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longagoitwastuesday · 11 months

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Do you have favorite actors for the various roles in "Cyrano de Bergerac"? I would love to hear your thoughts!

I do! I actually rambled a lot about this while I was watching the different productions I could get my hands on (I tagged it "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "I talk too much").

My favorite productions are the one with José Ferrer and the one with Benoit Solès, and those actors make the best Cyranos in my opinion. Though that's probably something in part beyond the actors' choice, their dynamic with their respective Roxane and Christian are the best ones, I think, and I find how Cyrano moves around these two particular characters at the core of a good Cyrano characterisation.

José Ferrer's use of his voice, which is arguably Cyrano's true most characteristic feature, is unmatched imo (although McAvoy does a very good job with this too), and he manauvers very well several of the different aspects of the character, such as his playfulness, his shittiness and longing. By the end of the play you believe he is the most beautiful man on Earth. Cyrano, however, is a bit pathetic (not just in a "pathos" way), and I'd say Ferrer gives off an air full of dignity very fitting of many scenes, but that eats almost entirely this aspect of Cyrano; Benoit Solès manages this very well, while also playing well with some of the other ones, such as the playfulness, the longing, the pain and the despair. Both Ferrer and Solès are hilarious, tender, a bit shitty, vulnerable, playful and sad. Albeit neither of them portrays 100% what Cyrano is, I think both come pretty close in slightly different flavours, and by the end of the play one ends up being terribly fond of them.

My favourite Roxane is Clara Huet in the production with Benoit Solès, but Mala Powers in the 1950 film is a close second. I think they portray wonderfully Roxane's spunk, and her mix of honest playful cheerfulness and her haughtiness, her intelligence and wit, and how much like Cyrano she is.

I've not come to love for now any Christian as much as I've loved Ferrer, Solès, Huet and Powers, but again I think the Christians in the 1950 film and the Solès productions are very very good. I love the dynamic they have with their Cyranos, especially the one Christian and Cyrano have in the 1950 film, enhanced positively by the added scenes (they actually work so well in showing their developing as friends, their deep love and care for each other!). I don't want to expand too much on this to avoid spoilers (beyond the already known 'Christian dies' ones I mean), but some things they do with both these Christians are a thing of genius, and both feel vulnerable, kind, ready to fight and truly desperate at times; I like when they do that.

There's an Italian production which has a Cyrano I truly enjoy as well, despite how they dumbify him more than I usually like my Christians. His mix of anger and deep pain when he discovers Cyrano's feelings for Roxane were so well made, and his physical presence makes you identify who Christian is even before the play starts.

The Podalydès production has two different Christians. The one in the version on youtube isn't bad, but @ride-a-dromedary likes Éric Ruf a lot. I actually adore him based on the clips and gifs she's posted of him, but I haven't been able to find the version with him online, so I can't know. But he truly seems one of the best. Based on what little I've seen, I love his intense gazes and subtle gestures.

I'm not entirely sold on any Le Bret, De Guiche or Ragueneau yet.

I think the German musical has a decent Ragueneau in vibes, and the 1990 French film does as well. I found his poem made song for what I think is a Spanish production (I'm not sure if it's a fan creation based on the Spanish production), and while I've not been able to find that production online, the song works well in vibes too I think.

The German musical's Le Bret in vibes is very good. He encompasses well his deep love and worry for Cyrano while also being done with his shit. They truly feel like close friends. The 1950 film kind of combines Gaston de Castel-Jaloux and Le Bret into one character, which sadly changes Le Bret's dynamic with Cyrano a bit, but that's a very good Le Bret as well. The one in Solès' production is pretty good too. He has my favourite delivery of the scene in which Le Bret chastises Cyrano for risking his life sending letters.

De Guiche is complicated. I think productions often make him too pathetic and laughable or too bad, so bad it makes the last act kind of not make sense. The 1950 one, the 1990 French one, the Kevin Kline one and the Solès one are all good, but I am not passionate for any of them either.

And basically that's it!

#I'm sorry for such a long reply‚ it wasn't my intention. In fact I tried to keep it short but oops #As an extra I'll say that the Japanese film based on Cyrano‚ Life of an Expert Swordsman‚ has a quite good main trio #The Christian character is pretty‚ noble and kind. The Roxane character is smart and well-versed in poetry and a writer in her own right #I loved when productions enhance these aspects of these characters #Kline isn't a bad Cyrano‚ but he is a bit too unbelievable to me. He is too pretty being too old. I already don't like these characters #being old because it makes it lose some sense (they're idiots in part because they are young) but he is so fit for a ~60yo which is like...#Really? The nose? A young man with the same traits is more believable to be self-conscious and think himself unlovable I'd say #I like that Kline comes off at times as a bit cruel and violent and I think it works well with how he is a lot of fun #But at times he is so much fun it ruins the mood‚ although this is a problem of the production in general and of it being based #on Burgess' translation‚ which is something I could ramble about on its own and that makes me kinda mad #I think Depardieu on the other hand falls short on being fun. He tries so hard it isn't funny and it often feels a bit pathetic to me #but not in the way Cyrano is meant to be. On the other hand‚ I felt Depardieu was too full of himself in this film and was too aware #of being he protagonist. The thing about Cyrano is that he doesn't think he is #All in all‚ the more I watch this film the less I like it and his portrayal of Cyrano. I also don't like their Christian and Roxane #(although she isn't as bad as the Klein production of Roxane‚ who is for me among the worst)#I'm not sold at all on the 2021 Roxane either‚ and this Cyrano is so much the dashing tragic hero that he isn't funny #which is one of Cyrano's main characteristics. So I don't like the 2021 Cyrano a lot either. But that's not due to the acting‚#but because the musical does a poor work at being an adaptation of the play and its characters I'd say #The worst Cyrano out of the ones I've seen is perhaps the one in the Italian production I've mentioned that had a Christian I liked #Their Roxane was awful too but iirc Le Bret was good and Ragueneau was decent #I'm not into the Podalydès Cyrano at all. One of the Cyranos I enjoy the least I must admit. But at least he isn't that Italian one #I conclusion‚ and I always feel kinda sectarian‚ everyone should watch the Benoit Solès version #The José Ferrer film is popular enough not to mention #I talk too much #Cyrano de Bergerac

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bemusedlybespectacled · 4 months

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Question: I enjoyed s1 OF OFMD, but for various reasons I never actually got around to watching s2 (pick up most of the plot from tumblr tho). What exactly went wrong in s2 that got so many people upset?

Oh, boy. Very long rant incoming.

So, for context, S2 had a significantly smaller budget, which necessitated moving the filming location to union-unfriendly New Zealand, reducing the number of actors/number of appearances of established actors, and cutting down the number of episodes from 10 to 8. In a show where each episode is only about half an hour long, that last one alone was enough to seriously hamper any character development or plot. I am very comfortable putting the vast majority of the blame on HBO because of these financial decisions.

The short version is that Jenkins et. al. needed to address and build on the problems left hanging in S1 while also getting the characters to the end of their character trajectories in case there was no S3 while also leaving room for additional episodes in case there was a S3, in a grand total of four hours, and failed.

The long version is that there were a bunch of what I'd consider small problems in isolation that came together and exploded in the S2 finale.

The reduced cast necessitated breaking up the crew (ex: having Swede marry Jackie and stay on land with her, so they don't need to pay Nat Faxon for all eight episodes) and not spending as much time on their relationships as S1 did.

The reduced time meant that the entire season was rushed (in contrast to S1, which takes place over at least several weeks if not months, most of S2 takes place in roughly five days), leading both to a lot of telling rather than showing (because they don't have time to show you), including vital character and relationship development.

This includes:

Having the Kraken half of the crew beat Ed to death after months of being abused by him – abuse that is clearly shown to have given them PTSD and a well-justified fear and hatred of him – only for them to be okay with him two in-universe days later;

On that note, having Stede dismiss the crew's concerns about Ed because he loves him and also we only have three more episodes left to fit in everything so we need to get over it really fast, even though Stede is supposed to be well-meaning and caring (even if he's not good at it all the time);

Resolving the issue of Stede abandoning Ed in one day, then having them "go slowly" in their relationship for two days and then have some spur-of-the-moment sex, and then the next afternoon have them break up over their diverging career aspirations, and then the day after that resolve that problem and retire on land while the rest of the crew sails off into the sunset;

Stede becoming a fantastic pirate captain over the course of one day, becoming wildly popular in the piracy world two days later, and then deciding the day after that to never be a captain again because he is retiring with Ed;

Having Ed and Stede decide to retire together as what is implied to be the end point of their relationship arc, when none of Stede's issues from S1, like his poor self-esteem, have been so much as mentioned by anyone, implying that he's either magically gotten over them or they don't matter all that much, actually, even though they were the catalyst for basically everything he did in S1;

Ed having two separate character crises – "I am an unlovable person" and "I want to do something with my life other than piracy" – not spending a lot of time on either one, having moments that clearly indicate he is still working on both problems and they have not been resolved, and then apparently having them both be resolved in the final episode despite nothing occurring to actually make that happen, and in regards to the latter, despite the story actively undermining it by repeatedly showing he can't do anything other than piracy;

Related to the above, Ed ending the series as allegedly being loved by the crew as a family (thus solving Crisis #1) despite this never actually being shown, demonstrated, or even fucking alluded to onscreen. If anything, it shows the exact opposite.

This last point is especially galling to me because of what is probably the most divisive issue in the fandom right now: killing off Izzy Hands after giving him seven episodes of character development.

The show begins with the Kraken crew clearly trying to use the skills they learned as part of Stede's crew to cope with their incredibly shitty situation and care for each other, which includes Izzy. Izzy, on his end, tries to protect the crew and speak up for them, which results in him being repeatedly hurt (both implicitly, as Ed at one point says "that's another toe" in response to Izzy advocating for the crew and we later see he's missing more than one toe already, and explicitly, as Ed shoots him in the fucking leg in front of the crew when he stands up for them).

This camaraderie is shown again and again and again. Frenchie, Jim, and Archie take care of Izzy while his leg is infected, at risk to their own lives. Izzy's misery over losing his leg is what unites the PTSD-ridden Kraken crew and the well-meaning-but-ignorant-of-PTSD marooned crew, who are initially at odds, to make him a new prosthetic leg. Izzy gives Lucius advice about forgiving Ed. Izzy is introduced to drag and opens up enough to sing at a crew party, and the whole crew is having fun together while Ed and Stede are in their cabin having sex for the first time. Izzy gives Stede pirate captain lessons and bonds with him when Ed leaves him. Izzy provokes the season's villain into focusing on him and then gives a big speech about how piracy is about belonging to something, giving the rest of the crew time to try to escape.

Recall that Season 1 had some pretty well-established universe rules, one of which was that it runs on Muppet physics/magical realism. People can jump off yardarms, hit the side on the way down, and be perfectly fine. People can get stabbed in the liver and it's totally okay because it's probably not that important, and even can stay pinned to a mast all night that way with only mild discomfort. Buttons can talk to birds and see long distances without a spyglass and put hexes on people. Good people can be hurt (Stede is stabbed repeatedly), bad people can die (the Badmintons, Geraldo), but no one we care about is ever killed.

This is repeated in Season 2: Ed is beaten into a coma with a cannonball and wakes up like Sleeping Beauty after a spirit journey, with no injuries to his face or body. Buttons turns into a seagull after spending an episode doing a magic ritual and is never seen again (because they couldn't keep paying Ewen Bremner due to the budget cuts). Jackie microdoses her husbands with poison to build up their immunity, so that she can later pull a Dread Pirate Westley and poison the British with shared drinks.

So: in the finale, the villain of the season is taken hostage by the pirates (for reasons? unclear how that fits in the plan), happens to have a gun on him (no one checked??), shoots Izzy on the right side and then leaves with no repercussions. The entire crew stands around silently doing nothing while Ed cries over Izzy and tells him that he's his only family.

And Izzy fucking Hands, the guy who just spent eight episodes bonding with and protecting everyone, uses his last words to reassure Ed that him becoming Blackbeard/the Kraken was Izzy's fault and that the crew is Ed's family and they all love him. No one else says anything to Izzy or tries to comfort him or help him in any way.

I repeat: in a show predicated on the idea that bullies and bigots die stupid deaths while queer people and POC are basically magic, a show that was praised for being kind to queer people by not making them worry about their faves suffering or dying, a show founded on the strength of the relationships between the characters, the guy who went through a season-long arc of learning to embrace his pirate found family and his own queerness is shot for stupid reasons on the side we're told isn't important and dies while everyone just stands there. His last words are about the whole crew loving Ed when the only person that the whole crew has loved all season is him.

Anyway, never mind all that, let's cut to Lucius and Pete getting married and Stede and Ed retiring!

Complicating all this is that people who liked Izzy (or even said anything insufficiently mean about Izzy) were harassed for months in between seasons with insults, slurs, and actual fucking death threats. Izzy's growth was kind of a vindication for liking him: it meant that, despite all the harassment, we were right to like him and care about him as a character. Even people who didn't like him initially started to like him during Season 2.

And then he dies, and now there's a bunch of people saying that Izzy fans are big whiny babies who can't handle fictional death, and actually his death was so meaningful and beautiful and the only logical end to his arc, and it can't be bad writing because people die in real life all the time, and also he admitted he fed Ed's darkness so actually he was a terrible person all along anyway and they were right to hate him (and his fans)!

So, yeah, there are a lot of reasons why it's so hated, and I'm probably only addressing the problems of the pro-Izzy people (from what I can tell, BlackBonnet shippers who don't like Izzy think Ed and Stede's relationship is fine and dandy, but I'm sure that there are other criticisms they have that I have not addressed). I'm not even addressing the issues with Jim and Oluwande's relationship this season (and whooo boy are there issues).

It wasn't a universally bad season. There were episodes I really loved and still do. But the finale was a train wreck, and because it was a train wreck, a lot of people are looking back at what happened before the wreck and realizing that, oh, the train lost its brakes and steering because of the budget cuts and the engineers kept throwing fuel in the engine to make it go faster, and huh, now that I think of it, that part earlier in the trip was really wobbly but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time because I was sure the engineers had everything covered.

#ofmd critical #our flag means death #writing #izzy hands #ofmd meta #askbox #personal

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sotwk · 9 months

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Legolas & Tauriel in the SotWK AU

I recently received a Anon Ask asking me about my opinion/views regarding Legolas and Tauriel's relationship, but apparently Tumblr is screwing up a few things for me (including eating up the notifications for some Mutuals that I've tagged in my posts... grrrr!) and that Anon Ask somehow disappeared.

Note: This is how closely I track and value the Asks/Requests I receive. My inbox is pretty full, but I remember them all. Pending Asks burn a hole in the back of my head until they're answered. I never delete Asks, unless they're duplicates or (god-forbid), hate mail.

Anyway! I am determined to answer that deleted/missing Anon Ask because I'm stubborn that way. ;) So before I forget, here are some headcanons about Legolas and Tauriel as their relationship exists in the SotWK Universe:

10 SotWK Facts About Legolas and Tauriel's Friendship:

A Short Answer to the Big Question: Is there a romance between them? In the SotWK AU? NO. Legolas and Tauriel's relationship is mutually and entirely platonic.

However, they have something better than the unrequited pining Legolas had for her in The Hobbit series. They are BEST FRIENDS. In SotWK, these two are even closer and more bonded than they were portrayed in the films.

Legolas and Tauriel are "birthmates": a concept and term I created that refers to a Silvan tradition where Elf children born in the same year are believed to share a special bond akin to that of blood siblings. Elven "birthmates" become best friends literally forever--because it starts from birth and remains endless for as long as their immortal lives endure.

Legolas and Tauriel are devoted to each other, but as best friends, which is love powerful enough that they would give their lives for each other. If anything, Legolas is fiercely protective of Tauriel, so he would be wary of any foreign admirers that may approach her (e.g. Kili).

I gave a brief glimpse into the childhood of Legolas and Tauriel in Chapter 4 of my young Legolas fanfic, "Greenleaf's Day Out".

When they were children, Tauriel was the smart, studious, rule-abiding, well-behaved child while Legolas was the restless, rambunctious, cannot-sit-still mischief maker. But despite their personality clashes and constant bickering, they were great friends, school mates, and playmates.

Tauriel once aspired to be a healer and in fact began training to be one when she reached adulthood. However, her plans changed when the Woodland Realm grew dark and dangerous from the filth of Dol Guldur. Her parents were among those killed in the early attacks of the spiders, and so Tauriel then joined the Mirkwood Spiderhunters before eventually becoming a Captain of the Guard.

Unlike in the movies, Tauriel had known the Elvenqueen, Legolas's mother very well since she was just a child, and so she didn't need to have her death explained; neither would she have ever dreamt of accusing Thranduil of being heartless or unloving. She was well-aware of the family's history and therefore very loyal to the Elvenking and his rule, and rightfully so.

In her youth, Tauriel had a giant not-so-secret crush on Legolas's older brother, Prince Arvellas (who was her teacher/mentor for a time), but she eventually outgrew it. She also had strong relationships with all the Thranduilion princes, who were very fond of her.

Tauriel's fate and actual role in the events of BotFA (SotWK version) actually remains undecided in my head! Does she fall in love with Kili? I honestly don't know, and I will have to cross that bridge when I get there with my Durins Live fanfics.

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Tolkien Headcanon tag list: @quickslvxrr @laneynoir @auttumnsayshi @achromaticerebus @tamryniel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @blueberryrock @aduialel @glassgulls @ladyweaslette @klytemnestra13 @creativity-of-death @heilith @fizzyxcustard @absentmindeduniverse @lathalea @tamurilofrivendell @jordie-your-local-halfling @ladyk8tie @scyllas-revenge @asianbutnotjapanese @conversacomsmaug @lemonivall @ratsys @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @entishramblings @stormchaser819 @freshalmondpandadonut @beekieboo @jezzibee

Interested in SotWK content?

Introduction to SotWK

My Headcanon Masterlist

My Fanfiction Masterlist

#sotwk headcanon #thranduil #thranduil headcanon #tauriel #legolas #mirkwood #mirkwood elves #the elvenking #lord of the rings #tolkien #tolkien headcanons #tolkien elves #sotwk ocs #thranduilion #arvellas thranduilion

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flimflamfandom · 2 months

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Flimflamuniverse Character Breakdown!

Have you ever been reading one of my fics and asked something like-

"Whaddya MEAN Freckle has an accent?"

"Why do they end up in Hollywood?"

"Who's Rocky dating, anyway!?"

Well WONDER NO MORE! This post is the comprehensive list for all yer Flimflamfandom character quirk questions!

Essentially all of the changes are character based, but we will be talking about slight setting differences as well.

Let's dive in!

THE SETTING:

Most of the setting is exactly the same - late 20s St. Louis!

HOWEVER -

During later period stuff (anything from 1929 onward) several of the characters have taken up roots and gone to Hollywood! This has to do with various career moves that take place over the duration of the AU

Significant parts of Calvin's story now take place in Cork, Ireland - this will be explained more in depth later.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED that by the time my AU takes place, the Daisy has picked up significantly in business.

THE CHARACTERS:

It's important to note that NONE OF THE CHARACTERS' CRIMINAL ATTRIBUTES WERE REVEALED UNTIL AROUND THE MID 70S, and by then, the shock and horror of this sort of thing were replaced with fascination.

CALVIN MCMURRAY:

1909-1939

Calvin's childhood is the same, up until the nebulous "incident" that gets Rocky kicked out of home. Because of this, Nina gets a bit spooked, and sends Calvin to finish his basic schooling in County Cork, Ireland. He completes his schooling, and comes back home just in time for the "event" at the police academy.

During his time at the Daisy, Calvin becomes very interested in writing, and begins writing for the Times Dispatch about baseball games. He eventually begins writing screenplays when he moves with Ivy to California. He writes 3 novels, 2 short story collections, and 3 books of poems, on top of 4 screenplays. He's a busy guy!

Unfortunately, sometime around 1936, he develops a form of tail cancer. He dies in 1939, just 10 days shy of his 30th birthday.

QUIRKS: -Calvin has an accent! He's a cork boy. He sounds like a Cork boy. -By the time of his death, Calvin has a son, named Finn.

IVY PEPPER:

1909-1999

Ivy's childhood and such don't change much at all. 'Cept a secret that has to do with Mitzi, but shh! It's a secret!

Ivy is majoring in mathematics at college, and she's MAJORING majoring in it. her specialty seems to be advanced algebra - ring theory, nonlinear algebra, stuff like that. She slowly starts to see herself doing less and less in the field, but she always keeps an interest in it, attends conferences, etc.

The thing that REALLY interests Ivy, though, is her theater course. She takes one as an arts credit and LOVES it! She turns out to be kind of a prodigy on stage! She does some more acting here and there, and happens to meet a producer of films in 1929, after she's changed names to Ivy McMurray. She drags Calvin out to Hollywood with her, and stars in at least a dozen films, winning awards for quite a few of them!

By her retirement from acting in the 1960s, (her last picture netted her an award, by the way) she began to help get all of her old things from the Daisy together, and turn them into a museum, called the Daisy Club Museum. She helped run and fund the museum until her death in 1999, just 2 weeks into the age of 90.

QUIRKS: -Won 5 Oscars - 3 best supporting, 2 best actress. -Contributed her skills and research to at least 3 Algebra textbooks, -Never remarried after Calvin - she was quoted as saying "He'll love me when I get where he is, too."

ROCKY RICKABY:

1904-1989

Rocky's time at the Daisy is marred by his failed romances. He swears he must be the most unlovable person on earth! In the AU, I used to have an OC set aside for him, but nowadays I keep it vague and just say he has a wife and kids. ANYHOW, after the Daisy, Rocky manages to recover a tad from his head wound, and, get this - became a comedian. He even had a circuit of all the speakeasies.

Rocky did need a job after all of that though, and ended up, eventually, in broadcasting, which turned into being a comedian, which turned into his own radio show, which turned into a television show in the early days of TV. Rocky moved out to Hollywood and accidentally bought the house right next to Ivy and Calvin's.

A man with a good reputation, even AFTER it came out that he was a serious gangster, Rickaby died peacefully in 1989, at the age of 85.

QUIRKS: -Rocky was a staunch civil rights, woman's rights, and gay rights activist up until the very end. This would often get him in trouble with networks and producers. -Really liked the Beatles when they crossed over to the US -There is a very persistent rumor that he was in the OSS during World War 2 - in fact, he was not, but he did do work for the Signal Corps making mildly funny training films.

MITZI MAY:

?-1980

Little is known of her childhood, or her adolescence before the Daisy.

Plenty is known AFTER it though!

Mitzi, unlike the others, was not headed for entertainment afterwards. She, instead, lived with Sedgewick Sable, and indeed remarried, but never took his last name. As the pressure from the depression started to ease, she managed to turn all that Daisy property (and all of the hidden away stash money) into a hotel! Mitzi became an incredibly successful hotelier, owning and helping to operate no less than 5 luxury hotels by 1956.

By 1970, she had gotten in touch with Ivy Pepper again, and asked about the Daisy Club Museum - she was instrumental in getting it started, as she still sorta owned the caves down there. She had the diea of making it a living history museum, and she also had the idea of making it like a sort of themed resort.

She died in her sleep in 1980. No one was precisely sure of her age.

QUIRKS: -No one really knows her age -She has a secret about Ivy that she's never told a soul, and it went with her to her grave -Mitzi had one known child by Sedgewick Sable - Minerva, born in 1934. Minerva became a costumer.

SEDGEWICK SABLE:

1895-1985

After the depression hit, Sable was distraught and destitu-JUST KIDDING, that paranoid buffoon hid cash in the walls. The WALLS, I tell you! It wasn't a ton, though, and they coasted by until the New Deal came around.

Work projects need work materials, and Wick was able to help provide them. With a new purpose, new drive, and tons of resources, Wick managed to get the company going again, renaming it to Sable Construction Materials, later just SCM. He even had to buy 3 Lake Freighters - the company still operates lake freighters today!

At the age of 90, Wick passed away in his sleep.

QUIRKS: -While Wick and Calvin were never close, both were HUGE baseball fans - Wick was obsessed with the Red Sox. -Wick was a surprisingly involved boss - most employees knew him personally.

MORDECAI HELLER:

1899-1983

At some point, Mordecai returned to the Daisy, to work with Calvin McMurray as a 'fix it' man. Mordecai admired the work, and stayed put until the place stopped being illegal.

After bouncing from job to job, thinking he would end up back in organized crime, Mordecai settled down in New York after finding out the man who wanted him dead had been killed in a car accident. Mordecai became an accountant and theater manager on Broadway - not a STAGE manager, mind you, just the guy who runs the theater. He really quite liked the work!

Mordecai Heller died in 1983 at the age of 84, of lung cancer.

QUIRKS: -Mordecai was a homosexual, and was well known as such. -Mordecai, a seemingly ice hearted man, actually kinda liked musicals...well. Good ones, anyway. -His least favorite show up there was Seesaw. His favorite was Pacific Overtures

VIKTOR VASKO:

1886-1978

After the Daisy became a legal operation, Viktor just...kept working there. You still need someone to lift boxes and tend a bar when it's legal, too! Viktor was actually a loyal employee of Mitzi until 1943, when he left to run a construction firm in St. Louis. He did that, and had a fairly uneventful life, dying in 1978 at the age of 92.

QUIRKS: -Viktor never remarried - but he did reconnect with his wife and daughter sometime in 1935. -Viktor's daughter went on to become a famous operatic soprano, and even served at the Met for a time. -Viktor never outed any of his former associates, even when talks of the Daisy Museum were beginning. He refused, worrying that he'd sully people's reputations.

DORIAN ZIBOWSKI:

?-1954

After the depression, it became harder for clubs to keep full time musicians. Zib was still at the Daisy until about 1932. Fortunately for him, in 1933, his old...work acquaintance? Rocky was running a radio show out of Los Angeles and was asked to help find a band leader.

After a brief stint on this show, Zib began to lead bands at the cutting edge of Jazz music - he considered becomeing an academic, but he never found the time to think too hard about the option.

A lifetime of smoking and drinking caught up to him fiercely, and he died of Lung Cancer in 1954.

QUIRKS: -He's still made outta triangles! -Zib learned to play every saxophone, and every reed instrument he could get his hands on. -Zib's final record was a live recording at the Pershing Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, 4 years before Ahmad Jamal made it famous.

THE SAVOYS:

Nico: 1900-1978 Serafine: 1902-1983

Little is known of the Savoys after their return to Louisiana in 1931. Some say Nico got back into boxing, or that Serafine was responsible for a rash of killings.

The two died peacefully in their homes, and lived to perfectly normal old ages...and yet, it seemed so suspicious when Nico died. He was just...on his back porch. With a note that was written in code...

QUIRKS: -Nico did, in fact, go back into boxing, but left for professional wrestling - the fictional kind. Serafine was, for a time, a voodoo practitioner for hire, who was well regarded in her community -Neither married, but both had several relationships

THE ARBOGASTS:

Abelard: 1886-1987 Bobby: 1898-1975 Elsa: 1900-1975

The Arbogasts lead a quiet, mostly obscure life, save for Abelard, who becomes quite the lit up theologian. He starts a cult in the woods of Missouri, and is found dead after his 101st birthday. The cult, as many do after a leader dies, fell into disarray and eventually splintered.

Bobby and Elsa dropped the funeral routine and moved closer to the city - Bobby became a school teacher and Elsa became a nurse. The two died months apart in 1975.

QUIRKS: -Elsa and Bobby were just about as in love with each other as Calvin and Ivy. -Bobby had severe PTSD from the war, and would often have episodes. Elsa hated seeing him that way, but helped him. -Abelard's Cult, "the new Thinkers", was bizarrely peaceful as cults are concerned. They never ate Fish, though...

LACY HARDT:

1904-1994

Lacy was a loyal employee of Sedgewick Sable for the first year after the depression. Eventually, though, she married Arthur Keane (an OC you can read about here), a guitarist, and moved with him to his hometown of Virginia Beach. There, she lived with him as an assistant to many prominent locals.

Eventually, the two moved again, back to Peoria, to take care of Lacy's ailing mother. This was around 1934. After Lacy's mother passed in 35, she was distraught. So, she decided to find a new hobby - writing and illustrating children's books. She got onto the idea after a phone call with Ivy, who handed over Calvin's agent's information.

When she retired, Lacy moved back to Virginia Beach with Arthur, who died a year before she did. QUIRKS -Lacy won a Caldecott Medal, and displayed it in her home office until her death -Until after her death, it was kept a secret by the McMurray family that Lacy, who was close with them, had been writing Finn (Calvin's son) notes as Mrs. Claus, as well as little stories, which eventually became her 'Rudy Sees the World' books.

THAT'S ALL I'M WRITING FOR NOW!

Again, pretty much all the changes are to the characters - the setting is, for the most part, untouched! I will be writing more about the AU when I get the chance, though!

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fiddlepickdouglas · 9 months

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Disclaimer: This post is an interpretation of some of the Barbie movie's themes and messages, particularly struggles men are faced with. That's its focus. It is not exhaustive of all possible takes or understandings of the film, either mine or others. If talking about men as equal human beings is a problem for you, feel free to ignore this post and then block me. Otherwise, carry on.

One of my favorite parts of Barbie is when Gloria is doing Barbie's makeup toward the end and they're talking about overturning everything that the Kens have done to Barbieland, where Barbie expresses how she just didn't expect her Ken to act out so drastically. Gloria tells her it's because he has feelings for her, hinting that creating Kendom is how he tried to express those feelings and his upset with the constant rejection he's gotten. And when Barbie starts to say she's afraid of hurting him by going behind his back Gloria stops her.

I could praise that moment alone for showing how women need to stop apologizing for the feelings of others, but this is really key: Gloria doesn't trash talk Ken. She states the bad things he did but she never equates those actions with who Ken is, because they're not. I feel like any other film would've gone the route of "He's an asshole/You don't need him/Dump the douchebag/Why do you care about him when he's treated you like this?" (and to be fair I have a huge tendency to go that way myself)

Gloria doesn't even know Ken! But she was right not to immediately act like he was garbage. I don't know if she got that understanding from Barbie herself or just from being a long-term Barbie doll lover and employee at Mattel, but it stands out to me. We even see proof that none of the Kens are truly bad! In the beginning of the film they're just dudes (Just Kens, lol, I set myself up for that)! Dudes that don't even know what they don't know and can't be blamed for it.

Because the truth is that men are not inherently trash and their actions do not come from an innately evil place. Unfortunately for men, especially in the west, society has come up short in teaching them how to deal with and properly express how they feel in favor of power and saving face. Emotions hold bigger weight than they even know, but the modes they've been allowed are generally aggression, romantic passion, and cool. Nothing outside the lines. Imagine trying to sort a giant ball of complex emotions into one of those three things and stay normal.

Gloria understands that the lack of emotional maturity and regulation is where Ken's dramatic tantrum stems from. While she has experience with the patriarchy and knows how to deal with it because of the situation in the real world, I find it fascinating that her character is the one to understand both sides because she also has experience as a matriarch. (I could be wrong, but it seems like she's the breadwinner of the household. The role of her husband I have no commentary on other than que Dios lo bendice, el pobre no se puede hablar español).

So while Barbieland agrees to barely give the Kens back any power (an extremely accurate reflection of what women get in the real world), the film and its characters ultimately don't villainize or punish them further for their wrongs. Punishment isn't always the right action when someone is wrong (insert commentary on Barbie and Ken constantly getting put in jail in the real world vs. no such thing happening in their own). Sometimes it's simply helping them understand what they're dealing with and guiding them through the ordeal step by step.

Painting the Kens as all bad would've ignored what a Ken is. He is a doll just like Barbie. Ken's issue is that he's unloved and the only form of love he has been given to accept is romantic love. What he and all the other Kens begin to discover at the end of the film is self love, which is just as important, if not more.

Now I'm going to rephrase that last paragraph.

Painting men as all bad ignores what a man is. They are humans just like women are. Most men's issue is that they are unloved and the only form of love they've been given to accept is romantic love. What the men of this world need to discover is self love, which is just as important, if not more.

#barbie #barbie meta #gloria barbie #america ferrera #god i have such a crush on that woman #barbie spoilers

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collegetennisoriginstory · 1 year

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Hii!! I LOVE your story and your writing!! Deadass, I wasn't expecting to actually care about a tennis story. I actually put off reading it since I'm the opposite of athletic lol, but I was floored by the effort and story building you've created. You're so talented and I hope you know that you're a beautiful human being who deserves nothing but greatness. What was the first things you decided about the characters/does that still apply to them currently? Okay, I love you, have a great day! <3 <3

Hi!!! Thank you so much, this ask warmed my heart right through!! Hope you have a great day too <3

Interesting question! I think I decided on the main motivations/biggest fears of each of the ROs first, mostly because I love that idea in film/theatre. I think those things still hold true today :)

Tobin

Main motivation: To find an anchor, safe harbour. What they don't know is that they're also looking for someone they can lean on, while they're propping up the entire world. Biggest fear: That they're not enough, or that they've failed someone they care about.

Main motivation: To explore, to learn, and to adapt to this thick, roiling ocean that is life. Biggest fear: That they'll be tied down to something that no longer works, and in the process, be unhappy and cause unhappiness to the people they care about.

Rayyan

Main motivation: To do their absolute best in the few things they care about - tennis, school (to a lesser extent). What they don't immediately realise is that some people might make that list of things they will give everything for. Biggest fear: That they've fallen short, or that they've not been entirely true to themselves.

Sam

Main motivation: To have a good time. Preferably while ensuring that the people around them are having a good time too. Biggest fear: That they'll be alone and unhappy and unloved.

#CT:OS #college tennis: origin story #character planning #Tobin #G #Rayyan #Sam #asks #if #interactive fiction #writing

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hoppinkiss · 1 month

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I was watching a short film that I THOUGHT was about a fat woman fighting her insecurities and allowing herself to be loved by her childhood friend. but the twist ending was that she had body dysmorphia

and like. it was still a good story. but I'm just really disappointed. especially because a lot of the comments are like "he knew she was beautiful all along" and one person w dysmorphia said she used to think she was just "a fat shit" but she realized she wasn't fat

DO NONE OF YOU SEE THE PROBLEM HERE. THE PROBLEM IS PEOPLE DEMONIZE AND SHAME FATNESS SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE ARE CONSTANTLY AFRAID OF BEING UNLOVABLE BASED ON THEIR APPEARANCE

#i just want to cry i hate that fat people arent allowed to be joyful and romantic and live like everyone else #i hate seeing other fat people shame themselves to beat others to it #i hate seeing people talk like becoming fat is a worst case scenario #i just want everyone to understand and /i/ want to be myself without having to fight so hard for it #harper has spoken #body image tw

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captaincolossal · 6 months

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Anyway. I'm not optimistic about how I did at my event this weekend, but sales were run through a central checkout, so I don't have numbers to compare yet. But. It was a very nice event to do, as far as logistics and overall vibe. Lots of perks. I'm withholding final judgment until I have numbers, yes, but my gut says I did a Mistake. My gut also frequently tells me that everyone I know secretly hates me and that I am inherently unlovable and deserve to die alone, so who knows if my gut is right or not.

All that to say, that I am having a lot of feelings today, I hate it, and also can't decide what to watch because my feelings are in the way, but I want to watch something after being too exhausted the last few days, because that would be a nice distraction from all these goddamn feelings.

So the theme for this Double Feature Sunday is: double wildcard. Random rolls, and...*facepalm* okay, and also...oh, huh.

Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival (2015)

Oh, thanks for recapping the short film I didn't feel like watching.

#alleluia! the devil's carnival #movie funtime

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thestalwartheart · 11 months

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i know you're a bond writer, but have you ever thought about expanding into the rest of the ben whishaw cinematic universe? namely the this is going to hurt fandom. there are less than 30 fics on ao3 and half of them are russian or chinese, and half of what's left is either some weird shruti/adam stuff (no that's not a typo) or a random crossover. never known a fandom as overlooked and unloved in my life! if this was 2012 there'd be 8467847684 fics. like, a canon gay main character with multiple possible love interests??? we'd be drowning in coffee shop au's and kink meme entries and all sorts. instead we have nothing, it's really bizarre.

(yes this is a shameless attempt to poach you, no i won't be mad if you tell me to take a hike sjfhfhs)

hsjksjsj attempting to poach me for another fandom might be one of the biggest compliments I've ever had. I'm not gonna tell you to take a hike.

(Would that someone would ask me to write for Paddington.)

ANYWAY. The short answer is no, I haven't really thought about expanding further into the BWCU (Ben Whishaw Cinematic Universe). Mostly that's because his films and TV shows are so good on their own that my brain doesn't feel the need to explore alternatives to the narrative. Though this ask has reminded me to rewatch The Hour, because if there's another bit of Ben media I could see myself writing for, it's that.

In regards to TIGTH specifically, I don't think it helps that I read the book first, so it's always lived in that memoir/nonfiction section of my head where I don't really tread fic wise.

I will say, however, that there is one kiss in it that I think about every time I write a Q kissing scene. It's the second one in this gifset, and it's possibly one of my favourite screen kisses of all time for how hot and natural it is. We've spoken on this blog before about Ben Whishaw being The Kisser Of All Time (cited by Hugh Grant and Mark Gatiss). In TIGTH it is incredibly obvious how true that is.

So idk if it's comforting in any way, but even when i"m writing Bond fic, there's a tiny morsel of TIGTH at the back of my mind 😉

#ask box #i have thoughts on why media (esp british/us media) starring canonically gay characters is less popular fandom-wise than queerbaity media #or media that features “straight” characters #in quotes because of kirk and spock and sherlock and watson okay? no screenwriter on earth can tell me those relationships are het #but i don't feel like getting into trouble today #so sorry tigth fandom you deserve so much better than 30 fics #deleting any mention shruti/adam from my brain now thankyou bye

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tangent101 · 10 months

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An examination of the Imogen/Laudna dynamic

Recently I came across a dissection of the dynamic between Imogen and Laudna that had some… interesting interpretations of events that happened in the game. Unfortunately, the further into the game I got, the more I started realizing that the person was critical of the actress playing Imogen rather than with the character herself (with what they said about the character of Jester - mind you, I've not watched more than a dozen episodes of Campaign 2 so I have no strong feelings about any of the characters in question so I'm not rising in defense of a character, just that this comment colored how I interpret their views of other characters by Laura). Rather than respond directly, I figured I'd examine specific points and my own views on these points.

First, they commented on how comments by Imodna shippers had basically turned Laudna into Imogen's "carry-on" which is… an odd view. It's fairly clear that Laudna is and has always been her own character. While Imogen and Laudna were introduced together and have frequently been by each other's sides, this has more to do with their backgrounds and how Marisha and Laura crafted their characters together, rather than how the characters interact. About the only real thing that I see that might be interpreted along those lines is how protective Laudna is of Imogen… and this works both ways with Imogen showing new powers to protect Laudna in turn. And a good part of this lies with their back stories and how they work together: essentially, both Laudna and Imogen were isolated for many years and only found solace and companionship when they met.

No doubt there are fans who view the characters this way and that's a shame! Characters are more than their ships, and the actresses and actors involved are going to tell their own stories (even as Matt throws monkey wrenches into the works). That said, there is a problem with going the other way and intrepreting characters (and their actresses) through personal biases. (No doubt the same could be said for me but I have a horrid memory for voices and names, to the point for decades I didn't know Mark Hamill had played Luke Skywalker despite seeing the first three films in the theaters.)

So. One comment was on how Laudna was the "Giver" and Imogen the "Receiver" in the relationship between the two, and honestly… for a long time I was a Giver. I was the friend who felt so persecuted that she felt unloved and unwanted and thus would give gifts to friends in "thanks" for their being friends. And while there are shades of that in Laudna, those same shades can be seen in Imogen. And the one time Imogen strayed from this significantly when under the influence of the Gnarlstone… she was under the influence of a malignant cursed magical item. And when Delilah deliberately destroyed it, it was in an effort to drive a wedge between Laudna (who was becoming increasingly stubborn and intractable thanks to Imogen's influence) and Imogen.

On one side, a person is recovering from addiction to a cursed item. On the other side you have a woman who has a poisonous voice whispering in her ear telling her that she will only ever be alone. Given those influences I'm surprised that they rectified things as quickly as they did… and Thull murdering Laudna happened soon after they were patching things up!

This may very well help explain how devastated Imogen was in losing Laudna. But what's more, it could easily be misinterpreted as Imogen constantly taking from Laudna and being unsure what to do now that this pillar of support is gone.. rather than a woman whose best friend was murdered before her eyes by someone who deliberately chose her friend because of their relationship and thus felt personally responsible for what had happened. In short, this is guilt over what happened to Laudna, and what happened to all her friends.

So. Does Imogen prioritize what Laudna wants to the same level as what Laudna does for Imogen? All we have to do is listen to what she said to Laudna when they were bringing her back. She told Laudna "I'm not going to tell you to come back, I'm not going to try to compel you to come back, because that choice, Laudna, is yours now. No one gets to control you anymore, all right? Just know that I love you, and I'm here."

Honestly… how is that not putting what Laudna wants above her own needs and desires? She told Laudna that she is not going to tell Laudna to come back or compel her, because the choice is Laudna's, not hers. This is after she and her friends descended into the Shadowfell and fought Delilah Briarwood to free Laudna from Delilah's influence. This is stating "you owe us nothing and can choose your own fate."

So, let's look at the romantic aspects of Imogen and Laudna's feelings for each other. I think they have been quietly in love with each other for two years now. If Ludinus had fallen down a flight of stairs and broken his neck a decade ago and all his plans fell apart as a result, then in all likelihood they would have slowly continued to grow together until finally they realized that their feelings were something more than friendship. But even if they are falling in love with each other, that does not mean that theirs will be a sexual relationship.

Laudna has been compartmentalizing for some time. And I think she pushed her feelings of desire into her Pate de Rolo persona because she felt so unlovable. Meanwhile… I think Imogen may very well have mixed feelings about sex because she's had a lot of trouble blocking people out. What's more, for all that she delves into people's minds regularly, I'm not sure she would look to see if Laudna feels that way toward her… and would just repress those feelings in herself. In short, Imogen and Laudna are a slow burn and if they ever do

come into culmination it will be after another several dozen episodes. Besides, they have a world to save. ;)

#imogen x laudna #imogen temult #laudna #critical role #critical role commentary

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 1 year

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tuesday again no problem 12/20/22

feelin...fizzy. feelin...scattered. let's make up for it with twelve (12) photos and a three part making section

listening

unloved’s new album has been out for some weeks but ive had Sorry, Baby on loop most of that time. it’s got the sort of fluttery bubbly electronica i associate with heist scenes or when someone wants to convey there is technology bubbling away in the background. cf a lot of the ambient music for the fallout 4 nuka cola world dlc. i also wish i had a better comparison.

youtube

reading

fallow weeks. it’s so funny how mack’s face changes in different light. she has such an angular teen face right now but you would not know it from this photo where she has eyebrows.

watching

rewatching a bunch of westerns as i knit. even tho i rarely rewatch shit, i want to be steeped in the vibes bc the days are very short and the nights are very long and the cowboys spark joy. The Great Silence (1968, dir. Corbucci) knocked me flat for a full twelve hours as it did for my first viewing. i remain mildly bemused by Death Rides A Horse (1967, dir. Petroni) but im glad mr van cleef got to have his tits out?

i also saw Gallowwalkers (2012, dir. Goth, starring Wesley Snipes). a weird west/horror sort of direct to DVD thing. there is very little to recommend this movie. it is largely incoherent. it has a lot of on-screen rape and sexual assault and women getting thrown around. i could not put together this movie in chronological order if you put a gun to my head. however, it does Look.

the costuming is what i can only call “capcom video game”. some of the worst wigs i have ever seen in my life are in this movie.

yes this man has two iguanas sewn to his head, bc the schtick of the film is the undead need to continuously get new skin sewn on. how they acquire the skin is shown in great detail.

unfortunately (fortunately?) the baddies have nearly all the good lines.

playing

beat the elite four in Pokémon, beat Team Star, beat Arven (that sucked. i felt so bad at the end of that) can’t quite beat my best friend/arch rival. more puttering around needed. or perhaps i need to actually learn how types work instead of hitting everything with one of my flamingo’s three different kinds of big kick. let me in the crater!!!

making

knitting again!!! i will update when i have a full repeat done bc right now it doesn’t look like very much. beloved mutual and real/life co-conspirator @itsybitsydragon passed along two gently loved cat trees for my chief henchwoman and she (the cat) has taken to them quite well!!! lovely to see her (my dear friend, i can see my cat any time i want), very worth shuffling a lot of furniture around.

I did promise a cast iron update but it’s a disappointing and slightly baffling update. this is Four (4!))) layers of seasoning and it's still not evening out. it's covered, bc it's not rusting, but it does look like fucking shit. it is dry to the touch and not tacky.

there are several potential causes, i think:

couldn’t quite get all the old seasoning off and this is somehow affecting the new seasoning (but it shouldn't be reacting this weirdly to the flaxseed oil? or really at all?)

i didn’t manage to completely neutralize the vinegar bath with baking soda?

the layers are maybe slightly too thick or slightly too thin? the weirdest looking parts are in the parts where i did manage to get the old seasoning off and down to bare metal

perhaps my ancient electric oven is not quite getting up to that nice 450-500F i want? i inadvertently left my oven thermometer in the old lair and haven't remembered to get a new one, but the smoke point of this oil should be like 225-230F, and i know for a fact my oven gets above that bc i have not yet given myself food poisoning

this is probably perfectly fine and safe to cook with but it's a little bit too much problem solving for me right now, and like @morrak i'm probably going to get deeply annoyed at some point and have at it with some naval jelly. unfortunately that will have to wait for more clement weather.

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem

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shelleysmary · 2 years

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the end of 8x02, morse and thursday having that chat on a bench, is so much because what thursday says about human nature and “you are what you are, whether you like it or not” seems kind of out of place within the context of their conversation about the girls in the blue films, how they’re somebody’s daughter and how they do and should matter. but then again, morse and thursday have conversations like these all the time. they don’t have regular heart-to-hearts - they run on subtext and tough love and small acts of service, but they don’t say what they mean exactly, and hardly ever at the right time.

it’s morse who can’t accept that he is what he is. he’s drinking more after violetta, but it isn’t about violetta at all. morse has always struggled with his own compassion, his sensitivity, and the feeling that he doesn’t quite fit in. and, as a result of not fitting in, morse believes himself to be barred from all those things that make everyone else happy. it’s self-sabotage, but it’s also the result of his upbringing, his experiences, and having this high-stress job where he is exposed to the worst of humanity on a regular basis. i remember him feeling so deeply for the people he encountered over the course of his investigations. and now he can sit on that bench and say he doesn’t care about girls like lynn parry (he’s lying). that people make bad choices and have to suffer the consequences (self-flagellation-by-proxy). and that it isn’t his job to feel for the victims, only to bring them justice. by saying “you are what you are” thursday is subtly calling his bluff. morse doesn’t need to shut down his compassion by drinking - he needs to find a way to cope with being morse.

which reminds me of s1 and thursday’s advice that he find something worth defending. morse says “music,” but what he really mean by that is beauty. in earlier seasons, even in the way the episodes were shot and the prevalence of music and his love of opera especially, there was so much more beauty to be found in morse’s world. he sought it, he found it in the subtlest of places, and it’s what carried him through even as he carried the painful baggage of his past - his mother, his father, his stepmother, his failed relationships with susan and joan, the feeling of never getting the good he deserves. but by s8, the presence of those things is all but gone. even when we see him listening to music now (rarely), it’s more in the background, either when he’s sloshed or running late or in a terrible mood - it is no longer something worth defending because morse, at this point, has lost all faith that anything is.

and yet, if we’re going by thursday’s view that you are who you are, whether you like it or not, underneath all that bitterness and disappointment and put-on nihilism is our same old endeavour morse - the romantic who loves poetry and wants to believe in the ideals of truth and beauty, who still holds them as holy. and in the end, that is morse’s tragedy - we love him. thursday chose him. he has friends who genuinely care about his happiness, but he sees none of it. the world he has created for himself in s8 is so narrow by design - the working and the drinking and the being short with everyone, both as a release valve and a means of keeping them at a distance, thereby confirming his own idea of being fundamentally unlovable... all of it is to keep from getting hurt again, without realizing that what he’s doing is hurting himself. or perhaps not caring that he is hurting himself.

up until now, it was sad seeing morse and knowing where life ends up taking him. catching glimpses of the deep-rooted sadness in a man who tries his best but never lets anyone in. there is something about this series specifically, though, and in the one that came before, that feels so bleak because he is often unrecognizable from the morse we met in the pilot. neither is he fully inspector morse. he’s in a miserable in-between, and i’m curious to see how - as the final series - s9 will choose to tie it all together.

#itv endeavour #endeavour #endeavour morse

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inkblot22 · 2 years

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Sever

I don't see much Sebek. This one is a bit short and also has a musical accompaniment, linked here.

Content warning for kidnapping, emotional abuse, isolation, forced relationships, yelling, physical abuse, slight burns, reader is nostalgic for the past

It was like this every day. At noon, he would enter and kneel before the bare legs of his kept beloved to press his cold lips against their palms. At noon, they would give him that same dull look he received every day for three months. At noon, the room would tense, and they would remain silent.

This day was no exception. His scabbard did not so much as touch the ground as he knelt, back as stiff as his perfectly gelled hair. He pressed a soft kiss against both of their palms, humming as he relaxed slightly.

“Afternoon, human.” He said, stiffly, forehead pressed against their fingertips.

Perhaps, from the outside looking in, this was a comedy show. He treated them like an unloved spouse, someone who he was dedicated to, but out of necessity more than love. Perhaps it was a soap opera, or something of the like, where he was always aloof to hide his true feelings.

“I see you’re well.”

His tone was so dry, but he was no longer shouting. He used to pace, until he realized they weren’t going anywhere. They never could go anywhere.

With his head still in their hands, he asked,“Is there anything you’d like? Perhaps-”

He’d usually cut himself off anyway, voice trailing from it’s previous volume, but today they spoke up.

“Maybe some tea.”

His back stiffened, tense line hard against his simple tunic. Before their kept status, he would serve them while they chatted with the young master, and shortly after their relationship had been blessed by the young master, they began having tea together as a couple.

That must have been years ago now. They stopped having tea together when he became erratic, when he began to accuse them of seeing other people, when he began having shouting matches against a whisper. They tried to leave, tried to get away from him, but the doors were all closed, all backs turned, until the only face they could see was the one with his pale, angular features.

His smile was cruel, the day he locked them in this spartan room, spare of any sign of life or soul. A double bed, a chair and table, a nightstand, and a wardrobe. The window was filthy, and even now, they hadn’t bothered to clean it, content to stare through the yellow film at nothing in particular.

His voice was even more cruel, mocking as they stopped speaking entirely. If he wanted to yell, he could do so by himself. They let him burn himself out, simply watching until he threw a candle once and it exploded against a wall. The wax had splashed and hit them in the face, and he had been gentle cleaning the burns, but they wouldn’t forgive him. He had held his temper after that, of course, but they didn’t forgive him.

No, their voice echoing against the cold stone walls was not a sign of forgiveness. They missed the man they had fallen in love with, they missed his loud guffaw and passionate attitude, and they missed being free with him. They missed his true smile, they missed his soft voice.

They stared as he lifted his head, smiling as though he had gotten away with something awful. The yellowed daylight flashed against his sharp canines and incisor, made him look like some sort of monster, like something that would eat them whole, and they weren’t sure they cared.

“Of course, my love.”

#tw: yandere #disney twst #tw: dark content #tw: dark themes #yandere #tw: emotional manipulation #tw: emotional abuse #tw: burns #tw: captivity #tw: isolation #yandere sebek #sebek zigvolt #twst sebek #sebek x reader

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writeathomee · 7 months

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I took notes app notes while I was watching the episodes and they're just as unhinged as you would expect. Pls enjoy

Spoilers below~

Episode One

THE RECAP. FIRST TIME SEEING EPISODE TEN RECAPPED

STEARD IN THE FIRST SHOT LMAO

NOT Izzy's last breath calling Stede a twat

I can't

Omg Lai did that fulfil all of your dreams, Izzy dying

That slow run I can't believe this dream sequences

HAHAHA THEM GIVING SWEDE UP SO EASY

Prince Ricky!!!

That silence is so loud

Omg not Ivan dying lmao

Poor fang omg

Jackie helping Swede discover parts of him he'd never known, like the PROSTATW HAHAHA

IZZZZY NO

SUCIIDAL EDWARD! FUCK

Frenchies little head shake HE CARES ABOUT IZZY

IZZY NO!! EDWARD WHY!

Omg Stede left Ricky

She's gonna peg the shit out of the Swede

HE SHOT IZZY,

FANG

DO THE WOODEN BOY VOICE omg jim .

YAAAAASS PIRATE WUEEN!

WHERE IS IZZY!

End credit scene okay okay here we go

Fang's giggling is so wholesome and healing

Episode Two

Run by timber timber??

RUN FROM ME GOOD WIFE PLAYING OVER ED'S SHOT WHILE LOOKING AT THE FUCKING WEDDING TOPPERS ALL SAD! PRINCESS!

Wedding toppers lived a short life

Some place called china lmao

LUCIUS FUCKIGN OMG

Men are so emotional

Lucius LYING

You have impeccable balance

Poor Lucius groaning

Sea witch !!!!

BUTTONS STORYLINE

LMAO what if it's Izzy hiding in the walls now lmao

SECRET PASSAGES

PLS IZZY NO

Jim just cuddling Izzy's leg

s poor Vico they said this was the hardest to film

JIM AND ATCHIE

Oh shit Ed

Omg does pirate queen have a crush on oluwande

Lucius going for Stede's throat

Omg

IZZY MY HEART

HE CALLED HIM EDDIE

I LOVE YOU THE BEST I COUKD? WHAT THE ACTUALY FUCK WHAT IF I HUST KILLED MYSELF INSTEAD OMFG IZZY GIVE ME THAT GUNR N N E

omg he's sending them into a storm

Suicidal Ed baby honey no

Archie and Jim lmaooo

OH MY FUCKING HOD OZZZY ON ONE LEG SAVING THE DAY

OH MY GODDD

FUCKING HELL

Episode Three

I cackled at Stede jumping overboard

Afraid he's unlovable and showing izzy with the gun

Omg hornigold is a ducking hallucination

HOLY SHIT HES STILL ON THE SHIP

IZZY's SINGLE TEAR

Warmth food and orgasms

Omg not pirate queen threatening olu

Oh she was seducing him lmao

STEDE RESCUING THE CREW

Thank you buttons so Pete says

Oh no is pirate queen the new kraken she's gonna hunt olu down

Ed has no business looking so beautiful underwater

Stede thinks he's dead bro??

NOT THE FALLING IN LOVE MONTAGE

Omg mermaid Stede are you fucking serious

OH MY GODDDR

Further thoughts:

Warmth food and orgasms is the new live laugh love

I can't believe izzy and crew are CURRENTLY living with the idea that they killed Ed like???

Wedding cake to Blackbeard is what pizza parties are to managers with overworked employees

#ofmd #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd 2 spoilers

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noona96n · 2 years

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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Thanks....

i'll try to keep it short lol

my top 10 favs in no particular order

- Mulan from Mulan (the ANIMATED film)

the way she grew into herself... her hardworking nature... her gentleness... idk man i just love her

- Kageyama Tobio from Haikyuu

- Nakahara Chuuya from BSD

my blueberry boy was an arrogant outcast who went thru the most beautiful character growth EVER

he was a mean, inconsiderate, controlling a*hole at the start of the series and ended up being mindful and understanding while still retaining his high spirits and determination. still a dumbass tho! love that about him too lol

- Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars

his loyalty is unmatched it's actually insane how he's so loyal??? like????? even in BSD Beast he's loyal to Dazai even though Dazai doesn't deserve it

it's just him and his silly little hat and enormous heart despite being the literal god of destruction and science experiment

also does help that he's fxkn beautiful and unapologetically himself and powerful as fck lol

- Jeerawit from Kleun Cheewit (Wave of Life)

he is so full of compassion and kindness despite all the loss he suffered... the way he came out on top despite his rocky starts and setbacks and rejections and literally always being second best... Obi Wan is just so GOOD and selfless i adore him as a person so, so much

also, he's a sexy sass gremlin lol love that in a person

she has an extremely sad and difficult life but she's so kindhearted... she has such low self-esteem despite being rich and famous... she is so loved yet unloved... but what matters is that she rises above her sadness and hardship and she's so so loved... Sathit better keeps on treating her right or he'll be catching these hands

- Kang Gil Young from The Guest

my girl is hot-tempered but so competent, so no-nonsense but still full of softness and kindness. she's the mother, the big sister, the boss lady, the glue that holds their trio together.

- Oh Jin Joo from The Devil Judge

- Laurent from Captive Prince trilogy

she is such a well-written character... she's aware of herself and her quality and she stand by her morality throughout the entire series

case in point: she fckd up (bcs she was manipulated and used), was told she fckd up and instead of denying it and wallowing in unfairness, she took matter into her own hands and went to confirm it, she then apologized and made amend by doing what's right.

also does help that one of the female leads is so badly written rip

- Han Juwon from Beyond Evil

catty bitch + poetic suffering

but for realzie my son suffered so much and his journey to claim what's his is just fckn beautiful (and sexc *cough*) and it helps a lot that he's so well loved by Auguste and Damen

- Lee Dongsik from Beyond Evil

CHARACTER GROWTH AND POETIC SUFFERING

his fckn character growth jesus christ

he's an insensitive know-it-all fool who ends up being humbled and soft-spoken and kindhearted and willing to give up everything to right the wrong that his father inflicted upon Dongsik

POETIC SUFFERING

das it, das the reason... he just suffers really beautifully

ok i kid there are a lot of reasons (like his kindness towards everyone and his love for Minjungie) but mainly the sadness of his life and the beautiful resolution of his story

bonus: Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (studio ghibli) & Celia from The Help... whimsical characters with a history™ and heart of gold

i either love tortured characters who suffer poetically and beautifully yet still have a great capacity for kindness and compassion or characters who went thru character growth and came out striving to be the best, most beautiful self they can be

also, i just realized that a lot of things i like about my favs are due to fanon characterizations... like these top 10s are the very few that i originally like from canon materials alone haha

thank you for asking! it was really fun~

#noona96n #ask #mulan #haikyuu #bungo stray dogs x reader #the guest #ocn the guest #beyond evil #the devil judge #captive prince #star wars #kleun cheewit #howl's moving castle #the help

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