#it’s also soo interesting to see different interpretations when it comes to certain characters

[minlicious]

i hate it when someone says “if you read this retelling you can skip homer” because no matter how good the retelling is, there is always some kind of interpretation or bias towards or against certain characters from the author’s side which means you may totally misinterpret the character’s reasons for doing something. one of my favourite examples for this is menelaus, as he is almost always depicted as really brutal and evil, also when it comes to his relationship to helen, which definitely cannot be seen to that extent in the iliad or the odyssey. i’m not saying that you HAVE to read the odyssey and the iliad to enjoy for example epic or paris the musical or song of achilles or any retelling but please please please do not equalize retellings of these books with the actual books

[safflowerseason]

Late to the party, but I just finished Succession. Holy shit, what an ending. Anyway, I enjoyed going back and reading your takes from when it was still airing. Do you have any other morsels or headcanons to share?

Hey! Thank you so much for writing in with a Succession question!! I love it! And I'm glad you enjoyed my little takes and recaps...I didn't have the time to do full-on recaps for S4 like I did for S3, unfortunately, but I had such a great time watching in real time. I'll truly never forget watching 4.03 with the rest of the internet. I literally thought Logan's death was being faked until they told Shiv.

As for morsels/head-canons, oooh...compared to other viewers I don't have a ton of very specific headcanons about the upbringing/adolescence/early adult-hood of the Roys, beyond the few hints the show dropped. Apparently there was some debate early on about how far apart in age Kendall, Roman, and Shiv are (as well as whether Shiv or Roman was older, before the show confirmed Shiv as the youngest in S3)...I always assumed they were supposed to be quite close in age, five years max between Kendall and Shiv. The show itself is a bit blurry on the specifics of the backstory/everyone's timeline, though. I also wished we got more of the relationship between Logan and Caroline...we actually never (or barely) see them interact directly, and yet they seem to loom so large in each other's lives.

As for interpretative morsels...I actually haven't gone back and watched the finale again (if you can believe it) because it was soo good and devastating I literally haven't been able to work up the emotional fortitude. There was a great take here I saw that the finale didn't leave you with the same SHEER ADRENALINE RUSH of the other finales, which I will agree with but ultimately I think it fits with the show's overarching thesis that "everything is bullshit, especially billionaires." There's nothing about the finale I feel that will keep being re-litigated by fans (à la Veep)...there seemed to be some discourse about Shiv's ending and whether or not it fit with her character's arc (I think it does, but would love to hear your take!)

I will say that I was always interested in the decision to have Logan take up with Kerry in S3...I love the character of Marcia so much that the rise of Kerry was like a personal affront to me, lol, but I was also intrigued by how Marcia didn't seem threatened by Kerry the way she was by Rhea (or even Shiv). And it's also a relationship that Logan seems very passive about, and we never really hear his own take on it (except when he chickens out re: Kerry's audition tape for ATN). All the "facts" about what they do come from Kerry (or from other people, like Connor with the smoothie revelation). Like obviously, he seems fond of Kerry and is attracted to her (although I don't believe he was actually considering divorcing Marcia, not when he has literally just had to pay her a ridiculous amount of money to stick around in S3), but we don't see anything to indicate why he's okay letting her take on such an outsized role in the management of the business. (I also thought Brian Cox adopted an almost...fatherly air around the actress, which I guess would make sense due to the age difference...it wasn't like they had blazing sexual chemistry!) Is Kerry a symptom of Logan's growing passivity as he ages? A sign that he's getting old and predictable? Are we supposed to take away something about Kerry's naivëté, that she pins all her professional and personal hopes on an aging billionaire in ill health? Is she a parable in that sense? It's fitting for Succession, though, that a lot of the "intimacy" of the "romantic" relationships on the show take place offscreen, so in that sense I think the mystery is a bit purposeful. And the writers were always interested in "inverting" clichés to a certain degree (ie, the CEO having an affair with his much younger assistant)...but I guess I'm not sure how they inverted it in this instance, other than the incredibly ruthless way Kerry gets excised from the inner circle (a scene which will live in infamy!) as opposed to continuing the drama of their relationship after Logan's death.

That's one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about S4, but I'm sure there are many others, and would love to hear your specific thoughts about the season! My favorite episodes were, personally, 4.03 (Connor's Wedding), 4.04 (Honeymoon States--my pick for funniest episode of the season), and 4.09 (Church and State). My favorite season finale is probably S3, All the Bells Say...I think S2 is probably a tighter episode narratively, but my god, the emotional devastation of the S3 finale. You simply can't beat it!

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

Sorry if I’m rude, but I really don’t get the Ugetsu hype at all 😕, would you mind explaining it please, I would like to widen my perception of him

Hello, dear anon!

First of all, I’m so sorry for keeping your ask waiting for so long. You would think that as an Ugetsu fan, I would have been jumping up and down because of this question - and don’t get me wrong, I am excited. But much like with my previous Given ask, I found myself a bit puzzled by what to say, to be honest. Turned out this wasn’t as “simple” of a question as I originally thought. 

Secondly, don’t worry, your question isn’t rude. On the contrary, I think it’s admirable if you want to try to understand someone else’s bias and interests. It doesn’t mean you will start liking and being passionate about the same things, but I think it’s always welcomed to ask people why they like something. I’m not expecting you to start liking Ugetsu after reading how I feel about him, but your attitude is something I think we desperately need more of in this fandom.

“I really don’t get the Ugetsu hype at all 😕, would you mind explaining it please”

It’s interesting to me that you speak of “Ugetsu hype”. According to my time in the Given fandon, Ugetsu does have fans but he is probably one of the least liked characters. My gut feeling says that out of the main cast (Uenoyama, Mafuyu, Akihiko, Haruki, Ugetsu), Ugetsu is definitely the least liked among the fans. So, I can’t say I have witnessed any “hype” regarding him. Apart from a couple of hardcore Ugetsu stans, the closest to “hype” I have seen is people wishing he would find happiness after he and Akihiko broke up.

Also, I don’t think I can really “explain” anything either. Certainly not as some kind of fandom phenomenon. I can only speak for myself and myself only. The reasons why I love Ugetsu might not be why some other fans love him. I think that’s important to remember whenever talking about favorite characters/ships in general. We can never know why someone loves something, so I don’t think we should judge anyone on a personal level for liking something in fiction.

To give my answer some structure, I thought I would use some of my favorite Ugetsu illustrations. 

His character design and overall “vibe”:

As a reader/viewer/fan, I am more often than not interested in the somehow controversial characters and they usually end up becoming my favorites. Gotou Masamune (3-gatsu no lion), She Li (19 Days), Sing Soo-Ling (Banana Fish), Bakugou Katsuki (Boku no Hero Academia), Joker (DC Comics), Oikawa Tooru (Haikyuu), Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter), and Oh Sangwoo (Killing Stalking) to name a few. I have always connected more with the antagonists and found them more interesting.

So, with a track record like that, I wasn’t surprised when my heart made a beeline to Ugetsu’s character. To me, it was pretty much love at first sight. I was instantly drawn to him: dark, sensual, and beautiful. In the anime, I absolutely loved his character’s mischievous and playful voice acting.

Ugetsu had an aura of solitude and distance to him, but he was also needy and affectionate in his own way. His frankness and mischief seemed to work as defense and yet he was also surprisingly vulnerable and even afraid. In many ways, he was like a cat who are often misunderstood as assholes when there is also a lot of character, affection, and intimacy packed in them.

Kizu’s choice of instrument for Ugetsu also fascinated me. To me, the violin is one of the most beautiful and intricate instruments, and it fits Ugetsu’s character perfectly. It's elegant, incredibly difficult, and kind of temperamental. The violin is sorrowful, seductive, and possesses loads of charisma. It sounds beautiful on its own though the more solitary it is, the more lonely it sounds. But it can also be a light, playful and mischievous sound, bouncing and chasing in the air. In either case, the violin won't allow itself to be ignored. 

To pair Ugetsu with the classical violin especially was also great. First of all, learning the violin on the level of becoming a soloist requires incredible discipline, dedication, and passion. Violin is a very unforgiving instrument, but it also gives you freedom. Things like intonation and phrasing are where a talent like a soloist could shine and express themselves. I think that kind of combination of disciplined precision and expressive freedom fits Ugetsu so, so well.

His softer and more vulnerable side:

I often see comments that Ugetsu didn’t really love Akihiko or care about him. Some readers think he was selfish, heartless, and abusive/toxic towards Akihiko in their relationship. And they feel sorry for anyone who later ends up in a relationship with him. To some people, Ugetsu came across as the lowest of low in his time with Akihiko.

Now, I am not going to try and claim that Ugetsu didn’t hurt Akihiko. He most certainly did, oftentimes knowingly when he was trying to push him away. Their relationship was no doubt turbulent and painful for both of them, and I’m sure they will both be happier now freed of their cycle. Even though I am an Ugetsu fan, I don’t want to make it sound like he couldn’t have done a lot of things differently.

However, I also see some parts of myself in Ugetsu. I relate to his certain type of uneasiness when it comes to letting someone/something occupy my priorities. It makes me restless and defensive easily, and I end up rejecting that someone/something which often comes across as being cold. That was an important part of why Ugetsu originally wanted to break up with Akihiko. His love for Akihiko grew so deep it posed as a “threat” to Ugetsu’s sense of “order” when it came to his passion for music. Despite of how their relationship ended, I don’t agree that Ugetsu is somehow incapable of loving someone, it just scares him and is something he needs to figure out for himself. Also, because I somewhat relate to Ugetsu in this sense, it kind of stings when people are so eager to proclaim that his kinds of people don’t deserve someone to love them.

I also believe Ugetsu cared about Akihiko and was worried about him. He did notice Akihiko had started to lose his passion for music and in a way, was giving up on himself. He wanted Akihiko to find his “trigger” again somehow. I have also read interpretations that Ugetsu probably felt guilty about how their relationship seemed to affect Akihiko’s drive. I think that’s an interesting point. Overall, it’s important to remember that partly why Ugetsu initially wanted to break up was to also “free” Akihiko from his suffering. I don’t think that is something that a heartless character would do.

I do think Ugetsu was happy with Akihiko in many ways, but it’s not his style to be flustered and lovey-dovey about it. Which is another thing I find myself somewhat relating to. Instead of being super romantic, I think Ugetsu shows his love and happiness by being clingy, playful/mischievous, and letting someone in his space both mentally and physically (by this, I don’t mean just sleeping with someone but actually letting them see him as a private person). Despite of the lack of proper communication being one of the problems in AkiUgetsu, I think Akihiko was one of the few people who really knew Ugetsu.

AkiUgetsu as roommates:

The beautiful coloring of the panel is by o_yang_o on Twitter.

I think it’s safe to say that most of the Ugetsu-hate stems from his time of being roommates with Akihiko. It was a very dark time for both of them despite the occasional islands of reminiscencing the good parts of their relationship. Ugetsu hurt Akihiko in many ways during that time and realized his behavior was hurting him.

But I think people often forget that Ugetsu was unhappy and hurting, too. Of course, it doesn’t excuse his actions but it explains them. Letting go of Akihiko was just as hard - if not harder - for Ugetsu as letting go of Ugetsu was for Akihiko. In his incapability of cutting the relationship off, Ugetsu resorted in trying to push Akihiko away by hurting him, but Akihiko wouldn’t give up on him. So, his actions didn’t come from some deep-rooted evil but rather being in pain and scared. He wanted the suffering to end but at the same, he couldn’t picture Akihiko not coming back and was terrified of everything, even the music, disappearing in the basement if Akihiko did leave him. 

I think the breakdown Ugetsu had when Akihiko finally broke up with him was telling of how difficult taking that last step had been for Ugetsu as well. He was scared of letting go and being let go of because surely nothing would be left behind. It’s true that it was Ugetsu who originally wanted to break up, but it was Akihiko who needed to walk away first when it finally came down to it. I think Ugetsu’s reaction spoke volumes of how deep his feelings for Akihiko truly ran. In short, AkiUgetsu ended up in a bad and painful direction, but I most definitely believe Ugetsu overall is capable of loving someone and he has a caring/affectionate side to him as well.

Overall, what I love about Ugetsu is his complexity and layers. You need to see deeper than his behavior to see his character as a whole. He’s not innocent and has many flaws, but he’s also not the cold and distant human monster he’s sometimes made out to be. I think Kizu put a lot of care and effort into building his character and did a beautiful job.

Liking a character like Ugetsu ultimately comes down to personal taste and preferences. I can understand that he’s not everyone’s cup of tea or if he evokes negative feelings. But I don’t think it’s fair to see some characters in a black-and-white manner if you’re at the same time making an effort to see behind some other character’s behavior. You don’t have to like every character and you can have biases, but if you catch yourself knowingly ignoring something, your reading probably isn’t the most accurate. A “lesson” I came to realize in my journey with AkiHaru.

Thank you for your question and patience, dear anon!

[wyblogging]

For the sake of posterity

and also so I don’t forget, myself, I’m looking back to sort out my positions on all divergent Ford and Bill theories and when they changed. 

Something is fucky.

Something to do with Mister Triangle.

Stan is not what he seems, these are the ten people required to either summon or defeat Bill. Initially suspected Stan, Dipper, Mabel, Soos, Gideon, Robbie, and Thompson, plus four unknowns, with the hand referring either to the journals or their author.

Gideon refers to Stan as “Stanford”. My immediate response is that Gideon is being a pompous moron. I don’t know exactly when I first noticed the STNLYMBL license tag, but the only way this reaction makes sense is if it happened before that point. Regardless, I didn’t consider STNLYMBL to be important enough to be worth the mention. Even after this incident, I had basically zero doubt that Stan’s name was actually Stanley.

A certain Younger Stan makes his appearance at the Shack. I did not make any particular observation about the glasses at this time.

I did not take any note of the particular date on this book. Which sucks really, as a few episodes later I was casting about for any significance for the year 1982.

Real Stuff starts happening to change the status quo, and I embark on my Right For The Wrong Reasons path. There’s a hidden room in Stan’s house. He knows it’s there, and it clearly doesn’t contain anything that belongs to him, although it does have a bit more Cipher paraphernalia. 

Most important are the glasses though. The glasses that exactly match those on the Cipher zodiac, which are deliberately drawn in a distinct style from Stan’s glasses, and which, in retrospect, match Ford’s glasses from the time-travel segment. Stan knows exactly what they are, that much is clear, and he’s a little upset about whatever they signify. In my attempt to cast around for a theory I suggested that they might belong to his ex-wife, whose aim may or may not be getting better. The fact that the house was previously inhabited by a mad scientist of some sort becomes inescapable.

Stan continues to suppress anything remotely supernatural, and does as much damage control as he can to keep the secrets of the Shack safe. At this point I have him pegged as the likely leader of a pro-Cipher cult of some sort.

Alright. The episode where my interpretation and the general fandom’s differ most widely. But first, an uncontroversial observation. This is Young Stan, and he is not the man who opened the Shack door in the snow to investigate a strange noise. Cartoon tropes being what they are, though, he’s clearly a relative. 

In passing, these two incidents give a very interesting shade to Stan’s actions. He is not a prepper. He’s the scam artist selling the Brown Meat, not the rube buying it. His entire schtick is making peace with the supernatural and trying to ignore or hide it. 

He doesn’t do this.

I’ve been told that many of the off-key character moments in this episode were intended to be comic relief, but this is Gravity Falls. I wasn’t going to accept that answer then and I’m still a touch annoyed that I have to now.

The fact that Stan didn’t know anything consciously, despite this apparent smoking gun...yeah, I feel a little bit hung out to dry by the writers here.

A clear shot of STNLYMBL. There was no doubt in my mind, despite Gideon’s repeated exhortations to the contrary, that Stan’s name was Stanley.

The big one. I’d speculated for a long time that the Cipher eyes held some latent magical power, even without the triangle himself being present. It seems that the official Journal 3 release supports this idea to some extent, although to what degree is ambiguous. Numerous major conflicts had burst out in front of the one particular red-paned Cipher window in the attic, and this latest one felt inexplicable to me. Mabel doesn’t lash out at her BFFs. She just doesn’t. Even her temper tantrums take more of the form of creating Dippy Fresh than ripping down a poster and tearing it in half to signify the end of a friendship. And at the end of the incident, she openly admitted that she had no idea why she acted the way she did. Sure, it could be comic relief of some sort, or just an awkward off-character moment from the writers. But this is Gravity Falls. 

My theory that images of Cipher are able to inflame the passions of those around them, amplifying hostility and irrational behavior, remains intact and I stand by it. Especially given the echoes of this scene in the behavior of Stan and Ford during the zodiac scene of the finale, in the heart of Cipher’s temple to himself. I do not think Cipher can directly control people without their knowledge. But I think he clearly has some degree of subconscious passive influence, to bring certain chaotic responses to the forefront when they would be held in check otherwise.

Moving to the next episode, we finally get solid confirmation that Stan does, in fact, care about people other than himself. This was almost entirely up for debate for the first 17 episodes, and this was the beginning of the long road to me respecting Stan Pines as a person.

Dreamscaperers was a nuke. Everything changed, all at once. And it began with the confirmation that Stanford Pines is or was, in fact, a real person and not a figment of Gideon’s imagination. And that the Shack legally belonged, at one point, to him. I still had the strong feeling that Stan was duplicitous at heart, Stan is Not What He Seems on the brain, and with the Finders Keepers law clearly laid out, this document didn’t immediately sway me to the idea that Stan was Stanford. But it was on the radar screen.

This feels like the biggest fakeout of the entire show. This arrow and these three exclamation points cemented the idea that the author of the journals was also the owner of the glasses and the mystery room, who was the man at the door in The Time Traveler’s Pig. In light of the previous revelation that Stanford originally owned the shack, things started to fall into place. By the end of this episode, I would be set in the theory that the most likely explanation was that Stanford Pines was the missing author, and that Stan was an impostor of some sort.

The prepper stuff annoys me, sure. But this really was irritating. This was the missing piece to the puzzle, the thing that made everything else snap into place. What’s more, the canonical ending of the show makes this particular screenshot nonsense. Why would Ford care about these glasses, if they weren’t his goddamn glasses? Why wouldn’t he point out his six-fingered hand, for instance? I feel like something about the endgame was changed in a big way, not just after the introduction of the Zodiac in the first intro, but even in the time after the season 1 finale, because the line of clues involving the glasses just lead nowhere when that doesn’t make any sense at all.

This was the frame that cemented me in what ended up being the correct theory. And this one is pretty much on me. I looked at this image and saw glasses with an unevenly weighted frame, with a thick top bar. Those matched Ford’s glasses and the ones in the zodiac, but not Stan’s as they were drawn in season 1. Since I was on a kick of “The glasses are the key here”, the fact that Bill pulled up an image of what looked like the mystery room glasses in response to hearing the name “Stanford Pines” felt like ironclad confirmation to me. I was even willing to overlook the fez, as there was nothing suggesting at the time that it wasn’t Ford’s accessory before he disappeared. In hindsight, I was underestimating Bill’s familiarity with the situation. Much like Gideon, I might add.

The zodiac appears in canon for the first time. The glasses still are a fairly close match to the ones Ford’s been wearing.

Evidently this page contains a code that spells out that the machine is a portal and not a weapon. I had no such context, so the fandom was ahead of me at this point.

Stan’s big cliffhanger. I suspected something was up the instant I realized that Stan, not Dipper, had taken Gideon’s journal, although I still didn’t expect to see Stan pull out the missing first. This played into all of my conspiracy theories about Stan: he knows far more than he lets on, especially about Cipher; he’s deliberately trying to lead Dipper’s investigations astray; and he’s a doomsday cultist actively trying to bring about the end of the world. I still think this was a cynical but fair interpretation of the available evidence.

The six-fingered glove. Real evidence that wasn’t chasing phantoms, yet it went mostly unnoticed because it reinforced the theories I already had. 

The final piece of evidence before the big reveal. Stan’s monologue at the start of Not What He Seems, where he lapses into an almost verbatim Cipher quote, after Cipher had done the same to him regarding “Buy gold! Bye!” By this point I’d come to the realization as well that within 24 hours of Cipher being summoned by Gideon, Stan suddenly got his hands on both missing journals that had eluded him for thirty years to that point. At the time I still thought he was a willing participant. A dupe, maybe, but actively in league with Bill in one way or another. Now, I can’t help but see his actions as guided by Cipher and influenced by him. You don’t see characters repeating each other’s end-of-episode catchphrases without it being significant, especially not in Gravity Falls. I still stand behind this theory as well.

Anyway, for those of you still with me, that’s the recap of my theorycrafting for the unfolding Author mystery. It fell together very quickly at the end of season 1, based almost entirely on key pieces of evidence that ended up not being actual evidence at all. This series was...puzzling, that’s for sure.

[buddaimond]

Interview with Robert Pattinson.Les Cahiers du Cinéma

by Cyril Beghin and Stephane Delorme in Cannes.May 27 2017

Translation work and scans by Pattinson Art Work. Thank you!

Good Time burst into the Cannes competition just as Robert Pattinson appears in the movie: overexcited, disheveled and in the middle of a race. When we met him two days later, the actor found back his gangly figure, as he defines himself: lanky, thin and ready for separation. His shyness is not feigned and his nervousness explodes in flashes in a warm expression He is one of these actors that seem to be embarrassed by their beauty, who doubt their acting qualities. As for us, for a long time now we have no doubt about this. The very physical character in Josh and Ben Safdie's movie is an additional metamorphosis in the ever-richer filmography of the English actor, who chooses the roles with an obvious taste for innovation. The interpretation prize would have come at the right time to salute his trajectory since the worldwide success of  'The Twilight Saga', which made him a superstar and lead him towards more adventurous movies with David Cronenberg, James Gray and Werner Herzog. But Pattinson will not stop there. While waiting for 'High Life' by Claire Denis and 'Idol’s eyes' by Olivier Assayas (he will be playing alongside Sylvester Stallone), he has already announced a collaboration with Ciro Guerra, the Colombian director of 'Embrace of the Serpent'.

(Robert Pattinson asks the first questions) *Rob’s words in bold*.

Rob: Did you have fun at the festival?

CDC: Yes, even if the movies in competition were not really good this year… Luckily we had a good time watching 'Good Time'!

Rob: And what other movies?

'The Day After' by Hong Sang-Soo.

Rob: Oh yeah, Claire Denis told me about it, she loved it. I must see it.

At the Quinzaine there was the very good film by Claire Denis, 'L'Amant d'un jour' by Philippe Garrel and 'Jeannette' by Bruno Dumont…

'Jeannette'?! I was told it was bad!

On the contrary, it’s brilliant!

Well I must see it then…

'Good Time' created a buzz in the competition.

You probably know that, in the beginning the movie was not in competition. If it had been shown at special screenings, the response by the audience would have been different, it would have been seen as a fun movie. But it's a more serious film.

You were the one who contacted the Safdie’s to work with them?

I had seen a poster of 'Heaven Knows What' on the Internet and I told myself that if they were using that kind of image for the promotion then their sensitivity was interesting to me. The trailer was incredible, really energetic. I met them and in a matter of seconds I knew it was cool. It's the kind of things you feel right away. I hadn't seen the movie yet but during this first meeting I told them: let’s do something together, whatever it is. They have this rare quality of reacting and taking decisions pretty quickly. Usually you are told, it's okay, and then it takes a lot of time. With them it was like: "Let’s do this!" and one month later I received the first version of the script. The original idea for 'Good Time' was very different, I was Buddy Duress' brother and we took interpretation classes, it was strange (laughs).

Josh Safdie sent you a biography of your character, before the script?

Yes, I think it was before. It was part of their writing process. Josh wanted me to learn these five or six pages about Connie's life, which explain why he went to prison at the age of 12 for example. I felt like an undercover cop who had to learn his cover. Nothing extreme happened to the character. I knew how he grew up, what were the names of his family members. From the second version of the script, I was constantly exchanging emails with Josh and Ronnie Bronstein. I wanted to be sure to go in a certain direction so I told them about my idea of an ideal script. They always answered me, staying very open minded.

Did it last long?

About eight months. We were talking daily when I was in Colombia shooting 'The Lost City of Z', because there was nothing much to do there. It helped me throw myself into the script and feel really connected to the story.

There was from the beginning a mix between impulsivity and lapses of time.

Yes, that’s how they work. I think most of the other actors didn't read the script, except Buddy maybe. Five minutes before shooting, Josh explained the scene. It’s quite crazy, I had never seen that, this way of putting the set under pressure, I don’t even understand how it works! (Laughs). On my part, I prepared myself for the role quite conventionally. I loved the dialogues, but Ronnie and Josh were ready to give them up. Josh could tell me: I love the voice you used in this scene, go ahead, do whatever you want, own the dialogue! But I wanted to speak the exact written words. Everyone was improvising around me, though I tried to keep the thread. It was a bit scary. When your partner is improvising and the scene is supposed to go in a certain way and you could be sure he was going to say the opposite of what was written in the script! So I had to constantly do rework on the intentions, which was exciting.

Did you work with the other actors before shooting, for example with Buddy Duress? 

No i didn't. I think Buddy was in jail just before the shooting, and I think we had to postpone the starting of the filming because we had to wait for him to be bailed. Most of the actors were playing roles that are close to who they are in real life. They are mostly New-Yorkers and I was scared not to fit in with them. It was my biggest fear during the shoot. It’s not nothing to be a real New-Yorker, everyone is looking at you to see if you’re faking it. We worked for so long… I learned the Queens accent while being there. It didn't come from the role but more from daily life. Everything comes easier when you have time.

Your character is metamorphosing all the time during the movie. Are some of these transformations your idea?

Josh and Benny have a really specific universe, a kind of environment that I knew I wanted to be part of, to be included in, to be able to go in the streets, to interact with the passers-by. In my other set experiences in New York, people recognized me, as everywhere else in the world – people wanted to take pictures of me. It was one of my fears, especially working with non-actors. I would have become a curiosity for everyone around. So we tried on costumes and make-up, I would go in the street to see if people recognized me. One day, we were doing camera tries without authorization in a car wash station, I was in my character's outfit, with Benny, I had marks on my face, a dyed beard and I could see in people's eyes that they did not recognize me. I used the character to hide.

Connie is constantly trying to hide, like a chameleon and running away from himself. Like you? Did it become a personal role?

Yes, he is like an actor without realizing it. He also is like a dog running after his own tail. It’s always fascinating to see, this animal going faster and faster in such an obsessive way. You are right, there’s something very personal here but I can't really define it. Lots of elements were removed from the movie, they were dreamlike sequences where the character seems more mystical… When you live isolated from others, the imagination gains more and more space and you just loose contact with reality. We talked about it with Josh, for example the scene where Connie is at the hospital, he bumps into a police officer and tells him he was with his father in a room and that there is a problem with the tv… but for me he is not lying: in his head it happened. On one side he is immersed in reality but he is constantly in an imaginary world too. And that’s something I share with him.

Your taste for transformation was already there in 'The Lost City of Z' or in 'The Rover' 

It's probably a way of convincing oneself. You have to be able to take a picture of yourself and not recognize yourself. It's a funny feeling. Whatever the reason, you start to behave a certain way, like you never have before. The more you proceed in life the more you know what kind of attitude will bring this or that reaction, but to use this knowledge in a movie always make me feel like repeating myself, to be fake and cheap. But to do something you have never done in real life… I don’t know, what I am telling you makes no sense! (Laughs) It’s just a way of getting rid of all the vanity, all the "I want to be handsome" thing. And if most of the actors want to transform themselves, it's just because they have a huge feeling of embarrassment and shame about themselves. We want to convince ourselves that we can be someone else, to confront the reality in a better way.

You do that too and with a lot of modesty. In James Gray’s movie you have a supporting role, like in 'Maps To The Stars'. It’s remarkable

I have played small roles in a lot of movies. There is no difference for me. I see myself as an apprentice. I still don’t really know how to do what I am doing, I am always in training. So every work occasion is like a new lesson. And I literally have nothing to lose. Besides that, there are not a lot of good leading roles. Most of the time, those are roles that are immediately linked with a commercial production. A lot more people are worried if you give a weird interpretation, but you are freer in a supporting role, you can almost do whatever you want!

As you talked about lessons: what did you learn from David Cronenberg? 

'Cosmopolis' was very important to me. And there’s Don DeLillo too… Younger, I wanted to be a musician and the writing process for the 'Cosmopolis' script was really like music. Before this movie, I always thought about a role from its character’s motivations. It was a cerebral process. But in 'Cosmopolis', because of its surrealistic aspect, the rhythm of the writing was more important than the psychological motivations. That’s when I learned I could say an entire monologue without thinking only about psychology, but also about the musicality of the words as they were written in the script. David totally agreed with that, I could just say my lines in a way that sounded good. It was really instinctual, and really enjoyable. And I have learned a lot too by seeing someone making a movie which seemed impossible on paper.

And with James Gray?

I understood when I saw the movie how much the interpretation is linked to the camera’s position. And that the actor doesn't have to feel responsible to tell the story alone… Most of the time, I just had the feeling to be an extra on set. Though I had worked a lot on my character's background, I was always asking James Gray if it was okay, and he would say "Yes it’s okay". And I would answered "But I don't do anything!" And him "You didn't do nothing, don't worry". I always thought I could have done more. But the character emerges despite everything, and for that you need to trust your director. James Gray has really good taste, we can trust him.

'Cosmopolis' is a minimalistic role, you are mostly seated in a car.

It's true. I am a quiet person, and with 'Cosmopolis' I was indeed in my comfort zone. Each movie is a progression, and after 'Cosmopolis' I told myself that I was too immobile. I became more at ease physically with 'The Rover' for which I really wanted to do something with my body. Connie in 'Good Time' is at ease with his body too. Really at ease even!

Do you have a method?

Not really. I never took lessons. I react very much to the writing. If someone writes good dialogues, it's the voice that comes first, and all the rest emerges from it. Generally, I try to put myself into character long before the shooting. But for real I have no other method than knowing my biggest flaw, stress. Stress prevents me from doing anything. Over the years, I have understood that i just need to go in advance of the shoot to the shooting locations, wherever they are, and stay alone for a long time, so my brain can relax ... For 'Good Time' I rented a small flat for 2 months, not very far from Josh's. You just need to be on the shooting locations to naturally think about the movie most of the time, and eliminate a bit of the tension.

You often said you needed to take several months to prepare for a role. What does this preparation consist of?

It's just to understand how to believe in yourself. It's like when you lose your keys: when you find them, you get a familiar feeling. "Oh yes, of course, I let them there!" Yet we searched them all over the house, we searched them in some drawers we never used or in absurd places. And when we find them, there is a moment of recognition. Trying to create a character is the same thing: we look absolutely everywhere until we meet this familiar feeling. This is really a lot of experimenting. You never have time to do all of this for a scene, so you have to do it before to be ready. And then we always forget what has been prepared. The other rule is to be interested in what you do, to not become bored. Otherwise it's useless.

All of this is very internalized. You never watch the footage for example? 

Sometimes, but not systematically. You know, I'm terrible and really very annoying when working. Every scene is the worst thing I've ever done in my life. I reject myself. I remember that during the shooting of 'The Rover' David Michod told me: "You say so many times that you are bad, I will begin to believe you". (Laughs) That's my work process! "

But what gives you the feeling you have found a character, and that you are able to play it?

It can be the costume. I am a shy person, but sometimes just by saying instinctively something in a good way it’s that you discover you are not that embarrassed. And that it could work. We started the shoot of 'Good Time' with the first scene when I appear on the screen. I was incredibly nervous. The complete opposite of Benny who could switch on his character any time and do it all day long! So I was in this extreme state, and there were power cuts all the time that where delaying the shooting for this scene. I was boiling, full of adrenaline (he imitates his state, tight muscles and hyperventilating) and I told myself, that’s it! I am going to do this during the whole movie! No more thoughts, just wowwwwww! Even for the scene where I am kissing Taliah (Webster, who plays a teenager Connie seduces at her home) where I should have been relaxed, simply seated on a couch, I put myself in this frame of mind. And I scared her!

What will be your character in Claire Denis' film, High Life?

The movie will take place in the future, the character is an astronaut. He's a criminal who volunteers for a mission toward a black hole, but he realizes along the way that a doctor on board wants to do sexual experiences with humans in space ... (laughs) It's a very strange film. I had not thought about it for some time, but Claire talked to me about it here in Cannes, and she showed me some image tests of space, completely crazy. I love Claire, I can't believe I'm going to work with her, especially for a science fiction project. It's going to be very beautiful.    

Best of Cannes 2017 by Official Cannes. Good Time starts at 03:55, Rob starts at 4:03

Photos shared by Miyako Bellizzi, costume designer for Good Time on her Instagram for the Dior after party celebration in Cannes. 

[dazzledbyrob]

New Interview with Robert Pattinson in Les Cahiers du Cinéma (France) Good Time burst into the Cannes competition just as Robert Pattinson appears in the movie: overexcited, disheveled and in the middle of a race. When we met him two days later, the actor found back his gangly figure, as he defines himself: lanky, thin and ready for separation. His shyness is not feigned and his nervousness explodes in flashes in a warm expression He is one of these actors that seem to be embarrassed by their beauty, who doubt their acting qualities. As for us, for a long time now we have no doubt about this. The very physical character in Josh and Ben Safdie's movie is an additional metamorphosis in the ever-richer filmography of the English actor, who chooses the roles with an obvious taste for innovation. The interpretation prize would have come at the right time to salute his trajectory since the worldwide success of 'The Twilight Saga', which made him a superstar and lead him towards more adventurous movies with David Cronenberg, James Gray and Werner Herzog. But Pattinson will not stop there. While waiting for 'High Life' by Claire Denis and 'Idol’s eyes' by Olivier Assayas (he will be playing alongside Sylvester Stallone), he has already announced a collaboration with Ciro Guerra, the Colombian director of 'Embrace of the Serpent'. (Robert Pattinson asks the first questions) Rob: Did you have fun at the festival? CDC: Yes, even if the movies in competition were not really good this year… Luckily we had a good time watching 'Good Time'! Rob: And what other movies? 'The Day After' by Hong Sang-Soo. Rob: Oh yeah, Claire Denis told me about it, she loved it. I must see it. At the Quinzaine there was the very good film by Claire Denis, 'L'Amant d'un jour' by Philippe Garrel and 'Jeannette' by Bruno Dumont… 'Jeannette'?! I was told it was bad! On the contrary, it’s brilliant! Well I must see it then… 'Good Time' created a buzz in the competition. You probably know that, in the beginning the movie was not in competition. If it had been shown at special screenings, the response by the audience would have been different, it would have been seen as a fun movie. But it's a more serious film. You were the one who contacted the Safdie’s to work with them? I had seen a poster of 'Heaven Knows What' on the Internet and I told myself that if they were using that kind of image for the promotion then their sensitivity was interesting to me. The trailer was incredible, really energetic. I met them and in a matter of seconds I knew it was cool. It's the kind of things you feel right away. I hadn't seen the movie yet but during this first meeting I told them: let’s do something together, whatever it is. They have this rare quality of reacting and taking decisions pretty quickly. Usually you are told, it's okay, and then it takes a lot of time. With them it was like: "Let’s do this!" and one month later I received the first version of the script. The original idea for 'Good Time' was very different, I was Buddy Duress' brother and we took interpretation classes, it was strange (laughs). Josh Safdie sent you a biography of your character, before the script? Yes, I think it was before. It was part of their writing process. Josh wanted me to learn these five or six pages about Connie's life, which explain why he went to prison at the age of 12 for example. I felt like an undercover cop who had to learn his cover. Nothing extreme happened to the character. I knew how he grew up, what were the names of his family members. From the second version of the script, I was constantly exchanging emails with Josh and Ronnie Bronstein. I wanted to be sure to go in a certain direction so I told them about my idea of an ideal script. They always answered me, staying very open minded. Did it last long? About eight months. We were talking daily when I was in Colombia shooting 'The Lost City of Z', because there was nothing much to do there. It helped me throw myself into the script and feel really connected to the story. There was from the beginning a mix between impulsivity and lapses of time. Yes, that’s how they work. I think most of the other actors didn't read the script, except Buddy maybe. Five minutes before shooting, Josh explained the scene. It’s quite crazy, I had never seen that, this way of putting the set under pressure, I don’t even understand how it works! (Laughs). On my part, I prepared myself for the role quite conventionally. I loved the dialogues, but Ronnie and Josh were ready to give them up. Josh could tell me: I love the voice you used in this scene, go ahead, do whatever you want, own the dialogue! But I wanted to speak the exact written words. Everyone was improvising around me, though I tried to keep the thread. It was a bit scary. When your partner is improvising and the scene is supposed to go in a certain way and you could be sure he was going to say the opposite of what was written in the script! So I had to constantly do rework on the intentions, which was exciting. Did you work with the other actors before shooting, for example with Buddy Duress? No i didn't. I think Buddy was in jail just before the shooting, and I think we had to postpone the starting of the filming because we had to wait for him to be bailed. Most of the actors were playing roles that are close to who they are in real life. They are mostly New-Yorkers and I was scared not to fit in with them. It was my biggest fear during the shoot. It’s not nothing to be a real New-Yorker, everyone is looking at you to see if you’re faking it. We worked for so long… I learned the Queens accent while being there. It didn't come from the role but more from daily life. Everything comes easier when you have time. Your character is metamorphosing all the time during the movie. Are some of these transformations your idea? Josh and Benny have a really specific universe, a kind of environment that I knew I wanted to be part of, to be included in, to be able to go in the streets, to interact with the passers-by. In my other set experiences in New York, people recognized me, as everywhere else in the world – people wanted to take pictures of me. It was one of my fears, especially working with non-actors. I would have become a curiosity for everyone around. So we tried on costumes and make-up, I would go in the street to see if people recognized me. One day, we were doing camera tries without authorization in a car wash station, I was in my character's outfit, with Benny, I had marks on my face, a dyed beard and I could see in people's eyes that they did not recognize me. I used the character to hide. Connie is constantly trying to hide, like a chameleon and running away from himself. Like you? Did it become a personal role? Yes, he is like an actor without realizing it. He also is like a dog running after his own tail. It’s always fascinating to see, this animal going faster and faster in such an obsessive way. You are right, there’s something very personal here but I can't really define it. Lots of elements were removed from the movie, they were dreamlike sequences where the character seems more mystical… When you live isolated from others, the imagination gains more and more space and you just loose contact with reality. We talked about it with Josh, for example the scene where Connie is at the hospital, he bumps into a police officer and tells him he was with his father in a room and that there is a problem with the tv… but for me he is not lying: in his head it happened. On one side he is immersed in reality but he is constantly in an imaginary world too. And that’s something I share with him. Your taste for transformation was already there in 'The Lost City of Z' or in 'The Rover' It's probably a way of convincing oneself. You have to be able to take a picture of yourself and not recognize yourself. It's a funny feeling. Whatever the reason, you start to behave a certain way, like you never have before. The more you proceed in life the more you know what kind of attitude will bring this or that reaction, but to use this knowledge in a movie always make me feel like repeating myself, to be fake and cheap. But to do something you have never done in real life… I don’t know, what I am telling you makes no sense! (Laughs) It’s just a way of getting rid of all the vanity, all the "I want to be handsome" thing. And if most of the actors want to transform themselves, it's just because they have a huge feeling of embarrassment and shame about themselves. We want to convince ourselves that we can be someone else, to confront the reality in a better way. You do that too and with a lot of modesty. In James Gray’s movie you have a supporting role, like in 'Maps To The Stars'. It’s remarkable I have played small roles in a lot of movies. There is no difference for me. I see myself as an apprentice. I still don’t really know how to do what I am doing, I am always in training. So every work occasion is like a new lesson. And I literally have nothing to lose. Besides that, there are not a lot of good leading roles. Most of the time, those are roles that are immediately linked with a commercial production. A lot more people are worried if you give a weird interpretation, but you are freer in a supporting role, you can almost do whatever you want! As you talked about lessons: what did you learn from David Cronenberg? 'Cosmopolis' was very important to me. And there’s Don DeLillo too… Younger, I wanted to be a musician and the writing process for the 'Cosmopolis' script was really like music. Before this movie, I always thought about a role from its character’s motivations. It was a cerebral process. But in 'Cosmopolis', because of its surrealistic aspect, the rhythm of the writing was more important than the psychological motivations. That’s when I learned I could say an entire monologue without thinking only about psychology, but also about the musicality of the words as they were written in the script. David totally agreed with that, I could just say my lines in a way that sounded good. It was really instinctual, and really enjoyable. And I have learned a lot too by seeing someone making a movie which seemed impossible on paper. And with James Gray? I understood when I saw the movie how much the interpretation is linked to the camera’s position. And that the actor doesn't have to feel responsible to tell the story alone… Most of the time, I just had the feeling to be an extra on set. Though I had worked a lot on my character's background, I was always asking James Gray if it was okay, and he would say "Yes it’s okay". And I would answered "But I don't do anything!" And him "You didn't do nothing, don't worry". I always thought I could have done more. But the character emerges despite everything, and for that you need to trust your director. James Gray has really good taste, we can trust him. 'Cosmopolis' is a minimalistic role, you are mostly seated in a car. It's true. I am a quiet person, and with 'Cosmopolis' I was indeed in my comfort zone. Each movie is a progression, and after 'Cosmopolis' I told myself that I was too immobile. I became more at ease physically with 'The Rover' for which I really wanted to do something with my body. Connie in 'Good Time' is at ease with his body too. Really at ease even! Do you have a method? Not really. I never took lessons. I react very much to the writing. If someone writes good dialogues, it's the voice that comes first, and all the rest emerges from it. Generally, I try to put myself into character long before the shooting. But for real I have no other method than knowing my biggest flaw, stress. Stress prevents me from doing anything. Over the years, I have understood that i just need to go in advance of the shoot to the shooting locations, wherever they are, and stay alone for a long time, so my brain can relax ... For 'Good Time' I rented a small flat for 2 months, not very far from Josh's. You just need to be on the shooting locations to naturally think about the movie most of the time, and eliminate a bit of the tension. You often said you needed to take several months to prepare for a role. What does this preparation consist of? It's just to understand how to believe in yourself. It's like when you lose your keys: when you find them, you get a familiar feeling. "Oh yes, of course, I let them there!" Yet we searched them all over the house, we searched them in some drawers we never used or in absurd places. And when we find them, there is a moment of recognition. Trying to create a character is the same thing: we look absolutely everywhere until we meet this familiar feeling. This is really a lot of experimenting. You never have time to do all of this for a scene, so you have to do it before to be ready. And then we always forget what has been prepared. The other rule is to be interested in what you do, to not become bored. Otherwise it's useless. All of this is very internalized. You never watch the footage for example? Sometimes, but not systematically. You know, I'm terrible and really very annoying when working. Every scene is the worst thing I've ever done in my life. I reject myself. I remember that during the shooting of 'The Rover' David Michod told me: "You say so many times that you are bad, I will begin to believe you". (Laughs) That's my work process! " But what gives you the feeling you have found a character, and that you are able to play it? It can be the costume. I am a shy person, but sometimes just by saying instinctively something in a good way it’s that you discover you are not that embarrassed. And that it could work. We started the shoot of 'Good Time' with the first scene when I appear on the screen. I was incredibly nervous. The complete opposite of Benny who could switch on his character any time and do it all day long! So I was in this extreme state, and there were power cuts all the time that where delaying the shooting for this scene. I was boiling, full of adrenaline (he imitates his state, tight muscles and hyperventilating) and I told myself, that’s it! I am going to do this during the whole movie! No more thoughts, just wowwwwww! Even for the scene where I am kissing Taliah (Webster, who plays a teenager Connie seduces at her home) where I should have been relaxed, simply seated on a couch, I put myself in this frame of mind. And I scared her! What will be your character in Claire Denis' film, High Life? The movie will take place in the future, the character is an astronaut. He's a criminal who volunteers for a mission toward a black hole, but he realizes along the way that a doctor on board wants to do sexual experiences with humans in space ... (laughs) It's a very strange film. I had not thought about it for some time, but Claire talked to me about it here in Cannes, and she showed me some image tests of space, completely crazy. I love Claire, I can't believe I'm going to work with her, especially for a science fiction project. It's going to be very beautiful. Thanks to Pattinson Art Work for the translation

[keycrash]

How would you describe Akane's character? I had this idea of what she was like but then ZTD conflicted with that so I'm a little confused. What do you think?

#999 spoilers #vlr spoilers #ztd spoilers

oh yeah no ztd DEFINITELY conflicted with my idea of her and, imo, conflicted with a lot of things we could reasonably assume about her anyway without even getting into speculation territory

with that being said…

akane has two “modes of operation.” she acts differently on a large scale than she does interpersonally, and it has to do with the amount of detachment from her actions. when she’s planning things like nonary games, she very much acts amorally– not as in outright cruelly, but she simply doesn’t make huge strides to, for example, protect lives if it may affect her desired outcome. if it’s easy to make accommodations to avoid unnecessary death, she will! but she accepts a certain amount of inevitable destruction and doesn’t let that get in the way. as long as there’s no more death than is necessary or inevitable and it helps contribute to a timeline in which there is no death (or the Amount Of Death she’s striving for, in the case of the cradle executives) she won’t sweat it

but these are actions she takes on a grand scale. on this scale, she seems cold, calculating, ruthless, vengeful– and in some instances she is. she’s determined to reclaim her own life at all costs and is highly motivated by spite/hatred for hongou. she Actively wanted kubota, nijisaki, and musashidou to die, and probably hongou too, but rationalized that life in jail festering in guilt would be worse. it annoys me HUGELY seeing interpretations where the only reason akane threw the game was because circumstance and causality itself forced her to– i think it’s very important that her actions be taken as something she wanted to do, something she worked for 9 years to do because she won’t let anyone take away her chance at life. it’s the same for vlr and sigma, in a lot of ways: they CHOSE to do this. vlr sometimes implies it was predetermined, buy imo that detracts from the weight of their choices to pursue their goals. vlr’s ending in ztd got this right: she’ll do anything to achieve her goals

akane has a yearning to be in control and a tendency to plan things in exact detail when possible. she can act spontaneously, coming up with elaborate plans on the spot, but when given warning, she’ll always play it safe and come up with a course of action in advance. her deep connection with the fields aids her in this regard– she can see possibilities stretch out before her and can choose which actions to take. it’s not as simple as her seeing literally everything and magically always getting the result she wants, but connecting to a universal database in the past and future has its perks and gives her some amount of guidance

she has a deep connection with her brother and would do pretty much anything for him. it annoys me how ztd had “THE PERSON YOU CARE ABOUT THE MOST” pinned on junpei, because hey, she cares about aoi too, man. his wellbeing is important to her, but it’s also difficult– because she knows he’d do anything for her, but she doesn’t want him getting hurt, yknow? so she sometimes distances herself from him for his own safety, and aoi knowing she’s hiding stuff from him kinda messes with him. but anyway, the connection means they often share emotions without words and don’t ever have to verbalize said emotions– this coupled with their nine year isolation affects both of their emotional expressions. aoi’s not great at expressing his emotions at all, and akane’s already hugely disconnected from hers deliberately in order to escape the emotional repercussions of kidnapping people and shit. she definitely has emotions, but she’s out of touch with them, often shoves them to the side while in “work mode,” and has no idea how to share them verbally

soo akane would have a lot of trouble adjusting to a normal life. because she’s been in this big-scale amoral work-mode for years trying to save herself and the world, she doesn’t know how to do things like account for other people’s emotions. for example… junpei definitely has ptsd in part due to her actions. while planning the nonary game, she justifies this with Well I Have To, and i mean, she does– but seeing junpei have symptoms that relate to what she did? guilt is a new feeling for her because she pushed aside any emotion that’d hinder her for years. learning to deal with that would be. interesting. she’s always been able to escape from that because things have never really worked out in the past to the point where she’d be ABLE to settle down and think about that shit

ztd played off her “normal” personality as very june-like, but imo that’s going too far. june was a mask, a reconstruction of what she would’ve been had she not been through all of this– she was meant to play off of junpei and to be what he expected to see of her. the actual akane has some similar traits– weird ironic conspiracy shit for example– but she’s not nearly that squeamish, helpless, or dependent on junpei. she takes charge of situations and is VERY unlikely to be as passive as she was in ztd… like, akane knew she was going into ztd trying to save the world, but acted like a normal player anyway instead of Doing Something or at least attempting to gather information to do something… sighs

anyway. she has a hard time connecting with others deeply that she hasnt gone through shit with because the shit she’s gone through has affected her so thoroughly. that being said, i’m sure she cares deeply for junpei, aoi, carlos, sigma, and kyle, at the very least

man this isnt very well explained but i just. akane’s vengeful, analytical, amoral, morbid, but clever, determined, and in control. ztd helped humanize her to a degree, in that she isn’t solely shown as emotionless and mechanical, but it fails to take into account how her personality has been shaped by her experiences, which is another part of being human. akane’s all about taking initiative and sacrificing everything to achieve an end, then learning to cope with the consequences

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

thanks for ur as always deepful analyses and answers ! another ask for u : im soo afraid in the next chapter momo will be homophobic towards ht !! I mean except Zzx who seems at ease with his sexuality, the other boys all seem kind of homophobic. Jy called ht repulsive bc he called him pretty while he was a guy, Ht is very agressive in his advances (which i linked to toxic virility which entails homophobia) ; then both of them changed for the better bc of their feelings for another man. 1/?

Good evening, dear anon-san!

“thanks for ur as always deepful analyses and answers !”

I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them! Every time people send me questions it always makes me happy and to be honest, a bit taken aback because I’m just a little old me. But I’m glad my answers have had such a positive reception and given people food for thought. And it’s always a pleasant surprise when people feel like they can come to my ask box with their interpretations and strike up a conversation.

Homophobia is a very complex topic, and I wondered where I should start to unravel this ask. But soon I realized before I can even begin that I have to take a moment to sort out my own feelings. Whenever people say the boys in 19 Days are abusive or homophobic for whatever reason I tend to get ticked off. It’s a knee-jerk reaction, often sparked by my own bias, but something that can very easily cloud my answer and make it unfair for you. Exchanging interpretations and perspectives requires a level of objectivity and the ability to rise above your own bias. I can’t dismiss something just because it uncomfortably pokes my nerve. Instead, I should take a step back, try and see things from another point of view, and find some common ground.

I’m not saying I had to struggle to agree with you on anything but your ask certainly reminded me of how challenging yet rewarding it is to actually listen to an interpretation that differs from my own and try to objectively look at the story from that point of view. It hurts your brain at first but is surprisingly freeing in the end.

Because you addressed so many things in your ask, I will tie my answer together under the theme of homophobia and give it some structure that way. This will be my great 19 Days - homophobia edition. \(^v^)/

Sexual orientation and environment

Let’s start with the biggest context you brought up in your ask: social and cultural environment. I’m not familiar enough with Chinese culture to have anything definite to say about its attitude towards LGBT people. Of course, I’ve heard of the discrimination and even blatant hate by their government but I don’t have any idea about how ordinary, modern-day Chinese people view others with different sexual orientations. Not to mention, it’s always risky to take fictional works as an accurate representation of the milieu in which they’re set.

But I do think that 19 Days discusses homophobia in societies, though on a more general level. As Jian Yi has come to realize his feelings towards Zhan Zheng Xi, we’ve also gotten glimpses of his struggles. They’re surrounded by other kids in school, and from the very early chapters it’s been implied two guys being that close together or comfortable with that level of skinship turns people’s heads (ch. 53, 54, 55, and 57):

Of course, those panels also poke fun at the stereotype of girls being interested in cute guys being cute together. The girls stare, take pictures, and even smile knowingly. This bothered ZZX because it put him in awkward situations and created misunderstandings that would be embarrassing to correct. And the more he would try to deny and correct them, the more he would probably end up looking suspicious. But the bottom line is, he was increasingly conscious of the weird looks and attention JY’s antics were attracting and didn’t want people to get the wrong picture of his friendship with JY. All of that could give us some hints on how two boys being close might be viewed by their peers, but it should also be kept in mind that those kinds of “gay panic” moments are a big part of the humor you find in 19 Days.

Having a crush on someone of the same gender gets more serious tones after JY kissed ZZX (ch. 142)

The secret was finally out in the open. JY had carried his feelings in his heart for a long time. He had wanted to confess them so many times and often hidden them behind jokes and antics. Perhaps every time he had jumped to hug ZZX he had caught a whiff of his scent and enjoyed the feeling of him in his arms. But to take the definite last step of confessing and lifting that curtain had always terrified him. And who wouldn’t have been scared? Not only would you have to come out but also risk losing your childhood best friend. It could be JY had even thought of never telling ZZX about his feelings because it could go horribly wrong.

For a while, things are somewhat put on pause after the first reveal which I found very realistic. JY wasn’t flat-out rejected but ZZX most definitely needed a moment to sort out his own feelings. He pestered JY to be straight with him (pun not intended...) and made it clear it would be safe for JY to rely on him and free himself of the burden. Despite that JY was still very unsure if his confession won’t result in ZZX abandoning him because “gay” is abnormal and disgusting (ch. 164):

Even when JY finally confessed he was expecting to be rejected in disgust (ch. 209):

But he had sort of reached the point of just finally getting it all out even if ZZX wouldn’t return his feelings. Even if it meant they wouldn’t be friends anymore. At least he had said it. He had heartbreakingly little faith that their kind of relationship wouldn’t be completely doomed. Thank god he had fallen for someone like ZZX. I don’t think I’ve never been as grateful for a character like him before.

A tangible example of how Zhanyi and their environment collided was Xiao Hui’s character (ch. 158):

When she called JY a disgusting gay, it was the first time he was facing that kind of homophobia. Though her actions were frustrating, I think Xiao Hui’s character was a good addition to Zhanyi. At first, she lashed out both because she was hurt and publicly humiliated but also no doubt because she had internalized the idea that heterosexuality was the norm and anything else was abnormal and wrong. Later on, she had had time to lick her wounds and calm down (ch. 258):

She still has a crush on ZZX but even though she probably realizes she doesn’t have a chance she still wants a clear rejection from ZZX. It still hurts and stings but doesn’t upset her as much. It could even be she’s a little happy for them. I think Xiao Hui’s character is a good example that people are capable of changing and reflecting when they’re given a chance. And no one should be forever held accountable and punished for the mistakes they made and have since bettered themselves.

In a broader sense, I think Zhanyi also discusses what kind of future a same-sex couple could have in society (ch. 268):

That drawing on the wall is my favorite Zhanyi moment. As cute as ZZX drawing him and JY together was, it also carries some bittersweet undertones. The original drawing represents the norm: a boy and a girl in love but if there are no skirts involved, it’s a whole other story. To be open about their relationship would most probably never be an option for JY and ZZX. Something as simple as holding hands in public would take courage and threaten to complicate other aspects of their lives (school, work, family). They don’t have the same privilege as straight people to openly and safely share their feelings and have that universal experience.

Your ask was mainly about Mo Guan Shan and He Tian, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about their environment since you also referred to it. And the easiest way for that seemed to be to talk about the progress of Zhanyi. As you suggested, it does seem the society in which all of the characters live is very much heteronormative which puts pressure on the characters to fit in. And if they fail that, they will face homophobia and most probably feel the need to hide their true selves. Case in point, Zhanyi.

Boys being boys

As much as I know that phrase is deemed Problematic™ these days, I think it fits the dynamics of the boys of 19 Days. They mess with each other, and all of that is typical humor for the comic. Personally, I’ve never taken any of their teasing and good-natured bullying seriously because it’s how 15-year-old boys are around each other.

However, I just finished talking about the environment under which influences and discourses the boys have grown up. I don’t feel like I can ignore what I had just been saying and brush it off as “oh well, they’re just boys” if they’ve always been surrounded by certain attitudes. Does that mean the boys have also internalized those attitudes towards gay people despite having feelings for someone of the same sex? Does that make them a representation of toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia?

In all honesty, I’m struggling to answer those questions. On one hand, I do agree that society’s norms of what is masculine put a lot of pressure on boys when growing up. You have to act, talk, dress, and be in a certain way to be accepted, and it doesn’t take a lot for kids to internalize those ideas. And as you said, acting or looking gay (not to mention, actually being one) is probably the worst a young boy could be. Being gay is often linked to everything a proper man shouldn’t be: sissy, effeminate, sensitive, weak, submissive, on the bottom. The list goes on and on.

On the other hand, do I think you can see that in the four main boys of 19 Days? I suppose it’s possible if that’s the direction you want to take. If you look at anything through those lenses, you can probably find toxic masculinity everywhere. Do I think HT, MGS, JY and ZZX are homophobic because they possibly showcase traits of toxic masculinity? I guess. I don’t know. I see where that interpretation comes from, but some part of my brain never manages to make the full connection between those two. I’m constantly having a feeling that my way of thinking differs from your interpretation but I can’t properly validate or argue my opinions.

Perhaps taking a look at the examples you mentioned might help. You talked about JY being homophobic when this was his response to HT calling him good looking (ch. 108):

I can’t exactly deny that panel couldn’t be taken as toxic masculinity. I might even agree with you on that. I wouldn’t probably go as far as saying JY was being homophobic but it does seem like his masculinity was threatened or questioned in that situation. Interestingly, I’ve seen that phrase pop up a lot in yaoi/shounen-ai comics. Characters who are in a gay relationship don’t often feel comfortable with guys complimenting them - or even the guy they’re in love with. I’ve always wondered that. Does that mean there’s a level of self-denial in those characters or is it just a cultural thing? Does it embarrass them?

In general, I think all of that has to do with their age, and another good example of that would be ZZX and JY’s reaction to HT messing with MGS (ch. 289 and 298):

I’ve seen people calling those moments homophobic as well and can’t really agree with them. I would say those reactions have more to do with teenage boys being awkward and embarrassed. HT putting the moves on MGS in front of them is embarrassing and something they don’t wish to see. I mean, I wouldn’t want to see my friends constantly acting like that around me either. Seeing public displays of affection embarrasses me and makes me awkward as hell. (Though, I don’t know if that’s just a Finnish thing...)

In short, I see a lot of how the boys act around each other just natural to how teenage boys are. They mess with each other and standing up for yourself in that sense (for example, getting revenge, being physical, or returning the verbal teasing) is important and typical. That’s how I see JY’s words in the example you mentioned: he felt like HT was messing with him and shot back. All of that could, of course, be seen as internalized toxic masculinity, but I don’t think it’s quite as blatant as people sometimes make it out to be. I’ve always taken it as boys just being boys and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

What comes to HT being pushy and overbearing, I don’t see that being connected to toxic masculinity and making him homophobic because of that. It feels a bit of a stretch and shakey. Instead, I actually think HT is quite comfortable with both of his own feelings for MGS and the idea of same-sex relationships in general (ch. 187):

The little heart-to-hearts JY and HT occasionally have also show us that despite often making fun of each other, they can take it more seriously when needed. JY would have never asked about having feelings for another male if he couldn’t trust HT wouldn’t make fun of him.

The case of Mo Guan Shan

You talked a lot about MGS, so I thought I’d take a closer look at his character separately. You made some interesting points I’ve also been thinking about and was glad they popped up in your ask.

Since we’ve talked about toxic masculinity so far, let’s continue on that. You mentioned that MGS is prone to homophobia because he’s had to act tough. Upholding a certain kind of image is essential in gangs. Being weak and submissive - aka gay, as I talked about above - isn’t an option in that line of work.

I agree with you on all of that. Why MGS is so uncomfortable with HT being physical with him is at least partly because he can’t come across as someone who can be taken advantage of (ch. 250):

If he can be physically overpowered and made vulnerable, it means he can be submitted. In the masculine world, physical strength seems to be the final and ultimate law that settles all the disputes at the latest. And if you lose in that you’re on the bottom or at least lower on the hierarchy. Now, multiply that mentality by a lot to fit it in the world of teenage gangs and the borderline criminal underworld. So, yes, I would most definitely say MGS doesn’t want himself to be put in that situation. Much less anyone finding out about it.

Then again, the story has kind of revisited that idea when HT “joined” MGS’s gang and his underlings started seeing HT around more. And they seem somewhere between intimidated by HT and impressed their boss has managed to make someone like HT call him “brother”. That fits the same mentality of strength, but I can’t honestly see Buzzcut or other members of the gang giving MGS a hard time even if they found out about HT’s affections. Chances are, they would be even more impressed, bless them.

Overall, I think MGS lashing out (or being homophobic) is mostly due to him not trusting HT and HT slowly but surely wearing him out and making him see his own prejudice against people like HT. Yelling out insults has been the easiest way to fight HT’s affections, although it’s not proven very successful. It’s also important to remember MGS is fairly inexperienced when it comes to love and romantic affection (ch. 222):

He’s always been rejected and discriminated by his peers and over the years, he’s started to mirror that behavior and push people away. Having crushes (let alone having a girlfriend) has never really been a concern for him. And it’s not like he’s had time for something like romance anyway because working has taken so much of his time. In this regard, MGS isn’t that mature or experienced and tends to get uncomfortable and lash out very quickly.

I’ve already talked about the note and what kind of role I think it will have (if it will be addressed at all). And I’m not really worried about MGS saying something homophobic to HT. I think we’re way past of him being like “I don’t speak to a homo” at this point already. He’s been aware of HT’s affections for a good while by now and even tentatively warmed up to some of it (for example, the aquarium date and the studs). (Even though, I think it’s still too early to talk about MGS being in love with HT.)

MGS has come a long way, and I might even say he’s gained some sexuality-related maturity on the way. Slowly but surely, he’s become comfortable with having HT around, and if after all this development he would say something like that, it would be a pretty big step backward. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t throw insults and lash out but let’s not forget we’re talking about a purebred tsundere here. That’s always going to happen with him.

And while we’re keeping it real, it’s not like HT would pay any mind to those insults. After MGS asked for the studs, I think HT’s resolve has only strengthened.

I hope this answer makes some sense, to me it feels like a bit of a mess of this and that. A lof of “I can’t deny that but still...” You really threw some hard questions and challenged my thinking a lot. Thank you!