#the only time first person works for me is if the narrator is genuinely insane or a liar like in lolita or the collector | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heybythepixies · 11 months

Text

My Personal Favorite Rocket-Centered Media

—

Rocket Raccoon (2014) — 11 Issues

The one that began the Rocket Renaissance. I don’t recommend reading this one first right off the bat, if only because I think it has a cooler effect if you read the comic after Rocket’s more somber stories, but it is totally a must-read. Rocket has been many different people in many different ways, but it’s important to remember his roots. (He’s so 2014 in this, and the art-style will totally take you out if that’s your type of thing. I know it’s mine.)

—

Rocket Raccoon (2016) — 5 Issues

Rocket’s been through a whole lot of shit up until this point, but being stranded on Earth is the cherry on top. His first solo-story, where his grand Rocket-esque, State-of-Liberty-destroying journey is narrated through absolutely gorgeous illustrations that get him so well. The story is fantastic as well, and maybe not-so-subtlety + amazingly takes a dump on America, sending an important message in general.

If you need further convincing, Rocket runs around in his underwear for about two issues. It’s hilarious. Check it out.

—

Rocket (2017) — 6 Issues

His second solo-story.

One of my absolute personal favorites that left me completely shaken by the time I was done with it. I can’t even really begin to describe it without getting too deep into how fucking insane it made me feel.

If you’re into gritty heist/crime sci-fi plots with a healthy amount of crisp, absurdist humor, you’re in luck. If you totally hate that, you’d probably still like it.

Rocket just has that effect on people.

But seriously, go in completely blind and read this. You won’t regret it.

If you need further convincing, yes, this is the one where he dons the infamous Stinger Suit you might’ve seen before on that one puzzle. He does fill out that suit nicely (not a reference).

If you need context, Rocket takes hiatus from the Guardians and gets tangled up in a whole bunch of shit he didn’t sign up for. He’s a bit of a pathetic meow meow. Totally worth. Also, one of the best styles for Rocket, ever.

—

Guardians of Infinity (2016) — 8 Issues

A really, really cool comic that starts off with Rocket being Rocket, “saving the galaxy” through… materialistic means. His team then runs into another team, who runs into another team. After an obligatory fight, they all find out they’re Guardians of the Galaxy groups from different time-frames.

Then the Collectors swoops in and plans to do something unsavory to our favorite raccoon! Oh no! :D

Really though, the writing for this story is phenomenal, and Rocket’s character is done so well. I love the way he’s portrayed in this one. So badass. So smug.

The comic also features one-shot stories that are a blast as well. He’s so silly. Go check it out.

—

GotG: Rocket and Groot Steal The Galaxy! (Prose Novel) by Dan Abnett

Guardians of The Galaxy: Collect Them All (Prose Novel) by Corinne Duyvis

Onto the novels that ripped my heart out.

Holy shit. If you’re. Well. Genuinely, right away, these two books are a work of art.

I don’t even know where to begin, but I just have to say that Rocket Man by David Bowie started playing over the radio as I finished Rocket and Groot: Steal the Galaxy and I felt something, like, stirring within my soul. I felt devastatingly. Something.

These two:

1. Are so, so criminally underrated and deserve fame. The amount of fucking heart put into these works are tangible with every word.

2. Deserve their own reviews, but I can’t even really begin to express how important they are to me.

So I’m just going to write their synopsis’s.

Steal the Galaxy!

A raccoon and a tree walk into a bar. The universe almost collapses into a Capitalist Armageddon. C-3PO stars as our narrator and MC. Rocket may or may not need a therapist. Groot is badass as fuck.

…Disguise sequence.

Gamora is also there. Hi, Gamora :3

Collect Them All!

How found and family can a found family get? Do people ask that question? If you have ever found yourself asking that question, and if you’ve ever breathed, read this novel.

A book about Acceptance and Love and all of that stuff. Which is honestly such a challenge to fathom sometimes, much less write about, but I suppose the Guardians always get it right.

Both of these books also certifiably and perfectly capture each character. If Vol. 3 left a big, gaping hole in your heart, this might help you or possibly make it worse. In a good way, of course.

If you don’t read anything else, if you haven’t even picked up a book in years, if you call yourself a GotG fan: read these novels. You don’t even have to know one thing about these characters to feel attachment by the time the journey is over. It’s a threat and a promise.

—

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Game, 2021)

I asked, how can found family can a found family get???

Some-fucking-how, GotG just. Defies all odds every single time . !

Please for the love of god, if you haven’t played this game, play it.

The tragedy that is the fact it was criminally overshadowed at the time of its release is just terrible. It’s genuinely, outside of my obsession, one of the best times I’ve ever had playing a video game in a long while. And it’s on sale often. Just experience it for yourself. It’s something so incredibly special.

—

Guardians of the Galaxy (2013), specifically #20-23

Venom attaches himself to Rocket and it’s fucking awesome. Also, I love the art-style he had under Valerio Schiti. He always got him right.

———

Get your hands on the comics however you desire, but the method to reading the novels for free is on Archive.org (where you can borrow books). Just be cautious, as only one person can borrow a book at a given time.

#rocket raccoon #gotg #rocket gotg #gotg3 #might add to this later #this is the result of me going through every single instance he's had an appearance ever #Sanely

74 notes · View notes

paintedvanilla · 8 months

Note

Hi! Sorry if you’ve already answered this, but what inspired your takes on Jack’s extended family in your fics?

hi!! sorry it took me so long to answer this ask, i was going to wait to answer it until i finished my most recent fic, but then i posted that and i just. didn't have the energy. so!! hi!!

i don't really have a specific source of inspiration for my choices about the narrator's extended family. i've always enjoyed writing ensemble stuff. i think my decisions for the narrator's family dynamics were based on my own interpretations of his characterization and influenced by my own biases and probably other various subconscious trains of thought happening in my brain. but nevertheless here's a breakdown of each decision!!

his mother: the narrator was raised by a single mom from the age of six onward, that much is obvious from the source material. i mostly work off of the film, because i've watched it so many times its details are more readily available for me to recall. i get the sense that his mom is no nonsense but also a bit of a pushover when she doesn't feel like putting up a fight, which is often. she was not the most attentive but that's not entirely fair to say because she was a single mom. i think the narrator's family was quite poor growing up, especially once his dad left, and she was working to support him and his sister. i think she's relatively soft spoken and quite reserved.

his father: obviously for this one i had way more of a base to work with, just based on the way the narrator talks about his dad in the film and the book. he's an asshole. he doesn't really give a fuck about the narrator. i do believe the narrator and his sister were this man's first kids. he did not marry their mother. he's never married any of the women he gets involved with. i think he's a scumbag. the narrator is, actually, genuinely, his only son. all his other kids are girls, which i think plays a huge factor in when he skips town. it has to do both with when the woman he's involved with starts to become boring to him, and when the oldest daughter he's fathered from this particular woman starts to like. become conscious and develop a personality. The whole:

"Often father and daughter look down on mother (woman) together. They exchange meaningful glances when she misses a point. They agree that she is not bright as they are, cannot reason as they do. This collusion does not save the daughter from the mother’s fate."

the sister: i chose for the narrator to have a sister, particularly an older sister, because i examined his character and something about me just led me to the conclusion that he FEELS like a younger brother to an older sister. she's about two years older than him. she's really good at pretending to enjoy herself. where the narrator utilizes apathy as a coping mechanism for the Everything about being alive, his sister swings hard in the other direction and uses enthusiasm and toxic positivity. i have more i'd like to explore with her, i think she definitely has the capacity to be more insane, and i think the narrator would love to see that. they have a relationship where, as soon as she was old enough to talk endlessly about any given subject, she would use the narrator as an audience. especially when they were teenagers. she could talk at him for hours while he sat in silence and afterwards she'd be like, "ok good talk" and he'd just give her a thumbs up. he knows she'll be back, same time tomorrow. it doesn't bother him. and i think he does listen, sometimes, halfway, he retains some of the details. after he moved for his job, she would call him and continue to do the same thing, and he didn't mind because he doesn't have a lot else going on. he doesn't have any friends. no one else is calling him. she stopped doing it after she got married because now she had a husband to subject to this, but now that she's getting divorced i think the narrator will be hearing from her more. also, he walked her down the aisle at her wedding. and five minutes before he did this, he told her that if she didn't want to go through with it, he'd help her leave her fiance at the alter. she played it off like he was making a bad joke, but he was being 100% dead serious.

the brother-in-law: i made the decision for the brother in law to just be fucking. lame. because i thought it would be funny if the narrator's sister is married to just like. the pinnacle of everything the narrator never wants to be. like, the narrator is also lame, but at least the narrator is having good sex and is getting the shit beat out of him on the regular and doesn't actually believe in any of the mission statements of his company. the bil is like the polar opposite of tyler, and the narrator thinks no one should settle for less. he's always hated his bil, has a vague inclination that his sister deserves better, but is still consumed by apathy so has never really done anything about it.

the nephew: the nephew is probably the least developed out of everyone here, which is really ironic because my idea for his character is basically that. he has a lot of the same ambitions that the narrator and his sister originally had, but is putting more of the sister's energy into it. that is, until he gets to college and completely fucking spins out. he drops out after one semester and becomes addicted to smoking weed. he'd be a walking panic attack otherwise. i think he made himself so sick about what he wanted to do with his life he just gave up. now he works at a smoke shop and is almost always high.

the niece, aka danny: i have to thank @rabbitmotifs for really pushing me into developing this little menace. when i first wrote "the idolatry of suburbia" i wanted to keep everything really light and vague because i was not ready to come to terms with the fact that these are technically oc's. but holly really pushed me into evolving danny's personality until i was eventually brave enough to pick out a name for her and employ it. you can fit so much lore into this kid. danny thinks her uncles hung the fucking moon, tyler durden is her favorite person in the universe, even after he snapped at her in my most recent fic. danny definitely has more inclinations towards batshit insane behavior and she indulges them without really questioning them, so when she's with her uncles she doesn't feel ostracized for just being herself. she loves these men. and she's definitely got some gender things going on. if you see her emulating tyler's portrayals of masculinity, no you didn't (she'll get embarrassed).

and as an extra special bonus, tyler's people:

tyler's mom aka mable durden: listen i was really pondering my orb for this one and it just came to me like a fucking premonition. i disregard everything tyler says in the movie about "his" family, i think these are just projections of the narrator's relationships, so tyler is practically a blank slate. and the idea that tyler never knew his father at all, that he was abusive towards his mother so she left him before he was even born, that durden is his mother's maiden name?? oh that shit made me fucking bonkers. i didn't know how to handle it when the thought first occurred to me. tyler gets ALL his mannerisms from his mother, he siphoned like his whole personality off of her. she's The cigarette mom of all time. i think she could be very mean, but it's because she was over worked and poor and dead fucking tired all the time. she loved tyler a lot. she was the type who interpreted "physical affection with your kids" as "roughhousing" and this obviously influenced tyler in many many ways. she's the reason the way he shows love and affection is not through words but through actions and physical affection. she's also the reason he's addicted to nicotine. and i do believe she was a chronic complainer of her son being taller than her.

sam: ok i'll be totally completely honest i read "the parts of your hand grenade heart" by @grave-the-demon and i was BOMBARDED with the "tyler having a sister" spores. i added sam into my draft of "every man you've ever been" VERY late in the writing process. but i didn't want to just. steal the dynamic away from grace so i changed my answer a little bit so i wouldn't be accused of plagiarism. sam is like a sister to tyler. she's going to be his friend for his entire life, but he does not have such a connection to her that he can remain stationary for her. he'd only stay still in one spot for two people: his mother and the narrator. also, i need everyone to understand that sam is like. really hot. like she's so fucking strong and super fucking sexy in a Gay Woman type of way but the narrator has never been attracted to women a day in his life so he just doesn't perceive her as attractive so it never gets stated in the text. but please know this.

i'll be honest, i made the decision when writing "the idolatry of suburbia" to give the sister one boy and one girl because i didn't want the narrator to refer to anyone other than by their identifiers: my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law, my niece, my nephew. this continues in "every man you've ever been" whereas all the characters introduced in relation to tyler are given real names: mable durden, samantha hanes. and in "see me on the eight o'clock news" danny is only given a name when sam points out the presence of a relationship between her and tyler. sam mentions that danny seems more related to tyler than to the narrator, asks for her name, and it is immediately stated. prior, even in that fic, the narrator had only referred to her as "my niece" because i'm a creative writing student and i need to be playing 8D chess all the time.

anyway, that's my little spiel. thank you for coming to my ted talk.

#op #anon #fight club

13 notes · View notes

the-algebra-thing · 1 year

Text

wings of fire ravings below they are in my head and have to get out

I'm LOSING IT GUYS every time I reread any wings of fire books and especially whenever I get to read them for the first time I am MIND FUCKING BOGGLED by how simply and carefully and cleanly and effectively and accessibly tui t. sutherland manages to make these insanely big, complex, important issues for the children who are the books' target audience. I grew up on wings of fire; I got the dragonet prophecy as a prize from our summer reading program when I was still in elementary school. I read a TON when I was a kid and this is the only book series that has retained its original impact and basic messages as I've grown and read it again. my understanding of the issues it walks you through was genuinely just about as accurate when I first read through as it is now. seraphina is my favorite book in the world, but it's not written for children, and I understood something new about it every time I read it again growing up. it's a completely different sort of narrative beauty. wings of fire talks about so many things like different kinds of families, different kinds of races and how their cultures may differ, mesh, and clash, what it's like to have or have friends with completely different talents, or even like. just birth defects or things supposedly wrong with you. so much of it is about what it's like to be a kid and for grown-ups to think you're not good enough, or have plans for you that you don't like and didn't ask for, or to dismiss you and your thoughts and feelings because of your age and inherent lack of world experience. just as much of it is about what it's like to then grow up to be the ones with that authority, and how empowering it feels to do things differently, and with kindness. it illustrates principles like absolute power corrupts absolutely PLAIN as day and eloquently as shit. animus power is one of the most unique and well-executed and incredibly fucking effective metaphors I've ever encountered in children's fiction, and like I said, I've read a LOT. it's vague enough early on and just so firmly ensconced within the entire series that people in the target age bracket can do a lot of the connecting on their own before it gets to its point. even when it does it doesn't feel preachy like some books do. it really just feels like something is being properly clarified that has been carefully set up for 11+ books, and it's satisfying as hell to have all the connections and judgements you've made based on all of it finally confirmed. and the emotional impact is fully relevant to the character the third limited pov is centered around in that book. don't even get me STARTED on the personalities that are illustrated in each of these books and how they each serve the plot in the most effective way exactly in the book they were chosen to narrate.

I'm starting to reread the third arc now so I can read the last two books for the first time in preparation to read them to my little sister, with whom I'm currently working through the last of jade mountain prophecy. we dive into the dystopian shit pretty hard in lost continent, and I'm just sitting here marvelling at how easily accessible she was able to make that for just like. elementary and middle school kids. I can't fucking believe it

#RARRRGHHHH #in unfathomable detail #wingsoffire #just word vomited all of this and i am sending it out into the world.#enjoy it or don't even look at it i don't care #i just. phhhgh my god #tui t. sutherland

7 notes · View notes

mossible · 1 year

Note

MOSSIBLE YOUR INSANE I LOVE YOU BUT YOU ARE INSANE!!!!!!!

That. Was so far the angriest I've ever seen these old men in any of the fics I've read featuring them.

The way the entire conversation/argument with pearl and marina started extremely one sided from marinas pov, because Octavio has heard this moral dillema about the octarians' authority over their lives multiple times before, he's become bored and numb of it.

Completely unfazed. He completely believes he understands this problem the most.

But only when Craig arrives did the conversation became so much more angry and petty and relentless. Because they lived through what caused this entire argument, the great turf war.

THEIR DIALOG AND JABS AT ONE ANOTHER WERE SO PERSONAL AND REAL IT HURTS.

You describing it as "an old language the audience don't understand" Is EXACTLY what it is.

God I hate it when old people have history /j

WHY ARE THEY LIKE THAT?

Just. The way this entire conversation escalated was . Just. UGH PERFECTION I LOVE THAT ANGST.

I'm so glad that this entire chapter was conversation heavy. It was so especially well written and captivated me the entire time. I couldn't imagine how long the brainstorming sessions for this chapter were!!! You chose all the right words and the characterization for pearl, marina, callie, all of the characters, agent 8!!!!- were so, so, good.

You knocked it out of the park, man!!!!!!

Holy shit!!!!

I find it suitable that callie was the one to let Octavio out.

She is objectively the most genuinely good person in the room. She is also the only one who truly sympathizes with Octavio, without any conditions or ill intent. Being the only one who actually lived along side octarians for a while. To fight for them the most.

She's also the only one in a while to befriend Octavio. And understand him.

Which is why she without falter let him go so willingly, cause she completely trusts despite everything, he loves and prioritizes his people above all else and what the best for them.

Speaking of empathizing with Octavio, I was so happy seeing someone point out the fact that Octavio took it upon himself to take care of and keep hundreds of thousands of people alive, UNDERGROUND. FOR DECADES.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BIG OF A RESPONSIBILITY THAT IS?

He had to clean up the mess left behind after the great turf war, and then get ready to take control of how little him and his people have.

I'm honestly surprised Octavio hasn't snapped completely under all this pressure. Hardy old man. Fighting for his life every waking hour.

People so often throw away that aspect of him! How much he cares for his people, despite how much trouble that gives him! And this chapter did a really good job at presenting that part of him in his dialog!

I might be rambling a lot, but this chapter is just- so goddamn impressive!!! Oh my god mossible!!!

Keep up the good work!!!! Me and my sister are cheering you on!!!!

P. S... Hint for next chapter? Once again any form of hint will be fine

i am well aware that i am insane dont worry <3 the inner machinations of my mind are an enigma that nobody understands (ok nobody but like my gf and my longtime besties but still. twisted freacking cycle path over here)

thank you so much for the ask again omg!! along with putting this. long ass response under a readmore, i'll also requote everything i address here bc there is a Lot. if i don't address anything, assume that me not commenting either means that you nailed it right on the head, or that i would be spoiling y'all if i did say anything ;)

…because Octavio has heard this moral dillema about the octarians' authority over their lives multiple times before, he's become bored and numb of it. [ ] Completely unfazed. He completely believes he understands this problem the most.

this certainly will neither be the first nor last time i do this, but i am always tapping the silly little tag on ao3 that says 'unreliable narrator.' esp when it comes to how octavio acts in regards to things that he may seem familiar with to the reader! this man has been alive for over 130 (slutty, slutty) years, and has governed his people for only a little less than that. things that very obviously pose problems and challenges for those under his rule may often go entirely overlooked, both from his own prideful nature, as well as simply from an unwillingness to change his formula that has already worked for a century now. after all, if these so-called 'flaws' had been in his system since the beginning, why did nothing as detrimental as the inkantation happen BEFORE now? huh? what does marina know that octavio doesn't? (a lot. she knows a lot, for the record.)

again!!! tysm for your kind words omg!! i'm glad i was able to get my points across soundly and that the change in structure paid off. was very very worried about that for a while before i ended up biting the bullet and just final-checking and posting it without more agony LOL

would it surprise you if i admitted that… not very much brainstorming was needed? i mean, obviously yes i brainstormed for this chapter a ton! but, i wasn't exactly in very much need of thinking of new ideas when it came to writing everyone interacting. when stuff like that (as in dialogue and interactions and the like,) comes into play, i often find myself getting carried away with both writing it and simply stringing the cohesion of the scene along, without even really realizing it ?? tbf, i'm one of those people who thinks at like a mile a minute, so by the time my body catches up to my brain to express what thoughts i have going on, i usually miss a few crucial words or phrases in my hurry to share said thought as quickly as possible. when i write without a concrete deadline, like i am now with cracked snowglobes, i'm able to elaborate WAYYY more on my process and be much more thorough with it all. …at the cost of chapters topping 10k words on occasion. another thing i will say about the brainstorming bit, less about the process and more about my inspiration for chapter 4, is that uh. ok the origin of it is kinda funny so, dissonant melody, right? i'd assume most people reading this ask answering questions about my cuttletavio fic of all things have probably read it? (if not, go give it a read here and follow the author here!) i adore dissonant melody! it's genuinely what got me back into brainrotting over these two little old awful men and inspired me to write this fic! hell, i've even referenced some bits from it here and there in cracked snowglobes and. sort of followed a lot of what it established! but. i always felt that marina had a lot more she could have dug into when it came to her seeing octavio again. we know that she worked very closely under him while back in the domes, to the point of "earning multiple commendations," assumedly from the man himself! however, i absolutely do not blame DM's author for not digging more into their dynamic, as it was intended to be an octavio and cap'n origins comic, rather than a solely octavio-centric origins comic. that, and around 2018 when the comic was first posted online, the fandom had… a bit of an issue when it came to incorrect details about the nature of octarian society running rampant in our collective knowledge. (a whole lot of us were under the impression that all of the octarians were mind controlled, and that marina had a much less… positive, we'll say, opinion of her former ruler.) so, what better opportunity to write what i'd like to see of that reaction than in my fic? it sure helps what development octavio's gonna have to go through before some of the stuff i have planned can come to fruition, after all ;)

I find it suitable that callie was the one to let Octavio out. [ ] She is objectively the most genuinely good person in the room. She is also the only one who truly sympathizes with Octavio, without any conditions or ill intent. Being the only one who actually lived along side octarians for a while. To fight for them the most. [ ] She's also the only one in a while to befriend Octavio. And understand him. [ ] Which is why she without falter let him go so willingly, cause she completely trusts despite everything, he loves and prioritizes his people above all else and what the best for them.

i won't pick apart this bit too much, because most of it is absolutely spot on! but i will point out a couple things, just to give you some food for thought. while, yes, callie did spend a lot of time with the octarians, by no means does she have as much experience with the conditions of the domes as marina and eight, who were both born and lived most of their lives there. think back to when octavio brought up who was currently in control of the domes in his absence; the council. while callie was present long enough to empathize with the people she met while on tour, by no means could she have fully undertaken the magnitude of troubles that they faced down there, let alone understood octavio's own defiance when it came to all of marina's gripes with how he governed the place. similarly, think back to when freeing octavio even got brought up in the first place! who was the first person to openly admit that she was on the side of letting him out? who was the first one to state her hesitation? callie and octavio are friends, the latter said so himself in his internal dialogue, but they do still have some core differences that put them at odds with one another. as much as callie may trust him, she struggles to fully commit to her stance until she receives support from marie. she's on octavio's side, but only under certain conditions. at least, that's the case for now. who knows what could happen the next time they meet!

ok ive written you like 1k words alone just for these responses, so i'll end this here. but ! thank you again for the ask, and for your next chapter hint; you're going to be seeing some familiar AND new faces next chapter! which ones? i'll leave that up to your imagination :)

#cracked snowglobes

7 notes · View notes

xandermorley · 15 hours

Text

Holistic of Russian Ark

Russian Ark is a film that was created using a “one-shot” technique. This film seems like your average Middle Ages setting, except that it’s not just that. The camera is also the eyes of a man, who seems to be in some kind of limbo, as he believes he is dead. The narrator is voiced by the director, Alexander Sukarov, who does a voiceover for the entire film, but the character remains unnamed. What started as simple confusion turns into straight-up wackiness for the narrator when he realizes that he’s being taken through 300 years of Russian history inside the Winter Palace (otherwise known as the Hermitage Museum) in St. Petersburg. He’s being taken through the history of St. Petersburg by a man in black who is the only one capable of seeing him, for the most part. Some people interact with him but most don’t. This man accompanying him is known as “the Stranger” who represents a 19th-century traveler.

This film is a masterpiece in the sense that it hoped to be. All in one take, and through research, I found out they only had ONE day to shoot this film because of the location it’s filmed at. Just on a technical basis, this film is rather encompassing. This film stands on its own as a unique piece of cinema, even if I found the plot to be a bit boring. However, there is a question to be raised about its worthiness outside of the one-shot tactic. When looking back at it, I didn’t find much else about this film to stand out besides the costumes and coordination of the project. The plot feels overall forgettable outside of the narrator and the Stranger, but that is not to say this isn’t a good film. It is a technical masterpiece, and I give my kudos to everyone involved. It just feels like this film wouldn’t have been enjoyable if it had been filmed in such a unique way- I have similar feelings about a movie called Hardcore Henry that utilizes the first-person camera idea as well. The lighting was also a bit off but I can’t expect amazing lighting from a project like this. There are a lot of contrasting visuals and light changes that are a bit distracting, but due to the film’s continuously moving nature, I can let it slide. There was a lack of emotion in the shots, though. Because of the one-shot nature of this film, it feels emotionless in a way since they couldn’t play with shots and lighting to create a feeling for each scene, at least not in a way that is usually seen in films.

After my criticisms, I would still like to note that the cinematography, acting, blocking, sound design, and movement were very good. The camera never faltered and was very steady the whole time (presumable thanks to a gimbal). The costumes and the people occupying them felt genuine, despite a time crunch. The sound felt very real, even if some of it wasn’t mixed the best. The blocking of the scenes is fantastic, especially in an age where many studios have forgotten what that is. While I know that it’s not as necessary as a scene being filmed from two angles; this crew must’ve taken dozens of practice runs to ensure a flawless run-through for this film. As someone who enjoys wonky movies, this film was a joy to watch purely for the production of it. I believe that this film deserves its flowers, but it is very clear as to why this kind of thing has not been done much before or since. These kinds of shots are extremely difficult, so the fact they made it work with over 2000 people involved in a 90-minute runtime is insanity to me. However, I respect it immensely.

Russian Ark is a beautiful piece of cinema that shows us that we need to move on even if some wish to remain in the past. Through different time periods and music, we can see what the message was all along by the end. We all must keep moving forward, and while the film quite literally displays that through its camerawork, the message is there too.

0 notes

knights-of-the-glittery-table · 7 months

Text

This is just for me so I don't sit with it and meow softly and mournfully about it.

I finished the game for the very first time last night!

I had expected to come away emotional and my heart all full but I ended up feeling quite hollow about the way things ended. I'm not talking about the big battle (that was insane) or the main plot cutscene once the evil brain was sent crashing into the river but all that followed after the air cleared and we were all stood on the dock.

Spending hours and hours with these characters I wish there had been more to satisfy me as a player at this very end of the game, a culmination of the love and friendship after all we've been through as a group.

It was just so abrupt.

Certain characters just literally walk off depending on your choices made throughout the game after brief interactions (I have a LOT to say about how Gale acted at the end of my game but I'll put it into one word: YIKES) and then after the rousing cutscene of the city being saved we fade to black and there was (I can only speak of the person I romanced of course!) a short scene in a bedchamber with my romanced person where we had a conversation and that was...it.

Credits rolled.

While we were all still stood on the dock looking around at the chaos left after the battle there was actually a dialogue option to say we should go celebrate and I would have loved so much if there had been a cutscene of us all actually doing that.

I genuinely feel like the course of action should have been us all stood on the docks in a moment of brevity then either a chance given for the player to speak to each character individually then a cutscene of celebration or the chance to speak to your friends individually at the celebration. If the player had a romantic partner then the celebration would lead into a more intimate conversation with that partner. THEN you can fade to black.

It seems a little baffling to me that a game so massive and indepth in so, so many ways would then lack giving the player a celebration moment with their friends and if they chose a partner, a more personal and intimate moment with them too when so much went into every other aspect.

The emotional weight and effort put into making us care about these characters means I very much would have expected....something in those last moments?

The main big cutscene of people rising up and the narrator saying how we saved the city and are heroes, that was lovely. I loved that. It's just it felt a really rather hollow victory for me who is much more into the roleplay aspect than anything else when I wasn't given an emotionally satisfying ending to my time with my party members and romanced person.

The threads of the stories are so intricate and the amount of work put into the game throughout is immense and so it makes the lack of heart and a reward of time spent with comrades and lovers at the very end even more noticeable.

(Also this is just coming from a woman deeply, hopelessly in love with a foppish dandy but once all hell has broken loose and the Netherbrain Apocalypse has unleashed, when I would ask Astarion for a kiss I believe the dialogue was always along the lines of 'it may be our last' and his reply would be 'we had best make it count'. I wish that the animation from that point on had been different because the kiss remained the same brief gentle kiss my little tiefling had been receiving the entire time previously. It just didn't fit thematically for such passionate words of making a last kiss before possible death 'count' then a little peck on the lips to follow. As mentioned, this is just the impassioned words of a woman in love with a sassy little man but it's my house and I can say what I like here. I have similar impassioned words about the all too brief cutscene at the very end as mentioned previously too.)

#baldur's gate 3 spoilers #adding that tag just in case people who follow me scroll by

0 notes

dangermousie · 3 years

Text

Mousie’s absolutely subjective, very biased Top 10 web novels list

Please note that this is hardly aiming to be objective, if one can even be properly objective about a work of fiction. It is 110% based on my preferences, which means this list is heavy on the angst and has nothing set in the modern day. It is also heavily danmei-centric, even though I read way more het romance than danmei, because for whatever reason, most of the danmei I’ve read has been insanely good.

10. Return of the Swallow - one of the two non-danmeis on this list. Smart and nuanced and with a large cast of characters. Our heroine is a long-lost daughter of the family that is brought back in and has to cope with familial struggles, crazy royals, court intrigue, invasion et al. It’s SO GOOD! There is romance with the sexy smart enemy general but honestly, it’s the heroine that is the main selling point for me.

9. Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - the only other non-danmei novel on this list, this was my very first web novel and what drew me into this insanity. This is just a ton of fun, probably the lightest novel on this list, not an ounce of angst to be found. But it’s hilarious and features competent heroine and tsundere hero and I will always love it for opening a new world to me. Anyway, our heroine transmigrates into the novel as the female lead. Unlike the original lead though she doesn’t want to seek adventures and angst - she just wants to comfortably live with the wealthy, nice husband heroine has. Alas, said husband is no longer nice since he has previously lived this story where he was betrayed by FL and then transmigrated/reincarnated into the past. Oh well, the heroine opens up businesses and makes friends. And eventually, her husband realizes his wife is way different this time around. This actually doesn’t have much romance, not until close to the end, but this is so fun I don’t care.

8. Lord Seventh - I am only partway through this so far, but it’s already on the list because it’s smart and somehow intense AND laid-back (not sure how this works, but it does) and is honestly just a really really solid and smart period novel, with the OTP a cherry on top of a narrative sundae. Plus, I love the concept of MC deciding he is not going for his supposedly fated love - he’s tried for six lifetimes, always with disaster, and he’s just plain done and tired. When he opens his life in his seventh reincarnation and sees the person he would have given up the world for, he genuinely feels nothing at all. (Spoiler - his OTP is actually a barbarian shaman this time around, thank you Lord!)

7. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS) - oh come on, how are you even on this tumblr if you don’t know MDZS/The Untamed? This was my very first danmei and it’s so much fun! I love everything about it - the unreliable narrator, the looping structure, the main OTP, Wei Wuxian’s laidback, traumatized insouciance, everything. Anyway, the plot in the event you somehow transported here from 2005 is that the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian, was defeated by the righteous sects over a decade ago and fell of a cliff to his death. Only now that same Wei Wuxian opens his eyes in another body and everything that was supposed to stay in the past starts again.

6. Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF) - people either love its meandering narrative, picaresque structure and cast of thousands, or find it a detriment compared to much more compact MDZS. I love it even more than MDZS for those very qualities. It does have a rock-solid, darling OTP, but what really elevates it to me are the MXTX trademark combo of snarky/light tone hiding a ton of trauma underneath, the insanely intricate world-building, and what it has to say about the nature of grace and goodness. Xie Lian is one of my top 5 web novel characters and probably in top 10 from anywhere. Oh, and while MXTX’s stuff is not as angsty for me as Meatbun’s or even Priest’s, there are always exceptions, and there is one chapter in this novel that pretty much broke me and sometimes I still flashback to it and feel unwell.

Anyway, what is it about? There is a commotion in the heavenly realm - Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of a long-destroyed kingdom, has ascended to Godhood. That in itself is not so exciting. However for Xie Lian this is the third time (!!!!) as he’s ascended and lost his godhood twice prior. And now, the biggest joke of the divine realm is back, throwing the heavenly realm into chaos. And elsewhere, Hua Cheng, one of the four most powerful demons of that Universe, sits up and takes notice.

5. Golden Stage - my perfect comfort novel. Probably the least angsty of any danmei novel on this list (which still means plenty angsty :P) It also has a dedicated, smart OTP that is an OTP for the bulk of the book - I think you will notice that in most of the novels in this list, I go for “OTP against the world” trope - I can’t stand love triangles and the same. Anyway, Fu Shen, is a famous general whose fame is making the emperor antsy. When he gets injured and can’t walk any more, the emperor gladly recalls him and marries him off to his most faithful court lackey, the head of sort of secret police, Yan Xiaohan. The emperor intends it both as a check on the general and a general spite move since the two men always clash in court whenever they meet. But not all is at is seems. They used to be friends a long time ago, had a falling out, and one of the loveliest parts of the novel is them finding their way to each other, but there is also finding the middle path between their two very different philosophies and ways of being, not to mention solving a conspiracy or dozen, and putting a new dynasty on the throne, among other things. It always makes me think, a little, of “if Mei Changsu x Jingyan were canon.”

4. Sha Po Lang - if you like a lot of fantasy politics and world-building and steampunk with your novels, this one is for you. This one is VERY plot-heavy with smart, dedicated characters and a deconstruction of many traditional virtues - our protagonist Chang Geng, a long-lost son of the Emperor, is someone who wants to modernize the country but also take down the current emperor his brother for progress’ sake and the person he’s in love with is the general who saved him when he was a kid who is nominally his foster father. Anyway, the romance is mainly a garnish in this one, not even a big side dish, but the relationship between two smart, dedicated, deadly individuals with very different concepts of duty is fascinating long before it turns romantic. And if you like angst, while overall it’s not as angsty as e.g., Meatbun stuff, Chang Geng’s childhood is the stuff of nightmares and probably freaks me out more than anything else in any novel on this list, 2ha included.

3. To Rule In a Turbulent World (LSWW) - gay Minglan. No seriously. This is how I think of it. it’s a slice of life period novel with fascinating characters and setting that happens to have a gay OTP, not a romance in a period setting per se and I always prefer stories where the romance is not the only thing that is going on. It’s meticulously written and smart and deals with character development and somehow makes daily minutia fascinating. Our protagonist, You Miao, is the son of a fabulously wealthy merchant, sent to the capital to make connections and study. As the story starts, he sees his friend’s servants beating someone to death, feels bad, and buys him because, as we discover gradually and organically, You Miao may be wealthy and occasionally immature but he is a genuinely good person. The person he buys is a barbarian from beyond the wall, named Li Zhifeng. It’s touch and go if the man will survive but eventually he does and You Miao, who by then has to return home, gives him his papers and lets him go. However, LZF decides to stick with You Miao instead, both out of sense of debt for YM saving his life and because he genuinely likes him (and yet, there is no instalove on either of their parts, their bodies have fun a lot quicker than their souls.) Anyway, the two take up farming, get involved in the imperial exams and it’s the life of prosperity and peace, until an invasion happens and things go rapidly to hell. This is so nuanced, so smart (smart people in this actually ARE!) and has secondary characters who are just as complex as the mains (for example, I ended up adoring YM’s friend, the one who starts the plot by almost beating LZF to death for no reason) because the novel never forgets that few people are all villain. There is a lovely character arc or two - watching YM grow up and LZF thaw - there is the fact that You Miao is a unicorn in web novels being laid back and calm. This whole thing is a masterpiece.

2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - want the emotional hit of 2ha but want to read something half its length? Well, the author of 2ha is here to eviscerate you in a shorter amount of time. This has the beautiful world-building, plot twists that all make sense and, at the center of it all, an intense and all-consuming and gloriously painful relationship between two generals - one aristocratic loner Mo Xi, and the other gregarious former slave general Gu Mang. Once they were best friends and lovers, but when the novel starts, Gu Mang has long turned traitor and went to serve the enemy kingdom and has now been returned and Mo Xi, who now commands the remnants of his slave army, has to cope with the fact that he has never been able to get over the man who stabbed him through the heart. Literally. This novel has a gorgeously looping structure, with flashbacks interwoven into present storyline. There is so much love and longing and sacrifice in this that I am tearing up a bit just thinking of it. If you don’t love Mo Xi and Gu Mang, separately and together, by the end of it, you have no soul.

1. The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha/erha) - if you’ve been following my tumblr for more than a hot second, you know my obsession with this novel. Honestly, even if I were to make a list of my top 10 novels of any kind, not just webnovels, this would be on the list. It has everything I want - a complicated, intricate plot with an insane amount of plot twists, all of which are both unexpected and make total sense, a rich and large cast of characters, a truly epic OTP that makes me bawl, emotional intensity that sometimes maxes even me out and so much character nuance and growth. Also, Moran is my favorite web novel character ever, hands down.

Anyway, the plot (or at least the way it first appears) is that the evil emperor of the cultivation world, Taxian Jun, kills himself at 32 and wakes up in the body of his 16 year old self, birth name Moran. Excited to get a redo, Moran wants to save his supposed true love Shimei, whose death the last go-around pushed him towards evil. He also wants to avoid entanglement with Chu Wanning, his shizun and sworn enemy in past life. And that’s all you are best off knowing, trust me. The only hint I am going to give is oooh boy the mother of all unreliable narrators has arrived!

The novel starts light and funny on boil the frog principle - if someone told me I would be full bawling multiple times with this novel, I’d have thought they were insane, but i swear my eyes hurt by the end of it. I started out being amused and/or disliking the mains and by the end I would die for either of them.

#cnovel #2ha #yuwu #to rule in a turbulent world #lsww #sha po lang #golden stage #return of the swallow #transmigrator meets reincarnator #lord seventh #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #heaven official's blessing #the dumb husky and his white cat shizun

575 notes · View notes

reidscanehand · 3 years

Text

The Genuine Article

Spencer Reid x BAUfem! Reader

Category: Fluff

TW: Cursing, the unsub is a necrophiliac, so there’s mentions of that, and then desiring someone in a non-platonic way, I guess

Time shift = ~~~; Narrator shift = +++

Another episode rewrite because I had a lot of fun with the last one. This is based on the episode “Cold Comfort” in Season 4 (great episode, while we’re here - season 4 might be my favorite season?) and this is me imagining what it’d be like if Reader was a member of the team during this episode. The first parts are in Reader’s POV and the last two are in Spencer’s POV, oh and at the end it switches to Hotch. Also, the amount I had to rewatch this episode? Absolutely absurd. Just kept playing it in the background as I wrote. Necrophilia’s nasty. Hope you all like it - love you! xx

~“It was curious that persons who lived what the novelists called a rich emotional life always seemed to be a bit slow on the uptake.” - Stella Gibbons ~

This case is just ridiculously gross.

Like, you were pretty used to the level of insane bullshit the country’s serial killers would throw at you, but...necrophilia? Really? For God’s sake.

You’re well aware of necrophilia as a paraphilia, you’d been taught about it both in psychology classes at college, and later as part of the training at the FBI academy. As with most paraphilia, it exists, but it isn’t extremely common. You’d honestly been betting on that uncommonality, but of-fucking-course when you finally get your dream job working for the elite Behavioral Analysis Unit you come into contact with a case involving necrophiliacs. You’re very sure Dr. Reid could give you an exact statistic of the likelihood of this happening, but it wouldn’t help much now. Sitting here in the freezing cold police station in Olympia, Washington pouring over mortician’s and graveyard worker’s statements of suspicious or slightly necrophilic behavior witnessed in the past few years, you feel nearly physically sick to your stomach.

Though, at this point you can’t really tell if you’re feeling ill because of the lack of sleep, the disgusting topic, or just how fucking cold you are. It’s been pouring rain since the day before the team touched down in Olympia, making it even colder than it already is this time of year. The amount of shivering you’ve been doing has made you physically exhausted, which is, apparently, according to Dr. Reid, fairly common. As though your thoughts were being broadcast live for the world to hear, the universe seems to answer your prayers as a large cardboard cup of coffee is placed in front of you.

“You look like you could use a pick me up,” says the one and only Dr. Spencer Reid. He leans next to your head to whisper to you, “And, you know, it’s considered a healthy work habit to give yourself short stretch breaks. No one would blame you for standing up for a few seconds, Y/N.”

You roll your eyes and look up at him. He’s giving you his signature, knowing smile. You take a swift swig of the coffee, perfect, as always - no one remembers a coffee order like Spencer Reid - and stand up.

“If I wasn’t so goddamn thankful for this I’d tell you to take that smug look off your face,” you joke. He chuckles and clinks his own coffee against yours.

“You know you love me,” he teases right back, your eyebrows shooting up.

“Someone’s sassy today,” you comment, crossing over to the evidence board, ostensibly to stretch, but also to look for something you might be missing.

“I’m always sassy,” Spencer pouts, walking past you towards the conference room, “and also always right. Don’t you feel better now that you’ve stretched?”

“Don’t push your luck, Pretty Boy,” you call to his back. Without stopping, he turned around to look at you, winking at you with a smirk before turning back around and exiting to the conference room. You chuckle to yourself, and, to your shock, hear a soft chuckle from across the room. You turn around to see Stanley Usher staring back at you, laughing softly to himself.

Mr. Usher, for all intents and purposes, is a psychic. The latest victim’s - though, as you kept insisting to Spencer, Brooke Lombardini isn’t yet a victim, actually, she’s just missing - mother hired Mr. Usher. Olympia’s police detective, Detective Fullwood, released Brooke’s necklace to her mother, allowing Mr. Usher to utilize it for a “token object reading” about Brooke. It had, at the very least, given Mrs. Lombardini some hope. It had, also, pissed off Rossi, who had some negative history with psychics, apparently. He’d called Garcia and had her look into Mr. Usher’s background without the team’s knowledge and it had caused some tension between Rossi and JJ, as well as with Mrs. Lombardini, who was barely holding it together without the added tensions.

“Hello, Mr. Usher,” you greet him awkwardly. “Can I help you at all?”

“Detective Fullman called me in to ask for my help Agent Y/L/N,” Mr. Usher replies, kindly.

“Oh, I’ll go find him for you,” you offer, starting your way out of the bullpen. You turn around and grab your coffee as you go.

“It’s nice,” Mr. Usher comments, almost to himself. Though, truly, why say it all if you weren’t meant to hear it?

“Excuse me?” you ask, confused.

“It’s nice to see that true love still exists,” Mr. Usher answers, meeting your eyes fully for the first time.

Now, you haven’t put a lot of time or thought into the existence of psychics. You work for the FBI, it doesn’t exactly come up very often, but, from what little time you’ve spent with him on this case, Mr. Usher seems like a nice, if slightly odd, man. But, he’s certainly never directed a comment your way, making this even more perplexing. The warmth of your coffee cup in your hand brings you out of your confusion.

“Oh,” you reply, only somewhat awkwardly, “yeah, my caffeine addiction is insane.” You gesture with your coffee cup matched with an awkward smile and Mr. Usher chuckles a little.

“I don’t mean your coffee, Agent,” he corrects, still laughing. “I mean you and Agent Reid.”

“It’s actually Doctor Reid,” you correct before what he just said really hits you. “Wait, what?”

“It’s very rare,” Mr. Usher, “to encounter soulmates. I should congratulate you two, really.”

“Wait, Mr. Usher,” you rasp out, your breathing growing labored, “you-um, I think you’re mistaken-”

“There’s no mistake, Agent Y/L/N,” Mr. Usher states, gently. “You two are very lucky.”

“Mr. Usher, Dr. Reid and I aren’t, um, soulmates,” you breathe, barely able to look at him now. “We’re just-”

“That boy is in love with you, Agent. But, I’m sure that’s not news to you,” Mr. Usher interrupts with a quiet intensity that causes you to meet his eyes. “He loves you the same way you love him.”

Thankfully for you, Detective Fullman and Rossi enter at that very moment, looking for Mr. Usher. He nods to you politely before exiting as though he hadn’t just shifted your entire universe.

You don’t really believe in psychics...but how does he know something you’ve never even admitted to yourself?

~~~

Hours later and you’re still barely able to focus. You’ve been given paperwork to look through from Hotch, thank God, but Spencer’s been tasked with helping you, which isn’t exactly helping your situation. You’re brought out of your reverie when Spencer sucks a breath through his teeth as JJ and Rossi leave to opposite parts of the precinct.

“Jeez,” he whispers.

“What?” you ask as you continue to stare at the list of coroners the two of you are meant to visit trying to pare it down with the parameters Hotch and Garcia gave you.

“JJ’s so determined to believe this psychic,” Spencer answers, “but it’s pissing Rossi off.”

“Oh, that,” you sigh, the images of your earlier encounter with Mr. Usher coming unbidden to the forefront of your mind. “Yeah, I get where JJ’s coming from. Mrs. Lombardini just wants to believe her daughter’s still alive, but...”

“But?” Spencer inquires, his eyebrow cocked.

“I wouldn’t say that Stanley Usher is exactly a soothsayer,” you joke.

Spencer chuckles lowly, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone use the term ‘soothsayer’ aside from maybe me.”

“I contain multitudes, Dr. Reid,” you counter, trying to sound like you’re not flustered by how very good he looks today. He always looks good, though, so it’s damn near impossible to overcome.

“I don’t doubt that for a second, Y/N,” he mumbles, clearing his throat. He eyes you for a moment, then scoots slightly closer, conspiratorially. “Why don’t you trust Stanley Usher?”

You look around, even though you know no one else is there. You’re trying desperately to conserve your dignity, but this man does make it just oh so very hard to do so. “He talked to me earlier and...well, definitely full of shit.” You whisper, giggling a little at Spencer’s curious expression.

“What makes you say that?” he asks, sounding genuinely curious.

“I would think you’d be the first one to doubt a so-called psychic, Reid,” you tease.

“Well,” Spencer shrugs, relenting a little. “You’re not wrong, per se, I am a ‘man of science’.”

“So, do you believe in him?” you ask, suddenly invested in his curiosity.

“Not exactly,” Spencer shrugs, “I’m more interested in what makes you so sure he’s a fake.”

“Oh,” you laugh, trying to play off the intimacy of the moment. He’s shifted ever so close to you that your airy laugh slightly moves his hair. “It’s just what he said to me. There’s no way it’s true.”

“What’d he say?”

You can feel yourself blushing, you clear your throat, “Nothing. It’s not important.” You look back at your list, willing the steadily growing blush to abait it’s progress.

“How am I supposed to form a well-supported hypothesis if you won’t tell me what he said?” he jokes. You look back at him, meeting his pretty eyes, your lips placing into a tight smile.

“Fine,” you capitulate, sighing deeply. “Just know that I said absolutely nothing to lead him to this, okay?”

“What did he say?” Spencer looks confused.

“Well,” you begin, “he congratulated me...well, he congratulated us, actually.”

“Us?” Spencer looks more confused than before, “Like, the team? Did he see us solving the case?”

“No,” you continue, your cheeks burning. You look away from him again, trying to sound nonchalant. “Us, like, um...like you and I.”

“Why would he congratulate-”

“He congratulated me on...finding my soulmate,” you mumble. You can feel him staring at you. Out of your periphery you see him open his mouth only to close it again.

He clears his throat, “Your...um, your soulmate?”

“Yeah,” you breathe, “Usher told me that, um, he was delighted to see that ‘love really exists’, or something like that.”

“Um,” Spencer shifts awkwardly, but is still staring at you, wanting to know more. If anything his artless shuffling has led him closer to you. “How did he...I mean...what did he...what?”

“It wasn’t true, Spencer,” you reply, more than slightly uncomfortable now. “I think he just wanted to shock me a little. I’m sure he just saw us walking in-”

“What exactly did he say?” Spencer suddenly demands rather sharply. Your head snaps back, a little surprised by the change in tone. He is staring you directly in the eyes, an intensity behind them that you can’t quite place.

“Um,” you sputter, speaking far too quickly to cover any of your anxiety, looking away from Spencer and down at your now slightly shaky hands, “it-it was when you b-brought me coffee this m-morning. I just-just greeted him and h-he was staring at my coffee and he said, ‘It’s nice to see true love still exists’ and I made some stupid joke about how much I love coffee, and he just looked me in the eyes and corrected himself. H-he told me that, um, I was l-lucky...well, we were lucky, to have already met our soulmate.”

Spencer is quiet, his eyes large, and his face is almost drained of color. You almost jump in to apologize again until Spencer quietly says, “Did he say anything else?”

“Um,” you falter. “That boy is in love with you, Agent. But, I’m sure that’s not news to you.” Mr. Usher’s words play back in your head. “No,” you lie. “He didn’t, um, he didn’t say anything else.”

Spencer nods silently, then rises from the seat next to you, his jaw firmly set as he exits the bullpen. Because he knows you’re not telling him everything.

+++

Spencer’s in deep shit and he knows it. He shouldn’t have snapped at Mr. Usher. That was wrong and highly unprofessional of him. And now, as he essentially waits to be reprimanded by Hotch, he can’t help but feel extremely ashamed about his behavior throughout the whole day, not just the out of character moment with Mr. Usher.

He knows he can’t blame you. There’s nothing to blame you for at all, actually. It’s not your fault that he can barely focus at work when he thinks you're the slightest bit uncomfortable, dropping everything at a moment’s notice to get you coffee, remind you to stretch and eat, or offer you a jacket. It’s not your fault that he had nightmares until the night he started to dream of a future with you. It’s not your fault he’s madly in love with you and hasn’t got the nerve to tell you yet.

“Reid,” Hotch’s voice breaks his reverie as he enters the empty office Spencer’s been waiting in.

“Hotch I-”

“I don’t know what was said,” Hotch interrupts. “I don’t even think I want to know. I also know that you’re well aware that you can’t speak to witnesses like that. If it happens again there will have to be consequences, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Spencer agrees, trying not to sound as deflated as he feels.

“Reid,” Hotch begins. No such luck. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he lies, “why wouldn’t I be?”

“You haven’t spoken to Y/L/N since this morning,” Hotch answers like it’s obvious. “Did something happen?”

“I don’t really think...I don’t think that’s your business, Hotch,” Reid replies with a far sassier response than intended.

Hotch gives him a long and hardened stare, the kind that Spencer imagines only comes with fatherhood. The kind he imagines his father would’ve given him had he not left their family. Hotch sighs deeply and crosses to where Spencer is perching on the edge of the empty desk.

“You’re wrong,” Hotch corrects, sitting next to him. “The emotional wellbeing of my team is of the utmost importance to me.”

Spencer doesn’t look at him, but can feel Hotch staring at him. He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it.

“You know she loves you too, right?” Hotch whispers. Spencer’s head whips up, his eyes immediately meeting Hotch’s.

“W-what do y-you-” he stammers, swallowing harshly, “what do you mean?”

“I’m a profiler, Reid,” Hotch states, “but I’m also...I’m also your boss. And I’d like to think I’m your friend, too. And, no offense, but you’re not exactly subtle. Look, I don’t know what happened or why you’re suddenly angry at Mr. Usher, but, I do know that you get antsy when Y/L/N forgets to take a break. I know that you’re far more antsy about her working in the field than anyone else. I know that you haven’t told her how you feel. But, I also know that Y/N loves you too. If you want my opinion, I think you should tell her.”

Spencer swallows around a huge lump in his throat, trying desperately not to cry. Hotch, ever the profiler, seems to sense the shift and stands, starting to leave.

“He told her,” Spencer rasps, looking at his shoes. He hears Hotch freeze in the doorway. “Mr. Usher told Y/N how...how I feel about her. And it just-it’s just unfair that I...I didn’t get to.”

“Yet,” Hotch corrects from the doorway, looking back at Spencer over his shoulder. “You didn’t get to tell her yet.”

~~~

It’s all over.

Brooke is alive and well. As well as one can be after being kept hostage and on a harsh coterie of barbiturates for several days by Roderick Gless. Gless was determined to recreate his dead nanny, who’d died while watching him when he was young. Roderick’s father had been sending him money, the Western Union the money was being transferred to had given them the location. And just like that, they’d found her.

And now, as the team stands in the rain and cold of Olympia, WA while the crime scene team and paramedics take over, Spencer wishes, not for the first time, that his life could feel as tidy as the end of a successful case. Minimal losses and cleaned slate. He looks over at you, rain dripping down your pretty face as you shiver in your jacket, far too thin for weather like this. You say something to JJ, who walks away from you to talk to Hotch. Now that you’re alone he crosses to you awkwardly, standing next to you.

“Don’t you have a bigger jacket than that?” he asks, speaking louder than he normally would for a conversation like this due to the rain.

“If I did I would have used it,” you snap back, harsher than normal. Which he definitely deserved for avoiding you all day. Spencer looks down at himself, his large, very warm jacket swamping his tall figure. It was far too big, as were many of clothes. He’s tall, so it’s hard to find clothes that suit him lengthwise that also match his thin features.

“Here,” he offers, starting to take off his coat.

“Don’t,” you stop his hand with your own, the contact halting both of you for a moment. You don’t let go of his hand, but you don’t meet his eyes as you continue, “It won’t help anyone if you’re cold too.”

An idea occurs to Spencer then. Normally, he’s not one for romantic impulses, but...if he’s already going to embarrass himself, might as well go full throttle. He grabs your hand and turns you, pulling your back flush up against his chest. He opens either side of his coat and pulls you into him, wrapping the coat and his arms around you to keep you warm.

“There,” he states, trying to sound far calmer than he feels, “that should help.”

You don’t move, but your breathing is harsh and raspy as you still shiver. Through the front of his coat, he rubs up your arms, shushing you gently. When your breathing regulates a bit your quiet for a moment before speaking.

“Thank you,” you say, as quietly as you can through the rain.

“Anytime, Y/N,” he assures you.

“And I’m sorry I made you angry today,” you continue, even quieter than before. “I shouldn’t have told you what Mr. Usher said; that was stupid of me and I-”

“I’m not angry about what he said, Y/N,” Spencer interrupts. You twist your neck awkwardly to look up at him, wide-eyed, face flushed. You bite your lip and look away again, and dear God, he wants to kiss you...everywhere. He pulls you in tighter to him, swallowing hard. He’s thankful you can’t really look at him for this. “I’m not angry about what he said...I’m angry that he told you how I feel about you before I could.”

“Wait,” you turn inside his coat, facing his chest and looking up at him. “How...how do you feel about me?”

“Um,” he mumbles, clearing his throat, “well. Mr. Usher...Mr. Usher was right. At least about me. I’m...I’m in love with you, Y/N. And I know...I know that you might not feel the same way, but I-that’s why I got upset. I wanted to...I should’ve told you, but I was s-so scared because I-”

You cut him off, your hand slipping over his mouth. Taking your hand away slowly, you caress his cheek with your very cold hand.

“Oh, Spence,” you whisper, “Mr. Usher was right about me, too. That is...I love you, too, Spencer.”

He reaches up to his cheek, grabbing your hand from his face, “Really?”

“Really, really,” you assure, smiling gently. He lets out an elated breath and kisses the knuckles on your very cold hand.

“Can I, um, can I kiss you?” he asks, trying hard not to cry, thankful for the rain as a cover.

“I’d be a little let down if my soulmate didn’t want to kiss me,” you giggle. Spencer smiles before leaning down and slotting his lips against yours. The cold and the rain are forgotten as the two of you kiss each other. Spencer smiles against your lips, allowing you to slide your tongue into his mouth. If this is fate, he thinks, I’m just happy it’s mine.

+++

“Some psychic this guy is,” Rossi mutters to Hotch as Brooke is taken away by the paramedics. “This place is as far from a rocky shoreline as you can get.”

Hotch rolls his eyes. Stanley Usher, the psychic hired by Mrs. Lombardini had told the BAU based on one of the clues about Roderick Gless, the unsub, that he felt like Brooke was near water or a rocky shoreline. A blue tarp, placed over one of the windows catches Hotch’s attention. He goes to pull it down and smirks to himself, smugly.

“Uh, Dave?” he calls. Dave turns to see the view out the previously covered window: an ad for some local ale that used a rocky shoreline in its branding. Hotch turns to look back at Rossi, who looks mildly peeved.

“I’m still not going to believe in psychics, Aaron,” Dave whines puerilely. Hotch chuckles a little and claps him on the shoulder. The two men exit the crime scene, happy to leave the solved case and the homemade embalming suite behind.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” comments Hotch. Rossi looks at him, perplexed.

“Why?”

“Well, Mr. Usher told Y/N that Reid has feelings for her,” Hotch replies. It’s Rossi’s turn to look smug. He points beyond the two of them and Hotch turns. It’s as though they’re no longer at a crime scene as you and Spencer kiss each other in the rain, like you’re the only two people on earth.

Rossi chuckles, “I wouldn’t say it takes a psychic to work that one out.”

~ “What’s meant to be will always find a way.” - Trisha Yearwood ~

~~~

Taglist: @pinkdiamond1016 @shadyladyperfection @cielo1984 @rainsong01 @jhillio @pessimystic-fangirl @saspencereid @takeyourleap-of-faith @andreasworlsboring101 @avidreider @saays-bitch @waddlenut @nighttimerain123 @meowimari @aizawaxkun @babyspencersslut @no-honey-no @the-hermit @andrewhoezierbyrne @jessicarabbit09 @subhuman-queer @ncsls0515 @liaabsurd @sizzlingclamturtlesludge @sassiest-politician @meowiemari @uhuhuh @closetedreidstan @whatamidoinghp @quillanpie @spongeshxt @spencer-blake-supremacy @itsametaphorbriansblog @vgirl-10123 @peoplejustcanthandlemywierdness @stand-tall-pineapple @nighttimerain123 @padsfirewhisky @ceeellewrites @mggsprettygirl @drayshadow @cal-ifornication @theetherealbloom @teenwolfgirl90 @eevee0722 @questionmymentality @wintermuteway @ellesmythe @mac99martin @supersouthy @obsssedwithjustaboutanything @ssa-githae @cherrystay @calm-and-doctor @icedcoffee187 @devilswaldorf @annemijnisdancing @half-blood-dork @blameitonthenight21 @happyreid187 @ssa-kassidyhughes @goldeng1rl8 @meangirlsx @honestlystop @lastpasttheposts @problemforfuturetech @justthewidevarietyofthingsilike @avengers-ass-emble17 @bauhousewife @averyhotchner @underscorecourt @green-intervention @takeyourleap-of-faith @fan-girl-97 @coolbeans3 @boxofsparklingmuses @allaboutsml @day-n-night-dreamer @ssareidbby @percabethfangirl @spencerreidsimptime @v-is-obsessive @tanyaherondale @usuck @mitchiri-nek0 @olicity-beliver @kaitlynpcallmebeepme @miraclesoflove

Link to Main Master List

#spencer reid #dr spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer x y/n #spencer x fem!reader #Criminal Minds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds imagine #bau #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds fluff

836 notes · View notes

hamliet · 3 years

Text

Dabi’s Missing Heart

So I’ve been seeing two main responses to Dabi’s character as portrayed in BNHA 292, both of which I feel touch on a very surface understanding of his character and role in the story despite seeming like opposite takes.

Take #1:

Dabi is an unfeeling monster created to show the redeemability of Shigaraki and Enji in contrast with his true eeeevil villainy! He will never be redeemed!

Take #2:

Dabi is a sweet softy who did nothing wrong! He will never be redeemed because of this chapter which is so out-of-character!

Note how they both have the same endpoint. I’m not actually gonna address the redemption question much because I can’t fathom what this panel foreshadows if not Touya’s salvation (alive):

I’m not looking to debate this either; I’m just putting it here because I know it’ll come up if I don’t.

Instead, I wanna address Dabi’s character. He’s my favorite, and I’ve been asked a few different times whether I enjoy him as a villain or as an uwu poor baby, and my answer is always both.

Dabi is a villain. This chapter’s rampage is, in my opinion, not remotely out of character for him. But neither is it the summation of his character, and he surely is not meant to make Enji look good by comparison.

So, who is Dabi?

Dabi is kind of a flaming jerk, and that’s why I like him. He’s an abuse victim who gets to be angry and crass and sharp. He pushes people away because he doesn’t want to open up to them and get burned (heh). He’s just like Shouto in that, except with a dose of murder.

Believe it or not, this is a very realistic response to abuse, and very common too. It’s good to see that representation. If the writing was indeed just “he’s bad get rid of him,” well, that would of course be a terrible representation. But seeing a mean victim get redeemed? Now that’s some good sh*t I’m here for.

If you want a sweethearted, misunderstood soft victim, there is one in MHA, and that’s Shigaraki. Dabi is not these things, but that does not mean he’s not a victim or that he’s somehow an unfeeling monster.

You see, Shigaraki is a heart character. Dabi’s the mind. (Heart and mind characters are a literary pattern that is utilized in literature across the globe; it’s not an eastern/western cultural thing. It has its roots in alchemy.) The problem is that you can’t have a heart without a mind nor a mind without a heart. If you lack one, you’re missing half the picture, and you won’t accomplish anything.

We see this with Shigaraki in his quest to look for ideals, something to believe in, purpose to justify/enable acting on his feelings/emotions.

Dabi, in contrast, has conviction and ideals, but eschews any kind of personal connection and care.

So, both Shigaraki and Dabi struggle to unite heart and mind--but they need to do precisely this.

It’s not a coincidence that Shigaraki expressly envisions both Dabi and Himiko when musing on what his purpose is.

Yet Shigaraki is able to unite more easily with Himiko as opposed to Dabi because Himiko is also a heart character. She claims to be motivated by extreme empathy that warps around to become a lack thereof (wanting to be who she loves).

Shigaraki’s motivations are basically revenge for hero society not saving him--which encompasses both a deep internal and external (societal) need for empathy and a need for better ideals. Shigaraki needs Himiko and Dabi. They’re a trio, and all of them need each other to grow. But Himiko, being similarly driven expressly by emotions, is easier for Shigaraki to understand and work with.

The irony is that Dabi is actually a very, very emotional character as well. But what he does (as is typical for a mind character) is repress them, compartmentalize, dissociate. He constantly pushes people away, yet admits privately, to himself, that he’s primarily (and paradoxically) motivated by family. This is emotional, yet Dabi claims he “overthought” and, according to other translations, “snapped” can be actually be read as “went crazy” as a result over overthinking (note: both are mind allusions).

Dabi repressing who he is--Todoroki Touya--is symbolic of him repressing his emotional side, because again, family and emotions are tied together for his character. Now his identity is acknowledged, and Dabi claims to be losing his mind (again), claims that he can’t feel, and yet is completely consumed by emotions. Like, does anyone think he’s being methodical and calculating this chapter?

It’s not just negative emotions (rage, hate) that drive Dabi in response to his family. His seeking belonging and emotional connection is present even in a chapter where he tries to murder two members of his family and laughs off the risk to the life of another.

See, Dabi first asked Shouto to validate his pain:

But like, given the circumstances, of course Shouto doesn’t really respond well. How Shouto responds is this:

Shouto’s words are triggering. And keep in mind I am not blaming Shouto: he’s in shock and he’s a kid. I’m merely trying to explain how it likely comes across to Dabi.

You’re crazy. Your feelings don’t matter. You don’t really care about Natsuo! You’re a villain and that’s ALL you are. Not a brother or abuse survivor. Just a villain.

So, uh, yeah, Dabi then retreats back to being unable to feel, dissociating as has always been his coping mechanism. But that’s not all: Dabi’s been repressing for so long that of course he’s gonna go a little insane in response to the dismissal of everything he’s trying to point out. Why wouldn’t he? His family dismissed his pain back then and now again, and so, without that heart, without those emotions, principle is all Dabi has. This has been present since long before Stain’s ideology came into his life:

Now, he answers this question of existence through Stain’s ideology. Purpose is all he has, and to him, Shouto and Best Jeanist are dismissing that too. Why are they dismissing it? Best Jeanist dismisses him for an ideal: the overall good of hero society. Shouto has a mixture of this ideal and also like, genuine shock and pain.

Back to Dabi. Dabi’s summation of himself and his purpose is incorrect and harmful to himself and others. I’m not excusing him or justifying, just explaining. It’s a tragic reflection of what Endeavor raised both Touya and Shouto to be (and thereby ironic that BJ uses an ideal to dismiss him):

Instead of being raised to be the symbol of hero society--as Endeavor intended--he exists to destroy it. The root is the same: Dabi assumes he exists for hero society, as a tool. He dehumanizes himself, hence why his quirk physically harms him (which also fits his almost religious zeal for Stain’s ideology). But it is not all Dabi is. He’s not a tool, he’s a person, but to acknowledge he’s a person involves acknowledging his heart/emotional desires, and that gets to my next point.

Dabi’s not a reliable narrator about himself. At all. I’ve written about Dabi and dissociation before. So let’s look at Dabi’s devotion to his ideals, the ideals he puts above people and claims he only cares about... because there are moments where Dabi goes against those ideals.

For one example, Dabi’s gone against those ideals when he’s allowed his personal need for revenge (an emotional/heart motivation) to overcome his longterm plan. Like, he was fully about to get himself killed here, even though that would likely mean no one would know the corruption of the Todoroki family and hero society, just for the chance to prove to his father that he hurt him.

In addition, I’ve talked before about how Dabi’s the only character in the entire damn manga to comment that maybe using child soldiers is not okay. While it’s not explicitly stated, it’s reasonable to conclude that Dabi considers the abuse of children in hero training a sin of hero society that ought to be purged (hence, part of his ideals).

That said, I have also pointed out that Dabi has gone after children in the past when it benefits his mission (Bakugou would like a word). So let’s look at four examples of Dabi and his principles concerning kids--since, after all, he claims to be motivated by heroes who hurt kids.

Firstly, Dabi’s “save the cat” when he spared Aoyama.

Why did he spare Aoyama? We can only speculate, but it seems quite likely there are two reasons: 1) hurting Aoyama would not add anything to his overall goal of downing hero society, and 2) a terrified, cowering kid might just have been a teeny bit familiar to Dabi. Here, his ideals--destroying hero society--either take a backseat to a reflection of his personal pain (and)/or his ideal of not abusing kids directly contradicted his ideal of bringing down hero society. But the important part is that in this instance, Dabi chose mercy and the goal of bringing down hero society was jeopardized as a result.

So then why did he attack Tokoyami, Nejire, and Shouto this arc? Well, Dabi does things he knows are wrong for the sake of accomplishing his overall purpose. He does things he knows hurt himself for this purpose. This isn’t new. If he can’t be acknowledged, can’t exist as a person with emotions, then he at least will ensure he still has a purpose.

In addition, let’s look at what sets Dabi off in all of these instances. (Again, this isn’t me saying “well actually Dabi’s justified.” He’s not. I’m just pointing to what’s in the text to explain the machinations beyond “bad guy do bad.”)

Dabi tries to reason with Tokoyami, pointing out that Twice was doing essentially what Tokoyami is doing: trying to save his friend(s), but Tokoyami doesn’t listen (also again: not me saying Tokoyami should have listened--realistically, in this situation, it makes sense Tokoyami trusted his mentor!)

Only after his reasoning was rejected did Dabi go to flames mode. He could have just let Tokoyami save Hawks, but instead he really wanted to kill Hawks and that overrode his other principles. Was this just because of his furthering his goal--killing the #2 hero would help destroy hero society--or because of a sense of personal revenge for Twice? That’s open for interpretation (in my opinion, it’s likely a mixture, because again, it tends to intertwine more than Dabi likes to think it does). His principles and/or emotions are brushed aside, and Dabi Does Not Like That.

Dabi does this again with Shouto this chapter, asking him where he stands on their family issues, and gets brushed aside, and then Shouto goes into his rage mode and Dabi responds. Again, not saying Shouto is rational here or that he should side with Dabi’s murderous plan, but like, his words really don’t come across well to Dabi.

Dabi going after Shouto after explaining things, asking Shouto for help, and then having his pain dismissed is pretty much a repeat of Tokoyami. When Dabi’s pain is dismissed, he says fine, let’s aim for the highest principle possible: making Stain’s will a reality, and damn any emotional ties.

Dabi’s obsession with ideals, you might say, is a smokescreen to cover his own pain. Far from feeling nothing, he feels very deeply. (I promise I’m getting to Nejire.)

So what does this indicate? Well, that Dabi does have a heart and a conscience. But when he lets his heart act, when his heart reaches out, he gets burned. His heart jeopardizes his overall purpose, so he most often dissociates himself from it. But by pretending he doesn’t have a heart, he dehumanizes himself, and he projects that dehumanization onto others (see: seeing Shouto as an extension of Endeavor, when that’s actually the precise image Shouto is trying to shed).

It’s not a coincidence that Shigaraki has been unconscious during the entire confrontation with Endeavor, nor is it a coincidence that Himiko has been MIA. But, Shigaraki wakes up a bit this chapter not only when hearing Dabi spout about how hero society needs to burn, an ideal/the thing Shigaraki lacks, and through a less important but still-ideal-driven character in Spinner asking him to accomplish his supposed ideal of destruction, but when Dabi saves Shigaraki and Spinner.

Dabi doesn’t burn Nejire for lols (not that this makes it better because it doesn’t) or even for ideals. He burns her to save Shigaraki and Spinner, because they are his links to full humanity right now.

(Again, this is also dissociation and projection: Endeavor did this! No, Dabi, you did. You’re perpetuating violence against kids rather than stopping it.)

But anyways, when Dabi calls upon heart, Shigaraki wakes. He lends Gigantomachia and thereby Dabi and the league power.

Dabi can only grow and actually accomplish anything related to his ideals (fixing hero society) through accepting a heart--even though that will likely mean some painful surgery to shift his ideals to accommodate said heart, because pure ideals don’t leave much room for humanity. He needs to feel to actually change anything, because right now he’s just making things worse (hence, the need for saving and redemption).

I know the League aren’t the protagonists of the serIes, but their complaints aren’t exactly incorrect either (if anything they’re almost a little too valid). But through growing together, Dabi, Shigaraki, and Himiko might actually be able to accomplish something, and get themselves in a place where they can be reached and saved by Shouto, Deku, and Ochaco. Because to be saved, the kids will have to acknowledge the villains’ pain and complaints, and do something about it.

#bnha 292 #bnha meta #mha 292 #mha meta #dabi #todoroki shouto #todoroki touya #todoroki enji #hado nejire #toga himiko #shigaraki tomura #shimura tenko #best jeanist #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha theory #mha theory #league of villains #spinner

1K notes · View notes

pop-punklouis · 3 years

Note

Hi hope, sorry this is a bit of a rant so feel free to ignore if you want, I just am feeling like H is kind of out of touch with the fandom atm, it’s not the stunt stuff bc I know he doesn’t ‘choose’ to do it, it’s a product if his closeting and his contracts, but just like doing the whale at his concert and talking abt the pandemic like it’s in the past just doesn’t sit right with me. So many ppl are still struggling. I’m struggling and I don’t even have it that bad compared to others but like his pandemic and my pandemic are NOT the same thing. And he says “you’ve changed my life” like thank you fans for making me rich and famous... like that’s not why I love your music dude, that’s not why I’m a fan and why I support you. Sigh, sorry love I really like your blog and always enjoy your take on things and I really don’t wanna bum you out, but anyway thank you for listening 💕

hi bb.

you can rant to me whenever! x i totally understand this stance and frustration. many people have been feeling distant from harry, lately. in my opinion, 2020-2021 has been a year that has caused him to be incredibly separated from the fandom. his impersonal persona has been building for a while, but i firmly believe that this year has been the tipping point for many fans. and i think a big portion of that is because of how he’s come off during the pandemic which has been insanely disappointing. he’s come across as an entitled, rich brat much of the time that hasn’t been counterbalanced with seeing the other side of him many people know and adore. only seeing this one side for over a year will weigh on anyone, and i don’t blame them. i’ve had my fair share of upset with him and complete and utter confusion about certain decisions he’s made. and that’s perfectly fine to admit. i’ll be honest, i never though harry would be the one who would’ve been the most careless during a pandemic out of all the boys, and yet here we are 18 months later. on top of what you mentioned, i also was highly uncomfortable with the poem by charles bukowski that seemed to be narrated as harry’s intro to his tour. featuring a poem that has a line that reads “To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art” in the middle of a pandemic that you’re touring in and putting even more of your fans in danger feels so far out of touch with reality it boggles my mind. i understand what he was going for regarding the tour intro— and i would’ve been inclined to not think much of it if it had been in different circumstances. but, dude context is key and it seems like a lot of his decisions lately that have upset people in this pandemic is because he hasn’t thought about the context of those actions in a pandemic.

like you said, most of the frustration doesn’t come from his stunts or what he’s contractually obligated to do. no one is pointing a finger at him for things that he could be barred from changing. the upset comes from the other actions that we’ve continuously seen, unfortunately. everyone knows i don’t hate him— and criticizing any of the boys should never equate to thinking someone hates them. i absolutely adore harry, but i haven’t felt connected to him in a long while. ever since march 2020, i’ve seen a steady shift in what people expect out of celebrity and how they engage with celebrity. it’s gone past the mold of traditional promo and branding, and it has become almost expected for an artist to feel authentic to who they are for there to be a much bigger connection to them and their work. harry styles™️ works under the old, traditional mold of celebrity and that just doesn’t cut it anymore. they have to evolve and stop believing this foundational rockstar approach is going to sustain him indefinitely. it won’t, and the cracks are only getting bigger. i’m hoping with whatever dates he does do with this tour, that that changes the perception a lot of people have started having about him as tour!harry is where he feels the most personable to his fans instead of a corporate machine. yet, the first show back felt stagnant and rushed. so, beyond anything, i hope it doesn’t stay that way and there’s that genuine warmth we all know of harry onstage going forward *big shrug*

#grey

60 notes · View notes

chainofclovers · 3 years

Text

Grace and Frankie 7x1 - 7x4 thoughts

Meh? Like...I love them so much, but...meh?

(I did enjoy this line about brunch.)

I really loved season 6 of Grace and Frankie. I thought it was well-paced, largely very well-acted, generally well-written, and it culminated in a massive moment of character development for the title characters, who, having spent years growing closer and being there for each other when others could not or would not be, finally articulate to each other that they are the primary person in each other’s lives. Platonic gal pal soulmate BFF emotional support witches 4 lyfe!

I know progress isn’t always linear, and in fact is very rarely linear, but after a moment that significant, you’d think the writers on this show would maybe come up with some more interesting things for these characters to do than spin in circles?

@bristler and I watched on Friday night, and just this morning over breakfast had a good conversation about the first four episodes of the new season now that they have settled in our brains a bit. We concluded that the writing (often noticeably clunky, like the dialogue is responsible for more narration than usual) and the tone (aggressively wacky) feel really off, especially compared to the prior season. I think we diagnosed the big issue, which is that Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are by far the most talented actors on this show (if you disagree, fight me in the parking lot) and it feels surprisingly unfortunate that their characters have, to this point in the new season, pretty much figured out their perspectives on each other. No matter how people feel about Grace and Frankie’s sexualities, the whole show has been about them finding each other and getting in deeper and deeper, and it’s less interesting to watch other characters have realizations about that than it is to watch Grace and Frankie having realizations about themselves. If the title characters are now limited to reacting to other people’s actions, and the title characters are played by the best actors on the show, the whole show’s gonna suffer. And is suffering, very much so, at least for these first four episodes. I’m definitely still excited for the final twelve in 2022 (twelve! I cannot believe this season will have sixteen eps!), but I’m pretty disappointed so far.

Stuff I Loved:

The family brunch. These families have been entwined for so long, and the backstory for this particular brunch was so fun (even though I didn’t care for the effects they did to depict Grace and Robert 25 years ago; there was no need for a visual flashback in the scene). I love that Grace hit Frankie with a wiffle ball bat. I love that the two couples realized some of the emotional reasons behind their decisions to lie to each other about Bud’s Bunny and about M’Challah. I love the way Jane Fonda sounds uttering the phrase “Bud’s Bunny” with little to no irony. I love that Grace is able to recognize and articulate just how deep and miserable her anger issues were, albeit with the continued help of her omnipresent martini, and that Frankie told her she’d now make up a holiday in order to spend more time with Grace. I really, really hope Frankie does exactly this at some point in the remaining episodes of the season. I love that Grace is generally a pretty good person now, with aspirations of being a delightful person. I love that she and Frankie don’t have it in them to stay angry with each other, and I love all the evidence that they really, really talk to each other about everything now.

Frankie talking to the man at the office (I don’t remember who he was supposed to be? A toilet manufacturer? I didn’t mention this before, but I actually got pretty high while watching?!? Believe it or not, this was the first time I smoked pot and watched Grace and Frankie at the same time despite having enjoyed both activities on their own for quite some time. I would recommend the combo! And I think I still pretty much got what was happening) about paying for the toilet parts with candy. This whole subplot with the money laundering was absurd and not that interesting, but I loved this particular scene because it was finally evidence of some really thoughtful writing. The concepts aren’t enough! You have to write them into good dialogue! And the whole cash/candy thing was a moment of dialogue that only someone as hilarious as Lily Tomlin could pull off. Which she did, IMO.

In a show about super messy people, Coyote has stayed sober this entire time. He is sober, employed, in love, and preparing to buy a full-sized house with his partner. He hasn’t murdered anyone in his family. Hasn’t even attempted murder once.

In 2017 or whatever, Grace Hanson would have been furious about Frankie using obscure Beatles references like a treasure map when hiding the cash. But here in 2021, she cooperates and even gets in on the fun. The writing is very unsubtle this season, but that did feel like a reasonably subtle moment that shows how good of a partner she is for Frankie. (Platonic, of course! So platonic. Female friendship, amirite?)

Stuff I Did NOT Love and Felt Incredibly Negative About:

Brianna. I can only conclude that June Diane Raphael has decided she’s happy with playing a character whose primary role in life is to be hot and mean. She succeeds at being hot and mean, but I have reached my limit with this character. I realize we’re only a quarter of the way into the season, but I don’t think I can take another arc about her learning to compromise only to reveal to Barry that she never intended to compromise at all. At this point, it’s both abusive and boring. How?! The Grace/Brianna parallels aren’t interesting anymore, because one character has grown and the other is stagnant. I get that Brianna was raised in an emotionally stilted environment by two unhealthy people. But I think it would be very cool if she could learn something from her mother at this point. Grace has put a ton of effort into dealing with her “rabbit-killing, mad-at-the-world anger.” She’s put a ton of effort into figuring out what makes her happy, what she wants her life to look like. She’s even started accepting her age and abilities without shame. And that growth is believable; Grace is still short-tempered and she still slugs back way too many martinis and she struggles to articulate certain things, but she’s grown into a truly lovely human. And while, as a daughter with a mother, I can absolutely attest to the fact that it can be difficult and uncomfortable to learn lessons from one’s mother, Brianna really, really should. Grace spent decades letting anger and shame trap her in a small, miserable life. Brianna—and even Mallory, who just seems like a vapid idiot this season—are traveling that same path, but there’s someone right there who could really help, maybe even more than Frankie helped when the Hanson girls were first growing up.

The arraignment. The scene might’ve been salvageable if it was filmed from Grace’s perspective, and filmed to reflect how surreal and improbable it all was. But speaking of non-linear progress, this scene erased everything Nick Skolka has done to put himself in my good graces (LOL) over the past couple seasons. I mean, I tried, man. I even wrote fic about Nick, Grace, and Frankie making a genuine effort at polyamory. But the arraignment is so emotionally manipulative, such a slap in the face of everything Grace has worked for, and while we’re certainly “supposed” to feel the weight of the moment, I mean, it’s not like we’re supposed to be like, “Oh, cool, we’re in a rom com now! This is adorable!” it still felt bad and unearned and slapdash.

And I want Frankie to process these things with her! Frankie seems so happy to have all this information about Grace and how Grace feels, but I want to see scenes in which we can gain an understanding of how Frankie actually feels. Hearing Frankie talk to other people about how Grace feels is interesting, but it’s like there’s no room in these episodes for us to learn anything new about Frankie herself.

Grace’s transitional wig. Is so. Bad. It is. Such a. Bad wig. Oof. I mean, I like what they’re doing with Grace’s hair from a plot perspective, although (see one bullet up) I would really like to get more of an understanding of what’s happening in Grace’s head, not just on top of her head. And gosh, Frankie would be a really good person to talk to about this in a conversation that lasts longer than 30 seconds. But the wig! She’s in a wig in all four episodes, of course, since Jane Fonda went grey and cut her hair short before they started filming this season. The wig for episodes 1 and 2 is fine; it’s a good approximation of Grace’s typical hair, and of course we know that canonically Grace’s hair isn’t 100% her own hair anyway. But the wig with grey roots looks so weird. The part that’s growing out doesn’t look the same as the hair on the wig from 1 and 2. And the grey roots look like a yarmulke. I cannot wait to get to the point in the season when Grace goes all the way grey.

(One more thing about the hair. I can’t let it go. I paused the show while we were watching to rant, but I’m not done.) I had the great privilege of seeing Jane Fonda in person at a protest in 2019. She is an insanely beautiful human. She was growing her hair out and it was partially dyed blonde and partially grey. It looked really cool. I am not ashamed to say I spent that day learning many things about the climate crisis and about Jane Fonda’s hair. Having seen her in real life with her real hair looking that fucking great, I just have a an extra-large grudge against everyone involved in that horrible wig. The wig is necessary, but it didn’t have to be this bad.

What Do I Care About Now?

I am pretty intrigued by the way Grace threw out her real age in a conversation with Nick and Elena. She has nothing to fear anymore! She’s so chill about aging! What could go wrong? I assume that Nick and Elena maneuvering for Nick to be on house arrest in Grace's house specifically has to do with the fact that Grace is 82. She’s gonna find out that Nick is allowed to be with her because she’s ancient and helpless and the court took pity. Or something like that. She’s going to feel betrayed on top of feeling stifled and overwhelmed by Nick’s presence. I want to see where this goes for sure.

Other than that, and other than the fact that I really do continue to believe this show is moving in a direction in which Grace and Frankie will choose each other, I feel very whatever about this whole thing. I love this show and I will always appreciate this show for giving me some incredible characters to spend years of my life writing about, and for bringing me some pretty amazing friendships. Speaking of those friendships, yesterday @ellydash and @telanu and I were talking about some of the incredible TV we’ve watched recently, like Ted Lasso and Hacks and Fleabag and Killing Eve, and how great it feels to watch beautifully written TV crafted by writers who are profoundly—organically yet intentionally—attuned to even the most minor character’s rhythm. The disappointment of these first few episodes of the new G&F season feels like a mild disappointment rather than a sharp heartbreak, and that has a lot to do with being deeply invested in other shows that could also go in all kinds of different directions but with writing I fundamentally trust.

Also Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are my forever faves and my appreciation for their performances and general awesomeness onscreen and in life is undiminished. So that’s pretty cool.

#grace and frankie #meta by me #grace and frankie s7 spoilers #a lesbian watches ted lasso #grace hanson is a gay disaster #except #she's not even a disaster anymore #she's totally fine and men keep bothering her!#frankie bergstein is a bisexual mess

58 notes · View notes

wonda-cat · 3 years

Note

You mentioned rewriting that one analysis post on Tommy’s revival stream and I’d really look forward to it! I never got to read the full og post and that’s the only place I saw these takes. Especially the one about the afterlife being too depressing. It’s not even just about Tommy, the implication that even if every character is safe and happy by the end, this is their inevitable fate is messed up. It’s not “a neat subversion” it’s just depressing and doesn’t add anything.

Hey, anon!

I sorta decided to not rewrite it? I feel a bit differently about the essay in the end, although I still believe in most of my points. I’m also just not nearly as passionate about it as I was when I wrote it (I finished it in a single sitting, which was... interesting.) However, yes, the afterlife stuff still bothers me just the same, as well as the odd changes to Wilbur’s characterization... post mortem.

But—just for you, anon—here’s the entire meta-analysis essay anyway, with some minor edits to the stuff I don’t agree with anymore!

My Many Narrative Issues with Tommyinnit’s Revival Stream

I want to preface this by saying that I dearly love the Dream SMP and understand it isn’t exactly comparable to other mediums like TV and film. With this being the case, most criticism against it is generally in bad faith or strange in foundation. Complaining about streamers for bad acting is the best example that comes to mind.

These aren’t professional actors. Most have never acted in this sort of setting, or even at all. Quite a few have admitted to never roleplaying before. Which is why it’s warranted to praise Tommy, Dream, Wilbur, Ranboo, and others when they deliver stellar performances. The same applies to criticism of music choice, dialogue delivery, focus, tone, etc.

However, one such category I cannot overlook is in regards to its writing. The writing of a story is its entire foundation. It encompasses many things—conflict choice, character development, themes, and morals. The author creates the blueprints for the architect, who then expresses the story with light, sound, color, pacing, and music. It is in its execution that we see if this connection is made or broken.

The reason I find poor writing mostly inexcusable is because it is one of the most available skills to practice and perfect. I don’t mean to say that it’s easy, I mean to say it is something anyone can attempt to cultivate. Whether they do it well or not depends on their methods and experience. If anyone can self-publish a novel and be criticized online for its quality—and even compared to the works of Mark Twain—then I find critiquing the writing of the Dream SMP to be perfectly reasonable.

However, since the Dream SMP script is a set of loose bullet points, tearing apart dialogue and scene continuity—which is nearly all improv—is rather useless. It doesn’t exactly have a clear focus as the plot plays out. The characters talk in circles until they hit the story beat required, and then they move onto the next. Thus, when criticizing it, one should generally critique grand events and narrative-specific shifts, more so than small-scale character interactions.

Which brings me to my main point: The broad narrative choices taken in Tommyinnit’s most recent livestream, ‘Am I dead?’ may lead to disastrous writing pitfalls in the future.

I’ll be outlining each of my issues below, in hopes of creating a better understanding as to why I feel this way.

This might become quite lengthy, so please bear with me for a bit.

Tommy’s relationship to Wilbur has flipped. This change is jarring and seems out of character.

Tommy and Wilbur’s friendship is rather complicated. While Wilbur does care for Tommy immensely, especially during the L’Manburg Revolution and the Election Arc, his mental spiral during exile put a massive strain on their relationship as a whole. Wilbur brushed off Tommy’s feelings and wants, while clinging to him and pushing everyone else away. He was simultaneously distant and suffocating.

Tommy, on the other hand, has an unclear view of his mentor. Since the beginning, and even long after Wilbur’s death, Tommy held him in especially high regard. He saw him as a brother-figure and a wise leader. He followed what he said and did everything he could to impress him. Yet, Wilbur still hurt him while the two were together in exile.

When speaking of him, Tommy tends to flip infrequently between remembering Wilbur the way he was before his mental decline and thinking of him as a monster. Both of these images conflict with each other, but they weren’t nearly as extreme as what Tommy described Wilbur as when he was revived from death. The fear Tommy displays to Wilbur is beyond intense—it feels as if the audience may have missed a month’s worth of character development.

This can make sense, especially since it was stated that he’d spent what felt like two months in the void. However, this shift is still deeply at odds with Tommy’s previous impressions of Wilbur, which is both disheartening and confusing. The fact that Tommy would agree to stay with Dream—his abuser and murderer—over his past mentor is simply head-reeling. It paints a very different picture of Wilbur’s character, somewhat conforming to the fandom’s ableist impression of him—the idea that Wilbur is insane and irredeemable, and always will be.

It also ignores Dream being the driving factor in Wilbur’s downfall, as well as the double-bind deal with Dream which required him to push the button, no matter the outcome. Others have pointed out that Tommy may be lying to get Dream to bring Wilbur back, and there’s compelling evidence for that. For one, Tommy and Wilbur’s conversation seemed uncomfortable, but it was certainly nothing like Tommy implied. (Unless this fear comes from something Wilbur said off-screen.)

Tommy also begged Dream to not bring him back multiple times over, which he should know would make Dream even more tempted to, simply because he likes seeing Tommy in pain. Tommy is also a known unreliable narrator. He may be making Wilbur out to be worse than he is by accident (even still, I’d argue this is a bit of a stretch.)

However, there are some issues with this theory. Tommy offered himself as payment to Dream if he chose to let Wilbur rest. This is a deal Tommy knows Dream is extremely unlikely to refuse. Tommy is what Dream has coveted all this time. If Tommy genuinely wanted Wilbur back, he would not offer this. This sort of compromise is Tommy’s greatest nightmare—something he would only do in response to his friends being threatened or his home being destroyed.

To add, Tommy is not great at lying. Unless he was taught by Wilbur for those two months* in the afterlife, there’s no chance Tommy would be this good at it. Thirdly, Tommy is terrible under pressure. He uses humor to cope. When he can’t, he cries and shouts and spills his heart out. While cornered, Tommy will tell the truth about anything, especially if Dream casually debates killing him again, just for fun.

For now, it’s too early to tell how the relationship shift will play out. In the grand scheme of things, this issue is rather minor.

Season three’s writing is needlessly bleak. The portrayal of the afterlife is a nightmare. There is no rest, not even in death.

I adore the Dream SMP storyline in its entirety. I believe the first season is fantastic, and while the second season has some narrative clarity issues, I enjoyed it just as much. Although, I would argue season one had a more concrete understanding of its Hope-Conflict balance.

To briefly explain, the Hope in stories are its ‘highs’ and good moments. These appear when a character the audience is rooting for is narratively rewarded. They happen during character building in the text—it’s the downtime and peace that allows for connection and relatability. It’s a moment for the viewer to breathe easy.

The other half is Conflict, an obstacle in the story that gets in the way of the main characters’ goals, beliefs, and motives. These are the ‘lows.’ They give the narrative focus and weight. They make the highs feel even higher. They establish consequences and force the characters in the story to change in order to adapt and overcome them.

I bring up the Hope-Conflict balance because a traditional hero’s journey would have an appropriate amount of both. Their highs and lows are generally equalized, as the name suggests. However, this balance has been awkwardly skewed in the latter half of season two and in the current plot of season three. To clarify, it is perfectly reasonable, and even common, for some stories to tip the scale more to one side.

But a common mistake for amateur writers is to create their stories as either hopelessly dark to cause the audience continuous distress for the sake of distress, or to keep everything entirely conflict-free for most of the plot. What do these both have in common? They each make the story boring and predictable.

Season three has taken this concept and thrown a monstrously heavy weight onto the Conflict side and flipped the scale so hard it has crashed through the ceiling. The viewers are hardly given time to find any joy in Tommy’s character, as he’s thrown into yet another abusive situation, just barely after his first narrative reward. The world is painted as relentlessly violent and traumatic.

Every person Tommy meets is morally grey, unhinged, or out to hurt him. Everything most of the characters love is taken from them by those in positions of power. Ranboo cannot even grieve properly because it scars his face. Puffy, Sam, Ranboo, and Tubbo all blame themselves for what happened to Tommy.

The audience watches lore stream after lore stream with the same depressing tone (with the exception of Tubbo’s, but I assume that’s unintentional.) Tommy is revived after being brutally beaten to death by his abuser, surrounded by all of his greatest fears. The afterlife is revealed to be akin to inescapable torture. It’s a colorless void that wraps the individual like fabric.

Time moves thirty times slower within. There’s nothing—nothing but the voices of others who’ve passed on before him. Dying in a world already devoid of happiness takes the characters to a place worse than hell. When a narrative delivers unfair suffering to the entire cast without a moment of joy to speak of, the story will feel simultaneously overwhelming and pointless.

Why watch characters suffer when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? What happiness could they strive for when we know they’ll never get to keep it? How can I be satisfied with a good ending, if I know that an afterlife too terrible to name is what awaits them, truly, at the end of their story? Death isn’t even a white void that offers rest—it is eternal torment.

Obviously, it isn’t a good message to send by making the afterlife seem like a quiet, perfect place or an escape from pain. But making it an unspeakable anguish which awaits, assumedly, every character who will die in the future? I deeply hope Tommy was only being an extremely unreliable narrator.

More likely, I hope the place Tommy was taken to was a Limbo of sorts, not an end-all-be-all destination for everyone.

The degree of Tommy’s narrative punishment continues to escalate, to an almost absurd degree.

Tommy is one of the most tragic characters to exist in the storyline. He was sent into war at a young age and experienced two traumatic events during it. He was exiled by the newly elected leader and witnessed his mentor Wilbur spiral and break down with paranoia. Tubbo is executed publicly in front of him. When expressing rightful anger at the person who murdered him, he’s beaten nearly to death and never receives an apology.

Schlatt dies right in front of Tommy, after his initial refusal to hurt the ex-president. His brother-figure and mentor is killed in assisted suicide on the same day his nation is blown up. His best friend exiles him from his home for the second time. He routinely self-sacrifices to protect his country and those who live there. His most treasured possessions were taken from him and he was called selfish for trying to retrieve them (although his methods were self-destructive and volatile.)

He was pushed to the brink of suicide after being relentlessly abused and isolated in his exile. He was horrified when he thought he was responsible for drowning Fundy. After making an objectively good decision to stand by his old friends and change for the better, his country was obliterated by the man he once idolized, his father-figure, and his abuser.

He was left scattered and without purpose for many days. Then he fights against Dream and loses, while also reliving his trauma. He watches Tubbo almost die at the hands of someone he once thought was his friend. He doesn’t tell a single person about what happened to him in exile. The day he tries to sever his connection to Dream and heal, he’s trapped with him for a week, surrounded by everything that terrifies him.

He threatens to kill himself, speaking about his own life as if it were an object—something to hold over Dream’s head. He blames himself for everything bad that’s ever happened to L’Manburg and his friends—internalizing a mentality as a scapegoat for everyone around him. He is forced into the role of ‘hero’ despite the title being unfair and distressing to him.

As if that weren’t enough, he’s then beaten to death by his abuser and spends what feels like two months in an afterlife that is worse than hell. When he returns, his senses are excessively heightened. Dream can cause him excruciating pain, just by pinching him. He can send Tommy into an instant panic attack, just by raising his voice.

The punishment Tommy’s character receives is a thousand times worse than everyone he has ever met, or ever will meet. And it shows no signs of stopping, as Dream now has control over Tommy’s very mortality. Tommy now fears the slightest damage and feels as if he’s losing his best friend all over again. He is also forced into a position where he has to kill Dream out of necessity, to protect everyone he cares about.

Characters need fitting punishments in relation to their actions. Not always, but in order to be satisfying? Yes, they do. It is preferred that a main character deal with unfair situations and difficult conflicts, but this is borderline torture p*rn. Putting Tommy in these distressing and abusive situations on repeat and punishing him for doing objectively moral or healthy things is exhausting to watch.

To quickly add, I find the general insinuation of Tommy going to hell distasteful, especially considering the contents of his storyline. I know this may be hard to believe, but Tommy is one of the most moral characters in the plot, besides Puffy and Ghostbur. He’s also the only character, followed by Ranboo, to recognize that they can be wrong and make mistakes. He changed himself in order to heal and be a better person. He was in the process of paying people back for the things he’d stolen.

He’s learned to be hard-working and less violent through the guidance of Sam. He has apologized to everyone he’s ever hurt (with the exception of Jack Manifold, because that man is allergic to communication.) He puts himself in harm's way to protect others. He doesn’t set out to purposely hurt anyone. He goes out of his way to make connections with people and maintain them, even if others don’t reciprocate.

He’s hopelessly optimistic, despite his outwardly bitter façade. He loved so much and put meaning into the smallest things. The thought that a person like him—a suicide and abuse survivor—would go to hell after being beaten to death by the man who took everything from him; it makes me sick to my stomach.

The only thing more morbid than Tommy’s afterlife being different than everyone else’s, is the concept that everyone will end up in this same eternal torture, no matter what they do. Take your pick: Tommy is sentenced to anguish until the end of time for no reason, or everyone will receive the same disturbing ending, regardless of their actions.

The narrative weight of Ranboo’s character is potentially out the window.

For the past few months, I’ve watched all of Ranboo’s lore streams faithfully, curious to see what role he would play in the future. His ‘hallucinations’ of Dream seemed to be sowing the seeds for a plot that has Ranboo taking the fall for every single insidious thing Dream has done. It would also be a tragic parallel to Tommy’s trial.

Ranboo being convinced he was the one who blew up the community house, when Dream himself admitted to doing it, was one of the bigger indicators for me. This is just one of many other unexplained occurrences. Dream seemed to be making an effort to trigger and control Ranboo, especially after Sapnap’s prison visit. It appeared, from the way he went about this, that Dream had some grand use for Ranboo as part of his plan to be freed from Pandora’s Vault.

However, after Tommy’s stream, the way Dream explains himself makes it seem like there was no plan besides seeing if the book worked on people. And if he didn’t after all, then what was Ranboo for? Was Ranboo unimportant? Was Ranboo just some weirdo who happened to phase out when seeing smiley faces and imagined conversations that may or may not have happened?

I bring this up more as a worry, and much less so as an active problem in the narrative. They haven’t actually thrown Ranboo to the way-side or written themselves into a corner yet. In future streams, this could very easily be explained away or developed as more information is revealed.

Only time will tell.

The potential for Wilbur’s future development and importance to the plot is unfeasible.

I feel as if I am the only person on earth who doesn’t want Wilbur Soot or Schlatt revived. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is not a dislike for these characters. I especially adore Wilbur, as he’s one of my all-time favorites. I don’t want either of them resurrected because their stories have already been told. They each had a fitting conclusion that ended their involvement perfectly.

Bringing Wilbur back would especially cheapen the impact of the War of the 16th. It’s the end of a man who was brought to the absolute edge and out of desperation, shame, and self-hatred, he destroyed himself alongside his creation. Bringing him back would leave the climax of the previous story hollow. My biggest issue, however, is that a lack of story importance would likely follow his return.

The only real impact I’d like to see is through a healing arc with Tommy, an apology to Fundy, or a confrontation with Phil/Niki. But that’s really all the potential I can realistically see. While I don’t doubt Wilbur as an agent of chaos, able to create plot out of thin air; what is he going to do now? His country is gone, his friends and family are scattered about, and his mission from the 16th is already accomplished.

What is a well-educated, charismatic politician supposed to do in a world already broken and without nations? Read poetry to himself and cry evilly? However, this is working off the assumption that Wilbur would be returning as his old self.

If Wilbur is resurrected as a ‘villain’ of sorts, then what? He’s not good at fighting in the slightest. He would have no materials. There are no real allies he can make, other than the arctic group. On top of that, there are already more than enough villains to last a lifetime.

We don’t need any more, I promise. Quackity seems to already be shaping up as another antagonist, alongside Sam’s slip into darker and darker shades of moral ambiguity. We also have Philza and Techno, which are already overkill. But then we have Dream who, despite being in a prison, has the ability of selective revival. This is mercilessly overpowered, especially if he makes many allies. The dude could just bring his dead friends back so they can keep fighting forever.

Then there’s Jack Manifold and the Crimson followers; Antfrost, Bad, and Punz. That’s not even including characters who are refusing to get involved. How are Tommy, Tubbo, and Puffy expected to do literally anything to fight back?

Dream’s experiment on Tommy implies he had no backup plan to begin with. This makes his character seem both short-sighted and foolish.

When Tommy woke up after being brought back to life, Dream sounded surprised that the revival worked at all. This instantly shatters the perception that Dream was highly intelligent and thought ahead. With just a few lines of dialogue, it’s implied that Dream killed Tommy, unsure of if the resurrection would even be possible on humans.

Which, to risk something that important, seems unbelievably stupid. Dream needs Tommy, from his perspective. Tommy is his ‘toy,’ the one who makes everything fun. If he lost him and couldn’t get him back, what then? Oh well, everything Dream was doing was all for nothing, I guess.

Why not attempt this experiment on literally anyone else first? Like Sapnap or Bad or, hell, even Ranboo. I suppose it could be that, as soon as Dream got the book, he experimented with it after the 16th. This appears to be insinuated with Friend and Hendry’s revival, although this is uncertain. But even then, he was still unsure of the book’s effect on a human being.

Also, this means, hypothetically, Dream’s entire plan of escape hinged on the experiment working, to begin with, and also on bringing back Wilbur if it somehow did. I find this even more ridiculous. Why Wilbur? That man couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag, let alone get through the traps in Pandora’s Vault. Even if he is intelligent after years* in the afterlife, that’s also a strange assumption.

How do people learn things in the void? Where do they even get this knowledge? I’d honestly argue Techno is a far more competent choice than Wilbur. And even if Dream did bring him back and tell him he owed him his life, what’s to stop Wilbur from just killing him permanently? Or killing himself, continuously?

No way would Wilbur want to be controlled by anyone, ever. The dude would sooner fuck off into the mountains and become a nomad than help a neon green bodysuit cosplay as Light Yagami.

Dream’s discussion about Sam implies that he wasn't playing any part in Dream’s plan, making Sam appear entirely incompetent and neglectful of Tommy.

Dream talked about Sam in a way that seems detached and unaffiliated. He also mentioned him being broken up about Tommy’s fate and not being aware he’s still alive. Dream not being partnered with, or not using Sam in his plan leaves many plot holes. I’ll go through each one. The initial incident was an explosion, coming from the roof of Pandora’s Vault. This did not affect the Redstone mechanism for the doors or dispensers.

Meaning, Sam could’ve had Tommy leave the way that was expected for visitors after he investigated and found no issues. This likely couldn’t have been done in less than a day, but it would be better than an entire week. If Tommy was required to stay for longer, due to protocol, he could’ve gotten Tommy out and then placed him in one of the minor cells for the remainder of the time.

Also, no one else lost a canon life for leaving via the splash potion of harming and returning outside the maximum-security cell; why would Tommy? To add, Sam being uninvolved means that the explosion could have only been caused by Ranboo or Foolish. That, or it was placed long before and timed for the moment Tommy entered the main cell. (I’m going to ignore how ludicrous it is that someone would know the exact time Tommy would’ve entered the room with Dream.)

If Ranboo was the person behind the detonation, this implies he was necessary for Dream to kill Tommy to test the book. But that makes it even stranger. If this was Dream’s goal all along, why not kill Tommy the instant he was trapped with him? It makes no sense for him to wait so long.

Sam is also directly at fault for not letting Tommy out, even after the week was up. There was no reason not to. He already knew there were no issues with the prison at that point. Although, to be fair to Sam, his character may have been paranoid and checking everything more than necessary, just in case. But this still isn’t a good excuse for him ignoring protocol in this one instance, and yet, not in any of the others.

All of these plot holes or inconsistencies would be removed if it was revealed that Dream was blackmailing Sam in some way, or Sam had been working with him since the get-go. That Sam was the person who set off the explosion in the first place to trap Tommy inside. It would also explain Sam’s refusal to let Tommy out and by keeping him in there for longer than necessary.

This can also coexist with Sam’s attachment and care for Tommy. He probably wasn’t told about Dream’s plan to test the book and genuinely believed Dream wouldn’t hurt him. On top of that, Dream is known to be a pathological liar, so his statements about Ranboo and Sam could be entire fabrications.

Who knows?

The Book of Revival invalidates death entirely. The narrative now lacks both tension and consequence.

Another way the Dream SMP differs from other storytelling media is in the way it goes about its character deaths. In a TV show, for example, there will be characters who die just because, or when it’s important to the plot. However, it seems as if the Dream SMP is hesitant to commit to killing its characters. And there are many reasons for that.

The most important one being, killing someone’s character excludes them from the story and some of their livelihoods depend on them regularly streaming on the server. There is also the issue of the cast becoming extremely sparse if characters keep dying. Typically, in stories, when you kill a character, you should introduce another.

This keeps the cast from dwindling as the storyline goes on. This means the writers would have to find new streamers to join, who will develop their own characters and relationships with the plot’s continued momentum. This can be stressful and daunting to those who may be newly added in the future.

Keeping this in mind, the Book of Revival is annoying from a writer’s perspective. When death is no longer an issue for a story hinged on its characters’ mortality, then what do you have as a consequence anymore? We’ve explored every kind under the sun; from abuse, to betrayal, to loss, to destruction.

In stories, traditionally, death is a finality. It’s a conclusion. Whether it’s good or not depends on the character’s actions, its build-up, and the event’s execution. Without this lingering sense of danger, tension evaporates from the story.

Why should I care if Tommy loses in a fight to someone, if he’ll just come back a day later? Why should I care about what happened to Wilbur, if he just returns as if nothing happened? The answer is simple: I won’t. I will no longer care if Tubbo or Ranboo or Sam die in the story, because the idea of revival even being a possible outcome leaves me unenthused and uncaring.

The Dream SMP likes to flirt with death. It teases the demise of its main characters many, many times. More so Tommy’s than anyone else’s. Wilbur’s failed resurrection, which had unforeseen and unfortunate outcomes, is now strange in comparison to Tommy’s, which happened without a hitch.

To be fair, we actually don’t see how many attempts it took. But here’s the problem; Dream could do it without the book being physically present. He’s trapped in a prison with nothing on him, meaning he doesn’t need any materials either. It’s also implied he could do this as many times as he feels, for anyone he wants. This would be exceedingly overpowered, if not for one thing—Dream himself is mortal (at least, I fucking hope he’s mortal.)

If someone kills him one last time, that knowledge is gone forever. And I’m glad they’ve established at least some way for Tommy to win. Because at this point, I was losing faith.

There is also the bare minimum establishment that Dream can refuse to bring back those he doesn’t care for. He can also use it as a shield, holding this power over other people. If Dream is gone, death is permanent. But isn’t that how death is supposed to be, anyway?

What a bleak premise—the afterlife is pure eternal torture while life is cheapened by a lack of consequences.

Conclusion

All this to say, I am cautiously optimistic for the future. I hope dearly that every single one of these can be disproven or developed in the coming livestreams. Obviously, there’s not enough information to really determine what the end result will be, or how everything will fall into place.

Every time I have theorized about the story, it has done something completely different and pleasantly surprised me. I want this trend to continue.

Surprise me again—I’ll be here to see where it goes.

#answered asks #long post #tommyinnit #dream smp meta #dream smp #dsmp #dsmp analysis #this is slightly outdated still but whatever #hope this was helpful anon #tw abuse #tw suicide

33 notes · View notes