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#there is no visual parallel too obvious that i will not gif it
greatcometcas · 2 years
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Castiel in Supernatural, 4x01 Soldier Boy in The Boys, 3x08
[ID.Two GIFs that compare similar shots in Supernatural and The Boys. In both, Castiel and Solider Boy are shown in profile from the shoulders up, standing under a shower of sparks. /END ID]
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sterlingarcher23 · 1 month
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It was the Zoomer....Him=her
Taking the wheel is an analogy often used in cases of DID - that's why this scene, this line is in that moment in which Max sits behind the wheel. (see down below)
Because it happened before:
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The accurate moment is right after the zooming effect, even though Eleven uses both hands, not one - moments earlier in the scene when El pushes him away with one hand the first time it doesn't result in 00I flying through the one way mirror. That's why I replaced this from the original post that inspired this one ( source down below). Technically both psychic blasts are accurate to use, I guess depending on the pov of the character. I as pointed out before and do again in this post, Eleven isn't a name you can use for one specific character - nonetheless this is a clear parallel between Max and Vecna, putting Max in the same place as him (maybe we should call him Edward, Henry's evil twin/alter/variant)
Mirrors
And here the mirror shards are flipped - she is as much of a mirror to him, as he is to her.
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That moment here, is also mirroring the same event that took place in the lab - when El "wished" for her other half to appear, and the lights go out (as if she absorbs the energy?). That's how Vecna knows what Max is doing.
Both are clearly visual reflections/mirrors of each other. When he nails Max to the wall, it must have been her who did it in 1979 as they show us them as mirrors by changing the align of the glass shards.
You know: Stop him-- Her.
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The silver cat feeds...
And when One kills "he" consumes.
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The imagery and dialog makes them equals but also sets them apart, mirrors them.
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"And there upon a rainbow is the answer to a neverending story" - like exactly before they are thrown through something and nailed to the wall.
Lie vs untruth (lies are deceptive, not everything that's untrue is a lie, could be a mistake, misunderstanding)
I vs We (the egot vs the team)
00I vs 0II
And the event - it split "Eleven". In two ones. As indicated that Max is One and El too (You are One of the good Ones).
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That's the only possible explanation. The girl...in the beginning, that turns around? It (probably) doesn't even look like we think she looks like. What if she actually has red hair - the most likely explanation is that it's perception fuckery, showing us different scenes, even flipped events, not just allude to potential timeline splits but to the perception of two different personalities of the same event. And it's obvious because the older El has a different blood stain on her gown than the two younger versions. (A bit like in Matrix there are different self images of the same person, a real one, the way you see yourself, the residual rest image and, the way others see you)
There's also a whole section I would have integrated here if possible about how Max and Vecna are mirrored in another aspect: it's about werewolves and vampires, like a blood feud, it's about gamers playing an Immortal Game of chess and it's about the "Owl", the wendigo.
Pronouns & Gender ambiguity...
The pronoun game between El and Owens is verbally alluding to this. As much as theres some trans coding with Henry/Edward/Vecna with the emasculation, the association with female black widows, Max is also trans coded. Similar to characters like George (Georgina) Kirrin from the Famous Five is been trans-coded since the very first TV-show from the 70s, almost openly in the 90s show in which a gender swap & confusion happened in a conversation. And George doesn't like it to be called by her birth name, only her father does it. I should write that post I wanted to do last year how media likes to play with gender identity, gender roles and also sexuality.
Remember when Mr Clarke introduced Max to the class? He calls her Maxine, gets corrected by Max and the boys realize the supposed boy is a girl. Like in the dialog with Owens. Who then continues "Stop her and the rest of them". Seriously? On surface level it's just a misunderstanding in a not so great dialog. Or is it done deliberately? To swap pronouns? Yes - so that him=her. Which makes "He" potentially "she".
Vecna also calls her Maxine. But she wants to be called Max. That's a deliberate choice made by someone: choosing a name. - In S4 when Jason wants to "go out" with Lucas, Erica mentions Max by name, that Jason is a step down - two things: 1) to Jason this must sound as if Max is a boy. 2) and Lucas is...gay? Or bisexual? Or pan? It's at least clearly coding. Especially in regards to Max.
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Now, does this make Max a boy/transgender, even though there's a very specific graffiti in her mind: No. Because otherwise "There's more to life than stupid boys" wouldn't fit.
But it tells me that she's probably meant as "gender ambiguous", that her character is at least questioning gender roles and definitely been mistaken as a boy at times is important in her character arc. "He" is actually a "she".
Hence Brenner is using what I'd call a gender neutral He or "he" as referring to someone that isn't specified. He doesn't say Henry or uses any name, but "He" and One. And you can see how "She" is mistaken as "He" - by us. Most think that this clunky, almost amateurish exposition (which we didn't need as Vecna showed us and said what he does) isn't about "him" but about "her": Max.
And besides some gender ambiguity regarding Max, we had several instances of characters in the show mistake her for a boy aka he. That in itself is all you need to understand why this exposition about "One" was written as a dialog for Brenner who doesn't see these kids as humans, nor as male or female, hence the fact get only numbers, wear the same clothes, have the same haircut. Only as numbers. And that's why "One" isn't necessarily a "he".
Example: "Whosoever holds this hammer if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." - 2014, Jane Foster took the hammer. "He" wasn't necessarily meant as "only male" but more gender neutral.
The use, in formal English, of he, him or his as a gender-neutral pronoun has traditionally been considered grammatically correct.
The pronoun he can be used to refer to an unspecified person, as in If you see someone in trouble, help him. (See Gender above).
Final words & additional thoughts
(And sorry for the repetitions in my posts) Max is One, as much as she's Eleven when together with El as the script points out because the Duffers do not call El "Eleven" all the time - they make a clear distinction between El and Eleven in the script. So, who is Eleven? It's a number not a name and the script making this distinction between El and Eleven, even indicates that Eleven and Max are interchangeable, like pronouns, through the window scene in which El says "This is Max" - so if "Eleven" is Max, then Max is "Eleven".
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Also, in regards to mirrors, this window is like a one way mirror. From El's perspective, she sees herself when drawing Max, since she can't see beyond. For us, the audience, however this is a window through which we see El through Max. It's actually not even subtle.
Mirrors are also used in other instances, like the "pretty" moments but this deserves its own post.
castleclerics had an interesting thought:
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But not her "twinner". El's alter. Her other half. The Zoomer. Not timelines, even though the event resulted in different timelines or alike that split them.
And these alters do look differently in her physical versions - that's what alters are: they are different. Different gender, ethnicity, age. Not only is it a setup for what will happen in 5, the fusion through consumption but an explanation for why it has to happen:
"Only by facing all ourselves, the good and the bad, can be become whole" - Bad, according to David Clarke's "Between medieval men" (a study about same sex relations from 2009) it has it's roots in an Middle English term: bæddel. Which means hermaphrodite. "Usually taken to be related to (an unattested Old English root of) Middle English badde (“wicked, wretched, bad”)" - this is likely just a coincidence - but we cannot rule out the possibility that the Duffers did stumble over the Wiktionary entry. - Doing your homework does help with writing fiction, I heard. - That sentence is important because El questions that what if she doesn't want to be whole. And Brenner replies "Then that is a choice. Your choice." And choice is important to her character, it's an integral part of her.
What's in the show is rarely coincidence - yes it happens, mistakes etc, sometimes the "curtains are fucking blue". I would however also argue with a Professor for media science who analyzed "John Adams" that most things in film/tv are deliberat and the Duffers give us yellow curtains in many cases as if they wanted to tell us...what you see are (mostly) no coincidences, I guess. These guys are said to be meticulous. So, actual patterns, repetitions of the same or similar message, seeming mistakes like changing elements as the inscription on a gravestone and a drawing on a piece of paper, dialogs, mirroring scenes etc. are no coincidence. It's fiction. Made up. There's bad fiction and good fiction, they all have however something in common: it's all "artificially" (it's in this word: art) created by their writers based on real life experiences and other fiction. It's not even that new (that's why you can compare it with other works of fiction even if it's not sure if that was an actual inspo) or revolutionary however can be something unique and great, if they don't fail, in the way it's done. - Max as a character is made this way by choice, that she's mistaken as a boy and showing signs of gender ambiguity and trans coding (such as Vecna himself for God sake), most definitely questioning gender roles which goes in a similar direction, is not a mistake but a deliberate choice that leads to the question: Who does Brenner talk about? - The answer is, yes, in parts about Vecna, but to see it as a pure expositional dialog is, as far as I see it, at best short sighted. It's about One. One of the good Ones. It's about Max.
Until you find something that feels like you...
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....I mean, at a certain point you don't need imagination that there's more to this sentence. Like the script description "on her heart" - El's actual, physical heart is in Max's chest and El is the beat of this heart. Like I said: Max, Eleven, El....5+6=11.
(There's a whole debate why they changed Millie's height of about 5'3 or 5'4 to 5'6 on the Wiki page and it's amazing that not even there they see the simple math in it. Because there's math everywhere in the show. Like art.)
And Elfen Lied is an inspiration for Eleven. El is therefore Nyu - Max is Lucy/Kaede which means that Max could also have a different name and might be the daughter of someone we all know all to well. - They are alters. And in Stranger Things made physical reality in two different girls. And about taking the wheel...
"Dissociative Identity Disorder Alters Feel Like Being in a Car with Other People:
The car-driving analogy is common when talking about DID and the experience of alters. My therapist would often ask me to make sure I was the one "at the wheel," which can be difficult when you have alters fighting to take control. One person described having alters as all being together, riding in the same car, with each person taking turns driving. Another person described the experience of alters as feeling like being on a bus full of people; sometimes it's loud and scary, while other times it's quiet and calm. It's always an interesting experience."
Post that inspired this one:
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I am politely requesting you to start please ma'am
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bless you for enabling me 🙏🏻
so a lot of my thoughts about the parallels come from this post made by @was-there-ever!!
(and ofc this is all based around the revival choreography!!!)
so, for starters, one of the very obvious parallels is the costumes!! Macavity's costume resembles Tugger's quite a bit, with the same fur coloring and positions. Macavity's got a mane as well, though it's obviously very matted and torn up, so right there is a visual connection between the two!
next, this is specific to the promo videos that the 2016 revival did (that i CANNOT FIND), but in it, Macavity and Tugger both do the same little movement, where they walk beneath Victoria, who is being supported by (i think) Tumblebrutus and Alonzo. it's a little thing, but that's something that's always stood out to me!
now onto the number itself!!!
Macavity and Tugger both spend a large chunk of their time on the steps up to Deut's tire, in the center of the stage, making everyone look at them
When Tugger has everyone singing together and dancing together, they're having fun. It's because they want to. When it's Macavity, you can tell that they're uncomfortable and being controlled by him.
and for my FAVORITE FUCKING PARALLEL MOMENT THAT I'M 100% POSITIVE WAS ON PURPOSE IS THE TUGGOFFELEES AND DEMCAVITY MOMENT
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LOOK AT THIS I'M SO UNWELL
i think @magical-marvelous-mistoffelees said it best: Tugger and Misto are working together. Tugger's holding onto Misto's arm, he's planting his feet. Misto is the one moving, he's the one who is guiding that moment. He's trusting that Tugger will catch his arm and stop him if he throws himself a little too far. Tugger's eyes are ALWAYS on Misto, making sure that they're in sync, and that he's not going to fall. This is quite obviously a move that they have practiced and perfected together. The trust they have in each other in this moment is painfully obvious.
Then, you have the exact same movements, but the physicality is so different: Macavity is holding Demeter's hand. His feet aren't steady, he's not even making sure she's planted in place. he's throwing her around, yanking her into the proper positions instead of letting her guide the moment. He's barely looking at her, glancing at her at the last moment to make sure he's got control of her. Demeter is trying so hard to free her arm, she is terrified in this moment.
and because I'm a sucker for the revival lighting design, i have to talk about the spotlights:
During Tugger's song (yes it's Misto controlling the lights), the yellow spotlights are bright, solid, and controlled. There's a spotlight for almost each cat, highlighting them during that moment.
During the Macavity sequence, the red lights don't really have a place to go. They're bleeding out into the rest of the stage, there's no purpose to them other than for Macavity to show off. It's highlighting him.
yeah the 2016 revival said Deuteronomy Brother Rights and i love that for them <3
ALSO there's everything with Munk and Alonzo in this number vs. Tugger's number:
how in Tugger's number they're chiding and staying off to the side, never once interfering except to make fun of Tugger in that sibling way. They trust him, adn they trust Mistoffelees.
In the Macavity sequence, obviously, they are front and center the moment he shows up. There is no hesitation, none of that playful teasing in Tugger's song. Macavity is a threat, and that's what matters.
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tiffanylamps · 1 year
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8 shows to get to know me  I was tagged by @b1uetrees! Thank you for tagging me, I hope you're having a brilliant day with the flowers! 🌷🌻
I actually found this kind of hard to do, 'cause there are so many shows out there and many that I love. But I think I've narrowed it down to shows that represent different parts of me or were influential to who I have become. Also, I'm assuming by "show" it means TV shows and not musicals.
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1) Beyond Evil (2021) It's obvious. I'm not going to go into too much detail because a quick search on my tumblr and it becomes pretty clear what this story means to me. It's my favourite show- I think about it every day and have dedicated so many hours to it. It has changed me so profoundly and I feel like no matter how many times I view it, it still finds a way of enriching me. (Before BE, or BBE if you will, my tumblr was a pretty normal place and now, it's just a fanpage to this show lol). I'm so thankful that Netflix recommended this show to me. (for anyone who doesn't know: this is a really important, layered story that just makes any other mystery drama look silly in comparison)
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2. Luther (2010) I'm sorry Shin Ha Kyun but the Korean version of Luther is rubbish in comparison. THIS SHOW! Oh my goodness, I love it so much. It was everything to me throughout my late teens and I'm super excited that there are more episodes on Netflix. Honestly, the storytelling and parallels!!! and the use of the colour red really opened my mind to how one can visually tell a story. (It may be time for a rewatch and get scared all over again).
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3) Ted Lasso (2020) This is a new addition to my life. Back in 2021 when my partner wanted me to watch Ted Lasso, I outright refused because I didn't want to watch a TV show about football. BUT! But. But then the wonderful @loisroo kept hyping it up (rightfully so) and I decided to give it a go. I binged it at the beginning of this year and it was a beacon of hope during a difficult time. This story and its wonderful characters have reinforced so many life lessons that I tend to ignore. It helps me gain a better understanding of people and friendships, second chances and forgiveness, and when to ask for help. Ugh, it's beautiful and I'm so excited for season 3.
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4) Merlin (2008) I mean... I've spoken about it many times so I won't go on and on. But I adore this show (yes, it's janky and awkward at times but that's part of its charm. Plus, Morgana did nothing wrong and I will always stand by that lol), it was the reason I started writing fanfiction. I- ughhhhhh. Yeah. It did a lot for me in my teens.
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5) Fleabag (2016) WOMEN. WOMEN WRITERS. WOMEN WRITTEN TO BE FLAWED AND BROKEN AND WRONG BUT STILL HUMAN AND STILL LOVING AND STILL TRYING AND STILL WANTING THE BEST DEEP DOWN EVEN IF THEY DO THINGS THAT HURT THEMSELVES. "I THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE BETTER THAN ANY OF US, THAT'S WHY YOU FIND IT SO PAINFUL" "I LOVE YOU" "IT'LL PASS" just AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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6) Skins (2007) Yes, it's cringy. Yes, it's kind of embarrassing for me to add it to this list. But this show really helped me throughout my teens. It showed teenagers being messy and making mistakes, hurting one another and themselves. It showcased mental health issues, poor relationships with parents, as well as focusing heavily on sexuality. Being a queer kid from a strict religious background, this show was important. And yes, it got really silly towards the end but there are still so many fantastic moments. It's not perfect but it doesn't have to be. Plus it gave me Dev Patel, which I am forever grateful for. (If anyone's interested, my favourite characters are Tony, Cook, and Katie. I love a troublemaker).
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7) Chernobyl (2019) Yeah, I probably should have put Game of Thrones in this slot but I'm still mad about it, so Chernobyl will take its place. What can I say? It's one of the best TV shows ever made (thank you Johan Renck and Craig Mazin)
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8) The Last of Us (2023) Yeah, I know. I can already hear people saying it's not even fully out yet and blahblahblah. Listen, this show is a form of therapy to me and I don't care. It's my favourite thing I've seen since Beyond Evil. (I may prefer it to the games..... 👀) (I'm happy this story exists. So thank you Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin)
(Some honourable mentions: Fruits Basket, Killing Eve, The Tribe, The Pacific, Vincenzo, Scott & Bailey, Silks, annnnnnd idk, there are loads)
Thanks again!!! 😊
no pressure tags: @l-tyrell, @ettelwenailinon, @thoresque, @evil-moonlight, @fridayvelvet, @hanjuwonsupporter, @foolishmortal
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rosesrotofficial · 7 months
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mortal coil: inspirations!
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some of you have been asking what inspired me to make MORTAL COIL, a visual novel about a cyberpunk death game that Youtubers Eidoloners are obsessed over.
i have a list!
1. social media, particularly Youtube and Twitch.
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▼ i'm very interested in exploring how these are avenues for intense parasociality - and how that manifests in the creators and their audience.
△ reading this neat research article which argues that Twitch is the closest step towards reciprocated, two-way parasociality gave me a ton of ideas too.
2. the party game, Mafia.
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▼ the set-up of the game (Townies, Mafia) and its focus on deduction, lying, trust and betrayal has influenced the set-up of Mortal Coil!
△ i've always been obsessed with this party game when i was but a tiny child... and i still love it now. which is why!
▼ town of salem, AKA the online version of Mafia, was also another inspo! can you blame me for enjoying the gaslight gatekeep girlboss it offers… inspiration :3
3. the novel and movie, The Hunger Games.
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▼ a little Rose lore for you all today. when i was a child i was absolutely terrified of The Hunger Games. i was so convinced that it could be real...
△ the death game set-up and its criticism of its audience (the Capitol) gave me ideas on exploring “the audience” of the 21st century, an audience arguably far more insane than THG’s because… it is the internet.
4. the manga and anime, Kakegurui.
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▼ it's true! it's a little out of place with all the death games, but gosh…
△ its obvious gayness aside, its characters, particularly the force-of-nature Yumeko Jabami, has inspired the cast of this game.
▼ Ikuyo may not be the gambling freak that Yumeko is, but she is a FPS gamer at heart, and y’know… what is Mortal Coil if not the ultimate game?
5. the visual novel and anime, Danganronpa.
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▼ can you find the parallels between Ikuyo and Sonoko with Mukuro and Junko?
△ i was very inspired by the sisterly relationship these two had, and their dynamic influenced how i came to create Ikuyo and Sonoko’s characters.
▼ other than that, the confined nature of Danganronpa's game and its detective set-up. plus, a death game at The End Of The World…
6. the tv show, Squid Game.
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▼ uh yeah so aside from the crime of breaking my whole heart, Squid Game has the great honour of being one of Mortal Coil’s death game inspirations >:)
△ children’s games, death games… mafia party game, death game… can you see the similarities?
7. the ???
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▼ see if you can guess this one! it was the primary inspiration for Ikuyo and Sonoko’s home. :3
△ tip: you can find a hint in the “Quietus” segment of Mortal Coil…
thanks for reading! c:
▼ game info
△ ask box  
▼ follow us for updates! (and an invite to the most prestigious death game on the planet...) 
△ play the demo!
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ayamturd · 3 years
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light│foolish g
summary: the eggpire attempts to manipulate the heart of a kindled lover, their own mistake in the making
warnings: mentioned kidnapping, injury descriptions, evil c!badboyhalo, angst to fluff
pairing: (requested) in-game foolish gamers
a/n: i tried to play with themes of light and darkness, just as a small visual insight :)
wc: (2.7k) - m.list
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It was too dark, he noted. You didn’t like the house being dark. 
The second thing he noticed was the silence. There was no crackling fire, no greeting or even the stir of your footsteps inside the usual cozy house. Instead it was cold and empty, like the life had been snuffed and the warmth it once radiated suddenly gone in a broken still. Like it had been taken. 
“Y/n?”
Pushing the door open, Foolish immediately became on edge from the broken lock, it swinging open in a haunting manner that echoed throughout the house. He raised his axe while tightening his grip, and slowly, he crept his way around the living space, searching for any sign that you were there or at the very least okay. 
“Y/n? Love? Where are you?” 
He checked the bedroom, the bathroom, the chest rooms, everything. Nothing was out of place, yet it felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. Scanning each room at a glance, he started to become frantic from the realization. You weren’t here.
“Y/n!”
As he started to pace in worry with growing, erratic breaths, he noticed he forgot to check the kitchen, bolting through the small doorway in desperation for any clues to your whereabouts.  Once entering, however, it only worsened his fears.
The kitchen was a mess; from broken glass scattered on the ground to the spilt stew you promised to make tonight, there were signs of an obvious struggle, and one that you must of lost. 
Walking slowly into the room, Foolish stood in the middle, his footsteps crunching under the shattered dish ware. He could only stare in horror to the scene before him, the unexpected attack within your own home. 
He began to shake, in fear or anger, he didn’t know. All that he knew was that he was terrified for you, of your state, your condition, where you were. He didn’t have the answers he needed and it started to boil a new found rage in the pit of his soul, something he never knew he could have felt in thought of you.
Before he could become completely lost to his own thoughts, something bright shone in the corner of his vision. It was small and lost under the fragments, but it reflected the brief moonlight that peeked through the window still. Foolish crouched down, and as he swiped the broken mess away, he let out a small gasp.
It was your necklace, one he had given to you as a gift near the beginning of your relationship. The small pendent, while old and rough, was an old crystal he found eons ago; he was fascinated with the object when he first discovered it, and as a symbol of his love, chose to gift it to you on your first anniversary.
Although discolored from age and time, the crystal had always held some sort of clouded transparency. Unlike its usual form, Foolish held the pendent up and saw a dark stain of red tainting the side, almost in a corrupt manner as it seeped inside the stone in cracked veins. 
The color was too bright to resemble any spilt blood, and with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, Foolish seethed at the concluding answer. “Bad,” he growled. 
Closing his fist around the charm, he clenched it tightly and raised it to his forehead. The one piece of him you had, now the only thing he had of you. 
He was going to get you back, no matter what it took. 
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“You can’t do this, Bad.” Pulling against Punz’s hold, you tried to throw hands at Bad with a snarl. He only chuckled at your attempts, his once sweet tone now malicious and stern. 
“The less you resist, y/n, the easier this will be for us all.” 
Your hands were tied behind your back, the rope burning against your skin, rubbing raw from your constant movements to free yourself. Punz had his arms under yours, locking you against his chest and preventing you from moving your upper body; even then, it did nothing to stop your attempts to thrash as much as possible.
Punz grunted from the hard kick you landed behind at him, your legs fierce as they moved every which way. Antfrost stepped forwards to help control you, though it was his mistake to approach you cautiously from the front since you kicked him in the face with a large crack following after.  
He fell back with a painful yelp, clutching his broken snout that oozed blood and paralleled the red veinage surrounding his eyes. While you internally celebrated your direct hit with pride, it faded when Bad began to laugh.
“Don’t you see now, Y/n?” As he began stalking towards you, Punz learned from his mistake and hooked his own leg around yours, pulling it back so you were further locked it place. You were helpless as Bad leaned into your face with an amused grin. 
“You’re a fighter. Someone that understands the weaknesses of others and how to exploit them. With us, you could discover your own potential and fight for the things that truly matter.”
You hissed at his proximity and cruel intent. “Why the hell would I join an omelette that does nothing but turn you all into brainless puppets.”
Bad laughed again, though forced before shifting into a frown. “We are anything but puppets. We are visionaries chosen to light the way for a new age that calls for freedom and peace. A world with no wars, no loss, and no pain. Only the Egg.”
He turned again, his back facing towards you as he looked ahead. Tilting his head slightly, he smiled sadistically to the thought. “Why don’t we show you?” 
With wide eyes, you yelled and fought harder against Punz. It didn’t matter how pathetic or futile your efforts would be in the end, you screamed viciously to his plan; you would be damned if you were to go near that thing and let it corrupt you like it did to those around you. You refused.
“We’ll make you understand, y/n. Don’t you worry now.”
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It had been a while since Foolish last stepped foot in the Badlands. As he mainly stayed within his own land and frequented to Snowchester for his recent commission, he hadn’t seen how bad the landscape had become for some time now. 
There were vines littered everywhere; they broke through the ground and wrapped around everything they could, the previous builds constructed now ruins under the untamed growth. 
The infection worse than he could ever imagine. 
Like the land was corrupted itself, the once blue sky barely shined through the dark, thick clouds that surveyed the surrounding area as the grass’ usual lively, green hue looked almost dead from the sight. It was as if the land had been drained of its life form entirely. 
With a shake of his head, Foolish pushed forwards despite the unfortunate outcomes. You were his main and only concern, and he was coming for you. 
Following the growing trail of vines, he stopped once finding himself faced with an opening in the ground, the vines encompassing the entire area all centering to this one focal point. 
The hole was dimly light, yet in spite of the notable metal lanterns nailed to the cavern walls that lit the descending path underground, Foolish could hear the whispers of an ancient being shrouded in a sensation that could only be described as darkness. Pure darkness that’s sole intent was to demoralize and expand. 
As his own power centered essentially to a form of life in terms of rebirth, Foolish felt his heart race from the opposing force; Death is often seen as the opposite stage to Life, however in actuality, Corruption and Decay hold more differences than the former, for Corruption seeks out to invade and overtake, leaving little room for life to breathe in its natural state as it’s smothered degenerately. Death is painful as a concept, but only works as an end of a cycle that leads to a new one instead. 
His strive to reach you was stronger than ever, and with that he entered the small space. 
“So nice of you to finally join us!” Bad’s voice echoed against the cavern walls, his voice too cheery for Foolish’s liking. Pushing away the overhanding vines that blocked his line of vision, Foolish approached the group with an aggravated attitude. 
Standing in front of the Egg, Bad stood at the center with Antfrost and Punz accompanying his sides. While Foolish went in with a vengeful mentality, all thoughts left him as soon as he saw you. 
You were completely wrapped in the thick, twisted vines, forced onto your knees as the branches covered your body up to your neck. Singular vines were crawled up your head, forming a make-shift halo that encircled your face with obvious pressure on your temples. 
Sitting below at Bad’s feet, you occasional would wince in slight pain yet your eyes remained fixed wide open. They were empty and tinted red, a hollow shell of who you were as you fought for control over your own mind. 
Foolish snarled at the physiological torture, and turned to Bad in full anger.
“Let them go, Bad. They don’t deserve any of this.” Bad chuckled darkly at the demand and raised his arms upward. 
“Deserve any of what? Freedom? Power? A chance to protect all those they love?” Reaching down, Bad mockingly began to stroke your head, and you flinched from his demeaning touch.
Foolish took a singular step forward, his trident pointed threateningly at the audacity he had to both harm and touch you.
“You and I both know that that thing,” Foolish emphasized while turning to point his weapon condemnatory towards the massive egg, “doesn’t do anything but corrupt and spread lies.”
The air grew stiff as a forced silence overtook the room. Bad sighed dramatically, his actions imposing as he showed little care for Foolish’s anger and comment. Crossing his arms, Bad shook his head dismissively with a disappointed frown.
“We knew you would be one of the most difficult to convince.” Foolish froze, confused to his connotations, making Bad smile further. He gestured behind him, and leaned his head forward with a merciless smirk.
“Which is why the Egg demands for y/n more than you think.”
Foolish looked down in seething fury, the thought that you were taken and used as a pawn for his own compliance something inadmissible and unforgivable. He breathed out a humorless snicker, and lifted his eyes up with his head still bowed down.
“Did you really think you could get me to join you,” he lowly asked, his eyes starting to emit a harsh, green glow, “by taking the one person I center my world around?”
He held his own smirk at the growing fear the three began to show, them stepping back as he felt the familiar warmth of power overtake him. Only this time, the light burned like near fire from his manifested rage. 
“Think again.”
There was no time to run or attack as Foolish radiated a blinding light, his body shifting as he changed before them from his mortal to Godly form. By the time the light had subsided and the ever so mighty Eggpire could open their eyes from the jarring glow, it was too late for them already. 
Foolish was pushed against the cavern ceiling from his extreme height and size, though it didn’t matter for all he needed were his hands as he began swatting at them. He managed to throw Antfrost against the farthest wall, the collision knocking him out cold as he slumped over immediately.
Punz, like the mercenary he is, managed to evade Foolish’s attacks and tried to climb his figure for leverage. It was his mistake, however, as Foolish grabbed him by the ankle during his vulnerable ascent and swung him across the space. A sickening snap from his throw lead him to scream in agony, his arm bent awkwardly under him from the severe fall damage. He too passed out from the pain. 
Lastly, Bad could only cower at the man’s wrath, the golden figure pausing to face him in his entirety, saving his final, overwhelming outrage for the leading assailant. 
As he raised his fist to strike him down, however, Bad grew desperate and reached for his best bargaining tool: you. 
He rushed forward and unsheathed his sword, holding it strictly to your throat while you unconsciously grimaced from the cool of the blade. Foolish was forced to freeze his movements.
“Accept it Foolish, you can’t win against the Eggpire. We are the new age. Join us, and you can continue living your lives,” Bad looked down at you with an overly sweet smile, “together.”
Foolish was hesitate and nervous. He refused to back down in knowing fear you would suffer the consequences of his surrender, yet at the same time, your life was hanging in the fate of his next decision. Faltering his gaze at Bad, he glanced up and paused, a new idea, a new option making way. 
Slowly, he leaned down to grab a massive boulder, the vines wrapped around the broken stone snapping as he pulled on it. Bad saw through his intentions and panicked, his sword falling from your neck as he began to cry out. 
“Wait- NO! Foolish you can’t!” Completely ignoring Bad’s pleas, Foolish launched the large rock at the Egg. 
“Foolish, NO DON-”
The air hissed from the impact, and a force pushed all back as the Egg cracked open with a dying cry, the sound a high pitch ringing as it wailed from the strike. It smelled awful, to say the least. Like rotten flesh that was burned for an extended period of time, the fowl odor pervaded the cavern in a red mist. 
As the cloud briefly settled, the visible damage to the Egg became more clear; it was caved in where the boulder was thrown, the inside a glowering, black tint that radiated heat when exposed to the open air. The whispers were now screaming voices, loud cries that shouted over each other. Foolish winced from the overwhelming sound, but as quickly as it came, they fell painfully silent seconds later. 
While there was no visible light that transpired once the Egg was impacted, the underground room felt somehow brighter. Like a dark shadow now removed, the shift of light brought forth a true feeling of peace and quiet, as if the buzzing temptations were suddenly removed, if only for a temporary moment.
Bad seemingly collapsed the moment the Egg was injured, his sword falling with a clang as he fell unconscious besides you. Without pause, Foolish transfigured to his original form and rushed to check on you. 
He scrambled onto his feet once collapsing back into his moral height and instantly checked you over, pulling the dead, shriveled vines off you before gently bringing you into his lap while holding a hand to your cheek. 
“Y/n?” he murmured. Your skin was warm to the touch, and Foolish continued to stroke your face in his attempts to awake you. “Y/n? Please, please wake up.”
Suddenly, you stirred from his words, and slowly blinked your eyes open. Your eyes were squinted in a haze, your sight fuzzy until Foolish came into clear view. “Foolish?”
He let out a laugh of relief, his eyes wet as tears collected from the immense amount of joy that overcame him. Pulling you into his chest, he cradled your head and kissed the top of it earnestly, his eyes shut close as his tears escaped. “Hey there,” he whispered. 
Pulling away from you, his grin met your tired one as you smiled softly, hand raised to wipe his fallen tears. “Hey you.”
“Welcome back,” he giggled, his emotions running high from the reassurance that you were within his arms and you were safe. He beamed to the point where his cheeks hurt from how wide they pulled. 
You gripped his hand on your own cheek, squeezing it as your form of security that this was your reality, that it was real and he was actually here. Two rekindled loves reunited once more, you both gleamed in each other’s warmth and luminescent love.
“Glad to be back.”
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beheworthy · 2 years
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@borglone 
[Original post here]
That's an interesting thought I have been thinking about too. If it's just normal parental affection coaches tend to have for their players like teachers do for their students, then why doesn't Ted have it for every player?
He treats Jamie differently than others, and I don't mean better.
When Dani has trouble in 2x1 and Isaac in 2x5, Ted tries his best to help them. Note that they don't come to him for help. He just jumps to help them because it's his job. He does it as a coach would, not necessarily like a father figure.
But when Jamie explicitly asks for his help in 2x6 to get Roy to coach him, Ted doesn't. It feels like a dad saying 'figure it out yourself, son, it's your matter'.
I know he helps Jamie by bringing him back to the team, but that was strictly out of their coach-player dynamic. Ted had no obligation to help him as he wasn't his player then.
Then there is Sam. In the beginning, Sam had just joined Richmond leaving his family halfway across the world - just like Ted. He was homesick, putting up pictures of his family in his locker like Ted places Henry's toys all over his apartment. And Ted does do things to help him: the goldfish advice, throwing a party for him, trying to give him the toy. And yet, it doesn't feel fatherly - to me at least, it feels like him being nice to Sam as a coach would.
Sam should have been the one Ted forms the connection with. He is similar to Ted in nature and situation. Heck, he is similar to Henry as well. ON TOP OF EVERYTHING, he explicitly says to Ted that he takes care of him like a father in 2x2. And how does Ted react to that? He is reminded of Jamie. I mean, damn. Not even Henry, you know, his actual child, but Jamie.
At first I thought that Ted recognised that Jamie is a lost child in need of guidance. So he just HAD to 'save' him now ('some people call it white knighting'). Like the Mandalorians from Star Wars, he asked 'is someone going to adopt this child?' and didn't wait for an answer.
Sam is not a lost child, nor are the other players. So it could be that.
Someone mentioned that maybe Jamie reminds Ted of his father. Not the relation obviously, and not necessarily the person his father was either, but the situation he was in. Ted feels guilty for not being able to help his father. Maybe he sees someone like that in Jamie, who could lose his way in life, or is currently losing his way to end up like Ted's father.
He even gives him the book 'The Beautiful and Damned' to caution him. Not to mention seeing Jamie suffer like that in 2x8 made Ted finally open up about his father. Why did that incident w Jamie remind him of his dad?
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Someone else mentioned that maybe Jamie reminds Ted of his younger self. I mean, they have the same nervous tic of the hands. It could be a visual parallel for how Ted was when he was Jamie's age. Phil Dunster described Jamie as always having a chip on his shoulder, maybe young Ted was also like that, angry at the world.
Or maybe he just reminds Ted of Henry! The show makes it a point to show some obvious parallels between the two: they don't listen to Ted and Ted knows that, they don't know that George Harrison is dead. Though I'd argue that Ted distinctly treats Henry and Jamie differently. Like anyone would treat their 7-year old son and adult son differently lol.
At the end of the day, I think you really can't explain why you love someone. Ted obviously has a deep connection to Jamie, he loves him not now when Jamie is obviously nice to him and respects him like a human being. He loved him all the way back when Jamie was absolutely horrible to him. That's just unconditional love, my dudes, to have someone insult you on TV and simply smile with fondness for them as a response.
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More season 1 parallel slaps for me:
We all already know about the obvious parallels between Ned/Cat and Jonsa, the callbacks, the visual parallels, all of it. But holy crap I had no idea just how closely they circled back to season 1 for these two relationships. And here is how I make a very long and wavy circle back to how the story of Jon and Sansa was definitely leading up to something that they chose not to do anything with in the end (meaning going all the way, instead of keeping it open like they did):
Scene 1): The Bedroom Scene
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“I’m a Northman. I belong here with you, not down South in that rat’s nest they call a capitol.” 
“I won’t let him take you.” 
“A king takes what he wants, that’s why he’s king.” 
“I’ll say ‘listen, fat man, you are not taking my husband anywhere. He belongs to me now.’”
7x02 - Jon: “The North is my home and I will never stop fighting for it.”
7x07 - Jon: “How many people live here?” Tyrion: “A million, give or take.” Jon: “That’s more people than the entire North, crammed into that. Why would anyone want to live that way?”
8x04 - Jon: “It’s where he belongs, too. A direwolf has no place in the South. Will you take him with you? He’ll be happier up there.” Tormund: “So would you.” Jon: “I wish I was going with you.”
8x04 - Sansa: “I don’t want Jon to go down there. The men of my family don’t do well in the Capitol.” 
Robert is paralleled with Dany not only in taking Ned/Jon away from the North, but also in their arrival scenes in 1x01 & 8x01, right down to the music (until the dragons arrive)
Scene 2) The Bedroom Scene Part 2
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Luwin: “If this news is true, and the Lannisters conspire against the throne, who but you can protect the King?” 
Cat: “They murdered the last Hand. Now you want Ned to take the job.” 
Luwin: “You swore the King an oath, my Lord.” 
Cat: “He owes him nothing. Your father and brother rode South once on a King’s demand.” 
Luwin: “A different time. A different king.”
7x02 - Sansa: “You’re not suggesting Jon meet with her?” Davos: “No. Too dangerous.” Jon: “But?” Davos: “Well, if the Army Of the Dead makes it past the wall, do we have enough men to fight them?”
7x02 - Sansa: “Have you forgotten what happened to our grandfather? The Mad King invited him to King’s Landing and roasted him alive.” Jon: “I know that.” Sansa: “She is here to reclaim the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms. The North is one of those Seven Kingdoms. This isn’t an invitation, it’s a trap.”
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a scroll is received, both containing words that prompt Ned and Jon to eventually go South
Ned doubts Lysa would send dangerous information like that in the scroll, that she’s a grieving widow making claims, but Cat convinces him that Lysa would have never risked herself or Robyn if it weren’t true; Sansa thinks at first that the scroll is a trap but Jon has her read the last line which convinces him that it’ really Tyrion who sent it
Cat does not want Ned to go while Luwin politely disagrees; Sansa does not want Jon to go while Davos politely suggests otherwise due to the impending battle
The scroll is from Lysa, Cat’s sister, who Cat knows; the scroll is from Tyrion who Jon and Sansa both know but like Jon says, Sansa knows “him better than any of us”
The scroll is about the role the Lannisters have supposedly played in Jon Arryn’s death and how Robert is now in danger; the scroll is an invitation to join the fight against Cersei who will make “the seven kingdoms bleed” if she stays on the throne
both scrolls are a sham: Lysa falsely accused the Lannisters of murdering Jon Arryn in order to set Littlefinger’s plans into motion to start the conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters; Tyrion falsely invited Jon to join an alliance to end Cersei’s tyranny when really it was a summoning and for him to bend the knee/submit to Dany
there is fire in both scenes - Cat burns the scroll after reading it in the fireplace; the fire is in between Jon and Sansa & Davos, indicating fire is already coming between them in this scene even though Davos hasn’t suggested the dragons at this particular moment above
Sansa is in the same position as Cat, Davos as Luwin, with Jon/Ned at the forefront, the one making the decision to heed the words received or not
when Jon first meets Dany in 7x03, she reminds him of the vow his ancestor Torrhen Stark made to Aegon Targaryen which leads to her explaining that she is not her father 
Further links:
Scene 1 & 2 up above take place in the bedroom, the Lord’s Chamber; 6x10 - Jon: “I’m having the Lord’s chamber prepared for you.” Sansa: “Mother and Father’s room? You should take it.” Jon: “I’m not a Stark.” Sansa: “You are to me.” Jon: “You’re the Lady of Winterfell. You deserve it. We’re standing here because of you. The battle was lost until the Knights Of the Vale rode in. They came because of you.” - Sansa attempted to reach out to her uncle Brynden to help take Winterfell back; Cat was able to ask her father’s bannermen help in arresting Tyrion
In the episode above (1x01), two scenes take place at the feast: 1) Cersei: “I hear we might share a grandchild someday.” Cat: “I hear the same.” - after Sansa walks away; 2) Jaime: “I hear we might be neighbors soon. I hope it’s true.” Ned: “Yes, the King has honored me with his offer.” -- Cersei & Jaime are later confirmed to be lovers and we find out later in the season that all of Cersei’s children are Jaime’s. This showed that Jaime and Cersei were being paralleled to Ned/Cat, in dynamics. But Jaime is also a mirror for Jon, and Cersei for Sansa. Jon and Sansa who have been echoing Ned and Cat in the later seasons
1x02 - Cat: “Seventeen years ago, you rode off with Robert Baratheon. You came back a year later with another woman’s son. And now you’re leaving again.” Ned: “I have no choice.” Cat: “That’s what men always say when honor calls. That’s what you tell your families, tell yourselves. You do have a choice and you’ve made it.”; 8x04 - Tyrion: “You seem determined to dislike her. A good relationship between the Iron Throne and the North has been the core of every peaceful prosperous reign we’ve ever known.” Sansa: “Jon will be Warden of the North so a good relationship seems likely.” (not exactly the same but we also didn’t get to see any form of a goodbye scene between Jon and Sansa like we did with Ned and Cat - Sansa doesn’t like the choice Jon has made but accepts he’s made it) 
Jon had a similar relationship to Arya that Ned had with Lyanna
S1: Ned decides to take Hand position - Ned never comes back, as Warden Of the North or the Hand; S7: Jon decides to accept Tyrion’s invitation and meet with Dany - Jon comes back but with Dany in control, doesn’t come back as King In the North - after he kills Dany, he never comes back (that we know of)
They really were going for it. It wasn’t just the obvious parallels and framing, they really had Jon in the same position as Ned, forced to make a decision to protect the one he loves, to keep a promise, and do something that would deem him dishonorable in society’s eyes. And they really had Sansa as Cat, the woman who he doesn’t have a great beginning with, who ends up alongside him due to fate intervening harshly, and who he truly cares for and loves by the end of his story. 
Cat: “Love didn’t just happen to us. We built it slowly over the years, stone by stone.” “It’s not as exciting as secret passion in the woods but it is stronger. It lasts longer.”
It’s just...wow.
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fakeikemen · 4 years
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The "Cave of Two Lovers" foreshadows the Zutara interactions in "Crossroads of Destiny"
[And maybe after that too; (yeah this part will be purely based on speculation)]
(See also: A meta that everybody has already written but I haven't because I was living under a rock and watched Avatar very recently)
Like seriously, it is so obvious? I see people try to interpret "The Legend Of Oma and Shu" in so many other ways; like yeah, you're free to interpret it however you want but— most people try to make sense of it while thinking that the tale is just a random occurrence? But it's not.
And here's why:
(I'm so sorry, I tried to add the "keep reading" link here because this gets kinda long but it just won't work) (Also click on the pictures if you want better resolution).
The tale of Oma and Shu is about two lovers who belonged to villages that were at war against each other. To continue meeting each other, they learnt earthbending to create caves in the mountain that divides the two villages. But one day Shu didn't come to the caves. He'd died in the war. So Oma unleashed a terrifying display of her power. And then when people were willing to listen to her, she called off the war and strived for peace between both the villages. As a result the city of Omashu was created— as a monument in remembrance of their love.
So in comparison:
1. Two people belonging to the opposite sides of the war
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(Other than the 100 year old war that has been going on, Zuko and Katara are involved in a very fundamental conflict: Capture the Avatar Vs. Protect the Avatar.)
2. With the same colour scheme:
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3. Share intimate moments in a cave lit by green crystals:
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A popular argument for this comparison is that; Oma and Shu had a positive impressions of each other when they first met. Unlike Zuko and Katara where Katara's first impression of Zuko was pretty negative because he invaded her village.
Zuko and Katara's first proper conversation happens in "Crossroads of Destiny" i.e.; the scene I'm talking about here. After this interaction that they have, I think it's safe to say that they did have positive impressions of each other. (Until Zuko made the wrong choice.)
Other than that, about the colour scheme being a coincidence: Here and here are posts by @marsreds about how the colours are definitely not a coincidence.
But seriously guys? Oma and Shu were the FIRST EARTHBENDERS and yet, instead of greens and yellows they were designed with RED and BLUE?!? (I'll take about Oma's green dress below.)
And on that note, why were Zuko and Katara the only ones who were thrown into the catacombs when everybody else was being held at the dungeons? The dungeons wouldn't have been easy to escape, neither for Zuko nor for Katara.
It's because Zuko and Katara were meant to share an intimate moment in a cave that was supposed to jog our visual memory to remind us of the caves built by Oma and Shu.
(Seriously though, I wasn't really paying attention during CoTL and thought that the Omashu legend was just put in to consume screen time, so I missed the red/blue thing. But then I watched CoD and saw the catacombs and I was like: "Isn't this like that cave made by the lovers?" And then I proceeded to have an oh shit moment because, I knew that Zutara was not canon so I never even considered the possibility of the narrative hinting at anything between them but then this happened. I mean, it's pretty darn obvious).
The colour of the crystals being the same in both caves is no coincidence either— if they just wanted two random caves with crystals, then they could've used a different colour because crystals of different colours exist:
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Moving on,
The Visual Cues:
According to the colour coding Zuko = Oma (red) and Katara = Shu (blue).
So,
EXHIBIT A:
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I feel like this one speaks for itself.
(I personally think that in this parallel Oma is in red because Katara at this point still sees Zuko as the face of the Fire Nation.)
EXHIBIT B:
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This sequence of frames show Oma (dressed in green, like Zuko was in the catacombs) and Shu (dressed in his usual blue), standing on neutral territory and reaching out to each other and then being torn apart by the war.
Pretty much like:
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The first time they are in each other's presence without the cause of their conflict (i.e. the Avatar), Zuko and Katara reach out to each other empathetically and attain bone deep understanding of each other within a matter of minutes. This whole encounter is in Ba Sing Se, which counts for the neutral territory because it hadn't been completely taken over by Fire Nation at that point.
And honestly? The raw vulnerability and intimacy of this scene and the high emotional energy of their powerful dynamic is just— wow. (I put off my binging spree for a whole day because I didn't have the heart to see Zutara not become canon after all of this.)
And soon after, Zuko and Katara face each other in battle, their tentative friendship torn apart, as they fight from their respective sides of the war.
EXHIBIT C:
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Whenever Oma and Shu appear in the same frame during the visualization of the legend, Oma is always on the left half of the frame and Shu is on the right.
Similarly, throughout all their interactions in the Catacombs, whenever the frame exclusively includes Zuko and Katara, Zuko (like Oma) is on the left half of the frame and Katara (like Shu) is on the right.
The parallels (or foils rather):
#1
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In CoTL, we see Song who is a healer (cures Iroh of his poisoning). She mentions that she hasn't seen her father since a Fire Nation raid took place in her village. Zuko empathises with her and says that he too hasn't seen his father in a long while. But then he refuses to say anything else about it.
Later Song tries to reach out to Zuko and tries to touch his scar— which Zuko prevents her from. She shows Zuko her own scars to show that she understood him.
And yet, Zuko doesn't open up to her.
After a while of life-changing and eye-opening experiences, in CoD, when Katara has her meltdown and cries while saying that her mother was snatched away from her by the Fire Nation; Zuko sees an opening to offer an olive branch and he takes it, he empathises with her and tells her that how his mother was snatched away by the Fire Nation as well.
Then Zuko opens up to Katara in a show of complete vulnerability. He openly talks about his scar and what he feels about it. In response, Katara offers to heal his scar and then Zuko lets her touch his scar.
It was nothing but a deliberate choice to make Song slightly parallel Katara (a healer, lost a parent because of the war) and then making Zuko not open up to her and not let her touch the scar, only for Katara to be the one he opened up to and allowed to touch the scar.
#2
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After being trapped with Aang in the cave in CoTL and sharing an intimate moment with him, as soon as they find their way out, Katara runs straight ahead without looking back.
But after her time with Zuko, trapped in the Catacombs in CoD, while leaving she turns back to look at Zuko.
Judging by the amount of time the animation puts into showing us Aang's disappointment at Katara running off and into making it clear that Katara did look back at Zuko and that Zuko looked right back at her, to me, it feels like the choice to show this was pretty deliberate.
(Turning back to look at a person while leaving is a romantic trope that has been overused to death? Or is it just bollywood?)
Also I wouldn't have paid this much attention to this small detail if not for the fact that just a hint of the Omashu legend theme is played here?
No, I swear I'm not making it up.
The Omashu legend theme is used in CoD:
The Omashu legend theme is largely dominated by the music of a stringed instrument (forgive me, I don't know what it's called) alongwith a steady melody playing in the background.
In CoD, when Katara and Zuko start conversing for real, (i.e.; when Katara says: "I'm sorry I yelled at you.") what sounds like a variation of the background melody in the Omashu legend theme, starts its subtle ascent as the background score, but sans the music of the stringed instrument.
It is when Katara says: "Maybe you could be free of it." [About Zuko's scar], when then first hint of the stringed instrument is heard. It is only a single note of the strings but it's there. And this "single note" sound keeps on repeating at regular intervals with the melody building up until Aang and Iroh burst into the catacombs.
But then, when Katara is leaving with Aang and she turns back to look at Zuko, this time the music that plays for a few seconds at best, is dominated by the stringed instrument again and this time it's unmistakable.
Also I don't think this music is used anywhere else in the course of the whole show? So it can't really be a coincidence? But I don't really know. I'm saying this on the basis of as far as my memory can reach.
And this is as far as canon stands testimony to what I am trying to say here.
But what about the second half of the story yk, the dying thing, you say?
Well this is where the speculations come in.
Speculation Time:
#1
As a thumb rule, a romance foreshadowed by a tragic tale is meant to have a happy ending.
So this time when Katara's (Shu) life is in danger (Azula's lightning bolt), Zuko (Oma) steps in at the nick of time to save her life (by jumping infront of Katara to intercept the lightning).
(Since I have crossed the limit of images in a post, here is a post by @araeph which illustrates this point.)
Yes, I am completely aware that Zuko taking the lightning bolt for Katara is not his declaration of love for her. What I mean to say is that the whole scene was so very painfully obviously romantically framed (the immediate change in music when Zuko realises where the lightning bolt was headed, both of their expressions, Zuko's agonized "Nooooo", the slow-mo throughout the shot).
I am also aware that Zuko would've taken the lightning bolt for anyone. But it is the narrative that demands that Zuko take the lightning bolt for Katara and Katara only. Because this has atleast 10 different payoffs (a direct callback to the Book 2 finale where Azula had shot Aang with the lightning; the grief of which was for Katara to bear but this time Zuko himself stands between the lightning and Katara instead of being the silent spectator, the culmination of both Zuko and Katara's personal character arcs, Zuko's scar would parallel Aang's: Aang got it because he chose Katara over the world and Zuko got it because he was willing to give up the world to save Katara, etc, etc).
Tl;dr: The lightning scene wouldn't hold all that much weight if it wasn't Zuko taking the hit for Katara because the narrative literally demands it.
#2
This is where we start wading into really murky waters.
From mucking around on Tumblr due to Zutara feels™, I came across this post where some of the ideas for Book 4 were written:
• The Southern Water Tribe experienced the longest series of attacks from the Fire Nation. Zuko and Katara become political partners and work together to help end the animosity and repair relations between their two nations.
• Just like how Zuko learned to appreciate the Earth Kingdom, he would learn to appreciate the Water Tribes. Katara also learns to respect the complexity of Fire Nation culture. There is no such thing as an “evil” nation.
And that basically means that Zuko and Katara would've been working together to de-escalate the hostility between their respective nations and improve the relations between the two nations, while learning about each other's cultures simultaneously as the world would be in the process of being rebuilt after the war and they would be major role-players in shaping the new world.
Which is quite similar to how Oma strived for peace between the two villages and then as a result of the improved relations between the villages, the city of Omashu was built as a monument to the love story of Oma and Shu; which might just be symbolic of building a new world where both the villages could live in peace due to the initiative taken by Oma on behalf of herself and Shu.
The story would've come a full circle; that's all I'm saying.
If you've stuck around for this long, thank you for taking the time to read this long ass post with points that you may already have read ♥️
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ayzrules · 3 years
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✶ 𝐇𝐗𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒: 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 & 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 & 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍   Long story short, I have been thinking about this for wayyyyy too long now and wanted to get some ~thoughts~ & analysis written down! This post is going to be...fairly long, lol. Apologies in advance :D
  Also, if you can’t see the last gif (the one for ‘holy’), click here. Tumblr keeps fucking up the image when i try to upload it :////
  This post is probably going to be about 2/3 yorknew & phantom troupe/kurapika focused, 1/3 chimera ants, maybe with some references to other arcs (including manga-only arcs) mixed in. so, ofc, tons of spoilers ahead! also, i realize that my blog theme is hard to read (and i’m p sure clicking ‘keep reading’ sends you to the og post itself), so i’m linking the post w/ full text copy/pasted in on my art backup side blog (which has a more legible font) here. 
✶ 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇   I’m sure absolutely nobody is surprised with me starting here - there is just. SO. MUCH. DEATH. in hxh. & right from the start, one thing I noticed that togashi really emphasized was the #4 and its connection to death. in japanese, chinese, and im p sure some other asian cultures the number 4 is pronounced like the word for death so it’s associated with death in general, and boy oh boy does the ‘deadly number 4′ thing show up E V E R Y W H E R E. we get to the hunter exam, and hisoka is applicant #44. kurapika is #404. i didn’t notice it at first, but this was so intentional holy shit. togashi is NOT SUBTLE.
  So pika & hisoka are, right off the bat, associated with death. okay. and then there are even more clues to drive the point home: hisoka is member #4 in the phantom troupe, kurapika’s birthday is april 4th (aka 4/4). 100% not a coincidence (!!). with hisoka, it’s pretty obvious why togashi’s throwing all this death 444444 stuff around - dude is a psycho murder pedo clown, literally gets off on killing people (and there’s also the fact that judas sits 4th from the left in the last supper painting, and he’s sort of the judas equivalent for the phantom troupe). with kurapika, though, it’s a bit more subtle and woven deeper into his characterization, which i LOVE. togashi puts the mans in blue & gold & white (traditionally ‘pure’ or ‘heavenly’ colors), makes him so fucking kind & so good-hearted.....when he’s not relentlessly pursuing his revenge, ofc. more on this in the next section, but pika = death. togashi has made that v v v clear.
  Backtracking a bit to hisoka, though, I also just wanted to point out the 4 is death symbolism in the fortunes too (GOD i love the fortunes): in one translation, he’s the false fourth moon, and in the og japanese (i think), he’s the false hare (4th in the lunar zodiac or w/e it’s called. i don’t know the japanese cultural influences here, but in the chinese legend that established the zodiac animals, they race across the heavenly river & the top 12 animals got zodiac slots. the hare finished 4th, so it’s #4 in the cycle). 
  And just as a final note, Tserriednich is the fourth prince of the kakin empire, and also another dude who has a hard-on for murder & other gory shit. again: togashi is not subtle with this, lmfao
✶ 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐘, 𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐘   As probably everyone who’s gotten to yorknew knows, togashi is so 0 fucks given when he wants to be. I mean there’s the whole thing where he just. took New York and decided, Yorknew. LMFAO, but also, he made the main antag of that arc be named chrollo lucilfer, sit around in a ruined church, have a reversed cross coat, pale & dark-haired/dark-eyed, generally dressed in dark colors, very terrible murder guy. liiiike......chrollo x devil symbolism game is 1000/10 at this point lmaooo
  And i know absolutely nothing about christianity in general, but pt/kurapika & yorknew arc is just so full of christian imagery/symbolism! one thing that i L O O O O O O V E though is how togashi really blurs the traditional christian-coded good/evil, holy/damned boundaries.
  Back to kurapika: he wears gold and blue, his coloring is very stereotypically ‘angelic’, he’s precious and good and kind. his chains are all about ~judgment~ and ~healing~ - some of the chains are also in literal cross shapes, aren’t they? And the chain dagger in his own heart...the imagery is very startlingly similar to the immaculate heart of mary, where the swords stabbing thru the heart apparently represent seven sorrows. IDK much about this stuff other than the visual similarities; literally had to google ‘daggers through heart christianity?’ to even get the name of that thing LOL. anyway, at first, it seems like togashi establishes him as the ‘angel’, the ‘good’, the ‘holy’ in the angel/devil, good/evil, holy/damned dichotomy between him and chrollo.
  But that’s not the end of the story. his entire storyline is driven by a huuuuuuuge giant desire for vengeance, first of all, and then there’s the scarlet eyes, which canonically are seen as demonic/cursed/what have you (according to one of the movies or smth? where they show pika as a 10 y/o?), and then we also have red eyes in modern culture being associated w pretty much the same thing (vampires, anyone?). the fight scene with uvo has everything in b&w besides the blood on his face & his red eyes & the moon (<<< more fortune foreshadowing & symbolism, i love to see it), and there are tonssss of scenes where he has to suppress his rage. so all of that is obviously not very angelic of him i would say LOL. in fact, what i find super interesting is that the scarlet/red eyes (which are ‘demonic’) is actually the driving factor behind his super powerful nen abilities; this ties in so well with the fortunes & death associations imo! the fortunes call him the ‘death-bringer’ in one translation, or ‘half-angel, half-death’, so that’s one side of pika = red eyes = death, but there’s also the fact that emperor time is literally draining his life force. so pika = death for both himself and others namely the pt, question mark?
  Now for chrollo: togashi’s devil symbolism is EXTREMELY overt with him, but i love the subtler jesus references too. the church thing, obviously, and the st. peters cross which is cuz st peter respected jesus too much & didn’t think he was worthy to die in the same way as him (or something like that, i am the most atheist person in the world & hxh is literally my entire christian education pls) but is also used as an anti-christianity symbol these days. bandit’s secret looks like a bible, lbr, and mans has a cross tattoo.
  Other things beyond visuals - 12 spiders, 12 apostles; hisoka’s betrayal, where member #4 can be thought to correspond to judas sitting 4th from left at last supper. and this miiiiight be a bit of a stretch, but i think the meteor city being the place of origin may also play into the blurred line between angel/devil and holy/damned here; meteors are defined as space rocks that are in earth’s atmosphere, becoming incandescent in the process. meteorites are for the kinds that actually reach the ground. and idk, lucifer was cast out of heaven / sky too right? so i think there might be some subtle fallen angel imagery/symbolism playing into the pt as well
✶ 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 (𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒)   Last section yay! i don’t have as much to say about this, besides when i was making chimera ant arc edits & realized that there might have been some subtle gon/meruem parallels???
  So obviously, everyone knows that line killua says to gon - “you are light” - and then i was just remembering that meruem’s name means.... “light that illuminates all” (!!!!). maybe it’s a coincidence, but knowing togashi, i’m leaning towards nahhhh. there HAS TO be some kinda meaning there (!!).
  Going back to the events of the chimera ant arc....ooh boy. let’s see: gon is optimistic & hopeful even in the face of kite potentially being dead, killua says he’s light, they find kite & dude is fucked up, gon is pissed. gets all angry & ~dark~, especially during the palace invasion when he’s staring pitou down as she fixes up komugi. then the actual fight against pitou: more darkness, more anger, but through it all there’s still light, namely his jajanken being very orange & fiery lookin.....and that final sequence, where he puts all his possible nen he’d ever have into his ~final form~ or wahtever & turns into a male version of true form!bisky but dressed in a crop top & short-shorts (i am SCARRED, btw. s c a r r e d !). there’s just huuuge flashes of light as that’s going on, and it reminded me of supernovas or dying stars when i was thinking about it, where the star is like, collapsing under its own weight? & burning thru its own fuel, until there’s nothing left except a dwarf or black hole or what have you. one final, extremely deadly burst of light & energy before death.
  On the meruem side of things: born into a dark cave, exhibits a traditionally evil/cruel/wicked/whatever personality/traits so that has ppl associating him with darkness. then he gets to know komugi, starts to appreciate other aspects of humanity, seems like he could have actually turned into a decent person who doesn’t want to eat everyone - so that’s a ‘path to light’, maybe? - and then the extermination team yeets themselves into the palace, netero takes him out to bumfuck nowhere, they fight. netero’s fighting is just ALL light, from his giant ass golden 100-type guanyin bodhisattva to the poor man’s rose. again, there’s the sense of finality to it all, in a similar vein to dying stars: netero comes in determined to kill meruem no matter what, and we all know netero doesn’t flake. then we see netero get destroyed after the zero hand, and he triggers the rose, and everything is burning & on fire before the flames are put out and all turns dark again.
  But wait!!! pouf & youpi revive meruem and all he does is play gungi with komugi, even with the poison of the rose. he eventually dies, and the gungi pieces in that final shot of them together (i am BAWLING just thinking about it holy shit) has one that’s all white, one that’s a black ring and white inside. i assume all white is for komugi, who has never done ANYTHING wrong in her LIFE, so i like to think that the 2nd one is for meruem - born “into darkness”, literally & figuratively, but he turns something like ‘good’ by the end. it’s interesting how togashi has sort of gone for a bit of a subversion here: the hero going from light to darkness, and the main antag from darkness to light.
✶ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍   AahhhhHHHHHhhh so if you read all the way down here through my LONG rambles, tysm! i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear what other people think about all this, and i’ve FOR SURE missed tons and tons of stuff - chimera ants is just. SO MUCH. and i don’t know it as well as yorknew eeek.
  I’m not sure if i’m really ~knowledgeable~ in any other areas relating to hxh, so this might be the only one of these that i do, but i definitely think about some of this - esp all the religious symbolism & #4 stuff - a ton! so in the meantime, if it’s of any interest, i’m just going to shamelessly plug my hxh x religious beliefs/superstitions edit series :D lots of love to all!!!
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The Critique of Manners, Part II
~Or~
A Candid Review of ITV's Emma (1997)
Disclaimer: I do know that both this and the Miramax version were released in 1996, but to avoid confusion, I refer to this one as the “1997 Emma” in reference to the US release date.
The bones of this review were written some six years ago after my initial viewing. I’ve watched it three or four times since then, two very recently (Within the past year). I’d started to soften on it in the most recent watch. So many people love it so much I thought surely maybe I’m just crazy or even wrong; until I found this blog post from 2008 (a year before my favorite version was released) that hit on almost EVERY SINGLE thing that skeeved me out about this version when I first watched it.
Like my previous review of Emma. (2020), I’ll be covering the cast and overall handling of the script in comparison with what I know from reading the book. I will also be commenting on my thoughts about the costumes (Whether they are attractive or accurate, or both, or neither) which will be a bit more in depth than it was for the 2020 version, and this will set a pattern for the costumes section going forward.
Directed by Diarmuid Lawrence with screenwriting by Andrew Davies (Or should I say “Written by Andrew Davies with direction by Diarmuid Lawrence”?), this version was  a fan-favorite among Janeites for many years for … well, reasons I’ve never been entirely certain of. I’ve read the book twice through and referenced pertinent passages MANY times besides, and really I don’t see what they’re raving about.
Let’s dive in.
Cast & Characterization
I’d known about this adaptation for a while, but I held off on watching it, largely for one reason: my apprehension about Mark Strong playing Mr. Knightley.
     I was concerned because when I watched this I had already seen Mark Strong as Sir John Conroy in The Young Victoria and as Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes, both very unpleasant characters. But there have been several occasions when I expressed displeasure with casting choices only to eat my words when I actually watched the movie. So I entered into watching this with an optimistic outlook, sure that Mark and Kate would surprise me with brilliant performances. And I would like to say that they did, but that would be an untruth.
My biggest fear about Mark Strong playing Mr. Knightley was that his rebuking of Emma was going to be a watered down version of ‘RAAAWWWRRR’ that I was familiar with, specifically because of The Young Victoria. It’s very hard for me to see Mark Strong point his finger in Emily Blunt’s face and shout at her, and then watch him do the same thing with Kate Beckinsale (only somewhat less aggressively) and expect to feel all warm and fuzzy about their romance. I expected that to be a tall order. And it was. Whenever he raises his voice, the right side of his face pulls up into a snarl. Now since it does this no matter what role he’s playing I’m guessing that’s just how his face is. It’s not his fault really and it’s almost certainly unintentional, but I’ve seen that snarl before and it does NOT belong on Mr. Knightley’s face.
   Don’t ever think I don’t LOVE Kate Beckinsale, and I don’t necessarily think that my problems with this interpretation of Emma are her fault; these things very rarely fall on the shoulders of the actual actors, but those of the screenwriters and directors who guide them. However – and I am aware that this might sound a bit harsh – I would say that at points, Kate Beckinsale’s performance in this movie (In my opinion) barely outstrips community theatre or even very good high school drama club level acting. It seems to me that there’s burden on her here to sound historical or period. This lends to this interpretation of Emma feeling at once both cold and childish (more on that later.)
Her best moments are when she runs into Jane as Jane is leaving Donwell and when she speaks with Robert Martin at the end of the film. I always like scenes where Emma tacitly apologizes to Mr. Martin, and her feeling when she invites him to Donwell is Kate’s finest moment in this movie.
I found Raymond Coulthard’s Frank Churchill insignificant at first, but on repeat viewings I really started to hate him. I don’t think Austen intended Frank’s caddishness (to use more modern vernacular I’d say he’s an utter “Douche”) to be quite this obvious on first glance. He’s a creep in this version and Raymond Coulthard is just not at all attractive to me, from his big nose to his little shark teeth.
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Olivia Williams was a good, even great, Jane Fairfax, and in my opinion does a much better job of portraying Jane’s vexation than, say, Polly Walker did (more on that next time), while still quietly looking like she’d like to arm-bar Frank rather than take his vulgar teasing lying down.
She also has the distinction of being the only Jane Fairfax who’s singing REALLY blows Emma’s out of the water, and I like that all of the songs she sings are in languages other than English (primarily Italian I think?). This achieves the double whammy of showing how much more accomplished she is than Emma by emphasizing that not only does Jane sing and play better, but she knows languages too.
Samantha Morton is a superb actress whom I love and I was sort of appalled at how she looks in this movie. Is she dying of a wasting illness? She looks like a gust of wind will carry her away, although since she looked the same in the 1997 Jane Eyre (In which she played the title role under similarly appalling direction) perhaps that was just her look that year?
Dominic Rowan, as Mr. Elton, is… there’s a perfect word to describe it and I just can’t think of it right now. Like every other young man in this movie (other than Robert Martin) he’s got this feeling of skeeviness to me but it’s more than that. It’s a dweebie-ness as well. This is so dissatisfactory to me because Mr. Elton is supposed to have every appearance of charm and agreeableness, with his only obvious fault being his over-eagerness to ingratiate himself to Emma and some rather vulgar locker-room type talk about marrying for fortune. He’s just so… (I’ve hit upon it now after some discussion with my sister) dingy. He looks less like a “very handsome young man” who “knows the value of a good income” and more like the kind of guy that scrubs up okay, but still you can tell from the rumple of his clothes and the pizzaroni odor wafting from him that he lives in his mom’s basement.
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The shining star for me in this production was Alistair Petrie as Robert Martin. I love him as an actor and especially after watching him in Cranford, I think he was an excellent choice for Harriet’s Mr. Martin.
Davies wrote the character to be a little more romantic (Actually buying Anne Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest, where originally Mr. Martin was supposed to forget to – something Emma uses as a mark against him to prove how he will age into an “gross vulgar old farmer” who is “obsessed with profit and loss”.)
I especially like an inserted scene where Mr. Martin, working in his field, sees a distressed Jane Fairfax from afar as she is walking home (I think from Donwell). I thought it drew an interesting parallel between two emotionally wronged characters that otherwise would have no interaction.
What’s with Mrs. Elton (Lucy Robinson)? I don’t think nearly enough people question this. I’ve seen it explained away as her being from Bristol and trying to make herself sound more hoity-toity to hide the fact that she’s New Money. I’m not positive on what a Bristol accent sounds like (For that is where Augusta Hawkins is from) but… this sounds like an American trying to sound posh. At some points she almost sounds Texan. It’s all very confusing, because the actress is British.  
Prunella Scales lists among her achievements being an outstanding actress and comedienne, as well as bringing into the world Samuel West, one of my all time favourite British screen crushes. She's probably best known for her work on Fawlty Towers, so its interesting to see her range as much less inscrutable Miss Bates. Her performance is by the book, but so much more engaging than Constance Chapman's 1972 offering, although i find her perhaps a shade too placid. She lacks a certain nervousness that I associate with the character (for more information, see my previous review.)
As for Bernard Hepton as Mr. Woodhouse, I can only say I. Didn’t. Like. Him. I have every consciousness of this being a personal bias. I have seen him play too many insufferable characters in too many things to like him as Emma’s lovable if tiresome father. This isn’t a knock on him or his performance; his reaction to Mrs. Elton is some great subtle visual comedy, this is just a me thing.
Another one of the better characterizations, though a relatively small role, is John Knightley. Played by Guy Henry, he is shown to be a good father, and an “Gentleman-like man”, with just the right blend of good humor and caustic comments.
Sets & Surroundings
I’d never paid MUCH attention to or questioned the houses and interiors used for estates in Austen adaptations until the 2020 version of Emma used such ridiculously lavish houses for relatively provincial gentry it forced me to sit up and pay attention. I think the houses used in this version are mostly suitable.
The part of Donwell Abbey’s exterior is played by Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. The Key words for Donwell from the text are “rambling and irregular” and while perhaps not as big as the Former Claremont House (Which, it is believed, was Austen’s inspiration for Donwell Abbey) it definitely is a suitable architectural style and situation and furthermore, having been purchased in the 19th century by a glove manufacturer and having been up to that point left in a little bit of a state of disrepair, fits the “neglect of prospect” Austen describes as well. Its interiors are a cobble-work of the Great Hall at Broughton Castle (Oxfordshire), various rooms at Stanway House (Gloucestershire), and the Strawberry beds at Thame Park (Oxfordshire)
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(Top, left – Sudeley Castle; Bottom left – Trafalgar Park; Right – Dorney Court)
Trafalgar Park in Wiltshire and its interiors (a minty sage-green drawing-room fitting in perfectly with the mint-chocolate – primarily chocolate – color palette of the production) played the role of the Woodhouse’s home, Hartfield. A typical Georgian style house in red brick, I believe is consistent with Austen’s description of a “well built, modern house”.
Dorney Court in Buckinghamshire was used for Randalls, Mr. Weston’s recently purchased estate. It’s a Tudor style red brick house and it looks pretty on the mark from the front facade, but I think it’s still too big for a “small estate” with only two guest rooms (Although there’s no panic about the snow in this version – perhaps because it’s already snowing when they set out.)
My biggest problem is the lighting of this movie. I understand natural lighting and I LOVE it when you can even it out – but it is so dark in the evening scenes that it adds to the colorlessness of an already colorless production.
Fashion
Oh Jenny Beavan. You are a well-respected costume designer with good reason. However, I know that most of these costumes are rentals, but why is every-fucking-thing in this movie a shade of brown, beige or green?
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As you can see, a rich tapestry of brown and beige. And this isn’t selective. this is (just about) every day-wear outfit in the movie (barring repeats and a few exceptions that I’ll give mention to below.)
Emma’s outerwear is brought to you by Hershey’s Chocolate. Also I’m not certain but I think  that her light brown redingote is the same one as Elinor’s in the 1995 Sense and Sensibility? If anyone can confirm, drop it in the comments.
Perhaps the evening wear will be more colorful?
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Barely – Mrs. Weston in a brownish orange; Mrs. John Knightley in an orange-ish brown; Emma gets a dark blue? Or is that just the wintery glow from the window on a dark green velvet? Green (either so dark it’s almost black, or washed-out mint) appears to be the only color Emma is allowed to wear other than brown or ivory/white. Even her gown for the Crown Inn Ball (upper right) is an underwhelming and rather dingy ivory. The champagne number she wears for Christmas at Randalls is not only lack-lustre, but also sports what I’m now calling a “Bridgerton Bust” (where the Empire waist comes up too high, with the seam apparently resting across her bust rather than under it.)
The pink frock (seen properly only from the back) on Mrs. Weston is as close to real color as a main character gets in this production, and can be recognized as one of Jane Bennet’s dresses from the previous year’s Pride and Prejudice.
Even Jane Fairfax doesn’t get a break. Rather than putting her in Jane Fairfax Blue ™ (honestly, Jane Fairfax being costumed in blue is so consistent at this point Crayola should just name a crayon in her honor - this is gonna come back in future reviews) she gets a black-green evening number with no trim at all, and a succession of what the Ladies over at Frock Flicks like to call the “Dumpy Regency Little White Dress”, or drab gray-blues.
Some of the background dancers in the Crown Inn Ball scene get to wear pink! Why not put Harriet in a nice pink frock for this scene?! Why is this so difficult?!
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Strawberry picking at Donwell is the only time main characters are consistently wearing identifiable colors that aren’t brown or green: Mrs. Weston in pink, Miss Bates in (oddly the most colorful dress of them all) a nice refreshing lavender blue; Jane gets grey/blue and Mrs. Elton, a pastel mint. Harriet is also given a little break in Mrs. Elton’s introduction scene in a (very) pastel blue frock, while Emma sports white (with a trademark green shawl.)
So how about the...
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Similarly dull. I almost screamed for joy when I saw that Frank’s jacket was actually blue, and a vibrant blue at that. (The red is too close to brown, I’m sorry.)
So yes, in short the costumes, while perfectly technically accurate (I didn’t get a lot of caps of them but the trousers sufficiently tight, not that I care to look), are drab as a peahen.
As always I’ll outsource any dancing critique by linking Tea With Cassiane on YouTube, since I find her insights on the approach to dancing in Austen adaptations just fascinating and I would like to share such witty and informed reviews.
The Andrew Davies of it All…
*Strong Opinions Ahead*
There are so many reasons why this adaptation isn’t for me. First of all the very idea of making Emma, one of Austen’s most socially complex works (certainly her most vivid) into a sparse 107 minutes is baffling to me. Perhaps I can understand if it’s a Theatrical release but this is a TV production. Why not at least make it a two part special?
And besides the issue that, in order to make this fit the time frame, the story is severely truncated, there’s… the Andrew Davies of it all.
I have some issues with Andrew Davies’ screenwriting for this adaptation particularly. A LOT of issues. Where does one start? I think Knightley is a good place.
It’s not just the casting I don’t like here; but it does say something to me that they chose Mark Strong for this role. It’s a casting decision I discovered with disbelief when I first saw clips from this version in a Period Drama men compilation video on YouTube. I mentioned above that I know Mark Strong as unpleasant characters with man-handling habits. That’s the kind of role Mark Strong is associated with because that’s just what he does well. And I think this played into the casting here, because Davies’ interpretation of Knightley is a bit… fierce. He shouts SO MUCH in this movie and in scenes like the Harriet Smith debacle (where Mr. Knightley of the book even gets a bit angry with Emma) I can understand this, perhaps. But in the book Mr. Knightley takes many pauses to collect and calm himself, because his goal is not to quarrel with Emma but to argue a point. 97 Knightley takes no such pauses and spends the whole scene in what some might call an escalating rage.
Knightley’s cheerful arrival to Hartfield to tell Emma that Robert Martin intended to propose to Harriet is cut out so we start right off with his indignant exclamation of “She refused him?!” and it’s all go from there. To make matters worse, Emma’s own arguments are crippled by Davies’ editing. Many of her more (what might even latterly be considered “feminist”) arguments are cut out. In fact once Knightley gets going, he juggernauts his way through all of his rebukes and speeches from the book, but Emma hardly gets a word in edgewise after arguing that Robert Martin is not Harriet’s equal. What Austen wrote as a heated debate is turned by Davies into a one-sided tirade. (By don’t take my word for it, watch the clip.)
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The final cherry on top is having Emma, after Knightley leaves the room with the last word firmly in his grasp, childishly pout “You are wrong Mr. Knightley, and you will see you are wrong and then you will be sorry.” I half expected her to cross her arms and stomp her foot. Worth noting is the fact that Davies adds an additional “It was badly done. Emma,” in this scene where there was none in the book. Rather overkill to my mind. Is this his catchphrase?
At Box Hill, Davies has Knightley begin his climactic rebuke of Emma’s insulting behavior by grabbing her arm and hauling her aside, and concludes by leading her, still holding her arm, to the carriage. Well at least he doesn’t shout at her in this scene; but again, all but one of Emma’s responses are cut out and she stands there, pouting until Mr. Knightley leaves and then she bursts into tears.
When Mr. Knightly proposes to Emma I was feeling good about this scene, until he dropped the “I held you when you were three weeks old” line, and I immediately felt uncomfortable. Maybe you DON’T want mention how you held her when she was a baby after you asked her to MARRY you. But perhaps worse is Emma’s response to the line: “Do you like me as well now as you did then?”
Bringing up holding Emma when she was three weeks old at the proposal (A line which was not in the book) is bad enough but there seems to be a peculiar repeated emphasis on Knightley recalling Emma as a baby. He dragged it up previously when he and Emma make up after the Harriet debacle, as he holds John and Isabella’s baby daughter (whose name, I would mention, is Emma.) In this instance too, the line is a Davies addition.
Let’s talk about Knightley’s strawberry line.
This is delivered in voice-over as a transition to the strawberry picking party at Donwell, and is portrayed as a formal invitation: “Mr. Knightley invites you to taste his strawberries, which are ripening fast.”
At first I was confident that I was reading too much into this (but I think at this point I can safely say that I’m not). I can’t help bursting out laughing every time I hear that line. It was a questionable way to word that if you ask me, especially considering that this is (once again) NOT the line in the book, and it was NOT a formal invitation. It was said to Mrs. Elton and intended to be a joke.  
“You had better explore Donwell then,” replied Mr. Knightly “That may be done without horses. Come and eat the strawberries; they’re ripening fast.”
   ‘ If Mr. Knightly did not begin seriously, he was obliged to proceed so...’
   And here I thought Janeites hated adaptations that cut out “Miss Austen’s biting wit.”
To top it all off, we have Frank Churchill (Who I have already pointed out is a bit of a creep in this adaptation and even more detestable than he already was as Austen wrote him) praising Jane: this would be fine, if he wasn’t drooling into Emma’s ear about the turn of Jane’s throat, (He actually utters this line)
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and how fine his dead aunt’s jewels will look against her skin. May I just be the first to say “Ehewhegaugh”.
I juxtapose this with the book where Frank's lines are almost exactly as Davies renders them, except Jane Austen never wrote the "have you ever seen such a skin?" Line. The difference i have highlighted in bold:
"... She is a complete angel. Look at her. Is she not an angel in every gesture? Observe the turn of her throat. Observe her eyes as she looks up at my father. --- You will be glad to hear that my uncle intends to give her all my aunt's jewels. They are to be new set. I am resolved to have some in an ornament for the head. Will it not be beautiful in her dark hair?"
Because talking about how pretty your fiancee's hair is, is normal and marginally less creepy than talking about what a fine skin she has or how lovely your (i cannot stress this part enough) dead aunt's jewels will look against it. Davies' script also makes no mention of having them reset, which makes me think he’s talking about the actual necklaces and bracelets Mrs. Churchill would have worn.
But hey, maybe its just a me thing.
Harriet Smith’s story suffers, primarily, I can with some candor admit, due to the time constraints. After Mr. Elton is married, we never see Harriet in any distress. It’s almost as though she’s forgotten all about it! Emma never has to appeal to her to exert herself or to move on. Perhaps this is better than Doran Godwin’s Emma gaslighting Harriet and manipulating her by constantly chastising her for… well general heartbreak (but that’s a bugaboo for a different review.)
My last complaint of note is that ludicrous harvest feast at the end of the movie. The whole concept of this scene just does not seem at all Janely to me. I was under the impression that I was meant to be watching an Austen. Not some bullshit Thomas Hardy knock-off. This is another Davies touch and I hate it more on the principal that it is one of his numerous, obsessive tweaks made solely to point out the existence of the lower classes.
If Davies wanted to show Mr. Knightley’s being an attentive landlord and gentleman farmer then I don’t see why he couldn’t just show Knightley actually running his farm?
“Okay’, you might say, “but I think the highlighting of the servants is to show how good Knightley is by treating them like real people compared to everyone else”, and I hear you. And in the situations where that is the case, like him greeting the Woodhouse’s butler and asking after his family I think that’s totally fine and in character. But things like the servants moving the knee cushions every time someone moves down the line at strawberry picking, to me, is AS ridiculous as the “servants clipping the lawn on their hands and knees with tiny scissors” trope. Like we get it, people took the lower classes for granted, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that it would be easier and more realistic to have Mrs. Elton have to move her own knee cushion. I don’t think Knightley would instruct his servants, who he treats so well, to do that kind of thing, but you could write in Mrs. Elton’s expectation of it if you wanted. It seems like the kind of thing she would expect the landed gentry to do.
Screenwriter for some of the best loved Austen’s (including the sacrosanct 1995 P&P Mini-series and my favorite Sense & Sensibility), I thought of Davies for years as untouchable; until Sanditon happened and left everyone who knows anything about Jane Austen really wondering where this mess came from. I put it to you now that it was there in Davies all along.
Davies admitted, when talking about the drastic “Sexing Up” he did in Sanditon that he felt Austen’s works could have done with a bit more sex appeal. I can hardly disagree and additions like Darcy’s little swim in the pond and Edward Ferrars’ angsty wood-chopping are welcome and beloved. But it seems that what he really wanted all along was what he gave us in Sanditon; and finally, without actual source material to stand in his way, he had a chance let his dirty old man show and gave “Austen” the sexing up he thought it needed.
And it gets more troubling as you look back.
In my opening paragraph to this review I mentioned a 2008 blog post that not only agreed with me that there’s something very off about this screenplay, but gave me some possible insights as to why. It points out numerous things that I have always questioned in this version but have never seen anyone else criticize (though I am informed that more recently it has gained its’ share of critics). In fact the post itself actually points out that almost no one in the Austen Blog-sphere had (at that point) criticized this version’s faults in any meaningful way, but my favorite thing about it is that it points out what you find in Davies’ screenplay if you pay careful attention to it “Rather than sitting there and cataloguing what is “technically faithful and whatnot”.
Many Austen bloggers have kind of been playing Miss Taylor to Davies’ Emma for some two decades and change.
The most troubling thing of all is Davies own comments on Mr. Knightley (and other things, more inferred in his screen play). All of the aspects of this interpretation of Knightley that I mentioned earlier seem to stem from the fact that, as quoted in Sarah Caldwell’s book on his works, Davies thinks there’s “Something odd going on with Knightley.”
Davies clearly reads foul, or at least questionable, intentions in Mr. Knightley but I find it interesting that, rather than cutting out material he may have found troubling about Knightley in the book out of his screenplay, he doubled down by adding MORE troubling lines and situations (that were never in the book at all, and imagined solely by himself) in a romantic story with a happy ending.
Perhaps there’s not so much something odd going on with Knightley, Mr. Davies, but with you.
Final Thoughts
At this point I might ask what it is that everyone sees in this version that makes them think it’s so perfect, but that would be a bit pointless since all I’ve read since I discovered this version is people on elaborating on just that and I don’t care to hear much more.
“The lines are verbatim!” textually, perhaps, but it’s the ones that added that trouble me.
“The leads have so much chemistry!” I’m glad you think so, but I can’t find it.
“The costumes are damn near perfect!” And brown. So, so very brown.
As a 90's TV period drama, this version is pretty standard. It sticks to the book (except in those places where the screenwriter saw fit to dabble with some subtle but troubling suggestions about the characters.) And if it floats your boat, as always I'm glad it gives you what you want from the story.
I know I hold unpopular opinions on Jane Austen adaptations, and perhaps this is one of them, but every time I watch this version I feel the need to read the book as a cleanse. Perhaps Davies’s ferocious Knightley was simply a pendulum swing reaction to Douglas McGrath’s almost too laid back interpretation in the Miramax film from earlier in 1996, but even if that’s the case it’s just uncalled for and is my biggest turn off for this film.
Tone: 3
Ribbon Rating: Badly Done! (40 Ribbons)
Casting: 5
Acting: 6
Scripting: 4
Pacing: 2
Cinematography: 4
Setting: 3
Costumes: 5
Music: 2
Book Accuracy: 6
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blushing-titan · 3 years
Note
I think the only legitimate parallels between Eren and Fritz are-
1) being referred to as "The Devil" for obvious reasons- Fritz used Ymir's powers to control the world while Eren used it to destroy humanity. The difference is that Fritz wasn't using the titan power directly while Eren does.
2) different meanings of "You Are Free." being said to her. Fritz said this as mockery while Eren was genuine about it.
Are there more parallels you think could work?
To be honest, the two parallels you mentioned are the only ones I could come up with as well...aside from them, I can't really think of anything else.
As for the devil parallel, it can also be tied to the whole "Devil of All Earth" legend. According to it, titans appeared because Ymir made the deal with this mythical creature...(some visual spoilers and my erehisu sentiment 🙃 under the cut)
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...but, as we know, the reality was different. Quote from AoT Wiki (...please, keep in mind that it was written pre-139) :
While Eldian mythology depicts Ymir Fritz as a woman who made a deal with the Devil, the ironic reality is that Ymir, a slave, entered into an unwanted arrangement with King Fritz to use her Titan powers to further Eldia's dominance and prosperity. In exchange, Ymir was forced to become the King's concubine as an unfortunate "reward". All of this heavily fueled by Ymir's lack of free will.
With that in mind (...and knowing the fact that King Fritz was called a devil too), the picture above could also be interpreted as Ymir entering that gross arrangement with Fritz.
Interestingly, in the book read by young Historia, the girl is named Krista, and the devil looks quite different - it has a cloak and a lamp (...and kinda looks like the Attack Titan)....
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...and then, as ch. 130 came out, a lot of Erehisu fans (me, as well) thought it could be a parallel to this scene:
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...so a lot of us got excited, hoping that perhaps the story was repeating itself, but this time on entirely different rules and with different outcome; with two sides acting out of their own free will and with no malicious intensions towards each other, but instead with the goal of achieveing freedom and ending the titan curse (...as opposed to starting it), perhaps by freeing Ymir from the paths.
Yeah, we know that ultimately nothing came out of this. I'm not gonna be salty about it - just thought it was interesting, since we were elaborating on the whole devil thing anyway.
As for the You are free parallel - I like how it's meaning is literally opposite for Eren and King Fritz. One more reason as to why I absolutely hate the "Ymir finds Mikasa relatable" plot twist. Their situations are not comparable at all - sure, Mikasa is heavily (...and unhealthy) obsessed, but Eren is nowhere near Fritz. He's not enslaving or torturing her, he genuinely cares about her and wants her to live a long, happy life. Mikasa has always been free to go and Eren even asks her a few times to move on.
I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over trying to state how much I dislike this comparison, so this time I'll react with this Doja gif, instead:
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Anyway, thanks so much for writing (and sorry if I ended up drifting away from the topic!). As always, hope you're doing amazing 😄
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sassassassins · 3 years
Text
#showyourprocess
From planning to posting, share your process for making creative content!
To continue supporting content makers, this tag game is meant to show the entire process of making creative content: this can be for any creation.
RULES — When your work is tagged, show the process of its creation from planning to posting, then tag 5 people with a specific link to one of their creative works you’d like to see the process of. Use the tag #showyourprocess so we can find yours!
I was tagged by @baoshan-sanren for this word of honor set (thank you!!!)
I'll be tagging:
@cescedes for this wangxian set with really interesting blue coloring
@thatgothsamurai for this fanart of Wen Kexing that lives in my head rent free at all times
@yvlan​ for this lovely lwj set
@ostardust for this heartrending wangxian set (especially the last gif with the blue coloring in the trees)
@absentia123 for this aesthetic edit of Wen Ning
no pressure, especially if you’ve been tagged already or if you made the edit a while ago!!
I was very excited about this set. I started thinking about it when I was writing a meta about Zhou Zishu that included the line "A ghost and an assassin, two entities who should never see the light of day, walk side by side in the human realm."
I thought that could serve as a summary for the drama as a whole, so I tweaked the wording and turned it into a gifset.
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Process:
1. Choose moments -
gif 1 was Zhou Zishu as an assassin, so it had to be ep 1
gif 2 had to parallel gif 1 with a shot of Wen Kexing looking towards the camera, and I wanted a moment with the red robes, so ep 31
gif 3 has the text "step into," so I chose the moment in 32 when Zishu steps towards Kexing for a visual pun
gif 4 had to be episode 37 when they're diffused in light (I found 37 on tumblr, downloaded it, and cropped it to avoid the subtitles)
That also meant the set started with Zhou Zishu's first appearance and ended with the final shot of the whole show, and it set up a nice color gradient of dark to light.
2. Import video frames to layers in photoshop - I have the raw .mp4 files downloaded, dm me if you want to know where to get them. I use frame animation, so I then selected 63 frames for each gif and set the frame rate to 0.07. I really like all gifs in a set to be the same length, and I think 0.07 usually looks natural and smooth, so I try to have my number of frames as multiples of 7. Does that matter? Probably not, but it makes me feel better.
3. Create smart object from layers
4. Add base coloring - for Word of Honor, I borrow @zhouszishu 's coloring as a base, which they shared here. I do my own coloring for cql sets, but their WoH base coloring is gorgeous and I like saving time.
5. Add text - I used Trajan Pro Bold, which is a basic font that comes with photoshop. I tried using a fancy font I downloaded from the internet first, but then I realized I didn’t know what I was doing and gave up. :)
6. Sharpen gif - I follow this glossy sharpening tutorial
And now for the fun part -- figuring out how to add effects!! I am a photoshop newbie in many ways, so I was looking at tutorials while doing this.
The process was largely the same on each gif, so I'll break down the most complicated one:
I had the base gif and the base coloring, and I wanted to make the background red.
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Following this tutorial, I used a giant soft brush (300-400 pixels, 0% hardness) and colored the background red, then set the blending mode to color. I did the same thing in black around the edges, but with blending mode soft light. There was still some blue showing through between the ribs of the fan, so I used hue/saturation to desaturate the blues to make it less obvious.
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Then I added the text and set the blending mode on the text to "difference" to get the effect of reversing whatever is behind it.
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I then added a gradient mask (solid to transparent), clipped the mask to the text layer, and played around with it until the gradient was visible, but you could still read the text.  And we end up with this!!
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I then repeated that with each gif, and made additional adjustments on each, including using a giant soft brush in black around the border of gif 1 to make the rooftop less visible and intensifying the greens in gif 3
I had subtly different versions of gif 1 and gif 4 saved, because I wanted the text to dissolve into the background, but also to make sure you could still read it. I also made an alternate version of gif 3. I like to save multiple versions and usually an alternate gif or two to make sure I actually like the way things look when they're uploaded. So I made this:
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But I decided that final version was more satisfying even though the text placement is meh, because he actually completes the movement before the loop restarts.
And that's it!! Nothing too complicated, and I am in awe of so many other creators on this site. But thanks for tagging me!
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verobatto · 4 years
Text
Family of gods
15x02 "Raising Hell" Visual Narrative Meta
Hi, my dears, this is a miscellaneous meta about Chuck, Amara and Jack and how they were represented in the visual Narrative in this episode.
Let's start...
Hindu Gods
If you pay attention to the pictures on the wall and the how Chuck and Amara are spotted on the frame you will see this...
Amara is positioned by Vishnu picture.
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Why is Amara related with Vishnu? Because Vishnu is power, and equilibrium, she has a lotus flower... Remember AUMichael? Wearing a lotus flower ring in his hand? Talking about purity? Well this deity has a lotus flower in one hand.
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And Chuck is related with Brahma ...
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Because Brahma is the Creator, with a lotus flower too, he's a mature man with a large beard and four heads that represents the big knowledge, and he has too four arms. Each head symbolizes one of the four aspect of human science...
1) The rationale being
2) The physical being
3) The emotional being
4) The intuitive being.
Is obvious this is Chuck, but... Why he isn't the deity next to him? Because the one god I see is this one here...
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His name is Shiva, the destroys and rebuild, he gives new life and new world. He renews the world. And my head went to Jack. This deity has a snake in his neck... Who was related to a sneak in season 14 Whith all the symbolism I pointed about that snake? (Knowledge, new skin, circle of life?) Remember? (New life?) Yes. It was Jack. And this is the meta I wrote back then.
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Pic credit @carryonmyangelwithashotgun
So, this is Jack who'll come to renew this world, this is accurate with my spec about Jack being the new god.
And why is him in that spot with Chuck, because Jack will replace him? We'll see.
But this scene can be readed like this... Chuck the creator, and Amara the one with the power now, because Chuck is lowering his powers thanks to the equalizer shot in his shoulder. Amara is the one with powers and it show because Chuck needs her .
Also this one here ..
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This was pointed by my friend @agusvedder , she said LOOK SHE IS STANDING RIGHT ON CAS!! But I recalled light blue and white in the last season represented Chuck, so maybe she's on Chuck now. Because she's the powerful one now in the family.
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And because we are talking about how this was a forshadow from season 14... And the lotus flowers in theses deities lead us to AUMichael... This scene could be related with this one here ..
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Gif credit @kingofthecrxssroads
Is a parallel with 14x09
I talked in my Destiel meta how this dialogue between brother and sister and this break up, could be representing a foreshadow for the lovers Separation.
To Conclude:
.Is very interesting how they spotted the scene between Chuck and Amara, showing us behind them Hindi deities, representing Chuck, Amara and Jack.
There was a foreshadow of this in season 14 with the whole obsession about purity from AUMichael, wearing a lotus flower and talking about family with Jack, and there was a foreshadow of Jack's destiny when they related him with that snake: will he be the one to renew the world? New Life?
I hope you like this! See you in the next meta!
Tagging @metafest @gneisscastiel @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @agusvedder @weirddorkylittlediana @michyribeiro @whyjm @koshisekisen @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @angelneedshunter @trickster-archangel @dea-stiel @mybonsai1976 @anarchiana @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @destielshipper221b @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @feathered-castiel @bre95611 @zoerayne2426 @justmeand-myinsight @proccastinate @tenshilover20
Buenos Aires October 19th 2019 10:33 AM
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valkerymillenia · 4 years
Text
Umbrella Academy
season 2, episode 8
Once again- live blogging my thoughts and reactions in one post to avoid spamming.
So this is how the FBI gets their hands on Vanya, huh? Seems most fan theories were wrong.
Oh, Sissy's last name is Cooper!
I did wonder about that -how did remember her name despite forgetting everything else? If she knew her name then she should have been able to remember other little fragments.
Of course the feds focus on the fact that her name is Russian. Cold war bullshit. I guess they think she's a spy or since Russian sleeper soldier or something.
"I'm not Russian" -you kinda are though 😅 Tatiana was Russian and gave birth to you in Moscow sooo...
DID VANYA JUST SPEAK RUSSIAN?!
Is that one of the 7 languages that Reggie all the siblings or....? Does it... Does it have something to do with her powers or her birth place?
"simple-minded boy"? FUCK YOU.😠
"communist threat" there it is 🙄
Oh no, she's losing her cool. Here come the powers... I keep wondering how she does that 'sucking the life' out of someone thing. 🤔
That's a lot of puke.
Poor Five, he's starting to crack under the stress.
Why is Ben gagging? He's dead, he shouldn't be able to feel or smell the puke.
Loving Robert's real curls starting to show.
"I regret nothing" -hmm.... Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.
"there's a giant dead white boy on my couch" 😆
"Oh, I see. It's gonna be one of those kind of nights, huh? So are we burning or burying?" -this is why I love Klaus! He doesn't even flinch, he doesn't care what happened, he doesn't ask, he just immediately decides that he's going to help his sister get rid of a dead body like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Although, it would be interesting if Klaus actual saw the Swede ghosts too. I just want Klaus to be seeing ghosts everywhere again, ok? I want that struggle from season 1 to be brought back and not swept under the rug for plot convenience. As a writer, if you make something an important character trait, you stick with it and they haven't done that with Klaus, they are half-assing his struggle with his powers.
It's the Swede really going to...? Oh good, saved by the cat.
Oh! So that's what "lavender" means! I was right, it was the perfume, it was probably obvious but I'm a little dumb.
Ah! Lila is trying to hire Diego for the Commission???
Diego is so confused.
"colorful history" sounds so wrong and sexual 😣
Diego is so full of bullshit. His loyalties absolutely lie with his family, he's just too defensive to admit it.
Reginald FRAMED Pogo's family drawing? So he's a better dad to the chimp than his own kids, huh?
THE TELEVATOR!!!!!!! PLANS FOR THE TELEVATOR!!!! I love comic references, please tell me we'll see a real televator in the show!
So Reggie really is planning something about JFK...
"are you involved in something nefarious?" "Quite often. Did you have something more specific in mind?" -at least he owns it 😆
"shaggy man" -ah! Poor Diego!
Reggie really loves this Grace, huh? But she has a point.
Five is losing it a bit, huh?
The baby powder 🤣
"I have to find myself" -RIGHT! I was wondering when this would come up! Old!Five was there for the JFK thing so Five just has to find his old self and his briefcase in order to correct all this mess. More comic references!
"arguably the most dangerous assassin in the time-space continuum" -DAMN RIGHT 💯
"paradox psychosis" 🤣I know it's supposed to be super serious but the symptoms are so funny...
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"a spotter? What is that? Like a wingman?" 😆 This parallels that "Body man? What's that? Like a masseuse?" line in s02e02 where Five is the confused one.
Five, do you really think your brother can stop you if you spiral? Because I don't.
Luther doesn't have a great attention span, does he?
Harlan's drawing is interesting... I get a feeling it's important.
Shit, they are torturing Vanya!! This is so bad!
LSD? LSD?????? No, that's a terrible idea with her powers!!!
Eeeewwwww the eyeballs! 👁️
That's a hell of a bad trip... The way the music makes with the visuals reminds me of my synesthesia though.
Oh! So this is where the scene of all the adult siblings in the Academy uniforms is from!!! (I remember someone saying it was Diego dreaming of having a drugged hallucination in the asylum, they were pretty close! It's Vanya drugged by the FBI instead!)
"I get you" -that is not the face of a person that gets this at all, Luther!
"Don't freak out." -like that ever worked 😆
Lila trying to have her cake and eat it too with her mom and Diego.
That informational video 🤣🤣🤣
Free coffee! Weekly donuts* (*fees apply)! Wow, so tempting 😒
"whatever your skill, education, or comfort level with moral ambiguity (...)" 😆
Are the Fives just having a staring contest? 🤣🤣
Ah! How can Five be bitchy and aggressive to HIMSELF 😆
"all those years on the apocalypse, we never stopped working about our family." -why does Luther look so damn surprised to hear this?? Why the hell does he think Five is doing so this for?!
Wow, Five is really bitter about his body, isn't he? He's making old!Five so nervous 😅
Oops, there's stage 4 for old!Five!
And there's stage 3 as well and stages 5 and 6 for little!Five.
I get a feeling Five doesn't really have the accurate calculations, he's just lying and using the originals.
"I don't trust him!" -he's... He's you...14 days ago! How do you not trust yourself?
"but he's you" "exactly" 🤣🤣🤣
I'm so afraid how what Diego is going to do. I get a feeling hell fuck up trying to be a misguided hero again...
"I'm Diego. I have a knife." 😆
"it's very shiny" 🤣
So Diego is a legend, huh? 😏
"there's been a coup d'etat" "what's that? Cadillac?" -don't play dumb, Diego, I don't believe for a single second that you don't know what a coup is.
So the new apocalypse WAS Vanya's fault but by proxy (actually more the FBI's fault), she was just a small domino. So literally the only one that didn't actively do anything to impact the timeline ends up being the one doing the most damage (again)? PLOT TWIST!
Oh no, DON'T GET ANY IDEAS ABOUT YOUR SISTER, DIEGO! YOU SAW HOW BADLY THAT ENDED LAST TIME!
No, I refuse to believe "she will always be the bomb" 😠😠😠😠
LOL, hi, Dot!
NO! LUTHER, YOU MORON! DON'T GIVE HIM ALL THAT INFO! YOU'LL CHANGE EVERYTHING AND CEASE TO EXIST!!!
These dumb siblings exhaust me
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"little jerk-off" -why are you insulting yourself, you weirdo? 😆
Old!Five with all the PP symptoms and yet he says he never felt better in his life 🤣
"you're getting paranoid" -you both are, and sweaty, itchy and gassy. All that's missing is the homicidal rage at this point 😅
Vanya's hallucination shows us a twisted paranoid view she has of her siblings and it's very interesting:
-Ben is protective, defends her, he can do no harm, probably because he died young so nostalgia blurs her memory of him
-Allison defends her but is also arrogant and condescending, speaking as if she's implying that Vanya is weak, probably because Vanya feels that Allison is perfect and has an inferiority complex
-Luther is just as arrogant and looks down her, calling her lazy, but does so without malice (more mockery than anger)
-Klaus is accusing and suspicious but still on the fence and excitable, probably reflecting Vanya's own doubts and how she herself sees Klaus
-Five just stares, judging and silent but unable to look away, probably because she trusts him but she also doesn't know him, there's the same nostalgia effect as Ben but because Five came back (to stop her) the inferiority and fear of judgement is still there
-Diego is completely different, awkward and detached, this one is the most interesting because he's one of the people that was most vocal and mean against her in season 1 but apparently she sees a kindred spirit in him to an extent, either that or she fears she means nothing to him
Maybe I'm overanalyzing again...
I totally predicted the dishes would be brains but it's still gross.
Ew, the chewing... 😫 It's giving me the creeps.
Why is she seeing Harlan's drawing? She was gone already when he made that particular drawing (I knew it would be important), is she connected to him now??
And how does she remember her own birth??
Holy shit, Harlan is feeling Vanya's pain!!!😲😲😲
"why are people so much heavier when they're dead?" "You got a lot of practice at this?" 😅
Ben and Klaus conversation actually makes me feel a bit better about the possession but it makes no sense at all 🤣
Poor Ray keeps meeting in-laws in the weirdest situations 🤣🤣🤣🤣 his face! 🤝
Ray is having a nervous breakdown 😣 poor guy...
The moment Lila notices Diego is missing, the intercom chimes "Loyalty isn't a choice, it's a lifestyle" and if that isn't foreshadowing for Lila choosing sides then I don't know what is.
This is a really painful way for Vanya to recover her memories but it's so well done!
Holy shit... 😳
Klaus asking the real question here. She's being tortured, Klaus, go help!!!
HOLY SHIT! HARLAN HAS VANYA'S POWERS NOW?!
No, no, no,no, no, no nononononono! This is so bad! A child with a disorder that makes emotions hard to regulate suddenly having an apocalyptic level of power that connects directly to emotion is just a recipe for disaster!
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ducktracy · 4 years
Text
146. don’t look now (1936)
release date: november 7th, 1936
series: merrie melodies
director: tex avery
starring: tex avery (egbert), berneice hansell (cathleen, bear cubs), tommy bond (devil, cupid cuckoo bird), martha wentworth (woman woodpecker), billy bletcher (devil cuckoo bird)
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the first of quite a few cartoons where tex avery has supplied his own voice. the only other directors i can think of who have done voices in cartoons are bob clampett (who was also the source of the famous BEOWIP/BOIP sound effects) and cal howard (who would voice gabby in clampett’s get rich quick porky. ironically, tex avery would supply his laugh in a cal howard and cal dalton cartoon, porky’s phoney express.) regardless—it’s valentine’s day, and cupid is itching to do some matchmaking. but, as isaac newton taught us, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. in this case, a little devil is the opposite reaction, ready to break some hearts.
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it’s valentine’s day, as indicated by a valentine card popping up on the screen reading “will you be my valentine?” fade to a beautiful layout of dan cupid’s humble abode, a fittingly heart shaped home, mailbox... even the butterflies flittering about have noticeably heart shaped wings. the interior is no different than the exterior: cupid’s asleep in his heart shaped bed, when a heart shaped cuckoo bird pops out of a heart shaped cuckoo clock, calling “time’s a-wastin’!”
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cupid wakes up in an instant and bounds over to his exposed shower (reminiscent of a chemical shower in your local biology lab), quickly dousing himself one water and toweling off. he pulls his arrow holder out from the umbrella stand, tearing off a page of the calendar. “well! st. valentine’s day! my big day!” a cute and clever visual as cupid heads outside, right to his garden, where rows of arrows sprout up from the soil. cupid grabs his lawn mower and makes his way across the field, the arrows neatly piling into his holster over his head.
a good bit of personality is exuded as cupid prepares for the big day with some target practice. first, he shoves a pile of playing cards inside a toaster. he pulls the lever down with his foot, and as he engages in his airborne game of 52 pickup, he shoots numerous arrows at the cards, pinning them all against a tree in the shape of a heart, with an ace of hearts right in the middle. to further display some naïve pride (bordering cockiness), cupid fires an arrow through a hole in the tree, the arrow curving and returning to him through a hollow log. placing an apple on his head in the meantime, cupid still manages to hit his target successfully. and for good measure, he engages in a quick round of a duck shooting carnival game. he pings all of his wooden ducks down in an instant, save for one, who panics and attempts to flee the arrow. nevertheless, he too gets hit. an amusing gag with a good balance of cute and funny. satisfied, cupid embarks, leaving a sign on his front gate that reads GONE HUNTING.
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meanwhile, we have a very clever parallel with a strong sense of juxtaposition. now focus on a little devil cherub, whose house is almost exactly like cupid’s, though adorned with foreboding, “evil” furniture, including an asbestos pillow. his cuckoo clock, a boiler, opens up to reveal a billy bletcher voiced bird who announces “crime marches on!” the devil awakens and hops out of his bed, which is actually one giant frying pan (or burner, or grill, or whatever you want to call it.) he too takes a shower, bathing in the cool, refreshing red hot flames pouring out of the shower head. already the parallels are humorous and clever, heightened by how obvious they are. the devil repeats the same calendar shtick as cupid, declaring “well! st. valentine’s day! my big day!” outside, the devil’s mood isn’t nearly as cheery as cupid. he scoffs at the audience, kicking a line of cans with malice as he trudges along. “aw, this valentine day gag is the bomb! love, kisses, sweethearts, sissy stuff!”
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regardless of opinion on valentine’s day, it’s undeniable that love is in the air, as displayed by two flirtatious turtles, the guy begging for the girl’s affection. thankfully, cupid is just around the corner. cupid launches into “don’t look now”, detailing about how happy lovebirds will be once struck with his fated arrows. while the doting turtle is in the midst of a maurice chevalier impression, his girl gets struck by cupid’s arrow, and suddenly reciprocates his feelings, literally diving into the frontside of the turtle’s shell. smooth and highly amusing animation as the two turtles swing around together in one turtle shell envelope, picking up the lyrics. a gag that would be similarly used to a higher degree in tortoise wins by a hare, the two lovebirds walk side by side in the shell, both going inside and popping out the other end, now walking on their hands, their heads sticking out where their tail(s) should be and their legs where the head(s) should be. very smooth and subtle animation. i’m not too great with my animator indemnifications this early, but i’d guess chuck jones animated this scene, seeing how fluid it is.
jolly little cupid sings a few more bars, when the devil joins in, ready to spread his own love. two yokel bears bashfully dote on a log, ripe for the devil’s picking. the male bear (named egbert), voiced by tex avery, guffaws “will ya—gosh, huh huh, will ya—“, interrupted by berneice hansell’s squeaky voice urging him to go on. just in time for the devil to swoop in, whispering in the girl’s ear: “will ya go sit on a tack, ya old horse face?”
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it seems there was either a cut made here, or just a startlingly awkward transition as we jump cut to the devil laughing, the woman and the log out of screen. “i’ve got something here that’ll fix these lovesick mugs! take a gander at this!” the devil takes off his bowler hat and shows off the inside contents: blonde hairs, lipstick, bobby pins, and even a garter, all tucked away in little pouches pinned inside the hat. delightfully scandalous and just a great premise in general.
elsewhere, a woodpecker knocks on the door of a quaint little tree home (with his beak, of course.) out steps a lady woodpecker (presumably his wife), to which the husband holds up a card, nudging his sweetie. “hey, how do ya like to be my valentine, kiddo?” “do ya mean it?” “yes, i mean it!” the wife looks at the audience. “should i tell him?” just then, the devil pops up behind the man’s shoulder, gingerly placing a strand of blonde hair on his coat. the giant, oval shaped eyes of the devil give this scene away as bob clampett animation. the lovebirds embrace... but not for long. the wife takes note of the hair and grows rightfully furious, throwing a barrage of pots and pans at her double crossing husband. cupid happens to be strolling by, noticing the clamor. a simple fire of the arrow and the wife is back to her loving self, both woodpeckers happily kissing as they repeatedly peck each others beaks with hilarious speeds (and great jackhammer sound effects), so powerful that both of their beaks become bent and crumpled.
cupid’s next victim is a forlorn skunk, moping on a tree trunk. cupid pings her with his arrow, and in no time the little skunk is as giddy as ever. she saunters up to the local stand selling valentines, cooing “hello boys!” in an instant, the crowd disperses, leaving the poor skunk all to herself. tex avery would base a whole cartoon on the unsuccessful love lives of skunks with his short lil ‘tinker at MGM in 1948. to gain the affections of the girls, ‘tinker puts on his best frank sinatra impression, and the bobbysoxers swarm in droves.
back to egbert, the hayseed bear who desperately attempts to woo back his snooty girlfriend cathleen, strutting by with her nose in the air while he insist she’s got him in the wrong. cupid comes to the rescue once more, pinging both bears with his arrows. timing is hilariously succinct as they both pause a beat, dumbfounded, and then instantly exclaim “LET’S GET MARRIED!” with that, they rush away to prepare for the big celebration.
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after a time card that simply states “so—“, egbert strolls up to the front door of cathleen’s house, now donning a snazzy suit. he knocks on the door. “are ya ready, sweetie?” “just a minute!” cathleen may not be ready, but the devil sure is. he goes full out, tossing hairs, garters, bobby pins, lipstick marks, you name it. cathleen opens the door, sporting her wedding dress, when she finds her husband to be decked in every scandalous clue imaginable. a closeup reveals even more dirty yet fantastic details: panty hose, burlesque tickets, a phone number, a garter, and a face covered in lipstick. the entire situation is amplified in humor as egbert is completely unaware of his appearance. cathleen prepares to wallop egbert over the head with her bouquet, but another arrow from an offscreen cupid sends her down on egbert instead, practically sucking his face off.
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the devil is absolutely fed up with cupid’s meddling. “aw, hey, what’s the gag of ruining my fun!? ya sissy!” he three stooges (i’m coining that as a verb now) cupid, poking him in the eyes and slapping him silly, picking him up above his head and twirling him around before slamming him to the ground and sitting on top, pulling cupid’s leg as he cries out in pain. in retaliation, cupid fashions the devil’s tail like an arrow, shooting him with his bow and sending the devil flying into a tree, who curses at cupid incomprehensibly. his work now done, cupid leaves the devil to his miserable, temperamental self.
to quote hank williams, wedding bells are ringing in the chapel as egbert and cathleen march into the church, surrounded by a doting crowd. just as they stroll down the aisle, the devil is finally able to dislodge his tail from the tree, ready to spark mischief. he approaches two kids outside of the church, bribing them each with lollipops. “okey dokey. now, here’s your candy. all you gotta do is go in the church and say...”
we cut to the inside of the church before getting the full gist of the devil’s bribe, which is a lovely choice in set up. the officiator is asking the audience for any objections, while egbert shakes terribly, his legs knocking together in panic. even the organ is silent. no objections. content, egbert and cathleen exchange warm smiles, going in for the kiss, when...
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“daddy! daddy! daddy!” the two little bear cubs from before bound into the church, jumping right into a befuddled egbert’s arms. all bets are off on the wedding as cathleen storms out, dismissively throwing the bouquet in egbert’s face. a lovely detail as he still attempts to catch it hopelessly. the devil is absolutely thrilled, laughing in hysterics at his best job yet. unfortunately, he’s finally beat by his nemesis: cupid fires an arrow at the devil, and he too is struck with the love bug, his sour demeanor now replaced as he giddily floats along, grinning in a giant self parody of himself. what i love about tex’s cartoons is that everything feels like a parody of itself. it’s one extreme or the other.
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for the final time, cathleen is zinged again with cupid’s arrow, and she rushes back to egbert, kissing him and dragging him back in the church. activities are resumed as normal, the officiator going on like before. “i now pronounce you... uh oh.” he dives into a nearby pew, everyone turning their heads to see what the matter is. no time is wasted as everyone else takes cover, too. now donning a top hat and bib, the devil strolls down the aisle with the little lonely skunk from before. iris out.
a very entertaining cartoon that takes a little while to get momentum, but once it’s there it’s certainly there. it’s not too often you find a valentine’s day cartoon at warner bros (the only other one i can think of is frank tashlin’s the stupid cupid.) this certainly is a non traditional take, and a very good one at that. the scandalous humor was the best part of the short, whether it be the devil decking out egbert in garters and blonde hairs, or convincing two little kids to shout “daddy! daddy!” in the church. while the beginning was a bit slow, the parallels make up for it, and at least contribute some added interest. in all, a cartoon that’s worth watching, especially for the second half.
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