#character: earnest jones

[redhairedgryffindor]

I won't leave you alone

My MC, Earnest Jones won't leave werewolf Chiara alone in the forest

Also Friendly Werewolf Chiara in this

[sysig]

The brainworms are winning, clearly (Patreon)

[weaponizedmoth]

Heya friend can't remember how exactly I ended up followin' you but from one lonely OC artist on tumblr to another I wanted to submit one of them emojis for the OC ask post you reblogged on here 🥰 because I know how much it sucks when you care about your guys that you created but no one asks about 'em. So! My submitted emojis are 💯, 🤍, and 🤔, and you can answer with as many or as few OCs as you feel like in whatever order makes the most sense for you ❤️ the more the merrier obviously, but idk how much effort you wanna put in for a single ask ahahaha basically please tell me things about your kids I would love to hear 💕

Thank you so much, that's very sweet of you. I thought you had followed me from Character Hub, but maybe you followed me there because you found me here??? Anyway, thank you for the follow on both accounts. Considering I have 20.000 OCs, and trust me I'd love to do all three question about all, I'm gonna pick the ones I believe will fit the questions better for each questions. Some OCs don't have facts others don't know and are open books for example, etc.

💯 - share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

Hayden Metzler: He grew up in a cult town in the desert and hates high temperatures, he broke both his legs at the age of eight, he burned down a church with a molotov cocktail. Stacy Earnest: She hates being in her mother's plays and having to wear those outdated costumes, she's afraid Sally will get sick of her job and leave her, she thinks that she'll never beat the curse no matter what. Abigail Jones: All of her boyfriends looked a little like Cornelius cause she secretly thinks he's handsome, she wishes to be seventeen again, she wished her parents had prevented her from going into the public eye with her deficiency, no matter how much they needed the money from the interviews.

🤍 - what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits?

(I chose questionable for this because neutral and questionable are not synonyms, which made me a little confused, so I'll go with the morally dubious stuff).

Star Girl: She genuinely didn't care about putting humanity in danger when she made her band, no matter what Matthew's rules of revealing yourselves to humans are. She wanted to play, so she did. Hayden Metzler: Hayden doesn't care about anyone other than himself and his cat for the longest time. He cares about taking down Margaret Lancaster, the cult leader, but when he's possessed all of his worst traits, and then some made up things he thought of himself, come out, so he becomes manipulative, vain, egotistical and violent. The Ghosts of Stacy's story (aka The Cook, The Kid, and The General) (some trigger warning for violent stuff, cannibalism etc because they're the villains): They are all questionable traits. They are supposedly the antagonists, they're all taken by the Earnest curse. So the Cook used to mix her bovine meat she sold to everyone in town with some not so bovine meat, the Kid used to pillage and steal, the General kept going with the family meat business and he was also a sleazy, manipulative bastard. So, they have a mention here.

🤔 - what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms?

Space Pirate: Eats a lot, she loves human food, but only human junk food. Cornelius Wildflower-Stardust: He keeps animals and plants pretty close to him, having so many animals in his house, even though he is a Water Faerie, and doesn't have any real affinity with nature, all because his mother was an Earth Faerie. Margaret Lancaster (aka Mags): She knows everything about Faerie celebrity life, she reads the Faerie Society Gazette pretty frequently even though she is Wiccen.

Thanks for asking!

[sunlighthroughthe-ashes]

i've never been the biggest advocate of either mi-suk or hye-suk; but their friendship is truly something beautiful to behold.

a friend is a bond you choose to bind yourself with — you choose to say: "your sorrow is my sorrow. your children are my children. your life is my life to cherish and nurture."

witnessing hye-suk promise to protect and care for seokryu just the way mi-suk looked after seunghyo filled me with so much warmth. this is how legacies are formed when two families join as one: lasting love stretching from one generation to the next. a marriage between two people is also a marriage between all their loved ones: a living union connecting members of one family with another's for the rest of their years. these are the relationships you voluntarily take on: the implicit trust you place in people not of your blood to look after and love your daughters and sons when you yourself can't anymore.

it reminds me of these lines by s. jae jones: "for love is our only immortality, and when memory is faded and gone, it is our legacies that endure."

i also adored seokryu's proposal — it was exactly like her: sweet; simple, and earnest. a character in a book i love once said that "i ask no rainbow joy of life" — but that's exactly what we DO ask and want in our existences. and that's exactly what seokryu promises seunghyo: the quiet rainbow joy of a home-cooked meal and a hand to hold. a promise of ordinary; enduring love. a lifetime of peace and contentment.

it's everything he's ever wanted. and it's finally been given to him. ♡

[the-offside-rule]

Steven Grant (Moonknight) - All She's Ever Wanted

Requested: yes

Prompt: Y/n and Steven watch Bridget Jones

Warnings: not a lof

It was a quiet Friday night, the kind Y/n liked best. Curled up on the couch with a blanket, a bowl of popcorn, and her favorite film; Bridget Jones’s Diary. She had seen it countless times, but it never failed to make her laugh, cry, and swoon all in one sitting. Steven Grant, her sweet, bookish boyfriend, was busying himself with some ancient Egyptian texts, still as wide-eyed as he was when she first met him at the museum gift shop. “Why don’t you come watch with me?” Y/n called out to him softly, her voice pulling him from his focus. “It’s late, and you’re always up anyway.”

Steven looked over at her, blinking with those kind brown eyes, already apologizing in their soft gaze for being distracted. He was the type of man who could get lost in history, in hieroglyphics, in his own thoughts. Sleep evaded him more often than not, but being awake with Y/n always seemed to soothe him, like the world made more sense when she was near.“Bridget Jones’s Diary?” He asked, stepping over to her. He sounded curious, a little hesitant. “I’ve heard of it, but, you know, not really my kind of thing.” Y/n patted the spot next to her. “Oh, c’mon. You’ll love it. Besides, it’s not like you were going to bed anytime soon, were you?” Steven chuckled softly, conceding. “Right, fair point.” He sat beside her, adjusting his cardigan as he settled in.

As the film began, Steven tried to hide his interest at first, pretending not to get too caught up in the story. But it didn’t take long before he was chuckling along, glancing at Y/n every time Bridget fumbled her way through yet another awkward moment. By the time Hugh Grant’s character, the charming yet smarmy Daniel Cleaver, made his entrance, Steven’s brow furrowed. “Hugh Grant.” Y/n sighed, a playful grin tugging at her lips. “He was so handsome when he was younger, wasn’t he?” Steven stiffened slightly, shifting in his seat. “Was he, now?” Y/n didn’t notice the way his shoulders tensed or the way his expression faltered. “Yeah, you know, that whole charming, bad-boy thing? I mean, I wouldn’t date him now, but back then? Well, you know what I mean.”

Steven swallowed hard, his mind racing. He wasn’t like Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver at all. He wasn’t the slick, suave type who could make women swoon with a wink. He was awkward, often fumbling his words or getting overly excited about ancient civilizations. He worked in a museum gift shop, for crying out loud, hardly the stuff of romantic heroics. But Y/n noticed the shift, her hand reaching for his. “Oh, don’t be like that.” She said with a laugh, squeezing his fingers gently. “It’s just Hugh Grant. You’re nothing like him, but that’s a good thing.” Steven managed a small, nervous smile. “Right, nothing like him.”

As the film progressed, Steven became quieter, though Y/n didn’t press. It wasn’t until the final scenes, Mark Darcy’s dramatic, unexpected kiss with Bridget that she noticed Steven’s gaze had softened, a mix of awe and uncertainty playing across his features.

Wait a minute...nice boys don't kiss like that

Oh yes they fucking do

She nudged him, grinning. “See? Nice boys can kiss the way Bridget likes.” Steven looked at her, shoulders slightly drooped, and his voice was low, almost a whisper. “You really think that, love? That, you know- a nice bloke like me- like Mark Darcy- could ever catch someone like you or Bridget in a world of Daniel Cleavers?” Y/n’s smile faded for a moment, replaced by something more tender. She turned to face him fully, her hand reaching to cup his cheek. “Steven-” She said softly, her thumb brushing his skin. “Mark Darcy was all I ever wanted in a boyfriend.” His brow furrowed. “Really? Him?”

She nodded, her voice earnest. “Yeah. Someone sweet, loyal, who doesn’t play games. Someone who’s good, through and through.” She let her words hang in the air, her eyes meeting his. “That’s you, Steven. And I’m happy to have my own little Mark Darcy, even if he works in a museum gift shop.” A laugh escaped him then, a sound of pure relief mixed with disbelief. “I- are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely.” Y/n leaned in, her lips brushing his softly, like the way Mark kissed Bridget, slow and full of emotion. When they pulled back, she gave him that same playful grin, the one that always seemed to put him at ease. “Now, stop worrying. You’re all I need.” Steven’s shoulders, still tense from earlier, finally relaxed. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting his worry fall away, grateful for the woman in his arms who saw him for exactly who he was; her very own Mark Darcy.

[calciumdeficientt]

BULLY CHARACTERS AS CATS

i think i’m a little late to the party on this but there’s a wiki documenting stray cats in china and they all have silly names so i’ve chosen a few that fit bully characters. there’s literally hundreds so i am more than willing to do more.

JIMMY HOPKINS

fairly obvious, jimmy’s original ps2 model had a big squint problem. short sighted king.

PETE KOWALSKI

he’s just a little fella i love him like he’s my own son.

JOHNNY VINCENT

his name is john…… pretty self explanatory here. also. the destroyer of universes. we all saw what he went through for lola

GARY SMITH

nightcore listener i just know he is ill die on this hill so help me god. so edgy. so sinister.

PINKY GAUTHIER

prissy preppy lady that wears designer clothes but also very polite looking.

DAMON WEST

he is…. so large and he beats me up every time i go near the gym

EARNEST JONES

little pussy boy that gets a 15 year old to fight his battles for him. i spit on him. pathetic creature.

EDGAR MUNSEN

purely for the ‘murderous intent’ tagline. who else but the guy who beat a 15 year old with a lead pipe

GORD VENDOME

hook line and sinker this boy has a french last name. milky oh milky however did you get so creative.

KIRBY OLSEN

i don’t care if he also beats me to death when i come by the gym he’s a goober that can do no wrong and my favourite jock

[sepublic]

Now that I’m older, it’s occurred to me that Jack Sparrow really does play the role of the mentor figure in Curse of the Black Pearl. He’s definitely a very cleverly subversive take on the trope, but he is a take on it nonetheless; The older figure who teaches our young, hotshot hero how to act and passes on wisdom. “I knew your father.” An experienced member of a forbidden group that our protagonist learns to accept he is a part of. Acts as a call to action, and isn’t introduced until past the first few scenes of the film.

By contrast, Elizabeth and Will are established in the movie’s first scene, which further strengthens the actually hot take that they’re the main protagonists of the film and the trilogy as a whole, not Jack. Jack is just less recognizable as a mentor because he breaks a lot of the rules (more guidelines really) of the trope, and is treated as more than just a tool for our main character’s growth; He’s someone with his own life and wants and stake in this, too.

Jack Sparrow is ultimately the Gandalf, the Obi-Wan of Pirates of the Caribbean. And that leads me to my argument that PotC is the Star Wars of its generation, with its own Empire Strikes Back and everything. It’s got a lot of the same tropes and structure, but it’s mixed around and dressed up in such a unique way that most people fail to realize this at first glance. 

Take for example, the dynamic of Davy Jones and Cutler Beckett... This is just Vader and Tarkin in A New Hope; A more iconic, supernatural threat, physically imposing, who is nevertheless subservient to Just Some Guy who is British and represents the Machine that strips the world of its magic and wonder. Vader and Jones are more romantic, they’ve got sad backstories and are humanized to the audience; But Tarkin and Beckett are banal and simple, just ruthless men who don’t care, like in real life.

But while Tarkin dies in the first film to make way for Vader taking the spotlight, as well as his similarly theatrical Emperor, the creators of PotC clearly wanted to explore the dynamic of a supernatural force straining against his imperial collar, and the tension of knowing he is contributing to the decline of his own kind. They took Vader and Tarkin’s relationship and made it front and center, happening at the end of the trilogy and not at its beginning. And it is Beckett and the imperial machine that is emphasized as the true evil, whereas in Star Wars, the Empire takes orders from Palpatine and his Dark Side shenanigans, who are framed as the foundation for the conflict.

The crew reinvented Star Wars for a new audience, rather than just... pulling off of the brand and imagery of Star Wars, or copying it word-for-word. They understood the core foundation of the story and the earnest creativity that comes into making something both familiar yet inarguably new, which subverts the stories that came before it in a meaningful manner.

[nalyra-dreaming]

The person thinking they should have had a Nickistat wrap:

a) Yeah, even if Nick is a significant supporting character next season, they're not going to put him front and center like that: Loustat is the central romance, and it will remain the center of marketing. Nothing else makes sense or corresponds to what the show is doing. I could see Gabrielle being a big part of marketing next season, especially if the actress is well-known, but Nicki is a less significant character in the series overall than Armand.

b) They're still promoting season 2 at this SDCC, they're just teasing season 3--NEXT summer will be promoting season 3 in earnest.

Okay, if this is a hint of what's to come with s3... 😅 (I see this is another high emotions topic...)

Yes we are still in s2 marketing. As them having the unholy family on the wrap clearly shows. It's also something else than the poster wraps last time (as pointed out in a previous ask). Nicki might be on posters for s3, but IF he is, then more like the posters wraps we got for s2, imho:

Because the actual image for s2 was this one:

and this

And with these two the focus is actually very clear, right?

Louis front, Lestat looming and facing the camera, Claudia and Armand at the same level (smaller). It... speaks, volumes.

And I would actually argue that we see a similar setup here.

As this is still s2 promotion - but after s2 - it makes sense to "reduce" to the characters that are - and will remain - main.

And those are Louis, Lestat and... Claudia. Almost the same size.

If you know the Chronicles, then you know that Claudia literally haunts the narrative. Rolin Jones said they had not put a "bow" onto her chapter yet, and with Delainey's comment re the "book club" she is in with Jacob and Sam I do believe we will get to see "ghost Claudia".

As such, this is a rather ingenious way of promoting not only what was... but what is to come, too.

THIS is what the chronicles - and this show - are built on. Loustat... and the ghost of Claudia.

And it makes sense that there would be no "other", or "supporting" characters on it as well, imho. Not now. Not on that "photo poster".

We will get other posters for s3. These will feature other characters, too. But this is not that - not yet.

[redhairedgryffindor]

Is finding Merula really that important? It sounds like you have Ministry work to do.

Finding her is important

My work is more important

[drivingsideways]

I'm just here to post a terribly earnest rec for AMC's Interview with A Vampire, which, er, you may have noticed, I've become a little insane about in the recent past (has it even been ten days?!)

Side note: You don't have to know the Anne Rice books or the previous movies to enjoy this show. In fact, the show makes some great and fundamental changes to canon which really elevated it , imho.

Ok here goes:

1) It's a really fun gothic melodrama, which really enjoys being all three things, but especially the last. And it's good at being all three, very good, actually. And it's really fun. Did i mention that. FUN.

2) If you like twisty, non linear narratives told by unreliable narrators, this show is near perfect at it. The entire story is structured around multiple layers of performances - stories within stories within stories- but never in a incoherent way that will leave you hanging. It's very clever and has fun being clever without being obnoxious about it, if that makes sense. The theatrical feel isn't a coincidence- the show runner and much of the writer's room are or have been playwrights, and many in the lead and supporting cast have theatre backgrounds, and that makes it incredibly compelling and just- fun.

3) There's so much to nerd about! It's non apologetically literary and artistic, but in such a joyful way. It's costume design- ranging from late eighteenth century to contemporary- is just delightful; and I can't sing enough praises about the set/production design in the way it enriches the storytelling and the characters. Every little detail seems to have been thought about, from a crew that's really just having a blast, I think. In fact, I'm doing an entire rewatch of two seasons just to savor all the stuff I rushed through the first time as I got more and more caught up in the whirlwind pace of the story.

4) The performances are great! Both the leads are charismatic and great performers- and yeah, there's a lot of extraordinarily pretty people in this- but it's the total commitment to their characters that really shines through. There's a casting change for a major character in season 2, but oddly enough, it's a change that fits MARVELLOUSLY into the story itself. Season 2 especially brings in some amazing guest performances, to add to a crew that's already firing on all cylinders.

5) It's queer as hell you guys! Not a single straight couple in it, but its queerness is not just about specific ships or couples, it's just fundamental to the story itself; a point of view rather than sexual orientation.

6) What I very much love about the main romances in the show is that the queerness is essential to their story but it's not everything. There's more to these people and their difficult and often toxic loves than being queer in a homophobic world; they are allowed to be failures at love, to be angry, happy and sad, and most of all: they are all horrible people! They just are. It's GREAT.

7) On a more shippy note: there are so many great canon ships. My personal fave is the problematique "Loustat" ( Lestat/ Louis), which is also the abusive, toxic , dramatically epic love story around which the show revolves, because ngl, " they make each other worse" is where it's at in 2024, but there are other, possibly even more toxic ships to enjoy! 🍾🎊🍹💕

8) Watch it so you can come scream with me about it. To quote show runner Rolin Jones, " It's made to make you insane. Feels first."

[usaigi]

On the subject of "People don't really like pwTrauma/Mental Illness," people's "activism" is so fucking transparent. Characters like Steven Grant are praised and coddled because his mental illness is cute and uwu look at his little bear paws aw he's so nervous vs character like Marc Spector are perceived as "bad" because he's a liar or rude or violent. Or on the other side, the "Marc has never done anything wrong, he's just a wet cat" people who attribute all of Marc's violence to Khonshu.

You can like Steven and think he's endearing and also acknowledge he called Marc a parasite and punched Marc after seeing their trauma.

You can like Marc and recognize he is a liar and is extremely guarded because of trauma. You can recognize he likely only became a mercenary because he was kicked out of the army and it was likely his only option while also acknowledging that he killed people.

Matt Murdock is a depressed man who lies and manipulates his friends and is also an earnest person who wants to protect his community.

Jessica Jones is an alcoholic to pushes everyone away but she gives a shit.

Wanda Maximoff was so hurt and lost her grief exploded and created a fantasy where she could be with her husband and have kids.

None of these characters are good or bad. They're people. And sometimes, people with trauma are assholes. People with trauma are bad friends sometimes. They can be manipulative, liars, clingy, insecure, aggressive, and violent. But guess what. Acknowledging the times they're "problematic" is not an attack on the character nor is it stigmatizing.

But, if you hate a character for exhibiting behaviors typically associated with pwmental illness, maybe you're not as good of a person as you claim to be.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #672

Top Ten MCU TV Shows 2024

Once more, with feeling, we return to the MCU. Last week I ranked my favourite MCU movies – the third time I’d done that in the nearly thirteen years I’ve been writing this dumb blog. Time passes, tastes change, and Marvel keeps making more movies. But one thing I’ve never done before is rank their TV shows.

There are two very good reasons for that. One is the simple fact that Marvel Studios haven’t really been in the TV-making business all that long; y’see, I’m not counting MCU-adjacent series such as Agents of SHIELD, Daredevil, or Jessica Jones; and as good as X-Men ’97 is, I’m also not counting the many animated series based on Marvel comics. No, I’m very specifically referring to the Marvel Studios/Marvel Television productions that are explicitly set in the MCU; so, basically, the ones they’ve made for Disney+. As a result, I can only go back as far as 2021’s WandaVision; and in all that time, they’ve only recently slipped past ten total productions (eleven series and two one-off TV specials). So I couldn’t really have done this list very much earlier regardless.

And the second reason is that I never thought of doing it till now.

So what we have here is something very simple: a top ten ranking of my favourite MCU TV projects. I say “projects” there, and “shows” earlier on, because I’ve decided to include their two TV specials into the mix here. The line between “short film broadcast on TV” and “one-off TV programme” is a very blurry one, but I do think both the Guardians Holiday Special and Werewolf By Night fall into the latter category, and therefore I think I should include them in a ranking of TV shows, rather than shoe-horning them into a movies ranking. But that’s all there is to say, really; this is a top ten of my favourite MCU TV.

Do not adjust your set.

WandaVision (2021): MCU’s TV adventure really exploded out the gate with this stunning, genre-bending, convention-defying mystery. Utilising TV tropes and formats perfectly, it gave us the tragic downfall of Wanda, allowing a slow-burn and rather uncanny conundrum to unfold week-by-week, a fantastic use of episodic TV. Mysteries, guest stars, new characters, big Avengers; it had it all, and some great theme tuns. And it set up…

Agatha All Along (2024): maybe it’s not quite this good, but my mind’s full of it right now. The best MCU show to give us an unfurling mystery since its predecessor, once again we have a drip-feed of revelations that often lead to more questions; once again we have a cool crew of characters to fall in love with. Some terrific acting, some great songs, some real emotional heft, and some overdue progressive representation. Glory at the end.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022): at once light, breezy, and throwaway, and yet also incredibly emotional and potentially essential if you want to know these characters. Something of a hangout mini-movie, it’s a knockabout yuletide lark, but also manages to bring a tear to the eye with honest characterisation and earnest, old-fashioned love. Also has not one but two genuinely very good songs.

Ms. Marvel (2022): debuting a character so perfectly formed and perfectly cast, this is Iman Villani’s show and she knows it. Kamala Khan is a joy from start to finish, and her down-to-earth world with its down-to-earth characters is a refreshing change from the MCU’s gods and billionaires. Like Black Panther before it, simply telling these stories through the lens of another culture instantly makes them feel fresh and exciting. I hope we see more Kamala and her family very, very soon.

Hawkeye (2021): essentially a PG-13 Shane Black movie turned into a TV series, this is in many ways the perfect superhero Christmas film. But, er, a TV series. World-weary Jeremy Renner – finding new shades of Clint even now – contrasts beautifully with firecracker Hailee Steinfeld, with lots of great banter and warm feelings. But it doesn’t skimp on action, with some fantastic fights and one outrageous single-shot set-piece involving a car and a ton of trick arrows. More please.

Loki (2021-23): I think you could argue that the only MCU shows thus far that essential to the overall narrative are maybe this and WandaVision. Here we totally unpick not just the central character – and Tom Hiddleston’s multi-faceted, many-layered performance is possibly the best in the entire franchise – but also reality itself. The design of the TVA is extraordinary, and when it goes weird – multi-Lokis, time-slipping, the works – it’s a wibbly-wobbly joy. And it has arguably the best single episode – certainly the best finale – of any MCU show.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022): Marvel is often funny, but Marvel doesn’t often do outright comedy; this, then, is a rare gem. A snappy, progressive sitcom in superhero clothing, we have a stand-out central performance, a ton of great cameos, lots of genuinely hilarious jokes, and some utterly bananas fourth-wall-breaking meta-gaggery. It cost a fortune and was, I believe, considered a bit of a disappointment, so we’re probably not getting any more. Savour this sweet miracle for what it was, and be grateful.

Werewolf By Night (2022): unashamedly echoing a particular style in a way not really seen apart from the sitcom pastiche of WandaVision, this is a love letter to all kinds of classic horror, with lots of high contrast shadows and keylit screaming. Manages to be a creepy and grisly thrill-ride, but also give us some nice emotional pay-off with Man-Thing at the end.

Moon Knight (2022): a show by turns masterful and frustrating, we’re here seeing something that sadly happens a lot in the MCU: a failure to stick the landing. The magical shenanigans of Khonshu are one thing, but the highlight here is the multiple personalities of Marc Spector/Steven Grant, and how their perceptions of the world colour not just our perceptions of the show but also Moon Knight himself. Meanders a bit with a woolly ending, but some of its highs are stratospheric.

What If…? (2021-2024): a really bold swing for the fences, this is an exciting adventure show that showcases different characters in new and interesting ways. Whilst you could argue that, with the whole multiverse to play with it’s rarely all that inventive or strange, it’s nice to see, say, Nebula as a detective, or a more playful T’Challa. The animation is often very good, and the way the stories dovetail is interesting. Apparently this year’s third season will be the last. Let’s hope it goes out with a bang.

[thealogie]

f9 jj watcher here and i agree so hard with both anons. i've rewatched the show a lot as i've grown and them showing a glimpse of what kilgrave would be like if jessica put herself last and how NOT doing so was the right choice for her in the end and no amount of tragic backstory can excuse what he did to her was really helpful to me as someone who grew up in a culture that you have an obligation to sacrifice anything for anyone even the ones that hurt you irrevocably. like not to be earnest but it was really so fucking good. that show said jakey should die and he DID 🔥 by her bare hands 🔥 i love jessica jones so much she's the reason for my leather jacket i bought then that's still so well-loved now. best marvel series 1 and marvel female character out there fr

that show really said jakey should die!! You should kill jakey while looking straight at your female best friend and telling her you love her!Ugh yall are making me want to rewatch so hard. Jessica Jones season 1 truly gave us a glimpse into what a good superhero story could be. It really is the only show I’ve ever seen to live up to what Michael Chabon’s kavalier and clay told me superhero stories could be

[avelera]

Hello! I’m the anon that asked for your advice on where to start reading the vampire chronicles. I just wanted to let you know that I’m nearly finished with Tale of the Body Thief and I’m just having such a good time with them.

Unsurprisingly, given her legacy, but Anne is such a good writer and Lestat is truly the character of all time. But I was pondering why they’re so good - because they are sort of ridiculous and Things Just Sort of Happen. It’s almost (but not quite) like reading fanfic because Lestat will just randomly do the most bonkers thing imaginable. So it almost shouldn’t be so compelling but it really is. And I think why is that it’s all earnestly done. There is humour in there - I’ve laughed a lot - but it’s not done with that in mind. Lestat’s earnestness and therefore the book’s is what makes it feel so captivating I think. Anyway, just thought I’d share and thank you again!

I definitely agree, as does Rolin Jones I believe, that the books lack something of "forward momentum" or plot. Things do just sort of happen.

But I think that is an element of Anne's great strength at writing characters. Truly, I think, her mastery of writing fascinating people that you want to hang out with covers a lot of what would technically be considered writing flaws, like a lack of plot or causal chain. We like spending time with these characters so we'll just follow them wherever they want to go. After all, the biggest sin of fiction is being boring and Anne through Lestat is very good at not being boring.

(Quick aside, I absolutely love Body Thief because I think it's as close as we get to The Vampire Chronicles pivoting to What We Do in the Shadows, which is one natural conclusion of her worldbuilding and characters with their big personalities. Instead, she professionally pivoted more towards the religious than the ridiculous aspects of her world, which to me was a bit of a shame. I think the books really shine when she allowed a bit more humor in.)

But yes, I think Anne Rice also appeals to fanfic writers because much of her style is an elevated form of fanfic writing. It's incredibly earnest and sincere, it's completely in love with its own premise, it references wider "fandoms" like vampires throughout literature and history itself, and it was queer before queer was cool let alone mainstream.

Anyway! I have a lot of respect for Anne Rice as an author, she put a lot of work into her craft and I think in this case her similarity to fanfic is less some sort of pejorative saying she's "amateur" and more saying she shared many of the same sensibilities and priorities as later fanfic writers, which makes her very accessible. She is also a NYT Bestselling author for a reason, her books are fun!

I'm so glad you're enjoying them and I'm so glad you stopped by to let me know!

[winkle-pickers]

Mokuba for the character bingo??

ಥ╭ʖ╮ಥ

Ohhhhh this kid. One of the only characters I have no impulses to put in a washing machine for eighty spin cycles (because canon has done that enough waaahhhh). I love this little bastard so very much and would absolutely hand him all my money if he mugged me behind an arcade.

Did I write a significant portion of my YGO/Spider-Man crossover about Mokuba finally having his own smug little asshole genius pals that he can get together with on a Friday night surrounded by sour candy and mountain dew and hack into SHIELD servers together just to piss off Nick Fury? ABSOLUTELY I FUCKING DID. Look at me. Look at me and picture Michelle Jones-Watson, Ned Leeds and Mokuba Kaiba in a room together and tell me that is not the ideal shit disturbing squad.

ANYWAYS LOL UNHINGED CROSSOVERS ASIDE I think Mokuba is so wonderful precisely because he's a rude little jerk and also sweet and earnest, willing to do unspeakable things in his brother's name and also being the only person on the planet who will be like "Seto Kaiba Perhaps That Is A Little Much Innit," etc etc, he really is the best spiky little critter of all.

[thatsparrow]

post-dead man's chest rewatch thoughts

- (which number rewatch is this? how many times have I seen these movies since they first came out? couldn't possibly tell you)

- the opening scene is such a great mood-setter, and I think also exemplifies what makes these movies so fun when they're at their best (and from what I recall of the later entries, one of the most immediate places where they trip themselves up.) I am always having my most fun watching a pirates of the caribbean movie when it is being simultaneously earnest and self-indulgent—completely buying into its own concepts while also not taking itself too seriously—and that's what we get at the start of dead man's chest. the rain in the tea cups. elizabeth in her soaked wedding dress. will marched up in irons. on the one hand, it's a little cheesy, but it's all in service of something very sincere. the relevant information is that elizabeth and will were meant to be getting married, and that's been interrupted by will's arrest, but then we get all these fun set-dressing elements that aren't strictly necessary but heighten and underscore the emotions in visually dynamic, compelling ways

- all of that was a long way of saying that I like the opening scene, which I do! for all the above reasons, and because fundamentally I'm a sucker for will/elizabeth

- I think cutler beckett is a great villain, and tom hollander does such a fantastic job (obviously this is not within his control, but I love that he's a little short—the fact that he doesn't seem that physically imposing is then turned on its ear so effectively by his absolute surety and ruthlessness). narrative-wise, I also think it's a great way of raising the stakes from the 1v1 of jack and barbossa in the first film (which we still get in a sense with jack and davy jones, but now with the added looming threat of the entire east india company in the background)

- man, what's the point of the whole cannibal island sequence. just to call back to the "and then they made me their chief" line in black pearl? jack's afraid of the open ocean, so is the thinking that they moored at the first island they found (presumably where they also wouldn't be arrested for being pirates?) it just feels like such unnecessary, manufactured danger, and for what? okay, will found jack, and all but like 8 of the crew have been eaten/killed (relevant when jack tries to bargain with jones for his life) but surely there were more interesting, more plot-relevant, more character-driven ways of accomplishing that

- tia dalma is great, and so is naomie harris! I don't know if they were already planning for her to be calypso at this point, but I love the look of irritation she gives gibbs when he's like, "so was it the sea or a woman that davy jones loved?" and she says "both"

- I think this movie really glosses over jack's selfishness—or at least, it doesn't address it in the ways I want it to be addressed. we know he's selfish already, he makes it clear throughout black pearl that his first priority is himself, he's intending to screw will over from the jump if it means he gets the pearl back, but ultimately his and will's/elizabeth's goals align re: defeating barbossa, and so we don't actually see what would have happened if he had the choice to trade one of his allies lives for something he wanted. granted the stakes are higher in dead man's chest (his own life as opposed to the black pearl), but the whole movie, it's clear there is no one jack won't sacrifice if it means his own survival, and I don't think it's ever properly acknowledged. he tricks will onto the dutchman, tells him to say "jack sparrow sent me to settle his debt," which will doesn't have context for, but we do, and likely so does the rest of the pearl's crew listening, and that it's jack saying, will, tell davy jones that you're giving up your life for mine. and I guess, yeah, will has made it clear that he doesn't think of jack as a friend, and jack has no special loyalty to will at this point, but it's also not like there's no history between them—they were allies, they have taken turns saving the other, but now here's jack willing (no pun intended) to trade will's life for his own, seemingly without a second thought

- i love the design of the flying dutchman and jones' crew—a) it fucks tremendously and b) what a cool yet horrifying visual interpretation of these sailors who would have died at sea being literally reclaimed by it

- it's WILD to me that, in full view of the crew, jack makes the bargain with jones to trade 100 souls for his own (including will's!) and everyone, including gibbs, is like, hey sure thing captain, let's set sail for tortuga to find a bunch of dumb suckers we can trick into signing away their souls. no questions or concerns here. it's just baffling to me that at no point does anyone within the story question what's happening. jack, is your life really worth the lives of 100 other men? can we live with ourselves after misleading them into making this bargain? does will deserve this? do any of them deserve this? you already got like two-thirds of the crew killed while hiding out on cannibal island from jones and the kraken, and now you want to condemn 100 more men to death? at what point is enough, enough? maybe it's just me, but it feels like the movies sometimes swing into this place of expecting like, unquestioning loyalty from their audience when it comes to rooting for jack, like of course we all buy into the premise that saving jack is worth whatever it takes (to the point that rescuing him from the literal afterlife is the cliffhanger on which this movie ends)

- love the liar's dice scene, love stellan skarsgard's look of absolute horror when he realizes will is on the dutchman, love all of their interactions! the moment where bill is helping him escape and says something to the effect of, it'd be a lie to say I didn't feel the need to leave and find work at sea, but it'd also be a lie to say I didn't enjoy it

- man, the organ/music box motif, the complementary melody with tia dalma's, so good!! (although I feel like this watch, I only just appreciated how far forward davy jones is leaning over the organ so his tentacles can reach the upper rows of keys. like, he's really getting low over that organ)

- love the worldbuilding detail of how jones summons the kraken—practically, of course sending out this massive vibration would be the best way to catch the attention of something under the sea, and visually the build of the hammer rising and rising before the ominous heavy fall works so well

- (oh man, also, jones sending the kraken after that merchant ship and will escaping. one of jones' crew saying "maybe he was claimed by the sea" and jones immediate, furious "I am the sea" yes yes yes)

- when I was younger, I don't think I paid as much attention to what's happening politically between governor swann and beckett, but the whole sequence of him breaking elizabeth out of prison, that he's cashing in on the little loyalty and influence he still has, mercer murdering the captain at the docks, and governor swann now a political pawn for beckett to use on the promise of sparing elizabeth's life—all very compelling! so much of these movies seem to be about power in very immediate physical senses (who has a sword or gun, who's pointing it at whom, danger as something that can be escaped or overcome in the moment, an enemy in front of you that you can run from or attack), that then zooming out to beckett's institutional power, the dread that instills, how that motivates threatens compels norrington, elizabeth, will, and the governor—it's all so good

- i've said it before, I'll say it again, elizabeth disguising herself as a man while looking for will awoke something in me no less than any of her most iconic scenes in the first movie

- (I can't possibly call out all the specific shots I really love, that's what gifsets are for, but honorable mention to the shot of elizabeth's wedding dress sinking in the wreckage of the edinburgh trader with the music box melody in the background)

- way back at the beginning, when beckett mentions an arrest warrant for norrington, there's that reference to him having left port royal, and with most franchises, I'd assume that'd be their one-line way of saying the actor isn't going to be in this one, but no! I love having norrington show up in tortuga, drunk and disgraced, with no need to affect any of the restraint or decorum he had while being a commodore, and now he's blunt and reactive and so much fun to have on screen (would the old norrington have made that remark about elizabeth seeming attracted to jack? absolutely not! is it delightful that he's now in a position to notice and remark so freely on it, and that the observation hits so different coming from him, a man who sought elizabeth's love and was rejected, than it would from anyone else? yes absolutely!)

- but okay, speaking of jack and elizabeth—yes, I buy that elizabeth is attracted to jack, that he represents all the freedom adventure and excitement of piracy that she's found so enchanting since she was a kid, and of course I buy him trying to chase her as well, and I think it's a dynamic that nicely tees up the moment at the end of the movie when she distracts him with a kiss to handcuff him at the mast BUT I do quibble with its effect on the compass. like, there's attraction, sure, but it's a whole other set of implications to say that there are moments where jack is what elizabeth wants most in the world (cmon.)

- the isla cruces set piece!! god, sprawling dynamic swordfights that make the most of every aspect of their surroundings in inventive ways is such a staple and highlight of the potc films (though I do think this sequence also has some of the most examples of like, cheesy slapstick humor. which isn't a thing that bothers me on its face! but I do think the later potc films especially turn to those sorts of jokes as a way to undercut some of the sincerity, the old wink and nod at the camera, haha wasn't that crazy, looking at YOU sequence with dozens of jacks in the locker) — anyway, tremendous shout outs to jones' crew rising out of the surf, the flying dutchman exploding up out of the water, the absolute classic water wheel fight, elizabeth pintel and ragetti trading swords as needed while they jointly fight their way back to the ship, norrington stealing the heart! so fun, so much of the same energy of the cavern fight from black pearl (one of my absolute favorite scenes from the first movie)

- alright. okay. the kraken coming after the black pearl. what we've been building up to this whole movie. I like will using his prior experience of seeing the merchant ship being attacked to strategize how to best counter the kraken. I like that jack initially takes the last life boat and leaves! I think it's a very realistic conclusion to the, "to hell with everyone else, I am only interested in saving myself" attitude he's had for so much of the movie. I do like him looking back at the pearl being attacked and having a change of heart. I don't like that the movie seems to use that change of heart as a way of glossing over most of his prior actions (like, well he came back to help them fight this one time, and so see, he's fundamentally a good man, he was there when it counted, what about those 100 other men he was going to trade for his own soul? don't worry about it) the elizabeth/jack kiss would bug the absolute hell out of me except for the fact that it's her ploy to handcuff him to the mast, which is perfect. it's something will would never do, but elizabeth absolutely is calculating enough to realize the kraken won't stop chasing them if jack survives, and is ruthless enough to sacrifice his life for theirs. I like the look jack gives her once he realizes what she's done, a little disappointed, a little proud, fundamentally not surprised. I like that she's the one who forces jack to stop running (if he wasn't compelled to face the kraken, when would it have been over? how desperate would he have continued becoming in pursuit of saving his own life?)

- geoffrey rush descending the stairs as barbossa. peak ending. no notes. how I've missed you.