#inspired by a post i saw about taking sebastian back with you to the surface

[nokkayy]

sunlight, part 2

closeup and textless version

[kjmsupremacist]

Felix sweet boy baby angel but Christopher Bang is literally Satan? Idk if you saw but Hyunjin ratted him out on live and said the lyrics for Red Light were toned down. I don’t want to know. I don’t. He was already talking about edging and I don’t want to know. He can keep his Scorpio Venus and his Sag Mars away from me and everyone I love. I would give anything to know his rising if sign. It’s giving Earth but there’s so much air in his chart it’s hard to be sure. 🤖

i am so happy you sent me this ask because i have been looking for an excuse to talk about red lights. I sent leon and margot a seven minute long voice message when i was doing my research for my red lights-inspired fic like that's where i'm at.

First, yes, I saw Hyunjin's comments! that's what chris gets for trying to say hyunjin wrote all the lyrics in the first place. nice try, chris. also, his scorpio venus is SEXY. i won't be taking criticism on this opinion.

Now. Please see under the cut if you want to watch me dissect Red Lights -- both the lyrics and the MV.

so, credit where credit's due--I skimmed this and this reddit posts while I was doing my research.

now. we all know that on the surface, this song is about sex (and specifically bondage and edging—that much is clear). but, ah, how's the saying go? "everything is about sex except for sex, which is about power"? sure.

yeah, it's meant to be sexy. they did that for us and im still not sure if I want to kill them for it or thank them with my life. BUT, as they mentioned in the howl in harmony video, it's primarily a song about obsession.

The first reddit post does a great (albeit kind of aggressive) breakdown of the lyrics, where it becomes really clear that they're talking about the relationship they have with their work and the relationship they have with fans. In essence, the song is about how they want to give their lives and all their time to making more content for fans so that they will continue to receive love from us. The red lights are actually the recording light on a camera (hence the line “set the mic up”).

And so a relationship like the one depicted here is dark and intense, and yes—passionate and driven by love—but ultimately, it consumes itself in the vortex of its own desire, and then peters out into a sort of blank monotony—learned through repetition, a habitual reflex instead of a true reaction.

Then, the second reddit post goes on a deep dive of some of the symbolism seen in the MV—specifically, the use of kink. This is where it gets really fun.

We mostly see Hyunjin in shibari-style bondage. OP posits (and I agree) that he is meant to represent passion without discipline. The shibari ropes are tied messily (and so therefore dangerously) which is perfect for representing how often kink (and other obsessions) can devolve—you plunge in headfirst, but you are directionless except for the insistent tug in your gut that cries for more, more.

Chan, on the other hand, is seen primarily (esp in solo scenes) bound by heavy chains. He represents discipline with no passion. In the Howl in Harmony video, I believe he mentions that after a long day of practice, he'll still find himself in the recording studio, even though he's tired. He does what he has to on autopilot, because he knows he must, because it’s the only thing he feels he can do.

If Hyunjin is mania, then Chan is depression. The chains are GREAT symbolism because this dutiful march towards burnout and beyond is, as the lyrics suggest, stemming from a desire to keep receiving love (from fans)—that if you just work hard enough then no one will ever leave you. You wish to bind the person (or people) you love to you, but in the end the bonds only weigh you down.

So then the part where they’re tied together, back to back, at the end, shows when passion and discipline come into balance. And that’s creation for the love of creation while still maintaining a respect for yourself, the art, and your audience. (or idk. maybe they just thought we'd like to see them tied to one another. and they were right).

It's also fun because while we see Hyunjin and Chan both assume positions of domination and submission, it's clear Chan is meant to be the “dominant force” here (hence discipline). The reason we do see instances of Hyunjin in power (choking Chan, standing over him on the table) is because any somewhat healthy d/s relationship involves first the surrender of power. The dom is only perceived to be in power because the sub first relinquishes it them. So. You know.

I will say I'm not sure what to say about the edging theme (BNKSJDF) besides the obvious—almost giving you what you want, but not quite.

And finally, this is not part of either of those two reddit posts, but I was ENTHRALLED by the use of mirror and mirror-esque imagery throughout the MV and in the choreo. I love mirrors as a symbol so we're going to talk about that, too.

First and most obviously, it may be a bit on the nose. In art, mirrors and reflections are often used to show that there is a deeper meaning than what is clear on the surface. So this might have just been hyunchan going "hey! it's not just about sex!"

but I think there's more to it than that. Mirrors are often used as a vessel of truth—in some Chinese myths, for example, mirrors can repel demons, as they will show a demon’s true form. Or see the Little Mermaid—though Ursula managed to change her outward appearance, she was caught in her lie when another character (sebastian, i think?) saw her reflection in the mirror.

Additionally, one’s reflection used to be thought to contain one’s soul—which is why mirrors were covered in the home of person who had just passed, so they would not be trapped as a ghost in the world of the living.

For this reason, mirrors are often also considered dangerous. Think of Narcissus, for a start, who fell in love with his own reflection and sat at the water's edge, pining, until he fucking died. Or consider the following quote (which I love) from Fernando Pessoa:

“Man shouldn’t be able to see his own face – there’s nothing more sinister. Nature gave him the gift of not being able to see it, and of not being able to stare into his own eyes. Only in the water of rivers and ponds could he look at his face. And the very posture he had to assume was symbolic. He had to bend over, stoop down, to commit the ignominy of beholding himself. The inventor of the mirror poisoned the human heart.”

We use mirrors to watch ourselves watching ourselves (and the Margaret Atwood who lives in our heads cries “male fantasies, male fantasies! You are you own voyeur!”). We perform for the mirror—often what we see in the mirror is not actually how we are seen by others! We think we may find truth there, when in reality it is a distortion. Ties itself up really nicely, I think.

In any case, this really goes well with the theme of obsession in the song—staring in the mirror asking, what do others see? What is wrong about me? What can I do better? The idea of looking in the mirror to seek what others see, both positive and negative, is common throughout. And I think their use of mirrored choreo (esp when it seems like one of them is the reflection!!), as well as mirror placement on the set of the mv, and ESPECIALLY the lovely bit at the end where they both stand staring carefully at their own reflections, all work to drive that theme home.

and i don't even know how to touch on all the color symbolism (when it changes between color and b&w?? the palette being overwhelmingly yellow and red and black???), or the lens filters (warping, blurring, etc), or the way they superimposed pieces of the video on top of other pieces, or the use of that one stark white background—without writing a fucking dissertation (and this is already a ridiculously long post) so i'll just stop here.

This is all to say, maybe what they meant was that the lyrics were a lot more aggressive about these themes and they were asked to tone them down to keep it neutral.

or maybe they're just sexy, sexy motherfuckers and their managers bonked them on the head and sent them to horny jail.

[blackmissfrizzle]

Part of Your World

Characters: Dean Winchester x black!reader

Summary: Its basically a Little Mermaid AU (still in the SPN realm) with a dash of African mythology.

Warnings: A couple of puns, because I couldn’t help myself lol

A/N: My love of Disney caused me to write another fic based on one of my fave princesses. Also it was inspired by this post I saw and then I had to do my own research, because I was so interested. I need more African mythology in fantasy! Anyways, as usual this is for the black girls that done feel seen in the show or the fandom! I hope you enjoy!

Humans were bad. They were selfish, careless, and evil. Or that’s what you were supposed to believe, according to your mother. But to you they were interesting and not as bad as your mother made them out to be. Just like merpeople some were as your mother described, but most were good or at least trying to be better. That’s why you had to save them.

One day when you were swimming up to the surface and saw a bunch of protectors of the land. Those things they called cars were flashing red and blue lights. There was a dead body on the shore and the person’s wounds were unnatural for another human to cause. So, naturally you investigated.

Since the time you were a teen, you would sneak on land to watch the humans up close and personal. Your Aunt Iliana was the sea witch. She gifted you with a necklace that allowed you walk on land. According to her, your destiny was on land, which is why your mother banned you from swimming too close to land and keeping you away from your aunt.

This time you were making your trek to land every night. Scuttle, your skin-walker friend allowed you to work at his bar and you hoped to catch some gossip on the murders. Tonight, was busier than usual. You were running from one end of the bar to the other and not catching a word about the killings. That was until you heard an alluring voice. It was deep, slightly gravelly, but smooth and could easily lull you to sleep.

“Dude, I’m putting money it’s a witch. That’s the only reasonable explanation.” Dean argued with his brother. They had been in town for 2 days and no leads whatsoever. All they had was a bunch of guys who suddenly had a turn of bad luck, lost all their money and died of on land drowning.

Not only were you attracted to this man’s voice, but he was looking into the murders too! You had to make yourself known. Turning around just in time you saw him finish his drink. He was the most perfect man you’ve seen. His green eyes rivaled the coral reefs vibrant color. His lips were unexpectedly plump for a man of his shade. His jaw was set hard, but you could tell he had a soft nature.

“Stop staring and talk to the man!” Scuttle encouraged you while tending to other patrons.

“Stop being a guppy, Y/N!” You told yourself before making your way to the man. Pointing at his empty glass, you asked the stranger if he wanted another drink.

Dean had to do a double take. The beautiful bartender was talking to him. He noticed her all night. When she was walking up and down the bar, she was singing to herself and he thought she had a beautiful voice. Some of the time Dean would tune Sam out just to listen to her.

“Yes, please. Can you make it a double?”

Shaking your head yes, you brought out the good liquor. Scuttle would most likely kill you, but you needed information and the best way to get it was making this beautiful stranger’s lips loose. “On the house,” you mentioned when you saw he was about to object for the pricey whiskey.

“Thank you.” He gave you a loop-sided smile and you walked away, not wanting to push too quickly. “Wait,” he called out, pulling something out of his pocket. It was a picture of him in some fancy suit saying FBI Agent Dean Plant. “I’m Agent Plant and this is Agent Page,” he pointed to the taller man next to him, “have you seen any of these gentlemen here?”

Dean stared at the red-haired beauty as she stared at the photos of the male victims. It wasn’t like him to be so mesmerized by a woman that he didn’t even notice her pointing out the latest victim.

“Yeah, he was here. I remembered because he seemed so sad, so I decided to check on him.”

Agent Plant perked up and leaned forward on the bar, “Do you know what had him so upset?”

You wanted to look at Dean, but his green eyes made your stomach flutter like a school of fish, so you paid attention to his partner. “Um, something about how he made a bad deal and lost all his money and his girlfriend.”

The two brothers turned towards each other and silently communicated that they both thought it was a demon deal. Quickly, they both stood up and paid for the drinks. “Thank you! We’ll be back tomorrow.” Dean smiled at you before following his brother out the bar.

For a while you stood there in a trance. He was coming back tomorrow! You would have to tell Scuttle to take you shopping for some more clothes.

“Don’t do it.”

“Huh?” Scuttle’s voice startled you to the present.

“He’s a hunter and human. Both things your mother hates the most. Secretly help them and go on about your life.” Scuttle warned, then attended to another bar patron.

--

Too bad you didn’t listen to Scuttle, because now you were in trouble.

The following night, Dean and Sam came back they seemed discouraged. Turned out their lead was a bust. No demon deals occurred in this town according to Crowley.

Throughout the night, you would eavesdrop on their conversation about the case and it was becoming clearer to you what exactly were killing these men. Because of a festival that happened earlier that day, the bar was slammed, and you didn’t get to tip off Dean and Sam about what they were hunting before they left.

Time to time your best friends, Sebastian and Floyd would escort you on land to ensure your safety. No one wanted to feel the wrath of your mother if something bad were ever to happen to you.

“Fellas, I need one of you to cover for me.” You leaned across the bar already batting your eyes. It was always a struggle to get these two to do something without a little coercion.

“Why?” Sebastian ran his hands through his dreads, he was already suspecting you were up to no good.

“So, I can tell the hunters what’s killing the humans.” You rushed out, then tried to leave but Sebastian stopped you.

“Uh huh. No way, missy. We all agreed that you would do it without outing yourself.” Sebastian was the harder of the two to convince. Being your mother’s court advisor made him be more overprotective of you.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Y/N. Humans are already scary, but hunters are terrifying.” Floyd shivered at the idea of talking to one. He could already imagine his tail as a trophy on some hunter’s wall.

You ruffled your friend’s kinky blue curls. “Don’t be guppy, Floyd.” Finished messing up his hair, you ran out the bar. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. It was always that way with those two. You wanted to do something, they would say it was a bad idea, and then you would do it anyway. Those two should’ve learned by now.

You didn’t have to go far since Scuttle’s bar was on the beach and Dean and Sam were already there. It looked like they were inspecting something, when you saw hands made of water grab onto the two and drug them into the sea.

It was her; you knew it. Shedding your clothes, you dived into the water. You couldn’t bask in the water like you usually would after a day on land. Cutting through the current you found the men drowning and the mysterious water hands gone. She didn’t need to kill them instantly. The depths she brought them to would do the job for her. She just didn’t count on you to come in and save the day.

You were a lot stronger in water than on land, so it was easy to drag both men up to the surface. Hopefully, she didn’t have eyes on you. She had eyes everywhere in the water.

You took them to your hidden grotto you used to come onto land or just to think alone. Using your powers to manipulate water, you expelled the water from their lungs.

Dean was the first one coming into consciousness. It was the same voice from last night. The bartender, he thought. He sat up to thank her, but she wasn’t there. The only thing he thought he saw was a fin.

“Sammy!?” Dean rolled over to his brother. He slapped him to jolt him awake.

Sam sat up, out of sorts for a moment. “Dude, what the hell was that?” He dragged a hand over his face.

Dean shook his head. “Man, I don’t know.”

The brothers sat there confused not knowing what the hell they were gonna do.

--

You watched the brothers leave the grotto from behind a rock formation. Once they were gone, you emerged from your hiding spot.

“Helping hunters?” She clicked her tongue. “I’m disappointed in you. I thought a daughter of Cora’s would know better.” Mami Wata stood above you in all white, draped in the most expensive jewels, stoking the head of her snake. This was the first time she appeared to you and you were in awe despite the circumstances.

“You’re killing innocent men. What else am I supposed to do?” Normally, you would speak to her with respect, but this situation did not call for it. People were dying.

“They’re not innocent. I promised them riches in exchange for fidelity. They broke the agreement.”

She was right. Those men did make the deals of their own free will, but what she was doing didn’t sit right with you. “But you didn’t have to kill them. Other Mami Watas leave them broke.”

“Who are you to question me?!” Her voice echoed, causing some of the rocks to shake. “Sorry,” Mami Wata regained her composure when she saw you tremble in fear. “I like you, Princess Y/N. You’re strong-spirited, but I can’t have you in my way, but I also promised your mother I would protect her offspring.”

“Then what now?” You crossed your arms with an attitude. Mami Wata released the python that was wrapped around her into the water.

The green creature slithered up to your neck and squeezed tightly. “It’ll be hard for you to help the hunters without that beautiful voice of yours.” In a panic, you clutched your neck trying to speak, but it was already too late. Mami Wata already took your voice.

The snake went back to its satisfied owner. “A little piece advice,” Mami Wata looked at you with pity. “The one with the green eyes, don’t fall for him. The pale ones are always the worst.” She chuckled as she made her exit.

Even though, you didn’t have your voice, you had to find a way to warn the hunters.

--

Sam and Dean were going crazy. All they could come up with is that they were possibly dealing with the god, Poseidon and even that sounded far-fetched for them.

They were knee-deep in research when there was a knock on their door. Both brothers grabbed their guns and Sam looked out the peephole. “It’s the bartender from the other night.”

Dean shoved his little brother out the way. “Smooth, dude.” Sam mumbled at a flustered Dean. Opening the door, Dean greeted you. In return you waved back. “Hey, Y/N, right?”

You shook your head vigorously, excited that he remembered your name.

“What can I help you with?” He asked, looking at you expectantly. Oh shit! How were you gonna let him now you were there to help?

An idea popped in your head. You held up a finger and brought out the cellphone Scuttle bought for you. Unlocking the phone, all the words were gibberish to you when they shouldn’t be. You were fluent in all languages. Mami Wata must’ve cursed all your modes of communications. Son of a bitch!

“Woah!” Dean lifted his arms as you pushed pass him when you saw a photo of one of the victims. Grabbing it you motioned to the boys you could help. They were confused to why you weren’t speaking and even more confused on how you knew another victim.

“Dean, I think she’s connected somehow.” You eagerly waved the photo in agreeance. Sam crouched down to assure you he wasn’t a threat. “Did you lose your voice because you know who did this?” Sam clapped his hands in victory when you confirmed his suspicion.

Dean wanted to believe you were there to help, but he could never be too careful. He’s been burned too many times before. “How do we know you’re not the one doing the killings?”

Pinching your nose and pointing to the boys, you reenacted their drowning and you pulling them out. “You’re the one who saved us? How?” Dean scanned you up and down, there was no way you had the strength to pull him AND his brother. Well, no way if you were only human.

Of course, they wouldn’t believe you. To them you were a human woman. You puckered your face like you seen humans do to imitate fish, then you pointed to your closed legs and made swimming motions with your hands.

“No way.” Sam thought out loud.

“What,” Dean asked, still in the dark.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Man, you were always bad at charades.”

“I’m not!” Dean sputtered like a child.

“I think she’s a mermaid.”

“Sam, don’t you think we would’ve heard of them being real?” Dean couldn’t wrap his head around the idea.

Dean’s disbelief caused an argument between the boys. They were too busy with trying to be right that they didn’t notice you taking off your clothes. There was only one way to end this argument. Just in your bra you tapped your seashell necklace and prepared for the fall.

At the sound of something falling, Sam and Dean stopped arguing. “Oh shit!” They simultaneously said, realizing Sam was right.

It was uncomfortable to have your tail and not be near water, so you transformed back to legs in forth of them. When Sam and Dean noticed you were naked down below, they quickly turned their backs to you.

After you were dressed properly, you tapped both on their broad shoulders. Questions were flying at you. Was it another mermaid behind the killings? How many mermaids are there? Are you a good or bad mermaid? How do you have sex?

You pointed to the photos to direct the hunters’ attention (more Dean than Sam) back to the case. “Oh yeah, the case.” Dean sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “You said you knew who’s behind the murders, right?”

Nodding yes, you began thinking of how to act out Mami Wata. Jumping up and down you got the boys’ attention when you figured it out.

You mimicked the motion parents do when they rock their babies. “Cradle? Rocking?” Dean guessed.

“Baby?!” Sam called out. You smiled at his correct guess, but that wasn’t the word they needed, it was only a connection.

Pointing between you and your imaginary baby, you hoped they would get it.

“Mom?”

“Mother?”

“Mama?”

“Mommy?” Dean threw out. You squeezed his cheeks and gave him a kiss.

Dean gave Sam a superior look. “And you said I was bad at charades.” Sam ignored his brother’s smug smirk and paid attention to you searching for something. Your eyes lit up when you found it. This should be easy.

“Water?” Dean asked and it earned him another kiss from you.  He smiled victoriously at Sam. Now he wanted to play charades with you all the time.

Combining the two words, Sam asked you, “Mommy water?” Close enough. You knew they weren’t familiar with the dialect. You nodded your head yes and Sam began searching it. “Okay, I think I got it.” Sam announced after a few minutes. “Mami Wata?” He looked to you for approval. You jumped over to him and placed a big kiss on Sam’s cheek.

“Shut up,” Dean told Sam before he could say something smart. “What are we dealing with?”

“Okay, lore says Mami Wata is an African water goddess. She can take an appearance of a mermaid or human. Either way she’s extremely beautiful, like Aphrodite beautiful.”

Dean hovered above his brother. “Enough with the backstory. Why is she killing dudes?”

Sam scrolled down further until he found what he wanted. “I think I got it. Mami Wata appears to some men and promise them riches and good fortune as long as they remain faithful to her. Cheat and you’ll lose everything. Sometimes even your life.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. How do we kill her?”

Sam leaned back and sighed at what he read. “Wooden stake dipped in the blood of one of their living victims.”

Dean started browsing the local newspaper. He remembered something sticking out. He shook the paper when he found the article about a man winning the two million dollars lottery. “Boom! I think we got our next victim.” He started grabbing his belongings. “Sammy, Y/N, let’s roll.”

--

It was always a set-up. The men Mami Wata made deals with were notorious cheaters. She knew they would break the deal and cheat. With some teamwork, preparation, and some luck the three of you were able to kill her before she got to her next victim.

“You know it would be nice to have a mermaid on Team Free Will.” Dean desperately wanted to spend more time with you.

You intertwined your fingers with Dean’s. “I wish, but I belong in the ocean. Princess duties.”

Dean nodded his head to himself. “Well, let me leave you with a parting gift.”

Dean’s lips were less than an inch away from yours when you heard your mom’s voice. “Y/N!” She was flanked by a sulking Sebastian and Floyd.

You wasted no time going to her. For her to be on land meant you were deep in trouble. You gave Dean one more glance, taking in his features for the last time.

--

Tears feel from your eyes as Sebastian and Floyd tried to comfort you. Your mother really banned you from the kingdom. Sneaking to land? Forgivable. Almost kissing a human? Forgivable. But killing her goddess? Unforgivable, apparently.

Your friends assured you the queen would change her mind. Despite your different beliefs, you were her favorite because you were so similar. But how long would it take for her to change her mind? Your mother could hold a grudge.

“Y/N?” Dean called into the grotto. Behind him was Sam and Scuttle. “What’s wrong?” He sat by you and pulled you into a hug.

Sebastian splashed some water on him.

“What the fuck, dude?!”

“Don’t you think you’ve helped enough? Both of you?” Sebastian glared at both brothers.

“What did we do?” Sam asked, a little scared of the abnormally buff merman.

Splashing some water with your tail, you admonished your friend. “Don’t mind Seb, he’s always crabby.”

“I get crabby when my princess and friend gets banished because she helped hunters.”

Sticking up a finger, you corrected him. “For your information I got in trouble for killing Mami Wata.”

Sam knelt by you, feeling horrible that him and Dean were the cause of your current predicament “Is it true?”

“That I got banned? Yeah, but it’s not your fault. I knew this could happen. I’m just bummed I have to find a new home.”

Scuttle laid a hand on your shoulder. “Y/N/N, you always have a home with me.”

Sam and Dean traded looks with each other, this was their fault and they needed to fix it. “Or…” Dean drew out. “You can live with us, hunt with us.” Dean saw the debate in your eyes. “That’s only if you want to. No pressure.” He added nervously.

When your eyes lit up, Floyd began shaking his head no. “Y/N, nuh uh! There’s vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and demons!”

“Stop being a guppy, Floyd!” Your Aunt Iliana chuckled as she swam up with her dolphin, Pica. “This is where she’s meant to be.” She gave you a knowing smirk.

Her prophecy! You remembered. Sliding back in the water you gave your aunt and friends hugs and kisses goodbye. You promised them to visit as much as you could.

With a press to your necklace, your tail turned into legs and with some magic from Aunt Iliana you had clothes on this time.

“Ready?” Dean offered his hand.

You put your hand in his. “Yeah.” It sucked to be kicked out of your world, but now you could be a part of Dean’s.

Tagging: @titty-teetee @chonisberonica @awshitdaviddonedonethisshitagain @cocooned-butterfly @babypink224221 @deanscroissant @deansbbysblog​ @nervouspetsonanime​ @nerd-lovely​

[starring-movies]

Killing Eve: Episode Analysis

*SPOILERS*

Season 1, Episode 1 - Nice Face

The episode begins with our introductions to Villanelle, in an ice cream shop; and Eve at home with Niko, with Eve’s scene continuing to show her work dynamics.

I discuss these two first scenes at length in two of my previous posts, that I will link at the bottom of this post, as well as here: Villanelle, Eve.

In a nutshell - Villanelle’s first scene, she is introduced as distant and inaccessible to those around her yet still acutely observant, evident from the mimicking of the young man behind the counter. The knocking of the ice cream onto the little girl sat opposite her shows that she also has a cruel aspect to her character that is hidden beneath her friendly and unassuming exterior. From Eve’s scenes we see that she lives an incredibly unexciting life where falling asleep on both your arms is considered to be scary and justifies blood curdling screaming. We also see that Eve doesn’t act particularly professionally but has a perceptive and intuitive mind, illustrated during the meeting when considering who killed Kedrin.

Back to Villanelle, who has returned to Paris and has indulged in some extensive retail therapy. She’s taken her brunette wig off and we can now see her natural hair which is out, as it often is when she’s not doing a job. She is, however, still in the top and trousers from her earlier disguise. This means that we’re getting more insight into her character, but as she’s still half in disguise we can see that she’s still putting on her facade. She even politely picks something up that the man in front of her has dropped, maintaining her outward image and unassuming ‘nice face’.

The song playing through this scene is a french song, called ‘Il Voyage’ by Françoise Hardy. After a quick google translate it seems that the lyrics of the song are, as usual, a perfect fit for the scene. It’s a fitting representation for both how those who come into contact with, and we as the audience, see Villanelle.

The lyrics translate as:

“When you talk to him he doesn’t answer.

He seems to be watching you, you think he’s listening.

His eyes are there on you, but you won’t read it.

What he thinks of you. Do you think he’s thinking about it?

Or you walk on the street.

He lets go of your arm and neither seen nor known he disappears.

He is no longer there.”

These lyrics reflect how removed from others and unattainable Villanelle is. How she blends into the background seamlessly when she needs to, but has quiet observant eyes over those she watches and judges. Even the title of the song, which translates as ‘He Travels’, is applicable for Villanelle who is never in one place for long as she is always travelling across Europe to complete her kills.

Making her way back to her apartment, Villanelle passes a middle-aged looking woman with dark curly hair and an obvious resemblance to Anna. Villanelle’s eye is instantly caught by the woman and she maintains her stare as the woman walks past her.

This is the first of three moments when Villanelle notices different women who resemble Anna. The second, is at the end of this episode, when she sees Eve for the first time in the hospital toilets. The third, is in S1E2, when she is out walking with Sebastian. Each of the three times this happens, Villanelle has an incredibly strong visceral reaction to being reminded of Anna. After the first time she mocks the elderly lady, who lives in the apartment opposite her, for her slow walking; the second time she kills the entire room of hospital staff, not just her target Kasia; and the third time she immediately cuts her and Sebastian’s walk short to go back to Sebastian’s apartment to sleep with him.

A nice showcase of the attention to detail on the show is how a single draw can be used to show how Villanelle’s private life and work life intermingle in her living space. The contrast of having her razors, nail polish and tampons (all considered very feminine objects) in the same draw as her gun and bullets (stereotypically considered masculine) shows the contrast of a woman in a line of work that would usually be considered a man’s. Also notable is the fact that the tampons and bullets are presented identically; both in boxes and the same shape and size.

Similarly, the french song in this scene, ‘Roller Girl’ by Anna Karina, with the lyrics translating as “I’m the girl we stick on the Harley Davidson, BMW’s, 16 ton trucks” - in the same way as the draw, the lyrics emphasise the contradiction we find in Villanelle, between what is typically considered to be masculine and feminine.

The mirrored order of Eve and Villanelle’s scenes is significant as we first see Villanelle ‘at work’ and then proceed to see her at home, but with Eve we first see her in her casual setting at home and then at work. This shows the contrast between the two aspects of both their lives - professionally and personally. Professionally, Villanelle is calm, collected and confident; whereas Eve is more scattered and all over the place. Personally, Villanelle is alone with no real connections; whereas Eve has a husband and a number of coworker friends.

Continuing to settle back into her apartment we see Villanelle place the brunette wig we saw earlier, who she calls “Loulou”, on a wig stand. Giving the wig an affectionate name demonstrates how she considers her disguises to be like different people with individual personalities, perhaps she draws inspiration for the disguises she uses based on people that she’s previously observed.

After taking off her top we see that Villanelle is wearing a chest binder underneath, another ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment, but an important one as it explains why Kasia tells Eve that the killer was “ale decha” (flat-chested).

Villanelle’s vanity, and the importance she places on superficial things such as he looks, is shown when she examines herself in the mirror.

Mirrors are a recurring theme in Killing Eve, often used generally to symbolise self reflection, and specifically used in the show to illustrate how Eve and Villanelle see themselves mirrored in one another. In this instance, the mirror highlights how Villanelle’s self reflection currently only goes as far as surface level. She prioritises her beauty and material things, and as shown during her conversation with Eve in S1E5, she neither questions nor concerns herself with why or who she is killing.

These aspects to Villanelle are presented in the lyrics of Unloved’s ‘When a Woman is Around’, which plays when she is in Tuscany.

“I don’t pretend to know the ways of the world. A means to an end seems the way”

- Villanelle doesn’t care about why she’s killing, she’s good at it and it’s just the means to an end for her so she can earn money and have the lifestyle she wants.

“Who has the most of whatever’s best”

- Whatever’s best to Villanelle is beauty, money, clothes and power, all of which she does have the most of.

“Truth is seldom found when a woman is around”

- Again emphasising that no-one really knows Villanelle.

Villanelle’s boredom that she talks about in the speech she makes as Billie in S2E6, where she says that she’s “just so bored”, is shown here through the joke she plays on Konstantin; as well as her telling him she “just want[s] someone to play with” in Tuscany.

Her childish side is also shown again, which is explained much later in S3E5 when Villanelle tells her mother she wants to feel like a child. It shows her want for the parental connection that she lacked as a child. A connection she felt she had with Anna and sees to some degree with Eve, but currently only has in Konstantin as a father figure, asking him if he’d be sad if she died and he gives a sincere reply of “of course”.

Taking in mind Carolyn’s question to Eve in S2E7 “any escalation? Increased attention-seeking, recklessness”, a question she asks about Villanelle and concerning Eve herself; when looking back on this first episode the inkling that both of them were already starting to ‘go off the rails’, as well as how they both sit somewhere on the psychopathy scale when the series started, is apparent. This is shown from Villanelle in the pretend suicide attempt, the fancy hairpin, the unnecessary killing of everyone in Kasia’s hospital room, Carolyn telling Eve that “frankly she’s [Villanelle] starting to show off”, Konstantin’s worry that Villanelle might get caught and asking her in S1E2 “why are you being naughty?”, and killing Bill when she was told not too. It’s shown in Eve in her cutting her thigh, her interviewing and recording Kasia illegally, telling Elena not to tell Bill where she’s gone and endangering Dom by taking him with her to speak to Kasia.

Although earlier she knocks the ice cream onto the little girl, we do know from Tatiana’s treatment of Villanelle’s half brother, Bor’ka, and Villanelle herself when she was a child, that she doesn’t like children being treated cruelly by family. As Villanelle observes Greco and his grandson Davide playing with each other, we get a close up of her from a slight angle as she smiles. She seems to be enjoying the moment that they’re having together, maybe briefly forgetting she’s on a job and reminiscing about memories she had with her own father, who we know from S3E5 that she had a much closer relationship with than her mother - he taught her to fight, did woodworking with her and laughed at her jokes.

As soon as Greco pours the water over Davide’s head, we see Villanelle shift immediately. Her expression becomes harsh as her smile drops and the angle is now straight on Villanelle’s face showing she has been snapped out of the moment and is once again focused on the task at hand.

We see the pleasure Villanelle derives from watching the spark drain from someone’s eyes. We repeatedly see this with Villanelle, in S1E2 at the Bulgaria kill and the perfume kill, S1E3 the Fat Panda kill, Villanelle speaks about it to frank in S1E5 and Dasha talks about it in S3E7.

As well as having all her books, DVD’s and articles on female assassins; the fact that Eve is cutting her leg near her femoral artery and knows exactly how she’d kill Niko (when it hadn’t even crossed Niko’s mind how he’d kill someone), once again displays how we’re unsure if Eve just has a particular interest in female killers or actually wants to be one herself. This is something that Eve represses, shown in S2E5 when she considers pushing a man onto the tracks in the tube station and in S2E8 when Villanelle tells Eve “it’s what you wanted!” after Eve killed Raymond, but Eve rejects this.

Eve asking Niko “do you want to have sex”, just accentuates the extent of the dullness of Eve’s life and her relationship with Niko. It’s conventional, there’s little to no spark left between them and certainly no excitement or spontaneity left, it’s treated almost like a chore to be done. This is contrasted in the following scene with Villanelle, who Konstantin finds sleeping next to a man and another woman - not explicit but this short moment is all that’s needed to convey the difference. We also get a subtle suggestion of Villanelle’s preference to women, as she has the other woman’s arm wrapped over her.

Eve and Villanelle’s very first encounter with one another.

Villanelle is obviously struck by Eve’s resemblance to Anna, so much so that it almost looks as if she isn’t even going to speak to Eve. The inclusion of the mirrors and the satisfying symmetry of this shot demonstrates that similarity between the two of them that we often see. It visually represents what keeps pulling Villanelle and Eve towards each other and what Villanelle even says herself in S2E8 is the reason she’s so drawn to Eve - “we are the same”.

This moment of meeting Eve for the first time, as well as when Villanelle breaks into EVe’s house in S1E5, is also the reason why in the same episode Villanelle says she has “a thing about bathrooms” to Frank.

We think Villanelle is going to leave without saying anything but then she tells Eve to “wear it down” just before she leaves. Just as Villanelle is transfixed by Eve and her hair; Eve is also transfixed with surprise at Villanelle’s assertive manner, so much so that she does what this stranger tells her to, and throughout the series Eve continues to touch or let down her hair whenever she thinks about Villanelle.

During Eve and Carolyn’s conversation when Eve asks Carolyn if she’s married, she tells Eve “a few times, yes”. This tiny one line, that might seem like a throwaway or filler line at first, actually holds so much weight. Implied within this tiny bit of dialogue is the strain of the secret agent work that Carolyn has done for most of her life and Eve is now getting involved in. The work is so taxing on Carolyn’s private life and maintaining a marriage that it has caused her to be married a number of times. It also foreshadows the fate of Eve’s marriage with Niko, which is also ended due to the strain of Eve’s work on their relationship.

You can read my previous in depth scene analysis here:-

The First Indroduction to Villanelle

The First Introduction to Eve

S1, E2 - I’ll Deal With Him Later

S1, E3 - Don’t I Know You?

S1, E4 - Sorry Baby

S1, E5 - I Have a Thing about Bathrooms

S1, E6 - Take Me To The Hole!

S1, E7 - I Don’t Want to Be Free

S1, E8 - God, I’m Tired

S2, E1 - Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?

S2, E2 - Nice and Neat

S2, E3 - The Hungry Caterpillar

S2, E4 - Desperate Times

S2, E5 - Smell Ya Later

S2, E6 - I Hope You Like Missionary!

S2, E7 - Wide Awake

S2, E8 - You’re Mine

S3, E1 - Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey

S3, E2 - Management Sucks

S3, E3 - Meetings Have Biscuits

S3, E4 - Still Got It

S3, E5 - Are You From Pinner? [Part 1]

S3, E5 - Are You From Pinner? [Part 2]

S3, E6 - End of Game

S3, E7 - Beautiful Monster

S3, E8 - Are You Leading or Am I? [Part 1]

————————————————————————————————————————

[j-j-ehlby-writes]

Loved You First (s.s.)

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary: Sebastian hasn’t healed from his break-up, but apparently she has. When his girl starts to date someone new, he can’t accept it. He loved her first. Based of “Loved You First” by One Direction. Sequel to “Love You Goodbye”

Warnings: Angst, fluff, tears, happy ending

A/N: For some reason I keep getting inspired by 1D songs so here’s another one. I do NOT own the song or the picture. Again, lyrics should be in bold but mobile probably won’t adhere to what I want.

My Masterlist

I knew moving on from her would be the most difficult thing in the world to do. She was supposed to be my forever. We talked endlessly about our future: where we wanted to get married, how many kids we wanted, where we would settle down when the time came… I imagined it all with her.

But life had a different plan for us.

Four months after she left, my phone started blowing up with the news I had dreaded the most: she started dating someone else. She started posting pictures on her Instagram of them on fancy nights out, warm nights in, him surprising her with lunch while she’s working, spontaneous dates, and her saying she’s “the luckiest girl.”

Girl, that should be me drivin’ to your house Knockin’ on your door, kissin’ you on the mouth Holdin’ on your hand, dancin’ in the dark…

I wanted be happy for her. She was finally able to get everything she deserved in a relationship: someone who was around all the time who she could spend more than a few days with at a time; someone to take her on spontaneous dates and not have to worry about it being all over the internet within the hour; someone who could surprise her by bringing her lunch in the middle of the day; someone who knew how to communicate with her…

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t be happy. I couldn’t be happy knowing someone else was making her smile until her cheeks hurt, someone else was holding her late at night and kissing her until she was breathless… that should be me.

‘Cause I was the only one who loved you from the start…

I wanted to be angry. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. I wanted to punch holes through the nearest wall. I wanted to cry hot tears of rage… How could she have moved on so quickly? While my heart was still shattered, missing her every moment of every day, she was out with someone else. She filled that void that I couldn’t keep filled.

I want to, but then I remember that this was my fault. She was with him because of me and because of my lifestyle. She was with him because I let her walk out of my life without truly fighting for her…

When she said she couldn’t be with me anymore, I shut down. I never expected to lose her. I thought we could get through anything as long as we were together. I knew we had hit a bump in the road since we were fighting constantly and my filming schedule was busier than it usually was, but I thought we could get passed it. I have a break after filming wrapped for this movie and was planning on taking her to Romania. I was going to surprise her when I finished this movie, but she made up her mind. And once she makes up her mind, there was no changing it.

The last time I saw her, I almost told her of my plans. I almost begged her to wait a few more months and then I would make everything up to her. But I knew my girl. I knew she already felt awful for hurting me, I didn’t want her to feel worse. So she let me love her for one last night and then she was gone. Waking up alone, I felt numb at first, but then I found her cardigan. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much or felt that much pain in my entire life. I knew I didn’t want us to be apart. I knew it then and I know it now.

But now when I see you with him, It tears my world apart…

As the months went by, I couldn’t help but watch her posts about him. Every picture she looked happier than the last. Thankfully she never posted any pictures of her kissing him. That may have made me vomit. With every picture, with every month that went by that they celebrated together… seeing her with him just fueled my fire to get her back. She’s meant to be with me. And I’m going to tell her that.

Right after we wrapped filming, I flew to where she lived. I know I had no right to barge back into her life again. She’s happy. She’s moved on. She’s given her heart to someone else who probably deserves it more than me. But I had to try. I had to fight, even if I may be too late.

Because I’ve been waitin’ all this time to finally say it But now I see your heart’s been taken and nothing could be worse…

As soon as I land, I drive to her place. I have no idea if she will even be home or if she was going to be with him. She could slam the door in my face and not hear me out. I haven’t tried contacting her since she left out of respect for her, even though I wanted to more than anything. And then I decide to just show up out of the blue, begging for her to take me back when I know she has someone. I wouldn’t blame her at all if she told me to leave. I’m hoping she won’t though. I’m hoping she still loves me enough to listen to what I have to say.

Had my chances, could’ve been where he is standin’ That’s what hurts the most, girl, I came to close But now you’ll never know….

I know I had my chance already and I blew it, but I love her with everything I have in me and I believe we could be great together again if she were to give me another chance.

Girl, it should be me callin’ on your phone Sayin’ you’re the one and that I’ll never let you go…

When I pulled onto her street, she was just getting out of her car. She looked even more beautiful than I remembered, still taking my breath away. She was talking on her phone, smiling from ear to ear. I imagine she’s probably talking to him, telling him about her day like she used to do with me. In the beginning, she would very animatedly tell me everything that went on throughout her day. It was easily my favorite part of the day because it would almost seem like I was there with her through all of it. I wished more than anything that I could. I always held onto the day that we could be together again and I could see her stunningly beautiful smile for myself.

I waited for her to enter her house before getting out of the car. My heart raced as I made my way up to her front door. I rehearsed what I was going to say all the way here, but as soon as she opened the door, my mind went blank.

Her jaw dropped when she saw me. She told her mom that she would have to call her back before she turned her attention back to me. “Sebastian, what are you doing here?”

“Can I talk to you?” I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep myself from pulling her to me. Eight months is the longest we’d been apart since we met and my body was aching to be close to hers again. Having her so close, yet so far, my hands were itching to touch her skin again.

I could see the conflict in her eyes. She was debating on whether or not she should. “Please?” I begged. “I promise I won’t be long.”

With that, she opened the door wider and she stepped aside. I took that as my invitation to come in. Her house still smelled the same, like her. Stepping through the familiar threshold, the feeling of home washed over me as it always did when I would visit her. She ushered us into her living room where we sat in silence.

“I miss you,” I blurted, turning to her.

“Sebastian, please-” She stood up, but I grabbed her wrist to stop her before standing as well. I enveloped her smaller hand in both of mine, pulling her back to me. Her smaller hand was warm in mine, spreading it throughout my entire body. Her touch always did that for me.

“No, please, just hear me out.” I begged before she could say anything else. She looked at me with almost as much pain as she did that night. She’s still hurting, possibly as much as I am.

I remember the first time I looked into her eyes. I knew in an instant that I was done for. I knew that I could fall in love with her. She was different than any girl I’d ever known. In that moment, I knew she was going to change my life forever. Anyone I had been with prior to that day became a distant memory and there would be no one else who could even come close to her. It’s still true to this day.

I never understood what love was really like But I felt it for the first time lookin’ in your eyes…

I continued when she didn’t stop me, “I miss you so much- I miss you so much it hurts.” I tried to convey what I’d been waiting for so long to say, but words were failing. I was so nervous, my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that she was standing in front of me again, holding her hand.

But now when I see you with him My whole world falls apart…

“And I know that you’re with him, that you’ve given your heart to him, and that kills me. It kills me to see you with someone who isn’t me. I hate knowing that I made the worst mistake of my life when I let you go. You’re,” I could feel my emotions coming to the surface. The emotions I’d kept buried for months were threatening to explode now that I was here, looking into her eyes, confessing everything to her. I took a deep breath before continuing, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” I choked out as the tears filled my eyes, even when I was trying to be strong. But I can never hide how I feel when I’m around her.

The first touch, the first kiss First girl to make me feel like this…

“From the first touch of your hand saying hello to our first kiss later that night, you were the first girl to make me feel love from the moment I met you. I knew I could love you for the rest of my life if you let me. I’m so sorry for screwing it all up. If you could just give me one more chance, I know we could make this work.” I felt like I was rambling on but the words just kept coming. All of the things I’ve wanted to say to her since she left just come spilling out.

Heartbreak, it’s killin’ me...

She remained silent while listening to me, tears in her own eyes starting to form. I finally got up the nerve to pull her into my arms, all caution thrown out the window. “Please, baby,” I whisper against her forehead as I kiss it, “please baby, I need you.” I rest my forehead on hers, trying to calm myself down, “I Loved You First, why can’t you see?”

I finally pulled back after what felt like hours. Her hands held tightly onto the back of my shirt like she never wanted to let go. Her eyes were shut but her lip was quivering. She was trying hard to stay strong, but I could see her slipping. I cradled her face in my hands, “Baby, look at me.”

She shook her head, taking in a shaky breath, “I can’t.”

“Please,” I beg again, but she pulled back from me completely.

A sob escaped her lips before she finally opened her eyes. Tears fell from both as she glared at me. “No, I can’t do this.” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “Why are you saying all of this to me? Now of all times?”

“Because baby, I Loved You First. And because I’m afraid that if I waited any longer, I would have lost you forever.”

“God damn it, Sebastian.” She whimpered, wiping her eyes.

We stand in her living room in silence. Neither of us knowing what to say now that everything is out there.

I sigh, “I know I’m asking a lot and I don’t expect you to have an answer for me right now.” I know her mind. I know she will be going back and forth with this decision for days, if not weeks. She’s never been the type of person to just jump in with both feet. She needs time to think about it and I will give her that. I reach into my pocket and placed the plane ticket I have for her on her couch. “I’ll give you as much time as you need. If I don’t hear from you by this day and time, I’ll never bother you again.” My heart hurt saying those words, but if she doesn’t choose me, I will let her go. She deserves to be happy even if it’s not with me.

With that, I walk out, leaving my heart in her hands.

For the following weeks of reshoots and press for the new movie, I don’t hear from her. I stay off all social media because I don’t want to know her decision until the day the plane leaves for Romania. I know it’ll either be the second greatest day of my life or the second worst.

I’m anxiously bopping my knee and tapping my fingers on the door as I ride to the airport. In the other hand, I fidget with a little box I bought a year ago, opening and closing it as the minutes ticked by. After nearly tripping up the steps to the jet, I’m floored by what I see waiting for me.

She’s here.

I’m frozen in the doorway as she notices I’ve arrived. She’s dressed in her signature leggings and long-sleeved white t-shirt for traveling. Her hair is in a messy bun, she’s wearing her glasses, and she has zero make-up on. She’s never looked more perfect to me.

“Took you long enough,” She smirks.

Without missing a beat, I reach into my backpack, effectively storing the little box away and pulling out something even more meaningful to both of us. I hold out the cardigan she left, a smile forming on her perfect lips as she approaches me. I slide it up her arms and onto her shoulders where it was always meant to be. She turns around and wraps her arms around my neck, bringing her body to mine where it was also always meant to be.

I pull away slightly but only to capture her lips with mine. Happiness flows through my body as my love embraces me with as much love as we can fathom.

I loved her goodbye once and I will never let her go again because I loved her first and I will be the last.

~*~

Tags: @the-marvel-wars @elusive-beauty @im-a-slut-for-an-accent @fantasy-is-my-reality @drakesfiance

[aion-rsa]

How Cruella’s Director Took Disney to a Darker Place

https://ift.tt/3uzVWsv

One of the most infamous villains in Disney’s storied history is Cruella de Vil, the wickedly evil heiress and socialite who obsessively wanted to make a coat from the fur of puppies in 1961’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Based on a novel by Dodie Smith, the animated classic introduced Cruella as a fully formed monster, intent on skinning all 101 of the title Dalmatians for her own personal luxury.

Cruella became such an instant symbol of vanity, greed, and malevolence that she has appeared in the decades since in a number of animated and live-action sequels and spin-offs, with Glenn Close most notably playing her in two live-action films in 1996 and 2000. But with Disney in recent years launching a successful series of live-action prequels and remakes based on their iconic animated films, such as Maleficent, the studio decided the time had come to explore Cruella’s little-known background.

The result is Cruella, in which Emma Stone plays the title character. Left to her own devices very early in her life, Cruella—or Estella as she is originally known—is a London street thief who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. She falls under the mentorship of the narcissistic, cruel Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), a prestigious designer who recognizes Estella’s talent. But their relationship turns to rivalry and more as a deeper connection between the two comes to the surface.

Cruella is directed by Craig Gillespie, who has been specializing in toxic relationships lately with 2017’s Oscar-nominated I, Tonya and the upcoming Pam & Tommy, about the turbulent love affair between Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and Baywatch star Pamela Anderson. Each are period pieces as well, and with Cruella, Gillespie takes the origin story of a classic villain and turns it into a sly satire on the fashion industry set in the chaotic yet liberating milieu of London’s 1970s punk rock scene.

While the film does not redeem Cruella’s later evolution into pure villainy, it does provide a backstory that makes sense, and one which Gillespie was happy to talk about with Den of Geek.

Den of Geek: How did you envision this when it was first presented to you?

Craig Gillespie: It’s interesting. [Disney president of production] Sean Bailey called me and he said, “Hey, what do you think about Cruella with Emma Stone set in 1970s punk London?” That trifecta for me, I was like, “That sounds amazing.”

Then I got the script, and it was beautifully written and it was a great sort of journey with all of these milestones and turns, but tonally, it didn’t have the… For me, I have this sensibility that I love being in this dance between humor and drama. That was the place that I feel like I can really excel. So that’s what I was looking for and I needed to bring to it.

Visually I had a very quick response, just from that headline that Sean Bailey had given me, and I was already doing a deep dive into that era with photographs of the time at King’s Road and Notting Hill, and the squatters and just the club scene. It’s just such an incredibly rich backdrop to work with. So I was compiling that, and the show was going to this very sort of gritty, dark, authentic place, and very quickly I just fed that to every production head as they came along. So visually, I got that, and I just needed to make sure we could get it attitudinally, like in the script with the characters and the music.

One of the things with these sorts of origin stories is the idea that we know what happens to the character down the line. So what’s the key for you to getting around that and creating a story that’s still compelling?

You know she’s going to live. Outside of that, I don’t really know much else about Cruella. It’s crazy. There’s no backstory. As we started to delve into it, okay, so when she was five, she went to school with Anita Darling, she was married to a furrier and she wanted a Dalmatian for a coat. That’s about the extent of her backstory, and I kind of loved that we had so much freedom with that. It gave so much license to really create our own persona. Then we started getting into the themes of what we could say about nature versus nurture and suppressing your true self. Then it got really interesting about how to bring that to life. So it was a really fun journey to go down.

You mentioned that the London punk era was already present in the script. Did it become even more present as you worked on it with your production and costume designers?

Yeah, absolutely. Just the visual research that Jenny Beavan did for costumes and then Nadia Stacey did for the makeup and the hair design—I think everybody got really excited about that era. And then just from a story standpoint, it’s like I really wanted to lean into these events.

I was particularly drawn to [designer] Alexander McQueen, which is obviously not that era, it’s the ’90s, but his attitude and his relationship with the press and with high society was… I saw a lot of parallels with Cruella’s attitude and the way that he would do these fashion shows that were deliberately confrontational. So that inspired me more with the pop-up fashion moments that she would have where she would sort of jump into these red carpet events and in these very aggressive ways. So we started heightening all of that and it all just kept building.

Were there any ideas that you considered and ultimately discarded? Anything that was just either too crazy or just didn’t work?

Disney was incredibly supportive. There was a scene where she’s breaking her friends out of jail and originally I’d conceived it that she takes her car and drives that in, but there were all these conversations about that car and needing it later on and this and that. I’m driving to prep one morning, and I go, “She’s used that garbage truck before. Let’s just have her drive that garbage truck in there.” We did a whole police chase with a garbage truck. There wasn’t really anything we said no to.

Read more

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Cruella Review: Sympathy for the de Vil

By Rosie Fletcher

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Raya and the Last Dragon Does Not ‘Aspire’ to Be a Disney Princess Movie

By David Crow

There’s a lot of talk about director’s cuts these days. Is there a director’s cut that we might see of this?

No. I’ve got to say I’m incredibly fortunate that this kind of is my director’s cut, and the same with I, Tonya. Disney had some great notes along the way, and it just became the best version of the film in my mind. I mean, literally outside of a few jokes in the final act and a 30-second scene with the Baroness and Estella, nearly everything’s in the movie.

This movie kind of dances in between the raindrops of different genres. Were there any films that you looked at for any particular inspiration?

Well, the interesting thing is, even though there are a lot of visual effects, it’s almost the invisible type. We didn’t have a 25-minute massive CG battle at the end of the movie, or fairies and princesses and characters that can transform. There’s no visual feast that way. So I was like, “What can we do that as a genre that can really keep people engaged?” And that was the heist genre for me.

So the one thing I did go back and look at is heist films, and in particular Ocean’s 11, to really sort of break down how much the audience actually needs to know about what’s going on. Are they ahead of the heist or behind it? All those kinds of questions came up. So that was a fascinating study for me.

How was it working with the two Emmas in this film?

The most exciting part to me was always those scenes with the two of them. And those things got elevated with Tony McNamara’s writing. He added in a lot more opportunities to put those two women together and go head-to-head and really enjoy their performances and the complexity of their performances. There’s a lot of humor going on, and there’s a lot of heavy topics, as well as drama.

They’re such versatile actors that they can do that dance in the scene between the humor and the drama. It was something I really knew I could lean into with them and Tony’s writing. It was candidly something that, on the page for Disney, sometimes felt a little flip or aloof—they weren’t sure, like when you were talking about a mother’s death, that you could have any humor in that scene. I knew that with these actors that they could do that nuance so beautifully that it would just elevate all of it. They were using that humor in a way to deflect the pain, and it was really exciting to see them do it.

It’s a bit darker than you expect for a Disney film.

Yeah. It was really exciting that they were so supportive of that. There were a few times where they would say, “Maybe shoot some kind of alt [version] as a safety,” but to their credit, they really leaned into all of the darkness.

You’re shooting Pam and Tommy right now, with Lily James as Pamela Anderson and Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee. How’s that going?

It’s amazing. It’s such a fun experience, and they’re such phenomenal actors and the prep they’ve done to get into character has been incredibly impressive.

Cruella is out in theaters and also available on Disney+ via Premier Access.

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[torentialtribute]

Lionel Messi urged to fight on by Argentina’s press after Copa America exit

Alas, it wasn't to be.

Beaten 2-0 by bitter rivals Brazil in their Copa America semi-final in Belo Horizonte, the 26-year wait for Argentina to lift a major trophy continues and the quest to end that drought is likely to be commanded by someone other than Lionel Scaloni.

This obviously means then that his namesake, one Lionel Messi or Barcelona has similarly gone 12 years himself now in his unsuccessful pray to taste glory in blue and white

Lionel Messi's wait to win a major international trophy goes on after Copa America exit

Tasting defeat for the first time in the 2007 edition of South America's premier international competition, again to Brazil at the final hurdle in Venezuela, there were also two penalty shootouts against Chile in 2015 and 2016 before adding 2014 extra-time heartache at the hands of the Germans in the World Cup in 2014.

In total, Messi has completed nine senior international tournaments for La Albiceleste without lifting silverware at their conclusion – a staggering return from an individual who has clinched th he Champions League and Ballon d'Or on no less than four and five occasions respectively.

Though both he and Argentina were at the best they had been all tournament at the Mineirao on Tuesday night, with Messi clipping Alisson's post in a ferocious start to the second half which almost saw them turn the tides, his stats across five outings in Brazil were hardly flattering.

Messi usually has the blame for Argentina's failures but the press urged him to stay

Blaming everything from the quality of the pitches around Latin America's largest nation, and on Tuesday night both the officiating and Conmebol, Messi didn't provide either an assist or a goal in open play at the 2019 Copa America with his only solid contribution and equalizing penalty against Paraguay in Argentina's second Group B fixture.

Yet this doesn't paint the whole picture. In fact, Messi, complimented by Scaloni for his work rate and being the 'flag bearer' or their homeland here, completed the most take-us and most shots, created the most chances and won the most fouls. Was it a case or doing it all for Argentina? Or doing too much?

Naturally, the Argentine press dug its heels over the hours that followed yet another big stage disappointment.

La Nacion praised Messi's performance and said he was" the leader of Argentina's offense "

By Ole in their 'Uno por Uno' (One by One) rankings, he was given the highest mark of seven among his teammates. 'The 10 played his best game in the Copa but had no reward. Marked by several [players] and with various systematic faults [in Argentina’s tactics] he managed to complicate [Brazil’s] defense. ' it judged.

Over at La Nacion, Messi also received the same points for being "Active, [and a] leader of the offense." 'Brazil tried to corner him and cut the line of passes. He crashed a shot against the post and Alisson saved a magnificent free kick. ' It was added.

Elsewhere, the national newspaper's Francisco Schiavo added further analysis with a lengthy piece on 'another disappointment in [Messi’s] obsessive search for a title with the Argentine national team.

Despite their 2-0 defeat against Brazil, Argentina's press believe good times are coming back

"Messi's task in the Copa, like that of all of Argentina, went from minor to major" Schiavo wrote. 'Because the captain played the best match so far in the contest last night. More dynamic and participatory, [he] ignited the attack with those electric runs so characteristic of him. "

Moving on to Messi's long course in the Copa America", Schiavo noted that "generational differences came to the surface 'after he was bled in Argentina in the late 2000s. At the turn of the decade, the likes of his idol Juan Roman Riquelme, Juan Sebastian Veron, Esteban Cambiasso, Fernando Gago, Javier Zanetti, Roberto Ayala and Gabriel Heinze all hung up their boots or were deemed surplus to requirements.

That Messi, save for his 'old cronies' Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, as Schiavo called them, has had to carry on surrounded by less talented colleagues that have failed to fill the void has not gone unnoticed.

Still, in the Mixed Zone at the Mineirao, when not in conspiracy fashion, the quiet genius offered to carry on and seemed enthusiastic at the current crop of young stars already in the team and coming through, who may pave his path to glory at long last.

Messi said he liked playing with this group of players and believes Argentina's future is bright

"Something new is on the horizon" Messi insisted. 'The truth is I have got on very well with this group of players and if I have to help in some way I will. This is a great group which is growing and if I can join them I will, 'he expanded.

Likewise, those back home wish that he will stick around too. 'Continue, master. Good times are coming ”Nelson Manulak on TyC Sport's social media page.

“ I want to keep watching your magic ”confessed Ariel Fernando Lopez. "There are people who speak bad about you because in life they were losers."

From Arnaldo Ariel Yapura, it was implied that Messi should stick around not just for next year's joint-hosted Copa America, but perhaps also Qatar 2022, by which he will be 35 yet could inspire those under him.

'There's Messi to teach this new generation so that this new generation can bring excitation back to the Argentines' it was claimed.

Some of the press even feel Messi, 32, can still help lead new generation of players to glory

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[3one3]

The Sequel - 792

Borussia Dormant

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s

(okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

“I’m actually just hanging out with Socks. Isa didn’t put him back out with the others when I was finished with him because he was wet. Well, I should say, he didn’t put him back out when he was done giving him a full bath, which he needed because I did so much with him that he was really, really sweaty. Anyway, we’re hanging out. He gives good kisses.”

“I saw your video earlier. Was that a new horse?”

“It was Cornflakes! He’s totally wasted on Yannis.”

André slumped with relief in his car seat while Christina laughed on the other end of the phone. She posted a clip on Instagram of a chestnut jumping through a 6-jump gymnastic from about 2’6” up to 4’6”, and it was quite a feisty looking animal under her. It never occurred to the player that Yannis’ pony could jump that high or behave just like his bigger, hotter stablemates. He was worried that she was looking at another new horse. The problem with having a new barn to move into with 18 stalls was the threat that Christina would find a way to fill them all. More horses meant less time for him and less time for herself, by André’s logic. He was about to call Peter to verify that his crew was finished removing all the surface footing from the ring, or that they’d be finished with it the next day, Friday. OTTO Sport was sending someone over Friday to survey and order everything needed to get started installing their product on Monday.

“How come you were jumping Cornflakes?” he inquired of his wife, who ignored his silence in favor of talking to Socks. The Dutch stallion was trying to figure out where the molasses cookie was hiding. He knew she had one. He could smell it. It kept moving from different hands to different pockets. Christina was in his stall with him. Her 11-stall barn was relatively quiet but for the music on the stereo. It was drizzly out, but not enough to keep the horses in. She was already done riding for the day, Stefanie rode her pair earlier too, the Hazards weren’t coming, and Kyle was off. Isandro was loading up the ATV bed with bales of hay to bring over from storage to start readying the horses’ stalls for the night. They would have hay and full water buckets waiting for them in their freshly bedded stalls, but wouldn’t get their dinner until later, after grooming and feet picking. Christina was dragging her feet about leaving the barn for the day because she didn’t feel like showering and getting pretty to go to the auction exhibition with Juan. She still really wanted to go, but wished she could skip the part about getting clean and presentable first. Also Socks kept making faces at her through her office window while she was finishing up emails at her desk. To her they were “come pay attention to me” faces.

“Because it’s fun to play with ponies, and it’s something different to do, and the kids can’t ride today, and the gymnastic was already set up for Jelly Bean, Nick, and Socks. How was training?”

“It was good.” Man am I glad to hear her say she’s trying to have fun at the barn, André quickly added to himself. The rest of his wife’s visit in Dortmund was more tame than that argument they got into Tuesday morning, but it wasn’t as restorative as he’d hoped, and it was far from encouraging. Christina never shrugged off her weekend and footing induced stress. “I’m about to leave to go home and get Mama and Mausi. We’re going to the bookstore for another one of those story time things with lots of kids. I don’t know if he understands enough German to understand the story, but he likes to play with the kids after. They have a lot of toys for them, and crayons and stuff.”

“I am quite positive he doesn’t understand enough German to understand the story,” Lukas’ mom laughed. “That sounds fun though. I’m glad you find ways to get him to do stuff with other kids, because I constantly worry that he’s not getting socialized enough. I keep feeling like a bad mom because I don’t have a big network of other moms with kids for him to play with.”

“You will here, pretty girl. All my teammates have young kids. That’s one of the perks of moving from a squad with a lot of veterans to one with a lot of young players, I guess,” André suggested. “You’re going to the auction thing tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m about to go get ready. We’re going early so we can get dinner after. Want me to send you pictures of awkward erotic art?”

“I definitely want the other parents at children’s story hour to see me looking at erotic art on my phone.”

“Oh good point,” Christina laughed. She shook the molasses treat out of the sleeve of her fleece jacket and held it out for Socks, who had just about given up trying to find it. He really thought it was in her left hand, but she kept showing him that it was empty. He didn’t know it could be hidden inside her sleeve. His cute black head nodded up and down while he chewed the Oreo-sized cookie.

“Are you going home after dinner?” The footballer’s question was colored with just the whisper of unease.

“I plan to. Tomorrow is my day off from life. I pre-made my own pizza this morning so that I can spend the least amount of time possible out of bed. Don’t call me first thing in the morning with Lukas because I will not be a happy camper. Don’t even try to talk to me until after noon, at least,” his girl warned with stern seriousness. Her voice then changed completely. “Byyyye, pony. See you Saturday. Enjoy your day off outside,” she lovingly told Socks after giving him a kiss in the middle of his long face stripe. That shift in her tone made André smile to himself while he steered out of Brackel. That was the trademark sound, sort of, of the girl he fell so hard for. Her passion and her love for her equine friends and partners caught him off guard that day in Florida, just like her concern for his problem and her genuine hope to help him solve it. Those things were similar to her love for Lukas that he admired so much, but also very different in some ways. Christina didn’t have a passion for motherhood. She had a deep sense of obligation to do it as best she could, whether that was making her baby food from whole organic foods and making sure Lukas got all the recommended toys for developmental learning, or foregoing her own needs to outdo herself on his, and she did enjoy doing things for her son, but it wasn’t like the passion she had for and inspiration she drew from cultivating amazing relationships with her horses. Her face didn’t light up like the sun when she talked about being a mom. The excited energy that overflowed from her when she discussed those animals or got ready to do something with them wasn’t easy for just anyone to spot, but it was plain as day to André and he thought it adorable and precious alike, and unique to her. He never saw that quality- that consummation, almost- in any other girl.

“Have I ever told you how much I love how much you love your horses?”

“Yes, but I’ll never complain about having to hear things you love about me, if for no other reason than it would be hypocritical. I did write down 365 things I love about you and demand that you read every one.”

“Want to hear a joke?”

“No. You know what’s really sexy?”

“What?”

“The way English people say Sebastian. I just heard it on the radio. It has to be like a pretty-sounding English person though, not like Martin Brundle or any of the other people in F1. It’s no special thing when they say it.”

“Okay. Phone sex later?”

“Maybe. Call me. Spence! Lucky! Time to go!”

“Thanks for shouting in my ear,” the player said after recoiling at the cracking of Christina’s voice over the car speakers. Using the Bluetooth system meant she didn’t actually shout into his ear directly, but it was still an unpleasant noise.

“I always feel bad when I call for Spence and Lucky and Pepe comes running too and then I take them away and leave Pepe here.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t care. He wants to stay around Isa.”

“I know, but still.”

André kept his wife and his dogs company on their walk to the house. She asked some questions about what he did in training, and what the team was working on, and who was injured, and what he had for lunch. They continued to talk until her shower was running and her dirty clothes were in the laundry basket. He promised to send her pictures of Lukas playing at the bookstore and she promised not to send any pictures of artistically portrayed genitalia. Christina’s phone stayed busy while she showered. Juan texted her to say he was about to leave Cobham and intended to come over to get her, which implied he intended for her to sleep over at his place or that he would bring her home after dinner and stay the night, someone from adidas called to tell her they wanted an “emergency” meeting to show her samples of the second collection of tops and jackets bearing her name, and Natasha wanted to know how to cook skirt steak for tacos. All three got calls back regardless of the medium in which they made their inquiries, since it was easier to talk on the phone while picking clothes for the evening than typing messages.

Juan was warned that she was nowhere near being ready to leave. Adidas was informed they’d have to wait until Saturday, or Monday if they didn’t want to meet on a weekend. The rider was not giving up any part of her day off from life. Natasha was disappointed to learn that Christina’s skirt steak recipe required overnight marinating as she planned to cook it in a couple of hours. Her friend told her how to make it anyway. Choosing an outfit was much harder than answering everybody. Christina didn’t feel like wearing a dress, or sky-high heels for that matter. She didn’t feel like wearing a blazer, which was a go-to for nice-ish occasions when she didn’t wear a dress or skirt, because she hated wearing a blazer under a winter coat and there was a good chance Juan would want to walk from the exhibition to dinner so she couldn’t skip the coat. A sweater with skinny pants and boots seemed the best route to go down, but opened up countless possibilities and near infinite pairing choice. The rider decided to wait until she had no time left to choose- that the pressure of a hard deadline would make her decision easier. She went downstairs to have a snack and wait for Juan instead.

“Why is your mouth all pink and red?” he asked skeptically when she opened the door for him, before even saying hello.

“I made a pomegranate and berry smoothie,” Christina replied.

“It looks like you’ve been eating out a girl on her period.”

“Well that’s disgusting. Thanks for that visual,” she grumbled over her shoulder, having turned to head back to the kitchen and back to her all-fruit smoothie. “You couldn’t have gone with like, “sexy vampire feasting on hot guys”?”

“No. Hi Lucky, hi Spencer.” The Spaniard bent down to greet the excited terriers and then followed her. “Did you get a new tattoo?” he questioned just before she disappeared from the hallway around the corner.

“No I got kicked in the calf by my husband because he thought a straight red tackle was appropriate for playing an informal game of football with our 20-month-old son. That beautiful artwork on the back of my leg is a bruise.” The girl in the baggy tank top and boyshorts paused to show off the baseball-sized mark a little below the back of her knee. “Do you wanna read about how “revolutionary” my totally non-revolutionary horse management is?” Next to her blood red and very staining smoothie on the island counter was a magazine with an editorial about her and how she mixed old school fitness and nutrition principles with diversified training for mental health, and brand new technology. Christina adopted a policy of not reading about herself very often, but since the editorial wasn’t based on any interview she gave or even a conversation she could remember having, it piqued her interest. Suppositions about her always amused her in a disdainful sort of way. Juan looked over her shoulder at the magazine, but his interest might only have been an excuse to wrap his arms around her upper body and help himself to a tight hug. The proper greeting was fine with her, except that a snap on the sleeve of his leather jacket was embedded into her side.

“Do you really bring your own hypoallergenic bedding for the horses to every show?” His inquiry demonstrated that he was at least skimming the piece.

“No. I don’t even know if there is such a thing. I use really expensive bagged shavings though, instead of straw or the bulk loose shavings. I really hate straw and so does Tom, so if we go to a show that only provides straw, we bring our own bagged shavings. Most of the shows provide bagged shavings though,” Christina explained between sips from her extra-big straw. “I can’t decide what to wear tonight. Come upstairs and help me pick something.” She abruptly closed the periodical and chucked it near the mail pile, and then tried to walk away while still stuck in the hug. My hair is probably leaving a big wet spot on his chest, she thought. Juan wasn’t letting go of her, but he allowed her to walk.

“Wear a sexy dress and make the men at Sotheby’s even more uncomfortable.”

“I don’t feel like being considerate enough to wear a dress. A dress is work, you know. You have to remember not to sit with your legs open, or bend over too much, and it’s cold, and if it’s a tight dress then you can’t sit slumped over or there’s visible tummy bulge and stuff. Plus you have to wear heels, and that means looking out for sidewalk grates, and being mindful of shallow stairs, and-“

“Is this going to be one of those nights when you find something to complain about about everything?” the Spaniard asked dubiously once he released her from his grip. His ex-girlfriend held onto the inside of his left wrist though to tug him along toward the foyer, lest he hesitate. Her thumb and forefinger fit just between his watch and his hand. And she gave a whiny “no” in response to his question. He slowed her ability to pull him so that he could leave his shoes by the front door, so she let go and went upstairs without him to get a head start on the closet. The lead didn’t last very long. The player was on her heels again by the time she was walking by her bed, and it was his turn to grab her by the wrist. The only place he wanted to lead her was bed.

“Juaaaaniiiiiiin,” she complained as she found herself dragged to his lap. He sat at the foot of the bed and corralled her between his legs with his left arm around her body, this time from the front. “Whatever you have in mind, we don’t have time for,” Christina pouted. “And you’re gonna make me spill my drink and stain my carpet.”

“Well what were you doing all that time between when I said I was coming and now? It doesn’t take that long to blend fruit.”

“I was reading the next in the near-daily articles in the German news about why Schü and Mario don’t play,” she admitted disappointedly. André never acknowledged them, and never brought them to her attention, but stories from the likes of Bild, Die Welt, and WAZ still made their way to her eyes. Google, Twitter, and Instagram were all programmed to bring her news related to her interests, and her own last name was counted as an interest by their algorithms. They knew she posted content from Signal Iduna Park. They tracked her search history, which was riddled with her attempts to find photos of her horses and thus photos of herself. She was constantly bombarded with news she didn’t want to know about.

“How many games has it been?” Juan questioned curiously. He could always be relied upon not to bristle too much when Christina felt the need to discuss problems to do with the other player in her life.

“Just one. He sat the whole 90 minutes last weekend, but he played the whole game before that and made an assist for Marco, and he started the game before that too and scored a goal, so...I don’t know. They lost that game he scored in but it wasn’t his fault. He was, objectively, the best player in the game. I don’t know why he’s not playing. They didn’t even play well without him last weekend. They barely hung on to a 1-0. I guess the papers just like the “World Cup goal duo can’t get in the team” line.”

“In my experience, unless it’s a direct interview with a player or manager, the papers don’t say anything accurate or meaningful, cariña,” he reminded while she pulled on her straw, her lips still in a frown around it. “They have space to fill so they have to make news if there isn’t any.”

“I know, but it turns the fans’ opinion too. It makes the people who already hate that the club signed Schü and Mario feel vindicated in their vocal opposition, and it makes the undecided people start to question it. I hate it. I hate it for him. At least when he didn’t play at Chelsea he was so far under the radar that nobody really cared. How do you stand it when everyone is writing about you, and hypothesizing, and concluding? I know you know what it’s like.” Christina moved out of his arm to sit next to him on the bed, and leaned over on his shoulder with a figurative thud. I don’t even know why I’m talking about this, she realized while she waited for an answer. I read that editorial about me to forget all the stuff written about boyfriend, and now I’m back to that again.

“I just ignore. He does too. He knows better. I doubt the fans are on his back in the stadium.” The Spaniard had to shrug the suddenly downtrodden rider off his shoulder so that he could take his jacket off, and he patted her knees after folding it atop the black satin comforter that was in place specifically for her “day off from life” plans. “Come on. Show me the clothes options.”  

Christina arranged hangers around her dressing room with all the tops and sweaters she was willing to consider, and lined up the footwear choices, which included “dressy” wedge sneakers, low-heeled boots of varying heights, and two pairs of “manly” flats. Juan picked a white collared shirt, black pants, and knee-high brown boots, and she told him there was no way she was dressing as a pirate. Next he suggested a finely ribbed black turtleneck sweater with high-waisted skinny pants and booties with a stacked wooden heel. That was rejected on the basis that it would make it look like there was no torso between her waist and her chest, and that she had no sense of proportion. Three more ensembles were debated and discarded, and eventually the girl with too many clothes put on a short, shiny black blouson-top dress with a dropped waist and lots of shirring to make it easy and comfortable. The V-neck wasn’t low enough to require any special undergarment considerations, and the billowy sleeves made it feel like her thin cotton dressing gown. The footballer said it was cute, and she spiffed up the cheap dress with expensive bling and comfortable booties. He teased her and irritated her and got in the way the entire time she did her hair and makeup, and then they were off to his place so he could change too.