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ristoranteivorykeys · 2 years ago

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the thrill of tragic tales — oneshot

it's another one of your late nights with malleus draconia, when he asks you a question you thought you'd never hear from him. ft. reader and malleus draconia

╰┈➤ 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: reader is referred to as they/them; mom look i'm posting again after 84 years owo; this is born out of the stress real life is putting me through, so the style is also slightly different and a bit experimental. nonetheless, i hope this might be enjoyable =w=

“I do not mean to intrude on any… intimate matters, Child of Man.” Dry leaves and fallen branches crunch and crackle under his feet, a tiny show of a power no mortal can seek. “But I am curious on one thing about you.”

His question does not stop their walking pace, but they turn their head to his pale visage and shining green eyes. “What is it?”

“Why do you set your sights on him?”

They don’t respond, except with the raise of their brows and a tiny momentary jolt of knowing who exactly he is alluding to.

“I’m… surprised that you of all people are asking me that.”

“Why so?” He doesn't hide the small smile on his face. It amuses him that even an indirect mention of him can unbalance you.

“You never struck me as the type to be curious on matters like love and crushes.”

He chuckles. “You aren’t mistaken, Child of Man. I never cared for them. After all, it was that very same infatuation that brought the Almighty Fairy of Thorns from the heavens to the ground.”

“Did Lilia ask you to ask me?”

“… Again, you are not mistaken." Briefly, he wonders how long have they known him to recognize Lilia's involvement in his life. "Lilia brought me here to learn more about the human world in preparation for my future ruling.

“But I also ask out of my own curiosity," he adds. "You are not expecting an arranged marriage, so I assume you have the option to choose who you want to spend the rest of your years with. You have many choices within the school, friends that you laugh with. But that boy. He is…” He hums, looking for kinder words to continue his sentence.

“I understand,” they answer with mirth. An understanding smile blooms on their face, colored with a faint note of sadness. “I know that I haven’t quite spent much time with him, and the few stories you know seem so superficial. Truthfully, I don’t understand why either. It frustrates me, and sometimes, I wish to find a way to end it. But I see his gait and his grin, and I feel it again.”

“Human emotions... how contradictory."

“I sadly can’t disagree.”

“... Is that all?”

“Not at all." They shake their head. "There’s a lot I can say, but after pondering about it, I think it all boils down to one thing.”

He doesn’t speak. The floor is completely hers.

“You are a string player. You should know Brahms, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Have you heard of the story of him and Agathe von Siebold?”

He blinks. “That, I never have.”

“Agathe von Siebold was Brahms' lover. He had proposed marriage to her, but one of his concertos had an unsuccessful premiere. It worried him that he would not be able to provide for her, so he called off the wedding.”

“I... see.” He nods slowly. He knows what they say is sad, but he does not know how to react.

“Mhm. Then years after, he heard that Agathe moved away to another country. At that time, he was working on a composition. That experience molded that composition into what it is now. Have you heard of String Sextet No. 2 in G major?”

“A familiar title, yes.” But he cannot remember the melody—there are many compositions with a similar title, and it must have been ages since his last listen.

“At a certain part—bars 162 to 168 if I recall correctly—there is a climax where the notes spell out Agathe’s name as A-G-A-H-E. H was the name for the B key in his local nomenclature.”

“Ah, how creative,” he smiles. "H is rather rare to hear of, and for him to use it to form a word in his song speaks of his genius."

"I agree. It's honestly touching to find a way to write someone's name to your song."

"But why do you tell me this story, Child of Man," he asks.

"So I bring up this story because it is one favorite love story of mine. Something about it tugs at my heart the way that most stories don't. I always wondered why. Maybe it could have been because I never understood it. I never had to go through that sort of experience. Or maybe at the time, I never understood love of that magnitude."

They place a hand on their chest. "But I understand now. It’s the fact that he did not have her. He wanted her. But life couldn’t let him have her."

They face him. Their eyes sparkle of a spirit that had been hurting inside. A fiery frustration, an ice cold sadness, a whirlwind of bitterness. For the first time, he understands why eyes are the windows to the soul. They're young, yet their gaze holds an intensity of a hundred years' worth of hurt.

“You don't understand how many things in this life I wanted but cannot have for myself." A shake of their head accompanies their words. "This love that I have right now, this silly little love," their hand clenches into a fist as they turn away from him, "irritates me for that reason. I can’t have him, I don’t think I can. Yet why do I want to grasp for one more thing that I can’t have?"

They pause. They put their hand down.

"Child of Man," he speaks up. "Why don't you just leave him behind? It sounds as if he tortures you."

They let out a chuckle. It's breathy, it's hard to tell if they were amused or annoyed. “Because see, there is so much more to it. You know Oedipus?"

"Of course I do." The question almost offends him, but he lets it slide. They're a dear friend, after all.

They nod. "Oedipus, the man fated to kill his father and marry his mother. There was something he wanted, what was it?"

"To deny that the prophecy foretold about him came to light. His mother and father also took measures to ensure that the prophecy does not come to light."

"Exactly. And he failed."

They stop. The door to their dorm stands in front of them. It surprises him for a moment. He didn't realize how invested he is in the conversation until now.

"I've come to realize that at their core, tragedies are what they are because it's a story of someone who wants to go against family, community, or divinity, but does not succeed. He can be stopped, but he'd refuse to let what they say rule over him. And you know? There’s something oddly thrilling about that."

He raises both brows. "Really now?"

"Knowing that you’re fighting a losing battle, yet willing to fight in hopes that you can grasp a slim victory. Maybe astrology class will tell me to give up, but why should I? Maybe I am not meant to be with him. Maybe I'm destined for something else. But who is to stop me from seeing how far I can truly go?"

He says nothing.

“Maybe liking him hurts me. Maybe pursuing him is torture. But..." They look at him directly once more. There is something else in their eyes now. The frustration, the sadness, the bitterness remain, but there's a new light. A glint of determination.

"I don’t care what destiny has planned for me. I want to see how much I can fight it until the curtain call. I want to fight against an ending that seems set in stone.”

They blink. Suddenly, the sparkle from their eyes disappear. Away from their emotions, awake to their reality. "Ah! Sorry, tsunotarou. I rambled too much. I hope you weren't bothered by my answer."

“Worry not,” he answers. “Your answer was not bothersome at all. In fact," he smiles, the widest he's smiled tonight, "I find you rather intriguing now.”

#twisted wonderland #twst #malleus draconia

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islesnucks · 3 years ago

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pls pls pls where are you? we need your expertise to analyse connor mcdavid's house <33

im so honored you asked omg thank you <3

let's star with the facade

i really don't like the materials it makes it look kinda cheap which i'm sure it's not, i would've gone with an exposed concrete like the driveway floor

but apart from that i really like the composition, the asymmetry with the two porches, the bigger one being retracted from the smaller one, i like the clean shapes, i'm not a big fan of having that many windows because i feel it unbalances the wall-openings ratio (plus then you have to add a bunch of curtains for privacy) i also don't like the garden but i don't know about landscaping

now let's see the back facade or whatever it's called in english

now this is the kind of wall-opening ratio i would use in the front of the house for privacy reasons and i would put the big windows to the back to you still have all that natural lighting and connection with the nature and not everyone that walks by can look inside your home

also i really really really like the way they continued the prism to put it some way, those lintels and column on the right corner they didn’t need to keep them for structural reasons but they did to not break the prism that is the house and it looks like they cut out a part, i love that i'm gonna use it in my next project

also i love their dog

now let's talk about the interior

from what i could see it has an open floor plan, there aren't many hallways or walls it's more like one huge space created by different spaces all connected that flow from one to another, i really like that, really modern and really like social in a way, you can have many people and ll be in the same room really good for gatherings and kind incites collective life to put it somehow

there's also a lot of natural light which we love, i really really like when the windows take up the whole wall (sorry don't know the term in english) makes the space seem bigger and creates a great connection with the outside blurring the line between interior and exterior

then regarding the decoration i'm not an interior designer so this is purely just what i think and like, i don't like it

she's an interior designer so i'm sure this is like super tasteful and extremely well thought and everything but i just don't like it, it seems really cold and impersonal and idk it doesn't feel like a home you know feels so impersonal (i remember there was this joke going around that it's a serial killer house and like yes i get that vibe)

i have to admit this really depends on the room like for example the main living room (first pic) i don't like it, but this secondary living room or whatever it is (seconds pic) i really do like and it seems more warm

however i have to say i like the way she stayed on tune with the architectural aspects when it came to the design, she chose an earthy palette with different metals and greys and browns that really combine with the house textures and materials of the house, also she kept the whole clean geometrical shapes on the furniture

but overall architecturally i like the house, really modern and stylish

also let me add im just an architecture student everything i said is just my take so yeah that keep that in mind

ok this was way way waaaay longer than i thought it would be sorry i really like rambling about architecture

#c rambles #connor mcdavid

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ducavalentinos · 3 years ago

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Hello, What were the opinions of the people who personally knew Cesare ? Thank you !

Hello ;) So, there were a lot of opinions made about Cesare by his contemporaries, but most of the opinions come from people who met him, not knew him intimately. The unfortunate thing here is that Cesare is mostly seen through the lenses of people outside his inner circle: ambassadors, orators, enemies who wrote daily dispatches, reports, letters to their employers and others. Some of this material has weight and it’s helpful, but still they all contain the unavoidable political element and focus towards Cesare as the political figure, not Cesare as a person. There are interesting glimpses of his personality and intimate life here and there, but never enough to make more than a sketch of it, and often much of it is distorted, with incorrect information and/or evaluations which were believed at the time to have been accurate. Cesare through the lenses of people inside his inner circle: people who knew him intimately, people he trusted and loved and vice-versa, are frustratingly limited, there’s almost nothing, which creates a big unbalance about his figure and his life. I believe the opinions of his beloved tutor Giovanni Vera, his most known secretary and adviser Agapito Geraldini di Amelia, or Miguel da Corella, or of his mother, his sister, his wife, would be incredibly valuable in order to have more precise knowledge, and a more rounded assessment about his person, in all of its facets, since we don’t have that, what fills up this gap are the words of one of his first secretaries, the alleged words of his father, Rodrigo, and the words of intellectuals and poets who interacted with him at his father’s court in Rome, some later following him at his own court in the Romagna, beneath the exaggerated flattery common in these writings, these men make some interesting observations, and express a genuine opinion about Cesare, aside from just the political man, which helps to shed a light into his personality, his qualities, and other aspects of his life. With this in mind, I gathered opinions that can be confirmed by Cesare’s own documented actions, and that I find are generally reliable: not entirely dominated by personal/political bias, and absent of the malice and gossip which became more common the more powerful Cesare and his family became. There are mix between the first group (ambassadors, orators, enemies, etc), the second group (people close to him, intellectuals and poets), and maybe there will be one or two which does not belong to either group, so I’ll leave them for last as a type of miscellaneous third group, in chronological order: 1488:

“What thanks can I give you, Cesare Borgia? May this auspicious day be celebrated as a festive day, in which this work comes to light only out of your love, and if our judgment is worth something, it will be most useful for general prosperity. In this book, we teach how to write a poem, exploring and manifesting all the secrets of metric art. Certainly a work that will please you very much. [...]Add to that your great and truly effective love for beautiful letters.You, Cesare, are truly worthy of much commendation, if at such a young age you act with the wisdom of an old man. Forward, then, O hope and ornament of the Borgia family, and accept with a good heart our Syllables, an offering of your devoted friend. So I believe that my name, joined to your eternal name and that of [your house], will have ornament and life."

- Extracts from a dedication written to Cesare by Paolo Pompilio,h in his Syllabica, a literature text-book of verse composition, published in the same year. 1492:

“Cesare Borgia profited so much that, with ardent ingenuity, he discussed the questions posed to him both in Canon law and in Civil law.”

- Paolo Giovio, concerning the Disputation for the laurea at the University of Pisa, where Cesare studied from 1491 to 1492. 1493:

"On the day before yesterday I found Cesare at home in Trastevere. He was on the point of setting out to go hunting, and entirely in secular habit. that is to say, dressed in silk and armed. Riding together, we talked a while, I am among his most intimate acquaintances. He is a man of great talent and of an excellent nature; his manners are those of the son of a great prince; above everything, he is joyous and light-hearted. He is very modest**, much superior to, and of a much finer appearance than his brother the Duke of Gandia, who also is not short of natural gifts."

- Disp. written by Gianandrea Boccaccio to his employer, the Duke of Ferrara, Ercole d'Este. 1497:

"Nature has engendered in you not the seed of virtù, but virtù itself, and in occupying herself to form you, [she] has adorned your body with an excellent form, dignity, and every beauty, and provided the soul with moderation**, decorum, gravity, benevolence, and above all royal liberality**, which nature seemed to have surpassed herself. And this liberality of yours, is shown with writers and artists."

- Extract from a dedication written by one of Cesare's secretaries, Carlo Valgulio, in the first transl. of Cleomedes: De contemplatione orbium excelsorum. 1499:

“By his modesty, his readiness, his prudence, and his other virtues he has known how to earn the affections of every one.”

- Letter written by Giuliano Della Rovere, to pope Alexander VI, concerning Cesare's arrival in France.**

"The Pope's son was very gallant..."

- Baldassare Castiglione, in a letter after seeing the entrance of Cesare and his suite alongside King Louis XII of France in Milan. 1500:

“To-day, about the twenty-second hour (four in the afternoon), after he had dined, he had signor Ramiro fetch me to him; and with great frankness and amiability his Majesty first made his excuses for not granting me an audience the preceding day, owing to his having so much to do in the castle and also on account of the pain caused by his ulcer. Following this, and after I had stated that the sole object of my misson was to wait upon his Majesty to congratulate and thank thim, and to offer your services, he answered me in carefully chosen words, covering each point and very fluently. The gist of it was, that knowing your Excellency’s ability and goodness, he had always loved you and had hoped to enjoy personal relations with you. He had looked forward to this when you were in Milan, but events and circumstances then prevented it. But now that he had come to this country, he --determined to have his wish-- had written the letter announcing his successes, of his own free will and as proof of his love, and feeling certain that you Majesty would be pleased by it. He says he will continue to keep you informed of his doings**, as he desires to establish a firm friendship with your Majesty, and he proffers everything he owns and in his power should you ever have need.[...]When I take both the actual facts and his words into consideration, I see why he wishes to establish some sort of friendly alliance with your Majesty. I believe in his professions, and I can see nothing but good in them.”

Postscript: “The Duke’s daily life is as follows: he goes to bed at eight, nine, or ten o’clock at night (three to five o’clock in the morning). Consequently, the eighteenth hour is his dawn, the nineteenth his sunrise, and the twentieth his time for rising. Immediately on getting up he sits down to the table, and while there and afterwards he attends to his business affairs. He is considered brave, strong, and generous, and it is said he lays great store by straightforward men.[...]He is great of spirit and he seeks eminence and glory.”

- Extracts from a Disp. of Pandolfo Collenuccio to his employer, the Duke of Ferrara, Ercole d’Este, from Pesaro. 1501:

"This lord is very magnificent and splendid, and so spirited in feats of arms that there is nothing so great but that it must seem small to him. In the pursuit of glory and to acquire a State he never rests, and he knows neither danger nor fatigue. He moves so swiftly that he arrives at a place before it is known that he has set out for it. He knows how to make himself beloved of his soldiers, and he has in his service the best men of Italy. These things render him victorious and formidable, and to these is yet to be added his perpetual good fortune."

- Disp. written by Niccolò Machiavelli to the Signory of Florence. 1502:

"He [Cesare] argues with such sound reason that to dispute with him would be a long affair, for his wit and eloquence never fail him (dello ingegno e della lingua si vale quanto vuole...)

-Disp. written by Francesco Soderini, from Urbino, to the Signory of Florence.

"The duke[Cesare] is good-natured, but he cannot tolerate offenses."

- Rodrigo Borgia, to the Ferrarese ambassador B. Constabili.

Miscellaneous: A certain author named Camillo di Leonardo from Pesaro dedicates to Cesare, in the year of 1502, his famous work Speculum Lapidum, in which he 'commends the duke for his great love of letters, his courteous liberality towards the scholarly, the care he used when collecting the beautiful and numerous [works] of the library of Cesena, and even his sweetness and his gentleness.' Gaspare Torella, one of Cesare's personal physician and advisers also dedicated to him his Dialogus de Dolore, in which he says he is "...pleased that [Cesare's] virtù surpassed those of the great ones of Rome, such as the justice of Brutus, the constancy of Decius, the continence of Scipio, the loyalty of Marco Regolo, and the magnanimity of Paolo Emilio.” The French commanders used to say of Cesare: “At war he was a good companion and a brave man." The Spanish historian Zurita, atypically pays a compliment to Cesare when assessing the situation in Italy and of pope Julius' panic when hearing about Cesare's escape from the Spanish prison in 1506, he writes: "The duke was such that his very presence was enough to set all Italy agog; and he was greatly beloved, not only by men of war, but also by many people of Tuscany and of the States of the Church." Lastly, during the winter of 1500-1501, a scholar and poet named Francesco Uberti, native of Cesena, adressed to Cesare a volume of epigrams, all which show the Romagnese opinion about him. According to Uberti, Cesare's Romagnese subjects learned his temper was 'mitissima' (gentle), 'placidissima' (calm) and his 'crueltà' (cruelty) was the severity necessary to repress political disorders. There is also other epigrams where Tiberti praises Cesare's clemency, "pious and kind Cesare..." ** The terms modesty and moderation, according to Gregorovius, can be also taken to 'understand as part and manifestation of a liberal education,...’ and the term liberality means generous, which Cesare was particularly reputed as being, to such a degree his genorosity was called at the time after his own name as “liberalità cesarea”. ** I decided to add Della Rovere’s words about Cesare, because as writer and historian Anthony Everitt said in one of his books: “Praise from one’s worst enemy is the most annoying, but also the most credible, of compliments.” and because even if Della Rovere’s words are insincere, likely, these words can nevertheless be confirmed by the opinions of others about Cesare, esp. in the historical records about his soujour at France. **Cesare had sent long letters to Ercole d'Este while he was at the conquest of Imola and Forlì, telling him the details of the military campaign.

#ask answered #anon ask #cesare borgia #césar borgia #house borgia #writing this really made me painfully aware again of how much we don't know and will never know about cesare #i'm gonna go cry now excuse me

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rooflesspainters · 4 years ago

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In December 2020, Sotheby’s sold a painting by Barkley L. Hendricks for 4 million dollars. Hendricks never became a household name when he has alive despite his immense contributions to contemporary painting. Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, Amy Sherald are a few contemporary artists directly influenced by him. Barkley L. Hendricks went to Europe on an educational trip and fell in love with the Rembrandts, the Van Dycks, and the Velazquez. He found his own race was absent from Western art, leaving a void that troubled him. Upon his return, he set about to change what he saw in Europe by correcting the unbalance, making his friends, relatives, and strangers the subjects of his life-size portraits, but using the chiaroscuro, genre-style compositions, and byzantine iconography he saw in Europe. In a classical copyist style, we will use closeups of Barkey Hendricks portraits as image sources for our portrait paintings, so we can study his bone structures and the rich skin tones on our translations.

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myhahnestopinion · 5 years ago

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THE AARONS 2019 - Best Film

Once again setting a personal record and winning a friendly competition, I watched 105 films from the year 2019. That’s more films than there are seconds of screen-time for Rose Tico in The Rise of Skywalker! That one won’t be found here, but after ranking all 105 movies, here are the ones that did rise to the top of my list. Here are the Aarons for Best Film:

#10. Marriage Story

Marriage Story twists a knife we never even saw go in; its tragedy is a fully formed snowball of once seemingly-insignificant bad decisions that the viewer is powerless to reverse, only observe. Director Noah Baumbach, however, makes only great decisions in his tale of the difficulties and distractions of divorce (in the context of the film, that is. The infusion of Baumbach’s informed personal experiences is unmissable here). The film splits its focus between the perspectives of the two former spouses, but not evenly. Through both, we understand the effects of unintentional harm of other being; in the unbalance, we empathize with people reaching that realization at different times. Marriage is a story about learning that, no matter the effort to relate to another, there will always be unknowns, but in trust, there is peace.

#9. Little Women

The best adaptations play to the strengths of the screen. The kinetic timeline shifting of director Greta Gerwig’s new version of Little Women is a feat only manageable in cinematic form. The shake-up to the traditional script enlivens the familiar story; the bits of happiness and heartbreak all feel a little bit bigger. Backed by an exceptional cast, Gerwig illustrates that the importance of retelling stories is the same as the importance in telling them to begin with. The movie is undoubtedly the superior cinematic version of the story; if it’s not too blasphemous to say, it’s the best version on the big-screen or off.

#8. The Farewell

Secret secrets are no fun, but can shared secrets spare someone? It’s the question at the heart of director Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, in which a family decides not to tell their grandmother she only has a short while to live, and stage a wedding as an excuse to gather the family together before she dies. Such a heavy burden seems unbearable alone; the cycle of shame and fear when trying to find the best way to love someone is inexorable. Sharing has never been a strong suit of the Western world; the culture clash of the understated film ends up a surprising source of comfort. Yet there will always come a point where one must face such uncertainty alone, and choose whether to say goodbye to the guilt or not. The Farewell is a comfort there as well.

#7. Parasite

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know; survival depends on sticking together. Like The Farewell, Parasite’s premise unearths questions of solidarity; unlike The Farewell, its execution is not understated. Director Bong Joon-ho’s lampooning of late-stage capitalism is as unmissable as a big dumb rock, and he lampshades it as such. Parasite is the most unexpected of heist films, but one that cuts to the heart of the genre: the world as-is is a mad scrabble for a good job, and morality need not apply. The insidious ploy of the film is an insightful exploration of class conflict. The two families at its center may not have a single person between them who’s not hungry for more, but only one is deciding how many seats are at the table. It’s not our world, we’re just living in it.

#6. Knives Out

After the dregs of the internet came for him with knives out, director Rian Johnson decided to kill them with kindness… and gift everyone with another masterful work of cinema. There’s no foul play made in Johnson’s new murder mystery; the cast is stacked with talent and the screenplay stacked with twists. The story subverts genre expectations in revolutionary ways, keeping viewers guessing and engrossed. The additional emotional undercurrent is similarly revelatory; even when killers are caught and loose ends are tied up, questions of justice remain. Pointed, poignant, and uproarious, Johnson has carved up an excellent mystery. Considering his debut feature Brick, it’s no surprise the director’s dunnit again.

#5. Shazam!

After shifting its focus from an overambitious shared universe to its lesser known characters, DC Comics has captured lightning in a bottle once again. The selling-point of Shazam! is, in a word, magical: a young boy given the power to transform into a full-grown superhero (play with infectious charm by Zachary Levi) boils down the appeal of the genre to its base wish-fulfillment elements. With superpowers dominating the cinemas right now, Shazam!’s recentering of their collective narrative is more powerful than Zeus. Zack Snyder sought to bring maturity to the Superman story by questioning the burden of possessing power. Made for kids but holding the wisdom of Solomon, Shazam! combats Snyder’s misguided notions: with great power comes great responsibility, but responsibility is sharing power.

#4. One Cut of the Dead

While there are many films shot in one-take, including one vying for Best Picture at the Oscars this year, One Cut of the Dead’s pure commitment to its craft makes it a cut above the rest. In the film, things go haywire for a small filmmaking crew on the set of a zombie movie when real zombies attack; what happens next is best left unspoken (to preserve its wonderful surprises). The tightly-crafted horror-comedy is a bloody beast; its multi-limbed nature reaches every mark its aiming for, tearing at one’s heart, brain, and stomach in equal measure. It deconstructs its own movie magic only to build up an even more fantastic monument to cinema and the cooperation demanded by its creation. Within One Cut of the Dead’s endless inventiveness, the art-form’s rarely felt so alive.

#3. Midsommar

Midsommar is an honoring of tradition, but it quickly evolves into something all its own. Its most obvious influence is The Wicker Man, yet while that film’s pagan horror turned a twist of fate and a twist of faith into its punchline, Midsommar lets viewers in on the joke. Director Ari Aster lets events unfold at a meticulous pace in the closed-off community, but dread never sets in. The film is perhaps entirely miscategorized as horror; any screams crescendo into a potent catharsis. Midsommar is a banquet of visual treats that leaves viewers to chew on a shocking ending. With both, Midsommar is nothing but fulfilling.

#2. Us

Many directors can’t escape the shadow of such a successful debut, but luckily for us and for Us, Jordan Peele was no less effective at holding up a mirror to society’s sins in his sophomore feature. Like Get Out, Us rips the ineffectual bandage off this country’s festering wounds, demanding they be properly addressed lest they be allowed to kill us. The effect is once again deeply uncomfortable, gnawing at the viewer long after it’s over, as all proper horror films should. Peele, however, is entirely comfortable, further solidifying himself as an unmissable auteur through an assured handling of tone. The movie is both a crowd-pleaser and entirely uncompromising; we have met both friend and enemy, and it is Us.

AND THE BEST FILM OF 2019 IS...

#1. It: Chapter Two

It is inexplicable. The first half of the new adaption of Stephen King’s monstrous book was #8 on this same list back in 2017, yet while Chapter Two is much more uneven and unwieldly, it floated all the way to the top as my favorite film of 2019. It’s victory certainly owes a debt to its origins; the second part is a reflection on the first, as the adult version of the Loser’s Club must remember their past to battle the child-eating clown one last time. With this intent in mind, the film’s ungainly composition shifts into a new form. Chapter Two is an eerie and eerily-accurate encapsulation of the sensation of unpacking past trauma. It’s confusing, frustrating, disheartening, scary, and often unexpectedly funny trying to control such a narrative. Sometimes, all one can do is scream at the cyclical cruelty. In those moments, the greatest thing is to have someone screaming with you. Perhaps the It sequel suggests that there is no such thing as good movies or bad movies - maybe there are just movies that you need. Chapter Two is a cinematic barbaric yalp, indulgent in its runtime and its special effects because that is how it can and chooses to be heard. I needed it.

NEXT UP: THE 2019 AARONS FOR WORST FILM!

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brilliantorinsane · 7 years ago

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The Speckled Band on Stage: Yep, Still Gay

Note: I tagged those who reblogged the first part of this series. Please let me know if you would prefer not to be tagged in future posts.

This is the second installment in my series on obscure Sherlock Holmes film adaptations and their depiction of Holmes and Watson both individually and in relation to each other. (For a discussion of the 1921-23 silent films starring Eille Norwood, which appears to have been Doyle’s favorite adaptation, see here.)

I really didn’t mean to write a post about this one, seeing as it doesn’t strictly fit the theme of this series. It is a play, not a film, and it is only sort of an adaptation—although a retelling of The Speckled Band, it is written by Doyle himself. But while researching a very gay and very terrible 1931 film, I discovered that it was loosely adapted from this play. Naturally I read it as part of my research, telling myself that I wouldn’t get sidetracked writing a post about it. The failure of my self-control now lays before you.

In my defense, this play really is … well it really is Something. All sorts of wonderful and all sorts of tragic. If you’d prefer to read it for yourself before encountering the spoilers in this post, hop on over here and scroll to the second half of the webpage. And if you’ve got your subtext glasses so much as perched lightly on the end of your nose, be ready to be sent reeling by what you find.

(Spoilers below the cut)

Production and Reception

Doyle’s decision to adapt The Speckled Band for the stage was rather spur-of-the-moment. He had leased a theater for six months in order to showcase The House of Temperley, an adaptation of his novel Rodney Stone, but the play was largely unsuccessful (x, x). Threatened with considerable financial loss, Doyle set to work and within a week had written The Speckled Band. Despite its rushed composition the play was decidedly successful, and Doyle seems to have been quite pleased with it (x).

The play alters the original short story considerably. Some changes are so inconsequential as to be puzzling—the villain’s name is changed from Roylott to Rylott, the names of the stepdaughters are switched, etc—but other alterations are structural and make a significant difference. In particular, instead of following Watson’s pov, the audience’s perspective revolves primarily around the Rylott house. The scenes introducing Holmes and Watson are also considerably altered and expanded for potentially unfamiliar audiences, and a good deal more shouting and action is introduced throughout.

Oh, and Watson is engaged to Mary Morstan. Yeah. More on that later.

I have two complaints: First there is an uncomfortable dash of orientalism (i.e., western depictions of the east which cast it as mysterious, dangerous, and Other, and which played a largely unintentional but nonetheless significant role in justifying British imperialism), which is present in the original story but rather more prevalent in the stage play. Second, the female protagonist, although commendably brave, loses what little agency she had in the original story. But aside from these elements, I loved this play. The pacing is good and kept me engaged even when neither Sherlock or Watson are present, Dr. Rylott is genuinely frightening and I was really rather tense at times despite knowing the ending, and the occasional humor is on point—I actually laughed aloud once or twice. Further, ACD’s allegiance with the oppressed is out in full force, and there’s some genuinely touching commentary on the debilitating effects of abuse. And then, of course, there is Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson …

Sherlock Holmes on Stage

Guys. This is, pure and undiluted, Sherlock Holmes at his best. If you ever start to fear that Sherlock really might be the cold and detached reasoning machine some folk have fixated on, just read the way Arthur Conan Doyle writes him in this play. You will never doubt again that he is anything besides a snarky ahead-of-his-time genius with a heart of literal gay gold. We’ll get to the ‘gay’ part in later section, so we’ll set aside his interactions with Watson for the moment. There is plenty else to discuss.

You see, this Holmes does spout a variation of that much abused line from A Scandal in Belgravia, saying: “[love] would disturb my reason, unbalance my faculties. Love is like a flaw in the crystal, sand in the clockwork, iron near the magnet.” I understand that the statement, here and in Scandle, refers specifically to romantic love. Yet I cannot think it’s an accident that nearly the very next moment Holmes is flatly refusing to find the wife of a clearly abusive husband, asking only enough questions to ensure that she has found a safe refuge, even though the law is on the husband’s side and the man offers a whopping fee of 500 pounds. As if Doyle wants to drive home that Holmes accepts cases purely on the basis of empathy for the downtrodden and not finances, Holmes then remarks: “I’m afraid I shall never be a rich man, Watson.” Added to this, the manner in which he listens to, comforts, and puts himself in danger for Roylott’s step-daughter Enid is genuinely touching. As many of us have asserted for years, Sherlock Holmes is the champion of justice, ally of the oppressed, and altogether a beautiful smol man. ‘Love is a flaw in the crystal,’ indeed.

There is also a pleasing dash of Holmes the psychologist. It appears most obviously in an early analysis of Dr. Roylott, but most touchingly toward Rylott’s mercilessly abused servant Rodgers. The man is essentially good-hearted but entirely incapacitated by fear of his master, and this leads to his betraying Enid’s attempts to contact Sherlock. It was obviously a shitty move, but Holmes, who earlier expressed understanding of the thoroughgoing damage caused by the man’s long, forced dependence on a maniac for his basic needs, responds compassionately: “He is not to be blamed. His master controls him.”

Added to this we have Holmes in disguises, bamf!Holmes, Holmes calling people idiots and taking far too much delight in dancing circles around them, and of course utterly brilliant Holmes (though that’s a given), so it seems almost an embarrassment of riches that we also get peak sassy Holmes. He makes a number of delightful appearances, although my favorite is the following, which occurs after he has agreed to protect Enid from Rylott:

RYLOTT: What I ask you to do — what I order you to do is to leave my affairs alone. Alone, sir — do you hear me? HOLMES: You are perfectly audible.

As utterly delightful as all of this is, Holmes’s darker side is not entirely absent, at least in his personal habits—the cocaine does make its appearance. But more on that later.

John Watson on Stage

To be honest, I found myself rather anxious about how Doyle would depict Watson. We fans have been in the habit of discovering Watson between the lines of the cannon stories—as the man is far more interested in talking about Holmes than himself, it takes a bit of digging to discover Watson’s outstanding qualities. But what if the Watson we love so dearly is our own invention, and Doyle himself was simply uninterested in the man except as a conduit to portraying Holmes?

I really shouldn’t have worried.

It is true that Watson rather disappears into the background once Holmes is working. But that is not to say he becomes at all useless. In fact, the Watson in this play is quite simply our Watson—kind, steady, intelligent, dangerous, and with something of a temper hidden beneath the steady veneer.

In the play, Watson is the doctor who examines the body of the first murdered sister (who is here called Violet) two years before Holmes becomes involved in protecting the remaining sister, Enid. Watson, bright fellow that he is, clearly suspects that something is off. Ultimately there is nothing he can do at the time, but his involvement allows for one my favorite moments: Watson employing Holmes’s deductive skills. True, it is for a single, relatively inconsequential matter; but he does it and he’s right and he impresses the whole room and guys! Watson! is! an! intelligent! man! I mean, we’ve all known that for forever, but its rather nice to get such a clear nod of agreement from Dyole.

In addition to his intelligence, Watson exhibits a empathy and compassion that in this story will be matched (not surpassed) only by that of Holmes. As an old friend of Rylott’s now-dead wife, Watson acts as comforter to the surviving girl. We are told that he came immediately and probably well in opposition to his own convenience when first he heard of the tragedy, and his treatment of Enid is gentle without being patronizing. Unsettled by the Rylott household and clearly wishing he could do more, he also repeatedly urges Enid to contact him if she has any suspicion of danger. All of this prompts Enid to declare: “Your kindness has been the one gleam of light in these dark days.” It is a lovely description of the man who has been a light in the dark for at least one other—the sort of testament we would have been unlikely to hear of if this story were reported through Watson’s own narration.

Again, I’ll leave the majority of his interactions with Holmes for the next section, but it is worth mentioning that there is no objection from him when Holmes turns down an easy 500 pounds. Watson is intelligent and he is good—he saw the signs of abuse and he would not have his friend benefit on those terms. These scenes also provide a wonderful dose of protective Watson. And while Holmes is of course at the head of the investigation, he and Watson are wonderfully in sync, and Watson proves his worth.

When it comes down to it, the Holmes and Watson in this play are transparently the two deeply compatible men we seek to dig out of cannon: mutually sharp and compassionate, courageous and quick to protect, with Holmes giving Watson stimulation and purpose and the means to aid others, and Watson providing Holmes with a firm right hand and a ready ear and a steadiness that counteracts the extremities that drive Holmes to cocaine. Watson and Holmes as Doyle portrayed them—as no other adaptation would portray them for far too many years—are just kinda perfect for each other.

But Watson is engaged.

So … What About Johnlock?

*buries head in hands* *giggles* *sobs* … Yeah. Yeah, it’s here. Yeah.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this play. I thought that perhaps the stage would strike Doyle as too exposed and vulnerable, or that perhaps he wouldn’t trust the actors, or that he would feel unsafe without the veneer of Watson’s narration—that, one way or another, he’d be persuaded to leave the gay subtext out of this one. But, um, Doyle? Buddy? Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely chuffed that you managed to avoid allegations a la Oscar Wilde. But also … how?

Honestly, I’ve always wondered whether Doyle was aware that he was writing a love story or whether that’s what wound up on paper regardless of his intent. This play just might be my answer.

a.) Sherlock Holmes: The Work as a disguise

The most blaring subtext is concentrated in Act II Scene II, where Holmes first enters the stage and his primary interactions with Watson occur. This play takes place during one of the dark times when Watson isn’t living at Baker Street, and when he visits Holmes to present him with Enid’s case, Holmes comes out disguised as a workman. (Before this Watson comments with dismay on the evidence of Holmes’s continued cocaine habits—this will be significant later). The disguised Holmes pokes fun at Watson, who doesn’t recognize him, accusing him of being responsible for Holmes’s untidy habits. There may be a rather tragic subtextual undertone to the whole conversation, but there’s too much else to discuss. So I’ll leave that aside and instead highlight the exchange that occurs when Holmes drops his disguise:

WATSON: Good Heavens Holmes! I should never have recognized you. HOLMES: My dear Watson, when you begin to recognize me it will indeed be the beginning of the end. When your eagle eye penetrates my disguise I shall retire to an eligible poultry farm.

Now, this could be innocent enough—just a fun way to introduce the clever detective. But if one is at all alert to the mere possibility of subtext, alarum bells should be ringing full force at the fact that the first on-stage interaction between these two characters consists of Holme demonstrating his ability to hide his true identity from Watson, and then saying that if he was unable to deceive Watson it would literally be the end of his life as he knows it. And it’s worth taking note of his phrasing: not “when you begin to recognize my disguises,” but rather “when you begin to recognize me.” Is this just a matter of professional pride, or is there something deeper that Holmes is afraid of having discovered?

But you know, maybe I’m just reading into this. This is a story about preventing Enid’s murder, its got nothing to do with romance or love, that would be thematically inconsistent and out of place—

HOLMES: Well, Watson, what is your news? WATSON: Well, Holmes, I came here to tell you what I’m sure will please you. HOLMES: Engaged, Watson, engaged! … The successful suitor shines from you all over.

Oh. Okay then.

Now, it is important to understand that Watson’s marriage has literally nothing to do with the Rylott plot. The engagement in no way affects Watson’s movements, and Mary never appears on stage. No; the first half of this scene is devoted entirely to introducing us to Holmes—the few clients he sees in this section are clearly selected to give us a sense of his character, methods, and values. That means that for some reason Doyle thought that a proper understanding of Holmes requires a discussion of love and marriage—specifically, Watson’s marriage.

Watson, being an imbecile as well as an intelligent man, thinks Holmes will be pleased with his news. Holmes rises to the occasion as best he can, calling the news “better and better” when he discovers Mary Morstan is the woman Watson has chosen, but not before he lets slip the sentence: “What I had heard of you, or perhaps what I had not heard of you, had already excited my worst suspicions.” Worst suspicions, Holmes? I thought this was supposed to be giving you pleasure? Well, perhaps he’s merely being facetious.

But next moment he slips again, saying, “You lucky fellow! I envy you.” When Watson suggests that Holmes might find a woman of his own one day, Holmes cryptically replies: “No marriage without love, Watson.” This might have been the first line that really floored me—the bare fact of Holmes’s conviction that he will never love a woman (‘woman,’ of course, being implied in the concept of marriage at the time). But when Watson asks why, Holmes falls back on the “[love] would disturb my reason” nonsense.

Now to be clear, I understand that Holmes is specifically discussing romantic love here, and that there is no connection between a lack of romantic attachment and a lack of sentiment and care for others generally. But here’s the thing: Holmes’s self descriptor doesn’t depict him as aromantic—i.e., ‘I just don’t feel romantic stuff.’ It depicts him as a reasoning machine—‘strong emotions disrupt my process.’ And in context of literally every friggin thing he does in this entire play, that’s nonsense. It is abundantly clear that reason is his tool, but compassion and sentiment are his motives.

One might argue that this is slightly sloppy writing (it was composed in a hurry, after all), or that Holmes simply doesn’t have the words to describe his aromanticism. Yet just moments before he said he envied Watson’s relationship, and moments before that revealed himself to be a consummate actor whose very existence as he knows it depends on disguise …

The already unwieldy length of this analysis requires that I speed a bit through the goldmine that follows: through Holmes punting aside requests from a royal family and the actual Pope because Watson has a case in which he has a personal interest—and I can’t resist pointing out that Holmes says he will of course take the case if Watson has “any personal interest in it.” It’s not ‘I’ll make time in my busy schedule if this is really very important to you,’ it’s ‘oh, you have a thing that you at least kinda sorta care about? The Pope can wait.’ I must gloss over Holmes transparently wanting to get as much of Watson’s company as he can, declaring that he has always seen Watson as his partner, and wishing for a plaque with his and Watson’s names on it, despite heavy implications that Watson has been almost entirely absent from Holmes’s work for some time. I’ll just mention in passing the truly remarkable number of “my dear fellows” and “my dear Watsons" Holmes manages to drop in a brief space of time, his clear desire to protect Watson from the dangers of the case despite later informing Enid that he is “a useful companion on such an occasion,” and his cry of “No, Watson, no!” when his friend leaps up to protect him from the poker Rylott is threatening him with.

I will not, however, pass over what occurs when Watson leaves Holmes, intending to meet him at the train station later that day. Watson’s final words on his way out are: “Good bye—I’ll see you at the station,” to which Holmes replies, “Perhaps you will,” adding to himself: “Perhaps you will! Perhaps you won’t!” Ah, what’s that? On about disguising yourself from your best friend again, eh Holmes? But then, within the play this refers to the fact that Holmes intends to actually disguise himself at the train station, so it has a literal meaning and not a metaphorical one, it has nothing to do with a deeper hiddeness, certainly nothing to do with love—

HOLMES: Ever been in love Billy? BILLY: Not of late years, sir. HOLMES: Too busy, eh? BILLY: Yes, Mr. Holmes. HOLMES: Same here. Got my bag there, Billy? BILLY: Yes, sir. HOLMES: Put in that revolver. BILLY: Yes, sir. HOLMES: And the pipe and pouch. BILLY: Yes, sir. HOLMES: The lens and the tape? BILLY: Yes, sir. HOLMES: Plaster of Paris, for prints? BILLY: Yes, sir. HOLMES: Oh, and the cocaine.

Oh … oh. Shit.

Please understand that this exchange—consisting of Holmes again raising the topic of love immediately after returning to the subject of his disguise, both of which he addresses as soon as Watson has left, as if he could not discuss them in front of his friend—comes apropos of nothing except Watson’s announcement of his engagement far back at the beginning of the scene. And I don’t see how the way he raises the subject and dismisses it can be seen as anything but the covering of some deep emotion—there is longing in the way he immediately brings it up, showing that it has stuck in his mind the whole while, and something tragic in the way he next-moment dismisses the clear preoccupation with the claim of being ‘too busy,’ clearly echoing the ‘I envy you … love is not for me’ progression of his earlier exchange with Watson.

And I get that in theory this longing for but dismissal of love could be read in a number of ways besides a socially forbidden love for his recently engaged partner. One might argue, for example, that he is aromantic but lonely and longing for the consistency of attachment others find in romantic love, or that he’s bursting with all sorts of hetero affections that he has chosen to sacrifice for the sake of The Work.

I would simply ask any inclined towards those arguments to consider the framing of this scene. I would ask them to question why ACD chose to introduce and conclude the scene which functions as an introduction to Holmes with the detective’s ability and need to disguise himself from Watson specifically, immediately juxtaposed with discussions of romantic love and Holmes’s desire for it which is clearly present but immediately veiled—disguised?—by his commitment to the work, with the cocaine hovering ominously behind. Then consider that between these mirrored book-ends we watch Holmes allow the man from whom he must disguise himself to disrupt the flow of the work which he claimed was supreme, making clear his wish that Watson be drawn into that work—a desire counteracted only by the transparent fact that he would prefer to risk his own bodily injury rather than put his friend in harm’s way. Add to all of this that Doyle works in a mention of the Milverton case and thus allows Holmes to comment on how his ruse to undermine Milverton involves courting and being courted by a woman and how distasteful he finds the experience and—well, you much reach your own conclusions. I have reached mine.

b.) Watson: Substitutionary desire

I began by speaking of Holmes because the subtext is monumentally more apparent on his part, and unlike Holmes it would be easy and even (though I cringe to say it) reasonable to read Watson as a comfortable heterosexual in this play. Does this mean that Doyle wrote one of those dreadful adaptations in which Holmes is pining away with an unrequited love for a Watson who is incapable of returning his romantic affections?

Not necessarily. As far as I can tell, without the clear implication of Sherlock’s affections one would be on shaky ground arguing that Watson was intended as anything besides a Hetero Bro. However, the clear coding of Holmes as in love with Watson causes one to wonder whether the affection might not be returned, and the results of investigation are inconclusive but intriguing.

Although he doesn’t make an appearance until the second act, Holme is mentioned by Watson in the first scene. Assuring Enid that she can turn to him if she is in any need, he admits that there is little he can do on his own. But he then adds: “I have a singular friend—a man with strange powers and a very masterful personality. We used to live together, and I came to know him well. Holmes is his name—Mr. Sherlock Holmes. It is to him I should turn if things looked black for you. If any man in England could help it is he.”

To be fair, it is not unusual in stories for someone to describe the hero in grandiose terms before he is seen directly by the reader/audience. Still, that’s quite a way to describe one’s friend. I find myself particularly fixating on “strange powers and a very masterful personality.” You do realize that you could have just said he’s smart, right Watson? I mean, maybe things were different back then, but if I described my friend as having a ‘masterful personality’ and then tried to claim they were my platonic bestie, I’m pretty sure I’d get my fair share of dubious glances.

Watson mentions his friend once more when his application of Holmes’s methods to clear up a detail of the investigation prompts an impressed exclamation from the coroner, to which Watson responds: “I have a friend, sir, who trained me in such matters.”

So at the very least, we have a Watson who idolizes, respects, relies on, and emulates his friend—all of which makes the fact that he is no longer living with Holmes something of a puzzle.

You see, the play never gives us a reason for Watson having moved out. The comment to Enid in which he mentions that they “used to live together” occurs two years before Sherlock becomes involved with the case and Watson becomes engaged to Mary, so it clearly has nothing to do with her. Yet not only has he moved out, his involvement in the cases is implied to have dwindled significantly or even stopped altogether—in one of the saddest lines of the play, Holmes comments that of course Watson wouldn’t remember Milverton because: “it was after your time.”

But why these degrees of separation? At no point are there signs of any ill-will between the friends. The danger certainly wasn’t an issue for Watson: when Rylott threatens Holmes Watson literally “jumps” to protect him, and he insists on sharing the danger of the Rylott house. Nor does it seem viable to speculate that Baker Street’s location became inconvenient for Watson—the speed with which Rylott makes his way to Watson’s home and from there to Baker Street demonstrates that they still live quite close. One might more plausibly theorize that Watson was becoming more invested in his medical practice and involvement in Holmes’s work was interfering, but why would ACD make an alteration so irrelevant to the story and then not even explain it? After all, the friends were still living together in the short story from which this is adapted. What could be the point of such a change?

Well, the fact is, while their bond is undeniable and remarkably strong, there are hints of something … off between the friends. Despite claiming to see Watson as his equal partner, Holmes fails to communicate with him about how they will be involved in the Rylott case, telling Watson to come on the 11:15pm train but neglecting to mention that he will be going to the house in disguise some hours earlier. The motive behind this omission is unclear—he previously tried to dissuade Watson from joining the case on account of the danger, so perhaps Holmes intends for Watson to give up and stay away when Holmes does’t appear. (Watson, of course, comes anyhow). Or perhaps Holmes wished to be apart from Watson for a time in the wake of hearing of his engagement (Holmes calling for the cocaine comes unsettlingly to mind here) but knew Watson wouldn’t allow him to go to Rylott’s alone. But whatever Holmes’s motive, Watson knows only that he has been excluded and cut out. Similarly, if in the past he has sensed that Holmes was on some level disguising himself from him would he would not have been likely to imagine a flattering cause. One cannot help but wonder whether it is these exclusions that cause Watson, despite inserting himself determinately when Holmes’s safety is at stake, to feel that he must offer to remove himself from the room when Holmes calls in clients. Certainly Watson has no inkling that Holmes might be in love with him—no kind friend who suspected as much would introduce his engagement by saying: “I came here to tell you what I am sure will please you.”

This then, is what we have: two men who deeply admire each other, long for one another’s company, and would clearly die for one another, and yet one of them is hiding and the other running first from the house and then into marriage. We have good reason to believe the one is hiding because he fears revealing his love; is it unreasonable to suppose the other is running for the same reason? Is it strange to think that Watson, feeling unable to trust to his powers of disguise in the way Holmes can, feeling the continual sting of Holmes hiding from him and cutting him off and unable to interpret those actions as anything besides distrust or indifference, would have sought safety in distance and ultimately comfort in binding himself to another?

A final note: we know nothing about Mary in this play. Despite having come in part to announce his engagement, Watson has no rhapsodies to offer on behalf of his fiancee—he seems far more interested in Holmes’s propensity for love, and, failing that, in Holmes’s work. Although Holmes’s (admittedly not impartial) deductions imply that Watson is genuinely pleased with his engagement, we learn precisely two details about Mary, both from Holmes: first that she has red hair, and second that Watson chose a woman who Holmes “met and admired.” Despite their seemingly limited contact over the past two years, Watson still seems unable to be married without at least some reference to Sherlock Holmes.

c.) Sorry … have some petty ACD as recompense

I feel I owe you an apology. I am aware that if you had the patience to read my ridiculously long ramble and are convinced by my interpretation of the Holmes and Watson’s relationship in the play, your ‘reward’ is having a dark but ultimately triumphant detective story transformed into a fucking tragedy that ends with two broken hearts. All I can offer is the comfort of knowing that for 130 years neither marriage nor death nor the near erasure of Watson from the first forty years of stage and film adaptations have been able to keep these two apart. They will find their way back to one another.

Oh, and you also might enjoy hearing that this play is totally ACD’s revenge on heteronormativity.

Okay, I can’t prove that. But it really looks like it. You may be aware of the 1988 play Sherlock Holmes, written by Doyle and William Gillette. If you’re like me a week ago, you may not know that Doyle wrote the original script himself, and Gillette became involved only when Doyle’s script was rejected and the producer urged him to bring Gillette on to rewrite it. I like to imagine that the rejection letter went something like: “Look, buddy, you can’t have Holmes staring forlornly after Watson while instigating a wistful conversation about love with Billy. You just can’t,” but realistically we don’t know why the first draft was rejected. But we do know that Doyle specifically requested that Gillette not give Holmes a (female) love interest, and that Gillette sent Holmes off into the sunset with a woman anyway (x).

Then, eleven years later with a failing theater on his hands, Doyle locks himself away in a room and says, “Fuck it. Imma write a Holmes play, and when I introduce him the first thing everyone is going to know is that he’ll never marry a woman, and the last thing the introduction will tell them is that he’ll never marry a woman and—you know what, I’ll take that Milverton story where Holmes groans about needing to date a woman and throw that in the middle.” And that’s true of the play even if you don’t buy the queer reading. But also, its super gay.

And frankly I just love that not only did Doyle refuse to give in to society’s attempt to fit his story into their heteronormative mold, it actually worked and Doyle made up all the money he was poised to lose and more by shoving a gay love story into his audience’s face.

Well done, ACD, well done.

Conclusion: Should You Read It?

I mean, I think my answer is fairly obvious by now. If you’re interested and have the time, it is 100% worth it. And I hope it doesn’t feel like I’ve spoiled all the good parts. There are reams of gems I didn’t even allude to—and that’s not counting everything I doubtless missed.

I just have one request: if you do read the play and end up posting about it on tumblr, would you tag me in your comments? Hearing someone else’s thoughts on this hidden treasure would be a delight.

@thespiritualmultinerd @a-candle-for-sherlock @missallainyus @steadymentalityengineer @iant0jones @devoursjohnlock @disregardedletters

#ACD cannon #Holmes adaptations #the adventure of the speckled band #the speckled band play #Arthur conan doyle #stage adaptation #johnlock #meta #sherlock holmes #John watson

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i-am-adlocked · 7 years ago

Text

Reasons to Love Adlock #3

I was going to answer @aurora-borealisss on her post when she said: “we actually got stuck because we couldn’t indicate when exactly it all started. I mean when did Sherlock fall for her and who, in the end, was the first one to fall in love with another?”

I’d say just go to my tag: Reasons to Love Adlock. It’s just some “metas” I wrote about Adlock and stuff.

She said to feel free about details... It was supposed to be short but...

FACTORS ON HOW SHERLOCK AND IRENE STARTED THEIR CHEMISTRY

I don’t think Sherlock and Irene fell in love quickly, but we can never really pinpoint the exact moment they felt their own definition of “love”. I personally think they both felt the something after their first meeting. It wasn't love at first sight. It was more on something after first connection. It just so happened that they had a deep connection immediately on the day they met.

I don't think love perfectly suits Sherlock and Irene. They're them. Somehow, it just makes sense. How do you explain Adlock? It's Adlock. The name itself explains their relationship... A relationship too complicated for us to comprehend, but it's too simple for either of them.

I never believed they were confused with their feelings. They knew exactly what happened to them... They just don't like it.

But there is only one exact moment where they addressed it... confessed it, even. That scene where Sherlock opened Irene’s phone.

But how did they get there?

01: INTRIGUE

Happened the moment they made business with royalty.

Sherlock was directed by the Queen of England to get the photographs from Irene. Irene was directed by the Napoleon of Crime to get the meaning of the codes from Sherlock.

Sherlock was intrigued with...

Irene's cunning personality

how Irene handled with the authority (royal family, informing them of the existence of the photographs)

how bold Irene is to ensure her protection against the royal family

how she intimidates people with her power play

Irene was intrigued...

with Sherlock's stubborn personality

with how Sherlock handled with the authority (royal family, refusing to be decent because he doesn't like anonymity)

with how bold Sherlock is for going in public wearing nothing but a sheet

with how he intimidates people with his unpredictability

02: FASCINATION

Happened on the first twenty seconds (I timed them) after meeting for the first time.

Even though they had twenty seconds before being interrupted, they had already started a huge game and when they don't plan on losing.

Sherlock was fascinated...

with her audacity to be entirely nude

when he knew she was doing this to put him off balance

when she kept flirting with him to intimidate him

with her confidence

with her playfulness

Irene was fascinated with...

with his stoicism at the face of her nudity

when she knew he was doing this to tell her he's not going to lose

when he kept eye-contact with her to intimidate her

with his self-control

with his evenness

03: HARMONY

Happened when CIA trained killers attacked Belgravia.

Most of these happened nonverbally (which says a lot tbh).

Sherlock harmonised with Irene...

when he looked at Irene to point out that she's involved with something bigger than just clients

when he looked at her to stop her from continuing after she tried to tell the agents that Sherlock doesn't know her combination so he and John won't stand in the crossfire

when he looked at her in desperation for help in opening the safe

when he looked at her to ask if there is a trap in the safe

Irene harmonised with Sherlock...

when she looked at Sherlock to point out she doesn't know how truly dangerous her phone is

when she looked at him to tell him that she tried all she could to keep them both out of this mess she had created for herself but had not gone as well as she'd hope

when she looked at her own body to tell him her body's the answer

when she nudged her head to tell him to dock under the safe

Here’s a GIFset of this exact whole thing: LINK

04: RESPECT

Happened when the other took domination.

Sherlock respected Irene...

when she managed to render an agent unconscious using her element (knowing the human body)

when she threw him unbalance by touching him

when she was a full-on dominatrix again, using her whip

when she proved him wrong (surprising him by not going down without a fight for her advantage, something he usually does)

when she managed to beat him

Irene respected Sherlock...

when he managed to open her safe using his element (knowing whatever the hell he knows)

when he threw her unbalanced by accusing her

when he was a full-on detective again, using his wit

when he proved her wrong (surprising her by observing her physical body for his advantage, something she usually does)

when he managed to engage her

05: CONNECTION

Happened immediately after Belgravia.

Sherlock...

shared his mind palace (something he values so much)

listened to her intently despite already solving the case (he could have easily filtered her out)

made her physical form wear his coat in his mind palace because he felt that they were equals

tried looking for her frantically when he woke

Irene...

shared her time (something she needs, being on the run)

stayed beside his bed to talk to him despite him being unconscious and her running away from the police

went out of her way to bring his coat back

More meta about this: LINK (more words + ugly and first GIFs I ever made) Another link about their behaviour in this scene: LINK (less words + GIF)

06: DISTANCE

Happened after the day they met.

I believe this is when they felt something for the other.

In between those times, something happened between them that even I cannot explain. In between those times, they've delved deep into the other. I doubt they were confused with their feelings. I think they are perfectly aware of what's happened to them... that they've grown a something for the other.

Irene knows what love is. Sherlock knows what love is.

They know something shifted between them after their first meeting. It was attraction but as they had distance, they started to reflect on more about the other, thought too much about the other... until attraction became something more than what they bargained for.

From their first meeting alone, they found out more about the other than they'd like to have or what they were planning to have. Irene wasn't just a woman to steal photographs from. Sherlock wasn't just a man to remove out of her way. They've grown an interest with the other...

...and as they had that distance, I think they started to realise how crazy they are, how alike they are... and they both know they've felt it, whatever "it" is for the other, but they didn't want that.

Them being them... It made several reasons why they can't address it besides the fact that they are stubborn and don't want to admit that they both lost a war they tried to start.

Sherlock can't because...

he's a detective with many powerful enemies

he's going against Moriarty

he's earned the reputation of not falling victim to emotions

he identifies himself as married to his work and work alone

Irene can't because...

she's a businesswoman with many powerful clients

she's working with Moriarty

she's earned the reputation of not falling victim to emotions

she identifies herself as someone who likes women a little bit more

With that, they try to supress and brush everyone else off when they try to question them. They are not machines, though. They show enough to others. They're humans, too. It happens. They just don't try to be bold about it. It just is.

07: DEFIANCE

Happened before Christmas until Christmas itself.

I think, after they realised what's happening to them...

Sherlock defied...

the government (Mycroft) by hiding important information/property

his previous desire to stay stoic about her death

his own integrity of not taking a cigarette over anything

himself by submitting to his grief over her

Irene defied...

the network (Moriarty) by trying to get out of her deal with Moriarty

her previous desire to not grow attached to him

her own integrity of not trusting her phone to anyone ever

herself by submitting her life in his hands

I have made a more detailed meta about this part here: LINK

It shows more on their defiance against Mycroft and Moriarty. How Sherlock actually withheld information even when it was unnecessary and the reason why Irene actually faked her death.

08: RESIGNATION

Happened on New Year's Eve.

Sherlock was resigned...

when he has to accept that she had actually died

enough to write a violin composition in her name

when he was forced by his own emotions to express his grief

and broke John's belief that he would never be heartbroken over a woman

enough to make John realise he cares about her

Irene was resigned...

when she has to accept that she can't convince John

enough to take her phone back for his own safety

when she was forced by John to confess that she's not dead

and broke John's belief that she's only using Sherlock to mess with him

enough to make John realise she cares about him

At that point, they had already lost on each other. John was already a witness to the downfall of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler against each other.

They're already showing signs of something with each other, and they both know it. They have to force themselves to admit to it at that point because there's no point in denying it to themselves. This is the point where they address to themselves that this is definitely something they can just suppress. They've done so much. It's too stupid to deny something blatantly obvious to themselves.

And I think they were both aware of how the other was taking it at the same day.

Irene felt Sherlock has feelings for her...

when he let himself be known that he was there at Battersea (he could have easily left the building when Irene sent that text but he didn't)

Sherlock felt Irene has feelings for him...

when she let herself go and admitted to John about her own feelings about Sherlock (when she said "Look at us both" to John, that did it)

But even then, they were both uncertain about the other, but they had sensed that there is some mutual connections involving either of them.

09: UNDERSTANDING

Happened after Battersea.

Irene understood...

that he needed some time alone to process the fact that she's alive and was in shock, which is why she stopped John from following Sherlock

Sherlock understood...

that she wanted an intial text from him instead of a reply as a small indication that he wants to keep contact which is why he greeted her

After New Year's, they both probably were now more sure that the other has reciprocated their feelings... and they are both very pleased with it... because they had just gone through hell denying it to themselves so it must have been freeing to know that both of them were torturing themselves because of what has happened.

I think they both blame each other for being like this HAHAHAHHA

10: ADMISSION

Happened when they saw each other again until now.

When they saw each other again, there’s no doubt they’re already aware of each other’s feelings... and they’re both elated to seeing each other again.

They’re much more playful with each other via sass.

“Who’s that?” “Killers?”

“I assumed you’d pick something more specific than that but thanks anyway.”

They’re both not adhere to complimenting each other.

“Oh, you’re rather good.”

“You’re not so bad.”

AND OH GOD, THE EYE SEX THEY HAVE TOO MUCH EYE SEX AT THIS POINT

What happened in that fireplace scene... They’re already aware of what is going on between them but I think they had different agendas at that point.

Sherlock...

checked her pulse and pupils to confirm that she truly has feelings for him... he didn’t know he was tricked... he didn’t have a reason to check her feelings at this point... he just wanted to make sure for himself... why? because he wants to know it’s legit

“It’s not the end of the world.”

After confirming her feelings, to him, it’s not the end of the world, it’s not their very last night... He’s finally taking her up on her offer. He’s telling her that they probably even might.

Irene...

wanted to have that dinner because she knew she had betrayed him and this is the only chance she has left with being with him before he shuns her away for hurting him... she knows that if he leaves 221B by then, she would never have dinner with him. ever.

“Too late.”

It’s the end of the world for her. Mrs Hudson calling Sherlock means that Sherlock will be sent to Mycroft. Sherlock will know what she’s done. It’s the end of the world.

Meta on how their physical affection changed since this scene: LINK

At the end of the scene with the negotiation with Mycroft...

At that point, they are both hurting. Sherlock is confused because he was pretty fcking sure Irene had feelings for him... Irene is sure Sherlock will never forgive her what she’s done... Both of them were sure. They were a giant almost but Moriarty had to meddle with both of them...

...and here, they both address and do not deny that they have feelings for each other... and...

im dead

im just dead...

im dead guys...

idk how to continue :)

ive gone down to adlock hell too much...

im getting stressed

i love them so much

im sorry

#adlock #irene adler #sherlock #sherlock holmes #bbc sherlock #asib #a scandal in belgravia #benedict cumberbatch #lara pulver #sherlock bbc #rtla #sherene #sherlene #irenelock #adlock yacht #the adlock yacht

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skelimagines · 7 years ago

Note

Squeels, HOW about!!! UT and uf bros with an so who is very music like. They write music and play alot of instruments but when they mess up they trash songs. One day the skelly finds a balled up sheet of music paper and sees lyrics about buying the skelly a star but at the end the rest of the lyrics are scratched out and a note at the bottom it writes I'm so nervous to sing for him. Idk it sounds good in my head, I bet you'll make it sound better though!

I think I get it. It’s a cute prompt! ~Mod Feral

UT Sans

He liked looking at your trashed songs and compositions, because, to be simple, it’s fun to look at what you fudge up on. He doesn’t share them with anyone else, but only sometimes will bring them up with you to mess with you. So when he found this one he was shocked and flustered. As he reads it, he finds it not too poorly written. Not extremely good, mind you, but not bad either. He takes a different approach to this one by attaching his own notes to it and attaching it to your workspace. The notes give you more of a proper rhyme scheme in the few areas and ends with a “finish it and record a performance for me to hear. love all stars, especially you.”

UT Papyrus

He always looked at your work as he cleaned because sometimes he helps you get the motivation needed to rework it instead of trashing it completely. When he reads this one he’s amazed. He doesn’t quite get why someone as talented as you would be so nervous about singing to him. He’ll approach you the same way he did on other ones, except with a light orange dusting on his cheekbones.

UF Sans

He doesn’t usually look through your stuff, but something about the way this one was balled was different. Unique. He had his curiosity take over, which was rare for him, and he uncrumpled it and read it. It wasn’t your best work, that’s for sure, but he could almost feel the heart and soul poured into it. He was going to shrug it off, the almost gross romantic madness you wrote, until he read the last little note. He flushed red and recrumpled it. He thought he’d try and make you even more comfortable around you, but rest assured he’s not gonna share why.

UF Papyrus

He hated your workspace. You were terrible at keeping it clean, and he always, always had to clean it himself. He would unball random works for entertainment as he went, so when he opened one so sickenly sweet and yet amazingly romantic, he had to read the full thing in proper order, even straining his eyes in order to get some of the words scratched out. When he read the final bit, the note to self, he finished the cleaning and approached you directly, demanding you step out of your comfort zone and sing to him anyway.

#undertale #underfell #sans #papyrus #uf sans #uf papyrus #x reader #undertale imagines #pro-snape

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loboglobalmedia · 4 years ago

Text

CAN YAMAN & DEMET ÖZDEMIR

(This is a translation of the original note written in Spanish)

AN INSTALLED FORMULA

It is easy for people who achieve a good combination in their joint work, put together a FORMULA, install it and position it. And when that FORMULA is the architect of total success, disintegrating that partnership that was the focus of public appreciation is a difficult task. It is not impossible, of course not, but it will require very careful analysis of what strategy to carry out so that both regain their identity and the public values them individually. We see it followed in the Political FORMULAS, which are put together and disarmed thanks to teams of strategy advisors that will make you choose them again.

THE CANDEM & CANEM FORMULA The same is true in the artistic medium, we were spectators of the fantastic FORMULA composed by Can Yaman & Demet Özdemir, the protagonists of Erkenci Kuş. In this family series, suitable for all audiences, careful in what they 'showed', we were convinced that their love pierced the screen. A perfect and unbeatable chemical composition, which was awarded and recognized in Turkey as abroad winning thousands of fans around the world. And if you also tell the information and rumors that this love was still off set, let me tell you that you will need a lot of strength to lift the anchor and set sail for a new destination or project. But, what happens when the series ends and the protagonists must take a new job? How can we get the audience to agree to see them with a new partner without "attacking" against the previous FORMULA that has been tattooed on the viewer's heart? It will be a challenge for producers, marketing experts and advertisers to convince the public of that acceptance in a new story, the goal of which will be no more or less than to install a new FORMULA. FIRST THE LADIES The first to try to break the paradigm was Demet Özdemir, who taking the opposite path to romantic comedy, stars today, with the talent that we are accustomed to ¨Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir ¨ (the house where you were born), a true drama, by the hand of Ibrahim Çelikkol. Why him? Let us begin by highlighting that he is a very dear, talented and experienced Turkish actor. But, from our point of view, we understand that there was an essential component in the search for the profile that is related to the personal life of the actor: low profile, married and with family. Are you surprised? Not to us, because that detail that does not seem important will be the unconscious guarantee of the acceptance sought. Even the actor who appears as her partner in the first chapter meets the same requirements. Chance? No. On Demet's part, it was also key to keep their private life out of exposure, of course, those of us who know the media business, we know what happens in the face of a lack of information, but this is what we'll talk about later. Even a minor detail that the press has installed, at the time of ending Erkenci Kuş, the belief that Demet had fought with Can Yaman and that not only did she not want to know more about him, but also that she was in relationship with the success they did together. This supposed dissociation undoubtedly favored the welcome to the new FORMULA. And if they put even more inventive and creativity into this, they could even convince us that the actress had hired a company to remove from the internet search engines any trace that the relationship affectionately with Can Yaman. How lucky that many of us read the news wisely and don't believe everything they postǃ THE FORMULA Demet & Ibrahim was accepted, perhaps not with the absolute fanaticism that the CANDEM & CANEM FORMULA. We can interpret that this is due to several reasons, firstly Can & Demet had left the rod very high at the level "LEGENDARYDUO", what they transmitted together was really magical. Second, the new story doesn't give rise to moments that show the madness of two lovers who seek each other with soul and life until their eyes connect and sparks emerge like fireworks. We should also keep in mind that the audience that viewers of a romantic comedy like Erkenci Kuş differs from that of the drama, because in the first we will be able to find children and teenagers that catch them a romantic and funny story, even more so when it is starring young influencers. Similarly, the number of older people who prefer to abstract themselves from a reality with drops of sadness, with a story that invites you to laugh and dream, is superior. IT'S CAN YAMAN'S TURN After serving in his country and spending time in "boxes", came a project that caught Can's attention and the time to embark on the adventure bound for BayYanış (Mr. Incorrect) has arrived. Preparing the ground for what is to come, Can shared images of his life showing mostly alone or with his mother, without fans or situations where he could see him with some company. Prior to this enthusiasm and expectation, some "brains" have analyzed how to put together a new FORMULA. What did they choose Özge Gürel? But hadn't the press told that no one wanted to work with him again? Maybe you feel cheated, it's not for less, so the press works, how lucky you didn't believe them againǃ The chosen profile, arguably, is that 'kill two birds with one stone'. A safe bet, hand in hand with this talented, versatile and beautiful actress with whom Can has already shared the lead in "Donulay". Both Özge and Can are very much loved abroad, especially in Italy and Spain, which allows us to project the commercialization of the series outside Turkey. And of course, there was no shortage of the ingredient we suggest: Özge has been in a couple for many years with a talented, attractive and well-known actor, while keeping both a low profile, in a relationship that we might call "sweet, durable and pastel color". Will we let Özge kiss Can? Of course! THE PRESS - That Partner / Evil Needed Always remember that the press will collaborate in the promotion of the actors, their series and illuminate them with the most powerful focus to capture everyone's gaze, but this is not free. In exchange for this 'service' they will need a kind of "coima", said in other words, they will want to be part of the business, of that brightness that they themselves helped to illuminate (and that they almost believe that the actor owes them their popularity). How will they do that? Do you think a magazine sells because the headline announces who the actor was inspired to develop his new character? No, let's be fooled. The press will need as currency PRIVATE LIFE INFORMATION, this is non-negotiable. Some Hollywood actors, experienced in the subject (who have already gone through all kinds of situations), usually generate their own rumors and the press operators will deal with the distribution. They will eventually deny them, but in the meantime, the magazines achieved the expected sales. Romances, acquisitions, investments, how much they earn, who they're fighting, what they did on their vacation, how much they spent, who they spent the night before, and even what religion they're dabbling into to find inner peace. Do you understand how it works? Now, what happens when this balance ¨I give you – you give me" breaks? Well, you as a faithful follower of Can and Demet witnessed many slander, remember? Can and Demet long to keep their private life in a safe under 7 keys and with exclusive access through their fingerprint. They will debunk, deny, hide, omit, distract, and if necessary lie to keep their eyes to another place. Occasionally they share a photo of their pets, some language they learn, a dance and how they are generous kids, some solidarity action that help spread. But this for the press, it's not enough, they can entertain them only for a few hours. Then, in the face of this 'unbalance' they are "forced" to invent the famous rumors of courtships, fights and situations that infuriate the fans. How sad we get when we read the opinion of many Turkish ladies prejudging Demet for the number of boyfriends attributed to him by the press. Or when many claim that Can and Demet hate each other. Please don't be ridiculous! Hate is not part of these kids' language. LAST STEP: 'Self-agreement: If you buy it, you can sell it Resuming our discussion on THE FORMULA, we cannot omit to refer to the brief note that can was made yesterday at the departure of Gold Film, after the meeting with the members of BayYanış. ¨Out of courtesy, the first questions he was asked were about how he was and the new series. After the press's "gentileza" was over, they quickly inserized the recent rumour made with editing techniques, by a character of little value, who would have built an image with a false conversation with Can. Of course, it had already been explained by his press advisor, which was an absurd lie with Photoshop. But the worst happened then, understand this well, from the commercial point of view on the way to the launch of your new series, when asked about his relationship with ¨Demet = PREVIOUS FORMULA¨. They pointed to 'if they made peace'. Then, began to circulate different translations from the original Turkish that divided the audience according to their interpretation. Let us remember that at the world there are few who perfectly master the Turkish language, outside Turkey, with the level of a ¨native¨', however much many can understand single words or make a literal translation word for word. Many interpreted the question as whether we wanted to know if there was a friendly reconciliation, leaving behind the so-called "fight or angry situation" (that made-up discord I mentioned earlier). On the contrary, others interpreted the question as to whether there was a "love reconciliation". Which of the two interpretations is correct? Neither, both or just one, does it matter? No. The important thing strategically in this instance is to take distance from everything that can relate them to the FORMULA Candem & Canem, because both Can and Demet choose to continue to grow in their artistic careers, choose to be part of this medium and choose that their private life, be private. We are confident that these sweet and hardworking guys will continue to learn day by day, achieving their professional & personal goals. Increasingly developing, the tactical knowledge that will bring them closer to a healthy and non-defamatory balance with the press. UNOFFICIAL INFORMATION - OUR ENIGMATIC Do we ever tell you about our TOPO Theory? We can divide them (topo = reporting mole) in 3 (three) types without evaluating the quality of the information, but how they give it. 1) The PRICE TOPO you charge for reporting, is an infiltrator or is close to one. 2) The SPEAKER TOPO, the one who heard something and freely distributes the information, carrying and bringing, just because it has a big mouth. And finally 3) The Innocent TOPO, is that person who, with a distance not so distant, who has feelings so noble and strong that it cannot avoid "highlighting" when false information begins to circulate.

Tonight, fans of CANDEM & CANEM, can thank Ms. No. 3 with a fair profile, are likely to be able to continue wearing their pink lenses. Say no more.

Go Back to Spanish Version Read the full article

#canyamandemetozdemirDemetÖzdemirozgegurelBayYanışcandemcanemevinDoğduğunEvKaderindirErkenciKuşerkencikusÖzgeGürelgoldfilmform

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