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keef-a-corn · 2 years

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Rewatching TFP-

Giving you commentary of episode 6 -Masters and Students.

(I would talk about episodes 1 - 5, except I watched them yesterday and it made me realise that they stress me the hell out. Instead I’m going to cover episodes that don’t stress me out nearly as much)

Also I watch Transformers Prime on Stan (I’m pretty sure Stan is only in Australia, but it’s a streaming service and has every episode of TFP), so if any of these time stamps don’t match up, I’m sorry.

~~~~I begin now~~~~

Not saying much about the first part because it’s pretty much as seen.

*intro*

02:52 - scenes like these where it’s just Ratchet and Optimus cannot be viewed without at least one ‘this is proof their marriage certificate exists’ moments.

03:14 - and there it is. Optimus literally just when ‘mm’ and Ratchet immediately switched up his approach, the second approach worked significantly better.

03:44 - I like how you can tell Optimus has significantly larger strides when running compared to Ratchet. He started off further away, but arrived faster and closer.

04:00 - NOTHING BOILS MY BLOOD MORE THAN WHEN MIKO SAID

‘Whoopsie’ LIKE WHO THE FRAG ARE YOU?! WHERE TF DID MIKO GO?!

04:02 - ‘h-what… in the allspark’. Ratchet pronouncing ‘what’ that way is all the proof that’s needed to come to a conclusion that he’s old. Take that clip outta context and everyone witnessing it will know that he’s closer to his deathbed than a mid-life crisis.

04:15 - Not even close to being an accurate comparison.

04:21 - DAMN RIGHT, RATCHET! THEY ARE MAKING A MESS! MIKO BEING WEIRDLY MESSY WITH THE PAINT, BEE AND RAF TRIGGERING FIGHT OR FLIGHT, JACK AND ARCEE… Being weird- I mean.. for the bots, wouldn’t that be like trying to construct a body?

04:27 - then why did you leave it to the last minute, Raf?.

04:34 - Soooo close, Ratchet, but Bulkhead doesn’t need to know about the solar system to help Miko paint, same with Bee needing to know about Volcanoes to assist in constructing a model like that.

04:33 ~ 04:46 - Optimus just standing but like ‘just gonna let him talk it out’

~sorry, not much to say either~

05:55 - I wanna know what Bee’s saying. It seems interesting!

05:58 - Honestly Raf saying that clues me in even less.

06:05 - OPTIMUS’S HAND ON BEE’S SHOULDERRRRR! It’s so big! Aaaaaa

06:06 - Optimus calling Bee awesome.

Also Optimus confirming Bee’s very young.

06:54 - I really like how Peter pronounces ‘Bumblebee’ in Optimus’s voice. Just makes it sound so regal, then you remember it’s the word ‘Bumblebee’. + Optimus had no reason as to choose Bumblebee (aside from plot), Bulkhead was most likely not needed because we saw Miko’s project was pretty much complete and Jack was most likely the only one that would require assistance from Ratchet as Arcee was clearly no help.

07:07 - damn, those two strong as hell.

07:40 - Gotta keep his Bee safe. + he looks so concerned as he watches Optimus walk away.

07:49- Starscream had a whole choreographed dance for ‘rise and serve’

08:15 - I like Skyquake. What a waste. ALSO HE LOWERS HIS UPPER HALF TO TALK TO STARSCREAM, BUT TECHNICALLY HE IS BOWING!

08:55 - LMAO he really just pushed him away.

09:11 - Aww Bee gotta check on Optimusss

09:39 - Optimus just watching them like: 🧍

09:40 - SLAY, SKYQUAKE!

10:11 - Scraaaaaaaaap I love Soundwave’s designnn (I know he shows up earlier in the ep, it was just at this point that I truly stopped to appreciate them)

10:37 - Bee’s eyes are so interesting.

10:50 - Gotta protecc his faaather.

10:56 - Ayo- Bee- WTF?? He really just tapped into his inner insect abilities.

11:01 - Optimus immediately stepping in when Bumblebee was down *cri*

11:04 - He really just threw Bumblebee.

11:30 - Optimus leans in a bit closer when saying ‘vehicle mode’ to Bumblebee. He doesn’t want Skyquake to hear. And Bee kinda perks up as he realises Optimus is right.

11:52 - Ratchet’s inner goat

12:17 - That’s me doing all the work in science because the rest of my group is an idiot.

13:40 - It took me four rewatches to understand that Soundwave repeats ‘must bear witness’ as a command he’s making.

14:00 - of Agent Fowler didn’t show up in this episode, I bet that Optimus and Bee would’ve benefited greatly.

14:22 - Now that I think about it… odds are, Skyquake isn’t calling Bee ‘bug’ because his name is ‘Bumblebee’, instead it’s more likely he called Bee ‘bug’ because he considers him a small inconvenience that could simply be squished. I feel ashamed that it’s taken me this long.

14:39 - Bee’s face rises ever so slightly- he’s obviously happy, it’s just that I never noticed it.

14:58 - See? He’s distracting the bots and giving Skyquake a vehicle mode.

16:33 - Starscream landing so nicely gives me life.

16:58 - he touched da boob.

17:18 - to disagree~ I’m sorry-

18:34 - Oh that must’ve hurt-

18:39 - Father watches son fly off on plane.

18:41 - Father immediately calls in only air support to retrieve son.

18:53 - Bee showing off his surfer skills, but also that he’s smart by committing mid air murder.

19:01 - whoever chose for Bee to make that sound when plummeting to his death, thank you. You couldn’t have chosen a more perfectly silly sound for this very dangerous situation./g

19:04 - yeas, it is, Fowler, so why are you waiting?

19:12 - Bee showing off perfect coordination abilities

19:40 - Damn- Bee teleports now-

19:56 - Optimus condemning the strategy before praising the performance is very smart. I will not explain further

20:08 - I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS, TO ME, OPTIMUS SMILED WHEN RATCHET GOT EXCITED.

20:49 - if there’s a remote, why does the volcano have buttons?

21:08 - Optimus engages with a joke.. why does no one mention this?!

M’kay, those were my thoughts.

Lemme know if you thought differently/disagree with my points/have more to add.

I like hearing people’s perspectives.

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dotthings · 4 years

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Let’s talk about why Dean dancing with a lamp is subtext, but it’s subtext that supports textual arcs. Dean dancing with a lamp is not random. Meta on why Dean dancing with a lamp is part of the build of a textual arc for Dean, thematically, which also connects to his relationship with Cas. This symbolic moment being tacitly about Destiel will only feel like reaching if you ignore context, ignore canon, ignore long arcing, ignore textual material surrounding it. This isn’t just me talking about a ship, this is an important arc for Dean himself emotionally and the way canon’s working, Cas has become the star player in this specific emotional Dean arc about yearning.

Here are some canon quotes. I could just leave these here and not write another word of meta because the canon wrote it for me. But I’ve added some further commentary to spell out clearly what I’m getting at.

Dean in 8.14 “Trial and Error” by Andrew Dabb:

“You see a light at the end of this ugly-ass tunnel. I don't. But I tell you what I do know – it's that I'm gonna die with a gun in my hand. 'Cause that's what I have waiting for me – that's all I have waiting for me. I want you to get out. I want you to have a life – become a man of Letters, whatever. You, with a wife and kids and – and – and grandkids, living till you're fat and bald and chugging Viagra – that is my perfect ending, and it's the only one that I'm gonna get.”

Dean in 10.16 “Paint it Black” by Eugenie Ross-Lemming and Brad Buckner:

“You know, the life I live, the work I do…I pretty much just figured that that was all there was to me, you know? Tear around and jam the key in the ignition and haul ass until I ran out of gas. I guess I just thought sooner or later, I’d go out the same way that I live – pedal to the metal, and that would be it....Now, um… recent events, uh… make me think I might be closer to that than I really thought. And…I don’t know. I mean, you know, there’s – there’s things, there’s…people, feelings that I-I-I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time.”

Sam and Dean in 11.04 “Baby” by Robbie Thompson:

SAM: Really? You don't . . . Ever want something more? DEAN: I'm sorry, have you met us? We're batting a whopping zero in domestic life, man. Goose eggs. SAM: You don't ever think about something? Not marriage or whatever. But . . . Something? You know, with a hunter? Somebody who understands the life?

Sam and Dean in 13.23 “Let the Good Times Roll” by Andrew Dabb:

DEAN: But on a beach somewhere, you know? Can you imagine? You, me, Cas, toes in the sand, couple of them little umbrella drinks. Matching Hawaiian shirts, obviously. Some hula girls. SAM: You talking about retiring? You? DEAN: If I knew the world was safe? Hell, yeah. And you know why? 'Cause we freaking earned it, man.

Sam and Dean in 15.08 “Our Father, Who Aren’t in Heaven” by Eugenie Ross-Lemming and Brad Buckner:

DEAN: Look, man, I didn't want to say anything, okay, 'cause I was kind of in in a bad place, and, uh, yeah, I didn't want to jinx it or whatever, but, you know, I tried the family thing, right? SAM: Yeah, me too. And that's not for us. DEAN: No, not really. But I'm just saying if it was to work, Eileen, you know, she gets it. She gets us. She gets the life. She's hot. SAM: Dean. I mean, I'm not even- DEAN: Look, all I'm saying is you- you could do worse, okay? And she could certainly do better. Like, so much better. I'm happy for you, Sammy.

Dean and Garth in 15.10 “The Heroes’ Journey” written by Andrew Dabb:

DEAN: You know, I gotta say, aside from pincushion in there… this is pretty nice. GARTH: Yeah, better than I ever thought I'd get. I mean, hunting -- I figured I'd be dead before I'm 40. You know, go out young and pretty. But now I've got a great wife, great kids. I guess...sometimes things work out.

Dean in 15.10 “The Heroes’ Journey” by Andrew Dabb:

Dean, wistful, watching through the window as Garth and Bess dance: You know, I always thought I could be a good dancer if I wanted to be.

Ok, let those roll around in your brain for moment.

Now: CONTEXT. CONTEXT. CONTEXT.

There’s this long running arc about maybe Sam and Dean could each find a significant other, not white picket fence, but...something, with someone already in the life, who gets their life. There’s Dean’s move from despairing and believing the only ending he could have, the only ending any hunter could have, is dying with a gun in hand, to Dean’s enthusiasm for the concept of retirement, Dean’s wistfulness about finding a significant other, for what he thinks he can’t have, and he starts the cycle all over again, if he can’t have it, then he wants Sam to have it, so Dean encourages Sam with Eileen. Saileen, the Dean-blessed, Dean-approved Sam ship. Dean ships it. And that is how the canon is trending, complete with Sam and Eileen kissing goodbye and saying “this is real” and even God himself saying their feelings were real, “that was all you,” even if God manipulated events around them. Which is an overt mirror to Dean and Cas and Dean’s expressly stated doubts about what’s real and what isn’t, and Cas telling Dean “we are.”

Much the way Sam has been witness to Destiel, and has often pointed out Dean’s Cas feelings. Dean’s got a front row seat to Saileen and approves; Sam’s had a front row seat to Destiel and approves.

Let’s throw in Robert Berens’ work in The Trap here, since that’s relevant to this specific topic as well, because why did Sam and Dean in the potential future timeline where they’d killed Chuck give up and cave in to their vampire instincts? The world being overwhelmed with monsters...and losing Eileen and losing Cas. It’s right there in the dialogue. I’ll give you the quote and everything:

Sam and Dean in 15.09 “The Trap” by Robert Berens:

SAM: You want to quit? What's happened to you, Dean? Ever since -- DEAN: Ever since what? We lost pretty much everyone we've ever cared about? Ever since the Mark made Cas go crazy? Ever since I had to bury him in a Ma'lak box? Ever since then? Yeah. You know why? 'Cause the monsters -- they're everywhere. Everywhere! What we do -- it's not even Hunting anymore. It's whack-a-mole. We don't even save people. Every friend we've ever had is either dead, or they got wise and they packed it in. SAM: Jody's still fighting, and Bobby -- DEAN: Bobby has a death wish, and you know it. And Jody -- ever since what happened to Donna and the girls, she does, too. And after Eileen... so do you.

“Ever since” Dean had to bury Cas in a Ma’lak box. “After Eileen...so do you.”

So there’s this canonical long, long thread across multiple authors (and those weren’t even all the quotes, I’m sure people could dig up more) about Dean in particular yearning towards finding a significant other, some contentment, with someone who already is in the hunting life, who gets it, who understands.

An episode that flat out shows how losing their significant others is the final straw that rips out Sam and Dean’s last will to fight, and they lose themselves, and after they’re turned into vampires, they just...give into the darkness. Where Sam gives up their shot at destroying the big bad because losing everyone they love is too high a cost. Where losing Cas makes Dean lose hope, where losing Eileen sends Sam into a death wish mindset. Sam and Dean don’t just need each other. That’s not canon, it never has been.

And then right after that, along comes meta episode The Heroes’ Journey. Sorry if you don’t like The Heroes’ Journey, but it’s what the canon did, it’s textual, along with everything else I’ve pointed out here, and in among the crackish humor are some real emotional narrative points.

In The Heroes’ Journey, Dean gets to see Garth’s life. Garth found his significant other, Bess, and she’s another werewolf. Now, Garth’s life resembles the traditional white picket fence idea a lot more than what Team Free Will are headed for. Garth has a big house with a porch, and he’s a dentist. He’s also a werewolf and his wife is a werewolf and his kids are werewolves because Bess is a pureblood werewolf, Garth didn’t exactly leave the life, and he helps Sam and Dean on a case. But nothing’s been indicating to me that anyone in Team Free Will is headed for that kind of settling down, with a house, becoming a dentist. However, the canon has been practically shouting now, as we near final episodes of SPN, to make the point about a desirable outcome--some kind of stability, contentment, and a significant other. Dean gets a front row seat to seeing a hunter can have that. Garth’s a hunter who turned into a werewolf and he can have that.

When EP’s talk about how they aren’t headed for a white picket fence or driving off into the sunset or settling down, none of that rules out them finding...something...with someone, and some form of stability and contentment. Nope, I can’t really imagine them in the suburbs becoming dentists. But canon sure is putting up big neon arrows to...something. Think outside the box. This isn’t about the white picket fence.

And in The Heroes’ Journey, Dean, conked out on the good gas so Garth can fix his teeth, has a trippy dream where he dances with a lamp.

Rewatch the ep. Look at how the dance is choreographed not just the use of light, because that’s a clue too. The whole dance could have been Dean and Garth being dancing bros, but Garth fades off the stage, and Dean dances alone...until he grabs the standing lamp. In a season where Dean and Cas’s relationship is an A-plot, define it how you like, it’s A-plot. Their breakup and their reconciliation, which played like a marital breakup and reconciliation, are tied to major mytharc beats. In a season where a long-running textual theme about Dean’s developing hope for retirement and his wistfulness about “things...people...feelings...” is getting further play. Where Dean and Cas’s relationship continues to be one of the show’s most central ones.

Dean dances with a lamp. While his emotionally fraught, intense close relationship with Cas--A BEING MADE OF LIGHT--has a long-running arc and recently more and more textual level content spelling out the sublimated romantic interest in small words, while there’s an arc about Dean’s yearning for that stability, contentment, a significant other.

CONTEXT.

We don’t think Destiel’s “going canon” because Dean dances with a lamp, it’s that Dean dancing with a lamp is kinda loud serving as reflection of canon textual arcing. Sometimes subtext adds a layer. Sometimes subtext is directly tied to the surface layers, an echo, a highlighter.

I’ll just be over here, crying because Dean danced with a lamp.

#Dean Winchester #Castiel #Destiel #Destiel meta #spn meta #spn #supernatural #Saileen

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spaceorphan18 · 4 years

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Kurt Duets Ranked

Part 2 of my Kurt Performances series, we move onto duets -- which will probably the least exciting of conversations, because this isn’t going to be much different than my Klaine Duets rankings. I didn’t go check that, however, so we’ll see how I feel about them now that more time has passed.

Meanwhile, the thing about the duets section is that while there are a ton of great songs in this one, it feels limited. Glee didn’t like to stray from what it knew worked, and therefore, we get Kurt having only a handful of duet partners, and only two of them make up a majority of the songs. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get more Kurt and Mercedes duets, but even more unfortunate that Kurt didn’t sing with a larger variety of people. I mean, could you imagine a season 4 Kurt/Santana duet? Or something season 1 or 2 with Kurt/Quinn? Lots of possibilities, little room for experimentation.

That said - I do enjoy a vast majority of these songs, and like the solos, most of them complement Kurt’s story nicely.

Kurt Duets Ranked:

27. Candles (Original Song, 2x16)

You guys can’t seriously be surprised by this, right? As with all of these numbers, I went back to listen to see if I’ve changed my mind. Nope. And here’s the funny part - I actually do like this song. But the arrangement, production, and context of this number is terrible. My theory is that Original Song had so many songs in it that they were rushed to get this one done. Coupled with the fact that that the arrangement was redone (by Darren? - idk, Darren’s usually better than this.) and probably rushed means that it was just sloppy by the time they got to production.

From a music point of view, the arrangement is not complementary to either of their voices, and both of them clash on harmonies and go out of tune multiple times throughout the song. On top of that, the emotion of the song is completely off. It’s a break up song -- purposely more tailored for the Finchel story line at the time -- but doesn’t mesh well with Klaine’s getting together story. It feels awkward and out of place, and one of those times where I think who ever picked this song made a bad choice.

I know there are those out there who like it -- and that’s great! Don’t let me slow you down. But it will remain a weak link in an otherwise solid discography.

26. Get Back (Tina in the Sky with Diamonds, 5x02)

While this is way, way better than Candles, I do think it’s a weaker number for Kurt, and Kurt/Rachel, seeing that you’ll see they have some fantastic numbers coming up on this list. Not a favorite Beatles song of mine in the first place, not helping is the fact that this song should have a grittier and harsher sound than either of these relatively more classically trained vocalists can give it.

There is some fun with the choreography (weird NYADA piano tuning thing aside - that’s not how you tune pianos...), and Kurt and Rachel’s voices mesh just fine, but the rest of songs on the list just offer a bit more.

25. Memory (Old Dogs, New Tricks, 5x19)

This one is... rough. And it makes me sad to say that about a song picked specifically by Chris Colfer. For Kurt’s part, it’s a perfectly adequate rendition of Memory, though I think it lacks any of the deeper emotion that Kurt normally brings to his solos. But marring it further is the addition of June Squibb (who doesn’t have the same caliber of voice) and the fact that the scene itself is a bit of forced sentimentality. I get what Chris was going for in the script, but we’ve barely met these people, and they’re not memorable enough for us to get a tug on the heartstrings that this song wants us to have. The scene just kinda falls flat. (I’m sorry Chris!)

24. Lucky Star (Old Dogs, New Tricks, 5x19)

I promise, I’m not picking on Chris, even if the two songs he specifically wrote for himself are down here at the bottom. At least this one has more entertainment value even if I think it’s not a great performance. Kurt flying around as Peter Pan is super cute, and the song choice works relatively well with the scene. Once again, though, June Squibb’s Maggie is not a vocalist (And that’s fine - she’s a super cute old person), as well as this is bogged down in that weird sentimentality Memory was going for. It’s not really good, but at least it’s entertaining.

23. Story of My Life (The Back Up Plan, 5x18)

On a list featuring the what works and doesn’t for Kurt’s performances, this one just... oy. First of all, technically, the boys sound fine. Their voices mesh just fine, as usual, though Blaine’s voice is better suited for these slightly melodramatic boy band numbers. It’s a fine song to listen to in the car. Watching the performance, though, is rough. It’s done that way intentionally, to fit the context of the story -- and while it’s supposed to be comedic, to me it comes off as awkward and cringeworthy. Kurt has some odd performance choices, but normally a good performer, and this makes him kind of a bumbling idiot for the sake of the story, to the point where I rarely ever watch this one. I get what they were going for, and enjoy the song as just a song, but am not really a fan of the actual performance.

22. It’s Too Late (Jagged Little Tapestry, 6x03)

This one I definitely have some mixed feelings about. The song is fine, albeit a little on the pop-y side, though that’s intentional for the theme of the episode. And it’s the first time one of these songs directly commentating on the story that’s actually going on with Kurt. On the one hand, the angst of the scene is played well, and these boys pining for each other works for this part of the story. On the other, the vocals are a tad on the generic side (though these boys always sound great each other), and I’m still not sure I understand what was going on with the fantasy element during the middle of the song. Still, it accomplish the feel the story needed, which is why it gets bumped up here.

21. I Am Changing (New Directions, 5x13)

We only get two Kurtcedes duets on this show, which is a damn travesty. But what makes it harder is this one is, well, a little one sided. Mercedes freakin’ brings the house down with her half of the song -- clearly Amber Riley deserves all the credit she got for doing Dream Girls. Kurt, on the other hand, sounds a little rough here. I’m not sure if it’s because Chris’s voice changed during the show, and it actually got deeper, or if it’s due to the weird production values of season 5, but Kurt’s solo verse is a bit harsh and unrefined, and not in a good way. Mercedes saves it and steals the show, and when the two come together they sound fantastic, but this one gets dropped a little further down because it’s just not a strong one for Kurt. Add to that the fact that they’re trying to make Rachel and Santana be friends again, and the song is unfortunately a weaker one.

20. I Believe In A Thing Called Love (Frenemies, 5x09)

Look, I love Elliott, and I love that Adam Lambert came onto the show. He and Chris had some great chemistry, which actually does show through this performance. It’s fun and crazy and a bit out of Kurt’s normal repertoire, but that’s okay, because Kurt lets loose a little, and it’s really fun to watch. No - Kurt can’t match Elliott when it comes to the heavier rock material -- this is much better suited for Lambert than it is for Colfer, and there are times when Kurt kind of gets overshadowed and out performed, but that’s fine. We get to see Kurt pole dance - I think that’s justification enough to have it where it is on the list.

19. White Christmas (Glee, Actually, 4x10)

Believe it or not, out of the three Christmas duets Kurt and Blaine have, this is my favorite to listen to. I love this song, and I love this arrangement. They sound gorgeous on it as it highlights the strengths of their voices when singing together. My biggest issue is, really, with the scene overall. Look - it’s not easy choreographing people who aren’t used to doing routines on ice skates, and I get that. But due to that fact, the performance ends up being a lot of shots of people who aren’t Kurt and Blaine, and that’s a shame. The other two Christmas duets are much more in sync than this one, and this one is really being held back by the technical difficulty. Still - I like the song, and the context that it’s in, which is why it’s as high as it is.

18. Let it Snow (Extraordinary Merry Christmas, 3x09)

While lower than it perhaps deserves, upon watching it again, I know I’m placing it higher on the list of Klaine duets. It’s an incredibly hard number to do with all the dance steps and vocal runs, and the two of them nail it while being in character as their characters and as the Christmas special characters. I’m kind of in awe at the technical ability of this one, and it’s a shame the writers didn’t always play to Kurt and Blaine’s (and Chris and Darren’s) strengths. It’s not a personal favorite of mine, nor does the song hold much weight with their story, but it’s an incredible embodiment of what makes Klaine - Klaine, and showcases how well they can work together when given really good material.

17. You Make Me Feel So Young (New, New York, 5x14)

This is one of those songs that I go back and forth on, and really could write a dissertation on it, because I think there are a lot of elements both internal and external going on, which makes the onscreen performance... weird. But I feel like that would get way too long for the likes of this already too long post. So, I’ll say this. Vocally, they sound fantastic together, which is why I think it deserves to be up there on the list. It’s also one of the few times that we get to see genuine domestic Klaine being themselves with each other, which is also very cool. My issues with the acting and directing of the scene are very nitpicky, and it all lines up with my growing consensus that one of the weaker elements of season 5 were the musical numbers, but if y’all want more, I’ll do another post on just this song specifically. For now, I’ll just say that I enjoy the good things about the song, even if some of it leaves an awkward taste in my mouth.

16. Animal (Sexy, 2x15)

Animal is one of the few truly comedic performances Kurt gets to do. Between the silly sexy faces, euphemistic foam, and overkill addition of plastic balls, it’s hard to take this one very seriously, but that is the point. Both boys sound great on it, and it’s a lot of fun to watch -- being cringy in a good way. I really don’t have any criticisms of it besides I just prefer the others on the list just a bit more. But we’re getting into that territory where I think all of these songs are solidly good, and on any given day, I could rearrange the whole list.

15. 4 Minutes (The Power of Madonna, 1x15)

The second, and original, of the Kurtcedes duets, this is the first time in the show that Kurt gets to turn his sexy on, and it’s really awesome that they give him the chance to shine in such a way. Despite the fact that Kurt is doing the occasional weird hand gesture and choreography in this one, he and Mercedes play off each other incredibly well, and it’s a shame they never let these two really get to do anything once the juggernaut of Hummelberry came along. No, the song isn’t the best for Kurt’s voice, but sometimes it’s the spectacle of what’s going on during the number rather than how it sounds.

14. Love is a Battlefield (Tested, 5x16)

Showing that not all Season 5′s numbers were, well, not up to par as everything else, we’ve got this Klaine duet, which might be one of my favorite pieces of choreography and showmanship on the show. I really don’t like the song, at all, which I know goes against the grain of a lot of you, but it’s a testament to how powerful this number is visually that I’ve ranked it so high. (It’s about anger sex guys, and more sexual than the scarcely few sexy time-ish scenes we actually got.) The boys sound great on it, and the layered acting in it is pitch perfect. I love this duet, even if I’m not a fan of the song.

13. Ding, Dong, The Witch is Dead (The Purple Piano Project, 3x01)

Well, there is a reason Hummelberry was what it became, and this showcases that to perfection. The song isn’t worth much story wise, but it does show just how wonderfully these two play against each other, as well as sounding great together. This song is playful and light and the perfect showcase for what real talents they both are. I have my issues with Hummelberry (really, I do) but I can’t deny that they’re standout performers together, and everything about this number comes together to show that off.

12. Perfect (I Kissed a Girl, 3x07)

Look, this list is subjective. Yes, there are a few that stand over the rest and a few that are really not that great, but most of Kurt’s duets, like his solos, are really all solid performances. And I just happen to really love this song. I’m not going to defend Blaine’s questionable rapping or the context this song is performed in the episode. But what I will say is that I love what the lyrics have to say about Klaine’s relationship at the time, and the fact that they both (but especially Kurt) sound so great here. Plus, I enjoy jamming out to this one in my car.

11. Daydream Believer (Dreams Come True, 6x13)

This just happens to be one of my favorite songs ever, and I’m so glad this got to be the last Klaine duet. I have no issues about how well they sound together. As cute as they are dancing with the kids, I do wish the context would have been totally different -- I wish that they were singing this to each other -- or their own child. But I still think it’s a pretty meaningful song, and I love it, so here we are.

10. Just Can’t Get Enough (I Do, 4x14)

I unabashedly love this song. Sure the song is rather repetitive and is going on during other people’s plot lines, but every time I hear this one, I just want to get up and dance along with it. The boys sound great on it, and they get to be rather flirty in the moments that the camera is actually on them. If only the had more screen time, I probably put this one higher near the top.

9. Somebody Loves You (Transitioning, 6x07)

A lot like Just Can’t Get Enough, this duet is flirty and adorable and I love everything about it. They sound great together and, as usual, play off each other well. On top of that, the song itself plays nicely into the Klaine story of the moment, which I appreciate. It’s not a perfect performance, but an incredibly enjoyable one, and that’s what matters.

8. American Boy (The Untitled Rachel Berry Project, 5x20)

Are either Kurt or Blaine suite for Rap and R&B? No, not really, but do I care? No. As you’ve probably noticed, I love these flirty duets, this is one of the best ones. Sure, they don’t really capture the style or tone of the original very well. But they’re having a lot of fun out there and being adorable while doing it. And Kurt simulates having sex. I mean, do I really need to say more? But really - I actually enjoy this song a lot, so there we go.

7. Popular (2009, 6x12)

This is easily the best performance of Kurt’s limited performances in season 6. Kurt and Rachel haven’t head a duet together since Season Five’s Get Back (interesting right?) but they’re able to turn right back on the magic that was going on in the earlier seasons. This song is near perfection -- the acting is solid, the performance is layered -- being both comedic and a commentary about the both of them, and they sound wonderful together. This is truly a treat for the end of the series, and I’m a little sad the rest of the season didn’t put as much effort into its musical numbers.

6. Come What May (Girls and Boys on Film, 4x15)

The thing about Come What May, for me, is that it’s deeply a romantic song - and shot (intentionally) in a very movie-like way. I love so much about this, from the staging, to the bit of flashbacks setting the tone at the beginning, to the misdirect and reveal that it’s really Kurt’s fantasy and not Blaine’s. Vocally, there are a few weaker spots towards the beginning, but that can be overlooked when visually and lyrically there is so much wonderful things going on here. I love when a performance can have layers to it -- and this one say so much about Kurt as a character and the head space that he’s in, while being deeply romantic without being vulgar, that it firmly takes a spot near the top of the list.

5. Got to Get You Into My Life (Love, Love, Love, 5x01)

The thing that’s so great about good Klaine duets is their push and pull of each other. This duet has a ton of that -- each of them playing against each other in such a flirty way. They sound great, they look great, the number has a ton of energy, and the bright tone is a nice change from all the somberness that came along with season 4. It’s a visual treat as well as a aural one, and nearly flawless in execution, which is why it’s ranked so high on the list.

4. Rockstar (New, New York, 5x14)

Is this really one of Kurt’s best duets? Technically, probably not. I don’t really care - I. Love. This. Song. Really, I listen to it all the time, and it’s just a song I never tire of. It’s really Adam Lambert’s show, and Kurt is kind of dancing around like the littler brother of the rockstar that is Elliot ‘Starchild’ Gilbert. And I do think Kurt and Elliot’s voices mesh rather well -- even if Kurt’s overshadowed a bit here. But that’s all fine - because this song makes me happy for no other reason that it does, and that’s a fine reason to be near the top of the list.

3. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (A Very Glee Christmas, 2x10)

I keep trying to think of reasons not to put this as the number one Klaine duets. I keep looking at the list thinking that something else about one of the other duets will stand out more, and I just can’t. This scene and this performance is damn near flawless. I’ve already talked about this scene at length, and I really don’t have anything new to add, but here’s the thing -- this song sounds wonderful, the game of cat and mouse they play with each other is one of the best scenes on the entire show, and I can’t say enough at how brilliant and layered and amazing this scene is. Hands down, best Klaine duet, and one of the best overall duets on the show.

2. Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy (Duets, 2x04)

The thing is, about this duet, is that it’s iconic. Just hands down iconic. Not only were they able to take an old school mash-up done by Babs and Judy and make it their own, but they gave it the same amount of power and emotion the original had as well. I don’t think it’s easy to sit on a stool and make any kind of song engaging but these two are able to do it. They sound flawless on a technically difficult song. There’s subtly and nuance in the performance. There’s balance and give and take. And contextually, it fits in nicely with where each of the characters are at. On top of that, it’s a really great arrangement of these two songs in the first place. I have nothing but good things to say about one of my favorite songs and favorite performances on the show. And while Hummelberry has so, so many issues as a friendship -- their ability to make amazing performances together was not one of them.

1. For Good (New York, 2x22)

I went back and forth on what the order of the top three would be -- they could easily be interchangeable they’re all so good. But here’s the thing about this one. I feel like this one just takes an extra step up in, well, everything -- the performance level, the context, the layers of emotion woven through this song, it just hangs itself up a little higher than the rest of them. Yes, Kurt and Rachel sound as good as they ever do -- playing off each other and meshing with each other brilliantly. But this song is a grand musical theater piece that they pull off masterfully.

But on top of that... The weight this song has is given is higher than pretty much any other song on this list. it’s a perfect fitting song that punctuates their paralleling journey throughout the season. This song is a final statement and thesis of everything that became before it, and because of that, I’m ranking it as the best of Kurt’s duets.

#finding kh #kurt hummel #non link no photos version #because tumblr is the worst and has a million restrictions

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red-applesith · 5 years

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The Skywalker saga is coming to an end and I spent virtually four years hiding in the shadows to avoid the discourse (™). Well, to that I say no more! Rey isn’t a Skywalker! Finn is important even if he’s not a Jedi and Ben Solo is going to redeem himself!

And to rest my case below is a long thread about the Skywalker Lightsaber, the place of each character in the sequel trilogy and their narrative function. Buckle up!

First, let me postulate that--in-universe--the Skywalker lightsaber, throughout the trilogies, is the mythical sword of power, the Excalibur of a galaxy far far away. Some characters are meant to care for it for a short period of time while others are meant to wield it.

On a meta-level, we can advance that the Lightsaber stands for the Skywalker saga itself. This is why salty fans complain that toys packaging read “Rey's lightsaber” instead of “the lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin then lost by Luke.”

It bothers them that A GIRL inherited/took the lead of Star Wars.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the meta and explore the symbolic function of the Skywalker Lightsaber in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

In TFA, Maz Kanata is our Lady of the Lake, and perhaps it’s not a coincidence she lives by a body of water in a quasi-medieval setting. Like Obi Wan before her, she’s the custodian of the Lightsaber and her function is to bestow the magic laser sword to the protagonist.

The how or why she’s gotten the sword isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. The important thing is she’s here to kickstart the adventure.

But where Luke was simply handed the sword by birthright in the OT, Rey actually receives “a calling” as well as a Force vision of things past and things to come. Through Maz’s words, the audience understands that Rey is our protagonist.

Unlike Luke, Rey freaks out and runs away thus refusing the call to adventure, one of many steps on her Campbellian monomyth journey. Paradoxically, running away is how Rey is definitely sucked into the story since it’s in the forest that she meets Kylo Ren.

Ultimately--in-universe--her latent Force powers awaken thanks to this fateful encounter, and Kylo becomes--from a narrative standpoint--the reason why Rey joins the fight/the story. There is no hero without a villain but we’ll come back to that later.

Meanwhile, Maz is pulling the same kind of trick with Finn. I don’t know if you remember but before TFA Finn was marketed as the one wielding the lightsaber and people were lead to believe he would be Force sensitive.

In the following sequences though, Maz isn’t bestowing the lightsaber to Finn, she’s giving him the task to deliver it to Rey. This is how Maz lays out to the audience that Finn is our Deuteragonist. This is also how she prevents him from running away.

In the OT, it’s Han who was the deuteragonist, and the next few scenes where Finn is given the opportunity to wield the Legacy lightsaber, inform us on his own heroic journey.

Although he demonstrates great bravery during his fight against “Nine”, Finn is bested and almost immediately relieved of the sword. It’s only after the Resistance saves the day that he picks it up, alongside a weapon he’s more comfortable with, a blaster.

We are to understand that Finn’s destiny isn’t to become a Jedi or follow Rey on her path to becoming one, instead, he’s destined to become “a big deal in the Resistance”.

After that, we don’t actually see the Lightsaber before the end of the movie. But before we dive into the symbolism of the epic fight on Starkiller base, we need to discuss the role of our third main character: Kylo Ren.

Kylo Ren, formerly known as Ben Solo is the only son of Han and Leia, nephew of Luke and grand-kid to Anakin thus making him the heir to the Star Wars legacy. He’s also obsessed with Darth Vader, which makes him the most meta character of the trilogy.

His function in the ST is...complicated. On one hand, he’s the antagonist, the character who opposes and causes trouble for the protagonist but if we analyze his relationship to the Legacy Lightsaber, we quickly that the lines are blurred.

Because the movies are told from Rey’s POV, in TFA all we are given to see are his actions, but not his motivations--although J.J. gives the audience plenty of hints, but I digress--The first time Kylo lays his eyes on the Legacy Lightsaber, his reaction is visceral.

Some called it entitlement, and in a way it is. But at the same time, it is not--the Lightsaber/Star Wars does indeed belong to his family. In this scene, it is the first time that Ben Solo actually embraces his Skywalker heritage!

It’s important because the first time we saw him, he sliced Lor San Tekka for implying he’s a Skywalker, then we witnessed him murdering his father in a desperate bid for embracing the dark side for good (which he failed).

Moreover, the Skywalker lightsaber isn’t a relic of Darth Vader, it is Anakin’s sword, a sword of light he lost when he committed to the Dark Side of the Force. In this context, it shouldn’t be something Kylo Ren is seeking. Yet...

Anyway, Finn--who for dramatic effect kept the lightsaber instead of giving it to Rey when they met in the corridor--readies himself to face Kylo Ren, whom we know he’s terrified of, in spite of his previous failure with that weapon.

By allowing Finn to wield the lightsaber a second time, the writers allow us to witness another step in his character progression. But once again, Finn is not destined to win this fight, and the lightsaber lands into the snow.

This is another exciting Excalibur moment--Like the fabled blade in the stone, the Legacy saber starts vibrating until it chooses its champion, flying past Kylo into the hand of Rey.

Follows a beautifully choreographed fight in the snow, chock-full of raw emotion and symbolism that culminates when Rey slashes Kylo’s face and--for a split second--considers ending his life. But the force and the directors have other plans.

The movie ends on a sort of bittersweet note for me as we see Rey embarking on her journey to Ahch-To. On one hand, she receives the blessing of Leia, the “other Skywalker twin” who places her faith in her.

Yet, on the other hand, we also see her afraid as she reaches Luke and presents the Lightsaber to him as if she was a mere messenger and not the hero of the story.

Thankfully, our Lord and savior Rian Johnson (I’m not being sarcastic- turn around right now if you hate him and TLJ) picks up the story right there to assuage that fear.

Allow me to digress before I dive into TLJ. Imagine J.J. Abrams, wearing Jedi Robes handing over the Skywalker Lightsaber to Rian. “Here. Star Wars is yours now. Go play with it.” (or see alternative image below)

The first thing that Rian does is to take his toolbox and take the lightsaber apart: What is it made of? What part goes where? Do I need all the parts for it to work? How can I make my own lightsaber?

TLJ is a very meta Star Wars movie, even more so than TFA. It’s also a character-driven story,

and presumably, that’s why so many people didn’t “get it”. They either expected the characters to stay static or they wanted a completely different story.

However, as we’ve seen, Rey was destined to become a Jedi, Finn was destined to be a part of the Resistance, and Kylo was destined to not be a mustache-twirling villain.

In the second installment of a series, you need to shake things up, push the characters further down their path. And that’s exactly what Rian does. Rey hands the Skywalker lightsaber to Luke, who simply throws it away.

The Last Jedi is a movie about self-realization, that gesture leads Rey to question her place in the narrative. Until now she convinced herself that her mission was to bring Luke back to the Resistance so he can defeat Kylo Ren and magically fix the galaxy.

She picks up the lightsaber and tries to convince Luke to come back or to train her because she’s afraid and doesn’t know what to do. She can’t go back to Jakku and has nowhere to go on top of being magically linked to a guy who killed his dad.

The next scene with the Lightsaber occurs after the second Force Bond. Between Luke’s stubbornness and her conflicted feelings towards Ren, she decides to work out her frustration. First, with her staff, then--as her confidence in her abilities grows-- with the Lightsaber.

It’s a way to show that Rey is slowly starting to understand that she needs to take her destiny into her own hands, and the response won’t come from outside of her. That realization though isn’t made to happen further down the line.

Before that, there are two more times where Rey is trying to hand out the Legacy Lightsaber to a Skywalker before taking it for herself and embracing her destiny.

1 - Right after her fight with Luke. Now that she understands that Ben Solo’s turn to the dark side stems from a big misunderstanding she gives one last chance to Luke to be the savior of the galaxy everyone expects him to be. But Luke has his own demons to fight before being ready (we’ll come back to it)

2. When she ships herself to Ben. Symbolically she’s reiterating that he’s the Skywalker of the trilogy and that his place isn’t by the villain’s side. She wants him to be good (and to climb him like a tree)--But Ben also has his demons to slay before being ready.

The next thing, they’re standing in front of Snoke. Immediately, the raisin-faced villain takes the Skywalker lightsaber away from Rey and tries to manipulate the narrative, in an effort to render both Rey (and Kylo) powerless.

First, he coldly explains that he laid out a trap to both Rey and his apprentice, and that he’s going to discard Rey because she doesn't have a drop of Skywalker blood in her veins and thus isn’t relevant to the story.

Whether he lies about the Force bond doesn’t matter because--in the end--Snoke’s obsession with the Skywalkers is his downfall.

It’s no coincidence Kylo kills Snoke with his grandfather’s weapon, a light side weapon. In that moment it’s not about power, it’s about saving someone he cares for, like Vader saved Luke.

And the weapon he so desperately wanted to keep for himself in the last movie? He floats it right back to her, proving once and for all he wants her to live and be a part of the story.

Ensues the battle with the praetorian guards where our protagonist and our antagonist fight back to back for dear life. For the second time Ben Solo saves himself thanks to the Skywalker lightsaber that Rey throws back at him.

But then…as he looks down on Snoke’s corpse, Ben/Ren pockets silently the lightsaber.

The thing is, we’re at a crossroads in the story. This is the second episode of a trilogy and both Rey and Kylo have made tremendous progress in their self-realization journey. But they’re not there yet.

In this moment we understand that Kylo has bigger demons to fight before being ready, whilst Rey needs to fully embrace her role in the story.

Her heart breaks as she listens to Ren’s plea to join his side “because nobody else believes she’s worth it because she’s not a Skywalker”. He wants her to be bad (and marry him)--she wants to save everybody.

She reaches out and calls the Skywalker lightsaber to her but this time, the weapon “hesitates” and Rey and Kylo end up locked into a game of Force tug of war.

Eventually the Lightsaber breaks. In this moment are we to believe that Rey isn’t worthy? Or that Ren/Ben is maybe not so unworthy, and there’s still hope for him?

Fast forward to Crait, where Luke appears to face the First Order alone armed with a laser sword. Many wondered why he’s using the blue Skywalker lightsaber instead of his own green lightsaber.

Well, one answer of many is that not knowing what went down on the Supremacy, Luke appears to the FO--and the audience--as if he’d listened to Rey’s plea on Ahch-To and took the lightsaber she was presenting him.

On a meta level the battle against his nephew is Luke’s climactic moment, and we’re here to witness his last and most daring heroic moment in the saga, where he accepts to embody the galaxy’s “last hope” once more.

Not unlike Obi Wan’s before him, Luke’s sacrifice ensures that Rey becomes “the new hope”.

Some found Luke’s death cheap and tacky, but I found it very moving and thematically relevant to the concept of birth, death and rebirth evoked on Ahch-To. By becoming one with the Force like his mentor before him Luke became more powerful than before.

With that in mind, is it a coincidence that the title of the next movie is The Rise of Skywalker? I think not. Now we need to discuss the last shot where the Skywalker Lightsaber appears. Rey holding the two shattered pieces in her hands while Leia delivers words of hope.

That’s some powerful imagery here because Rian spent a whole movie shaking up Star Wars and he knows it. That’s why he shows the shattered lightsaber. It is “broken” but not beyond repair. You just need to reassemble it.

At the same time, it is no longer the “Skywalker lightsaber”, it’s about to become something new, something else, something I’m very much looking forward to discovering in December.

#star wars #star wars meta #the force awakens #the last jedi #reylo #mymetasandtheories

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hellsbells91 · 5 years

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The Witcher from the POV of someone who’s never read the books or played the games:

So I finished watching The Witcher, and apart from being disappointed when I discovered there were only 8 episodes rather than the 10 I thought there were for some reason, I quite enjoyed it...

But first it must be said that I’m coming at this as someone who’s never read the books nor played the games - the extent of my knowledge prior to watching this was that at some point there was a game called The Witcher. This is just to add some context to this review (something the show definitely doesn’t help you with).

Despite losing its way here and there, there are definite standout moments in the Witcher, and it would be a disservice harp on about confusing timelines or messy pacing without saying how sheerly enjoyable The Witcher is.

+ There is great representation. It’s nice to see POC characters who aren’t relegated to playing the part of ‘scary/savage/deviant foreigners’ - especially in a fantasy where this sort of thing is rife.

+ The Music/soundtrack is absolutely fantastic with a really cool, off-key folky vibe that sets the scene perfectly. And yes ‘Toss a coin to your Witcher’ is as catchy as everyone says it is.

+ Speaking of Witchers, Henry Cavill does an excellent job as the stoic, sarcastic yet kind-hearted Geralt. I found him totally convincing and far from the accusations of ‘blandness’ from some critics - I really cherished the moments where you could see his emotions peek through the solid ‘Witchers don’t feel emotions’ thing he has going on. The action sequences featuring him are brilliantly done and are a highlight of the series as a whole - he is very talented at fighting and the choreographers involved should be congratulated for making each fight play out like a brutal dance.

+ The monsters are also twisted, terrifying and awesome - the Striga in particular is genuinely frightening and with such an intriguing horror mystery surrounding it. If anything I wish there was more monster hunting (not that there isn’t plenty, only that I want more in the future).

Critiques:

Okay, the show’s not perfect and I had a few different complaints after watching but I soon figured most of them could be summarised as there being simultaneously too much information to learn, but not enough context. Names and locations are thrown around left and right and to someone new to the world it’s a lot to take in, and there’s little time to breathe or to ground the information, which then makes it harder to see the world as a living breathing reality. I’ve read fantasy novels that get around this by sticking a great big map at the front of the book so you can check when you’re feeling lost.

And whilst the use of different timelines is a really ingenious way to show long backstories without exposition dumps/excessive flashbacks, the hints of there being different timelines are often so subtle that they’re easily missed or disregarded as throwaway lines especially without that pre-existing knowledge of the world. I registered that something was off with the timelines but it didn’t wholly click until it was made super obvious in episode 4, but that might just be me.

It is a shame though because this confusion also led to me misinterpreting characters, of which Yennifer is the prime example. The fact that her disability was magically fixed and then shortly followed by the ‘makeover moment’ signalling her fitness to join society I found, frankly, offensive. I was unhappy with it and shocked at first that Tumblr was reacting so positively. But after reading a couple of posts from people who know more about her story than me, I understood a lot more about her motivations and her naive belief that looks and power would fulfil her only to find that it’s all fake as she struggles to live with the price she paid for it. It makes Yennifer a much more intriguing and complex character to follow than the shallow reading of ‘she’s hot now she can get everything she wants’.

The tone as well can stray all over the place, as if it can’t decide between being a serious fantasy horror or campy fun. I’m not knocking the humour, only suggesting some of it might have been better woven in. Jaskier is the comedic centre of the show and he is a great light-hearted presence to have around but sometimes his jokes just feel totally out of place. I suppose it’s there to highlight just how out of his depth Jaskier is, but sometimes it breaks the tension/drama of a scene and not in a good way.

On a similar note, while the setting is historical the characters feel quite modern - through their looks, mannerisms, speech etc. It’s not necessarily a bad thing - Merlin did a similar thing by making characters of legend feel modern and different - but it does add to the confused tone.

Nevermind all that though, when things start flowing more cohesively as you get further on in the series the Witcher shows real potential and I really look forward to where the story will go in season 2. Just gotta wait a year for it. I’m now wondering whether I should just play The Witcher 3.

#The witcher #the witcher netflix #the witcher spoilers #the witcher review

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cunyappliedtheatreblog · 5 years

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Countdown Profile Week 5: Joseph Webb (’20)

Photo: Daniel Nathan

So, Joseph, what are you up to these days?

This past May, I presented excerpts of a project that I've been working on with my partner, Barédu Ahmed, called Messages from Umi at Harlem Stage in New York. We just received some support to further develop the work and we're set to have a share in June of 2020 at Harlem Stage again.

What is the project?

Messages from Umi is a multi-discipline performing arts piece. It incorporates [music] by Barédu Ahmed along with different styles of dance. You have tap dance, you have house dance, you have contemporary dance. I'm the choreographer along with some improvisational movement elements that come forth from the other dancers. Also along with poetry in the art form of emceeing. In this context, Umi is mother hip hop, Umi being the Arabic word meaning mother. The musicians, and the dancers, we are...we receive messages and downloads from mother hip hop that we share with our audience, through movement, sound, text.

That sounds beautiful.

I'm excited about it. I really am. You know, I have a notebook of ideas, you know, that I know that I just write down was something hits me. And a lot of times you don't get a chance to actually work on all of these ideas. So I'm excited about it. But it's also nerve-wracking. I always put, and I'm getting better at this, I put a lot of pressure on myself, because I want to make sure that I get as close as I can to the vision that I first received. So it's a rainbow of emotions, but at the end of the day, it's is a beautiful experience.

“Download” something, “what you received.” You see yourself as a channel for something bigger.

Definitely. As human beings, I think we all have this part of ourselves that is greater than who we see ourselves to be. And I feel like that's where this information is coming from.

I want people to know what you've been up to. You've got a name as a tap dancer. You've been covered in major media outlets, including The New York Times. You've been doing it for a long time. Could you give an overview of what you've done as an artist?

Well, I've done some I've done some theatre. I've been on Broadway before [including Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk and Jelly’s Last Jam -MW]. I've done some national tours as well as some international stages, in Germany, in Canada and Spain as well theaters across the country, including the Kennedy Center and some other spots. And I've also done some TV work in the past. Commercials. A lot of people don't know, but I had a role on the soap opera Guiding Light.

Yeah?

I played the role of Steam, you know, on Guiding Light for a little while [sure enough, there’s no record of that on the internet. Joseph has also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. -MW]. I also was a lecturer at Medgar Evers College for eight years. I really enjoy teaching and I also enjoy performing. I feel like that's like part of a balance for me as an educator and a creative. I feel like this because as a teacher I just learn so much.

Why did you come back to complete the MA in Applied Theatre?

I really like the program and what the program stands for, and the people that come through the program. And I always wanted to finish [Joseph and I started the program together in the fall of 2009. -MW].

Would you talk about your thesis project?

I have an awesome team that I'm very grateful to be a part of. Our thesis project as a whole is dealing with museum and gallery spaces: what do museum and gallery spaces represent? What work actually gets allowed to be in museum and gallery spaces?

My particular question that I'm entertaining right now--that could possibly change--is how can applied theatre and the performing arts be used to enhance and improve the experiences of museum visitors who are black, indigenous and people of color?

As a youth, I never saw myself represented in museum or gallery spaces. I always thought of them as white and European institutions. Recently, I'd say maybe about four or five years ago, I had been invited to perform in museum spaces like the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.--my dance company, Dancing Buddhas, was asked to come and perform excerpts of the piece that I've been working on called Monk, which is a celebration of the black American musician Thelonious Monk and some of the artists that he worked with, like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

And then I was asked to come back and to present some work that was inspired by the American visual artist Stuart Davis, which was very exciting for me. I was grateful that I was able to bring in my love of dance and the performing arts into a visual art space.

So I started to see…and then also with the National Museum of African American History and Culture: when I went to go visit the museum the first time I remember saying, Yeah, this is something that is very inspiring for me—not only because I identify with a lot of the exhibits and what is being brought forth in the museum, but just the different aspects of art that take place in that space. I was able to do a lecture-demonstration [at the museum] of some of the social dances that took place during the ‘50s and the ‘60s. And so it's just interesting that, you know, these places that when I was growing up, I just wasn’t inspired to be in or didn't feel that I was being represented—[now] I've been able to come in and share.

Your research question is really alive. It's personal.

Very much so.

And also, how can how can we use movement as an interpretation and/or a discussion of what the artwork means and what the artwork represents, as opposed to it always being a written assignment? How can how can you use movement and other various performing arts to say, "this is what this piece means to me. This is what this piece is lacking. And this is my interpretation."

This is not just the shift in content, but a shift in paradigm. There's one school of museums in which they're teaching you the truth and you come in and soak it up. [In contrast], you're asking people to respond. And not just respond verbally, but respond physically and through art.

Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

That will be great. Let's take a look at where you want to go. What dreams are really alive for you as an artist and an educator?

As a creative I would like to explore more ways in which I can break that fourth wall. So more engagement between what I'm doing on stage and the audience. That's one of the things I've been inspired by in the program that I want to bring more of in my practice. I would like to also do that more in the classroom as a dance instructor. I would like to...have the students understand that, yes, there's something that I have to share [as the instructor], and that's one of the reasons why you signed up. But I want them to be more invested in…they might be a “beginner” at a particular level, but there's something that they're invested and engaged [in] also in a different way, that that isn't the “banking” dance method.

No matter no matter what, even if they don't have a ton of skill, there is something happening for them. They’re not just being asked to hold on until they get good.

Yeah. So those are some of the things that I'm thinking about. I'm also a recording artist. I'm an emcee. So I have quite a few projects. I have some projects on iTunes. I want to work across performing creative arts disciplines, you know, with different artists.

Photo: Annika Abel

It's remarkable, all the different disciplines that you weave together. You must weave through different communities, too. Like, the hip hop community, the tap dance community, the teaching community. I also weave a lot. I'm always interested in how people pull it off, because there's expectations and confusions like "oh, but I thought you were the tap guy." How do you navigate?

That's happened to me a lot in the past, and I feel like it still does happen from time to time. I think humans, we work very well when we place labels and we put things in boxes, because it helps us in a way, unconsciously, control what a person can do. One of the ways that I navigate that is to [say], “I'm an artist and I have something that I have to say. And today I'm saying it through this medium.” And that's that.

When you say that, I don't want to be thinking about “which one” you are, I want to go. Let's do it.

Yes, yes. And even till this day [laughs], even till this day I still have people that don't quite understand that I express myself in different forms, which really baffles me.

I liked your compassion but also that you’re not waiting around: “People need these categories to control the world.”

I remember when I was in Noise Funk... I joined the cast of Noise Funk in 1996, but towards the end of '95 I started writing, and when I got to New York, in ‘96 and ‘97, even though I was on Broadway, I started to started to produce my own shows that incorporated poetry—the art form of emceeing—with live music and tap dance. I think a lot of people enjoyed and appreciated what we presented. But I also had agents come through and they just said, "Oh, my goodness. We love this, but we just don't know where to put you, man." Essentially, what box to put you in.

Can you help us box yourself, please?

Yeah. "Can you help us box you please?" I just say, hey, this is what this is.

Is there anything about your growth in all these dimensions we've talked about that you haven't gotten to say yet?

We know what we need to do. That message has been very strong over the last six or seven months. You know, it's different for everyone, depending upon where they are and what they're doing. But we know what we're supposed to be doing. We have to remember that and stay in tune with that. You know, it's so easy to get to get caught up in the illusion of things and to be wrapped up in what someone else is doing or the stimuli that we get from media, social media in particular. And living in this wonderful city that we call New York City, but it also can be a distraction sometimes if you let it. We need to remember that we know what we're supposed to be doing creatively, artistically or otherwise, and we need to remember to stay in tune with that.

Thank you so much.

Yes. Thank you.

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harrysscheshirecat · 6 years

Text

Record

The one where H reads through one of Lenin’s scripts. More specifically, a rather explicit scene. And her further demonstration to put his mind at ease doesn’t end as planned. (Smut)

Word Count: 4.2k+

Harry padded barefoot into the bedroom dressed in the striped pajama bottoms Len had gifted to him some time ago and a towel slung around his neck to catch any water that fell from his still drying hair. Lenin was lounging on the love seat in front of the fireplace with a tablet in hand. She wore a plum colored camisole and matching shorts - an outfit she only recently became fully comfortable wearing around him. The darker color complimented her creamy skin beautifully. “What’re you looking at?” he inquired as he checked his charging phone on the bedside table. A few texts and emails, but nothing of any urgency.

Lenin held a finger up in his general direction, eyes not leaving the iPad. Her hand eventually drifted to her mouth and she absentmindedly pinched at her lower lip, obviously lost in whatever she was reading. He waited patiently, occupying himself with replying to a couple texts. “Part of a script.” she finally answered when she was finished. “Do you want to read it? You can tell me what you think.” It certainly piqued his interest, whatever she wanted to share. They always supported each other but seemed to share an unspoken understanding regarding each others’ work, trusting the others’ discretion. He didn’t often get a look at her work this early on. Now she wanted his opinion on it as well?

“Sure.” Harry tossed the damp towel safely onto the tile of the bathroom floor, unplugged his phone, and was at her side. Lenin handed him the tablet as he settled in. He skimmed the first few lines, setting the scene. In a grand bedchamber, with furs everywhere and a roaring fire going. Obviously some sort of period piece, it got increasingly graphic as it went on. It was almost hard to believe it was material Len was considering. Granted, he had no context to go off of...

“We’re at the end of negotiations.” Lenin explained, getting up and bounding over to the beverage cart in the corner that went unused most nights. “Part of the contract is sending over any explicit scenes I would be involved in to for final approval.”

Harry watched her carefully pour the drink, holding the bottle in his direction as an offering for his own when she was done. “I thought you don’t drink by yourself?” he observed, initially refusing the dark liquor with a small shake of the head. It was an unusual drink choice for Len. Harry had never seen her touch hard alcohol away from mates.

“Not usually,” she shrugged nonchalantly and gestured to the tablet, referencing the script, “It’s just a bit of tradition.” which he could definitely understand. Harry and his producers made the most out of their time in Jamaica and he subsequently spent a lot of the writing of his first album, blazed out of his mind. It was good for creativity, they’d say. There were quite a few drinks as well. He wasn’t one to judge. Lenin slunk back to Harry and fell into his side, staying mum until he finished reading.

It was rough. Her sheer - the script specifically stating ’sheer and see-through’- nightdress torn off her body before the protagonist bends her over a table, holds her down, kicks her legs apart, and has his way with her. “It’s, um,” He knew he needed to tread lightly but he couldn’t be faulted for stating the obvious. “It’s a bit aggressive, yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Lenin didn’t offer anything more than that, just sat and nursed her drink.

Harry re-read the third and fourth paragraph, struggling to figure out if he found the material terribly offensive or if it just bothered him to think of Lenin in that regard. Was this okay? It was the question that kept bouncing around in his head. But it was never his to answer. It was hers. “Are you alright with it?”

Lenin gave a thoughtful look. “Yeah, I think so.” She took another sip of her drink. “It makes more sense all together,” she rationalized, “It doesn’t just come out of nowhere, you know? It plays into the characters’ power dynamics within the relationship.” That only made Harry want to see the rest of the script. “Plus the guy they’ve signed on. We’ve worked together before. He’s nice enough. I’m sure it'll be fine. ” Harry reckoned she said that to try to put him at ease, but it just stoked jealousy within him. Having some unknown acting with Lenin didn’t seem nearly as bad as a mate. It was a job, but with a friend…all Harry could think of was the conversation about friends they had not long ago.

Harry reached over and took the drink Len held. He took a swig of the dark liquor and winced as it went down. Even the smoothest whiskey is hard to swallow. It was almost as bad as the script. “Are they even allowed to show this?” he went back to the IPad to re-read. Again. Admittedly, Harry didn’t know much about how they rated movies, but he was certain they couldn’t show half of what was proposed. Harry took another swig for good measure and handed the drink back to it’s rightful owner.

“We’re not shooting pornography.” Lenin laughed. Harry chuckled at the way she said it. She used the full word, it obviously foreign on her tongue. “It’s all meticulously choreographed.” Harry’s brows furrowed, “Lots of blocking direction and playing to the camera. None of it is natural.” she explained. His face must’ve given away his disbelief as she was offering to demonstrate not a moment later, “Shall I show you?”

“Yeah?” he reckoned this would be good.

Len looked around before her sights fell to his mobile at his side. “We’ll use your phone as the camera.” Lenin popped up with the device and opened the camera app on his phone before walking across the room. Harry watched Lenin carefully prop the mobile up against the jewelry box on her dresser and turn the camera to face the front. She looked back and forth from the mobile screen to the bed, leaving it perfectly in frame. It wasn’t a desk, as in the script, but Lenin appeared to have deemed it a sufficient stand-in. Lenin pressed record and headed towards the bed, reaching a hand out for Harry on the way. He took it, more eager than ever to see where this would go.

She wasted no time, “Bend me over when you’re ready.” Gladly. Harry stepped behind her. His hands gravitated to her hips first. From there, he placed a guiding hand on the small of her back, and with a slight bit of pressure, pushed her down onto the bed. He worked his way up her spine, her top rising in the process. He wanted to lean down to kiss the newly exposed skin more than anything. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t for pleasure, rather she was trying to teach him something… about…something. He was having a hard time concentrating.

“Now what?” he asked, sure to check in. Lenin would be dictating his moves.

“You’re meant to hold me down.” Harry instinctively took her right wrist from where it rested up against the bed and drew it behind her back, effectively pinning it there. He did the same to her left. It wasn’t the first time he had a girl in this position. “Try putting the right over the left.” Lenin offered, eyes glued to his mobile. “I can’t really see my right hand.” she elaborated. How she could see her hands on the tiny screen of his mobile on the other side of the room with half of her face sunk into the mattress was beyond him but he did as he was asked and switched her wrists.

Harry took a small step back to admire her form. She was bent over her raised bed, already stretched out on her tip-toes. He really wanted to just slide her little shorts and knickers down with his free hand and have a feel between her legs. He’d give anything to know if this was turning her on as much as him. His mind ran with the idea, wondering how many fingers she could take, how wet she was, and how her knees might just buckle when Harry started curling his fingers inside of her.

“And now legs, yeah?” Harry slid his foot between hers.

“HOLD.” He was startled, but her shouting was exactly what he needed to break him out of the trance he was falling under, handling Lenin like that. Harry had to remind himself that it wasn’t Lenin saying these things, to bend her over and hold her down, rather direction in a script. “The camera isn’t picking up my face. Move my hair back, please.” Harry let go of her wrists -which she didn’t move from it’s place behind her back, good girl- and swept the tendrils of hair that had fallen in front of her beautiful face, behind her. “Turn to face the camera.” Lenin directed.

“Hmm?”

“The camera, babe.” There was that pet name again. Harry followed her gaze to back to his mobile on the dresser. He had forgotten they were recording. And on his mobile. “Turn at least three quarters that way.”

Harry pivoted, now very aware of his presence on the tiny screen. He had spent enough time in front of a camera to know how to pose. He fixed his shoulders to his mobile, but kept his hips facing Len as much as possible. “Like this?”

“Better.” Lenin approved. “Now legs.” she directed.

Harry looked down to her legs. “Mmm.” he let out an approving hum without realizing it. Lenin tried to hide a bashful smile in the sheets but with her hair tucked back it was clear to see. “You should let me help you with more of your work.” he leaned down and whispered to her.

“Lets get through this first, Har. Legs.” she reminded. Right. He was doing a shit job playing his part in this little demonstration. Harry couldn’t bring himself to really kick her leg out further, like stated in the script. Instead, he replaced his foot between hers and slid it out until it hit her left. He then slid it out even more, widening her stance.

“Er- now what?” Harry knew what happened next. He recalled a montage of fucking written in the script. He remembered phases like ‘she rode on top of him in the throws of ecstasy.’ He wasn’t sure how to even start to go about simulating that.

“Do I need to teach you how to thrust, Styles?” she had the audacity to tease in her position. Harry was outraged at her implication and her condescending tone was not a good mix with his raging testosterone. Now he had something to prove. Harry lined his hips up with hers and flexed forward against her. Her body was so responsive. He watched Lenin’s back arch as he thrust again. This time she started to move with him, her bum following him back before he thrust again. “Ahh,” a little moan escaped her which drove him to another thrust. Starting to keep a decent pace.

“Good enough for you?” he asked. She wasn’t so quick to tease him anymore. Harry tangled his hand in the long locks at the base of her neck and pulled gently, her head rising. He leaned down to close the remaining distance between them, “Asked you a question, lovey.” he prompted.

“Yes.” she mewled. He let her hair go and started to massage her scalp. “But…”

“But?” he repeated. What else was there? Another thrust.

“Ahh,” another moan escaped her. “The camera.” Fuck the bloody camera. Another thrust.

“What about it?” he growled.

“You’ve got to turn to face it.” If she still insisted on playing under the pretense of this demonstration. Harry would play along. “And your left arm, move it up a bit.” He made the adjustments, though it was getting increasingly difficult to stay within the confines of the script.

“And what now?” he droned.

“Well, we’d shoot like this for a while, get some different angles, the director will usually have specific shots he’ll want to get. Then we’d switch positions.” Harry imagined a multitude of positions he wanted to see Lenin in.

The opportunity was too good to pass up. “Show me.” He ordered, releasing her hands and giving her bum a light swat. It elicited a small squeak of shock from Len. She bolted upright at the spank and whirled around to face him with wide eyes. H nodded towards the bed and Lenin went to lift herself after a moments hesitation. Harry’s hands were at her hips again, helping her up before sliding down her smooth legs to her knees. He separated them and stepped in between.

He didn’t need anymore direction, his cock straining against the fabric of his pajama bottoms, finding her warm center. Only three thin layers of clothing between them kept him from fucking her. He couldn’t help from thinking about how easy it would be to just hook the tiny pieces of material that covered Lenin’s pussy to the side for easy access. But he was being good. His hands found her bum instead and pulled her impossibly closer. They were grinding together and it felt so fucking good. Her hands dragged across his bare back, her lips peppered his collarbone with kisses. He let her rest back against the bed as support and he hunched over her, thrusting to meet her rolling hips. “Harr.” yesss. “Harry.” Fuck, he could cum just like that, listening to her breath his name with every thrust. “The camera.” Was she still insisting on playing under the pretense of this little demonstration? “Your arm, baby.”

Harry groaned, “I’m going to be honest with you, Len.” He leaned in for a kiss. It was soft, and quickly followed by another and another, their tongues feverishly meeting in between each one. “I couldn’t give a fuck about the angles right now.” he placed a delicate kiss on her jaw. Lenin tilted her head up, exposing her neck to him. Harry kissed his way down.

“Ohh.” she breathed.

“Now,” Harry swept any hair that had fallen in front of her, behind. Not for the camera, but to garner even more access to her neck. “I just want to know what has you smelling of vanilla,” his nose caressed her neck, inhaling deeply. He could smell her shampoo too, honey and citrus notes, but the vanilla was new. Or maybe Harry had just never been so close. She smelled like a fucking dessert. His, preferably. “Hmm?” he prompted.

“My lotion?” she offered meekly.

“Mmm.” Harry hummed in approval. “And do you use it, everywhere?” he inquired, pulling her shoulder strap to the side and letting it fall down her arm. His lips dragged across her skin to her shoulder, leaving hot kisses in their wake.

“Ah-huh…” she answered through heavy breaths.

“And here?” Harry’s fingers ghosted across her decolletage and down between her breasts, the lace neckline of her silk camisole getting pulled down slightly in the process. He was careful to keep her modesty, but he was pushing the boundaries. Harry had sort of figured out - upon trial and error, mostly- where Lenin was most comfortable with him touching, and that usually coincided with her necklines and hemlines. He ducked down to place a kiss there, moving slowly to watch her reaction. She could still say no, and Harry would respect that. But she didn’t. Her chest even stuck out further when he got close enough. He wasn’t even sure she realized it, eager little thing.

She gave a little nod. “This,” her hips moved against his, “ Isn’t what happens on set.” Harry chuckled into her skin. He would certainly hope so. Harry knew Lenin too well. Despite his concerns, he knew rationally, Lenin would never do anything but uphold herself in the utmost professional manner. Despite everything else, wherever their relationship stood, he knew that. “But the blocking, and different camera angles. It’s hard.”

She really didn’t have to convince him any further. “So hard.” he agreed, thrusting his hardening cock against her for good measure.

Lenin’s mouth popped open in shock, and she hit his chest. Guess she didn’t like the word play as he did.

“Careful.” he cautioned, quickly leaning over her to pin the offending hand above her head. Doe eyes stared back at him, heeding the warning. “Now where were we?”

The sweet girl bit at her bottom lip before offering, “Somewhere around here,” Her free hand wandering down to the middle of her own chest where he was just kissing. She was all flushed, from her cheeks to her chest.

“You are so beautiful, you know?” he admired. Lenin squirmed underneath him, another bashful smile playing at her lips. She was never very good at taking compliments, but she had to now. “So pretty.” he cooed against her collarbone.

Len let out an airy little giggle, “You’re pretty too.” her arm draped itself around his neck. Her fingers tangled themselves in the curls at the base of his neck. Her little hips rocked against his at an increasingly erratic pace. She was close to cumming, she wanted it. She just couldn’t get herself there the way she was. Harry knew she would have an easier time on top of him, moving freely, in control and how she wanted.

“Come here.” Lenin stood, pulled by Harry’s hand. She was thoroughly dazed, and Harry couldn’t help but be proud. He did that. He sat himself on the bed and gingerly pulled her back to him.

She hesitated on the side before awkwardly clambering on top to straddling him. “Umm…” Poor girl was completely lost.

“Go on.” Harry encouraged, his hands finding her hips. He pushed his thumbs against her, gently pushing her hips back. Then used his other fingers to guide her hips forward. As soon as her warm center moved over his cock he knew he wouldn’t last long. Even with the layers of clothes between them, Len felt too good. The least he cold do was hold off, just a little bit longer. Harry filled his mind with thoughts of finding a new gardener for his home back in Primrose, as the last one had filed his two weeks notice two weeks ago. He thought of the weekly fines he would surely incur from his HOA as a result. He thought of his car, and the low oil levels he needed to see someone about, and about any other unsexy thing Harry could think of.

Lenin leaned forward, and rolled her hips. It must’ve felt good because he felt her entire body spasm forward more. “Ah.” a louder moan escaped her lips, and she bit back an embarrassed smile, her head tilting back.

He didn’t want her shying away from him now. “Come back to me, beauty.” Harry murmered. “Look at me.” Lenin did as she was told, her head rolling forward, her eyes fluttering open. Her expression changed with every shift of their hips. His eyes were glued to her.

Harry took over, his hands guiding her hips down to grind against his. He couldn’t be sure, but by the way her thighs tightened around him, and her hips bucked into his, he reckoned she was cumming. Harry’s brain sort of turned off as he watched her shudder above him. His grip tightened on her hips and he dragged her against his throbbing cock. “Feel good?”

Len only nodded, her big eyes struggling to stay open for him, brow furrowed. She leaned back to catch her breath, her hands finding his thighs behind her, her chest sticking out proudly above him.

He didn’t need anything else to push him over the edge but Len covered his hands with hers and guided him up her sides. They continued around the side of her breasts and she squeezed. Her hips continued their sloppy speed while her head lulled back again. He was pleasing her. “Fuuuck.” he groaned, his impending orgasm growing. Her hands fell back to his thighs to steady herself but his stayed. He found her nipples through her top and his thumbs ghosted over them until he felt them harden for him. He came to her stifled moans. “Ah.” Harry stilled the girl on top of him. “That… was quite the demo.” he joked. Harry would gladly take ruined pajamas if it meant they could do that again.

Lenin let out a breathy laugh and looked towards her dresser where his mobile was still recording. She looked slightly horrified as the realization washed over her. “You have to delete that.” Lenin climbed off of him to sit at his side and fixed her shorts that had risen up from the ride.

“I know.” Frankly, Harry felt a little lost after cumming. He could’ve really gone for a cuddle but he wanted to assure her on this delicate matter. Videos like that could ruin careers. It was times like these Harry rued the celebrity of it all. Sometimes he didn’t want to have to be so careful. Sometimes, he just wanted to keep a video of his girlfriend on his mobile without ever present threat of exposure on a global scale.

“I’ll be right back.” Lenin hopped off of the bed and wandered into the ensuite.

Harry followed her up to retrieve the device. He stopped the recording and discarded his mobile momentarily before leaning down to the last drawer in the dresser. It was his unofficial drawer. They never talked about it, but anything Harry might leave at hers always ended up in that drawer. Unfortunately, it looked as though he hadn’t forgotten anything in a good while. The drawer was empty, aside from a single pair of worn-out fuzzy shorts that were most certainly not his. Harry recognized them as the pair Lenin favored when she was sick. Not apart of her normally carefully curated aesthetic. More of a sort of comfort than anything else. And he could see why. His fingers ran over the soft fabric.

Harry almost left them undisturbed but he needed to change out of his soiled bottoms, the wet spot in front becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. He couldn’t possibly sleep like that. And he knew Lenin wouldn’t be able to sleep with him naked, so it was off with his pajamas and on with the shorts. He was pleased they even fit. It was a bit snug but felt bloody amazing against his cock.

Harry walked back to the bed with a pep in his step, the tight fabric of the shorts caressing his cock with every move. He laid down and tapped the video to bring it up. He was just going to press the little rubbish bin in the bottom right hand corner but hesitated when he saw them together on screen. He pressed the play button instead. Just once. He watched her run away from the camera, bringing him to the bed with her and directing them through the motions. He now saw what she meant, the hands, the hair, the arm. Lenin’s expressions were long and drawn out, perfect for a camera to pick up.

When Lenin re-entered the room, her eyes were instantly at his middle. “I had nothing to wear.” he explained simply. “Is it alright?” He figured with all the clothes she nabbed from him, it went both ways. But he shouldn’t have made the assumption without asking.

Len nodded, her smile quelling his concern. “They look good on you.” she complimented walking her way over to him.

Harry chortled at the thought. He must look ridiculous. A grown man in nothing but fuzzy fuchsia shorts.

“Seriously.” Lenin insisted, climbing onto the bed and cozying up into his side. “You fill them out nicely.” The little minx commented with a kiss. She settled in and her gaze naturally fell upon the tiny screen he still held in front of him.

“An artist should look at their work, babe.” Harry said before she could ask. She apparently didn’t share the same sentiment, spending the rest of the video hiding her face in against his chest during what Harry considered the best bits. Like when she shuttered above him. Definitely an orgasm. The sight alone got him hard again. And her smiley lips at his neck leaving kisses didn’t discourage anything.

“Can I keep it?” he dared ask. “Just for a little while.”

She pulled away to look at him properly and crinkled her nose. “Why?”

“Because I really like it.” he said, pulling her back to his side. “For when I’m especially lonely on road.” his hand wrapped around her shoulders and his fingers traced shapeless patterns across the skin of her arm. “And it’s late.” He looked down to meet her gaze. “So I can watch it. And enjoy.” Harry didn’t need to say the words to have Lenin blushing again.

“Ohh.” she was saying that a lot tonight.

“So?”

“If I tell you to delete it, you delete it.” she stipulated, though that was already a given. He would never keep it if Lenin really didn’t want him to.

“Yes ma’am” Harry saluted her, “‘course.”

“For a little while.” she finally agreed.

“Thank you.” Harry placed a kiss on her forehead.

“You’re welcome.” she giggled.

“Wanna watch from the begining?” He offered with a smirk, referencing their recording.

A/N: This is a bit choppy. I got a bit carried away and it turned out wayy longer than expected. Feedback is always appreciated.

#FanFic #FanFiction #Harry Styles #smut #writing

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therkalexander · 6 years

Note

Director's cut for hades and persephone training in RoM! Love love love your work! 🙏

I loved and hated writing this scene. So very much. I probably went through at least eight articles about the very quick leaf-shaped singled-handed xiphos sword and how it was used in combat, and watched historical fight choreographers on YouTube to get the motions right. Most cinematic fight choreography relies very heavily on wu shu, and though I respect that style a lot, I didn’t want to use that modality.

A few things needed to happen in this scene. First off, I wanted to showcase how things had changed between them in the month of time that had elapsed since their fight and reconciliation. Second, I wanted it to be within the context that Aidoneus laid out for Persephone when he agreed to take her to Tartarus. She would have to be ready. And Thirdly, I needed to get them into a scene that would make Hermes cringe from here to eternity for the rest of forever.

Bronze against bronze, their swords clashed. The echoes rang off the walls of the courtyard atrium. Gray morning mist and the golden poplar tree hung overhead. Aidoneus fought her back until she retreated, panting. They stared intently at each other. He gave her the signal to advance and held his sword aloft, coiling back and light on his feet as she swept her blade at him.

This was a fun way to set the scene. I didn’t want the lesson to take place in a liminal space. I wanted to be there. What would be the first thing you’d notice besides the visual? Sound? Probably. Scent? Of mist and stone and sweat. And then I dropped the reader into the action.

He swung his sword down in a hard arc as he spun aside, knocking the weapon from her hand. It skittered across the cobblestones. Persephone stumbled forward and Aidon swept gracefully around her, capturing her from behind with his arm. He held Persephone by the silver cuirass that bound a short tunic to her body. The edge of his blade sang through the air, stopping a safe distance from her neck. They held there, motionless.

“How did I beat you?”

I wanted to make sure the reader knew that Aidon was NOT at all fucking around. That he took this seriously. That this was what he would often say after he won a round. And I wanted to make it clear that he won most rounds. I wanted to give Persephone a similar though slightly different costume than Aidoneus. Silver seemed more in line with her coloring. Also to note, that even though I did all the research and choreography, my husband’s editting was what really tightened the language here. He’s much better when it comes to writing violence. When I finally write Titanomachy it will be co-written by him, I’m fairly certain.

“I forgot my footing,” she said, feeling his chest rise and fall behind her. He relaxed his blade back to his side, but his left arm still bound her to him intimately. She felt his breath against the back of her ear, her hairs standing on end.

“And what was one of the first lessons I taught you a month ago?” he said, his fingers sliding up her neck over the slick sheen of sweat until he felt her pulse fluttering under his touch.

I wanted it to be sexy, though. It curls my toes to tread that line between fighting and fucking, and I’m sure it curls the toes of the readers.

“You’re distracting me,” she whispered.

“What did I teach you?” he breathed back into her ear, gently nipping at her earlobe.

“That footing is everything,” Persephone finally answered.

This is straight out of weaponry 101. Sword is a tool. Not the thing that will save you. It only take a pound of pressure to cut through flesh, and only ten pounds to slice bone.

He broke away from her and her body rocked backward at his absence. She watched him walk over to her sword. Aidoneus picked it up by the blade and tossed it to her. “Again.”

Persephone caught the handle and sighed. “We’ve spent two hours on this today.”

“And you’re getting better. Again!”

She wrinkled her nose at him.

“You’re adorable when you give me that look,” he said with a smirk.

I wanted to make sure that it was playful, that they were going through a wide range of emotions within this scene, because at this point they’ve had a month to grow together and learn each other beyond the confines of the bedroom.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Aidon, truly, I’m tired. How long did you practice when you started learning?”

“I trained with Prometheus for ten hours a day, every day, for four years before I ever swung a sword in battle.”

The alleged ten thousand hours before you master a discipline.

“What?!”

“Don’t worry, my love— only another war among the gods could force you to learn as I did,” he said. Their swordplay in the courtyard was a peacetime dance, a game— basic defensive movements and nothing more. He prayed she would never hear a warrior boast of his courage at dawn, then plead for his life before noon. He prayed she would never see the sun set on a battlefield blackened by crows.

Aidoneus pretty much has PTSD. He is constantly bombarded by intrusive thoughts relating to the Titanomachy even though an incomprehensible amount of time has passed since it took place.

“Could I defend myself in Tartarus?”“You could defend yourself if we were momentarily separated, or if the Keres don’t recognize you.”

Here’s where I hung a Chekov’s gun on the wall for what happens to them in Tartarus.

“What if a shade got loose?”

“The shades in Tartarus aren’t chained. Their minds are their prisons; their eternal punishments are their bonds.”

Hung another Chekov’s gun here for Sisyphus.

“What about one of the Titans?”

“Then we would both be in danger. No matter how many thousands of years I’ve spent mastering this,” he said, flourishing his blade, “it would take all the immortals above and below to stop them.”

“Then everything you have taught me, though I’m glad to have learned it, and to have you as my teacher,” she said with a shy smile, “is completely futile.”

“It’s not futile, sweet one. And worry not. The world itself would break apart before the Titans’ chains came loose. I’m teaching you to make sure you’re not defenseless down there. I held no expectations that you would master this within a month.”

And the third and final Chekov’s gun for when Aidoneus has to let Persephone go back, knowing that if he keeps her and the world weakens further that it will be the end of them, of Chthonia, of Olympus, of mankind. The world is breaking apart. In the chronology of this, Persephone goes back in less than a week’s time.

“Someday,” she said.

“Perhaps,” he grinned.

Persephone knew her movements were still clumsy and slow. He’d begun by teaching her to reshape her peplos into armor, and the silver cuirass she’d chosen now hung heavily on her shoulders by its leather straps. She bent over and exhaled, trying to roll her spine as she came up, feeling tension in her arms and the back of her legs. After a month of practicing, she now knew why her husband had such perfectly sculpted calves and thighs.

“Come; one last time for today, Persephone. Afterward I’ll show you something.”

“Show me what?” she said, rotating her shoulders to stretch out the kinks in her back. Persephone fell into the sidelong stance he’d taught her.

His smirk grew deeper, his eyes echoing the feral look he got when they were in the midst of sparring… and other times. “It’s a surprise.”

She bit the corner of her lip and smiled, trying to read his face. “I wouldn’t call that a surprise anymore, Aidon. A month ago, yes, but—”

“It’s not what you think,” he said in mock innocence. “But I certainly won’t complain if it turns into that.”

She sighed, happily defeated. “Last time?”“I promise. Come, wife.”

I love flirty, entendre-filled, insinuating fluff. I’m glad everyone indulges me when I write it.

Persephone rocked from her heels to the balls of her feet, determined to keep her footing this time. Her legs corded against the straps of her sandals and she advanced. He knocked her sword aside. She sidestepped and ducked backward to avoid his riposte.

“Good!” He called out, returning to his stance.

This particular scene was the 100 words here that took me six hours to research. Terminology, making the choreography make sense, and still making it a flirtation.

She circled him this time, locking her eyes to his as she waited for his attack.

“Remember what I told you. Look to the shoulders and the chest to gauge movement; never the eyes. Eyes can lie; sinews do not,” he said, pushing forward. She met his sword and pushed it away, knowing that his movements were slowed so she could learn, his true strength held in check so she wouldn’t be injured.

“But your shoulders and chest, husband…” she said, stabbing at him, “…tend to distract.”

She knows he’s dialed it back for her to about 50%. I like the idea of him teaching her about the Underworld... that’s been his role in large part up to this point anyway, but never in a condescending way.

He laughed and parried, locking the hilt of his sword against hers and pushing her away. Persephone rolled back and came up on one knee, blocking his downward swing, the blades scraping together loudly. She wheeled around and swung at him with her riposte. His eyes widened as he retreated from her barrage of swift strokes, blocking one after another, until she accidentally left her left side open to him.

His sword curved over her, its tip angling down toward her shoulder as he stopped his retreat. Neither moved. They stood close enough that the heat of her breath left a trail of mist on his armor, and she could feel him panting hard against the intricate coronet of braids Merope had piled on top of her head that morning.

My husband had a heavy hand in making this scene work. I had set up the basics of the choreography, and he helped me tool the language just right. I wanted to show that they stopped or yielded with immense precision, so that they push each to the limit without injuring each other. And by mentioning Merope and Persephone’s hairstyle, I wanted to show a slight change in how their routines are set up. Persephone is comfortable with having attendants because in her prepubescent days she was surrounded by nymphs.

“How did I beat you this time?”

She smiled up at him, glad that Aidoneus never just let her win and took this as seriously as she did. But he’d forgotten where her sword lay.

“You didn’t,” she said. “How did I beat you?”

My favorite line. Because the audience and Aidoneus are expecting this to be another round of ha-ha-gotcha because he is simply more experienced and a larger physical presence than she is.

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, wife, that’s a… curious question. Considering that the next move from this sword would be through your neck.”

“Indeed, husband,” she breathed. “But my blade would have cut into your leg before you had a chance to bring yours down on me.”

Aidoneus looked at her quizzically, then lowered his sword and leaned away from her. Sure enough, the flat of her blade lay against the interior of his thigh. If they were mortal, her cut would have sliced tendons and opened veins and collapsed him to the ground before he’d even begun his swing. She’d used her stature to her advantage.

She didn’t win by being the stronger or more experienced opponent, or by size or skill, but by strategy. And Aidon is pretty much heart eyes after this.

A smile slowly decorated Hades’s face. His sword clattered to the ground, and she carefully withdrew hers. He stepped toward her as her blade followed his onto the stone floor. When his hand cupped the nape of her neck, their clothing started to shift, the armor softening around them. By the time his lips met hers, they were once again draped in their familiar spun wool robes.

Ok, so confession time, I can’t wait to see how they do transitions like this when the TV series gets made.

He led her all the way to the courtyard gate. When she felt the cold press of the stone wall at her back and her husband’s warm body in front of her, she wished there was no cloth barrier there at all.

“My fierce little warrior wife,” he whispered against her lips.

She had to laugh. “Oh, now you’re just having fun at my expense! You make it look so easy, you move so slowly to accommodate me and here I am hacking away…”

“How else will you learn?”

“Well, how did you learn? Did someone go easy on you?”

In an instant, Aidoneus’s mind was on remote Thera and his first violent lessons with Prometheus. He grew silent and looked across the courtyard.

I had to delete a scene from the book in order to keep the scene’s cohesion and make the final page count for Receiver of Many. I assure you that the scene will appear again when I write Titanomachy, but for the time being here it is:

“Get up!” his teacher said in his clear voice.

He lay sprawled at the base of a cliff, the wind knocked out of him. He curled forward, groping around in the dust for his sword.

“How much pity do you think your father will take on you? Or my father for that matter?” Prometheus circled him, the sun beating down on them. It was always so bright now that Aidon was free— always blinding him. “Iapetos would have put his spear halfway into the rocks behind you and skewered you like a pig by now.”

“He’s not here…” a younger Aidoneus finally choked out.

“No, he’s not,” Prometheus said, slamming a sandaled foot into his gut. “But I am.”

Aidoneus crumpled forward then coughed again, rocking on the ground before staggering up onto his feet with a growl, sword in hand, his jaw clenched.

The rebel Titan smiled at him. “Oh, now you’ve decided you’re angry. Good! Use it.”

Wild eyed and yelling, Aidoneus rushed at him, bringing the edge of the blade down in fast, hard strokes, each one blocked handily by Prometheus’ sword. Finally, he tangled his teacher’s blade at the hilt and wrenched it clear of them, a cloud of dust drifting away on the salty ocean breeze where it landed. He pointed his blade at Prometheus’ neck. The Titan smirked at him. Aidoneus breathed through gritted teeth and wiped the sweat and dirt off his brow through a mess of uneven black curls— hair that he’d sawed off to the quick with a knife six months before. “Enough already!”

“Not even close,” Prometheus said, calmly.

“You think I enjoyed being trapped in there?! That I’m not already angry enough?! My entire wretched life has been—”

“No, I don’t think you’re angry enough. Not nearly. If you were, you’d be able to take it and mold it into something useful. This,” he said, deftly reaching forward and plucking Aidon’s blade right out of his hand before twirling it in front of him, “is your salvation. It is the instrument by which I’m going to turn you into a warrior— a leader of men, and one day the king of the gods.”

“What?!” Aidon spat incredulously.

“Well, what did you think this was all about? You think we freed you and the others for sport? Why would Metis and the rest of us risk everything for the Children of Kronos? If by some Fates-granted miracle we aren’t all thrown into the depths of Tartarus,” he said, “if this rebellion actually succeeds, if the Tyrant is toppled— and that is a long list of ifs, Aidoneus— who do you think they’ll look to? You are the heir! The firstborn…”

And now we return to present time. It was fun to write when I wrote it, but it was jarring to read when I did the final draft. There are two following flashback scenes to just after the Titanomachy, when Nyx gives Aidoneus the Key of Hades, and later when Thanatos tells him to quit throwing himself a pity party for one. I decided that we didn’t need this scene as well to flesh out how Aidon became the King of the Dead instead of the King of the Gods.

“Aidon?” Persephone said, shaking him out of his memory. He looked around before focusing on her inquisitive face and smiling thinly, trying to remember her question.

“No, sweet one, he never went easy on me,” he finally answered. “But those were different times.” He smiled at Persephone and trapped her within his arms again, kissing her neck. His head bent lower and he felt her wince. Aidon stepped away from her. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

She rolled her neck. “No, I’m just sore.”

He smiled. “Well, then this might be the perfect time to unveil the surprise I promised you.”

And scene, and off to the grotto pool for sexy times.

Thank you for asking about this particular scene, anon. I had fun explaining it.

#receiver of many #deleted scene #directors cut #hades and persephone #rachel alexander #Anonymous

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bournefan · 6 years

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Matthew Bourne interview: Swan Lake’s choreographer on his high-flying reboot

As Matthew Bourne’s fabulous Swan Lake gets a reboot, he tells David Jays how he has hand-reared a new generation of male cygnets

The Sunday Times, December 2 2018, 12:01am

You know you’re ageing when swans, like policemen, are getting younger. So imagine how Matthew Bourne feels as he revives his landmark production of Swan Lake with its all-male swans. “It’s the first time we’ve done the show where quite a large amount of the cast were not born when we made it,” he tells me during a break in rehearsals in east London. He sighs self-deprecatingly. “It feels a bit weird. I’m some sort of historical figure to them.”

This Swan Lake soared straight into dance history when it premiered in 1995. It whirled Tchaikovsky’s tragic romance into a modern British context: the prince struggles with the expectations of an icy royal family and is overwhelmed by a magnetic wild bird. It’s like The Crown, but with added hot boy swans. Bare-chested, ferociously charismatic, those swans became instant icons, and the production reached the West End, Broadway, film, DVD and student curriculums. No one had expected it to run, let alone fly with such irresistible force.

Bourne has more silver in his beard these days, but, almost 25 years on, he’s delighted that the work still acts like catnip to charismatic young dancers. “The piece has an amazing legacy of inspiration for young guys,” he says. “For virtually everyone in it, it’s the thing that made them want to dance and it’s their dream to be in it. They have a big emotional relationship with it — you can’t buy that.”

For many spectators, too, Bourne’s Swan Lake is the gateway drug that gets them hooked on dance. But it was his first large-scale show, so he is pleased that the by now “knackered” sets and costumes gave him an opportunity to rework it. “I’d be happy to lose a lot of the humour,” he reflects. “I’ve grown more involved in the dark psychology. The prince is a mind in turmoil. For me, it’s very simple — it’s about someone without love in their life who wants to be held.

“We’ve questioned everything,” he continues. He was tempted to make the Fergie-like royal girlfriend a bit more Meghan, but it was “too late in the day” for such radical changes. But he has stripped things back: the rackety Soho club sequence, for example, originally home to Quentin Crisp and Joe Orton, is simplified to focus on dance.

Fresh eyes for the creative team were provided by Paule Constable, Bourne’s inspired go-to lighting designer for more than a decade, but a newcomer to this piece. “Classical ballet is not my comfort zone,” she admits. “But this is engaging and overwhelming. It’s about loss, and it’s profoundly painful.” She was especially taken by “the emotional impact of the ending. It really hits you.”

Constable also praises Bourne’s “narrative muscle”. “It’s fascinating, as an early show for Matt. It has big dance sections — the complexity is very different from the contemporary choreography of The Red Shoes. Matt’s reinvented it. A lot of people say it feels more grown-up this time.”

She had asked herself if seeing these young men dancing as swans would still feel radical, but she isn’t wondering now. “I had no idea it would feel so resonant and pertinent. We are sitting on a massive crisis in mental health, particularly for young men. Twenty-three years ago, Matthew was already engaged in these struggles.”

Does Bourne never resent his iconic Swan as being more of an albatross round his neck? “No, I’ve never felt it. It’s the biggest show we do, so there’s always a big influx of new people. Many of them have never acted before. Developing talent is a huge part of the show now.” For a lot of the cast, this is their first professional gig. In fact, many of the show’s fledgling swans were hand-reared. Some had performed in Bourne’s Lord of the Flies, a production that recruits local young men at each venue, many of whom have never set foot in a theatre.

More intriguing still, several dancers emerged from the company’s “Swan School”. Hold on, Swan School?

“We started it to give people a better chance of getting into the show,” Bourne explains. It was prompted by watching unpolished talent at auditions. “We invited people who we thought had potential, but who, left to their own devices, may just have come back a year later without the means to be cast.”

I can’t help imagining a feathery Hogwarts, but the reality is more focused: learning the choreography, getting feedback, exploring the show’s mix of styles. As Bourne puts it, “a crash course in being a swan”.

Swanning, he insists, is trickier than it looks — he drops a starry ballet name he didn’t think was right for it. As for the complete newbies: “There’s always been room for people who have a good standard of dancing but no performing experience — they learn through doing the show.” Later, in rehearsal, I watch the least experienced Prince: James Lovell, who came via Swan School. “He’s the youngest guy in the company, and he’s playing the Prince,” Bourne marvels. “He’s an actor, perfect for us. He’s holding his own completely.”

As for the new swans, they were lured from West End musicals and big ballet companies. Matthew Ball, rising star of the Royal Ballet, told Bourne that, when young, he had the show poster on his wall. He even had the T-shirt. He has taken leave from the RB to dance the Swan; and Max Westwell left English National Ballet altogether. “I’d auditioned for Swan Lake before,” he says, “but it wasn’t the right time. This time I really went for it.” Meanwhile, the contemporary-trained Will Bozier was performing in Wicked, but leapt at a chance to audition. He, too, was a devoted fanboy: “I grew up watching Swan Lake.”

To inform the performances, Bourne shares film clips via Facebook and tries to make everyone watch The Birds. Bozier and Westwell — one sweet, one springy, both with close-cropped hair — describe their all-enveloping preparation. Bozier browses YouTube for footage of swans attacking people (Bourne’s birds are far from house-trained); when he isn’t needed in rehearsal later, I see him practising wing things at the back. Meanwhile, Adam Cooper, who originated the role, came in to coach them. How was that? “Insane,” Bozier says. “He’s still amazing — the speed of his movement. It all clicked into place.”

Each dancer must put their own stamp on the dual role of the Prince’s beloved wild bird and the wicked buck who humiliates him at the palace ball. Bourne explains what he needs: “In the same way that [the traditional ballet] is a challenge for the ballerina, these two roles are very different. You can’t just be a beautiful Swan. As the Stranger, you’ve got to come out and be a bit of a sexpot. It doesn’t work if you have only one of those things.”

In rehearsal, Bourne is a soft-voiced authority, the kindest of historical figures. “It’s difficult, this piece,” he tells the company. “A lot of different characters, and you have to keep changing styles.” How do the dancers themselves assess the challenge?

“Coming from a classical background, the range in the movement was tricky,” Westwell says. “And it is a big role, you have to pace yourself.” With multiple casts throughout the tour, each Swan will wrap itself around the heart and body of three Princes. “It feels different each time,” Westwell says. “So many scenarios. You have to respond in the moment. We’re working flat out.”

If this Swan Lake welcomes a new generation of artists, Bourne’s next show, based on Romeo and Juliet, goes further, involving a raft of young creatives. “We’re working with lots of younger artists,” Constable says. “We’re all bringing on young associates. I’m working with a lighting designer called Ali Hunter. She has a voice in the room, not just as an assistant. This project feels like it has incredible possibility.”

Swan Lake is at Sadler’s Wells, London EC1, until Jan 27, then touring until May 25: new-adventures.net/swan-lake

#swan lake #matthew bourne

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fullvoidmoon · 7 years

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No. 1 Fan

Pairing/s: Richard Armitage x gn!reader

Warning(s)/Genre(s): Fluff

Word Count: 1,207

Context © me

Requested by @deepestfirefun.

A/N: Another fic with a gender neutral reader. And since I took a mini break before this I feel this became crappy :/ But I still hope I didn’t screw up.

Masterlist: HERE

‘Never have I seen such grace before.’

He thought as he looks onto the one person he could only see; even if the studio is packed with people, for some odd reason.

Richard, instead of going to his dressing room or outside, decided to visit (Y/N) in one of the dance studios inside the Old Vic to spend his interval as he rehearse for the upcoming stage production of The Crucible.

His career has been making him work almost non-stop; casting from different movies to TV shows, he even receives proposals to star as the lead actor on different theater productions or stage plays. Surely, career is his top priority; perfecting his craft and loving the art of acting, perhaps even more so than before.

But despite his soaring career and his love of acting, he still wishes to one day settle down and have a family of his own; with a loving partner in life that will be by his side through thick and thin and wonderful children.

And he began wishing it more than anything when he met (Y/N).

“I still can’t believe you chose me,” Richard whispers, his blue orbs hold nothing but pure love and adoration as he watches (Y/N) glide their feet and sway their hips as they lead their students to move into the rhythm of the song, “especially when there were others who were clearly more suitable for you than I am.”

Why would he be convinced? He never sees himself as good looking as some would think he is. And he strongly doesn’t believe so whenever he is with someone as beautiful, both inside and out, and passionate like (Y/N); who is known to be a great dancer and choreographer.

“You need to stop making those googly eyes and go back rehearsing your scenes,” Samantha, also a cast in The Crucible stage production, suddenly says, breaking his reverie before looking at her with wide eyes, “you’re already late.”

“I was just taking my break,” Richard sheepishly replies as he looks back at (Y/N) before going back to the auditorium.

“Of course,” Samantha playfully retorts, “until you just went straight to the dance studio instead of going to your dressing room.”

-----

“It seems you had fun today.”

“Really, why would you think so?”

You giggle as Richard grabs your hand and gives it a kiss, a thing he would always do to greet you. Knowing him to be such a romantic, you would just let him do it and any other form of endearing gesture; secretly loving the effect it does to both your heart and soul.

It has only been a few months since both you and Richard made your relationship official, still fresh and in that stage where every single experience is filled with excitement. Though both of you would love to spend more time with each other, it was a mutual decision to also focus on each of your careers; much to the surprise of most of your peers.

“Well, your smile is quite bigger than before,” you reply after giving Richard a kiss on the cheek, “and you’re not as tired as you had been after rehearsals.”

He smiles, sheepishly if what your eyes are seeing correctly, “is that so? Maybe it’s just because I am quite excited to see you.”

‘Something must’ve happened during the first half of today’s rehearsal,’ you think as you shake your head in disbelief, looking at your charming man who’s eyes, the bluest you’ve ever seen, somehow shine even if clouds form and block the afternoon sun.

“But you did see me enter the auditorium to watch you practice, right?” You asked, somehow bewildered as you recall Richard waving at you whenever director, Yaël Farber, turned her back, like an excited child who’s about to enter a candy store.

“I did see you love,” he replies, “with you smiling at me like that when you entered I could surely see you even if you’re miles away.”

Richard could certainly feel like he is over the moon; elated and never been more in love than he could possibly imagine. From what he saw in one of the studios in the Old Vic clearly made him saw another side of you he would pine for; he now wants to see you as the dancer that you are known for more than ever.

He honestly thinks your inner beauty shines even further whenever you are at your best in the dance floor.

‘I would want to see more of it,’ Richard thinks as he looks at you with adoration, ‘if only I could-’

“If only you could what?” You ask, instantly breaking his reverie and looking at you like a deer caught in the headlight, “Rich, I am certain something happened to you.”

Richard shakes his head, chuckling to himself when he realized he was whispering his thoughts loud enough for you to hear it, even if both of you are in the busy streets of London filled with the loud chatters of passers-by. He would probably have to be careful if he doesn’t want to embarrass himself, especially in front of you.

“I’m sorry (Y/N),” he sheepishly says as he gives your cheek a kiss, “never thought I was whispering it instead of just thinking about it.”

"What are you thinking about?”

“How you move into the dance floor and be the most graceful and wonderful person that I’ve ever seen.”

You think he is joking, knowing him for quite a while as the gentle giant who loves to tease among your peers in the industry of performing arts as you blush different shades of red.

Though many people never cease to be in awe and experts never stop to praise you for your passion and talent, it still never stop you for feeling embarrassed whenever someone you personally know would see you dance; whether dancing as a choreographer or dancing as a performer.

But as you look into the depths of his blue orbs that never fails to draw you in, you know he meant everything that he said.

“I didn’t intend to make you feel embarrassed, (Y/N),” Richard says as he gives your forehead a kiss, “I just wanted to see if you are doing well in your dance classes.”

You lightly chuckle, leaning onto him as he wrap his arms around you, “and I didn’t mean to feel embarrassed, even if I had expected you to see me dance sooner or later.”

“I know love,” Richard replies as his warm hand runs down your hair, “and it will my job to ease that embarrassment.”

“What do you mean?”

You swear you saw a glint of mischievousness in his visage, just a fraction you could’ve seen it as excitement mixed with endearment instead. And just by looking into his eyes, a deep pool of the most beautiful of blue you’ve ever seen, you know you are in for something that’ll change you for a lifetime.

“I would love to see you dance more often. Let me see you filling the dance floor with your passion and grace.”

Something that only the love of your life could ever do for you.

“Let me be your number one fan.”

#FVMfanfics #FVM richard armitage fics #richard armitage #richard armitage x reader

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alexanderwrites · 7 years

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Thoughts Roundup - Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 7

“There’s a body, alright”

A note: From here on out, i’m going to be rounding up my thoughts on new episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return week by week. I wrote a review of the first two episodes, but given my love for the show and the complexity of the episodes, typical reviews might be tricky, and it’d be a lot more fun to write in a looser format. So, i’m going to bullet-point my thoughts, which I promise will get boring and erratic.

. I’m really glad to see Jerry Horne again. He’s always been a favourite of mine, and even if this is pretty much all he does this season (which I imagine it will be), that’s good enough for me. Interesting that he mentions his car being stolen - there seems to be a lot about stolen cars this season. Whether they’re linked or just a common theme is open for debate. Maybe Frost or Lynch got their car nicked around the time of writing the series.

. I absolutely adore Hawk having such a big part this series. It makes such logical sense that he’d have larger responsibilities within the department, and seeing him with the pages from Laura’s diary was immensely satisfying. The reference that Laura makes in the diary to the ‘dream’ she had of Annie is further reference to Fire: Walk With Me, which, if you haven’t seen it yet, is pretty much essential to this season so far.

. I found it really interesting that Truman wasn’t surprised or confused at the mention of Cooper being trapped in the Black Lodge. He didn’t even ask what it was, so i’m guessing this was a chat the folks in the department had with him when he took the job. “Oh, b-t-dubs, there’s a gateway to what might be hell in the woods. Ask your brother about it And always make another pot of coffee if you finish it off”. I also found Truman, who until now hadn’t done much for me, pretty moving in his scenes tonight. His expression during his call to his terminally ill brother (we miss you, Harry! Kind of!) was rendered painfully on Robert Forster’s face - and I was really moved to see Doc Hayward, even briefly. He’s so visibly frail and old, and seeing all these old (and I mean OLD) faces really hits home the passing of time. There’s an everyday tragedy and pain in seeing it, made particularly poignant that Warren Frost (and several other cast members) passed away not so long ago. I keep wanting the Log Lady to come in with words of beauty and comfort about time passing and the world changing, but i’m not sure we’ll see her again (the actress, Catherine Coulson, passed away in 2015). It’s both saying hello, and goodbye, and the acknowledgement this show has always had that everything must pass is deeply affecting. I wasn’t expecting this series to make me ruminate on the nature of life and death so much. Thanks, assholes.

Hayward talks about Cooper the morning he comes back from the Lodge - It’s so strange to hear the events of the morning that Cooper rammed his damn head into the mirror get discussed. It really drives home that the moment you’ve been thinking about for the past 2,000 years is getting some context and elucidation. It’s very, very cool.

. Sheriff Truman pulls a small log-shaped handle and a computer monitor emerges from his desk. If you have a better example of old Twin Peaks merging with the modern world, i’d like to see it. Then i’d like to install it in my house.

. Harold Smith, that sad flower dweeb from season 2, got a mention! Again, it’s odd hearing references to smaller plot points in the series, but then again Doug and Duane Milford got a lot of attention in The Secret History of Twin Peaks. Turns out Doug was a flying saucer chaser, and with the amount of words he gets in the book, i’d be surprised if he’s not even passingly mentioned this season.

. As well as not crying anymore, Andy has a new Rolex to go along with his new Michael Cera. I’m not sure where the story will go with the no-show guy who said he couldn’t talk to Andy, but I feel like its probably related to the drug story that seems to be running in the background.

. Laura Dern, we love you. All of us. Every last one. Even with the most difficult to please of viewers, I doubt there’ll be a single complaint about her because she is the fucking best. It’s interesting that Diane’s so seemingly broken, leading us to wonder why - there were never really any clues about her personality, but you get the feeling that she was friendly, from the mere fact that Cooper talked to her via tapes so kindly and openly. So what happened? Bad Coop happened, is what.

. I was pleasantly surprised at how swiftly the plot developed in this episode - right after agreeing to meet Doppelcoop, they’re jetting off to see him. If this had been a few episodes earlier, it might’ve taken a while for them to get to it, but this episode knocked it out pretty efficiently. I didn’t think the show was too slow before, but it is a nice change of pace to get an episode with so much development.

. The windows on the jet disappear and reappear, right? I mean, I rewound that several times and they surely do. It’s not the light hitting them funny - they flash. I’m sure of it.

. Tammy hasn’t been given too much screentime yet, despite doing fairly important work - even though it seems Gordon has already sussed out the tasks she undertakes. He seems to be testing her abilities, which is why he assigns her to take over the research of the dossier, which makes up The Secret History of Twin Peaks. The scene where Gordon touches her fingers and says “I’m very, very happy to see you again, old friend” is funny, weird and ingenious. Gordon feels a lot like Cooper, but then, he always has. With his love of food, nature and coffee, and being filled with an affinity for everything, Gordon is an older Cooper and I hope he gets to see his old friend again.

. Dern’s performance when she meets Doppelcooper is phenomenal and all registered in her fearful expression. It’s a gorgeously framed scene, with her head floating in the darkness of the room, looking at the man who is Not Her Friend. Her reference to that night is certainly ominous, but it did cross my mind that she was feeding him false information to see if he’d take it. Her reaction in the car park afterwards seems to suggest that it was true, though. Everyone seems to be in pain both from the absence of Cooper and from the presence of Doppelcooper. And it leads you to wonder again: what the fuck has Doppelcooper been up to these 25 years? And once again - both kudos and screw you to Kyle MacLachlan for being so utterly brilliant and frightening as Doppelcooper, especially in this prison scenes, where his voice seems to be slowed to a possessed and deep slur. This new season keeps offering up the chance to use such weird sentences: Kyle MacLachlan is terrifying and Matthew Lillard is scene stealing.

. Of course the body was Garland Briggs. It had to be. Or did it? Who knows! It’s decades younger than it should be, and Briggs supposedly died in a fire a long time ago. We know he was taken by one of the lodges back in season 2, and has experienced the white lodge. We might wonder that if, after that, he gained some sort of...power? How else was his head floating in space those episodes back? And again with the bodiless heads! The nightmare bastard roaming the halls in this episode is the same ghoul whose head floated away in the first episode, and Josie Packard’s headless (or faceless, at least) body was, in an original script, supposed to be seen in a black lodge scene. People losing their heads seems to be a common theme again. Would it have been too on the nose, and i might add, awful, if Where’s Your Head At? had played in the morgue scene? It’s hard to be on the nose when you haven’t got a head! Wahey!

. This episode is very light on Cooper (i’m not going to call him DougieCooper because he’s not Dougie! He just wears his bad clothes sometimes!), but he came along almost as soon as I thought “Hey, where’s Coop?”. Naomi Watts kills it again with her impatient anger, and I love that she’s written as someone at her wit’s end (or should that be Watt’s end? Nope, it shouldn’t) but that still cares for her dumbass husband. And then we get maybe our clearest answer that Coop is still Coop: he kicks a bit of ass. It’s a very satisfying and well choreographed fight, and the Arm popping up to give fight advice was kinda cool and kinda funny. It seems that the lodge dwellers, or at least some of them, are helping Coop. Mike, The giant, and the Arm have all advised him, and seemingly given him some special insights. I think they want Cooper alive so he can, to paraphrase GOB Bluth, return Doppelcoop from whence he came. He was due back in, as that call in episode 1 told him, so maybe the lodge spirits are getting utterly fed up on waiting on his ass. They’re letting Coop live so he can go and sort it out. It has been 25 years after all. Stop hogging Bob, bro.

. Some interesting stylistic choices in the news coverage scenes after the fight which felt like they were from another show, but I kinda dug it anyway. Will someone in Twin Peaks see Cooper in the news footage and put two and two together? I’m not in a massive rush for Cooper to wake up - but it will be spectacularly rewarding once he does.

. Is Josie haunting the hotel? Last we saw her, she was trapped in a doorknob, and Pete (we miss you Pete! Really!) was seeing her face above the fireplace (the nonchalance of that moment always really freaked me out), and now there is a sourceless humming sound throughout the hotel, which kind of sounds like the mystical ringing sound that we hear whenever The Giant rocks up. It really is happening again, isn’t it? Great to see more Ben, though his P sounds are less Plosive than they used to be, and he hasn’t eaten ANYTHING yet. But he’s still a lot of fun to watch, and i’m hoping - because i’m a softie who likes goodies - that his humanitarianism lasted. And i’m also beginning to think - with all the references to Audrey’s condition after the bank blast (bank blast sounds like shitty video game) - that Audrey will have been physically effected long term by what happened. I’m beginning to really look forward to seeing her, though I dread the idea that Doppelcoop is the father of her awful bastard son.

. It’s so uncannily Lynchian to drop in on someone like Beverly’s life, someone who we know next to nothing about, and give her a fairly substantial scene. It even feels like it might not go much further than that, and that dropping into her soap opera life (Twin Peaks’ soapiness is still there!) for this scene is just Lynch giving us a little look at domestic turmoil in Twin Peaks. But who knows. Who knows which characters are a one-scene deal, and which will fit into the larger narrative. Where is goddamn MATTHEW LILLARD???

. Jacques Renault’s identical brother(?) got some lines! And surprise surprise: he’s a scumbag! The sweeping scene was weirdly engrossing, especially with Green Onions playing in the background. And my god, how warm and cosy did the Double R look tonight?? With Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny playing, and the lighting as warm and oak-tinted as ever, it’s maybe the one place in Twin Peaks you’d want to hang out. Especially with lovely, lovely Shelly and Norma working there. They’re such likeable and instantly welcoming people to see, and it’s hard not to wish they were your friends. And, I don’t like to focus too much on how the actors look - but Madchen Amick literally has not aged a day and it’s very confusing how she’s managed that. I guess there is something special in Norma’s family pie recipe. Also, i’ve heard people say the guy who pops his head in asks if anyone has seen “Bing”, but on re-listening, it’s 100% Billy and not Bing. There is someone named Bing in the credits - whether he’s any relative of Chandler’s is present is yet to be seen. It could be something, or it could be another version of that “It’s a boy? It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” bank security guy from Season 2. Just someone yelling some dumb shit.

. Some great music in this episode too, both new score and old. With the ominous shots of the foggy woods set to the opening notes of Laura Palmer’s theme playing (the scary bit, not the sad bit) I genuinely got chills.

. Doppelcoop is on the loose and you can feel the story pushing forward now he’s out. I get the feeling we won’t see the Prison Warden again, and that everything they talked about has a backstory but one that is not necessarily important for us to learn about. Just know that Doppelcoop is loose, and where he goes now is an open question. To kill Cooper? How could you kill a man your exact double? It’d be so surreal. And would make for a weird, bad-wig-wearing stunt double fight scene. And the idea of unawake Cooper being hurt makes me even sadder than the idea of Lucid Cooper being hurt, somehow. He’s a sympathetic thing really, and he needs someone outside the black lodge to help him. He’s called for help though, and either Gordon or Hawk are on his trail, thankfully.

SUMMARY

This episode, more than any other yet, felt like Twin Peaks of old. We spent more time in the town, and the atmospherics of the town felt more prevalent too. It does feel like we’re being eased back into the town which is great fun, though I love everything set outside too. A narrative cohesion is coming about as the story’s 2nd act clicks into place, and there’s some real momentum going in this hour. Whether or not that keeps going next week (I think it will), i’m happy to let the show do its thing because this episode has shown that patience does pay off. We will get there, and we should probably learn to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Remember, Lynch and Frost have pretty big hard-ons for Mysteries, and that always has been, and always will be the core of the series. But goddamn it if it isn’t fun seeing that mystery chipped away at in tonight’s episode.

“Keep working the sunny side of the river, doc”

#twin peaks #twin peaks spoilers #dale cooper #review #television #writing #david lynch

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i-just-like-commenting · 7 years

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Game of Thrones 7.04 mini-review

Again, we’re doing this like my old watch-while-reading ones, but I’m adding a new category of “unsure,” which is basically me thinking this could go someplace good or it might go someplace bad. In general, my summary would be: I had a lot of problems with this episode, which admittedly are mostly the result of bad decisions in previous seasons rather than this episode itself, until the ending because that battle was really well done.

The Good

As I said, the battle is great, not just because it’s well choreographed but because NCW is still pretty much perfect. He is trying so hard to add depths to the fairly simplistic show!Jaime, depicting Jaime as miserable and barely willing to defend the idea that Cersei might make a good queen. And perhaps most significantly, I think they finally did something with his character, as those shots of him watching men burn alive - somebody remembered Jaime’s PTSD at long last, and boy howdy that trigger him. No wonder he charged so recklessly to try to kill Aerys’ daughter.

If I were writing the show, I would use this as the perfect opportunity for Jaime to break, to run away and let Cersei think he was dead and try to figure out what he wants with his life. Or maybe have Daenerys take him prisoner to use in negotiations with Cersei, and Cersei could turn on him, making him realize how much she’s just been using him. But if spoilers are true, that won’t happen and boo because this is the perfect chance.

Can I also just address a few complaints people have raised about the battle? For once this isn’t teleportation, as Tarly explicitly says they are near the Blackwater Rush, which is right by King’s Landing. With Daenerys controlling the bay (at least when Euron isn’t cheating by plot-magic) she could easily land her Dothraki a little further down the coast, kill any scouts or outriders, and launch a sneak attack the way she did. Would that the rest of the movement this season had made this much sense.

The Odd

The battle scene had its flaws, though. Does Tyrion understand Dothraki now? Did he pick it up on their voyage over? Or does he not understand what was said but can kind of guess my context? It was a strange choice to not have that be in English.

At Winterfell, Arya and Sansa talk about how everyone who knew Ned’s face is dead but...most of their lords were alive then and knew him. What happened was that WInterfell was controlled by people (the Boltons) who didn’t give a damn about Ned, and the line could easily have suggested that, maybe give Sansa an excuse to confide in Arya about what she went through.

Oh, and do the show writers think Littlefinger actually loved Catelyn, with that speech he gave to Bran? Or are we supposed to assume (correctly) that he’s full of it? LIttlefinger loved Cat when she was a teenager, which is why he so quickly moved on to creeping on her look-alike, underage daughter. Ultimately he only cares about himself and his selfish goals.

The Dumb

This is more of a personal thing, but when LIttlefinger says “"You've seen things most men wouldn't believe,” I went “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.” That’s a really famous speech, don’t mimic it. (Also, if you’ve never seen Bladerunner, don’t click that link, it’s spoilerific)

So just a few episodes ago Jon declared that they need every single person, including young children of any gender, to train to fight against the white walkers. And then a girl shows up at Winterfell, and rather than immediately recruiting her, the guards turn her away??? Arya should have had trouble convincing people of her identity, but not getting them to let her in. This is the kind of sloppy contradictions the show has gotten really bad at lately.

But in terms of just...this is so stupid, you can’t beat Jon discovering the oh-so-convenient white walker pictures that were never hinted at before. I’m pretty sure that the Wall will be falling right as Daenerys arrives given the timeline of the book, so they’re trying to come up with something to be convincing to her, but this was rather lame.

Unsure

What are they doing with Sansa? She rightfully says that LIttlefinger can’t be trusted but...why is she keeping him around? What was the look she was giving Arya? Was she supposed to be upset that Arya is keeping things from her? Envious of Arya’s talent? Worried that her sister is turning as creepy as her brother?

Speaking of which, what is going on with Bran’s characterization? I really hope this is not something that will happen in the books, because roboBran is so awful. I mean, it’s nice that the show is acknowledging how horrible he is, but Bran in the books is such a sympathetic child who just wanted to be a knight, damn you Jaime, and is having to learn there are other ways to be a hero, if that way reduces him to a shell I will be so sad. Or maybe this is a phase he has to work through, until he has full control of his new powers? I hope so.

The Bad

In skipping seasons 4 and 5 I got to miss how much they butchered Brienne’s relationship with Podrick. And after a whole day spent reviewing policies on positive reinforcement as a research-based method of training, ugh she is teaching him so badly, no wonder he still sucks. And the fact that she objects to “my lady,” when in the books she objects to “ser” is symptomatic of them turning her into a full-on tomboy who hates being referred to in a feminine way - as opposed to valuing knighthood enough to not want to lay claim to it falsely.

And then there’s the fact that no, she’s not being too hard on herself, she really did do next to nothing to fulfill her vow. That would be okay if it was something she had to grapple with, as she does in the books, but here Podrick just pats her on the back and we forget about it?

But none of that is as a big a problem within the show itself, as opposed to the show as adaptation, as Dany and Jon’s complete lack of chemistry. Davos claims to have seen Jon staring at Dany lustfully but, uh, was that scene cut? If they were just trying to build a Jonerys marriage as an alliance between two strong personalities, I would buy that, but outside the show actors and writers are claiming it’s meant to be romantic. They have a few episodes left, I suppose, but so far I don’t buy it, at all. I’m far from a Jonsa shipper, but they’re not wrong that thus far in the season he seems way more concerned about his sister than the woman who’s supposedly going to be his love interest. And you really need to build a relationship between them to get more people over the squick of Jon being her nephew.

#game of thrones #spoilers #some negativity

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emeraldembers · 8 years

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Rogue One spoilery thoughts

And I’m going to try and keep my excited rambling organised this time, for once!

ETA: Failed to keep excited rambling organised, but An Attempt Was Made.

I could honestly talk about this movie for hours, because it just means so much to me on so many levels. I haven’t felt this loved by media for being a fan of it since I played Soul Reaver 2 in... *checks imdb* 2001, that came out. Good lord, I’m getting on.

Anyhow! I’m going to try and split this up into things about the movie in general followed by things about the characters, just to try and be a bit tidy about my thoughts, despite the fact that what I really want to do most is to grab someone and happy-cry all over them.

Also, please note that I have only ever watched the movies, so if you’re an extended universe fan or a book reader, I apologise in advance ;).

The Force finally felt like the Force of my childhood again. It felt like something real and alive and present, it felt like something that could exist in my world again. No pseudo-science, no wincing at how much of a deus ex machina it could be, it finally, finally felt like... it felt like something to believe in. I was raised Catholic, and have always been fascinated by other religions, and while I am not always certain of there being a God, or indeed any gods, I have always felt there is something more to this universe and this existence, and it’s just... the Force always felt tangible to me as a child, in concept, and this movie let me feel like that once more.

SO MANY WOMEN VISIBLY AND VOCALLY INVOLVED IN THE END SPACE BATTLE. SO. MANY. I felt like the team involved were taking me by the hands and personally apologising for what was cut from the original trilogy.

The way the film managed to go "People working for good causes sometimes do bad things. People working for bad causes sometimes do good things. This does not make the good causes bad, or the bad causes good”. After the mess of 2016 thanks in part to media trying to offer a ‘balanced view’ of things that cannot be balanced, and after hearing that the movie had morally grey characters and being braced for the worst as a result, this was a breath of fresh air.

Almost every single villain was a white man with a British or American accent. Of our heroes, it’s a genuine struggle to remember a single white man. In fact, after racking my brains a bit, the only ones that come to mind are Galen Erso (who retains Mads Mikkelsen’s lovely Danish accent and gets fridged to further Jyn Erso’s woman-pain) and a side character with rather magnificent ginger facial hair. In particular, I’d also like to thank the film for expanding on the good work of The Force Awakens by adding east Asian heroes into the Star Wars movieverse (and a Mexican actor doesn’t hurt either, especially after the mess of a year that was 2016).

The Death Star is terrifying. Seeing it blow up a planet from a distance in the original trilogy? That makes it a clearly Bad Thing but it doesn’t give proper context because it’s almost impossible to imagine that kind of power. Seeing it performing a ‘small test’ from the perspective of people on an affected planet, watching the land come up and just - “There’s a problem on the horizon. There is no horizon.” - it’s real. It suddenly feels real and possible and it’s a threat that matters and god, almighty, I can’t get over it. That plus the justification for it - I can’t remember the lines for this one properly but it went roughly, “This will bring peace to the galaxy.” “You mean terror.” “We have to start somewhere.” - shivers. Just. Shivers.

Also I only very vaguely knew of Kyber Crystals before, in that my brother is more into Star Wars videogames than I am and as such I’ve learned that they’re part of the lightsaber creation process, but Kyber finally means something to me now, so that’s a neat little touch.

The action scenes felt new and exciting again! I do love a lightsaber battle or two, but it was so good to see blasters and martial arts and space battles used in ways that didn’t feel overwrought or over-choreographed, they were fun and fresh to watch and everything was just so interesting, and you felt like the fights mattered, you felt how outnumbered the rebels were, how much power the empire held in comparison.

The script deserves credit as well for the fact it was so dang quotable. The simple and solid “Rebellions are built on hope”, the hilarious in context “Are you kidding me? I’m blind!”, the badass “Be careful not to choke on your aspirations”, the epic “The Force is with me, and I am one with the Force”. It’s a delight to run through the film in my head and realise just how much of it I can recall despite having an appalling visual memory, thanks largely to the strength of the characters and the script.

It made the original trilogy better. I’m not kidding. Prequels and sequels to movies so often have the effect of taking away the magic of the original one by making enemies less of a threat, explaining things that were better off without an explanation, making heroes Grim And Dark, introducing plot holes... so on and so forth. This movie made the universe of the originals make more sense. Grand Moff Tarkin was established as a credible threat. The reason anyone would board Princess Leia’s ship and risk angering the Senate was made clear. The Death Star’s weakness was explained on SO MANY LEVELS. Why was it built with a weakness? Explained. Why no engineers noticed that weakness? Explained. Why no one went over the plans for it and discovered the weakness? Explained.

I cannot emphasise enough that Rogue One genuinely makes A New Hope an even better movie.

Moving onto the characters:

A brief summary regarding characters from the original trilogy: Princess Leia (and Bail Organa, who gets a shout-out despite us only really meeting him in the prequels)? Already awesome, even awesomer now. Mon Mothma? Gorgeous and glorious and pretty much the Galadriel of the Rebel Alliance. Grand Moff Tarkin? Deliciously evil (and not as distracting as I thought he would be based on some reviews - the voice is perfect, and the CGI is more... acceptably not quite right like Gollum, than Uncanny Valley). Darth Vader? FINALLY SCARY AGAIN.

Jyn Erso is the lone wolf woman-pain character we deserve after enduring so many of the lone wolf man-pain leads Hollywood foists upon us year after year. She has a mean streak and an attitude and I love her. I love that she’s angry and she’s vicious, and I love that her character arc doesn’t demand she become a soft and sweet thing, her character arc is about her putting her anger to use, putting it into the fight for hope. She’s wonderful.

Cassian is also wonderful. He’s this gorgeous mixture of hero and anti-hero; we know he’s done bad things for his cause, we see him do them on screen, but he is the character who has done these things for the right reasons and you believe he wishes he hadn’t had to do them. You know he carries the pain of what he’s done with him, and you cannot go through the movie without realising that regardless of what he has done, his is the heart of a good man.

K-2SO is hilarious and a welcome addition to the herd of Good Star Wars Robots.

Bodhi Rook is the epitome of Beautiful Cinnamon Roll Too Good For This World, Too Pure. I loved all of the heroes, every last one of them, but if I had to choose one I would fight to protect, it’s Bodhi. He is so sweet and nervous and gentle and I just want to scoop him up and make everything bad go away, especially the hentai monsters (because I know Star Wars has had tentacles before, but the monster they sicced on him in this? That was. Certainly something).

And lastly, because if I want to wrap this up with anything, it’s these two - and yes, they’re coming as a pair in this, because how could I separate them even into paragraphs?

Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus are perfect. I could leave it at that, but I don’t want to. From the second they show up to the last seconds they spend on screen, they are perfect. The majority of the lines I remember from the movie come from their exchanges, on account of them being hilarious, badass, or touching. The way their fighting styles contrast and compliment each other’s, the way their personalities do the same - the way faith is something they argue over and are held together by - I just fell completely in love with them. And I fell in love with their love, too - because you cannot tell me they weren’t. You can’t. Not when they bicker like an old married couple. Not when Chirrut reaches for Baze’s face, and Baze takes his hand, and Chirrut says “You will always find me in the Force”. Not when Baze’s last living action is to look back at Chirrut.

Not when their theme song, the Guardians of the Whills Suite, takes SO MUCH INSPIRATION FROM THE DAMNED LOVE THEME FOR PADME AND ANAKIN, ACROSS THE STARS.

I am in love with this movie.

I am absolutely, head over heels in love with this movie.

And I cannot thank it enough for being brave enough to do something different with the Star Wars movieverse, and in doing so, make it feel so new and so vibrant and so alive, I feel like a seven year old watching the original trilogy on VHS for the first time.

#rogue one #star wars #movies #spoilers #tl:dr - I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I. Loved. It.#long text post

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pynkhues · 3 years

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What are your thoughts on Zoey being cancelled in terms of what this means for Good Girls? My first instinct is that it is probably a good thing for a Good Girls renewal but I keep going back in forth.

Mmmm, I actually don't think ZEP's cancellation would be factoring majorly into the conversation around Good Girls? While they've frequently been together on the schedule and are a part of the same 'stream' of programming from NBC (which I'll talk about in a minute), you're actually looking at different specific audience demographics (which means different advertisers), different areas of concern as a production, and different data overall.

It sounds like there's been a bit of chatter around this sort of thing lately, and I was in development meetings for a TV show I've been working on with my producer last week, so this sort of stuff's pretty fresh in my head, so! Let's break it down!

Programming Streams

Pretty much all network TV have streams of programming which amount to slots that need to be filled in the schedule. Broadly, they can usually be broken down into five categories:

Light Entertainment (L.E.) - for NBC, these are shows like America's Got Talent, Ellen's Game of Games, and The Voice. These are shows that are designed to be heavy on adverisements, both in terms of sponsored content and branding as a way to bring in $$s to the network. They're generally cheap to produce because you have one set, limited paid talent, and less crew, which makes them low cost, low risk and usually high reward. It's why there's so much of it now.

Factual - can be any length and can be one-offs, which is both convenient and not convenient, depending on who you ask, haha, and this ranges from documentaries to talk shows. For NBC, this is shows like Dateline, Late Night with Seth Meyers, or programming like David Attenborough documentaries.

Childrens - self-explanatory, haha. In Australia, networks have an obligation to create a certain amount of children's programming. I don't think that's the same in America, but it's still generally a part of the schedule.

1/2 hr Comedy - these are usually sitcoms, but that's broadening up these days to include a bigger range of things, particularly the half hour dramedy that HBO and FX are making a huge part of their brands.

1 hr Drama - the staple! These are generally further broken down into genre, but in particular is a split with procedural drama, family drama, and everything else. The idea is that some shows you can watch with your kids, and others you can't.

All of these are commissioned by network heads in a way that feeds into the overall identity of a network, and what's especially interesting is that we have a bit of insight into how NBC works too, because Lisa Katz, the Head of Scripted Programming, did an interview with Retta, Jenna and Bill where she talked about NBC's identity in original programming, and the pillars they go through when they're commissioning programming, which is:

Character driven

Aspirational

Original

Inclusive

In that sense, they're thinking of GG and ZEP as similar parts of streams of programming broadly, for sure, but they have different demographics and different subgenres. Neither of them are procedurals, and they're both one hour dramas that they view as hitting those four pillars, only where ZEP is a family drama, Good Girls is not. As a factor, this is sort of interesting, because it would appear initially that Good Girls is more niche than ZEP in that sense, but where GG is crime - a broad and popular genre; ZEP is a musical fantasy show, which makes it extremely niche content-wise and limits the scope of its audience.

Audience

When it comes to fandom spaces, we can often boil audience down to fandom or even what we see on social media, when the reality is a lot broader than that. Fandom and social media engagement of course plays a factor, but you're also looking at the Nielson numbers which gives networks an idea of how many people are actually watching, you're also looking at critical engagement, reviews, awards, which particularly come into play with shows like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and are what networks can use as leverage with advertisers and stakeholders, you're also looking at the audience at the network itself and their desire to maintain relationships with talent.

I read Alan Sepinwall's great book The Revolution was Televised recently, and one of the things that became really clear in that was that sometimes all a show needs to be renewed is a network head who still loves and believes in it.

When you're looking at all of those factors, it becomes difficult for us as outsiders to really gauge the scope of the decision when it comes to renewals, but in terms of what we do know, we know:

Good Girls more than doubles its audience when it comes to streaming, whereas ZEP has a gain of about 40%.

Good Girls has twice as many twitter followers and five times as many Instagram followers as ZEP and what appears, at least at face value, to be a more involved fandom.

They do about the same review-wise, but ZEP was nominated for a Golden Globe this year, something I'll come back to shortly.

NBC has a relationship with Jenna Bans that is growing, not shrinking, and they have signed a longterm contract with her. This is not a deal NBC has with Austen Winsberg who created ZEP.

A quick note on awards

Awards can definitely come into play on lower-rated shows. As I said above, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Emmy nominations probably saved it more than once at The CW, and Zoey's Infinite Playlist being nominated for a Golden Globe any other year but this one could've been a good thing.

But, y'know. The Golden Globes is currently in the midst of an enormous ethics scandal which has shown not only that it's a racist institution, but that it's an award bought by producers. This has culminated in NBC - the same network that airs ZEP and GG - distancing itself from HFPA until at least 2023.

Content, Safety & Expense

Of course, the other major factor when networks are looking to renew is what it is that they're making, and in the age of COVID, there are more considerations than ever. There's a reason Grace and Frankie shutdown production over concerns of an aging cast amidst the global pandemic after all.

Good Girls would be, in a lot of ways, a fairly cost effective show to make. It's crime, but not action-focused, you have a predominantly adult cast, minimal extras, minimal stunts, locations and action. Plus it's straightforward to COVID-proof, and Netflix foots half the bill, which lowers both the OHS and financial risk of the show overall.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is the opposite in almost every way except the cast. As I mentioned above, it's not only a fantasy show but a musical, the latter of which is extremely polarising in terms of audiences. You have a lot of extras, a lot of stunts through the dancing, a lot of locations, action, choreographers, rehearsal time, music rights, scorers and arrangers, legal fees to not only perform the covers, but sell them afterwards as albums and stream them on Spotify and YouTube. You have a cast mostly singing live, which is one of the most high risk activities when it comes to the spread of COVID, and the nature of the show means there are more intimate scenes generally. Plus there's no Netflix covering some of the costs.

All of these factors are taken into consideration when the network's looking at renewal, and its ultimately a balancing act when it comes to the weight they put in each, but I will say I'm not surprised that ZEP's been cancelled. If the L.E. shows I listed above are low risk, high reward, ZEP seems to be the opposite of that.

It's high risk in terms of the content (musicals always are), safety, and cost, and has seemingly shown to be low reward between the audience, the ratings and perhaps the relationship between the network and key creatives given the lack of broader dealings.

In that sense, comparing ZEP to GG feels like a bit of a false equivalency. They might present similarly in some ways, but the circumstances and the context is really different.

Ultimately, I don't know if Good Girls is going to be renewed. It might not be! But I will say that I'm still feeling quietly optimistic. :-)

#nbc good girls #behind the scenes #speculation #gg season 5

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chloedoesamasters-blog · 5 years

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August 14th- Scratch Showing and Feedback

No video for the scratch showing I did on the Wednesday- am honestly kind of glad for that. I’ve known for a while that scratch showings and the like tend to put me in a very nervous, hyperactive state of being, and as a result the performance I give is usually lacking. I’ve tried to combat this over the years I’ve been a student doing scratch showings- five years now!- and while there’s been improvement, I still find them very difficult. I think this might be to do with the fact that I’m very much a solo maker/performer, if something I present is bad I only have myself to blame, and I have this innate- perhaps even childish- fear of being personally attacked, or mocked for my ideas.

So, knowing that what I presented was not as polished as it could have been, I was anxious about the type of feedback I’d receive but can honestly say now I had nothing to be so worried over, it’s some of the most useful and non-judgmental feedback I’ve ever gotten, and has provided me with lots of ideas for how to move my project forward!

Below I’ve written up the notes I made of the feedback, and my own reflections on it- which will be written in italics, to differentiate.

Quick feedback on what people generally liked liked

How I related being A Woman & being A Grown Up

The self-awareness through the ‘what Facebook thinks a proper grown up is’ section

The simple staging

The impression that it was actually about something completely different to what they were hearing

the incessant nature of the piece

I hadn’t thought much about how the way I intrinsically link womanhood with being a grown up might not be the way everyone sees it- for me, I felt like I was being viewed as ‘a woman’ (read; being sexualized, or at least having the potential to be sexualized because my height and breasts made me appear older) long before I was old enough to be, so I suppose this is where that association comes from. Definitely something to explore- is it a common experience for women to be expected to be mature and grown up because their bodies dictate they should be? Is the same true of men? I don’t want gender politics to become the sole focus of my piece, but it’s something I should consider more going on, as it is such a big part of my experiences.

Self awareness is common in many of my pieces- I quite like it. Dry, glib humor is really my wheelhouse so I’m sure this will crop up throughout the piece.

I usually prefer a simple set up- never want to get too bogged down in the details of that kind of thing, I want a better chair than I had in that run-through, but I know we have some at Beckett.

Yeah, I get that. I’m not entirely sure of the deeper meaning of this piece yet- it’s become kind of a monster in my brain about all this different stuff. My fear of growing up because of my ‘childish’ habits, my dislike for being sexualized, my fear of transitions between periods of my life (between college and university, university and the ‘real world’ etc) a yearning to find other people who connect with these fears, a desire to create a world with a different kind of grown up, this worry that I will always struggle. It’s a lot to tackle, I think I’d like to keep most of the dialogue kind of surface level, with occasional and intense peaks into the roots of these issues.

Yeah, this incessant nature is born of a few things- I’ve always been a pretty fast talker, and I only get faster when I’m nervous. Since this has become something too difficult to combat I’ve begun to try and just work it into my persona. It’s an autobiographical show, it would feel weird to be too disingenuous about my character. It’s absolutely something I need to control more though, and that will come with practice. If I have the time I’d like to play with it too- more on that later.

My questions/Their responses

Q: Do you think I need to more tightly choreograph my movement around the space?

A: Resounding yes

Q: Were there any problems with the /pace/ of movement?

A: Yes, there were certain bits of dialogue that could’ve done with more stillness to emphasize them.

Q: Were there any bits of dialogue that particularly stuck out to you?

A: ‘I didn’t care about having friends in primary school’, ‘If I was a grown up I’d call them breasts’, ‘I’m eight I don’t want to be the treasurer’, ‘mum thought I was at a house party’, ‘we weren’t friends in highschool but we were friendly, to avoid the need for much socialization’.

Their questions/My responses

What is the end point? Do I come to a conclusion about my own definition of a grown up? Is the conclusion that I say and the conclusion that I imply the same thing?

(Three different but similar questions grouped together.) The truth is I’m not sure- at this point I think the ending won’t necessarily include a solid definition of a grown up, but rather me coming to peace with the fact that there might not be one. Being okay with being a bit odd and rough around the edges. I think any solid definition of a grown-up would have to imply that there is some ideal way to be, and I’m not sure I want that. A conclusion based on what kind of grown-up /I/ am might be okay, though. A conclusion grounded in the idea that stereotypes continue to rule assumptions and actions.

What do I want people to be saying this is about?

Adulthood, I suppose. The tricky incline from a spotty, scared kid to a capable and clear-headed adult. Me, because that’s absolutely what it’s about. Figuring yourself out, finding reasons for your odd little quirks, being okay with them, how constantly being busy might not be how we’re actually wired to be. I don’t think I could drill it down to one specific, I think people will find their own context for it, dependent very much on what their background and opinions on such a topic already is.

What would it be like if I presented my own experiences as if it were all research?

Pretty cool honestly, there’s something in that but I’m not sure it’s the direction I want to go in- my assumption is it would feel quite clinical, and while I like the idea of turning something autobiographical slightly on it’s head I’m just not sure what it would bring to the show, or if I’d be invested in that enough as a theme.

What are my success criteria- how will I know if I achieved them?

I want to make people laugh. I want to create something that reflects my ability, i want to not panic and rush my way through what I’m saying. I want to be sure of what I’m doing on stage, I want to create something that builds on a format I’ve used in the past and pushes it further. I just want to be proud of what I’ve done by the end of it, I want to feel like I I didn’t waste my time.

Do I use the toys at any point?

I might. I’m not sure yet what it says if they’re left untouched- my desire to move forward but my reluctance to entirely let go of that part of who I am? I /like/ soft toys, I like teddies. The world has told me that to be a proper grown up I have to let go of those things, but I don’t want too! What if THAT’S the ending. I sit down, and I play with my toys, because I can be a grown up who likes those things.

Do I want to be seen as vulnerable in the space?

I think, inevitably, by virtue of sharing so many personal details with the audience, I will seem vulnerable at points whether I want too or not. I don’t think it’s something I’m looking to emphasize too much, though.

Do I want to be seen as intelligent in the space?

I don’t think that’s quite the right word. Capable, would be better. I want to be seen as capable.

Do I want people to think I know exactly what I’m doing

See above- though there’s a nuance of difference between people thinking I’m capable and people thinking I know exactly what I’m doing. A capable person might just be good at thinking on their feet- I think that’s more what I’m going for. I want people to think anything could happen next, but also like I know exactly what is about to happen.

What is the worst thing people could say about the show after seeing it?

That they weren’t amused and they think I’m odd and they can’t relate to my situation at all.

What is the best thing?

That it was funny and relatable and well presented.

Opinions

The delivery was borderline stand up comedy- you should either try going all out for real, or making some terrible cheesy stand up comic persona

Since I performed ‘You and Your Legs’ in third year I’ve been a bit hesitant to be ‘funny’. This was my first comedic piece and it happened by accident- I hadn’t initially meant to make something funny, it just happened to be funny and I rolled with it. Then I veered off trying to be a ‘serious’ artist in artist mentor and it blew up in my face- for several reasons. Trying to be funny on purpose is a lot harder, I think it’s the nerves over that which make my delivery seem ‘borderline’. Once I’m more confident in my script I’d like to try and show the piece again in front of a different crowd, to see if that works out better.

I do like the idea of going into a terrible cheesy bad stand up character, but I don’t think I have the time here.

Could you include a movement section based on movements already occurring naturally?

Technically, yes. But I’m a bad choreographer and not the most comfortable mover, I think I’d just feel awkward and no matter what I did it wouldn’t translate well because of that.

Something about the friendship bench- could we see you, in that moment, as a lonely and un-caring kid

Again, technically yes. But I don’t want to slip too much into a different character for it to only be used that one time.

the speed at which I talk is sometimes more interesting than what I’m saying

I agree. I absolutely want to play around more with dialogue and speed, I think there’s something in that repetitiveness and getting lost in the drone, it starts to mean something else entirely.

Take time to outline this fear of adulthood

Good point! I should make my fear more definite, perhaps this is something that can come about by playing around with speech patterns more!

You could focus in more on gender and link that to the resistance of growing up

This and focusing in on my experience as a bisexual youth has crossed my mind, but I’m worried about getting bogged down in it and making the show about something else entirely.

Sitting/being still for more of the piece could really change things

Yep- I really need to bring in a chair that’s actually comfortable and find moments where being still will work with what I’m saying.

How close should the audience be

Cabaret style?? That worked for my last major piece and I really liked the more casual vibe- wouldn’t feel right to have everyone sitting in neat rows.

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