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#also Quigley is a really cool name
ven10 · 4 months
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devskindawritingblog · 5 months
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Dating Misty Quigley Christmas HC’s (1996)
Misty took me the longest and I think it’s the shortest. I tired my best. Sorry to any Misty fans
Misty is absolutely obsessed with Christmas and the holiday season
It is her favourite holiday, for sure
Loves decorating 
She sets up her Christmas tree as soon as she can
She also loves  decorating her house or room
Has a little tree in the corner of the room that she also decorates
Misty also seems like a knitter, so she would knit you a stocking with your name on it
She is the best baker out of all the girls
Loves making her own cookies and decorating them with you
She has a bunch of different colours of icing and sprinkles
She really likes those peanut butter marshmallow squares and the pistachio dessert with the cool whip
Loves staying inside with you and drinking tea
Hates comes back inside from the cold, and her glasses fog up, so she just stumbles around the house until they defog 
This isn't about Christmas, but i've had this idea since I watched the show.Also, a fellow glasses wearer, Misty definitely is the type of person to clean her glasses with soap and water
Inventor of the ugly Christmas sweater at this point
She has an assortment of them with bright colours and stupid puns
At this point, she has one for every day of the week
She definitely has one with a cat on it that says Merry Cat Mas 
Begs you to wear a matching one with her
And she is very manipulative about it
Guilt tripping you into wearing a fucking cat Christmas sweater
She likes advent calenders 
Whether it be the ones just for counting down the days or the ones where you get a little chocolate candy
She absolutely loves Christmas movies
Home Alone, Miracle On 34th Street, It's A Wonderful Life, one of the Nutcrackers, probably The Muppets Christmas Carol
You guys have a fun little movie night after you get time off school
She loves getting you very oddly specific gifts
Things you talked about once or things that remind you of her
Also a very personal gift giver
And she is also pretty good at wrapping gifts
Growing up she didn't have many friends, so she is really excited to celebrate this Christmas with you
She wants to do everything and anything
Type of person who is very organised 
If you are not relaxing she has a list of things you guys can do
Still believed in Santa until, like her senior year
I feel no one had the heart to tell her otherwise
She would preach it all through her school years 
“Santa is real guys! who do you think puts your presents under the tree?”
“It can’t be your parents; they are sleeping, duh!”
Wants to leave out a plate of cookies for Santa
And those little baby carrots for the reindeer
Type of person who likes getting like silly pairs of socks
Like the type with animals and like puns on them
(But let's be honest, socks are pretty fun)
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Ranking the ASOUE parts because I’m bored and my friend isn’t online
i would love to keep it extensive but i also don’t want tumblr to crash so i will keep it brief. spoilers, obviously. also charcater death.
13. The Grim Grotto
Listen just because it’s 13th doesn’t mean it’s BAD, it just means i’m kinda indifferent to it as opposed to obsessing over it like i do with the others. It’s just that I’m not THAT into nautical themes and I have 2 nautical-themed assignments to do in school today so I’m a little sick of it.
Also, I’m just not that big on Fiona as a character. I didn’t really like the two-girls-hate-each-other-for-no-reason thing that she had going with Violet (especially because it was really out of charcater for her), her romance with Klaus seemed out of place, and her being related to Fernald just seemed like it was pulled out of nowhere to get an emotional reaction. Again, I get why you’d like her and the part, it’s just not for me personally. Also esme’s worst outfit was featured here. Also in the netflix series it just wasn’t as funny as the other ones and that’s a huge thing for me
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12. The Wide Window
Honestly didn’t expect this one to be so low, but it’s difficult to choose between these bc i love them all </3 anyways I actually liked Josephine as a charcater, I like the idea that she wants to help the children but is rendered basically incompetent because of her fear, they really popped off with that. HOWEVER they did a very similar thing with Hector but way better so alas </3 12th place
Also like I said, not a massive fan of sea-themed aesthetics. Also also I LOVE all of count olaf’s disguises but I’m kind of indifferent to captain Sham so that also might be why. Also, again, the rest of the netflix series was way funnier
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11. The Carnivorous Carnival
Honestly, not much to say about this one. The “not really feeling strongly one way or the other” section has come early this year apparently. Esme and Olivia both SLAYED in their outfits and we got introduced to the circus crew which was cool as fuck. Sadly I have knocked SEVERAL points off for horny count olaf. The scene where he describes madame lulu as buttered really makes you appreciate how little force it takes to rip one’s ear off. It provides me with a new and informed understanding of the phrase “skin crawling”. other than that it’s pretty good :)
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10. The Slippery Slope
Now I was one of those people who didn’t know what Mount Fraught syndrome was before reading this book, and the reveal of why the mountain was named that fucking eviscerated me. I was used to this series pulling shit like this constantly and yet this one destroyed me for some reason. If you already knew what mount fraught syndrome was before reading/watching this scene then you didn’t get the full experience and i’m sorry for you.
I also don’t LOVE quigley and violet. I know i just said that about klaus and fiona so it kinda seems like i hate romance, but i really dont. i hate forced romance. romance just isn’t daniel handlers strong suit but he insists on writing it anyway, and that’s fine. it’s what i do with basically everything i write about. Especially since in the netflix series duncan also has a crush on violet so it’s kinda ??? for her to end up with quigley. like do you guys think when quigley and duncan reunited quigley told him about this really cool girl called violet he met and duncan was like “…”. anyways imagine getting cucked by your presumed dead twin brother could not be me
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9. The Austere Academy
okay so i felt bad putting this lower because i know someone that really likes this part but i’m sorry it’s just kinda there. i mean it was super funny and the dead horse bit is literally everything but that’s pretty much it. idk maybe there’s a metaphor in there that i’m missing who knows
also olivia was introduced so bonus points for that i guess. she reminds me of miss honey from matilda <33
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8. The Ersatz Elevator
honestly i feel bad that this is only 8th but there are so many good ones imsorry. anyways esme and jerome got introduced in this one which gives is a LOT of extra points. i love esme and i pity jerome which makes me also love him. also shoutout to günther for being the only count olaf disguise that could theoretically get it.
my only issue with it is that jerome disowning the baudelaires was kinda forced yk?? like i know it had to happen for the plot to carry on but i don’t think he had a good reason to do it. i guess points for doing something other than just killing them off again?
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7. The End
OKAY so you might be thinking “oh, this part is exactly in the middle! surely that means you’re neuteral about it” LMAO I WISH i have extreme positive and negative opinions.
okay so first off it took me a couple of rewatches to get this one because when i first watched it i didn’t know about the quote that it was referencing (“religion is the opium of the people”) but MAN they mentioned that quote in class and i was catatonic for like 2 minutes because oh my god. not only did the incredibly deadly viper come back (yippieee) but they also implied that in the bible adam and eve were actually saved from something by eating the fruit?? the 4chan atheist that lives in my head really likes this one, is what i’m saying. also i know i say that about all of them because my sense of humour is basically based on this series rn but it was so funny. i live and breathe for olaf’s lil christopher columbus moment.
sadly it does have its downsides (olaf and kit) (i really hate olaf and kit) (i don’t think they’re good together). i mean SURELY kit has better taste than that. i mean don’t get me wrong they’re both my favourite characters but they have no common ground on literally anything. plus this is biased but i liked him better with georgina or esme because they remind me of several songs i really like. they literally just pulled the kit x olaf thing out of their ass so that olaf would have some semblance of a reason to die. oh yea i also think olaf didn’t need to die, i know Kit didn’t eat the antidote because it would have affected the baby but olaf could have totally eaten it!! he was offered it!! he wasn’t pregnant!!! it was so out of charcater for him not to eat it!!
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6. The Hostile Hospital
Okay this one is SUPER biased because as y’all probably know i love the mad scientist trope it is my favourite trope ever AND i love count olaf so seeing them get put together was so cool. I know I keep bringing this up but i really do love the aesthetics they’re so cool. also also loved all the horror film references. most importantly (actually not that important) esmes outfit went so fucking hard literally i will never recover from the sheer power and moxie of Knife Heels. When I become actually talented at textiles i will recreate her outfit and probably ruin my carpet with those heels.
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5. The Bad Beginning
a classic <33 the netflix version of this was literally one of the funniest eps of anything i ever watched i could feel my brain chemistry being rearranged as i watched it. also count olaf’s best era idc what he did he was literally just being sillay. also it has one of the best songs in the series honestly. OH ALSO justice strauss <33 and the troupe <333 literally all the beloveds are here there are no flaws
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4. The Reptile Room
MONTY <333 HIIII MONTYYYY <33333333 literally my fav character he has never done anything wrong in his life ever. Also I love his fucking house it’s so cool if I had that much money I too would base my entire house on my special interest. also one of the only parts of the nickelodeon movie i didn’t hate so that’s fun.
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3. The Miserable Mill
Lots of cool shit here!! First of all Shirley served astronomical amounts of cunt she had zero bad lines. Also I honestly think Georgina and Olaf were so underrated they remind me of several songs i like also they’re both fucked up and evil <333 she’s like esme but without the ulterior sugar bowl motives. also the fact that her name is GEORGINA ORWELL like ok. queen of subtlety. Like I get it if I was named that I would prolly start hypnotising people too. I also kinda love orwellian themes yk those are always fun.
AND OMG HOW COULD I FORGET CHARLESSS i feel so bad for him constantly he has never done anything wrong in his life and is also inexplicably british i love him sm
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2. The Penultimate Peril
I love a good reunion episode tbh i love seeing all the characters together <33 also like this episode is so fun to dissect? (is that the right word?) i loved figuring out who JS was i loved finding differences between Frank and Ernest I loved figuring out what the fuck was going on it was so fun it’s like the best thing about this series.
of course that’s only partially true tpp would be nothing without those sexy sexy monologues
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1. The Vile Village
TVV BELOVED <33 I have a separate post about the but they literally have everything. it’s a metaphor for autism it’s a metaphor for religion it’s a metaphor for the school system is there anything they CANT do. Also this is like my 5th time saying this but there are 300+ characters and i’m an indecisive bitch so i will do it again. Hector the actual loml is literally my fav charcater hes so me. don’t worry dude i cant openly defy authority despite knowing its unjust either <3 literally we would be best friends irl. she’s RELATABLE she’s MORALLY AMBIGUOUS she has SEVERAL INTERPRETATIONS I AGREE WITH she’s STRANGE she’s everything you want in an asoue book honestly
Also detective dupin and officer luciana kinda slayed what was Wrong with them <3
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kyloreno-911 · 3 months
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Yes yes!! Eureka Springs in Arkansas!! It’s been years since I’ve been (like the pics we have of the time, I was wearing a Twilight shirt, and then a Justin Bieber shirt🤣🤣🤣) but I loved it. I think my family used to go more before I was born (long story short, my parents had me when they where older and don’t like to travel as much) but I’ve been once or twice I think? We didn’t eat at any fancy restaurants, cause we were going to Silver Dollar City after, but I remember the candy shop on Main Street having the best peanut butter cups ever, and we climbed so many stairs my legs almost gave out. I think if I go back I’d have to try more restaurants cause I keep getting videos of restaurants on instagram haha, and I think I’d want to see more springs. There’s one spring we went too, it wasn’t in town, it was a little ways outside town, and it was perfectly circular with a bridge and they’d made it into a well at one point I think? But they had it set up so you could put your feet in. It was so pretty, and I wish I could remember the name.
Uhhhh, sorry for info dumping in your ask box, but yes! Eureka Springs in Arkansas haha.
Hiiiiiii Info dump anytime! I could talk all day about Eureka Springs lol. We like to go there every few years. I think I know what candy shop you are talking about, but I think it changed? I'm not sure. They have a soda store there now with tons of different flavors.(along with candy) I always like to stop at the nut house simply to get the brown paper sack that reads "this is my nut sack".
Yessss the walking though omg- VERY steep streets and so many steps. I have actually never went to the springs there, next time I go I definitely need to check it out. (you would think I would have but usually so tired from going to all of the shops) The Mud Street Cafe is so cool too. The coffee drinks are so pretty and so yummy. Also, when you get the chance to go again Quigley's Castle is so worth it. The story behind it is so interesting and it is so whimsical and just cool to see in person.
I don't know, the place just seems really inviting and inclusive (which is very rare here), and I've always had a really good time visiting.
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pyr0man1c · 1 month
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I need to keep ranting about obey me characters and if they’d like ASOUE.
The original Satan and Barbatos one here
There will be spoilers for A series of unfortunate events!!
In order:
Lucifer wouldn’t particularly enjoy it but he can recognize the story, plot, and style and if he enjoys anything in it. Probably likes the dark academia look of the series.
I feel like his favorite character would be Lemony Snicket, Lucifer likes the tone and scene Lemony sets, his words, and also how he’s constantly telling the watcher to “look away” from the tragic tale and find something better and more enjoyable.
Mammon would really like it, not that he thinks it’s bad just that it’s not his thing. If he had to say something he likes it would probably be how rich the Squalors are how the plot is well written and shows characters and how they grow(I would say “development” but mammon doesn’t know that word yet)
Mammon would say his favorite character is Sir(form the Miserable Mill episode) but it’s actually something like Jerome, or Jacque.
Jerome not only the riches but also how he stood up against someone he loved (Esme) for some kids he barely knew and because he didn’t want to take her manipulation anymore, he likes the bravery and selflessness he had.
Jacque because Mammon just likes Jacques personality (and how he practically insulted a child) and got killed trying to save the Quagmire triplets and Baudelaire’s.
It’s not Levi’s his thing, he prefers his anime and not “normie shows”. (😔) he would probably hear about the mystery in it and be like,
“Omg!!! Reminds me of [insert very long obscure mystery anime name]”
At least he has something to enjoy with that..ig???
I honestly think Levi like Montgomery Montgomery. The guys has hundreds of REPTILES. Who would love that?? LEVI. THE SNAKE DUDE!!!
I feel like Monty’s energy and how uplifting he is would completely mild out Levi’s insecure and self destructive energy. (They’re both too focused on reptiles to care about feeling bad)
I already covered Satan but I have something else, I link my first one!
I already said Satan would like Klaus..but I also think he’d like Olivia Caliban. She’s a librarian, smart, makes literary references, he’d love her character, so much!!
Speaking about personality wise, she likes how she sacrificed herself to be eaten by fucking lions. LIONS. SHES A FUCKING BADASS.
(He’d probably like the quagmires too, went fucking crazy when they revealed Quigley was still alive)
He was so invested when she and Jacque started having romance and absolutely heartbroken when he died.
Asmo would find it too sad, he can’t ruin his perfect makeup!! (Also it’s just tragic) He wouldn’t really enjoy it the style is too dark, at least some of them have good fashion sense he can admit that.
Hands down..Asmo would like Esme. Not because of her actions against the Baudelaire’s that’s just bad, he likes her fashion and obsession with looks, he’d watch it and be like “this isn’t..omg, girl slay haha babe that’s so pretty” He understands the “pinstripes are in, and those nasty outfits you’re wearing? Are out.” “you’re so right girl”
I feel like he’d hate Carmelita because she’s just a bitch.
Beelzebub is probably mixed, he doesn’t hate it but he doesn’t necessarily like it, I’m having a hard time here okay
This one is easy, his favorite character is Larry your Waiter. Duh, the guy is a waiter and can make some bomb ass root beer floats I mean did you SEE the root beer floats in that one episode??? Fucking delicious.
Belphegor could care less, yeah it’s cool but I wanna go to bed?? He’d watch it if he had too and wouldn’t complain at least it’s kinda cool.
I cant think of anyone he’d like, he’s probably jealous of that scene of Jerome just fucking conked out on the couch tho.
Diavolo thinks it’s interesting, he’d find it sad but thinks it’s very good and well written, would watch if he felt like it.
His favorite would probably be Justice Strauss, her energy matches his, energetic and caring, 10/10.
Or Charles and Phil from the lucky smells lucky mill.
Barbatos i already talked about with Satan
I honestly think Simeon would be interested and I think he’d like it, despite the tragedy its well written and interesting, he’d watch it.
His favorites would probably be Strauss and Monty, they’re both just so caring, kind, and comforting! (Monty’s cake also looked delicious as hell he wants it)
I feel like he’d like the Baudelaire’s and Quagmires too, all of them, their so devoted, forgiving and caring he thinks their such good kids.
I think Luke wouldn’t be allowed to watch it, Simeon doesn’t really want him to, Luke was upset until Solomon was like “okay watch it then” and Luke was so sad after like..Solomon..wtf..☹️
Luke likes the beginning of the reptile room with meeting Monty that was very nice, and when the Baudelaire’s met Strauss. Happy moments guys happy moments..
If Luke had favorites it would be Sunny and Strauss, Sunny is into cooking and baking and he is too, he also loves Strauss motherly energy, very nice.
He had nightmares of Count Olaf for a week.
Solomon feeds off the tragedy..he loves it..so why wouldn’t he love this sad story. Him and Satan agree it’s a great series, 10/10.
His favorites are any character who is fucking psycho Monty and Olivia, he likes the reef he Monty does, I mean, Solomon is a sorcerer who likes research, he likes Monty. He likes Olivia’s book smarts and how she can just be like “oh you need a book on [very specific weird thing]? I got it.”
Bonus!
All of them agree that the Baudelaire’s and Quagmire tripletes, they’re respectful, kind, caring, smart, and overall good kids.
End notes
Guys mid way through this I found out that Sir and Charles are a gay couple, and then Charles was with fucking Jerome my suspicion was true.(now I remember it being hinted but omg)
This was meant to be more serious and it was in the beginning with Lucifer and Mammon but it devolved into my rambling, I’m sorry for that😭
If it looks like I favored Mammon with how long his is I don’t, I just had a lot more for him because his felt easier and I wanted to get that out.
There are character in ASOUE I wish I included but I haven’t watched the series for a bit so either:
I don’t remember the characters.
I don’t remember/know enough about them.
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thealmightyemprex · 2 years
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Favorite Movie Rambles : REturn of the Living Dead
Still on a horror movie kick,so gonna look at one of my favorite Zombie films,the darkly humorus Return of the Living Dead
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In this 1985 warehouse employees Frank (James Karen) and Freddy (Thom Matthews ) accidently release a toxin that causes the dead to rise,hungry for brains ,while Freddy's punk friends are partying at the nearby cemetary
So I have a fondness for what I call "How bad can this get " stories ,and by God , I cant think of a better one then this film,because this is a domino effect of pure chaos . I like the mix of characters as well ,with the cast being mix of older working joes but also these young Punks ,and I love all of them .I always say the job of a horror film is for me to like the characters and I love the characters in this film
Lets start with the Punks.Now this is a comedy so these are intentionally over the top punks ....But I find them so endearing ,they just wanna party and the performances for them are all of them are pretty fun ,and they are all diffrent :Casey is the party girl,Chuck is kind of a dork ,Scuz is punk classic ,Tina is the nice girl,and so on .My favorites of the punks are Trash,Spider ,and Suicide(Yeah thats his name). Suicide is not in the film long but I wish he was .Suicide is the "Spooky " one a very intense angry dude,who other then Trash (Who has a thing for him) ,the others seem to only hang out with him cause he has a car ,but when push comes to shove he is there if his friends are in trouble .I find him hilarious and Mark Venturini does a good job and in a movie full of great qoutable lines ,he gets one of the best " You think this is a fuckin' costume? This is a way of life." Miguel A Nunez Jr plays Spider ,and he just does an amazing job,being really the lead punk and the one who clashes with Burt ,the guy who runs the warehouse . Possibly the most memorable of the Punks is TRash .....Now I think for most fans its cause she spends most of the film nude ,which is handwaved in universe as dancing naked just being a thing she does ,but what I love is the performance of now horror icon Linnea Quigley ,in that Trash.....Is kind of a poser. She puts up this persona of being this death obsessed hardcore punk ,but its hinted that its an act,and when things go south she is as pancked as everyone else (Also minor spoiler: Her death is really sad to me )
Now while the punks are memorable ,the warehouse guys are also great . Gonna start with our in between character Freddy .Freddy is a punk who got a job at the warehouse . Thom Matthews does a great job ,I think Freddy is a very likeable character .....And he is a great trick on the audience ,as there is a shif t with him .Don Calfa plays Ernie the Embalmer , who is the character with his head on his shoulders and I love his relationshipwith Burt (Also,no the fact two friends were called Burt and Ernie was not intentional according to writer and director Dan O Bannon ).Burt is our main lead played very well by Clu Gulager ,and I love that he seems to be a decent boss ,definately cares about Frank and Freddy .....And I adore when the zombies problem arises he's more just annoyed with it but does believe Frank .Speaking of Frank,he is my favorite character in the film ,and all that is all down to the magnificent performance of James Karen .He starts off as the cool old guy but once things go sideways ,he is freaking the fuck out!!! He also gets possibly the saddest scene in the film(A idea which came from James Karen himself )
I should point out while this film is a comedy.....It does the drama really well.Without spoiling I actually fell sad when characters die or are zombified .I feel bad for the characters who are losing friends ,and I feel that these characters truly care about each other
The film is also very scary and thats cause the zombies are scary .I'm not a zombie fan .......But these ones TERRIFY me.....Cause they are fast,sentient.....And there is no way to kill them save for cremation....Which causes more problems .This is the film that established the pop culture culinary taste of zombies:That they eat brains . The effects are hit and miss,I think the extra zombies look kind of lame.....BUT THE MAIN ZOMBIES ARE TERRIFYING .The are designed to resemble the grotesque living corpses from EC Comics The most memorable of the bunch is the Tarman ,this gooey skeletal fella who keeps bellowing "BRAIIIINNNS" ,played by puppeteer Allan Trautman .I think the scariest scene in the film however involves a captured zombie.....And being intelligent ,she talls us why they eat brains.I also just love the set up of the film:In the universe of this film,Night of the Living Dead was loosley based on a real case ,and the scene of James Karen revealing this is amazing
The film is also very funny .The punks can be goofy ,there is some wondeful dark comedy with the zombies, and the fact that everyone is freaking out feels true to life .The best scenes are with Burt,Frank,Ernie and Freddie however .I like Ernies intro scene ,where bBurt delivers a story that is even more unbelivable then wahats really going on. The crown jewel for me are when Freddy,Frank and Burt deciding to mimic Night of the Living Dead by destroying the brain ....Which doesnt work leading Freddy to say my favorite line in the film "YOU MEAN THE MOVIE LIED !???"
Overall this film is a great mix of comedy ,tragedy and horror
@ariel-seagull-wings @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @the-blue-fairie @angelixgutz @amalthea9 @themousefromfantasyland
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unsoundedcomic · 3 years
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As divisive as Erm (dangit, I forgot her proper name, I'm sorry!!) has been, I'm sad at the thought that she's probably run her role in the comic. She's somehow the character that captured my attention the hardest since Jon, and I would love to know more about her, or read some sort of side story about her! I just find everything about her so cool and interesting. It's also fun to see an intelligent scientist character into "cutesy" or "superfluous" stuff so dedicatedly.
You'll see more of her! She escaped Quigley, so she's alive. This chapter's hard because there are so many different characters doing things and we have to spend long times away from favourites. That shot of Sette last update was a life preserver thrown to Sette fans so you'd know she hasn't been forgotten.
I really like being able to depict powerful, savvy female characters who unabashedly act just as feminine as they want. So often you have to drop that to get ahead in the world, but not in Cresce, where the feminine isn't automatically seen as weak or wicked. I'm glad you picked up on that :) It's part of Sara and Siya's dynamic too. Sara is very girly and likes boys and play-acting, and Siya finds all of that so frivolous in comparison to her own Great Works. It's something I always struggled with too when I was younger. I was one of those goth "I'm not like *other* girls!" brats. Eventually I learned to get over myself, realising I only thought that way because I'd let society brainwash me into vilifying the feminine. Cresce doesn't do that, but Siya's managed to convince herself that only her art matters in the context of her short life, and she refuses to value anyone or anything else.
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ultimate-cinephile · 3 years
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more stuff that no one asked for! keep in mind that the ask box is open so feel free to request!
JOKER FLUFF ALPHABET
he deserves more love!
A- Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)
Okay, let’s be honest, you fell for Joker because of the hair or because of his eye.
He fell for you because he admired your bravery and kindness (doesn’t matter if you’re part of the SPFF, helping him and Licht, or just a plain ol civilian). You two met because he had showed up in your apartment one night, bleeding out, and your first instinct was to patch him up, and as soon as you were done, you pulled a knife on him.
B- Baby (Do they want a family? Why or why not?)
I think Joker wouldn’t really want kids. He lives a dangerous life, and so far, you’ve been the closest thing to normal that he’s been able to keep without it being taken away from him. If he did decide he wanted kids, he would have to have finished his work and he would have to be sure that no one would be coming for him or his future family.
C- Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)
Despite appearances, Joker is most definitely a cuddler. He loves wrapping his arms around you or having your arms wrapped around him because he likes that security. He loves the assurance that you’re there. 
With that being said, his go to cuddling position is probably the Honeymoon Hug. It gives him access to feel your arms wrapped around him and the security that gives him, and it allows him to wrap his arms around you. It makes him feel like both the protectee and the protector.
D- Dates (What are dates with them like?)
Joker…. doesn’t really plan dates. If you help him on his mission, that’s probably the closest to a date you get with him. Well, you two do order take-out and cuddle while binging some movies too. If you really want to go out though, just tell him and he’ll plan a most extravagant evening out.
It doesn’t really matter what you two do as a date though. Joker just loves spending time with you. You two could literally be watching paint dry and he’d be content with it, as long as it’s with you.
E- Everything (You are my ___; eg: my life, my world)
You are my only hope in this godforsaken world.
F- Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)
After a long night of helping Joker decipher some clue he picked up on his latest expedition. You were mumbling to yourself and tossing out guesses. Joker took a moment and looked at you. Your eyebrows were furrowed, eyes squinted yet somehow glaring at the clue, biting your lip in frustration. You caught his gaze and asked if something was wrong and he tossed out a witty remark. You laughed and in that moment Joker realized that if this was normal, he wanted it, and he wanted it with you.
G- Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)
Joker is not a gentle man. However, with you, he is the most gentle person to ever walk the face of the planet. He knows that you’re more than capable of handling yourself, but he’s so terrified of losing the best thing to ever happen to him that he sometimes treats you like the slightest touch would break you.
H- Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)
Joker likes to slip his hand into yours and then you intertwine your fingers. Depending on his mood, he might lightly swing them. If you two are cuddling and you lace your hands together, they’re probably laying on his chest.
I- Impression (What was their first impression?)
Your first impression was probably somewhere along the lines of: “Man, I can’t wait to eat my rame- HOLY SOL, THERE’S A GUY BLEEDING OUT ON MY COUCH!” When you were able to think rationally, and after Joker had managed to talk you out of removing the knife from his throat, you thought he was weird and a little creepy, but you guys managed to bond anyways.
His first impression of you was that you were incredibly kind. I mean, you patched him up without a second thought. His second thought was, “Okay, this chick/dude might slit my throat. They’re awesome.”
J- Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)
He absolutely does not. 
How can you be jealous of someone who never existed in the first place?
Okay, so he does get jealous, and he might not go to the extent of murdering someone (although I wouldn’t say he’s above it). Usually if he gets jealous, Joker just materializes at your side and the guy almost immediately makes up an excuse to leave. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, he doesn’t trust the other guys.
K- Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)
He probably did. The first time he kissed you was impulsive and quick and neither of you realized what was going on until you pulled away. He got embarrassed so you dived back in to kiss him again.
Kisses with Joker start off soft and slow and almost timid if you’re really looking for it, but eventually get more passionate. He always drags it out for as long as possible and they always tell you just how much you mean to him without him ever having to say it. Needless to say, when the both of you pull away, you’re usually breathless.
L- Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)
Honestly, probably you.
You and Joker were kissing one night and when you pulled away you breathlessly sighed, “I love you.”
When you looked at him, he was tearing up, and he moved to hug you, quickly repeating the phrase. He loves you so much, and he was scared to say it in case you didn’t feel the same.
He can’t thank you enough for loving him and giving him the normal life he’s always wanted.
M- Memory (What’s their favorite memory together?)
His favorite memory involving the two of you is simple. You two were cuddling. He had woken up first and you were still sleeping. Your hair was beautifully splayed out behind you. You looked so peaceful while you slept that he dared not move for fear of waking you. The light from the window highlighted your face perfectly and it was just perfect.
N- Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person that they love everything?)
Joker doesn’t buy you everything. If he sees you eyeing something a lot, he will buy it for you with no hesitation, but he isn’t the guy that goes out and buys you a teddy bear for no reason either.
O- Orange (What color reminds them of their other half?)
Green. You had an ivy plant in your bathroom so anytime he sees that magnificent shade of green, he thinks back to how you two first met and he goes full sap mode.
P- Pet Names (What pet names do they use?)
Doll is his go to. I don’t know why. It's just is. He’s also rather fond of love, dove, and baby.
Q- Quaint (What is their favorite non-modern thing?)
The watch. He keeps it, even broken, and it is still one of his greatest treasures.
R- Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)
On a rainy day, he loves to make some type of hot drink and then curl up on the couch with you in his arms while you watch westerns (like The Magnificent Seven, Tombstone, or Quigley Down Under).
S- Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)
Joker doesn’t cheer himself up. He bottles up his emotions and distracts himself.
DO NOT CRY AROUND THIS MAN!!! He has no idea how to console a person and he gets extremely awkward. He’s torn between joking and hugging you so he settles for rubbing your back. He’ll let you talk and offer to help the best he can.
T- Talking (What do they talk about?)
With you? Anything and everything. His goals, his mission, whatever movie you managed to get him into.
U- Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)
Cuddles. Cuddles help him relax. Please cuddle this man. Any sort of physical contact from you makes all of his worries and stress from the day melt away, and it’s just what he needs after a long day.
V- Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)
Well, he is proud of you and shows you off to his associates as much as he can.
Aside from you, his hair. Like, have you seen it? hOW DOES HE GET THAT VOLUME???
W- Wedding (When, how, and where do they propose?)
Joker bought a ring two weeks before he proposed to you.
Where and how he proposed is kinda funny. Both of you were exhausted. You had either accompanied he and Benimaru on their mission or spent the entire night worrying about him, and he had done cool fighting stuff all night. So when he got home, you both crashed onto the bed and he immediately pulled you into his arms.
He thought you were asleep, and in truth, he almost was too, when he popped the question. “(Y/N), you mean a lot to me, more than I’m capable of expressing. You’ve given me the closest thing to a life that I’ll ever have and you make life suck a little less. Marry me?”
Imagine his shock when you mumbled out a sleepy, “Yes.” Nevertheless, you woke up with a ring on your finger in the arms of your fiancee.
X- Xylophone (What’s their song?)
I have absolutely no idea why but the Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan reminds me of Joker.
For your relationship song, I’d say it’s most definitely James Dean and Audrey Hepburn by Sleeping With Sirens.
Y- Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)
He absolutely would love to marry you, and he thinks about it all of the time. He buys a ring on a whim and carries it around for two weeks and constantly thinks about when would be the right time to do it.
Z- Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)
He wants a dog. Having a fluff ball around would be fun to him. Plus, he’s always wanted one.
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aethersea · 3 years
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you know what, I never do these things, but actually I’ve decided I would like to get to know people better! I would like to partake of the mortifying ordeal! I would like to talk about myself for a bit!
ok for the next...let’s say five days I will answer any of these things that people tag me in, or any random personal questions you plop in my ask box. I don’t have an ask meme on hand but just....pick one you’ve seen recently, or make up questions of your own, and I’ll answer. (the answer might be ‘nope that’s private’ but I will answer.) (@ the anon who asked for book recs - I see you, I’ve been thinking of books all day, I’m going to give you SUCH a long answer, I hope you don’t regret your choices bc it WILL be full of gushing)
alright, let’s go!
🌻 Tag 9 people you want to get to know better
Tagged by @booksandchainmail​
Last Song: I’m currently listening to “Falcon in the Dive” from the Scarlet Pimpernel musical on loop. I watched one or two Scarlet Pimpernel movies when I was just barely too young to fully get what was going on, and the story’s held an odd but deep-seated place in my heart ever since. A few years ago I found out there’s a musical and most of the songs are pretty stellar (go listen to “Madame Guillotine” if you like big ensemble broadway numbers, it’s a banger, the bit where he cries out for God has been running through my mind on and off for a few days now haha not like that’s topical or anything), so every once in a while I spend a few days listening to them a lot.
Sometime last year I read the actual book, and got super into the whole concept of the Scarlet Pimpernel for a while. I plotted out Pimpernel aus for several fandoms, I read the entire wikipedia article, and I went looking for bootlegs of the musical. I didn’t find one, but I did find a full radioplay-style recording of the script, complete with full musical numbers, and listened to it like a podcast.
Reader, I was so disappointed. The play adds some scenes, bc a lot of the dramatic tension of the novel comes from internal conflict and that doesn’t stage super well, and the very first scene of this play – a play written in the NINETIES – features our dashing hero rescuing some aristocrats from a French prison, and then saying to the person in the next cell, who begs for rescue but is not an aristocrat, “We have enough of your kind in England.”
Enough! of your KIND! What in the merry frickety HECK my dudes!! The book has some rather unfortunate™ takes but it is from 1905, it’s regrettable but sadly to be expected. This play is from 1997. It has NO excuse. This scene wasn’t even in the book! What! the heck!
I was so disheartened that I lost my excitement for the play, and a couple songs later I stopped listening. It occurred to me just a few days ago that you could actually stage that ironically, with the person in the cell giving the audience a “can you believe this” look, and then the rest of the play could feature assorted non-aristocratic ensemble members constantly looking at the audience like they’re on The Office. And hey, maybe that’s what they did, or something similar – maybe that was never meant to be taken as a cleanly heroic stance, and the play deals with it in a complex way. It’s possible. I wouldn’t know. Kinda doubt it though, based on song lyrics.
Favorite Color: red, probably
Last Movie: I watched that new lesbian christmas movie with my family for christmas, the one with kirsten stewart and the guy from schitt’s creek. it’s very sweet and good and kinda sad, and I really enjoyed it. it also incidentally has the best gay best friend trope in probably anything ever, bc it’s not a trope (I didn’t realize until several hours after watching that it technically fits), it’s just a guy who is the protagonist’s best friend, and they’re just all gay, and then when he Gives Relationship Advice as a gay best friend always does, it’s advice about how to deal with your partner’s hangups around coming out.
actually every part of the gay best friend trope becomes better when they’re just best friends who are both gay. the big dramatic gestures (in this case, driving some ungodly distance in the snow on no notice) go from “haha how kooky” to “queer man will do anything he needs to to rescue his queer friend from an isolating & potentially triggering situation”. the relationship advice isn’t “honey you deserve some self-respect, treat yourself”, it’s a deeply sincere reminder of the vulnerability that is shared across almost everyone’s queer experience, and look I could ramble about this for a long time before reaching a coherent point but I’m INTO IT, okay? I’m into it.
Last Show: you want me to remember what show I last finished???? impossible, cannot be done, it was a long time ago and the adhd has eaten everything that happened before last week. here, instead I’ll tell you about another movie I watched, late at night with my mom in cozy companionship just a couple days ago. it’s called Quigley Down Under and it’s about a cowboy who goes to Australia and kills a bunch of racists, 10/10 would watch again. it’s from 1990 but it feels much older, with the music choices and the cinematography of a 70s Western. the cowboy is great, honorable and fearless and kind, but the breakaway star of this movie for me is the woman who attaches herself to his side and refuses to leave. her name is Cora, and she’s crazy, in the sense that she’s not altogether tethered to reality, but this never for a second diminishes her agency. she’s fierce and clever and compassionate, and she basically never does anything she doesn’t want to in the whole movie. her arc is about overcoming trauma by taking charge of her own fear and facing it head-on, she is never belittled or dismissed by the narrative or the protagonist, and look she’s just so cool. I love her. she’s so vibrantly alive. her story could probably have been handled with a bit more nuance, but honestly for the 90s it’s pretty great. I’m no expert, but I found nothing objectionable in it, just a bit of heavy-handedness.
anyway the theme of the movie is that racism is evil and racists deserve to be shot, and this too could have been handled better (not a single aboriginal character speaks a single line of english in this movie), but it follows through on that message in every way, while still being a fun kinda campy cowboy movie. overall a very good time.
Currently Watching: started showing my sister Hilda the other day, and she’s liking it! I love that show, it’s so incredibly cute. can’t wait to see season 2
Currently Reading: lmao I wish. lately the brain has firmly rejected all attempts to read anything of any length. currently pending, bc I was halfway through them when my brain stalled out, are tano’s fic What Does Kill You Can Make You Stronger, Too, a Toby Daye book - I think it was The Brightest Fell, I got like half a chapter in and haven’t picked it up in over a month, the Locked Tomb series, and probably a few other things too. ooh! also a book called Making Sex by thomas laqueur, which is my fancy academic reading that I’ve been doing in short bursts for the past year or two when I feel fancy and academic. it’s about the development of the concept of biological sex and of gender in Western society, and it’s fascinating. has among other things introduced me to the idea that until quite recently, fathers were a matter of faith. the mother? yeah, you can watch the baby pop out, we all know who the mother is. but the father? how can you know? how can you really know? we have paternity tests these days, but for all of human history up until now, we've just had to take fatherhood on faith. (not to mention we didn’t even know what fathers were contributing to the production of a fetus. clearly it was something, since you can’t get pregnant without a penis getting involved, but we have literally not known what until the past few decades. and that is wild. it has colored ALL of human history, all of our conceptions of society and family and kinship and gender, all of it, and it hadn’t even occurred to me until it was spelled out for me in this book, and it’s just......wow.
Salty, sweet or savory: for christmas my sister and I made seven different types of cookie, most of them involving chocolate somehow.
Craving: no bc I ate so many cookies. unless sleep counts. or maybe pringles, it’s been many moons since last I had a potato chip and I miss them.
Coffee or Tea: no thank you
Tagging: @coloursisee, @krchy-tuna, @sam-j-squirrel, @xzienne, @mirandatam, @viciousmaukeries, @sepulchritude, @elidyce, and @navigatorsnorth bc it’s been a while since we’ve talked, and I’m super hyped that you’re married now. v happy for you!
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gayenerd · 3 years
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Interview by Eric Flexyourhead, originally published in Discorder Magazine, December 1991. Curious that they’re asked about playing Vancouver and there’s no mention of Billie Joe’s stalker lmao
Green Day are more punk than most punk or hardcore bands around. I remember saying this to myself when I first saw Green Day two years ago. If you've been among the lucky to hear any Green Day, chances are that you know where I'm coming from.
Green Day play in a style that most would call pop-punk. With even more pop to it than punk, Green Day play catchy songs; memorable songs. Hell...maybe you could even call it "fluffy-girl-pop stuff". But it's more than music. It's an attitude I'm describing. Green Day live to play their music, an unequaled passion that fills their lives. It's not about money or fame or girls, they just do what they want to do and keep on doing it. This, my friend, is what i strongly admire them for.
Green Day are: Billie-guitar/vocals, Mike-bass, Tre-drums.
So, how many times have Green Day played Vancouver now? Are things getting better for you with every time you come here?
Billie: I think four times now. We played in Victoria as well, and it was the first time that we've played an actual club. We've played all-ages there but (last time) we played at this place called Harpo's and it was a really, really good show.
Tre: I got a bike out of it! A real whoop-de old Schwinn with a stick shift on it...chopper. I got it for free from some kid.
Billie: I'm glad we got to play the Nappy Dugout just because of the name. Green Day at the Nappy Dugout sounds pretty cool to me.
That was a cool show, there were just over 200 kids there. That's pretty amazing. I remember the first time you guys played here, there was almost no one there!
Billie: It seems people tend to go to more shows here.
Are the rumors true that Green Day is the only band people will go to see at Gilman Street? (Gilman Street is a great volunteer run all-ages club in Berkeley.)
Billie: no, but we are practically the only band in the punk scene in Berkeley now. Everybody seems to be breaking up this year. This year there's been five or six different bands that have broken up; the bigger bands like Blatz, Mr. T Experience, Jack Acid, Paxton Quigley. Jawbreaker is going to break up soon. Fifteen is on shakey ground.
What is your response to people who say that Green Day's songs have absolutely no socially redeeming values, that you have nothing valid to say, and that you're just a "fluffy-girl-pop band"?
Tre: We say "ha, ha..."
Mike: They haven't read all the lyrics.
Billie: Let them think what they want to think. We write what we write and if they don't like it, to hell with them! We're not going to cater to people. We're not going to sit around and ask "Why don't you like us?". Our lyrics are obviously about something, you've just got to take a look at yourself more than looking at things on the outside, like politics.
Tre: Also, a lot can be said with simpler words; a lot of people find simpler lyrics easier to relate to. We get letters from people all the time that say "that song...I'm going through the same stuff". If we have no socially redeeming qualities, or whatever, I say to each his own.
You're not writing these songs as "this is what we're going to do", it just happens?
Mike: More or less. We don't sit and say "We're going to write a song about a girl today". If it comes up, that's the way we're feeling at the time.
How long do you see Green Day continuing as a band for? Do you want it to continue as a long term thing?
Billie: We just take it day by day and not try to build up expectations.
Tre: More like month by month actually...
Mike: Everyone likes to predict that we are going to break up. That's why the band has never been a "business thing", it's a "music thing". For example, people ask us when our next album is coming out, we're just writing music to write music, if an album comes out that's great.
Billie: We're doing what we're doing. Most of the people that say we suck aren't really doing what they're doing. It's basically just a jealousy trip.
Mike: Ya', we're just taking it show by show.
Tre: Our van broke today and Blueberry fixed it in an hour and twenty minutes.
Mike: Blueberry is roadie number two. Milkbone and Blueberry, that's Ben and Scott.
I hate doing interviews...totally. Although the finished product usually makes it all worthwhile.
Billie: It's really hard to "read" an interview. Sometimes people will say things with different tones of voice, and it's not actually what they're saying. If someone says somebody sucks you can't tell if they're being sarcastic or serious. Sometimes I'll read something I've said and think "what an asshole, did I actually say that!?!".
I think the hardest thing to do in an interview is have it really mean anything. It might mean something, but maybe that's just how you felt at that time. You may change your mind an hour later.
Billie: You can also think of that in the terms of the different stages of your life: something I may have said when I was seventeen isn't going to apply when I'm twenty-one.
The finished product has a sense of permanence. Here's this tangible thing sitting there with pictures...someone can read it and think to themselves "Cool, I think I'll check out Green Day the next time they come to town. I think I'll check out a Green Day record".
Billie: If you think about it, say ten years from now, you could have a little collection of quotes that all add up to one thing. You can kick back and go "Oh...that's what they're all about".
When you return home after touring do you have jobs to go back to, or is the band doing enough that you can devote your time to just the band?
Mike: We don't work. We're not rich, but we don't work. We live off playing (in Green Day). I just hope we don't burn out on each other. That's one thing that I fear...burning out.
Is kerplunk! doing well? Are you surprised with how popular you are?
Billie: It's going good so far, I've got no complaints. We've got to keep on looking forward, keep doing what we're doing, but also look to different audiences.
Since you're doing this day by day, month by month, seeing how things go along, do you have any plans for the big major label push?
Billie: That similar to what I was saying before, where one thing you say three years ago isn't going to match up with what you say later on; the circumstances are different. Three years ago I was a snot-nosed little punk in high school just shooting off my mouth. Now I've got a lot more responsibilities. I'm not saying we're going to sell out or anything, but you come to realize that you don't want to go to work everyday. People don't want to have a lame job, they want to do what they want to do. Some people will go to school for twenty years and still be unhappy with what they're doing. I've been playing music almost all of my life and this is what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. So who knows what my opinion on the music industry will be like three years from now, it's something that's just not predictable.
Mike: I'm not saying we're leaning towards that or anything but I see a lot of people that aren't punk, who won't even go to punk shows, who like our music. We go to punk shows, punk shows are rad, but there's a lot of punks sneering and spitting on us screaming "fuck-you!"...sometimes it's all you can take.
Billie: There's no way we're going to limit ourselves to one small group of people, that's just stupid. Everyone has a right to listen to what they want.
Any final words?
Billie: We're not as serious as this interview may make us seem.
Mike: We're totally ridiculous.
Billie: The things that we're talking about now aren't even the things we think about. We're not into this...
Mike: We don't even think about the band, we just play music and hang out.
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what is your favorite asoue book? which episode is your favorite?
My 2 favourite books are probably The Austere Academy and The Slippery Slope. TAA is kind of the beginning of them finding out about vfd and realizing that there's a lot more going on surrounding their house burning down than what they previously thought so I see it as kind of a turning point in the series for the baudelaires, if that makes sense? I also really like the quagmires and we see the most of them in TAA. In TSS I love Lemony's letter to Kit and I really appreciate the way he 'hid' it within the book. And then meeting Quigley was really cool too and then him and Violet going up the waterfall I'm still like <3 <3<3.
I really wish at some point we got to see all the quagmires together
For the show, in terms of story line it's probably the same as the books, but I also really like The Reptile Room because of Olaf's Stephano disguise. Idk I think a lot of his lines are funny (when they're at the theater and he's like, 'Stephano? My name isn't...aaaaaanything but Stephano') . And then I also really like The Ersatz Elevator because of Esme.
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I'm obsessed with your Descendants au for asoue, do you have any angsty headcanons for it?
DO I????? 
angst is literally my middle name my buddy my pal and like half the unfortunate gen are villain kids 
okay sO
First and foremost. Duncan probably has the worst parental relationship of the entire squad. He’s… very clearly not super evil, which does not make Maleficent treat him well. Isadora and Quigley realized this pretty quickly and basically took over raising him so he could avoid their mom for as long as possible 
The triplets are insanely protective of each other, and pretty much the only thing that can get Duncan mad is when someone’s trying to hurt Isadora or Quigley
Meanwhile, Fiona received little to no attention from her parents and was raised mainly by Fernald and a bunch of pirate teens. So basically her first instinct towards anything she doesn’t like is “stab.” This makes making friends very difficult 
And Carmelita and her Mom basically had the relationship of “either perfect mother and daughter or a nonstop screaming match and really it’s just a roll of the dice on what it’ll be this hour.” And her Dad, the King of Hearts, was basically just like. making sure nobody died, so she has an okay relationship with him, just not great bc he clearly cares more about pleasing the Queen than paying attention to Carm. 
Fiona and Isadora hated each other at first because they were basically both taught to value power above all else, and they didn’t like that someone else was closer to being a gang leader. So a lot of their interactions were originally very heated and ended with them almost killing each other. 
and that’s just isle stuff whoot then they get to auradon
It takes the kids a very long time to realize that anyone actually likes them. Especially Carmelita and Isadora. 
Duncan has panic attacks sometimes, when he messes something up. The only ones who can calm him down are his triplets or Klaus- or sometimes Friday, if she doesn’t panic. And he always gets very apologetic afterwards, which worries the Baudelaires quite a bit. 
Isadora is constantly trying to get everyone to focus on The Plan, but that slowly falls apart as they all realize that the Auradon kids are actually pretty cool and their home life kinda sucks. 
Carmelita has existential crises constantly bc her Mom convinced her that something princesses do is just marry someone of a higher status but she’s aromantic and still figuring that out so big oof until Klaus finally tells her there’s a word for what she’s feeling 
Quigley and Duncan both form crushes on Baudelaires so you BETTER believe that will be angst central 
Friday: You guys are like my cool big siblings :) Isle Kids: OH GOD OH FUCK 
also i’m rewriting like 99.9% of the dialogue from the films but u wanna know one bit i’m definitely keeping? that bit where ben takes mal on a date to the enchanted lake and the love potion washes off but ben realizes that mal jumped in the lake to save him even tho she can’t swim and it’s like… 
Violet: Quigley… I told you that I loved you. What about you? Do you love me?
Quigley, real quietly: …I don’t know what love feels like. 
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vfdbaudelairefile13 · 4 years
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Chapter Forty-Six:
The One With the Kids Stealing Hal’s Keys
If I were at Heimlich Hospital with Violet Snicket and the Baudelaires, I would have warned them about the trouble that would soon find its way to them. But unfortunately for all involved, I am standing at the burned remains of the hospital, years later, unable to help them. Unable to tell them about how they shouldn’t care about whatever information was on the Snicket file because it was only going to put them in more danger and get their hopes up.
As the wind began to pick up, causing the three to shiver they debated whether or not they should venture back into the hospital. But after logically thinking about it, they stayed put in the unfinished half of the hospital. Klaus handed Isadora’s commonplace notebook to Violet as Sunny ate the last of the fruit after making sure her siblings were okay with that.
“We have to see that file,” Violet said.
“I think we should go,” Klaus admitted after a minute.
“What?”
“Violet...Olaf is here and he’s looking for us. It’s the logical thing to do,” Klaus explained.
She shook her head furiously. “I’m sorry but that file was called the Snicket file. I am a Snicket and I am going to see that file,”
“Is that file worth dying over?” he asked softly.
“Who the hell said we were going to die,”
“Well, technically. Everyone dies eventually,”
“Stop being a smart ass,”
“I’m not being a smart ass,” He cried defensively.
“Klaus, we can’t keep wandering the Hinterlands praying that our lives will get better,” she said sternly. “We are all a part of the same mystery and we’ll never be free until we figure it out,”
Klaus opened his mouth to speak, but Sunny interrupted him. “Quaggies?” she asked pointing at the notebooks that were in her siblings’ hands. “Anything helpful?”
Klaus shook his head as Violet sighed. “Just more codes and poems,” he reported. He flipped Duncan’s notebook to face Sunny and Violet. “I think this poem is about your father, Vi,”
Violet’s eyes lit up as she read the poem aloud. “ In photographs, and in each public place, Snicket rarely shows his face.” she gave a small smile. “Yep, that...that was Lemon man,” she frowned as she read the couplet again but to herself.
“Sorry,” Sunny whispered.
“For what?”
“His demise,” she replied as Klaus frowned and looked to the ground, avoiding eye contact with Violet.
“Hey, hey,” Violet said noticing how both her siblings were reacting. “Do not blame yourselves. My father...my father knew what he was doing...I don’t blame you guys for his demise,”
“What about your uncle?” Sunny asked meekly.
“I don’t blame you guys for that either,”
“Who do you blame?” she asked.
Violet’s face turned dark as she glared. “I blame the ugly rat bastard who needs to leave you two alone,”
“I blame him, too. ” Sunny emphasized.
“I blame him solely,” Violet hissed. Her tone wasn’t directed towards either one of her siblings, but more directed to the man who she couldn’t wait to see reach his own demise.
Violet continued to scan through Isadora’s notebook angrily. “The damage from the harpoon gun made all of this hard to decipher,” she whined. “I thought that when we had a chance to look over these pages from their notebooks we would find the answers to our questions, but the Quagmires’ notes are very difficult to read.”
“This scrap says ‘apartment’,” Klaus commented. “And has what looks like half a map. That might have to do with the apartment where we lived with Jerome and Esme Squalor.”
“Don’t remind me,” Violet said, shuddering at the thought of all the misfortune that had befallen the children during their stay at 667 Dark Avenue.
Klaus glanced at the next page of Duncan’s notebook. “Wait,” he said. “There’s a single name on this paper,”
Violet leaned in, glancing at the piece of paper. She looked to her brother in disbelief. “Where’s the name?”
Klaus looked at her in disbelief seeing as there was only one thing written on the page. “Right there,” he said pointing at it as if his sister was an idiot. “Who is Ana Gram. Do you think it could be another associate of Olaf’s?”
Violet’s look of utter disbelief only widened when she realized Klaus was absolutely serious. “Wait…”
“What?”
“You are a researcher and avid reader?”
“Yeah?”
“Really?” she asked trying to hold in her laughter but to no avail. Sunny glanced between her siblings realizing that Klaus did not understand why Violet was laughing at him.
“Yes, really!” he said defensively. “I can read, Violet. It clearly says Ana Gram,”
“Yes, you can read. But…” she began before bursting into laughter. Sunny looked to Violet confused, she didn’t understand the joke.
Klaus’ face turned red with anger. “What is so fucking funny?”
“You.”
“Really? Cause I’m not laughing,” Klaus said angrily. “And neither is Sunny,”
“Leave me out of this,” Sunny warned.
“Who is anagram?” Violet mocked, laughing. “How are you an avid reader…”
Klaus could feel his blood boil. Klaus never liked anyone laughing at him, especially when he wasn’t sure why. So when Violet continued to laugh at him, it was putting him in a really bad mood. Wasn’t it enough that he already felt inferior to her? Did she have to laugh at him? He pondered.
“Violet! Stop fucking laughing!” he whined.
Violet put a hand on his shoulder. “Bro, anagram is not a person. It’s a thing,” she explained.
“Huh?”
“It’s when you mix up the letters of a word to get another word,” Violet said as she flipped over the page and saw that Duncan had written a few examples. She scanned the page confused. “For example, have you guys ever dealt with an ‘Al Funcoot’?” she asked.
“No. Why?” Klaus asked.
“Wrong,” Violet said smirking as she pointed at the name she just mentioned and then the name of a person that the three children knew all too well. Klaus shuddered when he read the second name on the page. “Count Olaf?” he read aloud.
“But who’s Al Funcoot?” Sunny asked.
“‘Al Funcoot’ is an anagram of Count Olaf,” Violet explained. “So it’s just Olaf with yet another stupid name,”
“‘Al Funcoot’ is a stupid name,” Sunny commented.
“So is ‘Olaf’,” Klaus muttered as his sisters laughed. “What would his disguise be if he used this name?” Klaus wondered aloud.
Violet shrugged. “Beats me. Sounds like a horrible playwright,”
“Olaf as a playwright?” Klaus repeated laughing. “That just sounds like a nightmare,”
“Why would Olaf need to write a play?” Sunny asked confused.
Violet shrugged. “I don’t know. I could be wrong. Just sounds like it’d be a playwright’s name.”
“Honestly, he should have used this name rather than the one he’s using now,” Klaus commented.
“No, I just told you,” Violet said smiling. “‘Al Funcoot’ is a horrible playwright. Doctor Medical-School, ” Violet said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes. “Is a man’s desperate attempt to play doctor. Like how Detective Dumbass is the name of a detective who thinks he’s cool and can’t keep two kids detained.”
Klaus gave a small smile as Violet continued to mock Olaf’s other disguises that she had to endure. When she was finished, Violet turned her attention to another piece of paper. “This page isn’t ripped at all, but all it has on it is a long list of dates.” she scanned the paper thoroughly. “It looks like something was going on every twelve weeks or so.”
Klaus picked up the smallest piece and held it up for his sisters to see. Behind his glasses, his eyes looked very sad. “This piece just says ‘fire’,”  he said quietly.
As he said it, all three children looked down sadly at the dusty floor. With any word, there are subconscious associations, which simply means that certain words make you think certain things, even if you don’t want to. The word ‘cake’, for example, might remind you of your birthday and the words ‘mechanical genius’ might remind you of someone you haven’t seen in a very long time. Like the word ‘volunteer’ reminds me of a secret organization that was swarming with corruption, and the word ‘midnight’ reminds me that I must keep writing this chapter very quickly, or else I will probably be seen by one of the volunteers who are also looking into the Snicket and Baudelaire cases and who knows what will become of me then. But the two Baudelaires and Violet Snicket had all sorts of subconscious associations with the word ‘fire’, and none of them were pleasant to think about. The word made the children think of Hal, who had mentioned something about a Snicket file that afternoon in the Library of Records, a file all three children were desperate to see, especially Violet seeing that she believed it could explain everything before the fire that had taken her father from her. ‘Fire’ made the youngsters think about Duncan and Isadora Quagmire, who had not only lost their parents in a brutal fire but had lost their triplet brother, Quigley, in a fire as well. And of course, ‘fire’ made all three children think of the fires that had destroyed their home and killed their parents, which had begun their unfortunate journey that had led them to the unfinished half of the hospital where they were trying their best to huddle against one another to combat the cold.
The three children huddled quietly together under their drop cloths, getting colder and colder as they thought about all the fires and subconscious associations that were in their lives.
“That file must contain the answers to all these mysteries,” Violet said finally. “We need to find out more about my Uncle Jacques, Count Olaf, and VFD.”
“And we need to know why he was murdered, and we need to learn the dark secrets of our parents’ past,” Klaus added.
“And us,” Sunny added. “Why Olaf hates us so much.”
“We have to get our hands on that fucking file,” Violet said desperately.
“That’s easier said than done,” Klaus explained. “Hal told us specifically not to touch any of the files we weren’t working with, and he’ll be right there with us in the Library of Records. So how can we get it?”
“Break in?” Sunny suggests frowning.
“We can’t!” Violet cried in shock, frowning at her younger sister. Sunny kept her gaze away from Violet’s, feeling a bit ashamed. “Hal...Hal trusts us…” she began and then sighed. “Besides...I already studied the locks...they’d be difficult to pick without the proper equipment,” she explained shamefully. She gave Sunny a small smile, doing her best to show Sunny that she isn’t ashamed of her.
“We could steal his keys,” Klaus suggested in a tone that seemed excited but could be better described as ‘desperate’. The suggestion escaped the middle orphan’s mouth so fast that all three of their faces fell into a look of shame and regret.
“Would...would your parents be proud of you, right now?” Violet asked opening her locket and looking down at the picture of her mother and the picture that she had placed beside it. “My father wouldn’t…” she muttered as she closed her locket before Sunny could lift her head and look at it. Violet ignored Sunny’s quiet pleas to see the locket, too. As she placed it back under her shirt. Sunny looked to Violet confused but she dropped the topic entirely. Sunny knew it was Violet’s locket and Violet did not have to share it if she didn’t want to.
Sunny shook her head unhappily, realizing that Klaus was ignoring Violet’s question because he knew the answer. “Not at all,” Sunny admitted sheepishly thinking of her mother and father.
Klaus nodded his head to Sunny’s answer. “Sunny’s right,” he sighed. “But...but they’d know we were only doing what’s necessary.”
“Or…” Violet countered. “They’d think that we were criminals like the newspaper says we are,” she frowned thinking of her father’s disappointment over her stealing candy bars when she was younger. What would he think of her now? Planning to steal legal documents from a hospital.
“It is a moral...dilemma,” Klaus admitted. He was right, it was a moral dilemma but he felt like the kids had no other options other than stealing Hal’s keys and stealing that file. After all the kids have gone through and everything that Olaf had stolen from them: their happiness, their comfort, their safety, their sanity, their home, their ability to trust, their hope and optimism, their childhoods, their sense of belonging, their will to live, their parents, and their innocence. Klaus felt like it was finally time for the kids to dabble in stealing in the hopes of regaining something back.
“Gray,” Sunny agreed as the three children jumped when they heard another ‘important’ announcement from their least favorite person, Doctor Medical-School.
“Attention! This is Dr. Mattathias Medical-School. Bed searches will continue until the murderers have been found. Also, if anyone in the hospital has any valuables of any kind please bring them to the human resources office immediately.” he called out. “Thank you!”
“What nonsense,” a familiar voice called out. Instinctively, Violet shot up on to her feet pushing Sunny behind her legs as she reached out for Klaus. Violet’s heart started to beat rapidly until she got a good look at the person coming towards the kids. “Murderers don’t sleep at night. They’re wracked with guilt.” Hal said as he wobbled across the wooden beams holding a large tray that had four bowls on it.
“Hal!” Violet yelled as she raced towards the practically blind old man. “Please be careful,”
“Oh, don’t worry about me, child,” Hal said smiling as Violet began to help him across the wooden beams. She gave Klaus a stern look indicating for him to take the tray from Hal to make the man’s walk a bit easier. “I have the balance of a blind cat,”
Right as he said that, his foot nearly slipped off of the wooden beam causing Klaus to hurriedly stand up and rush towards the older gentleman. “I can see that,” Violet commented as she tried her best to help Hal.
“I made you three some chicken soup from an old family recipe,” Hal explained. “Just the thing for a night like this.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Violet commented.
“Let me take that,” Klaus said reaching for the tray. Once he successfully took the tray from the older man, he set it down in front of Sunny, who immediately took the smallest bowl from the tray assuming that to be hers.
“Sunny, manners,” Violet scolded until she noticed Klaus’ eyes widen.
“Who’s Sunny?” Hal said. “I thought her name was Soli?”
“I...I said ‘Soli’,” Violet lied nervously.
Hal looked towards Sunny for a brief moment and then shrugged his shoulders. “My hearing isn’t what it used to be either,” he admitted. “So that checks out,”
Violet and Klaus sighed softly as Sunny continued to eat her soup.
“Soli...you should have waited…” Violet began.
“Oh, the young girl is fine, Lilac,” Hal said patting Violet’s shoulder. “She’s obviously hungry. Don’t think I didn’t notice who ate most of the fruit,” he joked.
“How did you know we were here?” Klaus asked nervously as he sat down beside Sunny, taking a bowl for himself.
Violet sat down between Hal and Klaus and passed Hal a bowl before taking the last bowl, even offering some of her soup to her siblings who both declined and glared at her.
“You’re just like me when I was your age,” Hal explained.
“We’re all different ages,” Klaus countered as Violet nudged him in the shoulder. “Ow! Lilac I am not dealing with that again,” he warned.
“Then be nice, Nick,” Violet whispered back.
“I used to love to sleep under the stars when I was a boy,” Hal said as he gazed up at the stars. “Do you three know constellations?”
“Yeah,” Klaus replied. “I read several books about stars and constellations when I was seven,”
“Now, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be...so you may have to help me, but let's see if we can’t find a few to show young Soli,” Hal said as he began squinting to the sky. Klaus, who had his own eye problems tried his best, but it was Violet who was finding all of the constellations. She did her best to help Klaus and Hal see the ones she could find but the only one who indicated that she could see everything that Violet was pointing out was Sunny.
After a few quiet minutes of gazing up at the stars with Hal, the three children and Hal enjoyed their cooled down bowls of soup. Klaus was in the middle of telling a story about his childhood. “So I wanted to go camping,” he began.
“Wait, you wanted to go camping?” Violet asked laughing.
“Would you shut up so I can finish the story?” Klaus asked laughing. “So I wanted to go camping but because Su...Soli was just born, mother and father told me that we would have to reschedule since she would have been too small to bring camping. So obviously I was upset. So Mother and Father let me put up the tents in our backyard. I mean, Dad helped while Mom and Soli prepared snacks and then...they helped me make smores over an open fire.” Klaus said smiling. He looked at Sunny. “You weren’t a big fan of the s’mores.”
Violet smiled. “I still can’t see you actually camping,”
“Shut it, Li,” Klaus said laughing. “I can be sporty,”
Both Violet and Sunny burst into laughter at the mere thought.
“No, bro,” Sunny replied.
“Sporty, you are not,” Violet added still laughing.
Hal laughed alongside the girls although he wasn’t fully in on the joke. He chuckled and patted Klaus on the back. “Where are your parents now?” he asked. His eyesight wasn’t what it used to be so he was unable to see how all three siblings' faces had fallen.
Sunny looked up at Klaus and Violet shaking her head indicating that she couldn’t answer the question for Hal. Klaus looked down to the ground miserably and then glanced at Violet, his face screaming the same thing that Sunny’s was. Violet nodded her head slowly, then sighed. “They’re dead...all three of them,” she muttered, wiping a tear from her eye.
“Three?” Hal repeated, a bit confused. “What do you mean ‘three’?”
“Oh, Nick, Solitude, and I...we’re...half-siblings,” Violet explained, her heart shattering in her chest when she once again has to explain to someone that she was different from her siblings. She hated pointing out that there was an invisible wall that separated her from Klaus and Sunny. To her, it felt like every time she had to admit it...it pushed her further back away from them. “I have a different father than they do,” she admitted meekly.
“Really?” Hal asked confused. “Well, you could have fooled me. You all seem so close.”
“That’s because we are,” Klaus explained.
“Ohana,” Sunny replied.
Violet smiled as she placed her near-empty soup bowl back on Hal’s tray. “Yeah, Soli...ohana,” Violet repeated sadly.
Hal sighed. “I’m sorry for your loss, children. I know how dark and lonely the world must feel. But you can always find a kind person who is willing to shine a light on you when  you need it and eventually, you’ll learn to shine a light on others in need.”
As the evening went on, Hal had fallen asleep. The three children could clearly see his key ring in his pocket. Violet and Klaus stood over the sleeping man, with stomachs full of regret and hearts full of guilt. Violet turned to Klaus as she nervously played with one of her remaining ribbons. “This...this doesn’t feel right,” she whispered to Klaus.
Violet and Klaus looked at one another and then down at Sunny, who merely gave them two thumbs up. Violet and Klaus began to string metal washers to Violet’s hair ribbon as quickly and quietly as they could. Both siblings looking miserably around, avoiding eye contact because they both felt ashamed.
“What choice do we have?” Klaus whispered when he noticed that Violet was becoming very hesitant.
I can tell you that it is not an easy feeling when you are double-crossing anyone even if the person deserves it. You have fears lingering in the back of your mind of how they are going to react to this betrayal and you ponder if your actions were justified or absolutely necessary. As Violet and Klaus were creating their make-shift faux keyring both siblings could feel similar pangs of guilt and remorse as they were about to double-cross a man who almost certainly didn’t deserve it. All violet could think about it was whether or not she was setting a good example for her younger siblings. She couldn’t tell if Klaus was eager to steal from Hal out of desperation or if it was something he honestly didn’t care about. She stole a quick glance towards Sunny, who was still giving her siblings two thumbs up. Violet sighed when she thought of her father and wondered what he would think if he could see her now. Would he know she was doing everything she could to protect her siblings? Or would he think she’s a criminal just like how she had slowly begun to believe that he was a criminal?
As she slowly tied her ribbon’s ends together, she glanced at Hal. She shook her head slowly contemplating if there was another way to get that file. You’re doing what’s absolutely necessary. She tried to tell herself.
Finally, once it was tied, Klaus nodded his head towards Violet, who nodded her head back. As stealthfully as he could, he lifted Hal’s arm just enough so that he could use his other hand to reach into Hal’s pocket and steal the man’s keys. The moment that Klaus had successfully gotten the keys out of Hal’s pocket, Hal shook himself awake.
“What? Who?” Hal cried out. “Yes, I may have dozed off there for a second,”
Violet and Klaus tried their best to hide their guilty faces as Klaus held the man’s keys behind his back and Violet held the fake keyring behind her back.
“I suggest we all get some sleep,” Hal said standing up slowly. “Paperwork awaits us in the morning,” He began to pat down his pockets. “Wait, where are my keys?”
Violet saw her opportunity and she took it. She hurried to Hal’s side. “Here. I’ll put them in your pocket for you,” she said nervously as she slipped the fake keyring into Hal’s pocket.
“So happy I found trustworthy and loyal assistants,” Hal said patting Klaus on the shoulder causing the boy to chuckle nervously. “Never in my life did I think I would trust anyone as much as I trust you three. Goodnight, children,” he said as he patted Violet’s shoulder, who responded by looking away from the man shamefully. “I shall file you under ‘P’, for ‘people I trust most in this world.” he gave Sunny a small smile as he began to walk away.
“Goodnight, Hal,” Violet called back.
“G-goodnight, Hal,” Klaus replied.
“Night,” Sunny chimed in as Klaus showed Violet that he did, in fact, get Hal’s keys from the man’s pockets.
Violet and Klaus shared one more look of shame as they watched the man disappear back inside the hospital.
“We’re terrible people,” Violet whispered.
“We had to,” Klaus reasoned even though Violet could tell that his tone was unconvinced.
“Absolutely necessary,” Sunny commented.
Violet cringed at the words. “Let’s hope this wasn’t for nothing,” she said as she lifted Sunny. “Grab onto my overalls, Klaus. We’re going back into the hospital,”
Klaus gave Violet a worried look as he gripped the back of her overalls. “This isn’t going to end well, is it?”
“Stop being negative,” Violet muttered as she began to balance herself and her siblings on the wooden beams. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“In a hospital that has been taken over by Olaf… a lot! ” Klaus replied.
“I promise...no harm will come to you two,” Violet muttered as she held Sunny closer.
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claudia1829things · 4 years
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"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" (1981) Review
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"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" (1981) Review Some might find this hard to believe, but I used to be an avid viewer of PBS's "MASTERPIECE THEATER" years ago. Even when I was a child. That is right. Even as a child, I was hooked on period dramas set in Great Britain's past. One of the productions that I never forgot happened to be one that is rarely, if ever, discussed by period drama fans today - namely the 1981 miniseries, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA".
"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" is really a biopic - an adaptation of author Elspeth Huxley's 1959 memoirs of her childhood in Kenya during the last year of the Edwardian Age . . . that last year before the outbreak of World War I. The story begins in 1913 when young Elspeth Grant and her mother Tilly arrive in British East Africa (now known as Kenya) to meet her father, Robin. The latter, who is a British Army veteran, has plans to establish a coffee plantation. The Grants encounter many problems in setting up their new home. With the help of a Boer big game hunter named Piet Roos, they hire a Kikuyu local named Njombo to serve as translator for any new workers. Two of those workers are another local of Masai/Kikuyu descent named Sammy, who serves as the Grants' headman; and a Swahili cook named Juma. As life begins to improve for the Grants, they acquire new neighbors, who include a recently arrived couple named Hereward and Lettice Palmer, a Scottish-born former nurse named Mrs. Nimmo, a young and inexperienced farmer named Alec Wilson and a very dashing big game hunter named Ian Crawford. However, just as the Grants were learning to adjust to life in British East Africa, World War I begins and they are forced to adjust to a new future all over again. Overall, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" struck me as a pretty decent production. It is a beautiful series to look at, thanks to Ian Wilson's cinematography. He did a marvelous job in recapturing the space and scope of Kenya. Yes, the miniseries was filmed on location. My only qualm is that Wilson may have used slightly inferior film stock. The production's color seemed to have somewhat faded over the past twenty to thirty years. Roy Stannard's art direction greatly contributed to the miniseries' look. I can also say the same about Maggie Quigley's costume designs. They looked attractive when the scene or moment called for borderline glamour. But Quigley remained mindful of her characters' social standing, age and personalities. I feel that Stannard and Quigley, along with production managers Clifton Brandon and Johnny Goodman did a very good job in recapturing the look and feel of colonial pre-World War I East Africa. Let me clarify . . . colonial East Africa for middle-class Britons. I might as well be frank. Many years had passed between the first and last times I saw "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA". It took this recent viewing for me to realize that the production's narrative was not as consistent as I had originally assumed it was. Let me put it another way . . . I found the narrative for "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" a bit episodic. I tried to think of a continuous story arc featured in the miniseries, but I could only think of one - namely the love affair between Lettice Palmer, the wife of the Grants' boorish neighbor; and big game hunter Ian Crawford. And this story arc only lasted between Episodes Three and Seven. Otherwise, the viewers experienced vignettes of the Grants' one year in East Africa. And each vignette only seemed to last one episode. I must admit that I found this slightly disappointing. There were some vignettes that enjoyed. I certainly enjoyed Episode One, which featured the Grants' arrival in East Africa and their efforts to recruit help from the locals to establish their farm. I also enjoyed those episodes that featured the Grants and the Palmers' efforts to kill a leopard; a major safari in which Tilly Grant, the Palmers and Ian Crawford participated in Episode Six; and the impact of World War I upon their lives in the miniseries' final episode. However, I had some problems with other episodes. I found Episode Two, which featured young Elspeth's rather strange New Year's experiences nearly boring. Nearly. I must admit that some of the characters featured in that particular episode struck me as rather interesting. The episode that featured a personal quarrel between the Grants' translator Njombo and their headman Sammy ended up pissing me off. It pissed me off because its resolution, namely an "Act of God" in the form Tilly, struck me as a typical example of European condescension . . . even in the early 1980s. The performances for "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" struck me as pretty first-rate. I rather enjoyed Hayley Mills and David Robb's performances as young Elspeth's parents, Tilly and Robin Grant. Although both actors came off as likable, they also did an excellent job in portraying Tilly and Robin's less than admirable qualities . . . including an insidious form of bigotry. What I am trying to say is . . . neither Tilly or Robin came off as overt bigots. But there were moments when their prejudices managed to creep out of the woodwork, thanks to Mills and Robb's subtle performances. Sharon Maughan and Nicholas Jones were also excellent as the Grants' neighbors, Lettice and Hereward Palmer. It was easier for me to like the delicate and ladylike Lettice, even though there were times when she came of as self-absorbed. Jones' Hereward struck me as somewhat friendly at first. But as the series progressed, the actor did a great job in exposing Hereward's more unpleasant nature, which culminated in the safari featured in Episode Six. Ben Cross gave a charming and slightly virile performance as big game hunter Ian Crawford. But if I must be honest, the character was not exactly one of his more complex and interesting roles. But the one performance that shined above the others came from the then twelve year-old Holly Aird, who portrayed Elspeth Grant, the miniseries' main character. Not only did Aird give a delightful performance, she also held her own with her much older cast mates. Quite an achievement for someone who was either eleven or twelve at the time. There were other performances in "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" that I found impressive. Carol MacReady was entertaining as the somewhat narrow-minded Mrs. Nimmo. Mick Chege gave a charming performance as the always cheerful and popular . David Bradley's portrayal of young neighbor Alec struck me as equally charming. Paul Onsongo gave a solid performance as the Grants' major domo/cook Juma. However, Onsongo's last scene proved to be very complex and interesting when Juma discovered that he could not accompany the Grants back to Britain. One of the series' most interesting performances came from William Morgan Sheppard, who portrayed Boer big game hunter, Piet Roos. The interesting aspect of Sheppard's performance is that although he conveyed Roos' more unpleasant and racist side in Episode One, he did an excellent in winning the audience's sympathy as his character dealt with the even more unpleasant Hereward Palmer during the leopard hunt in Episode Five. Another interesting performance came from Steve Mwenesi as the Grants' headsman, Sammy. Mwenesi did an excellent job in portraying the very complex Sammy. The latter seemed so cool and subtle. Yet, Mwenesi also made audiences aware of Sammy's emotions by utilizing facial expressions and his eyes. Overall, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" was an entertaining production that gave audiences a peek into the lives of colonial Britons during the last year of peace before the outbreak of World War I. Realizing that the story deal with members of the British middle-class and the Kikuyu and Swahili locals, the production team ensured that the miniseries was rich in atmospheric details without over-glamorizing the setting and costumes. And although the miniseries' narrative came off as somewhat episodic, I also managed to enjoy the performances of a first-rate cast led by Hayley Mills, David Robb and an enchanting Holly Aird.
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demiace-wen-ning · 5 years
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Six Quagmires
Harley: First and 15, an icon for real, so woke, writes prose to Isadora’s disgust, defies all social norms, is the most level headed one, sailor mouth, done with shit, has broken the law and legend says nobody ever knew, fluent in many languages, is the real boss, too cool, knows stuff, confident, sarcastic and ready to debate, often lost in thoughts and has a sharp tongue, pretends to be Violet while Duncan pretends to be Klaus, Isadora is on lookout and Jonathan helpes the Baudelaires, she becomes very depressed and shuts down under Count Olaf, too depressed to deal with Kyle but is desperate with Quigley, ENTP (Ne-Ti-Fe-Si) (Exploration-Analysis-Connectedness-Remembrance), Black notebook, Ravenclaw-Slytherin, Air element Kyle: Second and 15, very self assured, independant and confident but still as impressionable as someone in his situation would be though he doesn't realise it, wants to be in VFD fo the excitement and doing missions and stuff and doesn't believe that VFD is bad, flirty, loves geography and weather, gets seperated along with Quigley and decides to leave right away along with taking a few things he found useful, left Quigley a note to stay and wait for the owner to come back and left, found out about the Mortmain Mountains and travelled there but lost the book some time during the journey, couldn't give two shits about Carmelita because he just can't take her seriously, joined Kit Snicket and met Quigley again who wouldn't forgive him for leaving him, flies in the helicopter with Quigley to the others, resourceful, charming, easily bored, judgemental, ENTJ (Te-Ni-Se-Fi) (Execution-Focus-Sensation-Conviction), Maroon notebook, Gryffindor-Gryffindor, Fire element Jonathan: Third and 15, responsible and often the peacemaker but would pay to deck Carmelita because her presence irritates him, tries his best to be the oldest, doesn't get along with Kyle but after Kyle 'dies' he doesn't feel like a competent leader, very friendly and welcoming, has a crush on Violet but it doesn't work out, mom friend, prefers theorical part of journalism meaning he likes writing things down and for people finding out the truth, lets time put things into place, blames himself after TAA and it gets worse after TEE, finds a friend in Hector and helps him with the Air Mobile House while the Baudelaires were in custody, wants to revenge on VFD and Count Olaf for his siblings, tries his best to help his traumatized siblings who cling to each other, is the angriest at Kyle and blows up on him, ENFJ (Fe-Ni-Se-Ti) (Connectedness-Focus-Sensation-Analysis), Aqua notebook, Hufflepuff-Hufflepuff, Earth element Duncan: Fourth and 13, a good boy but also sometimes very dumb and suggests they kick around the bag of flour which was to be Sunny, takes Carmelita seriously and really wants to tell her to shut up, isn't self assured and thinks himself weak, prefers the practical part of journalism meaning he likes to hear about others' experiences, impatient, wants to have adventures but doesn't want to get out of his comfort zone, likes fiction and photography, Gets kidnapped by Count Olaf along with Harley and the more emotionally stronger one who is the support of the two, ISFP (Fi-Se-Ni-Te) (Conviction-Sensation-Focus-Execution) Dark green notebook, Gryffindor-Hufflepuff, Rock element Isadora: Fifth snd 13, very temperamental and prone to blowing up under stress, had mutual feelings with Klaus but they didn't know those feelings were actually friendship since they had never experienced them, intuitive and good at getting them out of sticky situations, writes couplets, witty and charming, runs to Baudelaires after her siblings being discovered but gets caught, she is able to escape later on from the taxi and joins the Baudelaires in TEE only to get kidnapped especially because she knew too much, writes the poem in TVV, ENFP (Ne-Fi-Te-Si) (Exploration-Conviction-Execution-Remembrance), Grey notebook, Ravenclaw-Gryffindor, Water element Quigley: Youngest and 13, loves maps and wandering, not very self assured, principled, believes well read people are more trustworthy, people think he's probably very well read but he ends it on maps and recent events, quiet amoung newer people but talkative around those he feels he could trust, likes VFD so he could find a purpose and adopts the same values as VFD, doesn't like to be alone and hates Kyle for leaving him, meets Jacques Snicket and later travels and meets other volunteers and is an official memeber of VFD and finally meets Kit Snicket, writes the note with Kyle's name exactly the same as canon, flies helicopter while Kyle gets the trap ready, strategic, hard-working, easily bored, judgemental, tries to leave VFD at his siblings resquest but feels like he has a purpose there and still believes in it for a long time, ISTP (Analysis-Sensatiom-Focus-Connectedness), Violet commonplace book, Slytherin-Ravenclaw, Wood element
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beatricebidelaire · 5 years
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this is a long, disorganized, pointless post 
opera night plot: horrible
opera night aesthetics: amazing
kit and esme smiling at each other: beautiful
beatrice and esme arguing and beatrice saying esme’s name and beatrice looking gorgeous: a work of art
opera night vfd just hanging out, also the complicated web of relationships between them: A+
barely any olaf and beatrice interactions: im bitter. extremely bitter
HEA confirmed for quagmires, widdershins,  the troupe: disappointed but not surprised
revealing what’s inside the sugar bowl: bad decision
quigley quagmire’s face after looking into the sugar bowl combined with what’s revealed to be inside: comedy gold
violet & klaus & sunny’s conversations in the end: stirred with my emotions a lot i felt too tired from crying now.  they’re .... i love them
ishmael saying he created vfd: wtf r u 900 year old or something
olaf when he’s talking to kit: he’s nostalgic and ... so am i. but i still don’t think that’s like love but more like they remind each other of a time before things go wrong. and i think that’s what i love. also i cried
beatrice and bertrand with the boat scene: what kind of gorgeousness is this. is it legal?????????????
klaus looking a lot like bertrand in the boat pushing scene: i cannot described how overwhelmed i am
bea jr: LOOKS LIKE KIT!!!!!!!!!! I’M!!!!!
bea jr and lemony drinking root beer floats: i cry
kit and lemony scenes in tpp: i should be more emotional but looking at the actors’ age differences kind of ruined it for me so im biased of the start. like if i remove myself from those feelings i guess i would enjoy the siblings angst.
kit asking quigley how fast he could swim: the snicket siblings ... i mean twins are really great at recruiting omg the way jacques did with olivia in s2 and the way kit said to the baudelaires “say you’ll volunteer” and they’re all super charmed and the way kit was with quigley. im just. they’re .... so good at this i want to write an essay about this and how also their little brother’s feelings vfd in contrast
lemony’s tiredness and sadness when he talked about being on the run for so many years but “at you’ll be safe” when klaus asked if it’s lonely: one of my favorite scenes. like .... patrick warburton really delivered this well
the parallel of lemony and violet talking about being on the run: i have Feelings
quigley’s quick agreeing to sunny’s spying, his talk about saving other children from becoming orphans, and the fact his actions are probably resulted from his own trauma: i have a lot of thoughts i don’t know how to articulate but someone should ... write something about this
sunny tying her hair up saying she’ll invent something and violet’s expression when sunny said that: im still not recovered from that whatkind of emotional attack on me is this
fernald and sunny’s conversations: on the one hand i like those on the other hand he’s just ... onloading his trauma onto a baby who’s life he helped traumatised. 
tpp court scene: i think it’s pretty cleverly adapted to accommodate to streaming television and i likethe way how they made the two other judges not be seen at the start. and also olaf’s way of manipulating the room the the baudelaires’ realization that everything’s going wrong.
hotel denouement: gorgeous
jerome and babs mlm/wlw solidarity: totally called it. also. good on charles for leaving sir.
duchess r: confirmed jacquelyn which is cool but barely even there at all and i’d wished we could’ve gotten beatrice/r the way i’d wished for jacques/jerome in s2 but got denied both and im feeling ... empty and sad
the baudelaires’ returned to briny beach and the rock: good parallels with s1
kit working for/with poe (i know she kept reiterating she doesn’t work for him, but thats not the point here): bad parallels with s1
tgg klaus/fiona: there several moments that i felt ...  i don’t like it but i guess it was from the books and its not like i thought they would take this out. so. violet and fiona has certain atwq!L/E vibes though and i ... enjoyed that
tgg kids solving the problems: i love this part quite a bit .... like the change about widdershins is, well, but like seeing them in crisis and solving troubles and brainstorming and i’m just!!!!
esme struggling to climbed through the exit while wearing that octopus costume: the image’s stuck into my mind
jerome squalor’s tongue when he said lumbermill: ..... also an image stuck to my mind
fernald and fiona interactions: fave
esme’s cleverness in tss: loveee it. like all the small details. it’s neat.
sunny baudelaire overall in tss: an icon. a queen. my favorite baby. i love her.
quigley has read lemony snicket’s tutorial on accordion: iconic
esme’s second worst thing she did in that hot tub: so ... what’s the first
olaf’s name taped over the boat covering the words beatrice underneath: unimportant detail no one else care about but since i got so little ex best friends content to go on i have to take what i can get
me not seeing olaf impersonating lemony: a pity
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