#it's just as good as if not better than in the novel

[petermorwood]

I don't know how much of the budget was earmarked for making unique costumes versus costumes rented from a supplier - or, for the BBC, just sourced from a wardrobe department filled with decades-worth of other stuff.

The nun headgear is genuine, it's called a cornette (this one's from 1939-40)...

...while Brannigan's rig of helmet, goggles, scarf and sheepskin jacket is so much the stock costume for "WW2 RAF pilot" (this one's also from 1940)...

...that it's a LEGO figure, a Hallowe'en costume, and almost certainly available from any wardrobe department worth its salt...

...or, since crisp packets are being mentioned, salt'n'vinegar...

With the costumes sourced at minimum cost, the rest of the crisp-packet budget could go on other things, such as that amazing makeup.

And a basket of kittens. You must not forget the kittens, O Best Beloved, or David Tennant's reaction to them.

:->

*****

Good story / good acting / engaging characters can carry a movie through low budget and dodgy mechanical effects far better than a big budget and lavish CGI can prop up a movie with bad story / bad acting / characters the audience doesn't care about.

As @dduane says, "Jaws" is a classic demonstration of getting it right despite the MAIN special effect constantly failing to work, forcing the movie to rely on hints, glimpses, John Williams's iconic score and audience imagination, all of which proved far more effective than anything effects could put - or censorship allow - on the screen.

*****

It's also one of the classic examples of making a film that's better than the (hugely bestselling) original book.

Does anyone really believe that Jaws-the-movie suffered by cutting Jaws-the-novel's subplots about Ellen Brody's & Matt Hooper's adultery, or Mayor Vaughn's Mafia connections?

...

Didn't think so. :->

Cats (2019) is worse than Doctor Who (2006) even though the show was made with the budget of a crisp packet

[stormgardenscurse]

hellooo i just saw that your requests were opening and i was wondering if i could request for a first years ace, deuce, jack, epel and sebek headcanons with reader in a setting similar to the kingdom dance scene in tangled where theyre just dancing with different partners before eventually getting back to one another.

kingdom dance - tangled au

Characters: Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, Sebek

Ace

Ace Trappola is the subject of many ‘firsts.’ He was the first one to break into your tower, the first to agree to bring you to see the lanterns, and the first one to get hurt (self imposed) because he realised that ah, you’re beautiful when you’re smiling at things about a world that he’s long lost faith in. And he’s placed himself into a lose-lose situation because he’d intended to trick you about your deal, at first.

There’s time to undo his mistakes though, right? Helplessly—hopelessly—Ace lets you drag him back into a world of color that’s painted by your chalk-stained hands.

“Ace, could you help me with something?”

Hm? “What is it—” 

Ace freezes, dumbstruck, as he feels your fingers cup his face. They graze over the soft flesh of his cheeks, and he snaps out of his surprise when he registers the mischievous glint in your eyes. 

The redhead’s brow rises. His hands too, are stained with chalk, so Ace grabs onto your waist to keep you from escaping while dishing out his revenge, eliciting squeals from you while a laugh too happy to be his own escapes his lips. 

There are many things you’ve both been doing that Ace would’ve called childish, before today. But now, he finds himself feeling more carefree than any prison escape he’s done.

When did you become so cheeky? Whoever you learnt this from must be a terrible influence, indeed.

Deuce

In truth, Deuce was just a civilian who noticed a criminal running from the palace guards, and decided to give chase himself! He finds himself at the tower right after you made a deal with Ace, and joins your adventures to make sure the redhead keeps his end of the deal (and maybe to steal and return the tiara to the palace, while he’s at it).

Because of this however, Deuce is much more welcoming about your discovery of the outside world. He’s just glad to see you happy and running around, and even accompanies you to the ‘boring’ part of the town; a library full of novels and history books!

“This place is a lot like my tower,” you’d explained to him, describing how over the years, you’ve painted the walls with murals and attempted no small amount of hobbies. “Oh, look at this page! Is this Corona’s traditional waltz?”

Hearing the wonder in your voice as you charted a map of nations across the sea on the side, Deuce thinks that it wouldn’t be so bad to dedicate a few years to travelling with you, even if he hopes to be a knight at the end. He lets you lead him in a waltz across the library tower, stepping lightly around novel to novel, each with maps and illustrations on its open page.

…And just as Deuce thinks he’s gotten the hang of it, his train of thought causes him to stumble and slip on one of the books! He topples, you land on him. And after a few seconds of silence… giggles bubble from your chest. 

…Maybe, staying in here a little longer wouldn’t be so bad, either. Even if he’s never been one for towers of words and dust.

Jack

The townschildren immediately took a liking to both you and Jack’s hair; the latter of which was tied into a long, fluffy ponytail, that looked incredibly pretty with flowers woven into them!

“Should I undo this for you?” You ask Jack, inspecting his now-semi braided strands. He shakes his head, gesturing towards the children who have retreated to play close to the fountain, but are still in sight.

“It’s fine. We'd better not upset them after all their hard work.” Jack answers, noticing the way you’re smiling. “...What?”

It’s just, “I never thought you’d be so good with kids! You felt like a dependable older brother.”

The afternoon wanes as Jack tells you a bit more about his siblings and you find a small meadow outside town’s walls. Sitting amidst it, next to Jack, almost makes you forget that you met at the Snuggly Duckling—which you probably wouldn’t have made it out of without him and Epel joining your party.

“Hey Jack, don’t you think that flowers look a little bit like the sun symbol on Corona's flag?” You hold up the flower crown you’d been weaving into the light. 

For a moment, Jack doesn’t answer—and you realize why when you turn around, only to see him pick a golden wildflower and tuck it behind your ear, since your hands were full.

“I think this one's colour is closer to what you meant.” He says, but Jack’s eyes don’t seem to be on the flower, exactly. What is this bubbly feeling in your stomach?

Epel

Having joined your group at the Snuggly Duckling (Epel’s family supplies apple-made products, and he’s always wanted to learn to be a cool mercenary), you’ve almost forgotten that Epel came from a quieter side of the kingdom with sprawling farms and fields for days. As such, he’s just as happy to explore the town as you are, buying a range of pastries from the local bakery and picking out souvenirs for his Meemaw once he finally makes the trip home.

“It’s a good thing my deliveries take a few days, anyway. And I was hurryin’ on the last vdelivery because I wanted to ask the mercs to teach— I mean, mentor me a little. But meeting you was lots more fun!” Epel smiles. He shares your wonder for the city, and even if some of your ignorance baffles him, Epel’s grown to admire your guts (the way you fought off city guards with a frying pan and zero fear).

…Well, almost zero fear. The closest you’ve felt to true helplessness was when your team was separated and trapped in a flooded cave—only for Epel to calm you down long enough for you to use your hair—and kept your secret until you chose to heal your friends’ scratches and bruises after the confrontation.

Meemaw told me stories about the sundrop flower. But we aren’t people that take more than we need from the earth; magic or not, it’s a plant like any other. And you’re a person! We can’t just steal your hair!

The fears you had about revealing your magic quickly melted away as you burst into laughter. From then on, you gained a little favouritism for Epel, who was always down for your daring shenanigans. This time, however, all you wanted was to learn how to carve apples like he did! And when your friends returned to admire your works, he was quick to swap apples with you, giving you a little shrug, saying he can make them anytime. “And even if it’s not exactly a long lasting souvenir… it’s a gift, for you.”

Sebek

A palace guard who’d tracked the five of you down after the Snuggly Duckling fiasco, Sebek is determined to keep an eye on you since you’re the one who’s hiding the stolen tiara. He starts off very standoffish and does not want to mingle, but eventually, after you’re left alone together in the town square… Sebek grows tired of something and asks if you’re done looking around the main area. He leads you to a store with kitchenware instead, where he asks you to pick out a new… frying pan?

“The one you have right now is too heavy, isn’t it?” He quips, trying not to show that he was concerned about the way you uncomfortably kept it inside your backpack. “You may be able to swing it around with relative ease, but when faced with proper villains, you won’t be able to lift it quickly enough.” Sebek finishes, moving forward to pick out the lighter pans in the store on your behalf. “...How about this?”

It’s not quite ‘picking out an outfit’ or new sword for a fellow knight… But you can tell that Sebek’s half-awkwardness comes from a place of care. Meaning, he’s warmed up to you, even if he doesn’t want to admit it! You accept his gift of a new weapon gladly, only to notice people gathering in the main square as musicians raise their instruments.

Before you can ask Sebek what it is, however, a firm grip suddenly pulls you behind the corner and blocks your mouth. You follow his line of sight to see royal guards patrolling by.

“Come on—let’s dance!”

“It’d be complicated if I’m spotted with all of you.” Sebek sighs.

To be fair, you are a group of criminals (mainly Ace). You notice the music swelling in the square and people twirling about, and decide to wipe the stressed frown off Sebek’s face.

[sparklingmusicofstars]

Hamefura : Is Millidiana a good mother ?

Well my answer is obvious : not at all. I think she is an awful mother.

I have a lot of reasons to think that :

1.She doesn't think of her daughter's happiness

When Catarina got engaged to Geordo we saw that she was happy at first, like her husband but then she changed her mind after Catarina became more wild. The reason is simple, unlike Luigi she was never happy for her because she was going to marry someone she loved but only because it means that she could brag about her daughter most likely becoming the future queen and gaining more power for the Claes family. She doesn't care about whether Catarina loves Geordo or not. And now she doesn't want Catarina to marry into the royal family, not because she is worried about her daughter having a hard time or not loving Geordo, but because she is scared that she would bring shame to her because she is not a perfect noble lady. And when Catarina go on a trip for the Ministry instead of being worried and asking her to be careful she only told her not to do anything weird during it. (And no, being dense and not realizing that Geordo loves Catarina isn't an excuse for being selfish)

Also she doesn't want Catarina to travel for a reason very different from her husband. Luigi is worried for Catarina because he is protective towards her and doesn't want to let her to her own devices. While Millidiana isn't worried for Catarina (or at least she doesn't show it at all) she is just worried that like she said “the shame would eventually find its way back to me" which is an awful thing to say to her child. She doesn't even hide the fact that she is ashamed of her daughter and is a very self-centered person.

2.In Fortune Lover she is very cruel towards her children.

Yes, I know what you want to say "she thought that Keith was the illegimate son of her husband" BUT I don't know if it's the case for everyone but If I think my husband has cheated on me I would go giving him a piece of my mind instead of taking it out on the poor innocent child. She's not 5 years old. Of course she is not forced to love him in one day but she can at least try and if she can't do that then just leave him at peace. Moreover she was not only mean to Keith but also to Catarina. In FL she didn't seem to really care about her daughter and only taught her to hate her little brother and let her bully him because it was what she wanted. She also raised her to be proud of her status and being very aware of the norms of nobles. I personally think that FL!Catarina was actually a loving girl who only wanted to be loved by her parents, she didn't have a picture-perfect family while growing up because of the misunderstanding between her parents, she really loved her father but her mother was distant towards her so maybe she was scared that her mother would hate her if she wasn't mean with her little brother since they seem to have become closer after that. Of course she was also resentful towards Keith because his arrival almost broke her family but I don't think it was the main reason.

On this picture we can see that Catarina looks like nothing but an adorable little girl who loves her father.

So my theory is that the reason Catarina became a villainess is mostly because of her mother. After all most of a child's personality is created by their environnement, nobody was born bad. (of course it's not the only reason)

In other words FL!Catarina was just an innocent little girl who suffered from a lack of love because of her parent's relationship.

3. She prefers Keith and doesn't hide it.

In the novel it is explicitely mentionned that Keith is by far her favorite child, because he has better manners than Catarina. She clearly thinks Catarina has nothing going for her. Normally you are supposed to love your children uncondionnally, they don't need to do anything to earn your love.

She also let Anne mostly raise her daughter in hamefura and only talks to her to teach her about the manners of a noble. How do you want a child to be at ease with you if all you do when you meet them is screaming and scolding them ?(especially for an entire night, to the point she had bags under her eyes) Now Catarina is close to traumatized by that.

4. She thinks very lowly of Catarina

In LN5 when the mothers of other nobles said that Catarina was called a saintness at the academy she immediately think it's a mistake and that they are talking about Keith (which is already very mean) that it was impossible Catarina was a saint. But she also thinks Catarina is "devilish" while everyone knows that she is incredibly kind. Her words in LN1 when she described her were also very awful

"Even the single daughter born of my body has turned out to be such a terrible child!"

It's really not a good thing to say in front of your 8 years old daughter. (because, yes Catarina was in the room) I would be very hurt if I was her. Also when Keith disappeared she immediately thought it was because he thought taking care of Catarina was a burden to him because she was too unsufferable and that he hated her just because the servants said Keith looked a bit depressed after talking to Catarina lately. And since Catarina has very low self esteem she immediately believed her and felt very guilty. While Millidiana WAS the one who told Keith to keep an eye on Catarina and he did because he loves her, everybody knows that. (And no, being dense still not make that forgivable)

She also thinks that she is

"so problematic, that she often wonders where she went wrong in bringing her up."

which is also a very horrible thing for a mother to say.

Or also "An appreciation society? For that devilish daughter of mine? Who could appreciate that monkey ? Are they sure it is not Keith they are talking about ?"

5. She doesn't support her daughter in anything.

When Catarina asks her parents if they could come to the festival of the academy of magic while her father couldn't because of work, her mother didn't come because she was ashamed of Catarina. I think that in the anime they thought it was too sad so they changed that but when Luigi said that it was a shame that Catarina wasn't in the play, she only said that it was for the best because she would definitely find a way to ruin it. Not a very nice thing to say when your child is doing her best to do a good play with her friends.

6. She is making her daughter's inferiority complex getting worse

Honestly I'm very angry everytime Millidiana says that Catarina isn't worthy to marry a prince. She is worsening her complex and makes Catarina even denser because it makes her think the same. She thinks nobody could love someone like her. I don't understand why Millidiana does that to her own daughter, she is acting like the other noble ladies who want to marry Geordo. Although she knows how it feels to be envied and insulted by nobles to the point where you think the same as them, which is exactly what happen to Catarina. And still she is not helping her, or at least she does it in a very bad way. Moreover in LN3 we saw that hearing the kind of words Millidiana always says to her daughter made Selena very sad and depressed while to Catarina it's just her day to day life at home. It shows clearly that to any other girl than Catarina those words would really hurt and even traumatized someone. Not because Catarina is strong enough to endure insults and painful words means that she deserves them.

7. Catarina thought that her mother wouldn't pay for her ransom if it was too high.(the worse)

When Catarina was kidnapped she was sure that if the ransom was too high her mother wouldn't pay. Which is incredibly dreadful when you think of it. Catarina, who is always optimistic about everything thought something like that. To be honest I also thought that since she really gave off this impression. I felt really sorry for Catarina at this moment, moreover her family doesn't have any money issue so it would just mean that she thinks that her daughter isn't worth paying a high price to save her.

Conclusion :

So, to me Millidiana is an horrible mother and I'm glad mine isn't like that. The anime and the manga gave this a funny and light tone so we don't understand it at first glance and Catarina is so innocent that she doesn't understand most of the time when her mother says or do something bad or she doesn't care. I know it's also a matter of personality so Millidiana is not forced to be very sweet to Radea Ascart's extent but she should at least try to be kinder. There were moments in the series where I was seriously wondering if she even loves Catarina. And I think it's the case at the end, but at the very minimum.

Like usual it's only my opinion and you are free to feel what you want about it.

[pharawee]

[notbecauseofvictories]

I'm re-reading the Discworld series for reasons, and honestly the most relatable part of reading these as an adult is how many of the protagonists start out being tired, used to their little routine and vaguely disgruntled by the interruption of the Plot. Sam Vimes wants to lie drunk in a gutter and absolutely doesn't want to be arresting dragons. Rincewind is yanked into every situation he's ever encountered, though he'd much rather be lying in a gutter too. (Minus the alcohol. Plus regretting everything he's ever done said witnessed or even heard about fourth-hand in his whole life.) Granny Weatherwax is deeply suspicious of foreign parts and that includes the next town over; Nanny has leaned into the armor of "nothing ever happens to jolly grannies who terrorize their daughters-in-law and make Saucy Jokes"

Only the young people don't seem to have picked up on this---and that's fortunate, because someone has to run around making things happen, if only so Vimes and Granny and Rincewind have a reason to get up (complaining bitterly the whole time) and put it all to rights. Without Carrot, Margrat, Eric, etc. these characters don't have that reason; they're likely to stay in the metaphorical gutter and keep wondering where it all went wrong or why anything has to change.

............well, that's not quite true. You get the sense that Vetinari knows how much certain people hate the Plot. And as the person sitting behind the metaphorical lighting board of Ankh-Morpork, he takes no small pleasure in forcing the Plot-haters specifically to stand up, and say some lines.

[silverwhittlingknife]

So you're a go to source for all things Dick&Tim bros and you tend to write primarily from Dick's POV. So, odd question, but if you were to summarize their relationship from his POV in FIVE panels which panels would you pick? Keeping in mind that one specific aspect of their relationship that you love needs to be clearly represented by each panel (loyalty, trust etc). I hope this is a fun challenge and not an annoying question so if you don't want to answer that's cool! Have a wonderful day!

No more talk. The same thoughts run through two minds... (SotB 29) / You're my equal. My closest ally. (RR 1) / I can't stop thinking how much I rely on him. (GoG 3)

25 Feelings Dick Has About Tim

This was such a kind ask & a cool challenge which I totally failed; here are TWENTY-five panels of Dick's POV on Tim sdfdsfds Look, I got carried away! Marcia and Cindy! The boys!!

OKAY SO BEFORE I GET TO THE PANELS A FEW NOTES:

WARNING THAT THERE ARE SOME NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN HERE because I love conflict but but but you gotta remember those are not the final word!! They are complicated people and sometimes they get mad at each other BUT ultimately their relationship is so hugely important in both their lives & they love each other and rely on each other so much -!!! <3

Also I have CONCLUDING THOUGHTS at the end about what Dick's POV leaves out (mostly: a lot of Dick defending & protecting & supporting Tim, which Dick does instinctively but isn't very self-aware about most of the time)

I have loosely organized my list into 5^5 format (5 categories with 5 examples each!), so if you want to skip to a relevant one, here are the categories!!

Below the cut:

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1-5)

On second thought, he's endearing & fun (#6-10)

Grief is complicated & he's all tangled up in mine (#11-15)

I love him & think highly of him (#16-20)

I rely on him & though it's hard for me, I trust him (#21-25)

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1 - 5)

1) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze me and Bruce, but he doesn’t know me at all, he should get lost (New Titans 61)

2) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze Bruce but he doesn’t know Bruce at all, he should get lost (Gotham Knights 26)

3) He is so nosy about stuff that is MY business (Robin 0)

4) He sounds like an insincere suck-up half the time... but okay, fine, if you push him he's got a sense of humor about it (New Titans 65)

5) I'm sure he's a better vigilante than me. It's my fault for being a failure, but I resent him anyway. (Nightwing 9 - Dick's having a nightmare)

On second thought, he's kinda endearing (#6-10)

6) He worries too much and gets anxious so easily, but it makes him fun to tease (Robin 67)

7) I'm not that competitive - okay, so maybe I'm a little competitive, I gotta make sure he doesn't get a swelled head (Prodigal)

8) I'm supposed to be his favorite! It is not cool for him to be fanboying over my not-girlfriend's not-boyfriend!! (Birds of Prey 19)

9) We have fun together. I can kick back and relax when it's just the two of us. Plus I get to boss him around a bit. (Prodigal)

10) He’s always trying to reassure me, and I guess it's a little comforting, but also he doesn’t really get it. Or me. He makes excuses that he shouldn't, because he doesn't understand that I suck. (Nightwing 64)

Grief is complicated and he's all tangled up in mine (#11 - 15)

11) He reminds me of everything I try not to think about. Sometimes the memories are so strong it hurts to look at him. (Batman 441)

12) WHY IS HE BEING IMPOSSIBLE ALL OF A SUDDEN??? THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING (Nightwing 139)

13) We're the same. He says all the things I don't let myself think about. It's like arguing with myself. (Nightwing 139)

14) He thinks he gets to tell me what to do but he doesn’t, fuck him (Battle for the Cowl)

15) Life sucks, so what. I sucked it up so he should too (RR 1)

I love him and think highly of him (#16 - 20)

16) He’s the closest thing to a brother I’ll ever have.  If someone hurts him I will hurt them harder. (Nightwing 6)

17) I can't handle the idea of losing him. (Nightwing 97)

17) He’s so good and I’m not. I'm afraid I’m bad for him. (Nightwing 110)

18) He’s better than me, and it’s kind of a relief because I know no matter what he’ll be okay. (Gates of Gotham 3)

19) In my head he’s the responsible one.  (Gotham Knights 10)

I rely on him, and though it's hard for me, I trust him (#20-25)

20) I know I have to trust him but I'm afraid he'll make the wrong choices and get hurt (Nightwing 139)

21) I'm sure I know what he should do because I see myself in him - not that I can take my own advice, but he should (Blackest Night 3)

22) I trust him.  When I’m losing my grip on things, he pulls me back. (Gotham Knights 10)

23) I want him to trust me (Red Robin 12)

24) He can tell when I'm lying. Sometimes he sees my weaknesses better than I wish he did. (Detective Comics 874)

25) He’s always there when I need him. (Teen Titans / Outsiders Secret Files)

Final rambling thoughts:

TIM: Uhh, okay, so I'm just skimming this list - do you really trust me? you're not just saying that? - but anyway, I'm confused because you left some stuff out? Like some stuff that's kinda important? DICK: No? I think I got everything? TIM (starts counting on his fingers): The time I was having a bad day but then I called you. The time I got captured by Two-Face but then you saved me. The time I fell off a train but then you saved me. The time I fell off a building but then you saved me. The time I fell off a different building - DICK: I feel like you're trying to make some kind of point but I'm not sure what it could be.

SO THE THING IS, I put 25 panels in here and not a single one has Dick catching Tim when he’s falling!!! But I think that's a central motif of their relationship from Tim’s POV, not Dick’s. I love Dick, but in some ways I think he is spectacularly un-self-aware.

And I think he especially has a lot of blind spots about Tim. He kinda intermittently gets that Tim admires him, and he enjoys it in a playful I-get-to-boss-you-around way. But Dick tends to consistently underestimate all of his own good qualities & skills, and he meets Tim at a point in his life when he's especially down on himself & his abilities. And so he's unable to see his own influence on Tim, & therefore unable to fully understand a lot of Tim's priorities and loyalties and motivations, because you can't actually understand Tim without understanding Dick's impact on him. There's a fascinating moment in Bruce Wayne: Murderer when Dick's completely blindsided & upset to discover that Tim doesn't entirely trust Bruce, even though this has been a definitive fact of Tim's whole thing ever since he showed up with his Batman needs Robin theory, and Barbara has to actively remind Dick of the obvious-to-everyone-except-Dick fact that a lot of Tim's loyalty is to Dick, and Tim loves Bruce but feels free to be more wary of him. (And to give Bruce credit: this is not something he ever begrudges.) But anyway Babs points this out, and Dick manages to sorta process it for about five seconds, but he cannot actually accept it into his worldview so instead he discards it at the speed of light and goes off and has an argument with Tim instead sdfsfdsf

All of Dick's virtues - Dick's kindness at the circus and Dick's determination to fight through grief and Dick's rigid sense of morals and Dick's vigilante skills and every time Dick has ever backed Tim up or listened to him or protected him or saved him from something or just been casually kind to a stranger in Tim's presence etc etc etc - all these things loom really large in Tim's mental story of Who Dick Is, and What Dick And Tim's Relationship Is. Tim meets Dick before he meets Bruce, trusts Dick more than Bruce, aspires to be Robin instead of Batman. And so in Tim's default version of the story, Dick is the super-special and admirable hero and Tim is... nobody in particular, a tagalong outsider who's barely managing to be a hero, not part of Dick and Bruce's family and not part of their story, who, if he's VERY LUCKY and tries REALLY HARD, might be able to fight his way to proving himself and offering something to Dick that Dick will value, if Dick doesn't get fed up with him first.

But that's not Dick's version of the story!!!

Dick's version of the story is almost the exact opposite, a story where Dick's an outcast failure black sheep who's screwing up everything he tries, and meanwhile Tim is The Sudden New Perfect Robin Who's Better Than Me And Probably Bruce Loves Him More And Probably They Gossip About What A Loser I Am, mixed with a complicated edge of Tim Thinks He's So Smart But He Doesn't Know Me/Us At All. Dick gets much more attached to Tim over time, and Tim gets unnervingly better at the know-it-all psychoanalysis so then Dick gets to have complicated feelings about him being right instead of just annoyance at him for being wrong, plus Dick's relationship with Bruce improves a lot, so Tim stops feeling so threatening. But Dick never fundamentally changes his basic theory of their relationship in which Tim is highly impressive and capable, and Dick is not so much.

And so asking Dick about Tim is kinda like if you asked George Bailey to tell you about Harry Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life; like, you'll be there for five hours while he tells you how great Harry is, and how accomplished Harry is, and how he doesn't really get how or why Harry does the things he does, and maybe George does feel a little resentful or jealous sometimes, but that pales in comparison to all his admiration and trust for Harry who he loves so much, who's better than him in so many ways, and he's not gonna openly gripe but secretly he can't help but feel sometimes like he's such a failure in comparison to Harry, a perfect person who emerged fully formed from Zeus's head with all the virtues and also all the accomplishments, etc. etc. etc. --

-- and he will not actually remember the part where he changed and saved Harry's whole entire life unless you literally send him to an alternate timeline in order to force him to remember it. <3

[javierduffy]

transing jack marston’s gender because john marston was born to be a girldad

[elftwink]

read a horror novel at work (during my midnight shift where i drive home at midnight in the dark at midnight) and i was worried during the drive i would be really anxious thinking about the horror novel but luckily driving already makes me anxious so my anxiety was too preoccupied to remember the novel at all #anxietylifehack

[lloydfrontera]

btw when i call asterion a bad parent it's not like. a complaint. i love that he's like that. i love that he's such a terrible father i love that he completely sucks when it comes to parenting i love that even when he's trying to do better he still fucks up.

i love that the first time we see him he's basically telling rakiel to give up his birthright and die quietly without making a fuss so it won't cause issues to the royal family in the long run. i love that when theo is almost begging him to change his mind so his brother won't be humiliated in front of hundreds of people he basically tells him to stop caring for something stupid like family and feelings. i love that when rakiel does an amazing feat and almost dies doing it the only thing he does is reprimand him and tell him how much of an idiot he was. i love that when theo has a breakdown after he failed at achieving the one thing he was raised for asterion did absolutely nothing and completely left him on his own. i love that even when he's proud and wants to do something for rakiel he completely ignores what rakiel actually wants and makes him prove himself again just for the right of his wishes not being ignored.

i love that he acknowledges how terrible of him it is to care for his child only now that he's doing incredible things and proving himself and tries to be a better father... while still completely ignoring the other child he has.

he just. he sucks so fucking bad. he's not even trying to be malicious he genuinely thinks he's doing the right thing and that it's for the well being of his sons but he's so awful at being a father it just makes things worse.

it's very funny. and also so fucking good. for me <3 not his kids tho they're having a terrible time someone help them pls

[coquelicoq]

watching cdramas with french subtitles is the best idea i ever had. if the show is in a language i don't speak i'm already going to have to be closely reading the subtitles, so why not also use it as language practice? the subs go by so fast i don't have time to translate them internally into english, i just have to absorb the meaning without doing that (which is how it's supposed to work but i've never been fully able to do that before). AND the best part is that when i'm going about my day i'm finding that some of my internal monologue is just in french now?? i think it's because subs are almost entirely dialogue...i'm getting hours of dialogue practice without actually having to converse. it's also fun with cdramas specifically because i have by now picked up some chinese vocabulary from watching tv and i get to see how that vocabulary is translated into french. idk man i'm just having a great time.

[zeb-z]

I dunno, and I haven't read the Ascendency novels to be clear, so I can’t speak of who he was before his exile - but maybe Thrawn accepting Grand Admiral for that shitshow on Batonn sealed his fate. Maybe he wasn't the one to pull the trigger, maybe he was appalled by the needless death - he still took the promotion, even if he didn't want it. The moment he took the rank plate was the moment the blood on his hands became insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The moment where all his intentions begin to be buried by his actions.

Everyone is all about how Thrawn isn't that bad of a guy - and honestly I do agree that his character is misunderstood more often than not - but he still did terrible things with the Empire. Turned a blind eye and condoned much more with silence.

Because the fall of Nightswan and Batonn may not have been his fault - but he accepted the stain when he took his promotion.

For all you try to keep things fair, it doesn't matter if you're working in a system that is instituted to be cruel. And while Thrawn had never claimed to be a good man, and had only joined ultimately for the protection of his own people, there's something to be said of this deterioration of morality. How he doesn't understand politics, but is still shaped by the dangerous and vindictive workings of Imperial political scene, forgoing honesty for station.

Pirates and smugglers turn to insurgents and rebels. Capture turns to execute. He kills to prove a point.

He develops for the worse. For all he shapes the Imperial Navy, it shapes him all the same. I dunno. Complex character and all o that. He’s no scum of the earth true evil, but he’s no shining star either.

[starswallowingsea]

i'm so excited that aurora has posted ev3ns main story side A because oh my god. having been able to proof for them has been a lot of fun but i'm also excited to see that there's a lot of very explicit aromantic rep in everything but name with raito. my little freak (affectionate) but also posting this in the aromantic tags because i know a lot of people are looking for something meaningful when it comes to aro characters in media and i am going to try and spread the 18trip bug.

[iguessitsjustme]

I’m writing this while walking to work so forgive me if it’s not entirely coherent. I think it might benefit some people to have a reminder that books and show/movie adaptations are different. Reading the book might mean you know the framework for the show/movie but it does not make you An Expert on the show/movie.

First and foremost, I’m not going to say don’t post spoilers, but I will so do not go onto someone else’s post and post spoilers. You would not like it if someone came into your house and spoiled things for you. Do not do that to others. It is not only incredibly rude. It is entirely selfish. Which brings me to my next point.

If reading the book enhances your experience, if it’s something you enjoy, I’m glad! I am so incredibly happy for you. It does not make you smarter or inherently more informed than the people that choose not to read for whatever reason.

You might know what happens and have more knowledge about the story as a whole but that does not mean that people that are posting predictions or speculations don’t know what they’re talking about. I know a lot of people that watch these shows have some sort of degree in writing or literature or visual media. Gonna use myself as an example here, I have a degree in writing. I am decent at analysis. I mostly post silly little shitposts or memes but all of my posts are operating from a place of being informed.

I am capable of predicting what’s gonna happen. I am aware of narrative structures. I’m aware of plot devices. I’m aware of the common tropes in the shows I watch. And that doesn’t matter! Because that is entirely Not The Point. I don’t care if I predict accurately. It’s not about the what happens. It’s always about how we get there.

Of all of the shows that are airing and I can pretty much tell you what the ending of each of them is going to be. Even without reading the novels. That does not make them any less enjoyable for me. It makes them even more enjoyable. Cause now I get to watch for the details. I get to watch and see how this show has decided to show the journey of the story. And sometimes how they completely rewrite expectations. Some of the things I have watched have been very, extremely good at subverting tropes and expectations. Things can veer off in directions you don’t expect even if you’ve read the novel. Simply because it’s a different story. It is imposssible to do a 1 to 1 adaptation. As much as we might want it. It is simply not possible.

I have read a few novels that the shows are based on. Every single show has made drastic changes to the source material. So while you might have knowledge of what’s to come in the novel. You might have the ability to spoil everyone for what’s coming, even you can’t be 100% sure until it happens. And condescendingly telling people it’s so obvious when you have future knowledge is incredibly unacceptable.

This has gotten very long and I am actually at work now and should probably actually do my job but I just need to reiterate. Reading the novels is fine! It’s fun! I am genuinely so happy people are reading and enjoying themselves and also enjoying the shows! That is wonderful! But do not ruin or attempt to ruin someone else’s enjoyment simply because you think you know more. Make posts about the differences on your own blog. Talk about spoilers with friends that have also read the novel. But do not go onto a stranger’s post and post spoilers because you might be ruining the media you love for that person without even realizing what you’re doing.

[vickyvicarious]

Frankenstein annotators vs Dracula annotators FIGHT (this Ask brought to you by the Frankenstein weekly annotator takes)

For real, there do seem to be some blisteringly cold takes going on in academic circles.

I think Frankenstein suffers more with people tending to identify harder with either Creature or Victor, and thus skewing everything the other one does in order to demonize them. They get plenty of material to work with either way, because both are extremely flawed individuals. Both are self-absorbed, make bad choices, cause harm to those around them. Both also are extremely depressed/self-hating, do not want to hurt anyone until they're well caught up in a self-perpetuating cycle of hatred, feel trapped and victimized by the other. I think a lot of the power of the book comes from being able to sympathize with both of them and spot so many moments of "if only-" while still feeling that the way things turned out was somehow inevitable. It's just ingredients of a great tragedy!

With Dracula, it feels more like people are trying to distance themselves from the characters. By reducing them to plot points, archetypes, and the like, these people stop engaging with them as characters. And as such, they try to force in negative nuance where it wasn't intended in the original, or view them only as a stereotypical Frigid Victorian Male (Jonathan) or say "this side character didn't do a lot so maybe they were secretly evil" (Quincey), or just get... super, super into horny symbolism everywhere in a way that actually saps away a lot of what makes the characters themselves. In doing so, they miss the heart of the story, which despite being a horror novel actually has some really uplifting stuff.

I haven't read tons and tons of academic takes on both books, but based on what I have read, I think those are the trends that seem to bring about some of the really weird or hostile takeaways. Getting too attached to a particular character in Frankenstein, and trying too hard not to care about the characters in Dracula. Opposite in a way, but both ending up missing a lot of heart/nuance that I think you can find in the original works.

I feel there also is an element of a kind of feedback loop in both cases. Each book has had a major impact on pop culture, but in ways which tend to diverge significantly from book canon. I do feel that some of the simplifications and reversals start out as either derivative of (Dracula must have a sympathetic backstory) or defiant to (actually, Frankenstein is the real monster) the film/pop culture versions. This as well as responding to so many other established lines of criticism and types of takes that have become almost a "standard" and which are somewhat removed from the actual canon of the page.

[pttucker]

I wish I could say that I was 'Kim Dokja' but that wasn't possible yet. If I revealed my name here, the constellations on Earth would know I was still alive. Then… let's go back to the original work. I recalled the 111th regression in the novel and declared in a voice as evil as possible. "My name is Yoo Joonghyuk. I am here to become the 'demon king' of the 73rd Demon Realm." ---- [Your notoriety is spreading in the 73rd Demon Realm.] Yoo Joonghyuk stared up at the sky the moment he heard the message. "…What?" Of course, the sky didn't answer. Then Yoo Joonghyuk's expression changed strangely. Yoo Joonghyuk thought about something for a moment before staring at the sky with disbelief, muttering, "Kim Dokja?"

HE LIVES!!!

"Yoo Joonghyuk's expression changed strangely" 😭