#Wikipedia one wild moment
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Wikipedia one wild moment
The film, which, at a running time of 10 or 12 minutes in a common silent movie projector, was the longest ever produced in UK to the day (the standard being 3 or 4 minutes, and so, some distributors bought and showed just some parts of this Alice, not the full footage), is more an illustration of Carroll's book than an adaptation. The surviving print is in a pretty bad shape, with many big white spots and missing frames, but no one should be surprised. Seen today, it's of great historic value, and it's amazing that it still exists, given that many silent films were lost forever. Hepworth and Percy Stowĭistributed by: American Mutoscope & Biographįrom Wikipedia: This 1903 short is the first version ever put on celluloid of the Lewis Carroll classic. Méliès never made any money from the film's American showings, and went broke several years later (while Edison made a fortune on the film).ĭirected by: Cecil M. Edison's film technicians had already secretly made copies of the film, which was showed across the USA within weeks. A segment near the end was animated, making this one of the first animated films, too.Īfter finishing work on the film, George Méliès intended to release it in America and thereby make lots of money. Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) ( France 1902)įrom Wikipedia: One of the earliest known science fiction films. Hand coloured film.įrom Wikipedia: Film reel shot by an anonymous Lumière operator in Lyon, 1897.Īudio/Visual: silent/musical score/Narrated in English, B&W The products, brand names, characters, related slogans and indicia are or may be claimed as trademarks of their respective owners.ġ896 Lumiere-LoïeFuller-Danse-Serpentine.mpegĭance performance,1896 (performer: Loïe Fuller). No endorsement by the trademark owners is to be construed, nor was any sought. Any trademarks appearing on the material are the sole property of the registered owners. Material of the Romano-Archives Collections is made available solely for historical research and educational purposes only. Only exception are original articles or texts published on this Website and the Romano-Archives' original compilations on CDs or DVDs that are subject to copyright. Īll the material in the Romano-Archives Collections is in the public domain and has no copyright attached to it.
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anyone wanna reblog this and tell me in the tags what your current hyperfixation(s) is\are becuase i
#am having a category 7 autism moment over pipe organs#i do not remember the last time i opened up the wikipedia page for something to read recreationally#i initially sought out the list of the biggest ones (because large)and had to step down to the main page first because theres all this ling#and i wanna know what everything does#the music itself has to be a pretty specific vibe for me to like it bc if theyre not played a certain way it gets really cacophonous for me#but the instruments themselves are fucking monsters and playing them seems less like performing on a instrument#and more like harmonizing with a great beast#you start it with a key??#it takes all of your limbs and the thing is constantly breathing#the sound will continue for as long as you hold the note it will not dissipate???#you can record things and play them back it will even remember stop settings it has memory??#stops control how the pipes sound if youve ever heard of pulling out all the stops this is that#theyre like orchestras able to be played by a single person some of them even have voice sounds#the people who play these things are also their own type of beast#pipe organists are wild because god there's just so much#it scratches my loner badass complex so acutely#a lonely person shouldering an entire symphony contrasting against scores of people playing a single piece together as one#you could write an anime about this#did everyone else just already understand about these things or#blake.txt#good tags
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Second Chance | Nico Hischier
summary: you take a chance staying in town when Nico comes back and things take an interesting turn when your ex shows up at your door for your birthday.
song: Betty - Taylor Swift
request: yes/no
warnings: mentions of alcohol, being tipsy, swearing.
word count: 2.2k
authors note: wrote this on the plane whilst watching Mama Mia, so this literally feels like she could be my baby. All geographical information is from Wikipedia and some personal experience as I’ve been to Switzerland but not Naters! If you want to check out any more of the celly playlist you can do so here.
It had been over four years since you last saw Nico.
Every time he came back to Naters you made the effort to be out of the country as you were still friends with Nina who would let you know her brothers schedule in the hopes of it bringing you two back together.
You two had dated from the time you were sixteen until you were twenty. It was safe to describe you as a couple madly in love. You had even gone as far as to prepare to move to New Jersey the moment you graduated from university.
But that plan was quickly halted when you got a call from your best friend who told you that she had your back through everything that was about to come up. It turned out that after a big win against the Islanders the Devils players decided to go and celebrate. Nico wanted to celebrate with a girl and that girl wasn’t you. Twitter went wild at the news because Devils fans had seen you at the draft and got a front row seat to hear him gushing about his girlfriend who he loved so dearly.
When Nico didn’t answer the fifteen calls that you sent him, you took the biggest step of your life and broke up with him. You had always worried that Nico would find a girl in the States, one that might have been prettier, taller, skinner, one that just wasn’t you.
So when those fears became a reality yeah it hurt. But you didn’t let yourself mope around in the pain because all of your friends had formed a circle of support around you.
This year you knew the possibility of seeing Nico was there, yet it was your twenty fourth birthday and you wanted to spend it with your friends. So you stayed in Naters.
Nico had been back for two days before when he found himself sat in your cafe at what used to be your table. It was the little corner table for two that had the perfect view of the floor to ceiling windows that watched the street.
The hockey player almost spat out his coffee when he saw you. Your friends had taken you to get your nails done as they made an effort to make this day full of fun for you.
Four of your best friends followed behind you as you made your way into the cafe “Mila!” You cheered as the barista had gotten your drinks ready for your arrival.
The hockey player shivered as he shrunk into his seat trying to hide behind his menu, yes he wanted to see you but your friends were a different story. The boy liked the group because they were so good to you, but fuck they absolutely scared the crap out of him.
He had been so caught up on watching you leave that he haven’t even had time to process that you were because you were already off again to go to the next part of your day but not before you sent the barista a smile and a “see you later.” Nico jumped out of his chair as he had ask Nina what was going on tonight.
The Devils captain almost knocked his sister off of her feet when he finally found her “Nico what the-” Nina complained as she rubbed her elbow.
Nico couldn’t even let his sister finish her sentence “what is y/n doing tonight?” He asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
Nina felt shocked that her brother genuinely didn’t know “it’s her birthday you idiot,” she pointed out as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
The hockey player felt guilty that he had forgotten the date. He used to make sure that he was around for you birthday, making it the best day of your life but now it was something that was just another day.
Thoughts swarmed the Swissmans mind going a mile a minute. That moment was when the penny dropped for Nico, it was like he was finally realised that he was about to lose you forever. You had gone from his arms years ago but now it seemed like you were being erased from his life “where is her party?” Nico cocked his head as ideas came to him that were probably so far fetched that you’d laugh if you ever heard them.
Nina seemed to share a thought process similar to the one that you would have had “what are you planning?” She furrowed her eyebrows not enjoying where this was going “please,” he begged causing his sisters heart to break.
Nico wasn’t one to ask for favours usually preferring the idea of sorting out his problems alone which is why it made her realise how serious he was “I’ll send you the location-” Nina couldn’t even finish her sentence before Nico engulfed her into a hug “thank you!” He cheered as he spun his sister around.
She did have to warn him though “just remember that if she doesn’t want to forgive you there’s nothing you can do about it.” The reality behind that was harsh but truthful. It had been four years since you last saw him, Nico made his debut for the club, became captain, and experienced multiple injuries during that time.
As Nina watched her brother walk off at speed, she only hoped that her words didn’t fall on deaf ears.
Nico had spent two hours planning his course of action, he really did try to come up with this elaborate and romantic gesture but that didn’t work out.
He knew that it wasn’t something you would want, so eventually he landed up with a bouquet of your favourite flowers and a hopeful smile at your door.
You were totally oblivious as you made your way to the door laughing as the birthday sash needed to be readjusted as you held onto your plastic crown. It was that perfect stage between tipsy and drunk where you were still coherent but walking in a straight line was not going to get you very far.
He didn’t even need to knock because you had already opened the door “oh,” was all that you could say as you looked him up and down. You had never gone out of your way to look him up but he was the star boy of your town so pictures of his achievements were everywhere making sure to always keep you in the loop wherever you looked.
His hair and facial scruff as you liked to call it had both grown longer “can we talk?” He pleaded as he sent you a genuine look, it was something that seemed to sober you up.
You stood there as you weighed up your options “not out here,” you shook your head as you knew that your neighbours had a love for gossiping.
Nico’s eyes went wide “not in there,” he knew that your friends would grill him alive if you weren’t there to stop them.
Letting your fingers run through your hair you sighed “follow me,” you sighed as you shut the front door and began to walk to the back of your house.
At one point when the boy began to slow down you locked your hand with his making sure that he kept up your pace, a smile formed on your lips when you heard your friends dancing to the music meaning that they were totally oblivious about your missing presence.
Nico was surprised to see how big your house was, simply because you always said you wanted to live in an apartment and here you were with a garden.
There was a bench that sat behind a hedge that you pulled him to before you finally dropped his hand letting your fingers smooth out the creases on your dress “you’ve got five minutes Nico.” It felt like a punch to his gut hearing you call him by his first name. Usually he was Neeks, my little star -his personal favourite-, Hischier was another option but that was for when you were mad at him.
You couldn’t help but grow somewhat irritated as you crossed your arms looking at him. Your mind was like a flower field, sure it took time for you to heal but you eventually did and now those flowers had grown into a full blossom. But here Nico was ruining through it ruining them in the process.
Nicos mouth grew dry “I never meant to hurt you.” He confessed as he slouched in not the bench next to you.
Your lips smacked against each other sending him a scoff “isn’t that ironic,” tears began to well at your eyes.
It made him feel guilty with how cold you now were “schatzi-” he reached out to grab your hand “don’t schatzi me,” you got up as you shook your head.
Words were caught in your throat as you hiccuped “I loved you, I waited for you even supported you through every big move you made.” You poked your finger at his chest as you got up.
All Nico could do was watch in silence as you continued “was I not enough for you?” You asked as tears began to stream down your face “when did you stop loving me?” A sob left your lips causing the boy to jump off of the bench.
His hands were quickly on your cheeks wiping the tears off of your face “I never did,” he croaked out as you let out a soft laugh.
Your eyes were filled with nothing more than sorrow “why’d you kiss her then?” It was a question that you had never gotten the chance to ask him that because he didn’t return those calls.
Nico had played this moment over in his head thousands of times but they never had you in that crown on your birthday in your garden “it’s a long story.” He blurted out as he shrugged.
It caused you to hit his hands away from your face “knew this was a mistake,” you scoffed as pulled the silver crown from your head letting it hit the grass as you began to walk away “I didn’t kiss her!” Nico called out causing you to stop dead in your tracks.
You sucked at your teeth “what?” You used the back of your hand to wipe your nose as you sniffled.
Nico nodded as he took the few steps that you had “that girl tripped over me and when I tried to help her she kissed me.” He explained as his fingers rang along your hand.
Speechless was only how you could describe the feeling “by the time I got her off it was too late and the cameras had gone off.” The boy shrugged as he pursed his lips into a thin line.
You wanted to reach up to hit him in that moment “why didn’t you say anything!” Your mouth fell agape. There was something in your gut that told you he was telling the truth.
Nico let out a chuckle “you blocked me by the time I woke up.” He pointed out reminding you about what you had done.
You furrowed your eyebrows “Nina and I are still friends.” It felt like he almost could have tried harder if he wanted to.
The boy tucked your now slightly messy hair behind your ear “thought it was best if you hated me.” Nico confessed as he took a large gulp like he was swallowing a bitter pill “you were meant it go so far and I didn’t want to hold you back.” It was no secret that you had turned down the idea of going to work at what was your dream company at the time because you wanted to move to New Jersey once you graduated.
You turned you head in a mix of amusement and annoyance “you, the captain of a fucking NHL team thought you were gonna hold some girl in Naters back?” You could have laughed at the thought and at the boys logic.
Nico ran his fingers through your hair before they locked under your jaw “you were never just some girl to me.” He confessed causing you to smile.
Yes your next move was stupid but somehow you didn’t regret it, you let your hands land on either side of his face “and you were never going to hold me back.” You mumbled as you kissed him. It was fulfilling, like that moment you find perfect snack to just hit that unknown spot of hunger.
Nico almost picked you up in his efforts to still hold onto you. To him this felt like a dream, one that he never wanted to wake up from “what are you doing next month?” The Devils player asked as he cocked his head with a guilty grin on his face “why?” Your tongue ran over your lips as you smiled thinking that this was a very Nico question.
You hadn’t even talked about the next steps and here he was asking you about your plans for the next month.
“Because I think it’s about time I showed you around Jersey.”
#nico hischier#nico hischier x y/n#nico hischier x reader#nico hischier imagine#hockey imagine#nhl imagine#nhl oneshot#hockey imagines#ambers 150 celly#imagines#oneshots#amber writes fics
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If you read Xem's post, you will see that she states you should know the basics about that animal before confirming it. You should know that a wolf is a canine that is a pack hunter that lives mostly in the northern hemisphere. That they howl and usually hunt deer or some deer relative. The have fur and are pursuit predators. Those are the basics. No one except you and your friends said you're only a real wolf therian if you can name top ten unusual facts about wolves. How can someone confirm a wolf if they do not know what a wolf is? You yourself said that you differ from wild wolf behaviours. So you know you're not a wild wolf because of that. But twist words and play the victim I guess.
The OP claimed, very blatantly, that if you make a mistake about some species fact that someone else considers "basic knowledge" then they shouldn't be allowed to identify as that species anymore and should be gatekept from the label. Said basic knowledge included very common and easy-to-make mistakes. Someone can identify as a hyena without knowing at first they are feliforms and not caniforms, the OP said that they can't. Someone can identify as a wolfdog or a leopard, and mistake a wolfdog for a husky mix or a jaguar for a leopard in a photo. That happens, they can look very similar to each other. Idk how to explain that a hyena looks like a dog(canine), just like a thylacine looks like a dog. You can go most of your life before finding out the former is related to cats and the latter is related to kangaroos. You can put a leopard and a jaguar next to each other and it is difficult as hell to tell the difference a lot of times. Not all wolfdogs look like wolves, some just look like dogs especially if they're low content. Some dogs just look like wolfdogs or wolves without being wolf hybrids. See: the pile of movies and shows with "wolves" in it (it's wolf-like dogs being casted as wolves, lots of people don't notice). It's not common knowledge, it's fun facts you might stumble across in a "10 Things You Didn't Know About These Strange Animals" YouTube compilation at 3am.
The OP was stating very clearly that your identity becomes invalid the moment you fail a game of spot-the-difference. The OP post is capped off with:
"So yeah. You should know a lot about the animal you claim to be. If not? Don’t claim it."
I'm gonna be blunt that the OP had one of the most rancid takes I'd seen in a while. Knowing the creature exists was not stated anywhere in the post to be enough, you have to "know a lot".
Someone might not know that animal's realistic behaviors, or where they all live geologically, or what all of their body language means. Someone can know their theriotype before they figure out that later stuff, it's happened all the time and continues to happen. This also isn't covering non-earthly animal identities and how you can't even do ecological research on those. Someone can't go on wikipedia and read up on the ecology of their specific dragon species that has zero record of ever existing. Plenty of those with non-earthly animal identities are not less real as a result, it is an absolute buckwild take that earthly animal identities are somehow different with a higher bar of entry. That's not even mentioning people that identify as earthly animals with unrealistic ecology, because that's also a thing.
For the second part of your ask, I'm guessing you're referring to this recent one. You missed this entire chunk of the post:
"...I do not know most things about wolves off the top of my head. Don't ask me anything about wolf ecology outside the bare basics, I couldn't tell you. When I was really young I thought my nonhuman identity was a dog until one day I had the epiphany that I was actually a wolf. I didn't have to bury my head in research to figure that out, I just knew for not much reason. Any information on wolves I know today is stuff I picked up here and there over the years, independent of my identity"
To condense all of that into something shorter: I just knew I was a wolf before I knew much of anything about wolves. I didn't know I wasn't a wild wolf because I know a lot about wild wolf behavior. I genuinely don't know how that conclusion was drawn after reading that.
"Wolves are canines that live in packs and eat deer" isn't research, that's "I watched a movie once that had wolves in it", which is honestly the extent of what a lot of people know about wolves unless they're invested or something. That's not enough according to the OP, and if that's not what was meant then the entirety of the post was worded extremely poorly.
And this last part isn't related to anon, but I've seen a lot of responses since yesterday about "but why is research bad"? No one has said that it was, and I scroll the alterhuman tags almost daily. That's not something people are arguing. The point isn't "research bad, grr learning about animals sucks", the point is that this discourse is old. Like, old as hell. We're not gatekeeping nonhuman identities based on if you "know a lot" going in. We're not going to claim someone isn't a "real therian" if they get one thing wrong about their theriotype.
Let's say that someone is a leopard therian and posts a picture of a jaguar in some moodboard or something. You know the decent thing to do? You might let them know one of the photos is actually a jaguar, which will usually get you a "oh huh, thanks. didn't catch that". At no point do you suddenly have imply they aren't a "real" leopard therian. You can ask if they've maybe considered jaguars, but they are fully able to respond "yeah but no, I'm a leopard". And that's fine. Someone can be a hyena therian, accidentally say that hyenas are canines. It is absolutely fine and possible to say that hyenas are feliforms without pointing fingers and going "you're not a real hyena, because real hyenas would've known that already".
It's not 2012 anymore, we've grown past this. It is the strangest thing ever to see in the year two-thousand-twenty-four.
#my patience on this is short today because this is the most petty discourse I've seen in a hot minute#dino answers
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Wait what guy who hadn't read Atlas Shrugged?
I was pretty sure I'd told this story here, but a cursory search suggests that I have not. Okay let's gooooo
Many moons ago, I worked in an emergency services call centre. I worked nights- I could get regular shifts, it paid well, and I am a huge freak, just like everyone else who works nights in a call centre. It is a lifestyle that attracts freaks. Some of my coworkers weren't full-time creatures of the night, but students or whoever who picked up occasional nights for the extra money, and one of them was Libertarian Shithead, who we'll call LS for short.
LS was a twentysomething white dude who wore a lot of name brand surfwear and designer sunglasses. I assume his parents were rich. LS loved nothing better than recreational arguing. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at it; he had some of the most dogshit opinions I've ever encountered in the wild, and was terrible at defending them. He'd say some crap about how Gattaca-type eugenics is Fine, Actually, because if you let people make designer babies, the ~*Free Market will decide what traits are desirable! Racism and colourism and ableism and sexism and intersexism won't affect those choices at all! And I'd get mad, because I have principles to speak of, and we'd get into it, and WITHOUT FAIL, we'd get maybe halfway into an actual discussion about whatever horseshit garbage he was on tonight, and the second he thought he was losing, he'd say "oh, well. I'm an ~*Objectivist, so you can't really understand my perspective unless you've read Ayn Rand." Then he'd sigh, and change the subject.
At the time I had not read any Ayn Rand. Being fundamentally powered by spite, I withstood maybe three weeks of this shit before I pirated an epub of Atlas Shrugged, put it on my e-reader, and proceeded to slam through it at supersonic speed so I could finally get to finish an argument with this terrible boy.
Anon, I fucking hated Atlas Shrugged. The book is bad. It's way too long, every single character is an unbelievable douche, the prose sucks. Ayn Rand wants to fuck a train so so so badly, but the prose is so turgid I couldn't even get invested in how much she wants to fuck a train. And the core of the matter, the politics I was there to understand, are, y'know. Objectivist. Eye-bleedingly selfish and capitalistic, expressed in amazingly childish and blinkered terms. Even the bits where it seems like the shithead capitalist dudes want to fuck each other are too mired in the scunge of Rand's terrible views to be enjoyable.
But I read the fucking thing! I powered through it with only quite minimal complaining! I finished the book on the train to work, and when I saw that LS was on that night, I plonked myself in a seat by him, and metaphorically cracked my knuckles, ready to fuckin' party. In a perfect world, I would have been cool enough to have waited for the perfect mid-argument moment to drop, but I didn't. I think I lasted exactly until we were both off a call at the same time, and then leaned in as close as the desk dividers would let me, and said "So I finished Atlas Shrugged. I have some thoughts."
I cannot overstate how quickly it became obvious that LS had not read the book. For a hot second I thought maybe it had just been a while and the fine details had escaped him, but no; he didn't know who half the characters were, or key points of the plot, or even know any of the stuff in the John Galt speech, i.e. the big juggernaut of Here's How Objectivism Works near the end of the book about Objectivism that this fucking guy hypothetically based his Objectivist views on. It took me maybe five minutes, in between calls, to realise this, and another five for him to admit he hadn't actually read any Ayn Rand. He'd read her Wikipedia page.
ANYWAY I didn't speak to him for like a month after that, and I don't think either of us lost out there!
#at the time I was very angry#but in hindsight I think it was very funny#storytime#ask me ask me ask me#anonymice
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Starry, Starry night
This new picture for the upcoming episode has been released, let's talk about it. Please remember, I live in delusion.
There are several posters on the wall, and the one next to Cheng Xiaoshi - 星空，refers to the film with the same title. Starry, Starry night is a 2011 Taiwanese drama based on a novel by Taiwanese author Jimmy Liao.
Hsieh Xin-Mei used to live with her grandparents up in the mountains. Then she moves to the city to live with her parents, but her family situation is not very good, and she tries to hide from reality in the world of her own imagination. One day, a new student was transferred to her school - a boy named Zhou Yu-Jie.
Despite the misunderstanding at the beginning, both of them are lonely and feel like outsiders in their own lives, befriending one another. When reality catches up, they try to escape to a world that belongs only to them, to see the stars. Do I have to tell you that this story is about grief and sorrows, "the end of summer", journey to adulthood, love across time and distance? About an accidental meeting and fate.
I think it's worth your time to watch, this film is very heartwarming.
You can read the full plot description on Wikipedia, although it will not convey the full meaning, since the film has many artistic images and interesting decisions that convey the story sensitively. If you want to watch it yourself, read no further.
Spoilers … And References. And some beautiful moments that make me THINK.
1. Time
One of the themes is time, the hands of the clock often tick in the background, and at some point the numbers themselves, which indicate train departures, not just stop - freeze.
18:42 - 18:50 - 18:55
Do I believe in coincidences? No.
2. Journey
Their path - an escape to their dream world - passes through a tropical wild forest. On their journey, they try, despite the difficulties, to find the right path to their dream.
Since s2e1, I've been thinking about how much the forest in the back of that vision, ED/OP, is a real forest, a real tunnel, not the symbolism of the "journey". But now, if such a choice is not accidental, I have received answers to my questions, at some point.
In fact, I lost my mind at the moment when they came to a fork in the road, they had to choose their path - they took the wrong path, and were forced to face the same choice, choosing a path, for the second time. Again.
But in the end, the path to the stars ends in a life-threatening situation where they have no choice but "return". Although they both know that this is the end for them, the end of their journey, and the end of their "summer".
3. Puzzles
This story is about art, not about photography, but about paintings and puzzles. Puzzles literally act as moments of remembrance. Although these are not burning photographs, deep in her sleep, Hsieh Xin-Mei follows the image of Zhou Yu-Jie in the night forest, and the entire world also collapses when the end comes.
When Hsieh Xin-Mei woke up from her dream, Zhou Yu-Jie was no longer here.
The search for the missing part - the sun, on the puzzle based on the painting "Starry, Starry Night" - is fundamental, literally the core to the plot.
The connection of everything, through the years. It's like a promise, it's like an eternal memory of that time.
There are more things I could write about, but I don't want to make this post too long… Just. There is always something about stories with a sunshine-like person, curious, breaking boundaries, talking non-stop, and about a person who quietly looks at the first one, listening to everything with a smile. And it becomes life-changing.
I would like to remind you that these are just my thoughts, I'm having fun, maybe seeing something that isn't there. We will see anyway.
But. For real. Put a detail like that into an episode and expect me to ignore it? No. Huh.
I'm just overthinking once again, but Interesting choice :)
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The Grammy's - Part Two
Part 1 l Part 3
The GRAMMY’s.
The Grammy Awards are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognise “outstanding” achievements in the music industry…if you believed what you read on Wikipedia and if you didn’t see the artists who had brought exceptional change to the music industry like Lana Del Ray, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and even Diana Ross.
BTS were included in that list of people who had changed the music industry, had made Billboard change their rules every time they brought out a new single or album, had streaming numbers no one else had and yet for all the Grammy nominations, performances and making an appearance, there was no Grammy.
Until they had received a notification from Bang-PD to their phones, though five of those messages had been delayed in getting to their recipients.
Grammy Nominations have come through - Grace has got 3.
7 Rings - Record of the Year
In My Head - Album of the Year
7 Rings - Best Pop Solo Performance.
Each had a different reaction to the news, which was understandable. At first, there was elation over the fact that at least one of them got a Grammy nod, second was amazement that she had scored three big major categories and then worry mixed in with disappointment. Why hadn’t they had the nomination? Whether solo or as a group, the Grammy’s had left a bitter taste in their mouths.
Namjoon, Yoongi and Seokjin knew Grace would flat-out refuse to perform or even go to the awards. They knew her back to front - her loyalty stood with the group and if they weren’t getting a nomination, then neither would she.
However, this was a defining moment in her career, their careers, their history and for the country.
And for those who knew what kind of start Grace had, this would be the perfect way to celebrate that career.
She started as an admin assistant, straight out of school and into employment with Big Hit Entertainment who then saw that she could do ballet dancing, and ballroom dancing, who could sing though that skill was untouched, spoke perfect English, could speak German as well and had all the charm of an idol.
Yet there was no place for her.
Everyone knew Bang PD wanted a hip-hop group and that’s what he started with in Namjoon, then Yoongi and Hobi. Grace was added as a backup for the ability to sing their ad-libs and rap alongside them without any problem. Then along came Seokjin & Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin and suddenly they were an idol group.
A woman shouldn’t be doing hip-hop with a boy group and so she had signed a two album contract which had left her on tenterhooks as to whether all the skills she had gained while working with Bangtan Sonyeondan would now be worthless. But along came Skool Luv Affair and Dark & Wild and everything fell into place.
Now they couldn’t see the group without their eldest member, the only female, their noona. The woman who protected them in every sense of the word and who had always been there for their solo projects and careers. Her own started very late after their military careers had started so she had full reign of being the BTS representative.
If her upcoming tour was a testament to how well her solo career had taken off, then a Grammy nomination would just solidify that.
Updates were coming in every day and then it was the date of the Grammy Awards themselves. Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung, Namjoon & Yoongi were given special permission for absence of leave for two days so Seokjin planned a private viewing party just for the boys, their close friends who knew Grace as well and some of their team.
Seokjin had been up till late preparing snacks and food as the Grammy’s would start at 10am their time. There was plenty of alcohol covering his kitchen counter and there was food everywhere when Hobi had arrived first.
“Hyung, have you been stress cooking again?”
Seokjin paused where he was putting out plates and cups, chilling the expensive alcohol that had been gifted to him by someone and making sure there was enough kimchi in the container. Multitasking at its finest.
“Maybe? I can’t help it. I’m nervous, more for Grace than anyone else.”
Hobi sighed, having had the same conversation with every other member of the team and Grace herself. She had massive reservations about attending and performing, believing it all to be a big farce so they could have big viewing numbers.
“I know, but noona will be fine. She’s a lot stronger than us and a loss at the Grammy’s won’t affect her like it did us. As she said, as long as her performance is killer, who cares.”
Nothing more could be said as the front door opened and the rest of his boys poured through, Jungkook first then the rest following with bags of more food and alcohol.
“How drunk are you all getting?” Hobi laughed, receiving hugs and pats on the back as he looked at the various sized bags that were being dumped in the kitchen.
“It would have been more but Yoongi-hyung stopped us,” Taehyung shrugged as he dropped his bag and then lifted his arm, flexing it to show off his muscles which caused Jimin to roll his eyes and push at him. “We’ve all got muscles. It hasn’t been that long since Hobi-hyung has seen us.”
“Are you feeling okay?” Yoongi and Namjoon asked Seokjin at the same time, causing the two to pause, look at each other then back at their hyung.
Jungkook, while looking every inch the military man he had become, had wrapped his arms around Seokjin and pushed his face into his back.
“Nervous,” Seokjin admitted while patting Jungkook’s hands. “I’m more nervous for her than about the whole thing. But I know she can handle it. It’s just a big thing.”
“For everyone,” Namjoon smiled slightly and reached over to give Seokjin’s shoulder a squeeze, causing the man to squawk at how strong that grip had become. “Ah, sorry hyung.”
“Come on, let’s get the TV sorted before everyone else comes. And start cracking the bottles open hyung, let the champagne breathe before we get started,” Yoongi grinned as he took control of the situation, shooing people to start doing jobs.
Even though it was early in the morning and most people had been up all night working, everyone was in bright spirits as the coffee churned. The living room was filled with about 20 people, some on the couch, some on the floor, some on chairs they had brought over. Jungkook had even stolen the spare mattress in the other room and had laid it out on the floor for some.
BTS, however, had taken control of the couch.
They barely listened to the people talking on the screen as they all settled down with their various glasses of drink though Seokjin, Hobi and Namjoon had stuck to iced coffee for now. They wanted to be sober enough to get to her performance before drinking any type of alcohol.
Their phones went off at the same time.
“Oh my god, look at her!”
Taehyung lifted his phone up and began showing it around to the others. Sejin had sent a picture of Grace between her parents, dressed in her Elie Saab dress and made up to the nines as her father stood in a suit to her left and her mother stood to her right in a gold dress. They all matched perfectly to what Grace was wearing.
Messages quickly flew out of good luck, hope it all goes well, kill the stage, etc. None were read by Grace but Sejin sent a thumbs up emoji back with a winky face.
There was silence in the room as they watched the red carpet, pointing out the various celebrities they knew of or had met. They had immediately spotted Liam McEwan, one of the reporters who they actually liked. And then they saw Bang PD step out of the car with Grace’s parents, a member of staff leading them past the red carpet and inside.
“Here we go,” Seokjin muttered as Namjoon’s hand squeezed his shoulder again, a bit more gently this time.
The noise from the crowd was instantaneous.
Hands reached forward for the remote control to turn down the volume a bit as screams were heard, many heads turned as the camera switched to Liam McEwan. “Everybody, Grace Chu from BTS has arrived! The queen is here.”
The boys held their breath until the camera caught up with where it was meant to be, showing Grace in front of the Grammy backdrop, cameras flashing in her eyes as she smiled for the photographers. The dress sparkled each time the camera flashed and then she was moved along, straight towards Liam.
“Seee! Told you she could do it,” Yoongi said as he raised his glass of whiskey, not at all a bit tipsy as Jungkook reached over and filled it up for him. When did he get started on that?
“She hasn’t even gotten inside yet hyung,” Jimin laughed, already opening another bottle of champagne as if Grace had already won her three awards and had been crowned Queen of Korea.
Seokjin and Namjoon as well as Hobi, the only three who had been determined not to drink until the end, slowly sipped on their iced coffee and laughed as they watched an excited maknae open Taehyung’s bottle of wine for him.
“But she’s won everyone over! I mean, that dress is amazing on her,” Taehyung said as he stood, pushing over Jimin who spilled himself into Hobi’s lap. Obviously, a career in the military had done nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.
Taehyung stood next to the large TV screen, pointing at various parts of her dress. “I mean, it’s pretty low. I wonder who signed that off but either way, she looks amazing. And look! Cleavage! No one has seen noona with cleavage yet.”
Yoongi groaned, covering his eyes. “Don’t mention Grace and cleavage in the same sentence. I’m not drunk enough yet.”
Seokjin hid a grin behind his hand and tried not to chuckle, ignoring Hobi who was cackling into his back and Namjoon who stood ready to defend his noona’s honour until he was pulled back down.
“What?” Taehyung asked, grinning. “Okay, okay. But this is history in the making here. She’s got everyone eating out of her hand already and she’s not even inside yet. Is that Taylor Swift she’s saying hello to? Oh, it's Nicki Minaj. Ah, another collab being set up there.”
“Tae,” Seokjin started and threw a napkin at him. “Sit down before your eyes turn into the same shape as the TV. You’re blocking the view as well.”
There were plenty of voices who agreed with him as Tae pouted and sat back down, ignoring the maknae line’s giggles.
The next time they saw Grace was sitting with her parents in the main room, taking a glass of water and gulping it down before Sejin and the Grammy team led her away.
“Oh this is it,” Jungkook whispered as he somehow managed to squeeze in next to Seokjin. If there were two people in the room who were close to Grace and could feel her nerves from here, it would be them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to 5-time Grammy nominated member of BTS, Grace Chu,” the loud announcement came.
“Okay. This is it,” Namjoon said as he went into leader mode. “Everyone shut up and let’s enjoy it.” Nothing more needed to be said as everyone went into quiet mode, 20 sets of eyes on the TV that showed a black curtain being lifted as the opening to the Sound of Music’s ‘Favourite Things’ was being played by a small orchestra, dressed in black dinner suits and dresses.
Jungkook reached over and held onto Seokjin’s hand tight.
Each light in the middle came on to show her standing there, in her blazer dress that was very short but presentable and caused some uproar from the boys the moment they saw it but a quick look from Namjoon and they settled again.
Her eyes met the camera as it slowly zoomed in and she gave a small smile as she started to sing, four female dancers walking on stage to meet her dressed in white suits.
“My wrist, stop watchin’, my neck is flossy,” Grace and Jungkook sang at the same time, though he did it under his breath as he watched the choreography on the TV. By the time the chorus came, the four female dancers spread further apart to allow the seven male dancers to come alongside though they were dressed in matching black suits.
“Wearing a ring, but ain’t gon’ be no Mrs,” Grace sang as she flashed her left hand, wiggling slightly causing Jimin and Taehyung to giggle.
There were more outrage noises when it came to the second pre-chorus, the female dancers were back as the lyrics “my smile is beamin’, my skin is gleamin’” were sung but instead of Grace doing the usual choreography that the boys were used to, it had been changed for American tv.
All five women turned and leaned forward, resting heads on backsides as Grace shifted hands to turn her head towards the camera as she sang the rest of the lyrics, “the way it shine, I know you’ve seen it” as her hand went down the thigh of the dancer who she was resting on.
“I bought a crib just for the closet,” Grace sang as she rightened herself, not paying attention to the crowd’s delighted noises or what her parents were going to think. Right now, it was a cause of getting through this song to get to the rap part and then done.
All dancers were back for the chorus and Yoongi, Hobi and Namjoon shifted towards the edge of the seat. They had seen the many comments around this song and whether Grace could perform the rap part live, since it was so fat, not realising she covered their rap parts with ease when they needed her to.
“When you see them racks, they stacked up like my ass yeah,” she sang/rapped, turning her body a little to camera to show her hand grabbing a chunk of her backside to match the lyrics. She then fully turned to the camera, the dancers in formation on either side of her as she continued the verse.
“Shoot, go from the store to the booth. Make it all back in one loop, gimmie the loot,” she continued as she danced her way through the verse without stopping to take a breath.
In complete jubilation, every single person in Seokjin’s living room sang along with her.
“Nevermind I got the juice. Nothing but net when we shoot. Look at my neck, look at my jet!”
“Ain’t got enough money to pay me respect. Ain’t no budget when I’m on the set If I like it, then that’s what I get,” Grace continued from where they left off singing.
The dancers all left the stage as the orchestra took over the last chorus, letting the song play out once Grace stopped singing. The audience stood, clapping and cheering for her and even though the camera’s didn’t show it, she did a full bow to the crowd.
“Okay, that was amazing!”
The alcohol was flowing now the worst of the nerves were over with and Seokjin happily accepted the glass of wine, Namjoon a whiskey from Yoongi and Hobi a washed down glass of white wine. All seven boys, their close friends and team lifted their glasses in cheers.
“Namjoon, you do it,” Yoongi said as everyone looked to Seokjin to lead the toast.
“Oh right,” their leader said as he stood, making his way to stand next to the TV where the awards were flowing.
“When I first met noona, I was a shy teenager who had no clue, probably like many of us. She didn’t care that I was into hip hop, that I had big dreams and that I wanted to be something. All she cared about was Namjoon - what did he want? And I never knew the answer to that question until the day she and I were out buying plants,” Namjoon paused then laughed when he realised he was getting teary as was the rest of the boys in front of him.
“She asked what I wanted? And I picked up this plant pot because it was cute. And I realised there and then, that all noona wanted from me was to be happy and if a plant pot made me happy because it was cute, then that’s what she was going to get for me. Seeing her come from someone who didn’t know their place in the world to now seeing her up there on the Grammy stage, I’m very thankful that I have Grace Chu in my life. So fuck the Grammy’s, who gives a shit. Grace Chu just made history!”
Everyone’s glasses went up with cheers. “To Grace Chu!” they all said then downed their alcohol in one go, only for glasses to be filled again just as quickly.
There was complete and utter silence when she didn’t win Best Pop Solo Performance, though Jungkook could see the storm brewing over his leader’s head. “Noona isn’t bothered,” he muttered as he pointed to her on the screen as she laughed and talked to her parents, completely unbothered by the fact she didn’t win.
It turned out to be a very long morning as each award came and went.
“The nominees for Record of the Year are,” that sentence interrupted all the conversations in the room, heads turning on a swivel to stare at the screen.
BTS turned to look at each other and as if they had the same thought, they each reached over to clasp hands. Namjoon closed his eyes, let out a breath and prayed.
“And the winner is,” there was a giant pause and Grace on the screen turned to her mother to say something before the answer was revealed: “7 Rings - Grace Chu.”
There was complete and utter pandemonium in Seokjin’s living room. Namjoon had fallen to the floor on his knees, Jungkook on his back. Taehyung and Jimin were hugging each other, Hobi stared at the screen in utter confusion and Yoongi reached over to wrap an arm around Seokjin’s shoulders.
“She did it, hyung. She actually did it.”
They missed most of her speech, only calming down enough to hear the last part of it.
“Holy shit,” Namjoon muttered as he wiped a hand down his face and stayed where he was. Jungkook grabbed hold of his shoulders and whispered hurriedly at him. “Hyung, hyung, look.”
On screen, Chris Martin from Coldplay was walking across the stage.
“No way,” Seokjin whispered as Yoongi grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing tight. If there was anyone who was important to the couple and to the rest of the band, it would be Chris. The fact he was there to present the biggest award of the night was not missed by anyone.
“The winner for Album of the Year,” Chris paused and turned to look at Grace. “In My Head" by Grace Chu, produced by Bang PD & PDogg from Big Hit Entertainment. Congratulations.”
There was silence for a moment and then a multitude of noise. Cheers, screams, crying, hooting, laughter and some kind of noise Taehyung had produced at the news. Each man had a different reaction as they watched Grace stand and walk up to the stage, greeting Chris the traditional way before hugging him.
They went silent again as Grace started her speech, each of them holding their breath as they were standing. It wasn’t missed that she had said her boys, ARMY and her man separately and for her to acknowledge Seokjin like that on American TV was another big moment.
Jimin’s phone rang just as Grace walked off stage and he quickly pulled it out, seeing Sejin’s name on the screen.
“Ah Sejin-hyung,” Jimin said while he put the voice call on speakerphone so they could hear their old manager.
“Grace is just coming backstage now so I’ve got you on speakerphone, one moment.” They could hear the tears in his voice over the noise in the background. “Grace, the boys are on the phone.”
They were all screaming their congratulations on the line and suddenly they heard Bang-PD on the line.
“Boys,” he started crying again. “I’m so proud of you all. So proud. I’m letting Grace have a moment with her parents but I just wanted to say I’m very proud of you all. Thank you.”
It was hard to even get their words out but there were promises for a celebration dinner when they got back and Grace would speak to them later once she got back to her hotel.
“She did it,” Namjoon whispered as he saw the notifications on his phone on various media outlets across South Korea and America reporting on Grace winning her two Grammys. CL, IU, TXT and others were posting on their social media, tagging BTS and Grace in their posts. Even Billboard had put up a post.
“She did it,” Namjoon repeated as he rested a hand on Seokjin’s back and an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders. Hobi joined them at Jungkook’s side, pulling Jimin and Taehyung in and Yoongi joined them by wrapping an arm around Taehyung and Seokjin.
Grace would return back to Korea, to them, as a twice Grammy awarded artist. And no one would be able to say that Korea’s Noona hadn’t broken the barrier that they all needed to be broken and no one could say that they as a group and individually weren’t leading the way for other Korean idols and groups.
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reading Herbert Mason's translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, as you do!
I went with Mason's translation after I saw it quoted here and there and seemed pretty solidly written - but it isn't precisely right to call it a translation, more a retelling of the story as Mason understands it. so it's not a line by line translation, and some major parts of it are presumably interpolations or paraphrases.
i knew the broad outline of the story but it's fascinating to put it in context, and discover parts of the story i hadn't heard about. for example, i didn't realise the concept of droit du seigneur was part of this story - I'd thought that was basically a goofy myth about the medieval period, but here in the oldest surviving written story, it's just a thing the mythological king Gilgamesh does. though the exact translation seems a little contentious - Mason writes:
As king, Gilgamesh was a tyrant to his people.
He demanded, from an old birthright,
The privilege of sleeping with their brides
Before the husbands were permitted
But Wikipedia quotes a different translation by Stephen Mitchell which says:
He is king, he does whatever he wants... takes the girl from her mother and uses her, the warrior's daughter, the young man's bride.
The general thrust is similar in both cases, but the details of the custom are different. I don't have Mitchell's translation so I can't find how he describes the moment Enkidu arrives to interfere with Gilgamesh doing one of these kingly rapes (like let's not beat around the bush here, it's a different social context and whatever but you can't possibly say no to the demigod king).
Moving on...
Viewed with modern eyes, the transition between the first chapter and the second is kind of abrupt. We've got this great establishing story for Gilgamesh and Enkidu having a rather homoerotic fight and becoming best bros, but then we abruptly skip forward to Gilgamesh declaring that they're going to go fight a monster called Humbaba, and Enkidu is all like, no, that guy is way too high level, you'll die! Modern writing advice would hold that you'd want to spend some time building up Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship 'on screen' here, and perhaps foreshadow the existence of Humbaba a bit sooner to build up the threat a bit - but then I'm not carving this into stone tablets, I can afford to be a little bit roundabout, and who knows what's been lost? (scholars of the Epic probably have some idea lol)
The word used for Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship is 'friend'. This feels like it's probably a bit of a lossy translation to me - would lover/boyfriend be projecting too much? I obviously don't know the nuances of Sumerian that well, so maybe this is the best available word, but their relationship has a lot of physicality and a lot of affection.
The woman who goes to Enkidu in the wild and has a bunch of sex until he becomes civilised is described here as a 'prostitute'. My understanding was that she belongs to a religious role here, harimtu, that's usually translated as 'sacred prostitution' but apparently this identity is contested, and also she has a name, Shamhat? I don't know why Mason doesn't use her name. Shamhat has a pretty big role in changing Enkidu and convincing him to come meet Gilgamesh, but her own motivation isn't really explored.
Still, I don't want to come off as only complaining. Whether they originate in the Epic or with Mason, I'm enjoying a lot of the poetic turns of phrase in this version - the style is just the right level of minimal - simple appropriate words, but effective for that. Mason writes in verse, but doesn't rhyme - I'm not really familiar enough with meter to say more than that. There are a lot of fairly short, declarative sentences, mixed up with an occasional much longer metaphor across multiple lines. I think you could fairly easily delete the line breaks and just have prose, but having them makes it flow in an interesting way, like waves? Poetry is not my bailiwick so I'm probably describing some fairly basic facets of the medium, but it's interesting to observe.
I'll add more when I've read a bit more, I'll be in this train a while...
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Narnia headcanons: characters + how they take being sick
Peter: baby. Absolute needy baby. He's sick and he's miserable and everyone needs to feel sorry for him and take care of him. Will put on a good face in public because he knows the High King has to project strength and security but with family and friends he's just absolutely Suffering. The only time he's stoic is when he's seriously injured and doesn't want to scare his siblings (but then they're scared anyway because they can tell it's serious). Also so bad at not scratching scabs, bug bites, etc. All his siblings learn how to automatically say "Peter, don't scratch" whenever he has something they know he's going to pick at.
Peter: *absently starts picking at a scab*
Edmund, chucking a pillow at him from across the room without looking up from his book: peterdon'tscratch
Peter, indignantly: I wasn't!
Susan: the only one of the lot who acts halfway sensibly when sick. As long as she has a good supply of books and tea she will settle down and rest, though she does have a tendency of ignoring when she's starting to get sick. Running Narnia is a full time job; she can't afford to rest today, but tomorrow, or the day after, things will be quieter, and then ofc they never are. The others learn to watch when she starts getting extra snappy, because it means she's feeling bad and muscling through it, and they need to take some of her work off her hands so she can be convinced to go rest
Edmund: Thinks he'll enjoy the chance to lie around doing nothing but gets restless within a day, and then is grumpy and sulky. Like Susan, has a tendency to push himself when he starts getting sick, making it worse in the long run, except he's better at hiding it
Lucy: goes back to running around doing stuff the instant she starts feeling better, and then is worse again the next day. This happens every time and she never learns. Her friends/family make sure at least one of them sits with her when she's sick so they can make sure she stays in bed (imagine Mr. Tumnus playing her lullabies and telling her about all the magical sights and scenes they'll go see once she's better but that means resting first or the Beavers chattering away to her or Susan reading to her or Edmund telling her increasingly wild tales about what's supposedly going on in Narnia without her and occasionally physically sitting on her out of purest duty as an older sibling (Lucy: I can murder you without leaving this bed!) or Peter insisting he has to leave the busy everything that wants the High King's attention right this moment because he has an important matter to attend to and the important matter is cuddling his little sister and promising she can get out of bed soon or poor confused Caspian distracting Lucy by letting her teach him the rules of those hand-clapping games (a 30-second wikipedia dive also leads me to believe rock-paper-scissors would have made it to Britain by the 1940s))
Caspian: probably that one person who never gets sick. Even when a bug's going around and everyone else is hacking and snotty and miserable, he's fine and everyone hates him. The few times he does get sick, it's randomly in the middle of summer when no one else is sick and he hasn't gone out in the rain or done anything differently than usual and no one gets how he's sick now. Caspian is quietly melodramatic and just. resigns himself to death. Guilt trips people into taking care of him almost as much as Peter, except that he's not actually trying. Peter finds it very unfair people are sympathetic to Caspian and not to him
Eustace: whiny whiny baby and hypochondriac that convinces himself he's dying. Is lucky the internet has not been invented yet because he would end up on webMD, certain he has everything
#the chronicles of narnia#narnia headcanons#peter pevensie#susan pevensie#edmund pevensie#lucy pevensie#caspian the tenth#eustace clarence scrubb#nova actually posts stuff#yes i know illness can be serious especially back in older time periods#but the castle healers are very good and lucy has magic cordial so we're gonna ignore that for now#i will plague post another day#the higher the queuer
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Two genuine questions: was it REALLY necessary to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and were those two cities European ones (read: full of white people) do you think we still would've made the decision to bomb them?
People have been arguing from the moment it happened whether it was necessary, justifiable, or in any way required, when the war was almost over and Japan was going to lose anyway. My personal view is that it is and remains a completely indefensible action, especially since a) Hiroshima and Nagasaki were relatively unimportant civilian cities with only some military infrastructure, b) Japan was already under heavy conventional bombing that had devastated the mainland, and c) there was no way, ever, that the west was going to drop a nuclear bomb on mainland Europe. So yes, Japan's geographical distance and non-whiteness played pivotal roles in this, especially after American propaganda stereotyped Japanese people as wild yellow savages and, let us not forget, put Japanese-American citizens in concentration camps for the duration of the war. You can read the Wikipedia page about the post-1945 debate here.
#anonymous#ask#politics for ts#nuclear weapons are and remain an indefensible evil#the fact that they have never been used again and only after 50+ years of cold war brinksmanship speaks for itself#history#american history
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CTVT and a weird niche theory I fell down the rabbit hole about - giant transforming retroviruses???
This is a story about how a single line on a wikipedia page sent me down a rabbit hole of finding one scientist's fringe theory that's juuuust plausible enough to make me question everything while almost certainly being absolute fucking bunk.
Some background
So, on parts of tumblr at least we all know about Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour, aka The Immortal Cancer Dog. For those who don't know, it's a cancer dogs get, usually on their junk, that unlike most other cancers, isn't made up of their own cells. The cells are actually all descended from this one dog or wolf that lived like 11,000 years ago and are, arguably, all technically that one dog. A dog that became a single-celled infectious disease.
We have a wealth of genetic, histological and observational evidence for this. As in, we know it what population of canids it came from, we know it's got a weird chromosomal structure compared to normal dogs, we know it's genetically distinct from the hosts. We also know it's not the only one out there: There's a similar thing in Syrian hamsters and also the famous Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).
Which made me pause when I was reading something on wikipedia about the devil facial tumour and saw a line mentioning that it was now known to be caused by a giant virus, much like CTVT. Which...huh? Oh I hadn't heard that afore.
Giant viruses
Ok so giant viruses are a thing and they're fuckin cool. They're a relatively recent discovery and comparatively huge, i.e. bigger than a bunch of bacteria. They were only discovered in 1981 and we still don't know an enormous amount about them but they're big and have large genomes and because of the way viruses are they're not easy to detect unless you're specifically looking for them.
They show up under microscopy (sometimes) and you can find them with genetic probes but you gotta already be looking for them to see that really. Current research though basically says they're more common than we think, just overlooked, and there's software out there that scans through genomic data to find sequences that might indicate their presence. There's even a possibility that one group might be involved in some cases of pneumonia in humans, though I need to stress that that's extremely not confirmed right now.
The "wait, what?" moment
So I mentioned that it was a line in the wiki article for DFTD that had me going "wait, really?", the line in question was this:
A study found evidence for an infectious agent resembling a giant virus that was capable of turning heathy cells into cancer cells. It was found to be a huge retrovirus with similar viruses being found in human and canine cancer cells.
Big If True.
So of course I check the source, which was a 2020 paper by Lusi et al. titled "A transforming giant virus discovered in Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour: Stray dogs and Tasmanian devils opening the door to a preventive cancer vaccine".
Hang on, CTVT not DFTD? This is where some alarm bells went off because uh, as mentioned at the start, we know a shit ton about CTVT. Including the fact that it's all one specific dog. Which doesn't fit at all with the idea that it's caused by a virus transforming host cells into cancer cells.
So what fucking gives? What is this research that fully overturns decades of pretty conclusive research to the contrary?
Is this another case of Dr Barbara McClintock? Who spent decades being ridiculed by the scientific community over her wild theory that was, in fact, 100% right even if it seemed to fly in the fact of all prior evidence?
Or is this a Dr Donald I. Williamson situation wherein a scientist with appropriate training is just wildly but extremely vehemently wrong?
#science#genetics#cancer#canine transmissible venereal tumour#devil facial tumour disease#niche science#I'm breaking this up into several sections for readability#stay tuned for more#also feel free to ask any questions about stuff#I'll provide links to things as well but I know tumblr can bury posts with certain links in and idk if researchgate counts
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The 13th post: More than a Disney Prince
“Hans is a prince. He is a Disney Prince, but he’s more than a Disney Prince. He is many things. And there are a lots of secrets and twists and turns that we take with Hans.”
"A lot of the scenes I recorded did not end up in the movie"
Santino Fontana on Hans.
From Admiral Westergaard to Prince Hans of the Southern Isles
As you will already know, Frozen is an adaptation from the tale “The Snow Queen” by danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Disney had been trying to adapt “The Snow Queen” for decades. Different ideas were developed and a lot of changes were made in the process (you have a really interesting post about Frozen’s development by @greatqueenanna here).
We know that at some point, when Elsa still was a villain, the idea for Hans’ character was a nameless “Admiral Westergaard”, who was Anna’s love interest.
Evil Elsa deleted scene
Elsa was then changed, from a villain to a villain who had a redemption thanks to Anna, while Admiral Westergaard became a surprise villain.
Fast-forward to the final act: Elsa creates an army of snow monsters to attack our heroes while Kristoff has “a Han Solo moment” and comes to help Anna. To halt Elsa’s attacking army, the two-faced Prince Hans triggers a massive avalanche — not caring that the avalanche also puts Anna, Elsa and all of Arendelle in jeopardy. Anna realizes Elsa is their only hope, so she convinces her to use her powers to save the kingdom (...) Elsa’s heart is then unfrozen allowing her to love again.
At some point, Admiral Westergaard was changed to Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. This is a strange change for a villanous character if you ask me: they not only made him a Disney prince by birth, but also gave him the first name of the author of the original tale. Besides, keeping in mind that the names of the main characters in Frozen are meant to be a Hans Christian Andersen reference (Hans Kristoff Anna Sven), prince Hans would somehow be the most important, because he’s the one who was given the author’s first name. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Oh, but maybe it's just a coincidence.
Besides this, there is the fact that the kingdom’s name, Arendelle, is based in the norwegian town of Arendal. The isles located south of Arendal are, in real life, Denmark. And Hans Christian Andersen was danish. So they gave prince Hans not only the name but also the nationality of the author.
Also a coincidence?
Disney gave us a huge, very important clue with the Frozen Fever map.
This picture was originally posted by @wrath-of-zirro. A lot to analyze here.
On the top left corner there is a map of real Arendall with Denmark on the south; and the Frozen Fever map on the right. It is clear "The Southern Isles" are the danish isles of Fyn and its surroundings.
Map of real life Denmark with Fyn (Funen) in red from Wikipedia. Compare to The Southern Isles in the Frozen Fever map.
Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, capital city of Fyn.
In the bottom of the picture we see the Egeskov Castle in Fyn, whose tower reminds of the one we see in The Southern Isles in the Frozen Fever map. It looks like it the castle was still under construction in the Frozen Fever map (there are 13 princes, so they need a huge castle I guess!). It's quite hard to me to think all of this is just a coincidence.
But that is not the only Andersen reference. Hans having twelve older brothers reminds of Andersen's tale The Wild Swans. That tale is about a princess who has eleven older brothers. The princess is named Eliza, which reminds of Elsa and, not unlike her, she is taken for a witch and is almost killed for that reason.
It is also known that Disney planned to make a movie about the danish author's life which started developing in the 1940s (the same time period in which they started trying to adapt The Snow Queen).
That project was later abandoned. Nevertheless, Disney has adapted many of the danish author's tales.
So... could it be that when Frozen was finally made, the creators decided to pay homage to the danish author by making him a Disney Prince?
But wait... there is more.
Thanks to @thelittlehansy I knew Hans Christian Andersen himself appeared as an animated character in an episode of The Little Mermaid animated series, called "Metal Fish". So, if Disney already had an animated character design for H.C. Andersen, and Prince Hans was a tribute to the author, it would make sense they would look alike, wouldn't it? They just had to redesign the character to make him look young, regal and handsome. Let's have a look at how did the animated version of the danish author look like. I found the episode in swedish language on Youtube:
Part 1
Part 2
They look pretty similar to me. Ginger, big nose, large chin, with sideburns, wears a vest and, in the last scene, a tailcoat. Even the fringe is similar. If you still think all of this is a coincidence I have to disagree. As the Duke would say: The can be no doubt now.
Frozen Fandom: But that's not posible! Making the author a villain, not very important for the story, and the center of silly jokes?! That would be so disrespectful!
Well, I have spent two years trying to prove Frozen makes perfect sense withouth Hans being a bad guy. Santino Fontana said a lot of the scenes he recorded weren't finally included in the movie, so it's safe to think we miss a lot of information about the character. The movie is not badly written; it's too well written in fact: the plotholes are part of the plot.
Frozen Fandom: But Hans is the villain!! He plotted a whole plan to take over the kingdom, took advantage of Anna's vulnerability, leave her to die when she needed him the most and let's not forget almost decapitate Elsa after lying to her about her sister's death.
*Sighs in frustration* All you can accuse Hans of is being a jerk to a dying Anna, being in a very stressfull, life-or-death situation. But let's deny these accusations one by one.
Lying to Elsa about Anna's death: Technically, he wasn't lying, as Anna was dying because of ice magic and Hans though (because of Anna's own words!) Elsa willingly attacked her.
Almost decapitated Elsa: Already explained in the 11th post of this analysis.
Leave Anna to die: Hans was sure there was nothing he - or anyone else - could make to save Anna, and let's not forget the overall situation: people in the kingdom was in inminent risk of dying because of the winter (remember the Duke's words: if we don't "do something" ( = kill Elsa) soon, we all will freeze to death), and he was really shocked (see 9th post of this analysis) to know Elsa had attacked Anna.
Plotted a whole plan to take over the kingdom: The only evidence for this is his own "villain monologue", which I don't think we should take seriously for reasons already explained in the 9th and 12th posts. Telling Anna he wanted to marry her and then arrange "a little accident" of Elsa is more him being a jerk than confessing an evil scheme.
Took advantage of Anna's vulnerability: I have to disagree. I think he manipulated her a bit, but not all of the time. If we look at their "date" from an objective point of view, we realize that for the most part he was just being friendly. Dancing, taking a walk, eating something is not something particularly romantic.
There were not ardent love expressions, he didn't even tell Anna he loved her. Can we really say he "seduced" her? The shoulder bump is romantic? It's more a friendly gesture, that is coded later in the saga as a "sibling thing".
We are led to see the scene in a subjective way, through Anna's eyes. But if we rewacht the scene from an objective point of view, all we see is a friendly interaction.Things don't get really "romantic" until "Love is an Open Door". And let's not forget it's Anna who begins it and this is Hans' first reaction:
Then he basically plays along with her, and at the end of the song - when he proposes to her - that's where the manipulation begins.
Another reason against Hans being a villain would be his facial expressions. He only has facial expressions that could be labeled as villainous in a few scenes (already explained in previous posts). I find it very telling that when he sentences Elsa to death, creators chose to give us a close-up of his face expressing sadness - when a smirk would be more fitting, since this happens after the betrayal scene. It's like they wanted to tell the audience: "No, Hans is not happy to sentence Elsa to death; he is devastated".
Frozen Fandom: He`s faking to the Duke and the dignataries.
It could be, but it's unusual for Disney characters to fake to the audience. Gaston makes villanous expressions since he first appears, so the audience can easily identify him as a villain... but everyone in the town think he's a great guy!
And Mother Gothel... think how interesting would it be if the audience wasn't given the backstory at the beginning of Tangled. But still in that case, we would be able to analize her expressions and realize they are different from those of a worried parent.
Frozen Fandom: well, so who do you think is the villain then?
Simple: there is no real villain in Frozen. But there are two fake villains. This pair.
Before we continue we have to make the following question: who is this Elsa?
But was she the cursed princess to be saved, or the wicked witch to be vanquished? And what was his role in this story? (A particular understanding, by @fasadi)
Elsa: A witch in distress
While most of the audience identifies Elsa as a princess, making Frozen a "two princesses movie", this is only half truth. Anna is "the princess" and real protagonist in Frozen, while her sister shares some traits with other kind of classic Disney characters. Let's see: Elsa...
Is older than the princess
Has magical powers
Lives isolated
Has a position of power (she's the princess heir and becomes the Queen)
Wears heavy make up
Wears purple clothes (her coronation cape) and uses purple eyeshadow
Curses the princess and the kingdom
Her actions have a huge impact on the plot
Has a great (villain) song
Is (almost) killed by the prince
The 13th Disney princess shares these characteristics with these ladies:
From my point of view, the Evil Queen from Snow White is the one that has had the biggest influence in Elsa's look. I found the following description of the Evil Queen on the Disney fandom wiki very fitting for Elsa:
"From the outside, the Queen appears to be calm, regal, and sophisticated, but in reality, this collected and stately facade hides an extremely sadistic, hateful, cold and sinister person" (Elsa's facade is similar and also hides her real self)
"The Queen is an icily beautiful woman with a serene, unfeeling face and a slender figure. She has pale skin, red lips, green eyes, and seemingly penciled-on eyebrows"
They both wear a long cape with a pendant. You can't really blame the Duke for thinking Elsa was "a wicked witch conspiring to destroy us all", can you? After all, this is a fairy tale. There has to be a witch!
(Full comic here. A very fun comic showing Hans has all the traits of a classic Disney Prince. I'd love to see something similar with Elsa as a classic Disney Witch!).
At the end of the day, Elsa mortally attacked her sister and almost killed her whole kingdom because she had a massive anxiety attack. But even if she is, technically, a Disney witch and the villain of the movie (in the sense her actions are those of a villain) Elsa is not evil. Her thoughts, feelings and motivations are very different of those of a villain. She can't control her powers and feels unable to cope with the problems she has created, so her response is to run away.
This learned helplessness makes her another classic character: the damsel in distress. Elsa has to be saved from those who want to kill her to end the eternal winter and save the winter. She is first saved by Hans, who risked his own life entering the Ice Castle to save her from the Weselton guards and was able to stop her with a sentence that basically meant "I trust you" (whole analysis in the 7th post) and later saved by Anna. And, just like Hans saved Elsa from killing two men, Anna saved Hans from killing Elsa.
But, just because the audience "knows" Elsa they fail to identify her as the witch of this tale. They fail to understand that the Duke's reaction and prejudices against Elsa were, in fact, quite logic and understable. They fail to understand that (almost) everyone in Arendelle feared Elsa and wanted her dead, so the curse disappeared. The audience has all the information they need to realize Elsa meant no harm but... do the audience has all the information they need to understand Hans' character, and his sudden change at the end of the movie? I'm pretty sure we miss essential information.
Remember my interpretation of the gloves parallel in the analysis of the betrayal scene? One glove off = fake villain reveal. Now look at the Hans and Elsa dolls. "Hero and villain" series, and there are TWO sets of dolls. The first one: Elsa as the Snow Queen (hero), Hans in his fake villain reveal clothes (villain). The second one: they are in their coronation clothes, Elsa as a Queen who is secretly a witch (villain), Hans as the perfect Disney prince (hero). And the looks of complicity are very obvious.
And if Prince Hans' inspiration was the danish author himself, is there some real life woman behind Elsa?
The answer is Yes.
Hans Christian Andersen's inspiration for the Snow Queen was the most important of his (long) list of imposible loves.
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 1820 – 2 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and undertook an extraordinarily popular concert tour of the United States beginning in 1850. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music from 1840.
Yes, I know she doesn't look like Elsa. But still, she was the inspiration for the Snow Queen, and Elsa is inspired on the Snow Queen, so... she somehow "is" Elsa.
From Wikipedia:
She toured Denmark where, in 1843, Hans Christian Andersen met and fell in love with her. Although the two became good friends, she did not reciprocate his romantic feelings. She is believed to have inspired three of his fairy tales: "Beneath the Pillar", "The Angel" and "The Nightingale".[4] He wrote, "No book or personality whatever has exerted a more ennobling influence on me, as a poet, than Jenny Lind. For me she opened the sanctuary of art."[4] The biographer Carol Rosen believes that after Lind rejected Andersen as a suitor, he portrayed her as The Snow Queen with a heart of ice.
One of his stories, "The Nightingale", was written as an expression of his passion for Jenny Lind and became the inspiration for her nickname, the "Swedish Nightingale".[46] Andersen was often shy around women and had extreme difficulty in proposing to Lind. When Lind was boarding a train to go to an opera concert, Andersen gave Lind a letter of proposal. Her feelings towards him were not the same; she saw him as a brother, writing to him in 1844: "farewell ... God bless and protect my brother is the sincere wish of his affectionate sister, Jenny".[47] It is suggested that Andersen expressed his disappointment by portraying Lind as the eponymous anti-heroine of his Snow Queen.[48]
So, to sum up this very long post:
Hans and Elsa
Who people think they are
Who they really are
Conclusion
So... if I'm on the right track, and Disney created Prince Hans' character as a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen, wouldn't it make sense they planned to give him the happy ending he did not have in real life?
Time to analyze the Helsa hints...but that will be in a next post.
First post of these series here.
#frozen#disney#frozen analysis#hans analysis#hans#prince hans#hans of the southern isles#prince hans of the southern isles#hans frozen#let's redeem hans#my theories#who is this hans#disneyfilms#santino fontana#frozensource#elsa#queen elsa#elsa frozen#elsa disney#who is this elsa#elsa is a disney witch#frozen fever#the southern isles#fyn#fyn denmark#denmark#funen#funen denmark#egeskov castle#frozen disney
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Just thought a moment from the Cousins AU, with Marinette hearing Lila talking of the pyramid incorporated in Rome's old walls, the literal mountain of pottery shards near said pyramid, or that the Termini Station is so large there's not only a rapid transit station attached but also a secondary RAILWAY station dedicated exclusively to bring there people from the suburbs, and tells her to stop lying... Only for Lila to show her the Wikipedia pages of the Pyramid of Cestius, Monte Testaccio, and the Laziali Station (to be fair, the railway from there used to reach Frosinone, but it was repeatedly shortened).
Rome is one weird city...
fuckin wild
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Welcome Wagon | Andrei Svechnikov
summary: when less that fortunate circumstances cause you to live with your older brother, you realise it might not be as bad as you once thought once you meet his teammate Andrei.
song: Last Great American Dynasty - Taylor Swift
request: yes/no
warnings: like three swear words, two allusions to sexual thoughts but nothing explicit.
word count: 2.76k
authors note: to the person who requested this, I hope you have the best day like ever! As a proud cat owner it was only right that I picked that Andrei picture. Wikipedia was where I got all of the little facts and Google is where I went for the Russian nickname used in this. Realised that I honestly didn’t keep to the song as much as a probably should have but I hope you still like this! If you want to check out more from the celly you can do so here!
You were never a fan of stability.
Deemed the wild child of the Staal family or as you liked to see it, the accident child given that there was over 9 years between you and your closest brother in age.
Never truly seeming to settle in a place as you had moved all around the US after getting your degree in Canada last year.
All four of your brothers were worried about it when you used your one call to get out of jail on the youngest of the boys, Jared. You thought that he would be the understanding one since he had spent a night in jail before, but clearly you were wrong when you were met with an irritated Jordan who was stood at the door of the police station with his arms crossed. The idea of trying to explain to him that you arrested for trespassing because of a drunk truth or dare game was not something you wanted to hear the lecture about so instead you just ignored the entire interrogation from him.
You had to admit that you were impressed by the way he stood up. Within two weeks you were moved into the guest bedroom of his home where he could keep a watchful eye on you before you gave either one of your parents a heart attack.
The first month went by pretty slot for you, despite your best efforts Jordan didn’t want you meeting his teammates as he feared what they might do when they knew you were there. Jordan knew that you weren’t ugly -as much as the boys like to make you think that you were when you were a child- and he knew that there were key players in the team that if they made a move on you then you’d be in your brothers arms in a week in tears complaining how they broke your heart. As much as he wanted to act like his teammates were better than that, he knew that you had a type and some of the Canes players slotted right into that category.
One player that wasn’t on his radar was Andrei, the total Russian softie. The winger had actually come over one day as Heather had convinced Jordan to invite the lonely boy over for dinner. Andrei had just been dumped by his long term girlfriend and it was safe to say that he had been a wreck “you’re shorter than I thought you’d be. You blurted out as you opened the door as you were met with the boy.
It was suffice to say that Andrei was shocked by your forwardness “you’re not as polite as I thought you’d be.” He shot back wondering who you were.
A giggle fell from your lips as you smiled “I think I’m going to like you.” You confessed as you leaned backwards to look towards the kitchen “Andrei is here!” You called out as you waited for Jordan to make his way over to the door.
Jordan sent you a warning look to behave as he knew what you were like sometimes “I see you’ve met my sister,” the Canes captain pointed out as he motioned to you.
Just as predicted you stuck your hand out “y/n,” you introduced yourself as you smirked. You could see the way that Andrei’s face dropped, everyone and their mother knew that if there’s one person you don’t go for. It’s your captains sister.
Now what you did next was not your proudest of moments, but you wanted to see how face you could push the boy “but you could call me anything you want.” There was a playful gleam in your eyes as you watched the Russian turn red.
Jordan scoffed as he reminded you that he was still there “inside,” your brother rolled his eyes as he pushed you back inside letting the younger hockey player come in too.
Heather couldn’t help but laugh as she could already see what you were plotting “he’s a good kid,” she pointed out as you nodded.
You just smiled “I’m sure he’s good at a lot of things.” Your words were a mumble that only the two of you could hear “preach to that.” It was comforting that your brothers wife was your little cheerleader in what was inevitably going to get at least one of you in trouble.
That dinner had gone down like fine wine as you let your eyes do more talking than your mouth. You would let them linger on the Russian long enough for him to know that you were definitely interested but not to the point where it was weird and inappropriate. Heather had helped your cause when she convinced Jordan to come check on the kids with her as Andrei was leaving “thanks for dinner,” he smiled as he waved the duo up the stairs.
The North Carolina air was humid as it hit your faces “isn’t the boy meant to walk the girl back to her car after the first date?” You joked as you cracked your cheeky grin.
It was actually really nice for Andrei to have someone in his life who was displaying this much interest in him “our first date is not going to involve your brother.” He was quick to point out as he got to his car.
You had to admit that your thighs were very much clenched in that moment “who says that I want to go on a date with you?” You asked as your crossed your arms sending him a thoughtful glance.
That moment when the hockey players lips turned into a smirk you were taken off guard “I’ve been seeing the way you’ve looked at me all night.” Andrei explained as he took a step forward as he brushed the hair out of your face.
You felt your cheeks turn pink at the moment of intimacy “you’re going to need a way to contact me then,” you pointed out as you held your hand out so he could put his phone in it.
The hockey player let out a soft laugh as he shook his head before he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He loved the sound of your nails tapping on his screen as you put your contact info into the device “look forward to hearing from you Andrei.” You smiled as you handed his phone back to him.
The boy placed his phone back into his pocket “don’t miss me too much now radnaja,” he sent you a soft salute but was almost knocked off of his feet when you stood on your tippy toes to kiss him “goodnight Andrei.” You mimicked your actions before you began to walk away making sure that you let out your little laughing cheer before the door was between you two.
Month two of living with Jordan was all of a sudden far more interesting once Andrei let it slip to Pyotr that the Canadians sister was living with him. Within two days you ended up meeting the whole team. Most nights you spent sat on FaceTime with the winger as you two spoke about stupid shit. The topics ranged from what your plans were to what stupid shit Jordan did during the day “I’ve got to get going,” you let out a giggle as you had been trying to get off of the call for the last twenty minutes.
Andrei forced his lips into a pout “don’t leave me just yet radnaja.” He begged as you playfully rolled your eyes.
You fiddled with the ends of your hoodie strings “if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were getting clingy Andrei.” Your tongue darted out of your mouth as it swiped across your lower lip.
The boy scoffed as he shook his head “how can I be clingy if we haven’t even gone on that date yet?” He shot back causing you to laugh “who’s fault is that!” You pointed out in a duh tone.
Yes it had been over a month since you met Andrei and after 34 days of talking -not that you were counting because that would have been weird- he still hadn’t taken you on that date that you two spoke about on the first night you met “thinking I’ll get one out of Jack first.” It didn’t take a genius to see that Andrei wasn’t a fan of how your friendship with the American had blossomed. Sure it might have sounded selfish but the Russian wanted you for his eyes and company only.
So naturally your comment caused his expression to harden “I’m taking you out tomorrow.” He announced causing your eyes to go wide.
The way the boys voice got deeper and his eyes went darker made you feel the pool that formed in your panties “how do you know I don’t have plans then already?” You sipped at your water as you held in another laugh.
All Andrei could do was smirk “we both know that you’d cancel them for me.” His voice was confident as he knew what he was talking about, and he certainly wasn’t wrong.
So naturally you had spent the entire next day getting ready for the date. When you came downstairs you were surprised to see that Andrei and Jordan were in the middle of a pretty normal sounding conversation.
Andrei almost lost his entire train of thought when he saw you walking over to them “you better not be threatening him Jordy,” you warned as you sent your brother a serious look.
It made the Canes captain smile how oblivious you were. Andrei had told him about his desires to take you out exactly fifteen days ago. It started with the Russian pulling him aside after training as he was desperate to get it off of his chest “was just telling him to make sure that you are home before midnight.” Now that part was true, Jordan did not need to hear you strolling back into the house at two in the morning because if he did then the captain was going to make a morning training session.
Andrei was quick to nod “should we get going?” He asked as he watched you kiss your brothers cheek as you locked your hand in the Russians before you pulled him out of the house.
Jordan couldn’t help it when he laughed “she’s going to kill him.” He smiled to himself as he shook his head before he walked back to the living room.
The winger was quick to place his arm around your shoulders as he slowed down the pace to his car “you look nice,” his compliment caused your cheeks to turn flushed as you looked up at him “one of us had to look good.” You shrugged softly smiling to yourself as the Russian opened the door for you.
Part of you thought that going on a date with Andrei would be a disappointment, most of the dates you went on with guys your age usually were. You began to think that you were the problem in those dates as you were always the common denominator. But tonight squashed each and every one of those doubts and bits of hesitancy.
You had learnt about Andrei’s family, his favourite Russian words, even what he missed about home. And he had gotten the chance to learn about what brought you to North Carolina.
As he walked you back to the front door of the house you let a smile fall onto your lips “glad you held up on your promise Andrei.” You mumbled as the boy placed his hand on the small of your back.
Andrei couldn’t help it but grin when you brought up your joke from the first night you met him “always knew I would radnaja.” There was that name he kept on using for you.
When you stopped in your tracks it caused him to grow slightly alarmed “what does that mean?” You asked as you furrowed your eyebrows “what?” He cocked his head as he had no clue what you were talking about.
For someone who had heard the word so many times, you sure did butcher the pronunciation of it “ranada,” it fell from your lips like he should have known exactly what it was.
The hockey player laughed as he used his hand to cup your cheek “Radnaja is like daring.” When he saw that your mouth opened like you were trying to process what he had said, Andrei instantly thought that he had butchered it “darling?” You let out a giggle when he nodded.
All you could do was smile as you looked up at the boy “maybe we should spend some time learning each others languages better.” You proposed causing the boy to chuckle “I like the sound of that.” He nodded as he smiled.
The idea of teaching you Russian made his heart warm, but nothing was going to be prepare him for what you did next “we should do this again soon.” You shrugged as you placed a kiss on his cheek.
The gesture was one that was familiar to the two of you, but somehow he was never going to get used to it.
Andrei was totally unaware of the fact that it was the whole reason why you did it. Yes it might have been a touch manipulative but you loved how you could pull so many reactions from him whenever you did that “goodnight Andrei.” You laughed as you saw Jordan watching the two of through the window.
The captain had no shame as he was honestly just watching out of curiosity, he knew you’d be telling Heather the truth about the date so for Jordan to learn about it he’d have to partake in the game of broken telephone.
Stability used to freak you out, even make you feel out of place. But by month four you were craving it. Another two dates had gone by with Andrei and he still hadn’t kissed you. Don’t get you wrong, you loved how respectful he was as it was a stark difference from the guys you used to be with. Yet you were almost growing concerned that he had lost interest in you. Thankfully though for you, you had voiced these concerns off to Heather who quickly shut them down “he looks at you like you’re the only girl in the world.” She pointed out in a duh tone making it sound like you were the idiot for not picking up on how the boy felt about you.
That conversation with her was how you got to another one of your language lessons with Andrei. Every Tuesday you’d do them if he wasn’t on a road trip “that’s just a stupid phrase!” You scoffed causing the boy to throw his head back in amusement “no it’s not!” He laughed as you threw some popcorn at him.
Tuesday language lessons weren’t complete if they didn’t have snacks “I have a phrase I was you to learn.” It was like a lightbulb moment where you had to do your best to mask your smirk as you tucked your hair behind your ears “I have a phrase I want you to repeat.” You smiled as you inched your leg ever so closer to him “fire away.” Andrei nodded as he placed his hand on your knee.
Somehow you weren’t that nervous to say it “I want you to kiss me.” You blurted out causing his eyes to go wide.
He took a second to process your words before he gave you an ‘are you being serious’ type of look. All you had to do was nod and his lips were on yours. Andrei’s hand that came to cup your cheek was almost the same size as your face but neither one of you seemed to care. In all of it you had somehow found your place on his lap “wait,” you were quick to pull away causing the boy to softly tug at your bottom lip leaving it now slightly swollen “yes?” Andrei asked as he cocked his head.
You tried your best to make it look like were being serious “you haven’t taught me the translation.” You batted your eyelashes at him causing the boy to let out a groan “seriously?”
When his head feel back you couldn’t help but laugh as you hooked two fingers under his chin “I’m just screwing with you.”
Maybe North Carolina wasn’t as bad as it first seemed.
#andrei svechnikov#Andrei Svechnikov imagines#Andrei Svechnikov oneshots#hockey imagine#nhl imagine#nhl oneshot#hockey imagines#imagines#oneshots#ambers 150 celly#amber writes fics
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Putting the Mid in Midnight: Wild Blue Yonder
If I were to mention the film “The Horror at Party Beach,” no one would blame you for having never heard of it. In the annals of horror history, it left minimal impact on the genre. Why then were audiences asked to sign a “fright waiver,” before being permitted to see the film? Because it was never about the audience dying of fright. It was a dare to the viewer, one almost as old as cinema itself. William Castle used to start his films with a warning to the more delicate members of the audience. Reports of people fainting during “The Exorcist,” or more recently “Terrifier 2,” create a buzz around those films. Can you survive the horror or will you wind up in the hospital? The only way to know for sure is to buy a ticket! This is why when Russell T Davies issued a warning that “Wild Blue Yonder,” was possibly too scary for the kiddies, I saw it for what it was.
While I don’t doubt there was some concern that certain children may be disturbed by the imagery and tone of last night’s episode, it feels more like Davies asking audiences to just go with it. Similarly, Davies also asked us to just go with the idea of David Tennant returning by first introducing us to Ncuti Gatwa. “This isn’t a forever thing or the show moving backwards. Just go it.” After seeing how tumultuous the fandom has been since *checks notes* 1963, it feels like Davies’ tactic to unite the fandom is to encourage them to just go with it. It also feels like Davies is riffing a little, trying new things. “Wild Blue Yonder,” is an engaging exploration of the new while also referencing some of the old. Yet despite all of its experimentation, much of it feels like familiar territory.
First and foremost, I would like to state that I admire the hell out of this episode. On the rad vs trad debate, this puts one giant foot down for rad. With that said and out of the way, we need to talk about that intro. When it comes to the race of Isaac Newton you might say the show should be educational and therefore accurate in its depiction of race. But pretty early on, Doctor Who abandoned all pretence of being educational. And more recent attempts at being educational have left us with Jodie Whittaker spouting off a Wikipedia summary about an asteroid. You could also argue that this is a different type of education. A lesson in what it feels like to see your own people played by someone white. Considering Doctor Who’s history of brownface, I’m gonna say y’all need to chill the fuck out. Just go with it.
My only issue with this scene is much like the issue I had with the Children in Need special. The humour just falls so flat for me. It was a big thud on arrival. From the Kaled anagram sequence to mavity, it just doesn’t work for me. Part of me wonders if this isn’t in part because David Tennant and Catherine Tate were never on set with Nathaniel Curtis. There was no chance of improving with improv. I mentioned last week that some of the representation stuff also felt clunky. It’s weird too because when the show isn’t actively trying to make me laugh or view trans people like myself as valid, it comes off as funny and validating. Sylvia’s tuna masala and or Donna’s love for Rose do such a better job at both, yet they’re the quieter moments of the show thus far. It’s ironic to me that the more powerful moments of the second Davies era have been understated.
It’s easy to write this overstatement off, however. Thinking back to the 50th anniversary special, Clara’s line of turning people into frogs fell flat for me at the time. Now I look back at is as kind of charming. And furthermore, these big events like Children in Need, Christmas, or anniversaries get away with a bit of excess. The humour is more broad because they expect more people to be watching. It’s a time of merriment. It’s also part of why I appreciate “Wild Blue Yonder,” so much. Davies was attempting a weirder “Midnight-esque” episode in the middle of a highly publicised media event. He knew it was a bit of an ask for some audience members. Once again, it feels like an invitation to the rest of the fandom to allow room for exploration. If Doctor Who and the fandom are currently fractured, do we really need to put it back together in the same shape? Does it even need being put back together? Why not just fill the cracks with some seeds and see what grows out of them?
Since “The Star Beast,” aired, I’ve seen some people complaining that the sonic screwdriver has become too OP. Apparently, making sonic barriers is less believable than joining two cut ends of barbed wire. While I do understand that the sonic screwdriver can be a crutch for bad writing, I also understand it to be incredibly cool. Like, I’m sorry, cool beats your need for locked doors any day. If you need absolute realism in what you watch, might I suggest the window? It’s a freaking magic wand, people. Let it be magical. Doctor Who isn’t hard sci-fi. If Doctor Who’s sci-fi were a cheese, it would be brie. It looks hard but it’s gooey at its centre. You can argue that the sonic screwdriver being capable of repairing the TARDIS is too OP, but it’s also the device which removes two major plot conveniences in this episode- the TARDIS and the sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor and Donna are doing this one without a safety net. They’ve both been pared back to who they are as people. I had a feeling going in that this episode was going to have a smaller cast. It feels like Davies taking a stab at a sort of “Heaven Sent,” narrative that dissects the Doctor and Donna. In other ways it feels like an homage to Davies' own pared-back classic “Midnight,” which has gained cult status as one of his best scripts. In the short stories of Robert Aickman, readers are often left unaware when exactly things get strange. His protagonists walk through their worlds unaware of exactly when things turned hostile until they’re in the thick of it. In the same manner, much of the opening scenes of “Wild Blue Yonder,” leave us waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it does, you may not notice right away.
Coming directly off the tonal whiplash of the Isaac Newton scene to a scenario so dangerous that it set off the H.A.D.S. system, it’s nice that the episode eases into its weirdness. The TARDIS’ eerie recitation of the song “Wild Blue Yonder,” echoes through the air with a reminder from Wilf, via Donna, that the song is not a jolly anthem, but a declaration of war. So we sit in the mystery of this gigantic ship sitting at the edge of the universe with its shifting corridors and its slow robot, as we try to ignore the clanking sound just outside the ship. It feels a bit like Doctor Who doing a haunted house in space, but you’re not exactly sure why. It’s Amityville in Space, but good.
With no sonic or TARDIS at his disposal, the Doctor can’t just point his magic wand. Even worse, the Doctor doesn’t even have the benefit of the TARDIS’ translation circuit. Whatever language this civilization uses on their ship, it’s not one of the 57,000,000,205 languages the Doctor can speak. But one language the Doctor can speak is mathematics. The Doctor may not have his tools, but he still has his mind. Deciphering the base ten of this unknown species, the Doctor can begin piecing together what is going on in this ship. Perhaps if he can figure out why an airlock had been jettisoned in the past, it might give a clue to what is happening. If he can remove the threat from the ship, the TARDIS might return. Otherwise, he and Donna could be forever stranded on this ghost ship hovering over nothingness.
If this ship is haunted, we’re about to meet the ghosts who call this place home. The Not-Things arrive quietly. So quiet that the shot establishing two Doctors and two Donnas in separate rooms initially seemed like a bad edit. When did the two of them get split up? It’s hard to remember. But we’re pretty sure the Doctor who licked the goo on the circuit is the real deal. Tasting things to figure out what they are is a classic Tennant move. The Doctor pretending to have a bad reaction to the goo evoked the Fourth Doctor pretending to go mad with power over the Key to Time. I wonder now if that wasn’t the Doctor testing a theory in the back of his mind because Donna was feeling a bit off. The Doctor has shown in the past that he knows when his companion is compromised in some way. Last week we were given early warning signs that the Doctor was becoming increasingly wary of the Meep.
Having the characters note a fluctuation in the temperature or the line “My arms are too long,” felt right at home with things like “Don’t blink!” or “Hey, who turned out the lights?” Their visible breath as an omen of ill tidings sits comfortably next to having two shadows or marking your skin to remember the Silence. I love how Doctor Who can turn everyday things like statues, shop dummies, or seeing your breath into danger. Those are the moments for the children hiding behind the sofa. One of Doctor Who’s greatest strengths is its ability to use allegory to help children face real fears. These are the modern equivalent of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
For a brief moment, I worried the Not-Things were going to spend the whole episode with Donkey Kong arms. While an effective and trippy visual, it would have started to look goofy after the initial shock had worn off. Watching “Return to Oz,” as an adult, I’m no longer scared of the Wheelers, but as a child they had me covering my eyes. Seeing the Doctor and Donna in these twisted forms was disturbing and creepy. I can see how this episode will stick with younger members of the audience for years. I also imagine it as future fetish fuel, but that’s unavoidable. In the words of Community’s Dean Pelton- “This better not awaken anything in me.”
Watching the Doctor and Donna drive away from these twisted angry giants reminded me of Leela and K9 fleeing guards in “The Sunmakers,” or even bits from “Terminator 2: Judgement Day.” I also got whiffs of “Sin-Eaters,” from the Titan comics line. While the sharp teeth and asymmetric contortions of the distorted Doctor and Donna do a lot to sell these monsters, it’s the performances of the actors that tip the scale. Other than the times we’re not supposed to know who is who, they feel like different characters. It started tricking my brain into thinking of the Not-Things as completely different actors.
An issue I have seen come up about the Not-Things is their special effects. If you were worried that the Disney+ money was going to make the show look too polished, worry not. While many of the shots in this episode were very good, and I love the continued use of practical effects, some of the effects of the Not-Things were a bit naff. But much like the Power Rangers effects from the acid ocean scene in “The Halloween Apocalypse,” I found it charming. The only one shot from any of these sequences that I would call bad is the shot of the Not-Thing Doctor with his head between his legs. It should have either been cut or reworked.
It’s hard to talk about the plot in this story. Mysteries are looming, but for the most part it’s a series of chases punctuated by “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” paranoia. But that isn’t to say that the screen time is wasted. Davies uses this as an opportunity to explore the Doctor’s emotional state after the events of the Flux. Something which hadn’t seemed to affect the Doctor much since the end of “The Vanquishers.” It’s also interesting to know Davies hasn’t forgotten that half the universe was destroyed by the Flux, as Chibnall seemed to have forgotten immediately after. A friend even texted me today saying how Davies treated the Flux more seriously than Chibnall, and I don’t disagree. I felt like he did a better job explaining what actually happened during the Flux. Perhaps it was bad writing, or perhaps I had already given up hope on the era, but I had no idea that the Flux had anything to do with the Doctor. I’m not even joking. It wasn’t even apparent how much of the universe had been destroyed until last night. I learned more about the Flux from a couple of lines of dialogue than I did from six episodes of “The Flux.”
After the Doctor and Donna suss out who is who, they manage to put a little space between them and the Not-Things first by way of a line of salt and ultimately by a glass door. It was at this point in the episode that I made the strongest connections to “Midnight.” The doppelgangers watching Donna and the Doctor’s every move, reading every thought, to mimic them perfectly was a lot like the creature on the Midnight tour shuttle. In both stories the creatures even reach a point where they begin studying their prey. Noting every minor movement and tic. In both stories, formless creatures are looking to hitch a ride in someone else’s body to wreak untold havoc elsewhere. Because of these similarities, I see this story as a spiritual sequel to “Midnight.” A sort of loving homage to the Tenth Doctor and Donna era.
The Not-Things dwelled in the vast nothingness at the edge of our universe growing to despise our boiling noisy existence. Like the song “Wild Blue Yonder,” their response to our shouting into the void is a declaration of war. They seemingly hate us for our existence. When the mystery ship arrived, they saw it as a perfect vessel to bring destruction to the universe. The Captain of this ship must have figured this out as it was she who set their demise into motion. Realising that the Not-Things have a harder time mimicking or noticing things that move slowly, the Captain set the ship’s robot on a very slow course to set the ship on self-destruct. She then threw herself out of the airlock to prevent the Not-Things from fully taking her form.
The Doctor and Donna’s discovery of the horselike Captain’s body as the source of the clanging against the ship demands a bit of discussion. In yet another clunky attempt at trans inclusion, the Doctor and Donna try and work out the pronouns of the Captain. The Doctor affirms to Donna that the Captain was a she, but gives no basis as to how he arrived at this conclusion. I find this noteworthy simply because it actually plays into a transphobic meme that says when trans people die, archaeologists will misgender us by our bones. Because by what means did the Doctor know the Captain was a she? He couldn’t even read her language. What if she was the first trans masc horse Captain? Are we really not gonna stan a horse king because of how his bones look? Obviously, I’m taking the piss. But I do feel like this illustrates the responsibility one takes on when they aim toward validating representation. A simple line to clear up how the Doctor knows this would help because otherwise, he’s just guessing with no reasoning to back it up.
Another weird aspect of this episode was the aforementioned glass door. If I had a quid for every time a Doctor Who 60th anniversary special ended with characters being separated by a glass door in a spaceship, I’d have two quid. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. Also weird is that this episode marks the second time since we met the Fourteenth Doctor that the TARDIS enters a location by slamming into a wall. The first time being the Children in Need special “Destination: Skaro.” I would say this feels significant, but the TARDIS does land smoothly next to Cyber Dog at the beginning of “The Star Beast.” Another crash landing which could also mean nothing would be the TARDIS slamming into the tree that drops an apple on Isaac Newton’s head. Speaking of meaning nothing, what even was the point of that scene? Was it all to set up the mavity joke and the Doctor’s queerness? Or did it have a greater meaning? If not, they really should have just cut it all together. Perhaps air it as a minisode the day before “Wild Blue Yonder.” As an episode opener, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
After the Doctor almost escapes with the wrong Donna, the TARDIS gets a chance to show off its new ramps by using them to eject Not-Thing Donna like a middle-aged bowling ball. Our little android friend, now sped-up to real-time pushes the destruct button and takes the ship and Not-Things with it, thus finishing the Horse Captain’s brave mission to save the universe. I was sad we never really got to know the little robot. Its design reminded me a bit of Marvin the Paranoid Android from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” I was ready to love its personality and then mourn its sacrifice. It’s weird that in some ways, the fan theory that we would see twisted versions of the Doctor did come halfway true. Only in this version, there was no evil Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi. It’s been a bit interesting to see the fan theories come so close yet remain so far away.
Bookending the episode is another scene removed from the main storyline, only this is a book I actually want to read. Returning the TARDIS back to the Cyber Dog location where it was last seen, we get our first glimpse of Wilfred Mott since “The End of Time.” Sadly, it’s also the final time Bernard Cribbins will grace the screen of Doctor Who ever again. This brief cameo was all they were able to film before Cribbins passed away in 2022. I think it’s safe to assume that most of us got a bit teary-eyed seeing ol’ Wilf one last time. As the Fourteenth Doctor said “I loved that man.” I’ve never met a Whovian who didn’t love his character. Seeing Wilf waiting for the Doctor and Donna to return, still believing in the Doctor after all these years, is exactly how you want to remember him. An ever-loyal soldier who doesn’t leave his post. And so shall he never leave our hearts. It was bitter-sweet, but I’m so glad we got to say goodbye.
Ultimately, this episode kept me engaged throughout its entire runtime. But where it falls short of “Midnight,” is in its inability to create the same level of tension. Perhaps it has to do with the special effects revealing so much under bright lighting. There is less left to our imaginations this time around, and therefore the scares are more on the surface. This doesn’t automatically make them uninteresting, only less engaging. It reminded me at times of the special effects from the new “It,” film series. At times it was creepy and at other times it felt like something from a computer. I’m still deeply interested in the dread the Doctor felt after introducing superstition at the edge of the universe, where the rules of reality are less defined. That seems like a bigger plot point that furthers my belief that RTD plans to continue breaking Doctor Who wide open. If I were to compare the quality of “Wild Blue Yonder,” to previous Doctor Who stories, I would go with “The Idiot’s Lantern,” or maybe “Flatline.” Both of these are episodes I enjoy but they aren’t earth-shattering either. As I said in my “Eve of the 60th” article, I would settle for competent and competent was what we got. I'm still very excited for what's to come.
#Doctor Who#Wild Blue Yonder#Fourteenth Doctor#David Tennant#Donna Noble#Catherine Tate#Not-Things#TARDIS#Russell T Davies#Wilfred Mott#Bernard Cribbins#RIP Bernard Cribbins#60th anniversary#Doctor Who 60th Anniversary#Isaac Newton#Nathaniel Curtis#BBC#timeagainreviews
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The King of the Night, supernatural laws, and the difference between "a year" and "a year and a day".
At this time, only 2 episodes have been released. Mild spoilers for the first 2 episodes of The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One.
Preface: The below mostly looks at the story from a European folklore perspective. The cast has discussed that another big influence is Japanese folklore, but I'm largely unfamiliar with that side. If there are related connections to Japanese folklore, please let me know.
So, in episode 2, Ame asks the foreboding visitor (AKA "the Pilgrim Under the Stars, the Man in Black, or the King of Night") to return in exactly one year. I've read a number of comments from listeners who feel it would have been more thematic for Ame to ask the visitor to come back in a "year and a day". I think the choice of exactly one year was intentional by Ame, and it I think it shows a brilliant awareness of the setting/genre by Erika Ishii.
A year and a day
For those unfamiliar, the set period of time of "a year and a day" has a number of different historical contexts. It shows up in Celtic folklore, such as classic faerie lore (the "steal your child" kind).
"A year and a day" is also historically important in European common law, some of which is still in use. In some feudal traditions, a serf who ran away and was absent from their lord's holdings for a year and a day was legally considered a free person, no longer a subject of their lord. If they returned in exactly a year, they were still a subject of the lord.
This rule has continued on in other laws. For example, in some places, an act that leads to another person's death is not considered legally responsible if the death occurs a year and a day later (or more). Here's a Wikipedia article about it.
The gist of "year and a day": you have a year after a triggering event in which where you are considered to be within the temporal bounds of the event. If you wait a year and a day, you have elapsed outside the temporal bounds of the event. The actual implications vary, but remember that "one year" = within the boundary, and "a year and a day" = outside the boundary
How does this matter to our story? First, let's revisit episode 1.
Honoring invitations & rules that bind the supernatural
Shortly before passing, Grandmother Wren asks Ame to do something important:
"This is your house when I am gone. But I ask, Ame, will you honor the invitations I extended once the house is yours?"
We don't know what invitations Grandmother Wren has extended, and maybe Ame doesn't either. Either way, we have seen that the rules of hospitality (guest rights) are important to witches, and Ame is reminded of this in the last moments of Grandmother Wren's life. The rules of hospitality aren't unidirectional; recall the emphasis that Suvi's mother and father put on following Grandmother Wren's rules as a guest. It's something that binds both parties. I'll get back to this in a second.
Let's jump to episode 2. The foreboding visitor to Grandmother Wren's (now Ame's) homestead is introduced with the use of the rule of threes. Three knocks on the door. Three steps back from the door. Three requests by Ame for the visitor to announce themselves before the visitor answers. The rule of threes here connects this visitor thematically to various folktales that bind supernatural entities to follow specific rules.
Another classic rule that binds the supernatural is the prohibition on entering a home without invitation. Recall that this home was willed to Ame upon Grandmother Wren's death.
I think it's clear that the rules of hospitality are supernaturally important in this world. For example, Eursalon was permanently changed by the act of entering a mortal home, being bathed, and being fed. These are all hospitalities to show a guest.
The foreboding visitor's request
The foreboding visitor claims that they are an old friend of Grandmother Wren and has come to pay their respects. It's clear that we are meant to distrust this visitor. Ame is on guard, having just learned of a powerful curse binding them. That said, I suspect that Grandmother Wren, in some time long past, invited thid King of the Night to visit her upon her death. Maybe it was part of some unrevealed bargain, but other than that I can't begin to speculate.
Here's where it comes together. The home is now Ame's, not Grandmother Wren's. A hypothetical invitation by Grandmother Wren doesn't bind Ame, though not honoring it may have disastrous ramifications. Violating rules of hospitality is profoundly bad in many cultures, and was often believed to bring on punishment by gods or spirits.
That said, Ame did not invite in the visitor, nor did she refuse them. She did a third thing: she delayed them by exactly one year. She bought the most amount of time she safely could.
Why not a year and a day (or more)? As described above, one year is the limit of time that certain things can occur within without transgression. If Ame had asked the visitor to return in a year and a day it may have been considered a defacto (automatic) refusal of the invitation and/or a breaking of the rules of hospitality. Instead, Ame gives herself a safe amount of time to figure this out without triggering unforeseen consequences. Very sharp thinking on Ame's/Erika's part.
Further speculation
In a fireside chat, Brennan and Erika discuss the design of the Witch class. They wanted the class to be a full spellcaster that, in part, specializes in cursing those who have harmed you or your friends, fitting with many depictions of witches.
At the end of episode one, when Grandmother Wren realizes that someone has cursed them, she observes:
"Ame, we've been robbed. And that's all right. We have them exactly where we want them, because they have trifled with us."
With the design of the witch class in mind, this reads as a hint that the unrevealed antagonist has made a misstep and has given Wren/Ame a means to enact retribution.
I think we're getting hints that there's a complex interplay of supernatural rules going on. I think Erika is showing subtle genre awareness, but not in a way that mixes player knowledge with character knowledge. Awareness of these supernatural laws would be fitting with Ame's characterization as an adept apprentice to a wildly powerful witch, after all.
This is why I think Ame gave the visitor "one year" and not "a year and a day": she gets the most possible time to figure out what's going on without accidentally breaking any invitations or supernatural laws.
Edit; post fireside chat 2 spoilers:
Okay so I was completely wrong
But
I hereby swear an oath to try to get them to incorporate this as though it had been intentional all along and thereby redeem myself.
#worlds beyond number#the wizard the witch and the wild one#twtwatwo#wbn pod#ame the witch#erika ishii#brennan lee mulligan#aaaa too many different hashtags in use for this podcast#twtwatwo spoilers#wbn spoilers
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