#and so fucken HAWT OMG

[ennaih]

California Suite (1978) | the Alda/Fonda edition

[fierceawakening]

@medleymisty This explains a lot about the Sims community too - you are also expected to absolutely love every Sims story you see, and you’re a terrible person if you have any personal preferences. Even if you keep them to yourself and never tell anyone that you aren’t a huge fan of their work.

Fanfic too. Nothing but squeeing unless you’ve been specifically asked for concrit.

Which I mean... okay? I’m usually able to eventually at least find betas who aren’t afraid to tell me “hawt smut babe but iiiii... think Francesca just dislocated her shoulder?”

But I feel like there’s this very strong push to pretend to like everything, and I worry it’s well meant but not as good as it seems to be at first. Because it seems like what you get when you do that is

Instead of people who say stuff like “wow, I loved this fic, it’s rad! But I was a little disappointed in one aspect of the ending, because I didn’t quite buy this part here... still, omg omg read it everyone!”

You get

* Endless praise that doesn’t tell you what people liked so much, OR

* Fucken antis

And I... i don’t know, i could be taking a couple things weirdly personally and wildly overgeneralizing, but I’m beginning to think we’re training ourselves out of “most things are a mixed bag and you don’t have to justify your tolerance levels.”

[ennaih]

this is totally study orright

So I’m watching the Branagh version of Frankenstein for the first time in like twenty years and jesus fucking christ, it’s SO ANNOYING in terms of its frantic pace and overdone reactions and I know (entirely because I read one of his autobiographies) that’s because Branagh’s a huge Hammer horror fanboy but goddamnit I wish he hadn’t applied that overblown approach to this text cos ugh. 

Unsurprisingly, my favourite bits are when Victor that shit is off the screen and we’re only with the Creature. I think pre-Fockers, this may be my favourite De Niro role. And oh god, the crying by the tree in the snow just hurt my heart so much.

really, Branagh, I love you but really, couldn’t you have just -- really.  Also, wow, so much kissing. I didn’t realise how much kissing there is in this version, and how we really do not shy away from the pseudo brother sister incest subtext at all. Also, I fucken love that staircase and the coldness of the Frankenstein home offset by all their idiotic frivolity. And Caroline was super hawt and super lovely, my goodness. 

Victor, you’re such a shit but you have great hair but you’re such a shit. 

ALSO OMG AIDAN QUINN AS WALTON. I was like alternating between “God, this is awesome casting and costuming, you two really need to snog” and “Dear god, slow the fuck down, what is going on, what have you done to this text Branagh!”

I love that Richard Briers is Old Man De Lacey, what perfect casting. And totally deliciously creeped out that Ian Holm plays Alphonse cos ahahahaha, yes let’s put Ash who was a goddamned robot into the first story about what it is to be human.

Very interesting that we got rid of Agatha entirely and had Felix already married to Safie here made Sophie and distinctly white and with two little childers. So instead of the Creature learning language through Felix’s lessons to Safie, we’ve got him learning from Sophie teaching her kids. Noicely done. 

So okay, I’ve finished it now and I really liked the mini bride subplot which was done in like lightning fast speed. I like the fact that she threw them both off her and took her own fate in her own hands, like well DONE ELIZABETH! And god, that glorious image of the immolation. How her self-destruction burns down the whole damned house. Just brilliant. I remembered the image of flames going through the corridor but I didn’t remember it was because of her.

So very pleased that Walton wasn’t the only one to see the Creature in the cabin with Victor’s body. That the other sailors saw him too and that they even had compassion for him, weirdly enough. Of course the line of “He never gave me a name” completely wrecked me, fuck. 

AND GODDAMNIT MY FAVOURITE LINES FROM FRANKENTEIN AREN’T EVEN FROM FRANKENSTEIN! 

I was wondering why they weren’t in the 1818 text but then figured maybe I got them from the 1831 text which is my own non-uni copy. And I haven’t allowed myself to compare the two in case I get mixed up. But then De Niro went and said exactly my lines and I was like “Wait, what? That’s definitely not in the 1818 text, oh god please tell me it’s not from here.”

It is. I’m so crushed. Well, I still love them but I hate that Mary (or even Percy) didn’t write them. *sob* They’re such good lines. “I have rage in me the likes of which blah blah. For the sympathy of one ...” 

In both versions of the novel, it’s “if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear” and in the next para, “If any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them a hundred and a hundred fold; for that one creature’s sake, I would make peace with the whole kind!”

I wonder if those are Mary’s original words or if Percy rewrote them. Goddamn him.

Well, fine. My new favourite line from Frankenstein is now: “You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing?” And: “Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?” 

I have really really high hopes for the 2004 miniseries now. It won’t get to me for a while but I’m really looking forward to it. At least there the Creatures LOOKS like he’s supposed to. 

Also I am totally going to make my class watch bits of Penny Dreadful during my presentation/leading the class discussion with two other peeps this week. Yuh huh.