#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.

[therainbowwillow]

My teacher and I were talking about human nature today and we got on the topic of Kanye West and I think I cracked the joke of the day. We just read Hamlet in class, so I said “he is but mad north Kanye West” and we laughed for a good five minutes.

[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.

[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

[comfect]

Hamlet, Act 1, scene 1.

gonna start using this one.

[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.

[amarguerite]

Apparently Ogden Nash was a PG Wodehouse fan?? He wrote this whole charming poem in ode of Jeeves and Wooster, called:

PG Wooster, Just as he Useter

Bound to your bookseller, leap to your library, Deluge your dealer with bakshish and bribary, Lean on the counter and never say when, Wodehouse and Wooster are with us again.

Flourish the fish-slice, your buttons unloosing, Prepare for the fabulous browsing and sluicing, And quote, til you're known as the neighborhood nuisance, The gems that illumine the browsance and sluicance.

Oh, fondle each gem, and after you quote it, Kindly inform me just who wrote it.

Which came first, the egg or the rooster? P.G.Wodehouse or Bertram Wooster? I know hawk from handsaw, and Finn from Fiji, But I can't disentangle Bertram from PG.

I inquire in the school room, I ask in the road house, Did Wodehouse write Wooster, or Wooster Wodehouse? Bertram Wodehouse and PG Wooster, They are linked in my mind like Simon and Schuster.

No matter which fumbled in '41, Or which the woebegone figure of fun. I deduce how the faux pas came about, It was clearly Jeeves's afternoon out.

Now Jeeves is back, and my cheeks are crumply From watching him glide through Steeple Bumpleigh.

[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?