#hawk from a handsaw

[thesobsister]

From R.M. Lockley, “We Live Alone and Like It—on an Island,” National Geographic (1938)

[stilinski-ortiz-dolan]

[thesarahshay]

Not enough actors have the balls to say that their dream is to play Hamlet...in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

[quantumpoem]

The best thing about this is it would actually *enhance* the themes of the play. Who else to best represent the idea of meaningless, inexorable fate than a literal puppet? At that point they're not even people reciting their lines toward the inevitable conclusion of the play, but vessels for someone else's recitation. I love it I want to see it immediately

Pick a live-action movie. Keep one human actor; everyone else is played by muppets.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, in two variations:

1. Keep both title roles human on the grounds that they’re really a single composite character; Kermit the Frog is cast as the Player King for maximum meta fuckery.

2. The Player King stays human; cross-cast with Sesame Street and make the title roles Bert and Ernie.

[gael-garcia]

Station Eleven ep 2: A Hawk from a Handsaw

directed by Jeremy Podeswa cinematography by Steve Cosens

[pigtailedgirl]

This is such a beautiful little button closer to the episode. From Hawk and a Handsaw.

This to me is the best of Benton Fraser.

He dared to be honest with Walter. It wasn't about the case or the right here. It was caring about this man who lost someone, and why, and Benton Fraser choosing to relate. He got real and shared a real personal moment of his life with Walter. Of grief. And it brought this. Healing. Connection.

No big speeches or dramatics. Just two people who talk, ask how are you, are you struggling, and decide it's ok to be. This is Fraser's impact, seen and acknowledged, happily and quietly.

[comfect]

Hamlet, Act 1, scene 1.

gonna start using this one.

[laiqualaurelote]

today, April 23, is the date that my Ted Lasso Station Eleven post-apocalypse Shakespeare AU begins and ends on:

“I believe you’re in my seat,” said Trent to the moustachioed stranger parked in B35 of the National Theatre. “I do beg your pardon,” exclaimed the stranger in a Midwestern accent. “I guess my eyesight ain’t what it used to be, if it can’t tell a hawk from a handsaw, or a 35 from a 36. But I’m keeping you standing. I’ll just scoot my boot over by one, shall I?” They performed the awkward seat shuffle common to theatre stalls the world over. “I like your glasses,” added the stranger. Trent removed his glasses and stared at them, then wondered why he had done that. He put them back on. “Thank you. Can’t see the stage without them.” The stranger hummed in agreement. Trent focused on removing his notepad and pen from his blazer pocket. He flipped to a new page and wrote at the top: Lear review, April 23, 2016. The date was notable at the time because it was the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. In later years, of course, this would be eclipsed in importance entirely by what was to come.

all the men and women merely players

[variousqueerthings]

a collection of fraser tasting/smelling things he maybe shouldn't be... (s1)

VECCHIO: Okay. Okay. It was the mud, right? You knew it came off his shoe because when you sniffed it, it smelled like — mud. I mean, what else does mud smell like? FRASER: Perhaps something that was on the floor of the bar. VECCHIO: Wood? No, no, no, beer. And maybe peanut shells. And when you tasted it, which by the way I can't believe you put that in your mouth, you tasted the salt from the peanut shells and knew that he had been here, right? FRASER: Wrong. [They get in the car.] I guessed. I had a hunch. VECCHIO: No, no, no, no. You don't have hunches. I have hunches. FRASER: I had one of your hunches, Ray. Felt good. VECCHIO: And what was it with the mud? You put mud in your mouth. FRASER: Ray, she was looking out the window. I simply made her believe I found something. VECCHIO: You made her believe that you were a mud eater. I can't believe I'm sitting in the same car with you. FRASER: Where's this address? VECCHIO: Why? What are you gonna do? Tell him to surrender or you're gonna eat something off the curb?

Episodes: Pilot: random mud off the ground S1ep3 Manhunt: a used gum wrapper S1ep4 They Eat Horses: diseased horsemeat (and regular meat) S1ep5 Pizzas and Promises: dog piss S1ep6 Chinatown: soapy mud and nail-clippings S1ep9 Mountie Cop Baby: baby spit-up S1ep12 Hawk and a Handsaw: keeps a pill in his mouth for 2.5 hours (the key is to control your saliva ducts) S1ep13 Eye for an Eye: ketchup off a metal pole found in a dumpster S1ep19 Heaven and Earth: many different soup kitchen chillies (actually this is alright... it's just suggested to be quite a few)

BONUS WILL BE UNHAPPY EATING HOSPITAL FOOD

BONUS FINGERS IN MOUTH:

Fraser: And it snowed for a day and a night and a day. And when I couldn't talk anymore, I took her fingers, and I put them in my mouth to keep them warm. I don't remember losing consciousness, but I — I do remember being aware that I was dying.

[thefandomenchantress]

So I know I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I wanna talk about the David MV.

I finally decided to watch that nearly three hour video on the Literature Girl Insane MV, (by @/1moreff-creator) and HOLY SHIT IT’S SO GOOD. I wish I watched it sooner and wonder why I didn’t, I watch almost exclusively 1+ hour videos about random topics I know nothing about, and now there’s one for something I care a lot about! Why didn’t I watch immediately?!?

But my lapse in sanity aside, it finally got me motivated enough to talk about the David MV!

…Except only the part about Ace because of course that’s all I want to talk about. 9 out of 10 of my posts are either about him or have him involved somehow.

Anyways! Here’s the part I find very interesting!

This is arguably where Ace is most relevant, and therefore it makes sense I want to talk about it today.

Now, first things first, the Roman numeral. V (five) is Ace’s Roman numeral, as assigned by the crossword. The line attached is:

“Right now, why do you go insane?”

Which definitely fits. Ace could easily be framed as going insane, because he has mental breakdowns at a worryingly high frequency. Him and Veronika (who this might also be referring to if color theory is to be believed) are basically assigned the role of being seen as mentally unhinged within the class.

(…Ever think about how weird it is that the title is Literature Girl Insane, implying the star of the MV, David, is going insane, yet Ace is the one getting called insane, possibly by David? I think that’s interesting. But let’s get back on track.)

As established by other Roman numerals, the words in the background when a numeral shows itself also apply the character attached to said numeral. This is most obviously shown in the line near the top of the photo.

“A cat has 9 additional lives”

This is also easily applicable to Ace, since he survived Nico’s murder attempt against all odds. If Eden and Teruko hadn’t just so happened to be on the 2nd floor and walked into the gym when they did, he would’ve died. While the actual methodology of Nico’s murder attempt is unknown, it’s also possible that him even surviving long enough for Teruko and Eden to find them was a miracle. Either way, it fits.

The last quote on-screen intrigues me the most. It’s a quote from Hamlet.

“I am but mad north-northwest. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a hand saw.”

Now, first let’s look at just those words, without further context. It’s important we know what the words themselves mean before we do anything else. Let’s start with the definition of north-northwest, since that word is pretty important to the quote.

I’m sure most are familiar with north, east, south, and west. The four main directions on a compass. As well as Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. That splits the compass into eight directions, splitting the sections of north, east, south, and west in half.

Similarly, north-northwest is a direction that comes from splitting the compass into sixteen parts. It’s the half of the northwest section that’s closer to north.

Next, what the hell does “I know a hawk from a handsaw” mean? It’s almost half the quote, so it’s important we know.

Well…*extremely loud sigh* Shakespeare, as you know, was alive a very long time ago. As such, he writes in old-time-y English that’s hard to understand. And this quote has the misfortune of being something people argue over the translation of, at least as far as I could tell while researching.

Some people think Shakespeare meant a heronsaw, a type of bird, not a handsaw. Others think that no, he meant handsaw, but heron, in his time period, was also a common word for a tool that holds plaster/mortar/etc..

Either way, Shakespeare was probably referring to two types of birds, or two types of tools, which have key differences from one and other. I don’t think which one the DRDTdev thought was right really matters in this instance, since the quote makes sense either way. 15/16s of the time, Hamlet (the speaker of the quote) is sane and can tell two birds/tools apart.

The quote is, in summary, saying that Hamlet is mad only when it’s north-northwest, aka 1/16th of the time (I’m not sure if that somehow connects to there being 16 participants in the killing game, but I’m going to assume it doesn’t). The other 15/16s of the time, Hamlet is perfectly sane, thank you very much.

So, without context, this quote is saying that Ace is only insane 1/16th of the time. The rest of the time he’s sane.

Next, I think another important thing we have to do is take into account the whole screenshot as a whole. By that I mean we should not only look at each line individually, but how they relate to each other. In bold is the “why do you go insane?” Line, and to the left, in a font that blends more into the background, is the Hamlet line.

There is a contradiction of opinions here. One person says, “Why do you go insane?” while the other insists they’re only a little bit insane.

This could be referring to the opinions of David and Ace. After all, one could argue it was David underestimating Ace that led to his secret being revealed. David doesn’t bother being careful around Ace in the trial, despite Ace’s volatile nature. He piles suspicion onto Ace by saying it’s weird he didn’t see him on the second floor the night before the murder, even though it isn’t. After all:

Ace was in the gym. David was in the relaxation room. Those are on opposite sides of the floor, so of course David wouldn’t have seen Ace. He didn’t even have to walk anywhere close to the room Ace was in. But David saying this information like it’s weird and suspicious makes everyone else think it is.

David thinks: But what’s Ace gonna do about it? Somehow get the whole class on his side, even though almost everyone likes me more? Is everyone really going to trust the mentally unstable (one could say insane), dumb, cowardly jockey over me?

Yes, yes they will.

All this is to say, David, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t really care about Ace throughout chapter two. He steals Nico’s secret from him, antagonizes him in the trial, and doesn’t care. Ace doesn’t matter. Ace, of all people, can’t be the one to ruin him. So who cares if Ace dislikes him? Ace is of no use to David, and Ace certainly isn’t smart enough to figure out David’s scheme. This is what David believes.

However, this leads to him not taking Ace’s volatile nature seriously enough, believing he is above the harm of someone like him. But hey, even a pawn can play a vital part in checkmating a king.

When David pisses off Ace, believing Ace can’t do anything besides get angry, yell, and make himself look more suspicious…That turns out to be a crucial mistake that ruins everything.

…Y’know, the irony of the class idiot being the one to beat the so-called master manipulator will never not be funny to me.

Anyways, we can sort of apply this to Hamlet, too. If Ace is Hamlet, since this is Hamlet’s line, and David is Claudius, his father-in-law, we do have a pretty good parallel.

Claudius, who secretly killed Hamlet’s father and then took his throne, is secretly not as righteous as he seems. However, Hamlet finds out about Claudius being the one who killed his father and seeks revenge. Claudius thinks Hamlet to be mad, but when Claudius isn’t around, Hamlet says, “But my uncle-father (Claudius) [is] deceived. I am but mad north-northwest. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a hand saw.” Eventually, Hamlet kills Claudius. So in DRDT terms, Ace finds out about David’s manipulation, David is unaware of this, and Ace eventually kills David’s public persona. Obviously this is an extreme simplification of the plot, but still.

…Of course, there’s also a chance this contradiction of opinions isn’t about Ace and David specifically. After all, David isn’t the only one to boil Ace down to his core traits of “dumb, angry, overall not a well-adjusted individual”. The whole class does this, at least for the most part. This Hamlet quote could just be trying to say what Ace has been saying. That everyone sees him as a loudmouth, stupid, cowardly and nothing more, when in reality there’s more to him than that.

I might have gone a little overboard with this part…I got excited…Hopefully this all actually makes sense, I had to revise some of this post because it got ramble-y and overall pretty cluttered.

So yeah. Here’s my (very late) contribution to the David MV discussion. Here’s what I think Ace’s part means. If you want me to elaborate anywhere, feel free to tell me, or if you want to tell me your thoughts, I’d love to see that!

[greenygal]

Due South s1 recs, part 3

A Hawk and a Handsaw

Each one can depend on a hand extended, by violet_pencil: A Slings and Arrows crossover in which Fraser and Geoffrey talk about madness.

Brother Naked, by ButterflyGhost--Ray had a brother, once.

And do I have grieving Bob stories (with bonus Buck Frobisher)? Why yes, I do:

Duty, by akite

You Won't Do This Alone, by Luzula

Oatmeal and Sliced Banana, by vienna_waits

Oatmeal and Bananas, by ButterflyGhost

***

An Eye for an Eye

Corky, by ButterflyGhost--Dief has some things to say about this episode. Especially the tam o'shanter.

***

The Man Who Knew Too Little

Mother Nature Ate My Shoes, by ButterflyGhost--Just a little more of Ray ranting, because frankly he deserves it here.

Untitled, by Laura Shapiro (Fraser/Ray V)--On the other hand, Ray might get some compensation for having his car blown up.

Cosmic Rays, by catwalksalone (Ray V/Ray K)--And an Ian episode deserves a wild tale, so have this AU about Ray and Ray as space cops, with Ian and Frannie as their ship's crew.

***

The Wild Bunch

Impressions on Apartment 3J, by brynnmck (Fraser/Ray V)--This is a lovely "Six Things" story with incidents throughout the first season; the vignette for this episode is short but quietly beautiful.

Shaken, by Sproid (Fraser/Ray V)--A distressed Fraser seeks comfort from Ray.

Our den (in the middle of the street), by noxelementalist--Ray K meets Dief’s family.

Revving the Engine, by seascribble (Fraser/Ray V)--Some car sex with the new Riv. Not especially related to the ep, but it's my rec list and I'm seizing the moment!

[hamletthesanedane]

Unbearable relatives asking you invasive or uncomfortable questions about your life and future this holiday season? Take heart and hear the wisdom of the Prince of Denmark!

1. Soliloquize. Words, words, words. Just keep lashing words at them with your tongue. 7 soliloquies per every 3 hours shall suffice. Stay hydrated.

2. Feigned insanity. Oops! The wind blew and you don’t know a hawk from a handsaw! Derange thyself.

3. Stab someone.

[morbidology]

At the age of 16, Adrianne Reynolds departed from her hometown Kilgore, Texas, to relocate to East Moline, Illinois, where she resided with her father and stepmother. In this new setting, she enrolled at Black Hawk College Outreach Center with aspirations of obtaining her GED and pursuing a career in the marines.

Beyond this, she nurtured ambitions of becoming either a car designer or a singer, bolstered by her remarkable vocal talent. During her time there, she crossed paths with Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory, both of whom identified as dedicated followers of the Juggalo subculture.

A few short months after joining the school, Adrianne mustered the courage to ask Cory on a date. This seemingly innocent gesture stirred a storm of anger within Sarah, even though she herself was in a relationship with another teenager named Sean. Cory had been a friend to Sarah, and the idea of Adrianne "taking" him infuriated her.

On the afternoon of January 21, 2005, Sarah extended an invitation to Adrianne to accompany her and Cory to Taco Bell. During the drive, an altercation ensued between Adrianne and Sarah. Upon reaching the Taco Bell location, Cory physically restrained Adrianne while Sarah brutally assaulted her with a wooden implement she kept in her car for protection, ultimately strangling her to her death using her own belt.

Following the murder, Sarah and Cory transported Adrianne's lifeless body to the farm owned by Sarah's grandparents. There, they attempted to incinerate her remains with the hope that they would be reduced to ashes. When this macabre endeavor proved unsuccessful, they reached out to a 16-year-old named Nathan Gaudet, enlisting his help.

Nathan arrived at the farm armed with a handsaw, with which he dismembered Adrianne's body before disposing of the remains in a manhole. In a matter of days, Adrianne's body was discovered, prompting Cory to succumb to his conscience and confess his involvement.

Both Sarah and Cory were convicted of first-degree murder. Testimony during their trial suggested that Sarah's actions stemmed from a crush she harbored for Adrianne, which drove her to commit the crime out of jealousy. Sarah received a prison sentence of 53 years, while Cory was sentenced to 40 years. Throughout her trial, Sarah openly expressed a lack of remorse. Nathan was found guilty of concealing a body and served four years in a juvenile detention center. Four years later, he lost his life in a car accident.

[you-know-i-get-itt]

7 and 10 for the favorite asks!

7 - quote?

oh no 😭 okay so. “Whatever teaches us to talk to ourselves is important: whatever teaches us to sing ourselves out of despair.” this is from the goldfinch by donna tartt :) (a very very close competitor is “I am but mad north-north-west; when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” from hamlet)

10 - sad song?

[heytheredelulu]

✨WIP Wednesday✨

I was tagged by @flowersforbucky to post a snippet from my current WIP. I’m actually on a break from writing FF so here’s a snippet from a chapter in my book I’m hoping to self publish next year. We are currently in a very rough draft stage. 😅

“Damn, Jay got you good this time.”

“Shut the fuck up, Michael.” I growl at my cell mate, falling backwards onto my cot. Once the comment slips from my mouth I immediately feel remorse for it. Mike’s a good guy, he’s had my back since I transferred in from juvenile detention and he shouldn’t have to take the brunt of my anger just because he happens to be the closest available person to take it out on. I scrub a hand down my face before offering my hands up in apology. “Sorry, Mike. That wasn’t-”

“Nah, I get it, it’s cool.” He replies, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression softens and gives away the impression he really isn’t offended, despite his body language.

Mike flashes me a sympathetic smile, flipping his dark, overgrown hair back off his face. I can’t help but shake my head every time he does that goddamn hair flip. His entire physical appearance screamed ‘punk’, from his hair to his stretched earlobes that hung oblong without plugs since they were confiscated in processing. If I had ever run into Mike on the outside we definitely wouldn’t have been friends. Then again, I probably would have never run into him in the first place, since he likely spent his time hanging out at the docks of a shitty midwest mall, smoking trash marijuana in a Green Day t-shirt and dirty Chucks while drinking Four Lokos that he lifted from a Circle K.

But as I learned on the inside, you take your friends when you can get them. I stopped making assumptions based on appearance from pretty much my first day here, as I learned relatively quickly that people don’t fit the stereotypical build for their crimes; especially the particularly fucked up crimes. Those guys look so normal that it’s a daily reminder that monsters really do walk among us as men.

“I scored some smokes, I’m happy to share.” He offers as if that’s supposed to make me feel better and it was all a part of his master plan to cheer me up after having my eyebrow split in half. “I don’t smoke.” I reply, staring up at the ceiling.

“Maybe you should start.”

“And maybe you should stop.” I counter and he barks out a laugh, raking a hand through his hair. “We all got our vices, man. At least mine’s harmless.”

“It’ll kill you.”

“I’m already dead inside.”

Okay, he’s not punk, he’s a goddamn emo.

“I really am, you know.” He says quietly in my lack of reply and I close my eyes so he can’t see me roll them. I’m really not in the mood for an unsolicited therapy session. I know Mike’s torn up from his crime but does he have to lay it on so fucking thick?

Oh woe is me, to have seen what I have seen, to see what I see!

There’s some irony in the fact that I of all people would immediately think up a Hamlet quote in response to Mike’s recurring self-pity.

I’d like to think it’s because it’s fresh in my mind due to the lack of variety in reading materials in prison and not some strange parallel my brain is trying to establish. I certainly hope that as the son who carried out a revenge murder I don’t create a domino effect that causes myself and those around me to descend into madness.

I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.

Jesus Christ, Jay must’ve hit me harder than I’d thought.

💋 Sj

No pressure tags: @lokisgoodgirl @drabblesandsnippets @targaryenvampireslayer @mrs-illyrian-baby @thezombieprostitute @sarahowritesostucky @longlivedelusion

[agentravensong]

three observations / thoughts from reading the editorial notes in my new physical copy of Hamlet (the pelican edition, edited by a. r. braunmuller):

1. There's this bit from Act 2 Scene 2 where Hamlet is telling Ros and Guil about how he's depressed, how all the beautiful things in the world mean nothing to him. The thing that stuck out to me on this flip-through was the highlighted line and associated footnote below:

If we go with what is "traditionally supposed" as canon, then, it makes this line one of the most direct fourth-wall breaks in the whole show (that isn't a narrative device i.e. the soliloquies), because it implies that Hamlet sees the literal ceiling of the theater the play is being performed in.

You could just say that the golden fire refers to the real stars and such, making the "roof" metaphorical... but that's less fun.

2. There are a lot of bird allusions and metaphors in this play. Not just the “special providence in the fall of a sparrow” line that seems to haunt me specifically, but a lot of times that people are compared to birds.

marcellus calling for hamlet like how a falconer would apparently call a hawk in act 1 scene 5 when he's left on the battlements after the ghost disappears ("Illo ho ho, my lord!")

woodcocks (foolish birds) caught in springs (traps) (see polonius in act 1 scene 3 (talking about hamlet or ophelia, i think?), and laertes once he starts dying)

knowing a hawk from a handsaw, a spy from a true friend (act 2 scene 2) (according to the book "handsaw" is also supposed to sound like "hernshaw", a type of heron)

"it cannot be but i am pigeon-livered" (also act 2 scene 2)

cladius' limed soul (act 3 scene 4), "limed" apparently referencing birdlime, a gluey material used to snare birds

osric, the "lapwing" who "runs away with the shell on his head", comparing him to a freshly hatched baby bird

and at least one or two more that are currently slipping my mind.

Now, I’m relatively new to analyzing Shakespeare's works in this depth, so maybe this is a trademark in all his stuff, or maybe it was just common at the time; maybe it isn’t meant to be a pattern.

But amongst all those lines, I read this (part of Hamlet talking to Horatio after the play-within-a-play, leading up to him bragging to Horatio that he could definitely get a whole share in an actors' company):

And, given how meta Hamlet is as a play (see section 1/3 of this post)… perhaps this line, as unemphasized as it is, is meant to re-contextualize the rest of those bird references as pointing out / reminding us that all the characters are actors? Both in the literal meta sense and also the thematic “every character is playing a role for others and engaging in varying levels of deceit” sense?

Again, it’s possible I’m giving this more weight than it’s due because of my lack of context, but. It’s an interesting possibility, at least.

3. Okay, this last one is just funny. Remember when Laertes and Claudius are just beginning to brainstorm how they’ll eliminate Hamlet in the last scene of Act 4, and Claudius alludes to some skill of Laertes’ (fencing) that someone else has been spreading the word about? Do you remember who that someone was?

Well, the thing about this noted excellent horse-rider is…

Obviously, the only conclusion to draw from this is that the guy talking up Laertes’ fencing prowess is the literal Grim Reaper, setting things in motion for the fated fatal duel, and neither Claudius nor Laertes had the thought that taking such inspiration from a guy named as such might lead to an unfavorable end. Good job, you two.