#but then again so were most of the actors

[kendrysaneela]

Genuinely. I really need people to stop saying “It’s only canon if they kiss” because 1. That means we will never get a slowburn queer relationship because no one will ever believe it without a kiss 2. That destroys queercoding. Which is a very important part of queer representation. And queercoding is not queerbaiting please learn the difference. 3. Not to mention how much queer representation we’d lose from history if kissing is a necessity for the representation to exist.

And then here’s a more modern example. So on the Kevin Can Fuck Himself there’s these two women Allison and Patty. This show was made by a queer woman. Allison and Patty are both stuck under the control of these abusive men. Patty stuck under the control her little brother who keeps her under his control out of guilt from their childhood. And Allison who’s stuck with her abusive husband mentally and financially. And also possibly even physically though that’s never explicitly stated the threat of that just lies in the air. And the show is basically Allison and Patty working together to escape the abusive men in their lives. And throughout this process they start to fall in love with each other. This is made so incredibly clear by the show. And Patty eventually becomes a canon lesbian. (She never says the word lesbian but they make that clear) Patty is more obviously in love with Allison most likely because she’s a canon lesbian whereas Allison’s sexuality is more still up in the air and she’s sleeping with a different guy. But it’s there you can see it. And we had it confirmed offscreen by the showrunner that Patty was in love with Allison and we know that because Patty said “Maybe can die alone together” and that was confirmed as an “I love you” by the showrunner. They’re leaning their heads together with their eyes closed when this scene happens. Very romantically coded. Then the show got prematurely cancelled halfway through the second season so they had to rush to wrap everything up in the second half of season 2. So Allison and Patty escape the abusive men in their lives much quicker than originally planned and in a different way than originally planned. Also lots of the original storyline between Allison and Patty had to be cut out because of it leading to a loss of development we otherwise would’ve gotten. But in the end they meet up again and they sit on the steps of Allison’s house and Patty says “Let’s die alone together” and Allison repeats “Let’s die alone together” now it’s already been established by the showrunner that this means “I love you” so you can take from that that they are in love with each other and somewhere down the line they will become a real couple. And that they will be together forever. The showrunner said about that scene “They are romantically alone but always together” or something like that. And SO MANY PEOPLE decided that because they didn’t kiss or say I love you that the entire show was a waste and all their romantic scenes were for naught just because they didn’t kiss or say “I love you” at the end and the QUEER showrunner didn’t explicitly say “That scene means they’re in love” and a big reason I saw people give for being angry at that was that “Straight people won’t know they’re queer they can just deny it if it’s not explicit!” And here’s the thing. Not only should we not be defining queer representation by how straight people view it but also straight people will deny canon queer representation even if they DO kiss!

Like for example on the show Doctor Odyssey there’s a canon slowburn mmf throuple. It’s been confirmed by the actors and showrunners that them being a throuple is going to be being explored this season on the show. All three of the characters Max,Avery and Tristan have all slept together once and they’ve all stated they liked it and the next episode they discussed the idea of polyamory and they showed us a polyamorous couple that was together and happy had all the characters discuss what polyamory is how it works and how it’s valid. The female character Avery very much wants them to be a throuple after their threesome and discusses it with the boys using the words “Throuple” and “Polyamorous” onscreen. the boys are still reluctant at the moment but they’ll get there they just need a second to get used to the idea. It’s basically as canon as canon can get before they actually become fully canon. And lemme repeat. Avery is the character who’s the most onboard for them being a throuple this is canon. They make this very explicit. She initiates the threesome and she spends an entire episode trying to convince the boys to be in a throuple with her. Yet yesterday? I saw an article talking about “Who should Avery choose?” Between the two boys. When the whole storyline of theirs is she isn’t going to choose nor does she want to. But yet there was an article STILL not getting it. Even with the words POLYAMOROUS AND THROUPLE being used in an episode MULTIPLE times and them all having slept together AND CANONICALLY ENJOYING IT. (They say so in words onscreen) And yet there the article was still denying it because it wasn’t fully canon yet. That’s what I’m talking about. Even when it is explicit as explicit as explicit can be straight people are going to deny it. So why are we defining our own queer rep by how straight people view it? It’s ours not theirs. They can come along and enjoy it if they choose they’re completely welcome! The more the merrier! But we shouldn’t define rep for us by how theyll view it. Because some straight people will never accept queer rep as real no matter how explicit it is. So their opinion doesn’t matter.

Discussions of what "counts" as "canon" queer representation fall apart the second you start talking about media older than about five years or so. If your only metric for "canon queerness" is a character looking directly into the camera and explaining their identity in specific, modern, US-American-English terminology, you're not going to get a good picture of what queer media looks like. If your barometer for what counts as "canon" requires two characters of the same gender to kiss on-screen, you're not going to get a good picture of what queer media looks like.

Dr. Septimus Pretorius (portrayed by Ernest Thesiger in 1935's Bride of Frankenstein) was never going to look directly into the camera and explain his sexuality in 2024 terms, but he remains an icon in queer media history. You cannot look at that character (blatantly queer-coded in the manner of the time, played by a queer man in a film directed by another queer man) and tell me that he isn't a part of queer media history.

To be honest, even when discussing modern queer media, I would argue that the popular idea of what "counts" as "canon" is very narrow and flawed. I've seen multiple posts in the past few days that say the Nimona movie is "implied" trans representation, and I just...no, y'all, it's not "implied," it's an allegory. The entire damn movie is about transgender struggle, and the original comic is deeply tied into N.D. Stevenson's own queer journey. It isn't subtle. You cannot look at that movie and pretend that it isn't about trans struggle. It's blatant, and to say that Nimona "isn't canonically trans" is a take that misses the story's entire message, and the blatant queerphobia that almost kept the movie from happening. (I wrote a five thousand word essay about the topic.)

Queer themes, queer coding, queer exploration, and queer representation can all exist in a piece of media that doesn't seem to have "canon queer characters" on the surface. Most queer characters are never going to be able to explicitly state their specific identity labels, be it due to censorship or just due to the fact that scenes like that don't fit in some narratives. Some stories aren't conducive to a big "so what's your identity?" scene.

Explicit, undeniable, "this is my identity in no uncertain terms" scenes are very important and radical, and I'm not saying they shouldn't ever exist. I am saying that you can't consider those scenes the only way for queerness in a piece of media to be "canon."

[kickingitwithkirk]

Christmas Wish

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Word Count: 1975

Warnings: Some cursing, bit of flangst

For: @starrylanex @spnfanficpond secret santa exchange

Divider by: @firefly-graphics

No Beta-all mistakes are mine

Opening the bar's door, you sigh in happiness as warm air flows outward. While Vancouver wasn’t the coldest place you’d lived, the dampness made it feel worse. Hanging up your outerwear, you make a beeline to the bar and order from the holiday drink menu.

Thanking the bartender, you sip on the Spiced Silver Bell, gazing about, understanding why it’s the SPN cast's favorite hangout when Jared's voice booms over the party noises. “Hey, Y/N! I thought you bailed on us tonight!” Spotting them crowded in a circular booth, you squeeze in next to him, noticing the tipsy flush on his face, “I got stuck doing last-minute ADR thanks to a couple of petulant children on set today.” 

Jared gives an unabashed laugh and slides you a half-filled cup of eggnog when Mark piped up. “Don’t drink that, luv, it’ll put hair on your chest.” 

So, it has finally come: your trial by fire as the newest cast member and that onscreen Christmas gag flash through your mind. Determined to prove you can roll with this crew, knock back the overly rum-laden nog without a flinch. “Damn, sweetheart, color me impressed!” Jensen said, sitting down, draping his arm across the seat back behind you. You grin and hold the out cup, asking, “Please, sir, I want some more.”

****

It’s late into the night, and most everyone is well into their cups (except Mark), sharing what holiday plans they’d made when you felt Jensen’s fingers playing with your hair, making all sorts of naughty ideas about the man you’ve had a crush on for ages run rampant when you realize he’s speaking to you. Your huh response makes him chuckle, “I said your ass is ringing.” You felt his broad hand sliding slowly down your back before dipping into your pocket, retrieving the phone, felt a sudden panic seeing the number and knowing how mischievous Jensen gets when drinking, started wrestling him for it. But it's too late, and in his best British accent, he answers…

“Y/N Y/L/N, wanton sex goddess, with a very bad man between her thighs.”  

Jensen’s eyes widened. He sat straight and spoke most respectfully: “Mr. Y/LN, I...I apologize. Yes, sir, my mama raised me to know better, sir. " Jared was in hysterics, and Jensen flipped him off while handing you the phone. You put on your sweetest voice while glaring at Jensen. “Hi, Daddy! How are you? Give me a sec; I can barely hear you.”

Once outside, you regret not grabbing your coat, feeling Vancouver's damp coldness seeping through your thin shirt, and start to pace back and forth to stay warm. “Can you hear me? Yes, sir, I’m sorry about that. My coworkers tend to get silly after a few. What were you saying? Oh, when do you head out?” 

You’re filled with that particular disappointment you knew too well, having been raised by a single father in the military. Being a brat has prepared you for the life of a working actor, never knowing how long any job would last or where you’d end up next. The downside was that your father often deployed to places you couldn’t go and missed a few holidays, birthdays, and other milestones in your life. 

Peering through the window at the ongoing merriment inside felt a twinge of envy. “Yes, sir, I’m disappointed too. Perhaps we can try again next year. Be safe, love you.” You sit down and locate the information needed to cancel your holiday trip. You must have been outside longer than you realized when a warm coat draped around your shivering shoulders looked up to see Jared's and Jensen's concerned expressions.

****

Jensen had begun wondering what was taking you so long when he walked to the bar front and saw you sitting at one of the outdoor tables, typing on your phone. Shaking his head, he grabbed his coat, knowing Jared would be right behind. Draping the coat on your shoulders, neither could miss the unshed tears glistening in your eyes. Pulling up the other chairs, they sat down with you, and Jensen asked, “I take it your dad's not going to make it?” 

 “Yeah, he got called up for some yada yada. Wouldn’t you know it? The one time I didn't have a backup plan.” Jared frowned, “You canceled the whole trip?” You wave the phone, “Dad was using his military discount for the plane tickets.” You weren't making above scale since you hadn’t been in the business long. “I checked around, but the fees are out of my budget.”

 “So what are you going to do now?” Jensen asks, and you shrug, “I’ll just hang around till hiatus is over.” You miss the look the guys exchange as the three of you return to the bar; you pause. “Do me a favor. Keep this between us. I don’t need everyone feeling sorry for me.” 

Oh, jingle bell,s batman smells

Robin laid an egg

The god-awful singing outside your apartment’s front door jerks you awake, wishing upon the Christmas star that you hadn’t had that fourth eggnog last night; stumbled around the unpacked moving boxes, yanking open the door to find Jensen, clad in an elf hat and ugly Christmas sweater, continuing his off-key caterwauling when you neighbors poke their heads out, scowling as his voice boom out the song's outro.

The batmobile lost its wheel, and the Joker got away!

You hustle him in before awkwardly waving to your shocked-looking neighbors and shutting the door. You close your eyes and slump against it, noticing the guy has become eerily quiet. Cracking open one eye, Jensen, who is more reserved than you or Jared (who literally and metaphorically showed his rear end many times), is blushing to the top of his elfin ears and comments, “Wow, I didn’t know you had a tattoo by your Lady Jane.” Snatching the afghan off the couch, you wrap it around yourself and ask, “If you’re done with classic literature references, mind telling me what the hell you’re doing here?”

“Jared and I got to talking, and we couldn’t let you stay in Van for Christmas by yourself.” You crossed your arms, “And?” He scratched the back of his head, “We umm, well, we rock, paper, scissored to see which of us you’re staying with, and I won.” 

“I can’t believe you guys!” You huff in annoyance, but Jensen sticks out his full bottom lip and makes that pouty face you can’t resist, “Okay, you win. Can I at least know where we’re going so I can pack? What a minute, strike that. I thought you were going home for the holidays?”

“It ended up being more of a couples thing.” Jensen awkwardly says, and you nod, understanding why it’d be uncomfortable with his recent break up with his longtime fiancée. “And Jared bought you some clothes for the trip.” He pointed to a bag you hadn’t noticed, and you groaned, “Oh god, please tell me there’s not a string bikini in there.”

Driving alone with Jensen was a much different experience than you’d imagined. You were used to having an overly hyper-sasquatch in the car. 

But neither felt the need to fill the space with constant chatter, comfortable in each other’s presence; the stretches of silence during the trip weren’t awkward. And sometimes you got a concert for one when Jensen would sing along with the radio. 

Passing through the small, historic town near your destination, you began telling Jensen about visiting a similar place as a child. He asks about the other places you’ve been to, and before you know it, he’s turning into a long drive. 

You glimpse the luxury mountain home in the evening light filtering through the trees. “Holy smokes! You rented this?” You inquired as he parked in front of the three-door garage. “No. A friend of mine is out of the country and lent it to me.”  

Shouldering your duffel, you follow him in and stop in your tracks, taking in the main room (holy moly, it’s bigger than your apartment). Despite its size, it felt homey with its natural woods and rock fireplace all aglow. Jensen bumped your shoulder, “Come on, speechless. Let’s unload the car, then I’ll give you the ten-cent tour.”

The days flew by in a whirlwind. Each one presented a new adventure for the two of you, doing something the other had never done before.

Jensen took you tobogganing, and you got him in snowshoes. You couldn’t stop laughing because he moved like a penguin. You talked him into ice fishing (something he’d never do again because he almost froze his balls off) but made it up to Jensen by cooking the best-steamed trout he’d ever eaten. 

There were trips to the quaint town where he would drag you into all its small shops, shocking you how much he liked shopping. Later, he’d take you to the local pub for warm drinks or dinner if neither of you wanted to cook.

Christmas Day arrives, and after a leisurely morning, Jensen wants to take you skiing, bewildering you, and ask why since you’ve demonstrated how uncoordinated you are when ice skating. Reassuring that he’ll take the easy slopes till you get the hang, you reluctantly agree. Jensen found he needed the patience of Job because your legs kept wobbling like a giraffe,  crisscrossing the skis and landing on your jacksie in every turn. You call it a day after your third run, telling him to enjoy himself, you’ll be in the bar.

Jensen shows up a couple of hours later, worn but happy, and after consuming a warming drink, you head out. When you reach the house, the day spent on the slopes catches up; you notice Jensens not moving too quickly when climbing the steps to the front door and mutually agree it’s time to test out that hot tub on the deck.   

You step out the glass door to find Jensen submerged to his neck in bubbling water. Crossing over, you handed him a bottle of champagne and glasses. You felt his eyes on you as he fiddled with the corkscrew. “Guess it's a good thing you’ve already seen me in the altogether, but remind me to kill Jared when we return.” Before he can ask, you drop it and watch his eyes pop, along with the bottle's cork, at the thong bikini that leaves little to the imagination as you climb in.

Taking the offered glass, you sip on it before sitting it by your head and sinking till the waters over your sore body. After a while, you are completely relaxed and slightly tipsy when the question on your mind slips out; feel Jensen's leg twitch.

”Shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked about your broken engagement.” Jensen waves it off, and he responds that she’s the one who broke it because she thought he was seeing someone else. “What? When the hell would you have time? You’re on set at least twelve hours a day, not to mention all the cons.” 

“She was looking for an excuse, thought I should have moved on instead of sticking with some show on a low-ranking network. But I am grateful she did dump me.” You weren’t sure you’d processed what he said correctly, which must have shown on your face.

“I’m free to admit she was somewhat correct. I do see someone else almost every day who makes me want more. And since we’ve had this time to get to know each other better, hoping she’s willing to fulfill my Christmas wish and give my grumpy ass a shot?”

You move to him and, straddling his thighs, wrap your arms around his shoulders. “If you promise not to make me go skiing again, I’ll make all your Christmas wishes come true.” 

[aconfusedkitten]

okay, so!

let's talk about telling someone that "not everything has to be queer."

some imporant context here, i am working on getting an english degree (with a focus on creative writing) and most of my writing, both fanfic and original, is queer. more than that, the main thing i love to analyze is how queerness shows up in older books. fuck, during the last two years of school, i did a major project adapting twelfth night into a series of poems exploring bisexuality, nonbinary characters, and other similar topics.

fuck, in my first english class, i wrote an analysis of sir gawaine and the green knight and said it's hard to tell who is courting who.

and adaptions are a part of that!

to me, adaptions are a great way of seeing how things that used to be only allowed in subtext can be brought to center stage. this isn't only regarding queer subtext, but that is admittedly what i'm best at catching onto.

so talking about this is an academic interest of mine, and just something i like to keep in mind, because i do wanna be a fantasy writer someday. and that's not a secret.

at all.

so why is that i'm immediately dismissed and my opinion disregarded as soon as i mention i was excited to see why some of my friends were so excited for the relationship between elphaba and glinda? it's something that the cast (both various broadway actors and the movie) have discussed, and even the original author has talked about it and said there's meant to be romantic tension.

but "not everything has to be queer, you know" wins once again, so i'll just let my opinion get brushed off again, because there's no winning that arguement.

[sapphvik]

jayvik actor au (inspired by @/messredds on twt)

—

Viktor’s eyes are blazing honey as he stares into Jayce’s, his hair glowing and luminous, halo-like against his alabaster skin.

His voice is grated but smooth, like a sickly sweet siren song, and Jayce tightens the furrow in his brow as if that would help him from falling prey to it.

“Let us instead do this once again as… partners.”

Jayce shivers under the words but holds his gaze strong, squirming his jaw under Viktor’s—no, the Marionette’s—deceptively gentle grip.

“And… cut! That was amazing boys, let’s take a break!” The director’s voice booms through the megaphone right as the slate claps, signaling the end of that scene.

The calculating smile that was once above him, now furrowed into a gentle concern, a bottom lip jutting out and a hand reaching out. “James, you okay?”

Vincent’s voice broke into the air between them, soft and sweet and normal and nothing like the sick saccharine of the Herald. He had to swallow once then twice before nodding in acknowledgment.

“Yeah, I…” He takes a moment to appreciate this view—Vincent over him, upside down but smiling like always. It’s contagious because he feels the muscles of his cheeks pull up as well, his eyebrows relaxing and jaw unclenching. “It felt so real. You’re an amazing actor, Vin.”

Vincent rolls his eyes and pulls away, sitting on his knees on the wooden block he was on. James would have thought that the man dismissed his comment if not for the champagne pink blush on his cheeks. “Stop it. You know I can’t take compliments.”

James’s smile falls and his eyes widen, his eyebrows dipping. “But it’s the truth?” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. And it is.

Vincent just laughs and shakes his head.

He reaches out to play with Vincent’s hair. It had been dyed temporarily for this scene since they were supposedly in an “astral plane”, of sorts. They had filmed all the previous fight scenes beforehand, and now all that was left were these tiny in-betweens that would be altered and edited in with CGI.

“Your hair is like starlight.” James says, twirling a short strand of it on his finger. It’s light and soft and how didn’t he realize that blond really suits him?? It’s something of a soothing gesture and Vincent seems used to these by now.

He giggles. “Did you just quote Howl’s Moving Castle?”

James tilts his head. “Huh?” With a smile, Vincent only shakes his head.

“Nothing, silly. I think you’re an amazing actor too.”

And James’s heart swells.

[hailturinturambar]

Thoughts on Charlie and Morfydd's interview (PART II)

As promised, another review! I'm loving these interviews and bts content that has been released recently. It's a small consolation since we're going to be waiting so long for the next season!

These two scenes were my favorites from the season finale. Because when it comes to such complex characters, there is always more to it. A tear is never just a tear, there are always reasons behind it and I created many theories in my mind about these scenes.

The same with Galadriel's leap to death, when she once again resists Sauron's temptation and chooses the path of light. Galadriel weighed her choice and I don't believe she jumped to it lightly.

This is the big difference between Sauron and Galadriel. While Sauron wants to destroy the world until he can rebuild it his way, Galadriel would rather live in a realm of ash and ruins than ally herself with the cause of all evil.

Yes, Galadriel desired power in both the books and the show. But she recognized the evil of the ring and how it could change her completely. And she refuses to follow that path of darkness.

“Obviously, she survived as the final scene of the season and Lord of the Rings proves. Clark also shared a fun fact during this chat that hilariously proved this too, noting that in The Silmarillion, the elves “were insane and just jumped on loads of buildings and created loads of havoc.” So, not only was this moment emotional and deep, but it also was a fun call back to the source material – which kind of blew my mind.”

I will always point this out, because it is a very important fact for me. Both the actors and everyone involved in the creation of the show are always so committed to following the source material, to spreading references throughout the show. I love that, it shows a touching care and dedication.

It was an interesting parallel. We started the season with Elrond escaping with the rings, choosing the uncertainty his escape would bring rather than giving in to possible evil. And then we ended the show with Galadriel making the same choice.

When we look closely, there are many similarities in the scenes of Galadriel and Elrond throughout the show. Especially towards the end of the season.

I believe that at that moment, Galadriel completely understood Elrond's choice and why he did what he did, what motivated him to jump when there seemed to be no other solution.

Galadriel and Elrond are like the sun and the moon, calm and storm in their choices. Regardless of the reasons that motivated them to jump, deep down, the motivation remains the same. And I liked that this was a way to represent the connection between the two characters.

“That parallel is so powerful, and it really hammered home the idea that Galadriel was fully out of Sauron’s shadow now. However, when it came to what Sauron was thinking at that moment, he wasn’t comprehending that at all.”

I decided to compare the two scenes side by side to explain my thoughts on the similarity of the scenes.

At first, Galadriel and Elrond are confronted by the proposals that are being presented to them. And they know that there are only two choices left to make. Conflict and uncertainty permeate their faces.

Here we glimpse the moment of understanding, of acceptance. Both know that they can only decide between two paths: run away with the ring, or hand over the ring and accept all the consequences caused by that choice.

The final choice is the great sacrifice. When there is nothing left to do, all choices have slipped away. To me, death/leap is an analogy about free will. When it is better to choose the most painful, most difficult path, than to give in to our enemy, to what scares us and can hurt so many.

Galadriel certainly did not expect Elrond to make such a sudden, definitive decision. Perhaps Galadriel believed that Elrond would "see reason" and side with her.

Just as Sauron seemed confident that Galadriel would choose his side. Because he believes that his side is the right one, that his side is salvation. How Galadriel thought about Elrond.

This was hilarious, to say the least. I don't think Sauron was used to being told no. Adar was a slap in the face when he betrayed him, and I imagine Sauron expected it to be different with Galadriel.

I agree with Charlie's thinking. I don't believe Sauron would be able to understand what Galadriel was really trying to say. Because that's not the kind of feeling he's familiar with.

To Sauron, healing Middle-earth is a gift, it is his mission. He does not realize that his cruel actions are not the cure, but what is rotting Middle-earth even more. So, he does not understand Galadriel's words.

Sauron was so confident that Galadriel would stand by him that her refusal surprised him. He was visibly frustrated. He was disappointed. How could she not see his point and stand by him? I would say he murdered Glûg for that. To vent his frustration, his unwillingness to accept rejection.

Ultimately, I believe that Sauron always listens to what is said to him, it is just to what degree those words penetrate him. It is a pattern. When in the first season Galadriel and Halbrand are in Númenor, he listens and remembers her words, her advice to touch the darkness to find the light.

As he listens like Annatar to the words of Celebrimbor. He is affected precisely because he listens and is affected by those words. Then he follows his pattern of destroying whoever hurts him, whoever affects him.

In the next season, I believe we will see this new side of Sauron. Where he is learning to deal with Galadriel's words.

Because Charlie is right, Sauron is too arrogant to believe that Galadriel would even think of denying him. And much less that she would jump off a cliff after refusing his proposal.

I'm really looking forward to the release of the third season and to discovering the path of these characters on this new journey!

Posting this analysis today as a Christmas present for all of us who spent the day at home looking at tumblr!

[lilietsblog]

Ok so first of all there's always going to be BAD ART. Of any art form. Movies feel special because they take so much work, so shouldn't they all come out good because of that? No. That's not how making art and storytelling works.

Well, movies ARE a little bit special. For most/all other forms of art, there's a filter between actually /making/ the thing and /publishing/ the thing. You can draw a picture that doesn't come out right, and you can just put it away in a folder and draw another. You can write a book that you then look at and realize is not up to your standards, and you just don't send it to a publisher or self-publish and nobody needs to know.

Movies? Are way too expensive for that. There's way too much investment from way too many people to just put a movie away without anyone ever knowing it was made. Losses need to be recouped at least partially. It does not, at that point, matter if the movie is good or bad, SOMEONE will hopefully pay to see it.

(Then there's the serially published works that don't have this luxury, and there TV shows have incredibly greater reach and universality than any other serial media. Most works on RoyalRoad, most webcomics etc only get /known/ if they pass the filter of minimal audience engagement. Fanfiction has 0 reach outside of the fandom, short of getting rewritten to have original characters, which puts it into the traditionally published novel category. TV shows are on TV, which means everyone who watches TV has a chance to just stumble on them)

Now I don't know much about filmmaking, maybe I'm off-base with some of this. But I don't think this is a capitalist vs communist problem.

For one, communism as central planning - as you said, committees and government-approved budgets - is an incredibly bad economic system. Like, not morally bad, like bad at being an economy. I can elaborate on that if anyone wants, but tl;dr Do Not Do This. It will not improve art either, for all the reasons noted.

If you want more good movies, proportionally, what you want is a filter that allows bad movies to be made and then /not published/. What would allow this?

a cultural shift towards lower-budget movies. If everyone is more interested in stuff that has theatrical type production with visibly painted cardboard props and dance routines from like ten people as large scale battle choreography, that'll relieve a lot of the financial/organizational pressure, I think;

technological advances! We've already got a whole new short-form video genre on tiktok, including with people who are amazing actors playing multiple roles switching around clothing and angles. Yes, most tiktoks are bad, see again: any and all art, but like my tumblr dash only has the good ones filter to it and I'm quite happy for that;

An economic system where the average person has A LOT more free time and money on their hands. I will refrain from going on a UBI tangent here, but tl;dr the only way to avoid movies needing to recoup losses and therefore going to publication even when they didn't come out good, is to have these losses be genuinely write-off-able. Filmmaking needs to become a plausible hobby, like writing or drawing, something you do without expectation of necessarily making money off it. Communally, meaning a lot of people in the same hobbyist community need to have this ability at the same time in the same place.

(No, the USSR was not this. Everyone involved was a professional that the state was paying to make movies. The state could afford to discard some movies that were being made, yes, but you don't want "the state" to be the decider any more than you want "the corporation" to be the decider. The creatives involved need to be in charge, and that means doing something about budget concerns, as said above)

Yes, you will always need someone to organize production and such. There are people, I know for a fact, who would gladly do that as a hobby /if/ that were logistically possible in their lives. See amateur theatre, a very real thing that is not particularly far from filmmaking.

The key is not "making better movies". The key is "making movies in a way where you can afford to then discard them if you don't like them".

I've been trying to get a good overview of communist art, and it's difficult, partly because of the language barrier, but also partly because I think what I want isn't the art itself, it's a comparison of how the landscape of art-making shifts.

Movie-making, in particular, is a massive undertaking that requires a fair amount of time and money if you want to do it right. You need someone to write it, someone to direct it, someone to act in it, a cinematographer, some lighting, sound and music ... under a communist model, none of this would actually change. You would still need to acquire the personnel and make sure they were housed and fed. You would still need sets to be built and artists to devote their time and energy.

So one of the common criticisms of capitalism is that it produces Bad Art, that everyone is just trying to make a buck and they don't care about the product unless it finds consumers who will pay out cash. Everything is geared for the lowest common denominator. This gets worse as you involve more and more capital.

But I've always wondered: is this not also true under communism?

I don't mean in practice, that question is simple, all you have to do is read up on the film production processes from a number of different communist and formerly communist countries, whose source materials are often not accessible in English, mired in propaganda and disputes, and cover many decades. Easy peasy. I did what I think is a surface skim, but the common threads were that film studios were state-owned, scripts were approved by party officials, there were regular reviews during production, and a final review before release. You usually have to promote socialist values, or at least not criticize the current regime, and you have reviews for "ideological content". In spite of all this, some good movies got made, some bad movies got made, and some movies were banned for lack of ideological conformity or "frivolity". There are different eras to filmmaking in every country, times when the industry was thriving and times that it crashed to the ground in spectacular fashion as the government involved itself. A lot depended on who was in power and what the then-current ideology was. I think it's tempting to say that the widely agreed upon "great films" got made in spite of having ideological overview, but it's hard for me to evaluate that claim, and if someone said "the great American films were made in spite of capitalism" I think that also would be a difficult claim to evaluate, even though I've actually seen a pretty substantial amount of the canon and speak the language most often used in analysis of production processes.

No, what I mean is that in theory there's someone that has to be running the numbers. The film studio is state-run, sure, everyone is in state housing or whatever, they're getting food somehow ... but someone, somewhere, is authorizing all this. You don't make a film without a plan, so those plans have to be submitted to someone, or a committee, and that committee has to decide which films will get made and which will remain a dream. And if they're doing that, then they're either trying to make the film that they think benefits the country the most, or they're applying their own taste and judgment, but probably both.

And if you're under some kind of model where no one runs the numbers, where film-making is entirely volunteer work, then you still have problems, because you need this large volunteer organization, and you need to bring them in on your vision, and if they can just walk away, you need to maintain that energy and vision through the whole process.

I guess what I'm saying is that yes, capitalism presents problems when it comes to this specific artform, but I feel like as soon as you're out from under the yoke of the dollar, you're immediately under some other yoke. And I do wish that when people saw a bad film and said "the problem is capitalism" they would take a moment to consider that maybe there is always necessarily going to be oversight and compromise, just because of the nature of the enterprise.

This does not apply nearly so much to other forms of art, like those that can be done by a single person sitting in a room all alone.

[georjeez]

24 to 28?

24. Movie that makes you cry every time?

A.I. Artifical Intelligence that dumbass robot kid makes me bawl like a baby every time. oh and The Green Mile

25. VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray?

DVD babey. also i always felt like Blu-rays were a fad idk (i guess theyre good for collectors or people obsessed with high quality but idc about that)

26. Best experience going to the movies

the best? hmm idk. i can definitely think of the worst though. a lot of the times i can think of are just fine with no issues but they're not amazing. probably when i went to see The Batman and got free drinks and popcorn from the guy i was on a date with

27. Top 5 actors?

YOU'RE ASKING ME THIS LIKE I KNOW PEOPLE AND HAVE TASTE

like idk if i should answer as in the best 5 actors i can think of or ones i just rly like personally

tom hanks. everything he's in is a banger and even if it's not he makes it good

keanu reeves. he's not even that good of an actor but i'm allowed to say that after watching the majority of his filmography

bruce campbell <3 king of cinema

christian bale is like the god of character acting and he scares me a little bit bc of how committed he is

al pacino + robert de niro. im counting them both together cus they come as a pair #yaoi

28. Top 5 actresses?

jamie lee curtis <3

winona ryder but mostly cus i dig her vibe

sigourney weaver but maybe im saying that cus i watched Ghostbusters recently and my friend was talking about Alien this morning

jennifer tilly cus she slays so hard and she's my everything

carrie anne moss

[lulu2992]

So Greg Bryk regularly goes live on Instagram to chat with his followers and answer a few questions, and almost every time, someone asks if he’d like to play Joseph Seed again if he had the chance, to which he used to always reply that, yes, he absolutely would. However, in early 2022, he didn’t seem so sure anymore and said it would depend on the script (the question was specifically about a potential Far Cry 5 movie) and the writer(s). Then, a few months later, he implied he didn’t feel like playing the Father ever again because he thought the character’s story was “finished” and that Ubisoft should focus on creating new things instead…

Well, on October 14, 2023, he once again went live on Instagram and, when people mentioned Far Cry 5 in the chat, he revealed that he had reached out to Dan Hay and Drew Holmes, two of the game’s three main writers he’s become friends with, and that they had visited him “on set” (I’m not sure what he was shooting) the day before. In the past, he had already explained several times that he had loved working with them and thought the story they wrote (along with “JS”, Jean-Sébastien Décant, the game’s third main writer) was fantastic. This time, he added that Far Cry 5 was really “special” to him because the writers “cared a lot” about creating something great with amazing characters, and that he thought the whole Seed family was really well-written.

A few minutes later, when he was asked which character he would like to play again if he could, he said it was hard for him to choose because he loves them all, but he eventually picked Jeremy Danvers (Bitten) and Cobbs Pond (Frontier).

Then, surprisingly, he also mentioned Joseph.

I don’t know why he changed his mind again or if the fact he contacted Dan Hay (who doesn’t work for Ubisoft anymore) and Drew Holmes (who recently became the new IP Director for Far Cry) means anything, and I’m not sure I want more Far Cry 5 content to be released anyway (for continuity reasons), but I guess the Seed family’s return, as equally exciting and truly terrifying as this eventuality sounds to me, isn’t completely out of the question anymore in Greg Bryk’s mind!

[glossolali]

happy 2nd mighty nein finale anniversary everyone and don't forget molly is alive 😌💜💜💜

[katerinaaqu]

He really did! But again I disagree that productions didn't have stuff to show it is just that unfortunately the success story was not the same. Arguably many greek movies before or even after were very good (with the latest being Eutychia in 2019)

When you say "only" you need to be thinking of inflation cost as well. Definitely the movie had a low budget compared to great Hollywood productions but 1.2 million at 1977 was not the same value as now so one needs to keep that in mind too. As for the rest as you see most of the world follows the same logic of creation anyways.

Well a drama and a movie need to be seen through different lenses but sure one cannot compare the size of work of one and the other. And to be fair Cacoyannis also casted famous actors of his time that he knew and trusted like Kostas Kazakos and Irene Papas (the latter with international career) because he had worked with them on Zorbas before unless I am mistaken as well as the rest of the tragedy-themed movies before or after that he directed.

Christos Tsagas, Kostas Kazakos and Kostas Karras

As Odysseus, Agamemnon and Menelaus

In Iphigenia (1977)

You can't find a better trio! They look amazing together! Even their heights are perfect! Tsagas is simply Odysseus! Straight out! He was arguably the shortest of the team and corresponding to the description of Homer being like a ram (curly hair and proud posture) and very well built seemingly wider than Kazakos even! Moreover, Tsagas was born in 1939 making him 38 in 1977 when the movie came out! He is simply perfect!

Here's another image with him next to Dimitris Arronis as Calchas and Panos Michalpoulos as Achilles:

Gotta love the cultural details how Odysseus removes his hat within the conference room to show respect the same way that our men remove their hats in churches or during sacred moments (ex. Funerals) to show how he respects the process as well as Calchas as a prophet for his position.

[creaturefeaster]

Hey does tyvson or ganso have voice actors?? (Or had) If so I'd really like to hear their voice! (Also I love ur art)

TyV's voice actor is his original namesake, an old friend named Ty. While most characters at this point I feel have evolved to a degree where their voices have probably shifted away from their original casting, I don't think TyV's voice would ever change from his original actor. They're just too intertwined in my head!!! Unfortunately I do not have any clips of his voice to share u_u.

El Ganso does not have a voice actor, he was made far far after the original voice casting. Like, nearly a decade later lol.

It'd be fun one day to have voice actors for them all again. I think if that happened, it'd be fun to make short voice acted animations again.

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

My brain nonstop since watching episode 2:

*RUN* angelic choir singing as we pan up Izzy's missing leg and then his body. As we see him holding the gun *RUN* Izzy looks sad, wet, sick, and PISSED, betraying Edward for good this time*RUN* Zoom in on Izzy's face, the mark of his failed attempt dripping in the rain *RUN* Pan to Ed, laughing like a maniac, relieved, and scared, as he realizes that Izzy didn't die. So him killing himself like this would kill all the people left in his life. That he's put the ship in danger for no reason.*RUN*

(Spotify is SO LUCKY my top Songs of the Year reset October, this fucker would be top 50 AT LEAST)

[pagesofkenna]

this week i've been working my way through the collection of Shelley Duval Childrens Shows From The Eighties, which is a lot, to find one specific scene I remembered seeing on VHS as a child

i finally did find the scene i was looking for, but i think i'm going to keep making my way through her anthology series (plural) because it's very charming in a dated way and actually a lot of these classic story retellings are ones i'm not familiar with

[sonknuxadow]

im generally not a fan of the idea of any of the early 2000s sonic games being remastered because i think those games not having the most updated looking graphics or the best voice acting ever is part of the charm i dont want them to be changed to look and sound exactly like every other sonic game thats come out in the past 14 years

[helloiamacashier]

It's a travesty that I can't reblog gifsets of books.