#francesca reale icons

[hanuteds]

like or reblog ♡

[antifranchaela]

Why I hate Male!Michael & why that's got NOTHING to do with Heterophobia.

I feel like it's important for me to make this post, so y'all understand WHY I've made this blog.

So, first off - the central theme of Francesca’s book is moving on from the love of her life.

You do need to actually wait for Francesca, Michaela, and John to have more than 1 minute of screen time together to know more about Francesca's feelings for John in contrast with the instant sexual attraction (or as some may say "letting her pussy drop") for Michaela

That's super interesting. & 2nd CHOOSING a partner she knows she can't have a kid with is entirely different from not being able to have a kid because 1) Queer people are also infertile and also choose to give up being able to have bio kids to be with their partners and 2) Francesca is literally able to have children in the end because of Julia Quinn Magic Dick???

Most of you are the making the case "oh, they can still do all that" which is TRUE

I'm a proud lesbian woman.

Using Francesca’s story for our issues is AWESOME

Also Eloise should be queer too.

She could have easily chosen not to have the kids she ends up having & be content raising Marina's children with Philip. She's a nonconformist already! It wouldn't have been a stretch for her to fall in love with Philip's sister, who's raising the kids after both Philip and Marina died. It wouldn't have been a stretch for her to move in with the lady who doesn't care about society, only for her studies and children.

It IS NOT a stretch for Francesca to marry a man after being raised her entire life with everyone telling her that marriage is her entire purpose, attempt to have a child with him, lose that pregnancy after the tragedy of losing said husband, while struggling to understand her confusing feelings for his cousin since she literally has no idea what they mean and has no idea queer women are even a thing. she may think she can never really be with michaela in the way she wants to when she decides to remarry in the books. she may think she can never have a family with michaela - the way she yearns to in the books. she may fear she won't ever be accepted as her partner in the society she grew up in ON THE SHOW! but since this is Bridgerton there will be a Happily Ever After ending based on REAL LIFE LESBIANS who were able to live together, raise families together, and even get approval DIRECTLY FROM THE REAL LIFE QUEEN

Doing this to Fran is AWESOME! because of the genderswap and the talented actresses Masali and Hannah and Victor!

[Excluding this section from my satirical repost because this is a serious part and I genuinely resonate with the OP here and wouldn't belittle their experience here]

Francesca's story always spoke to me on a personal level. & I love Michael's gender change and am excited to see how the relationship between John and Francesca is also handled

This was the way to do it!

Also - I feel like it's important to say this : Don't go harassing the actors over this. Don't start blogs where you say the actress isn't suited for the role and where your icon is literally her face with an X over it. If you have to - get a life and some hobbies instead of going after Jess, Shonda, Netflix & Julia.

[kat-rose-griffith]

I am waiting for part 2 to see the season in full before I form an official opinion on it… but if they were going to do all of these side storylines then I wish they would’ve done them in a way that built up Colin and Penelope’s stories outside of each other. My main gripe is that Colin and Penelope have established friendships with side characters that feel neglected in their own season.

My personal favorite friendship, Penelope and Madame Delacroix, have barely interacted. Giving us more scenes of them being partners in crime besties, even just casually hanging out, would have been so fun and been an interesting parallel with Eloise’s friendship with Cressida, both of them exploring genuine friendship outside of their previous codependent bond. It would’ve been great to see Penelope with a friend aside from Colin who she can let her hair down and be herself with. It would’ve been really funny too if Penelope talked to Genevieve about the advice Colin was giving her and she went “omg no” and gamed her up with real flirting advice. She would’ve also provided a great contrast to the toxic environment of Penelope’s family. Giving Penelope and Francesca more casual friendship scenes together would’ve been fun too and great for both of them as they were coming into their own this season.

On Colin’s end, I was hoping from what happened last season that he and Will would’ve become closer friends this season, but again so far they’ve barely interacted. I think that their friendship would’ve provided some great contrast to his surface level rake friendships. Colin needs more real friendships anyways and Will is a great friend to have. To top it all off Will is exactly the kind of man that Colin wants to be. Will knows the struggles that Colin is going through, the difficulty in the world they live in to be an honorable man, to follow your passions, and to be a good partner. A further explored friendship with Will could’ve shown him that all of what he wanted was possible, it may not always be pretty and you have to work for it constantly but it is possible. More scenes of the relationship between Colin and Benedict (instead of the Tilly Arnold stuff) would’ve been really great for both characters too. Both of them are really lost right now trying to find their purpose and passions in life, that bond basically writes itself. Also scenes of Benedict being very aware of Polin would’ve been iconic. It would’ve been especially great if Will joined in, they started all 3 hanging out for fun more, and they became a friend group that carried over into Benedict’s season.

It’s stuff like that, those casual fun moments and relationships outside of the main romance, that I think could’ve added to the story instead of feeling like a distraction.

[lady-margaret]

bridgerton season 3 episode 1 screaming thoughts (unedited)

colin oh my fucking gOd

KATE AND VIOLET ARE SO CUTE

YAY VISCOUNTESS KATE

COLINS SO ANNOYIBG WAJHSAJXBSNBXJSJDAKHDSJ CAN HE STOP

i like sassy pen more like yes be straightforward to all these idiots to their faces

PORTIA 😭😭😭😭

yES while i love yellow, the shade pen uses is so earth shatteringly ugly on her so YES BURN THEM all

gasp she still cares about colin’s opinion cuz of the fashions in france comment

FRANCESCA IS SO BEAUTIFUL

Anthony is so dad

where the hell colin getting all this money OMG POCKET WATCH

eloise :(((( so beautiful tho

ABC HIHIHUHIHI

“she is colder now, i’m afraid” IS SO FOUL

NEWTON oh god kathony are at it again

kathony hand kink ? oh god hfedgdgdg

YES PENELOPE FUCK IT UPPPPPPP also her lady’s maid seems like such a real one

they need to pay more attention to franny methinks

YESSSSSSSSSS PENELOPE FUCK IT UPPPPPPPPP SO GORGEOUS cant wait for eloise and her to be friends again

pen……………. 😭😭😭😭😭😭 PENNN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

eloise loves her sm 😢

PEEEENNSHSHSHSJDBNDBD 🫨🤣🤣🤣

lord fife they could never make me like you

anthonys so WHIPPED

franny is so violet ledger coded

franny i love u

GASP its lord debling

yo debling got rizz…… 😳

oof oof oof OOF 🙃 this is sad OH lol here she goes

pen’s pen game be like 🔥🔥🔥🔥

portia’s nervous hair touching tick is iconic atp

featherington’s always stressed abt something (im actually interested in their storyline this season cuz it makes sense i didnt need them that much on screen as last season)

cressida girl its your fault ur bad at making friends JFC

JONATHAN UR SO HOT anthony ur too horny oml

….????? kate this isnt you HAHHAHAHAHHA ????????????????? idk abt this yall HAHAHAHHAHAH ????:)/₱:₱:!,

kate will prolly be forced to step up at one point in the season

franny’s getting married this season or at least will meet john im almost sure of it

we get it colin youve changed 🙄

PEN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 she wrote something about colin or someone didnt she

honestly colin…. valid

[ircnwrought]

respond to the following prompts out of character, then tag others you'd like to get to know a little bit better.

Roleplayer name: miranda

Roleplayer pronouns: she/her

Muse name: bear with me i have a lot here: morgan le fey, violet sorrengail, harmonia, astoria greengrass, annie cresta, clove kentwell, éponine thénardier, aelin galathynius, amaya danaan, elide lochan, feyre archeron, natasha romanoff, wanda maximoff, and allya zaldas are all on the roster (currently testing visenya targaryen and lysandra ennar; disco muses are bryce quinlan, francesca bridgerton, and sif asyjursdottir)

Preferred communication: i like disco the most bc i find that tumblr eats dms

Experience: i started rping here on tumblr 12 years ago ? (oh god ... ) in hunger games simulators. i moved to my first rp group about 11 years ago to write annie cresta (my oldest muse) and got up the courage to join the indie community 10 years ago with morgan's predecessor blog (a bbcm morgana)

Preferred roleplay type: i can jive with anything, but i think my sweet spot is about two paras with no icons. they just tend to be the threads i can get to fastest based on my work schedule

Pet peeves & dealbreakers: generally being pushy or being a dick ? look this is a hobby and we're all here to have fun. respect other people's opinions and their right to set their boundaries. i took a two year writing hiatus because of how icked out i got after being forced into very uncomfortable shipping situations i made clear multiple times i wasn't okay with. i think we just need to remember that there's a real person on the other side of the screen who deserves our kindness and consideration

Plots or memes: both !! memes are such an easy stress-free way to test the waters or even new dynamics. if we've never written ? send a meme. if we've written forever but you want to explore a ship ? send a meme. i'll love you forever either way. same with plots. i'm easily excitable in disco when you get me talking about my muses and i'll just throw ideas out into the wild. they don't all have to turn into something, but i LOVE fleshing out dynamics and scenes

Best time to write: generally the time between my evening shower and going to bed. i'll write a thread or two to relax before falling asleep

Are you like your muse? i don't think i'm exactly like any one muse, but i choose muses that i relate to in some aspect, so in that way i'm in all of the characters i choose to write. i'd like to think i'm studious like vi/astoria/elide. i believe in kindness above all like harmonia/annie/amaya. i aim to be crafty like morgan/aelin/feyre/nat. i struggle sometimes but always try to right my wrongs in the end like clove/ép/wanda/allya. i also choose muses of a certain archetype, typically those who face massive amounts of adversity, but still come out on the otherside. idk what that says about me, but maybe a psych major out there could tell me xD

Tagged by: my loves @ofanswereddreams and @meaercies

Tagging: i'm late in responding to this so idk who has and hasn't done this yet but i WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ALL MY MUTES SO MY ENTIRE FOLLOW LIST IS TAGGED (sorry no cheating you've been tagged)

[fanhackers]

#writtenbyawoman

A couple of years ago, BookTok and BookTube - the literary subcultures of TikTok and YouTube - started a meme, #writtenbyawoman.  The idea of the meme was that men, as written by women authors, were–well, terrific! Wonderful! Kind, gentle, considerate! To say a man was “written by a woman” was to give him the ultimate compliment: to put him in a category with men like Mr. Darcy, or Laurie from Little Women, or the Hot Priest from Fleabag. This complement has moved past fictional characters to be applied to real men (as in, “OMG he’s amazing, it’s like he’s written by a woman”), as well as to celebrities (e.g. Harry Styles, Timothee Chalamet. Hozier.) 

This is one of those cases where fandom’s hit on an idea that academia has also explored. In the introduction to her 2017 book, Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire, historian Carol Dyhouse notes that: 

“The icons of romantic literature — Mr Darcy, Mr Rochester, Heathcliff, or Rhett Butler — were mostly, in the first instance, products of the female imagination. Movie stars and rock musicians acquire and cultivate images that in many cases have little to do with their ‘ real ’ selves. Many of the most successful ‘ romantic leads ’ in the past — Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, Dirk Bogarde, Richard Chamberlain, for instance — have been gay. Their performances nevertheless conjured visions of maleness which had women weak at the knees: how do we make sense of this?” 

Dyhouse continues:

What we now refer to as the ‘alpha male’ hero, rugged, square-built with a strong jawline, has never held indomitable sway over feminine emotions. Sensitive types, moody aesthetes, and men exuding androgynous charm have featured equally prominently in the cultural landscape of desire. (1-2)

Even early heartthrob’s like Rudolph Valentino’s character of “The Sheik” were #writtenbyawoman - did you know that he comes from a bestselling novel, The Sheik (1919), written by E.M. Hul (that is, my girl Edith Maud. :D  You go, Edith!) 

Dyhouse’s purview extends from soulmates to vampires to pop stars and of course to David Bowie as the Goblin King. Not a fandom book per se but well worth checking out if your areas of interest include, say, pirates, Adam Ant, or Lord Byron.  

References:

Dyhouse, Carol. Heartthrobs : A History of Women and Desire, OUP Oxford, 2017 

–Francesca Coppa, Fanhackers volunteer

[skygifs]

MECIA SIMSON GIF PACK**

[COMMISSION] find a payhip link in the source to access 195 gifs of mecia simson as  francesca findabair in the witcher season 3. all gifs were make by me from scratch. please reblog if using

tw include: blood, murder (person magically exploded all over her), fire

you may edit them, however permission and credit is required for redistributing. do not make into gif icons smaller than 100x100.

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[broadwaydivastournament]

Audra and Bebe and Bernadette and Christine: The Good Fight

Diane Lockhart:

After slapping the shit out of Julianna Margulies in the series finale of The Good Wife, Diane Lockhart became the star of her own spin-off series The Good Fight. On the eve of her retirement, Diane finds out she's dead broke due to a series of financial schemes perpetrated by friend and client Bernadette Peters' husband (whose name I don't care enough to look up). Following this disastrous turn of events, Diane becomes a partner at a Black Chicago-based firm, and is later upgraded to named partner.

She's also a fashion icon, so jot that down.

Throughout six seasons, staunch-Democrat Diane spends her storylines addressing the social and political climate of the day. She handles cases revolving around fake news and the MeToo movement, briefly joins an underground anarchist group because Katie Finneran tells her to (understandable), gets SWAT-ed, has a few breakdowns, and enjoys the fun of microdosing. In short, she's living her best life.

Liz Reddick:

In the second season, Liz Reddick-Lawrence joins the gang at Reddick, Boseman, & Lockhart. Formerly a U.S. Attorney, and Boseman's ex-wife, she joins the firm following her father's death. Initially, she and Diane get off to a rough start with their professional and personal differences. White name partner, Black firm... You can understand why. They spend the series butting heads as often as holding hands, and when the chips are down, they'll support each other.

Liz, another fashion icon, has a young son, divorces her cop husband, has a romantic liaison with Wayne Brady, has another affair with her ex-husband (and perjures herself when asked about it in court), and fucks a workplace subordinate (a white man, which is the real crime here). She and Diane briefly put aside their fight-of-the-week to lean into the rumor that they're lesbian lovers in order to win a court case. And we didn't even get a fake dating kiss out of it, so if anyone wants to join my class action lawsuit for emotional harm, let me know.

Judge Claudia Friend:

Judges on The Good Fight, often have a fun little schtick that recurs throughout their guest appearances. Judge Claudia Friend is cursed to always preside over cases where the lawyers see fit to bicker like children the entire time. She is...so tired. (Hence why my multi-story saga about this minor character started with her getting absolutely railed over her desk by another judge--as played by Joanna Gleason).

In addition to three appearances in The Good Wife, including Audra McDonald's single guest appearance where they shared a scene, Claudia Friend presides over two episodes/cases in The Good Fight. And I, for one, would have liked more of this exhausted and exasperated judge in my life.

Lenore Rindell:

Mother of early-series protagonist Maia Rindell, Lenore is a co-conspirator of the ponzi scheme that makes Diane flat broke season one. While her husband fucks off to some island to avoid prosecution, Lenore has to stay and face the music. She's also having an affair with her brother-in-law, so there's that.

Okay, sucks for Diane and all that, but take a look at this woman and tell me you wouldn't let her do whatever she wanted? I support women's wrongs, and I really support the costume department putting Bernadette in this pretty little nightie. Anyway, Lenore is eventually prosecuted for her part in the whole financial scheme and her character is written out of the show.

Other Divas who appear on The Good Fight include: Brenda Braxton (Madeline Gilford - 16eps), Andrea Martin (Francesca Lovatelli - 6eps), Mary Testa (Amy Ann Howard - 3eps), Katrina Lenk (Naftali Amato - 3eps), Jayne Houdyshell (Renee Rampling - 2eps), LaChanze (Julius's Wife - 2eps), Carolee Carmello (Judge Eve Sebald - 2 eps), Linda Emond (Judge Leora Kuhn - 1ep), Katie Finneran (Valerie Peyser - 1ep), Judith Light (Deidre Quinn - 1ep), Joanna Gleason (Judge Carmella Romano - 1ep), Kelli O'Hara (Deirdre Kresteva - 1ep), NaTasha Yvette Williams (Juror - 1ep).

Other Divas who appear on The Good Wife include: Mary Beth Peil (Jackie Florrick - 49eps), Anika Noni Rose (Wendy Scott-Carr - 14eps), Vanessa Williams (Courtney Paige - 4eps), Joanna Gleason (Judge Carmella Romano - 3eps), Linda Emond (Judge Leora Kuhn - 3eps), Jan Maxwell (Camilla Vargas - 2eps), Debra Monk (Tracy Mintz - 1ep), Julie White (Selma Krause - 1ep), Susan Blackwell (Professor Jolie - 1ep), Tovah Feldshuh (Lena - 1ep), Karen Ziemba (Lina Banner - 1ep), Ann Harada (Isabel St. Jean -1ep), Donna Murphy (Judge Alice Adelson - 1ep), Victoria Clark (Shannon Janderman - 1ep), Jackie Hoffman (Judge Maria Felletti - 1ep).

And pretty much every other Broadway actor you can think of.

[argentangelhelps]

59 ICONS OF FRANCESCA DEL FA IN MEDICI S2

all icons are free to use with credit to @argentangelhelps!

you may edit to your liking (add borders, psds, textures ect)

do not use for : celebrity/real person rps or paid commissions, everything else is up to user discretion. (don’t make me change this rule)

they are edited (sharpened) in ps, however they are meant to be used under the psd of your choice! if you choose to use them as they are they should work just fine! they are 100px & 75px square and do not come with any borders.

all screencaps used come from https://screencapped.net/ i did not make them, i just cropped them into icons.

FACECLAIM INFO :  francesca is white (italian)

TRIGGER WARNINGS : n/a

the zip file is free to download on my PAYHIP!

LIKE OR REBLOG IF YOU SAVE OR USE!

[royalfamily-of-windemburg]

Christmas tree lights switch on in Lysgard: Princess Francesca marks the start of the festive season

The magical atmosphere of the country's capital, Lysgard, was illuminated last night when Princess Francesca, together with Parliamentarian Edward Harrington, had the honour of switching on the lights of the iconic Christmas tree in the city's central square. The event, which marks the official start of the festive season, attracted hundreds of people who gathered to witness the moment and enjoy the Christmas spirit that fills the capital during this time.

The tree lighting ceremony is a tradition that dates back more than fifty decades. Every year, a member of the royal family is in charge of ushering in Christmas in Windemburg, accompanied by important figures from the government or civil society. This year, Princess Francesca was in charge of keeping this tradition alive.

The tree, decorated with thousands of bright lights and elaborate ornaments, stands as a symbol of unity and hope. The ceremony included Christmas carols performed by local choirs, the presence of street vendors selling traditional sweets and a host of activities for children.

“It is an honour to be able to switch on the lights this year,” said Princess Francesca, as she pressed the button that lit up the tree. “I hope that these lights will illuminate not only our streets, but also our hearts, and remind us of the true spirit of Christmas: generosity, love and solidarity.”

For his part, Mr. Harrington expressed his gratitude for being part of the ceremony:

“It is a privilege to be here today and witness our community come together to celebrate this very special holiday. Christmas is a time to reflect and be together, and there is no better way to do that than with this beautiful illuminated tree.”

The lighting of the Christmas tree in Lysgard is much more than just a tradition: it is a celebration that unites all the people and communities of our country.

Comments section:

MerryMary: I love that Princess Francesca is the one who turned on the lights this year, always so friendly and kind. This marks the real beginning of Christmas for me!

Ella_Williams89: Seeing Edward Harrington next to the princess was so lovely. Christmas in Lysgard is just the best, I can't wait to visit the square and see the tree lit up in person.

BenjaminLHill: Ever since I was a kid, I always watched the lights come on on the tree, and this year I'm taking my son to experience that same magic. It's just beautiful!

TinyReindeer2: I can't wait to visit the square with my family. The lights, the carols, everything is so festive! Every year it seems better than the last. Merry Christmas everyone!

[luvhughes43]

got a lil carried away but i only did the first album. for the second and third i rec dinner and diatribes, wasteland baby!, movement, talk, would that i, nfwmb, moments silence, da shelby pt2, francesca, i,carrion, damage gets done, all things end, abstract (psychopomp), unknown/nth, swan upon leda, better love. but literally every song is amazing so i rec everything😭😭 these are just some of my favs!! the bold are my everything's.

1st album:

take me to church: i mean she's iconic "to keep the goddess on my side, she demands a sacrifice. drain the whole sea, get something shiny, something meaty for the main course"

angel of small death and the codeine scene: 1st angel of small death is angel of orgasm, the french call an orgasm "the small or little death". "lay my heart down with the rest at her feet....it's bloody and raw but i swear it is sweet"

jackie and wilson: "she found me just in time cause with my mid youth crisis all said and done i need to be youthfully felt cause god i never felt young"

someone new: "there's an art to life's distraction, to somehow escape the burning wait" "i fall in love just a little oh little bit with someone new everyday" "the stranger the better"

to be alone: horny. "when you kill the lights and kiss my eyes honey i feel like a person for a moment of my life" "to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you" "it's the god that heroine prays to"

from eden: "there's something lonesome about you, something so wholesome" "there's something wretched about this, something so precious about this" "you're familiar like my mirror years ago, idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword. innocence died screaming honey ask me i should now. i slithered here from eden just to sit outside your door"

in a week: "after the insects have made their claim i'll be home with you"

sedated: "you and i nursing on a poison that never stung" "free and young we can feel none of it" "darlin don't you join in you're supposed to drag me away from it"

work song: literally everything here is a masterpiece. can't even pick lyrics. they're all so good here. "i'm so full of love i can barley eat, there's nothing sweeter than my baby, i'd never want once from the cherry tree cause my baby's sweet as can be she gives me toothaches just from kissing me" "NO GRAVE CAN HOLD MY BODY DOWN I'LL CRAWL HOME TO HER" "if the lord don't forgive me, i'd still have my babe and my babe would have me" "heaven and hell were words to me"

like real people do: "i will not ask where you came from honey neither should you" "so i will not ask you why you were creeping, in some sad way i already know" "put your sweet lips on mine, we should just kiss like real people do"

it will come back: watch live performance at birmingham bc it's so horny. comparing himself to a stray animal that will come back once you start feeding it and being nice to it. goes from third to first person. talking about an animal then talking about himself. "you know better than to look at it like that" "leave it to the lands this is what it knows, honey that's how it sleeps" "jesus christ don't be kind to it, it will come back" "i know who i am when i'm alone, im something else when you're near, you don't understand, you should never know how easy you are to need" "don't let me in with no intention to keep me, jesus christ don't be kind to me, i will come back" "it can't be unlearned i've known the warmth of your doorway through the cold i'll find my way back to you, oh please give me mercy no more, it's a kindness you can't afford, i want you babe each night as sure as you're born, you'll hear me howling outside your door"

foreigners god: "still my heart is heavy with the hate of some other man's beliefs always a well dressed fraud" "screaming the name of a foreigners god, the purest expression of grief" "she feels no safety, i've no language left to say it but all i do is crave her, breaking if i try to convey it, the broken love i make to her"

cherry wine: my fav. she is about domestic violence tho keep it in mind "eyes and words are so icy oh but she burns like rum on a fire" "the way she tells me i'm hers and she's mine open hand or closed fist would be fine, the blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine" "just like she throws with the arm of her brother" literally the whole song, if i out more lyrics it'll be the whole song. it's a masterpiece.

in the woods somewhere: "forgot all prayers of joining you, i clutched my life and wished it kept, my dearest love i'm not done yet"

run: "i need you to run to me lover" "her hungry eyes, her ancient soul" "to slowly learn of her ancient misery to be twisted by something, a shame without a sin" "rushing to shore to meet her foaming with loneliness" "rare is this love keep it covered"

this is soo.. omg thank you so much🫶🫶🫶 i’ve made a playlist with ur bolded songs added first, and then ur other recs following🫶🫶🫶 i’m going to listen while i study and i’ll let u know my thoughts when i’ve listened throughly🤍🫶🫶🫶

this is so sweet thank you so much for taking the time to do this i’m literally melting

[ccthewriter]

CC's New Watch Ranking - April 2023

Every month on Letterboxd, I make a list of the 10 best films I’ve seen for the first time. It’s a fun way to compare movies separated in time, genre, and country of origin, and helps me keep track of what I’m watching! This is a breakdown of those films.

April! An early heat wave broke and gave us the rainy, misty days that this month is supposed to contain. My vegetable garden is starting to take root. This is the first year I’m planting in earnest, prepping trays of seeds to make their way outside. I’ve been learning a lot, and keeping my eye on the backyard window as I’ve been settling in to watch these films. Plants like music - do they like film scores? Maybe I’ll take my speakers outside and find out. I bet they’d love Angelo Badalamenti, whose work is featured heavily in this month’s list. After a slow start due to several exciting new work opportunities (yay!), this month ended up containing some cinematic heavy-hitters! 

Click below to read the breakdown! Click HERE for the list on Letterboxd! 

10. The Hawks and the Sparrows 

1966 - Pier Paolo Pasolini

A delightful absurdist tale by one of Italy’s greatest directors. A father and son, whose attitude seems ripped right out of Waiting for Godot, wander a road with indeterminate purpose. Along they way they meet a philosophizing talking bird, and fall backwards in time to the life of St. Francis. Interspersed are some scenes of modern (1960s) Italian life, including the real funeral procession of a Communist leader. It’s a strange, lopsided work, perhaps not achieving the thought-provoking or artistic heights that the director intended, but contains some brilliant gems of absurdism. I’m particularly struck by several shots and discussions that focus on the Moon. You may know, reader, that I am obsessed with Fellini’s Voice of the Moon. That is an absurd, wandering meditation on the moon’s symbolism and power, and echoes of those ideas are found here, too. It gets me wondering about what Fellini and Pasolini shared, the experiences that united their thought, and got them to create such interesting, parallel pictures. 

9. For a Few Dollars More 

1965 - Sergio Leone

Impeccable craft. The platonic ideal of a Western that so many movies/other media try to grasp, but can never quite achieve. (Looking at you, Mando.) While The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly might be the ultimate piece in this trilogy, For A Few Dollars More still manages to hold all the compelling, subtle characterization and breathtaking conclusion that makes that capper so legendary. Two bounty hunters seek out a mad fugitive - they all double-cross one another in pursuit of victory. There’s just grand vibes within this thing. A legendary score, gorgeous shots, handsome sweaty men trying to kill each other (aka flirting), and other tiny design choices that are beyond iconic. What’s not to love? Toss this on with a bourbon, pardner, and watch them shoot a hat. 

8. Bitter Rice 

1949 - Giuseppe De Santis

What if we fought back against systems that oppress the workers of the rice fields AND we were both girls 👀. First and foremost watch this if you love wlw - there is some subtext that occurs between the main pair as they squabble. A jewel thief, coerced into crime by her shitty boyfriend, hides out among rice workers with her stolen goods. She meets Silvana, a peasant who catches onto their scheme and ultimately gets entangled in their lives. It feels like both the thieving pair lust after her. The politics of this one are messy, to say the least. Francesca, the thief, sides with some scabs who want to work the fields despite not being part of the union. Silvana organizes the workers against them, but ultimately they come to a patronizing compromise to let both sides work together. The film doesn’t care about the details that would make this labor struggle real - what does it take to join the union? Who organizes it? Do the members get to vote about how they feel about the scabs? Pulling those threads makes the movie collapse, along with the shoe-horned melodramatic ending for Silvana, which seems born out of an American Hayes Code sense of what must happen to a woman who "chooses wrong." Despite these elements, the film is shot beautifully by Otello Martelli, Fellini’s cinematographer, and contains one of the greatest framing devices for a neorealist film ever devised. A voice over telling you that what you’re about to see is the real testimony of rice workers, which diegetically shifts into a radio announcer present at the scene, is inspired. A film to yell at as you enjoy it. 

7. Touch of Evil 

1958 - Orson Welles

The film opens with a bomb being place in the boot of a car. Then there is an unbroken shot lasting about 5 minutes of that same car driving slowly through a crowded street. It is breathtaking tension building. Hitchcockian perfection. What follows is a surprisingly nuanced exploration of police corruption. These pigs live in paranoid fantasies sustained by evidence that they plant - hatred, ignorance, and alcohol let them forget that they created the justification for their hate themselves. This film drips with noir style and culminates in a chase scene that’s just as satisfying as the end of The Third Man. Who else understands noir like Welles? He gives a remarkable performance here. 

6. Inland Empire 

2006 - David Lynch

Lynch was doing creepypasta lo-fi found footage before it was cool. Seriously, watch this film and be surprised that this came out before Marble Hornets! Lynch’s first foray into digital filmmaking follows the story of actor Nikki Grace, played by the inimitable Laura Dern. (Consider her!) She is cast in a film that she later discovers is an adaptation, derived from a production that was shut down due to strange events happening to the cast. This grounded framing quickly dissolves into classic Lynchian surreality. The narrative is intersected by stories of 19th century Polish sex workers, modern day drifters, an unnamed woman who watches the film’s events on a TV screen, and more flashes of disconnected images than I could ever try to remember. Terry Crews is there for a few minutes. Lynch’s films defy simple explanation, as their very structure seems to repel logical attempts to define them. It is enough to say that this all builds into a moving tale of the exploitation built within the Hollywood machine. To be an actor, even with all the progress we’ve made, is to give yourself up to depersonalization, to completely vanish in the eyes of the viewer. Audiences want to see a self that is inside you, but is not you. You can get lost pulling on that thread. And there are dark figures who are only too happy to encourage you to get lost, who want to sit behind a camera and watch your selves separate, so they can bottle it up and sell it for massive, massive profit. Fascinating to see such a film come from Lynch, who by all accounts is a highly ethical filmmaker and whose crews (particularly Dern!) adore working with him. I think it takes a fundamentally good and kind person to truly understand evil - they must have the good grace to recognize what lives within them, what lives within all of us. 

(Also, these fucking rabbits terrify me in ways that I'm still understanding. I think I saw the short film Lynch made with them while I was under the influence of certain substances. They know what I'm thinking and will show up at my doorstep one midnight, I just know it.)

5. Lost Highway 

1997 - David Lynch

Whereas Inland Empire explores the loss of self that’s a feature (not a bug) of acting, Lost Highway explores a broader loss of self that can happen any time, anywhere, to anyone. Recapping the plot, again, seems a little pointless, but in brief, it’s about a jazz musician who appears to be stalked by a shapeshifting entity. As he tries to understand why he’s being targeted, he gets arrested for (apparently) murdering his wife - but while in jail, he mystically transforms into another person entirely. This new character lives an entirely separate life that eventually intersects with the original one in shocking ways. It’s all very cyclical, and vague, and contains a host of implications that are too broad to clearly explain. Lynch is the ultimate Oneric filmmaker in this way - the content of the dream is so different than the lasting impression it gives you. Towards the beginning of the movie the main character has this exchange: 

Fred: "I like to remember things my own way"

Cop: "What does that mean?"

Fred: "How I remember them, not necessarily how they happened"

That’s the ultimate explanation of how these films function. They are truly symbolic masses that pass through you, live inside you, and then transform into something greater than its sum ingredients. 

4. Bound 

1996 - The Wachowskis

So after dipping our toes into that Lynchian, vaguely defined dreamscape, here we have a much more straightforward film. What if the hottest most gorgeous most sapphic most jaw-droppingly sexy women imaginable did a crime together??? Wouldn’t that be cool?????? There really isn’t much in the way of symbolic nuance in this picture like there is in some of these other recommendations. This is just a straight-forward, tightly constructed crime thriller, starring (cannot emphasize this enough) just the biggest queerest icons you can imagine. I knew this movie would rewire me once I saw it, and am pleased to report that it really, really has. If you’re in the sapphic camp please check it out - it’s as required viewing as But I’m A Cheerleader is. Corky is a stone-butch ex-con who’s hired to renovate an apartment. She discovers that living next door is a mobster and his disaffected trophy girl Violet. Violet seduces Corky in the most noir femme fatale porn-adjacent way imaginable - quite literally “can you fix my pipes?” - and the two agree to pull one over on the mob so they can run off into the sunset. What follows is tightly constructed, steaming tension, as Hithcockian in perfection as Touch of Evil’s opening oner, but with a little more pulpy crass. Gays and theys, please, do not hesitate to watch this. It’s the film that let the Wachowskis make the Matrix, it is truly that spectacular. 

3. The Immortal Story 

1968 - Orson Welles

Welles is a master storyteller, a magician, a ponderous and monologuing baron of Art whose work is now embedded in the history of this medium. When he’s not playing himself, he’s playing corrupt, ignorant men. What do you think compels him to do that? He had the power and resources to play anyone he wants - why was this the role he chose? These questions will naturally rise up when you’re watching The Immortal Story, Welles’ last feature fiction that he would ever direct. It follows the story of a wealthy businessman who has a meeting with his assistant late one night. The businessman - this baron - reveals that he despises fiction, and only wishes to tell or hear things that are true, like data in a ledger. But then he reveals a story a sailor once told him, about a wealthy man who once paid the sailor to sleep with his wife and produce an heir. His assistant knows the story; he says this is a common folk tale, repeated in every port, on every ship, and that his master is incorrect in believing he heard it from the person it actually happened to. This sends the businessman on an obsessed journey - he commands his assistant to recreate this tale, to hire a courtesan, to find a poor sailor, and reconstruct this tale exactly as it was told to him, line-by-line, so that… well, the baron’s reasons for recreating this tale are obscure. Obsession? Stubbornness? A late-life spark of creativity? These questions intermingle with the first few I proposed. What impresses me so much about this film is that it is Welles clearly exploring his own creative drive, questioning all the motivations that have driven him to the life he has been leading for decades. It’s an incredible meditation from one of cinema’s greatest filmmakers. I firmly believe it sets the ground for the future explorations of truth and fiction that Welles accomplishes in F for Fake. How appropriate that this is the capstone towards his fiction-telling career. 

2. Mulholland Drive 

2001 - David Lynch

The perfect fusion, and appropriate mid-point, between Lost Highway and Inland Empire. Lynch explores the fundamentals of identity as two people try to discover who they are within the mad dreamscape that is Los Angeles. A woman stumbles out of a car crash into the home of a newly-arrived dreamer, ready to go on an adventure and help this woman restore her identity. Or, perhaps the real story is that a jealous actress clings to a more successful starlet, but gets her heart toyed with and torn to pieces as part of some power-tripping game. Lynch is a master of montage, assembling seemingly random moments into a cohesive whole that leaves a distinct emotional message. The competing, lopsided, cyclical narratives that make up this film are no exception. All the cutaways to different characters that intersect with the main pair’s lives are incredible, too. This is the Lynch film that most feels like it captures life itself. Its many contradictions and absurdities, its passion and revulsion. The highlight is the scene where the protagonists sit and watch an underground show. “It's all just a recording,” the performer repeats. This film is just a recording. Our lives will become a recording, once we’re gone and can only be remembered by artifacts. In this moment the movie seems to speak to the viewers directly, reminding them that everything they’re watching is false - and they’re allowed to let it transport them to other realms, anyway. 

1. The Music Room 

1958 - Satyajit Ray

One of the things I like most about movies from before, say, 1975, is that they don’t mind really lingering in a certain mood. Much of this movie shows a bored man, descended from royalty, lounging around his dilapidated palace. He hides from responsibility, debts, and truths he’d rather forget. But one doesn’t get bored watching him linger. Almost like a survivor in a horror movie hiding from a monster, Biswambhar is actively hiding, actively moping and avoiding the reality of his situation at any cost. It is a remarkable effect. Biswambhar’s only passion in life is live music, and his music room is his treasure. When his family meets a tragic turn of fate, he is left alone in his palace, situated on a flood plain that will eventually sweep away all his land. He decides to spend the rest of his life waiting for the day, living on ever-dwindling reserves of treasure and sherbet. Destiny seems to call to him at one point, and he decides to spend the rest of his reserve on one final, grand act, like in the good-old-days. He hires a musician, invites all his neighbors, and acts like he hasn’t been a reclusive hermit for several years. We understand him the most in this moment. The way he lights up, reopening the music room. The fantasy he embodies. As the musician plays, and we linger in the majesty of her dance and the hammering tabla, we are mesmerized just as he is. Cascades of meaning become clear. This man has sacrificed everything just for this moment, has given it all away to live inside a happy bubble, shunning the outside world… and can you blame him? How can anything life offers compare to the astral travel music can provide? If only he could have found a way to balance his obligations and this passion. Maybe if he had been a musician himself. But no. He can only watch… just as we, watching this movie, are now. Satyajit Ray is a director most capable of making the audience question itself, whose films seem to provoke deep thought and lingering wonder long after the work is over. This film might be the greatest example of that ability. As our own world changes in uncertain times, with an unclear future, a film like this forces us to question just what we’re doing consuming so much media. Like Biswambhar, I think many of us are turning a blind eye to environmental change so we can linger in the happiness of the music room, too. That’s the lesson to take away from this film. One can’t live their life waiting for that room to contain magic once again… 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading! If you liked any of these thoughts feel free to follow me on Letterboxd, where I post reviews and keep meticulous track of every movie I watch. Look forward to more posts like these next month! 

[thejourneyingzone]

Muses

The Blackwell Guild

Name: Lulu Augenreate Race: Human Class: Landsknecht

A pure lady with a heart of gold, wanting to adventure and lead a new life away from the rich family that she very much liked. A bit of a klutz but she means well! She'd help someone, no matter their troubles! Pretty much the leader of the guild.

Name: Kuuka Nylfin Race: Dark Elf Class: Medic

An odd elf that likes to mess with people. Her words can easily pierce and hurt people emotionally, but she does have a soft side to her. She chose to journey so she could get out and see the world, having lived close to one spot for a lot of her life.

Name: Chrysanthemum Race: Dryad Class: Botanist

A kind being that just joined the Guild all of a sudden and didn't feel like leaving. Apparently, she was just curious about what journeying with a group of people was like. She's usually the one who tries to break up tension when there's a fight breaking out, but that doesn't mean she has high patience herself.

Name: Roa Faucon Race: Harpy Class: Wildling

A once-restaurant worker that quit her job to give adventuring a shot. Due to having been worked to the bone before, she's not so nice to people, not even her own teammates. Heck, she's even a little self-centered. She's the one causing the most trouble within the guild. (Imagine her wings are her arms in the icons pls)

Name: Crest Darkrose Race: Human Class: Zodiac

The first member to have joined the guild after Lulu formed it, she was saved by her after having gotten to a tussle with a monster all on her own. She's soft-spoken and doesn't really like people much. She's gone through a lot that she doesn't like speaking about. Needless to say, her and Lulu are like a low-class and a high-class person working together.

The Carvest Guild

Name: Zatsuba Kaminari Race: Oni Class: Gladiator

A 9-foot tall, mace-wielding oni, adventuring for the sake of gathering treasure. Despite this, she is not a team player in her guild. She's rather vain and somewhat lazy with doing actual work, liking having others do the heavy work for her. She is a hard-hitter though, able to destroy foes easily within just a few swings of her mace.

Name: Armanda Irontail Race: Wolfgirl Class: Ronin

A powerful wolf lady who prioritizes striking her enemies down with overwhelming power and speed before the enemy can react over anything else. She can be rather cocky at times thanks to this, but she thinks training to be that strong takes work. Lazy people really anger her. She decided to adventure to find treasure, simple as that.

Name: Lumine Caryll Race: Elf Class: Medic

The straight man of the guild, a nun at heart, joined to spread her teachings and gain new experiences. Despite this, the guild she’s in puts her to her wits end. Thanks to this, she’s seen losing her cool real easily. Once she get real mad, not even Zatsuba’s safe from being somewhat surprised by her anger.

Name: Mary Annaleigh Race: Human Class: Dancer

A shy, 4-foot girl who’s self-conscious about herself, but wishes to become a legendary hero, or at least wishes to be on the same team that the upcoming legendary hero would be on. That’s the reason why she’s adventuring aside from also doing it to build up confidence. Out of the rest of the guild, she gets picked on the most.

Name: Tondra Asterope Race: Android (Descendant of Thunder Goddess) Class: Android

A recent addition to the Carvest Guild. An android that remembers nothing about herself, not even that she’s a descendant. She adventures to see if she can regain her lost memories. A somewhat quiet lady but can hold her own incredibly well in battle.

The Creazione Guild

Name: Francesca Accetta Race: Human Class: Alchemist

The creator of the guild, a somewhat cocky girl who overall means well and is just very passionate about alchemy! She loves the thought of creating things and named the guild exactly after that. She always goes headfirst when it comes to getting the things she needs, doing whatever she deems necessary to get it!

Name: Dahlia Vinca Race: Elf Class: Hexer

Once a guildmaster, now participating in a guild! An old elf, full of wisdom, but not really with the personality to match that. She’s lazy and gives up on things rather easily. When she does get interested in something though, she’ll be fixating on it until she feels she’s mastered it!

Name: Nymphaea Race: Water Goddess Class: Harbinger

A recent addition to the guild, a water goddess that is both super cocky and cannot let go of a grudge. She’s basically childish. She joined for the simple reason of wanting to see how mortals live and journey. She’s also just a glass cannon, as her attack stats are through the roof and her speed is grand but she can hardly take a hit from an enemy to save her life. Don’t mind her scythe, she likes it a lot.

Name: Raea Valentine Race: Human Class: Buccaneer

A shorty, standing at 3’11”. She’s cocky as well, loving to get attention from people. Praise is the best thing to her. When it comes to an actual fight though, she quickly starts becoming cowardly. She’s also just doesn’t like big groups of people and is usually skeptical of people she meets.

Name: Avery Irides Race: Human Class: Ninja

A girl that is also just very lacking in self-confidence. She’s more of a lone wolf in the guild. She doesn’t talk to people much, preferring to just be left alone. If she has to talk to people, she tries to make sure it’s just short talk. Why did she join the guild? She wanted to try going out of her comfort zone. She needs to grow as a person after all.

[cavenewstimes]

The making of Supersex, Netflix’s most explicit show ever: ‘We wanted to dive into the core of masculinity’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Rocco Siffredi is an emblem, he’s an icon, he is the cock of the Western culture,” says Francesca Manieri, the filmmaker behind the Netflix drama Supersex, about one of history’s most prolific porn stars. “My goal was to put men in front of themselves.…

[giangrua]

Week 4. Reality TV in the Age of Social Media

The given article explores the fascinating interaction between reality TV and social media, highlighting both its benefits and drawbacks. It goes beyond simply describing the impact and the power dynamics, as well as evolving concept of "authenticity" of reality TV in this digital age.

1. Features of Reality TV in the Social Media Era

Gone are the days of passive viewing. Social media has transformed reality TV consumption into an interactive experience. Online discussions are filled with witty commentary, memes, and GIFs, giving iconic moments a life beyond the show itself. The rise of streaming services further expands access, allowing new audiences to discover past gems.

2. Benefits for Participants

Social media empowers participants to reclaim their narrative. They can offer their perspective on editing choices, challenging the constructed "reality" and sparking discussions about authenticity. Furthermore, platforms like Instagram and YouTube offer avenues for income generation and brand promotion, extending their 15-minutes of fame. After the 2020 Netflix reality show "Too Hot To Handle," Francesca Farago emerged as one of the most famous figures. Her Instagram following skyrocketed from 300K to 3M post-show, enabling her to generate substantial income through the platform, alongside sponsorships, modeling contracts, digital ad campaigns, and guest appearances (Nathani 2020). In addition, she introduced her swimwear line, "Farago the Label," and established a website offering merchandise like t-shirts and hoodies (Marie Claire 2020).

3. Drawbacks and Ethical Concerns

The flip side of accessibility is exposure to negativity. Participants face the harsh reality of online trolls and potentially harmful comments. This raises ethical concerns about the psychological impact of reality TV participation in the social media age.

4. Reality TV's Influence

Beyond mere entertainment, reality TV has demonstrably influenced online self-presentation formats like vlogs and social media stories. These formats echo the video diary style, but with a more casual and unfiltered approach. Reality TV's "amateur" aesthetic, achieved through leaving in mistakes and eschewing traditional broadcasting conventions, is adopted by YouTubers seeking to appear relatable and intimate with their audience.

5. Comparing Reality and Traditional Celebrities

The concept of "authenticity" takes center stage in both reality TV and social media. Reality stars and internet personalities, categorized as "microcelebrities," leverage this perceived authenticity to cultivate their fanbases. They achieve this through "calibrated amateurism," which involves addressing the audience directly, sharing glimpses of their personal lives, and even leaving editing errors. For traditional celebrities, social media offers a platform to bypass intermediaries and connect directly with fans, showcasing a curated yet seemingly "authentic" side of themselves.

6. The Future of Reality TV

This genre's future seems intertwined with technological advancements. Expect to see reality TV capitalizing on virtual and augmented reality, further blurring the lines between real and constructed. Streaming services and hybrid formats that combine elements of celebrity, distribution, and content consumption are also likely to become more prevalent. While ethical concerns remain, the article predicts a focus on scapegoating individuals rather than addressing systemic issues of exploitation. Despite its complexities, reality TV shows no signs of disappearing, solidifying its place as a cornerstone of the television landscape.

Reference list

Deller, RA 2020, Reality television : the television phenomenon that changed the world, Emerald Publishing, Bingley, England, pp. 153–175.

Marie Claire 2020, Francesca Farago From ‘Too Hot to Handle’ Is a Reality Star to Watch, Marie Claire Magazine, viewed 11 February 2024, <https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a32175404/francesca-farago-too-hot-to-handle/>.

Nathani, N 2020, Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago Set to Make Nearly $1 Million from Instagram Posts in 2020, ScreenRant, viewed 11 February 2024, <https://screenrant.com/too-hot-to-handle-francesca-farago-instagram-followers/#:~:text=When%20Screen%20Rant%20spoke%20with%20Francesca%20on%20the>.

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