#it is a romance and it is a horror film and it is a journey of self-acceptance and self-love

[the-crooked-library]

i think i've mentioned it before in passing but it still fucks me up how Orlok is a physical manifestation of every "wrong and sinful" desire that Ellen tries to repress, as well as the panic that is associated with them.

the first sexual urges of her puberty (he claims her "ever-eternally"). the desire to dominate her husband (he dominates Thomas at the castle, demanding the subservience she never could). her queerness (he drinks from Anna, long and deep, and destroys Harding's family). the desperate longing for companionship, regardless of how dark and abnormal she believes herself to be (he answers her call from miles away, crosses an ocean for her, wants her, wants her, wants her - but she cannot imagine being wanted without repercussions, and so he brings the plague with him, a punishment for the sin of receiving what she craves).

Ellen is a mess of crushing guilt. she only ever sees ugliness in herself and i think it's so compelling to see her being desired above all else - not despite, but because of that ugliness, y'know?..

[jesslovesboats]

Hello friends, I am back with more reading recommendations for your agonies! Next up we have the long awaited and much requested Sad Boat Fiction list. As with all of my lists, this is NOT exhaustive and there WILL be great books left off, and also you may or may not like these books! I only rec things that I've personally enjoyed or that come highly recommended by trusted friends, but taste in books is incredibly subjective, especially with fiction. If I missed your favorite, please add it in the comments or drop it in my DMs!

Now that I'm feeling more settled in my new job, I will hopefully have a lot more time to make book lists and do more virtual Readers' Advisory. I have lists in the works for women in polar exploration and companion reads for the HBO War series, but if there's something else you would love to see, please send me a message!

Classics of the Genre

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Media Tie-Ins

Who Goes There? (Filmed as The Thing) by John W. Campbell, Jr.

The North Water by Ian McGuire

Cold Skin by Alfred Sánchez Piñol

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Graphic Novels

Whiteout by Greg Rucka

How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

*this is only fiction in the broadest possible sense of the term, but there is a shiny new American version of this book coming out with a gorgeous new cover and you should pre-order it immediately

Science Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson

Romance

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

My Last Continent by Midge Raymond

Inspired by the Terra Nova Expedition

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge

Terra Nova: A Play by Ted Tally

Antarctic Navigation by Elizabeth Arthur

*this is only fiction in the broadest possible sense of the term, but there is a shiny new American version of this book coming out with a gorgeous new cover and you should pre-order it immediately

Inspired by the Franklin Expedition

The Rifles by William T. Vollmann

Minds of Winter by Ed O'Loughlin

Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler

On the Proper Use of Stars by Dominique Fortier

Literary Fiction

The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen

Inspired by the Classics

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

Modern Day Antarctica

How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior

South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Polar and Nautical Horror

Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

The Deep by Nick Cutter

All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

Dark Water by Elizabeth Lowry

The Deep by Alma Katsu

Happy reading!

[apollohears]

DEMO. ( TBD ) ✸ ROMANCES. ✸ PLAYLISTS.

last updated: coming soon !

Step into the shadows of Day of Dusk, a mesmerizing blend of dark fantasy, horror, and romance. Drawing inspiration from the chilling folklore of the Brothers Grimm and the adrenaline-fueled film "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters," this interactive novel beckons you into a world where mysteries lurk in every corner and romance dances with danger.

In Day of Dusk, the line between magic and malevolence blurs, and you, the main protagonist, hold the key to unraveling its secrets. Will you dare to navigate the twisted paths where witches, witch hunters, and supernatural entities collide?

The choice is yours, but be warned: in the shadows of dusk, nothing is as it seems.

In the heart of a medieval fantasy realm lies "Day of Dusk," a tale woven with threads of mystery and the macabre. Journey alongside a band of young mercenaries, masters of the dark art of witch hunting, as they navigate a world teeming with secrets and shadows.

Their journey begins in the tainted township of Ruel-Mizu, where whispers of many vanished children echo through the fog-choked streets. Tasked with unraveling this enigma, your group treads a path fraught with peril and the weight of history's darkest deeds.

As you delve deeper into the town's grim past, you'll confront not only witches of formidable power but also otherworldly entities lurking in the shadows. Along the way, unexpected allies may emerge, and the bonds of friendship may blossom into something more.

Yet every choice carries weight in this twisted tale of power and love. Betrayal lurks around every corner, and the line between ally and enemy blurs in the gloom. Will you sacrifice everything for the truth, side with who you least expect it, save the town for good or succumb to the allure of forbidden romance?

In "Day of Dusk," the fate of worlds hangs in the balance, and only you hold the key to unlocking its secrets.

How far will you go to uncover the truth?

This game is a work of fiction; content warnings include, but are not limited to, graphic death, depictions of blood and gore, medieval violence, body horror, explicit language, depression, suicide, references to assault, grooming, mental and physical abuse, sexually suggestive themes, and drug and alcohol use. This story is intended for mature +17 audiences; reader discretion is advised.

STORY FEATURES :

Step into the shoes of a diverse protagonist, embracing your identity as male, female, non-binary, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. Explore the rich tapestry of human sexuality, navigating relationships and attractions as a gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, or aromantic individual. Your journey is uniquely yours, shaped by your experiences and choices as you carve out your place in the world.

Embark on a journey of discovery and connection as you navigate the complex web of relationships in a world filled with intrigue and danger. In the end, it is through these connections—friendships forged in fire, love born from adversity—that you might find the true meaning of your existence and the strength to face whatever challenges lie ahead.

Have your name written in history tales to come, become a hero beacon of hope, or become a feared figure among the community.

Confide in the unrevealed troubles that settle the mysterious past of your royal company's path to break tradition—or steal the heir's power to the throne for your own.

Learn the dark truth about the horrors that lie concealing just how far some would go to great lengths in order to create life.

Forge the future of a community and companions lives with the supporting changes and challenges schemed upon you and all of those who you know or love.

THE RO CHARACTERS :

Each love interest will have their own route which you will get to choose from at the end of the common route. The four romance options in this game depend purely on the readers preference which include: a man, a woman, one you can choose between their presenting gender and a ç̸̤̞̟̏̀̄̔̚r̷̛̟͕͙̼͚̼̓̒̑͝͠ͅy̷̛͉̭͙̿̒̆̈́́͊͗̅̈̀p̶̟͎̩̩͕̭̀̍̅́͛̚ţ̵̺̬̭̪͂̊̑̋̽̚͝͝ì̴̠̪͊͐̿͊̽̍͘͜͝͠c̴̗͉̭̖͕͕̐̔̾̂͘͝ͅ ̴͓͉͚͔̬͓̩̜͒̂͋́b̶̘̽̔̃̀͂̒̕͝e̷̡̡̫̮̹̻̰̺̖͋̿͂̀͑̈́̌̕̚͝ì̵͚̤͗ͅn̸̫̎̋́ǧ̶̡̳̥̾̚ͅ.̵̧̛̩̯̹̦̊̎̈́̕͝

Silas/Sophia Amon — the needling best friend and a member of your witch hunting team. Forge a deeper friendship and uncover the true meaning of loyalty with your brash yet devoted childhood best friend, whose charming demeanor hides on top of another layer of emotion.

"I'll be the bad guy if it means keeping us alive. Someone has to make the tough calls around here."

Pavlos Norlenbourne  — the neglected forsaken naive royal with a roaring secret. Draw close to a haunted prince, haunted by the shadows of his tragic upbringing, and unravel the mysteries that surround him as you delve into the depths of his troubled soul. 

"In a world where power is everything, I'm just a pretty pawn in their game. But I'll make my own moves, carve my own path."

Annette Meadowcroft — the obsessive poet with a firing spirit who refuses to be tamed. Uncover the hidden depths of a secret poet, whose words hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the heart. Join her on a journey of self-discovery as she seeks to break free from the constraints of society and embrace the beauty of the world around her.

"The ink flows from my pen like a river of defiance, writing my own narrative in a world that seeks to silence women like me."

Rune — the callow knight who isn't very fond of small talk with a foreboding origin. Dare to tread the path of a cryptic made being, grappling with questions of identity and purpose as they navigate a world that sees them as little more than a weapon. 

"If you have the audacity to think that I am some sorrowful god, then the pain of my fraud in human appearance will be all the more agonizing."

Depending on your play style, you have the ability to create, shape and destroy numerous familial, romantic, platonic, professional and community relationships with a full cast of characters whose genders and personalities vary. 

✸ Dedicated to all the hopeless romance and fantasy fans who are too engrossed in their books to talk and too shy to write, to my momanager Kass, who always likes to keep things real.

[orphicrose]

Are you still doing requests? Can I request Alastor x Wife reader who were married together alive an reunited in hell and while Alastor hates modern tech the reader grew on it and even started a life hack channel on voxtube of tricks from the 1920s and it becomes really popular and she gets sponsors and fan mail meanwhile Alastor needs Angel's help just to video chat her and one day she gets a 5 million subscriber mileage congratulations gift box (that all creators get bit hes still mad) from Vox himself

Old man and an Iphone

Requests are still open indeed.

I can definitely do my best! I’ve changed the dates around a little to better fit the technology advancements in the universe. This is set in the early 2000s

This is somewhat small, but i hope you like it.

----------------------

Years passed like turning pages since your husband had departed from you, in the cruelest ways that anyone could imagine. A fate that wasn’t even inevitable. That singular fragile piece of metal, shot from an unknown hunter, took him away from you.

You knew who he was, you knew what he was. Knowing that you’d end up in the same temple of horror one day that he has. His sins being your sins. That brought you some peace. Knowing you’d be reunited one day. Even if it was in the worst place imaginable. Hell. That day came sooner than you’d like to admit. Leaving behind your clueless grandchildren and your own hellish spawn.

The ground below you hit rather hard, not even knowing you were falling down the rabbit hole till the bottom came right to your face. You let off a grunt in response. Your body feeling light, all of a sudden. As if the age and wrinkles had just vanished, and you were young again. Legs feeling like they could run miles, and skin, well. Your new hellish form wasn’t much of an improvement from leather skin.

Knowing for years you’d end up here, it wasn’t too difficult to take in. Accepting your sins and your fate as a part of your journey. It wasn’t so bad. There was society, and structure down here. Immortality being the only true torture.

The other torture, you had no idea where your dearest Alastor had ended up. It had been almost 70 years since you’d seen him, god knows what he looks like now. Your reunion was sudden, after all, he was a well known overlord. Yet, it was still something out of a textbook romance novel.

Over the next decade or two, you two spent every second together. Refusing to be apart again. You sharing stories about your children, grandchildren. Melting Alastor's heart like he never thought you could. There was so much catching up to do. After time, you became infatuated with the media, creating your own channel. it was called "Hellish crafts", which started with a bunch of silly tips and tricks when it comes to house work. Alastor didn't understand, but it came with a hefty income.

After becoming tenants at the misguided daughters of hells hotel, you soon began helping with advertisements. Which grew the channel even more. From random life hacks, to advertisements, to smaller channels asking you for your help to grow theirs.

"Must you film me, dear?" his hand covers his face as the camera fizzes out of focus.

"Yes! Its for Charlie. Lighten up old man" You teased him, filming the hotel lobby. He smiled at your expression, resting a hand on the small of your back as you did your craft.

"Y/n! Y/n! Another letter for you!" Niffty ran over

Alastors hand dropped, snatching the letter from the little goblin.. Eyebrows furrowed. "This is the third letter in the passed three days, sweetheart"

"What can i say, my channel is a hit" One eye was closed as the other was pressed to the run down camera that Alastor insisted you used. Still walking slowly around the hotel, trying to get a good shot. Alastor stood in his place, reading the letter. "Another delusional fan" He mumbled.

"Don't worry! i wont let the fame go to my head" You swung around with the camera, getting him in frame. The static of his aura interfered with the lens and gave your brow a small electric shock. Jolting you backwards.

"I've warned you about that" He chuckled, hand returning to your waist and pulling you closer. His other hand with the letter, raising, and a fit of flames emitted. Turning the letter into ash on the floor, which nifty didn't wait to clean up.

Life was like this for a while, constant letters. Some weird, some genuine. But you never got to read most of them, as Alastor made it his duty to send them to another realm before you could. was he jealous? maybe, he'd never care to admit it though. That was until a rather glamorous piece of paper fell through the letter box on this particular day. Stamped with Vox's logo. You got to this letter first.

"What the fuck?" Your almost angry tone alerted Alastor, whose body materialized next to yours in seconds. "What's the matter, my dear?" his eyes briefly scanned over the letter before snatching it from you.

"What is a 5 million subscriber?"

"Its the amount of people who support my channel, i honestly didn't even know it was that big." you stared up at him, waiting for some sort of outburst on his face.

"That's... " he thought for a second "Wonderful dear! Absolutely wonderful!" his arms wrapped around you in an embrace, spinning you around. When you first started the channel, with his knowledge, it was more of a way to pass the time. So, for it to be as big as it is now was quite the accomplishment. What kind of husband would he be not to support his perfect wife, he thought. Whether she was practically paying vox or not. His quarrels weren't hers.

"I believe you have some type of reward, y/n" He spoke again, putting you down and giving the letter back. His sharp nail pointed at a fine print at the bottom. 'Visit the Vee headquarters to redeem your reward'.

You both looked at each other, brows raised and a concerned look in your eyes. "I'm sure it's not important. I don't need a reward"

He looked as if he was in deep thought. Contemplating everything for a second. "You should go" "But vox is your-"

"Hush, little woman" His finger covered your lips "This is important to you darling. I trust you"

The smile on your face made his bigger, making you deserving of the little peck he placed on your lips before adjusting his posture. "On the condition that my shadow follows your every move"

"Done"

A few hours had passed since your departure, Charlie offering razzle and dazzle to escort you to the large mansion on the other side of the pentagram. It was quite the journey, considering the traffic. And it wasn't long before Alastor began to miss you, wondering if you were okay.

"Ahem" static gave Angel a brief episode of tinnitus before he swung his body on the lobby sofa, met with the lanky deer.

"Waddya want, pimp?" his attention didn't last long, his phone having far more interesting contents than the demon lurking behind him.

"I need a favor" his smile made the question seem a lot more sadistic than intended. His body swiftly moved around the sofa, standing in front of the spider now.

"If you want my soul, I got bad news for ya."

"Your soul?" He was almost confused for a second "No, i need help with this" he lifted his hand, angels phone disappearing and reappearing in the deer's grip.

"Wh- hey! Give that back" Angel leapt to his feet, reaching up and snatching it back. "Why do you want help with a phone? Aren't you like, from the dark ages?"

It took Alastor a moment to be able to admit to it. "I'd like... to call my wife"

"Awww, is someone clingy" angels teasing didn't last long before radio dials appeared in the demons eyes, radio interference filling the air as quickly as it had disappeared earlier. "Okay, okay" Angels hands flew up in surrender, Alastor returning to normal instantly. "Splended!"

It took a moment for Angel to flick through the thousands of contacts he had, before he finally reached you. Pressing the call button and handing the phone to Al. Who held it like an old grampa looking at a meme. "What do i do now?" he squinted his eyes at the device in his hand. "Just hold it" Angels voice became frustrated as he readjusted the phone in Als hand.

You had picked up the call a minute ago now, on your way back to the hotel. Being greeted to the two boys bickering. "Helloooo?" you sung out, attempting to get their attention.

"Oh. Hello my dear!" Alastor noticed to and bared his teeth in an awkward smile. "I just wanted to see how my love was doing, is all"

"How sweet. I will be back soon." You had many questions to ask when you were back with the comfort of your person.

"Do hurry"

[nightingale2004]

Severus Snape headcanon ideas

He has a journal that was gifted to him by his mother before he went to Hogwarts.

He writes everything in that journal. His thoughts, his feelings, ideas for potions, and spells, along with poetry. He even does little sketches in the journal (they're not half bad)

Ever since the marauders entered his life and his own house doesn't like him all that much, halfway through his first year at hogwarts, he casted a bunch of spells and runes on his journal so that way no one other than himself can open or see what is written inside the journal

The first page is titled "Property of the half-blood prince."

Severus never goes anywhere without it. He also casted a charm on it so that way whenever it's stolen or missing from his person, it will appear right next to him, in his bag, or in his hand

His journal also had dried plants and flowers from his journeys through the forbidden forest

The journal is very old and is held together by magic, pure determination, spite, and a dream (😂). Plus, he cherishes that journal

No one (I do mean NO ONE) has ever seen the inside of Severus's journal, including the marauders, his parents (his mother one time was granted access), his house mates, and even Lily

He once had an old walkman that he found in the streets and managed to fix it up from remembering, seeing how his father used to fix up machinery before the abuse

When he has a train compartment to himself, he immediately falls asleep (it's his only moment of peace!!!!!)

He secretly found the room of requirements that turns into a potions lab for him. He uses it for potion experiments

His experiments with potions have both literally and figuratively blown up in his face.

Would talk with the paintings of Hogwarts

Would find jewelry in the most random places and often wear some of them after he resizes them and cleans them

He loves dark and milk chocolate, along with raisins, and vanilla

Learned occlumency and legilimens very early in his Hogwarts years and has used it on more than one occasion

When he was a child, he couldn't dance to save his life, but McGonagall taught him everything she knew

He and McGonagall play wizards chess together

Before the bullying started, he secretly wanted to be James and Sirius's friend, but after they insulted his mother's house, that thought immediately vanished

Despite being very skinny, he throws an incredibly strong punch

If he did have an animagus form, it would either be a raven, crow, cat, or bat

He would brew health potions for the sick people in Cokeworth or those who couldn't afford decent medicine or medical attention. He became their young doctor and gets paid a bit on the side

Has done a lot of odd jobs in Cokeworth to help keep his home afloat

Whenever Tobias would kick him out, he would originally crash at the Evans home, but ever since the 'Mudblood' incident, he started crashing at some of the people he helped at Cokeworth's homes

He would wish he was born into the Evans family instead of the Snape family

Loves art and poetry

Has read chemistry books at the Muggle Library

He learned how to cook and bake when he was a kid

After the 'Prank' incident, he and Remus talked and have kinda sorta made amends, but there is still a wall (and rightfully so)

He loves science fiction, dark romance, romance, adventure, tragedy, poetry, fiction, horror, Gothic literature, action, and mystery, both films and books (mostly books)

Secretly loves the story of Hades and Persephone.

Will make Blancmange every Christmas at Hogwarts (hphm made this canon)

He has tried to deny rumors about him being in love with Lily and him being a vampire or a bat, but it came to a point where he was done and didn't care

His scent would be herbs, flowers, old books, and rain

[thedisabilitybookarchive]

Disability in Non-Fiction #1: Plain Text Edition

A plain text version of this post. Here you will find detailed image descriptions and easier-to-read versions of each book summary. If you think that any image descriptions/summaries need to be updated, please let me know!

================================================

‘How to Live Free in a Dangerous World’- Lawson, Shayla

[ID: A book cover. The background is a pale orange colour. In the centre, a large photograph of a person with brown skin standing in front a desert under a blue sky. They have short braided brown hair swept over their left eye, and have their arms crossed over their chest, with one hand resting on the side of their face. The title “How to Live Free in a Dangerous World” is around them in large orange writing that covers the length of the photo. The subtitle “A Decolonial Memoir” is to the right their head in very small white writing. The author’s name “Shayla Lawson” is below the title, at the bottom of the photograph, in smaller yellow writing. Black text at the bottom of the cover reads, under the author’s name, reads “author of ‘this is major’, a national book critics circle award finalist”. /end]

Summary:

Poet and journalist Shayla Lawson follows their National Book Critics Circle finalist This Is Major with these daring and exquisitely crafted essays, where Lawson journeys across the globe, finds beauty in tumultuous times, and powerfully disrupts the constraints of race, gender, and disability.

With their signature prose, at turns bold, muscular, and luminous, Shayla Lawson travels the world to explore deeper meanings held within love, time, and the self.

Through encounters with a gorgeous gondolier in Venice, an ex-husband in the Netherlands, and a lost love on New Year’s Eve in Mexico City, Lawson’s travels bring unexpected wisdom about life in and out of love. They learn the strength of friendships and the dangers of beauty during a narrow escape in Egypt. They examine Blackness in post-dictatorship Zimbabwe, then take us on a secretive tour of Black freedom movements in Portugal.

Through a deeply insightful journey, Lawson leads readers from a castle in France to a hula hoop competition in Jamaica to a traditional theater in Tokyo to a Prince concert in Minnesota and, finally, to finding liberation on a beach in Bermuda, exploring each location—and their deepest emotions—to the fullest. In the end, they discover how the trials of marriage, grief, and missed connections can lead to self-transformation and unimagined new freedoms.

‘Being Seen’- Sjunneson, Elsa

[ID: A book cover. It is a dark black with faint, grey, writing over it. The writing, from top to bottom, reads: “Elsa Sjunneson” “Being Seen” “One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism” All in capitals. The “I” in “Being Seen” is designed to look like an opening of sorts, with a ray of light coming through. /end]

Summary:

A deafblind writer and professor explores how the misrepresentation of disability in books, movies, and TV harms both the disabled community and everyone else.

As a deafblind woman with partial vision in one eye and bilateral hearing aids, Elsa Sjunneson lives at the crossroads of blindness and sight, hearing and deafness—much to the confusion of the world around her. While she cannot see well enough to operate without a guide dog or cane, she can see enough to know when someone is reacting to the visible signs of her blindness and can hear when they’re whispering behind her back. And she certainly knows how wrong our one-size-fits-all definitions of disability can be.

As a media studies professor, she’s also seen the full range of blind and deaf portrayals on film, and here she deconstructs their impact, following common tropes through horror, romance, and everything in between. Part memoir, part cultural criticism, part history of the deafblind experience, Being Seen explores how our cultural concept of disability is more myth than fact, and the damage it does to us all.

‘Disability Pride’- Mattlin, Ben

[ID: A book cover. The background is made of simple, colourful red, cream, white, yellow and teal shapes. Large text reads, from top to bottom: “Disability Pride” in large, black capitals, “Dispatches from a Post-ADA World”in smaller, black capitals, “Ben Mattlin”, in slightly bigger red capitals. /end]

Summary:

An eye-opening portrait of the diverse disability community as it is today and how attitudes, activism, and representation have evolved since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In Disability Pride, disabled journalist Ben Mattlin weaves together interviews and reportage to introduce a cavalcade of individuals, ideas, and events in engaging, fast-paced prose. He traces the generation that came of age after the ADA reshaped America, and how it is influencing the future. He documents how autistic self-advocacy and the neurodiversity movement upended views of those whose brains work differently. He lifts the veil on a thriving disability culture—from social media to high fashion, Hollywood to Broadway—showing how the politics of beauty for those with marginalized body types and facial features is sparking widespread change.

He also explores the movement’s shortcomings, particularly the erasure of nonwhite and LGBTQIA+ people that helped give rise to Disability Justice. He delves into systemic ableism in health care, the right-to-die movement, institutionalization, and the scourge of subminimum-wage labor that some call legalized slavery. And he finds glimmers of hope in how disabled people never give up their fight for parity and fair play.

Beautifully written, without anger or pity, Disability Pride is a revealing account of an often misunderstood movement and identity, an inclusive reexamination of society’s treatment of those it deems different.

‘Crip Kinship’- Kafai, Shayda

[ID: A book cover. The background is light blue, with colourful pictures of butterflies, flowers and a house setting featured in the centre. Lower right centre of the image, a black figure in a long sleeved, billowing dress, holding a curved black walking stick in their right hand. Behind them, a drawing of a room with a table, chair, pink wall with a window, and a blank wall with an orange picture. Text on the book cover, from top to bottom, reads: The title “Crip Kinship” in large black font at the top of the image, The subtitle “The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid” in smaller black capitals, in the upper right corner of the image, The authors name “Shayda Kafai” in medium black capitals in the lower right of the image, partially overlapping the figure in the dress. /end]

Summary:

The remarkable story of Sins Invalid, a performance project that centres queer disability justice.

In recent years, disability activism has come into its own as a vital and necessary means to acknowledge the power and resilience of the disabled community, and to call out ableist culture wherever it appears.

Crip Kinship explores the art activism of Sins Invalid, a San Francisco Bay Area-based performance project, and its radical imaginings of what disabled, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming bodyminds of colour can do: how they can rewrite oppression, and how they can gift us with transformational lessons for our collective survival.

Grounded in the disability justice framework, Crip Kinship investigates the revolutionary survival teachings that disabled, queer of colour community offers to all our bodyminds. From their focus on crip beauty and sexuality to manifesting digital kinship networks and crip-centric liberated zones, Sins Invalid empowers and moves us toward generating our collective liberation from our bodyminds outward.

‘Sounds Like Home’- Wright, Mary Herring

[ID: A book cover. The background is yellow. A black and white photograph in the centre shows two young black children and a dog in front of a car. The title “Sounds Like Home” is at the tope in large, curvy black writing. The subtitle “Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South” is written in small orange writing, on three black bars on the right side of the cover. The author’s name “Mary Herring Wright” is written in curvy black writing, slightly smaller than the title, at the bottom of the cover. /end]

Summary:

Mary Herring Wright’s memoir adds an important dimension to the current literature in that it is a story by and about an African American deaf child. The author recounts her experiences growing up as a deaf person in Iron Mine, North Carolina, from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her story is unique and historically significant because it provides valuable descriptive information about the faculty and staff of the North Carolina school for Black deaf and blind students from the perspective of a student as well as a student teacher. In addition, this engrossing narrative contains details about the curriculum, which included a week-long Black History celebration where students learned about important Blacks such as Madame Walker, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and George Washington Carver. It also describes the physical facilities as well as the changes in those facilities over the years. In addition, Sounds Like Home occurs over a period of time that covers two major events in American history, the Depression and World War II.

Wright’s account is one of enduring faith, perseverance, and optimism. Her keen observations will serve as a source of inspiration for others who are challenged in their own ways by life’s obstacles.

‘The Right to Maim’- Puar, Jasbir K.

[ID: A book cover. The background is white. A painting stretches from the bottom of the cover to bottom of top quarter. In the upper quarter of the cover, text reads: The author’s name “Jasbir K. Puar” is at the top in black writing. The title “The Right to Maim” is immediately below this in red caps. The subtitle “Debility, Capacity, Disability” is immediately below this in smaller, yellow caps. The painting is immediately below this. The background is a dark cream. It appears to show a humanoid figure climbing a mound. Two other figures appear to be falling off the mound. There are splashes of red paint around the mound and the figure on it. /end]

Summary:

In The Right to Maim Jasbir K. Puar brings her pathbreaking work on the liberal state, sexuality, and biopolitics to bear on our understanding of disability. Drawing on a stunning array of theoretical and methodological frameworks, Puar uses the concept of “debility”—bodily injury and social exclusion brought on by economic and political factors—to disrupt the category of disability. She shows how debility, disability, and capacity together constitute an assemblage that states use to control populations. Puar’s analysis culminates in an interrogation of Israel’s policies toward Palestine, in which she outlines how Israel brings Palestinians into biopolitical being by designating them available for injury. Supplementing its right to kill with what Puar calls the right to maim, the Israeli state relies on liberal frameworks of disability to obscure and enable the mass debilitation of Palestinian bodies. Tracing disability’s interaction with debility and capacity, Puar offers a brilliant rethinking of Foucauldian biopolitics while showing how disability functions at the intersection of imperialism and racialized capital.

‘Uncomfortable Labels’- Dale, Laura Kate

[ID: A book cover. The background is a close photograph of some kind of knitted garment, and its label. The garment is blue. The label is in the centre. Text on the label reads: The title “Uncomfortable Labels” in large black caps The subtitle “My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman” in smaller black caps, lower left of this The author’s name “Laura Kate Dale” at the bottom of the label in black writing. A smaller label attached to the bottom has a single, black capitalised “M” written on it. /end]

Summary:

“So while the assumption when I was born was that I was or would grow up to be a neurotypical heterosexual boy, that whole idea didn’t really pan out long term.”

In this candid, first-of-its-kind memoir, Laura Kate Dale recounts what life is like growing up as a gay trans woman on the autism spectrum. From struggling with sensory processing, managing socially demanding situations and learning social cues and feminine presentation, through to coming out as trans during an autistic meltdown, Laura draws on her personal experiences from life prior to transition and diagnosis, and moving on to the years of self-discovery, to give a unique insight into the nuances of sexuality, gender and autism, and how they intersect.

Charting the ups and downs of being autistic and on the LGBT spectrum with searing honesty and humour, this is an empowering, life-affirming read for anyone who’s felt they don’t fit in.

'Brilliant Imperfections'- Clare, Eli

[ID: A book cover. A photograph of stones can be seen. Over it, a dark box stretching from left to right at the top of the image. Text in the box reads: “Brilliant Imperfection”, in large caps. “Brilliant” is in green, “Imperfection is in white. “Grappling With Cure”, in small, green caps. “Eli Clare”, in white caps. /end]

Summary:

In Brilliant Imperfection Eli Clare uses memoir, history, and critical analysis to explore cure—the deeply held belief that body-minds considered broken need to be fixed.

Cure serves many purposes. It saves lives, manipulates lives, and prioritizes some lives over others. It provides comfort, makes profits, justifies violence, and promises resolution to body-mind loss. Clare grapples with this knot of contradictions, maintaining that neither an anti-cure politics nor a pro-cure worldview can account for the messy, complex relationships we have with our body-minds.

The stories he tells range widely, stretching from disability stereotypes to weight loss surgery, gender transition to skin lightening creams. At each turn, Clare weaves race, disability, sexuality, class, and gender together, insisting on the nonnegotiable value of body-mind difference. Into this mix, he adds environmental politics, thinking about ecosystem loss and restoration as a way of delving more deeply into cure.

Ultimately Brilliant Imperfection reveals cure to be an ideology grounded in the twin notions of normal and natural, slippery and powerful, necessary and damaging all at the same time.

================================================

A short list of 8 non-fiction books featuring and/or discussing disability!

I don't highlight the non-fiction section of the archive enough, so I think this is a perfect opportunity.

A plain text version of this post exists here, featuring more detailed image descriptions of each book cover and easier-to-read versions of every summary.

Books on this list:

‘How to Live Free in a Dangerous World’- Lawson, Shayla

‘Being Seen’- Sjunneson, Elsa

‘Disability Pride’- Mattlin, Ben

‘Crip Kinship’- Kafai, Shayda

‘Sounds Like Home’- Wright, Mary Herring

‘The Right to Maim’- Puar, Jasbir K.

‘Uncomfortable Labels’- Dale, Laura Kate

'Brilliant Imperfections'- Clare, Eli

All of these books and more can be found on the Disability Book Archive.

Happy Disability Pride Month!

[psychics4unet]

100 Movies and TV Shows That Are All About Tarot Magic! 🔮✨📺

Movies

The Hunger Games (2012) - Katniss’s journey is like a tarot reading on steroids; choices and fate collide in a dystopian arena where survival is everything. 🎯

The Craft (1996) - A classic teen witch flick where tarot helps our girls explore their powers and the messy side of friendships. ⚡🧙‍♀️

The Matrix (1999) - Think of it as a giant tarot deck—Neo’s choices determine his fate in this mind-bending reality. 🕶️💊

Live and Let Die (1973) - Bond's tarot experience gives him the edge to outsmart villains; it's all about fate and danger, baby! 🔫🃏

The Devil's Advocate (1997) - The ultimate battle of good vs. evil, with tarot adding layers of temptation and deception to the mix. 😈⚖️

The Mummy Returns (2001) - Who knew tarot could be a map to ancient magic? This adventure intertwines destiny with mystical fun. 🏺✨

The Dead Zone (1983) - A guy wakes up from a coma with psychic powers—basically a walking tarot deck revealing tragedies. 🥴🔮

The Gift (2000) - A psychic woman using tarot to solve a murder? Yes, please! The cards are a game changer for uncovering dark secrets. 🕵️‍♀️🖤

The Love Witch (2016) - Tarot is the ultimate love compass in this enchanting quest for romance; it’s a spellbinding ride. 💖🔮

The House of the Devil (2009) - Tarot cards hint at some seriously creepy stuff in this horror flick—just don’t ignore the signs! 👻🃏

The Witches of Eastwick (1987) - Witchy shenanigans are afoot! Tarot helps the ladies navigate their newfound powers in style. 🧙‍♀️✨

The Skeleton Key (2005) - Tarot adds a twist to this supernatural thriller, hinting at fate and transformation along the way. 🔑👻

The Tarot Card Mystery (1935) - A vintage mystery where tarot cards reveal secrets—definitely ahead of its time! 🃏🔍

The Witch (2015) - A haunting exploration of fear and isolation, with themes echoing tarot’s focus on the unknown. 🌌😱

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010) - Magic meets fate in this fun adventure; think of it as a magical tarot experience! ⚡️🧙

The Haunted Mansion (2003) - Tarot cards pop up as quirky tools to navigate spooky secrets—who doesn’t love a ghostly adventure? 👻🏰

The Seventh Seal (1957) - A classic that dives deep into mortality and fate, reminiscent of tarot’s existential vibes. ⚔️🕊️

The Brothers Bloom (2008) - Tarot elements add complexity to sibling dynamics; it’s all about finding purpose in the chaos. 🃏💔

The Final Destination (2000) - If that ain’t a tarot-inspired fate, I don’t know what is! Choices lead to some wild outcomes in this thriller. 💀🎲

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - Dark secrets are unearthed, much like the revelations from a tarot reading. Intriguing, right? 🔍🖤

The Rites of Spring (2011) - A horror flick that vibes with sacrifice and fate, echoing the symbolism found in tarot cards. 🌱🔪

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - Tension and unpredictability—this plot screams tarot vibes as life’s mysteries unfold. 🎭🔎

The Illusionist (2006) - A magician’s journey that parallels tarot’s mystical essence as he navigates love and fate. 🎩💫

The Others (2001) - Creepy atmosphere and hidden truths? Yep, tarot’s got that covered, too! 👻🔮

The Craft: Legacy (2020) - A fresh take on the original that dives into friendship and power through the lens of tarot and witchcraft. 🔮✨

The Fifth Element (1997) - This sci-fi classic combines magic and fate with a dash of humor; it’s like a cosmic tarot reading! 🚀💥

The Lovely Bones (2009) - A supernatural tale where tarot-like elements hint at the unseen and the unknown. 🌌🕊️

The Skeleton Twins (2014) - A dark comedy that touches on fate and family dynamics, echoing tarot’s complex themes. 🎭💔

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) - Folklore meets mystery; the film explores themes of fate that resonate with tarot’s storytelling. 🏝️🐬

The Last Witch Hunter (2015) - Vin Diesel vs. witches with a side of tarot magic? Count me in! ⚔️🔮

The Psychic (1978) - This film dives deep into the world of psychic phenomena, showcasing tarot as a vital element. 🔮👁️

The Circle (2017) - A social media thriller where hidden truths emerge, similar to what tarot often reveals. 📱🔍

The Lady in White (1988) - A ghost story intertwined with mystery and fate, echoing the essence of tarot. 👻💔

The Stars Are Right (2016) - A quirky indie film that explores fate and destiny, capturing the spirit of tarot. 🌌✨

The Cat's Meow (2001) - A mysterious film where tarot serves as a lens through which the story unfolds. 🎩🔮

The Amityville Horror (1979) - Ghostly encounters hint at fate and the unknown, reminiscent of tarot's spooky vibes. 🏠👻

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - Themes of identity and fate intertwine, much like a complex tarot spread. 🎭🔪

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) - A meta-horror film that plays with fate and choices, echoing the unpredictability of tarot readings. 🏕️🔮

The Golem (2018) - A mystical tale that explores themes of creation and fate through the lens of folklore. 🏺🌌

The Tenth Victim (1965) - A blend of sci-fi and existential themes, featuring fate and choices akin to tarot narratives. 🎯🔮

The Last House on the Left (1972) - A horror classic where fate and revenge intertwine, reminiscent of a dark tarot reading. 🔪😱

The Uninvited (2009) - A supernatural thriller that hints at hidden truths and fate, paralleling tarot’s revelations. 🏠👻

The Beloved (2002) - A haunting exploration of love and loss, echoing tarot's complex emotional landscapes. 💔🔮

The Dreamers (2003) - A film that dives into identity and choice, echoing the themes found in tarot readings. 🌙✨

The Giver (2014) - Themes of choice and fate resonate in this adaptation, mirroring the insights tarot can provide. 📚🔮

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) - A psychological thriller exploring identity and fate, akin to the symbolism in tarot. 🎨🌀

The Inheritance (2020) - A suspenseful tale where family secrets unravel, showcasing tarot’s ability to reveal hidden truths. 🏡🔍

The Illumination of the Heart (2021) - A story of self-discovery and fate that resonates with tarot's themes. 💖🔮

The Shadow of the Wind (2021) - This adaptation plays with themes of fate and discovery, much like a tarot reading. 📖✨

The Tenth Victim (1965) - A blend of sci-fi and existential themes, featuring fate and choices akin to tarot narratives. 🎯🔮

TV Series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy’s journey often mirrors tarot themes of fate and choice, especially with her supernatural challenges. 🧛‍♀️🃏

True Detective - Dark and atmospheric, tarot-like symbolism underscores the show’s exploration of fate and morality. 🌌🔍

The Simpsons - Tarot pops up in humorous moments, revealing the show’s clever take on destiny and future events. 😂🔮

Charmed - Sister witches often use tarot to guide their magical choices and navigate personal dilemmas. 🌟🧙‍♀️

American Horror Story: Coven - The use of tarot enhances the show’s dark themes, revealing secrets and fate in the world of witches. 🔮👻

Supernatural - The Winchesters encounter tarot in their monster-hunting adventures, adding depth to their supernatural quests. 👬🔪

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - Tarot plays a significant role as Sabrina navigates the complexities of magic and destiny. 🧙‍♀️🖤

Psychic Detectives - This series highlights real-life psychic detectives using tarot and intuition to solve crimes. 🔍🔮

The OA - The show’s exploration of alternate realities and fate resonates with tarot's deeper meanings. 🌌✨

The Twilight Zone - Various episodes reflect on fate and the unexpected, echoing tarot's insights into human nature. 🌠🌀

Once Upon a Time - The blend of fairy tales and fate often hints at tarot-like themes throughout the series. 📖✨

The Good Place - Philosophical discussions about morality and choice parallel the insights gained from tarot readings. 😇💭

Castle - The detective duo sometimes turns to tarot for insights into their cases, blending humor and mystery. 🔍📚

Dark Shadows - The gothic series often intertwines themes of fate and supernatural elements akin to tarot. 🌙🦇

Twin Peaks - The series’ exploration of dreams and hidden truths resonates with the mystique of tarot readings. 🌌👁️

The Simpsons - Tarot gets a playful nod in various episodes, reflecting the show’s irreverent humor about fate. 😂🃏

Shadowhunters - The characters explore destiny and choice in a world filled with supernatural elements, echoing tarot themes. 🌌🗡️

The Secret Life of the American Teenager - Characters often face choices that mirror the dilemmas found in tarot readings. 🏫💔

The Sopranos - Characters navigate fate and morality, exploring themes that resonate with tarot’s insights. 🔫💭

The Expanse - Choices and destinies intertwine in this sci-fi epic, mirroring the complexity of a tarot spread. 🚀🔮

The Haunting of Hill House - Themes of grief and fate resonate deeply, akin to the revelations found in tarot readings. 👻💔

The Mentalist - The protagonist’s observational skills often mirror the insights one might gain from tarot. 🕵️‍♂️🔮

The Umbrella Academy - Themes of family, fate, and destiny play out in wild ways, much like a tarot deck in action. 🌈🦸‍♂️

The Vampire Diaries - Characters often face choices that echo the dilemmas and fates seen in tarot readings. 🧛‍♀️💔

The Blacklist - The use of intuition and uncovering secrets parallels the insights gained from tarot. 🕵️‍♀️🔍

The Office - Tarot makes a quirky appearance, offering a humorous take on fate and decision-making. 😂📋

The Simpsons - Tarot gets a playful nod in various episodes, reflecting the show’s irreverent humor about fate. 😂🃏

The Big Bang Theory - Characters often joke about tarot, providing comedic insights into fate and decisions. 🧑‍🔬🎲

The X-Files - Paranormal elements and investigations often touch on themes akin to tarot’s mysteries. 👽🔍

The West Wing - Political decisions and moral dilemmas resonate with themes found in tarot readings. 🏛️💭

The Good Wife - Legal battles and ethical choices reflect the complexities of fate and decision-making, much like tarot. ⚖️💔

The Middle - Everyday choices in family life often resonate with the relatable dilemmas seen in tarot spreads. 🏠💖

The Secret Life of the American Teenager - Characters face life-altering decisions that echo the themes found in tarot readings. 🏫💔

The Affair - Complex relationships and moral choices explore themes of fate that resonate with tarot’s insights. 🌊💔

The Good Fight - Legal drama intertwined with moral complexities, showcasing themes of fate and choice akin to tarot. ⚖️🔮

The Amazing Race - Contestants face challenges that mirror the unpredictability of tarot readings and fate. 🌍🏃‍♂️

The Neighborhood - Light-hearted comedy that often touches on fate and friendship, echoing themes found in tarot. 🏡💖

The Big Bang Theory - Characters explore humor and fate, providing a light-hearted take on tarot’s deeper meanings. 🎲😂

The Goldbergs - Family dynamics and nostalgic themes often resonate with relatable dilemmas seen in tarot readings. 🏠💖

The Resident - Medical dramas often explore moral dilemmas, reflecting the complexity of choices found in tarot. 🏥💔

The Good Place - Philosophical discussions about morality and choice mirror insights gained from tarot readings. 😇💭

The Wonder Years - A nostalgic exploration of life’s choices and fate, echoing the themes seen in tarot. 🌼💭

The Flash - Time travel and choices intertwine, reflecting themes of fate and destiny akin to tarot narratives. ⚡🕒

The Last Man on Earth - A humorous take on survival and fate in a post-apocalyptic world, echoing the themes found in tarot. 🌍😂

The Fall - A psychological thriller where the interplay of fate and morality resonates with tarot’s deeper meanings. 🕵️‍♀️💔

The Expanse - A complex narrative where fate and choices intertwine, much like a tarot spread. 🌌🔮

The Haunting of Hill House - A deep exploration of grief and fate, paralleling the revelations often found in tarot readings. 👻💔

The 100 - Survival and moral choices mirror the complex themes seen in tarot readings. 🌍🔪

The Mandalorian - Destiny and choice play significant roles as characters navigate a galaxy filled with uncertainty, echoing tarot’s themes. 🌌⚔️

The Walking Dead - The show dives into choices and fate in a post-apocalyptic world, reflecting the unpredictability of tarot. 🧟‍♂️🔮

[vamplire]

lgbtq+ films per decade

1910s:

Different from the Others (1919)

Two male musicians fall in love, but blackmail and scandal makes the affair take a tragic turn.

1920s:

Wings (1927)

In this silent film, romantic rivals fly against the enemy in World War I.

1930s:

Queen Christina (1933)

Queen Christina of Sweden is a popular monarch who is loyal to her country. However, when she falls in love with a Spanish envoy, she must choose between the throne and who she loves.

1940s:

Rope (1948)

Two men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.

1950s:

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.

1960s:

The Children’s Hour (1961)

A private school for young girls is scandalized when one student accuses the two young women who run the school of having a lesbian relationship.

1970s:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

A story of creation, love, hate, adventure, and most of all, sex.

1980s:

Maurice (1987)

After his lover rejects him, a young man trapped by the oppressiveness of Edwardian society tries to come to terms with and accept his sexuality.

1990s:

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.

2000s:

Dorian Gray (2009)

A corrupt young man keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

2010s:

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a 17 year old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.

2020s:

Ammonite (2020)

In 1840s England, an acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship.

[mswyrr]

"The Terminator" (1984)

Now that it's 2024, this film is 40 years old (!!!). I thought I'd finally sit down and give it a proper viewing (instead of the bits and pieces I've caught of it over the years) and it holds up very well.

Assorted thoughts:

-It's way more of a Horror movie than I'd expected. I knew Sarah Connor as a kid in her T2 Badass form (and from "Sarah Connor Chronicles"). It's neat to see her begin her journey as a Final Girl

-The deliberate pacing was also unexpected - but rewarding. Cameron does a great job building tension and weaving the deepening understanding of what's going on into that. Starting off a police detective plot only to have the detectives die like punks within minutes of coming up against the Terminator? Great subversion of genre tropes that were popular at the time and very effective in raising the stakes.

-THE ROMANCE. oh. delightful. it unfolds in such a way that you see an entirely new side of Reese - first, learning his first name is Kyle and then his deeper truth, who he is as a person that feels rather than a soldier who exists to kill machines.

-huge kudos to the actor playing kyle as he exposes his vulnerability - "i love you. i always have." and you can see the shifts between the hardened soldier he's had to be and what he's kept of his softness and how much she means to that side of him. the chemistry works v well.

-him being a virgin sort of -- consecrated by fate to love her? carrying her photograph with him. (the photograph where he noticed and felt connected to her 'sadness' - not realizing that, in the moment it will be taken, she is sad over his loss). choosing to go back. makes her side of the 'fated to have a kid together' thing less uneven?? kyle is fate's bitch even more than she is. i thought i'd be bothered by how she's destined to be the mom of an important man. but the way kyle is handled makes it work for me. he carries the tragedy deep in his heart and dies gladly for her and their child, not even knowing the truth about john. gorgeous!

i can see why people point to the sex scene here as an example of one that is beautifully in character and specific and INCREDIBLY PLOT RELEVANT lol like, it's absurd that people say sex shouldn't be in movies because it's "not relevant to the plot" but this is the single most plot relevant sex scene ever loll

i really liked:

-repeated shots of their hands gripping tightly -the way kyle is just drinking her in, in awe of her and this moment -linda hamilton's earthy/sincere performance of female desire and sarah working toward orgasm -the final time their hands grip each other tightly - and then the slow release of their fingers and the way the editor chose to have their hands letting go be a fade to black…. poignant, given what's going to happen 😭

"in the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetime's worth" - love that quote and everything coming together in the end, as you see how the photograph was taken. lovely tragic romance!

[physalian]

Narrative Framing Devices

This is a long one…

A story need not be told chronologically, nor does it have to be only one layer deep. There’s a ton of different ways to frame your narrative, I’m just picking a couple today, some I thought worked and some I thought didn’t, and my personal favorite.

Most people think of framing devices in terms of time travel stories or fairytales, where it may start in the present or the future and work backwards, giving up the ending before telling how we all got here. Or by chopping up the chronology and letting the audience try to puzzle out the order.

There are also those that break the fourth wall, with the narrator beginning the story directly addressing the audience but never doing so again, or the narrator opening the story telling their own story to a present audience, so we’re the audience behind the fictional audience.

The other obligatory framing device is the time-skip, a la “6 years later” or “8 months later”. I’ve already talked about those. Or the preface/preamble/prologue that may spoil some important event later in the story, or is simply an important moment or montage of moments to catch the reader up on “how did we get here”. Shoutout to Castlevania for the most efficient pilot episode I have ever seen, with a 1 year timeskip.

Also honorable mention to the “A Life in the Day” montage from Magicians, speedrunning decades of a life together between two characters stuck in a Situation, maybe 60 years? Key moments between the two having a whole romance, with a kid and grandkids, over the course of one beautiful bit of soundtrack. One of the best episodes in the show, for a sequence that only lasted a little over 5 minutes.

—

Story within a Story | Princess Bride, "Ember Island Players"

Best example I can think of, specifically the film, which is based on a book that already incepts itself. The movie opens with a regular kid being read the book The Princess Bride by his grandfather, and occasionally cutting between the kid’s reactions and the fantasy story with the actors.

There’s several moments where the grandfather either loses his place and rereads a scene that replays the same dialogue, or skips a scene in the “kissing book” because his grandson gets squirmy, and moments where the grandfather narrates over a couple montages.

Princess Bride is one of those movies that knows exactly what it is and isn’t trying to be something it’s not. It’s self-aware and loudly and proudly sincere, with one of the best revenge arcs ever put to film.

Recap episodes can either be clipshows or get really creative like ATLA, telling the series recap through the medium of a propagandized play about the Avatar's journey, performed by actors of the Fire Nation. The Gaang sits there in vague states of discomfort, horror, or in Toph and Sokka's case, thrilling enjoyment, watching their hardships and heartbreaks played for laughs. That it's the story we know, but also with the added filter of it being enemy propaganda takes what could have been just a clipshow and still told multiple layers of a story with it.

The Fourth-Wall Break | Riordan-verse, Deadpool

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood” defined a generation. It’s one of those fourth wall breaks that opens up the story and never appears again, though occasionally Percy will get slightly self-aware, saying things like “I didn’t know it then, but I’d never come back here”. But for PJO it almost doesn’t count.

Kane Chronicles on the other hand chose a bizarre framing device, having the two leads pretend to host a radio show, or a podcast—something where they were recording themselves and I don’t think it worked very well whenever it popped up and stopped the plot.

Shoutout to Tangled, too, for having a fairytale style fourth-wall break at the end, much like KC, where Flynn reveals that Rapunzel has been listening to him tell their story the entire time. Many fairytale stories open up with the physical book flipping open to the story, like Shrek and Shrek 2, but I don’t think those are translatable to the written medium very well.

The big one, though, is of course Deadpool. Have not seen the second one, and while ‘breaking the fourth wall’ isn’t by itself a framing device, DP & Wolverine absolutely makes it one, fast forwarding and jumbling up the sequence of events to deliver a “how did we get here?” during the opening credits.

Chronology Salad | Memento, Predestination

Have not actually seen Memento but I know the premise, working backwards as the protagonist recovers his memory of “how did we get here?” Predestination is a batshit insane time travel story that I don’t think most people have even heard of and detailing the plot at all is giving spoilers but it is the most “how the fuck did we get here??” movie I have ever seen.

Then you have stories like Twilight that open with “I’ve never given much thought to how I would die” that spoils (kind of) the ending, with the goal of the story not detailing if something bad will happen, but how. Twilight’s prologue reminds me of The Bachelor, where they’ll tease the audience with *shocking* moments completely out of context from later in the season that are way less cool when they actually come to pass (from the one time I watched with relatives out of morbid curiosity).

The point of these chronological mixups is how all the random puzzle pieces fit together, despite essentially spoiling themselves constantly, they’re so random, so out of place, meant to keep you constantly guessing until the big reveal of the picture on the box—and are extremely tricky to do well without completely losing your audience. You’d have to have a very thorough outline to not confuse yourself while trying to write it.

Honorary mention here for Inception, one of my favorite sci-fi movies, because the plot is crazy, but still told chronologically, just across different dream levels. However, the movie does open with the ending scene (though you don’t know that on your first watch). And Tenet, but I don’t know anyone who likes or cares about that movie.

Dual Timelines | Outlander

There are others I just cannot think of them at this moment. Dual timelines tell two stories simultaneously across two different eras, either decades apart or mere hours, with some relation between the two. Sometimes one timeline’s protagonist is the ancestor of the present timeline, for example.

Dual Timelines happen in sequential order, making them distinct from a flashback arc (more below) essentially two chronological plots running in tandem squished into the same book, episode, or film. They carry equal weight and try not to overshadow each other in flair or importance.

In Outlander, Protagonist Claire is already a time traveler, in a time travel story whose rules are “whatever happened, happened, and you end up causing whatever you tried to prevent”. Season 2 opens with her returning to the present, leaving the entire rest of the season with a foreboding sense of dread, wondering what will get her back to that moment.

Season 3 dangles the carrot on the stick, randomly cutting between Claire in the 60s and trying to move on with her life for… I think 20 years, while Jaime, her love interest from the past, just keeps getting kicked while he’s down. It takes forever to get these two back on screen together. And the dual timelines continue taking up screen time when Claire and Jaime’s adult daughter also eventually makes a trip to the past. Points off for being blatantly manipulative storytelling with its cliffhangers, but season 1 is still worth the watch.

Flashbacks, Flash-Forwards, and Flash-Sideways | Lost

This show’s earlier seasons were heavily framed with this device. In The first 3 seasons (up to the last episode) the framing device was exclusively flashbacks, focusing on one of the main 13 heroes for an episode, particularly in season 1.

They didn’t always answer “how did we get here” but told some story relevant to the character in the present, either a challenge they had to face or parallel relationship drama or ghosts come back to haunt them. Usually, these little flashbacks were told in sequential order, but they could hop months or years ahead at a time depending on the episode.

The flash-forwards began in season 4 and closed the gap between the “Oceanic 6” escaping the island and all the missing time while they were gone, before the infamous “We have to go back” line.

The show also had flash-sideways, which featured the main cast, many of whom had been dead for a few seasons, reprising their roles to show what could have been their lives if they never crashed. To… mixed reception.

The show also also had a time-traveling character who in-universe experienced flashes of the future and got mentally temporally displaced between two timelines for a hot minute.

Lost was… a show that demanded a dedicated following. I still love it.

Flashback Arcs | My own personal soapbox

This right here is the whole reason for this post. First you have flashback episodes and I can name a lot of those—ATLA has a couple, “The Storm” & “The Avatar and the Firelord” but both are technically “stories within a story” with characters either around a campfire telling it or reading about it. The alternate timeline takes up a majority of the runtime, only occasionally cutting back to the present characters for a reaction.

In TFP there’s an offbeat flashback episode “Out of the Past”, framed, again, as a character telling this backstory stuff to another character. Many, many vampire stories will have flashbacks to some degree, since their characters live for so long. Vampire Diaries, especially in the earlier seasons, had dozens of them filling in all the blanks back during the Civil War when the two leads, Stefan and Damon, were competing for the affections of the main villain, all leading up to how they were turned, and how she allegedly died. Once the Originals were introduced, the show then had flashbacks to a thousand years ago, when they were human, and various eras in between.

True flashback episodes don’t waste precious minutes setting up a framing device, they just dump the audience in an alternate timeline and let them figure it out on their own that something isn’t right.

But none of that comes close to the full-on Flashback Arc. I. Love. This. Trope.

I actually first saw it when Arrow was good in its earliest seasons, cutting fairly equally between a present-day Oliver back home and starting his hero journey, and him learning combat back in the past, over several episodes like a series within the series.

What you end up with is a happy medium between a full dual timeline and a random grab-bag of flashbacks as they become necessary to the plot. A flashback arc relies entirely on the existence of the A-plot to make sense, as opposed to a dual timeline where it’s essentially two self-sufficient stories rolled into one big narrative. This arc is substantially shorter than the rest of the plot, cutting the story it’s telling down to the absolute need-to-know moments and cutting all transitions between the two. These arcs tend to cover weeks, at minimum, and decades of a long life at most.

I think they're best implimented after the first book, film, or season. Not something you want to throw at your audience who barely knows or cares about these characters, so if you're stuck with ideas for a sequel, consider the Flashback Arc.

My favorite thing that I have ever written (sans ENNS) was for my sci-fi WIP, a C-plot flashback arc in 13 parts. They started out as in-universe nightmares to give credibility to when these flasbacks started occuring, framed around the character's reaction to the scene, but then took off independently to avoid redundancy.

This arc covered his time as a POW, telling the reader how he came to be the living weapon he was, and the first detail it opened with was the reveal that he wasn’t the only one of his kind, he’d lied and shouldered the blame of every atrocity to protect the others, as their numbers dwindled and it all fell into place. A truth he wouldn't tell with a gun to his head.

Because you already knew he lived, because he’s right there in the present A-plot, the arc wasn’t telling you if he’d survive the war, but what he’d do to survive, and how it all fell apart. Because it was framed up with the existing narrative, I had a lot more leeway in omitting details and dropping the reader weeks or months ahead as opposed to this being a completely fresh story with new characters. You knew immediately based on the tone that this POV was the C-plot flashback POV, and you knew the only person who could narrate it was my poor character.

Over 13 POVS, 34k words (of a total whopping 202k), I told a whole love story, established and killed off 10 characters, and gave heaps of worldbuilding lore and exposition to fill in all the blanks in the present and answer questions that this character would never, and revealed just how much he lied about and why.

All of this tied in with the A-plot, staggering the physical placement of POVS within the book to hit at the right moments tonally and as the character’s condition kept deteriorating because he refused to talk about What Happened. His reason was that he’d done all of this and suffered so much to keep their legacies pure. If he gave it up now, he would have done all this for nothing.

And this was some heavy shit. There was murder, suicide, death by giant alien super robots fond of ripping people apart, assault, mercy killing, torture, gaslighting, and psychological horror. One of my magic systems let magicians regrow limbs alchemically, which meant they could endure a shit ton of pain and just get reset to do it all over again.

It was a lot.

But because it was just in flashbacks, I gave you just enough dark shit before cutting back to something marginally lighter, not just one long slog of misery. There was also the unknown of how quickly it would end. The book would end when you hit the last page, but you had no idea which flashback POV would be the last.

And also.

I got to flex my writing skills to the fullest, writing this character’s flashback POV in a completely different tone and style to make it that much more distinct from the rest of the present book.

ENNS’ sequel is very much under construction, but the one thing already polished is a flashback episode packed into one chapter for one of my characters. It’s perfectly knife-twisty and I can't wait for people to read it.

—

There’s dozens of framing devices out there. Most important thing, I think, is not sacrificing audience understanding for the sake of something ‘cool’. Doesn’t matter how amazing the story is if your audience gets completely lost and confused trying to keep up with what’s going on.

If you'd like to check out my book, Eternal Night of the Northern Sky is available now!

[luckyshinyhunter]

Having trouble finding some films to watch, especially now that it's pride month?

Well have no fear, because I have some that is recommended, whether queer or queer-coded, these are movies you should watch.

Despite being forgotten or criticize being "woke", Strange World is a underrated gem that join the list of underrated and forgotten disney films such Lightyear, Treasure Planet and Atlantis.

It has an gay main character and a diverse cast including an 3-legged dog. Inspired by classic sci-fi adventure film in the 50's and 60's, Strange World is fun adventure film about an generation of a family dealing with their own faults, also opening a door of possibilities with it's lore.

Freaky is a fun twist on the classic "Freaky Friday" trope, telling the story of a teenager who swap bodies with a serial killer, thanks to a mystical artifact.

Co-written and directed by the guy who also made Happy Death Day, Freaky delivers some gore-filled kills and feel good laughs while offering some parts of queer identity along with a gay character who proud of who he is.

The Fear Street trilogy itself not only joined the list of amazing horror films in 2021 but also an spot of queer horror.

It follows an romance of two lesbian teens in the 90's not only dealing with homophobia but also a ancient connected curse of the town of Shadyside.

Chalked with nostalgia of classic horror films like Scream, Friday the 13th and The Crucible.

Fear Street wins fans over with it's violent kills, remarkable characters, talented performances, and great and relatable queer representation.

Jennifer's Body introduced an another horror icon and bisexuality.

Megan Fox plays Jennifer Check who was possessed by a demon and targets on guys after being sacrificed by an fame-hungry band.

Tho Jennifer is not a lesbian, but the films does show that she is interested in both boys and girls, claiming she goes both ways and has some interest in her friend Needy, even kissing her too.

The cult classic not only has an amazing bisexual icon but tackles heavy themes such as assault, exploitation and the female gaze.

Bottoms is a must watch masterpiece, chaotic, brutal and gut-bursting funny, the film follows two high school friends that made a fight club to just hook up with two popular cheerleaders.

With an ridiculously unhinged final act, meet cute romance, and jokes that have you laughing your butt off. This 2000's coded movie is a a treat to start off the month.

After rewatching it again, Arlo has queer heavy themes if you think about it. Looking back, one of the film's characters, has some queer-coded hints about him.

I'm not going to spoil on the titular character, I think you should watch the film in order to get what I'm saying.

Other than that the film has an amazing soundtrack and has colorful characters as well.

Luca definitely is a queer film without a doubt. Focusing on two young sea monsters, spending an unforgettable summer in the town of Portorosso on the Italian Riviera.

It's themes of self discovery, chosen families, homophobia and acceptance.

This emotionally sweet sea-filled tale is a instant classic with a pretty much Canon couple too.

Robot Dreams also has hints of queer companionship and also is a story of loneliness, the film's out now, you definitely think you should see it.

Based off the comic in 2007, Robot Dreams is set in the 80's of New York City.

A lonely dog assemble and befriends a robot in a dialogue-less journey of friendship, love and rusted parts.

There's no surprises are a lot of clear queer-tonic themes in the films, especially among the two main characters, Robot Dreams is a perfect way to spend your summer.

Last year, Nimona was not only one final goodbye from Blue sky studios but is a part of the best films of 2023.

No surprise that the creator of the graphic novel also did Netflix's She-ra, the film is heavy on not only disability but also gender identity and transphobia.

it's a film that everyone will enjoy, thanks to it's commentary and electrifying performances by the cast, combine with pretty metal animation, Nimona is the film you should definitely watch.

🏳️‍🌈Happy pride month, hope all of you have a great day, and let me know on what think of these films.🏳️‍🌈

[fairybenz]

hello tumblr! i’m just posting this to see if i can make more moots on here/letterboxd! i use it pretty regularly :) happy to discuss films with anyone!!

here’s my letterboxd top 4! i love any horror, drama, romance :) so far directors i like include wes craven, wes anderson, sofia coppola, and greta gerwig. im trying to expand my little list, though! join me on my cinephile journey :D

[sanguine-sanctus]

Nosferatu 2024

So, my opinion on the new Nosferatu

I enjoyed the movie a lot. I am happy overall with the finished film.

Before I went to see the film I was a bit afraid of not liking it because I previously saw The Lighthouse and didn't actually like it that much. I thought that it was terribly slow. I don't think that it was a bad film but I don't think it was good either. It is true that it was visually stunning but in general it was boring.

Nosferatu has a lot in common with The Lighthouse. It is easy to see that it was made by the same director but at the same time it is different. I have seen opinions that state that the film is boring, too long and or slow and while I don’t particularly agree with this, I think that there is a bit of truth there. It feels slow but not in a bad way. it is entertaining, something that I believe that The Lighthouse fails at.

It is inevitable to compare it  to the earlier adaptation and the original movie. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) is a special film. It was made vaguely enough to evade copyright and became its own thing. I don’t like to call it a Dracula adaptation because I truly think that it is not. I might say that it makes references to the book but it strays enough to separate itself from it.

From here on the review may contain some spoilers.

The best part of the movie is when Thomas goes to castle Orlock and all of his time spent there. The direction from when Thomas gets on the carriage is insanely good. I’ve never seen such a seamless direction. His dreamlike journey from the carriage to the castle is truly memorable and I was in awe in the cinema. When Thomas saw the count for the first time far away I was shocked at how good it was. By the way, this whole scene is made without dialog. One of my favourite things ever.

The general direction of the film is great. Nothing is “generic”. All of the shots are well followed after and the direction helps to lead the viewer. Something that is really lacking in modern movies.

This movie tries to separate itself from the original one. It is understandable, since if they had made a copy of the original it would have been worse in my opinion. I therefore think they made the right decision to follow their own path. But, that doesn’t mean I think it is perfect. The movie has issues that make it, in my thoughts, worse than the 1922 version. There are things I truly don’t like and things I love. Something I share with the 1979 version.

The real plague in modern horror cinema is the jumpscares. It is incredibly disappointing that in a film like Nosferatu 2024, a film that is full of class, elegance, great direction, great sound design, understanding of gothic horror and romance, relates in such cheap tricks like jumpscares that feel like they’ve just come from a 1970’s hammer movie (I love hammer but sometimes they feel cheap as hell lol). They aren’t really scary, for me, they just take me out of the story and make me remember that I am watching something.

The sex. This might be controversial since I read about people calling this film the “revival of hornyness” “the end of puritanical hollywood” and things like that. Don’t take me wrong. I don’t mind sex in movies and I understand that Dracula and vampires have an incredible subtext of sex and sexuality. Not only that but,I love noir films. 

I don’t think it's bad but I feel that in this movie it just has no value. Eggers decides to add the reading of sexual repression of women of that era to the film and he has all the right to add whatever he wants to his own films but I truly feel that it just doesn’t contribute enough to the story. I don’t hate it! since I don’t think it changes much to the meaning to the film of love triumphs over evil but it feels like it is something that was added a bit sloppily.

I do have to say that the sex scene with Thomas and Ellen was just…random as hell. It sprung up out of nowhere especially with her saying “You’ve never satisfied me like he does” which ????? 

Before anyone says that I don’t get it and whatever. Listen. I do get it. She is a 1830s sexually repressed woman who was abused in her childhood. But I still feel that the scene as a whole appeared out of nowhere. I would even say that it felt like a “Hollywood’s sex it up” kind of moment.

Where I think this new film strays from the original is in the fact that the story is much more Dracula than it is Nosferatu. When I say that, I mean that in the original 1922 version, Nosferatu is an external force. He is sickness, something unstoppable. The plague. In this new version he resembles the identity of the lover introduced in the 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula (I am aware that this idea was introduced in the public mind way before but I think that it was cemented here so that’s why I use it as an example)

The 1922 film, as I’ve said before, achieves to become something much more different on its own rather than the label of “Dracula’s illegal copy”. Since I saw the original, I’ve felt that Dracula and Nosferatu are different things. Nosferatu 1922 strived to get away as much as possible from the original and that is what makes it so unique. 

The 2024 version does not. This new film takes Nosferatu and blends it with more elements of the novel (as it says on the credits of the film) and even more novel films like Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I think that might be a mistake. 

Because of this, intentions and messages displayed in the movie become murky. 

For example, In this film Nosferatu has been present in Ellens and Thomas’s lives since the very beginning. She says that she has been his lover since she was a child making it quite a contrast with the 1922 version in which both Ellen and Thomas are just a happy couple that have their lives ruined by this external evil. With this, the 2024 version implies that Ellen is directly responsible for the deaths of everyone around her. If we compare with the 1922 version, this Ellen is a victim and she later becomes a saviour by sacrificing herself to this evil being giving us the message that love (light) triumphs over evil (darkness) while in the 2024 version, it is said or implied that her loneliness as a child created Nosferatu to satisfy her carnal desires. Making Nosferatu not anymore a representation of external evil but also internal (blurring the lines of the characters real meaning and making it harder to understand his purpose).

Here is where the murky stuff comes into play. If he is a being created by and for her carnal desires why does he go on and about killing? It left me confused since they decided to change the meaning of the character (which is fine) but! they didn’t bother to really flesh out this new meaning and therefore it becomes confusing. At least for me.

Going back to Ellen’s sacrifice, remembering the 1922 version, she sacrifices herself after reading a book about Nosferatu and that the only way to kill him is with a fair maiden sacrificing her blood with the first sign of the cock. She does not want to give herself to evil. She makes a sacrifice. In the 2024 version it is implied or even outright shown that she gives in favourably. She even desires him, making the thing not even a sacrifice anymore. There is no more love triumphing over evil. There is no sacrificing for humanity anymore. The movie takes more of the stance of “the only way to kill darkness inside me is to kill myself” it’s like she wants to feel the pleasure again and die. Which is kind of strange taking into account that Orlok here kind of forces her into this position. I do have to say that I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS IS BAD. I just think that this new perspective is kind of unnecessary for the story they are supposedly making. I think the movie is good MOSTLY because it takes a lot from the original 1922 version. These “new” addons don’t really make much sense. I just think that if they wanted to go in this direction, they should have just gone for it from the get go and not blend it with elements of the original film. It just makes it a bit confusing.

What I do love from this film that isn’t in the original one is that they’ve chosen to make the count kind of a shadow. He is barely seen in the movie and I love that. Eggers plays with the idea of the shadow through the movie and I just *chef’s kiss*. It is THAT good. How Orlok kind of teleports around the place is great. He was truly scary and it was an amazing portrayal by Bill Skarsgard.

I think that a big part of why I think that there are things I don’t like about this movie is that it just takes too much from the coppola 1992 film. It is as if they were afraid of the original material and felt that they had to romance it up a bit.

[theoutcastrogue]

1994

[Give me a year and I'll give you my favourite films / suggestions]

"The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows three drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp (whose character is a transgender woman), as they journey across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named "Priscilla", along the way encountering various groups and individuals. The film was a surprise worldwide hit and its positive portrayal of LGBT individuals helped to introduce LGBT themes to a mainstream audience." Somehow this film manages to be completely realistic (this wasn't an easy time!) and incredibly sweet. I love it

Heavenly Creatures is a Peter Jackson film based on the 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case, that "blends elements of movie genres like biography, period, thriller, crime, horror, romance, psychological drama, fantasy and dark comedy". It's unforgettably fucked up, the visuals are out of this world. As for Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey, who in their feature film debuts no less had to portray two obsessive teenage murderers, they did GREAT.

And most of these are rogue-related one way or another, though Il Postino is not, it's just a fantastic film. I think the only one that needs a note is The Last Seduction: it's a classic 90s neo-noir / erotic thriller, a genre that's arguably bad, but like good bad. I kinda miss it, on account that it's got bad people doing bad things and often getting away with it, all while being hot, and terrible.

Pulp Fiction

The Crow

Natural Born Killers

Léon (Léon: The Professional)

The Shawshank Redemption

The Last Seduction

Il postino (The Postman)

Ed Wood

Il mostro (The monster)

[secriden]

I am truly finding your descent into the utter madness that is joongdunk very entertaining. Probably because I get you. I only discovered them a few months ago and now I am swimming deep in the trenches of their lore. And I am loving every moment of it. I want to share my joy with you because you seem to be having a great time too.

I am the anon who sent you the mv and short film ask btw. I'm sorry I forgot to mention the horror aspect of the short film.

I fell in love with joongdunk dynamics, both on and off screen. On screen, I love the way they portray their characters. Off screen, I love the way they interact with each other. They are just so hilarious and wholesome. I guess my favorite part about them is how Joong feels comfortable enough to completely let go and be his most unhinged and crazy self with Dunk, and Dunk just accepts all of it without batting an eyelash. I love that while all of their antics are absolutely hilarious, you can also clearly feel the genuine love and respect they have for each other.

Sorry for the long rant, I truly am deep in my joongdunk feels lately. Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss more joongdunk. And thank you for sharing your journey.

Hello!! Its lovely to meet you and yes thank you for both feeding and empathising with my tumble into the joongdunk abyss xD

Oh no worries! I mean I figured it had to be horror themed given it was a Halloween project but I just did not expect them to go that hard with it. It has all the hallmarks I associate with the (very few) Asian horror movies I've seen in my life and there's something especially terrifying about them (vs Western horror films). Which speaks to the genuine effort that was poured into that pet project but also its nice to see them doing something outside of the college romance zone since that's all I've seen from them so far.

Ohhhh I love that insight about Joong feeling like he can be completely himself around Dunk. *O* I mean the man does seem to have the most minimal filter on the best of days and Dunk literally is never ever phased by any of it. Its amazing to watch in the best way.

Also its peak comedy when Dunk does something to make Joong speechless. Usually its also something that makes me think, "guys, you're on camera right now?? shouldn't this be in private??" like the time he got (fake?) mad about Joong sleeping over at a friend's house and got all pouty about not being informed/implied that he thought he thought Joong was only sleeping at his house. xD And Joong was left just like O 3O and not really knowing what to say. xD

I'm still very far from getting a sense of their personalties and characters. I can tell they're incredibly affectionate (as individuals) and that Joong at least is very physically expressive about it. But I want to watch some of their longer interviews to get a feel for what they're actually like, y'know?? Any recommendations?

Also omgosh please do not feel sorry, this is blanket permission to rant at me about JoongDunk and their shows and their projects or whatever else is tangentially related to them. I'm already bought in. xD I was on the fence until I watched SIMM and despite its flaws it still made me feel ALL THE FEELS and most of that was just the sheer intensity that JoongDunk brought to their on-screen moments.

[sapphire-weapon]

All this talk about story structures gives me severe flashbacks of arguing that the Last of Us part 2 follows the five act story structure of a classic tragedy and its story does not work with the three act structure that everyone was trying to force upon it, and getting bashed for it 💀 Though it looks like this idea is way more accepted now after some time has passed. Maybe the same will happen with RE4R over the years. I kinda feel like the idea puts people off so much because romance as a whole and subsequently romance story structure are seen as just that? Romance and nothing else? But romance doesn't have to be the center point of a story for it to be following the romance story structure.

I guess that's where people get confused with this. A story's structure and a story's focus do not go hand-in-hand all the time. It is just a specific way to unify the story's elements into a single narrative. But people read the word 'romance' and that's all they need to read lol

Yeah, and honestly that's not unprecedented in vidya analysis. It usually takes a while for deeper understandings of narratives to take hold across a fanbase. I think it was 2 or 3 years before it became widely accepted that TEW even had a story at all, let alone one that made sense LMAO Gamers are reactionary by nature, and people get very attached to their first impressions.

There's also the problem that a lot of people's understandings of story structure and analysis comes from youtubers, and most youtubers' understandings of it come from film analysis -- and films usually follow a very rigid structure that vidya is not beholden to, because films have to pack their whole story into about two hours.

That's where this whole "hero's journey" bullshit comes from. It came from analysis youtubers who primarily focus on movies. And then people get it in their head somehow that most stories are structured that way by default, and it's like... no????

But it's like I said earlier. I say "romance" and people think I'm calling RE4make a chick flick, or they think of a trashy paperback with Fabio on the cover and a waifish girl fainting in his arms.

It's just a storytelling convention. Think of like... Alien is a good example. Alien actually follows the story structure and thematic framework of the horror genre. But the first thing you'd tell someone about it is that it's sci-fi.

RE4make follows the story structure and thematic framework of the romance genre. But the first thing you'd tell someone about it is that it's horror.