#conformism tv series

[holly-natnicole]

Percy: "Mum...?"

Sally: "What's wrong, Sweetie?"

Percy: Me. "Nevermind..."

Sally: walks closer to her biological child then stops, standing in front of the 13-year-old with the adult's arms spread.

Sally: "Is it okay if I hug you, Percy?"

Percy: throws her arms around her mother, who returns the embrace then their cuddle ends a moment later.

Sally: places her hands on her kid's shoulders "You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

Percy: "...If I had been born a girl, what would you have named me?"

Sally: confused "A girl?"

Percy: steps backwards a few times, her mum's hands falling off the teen's shoulders "Nevermind."

Sally: "Percy, if you had been a girl instead of a boy, I would have named you Psyche. There was a Greek princess long ago. She endured despite all the hardships and found happiness, much like Perseus did."

Percy: frowns Nancy and other bullies would've called me Psycho for sure.

Sally: "Percy, what's on your mind?"

Percy: "It's nothing, Mum."

Percy: goes into her bedroom.

Percy a week later: "Mum, I'm a girl."

Sally (who had done research after what to her had been a strange conversation with her "son"): "Thank you, Percy, for trusting me. Do you want to change your name?"

Percy: "Wait, that's it? You believe me?"

Sally: holds her arms wide.

Percy: hugs her mum who returns the embrace.

Sally: "You're my daughter. Of course I trust you to tell me the truth."

Percy: silently cries against her mum's upper chest.

Sally: "Do you want to keep Percy as your name or choose a new one?"

Percy: "Both. I wanna replace Perseus with something that's pretty and can easily be shortened to Percy."

Sally: "How about Persephone?"

Percy: "Wasn't she kidnapped?"

Sally: "...Maybe not Persephone. But you didn't seem to like the name Psyche last week."

Percy: "Mum, do you know any other names?"

Sally: "There is Percilla. It's from the Latin word priscus, meaning venerable."

Percy: grins "Perfect!! Thank you, Mum!!"

[the-smeck-group]

Bro gamers dont deserve rights.

[total-drama-brainrot]

Assistant Noah AU, since Noah isn't a contestant, Ezekiel takes Noah's place as a member of Team Chris...

Ezekiel doesn't lose the stick, so there's no eliminations in the Egyptian Episode...

Ezekiel had become Lindsay's and Beth's platonic BFF, and now has a new better respect for women...

Ezekiel is also a bit smarter, and somehow sees through Alejandro's tricks...

How would Alejandro honestly feel about Ezekiel? 😉

I'll take any oppertunity to "save" Ezekiel from his canon treatment, and having him substitute onto Team Chris in Noah's place is a great idea.

But I don't think Alejandro would like him at all.

You've got to understand; Ezekiel is the equivalent of a very misguided, very lost puppy. He's not exactly sure what's going on at the best of times, and after Island his response to the culture shock between his homelife and his life on reality TV is to adopt a fake "cool" personality from whatever pop culture he's managed to consume... which only serves to make him more insufferable to the people around him than his clueless farmboy demeanour ever did.

Had he retained his pre-Total Drama personality and naivety, then Alejandro would tolerate him, if only as an exploitable pawn (much like Tyler). But it's repeatedly shown in canon that Ezekiel is unpleasent to be around by design. He's talkative and outspoken at the worst times, oftentimes with opinions that aren't exactly palatable, he doesn't understand the concept of personal space and acceptable social behaviour, he smells bad, ect ect. Pair this with him mimicking the stereotypical "rapper" demeanour, and you have the perfect foil for Alejandro's nice guy act.

Because Alejandro is very many things, but patient isn't one of them. At least, not in the context of being around people who annoy him. Just look at his canon relationship with Owen; if he couldn't stand to be around Owen of all people, then he'd really hate Ezekiel.

That's not to say that I think Ezekiel is a hateable character. Quite the opposite, really. He's so interesting to think about from a writer's standpoint, since he has a surprising amount of characterisation for a character who spends the majority of his screentime feral and non-verbal. Just enough to base characterisation on, and just little enough to expand upon in whatever way you'd like and not have it feel out of character.

In the given scenario, I'd have him form a friendship with Owen and and Izzy (by this point in the series he's been educated on how his father's mindset is very outdated and toxic, so he's more than happy to befriend a girl). The two of them aren't concerned with things like "coolness" and social acceptability, which would be a huge part of Zeke's character arc in this season - learning how to accept himself for himself, instead of trying to conform to his skewered perspective of what the media deems "hip".

Pairing this with the somewhat limited but amicable relationship he shares with Lindsay on Team Victory, and the intangiable but nonetheless just as impactful influence of Beth who's stuck on the Aftermath, and suddenly Ezekiel has a whole support system of genuinely kind people who can and will help him learn the ropes of modern society. (Give Ezekiel Friends 2k24‼️)

A direct contrast to Alejandro, who's whole deal is presenting himself as a perfect, infalliable person who doesn't really form any friendships. (Unless you count Heather and maybe Courtney?)

See here's where the two of them play the role of "contrasting narritive foil" for each other. Alejandro and Ezekiel are both fueled by their need to prove themselves by winning, but their methodology is entirely different; Alejandro's game plan is to be as fake and perfect as possible whilst sabotaging the competition and inadvertantly isolating himself, and Ezekiel is just doing his best to play fair whilst learning how to be the most authentic version of himself in the proccess with the help of his friends. (Something something the power of friendship...)

Something to note here: Both of them are trying to prove themselves to their families. Alejandro's trying to prove he can be more than second place (to José, or just in general), and Ezekiel is trying to prove that he can withstand the challenges of the world outside of his family's farm (which he never got the chance to, given he was the first boot of the previous two seasons).

As for Ezekiel being "smarter" and seeing through Alejandro's tricks; I'd like to veto that idea and offer you this instead.

Ezekiel has gullibility and naivety practically woven into the threads of his character, so of course he'd be in the same boat as Owen and Tyler. That is to say, he'd initially be one of Alejandro's most staunch defenders, since he doesn't have the intelligence or the instincts to see past his fake exterior, as Ezekiel isn't worldly enough to know how to spot a fake.

And that's exactly what causes Alejandro's downfall.

As stated before, Ezekiel is annoying by design. Pair his enthusiasm with an idolisation towards Alejandro (for being an objectively strong competitor, or whatever reason you want) and you've got the perfect recipe for Alejandro to blow up at Ezekiel once his already negligable patience snaps. Probably in a scene similar to the confrontation he has with Owen in the Amazon.

All of a sudden, Ezekiel has seen Alejandro's true colours and the rose-tinted glasses he's been blinded by come shattering to the ground - and the knowledge that's been painstakingly imparted onto him by Lindsay and Beth comes into play. Alejandro is a bad guy, just like Zeke's dad.

From then on, Ezekiel is hesitant around Alejandro. Quiet, uncharacteristically so. The sight of unapologetically loud and obtuse Ezekiel being subdued (scared?) of Alejandro has the other contestants beginning to question his performative geniality. If Zeke of all people doesn't trust him, it must be a bad sign.

[bluecatwriter]

So I watched a tv movie called Bram Stoker's Van Helsing (2021) that's only about the London Lucy segment of the story and… you know how no one (despite Van Helsing's fear) is seething with jealousy over Lucy? well, it's a love triangle now because they wanted to make it more interesting. Arthur and Jack keep headbutting for dominance and Arthur is so jealous that he's the one who throws the garlic away at night, for Jack to not be the one who becomes the hero in Lucy's eyes.

Putting this on the pile of Dracula stuff that includes Arthur, but completely changes him to "fix how boring he is"... (see also Anno Dracula (allies with Dracula, becomes a serial murderer all because the Newman loathed Arthur in the book), The Athena Club series (allies with a demon to become a fascist ruler), Dracula 2006 (huge rich jerk, invites Dracula to fix his syphilis), Dracula 2020 (loves to publicly humiliate Jack, horrible person)

Every day I learn about a new adaptation in which my boy is massacred... :'( Bless you for watching so I don't have to.

Turning the Suitor Squad into a love triangle (square?) is just lazy writing, period. Ohhh, multiple guys are interested in one girl and they're jealous and fight over her?? HOW ORIGINAL. *eye roll* It's such a cliché that there is NO excuse for using it, and triply so when the source material doesn't have it in the first place! Arthur throwing the garlic away because of some male ego thing makes me want to smash a chair through my dining room window.

It's honestly discouraging how little imagination adapters seem to have. All right, adapter guy, so you think Arthur Holmwood is boring... it's not a completely unreasonable statement. But look— look at the actual source material and see what's buried there! Just off the top of my head...

-Being someone who cries so openly and on so many different people is a huge character trait. Show how he's defying Victorian masculine norms by freely expressing emotion (or how he's conforming to the stereotype of Sighing Lover) and do something with that.

-What kind of person travels literally all the way around the world, having tons of wild and wacky adventures, and yet never tells any stories about it? What is his motivation for not trying to impress his girlfriend with tales of running from wolves or crashing a ship in Polynesia? What does this say about the way he experiences life?

-The story is ripe with little hints about how incredibly close he is to both Quincey and Jack. If adapters weren't so homophobic, they could explore all sorts of possibilities there.

-He likes dogs! That's a whole character trait!

-All right, adapter doesn't want to engage with any of that and is set on making him evil? Okay, then, make him evil in a way that fits the source material. Once again, making him jealous of other men or a philandering spoiled lordling are super-cliché. How about thinking about what could make him actually go off the rails? Is he haunted by how obedient he was in killing Lucy, even when he didn't know exactly what was going on? Does he carry a grudge against Van Helsing for making him into a killer? Do we take the text at face value that when he set his mind to it, he was ruthlessly effective in ending Lucy's undead life— does he get addicted to that feeling, does he get righteously caught up in vampire hunting (or just murder) because he can't bear the thought that he could've been wrong?

People making adaptations don't have to follow canon, of course, but it seems reasonable for the decisions to be rooted in canon, for readers/viewers to be able to draw a line from point A to point B. At the very least, there's no excuse to fall back on tiresome tropes.

Thanks for giving me the chance to rant about this. :D

[chinesehanfu]

【Reference Artifacts】

Chinese Western Han Dynasty-Eastern Han Dynasty(202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD) Murals and Stone Carvings

the court dress of Civil Officials during the Eastern Han(25-220)dynasty.

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 A.D.) Hanfu-Civil Officials Based On Han Dynasty Relics

【History Note】

 In the Eastern Han Dynasty, officials were divided into civil officials(文官) and military officials (武官),and civil officials usually wore black robes and a cloth crown called "Jinxian Crown/進賢冠" on their heads.

The military officer (武官) is different from the civilian officer. They wear red robes and wear a crown call” Wubian DaGuan/Huben crown(武弁大冠 or 虎贲冠)”,These crown is characterized by always having two feathers on it

Refer to the picture below to distinguish between civil officials and military officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty

pic from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (TV series in 1994)

During the Three Kingdoms period(220–280 AD) in China (the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty), Zhuge Liang(諸葛亮), a well-known Chinese military engineer, strategist, statesman, and writer should wear the above civil official clothes when meet the emperor instead of wearing the clothes like below:

・↑Portrait of Zhuge Liang in the China Ming Dynasty(1368-1644 AD).

・↑The image of Zhuge Liang produced by a Japanese game company

----

The above image is the image of Zhuge Liang imagined by later generations combine with the actual costumes at the Song Dynasty(960–1279 AD) in China.

The Three Kingdoms game, including those made by the Japanese, is also based on the image of Zhuge Liang imagined and drawn by people after the Song Dynasty(960–1279 AD).

Which is not conform to the clothing that Zhuge Liang should have worn in  Three Kingdoms period(220–280 AD,the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty)

________________

🙋‍♂️Model & Recreation Work：@柿子菌stargazer

📸Photo： @张宇莹-小花

🎨Painting Artist:@白人阿又

🔗Weibo：https://weibo.com/1812652835/N1w7AClHo & https://weibo.com/6137313995/Msbxt7ynG

________________

[sundrop-writes]

Announcing my new fic: Heaven's Gate

Heaven's Gate is a long oneshot starring Daryl Dixon and a gender neutral reader character, featuring angst, hurt and comfort, and some fluff.

NOW POSTED!!!!!

In this fic, you and Daryl get separated when the prison is attacked by the Governor, and though you both believe the other person is dead, you two end up finding each other at the most unexpected time. This fic is about hope, the human connection, and how love is about more than romance - it's about how people take pieces of each other and grow with them, never truly able to forget each other.

This fic is going to be a longer oneshot that is currently about 15k long - and will likely be longer by the time it has gone through editing. It is 80% of the way done in my drafts (not including editing), and I hope to have it posted by April 30th - which is a tentative date that may change. If you want to know for certain when the fic is posted, you can follow me here and turn on notifcations or you can subscribe to me on AO3 to get an email notification when the fic is posted. I am really excited to share this fic with all of you 💖.

Below is a short preview of the fic - so if you wanna get a better sense for the upcoming fic you can read it. If you enjoy this preview and you're excited for what the fic holds, please let me know!

Also an important note: with my gender neutral reader fics, I don't use any references to gender whatsoever (this is not a 'GN afab' fic). And in this fic in particular, I didn't use any pronouns (other than you/yours) or gendered terms for the reader - and at points where the terms they/them were used, I made it purposefully vague so that the dialogue could be referring to the whole group as 'they' or just the reader. I want my gender neutral fics to be enjoyed by everyone - cis women, cis men, gender non conforming people, trans people - every kind of fanfiction reader.

I am making this post for two major reasons - one, I want to generate as much excitement for oneshots as there is for series. Especially for oneshots that are longer than 10k because those take a lot of time and effort. If a series is like a TV show, then long oneshots are like a feature film. And two - nobody seems to read my pinned post where I announce new upcoming fics anyway, so I might as well make posts like these so that people can know what to expect from me. And hopefully you guys will get excited about my upcoming fics this way. And when I tag these posts with the relevant tags, people interested in those topics can follow me to anticipate the fic if they want to read it.

Heaven's Gate (Daryl Dixon x GN!Reader) - Preview

Preview Word Count: 1,800

Warnings: no pronouns used for the reader other than you/yours; there are major plot spoilers for The Walking Dead if you are watching the show for the first time - spoilers for Season 2 all the way up through Season 5; typical warnings for TWD - mentions of death, emotional despair; all of these themes and emotions are expanded upon in the full fic.

...

“Daryl!” 

You called out his name as you jogged up toward the stables, and he stopped in his tracks, waiting for you to catch up with him. 

“Daryl, hey.” You greeted him with a small smile. “Rick told me you’d be up here.” 

He grunted in reply. “Yeah. ‘m gonna take a horse out. Make better ground t’ look for the girl.” 

Your stomach clenched at him mentioning her. 

The group was supposed to be headed out towards Fort Bennet - supposed to be finding refuge at the hopefully safe military base. Instead, you were all setting up camp at the very reluctant Hershel Greene’s farm, not straying too far from where you had lost one of your own in the hopes of finding her. 

But that was why you had come to talk to Daryl in the first place. 

Sophia had become like a sister to you in the few short months that you had known her, and though it was unlikely, you were hopeful that she was alive - that she would be found. And you did believe that Daryl would be the one to find her. 

“How’s the trail?” You asked. “Do you think you know which way she headed? You - you can be honest with me.” 

You hesitated on the last part. But you did want his honesty more than anything. And you knew that he was never one to sugar-coat things. Even if you hadn’t told him that, he would have given you the truth anyway. 

“Trail’s a little muddy.” He said, doling out that honesty. “‘m gon follow the river. It’s her biggest landmark out there, so she’ll probably be somewhere around it.” 

You smiled at him. And then, you remembered - 

“I brought you something.” You noted, reaching for the back pocket of your jeans. 

Daryl watched with quiet curiosity as you pulled out a piece of paper - when you showed it to him, he quickly realized that it was a half-used set of stickers. 

“These are some of the stickers that I got for Sophia,” You explained. “My mom always used to tell me that cardinals are good luck.” 

You peeled off a sticker of a bright red bird - as much of a nature man as he was, Daryl was never one for bird watching. He didn’t care about identifying certain species of birds unless he could shoot and eat them. But he quickly reasoned that this must be the cardinal that you spoke of. 

“Give me your bow.” You said, shoving the rest of the sticker sheet into your back pocket again and holding out your hand expectantly. 

“I don’t need no luck.” He replied, voice full of snark. 

“Just give it.” You replied - equally snarky, equally stubborn. 

Daryl sighed and tugged his bow’s strap over his head, presenting it to you. You placed the sticker on the bow’s handle, in one of the places where it wasn’t as worn down from him holding it. 

“There,” You said, giving it back to him with a smile. “Now you’re all set.” 

It was more for you than it was for him - a token of good faith and protection. The idea that you could do something to bring Sophia home when you felt so powerless. 

Daryl let out a harsh sound - somewhere between a laugh and a sarcastic snort as he walked away. “Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome,” You replied brightly, edging on sarcastic once again. 

… 

When the prison was attacked, Daryl got out with Beth. 

He almost couldn’t stand her bright eyes, big eyes staring at him, waiting for answers - her chirpy little voice, prodding at him, demanding that they ‘follow the trail’ and go look for everyone else. Telling him that he was a tracker, that he could find them. As if it was his damn responsibility just because he had the skills to get it done. 

It was all too reminiscent of you, telling him that he could find Sophia. That it wasn’t an ‘if’ - it was a ‘when’. 

Perhaps that was what got him off his ass and doing what he did best - reading the dirt. 

“What’re you doin’?” He asked, staring at the girl curiously as she went to one of the bushes and rushed to pick berries from branches. Had she not gotten enough to eat that morning? 

“They’ll be hungry when we find them.” Beth told him confidently. 

Of course. That undefeatable streak of optimism. 

Daryl knew that blueberries weren’t your favorite - but he should have something to give you. He would be too busy tracking the footprints to properly hunt for squirrels or rabbits and clean them for you. So, he found himself pulling a large bandana from his back pocket and offering it to Beth - something to hold the berries in to keep them safe as an offering for you. 

“Here.” He grunted at her. 

Beth smiled at him. 

It was one of the last smiles she gave him for a long time. 

When they came across those bodies splayed out beside the tracks - any sense of hope was crushed inside of him. The picture you had gifted him was heavy inside his breast pocket, and he hated that tears threatened his eyes - even if he knew that none of those bodies belonged to you. There was no trace of you there. 

The days started to blur into each other, and Daryl couldn’t get you off his mind. 

One hazy evening, as they both stared into the fire with dead looks on their faces, he took the drawing out of his pocket and unfolded it. 

For good luck. 

He didn’t believe in luck - because it didn’t exist. The world was fucked. Nobody was lucky. You and your good luck were dead. 

He tossed the drawing into the fire, and it was only a moment, when the corner of it had barely caught, when Beth snatched it out. She stomped on it with her boot, successfully saving it. 

“Don’t do that.” She hissed at him. 

Daryl snatched it from her, and crumbled it up, tossing it aside. He let out a grunt, but refused to look at her. 

“That was from Y/N, wasn’t it?” She posed. 

He could feel her imposing stare as she waited for an answer. 

He didn’t give her one. 

“You can’t burn them just because you think they’re dead.” Beth sighed. “You can’t burn up memories. We’re gonna find them. Y/N, and Maggie, and Michonne, and - and everyone.” 

Daryl scoffed. “Yeah. Cause that’s gon’ happen.” 

Beth rolled her eyes, but didn’t speak any further on the subject. 

After she had fallen asleep - when the fire was dull, Daryl picked up the crumbled ball and smoothed it out again. The charred corner hadn’t even touched your bird. He felt like a fool doing it, just as much of a fool as he accused you of being, but he folded it neatly - well, as neatly as he could - and then put it back into his breast pocket again. 

But that was the thing - Daryl wished that he could. He wished he could burn up those memories. 

That you would stop haunting him. Then he wouldn’t have to feel like this anymore.

… 

“Can I see it again?” Beth asked, suddenly changing the subject. 

Again, this was a confusing little whip for Daryl - something that clearly only made sense to Beth in her own drunken mind. 

“See what?” Daryl replied. 

“The picture.” Beth answered. “The one you tried to burn.” 

Daryl felt a pinch of guilt surge over him at the thought. Oddly enough, this was the one time he would be willing to admit that Beth was right - you can’t burn up memories. 

“It was Y/N, wasn’t it? That drew it.” Beth added on, her words slurring slightly - she lifted the mason jar of booze to her lips again and Daryl was tempted to snatch it away from her. 

Instead, he found his hand drifting to his breast pocket and reaching to take the picture out. He presented it to Beth, who put down her drink to unfold it - she stared at the picture fondly under the brightness of the moonlight, tracing a finger over the slightly faded details. 

“You know… my daddy used to tell me that a cardinal is like an angel.” Beth said, recognizing the bird from her father’s teachings on the farm. “Someone - someone you loved who passed away, watching over you from heaven.” 

“Y/N said they was good luck.” Daryl replied. 

Beth shrugged. “Same thing.” 

It was this thought that kept Daryl going for a long time. The idea that even if you were dead, you were watching over him somehow. He sure as hell didn’t believe that someone like Merle would be an angel - but you, you definitely were. And even if it was a waste of your eternal life, you would be determined to watch over Daryl - to make sure that he was safe, well-guided. 

You would make sure that he was lucky. 

That thought alone carried him through the long journey to D.C. 

It was something that lingered in his mind as the group hunkered down in a random barn - as he spotted something carved into one of the wooden beams holding the place up. Even though it wasn’t colored, he could have sworn that the long tail and pointed head of the silhouette indicated that the carving was meant to be cardinal. Of course. 

Who knows who had stayed in the barn before them - if it had been left there by a weary traveler, or even put there by someone who had used the barn before the turn. But Daryl could have sworn that you - your ghost, your angelic hand - had led him to this very spot. 

It was a thought that gave him strength as he held the doors up - helped to keep them from caving in while the storm raged outside. 

Your luck, and your damn bird - you would keep him safe. 

When they reached Alexandria, and they were forced to give up their weapons - Daryl spotted your bird perched on the fence. Bright red, with its pointy head cocked sideways at him. All too knowing, staring at him like it wanted to say something. Just like it had been when he had fallen off the cliff out in the woods when he had been looking for Sophia. 

Oddly enough, it made him feel safe giving up his crossbow - perching it on top of the fully loaded cart of weapons before the awkward, bespeckled woman wheeled it away. 

Rick was still weary of this new place after Terminus, and Daryl understood. He followed Rick’s lead. Especially because he couldn’t tell Rick that he had a good feeling about this place because he saw a damn bird. 

But even if it was just in spirit, he felt you there. He knew that it was the home you had chosen for them.

[farmerbebop]

I have hardly said anything serious about Patrick McGoohan on here and I actually don't intend to because I'm afraid McGoohan would come down from heaven to shutdown this blog. But I think I need to justify my being super annoying on this website with my propaganda.

I don't know how to put it but any actor with McGoohan's acting talent could have become a legend of world cinema. But he became a legend for the first and only time he created a TV series. And he made it for a hundred years later.

And how did he describe his work (producing, writing, directing, acting) on his magnum opus, this groundbreaking work of television? With the same words that he used to describe his work as a young man on a chicken farm. It's hard work.

His wikipedia article is not much longer than a haiku. But his interpretation of a villain could be studied in school. And his vision of a hero could fill a novel.

He was the one who turned down the role of James Bond and got called a Catholic on every possible occasion. He was the one who got chased into hiding in the mountains for not giving the public what they wanted of him. He was the one who held a mirror to our collective intellectual laziness.

He fought against the world of conformity in every way he could. He fought for critical and independent thinking in every word he said. Many people only saw him as an unmutual, but he did what he had to, and never regretted it.

Everyone who has ever seen him can tell you Patrick McGoohan was the first and the last of his kind. But he would tell you that he was only one of the many blue-eyed Patricks who once toiled the soil of Ireland.

I know my propaganda doesn't sound too fancy, but McGoohan was always so uncomfortable talking about himself that I somehow also feel the same. @vintagetvstars

[writingquestionsanswered]

hello, i was just wondering if you had any advice for writing vignettes or episodic stories. thank you.

Vignettes and Episodic Stories

I don't have any tips, per se, but hopefully explaining a little bit about what they are will help you better understand how to write them.

The term "vignette" has two different meanings depending on what you're writing. In fan-fiction, a "vignette" is a type of standalone story synonymous with a snippet or ficlet. Vignettes in fan-fiction are typically 1k words or fewer and usually made up of a single scene.

In original fiction, "vignette" can be a type of standalone story, but they usually appear as part of a themed collection of vignettes. More often, the term "vignette" in original fiction refers to a literary device where further descriptive context is provided to a character, place, or event.

As standalone stories, vignettes do not conform to traditional story structure. Since they focus on a moment in time, they do not show the passage of time and typically do not have a story arc or a beginning, middle, and end. And, as is the case with vignettes as literary devices, they are heavily descriptive and meant to appeal to the reader's senses.

Episodic stories are a bigger story that are broken into smaller, self-contained stories connected by an overarching narrative or unifying theme. The best way to think of episodic stories is to think of a TV show. Every episode tells its own complete story, but the characters and events are united by a broader narrative. For example, you can watch an episode of The X-Files where Mulder and Scully try to solve a strange missing person case--and that episode will have its own conflict and its own beginning, middle, and end--but the episode is connected to the broader narrative of two FBI agents who are tasked with investigating strange occurrences. And, within that broader narrative, the specific seasonal and series arcs. Happy writing!

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[andromedaexile]

Late Stage Capitalism and Star Trek

Since Star Trek series are, to some extent, a reflection of the current time in our world that the series is/was made (whether in themes, costuming, characters, etc.).

It does sadly make sense for new Star Trek series to be the way that they are. I mean think of it, we are in late stage capitalism.

Originality and artistry has been pushed aside for the sake of creating fast, and consistent financial capital.

Of course the star ships look like Genius Bars, of course the costumes lack flair and are primarily black or sad beige. As we progress in late stage capitalism we feel the binding pressure of forced conformity.

It only makes sense that the series would dilute the philosophical foundation we saw in the earlier series. TV and film since its inception has always been a part of the spectacle but now it is expected that each piece of media is its own spectacle. The cost of being a spectacle (to the degree late stage capitalism has forced TV and film to be) is the loss of rich narratives with vibrant story-telling and unique characters with depth.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Why Louis is closely associated with the role of housewife or wife even mother, on some or several occasions, it is some symbolism from the Louis books or an addition from the TV series?

Anne said that she gave Louis a lot of feminine characteristics, and that Louis could simply be played by a woman and it wouldn't change him.

Anne also said Lestat was the man she wanted to be (to paraphrase), but that just as a note.

Both Lestat and Louis carry traits that can be interpreted either way.

I think it is important to remember that we're

a) not operating in a hetero normative setup

b) the vampires do not conform and/or perform to strict gender conformity

c) Claudia (for example) threw that line of the "housewife" into Louis' face to hurt him

Neither Louis nor Lestat are the mother or wife in the relationship, and then again, both are. You know?

S1 portrayed the relationship in NOLA in a very distinct light, for reasons.

I'm quite sure the upcoming season(s) will shift this perception a bit.

Because labels don't really fit for these vampires.

[the-entity-down-the-street]

The ending of True Blood will never not be one of the biggest fumbles in TV history to me. This story started out as an exploration of non-traditional relationships, with heavy allegories both tied into racism and homophobia, morally grey characters, and open queerness!!

And where did we end up? Aside from the confusing mess that had once been a plot?

1. With Tara, the prominent queer black woman (also an abuse and SA survivor), dead, for the second time. They pulled the "bury your gays" trope twice. With the same character. A black woman. They really did that. The writers and producers really did that to her. Oh my fucking God. Tara, girl, I am so sorry. At least Lafayette survived (RIP Nelsan Ellis).

2. The Terry, the war veteran with PTSD, dead, in what was essentially assisted suicide. This lovable family man, who had his mind wiped by a vampire just so he could have some goddamn peace of mind, is then shot down just to give the audience a gut-punch.

3. Two of Sookie's supernatural lovers dead, including the main love interest, Bill. By Sookie's own hand, too. I guess that's at least a grand enough end to the main couple. There's something so symbolic about her literally killing her original connection to the world of vampires, I'll give them that. Maybe that would be a powerful ending to any other vampire story, but here in the world where vampires are a marginalized group fighting for their rights? Mmmm bad take.

4. The main characters in heteronormative relationships, with kids. We don't even know who Sookie is married to. Don't give me that "it's not about who she's with, it's about her being happy" crap. We have spent this entire series following this woman's romantic journey. It's kind of how this whole plot got kicked off. All that for her to be with some human guy we've never even met? What a slap in the face.

All those themes of accepting differences and finding true happiness outside of conformity, absolutely shit on. If I wanted to watch a show with Normal Happy Endings, I'd watch literally anything else. I hate it here.

[starlit1daydream]

CLASSPECTING RED GUY: DHMIS and the aspect of Breath

So, Red was technically tied for first with Yellow in the poll I made, but given that I had more clear ideas for Yellow I elected to make this first. Now I've taken some time to think over Red's classpect, I think I'm confident about my answer.

Red's characterisation hinges on two key factors, I think.

Factor one: Red Guy is disaffected, apathetic and bored. He seems to enjoy doing nothing, to the point where he gets frustrated when his plans of doing nothing are scarpered. Red Guy is lazy.

Factor two: Red Guy always seems to want to leave wherever it is he is. He never belongs. Consistently, throughout both series, Red Guy has the urge to depart the most frequently.

With this, it's pretty clear what Aspect he's bound to? Red Guy furthers the narrative, is in constant pursuit of freedom, and remains avoidant and detached throughout it all. He's a very clear Breath-bound, and I'm irritated it took me this long to realise it.

Red Guy's desire for escapism and refusal to fit into boxes comes into play particularly during the Family episode, which serves as a little mini-arc for him, I feel. He seems to like the idea of family, connection and 'belonging' (a very Blood-coded idea), but finds very quickly that he's not cut out for it and is rejected outright by the people he seems to think he belongs with. It happens again in the Dreams episode of the TV show. Red's among those whom by all accounts he should conform with. They're quite literally carbon copies of him... but he doesn't connect.

So, what Class does this place him as? What do you give to a player who has quite literally been rejected by their opposing Aspect? I'm going to pin him as a Seer of Breath. He has the stubbornness, argumentative nature and self-destructive nature that most Seers have, for sure, particularly Rose. Much like Rose, he begins without his Aspect and disregards it (lacking in freedom, adhering to Blood rather than Breath) and his quest begins once he starts searching for it. Once he has his eyes on the Aspect, he is relentless in his thirst for knowledge of it. Red, like Rose, rejects the role given to him by the higher powers (Roy & SBURB) in the name of something greater and desires to destroy what's been laid out in front of him. And, as you can see in Transport, that's what he does.

Ultimately, Red's motivated wholly by desire to understand Breath in the name of others, working tirelessly to free himself and his friends from the chains they're bound by. And, of course, in the web series narrative he grants them that freedom.

There's an alternative reading for sure that Red is a Thief of Blood - not understanding the value of Blood whilst continuing to crave it and obsessively hoard it, but Thieves aren't really known for ghosting their opposite and he doesn't really strike me as being selfish or callous enough to be a Thief. Plus, the Breath in his characterisation outweighs the Blood significantly.

Finally, I'll be going over Duck Guy for June 19th, as a player of Doom. Don't miss it.

[summerongrand]

All Of The Girls You Loved Before (Tim Bradford Has a Type)

Tim Bradford has a type—but what exactly is it? Through a series of relationships, from pre-Isabel to beyond Lucy, Tim’s preferences become clearer. So, what is Tim really looking for? It might not be what (or who) you think.

For Lucy, watching Tim date another white woman was difficult on two levels. First, there was the social construction behind it. Growing up, Lucy had too often seen men like Tim—attractive, strong, the quintessential “leading men”—end up with white women in every movie, TV show, and magazine cover. It was the same tired narrative, recycled endlessly, woven into the fabric of society: the white partner, the ultimate prize. And it hit a nerve for Lucy. It made her feel unseen, not just as a woman, but as an Asian woman with zero representation in this regard, erased by the narrow standards that society still upholds. Seeing Tim date his “type” was yet another reminder of how women of color were often overlooked, their beauty, value, worth and desirability pushed to the side for women like Ashley. And even though she didn’t want it to, this kind of repeated exposure throughout her life led to Lucy losing her own authenticity. She recalled how the way she referred to her grandmother felt like a subtle form of washing away her own culture. In a documentary, Lucy called her grandma Anna "Nana," a term that, while endearing, wasn’t true to her nor her culture. It served as a reminder that, in an effort to appease the general public, there was a tendency to adopt language that fit a more user-friendly narrative, leading to her obscuring her own identity in the process. So even though Lucy could, in theory, alter her appearance, she would never do that to fit someone else’s narrow ideal of the kind of girl who "belongs" with a guy like Tim. It wasn’t just about changing her looks—it was the insidious message behind it that being herself wasn’t enough. The idea that, to be with a man like Tim, she would have to conform to an impossible and toxic beauty standard that erased her own identity was dangerous. It implied that to be seen, to be accepted, she’d have to strip away the very essence of who she was. And even if she tried, she would still be Lucy Chen. She would still look like someone from her own culture. Pretending to fit a mold that was never meant for her wouldn’t make her feel more seen—it would only deepen her sense of invisibility, making her feel like she was disappearing from herself. And there was no way in hell that Lucy Chen was going to whitewash herself for Tim, or for anyone else.

Read the full chapter here.

[fakerobotrealblog]

In the TV series "Hannibal," Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen deliver compelling performances as Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, respectively. The show, developed by Bryan Fuller, explores psychological complexities, including sexual tension, queer identity, and toxic relationships.

**1. Sexual Tension:**

The dynamic between Will and Hannibal is marked by intense psychological and emotional connections that often carry undertones of sexual tension. Their interactions are charged with ambiguity, and the line between friendship and something more is blurred. The dialogue is laced with double entendres, creating a palpable sense of intrigue. For instance, Hannibal's quote, "You and I have begun to blur," reflects the intricate nature of their relationship.

**2. Queer Identity:**

While the series doesn't explicitly define the characters' sexual orientations, it introduces elements that challenge traditional norms. Will and Hannibal's connection goes beyond conventional friendships, exploring the fluidity of their identities. The show doesn't conform to stereotypes, allowing the characters' complexities to unfold organically. This ambiguity contributes to a nuanced portrayal of queer identity.

**3. Toxic Relationships:**

Will and Hannibal's relationship is undeniably toxic. Hannibal, as a psychopathic killer, manipulates Will's vulnerabilities, leading to a complex and unhealthy connection. Scenes depicting their psychological entanglement showcase the destructive impact of their association, with Hannibal pushing Will to confront his darker impulses. The toxic nature of their bond is exemplified in the quote, "I don’t know if I can save myself, maybe that’s just fine."

**4. Comparison to Other TV Portrayals:**

Compared to other television portrayals of male characters attracted to each other, "Hannibal" stands out for its nuanced exploration. The series doesn't sensationalize the relationship but delves into the psychological intricacies, challenging stereotypes and offering a more sophisticated narrative. The slow burn and complexity of Will and Hannibal's dynamic set it apart from more straightforward representations seen in some other shows.

In conclusion, Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen bring depth to their characters in "Hannibal," navigating the complexities of sexual tension, queer identity, and a toxic relationship. The series distinguishes itself by offering a nuanced portrayal of male attraction that goes beyond stereotypes, making it a noteworthy contribution to the exploration of complex relationships on television.

[justforbooks]

Bob Newhart

US standup and sitcom star who exuded calm assurance in a career that spanned more than 50 years

Bob Newhart, who has died aged 94, employed a deadpan delivery, marked with a sometimes stammering hesitation, that made him an unlikely candidate to become one of America’s most successful comedians. It was in keeping with his character that his successes often went overlooked.

Newhart burst on to the scene with the 1960 release of The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, a recording of his first-ever standup performance just months earlier. It shot to No 1 on record charts, followed six months later by The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, which rose to No 2, behind its predecessor. His debut won the 1961 Grammy as album of the year, the sequel won best spoken comedy album, and Newhart was named best new recording artist.

Newhart’s preferred format was the one-sided telephone conversation, where the audience’s understanding of what the speaker cannot see makes Newhart his own straight-man. Abraham Lincoln’s PR man in Washington tries to stop him from changing the Gettysburg Address (“You changed four score and seven to 87? Abe, that’s a grabber!”). An official of the West India Company listens to Walter Raleigh singing the praises of the 80 tonnes of leaves he’s shipping to London (“Then what do you do, Walt? You set fire to it! You inhale the smoke, huh! You know, Walt … it seems you can stand in front of your fireplace and have the same thing going for you!”).

In 1961, Newhart made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York, appeared in Don Siegel’s war film Hell Is for Heroes (doing a variation of his routine on a walkie-talkie) and starred in his first TV series, The Bob Newhart Show, a variety and comedy sketch show following Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall on NBC. Though it lasted only one season, it won an Emmy and a Peabody award.

The key to Newhart’s immediate success was suggested by his “button-down” persona. This was the beginning of President John Kennedy’s “new frontier”, where what the British fashion critic John Taylor demeaned as the “simulated negligence” of the unpadded grey flannel suit signified a certain comfort and style, as well as sober conformity. Newhart’s probing of the accepted everyday was entertaining but sharp; a form of subtle satire.

It was a casual approach that he had refined carefully. Born George Robert in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Newhart grew up called “Bob” to distinguish him from his father, George David, who was part-owner of a plumbing and heating business. His mother, Pauline (nee Burns), was a housewife. He attended Catholic schools, and graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a degree in business management in 1952. After two years in the army working as a clerk, he entered the law school at Loyola, but soon left and began working as an accountant.

In one job, he and a colleague, Ed Gallagher, began recording dialogues in the style of Bob and Ray, an innovative comedy duo. Gallagher left for New York, and Newhart moved to writing ad copy for a Chicago production company, while circulating his own tapes.

Local radio personality Dan Sorkin played some, and Newhart began appearing on local morning TV. Tapes reached the record producer George Avakian, who in 1958 had left Columbia Records to form an equivalent company for Warner Brothers. Avakian wanted to catch Newhart’s standup act immediately; the February 1960 show at the Tidelands Club in Houston – which became his first record – was at the first venue that Newhart’s quickly acquired agent could find to book.

After the success of The Bob Newhart Show, he was immediately busy on the standup circuit. His intelligence and easy-going demeanour made him a popular guest on other talkshows, and eventually he was a regular replacement for Johnny Carson on Tonight. Although he was accused by the comic Shelley Berman of plagiarising the telephone gimmick from him, it had already been a longstanding format used by performers including George Jessel and Arlene Harris. It was his demeanour, knowing but hesitant (which he sometimes said was influenced by George Gobel), that made him such a versatile performer.

The comic Buddy Hackett introduced Newhart to Ginnie (Virginia) Quinn, the daughter of the character actor Bill Quinn. They married in 1963, and the enduring alliance became a running joke when he appeared with the thrice-wed Carson.

Newhart’s film roles were infrequent but often telling: as Major Major in Mike Nichols’ adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (1970); as Gene Wilder’s pal in the Odd Couple-like TV movie Thursday’s Game (1974); and as Papa Elf alongside Will Ferrell in Elf (2003). He also did voices, notably the rescue mouse Bernard in The Rescuers (1977) and its sequel, The Rescuers Down Under (1990).

Unusually, he starred in two long-running TV series. In The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78) he played a psychologist: the perfect manifestation of his standup routine’s listening and commenting. It grew from an appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and was produced by Mary Tyler Moore and Grant Tinker’s MTM Productions. With Suzanne Pleshette as his schoolteacher wife and Peter Bonerz as the dentist with whom he shares an office, the show was an immediate hit. As ratings dropped and Newhart tired of it, he at one point refused a script that introduced children. “It’s very funny,” he told the producers. “Who’s going to play Bob?”

He returned in 1982 with Newhart, playing Dick Loudon, a writer who moves with his wife (Mary Frann) to a rural Vermont inn. With a cast including Tom Poston, who would win three Emmy nominations as the eccentric handyman George, Newhart became the centre of a world whose chaos stretched the kind of calm understanding for which he was known.

In 1985, Newhart was diagnosed with a blood disease, polycythemia, caused by smoking. Having made comedy from tobacco and appeared, with Poston, in Norman Lear’s comedy Cold Turkey (1971), where a town tries to win $25m from a tobacco company by quitting smoking for a month, he now quit himself.

As Newhart drew to a close after eight seasons, a classic final episode, which played off the famous “who shot JR?” finale of Dallas. It was kept top secret by the cast and crew. Struck by a golf ball, Newhart wakes up in the Bob Newhart Show bedroom, next to Pleshette, complaining of a crazy dream he’s had about Vermont.

Two more series were less successful. Bob (1992-93) saw him as a cartoonist trying to adjust to a corporate world when a character he created is revived. George and Leo (1997-98) was another Odd Couple-type scenario, in which his bookstore owner shares a flat with his son’s father-in-law (Judd Hirsch), who’s running from the mob. Newhart joked about the title: “We had used every variation of my name; all that was left was ‘The’.”

Newhart’s three-part guest appearance on ER in 2003, where Sherry Stringfield’s Dr Lewis helps Newhart’s suicidal Ben Hollander adjust to his oncoming blindness, earned him his fifth Emmy nomination. He was nominated again in 2009 for a supporting role in The Librarian, but finally won in 2013, playing Arthur Jeffries in the comedy The Big Bang Theory. Jeffries was Professor Proton, host of the science TV series (based on Watch Mr Wizard) watched by the genius Sheldon. He was nominated twice more, and reprised the role three times in Young Sheldon.

Newhart’s lifelong comedic chalk-and-cheese friendship with Don Rickles was the subject of Bob and Don: A Love Story, a short documentary made in 2022 by Judd Apatow.

Ginny died in 2023, and Newhart is survived by his sons, Robert and Timothy, and daughters, Courtney and Jennifer.

🔔 Bob (George Robert) Newhart, comedian and actor, born 5 September 1929; died 18 July 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[simpel-is]

more moonlight shit before i get my irl shit together (idk how many more posts itll take </3)

once again, spoilers for the movie yall its pride just watch it pls, and discussion abt topics the movie touched upon

honestly my one gripe with moonlight is if it were a mini series or a tv show where the story was able to take place over multiple episodes and all of its symbolism was allowed to sink in with the audience for them to decode, literally that will be my favourite tv show and it would get a 10/10 rating from me. it felt too short (even tho it was like almost 2 hours long), or more like we weren't able to fully connect/sink in with characters other than chiron

not like i couldnt connect with kevin and paula and other chars, but moreso their stories blended a little too well into the background and if it weren't for my natural overthinking habit then i probably would've needed a couple of rewatches to fully grasp their internal struggles

that being said, as i rewatch it it somehow just keeps on getting better. i start noticing how kevin puts on a mask of confidence for his masculinity in front of others but not chiron (when they were kids he was already like that at school, ect) he gave into peer pressure to conform into what society wanted of him rather than what he wanted, and there were hints of that sprinkled through-out (though it was never said out loud)

honestly that scene with chiron and kevin at the beach has me punching air for a lot of reasons

the color white ive noticed can symbolize uncertainty or moreso innocence and softness in the movie, compared to how the color black is used to represent the tough image characters potray to hide their emotions in the beach scene, kevin wears a white shirt with chiron, showing how he's more soft whenever he's with him. but the dialogue shows how he still has his guard up, but he's trying to gauge out how soft he can truly be with chiron, how safe he is with him

but chiron is also still putting his guard up, so its 2 awkward teenagers gauging out how honest and vulnerable they can be with each other as they take small steps towards that and its SO FUCKING CUTE

also when u rlly take into consideration the color symbol, u start to notice it like EVERYWHEREE. i dont doubt some of it is for color cohesion and so the movie has a cohesive look, but things i notice like juan's outfit change during the little section,

where at the start his shirt has so many different colors he's a complicated individual with a complex past, his pants are white which match how he seems softer on the outside but his durag is black, and this might be me stretching, but i think it could represent how his mentality is that tough mindset that doesn't allow for vulnerability

meanwhile teresa's outfit is a complementary opposite when we first see her, she's wearing a black top with a white headband; she puts on a tough exterior but her mindset is softer, more kindhearted than she lets on (which again matches her behaviour when we first see her character)

when juan drives little back home, he's dressed in all black EXCEPT for a yellow inner shirt (literally i noticed it last minute rewatching), and if u saw my last post, if yellow does rlly represent that sense of familiarty, then the outfit could be like how to paula he's this tough guy that isn't soft at all but little knows inside that he and juan are close, like father and son

when juan takes little home, he wears a mainly blue shirt with red stripes; to little, he's more vulnerable with him now, with maybe hints of insecurity regarding his past identity and how he's had to make his own name

also knowing paula does drugs, rewatching the scene where the tv is gone hits HARD now that u realize she sold the tv to get money for drugs