#let's pretend this is actually cohesive and makes sense
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Silver Roses & Fallen Snow
1: Reaping Day (masterlist for series)
summary: Reaping day has arrived, and the new rule for who wins the Plinth prize has everyone on their toes.
pairing: young!coriolanus snow x fem!reader
warnings: some suggestiveness, loads of fluff, your father and arachne are dicks, coriolanus being slightly jealous again, let me know if i missed any !!
word count: 3.2k +
a/n: heads up, i did change the reader’s last name because i needed it to be more cohesive with the writing! don’t worry, i changed the prolouge to have it say ‘Lovett’ instead of L/N. Speaking of which, if you haven’t read the prolouge yet, it’s linked here !!
You sat with your arms wrapped around Coriolanus’ bare torso, cheek pressed against his back. It was early in the morning, and you weren’t supposed to be there. Your father hated when you stayed over at their home, leading you to sneak out at night. The truth is, you almost always slept over at the Snows’ place. You felt more comfortable with them than your own manor.
But, that night you had to stay over as the day was more important than ever. They were announcing the winner of the Plinth prize and the tributes for the tenth annual Hunger Games.
You rubbed soft circles into the male's back, hoping to ease the anxiety building up.
“You’re going to win the Plinth prize, Coryo.” You whisper as you feel him start to rub your calf. “I know you will.”
Coryo messed with his father’s old compass. It gave him a sense of order in any time of need. “For you and my family.”
He felt you grin and plant faint kisses on his back. “Dean Highbottom will have no choice but to give it to you. You are by far the smartest one in our grade, no doubt the one with the best grades and attendance.”
“Besides you, beautiful.” He pulled you around to his side, tilting your chin up with one delicate hand. “If you win, do you think your father will still let me date you?”
“I highly doubt that, but you’ll win, Coryo. I believe in you.” You say as he takes your chin, guiding you into a gentle kiss. “It’ll be over in a few hours, and we’ll be fine.”
“We’ll be fine.” He murmurs against your soft lips. He leans his forehead against your own, his nose softly nudges yours. “We always will be.”
You stay in that position for a while, soaking in the warmth smiting from one another’s body. Your skin was soft against his making the moment more intimate, soothing both of your racing hearts.
When the clock read six AM, you knew you couldn’t stay any longer. You do your best to untangle yourself from him, earning a defeated sigh.
“I have to go.” You slowly stand from his bed, stretching out your body. He pulled you in by the waist, chin resting on your exposed abdomen.
“You have some time, right?” He raises his brows, nodding toward the direction of the bathroom.
You run your fingers through his blond hair, pretending to contemplate his question before answering. “If I ever say no to that, I think I would’ve gone insane.”
“Okay, I actually have to go now, Coriolanus. My father will have our heads.” You attempt to pull apart from his kisses, your school uniform on from last night. “I have to get home and get changed.”
He pulls you by the waist, shirt missing still. “Okay okay, I love you.”
You place one last kiss on his lips, patting his chest. “Love you too.”
You find Grandma’am in the other room, offering her a smile. “I’ll see you later, Grandma’am.”
“Bye now, darling.” She rubs your arm in a loving motion.
Glancing at Coriolanus one last time, you open the door to find Tigris standing there. You smiled brightly at her, opening the door wider.
“Coryo, I found your cousin!” You call out in the apartment.
“Were you just about to leave?” She stepped inside, Coriolanus’ shirt hanging from her hands.
“I am, I have to get home before the reaping.” You silently admire her handy work for the dress shirt.
She nodded and called for her cousin. “Coryo!”
You took one step out the door, but Tigris caught your arm. She lowered her voice when talking, hoping that you would be the only one to hear. “I would cover up those hickey marks if I were you, Y/N.”
You gasp, holding onto your neck. Your eyes search for the male who gave you such markings, glaring at his smirking figure.
“Coryo.” You flush red, realizing what he has done. “I don’t have— You know what? I’ll deal with it. I’ll see you soon.”
You leave their flat with a quick pace and head to your own home. You never took the car, knowing it was obvious where you went if you did. Instead, you had to walk back, leaving your hand by the marked-up area on your neck.
Upon reaching your room, you quickly changed into one of your mother’s old dresses for the reaping. It was a slightly puffy long-sleeved, black satin dress with a v-neck that tied in a bow by the high waistline. You clipped on your silver rose earrings, and silver bracelet, and adjusted the silver necklace already adorned on you; The necklace that was given by Coriolanus on your birthday. Your hair and makeup were swiftly done, thankfully remembering to cover the prominent hickeys. You slipped on your platform boots and rushed down the manor’s stairs, grabbing your bag by the door.
“Good luck today.” Your father comments, nodding at you. “Hopefully you get a good one.”
You flash a weak smile before heading out the front door and into the car where your chauffeur was waiting. Your thoughts flickered through many things, but your father’s words stuck with you.
A few minutes later, you arrived at the Capitol building. You thanked your chauffeur and met up with Clemensia by the front, discussing the Plinth prize when an arm pulled you away from her; Probably for the hundredth time.
“Don’t you look beautiful.” The blond spoke in a straightforward yet amiable tone, leading you inside.
“And you look handsome as ever, Coryo.” You briefly look at him, arms still looped together. His father’s shirt fitted on him with Grandma’am’s signature rose pinned to his black vest. “You have to stop pulling me away from Clemmie. We were actually having a good conversation today.”
“Hm, she can deal with it. I’ve been taking you from her since we were children.”
“You’re as pure as the driven snow.” You tease, earning an eye roll.
The both of you saw and met up with your other classmates: Felix Ravinstill, Arachne Crane, and Festus Creed. Each one having a different emotion plastered across their face.
“Finally, the couple of the hour,” Arachne announced before she took a sip from the drink in her hand. She complimented your dress in a dismissive action then directed her attention to Coriolanus. “That’s a snazzy shirt, what are those buttons? Tesserae?”
“Oh. That’s why they remind me of the maid’s bathroom.” He messed with the shirt in response, earning a subtle slap on the arm from you.
“Have you tried this lamb? It’s scandalous.” Felix commented as he ate.
You raise a brow, “What an odd choice of words, Ravinstill.”
“It’s delicious, thank you—“
“Only the vulgar eat with their fingers, Felix,” Festus said in disgust. “What? Daddy not teach you table manners?”
“Maybe he would’ve if he wasn’t so busy running the country.” He shot back. Felix shifted his gaze between the group. “Hey, they called us here for the Plinth prize, right? Because I hear Dr. Gaul is in the building.”
You shuffle uncomfortably at the shared information, picking at your nails.
He scoffs as his gaze finds the Plinths. “Plinth. I mean, look at his spawn. Who would’ve thought that you could buy your way into the Capitol.”
“Well, you can’t buy class. Did you see his mother’s outfit? Sorry, his Ma’s.” Festus corrected himself in a way Sejanus would speak.
“Dress a turnip in a ball gown and it’ll still beg to be mashed,” Coriolanus added to the conversation through calculated words.
“Don’t do that.” You mumble toward him, taking a drink off of one of the server’s trays.
“We all know that you like him,” Arachne spoke to Coriolanus.
He retorted back, “I don’t like him, Arachne. I tolerate him.” He lightly shrugged. “He’s district.”
You frown at his words but say nothing, opting to sip on the drink while waiting for the reaping to start.
“Tolerate him, just don’t encourage him,” Festus replied as Arachne mouthed words of distrust. “If I hear one more time about how immoral these hunger games are, I’ll put him in the arena my…”
Sejanus came over, silencing the current conversation at hand. You gave him a small smile, earning one back.
“Sejanus, you made it to the reaping—” You were cut off by Festus.
“For once.”
“And you made it to graduation, Festus. We’re both shocked.”
You and Coryo let out a breathy chuckle at the comeback as Arachne starts to question him about the winner of the Plinth prize.
“Oh no, I’m not going to ruin my father’s big day. No one here actually likes him, but they do love his money.” Sejanus answers her, looking around the room. “You know what that’s like, right Arachne?”
“Funny.” She scowls, leaving the group.
The men try to hold back their laughter whilst you roll your eyes at them, leaving the side of your lover. By leaving, you had him following you around like a lost puppy; Eventually letting him wrap an arm around your waist. You both make rounds in the extensive building. You greeted those who talked to you or had a familiar face while Coryo simply observed your social manner.
As you left the conversation with your other classmates, you brought up Arachne, finding her sulking in a corner. “You would think she could handle that insult from Sejanus since she dishes out half of the others in this place.”
He hummed in agreement with you, “She never stops talking.”
“Never does.” You place your empty glass down on one of the tables.
Music started to play through the speakers, announcing that the reaping was about to begin. Coryo led you to your seats, helping you up the platform before taking his seat.
“Good luck, Coryo.” You squeeze his hand as you take the seat beside him, Clemnsia taking the seat to your left.
Coriolanus let you take his hand into your lap, letting your fidgeting soothe his never-ending nerves.
“Clem, does it feel like something’s off today? Usually, the reaping and Plinth prize doesn’t require Dr. Gaul’s presence.” You strike up a conversation with the raven-haired girl. “Something is going to happen, and I’m not too sure it’s a good thing.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine, Y/N. Besides, we all know Coryo is going to win that Plinth prize.” She crosses her legs at the same time as you. “You’re going to be drowning in the money.”
“Well, it’s not mine.” You squeeze the blond’s hand again, his thumb rubbing small circles on yours. “It’s his to spend in any way he wants.”
“You’re his—“
Clemensia was interrupted by Dr. Gaul’s sinister laugh, silencing the entire room.
“How tantalizing to see all your shining, young faces on this auspicious day.” Dr. Gaul starts, Coryo lacing your hands back together. “I am Dr. Volumina Gaul, your humble head game maker, in charge of the war department and all its affiliated conserves. I’ve broken free of my laboratory today…”
Her voice cancels out in your mind, your heart racing a million miles per hour by her ominous nature. Something was definitely wrong. From Dr. Gaul being here to Coriolanus being nervous to your father’s words, your gut told you that everything would go downhill from today’s reaping. With each passing second, the drumming in your ears got louder and the world around you blurred, blinking furiously to rid of the mush of colors.
Coryo noticed the shift in your small actions, bringing his thumb to the pulse on your wrist. He started to trace shapes, calming you down to a certain degree.
You return to the present conversation when Dean Highbottom mentioned the Plinth prize. You sat up straight and held your breath, glancing at Coryo.
“However,” he pauses, looking down toward the floor. “I am here to tell you there’s been a change this year. One final assignment to prove your worth… Because the esteemed citizens of the Capitol have grown bored of the games and simply aren’t watching anymore. And if the games are to continue at all, there must be an audience. So, head game maker, Dr. Gaul has stepped in to incentivize patriotic values with her own unique flare; Starting with you.”
Coriolanus met your concerned eyes when he took a glimpse at you, looking down at your fiddling hands.
“The Plinth prize will no longer be determined by who has the best grades—“
“Excuse me?” You and Arachne say at the same time, frowning at his words.
“—But by who is the best mentor in the Hunger Games.”
Your calmed self faltered by his words. The drumming and blur of the world in front of you returned with each word that came out of Highbottom’s mouth. Coryo squeezed your hand, trying to regulate your breathing, but it wasn’t working. The careful wall built around your true emotions, which only a select amount of people saw, chipped away. You didn’t want to mentor an innocent person to their inevitable death just to win the Plinth prize. No, you wanted the male to your right to win the Plinth prize through his intelligence, zero deaths included.
“This is a brand new rule.” The dean continues. “As the reaping progresses live, I will allocate each district tribute a Capitol mentor behind the scenes; One who must, you know, just persuade them to perform for the cameras.”
“Obviously, the best mentor will be the one whose tribute wins the games,” Festus added fuel to the fire currently burning at your skin.
“What if I get a pathetic mark girl from one of the poor districts like eight or twelve? They’re just gonna die in two minutes like they did last year and the year before.” Arachne complained once more, irritation bubbling inside you.
“Your role is to turn these children into spectacles, Miss Crane. Not survivors.” Dean Highbottom answered her with an unidentifiable undertone. “Victory in the games is only one of our considerations. Your entire future rests on this last project.”
A beat passes.
“Oh, and I must tell you that anyone caught cheating, to give their tributes an unfair advantage, will just have no future at all.” He shrugs, looking at the twenty-four best students in the class.
The music for the reaping blasts through the speakers, making your head snap up at the two screens displaying the tributes. This time, Coryo takes your hand and brings it to his lap, making it easier for him to calm your figure down as the dean assigns each tribute to each one of your classmates.
For you, the only things you saw were innocent people who didn’t want to fight. With every child passing the screen, your heart broke. You never wanted to be placed in a situation where you either lived or died for the entertainment purposes of those wealthier than you.
“Eleven,” Highbottom speaks loudly, looking at his paper of names. “Boy, Clemensia Dovecote. Girl, Y/N Lovett.”
Your eyes focus on the poor girl walking up to the stage. This was your absolute final straw. The girl was clearly sick and needed medical attention before performing such demanding tasks such as the Hunger Games. Your heart shattered as the peacekeepers took her away.
You would be damned if that girl died in vain, and it was your task to protect the girl, not turn her into a spectacle of entertainment.
“Twelve. Boy, Vipsania Sickle. Oh, you’ll be happy about this Miss Crane.” Dean Highbottom walks off the platform, gesturing to the screens. “The runt girl, District Twelve, belongs to Coriolanus Snow.”
The screen flashes to the girl from District Twelve as she makes her way up the stage. Something about her aura made you believe she was not the runt girl Highbottom made her out to be. Her rainbow-colored dress gave an interesting twist to the reaping, district people never wore such bright colors together.
“What is that dress? Is she some sort of clown?” Arachne insults the girl. Her words clicked something in your mind, having enough of her for the day.
“I think her dress is beautiful, Crane. Unlike the way you dress daily, you could be mistaken for a district girl.” You fire, Coryo tightening his grip on your hand.
She sneers at you but turns her attention back to the screen when screaming is heard from the speakers.
Coriolanus jumps out of his seat, dropping your hand in the process. You’ve never seen him react in such a way, shocking you at most. The only other time he acted like that was when you nearly slipped down winding stairs during winter.
He remained standing as the girl, now known as Lucy Gray, started singing, earning murmurs from the crowd in the building.
“Singing.” Arachne hums. “Is she out of her mind?”
You whip your head toward the girl, “For the love of everyone in the Capitol, shut up, Crane. Our ears bleed each time you speak.”
She snaps her mouth shut, face red from the embarrassment you caused. You hum in satisfaction, earning a small smirk from Coryo, something you didn’t see before screaming can be heard once more.
“YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!” Lucy Gray screams with all her emotion.
Everyone in the building started to laugh at the tribute’s actions, a few murmurs going around about the young woman. You grin at the girl’s fearlessness but remember your own tribute, your grin fading. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, let out an airy chuckle, a small grin making its way on his face at his allocated tribute.
Lucy Gray takes her bow on stage and gets escorted out, along with Jessup. The screens flash to black and it seemed like all anyone could talk about was Lucy Gray. About how she was possibly crazy or mentally ill. Or about how she presented herself in such an interesting way. She was by far the crowd’s favorite at the moment.
You look up at your boyfriend, finding him already staring at you.
“What?” You give him a puzzling stare.
“Let’s go.”
Your arm was looped with Coriolanus’ again, silence filling the empty halls as you left the Capitol building.
“Are you okay?” Coryo lowered his head by your ear, pulling you beside one of the pillars.
You shake your head, “Don’t worry about me—“
“My job is to worry about you.” He placed his hands on your shoulders. “What’s going on in your mind?”
“I…” You searched his eyes for something. You didn’t know exactly what you were looking for, but you couldn’t find it.
A voice cleared their throat behind the both of you, alerting you of his presence. You tilt your head to the left, seeing Dean Highbottom wait expectantly, most likely for Coriolanus.
“Are you staying over tonight?” The blond asked, rubbing circles into your shoulders.
“I don’t think so…” You murmur close to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I love you.” He pecked your forehead, letting you go.
You give a weak smile, “Love you too.”
Clutching your bag by your side, you finally exit the building, finding your brilliant chauffeur waiting for you.
“Miss Lovett, your father informed me to tell you to start picking out a new suitor.” He said as he opened the car door for you.
You took a deep breath. Reaping day was finally over, but the mentoring had just begun.
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Astarion x Tav || sickfic
can you keep me close? (can you love me most?)
synopsis: her vision is foggy, but she's fairly certain she can discern an angelic figure by her bedside, radiating a brilliant white or perhaps a gentle golden hue, accentuated by the candlelight in the dim room. then, the soothing radiance recedes slightly, and the angel utters, "you're an idiot," with a casual air, the words tinged with a devilish tone.
an excerpt of 'cause my love (is mine, all mine)
word count: 1435
pairing: astarion/tav
other tags: f!reader, bard!tav, half-elf!tav, hurt/comfort, sickfic, non-sexual intimacy, romantic tension, friends to lovers, the usual at this point, song inspo: someone to stay - vancouver sleep clinic
ao3: here
concept: sickfic!!
Tav isn’t really sure what’s happening.
Actually, the whole past twelve hours have been a little blurry—memories and movements kept blending themselves in a non-cohesive way, she kept forcing her limbs to move but they would trail sluggishly behind, and she isn’t sure where she is right now.
When she feels something cool on her forehead, she finally startles.
Her vision is foggy, but she's fairly certain she can discern an angelic figure by her bedside, radiating a brilliant white or perhaps a gentle golden hue, accentuated by the candlelight in the dim room. Then, the soothing radiance recedes slightly, and the angel utters, "You're an idiot," with a casual air, the words tinged with a devilish tone.
Ah, naturally. She had never expected to receive her very own angel. It seemed more likely that the gods would send an eerie, skeleton-like old codger, draped in tattered robes, who would speak in cryptic riddles to assist her, or a dream guardian that, in reality, turned out to be a peculiar, haughty tentacled creature with aspirations of dominating all other races in the world with mind-controlling parasites.
She squints and blinks repeatedly until Astarion comes into sharper focus. He's seated in a chair, legs crossed, arms folded, and appears quite displeased. She vaguely recollects a caregiver mentioning bringing some medicine, and fervently hopes that her current company isn't the result of that promise. After all, her companion is one of the last individuals she wishes to see right now.
The situation is rather embarrassing. She's cocooned in blankets that are overly warm, her hair is in disarray, she can't quite manage to open her eyes completely, and her muscles are protesting, urging her to remain at rest. She's determined not to let Astarion witness her in this state or feel sorry for her.
Her first instinct is to apologize, especially under his scrutinizing gaze. Instead, she insists, “I’m dying. Can’t you be a little nicer?”
“Oh, goodness me. Perhaps I’ll just leave you to suffer this horrible affliction alone,” he offers, hand on his chest in mock offense as he gets up, pretending to leave.
“Good. You don’t need to take care of me—”
She reaches out for her hat and makes an attempt to rise, but Astarion places his hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her back onto the bed. His touch, once more, carries a soothing coolness, alleviating the hot discomfort and muscle soreness. "Oh, no, no, no. Absolutely not. I am not suffering another heart attack because of everyone’s favourite idiot again," he admonishes her, and she blinks in surprise, as it almost seems like he's expressing genuine concern for her.
“I’m not everyone’s favourite idiot,” she protests, weakly, even as he presses her back into the mattress to lie down.
“No, but you’re mine.” He says, perched on top of her. He's leaning above her now, effectively pinning her to the bed. He senses her slight movement beneath him, though it's hard to discern if she's merely shifting or genuinely attempting to break free, given her frail state.
Nevertheless, he gazes down at her from above, her hair splayed across the pillowcase, her face flushed, eyes half-closed, disheveled clothing, and heavy breaths. He realizes the position he’s in and releases her quickly, flustered. He hides this by opting to fetch a drink of water from his waterskin for her.
“You—you could have said something, you know.” He continues, smoothly. “Before it got this bad.”
“You had other things on your mind. Didn’t want you to worry about me,” she mumbles, but Astarion detects the slight slur in her words. He lifts the glass to her lips, eyes lingering on its shape, and she takes a sip of the cold liquid, letting out a soft moan of relief.
“Don’t want you to get sick, either.” She adds, snapping him out of his reverie.
“Thinking your companion is going to die after they randomly collapse is very worrying, so you know.” Astarion chides, putting away the waterskin. “And also, I’m far too dead to contract such a simple illness. Dalyria says it’s from exhaustion—something you’re suffering from more than me, for once.”
He’s really sure that she’s dying now. She does not retort, and against all odds, it seems that she actually managed to fall asleep again. It makes sense to him that her sickness might be getting slightly worse. When he first touched her forehead, it felt scorching to the touch, and she's now buried beneath several layers of blankets, almost swallowed by the bedding.
Astarion takes in the sorry state of the room. There's a soiled towel nearby with remnants of vomit. He observes her shivering, her clothes clinging to her body, drenched in sweat.
Astarion sets out to gather some supplies—more towels, additional water, and some rations. They were running low on food, but as long as she could sustain herself, he wasn't too concerned.
He watches her as she drifts in and out of consciousness, noting her increasing confusion, likely due to the worsening fever. She mumbles about things he can't quite make out as he settles with a book to keep her company while he monitors her condition.
He glances up from the pages periodically as she rests on the makeshift bed, wrapped in old, dusty blankets. Astarion stokes the nearby fireplace to provide warmth, even though she appears to be sweating profusely, so he's unsure if it's the best idea.
She did seem to be relieved by his touch, though. To check on her condition once more, he reaches out and gently brushes her hair to the side to touch her forehead. She initially flinches, and he moves to withdraw his hand—until she grips his wrist. It’s a feeble hold, but she keeps his hand pressed against her face.
He realizes he doesn’t feel repulsed by her actions at all. It’s true, she’s using him—quite literally, as some sort of relief—but it feels like she needs him in this moment. He can’t pretend not to like the thought of being needed, even wanted by her.
He wonders, as an extension of that line of thought, if he would be okay with kissing her. Reflecting on his past experiences with the drow, he remembers the familiar, lingering disgust and self-hatred that typically arose. However, Tav doesn't evoke any of those emotions within him. His hand drifts, and his thumb traces her bottom lip gently. It's not smooth or plump; it's dry and cracked. Somehow, that makes it feel more authentic, and the question lingers in his mind.
But he doesn’t need that. He can get physical affection from anywhere. He just… likes this. That’s all it is. That’s all it has to be, right? This is rarer—he wouldn’t give this up for the world.
So he doesn’t allow his thoughts to wander beyond that.
But seeing her reluctance to let him go stirs something within him. It’s a tug at the depths of his chest, an undeniable ache. Well, if he could be of help to her like this, then who was he to deny her? After all, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t shared moments like this before.
He proceeds with caution, making every effort to avoid disturbing her as the bed slightly dips underneath his weight. He pulls the blanket over both of them and he draws her near, and she emits a soft sigh as her arms instinctively encircle him, warming his chest.
In the absence of a clock, Astarion loses track of time as he remains in bed beside her. He devotes most of it to observing her, running his fingers through her hair with a gentle touch. It's an act one might do with a lover, although she remains unconscious. He could murmur tender words, and she would remain unaware. Even if she happened to hear, he suspected her current state of mind would prevent her from retaining the information. No, this is for his own solace, and he finds it strangely comforting.
#astarion romance#astarion x tav#baldur's gate 3#fanfic#bg3#writing#astarion headcanons#astarion x mc#mutual pining#astarion fic#astarion x reader#astarion ancunin#astarion bg3#astarion x dark urge#sick fic#mahoufiction#sickfic#fic ideas#writing prompt
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Wenclair Headcanon 🖤🩷
Wednesday realizes her feelings. Pt. 1
I lock my gaze in on the textbook sprawled out in front of me, pretending as if I didn’t catch Enid blatantly staring at me. I’m trying to ignore the fact that catching her has resulted in an unfamiliar, warm tingling sensation in my chest. How unsettling. How… Pleasant?
No.
The more I try not to focus on it, the more the words in the book in front of me blur to gibberish. I can feel a stinging of salt forming behind my eyes. The air suddenly feels too thick to breathe in. I go to grab my belongings so I can hurry out before something emerges that gives everyone a show. But the annoyance of being flustered causes my hand to pull too hard, and my textbook clamors down to the floor. If all eyes weren’t on me before, they certainly are now.
“Miss Addams, are you-“ Professor Lavinia starts, but i’m halfway out the door before she can finish. I trudge as fast as I can to the bathroom, my legs feeling like i’m walking through mud. I finally reach the restroom and the second the door swings shut, hurricane Wednesday is released.
What is this? Why is this happening? Why am I unable to hold back these tears, unable to catch my breath? Is this a panic attack? No. I am not an anxious person. This makes no sense. I topple over to the sink and throw an icy splash of water onto my face. The sudden coolness shocks me back to reality. My breath is finally catching. Just as I’m gaining control of myself again, the door swings open.
I look up, and as I lock eyes with the intruder to my moment of weakness, the stinging feeling returns to my eyes.
It’s her. Enid.
I take in a sharp breath of air, “what do you want, Sinclair?” I say coldly, trying not to make eye contact.
“I… um… Professor Lavinia asked for someone to come check on you. I… figured you’d prefer me over someone random. Are you alright?” she stutters.
I bring my gaze up to my reflection. Unable to recognize the being staring back at me. Emotional. Reddened, teary-eyes. Unable to form cohesive thoughts. This situation is absolutely horrifying, and I’m starting to believe i’ve gone mad.
“…..Wednesday?” she says. I realize I’ve been staring at myself for too long and didn’t actually answer her.
“I’m fine, Enid, I just-“ I start, making the mistake of locking eyes with her. Something pulls deep in my stomach at the sight of her. Her eyes are wide, with what I assume is worry. Normally I’m able to deflect any confrontation from those concerned with my feelings. But Enid.. I hate to admit it. But I’ve realized Enid has a way of making it through to the deepest parts of me in a way that’s incomprehensible. As if she’s found a weak point in the barricade i’ve built around my emotional side.
“I’m fine.” I spit out, quickly wiping my eyes and rushing to head out the door. I need air.
Just as I’m about to pass her, she does the unthinkable and grabs my arm. “Wednesday.” she says, a bit more stern inflection in her voice this time. She yanks me so i’m left with no choice but to face her, and I damn her werewolf capability of being physically stronger than her size would lead you to believe. “Touch me again, Sinclair, and. And…” I want to yell, I want to threaten her like I do to anyone who dares lay their hands on me unwillingly. But something makes me stop. My brow furrows at this frustrating conflict.
“Wednesday Addams, I know you’re totally not emotional and act like you don’t care, which is why this moment is so much more worrying for me. You told me that crying solves nothing, yet here you are. Clearly something IS wrong, and I’m not letting you go until you get whatever it is that’s happening off of your chest. Threaten to suffocate me, or cut off my hand, I don’t care. Spill, Addams. I’m serious,” she scolds. I stare harshly at her, and then sigh. I can feel my suppressed feelings starting to boil over, and the need to spew them out is burning in the back of my throat.
“Fine.” I spit, and out comes everything i’ve been trying so hard to avoid speaking aloud. Especially to the one who’s the causation of all this emotional turmoil.
(Pt. 2 will come soon! xx)
#wenclair#wednesday addams#enid sinclair#jenna ortega#emma myers#wednesday x enid#wednesday#netflix wednesday#wenclair headcanon#wenclair fanfic
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“Arya’s proxy to power in the North is an abuse victim!”
Don’t let Sansa stans know that Sansa’s proxy to any power is the murder of an eight year old and the plans and resources of Littlefinger. The man who forced Jeyne to work in his brothel and sold her off to the Boltons in the first place
Any victory or queenship Sansa has in the North using the Vale’s money, power, and resources are co-signed by Baelish. But I’m willing to bet these losers wouldn’t consider that dismissive of Jeyne’s experiences
And if we want to go one step further, we could ask WHY Littlefinger sold Jeyne to the Boltons in the first place when everyone involved knows she’s actually a steward’s daughter, if his grand plan is to make Sansa Queen in the North? But that would be an inconvenient truth for the lemoncakes and their delusions about Sansa’s 100% morally righteous pathway to becoming Qween 😁
All of this...the goalpost is forever being moved by them. The fake activism they invent kills me and it's so obvious they only bring it up to police our discussions; they can't stand to see people acknowledge Arya's importance to the Northern plot, so they came up with the "trying to make Jeyne's pain about Arya" accusation. If they actually cared about Jeyne they wouldn't be using her as a prop against stans/discussions they don't like.
What's funny is that they invent these moral guidelines when all it does is make them look worse. Cause if it's wrong to point out that Jeyne is posing as Arya, the entire point of her marrying Ramsay, how is it okay to write meta about Sansa benefiting from the poisoning of a disabled child (one orphaned by LF's plotting no less)🤔? They never want to touch those moral implications though...at best they're sticking their heads in the sand and pretending Sansa has no idea, at worst they're writing meta about SW being an abuser :/. It's just hilarious that they swear we can't see how hypocritical they're being. That's why their metas make no sense, they don't have any cohesive logic 😭
#ask#anon#anti sansa stans#like if the plot was Sansa manipulating LF that would be one thing but the plan she's going along with hinges on SW dying#and a majority of fandom expects him to die so it isn't even like this is some niche theory#Jeyne being abused somehow always gets separated from LF selling her unless they can use that fact as a prop#anyways they need to keep Arya out of their mouths cause it's obvious they don't care about her#and stop pretending to read metas by Arya stans cause its obvious that the comprehension skills aren't there
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Hi! Question for you once you've had a chance to finish S3 of Ted Lasso: I'd love to hear your perspective on how S3 could have unfolded in a more fulfilling way. No pressure, of course, but I enjoy reading your insights. :)
Okay! I am rolling up my sleeves.
EXPRESSING-OPINIONS-ON-THE-INTERNET CAVEAT: I am not a media critic, and not everything in this post will be cohesive, well-thought-out, and non-contradictory. I do not for a moment pretend that my opinions are Correct, they are merely my own.
SECOND CAVEAT: At this point, with where they left arcs, I'm about 80% sure that depending on how the WGA strike goes (crossing my fingers for them) and any corporate retaliation for that, there will be a spinoff or continuation sans Ted. More of their choices make sense if that is true, even if I don't love the thought (let shows end!!!), so this is all changes I would make assuming s3 is the final season.
The thing about this season, for me, is that any given episode or moment was largely really enjoyable for me! Sure, a few quibbles, and the whole Roy and Keeley thing we will get to in a moment, but if I ignored the fact that I was watching a season, most things worked for me. Looking at it as a season, though, it was too busy, in a way that meant the show dropped a lot of things I wanted to see more of.
So, when pondering this question, I think that there's no way to keep everything I love while getting rid of only the things that annoyed me or that didn't feel right to me. And in the end, I'd rather miss things that weren't there than be annoyed with things that are present, so my take on s3 would streamline a lot of things to engage with others.
Oh boy, this is already long, time for a cut.
Change #1: Roy and Keeley do not break up. There was simply no reason for this, and especially no reason for it to happen off-screen. They can still fight and have difficulties, and Roy can deal with his mental health, but it's just unnecessary drama and I never understood it. This also prevents Roy and Jamie's weird last-episode regression to fighting over her and forcing her into shitty positions.
Change #2: Most of Keeley's plotlines change. All of the KJPR plots and characters were interesting, but they also busied the season up too much. So I'd have her actually building up a one-woman business without Jack (or, tragically, Barbara), maybe doing the Shandy thing and grappling with that for longer, or her dealing with the Establishment the way Rebecca does so often, trying to make them see her as a businesswoman and not a footballer's girlfriend.
Change #3: Beard and Jane break up. We get to carry over the threads from s2 from the Beard episode and from Higgins expressing his concern, instead of treating the way Jane treats him as comedy. We also get to counteract this show's everyone-deserves-not-just-forgiveness-for-everything-but-also-to-be-in-your-life-again message with one instance of someone setting out a boundary and sticking to it.
Change #4: Many of Nate's plots change. As with Barbara, I would really regret losing Jade, but I think there are better uses of Nate's screentime--he was set up to be a real main character in s2 and I felt like I hardly saw him in s3. What I really wanted was for Nate to learn how to have power over people responsibly, I think? I'd have chosen either for him to grit his teeth and stay at West Ham (perhaps while joining the conspiracy to overthrow Rupert) or, when he left, for him to somehow end up coaching a kids' team, and learn gentleness in authority that way. It would pick up this show's really genuinely cool theme of "once one person makes a point of stepping out of the cycle of abuse and trauma it can ripple out around them" in interesting ways.
And while there are many other tweaks I'd make (more Sam, his last focus plot was SO goddamn miserable; eliminate everything about the psychic; goodbye to Rebecca's boat stranger), I'm going to finish with the last big one, which is
Change #5: Ted gets to do something besides reinvent total football, pine for his son, and make speeches that should have been edited down to a third of their length tops. He just seems so checked out this whole season, just talking about how none of the work he's done is on him, all focused on Henry in the wrong ways, so that going back to Kansas felt more like a horrible sacrifice than a choice that will bring him fulfillment or contentment. He was always going to go back to Kansas and his son, much as I wasn't wild about that, but it doesn't feel like a new beginning for him, just like he's going back to his old life with a little more knowledge of football and more knowledge of how to model good parenting and relationships for his kid (while not, from the way I interpreted that last expression, dealing any further with his own mental health). It felt weirdly dark for this show.
(Also I know this show loves its book theming, and I know it's The Wizard of Oz (see: a song from The Wiz playing over the credits to the penultimate episode), but have they considered that in subsequent Oz books Dorothy and her family move back to Oz? Things to consider.)
#anyway this is purely about changes#not about complaining about some other things that bothered me this season#so hopefully it is not too negative for anyone who's feeling good about where things ended!#poetryincamelot#answered asks#ted lasso spoilers#i super do not want to get into Discourse please let's not#mostly people do not do that over here#but recent and divisive show finales can be touchy subjects
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Vamptember Day 24 -FREE DAY
I am a huge fan of book to TV adaptations, so much so that a portion of my Honours thesis was actually dedicated to that particular portion of media.
The Hunger Games books and movies offer a perfect example of so much of what I love about it; a series of books that are from a limited 1st person perspective, then expanded out into a series of not just three but four movies to make room for perspectives that are hinted at within the books, yet given no explicit voice given the nature of the perspective choice.
But even a faithful adaptations can turn sour is when enough of the central themes of a story get overturned over the course of a longer running series. I’m thinking Game of Thrones here. That first season was almost a play by play of the first novel. Things like the Red- and Purple Weddings later occurred more or less as expected, though timelines of surrounding events were fudged. There were some really cool graphics made on this topic back in the day.
And then... well, we got the last 3 seasons, didn't we? What a disappointment (sorry Jacob, you're an actor capable of doing things that are very subtle, but that show let you down).
Reimaginings can likewise be good or bad, but they have built into them a bit more leeway. Where these usually turn sour is around the time they fully abandon the source material. This is mostly your ‘loosely inspired by’ stuff. It’s putting a name on the door that’s generated to sell tickets. I’m trying to think of a good example of this, but the stuff I haven’t liked doesn’t tend to stick in my head because I’ve usually moved on by then. At their strongest, reimaginings bring well thought out and updated content to a fandom.
BBC's reimagining in Sherlock was innovative when they brought Conan Doyal's characters into the modern day. They succeeded in doing that because what they kept sacred, at least to begin with, was the relationships between the characters and the overarching themes that came from that. By doing only those two things, they were able to reinvent satisfying ways to touch on the main plot points of the original stories.
That team also, sadly, offered a cautionary tale of what happens when such a project deviates too far from its source material.
The reimagining in AMC's Interview with the Vampire is far more ambitious and therefore complex in what it proposes, with an equal half of its story existing in a space that will be close to what was written in the books. I genuinely hope they end up succeeding with their ambition. Part of that is that it's not pretending to be any sort of directly faithful adaptation.
The first hint? The entire premise of S1: It’s 2022 and Louis invites Daniel for a second interview. That just didn't occur in the books.
This one change brings the story straight into the modern day, which is easily arguable as something needed for a series that released its first book in 1976. While I love a nostalgic- or period piece as much as the next person, I’m not disappointed by this.
This is the kind of change that’s a deal breaker. It stands to give new watchers the introduction they need into the world at the same time as giving something entirely unexpected to old fans. In other words, it’s narrative gold to someone like me.
The reasons I love it are completely different to what draws me to a straight like for like with added scenes adaptation as outlined above in Hunger Games. By changing the timeline and beginning straight out of the gate, it means that you can change everything.
And, god, they do.
Okay, obviously not everything. Character names, places, even dates on their own aren’t enough to hold the narrative cohesion of a reimagining if it doesn’t hold tight enough to the central themes of the source material to maintain that the original plot points still make sense to come to pass. WHICH S1 DOES.
I have so much interest in dissecting how they’ve so far kept hold of (most of) the themes and yet, in only 7 episodes, have already told a story with so many different details. And, if I’m gonna be totally honest, TVC is perfectly primed for exactly this kind of adaptation simply because, as a collection, these books have never been consistent (thank you, Anne for this dubious and ongoing gift).
There has been a single possible inconsistency with themes that did give me some cause for concern, but it’s also not the one that most people seem concerned by. So, let’s get into the analysis!
Armand:
I’m beginning with this character, because a supercut on YouTube I finally got around to watching made me realise we got a total of 15 minutes of Assad on screen in the 7 episodes of S1, and less than 5 of those are of him in the named character. So it’s an easy place to start.
Obviously, there is little difference that can be pointed to in those fewer than 5 minutes other than the differences in physical appearance than described (17 y/o, red hair, brown eyes) in the books, and that’s what I’ve seen a lot of discourse on thus far. That, and what on earth this Louis had on him to convince him it was a great play to pretend to be Rashid in front of Daniel. (He is a theatre kid, I guess…)
There is however a short detail in The Vampire Armand after Armand goes into the sun, however, that briefly describes his eyes as being orange (maybe amber?) as he starts to heal, and therefore the choice on making Assad’s eyes this colour in the series becomes an interesting detail to me.
Also, let’s be honest – if you’re gonna make the creative choice to have both Sam and Jacob in these luminescent contacts, but leave Assad’s natural throughout… well, I mean, what is being said on that side of the coin if that’s the choice being made?
On the side of details they kept AND CHANGED at the same time, my favourite for this character continues to be the below image that shows the physical resemblance between one Assad Zaman and, yes, a different Botticelli painting than any referenced in the books, but ultimately a Botticelli painting all the same. We're good to go!
Louis:
I don’t really want to focus too long on the obvious differences between Louis the slave owner (books) and Louis the pimp (series) except to say they are there. As are Louis’ signature green eyes.
However, that is where the resemblance ends. And I’m not just talking about physical.
In Louis’ case, the biggest difference I clocked and remarked in DMs up till now that—as a fanfic writer of both books and series fandom—Louis’ was the voice that consistently gave me most trouble to move between. I literally could not convincingly write him in any series fic at the same time as I was writing my mammoth long fic How They Get to Trinity Gate.
And it was not the fact that Louis was white in the books that tripped me up.
Another big thing is the change to when Louis and Lestat meet. This changes things for Lestat's character a bit as well, but I think it's more clear at this point the ways in which Lestat being set up as that much stronger and older than Louis on first meeting has had an impact on their story. Armand will be that much older than Louis as well, but what's a difference of a handful of decades when Armand already was that much older than Louis canonically?
As a linguist, I remain most fascinated by the dialogue changes that have been given to Louis’ character, particularly in historic New Orleans scenes. When reading Interview With the Vampire, there’s not a great deal of difference to the voice of Louis in the present vs the past that he gives to the boy interviewer. In the series, however? The difference in character from past to present is as unavoidable as it is riveting. To me, that alone offers so many details about who Louis is as a person, the disparity between Louis and a Lestat who obviously still gets to keep his book canon French accent.
In terms of how these changes effected the story as Louis relates it to Daniel, however? I mean, for the most part, the Louis I watched was equally convincing as he hit the main plot points his character needed to hit to stay true to the source material. That makes it a successful update to me!
Daniel:
Daniel is a laugh, both in the books and in the series. But, though the series has held on to the aspect of his sense of humour from the books, that humour is depicted in a completely different way.
Self deprecating, for the most part, or actually laugh out loud funny is what we see of Daniel in the books. Occasionally his anger gets the better of him, but for the most part he’s more docile—or possibly just as drunk—as many of us would be in similar circumstances. Apart from, say, when he’s calling Armand an immortal idiot.
The humour we get from Daniel in the series, though? That’s cutting. Yes, aimed to slice others up, especially when he’s deflecting from himself, but also the stuff that's made to cut through bullshit.
He’s had another 50 years to hone it, and none of them were lost to madness or absence from himself. No, this Daniel has been present every year of the 69 that have been given to him, and it shows. His wit has grown up with him, because he has grown up in a way he never got to in the books.
Something else to consider, however, is the fact that this Daniel is half David.
Actually, it's more than half. We got less of Daniel in S1 than we got of Armand. When I say this, I mean the only parts from the book canon we've got were in a couple of flashback scenes and the recording Eric listens to, then plays in Dubai in Episode 1. Only Luke Brandon Field has so far shown me anything close to a faithful version of Daniel, and I've no doubt this actor is destined to continue to follow that trajectory throughout future seasons.
That leaves me with wondering who we've got in the present from Eric? And that's David Talbot who, it turns out, is another canonical interviewer within The Vampire Chronicles. You may remember him as the guy who interviewed Armand, a version of which we're also set to see in S2.
David, when we first see him in Queen of the Damned, is someone interested in vampires not as puff portraiture but as a reality. He’s an older man coming to acceptance he’s near the end of his life and career. And he does not want to be made into a vampire.
Louis: A still hand, time to watch your daughters marry.
Daniel: And divorce. And die.
Sound familiar?
Let me explain something of what I suspect went into this decision behind the scenes: The character of Daniel is underdeveloped in the books to say the least, something I’ve written about already during Vamptember. There was never going to be enough of the book character of Daniel in AMC's version to satisfy every book reader. Anne simply didn't give us enough of him, and fandom remains wildly divided in how to interpret him.
By contrast, David was a character readers got far too much of because of Anne's attempt to shoe horn us into a different romantic interest for Lestat. He's just not as popular. Imagine for a second the reception if the early promotional material had named Eric as playing 'David' instead of 'Daniel'? It's a marketing mislead, and one that's paid off.
When setting up the core "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf"-esque central cast, the creative team over at AMC did something very clever, I think. They pulled over characteristics of another underdeveloped character from the same canon in order to flesh their version of Daniel out. We'll almost certainly see a body swap, and that's where the David, and Eric's, part of the story will end.
In conclusion, I will absolutely eat my hat if we see someone called David Talbot walking around in this series ever ever. And, when it comes to the eventual plot line of making Daniel a vampire, they've set up three good options in front of them (and another example where we old fans have no way to expect WHICH WAY IT WILL GO):
He'll be coerced into it (David, canonically by Lestat, but in this universe almost certainly Armand)
He'll change his mind and demand it again (Daniel in true Devil's Minion style)
He'll almost die and someone will have to turn him (Daniel, yes, but also Jesse)
Two of these methods of becoming a vampire from the early books canonically turn a Talamasca character, and I definitely have some on-a-tangent theories there, given the presence of Talamasca characters already in Mayfair Witches.
The only thing they’ll need to change from the books here is Armand being Daniel/David’s foil, instead of Lestat. And, look, they’ve already positioned Louis right there as the love of his life in the face of the love triangle that’s sure to follow in the series, as in the books.
Fareed (bonus):
This is further to my passing body swap comment in the last section, but I really wanted to add:
Why include this minor character front and centre as early as S1? Why then have him explicitly say he is not there not once but three separate times as part of his only dialogue?
Fareed: That is not my voice. And I'm not here. [...] I am not here. [...] I'm not here. [...] Pleasure never meeting you, Mr. Molloy.
Is this not explicitly designed to have the same effect as telling a person not to imagine a pink elephant? Not to mention, it's as meta as fuck. That's Schrödinger's Vampire right here.
So why do these things if not to bring to the front of people's minds not only that the entire of Anne Rice's canon is free game in this reimagining? But that Fareed in particular is a character who's the first of his kind in the Chronicles; a scientist who can and does invent a clone?
A clone that might just end up looking very much like Luke Brandon Field?
Why, also, spend so much time and promotional material on another actor we see for about the same short space of time within S1? Minute for minute, I reckon we get about the same amount of screen time here with Gopal Divan as we do with Luke.
That, and they both happen to appear for the first time in Episode 6. Just saying.
In terms of canon deviation, if there was a physical description of Fareed in the books, I honestly don't remember it. He was just one of Anne's many, many characters that were a) created to function as a plot point, and b) forgotten beyond the original purpose he was created for.
As long as they manage to keep Fareed interested in the vampiric sciences, I honestly don't see there being any problems.
Lestat:
Saving the best till last, am I right?
Lestat is Lestat is Lestat, isn’t he? The blond hair. The blue eyes. The arrogant swagger. Both the father’s anger matched with the uncontrollable laughter raging within him at all times. Completely out of control. Hedonistic, definitely to a fault. A Byronic hero in the package of an immoral vampire.
I hated Lestat and, when I read the books as a teenager, it was despite him.
I was ready to go into the series doing the same. The stories, the themes, the history, the characters (minus Lestat). There is so much richness to love in the world of the books, despite so much of it being told by Lestat. And there was no doubt we were gonna get less of The Lestat Show in a show that’s not told from his PoV and has three other main characters vying equally for that attention.
I will amend this statement now to acknowledge he does get less obnoxious by the time we hit the final trilogy, which were obviously not out when I’d made the judgement call of despising him. (Hell, Tales of the Body Thief wasn’t yet out…)
In Lestat's case, the changes that have been made aren't so much of appearance or characterisation, so much as moments. And I understand why. Lestat is iconic and, in many ways, impossible to change in any meaningful way because of it. So the choice of changing moments here and there becomes the perfect way to cast a new spin on Lestat's character.
ESPECIALLY when you have Armand right there behind Louis the whole time, almost certainly controlling the narrative.
Obviously, there was That Scene in Episode 5. That particular scene is one that never happened in any of the books. But Lestat’s aggressions, micro and otherwise, are a well known particularly in early canon, and Louis is certainly not exempt from them.
Nor is Claudia. And who among us haven’t put up with less when it’s aimed towards a person we love than what we’ll put up with aimed to ourselves?
Despite it not following an actual canon event, it held intact location, characters and central themes all together – the summation of most important aspects when we have an adaptation and hope it will continue to hit the major canon plot points in its reimagining.
We saw Lestat, Louis and Claudia all moving towards an event we all knew was coming, and what ended up being the climax of S1.
What I don't see being talked about anywhere near so much is the beginning of Episode 3, as Louis begins to commit himself to becoming a nuisance to the feline life of New Orleans.
Lestat: Say we come upon a murderer planting a flowerbed, thinking only of flowers. How long do we wait before his bloody deeds reveal themselves?
Louis: As long as it takes.
Lestat: You haven’t thought this through, Louis.
The charitable view, of course, is that Lestat is just not wanting, in this moment, to encourage anything Louis wants to say. If so, it would hardly be the only time Lestat shuts Louis down. Louis says he doesn’t want to feed on humans anymore so Lestat’s immediate response is to push as hard in the opposite direction. I would be satisfied with that.
Equally, I would be satisfied if, come S3, Lestat is revealed to remember this conversation completely differently. It would make sense. Of COURSE Lestat wants to feed on the evil doer and only the evil doer. What else are monsters like them supposed do? This would speak perfectly to their being many things in The Vampire Lestat that are different once Lestat takes the reigns of the books and supposed pen name.
The more I think about it, the more I won't be terribly surprised if they decide on one of these—or even a secret third option (Armand, I'm looking at you)—being the way this moment washes out later. The repercussions of deviating from Lestat only feeding from the evil doer are far too detrimental to the canon they seem intent to create.
Basically, their Lestat holding fast to this opinion for any longer than this scene would leave them struggling to hit more than one major plot point in future seasons.
Anyone who's read the books knows Lestat has already come across Marius before he meets Louis. He's heard Marius’ treatise on only eating the evil doer, and understands why his mentor holds to that tenant. Likewise, Lestat has prior to that come across Armand—something that has all but been confirmed for the series, again in the S2 trailer—and, after meeting both fledgling and maker, Lestat is able to pull together for himself an ethical stance he will take into the rest of his immortal life.
Lestat doesn't have to figure out what his code is gonna be, or whether he's gonna have one, like he way that's depicted for Louis in Episodes 2-3. This ethical stance informs him and carries through from there to the time in the future where Lestat’s made Prince of all vampires.
We'd have a very different looking future seasons ahead of us if Lestat were to abandon that code. It would make Episode 5 look tame.
But Sam knows those books. Rolin knows those books.
I love these monsters. As unreliable as Anne was with her famous lack of editing, this was something even she never flipped back and forth on. And a bunch of monsters with a code is still what we are seeing in S1 just from the fact that Daniel has survived this far into the interview in 2022.
They were and continue to be monsters, her characters, but they aren't that monstrous. There's a line for these serial murders. Honour among the thieves of mortal life.
That’s what makes them so enduringly interesting in all the variations we see for them.
@vamptember
#vc shitpost#should i have split this up into multiple posts?#my metas are starting to get a little out of hand#armand#daniel molloy#lestat de lioncourt#louis de pointe du lac#david talbot#fareed bhansali#anne rice#interview with the vampire#the vampire lestat#queen of the damned#tales of the body thief#prince lestat#mayfair witches#who's afraid of virginia woolf?#bbc sherlock#the hunger games#game of thrones#rolin jones#vamptember#vamptember 2023#vc meta#gopal divan#assad zaman#jacob anderson#sam reid#luke brandon field#amc iwtv
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(1): Sooo, now that I watched all of season 2 (SPOILERS):
Let's say it from the start that this is not a personal attack on either Neil Gaiman, John Finnemore or anyone else involved in this production. This just me sharing my perspective which will always be subjective no matter how hard I try for objectivity, so really, with this I'd rather just like to open a discussion about a bigger picture.
To be fair, this season was in on itself solid writing with a cohesive arc, very enjoyable to watch and inside of it, characters's motivations made sense and as always, Michael Sheen and David Tennant are immaculate in the leading roles. Inside the season, the ending makes perfect sense.
And that's my point. Inside the season.
If you look back on season 1 and then switch to s2, you'll probably notice the gigantic tone shift. Season 1 was already a tad grimmer than the book, but it was still quite light-hearted, most of the time, a comedy about the end of the world, a subversion of the Doomsday-Genre, that’s what it always was supposed to be in my pov.
Compare that to Season 2, who still manages to be occasionally very funny, but for the most part, takes a much more serious approach to Zira's and Crowley's situation. Not that this never existed in the subtext, but having this now be the main thing feels... weird? I mean, it certainly changed how I engage with the show, but that may be the topic of another post.
Also, that’s not really my point. My point is…
I once told my siblings that it feels strange to me shipping “Ineffable spouses” because usually, I’m quite the drama-shipper and I wouldn’t find much of it in their dynamic. Especially if you take the book, Aziraphale and Crowley mostly just,…. get along. And even if they are a bit rougher in season 1, they still end up dining at the Ritz seemingly having cleared all their problems with Heaven and Hell and now have a long time ~together~. There’s a reason why most fanfics I read put them coming together at “The Night at Crowley’s flat”.
So, when Neil Gaiman announced that season 2 would be rather “quite, gentle and romantic”, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who was just hoping for one season of Aziraphale and Crowley just being together, doing stuff.
Though of course, being through Cherik beside other things, alarm bells were ringing in my head, because I knew that a studio like Amazon would never allow this for the sake of being queer, but for the sake of making ~money~.
And what did we get? Well…. It’s certainly there. And I will not for one moment pretend that I didn’t scream when the ineffable duo danced together or parented Gabriel together, or when Crowley kissed Aziraphale…
But. This. Kiss. It’s pure pain, that’s what it is. And this, after two seasons of dancing around each other, yet somehow already having three break-up-scenes, just makes it seem.. weird.
Because I realised, queer rep is not necessarily about a kiss or a dramatic declaration. Ianto and Jack from Torchwood never had a dramatic love declaration on-screen and only kissed twice in season 1, yet their story, and Torchwood in general was the first queer show that made me actually feel well-fed.
No. It’s about how you portray queerness in your character. They don’t have to be “good”, “virtious” or anything like that, they just have to be genuine.
#good omens#my long season 2 post part one#I just have too many things to say about this#gos2 spoilers#ineffable husbands#ineffable bureaucracy#queer representation#torchwood
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In Semi-Defense of Liara
Now, if it’s not clear then it probably will be but I am extremely Liara Critical in Mass Effect. I am not a fan of her shift in characterization between Mass Effect 1 and 2, I’m not a fan of how shoved down my throat she is and I’m not a fan of her forced sexualization (appears in all games. Seriously, what is up with her ‘lets rub all over my body’ thing she does when standing still for too long in ME1 or in the elevator?)
The weird thing is: I actually like Liara.
Or more accurately I should say that I like Liara in Mass Effect 1.
I feel that Mass Effect 2 and 3 Liara is too different to be fully considered the same person (and all of it happened off screen which I think is a sign of improper handling of a characters growth. It should appear in the main media, not in secondary offshoot media that may or may not be taken in by the vast majority). Mass Effect 1 Liara sets the stage, and I’m all there for it. Mass Effect 2 Liara suffers from a weird ‘she must be bigger and badder and look at how much of a badass she is now she’s not that little girl on Therum anymore’ and like…what was wrong with that archeologist on Therum? Why did she need to shift into Miranda in order to suddenly be worthy? Why couldn’t she have stayed on a pathway that would have made sense for what was given instead of shifting to a whole new dynamic? Mass Effect 3 Liara is just the worst and I have no positive things to say about her. She is the Dev’s little darling who is shoved down your throat every five seconds and it’s obnoxious. It feels like Mass Effect just did a slow character assassination of Liara from one and it just went downhill from there.
I also have dislike for the character for the obvious favoritism and the obvious ‘She’s the Canon Love Interest and We’re Gonna Make Sure You Know It’ bullshit that happens with her. It irritates me that when I play a Liara Romance playthrough the whole game feels like it makes sense. It feels whole and complete and like there’s no real strange step offs (except Jacob and James for Fem Shep, but we’re gonna pretend they just don’t exist) in the storyline. It is cohesive, it is satisfying.
But when I play a non-romance playthrough or a playthrough where I romance any other character? Well the game is just going to keep coming in and letting me know how I’m wrong. It’s going to keep shoving Liara at Shepard and Shepard is going to always respond positively to her regardless of anything else. Forced hugs, forced awestruck name calling, forced putting her feelings above your own, forced parent interactions where they still make it seem like you’re obsessed with Liara regardless of anything, forced ‘required companion’ shit that no other character but Tali will get (and it makes sense for her to be on the Dreadnaught mission) but Liara will get multiple. Forced cutscenes, forced closeness – this is exceedingly frustrating in the Citadel DLC where the game even takes away your ability to NOT INVITE LIARA to the party. The fact that it forces her in with the new guys makes no sense but will allow you to invite no one else. Why? Just truly tell me why? Her fill ins on scenes if others are gone or there is no secondary option (once again, Citadel DLC where if you are unromanced BAM HERE’S LIARA! And she’s going to flirt with you too and you’re just gonna accept it).
So honestly, Liara is not my favorite character when attempting anything outside of what Bioware has demanded the RPG (Obviously they forgot what that means) experience be which is being in love with their perfect little blue alien. You’re wrong if you’re not.
And that’s why I dislike Liara, but the sad part is that I don’t feel the actual character should have had it happen to them. This is on the writers, but still in the end it happened and I will still react negatively to it.
#mass effect#mass effect legendary edition#mass effect 1#mass effect 2#mass effect 3#mass effect liara#liara t'soni#liara critical
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Black Knight
Watched: 12.05.2023
It’s so basic, but so good.
There is exactly nothing innovative about this show. Typical exaggeration of the unfair social structures currently existing in the world, typical villain with selfish motivations, typical hero with personal story. And yet, I had so much fun watching.
I would agree that the world buildup and storytelling is rather vague - lacks the details on how the society truly works, what are the motivations of all the characters and groups. Some do things because they are good people, some because they are selfish or desperate, some scared, sometimes (most of the time) it’s personal story or revenge, but we don’t really get a proper and more elaborate exploration and explanation - neither about the past, present nor the future.
I might be in the minority here, but it honestly did not bother me at all. I think with post-apocalyptic stories, I actually prefer when a lot of things are left with a question mark that I have to think about and find the answers for myself. For me, the process of filling the gaps with my own ideas is actually a part of the entertainment. All that consider, I can see how others might view it as a rather big flaw.
The performances were great. Do I think they will be remembered for a long time? No, since the characters were not exactly that complex and well written. That said, the actors did a phenomenal job with delivering performances that made the characters seem real and cohesive, even if the writing was rather imprecise. The brotherhood between 5-8 and Sa Wol was both entertaining and low key heartwarming - all thanks to good on screen chemistry between Kim Woo Bin and Kang Yoo Seok.
Being a fan of Song Seung Heon, it was rather disappointing how little acting this man had to do. Probably one of the weakest aspects of the show performances wise, and it’s all on the character’s writing and not the actor himself. Since the character was rather boring, I honestly don’t think anyone could make him stand out more.
Directing wise, everyone should look at this drama as a great example on how to end episodes - these were true cliffhangers that made you curious! I honestly could not stop watching. Binge watched all 6 episodes with just pee breaks.
What’s more, the pacing is great. They don’t focus unnecessarily on unimportant bits, highlighting the scenes that matter the most. Sadly, the final confrontation was a let down. It ended before I could even register what’s going on and I was left with the thought: that’s it? Well, that’s anticlimactic.
As for the production - I loved the set design. You know what is one of the most ridiculous things in post-apocalyptic and sci-fi shows? The over the top complex designs. The world is shattered, people would lean towards the simplicity that would be cost efficient, except for the rich elites who would try to pretend the reality is either the same it was in the past, or not as bad as it truly is. We got just that here - simplicity for the poor, trying to maintain the idea of normal life for the rich.
For the negatives - the show is really dark during some scenes. Yes, in context it makes sense, but you still need to think about your audience and not just the realism of the situation. Watching just a black screen is not entertaining. If you make it impossible to see, you can as well just make it into an audio book. That problem mostly existed in the first two episodes and lighting got a lot better later on. There were a few scenes that managed to create a beautiful picture just with the right lighting in the right spot.
A small bit that got me laughing - truly questionable blood splashes during the fight scenes. The gun wounds were fine, but the poorly animated CGI blood during fist fights was just comical.
Overall, I had a blast watching. It can be both: brainless entertainment and a start for some conversations and reflections about social issues and structures as it reflects our reality rather well.
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From Ur post about wasted potential in media... What r some of your fav examples of this ^__^
hi anon!
so when i made this post i was thinking about supernatural. other stories that are still rotting my brain even though they ended years ago and i really should be over it by now include (but aren’t limited to) the magnus archives, game of thrones, naruto, and pirates of the caribbean. all of these are stories i love(d) but they either ended badly or have some massive but easily fixable flaws which is why they drive me insane.
the short(ish) version: (disclaimer that this is only my opinion which is of course objectively correct and should be taken as gospel)
supernatural went on for too long, ended badly, and only ever scratched the surface of everything it could’ve been
the magnus archives seasons 1-4 are damn near perfect and season 5 is… there.
game of thrones season 8. (do i even need to say anything about this one!?)
naruto suffers because of kishimoto’s misogyny and because the wrong characters die/survive
pirates of the caribbean should’ve been a trilogy and we all know elizabeth should’ve ended up a pirate
the unreasonably long and extremely spoilery version under the cut (you have been warned)
supernatural: by tumblr standards i’m downright normal about spn but i did watch every episode at least once and i was obsessed with it as a teen so i’m not really one to talk. i’m following someone who’s just now getting into it and who has some very good takes (specifically about dean and john), and i’m being dragged back into the fandom kicking and screaming…
ANYWAY
supernatural starts out as a monster of the week thing but then the plot thickens and you’ve got angels and demons and lucifer and the end of the fucking world and even though the later seasons have their moments, i’m a “supernatural should’ve ended with season 5” truther.
and don’t even get me started on the winchesters. it’s like… you have a deliciously fucked up family dynamic, including codependency, incest-subtext, and two brothers who would end the world for each other. god as an absentee father-figure who will not save you. free will. characters that have witnessed history. an angel who almost stepped on the first fish crawling out of the sea, who dragged a man out of hell and fell for him in every sense of the word. the humanity of the monstrous. the inhumanity of the divine. magic. americana. mythology. empty roads and neon signs and dilapidated motels. Death who tells dean that he will reap god when the time comes. i know i’m not being particularly coherent but no one can tell me that what we actually got was the best they could do when they had ALL THIS to work with. and the fandom gets it. the fic and meta writers get it. i’ve seen so many transcendent takes by supernatural girlies whose third eye is wide fucking open. i know it’s possible. supernatural’s problem is that it was written by straight us-american men and aired on the cw. in conclusion, make it darker and grittier and let dean say fuck.
that being said, even though it was garbage storytelling, i will never forget the wonderful night of mass hysteria that was the 5th of november, and i almost choked laughing when i saw dean get nailed by a vampire clown and sam in the shittiest wig imaginable. probably not the intended audience reaction though. (you’re better off just ignoring that 15.20 happened at all)
the magnus archives (season 5): oh boy where do i even begin? i rarely talk about this anymore because it just makes me so angry and i’m not having any fun. i like to pretend that season 5 doesn’t exist which works excellently because while the first 4 seasons are a cohesive narrative whole, season 5 feels like it’s tacked on at the end. (“do i like this story more if i just ignore the ending happened” is a very good question to ask yourself regarding the quality of a finale).
the magnus archives season 5 has several problems, some of which don’t even concern the narrative but are instead fuckery related to the story. i’ll get those out of the way first.
first of all, the fandom is the most vile cesspit of people with no media comprehension i’ve ever had the misfortune to be in. among such hits as “why is Bad Person treated with sympathy” and “why is the horror podcast about horror and not about gay shipping”, what bothers me most are the headcanons treated as law.
i’ve personally witnessed takes like “daisy is bad representation for butch lesbians” (daisy is not canonically a lesbian or butch. the fandom made that up), and “jon is brown therefore xyz portrayal is racist” (again, jon’s skin color is never mentioned. him being brown is just the most popular HEADcanon). why am i telling you this in this already way too long post? this might be conjecture but i really believe that if the fandom wasn’t so godawful, the story could’ve been better. the creators caved to fandom pressure. this is one of the best examples of why there needs to be a boundary between audience and creator and why the fandom should have absolutely NO say whatsoever when it comes to what happens in the story.
the other thing that’s a bit meta and not in the story per se are the promises the creators made. jonny sims said two things:
1. the story will end in tragedy: it didn’t. the ending was ambiguous and i wanted it to leave me devastated the way the s4 finale did. instead it left me indifferent and vaguely confused.
2. there will be no romance and if there is, it’s not going to be the focus of the story: so that was a fucking lie. season 5 is nothing but jonmartin shoved into your face for 40 episodes. a lot of aros, aces and people who were there for the horror and not for the shipping were understandably disappointed
now, as for the actual story ,i’m a “jon should’ve had a corruption arc” truther. (here's a thing i did). i think it would fit with his character development since he’s been getting more monstrous with every season. elias has been manipulating jon into becoming an avatar of the Beholding and ending the world, and jon hates him for it. jon kills elias and takes his place and if they just stuck with that, with elias being destroyed by the god he created and jon ascending to be the fucked up evil king of a ruined world. fuck, it would’ve been so good. it would’ve been so delicious i’m going insane every time i think about it. this is the secret good season 5 that lives in my head.
instead they went with parallel universes, which is a concept that you probably shouldn’t introduce 3 episodes before the ending. it’s not a bad concept at all. they could’ve done it justice. but making parallel fucking universes the thing on which your finale hinges even though you’ve barely introduced them? yeah i’m gonna go ahead and call that an ass pull. it turns out that the Web has been manipulating everyone blah blah who cares the important part is this: the Web wins. the Web gets what it wants and this could’ve worked if it was framed and presented to us LIKE A TRAGEDY. it’s not. it’s presented like a bittersweet ending. the morality of the finale is extremely protagonist-centric (and by season 5 i started to hate everyone except jon). the protagonists decide to release the Fears, dooming a potentially infinite number of people to a life of horror, but fuck those guys, right? the important thing is that the protagonists are okay. i’m going to fight jonny sims in a parking lot.
one last thing. jonmartin fucking sucks. but it doesn’t have to. jon and martin don’t know each other. they’re completely incompatible. they’re together out of guilt and circumstance. they’re dysfunctional and they’re very realistically dysfunctional. i personally ship jonelias. don’t worry this is not about a shipping war, but one thing i’ve noticed is that jonelias is fucked up in an “i’ve made you a monster and then a god. i’ve used you to bring about the apocalypse” kind of way which i’m guessing not many people have personal experience with. jonmartin is fucked up in a “we’re not communicating and we’re only together because neither of us wants to be alone” way. that’s relatable. hell, that’s depressingly common. jon doesn’t love martin, he just wants to cling to his humanity. martin doesn’t love jon, he loves the idea of jon. THAT’S POTENTIAL! take that and work with it. what did they do instead? gave me a pairing of two people who absolutely should not be together, shoved it into my face for dozens of episodes, and then portrayed jealousy and miscommunication like something cute and romantic. literally what the fuck are they on.
game of thrones: *deeep sigh* ok there are about a billion 3hour video essays detailing everything wrong with season 8 but the main things for me are:
jon is a targaryen. he’s azor ahai. his is the song of ice and fire. and NONE OF THAT FUCKING MATTERS OH MY GOD AT LEAST LET JON DO SOMETHING LITERALLY ANYTHING EXCEPT STANDING AROUND REPEATING THE SAME TWO LINES AD NAUSEAM.
daenerys descent into madness and villainy could’ve been great if it had been properly set up instead of done in a minute (this is not an exaggeration. her character goes from “slightly mentally unstable” to “war criminal putting a city of innocent people to the torch” in ONE minute. i counted.)
i read the books and euron greyjoy is so fucking cool in the books. i don’t know who the fuck that other guy is but it certainly ain’t him.
arya killing the night king and bran becoming king. i wish i could say something funny or insightful but i genuinely have no words.
naruto: it’s been a while since i watched naruto. i’ve seen plenty of male writers being shitty but i’ve never seen misogyny drag a story down quite this much. personally, i’m done making excuses for this shit. if you can’t write women, you’re a bad writer. period.
the problem with naruto is that the women are literally just... there. doing absolutely fuck all and being generally useless. this is not even a matter of social justice, this is a matter of storytelling. even if you’re the biggest macho dudebro around you’ll have to admit that one third of your cast standing around and being incompetent doesn’t make for a very interesting story, does it now?
and then there’s the matter of madara being nerfed in favor of kaguya. yeah… that one was an ass pull.
but what bothers me most is that the wrong characters die or don’t die respectively. some examples:
hinata should’ve died (instead of “almost died”) when pain attacked konoha. it would’ve made her sacrifice more meaningful and she would’ve come back one way or another. in my opinion she should’ve stayed dead for good because her arc was mostly done by that point and she doesn’t really do much after that except cheer on naruto (see misogyny above)
when madara fought the five kage, he almost killed all of them. keyword almost. i get that tsunade is a good healer but that fight would’ve been more meaningful if someone (literally any ONE of the kage) had actually died.
gai should’ve died. listen, you can’t build up the 8th gate as this super special technique that you can do only once because it costs your life and then not have gai die. it cheapens the entire thing. what was the fucking point?
neji should’ve LIVED. a monumental part of his character arc was realizing that he’s worth just as much as the main family and that he doesn’t have to be subservient to hinata. and then he sacrifices himself for hinata. yeah that felt like one step forward two steps back.
in conclusion: kishimoto needs to drink his respect women juice and learn when to kill characters and when to let them live.
pirates of the caribbean: i tend to ignore that part 4 and 5 even exist. please let the franchise die i am begging.
i don’t have that many examples of wasted potential but you can’t tell me that PIRATE KING elizabeth swann would stay on land being a good housewife. fuck no.
so yeah. i’m done. thank you for asking, this was a lot of fun to answer and i hope you enjoyed Do You Love The Color Of My Incoherent Ramblings
#i think one of the biggest sources of wasted potential is telling the audience something but showing them something else#you can often guess what the narrative wants you to think#and how something is framed/presented by the narrative is just as important as what actually happens#if something fucked up happens then i want the narrative to either acknowledge it's fucked up#or (much better) stay neutral and let me make up my own mind#but don't give me something fucked up and then act like it's Good and Righteous
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I am so frustrated with myself. I feel like I don't know how to talk to people anymore. Last night I was rambling on about a topic to my friends & it didn't sound cohesive at all. I just can't think and organise my thoughts properly when talking face to face. And then when it's my friends turn to talk I feel like I can't keep up as she was also venting about a topic and telling me so much information all at once. I think she just wanted me to listen but I don't know if that is how I came across.
Hey there,
It’s completely OK to feel frustrated at times but it’s equally as important to not be hard on yourself about the frustration and keep it bottled up inside.
I think that a lot of people can relate to finding it difficult at times to follow what another person is saying and being able to take it all in. Sometimes I find it helpful to stop and ask questions, or ask for more information about things to help me better comprehend what is being said and to help me make more sense out of it if that makes sense? It also shows the other person that I am listening and that I generally care by turning the ‘vent’ into an actual conversation between two people if that makes sense at all. Perhaps this is something that you could give a go?
In regards to not feeling as though you are not being cohesive at all when talking face to face with another person, sometimes it can really help to prepare yourself beforehand. So for example pretend to talk to yourself about what you wish to say, try to stay on topic if you can (it’s OK if you don’t too, staying on topic is not always easy) and try to organise your thoughts in your head before you speak them out loud. I know again, this is so much easier said than done but with some practice it will get easier in time and you will eventually get to the point where doing this will just come naturally.
It’s completely OK to ramble on about something too, sometimes we all need to just talk and get everything out whether it makes any sense or not. I guess in a way it’s like writing down everything in your head that is going around and just writing what ever comes to mind - this is the exact same thing but instead you are actually verbalising out loud what is going on for you.
I really hope that this has helped a bit and please do let us know if we can help to support you in any other way.
I’m thinking of you and hope that you are going OK!
Take care,
Lauren
#mha-lauren#advice#advice blog#mental health advice#anonymous#communicating#being cohesive#listening to others
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What would be your ideal storyline for klaus in s4?
ahhhh this is a good question - i don’t wanna get too invested in any one prediction and disappoint myself, and also s3 was vastly better than any of the possibilities i had floating around in my head lmao BUT!! even if i don’t have a lot of specific events in mind, i know what emotional beats i’d like his story to hit, if that makes sense? like, from how i’ve read klaus’s arc so far, what would feel like the most cohesive ending to me
in my mind tua as a whole is about overcoming maladaptive coping mechanisms and reclaiming agency, but also it’s got bants and superpowers to keep it from just being agonizingly depressing all the time. every sibling has a different way of dealing with their shared trauma, and imo klaus is very much the avoidant one - he dulls the world, distracts himself, occasionally fucks off to the jungle for ten months and falls in love, Just Klaus Things. idk how much of this is in the text and how much is just me rotating it in my brain for three years, but i see klaus’s original dave side quest as a) a necessary grounding element for what is otherwise a difficult character to run a thread through, and b) whatever the opposite of a stress test is?? not that being in vietnam wasn’t stressful, obviously it was a nightmare, but it was a self-contained nightmare with no connection to the main plot or to klaus’s history. there was more than enough going on to completely consume klaus for the time he was there. he got to exist separately from his usual self for a while, as well as the circumstances that cultivated that version of him, and i think of dave as a symbol of that, i guess. good narrative shorthand for ‘klaus went off by himself and got to do some growing, and then it got taken away and he’s back where he started with extra bonus sadness’
klaus getting sober to contact dave’s ghost and making long-term plans to help dave in the 60s are both him trying to reclaim part of the peace that he found and lost. but because he’s back in the environment that shaped him (aka the main plotline lmao) it’s not working. which is a big part of why i didn’t mind the lack of dave in s3 - klaus has to find a way to bring his peace into his actual life, and to do that, he has to face his life instead of avoiding it. he spends the season looking for his mother, learning about his powers, trying to bring his family together to get things done - all much more active things than we’ve seen from him in the past, and very believable ways for him to start to take the reins a little bit, i think!! except he’s not actually taking the reins, reggie still has the reins and is letting klaus pretend to hold them like a toy steering wheel in a grownup car. klaus isn’t confronting the source of the trauma, he’s confronting the symptoms. and then reggie turns on him, and it’s a testament to how much klaus’s character has already changed over the series that luther was able to talk him out of reverting back to full avoidance mode again
so klaus, god, what. backburnered his problems for 30 years, completely skipped out on his problems for ten months, liked what he found there, got dragged back unwillingly, and tried to face his problems for the first time only to have that backfire spectacularly thanks to the same person who gave him the problems in the first place. he’s somewhere unfamiliar without his power, which was both the source of a lot of his trauma and the thing that let him avoid further trauma (ie losing ben forever) for as long as he did. absolutely insane character situation. i’m chewing on my bluetooth keyboard. when robert said he wants to see klaus lose it a little without his powers, this is the shit that flashed before my eyes - yes, it would technically make his day-to-day life easier to not worry about ghosts all the time, but also his power was his failsafe!! the thing that caused him so much pain, that he’s been running from his whole life, is also literally what kept him alive in the first place!! it took his childhood and gave him his brother back!!!! and now it’s gone, both the bad and the good that came from it, and all that’s left are some gnarly addictions and the vague memory of being happy for a while. literally don’t look at me. fuck
all of that being said, to me a satisfying end for klaus would be some sign that he’s at least on the path towards reconciling his self-contained escapist happiness with his actual non-escapist life. i think his relationship with sparrow ben is gonna be a big part of that, since og ben was arguably the ‘good’ part of klaus’s powers-centric bad coping strategy, or at least the part that he was occasionally getting something positive from. i do also want to see him get his powers back, because i feel like ‘the trauma is solved by making the source of the trauma go away’ is not that great of a bow to tie on a series about the lingering effects of trauma lmao. i think there’s also space for dave in s4 to reprise his role as ‘symbol of the time klaus was happy but only because he Won At Avoidance’ - that could either mean klaus getting meaningful closure for the relationship, or bringing dave into his future in a healthy way as shorthand for him finally metabolizing the growth he did in ten-month jungle emotional rehab and incorporating it into his life
that is so many paragraphs i’m sorry. that’s a fucking essay. tumblr is gonna readmore me whether i like it or not
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Oh sweet Merlin you have to read the latest data mines. Dad is bullshitting to MC about how they only searched for the vaults because they wanted to find Jacob, which makes no fucking sense, and worst of all, he frames Rakepick for being the bad guy who did all of it on her own. I swear if MC buys this shit then they really are the dumbest curse-breaker who ever lived. Also, if JC is actually serious and the father is not bullshitting MC, then this is the worst story ever. Poor Rakepick.
Alright, alright… So… Wow. Just wow. It’s somehow worse than Merula bullshitting in Y7Ch27 about joining R after the Sunken Vault. It’s way worse. Wow…
And you’re absolutely right: it makes no fucking sense.
So, in Y7Ch40, Peregrine says:
And like… Dude.
First of all, we know that R was forcing Jacob to search for the Cursed Vaults. We have letters, we have Jacob’s notes, we have Duncan’s word that that’s what happened. So what, you want to tell me that it was all Rakepick? Seriously?
Alright, but let’s play dumb for a moment, and let’s pretend that it makes sense. So, R wanted to save Jacob, you say? Cool story. What’s the point of the whole secrecy? Sure, I get that they’re a secret organisation and whatnot. But don’t you think, Peregrine, that that’s when your child needed you the most? And I’m talking here about MC. Why Peregrine didn’t simply approach us, saying: “Hey, kiddo, I’m back. Let me help you find your brother”? He didn’t need to tell us about R right away. And that was their goal anyway, right? So… what exactly were they doing to achieve that? They sent Rakepick? That’s it?
It gets even more ridiculous when you realise that Peregrine’s story is not even really cohesive with what we learnt from Verucca in Y7Ch39. Because Verucca told us, for example:
According to Verucca, Rakepick wasn’t supposed to help us save Jacob. Or at least it wasn’t her main goal. So again, how exactly were you planning to save your son, Peregrine? And how you can’t even establish one version of the events with your subordinate?
Oh, and one more thing from the same conversation:
The problem here is that we first met Shiratori in Y6, when Jacob was already free. Why R was still interested in our progress on the Cursed Vaults then? Admittedly, she might’ve meant Y5 as that’s when we first heard about the Wizard in White, but… I somehow doubt it.
Honestly, if Peregrine approached us earlier, it actually could’ve been a semi-decent way to include him in the story. Let’s say that he indeed appeared at one point and actually helped us find Jacob. With a bit more thinking, Rakepick could be also present at the same time, and maybe even her “betrayal” could still kind of work. After saving Jacob, we’d have all the same family drama because Jacob hates Peregrine for leaving us, but hey – he did help us now, didn’t he? Then, Peregrine finally tell us about R and says that it was about saving Jacob at first, but now they learnt about the Dark scroll which might be in the final Cursed Vault, and since R loves knowledge so much, they want to continue etc. I don’t know, something like that. Sure, it’d mean that a big part of the story would have to be rewritten… but at least it’d make some sense, I suppose?
But yeah, I totally agree with you about MC. And it’s probably the most infuriating in all of that: that they just seem to buy everything anyone tells them. There’s no critical thinking whatsoever.
And poor Rakepick indeed.
#hogwarts mystery#hphm#hphm spoilers#hphm datamine#hphm mc#hphm jacob#hphm peregrine#hphm r#patricia rakepick#analysis post#ask#anonymous
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I'm trying to think of creative ways for Marvel and Disney to lie to its actors and hide the script to keep the spoilers intact, but in a way where the actors get enough information to actually develop a cohesive understanding of the plot and make informed acting choices with other actors, on top of running rehearsals with other actors in advance to get a sense of how their characters should play off of each other.
So I think:
just lie about the movie lol
Marvel already uses fake project titles for auditions. Why not take that further?
1. Say it's a Touchstone movie
Now you don't have to explain why it's got such a big budget. You know it's being funded by Disney. No other pressures are involved now.
2. Write the movie so it intentionally shifts genre/tone/whatever during the third act, then give the actors the entire script up to that point
Let them be in the dark about all the stupid 'Spoiler™' stuff, but be able to create a character right up to that point.
3. Write the movie based on characters from decoy scripts
Have them do scene studies. Have them build the character. Have them explore the motivations. Bam - "none of that actually happens on the screen lol but bring all that energy to these new pages ok?"
4. Write more characters who are intentionally lied to or locked out of vital information
The whole movie follows some kind of betrayal. Give the actors scripts where everything works out and they can appreciate how important it was for that to happen, then be like, "ok now u know how we said santa was real? guess what? Ok go!" In the meantime, the character relationships to others and to other settings can still be established, and the context in one direction can be developed enough to quickly be like, "Wait, that didn't happen? Okay, this is now what that means to this character."
5. Use actors specifically and purely specialized in improv or method acting, then give them pages and pages of backstory and character motivation and relationships
If not knowing what's supposed to be happening is the point, just how the actors get their characters to react, burn the script completely and just them character work. Go full method or whatever - idc, but at least now things can be set up to make in-the-moment decisions instead of pretending these people knew what was going on like complete masterminds.
6. Have characters completely transform because hurble-burble-curse
This character becomes a villain later? Act like the whole movie's about what a hero they are until they get brainwashed. Winter Soldier everyone, basically, so it doesn't matter if spoilers about the quote-unquote 'Bucky' come out because no one's gonna suspect the quote-unquote 'Winter Soldier'.
7. Write completely separate scripts for different actors.
This is the mastermind? They get a different script with different scene directions than the poor helpless victim caught in the web.
8. Write a press release script.
Lie. Lmao just straight up lie on press tours. Be like, "Here are the themes of this movie. If you like XYZ, you'll love this. Ok now here's what i'm allowed to tell you - this is the entire script lmao" And combine with #7 for maximum lulz
Like I guess we could also just be normal about spoilers and Disney could get its head out of its ass about leaks, but so long as they've got the money and the interest, they might as well lean into it.
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NICOLE MAINES as NIA NAL
in SUPERGIRL (2015-2021)
#nia nal#nianaledit#dailylgbtq#supergirledit#abbie.gif#abbie.gfx#dailycwsupergirl#nianaldaily#usernorah#let's pretend this is actually cohesive and makes sense
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Speculation on the Eternals team dynamics:
Sersi the Kind. the heart of the team, the peacemaker, the caretaker. everyone loves her and she loves everyone
Ikaris the Bold (Ikaris the Brave). the strongest fighter they have, the one who leads the charge into battle every time, with no sense of self-preservation whatsoever.
Ajak, the Healing Hands. the team leader and main decision maker, the mother, the one who patches everyone up after they come home from a fight, who soothes their hurts and calls them 'my dear' and 'cariño'/'mi querida'
Phastos the Builder. the dad figure to all the younger Eternals. the one they go to whenever they need a magical device constructed, or a hug and some life (love?) advice. long-suffering but cares about every member of the team so much
Gilgamesh the Strong. the giant who's the team's strength and protection, who can be so gentle when he chooses to.
Thena, the Goddess of War, Thena the Wise. the reserved strategist and the maker of weapons. together with Gilgamesh, form the brawn of the team. they have an old married couple dynamic that comes of having been friends for millennia, and have excellent cohesion and teamwork in battle.
Sprite the Nimble. nimble in body - dainty little spells and charms, and delicate and slight in figure. nimble in mind - she's the snarky little sibling of the team, always coming up with quippy remarks and witty clapbacks. ikaris has a soft spot for her, and he's secretly her favourite older brother. she pretends to hate it when he talks to her like a kid sister and calls her 'little fairy' (cause, you know, a sprite) but actually loves it
Makkari Light-Foot. the speedster. together with Sprite, she keeps the atmosphere light and diffuses tensions, with her comedy mostly being conveyed through facial expressions and suggestive hand gestures. has terrible taste in men but everyone tries hard to respect that until her boyfriend goes around mind-controlling people. fiercely loyal and protective of her teammates.
Druig the Sullen. doesn't approve of the Eternals' methods, only sticks around for Makkari. loves her very much but hates that she stands by the others. hates Kingo and doesn't get along well with Ikaris. later has immense conflict with the others, leading to them having to capture him to stop his mind controlling rampage
Kingo the Charismatic. resident narcissist and fashion icon. ever the celebrity, always concerned about his image and appearance. will tell anyone who is willing to listen about his entire acting career and the things he's worn to the Met Galas over the years
have i spent way too much time thinking about this team instead of studying? fuck yeah and im not gonna stop!!
what do you guys think? let me know in the notes, or make an addition!
#eternals#sersi#ikaris#ajak#phastos#gilgamesh#thena#sprite#makkari#druig#kingo#headcanon#speculation#mcu#eternals meta
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