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thepermanentrainpress · 3 years

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THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH MADELEINE SIMS-FEWER AND DUSTY MANCINELLI

Violation is one of the most stirring films we’ve seen over the past year. Since making its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last year, the Canadian flick has been busy on the film festival circuit; now available through digital-cinema on TIFF Bell Lightbox, with Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Connect to follow beginning March 26th.

What inspired the story behind Violation?

We were both dealing with our own personal experiences of trauma at the time, and wanted to make an anti-revenge film that deals with female rage, and emotional and psychological unravelling that trauma gives rise to.

We really wanted to make a revenge film that pushed the boundaries of the genre, challenging the tropes of the scantily clad woman becoming empowered by violent revenge against a menacing stranger, and that revenge is the cathartic climax we are all seeking at the end of the movie. Yes, it is a film about seeking retribution, but also about the cost of that retribution. It is a film about violation, but also about lack of empathy and selfishness, and how both can erode your morality and the relationships around you.

It’s been described as “twisted,” “feminist-minded,” and a “hypnotic horror.” At its core, how would you describe the film’s genre(s)?

Those three descriptors fit perfectly, actually! We weren’t thinking too much about genre when we wrote the script, mostly about the story and about how we portrayed Miriam’s journey. We were inspired by films that don’t sit comfortably in a genre box, like Caché, Fat Girl, Don’t Look Now. Films that are dramas with elements of horror.

When you were writing the script, can you elaborate on the dynamics between the two couples that you wanted to portray – Miriam and Caleb, and Greta and Dylan?

Miriam and Caleb are very much at an impasse in their relationship. The spark has gone out and they don’t know how to reignite it. Instead of doing the work it might take to get through a rough patch Miriam is very much running away. There is a real transience to modern relationships that we wanted to capture in their dynamic - this idea that when the romance is gone the relationship has run its course. Miriam wants to fix it, but doesn’t know how - she clumsily tries to fix it with sex (on her sister’s advice), and this echoes how she tries to fix her trauma too.

Greta and Dylan have a seemingly healthy relationship. But when you look a little deeper their outward affection and codependence masks a deep distrust. Dylan is having his ‘grass is greener’ moment, and he’s totally selfish to the impact this has on those around him. Greta can sense this, but she’s too enamoured by him to risk rocking the boat. It’s all a recipe for tragedy really.

Miriam and Greta have a complex relationship, to say the least. It’s natural to have distance between siblings as they grow older, did you always intend to have a sibling relationship be a centre of your story?

Yes, we always wanted to make a film about a person who suffers sexual assault and is not believed by their sibling. That was one of the first parts of the story that came together. There is so much to unpack in a sibling relationship like theirs. A rich history of mutual failures and resentments as well as so much camaraderie and love. The more painful betrayal in the story comes from Greta, not Dylan.

We wanted to explore the idea of trauma within families, and how abuse and violence affects everyone in the family, not just the person who suffers it. Everything else orbits around these two sisters — Miriam and Greta — as Violation mines the little resentments, commonalities, shared joys and sorrows that weave together a truthful portrait of these women.

A lot of the horror and dread in Violation comes from the way the sisters interact, and in the ways they react to each other from a place of fear. There is no filter in these close sibling relationships (we know this as we both come from big families!) which can be wonderful, but can also lead you to hurt and be hurt in ways that leave permanent emotional scars.

The non-linear editing engages viewers into the story, as do the jarring intercuts with imagery of nature, animals and insects. Tell us about the editing and post-production phase, and what you hoped to accomplish with the progression and symbolism.

The way we have edited Violation is very deliberate. We are forcing you to experience things you might not want to in a very specific way, guiding you through this post traumatic landscape where the past and present are constantly speaking to each other.

We chose to weave two timelines together — the 48 hours leading up to the betrayal and the 48 hours surrounding the act of revenge. This forces the audience to re-contextualize what they have seen, challenging their own opinions of the characters based on what information we choose to reveal and when.

Violation is told completely from Miriam’s perspective — we watch her emotional and psychological unravelling as she struggles desperately to do the right thing. There is a sequence in the middle of the film where we see this act of revenge. There is no dialogue for a long time, we just follow Miriam as she goes through these meticulous actions. And what we realize is that her plan, though well thought-out, is unbelievably emotionally and physically taxing. She’s not prepared, and we watch the real horror of her actions play out through her visceral emotional responses. It was important for us to really force the audience to experience things as Miriam does. The editing is focused and relentless; never letting you stray from her experiences and emotions.

Madeleine, for you, getting to play Miriam and connect with her pain and turbulent emotions through the course of the film, can you share your thoughts on that experience. How did committing to this character challenge you as an actor?

It was the most challenging role I have ever played, and in many ways was absolutely terrifying. I wanted to push myself as far as I could go as an actor and challenge myself to really find the truth of who this woman is, and reveal that to the audience. There are so many quiet moments where Miriam’s journey is so internal, so the challenge there was in truly living each moment as if I was her — getting lost in the role — so that I was not indicating what she was feeling, but living it.

What was it like having Anna, Jesse and Obi as screen partners?

Very liberating. They are all extremely dedicated, layered, engaging performers. They elevated me and challenged me every step of the way. Jesse and I have worked together before, and we have an ease that makes scenes with him very fun. The comfort level we share allows us to really experiment. It was my first time working with Anna and Obi, but it won’t be the last. They are both so open and sensitive that I felt our work was incredibly nuanced.

An overarching question is whether revenge is ever justified. Tell me about Miriam’s mindset, and the struggle between morals, motives and her actions. For you as individuals, is this something that you have had conflict with in your own lives?

In a way we wanted to make a sort of revenge fairy-tale. Fairy tales provide ways for children to think through moral problems, and to wrestle with life’s complexities. They aren’t depictions of reality, but reflect ideas about morality and humanity. We wanted the audience to think about consent, the rippling effects of trauma, how we judge women vs how we judge men, and perhaps consider those things more deeply.

In the end Miriam’s desire to punish those who have wronged her hopefully leaves the audience with a compelling ambiguity to be unpacked as they scrutinize her actions.

Tell us about the trust built between the cast and crew on-set, especially during the more intimate and grim scenes and tense conversations. How do you build that comfort level?

It’s really just about having open, honest conversations. We spent a lot of time with the actors during prep and rehearsals just talking, and building friendships. We are dedicated to creating a comfort level where actors can be completely transparent and open with us, so that when we ask them to go somewhere they know we are there guiding the process and aren’t afraid to take big risks.

To survivors of trauma, what do you hope this movie provides in its story?

We hope to provide a new take on the revenge genre - one that explores rape from a different angle and context - with the focus of the narrative much more on the psychological ramifications of trauma. We aren’t looking to tell anyone what to take away from the film, and we made Violation as much for people with no experience with trauma as for people who understand these murky waters. Really we hope the film sparks thought, discussion, and empathy.

You met at the 2015 TIFF Talent Lab; what drew you together as a filmmaking team? What advice do you have for artists/filmmakers looking for their own collaborators?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what drew us together - it’s sort of an intangible thing. We developed a very candid friendship that we thought might translate well to a working relationship. Luckily it did!

Shortly after the Talent Lab we decided to work together on two short films, Slap Happy and Woman in Stall. Until directing these shorts neither of us had really had ‘fun ’making a film. Filmmaking was a drive, but it wasn’t a joy. These shorts gave us a totally new perspective, where we actually had a good time workshopping the script, creating a visual style, and just challenging each other. By the time we were making our third short, Chubby, we had decided to officially form a creative partnership.

We definitely approach filmmaking from different perspectives and with complementary strengths, but we don’t say ‘this is your thing and this is mine.’ We work collaboratively on every part of the process, and we built this unique way of working through our shorts, so that when we got the funding to make Violation (through Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program) we already had a solid method that works for us.

In terms of advice it really helps to know how you like to work before looking for a collaborator. Then it’s just about experimenting. It is very much trial and error. Don’t try to force a collaboration that isn’t working for you. There is no shame in a creative relationship not working out. But also it is important to be flexible and open to compromise - that’s how ideas flourish and grow. If you are too rigid then maybe collaboration is not right for you.

Going from short films to your debut feature with Violation, what new challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

The endurance required to make a feature was something we weren’t prepared for. At about day 3 we turned to each other, totally exhausted, and were like: “there’s 30 more days of this.” It was brutally draining. Honestly every day brought its own unique challenges and problems to overcome, but we had such a strong, supportive team that it made each mountain a little easier to climb.

Aside from yourselves, who are some other up and coming Canadian filmmakers viewers should keep their eyes on?

Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie are both doing really interesting work. Grace’s film Tito is a disturbingly good character study that builds a terrifying sense of dread. Ben’s short Her Friend Adam is one of our favourites, and he’s about to make his first feature.

Is there anything further you’d like to add or share, perhaps what you are currently working on?

Right now we are writing a slow burning mystery thriller and a twisted dark comedy. That’s about all we can reveal at the moment!

Thank you to Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli for providing us with further insight into Violation! Visit their official website for more information on their projects.

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serbarris · 5 years

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Vaimah Glwrin, Inquisitor.

Nickname: Vai, Varric's nickname for him is 'Swish'

Reason for name: Vaimah means to wield wind, and the swish is on account of how Vaimah wields his great axe, creating a swishing noise.

Birthday: 29th Firstfall

Race: Dalish

Age: 33 in 9:41 Dragon (36 at the start of Trespasser)

Gender: cis male

Place of birth: near The Coastlands of the north

Places lived since: The Glwrin clan are a stationary clan in the Coastlands, so much of his childhood was spent there, he then moved to the Brecillian forest to be with the Sabrae clan when they needed his mother, Athrin to train a new Halla Keeper. He lived with the Lavellan clan in the Free Marches for a period and joined their representative to the conclave, at which he became the Herald and lived at Haven and Skyhold.

Parents’ names, backgrounds, occupations: Vaimah's mother, Athrin was the Glŵrin clans Halla herder and his father, Sylavun, a master craftsman for the clan. Athrin marvelled at the delicate designs Sylavun carved, after many brief encounters Athrin worked up the courage to properly talk to Sylavun and they fell in love and married, the pair had trouble conceiving and were finally blessed with Vaimah, but they could not manage to have another child.

Number of siblings: none

Relationship with family: They are very close, and only grew closer when their family moved from the Glwrin clan to the Sabrae clan, and surrounded by strangers. As Vaimah grew older he started to become more independent and came into his own without being coddled by his parents,

Happiest memory: Whenever the Halla were allowed to roam free on the plains, he was allowed out with them and just ran and enjoyed the freedom and open space they could explore.

Childhood trauma: When he was around 10 down at the docks, at which his clan traded, a Shem pirate grabbed him and threatened to cut off his ears, as they were 'valuable'. He had quite a few run-ins with these black-market salesmen, but the network of the docks knew of these pirates and helped prevent any serious injuries.

Children of his own?: Vaimah has 4 children of his own, all with Faralen Sabrae, Caeren is the oldest, then Amoran and the twins; Linneth and Oronth

If so, relationship with their mother?: Faralen and Vaimah started on a very tense relationship, they were both very solitary. They knew of each other through mutual friend Eilan Mahariel, though after he and Tamlen died in the ancient ruins, Vaimah and Faralen looked out for each other. They slowly but surely relied on each other more than they could realise, grew very close, and fell in love (even if Faralen didn’t realise at the time). They have a very good relationship now, and Vaimah is a constant reminder for Faralen to voice her feelings and they tend to balance each other out nicely.

Age he became a father: Vaimah was 36 when Caeren was born, 38 when Amoran was born, and 42 when Oronth and Linneth were born

PERSONALITY

Positive Personality Traits: He wants to help the greater good, decisive but adaptable, good-natured,

Negative Personality Traits: Reckless, a bit abrasive, protects the whole rather than self-preservation, oblivious to some things, sees the world in a very black and white way, insecure, determined, easy to startle

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

MBTI Type: ISFJ

Interests: He loves the creation of things, learning how to make the weak materials strong and how to change an object so inherently it becomes unrecognisable

Mood Character is Most in: Distracted

How does your character deal with being afraid?: He runs in head first towards whatever is making him afraid and confronts it

Any reoccurring nightmares?: ones of drowning, of the waves he trusts and finds comfort in betraying him, letting him fall beneath

When are they most in their element?: in the heat of debate, his morality guides him and he trusts in his own judgement completely; his gut feeling helps him feel like despite his memory loss, that he does know things and there must be a reason he is able to say things with such surety

What do they have a soft spot for?: his family and hallas,

What events have had the most impact on his life?: The death of Eilan Mahariel, they were firm friends and were a fleeting romance together, the death of Keeper Marethari and having to rise with Faralen to stabilise the Clan; The Divine Conclave leading to memory loss

Enraged When?: threatened

Greatest Strength?: his morality and judgement

Greatest Weakness?: his fear of his memory loss impairing his judgment and deviating from who he used to be

Biggest regret: Not voicing his feelings for Faralen sooner, there was just so much that got in the way, but in a way he’s glad he didn’t say he loved her sooner, it probably would have made the memory loss a lot harder to deal with

PHYSICAL

Height: 6″3

Weight: about 14 stone

Build: muscular af

Nationality: Ferelden, Coastlander

Disabilities: amnesia after the conclave, and still suffers from slight temporary memory loss

Complexion : quite dark skin, worn complexion

Face shape: idk face shapes

Distinguishing facial features: JAW, also his scars

Hair colour: dark brown, now going grey

Usual hairstyle: he had a completely shaved head for a while when he got his vallaslin as it extends into his hairline, nowadays he has an undercut and short on top, very easy to maintain, the top grows during Inquisition and he sometimes ties it back in a bun. Due to his arm being gone after Trespasser he will shave it all when it’s too long then grow the top and repeat the cycle as he can shave by himself but not trim the top.

Eye colour: lilac with specks of golden brown, like a Mediterranean storm

Glasses? Contacts?: nope

Style of dress/typical outfit(s): tough leathers and armour, when in casual wear more loose soft leathers and tunics

Typical style of shoes: practical hard-wearing boots

Health (is this person usually sick? or very resilient?): very resilient to illness, he's one of those who will be kind of ill for a long time, rather than just be dying for a week and be fine again.

Grooming (does she/he wear makeup? shower daily? wear only clean clothes? pluck her eyebrows?): Vai washes whenever he can, he loves water anyway, he's not really bothered about how clean he is though.

Jewellery? Tattoos? Piercings?: Vaimah has some ear piercings he got from an Antivan woman down at the docks, and boy did he have trouble hiding them from his parents, his vallaslin is after June due to him and his father being craftsmen.

Accent?: Deep and slightly abrasive Welsh accent

Unique mannerisms/physical habits (bites nails, talks with hands, taps feet when restless): his eyebrows move a lot when he talks, any subtle emotion is through his eyebrows

Athletic?: he is built like a brick shithouse

INTELLECT

Level of education: he knows some dalish history as well as being a skilled craftsman

Level of self-esteem: low when he moved to the Sabrae clan at around 20 years old, he was a lot taller and muscular than those in the clan, he also had to reprove himself to master Ilen as a craftsman when he moved and he felt belittled. Now he is better but doubts himself due to memory loss

Gifts/talents: aptitude for crafting things since he started at a v young age, an is very good with animals thanks to his mother

Shortcomings: distracted very easily, easy to startle and creep up on

Style of speech (loud, mumbler, articulate, etc.): articulate,

“Left brain” or “right brain” thinker?: left??

Artistic?: masterpieces or stick men no in-between

Mathematical?: nope

Makes decisions based mostly on emotions, or on logic?: a mixture of both, but he leans more towards emotions

Religious stance: He has become more open to the views of the humans and their maker given the Dalish have so many different gods, what's one more?

Cautious or daring?: just enough of both to be reckless but with cause

Most sensitive about/vulnerable to: attacks on his personality and family

Optimist or pessimist?: optimist

Extrovert or introvert?: Introvert

RELATIONSHIPS

Current marital/relationship status: Officially bonded with Faralen in 9:43 Dragon

Sexual orientation: Bisexual

Past relationships: Many casual snogging sessions etc. down at the docks with curious people (he doesn't judge), and one casual relationship with Eilan, but Faralen is the only proper relationship he has had

Primary reason for relationship ending: Eilan died

Level of sexual experience: relatively high with Eilan (vaimah gets pegged 2k19) but low experience with the ladies

Story of first kiss: So this elf really fancied Vaimah a lot and they just started to talk to each other alone and go on walks and he slipped dragging Vai with him and they just fell on top of each other and it happened

Story of loss of virginity : Him and Eilan were just horny young elves

A social person? : he makes acquaintances and good impressions very quickly, but he has very few good friends

Most comfortable around (person): Faralen, or Amath, the Sabrae clans' chef, he is very much the big brother/uncle figure in the clan

Oldest friend: Amath or Envin, they didn't judge him as much when he joined the Sabrae clan, and helped him socialise

VOCATION

Profession: Inquisitor

Past occupations: Second in command of the Sabrae clan, Liaison of the Sabrae clan, Hunter

Passions: crafting, especially patterned wood and little figurines like his father.

Attitude towards current job: it’s alright but saving the world is a bit stressful

SECRETS

Phobias: scared of worms

Life Goals: not to die and regain all his memories

Dreams: to live a long happy life with his family

Greatest fears: Corruption, he doesn't want to see himself become the bad guy

Most ashamed of: when he lets his anger get the better of him

Compulsions: tapping his teeth together when thinking

Obsessions: checking here is always an escape route

Secret Hobbies: he collects little things that remind him of his family, like a lock of hair from all his children (when they've had a haircut) or little flowers or shells from days out things like that

Secret skills: he is actually amazing at cooking but fucking hates doing it.

Crimes committed (and was he/she caught? charged?): got accused of stealing a lot when he was a youngling at the docks, but he was never actually caught red-handed so it never happened okay

DETAILS/QUIRKS

Light or heavy sleeper?: heavy sleeper, when he is gone he is dead to the world, but Faralen learned he has a little tickly spot around the back of his armpit and when tickled it will wake him up. This was very useful when she was pregnant and wanted tiny cakes.

Lefty or righty?: right-handed

Favorite colour: blue

Cusser?: Like a fucking sailor. As an elf he usually takes the creators names in vain, but after the conclave and being surrounded by humans he beings to use the Maker and Andraste’s names in vain, which is very confusing to pretty much any other elf he comes across.

Smoker? Drinker? Drug user?: Socially drinks

#oc: vaimah #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #inquisitor lavellan #i love my son #mine #bringing back the ocs in style with a new gif and my baby boi #oc: sylavun #oc: athrin #oc: faralen #oc: eilan

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atlas-of-a-human-soul · 6 years

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T&L part 9: Desire

Warnings: drinking, blood

Word count: 2653

Part 8

Everyone else isnt you. It turns out thats a huge problem for me.

- Clementine von Radics, Things I Do When I Cannot Hold You

Two weeks have passed since that day on the parking lot.

Paul spent every night sleeping under Arya's window and every day trying to either get his mind off her or to get her to talk to him.

Apparently telling Sam about her working with a vampire started a brother/sister fight that Arya blamed Paul for and got even angrier at him, refusing to even acknowledge his existence.

Their dispute was bringing pain, both mental and physical to not only them, but the pack as well. In hopes of mending their bond and ridding themselves of their constant whining, the pack decided to throw a beach party.

While Paul had been growing distant from Rachel, Arya grew even closer to Embry. She didn't view him in a romantic sense, more like a best friend she never had, however Paul wasn't happy with her fondness of the younger wolf.

Paul's temper was worse then ever. Every little thing ticked him off which caused a lot of impromptu shifts, one even inside his house.

On the other hand, Arya was eerily calm after her initial fight with Sam two weeks ago. Sam broke out his big brother card and forbade her to return to work which caused a rift between the siblings. It would be safe to say Sam wasn't in her good graces either. Emily played a mediator a few times, but each time it would end up in a screaming match.

'I am a grown woman Sam, you will not tell me what to do!' she yelled only for Sam to respond 'I promised you I'd protect you and this is ME protecting YOU! He's a vampire Arya, what do you think would happen if he lost control even for a second? Huh?! You'd be dead and it wouldn't be just your demise!'

Even after the pack explained to her everything about vampires: their cold, pale, flawless, hard as concrete skin, their immortality, the red eyes which she immediately connected to those that often plagued her dreams, but also the amber eyes of the entire Cullen clan that was apparently tied to their diet, she still insisted Carlisle was not a danger to her.

'Not all monsters do monstrous things Sam. All of you are monsters in a way, the bad guys in any fairy tale I've ever read, and yet you're not running around ripping people apart. They aren't either. I doubt they chose that lifestyle anymore than you did. The Cullen's are using their actions to prove that just because nature made you a predator you don't have to be a killer. That matters. Their choice of food matters. Why can't you guys understand that?!'

But each and every time that would end up with a room full of shaking boys running outside shifting soon after. It hurt her that not only were they so close-minded but that they also didn't trust her judgement. Seth seemed to be the only one who actually trusted her as he often sided with her, while she stopped talking about it with Embry completely, all in order to preserve their friendship.

As she got ready for the beach party, putting on shorts because it was strangely warm outside for this time of year, grabbing a 'Slytherin pride' jumper she walked outside to meet Embry.

„Hey Ems!“ she greeted him with a hug he eagerly returned. Some would maybe mistaken this action for a romantic gesture but neither truly felt more than a strong, almost brotherly connection. When he laid his eyes on her face he saw deep, dark circles under her eyes informing him of her long, sleepless nights. She was pale and her mood sullen, but she did a really good job covering it with a small fake smile she put on for the world to see hoping to avoid any questions. But she couldn't fool him for he already knew her better than that.

Embry could tell her fight with both Sam, her brother, and Paul, her soulmate was taking it's toll on her. Unfortunately he was forbidden to tell her about Paul imprinting on her or divulge anything directly about the recent Seattle situation that was going to soon involve them as well, but he needed to do something to help his friends finally find common ground.

Walking to the beach with their pinkies hooked together he noticed Sam and Emily were already by the grill making sure no one would starve today. Seth and Leah were playing volleyball, Quil was with Jacob and Bella on a log while Paul was sitting with Rachel a bit away from the crowd. Embry could see he was staring blankly at the crashing waves before him while Rachel went on and on about something Paul probably didn't give a damn about. He felt his friend tense next to him as she saw the couple as well, her lip quivered slightly as she turned to him.

„Please tell me there is alcohol here?“

Embry raised an eyebrow as a smirk grew on his face „have you ever had any alcohol before?“

„No, but it seems like a good day to start drinking“, she quickly replied with a strained smile.

He grabbed a few beers and watched her take a sip. Just as she took her first sip she choked up and started coughing which drew the attention of the pack as well.

„Wow. Didn't expect it to taste like that.“

„What did you expect it would taste like then?“ he looked at her with amusement. Truth be told he only ever had one beer a year ago and he grabbed it at a party he crashed with Quil and Jacob.

„I don't know, but not like...that!“ she points at the beer with a genuine smile spreading across her face. Regardless of her previous complaint she continued to down the beverage, finding she rather enjoyed the cool burn spreading down her throat to the stomach.

Embry guided her to Bella as he challenged the guys to play soccer with an agenda of his own.

The pack was running around, laughing and clearly having some well deserved fun while Arya and Bella conversed about the Cullens. They quickly bonded over their mutual understanding and beliefs regarding the family. Bella told her of Esme's nurturing side, about Emmet being a gentle giant, Rosalie's hard exterior, Alice and her visions and mad fashion skills, Jasper with the mood control abilities and finally her own soulmate Edward, the mind reading virtuoso. They were so engrossed in the conversation they barely noticed when Embry collided into Paul causing the latter to fall straight onto a big rock ending with a big, nasty cut. Rachel screamed and it drew the girls attention to the beach. Noticing a hurt Paul on the floor Arya broke into a sprint showing up seconds later. Dropping to her knees she inspected the injury while asking the boys what happened. The injury was deep and needed stitches, but her bag was back in the house.

„We need to get him to the house, I have my suture-kit in a bag with sterile gauze and bandages.“ She urged.

„Don't worry, I'll heal, it's not a big deal“, he responded as she looked at him, already getting red in the face, but this time it was from anger not embarrassment. One look from her was enough to know she wasn't joking around and it shut him up instantly. For weeks he longed for a moment alone with her to plead his case and now he would finally get it. She put a beach towel on his cut to absorb some of the blood and to put a bit of pressure on the wound.

She helped him up and offered herself as a crutch of sorts for him to lean on.

„I'm coming with you“, Rachel stated before they even made a step.

Paul mentally groaned but thankfully Embry stepped in, „Rach, he's in good hands, she's a trauma specialist. Besides you faint at anything more than drawing blood.“

Rachel walked away, but everyone could see how pissed she was. Jacob tried talking to her but it only angered her more. She could feel Paul slipping through her fingers. He'd been distant from the day that girl walked into their lives. She often asked him if there was something going on between them or if he imprinted, but he denied everything. She knew better tho'. Paul never looked at her the way he looks at Arya and it hurt her deeply. There was always hope that one day he'd feel just as strongly for her as she did for him, but from the looks of it, those dreams were dead and gone.

Meanwhile, Arya was walking with Paul, since the house was not that far away from the beach. Paul leaned on her just enough to make her believe she was really helping him walk, but he knew if he truly leaned on her they'd both fall straight to the ground.

Finally getting to the house Arya sat him on the couch and quickly disappeared upstairs only to come down not a minute later.

„First I'll have to clean the cut and it might sting a little.“ She said with her eyes concentrating on his leg, her gentle hands already in white gloves holding a dark brown bottle in one and a gauze in the other hand. She started cleaning the cut making him wince in pain.

She looked up to him with a smile playing on her lips „sorry tough guy, told you it might sting.“

God, he knew he'd take any amount of pain just to be near her as long as possible. Her lilac perfume filled his nostrils and helped him relax. Oh, how much he'd give to be able to nuzzle into her neck, to kiss her lips, play with strands of her wavy hair.

„I'm gonna give you an anesthetic to numb the area before I do the stitches. Werewolf or not, that will hurt.“

„I'm sorry“, he said suddenly.

„If you're apologizing because I'm about to go near your leg with a needle and a thread then you'll need a better apology then that“, she said with a cool and almost amused tone as she injected the anesthetic into the wound.

„No, I mean I really am sorry. I'm sorry about your car“, he continued while she looked at him with wide eyes, „about that fight, about getting Sam on your case too and about anything I might have done to hurt you. Hurting you was never my intention.“

He saw the shock register on her face before she could hide it. A small smile played on his lips, but it wasn't what he said though, his words were like pudding, sweet in an ordinary sort of way, it was the richness of his tones; luxurious and warm that drew her to him in way no one else could.

Before she could say anything he continued, „Don't get me wrong, I am still very much against you going near those leeches and there is no way in hell I'm letting you get hurt by them, but I am sorry about the way I went behind your back to tell Sam and the rest of the pack.“

She nodded and started sewing the cut shut. Her fingers worked fast and delicately. It was easy to see why she was a prodigy in her field, her talent clearly showing. After she was done with the stitches, she used another dark bottle with a darker, brownish liquid to drench a gauze she put over the stitches and a long white bandage to secure it. Just as she finished Rachel walked in with Embry following close behind. She ran up to Paul and hugged him in an excessive way that Arya couldn't help but roll her eyes at.

„Oh baby, you're okay“ she repeated during the hug which only irritated Arya more causing her to grab her things and leave the room.

She walked back to the beach with Embry next to her, grabbed the first beer she could find and downed it in seconds. Finishing the beer she grimaced, grabbed Embry's hand and plopped them both down on the sand.

It was already sunset and the romantic setting made her heart yearn for a certain wolf she swore to never think of again.

As the sun disappeared on the horizon she saw the fire was already lit, music was playing in the background and more importantly Paul was back with Rachel. She snorted grabbing her third beer of the day, already feeling slightly tipsy and Embry looked in the same direction.

„You okay?“ he asked.

„I’m drinking a cocktail of depression, anxiety, and insecurities“, she replied, not aware of a certain hothead listening in.

„You know, he doesn't love her“, he stated making her look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

„Before the shift, he was the biggest flirt in school, a player. Every week he'd date a different girl. He was short-tempered and got into fights and was a big ass to everyone. It all changed when he shifted. He had to control his anger better because one mistake could mean someone's life was done. That's why Sam gave us all orders not to talk to people outside the pack unless they were family or an imprint... So a player finds himself unable to talk to all the girls throwing themselves at him and a girl that knows of us rolls into town, what does he do?“ She looked at him confused and he shook his head in fake disappointment.

„He's with her because she is the only girl in on the secret that isn't a) related to him or b) someone else's imprint and c) because he's a stubborn ass.“

„Doesn't change the fact she's there rubbing herself on him.“ she spat out.

„Perhaps, but I know he's an idiot, because you're a catch.“

„Thanks Ems.“ She replies resting her head on his shoulder.

„Why must you call me Ems, it's damaging to my manhood“ he states with a light tone in his voice.

„Because your other nickname would be Bry, I'd be happy to change it if you want to“, she replied with fake innocence.

„Oh, you cruel woman“ he said dramatically.

„If you think that's bad, just remember I call Seth Puppy“, she claimed making him laugh.

„I'm good with Em and Ems......pun intended“ they both burst into fits of laughter.

A little further away Paul stood watching his imprint drinking and laughing with a different man. Rachel was practically rubbing herself on him, trying to kiss him a few times but what she didn't understand was how her touch was making him physically sick. He wanted Arya to touch him, not in a sexual way, , never anywhere other than his face, his hands, his hair. His warmth would seep into her being and he would comfort her without ever opening his mouth. She'd melt into him like ice-cream on a warm porcelain bowl, because she belonged next to him just as he belonged next to her. And each time before they parted the aching to be in his arms would begin anew.

He knew this wasn't working anymore. He long lost the fight, not with the bond, but with her. Her kindness, intelligence, laughter, innocence and many many other things called to him. He longed for her in every sense of the word. He knew what he had to do. Sparing one last look to the one that captured his heart and soul, he took Rachel's hand and guided her away from the crowd.

„Rachel, we need to talk.“

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sulietsexual · 7 years

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Who are you favourite and least favourite characters? Favourite and least favourite ships? Feel free to give as much or as little detail as you like, id love to hear your thoughts :)

I’m going to assume this is in general and not specific to a certainmedium, ie. Fave tv or movie characters. I’ll try to limit myself but heads up,this may be a long post.

Favourite characters:

Prue Halliwell – fierce, strong, resilient, stubborn as hell and overlyprotective of her family, Prue is a character I identify with deeply andstrongly admire. She is multi-faceted, flawed and very complex and her arc on Charmed is one of my favourite aspects of the show.

Rachel Berenson – compassionate, brave, reckless, violent,bloodthirsty, one of my earliest heroes/role models, Rachel was my inspirationgrowing up, she showed me how a character can be both incredibly soft and amazinglyhard and how neither side needed to be compromised for the other. I will loveher until my dying day.

Jo March – another character I deeply identified with, even more sothan Prue, I pretty much was Jo March as a teen. Tomboyish,hot-tempered, constantly clashing with my siblings, rebelling against familyand societal expectations, a writer and voracious reader, everything about Joreflected that part of my life and watching Winona Ryder bring her to life inone of my favourite adaptations cemented my love for the character.

Angel – broody, petty, self-flagellating vampire with a good heart buta true darkness which he needs to constantly keep in check, who wouldn’t lovethis adorkable manpire? Angel is such a great character, he’s so complex andmulti-faceted and I wish more fans would watch his show so they can see hissubsequent development.

Juliet Burke – amazingly resilient and good-hearted broken woman, whosurvived so much, who played both sides in trying to gain her own freedom butcouldn’t go through with what she was tasked with doing and so chose to sidewith the Losties because she is such a good and compassionate person, whowatched woman after woman die while there was nothing she could do about it,who was manipulated and abused by an evil man who wanted to keep her forhimself, who fell down a ravine and detonated a bomb so that the man she lovedcould go home, who was selfless and kind and brave … I could go on forever, sheis amazing.

Charles Gunn – such an under-appreciated character, ignored byboth the fandom and the narrative, resilient, street-smart, intelligent,caring, unsure of how to navigate the world of grey but tried his best toadjust his world views, utterly screwed by the narrative of the show and thrownunder the bus for Wesley’s arc, the tragedy of Charles Gunn comes from howbadly he was treated and how the fans still refuse to see how great he was.

Mellie Grant – this is a new one as I only started watching Scandallast year but I fell so hard for Mellie Grant, fierce, resilientsurvivor that she is. I don’t think I’ve seen a more abused woman in TV buteverything her god-awful husband and Olivia Pope threw at her she survived,took in stride and came out the other side stronger and more badass. She is amazingand I hope that the shit-storm of a show gives her happy ending.

There are more I could list but we could be here forever, so I’llcap out here. Now, as for Least Favourite Characters:

Fitzgerald Grant – weak, spineless, abusive, useless, completely incompetentand constantly led around by his pecker, Fitz Grant is detestable. Thereis nothing redeeming about his character, he treats everyone around himlike shit (particularly his wife, the amazing Mellie Grant) and I just find himdespicable.

John Locke – I want to like John Locke, he is a layeredcharacter and he has a great actor attached to him but he’s just so pathetic,I cannot deal with him. He’s never right, he never knows what to do, he’sconstantly taking choices and agency away from the other Losties and I justfind him detestable.

Joey Potter – one of the biggest Mary Sues I’ve ever comes across ontelevision, she is constantly praised by other characters, propped up in the narrativeand fawned over, her story overtakes that of the main character of the show andI just find her to be a bitter, highly unlikable jerk who treats everyonearound her like crap.

Betty Cooper – this is a new one but much like Joey Potter, my dislikeof Betty Cooper stems from her being an insufferable Mary Sue whosestory/character has taken over the show, overshadowing the protagonist and allthe other far more interesting characters, while she herself is a bland,annoying Creator’s Pet, whose “dark side” is violent and cruel but is lauded asbeing “feminist”.

Favourite Ships

Okay, we could be here till tomorrow with these, so I’ll try to limitit to Top 5 here.

Buffy/Angel (BtVS) – the best and most endearing vampire/human lovestory, these two are beautiful, tragic, epic and just amazing. Theirrelationship spans two shows and their bond and connection is unrivalled. Theyhave been my OTP for almost twenty years and I will never stop loving them.

Darla/Angel (AtS) – one of themost complex, dynamic, intriguing ships ever, I can’t even begin to find theright words to describe this incredible, centuries-long relationship. There areso many different sides and incarnations to this ship and the chemistry betweenthe actors is amazing, I can’t get enough of them.

Sawyer/Juliet (LOST) – two broken souls who were desperately trying tofind a home and found one in each other. This relationship, despite itsrelatively short run, was the most amazing, equal and beautiful one to come outof LOST, with the two character giving and taking, creating a beautifullybalanced and healthy ship, which was tragically cut short.

Fred/Gunn (AtS) – I will never forgive the AtS writers for decimating thisperfectly balanced, equal partnership, a gorgeous interracial ship, free ofstereotypes, which was built on a foundation of trusty, friendship, mutualattraction and respect (and was then torn apart for Wesley’s man pain).

Rachel/Tobias (Animorphs) – one of my earliest ships, I will never getover these two and the way they found one another amidst a war, the way theybrought out the humanity in one another and the way they grounded and focusedone another. They are absolutely heartbreaking.

Least-Favourite Ships

Spike/Buffy (BtVS) – abuse, sexual assault, emotional manipulation,attempted rape … I cannot deal with this ship, with the victim-blaming whichsurrounds it and the way in which Buffy’s pain and trauma was used to furtherSpike’s arc. This will forever be my most reviled ship.

Emma/Hook (OUAT) – this ship was forced, rushed, decimated the maincharacter of the show and reduced her to a shell of a woman whose life revolvedaround a man, not to mention it led directly to the killing off of the amazingNeal Cassidy.

Fred/Wes (AtS) – a creepy and obsessive “love”, in which Fred was hurt,shot and then horribly murdered in order to fuel Wesley’s man pain, I willnever be on board with the ship and its Spuffy-esque overtones. Give me Fredand Gunn any day.

Jonathan/Nancy (Stranger Things) – not only did Jonathan takecreepy-ass photos of Nancy while she was half-naked, their relationship wasunder-developed and forced and it threw poor Steve Harrington under the bus andmade out that his relationship with Nancy was all a farce.

#anti spuffy #anti fresley #anti cs #anti jancy #long post #Anonymous #answered

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cult-of-kai · 7 years

Text

The Sword of Swift Justice

Thoughts on episode eight, ‘Winter of Our Discontent’:

This episode was like the ghost of predictions past for me…

The promo picture called Cheyenne Jackson’s character ‘Dr. Rudy Vincent’, but his name in the show is Dr. Vincent Anderson. Surely this was done to preserve the surprise reveal. Right away, we find out that Vincent is innocent of all but being a lousy shrink. But even then- wait. Is he a lousy shrink? He’s exasperated by Ally, to be sure- but so were we. So was Ivy, for all that she had other issues as well. Rosie, beaming, said that Vincent cured her and he responded by praising the work she’d put in. I thought he had to be loading Kai up on Adderall if nothing else, but nope. Kai steals prescription pads from him. Vincent’s eventual fate stings because it comes right when he’s trying to atone for mistakes he is just realizing he made. I reasoned early on that Vincent might not actually be involved in the cult, but I kind of assumed I was overthinking the whole thing. Nope again. Although… there was something a little creepy about the description of “pinky power” (which sounds even sillier than pinky promise), in my opinion. At any rate- RIP, Vincent.

I guess Bebe Babbitt… went missing? I don’t know, but the ladies of the cult are still pissed about being pushed aside. It’s gotten worse, actually, because now they’re stuck cooking for and serving Kai’s army of blueshirt drones. Ivy mentions The Handmaid’s Tale, which I’ll get back to later, and Beverly relates how Kai is manipulating the city council into going along with his decisions. The bit about the gated community is decent class-war commentary. Then it’s time for story time with Winter.

How did Kai-That-Was become the Kai we know? I think it was after the trailer’s release that I called Kai a manipulative whackjob with a messiah complex. But then back in ‘11/9′, we were given the impression of relative- if perhaps dreary- normalcy until Ms. Anderson commits a murder-suicide. This definitely effects him. A mutual of mine (@loonyloomis) pointed out that this was when Kai stopped cutting his hair- Adam Sheppard tease!- and he later gets into peddling fraudulent prescriptions. But he seems to bounce back for the most part, despite living in a house with two rotting corpses. Then the two younger Anderson siblings go to Judgment House on a lark, which Winter presents as the defining turning point in Kai’s life. Symbolically, it makes sense. In a twisted parody of a church, a horror *house of judgment*, Kai is stripped down to his essence- and found wanting. His first instinct upon realizing that Pastor Charles is torturing and killing people is to rescue them, which he does while Winter runs to save herself. This is Kai at his most genuinely heroic. He saved four people, including Winter, from terrible torment and death- not to mention any other victims Pastor Charles would have found. Now just take a minute to imagine how differently things might have gone if Kai had done as the female victim suggested and called the police. But he didn’t, because the better angel of his nature fails. Instead of shining a light on a great evil, he becomes it. He denies Pastor Charles’ victims the justice they choose to do as Winter suggests and kills him, becoming a killer. This- not his parents’ death- is the crack in Kai’s soul, the fissure in his mind. Everything since has been psychodramatic fallout and Kai bringing others down with him. He’s trying to convince himself and everyone around him that he’s on the rise when he is in free-fall.

I’m not sure how prevalent they are overall, but (fake!) Judgment Houses do definitely exist in the South. I specifically remember going to one that was split between heaven and hell. Everyone kept wandering back to hell because the heaven side- white sheets with scripture written all over them- was boring. Parts of Judgment House reminded me of ‘Se7en’, specifically Sloth. That’s undoubtedly deliberate, especially since Winter already name-dropped Fincher last episode. And randomly, AHS co-creator Brad Falchuk dates Gwyneth Paltrow. Others have mentioned similarities to the ‘Saw’ series, but I’ve never seen any of those. Rick Springfield was fine, but Pastor Charles would have been a nice little role for Denis O’Hare.

Anyway. Winter wants to try to reach Kai, because she believes that can happen. They’re all members of a murderous clown cult, but what do I know? Ivy and Beverly agree to give her some time. Winter and Kai meet, and we learn that Kai definitely knows how Harrison died and doesn’t care. They do a pinky power session and shit gets strange fast. Kai has decided, apropos of nothing, that they need to have a messiah baby. And for whatever reason, Winter has to be its mother. Logically, one’s mind goes to incest. But no- it’s going to be so much weirder than that! Kai says they’re going to have a threesome with Detective Samuels but somehow Winter will remain pure. At first I thought maybe Kai was just looking for an excuse to have sex with Samuels, but later events in the episode turned that idea on its head. Winter eventually calls the whole thing off because it gets to be too much nonsense for her. (I mean, it wasn’t until then?) Between the robes and the song and the behavior of all involved, it was undoubtedly one of the most bizarre AHS scenes ever- cringy as hell, but also hysterical and… oddly fitting in a satirical way? In the popular imagination and in reality (to a lesser degree), cult practices are often oddly sexual, cobbled together, and perversions of religious rituals. Kai has a degree in religious studies. Is he trying to sanctify what he and the cult are doing? His opening salvo during pinky power might lead us to believe he’s simply testing Winter, but I don’t know. The whole scenario also evokes ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, a modern classic about women’s disenfranchisement via reproductive slavery.

As for Winter, what’s her deal? Why was she trolling “social justice warriors” with Kai? Sibling bonding? She seemed to be enjoying it. Was she perhaps also changed by Judgment House? Was her response to the trauma a hard left turn? But she swears to love and be loyal to her brother, who is politically on the opposite shore. In ‘11/9′, she told Ivy she wants to serve someone powerful. It’s all rather baffling. Regardless, Winter wearing a dunce cap and throwing recycling on the side of the road because Kai “doesn’t believe in global warming” is one of the funniest damn things I’ve seen all season. The following confrontation between her and Samuels- especially the line about losing when Hillary did- might suggest she would get more radical and truly join forces with the other women, but that’s not what happens. Instead, she… sells Beverly out? What? In turn, Beverly reads both Kai and Winter for filth.

We *finally* get a little backstory on Samuels, which I’ve been waiting for despite not caring about the character. I suspected he was a Nazi type way back in ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’, and I was right. He was also a dirty cop pre-cult, although it’s a little rich for Winter to accuse him of being a criminal when- once again- they’re both members of a *murderous clown cult*. He life is complicated by being gay and internalizing homophobia. Kai sees this and immediately goes to work, feeding Samuels a line of misogynistic bullshit and then fucking him for good measure. Kai seems particularly into it as well, which is interesting. I rather wonder how Evan would describe his character’s sexuality. So did Samuels just not care about Harrison at all? It didn’t seem like their involvement was only physical. I specifically remember them cuddling on the couch and discussing their favorite housewives. Eh. RIP, Samuels.

Finally, we have Ally to consider. We see her holding one of Oz’s toy trucks before inviting Kai over to rat Vincent out. She claims to be afraid of nothing now, and that’s after Kai has already noted a change in her. Their little exchange about Manwich is cute, as is her deliberately calling Speed Wagon ‘Aerosmith’. (Seriously, where did the drones’ names come from?) In the final scene, we see that that some drones have taken to wearing the masks of fallen clowns. Ally, staring Ivy down, is wearing the mask of Kai’s former “favorite”- the only one who impressed him. That’s no coincidence. Rise, Ally.

#it is *dumb* that I'm posting this only now #I've had it half-written since the night the episode aired #I've just been lazy #and busy #american horror story #AHS: cult #7.8 'winter of our discontent'#fandom thoughts #episode recaps #october 2017

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