#also the propsal scene

[parisofpeoplez]

Atp it feels like a crime to admit this but I'm actually excited for tomorrow's ep of Love Next Door

[bahoreal]

omg omg

Im truly so speechless I don't even know where to begin. Number Four Was Always You was the most thoughtful and well-organized and clearly so well-loved (as the writer for their piece) fic. I haven't been so blown away by a fic in a very long time. Your character descriptions were so quintessentially accurate and truthful to the characters and their actors' portrayal of them! So many times while reading, I found myself smiling or nodding along and thinking, "yep, that definitely would've happened." I hope you know how well you wrote their voices and captured the spirit of the show, as well as it's storytelling. Please believe my complete sincerity when I say that THIS is my canon season four. Period. If you ever chose to dive back into this world, I'll be there every step of the way. (Honestly, I could read how the rest of their lives played out from your perspective!!) Bravo, my friend! And THANK YOU for putting this out in the world for us.

Oh wait!!!! I HAVE TO FANGIRL OVER CHAPTER TEN. The whole story was amazing and had me literally smiling to myself constantly, and chapter 10 was the perrrrrfect ending omg. But my absolute favorite scene was Ted's confession!!!!! I giggled out loud and just smiled for a solid 15 seconds before I could keep reading. You clever thing, you!!! You'd set us up so well with Ted's multiple plans for himself throughout the fic and following through storytelling-wise with each one. So when I tell you how UNPREPARED I was for his sudden confession, but how PERFECT AND WILDLY ROMANTIC IT WAS omggggg I'm still giddy about it the next day. Gahhhhh just perfect. You've got a new fan for life! I'll ready anything you write for this lovely ted lasso fandom of ours!

IM LITERALLY SOBBING THANK YOU SO MUCH season 4 was about ted and trent falling in love we all know it <3 i'm truly so flattered tha tmy characterisation and character arcs were so satisfying to read, i can't say thank you enough it was so fun to write and the fact that it resonated so much;;;; pls, y'all are too nice to me. i really loved writing that fic, i'm glad that the epilogue was good too omggg, they're SO romantic in their own little weird way!!! the romance just WORKS for them bc they're with each other, it's less about the setting and the setup and more about how obsessed they are <3 i hope you also enjoy the rambling headcanon post i wrote about the propsal scene that i just posted (that's how all my plot documents look before i make them make sense by writing the fic hahaha) and i have a few other ted lasso fics in the works!! they're coming!!!!

[lisiprom]

I watched S2e01 of The Gilded Age so some thoughts and spoilers so I can get it out of my system:

i love that running joke about french chef who's from kansas actually. also i think he and mrs bruce have nice chemistry going on

oscar going down the self-destruction route is sad. also as much as i like him i want him to stay away from gladys 'cause while his offer may be nice for her at this moment i also think she deserves to marry someone who'll love her. at this point i wish for some asspull like john & oscar meeting some nice lesbian couple of the same social standing so they could cross-marry and live in peace but taht probably impossible (´_ゝ｀)

peggy's child plotline got dumped so fucking fast i really thought that i was misinterpetting what was being said. eitherway i hope she'll be back as agnes secretary so she can have time to grieve properly without being in that regret trio and so she can have time to write more.

mrs russel keeps winning, that opera singer at the end left me speachless lol. also mr russel saying: you don't even like opera.

carrie & gladys acting like actual young girls and giggling about oscar's propsal was cute. i really enjoy their friendship

john/bridget/adelheid love-triangle incoming?

frances outing marian as teacher in her school and agnes looking like she wants to punch someone but it's not in etiquette lol

larry working in architecture and mrs russel calling hima genius was really nice

that scene when agnes & co show varying degrees of not admitting to know mr raikes lmao though i feel bad for marian since she still look sad when he's mentioned

i'm ready for OPERA WARS

Eitherway I really enjoyed this episode and cant wait for next one.

[sideblog-usernametaken]

Spoilers under the see more:

So I figured Diana was going to get killed when we first saw her but I did not expect the scene of her being eaten to be that, uh, extreme to put it mildly. The series has certainly gotten dark before those panels came out of left field and I really hope I'm interpreting it wrong.

With that out of the way:

I wasn't expecting Edgar to be a vampire but it also wasn't that much of a surprise. His interest in helping Klaus search for the bats, his lack of fear entering the tunnel, his surprise about Klaus recognizing the scream was greater than his surprise about the scream itself, etc.

Also, this is likely the outcome Edgar wanted. I'm pretty sure that he wanted to turn Klaus for a while and continue being friends with him. But you can't just casually ask someone to turn into a vampire for you, and if they say no that carries the risk of them outing you to someone else. So with Klaus having just experienced something traumatic physically and mentally, and being on the verge of death, Edgar's propsal and actions would look much more like saving him. Instead of resentment or fear he'd get gratitude. And if Klaus refused, he'd die quickly and Edgar wouldn't have to worry about others finding out about him.

There's a decent amount of evidence for this in the chapter too. Why wouldn't he dissuade Klaus from going after the bats if he really wanted him to be safe? How did he know exactly where these vampires were holding people, and why did he only show up after Klaus had gotten chopped up? Why did he dissapear before Klaus woke up after the bats attacked them? It's because he wanted Klaus to be put in a position like this. The only thing that really conflicts is Edgar crying at the end of the chapter, but that might be out of relief Klaus (apparently) said yes.

Considering how in the last chapter Klaus' family is on high alert about the vampire who turned him, my guess is either Edgar's plan failed or Klaus lied about who bit him and/or why. If it's the former then that means my theory is right and Klaus figured out Edgar was responsible for the scenario. If it's the latter that means Edgar was genuinely trying to save Klaus at the end of the chapter but he was being an idiot for everything before that.

Side thing: I wouldn't be surprised if Edgar was working with Vladimir by bringing him victims. After all a lot of the missing people were children and Diana was only targeted after the flower shop (Where Edgar happened to be). If Edgar isn't an Elder Class, then Vladimir and crew might have forced him into helping them. So Edgar's motivation for getting Klaus hurt to turn him might've been based less on friendship and more on "I need backup to kill Vladimir". Plus it would explain why he knew exactly where to find Klaus and why he immediately suggested they get revenge for Diana instead of simply fleeing.

And if all that is the case, I can see Klaus lying about who turned him. After all last chapter they called the vampire in question "The Count" which fits more with Vladimir than Edgar, but that vauge title might be a red herring entirely.

New Kekkai Sensen B3P chapter is uploaded!

[bonhughbon]

So...I saw Downton Abbey: A New Era today (twice). And here are some of my favorites (and comments) throughout the film (SPOILER ALERT!!)

And before you all ask...the release date here in my country is two days earlier than the US release itself (in which I am somehow proud of) In total, I have seen it three times (2 yesterday, and 1 at a special screening)

All in all: a solid 9.5/10. It was an emotional rollercoaster. The soundtracks REALLY GOOD. Go see it now if you haven't

It was a bit fast-paced at first, but got the hang of it the third time around

Tom and Lucy's wedding was really beautiful, although I thought Lucy's reception headpiece looks like a strainer 😂

Finally seeing the other half of my favorite Crawley siblings (aka my girl ROSAMUND!!!)

Do I look like as if I'd turn down a villa in the South of France? SAME VIOLET. FREAKING SAME

You steer ahead. You're the captain now Robert out here making me a little emotional already

THE NEXT GENERATION ALREADY GROWN UP??? GOD, AM I THAT REALLY OLD???

I miss Edith and Mary's sisterly banter (and Bertie being stuck in it, too) 😂

THE MENTION OF LITTLE PETER PELHAM! MY NEW FAVORITE EARL (Robert's still my #1, but still 😂)

Hugh Dancy is...handsome??? Like...omfg I am attracted to him?????

BUT HUGH BONNEVILLE! HUGH. RICHARD. BONNEVILLE!!! 😩🔥 WHAT A GLOW UP. WHAT A FREAKING GLOW UP MY KING OHMYGOODNESS 🔥

Speaking of them, they finally got back together again after Daniel Deronda which made me freaking nostalgic

THE VILLA!!!!! It's so freaking BEAUTIFUL!!! If I had that villa, I would've live there for the rest of my life honestly

The film within a film concept is really good! I love that storyline as much as I love the France storyline!

Mr. Molesley is the blueprint of every fanfic writer out there (including me) and you can't change my mind 😂

Also: HIS PROPSAL TO BAXTER!! ITS SO ADORABLE! FINALLY THEY'RE FREAKING CANON!! 🤧💗

ALSO, ALSO: THE FREKAING COBERT KISS???? OHMYGOODNESS?????

I almost want to throw myself out of the chair because of it 😭😭😭

I can't bear to lose my mother, and my name...MUST I LOSE YOU TOO?? B Y E 😩😭😩

But Robert's outburst made me chuckle a little. It was funny for some reason so don't come at me for finding it funny 😅

ANYWAY, CORA'S SECRET AND THE KISS...DAMN THAT IS THE BEST COBERT SCENE EVER IN DA HISTORY

A bit disappointed that Carson didn't faint in the summer heat 😂 but I love is scene with Maud nonetheless (ifykyk)

AND THE DEATH SCENE??? I MEAN...WHAT THE ACTUAL FREAKING HECK???? 😭💔😭

Isobel just lost her best friend and I am not gonna get over with that 💔😭

It made my parents and brothers cry twice as well. I am proud of that but also I am crying at the same time because we're all heartbroken 😭💔

The funeral was *chef's kiss* but also heartbreaking 😭💔

And the time skip?? BABY BRANSON??? SO FREAKING ADORABLE 💗

But Violet's portrait at the Grand Hall makes it more emotional again at the end 😭

Finally, an unpopular opinion: I love Thomas's storyline here. Of course, I am sad that Barris isn't canon, and that I am surprised that he's joining Guy Dexter to America as his dresser, but if he thinks he's going to happy in America, then shouldn't we all be happy for him, too?

I mean, also sad that he'll leave the family and friends that he had learned to love and cherish (poor George 🤧), but if he thinks that he'll be happy there, then I think it's a happy ending for him after all...and that's what's important

[handlewithkara]

Just a little bit of pointless overanalyzing of Azie’s quotes

They take huge big life steps towards the end of the season, and that feels so exciting.

Okay, we know this will be fighting together, adopting Esme, propsal and wedding at the least. I hope that we get at least two episodes dedicated to the adoption. Like Alex finally meets Esme, they make the decision but it doesn’t happen immediately. It takes at least a while for a modicum of realism. Sidenote: it would be really cool if they had an interracial couple discussion around the time they decide to adopt.Or as Azie says: 

So they have these huge moments that are coming up in their relationship, and it’s now under a filter of a different understanding between them. They come from very different backgrounds and perspectives, but [there’s] also power in that and what they both bring to the table is different

(personally, yes Esme is the cutest, but I still think this storyline would be SO MUCH BETTER if the kid Dansen adopted was non-white. Simply because that is just the reality of kids in the foster care system that they are disproportionalte likely to be non-white, especially if it takes a long time for anybody to take them)

Another really interesting conversation would be to have, how they can be parents and still be superheroes at the same time. Considering Alex did in season 3 reflect on just that, how she can lead an action lifestyle and be (back then) a single mom? Or whether a more administrative position would be safer. 

We are the most protective over these two characters in their love and finishing Kelly’s journey separately and Alex’s journey separately that started before Kelly got there, her personal life and honoring that storyline, and then them together as a couple and their commitment to one another, which blossoms beautifully.

Azie has said stuff about their separate journeys before. I find that really interesting. Because with Guardian that really was Kelly having her own experiences and coming to her own conclusions and Alex being there, noticing it and supporting it. 

But if you think about the reverse, what exactly is Alex’s journey? Normally I would have said it’s the adoption stuff. But what’s interesting about that, that so far it looks like it is Kelly connecting to Esme and bringing her into their lives. Rather than Alex bonding with her the way she bonded with Ruby. So that journey actually has Kelly as a deeply central piece, it’s even being driven by her so far. So that doesn’t feel really separate. 

The other options are Alex’s journey towards heroic leader and her relationship with Kara, which hasn’t been in the forefront recently. So, hope for later episodes? 

It really is a storyline that we explore throughout the season with the show ending and what that looks like for Supergirl. What does it really mean to be a hero? It’s allowing people to be their own heroes. This is the beginning of that journey for her, which is exciting, and realizing what a hero means in today’s society as a woman.

What’s really funny to me is if you look at that anwer is context, the original question was about whether Kelly and Kara would be sharing a lot of scenes together and Azie went into this whole section about heroism which to me sounded a lot like “not really” in regards to more Kelly/Kara stuff. 

"this is the beginning of that journey for her”, I assume she means Kara in this context? Mel also talked about exploring heroism. 

So far they have done heroes and using your heroism as a platform (Broccoli ad), using your celebrity to give a voice to others, having blind spots. 

I wonder if they are gonig to cover unintentional collateral damage in the next episode where some effect makes people too reckless? 

[veryveryverytemporarily]

I was tagged by @aaronsspeech Thank you sm Elle ❤️

Affair era or Husbands era? Affair era because it was so intense and full on and also it was integral to their story and where they finally arrived at.

Floral shirt or Brown jacket leather? Floral shirt. I wish we’d seen it more. I wish we’d seen Aaron unfastening it while Robert was in it, or even wearing it in a clothes swap ha ha! Yes I liked it, is it obvious?

Purple hoodie or Overalls? The Purple hoodie was iconic but overalls have the edge because - hotness! 

Wedding 1.0 or Wedding 2.0? The first wedding scene when they exchanged vows in the garage was pure bliss. But their happiness at finally making it official in Wedding 2.0 makes it my choice.

Liv or Vic? Not the biggest fan of either these days, too. But I once loved Vic before I got jaded and also she represents a dwindling population of Sugdens so I pick Vic. 

The Sugdens or Dingles? The Sugdens of the future if I can say that? Let’s bring new Sugdens into the show. Even if we’ve never heard of them before. A spawn of Robert from his missing years, anyone, anything 😂

The Lodge or Christmas 2017? I loved Ryan’s performance in the hospital for the Christmas episode, but The Lodge was iconic and the watershed for everything up to that point and was just brilliant.

Chrissie White or Rebecca White?  Chrissie, has to be.

Reunion 1.0 or Reunion 2.0? Reunion 1.0 was amazing and pitch perfect but reunion 2.0 was a dedicated episode and also really included every before from Valentines onwards so much more content, and then it gave us Robert dancing and Aaron’s speech so no contest. 

Alex or Mike? Mike, because he hurt less ahaha.

The Love We Stole or Make You Feel My Love? The Love We Stole.

lay-by or barn? Lay-by. The first kiss, so it has to be.

proposal 1.0 or proposal 2.0? proposal 1.0 beautiful content and so them, and just all the excitement of there even being a propsal bearing in mind where it started from and how Robert hid who he was for so long.

2016 or 2018? Has to be 2016 ssw.16 emmerdale at its best, although a certain someone finally left towards the end of 2018 and that made it a blessed year, too. Jeez that was such a relief when that happened 😂

Chas or Diane? I think I was okay with Diane when she was looking after Robert when he was heart broken otherwise neither are favorites 

Boyfriends era or Affair era? The idea of boyfriends era but it just didn’t deliver so the Affair era.

I’m not sure if you have already posted, ignore if you have. But I’ll tag: @karin1027  @stephanleyhes  @holyscrap

[phoenix43song]

Little Women [2019] Film Review and Analysis

I have been reading the Little Women series since I was a child and I grew up on the 1994 film version that stars Winona Ryder. I have also watched the 1933, 1949, 2017 (mini series), and the 2018 modern film adaptation. I have watched and enjoyed the web series The March Family Letters on youTube, which is another modern adaptation take on the story, though unfinished. I have a graphic novel and a novel called Meg and Jo that are also modern adaptations. I love the songs from the musical, and I wish to play Jo one day (after I get my singing voice back). You can say I am a bit obsessed, though it has been quite awhile since I last read Little Women and did research on Louisa May Alcott. When I heard Greta Gerwig was going to be making another adapation I reread the whole series. The research I have done on Louisa, and the research that I have read from other fans and scholars has made reading Little Women all the more interesting. I try to be a writer, though I've only ever written novella's and short stories and short films. I love the theatre, acting, and now I am directing for the first time. I have so many story ideas for novels, series, and for feature films (maybe even TV). I've also always loved art, though without praticing much since adulthood my skills have dwindled. I identify with Jo and with Amy and I am really glad that this version of the book did these character justice...well Greta went wayland on Jo a bit.

The character of Jo in this adaptation is fully realized, three dimentional, however she is made to be have way more of a temper when she's an adult, unlike the book. Jo has this Peter Pan mentality where she wants to keep living in childhood and never grow up. She is in denial of her feelings, and she doesn't understand romantic love fully until the end. Greta decided to really incorporate Louisa herself into Jo. Louisa wrote the book loosely based on herself and her sisters growing up because she was pressured in writing a children's novel. She didn't want Jo to get married: she wanted Jo to remain a spinster like herself. Louisa was pressured to marry Jo off so she did. And then she continued to write two more novels after Little Women (technically Good Wives): Little Men and Jo's Boys. She created Friedrich Bhaer for Jo, who was the perfect choice for her...and most readers can't seem to see why Jo fell in love with him when, based on the research that I did and others did, Louisa created him off of men she had crushes on. Yes Louisa had crushes; she most likely had a few short lived romances, but we'll never know because if she wrote any of this down in her diary or in letters they have been destroyed.

Friedrich Bhaer in Greta's Little Women is not Friedrich Bhaer. He shares but a few qualities. Louis Garrel did an amazing job with what material he was given and he understands his characters and Frieidrich's relationship with Jo far better than Greta does. Based off of interviews and other comments that Greta has mentioned Greta hates Friedrich and can't stand that Jo married in the end. She doesn't understand him nor their relationship. She took away everything that Friedrich is, how Jo became friends with him, the courting he does, and one of the most romantic proposals in classic literature. Greta decided on an ambiguous ending for her movie and I absolutely hate it. The umbrella scene is rushed, hurried, and not romantic at all and it's edited in a way that this only happens in the novel that Jo writes because she is pressured, or somewhat forced, to marry off her heroine. Then there are cuts where we see Jo at her school for boys and girls, where her family presents a cake for Marmee's 60thbirthday and we see that Friedrich is there. This is cut where Jo is watching her book being made and she hugs it to herself: I really enjoyed this part of the ending, but the ending could have still followed the book more and not edited and written in a way where Jo's love for Friedrich and marriage isn't fiction. I mean Greta even had Amy and Meg drag Jo to go after him when Friedrich leaves and claim that Jo loves him. This is a change that...it destroys the characters in a huge way.

Friedrich isn't German in this film, though we do see him go into a German Beer Hall with his friends. I did love the dance scene in the Beer Hall and him dancing with Jo. He's French because Louis is French. Part of me wishes Greta would've gotten a German actor because Germany in it's people and culture was a huge part of Louisa's life and German is scattered all over the book. But I love Louis Garrel so this aspect of Friedrich didn't bother me that much. However...we don't get to know him and we don't get his backstory in this film. He doesn't play with the children, his immigration and carring for his orphaned nephews isn't mentioned, and him bringing Jo to intelletual gatherings isn't seen. Him giving Jo Shakespeare is in the film, but it's not done in person. He helps Jo with giving honest feedback on her stories and Jo doesn't take constructive critism well at all and yells at him. Friedrich likes Jo and you can tell. It's even shown that Jo likes him as well, but we sadly don't get to see their friendship: hell they don't really have much of a relationship in this movie. When Friedrich comes to visit Jo at the March house, we can see that Jo is surprised but pleased. I really do love how the family really likes him and gets to know him, and that they can see that the two love each other but that Jo is in denial. Except...Jo isn't really in denial in the book. She blushes when she realizes that Friedrich has come to court her. Jo in the book feels more mature by this point then she does in the movie.

Jo also tries to make herself love Laurie by writing him a letter because she's lonely. She never does this in the book. She does have one mention of a what if scenario but she stands by what she always thought: that she only loved Laurie like a brother. I really loved the scene where Jo rejects Laurie when he proposes because she's telling the truth and we even see in the movie that that have this special commarderie that's close but platonic, and not romantic. I do love how Greta explains and shows different kinds of love and growth in the sisters. But this seemed to degrade Jo a bit when it comes to actual full realized growth. I just don't understand where Greta was going with this and why she doesn't seem to understand Jo and Jo and Friedrich together. She put way too much of Louisa into Jo when Jo is a fictional character and not 100% Louisa. It's made to look like the umbrella propsal is fiction and that Jo did end a spinster. I am so upset right now at this that I will talk about what I did love and more of my analysis from a filmmaking aspect. (I doubled majored in theatre and in film in college and I do know that there will be changes in adaptations. However this doesn't mean that you can change characters and relationships to fit your own idea of how they should act and how they should end up. When you adapt a story you have to keep who the characters are and Greta doesn't do this with Friedrich nor with Jo in the end with her as a character and the relationship between the two).

So. This film is gorgeous. Beautiful cinematography, direction, costumes, acting, score, and editing. The only thing that I didn't like was how the characters read their letters to the camera. It took me out of the story and didn't fit in at all. The editing of present to past was well done, and I loved how it went with parallel themes. Each sister is three dimentional and real, and the different takes on money and love was really interesting. Beth's sickness and death was well done and so heartbreaking poignant. I loved how she got Jo to write again, and I loved the montage of Jo writing her novel. Mr. Dashwood was hilarious, and Meryl Streep had a blast playing Aunt March. Laura Dern made a capible Marmee but she didn't feel like Marmee to me sadly. Mr. March was barely in the film, but he's barely in the book so that was ok. The scenes between Mr. Lawerence and Beth were beautiful, and the scenes between Mr. Lawernce and Jo were good as well. I liked seeing Meg wanting riches, her feelings about being poor, but her love for John was a lot stronger and she made sacrifices. Amy was great, espeacially as an adult in Paris.

Laurie...I have a lot of thoughts on how Laurie was protrayed. I liked how his Italian ancestry was mentioned a lot and that Laurie could never sit still. I liked how he was represented as a drunk and ladies man until Amy talked sense into him. I like how we got to see how Amy and Laurie fell in love, and how Laurie realized that his love for Jo wasn't of the romantic nature either. He does love Jo and you can diffinitely see that, but at the same time they're best friends. Yes it's good to want to marry your best friend but at the same time you need more than just physical attraction ( and that's where Friedrich comes into the pitcuture). But there was something off about how he was represented. I honestly think it's because that Tim looks way too young for the adult version (even though he is an adult in real life), and that he's too skinny. Sorry I said it: Tim needs to put some meat on his bones.

This film does deserve awards and it bothers me that the film wasn't nominated for a Golden Globe (though Saoirse being nominated for Best Actress was a choice well deserved) or for an SAG awards. I hope the film is nominated a lot at the Oscar's at least. I would give this film somewhere between a 2.5 to a 3 out of 4 stars. This would've been a perfect 4/4...I know a lot of critics and fans love the ending, and that's there's only a minority of us that understand and love Friedrich, and Jo/Fritz together. At least we have other film adaptations and the musical – love the musical! - and I am really tempted to write my own version of a Little Women feature or mini series. I want to do more research on Louisa and write a biopic. I even have my own modern adapation ideas. This is a beloved book and I wish more people will read it, along with the rest of the series. To understand Jo/Fritz you have to read the last two books. This isn't really an essay or full on anaylsis, but more of me rambling, but let me know your thoughts in the comments. I would love to discuss Little Women and hear your thoughts and opinions. (Also sorry for spelling and grammar errors: I wrote this up really fast and didn’t bother to edit as I’m rather busy). 

[thebrutalballadoffangusklot]

also i really enjoyed rdr2 putting the scene of john like... i mean its a propsal but its also john fessing up that he’s been a shit husband and father and wants to be better for both abby and jack’s sack on the lake. 

god i love you john marshton 

[alleytownstrays]

headcanons of ben proposing!

↪ request: could you do HC for Ben Hargreeves proposing?

↪ answer: jxksksks hell yes i would!

↪ request me over at requests!

- first things first, ben would only propose or even think about marriage unless he was in it hard. he’s one for love and happiness so if you made him happy, he would never want to let you go.

- so he put a ring on it.

- in my opinion, ben would take you to the place you first met so you could feel the nostalgia. he’d give you little gifts throughout the day in the name of ‘it reminded me of you’ but it was just because he loved seeing your eyes dilate every time in giddy love and gratefulness.

- he’d wait till sundown, until it was peaceful and quiet - the exact opposite of the life he had with the Academy - before taking you over to a little section he had decorated. 

- there were fairy lights hung from tree to tree and you guys’ favourite song playing, there was one last gift waiting for you - a beautiful necklace engraved with your name on it and a little picture within of you two on your first date.

- while you’re busy looking around in awe, ben gets on his knees - the sounds of his knees crunching on the leaves grabbed your attention and when you turned around there he was.

- a goofy but nervous smile on his face and utter love whisped in his eyes, he rambled out the propsal in one long sentence but you managed to catch some phrases like ‘you make me happier’ and ‘i didn’t know what peace was until i met you’ but the one that took the cake was his final line...

- ‘I found the reason of my smile, the day I found you. Will you let me be the reason for your smile?’

- after that speech you said yes ofc why wouldn’t you and just danced at the scene for the rest of the night until you returned home, your hearts full of swelling pride that you could finally call the other your fiance and eventual soul-sharer.

- you remembered saying a lot of i love yous that night.

- you also received a video from klaus with the whole thing on tape but that could wait till morning.

[fineartdandylion]

Nest in the water” Official, close t5o completion Propsal!

Inspired by nils Udo’s “RADEAU D`AUTOMNE”. in this Photoshop composition I aimed to illustrate how a sculpture could be re-orientated vertically and applied to a water scene in the site.

This part of the pond around the edges was particularly gathered with lots of residual muck which has floated down the waterway. This area of the water also has flooding drain systems, which encourages the main flow of water to head in this direction

Positioning this composition here would almost act as a environmental statement, this is the run off point of the waterway. Having it end with an upturned nest made out of ROPE would tangle all kinds of residual materials Such as tennis and cricket balls, litter and even natural things like leaves branches and feathers.

[jbuffyangel]

When Olicity finally do get reengaged, do you think it will still be with the same ring? Either way though, I really do believe it should be Felicity who proposes this, it would just feel less special if it was Oliver who proposed again, it would just feel like another engagement. What do you think the next proposal scene will be like? You said way back in your review for 4x01 that their proposal scene should incorporate their lives as superheroes.

I did? HA. Reviews are funny to me because sometimes I can’t remember why I thought the way I did about specific things. LOL I’m getting old. I forget stuff. That said, I think we did get a propsal that included their lives as superheroes because Oliver and Felicity talked A LOT about what being married means before he actually proposed in 4x09.

I never had a probem with Oliver using Moira’s ring. I actually really liked it. I wrote a meta on it. And I think it’ll be cool if Felicity proposes, but I’m also okay if Oliver does it. I don’t like to set certain expectations on events. I don’t like saying, “It has to happen this way” because I’m just setting myself up for disappointment. I enjoy speculation, but I also enjoy the writers’ imagination and giving me something I can’t invision. I’m always open to that and I find it helps me enjoy the story more when I am.

[dwarveslikeshinythings]

Guys i saw beauty and the beast last night...

and i just... 

was kind of... baffled (?) by some of the choices? 

caution: spoilers/controversial opinions/randomy thought-vomity thoughts under the cut. I didn’t hate it as much as this makes it sound... I promise! 

*This got WAY too long, so I’m breaking it into sections. I’m so sorry to anyone that actually bothers to read this. It’s honestly just a reactionary stream of consciousness, for the most part. 

THE ACTING 

To set this up/disclaim: I adore Emma Watson as a human being. She is absolutely lovely, she IS and will always be Hermione Granger, and I’ve liked her in most of her other projects. That said, I found her COMPLETELY flat in this movie acting-wise (and don’t worry, I’ll get to her singing). I don’t think that Emma by nature is what I would describe as “feisty;” there’s a classy, sophisticated, “prim and proper-ness” to her that definitely has it’s place... but just not here. 

Belle needs to be fiery, empowered, passionate, and she just has to EXUDE that in everything she says or does. I think they did a lot in the script to empower Belle through the dialogue she was given, but Emma just doesn’t exude those things naturally with her acting, which I think is where the disconnect ultimately came from. 

So unfortunately, I was worried this would be a case of miscasting from the beginning, and I was sadly proven right. She looked absolutely stunning, but I personally never felt like I connected with Emma’s Belle, which KILLED me, because like so many other people that grew up with the movie, Belle was the character that no matter where I was in life, I always gravitated toward. 

Honestly, I just felt like I got more genuine emotion from 2 minutes of Human!Dan Stevens as the prince there at the end than I did from Emma the entire film.

THE SCRIPT 

I wouldn’t have thought this would be possible, given that the animated film script is pitch-perfect and even the Broadway show manages to be good (despite some completely worthless additions), but the script for this film was actually pretty bad. I’d give it 3.5/10. The pacing through the whole thing was... off, somehow. The relationship development between Belle and the Beast felt off-balance to me, and there were several scenes that I genuinely sat there going “well that was rushed.” (*cough* LIBRARY SCENE *cough*) 

Specifically: 

Why on EARTH would they have given the “I’ll show you to your room” scene to anyone BUT the Beast. It’s like, the entire tee-up to the Belle x Beast relationship???!? 

Also, they BOTCHED the whole “join me for dinner” bit, BECAUSE they gave the “i’ll show you to your room” scene to the objects. 

I was not a HUGE fan of the one-line backstory they gave the beast, something about “his father turned him into a monster” or something to that effect. To me, that “woobifies” the character in a way I’m not a fan of...  I always liked the Beast because it seemed to me that he had CHOSEN to be a bad person, he got his comeuppance when he was cursed, and he consciously had to decide to change his heart in order to break the spell. It took something away from the Belle x Beast arc to insert someone else in there to tell her “oh, he’s this way because X,” and for that to serve as a catalyst for her feelings softening.

Also, the whole Paris bit was super extra, and to me, a sign that the writers were like “oh crap, we haven’t done enough to build up Belle and the Beast, so uh, here, let’s have them bond over sadness.” Like... meh? (Sidebar: if you’re GONNA do the Paris thing and you’re GONNA have HUGE SHOT OF NOTRE DAME SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING, I EXPECT A “HUNCHBACK” EASTER EGG. C’MON, DISNEY!) 

Shifting gears, NGL, I missed Gaston’s ill-attempted “wooing” scene at the beginning of the movie. It almost seemed to me like they were intentionally trying to excise some of the blatant misogny from his character... but... like... he’s SUPPOSED to be the biggest fuckboi in town... he’s supposed to be the character that you really hate. He should be narcissistic, mysogynistic and generally disgusting. I remember even being a kid being thoroughly disgusted by Gaston, and feeling like he really got what he deserved when Belle chucked him out into the mud. And I just... didn’t get that from this film. I mean, he became hateable later with what he did to Maurice, but there was a lot missing from the propsal/rejection scene for me. (Also I would have DIED to hear Luke Evans sing “ME” from the Broadway show.)

ANOTHER THING: not enough of the Gaston fangirls! They could have had SUCH FUN with Lefou and the girls all mooning over Gaston... not a huge deal, just a missed character/comedy opportunity, IMO. 

OTHER MISSING CHARACTERS: WHERE TF WAS MONSIEUR D’ARQUE?!? He was positively creeptacular in the original/stage version, plus YOU CAST ADRIAN FUCKING SCHILLER, WHY WOULD YOU NOT USE HIM!?!? My boy got seriously shortchanged. 

Also, how TF did Belle manage to pull off that full costume change while galloping away on a horse??? 

Final random casting thing: the village library guy was pretty young and hot (not at all like the old guy from the movie). If I was Belle, I’d have been all over that! :P

THE MUSIC: 

OKAY SO THE MUSIC: 

First thing’s first: HOLLYWOOD. IF YOU’RE GOING TO CONTINUE RE-MAKING EVERY MUSICAL UNDER THE SUN AND INSIST ON CASTING ACTORS WHO CANNOT SING, WE HAVE GOT TO RE-EMBRACE THE CONCEPT OF DUBBING. BRING BACK THE MARNI NIXONS OF THE WORLD AND LET THEM SING. AUDREY HEPBURN WAS DUBBED. NATALIE WOOD WAS DUBBED. THIS DID NOT DETRACT FROM THE FACT THAT THEY WERE INCREDIBLE ACTRESSES. DUBBING IS AN ACCEPTABLE PRACTICE. LET’S BRING IT BACK. 

Seriously, I am so BEYOND done watching actors that cannot sing BUTCHER great scores. Emma was so autotuned, it was honestly cringeworthy-- wayyyyy too saccharine, way too overproduced. 

That said, Audra MacDonald was a VISION, as always, Josh Gad consistently impresses me as a vocalist/overall performer (and his upper register), Luke Evans was pitch-perfect and Emma Thompson’s rendition of “Beauty and the Beast” was absolutely everything it needed to be. Even Dan Stevens showed up with some vocal chops, but that brings me to another thing... 

COULD WE HAVE NOT JUST HAD HIM SING “IF I CAN’T LOVE HER” INSTEAD OF WHATEVER GODAWFUL POWER-BALLAD SOMEONE DECIDED WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA TO WRITE. 

Seriously... I had SUCH HIGH HOPES that they would at least carry over the Beast’s songs from the Broadway show, because of all the songs they added into the stage adaptation, I thought those added the most to the story and gave some much needed dimension to the Beast’s character, with some introspective moments that were missing from the original film. 

Instead (I’m assuming for the purpose of making people buy the new soundtrack), they wrote an utterly CRINGEWORTHY song that was musically cheap and lyrically terrible. I am getting so tired of saying this EVERY TIME a new movie musical adaptation comes out, but producers keep doing it and it irks me. So here (for the umpteenth time) is a PRO-TIP: When you have SO MUCH fantastic source material ALREADY out there, JUST USE IT. DON’T WRITE NEW STUFF. JUST USE WHAT’S ALREADY THERE. 

So in the meantime, I’ll just be over here cry/yelling in frustration about never getting to hear Dan Stevens sing “LET THE WORLD BE DONE WITH MEEEEEEEE!” 

They also lost WAY too much of the original scoring in favor of scoring that was just, well... BLAH. Really missed the original scoring during the scene in the West Wing when Belle finds the rose, in particular. [ALSO... they somehow managed to take like... ALL of the dramatic tension/sense of danger out of that scene. I don’t understand how that was possible, but they did it.]

HOWEVER, I was delightfully surprised to hear “Home” backing a few scenes throughout... I do like that song from the Broadway show, and while I had no desire whatsoever to hear Emma sing it, I’m happy that musical moment made it in somehow. 

FINALLY, whatever GOD-AWFUL song they had Celine Dion sing at the end just needs to never be heard by human ears again. But Ariana Grande and John Legend sounded pretty good. 

LAST THOUGHTS: 

Would never have thought I’d be attracted to Dan Stevens all dolled up in ostentatious French facepaint, but whoops, I was wrong. 

Shoutout to Hattie Morahan for being delightfully creepy and gorgeous as the Enchantress (also, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY FEELS with Edward/Elinor in the same frame!) 

To sum it up, though: Stanley Tucci remains one of my favorite things on God’s green earth, and I just want to be Emma Thompson when I grow up. 

[aya-alsawy-blog]

Storyboard and proposal draft -1-

Animation video propsal.

The subject of my thirty seconds animation video will be a boy's attempt in cooking rice and vegetables. The scene starts with a cooking pot and a radio playing a cooking tutorial (Gordon Ramsay's instructions). The rice cooking process does not proceed smoothly as a disaster occurs. Water floods out the cooking pot. The boy tried to fix the situation but fails leading to a cooking disaster and burned rice. The animation ends with a weird plate of rice that have been burnt and changed its original color.

For this animation, a character needs to be drawn -the boy-, the cooking pot, radio and the kitchen background.

This video is generally for amusement and fun. It mainly illustrates the struggles some people face when they first start cooking rice, even though rice is a very common necessary course globally, but it is not an easy meal to cook. It is very challenging for first timers.

The tools and methods that will be used for this project are Photoshop, After effects, Pinterest and Google. (Most frams all be drawn by hand) I will also explore the possibility of using the cut-out animation method as well. Pinterest and Google will be the primary resources for references images.

[wingsoverbros]

“Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell - the long semi-interesting dash for the finish” or “My thoughts on SPN 12.15″

For previous episodes: 12.01 - 12.02 - 12.03 - 12.04 - 12.05 - 12.06 - 12.07 - 12.08 - 12.09 - 12.10 - 12.11 - 12.12 - 12.13 - 12.14

Now, on to Supernatural 12.15 - "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell"

In previous seasons of Supernatural, the episodes in the middle of the the second half of the seasons can drag and feel fairly useless, full of story elements that go nowhere and add nothing to the season itself. This season, they seem to be doing better at this. "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell" is full of encouraging character growth, useful plot developments and addressed plot points. It's bolstering my hopes for a good season finale, and the placement of season 12 in the ranks of the higher-quality seasons.

Well, last week, I predicted that Dean's trust issues and previous reactions might make it harder for him to work with the British Men of Letters. That was almost immediately proven wrong. Dean has decided to work with them, on the grounds of "I've worked with people I didn't trust before..." I guess Dean is starting to learn from the past. He just needed to get over his hurt feelings. That's very mature of him. (Just as long as he keeps his eyes open. I still don't trust those shifty bastards.)

I loved that both Dean and Sam thanked Crowley for his help. The brothers have always been a bit rough on their allies, and tend to overlook the contribution of others (as they’ve themselves acknowledged), so the fact that both have thanked the King of Hell himself for his assistance shows great character growth in the guys. Showing appreciation for the help of others, even those they don't altogether trust, makes the guys look like the mature heroes they should be at their age and position in life. It's another point in this season's behalf.

Sam also seems to have learned a little from Dean's reaction to Mary keeping the MOL a secret in the last episode. By telling Dean the truth (almost) immediately, he's returned to his "we should tell the truth" stance from previous seasons. He's no longer back-sliding in that department, so I guess that finally stuck. Hopefully, sticking to a policy of truth will help if/when things go pear-shaped with the British Men of Letters.

The development of the changing of Lucifer's vessel to weaken him was an interesting change. Crowley seems to have learned *something* from the past mistakes of others, even if it wasn't "don't taunt the Super-being that hates you." At least he took precautions this time. It'll be interesting to see if the changes to the vessel are a permanent power loss of Lucifer, if they transfer to more then just Crowley's control, and if they'll mean we have Lucifer outside of the cage for longer.

One of the things that this season has been fantastic at (mostly) is the frequent additions to previously untouched canon. The episode continued to remind us of the recent revelations of the Yellow-eyed demons with the inclusion of Dagon snatching Kelly, and now has included a plausible origin story for Hell-hounds. Previous season have put forward that Chuck has had issues with his first tries at creatures turning out to be too aggressive and dangerous (see The Leviathan), which makes this a great way to include a low-key tie to that terrible season while continuing the theme that Lucifer only really twisted pre-existing beings into new shapes rather then create new ones. It's always good to see writers working within the bounds of set characterizations and canon, rather then ignoring it and reinventing at will, as some of them seem to prefer.

Side note: think about Chuck being horrible at first drafts, and the fact that he made the Archangels first before anything else. Kinda makes you wonder about the quality of the Archangels, doesn't it.

The references to past episodes were quite varied this time. We had several nice bits on hell-hounds reappearing from previous seasons, namely the Hell-hound locator glasses from "Trial and Error" in season 8, and the ability to kill them that first popped up in "Caged Heat" in season 6. Also appearing were the fact that Hell is the world's worst office job, much to Crowley's dismay (wouldn't he have known this before he rose to power? What did he think it'd become?),and the continuing presence of Lucifer's demonic cheerleaders. I actually felt terrible for the poor guy, poofed out of existence despite doing nothing, and being told he'd “made it weird” to boot. Luci could have been nicer (unlikely,but possible). At least the poor guy is out of his centuries-long misery, no?

On the hero side of things, we had a pop-up of Cas's inability to understand how the rock shout-out IDs normally work (although the ones Dean does are ridiculous too. Let's be honest here.), Dean noticing something was off with Cas over the phone, and the first mention of Heaven's gardener, Joshua. I must admit that the news that he's alive and in charge of heaven made me quite happy, as I'd hoped both would be the case ages ago. That character, last seen in "Dark side of the moon" in season 5, was one of my favorite side characters in season 5, and one of the better angels in my book. I just hope that they don't write him as a dick. He needs to be good to Cas, provide him with a way to rejoin the Host without removing him from the Winchesters. Here's hoping, I guess. (Another question: We saw him, but not in a vessel. Will they use the same actor? Or take the opportunity to recast, like they did with Hannah?)

I liked how things haven't just been dropped like they sometimes were in previous seasons. The group of demons who studied the cage and made the chains were mentioned as having been exterminated, proving that being one of Crowley's "most trusted demons" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not really a long-term job prospect, that. The fall-out over Gavin's (unnecessary) sacrifice continues, and I'm both pleased to see Crowley still broken up over it (he's become so human) and the guys expressing some (very) small degree of discomfort about it. In past seasons, these elements aren't a big part of the overall season arc and would usually disappear into the void, never to be seen again. I'm glad the writers are choosing to address a few tiny loose threads.

Observations:

"Making Hell great again" - cute. Nice little political joke, and great timing for it. It actually made me laugh out loud.

Dean and Crowley arguing over whether they had influenced the other made me smile. Of course they did. The Winchesters influence everyone they interact with, making each of them far more human over time. Meanwhile, Crowley and Cas (and many others, for that matter) have made the Winchesters far more likely to realize that there are more to non-human beings then just predator actions. Every one is a deep and whole character, with good and bad traits, and has the potential to be a good(ish) person (or something) and a useful ally, if encouraged correctly. Influence can be a good thing.

I didn't know Tort reform was a hell issue. I always figured many lawyers worked for them anyway, and they'd encourage the complication of legal matters, to increase the possibility of more desperation crossroad deals. Tort reform proposals seem kinda counter-intuitive to that. Unless it was an *anti* tort reform proposal... at which, that’d make sense.

"the man in black! or, you know, beige" - Funny. Imagine the guy's face if he found out Cas wasn't human.

Cas looked so tired of humanity in that scene with the the diner manager. Now he knows there's some real odd-balls out there. (I loved that he just kinda dropped his head when the guy just kept talking, and the "...really?" eye-roll at the camcorder.)

I liked the cameo of Negan's bat from the Walking Dead. If we can't have Jeffery Dean Morgan back for a guest spot, then the bat made a great (and fairly subtle) reference back to him.

The character growth of practically everyone in the episode and the further development of interesting plot points and the addressing of loose plot threads made this episode a clear winner in my book. It's a great thing to see in a middle-season episode that normally would be more of a "take it or leave it" forgettable episode in other seasons. I look forward to seeing these developments impact the rest of the season, and where the episode sits in the finished season. Hopefully, it finishes just as strong as it has been so far.