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thescrapbookingscientist · 3 months ago

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Bimonthly Media Roundup

- Wind Breaker (Anime) - Surprised to include this 4 weeks in a row as it was a pretty simple and quick season, but I found myself going back to quite a few moments for a second watch, either to appreciate the pretty fight choreography or to aww at all the wholesome emotional moments that the "feral cat experiences love and affection for the first time and cannot handle it" protagonist gets. I still wouldn't call it a must watch or anything, it's specific brand of ridiculousness isn't going to appeal to everyone, but I had fun, I'll check out the second season when it drops.

- Alien Stage (Web Series) - Final video dropped for this portion of the Alien Stage saga, and as a whole the series was very entertaining. The music slaps every time, the characters have nice designs with tragic gay romantic entanglements, the art is super pretty and the plot was intriguing and interesting to dig deeper into. I love animatics, musicals, and music videos in general so it's perfect for me, though I suppose it would be easier to convince other people to watch it if it was an anime or webcomic, not everyone is as in to the interpretation through song and visuals with limited dialogue thing. Anyway a good time, I for one will be rewatching quite a bit.

- Mouthwashing (Video Game) - This was an interesting little single session horror game. I wouldn't say it was mind-blowing, a bit too short and simple with sometimes janky graphics, but it had some neat visual ideas, a straightforward and poignant lesson about SA Culture and Avoiding responsibility/confrontation, and produced some really stellar fanworks. It's structure keeps it interesting and it's a unique enough concept where I can see how it stuck in peoples mind, It's worth a watch/play for horror fans, especially given it will only take around 2 hours.

- The Locked Tomb Series (Books) - If I had a nickel for every piece of media on this list that contained cannibalism as a significant story beat I'd have 6 nickels. Which is kind of a lot considering there are only 9 options here. 2/3rds cannibalism ratio. Should I be worried about myself?

- One Piece Fan Letter (Anime) - Honestly the best One Piece content to come out in quite awhile. Obviously the animation style helps alot as its bright and flowy and very charming, but honestly the plot was really cute as well. In general it's nice to get Outsiders POV in the world once in awhile, and seeing how many people where positively affected by the briefest encounters with the Straw Hats/ Encouraged to follow their dreams and take risks is really nice, striking the heart of the series and tapping into the best parts of it. OP has plenty of flaws but when it's good it's really good, and you can tell this was made with a lot of love and passion for the show. Good stuff!

- Malevolent (Podcast) - Yuppers.

- Yellowjackets (TV) - So this was the big one of the month, the survivalist lesbian cannibal show has captivated me. I was actually a bit worried about the cannabalism aspect when pitching we watch it to my sister, as from what I've heard a mystery/suspense show about a group of girls whose plane crash's in the wilderness whose story alternates between the past timeline of them struggling to survive and the current timeline of some of the girls struggling to forget what happened and function normally in society with an ongoing question of "who survived and what did they do?" sounds right up both of alleys, but my sister would probably not be down for the eating eachother thing. Luckily she decided to watch it anyway and that aspect hasn't been too bad so far , though I suppose that really depends on your tolerance for that kinda thing, uh. People do get eaten. Anyway that's really underselling it, what makes the show work is it's slow build of tension, both in the past and present timelines the situations keep building until they spiral out of control with the show somehow continually making you shocked at the escalation and sheer insanity of it all. The vast majority of the cast is made of of complex and interesting women who have complex and interesting relationships to other women, which is certainly a nice change of pace. It's not all doom in gloom, there are emotional highs, characters you root for, and real sympathy for everyone involved, no matter how many bad choices they made. Plot wise it's great as well, the first season can be a little slow at times with some of the modern day plotlines but the latter half of that season and season 2 really spices things up with the adult timelines, and the young timeline is just solid throughout. Lots of fun visuals, memorable moments, and possibly a supernatural presence, though that remains to be seen. The only nitpik I can really think of that hasn't been addressed is that music hasn't really stood out so far? There's been a couple of good pop/indie tracks that were incorporated well but I can't recall any instrumental tracks that stood out, so we'll see if season 3 adds some new ones. If you're not squeamish I honestly recommend it, it's good TV.

- Dungeon Meshi (Manga) - Yup.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Yes.

Listening To: Tongues and Teeth by The Crane Wives, Dream Girl Evil by Florence + The Machine, Creep by Radiohead, Ruthlessness from EPIC the Musical, The Main Character by Will Wood, Lunch, Stick Season, Feeling Good, and Too Sweet Covers by Reinaeiry, Like A Prayer Choir Version from Deadpool 3, Dial Drunk Cover by Chloe Breez, Kiss From A Rose by Seal, Could Have Been Me by The Struts.

#weekly roundup #my post #honestly the cannibalism ratio may be even higher #like if you told me there was some in Alien Stage or Genshin I would not be shocked.#Windbreakers probably clean though lmao

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modetta-no-hope · 1 year ago

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[Room No.9] - Review and Thoughts.

Alright, today I'm gonna set aside my laziness and finally sit down to write a review about this game. First things first, I'll give you a rundown to give you a bigger picture of what this game is all about. It’s just that, because this is a personal reflection, it's gonna be alllll personal and subjective, and, of course, there will be spoilers. So, just a heads-up before you continue reading.

[Game overview]

Developer: parade

Publisher: MangaGamer

Genre: visual novel, psychological (horror), mature, adventure

Language: Japanese, English

[Story]

Best friends Daichi and Seiji set out on an almost too-good-to-be-true summer vacation, but it quickly turns into a nightmare…

Instead of the island paradise they were expecting, they find themselves trapped in a strange room and forced to participate in an incomprehensible "experiment". They'll have to play along to have any hope of escaping with their lives, but that means hurting each other and possibly destroying their friendship—and their minds—in the process.

While Daichi is quick to declare that he'd be just fine less one arm, and Seiji argues for the options that won't leave lasting physical scars, do they really understand the consequences? Can they survive the "experiment" and is survival alone enough?

[Review]

First of all, I just want to remind everyone that there are gonna be some major spoilers ahead, so keep that in mind before reading further.

(And, if you intend to play the game, make sure to read the warnings carefully. I believe Room No.9 is not just a casual game that anyone can enjoy.)

-Plot: The storyline of Room No.9 keeps things pretty straightforward and doesn't drag on for too long. But here's the thing: I don't see that as a downside. See, it's all about diving deep into the realm of "emotions" and "perception". What matters here is the internal changes within Daichi and Seiji and how they confront them, rather than searching for that shady organization. I think this plot and setting are very fitting because they intensify the sense of "helplessness" that seeps into every nook and cranny of the experience.

Now, having said that, if you're the type who's all about hunting down answers, itching to expose the wicked’s "crimes," or even desires a complex and mysterious plot, Room No.9 might not quite hit the mark for you.

-Writing style: I must say, I thoroughly enjoy the writing style of Room No.9, or in other words, I love Daichi's train of thought. The writer's comedic talent cleverly weaves in small details that make us laugh during the early days of the experiment (no matter how terrifying or bitter the situation was). As the story unfolds and Daichi's mental and physical states deteriorate, those moments of resigned laughter also gradually fade away. Another thing I like about Room No.9's writing style is how they maintain a sense of "helplessness" and "guilt" throughout the game, almost constantly. This could be influenced by my aroace identity, but despite the explicit and detailed nsfw scenes, they don't evoke any excitement or arousal. Only pain and helplessness remain, and I actually appreciate that. Lastly (but not yet finished because I still have other points to discuss below), I also like how the writer portrays the psychological changes in both of them: with some changes being readily apparent while others are more subtle and harder to discern.

And you, the player, have you noticed any changes in your own perception during the gameplay?

-Character development: Very endearing. The way the writer brings their long-standing friendship to life truly shines throughout the entire reading experience. I love Daichi and Seiji, their bond, their emotions, and the unspoken protection they offer one another. However, tragically, the very "protection" they hold dear, does it truly lead to the desired outcome when, ultimately, they both end up hurting each other (as well as themselves)?

The use of first-person narrative in Room No.9- from Daichi's point of view (except for a brief section from Seiji's perspective)- also provides a good experience because it means that all your thoughts and perceptions of Seiji are filtered through Daichi's lens. This narrative approach means that our understanding of Seiji is solely influenced by Daichi's perspective. As a result, Seiji may be really different from what you and Daichi think. This emphasizes that relying only on Daichi's account limits our complete understanding of Room No.9.

(This is also one of the aspects I like about the first-person narrative: You easily get carried away by the thoughts of a particular character, and momentarily overlook the limitations of a singular perspective. You may agree or disagree with that character, but ultimately, it instills in you a habit (or even a drive) to actively pursue alternate viewpoints from various angles, aiming for a more comprehensive understanding that extends beyond reliance on the storyteller alone, and that, my friend, is definitely a good thing.)

-GUI: Absolutely fantastic, excellent. The GUI of Room No.9 is somewhat similar to the GUI of euphoria (another game from the same parent company, CLOCKUP), but it surpasses it in terms of meticulousness and detail. Some notable examples are the ability to name or comment on save files and save favorite voice lines to listen to later (some rare features in other visual novels). The image settings are also well-implemented: you can toggle on/off disturbing or gory CGs, or- consider this as a warning in advance- scat.

I recommend taking a moment to go through the settings before starting the game for a better overall experience.

-BGM: Honestly, I still have quite mixed feelings about the BGMs of Room No.9. Fairly speaking, they are all very interesting and align with my taste if I were to listen to them as independent music tracks. However, I sense that not every track truly fits the atmosphere of the game, and at times, I feel they can be easily misunderstood. The reason I say they are not suitable (especially in nsfw scenes) is that they don't emphasize the boxiness and heaviness of the script. You can easily notice unexpected bright accents or the aggressiveness in the bass parts (which give a sense of being taken over by instincts - something I believe doesn't harmonize well with the context, but well...) This can make certain scenes resemble more of fap material. I'm not sure how you would perceive it, but for me, it's quite regrettable.

However, if we separate them from the script, the OSTs of Room No.9 are actually quite chill, aren’t they?

-Art: Beautiful. I don't have much to say about the artwork of Room No.9, except that the golden light shining on Seiji's bright-colored hair is some kind of black magic (?) that keeps me captivated (sorry for being overly obsessed). Absolutely gorgeous. From now on, that color palette will be mine (?).

-Do I want to replay Room No.9: I don't think so. No. There are certain stories that, once experienced, immediately beckon you to reread them (hopefully I'll have the opportunity to write about them in the future). However, there are others that don't elicit that same urge. Please note that this answer does not reflect my liking or disliking of the game. I just feel like Room No.9 is a unique and one-of-a-kind journey that doesn't/shouldn't need a second reading. The emotions of Daichi and Seiji, I have already felt them.

-Am I willing to recommend Room No.9 to you: No, but I certainly won't dissuade you if you're considering giving it a try. As mentioned, Room No.9 is quite heavy, so not everyone can appreciate it. And if what you're looking for are happy endings with romantic feelings and such, I regret to inform you that the game doesn't offer them. However, if you're seeking a delve into the torment and anguish that swirl within the characters' minds, rather than the typical expectations of an nsfw game, then, well, Room No.9 isn't a bad choice at all.

[Thoughts]

You might be thinking, "What? It's not over yet?" But honestly, this is just the beginning of my lengthy rant.

Consider the next part as an analysis of the entire plot. If you want to avoid spoilers and keep your own experience uninfluenced by my subjective perspective, I totally get it. Take a moment to decide if you want to keep reading.

(Edit: I've decided to trim it down and focus only on writing about the endings to make this less overwhelming. Honestly, I also wanted to write more about the development in between, but who would want to read a 10k-word essay about a porn game?)

(Mostly, it's just me sharing my thoughts, analysis, and personal speculation, so I can't guarantee if it truly aligns with the game's original intentions or if I'm simply overthinking things. But this is how I've interpreted Room No.9, and I want to share that with you.)

In the dev note of the game, they mentioned: "I had the chance to create three routes: one where Daichi is broken, one where Seiji is completely destroyed, and one where they can overcome it together."

However, I don't think it has to be set in stone like that because Room No.9 effectively conveys two key messages: when you cause harm to others, you end up hurting yourself as well, and the actions you believe can "protect" the other person actually corner them.

Because of this, it no longer matters who is the one being destroyed, and even in the route where both can overcome the experiment together, their souls have already received countless scars.

One important thing that I think you should also pay attention to is the triggering conditions for each ending, as it deepens their overall completion. Like other visual novels, you have to choose the right combination of options to reach specific endings, and what do those options mean? What message do they convey?

I've pondered that myself, and I've come to realize that it adds a great deal of depth to the game's endings. But it's pretty obvious, as Room No.9 puts emphasis on the "process" rather than the "result," doesn't it?

Aside from the common route (Route 0), the endings in Room No.9 are divided into three routes: Route 1 consists of Ending A, Route 2 consists of Endings B/C, and Route 3 consists of Endings D/E/F.

I cleared the game in the order of D -> C -> B -> F -> E -> A. I believe it's not a bad choice if you're looking for a reference.

-Ending D (Separation End): Both Daichi and Seiji managed to survive their 10-day captivity in room no.9, but afterward, they no longer had any contact with each other- they simply vanished from each other's lives.

To reach that ending, Daichi needed to choose to hold onto "logic" and "rationality" as much as possible. He believed it was the best thing for both himself and Seiji. Although Ending D was part of Route 3- where both could open up to each other more- I actually thought the keyword for Ending D was "denial." It was intriguing how choices based on "logic" and "rationality" led to an ending associated with "denial," right?

You might assume that Daichi and Seiji had completely different personalities, and on the surface, that was true. However, internally, they weren't all that different. The time they spent together, from elementary school to their university years, was evidence of this. I could sense the harmony in their thoughts and the changes they went through each day, which were more pronounced in Route 3.

Yet, in Ending D, Daichi actively denied that. He tried to deny his own self, and subconsciously, he ended up denying Seiji as well.

The increasingly severe tasks of each day changed Daichi's perception and reactions. He despised these changes, fearing they would ruin his friendship with Seiji. In an attempt to deny them, he unintentionally built an invisible wall that separated them in the end.

Just think, could Seiji truly open up to Daichi in that situation when "denial" had become deeply ingrained in Daichi's psyche? The one who had changed was not only Daichi, but Daichi had denied that all the same.

However, in Ending D, both of them bore all the wounds and torment within themselves, thinking it would be better for the other person. Even after completing the experiment and returning to everyday life, they still could not break down that wall. They continued to carry deep scars in their souls, with no means to express them to each other. And yet, Daichi still stubbornly believed it was the best way, causing the distance between them to grow wider and more bitter with each passing day.

Well, there you have it, Separation End.

-Ending C/B (Stay Behind End/Murder End): These are the two endings of Route 2, where the triggers are mostly the same, except for the final choice of "I took Seiji's hands" and "I just lay there." Since Route 2 is quite straightforward, there isn't much more for me to write. However, here are a few lines:

In Route 2, Daichi became more honest with himself and did his best to treat Seiji with utmost care.

This time, he wanted to be a support for Seiji and took responsibility for Seiji's changes.

Isn't that a good thing?

Are you sure?

Well, in my opinion, Route 2, with the Murder End and Stay Behind End, brings about the most painful and powerless feelings in the entire game. The emotions and thoughts that changed every day made Daichi feel like the sole person responsible for everything. He believed he should pay the price for a mistake that wasn't even his own.

In Stay Behind End, Daichi (the player) made the choice to "take Seiji's hand" as a complete acceptance of all of Seiji's changes. He took it upon himself as his responsibility and vowed not to leave Seiji no matter what happened.

"That's why I decided to stay by his side. I will stay with him until the end of this, no matter how many months or years pass, or how far Seiji may stray." (Not the exact wording, I'm recalling it from memory.)

Daichi had set aside his own will for Seiji.

And then, Daichi spent all the following time spoiling Seiji, trying to "make up" for him.

They no longer cared about the experiment. They disregarded everything, from logic and habits to all the points they had accumulated from the tasks of previous days.

All they did was melt away in each other.

Although it's not explicitly mentioned or hinted at in the script, I've always had this thought that in Stay Behind End, both Daichi and Seiji would meet their demise.

Despite being very depressing, it is not an unfounded conclusion. Daichi and Seiji completely stopped completing tasks to earn points and returned to their everyday lives. Consequently, their accumulated points could only decrease over time (they still needed to exchange points for food). And since the assigned tasks would only get more challenging, there might have come a point where both of them awakened and wanted to return to the outside world, but it would have been extremely difficult for them to make it out alive.

Not to mention, did they even want to leave that room? Did they have enough mental capacity to contemplate whether they should leave or not?

If Daichi and Seiji ended up depleting all their points and starving together in that room, it wouldn't come as a surprise to me.

(This could very well be why the people in room no. 2 were trapped there for so long. It does make sense, doesn't it?)

In Murder End, Daichi (the player) chose to "just lay there." At that moment, he firmly believed that Seiji was no longer Seiji, and no matter how hard he tried, his words could not reach Seiji's mind. Seiji had lost his way, and Daichi was the one who had made everything turn out this way.

In both endings of Route 2, Seiji attempted to kill Daichi (the reasons were clearly written in the game, so I think there's no need to mention them again), but those attempts never succeeded. Unlike in Stay Behind End, where Daichi resolved to do everything for Seiji, in Murder End, Daichi believed that he needed to be stronger to accomplish what Seiji couldn't do.

From the note of Seiji's VA: "Well, anything is better than Suicid- wait, it’s Murder Ending, isn't it?"

I think, whether he said it unintentionally or not, aren't both of them the same? (This sentence can be interpreted in various ways, but this time, I'll leave it up to you to experience and interpret them on your own. Oh well, I should keep some excitement for you if you plan to play the game, right?)

I truly don't have much to say about Route 2 in general and Murder End in particular. It's not because I dislike them or don't feel anything from them, but I genuinely believe the writer has already captured everything that needs to be conveyed (or at least, that's how I personally perceive it). It may sound irresponsible, but I've decided not to write more as it would feel like simply retelling what unfolds in the game.

If you're curious, why not try reading Route 2 and see for yourself the destruction of both Seiji and Daichi? In my opinion, Route 2 is the most effectively conveyed one.

-Ending F/E (Friends End/Disappearance End): Similar to endings B/C, endings E/F share the same trigger conditions, with the only difference being the final choice between "Go home" and "Go to the police", both of which are part of Route 3.

Although they are both in Route 3- unlike in ending- in endings E and F, Daichi had opened up more and didn't let Seiji face those changes alone. He had placed more trust and reliance on Seiji. Daichi hadn't pushed Seiji into a corner, and because of that, Seiji hadn't been broken and lost all faith in himself. Daichi had shared feelings of guilt and helplessness with Seiji, and together, they had safely overcome the experiment and returned to their everyday lives.

So, what distinguishes Friends End from Disappearance End?

If you choose to "go home" (the reason will be explained by Daichi in the following dialogue), you will reach Friends End, which I consider the brightest ending in the entire game.

I'm truly satisfied with ending F- Friends End- because, how should I put it, even before playing Room No.9, I had hoped for an ending where they could still remain friends. Despite having carried scars that could never truly fade, they continued to face them together. I had hoped that after overcoming that challenge, their friendship would have grown even stronger, although it might have taken some time for both of them to gather enough courage to do so.

Both Daichi and Seiji had changed in a worrisome way, but they still wanted to overcome it together.

"Just that alone is enough to remind me that Seiji is still here.

That also means you're relying on me too.

I'm here, Seiji. Just like you."

The core of their pure feelings remained unchanged, and that is the most important thing.

They are still friends. They still want to continue being each other's friends.

If we ignore the fact that today is only September 1st, this is what makes me feel the warmest in the entire month.

Not everything has to turn into a romantic relationship (friendly reminder that Room No.9 doesn't have the romance tag). Romantic love is not the solution to everything, and there definitely won't be a story where "love cures." Honestly, if Room No.9 took that direction, I might not be able to read it with the same emotions I have now.

Thank you to parade for letting them be friends. I truly appreciate that.

If you choose to "go to the police," you will reach ending E - Disappearance End - but not necessarily so. After choosing "go to the police" for the first time, Seiji stopped Daichi and said that he definitely wouldn't go with him. At that moment, the choice between "go to the police" and "go home" appeared again. If you had still opted for "go to the police" at that point, you would have ultimately reached Disappearance End.

Seiji had completely disappeared from Daichi's life.

This ending is quite short and sudden (plus, it and ending D- Separation End- are the only two endings in Room No.9 without CG). So, at that moment, I couldn't fully grasp its meaning. However, upon deeper reflection, I began to understand a bit more about this ending and why Seiji chose not to involve the police and just simply left.

Seiji had realized early on that they wouldn't be able to expose that organization. Moreover, he would have had to confront and accept everything that transpired in that room: the harm he had caused Daichi and the harm Daichi had caused him. Both of them would have had to face that harsh truth in the cruelest way, and from that point forward, they would never have been able to see each other in the same light as before.

Daichi's choice had marked the end of their relationship.

When Seiji had realized he couldn't stop Daichi, it had also been the moment he had decided to disappear from Daichi's life, to disappear from Daichi's life before they were further consumed by the abyss of despair and guilt.

I don't think it's too bad to unlock ending F before ending E because, after reading ending F and witnessing the silent efforts from both sides, the suddenness of ending E would hit even harder.

-Ending A (Abuse End): I confess, up until now, I've been torn between wanting to write about Abuse End and not wanting to. But in the end, the feeling of "I need to write about it" has won, so here I am.

According to the dev note, Route A is the route where Seiji is completely destroyed. However, I believe it goes beyond that. It's not just Seiji who got destroyed, but also Daichi. Both of them had lost their way to the extent that there seemed to be no path of return.

To reach Ending A, Daichi (the player) had to choose all the options that obeyed their instincts and awakened that… instincts of them.

Daichi had a painful past where abusive parents constantly abused him. It was painful to see how Daichi had come to accept the notion that "victims of abuse are likely to become abusers in the future." He had internalized that mindset from a young age, so throughout his growing years, Daichi had always tried to keep himself from falling into the same pattern as his parents.

But fate had thrown him and Seiji into this cruel abyss.

Witnessing his own changes, Daichi had bitterly "accepted" that perhaps he would forever remain the trash of society, just like his parents. No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't escape that rotten core within himself.

It also signified the moment when neither of them could escape from room no.9.

Indeed, even if they were to successfully complete the experiment and return home, their minds and consciousness would forever remain trapped within room no.9.

The game made this quite clear: The screen displayed the message "Day 11," which was when I knew that there was no turning back for both of them.

Both Daichi and Seiji, they had both been utterly destroyed.

Truly depressing.

[Conclusion]

To be honest, I still want to continue writing about Daichi, Seiji, and their days inside room no.9. Just a little rambling about the endings like this isn’t enough-

Alright, I apologize. I know this has already become too long, but let me rant a little more.

Daichi and Seiji were truly in tune with each other. That's why as readers, as outsiders, we could see how their inner changes mirrored each other to such an extent. I believe the game's endings also serve as evidence of this.

There's one more thing, I hope you'll pay attention to the fact that the more the story progressed, the less they communicated with each other. That conveys a certain message, but I'll let you experience it for yourself.

Regardless of the route or ending, there's no scenario where both of them could overcome everything and continue on in blissful ignorance as if nothing ever happened. Room No.9 revolves around feelings of torment and guilt, so happy and satisfying endings simply don't exist.

Room No.9 is a rather heavy journey, but it's also interesting and can manage to hold your attention for a good while. The highlight of the game, for me, is the interesting writing style and the way it creates an incredible atmosphere.

To sum it up, if you're seeking something light and entertaining for a relaxing experience, Room No.9 might not be your cup of tea. However, if you (like me, a bit of a weirdo) enjoy delving into pain and enjoy pondering over the smallest details, then Room No.9 might... No, actually, I don't know what else to say about it. I don't even know if I should recommend the game to you, but hey, I'll leave that decision up to you.

Thank you very much for putting up with my nonsense until now.

#room no.9 #blvn #what am i doing with my life #visual novel #review

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quohotos · 2 years ago

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Favorite underland chronicles character?

Shoot, that's a tough question.

The short answer is Ares. He's the best boy.

The long answer is that Hamnet does so much for the series. His introduction really marks this point of no return where both Gregor and the series as a whole has matured. He dispels all of the notions that have been built up by this point and reality checks everything that's happening. He confronts all the violence and war for the horrible crime that it is, he confronts the evil of the regalians that Vikus is sickened by but ultimately enables. He also is the only god damn person down here who treats Gregor like the child he is. He's the only one that acknowledges that Gregor shouldn't be here doing this, that he's just a little guy.

The fact that war finds him anyways, that he dies fighting is just so tragic. He's not vindicated by the narrative, war is terrible but even he couldn't escape it. Sometimes war just happens to you, and you never get a choice in it. War takes good people from us, and we so rarely get a say in that.

Ares is also a person who never got a say in it all, and it's so tragic they never got to meet. Ares was picked my a real piece of shit to be his bond simply because he was bigger and stronger than his peers. He never really felt at home in Luxa's friend group, he was really just being used, but he adapted and made the best of a bad situation. He wasn't really in a position to turn Henry down, and by being his bond he was lifted into proximity to royalty and wealth. All he had to do was grin and bare it, and learn to have some fun along the way.

But Henry was bad. He treated him like a subservient animal. Ares was *Henry's* bat. Something about that just resonates deeply with me on a personal level. It's so compelling. Being trapped in this scenario where someone close to you is a peice of shit but you can't do anything about it because you owe everything to this person. I mean, the fact that Henry didn't even tell Ares about their plans shows how little he thought their bond was mutual.

So Ares does the right thing, he saves Gregor instead... But it haunts him. Henry betrayed him first, but he still gets tired for treason because at the end of the day there's a hierarchy and a human matters more than a flyer. He's at peace with that, he doesn't want to live... And then Gregor saves him. God, all the confusing feelings that must have invoked.

Gregor really wasn't the best bond to him. He was gone so often, Ares was just alone and struggling and even though Gregor wouldn't always be there for Ares you bet your ass Ares would be there for Gregor.

I have a really soft spot for characters that just take a beating from the world and keep on going, keep on choosing to be better for everyone else's sake. Seeing him and Gregor come together and be a team makes me feel things, man. I know Mareth gets to have the official role of "I wish you could have been my older brother" but damn, Ares should have gotten that. He was Gregor's big bat brother and he learned to love that kid.

Except for curse of the warm bloods, Ares was there for all of it. He went on every quest with the warrior, and he had to confront all the same horrors. I think back to the whole sequence in the labyrinth, how he also struggled with what to do when they found the bane, how he also felt somber retracing their old steps to find Ripred.

I always feel drawn to the second fiddle characters in media (don't even get me started on Norm Spellman from Avatar). So Ares is my favorite, hands down... Him being an adorable yet deadly bat is also a factor let's be honest.

Hamnet is the most *interesting* character, but Ares is my favorite.

#Tuc #the underland chonicles #Ares tuc #Tuc Ares #gregor the overlander #No shade to the Ripred enjoyers. He's great but we already have pages and pages of Ripred appreciation. Give Ares some time in the front

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screendimdotcom · 1 year ago

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The Curse of La Llorona

Strap yourselves in as I dive into The Curse of La Llorona, so you don’t have to (unless you feel like you deserve it), a movie that audaciously attempted to breathe life into the chilling Mexican folklore of La Llorona, but instead produced a yawn-inducing tale that even the weeping woman herself would shed tears of disappointment over.

First and foremost, we must address the rather tragic metamorphosis of Raymond Cruz from a hardened, street-savvy drug dealer in "Breaking Bad" to a bewildering portrayal of a priest turned shaman in this horrid cinematic faux pas. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Cruz delivers his lines with the grace of a crowbar trying to conduct a symphony, causing many a viewer to stifle giggles during moments that were meant to petrify. Picture this: the once menacing Tuco Salamanca, now sprinkling seeds and mumbling incantations as though he were hastily thrown into a low-budget backyard play with the neighborhood kids. The transition is as graceful as a giraffe on roller skates, leaving audiences both amused and slightly dismayed at this odd career trajectory.

As for the storyline, it could be argued that it was constructed by throwing darts at a board filled with overused horror tropes. Oh, look! We hit the "mysterious puddles leading to a ghastly figure" square, followed closely by the "child being dragged into darkness by unseen forces" cliché! One might be tempted to start a betting pool on which overused horror trope will make its appearance next. Spoiler alert: It's all of them. The original folklore brims with terrifying potential, yet "The Curse of La Llorona" seems to have opted for a Frankenstein's monster approach, stitching bits and pieces of every conceivable horror movie cliché into a lumbering beast of cringeworthy moments and lost potential.

Now, onto the leading lady, Linda Cardellini, who tries valiantly to carry this film like a marathon runner trying to complete a race with a sprained ankle. Her portrayal of a concerned mother is as convincing as a cardboard cutout with a speaker playing canned expressions of worry and fear. It is not so much Cardellini's fault, as the script gives her little to work with, forcing her to navigate through scenes with the grace of a sailboat in a hurricane.

Oh, but we mustn't overlook the children, who seem to have attended the "horror movie children school of ill-advised decisions." Never before have audiences witnessed such a glorious celebration of every bad decision a child could possibly make when confronted with supernatural forces. From investigating strange noises alone to seemingly forgetting the concept of running away from danger, these children manage to evoke both frustration and incredulity in the most stoic of viewers.

Furthermore, the film's attempt at creating a haunting atmosphere is about as effective as trying to light a bonfire with a wet matchstick. Each scare is telegraphed from a mile away, with the ominous music swelling as though warning viewers to brace themselves for the impending "shock." Sadly, the shock wears thin, as the weeping woman's appearances become as predictable as the sunrise.

"The Curse of La Llorona" serves as a stern warning to filmmakers about the perils of squandering rich folklore in favor of cheap thrills and clichéd plot devices. As viewers, we are left to mourn what could have been a riveting horror tale but instead were served a plate of regurgitated ideas garnished with a side of hammy performances. One can only hope that La Llorona herself, upon witnessing this abomination, would have mercy on us and wash this film away into the annals of forgotten cinema, where it rightly belongs.

If you seek a thrill that combines the excitement of a lukewarm cup of tea with the depth of a puddle, then by all means, dive headfirst into "The Curse of La Llorona." It's sure to evoke a cascade of stifled giggles and face-palms, making it a potential frontrunner for any "worst movie night" candidate.

#film review #movie review #movies #the curse of la llorona #film reviews #movie reviews #cinema #films

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williamjames130 · 2 years ago

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What are good German movies one can watch to practice German?

Hearing the language you’re learning spoken in everyday contexts is essential for developing — and maintaining — your conversational abilities. Enter: movies.

They’re entertaining, not to mention convenient, sources of learning material that will no doubt expand your vocabulary, while also bringing the language to life.

Our language experts have assembled a list to kick off your next German film binge (I mean, study session) as you Learn German, so grab some popcorn and let’s get started!

1. Bibi Blocksberg (2002)

Bibi Blocksberg, a lovable teen witch figure up there in the ranks with other famous German children’s characters like Pippi Langstrumpf and Käpt’n Blaubär, is the original German Harry Potter.

The delightfully kitschy, early 2000s film rendition details Bibi’s coming-of-age as she explores developing magical powers and encounters evil for the first time.

If you’re just starting out in your German language learning journey, this is a good place to begin, as the lively characters make this children’s movie enjoyable for adults as well.

The simple plot and dialogue are sprinkled with silly, nonsensical Hexensprüche (spells) ideal for grasping basic vocabulary.

2. Friendship! (2010)

If you’re from the US, you’ll enjoy this hilarious clash-of-cultures film, Friendship!, directed by Markus Goller.

With borders suddenly open after the fall of the Berlin Wall, two friends from East Germany spontaneously decide to take a road trip across America.

Strapped for cash and equipped with only a handful of English phrases, the two embark on an odyssey destined for comedic mishaps.

As the German dialogue is often punctuated with English, this movie won’t exhaust your learning attention span and is a great introduction for beginner speakers.

You’ll definitely pick up some youth slang, as well as some German pop culture references, along the way.

3. Nosferatu – Phantom der Nacht (1979)

Both a twist on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and tribute to F. W. Murnau’s classic silent film, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu is a perfect fit for horror fans.

This eerily breathtaking film takes us back to 19th century Germany, where a young real estate agent must travel to Transylvania to sell a property to Count Dracula.

As with most vampire stories, the ensuing story is tragic.

With the slow plot pace and drawn out cinematic shots, the shorter dialogue sequences are easy to follow.

As a bonus, beginner and intermediate speakers are bound to pick up some kooky, outdated words along the way.

4. Lola Rennt (1998)

Another exciting movie to start with is Tom Tykwer’s Lola rennt (which you may recognize from the English title, “Run Lola Run”).

This acclaimed film follows Lola, a determined, red-haired punk rushing to save her boyfriend’s life by obtaining 100,000 Deutsche Mark in only 20 minutes.

The story is told through a butterfly-effect, so the audience sees Lola reliving the same 20 minutes over and over.

This gives her the chance to make different decisions with varying outcomes — and it’s a non-stop adventure.

Besides being action-packed, the film’s cyclical plot and recurring dialogue is suitable for training your basic, every-day conversational skills.

As the movie was filmed in 1990s Berlin, it’s also a great introduction to the capital city’s aesthetic and personality.

5. Almanya: Willkommen in Deutschland (2011)

Yasemin Şamdereli’s Almanya (Turkish for “Germany”) takes a modern look at the country’s history of recruiting Gastarbeiter (guest workers) from Turkey to offset the post-World War II labour shortage.

It’s an entertaining, bittersweet and genuine portrait of a multi-generational, Turkish-German family confronting its unique intersection of cultural identities.

The clear and accessible language spoken in the film will help intermediate learners pick up words used in familial settings and daily life.

Through the backdrop of humorous (mis-)communication and culture clashes, you’re also bound to gather insight into the vibrant, East-meets-West society woven throughout Germany.

6. Soul Kitchen (2009)

Set in working-class Hamburg, Fatih Akın’s Soul Kitchen brings to life a saga of two Greek-German brothers, Zinos and Illias, scrambling to keep a rundown restaurant in business.

Throughout the story, a diverse cast of characters redefine in their own way what it means to be German through relationships, music and food.

Its simple plot, mixed with fast-paced dialogue, is beneficial for intermediate learners wanting to take their comprehension skills up a notch.

The movie offers a variety of vocabulary related to various topics like tax collection, physical therapy, real estate and culinary arts.

7. Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage (2005)

A more sombre (but nonetheless inspiring) story is that of Sophie Scholl by Marc Rothemund.

Based on true events, the film is set in Munich during World War II and portrays how Sophie and members of the student resistance group, Weiße Rose (White Rose), were punished for distributing treasonous, anti-Nazi literature.

Of the best movies to learn German, this film is dialogue-heavy and therefore rewarding for history buffs and intermediate learners wishing to expand their vocabulary to include judicial, political and activist phrases.

8. Bella Martha (2001)

Sandra Nettelbeck’s underrated Bella Martha is a true gem of a movie and a great resource for learners.

Compelling acting skills pair with a beautiful film score to create a charming romantic drama centred around chef Martha Klein, who has to come to terms with an unexpected personal tragedy amidst her workaholic lifestyle. It’s a story about loss, laughter and, most of all, food.

Bella Martha deals with complex personal themes, so it’s a treasure trove of intimate emotion and relationship-based vocabulary, perfect for intermediate and advanced learners looking to move past casual every-day conversations.

Some specialised culinary terminology adds just the right amount of linguistic flavour.

9. Das Leben der Anderen (2006)

The complex and artfully-executed German cinematic masterpiece, Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, is a film everyone — especially those learning German — should watch.

It’s a staggering drama that illustrates the sustained invasion of private life under the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

The plot follows Stasi agent Gerd Wiesler as he volunteers to bug playwright Georg Dreyman’s apartment in order to figure out if he is committing treason.

Conversations about complex sociopolitical and artistic topics with a surreal surveillance-state backdrop will certainly prove valuable for advanced learners.

You will also learn a lot about GDR history, as well as hear a range of German dialects.

10. Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)

Wolfgang Becker’s GoodBye, Lenin! is a hilarious and authentically raw depiction of German reunification and the subsequent “reculturization” of East Germans.

Thinking the shock of East German dissolution would be too much for his mother to bear after waking up from an eight-month coma, the protagonist, Alex Kerner, puts on an elaborate performance to convince her that everything is just the way it used to be before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The film portrays the conflicting emotions and memories people in East Germany had to deal with after starting a slow process of cultural assimilation.

Riddled with retro, GDR-era artefacts like the cartoon Sandmännchen or socialist boy scouts, die Pioniere, it is a true time capsule of the past that will teach advanced learners more about life (and language) in East Germany.

Closing Words

We hope that this informative blog has offered you all the authentic and exceptional details that will encourage you to learn German.

So, whether you want to Learn German A1 or A2 Level German you can consider Max Mueller institute as the best online coaching place to get expertise learning this language.

Thus, for more details, you can explore their website and get a better consultation for creating a brighter future.

5 notes · View notes

learngerman13 · 2 years ago

Text

What are good German movies one can watch to practice German?

Hearing the language you’re learning spoken in everyday contexts is essential for developing — and maintaining — your conversational abilities. Enter: movies.

They’re entertaining, not to mention convenient, sources of learning material that will no doubt expand your vocabulary, while also bringing the language to life.

Our language experts have assembled a list to kick off your next German film binge (I mean, study session) as you Learn German, so grab some popcorn and let’s get started!

1. Bibi Blocksberg (2002)

Bibi Blocksberg, a lovable teen witch figure up there in the ranks with other famous German children’s characters like Pippi Langstrumpf and Käpt’n Blaubär, is the original German Harry Potter.

The delightfully kitschy, early 2000s film rendition details Bibi’s coming-of-age as she explores developing magical powers and encounters evil for the first time.

If you’re just starting out in your German language learning journey, this is a good place to begin, as the lively characters make this children’s movie enjoyable for adults as well.

The simple plot and dialogue are sprinkled with silly, nonsensical Hexensprüche (spells) ideal for grasping basic vocabulary.

2. Friendship! (2010)

If you’re from the US, you’ll enjoy this hilarious clash-of-cultures film, Friendship!, directed by Markus Goller.

With borders suddenly open after the fall of the Berlin Wall, two friends from East Germany spontaneously decide to take a road trip across America.

Strapped for cash and equipped with only a handful of English phrases, the two embark on an odyssey destined for comedic mishaps.

As the German dialogue is often punctuated with English, this movie won’t exhaust your learning attention span and is a great introduction for beginner speakers.

You’ll definitely pick up some youth slang, as well as some German pop culture references, along the way.

3. Nosferatu – Phantom der Nacht (1979)

Both a twist on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and tribute to F. W. Murnau’s classic silent film, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu is a perfect fit for horror fans.

This eerily breathtaking film takes us back to 19th century Germany, where a young real estate agent must travel to Transylvania to sell a property to Count Dracula.

As with most vampire stories, the ensuing story is tragic.

With the slow plot pace and drawn out cinematic shots, the shorter dialogue sequences are easy to follow.

As a bonus, beginner and intermediate speakers are bound to pick up some kooky, outdated words along the way.

4. Lola Rennt (1998)

Another exciting movie to start with is Tom Tykwer’s Lola rennt (which you may recognize from the English title, “Run Lola Run”).

This acclaimed film follows Lola, a determined, red-haired punk rushing to save her boyfriend’s life by obtaining 100,000 Deutsche Mark in only 20 minutes.

The story is told through a butterfly-effect, so the audience sees Lola reliving the same 20 minutes over and over.

This gives her the chance to make different decisions with varying outcomes — and it’s a non-stop adventure.

Besides being action-packed, the film’s cyclical plot and recurring dialogue is suitable for training your basic, every-day conversational skills.

As the movie was filmed in 1990s Berlin, it’s also a great introduction to the capital city’s aesthetic and personality.

5. Almanya: Willkommen in Deutschland (2011)

It’s an entertaining, bittersweet and genuine portrait of a multi-generational, Turkish-German family confronting its unique intersection of cultural identities.

The clear and accessible language spoken in the film will help intermediate learners pick up words used in familial settings and daily life.

Through the backdrop of humorous (mis-)communication and culture clashes, you’re also bound to gather insight into the vibrant, East-meets-West society woven throughout Germany.

6. Soul Kitchen (2009)

Set in working-class Hamburg, Fatih Akın’s Soul Kitchen brings to life a saga of two Greek-German brothers, Zinos and Illias, scrambling to keep a rundown restaurant in business.

Throughout the story, a diverse cast of characters redefine in their own way what it means to be German through relationships, music and food.

Its simple plot, mixed with fast-paced dialogue, is beneficial for intermediate learners wanting to take their comprehension skills up a notch.

The movie offers a variety of vocabulary related to various topics like tax collection, physical therapy, real estate and culinary arts.

7. Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage (2005)

A more sombre (but nonetheless inspiring) story is that of Sophie Scholl by Marc Rothemund.

8. Bella Martha (2001)

Sandra Nettelbeck’s underrated Bella Martha is a true gem of a movie and a great resource for learners.

Some specialised culinary terminology adds just the right amount of linguistic flavour.

9. Das Leben der Anderen (2006)

It’s a staggering drama that illustrates the sustained invasion of private life under the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

The plot follows Stasi agent Gerd Wiesler as he volunteers to bug playwright Georg Dreyman’s apartment in order to figure out if he is committing treason.

Conversations about complex sociopolitical and artistic topics with a surreal surveillance-state backdrop will certainly prove valuable for advanced learners.

You will also learn a lot about GDR history, as well as hear a range of German dialects.

10. Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)

Wolfgang Becker’s GoodBye, Lenin! is a hilarious and authentically raw depiction of German reunification and the subsequent “reculturization” of East Germans.

The film portrays the conflicting emotions and memories people in East Germany had to deal with after starting a slow process of cultural assimilation.

Closing Words

We hope that this informative blog has offered you all the authentic and exceptional details that will encourage you to learn German.

So, whether you want to Learn German A1 or A2 Level German you can consider Max Mueller institute as the best online coaching place to get expertise learning this language.

Thus, for more details, you can explore their website and get a better consultation for creating a brighter future.

2 notes · View notes

gffa · 4 years ago

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There was this viral tweet that went around about THE UNTAMED awhile back that was basically the cycle of every fan of the series that I have ever met: 1. Wtf, THIS is the show everyone is losing their minds over? This isn’t even good! 2. Well, I guess it’s not that bad, it’s pretty watchable and fun, it’s all right. 3. I would now die for these characters. So, when I swore this drama wasn’t going to be a big fandom for me, I was just going to watch the show and then fuck off again, I should have known better. Because here I am, crying about feelings about the entire cast and devouring fic and yelling at anyone who will spend even five minutes listening to me about how much I love the OTP, how much I love the Yunmeng Siblings and their Terrible Communications Issues, and the Tragic Sibling Duos and the Tragic Doomed Loves and The Cutest Juniors In The World and how I want to lock ALL OF THEM IN A ROOM until they sort out their feelings! THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - EMOTIONAL CONSTIPATION RUNS IN THE FAMILY - YUNMENG SIBLINGS FIC: ✦ Still in the Water by airgeer, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jin ling & lan sizhui & jiang cheng, 45k A year after Jin Ling’s early succession to the position of Sect Leader, a letter is delivered to him under strange circumstances. A night-hunt follows. ✦ no one lights a candle to remember by asravine, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jiang yanli (& wangxian), 7.9k “Didi,” Wei Wuxian says softly. His thumb on Jiang Cheng’s cheek is calloused and warm and burns of affection. Jiang Cheng barely stops himself from leaning in. “Didi, don’t cry because of me.” ✦ can people untie themselves, uncurling like flowers by annemari, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan wangji, 19.3k Wei Wuxian gets hurt on a night hunt. Jiang Cheng is displeased to find out that he’s been wandering around on his own instead of living with Lan Wangji in Cloud Recesses. He ends up fixing it. ✦ bark, bite by chashmish, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & lan wangji & jin ling (& wangxian), modern au, 3.4k Jin Ling finds a dog and learns some new things about his uncles. ✦ before you stumble by ribena, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan wangji & lan sizhui (& wangxian), 9.8k “Uncle,” Jin Ling says. “Just because Uncle Wei - I mean, Wei Wuxian - just because he’s leading the night-hunt, he’s teaching, he’s not doing anything wrong, he even notified you ahead of time -” ✦ Five Dogs, One Cat by ryfkah, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan wangji & lan sizhui & lan jingyi & nie huaisang, 13.4k If you’ve ever believed me in anything, believe I want what’s best for Jin Ling, the first line of the letter reads. Jiang Cheng has to stop and take a moment before he continues on to the next line: You must come to Carp Tower as soon as you can and lavish praise on the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen. ✦ Life is Very Long by Vamillepudding, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan wangji & lan sizhui & lan jingyi (& wangxian), 12.7k Wei Wuxian is a good for nothing, possibly evil, possibly fake uncle. But he’s Jin Ling’s good for nothing, possibly evil, possibly fake uncle. So it stands to reason that when Jin Ling starts to suspect that Hanguang-jun is mistreating his husband, he immediately recruits Jiang Cheng for a rescue mission. ✦ a symbol to remind you that there’s more to see by paperminds, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan wangji & lan sizhui & lan jingyi & ouyang zizhen, 9.7k For as long as Jin Ling can remember, he has been immune to the majority of supernatural hauntings that plague the cultivation world. Or: what if Jin Ling had received his first-month birthday gift. ✦ plea from a cat named little plum blossom by rolameny, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling, 5.1k Jiang Cheng is trying. Jiang Cheng is having a very trying day. At least the cat likes him. ✦ JC and WWX’s Get Along Sweater by newamsterdam, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan wangji & lan sizhui (& wangxian), 29.6k Convinced Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian will never reconcile of their own accord, Jin Ling takes matters into his own hands by trapping both of his uncles alone, together, without their cultivation. ✦ passed down like folksongs, our love lasts so long by finedae, wei wuxian & jiang cheng (& background wangxian), 6k winning a drinking contest, wei wuxian finds out yunmeng has got new folklore since he’s been gone. those are the stories of the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. naturally, he has to go confront jiang cheng for doing the opposite of talking shit about the dead; this is a confession of love. ✦ sorrow waited by curiositykilled, wei wuxian & jiang cheng, 2.3k No one gets out of the Burial Mounds alive and so Wei Wuxian cannot have been in the Burial Mounds — but sometimes Jiang Cheng starts to think it might be the inverse instead. No one gets out of the Burial Mounds alive and so Wei Wuxian didn’t get out at all. Someone, something, else crawled out. ✦ the trick is to keep breathing by alessandriana, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling, 3.4k Jiang Cheng probably should have anticipated the assassination attempt. He’d spent the last three weeks in Lanling browbeating the more intractable elders into supporting Jin Ling before his nephew’s first discussion conference, and he hadn’t exactly been kind about it. Still, he was a cultivator– if someone was going to try and kill him, he expected swords, or curses. Not poison in his tea. ✦ the road in leaves no step had trodden black by Skadiseven, wei wuxian & jiang cheng & wen ning & wen qing, 1.6k Jiang Cheng gets a little therapy session from Wen Ning, learns to plant potatoes, and decides he’s not giving up on something he wants. THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - JUST STRAIGHT UP WANGXIAN OTP FIC: ✦ Fire in the Blood by Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle), lan wangji/wei wuxian, nsfw, 20.7k Wei Ying is traveling, and he gets busy. Lan Wangji knows that sometimes, Wei Ying forgets things. ✦ scapegoat by astrobandit, lan wangji/wei wuxian, 1.3k Four ridiculous things the Yiling Patriarch was blamed for, and one ridiculous thing that was positively his fault. ✦ Content Warning: Romance by Ariaste, lan wangji/wei wuxian, nsfw, 5.9k Wei Wuxian just wants a little warning before Lan Wangji says nice things. Lan Wangji just wants to love on his husband, thanks. ✦ Where the Lonely Ones Go by CSHfic, VSfic, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng & cast, 23.9k Accidental (haunted) baby acquisition ✦ devotee by tagteamme, lan wangji/wei wuxian, NSFW, 5.8k Lan Wangji does not control Wei Wuxian. Not in the way many wish he would. But like this— ✦ nothing gold can stay by rikke, lan wangji/wei wuxian & cast, nsfw, 10.3k Before Wen Chao can throw him into Yiling Burial Mounds, Lan Wangji finds Wei Wuxian. ✦ Wait, What? by MarbleGlove, lan wangji/wei wuxian & lan xichen, time travel, 1.5k AKA, that time sixteen-year-old Wei WuXian showed up at Cloud Recesses, took one look at Lan WangJi and declared, “That’s my future husband!” … and Lan WangJi said, “Mm” ✦ Beyond All Reach by airinshaw, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & nie huaisang & lan xichen, NSFW, 27.4k Wei Wuxian heads back to Cloud Recesses to find out more about a curse someone has placed on him, that appears to do nothing. Until he meets back up with Lan Wangji and finds out that what the curse really does is stop them from being able to touch. ✦ Key Differences by pupeez4eva, lan wangji/wei wuxian & cast, 5.6k Wherein Wei Wuxian ends up meeting an alternate version of himself who, much to his horror, never married Lan Wangji. Obviously he has to do something to fix this. ✦ the heart is hard to translate by vespertineflora, lan wangji/wei wuxian, NSFW, rough sex, non-con play, 10.8k The moment comes almost out of the blue when, one relaxed spring afternoon, Lan Wangji decides that he’s ready to offer Wei Wuxian an opportunity to play out that very delicious fantasy about their stolen first kiss. ✦ Pigtail Pulling by protos_metazu_ison, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng & nie huaisang & lan xichen, 3.7k Wei Wuxian trips over Jiang Wanyin and sends both of them to the ground in a tangle of limbs and bruises. ✦ The Last Three Feet by etymologyplayground, lan wangji/wei wuxian & lan sizhui & lan wangji, 3.7k A moment of down time in the Cloud Recesses. THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - SOMETIMES YUNMENG SIBLINGS FIC, SOMETIMES WANGXIAN FIC: ✦ put your heart where your mouth is by protos_metazu_ison, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng, 19.9k Having lost a month’s worth of memories might have been fine if Wei Wuxian hadn’t managed to forget the part where he and Lan Wangji got engaged. If that was, actually, what happened. He hasn’t figured out that part yet. ✦ Orchids in Lotus Pier by Vamillepudding, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng & lan xichen & jiang yanli & jin zixuan & cast, 21.6k Against all odds, Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng become friends. It’s just Jiang Cheng’s luck that people think they’re courting. And it’s just Lan Wangji’s luck that regretfully, Wei Wuxian is also People. ✦ Deeper grows my longing by feyburner, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng, 4.4k Jiang Cheng stared at him. “How are you this dense,” he said flatly. “Wei Wuxian. The common people aren’t scared of you, they’re scared of your husband.“ “My what,” said Wei Wuxian. ✦ A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jin ling/lan sizhui & cast, 31k “And,” said one of the pompous ministers, “there’s the matter of a marriage to consider as well!” Jin Ling, who at the beginning of that sentence had expected to slam into the very last wall of his patience and lose his temper entirely, paused. “A what?” ✦ Being Known by dragongirlG, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jin zixuan/jiang yanli & jiang cheng/wen qing & nie huaisang & wen ning & lan xichen & yu ziyuan & lan qiren & cast, 36.3k wip Teenage Lan Wangji drunkenly confesses his lust for Wei Wuxian during the guest disciple lectures at the Cloud Recesses and wakes up betrothed to him by way of forehead ribbon. It all goes from there. ✦ heaven and earth as witness by scheherazade, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng & jin ling & lan sizhui, 8.5k Jin Ling has an emotional meltdown involving Lan Sizhui. Lan Wangji predictably overreacts. Somehow, it helps Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian finally have a conversation that they should have had years ago. THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - SOMETIMES CASE FIC, SOMETIMES WANGXIAN FIC: ✦ grow by cafecliche, lan wangji/wei wuxian & lan sizhui & the juniors, case fic, de-aged, 14.4k Or: Wei Wuxian is cursed on a night-hunt, and the junior quartet rapidly finds themselves in over their heads. ✦ Linger in the Sun by etymologyplayground, lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng & ocs & cast, 39.4k Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji find themselves cursed, unable to see or hear each other. They figure things out anyway. THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - WHEN I WASN’T LOOKING, I DEVELOPED NIE BROTHERS FEELINGS FIC: ✦ Pushover by nirejseki, nie huaisang & nie mingjue & lan xichen & jin guangyao & cast, 1.9k Every once in a while, not often, people who know them well will say that Nie Mingjue lets Nie Huaisang walk all over him. That isn’t quite right. THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - YOUR HONOR, HAVE YOU SEENA-YAO’S PRECIOUS FACE? - LAN XICHEN/JIN GUANGYAO FIC: ✦ half cloak & half dagger by Fahye, lan xichen/jin guangyao (& background wangxian), NSFW, 13.1k Jin Guangyao lifts his head and smiles. "I’m considering a problem.” “Can I be of any assistance with it?” He drops a kiss on Lan Xichen’s chest. With the nail of one finger he lightly traces the characters for irony on Lan Xichen’s side. “Not this one, er-ge.” ✦ Hindsight by clockwork_spider, lan xichen/jin guangyao, ~1k Three years after the incident at the GuanYin temple, Jin GuangYao and Nie MingJue’s coffin was unsealed and their corpses, depleted of resentful energy, were finally laid to rest, their spirits released. In his dream, Lan XiChen is visited by the spectre of his sworn brother. ✦ beyond reasons by welcome_equivocator, lan xichen/jin guangyao & lan wangji, 5.2k “a-yao,” he says, and you are almost surprised to hear it, but he is still facing away from you, “i know about the music.” ✦ Spring Dawn 《花落知多少》 by iskendaris, lan xichen/jin guangyao & nie mingjue, modern au/reincarnation au, 4.5k Meng Yao is given a second chance when he’s reincarnated. He doesn’t want a repeat of the past. However destiny has a way of interfering, and he finds himself working together with student president Lan Xichen?! Really, what is this fate?! ✦ Hold the Baby by Moonsheen, lan xichen/jin guangyao & jin zixuan/jiang yanli & lan wangji/wei wuxian & jiang cheng, 6.4k A collection of shorts: In which a chance encounter and a fussing baby causes a slight change to Jin Guangyao’s MO. ✦ Ornament by syriala, lan xichen/jin guangyao & nie mingue & lan qiren, 1.6k He starts to go into the bow again, and Lan Xichen intercepts his movement, stops him from bowing in a move that he might have learned from Nie Mingjue, and then his brain must short-circuit, because the only thought Lan Xichen has is that Meng Yao has the perfect height for forehead kisses. THE UNTAMED/MO DAO ZU SHI RECS - EVERY OTHER KIND OF FIC: ✦ fierce corpse Jin Zixuan by EHyde, jin zixuan/jiang yanli & jin ling & cast, 10.6k Jin Zixuan died at Qiongqi Path. Then, Wei Wuxian brought him back. But what place does Koi Tower have for a fierce corpse? ✦ The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere by FairestCat, jiang cheng & wen qing & lan sizhui, 2.3k There are rumours going around of a woman – a healer – travelling the countryside alone. Jiang Cheng needs to know if the rumours are true. ✦ If you only knew then (the things I only know now) by Nillegible, jiang fengmian/yu ziyuan & wei wuxian & jiang cheng & nie huaisang & lan wangji & & lan xichen & jin zixuan & cast, time travel (of a sort), 34.7k wip Yu Ziyuan receives a warning, a letter in Jiang Cheng’s handwriting, familiar, though it seems to have evened out over long years of practice. This was from her child, but not. This Jiang Cheng, grown up in ways that it hurt to contemplate, had endured the death of his family, his Sect, and his soul. ✦ partly frozen, partly flowing by astrolesbian, lan wangji & lan xichen & lan qiren (& background wangxian), 4.9k To discourage Lan Wangji from this idea would be to discourage him from loving, and Lan Xichen has always known that to be impossible. All he could do was nod as his brother looked at him, and finished, calmly, “Zewu-jun, I accept any punishment you see fit.” ✦ Delight in Misery by nirejseki, lan wangji & jiang cheng & lan sizhui & jin ling & lan xichen (&background wangxian), 17.4k wip For the first time in his life, Lan Wangji didn’t want to go home. (what if he had another option?) ✦ into the light of a dark black night by dragongirlG, lan wangji & lan xichen & madam lan, 3k On a snowy night in the dead of winter, Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, unexpectedly spends one last night with her sons before escaping from the Cloud Recesses. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE

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chayacat · 3 years ago

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Devil’s Sweet Star (40)

Fandom: Dead by Daylight

Ghostface x Female Reader

Rated M for Violence, Language and Smut

***

Aaaaaah.... what a beautiful night. A clear sky, stars dosing this beautiful black sky, A full moon, well round, very bright. If werewolves existed, it would be a perfect full moon for them, an ideal evening of blood and chaos for them. But even though he's not a werewolf, tonight is a perfect night for Danny. Finally.... FINALLY, he will be able to kill Hoggins. Finally, he will be able to finish what he started so long ago. Finally, he will be able to turn the page. What to do next? Keep killing of course. But here or elsewhere.... that is the question. He couldn't wait to see you too. But not tonight.

The question that everyone must ask themselves is: but how could he go out with all his equipment, and above all, what will he be able to tell you, given that you live together? well the answer is very simple, and luck is definitely on his side. For the answer, he will simply find a great excuse, out of his awesome and insane mind. And as for luck, you are not at the apartment tonight. No, you spend the evening at Melina's, the latter having invited you to come and watch horror movies at her house. Danny really has a very good star over his head, although he would have had no trouble finding an excuse to go out tonight: being a journalist can be a curse for sleep but also a blessing for murder.

Danny was posed against his van as usual, observing the home of his future victim and revenge: Richard Hoggins. Good god it burned his whole body to go there now and massacre him without any mercy, without any strategy, just... a good bloody murder. But he must remain calm, this is not the time to be spotted and suspected by the police. And amazingly, even Jed, who is only Danny's alter-ego, an identity he had created from scratch, even he wanted to kill him.

“A beautiful night to kill, isn't it? Well... only you can see it.” said Jed inside Danny’s mind.

“I expected you to give me yet another lesson in morality as you know how to do so well. What's going on Jed? Would I have ended up rubbing off on you?” responds Danny chuckling.

“Don't claim victory too quickly. I would never endorse what you do, but let's say I'm going to make an exception for this asshole. He has to pay for Carla.”

“You talk about Carla as if you were the one who lost her forever. Whereas you are just an invention. A simple name. You don't know anything and you don't feel anything.

“You created me the very second you needed me. I may not be real, but I am a part of you, your good side, your past innocence. And also, your psychologist in a way. And I will continue to exist, as long as you need another identity. Involuntarily, you let me access your life, and now we are two sides of the same coin. People would say that... I am your imaginary friend. That looks like you like two drops of water.”

“Oh, shut up...” replied Danny, sighing and looking away.

“... What will you do, when (y/n) learns the truth. Are you going to kill her or are you going to let her live?” said Jed looking at Hoggin’s house.

“It will depend on her reaction. If I could leave her alive.... that would suit me. But if she confronts me or tries to call the police... I will have no other choice.”

“Will you only be able to... that’s the question.”

Danny got up, looked at the house one last time before putting on his mask and taking his knife. It’s time. Let us not make Hoggins wait any longer. The house was just as guarded as McKellan's. But that's not what was going to stop Danny. Far from it. The harder the victory, the more delicious the reward will be. He walked to the side of the house where Hoggins' office was located. The window was closed at first glance but it is better to check.

As usual, he will use the equipment he finds on site. One of Danny's golden rules is never buying any equipment. Otherwise, the police will be able to trace him via his bank account. Beginner error. He climbed up to hoggins' office window and effectively it was closed. But the one in the next room, on the other hand, was not completely. It was an archive room, surely where he kept his contracts, press articles, and anything else that could interest him.

“Well... a real library... I am sure that even the police archives room is not as large and as full of documents as this room... Hoggins protects a real time bomb. If anyone stumbles upon all this... His entire family over thousands of generations will be dishonoured.” Said Danny looking inside the drawers.

And why not take a look? it won't hurt anyone. And with a little luck... Danny opened each drawer and looked at the different files until he found the one looking for: the file recounting the events of 4 years ago. The juicy little contract he had made with Dr. Pheels was to vomit. Certainly, he gave funds to the hospital for each death... but he recovered the double because he took 3/4 of the state aid that Pheels gave him. In the end everyone was a winner. And Hoggins even more.

“Motherf*cker. I hope you have taken advantage of this money, asshole. Because you're going to pay a lot tonight.”

Danny put the files away before passing the door that linked the archive room to the office. The office was empty, Hoggins was not there yet. Perfect. This gave him time to inspect the room. No camera. No alarm. Nothing. Good. The ropes of the curtains could be used to tie Hoggins. Or even more. Compared to McKellan, he did not exhibit artifacts or sharp objects in his office. Fortunately, he had taken his own knife. The office stinked of luxure, we saw that it was made to measure and at a price ... to fall to the ground.

Danny really wonders if he paid for it with "clean money". Rotten as he is, Hoggins may well have paid workers with dirty money, or not paid at all. It's possible with men like him. They are so stingy, so conceited, that they are able to do anything to keep a single penny. Noises were heard in the corridors. He’s coming. Danny got to the door and when Hoggins arrived, he did not see the latter hidden by the door.

“These cop bastards are seriously starting to hit me on the nerves to take care of my business! And that journalist... this Olsen.... if I could make him disappear... I thought I wouldn't fall back on him here. Maybe... maybe I could swing everything on him. After all,... I know who he really is.” said Hoggins before drinking.

Danny quietly advanced behind Hoggins ready to knock him out. The latter still drank a few sips of his glass of whiskey before turning around and falling face to face with Ghostface. The latter did not give him time to do or say anything that he punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, knocking him out instantly. Danny sneered at the inert body before taking a chair and the ropes from the curtain, then lifted Hoggins up to tie him up on the chair. He locked the door of the office and then returned to the archives room where he found a closet in which there were boards, nails and an electric nailer.

He prepared the scene by nailing the boards together, took the remaining curtain ropes and installed all his work in such a place and arrangement that when the police enter, Hoggins' body will be the first thing they will see. And if it could be Willhelm first... the pleasure will be all the greater. Hoggins woke up after a few minutes without panicking, without trying to free himself. As if he knew what lay ahead.

“Well, well... McKellan had acted like you at the beginning... you want to play the big hard... but you are only little girls.” Said Danny chuckling.

“It's funny coming from a man who doesn't take responsibility for his crimes and hides under a Halloween ghost mask. But we have to believe that criminals are all bad guys who want to play the big tough.” responds Hoggins before taking a punch in the face.

“You have more mouth than the other idiot. But you will quickly regret it, it’s me who tells you. You forget who I am.”

“Oh no... I know exactly who you are... Jed Olsen ... or you'd rather I call you... Danny Johnson?”

“...I see that you have done some research... and you have learned your lessons well. After all, you've had plenty of time for 4 years. But you're going to pay for it. Up to the last litre of blood.”

“All this for a poor little girl who was going to die anyway? You're resentful Johnson. You could have simply turned the page and avoided poking your nose into my stuff. I was very saddened to learn of the tragic death of Pheels...”

Danny punched him again before pulling out his knife and planting it in Hoggins' leg. The latter groans in pain before falling with his chair to the ground. Danny put himself on top of him and chained the blows more and more loudly. He lifted Hoggins by the hair and dragged him for meters to place him in front of a wooden cross large enough to hang a man on it.

“You see my dear Richard... this "poor little girl" as you call her had a future. And she could have got away with a treatment. The problem is that Carla had the misfortune to stumble upon you and your dear partner, Pheels. And YOU have decided to let her die in the name of profit. What's stupid for both of you is that you're falling on me. Young journalist... and crazy to bind. She was the only thing that helped me stay upright and you killed her. Pheels paid his share. You're going to pay yours. But for you the bill is going to be heavier. You know why? Because you're also going after MY girlfriend. And that... you should never have.” said Danny, preparing the electric nailer.

“When she learns of it, your little café boss will swing you at the cop. Anyway, you're screwed. I have a whole file on you and when Wilhelm sees it and read it...” said Hoggins with a sneaky smile.

“Oh. Are you talking about that?” replied Danny by exiting the folder. “You've done some really good research tell me. I loved rereading all these things about myself. You could have made it a novel even. Too bad this file disappears with you. At least it's going to burn. You... I'm reserving you for something more... artistic. I hope you are ready to meet your creator. Because you're going to join him right now. And in the same way as him. Or rather in a bloody way than him.”

Danny took the electric nailer and equipped it. He began by shooting Hoggins in the legs, who groaned again in pain. Unfortunately for him no one could hear him. He shot again, but this time in the arms, then in the torso. Blood was dripping from everywhere and Hoggins was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. Danny detached him and put him on the cross where he nailed him like Jesus.

“You are...completely twisted. You will burn... in hell.” Said Hoggins.

“Maybe. But for now, it's you who's going to rot in hell. Suck the devil’s d***, you son of b**ch.” responds Danny before killing him with a nail in the head.

A demonic smile stretched over his face. That's it... He's dead. But it's not over yet. Much remains to be done. Danny used the curtain ropes to tie Hoggins to the wooden cross. Then with the little one remaining, he created a kind of crown with nails, which he fixed to hoggins’ head. Then he bombarded the whole body with nails, causing it to bleed from all sides.

He then nailed Hoggins' hands and legs to make sure he did not fall and turned the cross over to make the symbol of the devil. This is a very successful work of art. However, one or two small details are missing. It's not bloody enough for his liking. He used his knife to eviscerate Hoggins, then slashed an angel's smile. Danny used Hoggins' blood to write a message on the wall and backed off to admire his work. There... there it’s better. There is only one thing left to do: to make this folder disappear. And the only way... it's to burn it.

But Danny is not stupid, he is not going to put the fire at home. He will burn it outside in the garden. He observed his work one last time, took a picture in order to have a proof to show you, then he left the place. Once away, halfway between the van and the house, he pulled out a lighter and set fire to the folder. He let go of the latter, watched him burn for a few minutes, then went to the van and left the place to go home.

“Finally... It's over. I will be able to turn the page...” said Danny, looking at the road.

“Yes. But you're going to keep killing. And that's not cool.” responds Jed sitting on the passenger seat.

“Did you honestly believe that I was going to change after that? Oh no, obviously I'll continue... but I would no longer be alone. I hope you enjoyed the show from my mind.”

“Make Hoggins the counterpart of God and crucify him? I must admit that I loved it.”

“This is normal... you are me.” replied Danny looking at the passenger seat before focusing on the road again.

Danny arrived in the parking lot of the building. He changed in the back of the van, put his suit in his bag and went up to the apartment. When he opened the door, he noticed that it looked empty. He walked to the bedroom which was also empty. You hadn't come back yet, it was perfect. He went to his office to put down his bag, take out his suit and put it in the washing machine. Once the latter was washed, he began to dry it in his office, which he locked. He took a shower, put on his pyjamas, and threw another washing machine. At the same time, you return, all smiling, exhausted but delighted from your evening. Danny took you in his arms, kissed you and guided you to the room so that you could both go to bed.

What you didn't know yet was that the job was done. Finally, Danny could turn the page on his past. And he shot it in the most beautiful way.

An inverted cross on the photo of a demon.

***

(My first injection of the vaccine is only next Tuesday! I'm a little stressed because I don't know how I'm going to react to this first injection of vaccine. So, I prefer to warn in advance that this could delay the release of the next chapter of DSS. But don't worry! I'm solid so everything should go well! As I told you, I will try to do a small teasing post for fanfic re8, but it is complicated to summarize something without telling too much. And I always struggle to find a title. I hope you’ll like this chapter like the others ones! Well, it's time for my brain to rest! Have a great weekend to you all! See ya!)

#dbd fanfic #dbd #dead by daylight #ghostface #danny johnson #jed olsen

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devilsskettle · 4 years ago

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(^^^ from howling (and bleeding) at the moon: menstruation, monstrosity and the double in the ginger snaps werewolf trilogy by erin m. flaherty)

tw for discussion of suicide ideation

okay. so. i agree with the “doppelgänger narrative” idea but the idea that brigitte “[comes] to stand for the symbolic order she resists so enthusiastically at the start of the film” is, in my reading of the ending, a misinterpretation of what ginger’s “monstrosity” signifies in the film. flaherty’s reading follows a common structure of creature features in which the monstrous transgresses social norms, so the overarching conflict is the “other” vs. normalcy. in that case, killing the monster at the end is a return to normal and reinforces societal expectations. however, i don’t think that ginger snaps is actually that kind of story. at the beginning, both ginger and brigitte “resist so enthusiastically” being part of society to the point of rejecting life, becoming isolated and codependent. before ginger gets her period, brigitte tells her that she better not become basic like all the other kids at their school, but she leaves her behind pretty quickly once she becomes interested in teen society sex drugs and rock n roll and is more accepted by her peers. brigitte continues not to give a fuck about what anyone thinks of her, even though ginger is part of that world now and not their own. part of ginger’s transformation actually helps her gain social acceptance - she is now part of the “symbolic order” even as she transgresses it. i’m not saying her transformation doesn’t transgress this order, or that she gains the acceptance of everyone at her school - trina in particular certainly isn’t a fan - but especially at the beginning, the changes that she undergoes is perceived as her becoming a “normal” teenage girl instead of the freaky death-obsessed kid ostracized by her classmates.

i would argue that ginger’s transformation makes her both super- and unfeminine - super-feminine in the sense that all the side effects of puberty for people with uteruses (menstruation, body hair/shaving, developing new body parts, hormones/mood swings, and awareness of sexuality/being sexually active) are exaggerated during her transformation - and a lot of these symptoms are ways in which a woman’s body is policed or found unacceptable or gross; unfeminine in the sense that, first of all, she’s becoming inhuman and gender is a very human concept, and second of all, she still doesn’t fit the mold of female expectation (i.e. shaving, dressing a certain way, being demure or nurturing, not being overconfident, not being a slut OR not being a prude, not having physical strength, etc). flaherty does make this argument via david j. hogan’s dark romance: sexuality and the horror film: “in complete confrontation with the classic view of the werewolf as ‘masculinity carried to an outrageous extreme,’ the werewolf is actually aligned with femininity carried to an extreme,” an idea that i think works really well in discussion of ginger snaps in particular. she also rejects the identity of “girl” several times - “wrists are for girls, i’m slitting my throat,” yelling at brigitte and saying she’s “just a stupid little girl” - and disparagingly points out the difference between the expectations for male and female sexuality - “he got laid, i’m just a lay.” so.... i definitely do get the interpretation of ginger’s death to have a kind of punitive logic for transgressing gendered expectations in these two different ways, but i think that’s a meta-criticism on the part of the writers, not the role that brigitte fills (for a movie that rejects the “death by morality call” of hollywood monster movies, they really did still punish her narratively for moral transgressions lmao - like flaherty says, “it appears that as subversive as the ginger snaps films are in respect to the werewolf narrative, they also reflect a deep cultural ambivalence about female identity. there is no option offered to ginger or brigitte, and due tot heir unwillingness to accept the roles predetermined for them in the society in which they live, they must be punished”). honestly i think i am nitpicking a little bit because i guess i do ultimately agree with flaherty that the story follows a normalcy > otherness > return to normalcy pattern with gendered ideas of what normalcy is, and where she loses me is her interpretation of brigitte and ginger’s social standing. to me, ginger seems really frustrated trying to navigate gender roles and her own position in society - but she is engaging with society.

you know who’s still not engaging with society? brigitte. she isn’t part of that “normalcy” at all, so to me, her rejection of the lycanthropy that ginger embraces signifies less that she sides with the social order and wants to reinforce normalcy, and more that she did a lot of growing up over the course of this movie as well, in a different direction than ginger did, and she reclaims her agency as well as her will to live. i feel like the monstrosity vs. normalcy framework ignores the fact that both ginger and brigitte are actively suicidal at the beginning of the movie - the first shot we get of ginger is her holding a knife to her wrist. at the beginning, brigitte hesitantly agrees to their suicide pact despite her obvious reservations. at the end, she strongly asserts, “i’m not dying in this room with you. i’m not dying.” so if we consider ginger’s mimetic role for brigitte, killing her isn’t reestablishing the social norm, it’s rejecting her own destructive and suicidal tendencies. i think her narrative arc teaches her: 1) how to make her own decisions separate from ginger and have agency in her own life, 2) recognition of her mother’s feelings of estrangement from her family, 3) how to connect with other people in a way that isn’t codependent, 4) rejection of suicide ideation. all of these lessons are ways of treating yourself and others with respect, compassion, and understanding - even though brigitte doesn’t change dramatically, magically becoming a saccharinely nice person or a social butterfly. she maintains her isolation and personality much more than ginger does over the course of the film. while at the beginning their fascination with their own deaths “not only demonstrates the duo’s disgust at the banality of their suburban surroundings, it also proclaims their self-stylized exclusion from the heterosexually fueled dynamics of the teen scene” (via menstrual monsters: the reception of the ginger snaps cult horror franchise), it’s ginger, not brigitte, who ends up participating in this “compulsive heterosexing high school culture,” where brigitte’s choice to not commit suicide isn’t her opting into this culture, but attempting to find a less destructive way of escaping or coping with it.

flaherty argues that because brigitte’s first period is never discussed in the films, “she remains a child and therefore is unable to understand the true restrictiveness of woman as Other, what leads ginger to eventually embrace and enjoy her monstrosity,” but in unleashed, a fair amount of time has passed and i think it’s fair to say that brigitte no longer seems child-like (that role is assumed by ghost), and also she starts experiencing the same kind of monstrous sexuality as ginger did in the first movie - i think it misrepresents her characterization in the sequel to say that she maintains “child” status. i also think it’s not relevant to try to distinguish between “girl” and “woman” in terms of the monstrous-feminine. she still experiences alienation and otherness because she’s female and transgresses gender roles. so.... i don’t know. it’s a weird argument to make, especially since, like i said before, i consider this story a kind of coming of age for both sisters. “lycanthropy and femaleness” are not “ultimately unknowable” to her because.... she does become a werewolf over the course of both movies and she’s already female (like..... getting your period doesn’t magically make you a Real Woman lol)

i also think it’s significant that as a stand-alone movie (ignoring the sequel, which is worth watching but seriously bleak as hell) the ending is tragic but tacitly hopeful as well - as far as we know at that point brigitte has the cure (which actually works!) and is not going to kill herself. in her final confrontation with ginger, she has the cure in one hand and a knife in the other hand, and i think that nicely represents the choice that is hanging over her head the entire movie: choosing to live or choosing to die. (flaherty calls this “a telling moment of double phallic-appropriation” which..... meh. okay. not every weapon/tool used in a horror movie has to be a phallic symbol but also, sure, whatever. that’s one way to read it i guess). ginger made her decision at the very beginning of the movie

this quote by karen walton expresses this interpretation really well:

The two sisters had this childhood bond with their pact. These two sisters were also best friends who created a bubble for themselves and took strength from each other, nourished and informed each other for a long time; but the film is not just the story of Ginger turning into a monster. It is also a story about Brigitte surviving her sister who is on a death spiral. Ginger's is a story of self-destruction. But where people get confused is that they think Ginger is the hero, but the film is really about a sister who survives a sister, who survives a best friend. An intimate relationship that becomes unhealthy and deadly.

and i’ve talked a little bit about why i feel uncomfortable with attaching a ~*girl power*~ narrative to ginger so i won’t get to much into that but i have some thoughts about that here

also i’ve said a little bit about this before and i am basically copy/pasting from a post i already made but with a doppelgänger story like this, especially with a focus on women and madness, to me it immediately brings to mind jane eyre. i am thinking in terms of the mimetic function of jane/bertha and brigitte/ginger, with the repressed emotions and desires of the protagonist coming through in the actions of the “madwoman” character. especially brigitte’s assertion of “now i am you” when she voluntarily lets ginger turn her into a werewolf. the “madwoman” is portrayed as bestial, hypersexual, intemperate with substances, jealous, vengeful, as well as dealing with extreme anger toward confinement (ginger’s panic at getting locked up and her escape and weaponized sexuality brand of revenge is so similar to bertha like. trying to burn rochester alive and biting her brother badly enough that he passes out and other shit like that). but ALSO the other women in jane eyre have a mimetic function as well, where they can be read as potential paths for jane to follow (these choices generally can be summarized as dead or married). i think ginger snaps can be read the same way - ginger, trina, and her mother are the models of womanhood brigitte is presented with, and she is repeatedly told that what’s happening to ginger is normal, that all women experience that, and soon she will too. like the women in jane eyre, they’re models of femininity that she rejects but has to navigate because there are no other models for her. these three characters are either killed (directly or indirectly) or abandoned by her by the end of the movie. it’s actually ginger who defines the roles that women are cast into: “a slut, a bitch, a tease, or the virgin next door.” this is similar the female archetypes that jane has to navigate (and resist) throughout jane eyre. anyway this is a really roundabout way of saying that although brigitte does reject her worldview from the beginning of the movie, she doesn’t accept social order and normalcy. she doesn’t fall into any easily defined category. which is the point - “no one thinks girls do fucked up shit” but of course they do, no one thinks they can be more complex than these categories but of course they are, no one entertains the possibility that brigitte isn’t going to follow some made up universal experience of girlhood but she resists that through the end of the movie. she’s still a total weirdo <3

so yeah, i will also disagree with the assertion that both sisters lose their identities, because while i think there is a loss or a shift of identity in both ginger and brigitte, like flaherty argues, part of brigitte’s narrative arc is figuring out who she is without her dependence on her sister. brigitte saying “now i am you” feels less about loss of identity to me than actually identifying herself with the traits she sees (or used to see) in ginger - where ginger’s response (“i know you are, but what am i?”) indicates actual loss of identity rather than something transitory

oh and also one of the main claims of this paper is that the male werewolf’s source of pain is beyond the “lifetime of morning-afters where he must confront the previous night’s excess,” and is really his “bodily alignment with another ungraspable Other, the woman” which 1) i don’t think follows the definition of the Other she establishes earlier in the paper as something that is repressed in a self or society - this use of “otherness” seems more about alignment with something different than his own identity and less about the jekyll and hyde comparison she evokes with the expression of a repressed self (imo i don’t think she should’ve used that story to support her argument since it isn’t actually about werewolves, even though i get her point about the repressed self, it’s kind of irrelevant to her argument), 2) brigitte in the first movie doesn’t seem repressed to me - she genuinely doesn’t seem to have the same impulses as ginger does and it’s not until the sequel that she actively is attempting to repress the changes that are happening to her; however, since the paper does concern the whole trilogy, i think the point is still valid, but there’s such a heavy focus on the first movie that i feel the need to dispute that interpretation of her character arc, and 3) i don’t think this interpretation really lines up with classic werewolf movies - there’s nothing particularly feminine about your standard werewolf except arguably the cyclical alignment with the moon that ginger snaps uses as a menstruation metaphor, but like. for example. i would never watch an american werewolf in london and think, “oh, his distress isn’t actually about killing innocent people, loss of control, loss of sanity, guilt and mourning because of the death of his friend, a predetermined fate, and suicide, it’s about him being female-coded” or something. like, yes, “the tragedy of the male werewolf is believed to lie exclusively in the deep anguish he feels in violating the very societal boundaries he has come to live under” and it’s interesting to dig deeper into that in terms of gender and sexuality, but i don’t think femaleness is inherent in the distress of the male werewolf - of course this is true in ginger snaps (with jason’s transformation being particularly distressing to him because it mirrors menstruation). the assertion that the classic werewolf “bleeds uncontrollably until his transformation is complete” similarly seems unfounded to me because i’ve never seen that in werewolf movies and she doesn’t cite where she finds that symptom of the transformation - maybe i am missing something there? if anyone knows of a depiction where that’s the case let me know, because that’s definitely a stronger argument for werewolves = menstruation-coded.

and re: the quote i cited earlier about werewolves = femininity taken to the extreme: i don’t think that argument holds true in the classic depiction/cultural perception of the werewolf. i think this post makes a more supportable (and concise) argument:

There are hardly any female werewolves because they break all the classic rules of femininity. They force you to confront female violence, strength, size, grotesqueness and uncontrollability. Historically female shapeshifters always shift into something dangerous (snake) or sleek (cat) or dainty (bird) but female werewolves ignore the masculine gaze completely. They're distorted beasts that have no ulterior motive except to destroy. Nothing about them is nurturing or modest. They're the opposite of what a woman "should be." Their omission from pop culture is not an accident.

all that being said, i did enjoy this article, especially starting at the section titled “wrists are for girls; i’m slitting my throat:” ginger fitzgerald’s monstrosity and all the stuff about ginger’s transformation as a reflection of "monstrosity” as a teenage girl, and suburban landscape of repression. one description of brigitte’s conflict that i actually really like: “unlike the male werewolf’s double, brigitte yearns not for the eradication of her other half but for the reconciliation.” i think it’s a really interesting read, even if i don’t agree with a lot of it. and maybe i’m way off base? maybe i’m interpreting brigitte as a character too generously? let me know what you guys think

#ginger snaps #hell is a teenage girl #anyway..... i've got some opinions #i have no outlet for ranting about ginger snaps OR jane eyre anymore so just.... bear with me #suicide tw #long post

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fuckyeahfanfictions · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 18/18 Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Characters: Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Kira Yukimura, Lydia Martin, Jackson Whittemore, Isaac Lahey, Sheriff Stilinski, Alan Deaton, Nogitsune (Teen Wolf), OCs, Claudia Stilinski, Melissa McCall, Jordan Parrish, Laura Hale, Kate Argent, Chris Argent, Peter Hale, The Alpha Pack (Teen Wolf), Gerard Argent, Vernon Boyd, Erica Reyes, Allison Argent Additional Tags: Angst, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Stiles, Hurt Stiles, Hurt Derek, Warlock Stiles Stilinski, Future Fic, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Season/Series 02, Post-Season/Series 03, Body Horror, POV Stiles Stilinski, THE CAMARO LIVES, First Time, Mates, Unreliable Narrator, Hallucinations, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicidal Ideation, Eventual Fluff, Bisexual Stiles Stilinski, Bottom Stiles Stilinski, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Top Derek Hale/Bottom Stiles Stilinski, Banter, Fluff and Humor, Protective Derek, Protective Stiles Stilinski, Oblivious Stiles Stilinski, Bisexual Derek Hale, Scott is a Good Friend, Sheriff Stilinski Feels, Sheriff Stilinski’s Name is Noah, Derek Hale is a Softie, Derek Hale is Good at Feelings, Men Crying, Claudia Stilinski Feels, Dead Claudia Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski Uses His Words, Stilinski Family Feels, Panic Attacks, Awesome Sheriff Stilinski, Sheriff Stilinski Knows About Werewolves, Knotting, Derek Hale Has a Knot, First Kiss, Making Out, Making Love, Anal Sex, Rough Sex, Light BDSM, Anal Fingering, Fingerfucking, Possessive Derek, Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Stiles Stilinski Deserves Nice Things, Neck Kissing, Nipple Licking, Derek Hale’s Bunny Teeth, Pack Feels, Protective Pack, Protective Sheriff Stilinski, Derek Hale Uses His Words, Derek Hale in Love, Marriage Proposal, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, Stiles Stilinski Needs a Hug, Survivor Guilt, Babies, Wordcount: Over 100.000, Implied Mpreg, Everyone Needs A Hug, Mage Stiles Stilinski, IN SPACE!, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Mpreg, Childbirth, Caveman Derek Hale, Caveman Stiles, Past Sexual Abuse, Derek Hale is a Failwolf, Yet Derek Hale is also not a Failwolf, Self-Harm, Idiots in Love, Breeding Kink Summary:

“So what’s it gonna be, Stiles?” An hour wasn’t enough time for a miracle. Not enough for him and Derek both. “Salvation for you, or the world?” ____________________________________

Stiles confronts an enemy warlock too powerful for him to defeat, and he’s given an ultimatum: He must kill Derek, or Derek will be killed anyway along with everyone else in Beacon Hills. Trapped in a magically-reinforced cell with Derek, he has only an hour to make his choice.

In the tragic aftermath of the confrontation, Stiles spirals into a delusional, suicidal race against time for the lives of his remaining loved ones and the rest of the world. A spectral companion is all that keeps him from going totally insane on the hunt for the enemy warlock.

But Stiles’s spectral companion isn’t what it seems to be. Neither is the enemy warlock, who will forever change Stiles’s universe beyond all of Stiles’s imaginings …

(The story is complete (chapters 1 to 10), but I’ll update it from time to time with coda chapters.)

#sterek #ficrec #giddytf2

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dreamingofscully · 5 years ago

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6x06. “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas” - X-Files Rewatch

I wrote a lot about this episode, I hope you enjoy! Really thought this one gave us a ton of insight into M&S.

Mulder’s excuse to invite Scully out with him - a haunted house. He just wants to spend time with her. He’s feeling lonely. For some reason he’s not spending Christmas with anyone - not his mom, not the Gunmen. Even if he was, she’s the person he most wants to spend it with.

Mulder does his very best to entertain Scully with a ghost story. He’s being very seductive, but I don’t think he’s too serious about it - just wants her to spend time with him desperately.

When Mulder describes Maurice (“brooding but heroic”) and Lyda (“a sublime beauty with a light that seemed to follow her wherever she went”) - I mean, c’mon, he’s describing THEM.

“Driven by a tragic fear of separation they forged a lovers' pact so that they might spend eternity together and not spend one precious Christmas apart.”

HELLO?!

Even though Scully has somewhere to be, Mulder’s pull on her is irresistible. She has a family, a gift-opening, many traditions that she loves to take part in, SOMEWHERE ELSE TO BE, but she comes to see Mulder anyway. She protests, tries to leave, but only because she thinks Mulder also has plans, has people to spend the holidays with. Scully loves a good story, and this one hits close to home - scary, romantic and tragic.

Scully’s long monologue about why fearing ghosts is irrational, what it represents. She’s thought about it a LOT. She enjoys the thrill she gets from fear but also enjoys being able to explain it, put it in a box, conquer it.

It appears on the outside that Mulder is being selfish on inviting her here, occupying her time on a date where she has places to be, that he’s being insensitive. But the opposite is actually true. How difficult is Christmas going to be for Scully this year? To be around her family and remember her loss. To spend time with her nephew and having to hide her sorrow at the child she barely knew that was taken from her. To be expected to be full of Christmas cheer when all she wants to do is hide from the world, to yell and cry with anger and sadness. Mulder knows this, but doesn’t acknowledge it. He distracts her with ghosts, and it is the most wonderful thing he could do.

I love the contrast between Mulder and Scully meeting the ghosts, on experiencing the scary haunted house. Mulder is fascinated, while Scully is terrified. An incredible parallel to their experiences with the paranormal - Mulder just wants to know more but Scully rationalizes it to try to dispel her fears.

“Alright, I’m afraid. But it’s an irrational fear.” - Scully (Her first of three admissions this episode.)

This is a wonderful season to explore Scully’s fears. She is terrified of the unknown, of what she can’t explain rationally, which drives her stubbornness all throughout the next few seasons. It’s frustrating for Mulder, he doesn’t understand why she’s so resistant to believe even if she’s seen things she can’t deny, but it all stems from this fear. She doesn’t fully overcome it until much, much later (“all things”, I believe).

Mulder’s “I got your back” when Scully’s about to check out something strange/scary. Hilarious, and a simple attempt at humour. An attempt to show that Scully is the braver one. He might be less scared, but he pushes her, wants her to explore, and while Scully is afraid SHE is the one to open the door because HE pushes her to do so, because she needs to explain things to conquer her fear. She likes that about him, about their relationship. He gives her strength and courage to overcome her fears.

Scully gets into the next room, is comforted by evidence of the mundane. The wound clock, the fire that just went out. This place isn’t haunted, it’s just occupied.

Mulder is such a goofball. Enjoying pranking/scaring Scully, teasing her. He touches her shoulder. He calls her on her fears - that “Rationally, you've been in much more dangerous situations”. In a horror movie, Mulder would be the one doing all the things that YOU SHOULD NOT DO. Scully realizes this, haha.

Scully’s hand on his arm when they realize that the corpses are themselves. It’s meant to scare them, to make them believe something will happen to them. So the things that come later will be more believable and they’ll be more susceptible to Maurice and Lyda’s manipulations.

The psychoanalysis of Mulder and Scully.

A lot of these insights are accurate, but some of them reflect only what they FEAR is the truth.

Maurice → Mulder

I’m just going to comment here that Mulder is wearing my favourite outfit. Leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans. Hnnnnnnnnng.

“Are you overcome by the impulse to make everyone believe you?”

The one person he wants to believe him the most is extremely resistant to it. She says she believes him, but she can’t quite admit it to herself. This hurts him.

“Narcissistic, overzealous, self-righteous egomaniac.”

Overzealous, yes, and perhaps self-righteous but I don’t agree with the others. Mulder would be WORRIED about the other things though. That he is too self-centered, that his personal quest has taken so much from Scully. He views himself as selfish, and undeserving of love and companionship because of it.

“You kindly think of yourself as single-minded but you're prone to obsessive compulsiveness workaholism, antisocialism... Fertile fields for the descent into total wacko breakdown.”

Single-minded: YES

Obsessive: YES; compulsive to the extent that he is impulsive and spontaneous when it comes to his quest, but not OCD

Workaholism: YES - Mulder doesn’t ever NOT work, as long as it’s associated with his obsession. He’s always at the bureau, or working at home, or dragging Scully to investigate mysterious things on the weekend.

Antisocialism: YES - He doesn’t care what other people think, doesn’t have much of a social life outside of his carefully chosen friends

Total wacko breakdown: he jokes about his mental stability, that he belongs in a mental institution, that they’d lock him up if he went there, that Scully could see him tied down on a bed. But in reality he is very stable emotionally - with all of the trauma he encounters he is very resilient, bounces back, pursues his quest

“You probably consider yourself passionate, serious, misunderstood. Am I right?”

YES. He doesn’t mind that people don’t get him, because he knows he’s on the right path. His joking and humour only covers up his vulnerability, otherwise he is very serious about most things.

“Most people would rather stick their fingers in a wall socket than spend a minute with you.”

OOF. This hurts him, hits home, gets right down to the core of his greatest fear, of being alone.

He brings up Scully, that he’s not actually alone. He didn’t take her car keys, but the ONLY REASON SHE’S IN THE HOUSE IS BECAUSE THEY WERE TAKEN.

And where is she? “BEHIND A BRICK WALL.” One of their own construction - mainly Mulder’s.

“You know why you do it-- listen endlessly to her droning rationalizations. 'Cause you're afraid. Afraid of the loneliness. Am I right?”

This is why Mulder, after his frustration in “The Beginning”, is more accepting of her disbelief. He makes very good points about why she can’t believe in that episode, but he doesn’t really push her on it afterwards - because the alternative is loneliness. (He DOES know that the debate is necessary for their process, but also that her denials are unreasonable at this point, after what they saw.)

If he pushes her too much, will she leave?

Lyda → Scully

Her hand shaking when holding her gun is just perfection. I love how she calms, her hand steadies, but then starts trembling again when Lyda starts making strange insights, knows things she shouldn’t.

“You must have an awful small life. Spending your Christmas Eve with him... Running around chasing things you don't even believe in.”

Again, Scully wants more out of life. She wants to “get out of the car”, wants to experience family, intimacy, have a partner to share her life with. That Mulder seems incompatible with those things, that he could never settle down and stop chasing things in the dark.

“I can see it in your face... The fear... The conflicted yearnings... A subconscious desire to find fulfillment through another. Intimacy through co-dependency.”

Feeling that she can’t obtain intimacy with Mulder, she finds satisfaction just being with him, working with him, being NEEDED.

“Maybe you repress the truth about why you're really here pretending it's out of duty or loyalty-- unable to admit your dirty little secret. Your only joy in life is proving him wrong.”

This isn’t true, she loves working with Mulder, and believes her rationalizations only serve to build him up (they do). Recent tension between them would make her fear that Mulder thinks this way - that she has no purpose in their quest. Her unwillingness to believe, that it’s only about wanting to be right, will only serve to drive him away.

I love that Scully faints from fear at seeing the holes in Lyda’s stomach and Maurice’s head. When confronted with something SO UNBELIEVABLE, something that cannot be denied or rationalized or put in a box she just shuts down.

Lyda → Mulder

“I was young and beautiful once, just like your partner.” Any acknowledgement of Scully’s beauty just makes me 😍

“Maybe you two should have discussed your real feelings before you came out here.”

Heck, yeah! But Mulder can’t let himself. Even if he knew Scully felt the same about him, he doesn’t deserve to be loved by her.

Comparing Mulder’s reaction to seeing the hole in Lyda’s stomach to Scully’s. He’s disgusted because he accepts it as reality as a matter of course, while Scully is (literally) scared out of her mind.

When Lyda suggests Scully would shoot herself, Mulder’s “I wouldn’t let her”. 😍

“We're not lovers.” - Mulder, said with a sigh “And this isn't a pure science. But you're both so attractive and there'll be a lot of time to work that out.” - Lyda

Ummmmmmmmmm… can we have ghost-Mulder and Scully AU fanfic please?

Maurice → Scully

Mulder as “dark and lonely” - suggesting that he took the car keys to keep her with him. The little nuggets of truth that Maurice and Lyda offer to Mulder and Scully make it easier to accept the other things - the fears that they have about each other.

He’s got no one this Christmas, and she had no idea. 😥

Maurice and Lyda trick Mulder and Scully

When she sees “Mulder”, she’s so relieved and happy.

When “Mulder” rants about loneliness. Scully doesn’t believe in it. She thinks they can change, that they can choose to not be lonely. (This comes up again in “Milagro”. A VERY SIGNIFICANT EPISODE. Hnnng.)

“You’re scaring me.” - Scully (2)

Scully’s face when he’s about to shoot himself. 😥

Mulder finding “Scully” 😥

Crawling along the floor in their blood.

“Are you afraid, Mulder? I am.” - Scully (3)

They can’t shoot each other, even when thinking that the other did it to them.

Of course Mulder figures it out first. He’s more open to believing that this is an illusion, a trick. Something unreal and paranormal rather than the reality of them having shot each other. He reaches for her and helps her up, showing her the evidence in front of her face that this isn’t real. Touches her uninjured stomach, covered in blood.

Lily Tomlin as Lyda and Ed Asner as Maurice were amazing. I loved their playfulness. That this was a horror-comedy instead of just a tragic, scary story.

Back at Mulder’s apartment

“I don’t deserve to be so happy.” - on the television in Mulder’s apartment at the end. How sad. But it describes him so perfectly this season. He doesn’t believe he deserves happiness. That he got to spend some time with Scully was wonderful, but now he’s back in his lonely apartment wishing she was still there, but not thinking it should ever happen. He knows what makes him happy, sharing and spending time with Scully, but she has her own “normal” life that he can never be a part of, that he doesn’t DESERVE to be a part of no matter how desperately he craves it.

When she shows up, he’s delighted. That she wants to be there with him, enjoys spending time doing WHATEVER, even if she’s scared, or refuses to believe. She enjoys their connection just as much as him. She views him as an important person in her life, just as much as her family. He agrees with Scully that it didn’t happen, doesn’t push her on her stubbornness to not believe, because he’s just happy she’s here. He chooses the opposite of loneliness.

Their acknowledgement of the fears that they have. Mulder’s on being selfish, and Scully’s on her reasons for working with him. I love that they mention these things rather than the ones that are actually true.

They do some heavy gazing at each other when talking about their vulnerabilities. 😍

I love how bashful they are when giving each other presents. It’s so cute!

Scully loves presents. I just love that tidbit about her. I don’t think she’s materialistic, the present could be anything. She just loves that someone cares enough about her to get her something meaningful, she loves the anticipation of unwrapping and seeing what it is.

After they opened their gifts, I think Scully invited Mulder to her mom’s house. Knowing he has nowhere to be, no one to spend it with. I just can’t see her choosing to leave him alone, and she WANTS to be with him. WANTS to live a life where they are together for holidays and significant events, not just because of work.

#xfiles #x-files #x-files rewatch #x files rewatch #msr #msrheadcanon #mulder and scully #fox mulder #dana scully #season 6 #top 10 episodes

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pop-punklouis · 4 years ago

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Hi hope! I saw someone mention nocturnal animal as a similar film to dwd and I was wondering if you had any film recs? I’m not too familiar with the genre and I wanna know what kind of film it’s gonna be 😁

hi! yes of course. i’ll rec some films that i feel will be in the arena/vibe of this movie even though we know very little.

• Nocturnal Animals

A successful Los Angeles art-gallery owner's idyllic life is marred by the constant traveling of her handsome second husband. While he is away, she is shaken by the arrival of a manuscript written by her first husband, who she has not seen in years. The manuscript tells the story of a teacher who finds a trip with his family turning into a nightmare. As Susan reads the book, it forces her to examine her past and confront some dark truths.

• Enemy

A mild-mannered college professor (Jake Gyllenhaal) discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs.

• empathy inc.

A venture capitalist discovers the sinister plans for a new, cutting-edge technology called Xtreme Virtual Reality.

• Swallow (mainly for the suppressed woman character arc with overbearing husband)

A young housewife with a seemingly perfect marriage and life develops a disorder that gives her an irresistible urge to eat inedible objects.

• The Master (for cult-like vibes)

Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled, boozy drifter struggling with the trauma of World War II and whatever inner demons ruled his life before that. On a fateful night in 1950, Freddie boards a passing boat and meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the charismatic leader of a religious movement called the Cause. Freddie tries hard to adhere to Dodd's weird teachings and forms a close bond with his mentor, even as other members of Dodd's inner circle see him as a threat.

• Mother!

A young woman spends her days renovating the Victorian mansion that she lives in with her husband in the countryside. When a stranger knocks on the door one night, he becomes an unexpected guest in their home. Later, his wife and two children also arrive to make themselves welcome. Terror soon strikes when the beleaguered wife tries to figure out why her husband is so seemingly friendly and accommodating to everyone but her.

• Infinity Chamber

Locked up in an automated prison, Frank Lerner undergoes an interrogation process that forces him to relive the same day over and over. When a war erupts on the outside, he must find a way to escape from a computer system that won't let him go.

• Mr. Nobody

A boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.

• Primer

Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.

• Us

Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one of them.

• The Invitation

the tension is palpable when Will shows up to his ex-wife Eden and new husband, David's dinner party. The pair's tragic past haunts an equally spooky present: Amid Eden's suspicious behavior and her mysterious house guests, Will becomes convinced that his invitation was extended with a hidden agenda. Unfolding over one dark evening in the Hollywood Hills, The Invitation blurs layers of mounting paranoia, mystery, and horror until both Will-and the audience-are unsure what threats are real or imagined.

• Disturbia

When a troubled teenager (Shia LaBeouf) on house arrest becomes transfixed by a neighbor he suspects is a serial killer, he uses his free time at home to obsess over what may be happening across the street. But spying on the neighbors proves to be nothing but trouble.

• Burning

This Korean-language film seems innocent on the front end, but when a writer goes to the airport to pick up his high school friend, everything begins to change when he sees her with another man who has a really strange side project he likes to do: burning greenhouses. The film, which has received critical acclaim, shouldn't be ruined by elaborating any more...

• Cam

Madeline Brewer plays an enterprising camgirl who discovers that she's somehow been replicated in various videos that have been uploaded to her own website in this Internet-inspired horror thriller

• The Perfection

When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte seeks out Elizabeth, the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.

#grey #movie rec #obviously all of these arent the same fit but when i read the synopsis and first draft of the film today #all these movies came to mind

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arcticdementor · 4 years ago

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Describing Dashiell Hammett’s noir detective character The Continental Op, literary critic Steven Marcus inadvertently captures the reactionary. Both detective and reactionary emerge from profoundly disordered societies. Their gut tells them something is amiss, that their circumstances are fundamentally unsatisfying. Each finds himself waking up to a world of falsehoods, where natural inclinations are everywhere subverted, where human flourishing is derailed or destroyed, and where truth is buried under mounds of error. With little to nothing left to ‘conserve’, the reactionary becomes a deconstructionist, a detective, stripping away contemporary liberalism’s false legitimations.

There are several branches of reactionary thought, but most if not all share at the core an antipathy for the money-power, a sacral understanding of culture, affinity for hierarchy, and some degree of hero-worship. These threads persist regardless of any particular riffs or permutations. The reactionary, through churchism, nationalism, vitalism, traditionalism, or some combination thereof, struggles against liberal nihilism, the deracination of romantic visions and immaterial goods. In short, reaction rejects the myth of Progress.

…

Modern decadence rarely takes the form of lavish balls or orgiastic retreats. Instead, it is characterized by exhaustion, the desocialization of pleasure and thrill, anhedonia. Late cartographer of capitalism Mark Fisher describes the latter vividly as “the soft narcosis, the simstim eternity, the comfort food oblivion of Playstation, all-night TV and marijuana.” All forms of fulfillment eternally forestalled by gluttony, onanism, and the general inability to disconnect from our ever-present digital dopamine drip. Contemporary reaction, then, often originates as a backlash against passivity, consumerism, sterility, physical weakness, and all the other rotten fruits of disenchantment.

…

While it is no doubt true that many past eras surpassed our own in virtue, beauty, and spirituality, it is impossible to return to the same set of social, economic, and technological conditions that shaped the past. A Bushism summarizes the issue well: “I think we can agree, the past is over.” The challenge, then, is to fashion a society out of postmodern clay, in which natural virtues again flourish. The reactionary mind must attune itself to the particular ailments, conditions, and advantages of postmodernity.

…

Until very recently, this was an apt description of the Western world. But as liberalism works itself pure and intersectionality marches through the institutions, it also reintroduces the West to metanarrative. From the Enlightenment’s murder of myth, through to the Enlightenment’s death, we have arrived again at an era of myth. As the United States continues its transformation into an ideological state premised on gender gnosticism, anti-whiteness, and anti-nationalism, liberalism’s hyper-moralism becomes clearer.

Today, the West is returning to the political as such, to a state of polemos, the social warfare that punishes, purges, and partitions. Yet the regime’s tendency toward anarcho-tyranny, as well as postmodernity’s general liquidity and chaos, lends extra potency to reaction’s promises of order, beauty, and the sacrosanct. These developments are a great boon to reaction. Politicization is a preferable outcome for the reactionary, and one step closer to the outright conflict necessary to effect social rejuvenation.

…

With normalcy demonized at every turn, the West finds itself in another Prohibition era. The person who honors his ancestors, obeys God, and admires traditional mores participates in “collaborative illegality.” Societies of illegality, where day-to-day life becomes a radical state of affairs, are fertile ground for reaction. Confrontation is everywhere preferable to obfuscation. If, as detectives, reactionaries are emergent byproducts of decline, then we should expect them to proliferate as decline accelerates and the spirit of polemos enlarges.

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The scuttled America First Caucus recently proclaimed America as “a nation with a border, and a culture, strengthened by a common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions,” and decried mass migrations disruption and disintegration. The media backlash to the term ‘Ango-Saxon’ was both predictable and educational. America, as it was perceived by the Founders and most subsequent generations, no longer exists.

The Confederates are clarifying here. If we considered the United States as an Anglo-Saxon civilization, which incorporated other ethnic groups into this civilizational fabric, the Civil War was a tragic conflict between kin. If being American means identifying with a vacuous, chimeric liberalism, then the Civil War was an existential battle between the supposedly chthonic horror of racism and the ever-perfected march of reason. This is exactly how the ruling elite perceives the United States: a polity on an ideological mission to liberate the world, whatever form that liberation may take in each succeeding generation. America’s refusal or inability to recover a moderate and reasonable ethnos is nothing less than suicidal. If immigration continues and there is no American identity aside from vapid cosmopolitanism, the money-power will continue its disintegration and rulership over the United States.

A bleak portrait, perhaps. But so is a crime only halfway solved. As a detective continues his investigation, to be called on amid a crumbling society of illegality, so does the reactionary continue forward. He is often the fortunate benefactor of Providence, that sublime knife which eternally slips loose Gordian knots. The Gracchi brothers’ assassinations by the optimates and their mob paved the way for Caesar; Jacobin excess unwittingly opened Fontainebleau’s doors to Napoleon, and Europe’s midcentury dirge kept Iberia under reactionary rule until the third Christian millennium. If Buchanan began transforming American conservatives into reactionaries, and Trump made reaction politically viable — if even for a moment — we can reasonably hope reaction will maintain its historical relationship with decline, and be nourished by decay.

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With that and all the above in mind, we may sketch a vision for an Occident shaped by reaction. As with reaction generally, it will be a romantic vision. After liberalism’s society of illegality inevitably buckles under its own weight, the regime’s simultaneous reaction emerges triumphant. The inevitable degeneration of republics into oligarchies reaches its climax: the ‘one and the many’, king and peasantry, president and people, triumph over ‘the few’, optimates, oligarchs, regime Brahmans, and the like. Porous borders are shut, capital is disciplined and reordered to serve national rather than global, financial interests. Liberalism’s atomization buffet is shut down for good, the policies and laws that annihilated the family are overturned, gender is reembodied, and voluntary infertility is a dwindling artifact, a bygone object of derision. The past, which Fisher calls “forever lost and forever insistent,” is insisted upon, and revitalized through new modes of government, old sacraments, and the erection of monuments that honor the past and promise the future.

If this sounds fanciful, it’s because it is. No clarion call to ‘build’ can make the path any straighter or the course any clearer. What reactionaries may take solace in, however, is the organic nature of human societies, the predictable decline and rejuvenation of civilization as superorganism, history’s countless overthrows and about-faces. When it happens, it will seem as if it couldn’t have happened any other way. Georges Sorel speaks to this through Vincent Garton’s translation, prophesying: “We would very much need a Mongol conquest to effect the rebirth of great art, today enslaved to the barbarian tastes of the plutocracy.” Accordingly, only terminal decline produces successful reaction.

A reactionary West will emerge from the same organic historical process that has carried reaction to power again and again: the Hamiltonian battle between, on one side, ‘the one and the many’, and on the other, ‘the few’, from revitalized conceptions of ethnos, thymos, and telos. In the vain hope of identifying and reestablishing a timeless and just social order, the Western Man today must dig through refuse and rubble and investigate the gleaming scraps and trinkets he finds underneath. He must do as the noir detective does — live within and struggle against the society of illegality, case by case, until there are no more crimes to be solved, no deconstruction and reconstruction to be undertaken. He must exist as something ‘natural’, beyond reason and beneath society, so that when the time comes, when Providence cuts the Gordian knot, he will be ready to lend his labor to monuments that honor the West’s past and promise its future.

#benjamin roberts #im1776 #read the whole thing

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