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ambitionsource · 2 years ago

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since you guys did the voice casts for the front nine, which singer(s) would fit jack and eric?

Pearl I am so sorry, you sent this 100 years ago lol so forgive me for the delay. As it turns out, shockingly, trying to vocally match older men is a lot harder than the young adults of our main cast LOL. Still, I want to do them justice so I've done the same as I did previously in this post, along with a couple others who have since emerged as more common singers in our ensemble:

ERIC | Eric is the one of the two of them that does have an actual musical theater background, so I do think that makes a difference. His voice would without a doubt be more trained, have a broader range, and probably have more inflection in terms of emotion and emphatic delivery (that's the theater kid edge). I also think that Eric's voice would be deeper than maybe one would assume off the cuff, at least when singing. So as requested, a couple of comps:

Hugh Jackman – This might be partially because we had him perform "A Million Dreams" in Season 2, but I think it fits. Jackman has voice that's like, sturdy and baritone, but it's not overbearing. It doesn't eat up all the oxygen in the room or feel like it's so deep it's coming from the pits of hell. Additionally, I like that he does have a decent range -- see him going for Valjean songs in Les Mis -- so I think that point is important. Example track: A Million Dreams

Christopher Jackson -- Whoop! Didn't see this one coming did we, especially since Jack tends to be the one singing Washington songs from Hamilton... but I do think this tone of voice fits Eric better. Again, it has that rounded, well-balanced, sturdy vocal quality and can emote without a doubt. Example track: History Has Its Eyes On You

Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) -- For a non-Broadway or film take, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is a fitting enough comp range and tone wise. Example track: exile (with Taylor Swift)

JACK | I think Jack, much like his not-son Lucas, has an edge to his voice that is distinctly unpolished and rough. Even though he's an appreciator of the arts, and works at an arts school, a big part of Jack's whole thing is that he isn't from this world instinctively, and he for sure wasn't honing his range or vocal ability all through his youth. So his early 40s man voice is not Broadway ready, but there's a charm to that as well. I also imagining him having a bit of a husky, Southern quality to the edges of his singing voice because of his upbringing in Virginia. As such, comps to go around:

The Avett Brothers -- Obviously this is a bit unspecific because... there are three brothers in this band and only one Jack, LOL, but you can kind of get the vibe of the like slightly rustic quality, emotive without necessarily being good at channeling emotion, etc. I think this also fits that I picture Jack's singing voice a bit higher in tone than Eric's, and that register works here. Example track: I And Love And You

George Harrison -- I know my Beatles nerd is showing, but I stand by this. George was never the standout vocalist of the Beatles (not that I think any of them were tbh lol, they were much more about music composition and arrangement than like being the best singers ever), but his almost soft-spoken delivery just hits right for Jack to me. Example track: Something

James Taylor -- This is veering almost too much into the twangy territory, but I think it helps serve what I mean by sounding a bit more unpolished and husky while still being more in the baritenor range. James Taylor has had a long career, so there's option abound for sampling, but I went with a cover song from his latest album because he is. Well. Older lol. Example track: God Bless the Child

YINDRA | I would argue Yindra is the most defined singer in our new crop of elevated mains, so she needs a section here. When it comes to her, I want you simply to think of the most talented vocalist you know -- that artist you think is just unbelievably talented and you can't believe they have a range like that. You wonder how they're not a huge star already if they aren't well known. That's Yindra. I feel like there are genuinely so many talented female vocalists that could make this comp list, but since I'm keeping it concise, a top-of-my-head sampling:

SZA -- I think sometimes people think of SZA more as a rap-adjacent vocalist (i.e. more about rhythm and delivery than vocal range, to a degree, which is an equally impressive skill), but I love her voice from a tonal perspective too. Have you heard her jump the octave in tracks from ctrl? An immediately slay. In this case, I will reference one of my favorite tracks from that album and that I think lets her vocals really shine due to the stripped nature of the track. Example track: 20 Something

Tess Henley -- If I haven't made it clear yet by how I slip her songs into the series here and there, I love Tess Henley. She is severely underrated. Why I bring her up for Yindra is two-fold: she has an incredible belt range, and also has a somewhat scratchy quality to her voice in certain octaves that I think is such a unique sound and makes her sound so... authentic and evocative. I think Yindra would have qualities like this too. Yindra's vocal talent is raw, untamed, a force to be reckoned that is bursting out of her -- it wouldn't be polished to pop perfection like Maya. It's just against her nature. Example track: Boomerang

Alicia Keys -- Okay is this a basic answer. Maybe. But I think Alicia's vocal talent speaks for itself, and so does Yindra's. Not to mention, her range alone is blockbuster. Case in point, example track, we all know it's coming: Girl On Fire

NIGEL | Nigel doesn't sing as much as some of the other characters (he's an actor at his core), but he's picked up enough performances this season to warrant mention here. I think of his voice as a gentle, somewhat level tonal tenor, and while I don't have much to say beyond that, a few comps nonetheless:

HONNE -- I can't tell the two members apart so don't ask that of me please lol but the vibes are there. Example track: Location Unknown - Brooklyn Session

Hippo Campus -- Again, don't know who is actually singing here LOL but again, the sound will tell you what you need to know. Example track: Golden

JOSH | Same goes for the above for Josh -- he's not a singer in the explicit sense of the word, so to a degree, his vocals would just sound like some guy. But he's a guy who has a deep, intrinsic understanding of music, and I do think that colors his vocal delivery. He's no Farkle, or even Charlie, but it doesn't hurt your ears to hear him chime in on a tune every now and then (especially when he's splitting with someone like Maya). Comps:

AJR -- AJR are basically just some guys, but some guys who know how to craft a good song, so they're kind of my go-to sound comp for Josh. I also think they sing pretty well about both young adulthood what-am-I-doing-with-my-life angst, and the battles of the industry, so their emotion shines through in that way. Example track: The DJ Is Crying For Help

Glass Animals -- Same sentiments. Example track: Solar Power - Spotify Singles

VANESSA | Unlike Zay, Vanessa is less of a triple-threat than she is more consumed with dance, but we know she can carry a tune competitively. And unfortunately, unless you're going into ballet, it helps to be able to sing to get more performing opportunities that include dance (see: Broadway), so she has most certainly honed those skills. In terms of skill vocally, I would plot her somewhere on the scale between Maya and Riley -- she's more polished than Riley, from all her training and overworking competitiveness, but she lacks Maya's raw natural vocal charisma. But that doesn't mean her voice can't be a showstopper when the moment calls for it. Comps:

Jasmine Cephas-Jones -- The oft overlooked third Schuyler sister of Hamilton, Jasmine has vocals that can cut right through you. I love how much energy and power you can feel in her delivery. Vanessa definitely has that quality. Example track: Little Bird

Normani -- Goes without saying, since we gave her the bop of all bops with "Motivation." And also unfortunate how Normani despite being talented got kind of celebrity eclipsed by a fellow former bandmate (Camila), which is something I'm sure Vanessa would relate to. Example track: Motivation

Billie Eilish -- This one is a bit out of left field, but something about the somewhat flat inflection and lower range (definitely alto) that Billie's voice encompasses has always struck me as a bit Vanessa-like. So I'm including her. Example track: Getting Older

-- Maggie

#aaa supplementaries #yindra amino #nigel chey #vanessa johnson #eric matthews #jack hunter #josh matthews

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coollyinterferes · 1 year ago

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Dash Game: Muse Interview

What is your name? "Robert Edward Orville Speedwagon. ‘That’s such a long name!’ Yeah, I know. You don’t have t’ tell me." Please don't.

Do you know why you’re here? "I don’t really know all the details. So far it’s goin’ better than most other 'interrogations' I’ve been part of, so that’s good."

Do you have any family? “Not that I’m aware. My father died when I was just a small child, and I never really got t’ meet my mother as she died just a week or two after I was born. I didn’t have any siblings as far as I know, and no one else stepped in for me after my father died, so I’ve always assumed I’m the only one from my family who’s still ‘round. If there’re any others ‘round, I really don’t know, and I really don’t care.”

What did you last have for breakfast? “I’m what most folks’d consider a ‘night owl’, so the whole breakfast thing doesn’t really apply for me, I think.”

What do you last have for lunch? “Fish and chips"

What did you last have for Dinner? "Stale bread and tea"

How old are you? “25, turnin' 26 next month.”

Do you have any friends? “Tatts. Li. Lemmy. Jonathan, too, of course.”

Are you more comfortable by yourself or surrounded by others? “Define ‘others’, please.”

Do you have any hobbies? “Yeah, but I might get into trouble if I openly admit t’ some of ‘em, so I’ll stick t’ the safe ones this time: Travellin’, learnin’ new languages, collectin’ hats, readin’, spendin’ time with my mates, and stuff like that. " The not too safe ones for which he could get in trouble with the law for being: Gambling, visiting certain pubs and molly houses just to hang around other gay men in a more open manner and environment, causing mischief and getting into trouble, among other stuff.

Do you have any aspirations or dreams? “I used t’ want t’ become a doctor or some shit like that when I was a child so I could save people, all as a manner of honorin’ my mother. Childish dreams, I guess. Growin’ up, I learned that all those nice things and opportunities are only for the 'fortunate ones' who can afford the tools t' build that sorta future for themselves, and so I was forced t’ put those ideals aside and focus on, ahh… other activities in order t’ make a livin’ and survive another day instead...” This whole 'childish dream' of his hasn't fully died, though. It's worth to mention it will be part of why he will decide to invest into medical research for the betterment of healthcare for humankind years down the road, in the future, when he creates the Speedwagon Foundation.

Are you quick to anger? “As much as it pains me t’ admit it, I’m an intense motherfucker. I don’t get angry too quick or too easily, but when I do, shit goes down for real."

Can you dance? “Ah, yeah. I’ve had the opportunity t' learn how t’ dance different types of dances. Music from ‘round the world and all that stuff, y’know?” These being things he’s learned with the help of some of his now ex-boyfriends he's had from other parts of the world during some of his trips. “I dunno how t’ ballroom dance, though. Never really been interested in ‘rich people’ stuff, but I guess I wouldn't be opposed t' learnin' if the opportunity comes up.” Could turn out to be pretty useful, too.

Do you prefer casual or stylish wear? “Stylish. There ain’t much variety for men back home, so I like t’ give my shit some personal style out of personal preference and for ah… a few other reasons…” The gay code that reigned among homosexual men in Victorian times, he means.

Can you lift? “How do you even think I got these guns, mate?” The blond flexes an arm; big muscles making themselves evident even through the couple layers of fabric of his frock coat and dress shirt. Man is also packing defined abs and powerful legs, too.

Do you play games? “Poker, Black Jack, things like that? Yeah.” Additionally, even though he rarely interacts with children due to his ‘line of work’, he doesn’t mind playing games with kids to entertain them and draw a smile on their little faces in those rare instances where he interacts with any.

Are there any parts of your past self that you’re ashamed of? “Ah… That’s a bit of a complicated answer. I used t' be ashamed of certain parts of myself, includin' some guilt over my bein' an 'invert'. That was a long time ago, though. Nowadays, I ain’t really ashamed of who I was, who I am, and what I have achieved, even if it’s all a bit ‘outside the law’ because, honestly, fuck the law.”

Can you tell us a joke? “One day a bear walks into a pub and he says t’ the bartender: ‘Gimme one whiskey and............................. one gin.’. ‘Why the big pause?’ asks the bartender. The bear shrugs, looks down, and says, ‘I don’t know, I was born with ‘em.”

Is there anything you’d like to say before we wrap things up? “Ah… this was surprisingly fun!" And harmless, too.

Tagged by: Been seeing it making the rounds over the weeks so I applied the good ole Speeb sees, Speeb steals lol Tagging: If you're reading this and want to do it for your muse, then please take it from me (and tag me in the post if you'd like me to read your answers :D)

#;dash games #;speedwagon answers (( asks ))#(?#[sort of... so yeah. this is going to his answered tag lol]#;long post

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struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor · 1 year ago

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I'm taking you up on giving a bts solo album review. We disagree frequently but I think that's nice haha.

6) Jack in the Box - I really really hate putting this here because this was one of two albums that I was really pleasantly surprised and gripped by on the first listen. Part of that was probably because it was the first one out, but especially More was just way different from what I was expecting which made the whole thing exciting. I think some of the albums ended up being slightly underwhelming (in comparison to how surprised I was by the sound of JitB, not in that it wasn't a good listening experience) because they sounded how I expected them to sound. Still, this just isn't my music preference, and there are a few songs that I consistently skip. It's harkening back to a particular era of hip hop that is just not my thing, but from what I've heard from people who do enjoy that style, it was impressively done, which is unsurprising because the rap line especially are such devoted students of hip hop. Additionally, imo, I don't find the lyrics that are trying to discuss broader feelings or social issues particularly compelling - for example, equal sign is nice and all but I kind of find the chorus cringey? But it's not so different from other themes that bts has had, so maybe all of those songs sound cringe in korean and I just don't know. I guess in summary I'd say that I had a really exciting first listen to the album but don't listen to it that frequently anymore. (Fav song: Arson)

5) Golden - Sorry, I know you love it! This isn't because I dislike the songs, but there is a higher percentage of songs that I don't particularly care for and tend to skip. Jungkook sounds beautiful throughout, as always, and he can make anything sound good, but I just struggle to connect with the album. I think part of my experience with golden was just so tainted by me not being that excited about this direction and a lot of the songs just not feeling like jungkook. (In contrast, even though tae didn't write anything in layover, it still managed to feel like him, in the same way that Standing Next to You feels like jungkook but some of the other songs don't.) I think because of this issue connecting with it, the album as a whole doesn't come to mind as often as others do. Because there were more songs in a style that I like, I can listen to it happily, but there are still some songs that I find kind of boring and even jungkook's voice can't pull me through. The fact that it's jungkook singing them, and bc he was so earnest in the way he approached them and has such a beautiful voice, honestly saved a lot of the songs that would have been mid and forgettable without him. It's hard for me to rank it higher bc of that - then it would feel like I'd be ranking jungkook as a singer rather than ranking the album. A lot of the songs are going to end up on a diverse set of gp playlists though, so it will have a lot of longevity. (Fav song: Closer to You and 3D ft. Justin Timberlake)

4) Layover - The next three shuffle around a bit for me for different reasons. On the one hand, it seems weird to put layover here because I think it's pretty immaculate in how gorgeous and bite-sized it is. The concept and the mvs were all very well done, and tae's voice is my personal favorite voice in the group. (Jungkook's technically a better singer, but I find tae's voice very soothing, and thankfully he prefers to sing songs like that. I also really enjoy the warbly quality to his voice - it oddly reminds me of some opera singers I've heard.) I thought tae conveyed the emotions of the songs really well, and they're the type of songs that you don't need to know the language at all to feel them. It was also short enough and had enough variety that I don't get bored listening to it all the way through, even though the songs have a similar quality to them, which is something I was afraid of. On the other hand, even though I know I just said I don't get bored listening to it, I can see how people would, and it's so much like the songs he's released before. Like mono, it's an album I think of only at certain times, which is fine and probably not a reason to rank it low lol. I somehow manage to think it's not boring while still being one-note, so idk if that makes sense oops. (Fav song: love me again)

3) Face - (Me trying to adjust for my jimin bias lol) This and JitB were the albums that I had the most pleasantly surprised initial reaction to. I wasn't sure what to expect here, and I really wasn't expecting set me free pt. 2 or face-off. The concept of facing yourself is pretty on the nose, but I enjoyed the order and direction of the album, and I thought the choice he made with the interlude 'diving in' to the internal struggles he's been carrying (even though it was long) made the album concept come together for me. I didn't find the songs confusing like you did, maybe because I spent an inordinate amount of time dissecting them, and it was the kind of personal insight that I was hoping to get in chapter 2 from all of the members. That said, certain sounds in the album can get a bit grating after too many listens, and there are a lot of hard elements, sonically, that were included which generally pair well with jimin's voice, which has a bit of an edge to it bc of it's higher, thinner tone and bc it tends sharp, that need a bit of buffer. I guess that's me saying I wish it was a bit longer, maybe between alone and set me free pt. 2. But this is getting nitpicky so I'll stop lol. Lyrically, it's not as good as the next two, but still a good effort from the member that I think is the weakest lyricist (sorry jimin). Like crazy is a pop queen and it's my favorite title track from bts or an individual member in a while. I know it's not a classic top-40 pop hit, but that's just not my listening interest. (Fav song: face-off)

2) D-Day - I both agree and disagree with you about D-Day. I think D-Day's hard-hitting songs are inferior to previous agust D songs, but I think the softer songs are superior to his previous ones. I read a tweet once that opined that namjoon is the best at talking about love while yoongi is the best at talking about relationships, and I tend to agree. I felt a lot of catharsis in listening to the album and in getting into the lyrics, though I tend to split the album up in my mind between D-Day to Huh?! and then Amygdala with the rest. Haegeum and Huh?! are both good, but I thought D-Day was kind of a throw-away for the sake of having an exciting song. The emotional heart is clearly with the rest of the songs. Even though the lyrics in Amygdala are so specific to yoongi it's hard to relate to the verses, the chorus has such an emotional impact that I don't mind. As for the rest of the album, I think it's yoongi's best lyricism to date. I love the verses in people pt. 2 especially. Also, I really am growing to love when yoongi sings. I know it's not like he's the best singer in the world, but I like the choices that he made about when to do it and it's probably my favorite part of D-Day. (Fav song: Life Goes On)

1 ) Indigo - I LOVE this album. It probably should be one of the ones that I said that I was pleasantly surprised by because I didn't expect the upbeat, danceable songs, but namjoon making good songs isn't really that much of a surprise at this point. I also thought mono was a great album (talk about catharsis) but I don't find myself comparing mono and indigo that much because they're so different to me. (I think it's much easier to compare the agust D trilogy, especially bc they follow a similar pattern.) Maybe namjoon and I are just operating on the same wavelength recently, but I really connected with this album, and I think he does a great job at explaining really interior, personal emotions. Like the tweet I mentioned in my section on D-Day, while yoongi is better at explaining relationships, namjoon is better at explaining a particular emotion. Somehow, even though there aren't that many lyrics in forg_tful and it's a deceptively simple song, he managed to convey it so well. Even though the order should have felt like it was going all over the place, it just made sense to me as I listened to it. He also picked great collabs. The only slight miss, which I think he knew was a risk, was picking Wildflower, which has lyrics and a mv that are so specific to him, as the title track - since he did that, I think he should have released Still Life earlier. However, he knew he was picking a 4+ min song as his title track, so I don't want to say it was a misstep when he knowingly made it presumably so that the could put out this personal album exactly as he wanted it to be consumed. All in all, I thought the album was excellent. (Fav songs - no. 2 and all day)

If you read this all, thank you haha.

I read it all! Thanks for sharing!

I mostly agree about JITB. I like More and Arson a lot. I also get what you mean about Golden. A lot of songs are mid, and I didn't care for them at first and still don't love them. But because I love Jungkook's voice I listen to them a lot. Truthfully I still can't hear Jungkook in the album aside from SNTY and maybe Seven and 3D. But I guess it's hard to reconcile pre-Seven Jungkook with post-Seven Jungkook. However, imo every solo album has a lot of mid songs. In Jungkook's case, I love his voice enough to listen to them.

Layover and Face are very short so I listen to them sometimes when I don't feel like listening to my Golden playlist. I used to like Slow Dancing a lot, but now like it less. I think Layover's songs are kind of forgettable but the album is too short to be boring. I kind of disagree about the emotional aspect of it. V in general has a soulful voice, and Layover was what I expected from him. I don't think any of the songs packed the emotional impact of Sweet Night, his Hug cover, or Spring Day. I also listen to Face without listening to the songs, if that makes sense? When an album flows well and the songs have a similar vibe, it's easy to listen to it without noticing the different songs? I only really tune in for LC and SMF Pt. 2. More than half of the songs in Layover and Face are mid imo, but not in a bad way. Golden is certainly much more mid and cliché. And Face has two interludes which I can't appreciate. Maybe if I dived deeper into the lyrics...

Indigo is nice but the other day I listened to it and was a bit disappointed in the album. Personally, I think RM is incredibly smart but I don't enjoy his lyrics much. I usually don't like it when he writes or sings in English, and his poetic and abstract lyrics aren't to my taste. I fail to properly appreciate his music because of it. I think my favorite songs of his are collabs, Persona, and a few songs in Mono.

I kinda disagree about D-Day. The hard hitting songs did hit less hard than in previous albums, but imo the same can be said for the soft songs with the exception of Amygdala and Snooze, which are like a kick to the stomach. I found D-Day's lyrics a bit repetitive. I actually don't love it when Suga writes about relationships. He shines when he writes about himself imo.

Anyway, thanks for the ask! And for reading my thoughts 😊

#ask #bts #jungkook #jimin #suga #v #jhope #rm #text #reviews #thanks for the ask!

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squuote · 3 years ago

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ADDING ONTO THIS CAUSE THINKING BOUT IT AGAIN

Originally I specifically thought it would be rowlf cause Sophie likes dogs n stuff but looking more into it, she would have definitely seen him on tv even before the muppets when she was a lil kid since he was in a few others things aside from the muppets (specifically I think she probably would have seen The Jimmy Dean Show which he was featured in as the sidekick of sorts that ran from ‘63 to ‘66). Later on after the muppets officially air in ‘76 is when she probably starts becoming a big fan of it.

I like to think tho she might have gotten rlly into the muppets because of rowlf being a prominent positive thing from her youth. Like she obviously wouldn’t fully remember it but I think seeing him on the show is enough to bring her that same comfort of watching tv with her parents even if she can’t remember. Not knowing why this particular character makes her so happy or why he brings her comfort. Think she would recognize him but not know how she knows it yknow.nAnyway sorry this is so silly but also holds this close to my heart

thinking about how sophie loves the muppets I want to know who her fav would be. I think it would be rowlf

#reblog #twf #crow thoughts #WOWOW RAMBLES ^_^#im so sorry this is a very silly hc but I am holding it close to my heart now #he’s also been in some pet food commercials but they only aired in canada #additionally his whole thing with music also makes me think of jack #and how music is a prominent theme for him #just sayin.sorry I can’t do analysis this is just me being like hehe :•) soapie

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sortasirius · 4 years ago

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What the Fuck Happened to the SPN Finale?

Okay so here it is, my Charlie Kelly style manifesto.

Before I get into it, I recognize that I will look like this to many of you, and that’s okay, I understand:

Secondly, your personal Takes about the writers don’t interest me, I don’t need to hear them. This, as I’ll explain, is going to remain a writer positive blog, and that’s the end of it.

Third, and most importantly: some of what I’m going to talk about is fact, and some is highly educated speculation. I will notate what is speculation, just so there’s no confusion or hot takes in my inbox that I’m a conspiracy theorist or stirring shit up for no reason.

A list of what I’ll be discussing

The episode in regards to the rest of the season

The episode issues: length, editing

Scene placement and speculation of scenes cut

The scrubbing of Jack, Cas, Eileen

Network involvement and general timeline of when things were cut

Misha: theories on where he was, official company line, why we can’t expect to hear anything directly

The silence of the cast post episode (in Misha’s case, mid episode) and what this might mean

Jensen speaking with Kripke about the ending: why it doesn’t mean what you might think (also why kripke remained positive on the ending)

Walker, and why this episode had a major shift

Why the network would do this or get involved

Why the writers of the show simply aren’t the bad guys here, and what I “want” out of this post, since I know it’ll get asked

This is very long and under a cut, but I hope you’ll give it a read.

The Episode In Regards to the Rest of the Season

So, I’ve discussed this already here, but it’s the most obvious thing to me, and that’s the way this episode simply doesn’t fit with the rest of the season.

These people in this room have, truly, been nothing but consistent when it comes to their arcs, especially this season, and the marked dropoff in quality for the finale episode is just too sus to discount to me. Dabb’s whole focus has been character-based. In his seasons, we’ve moved far away from MOTW and bro-codependency, the found family taking it’s place. Does it really sit right to anyone that that was all thrown away in literally the last episode of the entire show?

This is speculation on my part, but as a writer myself, there is no way I would be happy or willing to stamp my name on something that I didn’t think would, at the very least, wrap up the season+ character arcs that I and my team had been crafting.

And before anyone comes in here saying, “well GOT did that!” Bruh. The writing was on the wall for GOT long before the final episode. You could tell that the showrunners just wanted to be done (not only from the plot, but from the fact that they lobbied for a shorter season). Miss me with that, it doesn’t apply here. Andrew has, besides Singer and J2, been with the show longer than anyone. He cares, he is meticulous and detailed, and this ending feels worse than anything Bucklemming has ever written, let alone Dabb.

Additionally, I’ve seen a lot of people say that Dabb was never behind Destiel, that it was all Bobo and Meredith and no one else. That is reductive to the point of insult of the work Dabb has done to get this greenlit. This man did not write the s13 Dean grief arc to be slandered like this. That being said, YES, Bobo and Meredith were the leads on the DeanCas arc this season, but ANDREW IS THE SHOWRUNNER, TO GET EVEN THE CONFESSION APPROVED BY THE NETWORK HE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THEIR BACKS. AND HE DID.

Finale Issues

So, now that we’ve gotten the fact that this episode doesn’t hit on any of the major themes the show was barrelling towards all season, let’s discuss the fact that the episode is just...weird.

Not only is it shorter than any other episode (I think with the intro and the credits/crew thing at the end, it was around 38 mins), but it was also...idk, 90% filler?

One of the lovely humans in the POLOL server did the legwork here, and broke it down:

This is weird, y’all. Most series finales are LONGER than normal (Lost, SOA, Longmire are the ones I can think of off the top of my head), and for the final episode to be this? I saw more than one person point out that we only really needed 19 episodes, what was the point of 20? AND THAT’S EXACTLY IT? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS FINAL EPISODE IF THIS WAS ALL WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET?

It simply doesn’t make any sense, the first half of the episode was rushed, a final monster hunt gone wrong, but in the second half? Nothing really happened? Sam lived his entire life and Dean just drove around. It doesn’t make sense to have all the emotional arcs left unaddressed in an episode that definitely needed some kind of spark.

Here’s the speculation I have: the episode seemingly went through a lot of changes between the initial inception of the final season and when we actually got it, but I think it would have been passable (as in, we wouldn’t be sitting here asking each other why each arc feels incomplete) until the editing room got ahold of it. The only think that makes this episode make sense is network fuckery. Truly, that is the only thing. It explains the weird, cuts, the rushed pacing of the first half followed by nothing in the second half, the double montages of “Wayward Son” back to back, and Dean just...driving around for the last half of the episode.

Scene Placement and Speculation of Scenes Cut

Before I get into this section, the info of the shots in the episode I have come from a source that @occamshipper got a week or so before the finale. She’s talked about this here.

So here’s what Min was given:

1-5: 1 INT MEN OF LETTERS – DEAN’S ROOM Dean is greeted by Miracle

6-10: 6 INT MEN OF LETTERS – HALLWAY/SAM’S ROOM Sam has his routine

D1 1 11-15: 15 EXT FARM HOUSE Establishing

N1 1/8 16-20: 19 Dad’s journal, marker, drawing of masked man in journal.

21-25: 23 INT IMPALA – PMP Driver picks the music

N2 1 3/8 1,2 26-30: 28pt2 INT BARN: A face from the past

28pt3 Sam and Dean say goodbye

28pt4 Shot early for technical reasons, presumably the overhead shot

N2 31-45: 41 INT MEN OF LETTERS – SAM’S ROOM Sam’s alarm goes off D4 1/8 1 46-60: 56 INT N7glasses for Sam, laptop.

So...it all fits right? It all tracks with the actual episode, where it lands, etc. The issue is between shots 29-40 which were apparently “too big to spoil.” Uh. Where are they? And where’s 28 pt4?

After Dean dies, the next scene is Sam burning him, then shot 31, the shot of his alarm going off.

So. Where are those 11ish shots?

PLUS we have the boards, which are scenes we KNOW were actually shot:

As well as scenes for 20 that were shot in 19.

It’s just...weird, it’s weird and again hits on the fact that the episode is so short and like 80% montage.

The Scrubbing of Jack, Cas, and Eileen

So now we have to reckon with the fact that Eileen was last mentioned by Sam after she got snapped by Chuck, Jack’s last mention is that he’s off being God somewhere, and Cas’ last mention is a ~knowing look~ between Dean and Bobby.

I’m sorry, make it make sense:

???????? That’s the end if it? They don’t need to be discussed after this??? It’s just simply not something a writer would do, they would not introduce these characters, these arcs, without thinking there’s going to be some kind of follow through here.

So not only were three major characters (including two leads and both of the original characters’ love interests) completely wiped from the finale episode, it was as though Sam and Dean never even needed them, which just...ain’t it.

So why Eileen and Jack too? Why not just take Cas out of it if they were afraid of the gay? Because, ultimately, the episode went back to Kripke’s original story: just the bros, they only need each other and no one else. They don’t want anyone else, they don’t need anyone else. Easier to go back to something they knew was successful than trust the writers and their audience and take a big leap.

Alex even said he shot for 20 with “some of the guys” here. What happened to that footage?

The complete 180 of it all still shocks me, I still cannot believe that we were essentially at the finish line, and the network just stopped short, and decided to go run another race, at the expense of the arc of this fifteen year legacy show.

Network Involvement and When Things Were Cut

Okay, now into the juicy stuff.

So I’ve pretty well established that network fuckery is clear, but how much did they get involved, what was the original intent?

Well again, we may never actually know what Andrew’s original script was, but I think, at the least, it would involve Dean speaking his truth to Cas and Sam living a life with Eileen.

Now, it seems today, that Misha said that Jimmy Novak was supposed to be in the finale in one iteration of the script, and while initially my brain was like “that truly makes no sense and he’s either straight up lying or telling a half truth,” I think what may be happening is Misha talking about as much as he can right now.

So Jimmy right. Weird as fuck. Why would he been in the Roadhouse and not Cas? My current thought (this is about as reachy as I’ll get) is that Jimmy had no lines, could he have been in the Roadhouse as a red herring, like it said “Jimmy” in the script but it was just Cas in human clothes, a way to get around the network saying Cas couldn’t be in the final scene. Also, you’ll notice that Misha didn’t say that Cas wasn’t supposed to be in the ep at all, just Jimmy in the last scene.

All this to say, there have clearly been multiple versions of the script, getting lighter and lighter with Cas and Eileen as the network pulled further and further back. Remember, Dabb has to get things approved before they get shot, and if the network kept asking and asking and asking to cut Cas and Eileen, he had to find a way to work around it. Granted, I still think that if we had been able to get a Dabb script that wasn’t torn to shreds in editing, it wouldn’t be so bad. It may not be what a lot of us wanted (Dean speaking his truth to Cas and a reciprocation), but doing everything he could to give it to us in subtext or visual clues.

Plus, in all honesty, my man can’t keep his story straight anyway. He said twice in his panel that the Empty and offscreen Heaven ending weren’t his original ending either.

In addition, remember that Jensen did ADR post episode 18, AND said in a meet and greet last weekend that Dean’s reaction to Cas’ confession was “cut down.” (Source here). Many of us clowns got excited when we first heard about ADR, because we thought it would be upping the ante on Dean’s reaction, but I remember being a little sus when it was just crying. My speculation on that is that they cut out Dean actually SAYING something, @winchestersingerautorepair spoke about that here.

The biggest sins were, in my opinion, committed during editing, where the network got too gun shy and sliced the episode until it was nothing but a heartless bro-fest of a finale, not mentioning anything about the other major characters that we all love, and letting the boys just suffer in separation until Sam died and finally joined Dean in Heaven. The editing came by cutting all the major emotional beats between anyone other than Dean and Sam, leaving the skeleton of the story intact, just shorter and less...poignant than it was ever supposed to be.

Misha

We know Misha was in Vancouver, we know he quarantined, but we also know he wasn’t in the final scene, when he spoke about being in the last moment of the show months ago. We were not crazy, he was there, he quarantined, and, in all likelihood (speculation but fitting with the timeline), he actually may have shot something (not much, but something).

I have sources here, here, here, and here showing where Misha was at that time.

Remember, the man was completely open about coming back until they finished shooting (look at this thread). The switch happened, just like everything else, halfway through them shooting.

Please also remember Jake Abel posting his “Where’s Misha” video here. Jake isn’t malicious, he isn’t being nasty here. Misha was there, and everyone that’s trying to convince people he’s wasn’t just...isn’t telling the truth about it.

This is one of the things that makes me really mad, because they’re literally attempting to gaslight people into thinking, “oh we were totally wrong he was never supposed to be there” WHEN HE WAS THERE, WE KNOW HE WAS THERE.

So we’ve already heard from several people (Meghan Fitzmartin, Jay, a PA on the set of 19 (WHO WAS NOT WORKING FOR 20), Misha himself) that this was all down to Covid restrictions. Ultimately, as this post says, we’ve heard FIVE versions of where Misha was. None of it makes sense, but the Covid protocol seems to be the company line that others are repeating.

You may ask: why? Why lie to all of us when we have questions? Why, in Jay’s case, say that we’re all spreading false lies to stir up trouble, when we just have questions and things that do not make sense. Simply? Warner Brothers is absolutely massive. These people have their careers to protect and are likely all under NDAs. They want to work for WB again and don’t want to burn bridges, including Misha. It sucks, but that’s why it’s unlikely that we’ll hear someone come out and say, “yeah we’re lying to you.”

Silence of the Cast Post Episode

So this is...probably the worst part of all this, at least in my opinion.

The guys had all been pretty excited about the end of the show (especially Jared, but Jensen’s panel last week was Jensen as happy and jokey and positive as I’ve ever seen him. He was so excited about episode 18, about what it meant for Dean and for Cas, and I just cannot buy that he would have been that excited unless he thought there was something more in the episode.

Misha live-tweeted the episode, and was watching it with his kids. It’s well known that Misha and the kids don’t watch the show because it’s too scary, and let’s ask ourselves, why would he have them watch an episode that he’s barely even mentioned in?

He also stopped live-tweeting at a very specific point in the episode (Dean’s death) and has not mentioned Supernatural since then.

None of them, not Jared, Jensen, Misha, or even Alex, said anything about the episode for nearly 36 hours, when Jensen posted a salty photo on instagram. It’s just...not what you’d expect for the end of a 15 year show, when the cast and crew are so close to the fans, so close to each other.

My theory? They didn’t know. They thought Misha was, at least, going to be in the episode in some way, and when he wasn’t, they decided not to say anything.

You really think that Jensen “Heller” Ackles would have been so excited about the end of the show last week if he thought Cas wasn’t going to be in it at all? Nah son, doesn’t make any sense.

Even today, in Jared and Misha’s panels, they seemed sad and...more than a little careful, both saying that there were things they couldn’t say, both talking around things that we all have questions on.

Jensen Speaking with Kripke

So this is where a lot of people are getting fodder to take shots at the writers, saying that Jensen hated it from the beginning, but I don’t think so. I actually think I know what Jensen went to him about, and it wasn’t the lack of Cas or the weird pacing or the montages (which I don’t think were there when Jensen got the script); I think it was the manner of Dean’s death.

I know a lot of people were upset about that, upset with how...normal it was, coming off an episode where they literally beat God. I actually didn’t mind it, I thought it was an interesting thematic take to be like: you can be a hero all your life, but sometimes shit happens, and you just die.

But imagine how hard that was for Jensen to read. He would run to Kripke for that, because for him, Dean dying by being impaled by a piece of rebar had to be tough to swallow.

So, why didn’t Kripke say that? Why didn’t he say, “oh well he had a problem with Dean’s death, none of that other stuff was in the script.”

Guys. Why would he get involved? He’s not going to burn bridges any more than anyone else is. He said the ending was good because it’s the easy thing to do, it’s simple, will cause him no problems in his career, and he can just ignore the people trying to engage with him on it.

Walker

Something else to talk about is the major shift this episode had from the rest of the season: the shift from Dean to Sam. I am NOT saying that Sam isn’t important, he definitely, absolutely is, but it was DEAN who really needed to wrap up his arc, Sam just needed to move on, get married to Eileen, become the leader he was always meant to. So what changed? What was with the shirtless scene, the Austin number and random case there, most of the episode being heavily Sam focused, going through his entire life in a montage?

Anyone else notice the 375 Walker promos, or Jared’s little spiel about Walker and how he hoped SPN fans would “come along for the ride.”

It’s...kinda obvious? CW wanted to appeal to who they think the key demographic of SPN and Walker is: rural areas in the South. It would explain a lot, why so much editing, why so Sam focused, the Austin number, the number of Walker promos, all of it.

I’m not saying this is fact, I don’t know that it is, but it is a little suspicious that even in Jared’s panel today, he talked A LOT about Walker and how he hopes SPN fans will watch it.

Why Would the Network Get Involved?

Simply put: $$$

If they think Walker can be the new SPN, and that those crazy SPN fans liked it originally, it’s a lot safer to go with the “original intent” of the show than do something risky (like making one of your two original leads queer).

And? They don’t care. They don’t care that the episode didn’t make sense, they don’t care that all the emotional arcs were left hanging, they don’t care by (potentially) smashing together two of Dean’s monologues (one to Sam, one to Cas) that it came of as...gross. ( @curioussubjects wrote a beautiful post showing how part of that death speech was likely meant for Dean here). They don’t care, they never have, they just want to make their money and move on from the too-loud fandom that fought for representation too hard for too long.

It can’t help but feel insidious, which, honestly, it might be, but it really all comes down to the next cash cow, which, they think, is Walker, even at the cost of the fifteen year legacy show.

The Writers and What I Want

So here it is, all this weird, sus shit laid out on the line. And you know what? To me, there is no way to blame the writers, because they didn’t want this.

I don’t think Dabb and Bobo would have gone ahead with the confession in 18 without thinking that there would be some closure to that arc, they wouldn’t have done that not only to the fans, but for the sake of their own story as well: no writer wants to start something that they can’t finish. (And this applies to both Cas and Eileen).

Here’s a basic rundown of what I think happened: they had a clear arc from 18-20, ending in reciprocation at some level from Dean, Sam marrying Eileen, Hunter Sam as the new Bobby, Dean in heaven with Cas and big roadhouse reunion at the end. Covid prevented a good amount of that. Network had to stare at big gay 18 for six months, got cold feet. Thought about Walker, target audience and alienation of the rural areas if it went full gay. Misha quarantined and likely shot something (not much), he was then cut by execs and went home. They likely added in lines referencing Eileen and Cas to make it clear but more subtextual. They wrap, editing gets it and hacks it to pieces, so we get a shorter episode that’s mostly montages and jarringly bro-centric with nothing else. Arcs are left hanging. Dabb gets episode but it’s too late, there’s nothing he can do. Actors aren’t told so they can continue to do positive PR for the ending, they all found out at the same time we did: hence almost complete silence about the finale.

And you know what? They warned us. I talked about it here, but they’ve been telling us all season that Chuck wasn’t the writer, he’s the network. I don’t think, still, that they thought it would be cut up like this, into something so unsalvageable that it’s been panned by almost everyone, even people who didn’t care much about Dean and Cas.

Finally, a masterpiece can be ruined by editing, and while I’m not sure even the script they ended up shooting on was a masterpiece (due to the network meddling already), but to me it’s blatantly obvious that it’s no one but the network that caused this, that took away closure for Dean, Cas, and even Sam.

So what do I want? Nothing really, there’s nothing we can do, but I wrote this mostly to show people that the writers are not your enemy. In fact, to the people trashing them? You’re doing exactly what the CW wants you to: blame the obvious targets, blame Misha, blame Jensen and Jared, blame Dabb. Scream and yell at them on Twitter and about how the show is ruined because of them. The network keeps their engagement levels high, they don’t get as targeted for their behavior, and just keep moving along.

Just, please, think about who did this, Mourn the show, be angry, but not at the people who fought tooth and nail for this for literal years, not the people who wanted it more than we did, not the people who cannot say anything because of their careers and the NDAs they’re bound by.

Someone is going to spill eventually, but until then, we just have to wait, and continue to be loud.

#my writing #my meta #supernatural #spn #spn finale trash fire #MY MANIFESTO IS DONE

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jnixz · 3 years ago

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Couples’ Mindscape

Brain thoughts, observation and musings on the two Couples’ brain levels changing from before they met their partner to after, having added elements of each other in the constant decorations of their mind.

---

Helmut’s level having a ton more plants everywhere (figments, decorative pieces, and even having vines integral to navigate some parts) because of Bob, creating a very alive mindscape with pieces of his husband that blooms everywhere to be remembered.

Bob’s having sailor stuff, with the drunken sailor mixed in the bg music because of Helmut’s motif, to sailing around as an important way to navigate through the sea and finding the seeds to reconnect. Whole boat at the wedding, sinking boat at the Motherlobe bottle (and no such motifs when it was Tia’s bottle).

Ford’s levels having numerous water elements that causes havoc in each fragment, all representative of the very bad things because of Maligula and his own actions. All very important facts and emotional turmoil to present with its face of water. To the ending of a relationship, to unspoken messages, to a disaster and force of destruction, to a deep well of buried memories (though the water is not there but the movement very much implies the deep body of water)

Now for a more subtle connection my brain connects, as well as like general level thoughts added in.

Lucy’s having a separate place from Ford’s construct of the Flea Circus, which is made to be pretty goofy and entertainingly weird yet open to the ominous void. It has the whole family package of mental representatives, complicated dynamics, performances, and issues.

Additionally, Donatella & Dion’s section require no psychic powers to accomplish, Augustus & Frazie’s also would require no psychic powers but Raz used TK anyways, to the members he knows are psychic (and perhaps implies so did Nona), and lastly the one where it is needed to use time-bubble to help the kids, y’know, psychic powers, to help both the psychic and non-psychic. A specific power that probably isn’t too common too, I think.

Anyway, onto the next section, where Lucy uses an empty space of the teacup where water is suppose to be, as a portal to her real mindscape. Into a walkway of a lush forest and portal summarizing important memories in her life as an Aquato she can easily recall (in contrast to Ford, who couldn’t remember and had broken off shards instead of portals between aspects).

A dam is evidently present in the first you enter area and it is more of a roadside pathway than forest. In the second area, it is a longer road down a hill with larger trees, and two dams are off to the side of the hill, easily miss-able if you don’t go to collect the tree figment and explore a bit past it. Then the third area is deeper into the woods where no dam can be seen but very evident in the last zone. It is leaking so very close to the truth.

SO here’s to me grabbing mental connections like red string on a detective movie for her level, because we mostly rely on implications on what Ford’s specialty actually is, but is not actually outright stated in any piece of canon (that I remember) what he specializes in. (I headcanon Jack-of-Trades but also really good at Illusions & Teleportation-- so get that connection the constructs and portals. Either way kinda hard to represent with a single simple concrete representation)

It is also harder to find the connection since its very deliberate for these two to be apart, other than the planned Flea Circus, so it may be stretching it when I connect to the Lament mindscape.

The last time she would’ve seen Ford before Grulovia would be when they were having tea, so there’s that little connection I’ve stretched for the teacup portal. Taking off on her own initiative and leaving with something in relation to family safety (Lucy taking off with her picture of her sister, Nona making sure her family is safe and have done their performance before showing off her Lament and the Mal Dam)

Ford’s Construct space and Lucy’s actual mindscape are quite separate-- just like Lucy’s life as an Aquato. But if you are like me and look far too much into things, you’ll take the growing presence of the woods and the presence of tags behind portals as a connection of some sort, at least for Nona remembering the truth that there is unresolved baggage that could be sorted.

Tags are hidden behind portals, where you actively have to look back to get them. A ticket to resolve emotional baggage simply existing at the back of her head as she lives her life. The last one is in a pocket of open area deep in the woods, and the other pocket contains one of the nugget of wisdom. Accessed through easily miss-able tunnels if you didn’t think to TK them at first (like me haha anyway).

The tunnels leading to the pockets reminded me of the tunnel system at whispering rock, a fast short distance method of travel to places Cruller would be. I’m like struggling to get the words to say about the presence of elements in her level but guh-- the little secret locations deep in the woods remind me of GnG, of the two locations common to find Ford around in both games which are the woods. Put into emphasis with the previous broken wooden building (which I think is the Ranger Tower at the cliff) with Agent Cruller.

...

Oh god I just remembered, technically the first Ford mindscape we entered was the one with the campfire at Whispering Rock. The body of water there could have just been a serene setting to enjoy the night sky with, but as you move forward, guided by lamp lights, the looming moon goes in the way of your path. The results shown at that end with the moon, a force that control the tides, a jarring end of a shattered and incomplete building, mirroring ford’s mind.

You don’t see what happened just yet (what with the emptiness of the sea like a blank sheet over the events) but it had a linear direction like the passage of time, leading you to see how it ended up for Ford.

God that transition bumps you like the skull cake, you know something happened, but still -- happy memories ending in a bad fate.

Even this peaceful canoe ride had a sad meaning for the water. From being a beginning of knowing about Lucy to the linear path of time that was for all the nice things, into a tragic turn of events that ended with Maligula. Lucy’s Lament starts with her life with Augustus, but in the end of the her own swerved linear path, there is dam hiding Maligula.

---

I would’ve probably included these in a general analysis per level post I plan on doing at some point, but the resurgent realization of mine for couples having very evident elements of each other had a grip on my brain and so here we are.

#psychonauts 2 #psychonauts 2 spoilers #brain level #analysis #observation #helmut fullbear #bob zanotto #ford cruller #lucrecia mux #as always I look into it more #speculation #made lucy's section a lot longer bc i've made long ford posts before (and will continue to) and also helmut and bob's levels are p obviously #for each other like bruh its so sweet #meanwhile ford's and lucy as all the more tragic and a lot more metaphorical to me #hidden just like their relationship from the world #tag-rambling #gotta love the canon of ever-shifting mindscapes #anyway uh lemme see if I could back to my ford drafts #okay whoops guess I've added more for ford thank you brain #catch me froathing metaphorically at the last addition for Ford #my apologies if lucy's part is a bit jumbled but brain go brrr #I'd add more for helmut and bob but alas I had warcrimes brainrot #viking vines #lucruller #level analysis

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imaginesandinserts · 4 years ago

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Irreverent Pt. 30 - Natural

Title: Irreverent Pt. 30 - Natural Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader Rating: R Words: 1375

Irreverent Series Masterlist

You and Hotch - Aaron - that is going to take some getting used to - hadn't had much of a chance to talk further. Rossi had knocked shortly afterwards and made a remark about everyone being decent. The two of you had asked him to keep this whole thing under wraps for the time being until you figure it out more, but before you could he'd gotten a call and suddenly you were on a case.

Being on a case with Hotch after having spent fifteen amazing minutes in his office kissing him was incredibly distracting. You were constantly worried that you would say or do something that would give it away, however so far you'd kept things very professional. Probably a little too professional, because Emily had asked if you and Hotch were okay when you'd gone to interview the witness. You'd just shrugged and said yeah, hoping she wouldn't catch you in a lie. Lying to her about this would be the worst part but you really needed to talk it out with him about how the two of you would go about doing this.

It didn't help that one of the local detectives had taken somewhat of a liking to you and you had to spend any time at the police station dodging his attempts at flirting. You'd tried to just tell him that you were in a relationship - not a lie really, because you were sure that you and Hotch would be shortly if you weren't already - however he'd instead taken that as a challenge to try even harder.

"Agent L/N, may I help you find anything?" Detective Smith had cornered you once again in the breakroom and it was really starting to get a bit much. You resisted asking him if harassing women was condoned in Oklahoma City.

"Detective, no, thank you. Just grabbing some coffee." You would think your minimal interaction and the fact that you didn't even make eye contact would be enough of a hint, but some people were just clueless. Part of you wanted to have Hotch just tell him off, but another didn't want to be that girl that relied on her boyfriend to solve problems for her. You were an adult and dealing with pushy men was unfortunately part of the territory. You could manage.

"You know," he walked over to stand closer to you, "there's a lot of things to do in town, maybe I could show you around. We could grab a drink."

Before you could rebuff his latest advance, however, Hotch happened to walk into the breakroom as well and your relief must've shown on your face because he quickly raised his eyebrows at you. "L/N, Detective Smith." He acknowledged the both of you before grabbing the coffee pot you were handing him.

"Agent Hotchner, help me out here. I'm trying to get Agent L/N to let me show her the sights of the city after your team helps us catch this guy." He was trying to be a bro with Hotch. Boy did he read that one wrong. That kind of thing might've worked with someone else, but even before this, Hotch would've just told him to focus on the work and not waste precious time flirting with his team.

"Detective Smith, while I'm sure that Oklahoma City," the way he said Oklahoma City he might as well have said Dumpster down an Alleyway, "is quite nice, my agents are here to do a job and I would prefer if you didn't distract them or waste precious time and police resources flirting with them." But he didn't stop there. "Additionally, as I'm sure Agent L/N has already mentioned to you, she is in a committed relationship. Not that I'm in the business of sharing my coworker's personal lives with relative strangers, however he's a pretty big guy and I just want to help you out and let you know not to bother."

The giddy girly part of you just focused on the part where he thought you guys were in a relationship too. It was also pretty hot having him subtly threaten someone on your behalf. You'd never had someone do that for you before and the primitive part of your brain got some thrill off of it.

"Right, right, sorry," Detective Smith managed to stammer out, before walking out of the breakroom.

You controlled your laughter as long as possible but you couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry, did I say something funny?" Hotch was holding his coffee cup and looking at you oddly.

"No…but you look a little weird though. Am I in trouble Agent Hotchner?" You added a teasing little lilt to your voice when you called him Agent Hotchner, causing his eyes to darken.

He moved closer so you were right next to one another in the breakroom. "You did tell him you're in a relationship, didn't you?" He looked down at you with his stern face but you knew he wasn't entirely serious. If anything you saw a hint of vulnerability.

"Yes, sir." And his dark eyes got even darker. You made a mental note to explore this at a later date.

"Alright, carry on." And he walked away, sipping his coffee as he did.

Damn.

*------------*

On the plane ride back after having successfully caught the Unsub, you were listening to some music towards the back of the plane, while looking out the window. The lighting was dim and most everyone else was sleeping as it was pretty late. Emily had been sitting in the seat across from you but had moved an hour ago to force Spencer to share the couch with her. They were both asleep on it, his head lolled onto her shoulder.

Hotch was still awake, sitting near Rossi near the front of the plane. You wished he'd get some sleep as well, but he rarely ever did on the plane. You turned to see him getting up and walk back towards, taking the seat your legs were stretched into by lifting them and placing them on his lap. You took the earbuds out of your years and smiled. "Hi."

"Hey." His voice was soft and you could tell he was at least drowsy. "I was thinking, since we have tomorrow off, if you would want to go out - but lunch instead of dinner. Don't want to waste the whole day if I can see you earlier."

Your smile got bigger at his explanation. "Yeah, of course."

"Good. Dave offered to watch Jack for the day so it'll be just us."

"Okay." You realized you hadn't ever actually hung out with Hotch without Jack, intentionally. This would be interesting to say the least. His hands were gently massaging your calf muscles now and you had to suppress a moan. That felt incredible. Any time he touched you felt incredible.

You watched him as he focused on the task at hand, his face betraying how tired he felt. You were grateful that Rossi had offered to take Jack, but felt bad that he'd spend the day after a long case running around after a little kid. "Hey, you wanna have Rossi over for dinner? That way we can eat with Jack and make sure that he isn't too pumped up with sugar to sleep properly."

Hotch smiled, recalling the last time Dave had babysat for Jack. He'd let him eat pixie dust which might as well be cocaine for children. Jack hadn't slept all night and had wandered into his bed in the early morning, completely exhausted.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He couldn't deny how easy it was with you. You'd already been there through everything and you knew what to do and what to say and being with you was as easy and natural as breathing. He couldn't imagine taking any other woman on a date and then having dinner with her and his son and Dave afterwards. But with you, of course that's how you guys would end the night. He got that it was also your way of making sure you saw Jack tomorrow and if it was possible, his love for you grew even more in that moment.

#criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds reader insert #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotchner imagine #hotch x you #hotchner imagine #hotchner x reader #hotch x reader #hotchner x you #hotch x y/n #irreverentseries

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365days365movies · 4 years ago

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February 3, 2021: Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

The year: 1986. A small new fictionation is founded as part of a disparate group of similar territories. Near to another civilization founded by Woody Allen (we’ll get to him later this month, whoof), a new settlement was founded by one Nora Ephron. It began with Heartburn, a rom-com starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. While it was somewhat successful, it wasn’t exactly a dynamo by any means. And that is when Nora met the future Empress of her fictonation.

Her name was Meg Ryan, and the film...was When Harry Met Sally.

Ephron only wrote this film, rather than direct it. But it didn’t matter, as this film was CRAZY successful (and I’ll be watching it later this month). Some years past, and both Ryan and Ephron rose in power. Ephron became a director, Ryan became a movie star, and the two pillars would reunite for greater things. And THAT is when the future Empress met her Emperor.

Enter Joe vs. the Volcano, where Meg Ryan...met Tom Hanks.

Now, was this movie amazing? No, not from what I’ve heard. But the two new co-stars apparently made an impression on Hollywood at this point, as their respective stars would only grow brighter. And so, when 1993 came along, the three pillars finally met, and ascended to their true roles as the rulers of a now united Holy Romance Empire. And that film...was Sleepless in Seattle.

Time to witness a nation RISE. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

We start where all romantic comedies should start: at a Chicago graveyard!

Architect Sam Baldwin’s (Tom Hanks) wife, Maggie, has sadly passed away, leaving Sam and their son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). Sam’s clearly broken, understandably, and he decides to move from Chicago in order to leave behind the bittersweet memories of his wife. And where he’s headed? You know where.

Jimmy Durante’s rendition of “As Time Goes By”

Jimmy Durante sings us in (I love this song, for the record), and we head not to Seattle, but to Baltimore, 18 months afterwards. There, reporter Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) is going to a Christmas party with her new fiancée, Walter Jackson (Bill Pullman), which is announced to great aplomb at the party. Her brother Dennis is played by Niles from Frasier (David Hyde Pierce), and I nearly spit out my sandwich.

That night, Annie’s mother gives her her old wedding dress, and have a VERY frank conversation about their sexual relationships. It is...awkward. Anyway, the dress tears, which Annie sees as a sign. In any case, she still seems happy...I think. On the way to Walter’s parents’ place, she tunes into a radio talk show, where a child is making a Christmas wish to the station.

This child is, of course, Jonah, calling on behalf of his father from Seattle. He tells the host, Dr. Marcia Fieldstone (Caroline Aaron), that his father is lonely after his wife’s death, and that he wishes he had a new wife. She convinces Jonah to put him on the phone, and while he’s reluctant to do so (understandably), he accepts. All the while, Annie’s listening, and seems to sympathize deeply with him and his sarcastic responses.

However, Sam begins to open up, and Dr. Fieldstone christens him “Sleepless in Seattle,” after the fact that he doesn’t sleep much at all these days. His story resonates with a number of people, Annie included. A few people call in to respond to him, and at the end of the call, he describes how much and why he misses his wife. And I gotta be honest, I’m with Annie here. It is...very moving.

Damn you, Tom Hanks, it’s only 20 minutes in, why are you already making me FEEEEEEL?

The next day, it’s a splash, and over 2,000 women call in in response to this. This is discounted by her co-worker and friend, Becky (Rosie O’Donnell). At the New Year’s party soon after, she and Walter make a date to meet in New York City, and register for their eventual wedding. Meanwhile, Sam tucks Jonah in to sleep, as Nat King Cole serenades us (I ALSO love Nat King Cole, real talk) and Sam stares at the fireworks off of his houseboat.

And, mentally haunted by the ghost of his wife, he’s seemingly literally haunted by the ghost of his wife, Maggie (Carey Lowell). The next morning, he goes to help a client, Barbara (Dana Ivey), and his co-worker Jay Matthews (Rob Reiner) with a house, and finds out that everybody knows who he is at this point. Additionally, Jonah also give the radio station their address, and MANY women are now soliciting Sam, including...his third-grade teacher. Ew. EW.

Sam and Jonah next have a talk about whether or not a prospective new wife would have sex with Sam, and I wonder if sexual conversations with your parents are supposed to be this common, or if I’m just crazy. Because me and my Dad? Nuh-uh. And no worries if your relationship with your folks is like this, but mine DEFINITELY IS NOT, lemme tell you.

Annie and Walter prepare for bed, and Ray Charles sings them to sleep, followed by Carly Simon talking about the wee small hours of the morning. During those hours, Annie gets up, also unable to sleep, and turns on the Dr. Marcia Fieldstone show. During the highlight reel for the show, Disappointed in Denver notes that:

Everytime I come close to orgasm, he goes and makes himself a sandwich.

...Wow. Um. Asshole? And then Marcia tells her to make a sandwich for him beforehand, WHICH IS NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM. Anyway, Sam is also featured in that highlight reel, and Annie cries again as he talks about his wife, and it’s a disproportionately long excerpt compared to the others, what the hell? Marooned in Miami is DISAPPOINTED now.

Annie goes to meet her brother Niles (he’s basically Niles from Frasier, seriously) the next day, and explains that she’s fantasizing about Sam, a man she’s never even MET. She’s also feeling doubt about her upcoming marriage, which is...interesting. I’ll get to that later. In Seattle, meanwhile, Sam asks Jay what it’s like as a single man in Seattle, and they have a conversation about how cute Sam’s butt is. Nice.

Upon the realization that his 9-year old son is hanging out with more girls than he is (yeah, there’s a kid named Jessica hanging out with him when Sam gets home, it’s awkward), Sam’s back in the saddle again (as the song indicates; that said, goddamn is the music choice on the nose sometimes, seriously). He calls a woman named Victoria (Barbara Garrick), and asks her out on a date.

Annie’s watching the movie An Affair to Remember (lateeeeeer) at Becky’s, as she’s lamenting her fixation on Sam, while also struggling to fully understand how she feels about Walter. Becky RIGHTFULLY accuses her of believing in Hollywood, movie love, which is demonstrated by Annie’s meaningless platitudes about her supposed love for Walter. This is while she’s writing a letter to Sam, then aborts it when she realizes what she’s doing. She sits on the couch with Becky, they mouth the words together in the movie, and they cry while I laugh, because that was funny.

Things aren’t as jovial for Sam and Jonah, as Jonah’s had a nightmare, and the two reminisce over missing their mother. Sam notes that Maggie could peel an apple in one long...curly...strip. You mean...like Annie was doing earlier? I see what you did there, movie. I see what you did there. As if to compound their invisible connection, both of them sit on a dock, staring into two separate oceans at night.

Sam proceeds to write a story for the paper on “Sleepless in Seattle,” and through some...mildly creepy personal invasion, she finds his address in Seattle, and a hell of a lot more personal information. Like I said, it’s a little creepy. Sam, meanwhile, is going on a date with Victoria, when Jonah opens a letter...from Annie.

Annie. What’re you doin’?

Jonah appears to IMMEDIATELY ship the two, but Sam quotes the coast-to-coast distance as being a bit too much, and goes on the date with Victoria. While on the date, Jonah tries to hook Sam up with Annie by getting him to agree to take them to New York City on Valentine’s Day. Damn, Jonah, you lookin’ to escape a whale, because you are BUILDING A GODDAMN SHIP

Victoria, a woman with an amazingly obnoxious laugh, does not rub off well on Jonah, or me, or my girlfriend. I’m really hoping that somehow, in SOME WAY, Victoria and Walter get together. He’s boring, she’s obnoxious, who knows? They might like each other. My ship...is being built.

Jonah, meanwhile, is TAKING THE FUCKING WHEEL of this ship. He calls the radio station once again, and Annie is alerted to this by Becky. She wakes up, punching Walter in the process (dude gets HURT), and goes downstairs to listen. Jonah’s telling the station that Victoria SUUUUUCKS, and straight up calls her “a ho.” He hangs up abruptly, and screams to stop his father from kissing Victoria. Annie, meanwhile, listens to this in the closet for some reason.

The next day, Jonah’s friend, Jessica, tells Jonah to send a letter to Annie on his father’s behalf. Meanwhile, Annie flies to Seattle in the guise of doing a story, when she’s actually going to try and meet Sam. Victoria, meanwhile, is leaving from the airport, where Sam and Jonah are seeing her off. Victoria basically implies that she’d like to ditch the kid and go fuck someplace sometime, which might FINALLY rub Sam the wrong way.

Sam talks to Jonah about the fact that he’s dating Victoria, not marrying her, and that she might not be the one for him. He also says that there’s no such thing as soul-

-mates.

Yeah, they actually did just do that. Sam loses Annie at the airport, after immediately chasing after her. They’re perfect for each other, as Annie goes RIGHT to Sam’s houseboat address. She hangs around the neighborhood, and sees them having fun on the beach together as Harry Connick Jr. plays in the background. That night, she confides in Becky about her guilt in lying to Walter.

And if I can just say this...yeah, THAT isn’t great. I get that there’s some cinematic paegentry to the whole thing, but, like...tell your FIANCEE about your FEELINGS. It’s hard, yeah, duh, but YOU GOTTA DO IT. You most certainly owe it to Walter. At least she appears to know it, though.

Annie at the hotel

The next day, Annie goes once again to weirdly spy on Jonah, and sees him hug a woman very happily, and of course believes that that’s Victoria. However, this is his friend, Suzy (Rita Wilson), who’s visiting with her husband, Greg (Victor Garber). In any case, this leads to Sam and Annie seeing each other for the first time. He says hello. She says hello. Then she almost gets hit by a taxi, and she IMMEDIATELY flies back home WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUH

We find this out later, but the taxi and the fact that all she could say was “Hello” is actually all a reference to the film seen earlier, An Affair to Remember (again, later this month). This is also part of the repeating motif that this film has: signs. Y’know, the kind of “IT’S A SIGN” thing. However, the real twist here is that the signs are the ones that they can’t see. Like the apple and the hello thing. Not yet, anyway.

Also, dear lord, An Affair to Remember is just making EVERY woman in the film cry, even when they’re TALKING about it. And every time, the men just look at each other like “WOMEN, with their EMOTIONS and their VAGOOOOOOS.” Jesus, ‘90s movies. Even JESSICA (Gaby Hoffman), Jonah’s friend, the LITTLE GIRL, is crying at this movie. JESUS, I’m really interested in seeing this movie now.

Jessica and Jonah start conspiring on how to get to New York to meet Annie, and do so by FAKING AIRLINE TICKETS OK THEN. Meanwhile, Annie’s given up on the whole “Sleepless in Seattle” thing, and goes to meet Walter for their Valentine’s date in NYC. Walter rightfully comments that Annie’s seemed distant, and here’s the thing: Walter deserves better than this. Yeah, he’s BORING AS SHIT, but the dude’s committed to her, and she’s amazingly flaky in comparison. I dunno, maybe it’s because it’s Bill Pullman, but I feel bad for him.

Anyway, in New York, the two begin to rekindle their relationship, and Walter gets a ring for her at FUCKING TIFFANY’S HOLY SHIT. Meanwhile, Sam’s THIRSTY AS FUUUUUUUCK, and is leaving to spend the weekend with Victoria, which Jonah is NOT a fan of. This ship is gonna SAIL if JONAH HAS TO FLY TO NEW YORK CITY HIMSELF

So, Jonah flies to New York City himself, in order to...meet his new mother. This movie has some VERY interesting issues, Jesus. Jonah does, indeed go to the top of the Empire State Building to look for Annie, and he asks all the girls on the Observation Deck if they’re Annie. Which, of course, none of them are. Why?

Annie’s at dinner, that’s why, and at the FUCKING RAINBOW ROOM DEAR LORD HOW MUCH MONEY DOES WALTER MAKE? Sam also makes his way to New York, probably to DESTROY HIS CHILD

And at dinner, Annie actually redeems herself by telling Walter the ENTIRE TRUTH about her feelings, and about “Sleepless in Seattle.” And Walter is a CLASSY-ASS GUY ABOUT THE ENTIRE THING, and the two break off their engagement amicably. Annie says that she doesn’t deserve Walter, and BY GOD SHE’S RIGHT. Walter’s a sweet dude. And as soon as they break up...a sign.

Sam finds Jonah on the Observation Deck, and the two tearfully reunite. And as they two unite, and everybody else leaves the Observation Deck as it closes for the night, Annie rushes on her way there. An Affair to Remember is invoked one last time, as Annie convinces the guard to let her up there. But, OF GODDAMN COURSE...she goes up in one elevator, and Sam and Jonah head down in another.

But wait. Isn’t that Jonah’s backpack on the ground of the Observation Deck?

youtube

Yup. THERE’S the happy ending we’re lookin’ for. They finally formally introduce each other, and Sam says that they’d better leave...ALL of them, together. Love at first sight. PLAY US OUT JIMMY DURANTE!!!! And yeah, I know that Celine Dion sings the end credits song, but NOPE! TAKE ME AWAY, JIMMY! MAKE ME HAPPY!

And that was Sleepless in Seattle! And again, I liked it! I’ll get more into it during the Review!

#sleepless in seattle #nora ephron #tom hanks #meg ryan #rosie o'donnell #bill pullman #ross malinger #romance february #romance movie #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #user365

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benmcm18 · 4 years ago

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Breadsticks & Staplers Reflection

This is a reflection on the recent Independent Project I did for Film Narrative 2.

I just want to say I’d recommend looking at a previous post of mine for context on the work I contributed to this project. Here is the post I believe: Group 7 Independent Project!

- your contextual research - your influences and inspiration.

I began my research into our project by playing a video game titled, “What Remains Of Edith Finch.” It is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state. One member of this family is named “Lewis” and his story about being consumed by his maindane life and escaping to this imaginary world played a major influence in the creation of this film. We wanted to separate the imaginary world with reality as much as possible and planned for it all to be animation so we looked at animated films that could serve as inspiration. Films like “Fantastic Mr Fox” and “Spirited Away” really stood out to me as their locations and tone were very much what I was thinking for the project. We began to look at cinematography and Bonnie was particularly drawn to Wes Anderson because of his perfectly symmetrical worlds he creates so we looked at his film “Moonrise Kingdom” You can see the inspiration in the shots of the film and in the storyboard. Additionally, for the costume one of my major inspirations was “Big Fish” starring Ewan MacGregor. His costume was perfect for what we initially planned David to wear however as we progressed we realised we didn’t have a bright blue suit so we had to cut down his outfit to still get the feel we wanted but just with different clothes.

- Your process - What was your contribution? Which elements of the group submission did you author? Which did you contribute to?

My role within the project was Production Designer, however, I did the VFX for the film as well as shoot the film as well. Firstly, I wanted to produce as much work as possible so I could be as prepared when going onto set. So I worked on three areas: Mood boards, costume and set design. The mood boards for me had to capture the tone and atmosphere of both settings and I worked with the group to make sure we all agreed with it. The dream realm is light and colourful with a whole load of colours whilst the office space is very desaturated and absent of colour. When it came to the costume I worked with both actors to get a costume they felt comfortable wearing and suited them best for the part. I sat in video calls with them looking at different outfits to see which one worked and didn’t. I wanted Kady to have an outfit that screamed untouchable. With her large amounts of accessories it feels distant from standard, everyday clothes and I think it worked very well. In regards to David, I had a challenge, we had to find a costume that was what the group wanted (blue suit) however, do that without a blue suit. We ended up cutting away from the actual suit and instead tried to have him look similar to his office self with some extravagant changes like the bold coloured tie and no glasses. Finally, with set design I prepared weeks in advance by setting up the picnic and then also setting up the office space (which is actually blocked off by two ping pong tables) This meant I would take photos of both pre-made sets and then send them to the group for changes and confirmation. I really enjoyed setting up the scenes. I got the idea from Andrew (my teacher) who suggested going to locations before filming and taking photos similar to the ones you would film on the day. It’s the same principal but just for set design and I’m glad I did it.

I did VFX as well. This was a challenge as I hadn’t prepared for doing them as we didn’t realise how heavily involved they were gonna be in the final product but I’m glad I took the time to work on them. The match cuts were fairly simple however the shot that transitions through the image was challenging. I was 70% sure it was going to work so when it did I was very happy. It took a couple of drafts and I got Jack to give me feedback so overall it went very well.

Finally, I shot the film as well alongside Jack as director. He would inform me of the shots we had to do that were provided by Bonnie and then shoot them. We used my GH5 and I used my Rode Video mic Pro to record audio for Tom to work on sound with.

- What feedback have you received along the way, on your script and in the crit. What made sense? What didn't? Would you do anything differently?

The most important feedback we received throughout the whole process was on sound design. We were very much focused on the visual aspects of our film and whilst I’m very happy with the work Tom did on the sound for the film I do believe we should have spent more time on it. One thing that was mentioned to us was layering, when it comes to the later half of the film I do believe we achieved a really good amount of visual and audio harmony, however at the beginning of the film it should have been more layered. Jack was certain that we didn’t need music for the film and even though I did think it would be better with music, I agreed with him. I believe we were right to go with the no music approach due to the fact we have been taught not to rely on music to carry a scene and it challenged us to create a detailed amount of sound design for the project but it was suggested to add music to give the film a more Disney feel which I can also understand.

We also received feedback on the editing. Overall people who watched the film were pretty happy, however, we discussed a lot within the group the opening shots of the film. For me it didn’t flow particularly well as it went from wides to close ups for no real reason but after discussing it with the group we found the best shots to move forward with and received excellent feedback in the final crit.

In regards to animation, just before the final crit we showed the film to a friend who said that the animation didn’t add anything to the scene. We understood his point, however, it has been an important piece of the film since the start. We took the feedback on board and scrutinised each bit of animation trying to see if it improved the film and in the end I’m glad we kept it in.

- In what ways did your group work well? In what ways could it have been better?

I feel compared to the first time we were in this group this item has been a lot more collaborative. Even though the first time we were bouncing ideas off one another I believe this time our roles worked better. We all worked as a team and came out with a film I’m proud of making. We made sure we improved off the fiction project by having more meetings, creating sharper deadlines and always offering each other's help. I just felt we improved overall so much compared to the first time. My only gripe this time was that as we finished the shooting of the film I didn’t feel as if we were as focused compared to pre production. It took a bit of time to get the ball rolling and therefore this caused us to rush at the end. Next time I would try to keep up the momentum of production and get it finished as soon as possible so there is plenty of time to make changes.

Conclusion

Overall, I think we did very well on this project. From the feedback we gathered people seemed pretty happy with the film. There is something to be desired in the sound and I will make sure I try to emphasise sound as much as visuals next time (especially as this task asked them to go hand in hand) I do feel we really tried to experiment with this project and that has been notices with the feedback given to us in the final crit. It was a pleasure working with everyone in the group and hope I can again!

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