad you slept!! you need sleep!!

also (pls no i cannot) why did i not know what ykwim meant until i reread this?? like it makes so much sense- anyway! i think it’s so cool that you’re excited for university! idk why but i do lol like you’re getting ready for the future (masters degree and all that) & you’re (maybe) going to england anyway so that’s cool haha (hopefully when you go you can see your relatives 🤞🏾)

the fact that you get happy seeing my asks i- 💓💓

you make me wanna go to London & England so bad urghhhh like i’ve only been out of the country once (to Canada for a family reunion) but it sounds so prettyyyyy & i’m so sorry that cov*d is messing everything up and i hope you can see your relatives soon :(

now to address the whole english speaking/writing: I FIND THAT SO WEIRD DUHSKSJ i don’t know how an english speaking person could say that if you don’t write it 100% grammatically correct.... that it’s wrong? when literally, over here at least, WE’RE SO GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT HAHHAAH in both the way we talk and write!! and lol you’re welcome,, AND THE PARAGRAPH DID MAKE SENSE HDHSJSH & your rant is fine because... that is actually a bit ??? bc no one writes with 100% grammar lol

OH MY GOSH (see this uppercase thing is addictive) YOU STUDIED LATIN FOR 6 YEARS??? that’s really cool 🥺 the way that you know/speak 3+ languages i- NOT EVEN 3+ LIKE 6+ (german, english, latin, french, serbian, italian, and everything that comes with latin lmao) even if it’s just a tiny bit like wowee. it is really fascinating!!! i had the opportunity to take latin and i... didnt. i took art instead BUT ONLY CUZ MY FRIENDS WERE IN THAT CLASS AND ART LOOKED FUN IM SORRY

PLEASE WHY DO YOU KNOW EVERYONE?? that sounds so fricking cool tell your mom (mum or mama it’s really fine lol) that she sounds awesome. i think Jamaica would be fun either way!! i mean it looks pretty from pictures? i was a baby so i honestly have no recollection hahaha

LMAOO NOT U SAYING THIS IS LONGER THAN SOME OF MY FICS- PLEASE GIRL IM TELLING YOU I VERBALLY LAUGHED HAHAHAHAHAH but yea you really don’t need to apologize i like reading everything you say 🥺 HDKSHS AND UR FINE WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT ME BEFORE uhhh hmm uhh lemme think i, well, i saw chaos walking yesterday (big tom holland fan over here) and it was alright.. my mom acted a fool at all the jump scares LMAO but it was funny... since i’m talking about movies (this is hella random i know) but i like shark movies HDKJSSJ my favorite is the meg (it’s so good ohmigosh) and the 47 meters down movies aren’t bad either... i have two younger brothers... iiiii AM IN LOVE WITH MUSIC PHEW anddd i’m homeschooled (i think i mentioned that lol) i think that’s a good amount ahahaha AND IM HUNGRY RN JDHSJ

now. please. let me address the edit. i just want you to know that.. when i talk about your fics and i finish them and everything i’m not looking for more? like obviously if you’re writing i’m gonna read it but you don’t need to feel pressured or anything (idk if you do) to put more fics out lol like they’re great and i’m just sending the praise bc i love the ones that are there :’) but i’m so happy you’re working through your writers block!!! yay so so happy for you!!! and PUHLEASE anything you write is fantastic, i feel the exact same way when i write but girl. you’re fine. it’s gonna be great. (idk if this made any sense but... okay)

(and my cousin calls her mom mama so it’s really okay hahah i even call my mom mama sometimes) (and where you got the number “16 sentences” beats me but i still cracked up) (is this me pretending i had tags? maybe) HAHAHAHA OK BYE ❤️❤️ why did this take me so long to send i have no clue, AND WHY AM I OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING I SAID SHAJSHSJ ANYWAY BYE btw i love us too... like iconic // lovely anon 💓

me reading this:

also the dedication you put into sending me stuff— like with the laptop and phone and ahsksk 🥺🥺🥺

i’ll update you when i’ve started uni btw, i’m getting more and more excited every single day haha but i still have 3 weeks until it starts and even then I’ll obviously have to get used to it and everything, but you’re making me even more excited about it sksjshsg

yeah i wanna go to england too dkshsh let’s be sad together over the fact the we can’t travel eksjsh😔😭 but hopefully the wait will make it even better in the end <33 also i talk to loads of relatives over the phone at least once a week so it’s not too bad for me! but i miss their house 😭lmao

and i knowww snshsh so many native english speakers just make so many mistakes— and obviously i get that some things are slang but some things are simply wrong ajsh, the thing is no one has ever told me that my english is bad (i know it’s not bad anyway, but i’m still insecure) or no one has ever pointed out any mistakes, but yeah it’s mostly just insecurity dkshsg but yes thanks for saying what you said (previously as well as in this ask)😌🥰

Okay now for latin— girlll i don’t blame u for choosing art over latin esp. when all of your friends are doing art as well!! I’d choose art over latin as well lol skshsg but in year 6 we had to choose between latin and french, and at the time i didn’t like french? which was dumb of me and now i wanna learn french ekdhs but i don’t regret choosing latin at all bc if i properly learn french one day then i’ll already know understand loads of stuff (or at least some stuff lol) just thanks to latin 😌😌 but still, art>>>latin skskshshgs

I wanna watch chaos walking too!!! But i don’t get when/where/how it’s out lmao, cinemas are still closed here so i’ll either have to wait or find it somewhere online... il*egally 🥰 i don’t have high expectations at all btw but i like daisy and tom and the dog🥺 so i think i’ll enjoy it

GIRL SHARK FILMS SHARK FOLMS SKSJSHSHS okay so there are a few classics i haven’t watched yet, and also a few new ones that i haven’t seen yet BUT I LOVE SHARK FILMS SO MUCH SKSHSGSGSKK the first like proper shark film i ever watched was the shallows (which i like but my brain is still too small to comprehend what happened at the end (i mean i get it but i just can’t imagine it— idek if you’ve seen the film but skshhs)) and after watching it three times it does get a bit boring (but now whenever i see pictures or videos of big waves i’m just waiting for a shark to show up like come ON SKSJSG

^^^that pic/scene really traumatised me sksjsh but i still like the film

I only watched jaws like a few months ago, and i get that it’s a classic and also that it’s old and they just didn’t have the best.. equipment or special effects or whatever but i mean... look at meg and then look at jaws.... no disrespect to jaws at ALL but the meg is so much cooler. (That one scene on the boat where the shark just JUMPS OUT OF THE WATER AND SKSJSHHSUSJHA i get such a shock every time it’s so good (and the dog aww aksjshssli 🥺🥺🥰 and the boy with the ice cream lmao he’s iconic)

47 metres down, wow, i liked that film too. (i’ve only watched the original/first one i think) i mean that is such a fucking nightmare scenario like ALSJDHSNEMSKDJSHSJSKWBALSODUEWBSLDKHDJSNSKSKSHSGEBWKAISGSHEKEKSKLDJDJDHDHSHAGGA (that’s the best way i can express my feelings about that scenario lmao)

oh and i’ve recently been watching more horror films but i don’t know if they’re for me... I like the thrill and whatever but i just end up being scared for my life when i have to go to the bathroom at night or when i’m trying to sleep bc suddenly my mind is flooded with all the scary shit from the films 💀💀💀

and music i mean... you know those people who just don’t listen to music? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM???? i honestly like all genres especially in the last year, i am IN LOVE with Nicki Minaj + Megan andddd Stormzy and i like Harry Styles but i prefer his first solo album (and obviously one direction has bangers i have a throwback 1D session at least once a month), I also love MGK especially his new stuff and otherwise i mostly listen to german artists lmao. So who do you like?💖 (WHY DO I FEEL LIKE YOURE GONNA SAY SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SKAHAGUS IF YOU LISTEN TO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MUSIC DONT JUDGE ME AJSHDJS) (i know you’re not gonna judge me but)

++ @ the thing you said about writing, don’t worry, i don’t feel pressured at all!!! (not by you and not by anybody else.. except myself sometimes lol) and i’m just very happy that you liked my fics 🥰🥰🥰 and if i start telling people that i’m writing a fic then sometimes it puts a bit of (healthy) pressure on me. like yes sometimes it really is writer’s block, but sometimes i really am just lazy ddkshhd so now that i’ve told you i’m writing a fic i might get my ass up quicker than i would if i hadn’t told anyone 😌😌😌

#ok i wrote some if this on the tube/on the bus/at the dentist/in bed so if this seems like it’s all over the place #that’s bc i was literally all over the place skshg #*of #also i love how you used tags skajahsg #lovely anon #<3 #sorry if some of the sentences didn‘t make sense or were too fucking long i wrote half of this half asleep #and i know i dont have to apologise but still like no one should have to read all my page long sentences that arent even proper sentencesskk

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

songs on taylor swift’s LOVER (2019), a concept album about eliot waugh and quentin coldwater from SYFY’s the magicians, rated by how much they are about eliot waugh and quentin coldwater from SYFY’s the magicians

i forgot that you existed - lmao these dummies will never be over each other. bumped a bit because it would be good on the soundtrack for the fic i still kinda want someone to write where eliot gets brainwashed by the dark king who for god’s sake is not trying to bring back to life his beloved who died because of homophobia and gets catfished by his dead brother but is just a supernatural evil despot manipulating eliot’s pain and erasing his memories of quentin only to be defeated of course by the power of true love. weak showing to start but things quickly improve. 2/10

cruel summer - this is a song about being out of your mind with horniness for someone you would rather die than admit you’ve caught feelings for, which is.... VERY queliot. love eliot watching quentin at a hotel vending machine at night and insisting to himself, “i’m not dying.” good for a non-beast AU where quentin dates alice and eliot dates some non-possessed normie boy and they both get dumped finals week and get obliteratingly drunk in the physical kids’ cottage as bros and hook up and wake up like “LOL haha rebound sex” and then it happens again and they’re like, sure, you know, why not, you’re heartbroken, i’m heartbroken, let’s help each other forget about it by fucking like rabbits, except of course by august eliot is drunk in the back of the car crying like a baby coming home from the bar because he is not fine about all the times he has told quentin it’s fine. ALTERNATELY this is actually just quentin in the mosaic timeline after they hook up and he wakes up in the morning totally ready to talk about how they’re dating now and eliot is like LET’S NOT OVERTHINK THINGS and quentin’s like, haha yeah ok! and they keep having mindblowing outdoor sex but like as bros and quentin regrets every waking moment agreeing to pretend not to overthink things with his best friend who is amazing in bed and who also he is definitely falling in love with. “breakable heaven” is a good description of the mosaic timeline, because many pieces and because it broke by never happening. bonus point because “i love you, ain’t that the worse thing you ever heard?” is SO eliot and also SO quentin in related but distinct ways. 8/10

lover - UGH!!!! SO QUELIOT!!!! “have i known you twenty seconds or twenty years” vs. “i bond fast, time is an illusion.” “can i go where you go” for two people who have been thrown together and torn apart so many times is wildly romantic. “my heart’s been borrowed and your heart’s been blue” = i dated a possessed guy and then became a possessed guy and you are chronically depressed. “you’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me” is all about eliot’s smirks. i ALREADY have feelings about taylor swift, a human being who spent most of her adult life ruled by the lingering wounds of having been uncool in eighth grade, putting in her big sweet love song the line, “and at every table i’ll save you a seat,” but i have SO MANY MORE feelings when i apply that to quentin coldwater, who ate lunch in the bathroom on days that julia was absent because of the horror of finding somewhere to sit in the high school cafeteria. 9/10

the man - margo says she hates this song because it’s white feminism but whenever she gets drunk at karaoke she makes quentin sing it with her. he always flips his hair on “i’d be just like leo in st tropez,” because he is the only other person besides taylor swift in america uncool enough to think that’s still a reference that conjures up associations of a sexy awesome playboy. 3/10

the archer - FUCKING!!!!!!!!!!! GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is... ok. ok. i’m calm. this is the eliot song of all time. “i’m ready for combat / i say i don’t want that / but what if i do” is about eliot’s reactivity and his fear that on some level he wants to blow everything up more than he wants to be loved. we don’t know what started the fight we see in the mosaic timeline but what we glimpse is very “cruelty wins in the movies”: this impulse to win by pushing the other person away to avoid your own vulnerability. “i’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches i almost said to you” is eliot unpossessed after quentin is alive but before he and alice have broken up thinking about all the apologetic true love confessions he made charlton watch him rehearse. “i search for your dark side / but what if i’m alright right right right here” is about refusing to believe in good things because they are so threatening when your formative experiences of love and family were so unsafe. “i cut off my nose just to spite my face / and i hate my reflection for years and years” is, quite literally, just the exact plot of 4x05. “i wake in the night / i pace like a ghost / the room is on fire / invisible smoke” is more A+ abandonment issues content, and i can’t even TALK about “all of my heroes die all alone” in the context of eliot waugh who FULLY has on MANY occasions raised a toast to living fast dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse and has never himself been wholly sure exactly how much he was kidding. “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men / couldn’t put me together again / cuz all of my enemies started out friends” is first of all a very funny thing for a former high king of fillory to say, and second upsetting because MOSAIC, PIECES, MINOR MENDINGS, ELIOT SEES HIMSELF AS A BROKEN THING, and third devastating because of how much of the Trauma Chalkboard involves times eliot has betrayed other people. ok FINE we can start talking about the refrains now, even though they CAUSE ME THE MOST PAIN. “help me hold on to you” is the subtext of every post-4x13 queliot fic for the very good reason that it’s the most vulnerable and beautiful and real thing eliot could ever say. “i’ve been the archer / i’ve been the prey” is again about eliot as a person full of regret for all the ways he has lashed out in his life against people other than the ones who wounded him so deeply. “screaming who could ever leave me darling / but who could stay” is sooooo eliot, with the drama and affect of it all (“darling!”), and the performed belief in his own excellence combined with his deep insecurity. “they see right through me” is about how he’s secretly afraid everyone can smell on him that he grew up on a farm in indiana, “can you see right through me” is about both fearing and hoping that quentin will see all of him, “i see right through me” is about how hard he’s lied to himself about wanting love. the best song in the world probably. 20/10.

i think he knows - my favorite thing about adult taylor swift referencing anything about adolescence is that taylor swift had a totally deranged abnormal adolescence because she spent the whole thing first trying to be famous and then actually being outrageously famous. so i love it when she says “it’s like i’m 17 nobody understands,” because when she was actually 17 she was dating a jonas brother for like 3 months and then writing break-up songs that made it sound like she was never that into it, so it’s like this idea of being 17 and hormonal in some kind of normal context where you actually are thinking about sex all day instead of meeting with your branding team. this is a fun idea to extrapolate to eliot & quentin, who were both miserable at 17 and never got the experience of devoting your brain full-time to all-consuming horniness for the first person to ever give you an orgasm, but who can now experience that with each other. also “his hands around a cold glass make me wanna know that body like it’s mine” is a queliot line because of my very strong personal headcanon that eliot is obsessed with quentin’s hands. 6/10

miss americana and the heartbreak prince - see above re: tswift & teenhood. "when i was 16 / lost in a film scene” is even better because actual teen taylor swift spent many hours of her life literally acting out on film these like pathologically normative high school scenarios that she never lived because she dropped out after ninth grade, and because this song is all about like, image vs reality but is also itself a fantasy? fucked up and weird, i love it. taylor swift spent so many years portraying her specific teen shame as being about her deep dweebery and i think it’s really funny that in this song she is still an outcast but now it is because she is like, too sexy and misbehaving, both through the line “they whisper in the hallways she’s a bad bad girl” and by setting it to basically a lana del rey track. i feel like this is a very eliot move, to rewrite your own history of exclusion as more glamorous and flattering than it was, to portray yourself as like this debauched rebel instead of a sad gay kid in a homophobic environment. eliot obviously was never enamored with this kind of stock teen americana imagery the way taylor was, but i think he has that same tension of deeply resenting one image while being very drawn to another one. extra point because “heartbreak prince” is such a hilarious and amazing way to describe quentin. 7/10

paper rings - good song for a very chill no-beast AU. “i like fancy things but i’d marry you with paper rings” is very eliot. it’s cute to imagine eliot reading all of the books besides quentin’s bed not because he likes them but because he wants to get to know quentin better. “i want your dreary mondays” is a nice thing for either of these dudes to hear. 5/10

cornelia street - all songs about being overwhelmed and terrified by love are about eliot waugh!!!!! especially songs where someone does something casually that is clearly not casual at all. it rules that both of the key metaphors in the verses are extremely quentin images: fresh page on the desk / card sharks playing games. stories and magic! thinking about eliot and quentin barefoot in a kitchen together makes me want to cry, for normal reasons. 8/10

death by a thousand cuts - i have to be honest, for a long time i thought it sucked that the best song on this album was actually not about queliot, but then i saw the light and realized that this is a song about how totally incomprehensible it is that you’re supposed to just move on with your life when someone you loved absolutely is no longer yours, so ACTUALLY, this song is totally about quentin after the mosaic! “i ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright / they say i don’t know.” trying to be normal while secretly dying inside. “i look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up / chandelier’s still flickering here” = i said it was chill when you compartmentalized our 50 years as soulmates as something that happened to other people but actually the me i am right now wants you real bad! “what once was ours is no one’s now” because it happened in an alternate timeline that never existed. “you said it was a great love / one for the ages / but if the story’s over / why am i still writing pages” = you said it was kind of beautiful but also that wasn’t really me but if so then why do i want to bone you so bad. gets even more fucked up if you extend it properly into season 4. MY HEART MY HIPS MY BODY MY LOVE / TRYING TO FIND A PART OF ME THAT YOU DIDN’T TOUCH: a line i can only ever type in all-caps and about which i can say nothing because it is perfect. “gave up on me like i was a bad drug” is also very quentin reflecting bitterly on eliot. saying goodbye to your possessed ex is death by a thousand cuts because that’s how many times the monster sockpuppeting his body is going to randomly show up in your apartment covered in blood. the morning comes and you’re not my baby, because you have been possessed. flashbacks waking me up because i have PTSD now from watching your body murder like 80 people.  8/10

london boy - lmao. no 0/10

soon you’ll get better - I Feel Weird Jokingly Assigning A Rating To Taylor Swift’s Very Sad Song About How Taylor Swift’s Actual Mom Has Actual Cancer Based On How Much It Relates To A Fictional Couple In Which One Person Has A Parent Who Dies Of Cancer So I’m Going To Rate This Not Applicable. N/A. great song tho

false god - jesus, does she really go london boy / soon you’ll get better / false god? her sequencing is so deranged. anyway i know i was JUST talking about my interest in fic where quentin and eliot get together but don’t necessarily talk out every single one of their 800 issues in the timespan covered by the story, but this song about make-up sex is still not very queliot to me, possibly because i cannot get past the dorkiness of taylor swift calling herself new york city. “you can't talk to me when I'm like this / daring you to leave me just so I can try and scare you” is pretty good though. “if you want to live your life live it here...” damn eliot waugh and taylor swift really are like the same person on the level of psychological architecture. i know i keep saying it but it keeps freaking me out. 4/10

you should calm down - eliot unfollowed jonathan van ness on twitter after the video for this came out. he unfollowed antoni too but then refollowed him because he’s hot.  -1000000/10.

afterglow - so THIS song about fighting actually DOES have very queliot vibes. and it’s funny, because i keep talking about eliot’s fear of lashing out and hurtfully pushing away people he loves, and i think he does have that impulse (”if you want to live your life live it here...” what did you MEAN eliot), and i also think he’s SUPER afraid of that within himself, partly because of how the dynamics of his childhood make anger and conflict really fraught for him... but actually the character we more often see being a huge dick because of his own issues is, in fact, quentin, and that is who this song about. we all know i am obsessed with the scene where quentin comes sheepishly back to alice apologizing for being an asshole because it’s so vulnerable and honest and such a powerful moment of growth for him... as robbed as i feel of like tearfully joyful queliot reunions i also feel robbed that we never got to see quentin and eliot have a moment like that together! 7/10

me! - absolutely not. -30/10

it’s nice to have a friend - i like this song but the way taylor talks about it always makes me kind of sad, because she draws this equivalence between being excited about a friend as a kid and being excited about romance as an adult that really does make it sound like she thinks in adulthood romance takes over a place that friendship used to occupy, instead of co-existing with it... but she’s also talked a lot about the importance of finding who her real friends are so idk maybe i’m being too hard on her and also oversensitive because of certain plot developments. “call my bluff / call you babe” is cute. card sharks! pet names! 5/10

daylight - R U KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE QUELIOT ANTHEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! two people who have been hurt and hurt others, who have spent a long time running away from their own hearts, who have been confused about what they want... “i wounded the good and i trusted the wicked / clearing the air i breathed in the smoke” about every mistake and regret and fuck-up... “maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down / maybe i’ve stormed out of every single room in this town”... the trauma chalkboard, the fight outside the hedge bar... the people you become to try to erase the person you’re afraid you are... and then! “throw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now / it’s brighter now”... to find peace in the person you never need to hide yourself from... the transformative power of letting yourself be seen... “i can still see it all in my mind / all of you all of me intertwined”... i can still remember this other life that never happened which matters not because it’s where i fell in love with you but because it’s where i revealed my whole self and learned that whole self could be loved.... and of course above all most crucially, “i once believed love would be burning red / but it’s golden / like daylight”... the very beautiful story the magicians accidentally almost told was a story about letting go of the narratives you’ve been taught to want and realizing that as much as real life and hard and scary it is also lovelier than any of those wan old stories... “i wanna be defined by the things that i love, not the things that i hate, or the things that i’m afraid of”... please!!!!!!! 100000000000000/10

#the magicians #queliot #we're doing. great. just. just having fun normal times qreating quarantine qontent #no readmores we alienate our followers like men #if u can't handle me at my Completely Fucking Losing My Entire Mind About Something Fully Unhinged #this is not the blog for u my friend

[eldritchsurveys]

1137.

made by sonaatti 1. If you play video games, what do you usually like to play? If you don't play video games, do you like watching others play? If so, what? >> I play single-player RPGs and MMORPGs the most -- Final Fantasy XIV is definitely the game I’ve played the most in the past year, and I also did another Skyrim run. I really like games with customisable player characters the most; I tend to lose interest in games that have an established character (The Witcher 3 is a very cool game! I still get bored of it pretty quickly no matter how many times I try to play it, and it’s largely because Geralt -- as loveable as he is -- is a very established character. I should just read the books or watch the TV show, lol). I also like games where the world adapts depending on the choices you make (high replayability, there), and games with intricate spiritual or divinity-related themes (I really like what Pillars of Eternity did there, and Final Fantasy games are often pretty intriguing on that front too). And then there’s games like Hades, which I didn’t expect to enjoy nearly as much as I do (because games where you die a lot as a rule are usually intimidating and frustrating, but Hades manages to make it a necessary part of how you get stronger and get more Cool Stuff so I feel way less bad about dying all the time, and also the NPCs are so fucking neat and the art style and combat mechanics are both intensely satisfying). The third kind of game I like is games like Journey, which... well, if you’ve played it, you’d know. It’s just beautiful. 2. What are three things you like about nature? >> It is a route to connection; learning about ecology and observing nonhuman creatures provides so much perspective and reminds me of how interconnected everything innately is, despite how disconnected I feel in the human world. That’s really it, like... everything I love about the natural world is summed up by that sentence. 3. In what ways are you a responsible/"functional" adult? In what ways do you feel you aren't? >> I am a responsible and functioning adult in that I use my small income wisely and conscientiously, I try to keep my living space clean and habitable, I take care of myself (physically and mentally) as best as I can, and I try to treat other people and other living creatures as respectfully as possible, acknowledging that they have their own rich internal lives just like I do. The things that I cannot do -- things that other people regard as part of “being an adult” because of social pressure and ableism -- are irrelevant to me. 4. Do you have any interesting facts about your ancestors? If so, what? If not, what about relatives? >> No. 5. Do you believe in spirits? (You can interpret "spirits" however you want.) >> This is a difficult question to answer, because I have no idea where to begin or how to approach the question. I feel like I could better explain my perspective in a conversation, a back-and-forth where more specific questions are being asked and other views (and definitions) are being shared as well. It’s not a “yes” or “no” for me, because “yes” or “no” would tell you absolutely nothing -- but if I had to choose one of the two, “yes” would be the answer I would choose.

6. What do teenagers have right now that you wish you had when you were their age? >> I’m not sure what teenagers have right now that I didn’t have at their age, to be honest. The only thing I can think of is social media, which... yeah, I’m very glad that wasn’t around when I was a teenager. 7. Are there any poems you like? >> There are a couple, but I can never remember what they are when I’m asked. 8. What do you think is missing/needs to be improved in the feminist movement? >> This is far outside my wheelhouse, all I know is that the TERF thing has ballooned out of control on social media at least, and it’s off-putting. 9. How open are you when it comes to talking about sex? (Whether that be your own sex life, sex in general, etc.) >> I have no issue talking about sex, generally. Talking about it personally is a hit or miss, depending, because my relationship to sexuality is fraught and mostly traumatic, and I am functionally asexual (I don’t feel sexually attracted to other humans, I experience libido but I have no desire to seek out another human being for sexual activity, and I find the idea of being sexualised to be unsettling at best at least 98% of the time). Also, because the kind of sex I do have is... well, Inworld, and no one really knows what that means or how that works except some other people that have “Inworlds” of their own. I also connect sex to things like... well, devouring and death and stuff (big Scorpio energy, you know the drill), which is repellant to a lot of people but makes perfect sense to me. So it’s tough. 10. Are you a fan of the horror genre? If so, what are some of your favorite films/television shows/books/etc. that you like? If not, what do you not like about it? >> I am! Maybe one day I’ll try to make a list of faves, but like... it’s hard to remember stuff like that off the top of my head. 11. Do you thiink we're living in a dystopian world? Why/Why not? >> I mean, maybe. I can see why people would say so, but I don’t really think about it too much. 12. Would you commit murder if you knew you could get away with it? >> I don’t know. I have no idea what the emotional or spiritual toll of committing a murder would be, so I’m wary to just say “sure!” or whatever. Also, Hannibal makes murder look sexy and romantic, and I appreciate that greatly, but like... real life ain’t like that, so what’s the point? 13. Which musical artist do you like that seems to surprise people? Why is that? >> I’m not sure. Most of the people that know me in any capacity become aware of my all-over-the-map music taste pretty quickly, I think. I don’t think I ever give off the impression that I only like one type of music. I think maybe it might surprise someone that I still listen to pop music from my childhood (BSB, Britney Spears)? It seems like most people my age “grow out” of that at some point, but I never stopped liking anything I liked back then, I just added way more stuff to my “I like this” list as time went on. 14. Would you rather have the power to resurrect the dead or enter the world of the dead (but you can't interact with anyone)? >> I don’t want to do either. I prefer the concept of being able to dwell in-between -- to see death and life in the same context, to recognise and love the paradoxes inherent, to not make an enemy of transience and impermanance. I want to rejoice in the rest that the dead receive, and regard it as hallowed and desirable, not disrupt it for some whim of mine own. Imagine you’re mega tired and you finally lay down to sleep and you’re sinking gratefully into the pillows and the blankets and drifting off... and then someone comes busting into your room and turning on lights and yelling about something completely irrelevant to you. That’s exactly the feeling I imagine when I think of someone waking the dead.

#surveys #survey #random survey #not for reblogging *glare*

[purplesurveys]

1013

surveys by -thoughtlessdork

Have you ever had the chicken pox? No. I’m constantly in a place of waiting for it to pass by, because everyone tells me all people are bound to have it at one point in their lives (idk how true that is, though). I am also told it gets a lot suckier as one gets older, so...not too thrilled about it at all.

how often do you do laundry? I don’t handle that chore myself, but it’s done 1–2 times a week in our house.

Have you ever been evicted? Nopes.

would you grow your own garden? I don’t see that happening. I’m a magnet for killing plants.

do you know anyone who snores? I do.

Trigger warning kinda, by the end.

what is your favorite font? Proxima Nova. It’s the default font that my org used for all documents and works-in-progress, and it ended up becoming my actual real-life favorite. I’ve always picked out that font even outside of org matters.

do you know what a wombat is? Sure.

would you make a good movie critic? Not at all. I don’t know enough about different filmmaking elements to make a reliable critic. I’ve criticized things like acting, plots, and dialogues in the past, of course; but there’s still so many things that go into films that aren’t overtly projected like lighting, symbolism, hidden meanings, etc. I don’t have a very good nose for those.

what goal are you aiming for this year? In the last 8 weeks of the year? Hmm...avoiding corona would be at the top of that list, lmao.

are you currently reading any books at the moment? No. I’ve stopped opening the book I used to constantly mention on here.

when i say foxy lady what comes to mind? Beyoncé’s character in the Austin Powers movie she was in lol; her name was Foxxy.

would you have liked to have lived during the Victorian times? Wasn’t this era like a golden age of sorts for the UK? I’d love to visit for that purpose; but given the still-horrible hygiene and living conditions for most people of the time, I wouldn’t choose to live there.

would you own a Siamese cat? No.

have you ever had an ultimate adrenaline rush? I don’t think so. I’ve had bursts of energy in the past, but I wouldn’t call any of them an ultimate adrenaline rush.

do you like deviled eggs? I’ve never had them; it’s not a common dish here. But they always look so good in the American shows I watch??? I really hope they taste as good as they look.

what tends to upset you? Hearing anything about animal abuse.

what's the farthest you've walked? I can’t give you a distance, but my parents opted for us to walk the whole time we were in Bali (except if we had a tour day which included transportation). Walking in an unfamiliar - and very humid - country and not knowing where anything is (this was before food and travel apps got as detailed as they are today) and ending up walking long stretches because you can’t locate any good local spots is a very easy way to run out of patience, apparently.

what is your favorite horror movie? Carrie was pretty fun.

what does your favorite shirt look like? It’s a twist on the Chicago flag, made black and red and with a raised fist in the middle. At the back it says “CM Punk: Best in the World.” Been my favorite and most overused shirt for the past 9 years. My friends tease me about it sometimes, but I don’t care lol, the shirt is very significant to me.

is your life like a daily routine? It is, but I prefer that it is. I like when things are in my control and, for the most part, predictable. I enjoy spontaneity in short bursts.

were you ever told as a child if you eat carrots you'll have pretty eyes? So many times.

what career are you most interested in? Communications and media, so it’s great that I’m headed there so far.

have you ever seen a rooster? Sure.

what time do you usually wake up? I wake up wake up by 7:30 or 8 AM, but I usually also wake up for a bit any time between 4–6 AM. Sometimes I choose to stay up from then, and sometimes I’d want to go back to sleep.

what do you think about religion? It’s good when people use it for good, or if it has helped save a person’s life. In my own personal experience, though, it’s beenhard to find Christians who aren’t hypocritical. So even though I see religion’s potential, I don’t have a lot of trust in believers themselves.

what made you feel most accomplished in your life so far? Graduating college.

have you ever seen a lunar eclipse? I saw the super blue blood moon two years ago, which according to a quick Google search is a lunar eclipse! So yeah, I’ve seen one.

what are you allergic to? No allergies.

do you ever feel like people hold things you do or say against you? Only my mom does this.

what can't you afford but wish you could? Front-row Wrestlemania tickets. My childhood (and now adulthood) dream is to go to Mania 50 which is only 14 years from now, but at least I still have more than enough time to save up for it. 

--

what is one word that sums up this year so far? Revelatory. ever felt like you were putting your life in danger? [trigger warning] Yes, it’s called suicidal tendencies. what do you like with your eggs? If scrambled, with cheese. If omelette...stuff that crap up with everything lol. Tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, cheese, ham, bacon, and onions are all good in my book. what remedy do you partake when experiencing the common cold? The good ol’ wait-for-it-to-go-away life hack. would you ever spend a weekend in the mountains in a log cabin? That sounds amazing. I sure would. have you ever been called a psycho? No. have you ever taken martial arts? would you? No but I was always a little envious of my cousin who was taken to taekwondo class every weekend when we were kids. Sure, I’d take classes if I had the chance. who is someone you look up to? Nacho, but he’s gone now. is there something you're anxious about? I have work jitters for tomorrow, but they’re manageable for now. Otherwise I’m feeling pretty good. what is the longest you've gone without sleep? A little above 24. what is the longest you've been on the phone? This makes me cringe now, but it was like 8 hours long or something like that. It was still the ~honeymoon phase of that relationship and we were still clingy. We never did it again after that. do you care about calories? No. do you know someone with a really annoying laugh? Nah, can’t think of anyone. what band do you mostly always listen to no matter what mood? Paramore.  have you ever been to Indianapolis? Nope.

--

what type of bread do you like to eat? I eat white bread all the time, but my favorite kind is brioche. do you have any great great grandparents still living? Two greats is a bit too much don’t you think? Lmao. Anyway, my last great-grandparent died in 2010. I never knew my dad’s grandparents, and my great-grandfather on my mom’s side had died all the way back in the 70s. what is one country that you really want to visit someday? India. who usually cooks or what do you usually crave the most? Those are two different questions haha. My parents take turn cooking; and as for my craving, I find myself seeking sushi most of the time. ever been associated in a program that was a complete waste of time? Yep, like that one time I had to attend this 5-hour mandatory program/seminar before my driver’s license could be issued to me; it taught me nothing I didn’t already know about driving, and it used driving tutorials that I’m pretty sure were recorded in the 90s. This seminar took place in 2016. do weird numbers call your phone? Not regularly. Occasionally an unknown number will come in, but I reject all those. where are you right now? Sitting up on my bed. do you tend to care about other people's feelings more than your own? Yes. I really shouldn’t. what type of lifestyle do you want to obtain? if you haven't obtained it [trigger warning] I haven’t even figured out yet if I love life enough to want to stay in it. A type of lifestyle isn’t much of a priority for now. what was something that use to frighten you as a child? Getting lost at the mall. have you ever been on a train? Just once. who's been in your life the longest? did you expect this person to still be around? Apart from family, Angela. Yes, she’s here for the long haul. how do you feel about anatomy? Fascinating. I’d take a class on it. Insert interesting fact here: Read this on Reddit a few days ago, so I’ll just copy-paste the whole thing: “When Jadwiga, the King of Poland (medieval Poland referred to every ruler as King regardless of gender), was considering a marriage proposal from the Grand Duke of Lithuania, a chief concern among her court was that said Duke was rumored to have massive genitals to the point that they would kill his wife on their wedding night. Two of her councilors volunteered to travel to Lithuania to try and discover the truth of these rumors, which naturally meant they would watch the Duke as he bathed. They returned and happily reported that not only weren’t the Duke’s genitals fatally large, they were in fact a tad smaller than average, so nothing to worry about. Thus Poland and Lithuania were united, and the rest is history.” Got a chuckle out of that one when I read it that I just had to scroll through the entire thread again just to be able to share it here lmao.

#survey #surveys

[portfolio-ni-rizza]

Netflix’s Death Note: [Personal] Review

Director Adam Wingard's Death Note is basically a Final Destination bootleg with the manga's name. It's flat, unnecessarily gory, and incoherent. Its promising moments are completely swept under the rug of its overall disjointed narrative and out-of-character acting.

I love Death Note. It's one of my all-time favorite series. I even have merch from my weaaboo days (haha). But I've also never been a fan of manga adaptations–not even anime (to an extent; I'm looking at you, Full Metal Alchemist and Shugo Chara season 3), and especially not of Western movies. Hollywood has YET to produce a decent manga adaptation, and this one is right up there with M. Night's The Last Airbender.

I'm not sure how these directors do their research, but by and large their end products wind up looking like their "research" is pretty much just looking up the plot on Wikipedia and making what they will of that. Netflix's DN is the absolute barebones of the wonderful masterpiece that is Ohba and Obata's Death Note. It's even more disappointing if you think about the fact that Death Note's "absolute barebones" is still a good material to work with, and we STILL end up with this bastardization.

First of all, I, at least, have no problem with the setting. To begin with, Netflix did say this was an Americanized version of the original. It makes sense that they'd change the names, considering this is set in Seattle. I did appreciate that 'Mia Sutton' is not too far from 'Misa Amane' as far as the composite letter are concerned lol. My biggest problem was the characters themselves, but I'll focus on 2 to keep this from being indecently long.

Light Turner is not supposed to be Timmy Turner's older, emo brother and is an average kid whom no one understands and happens to be good at Math and doing other people's homework. The core of Light's character is his PERFECTION. He is so far above average that he's completely detached from the rest of the world. That god complex was the entire reason he even took and managed to assume a 'god' character. It's literally the core of Death Note. Light is supposed to be the perfect son, perfect student, perfect citizen. Everyone loves him and looks up to him. And HE knows that. People don't need to tell him; he knows for himself he is BETTER than others. That's how Kira came to be in the first place.

Netflix's Light Turner is a wimpy loser with absolutely no depth as a character. He is completely one dimensional. He responds to dark and violent situations with darkness and violence. He is bullied so he fights back. His mother is murdered so he kills the murderer. It's a completely overused narrative that puts the essence of Light Yagami, antihero extraordinaire, straight into the chopping block.

From the get-go, his character is completely wrong. He is introduced as a nerdy kid who earns lunch money by doing other kids' homework. He has zero charisma. He's at the bottom of the food chain. He has absolutely nothing of what it takes to become the god that is Kira. The way that Light Turner was written would never have let him become anything larger than life; it just made him a vindictive bully who happened to be able to kill.

(A very dangerous combination–but for all the wrong reasons.)

Which just obliterates the central theme of Death Note altogether, and throws out the window the very foundation of what made the original work.

Second, this film is unnecessarily gory. Sure, a certain degree of violence is expected when it comes to murder, but Wingard just made this entire movie a B-rated slasher film with his slow-motion death scenes–something he just PACKS the whole movie with and spotlights on like it's the most important aspect of the story when it's totally secondary (if not completely an afterthought) in the original.

It's not even realistic. Light sees a BULLY (not a criminal; just a run-of-the-mill playground bully) antagonizing a schoolmate, he's handed a murder weapon for a TEST RUN, and he immediately, without a shadow of a doubt, writes 'decapitation' as the method of death? He chooses something that is exceedingly difficult, unnatural, and very, very specific for the first time he's trying to kill someone? He doesn't even UNDERSTAND what's going on; he's just had a massive Poltergeist experience. How was it possible for him to suddenly have enough presence of mind to write down an oddly specific method of death for someone who isn't even evil, just mean? That doesn't bode very well for Light as a person, let alone someone who's about to play god.

Throughout the movie, Light visibly struggles with his actions. He has no certainty. He kills with the Death Note but he lacks the inherent motivation for it; he only does it because he has to. Nothing about the characterization of Light Turner remotely suggested that he has what it takes to rule the world, as what he is essentially doing when he dictates who lives or dies (or tells your story lol). But then–all of a sudden, 5 minutes to the end of the movie and he explains this elaborate scheme where he undoes Mia killing him and transfers the ownership of the notebook back to him and basically just manipulated space and time so suit his needs.

That is a completely Light YAGAMI thing to do (and something he HAS actually done numerous times in the original). Nothing about Light TURNER's character and actions suggested he was capable of that. How convenient that 2 minutes before the police gets to him, he suddenly taps into his inner high-functioning psychopath and concocts an über-complicated plan to not die but kill 3 people and destroy one theme park along the way.

Where did that inner 'HIGH FUNCTIONING' part come from? Nearly two hours to have shown that Light's brilliant mind goes beyond solving Calculus problems and thinking up oddly particular methods of dying, and you choose the last five minutes to cram that in.

How very high school.

But enough about Light. Now we go to another important character–L. Considering that these 2 are the only ones they retain from the original (excepting Ryuk, but that's another point). L is one of the most brilliant minds in the world, but instead the movie showed him as nothing more than a weirdo that throws tantrums and only needs the FLIMSIEST of proofs to say he "knows" and he's "right". 

The original L does operate entirely on the gut feeling that Light is Kira, but he sets out to prove that. To him, nothing is ever damning enough and he won't settle for anything less than seeing Light actually murder someone right before L's very eyes. Movie L suddenly "just knows". Nothing about his actions suggests that he has the means to prove that Light is Kira; if anything, he's trying to make it so that things DO go with his conclusion, whether or not it's actually true. The real L is nothing like that. He backed down when his proofs didn't go with his conclusions. L believes in justice, first and foremost. He's almost childlike in his black-and-white convictions (I have a screenshot of this panel, so my receipts are in place). This L just doesn't capture that innocence. 

By itself, the movie isn't THAT bad. It only becomes a terrible crapfest when you have the original to compare it with. Netflix's Death Note can stand alone as a slasher/horror/thriller film to Netflix and chill with if you are holding it to itself, but never make the mistake of reading/watching the original brilliance that is Ohba and Obata's Death Note first.

I do have a real concern with the keeping of the name "Kira". Kira is just the Japanese pronunciation of "killer". Japanese people literally were calling Light, "Killer". Why did Wingard keep the Jap pronunciation? What purpose did it serve other than that 5-second line where L says it was to mislead investigation to thinking Light was Japanese? Why is there even a need for that? Was that supposed to be a nod to the Japanese root of Death Note? It may have been a pure intention on the director's part, though, but it was unnecessary, if not even reeking of whitewashing–but I'd digress and hope for the best.

#Writing Samples #Unbeta'd #Series Review #Death Note #Netflix

[kdurbin666]

About me, my name is Kandace Renee Durbin. I am 31 years old and I live in Burlington, Iowa. I’ve lived here my entire life. My birthday is Dec. 29.

I’ve been with my husband Robby for 12 years now. Our anniversary is Aug. 15th. We have 2 children together, Adrian who is 11 and Alayna who is 10 years old.

We have 2 puppies named Abu and Iago, after characters from Disney’s Aladdin. We also have 2 bunnies named Brownie and Bugs.

I am currently unemployed but am actively searching for a job and hopefully will find one soon.

I love to collect things. You could call me a hoarder, lol. Some of the things I collect are Dragons, Sharks, Zombies, Butterflies, The Poop Emoji, things that are Brightly Colored, Office/penpal supplies, unicorns, mermaids, rainbows, sparkles, anything 420 related, animals (especially sloths, lynx, and panda bears), Narwhals, and skulls (especially sugar skulls).

I suffer from depression, social anxiety, BPD, and insomnia. I also have a hiatal hernia that has ulcers inside of it. Sometimes the ulcers bleed and I become anemic. And that really sucks.

My hobbies include Reading, Writing, Coloring, playing the Sim’s 4 on my laptop, and Spending time Outside. Some of my favorite book genres are paranormal, Syfy, urban fantasy, romance, and apocalypse/survival type books. I also enjoy anything involving dragons. A few of my favorite authors are Dean Koontz, PC Cast, Gini Koch, Michael Grant, Gena Showalter, and Jane Yolan, just to name a few.

. My favorite season is Summer because it’s dry, sunny, and warm. I also don’t mind late Spring (sometimes anyways) when it finally warms/dries up. I do not like cold, mud, and rain. They are my 3 least favorite things. Some of my favorite outdoor activities are having a bonfire, going for walks, camping, fishing, and just lounging around the yard. Sometimes I just sit outside and work on my letters while I’m catching some sun.

I don’t really watch much TV. We don’t have cable or internet here. I do have a Roku TV, which is pretty useless except for a DVD player right now, but I don’t even watch many movies. Robby watches it more than I do. But some of the TV shows I do like to watch are Z Nation, American Horror Story, Steven Universe, and game shows. My 3 favorite gameshows are Wheel of Fortune (America’s game!), The Price is Right, and Family Feud. Some of my favorite movies are Robinhood: Men in Tights, Spaceballs, Tremors (all 6 movies), and the following Disney films: Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, the animated Robinhood, and The Sword in the Stone.

I listen to rock, country, 80s, 90s, and golden oldies music genres. I’ll listen to just about anything, but I don’t like much rap/hip hop. A few of my favorite bands/singers are Kottonmouth Kings, Metallica, Korn, System of a Down, Disturbed, Alan Jackson, Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, the Temptations, the Beach Boys, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and many many more.

#penpalswantedusa #penpalswanted #snailmail