#and the fact that the Boat Scene can play out differently both in outcome and in content is just so so interesting to me

[sun-marie]

Another bg3 thought dump but I've been thinking about this all day. I think a big part of why I love the Boat Scene in Gale's romance (or at least the version I've played), and really Gale's Romance in general, is bc there's so much potential for nuance.

My Tav, Zephyr, isn't particularly faithful to any one god or the gods in general (though she does enjoy studying faerunian theology), and so in theory she's not against opposing and maybe even deposing Mystra. But she knows that many of the "gods" of the modern era were once mortals, and until the cycle can be broken she doesn't want anyone, least of all someone she cares about, to take that risk and lose themself.

When I first got to the Boat Scene, I couldn't help the feeling of dread I got bc I was sure Gale and Zephyr were about to break up. Bc I knew how strongly Gale wanted this and for (mostly) the right reasons, but I also knew Zephyr wasn't going to budge. And I feel like in many games, that would be that; characters disagree, they break up. Even though Zephyr would be against it for Gale's sake, bc she loves who he is, not who he could be.

But the dialogue is so interesting bc it actually lets them argue about it, while also giving the player to stay with him anyway.

"This doesn't have to be the end for us."

"But I could be so much more to you."

Now true source of Gale motivation is revealed. He feels like he's not enough. Which allows Zephyr to reiterate that he is, and they stay together and even grow closer!

It just makes both characters feel very real to me, and I appreciate that they can talk and argue until they get deeper and deeper into why the other one feels this way. It's almost like how couples actually are in real life!

[astro-pioneer]

hey I love ur work also Idk if ur taking request at this time but I was wondering if u had time that if u could maybe make a second part to the red string fic about childe cause wow 😩angst is so good

In Another, Maybe 『Childe』

➽ Part two of Broken String | Taking care of Teucer wasn't something (Y/N) had on their schedule for the day, but with the begging golden eyes of the traveller and hopeful blue eyes of the child, who were they to refuse? If only they were informed on who Teucer was related to before making a promise. | Small spoilers for Childe's story quest | The beginning sounds like a platonic Teucer story but we need development so sorry </3

Hi hi anon! I almost cried when I saw your request oml. I'm so glad you like what I write and thank you for the support!! My requests are indeed open (I call them new expeditions in my bio) but I'm glad you asked about it :D I hope this is what you expected but if not send me a message and I can possibly do a third part with an alternate ending.

The child looked familiar, that much (Y/N) knew, but couldn't pinpoint where from. What they didn't know was how the traveller knew where they lived. "Uh, hello?" Right away they knew trouble was in their future. Aether's nervous smile said it all. Teucer knew them just like he knew who the traveller was, especially when his big sister Tonia fawned after reading that part of the letter.

"Hi (Y/N)! We're sorry to bother you, but Zhongli told us you weren't busy and that you could help us!" Ah, so that's how the trio found them. They loved Zhongli dearly, don't get them wrong, but sometimes he shares a little too much information to the ones he trusts. "He told us you're really good with kids, and we usually see you playing pirates with a group on some days."

(Y/N) sighed, seeing that there was no way out of this situation, and almost stepped back in to grab some Mora before the child (who still has yet to be introduced) stopped them. "Oh, it's okay! My big brother already gave us money to spend. Now, come on!" The tiny hands latched onto a bigger right one, the pulling of the limb making the tied string sway lightly.

The nod was small but seen nonetheless, making Paimon sigh in relief. Teucer dragged (Y/N) away before they could close their front door, making the travelling duo do it. Aether cringed at the quick glance inside. It was so cold and depressingly empty. "Maybe it's because they're usually out?" Not even Paimon herself sounded sure about her reasoning.

"Anyway, my name's Teucer! I came from Sneznhaya! What about you?"

The older person blinked, not expecting the kid to not even know their name (even after Paimon said it). "Oh, I'm (Y/N), and I moved to Liyue from Inazuma." He awed; it was very easy to amaze the child, they mused. A small gasp came from Teucer before they were dragged away, the traveller struggling to keep up with the excited kid.

"Oooh, c'mon (Y/N)! Let's go to the wharf! I was never able to see it when I got here! You too, Mr. Nice Guy!" Their right hand was finally released and the string touched the ground once more. The kid ran off but was always in the watchful sight of the trio as they caught up to him.

"Teucer, please try not to run off anymore."

He didn't respond, too amazed with the view and size of the wharf to care. "Woah! Look at the waves! Do they ever freeze?" Aether and Paimon stood back from (Y/N) and Teucer, talking amongt themselves.

"Is it just Paimon, or does it feel like we're just awkward third wheels?" Seeing the nod from her companion, Paimon nodded with crossed arms in satisfaction before floating over after seeing the kid go to the anchor. "This is an anchor. Ships use it to stop the wind from blowing them away."

Teucer pondered for a bit before nodding, 'An anchor...got it. I might get it confused with Commodore Hook though..." The three echoed the name in confusion, prompting him to explain. "My brother always sends me a big present for my birthday. Commodore Hook, Blacksteel Jack, Iron Tony, they all stay in our backyard!"

(Y/N) kept their shock hidden well. "That's very kind of your brother. Are they as big as the anchor?" He nodded as an answer before seeing the stall selling fish, running off yet again. An acquaintance from their work waved in greeting, (Y/N) reciprocating the action with their right hand. The string no longer brushed the ground.

They came back to the group, hearing Uncle Gao, the owner of the fish stall, get mad at Teucer for innocently comparing the fish in Liyue to what he's used to back in his homeland. "That's no way to talk to a child now, is it, sir? There's no reason to get worked up over regional differences." Their face was passive but anyone with a keen enough eye could see the threat behind their façade. Paimon herself even got angry at the stall owner.

"There's legends about these big fish back at home! I told my brother about it and a few days later, he came back with a big fish slung over his shoulder!" He exaggerated 'big' to get his point across, which was cute. "Mr. Nice Guy, (Y/N), let's go see the boats." He grabbed both of their hands this time.

The quick walk ended when they reached a small but intricately designed boat. Teucer signed dejectedly. "I miss my brother..." His palms pressed to his eyes. Paimon was shocked, pointing out the fact that they (minus (Y/N)) just saw him. "That doesn't count! It was for such a short time! Take me to see my brother, I don't want to play anymore!"

The trip to Qingxu Pool's nearby river was a long distance away, especially in Teucer's eyes. Not even halfway through did he ask (Y/N) to give him a piggyback ride, who just sighed and accepted the request. The incline as well as Aether and Paimon blocked their view of Teucer's brother, but they paused at Paimon's declaration. "Found him! There's Childe! Wait..." Teucer didn't notice the faltered step.

Shimmying off their back, Teucer ran toward the taller ginger. Oh, dear. If (Y/N) knew who Teucer's brother was, they would've stayed home and completed upcoming paperwork. Their eyes quickly looked to his left hand, the matching, dull string also tied to his pinkie. At the mention of selling toys, (Y/N) looked at their soulmate suspiciously. "Fatui scum don't sell toys though..." They kept their mouth shut at the pleading eyes of the travelling duo.

The trio stood back, watching the scene unfold in front of them concerning Childe's "toy selling business", as Teucer called it. Another Fatui member, a subordinate, appeared right after, informing the ginger about new recruits. The blond then turned to (Y/N). "Also, Mr. Zhongli asked me to inform you about an urgent matter that he didn't go into details about. However, he requests that you make haste to meet him." They clicked their tongue, still hating how the Fatui are still associates of the funeral parlour.

"Aw, really? Both of you are leaving? Do you have to?" The small smile make Childe's heart squeeze.

"Apologies Teucer, but I know I speak for both your brother and I when I say that it's important for us to keep working. You're always welcome to find me when you want to though, alright?" A nod was shared between the two broken soulmates before (Y/N) turned, heading back to the harbour.

Aether didn't miss the longing stare Childe had before he snapped out of it, answering Teucer's question his own way, laced with lies that'll only harm himself in the end. Paimon didn't miss it either, but she was more vocal until he covered her mouth.

The next time (Y/N) saw Teucer and Co. was when they came barging into their office. "We're going to the Institute of Toy Research! Come.on, I want you to come with us!" They had no choice but to go. Watching the lengths Childe would go just to make his brother happy struck something inside of them. Not deep enough to make them love him but to see him in a new light.

(Y/N) got to the worn down harbinger before anyone else, squatting down in front of him. "I wish we met under different circumstances, Mr. Soulmate." He cracked a grin.

"I'd ask if there would be any chance where we could change the outcome, but-" he raised his left hand, where the string was nothing but the knot, "-seems as though it's a little too late, huh?"

They shared sad smiles to each other, (Y/N) giving the traveller a signal to get Teucer's attention for a while. "Possibly... In another life, maybe we could've been together. In this run, however, it was sadly not meant to be." They linked their tied hands together, both witnessing the last piece of their connection as soulmates diminish away before their eyes. "I'm glad to have been able to witness that you're more than just a mindless pawn to the Tsaritsa... Hearing what you do for your siblings and even now proved that."

Aether and Paimon came over after (Y/N) stood up, going back to Teucer as they talked. "Did you find your brother yet?" They played along with the "game" of hide and seek. But yet, their thoughts were far away, thinking of an alternative time where the two of them met under different circumstances. What would've happened to the soulmates if they never met in Liyue and witnessed what happened with their beloved? No one knows, not even the gods themselves...

[angelthefirst1]

The three missing weeks after Grady, Beth's funeral and Daryl's delusion all in 1018.

Okay so I've taken my time with posting any analysis of 1018, mainly because I was trying to figure out exactly what's being repeated (beyond the obvious Alone and Still repeats) and also understand the weirdness of the episode and how the loops will play out going forward. Since I first watched 1018, I realised they are showing us a representation of the three missing weeks after Grady, and Daryl's mindset (He goes a little cray cray) during his second search for Beth (her body anyway) This episode will have future and past fulfillment when/if we finally see the missing 17 days and the attempt at Beth's funeral-during which her body is going to go missing... Emily's song Omaha hotel holds clues about Beth's (attempted) funeral and the outcome. Go listen to the song if you haven't...

The group is going to take Beth to a church-most likely this one...

To give her a proper funeral-which as Daryl knows, Beth found it beautiful that someone dressed the walkers up (as dolls he says) to give them one. So...the group will want to do this for Beth.

She will be left in a car park (probably left in a car for a bit) to “watch the bugs fly around in the parking lot lights”. They will change her into a nice dress with flowers and make her all pretty, repeating what happened with the funeral home walkers-they get dressed up and even had makeup on. They could possibly put her in a coffin like Daryl was in the funeral home... As they go to dig the grave a massive storm will roll in (there has to be another storm, because it will be fulfillment of the music box "waking up" or playing again, and the storm from 510) During this storm walkers will come, taking the groups attention and Beth will "Step away for a minute" leaving before they can bury her. Daryl will try to track her, thinking she's a walker, but her footprints will be washed away in the storm, causing a repeat of this moment...

The map Daryl is using to find Rick will be repeated as Beth's "footprints" being washed away, causing him to scream and start to lose it. The rain and it pouring/flooding with water is symbolic of Beth's return representing Jesus the the living water.   Daryl in 1018 is screaming one minute in the rain, and smiling the next. 

Showing him both losing Beth in the rain and finding out she's alive on two different timeliness. Carol will most likely have played a role in going with Daryl to search for Beth after her "funeral", repeating their search from Consumed. The going fishing/fish symbolism in this episode is a play on the biblical concept of fishing for men (finding/saving the lost) As others have already mentioned, I also believe Leah to be either in part a hallucination or completely.

But Daryl did not have a romantic relationship with her.

Just as the 'oh' funeral home scene hinted at a potential romance, we never actually got to see it. Only a hint of it... They have repeated that here, and it's almost as if Daryl is on the outside looking in at his own past story. But this is Beth's story not Leah's and they haven't repeated almost every major Beth scene only to give it to Leah now... There is WAY to much weirdness in this episode for everything to just be as we see it, they are misdirecting us. 1018 heavily repeats both Daryl's search for Sofia and Rick losing Lori. This is about Daryl losing his future wife...Beth not Leah. Rick hallucinates Lori in this white dress next to some graves...

This will be inverted with Beth in her funeral dress, walking away from her grave, and just like Rick, Daryl can never quite reach her, even though she is alive. Rick started going crazy after losing Lori, when Maggie (Beth's sister) delivered or “birthed” baby Judith. Lori dies and Judith became Beth's...

Do you see the twist from this scene with Leah, talking about losing her son whom her sister gave birth to, or birthed? When Rick is outside the prison because he keeps seeing Lori he says to Hershel he has "Stuff and things to do" so he won't come back. Same as Daryl says to Carol when she tries to get him to stop looking for Rick, Daryl says "I've got stuff to do", once again hinting that this is some kind of mind trick, with Daryl seeing Leah not the real Beth...

Just like Rick was seeing-not the real Lori... The same episode Rick loses Lori, shows Maggie and Glenn in the watch tower messing around and Daryl crassly yells to them "Are you coming?"

They have actually used this with Daryl and Carol in the beginning of 1018, twisting it with Daryl saying "You want to come right?" And "I didn't say you could come". 

Daryl even closes the one eye, because of the glare. Exactly the same in 304 and 1018.

Now don't freak out this will find fulfillment in the future with Beth and Daryl, and yes...most likely on a motorcycle. I don't usually get crass but that's what they are repeating and lining up for the future here, so I wanted to point it out. The previously on clip from 1018 shows Daryl say "We just got Maggie (and little Glenn) back"

Around the same time Rick loses Lori and he is having his breakdown, Maggie and Glenn get taken by the Governor and as soon as they get back, that's when Rick starts "seeing" Lori. Fulfilling the "We just got Maggie (and little Glenn) back line". In 304 Daryl jump starts his bike while Axel looks on saying it needs a tune up. Repeating the beginning of 1018 when he can't start the bike. 

Another call back is when Daryl and Carol come across a dead deer in 1018, it's bitten in an almost identical way to a deer that is shown in the opening of 304 (The episode Lori dies)

Carol also gets lost in the tombs during this episode, and eventually gets an empty grave with cross allocated to her, even though she isn't dead. So Leah could well be symbolic of both missing Carol and Missing Beth combined. And the cabin crosses a reminder of them both...

The repeating themes from around the time Rick loses Lori are very obvious if you go re-watch that story line. One particular location that they visit on the way to rescue Maggie and Glenn from the Governor is a cabin, that very much reminded me of Leah's cabin...

It’s next to a river...

And has taxidermy fish on the walls, and pots and pans too.

But most significantly is a dead pet dog inside...

Before they see the dog, they smell him and Daryl says "What's that smell?, it's got to be a dead fox or what's left of one" Leah wears a dead fox around her neck and has a pet dog, so this repeating could actually point to Leah being a walker/hallucination...

I have been trying to remember any past fox symbolism in this show to explain Leah's fox fur, but couldn't think of any other instances, so this is a really interesting clue to the fact that Daryl mistakes a dead dog for a dead fox. The dead dog is on a blanket similar to the one Dog sits on when Leah has Daryl tied up. And it's collar looks to say Hunter!

The owner in this cabin also has a shotgun like Leah and points it at Rick and Daryl when they first enter.

He gets killed almost straight away because he keeps marking noise and drawing walkers. The very next scene shows Andrea standing in front of a painting with a boat, repeating the boat symbolism from 1018. And the clock just happens to say 10.10

Daryl is also seen collecting fire wood, just like in season three with Rick and Glenn...

When walkers come, Leah shoots some of them (Lori shoots some in season 3) and motions Daryl to follow her somewhere safe, repeating this moment with Beth and Hershel from the episode Rick loses Lori...

The scene where Daryl gets knocked down and his ears start to ring is pivotal because it's a repeat of Daryl's other great search-his search for Sofia.

During which he falls down into a river and starts hallucinating his brother Merle..

So while 1018 is showing him searching for and losing Beth's footprints in the rain and screaming in anger about it, the moment when he gets knocked down by a bolt of lightning and his ears start to ring, the story becomes a weird mix of Beth and Leah. This is a representation of Daryl passing out after falling and some kind of injury, just like he did when searching for Sofia. Repeating but inverting his search for Sofia, where he fell into a river bed, had a head injury/concussion, hallucinates about his brother and finds Sofia's doll not the real Sofia... So Leah could also be a representation of finding Sofia's doll. The doll represents a walker, just like Daryl said in the funeral home. Sofia was lost on a road/highway, goes into water in a river but disappeared and was then found dead coming out of a barn. Beth however is the opposite, in that after her funeral she will end up in a body of water/river because of heavy rain, then the barn in 510, she is represented as being alive coming out of it.

And lastly Daryl says to Beth in Alone "Go up out off the road, I'll meet you there". Which is where they could well meet again-on a road. (Saying meet you up the road, also indicates a lengthy time period) All this would in fact make Beth, Sofia 2.0 but with the opposite outcome. In 1018, once Daryl falls down and his ears ring, he is effectively passed out and dreaming from that point on. We see him then pick up his crossbow and smile in the rain, because what comes next indicates he finds Beth (Leah) When Daryl hallucinates Merle, he tells him that he is looking for a girl and Merle says "You got a thing for little girls now?" and "You going to die out here looking for her?" Merle gets mad that Daryl isn't looking for him. They have switched it in 1018, in that Daryl is looking for his brother Rick now by a river and hallucinates a version of Beth (Leah) who gets mad that Daryl keeps looking for Rick.

Merle, during the hallucination also mentions Daryl's Chupacabra (a mythical blood sucking dog) he apparently saw, which could be a representation of Leah as the dead fox/dog/walker or him seeing Beth and thinking Beth is a walker. 

Merle questions whether Daryl really saw this Chupacabra because Daryl apparently ate some special mushrooms...

So I see these possibilities... Daryl is reliving his search for Beth in his mind because he is injured causing him to hallucinate Leah, as a less painful substitute. Like Rick hallucinates a dressed up version of Lori to cope with the pain. Daryl has been poisoned or eaten something/drank something (like the mushrooms) to make reality and fantasy mix, causing a repeat of the Merle/walker situation. Where Leah may be real but Beth memory's are mixed with reality. Just like Merle was not real but the walker was. Leah is a walker (dead fox/dog) who looks like Beth to Daryl, and while trying to put her down he is knocked out, starting a weird mixture of memory's. I will leave it here for now, there is always more I could go into but this is way long enough for now...

Beth is coming!!!

[hencethebravery]

TITLE: A Super Solid History of the “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy(s),” c. The Beginning (or There About) to Now-ish

SUMMARY: Human beings are absolute fools when it comes to love. It’s largely the reason why God, in all Her infinite wisdom, so cleverly decided that the beings in Her employ (and thereafter) would have nought to do with such petty, earthly matters. Not they had seen a memo or anything, but it merely seems obvious, does it not? (Ao3)

NOTES: Hello, hello! Here be my very first Good Omens fic. Please note that I have only just started the novel and so this is mostly a product of my having watched the series several times over.

. . .

+ Perhaps one of the cruelest tricks that God has ever played (and the list was indeed long) was in allowing angels to believe they were incapable of love. There is some amount of debate as to whether or not this was entirely by accident. She was a busy woman after all━perhaps that was why it, the question of whether or not angels were truly capable of love, had slipped through one of her metaphysical cracks (of which, admittedly, there were many). Those who managed to refrain from falling had quite an easier time believing this particular theory to be very much the case. A largely unspoken, slightly offended, “She would never,” followed by an affirmation of the belief in the long held assumption that they were above such things anyway, so really, what did it even matter, and can we please return to the task at hand?

Those who did happen to fall on the other hand, went in rather the opposite direction. In a somewhat convoluted fashion (they were technically still angels after all), demons argued that, no, celestial beings had never been capable of love, and, yes, this was done with abundant amounts of purpose. Not to mention the longstanding rumor that perhaps they were always capable, which served the purpose of both dividing and controlling the heavenly population by means of dispensing vague, unverified information. And to the more skeptical among them they might say, “Well, she’s God isn’t she? It’s not as if she lacks the ability.”

In point of fact, they were both wrong.

From the very moment they had begun their stint upon the Earth, Aziraphale had often pondered the nature of love. They had heard the rumors, of course, not that they held much affinity for such behavior. No good has ever come from a rumor, they thought, particularly when their mind was especially prone to recalling those terrible centuries of heavenly warfare. No taste for it��the whispering between nebulas; the speculating of who would be staying and who would be going. Aziraphale had often suspected that it was part of the reason why Crowley had ended up doing… what he did. That perhaps the assumption they would fall did more to provoke the descent than anything else. It was a shame, but it had been so long ago, and there didn’t seem to be much to do about it now, at any rate.

Regardless, the question of love as it pertained to earthly beings, that made rather a bit more sense. Not to the humans themselves of course, but to Aziraphale, and even to Crowley, the emotion was in fact easily explained and somewhat predictable when applied in almost every conceivable situation. Usually.

“There is no possible way that girl is worth so few goats.”

Aziraphale had never felt truly comfortable with early human rituals as they pertained to establishing their various relationships. The use of the dowry, for example, particularly when a father might value a herd of sheep over the life of his child (and at this point in time, rather too young, in their estimation), stirred something… untoward in their gut.

“She’s a bit young, don’t you think?”

Even then, Crowley had possessed the somewhat uncanny ability to speak the words that Aziraphale often thought but feared to say aloud, and while a part of them was grateful to hear them spoken, the other part was curious as to how their supposed enemy could be so well-attuned to their thoughts. Could be the point, I suppose, they thought, looking quickly away before Crowley could notice, to catch us unawares with their deceptive bouts of intimacy.

“Well there, Aziraphale, how ‘bout it? Can I count on you?”

“Oh, um, my apologies,” they stammered, unfamiliar fleshy fingers tangling together, “count on me for what?”

“Your discretion,” Crowley reiterated with an air of unrepentant espionage curling around the crown of their head, “she is worth far more goats than... that.”

Aziraphale envied the demon’s seemingly instinctive use of their own hands; tossed about in the air, waved vaguely in the direction of the unfortunate scene which played out before them. How did one use one’s own hands as a means of further emphasizing their point? Marvelous. They would have to spend more time working on that.

“ Aziraphale ,” Crowley repeated, one eyebrow raised smartly above their golden eye, “I know you can’t be a fan of this either.”

“Well, no,” they admitted, “but I am merely here to observe, and I did promise myself that last time would be the last time.”

Crowley hummed with a mildly infuriating tone of knowing skepticism (which Aziraphale didn’t much appreciate), “Alright, well, if you’re here to observe and all, I guess there’s nothing you’d be able to do about this.”

Aziraphale was, as it turned out, not quite quick enough in noting that, as a matter of fact, yes, they would be well within their rights to interfere when a demon was involved, but by that point Crowley had vanished from their side, and a slithering serpent had already begun making its way towards the feet of the large old bearded gentleman who had offered far too few goats for so young and bright a person.

. . .

It was right around the time human beings started getting rather more polite with their food that Aziraphale managed to develop a fair higher degree of grace with his own hands. Rather difficult to eat a steaming bowl of noodles without the use of… “chop-sticks.” Gracious, Gabriel would be horrified by the very idea. Not just by the “sullying of the vessel,” but the notion that one might do so with sticks? Unthinkable. Regardless, it all came fairly easy after that (the hands); throwing a pair of dice, holding a quill or a pair of knitting needles. After a time he discovered that he very much enjoyed the tactility━the variety of sensations felt on the surface of the skin he had been ordered to have.

He had also, around this time, begun to go about being referred to as “he.” Moreso to blend in than anything else. It was hard to pin down when exactly, but at some point humanity became far more reliant upon noting the difference. It made a certain kind of sense, he supposed, if they were going to insist upon such hierarchical-like systems to survive.

“They are Her creations after all,” Crowley reasoned, casually (almost certainly, casually) observing Aziraphale’s hands as they cupped his bowl of broth.

Aziraphale made a somewhat half-hearted attempt to cool his soup, lest the demon sitting across from him note his discomfort. In as polite a fashion as possible, so as not to rock any proverbial boats, he made the potentially ill-advised decision to be predictable and “play dumb.”

“And,” with a mild stutter, “and what is it you mean by that?”

“Oh, don’t be dense, Angel, you know exactly what I mean by that.”

He hated when their conversations took these kinds of turns. When their differences became undeniable and he was forced to reconcile with the truth of their circumstances: That all evidence to the contrary, the demon sitting across from him was supposed to be his mortal enemy━and for what? Some… pesky disagreement? An oversimplification to be sure, it must be conceded, but all the same, for… what, exactly? What had it all been for?

Having accepted the frequent refrain of Aziraphale’s silence in moments such as these, Crowley had returned to his own drink; a sharp yet sweet rice wine that Aziraphale had recommended. All the better for his own sanity, for his own return to his hot bowl of flavorful broth (with some kind of... fish base, in which large pieces of seaweed, accompanied by smaller cubes of to-fu floating alongside; absolutely fascinating, by the way), and unsettling, unwelcome questions that did little good for him to ponder over. But ponder he inevitably would, and he felt it prudent to admit that he had himself often wondered what might have happened if he had been more… present during the whole debacle (the war, as it were), or even if he had known Crowley at the time━would the outcome have been the same?

It doesn’t seem a particularly worthy avenue of thought to continue shambling down, especially if one were to consider the fact that it was all decided upon long, long ago; but as he sneaks a glance upwards, to the sight of a demon sat across from him at a table, taking careful sips of a rice wine he has no reason to drink (other than to acquiesce to Aziraphale’s own enthusiastic request) he does have to wonder, How bad can they really be?

It’s on this particular evening that Aziraphale and Crowley happen to “brush hands” for the very first time. Azirphale had, on occasion, been made aware of the concept, but had yet to fully partake in such an episode. Human beings seemed to make quite a to-do of the whole affair. He had borne witness to such things with his own eyes, and was rather struck by the intensity of something that seemed so bafflingly simple. But then again, that seemed to be the nature of love. At least as it pertained to human beings. Angels were immune to such things, clearly.

They had both reached for the bottle at the same time, is all. Nothing to fuss over. It was bound to happen sometime━trapped as they were in these rather cumbersome… things; adjusting to the speed and the space of it all. Moving with both certainty and uncertainty, holding things too tightly or not tightly enough. Silly, unreliable things. You had to wonder what She’d been thinking (not that Aziraphale would ever say so, of course).

The poets will speak of a spark, but Aziraphale didn’t much know about all of that. He could acknowledge a warmth, perhaps even a… tingle? In retrospect he might even recall a raising of the soft hairs along his arms. But really, there’s not much to say about it. Other than the fact that from the perspective of an outsider there was perhaps an unnatural pause. A stiffness that mortal beings struggled to find. Most living, physical beings required breath you see━they are frequently at the whims of their world; it is, quite nearly, impossible not to be in motion for any extended period of time. That was just the way She wanted it. The unrepentant motion. The force. The push forwards. Don’t stop, never stop. Until, you know, She says so.

These two beings, however, they weren’t human beings. They were created by God, of course, but they were relatively new to this “body,” business, and as such they still seemed to be encountering the unfortunate and inconvenient side effects. Touch being just one of many. Angels didn’t really touch in the same way humans did. Their natural forms failed to really give them the ability. They did in fact… collide with each other from time to time, but it was limitless. There was no barrier. If anything, it was a bit unpleasant━the lack of boundaries. Something about “seamless teamwork,” is what Aziraphale could recall from his discussions with Gabriel, or Michael. It was difficult to tell the difference sometimes. Regardless (or perhaps irregardless), human touch would appear to be quite a bit different. Because there was a pretty significant boundary, and for whatever reason that Aziraphale had yet to identify, it felt somehow more intimate than the traditional, angelic “brushing of hands,” as it were.

Crowley, in a rare moment of clumsiness, must have felt similarly because in his shock had pulled his hand back so swiftly that he managed to knock the half-empty bottle to the table with a soft snick, with a gentle, rhythmic dripping of the remaining wine to follow.

“Oh, dear,” Aziraphale muttered, moving quickly to right the bottle and dab at the developing stain. Crowley had stood rather abruptly after that, and not in the smooth, serpent-like manner that Aziraphale had become accustomed to, and with hardly a “so long,” turned and fled the scene. They would never mention that particular moment again, but Aziraphale, to his great, great consternation, did struggle to put it entirely out of his mind.

. . .

Oh, centuries pass. Not entirely unlike an unfathomably long sigh, the world continues as the world often does. As do the angels and the demons playing their parts in some… hip yet indescribably vague off-broadway production (with no discernible plot) written by and for an audience of precisely one. Maybe. Probably. Over the course of The Great Exhale (™), Aziraphale observes. He learns. Which should be obvious, as that was something of the job assigned to him in the first place, but he really takes a genuine interest in the task. So much so that he keenly starts to observe other observers, humans who frequently come to be called “authors.” Authors are truly outstanding observers in their own right; even going so far as to record their observations in impressively long works of art━in letters and in image, the authors and artists in question lend a helpful amount of weightiness to a position he had come to doubt on occasion.

“They see things in ways we can’t, you see,” Aziraphale had tried explaining to Gabriel during one unexpected (and painfully awkward) meeting. As he had come to expect, Gabriel listened with a look of mild confusion (and pity), but it didn’t bother Aziraphale all that much. He had his books. “You can tell the others there’s no reason to worry,” he continued quickly, hoping their conversation had reached its conclusion, “I have all we need right here.”

“No surprises, Aziraphale,” Gabriel warned in goodbye, slipping out the door, “and remember, they can’t see nearly as well as we can.”

“Well, we know that’s not true.”

The surprising (yet unmistakable) tenor of Crowley’s voice echoed from the darkness of Aziraphale’s office, which had been empty the last he checked. The angel in question could do little to prevent the slight hitch in his breathing, concerned with not only the unexpected appearance of a demon, but so quickly after the departure of an angel that would certainly see said demon immediately and irrevocably smited.

“That’s cheeky,” Aziraphale mumbled as Crowley sauntered out of the back room, his hair in its usual impeccable coif.

Shortly after Aziraphale acquired the bookshop, and not without some degree of honest ignorance as to why, Crowley did what he unfortunately happened to do best, and asked Aziraphale precisely what was the point of it all? And as had become usual practice, Aziraphale had a maddeningly difficult time coming up with an answer.

“You know, I’m not quite sure,” he finally admitted, “as soon as I do I shall let you know.”

“With bated breath, Angel,” Crowley had responded in distraction, his own nose lost in one of Aziraphale’s many books that he had seemingly no definitive explanation for.

. . .

The thing about Aziraphale’s exchange with the archangel Gabriel, that is the somewhat truncated version of an answer to Crowley’s “why,” was much longer and perhaps more blasphemous than Gabriel wanted to hear. But it was, possibly, exactly the kind of thing a demon (or rather, this demon) would want to hear.

Though Gabriel’s visit made for something of a stressful few hours, it was a particularly lovely day nonetheless. The leaves had begun changing their colors, but it was still pleasantly warm when standing in the sun, and should he feel just a touch too warm, a perfectly timed (some might say, miraculously timed) gust of wind would breeze on through the open window. Despite the fresh autumnal air, the smell of the books often lingered; the unmistakable scent of old paper and ink blending seamlessly with the decaying leaves which wound through the air and along the pavement.

“Do you happen to recall,” Aziraphale began, pouring Crowley an exquisitely steeped cup of Earl Grey, “when I first acquired this shop?”

In so much as Crowley could be predictable, he did, quite predictably, feign forgetfulness (not that angels or demons could forget very much by the very fact of their design). “Not certain,” he pondered theatrically, his sharp chin resting in the palm of his hand. “About what century was this, d’you think?”

Making the conscientious decision to refuse to participate in Crowley’s strange theatrics, Aziraphale continued, adjusting his vest as if it had suddenly shrunk while he was wearing it (which was certainly possible, he supposed). “Well, you had asked of me an admittedly fair question as to why I had purchased the shop at all, and I had told you I wasn’t quite certain as to why, and━”

“Yes, yes,” he interrupted, taking a sip of his tea, “let’s hear it then.”

“Well,” he began, somewhat taken aback by Crowley’s abrupt demand for an answer he had recently pretended to have forgotten, “I━I do believe it might have something to do with… love. Of all things.”

Crowley’s nose did indeed wrinkle, as if a bad sort of smell had passed beneath it from having even heard the word, but he did have a thoughtful look. If Aziraphale had to describe it, he might find himself comparing it to a rather more subdued version of the look that had passed over Crawley’s face subsequent to the infrequently mentioned Flaming Sword Incident (™). An expression of pleased surprise which, in retrospect, betrayed a yearning optimism that most demons should not, under any circumstances, possess.

See, as it happened, Aziraphale had been doing a lot of thinking as of late. Not a great habit, a stern-looking Gabriel would often scold in his head, It’s all been figured out anyway, no need to go reinventing the wheel. As it happened, Gabriel was quite unimpressed with the invention of the wheel. No great feat, in his estimation. Not that he found humans to be impressive in most cases. Aziraphale couldn’t blame him, he supposed. Gabriel hadn’t been tasked with the job Aziraphale had━maybe if he had been, he would’ve arrived at similar conclusions (likely not so, but it was hard for Aziraphale to deny giving others the benefit of the doubt).

If you were in fact playing one of the two roles assigned to you (that of Angel or Demon), you might be privy to something of a hotly debated topic. Love. What was it? Who was capable of it? Was it a uniquely human trait? Was it freely available to all beings? And of course, as was the question in most things, how in the world was God involved in all this?

“Oh, Angel, not this old… chestnut,” Crowley nearly spat. Despite the darkened frames over his eyes, Aziraphale practically felt his rolling of them.

“Now, hold on,” he continued, hoping to cut Crowley off at some self-righteous pass he knew wasn’t far behind, “just… wait.”

Obviously, it was rather difficult for anyone to speculate with any degree of certainty the true machinations of God’s mind. Whether God had designed everything (angels included) with the capability to feel and/or express love in its entirety or not, Aziraphale had begun to wonder whether or not it very much mattered (the debate, that is). You had to start with the Assumption (™).

“Which is…?”

A self-fulfilling prophecy. An angel such as Aziraphale, assuming that it didn’t much matter (whether or not God had given angels the capacity for love), which was the general opinion of the heavenly chorus━or Crowley and other demons similarly assuming it was all a vile manipulation borne of boredom and the Almighty’s irrepressible urge to have a hand (metaphorically speaking) in just about everything. All this and still the usual refrain from both sides: Humans and love, they know not what they do. As if the heavenly (or not so heavenly) were, at the very least, immune.

“It’s the isolation you see,” Aziraphale managed to somewhat tangientally conclude, “the being… trapped, as it were. In their bodies.”

It was in that moment that Aziraphale worried whether or not he had gotten a tad too close to the Spilled Wine Incident (™) which had occurred several centuries earlier ( long unspoken of). Wondered if perhaps Crowlely had, in his own time, reached a similar conclusion, and was in fact thinking the same exact thing. That of angelic… mingling and the somewhat invasive ability to see into the heart of someone’s soul, versus the perfectly human ability to hardly know a person at all except perhaps through a brief brushing of hands. The arrangement of words on a page. The splashes of color on a canvas. That perhaps God, in all her… strange, bureaucratic dereliction of parental duty had in fact given human beings one single instance of superiority.

“Love.”

In a limit imposed by God, human beings could only love one another given truly uncomfortable degrees of uncertainty, and what angel or demon had ever taken such a risk?

In case you (the reader) were wondering, interrupted God with a very gentle boom (otherwise one’s head was quite likely to explode), it’s them. The two of them. Idiots.

“So, the bookshop,” Crowley spoke, filling the void of Aziraphale’s silence, “you wanted to know more about this… Risky Business?”

There was almost certainly the undercurrent of a joke in there that Aziraphale would require an explanation for at some other juncture, but for now he merely nodded. “I believe so,” smiling into his cup, “for how valuable are our observations if we’ve only ever made them through our own omniscience?”

Long, long story, very much shortened to a far more reasonable and linear degree: Since The Beginning, angels and demons had largely felt confident in their belief that they knew far more than the average human (Agnes Nutter aside, of course); and Aziraphale, in the midst of an occasional crisis as to who knew what and how well, had, with the acquisition of his quaint little bookshop been unconsciously soothed by a truth several centuries in the making. That angels, like humans, did not in fact know everything. That they were not necessarily immune to what it was they had supposed, and that, quite blessedly, there was just… so very much to know. Even after all this time. Pages and pages and pages of things to know.

“It’s a fair point,” Crowley answered with a brief smile of his own, “never much cared for all the…” A signature wave of his free hand, bereft of his teacup, “...business anyway.” Referring of course to the traditional forms of angelic and/or demonic communication, which funnily enough, neither gentleman had experienced for quite some time.

And it was, during this particular turn in the narrative (quite nearing its conclusion, I promise you), that an angel and a demon would brush hands for a historical second time. Historic for the existence of hands, the fact of their briefly touching again, and of course the reality of their circumstances (which Aziraphale had become rather tired of noting). They both reached for the teapot at the same moment you see, which, if one were a betting man (or woman), they might imagine a divine hand or two, or several, or however many hands God might prefer to have, in the mix. 

What made this particular time so different from the first was not only the fact of their very recent conversation, but the privilege of having several hundred years to have a good, rational think on the matter. So rational, in fact, that the urge to spring violently apart and knock something over seemed to be entirely absent.

“You know, I’ve often found it rather funny,” Aziraphale began quietly, painfully aware of where their fingers touched, “that despite my theory, you have often been quite good at mirroring my own thoughts.”

“Ironic,” Crowley agreed, “though you are rather easy to read I’m afraid.”

The beautiful thing about a brush is the secondary movements that might come after━particularly when the brush might provoke a pause. Most anything can occur in the midst of a pause. One might move a finger, for example, which in turn might elicit a not unpleasant shiver down one’s spine. There’s also the accompanying sound, which, for all his talk of humans being superior, it was a shame that their hearing was so dreadfully ordinary. It would be rather difficult for a human being to hear breath in the same way Aziraphale or Crowley might, sitting apart as they were. The intake and the exhale, all occurring within a brief, blissful pause which, along with their shared breath and the clinking of china, was accompanied by the continued autumnal breeze, and the scattering of dried foliage.

“I think,” Crowley continued, his hand moving, ever so slowly, to fully grasp Aziraphale’s own, “that we should consider testing your theory again.”

“Q-quite,” Aziraphale managed to answer, wonderfully overwhelmed by all the knowing (and marvelous not-knowing) occurring within the tangle of their hands. “I do enjoy a thorough undertaking of the scientific method.”

. . .

They were both wrong (the gossiping, angelic and demonic masses) because, in an infuriatingly on point God move, they were both partially right, weren’t they? Yes, of course, angels were always capable of love, but God was rather busy wasn’t She? She’s a deity just like any other━lots to do. Being in charge while also doing Her best to refrain from micromanaging, which She’d been told employees didn’t actually like, so can you really blame her for being a bit aloof sometimes? An honest mistake, really. Nothing quite so sinister as the demons might like to believe, nor so benevolent as the angels would like to think. And besides, She’d given them humanity, and She did love a good game of risk.

[shiredwarf]

24 hours later: i'm still outraged as ever & i've found a couple of new things to be outraged about that i somehow just missed yesterday. which is understandable. hard to keep track of all the fuck ups!

what was the point of euron fighting jaime? also how did they even end up together? that was another case of characters just conveniently appearing at the right time at the right location (which is like euron’s mine character trait at this point: randomly showing up without any real reason just to fuck shit up in the most annoying way possible). Also: why didn't Jaime just go for this route the first time around?! he might have even made it in time. why is euron so obsessed with killing jaime? why is euron in general? what's his point? was he ever meant to be anything but a cheap plot device? everyone deserved better than this

the fact that the unsullied officers just left tyrion with jaime no questions asked is probably the dumbest moment of the entire episode. dany has often and loudly questions tyrion's loyalty but nothing suspicious about tyrion (THE HAND OF THE QUEEN) wanting to stand guard outside the tent and sending everyone else away. like what's he gonna do? free the person he clearly loves most in the world with a key that just magically appeared in his hand while davos somehow sneaks past the entire greyjoy fleet to leave a boat at the foot of the red keep? naaah (how did davos get back from there btw? did he tow another boat? was he not alone? why am i even trying to make sense of this we all know this plot was written on a piece of toilet paper)

and what's with dany never learning of jaime's escape?! someone must have checked on such a high profile prisoner in the morning? someone must have noticed and told dany who just hours ago threatened tyrion with death should he ever betray her. why did noone come up with the idea to use jaime as a hostage??? but guess everyone just forgot about him, just like the writers forgot about his arc :))))))))))))))))))

where did all the dothraki come from? why are there still so many unsullied left? it sure looked like 90% of them died in winterfell. then we see a significant number in episode five and in the trailer for episode 6 it looks like thousands??? do they just respawn? are we following video game logic now? (btw remember when soldiers had actual personalities? when was the last time an unsullied beside grey worm or a dothraki did anything to remind us they're more than npcs. what do they think about all of this? what did they think about the army of the dead? how are they coping? why was everyone suddenly ok with senseless violence against children even though dany has been saying for years she doesn't want that. yeah sure, she started the kings landing BBQ but she was in a completely different part of the city. there was no way for the foot soldier to know that she was indeed butchering civilians and not just wiping out the last remainders of the lannister forces that hadn't put down their weapons. i’m glad though that they all apparently learned to communicate with each other telepathically otherwise they would be as freaking lost as me rn

one thing the books and previous seasons have been really good at is small little world-building elements that pay off later. and they could have used that in season 8! there wasn't any need to introduce new stuff they could have just used what's already there. they did well on that account with lyanna, jorah and theon. Theon probably had the best arc this season tbh (not a tough competition but it's something) and died a stark and a greyjoy. His identity was the major theme of his journey and seeing it played out this way was satisfying! Lyanna and Jorah both embodied "Here We Stand" in their final moments (Jorah quite literally) and that was wonderful! Why couldn't we get something like this for the Lannisters? Why couldn't we get one final, brilliant scene with cersei trying to turn the tide (backup plan? never heard of it). Don't get me wrong, Lena's acting was fantastic but why couldn't we get a "Hear me roar" moment? Her arc was tide to house Lannister more than any other and yet we didn't get anything? Why didn't we get any rewarding rains of castamere parallels? if they're set on wiping house lannister off the map why not show the tragedy and irony of it. why not remind of us tywin's fantastic speech in season 2? they could have used any of those themes but they didn't???

i'm still not even ready to begin to vocalize my opinions regarding jaime. every time i think about it i can feel my life drain out of me. what a fucking waste you guys

what i can vocalize now however is how much i do hate cersei's end and how they treated lena. I cannot get over that. like i realize she is a villain and i realize she is not meant to be a sympathetic character and she never had a chance to get redemption or get out alive but the show treated her like dirt in the end and just like jaime she was eventually reduced to the incest plotline. she started this show out as someone completely at the mercy of the men in her life (her father, her husband) and while jaime was a big part of her arc her main objective was always throwing off that control and taking it herself. sure she overdid it massively and became power hungry but that power hunger is a direct result of the way she was brought up and everything she was forced into/everything she was denied. weirdly, her conflicts are very similar to brienne's. both women didn't want the roles their peers tried to force them into, both women wanted to escape and both women assumed to do so they would have to take on male traits. brienne did that by rejecting her womanhood completely for 7 seasons and aspiring to be a knight. cersei took a very different route. maybe because she had that option (brienne couldn't mould herself into a proper lady unlike her) or maybe because that was literally her only option (imagine tywin's reaction to cersei putting on armour...). in the years that follow cersei and brienne obviously take very different paths and they have very different personalities but just as brienne deserved her knighthood and the affections and acceptance of the man she loves, cersei would have deserved to be free of men trying to decide her fate for her. but she never was. first it was her father, then robert, then her father again, then the high sparrow and when she finally wiped them all out she had to let another man she despised into her bed to maintain power. brienne managed to escape the confines of male-dominated society forced on her, cersei never did. they could have either shown her finally free before her death, free of the men that tried to control her all her life, free of the power hunger, free of societies expectations or they could have had her face her ugly deeds. i doubt she would have ever regretted any of it but it would have been so much more satisfying to see her properly outsmarted, to see her face off either dany or sansa or jon (or even tyrion or jaime had his character arc not been ruined before that). she was a fantastic, complex villain until she basically just started to stare off into the distance. it would have been so satisfying to see her face reality before the end. Instead, we got rocks. but even that scene (as beautifully as it's acted) isn't satisfying. cersei, who has never been one to just weep helplessly, is first reduced to begging jaime for her life & to save their child (AGAIN WHAT WAS THE POINT! I WILL NEVER GET IT!) and then she keeps freaking out because she doesn't want to die at all and certainly not this way (very self-centred as always whereas jaime is much calmer and at peace with what's about to happen and ready to take care of her even though he’s worse off) . i don't know if this was intentional or just a happy accident but even in those final scenes it's very obvious that the love cersei has for jaime is not the same kind of love jaime has for her. i guess they both ended up wanting to die in each others arms seconds before it happened so there’s that. but it’s a cheap ending for the best actress in the show before they robbed her of all opportunities to shine

oh and lena's instagram combined with her body double’s yet unseen work on the show has now convinced me that we're incredibly likely to see cersei's and jaime's mutilated bodies/heads next week. can't wait to see their characters disrespected on a whole new level jfc i’m so tired

i can't even think about brienne these days. absolutely seething. at this point i would prefer it if the brienne/jaime romance had never happened in ep. 4. if they'd stuck to glances and meaningful gestures at least it would have made more sense. brienne would have been his "what if" when they erased jaime's character development and made him return to cersei (which i maintain could have made sense because no matter what jaime will always love his family no matter how much he also hates them IF ONLY THEY HAD PUT IN THE FUCKING WORK). but she's not a "what if" now is she. she is his "this happened and it was good and important" but we're just going to forget this. we're just going to forget that the last 8 seasons have been leading up to this point. we're gonna forget that for the entire first half of season 8 jaime didn't even flinch at the thought of cersei dying. four episodes of jaime glued to brienne's side and then we're just expected to believe he doesn't care after all. then we're just supposed to believe she is never mentioned again and no thought of her crosses his mind or anyone else's for that matter (looking at you tyrion). I genuinely don't get what the point of that romance was then. to keep jaime in winterfell for a bit longer so him getting captured would make more sense? i feel like there were like a million ways to get the same outcome without throwing brienne under the bus. brienne and her entire arc were used as a cheap plot device for jaime and it wasn't even worth it cause they then butchered jaime's arc. god i'm so angry.

remember the last time a tv show fucked up in the last episode? yeah, dexter!  i'm calling it now: got will end exactly like dexter in terms of plot and level of satisfaction. jon will kill dany (a family member/romantic interest) and then go north to spend his day in the wilderness (lumberjacking away miserably)

the more i think about it there is not a single thing about this episode that actually makes sense. this goes beyond plotholes, this is just a plain hole

[ladyandtheghost]

Reason #17: Jon’s “Sansa” Tantrums: Jealousy/Rivalry vs.  Gratefulness/Forgiveness

Guys, I’m still not over the way Jon flipped in both scenes above. And about how differently they played out, even though they both ALL about Sansa. The question remains what the writers intended with this parallel. So I’m trying to dig a bit more into the Jon/Littlefinger dynamic and why the crypt scene really really matters a lot (and the Theon scene was supposed to make us aware of how much the “Littlefinger choke” mattered)

So we know that Sansa has become the center of Jon’s universe ever since he came back from the dead and found her. It is all still in the subtext whether this is a “romantic” attachment or not, but the point is that Jon is extremely attached to Sansa. To the point that she is the “button” that can either switch on Jon’s “killer” mode or - as in the case of Theon and Ramsay - switch it off, for “her” sake. 

Sansa is at the same time the one thing that can make Jon lose control and at another time, regain it. We’ve written before about how Sansa is Jon’s weakness, his “pressure point” and purpose in (his new) life. 

Regardless of whether Jon sees Littlefinger as a rival (he subconsciously does imo) the outcome of the choking scene is that Littlefinger sees Jon as a rival for Sansa’s heart. The scene in which he emerges from the crypts, still shaken because that was the closest he came to being murdered in a long time, it’s clear that the cogs are working overtime. I wonder: What do other viewer think he is thinking? Did he seriously expect Jon to give him a hug and welcome him into the family? 

Hardly. 

Littlefinger must have known he would be refused. What he did NOT expect was the violence of Jon’s reaction to his proposal. He expected Jon to be rude, gruff, perhaps a little rough (as a protetive brother would be), but he did not expect to get nearly killed. He also fully picks up on the Ned/Cat references - the last time he was choked for loving a Tully redhead it was by her *husband* - not her brother. 

People also try to ”normalize” and explain away Jon’s violent attack on LF by citing all the bad things that LF did and that Jon supposedly knew about. 

Fact is, he did not know. Unless Jon had been in telepathic contact with Bran who later reveals what LF really did. 

At this point, what Jon looks at in the crypts is a smarmy creep, who’s only “crime” was to entrust Sansa to the Boltons and marry her to Ramsay - which was an absolutely horrible decision, however, it was not LF’s conscious choice to have Sansa mistreated. Seen from the outside, what LF did by bringing Sansa to WF was a stupid mistake (even if we judge him for it, because we feel that he should have been able to gauge the situation and danger better). 

But another FACT IS: Jon made the SAME mistake LF made of “underestimating a stranger.” Actually, even worse, Jon still underestimated and misjudged Ramsay and his character even AFTER Sansa told him not to do so. 

So if people want to argue that Jon attacked LF because he endangered Sansa by giving her to Ramsay -- this is Jon’s own mistake mirrored in LF. Jon nearly endangered Sansa AGAIN by underestimating Ramsay (and this haunts Jon big time -- as argued below)

Well, the funny thing here is that we know that Jon can be quite FORGIVING of other men who misjudge situations and make “bad” decisions, because he has done THAT often enough himself. 

The fact that he forgives Theon for all he’s done to the Starks and Jon’s brothers (!), saying that he doesn’t always do the right thing himself is very telling. Jon doesn’t kill Theon on the spot because he redeemed himself in Jon’s eyes by “what [he] did FOR SANSA” - so saving Sansa’s life made up for all the crimes Theon committed against the Starks. 

Now...remember how Littlefinger came to Sansa’s aid in the Battle of the Bastards and effectively saved her life? Jon knows that Sansa would have died if they had lost the battle, which was the case before LF came around the corner with the KotV. So Jon is also very much aware of the fact that Littlefinger objectively “redeemed” his mistake of giving Sansa to the Boltons by coming to “HER” rescue in the Battle of the Bastards and helping her bring down her abuser, Ramsay. In that way, Littlefinger also did something good 

“FOR SANSA”

Jon SWORE to protect Sansa from Ramsay --- but he FAILED big time and it was Littlefinger who saved not only Jon’s ass and his men, but in a weird way Littlefinger also became Sansa’s champion and her hero of the BoB --- which had hitherto been the role Jon had occupied! 

From 6x04 onwards, Jon had become Sansa’s “hero”, the hero she had always dreamt of: he promised to protect her, he promised he would not let Ramsay ever touch her again --- and then he failed and had to witness how LF became Sansa’s champion who protected her when he was unable to. 

Don’t tell me there is no rivalry between Jon and Littlefinger - because there is more than enough. 

And this is the crux: Jon can see how Littlefinger occupied roles in Sansa’s life that Jon himself could (supposedly) NOT occupy (for reasons): rescuer, champion, (supposedly, though we know better now) trusted confidante...

....SUITOR and LOVER...

And THIS is where something in Jon’s head goes “bang”. 

The Battle of the Bastards was when BOTH Jon and Littlefinger fought for Sansa in their own way, more or less successfully, they were BOTH her champion/hero. But Jon failed in the end and Littlefinger came out as the rescuer/protector. 

In Winterfell BOTH Jon and Littlefinger have scenes with Sansa in which they ask for her “trust” and to be THEIR confidante: both want to be Sansa’s “partner” and team-mate, the one whom she trusts and works with. And we know it is Jon whom Sansa CHOOSES as her second half, even if LF thinks that he still has relevance for her --- this time, Jon won that rivalry big time. 

In the crypts, the topic of Littlefinger being a suitor for Sansa’s hand and potential LOVER comes up for the first time openly and explicitly. And this is a fight into which Jon CAN NOT enter, he is prohibited from partaking in THAT rivalry regarding Sansa. She is his whole world, but this is one ROLE he is NOT allowed to occupy in the given circumstances. But whether conciously or unconsciously, Jon is still part of this rivalry and it SHOWS in his violent fit. 

Again, viewers who argue that Jon attacked Littlefinger because he hates him for “all he did to the Starks” (like, how does Jon know??) or “because he gave her to the Boltons” --- why does Jon not say so? Why does he not attack Littlefinger for exactly these reasons? Why are his words not “I could kill you for what you did to her/our family!!” 

Instead it’s “Touch my sister and I’ll kill you myself” which are not resentful words out of hatred for past sins, Jon’s words are threatening, primal and a little bit on the possessive side (”my” sister). And I do not think that Jon is fully aware of his own behaviour, which is part of what makes this scene great. 

Because Littlefinger gets it: there is subtext in Jon’s behaviour, and then he looks up at Sansa and he knows there is subtext in BOTH their behaviour towards one another. 

All throughout Season 7, we see Jon desperate and frustrated, fighting to get his plans re: WW on track. He had every reason to flip out at some point while in Dragonstone or King’s Landing --- but there are only two times in all of the shit he is facing that Jon actually loses control....

...and both times it is about SANSA. 

Sansa and NOT THE WHITE WALKER THREAT. When Jon tells Davos that he has not “time for any of that” meaning Queen D, this is literally five minutes before they spot the boat with Theon on the beach. 

And Jon has time for THAT (cue Sansa-related scene coming up). 

He had every reason to kill Theon and the urge was there, but Jon calms down because SANSA. 

As we argued above, Jon had objectively zero reasons to kill LF, on the contrary, he owned him Sansa’s life as much as Theon --- had Ramsay won, she would have been dead or worse. 

The big difference is: there is absolutely no rivalry between Jon and Theon. Even if Theon fucked the Starks big time and is in part also responsible for the death of Robb and Rickon (who was safe in WF before Theon came), the “factor Sansa” carries a lot more weight in Jon’s heart than anything else.

Theon did something for Jon that Littlefinger was threatening to “undo”: Theon gave Sansa to Jon. Littlefinger wanted to take her from him.

Little did BOTH Jon and LF know that Jon will soon be revealed to be the one who is truly in the position to take the two things Littlefinger coveted most in the world: Sansa and the throne. 

It’s almost poetical that it is Sansa herself, together with Arya and Bran, who puts a final end to the underlying rivarly between the two men in her life. It was all about her - but she still has the last word and she gets to CHOOSE her champion and hero: 

And it was NOT Littlefinger. 

[qboo78]

JONSA IS ENDGAME

I just read a post that say if a meta is ended with this sentence, it diminishes the meta and makes it less credible. But I have to say that is pure rubbish. A good meta of a pairing is a good meta even when the end sentence declares a couple an endgame. Especially if the meta was presented with reasons/proof and are very well thought out. And I am not even talking about my own meta because even I myself will admit I am not very good at it. I’m talking about all those wonderful metas that I have read in the #jonsa tag and how I have realized that a lot of people love the Jonsa pairing because they have proof/basis and not because of “reasons”. And if one is still very adamant about the position of this sentence, then, fine, I will start my post with this sentence and not put it in the end. Also, posting a meta and declaring yourself not a shipper does not automatically make your post credible, it just make you not a shipper, that is all. For your post to really be credible then you have to present us with a basis for why you end up with your own conclusion and the more well presented it is the more your theories or meta becomes believable and would make people not necessarily agree with it but at least can say to you “you have a point there”

And saying “Jonsa is Endgame” is not a slogan my dear. It is a declaration of what that meta is all about. So if you have a problem with its position at the end of a meta then I actually don’t understand why you care to read that meta in the first place since that was the point of the meta you were reading in the first place.

Honestly, Fans just being “delusional” does not really bother them because that is what shipping is all about. They just like the couple that they like and that is the end of it. They will forever go down with that ship you know.

Saying Season 6 doesn’t count and declare that Jonsa will never happen is akin to a Jonsa fan saying Season 7 doesn’t count and that J*nerys will never happen. It is another rubbish sentence because if we start discounting what happens in canon then everything pretty much can be discounted including the “not so epic” boatsex. And yes it was NOT EPIC. I asked my sister-in-law before I watched that episode since I know she is such a huge fan of Jon and D*ny pairing and here is our conversation:

“Sister-in-Law: They did the boat bang.

Me: So was it romantic as you’ve hoped?

Sister-in-Law: Jon was fast. He could have waited. The romance is gone.

Me: Oh. Is the boat scene as romantic as Robb/Talisa, Jon/Ygritte scene?

Sister-in-Law: To be brutally honest…NO.

Me: Really? Does that mean my pairing still have a chance to happen?

Sister-in-Law: The scene was so quick. (Then she even gave a very sad looking and crying emoji)

Me: You mean it was not even as long as Missandei and Greyworm love scene???

Sister-in-Law: It was quick. 

Me: Yay! Ok i will watch the episode then I will let you know the jonsa fandom theory about the boatsex. I want to confirm if I agree with the theory first”

That is what a huge fan of Jon and D*ny pairing can say about her most awaited pairing coming together. In other words, she was not happy.

And when I watched the episode I can understand why:

That is not how Kit does his leading man looks AT ALL. This is not EPIC. This was according to my sister-in-law a DISAPPOINTMENT.

But, never mind, the Jon and D*any pairing is now CANON. But it is filled with foreboding and dread. Not my cup of tea at all.

Now let’s move on to the purpose of this post:

JONSA is ENDGAME.

To be honest, personally, I blame the show - the directors, the actors, the writer’s D&D and George RR Martin.

Before Season 6, I have never even thought of Jon and Sansa together as a couple. All I wanted for these characters and all the Starks while we’re at it, is for them to be safe, alive, together and finally have justice for what’s been done for their family and their house. I want them to survive the Long Night and I want them all back in Winterfell were they belong. Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon and Jon to be exact.

I know a good story will become great when there is a very good plot twist done right. It happened with all the best stories out there. The most recent of which that I enjoyed are the Harry Potter story and the Hunger Games story. And with TV shows, it happened with my favorite show The 100. So, I know that one can actually expect a plot twist if a writer is any good. But GOT is different for me since the author George RR Martin is to put it simply THE KING OF PLOT TWISTS. It’s one of the reasons why this show/story is so popular and addictive. And inspires so many theories and metas. 

A plot twist that the fans have all been waiting for was the R+L=J theory. This theory pretty much I’ve already believed in since I started watching the show in Season 1. I did not have any theories of the the possible effect/outcome for when this plot twist will come into play but I do know that Jon NOT being NED’s son is going to be important. I just don’t have any idea what the possibilities are.

Then, Season 6 happened, suddenly I am reminded of the feeling that I got when Harry started liking Ginny and Peeta no longer himself and no longer loving Katniss with Katniss having such a huge reaction to Peeta dying in front of her. I had hoped that Harry and Hermione will not be endgame because I like Hermione and Ron together and I had always hoped that Katniss will love Peeta but I was not so sure that it will happened since Katniss has a history with Gale. So I never thought I will witness the pairing that I liked come to pass.

With GOT though, I did not have much illusions since we were bombarded left right and centre with horrifying weddings and people loving each other and then dying, so I stuck with just hoping for my faves to be alive.

Then, the show gave us the best thing in this series:

And, I was like, Woah! this reunion was EPIC. I mean it had emotions, unexpected yet hoped for by fans factor, it had sweeping music and the acting was so ON POINT. Like you know something has changed. This scene was a GAME CHANGER for the show and the story, for both the characters and for us the audience. And honestly, I never expected them to be reunited first, much less it will be this EPIC.

So, I was suspicious at first, I was like Nah! it can’t be - remember I already believed in the R+L=J theory so I already looked at them as cousins. So I restrained myself even though I so much want to be in this ship like right then. I love to ship lol.

Then the show keep on giving me these scenes filled with SMILING JON AND SANSA 

After seeing these two characters season after season in misery and pain, seeing them happy and being themselves when they are around each other gives me LIFE dangit! And I can only take so much, but I thought i have to be strong… But the show never let up on me, there are these scenes where they argue, bicker, banter and talk things out that basically scream #married

there are the declaration of protection, giving the other the kill, saving each other

then a very tender moment that is so very rare for Jon but seems to be his normal state when it comes to Sansa

And these are just season 6 you know??? Can you ever blame me that I caved but once I caved, I did so willingly and even with the knowledge that it can end in heartbreak if I ship them. Season 6 was just that EPIC. And they end the season with the two of them sitting/standing side by side as the northern Lords declare Jon the King in the North. Just EPIC.

So, i thought, that was it. It was enough my ship was wonderful and I enjoyed every second of when they are together. I thought season 7 will be different. The show will focus now on Jon and D*ny and I have to accept that. I am still gonna be a happy camper because of Season 6. 

Unfortunately, or in my opinion, to my utmost happiness, the show did not allow me to forget this pairing at all… No, NO. In fact, they made it worse for me…

Bonus:

Then they gave me feral Jon

And all these scenes have nothing to do with Jon’s mission to fight the WW but everything to do with a certain kissed by fire Lady of Winterfell named Sansa.

then the bittersweet goodbye they had

Is it any wonder why we jonsa fans are hooked? Now and Always.

Because the show made it so difficult for us not to ship them.

Personally, I would have conceded that my pairing was not the endgame if Kit had given me a bit of these looks and smiles with his scenes with D*ny

If Kit would have at least given a smile on that boatbang scene i might be doubtful. But there were none of these leading man smiles and gazes from Kit.

What we saw in S7 with the Jon and D*ny scenes were Kit in misery and a lot of rolling of the eyes lol.

So, NO. THE SENTENCE at the top still is valid to me because I still have not seen anything to show me otherwise.

And yes. Jonsa is endgame.

Bonus:

They look beautiful and MAJESTIC.

Indeed, they are. The King and Queen in the North

Season 8 is THE TIME FOR WOLVES. And JON and SANSA are leading the pack.

gifs credit to: @tiny-little-bird, @jonsasnow, @dailyjonsa, @grahamewill, @whitewolfofwinterfell, @thelawyerthatwaspromised, @jonsnownoshow

if there is anyone i forgot to credit for the gifs let me know so I can include in the post.

[gamerszone2019-blog]

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Review - Synchronized Sinking

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-dark-pictures-man-of-medan-review-synchronized-sinking/

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Review - Synchronized Sinking

Man of Medan is set almost entirely at sea on an enormous, abandoned boat. Loosely based on the real-life mystery of the OSS Ourang Medan, which became a shipwreck in the late 1940s after its entire crew were lost under mysterious circumstances, Man of Medan is also the first part of Supermassive Games’ proposed Dark Pictures Anthology–a series of short, branching horror narrative experiences in the vein of its tremendous 2015 surprise hit, Until Dawn. If you’ve played Until Dawn, you’ll know what to expect. But despite a smart online co-op mode, Man of Medan’s weak narrative ultimately makes it a disappointing first installment.

The game’s plot jumps between five different playable characters who are all experiencing the same event. You’ll determine their ultimate fates by making decisions for them, as well as responding to quick-time events. There are reportedly 69 different potential deaths you can experience (including those of non-playable characters), but it’s also entirely possible that your whole crew will survive. Alternatively, they might all die. Man of Medan’s main selling point is that your decisions will affect how things play out, how the relationships between your characters will develop, and what you’ll uncover and experience along the way.

In conversations, and at pivotal points in the plot, you’ll often be given three options, one of which is always to say or do nothing. So focused is Man of Medan on its story, there are no puzzles to solve or combat systems to master outside of these choices, just lots of exploring and quick-time events. However, the game is plagued by a big central problem: a fundamentally weak plot.

The story isn’t engaging, as the player is given little reason to care about the characters and the horror tropes being explored mostly feel hackneyed and uncreative. After a brief prologue scene set in the ’40s, you spend Man of Medan’s four-hour (give or take) runtime in the present day. The story opens with the crew planning a dive to a previously untouched sunken fighter plane from World War II, which ultimately leads to a series of events that sees them trapped on the Medan, a seemingly haunted abandoned ship, held captive by a pirate gang who are convinced that the ship–which is riddled with dead bodies–contains treasure. Naturally, things start going bump in the night, and the gang finds themselves dealing with various ghouls and terrors too.

There are plot holes and character inconsistencies throughout, some minor, some more blatant. It’s perhaps easy to forgive the questionable presence of rats all over the boat, still gnawing on hunks of meat that have been on the ship since the 40s, but it’s less easy to excuse how blasé the characters act about the horrifying situations they find themselves in. They’re mostly unlikeable, too–There’s the cool but insecure Alex, his dorky younger brother Brad, Alex’s outgoing, wealthy partner Julia, Julia’s obnoxious but well-meaning brother Conrad, and Fliss, the captain of the small boat the four have chartered at the story’s opening. The dialogue is generally not very good; at times it successfully recreates the feeling of watching a fun-but-silly teen slasher, occasionally hitting that good-bad sweet-spot as a character awkwardly refers to something as ‘lit’ or flirts awkwardly, but it can also be annoying when the five central characters’ interactions sound stilted and unrealistic. Without spoiling anything, the story also explains a little too much about what’s happening on the Medan in a way that makes repeated playthroughs much less satisfying.

There’s also an over-reliance on jump scares, which cheapens the horror experience. One standout sequence midway through the game that does a great job of getting under your skin, as Brad finds himself stuck in a looping hallway that grows just a bit weirder every time he travels down it, but otherwise Man of Medan is reliant on spring-loaded cats and lots of suddenly-morphing faces. On the plus side, it looks tremendous–the character models can be a bit waxy, but the ship is extremely detailed and creepy, and the game effectively communicates how unpleasant the act of exploring a creaky rustbucket full of dark corners and rotting corpses must be. The trade-off, at least on a base PS4, is that animations frequently stutter, breaking the mood as frames slip away.

There are pacing issues, too, especially with the extremely slow opening section that weighs down repeat playthroughs. While you can see different scenes or experience unique outcomes with each playthrough, some scenes will be essentially unchanged each time, which can quickly grate. You’ll also occasionally have to check in on ‘The Curator’, an omnipresent suited man who is clearly meant to be the mascot for and host of the Dark Pictures Anthology. He’s a pompous version of the Crypt Keeper (from Tales From The Crypt), but without any of the “good evening, boys and ghouls” merriment you want from a horror anthology host, and as a result, he doesn’t quite fit.

Multiplayer is Man of Medan’s big addition to the formula laid out by Until Dawn. There are two forms of co-op: Shared Story, in which two players tackle the game together online, and Movie Night, where up to five players can play together offline, playing through the chapters of whichever characters they are assigned at the start. Playing together on the couch is perhaps meant to evoke that “don’t go in there” feeling of watching a fun horror movie with friends, but Man of Medan’s relatively straightforward level designs, which never make it seem dangerous to wander off-path and explore the open doors and alternate pathways you encounter, don’t particularly facilitate this. Death is more often down to a failed QTE rather than a dialogue choice you made or because you decided to investigate something spooky. In fact, right near the end, a mistimed button press can be the difference between everyone surviving and everyone dying–being responsible for that in front of your friends is more embarrassing than it is funny.

However, so many of the game’s issues feel like much less of a problem when you jump into the smart and innovative online mode. It is, without a doubt, the definitive way to experience Man of Medan, especially if you’re playing with another person who is familiar with the material. Shared Story sees you both playing at the same time, taking control of different characters as their scenes play out simultaneously. You’ll both, eventually, get a turn with every character (if they live long enough), and often your paths will diverge. Once the five main characters meet after the initial prologue, Shared Story immediately offers a more engaging experience than the single-player campaign can.

Early on, for instance, I played through a sequence where two characters dived down to inspect something underwater, while my co-op buddy stayed on the boat and experienced a different part of the story. In single-player, you’ll still see both scenes, but one will be greatly truncated. In online co-op, some scenes are expanded, or you might occasionally see parts of the story, or make choices, that cannot be accessed in single-player.

This led to the two of us conspiring to make certain things happen, to bend the game’s story to our will. We were more successful with some outcomes than others (a failed quick-time event led to an unexpected death early on), but working together to achieve dramatic satisfaction, and choosing when to reveal what just happened and when to let the other player try to figure out what we’d done in our scenes, was a delight. Each player won’t see every scene when playing this way, and it’s entirely possible to play without ever communicating, which makes the plot more unpredictable.

No matter how much or little you choose to share, though, Shared Story is absolutely the right way to play the game. It’s very well designed; my co-op partner and I never found ourselves waiting for the other player to hurry up and trigger the next cutscene, and being able to see how your friend is trying to direct a scene, and deciding whether to help or hinder them in that, is excellent. It feels like you’re working together to wring as many interesting outcomes as you can out of the game, and effectively doubling the number of potential choices leads to a much stronger sense of variety.

Man of Medan is still telling a weak story, though, as much as Shared Story plasters over this with its excellent take on co-op, which lets you plan things out and work together to craft the narrative you want to tell (and kill the characters you find the most annoying). If you can organize a session with someone else who owns the game and play through the whole thing together, it’s an excellent experience; but if you’re after another single-player horror narrative experience like the one offered in Until Dawn, it’s very disappointing. As a show of the potential for the Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is largely a success, but as a first episode, it leaves plenty to be desired.

Source : Gamesport

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Stanley Cup immortality

NASHVILLE – The first 100 years of the NHL have been filled with iconic images, from Bobby Orr’s leap to Gretzky’s tears.

Submitted for your approval, as an addition to that pantheon: Evgeni Malkin on the left, Sidney Crosby on the right, and the Stanley Cup being smooched in between them as they hold it together.

For there isn’t a more appropriate way to convey how these three championships they’ve won for the Pittsburgh Penguins since 2009 are born of two fathers: The hulking 30-year-old Russian who skates like a freight train on one side, and the 29-year-old from Cole Harbour who skates like nothing can stop him from achieving glory on the other. In some ways, total opposites. Yet, together, they carry the championship with the help of the other.

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They are Gretzky and Messier. They are Mario and Jagr. They are the foundation for everything the Pittsburgh Penguins build towards a championship team, for they are the reason the Pittsburgh Penguins know that no matter what adversity visits them, they can be a championship team.

“They’re generational players. They’re different players, but they’re both elite in their own way,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “I don’t know that you could find two better people to build a team around than these two guys.”

GM Jim Rutherford took over the Penguins in 2014 knowing that with Malkin and Crosby there, he could win another Stanley Cup. And now he’s won two with them, and couldn’t stop singing their praises on Sunday night after their Game 6 win over the Nashville Predators.

“In Sid’s case, I think now we can talk about him being in those top two, three, four guys of all-time. He’s a special player. He’s a special person. He’s won three Cups now. Two Conn Smythe trophies back to back. He’s in that group for me,” he said of Crosby, who was recently named as one of the Top 100 NHL players of all-time.

Malkin, infamously, wasn’t.

“You’d think that Geno could get into the top 100, wouldn’t ya? Maybe we can vote again and get him in the top 101 this year. I mean … wow,” said Rutherford. “I’ll just leave that alone for now. That was so disappointing for me, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.”

But that’s Crosby and Malkin for you: In many ways equals, in other ways it’s like they’re in different area codes.

***

There have been times in their careers when Malkin and Crosby were used as linemates, but in the last few seasons its been the Crosby Line and the Malkin Line.

The former has Sid playing with a rotating cast of young player, dispelling the notion that he “can’t play with everyone” by meshing with the likes of Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel during these Cup wins.

The latter has Geno playing with Phil Kessel and a few other wingers, providing near-constant offense and at times dominating play.

Occasionally, hockey fans and punditry will get all “Lennon vs. McCartney” with these guys, especially the Malkin fans who grumble about him constantly being in the shadow of Crosby. Like, for example, when Malkin ended up leading the NHL playoffs in points (28) this postseason but Crosby won the Conn Smythe with one fewer point – his second playoff MVP award in two seasons when falling short of the team lead in points. (Malkin won the Conn Smythe after the Penguins’ first Cup.)

But if Crosby had a Conn Smythe ballot, who would he vote for?

“I think Geno comes to mind right away,” he said.

The thing that the Team Geno and Team Sid folks always miss is that one is essential to the other’s success.

Sid doesn’t accomplish what he has in the NHL without Malkin, and vice versa. To have an opponent worrying about a second greatest of all-time player in the lineup changes life for both Malkin and Crosby. It’s a luxury no other star has in the modern NHL on the level that Malkin and Crosby have it – with due respect for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

The other aspect of their coexistence is that they push each other more than any player in the League could push them. This is something Sullivan’s witnessed in overseeing their consecutive championships.

“I really believe in just my time here with both guys, they’ve grown to be appreciative for one another and how they help each other have success and this team. And so when there are nights when maybe Sid might not have his A game, that Geno steps up and helps this team win and vice versa. There are other nights where Geno might not have his A game and Sid steps up and makes a big play to help this team win,” he said.

“They’re two players of a very select few in the league that single-handedly have an ability to change the outcomes of games. That’s how good they are. But I do believe that just in my time in Pittsburgh with them, I think they’re appreciative of one another. I would have to think they are.”

***

If there is a line to be drawn between Malkin and Crosby, it’s in leadership.

This isn’t to say that Malkin isn’t one, because he’s gotten more emphatic and vocal behind the scenes as he’s grown older. It’s just to say that Crosby will go down as one of the greatest players to ever wear the ‘C,’ because he embodies everything you’d ever want in a captain.

“I think he’s now one of the best to ever play the game. To win three Stanley Cups, and two Conn Smythes in a row is pretty good,” said Penguins owner Mario Lemieux, who knows a thing or two about excelling as a Pittsburgh captain.

“He’s one of the best leaders to ever play the game.”

Lemieux pointed to Crosby’s Game 5 performance in the Stanley Cup Final, in which his undeniable drive to win – three assists, a critical penalty call earned and just overall dominance – propelled the Penguins to an essential victory.

“He made a statement in that game. He could feel like we were getting close to the Stanley Cup. He played like it,” said Lemieux.

The debate over Crosby’s status as the best hockey player in the world has been long-settled.

“He’s the best player in the world, there’s just no question about it. The way that he rises up to the challenge when the stakes are the highest, it’s just fun to see. He just drives our engine here,” said center Matt Cullen.

Rutherford prefers to see him as an engineer.

“You gotta get on the train with him, or you’re going to get run over,” said the Pittsburgh GM. “When you come to the rink you better be ready to go to work. And he’s the guy who leads it.”

***

Malkin is a goofball. A delightful, wonderful goofball.

For all we know about Sidney Crosby after the Stanley Cup parade, he’ll be placed back inside his cabinet to recharge his batteries until it’s time to power up again for the 2017-18 season.

Malkin? He’s going to bring the Cup somewhere in Russia to take silly photos with it. And then he’s going to go on a boat, catch an absurdly large fish and Instagram it. Because that’s what he does.

Again, it’s “Lennon vs. McCartney.” Sid is the next-level musical genius, heightening hockey is something near spiritual; Geno is his equal in many ways, but regarded as “the fun one” to Crosby’s etherial leader.

Crosby drinks from the Cup.

Malkin has a champagne fight with Phil Kessel.

Best GIF to come out of the #Pens winning their 2nd straight #StanleyCup? Phil Kessel & Evgeni Malkin engaged in a champagne shower fight. pic.twitter.com/WCABxlm1L5

— Grady Sas (@GradySas) June 12, 2017

You get the idea.

“It’s amazing team. We have great chance to win every year,” said Malkin, after skating the Cup for the third time.

Malkin is signed through 2022. Crosby is signed through 2025. Their legacy as one of the best duos in the history of hockey is cemented with a third Stanley Cup together. And yet the reason they thrive, the reason they succeed, the reason they get to place their lips on the Holy Grail after two months of battle is because it’s never going to be enough for either of them.

“We just still young, we still hungry. And of course, we want more,” said Malkin.

“You can’t match this. This is what it’s all about,” said Crosby. “You have a small window to play and to have a career, and I feel fortunate, but I also understand how difficult it is, so you just want to try to make the best of it.”

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have made the best of it, and in the process, made the Pittsburgh Penguins the best in hockey for the third time. The championship poise this team exhibited in winning four tough rounds is born from them.The confidence that allowed this team to win two Game 7s and close out the Nashville Predators for the Cup begins with them. The notion that someone will make a play when necessary to win a key game comes from the fact that Malkin and Crosby are two players who usually make those plays.

“We had a group of guys who knew how to win,” said Rutherford.

Including these two:

Sometimes, the pictures just tell the story.

Especially among the immortals.

—

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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[sjjms]

begin again: 17

pairing: jiminxreader length: 2.1k words genre: angst/fluff

other parts

The rain poured steadily as the boat rocked from side to side, as you looked up at the twilight sky. You should’ve gone inside to take cover from the rain but you didn’t want to, the weather was cold enough for you to be contempt outside wearing only your jacket for cover. You weren’t the only one outside a few others were as well, including some of the crew. The twilight sky was barely visible due to the black clouds already making their appearance. The sound of thunder arose in the air, the storm? If there was thunder, lightning would be close. You couldn’t tell which direction the thunder was heading, but you hoped it was in the opposite direction to you.

“Look, eomma.” You looked over to a little girl pointing to the sky, her mother nodded her head in worry. You smiled at the little girl it made you wonder what you would be doing currently if you hadn’t lost her, maybe at home. Cooking dinner or playing with her. Didn’t it make you sound a little sad? Thinking like this… nothing could’ve been done to save her. It was your fault alone that you ended up losing her.

There it was again. The thunder. It now worried you, the storm had hit much earlier than anticipated. You were around 20 minutes away from shore and the boat wasn’t going at its maximum speed if it wanted all of its passengers to be safe. A bolt of lightning straight in front of your eyes hit the boat, not on the side or the top but in the middle. A hole was now torn in the middle of the boat, as you approached it carefully you could see the water was leaking into the bottom of the boat. If your foot applied any more pressure onto the wood, the piece of wood would have fallen taking you as it’s victim. You looked through the window to see the captain as he was furiously speaking down the radio, did he even know about the storm? You should have stayed on the mainland if you hadn’t checked if there was a boat going out tonight.

“Eomma.” You heard the girl’s voice from before, she was crying out for help. You looked over to her seeing her mother lying on the ground and worst of all unconscious. Running over to the both of them, you checked the pulse of the mother. You sighed in relief when she still had a pulse.

“She’s okay.” You reassure the little girl. “Can you help me take her inside? It isn’t safe to be out here anymore.” You weren’t even sure if it was safe to move across the boat at all, it was a chance you were going to take just in case the boat was hit again. Though lightning never strikes in the same place twice. The hole in the boat was getting deeper and filling with water at an astonishing rate.

“The rescue boat is only 2 minutes out, they had expected for this to happen.” You looked up to the captain his face looked sad, but what annoyed you was they expected this to happen. Why didn’t they stop the boat from going out? They were risking lives of innocent people by doing this.

Imagine if this had happened in the daytime with a lot more people on the boat then there is now, it would almost be like the boat accident that happened a few years. That was so devastating to people, but you shouldn’t compare this to that accident. It wasn’t right to do that, this accident was less extreme and it seemed to be a lot more under control since rescue boats were already on their way.

“Where did the girl go?” Someone asks you looked around the room hoping to see her standing in the corner but no. She’d vanished. You sighed a little, you didn’t want this little girl to go missing and not be found. Her mother would wake up and be devastated.

You got up and prepared yourself to go outside again. The rain was pouring down much harder now, it was almost as if it was a tropical storm. “You shouldn’t go out there.” The captain notified you, ignoring his words you continued outside; who else was going to save the girl? You walked carefully across the deck, being mindful of the places on the boat which were filling up with water.

Hearing the sound of cracking you looked below seeing a crack going through the wood straight through the middle. You jumped drastically to one side as you did you heard screaming, walking towards the screaming you saw her. Clinging onto to a piece of wood as the boat had virtually snapped the front off.

“Why did you come back out here? It’s unsafe!” You yelled at her, you shouldn’t have done that you had frightened the life out of her. You ran over to her pulling her back up to the safer part of the deck, she wrapped her arms around you. Noticing she was holding a soggy plush toy in her hand, she had come back for this. You sighed a little but was thankful you had saved her from falling in.

“It’s unsafe to be on the boat, carefully make your way over here.” You looked over in the direction of the light squinting through the rain. The rescue team. You pulled the little girl up in your arms. It would be safer if she stayed in your arms, you saw the people inside making their way carefully over with the little girl’s mother who was now awake but barely being taken by crew members.

Putting the little girl down in the boat, you joined her by sitting next to her. You only noticed how cold it was out here when you saw your hands turning a different color. “Your mother is going to be okay, she’s just on the other boat.” You reassured the little girl as she watched people surround her mother, it was only the medical team you thought to yourself. Two space blankets were handed over to you, you wrapped one around the girl making sure every area of her was covered before you pulled one around you.

It took a further 10 minutes to get to the island and it hit you with relief knowing you had made it here. The lights from the buildings were on as well as many people were waiting on the dock to know the outcome. Maybe some people on the boat lived on the island, you doubt Jimin had come down to the docks. He probably wouldn’t know about the accident until you told him. Or for his own safety maybe, but someone from the company would be there because they knew you were coming.

You made sure the little girl was with her mother on the island before they were taken away, her mother must have been sick in some way. There wasn’t another thought to why she collapsed, she could have been pregnant you thought to yourself. But it’s best not to ponder on the reason you would never meet them again. Looking around you on the dock people were hugging each other being reunited with one another, it was sweet to look at but it did make you sad. You weren’t one of those people being hugged.

As you looked ahead starting to walk forward, you noticed a mortified Jimin looking around to find you. As soon as he caught sight of you, his body came crashing into yours, arms wrapping around you. You could hear his harsh breathing against your, he pulled back a little just so he could kiss you with all of his force before holding you in his embrace again. The fact that most of you had been soaked from the rain, your hair also dripping wet and still he didn’t let go. “You scared me.” He whispers. “Don’t ever do that again.” You were speechless. He was here, your arms around him became tighter. The shock of him being here just proved to you these types of movie scenes that happen can also happen in the real world too. 

X

“Are you warm enough?” Jimin asks for the fifth time this evening, he had put 4 blankets over you including the covers of the bed; to make sure you were kept warm.

“I’m fine, just come sit beside me.” You didn’t want to say, come join lay down with me. Those words were still foreign to you though you were marrying him in a few weeks, taking small steps like this helped. They would help to have a good marriage with him, not divorcing after a week with being with him.

He did what he was and sat down beside you on the bed, you placed your head on his arm. Which was when he pulled you into his arms, he was surprised that you were opening up so quickly to him. But he also liked it, taking some advantage of it. “Slowly.” You whisper.

“You know what I thought about today on the boat,” Jimin replies in the same soft but quiet voice as yours, it reminded you of times like this happened when he had a tiring day practicing and all he wanted to do was talk with you.

“What?”

“We have to take pre-wedding photos.” He was right. That hadn’t even crossed your mind, you were always envious of seeing other couples photos. They had always turned out beautiful because they spent the time on it. “Weddings are much harder to squeeze into our schedule than we thought.” You mused. The group's schedule for December was mainly clear apart from the filming which was almost completed and the end of year activities. You weren’t sure if they had been asked to extra because that was usually sorted with them.

“No. Our honeymoon is… you can’t leave because you're the head of the department. Soyeon was barely managing it while you were away and I have to prepare for the concert. It’s 3 months away, then we are all going on tour. We won’t have a honeymoon until the summer; we also have activities in the summer.” You chuckled over Jimin’s overthinking. He was thinking too far ahead and worrying about your department wasn’t necessary.

“Then we have a weekend to ourselves somewhere. The company isn’t supposed to be open on weekends and if we go in January it won’t affect the concert preparation.” It wasn’t meant to be open… but it always was for everyone to come in and work on the projects. You just came in any way to get ahead on work, Soyeon did appreciate that the writer's department was one that ran more efficiently than others.

“I think too much, don’t I? You just solved all problems in a sentence.” Jimin chuckles. You liked to think that the both of you fit each other perfectly. You always could correct or solve Jimin’s problems whenever he couldn’t himself.

The two of sat in silence comfortably abling you to enjoy each other's presence. It allowed you time to think back to the accident, “I saved someone’s life today.” You mused, the little girl. It had only been a few hours but you hoped she and her mother were okay. “A little girl... it makes me wonder if we had our daughter now where I would be.”

“We’d be in a different situation, I still wouldn’t know about her and you’d be living somewhere looking after her.” Jimin sounded as if he would be jealous if he didn’t know about her, you yourself questioned whether you would have told him after she was born. You imagined so. Though you didn’t want to affect the popularity of the group by telling him the news and risk it being leaked. Everything was on the line.

“I would have told you, I’d want you to be a part of her life even if we weren’t on good terms.”

“We’d be on good terms, I’d make sure of it. I think we’d be together, we’d find out everything was a misunderstanding and get back together.” He was so sure of himself which made you smile, you’d like to think so too. But it would be different circumstances. Your eyes began to become droopy and sleepy, you were tired. The caffeine on your brain was starting to wear off on you now. Jimin noticed that he kept quiet so you could fall asleep peacefully in his arms. You had a habit of sleeping in Jimin’s arms, now that you had started to regain that habit Jimin liked it.

Slowly, you said.

[pigfarts23]

Probably sound like a madman, but hear me out

Each character’s song represents them, through and through. (I’m just doing the 6 from the GPF because know most about them (except maybe Otabek but like ... we don’t know much about him #littlescreentime)

How? Well  (TIME FOR SOME PROOOOOF)

This got hella long.  TL;DR: the YOI creators knew where they were going with their characterizations and managed to convey this through each of the program’s music

Details under the cut.

Viktor’s First skate: Stammi Vicino

We first are introduced to this character with a self assured “Commemorative photo?” after he comments on Yuri’s program at the GPF. But his first skate we see actually gives us a deeper insight into who he was at the beginning of the series.

I mean, this doesn’t scream “I’M SO PUMPED BECAUSE I KNOW I’M GONNA WIN” this is like “wow i’m all alone this kinda sucks”.

At this point, we have concluded he was lonely, what with all the meta on how empty and cold his apartment looks; there’s no personal effects, and it was noted that he was able to pack up everything in about a week. 

Yuuri’s SP: On Love: Eros

Now I know all of you are like: wtf?

But hear me out. After the events of ep 10, we know that Yuuri has this locked up personality that he lets loose for people he’s close to, when he’s on the ice, or when he’s incredibly drunk (Kids don’t drink 16 glasses of champagne. The outcome is bad; if you don’t have alcohol tolerance you’ll barf your guts out before passing out or if you do you’ll end up pole dancing and not remember the night at all THIS HAS BEEN A PSA). 

(side note: DAYYYUM SON)

Celestino, as a coach, has picked songs he feels like Yuuri would skate to, which means they were probably very much like Yuuri himself; reserved, quiet, witty, determined, etc. All of this eros is held back by an incredibly vulnerable Yuuri who wants to get through life while rocking the boat as little as possible. So the fact that Viktor comes along and says “Ah yes you’re skating to this.” he was like wtf. But this is truly him and everything he wishes he could be - confident, sexy, someone who is equal to Viktor in every way.  

(That’s my theory on why he was insistent he make Yuri on Ice equal difficulty to Viktor’s program)

Yuri’s FP -  Yuri On Ice 

OK 

So.

As said by the commentators, this song was used by Yuuri to express the different types of loves he feels. As you watch, he mentions all the feelings etc. etc.

But - Love. 

Yuuri has finally gotten love. It’s why the FP was record breaking. He’s gone and he’s fallen in all sorts of love with everyone. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying he’s just discovered love. He’s loved his family and friends and we get to see that in all the interactions he has with them, which is wonderful. But he finally realises that they love him as much as he loves them. Which makes him fill with more love and determination.

Not only that, but this piece is kinda.... a walk down memory lane. He’s gotten someone to capture his career, and if you listen to the music, it tells you exactly where he was dragged down and how he was able to rebuild himself and become even stronger. This song is Yuuri summed up in 3 minutes. You listen to that, and you know exactly who he is.

Yuri’s SP - On Love: Agape

Yuri is innocent and pure and for some reason, his Russian team (and the Hero of Kazakhstan along with Japan’s top figure skater) all love him.

Ahem. 

There’s no other way to put this. Yea ok he’s angry and yells and likes to threaten people (I mean.. same), but he’s very much like a kitten - he can really do no harm. 

(He’s got nicer hair than I do (also look at how innocent he looks)).

But Yuri is very innocent. He’s only 15 years old, and sure, he’s travelled the world. But he hasn’t seen much of the real world. His entire life is figure skating. He eats, breathes, and sleeps it. So he lives in what essentially can be considered a bubble. 

To the real world - he’s an innocent bean (it’s probably why they call him the Russian Fairy). And I think that he knows this, which is why he postures so much; all that anger and aggression keeps people away, like it kept Yuuri away at first, so that no one knows how young he really is (even though they say his age at every skating event).

Yuri’s FS - Allegro Appassionato in B Minor (RIP pianist)

To start, I’m going to translate this name (I don’t speak Italian, but I have studied music for the last 16 years AND I did ballet for 10 years, so I do know what these terms mean). 

Allegro - the musical definition is bright, quickly, lively. However! In ballet, the term is the same, but it is applied to airborne movements (side note I just rewatched his ep 12 skate trying to get a good photo and he actually adds in a quad! So he’s airborne! ish!)

Appassionato - passionately; play with passion.

(if this doesn’t scream PASSION i don’t know what does)

But Yuri is passionate. He’ll fight for what he believes in, as commented on by Otabek’s monologue (”Yuri Plisetsky had the eyes of a soldier”) and, I’ll bet someone dinner at a place of my choosing, he’ll fight for anyone he accepts into his family. This boy just has so much passion for figure skating (and cats. Definitely loves cats.) that it’s absolutely incredible - it’s something that can’t be contained and yes, he has to work for it, but with that passion, drive and determination he has, this song is essentially all him. 

Phichit’s SP - Shall We Skate?

This pure bean.

Honestly, just listening to the music, you get a sense of who Phichit as a person really is. He’s upbeat, enthusiastic, (JUST LIKE THE MUSIC!!) and overall he just seems like the type of person who can just make you smile purely by existing.

He’s encouraging and supportive and I think he was skating as the Skater, because the lyrics tell us the King was trying to learn to skate. The skater, much like Phichit, is showing the King how to skate, and basically being the best cheerleader in the world as the King skates.

Yuuri and him were roommates in Detroit; Phichit would have been incredibly supportive and encouraging because he’s the Purest Cinnamon Roll Ever.

He’s just so fucking supportive idk what else to say ok.

Phichit’s FS - Terra Incognita

So this piece is also upbeat and features a relatively happy overall mood. It’s somewhat inspired by South East Asian music (I’m not sure what part of South East Asia, but I feel that Indian vibe to it) which I really enjoyed.

But again, this just summarises the picture we’re given of Phichit. Granted this is all painted from Yuuri’s POV, who is literally the most unreliable narrator. But that one bit we got from Viktor regarding Phichit shows that Viktor actually is in agreement with Yuuri’s ideas.

So from that, we can conclude that Phichit is incredibly supportive and loving, not just to his friends, but to people who his friends love as well.

Chris’ SP- Intoxicated

So the first opening bit reminded me of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. But once I got over that, this song is sexy, and sauve, just as we all know (and love) Chris to be.

This piece kinda .. flows, for lack of a better word. To be honest, listening to this song when I’m not looking at this dork’s face (or butt) makes me think of those scenes where the dude emerges from the water, and we get a slow close up of a drop of sweat falling down his chest or smth.

This song, at the very essence, is exactly who Chris is. He’s confident, mature, and just oozing sexual pleasure. It’s a nice contrast to Yuuri’s Eros, which wasn’t as sophisticated as this one is. This is essentially pleasure after pleasure, all done so well and controlled, all to ensure that the partner (in this case, the audience) is getting as much pleasure out of it as possible.

And not only that - we know Chris actually wears glasses, but it doesn’t appear he wears them in public, which means there’s a vulnerable part of him that he doesn’t want the world to know, so he shows his sexual appealing side and keeps his vulnerable side for his super close friends and fam.

Chris’ FS - Rapsodie Espagnole 

So as anyone can tell you, Spanish songs are full of passion. This one is no different.

As is this man. God the passion this man has... incredible.

Chris is a man extremely comfortable with his sexuality, and he’s very comfortable and confident with who he is.

That’s all I can add on for him because we don’t get much of Yuuri’s thoughts re: Chris to be able to see another side of him apart from the super comfortable with his sexuality version.

AND FINALLY: (I’m not doing Otabek I can’t do him justice if someone else wants to analyse his music (he was the only one who didn’t get original music (BEETHOVEN ASSHOLES) for both his free skates)) 

JJ’s SP - Theme of King JJ  (his song is hella freaking catchy)

Right of the bat, in both the song and the anime, we’re introduced to JJ as a man who’s exceptionally arrogant. He sees himself as someone who essentially rules figure skating.

And it’s interesting that we get a bit of that feeling as well from Yuuri.

This song and JJ are both incredibly arrogant - his song (presumably sung and written by him) talks about how amazing he is, and how no one can catch them. He taunts people, saying “Catch me if you can” and that’s exactly what he does to Yuri at the Skate Canada medal ceremony. “I look forward to climbing the podium again with you in Russia.”

He’s loud, brash, and an incredible show off, which is exactly what this song shows.

(I didn’t have to look up any of these quotes o hm ygod why am I JJ trash it must be Canada Pride)

JJ’s FS - Partizan Hope

So this piece is completely different from the last one. It starts off differently slowly and with just a piano.

The feel is completely different. To be honest, I get the shot of a person triumphantly crossing the finish line of a race in slow mo while this plays in the background.

The feeling of how he skates is completely different as well. It’s more triumphant, less arrogant.

Confident. JJ is a confident person, something the music reflects earnestly. And he knows he’s going to win, so he just skates for the fun of it. He’s not taken no for an answer, and because of that, he’s built up quite the character of fighting for he wants just by being loud, brash and opinionated (something that will get you strange looks on a Canadian bus, fun fact).

This confidence is hidden behind his outgoing self, which you can hear very clearly in this piece (probably why they put it second, because the ISU regulations RE: times would make sense for them to reverse this order of pieces).

“Ok, so I read all that. You’re right. What’s your point?”

Wow thanks for asking that! 

This is my point. 

Viktor’s second skate: Duet - Stay Close to Me

This is an absolutely incredible transformation - we know the songs of the characters represent who they really are. As a result, not really seeing Viktor skate competitions and then suddenly see him skate this, a song filled with so much hope and love (I was actually crying when this aired because the emotions were too much in this piece); the loneliness of the violins has been replaced with happiness, hopefulness and love.

All because of our dear Yuuri.

And I think that this is one of my favourite character growths in a tv series - Viktor, growing and changing not for love.

Instead, he changes because of it.

And I think that’s beautiful.

[maryxglz]

TOM HIDDLESTON AND BRIE LARSON ENCOUNTER KONG

Not all scenes you witness being shot are long and filled with dialogue. In the case of this one, Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson are running form something, Kong appears in front of them and they both duck together. That's it. There were variations of this shot. Sometimes they would duck away from the camera or duck towards it. In one take, the director had Hiddleston put his arm protectively over Larson as they ducked. However, when watching these two before and after the take, it was obvious that they were having a lot of fun and that they had great chemistry together! They would run in place to get each other psyched for the scene. Sometimes Brie Larson would playfully pose for the camera, inciting whistling from members of the crew, which prompted Hiddleston to say, "One of you are really good at that!" Hiddleston would even talk to Larson about their characters and what had transpired in the previous scene, just to help them both get in the mindset. It was a fascinating process to watch and if you ever wondered how devoted these two actors are when the cameras aren't rolling, the answer is, "Completely."

THE JUNGLE CHASE

The last jungle scene we were witness to was actually one of my favorite sites to behold. There are many ways to light a night scene and a lot of the time, films will just shoot during the day and digitally alter it to look like night (it rarely works). Thankfully, this was not the case here. A giant balloon filled with lights drifted just below the treetops, while a giant crane provided a light source ABOVE the trees. The effect of this was rays of light just shooting past the thousands of tree leaves. It was really something and added a touch of majesty to the evening.

The scene itself followed a group including Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, and a few others running from an unseen danger. Halfway in the scene, Larson turns around to take a few pictures with her camera. Hiddleston runs by, grabs her by the waste and pulls her away, yelling, "Not right now!" There wasn't too much variation in the number of takes I saw, but I did catch Hiddleston singing Chumbawumba's Tubthumping with the cast before a take. The man is just an endless source of passion, commitment, and energy. That will no doubt come across in the interview we fortunate enough to do with the man.

INTERVIEW WITH TOM HIDDLESTON

On his character: "I play Captain James Conrad, who is a SAS Special Operative who has been training American and Cambodians in jungle survival technique. He's a survivalist. He's a tracker. He's the guy you send in to find missing persons if a plane or a helicopter has crashed in the jungle because he has this special tracking ability. It's interesting 'cause if you dig around in the history of the Vietnam conflict on public record there was no British military involvement in the war, but there were people in Cambodia, specifically the British SAS who were training people. They had a jungle warfare school in Malaysia. It's just something when we were conceiving the film we were trying to find what specific history the character could have and we thought that would be interesting. The reason he's on the boat [to Skull Island] is he's sort of seen so much and been through so much and he's hanging around, and he's not sure where he's going next. Bill Rander who works for Monarch for the US government comes to find him in a back alley somewhere and he says, 'We need you on this mission.' He says, 'What's the mission?' He says, 'We're making a map of an island in the south Pacific and we need someone with survival skills. We need someone with your ability.' And he's like, 'That sounds sufficiently shady!' He's a man without a mission. He doesn't have a direction. I think there's probably a question mark in his soul too, of like 'Where do I go now? What do I do now?' He has this unique skill set within the group as someone who is indispensable in terms of their survival in the jungle, distinct from the group because he's British and therefore he doesn't have the same spiritual shadow of the Vietnam conflict and also someone who's awe and wonder will be awakened by everything he sees."

Regarding his interest in Kong: "Human beings need to be reminded of how small they are in the scale of the world and the universe. King Kong is one of the biggest movie stars in a hundred years of cinema and he's always served to remind people in the story and audiences that there are things about our world that are bigger than us that we don't understand. Conrad comes to embody that humility which really appealed to me. "By the way, it's so much fun! Like, I'm having the best time! It's an amazing gang. There was a day, about two weeks ago, when the entire troop, about 15 of us, were trekking across, over these ridges and we stop at the top of this ridge and look down into a bone yard. I was at the front of this line, and then we all stopped and filed out and I was next to Brie Larson, Thomas Mann, John Goodman, John C. Reilly,Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins...and I was like, 'This is a gang!'"

How KONG differs from other big-budget films: "I've made big movies like this on sound stages surrounded by green screen where you supply everything with your imagination and the other day we were in that crater, in the valley of the volcano, and there's beautiful mountains on every side...blue sky...and nothing left to imagine. You're just there. Sam and I were saying, 'If you can't get excited for this, you can't get excited about anything.' This is as good as it gets in terms of big movie making."

On having great character moments in the midst of the visual effects: "I've been attached to this film for a year and a half and I've been - Legendary and Jordan (director) have been incredibly generous in including me in the development of the story so I know it inside out and have had some agency in helping shape it. That's been the one thing I keep reminding people is when these films work, it's because there are extraordinary visual effects and cinema on this scale has to work as a spectacle with drama and wit and humor and life and dynamism. If there's no character, if there's no human drama...that's the different between the great ones and the okay ones. We've both really lobbied for great characters, great character conflict, every character has a journey. And I think that Jordan's masterstroke in his conception of the this story was post Vietnam 1972. It's completely new. We've never seen King Kong in that arena, and it gives every character somewhere to come from."

On his character's chemistry with Brie Larson's: "[Conrad's] sort of a 70s hero. He's one of those lone cats. He's got edge. A lot of wit. That's partly why I wanted the character to be British. So that chemistry with Weaver (Brie Larson) would have that old Hollywood banter. There's a great chemistry. There's a great sort of back and forth about who gets to make decisions. She mocks him in the beginning for being opaque and mysterious. 'What's this tracking thing you've got going on?' When the shit hits the fan, Conrad reveals himself to be really handy in a tight spot, and she's really grateful for that...but she won't let him know! And she also has moments of great bravery and courage and action. That's what I love about it. There's never been a leading female character in a King Kong film like we have.

Whether or not he was a fan of Kong beforehand: "Always. Right from the first one. I can't remember when I saw the first one, the '33 one. I remember seeing the Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange, Charles Groden one when I was younger. I love the Peter Jackson's film. I'm a big fan of adventure cinema. Always have been. We want to make it something that's up there with the best adventure stories that the form has ever seen. Those are the films I grew up on. When Jordan and I met, we talked about aspiring to make something that was like, 'cause he and I are the same age, we talked about Raiders, we talked about Jurassic Park and those films take you, they just take you to a place and put you in a context and give you a great time. You just follow the story, you know?"

On tent pole films: "I love the scale of films of this size. I'm a fan of them, myself. Even the ones I'm not in, I'm always there for opening weekend. Having made a few big movies, I think there's real scope for investment. You can tell big stories on a big scale and they can be about something. They're not just assemblages of visual effects. They really can mean something, and they do, I think. So I wanted to do that. And the character himself was so appealing because, I've played so many complex, antagonistic characters, or people who'd become antagonistic. The elephant in the room is Loki, he's not the hero of those films. He's a fantastic character and I loved playing him, but this was a different challenge. I also look like myself. My mom's gonna love it!"

Regarding Kong's transformation in the film: "He goes from someone who's just a terrifying beast to an emblem of something more powerful than that. I think the way that ILM are going to create him and render him will be completely new. I think the scale will be greater. There's always that thing in other Kong films that I've scene where he seems huge on the island but it takes him a while to get up the Empire State. I mean, it's no secret that we're in the same universe as Godzilla. He's gonna be towering, and I think that'll be exciting too."

The fact of the matter is, it's impossible to tell how a film's going to turn out from a set-visit. You can watch the scenes and speak to the actors and all the optimism in the world isn't going to affect the outcome. However, you don't always get those people who have the passion and the commitment that this cast and crew does. From the concept art to the filmmakers to the actors, everyone had a clear idea of what they wanted to accomplish. Their hearts were absolutely in the right place and the studio is behind them 100%. That's as great a start as you could ever hope for. KONG: SKULL ISLAND went from a KONG V GODZILLA prequel to the adventure movie I never knew I wanted. I'll tell you what, though: I do want it, and I can't wait for it to get here!

Via Torrilla/Weibo

[theconservativebrief]

One of the most beautiful things about Crazy Rich Asians is how it refuses to explain many of its most intrinsically Asian elements. That lack of training wheels is intentional: As director Jon M. Chu told me, “We didn’t want to give people an excuse to think of this world as some kind of obscure, exotic fantasyland — this is a real place, with real culture, history and tradition, and instead of just giving them answers to their questions, we want them to have conversations.”

The movie’s Singapore-specific local color and broadly Asian cultural nuances are indeed fairly Google-able, and can readily be contextualized through polite discussions with actual Asian people. But there’s one scene in particular that has been resiliently enigmatic to audiences of many backgrounds, both Asian and non-Asian … and it’s a pivotal one: the mahjong scene.

That’s especially true for fans of the book, who won’t recognize it; it’s original to the movie. It was inserted in part because Michelle Yeoh, who delivers an amazing steel-and-silk performance as the movie’s main antagonist, refused to play the stock villainous tiger mom from the book. This scene provides her with critical impetus toward her eventual redemption.

But it’s also true for people who don’t understand the complex rules of the game, which aren’t intuitive and are often different depending on the region of the world. So here’s a quick primer on the game of mahjong itself, as well as its significance to the film in that pivotal scene. Spoilers abound below, so if you haven’t yet watched the deliriously warm and funny movie, crawl out from under that rock and see it before reading further.

A quick primer on mahjong itself. A fast-paced, rummy-style game in which four players attempt to form sets of three or four matching or sequenced tiles, it’s hugely popular not only across Asia but around the world. Its origins are Chinese: All the way back in 1927, about a century after the game was invented, the Chinese scholar and essayist Hu Shi complained that mahjong was so popular that it had become China’s “national pastime,” calculating that the millions of games of mahjong played each day by Chinese were the equivalent of 4 million hours of wasted time daily.

But most Chinese don’t see the game as “wasted time.” In fact, despite his grousing, Hu himself was an inveterate player who spent many an evening tossing the tiles. Mao Zedong once said the game should not be underestimated — because “If you know how to play it, you’ll have a better understanding of the relationship between chance and necessity. There’s philosophy in mahjong.”

Mahjong remains extraordinarily popular among Chinese immigrants and beyond, and it’s featured in both the film The Joy Luck Club and the TV show Fresh Off the Boat, both of which depict Asian-American post-immigrant life. (Mandatory disclosure: My son Hudson Yang plays Eddie on Fresh Off the Boat; Crazy Rich Asians’ Constance Wu plays his mother.)

When asked about the mahjong scene, Chu told me, “Never thought we’d have to explain it,” and laughed. “I wanted it to be very specifically choreographed, and obviously, for it to happen that fast is almost impossible. But I wanted to intercut the game with the conversation, so it was critical for them to know exactly what they were doing at every moment. We got a mahjong expert — basically a gambling addict! — to help choreograph that game, to make it authentic.”

The closest Western analog to Mahjong might be gin rummy. The goal of the game is to reach certain combinations of tiles before your opponents. Tiles have numbers and suits, which can be combined into winning hands through sets of either matching numbers or suited numerically sequential tiles, just like in gin rummy. Each player’s hand is 13 tiles throughout the game, though the pickup of a 14th tile is needed to win.

Here is a very simplified explanation of the options that, in combination, can compose winning hands:

Chow, which is three tiles in a sequential number sequence of the same suit

Pong, which is three of the exact same tile

Plus a pair of the exact same tile, called the “eye”

Communication, negotiation, strategy, and even cooperation are far more critical in mahjong than in most card games. Watching what your opponents discard as well as the completed sets they lay out in front of them — when one steals a tile that another player has discarded, one must expose the completed set — is the key to understanding what each is attempting to accomplish.

In the movie, the mahjong scene takes place in a pivotal scene after our protagonist Rachel Chu, played by Constance Wu, has been rejected by her boyfriend Nick’s mother, Eleanor (played by Michelle Yeoh). This is because Eleanor learns that Rachel was born to a single mother who fled China for the States. However, unbeknownst to Eleanor, Nick has gone against his mother’s wishes and proposed to Rachel anyway.

In the mahjong scene, Rachel and Eleanor go head to head right after this stunning twist. Rachel invites Eleanor to meet with her at a mahjong parlor — a gambling house frequented mostly by working- or middle-class older folks who rent tables by the hour. The persistent clacking of tiles is a sound familiar to anyone who has been around people playing mahjong.

When Eleanor arrives, she takes the open seat across from Rachel and is offered the role of dealer — the “East” seat. The four seats in mahjong are named after the compass directions, which plays an important role both in the rules of the game and in the symbolism of the scene. Eleanor, in the role of the “East,” representing Asia, is the player in control. Rachel, sitting across from her, represents America — the “West.”

Early in the scene, Eleanor completes a “pong,” or a matched set of tiles. This move demonstrates that Eleanor plans to win using the strategy of matched tiles, and she’s making Rachel aware. In this moment, Eleanor tells Rachel that her mother taught her how to play too.

As the conversation continues, Rachel asks Eleanor why she didn’t like her from the very beginning — even before her family history was revealed. Eleanor expounds on the difference between Asians and Americans, noting how even though Asian Americans look Asian, they are American at heart. Referencing a Hokkien term that means “our kind of people,” she says that Asian Americans are not kaki lang. Remember, in this game, Eleanor is trying to create a winning hand comprising all matches of the same exact tile — an “extended family” that’s metaphorically composed of kaki lang.

The camera then cuts to show a number of discarded bamboo tiles. Discarded bamboo calls to mind a frequently used term for Westernized overseas Asians, this one Cantonese: jook sing, which literally means “empty bamboo.” It’s a slang term that’s the Chinese equivalent of the Asian-American term “banana” — yellow on the outside, white on the inside — cited earlier in the film by Peik Lin (the frenetically hilarious Awkwafina). The “empty” bamboo tiles are scattered alongside the tiles for East and West, not truly part of either, representing Eleanor’s perception of Rachel.

At this point, Rachel drops the bomb on Eleanor that Nick proposed to her, telling her that he said he’d be willing to walk away from everything — his family, his family’s wealth — to be with her. Right as Rachel is saying this, she draws the most important tile in the game: an eight of bamboo.

The number eight is of huge symbolic importance to the Chinese; it resembles the character for fortune and is considered a sign of wealth, prosperity, and happiness. It’s why so many Chinese license plates, phone numbers, and even street addresses contain eights. Monterey Park, the first city in San Gabriel Valley, California, to become a suburban destination for wealthy Chinese, was considered a particularly propitious place to live because it had an 818 area code.

While an eight doesn’t have special value in the game of mahjong, we see that the eight of bamboo is also the one tile Rachel needs to complete her hand. This is a winning tile for her. But Rachel knows something else, based on her observation of how the game has played out (remember, she’s a game theory professor!): It’s Eleanor’s winning tile too.

She then discloses to Eleanor that she turned Nick down. Eleanor is dumbfounded. “Only a fool folds a winning hand,” she says, referring to Nick’s proposal.

This is critical, because in the very first scene of the movie, Rachel demonstrated through a poker game with one of her TAs that to be successful in any game where psychology and choice are a factor, you can’t play “not to lose” — you have to play to win.

Rachel explains: When it comes to her marriage with Nick, Eleanor has guaranteed there’s no winning outcome for them. Nick choosing Rachel means he’d lose his mother and his family. Nick choosing his family means he might resent Eleanor forever — thus losing his mother anyway. Lose-lose.

So she decided to seize control of the situation and choose for him. But she doesn’t want it to happen without Eleanor knowing exactly why it’s happening and what Rachel is giving up to make it possible.

She tells Eleanor that she knows Nick will eventually find someone else, someone that his family approves of — that’s what every generation of Youngs has done before him, after all. And while her own heart will be broken, as she says, she loves him so much that she is willing to suffer if it means that Nick will keep the thing that is at the heart of Asian culture, and of his story: his family.

That’s when Rachel throws out the eight of bamboo as a discard — folding her winning hand, knowing that Eleanor will pick it up and declare victory. While this happens, she explains that when Nick finds the proper match in the future, she wants Eleanor to understand that the only reason it occurred was because a “poor, raised by a single mother, low-class immigrant nobody” — Rachel — made it possible.

She then reveals her hand, which would have won, making it clear to the whole table what she’s done, and walks away.

In this move, Rachel has demonstrated to Eleanor three critical things. The first is that she loves Nick enough to put his future ahead of hers. The second is that she understands that family should always come first, something that Eleanor suspected she didn’t comprehend as a jook sing Asian American. And the third is that Rachel is strong, self-sacrificing, and courageous — a lot like Eleanor herself. Instead of “never being enough” for Nick, a line Eleanor uses to surgically destroy Rachel in an earlier scene, she’s most likely exactly what Nick needs.

Knowing all of this context isn’t necessary for the scene to work, but it certainly adds depth to understand the symbolism of the game.

This essay was adapted from a post on Angry Asian Man. For a more detailed look at mahjong, read here.

Jeff Yang is a co-host of the podcast They Call Us Bruce, a featured contributor for CNN Opinion, and a columnist for South China Morning Post’s Inkstone magazine. His elder son, Hudson Yang, plays Eddie on ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat.

First Person is Vox’s home for compelling, provocative narrative essays. Do you have a story to share? Read our submission guidelines, and pitch us at firstperson@vox.com.

Original Source -> The symbolism of Crazy Rich Asians’ pivotal mahjong scene, explained

via The Conservative Brief

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Arsenal: Who in Europe may change Arsene Wenger?

Arsenal: Who in Europe may change Arsene Wenger?

Arsenal: Who in Europe may change Arsene Wenger?

Arsenal have began the method of discovering a successor to Arsene Wenger after virtually 22 years accountable for the membership.

The Gunners are searching for a supervisor who shares Wenger’s “qualities and values”, performs “progressive, thrilling soccer” and “offers youth an opportunity”, in accordance with chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

However who in Europe is obtainable and fulfils these standards?

James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein and Julien Laurens of the BBC Radio 5 reside Euro Leagues Soccer Present give their verdicts on the main candidates.

The Italian trio

Juventus supervisor Massimiliano Allegri, Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri and former Chelsea and Actual Madrid supervisor Carlo Ancelotti

Massimiliano Allegri, 50, is at the moment in his fourth yr with Juventus, having received the Serie A and Coppa Italia double in every of his three earlier seasons, whereas ending runner-up within the Champions League in 2015 and 2017.

After a profession spent primarily within the decrease leagues, Maurizio Sarri, 59, took over Napoli in 2015 and launched a extra attacking type whereas establishing them as title contenders.

Carlo Ancelotti has received home titles with AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich, and has additionally received the Champions League 3 times – twice with Milan and as soon as with Actual Madrid. The 58-year-old has been out of labor since being sacked by Bayern in September.

Horncastle: “Allegri is usually linked with huge Premier League jobs and has at all times made it clear he want to work in England at some point – a membership in London could be significantly engaging. Nevertheless, what Gazidis has mentioned, I am not completely certain Allegri suits the temporary, as a result of he’s pragmatic. He’ll typically inform his critics, ‘You may’t have caviar and champagne each day, generally you want a ham sandwich.’

“If you need somebody who performs persistently lovely soccer and may impose an identification on the crew then, in Italy, I’d look to Sarri. Like Pep Guardiola, he will not compromise on his philosophy.

“He may add worth to the present Arsenal crew and wouldn’t essentially demand they spend all the cash they’ve within the financial institution.

“He has a clause in his contract – if anybody is ready to pay 8.5m euros, they will have Sarri. Napoli try to lock him all the way down to a brand new contract – the deal on the desk is 2.5m euros per yr. Not simply Arsenal however different golf equipment may make a really aggressive supply that Napoli could not match.”

Honigstein: “Ancelotti would not match what Arsenal want proper now, which is somebody who shakes these gamers and says, ‘Not fourth place or fifth place, let’s actually go for it.’

“Arsenal have to do away with that apathy, do away with that air of complacency that has been surrounding the membership for therefore lengthy. Ancelotti would simply perpetuate it – at Bayern he had a health coach who smoked.”

The younger Germans

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, Hoffenheim supervisor Julian Nagelsmann and Schalke head coach Domenico Tedesco

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, 44, has been linked with Arsenal however is known to be changing Unai Emery at Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain subsequent season.

Julian Nagelsmann, 30, saved Hoffenheim from relegation after taking up in February 2016, earlier than guiding them to fourth within the Bundesliga final season and the Champions League play-offs, the place they have been overwhelmed by Liverpool.

Domenico Tedesco, 32, is in his first season accountable for Schalke, with the membership at the moment second within the Bundesliga.

Honigstein: “Gazidis fairly likes among the younger German coaches coming by way of and positively the sensation was reciprocal when it got here to Tuchel – he was very within the Arsenal job however he’s going to PSG.

“Nagelsman and Tedesco have carried out incredible work with little or no cash nevertheless it’s a troublesome promote after they haven’t labored for very lengthy and have not labored persistently within the Champions League, if in any respect.

“Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have lately struggled to seek out coaches as a result of the highest guys aren’t accessible. I do not see Arsenal making an appointment from the Bundesliga – there isn’t a reasonable candidate who is completely viable from Arsenal’s perspective or vice-versa. Tuchel would’ve been that man however Arsenal missed the boat on him.”

Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique left his function as Barcelona boss final June after three years in cost

Former Actual Madrid and Barcelona midfielder Luis Enrique received the Champions League, two La Liga titles and the Copa Del Rey 3 times in three years whereas accountable for Barcelona. The 47-year-old Spaniard, who additionally had spells at Roma and Celta Vigo, has not labored since leaving Barcelona final June.

Laurens: “Enrique labored with Arsenal’s head of soccer relations Raul Sanllehi at Barcelona. Sanllehi has such a robust relationship with Enrique, it would play a component and I would not be stunned if he obtained the job.”

Horncastle: “Enrique is from the Barcelona college and adopted, in lots of respects, the identical path as Guardiola – he had a stint with the Barcelona B crew then later grew to become the senior coach. Nevertheless it’s laborious to evaluate what he did on the Nou Camp – he received the treble twice, however he had Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

“At Roma he tried to vary the mentality away from the outcome to the method and enjoying good soccer, however they crashed out of Europe. He walked away, utterly exhausted by all the expertise, despite the fact that the gamers had purchased in by the tip. It is troublesome for Arsenal to take a look at him and suppose he is a certain factor.”

Honigstein: “You surprise about how Enrique comes throughout – he does not appear to have that enthusiasm for his work. He typically appeared very downtrodden, aggrieved and political – studying between the strains, Gazidis and Arsenal need somebody with a younger, optimistic, dynamic aura.”

Former Gunners

Former Arsenal midfielders Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira have each moved into teaching by way of associations with Manchester Metropolis

Mikel Arteta, 36, spent 5 years at Arsenal and is now an assistant to Guardiola at Manchester Metropolis.

Patrick Vieira, 41, received three Premier League titles and three FA Cup trophies throughout 9 years on the Gunners and is now head coach of New York Metropolis.

Honigstein: “Arteta has been talked about behind the scenes loads and he’s seen as a future Arsenal coach. They may find yourself in a scenario the place among the greater names aren’t accessible or do not fairly match they usually would possibly find yourself with somebody like Arteta or Vieira.

“The followers could be very underwhelmed if somebody like Celtic and former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers got here in. You may say the followers have been very underwhelmed when Wenger got here in 22 years in the past, however the membership have to make a much bigger assertion. That both comes by way of a blue chip supervisor or any individual they think about an Arsenal man – Arteta or Vieira would actually galvanise the help.”

Laurens: “Arteta impressed when he was at Arsenal with how prepared he was to be a coach already. It is too early for him, so he is not going to get it now however I would not be stunned if within the subsequent few years, perhaps after the subsequent supervisor, he would come to the membership. The Guardiola education that Arteta is getting proper now would resonate loads at Arsenal and they want somebody like Pep principally.”

What subsequent for Wenger?

Following Arsenal’s 4-1 league victory over West Ham on Sunday, Wenger mentioned he was not sure whether or not he’ll retire, handle elsewhere or take a director of soccer function.

Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, who recruited Wenger from Japanese facet Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1996, mentioned “there can be no scarcity of presents” and has already taken calls from individuals trying to get in contact with the Frenchman.

Laurens: “I do not see him taking one other membership job and that is what I have been advised. Nevertheless, a nationwide crew would possibly curiosity him – a very good venture, not someplace unique the place he’ll take the cash. France have gotten Didier Deschamps for a minimum of one other two years. Wenger could be very, very eager on the England job.

“He is maybe all in favour of one thing a bit greater like a director of soccer job, which might be unusual as a result of how a lot would he intrude in what one other supervisor goes to do with a crew? There are rumours that PSG are perhaps searching for that determine to be on the high of the membership they usually is perhaps all in favour of Wenger. However I believe he is carried out as supervisor at membership stage.

“In France he’s most likely the largest supervisor we have ever had. Though he had a brief profession in France, what he is carried out at Arsenal – he is one among our best for certain. He modified loads about English soccer however he struggled to evolve when he ought to’ve carried out.

“Now when he faces managers like Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola, who’re bringing in a brand new type of soccer, you possibly can see he’s behind and that is a disgrace – however his legacy is superb.”

Honigstein: “In Europe, they’ll bear in mind Wenger’s legacy for altering English soccer, making it rather more European, introducing lots of European gamers to the English sport, discovering this hybrid between the tempo and the brutality with the class and wonder.

“There was a time he may’ve walked into the Bayern job, however that point is lengthy gone, as a result of a lot of the interplay that European golf equipment and followers have had with Arsenal at Champions League stage lately, it’s important to say his legacy has been tarnished by way of a succession of catastrophic defeats the place a standard membership would’ve fired this supervisor a very long time in the past.”

Horncastle: “I’d like to see him take the Japan job. That will be incredible, however that is simply the romantic in me.”

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Deepwater Horizon (2016)

Summary  A dramatization of the April 2010 disaster, when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Genre : Thriller Country : USA Cast :  Mark Wahlberg : Mike Williams

Kurt Russell :  Jimmy Harrell John Malkovich : Vidrine Director : Peter Berg

My opinion

"The Runner" was about a congressman who tried to provide financial support for local fisheries after the BP oil spill. "Deepwater Horizon" displays in a consistent manner the pure facts on the day of the fatal accident with this oil platform. It could have been just another disaster movie, like I've seen a lot before. Full of heroism, spectacular scenes and emotionally charged images of families at home, waiting for some good news. Ultimately, it wasn't that kind of a movie. They managed to make a film without any Hollywoodian, exaggerated situations. In short, no tricks to make it more spectacular in terms of action and emotions. It's an accurate reporting of the facts that took place before and during the disaster. Sometimes I feel like watching an action-soaked disaster film where people end up in a very explosive situation, both literally and figuratively. On the other hand, I would have enjoyed a piece about the aftermath of this disaster as well.

As in any disaster movie we get to see two different groups of people with opposing opinions. First we have those who predict the danger and who tried to point out to the others what consequences will result from making rash decisions. And then there's the other party rejecting any danger and trying to nip any protest in the bud, which ensures that the whole situation derails. In the group of individuals who are using common sense and where safety is top-priority, we find Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) and Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg). Harrell is a hardened foreman on the rig, who insists on checking the cement layer that'll protect the rig against a blow out. You don't have to be a genius to know this test isn't carried out properly and what consequences it'll bring. Mike Williams is the technician who's responsible to make sure everything that needs to function will function perfectly (including the toilets). It's no surprise he transforms into the person who keeps his nerve when the trouble begins and acts in an effective way to prevent worse.

The sad thing about films like "Deepwater Horizon", is that the outcome is already known in advance. It's quite annoying when your wife peeks around the corner once again and calmly asks the same question over and over again : "And? Is it already happening?". But isn't that the moment you're waiting for in the first place? The moment the mayhem starts? The prelude only has an educational purpose (with a can of Coke explaining how drilling oil from an platform works) and merely serves to gradually build up the tension. When hell breaks loose, you'll witness a chain of explosions with such destructive force that walls, iron structures and workmen literally fly away in all directions. There's nothing so annoying as when you're enjoying a refreshing shower and the wall blows up right in your face with broken glass and twisted iron leaving a trail of destruction and death. That's what some of the crew members experienced the first minute.

Mark Wahlberg plays a terrific part as the indifferent technician Mike, who isn't is impressed by the rather authoritarian tone used by the big shots from BP. I'm not Wahlberg's biggest fan, but now I felt like this was a suitable role for him. Ditto regarding Kurt Russell who stands his ground against these BP representatives. John Malkovich (who I always will remember as the provoking Russian pokerplayer Teddy KGB in "Rounders") plays the arrogant, pedantic BP man who at first acts extremely haughty and self-confident. But when the shit hits the fan, he runs off like a scaredy-cat, realizing he escaped a certain death. He looked like one of these male passengers who sneaked in the rescue boats with the women and children when the Titanic hit that giant ice cube. Pathetic.

Don't expect much profundity in this movie. No blame directed towards the managers of BP whose only concern is to make a profit. That's more important to them than the safety of the staff. No epilogue in which these bozos are held responsible for one of the largest environmental disasters ever. And no real character development when talking about the main characters. The only goal they had in mind, was to escape from the flames and survive. But the special effects, action sequences and nail-biting race against the clock will blow you away. Exactly what the crew experienced.

My rating 6/10 Links : IMDB

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The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Review - Ship Of Ghouls

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-dark-pictures-man-of-medan-review-ship-of-ghouls/

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Review - Ship Of Ghouls

Man of Medan is set almost entirely at sea on an enormous, abandoned boat. Loosely based on the real-life mystery of the OSS Ourang Medan, which became a shipwreck in the late 1940s after its entire crew were lost under mysterious circumstances, Man of Medan is also the first part of Supermassive Games’ proposed Dark Pictures Anthology–a series of short, branching horror narrative experiences in the vein of its tremendous 2015 surprise hit, Until Dawn. If you’ve played Until Dawn, you’ll know what to expect. But despite a smart online co-op mode, Man of Medan’s weak narrative ultimately makes it a disappointing first installment.

The game’s plot jumps between five different playable characters who are all experiencing the same event. You’ll determine their ultimate fates by making decisions for them, as well as responding to quick-time events. There are reportedly 69 different potential deaths you can experience (including those of non-playable characters), but it’s also entirely possible that your whole crew will survive. Alternatively, they might all die. Man of Medan’s main selling point is that your decisions will affect how things play out, how the relationships between your characters will develop, and what you’ll uncover and experience along the way.

In conversations, and at pivotal points in the plot, you’ll often be given three options, one of which is always to say or do nothing. So focused is Man of Medan on its story, there are no puzzles to solve or combat systems to master outside of these choices, just lots of exploring and quick-time events. However, the game is plagued by a big central problem: a fundamentally weak plot.

The story isn’t engaging, as the player is given little reason to care about the characters and the horror tropes being explored mostly feel hackneyed and uncreative. After a brief prologue scene set in the ’40s, you spend Man of Medan’s four-hour (give or take) runtime in the present day. The story opens with the crew planning a dive to a previously untouched sunken fighter plane from World War II, which ultimately leads to a series of events that sees them trapped on the Medan, a seemingly haunted abandoned ship, held captive by a pirate gang who are convinced that the ship–which is riddled with dead bodies–contains treasure. Naturally, things start going bump in the night, and the gang finds themselves dealing with various ghouls and terrors too.

There are plot holes and character inconsistencies throughout, some minor, some more blatant. It’s perhaps easy to forgive the questionable presence of rats all over the boat, still gnawing on hunks of meat that have been on the ship since the 40s, but it’s less easy to excuse how blasé the characters act about the horrifying situations they find themselves in. They’re mostly unlikeable, too–There’s the cool but insecure Alex, his dorky younger brother Brad, Alex’s outgoing, wealthy partner Julia, Julia’s obnoxious but well-meaning brother Conrad, and Fliss, the captain of the small boat the four have chartered at the story’s opening. The dialogue is generally not very good; at times it successfully recreates the feeling of watching a fun-but-silly teen slasher, occasionally hitting that good-bad sweet-spot as a character awkwardly refers to something as ‘lit’ or flirts awkwardly, but it can also be annoying when the five central characters’ interactions sound stilted and unrealistic. Without spoiling anything, the story also explains a little too much about what’s happening on the Medan in a way that makes repeated playthroughs much less satisfying.

There’s also an over-reliance on jump scares, which cheapens the horror experience. One standout sequence midway through the game that does a great job of getting under your skin, as Brad finds himself stuck in a looping hallway that grows just a bit weirder every time he travels down it, but otherwise Man of Medan is reliant on spring-loaded cats and lots of suddenly-morphing faces. On the plus side, it looks tremendous–the character models can be a bit waxy, but the ship is extremely detailed and creepy, and the game effectively communicates how unpleasant the act of exploring a creaky rustbucket full of dark corners and rotting corpses must be. The trade-off, at least on a base PS4, is that animations frequently stutter, breaking the mood as frames slip away.

There are pacing issues, too, especially with the extremely slow opening section that weighs down repeat playthroughs. While you can see different scenes or experience unique outcomes with each playthrough, some scenes will be essentially unchanged each time, which can quickly grate. You’ll also occasionally have to check in on ‘The Curator’, an omnipresent suited man who is clearly meant to be the mascot for and host of the Dark Pictures Anthology. He’s a pompous version of the Crypt Keeper (from Tales From The Crypt), but without any of the “good evening, boys and ghouls” merriment you want from a horror anthology host, and as a result, he doesn’t quite fit.

Multiplayer is Man of Medan’s big addition to the formula laid out by Until Dawn. There are two forms of co-op: Shared Story, in which two players tackle the game together online, and Movie Night, where up to five players can play together offline, playing through the chapters of whichever characters they are assigned at the start. Playing together on the couch is perhaps meant to evoke that “don’t go in there” feeling of watching a fun horror movie with friends, but Man of Medan’s relatively straightforward level designs, which never make it seem dangerous to wander off-path and explore the open doors and alternate pathways you encounter, don’t particularly facilitate this. Death is more often down to a failed QTE rather than a dialogue choice you made or because you decided to investigate something spooky. In fact, right near the end, a mistimed button press can be the difference between everyone surviving and everyone dying–being responsible for that in front of your friends is more embarrassing than it is funny.

However, so many of the game’s issues feel like much less of a problem when you jump into the smart and innovative online mode. It is, without a doubt, the definitive way to experience Man of Medan, especially if you’re playing with another person who is familiar with the material. Shared Story sees you both playing at the same time, taking control of different characters as their scenes play out simultaneously. You’ll both, eventually, get a turn with every character (if they live long enough), and often your paths will diverge. Once the five main characters meet after the initial prologue, Shared Story immediately offers a more engaging experience than the single-player campaign can.

Early on, for instance, I played through a sequence where two characters dived down to inspect something underwater, while my co-op buddy stayed on the boat and experienced a different part of the story. In single-player, you’ll still see both scenes, but one will be greatly truncated. In online co-op, some scenes are expanded, or you might occasionally see parts of the story, or make choices, that cannot be accessed in single-player.

This led to the two of us conspiring to make certain things happen, to bend the game’s story to our will. We were more successful with some outcomes than others (a failed quick-time event led to an unexpected death early on), but working together to achieve dramatic satisfaction, and choosing when to reveal what just happened and when to let the other player try to figure out what we’d done in our scenes, was a delight. Each player won’t see every scene when playing this way, and it’s entirely possible to play without ever communicating, which makes the plot more unpredictable.

No matter how much or little you choose to share, though, Shared Story is absolutely the right way to play the game. It’s very well designed; my co-op partner and I never found ourselves waiting for the other player to hurry up and trigger the next cutscene, and being able to see how your friend is trying to direct a scene, and deciding whether to help or hinder them in that, is excellent. It feels like you’re working together to wring as many interesting outcomes as you can out of the game, and effectively doubling the number of potential choices leads to a much stronger sense of variety.

Man of Medan is still telling a weak story, though, as much as Shared Story plasters over this with its excellent take on co-op, which lets you plan things out and work together to craft the narrative you want to tell (and kill the characters you find the most annoying). If you can organize a session with someone else who owns the game and play through the whole thing together, it’s an excellent experience; but if you’re after another single-player horror narrative experience like the one offered in Until Dawn, it’s very disappointing. As a show of the potential for the Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is largely a success, but as a first episode, it leaves plenty to be desired.

Source : Gamesport