Tumgik
#i need to go back eventually and actually read all the interviews and stuff
risaonda · 2 years
Note
venuss can u give me your thoughts on desth stranding..i'm gonna start watching a playthrough soon but i want to know ur opinions on it first
Tumblr media
(sorry this emoji image is so big btw)
game of all time i love to deliver my silly little cargo and me and my bb are best friends and everyone hates me for it
3 notes · View notes
hotluncheddie · 3 months
Note
New anon here... I've been thinking about the government shoving Eddie into witness protection without letting him say goodbye to the rest of the group, which is a real bummer Steddie-wise because they were definitely headed towards something. So Eddie is like, in the suburbs of Chicago or somewhere under the new name Nathan Edwards or something, gets a slave wage job at a Scoops Ahoy, and proceeds to eat his feelings.
A couple years later, Steve is passing through the area, sees the Scoops, and thinks what the hell, he's doing pretty well for himself these days at whatever "fuck you dad I can make it on my own" career he ended up choosing, he can go in and tip some fresh outta high school kid the way he'd always appreciated back in his Starcourt days. And wow, the guy behind the counter definitely isn't a teenager, but he does look familiar...
:0 anon!!!!!
i’m hoping by saying he eats his feeling in the ice cream shop that we’re on the same page here… (bc oof 🥴👹)
but ugh witness protection is so sad omg but big hurt/comfort possibilities maybe i think i think
they make them leave straight out of the hospital, him and wayne and one box of stuff each. they give them new names, a new place, set wayne up with a new job. but it’s not the same, nothing is, never will be. eddie has to cut his hair, thankfully not a buzz cut but he hasn’t had his curls sit above his ears in years. it’s the thing that makes his feel most strange, he thinks - not recognising himself in the mirror.
recovering physically took a long time, mentally, just as long. but eventually he needs to be around people again, needs money, a routine. the scoops job started as kind of a joke and then he realised it was the place he applied with the easiest commute and the owner was a really chill dude at the interview and then it really wasn’t a joke anymore. eddie worked a scoops ahoy. the pay is whatever but the work is fine and with wayne’s wage they more than get by and while it’s boring, it also kind of feels like breathing room, time to slow down and learn about himself again, after everything.
after a while eddie is actually kind of digging the sailor outfit, gives him an excuse to be kind of silly and get away with way more with customers that he should. like you can’t really get mad at him, not dressed like that, not when he still gets the orders right. it feels like a character, he’s the bard, the jester, and one day he’ll break free but for now - he enjoys the free icecream.
it started small, employees are allowed one item in break and he usually went for a soda, then that changed to a milkshake or a cone. and then one night he was closing and it was right by wayne’s birthday and there was a quarter of a tub set to be thrown out. and, well, eddie thought, why not take it home?
then the new monthly schedule comes out and since most of the part timers are younger and he has his (new) van it’s got him set to closing alone most shifts. fine by him, one hour of pay where he can blast his walkman while he cleans, best case scenario even.
he was also in charge of making sure the tubs were correctly filled ready for the openers and that meant throwing out the near empty ones. so near empty that that kid in eddie seems to rear up and remind him of all those times they couldn’t afford icecream, why let it go to waste? he always did have a sweet tooth.
so most nights his routine after work is to get home, have dinner with wayne, get high, watch some tv or read or listen to music and most notably polish off whatever ice cream and ‘only just out of date so still definitely good’ toppings he’s managed to squirrel home.
that last bit is notable because it’s been a year of working there, just under a year of this new routine, and eddie’s had to size up his once baggy uniform.
he’s kept definition in his legs and arms since his job is running around and scooping frozen shit. but now he’s padded with a layer of chub and his stomach is padded with a lot more than that, having bared the brunt. his cheeks have also rounded and his thighs and ass are honestly looking better than ever.
and with everything so new that’s been forced on him, this new at least feels like his. he knows how it happened, he’s not dumb, and yeah sometimes he ate just to wallow but he enjoyed every fucking bite of that ice-cream. and yeah he knows the red stripes that streak up his sides and push agains the waistband of his shorts aren’t everyone’s idea of desirable but, this is him now. everything else in his life is new, may as well have a new body to go with it. and to be honest he finally feels like he’s recognising himself in the mirror now. this new guy he’s had to become, there are ways that it’s still his.
but god does he miss everyone. not a day goes by he doesn’t think of home, his friends, his life, the people he almost died with. steve. so every night he gets high and eats ice cream and feels his belly swell that little bit more. sometimes he cries, sometimes he laughs but he’s alive and he has wayne and they’re safe. so every night he eats icecream.
-
steve moves to chicago with robin. he’s in school to be a physical therapist, robin studying italian. they moved just outside the city because it’s cheaper, a nice little neighbourhood. hes getting by, he works at a gym and helps with some of the classes, it’s decent pay and fun and he’s getting more and more days where that darkness feels far away, his rain cloud isn’t so thick. he’s doing it, surviving. living, even.
but, every day he misses eddie munson.
he’s out jogging when he spots it, taken a new route and made it to a strip of stores he didn’t know were there. with a scoops ahoy. just like summer of ‘83.
he laughs.
for old times sake and knowing robin will get a kick out of it he head in inside. thinks the 20 in his sock is more than enough to have spare for a tip that should brighten whatever kid is working the counter. surely they don’t still have the same unifo- nope, they do, and the guy at the counter looks much closer to steve’s age than the high schooler he expected. he’s cute. big eyes, nice hands.
-
eddie’s frozen. there’s a spectre in his store. steve’s staring at him. eddie’s stares at steve. eddie’s suddenly filled with anxious energy, unsure how to process what’s in front of him. tugs at his shirt out of habit, smooths the fabric down over the plush of his stomach, readjusts his hat that doesn’t need readjusting, bounces on his toes. what the fuck.
and eddie sees that steve doesn’t quite recognise him with his rounder features and shorter hair. he can’t wear his rings to work (they’re different, gold but still chunky) and, obviously steve’s never seen him dressed like this, also probably never imagined eddie would have a belly like that.
the second thing that registers in eddie, after the initial shock, is feeling his stomach drop out in fear. for wayne. for their place. for his job… for steve.
he doesn’t remember what the rules were about contact with his past. but he’s pretty sure there were rules on it.
but then something flickers across steve’s face, a flash of lightning, and he’s moving, leaning across the counter and enveloping eddie in a hug. ‘oh thank god.’ eddie hears steve breathe, strained and relieved and so full of emotion eddie feels his throat close and his eyes burn. steve’s here. eddie squeezes back and breaths deep, he smells like sweat and hairspray and home.
his steve is here.
and all eddie can do is cling back.
they’ll have to figure something out. he can’t let go of this again.
72 notes · View notes
daresplaining · 6 months
Text
An Interview with Christine Hanefalk
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Christine Hanefalk created her blog, The Other Murdock Papers, in 2007 as a place to discuss and share her interest in Matt Murdock and his world. Over the years, she has become one of the most compelling and influential voices within the Daredevil fan community, even making a cameo appearance in the comic itself in Daredevil volume 3 #31. In 2022 she published Being Matt Murdock, a passion project centered around an area of particular fascination: Matt's legendary hypersenses. The book weaves real-world science into the vast Daredevil canon to explore the notion that Daredevil's powers, though superhuman, are not – and do not need to be – as divorced from reality as one might think.
Christine was kind enough to answer my questions about the book, and about her nearly twenty-year-long fascination with the Man Without Fear. Read the interview below...
Daresplaining: I know many people will be familiar with your blog and your longtime interest in Matt Murdock's sensory world, but could you say a little about how Being Matt Murdock first came about, and how you approached writing and researching it?
Christine Hanefalk: I started The Other Murdock Papers in late 2007 and gradually allowed myself to start writing more about the scientific and sensory aspects of Daredevil as time went on. I was really worried it might turn people off, but the opposite was true and people really seemed to dig my deep dives. And so as far back as around 2012 I decided that, one of these days, I was going to try to write a whole book on the subject. 
Despite the fact that it took me ten years to complete it, with most of the work being concentrated to the final 12-18 months before publication, I had actually done some writing early-on. I think I had about half of chapters one (on the literary history) and seven (on the sense of smell) written several years ago, along with various snippets and notes that I had filed away and was able to work into some of the other chapters. I had also consistently been keeping an eye out for anything new and interesting in the peer reviewed academic literature, and managed to amass – and read through – quite a collection of books on sensory neuroscience over the years.
When that “now or never” moment finally arrived, it lined up well with a period of time in my life where I was able to cut back on regular work and devote most of my time and energy to the book. I went over all of the stuff I’d already looked at before but with more focus, and got myself reacquainted with subjects I hadn’t really touched since college, such as thermodynamics. I also reread nearly all of the comics, taking very detailed notes on how and when Daredevil used his senses to get a better idea of the overall pattern. It’s not an understatement to say that I’ve spent upwards of 2,000 hours on this project over the years.
D: I understand that you were introduced to Daredevil through the 2003 movie. What drew you so strongly to Matt as a character? How much of a role has your fascination with his powers played in your continuing interest over the years?
CH: I grew up reading comics and enjoying sci-fi and superhero movies as a kid. I was born in 1977, so both the original Star Wars trilogy and the Superman franchise loomed large in my life when I got old enough to watch them. And while I eventually stopped reading superhero comics, I always had a special place in my heart for the genre and had a certain fascination with the general idea of superheroes. That eventually steered me in the direction of the Daredevil movie when it was released in video stores (I don’t think it even went up in theaters in my native Sweden). 
The specifics of Matt Murdock’s power set was definitely one thing that gave this character an unusual kind of appeal to me. I had always been interested in the science of the senses – and what happens when one is missing – and had even written a paper on sensory compensation for my neuroscience class while I was an exchange student at the University of Rochester around the turn of the millennium. 
There were additional things that made Daredevil interesting of course, such as his career as a lawyer, his overall personality, and the general mood of the world he inhabited, but the combination of his power set and my already having a soft spot for superheroes definitely piqued my interest right away. Within a few months of learning that Daredevil even existed, I had read pretty much everything he had ever appeared in.
D: Do you have a favorite sense, both in terms of your own research and as a Daredevil fan?
CH: I think I probably enjoyed researching hearing the most since there’s so much to cover. It’s also fascinating to me how hearing can be called on to perform spatial functions despite having this deceptively simple, linear, time-dependent form in terms of how it is received by the ear. The fact that it’s possible, even for quite ordinary humans, to sort of “see-hear” silent objects is fascinating to me.
However, if we look at Daredevil, I’d say that hearing has tended to be overused compared to both smell and touch. While hearing is often called on to perform near transcendental duties, smell tends to be forgotten by a lot of writers, probably in large part due to the fact that we humans seem to be less conscious of smells than we are of other sensory input. For the entire history of the comic, Daredevil has often gone several issues without any reference to smell, and the things he’s been smelling have often tended to not be very interesting. It’s always a treat to see smell being used in creative ways.
Still, the sense I would be even more interested in seeing more of in Daredevil is probably touch, which I also think is used less than it could be. Sure, there’s plenty of reading by touch (print or braille), but I still think we might be underestimating the importance of touch in Matt’s life, due in part to the high expectations of the radar sense (whatever we make of it). I view the “radar” as absolutely vital to everything Matt does as Daredevil, but I also see a much greater potential role for touch to work synergistically with such an ability.
D: Do you have a favorite new fact that you learned over the course of researching this book?
CH: Yes. I do think my coming across Jacob Twersky’s writing helped solidify the idea I had about how the concept of the radar sense may have originated. Blinded in childhood, Twersky would go on to become a champion collegiate wrestler, and later a historian and author. I read both his 1954 novel The Face of the Deep and his 1959 autobiography The Sound of the Walls while working on my own book. The way Twersky describes his sense of the obstacles around him in The Sound of the Walls struck me as shockingly similar to early descriptions of Daredevil’s radar sense, including the use of the term “radar” itself. 
While I can’t know for sure whether anyone at Marvel was familiar with Twersky’s writing, it’s worth noting that he was a New Yorker and a contemporary of Stan Lee and many of the others in the Marvel bullpen back in the day. Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that the Marvel creators were not the first to use the word “radar” to describe the “obstacle sense of the blind,” as it was often known at the time. Over the years, and especially after having studied the early issues in great detail, I’ve definitely come to favor the idea that the “radar sense” wasn’t meant to be understood as a literal (electromagnetic) radar, though I should add that the understanding of the radar seems to have been all over the place for most of Daredevil history. Reading Twersky definitely added considerable weight to my interpretation of the early radar sense.
I also had some favorite epiphanies connected to the radar sense, one in particular which I think explains why Daredevil’s very particular way of being blind is often so difficult to make sense of for writers and fans alike. I recently wrote a rather lengthy post covering much of that stuff.
D: While taking a renewed deep dive into the source material, did you find yourself changing your opinion on anything?
CH: I should preface this by saying that there are definitely things I’ve changed my mind about over the years, even before I started most of the work on the book. I mentioned above that my understanding of the radar sense has shifted gradually, away from the more literal take the name suggests. Looking at the comics very carefully gives you even more of a sense that pinning down anything concrete here is going to be really difficult.
Revisting the comics has also given me a new appreciation for certain runs, such as the pre-Miller Bronze Age issues. This process has also led me to reassess my earlier assumptions that Daredevil’s senses have gone through some kind of steady evolution from Silver Age goofy to modern and grounded. This really isn’t the case, especially when you exclude some of the early outliers. You can find plenty of examples of both nonsensical and absolutely brilliant “senses writing” throughout the history of the comic, but I wouldn’t say that the treatment of the senses, or Matt’s blindness, have necessarily become more grounded on average.
D: You go into great detail about how much of Matt's sensory world has not been explored yet on the page. Is there any particular, specific experience that you would love to see depicted in future runs or adaptations? 
CH: Contrary to what people might expect of me given my priors, I don’t necessarily think that there needs to be more stories about his senses, blindness and so on. However, I think these aspects of the character should be viewed as absolutely essential to how Daredevil is written, no matter what the particular storyline happens to be. I make a point in the book about how Daredevil is an amazingly interesting thought experiment, and I really believe that. So I’d really just wish for writers to be more comfortable running their scenes and stories through whatever their own version of this thought experiment happens to be and making sure that what’s on the page makes sense in light of that.
D: While researching other superpowered blind characters from the comics world and beyond, did you discover any new favorites? Can we expect a spin-off blog about Doctor Mid-Nite?
CH: Ha ha, no. It’s enough of a challenge keeping up with The Other Murdock Papers these days. As regular readers have undoubtedly noticed, I’ve been considerably less active there in recent years, having to do with work on the book as well as other real life stuff that’s competing for my time and attention. I do expect it to live on for many more years though, and I do update every once in a while. I’m definitely looking forward to writing about Daredevil: Born Again when that comes out, and we also have Echo coming out in early 2024.
D: What is your biggest Daredevil sensory pet peeve?
CH: To be honest, what bothers me more than all of the silly things put together is the suggestion that Daredevil can “see better than all of us,” is “not really blind,” and so on. As much as this might sound like the whole point of the character, it also takes much of the complexity out of what Daredevil does and how he does it. As blanket statements go, it just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, unless we radically redefine what sight is, and what the other senses – even when heightened – actually do. 
D: I love the scene in volume 3 #26 when Matt evades Ikari by changing his heart rate, even though logic would suggest that Ikari could still track him using his other senses, or even just other sounds. Do you have any favorite DD moments where you let sensory weirdnesses slide just because the scene is so compelling? 
CH: While it’s a whole issue rather than a single scene, I really enjoyed what Mark Waid and Chris Samnee were attempting to do with the story that sees Matt attempt to escape Latveria while losing all of his senses. The scene I’m choosing to let slide here is when Matt seems to develop some kind of heat vision (it’s frankly unclear what it’s supposed to be) as his body tries to compensate. Whenever you see hints of thermal imaging in Daredevil, that’s an indication that he’s doing something that’s much further removed from how his senses should work than most people realize. It’s not something that follows naturally from heightened senses and is more like an entirely different kind of superpower. 
I definitely tend to give a writer much more slack when 1) I'm enjoying the writing overall, and 2) said writer compensates to some degree by doing a good job of exploring, or at the very least remembering, that Matt is in fact blind.
D: What are your hopes for this book in regards to the impact it might have on how Daredevil is written in the future? What are the key takeaways that you hope fans and/or potential future Daredevil creators pull from it? 
CH: If people reading this interview haven’t read Being Matt Murdock they may get the impression that it’s all a long list of “don’ts” or “can’ts,” but that’s a far cry from what I’ve attempted to do. I remember reading another superhero science book a few years ago that seemed to have as its central premise that “superpowers are stupid,” which didn’t feel particularly gratifying. I don’t see it that way at all. Sure, there are certainly characters whose powers read more like magic than anything else, but I don’t necessarily mind that. We don’t have to hold every character to any kind of scientific standard, and there definitely comes a point when taking this too far just takes the fun out of it. 
When it comes to a character like Daredevil, however, I feel very strongly that bringing science into the picture has the potential to aid in the creative process rather than hinder it. Daredevil is relatively unusual in that he can exist comfortably in a kind of “reality next door.” His powers are not possible in our own universe, but they are not so far removed from our normal understanding of things that we can’t attempt to make sense of them and imagine what life would be like from his perspective. Because while no one has super hearing, most of us do have regular human hearing which detects the measurable and explainable phenomenon of sound. 
There are naturally things about Daredevil that not even loosening the reins of biology will address – for instance, even a science-minded writer is likely going to have to break some of the laws of the physics of sound – but understanding how these phenomena unfold in the real world helps create a good structure for how Daredevil might operate. And I feel like I’ve come pretty close to presenting a coherent “view” of the world from Daredevil’s perspective in this book.
It would definitely be a dream come true to have this book inspire future Daredevil writers, but I obviously don’t have much control over that kind of stuff. I’ve been able to give out plenty of copies to past writers and artists though, ha ha. I would want incoming writers to know that science is their friend. And that understanding some of the science makes Daredevil even more fascinating.
D: If you were given the opportunity to actually experience the world the way Matt does for a day, would you take it?
CH: Absolutely! Mind you, I probably wouldn’t want to do it for longer than a day or two and I very much appreciate my standard issue eyesight, but I think it would be fascinating to explore his world. Though in this thought experiment, I would assume that I could experience things the way he does after years of getting used to it so it’s not too much of a shock to the system. Unlike what happened in the delightfully ridiculous story where Daredevil switched bodies with Doctor Doom, and Doom appeared to adjust on the spot and couldn’t even figure out that he was now blind, I would expect it to take months or even years to learn to navigate the world the way Matt does (superhero acrobatics not included). And it’s not just about being able to integrate different amounts and kinds of sensory information. It’s also a matter of acquiring the strategies that allow for combining this sensory information with real-world knowledge in order to handle the many ambiguities which remain in a world organized around people with a more standard set of human senses.
D: Do you have any book/article/etc. recommendations for someone wanting to expand their reading on the topics explored in the book?
CH: Among the books I’ve read that I would recommend for general audiences is David Eagleman’s The Brain: The Story of You as a good introduction to the brain. If people want to progress from there I also recommend Brainscapes by Rebecca Schwarzlose. I don’t make any explicit references to Brainscapes in my book, but it’s a very solid read for anyone who wants to learn more about the role of “brain maps” in guiding our experiences. For the senses themselves, there’s The Universal Sense by Seth S. Horowitz (about hearing), and What the Nose Knows by Avery Gilbert.
Another book I read years ago that is sort of “on-topic” is A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History’s Greatest Traveler by Jason Roberts. It’s not one I reference in my own book, but I guess it’s “Daredevil adjacent.” It tells the absolutely fascinating true story of James Holman (1786-1857).
D: Beyond Being Matt Murdock and your blog, is there anything else you would like to promote/mention here?
CH: Not for the time being. Maybe there’ll be a second edition of Being Matt Murdock one day, but I don’t have any such plans for the foreseeable future. What I would like to do is take the opportunity to encourage people to tackle their own passion projects. For me, finalizing this project came down to realizing that if I were to be told I only had a year to live, I would want to prioritize finishing this book. That’s how much it meant to me. And when you feel that way about something, try to do whatever you can – as much as your current circumstances will allow – to give yourself that gift. Tackling something like this can be very daunting, and I definitely had to get over my fears of making mistakes and putting myself out there in order to do this. But I’m really glad that I finally did.
For more fun facts and information on Being Matt Murdock, and to purchase your own copy, visit www.scienceofdaredevil.com
For more of Christine Hanefalk's writing, visit www.theothermurdockpapers.com
92 notes · View notes
girls-are-weird · 7 months
Note
Wilmon 2, 3 and 9 :)
2. What is something that they gave one another that has a lot of meaning?
well, simon already gave wille a song, didn't he? (even if the giant doofus wasn't aware it was about him. xD)
Tumblr media
as for what wille would give simon, i'm thinking the most special, genuine thing would be something erik-related, something that simon knows holds a special place in wille's heart. i've actually been toying with an idea about this-- don't expect me to write it anytime soon because i'm so busy and cannot work on more than one fic at a time, but i still don't want to say much just in case i do manage to write it at some point.
3. How would one another describe their partner?
oh god. do y'all have seven hours to waste here reading? xD in all seriousness, i think this is one of those things where the answer starts all teasing and amused for both of them, and then veers off into earnest sentimentality to the point that whoever's listening starts feeling like they're intruding on an entirely too intimate moment. in wille's case, mainly, because he's the biggest sap out of the two of them. simon does get sentimental as well, but he's more succinct about it-- less "it's like the sun rises out of the darkness whenever he smiles" and waxing poetic with full sincerity, and more "he's so caring, and so brave, and i'm so proud of him and i love him so much, and he's everything."
9. What is something small that they would randomly pick up for one another?
wille often gets simon flowers. not like the really ostentatious bouquets of red roses or anything, but just a handful of flowers, different kinds/sizes/types/colors each time, every once in a while. he also might get him any music-themed trinkets he comes across-- nothing super expensive, because he knows simon wouldn't approve of that, but probably unique pieces.
simon gets wille clothes/accessories/toys for their puppy (nalle, if you've been following my interview-verse) (oh, and their kids, i guess, eventually). i know, i know, but this is a headcanon dear to my heart so let me explain: so wille loves buying stuff for his children (furbaby included) and simon is always trying to rein him in. so they'll be at some store or fair or flea market or something and wille would find something adorable and be all "simon! look! wouldn't nalle look so cute in this?" and simon would be like "he doesn't need that, you're going to spoil him" and wille would pout but relent. and they'd move on as intended, but then simon would come back, or send someone to buy the thing afterward, and wille would tease him about how he loves to spoil nalle just as much as wille does. wille may be the biggest sap, but they're both suckers when it comes to their babies.
50 OTP questions game | send me a question!
31 notes · View notes
thelioncourts · 1 year
Note
Hello. first of all I'm so sorry to read about your sad loss. Sending you love x
Youre so lovely with anon asks, I just happened to see in a blog that Jacob said in an interview, he cried bts in the final scene as he said "he got freaked out by it all ending, and doing this to Sam, the dynamic changing next year and its going to be different". That's kinda my worry is that we'll get barely if any Loustat for a few seasons, and viewer numbers could drop a lot as they'll miss Jacob and Sam together and we might not get to see a reunion season, years down the line if its cancelled 😞 Plus seeing Jacob doing promo with the guy who plays Armand and if they have the same amazing best friend chemistry that he and Sam had, will (in the nicest way possible) make me sad and miss Sam. What do you think?
Oh, thank you ❤ Charlie was the best girl. I think about her an obnoxious amount and hope, with all that I am, that she's playing in endless snow piles and taking the longest naps on comfy couches and eating the largest amounts peanut butter treats.
Now! That Jacob interview and Loustat speculations and everything else:
So obviously a lot of what I'm going to say is going to be pure speculation because I have no actual idea at what is going through Jones' mind and this particular story, this second interview, is not something that exists within the books.
First thing is that one thing the writers of Interview have already promised that is significantly different than the books is this promise of more Louis. For anyone not familiar with the 13 TVC books, Louis disappears significantly throughout the books, all before finally coming back in a real and lovely way in the last three, the last three that cement him in the vampire world and as the love of Lestat's life. (I've said it before, but if anyone ever wants to talk about Anne and her relationship with Louis, etc. I'm always down because it's sad and understandable and yet had such a horrible impact on Louis as a character, something I'll, selfishly, never get over). By adding Louis back into the narrative, I think we're going to see a (imo, necessary) shift in certain aspects of the book, namely Lestat's jumping around, especially given the insignificance of several of his partners, partners that would take too long in a show to build up as anything other than a weird one-nighty-stand kind of thing (another thing I could talk about all day is that I don't hate the idea of Lestat with others, to a point (okay, that's a lie, I kind of do), but Lestat needs stability in love and he could have had that had Anne kept Louis in, etc. etc.). As the narrative of the show will eventually be focused on Lestat as our main character, the promise of more Louis means that we will see Louis, predominantly, in how he interacts with Lestat.
Second thing is that while the show is inspired by TVC, it's obviously its own creation. I genuinely do not believe TVC would not do well as a show in exactness, for a multitude of reasons, and one of those is the lack of stable romance. Television audiences, fandoms, they thrive on romance. And I think Interview is very obviously setting up the entirety of the show to be focused, to some point, on Louis and Lestat's romantic relationship. I think if season 3 comes around and Louis and Lestat are still incredibly separated, people that are not TVC book fans (because if they are just trying to appeal to a book crowd, they're not going to stay on air, that's not how things work, and they are, obviously, not appealing to all book fans given the backlash they've gotten from some lol) are going to start falling off.
Third thing is that the #1 consistent review that has come from Interview's first season in all of the publications and whatnot is that Sam and Jacob's chemistry is an ultimate selling point. Like, every single thing I've read is stuff like "Only Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson and their sizzling chemistry could make the ethics of blood drinking believable," or "Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson are breakout stars, both for the individual performances they display as Lestat and Louis and also for the portrayal of their romantic, and doomed, relationship." Interview is too smart to not capitalize on that. They know that.
All of that being said, I think we can fully expect some Loustat moments next season, but I also do believe next season will be the hardest season re: Louis and Lestat, because of separation. There is a line in one of Claudia's diaries that we see, something about how Louis was acting like Lestat's ghost was around every corner and/or something about his constant mourning of Lestat while they're in Europe. And I think we may get flashbacks because of that, stuff like Louis dreaming of Lestat and waking up to realize he's not there, Louis discussing how, in his grief, focused on the happiness he missed, on the happiness that was once there. I also think Daniel is going to call him out on a lot of stuff and that's a whole different thing. I have this hope that we won't just get flashbacks though, but that we'll get Louis, so caught up in his grief, so in his head, that he hallucinates Lestat there, alive and full of golden life and just -- ugh. And I also think, if the show is, again, smart (and I do think they are, this set of actors and crew and writers and everything very clearly love these characters and love the world they're writing in), they will introduce Lestat into the modern world at the end of season 2 as to allow us a smooth transition into The Vampire Lestat for season 3.
Now, as for Jacob and Sam and promotion and stuff !! They will most definitely have them do promotion together, even if they'll have Jacob do a decent amount of promotion with Assad for obvious reasons. I think we'll get a lot of Assad and Eric interviewing together, for Armand and Daniel nightmarish shenanigans, I think we'll get a lot of Jacob and Sam because Louis and Lestat are still going to be considered the main characters of the show, I think we'll get a lot of Jacob and Bailey for European adventure interviews, I think we'll get a lot of Eric and Jacob for the actual interview portions, etc. etc. And! I do fully believe that they will let Jacob and Sam do a lot of promotion together simply because they want to. I won't get into too much because some people get weirdly uncomfortable talking about it (I'll save it for another post lol), but Sam and Jacob feel safe with one another. They truly love one another in a way that is glaring obvious, and beautiful, to audiences and to the cast (specifically Eric, who calls them out 24/7). They will fight to do things together, and it would only make sense to let them anyway, so I fully anticipate seeing plenty Jam Reiderson <3 (I selfishly demand it, too, Jam Reiderson is my entire life right now.)
So. After that essay, what I will conclude is I am not too worried. I do think next season is going to have its pain because there will be inevitable separation, but I truly believe, in my heart, that the show will have Louis and Lestat together much quicker than the books and that it will be, for lack of a better word, permanent. And I think Jacob and Sam will have plenty of time to be...them <3 and I think all of that is beautiful.
76 notes · View notes
burritosandpeppermint · 7 months
Text
UUUUGGGGGHHHHH
uuuuggggghhhhh
I'm not 100% sure how we got back here, folks, but I'm 100% obsessing over music and guitars for the first time since I was a teenager.
Guys...it's bad.
And for those who've known me for a long time here you may be hearing about this for the first time, but I could not get enough of playing guitars, reading about guitars, and listening to as much guitar music as I could when I was a teenager.
Could I actually play? Not really. I mean, not if you're talking about any lessons at all or trying to learn from a book or anything. I just kind of picked it up and kept playing around for years, just laying down riff after riff and playing with solo after solo. Just fucking around.
And then, eventually, I needed money and didn't have space anymore and I had to sell everything. I thought that door was closed by the time I was in my early 20's, starting to really work for a living and trying to live an adult's life. I looked back on those years a bit wistfully but with a real feeling that I had left childish things behind me...
Until the last month or so. I think I can point the finger squarely at us attending the Guns N' Roses show. Even with 100° F heat and me wishing that I had brought my earplugs I got swept away with it all, specifically with Slash. He'd change guitars regularly, usually for something that I was familiar with him playing. After the show I got curious and looked up his gear online to discover the web pages devoted to his guitars and his playing in general. Then I started Googling some guitars to see if they're still around, and any variations...and how have amps changed in the last 25 years...oh, emulators sure have come a long way...and they're fairly affordable...and while Fender's lineup has changed significantly since the 90s they still have a lot of decent guitars at reasonable prices...
All the while I'm also getting back into bands and songs I haven't heard in up to decades, just gorging myself on all the 90s rock I also "put away" at some point in my 20s, like one of my favorite bands, Hum, and getting into groups I could have really dug at the time, like My Bloody Valentine, and exploring newer stuff like finally getting more into Red Fang's discography...and then new bands and sounds spiraling off of those listens and searches...
And guys...GUYS...since I was into guitars this whole internet thing exploded, so I can hear guitars and amps and pedals and interviews that simply weren't available to me when I was previously obsessed. I can get a far better sense for things than driving an hour away to the nearest Guitar Center only to keep my hands in my pockets as I look at gear and equipment, too afraid to do anything in public, eventually going home and noodling by myself for a while.
And did you know that there are a ton of free or paid online classes where you don't have to interact with a human if it makes you feel self-conscious or anxious? And did you know that the Fender Mustang Micro Amp can fit in your pocket, has some EQ and preset sound options, a headphone jack, and can plug directly into your computer? And it's only $120 for an amp that's more versatile than the one I had 30 years ago AND it can help you can basically use it as a direct-to-computer recording device? And, holy crap, but GarageBand, while simple, is still a very competent recording suite and it's just free, right there on my Mac and everything?
Okay, breathing.
Because this is how it goes for me. I get all interested in something, all wound up, and I imagine how cool things can be, what I'll do, how things will turn out, all with an overactive imagination, until I'm just done with it and I move on. Except I don't know if I move on because I never follow through or if it's because I just fixate on things in a capricious manner. If it's because I never follow through then I should change that by following through (hello, writing ideas from five months ago that turned into nothing). But if it's because I'm capricious then I should just let it be and it'll ride itself out.
Now: how can I tell the difference without a lot of time, money, and effort? That's the question.
But it's been kinda fun as a weird hobby, just looking and reading and watching and listening. Maybe the fear of disappointment will be enough to keep me away from actually doing it, which isn't great, and maybe I should pursue more things that I think will bring me joy, even if I never truly get into it or keep it going for long, because life is short and pursuing happiness should be one of life's goals.
15 notes · View notes
angelicizedeve · 2 years
Text
𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.
Tumblr media
featuring: itto x gn!reader
synopsis: you start working at a new flower shop and love it more than you should
✎ eve’s notes: so...i've never really done a fanfic that's in this style, as in, it's like a story. i usually do bullet points and drabbles but not this time! so hopefully it's decent lmao. btw i probably have some grammatical errors-
Tumblr media
you peered at yourself in the slightly dirty glass of the flower shop one last time, making sure that you looked good. the flower shop was quite popular, and was owned by a friendly young man. he was really kind during the interview when you applied, so you weren't too nervous. you smoothed your skirt down, and with a deep breath, you pushed open the door to the shop.
you’d been there many times, but still, it never failed to amaze you in how magical it looked. stained-glass windows lined the walls, casting rainbows on the many plants on shelves everywhere. butterfly cutouts hung from the ceiling, along with flowering vines. it was like a fairy oasis. “hey, you must be [name]!” you heard a cheerful and loud voice exclaim. your eyes were met with a tall, muscular man with long, fluffy grey-white hair tied back. he wore a colourful apron with a bunch of pins and a name tag that read, “itto!” with a smiley face. you smiled. 
“yup! that’s me.”
“great! so, come with me and i’ll get you set up.”
you followed your superior, and he handed you an identical apron and explained what you had to do. your main job was cashier, but you’d also have to water some of the plants and put some sprouts into planters. easy enough!
throughout the day, itto and you worked amazingly well together. you two had fun conversations as you did your work, and itto introduced you to each customer. he knew all of them on a first name basis and what their favourite flowers were. you were amazed at how it seemed as if he was close friends with every single one of them. it was something you’d try to work on throughout your time working at the shop.
itto glanced up from a pile of paperwork he was filling out, seeing you walking out of the store. you’d completed your first shift there, and probably had had the most fun possible on a job.
“oh, [name]! wait up!”
itto walked around the counter and handed you a white rose. “here,” he said with a big smile.
“aw, thanks!” you said, admiring the flower. 
“haha, no problem. and, uh, thanks for...actually showing up today.” itto rubbed the back of his neck. “you have no idea how many people i hire that don’t even bother to come to their shifts. it’s hard, managing a whole store on your own, ya know?”
you gave a soft, sympathetic smile. “yeah, must be hard. but i’m always here if you need me to help you with stuff.” and with that, you headed home. 
after your amazing first shift, you eagerly accepted every other one that itto asked you to work. unlike it is for most people, work was the highlight of your day. you were surrounded by sweet customers, fragrant flowers, and the best co-worker. speaking of your coworker, itto never failed to give you a flower at the end of your shift. sometimes if you had an extra busy week, he’d throw in some snacks. you thought it was the sweetest thing ever, and always made sure to thank him &lt;3. 
eventually, your birthday rolled around. you expected a simple “happy birthday”, but itto surprised you by inviting you to dinner with him! how sweet, right? it was just such a kind gesture.
a very..kind..gesture.
it-
no it couldn’t be..
was itto asking you out on a date?
the thought put butterflies in your stomach and made your face grow warm. you knew that you probably were just going crazy, but still. you put on a fancy outfit, did your hair nice, and then hurried over to the restaurant. you were completely surprised to find itto standing outside, well dressed and a beautiful flower bouquet in hand.
“oh! [name]! i was thinking you wouldn’t show up!” he said with a nervous laugh. “these are for you.” itto handed you a gorgeous bunch of white roses, just like the one he gave you on your first day.
“oh! thank you so much!”
itto smiled, and opened the door to the restaurant for you. “shall we?”
the dinner went better than you imagined! you had a blast talking and laughing with your coworker. when you arrived home, which was quite late at night, you took the flowers out of the wrapping to put into a vase of water.
hm, that’s strange. there’s a note…
“so i did some research, and apparently roses represent love, so i got a bouquet of them since that’s what i feel about you.
-itto <;3”
you blinked at the words messily written on the small piece of paper, reading them over and over again. it was a dream come true. 
244 notes · View notes
oh-my-damn · 1 year
Note
You know what, I read through all your post yesterday and today and I want to thank you for shining a light on this problematic behavior. I also want to thank you for allowing me to see his relationship with Jenny from a different perspective.
Jenny like Alba was agreeable in the beginning. I mean she ended her marriage so she could be with Chris. It was all puppy love and dream seventh grade boyfriend at the start. She enjoys being around him and his circle. She loves that she include in everything from Vegas to Disney. I’m her mind she got the quarterback at the price of altering her personality to fit his.
Eventually all puppy love fades and that’s where couples struggle. She begins to question his fuckboy behavior. Why he feels the need to constantly party, go to strip clubs, but the majority of their time together is spent at his house doing what he wants spewing his pseudo intellectual bullshit.
He really fooled Jenny too. She was in a vulnerable time in her life after ending her marriage. It looks like he love bombed her by showing up to her premiere, confer shows and book reading. Spending time with her support system was easy because it’s a few suburbs over so he really doesn’t need to put much effort in.
She starts causing too much trouble and becoming less agreeable so he ends it. He goes back to his fuckboy ways and now Jenny is stuck with the realization that she left her husband for this douche. They talk about each other in interviews, looked awkward AF at the premiere and that’s that.
Until late summer/early fall when the realization hits Chris that he doesn’t need to pick up women and have a FWB rotation with ATL women if he just apologizes. I’m sure he hit her with the it’ll be different this time, I promise to change speech and she fell for it. Nothing changes. It’s just the same shit different day. They continue their relationship because their both in ATL working so it’s easy and convenient. Then they both wrap and the curtains lift up and she realizes she got duped again.
Once a fuckboy always a fuckboy. Chris strikes me as the guy who expects his meat and potatoes on the table when he gets home. I partially blame his upbringing because that’s how he was raised. He had a stay at home mom who did everything for her family and I think he wants the same for himself. If he’s going after an independent woman it’s strictly for the purposes of stripping her independence away from her because I think he gets a big thrill from it. It’s clear he likes being in control. Being in control gives him power over you and your life. If he’s the sole breadwinner then you have to depend on him and can’t really leave. He boxes them in without them even realizing it.
Tumblr media
THIS. I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF.
And the end part !!
I actually mused over this not too long ago bc as you may or may not know, I started writing a book (before all of this) about Chris in a secret relationship and it is still ongoing and when this came out it really spun me for a loop and I couldn't write it for a long time.
Anyway, in it, she's a lawyer, so not in the industry, and they keep it quiet to protect her.
But I had this written down before the articles came out and stuff in my drafts, its an interaction with them that is SO REAL to me bc this is legit what everyone should remember when in a relationship (I know I'm more aware of this due to law school but its an important lesson)
I'm so sorry this is long but I didn't know how to cut it down without losing the point of it, so I'm gonna put it under a cut.
I don't think many of my readers realized how important a conversation like this in a relationship where one partner makes a hell of a lot more money than the other. It's easy to get swept up and give in to it, but then what happens when its over? You're alone, standing there, having given up on your dreams, your safety net, for what? A boyfriend?
Any lawyer knows to never do this because we've seen the cases but I can tell you that it happens way more often than it should.
Anyway, here it is, read if you want, my point is that I agree with everything you said so much !!!!
This is the excerpt from the stranger with the money/work dynamic talk:
"Fuck work," he grumbles sleepily, his voice deep and groggy, "Stay." 
I let out a small laugh, pushing my back into his chest as he wraps a long leg over my hip to press into me more insistently. 
"I can't," I reply with a smile, finding one of his hands and entwining our fingers, "I need to work." 
"Why?" He half whines, huffing against my neck, "Work is no fun, stay here with me. I promise to give you a good time." 
I chuckle, "Well, I need work for money. And you know, that's without mentioning that entire 'I want to achieve my dreams' thing." 
"I have money," Chris murmurs against my neck, "Take some of mine." 
I snort out a laugh, shaking my head in response, "I don't want your money, I want my own money." 
Chris huffs jokingly, his warm breath tickling the back of my neck, "Are you saying my money's no good?"
"Mhmm," I giggle, "That's exactly what I'm saying." 
"How dare you," Chris grumbles, his arms releasing their hold for only a moment before he turns me onto my back. He leans on his forearm to hover over me, a teasing glint in his cerulean blues, "What's wrong with my money?"
I grin as I look up at him, reaching up to card my fingers through his mussed up morning hair, "I didn't earn your money. I earned mine." 
"So?" He questions, leaning down to nudge my nose with his own, "If I wanted to share my money with you, it would technically become yours." 
"Yeah, but that's not how it works," I chuckle, my hand trailing down the side of his face to stroke his beard, "I wouldn't feel comfortable spending money that wasn't my own." 
That makes his brows furrow. He tilts his head, blue eyes gazing over my face before he asks, "You don't think you'd.. ever, feel comfortable with that?"
I mirror his curious look, letting my fingers trail over his cheek, "What do you mean?" 
"Weeelllll...." he drags out the word, maneuvering around until he can place his beefy body between my legs. His upper body hovers over mine, leaning on his forearms, as I let my fingers run through his soft locks. 
"What if," he continues, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "For example, hypothetically, we were married. Would you still feel weird about it?"
I let out a surprised chuckle, tilting my head as I look up at him. My fingers card through his hair as I shake my head, "No, if we were married it would be different." 
"Why's that?" he muses, leaning into my touch with a soft smile on his face. 
"Because then we'd be married," I reply with a smile, "Being married is a whole different type of security. I wouldn't have to worry about becoming reliant on you, or your money, or your lifestyle, and risk that you'd be able to pull the rug out from under me suddenly."
His brows furrow, and I quickly add, "Not that I think you would! Of course not, I just mean logistically, like, rationally, as a lawyer, we know the pitfalls in these types of situations. Becoming reliant on your boyfriend is never a good idea." 
42 notes · View notes
acourtofthought · 6 months
Text
I had a post pop up in my "For You" tag and for the life of me I now can't find it though I wanted to reblog it in order to respond.
Basically it mentioned that because SJM said she now recommends reading the ACOTAR series if you've read CC2, there might be hints of spy Elain in HOFAS.
I think what SJM meant with her phrasing is that if you've read CC2 and have gotten to that ending, it would benefit people to have some idea of who Bryce just met and reading the ACOTAR series will fill in those gaps. I think what it also means is that Bryce is about to learn about the history of Prythian and again, if you go and read the ACOTAR series, you'll gather some of that information.
That rightfully makes her statement about Bryce and how knowing that background will help the reader better understand what she's experiencing and learning.
SJM is probably not telling folks to read ACOTAR so they can be prepared for secret ACOTAR character reveals, this is about Bryce's journey. Even though I recently did that Starsword theory, I don't think anything would be revealed with that aside from Bryce either deciding to take it back or leave it with Rhys. Anything important for the ACOTAR characters would not happen until their series.
I don't think SJM was saying reading ACOTAR is a requirement to understand and enjoy HOFAS, she'll still make sure to cover all the need to know stuff. Reading it would simply enhance the overall experience.
Also, we have no idea where the ACOTAR book she's currently writing will pick up and to date SJM has never said you need to read the Crescent City series in order to understand the next ACOTAR book.
It's one thing to encourage (but not require) readers to check out the series that contains information about the world Bryce just landed in but right now, Bryce doesn't exist in the actual ACOTAR series, she only exists in the CC series, having made a visit to their world in her book.
As of SF, Bryce is non existent to them and my guess is she's not going to be in Prythian when the next ACOTAR book picks up.
Now I have no idea how, when or if SJM is going to cover Bryce having been in Prythian, I imagine at some point it's got to come up (maybe the next ACOTAR will start a few months after SF eventually leading into Bryce showing up) but.....
I doubt that when Elain has not had a POV in her own series, when her powers haven't been explored and she has never been given a job within the IC outside of gardening, we're going to have something about her future spoiled in an entirely different series that again, readers of ACOTAR have never been told they needed to or are strongly encouraged to read (outside of the publisher hoping you'll read everything for the simple fact of money). We're not going to have hints of Elain on spy missions when we had no hints of Elain on any missions in SF (Nesta wondering if she had taken lessons in stealth is not the same thing as Elain on missions). We're not going to see her living in the townhouse in HOFAS when that's not happened in the ACOTAR world.
Sure, we can all keep our eyes out for tiny crumbs but there's a good chance SJM is going to write those crumbs in such a confusing way that half the fandom is going to interpret them one way and half the other but nothing is going to be confirmation of anything or proof of what the ACOTAR characters future holds.
If SJM hasn't wanted to give us confirmation of who is ending up with who in the next ACOTAR book on Instagram or her interviews then she's definitely not going to confirm anything in HOFAS.
11 notes · View notes
frogofalltime · 26 days
Text
01.03.2024
i spent most of the morning stressing about a mock interview with an ecology company that i had to do for one of my coursework projects. i can never do anything when i'm worrying about something i have to do later, so i wasted a lot of time, for example looking at silly old photos with @etherealspacejelly and @wiggles-mcgee and our other friends on the group chat.
the interview went very wrong, i was late because of technical difficulties and stuff and i kept getting disconnected but i think i did pretty well considering the circumstances ??
after that i finally submitted an assignment which i had a week extension on but even with this new deadline i stil was working on it until the last minute :') me when
i got some messages from robin and realised they were having a meltdown so i tried my best to help with that situation. i considered skipping my lecture to look after him, but i managed to run to class and make it just in time. the lecture was okay i guess but i was very tired. i didn't write many notes at all.
Tumblr media
on the way home from the lecture i realised i had gone into Child Mode and i couldn't function like an adult anymore. my route home goes directly past a play park and usually there are actual kids so i can't play there, but today it was empty and the sun was shining, so i went on the swings by myself for a very long time and it made me feel so much better.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
eventually it started getting dark and i was cold and needed to pee so i went home but i didn't walk fast enough lmao ,,, anyway after that i sat in my room and decompressed and talked to robin and we both felt better.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
then i ate my dinner and some chocolate as a treat. i read a few chapters of percy jackson and the sea of monsters, and i met my Cool Gay Flatmate's girlfriend while i was in the kitchen. she is also super cool and it was so cute to hear them both giggling together all evening :D
then i got ready for bed, i wasn't sleepy yet so i read some pages of the book robin gave me for my birthday (the life of birds by david attenborough). i tried to go to sleep, but i started overthinking about the Situation With My Parents™️ for some reason, and ended up having a Bad Time, like a meltdown on the inside. eventually i calmed myself down and went back to bed.
yeehaw we ball
2 notes · View notes
esther-dot · 2 years
Note
unpopular opinion maybe (?) but i don't think most people actually hated the ending of got because it was badly done or badly written. the show had been sloppy for years before the finale and most of us were still enjoying it, so i don't think it was really about that. i think we all tell ourselves we hated it because of that, but most of us probably wouldn't have minded it if only we'd gotten our preferred ending. d*ny fans would have been over the moon if they'd gotten an ending with her on the iron throne and jon as her devoted consort, regardless of how badly written, directed, and acted it was. sansa fans would have been equally over the moon if we'd not only gotten qitn but also sansa in a loving relationship with our preferred suitor, whomever that might be, quality of the writing be damned. arya fans would have been beside themselves with joy if they'd gotten their "queen arya with gendry as her lover" preferred ending, no matter how stupidly it was done. and so on and so forth, for fans of every character. the terrible writing certainly didn't help matters, but in my opinion the show's real failure was that it managed to leave literally EVERYONE unhappy and unsatisfied, and feeling that their fave had been cheated in some way.
Well, it’s kinda true for me! I was mocking D&D’s horrible choices and criticizing the show all season eight as I watched it, but if I had gotten Jonsa in the finale I would have definitely posted a “I have never said anything bad about D&D in my life” joke. 😂
This is why, even though I will never watch it again and I won’t watch the spin-offs, I’m not gonna pretend I stopped liking the show back in s5. There was a lot of “y’all thought the ending would be good? The show’s sucked since s4” stuff going around when we were all disappointed with the finale, but middles are hard! Lots of stories struggle there, and I was still caught up in what was happening and wondering where it would end until s7 just…made no sense to me. I was a show fan first so I wasn’t upset about their deviations from the books because I didn’t know about them at the time. I was still enjoying the show through s6. Honestly, s6 was a highpoint for me. Sansa and Jon reuniting, Sansa using LF, reclaiming Winterfell, Sansa finally being safe and happy, Jon becoming king….I understand hating the Ramsay plotline, being upset about Dorne etc, but as a Stark fan, a Sansa and a Jon fan, season six was very rewarding.
It wasn’t until after s7 aired that I started listening to Martin interviews/read the books, and at that point I learned that a) Martin has known the ending for the main characters for years, b) he told D&D, c) he expected the endings would be similar. So, I assumed that D&D had a plan and were working towards his ending and weren’t gonna just… plop his ending on whatever the hell it was they were doing without making it make sense. Silly me 😂
Thinking back though, I didn’t actually need Jonsa to be ok with the ending. The main complaint for most of us is how they wrote Jon. If they confirmed that Jon bent the knee because he had to and was afraid of Dany/trying to manage her the whole time, that he wasn’t disloyal to the North/his family and lying to cover his own ass, I could have eventually reconciled myself to the ending because there are a lot of ideas it’s touching on. I think that’s why I didn’t just drop the show/fandom completely after the show ended because there are so many things that I think one good kick would have allowed the whole thing to shift and settle into stuff from earlier seasons and things from the books and would have, as much as we wouldn’t want it to, worked. Instead it felt like D&D were waging a war of retribution on the fans and just wanted to destroy all the relationships they could. They really should have let Bryan Cogman have more sway in the final season or rewrite their finale script or something. You could feel the love in his episode, D&D’s felt intentionally cruel.
I agree with you though that no vocal part of the fandom (Jon fans, Dany fans, Arya fans…) getting what they wanted, none of the big ships (Jonerys, Jonsa, Gendrya, Braime…) getting a good ending, that’s why the show was so decried by fans and so hated. There was nothing truly redeeming in the ending on an emotional level/for the characters and their relationships, so even for someone like me, a Sansa fan, a character who got the best ending and “won” in a way none of the other characters did, it felt very empty. But, I have to say, I’ve seen a number of fans who are happy with the ending. Some people really liked the fact that the ending was so different from traditional fantasy. They appreciated Jon going beyond the Wall because they didn’t want him or Dany to rule. And with the success of HOTD and fans returning to GOT (indicated by the rewatch numbers on HBO Max), maybe there are a lot more of those fans than I realized.
40 notes · View notes
nyasialiveshere · 2 months
Text
female authors and men who recommend them
everytime a woman says they are only reading a book or consuming certain media cause a male pop star said he personally likes it my heart fades away all of woman kind weeps
Tumblr media
It can be true but the patriarchy is strong enough no need to even say stuff like that.
Especially cause a lot of times the books are written by female authors. I wonder is it is the fame association or the fact that its men giving stuff validity. I think the goal of men reading women centric work is to understand women better and the fans want to know what the guy likes but many never give an actual opinion.
Even if they did the point is to form your own opinion which will never be the same as a mans not really.
4 example a looooong time ago when I was a teen kji was still recommending books to fans back when fans read actual books. A lot of girls got sprung by the fact that he read a korean translation of me before you
Tumblr media Tumblr media
( I only watched the movie and ended up reading the second book cause finnick from hunger games and khalessi from game of thrones was in it) but it was a big deal at the timw.
Now and days it is really not in the sm ent image to be intellectual for some reason, I suppose fans don't like that idk.
Many thought of it as a...indicator of him being..idk romantic.
Which..is possible but actually looking back in his old interviews he basically said he mainly read books to imagine himself in the main role he said this many times.
So he generally has little interest reading books he wouldn't want to be in. Me before you was a tragic romance which is basically his entire acting career. Andante, he cared for ill people the entire drama and his girlfriend who passes away. Spring has come, he cared for his girlfriends family and eventually his sick mother. Miracle that we met, literally played an angel...guardian angel..like that's very obvious.
Even the superm show as we wish where for like the first time ever the managers said the members get to create the mini dramas they want to star in.
Tumblr media
Mark even reenacted his parents engagement story. Kji ended up doing a tragic romance that included memory loss and a car accident. It lowkey is neverending cause he even made it clear he hates romance but talked about a romance movie from the 70s he watched....where the fiance died.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Bonus round he only has writing credits on one song and it makes a reference to this movie. A very obvious reference.
Tumblr media
Some people like what they like for very specific reasons. Even if you read the book or watch the movie you can't feel how they felt while consuming that same thing. It is good to pass on likes or learn of new things from people but its your own personal experience that matters.
I love watching golden girls because I think old people are like large adult babies who can talk, most people would never know thats basically the only reason I watched the show so many times.
This stuff although is there to just figure out but I think many assume korean is so hard to understand and confusing we must rely on social media to tell us who the kdolls are. 1stly tv interviews say much more than fansubs and fandoms. Many people do say a lot about who they are but many people read more fanfic than interviews. Some read both but the fandom version is more fun. I can say this cause I read kpop fanfic since like 2014 neve got in the way of like me knowing real personalities and fandom creations. This is shots fired for some people at least but kji isn't really shy..sm made him shy. He was super go getting and excited back in 2012 . Some may disagree that this was fake and the real him is shy, but I disagree, outside of Korea is usually when he's more talkative both to strangers and in general. Now it's reserved for the fans and outside of that he was typically mum. Nobody saw that kji again until at least a year into super m. Not simply clowning around but speaking his peace and defending himself and sharing his opinions.
Tumblr media
In super m he got to be loud and obnoxious without censor because that's "American style" promotion. Cool guys can also be funny and total jerks yet still well liked in America.
yes he is an anxious person but not shy and introvert is a stretch.
Tumblr media
Shy baby bear jongin at least to the degree it's been sold is giving noona fanservice I'm sorry. Anyone can be shy at any given moment but shy as in a personality trait is a bit much for anyone who's an idols and literally interacts with new people everyday.
Tumblr media
I LOVE pseudoscience and feel like many things in pseudoscience are very accurate and have a lot of truth in them. But personality tests are iffy at best and go only surface level of what makes up a person. I also don't believe the basis of the test is ... good either
Tumblr media
It's important to note that it was made to pigeon hole women more than actually discover who a person truly was on the inside.
Tumblr media
Those personality test are inaccurate on multiple levels, please research many books debunking the extrovert introvert myth similar to animals personality changes with environment and comfortability. The same shy person in New York can be an extrovert in Los Angeles. Also personal experiences can craft a person's being extroverted or introverted. It's not a 100 percent set thing that can't change...complete myth..one that America and a lot of first world countries have latched onto in the name of faux tribalism.
Tumblr media
For multiple reasons I keep referring to other sources to expound upon the fact that it gives me major ick people can't see how gross the origins of a Eurocentric world war two control device to dehumanize women SHOULD NOT be used as an accurate test of any kind and it's based off of a very immoral and inhuman type of thinking. I highly recommend reading this for appropriate cultural scope. I think it's better explained by these author's.
The craze to me was honestly a bit scary with how many people quickly latched onto these labels and identified themselves like, for so many reasons nooo! It's really ick to me for lots of reasons, yes it's fun but many people label idols like this. Rare types and common types, introverts and extroverts and it's like the idols begin to play more into the roles they were assigned.
Jongin being branded as an introvert(the offstage version of exo kai still a character btw) was to I believe sell a certain image to the fans. Introverts don't go out to clubs and party with girls and their friends, they stay quiet and text on bubble and act like they are texting their middle school clique. It always gives I don't know anybody here guys come get me. Yet that obviously can't happen but it creates that illusion and further deepens the bond.
Tumblr media
At a certain point kji just stopped really saying much cause the bear bear image is what people cared about. I remember early on he explained how much he didn't like fanservice but he would try to get better. Basically I think he may have liked the book because of it having a caretaker in it and he likes that caretaker role. Most visible when he's with kids.
Tumblr media
He as a person has that as a strong part of his character. I wish people would try to look at things a little deeper. If one does feel the need to get something or consume something just like their fave did at least maybe one form your own opinion and enjoy your own personal experience first and foremost but also understand why that other person likes that thing. People like men written by women more than the women who write them. Understand it takes a lot of positive influence from women to make a man like that. I.e the mother and other older female role models.
4 notes · View notes
creature-wizard · 11 months
Text
Mike Warnke claims that his path to redemption lay in... joining the Navy.
He claims that he isn't even fully detoxed from all the drugs he was doing before going to boot camp, where he met a couple of Christian guys and read the Bible owned by one of them, decided to accept Christ, and that this cured his Being An Asshole problem.
He claims that the Satanists realized that they made a mistake in kicking him out, and try to pull him back into the cult, but he's Christian now so that's not happening.
He claims that he met a nice Christian girl and got engaged, and apparently studied medicine under the Navy. Eventually he gets married, and continues to be bothered by Satanists and demons. Mike and his new wife Sue pray the demonic attacks away.
He says that he met Pastor Tim LaHaye, who allegedly claims to have been attacked by witches. (Which... hardly a tragedy if true, lol.) LaHaye, he also claims, gives him the straight dope about the Illuminati:
“That’s because it’s a top-secret organization, Mike. But I've done quite a bit of research. The Illuminati was started May 1, 1776, and the word itself means ‘Holders of the Light.’ In this case, it’s a Satanic light. Members think they alone have the wisdom to run the world. It’s really only the continuation ” I shook my head. “I never did find out much of a Satanic organization that has been in existence since — about 1100 a.d. Oh, under various names, of course.”
Cornerstone Magazine interviewed LaHaye, who confirmed that Warnke misrepresented the conversation they had. While Warnke claims that he first heard the word among Satanists, LaHaye believes that he'd never heard of it before meeting him. As for what the Illuminati actually is... the Encyclopedia Britannica article isn't a bad intro. Suffice it to say that the Bavarian Illuminati had some crappy ideas, but "Satanic" in the sense that Warnke describes it was not, and literally all of this shit about it performing blood sacrifices to Satan is carried over from witch hysteria and antisemitism - if it isn't just that upright.
Anyway, remember what I said about the Satanic cult stuff being a twisted power fantasy? Well, we can see Warnke shifting over to a new power fantasy:
I had had the feeling for a long time that Sue and I had not learned how to pray effectively, that we lacked “prayer power,” and that there were ways of prayer that could really defeat Satan in a big way—enough to put him down for the full count instead of having him get up off the canvas and come back at us with some new Satanic twist. I thought there must be a higher-powered prayer life than what we knew of yet.
...
Charles Lemmox was the pastor, and he was glad to hear that Sue and I might be interested in teaching a Sunday school class. But I was hesitant to accept.”
“Let Sue and me pray about it,” I told Helen. “I think you should know a little more about us before you have me teaching Sunday school. Why don’t you drop by and see us sometime this week?”
On the way home, Sue seemed quiet. Then, just before we got in the door, she opened up. “Mike, why were you so enthusiastic about teaching Sunday school at first, then got all shook up about it?” She put her Bible on the table and sat down.
“Well, I just thought we ought to pray about it, first. I also think Helen should know about my witchcraft experiences and all that junk before—”
“How can you say that? You've accepted the Lord! Your sins are washed away. Jesus died for you. After all you’ve been through, you'd be a better teacher than a lot of goody-goodies that go around proclaiming how perfect they are!” Sue’s eyes flashed, and I knew I had lost that argument already.
Warnke writes Helen saying that they need people who've been through his experiences to talk to kids these days, because kids can see through phonies, which... real ironic there, Warnke.
He also claims that Helen taught him how to empower his prayers by invoking the Blood of Christ and Jesus's suffering. The prayer she allegedly suggests is this:
Lord I ask for the power of Jesus to save me from this—name what the oppression is—and to help me with the problem I’m going through. I claim the protection of Jesus’ Blood and the power of His resurrection to rebuke Satan, right now, in the name of Jesus!
These seem like strange things to invoke to me, because Jesus's blood isn't supposed to be protective; it's supposed to be cleansing. (Isn't it the Holy Ghost that's supposed to be protective?) And what does the Resurrection have to do with rebuking? (Isn't that what Jesus's royal authority is supposed to be for?) Like, you cannot convince me that this is some sort of major power upgrade.
11 notes · View notes
bunnygirl678 · 3 months
Text
I feel like doing a silly interview of myself so I'm just going to straight up answer these lmao
Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask
😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?
i wrote mpreg, it's Red, it's bad, i mean the writing is great, lots of emotions but holy shit i don't even like mpreg but i did it for an omegaverse, it just fit, for the record he has twins
🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?
idk usually when green is upset about his parents, or when they finally work out their issues
🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?
Anytime Green/Rai/Leon get together and drink
😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?
literally all the time, in ode to my soulmate, it was originally going to end after they got together, none of the angst (or the failed attempt at a cliffhanger lmao)
✍ Do you have a beta reader?
I typically don't have use one, but occasionally will ask my homies to take a look, there are a couple i'm working on that i'm worried are too technical so those will need betas to make sure it's understandable by a layman
🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.
Green is rich, Red can't cook, there are certain phrases i use a lot, almost always have some kind of star gazing trope (at least in the longer fics)
🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?
skfdhsdfhj blood bank or under the alolan sun, but the wild parts aren't published yet?? Or maybe the ones i haven't published idk
✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉
i have a nice ass, i'm great at world building, compliment for me and my writing ^_^
💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?
Love them, but love first time fics more
🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?
most of the time, christmas music,
🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?
docs, i switch between my phone and computer a lot,
⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?
Only one, i was trying to do too much, my writing skills weren't back up to par yet, i think it helped me get to where i am now, the plot was too much, idk, i might steal a scene or two for other fics, but i'm not going to spend any time trying to improve the writing or plot. There are a bunch that i started a while ago and haven't touched in months, but i'll head back to them eventually, i have to be in the ~mood~ to work on a fic
🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?
Yeah, multiple people know, but they don't know my username
🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?
ummm that's published, under the alolan sun maybe? or maybe Lost, that's not published, single riders will be paired (coming sometime next year lmao it's a high school au super cute i'm really nice to green in it, red is a shy mute kid with no friends who ends up getting stuck on a roller coaster ride with green who is the most popular boy in school, green's actually super nice and the rest of the day kinda turns into a date, they go to school and red's like oh he's gonna be mean but he's not and it's really cute and sweet, and red gets accepted into the group and lajfdl;sjdf)
🍷 Do you drink and write?
yeah and then end up scrapping everything lol,
🍆 Do you write the spicy stuffs? If so, what's your most popular nsfw fic?
yes, i'm still working on improving my skills, but most hits/kudos ratio (let's be honest someone can do kudos once and read 15 times so not the best metric but what else do we have), is make you feel my love, but i'm working on one that will be published by valentines day where green gives red head in his neochamp outfit
🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?
all day? When the adderall hits? idk it's really just when i have time, when i have my kid i really only get to at night when she goes to bed, but on her dad's weeks i write after work.
💖 What made you start writing?
i wanted to read stories that weren't written, i have lots of aus bouncing around in my head
💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?
dopamine hit
❌ What's a trope you will never write?
ummmmm idk, used to be mpreg, but that ship sailed, i don't really love poly romance, i like the smut but am not really interested in writing it as a romance
💲 Would you ever open commissions?
no, i found that i do my best writing when i want to, which is why wips take forever for me to finish because i bounce from idea to idea as i feel like it
🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?
not really...I'll google a fact or two, i mean unless you count game time or reading the manga, but like googling little details not so much.
🏆 What's your most popular fic?
gonna do for reguri, when the wind stole my walls, i never felt less alone; it's my longest finished fic
🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic?
yesh, i really liked Lost, and Auld Lang Syne, but also i threw in a couple Christmas themed chapters to Under the Alolan Sun, which was fun
🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?
ugh yes, lmao, blood bank, they didn't guess the exact details but the general idea, i was like oh shit i'm glad they picked up on the crumbs i threw lmao
🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?
Always an honor! I might even make some one day, if my art ever improves enough for me to feel comfortable tagging it lmao
📈 How many fics do you have?
37 on ao3! I'm not going to include the ones on ff.net cause i can't remember my username, i have 50 open works (some as basic as an outline, some have 20k+ words) sitting in my docs that haven't been published
🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?
Depends, usually outline, i typically start writing then add an outline later,
👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!
This one i stared on a while ago, the actual writing needs a lot of edits but i'm obsessed with the plot, after Green loses he flees to Kalos, changes his name to Blue and becomes the champion there, everything is great until Red randomly shows up to learn how to mega evolve his charizard, Red obvs knows who he is, they deal with things, red can't mega evolve at first, it's fun orrrr my hs au that i mentioned earlier, or the ones where green becomes a coordinator, either after losing or instead of battling, in 2024 i'm releasing more pokespe works and branching out on some of the ship stuff, gonna publish a few silver/gold, lance/cynthia, and a few others,
🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?
Just keep writing, not everything will be amazing, but everything can be edited and rewriten
💞 Who's your comfort character?
Green oak i like to see him cry <3
🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.
Red: He can't cook to save his life
🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?
Green, duh
🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?
Green loses his memories after an accident during a battle
Red felt a tap on his shoulder, who would be bothering him this late? He turned to none other than the person he had been avoiding.
Green smiled up at Red. Red looked around for an exit.
“You’ve been avoiding me.” He stated flatly, a finger poking Red’s chest.
“Maybe.” Red said, looking away. He attempted to make eye contact with any of his pokemon to get them to create a distraction.
“It’s okay, I know why.” Green said, Red stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. 
Instead of retreating, Green got closer right inside of Red’s personal space. He placed his hands on Red’s chest. Red was suddenly worried Green was going to push him. Was he angry? He wouldn’t have had any memories of the championship would he? Maybe he read up on it? Red knew he was physically stronger than Green, but Green had been hurt recently, and he really didn’t want to have to get into a fight with him tonight.
“I may not remember all of the events that took place to get us here, but there’s no way I could forget these feelings.” And with that Green crossed the short distance and pressed his lips to Red’s. 
Wait, what?!
Green pulled away and looked up at Red through his long eyelashes. He leaned up and pressed another chaste kiss to Red’s lips. 
“Sorry Red, I don’t remember anything about you except for how much I love you. I look at you and I get the warmest most wonderful feeling in my chest. I feel like I’m flying on the clouds when I think about you. I love you Red.” Green wrapped his arms around Red’s waist and laid his head against his chest. 
😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?
My omegaverse mpreg red one, that's not even published lol (may not ever be published hahaa)
🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?
probably kudos and hits, but really it's if i go back and reread it over and over again, everything i write is self indulgent so
✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?
i can't think if it, but there's little phrases or hcs that pop up in a ton of them
📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?
nope i do it for fun, if it became a job it wouldn't be fun anymore, although i am published it's technical accounting writing, and i do eventually plan on getting my phd once princess is older, so maybe? But that writing is research not fiction lol
⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?
I'm a ridiculously fast typer, 34 words per minute is my average, 10k is a typical length, but my achilles heel is that i skip around a ton from fic to fic, so it may take months to get a fic done even though it's only 12k words
🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?
I suck at writing battles, working on improving my smut skills though!
💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?
Yes, cried writing ode to my soulmate, Lost (cried a bunch on that one and ended up calling my cousin and we talked for a few hours because i miss him), then this one break up fic called RIP that i'm not sure how it's going to end, i usually write a happy ending but i might leave them broken up idk
💥 How do you feel about criticism?
I don't handle it well, i don't like it, it makes me not want to write even if it has good intentions, sometimes i'll read wips that stopped posting years ago, and i'll check out the comments on the last chapter and i'll see criticism and it pisses me off cause i think, 'hm did the author give up because of this shitty comment??'
🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?
I am so bad at tagging, like minimal tagging, i tag triggers but the rest i suck at, i don't do any of the cutesy ones
🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics?
Friends, romans, countrymen, lend me your ear, please do this. i will happily write out a writers commentary of my fics, or maybe if my voice wasn't so annoying i'd make a video with a dramatic reading and a dvd style commentary
3 notes · View notes
hedgewyse · 1 year
Text
Tag 9 people you want to get to know better Tagged by @dummerjan, @misspoetree, @letsabandonthisworld (I got around to it eventually!)
Three ships
I love power dynamics in ships, and people who absolutely should not be together. I love people who could destroy one another if they chose to. Whose family or society would be horrified they are together. Bonus points if they are definitely fucking each other up, but continue anyway.
Dongfang Qingcang/Shangque - Love between fairy and devil Ghostship
Tumblr media
I love the idea that Shangque is this ancient, powerful dragon but is utterly devoted to Qingcang, knows all his habits, looks after his little mood swings, let's him feel like he's in control even though he probably knows rightly how to manipulate him if he wanted to. Qingcang is the definition of cringefail edgy villain who tries not to show that he's squishy in the middle but only for the right people.
VegasKim - Kinnporsche Ghostship
Tumblr media
I really don't care at all about the cousins angle here. When you take a step back and think, our weirdness about that is rooted in concerns around genetic risks and that's uh, not really an issue with same-sex stuff, y'know? Anyway, no, the bit that does it for me is that both families would be outraged, and that they are both utterly tough and unhinged about the family business and absolutely could destroy one another. And they are definitely fucking up each other's lives, ambitions, and self-identity.
Gahan - The Devil Judge main co-stars
Tumblr media
Kim Gaon and Kang Yohan are so clearly into each other. So much fascination with each other, how the others operates, what motivates them, the grudging respect. But also just really hot for it. The roaming eyes on both sides when shirts are off. The moments of softness Yohan allows to slip out, the moments of brokenness and anger that Gaon suffers Yohan to witness, how they betray each other but are inexorably drawn together again anyway. I love the moment Yohan risks discovery to save Gaon. I love the moment Gaon risks his life to go down with Yohan. I love both gradually realising the other will come to rescue them, no matter what the risk. I love the age gap. I love how different they are, and how they are two broken pieces which fit together perfectly nonetheless. It's messy and beautiful.
Honorable mentions: WangXian ults, obvs. But I can't put them in every single one of these so I'm trying to branch out.
First ever ship - BtVS: Sprusilla
Tumblr media
The second I laid eyes on Drusilla and her graceful, syrupy brand of crazy I was in love, and Spike is such a cringefail dark little villain I was always going to fall for him. They are perfect together. I wish they'd had a spin off series Bonnie&Clyde-ing all over Europe.
Last song
I got this recc from a fanfic. Fucken love when people have fic songs! Set the vibe, queen, I wanna cosy up in your brain.
Last movie - Wandering Earth
Tumblr media
Currently reading
Mastering Active Directory by Dishan Francis. Don't even ask, honestly.
But I pretty much read some kind of snuggly fanfic every night to get to sleep - I need my 'literal sleeping together' angst fix.
Currently watching
Tumblr media
Just finished Physical: 100 (the women! 👀👀👀) and Moonlight Chicken (this was my first FourthGemini and I am SOLD, holy smokes).
Deciding now between The Glory, Interview with the Vampire (which I'm resuming at ep 5 after the friend I was watching with got distracted by his girl and I am tired of waiting), and I'll probably cave to My School President even though I hate school BLs because of the aforementioned FourthGemini. I'm also still in the middle of Taxi Driver and a rewatch of Magicians with a different friend.
Currently consuming
It's been a really hard month so I've gone back to comfort food; so sweet and sour chicken, pad thai, garlic ramen. And still burning toast every time I come home drunk, lol.
Currently craving
I dunno. Friends who actually want to dance as something more than just pulling at the club? Skinship? An occasional twink to spoil? A deeper conversation? Carrot cake?
Issue declined due to absence of required parameters
Pretty sure everyone has done it already, but just in case, tagging @hilema @negrowhat @dream-thief-forever-amen @cloudburst-ink @eyesof-kkomi @staytotheend @saturnskyline @hoe-for-jihyo @sinistergooseberries
10 notes · View notes
mermaidsirennikita · 1 year
Note
I was gonna ask, I didn't read the book but I do know a lot of the plot points and quotes tnx to tik tok and twitter so on the surface it looks like a good adaptation to me, plus I've seen nothing but praise for it online ever since the casting was announced. You're like the only person I've seen say basically anything negative about the show. Do you think this is a situation of people misunderstanding the book, because I'm not sure it's just a lot of people didn't actually situation. Even then I feel like I would have seen more criticism, it's a popular book after all and there are definitely people out there who have read it.
I'll be real with you, I actually do think that more people haven't read the book in full than you think. That's kind of a thing on BookTok. You get the broad strokes, you enjoy fandom, you consume a lot of fanworks, you think you get it.
I also think that because it's a BookTok book, it's a fandom thing--we're going to stan this shit because it's amazing and it gives us more stuff to consume, whereas all they had before was a book and the audiobook (which is amazing, by the way-the audiobook > the book as written, imo, because of the cast). Fandom is a bottomless pit that wants more more more because without new content MOST fandoms eventually kinda die off and you lose that connection and the high that having new shit to fangirl discourse over gives you.
What makes me REALLY think that a lot of people haven't read the book in full or read it... I don't even wanna say closely because I don't think the book needs a super close reading... is the lack of discourse over the songs changing. The songs are a big part of that book, and typically that's the type of content fandom would cling to--Impossible Woman is a song, for example, that Billy writes about Daisy and then denies writing about Daisy even though everyone, including Daisy, knows it's about Daisy. That is FODDER, and I guess it's not there? But if you hadn't read the book, you wouldn't really know that.
Similarly, Honeycomb in the show IS NOT Honeycomb, lol. The meaning is so altered, lyrics aside. It's a song, as written by Billy, about getting back to this dream life with Camila. Daisy alters the song, yeah--but not into this "we could make a good thing bad" shit, into this idea that there is DOUBT. Which especially bothers Billy because a) he doesn't want to cop to how close he is to falling off the wagon at any point but because b) Daisy herself represents doubt in his marriage. At a pivotal point, Daisy switches the lyrics back to what Billy wrote, because she is basically telling him "you WILL have this", loving him so much that though she wants that to be a certainty for THEM, she is giving him that certainty for him and Camila. Affirming THAT relationship.
... the fact that people aren't calling that out more just makes me raise an eyebrow. Because I do know of other BookTok popular books where people just don't read them yet discuss them as if they have, lmao. I know this is a thing that happens. It's the hype train.
I mean, people also don't seem to be confused about where the timeline is going--how old is Julia when she's making this doc on the show? When all is said and done in the book I believe Billy and Camila have quite a while together before she dies; she's in her early 60s when she goes. Julia is the person putting together this retrospective, and she was tiny (barely able to remember Camila and Daisy's confrontation) when the band broke up. So if that was 20 years ago when these interviews are being done, how old is she? Is she still compiling them? Camila was interviewed in the book, and Billy is later interviewed after her death, but I'm just... curious as to how this will all work.
The thing is, though, that the show just came out and many people aren't aware of the changes in full yet, so we may see more and more critique. I saw several people on Twitter going "wow, so we won't have" [X moment that connects to a specific lyric or song vibe]. People are only just now listening to the album. It hasn't been out for like... even a few days. I've seen more level-headed critiques coming out.
I mean, I read this book the month it came out, I think; I'd read TJR beforehand. I think I escaped a lot of the FANDOM stuff with it, which also makes it easier for me to have a jaundiced eye, and I don't feel like I came into the book hyped over things like I AM THE SOMEBODY. I was able to make very independent opinions, and I had nobody to discuss it with until I got my friends to read it, lol. And I'm trying not to sound condescending when I say that, but it is a DIFFERENT experience than coming into this book with the hype train made. Some of the stuff fandom is into I just... don't get. And I don't think it's a perfect book, even though I love it.
Also, I will say, professional critics really aren't super hot on the show lol, and many of them HAVE read the book based off the reviews I read. Several didn't like the book either, so maybe that's just a thing, but several did and make some pretty harsh comparisons between the book and the show.
So look, I'm sure many people have read the book and don't care (and that's FINE, if you like it then by my guest), some will care later and are too hyped right now to care, but like... yeah, I think that BookTok and booktwt especially have created a culture in which "joining in" is more important than fully consuming the material. So even if the book isn't your thing, which is FINE, you feel like you're missing out if you don't join in. And the fandom around this book makes it easier to CliffNotes it. I'm sure the MAJORITY of people have read the book. But I've seen a few comments that make me go "lol there is nO WAY you actually read the book", and it's kind of fascinating to see.
14 notes · View notes