#it was all very dramatic & cinematic

[octarineblues]

not to doxx myself but ive just seen player kings (with ian mckellen!!) and uhhhh it was so good. brb gonna explode.

[legionofpotatoes]

can't believe I just spent three hours watching a movie about masculine anxiety in the nuclear family model, told through cartoon alien tribes wearing Mãori tattoos

[irishbreakfst]

Watched a dude get arrested by EIGHT cop cars full of cops for (according to the citizen app) trying to jack a car. I watched this because I live right above where it happened, and my car was directly next to the car he was jacking. Thank God I drive a lemon

[lemonhemlock]

the reason why i don't think blood & cheese works without maelor is because it undermines the gravity of helaena's choice

in the books, as we all know, she has to choose which son to sacrifice. blood & cheese are going to kill one either way, so, whatever happens, if you want to get cynical about it, aegon will still be left with a male heir of his body. no, the horribleness of the choice lies not really in dynastic matters, but in basic humanity: which of your children are you willing to condemn to death? and helaena truly does try to make the best out of a bad situation, she picks not because she loves jaehaerys more, but because maelor is so tiny that she hopes he won't understand what's going to happen to him.

and she absolutely has to choose, because b&c threaten to rape her daughter if she doesn't. it's psychological torture. b&c just want to fuck her up in the head as much as possible and helaena tries her goddamnest to minimize the harm done to her family. to further compound on the tragedy, b&c kill the opposite child, so now she has to live out the rest of her days knowing that the son left alive is the son SHE herself marked for the axe. which is what understandably drives her to lose her mind

now, in the show, the "problem" blood & cheese have doesn't exist at all: that they can't supposedly tell the twins apart. but (as awful as it sounds, since it involves sexual assault) they could very easily check which child has male genitalia and be done with it. it's a "problem" that takes literal seconds to solve. they don't need helaena at all! it becomes irrelevant which child she points towards - b&c can always just check! she can't save jaehaerys in this situation no matter what she does, because b&c were never interested in jaehaera in the first place. in the books, she has the ability to save one child and this exact horrible "agency" bestowed on her torments her for the rest of her days. in the show, even had she pointed towards jaehaera, it would have been a narrative plot hole for the writers to have killed her without checking

likewise, in the books, she begs them to kill her instead, but, in the show, she offers them a necklace? you can't deny that the dramatic stakes are lowered substantially by making that change. which one of these options would have been more filled with pathos? personally, it just feels like this was phia's moment to shine and, while she did a good job with what she had, every narrative choice was somehow made to subdue this horrible event and left her only crumbs to work with. cinematically-speaking, this scene (as it was executed) does not even come close to the iconic moments that cemented GoT into the collective consciousness, which is very strange, as the subject matter is anything but mediocre

and that's not even getting into the rest of the plot holes that others have already pointed out, like:

- why are there no guards at helaena's door or anywhere else for that matter? not just on that hallway, but on many other hallways, she has to run quite a lot to get to alicent's chambers

- why is her room unlocked at the very least

- why is ALICENT's room unlocked, for that matter? she is having secret guilty sex with criston and she forgets to lock her door in a castle full of spies? anyone could have walked in

- not even getting into this whole thing just being one huge misunderstanding + minimizing daemon's and mysaria's roles :))

- NOT EVEN mentioning removing the trauma of alicent witnessing all of this, gagged and bound on her own bed, not being able to help or intervene in any way

i can understand the likelihood of these elements happening sometimes (maybe someone does forget to lock their door from time to time, maybe a guard does shirk their duties from time to time), but you can't write all of them at once without it turning all looney tunes. if you introduce too many aspects that defy logic in your story, it ceases to be believable and just becomes bad writing

___________________________________________

also, "they killed <the boy>"? not "my son" or "jaehaerys"? it sounds so removed, don't you think? helaena out there on her mother's floor dropping exposition for the audience 🥲

[prolifeproliberty]

Hey, I'm stumped on this objection, if it's alright, I want your input on this

"For these types of people I always give them a hypothetical situation for them answer So if you knew your wife was going to die by giving birth to the child would you let Your wife get an abortion or would you let your wife die in the child grow up without a mother?"

What do you think?

I would answer that the choice is never actually that simple. We imagine this cinematic moment where the doctor comes out to talk to the anxious husband in the waiting room and says “Sir, we can only save one of them. Should we save your wife or your child?” and he has to make that choice.

That makes a very dramatic movie scene, but it’s not real.

There are three categories of “life of the mother” situations:

1. Very early pregnancy. Mother has a life threatening condition and cannot be kept stable until the child reaches viability (now around 22 weeks with evidence-based best practices). Even in these situations, a direct abortion isn’t the life-saving care. Usually we’re talking about the mother needing a treatment for her life-threatening condition that risks the life of the baby. Most ethical choice is to treat the mother. If the baby dies as a result of the treatment, that is a tragic loss. If the baby doesn’t die, awesome! In this category, there is no way to save the baby without saving the mother, because if the mother died, the baby would too. Ectopic pregnancies fall in this category because there is currently no way to save the baby. If we developed the ability to get ectopic embryos to successfully re-implant in the uterus, that would become the ethical option.

2. Late-term complications. I’m going out of order here for a reason. This is anything where the mother’s life-threatening health issue starts after viability, but especially when we’re talking 30 weeks and on. Baby’s chance of survival with an early delivery goes up rapidly as baby approaches full term. In these cases, if the mother needs immediate treatment for a life threatening issue, she doesn’t actually need her baby to die. There is no reason to choose between the mother and child. A C-section is actually safer than a late-term abortion, since third trimester abortions usually still involve the mother laboring and delivering a dead baby. If the concern, as posed in the original hypothetical, is that she would “die by giving birth,” then she probably just needs a C-section (or a better doctor).

3. The third category is the most complex one. This is when the life threatening issue for the other begins when the child cannot yet survive outside the womb, but may be able to in a few weeks. This is where the difficult decisions are made. This category includes women diagnosed with cancer who might decide to delay treatment to protect their child until their child can be safely delivered. However, even here we can see examples of mothers who choose to receive treatment without first killing their child, and doctors who find innovative ways to treat life-threatening illnesses without harming preborn children.

The true answer is “save them both.” We can’t always - just as any doctor knows in a triage situation they can’t always save all the patients. The decision of who to save is never based on which patient is more human, more valuable, or more worth saving. The answer is instead based on how the doctor can save the greatest number of patients. If the doctor can save everyone, they do. If the doctor knows a course of action means for sure saving one patient, while another might not make it, but the alternative is losing both, then they will choose to save at least one. We almost never see a situation where the doctor has to arbitrarily choose between two patients - the decision is always based on the condition of each patient, the resources available, how much time there is, etc. There are algorithms for this kind of thing.

Basically I refuse to let unrealistic hypotheticals dictate actual policy on saving children.

Because people believe in the “we can only save one, choose!” scenario, we get doctors telling women that they will die if they don’t get an abortion, and then they cry to the media that they had to go to Colorado or California to get their “life-saving procedure.” The reality is that either the doctor could have treated the mother without first killing the baby and given the baby a chance to survive, or they could have delivered the baby and then treated the mother.

Anyone who says they couldn’t do the first option under ____ state abortion law is either lying or ignorant. If the mother’s condition is actually life-threatening, every state allows doctors to treat the mother. Killing a child doesn’t cure any illness.

[absolutely-esme]

This is so good!

..

The Bats can tell something is up with Tim. They all know what trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms look like. No one in this line of work remains unscathed. They've all developed quirks.

This is still cause for concern. Tim is running himself ragged trying to maintain decent health around whatever the fuck this is. Trauma this intense linked to basic necessities of life is worrying. All the more so because they have no idea where its coming from.

Usually they can deduce where some new sensitivity came from. There will be some unpleasantness on a recent mission that leaves them off kilter for a while, or some other context that makes it make sense. The idea that something could mess one of them up this badly without any of the others knowing about it is, frankly, terrifying.

Tim is getting thinner and more desperate as time moves on and they can't figure out what's wrong.

They don't find a lead on this mystery until one of the rogues decides to experiment with truth serum, and Tim gets dosed. They manage to get him out of the public eye before it really starts kicking in, but once it does Tim is high as a kite and voicing every thought that crosses his mind in a tangled, stream-of-consciousness mess.

After the mission, while Tim is babbling away in the car, someone mentions a celebratory after-mission meal. Tim (who had previously been sprawled out in a heavily reclined seat, mumbling incoherently) bolts upright and insists that nobody cooks alone because its dangerous and "he" might still be alive if he'd had someone with him.

Before anyone can think better of it, someone on coms gently asks who he's talking about.

The story spills out disjointedly, peppered with self-recriminations and tangents.

There's a case Tim has been privately working on but can't seem to crack. Something he blames himself for. Two dead kids and a portal to hell. The effects seem to be spreading, and he still can't track down the location. They coax him into sharing the case file (they normally wouldn't take advantage of a teammate's intoxicated state like this, but this is an extreme case).

Babs can't seem to track the videos to their source either (which is all kinds of worrying), but she might know someone who can. She's seen similar interference before and worked with another hacker who was a natural at getting around it. They might be able to help, and PharoahTooFine still owes her for helping them take down a genocidal organization that had taken root in their hometown.

The bats begin making preparations with grim determination.

Just hold on a little longer, SpookySpaceEats. Help is on the way.

Dc x Dp prompt #1

Danny open a YouTube channel teaching how to cook.

Bonus point : During the live, the food came to life. And he had to fight the food while chats were watching him.

[anghraine]

I feel like the lighting of the beacons scene is kind of a microcosm of my issues with the LOTR films as a whole, in that:

Cinematically, it's absolutely gorgeous and stirring

The visuals are lifted even further by the score

It's a reference to a thing that is actually in the book, just highly re-contextualized (the beacons exist in the book and have already been lit, but serve a different function; it is the Red Arrow that is used to ask for Théoden's aid, with the specific remark that Denethor is asking for aid and not demanding it; the messenger who brought the arrow is caught and decapitated on his way back to Minas Tirith and so Denethor can't know if the message got out without using the palantír)

The lighting of the beacons in the films is tied into the story they're telling, in which basically all the NPCs other characters are much more self-doubting and self-sabotaging and it's up to Our Heroes to get them to do the right thing or the heroes just do it themselves (see Treebeard, see Théoden, see Faramir...)

Specifically, the necessity of lighting the beacons in the films is a direct byproduct of making film Denethor malicious and incredibly incompetent

The quiet, almost incidental tragedy of the messenger's death in war—not in a big battle, not in any glorious way at all, just this random guy being casually chased down and killed—is lost in favor of something dramatic and show-stopping and cool.

It is dramatic and show-stopping and cool! But sacrifices were definitely made in order to work it into the story at all and I think those sacrifices were very representative of the films' adaptational approach.

[felassan]

Some snippets from a couple older articles I don't remember seeing or catching[?] before:

"at its core is a beautifully told story of revenge, regret, and the complexities of good and evil" [source]

Varric's familiar wit and charm is very much present [source]

Excerpt on the opening:

"the story just sort of jumps right into things under the assumption you've got some understanding of where things left off in Inquisition. Solas, the Dreadwolf, is already conducting a menacing ritual to dismantle the Veil in the heart of the Tevinter Imperium's capital city, and Varric has assembled a crew to try to stop him. The demonstration began with a player choice, wherein Rook - our extremely customizable hero (more on that later) - gets to choose between fighting an entire bar or attempting to negotiate his way into more peaceful circumstances. Naturally, the demoist chose to beat everyone up in a bit of Dungeons & Dragons-esque tavern fun, complete with Varric pinning the shady bartender to her own station with a well placed crossbow bolt for some interrogation. As Rook and Varric scrounge the city for clues and meet up with a few more teammates en route to stopping Solas' big scary plan, they engage in some back and forth that feels like a mix of cheesy RPG dialogue and the characterization that makes Dragon Age such a great iteration of its genre." [...] "During the demo, Rook and crew engaged several enemies on their way to stop Solas. Battle sometimes began through a cinematic and sometimes by simply approaching an enemy on the map." [source]

"As the environment gets destroyed or decayed and action spills out into the streets, the rendering of each brick and light source helps add to a high fantasy feel." [source]

On the slider for body type selection: "It looked incredibly easy to maneuver around and create a body that is either close to that player's real personage or their ideal fantasy self" [source]

Party members closest to Rook are the most useful and lethal in battle [source]

On combat: it "has an improved version of [the DA2] battle system that combines the tactical pauses of Dragon Age's deep strategy with a more fluid, eye-catching approach to action that can create gorgeous visuals at times" [source]

"the string of attacks possible while playing Rook made the combat seem quite dynamic on a base level" [source]

"Our presenter said that each specialization was pretty much as deep as a job" ((job - class)) [source]

"Thedas is more beautiful than ever in the hour I spent with Veilguard" [source]

"I can assure you that the weird, hero-shooter tone of that companion reveal trailer doesn't carry into the game itself. No sir, Dragon Age: The Veilguard (née Dreadwolf) doesn't have much time for japes at all. Things are grim. Dark. Fraught, even" [source]

"sliding a cursor across a triangle that can make your character stocky and chubby or tall and muscular or anything in between" [source]

"BioWare seems to have resisted the Mass Effect: Andromeda proclivity for gratingly quippy dialogue in this one, at least. Varric makes some jokes, sure, but people spoke mostly like (dramatic, fantasy) people in my time in Minrathous" [source]

Minrathous: "the dark heart of a dystopian magical empire, its skyline dominated by a magically suspended palace in the shape of a saw-toothed crescent" [source]

Enemy barriers and armors can be whittled down more quickly by "nailing a shot to a vital part with your bow, if you've got one" [source]

[takotakigum]

when i smile — michael kaiser.

characters: michael kaiser x gn!reader

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, established relationships, idiocy, and parent!reader&kaiser.

word count: 1.5k

synopsis: stupidity takes a hold of kaiser when he decides he would eat a spoonful of baby food to show your baby that they should eat it.

note: the nicknames/callsigns “schatz” and “kleine” mean “treasure” and “little one”.

aged up characters | please read at your own risk!

kaiser has never once thought feeding your baby would be near impossible.

“eat it, come on.” kaiser waves the spoon in all sorts of direction so that your baby would find interest in it, and inevitably, eat it—but they won’t even spare a glance! “do you not like this?” kaiser looks at the mush on the spoon, a muted color fills his vision as some of the excess baby food falls on your little one’s high chair table. “i see you eat it all the time, though!” what kaiser fails to take note is that your kid does do it but if it’s only with you. he’s only ever seen his kid eat it so happily whenever you’re the one feeding them.

almost, kaiser gently forces the rubber spoon on your baby’s mouth, their lips frowning in disbelief while their face altogether looks like they’re about to cry. “i’m sure it’s not that bad, why’re you so dramatic?” kaiser matches your baby’s frown, hand dramatically resting on his cheek. “ahh, come on, say ahh.” kaiser’s patience is running thin, and he doesn’t like it. “kleine, stop making this hard on us both, i promised i would take care of you today!” your husband begs, dropping the spoon on your kid’s table and cupping both their hands with his.

kaiser pouts, and so does your baby. and then suddenly, as kaiser continues to plea for cooperation, your baby’s stomach grumbles. kaiser laughs hysterically, poking at your little one’s stomach as they continue to pout. “see you’re hungry!” kaiser teases the little one, his eyes searching for the disregarded spoon in an instant; however, your baby’s face is now really looking like it’s going to burst out tears. kaiser pats your baby’s head, cooing at them for such reactions. although, it can’t be helped, so kaiser waits until your baby is just pouting once more.

“how about i try it first, then will you eat it?” kaiser negotiates with your little one, as if a lightbulb has shone above his head, deceiving your baby. they make a sound, your kid’s tongue sticking out and blabbering something. kaiser nods, like he’s understanding it all when in reality his eyes are too occupied by the substance he’s looking at on the spoon.

it looks utterly disgusting—at least, for kaiser’s eyes. somewhere in his brain, he truly thinks he shouldn’t feed his only little one such a mysterious concoction. however it’s not mysterious, and it’s very much far from what a vile concoction is. the small glass jar reads ‘peas’ and even so kaiser does not particularly mind the taste of it with his meals, he can’t stop his nose from scrunching up at the consistency—of which he hasn’t even touched, tasted, or smelled. your baby blinks at kaiser examining the baby food, and with one final glance, kaiser dips the spoon into the jar once more and takes the baby food in his mouth.

kaiser thinks that he should’ve pretended to eat the food, and not have been a brainless idiot ingesting it. because the moment the baby food hits his tongue, kaiser gags. and he gags hard. so much that he has to cover his mouth with his hand, afraid of making a mess with the baby food. then, kaiser remembers that the moment he shows any displeasure with eating the puree, your baby will certainly not eat it anymore! so, back with his brainless idiot persona, kaiser swallows painfully. when kaiser brings his hand down to smile at his baby—to show them that it’s not so bad and that your little one should eat it—kaiser rushes to the bathroom nearby.

the timing is cinematic, really.

because, as kaiser is bent down on the sink, coughing so violently he thinks he’s going to vomit—the front door opens. for a split second, kaiser believes he’s lightheaded, that he’s hallucinating because of some baby food.

“i’m back! did you both eat already?” you call out, hands busy with the bags around your arms to notice anything yet. when you only get your baby’s blabbers as a response, you look around your home. with a gasp, you nearly drop all of what you once held to the ground, rushing to the kitchen the moment your eyes notice your baby playing with the small jar of baby food, it’s contents mostly spilling everywhere.

“what happened?? mihya? mihya-” you call out worriedly, wondering why your little one was left unattended. however, kaiser finally seems to compose himself and rush out the bathroom. “you’re home, schatz! you won’t believe what- holy shit.” it seems as though your husband is near to drop on his knees when his eyes take in the sight of that disgusting green baby food splattered everywhere.

still with a furrowed brow, you gently take the jar out your baby’s hand, and they nearly whine. however, stops when your kid realizes that there’s baby food on their fingertips. kaiser watches in horror from a distance when your baby suckles on their fingers and palm, almost like cleaning it. “no, that’s disgusting. we have to throw it away.” kaiser rushes to your side when you take the disregarded spoon and let the excess baby food from it drop back in the container.

“mihya, what are you saying? i come home to my baby nearly covered in baby food and you…telling me that the baby food is disgusting…?” kaiser nods, his eyes looking like they could explain the whole story—they couldn’t, though. so you sigh, scratching your forehead as you wait for an explanation. “that thing, we’re never getting that ever again. it’s so gross! i can’t believe we ever thought it would be a good idea to buy that for-” your jaw drops, and you place the closed jar of baby food back down on the messy table. “mihya, you ate tasted fucking baby food?” you stare in disbelief, hand coming up to your face to exaggerate.

“i did! i don’t think it’s edible, maybe it’s expired or something.” when kaiser attempts to prove a point, he tries to grab the baby food, but then sees your baby trying to open the container with dedication. “stop that, kleine!” the mere moment kaiser holds the small jar once more, he starts to walk to the trash bin. “mihya, don’t. that’s their favorite.” despite still recovering from your husband’s antics, you manage to giggle. compared to your baby who seems heartbroken, you continue to burst out in a stroke of laughter.

“you’re kidding, you have to be.” kaiser looks back to you, eyes still squinted with pure distaste. he feels nauseous from just seeing you wipe your little one’s face from the baby food. despite the slimy surfaces all around, you still entertain your baby with a tender smile to stop them from frowning. “i’m not, give it to me.” without even looking at kaiser, you reach your hand out beside you, and kaiser prudently places it on your hand.

“baby, ahh,” you mimic an open mouth, and your baby now happily follows. the little one’s eyes seems to light up when the food sloshes around their smiling mouth. within a second, your baby opens their mouth for more, and within that second, kaiser’s mouth also drops to the floor. “that’s favoritism, it has to be!” kaiser moves behind you, his hands on your shoulder as he shakes your being in disbelief.

“it’s not, you’re overthinking it.” you continue to laugh, and kaiser’s scrunched up face forces tears to overlap with your vision. “then it has to be something, right??” now, kaiser is staring at your baby, whose eyes and figure is as innocent as it could possibly be. with a scoff, kaiser sweeps your baby from their high chair and onto his arms, your baby’s arms reaching back to where their baby food is.

“no, look here. stop acting like you wanted to eat that! schatz, why is my kid like this?” kaiser whines, playfully poking at your little one’s chest which still leaves your baby unimpressed. “maybe because it’s also your kid, mihya. probably had the instinct to get back at you for all your teasings, don’t you think?” you continue to laugh when kaiser tries to retort but inevitably gets his mouth covered by your baby’s food-covered hands.

when color drains from kaisers face, you’re certain you can’t breathe from laughing so much anymore—and it’s so contagious that even your baby starts giggling, their cheeks puffing out as their whole body practically shakes with happiness.

kaiser can’t help it, because with one final deep breath of air, kaiser takes your baby’s hand and places it on top of their own mouth, so he’s able to laugh freely for the first time today. with a mischievous smirk, kaiser lounges at you with your baby in his arms and embraces you, and you yelp. “mihya!” on one cheek, kaiser smothers it with his baby food-covered mouth, while the other gets squished by the hands of your baby. soon enough, laughter is heard all around the kitchen, drowning your pleas of your husband and baby releasing you from the messy embrace.

despite it all, kaiser is able to smile and laugh at anything and everything his family oughts to give him—and it’s all he ever asks for.

© takotakigum | do not repost, translate, or plagiarize my works.

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: Wild Hearts

In the idyllic English countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, two teachers at Willowbrook Hall set out to transform their students’ lives through the world of theatre. But for Mr. Crowley, the challenge of navigating his long hidden feelings and dear friendship with Mr. Fell may prove to be the greatest drama of all.

Length: 145,589 Words

AO3 Rating: Explicit/ Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, Human AU, Romance, Slow Burn

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by foolishlovers

*Minor Spoilers* Welcome to Willowbrook Hall, or as I like to call it, The Gay and Trans School for Gay and Trans Teens. Come meet professors Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley, and their colorful cast of teens as they spend the school year getting ready for the performance of a lifetime in the school play. This place has it all: hijinks, dances, costumes, drama, and best of all a cat.

What I really loved about this story was how cinematic it felt. Sure, some scenes intentionally reference a movie (Wild Child, so fun and camp!), but that's not what I mean. The whole thing plays out like a movie or its own TV show. We get big dramatic moments of romance and heartbreak, plus fun ones like a mini makeover, the school dance, and the play. And there is tons of subtle foreshadowing along the way that will make you jump up and down when things come to fruition. It's thrilling and engaging, and waiting for updates when this was a WIP was excruciating because I wanted to know what was going to happen next so badly!

The side characters especially are so much fun! I loved the kids and their side plots. Even though we don’t follow their story directly, we see enough to get hooked. Adam and Warlock are standouts, but they aren't the only ones I enjoyed! Honestly, I'd read a standalone from the kids perspective! The teachers are excellent too. I have a soft spot for Newt, who pops in now and then, always a sweetheart. Crowley could be in the depths of heartbreak and still manage a smile for Newt. All the teachers (plus Nina) don't feel like they're just there. I was interested in them, and you really get a sense of how much of a family they all are. It's a real skill to make side characters as interesting as the main duo.

Of course, the main attraction is Crowley and Aziraphale. They’ll make you fall in love with them all over again. They’re the perfect domestic couple well before they admit anything. So many lovely details about them, from note passing and bets, to their shared bond with Beethoven the cat (aka the best character ever). You'll experience everything with them: the highs of gender discovery and euphoria, and the lows of miscommunication and misunderstandings. What drama is complete without that? Yes, they’re a bit thick headed, and yes, a single conversation could have fixed everything. But where's the fun in that? I'm here for the drama! The pang of heartbreak and yearning makes the reunion so much sweeter! They are wonderfully characterized, and yet still have an air and life of their own. Unique to this story, but true to their characters.

You’ll be mostly safe reading this in public. There are a handful of explicit scenes but you should have enough notice to get away from prying eyes. The sex here is delicious and heart pounding! Plus the way that Crowley's gender fluidity plays into those scenes was very beautiful. There are so many reasons to love this story. It's engaging, cinematic, dramatic, funny, and romantic. This was an incredible achievement and I hope you have just as much fun and I did!

Read it here, fic by foolishlovers

[marsoid]

Hi Mars! I really like your work and I especially love your comics ~ they each have the perfect amount of intense and gay af moments, which are important qualities that I look for in the webcomics that I read! 🤣☺️

Another thing that I love about Long Exposure and Ride or Die is how cinematic they are, and that particular aspect is truly a testament to your talents as an artist!

My question for you is have you ever thought about what either comic would be like if they were adapted for film or television, and would you want them to be live-action or animated?

AHHH OHH GOOD QUESTION

if Long Exposure were live action, i'd want it to feel like this:

very moody lol. think Chronicle, Short Term 12, King Jack (all of which were inspirations)

if Ride or Die were live action, i'd want it to feel like this:

dramatic and dark (neon noir?) but with big moments and action highlighted by intense color. and a mix of practical effects and cgi for the horror elements. thinking like, Drive, Baby Driver, Watchmen (tv show), Bullet Train, and Candyman (2021).

NOW, IF THEY WERE ANIMATED....

surprising no one lmfao i would love if ROD or LE looked anything like spiderverse!! it's a big style inspo for the ROD comic as well

to add onto that, ENTERGALACTIC is another spiderverse-esque styled movie that i love the look of. if you like spiderverse i recommend it btw, esp if you're looking for something more adult oriented

there aren't a ton of cgi animated movies/shows i like the looks of admittedly, so that list kind of ends with spiderverse and entergalactic. BUT!! in terms of 2D animation, captain laserhawk would probably be the first thing i point to for animation inspiration if ROD or LE were to be TV/movies. i'm a new big fan of bobbypills animation.

for ROD specifically, i love the animation (esp the car animation) in Chiaki's Journey, a series by the Line Animation studio. it's BEAUTIFUL!!! i'd absolutely die happy if an animated ROD looked anything like it

special bonus shout out to this love death and robots episode directed by Robert Valley (who's also behind Motorcity)... I don't know if a full LE/ROD series/movie would fit in this style, but i DO LOVE IT SO MUCH so i thought it was worth mentioning lol

anyway yeah dreamy sigh!!!

[blackswaneuroparedux]

If Caravaggio were alive today today, he would have loved the cinema; his paintings take a cinematic approach. We filmmakers became aware of his work in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and he certainly was an influence on us. The best part for us was that in many cases he painted religious subject-matter but the models were obviously people from the streets; he had prostitutes playing saints. There’s something in Caravaggio that shows a real street knowledge of the sinner; his sacred paintings are profane.

Martin Scorsese on Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi, known to most of us as “Caravaggio,” was born on September 29, 1571 in Milan, Italy, to parents who were from the small town of Caravaggio. In the span of his 38 years long life he revolutionised painting with innovations like a unique use of chiaroscuro - with dark shadows contrasting with dramatic areas of light - and a deep sense of realism that later inspired the Baroque movement. But most of all, he developed such an iconic style that most of us can probably look at a painting and know if it’s a Caravaggio, or Caravaggio-inspired. 

Merisi spent the first few years of his life in Milan, studying painting, and later moved to Rome, where his early talent impressed Cardinal Del Monte, who introduced the young painter to other high-profile Catholic figures who became commissioners of some of Caravaggio’s best work. It seemed there was no end to the artist’s creative genius. Caravaggio, much to his patron’s delight, would pump out one masterpiece after another. It seemed the more out of control his personal life became (cheating, brawling and murder were standard fare), the more his art would become more refined, more potent.

In the long list of masterpieces he left behind, both secular and religious works stand out. But it is perhaps in his religious works that the artistic transition of the master is more evident. Caravaggio is, in fact, known to have changed his style after harsh personal life experiences led him to reassess his outlook on life.

In May of 1606 Caravaggio took part in a deadly brawl in Rome and was charged with murder. He fled to Malta, in search of asylum from the Order of Saint John, a Catholic order dedicated to helping the sick and the poor. The order commissioned some of the most important late life works of the Milanese artist.

It is in these works that we notice the shift in Caravaggio’s art, from a strong focus on aesthetics to an interest in the spirituality of his subjects, which critics believe was motivated by his own introspection.

On the streets surrounding the churches and palaces, brawls and sword fights were regular occurrences. In the course of this desperate life Caravaggio created the most dramatic paintings of his age, using ordinary men and women - often prostitutes and the very poor - to model for his depictions of classic religious scenes.

By representing biblical characters in a naturalistic fashion, typically through signs of aging and poverty, Caravaggio's populist modernisation of religious parables were little short of trailblazing. Although not without his critics within the church, by effectively humanising the divine, Caravaggio made Christianity more relevant to the ordinary viewer.

For some, though, his art was too real. Bare shoulders, plunging necklines, severed heads; this raw humanity didn’t always fly in 17th century Rome. As a result, many of his pieces were rejected as altar pieces and as church hangings. One such piece, the Madonna of Loretto (now hanging in a church in Rome) was widely criticised upon its unveiling. The people of the day were shocked to behold the Mother of God leaning nonchalantly against a wall in her bare feet while holding baby Jesus in her arms.

It is ironic that the very art that today we consider “classical” and “iconic” to the Catholic faith was considered questionable and perhaps void of modesty and virtue. Yet, the fact remains that no individual artist has made such a lasting impression on the world of modern art. Truly, many have called Caravaggio the “first modern artist”. It is no surprise, then, that his style has sparked both widespread admiration and imitation throughout the centuries.

Before Pope John Paul II refined a theology of the body beautiful, Caravaggio's paintings suggested a reverence for the inherent beauty of human form.

Troubled though he may have been, his art speaks eloquently of the dignity of the mundane. Though the original medium may be weathered and cracked, the message of beauty still echoes down the centuries. And this same beauty still fuels, escapes and reduces artists to relentless seekers as surely and as forcefully as it did in Caravaggio's life.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

So far, Kidnap the series, is BL-ing in all the right ways. It's light fare, but that's exactly what it aims for, and its hitting near the bullseye every episode. Just because its light doesn't mean its bad. Consider this my plea to everyone--for the sake of romance, BLs, and Thai BLs in particular--to stop equating dramatic naturalism with 'good' art. Kidnap is silly, sweet, and such a throwback to classic BLs--it's already hit most of the BL tropes. More importantly, Kidnap understands a major 'why' of BLs and light fare, and the series, itself, is depicting that 'why': they can give an overwhelming sense of reparation for queer people's buried traumas.

On the podcast Boys Love Boys Love, hosts and gay married couple Adam and RJ have been recapping their first watch of ITSAY (which very much broke open many traditions of the BL genre) with guests. In all three recaps so far, the guests and hosts have detailed vividly how, despite feeling 'proud' of their sexuality, BL shows allowed them to revisit painful experiences of isolation and abandonment in adolescence that occurred because of homophobia and then re-imagine an adolescence in which they weren't constantly on guard but instead experienced genuine adult care, friendship, and uninhibited explorations of first love. BL shows and their happy endings help queer people process griefs we don't realize we've suppressed.

I see a parallel to this experience in Kidnap as Min aids Q in coping with his acute PTSD, especially in the play acting scenes. Q can safely engage with his past experience and gain a sense of control and compassion over what he couldn't manage originally. Because I'm a performance dork at heart, the context of Ohm, the 'king of BLs,' leading Leng, an entirely green actor, within the show and through the actual process of acting in BLs doubles down on the theme. With each clear-from-outer-space romance beat, the show promises that this is a safe place to be vulnerable.

In the latest episode (episode 5), the series even began to reveal plot-relevance to its BL levity. We've all joked about Min's incompetency with all the crime he's been drawn into. After the first episode, the people on the internet chucked it up to a cheesy show disinterested in researching and committing to the realities of crime, but then James walked in the next week and called him out on it all. It was just Min, not the show. His exuberant care and desperation to please has led him, unsurprisingly, into a web of deception with no way out.

Brother Mhen laid it flat out this week: just because Min takes care of him doesn't mean he doesn't also provide kinds of care for his brother. Min, like any human-being, has his own weaknesses and issues of self-worth, and Q, with his savvy and prerogative of self-preservation learned from his upbringing, is positioned perfectly to provide the care and encouragement Min needs. I don't think the show has invited this comparison as directly, but it does make me think about how we figure the lighter BL shows and people like Ohm, a particularly evocative representative for creators in the industry, who endure controversies and vitriol to bring their best attempts to lighten the burdens of audiences.

For all the intense feelings ITSAY or The Eight Sense or The On1y One produced in me, I can recognize that their 'cinematic' style, with its naturalistic performances and precise camera work, is still just a style. It's not inherently better than shows recorded on sound-stages with more theatrical performance styles, though many critics and scholars have trained us to think that way. I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, and shows like them are undeniably celebrated series that have no interest in approaching cinematic style.

Stable cameras, broader characters, and more absurd situations allow for subversive problems to be broached and tackled (and laughed at) while maintaining audience comfort. The slapstick and screwball comedy is one of the things I've adored about Thai BLs, in particular. The audience can feel for but not with the characters. And, that healthy distance is not to be diminished. Comfort can be a vitally important aesthetic experience, and the rules for judging genres that prioritize it are very different than those used for judging prestige tv and *poetic cinema.*

Too much realism would be detrimental to an action rom-com like Kidnap because the audience would no longer feel safe to laugh and coo about these characters in their situation. Although GMMTV is leaning more into its cinematography for BLs recently with this series and The Trainee (maybe toss Moonlight Chicken in there), I personally appreciate how they've maintained the genre's unpretentious sentimental tone, even as they've allowed creators to expand the breadth of the genre and address its problems. That tonal lightness allows us, in Kidnap, to safely dive into PTSD and perhaps our own experiences as queer adolescents with parents who left us unseen as we suffered alone; we trust the show will leave us and the characters resolved in the end.

But I don't want to mistake that kind of depth as the main point of BLs. Those are the undercurrents but we're meant to have fun here. You don't pull-up Miss Congeniality on your TV to understand the human condition. We like these characters, feel safe to open up our hearts, and trust, even as threats of death loom, queer love will conquer all.

[see-arcane]

Oof augh argh my heart

Once again @re-dracula is proving to be THE only Dracula adaptation to do this story and its characters justice

The horror-sting in discovering not only that Dracula is trying to erase his tracks, but that it now has a body count (RIP to his agent)

The exuberance of Mina in Isabel Adomakoh Young's voice as she marches head-on into connecting the vital dots to realize where Dracula is and how to track him--and the ultimate chokehold on her courage and love as she must ultimately part ways with Jonathan for the final rush of the chase

The lacing of audio-action under Van Helsing's dialogue as he dishes out his last group-rousing speech where they're all together

The sharper dramatic tone under Jonathan's words as Ben Galpin finally, finally gets to give full heart-tearing voice to that brief but electric rant at--with biting emphasis--Professor van Helsing--about the danger he means to drag Mina into unexcused and unexplained, hammering home the reminder of what all there is to worry for in the future...

On the heels of that, Galpin and the soundscape design managed to bring new ominous life into something I had previously only half-noticed before:

"Do as you will," said Jonathan, with a sob that shook him all over, "we are in the hands of God!"

[...]

My only comfort is that we are in the hands of God. Only for that faith it would be easier to die than to live, and so be quit of all the trouble.

I never thought of those lines being delivered with such a subtle but disquieting pitch of despair rather than hope. As if the speaker very much does have faith in God, but he only knows so from God's proven fallibility--and knows that same fickle Power is the one carelessly juggling all their fates.

And that ending handful of lines, delivered with such a quiet crushing weight of the eerie:

It is a wild adventure we are on. Here, as we are rushing along through the darkness, with the cold from the river seeming to rise up and strike us; with all the mysterious voices of the night around us, it all comes home. We seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown ways; into a whole world of dark and dreadful things. Godalming is shutting the furnace door....

The way it's directed, the way it's voiced, the way it's all couched in the sort of cinematic beat of hush before the characters walk blindfolded into some fresh Hell, it all seems to turn over some mental stone in my head to reveal I've been walking past gold with each re-read of the novel.

Just

wow

Wow wow wow this podcast

It makes such a difference. There's so much more flavor and so many more facets in how Re: Dracula delivers the story beyond any mere audiobook, and worlds beyond any adaptation I've ever sat through. A million thank yous to the cast and crew.

Gonna go re-listen again

[softiejoon]

SKZ + BARBENHEIMER

warnings ; mentions of food, crying and the patriarchy

a/n ; just a silly little thing for fun (extremely barbie-biased bc i have not seen oppenheimer 🤭)

.・゜-: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　✧　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ :-゜・．

chan

is totally down for the double feature

equally excited for both tbh

was easily persuaded into dressing on theme

you rocking all black and a leather trench coat, and chan in baby pink and denim <33

y’all slayed

lots of snacks and drinks to sustain you both throughout the night

(chan cries during barbie)

long late night conversations after the movie <33

overall an 11/10 experience with ur ken (affectionate) !!

:-゜・．

minho

complains about it being too much effort (he’s already bought the tickets)

will do the bare minimum in terms of dressing to theme but enjoys seeing you all excited and happy

EXTREMELY engrossed throughout barbie

wouldn’t even let you out to pee at first bc you were “disrupting a very important cinematic experience”

sits through the entire end credits

“soo did you like it?” “it was okay i guess”

drags jisung along to see it again bc he knows you’d never let him live it down

:-゜・．

changbin

did not want to see oppenheimer at first

“it’s just stupid men being stupid and blowing stuff up” “okay but cillian murphy and florence pugh are in it”

only goes on the condition you both dress to the barbie theme

honestly he outdressed you. there’s no two ways about it

changbin kenned so hard you can’t help but respect it

“baby, you ready to go?” “…” 🙄 “..ken, you ready to go?” “yes barbie!!!”

needless to say you had trouble getting him to leave the theatre

“okay bin, time to go” “no they haven’t played barbie dreams by fifty fifty yet”

:-゜・．

hyunjin

soo dramatic about the entire thing

thinks himself into a panic when deciding which one to see first

then also proceeds to have a crisis about which theme to dress to

has too many outfit ideas for both and makes you watch as he models all of his 50 options

complains if you don’t give detailed feedback on each one

“ynnie are you even looking??” “hyunjin, if looks could kill right now…”

when he finally does decide on his outfit though, it’s like walking the red carpet with him

looks hella good and he knows it

lovees the photo opps (probably the best part of the night for him smh)

:-゜・．

jisung

babygirl is so excited to see barbie

thought it would be a feel-good film

is sorely mistaken when he sees you tearing up during the movie

next thing he knows, boom! (woops wrong movie) he’s bawling

listens so intently to you talk about the film afterwards that he surprises even himself

genuinely just wants to learn more so he does his own research

(and not just about horses, though it is included)

“really? you, mr jeogiyo noona hokshi namja–?” 😭😭😭

makes you buy him the kenough hoodie for emotional damage

you agree

:-゜・．

felix

he’s so excited!!!

bakes cookies for you both to sneak into the theatre

briefly considers doing a split dye just for the premiere

“lix angel we’re leaving in an hour” “fine :(”

but his pout disappears immediately when you offer to help with his makeup

“sit stilll lixie” “can’t, ‘s ticklish!”

there is pink glitter. everywhere.

bc someone insisted it was essential for the look

(he was right, it really does top it all off)

you’re also running late bc you and felix got a little distracted while finishing off his makeup

it’s not your fault his lips look so kissable with your gloss on

and it’s not felix’s fault he’s addicted to the strawberry taste on both your lips

you do eventually make it there though, just missing all the ads

safe to say there were a lot of laughs shared and tears shed <3

:-゜・．

seungmin

man this dude is the biggest pretend-hater

told you he refuses to see barbie and wants to see oppenheimer instead

you frowned and begged for him to give in but no luck

then the next thing you know you’re at the theatre and it’s two tickets for barbie

wtf??

“is this some sick mind game?”

“what, you think im that twisted? maybe we should go see oppenheimer since you love evil geniuses so much”

watches you snatch the tickets from his hand and run off with a lovesick smile on his face

for the entirety of the following week, you catch moments of seungmin humming the barbie soundtrack

always stops the second you’re around though and tells you you’re hearing things

“stop gaslighting me, that’s so un-barbie of you”

but when you finally catch him singing ‘i’m just ken’ in the shower ohoho

you throw open the bathroom door “aha! i knew it!!”

“y/n what the hell??” “i knew ittt. you lovee barbie hehe”

“whatever.. but uh since you’re here…can you pass me a towel please?”

“okay :) if you sing :))”

in the end, he got his towel and you got a full rendition of the song from your red-faced boyfriend

:-゜・．

jeongin

just doesn’t really get the hype

he was fine seeing either or none of them tbh

but you convinced him with the prospect of matching outfits <33

he’s so into it that you forget he was the one who didn’t want to go at first

literally buys you matching pieces and jewellery to wear

you have no control over your outfit at this point

but it makes him happy and you know you’re in good hands so you let him have at it

ofc you both end up looking great

makes you take a bunch of pics for his ig tho 🙄

but you get a bunch of cute couple ones in too

honestly? you couldn’t really tell what he thought of the movies after

but the next day you can hear him watching tiktok in the living area

and it’s all…barbie commentary?

there’s the occasional fashion and kpop video in the mix but video after video you can hear him listening to critical analysis of the film

“baby?” “hm?” “you good?” “yeah” then after a beat “fck the patriarchy tho”

~

© softiejoon | send me feedback/requests | support me

[poppyfamily]

Amangela Writer Appreciation Post!

I'm feeling a lot of things right now and I've decided to write what I like about my Amangela writer friends' writing. I often forget to leave comments on their work because they are GOOD at what they do, and I often forget I'm in the middle of reading good writing because it just exists (something something baby fish asks mommy fish where water is only to realize they've been swimming in it the whole time). Can you believe they do this for FREE? And share it with us just because they want to? They are GIFTS to the community.

It is such a privilege to be in the same creative sphere as these people and I need to express Emotions or regret not doing it. They inspire me everyday. Here is a public declaration of love, hope y’all are okay with that. Ramblings under the cut, because it goes without saying, this got really long.

@okiankeno is so imaginative with their writing. My Teeth, Your Neck is impressive with its incorporations of many elements that are familiar to Smosh and Amangela while throwing them into a fantastical, supernatural universe. I haven't watched Buffy, but their writing is so good at making this fantastical world feel lived in. The world just seamlessly slides into the way they write character motivations, making for strong characterization and dynamics that have me INVESTED. That Maia/Valerie twist? Screaming. Crying. Throwing up.

@babychosen is wonderful at dropping Amanda and Angela in situations optimized for maximum tension - which is clearly seen in first time that i met you (i didn't have a damn clue) and you could be bad (but i wanna find out). I love how she crafts her plots, keeping me at the edge of my seat for what comes next, which is driven forward by the way she writes dialogue - natural to the situation as it captures a range of emotions: awkwardness, uneasiness, attraction and just all the quirks that come with forming relationships. Her writing is so fun to read!

@sage-lights writes fics that are short and sweet, but they pack such a powerful punch. With just a few words, she's able to tell a story that contains the energy of a multi-chaptered fic. This is especially true in sometimes i hold you closer (just to know you're real). LIKE HELLO. I was on the road when I first read it and it had me spiraling for a good few hours. She also captures their voices very well. They also capture the tenderness of Amanda and Angela in such a specific way. One of my favorites is met you at the right time (this is what it feels like), capturing the intimacy of two women who earnestly love each other, beyond romance.

@xxsuicidalravenxx 's writing explores the inner turmoil of being drawn to someone while having a lot of insecurity about your own place in other people’s lives. You know I'm such a fool for you (you got me wrapped around your finger) captures something so incredibly real about the anxiety that comes with a murky and under-communicated relationship dynamic based on unfair assumptions about both herself and how Amanda feels about her - which ultimately is a reflection of Angela’s own self-worth which at this point isn’t the best. It’s so real, god - the self-sabotage and all that and slowly realizing that the people around her care more about her beyond whatever mistake she believes she’s made. Also just - all Chamangela dynamics are excellently written here. It’s a gift.

@unknownteapot is masterful at her craft. I've said it before - their writing is so cinematic.  I can see it clearly in my mind - so good at painting clear pictures of where the characters are in the story. It's dramatic, tension-filled and just excellent writing all around. Several minutes of my life have been spent reading her fics. I feel comforted whenever I read her stuff, it gives the feeling of hope - that things will be okay even when it doesn’t seem that way. I remember when sweetheart dropped in the Amangela ao3 tag and thinking WHO is this absolutely talented writer that came out of nowhere (to me lol), but now I can't imagine this little community without them.

@shesmore-shoebill is so good at capturing Amangela vibes as we see it. Like it truly feels like they've broken down the dynamic into its bare essentials which enables them to produce fics that I can vividly HEAR.  They also just infuse a lot of tenderness into the way they write Amanda and Angela, whether it's in a joke or in like genuine moments of checking in - both demonstrated very well in empty space and Joint Custody (Hey Siri). Also, you just know they're a good writer without reading any of their fics because they are already so articulate in how they write commentary on videos when they aren't even trying to write a story, so when they do have a story, it just hits even more. So good.

@skiespeaches has authored one of the hottest, tension-filled fics I've read in my god damned life. From the first chapter of The devil is in the details I was screaming over how THE FUCK they were able to make just ONE KISS feel like THAT. Also, really really really love how grounded this is in the way they write dialogue and internal thoughts. It captures the pleasant feeling of realizing just how much you like someone and receiving some cues that they might like you back. It captures actions you take because of those feelings that can get in the way of communicating what you really want, the emotional tentativeness that comes with not wanting to bear your heart completely quite yet - yet there is a willingness to see where it goes, hoping that it does come to that point. The entire fic feels like the most emotionally charged scene of a slice of life movie - which is literally my personal favorite genre.

@ghoulishhgayy - famed author of hit Amangela fic Oil Burns had me invested in a situation that I personally haven't read a lot of in fanfiction. The spirit of their fics can be boiled down (haha get it) to the way they write about two women who deeply care about one another unconditionally supporting each other through difficult times. That's the kind of shit I eat up, and it's done so excellently. They just also write in a way that just makes being in love so appealing. They capture the moment of oh in Oil Burns so well that it has me gnashing my teeth, gnawing at the bars of my enclosure etc etc.

@wlwsmosh manages to get to the heart of a story in a few words. It's actually crazy and I’m in awe of their talent. There is a lightness to their fics that just makes me smile so much while also like having some really smutty scenes, which is so dang impressive - balancing sweetness and steaminess really well while also feeling very much like Amangela. My favorite from them are when i call the shots, you call me mommy which I think feels so much like Amangela voice and humor, while also placing them in a relationship and kink context. Honestly, all of their fics are gems.

@baflegacy is so GOOD at putting Amangela in the silliest of situations (heck, situations that are very much based on what we have seen in canon) and teasing out its potential romantic through line. They have a way of capturing emotions that accompany these situations in a way that just shoots you straight to the core. They write tension so well, and are so good at keeping me engaged with what's about to happen next. All of their works are GOATED. I, however, am extremely biased when I say that my favorite is their birthday gift for me - too good (to deny it) - aka one of the best angsty pieces of writing I've read in my whole life my GOD.

@cuecrynsleep is so!!!! A newer friend whose first fic in the Amangela tag I fell in love with immediately (Being Transparent). It was so simple, but captures Amangela’s adorable nature within the context of a romantic relationship REALLY WELL. I’m also just out here eagerly awaiting every post from Reconnecting the Past, which is a chat fic - a format that I rarely like the execution of, but damn I love the way they’re doing it here with the added bonus of the Changela, Arangela, and Shourtmanda dynamics which is just feels absolutely right. I’m out here thinking what are they gonna do next. They are so good at building intrigue and I’m just here sipping my tea and thinking in my head that I sound like some pathetic fuckboy sexting going “and then what?” because I am seated. I am sat. 

Anyway, if you’ve reached the end of this post - go support these writers!!!! Make sure you let them know if you like their stuff - either through a comment, kudos, an ask, a message, or bookmark. I promise you it makes these authors’ days whenever they see any kind of feedback for their work, and it keeps the community ALIVE. I am guilty of not doing that but it’s always great to try instead of not. I know from personal experience that it makes so much of a difference in their motivation to write more, while also allowing us to savor the work instead of mindlessly consuming it. Thanks for reading me gushing about all of them. Love you Amangela RPF community! Very grateful for y’all more than you’ll ever know <3