#just say you're shallow and don't understand the point of the movie

[fromdusks]

just saw the most insane wrong take on lake mungo I've ever seen in my entire life

[eldritch-spouse]

I want Breg to grind his slit against mine 😔

The pressure would force his cocks to stay inside, but it would bulge enough to add some bumpy pleasure 🥴

[This is more of a struggle session than actual sex. Fem reader.]

TW: Unhygienic(?)

You wouldn't exactly say you're a sadist, but it's funny to watch the way Breg reacts to certain punishments.

Because even if this monster supposedly endured a past that centered mostly around the act of mating, it seems he's still far behind most others in terms of creative perversion.

Evidenced by moments such as these, if the way he's nearly visibly fuming trying to understand what you meant is anything to go by.

" You want me to keep them inside? " Breg tilts his head.

" Yep. " You confirm for the third time.

" But that way I can't make love to you, angel! "

" That's the whole point, Breg. "

He frowns, then pauses.

" Can I eat you out? "

" No. "

" C- Can you suck my slit? "

" Nope. "

With every rejection, he deflates a bit more.

The breeder glances at his tail, synapses connecting to form the dubious figment of a terrible idea.

" Can I- "

" No. " You emphasize, giving him a stern look.

The terms have been laid out clearly. After his latest impulsive stunt, which has earned you yet another ban from one of your favorite stores, you've decided Breg won't be fucking you for a while. This means he cannot penetrate you in any way, in any orifice, with any part of himself. And you're not touching his dicks at any capacity.

This leaves Breg with only one ridiculous option, relying on his slit for a mockery of stimulation...

You know it's a bit cruel to take a hypersexual monster's relief away so radically, but these kinds of punishments are usually the ones that stick the most with Breg and reap better results in the long-run. This is a necessary evil if you are to succeed in your seemingly impossible task of adapting this fool of a monster to modern society.

" You're so mean to me sometimes. "

The audacity to call you mean after the scene he made almost makes a blood vessel pop in your forehead.

" You can always wait it out. " As if.

You had a movie lined up to watch together if he miraculously agreed.

" But I don't want to... "

You shrug at the breeder. Then he ought to sort himself out, as far as you care.

Breg whines some more, hoping against all odds that you'd have a change of heart and allow the sweaty, horny monster looming over you to have his way. No such luck.

Sagging in defeat, Breg palms over his pelvis, tracing his own slit but not teasing it directly. Just enough to make himself shudder and huff. His unseen eyes are fixed on you while he paws at himself like some pathetic creature, you can only imagine half the scenes that must be unfolding in that fried brain and causing his hips to shift forward occasionally.

Frankly, for as much as he complains, Breg would be able to get off just fine if you told him he could only look at you. He's just that easy.

When Breg dips to shamelessly huff at your neck and chest, you lean your head to take a look at the situation below, finding the breeder already soaking the couch with the precum dripping off his slit, two fingers hastily stuffed in there, no doubt trying to stimulate the tips of his cocks.

He's a smart-enough guy, he knows this is the only way he can directly stimulate them. One miscalculation and they'll slip out, immediately ruining his chance to get off around you.

That doesn't make it any less of a pitiful, almost comedic act to see. The puffs of his hot breath around your neck cast goosebumps across your skin as it becomes humid, Breg breathes shallower in an attempt to get as much of your scent as he can, speed his own motions to keep up a semblance of stimulus. The monster groans something against your skin, his dominant arm straining with effort and fast, slick sounds ringing across the room. If the way his tail thrashes is any indication, this isn't really doing it for him, but he's trying.

And that matters.

" Good boy. " You encourage him, a small hand holding his head closer to you.

Although he gasps and moans in delight at your praise, Breg's irritation only grows. " 'S not enough... " He huffs.

" Yeah it is, you can get there. " You're fairly certain Breg could get off by just moving his hips against air.

" Noo- " His fingers' motions slow rapidly. " I need more, need to mate you- "

" Nope. "

" Angel please-! "

" No. "

Breg takes his hands off his pouch and buries his head on your chest, swaying in the discomfort of his own arousal.

" Please please please please please- "

Gods if his begging never fails to make the temperature in a room rise some degrees... But you can't be that weak willed with a monster like Breg, it just doesn't work.

" Not happening. And if you keep complaining then I'll just leave. "

" No- " His claws nearly sink onto your sides from the quick hold he established at those words. " No please, I'm sorry. "

You roll your eyes. " Apology accepted. "

Again, a few seconds pass as the breeder thinks of what he can do to make things work. You let him have all the time in the world to come up with an idea, because you would also struggle in his place. There are moments where Breg looks as if he wants to give up, but his determination to satisfy his desires has always been stronger. At some point, he settles on what to do, and the first move is to start tugging at your comfy bottoms.

" What are you doing? " It's more genuine curiosity than anything. You told him he couldn't eat you out, after all.

" Don't worry about it, angel. "

All you do is squint and watch as Breg quickly removes your clothes and dips between your legs. Although aware that he can't sample you, he decides that there's no issue if he flattens his tongue against your panties. Breg hums, disappointed that there's little taste but that of cotton, no matter how hard he presses against the folds of your clothed cunt.

His teeth catch onto the fabric while he begins to pull it down, removing the garment, another flash of pain on his face at knowing that he can't dive for the gold.

Once your panties are out of the way, you get to watch the monster think about how he's going to do this.

He tries to slot himself between your legs the way he normally would, pressing himself as close to you as possible. The results... Weren't that great. Breg tries and tries to readjust, but he's not getting the needed friction every time he awkwardly humps.

With a muffled curse, he pulls back and starts brainstorming again, moving parts of you from side to side, impatient. You roll your eyes throughout it, eventually ending up with one leg spread the other pushed up- Not the most comfortable.

Breg shifts then, twisting himself to fit the way he wants, like some kind of puzzle piece. More importantly, you now get what he was trying to do all this time, achieve friction from his slit directly to your pussy. Brow rising, you actually wonder if this will work for him.

Little did you expect that it would work for you too...

By sheer virtue of his frustration, the force Breg uses to grind his slit against your entrance applies enough pressure that it feels as though your clitoris is being squished and rolled around just right, making a shiver crawl up your spine at the sudden stimulus. Every muscle in his body tenses with his effort to find the perfect angle, the perfect rhythm, leading to some very frantic humping in-between harsh grinding rolls.

You didn't really expect to get invested in this. It's just a punishment, after all. But the breeder's misery proves to be a reliable and effortless source of consistent pleasure, enough that you're getting wet and biting your bottom lip, encouraging him with a few of your own motions to aid his pace. As wet as you may be, Breg manages to be wetter, soaking your cunt with his precum that allows for a steady sort of slide against each other.

Your excitement seems to be the missing trick, for as soon as Breg senses it, you can feel the way his cocks angrily push at a barrier they're not allowed to break, causing his slit to bump out humorously- But deliciously so.

Breg sweats and pants as if enduring a great workout, unsubtly drooling out the side of his mouth, grit-teeth betraying a pathetic fight for a climax that might not come at all. Eventually, his complexion starts twisting in a shocked and confused expression.

" What's... What's wrong? " You'd been clutching one of the cushions by now, hoping this would either make you climax or just feel good for a while longer.

" It feels- Feels weird. " The monster groans. " Keeping them in for so long... I- Hnng- "

You can only imagine what it must be like. It occurs to you that maybe, just maybe, his cocks swelled enough with desperation that they might be stuck in his body, squeezing against each other, unable to move. If it were painful, Breg would have gotten scared and stopped most likely, so you assume he's just crumbling under way too much pressure on his lengths.

" Ah, they're stuck? " You tease.

He halts entirely. " N-... No. "

You've said this a couple of times, and you'll say it again, one of Breg's few redeeming qualities is that he's a terrible liar.

" Then, I guess you can pull them out. "

" Huh?! " Had there not been that layer of skin in front of his eyes, they would have popped out his sockets. " Really? You mean it?! "

" Of course. " There's a limit to your blatant sadism. Or maybe not, because you know damn well he's not going to be able to push them out under this much arousal.

Breg immediately pulls back from you, holding still as he tries, rather humorously, to relax enough that, miraculously, his cocks protrude.

It's not happening. The monster huffs and whines, getting upset at himself as he even resorts to reaching in with a digit. No results.

Mildly amused, you push him further back, so that you can sit on the couch while he stands, nearly at face level with his poor, puffed slit. Small hands cling to his thighs as you rest your chin on his skin and glance up.

" Come on, Breg. I'm waiting... Don't you want me to play with them? " Your tongue hangs out, taunting and soft and warm.

If he wasn't desperate before, he sure is now, tail swishing near violently as he realizes his predicament. Helpless, the only thing Breg can do is thrill himself with the view of you so very eager to suck him off, and nudge his wet slit against your face. White claws reach down to grab locks of your hair and play with them, stroking over the sides of your cheeks and bringing you closer, as if that would fix the situation.

Ultimately, the only solution would be for him to calm down, because only with less arousal would his members deflate and his slit stop tensing enough for it to work out. But Breg has put too much work into this exercise to let it go to waste, so he's reluctant to back down.

In the end, all the breeder does is groan, almost on the verge of crying, while he attempts to get you to touch him at any capacity. Gentle hands palp the overheated and swollen skin.

" Please just- " He huffs, the denial and frustration melting into a desperate discomfort that has him rolling his head back. " I just need to cum, Angel please. "

Gave up, did he? Adorable.

Breaking the rule set earlier, you dip to kiss Breg's leaking slit, a short tongue ravishing it from top to bottom. Even when you try to squeeze it in and directly lick his throbbing cocks, they're so tightly packed together that you can hardly flirt with either. It doesn't stop you from trying.

On his end, the breeder seems grateful at last, taking this as the opportunity it is by rapidly grabbing both sides of your head and clumsily, feverishly, trying to roll his need against you. Again, he achieves a gross sort of hump against your beautiful face, even the protrusion of your nose serving to stimulate him further as he all but nearly rubs himself all over you.

With your ears covered by pale, wide palms and constant mouthfuls of overheated flesh coated in the tang of precum, you fail to pick up on the increasing volume of Breg's cries, the way they become monstrous and shameless in his finally approaching peak.

In the end, the only tell you have is the rapid twitching of his slit, the way his legs tense and the shifting of his buried cocks, before he bursts.

Maybe oozing is the appropriate word here, you'd say, because the only way Breg's seed can escape him at all is through thick globs pooling at the edge of his pouch and being subsequently pushed out by the remaining shots of his pent up load, dripping warmly to coat his hips and ass.

" A- Ahhn- "

Breg lets go of your head to whine and gasp, hisses making it through the gaps between his teeth, the sensation apparently being foreign and intense to him. He still moves his hips, perhaps hoping that he can grind it out of him faster, or maybe that's just his way of riding out the orgasm without being able to stroke himself.

It shouldn't be turning you on so much to watch the monster struggle, his overstimulation rising as trapped members are forced to keep in contact with his own hot cum, still sticking and dripping off him in a depraved show. Breg shudders, his tail wrapping around your leg for a semblance of comfort while you pet his cheek, greedily watching.

Only after a decent pause of trying to ride it down does the pressure deflate enough to give him some actual relief. The breeder growls in genuine pain when his sore slit is stretched enough, finally allowing two blue, half-hard cocks to pop out, coated in a sheen of his own seed and still pulsing from what you imagine must have been an peculiar climax.

" See? You did just fine. " Praising the horn dog after successful training is key. His shaky smile is all the confirmation you need.

It's a bit hard to resist torturing him a bit more, you think as you sink to your knees in front of the mess he made.

" Now, sit still so I can help clean up. "

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Fiyero and Boq (Wicked)

I'm not really a die-hard Wicked fan, but here goes. This is for the musical only, since I haven't read the novel.

Warning: spoilers below.

Fiyero

Favorite thing about them: That despite seeming like a silly playboy at first, he proves to be a kindred sprit to Elphaba, who loves and respects her as she is, who tries to help and defend her when no one else in Oz is willing to do so, and who ultimately sacrifices everything for her, even (nearly) his life.

Least favorite thing about them: That he leads Glinda on by not breaking up with her even as he starts to fall for Elphaba, and then goes along with their engagement even though he doesn't want to marry her. He should have ended things between them long before it reached that point.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I can be snarky.

*I dislike fakeness and selling out.

*I can seem like just a fun-lover, but really I think and feel deeply.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm female.

*I'm not royalty.

*I was never a partying troublemaker in college.

Favorite line: His joke when Elphaba tells him she realizes he's not as shallow and self-absorbed as he seems:

"Excuse me, there's no pretense here: I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow."

And these lines from his dialogue with Glinda at the beginning of Act II, where he calls her out on her tragic flaw of choosing fame and popularity over everything else:

"You can't leave because you can't resist this. And that is the truth."

And when she objects that no one could resist it: "You know who could. Who has."

brOTP: His horse Feldspur in the movie, and probably Boq, especially if we keep the Scarecrow and Tin Man's friendship in mind. Not to mention Dorothy, even though their interactions are kept offstage.

OTP: Elphaba.

nOTP: Glinda.

Random headcanon: Hmmm... In the movie, he really did eat grass as a child. He's not just joking when he says he did.

Unpopular opinion: I like him better than Glinda as a romantic partner for Elphaba. Of course I understand that Elphaba and Glinda's bond is more central and more fleshed out, I see the appeal of Gelphie as a ship, and I know how much Gelphie means to countless fans. But personally? Without denying Glinda's importance to Elphaba, I prefer Fiyero as her love interest. He embraces her values and comes through for her in a way that Glinda only does at the very end, and no attempts I've read by Gelphie shippers to dismiss that fact ring true for me. As a couple, Fiyeraba reminds me in many ways of Esmeralda and Phoebus in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame (these Stephen Schwartz musicals have recurring themes!), and I don't see many fans putting down that pairing, even though they're a bit underdeveloped too, and even though Esmeralda's friendship with Quasimodo is more central to the plot. On the contrary, the fans hold up their love as the main example of healthy love in that story! Besides, if we don't think Elphaba really loves Fiyero, then "No Good Deed" loses its power. If he's just "comphet" to her, why should his apparent death break her so much that she resolves to really be wicked and kidnaps Dorothy? And the reveal that he's still alive is what snaps her out of her breakdown and lets her reconcile with Glinda in the end. I have nothing against shipping Gelphie, but I can't dismiss Fiyeraba as just "boring comphet" the way most of the fandom seems to do.

Song I associate with them: "Dancing Through Life"

"As Long as You're Mine"

Favorite picture of them:

Norbert Leo Butz

Aaron Tveit

Andy Karl

Derrick Williams with Stephanie J. Block (more actors of color should play the role)

Adam Garcia with Idina Menzel

Jonathan Bailey in the movie

Boq

Favorite thing about them: Well, when we first meet him at least, he's a sweet, adorkable character, and if the Tin Man we know from The Wizard of Oz is a mostly accurate portrait of how he behaves on his journey with Dorothy, he never really loses those qualities.

Least favorite thing about them: First that he leads Nessarose on (a recurring flaw among the young men in this story, it seems) and lies about why he asked her out, even if his reason is to avoid hurting her. And later, of course, that he becomes such a bloodthirsty witch hunter, out to kill Elphaba for turning him into tin even though she saved his life by doing so.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I can be socially awkward.

*I'm not always good at standing up for myself.

*Sometimes I want to blame people for doing things that made me uncomfortable, when really those things were good for me.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm female.

*I've never had any romantic entanglements with witches.

*I've never been turned into tin.

Favorite line: His verse in "March of the Witch Hunters," even though it's his darkest moment:

And this is more than just a service to the Wizard I have a personal score to settle with El... With The Witch!

It's due to her I'm made of tin Her spell made this occur So for once, I'm glad I'm heartless I'll be heartless killing her!

And the Lion also has a grievance to repay If she'd let him fight his own battles When he was young He wouldn't be a coward, today!

brOTP: In the Shiz days before things go bad, Fiyero, Nessarose, Elphaba and Glinda (especially in the deleted scene from the movie that shows them all hanging out together). And after he becomes the Tin Man, Dorothy.

OTP: None.

nOTP: Nessarose or Glinda.

Random headcanon: When he sees Elphaba "melt," he'll be unexpectedly horrified; he'll find himself remembering their days at Shiz and the girl she once was, and realize that seeing her die horribly doesn't feel as good as he thought it would. (I'm basing this on the Tin Man's close-to-tears face after the Witch melts in the 1939 Wizard of Oz: we'll see if Wicked: For Good has Ethan Slater react in a similar way or not.)

Unpopular opinion: Even though he's far from blameless, nothing justifies Nessarose stripping him and all the other Munchkins of their rights and forcing him to stay with her, then trying to magically brainwash him into loving her. He may deserve some karma for lying about his feelings for her, but he doesn't deserve all that.

Song I associate with them:

His part in "Dancing Through Life"

"March of the Witch Hunters"

Favorite picture of them:

Christopher Fitzgerald

Riley Costello

Ethan Slater in the movie

[meraki-yao]

Translation of a Bilibili Video Analysing the Paris Love Making Scene

HOLY SHIT THIS LITERALLY TOOK ME ALL DAMN DAY

Preface from me: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT MY ORIGINAL CONTENT! THIS IS JUST MY TRANSLATION OF THE FOLLOW VIDEO MADE BY 搭火箭都要追剧 A CHINESE RWRB FAN. I REPEAT, THE CONTENT IS NOT MINE, I'M JUST A TRANSLATOR (that being said I did a little bit of commentary, anything in brackets is my own thoughts)

All photos are unedited screenshots taken directly from the video

Preface from OP: The content of this video is very subjective and shallow, if it's different from your opinions, you're the right one (a Chinese saying which basically means "this is just my thoughts don't come at me") and it's most likely to be very different from any official BTS.

Didn't translate the first part because 1, I can't really translate it well due to cultural references 2, I... don't really agree with it, but did like 90% of the video

Also since it's about the Paris love-making scene, there's sexual content, you have been warned

For the moment when Alex slips his hand under Henry's shirt

When Alex slides his hand across Henry's naked waist, his fingertips, the most sensitive part of the hand is touching Henry's bare skin and stirring his desires, which is why Alex's body tenses: he clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath in.

In contrast, Henry is absorbed in the romance of it all. He's been in love with Alex the whole time and finally, the man of his dreams is here with him, touching him.

For the couple of shots where they stand naked with Henry touching Alex

1, Close Up Shot of Henry's hand gliding up Alex's arm

Henry told Alex that he's in good hands, therefore Henry's the one to lead this dance and set the atmosphere, so most of the light is on him, with the bright spot being shone on Henry's wrist which leads the audience to focus on that point

He starts with his fingertips running along Alex's vein, but the brightest spot doesn't follow the movement of his hand and stays focused on his wrist and the lower part of his thumb while the rest of his hand is in darker lighting. This is to strike a contrast and to put the focus on Henry's hand and therefore his movement. The reason only part of his hand is illuminated is because his entire hand is lit, the frame's lighting loses its balance and looks abnormal, and won't match the more subtle, softer tones of the romance in the movie

A highly saturated orange/golden light is chosen, which increases the feeling of content and ambiguity (I don't that sounds weird but it's the closest word I can think of, but a more accurate description… Imagine the use of steam in a shower sex scene) which also hints that this is going to be a lovely night

The use of light and the contrast of brightness on different parts also serve to convey Henry's emotions and internal thoughts. Even though their first night in Alex's room and their hook-up during the polo match were both really intense, but it was more about the surging, frantic sexual desire between the two. Now Henry doesn't actually know how Alex will react and is somewhat worried about it, which is represented by his fingers in darker lighting. But at the same time, Paris is the first time Henry can be so physically close with his long-time crush and be extremely honest/vulnerable with him, and later understand and feel each other on a spiritual level (… Woah.). He feels contentment from that, which is what the brighter area conveys.

In this single shot, the bright and dark areas are fairly equal, which also means these two emotions are in equal conflict at this moment

Then Henry's hand slides up towards Alex's shoulder and he switches to touching him with his fingertips, which, with its sensitivity, means Henry can feel any tiny change on Alex's skin. He feels Alex's excitement and comfort, which in turn makes him happy and bolder, which is also conveyed in the change of the light in the frame: the fingertips that were previously in dark lighting gradually shift into the brighter area, representing his worries fading

2, The following shot of Henry facing Alex's camera right, Alex's back against the audience, camera left

The light is still on Henry which means this shot is still conveying Henry's feelings

There's a clear contrast of light on his face which makes his face seem more 3D (again sorry for the weird translation but I can't find any other words) and attracts the audience's attention more.

The contrast is also represented in Henry's characterization. To explain this, we need to understand what a cognitive schema is: cognitive schema is a psychological concept which can be summarized as when a person is exposed to an object, event or person, they will use precious experience and knowledge to make a general judgment and description of them thus predicting their next actions. So in the case of Henry, at first since he's a prince, the audience and Alex, using their cognitive schema will assume he's prim and proper, when in reality he's horny (ha), flirtatious and adorable (so in conclusion, he's actually a babygirl)

Henry then lingers his hand on Alex, and glances at Alex with a flirtatious smile, enjoying Alex's shiver under his touch.

3, Shot of Alex facing audience camera left, Henry back against audience camera right

The light is now mostly on Henry's back, increasing the romantic atmosphere of the shot.

The light is also on Alex's torso and cheek forming a light contrast, which turns the audience's focus onto Alex. The larger dark area indicates he's being led by Henry in this situation, and he doesn't really know what Henry's gonna do, therefore his nervousness is the dominating emotion, represented by the dark area.

But he's also enjoying Henry's touches, which is why the light is still mostly on Henry but also partly on Alex now, almost like an extension of the contentment that Henry feels

The lamp that in-universe is providing the lighting is on the right side of the frame. If a similar light source isn't placed on the left side, the left side of the frame would seem too cold, which would destroy the atmosphere previously created. Therefore a mirror was placed there both for spatial balance and to create a reflection of the lamp's light, creating a small light spot on the left, balancing the coloring and lighting of the shot.

To the right of the mirror where the light can't cover is a small cupid statue. The statue not only adds to the romantic atmosphere but also indicates what's about to happen, as cupid symbolizes love and sex. Cupid is also a mischievous God who enjoys pranks, which also somewhat describe the boys' relationship: cupid shoots out the silver/lead arrow of aversion and revulsion that leads to their misunderstanding and subsequent hatred, but the shoots out the golden arrow of fall that led to them falling in love with each other and living together happily ever after.

Alex keeps watching Henry's hand as his hand slides down and looks back up when Henry touches his chest and takes a deep breath. Henry smiles brightly at Alex's reaction.

Alex then becomes intoxicated by Henry's touch as his sexual desires take over him

When Henry picks up the key that means a lot to Alex, Alex clenches his jaw. The highlight in his eyes allows the audience to immediately catch the change in his eyes that's filled up with lust.

So to conclude this part, a lot of attention was given to the placement of props and the lighting: the saturated golden creates a romantic but steamy/foggy (meraki seriously can't find the right word) setting, which is a filmmaking technique often used by Wong Kar Wai, in fact a similar lighting was used in "In the Mood for Love" (Matthew is a true fan)

For the shots of them kissing on the bed

There's a red mark on Henry's chest which OP explained in an earlier video that would have been caused by Alex grabbing there when thrusting forward

There's another possibility which is Alex getting excited when being behind Henry but he doesn't really know what to do so all he can do is grind against Henry. But Henry feels and sounds divine, and Alex gets impatient so he leaves marks on Henry's arm and chest

To prove her hypothesis op did an experiment with her own arm: she chose her arm because just like the part of Henry's chest that's marked, part of the muscle curves (into the elbow just as the chest muscle curves into the armpit) it's not a easy place for fingers to exert force, thus can draw a closer, more subjective comparison.

Experiment process: open uses her other hand to grab onto her arm and pull backwards forcefully, to 1, observe the shape of the mark and if it's identical to that of Henry's, 2, observe the time needed to create the mark in order to be the same as Henry's

As shown in the photo, the (faint) red marks are approximately the same shape, width and redness as the ones on Henry's chest. It took 28 seconds to reach this. This approximates the time taken by Alex to "do stuff" (I think she means prep?) from Henry's behind

With how loving and gentle Alex is with Henry it's not that likely that he started groping Henry's chest from the beginning, so the conclusion is when Alex was trying to "move forward" when he was behind Henry (I seriously don't know if she means prep or like, doggy style) but doesn't really know what to do and groped Henry in his nervousness, and this failed attempt lasted at least 28 seconds.

OP thinks the failed attempt was done in front of the window with Henry bending over, gripping the back of one of the chairs, and deduced from the DNC scene: the boys were originally chatting in bath robes on the couch with the curtain mostly closed, but when Zahra barged in, the blackout curtain was out, leaving just the mesh layer closed. There was a bathrobe on the far side of the couch and another in front of the window. So presumably after the talk, they went for another round, Henry ditched his robe on one side of the couch and pounced on Alex (similarly to how he did on Alex's couch), they tumbled around and switched position and ended up in front of the window, Alex remembered he failed attempt in Paris and wanted to make up for it so he pulled open the blackout curtain but left the mesh layer closed, and then he got to work. (...tbn personally I think this is a stretch?)

Henry thinks Alex is adorable but he's also really intoxicated and wants to get down to business asap, so he grabs Alex's neck and presses Alex towards him, kissing from Alex's lips to his neck. He kissed Alex's neck because from their first hook-up and the way Alex immediately stretched his neck to give Henry space when he kissed his neck then, that this is the quickest way to stimulate him. Which is why you can see a faint hickey on Alex's neck

As they kiss they walk towards the bed. During their first hook-up, Henry pushed Alex onto the couch, so now it's Alex's turn to pounce on Henry, which is what we see in the shot: Henry falls onto the bed first, then Alex follows. Alex is really happy and a bit proud that he can drive Henry crazy like this, while (and I quote directly) Henry can't think of anything anymore, and has "please hurry up and fuck me" painted on his face

The mark/hickey on Alex's neck takes the shape of an inverted triangle, with the vertical side and the diagonal side (left down right up, in math it's a positive slope) being more red, which means those two points experienced the largest amount of force

Red Mark on Henry's Chest

Screenshot from In the Mood for Love using a similar lighting

Red Mark Result from OP's experiment

Blackout Curtain Closed on DNC Night

Bathrobe (presumed to be Henry's) on the far side of the couch

Bathrobe (presumed to be Alex's) near the window, Blackout Curtain Open in the background

For the process, deduced with the shot of them laying in bed during the afterglow

The trajectory of sweat on Henry's temple runs downward vertically. If he was fucked lying down, the sweat should run into his ear canal horizontally. Which means he was fucked in a sitting position. For example in the polo match hookup, Henry's sweat is visible in the form of drops running vertically down his face. Also in the afterglow, the sweat also seems to be splattered, which required Henry to have vigorously moved either up and down or front and back. So yeah this further proves that there was a cut riding scene.

Alex also has sweat on his face, and his fringe is wet. So riding should have happened right before they lied down and started talking.

So the process deduced by OP is 1, they tried doggy style in front of the window and failed 2, what was shown in the movie 3, doggy style on the bed 4, riding (OP wasn't aware of the details of the extended Paris love-making scene, but all RWRB fans in China know that there's doggy style and riding that got cut, this is OP's deduction of the order)

Even without looking at the sweats and marks, from the way Henry's signet ring is turned in the movie you can tell that something's deleted, since before Alex intertwined his fingers with Henry, the letter H was facing outwards, and when their hands join the movement causes the ring to turn and for the letter to face inwards. But then the next shot with Henry's hand on Alex's shoulder shows the ring worn normally again, which means something in between was deleted or reordered.

Hickey on Alex's Neck

Henry's sweat in the afterglow

Henry's sweat during the polo hook-up

Alex's sweat in the afterglow

tagging @sanneannelies7 and @na-18dia who mentioned wanting the translation in my original post

[artist-issues]

I know you have kind of commented on this topic in one of your posts, but what do you think of the fact that Tolkien hated Disney and thought of Walt as a "con-artist" (if I remember correctly) because of how much would be changed? Even though I very much love Disney movies, considering how Tolkien studied mythology, folklore and history from other cultures in-depth, particularly those of European background, I do understand why he was not fond Walt's work at all if we view it from his perspective. Other people seem to share a similar sentiment. I ask you because you often analyze Disney movies and their themes quite in-depth. This whole thing is interesting.

Well, I'll preface by saying I'm not much of a Tolkien apologist. I don't connect with him or his mentality as well as I might flatter myself by saying I do C.S. Lewis' mentality. C. S. Lewis had this beautiful way of blending genuine good-faith enjoyment of something and careful, intentional critical thinking. He could be a reasonable analyzer of media, and a childlike consumer of media, at the same time. Don't know if I've mastered that myself, or if I ever will, but I really admire it.

Which is besides the point, sorry! 😂

But Tolkien was different. First off, Tolkien said some things about interpreting the meaning of his own stories that I don't agree with. He keeps insisting he wasn't trying to "say" anything with Lord of the Rings, or infuse it with any particular "meaning." Truth of the matter is, though, that is not true of any good storyteller. What they believe about the world bleeds into what they create, if they're creating genuinely. So Lord of the Rings is about how small decisions matter, doing what you can with what you're given instead of trying to control everything matters—whether Tolkien likes it or not, whether he was always conscious of it or not, that's what his story says.

He also criticized weird things to criticize about Lewis' works. For someone who was Lewis' friend, I don't know how he could've looked at what Lewis was writing and been surprised, or disgruntled, at the hodgepodge of mythology in works like Narnia. I don't know what made him think a "children's story" would feel like anything other than...made for children.

But anyway. All that to say, I don't always agree with Tolkien, or feel like I understand him. His response to Disney movies is just one of those things I don't get. I can speculate, but I don't know.

Like I said, I think he was so used to thinking of fairy tales and literature in a way that is much...higher, and more layered, than how the everyday layman thought of them, that when a Kansas cartoonist started retelling fairytales without any apparent grasp of that layering, it really rubbed him the wrong way.

I guess it would be like if someone came along twenty years from now, pointed at Disney's The Little Mermaid, and said, "look! A cartoon about fish! I'm going to make an TikTok dance about fish and call it 'The Little Mermaid,' and retell it that way!"

First of all we'd be like "IT'S ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN FISH, it's not just an CARTOON, are you BLIND?!" And then secondly we'd probably go, "and what? A TikTok dance?! Are you kidding me? You want to take this beautiful pillar of traditional animation and living color and musical mastery and drag it down to the level of middle school girls flapping their hands around cringily??"

That's probably how Tolkien felt Disney was treating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Because back then, the medium (TikTok dances, animation) was just associated with sort of lowbrow humor and silliness. Walt was still inventing the whole "animated film to be taken seriously" thing. And back then, Tolkien would've seen the comedy characters of the Dwarfs and their character development as very shallow in comparison to the mythos of Dwarfs in literary and oral-tradition history. He had the most background knowledge. So what he was comparing Walt's movies to was, for him, like comparing grape Gatorade to aged Italian Wine.

As far as Disney being a "con artist..." yeah, I think that's a little bit of a stretch. He was definitely selling something, but if you can look at Walt Disney's life and see dollar bill signs, instead of a guy who genuinely made what he liked because he liked it, you don't know much about Walt Disney. He didn't adapt fairy tales because he thought they could make him money. He adapted fairy tales because he adored them, just like he had a train in his backyard because he adored them. Ask his brother Roy how much Walter "Let's Invent Smell-O-Vision and Drop Flowers on the Audience of Fantasia" Disney was thinking about exploiting the public for financial gain.

Like I said, Tolkien was responding to Walt Disney because he was Tolkien, and it would've been like asking a Bird to relate to a Krill. They were way too different to ever understand each other on the level that either of them preferred being understood at.

[rjalker]

Every fandom has at least one of them.

[ID: An MS Paint drawing showing rows of different shapes speaking, like a message board. First is an irregular line, then a five pointed star, then an Isosceles triangle, then a straight line, another irregular line, a shape like the dipper constellations, an irregular hexagon, and a four pointed star. All have their own speech bubbles, saying, "[Detailed well thought out criticism of the bigotry in the 2007 Flatland film with examples]". At the bottom is a Square, saying, "It's progressive because I said so. No I will not provide evidence to back up my claim. But I willclaim that none of your are Real Fans and also children so that I can dismiss your criticisms out of hand. Trust me. I'm a Fandom Elder.". End ID.]

Imagine stanning Ladd Ehlinger in 2024 even after you find out that he's so bigoted that even Republicans are embarrassed to be associated with him.

Imagine calling yourself a fandom elder to try and make yourself out to be an authority while you stan a bigoted movie made by a bigot, and say that all of the people who've made detailed criticisms of it are just being "shallow and reductive", without giving any examples of this actually happening, and also claiming that anyone who criticizes the movie is just a child who only watches cartoons (as though this would in any way invalidate their criticism of bigotry by a known conservative) and therefore you don't actually need to defend your stance because we're all just children, we wouldn't understand it anyways.

If you literally cannot do a single thing to actually defend your claim that a movie is progressive, and the only thing you can do is insult the people who criticize it and pretend we have no idea what we're talking about and should just bow down to your authority because you've declared yourself a "Fandom Elder" you're just a bad person who is fine with bigotry and you should just admit that. It'd save us all time.

[lumsel]

Reviews of movies I watched on Qantas flights this week

Poor Things: I expected this one to be more harrowing, actually. I got that vibe from what I heard about it? It's more like a weird fairytale about sex and sexuality though. I am good friends with @utilitymonstergirl of Replacable Parts though so that may be skewing my baseline for what most people consider a shocking lmao. I like how totally blase it is about its own problematic elements, it never blinks or tries to justify itself in any way, it just goes "lmao check this shit out". Refreshing in a moment that feels marked by overbearing didacticism in media. Not to say this movie doesn't have a very clear Point, mind you, which is basically "stop being weird about sexuality", but it tells that Point with a level of focus and confidence that I find satisfying.

Oppenheimer: There's a few seriously eye-rolly moments in here, like the one where he says the I Am Become Death line while his mistress is mid-insertion, but it's like a single digit number in a three hour movie. Very well paced too, it did not at all feel like three hours. I really like how it uses the language of film to get you understanding why Oppenheimer made the seemingly contradictory decisions he did during his career. When Oppenheimer is building a nuke, you're biting your teeth like "oh man, I hope Oppie builds this nuke in time!" And when he's trying to stop them from building more nukes, you're like "oh jeez, I hope Oppie can stop these nukes getting built!" Despite the expansive and star studded cast, this really does feel like a movie primarily interested in getting you to understand this one dude specifically, and I really respect it for that.

That One DnD Movie: Fun!!! It's a little jank, and the exposition can feel clunky, but it was a fun movie overall. God, though... the second act sucks so much ass. I feel like this happens a lot in movies, where the first and third acts are where the substantive parts of the narrative happen, but the second act feels like the plot is spinning its wheels while we set up the climax. This one is particularly bad where the cast just takes a sidequest in the middle of the movie to grab some inconsequential artefact and nothing that happens in that sequence matters particularly much. Anyway, fun as this movie was, I almost forgot entirely to add it to this list of reviews, which probably

Anatomy of a Fall: Yeah this was good. Very good-movie coded, like the foreign films I always see my mum and dad watching when I'm cleaning up after dinner at their place. I feel I don't even have much to say on this one because it basically just executed everything it was trying to execute efficiently and without any jarring mistakes. You can tell from pretty early on that this is gonna be one of those stories where you never find out the Real Truth of what happened, although I found one of the sides to have a broadly weaker case and I'm not sure if that was intended.

Dream Scenario: Ultimately was disappointed by this one. Thought there was gonna be a multilayered metaphor underlying this one but it turned out to be a pretty shallow piece on social media fame framed around some dude who really wants to cheat on his wife. Let down by the synopsis, I spose. I think the constituent parts work at cross purposes and make the movie undermine itself a little: the kafkaesque surreal horror is harder to feel the depth of when the protagonist is so obviously a shithead, but the unsympathetic protagonist is less compelling when the things that happen to him are an inexplicable nightmare scenario rather than his own decisions taking him down a dark path. There'd be a way to make it work but honestly I don't think this movie was pretentious enough to pull it off. It needed to be willing to get weirder and harder to parse with it rather than keep everything so broad and crowd-pleasing.

TMNT Mutant Mayhem: I liked a lot of things about this movie. The pacing is fantastic, and I found the character writing to actually be quite good. I actually found myself quite liking the density of pop culture references, because yeah, that's how teenagers talk. Makes it feel more real. And the animation. I'm glad more animated movies are incorporating actual fight choreography these days because it fucking whips every time. Unfortunately it really fell apart by the end for me because the pacing gets janked up to hell and it starts cramming in way too many unearned character moments. Something about it got kind of unbearable for me personally, I just stopped watching the movie.

Labyrinth: Technically a rewatch, but last time I saw this one I was like single digit aged. Thoroughly it despite it being structurally a mess. It's basically just Jim Henson's Creature Shop coming up with various Situations to put our protagonist into, threaded together in a very loose framework of a plot. The lead is not that good at acting, the jokes rarely made me laugh out loud, and yet! I was smiling the whole time through. There's an interesting contrast to the DnD movie for me, where that one has a fine first act, an awful second act, and a fine third act with divisions between them so sharp you can hear a clunk when the gears shift, Labyrinth is pretty much 80% second act, with a bit of intro at the start and a quick bit at the end to wrap it up. Makes it feel like a very storybook fairytale type of story, and I love that for it! And, unlike the DnD movie... I don't think I'm likely to forget I watched this one a week from now :P

[tyrannuspitch]

i know it's probably a lot MORE vexing to be on the other side of this equation [ie: a norse myth enthusiast when the public image of your passion has been swallowed whole by Some Hollywood Film that just makes shit up]...

but it is still incredibly vexing to me how so many people who are clearly very well-versed in and passionate about norse myth will tell you that mcu thor is terrible while displaying the most surface-level understanding of it.

like. argh. obviously it's fine to personally dislike something for being inaccurate, but "inaccuracy" is not necessarily an artistic flaw in and of itself. sometimes change is just change.

"ah," you say, "but i don't dislike it for being inaccurate, i dislike it because all the changes are simplifying and reductive." are you sure? is it really that the version you know is complex and subtle, and the version you're seeing for the first time is shallow and dumbed-down... or is it just that you're seeing this version for the first time? is it actually less complex" or is it just complex in different ways from what you're expecting?

but also, mcu thor was never going or trying to be mythologically accurate, because it's literally not an adaptation of the myths. it's an adaption of the comics.

yes, it definitely would be cool to have a blockbuster film that accurately depicted norse myth... but that film wouldn't be "marvel's thor". because marvel's thor is his own entity, and he is not interchangeable with his mythological counterpart. if you wrote about myth!thor when you were meant to be writing about marvel!thor, that would be inaccurate too, and, unlike the films we have, you would be failing your brief.

and god it's just really frustrating because like. even a lot of people who like these movies don't see what they're doing, and don't understand that the simplistic hero narrative is something they're setting up specifically to knock down... but that's going to be even harder to see when you're trying to view the movies through a myth lens, given that they're designed to be viewed either through a comic lens or no lens at all.

you need to trust these movies if you want to see what makes them good, and if you come in with the wrong set of expectations, they're not going to look very trustworthy! they're trying to critique and re-complexify the simplified narrative of (the worst version of) the comics, but if you don't know the comics, you're going to think the movies did all the simplifying themselves, and if you don't have patience or faith in the movies, you're not notice to see the self-subversion going on.

which would all be difficult enough to begin with. but then we also have the fact that these movies are near-universally seen as Bad Movies, disposable, soulless, low art, unworthy of study, etc etc. which means that simply trying to defend them is going to lower your credibility in a lot of people's eyes, and the likelihood of anyone ever actually listening to you and believing you on this topic is pretty much negligible. it is at this point that i conclude that i have most likely fallen victim to a wizard's curse and should resign myself to being trapped in the labyrinth(tm) for the rest of my days.

[safehouse-if]

It's funny that S is especially caring only when MC is practically dying.

So what would RO's reaction be if MC died in their arms? RO's point of view, please.

Noice... S is funny in that way.

put under read more if someone is not feeling the angst. Or the blood and the murder and the death... None of these are canon, but they all could be.

A: A few moments too late, a few seconds wasted on covering all the bases. Of making sure everything had been done by the book. And now it had cost them. Had cost a life that was put under their protection.

Cost that they had never wanted to pay. Too high, too unthinkable.

A shallow breath and flickering eyelashes that reveal dimmed eyes as the agent slids on to their knees, fingers finding a pulse. Pulse that is too weak and too slow for the ambulance to arrive. 'A wasted effort,' the thought is bitter, a heartbreaking one as the hazy eyes close.

They do not open again, and A sits there holding a hand of a dying lover, in a pool of congulating blood. Unable to do anything, even with all the training, and the procedures, and the burning of tears behind their eyes.

Ambulance comes and all they can do to help is lift up a body and cover it with a white sheet. There were no goodbyes, no final smiles or kisses exchanged. Just death.

An unsatisfactory end to it all and A can do nothing more than to break into pieces.

Bob: Her phone rings, it is late and Bob was already in bed, ready to turn off the lights and go to bed. A familiar face on the phone screen, and a name endind with a <3 makes her answer anyway.

"Hi? It's late, is everything..." Bob starts to ask but is interrupted by a cough and a breathless voice.

"I just wanted to hear you... One more time," a voice so familiar to her, but it still sends her heart thumping as the first time she heard it. "I'm sorry... Have to cancel our date." A low moan, bitten of sentences and the pain in it, makes Bob sit up on her bed.

"Don't worry about the date. Where are you? Just come home?"

A laugh, a curse and a swallow answers her more than any words can. "Afraid not, sweetheart. I don't... I don't think I'm coming back. I'm so sorry.. I did love you.." The voice trails off at the end, and faintly Bob can hear footsteps, shouting and... Is that guns?

"Of course you're coming home. We have a date," she sniffles, the tears start because she doesn't understand, she doesn't want to understand. More shouting, more gunfire and a grunt from the one person Bob thought she could spend the rest of her life with.

"I love you. You were the one good thing in my life. Please, keep being you." The voice cuts off, and the voice dies.

Bob cries and tries to call to a number that doesn't pick up, a number that then becomes unavailable. She does not sleep.

Eli: If Eli thought he would die violently, it would have been at his time at the sea, or the seedy little alleys they ventured out on adventures. He did not think, it would come, tied up in a chair back to back with his lover. It was straight out of movie and he had had to swallow down his laughter a few times already. Everything would have been unreal, if not for the fingers squeezing his, or the warm weight against his back. They were alone, once more.

"Sorry that I got you into this mess," a voice that's rougher than he's ever heard it before. The beating did not help. "I have a plan, and you need to trust me."

"Always," Eli offers, because that's who he is, even when this isn't what he signed up for.

"I'm going to get us free, and then you are going to run. There's a window with ladder on this side. A fire escape. You will run, and get through it and you won't look back."

Eli tries to look over his shoulder. It hurts his neck, and he only gets glimbses of skin and hair, not even proper profile. Someone is avoiding him.

"Sure. What about you?"

"Don't worry about it. Just... I need you to be safe first." A squeeze of fingers and Eli nods, but can't say anything more as the goons in their masks and with their egos come back in.

The next few moments are a blurr, and it involves more negotiating, threats, and slang than Eli can keep up with. But he gets free, a mobster with sharp nails dragging him away. Eli gets a glimbse of relief in his love's eyes and then a nod. A blur of motion from the one he intented to marry in a few years, a good kick in the groin from himelf and Eli is free and running.

He does not look back, not until he's hanging from his fingers, almost out. And realises he's the only one of the two of them to get away this night.

"Go!" A frantic plea, an order and Eli would defy that but his arms and fingers hurt and as he tries to pull himself in he slips and falls. A gunshot rangs through the open window. Eli closes his eyes, gets up from the ground and keeps running. He does not look back again.

S: Many times over the decades they both were so close to death. A violent death in the hands of others was always on the table. A silent, slow, withering death in the hospital was never on anyone's books. But that's where they've come to. A final quirk of the universe perhaps. A peeping machine, a slow drip drip, with all the attaches leading to an old, frail body in a bed.

S looks down, and wants to question the absurdity of the situation. 'Make the last few moments painless,' the doctor had murmured as she put in the IV. 'It's just pain medication. It's a miracle if they wake up but it's possible.'

S doesn't know if it would be better to just sleep and then die. Or if there are anything left to say. A lot, perhaps, but between the two of them? They have had years together, living in each other's pockets, knowing everything there is to know. What could be left unsaid? A flicker between paper thin eyelids and apparently their right hand is still listening.

"I'll see you in the next life," S whispers and the hand twitches, the corners of dry lips turn up, just a fraction. Message recieved then. S trails their own, wrinkled fingers over the closed eyes and then settles in the chair to wait. Less than an hour later, the machine starts to peep frantically. Instead of rush of nurses and doctors, only a single one files through the door to turn off the machine.

"Want to say goodbye?" He asks and S shakes their head and stands up.

"Everything has been said already. I trust the body in your care," S says and walks out with as straight a back as can be managed.

So... yay?

[salarta]

I said in another recent post how people on CBR being too focused on what Lorna wears and who she fucks kept me from really digging into meaningful topics for Lorna with her upcoming Fall of the House of X moment. I feel like delving a little more into the core issue of that matter.

There's nothing inherently wrong with either topic in isolation. Both topics can take things in interesting directions and bring interesting insights. There are story and development possibilities for both.

But here's the problem: over there, both topics have been done to death. I literally cannot count how many times people on the Polaris thread on CBR decided to spend pages talking about these things. And whereas I do talk about Genosha and its importance for Lorna a lot, I do so because a) the comics keep refusing to even acknowledge that part of her history, and b) that matter is pivotal to understanding who Lorna is and how she thinks.

What she wears and who she fucks is neither of those things.

Someone who hasn't had to deal with this stuff will understandably think "What's the big deal if people talk about those topics even if it's over and over and over again?"

To that, I have to explain that when your conversation is almost entirely about those two topics, the message you're sending to the company and to other fans is that those two things are where the character's focus should be.

Not on more pertinent things like how she would respond to Orchis and other attempts at genocide based on her own past experience with it. Not on how her long history with the X-Men would play into her perception of current events.

The focus ends up being aimed at superficial things. And in the case of sex and potential partners, it brings with it a huge risk of just repeating all the same problems of how she's been depicted around Havok.

When someone focuses mainly on her looks and sex, what they're suggesting is that the best approach to writing Lorna is a very shallow one where nothing of deeper substance needs to be explored.

When you get down to it, this is part of why her treatment over the past decade has been focused on those two things too, including the coffee cup deal. Coffee was a neat quirk when it first appeared, but ended up being a problem once it took the place of doing anything truly meaningful with the character.

Ultimately, the topics of clothes and possible romance are like filler episodes of a TV show. They're fine here and there, to add a little flavor to the characters and bridge gaps. But people don't watch your show for nothing but filler episodes. People don't watch the baseball episode of an anime and think "Oh man I wish they would stop with all the demons and powerful fighting moves and deeper themes of this show to focus entirely on baseball."

The chicken dinner joke from the movie Inside (2023) is another way to put it. Wish I could link a clip or good text for it, but can't find either so I'll just relay.

The movie itself involves Willem Dafoe's character, Nemo, trapped in a high tech condo after a botched art heist, slowly losing his mind from the isolation. He tells a joke about a girl who loves chicken having that for dinner... every single night. Her mom decides to make that for dinner every night, nonstop. In the beginning, the girl is ecstatic to have her favorite meal. But after over a week of eating the exact same thing, she ends up first not caring, then loathing it, then reaching the point of sarcastically saying she loves chicken again cause that's all she ever gets.

That's the "what could Lorna wear and who could she fuck" discussion when it constantly comes up.

It's worse right now, because we're on the cusp of what's shaping to be an excellent story for Lorna having a huge moment. There are so, SO many things that could be discussed about the character and what could be done with her. What parallels we can already see (e.g. bringing Knowhere to Earth being like flinging Krakoa into space in the 70s), which could happen.

But instead, they're once again talking about what she could wear and who she could fuck.

What kind of message does that send when such a huge moment for Lorna leads not to deeper discussion on themes and character, but on superficial stuff? Far more importantly, what does it mean when the superficial stuff actively prevents deeper discussion from happening in any meaningful way?

That's a big part of why I don't mind skipping out on the CBR thread at this juncture. Right now, it really doesn't represent Lorna and why people voted for her to win the X-Men vote. It represents a minority of people who would rather talk about superficial things, and for some people, revert her to past poor depictions.

[dosnotoevsky]

I know I'm a load. I didn't have a long line of peaceful family members - like you see in the movies. I seem to carry that in my blood. And I try everyday with every fibre of my being so that no one can point it out, "you're their blood after all." but my traumas seem to never go away. I know i distance myself and my energy seems off. it's me. I'm their blood after all. As i accept my flaws, I also know it's not entirely me. I just wanna know. do you really care about me and love me or talking to me is just your convenience? And do you really consider me your friend? I don't get it sometimes. When I'm gone, I don't feel like I'm missed but when you're gone I feel empty. I don't have many options for myself. None of you are unaware of that. I would very much like to be alone forever but the transition isn't easy especially at this point of my life so i really don't have the option here to fuck up my whole life and leave. Because I'm not courageous enough. The last time I was that courageous was the most peaceful and unbothered phase of my life but it ended soon. And so I'm always hoping that I get left. I look forward to it. It feels like a fucking paradox. I wanna be here but I don't find here being here. Here is not constant. Here does not want me sometimes. Here would kill for me sometimes. Here is confusing. Here is scary. I step back when I want to shout because here is fucking shallow and I hear my voice back and here is manipulating so it makes me feel like I'm a piece of shit to say those terrible things. And then here stays with me. Like a lump in my bile. Here is now at my throat. Here is suffocating and i can't leave here because here is in the air as well. Here is too far. Here has me in its claws. Here is also keeping me alive. Here is driving me insane. And let me tell you as respectfully as I can, NONE OF YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND. YOU NEVER WILL. I FUCKING ENVY YOU. That is not a thing to be proud of. That is my tragedy. That is here. And even for feeling like that here makes me feel like I'm a terrible person.

unsent messages

[doyouthinkimenjoyingthis]

Golden Girls

I get across on this: "I get it that you're both gay and you love each other but you don't need to show it or be loud about it."

Here's the thing. People, straight people, gets a partner. They hold hands, PDA all that shit practically making everyone knows you are lovey dovey in love. Make bold statements. Make these ridiculous grand proposals. Foil the newsfeeds of you getting married.

But gay people can't have that?

And they would say, "I accept gays but...."

I know immediately whatever comes out to that is already homophobic.

I always used to hear, "It's okay to be gay just don't ...

- have sex

- turn into woman or man-- dress like the opposite

- don't be too loud

- don't be you

People don't understand that the point of being gay has started at thinking of loving the wrong one but it's the right one. The point of being gay is being frustrated that we can't be with the person we love. So are we just going to be gay and it stays that way?

And we should be content by your acceptance?

We don't care about being 'accepted'. At this point we are tired. During pride months, we stomp on the streets to protest our rights to love and love and laugh like those corny fb posts.

But they don't get that. Because people are shallow and are not willing to understand that but we are forced to understand that despite red flags-- a whole fucking flag pole in which they are willing to wave it, they will still stay with that person.

Incomprehensible really.

One time I heard a priest say: "If we will accept gay marriage, the next thing we will be accepting being married to animals, things, own relatives."

Or worst yet is the belief that gay people corrupts the young or convert them.

Growing up, I can't even count how many gay shows or movies or in literature I have seen and read (I had but it's not the point). These straightness in media shoved into my throat and up my asshole didnt make me straight.

I see this that they call us evil but they are actually the one thinking of the nastiest most unhinged and probably unthinkable thoughts to justify. Those never even came across our minds. Gays are no angels but what about a lot of us who don't care we just want to be with the people we love and care?

But no.

One time, I woke ahead of Hollmae. She's been sleeping here for days now. My first thought-- my very first thought is old age. The night before, we talked about going away. Since the legalization of same sex marriage in America, Canada and---side track-- did you know in Spain, it became legal in 2005?

2005!

Other countries were late!

The funniest thing is that Spain brought us Christianity, aye? (Forgive my sudden penchant for UK almost old English, Game of thrones and Sherlock Holmes fanaticism at the moment)

They brought it in PH and I've learned from Hollmae that precolonial times, Filipinos have queers.

So, off course, Christianity being Christianity, queerdom has been demonized. And now, we are strongly homophobic, less accepting country. We couldn't even secure rights and protection from discrimination.

But Spain got it. The fuuuuuck.

Going back, we were talking about that last night, researching.

But I know the reason why-- our families don't really accept is especially hers. They really believed I corrupted their only daughter.

I wondered what if one day, there's no progress at all? The clock will turn back and we will be once again oppressed, stripped of our rights, persecuted, thrown away?

[loveanoutcast]

I was talking to a guy I found attractive and he asked, "Who's your favorite actor?" I smiled widely because my favorite actor hasn't changed since I was a young kid and said, "I know he's ruined his reputation recently, but I've always favored Will Smith."

I should add some context, this guy who I'm getting to know is biracial (half black-half white), I am indigenous latina and I would say olive brown toned. His dimples caught my attention, and his name (starts with a V too and is unique like my own) just sealed the deal. However, my attraction wavered when he responded,

"Oh, so is that why you approached me? You're into black guys? or light skinned guys? Would you say that's why he's your favorite?"

I don't know why that had me stunned for a moment, I've never had that type of response and needed a second to just process. I calmly said,

"I've never thought of it that way, as a child I found him very goofy, when I was a teen I found him cute and admired his wit, now that I'm grown, I've just followed his career for so long that his acting always amazes me and yes, he is handsome to me...but to say it's because he's black sounds...really uncomfortable. I'm trying to understand your perspective but I'm at a loss, could you elaborate?"

"Well, if it wasn't for like my height or because I'm black, is it because I'm gonna be a doctor?"

At this point, I wanted to just block him and curse him out because I felt that he was trying to dig and see if I am as shallow as he assumed. I said,

"I liked your dimples and your name...you are mutual friends with someone I trust so I felt comfortable and brave enough to shoot my shot...that was it. I sustain myself and I love my life as it is, I wanted to get to know you and see if maybe we vibed together, but I feel as if you're jumping to conclusions on why girls may be attracted to you and I won't assume that it hasn't happened to you before, and I will respect if you feel like you have to know someones true intentions before seeing if they can be trusted, but I'm saying this right now, that yes, I acknowledge that you are biracial, you are tall, and you are going to be a doctor...but those are just bits of who you are as a person. You're not your job, nor your height, nor your skin color, just as I am not just some chicana with a fat ass and a graduate degree. I'm more than that and I would like for the person to like me to acknowledge those bits but to want to see more than just that."

He seemed hesitant but accepted the answer. We talk about other things like books and movies, but am I being too sensitive? Should I have approached it in a better way? Was there a piece of information that I missed?

Any help would be great

[glamphantasm]

Fluff Alphabet

(get some snacks, this is long)

As always, Kai.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Shallow affection is easy. A hug, a kiss on the cheek, general friendly closeness is great. Kai prefers to keep those sorts of gestures casual. It gets uncomfortable if he believes the other party is harboring feelings (or if he fears he might be developing them).

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend?)

Once you're in, you're in. Kai is your ride or die bestie for as long as you'll have him. Trust takes some time for him to build up, but once it's there and isn't violated, you have a steadfast ally no matter what.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He never thought he liked cuddling, but that closeness is sorely missed now. There's a sense of security in it that he craves. Kai misses the feel of wings wrapped around him, and being able to relax with someone who will protect you no matter what.

Casual cuddles are good too. Many nights have been spent watching movies or playing games while draped across one brother or another.

Being close to someone like that is pretty okay actually.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they around the house?)

Kai hasn't given much thought to "settling down" with someone. He craves the security of having a home, specifically one he isn't in danger of losing at the drop of a hat. He knows how to cook relatively well - even though he can count on one hand the number of times he'll willingly cook in a year. His housekeeping will veer wildly in between fastidious and slovenly depending on where he is on a mental sliding scale. His home is sparsely decorated, with furniture that appears to have been sourced from random thrifts and bin dives, and random piles of secondhand books. The exception is the coffee maker, which is always top of the line and very clean, no matter what the rest of the apartment looks like.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Endings are easy. You just go your own way, it isn't that complicated. - Spoken like someone who has never been in a serious relationship, and doesn't really do romance. If things aren't working out, be honest about it. If the person is nuts, ghost them.

After being uprooted again, Kai understands endings a bit more, and hates them. He doesn't want to wrap himself around anyone, but wants to be able to go to them if he feels in need of companionship. He misses being able to.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Kai doesn't want to get married. He would much rather take things as they come each day, and see how it goes. Pacts are more binding than marriage, and can mean a lot more. That said? He misses the pacts. Don't look too closely at that. It might reveal some truths we're not ready to face.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Pretty good at reading how others need to be treated in a given moment. He is observant and will try to mold himself into what the other person needs at a given moment. Mentally he is very careful with others.

Physically? Kai is not strong. He can't even pretend to be at this point. His touches are generally light and tentative - almost nervous, until the recipient makes it clear he is welcome to be there.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? What are their hugs like?)

Hugs can be nice. They can also be clingy and last too long. Being wrapped up and warm and protected/safe next to someone though? That's nice. Comforting.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Kai has never said "I love you" in a romantic sense. He's told friends that he loves them, and he does.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Kai tends towards polyam, so jealousy isn't really a thing for him. He's never had that sort of exclusive relationship. He has his favorites, but has never put any sort of label on things.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

In a word, complex. Kai will occasionally take his time with his partner and is more than willing to let things go their own way in those moments. Loves being kissed along his jaw, neck and shoulders. He adores finding his partner's favorite spots, and seeing what sounds he can elicit, and how each effects them.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Extremely protective. Kai will act as a shield for any child who it appears is in a less than optimal situation. He doesn't have to know the child, it's as though a switch is flipped when he sees or hears a child being mistreated. He worries a lot about the ones he knows he can't do anything for.

He doesn't seem to have much of a parental instinct as a whole, and has never expressed interest in wanting a child, but cares deeply about their welfare.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Kai generally stays out way too late at night, so mornings are difficult for him, especially when it is pitch black every single hour of every day. He'll fall into bed at 4 or 5 am, and then try to go about his entire day on an average of 4 hours of sleep. Get up, blink, grab a robe, stumble to the kitchen for coffee, drink 2 cups (black, still steaming) in rapid succession, then deal with things like getting ready for the day. Quick shower/shave, run fingers through hair to detangle, slap on some bb cream, smudge some eyeliner on, and get dressed, out the door in under 45 minutes. Stop somewhere for another black coffee (xl please), and nurse that til lunch give or take.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

A night with Kai generally ends up completely debauched, one way or another. He's not shy about what he wants, and will pretty much throw himself at the object of his desires. See the Smut Alphabet for more details than you ever wanted on that.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Nights out are meant to be enjoyed, and are to the fullest. Kai is easily coerced into pleasurable behavior, and will jump at the chance to get out and have some fun. Quickly becomes the third with Asmo & Mammon at the Fall, although they've come to realize that comes with a fair bit of babysitting the human with little care for self control or safety.

A rare night in is quiet. When he does stay in, he generally wants to be alone, and will lock himself away with a large mug of tea (hibiscus). He reads (more than he ever lets on), sometimes sketches (badly) or listens to music. Usually these nights will end somewhat early, and are the exception to his extremely late nights. Those are the times he actually gets enough sleep.

Getting Kai to talk about himself seriously or reveal anything deeper than a puddle is harder than pulling teeth. He might drop some small bit of his past into conversation if the topic fits, but doesn't tend to volunteer. When asked directly (ex: what was your childhood like?), he will give very surface answers. (ex: I was on my own a lot by the time I was in my early teens. I didn't see my parents much after that point. I lived with a lot of different people.)

The most honest (and disturbing) revelations come when Kai is exhausted or drunk. Once when watching a particularly terrible low-budget horror movie with the twins after a few shared bottles of demonus, as the "final girl" was rescued from confinement, he laughed while trembling, choked back a few tears and shook his head, mumbling "That's not how it happens. That's never how it happens". Kai passed out shortly after that, and the next morning swore he had no idea what he could have meant by that, and had no memory of it.

Beelzebub mentioned it to Lucifer, who took the information to Barbatos after a few very obvious attempts at deflection from Kai. (Oh come on! I was kinda drunk, I have no idea why they're so upset by it! - while looking like a cornered rabbit)

Barbatos has shared a very small segment of what he saw looking into Kai's past with Lucifer and the Future King. A sliver, at most. No one is happy with the information they are now in possession of.

There has been quite a bit of discussion between the three on how to rectify these problems, but no solutions have been agreed upon.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Not easy to anger, Kai will put up with a lot, although he will erect walls if something begins to bother him. He will deflect or ignore slights against himself, but is extremely quick to anger on behalf of those he cares for, and will harbor grudges, nursing extremely dark fantasies about vengeance against anyone who hurts or deceives those he cares for.

(… looking at you Solomon, you fuck.)

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Kai has a terrible memory, and knows it. The terrible sleep habits (along with everything else) are beginning to take their toll. Whenever he wants to remember something, it is commited to a notes app. Dates. Little bits of stories. Favorites (colors, foods, brands, music, etc.), each person has their own note, and when he has time, he exports them to his tablet to organize all the information a bit more coherently. It isn't that he's uninterested in you - it's that he literally cannot remember.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Mammon - The moments where he tries to out-yandere Mammon are Kai's favorites. It's become a bit of a game now, and has been endless fun to tease The Great Mammon, treating him to a bit of his own medicine.

Lucifer - the night their pact was sealed. Kai had been hoping to get closer to the eldest for a very long time, and was delighted when it finally came to pass.

Leviathan - When Levi trusted him enough to share the cosplay closet. Kai thought it was very sweet, and a great leap forward in his relationship with the painfully shy demon.

Satan - As a joke, Kai bought Satan a young adult series where all the characters were cats. He's never seen him so happy.

Asmodeus - The first time the two of them had spa night was the first time Kai had actually relaxed in literally years. (usually) Weekly Spa Night! Kai now adores pampering time, and what better way to spend a few hours with one of his favorite demons? Gossip, drinks, face masks, and let's see where the night goes.

Beelzebub - When Beel said he loved human world cheeseburgers, Kai took it upon himself to concoct the biggest, most ridiculously layered bacon cheeseburgers in the Devildom. Heart Attack Grill has nothing on this thing. The look on Beel's face when he came into the kitchen to see a quadruple cheeseburger the size of a platter stacked up nearly 3ft with all the human world fixins, well… Kai likes cooking for other people, and is glad to have a reason to bother.

Belphegor - Pretty much any day that doesn't end up with Sloth's hands around his throat are a plus.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you?)

Extremely protective of everyone but himself, Kai would rather take a fireball to the face than see any of his dear friends injured. The downside of course being that he's a human and rather prone to lasting damage from those sorts of things. The definition of reckless bravery, even if the other party doesn't need his protection.

(At this point? Its kinda like when a tiny kitten feels threatened and hisses and spits and flails while you scruff it)

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

When Kai cares about someone, he will throw his entire being into making them smile. He constantly worries about not being good enough, or disappointing others. He has a second calendar app hidden on his DDD which is nothing but notes on birthdays, gifts, things that will please them, be it a small token or an elaborately planned day trip (when he can scrape together the grimm for it). It is a constant uphill battle to do better next time. To make the other person happier. To be praised and feel wanted.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Kai is full of bad habits, and ignores when people bring them up to try and help him.

Social smoker, will drink to excess given half a chance, will always get high on someone else's supply, self-harm, impulse control issues.

He has multiple mental issues which are currently untreated and uncontrolled. He kind of figures that nobody notices (it has all been noticed, dearest. you just won't interact with anyone when they bring it up.)

Panic disorder, anorexia w/ arfid, borderline personality disorder, c-ptsd

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Extremely. Kai is so happy to know that glamours and illusions exist, and uses them constantly to hide scars, bruises, dry patches, blemishes, etc. He tries to take care of his looks, but it's difficult sometimes when so much energy is expended (or lost) elsewhere. He is incredibly happy to have someone to obsess with appearances over, and will happily lock himself away with Asmo when it's time for a beauty night. Its nice to have someone with similar interests and dozens of sponsorship deals with various beauty companies.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

He never thought he relied on anyone else to feel complete. He really didn't. Kai always promised himself that he would never become dependent upon anyone but himself. Apparently those things are easy to miss when you're living with half a dozen beings you would kill for if asked.

X - Xtra (Random HC)

Kai is spiraling badly since being displaced into Nightbringer. His support systems have been ripped away to become strangers wearing familiar faces. It feels extra cruel, especially as he is stuck in Cocytus Hall with Solomon, who he has gotten to the point of actively distrusting. He is angry, and has nowhere to direct that rage. He is staying out most nights, and is confrontational without much of a second thought. Every time he believes the demons might be remembering or developing some sense clairvoyance regarding him, he lets himself hope. This has not done anything to help his mental state.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Kai is a terrible sleeper. He forces himself into exhaustion so he can simply collapse and not spend time trying to quiet the voices in his mind. His most regular routine includes going through the usual steps (changing, getting ready for bed, etc.), and then watching tv or staying online until his head is bobbing and he can't stop yawning. Sure, that meant in the human world it was already starting to get light more often than not. Its always dark here though.

It took him some time to not set up a warning system of sorts if his door was opened while he was sleeping. He still sleeps with a small hunting knife tucked beneath the mattress, and has reached for it more than once when being burst in on.

[cherryblossomshadow]

#red said #also there are posts and tweets like THIS IS JUST FOR MCU FANS #like please go on demonstrating how you've adopted 'mcu fan' as a shorthand for 'person who likes films i don't' #or 'person who likes films that are popular' #because the defining features of mcu films are that they're high budget irony poisoned derivative works #targeted at a broad audience so aiming to be accessible and inoffensive #and it really seems. like 'accessible' is the part of that you object to #bc EEAAO is a highly original A24 indie film with a 14.5m budget which is NOTHING #it's made mostly with practical effects and sets #and most importantly it's beautifully painfully earnest. it's never trying to shy away or go Hey Look How Silly This Is 😏 #everything is driven by its earnest desire to talk about specific themes #i think the people comparing it negatively to mcu films are stuck on the fact that it's about a multiverse and it's got jokes #and colourful action scenes #but they miss that the referential jokes (like racacoonie) and setpieces aren't the point of the film (tags courtesy of OP)

#red said #ARGH!!!!! MEDIA LITERACY!!!!!!!! #so irony poisoned i watch a film very explicitly about the importance of absurdity in a painful and exhausting world #and point at it and say haha look how silly that is isn't that pathetic #YEAH IT'S TALKING ABOUT YOU MAN. YOU'RE EATING THE BAGEL. EMBRACE JOY. (more tags courtesy of OP)

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Despite this world that is constantly moving faster and rarely makes any sense one clear feeling cuts through all noise and it is that I want my loved ones to be okay (comment courtesy of @meams4u)

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And anyway: WHAT THE FUCK IS IMMATURE ABOUT THE MESSAGE “BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER”??? Kindness isn’t immature! It’s incredibly difficult! Kindness means having to look beyond your own comfort and needs (while not disregarding them) and seeing the humanity in others, and trying to understand what that person needs. If kindness was easy to understand and do, do you think the world would look the way it does?

Kindness if absolutely necessary for vulnerability to exist, and without vulnerability — as EEAAO tells us — we slip into destruction of either the self or the people around us, or both. (comment courtesy of @stele3) .

how is "find joy" as a message that fundamentally different from "be kind" also a character literally gives a "be kind" speech at the emotional climax of the movie like forgive me for thinking what the movie is saying is what the movie is saying (comment courtesy of @2rat2touille)

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I mean yes be kind is PART of the message of the movie but it's part of a message that also includes allowing yourself to be authentically open and vulnerable and stop trying to be Sensible. Like that's why Waymond's admirable behaviour is framed in terms of stuff like googly eyes and dancing and play, and why Evelyn's act of reaching out is both 'have an emotional breakdown' and 'put on the googly eyes'

Like Waymond's strength of character is that he's kind and thoughtful, and that is part of him being comfortable with his own vulnerability and the vulnerability of others, which is also part of his relationship to joy which he explains in the SAME speech - "it's not naive" etc

and yeah tbh I'm oversimplifying by saying the message isn't "be kind" cause you're right that that is part of what the film is saying. but the film is also saying a lot of other things and this post is a frustrated reaction to people acting like because one part of one speech sounds like a message that's often simple and moralistic, the only thing the film has to offer is a shallow "be nice to each other" (literally multiple people are using the word 'shallow')

and that IS a fundamental misreading. especially because the other "written for children" claim is that it's silly. which as a choice makes perfect sense if you look at the whole of the film as conveying a coherent idea, rather than, as these people are doing, look at part of one speech at the climax of the film and say "well that's the extent of what this film is saying" (comment courtesy of OP)

Quotes:

The message of the film isn't even "be kind" as much as it's "be silly. fuck around. laugh it off. find joy in being ridiculous. fuck cynicism."

The message isn't "be kind" it's "find joy." literally it's so on the nose the character Evelyn is reaching for is Literally Called Joy.

I do not understand how multiple people seem to have decided the theme of the film was "be kind to one another" and not "engage authentically with the absurdity and joy of the world because nothing matters except what you make matter!!!!" Simone de Beauvoir did not die for this!!!!!!! kill both the sensible man and the nihilist and revel in the absurd!!!!!!!!!!

people seriously pretending EEAAO is overrated suddenly bc it swept awards? it swept awards largely because it is very very very good. I cried like someone who’s just had a religious revelation BOTH times I watched it bc it touched something raw and real and beautiful but it was also just very, very funny. everyone’s performance kills and the concept is creative and interesting and doesn’t distract from the emotional core. you guys are just contrarian.

[cosmicanamnesis]

OOhhh I would love to hear about your hate for the Scarlet Letter!! I read Wide Sargasso Sea from the list in the post and it was okay. Written like a classic so not always the easiest to understand. And I had to read it for a class, which usually make me dislike the books more. Crazy as I am getting a degree in English and literature classes are my favorite.

see that was the only one on the list i'd never actually heard of so i might have to look into it. but yeah i was in the "I'm Here For English/Art/Choir And Nothing Else" camp in school. most of the classics we had to read i either threw my whole ass into (see: The Grapes of Wrath) or i'd give it a couple chapters and then sparknotes it from there (sorry Great Gatsby. baz luhrmann made a very entertaining movie out of u tho)

anyway this song is called I Will Raise Nathaniel Hawthorne From The Grave Just To Kill Him Again (under a read more bc this literally does not matter nd if u liked The Scarlet Letter u can just scroll right on by)

fair warning: this is not a scholarly essay, this is a shitty opinion piece that i'm writing while drinking cheap shit that might maybe qualify as whiskey. that's what you're getting here.

anyway.

my beef with TSL has... frankly very little to do with the actual content of the story, other than the story is just dead fucking boring.

puritans as a subject are boring, esp if you grew up as a person being persecuted by The Church(tm) in modern america (i say, making my first unfounded broad sweeping generalization of the night). like, yeah, No Shit they were religious extremists, have you seen the legacy they left? in that way i can understand how the contemporary or modern reader is supposed to feel sympathetic towards hester. the story is presented like "look at these crazies, look how they treat their women and their community," as if we're not doing the same shit in a different font to this day. pick a point in american history, you'll find hester and pearl there because as a society by and large we have barely progressed.

not to mention the focus of the story is on hester's relationships with dimmesdale and chillingworth more than, yknow, her own development as a fully realized person (rather than a representaion of Theoretical Complexity; a person can be both Sinful and Virtuous). because she isn't one. neither is pearl. pearl, willful and impish, is the personification of hester's sin. pearl is a prop.

does that all make the story timeless? yes, in the worst possible way.

hawthorne explores what it means to be ostracized in the most, like, affluent white boy way. like a frat bro doing shrooms and discovering empathy, hawthorne wrote the scarlet letter to show the concept of Sin And Consequences in a way that other affluent white guys might actually pick up on and say hey yeah that is a little fucked and make them realize other people are, in fact, people. if you are not in that specific demographic (which i can only hope was a purposeful target audience to teach them that message and not hawthorne himself realizing this for the first time) the philosophy is pretty fuckin weak. or. not so much Weak as it is Shallow, but ultimately it's both.

all to say, i was pretty clearly not the target audience here, and i think i have a pretty valid reason to not give a fuck abt TSL. that is not the reason why i so passionately hate this book.

the town i'm from has a pretty significant mormon population. i don't know if you know anything about mormons, but basically, LDS tradition has rules clearly outlining under what circumstances a person is meant to be shunned by the church. one of those conditions is apostasy, when a member officially leaves or is forcibly removed from the church and is declared an apostate by the temple. why do i know this? my best friend for a long time went through this process when they were 16 and living with me because their family kicked them out for being queer. not too long after this, TSL was assigned reading, and the class i was in was like 80% Assorted Christian denominations, the major one being... ding ding ding the fucking mormons.

so. put yourself in my spot. you are having Teacher-Lead Discussions about the topics and morals in TSL and on one side you have queer kids, atheists, Intelligent Troublemakers, etc, and on the other side you have a Protestant Army led by a Mormon Vanguard. nothing will make you hate a book like a dozen kids with absolutely no self awareness.

that segment pretty much boiled down to

"wow can you believe how CrAzY the Church(tm) used to be? :P"

"uh... yeah... you haven't changed."

"WHAT? pshhh OUR denomination is Nothing like /that/, women can wear pants outside of church activities now!"

"ok how do you feel about adultery when one's husband is presumed dead?"

"well. uh."

so to conclude: the Scarlet Letter is a very shallow criticism of early american puritan doctrine and the way that it's treated as a deeply profound classic is more of a reflection on the modern White Patriarchy than it is on the Puritans. and dont get me wrong, i think it's a pretty good subject for a high school lit class, if for no other reason than it teaches kids to recognize how morals and ideals are passed down even over hundreds of years. its a perfect example of that.

book fuckin sucks tho