#if there was even an audience i would have made gifs. i'm not doing that for just myself
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so brave of anyone to put the actual ending of their show in its penultimate episode as an "easter egg"!!!! 👍 lol
#yz you crazy bastard you did it! you defied the conventions of storytelling! /s#anyways like 相忘于江湖 endings >>>>>>>>>>>>>>#if they wanted to give us ep 30 at least make zxw gaslight hq into the whole thing being a dream so he could keep hrz away or smth lol.#ok like literally you can stop here it's not even wrong to say it's the ending. it IS their ending in the rebirth timeline#there's nothing in the text that goes beyond it#am i slowly doing 浅溪 cuts. it seems like i am#if there was even an audience i would have made gifs. i'm not doing that for just myself#为有暗香来#scent of time#my posts
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I think about Sun and Moon's original versions a LOT, and I don't get why people say they're not expressive!
Or perhaps, I do, and I just wanna ramble. Anyways! Big ol warning for lots of talking, some fursuit gifs and analyzation of body movement.
So, they have flat, immobile faceplates, right? Technically, yes!some argue that this makes them immediately inert and expressionless and opt to enhance their expressions. And this is a-okay! Do what you like!
But as someone who used to be a costumer, and wears a fursuit on occasion,
(Sorry, I love this gif so much)
BUT! When in a mascot costume, fursuit, or any other costume with a mask over one's face, the performer has to learn how to move in order to portray the emotions necessary for character engagement with the audience! Whether it's exaggerated head bobs, using your hands to talk, or making everything a bit of a spectacle, even the way you tilt your FACE can affect how you look.
Even MUPPETS do this with their limited range of expression. And we can easily draw those conclusions of how the boys were programmed to act in canon!
Take Sun's default animation in the daycare, just standing there.
It's very obvious here what he's trying to portray, and who his programmed audience is- little children! When costuming around little kids, you wanna use big gestures, and get on their level because you can seem HUGE AND SCARY to them! You wanna get down towards the ground, make big sweeping cartoon motions, and make sure all your movements are ROUNDED- not jabbing, sharp, or sudden- so that the kid isn't ever surprised, but rather delighted by your performance as a costumer. I'll show you an example by the amazing performer, Temba the Bat! (Made by Toxicoon, I believe.)
Big sweeping motions, slow without being too spooky, and generally friendly motions while swaying the head! Looks kinda similar right?
Another point is, though, these exaggerated motions don't really... turn off when feeling other things. Sun and Moon don't have a customer service mode, and that's WILD to me that their programming requires them to act like this all the time. Exhibit B: Sun's pain in the transformation scene.
He's making such exaggerated motions and movements to INDICATE he is in pain or holding something back. He's gripping his face like something is trying to come out of it, and even dramatically falls backwards to indicate a loss of control in his body. Whether the way the fall looks so cartoonist was intentionally programmed in, I couldn't tell you.
And then... there's Moon.
This is SO cartoon villain sequel, isn't it? The hands tapping delicately on the surface, the exaggerated head tilt, all of it is so wildly exaggerated in such a smooth way to let you know "Ah! I'm in danger! Great!"
And yet... he still is low to the ground. Still in that pose of going after someone SMALL. Performing for someone small. His evilness is almost completely exaggerated and, dare I say, fabricated by his programming. Of course, the virus probably had something to do with it but LIKE! Look at that range of motion!
Idk what the point of all this is, I just wanna say: it's totally understandable to make the boys super duper expressive in the artistic, flat 2d styles i see a lot!
But man I do hope someone draws them biblically accurate while expressing something else because that would be hilarious to see Sun throwing a temper tantrum by banging his fists on the ground and flailing while his face is just
:D
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lots of fans have made valid points and written well-thought-out posts about the trop ai drama, so i'm not gonna rehash them, but i do want to bring up something that no one seems to be talking about and it's the impulse that leads people to plug these things into ai generators in the first place.
fandom over the last year especially has become increasingly toxic to the point that actual billion-dollar corporations are afraid it. the result is subpar, pandering films, books, and television shows that break no new ground, recycle old tropes, and sacrifice story integrity to avoid catching heat from the loudest, most entitled people in the room. i'm calling this an issue of entitlement first and foremost because the idea that the audience should have any say over a non-crowd-created media project is preposterous. deciding that the cons outweigh the pros of watching something and choosing to walk away without making a fuss is a lost discipline now because everyone with an internet connection and a social media account believes that their vision reigns supreme. "how dare this show downplay my favorite ship! they were supposed to kiss! that was the whole point! the absence of this one thing i had on my wishlist is a crime against me personally!" so they turn to ai and click some buttons and now these gifs exist and are being circulated with an air of "i've righted a wrong." worse, the use of ai in this way is being conflated with the creation of fanworks???
there are reasons why i don't believe the ai saurondiel kiss is on the same raft as, say, making them kiss in a drawing or a published fanfic, but my main concern is with the spirit behind each. fanworks are made in homage to the source material, even the fix-it fics. there is an acknowledgment, a separation even, between the television show and the fanwork. this separation is necessary and i would say even integral to the nature of fan creation, while ai closes that gap until it no longer exists. the elimination of space between creator and audience also happens on social media, when disgruntled fans who have taken umbrage with a fictional character or creative decision directly harass the writers or the actors involved. more and more, fans are demanding to be in the rooms, in the minds, and to exert control over the people who tell their stories, and it has only ever worked to our collective detriment. now i'm not saying that if you liked and shared the saurondiel ai kiss that you're the same as the internet trolls who harass (mostly) women and people of color online. but i'm begging you to do some self-reflection and ask yourself why you feel entitled to seeing what you want on your screen.
what has changed in the last few years that would make you dissatisfied with, say, reading someone's fic or making your own drawing? is it a matter of "the tool is there, so why not use it?" is it "i believe it should have happened and it didn't and i feel cheated?" or maybe there's been a pattern you've noticed in your recent media "consumption" (god, i hate that word) where, unless a show or television series goes the exact way you want it to, it feels like you've been defrauded somehow? i'm not being facetious. i'm inviting you to notice that what you're feeling is probably discomfort, disappointment, maybe even cognitive dissonance because you imagined it going one way, and now you're at a loss because it didn't. you built it up in your head, you had something to look forward to, you were convinced that it would happen, it was exciting and you were so eager to get to that point, and then.... and then...
we've all been there. and it sucks. but i also want to remind you of how important it is to preserve the separation. this space is ours. the writer's room, the filming set, the editing room, those spaces are theirs. the actors' likenesses are theirs. thinking beyond trop, the separation is how we get creative works that challenge us politically, emotionally, that make us uncomfortable and tell us important truths. writers shouldn't have to - and shouldn't FULL STOP - do what we want them to do. sometimes that means knowing when to walk away, when to say "i no longer enjoy this show, i will no longer support it" or "i will continue to watch but pretend things went differently," the latter of which has been the spark that has moved so many online fans to draw, paint, write, or sew. it's a type of creation that allows "canon" and "fanon" to exist parallel to one another. moreover, the effort it takes to make anything with your own two hands, with your own time, and with your own energy increases your appreciation for the creative impulse. films and books and television stop being "products" for your "consumption" because you're aware of what goes into them, and it becomes easier to look at things you don't like or disagree with and say, "you know what, i'm gonna pass," or "not in my headcanon."
oh, and by the way plugging things into an ai generator? is theft. the same way that it's generally frowned upon for people to use ai to, say, write the rest of an unfinished fic without the express permission of the fanwork creator, using the actors' likenesses to make them kiss goes against everything the actors' union fought for last year. i'll also add that it's incredibly creepy. almost all of us are in agreement that intimacy coordinators are a good thing because they act - again! - as a separation between what's "real" and what isn't, the same way going on ao3 and reading a fic that very clearly says on the tin that it's a fanfic, unaffiliated with the official ip, is a separation. it's another beast entirely to normalize fan-use of ai, to say you support creatives, support actors, support unions, and then do this in your personal life. i repeat the question: what impulse leads anyone to believe that this is okay other than a feeling of misplaced ownership?
tl;dr: ai nonsense does not belong in fandom spaces. (in my home state of california, it is illegal to use digital replicas of an actor's voice or likeness in place of their actual services without their informed consent [which, in spirit, is what you're doing by using ai to make your gifs]). we all just need to mind our own business and go back to writing our fix-it fics and complaining to our friends in relative peace. if you're finding it impossible to do so, ask yourself why. remember that fanart is our longstanding tradition. stop outsourcing it to an unregulated technology just because your two faves didn't kiss.
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What's the deal with Sauron and children ?
There seems to be something we don't know, about Sauron and children. Among Haladriels we often joke/hc that Sauron wants to have children with Galadriel and that's why it's a recurring theme. But in all seriousness, we may ask : what are the writers not telling us ?
It started in Numenor, where we saw Sauron smile giddily at the sight of little girls running.
I'm sure many still think : "he was putting on a show for Galadriel". Ok but Galadriel herself didn't smile when she watched them, she just looked at them with indifference. And it's not necessarily a human thing to smile at the sight of children, many humans don't care for them.
Then there's a scene where Sauron as Halbrand confronted Adar, who asked him if he had hurt someone he loved, adding, "A woman ? Perhaps, a child ?".
Galadriel may have noticed that Halbrand seemed particularly tense when he asked if it was a child, because she told Adar, "eat your tongue".
Tbf, it's likely that this scene was just a red herring. The audience still had to believe that Halbrand was a man, and that he had a good reason to want Adar dead. Adar firmly believed he had killed Sauron at this point, so there could be only one reason for Halbrand to be so angry at him, aka he took someone he loved away from him. What I mean is that Adar asking him this question made very much sense, at the moment.
But the reference to children came back in season 2, when Sauron had a vision of little girls running in the vision he had first created for Celebrimbor. It could also, again, mean nothing, because this vision was for Celebrimbor, a make believe to hide him the fact that Eregion was under attack. But someone, I don't know who, noticed something interesting when they put the gif of the Numenor girls on top of the gif of the mind palace girls.
Do you see it ? How the kids in the second seem to continue the Numenor kids' running ?
It may mean absolutely *nothing*. And yet I find interesting that the writers chose to associate Sauron with kids not just once, or even twice, but three times.
Could it mean that at some point, when he was in Numenor, Sauron seriously considered the idea of settling down there, of founding a family and liviving as a human being ? He was in a repentance phase and had, in his own words, "given up" any idea of fixing the damages he had done after Adar betrayed him and turned him into powerless goo, so I don't think it's too far-fetched to imagine that he could have genuinely wanted to settle down, to blend with the crowd.
Or could it be, as @apoloadonisandnarcissus suggested to me, that Sauron associates children with the concept of innocence, an innocence he himself lost when Morgoth corrupted him ?
Saurbrand told Galadriel, about Numenor, that it was "a paradise rife with opportunities". The vision of Eregion he showed Celebrimbor had everything of a paradise. Even after Celebrimbor got back to work and was no longer here to see the vision, Sauron remained for a few minutes in his illusion, contemplating it.
It didn't escape Haladriel shippers' attention that the girl was a sort of Galadriel lookalike, and that his lover, whose face remained unseen, may have expressed Sauron's own doubts regarding his capacity to perfect/heal Middle-Earth without Galadriel and her light.
That said, neither the idea of having a family, nor the association of children with innocence, can be related to what Adar did to him. Adar definitely didn't kill a child of his (and it would be dangerously lore-breaking to claim that Sauron ever had a kid, because Maiars are supposed to be forever bound to their physical form once they conceived), and he isn't the one who stole his innocence either. Adar is the one whose innocence was stolen by both Morgoth and Sauron, actually.
So now it's your turn : do you have any idea about this ? If yes, please share :)
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wait can you talk more about christmas 2018?
Anonymous asked: Just what you said in your post! "the first christmas where they publicly spent that much time together" did they usually keep quiet about where they were?
i can't speak to the 2014-16 era because i fell out of touch with the fandom at that time, but i was absolutely around during 2017 & 18. both of those years marked HUGE shifts, and both of those huge shifts came at the tail end of gamingmas/dilmas. you can check out my original frog theory post and my frog theory tag for elaboration on the function of gamingmas irt all of this. as just like. prerequisite framework reading.
ANYWAYS. the thing that was such a big deal was that dan was openly visiting the lesters with phil. yes, you can visit friends' families during the holidays. but it's much more frequently something you do with a significant other. so the ruckus was because dan and phil knew the conclusions people would jump to if we knew dan visited the lesters at christmas, and they still let us know that it happened.
(this got disgustingly long, so i'm putting the rest of this post under the cut.)
part of what made that such a big deal was having that happen after the no homo/closet era, the "we're not together we're not even that close of friends we're just roommates" era. the significance of their trust & openness was MUCH more tangibly felt. a way larger percent of the fandom at that time had been present when the vday video leaked/had joined shortly afterwards when that was one of the biggest things impacting both phandom culture and our relationship with dnp.
so in 2017 when we got a glimpse of dan up north at the lesters' in a couple of cornelia's instagram stories? we lost our fucking minds about it. it was only 2 (i think) background cameos, but it was quite literally unprecedented. it's not something that qualifies as openly spending time together at the holidays because of the method throug which we found out about it, but like. there's no way they didn't know that cornelia was posting those, and no way that they didn't know we'd know about it.
when i say we, i mean dedicated phannies. people who could possibly be reading this post, not casual subscribers to the gaming channel. because when it comes to casual viewers, or even people who aren't a part of dan and phil's usual audience at all? there's a lot of methods of communication that they just plain aren't paying attention to and won't be aware of.
the most direct, permanent methods dan and phil have for communicating are videos on either of their individual channels or on dan and phil games, and after that is instagram grid posts or tweets, as well as videos on their side channels. twitter replies, insta stories, livestreams, and their public likes on any social media platform? those are for a more private audience. their appearances in other people's posts reaches a similarly small audience.
knowing that they were starting to be more and more open through the communication channels only open between them and dedicated fans, and that it was a trend - december 2017 is also when phil, in a liveshow, read out someone's "you and dan are so married" comment and just.. laughingly said "it-it's a useful thing". (link to gifs of that). it wasn't a one-off. it was a trend.
and compared to 2018, it was dust. they spent the whole year becoming increasingly open with us, through increasingly direct methods. it was a whirlwind. even for people who've watched all the videos and liveshows, you don't have the whole picture. the onslaught was coming at us from every angle at all moments. you'd have to also explore the full archives of social media posts, insta stories, meet and greets , social media likes, and like.. the archived recordings of every interactive introverts tour date. it was batshit.
it was genuinely one of the most insane years of my life. i was having physical symptoms. we all knew what was coming, we all could tell they were working up towards coming out, but nobody wanted to trust that we were right about that. my dashboard was regularly at a fever pitch.
and december 2018 was the culmination of everything. and then they were talking directly to us in a liveshow and being. insanely open. they told us that dan was going with phil to visit the lesters. and they told us that pinof was ending. and then dilmas started dropping, aggressively cementing the fact that dab and evan were sim-universe proxies for dnp, while dan and phil posted instagram grid and story updates about visiting the lesters. and then dab and evan came home to the howlter house for the holidays. and got engaged.
and then they went on hiatus, and we pretty much did not hear from dan until he came out.
the point is. we knew there was a fucking insane energy. we KNEW something big was coming. we fucking knew. it was a two year build up to dan and phil being the most publicly gay they'd ever been on the gaming channel and every single other platform - and part of that insanity was them being open about dan visiting the lesters, which coincided with them having their proxy sims get gay engaged while visiting family.
"did they usually keep quiet about where they were?" anon, the last time before all this that they had openly acknowledged dan visiting the lesters during the holidays was 2009.
the way they were acting over christmas of 2018 had me experiencing shrimp emotions to such an intense degree i was having verifiable psychic visions.
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So, I binged The Acolyte last night.
I had a mental block and couldn't get myself to start while it was coming out, and I also haven't touched any High Republic era media before which made me hesitant. But the spoilers/gifs/fanart etc I saw convinced me I should give it a try.
I'm not a huge fan of binging, I like sitting and thinking with each episode, so I expected to just watch an episode or two, give it a day or so, then continue if I liked it.
But, to my great surprise, once I started, I couldn't really stop (aaand stayed up till 7 AM, oops).
I think it had several things going for it:
-The acting was genuinely phenomenal. I feel like I would have felt completely differently about the show if different actors had been involved, and i mean that more strongly than I usually do. Their delivery in certain moments really sold me.
-It's not your usual Star Wars genre. I'd consider it mystery/suspense with a touch of horror, and it really does come together. Some of the characters are experience a more stereotypical Star Wars action/adventure story, but are jerked out of their genre at certain moments. It's pretty neat, and makes the twists fun and interesting (even if you were completely spoiled beforehand, like me lol)
-The costumes were gorgeous and unique.
-Some truly gorgeous cinematography, shots that have beautiful composition and lighting.
-It was rich in lore and references, some from Legends that I caught, many from the High Republic that I didn't catch but appreciated nonetheless. It felt deeply connected to the SW Universe.
-While cynical, the writing says things that I've thought about but never really thought Star Wars would have the guts to say. The writing is also Tight, meaning that little moments of character interactions bring up things that will be necessary/helpful to the plot later, and I appreciated that. There felt like very little waste.
-There are genuinely no "good" or "bad" guys. Every character makes mistakes or has horrible qualities, yet also positive ones. We see and understand motives, even if we don't agree with them, and see the fallout of those actions. This made almost everyone compelling. The narrative and writing gives the audience space to think.
Things that I wasn't as much a fan of:
-I felt like most of the sets felt kind of generic and Earth-like, especially in comparison to the rich costumes and alien characters.
-There are some fantastic fight scenes and emotional scenes, where the acting and cinematography was fantastic, but I wish the music had been a bit more memorable. I can't really recall any of it, and I feel like there were scenes that could have been truly iconic had the music resounded more with me.
Now, some more specific thoughts, SPOILERS below:
On Sol:
Sol is a character who, I believe in most cases, I would have absolutely despised. But holy shit, Lee Jung-jae. I am not exaggerating when I say that his performance is perhaps one of the best, if not THE best performances I've ever seen in live action Star Wars. He played this character so tenderly, so genuinely.
Despite being misguided, having made terrible decisions, and making mistakes that even he acknowledges, Sol himself always truly thought he was doing what was right, and loved Osha with his whole being even at the end, and it Shows. The way he looks at Osha was so sincere.
This is why I can't get myself to hate Sol as a character. It makes me feel so conflicted, like how can a guy with so much love and genuine desire to help and do good go so wrong? And that, I think, is one of the major points of the show, and Lee Jung-jae absolutely sells it. What a phenomenal actor. You could genuinely watch this show for him alone.
On Osha/Mae:
When the first info/promos for Acolyte came out and Amandla Stenberg was announced as the main character, I admit I was a bit confused. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that I thought she couldn't act, but it's just that her face is so kind. She looks so warm (and gosh, she's so beautiful), but it made me go hmm, she looks like a Good Guy Protag, a Hero, so I was a bit confused as to how she was going to lead "the Acolyte," which from the title, I assumed she'd be Dark Side. Even with the early promo scenes of Mae fighting Indara, I wasn't really sold on her being "Dark."
And it turns out, that was exactly the point of the casting.
Amandla was perfect, and was brilliant at portraying two characters who not only have different and distinct personalities, but also both shift and change throughout the show. Mae never came off as "Dark" to me, because she isn't. Osha's not necessarily Light OR Dark, but she's independent. They are balanced, yet cycling, reminiscent of that little palm-to-palm circling ritual that the girls do. Amandla's portrayal of them was poetry, and made me so very invested in them.
I think if there's one thing I really wish the show had included more of, it's both Osha and Mae's pasts between their tragic separation and their reunion in the present. What was Osha's Padawan-ship actually like? I feel like the exact reason for the timing of her leaving the Order was ambiguous, and I wanted to know more. And was Mae with "the Master" the entire time?
I truly wish Osha could have heard the full story from Sol, because of his many crimes, ironically, killing her mother really was a genuine accident. There are things I wish he could have apologized to her for, or that she could have understood about him, such as how that night at the coven was largely driven by how Sol felt connected to her. This is one part where, while I get how the writers went this way, I do wish I could have felt more closure to their relationship.
I found it so tragic that Qimir erased Mae's memories and they had to be separated so soon after finally understanding each other. I really hope that if there's a season 2, they can be reunited.
On Qimir:
Preface by saying I was spoiled regarding his identity long before I started, by all those thirsty posts/tweets. And man, I GET IT.
But thirst magnet aside, I found him a genuinely fascinating character. For one thing, he's kind of an ironic character to *be* a Darksider. He seems so chill and laid-back, is honorable (or at least keeps his word), and despite his words about using emotions to harness energy, we don't really see him passionately mad/anything really. In contrast, the Jedi we see around him are furious, scared, sad. It's interesting that he almost seems more calm, but not necessarily because he's trying: he just doesn't care.
Manny Jacinto's portrayal of the character made him so damn Likable. Which, is pretty hard to reconcile with the fact that I genuinely liked Jecki and Yord, but a lot of his lines make me just go, y'know he's got a point. Like the whole, "She was a child," "You brought her here." Like yeah. Honestly, fair. His little quips, the delivery, the I'm-just-a-chill-dude attitude, actually keeps his word, and on the flip side, undeniable ruthless skill and viciousness that took down a whole team of Jedi single-handedly. It's a very BRRRRRR combo.
In general, I don't really get too attached to "Dark Side" characters, and don't really have a favorite Sith. Or at least, I didn't, but I think Qimir (or whatever his actually name is) might claim that spot now. Truly peak character, I truly hope we get to see more with him.
And this is kind of an aside, but can I just say, it felt unreal to have entire fight sequences focussing on just two Asian actors, with the other protagonist we see a black girl, for huge chunks of the show? No white people except comparatively brief side characters? In a Star Wars show?!?? All of them unique and well fleshed out and phenomenally written and acted?? None of it felt like "forced diversity," it's all so natural, that when I step back and thought about it in these terms it just...again, feels unreal. I'm so grateful for these characters, and hope we get more like them.
On Jecki and Yord:
Honestly given what I saw about Yord before hand, I was expecting him to be far more annoying than he was. Sure, he was a little stiff, but he felt like a young Jedi Knight who was trying to prove himself and do his best, and I think he very clearly did care for Osha.
Jecki, gosh I loved her. She felt very similar to Ahsoka, if a bit more by the book. She was very wise for her youth. I loved the budding friendship between her and Osha, how they helped each other and weren't jealous.
The thing about both of these characters, which I think the writers did so well, is that they felt like protagonists. In another story, they would have been the main characters, the heroes. Both of them were so young, so early in their training/careers. They could have become Obi-Wans, Ahsokas. Jecki especially was bursting with so much potential.
But alas, this was not that story. It makes it that much shocking when their lives are cut so abruptly short. We were given time to get to know these characters, to care for them, and then without much fanfare, boom. Gone.
On one hand, I sorta Hate That. On the other, I deeply respect the writers for going there, because I think it did have an Impact on the story and show.
On the Witches/Mother Aniseya:
Admittedly I was a little ehhhhh on some of the world-building regarding the witches, just the use of the words "witch" and "coven" and some of the chanting with gasping cackling women etc felt a bit caricature. I do get that they wanted us to have a vibe for this group and to get one with limited screentime, and sometimes stereotypes are the way to do that. I didn't love it, but also didn't mind it too much.
I actually really loved Mother Aniseya. For one thing, the actress is Gorgeous, her costume stunning, and she really sold the whole otherworldly ethereal immortal goddess vibe well, in a way that still felt Star Wars. For the other, I liked how she was the soft, empathetic one, it kinda contrasted with expectation of her position.
I also loved Mother Koril, and how again, she was designed as a character foil to Mother Aniseya. I love how we didn't see too much of them, but could still see that they were partners who loved and respected each other (I hesitate to say "wives," because I feel like their society may not exactly have the same concept of marriage, but partners was undeniable). I think it was a neat Oh moment when they stated that Mother Koril is the one who carried the twins. Love them.
I know I'll have more thoughts, but yeah, to sum it up, I enjoyed Acolyte a ton more than I thought i would, and am so glad I gave it a chance.
Other things:
-Mentioned earlier that I love "little moments of character interactions bring up things that will be necessary/helpful to the plot later." Some actual examples of this: When we see Sol noticing Osha's tattoo and Osha saying he must hate it, which in the moment, shows the kind of guardian-student relationship they have, and how little seems to have changed for them in the time they've been a part. Later, it's shown to clearly identify Osha after Mae steals her clothes. Another is the rolly polly moth things, which at first seem just like a way to show This Forest Dangerous, but then are a plot point to temporarily escape from Qimir, and later on, to show Vernestra's connection to the Force (and also her light whip). Stuff like that, I really like.
-I so appreciated Qimir's Cortosis helmet. For one thing, it's neat that it's not just cool-looking or a disguise, but actually is Force-blocking. I think an official SW account factoid said that this is also how beskar works, though beskar is stronger. The two effects this has: when the user is wearing it, they're forced to confront what's inside of them. The other, is that it hides the wearer's identity from Force users who would otherwise recognize them. The latter is my personal headcanon for beskar helmets, so it's very gratifying to see it in canon! The former has some interesting implications for Force-users who wear beskar.
-The cynical view of the Jedi Order as an Institution, and all the politics, corruption, and obscuring of dirt that that entails. Admittedly this may be because of my own increasingly cynical perspective on the Order, but it felt honest and I agreed with most of it. The fact that individuals are trying their best to do "good" does not negate the fact that they are pretty much acting as Space Cops. This line by Senator Rayencourt felt especially raw:
"I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to claim the uncontrollable. [] Your emotions."
Framed as a religion having unchecked power—that feels uncomfortably realistic! And also zeroing in on how for all their power, the Jedi are still people, and just as fallible (and therefore, must necessarily be held just as accountable).
Also:
I can see how this portrayal of the Jedi may make some folks uncomfortable, especially if you love the Jedi, but I long hold that the Jedi as an organization are deeply flawed. It's part of why I personally like the "fall of the Republic" era; both the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order have deep, fatal flaws, and this is an era where that all comes to a head—one where they must fall, or fix themselves.
So in conclusion, my favorite parts: the characters, and the moral grayness of almost everyone. Many stories may claim there's no good/evil dichotomy, but few ever truly show it, but this one did.
I'm not sure yet if I want to "fandom" over this or if I'm pretty satisfied with having just watched it, but it was definitely worth the watch and I'm glad I gave it a try!
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I also kept a lil document of live reaction notes as I was watching, which I'll copy below:
Episode 1
UEDA?? The planet is just, UEDA?? A pretty common Japanese surname?? That's like. Naming a planet Johnson or somethin...
Loving the costumes 'n set
Oh wait I recognize this scene, it's the one they played as a preview at the AMC Star Wars marathon
Idk how to feel about the Space Generic T-Shirt
Ooh Neimoidians (thank you for no horrendously exaggerated Evil Japanese Accent TM), and interesting Jedi ship shape
Oh interesting interesting they intentionally paralleling TPM eh
Hrmn not a positive first impression of Master Vernestra, her lines are so mechanical
Very cool pilot chair droids and tentacle alien
Osha says practice vehicle safety and wear seatbelts and protect your head!
Oh Osha has Trauma I see. Girl ain't getting good sleep
Oh wow Sol Loves Osha, oh no is this going to lead to Padawan Jealousy Trauma between Osha and Jecki. How much are we heavily paralleling TPM here
Kill the dream eh?
Episode 2
Oh there are multiple Jedi temples, that's nice
Jedi Temple using same security system as Jabba is...uh
Mae tips, good for her
Master Torbin just sittin' there, lookin like some random youtuber. why tabi socks
Man I dig Mae's patchwork cloak with massive princess hood.
It's pronounced KAI-meer??? My Chinese ass thought it was Chee-mir
Barash Vow
Ohhh so Mae doesn't know that Qimir...? (was spoiled)
Episode 3
ooh i like the fairy clione things
Ohhh village all women??
Mother Aniseya is stunning
Oh she and Koril blatantly lesbian, fantastic
Oh gosh the Jedi are NOT looking good here. They don't have the right to train children?? WTF
You must let the children take the test?? And if they pass the Jedi will take them away??? That does NOT sound very consensual!!
Oh gosh, selling "you are special" to a child, after separating her from her community...
Really feel like "how does taking a child away affect their community" should be factored into jedi stuff
Mae that is...sudden and violent wtf
Kinda not trusting Sol here
Episode 4
Wow Kelnacca looks...mentally stable
Ohhh Qimir's ship? Looks suspiciously Kylo Ren-ish
Qimir really suspicious eh
Oh wow not using the Force or anything, just using a sniffy guy
They're really doing a Fellowship of the Ring walk huh
Look I absolutely adore Mae's long gorgeous cloak but that is going to drag half the forest floor with her
Not liking those tree bulbs. looks spider eggy
Osha don't Touch the Thing, that's such a Pippin move
oh no, not spider eggs...rolly polly moth vampire thing
Really enjoying Osha and Jecki's friendship, I'm so glad it's not former Padawan jealousy
Oh, Mae, oh no....knowing spoilers...oh...
The red lightsaber igniting next to Osha's head...dang what fantastic composition
The lil hand twitch and head snap. I Get It.
I remember when "Darth Teeth" was trending
And wow that's a Cliffhanger
Episode 5
Oh no Osha knocked out that doesn't bode well
How many against one is that damn
The double spear through then hidden head lop...wow
holy shit booma-saber
Oooooh the cut treeeeees damn
all that death before even the opening title
Honestly GO JECKI, that's very impressive, her win against Mae AND double saber against Darth Teeth, Anakin level spinning and drama
Holy shit Jecki's death was brutal...
She was a child - You brought her here - FAIR
Why risk discovery - I did wear a mask LMAO
Damn did he just casually break Mae's leg
I don't make the rules - the Jedi do
The Jedi say I can't exist...wow
Holy shit Yord's death
Damn full on brawl
I've accepted my darkness, what have you done with yours
Damn really yeeted Qimir from the fight by sticking a light on his back
Pip tho ;_; killin droids feels like killin pets...
They've turned you against me - really Anakin quotin
Wow Sol, not even going to see Jecki????
And wtf how can Sol not tell that Mae's switched them??? Has fandom been grossly misunderstanding how the Jedi use the Force....how the fuck can any Jedi tell apart any clones eh...
While not exactly subtle, I appreciate how lil details in character interactions have had pay offs. Like the tree bugs and Osha's tattoo being a way to identify her
Episode 6
He really just makin a hot pot
his lair kinda looks like sequels Luke's island
Not sure how I feel about the elephant rock bird things
Honestly glad we get to see Sol upset and affected by everyone's deaths. Might explain part of why he can't tell apart the twins?
Oh he's really wearing hakama hakama
Wow Qimir really just getting in buck naked eh. Is this the scene that Manny froze his balls off for
His line about it being fine in a fight but vengeance a few hours later
Oh he brought a change of clothes
Damn the Jedi are taught "it fades"???
Aww Osha, u aren't tempted by the soup??
Oh wow we revisiting bodies, that feels...u usual for SW. Oh there's a Kel Dor... (why are there no flies buzzing yet. or are there no flies yet)
Mae wakes up so peacefully compared to Osha
Oooh sensory deprivation mask, all dark, nothing but breathing, evocative of Darth Vader even if breathing is not similar
Episode 7
Vergence....iiiiinteresting
Sol, stalking lil kids is creepy af
Oh my god you're just gonna break in???
See - You cannot deny the Jedi have a right to test potential Padawans - Why the fuck not???? You don't have the right to stalk, spy on, break into random people's homes, and talk directly to their children without permission from guardians??
Guh Sol....
Interrogation after isolation from guardians....
Oh, the Jedi Council is right for once??
Do not alter this little girl's destiny because you have formed an emotional attachment to her
Gosh I thought Indara was the most innocent in this buuuuut
Episode 8
I'm surprised they never added Darth Teeth's mask to the front credits
"See you in hell" Oh I know Han mentioned Hell like once but I thought they were avoiding mentioning it in newer media
Holy shit Rayencourt: I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to claim the uncontrollable. - Kinda uncomfortably real!!
-We don't control the Force - no, your emotions - OOF
I didn't realize till this ep how the cool Brendok eclipse got that line, it's the comet ring. super neat
oof Mae climbing out of the scene of Trauma...
Oh that is some Wu Xia shit
"I will destroy you if i must" really??
Nice dagger saber
Okay Sol that is Cool
oh gosh, the plot-relevant inversion of clothes resulting in it reflecting how they swapped light/dark is SO cool
very yin yang fighting
Damn it keeps coming down to the unarmed opponent thing
Damn, Mae going the justice route
Damn, just Damn
Gosh the thing about Sol is that he is SO well acted, so sincere in his love and devotion, it's hard to hate him
I'm glad the helmets block the Force identity like that tho, fits headcanon
Glad Basil continues to shine
Oh no. Vernestra...I thought you were doing the right thing revealing the truth, but instead you're continuing the cycle of covering up crimes
Oh...use Mae to find Vernestra's former Padawan...that's a cycle alright
And ends with Yoda okay
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It’ll Be Our Little Secret (Hiccup x Reader) (Smut)
Author's Note: Hey! Hope you're ready to read a very steamy AND long 'Hiccup x Reader' fanfic. This was originally posted on Wattpad, but it kind of flopped. So I thought I would shoot my shot over here instead (since, from my understanding, people go a little crazier for smuts over here). Also, English isn't my first language so please excuse me if it isn't grammatically correct, or a sentence isn't built up right.
Short Summary: You have a crush on Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Chief of Berk. You can’t think straight. None of the other guys on your island can compare. The only issue is you’re the daughter of (y/f/n), Chief of (y/i/n). Berk’s enemy island. Though your crush on Hiccup only can play out in your fantasy, a knock at your door would change that?
⚠️Warning!⚠️: This story contains swearing and rough sexual acts. Not suitable for a younger audience!
(y/i/n) = your island´s name
Words: 3336
(I don't own any of the GIFs)
Your pov:
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third. Not really a popular name around here. Even though you didn't have anything against him personally, your islands wasn't really on good terms. This all started long before you were even born, so you didn't really know the exact reason as to why you hated each other so much. But you were taught that "anything from the island of Berk is equal to horse shit", and so your opinion remained... sort of.
After Stoick's death Hiccup inherited the title, which made him more of a foe in your eyes. Compared to him "just" being the Chief's son. Still you couldn't help but find him... attractive. Hey! You're a 18 year old girl. Boys starts to look quite appealing at this age. And after all he's kind of the only guy, around your age, you've meet frequently (thanks to your islands fighting each other on a regular basses). When you compared him to the other guys on your island, they're not even close. He's just perfect. Well, everything but his title. You know your "relationship" can only remain in your imagination. It's not really optimal to ask for your father's blessing to marry, the now, Chief of the island we abominate.
-
As you lay in bed, facing the wall, you hear the door open. By having such old doors the squeaking gives away any unwanted surprise visits. You began to wonder who it could be. You've already said your 'goodnights' to your parents before preparing for bed. After a lot of whining, your parents finally let you move in to your own hut. Their only 'but' was to have your hut being surrounded by guards 24/7. They didn't want to take any risks with everything that was happening at this island. But you didn't mind. You actually liked when they informed you who was approaching, even if it was your mother. It felt like you could have the privacy you wanted by moving out. That's why it's even more strange that non of the guards had told you about the guest that was now on their way inside your house.
You turned around and jumped as you saw who decided to give you a visit. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. What is he doing here? Isn't this the foremost guy they're suppose to make sure isn't strolling around the village? "I need to have a little talk to them about this" you thought as you rolled your eyes. But they quickly went back to the unwelcomed guest. "Uh, may I ask why you're in my hut?" you asked, rather confused as to why he hasn't tried to kill you yet. Hiccup dropped all his potential weapons on the ground before approaching you. Even the tiny dagger on one of his bracers was now laying a few meters from your bed. You watched him rather doubtful, wondering 'what the fuck is he doing?'. "I'm not here to hurt you" he said calmly before standing in front of your bed, "No weapons on me, so I hope you haven't got any either". Should I make a run for it? My parents´s hut is just a few meters away. If he catch up with me I've at least tried. Before you could make up your mind if you should take a chance or not he started petting the empty space beside you on the bed, not really trusting you no matter what your answer would be.
He soon went over to you, sticking his hands underneath the blanket and petting you from the thighs up to your neck, making sure you wasn't hiding any knifes underneath your clothes. "No weapons... and no panties either" you slapped him across the face. "What the hell are you doi-" you yelled out, but got cut off as Hiccup slam his hand over your mouth "Shh! Don't yell, someone could hear you!". You gave him the look that said 'duh, that's the point' and he let's go of your mouth. He continued "I want to make sure you aren't armed either. I just want to.... talk". You looked at him rather confused "What could you possibly want to talk to me about? How it is to be an only child of a Chief?" you joked, which allowed Hiccup to chuckle. "Maybe I phrased that wrong, but you'll see what I came here to do" he said while giving you a smirk. I swear to the gods, he's flirting with me.
"Let me just remove this to make sure you aren't hidding something first" Hiccup started to pull up your nightgown. He got to about your waist before you grabbed his hands, making him stop. The thought of him seeing you so bare, even if not in a sexual context, made you anxious. You looked inside his emerald green eyes, as if to find something that would tell you what to do. You've never been this close to him before, so this was your opportunity to scan his face for the first time. He had a few freckles, a scar on his chin, and what seem to be the early stage of a beard-growth. Without even thinking you placed your hand against his cheek, caressing it as Hiccup leaned in. As soon as you noticed you quickly snatched back your hand. Hiccup tugged at your dress again, as if to ask if it's okay. You raised your arms, making the progress of removing your nightgown a lot easier for him. Something about his face had made you calmer. Your nipples harden, reacting to the low temperature as he toss the piece of clothing at the floor. He looked at them in admiration but also noticed the necklace your father gave you, showing which island you belong to. "Can I touch them?" Hiccup asks as he push your hair back, allowing him to get a better view of your bare chest. "Only if I can remove these first" you answer, referring to his bracers. He nodded, thinking it's a fare trade. Hiccup watched your concentrated face as you loosen it up, eventually sliding it off. He tugged a strand of hair behind your ear with his, now bare hand as you worked on the other one.
You caress your hands over his body, admiring the armor that always seemed to turned you on so much. You would lie if you said you haven't thought of how it would feel grinding your naked body against it. Feel the leather and metal against your wet folds. The thought would help you when you were alone in bed, having some 'me'-time. Even though you wish he could keep it on, you helped Hiccup remove the upper part of his armor, leaving him shirtless. "Now we're even" you teased. He looked at you, grinning. Hiccup grabbed your breasts which made you gasp just by the touch. As he began to massage them you let out a few proper moans. "Are you a virgin?", you looked up at him, thinking "how rude" wondering why on earth he needed to know that. "You react quite intense at just the small amount of pleasure I'm giving you now. Virgins usually reacts quite hard at any sort of sexual stimulation, so that's why I asked". He seemed to notice your concerned face since he quickly filled in with "-but that's not bad" the panic was vibrant in his voice "It's actually very excitative". You nodded, answering his previous question. Hiccup flickered his tongue at both of your nipples, earning more moans from you. He went down your stomach, leaving sloppy kisses on his way there, keeping his eyes locked with yours. As he looked at you, seductively, you couldn't help but feel like this is wrong. This could ruin your family's name for generations if it would ever come out. Should I stop? Hiccup would stop if you asked him to, but the question is 'do I want it to stop?' After all, this is what you've been dreaming of. The senators you've made up in your head in order to get yourself off is actually happening. No way you're going to ruin this shot. Hiccup went up to your face again, this time only a few centimeters gap. You let out a shaky breath, starting to sweat just by the looks he gave you. Yep, this is really happening.
"Got any hidden weapons in here?" Hiccup asked, pulling at your underwear. You shrugged, acting stupid, really intrigued to see what he would do. "Well, I better inspect it" he teased before shoving his hand down your underwear. You gasped, feeling his slender fingers being so close to your core. He laughed as he felt the wetness you've already developed. "You really get turned on by this" he teased before removing your panties and threw them across the room. As your legs went down you squeezed your thighs together, feeling a bit self conscious again. Hiccup noticed "No, open up for me, princess. No need to act all shy now" he parted your legs, keeping some weight on your thighs to prevent you from pressing them together again. You, realizing this instead took your hands and covered the most private part. But Hiccup didn't let that get unnoticed, "Ah-ah" he said in a warning tone as he slapped your hand away. When he finally got to see all of you, he took a step back just to admire it. "You're so beautiful (y/n). I swear your a gift from the gods". You smiled at his generous words, trying your best not to blush too hard.
He massaged your thighs while moving his hands closer to your throbbing pussy. "You're basically dripping. I never knew you had a thing for me" he joked while looking down, between your legs. "You have no idea" you admitted. He looked up at you, not expecting that answer, "Well, then I'm not the only one who'll enjoy this". Hiccup dragged two fingers along your entrance, scooping up some of your wetness and brought it to his mouth. He licked his fingers clean, having full on eye contact with you as he does. Hiccup raised up from the bed, pulling down his trousers. Your eyes widen as you looked at his hard cock slapping against his stomach. Getting a bit worried about the penetration-bit. He seem to notice and went right in front of your bed, picking you up so you were on your knees by the edge of your bed. Knowing you're a virgin, Hiccup thought you might get less nervous if you get to feel him first. He grabbed you by the wrists, and dragged your hands over his body, starting by the shoulders going down to his chest. He moved your hands down past his bellybutton. When you began to feel his pubs you quickly went down to his thighs instead, not feeling ready to touch him there, just yet. Hiccup's breathing quicken as you worked your hands over his thighs, which intrigued you to go closer and closer to his area. You really wanted to hear him moan. Oh, how many times you've tried to imagine what sounds he makes. You saw his cock twitch as you came closer. He threw his head back, let out an extracted moan as you took him in your hand and began to jerk him off. He traced your other hand to his chest again. You continued till you reached his hair, tugging at his braids. You watched as he hummed at the new sensation while tighten his grip around your wrist. You pumped him harder, milking him on his moans. "T-that's... enough" Hiccup said, breathing heavily.
He pushed you down on the bed as he crawled up your body. He smirked, "Don't worry, I'll fill you up in a second" he said as he positioned himself at your entrance. You whined as he pushed his cock inside you slowly, while holding the back of your head. "You're doing so good, princess. You're being such a good girl" Hiccup said, not being able to hide his moans as your tightness surround his cock. You balled the sheets in your fists as he continued to push till he's fully in. He stayed in that position for a bit, both for you to adjust to his size, but also due to him not cumming straight away. After some reassuring Hiccup began to slide in and out of you, keeping the pace rather slow, not wanting to hurt you. "It doesn't get better" you said through clinged teeth. You've heard the first time would be quite painful, but not for this long. "Hold on, it'll be better soon, I promise" Hiccup reassured you while keeping the low pace. He caressed your cheek while kissing your neck, hoping it would help you to get used to it if you got something else to focus on. It helped. As soon you asked Hiccup to go a bit faster the pace soon increased.
Hiccup rested one of your legs on his shoulder, giving him better excess. He rammed into your body with such speed. You cried out Hiccup's name as he groaned while listening to you saying his name like that. You turned your head to the side, almost embarrassed to look at Hiccup. You didn't know why, but you felt as if you weren't allowed to look at him. He noticed and grabbed you by the chin, turning your head straight "Look at me while you let the enemy fuck your tight, virgin pussy!" he spat. You tightened around him at his words. "Huh? You like it when I fuck you like this? Knowing that Berk's Chief's cock is inside you. And know that with ever thrust, you abandon your people more *thrust* and more". You whined out in pleasure as he spoke to you. He smiled when he saw what effect his words had on you, "You like it, don't you?" you nodded intensely. He bent forward, grabbing you by the neck as he whispered in your ear "You've never let anyone get to feel you like this. But I didn't even have to ask before you spread your legs for me, like the little whore you are. What would the people of (y/i/n) say if they saw you now? Whimper as you let me take advantage of you. I don't think your father would be proud to..." Hiccup traced his fingertip over the charm of your necklace "...see you act like such a whore for me". "Tell me you're mine" he demanded. You were a breathing mess, really affected by Hiccup's dialogue. "I-I'm y-" you couldn't even finish the sentence before a moan interrupted you. "Say it!" he bayed, tighten his grip around your neck. "I-I'm yours, Hiccup. I'm your dirty little whore" you pled out. Hiccup smirked "Good girl. Finally one of (y/i/n)'s people can follow an order".
He pulled out, which made you look down. His cock was coated with your cum and a hint of blood. "Turn around" he demand, you raised up slowly as your whole body felt like jello. As you turned around Hiccup slammed your head against the mattress while your ass was high up. He traced his hand up your back to your waist, sending shivers down your spine. He took a firm grip on your fat before shoving his cock back into your pussy, making you screamed. Luckily the pillow muffed most of your sounds. "Oh, (y/n). You can't imagine how long I've been wanting to do this" Hiccup whines out while pounding into you. Your heart skipped a beat at his confession. He'd thought about you too? He continues to fuck you, keeping the same pace the whole time before slowing down, allowing you both to catch your breath. "Let's keep that other hole busy, too" Hiccup said while bending down towards his pants, picking up something. You tried to see what it was, but with no success. "With what?" your curiosity took over as Hiccup spat down your ass in lack of lube. "The back of my inferno. Let's see how much you can take" he said before pushing it slowly in your asshole. You winced at the cold metal entering you. You had to bite the side of your pillow in order to not scream while your untouched hole slowly got stretched out. "H-hiccup I... I can't take..." you plead out, feeling so filled up while still having Hiccup's cock in you, too. "Aw, sure you can" he pushed in the rest till you felt the cold metal of the dragon head around your opening. "See! You could fit the whole thing" Hiccup said proudly, petting your back while still slightly pushing the dragon head so the handle wouldn't slip out.
You tried to catch your breath. The feeling of both your holes being penetrated at the same time felt amazing. But when Hiccup picked up the same speed as before you could barely take it. You were moaning so loud you were surprised non of the guards came in to check what's going on. The pleasure mixed with Hiccup moaning your name made you so wet you could feel it dripping down your thigh. Every time Hiccup would slam his hips against you, you would be reminded of the handle as it was being push back in you. You continued your highly verbal way of showing how much pleasure you're feeling. Until Hiccup grabbed you by the neck, pressing your back against his chest and cover your mouth "I really appreciate your little orchestra, princess. But we can't risk anyone finding us, right?". You nod your head, while Hiccup keep his hand on your mouth. Even tough you've changed position the speed remind the same. You got to give it to him for keeping up the pace for so long. Hiccup's other hand went down to rubbing your clit, but you quickly slapped it away. "Overstimulated" you mumbled against Hiccup's hand, but he seemed to have heard it since the feedback of his work left a smirk on his face. He grabbed your necklace and swirled it around his fist. You felt the charm against your neck as Hiccup firmly chocked you.
He buried his face against the side of your head, his mouth lining up perfectly to your ear allowing you to hear every little sound Hiccup made. You felt your orgasm around the corner as your legs began to shake even more. "Hiccup-" "Shh, shh, I know. I'm close too". He made sure to thrust hard into you as your orgasm approach. You scream in Hiccup's hand as you came. He moaned higher, getting even closer to his own release while seeing you in this state. Your body was twitching in Hiccup's arms as he held you while still fucking you. He then threw you on your back as he hovered over you and jerked himself to his climax. He came on you, covering your stomach with his warm cum as he screamed out your name as loud as he could without the guards noticing it. He let himself fall beside you, as you both tried to catch your breath. He turned you on your side so your back was facing him, bending your leg up a bit as he pulled out the inferno sword. You moaned one last time as it exited you. Hiccup dropped it on the floor before he went back to you, making you face him again. He pulled his face closer to yours before saying "It'll be our little secret". Then he went up, pull one of the blankets around him, collecting all his things, and leaves.
You lay there in your bed with Hiccup's cum still on your stomach, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.
#hiccup x reader smut#hiccup x reader#hiccup haddock#hiccup horrendous haddock lll#httyd 2#httyd#hiccup#hiccup x reader imagines
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Sweet Whispers (Charles Leclerc x Reader)
(Credits to GIF owner)
A/N: Hey guys! This was supposed to be shared on Sunday but life got into my way. But it's here! I've been looking for some inspiration and comfort honestly then this happened, hope you enjoy! Marvel story will be a little bit late for this week. As a reminder English is not my first language and grammar mistakes are my own.
WC: 2.5k+
Warnings: Mention of an accident (Not Charles or you), pet names, Google translated French, pure fluff, idiots are in love. Let me know if I missed any. Not proofread!
When you met Charles, you both still had diapers. Your families were so close. When you were 7, your family was involved in a terrible car crash. You somehow survived without even a scratch, waiting for your family on the doorstep of the hospital. They never survived so you just looked at the door crying. Herve and Pascale obviously couldn't leave you there, so they took you in as their own daughter.
Charles wasn't an ordinary child. He had gifts from the god. The way he drove those cars didn't go unnoticed. You on the other hand had amazing drawing skills. Herve was aware of your talent, so he took you to Charles' races all the time. While you were drawing Charles from your perspective in the audience seat, you supported him. Charles loved your drawings and even cried a little when you gifted him the picture you drew while little Charles was lifting his first trophy on his first F1 debut.
Everybody except you and Charles knew you had something different between you. A different chemistry. It wasn't something like between you and Arthur and Lorenzo. You had a sibling bond with them. But with Charles it was different. You both claimed it wasn't different than that but it was obvious. Your love was a different kind of love. Although they decided to wait until you realized yourselves.
When he started changing countries to race, he offered you to stay in his house, so you didn't have to pay rent and could focus on your art. He secretly loved having you around. He loved your smell that permeated in his house.
-
"Mon ange, I'm home," he called from the door. He heard your hurried footsteps coming from upstairs and smiled, closing the door.
"Welcome back, mon cher," you rushed into his arms to hug. It was definitely your safe place in this cruel world.
"You cuddle so tight, missed me already?" he teased. You nodded without even answering. He smiled and kissed your hair before he let you go.
"I've made pasta, just for you," you went to the kitchen and he followed you. "Are you hungry?" you asked. He nodded, his green eyes glowed when he saw you've made his favorite pasta. You took two plates, filled them and put them on the counter. "Bon appétit, ma chérie."
You two ate your meal, the conversation between you two never cooled off. He even offered to do the dishes after the dinner and didn't take no as an answer.
"Alright, mon miel, I'm going to rest today, but we can plan something for tomorrow if you want," he said, giving you a small kiss on the cheek.
Every time he kissed you, you felt butterflies on your stomach. It wasn't a lie that Charles was extremely hot but you always kept your feelings to yourself. You didn't want to ruin the friendship with him. You didn't know he felt the same with you but he never had courage to accept, although deep down his heart knew what it felt. His main focus was Formula 1. He didn't want to drug you into his busy world. You deserved more than that. You deserved someone who would make you his top priority, give you all of the time he has in this world. He couldn't give you that. So he stayed quiet. He watched your happiness with other guys. It always ended with your heart being broken. He was always there for you to fix your broken heart. It wasn't always physically but one phone call from him would always light up your world.
"Would you like to go shopping tomorrow?" you asked. You knew he would never say no to that, but you tried your luck. For some reason he immediately accepted. You clapped your hands and he chuckled while excusing himself to the bed.
-
You kept turning on the bed, your mind racing with thoughts, making you unable to fall asleep. "Maybe I can sleep if I change where I lay," you thought and took your blanket to sleep on the couch in the living room. You scrolled through Instagram, watched some videos until it drifted you off to sleep.
You suddenly stirred awake. You tried to understand what happened and what was the time. You came to your senses when you heard sniffles coming from the balcony. You didn't expect to see Charles crying in the middle of the night.
"Charles?", you whispered with a soft voice. "Everything okay?". You didn't touch him until he reached for your arms. He hugged you tight to find some comfort. His breath was unstable, still crying softly. It broke your heart to see him like that. You ran your hands through his hair, leaving small kisses and whispering sweet words. When he finally calmed down, he couldn't stop himself but left a small kiss on your neck, as a thank you. You bit your tongue to hold your moan.
"I saw a nightmare," he said, looking at you with red puffy eyes. You wiped the tear from his cheek with your finger softly. He learned into your touch and closed his eyes, desperately needing everything he could get from you.
"Would you like to tell me what you saw?" you answered, he shook his head. You caressed his cheek, giving him a small smile as if to express that you are here for him.
"You should try to fall back to sleep, mon cher, you must be so tired," you knew he wouldn't just fall back asleep after a nightmare, you didn't actually want him to just go but you also wanted for him the best. You covered your sadness with a soft smile.
"Can you lay down with me? Please Y/N, I need it. I need your comfort," he begged you. You felt like your heart broke into millions of pieces. "Of course, Charlie, you don't have to ask me twice," he sighed in relief. You held his hand and headed towards his bedroom. The smell of his cologne filled your nose. He laid down to his bed and patted his side. You laid next to him and opened your arms for him. He gladly returned your gesture, using your chest as his pillow.
"So soft," he murmured. "How did you hear me?" he asked. You played with his hair, "I was sleeping on the couch," you answered. He raised your head to look at your face to see if you were being serious. "Really? Why, is it because your bed is not comfortable? I can change-" you interrupted him. "No, not that. It's comfortable, it's just I couldn't fall asleep whatever I tried," you explained.
He put his head back to your chest, feeling a little better again. "So we both had a bad night, huh?" He started drawing circles on your belly. "I thought it would be easier to sleep, now that I have you right now," he confessed. He kinda regretted his words but they just slipped out of his mouth. "What do you mean?", you asked. He sighed, he knew you would ask, "I wasn't able to sleep last few days," he answered. "Please don't ask me what I have been seeing in my nightmares," he added, hopefully you wouldn't scratch any more.
Instead you hugged him tighter. He released some tension on your touch, "Close your eyes, mon miel," you whispered. "Stay until I fall asleep?" he asked. You kissed his hair as an answer. At this very moment, you knew Charles was the one for you. Your heart skipped a beat, thinking how you screwed up. These thoughts made you fall asleep. Even before Charles. He was about to say something to you but he stopped himself when he heard your light snores. He smiled to himself and let himself sleep in your arms.
Charles woke up to a stirring under him. He looked up and saw you murmuring something in your dream. He tried to catch your words but it was unrecognizable. "What a fucked up night," he thought to himself. He leaned up to kiss your cheek. He placed a few small kisses on your cheek, chin and neck, hoping it would wake you up and come back to him. "Mon amor, wake up, you're dreaming," he whispered, trying to wake you up. You woke up with a gasp but Charles caressed your cheek to calm you down. "It's okay, it's me, your Charles," he said, trying to soothe you. His hand was everywhere on your head. Playing with your hair first, then caressing your cheek, placing small kisses to anything to get you come to your senses.
You placed your hand to his cheek and looked at him in the eyes to let him know you were better now. "Are you okay?", he said softly. You nodded and looked around you. "What time is it?", he looked at you in disbelief and chuckled. "I took you out of a terrible nightmare and you wonder what time it is?" he tsked. "Oh wow, it's already 7:50," he answered and looked back at you. He was amazed by your beauty, puffy eyes, fluffy hair and a slight hint of red on your cheek, making him kiss and claim you.
You suddenly get up, tried to rush out of his bed, "I'm sorry, Charles, I didn't mean to fall asleep on your bed, I was going to leave when you slept but-" he jumped on his feet making you shush, "Mon ange, don't be ridiculous, you are always welcome here with me. Plus I slept like a baby with you, can't say the same thing about you though," he teased you.
He cupped your cheek and made you look at him, "What's going on in this pretty head of yours, bébé?" You sighed, tried to look away from his gaze but every time you tried he forced you to look at him, "Just a silly dream, Charlie," you huffed.
He tilted his head, trying to get the words out of your mouth but no matter how hard he tried you didn't give up. "I'll go for a run then I'll pick you up for breakfast, alright?" you nodded and you went to your room for your morning routine.
-
You couldn't help but think about the dream during breakfast. But after care was even worse. The way he touched you made you crave for more. "You are not listening, mon amor," Charles called out to get your attention back. "Is it about the nightmare?" you sighed, of course he wouldn't let it go. "It was a dream actually," you said. He frowned, "Huh, it felt like you were having a nightmare, so what was it about?"
You took a deep breath. You wanted to tell him how he held your waist in your dream, how he trapped you between his body and the wall, how he kissed you. You felt your cheeks heathen up. "I don't want to talk about it," you brushed him off.
He saw the way you blushed whenever he reminded you of the dream. He thought maybe you felt the same thing. You responded to his touch, didn't you? You always called him with pet names, you didn't do that to Arthur or Lorenzo. He knew you always had a different relationship with him, but could it be because you liked him, more than friends?
"We should go out tonight," he offered. You looked at him confused. "I know we agreed on shopping but we both had a bad night, it will be good for us. We'll relieve some stress. No race this weekend, I'm allowed to get drunk for one night," he continued.
You weren't sure about it. It was obvious you needed that, first he had a bad race, second you missed going out with him. You accepted his offer but mentally noted not to get drunk so you wouldn't spill your darkest secret.
-
The club was more crowded than you expect it to be. You felt Charles' hand on your waist, holding you close to him. He didn't want you to slip from his hands to someone else. You looked beautiful and he knew French men. They would try to flirt with you, take you home. He couldn't let it happen, not again, not anymore.
After a few rounds of shots, you both sure were tipsy. He pulled you onto the dance floor, his hands were all over your body except the inappropriate parts. "You look beautiful," he whispered into your ear. You snorted, "And you are drunk." He looked so offended, first he wasn't drunk, second he really thought you looked beautiful as always. Then he thought it was the first time he said this to you in a flirty manner. "Maybe it's the alcohol that encourages me," he thought.
"I mean it, you look hot as fuck, every single guy in the club is right now jealous of me," he said. Yeah, maybe he was a little bit drunk to be tipsy. You blushed, lowered your head so he wouldn't see. He put his fingers on your chin and made you look at him. "Don't ever look away from me again when you blush. I want to see that pretty face of yours when I flirt with you," he said, a possessiveness in his voice. This was the side you've never seen on Charles. He was usually a cute and sweet best friend of yours. Sometimes he flirted with you, but you thought he did that to everyone.
"You don't know what you are saying Charles," you said, sounding a little disappointed. You wanted to hear these for so long but he never did it while he was sober. "Look, I know I sound drunk, but I really am not. Last night made me realize things that I knew were there but never accepted. I didn't want to accept because I didn't want to get rejected. But damn, Y/N, you have no idea how much I've been wanting to kiss you and make you mine," he confessed. Suddenly he felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders. "You don't have to answer or say it back. I just don't want to pretend like your best friend. Don't get me wrong, I love being your best friend, but I also love you in a different way," he continued.
Then he knew. The look on your face gave everything away. Charles knew every single thing about you. Every emotion, every gesture and every look. This look on your face was the exact thing he wanted to see. The relief, the happiness you could see on a child when you give them something they want. But most importantly, he saw the same kind of love he wanted to see.
"Can I kiss you, mon amor?" he asked. You nodded, a smile appeared on your face before he captured your lips and claimed you in front of everyone. When you separated both of you had the biggest smiles you ever had. "I always wanted you to do that," you said and laughed. "Well, maybe spending time after a bad nightmare wasn't so bad," he laughed.
A/N: Likes and reblogs are appreciated! Requests are open for both F1 and Marvel!!
#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc fluff#charles leclerc x you#charles leclerc imagine#charles leclerc comfort#charles leclerc
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Telephones and Their Possible Connection with the Audience
So some time ago l was scrolling through @/partycoffin’s blog as one does when you fall into the fandom hole of welcome home, and I wanted to do a little speculation post about telephones and this picture:
Or more specifically, Eddie's and Howdy's ones, and their different rotary dialers.
[Supposed tiny post turned into long theory ramble below cut!]
(I have checked that this was made on 4 December, 2022, so I think this could be speculated on!)
As we can see, not only are the phone types different (with theirs presumably being portable), the numbers used for dialing are replaced with colours instead. Now, a simple explanation could be made that the colours simply replace the numbers, but that's not the case:
(I know they're not buttons, but let's just use that as a placeholder name for now-)
Neither of them seems to match with the 10 buttons needed for a a normal rotary dial, so the only explanation I could think of is that each colour corresponds with a neighbor.
@softestvine made a post about this before, and if you take a look at the guestbook signatures, the missing purple button on Eddie's phone makes sense since purple should represent him, and therefore his phone number in a sense.
The real question is why would Howdy have his own phone number. Maybe an extra set of hands means he owns two phones? Or maybe it's normal to have your own contacts to ring yourself up, and Eddie is actually the odd one out? For that I'm not sure.
Continuing on, there's also the curious addition of a black button, which doesn't seem to connect to any neighbor at all. My first thought was that it could be related to Home, but considering that it communicates through onomatopoeia that even Wally couldn't understand sometimes, I feel like it's doubtful that it's meant to be for Home. (though I'm not saying that it's impossible, just unlikely for now).
Which leads to the second theory: it's to represent us, the audience, the viewers of the show. My speculation is that there was a segment on the show that would involve the characters calling or receiving a phone call from a fan of the show, similar to how irl children shows that includes audience participation will show off fanworks in their episodes. (the closest example I could think of is Blue's Clues right now since my sister used to watch that).
Admittedly this feels like a stretch, but phones seem to be important to the show in some manner. In some old posts, we have audio of what prank calls to some of the characters are like, and although they're definitely not relevant to the work now, it's interesting to note that the concept of a way to communicate with the puppets exists.
Another thing is that on one of the secret pages of the website, you're sent to this page:
An error page that shows altered text and a phone gif instead of the one with Home. Perhaps I am looking too much into this, but compared to the other hidden links, why would this one take us to an error page first, albeit a different one?
Some people have pointed it out here that if you inspect the phone gif, it says "It's for you". When you click on it, you're taken to a page called 'duet' where Wally is singing to Home.
Don't you think it's coincidental that the only page with an audio file was only found through a phone? And why is the page called 'duet' when Home only responds after Wally finished his song? That's because the duet isn't sung by Wally and Home, it's supposed to be sung by Wally and you. By clicking on the phone, you're answering Wally's call, hence the "It's for you" file name.
My conclusion is that the phones were used to talk to the audience back when the show is running, and now Wally is using them to try to reach out to us.
#welcome home#welcome home theory#wally darling#welcome home wally#eddie dear#howdy pillar#welcome home eddie#welcome home howdy#telephone theory#I actually have more thoughts on this#but I'll leave that for another post#wh theory post
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you're losing me (two) | am. targaryen and j. velaryon
Description: The 'fake-relationship' begins. Social media is taken by storm. Rating: General Audiences part one
Aemond was a gentleman - he always made sure that he was paying you his full attention. "Do you want to go shopping?" he asked, pointing at the shop in front of him. It was a small boutique - popular only to those that could afford the pieces inside. "Yes," you smiled, pulling him closer inside the building.
He didn't need to tell you twice.
"What are your parents like? Are they uptight or cool?" you inquired, dismissing the sales associate that wanted to help you. He took a deep breath - trying to find words that could explain his parents. "My dad is old, he's traditional in a sense - but my mom is trendy. She'll warm up to you." he smiled, watching as your eyebrows bumped into each other. Traditional and modest attire it is then.
There was a vintage white dress on the rack, you've seen it in one of the vogue covers from a few decades ago. It was an iconic piece, but not famous enough that it would seem tacky. His hands snake around your waist, "What?" you ask and he nudges your body slowly, pointing at the paparazzi that were standing outside of the door.
"Kiss me," he demanded, pulling your body closer - until you could smell his perfume. "You're demanding, you know that?" you tease, reaching to cup his cheeks. The paparazzi's outside of the window were having a seizure - making sure to take a picture of every moment. "- but you like that." he paused, pressing your lips together.
He tasted like black coffee and cherries. It was intoxicating - a taste that was new to your tongue. You couldn't help but let a moan seep through - he smirks through the kiss before letting you go. He pretends to be shocked that the paparazzi were outside. "Let's go," he mouthed, pulling you into a deeper part of the store where the 'media' couldn't see.
ynkittenworld: Y/N spotted with mystery man (two separate occasions), new album soon? world tour soon? WHO IS THIS MAN!!! side note: happy for you mommy 😺
100 comments 23,909 likes
reinaynworld: MOM EXPLAIN?
thegreatwar: I'm going to auntie bella's house ☹️
boogeyman: acc. to some ppl that saw them the man is aemond targaryen and he owns this tech startup that's worth billions. UR WELCOME AND THANK YOU FELLOW Y/N'S KITTENS
Aemond sits on your blue sofa, sipping his tea while browsing through social media. "Your fans are crazy, dude." he hummed - watching as people shared his face all around various platforms. He wasn't aware that he was famous enough to be discovered. "They even found my instagram account." he complained, seeing follow requests from people that he didn't know.
"If you can't handle the fire, don't go to the kitchen." you shrug, placing a piece of pastry on the round table. He was a gracious guest, always helping you around with household chores - after the whole scenario with the paparazzi, he was spending all his time inside your little hotel room. "Helaena's blasting my phone, she a big fan of you." he smiled, replying to his sister with a GIF of you laughing. "Helaena?" you ask while lying on his lap.
His fingers comb through your hair, untangling the knots that your hairbrush couldn't fix. "My older sister." he answered - staring deep into your features. He couldn't deny that you were beautiful, and that your personality stirred something inside of him - but you were just a summer thing, right? Something that would allow him to inherit all of his father's fortune.
"I know nothing about your family to be honest. Google didn't have anything other than your dating history and zodiac sign." you state, wanting him to talk about his family more. It was interesting to see a stoic and conniving man smile when he spoke about family. "- what's my zodiac sign?" he questioned, not knowing the answer.
"Gemini," you answer immediately. "- and you used to date Lindsay Lohan." you add with a smile. He was older than he looked. He places a strand of your hair away from your face. "Stalker," he mumbled - and you sat up straight, glaring at him playfully. You were about to tickle him, but your phone rings. 'Jacaerys' it read out, and you placed your phone in your pocket.
"We should hard-launch each other," you suggest and he raised his eyebrows. "What's that?" he inquired - unfamiliar with the word. "Posting each other on social media." you replied and he nods.
It would work perfectly with his plan.
(your first name) : our secret moments, in a crowded room...they got no idea about me and you. @officialaemondtargaryen
8,920 comments 1,238,098 likes
maybemaybemaybe: Rue, when was this?
officialaemondtargaryen: there is an indentation, in the shape of you😉 - (your first name) : 100% not typed by me using his phone
You couldn't stop giggling as his phone was bombarded with messages and calls from your fans. He could hardly use the thing properly. "They have got to stop." he sighed, while his phone buzzed and vibrated on the coffee table. "You need a new phone," you chuckle - watching while he tried to get rid of the messages.
"I have a private account, how are they doing this?" he sighs, all the while Aegon and Helaena keep calling his phone. Another laugh escapes your mouth - he defeatedly settles the phone on the table.
"You poor thing," you giggle, a small pout graces his lips. "You are going to be the poor thing after what I do to you." he chuckles, placing his hands on your waist. For a second you believe that the feelings between you were genuine - not because of the need for money. "What are you going to do?" you ask, and he smirks.
Hands trailing down to your sides and tickling you.
(your first name)
Very bored today, #AskMeAnything
wendychoi: what is your hairstyle called? - (your first name): doggy style
pinturilla23: Where did u meet dad? - (your first name): we met at a hotel garden 😁
yournamefan: Are you going to make an album about Aemond? - (your first name): yes he's gonna make a handsome muse 😉🥰
Lucerys stuffed a large piece of vanilla ice cream on his mouth. "(Your Name) is dating our uncle, how do you feel about that?" he teased, moving his body away so that Jace couldn't do anything to him. "I don't care," Jace huffed, reaching for a spoon to take a piece off his brother's ice cream. "He doesn't care but he's turning red." Joffrey piped, giggling loudly while eating his strawberry ice cream.
"I wonder if he'll take her to the reunion." Joffrey adds, and a sigh escapes from Jace's mouth. 'Give you my wild, give you a child.' turned to dust - and never to return. He knew that it was not his fault - your personalities just managed to clash with each other.
You were the kind to fight for something - to beg for him to fight for the relationship. He was the opposite of that.
If it was meant to be - then you wouldn't need to fight for it.
part three
@minaxcarter @glame @xcinnamonmalfoyx @winxchesters @yentroucnagol @hotchnerswife @itsabby15 @mxxny-lupin @joliettes @kemillyfreitas @mxtantrights
#aemond x you#aemond targaryen fanfiction#aemond smut#aemond targaryen x reader#modern aemond targaryen#modern aemond x reader#modern aemond x you#modern aemond targaryen x reader#modern aemond targaryen x you#modern aemond#hotd modern au#aemond x fem!reader#aemond imagine#aemond x y/n#aemond x reader#aemond fanfiction#prince aemond x you#aemond targaryen x you#aemond targaryen fic#aemond stannies#aemond fic#aemond fanfic#aemond fluff#aemond targaryen fluff#aemond targaryen smut#aemond targaryen x modern!reader#hotd x you#hotd smut#aemond targaryen fanfic#prince aemond fic
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ok open question. should i start making gifs/posting again? i've had a few years of a hiatus from it and, while i ultimately stopped because my old laptop broke, i made a conscious decision not to go back to it at the time. it was so much energy and effort and, as fandoms on tumblr have largely died down, i wasn't meeting any new people, there wasn't any real discourse or engagement and it just felt like posting into a void out of habit.
i originally started making content because i felt like it was my way of showing appreciation for the type of media i was engaging with, and i loved the people i met through it. but near the end, it felt like i was just posting to post and the fact that people kept stealing my content to post on other platforms (along with official !!! archival website and estates without credit) really irritated me. it was like doing work for other people but being largely ignored (the downfall of any leo; and not so much that i needed personal credit but the fact that others were regularly ripping my content off and actively amassing a huge audience off the back of my work like an energy vampire was frustrating to me because it felt like they were just doing it for personal gain as opposed to genuine appreciation of said media).
but. i'm conflicted because there are so many rare films that i've been saving digital copies of/ripping for years, that don't have any content. and i'd love to, again, show appreciation to them in that way and bring light to them??? maybe even meet more people who are already fans with those things and currently don't have anyone/anything to engage with? i've toyed around with making a tiktok and creating edits for those films/stars, since most of tiktok editors edit the same 3-5 movies for old hollywood and even more of them just use gifs from tumblr in their videos lol this might be a totally useless post but. just wondering aloud. would love anyone's perspective who's continued to post, who used to but doesn't anymore, anyone really!
#personal#thinking aloud#i've become so much more private the past couple of years because nothing makes my stomach sink more than online copycats#BUT#the benefit of connecting with people you never would've otherwise through posting of said content is truly unparalleled#connections like that are more important to me than anything#people you can share these films and characters and pieces of history with and connect
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You're Losing Me Analysis
Ok, you got me, enough people messaged me with cute gifs and pretty pleases asking for this analysis to motivate me to finish it. So, here it is, my lyrical analysis of You're Losing Me.
I will stick to my interpretation of this song NOT being about a romantic relationship, the poll I did a while ago showed that most people interpret it to be about a romantic relationship breakdown. I will explain why I don't think that, but if you do, the main lyrical themes will still apply. (Colour coding of main themes at the end)
Before any lyrics, this songs starts with two sounds: A heartbeat and a massive sigh. Like, a really big one, you can even hear the inbreath. Something I've only ever experienced when someone is really, really exhausted and annoyed. I've sometimes made that noise when I'm standing in the pieces of something my children have broken, after I've told them a thousand times not to break it. The non-verbal expression of 'I f*cking told you this would happen'. So, before we even hear any words, I'm able to tell that this is about something that has happened before. We've been round and round this thing a million times. This breakdown has been a long time coming, a death by a thousand cuts if you will ;)
The heartbeat also sets the scene for the main lyrical theme before the first verse starts: A patient in an emergency situation, I envision a hospital room with a heart monitor. Over this heartbeat (and minimal production) we hear Taylor addressing her audience by saying
You say, "I don't understand," and I say, "I know you don't"
The You and the I are having a disagreement, but it's not so much an argument, as a miscommunication. They don't understand what she's saying but Taylor was already expecting that. Immediately, the first line confirms what the sigh was already indicating: This is not a new issue, we've been here many times before so Taylor is well aware that this communication isn't working. Then in the next line
We thought a cure would come through in time, now, I fear it won't
She introduces the medical theme in the lyrics with the word 'cure'. The metaphor is that the relationship that's being described here is the patient that's dying in hospital. This theme is incredibly present throughout the entire song, there is a constant 'brink of death' threat, with mentions of 'gashes', my face was grey' and 'too far gone to bring back to life'. And then, of course, the chorus is the culmination of this with the repetitions of 'Stop, you're losing me' and 'I can't find a pulse, my heart won't start anymore'. This gives me images of an emergency room situation where the patient is flatlining and the doctors are trying to revive them. Or maybe a battlefield, as the last line of the first verse introduces the secondary theme of war or combat with 'You might just have dealt the final blow'. Taylor has of course used the war imagery many times before when talking about conflict, such as in All Too Well ('I'm a soldier who's returning half her weight'), Call it What You Want ('I brought a knife to a gun fight'), The Great War, and the Archer ('I'm ready for combat').
So, despite the initial resignation, Taylor is fighting with the person/people she is addressing here. They are the one that's injuring the patient to the point of near death. And in the chorus she is telling them that, asking them to stop, because the relationship is dying. But we don't yet learn what she is asking them to stop doing. She does, however, show the problem in the relationship when she says:
Remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light Now, I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?
It's a WE versus I situation: We used to love this room, but now I (and only I) am left sitting alone in the dark. And only I get to make the decision about what to do with all the stuff we built together, because you're not even here to sit in the dark with me. Also, notice the light versus dark comparison. You are only there for the light (easy) parts, and not the dark (hard). In that context, I am inclined to interpret the room in this line as her stages and the light being the spotlight. We loved standing in the light together/You loved seeing me in the light, but now you've left me in the dark. This is why I really think this song is about the relationship with her majority fanbase and not a romantic relationship. Since 1989 she's written about her romantic partner in a way that makes it clear that this person is with her through thick and thin, on reputation we had End Game and New Years Day, the ultimate song about being there after the party when the glitter fades and it's not glamorous anymore, and in CIWYW she literally says her lover's 'starry eyes sparking up my darkest night'. So, I don't think it's her partner who is leaving her in the dark here, it's the fans. And the 'everything we built' is of course the fame/sold out stadiums etc. And that theme continues in the next verse:
Every morning I glared at you with storms in my eyes How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick
Now the picture is becoming clearer as to what the 'you' here is doing that Taylor is asking them to stop, or better what they're NOT doing. She's glaring at them, sending signals and biting her nails, using all forms of non-verbal communication, but they're not being received. Or she's being willfully ignored. The 'I sent you signals' is a screaming parallel to 'I gave so many signs' from Exile and 'sending signals to be double-crossed' from Evermore. And I think in all three cases, it is referring to queer flagging. And just like in High Infidelity (a similar song thematically) she says 'There's many ways that you can kill the one you love/ the slowest way is never loving them enough', here she's saying 'How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?. Both boils down to the same thing: Your ignorance is killing me and it's a slow and painful death. She ends the verse on the medical theme which has now slightly shifted to Taylor being the dying patient ('My face was grey' - corpse) and the relationship being sick. Over the chorus we still hear the heartbeat though, so she's dying but she's not dead yet.
Let's talk about the bridge. This is juicy, as Taylor's bridges always are, but this one, of course, had the one line that sent all the swifties into an angry rampage against Joe Alwyn. But we'll get to that. The first line is in fact my favourite:
How long could we be a sad song 'Til we were too far gone to bring back to life?
She calls the relationship a 'sad song'. And that's obviously an interesting thing for a songwriter to say, and I've seen many good interpretations of this line, but mine is this: Taylor is the girl who made her name as the young country singer who writes sad breakup songs about her past relationships. And she owned that for a while, until she openly discussed how much it trivialises her writing and that songs are more than just the person she's writing about (not as simple as a paternity test etc.), but have people stopped making her songs about men? When the Joe breakup hit the news, wasn't the first thing the swifties said 'Oh, the next album is going to be soooo sad...."?? So...for some people she still is, and will always be, just the girl who writes about breakups. And she's saying to those people 'how long can this relationship last if that's all you'll ever see me for?' She also, once again uses the medical theme of 'bringing the relationship back to life' when it has in fact died multiple deaths already. But this time it might just be 'too far gone' to be revived.
I gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest soldier Fighting in only your army, frontlines, don't you ignore me I'm the best thing at this party (You're losing me)
She also continues the war/combat theme with being the 'bravest soldier' who is bleeding whilst on the frontline 'fighting in only your army'. This is also important. Taylor is the soldier but she's not fighting for her own cause, she's fighting in the other person's army. She's making herself bleed, for the other person's sake. Much like a closeted gay person pretending to be straight for the mass appeal. It's making me bleed for your benefit, but you don't even notice, DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!! And then we get to the ultimate bait and switch line:
And I wouldn't marry me either A pathological people pleaser Who only wanted you to see her
Where you will all shout at me 'How can it not be about a romantic relationship, it has the line about marrying!!!'. Relax, I think this is intentional. What an easy way to make the whole song sound like it's about a breakup with just one line when the rest of the song suggest something else (to me at least). I don't see this as being about a literal marriage proposal, more like a 'I wouldn't choose me either'. Very much along the lines of Anti Hero, I'm the problem, why would you choose me, but I'd still love it if you did. And she even says in the next part 'I have nothing to believe, unless you're choosing me.'
And I'm fadin', thinkin'
(POV changes, addresses self:) "Do something, babe, say something" (Say something) "Lose something, babe, risk something" (You're losing me) "Choose something, babe, I got nothing" (I got nothing) "To believe, unless you're choosin' me"
So in the imperatives, the direction of address changes and she's now thinking to/addressing herself with these commands: 'DO something, SAY something, LOSE something, CHOOSE something, RISK something.' Almost like she's trying to jumpstart herself into action. This all screams BE BRAVE to me, especially the 'say something' because in the previous verse she was communicating in all these non-verbal ways (glaring, signals, nail biting) and that wasn't working. She's telling herself to be brave and SAY something, make it unmistakably clear, but that may well mean risking something and losing it. Also, choose something babe, you can't play both sides forever. In the last line she then addresses the audience again by saying 'I have nothing to believe unless you're choosing me.' She wants to be chosen by her audience as her authentic self, not as the 'sad song' girl. Once she's said all those hard hitting truths, what follows is a massive pause, a moment of total silence. Like the moment when you've finally said all you wanted to say and now you're waiting for the reaction. And when you almost think the song has ended, we get the heartbeat again and one more chorus.
SILENCE You're losin' me Stop (Stop, stop), you're losin' me Stop (Stop, stop), you're losin' me I can't find a pulse (HEARTBEAT STOPS) My heart won't start anymore
In this last chorus the Stops are now echoed twice to increase the urgency in this plea, it sounds almost like she's saying 'stop, stop stop! It's really about to be over!'. And it is, as the heartbeats stops on the word 'pulse' and the patient has finally died. She concludes on what we have just witnessed 'My heart won't start anymore' but there is no 'for you' this time, because the relationship is dead now. No more coming back this time.
Thematically, to fit into the concept of midnights, this could be a song set in early 2019 when she was planning her coming out, or it could be more recent, as an internal counter piece to Anti Hero. I hope this lived up to what you hoped for, people who asked so nicely :)
blue - medical theme/imagery
orange - direct address to audience
green - war/combat theme
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Thank you for posting videos, pictures, and the Tribeca panel commentary on twitter. It is much appreciated. 🙏🏻
[ Anonymous #2 asked ]: Sarah, would you mind writing a S701 review since you were at the premiere last night? Don't mind spoilers and you can warn others if they don't want to read. Loved it when you did it before. Thanks!
Hello Anons! Thanks so much for both your asks! I hope you don't mind me combining both your asks.
You're so welcome, Anon #1! I so glad so many people enjoyed my posts about it! I'm very grateful that I've been able to go to these events for several years now. I know that so many of you don't get that opportunity, so I try to do what I can to bring it to you all even if only virtually. Things are always so much more fun when they're shared, anyway. After all, that's what fandom should be about! 💜
For anyone who missed it, you can check out my Twitter page for my full coverage of 92Y and the Tribeca Festival. But here's some GIF spam from my favorite of the videos I was able to capture this week!
Anon #2, yes of course I'll write up a summary of my thoughts. I know you said you don't mind them, but I will try my very best to not include any spoilers in it as I know it really does ruin it for some. But just in case:
~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR OUTLANDER 7x01 BELOW~~~ ~~~SERIOUSLY, DON’T @ ME THAT I DIDN’T WARN YOU~~~
Outlander 7x01, "A Life Well Lost"
As Caitriona + Sam have mentioned previously in interviews, 7x01 picks up right where 6x08 left off. No time jump or anything, which I was really glad for. The opening scene was SHOCKING and used something that I thought was really clever and really rude all at the same time lol. I can tell you that the audience gasped because of it. I feel this bit was extremely effectively done. Caitriona's micro-expressions really made it for me.
One thing that surprised me — and perhaps it shouldn't simply because Outlander has always been full of this — was that there were so many small moments of humor in this episode, despite the obvious dire situation Claire and Jamie are in (but really, when aren't they lol). There's a new small side character that both Claire and Jamie get to interact with that provides much needed comedic breaks. Even Jamie's menacing looks add to this. Claire especially, I feel, gets to use her biting wit (or just straight up cursing) to add some humor to the tenseness. There's one particularly funny scene that takes place on a boat and involves an interrupting officer that I so loved! The entire audience burst out laughing when we saw it.
While Caitriona + Sam were obviously amazing, I'll say the surprising standout actor in this episode wasn't them. I won't say who, but it's someone we're well acquainted with. There are moments straight out of the book that this actor just fully nails. We're so lucky to have such strong actors filling these side character roles and s/he is just fantastic. Their sincerity and conviction sold me completely.
As book readers can probably guess from the title and from where we are in the timeline, we know basically what will happen in this episode — and they to stick pretty well to it. Even so, it is still so satisfying to get to see it played out on screen. Claire's despair, hope, and heartbreak. Jamie's torment, anger, and determination. The relief of it all. It's all played so, so well across Caitriona + Sam's faces and in their line delivery. Sam said during the Tribeca panel that Jamie is perhaps "more frail" in this episode, and I think that can be said for both of them. Despite them being well versed in separation, I think every subsequent one after their 20 year split wears on them more and more. And they both play that so expertly, making the time that we do see them together just that much sweeter. I don't think it's too spoilery to say that yes, they do share several scenes together this episode so dinna fash!
As for Brianna and R*ger, their scenes are pretty well separate from the Jamie x Claire scenes. I don't really have much to say about them, except that they move certain other storylines that will become more important later on in the season forward. And only just so. While it was important to do so, honestly it felt a bit filler-like. That said, I am actually pretty excited for certain arcs for Brianna and Jemmy later on (while also hoping they don't include that storyline for R*ger... sorry, not sorry) and this brought them maybe half a step closer to it.
Other than the moment on the boat I had mentioned earlier, there are two scenes toward the end which I really loved. One was such a sweet moment straight out of the book with some really great book lines that I had very much wanted to hear. it is Classic™ Jamie x Claire, so you know Caitriona + Sam knocked it out of the park. The second is not a book scene (I believe?? I don't remember it anyway), but was a great one for Sam / Jamie. It's how the episode ends and I told a new friend I had met in the Tribeca line that the final moment of the episode reminded me of Batman's cape swooshing over the camera turning everything black. Lol take from that what you will!
Some other random thoughts:
Jamie x Claire are SO. SOFT. They say separation makes the heart grow fonder? Really, it makes those two grandparents softer AND I LOVE IT.
I LOVED seeing Caitriona + Sam's names appear as Executive Producers! The entire audience was singing along to The Skye Boat song and then burst out cheering when that came up.
I really hope Major MacDonald's wig gets snatched by Adso at some point because F him lol
Overall, I'd say I enjoyed the episode. Some might say it's a bit slow, which I wouldn't disagree with. But knowing that 1) they had to get this part over with the tie up the Season 6 cliffhanger; and 2) this is really going to be a jam packed season of action and emotion, I think I'm okay with that. I've heard it from more than one source that 7x02 is even better than 7x01 so I'm really excited! I'm also really excited to meet our newer cast members, as none of them featured in the premiere episode. The Hunters especially will be so much fun to watch!
Hearing Caitriona + Sam speak about not only this season, but their journey with Outlander overall makes me so grateful that the quality is still there after seven seasons. They're clearly still so passionate about these characters and are determined to do them justice in every way to the very end. And I think that most definitely shows up in their scenes. I'm super curious to see if there's anything noticeably different or better now that they've been promoted to Executive Producers. And of course, to see Caitriona's first foray into directing!! Until then, I'm looking forward to you all seeing the first episode for yourselves 💜
#outlander#outlanderedit#outlander 7x01#sam heughan#caitriona balfe#outlander season 7#season 7 promo#jamie x claire#jamie fraser#claire fraser#my edit#92Y#tribeca#tribeca film festival#outlander premiere#a life well lost
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Decisions (Sandman One-Shot)
GIF: Originally posted by @teenwolf-theoriginals
Pairing: Morpheus/Dream of the Endless x gender neutral reader
Summary: One-shot. Reader self-insert. Established relationship. Newly married. Fluff. You and Morpheus are due to attend an Endless family gathering and you ask Morpheus for points on what to wear.
Warnings: suggestive themes?
Word Count: 1.2k
A/N: Hello there! I'm still riding the high from meeting Tom at Basingstoke Comic-Con on Saturday (drabble post about the experience here) and it has boosted my creativity enough to finish this WIP that has been in my drafts for 2+ months. Thank you, Tom <3
Sandman Masterlist
--------------------------------------------
You huff an emotion laden sigh into the air as you stare at the neatly displayed garments before you. Over thirty minutes have passed since you made the decision to open the wardrobe and try to choose an outfit.
You have run your fingers over each item at least ten times now in the hope that one of the textures would prompt you into committing. It’s been fruitless and now, you are standing in front of the gaping hole formed by the parted doors and feeling as if the clothes are taunting you.
Despite being wholly frustrated, you are reluctant to give up and come back to the task later with a clear head. You are going to be in the same room as all of the Endless siblings for the first time in a matter of hours and an urgency has taken hold of you.
You hear footsteps coming from the hallway and you immediately identify them as Morpheus'. Your unease turns to nausea. Surely it couldn't have been time to go already?
A quick check of your wristwatch allays your fears a little. It was not as late as you had feared. You plop down to sit at the foot of your bed; your frantic search does not need an audience. However, your tension still remains in your frame and you know it will not be long before it is noticed and queried.
As soon as your husband takes one look at you after entering the room, he walks straight over and says, "You appear troubled, my love."
You shake your head, forcing a smile. "Everything's fine," you answer breezily.
Morpheus picks up on your feigned nonchalance, astute gaze then falling to the anxious way you are unknowingly twisting your wedding band around your finger.
He speaks your name and the sound of it is like a whisper of the wind. You chance a peek at his face, his blue eyes overflow with concern.
Your shoulders slump in defeat and you immediately spill the truth of the situation.
"Actually, I'm struggling to decide what to wear for this evening."
"I would recommend something that you feel comfortable in," He replies softly.
You move off the bed, repeating the adjective in your mind as you pick anxiously through the clothes once more.
It's futile.
"I need some kind of brief to work to." You turn to fix him with an imploring look. "Please."
Morpheus begins to sense that your agitation might be masking something deeper. He decides to be open with you about his own feelings in the hope that you may open up in return.
He comes closer and takes both your hands in his.
"My only stipulation for this evening is that you sit between myself and my elder sister."
You protectively edge closer to your partner. His words give rise to a desire to understand if there is subtext accompanying his statement.
"Do you feel nervous?"
He pauses. "Not nervous. Apprehensive is a more apt descriptor."
You nod before admitting quietly, "I think I may be feeling the same as you, Morpheus."
His right hand finds your jawbone. "I'll be right there to support you."
You smile crookedly. "And I you."
He rubs small circles on your cheek with his thumb.
"We can also leave whenever you wish."
"Can we have a cut and run safe word?"
Morpheus is amused by your phrase, and the corners of his mouth pull up ever so slightly.
"I welcome it. What would like to choose?"
You contemplate silently. "How about if I call you Dream?"
You never use the name Dream for your husband, it has always been Morpheus. The name he had offered when you had first met. To use the alternative that his siblings used seemed like a smart choice; it wouldn't draw attention if you had to say it in anything other than a whisper.
"Dream," he confirms.
With some decisions made and comfort provided, you turn back to the wardrobe. You sigh once more as dejection rears its head.
"I shall be wearing this, if it is of any help to you."
You look round to see Morpheus gesturing to the outfit he has just willed into existence. He is sporting a black, flowy sleeved chiffon shirt. The buttons are done up all the way to the top, accentuating his perfect neck. His signature jeans and lace-up boots complete the look.
The change in your demeanour is like a match being lit. Your lips part, a solution forming in your mind.
"So smart casual?"
You are looking at him with such a hopeful expression. Heartfelt reassurance is the key; he can see how much you need it right now.
"Yes," he replies with an encouraging smile.
You now approach the wardrobe with confidence; posture straight, eyes up. Morpheus listens to you talking quietly to yourself as you pick your way across the rack from left to right.
“No, no, no… Ahh, there you are.”
You triumphantly produce a black shirt from a hanger, the sleeves of which are embroidered with delicate constellations and crescent moons, and a pair of black jeans from the adjacent drawers.
Morpheus places himself in a nearby chair and from his newly seated position, he watches you swap the oversized green jumper and blue jeans that you are wearing for the just-selected outfit.
You struggle for a moment in securing the cuffs of the shirt but soon you are standing in front of the mirror and smoothing the front of the garment down.
You turn to the side to inspect your profile. "What do you think?"
Morpheus comes up behind you. You maintain eye contact through the mirror.
"Perfect," he whispers in your ear. "You are perfect."
A heady blush spreads at his words. His arms slip around your waist
“Thank you for helping me.”
“You are most welcome, my love.”
It is impossible to keep your attention off of him. His own shirt is sheer enough for you to see his toned torso beneath.
His image, coupled with the combination of him suddenly kissing your neck has your stomach dropping deliciously. He continues until you are weak and dazed with pleasure.
You breathlessly turn to face him. Lust smoulders in his celestial eyes.
You have left the top two buttons of your shirt undone; Morpheus touches his fingers delicately to the exposed skin.
"I fear I may struggle to get through even the first course with you looking like this, my love," he murmurs.
You rest your palms on his chest.
"The safe word is there for you too, My King. Say the word and I'll go anywhere you want."
A low groan rumbles under your hands as well as in your ears. Morpheus leans in so he is mere millimetres from you.
He smirks flirtatiously. "Very well, my sweet dream.”
He then closes the remaining distance to hungrily press his lips to yours.
#the sandman#sandman#the sandman netflix#the sandman 2022#the sandman imagine#the sandman fanfic#the sandman fic#the sandman one shot#one shot#fanfiction#gender neutral reader#reader self insert#morpheus#lord morpheus#the endless#the dreaming#morpheus x reader#morpheus/dream#morpheus/dream x reader#dream#dream x reader#dream of the endless#dream of the endless x reader#tom sturridge#fluff#comfort#romance
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The Rancia Misto Post - AKA Mr.Mistofeles the necromancer cat
Hello :) Rancia Mistofeles has been plaguing my brain for the past two weeks, so here's a few gifs, a drawing, and an explanation of why it caught my attention. Tap read more to see everything!
Art, based on a pic from the website:
Scroll all the way down for the gifs.
Introduction:
First off, I'd like you to know that everyone is absolutely ecstatic when Tugger starts singing about Misto. They cheer, waving their arms and tails around, even before Misto enters. The actor plays him as an adult cat, who knows his worth and his skill. You'd never want him as your enemy - he's powerful, and confident, he's a little cheeky too - he takes his sweet time showing off and hanging out in the audience, and there's this moment before he climbs on stage where he looks back and forth between it and the spectators, as if weighing whether he's made the cats wait enough yet.
He has two main tricks: smoke out of his hand, and making Deuteronomy appear with a flourish in between the cats, both of which he executes without effort. Oh, and he's a necromancer...
Tugger is proud but unphased, he's seen it all before - this is just another Tuesday to him. They don't interact much, but Tugger clearly knows him like the back of his hand. Munkustrap, despite having been beaten into the ground by Macavity a few minutes prior, actively dances with Misto and hypes him up. Pouncival looks like he's about to lose his mind. To say they love him would be an understatement.
Lyrics
The beginning is about the same. But already in the second half of the first verse, there's a notable difference:
Indovina le carte che hai, È il terrore di tutti i croupier Ci sa fare coi dadi e ti può rovinare se si mette a giocare con te
He can guess your cards He's every croupier's worst nightmare He's skilled with dice and he will ruin you if he decides to play against you
Meet Mr Mistofeles, an active threat to every casino's fortune and to whoever has the misfortune of playing against him. The fact that this isn't connected to him being a telepath or clairvoyant makes it sound like he actually enjoys playing and learned the regular way.
I'd like to put emphasis on the expression "si mette", which means "to decide, to do something with genuine effort". Here, it functions as a warning: you'd better not challenge him, he doesn't go down easy - he's unrelenting! Once he starts, he carries through all the way - he will take everything you have. (It's almost like Tugger is speaking from experience...)
Beh! È timido e sta sulle sue, puoi pensare che sia riservato
Oh well! He's quiet and aloof, you'd think him quite shy
As far as this song goes, this is the most faithful bit. The reason I'm mentioning it is the initial "beh", which shows up in the boot but not in the cd recording. "Beh" can mean a variety of things, based on context and intonation.
This is right after Misto makes smoke burst out of (a prop) his hand. Everyone is amazed, but Tugger just says the equivalent of "oh, well! Anyways," because this is normal to him, and there is so, so much more that Misto can do.
And oh, is there more. Third verse, second half:
Riesce a leggere nei tuoi pensieri E comunica con l'aldilà Tra i suoi magici arcani poteri C'è anche il dono dell'ubiquità
He can read your thoughts, And communicate with the dead Amongst his many arcane powers There's also the gift of ubiquity
This is where things really take a turn. It seems that the authors have decided to take away the benefit of the doubt. It's not hearsay, it's not him being sneaky, it's not the humans being befuddled - he's got actual powers. Arcane powers, at that. He can talk to the dead. He is, for lack of a better term, a necromancer.
It's fair to mention that the first verse still talks about his more traditional tricks - the lace, his amazing balance, and his tendency to steal cutlery. Therefore, one could assume that this is all exaggeration, the way the poems are originally meant - Tugger is showing Misto off, and maybe he gets a little carried away.
I have a few things to say to that.
This is the only song to deviate so blatantly from the source material. Even Macavity doesn't get that - you'd think, if they took such liberties with Misto, Macavity would be the next best candidate to do the same, right?
No. His song, like most every other, is a near perfect translation of the original.
The sensible answer is that the authors were trying to hype Mistofeles up as much as possible - a few card tricks and a dubious teleporting prowess must not have been cool enough for them. But then why pick necromancy, or "arcane powers", of all things, when he's supposed to be an illusionist who uses his skills to hide knives and sleep in two places at once? On top of that, it seems like a pretty big piece of info to just drop and never use or mention again.
My theory is that this is rooted in the interpretation that has Macavity killing Old Deuteronomy. While Macavity doesn't appear again wearing Deuteronomy's pelt, his fight with Munkustrap is violent and involved enough to assume he wouldn't hold back with an older cat. But would you look at that, Mistofeles, the necromancer cat, can bring him back!
How convenient!
I have to appreciate how "he speaks with the other side" is just tossed in there after saying he's a telepath. Those things aren't really consequential or similar at all, and Tugger could've led with that to begin with, but I guess cats have different priorities.
Gifs - (Flashing warning for the very last one.)
1: Misto magics something and hands it out to an audience member. It's a business card, supposedly.
2: Watch the center. Munk and Pounce grab Misto to help him backflip. Tugger does not help (I don't think) but he's right beside them, maybe for spotting.
3: Misto is the one moving around on stage, Tugger is on top of the trash pile at the center. Munkustrap is crouched to the left of it, having a chat with Alonzo - but then Misto holds his arm out and Munk springs to action. Misto jumps Munk's back - behind them, cut off by the gif, Tugger bends at the waist, participating in the hype (or just thought it was funny)
4: Misto saying hi to Vicky (you can tell it's her because of the ribbon around her neck.) This is the moment he appears on camera, and the first thing he does is run to grab her hands. He looks back to the audience, and she nods - he then proceeds to hang out down there for a minute more.
5: the "have they waited enough yet?" gif. Misto, down in the audience, looks back and forth, shrugs as if he's just remembered that they're waiting for him, and then looks back again halfway up the stairs like "I should probably go"
6: everyone gathers to see misto do his trick. Misto is on top of the trash pile at the right, Tugger is the lonely black figure standing in the middle. He jerks his arm right on cue as the smoke comes out. He's seen this a hundred times (and it speaks volumes how he was annoyed with Gus for the same reason but isn't with Misto)
#mr mistoffelees#cats musical#cats the musical#munkustrap#rum tum tugger#cats italian tour 2009#cats fanart#cats italy
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"'Exceptional negro.' 'Thank you, sir.' It was the call and response of my entire life. I had let them talk to me like that so long I stopped hearing it. 'Yes sir', 'of course, sir', 'subject, verb, agreement, sir', smile, nod, 'yes, sir.' They all came from the same organ inside me, an organ unknown to science at the time, because what scientist would look for an organ found only in black men who use their weakness to rise? But I wasn't a man anymore. I was something else. I had powers now, and decades of rage to process, and it was both random and unfortunate the man picked that night to dabble in fuckery."
One of my favorite Louis quotes of all time. And it makes me so happy when I'm watching black reactors watch this scene because it's obviously so cathartic for them. I like watching black reaction content for this show in particular, because it helps me as a white person appreciate the show on a whole other level that I would be incapable of on my own. It was actually a black acter that made me interested in watching the show in the first place!
I had seen gifs on tumblr and I wanted to get a feel for the show before I bought it. I was a fan of the 1994 movie and had read some of the book, but it did always bother me that Louis in both of those versions of the story was a slave owner. And especially in the movie, which adds that whole gross slave master/enslaved black woman romance racist trope that always made me uncomfortable, even before I could articulate why. (At least the slaves get freed and then they burn down the plantation? Seriously, don't get me started on that aspect of the 1994 movie.) I was really intrigued by the fact that the show chose to make Louis a black creole man, instead of a white creole man, and also the switching of the time period. But because some aspects of the source material were...not great, I was worried that that change might not have been handled the best. Vampire media oftentimes don't treat their black characters very well. So when I decided to watch reaction content of it to get a feel for the show, I wanted to hear a black perspective on it.
So I watched ShalayaHomebody TV's reaction first (also her Sandman reactions are so good, she is so funny, you should absolutely subscribe), and I was pleasantly surprised because, you know, the bar is in Hell. I immediately bought the first season and I have been obsessed with the show and have had The Vampire Chronicles brainrot ever since.
A while ago, I watched Syntell's reactions with Mikel Claire on his channel and I was sort of blown away by him saying this about the scene when Sam takes Louis's tickets to the Theatre des Vampires show in the fake fangs and white vampire makeup: "I wonder if that's like blackface to them?" Like, as a white person, my mind just straight up didn't go there, but as soon as he said it I totally got it. It made me think of how Josephine Baker had performed in blackface as a black woman, because she could get more money performing to white audiences and that's the only way white audiences at the time would watch anything having to do with black people. It made me look at the whole Theatre des Vampires differently.
After Claudia proclaimed that the trial was a stoning, Alex of Jessa and Alex Watch said: "No, it's a lynching!" And...yeah! It basically was.
I could keep giving examples, but I'm stoned and rambling and this post is already going to be incredibly long as it is. I just have a lot to say!
The show might not handle every single thing exactly right 100% of the time in regards to race, nothing does, but I really appreciate the show taking pains to accurately cover the typical attitudes regarding race in the time periods it's set in, including the present. That's not to say that any scrutiny or criticism isn't warranted, there will always be blind spots. And like I said, the bar is in Hell, but I think it's really cool and good that they took the time to sit back and say, "okay, how does changing this character's race change their history and how they navigate the world?" Especially when there are white supremacists in the US government who think teaching about the history and the structural nature of racism not be taught because it will "make white kids grow up hating themselves". 🙄
I don't know, man. I just saw people criticizing some of the Devil's Minion fandom for their treatment of Louis when I was browsing the tag and like...I don't want to contribute to making black fans of the show feel shut out and like they don't have a space in the fandom. It's like that meme: "I got so caught up in the euphoria of shipping Devil's Minion that for a moment I forgot racism exists."
I don't say it enough, but I love this incarnation of Louis and Claudia. I love that there are so many black fans who feel seen and represented. I love that the show isn't just a sea of 99% white characters like the books are, but keeping everything that makes the books compelling and great and then elevating it by making it more inclusive.
Don't sideline the black fans in the IWTV community. Watch black reacters. Engage with them. Listen to them. You might not agree with every take they have, but I promise you that it will make you enjoy the show from a whole new perspective.
#iwtv#amc iwtv#iwtv 2022#interview with the vampire#iwtv series#the vampire chronicles#devil's minion#fandom racism#stream of consciousness
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