#never ending folie a deux this is true

[six-demon-bag]

Russet, Steel, Mulberry (affectionate, no broken ankle, I promise! I just need those unposted fics), Lemon (in a folie à deux same unhinged brainwaves platonic way)

everyone wants to kidnap me!!! im so popular 🥰🥰🥰

for this ask game

[rovingotter]

Heavy spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux beneath the cut.

Joker 2019 is a movie that is often misunderstood, and one that means a lot to me.  It doesn’t quite manage to nudge out some of my childhood animated favorites like The Last Unicorn and Watership Down, but Joker is definitely in my top three favorite live action movies.  It got me back into writing fanfic after a long dry spell.

I didn’t think it needed a sequel.  Most people didn’t.  The first movie told the story it needed to tell.  I was wary going into this.  After hearing that it was a musical (and with Gaga as Harley?), I didn’t know what to expect but I thought that even if it was bad, even if it completely misfired, it would at least be an entertaining and funny trainwreck. 

Turns out, it’s not funny at all.  This movie gutted me.

I wish it didn’t exist.  The experience of watching it was…I’m still processing it, but I think I can say at this point that it was an unpleasant experience, but also a captivating one.  I hate it but I also weirdly have a higher opinion of it than most people seem to.  I feel like it was tonally true to the first movie.  I think Phoenix and Gaga both breathed life into their roles.  The musical numbers didn’t seem strictly necessary but they also didn’t detract from the experience for me. Music was an important element of the first movie as well.

I also think the central premise is an interesting one.  Arthur, incarcerated in Arkham, is facing the possibility that he’ll be sentenced to death for the murders he committed in the first movie.  His lawyer is aiming for an insanity defense and tries to convince the jury that the Joker is a separate personality—that Joker, not Arthur, killed those people.  In order to save his own life, Arthur needs to convince the jury that he’s not Joker…or he can take a different path. He can say "fuck it," fully embrace the Joker persona and live whatever time is left laughing and watching everything burn.  This is what Harley "Lee" Quinzel, who admires Joker and the chaos he represents, wants him to do.

In the end, he does neither.

After being forced to sit in silence for days and listen to a defense that both infantilizes and dehumanizes him, reducing him to a set of symptoms, stripping him bare and putting all his pain and humiliation on display, Arthur can’t take it anymore.  He fires his lawyer (who represents his best hope of survival) and elects to represent himself.  Initially he tries to represent himself as Joker, to lean into that persona, but he’s not feeling it anymore…especially after the confrontation with Gary Puddles, the guy who was probably his only true friend before he became Joker.  In the first movie, Arthur spared Gary’s life but left him deeply traumatized after he witnessed the death of Randall, the coworker who bullied Arthur.  This conversation with Gary was one of the most riveting parts of the movie for me.  There is a nakedness and rawness to it. Arthur tries to say "fuck it," but ultimately, he can't. Not in the face of Gary's pleading and pain.

After this, some horrible things happen to Arthur in Arkham.  The guards beat him and brutally assault him.  They kill his fellow inmate who tries to offer him support, because the system is still ruthless and still failing vulnerable people.  Arthur is left broken, helpless. Again. Some people have interpreted this scene as the reason he ultimately sheds his Joker persona, but I think it would have shaken out differently if not for that earlier conversation with Gary.  Because Gary is possibly the only person who truly cared about Arthur, when he was only Arthur—a fellow outcast, and the only guy who never made fun of him. 

Joker makes fun of Gary, because Joker makes fun of everything.  And Arthur realizes that he’s not—doesn’t want to be Joker. At his core, he's sick of pain and violence, both his own and other people's. He wants to try to break the cycle.

In the end, Arthur stands before everyone not as Joker but as Arthur Fleck—he stands alone and naked, shattered, traumatized, with no remaining allies, and he takes responsibility.  He says that he did those things.  He did them because he was having a mental breakdown, yes, because he was wounded and wronged by an unjust world, but he regrets it, now.  He hurt some bad people, but he also hurt some people who didn’t deserve it.  He’s tired of being the clown.  He just wants to live.  That was all he ever wanted, really.  Just a little bit of kindness and respect.

This is his truth:  Joker is a part of him, but a part that was born out of pain.  His deepest self is Arthur. In admitting that, he lays it all on the line, in that moment. And this is, in my opinion, the bravest thing he could have done.  I had my hand over my heart for this whole scene. 

And for this small, fragile act of courage, he is utterly forsaken by the world.  Lee—the one person who he has a connection with—is in love with Joker, not Arthur.  She walks out of the courtroom.  She abandons him in his moment of greatest need—not out of malice, but out of weakness. Because she wants to live in a fantasy world and she can't handle the reality of who he is:  not an embodiment of chaos and power, not a symbol, but a man, a vulnerable man who is full of regrets but who is trying, in his own confused way, to be better.

The first movie was bleak but it offered a glimpse of a twisted kind of hope at the end with Arthur finding inner peace even as he’s condemned to a life in psychiatric incarceration for his actions.  This movie takes that bit of hope and grinds it into the dust.  It’s a tragedy, through and through.

Arthur’s random, pointless death at the end feels almost redundant because it’s made clear by that point that his spirit has already been slain.  His connection with Lee was all he had, and when it’s revealed to be an illusion, that’s it.  He can no longer exist as the Joker but he can’t exist as Arthur, either.  He tried his best and was rejected for it.  It didn’t work.  He’s done. 

There are a lot of takes about how this movie should have gone, and honestly, most of them sound terrible to me.  I think this is the only way a sequel could have gone while remaining honest, which is why I didn’t want a sequel.

You can’t hear me, Arthur, but I love you, and I’m proud of you for standing before the world as yourself, and you didn’t deserve to die the way you did. 

This world is fucking cruel.

[ajokeformur-ray]

My thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux

Now that I'm done sobbing and it's been a few hours since I left the cinema with my roommate, I've put the first Joker on for comfort while I write this.

Spoilers below the cut for anyone who hasn't seen it.

We all know that I was one of those "I don't want a sequel" girlies and in a way, I still am. I maintain that Joker didn't need a sequel, it was a perfect standalone. But, surprisingly, I enjoyed this film as it was.

It was very dark, gritty, the things we didn't get to see because they were only implied were things which stuck with me long after leaving the cinema, it was ambitious with Lee but didn't quite go as far as I would have liked with her; she had so much more potential and I thought we were gonna get that when she smashed the shop window to get a small TV with which to see her Joker on with a very sweetly spoken "excuse me" and then walked away without a fuss. It was gorgeously arranged, the songs were perfectly selected and I adore that That's Life played during the start and end; it brought our beloved Arthur to a full circle. And, most importantly, it was faithful to our Arthur. That's what I and so many others were afraid of, that this sequel would butcher our boy, but it didn't. It was faithful to him to the bitter, tragic end.

Joker was gorgeous. He was... so realistic, so raw and real and in pain, he was everything I always wanted this universe's Joker to be. I've always said in my fics and posts that Arthur didn't want to be Joker, it was something which the general public put onto him and he never wanted it, he just wanted to be seen, heard, accepted and loved for who he was, and even when he exposed his pain on national TV, he wasn't given that. He was ignored, spoken for rather than listened to, and then in this new film that carried on happening until yet again he stood up for himself and took what he knew to be right. He's the best advocate for himself and it's a lesson I need to learn from him a bit more than I have done before. But I digress... Joker was so perfect. And his little comedy moments did have me giggling, even through my tears at various points in the film.

I enjoyed the difference between how Joker and Arthur were considered, though we all know that the lawyer's initial defense, as well meaning as it was, was not it. Arthur was never gonna walk out of there without consequences and we all knew it. The constant switches between his delusions as Joker and the way he was stood still in Arkham or the courtroom were so well done, and I liked how murder was used against himself while he was waging between doing what people were telling him to do, and what he wanted to do for himself.

I was begging for Arthur to do the right thing the whole way through the trial, even though I knew what it would mean for him, and in the end he chose himself just like he did in the first film, and it was the bravest thing he could have done. It was utterly devastating, but in the end I think the way he chose to go down was the right way. He could have either continued being Joker and gone down being known for someone he wasn't and someone he had never been, or he could stand up, admit to who he is and display emotional maturity and speak for himself.

He chose the latter and I'm, in a very bittersweet way, grateful. I sobbed through most of the film but in the end, Arthur was himself, and it was so brave and so heartbreaking. This film was, at the end of it all, as true to Arthur as Arthur ended up being to himself (and I think it was because Gary's testimony and tearful "why are you doing this to me?" that was the catalyst behind Arthur making this fateful decision), and it was... it was so hard to watch, very difficult to stomach, but also I am proud of myself for going. I really didn't want to, I didn't, but Arthur would have gone to see us if the situation was reversed, and not going to see this film would have felt like abandonment of our boy... I didn't want to do that. I'm glad I went, but I'll probably take a long time before I'm able to watch it again, if I ever can.

The last scene especially shattered me, but I think that from a narrative point of view, it makes sense. Arthur was a tragedy, through and through. Though, he's an unreliable narrator, so who knows if we saw what we all think we saw? It was the perfect end for Arthur, as horrific, cruel, and brutal as it was, but the inmate was wrong... it wasn't at all what he deserved.

Our Arthur deserved sunshine, cuddles for days, kisses in the rain, dancing, singing, he deserved comedy nights and a dancing partner, he deserved so much more than what he got.

And the irony is that the people complaining that this Joker wasn't the Joker they wanted are literally proving the core message of the film; Arthur isn't Joker. He was never Joker, and that's why he was abandoned by so many in the film; by Lee, by those dressed like Joker, by everyone who wanted him to be someone he wasn't... he was given that title by people who didn't know him, people who didn't want to know him, Gothamites who used him and his crimes to justify and further their own political agenda, and, in the real world, by those complaining that this Joker isn't the Joker they wanted.

Arthur is Arthur Fleck, he's always been Arthur Fleck. He was willing to die to make that point, so in the end he died for himself, and it was so brave and courageous and heartbreaking.

I walked out of the cinema sobbing the hardest I've cried for a long time, but so much more in love with Arthur Fleck than I was before. I just want to tell him how sorry I am, and how loved he is by all of us. That's what he deserves.

❤️💚💙🤍

[cheeseandbretboy]

JOKER (2019) AND JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX (2024) SPOILERS !!!

still trying to sift through my thoughts but i liked joker 2. i dont get how the ratings are so bad?? were people expecting a romance???? a fun movie? i mean even i was surprised by the depressing end but im really glad it happened because thats what joker 2019 was about too. arthur was never the actual 'joker' we see in dc films, and we knew that. his whole story is tragic but a lot of people missed that in the first movie. the second speaks on that to humanise arthur (even though thats what they literally tried to do in the first one?? didnt work i guess) and shame those who use him as a symbol for misogyny and incel stuff. i think what most people are mad about is how hes not as 'villainy' as the other jokers BUT AGAIN he was never the true joker and im confused as to how people missed that !! personally i loved how it shows that even after he's secured himself the identity of joker he's still repeatedly exploited as he was before that, and he has to come to terms with it. harleys character was really surprising for me because usually she's the one being manipulated by joker- in this case it was the other way around. especially interesting was how joker was the one who sung 'bewitched' about harley (the original song is sung about a man, so they had to change he/him to she/her) and the scene of joker and harley's show where she continues singing 'to love somebody' without looking at him, instead basking in the attention the audience gives her. people were expecting a twisted sexy romance between them but instead we were given something really uncomfortable and unnerving- like that sex scene. her character also gives insight into parasocial relationships and how weird and dangerous they can get. she never really knew arthur- she knew joker. the film starts with us finally happy that he 'for once in his life, has someone who needs him' and ends with us absolutely distraught. in the first movie, he says stuff like 'you dont listen' and 'i never knew i existed' and STILL after becoming an infamous killer, getting a show about him, EVERYONE talking about him, he's still not seen. there are just so many things the film points out about its fanbase (incels, parasocial relationships, identity, the glamourisation/sexualisation of violence, columbiners, exploitation etc etc) and i guess people don't like that. they want capitalism=bad, 'men have it so bad', and mm gore! which is fair- i loved it too- but it doesnt hurt to delve into the identity of 'joker' (whatever that is) and how that influences its viewers. its quite meta i like it a lot. they didnt care that the ratings would be awful because they had to speak on what the first movie did to people

oh also the intertextuality is just amazing. the songs are great, like i mentioned before with changing the female and male roles with 'bewitched', and even though i absolutely hate musicals this really worked fo rme. i think it's because musicals often have songs smack bam in the middle of realistic scenes and the singing just ruins it for me- but in joker 2 they're more often a part of arthur's fantasies so it was actually better. i wasnt sure about the musical element at first but after rewatching joker for like the 1000th time i realised how much its intertwined in the first movie- we just never really paid attention to it. the end of 'gonna build a mountain' was amazing (you have to pay attention to the lyrics), 'the joker' was great, and the few instances of violence we see from arthur while hes singing is really entertaining i love it sm. i keep mentioning 'betwitched' but i love it. 'she is cold, i agree, she can laugh, and i love it' ahh. i loved the intertextuality with nolan's the dark knight. a lot of people hate it, but i think people should be more flexible with inspiration and interweaving similar but different stories into films. just because it follows a similar story doesnt mean that it should either perfectly fit the mould of nolan's batman, but neither does it mean they should abandon it altogether either. harvey dent really surprised me, and even though he was a pretty minor character i loved the few references to nolan's batman they give (like his gory face after the explosion at court being a possible villain origin story). most obvious is the end though, where arthur is gutted by that inmate who admires him. the use of the joke was amazing and i was really surprised by how he got stabbed. you can see in this moment that arthur has been relieved of his identity of 'joker' and can finally rest as himself, just a mentally ill guy with a history of tragic abuse. when lee and his fans betray him (the real life ones too hilariously) we realise no one truly saw or loved him, and he couldn't deal with that. so, the identity of joker was passed on to that inmate- "ah, what a fine young son to take my place"- while he cuts a glasgow smile into his face. in felt this was sort of missing from joker 2019, so im really glad they used ledger's joker as inspiration for this inmate.

there's a lot more to talk about, ESPECIALLY gary's reappearance which im so so glad about, it really fleshed out his character. when he walked up to the stand, you can see people whispering and laughing at him- arthur never made fun of him. it really helps to make people question what constitutes a bad person. sure, these people didn't kill 6 people, but how easy would it be for them just not to laugh? it showed arthur's empathy, and how uncomfortable he was with admitting to it when trying to paint himself as the joker. "you were the only one who was nice to me" was said by arthur in the first movie when he kills randal and gary says something similar to him during court.

anyways wow that was great people are mad the 2nd movie is as depressing as the first (if not more). at the end ofthe first, arthur has a whole revolution loving him, and we did the same. at the end of the second we realise we never truly knew him, but exploited his character.

[bakedbakermom]

okay @deathsbestgirl asked so here is my little essay on why folie a deux is THE quintessential x-files episode. the distillation of everything that made it great.

so. first of all. imho, the best episodes/monsters are the ones who draw from a genuine human fear, turning our small private anxieties into full-blown paranormal horror. who among us hasn't felt like our job was sucking the life out of us, our boss was a monster, and every day in the office you inch closer and closer to being a zombie? in folie, it's TRUE. imagine the terror of seeing your coworkers reduced to walking corpses, no one believing you, knowing your turn is coming. the skittering noises creeping closer and closer. you, helpless at your desk. (also the late-stage capitalism certainty that somehow your corpse will be forced to work even after you're dead.)

then we get profiler!mulder, gently mocking himself ("monsters? i'm your boy") - showing off his brilliant mind as he dissects lambert's manifesto, empathizing with him to protect the hostages even as he endangers himself. he goes even further after lambert dies, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that he was written off as a madman, putting together the pieces that no one else even cared enough to look for. this is mulder at his CORE. the man who believes, who wants to believe, who doesn't let the label of "crazy" stop him from opening the box to see what's inside and decide for himself, who puts justice and truth above reputation and even personal safety. no one takes him seriously, he knows EXACTLY how it feels to be labelled and dismissed, and that makes it all the more important to find the answers.

meanwhile scully is doing the exact same thing, but in her particular flavor. digging through the files to find the phrases that rang out in the manifesto. protecting mulder during the hostage situation by sending in disguised SWAT cameramen (because she remembers duane barry Very Well, and if she can't be in his ear this time, she'll send in someone else to be her eyes). she doesn't want to do the autopsy, she doesn't want to see; but she is so curious and so unself-consciously committed to understanding the world through the lens of science that once she starts to see the pieces, she cannot not start putting them together. THAT is scully at HER core. she also covers for mulder when he goes off on his own, because while she may not believe him or stand behind his methods, she knows he only does this because his heart is in the right place. and if there's one thing she has to protect, its his heart.

then. oh. then. we get the msr-iest line to ever msr. one in five billion. if ever there was a beating heart to the x-files, it is that. i trust you, you trust me, and when we trust in each other god himself cannot stand against. in an episode about not knowing if what you're seeing is what is true, the way they SEE each other, understand each other in this scene is almost painfully poignant.

(i hope when pincus looks back at the time he was nearly caught, he recognizes the poetry inherent in stumbling across the only two coworkers he could never divide.)

finally, the ending. what always makes this show work, to me, is the way mulder and scully come together, bringing their disparate viewpoints and opposing investigation methods and ultimately synthesizing one truth, one solution that saves the day. seeing things the way the other sees, so both can understand. here, it is literal. scully comes to it from her own direction, finding the science to support mulder's theories, and that is what allows her to see the truth of what he sees. (field trip does something similar, but that time it goes both ways, buuuuut that is also an essay of its own.)

so, yeah, what makes this episode x-files condensed into its purest form: our characters charactering perfectly, a premise that is both grounded and terrifying, the idea that it is only ever the two of them who could figure this shit out because they're so perfectly matched.

even the phrase folie a deux IS the x-files. that basement office is a bedlam, population: 2. a madness only two can ever hope to share.

[carefulfears]

we've both talked about how scully isn't jealous fire. what differences do you see between protective scully vs jealous scully?

yeah to me the main difference is that one is more external and the other internal. she gets very emotional when she’s jealous. in episodes like alpha (literally sitting that woman down and going “i’m watching you.” cracks me tf up. Dana nobody is taking your man.) and war of the coprophages, it’s kind of angry. it’s louder, but still something very vulnerable and true to her (hater-ism). in episodes like the end, it’s heartbreak. that’s one of the very few episodes where i think she was purely jealous, and sad. she usually understands what’s going on and i think she knew as soon as she heard him call diana by her first name that something was going to change. i think it hurt her feelings, that specific display of connection, usually reserved for her.

when she’s jealous she retreats. she watches quietly. she cries alone in her car. she needs a moment to herself.

it’s when she’s protective that you can’t shake her for anything. one of my favorite images in fire is her standing in the doorway while mulder and phoebe meet with the arson specialist. i didn’t even notice she was there the first time i saw it. she wasn’t invited. she’s just keeping watch. later, she’s standing in the hallway. after that, she’s in his hotel room, and doesn’t leave when phoebe comes in. says “are you okay?” the moment they’re alone.

people write off her behavior in this one as being “jealous” because she has a lil crush and there’s another woman there, but i honestly find that dismissive. sometimes people discuss scully through such a wide lens, not taking into account who she is. she’s really surprised throughout the time that phoebe was there. it’s that soft edge that still shocks to cruelty, that she never really loses. it’s what shocks in the pilot when the doctor hits mulder twice. what shocks in the following episode when the government agents punch him on the side of the road. (look at you you’ve radicalized scully). it’s what makes her wary of jerry lamana, even before he stole mulder’s work.

but phoebe is so cruel, and so personal, and has so much history. it’s not jealousy that makes scully linger in doorways. it’s not jealousy that spawns that folie a deux. no one else understands. no one else can be trusted. (which i do kind of think started in fire, i’ve said before). she isn’t jealous that he startles when he hears this woman’s voice.

and i know that’s a lot on phoebe as an example, but it doesn’t stop. she doesn’t stop keeping watch. she doesn’t stop shocking to cruelty. she’ll get loud. she’ll make plans. she’ll surprise herself. and it doesn’t come with jealousy’s mortifying intimacy.

(don’t have much else to say but i found this from an old post of mine and wanted to share: “scully has that kind of protectiveness towards him that you have towards a child that hasn't been touched by the world yet. it's very 'the world is at least half terrible, though i keep this from my children.’ 'good bones' by maggie smith. scully in the beginning is like......there is something here that should have broken by now. and she wants to watch him be able to walk into every room with the most hopeful answer and a hand out to every stranger.”)

she shares him with the world only reluctantly, Etc etc

[francisballerhide]

An older viewer's perspective on I Saw The TV Glow

(content warning: discussion of spoilers, depression and suicidal themes.)

x-posted from the subreddit of the same name.

I am a queer, non-gender conforming (back in the day we said "genderqueer") person in their late 40s. I saw this the day before yesterday. I'm about five years or so older than the main characters (Owen and Maddy.) The equivalents to "The Pink Opaque" for my friend group that were on TV when we were the same age as the characters were Liquid TV and/or the 1992-era X Men cartoon (so as you can imagine, I've been ecstatic about the X Men 97 revival.) We were also obsessed with the film The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension.

I liked Buffy, but I was already in my 20s when it was airing.

And woah, this movie is very powerful and made me feel all sorts of things.

Like Maddy, I experienced a "break from reality" in my 20s. And I was deadset on finding someone to go on that "break" with me, to experience a folie à deux with, I guess. To help me validate that the imaginary world I was living in was "the real world," and the outside world where I was expected to "get a job and be a productive member of society" was fake.

I know in the context of the film, it's supposed to be implied that Maddy's story is true. She is really Tara, and Owen is really Isabel. But as someone who has been through something very much like Maddy describes (apart from the "being buried alive" part) it was difficult for me not to see Maddy as someone who did exactly what I did - who rejected reality as it is, and tried to check out from it completely.

But also, it's easy to see what Maddy ended up doing as a metaphor for attempted suicide - and that she might have been trying to talk Owen into going along with her on a second attempt, together, when the first attempt failed. And this may have been how Owen saw it, when he rejected it.

Because for me, adulthood felt the same way. You get a job. You try and fit in, or at least fly under the radar. It's not what you want to do - but society is constantly telling you, pressuring you, hassling you, that it's what you should be doing, what you need to do. Maybe you meet someone and settle down, maybe you don't. Maybe you have kids, and maybe you don't.

But one year passes, and then another. And then five years. And then a decade. And then three decades have gone by. And you don't feel it. It's just like skipping forward to the next scene on a DVD. And then you're old, and wondering where your life has gone. You haven't been living your real life.

And the thoughts running through your mind go: "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. This wasn't supposed to be my life. What happened to my life?"

And as someone with left-of-center politics and a not-always stable mental state, I think: "how much of this is down to reality being screwed up, how much of this is down to us living in a "Black Iron Prison"-style reality construct; and how much of this can be blamed on "late stage" or "end stage" capitalism, which never allows people who exist outside of a certain tax bracket to self-actualize at all?

What if it is "just the suburbs?"

The answer is to try and live your truth and be your authentic self, no matter what is going on in the world outside of that - no matter how difficult the world makes it. But not everyone is strong enough, or has the psychological tools to find their way to that.

I think I need to go back and watch this film again.

I also would like to recommend Matrix Resurrections to anyone who was bummed out by the end of I Saw The TV Glow, for what happens when the person who has been insisting "that beautiful, powerful person can't be me" suddenly decides to be that, anyway.

[devildomditzy]

Are there any fob songs you associate with Mammon? I was on a listening spree earlier when Disloyal Order came on and "What a match, I'm half-doomed, and you're semi-sweet" feels so MC/Mammon coded.

aksjs sorry my two interests constantly intertwine, and Mammon lives in my mind rent free 👉👈

oh ho ho I should have a large sign on my back that says please talk to me about fall out boy

I’m going to just give you the list and the lyrics, but this will still be a loooong ass post

I'm sorry this post took so long anon it's been sitting in my drafts forever.

From Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

Moving Pictures

"Last night I saw a movie And I thought about many movies I've seen at your house Excuse me if I'm rude But I'd rather that we just strike from the record ones I'd see again without you Leaning on my shoulder Distracting me from the plot line

Where can I go when I want you around But I can't stand to be around you? Go home, I'll walk myself to you I'll walk myself away from here"

From Take This To Your Grave

Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy?

"You need him, I could be him I could be an accident, but I'm still trying And that's more than I can say for him"

From From Under The Cork Tree

A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me

"And you're just the girl all the boys wanna dance with And I'm just the boy who's had too many chances I'm sleepin' on your folks' porch again, dreamin' She said, she said, she said, "Why don't you just drop dead?" I don't blame you for bein' you But you can't blame me for hating it So, say, what are you waiting for, kiss her, kiss her I set my clocks early 'cause I know I'm always late"

Of All The Gin Joints of All The World

"We're making out inside crashed cars We're sleeping through all our memories I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive (now I only waste my time dreaming of you)

Turn off the lights and turn off the shyness 'Cause all of our moves make up for the silence And oh, the way your makeup stains my pillowcase Like I'll never be the same"

Sugar We’re Goin Down

"Am I more than you bargained for yet? I've been dying to tell you Anything you wanna hear 'Cause that's just who I am this week"

From Infinity on High

Bang the Doldrums

"Best friends, ex-friends 'til the end Better off as lovers and not the other way around Racing through the city, windows down In the back of yellow checkered cars"

The Take Over, The Breaks Over

"Baby, seasons change, but people don't, and I'll always be waiting in the back room I'm boring, but overcompensate with Headlines and flash, flash, flash photography"

"Wouldn't you rather be a widow than a divorcee? Style your wake for fashion magazines Widow or a divorcee? Don't pretend, d-d-d-don't pretend"

From Folie à Deux

Disloyal Order of the Water Buffalos

"Oh, I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine What a match, I'm half-doomed, and you're semi-sweet"

Tiffany Blews

"Oh baby, you're a classic Like a little black dress You're a faded moon Stuck on a little hot mess (little hot mess) Whoa, whoa"

From Save Rock and Roll

Miss Missing You

"Making eyes at this husk around my heart I see through you when we're sitting in the dark So give me your filth, make it rough Let me, let me trash your love

I will sing to you every day If it will take away the pain Oh, and I've heard you got it, got it so bad 'Cause I am the best you'll never have"

Where Did the Party Go?

"This is the story of how they met Her picture was on the back of a pack of cigarettes And when she touched him he turned ruby red A story that they'll never forget, never forget"

From American Beauty/ American Psycho

Jet Pack Blues

"Did you ever love her? Do you know? (I remember) Or did you never want to be alone? (I remember)"

From Mania

Last of the Real Ones

"I was just an only child of the universe And then I found you, and then I found you You are the sun and I am just the planets Spinning around you, spinning around you You were too good to be true, gold plated But what's inside you? But what's inside you? I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you But not as much as I do, as much as I do, yeah"

Hold Me Tight or Don’t

"I got too high again, realized I can't not be with you Or be just your friend, I love you to death, but I just can't I just can't pretend, we were lovers first Confidants but never friends, were we ever friends?

But when your stitch comes loose, I wanna sleep on Every piece of fuzz and stuffing that comes out of you You, I took too many hits off this memory I need to come down"

From So Much For Stardust

Flu Game

"Last night I dreamt I still knew you You I carved out a place in this world for two But it's empty without you

I got all this love I've got to keep to myself All this effort to make it look effortless"

Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Hold me, hold me like a grudge The world is always spinning, and I can't keep up, woah Faster and faster, can't do it on my own Part-time soulmate, full-time problem, yeah So, hold me like a grudge"

"Call you up and demand, you have no fun without me"

From Believers Never Die Volume Two

Bob Dylan

"When they say, "You and what army?" I guess they're talking about you and me Baby, nobody will love you, nobody will love you like Like I do, I guess that's half true"

"Baby, no one ever thinks of you, no one ever thinks of you As much as I do, not, not even you"

"Cause everyone loves Bob Dylan I just want you to love me like that, yeah Would you bury me next to Johnny Cash? I'm obsessed, do you love me like that? Yeah

I'm sure there's a million more of their songs/lyrics I could correlate to him but we'd be here all day.

I could literally yap about Mammon and Fall Out Boy all day.

[soulsdontbreaktheybeeend]

Free and yet so trapped. Part 3

Summary:  Free is Joker. Trapped is Arthur. This story takes place some time after the end of folie a deux.

Part 1 | Part 2 <-

words: 1,490

The cold of the autumn night erased. Your face warmed up in return of his gaze. The contact of his hand on yours felt like one of those special sun rays touching your bare skin on that first awaited spring day.

“I’m y/n.” You smiled at him. “And um... thank you for, you know… being in the right place at the right time I guess, and above all… deciding to help.”

The words of your gratefulness settled down on him. He had helped. You were in need of help and he was able to provide it. It felt great to do something good. A feeling he no longer knew what it felt like. But what felt even better... it was well balanced. You had protected him earlier, defended him. It all fell into place. Almost like it was meant to happen.

“You’re welcome. If I hadn’t had fo-”

He let go of your hand. The warm rays of the spring sun immediately covered by a cloud that casts a chilly shadow. So did the expression on his face, you noticed. He took a step back. His hand raking through his hair. He seemed nervous and undecided.

Your curiosity about the completion of his sentence was awakened, but apparently he didn't finish the sentence for a good reason. You didn't want to put him under pressure. Clear enough there was a fight going on inside of him. You tried to lighten the situation.

“Soo Arthur… I didn't think you'd be wandering the nights of Gotham by yourself. Did you take a night off or something?”

Your question snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. His nervous gaze, which he had been fixing on the floor, rose and lingered on your eyes. You returned his gaze. The slight smile on your lips grew when you discovered one on his lips in response.

He hadn’t heard his real name for so long.

It warmed his heart and you could almost see that. But then his thoughts seemed to be taken over by something else. Something not nearly as lovely.

“Well... even a Joker needs a break from time to time.”

“Understood.” You nodded.

There was still something unspoken in the air, it was palpable for you. It had been emanating from him. You respected his reserve and continued to speak.

“I think it's very important to spend time with yourself. And I'm not just saying that because I do it a lot of the time.” You chuckled. “It can bring you closer to yourself and that's something really valuable. You know… reflecting and learning about who you really are. Value the right values in life.”

You really had no luck with your distraction. It seemed like you were just choosing the wrong words. He looked thoughtful. In fact, almost lost. Like he was trying to figure something out, but he couldn't come up with anything. Wrinkles between his eyes and on his forehead.

“Do you know, y/n? Do you know who you really are?” His voice an insecure whisper. He feared the consequences of opening up to someone again. It had never led to anything good, when he had allowed it to, tried to.

All you intended to do was distract him from whatever was gnawing at him, but now it took an unexpectedly different turn. A serious one. It was precisely this moment that confirmed your assumptions about Arthur Fleck. That the Joker wasn’t all there is. You had seen glimpses of his true self in various short videos on the news. But that was a long time ago. That side of him was nowhere to be found since he escaped the hospital after the attack. Since Harley appeared and claimed him her own. Until now.

You scratched your neck, took a deep breath and began, “I think I do… and all these sayings like ‘just be yourself’ are somehow no longer such complete bullshit, once you know about who you actually are.”

Processing your words, he looked at you with admiration. You eyed him up and down. The radiance of this outfit, the acts associated with this outfit. This make-up. But standing in front of you was exactly the person you had been suspecting all this time. The suit and make-up nothing but a shell.

“I believe everyone can learn that about themselves. At any time, you know. There’s no limit for it.” You said. Realizing...

“God I’m sorry, I sound like a fucking therapist.” You laughed.

It was infectious. His face finally lit up.

You fumbled in your pocket. “You smoke, right? You want one?” You asked, holding out a cigarette to him.

He took it and placed it between his lips. Your heads close together as your one hand fended off the wind while your other flicked the lighter to light his cigarette. While you were doing so, you couldn't stop yourself from taking a peek at his face. When your gaze wandered to his eyes, you felt caught, unaware, he had been eyeing you the same way. Not able to handle the sudden tension, you shyly took a few steps back to lean against the front door of the apartment building. Casually. At least you’d hoped so. You inhaled one long drag from your cigarette, blowing out the smoke, while your eyes were still locked. You needed to break the silence, or rather the tension.

“If somebody told me this morning, I’d be sharing a smoke with Arthur Fleck tonight, I would’ve probably declared them as crazy.” You scoffed.

You chose your words wisely now, in not calling him Joker.

He instead was posing in a funny way to present himself as Joker. It made you chuckle nevertheless.

“Imagine meeting that person again and telling them that they were absolutely right about that.” He joked.

While the two of you had expanded the scenario even further, everything felt so familiar. So good. Genuine. You had just stopped laughing at one of his jokes as you realized that.

“About half an hour ago, I wanted nothing more than to just be at home. All by myself. But thanks to you Arthur, I totally forgot about that. I don’t even feel like going home and it’s”, you checked the time, “oh my god. And I just said half an hour ago… it’s 2 am already!”

The shock on your face was for the little time you had left to sleep before your alarm clock rang again in the morning. The shock on his face was for the realization that he had to come up with whatever excuse he could give Lee. That look on his face didn’t escape your notice, but he already began, “I’m gonna wait here until you’re home safely.” He stumped out his cigarette.

“I think I can make it from here.” With a grin you pointed at the door directly behind you. While you put out your cigarette as well, you heard Arthur ask, “is one of these windows from your apartment?”

You point at one particular with you index finger, “Yeah. It’s that one on the third floor. Why?”

“Can you do something for me, y/n? Turn the light on in that room. To let me know for sure, you’re home safely.” His eyes emphasized the importance of his request.

You smiled softly and nodded, while taking in his appearance once more. “I will do that for you, Arthur. You stay safe too!”

Arthur lit himself another cigarette. Your back turned towards him already. His gaze attentive as you turn back around.

“Wait! How will I know you are home safely?” Because suddenly you really felt the need to know.

“Me?” A grimace of his face, his index finger pointing at himself, “The Joker?” He ridiculed his own words.

You couldn’t help but to roll your eyes at him. Knowing very well he’d get home safely.

“Good night, Arthur.”

“Good night, y/n.”

Arthur stood on the other side of the street and leaned against the wall. That window on the third floor firmly in focus. His mind going through your conversation once more. His name on your lips his favorite part.

Even before you put your keys to the side and took off your jacket and shoes, you walked straight through to the bedroom at the back and pushed the light switch on.

You weren't sure whether to go to the window or not.

Eventually you did and you saw him standing by the opposite building. You held up your hand to wave goodbye. And even over this distance, if not more, you could feel how he drew you to him like a magnet. A bond. Tension that could not be prevented by the glass of the window nor over the distance between the two of you.

So far still inexplicable. But already perceptible.

Your eyes meet again for a couple of moments. He flicks his cigarette away and disappears into the night.

______________

♥ taglist: @ithinkimaperson

[deathsbestgirl]

i think it's interesting people consider mulder more natural to rebellion. i would argue that he isn't. rebellion in this case, i mean, intentional, with a goal.

mulder rebels because of his core beliefs/values. he can't sit idly by. scully has the same core beliefs/values but she's also a rule follower — except when the rules are stupid or wrong. which is also true of mulder. he likely followed the rules until barnett. in young at heart, he explicitly says so: 'what does that tell you about the book?' this is long after he already tried to open scully's eyes to questionable bureau policy in the pilot: why do they label cases "unexplained phenomenon" and ignore them? breaking rules & policy wasn't his default either, until he realized how poorly they often served investigations & victims, how it endangered his coworkers & the public. sometimes, rules are worth breaking or meant to be broken. she's more likely to find loop holes to take advantage of. knowing the rules so well, she knows how they can be bent. (as does mulder!!) it's how scully defends him so well. until mulder, scully was trying to figure out how to best inhabit her core beliefs & values. she went into medicine to do good, but it wasn't the right fit. she went to the fbi for the same reason. justice is important to her, a core tenant of her beliefs. it's how she came to teach and speak for the dead, to pass on the importance of what she does to others in the fbi. and she finally ends up on the x files with mulder where she's able to use everything in her arsenal for justice, for good, for the truth. she is finally truly on the side of the victims. it's why she chose mulder & the x files in squeeze. it's why she followed him. it's why she stayed. these things extended to mulder, because what happened to him & his family, his sister, was real. it destroyed their family and they didn't have the truth. no justice was served. what exactly happened wasn't known. mulder had his beliefs, based on his regression memories. scully never fully believed in the science of it to fully trust his memories. but she believes in mulder, and she believes in the truth. none of this was an act of rebellion. scully chose to follow the truth, her truth. and that is with the weirdo in the basement determined to shed light on the truth, determined to help every victim abandoned by the mainstream to uphold the status quo. mulder & scully won't let them be forgotten.

this is one of the ways they are so similar. they come to rebellion when it's necessary. because they care about people.

personally though, mulder doesn't rebel. mulder wants approval & love & acceptance. he wants to give his parents answers about samantha's abduction. he wants to bring her home and put his family back together. he lets people treat him terribly despite how it hurts him. he doesn't intentionally hurt them the way they do him. he helps every person who asks for it, even at his own expense.

and again, scully is similar but she does rebel personally sometimes. but as @randomfoggytiger said, it's a cover. usually, at least as an adult, she's struggling to accept her choices, the truth of them. that's exactly what never again and all things are about. scully wants to be appreciated for who she is, and the men she loves often don't give her that approval. in mulder's case, not in the way she wants & needs. because she's not getting it, and things like paper hearts & folie a deux & fight the future...she starts to convince herself mulder doesn't need her, that he doesn't trust her (never again & in s6), that she's only held him back, that she hasn't made a difference.

anyway, idk what i'm saying anymore. but their work is different than their personal lives, as entangled as they are.

[caffeinated-eccentric-polymorph]

Joker 2: Folie a Deux was a good movie

Here's the unpopular opinion I talked about earlier- 'cause apparently people think this movie sucked? And I don't agree - same thing happened with the first movie.

Like, the first movie was described a lot as "an edgy movie for incels" and like...

As a person with disabilities, including mental illnesses, the first movie made me angry on Arthur's behalf. it made me hurt, and it felt great yet sad when he snapped.

Great because he was finally fighting back. Sade because well... He shouldn't have to, it should never have come to this.

The second movie, according to most, seems to be "a mockery of the people who liked the first one".

And frankly, I don't care if it was intended as such, because that's not what I saw.

What I saw, was the same man I'd come to grow attached to and care for in the first movie, dealing with the aftermath of his breakdown and struggling to keep a sliver of sanity and joy and hope in a world that never cared about him and never saw him as a person: only a monster, a freak, only things that excused abuse.

Well, except for the doctors, who saw him like a broken vase. Something fragile. But still not a person.

That last one shows a lot with the "Joker is an alter" theory they cling onto the whole time, when it's clear to the audience that it never was true. It's just Arthur, as he says in the end. it's just Arthur that couldn't take it anymore and did horrible things as a survival reflex. It shows with the way they expose Arthur in the courtroom: no regards to his dignity and privacy as a person.

The guards are only kind when you act as they see you: a criminal, under them.

The abuse depicted isn't graphic, at least it didn't seem graphic to me. But it still had an enormous impact.

The storyline with Lee I couldn't have been more happy with.

The moment she said "I wanna see the real you" while putting make up on Arthur, i knew how this was going to end. yet, I couldn't help but hope with Arthur. He seemed happy. But every time we saw lee outside of his daydreams, I couldn't be hopeful. Her demeanor screamed what was going to happen.

I loved how Arthur's daydreams portrayed this too. Not just in the obvious ways, like her shooting him. Music, in the first movie, was how you'd tell a delusion from a daydream. Arthur has music in his daydreams, he's an entertainer, he liked the scene. Lee, however liked the fame. That's the big difference I feel is subtly shown in Arthur's daydreams. He's singing because this is his world, he does whatever, and he likes singing. She's singing because she's performing, she's on a scene, sending a message.

As much as my soft heart wanted Arthur to have a happy ending, whether alone or not, I knew it wouldn't happen, and I don't dislike that.

He'd been on the brink of metaphorically dying when Ricky got killed, and he did when Lee abandoned him.

A happy ending was never an option, and at this point, I'm not sure what would've been more impactful: leaving him there, a shell of himself, or him dying for real - then again I don't think there's an objective answer to that.

I got surprised when he got stabbed. Not because it wasn't predictable: there'd been foreshadowing, it didn't come out of nowhere. No, i got surprised because, the thing with these movies, is that they suck me in.

Between the music, whether in the background or in a more musical fashion, the cinematography (lights, framing,...), along with how I relate to and feel for Arthur, it all has a mesmerizing quality that makes me travel far.

So, when Arthur got called for a visit, I got hopeful, genuinely. Because I didn't have my writer glasses on; that's not fun for a first watch. So I followed along, hoping he'd find a friend on the other side. Who? I had no idea, I just wanted him to be happy.

I was uneasy when he got stopped. I think that even if my conscious was too engrossed to realise the foreshadowing, my subconscious had gotten the message just fine. That's another reason why I felt the movie was well done.

The scene where he actually died, I think everything froze for me.

When I got out of the theater, I had to excuse myself to the bathroom for a few minutes. See, the thing with my group of friends, is that when we go see a movie, we discuss it immediately. I love that usually, but I was feeling... off. I still don't know what words I could put on what I was feeling. A sort of melancholic hopelessness, all the while knowing that it was just a story, that I wouldn't end up like this. I say this because, i think my first clear thought when i collected myself was "Is there no place for people like us?".

And obviously things aren't as bad as in fiction, but, well... i always make the joke that there's no need to read/watch dystopian stories anymore, because we're living in one. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate these stories. I just feel like we're living in one.

I'm not going to list off why, I'm sure you'll find many reasons yourself, many of which I probably wouldn't even have thought of. Isn't that sad?

I don't have a conclusion to this. There's more hope for most of us than for Arthur. But when you look at the fates of a lot of people like him -not the "power-tripping incels", as I've seen- people with disabilities, people in poverty, people who've or are being abused... Is there a world where we stop making victims?

Truth is, the real reason I wanted to put this out was to try to get rid of that feeling, the one that caught onto me as I left my cinema seat.

I thought putting it into words would help.

I don't think it did.

It still has a hold on me, although it's less overwhelming that that night, it's still there, a steady feeling for the last few days. I saw the movie last Thursday.

It's not that novel of a feeling. i remember feeling like this once, years ago. When I wasn't a kid anymore, and suddenly the world wasn't pretty.

Now I can see that the world is pretty. Humanity is wonderful. Still, it sticks to my throat like sticky honey, except it's bittersweet and it feels like rain and thunder and screams.

Have a good day/night, thank you for reading a lunatic's pointless rambles 💚

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Joker: Folie à Deux

Why? Why is the question that I beseech any storyteller to answer when making a film or even a sequel. Is it out of a thirst to finish a story that you began? Is it to live a bit longer with the characters or to reveal what is next for them? Is it to the second half of a planned multi-part story? Those are just a few questions I had going into this film and I have to say that a few questions were answered, but the biggest question I had came at the end of the film. Was this next chapter in the story truly necessary? The first film was a dark, heavy and true breathe of fresh air in the varied history of the iconic DC character. It gave us a look into a more disturbed and heartbreaking real person and didn't relent. It had an ending that was perfect and didn't need explaining. For the first half of the film, this film continues that same quality of storytelling that incorporates classic songs and uses them to illustrate the fantastical nature of the titular characters' mental state. Its brilliant and fun, but then the second half truly negates alot of it and left me feeling like all that potential was wasted. Its a sad day when you see so much love a care infused in a story that clearly was going somewhere, crash and fall apart under its own creative ambition.

Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck / Joker and he continues to add the same level of depth, wonderment and pain to his performance. We get alot of answers to the theories of the first film about the Arthur and many were great. I loved that there was a glimpse of his confidence returning as he fully re-embraces his true self as Joker. The problem here is that we knew alot about him already from the first film that it felt like a blatant retread. In the musical portions of the film, Arthur / Joker came to life in the most entertaining, vibrant and violent way possible. What I didn't like is the amount of easy mental manipulation that happens to him throughout. It goes along with the theme of mental anguish, but it felt not as smartly executed. Lady Gaga was excellent as his love interest Harleen "Lee" Quinzel. Of course she showcases her impeccable vocal prowess, but Gaga is a force of nature in her acting abilities. She captures your heart immediately and you see the instant chemistry between her Arthur seared into legend. It was a darkly woven love story that you wish to see play out and it does in the many vibrant musical sequences. The best scene between them in my opinion was the visitor scene that is in the trailer. It gives you the definition and direction of their relationship which was cool and disappointing. Brendan Gleeson was perfectly horrible and abusive as the Arkham State Hospital guard, Jackie Sullivan. He had a rapport with Arthur that had moments of levity, but never strayed too far from the awful truth of abuse. Harry Lawtey was great as Harvey Dent. He nailed that confident, law abiding nature of the character and he was a true standout in the court room section of the film.

Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir returns and delivers yet another moody, dark and heavy tone to the film. I loved that her score was interwoven into the many musical sequences and sometimes ended them. The musical sequences are truly the star of the film and they vary from homages of Sunny and Cher to the classic 1930's and 1940's French inspired scenery. My favorite was the stunning, violent and comedic number "The Joker is me". It adds many layers to the character and the tone of the sequence. Where this film falls apart for me, is the betrayal of the second half. It started off on such a high note of a man that was demoralized and once he finally re-embraces his true self, everything gets snatched away. Why didn't the story commit to the direction of a tragic love story? It was on its way to be a much darker version of Sid and Nancy that would've been sweet. Instead, we are treated to an end that pretty much insults the audience and destroys any sense of purpose for this bloated story. I get the message of the ending, but it was just unnecessary. This film gave me a flashback to Rob Zombie's horrible Halloween 2 and how that film was a middle finger to the studio from a visually impressive storyteller. What a waste of potential. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[27-royal-teas]

im gonna controversially rank every fall out boy album (writing this i am realizing HOW fucking obsessed i am with this band holy shitttttt) just for funsies and pls dont attack me these are just my opinions!!! I love all the albums there are just some I like more than others open minds open arms yk

8.) take this to your grave

Hey i know im aware its a classic but im just not a huge fan. All the songs kind of sound the same, this is true for any first album i think, especially from this time period (for instance. All time low i love you to death but put up and shut up just wasnt IT for me). its still a really good album!!! but like. Ive also only listened to saturday and grand theft autumn off of it so i guess im not much one to talk. I definitely need to give this album another try when i get the time! It’s just kind of difficult for me to listen to. Like reading lord of the rings. Everyone says it’s a classic and it’s amazing but it’s fucking DIFFICULT to get through

7.) american beauty/american psycho

Its ranked this low simply because its kind of too mainstream. There are, of course, tons of bangers (see: twin skeletons, favorite record, fourth of july) but yeah. I do end up skipping a lot of the songs on this album just cause they were really overplayed, but ive forcibly distanced myself from the more overplayed songs enough that an occasional relisten wont make me want to rip my ears off. Still a good album, (none of these are BAD ALBUMS by any means, just,,, not my favorite) 

6.) save rock and roll

Best way to come back from the dead imo. I love this album. I listened to it with the commentary queued before each song and it really did enhance the whole thing by listening to them discuss the meaning behind each one. Not a huge fan of ALL the features- i like all the songs and i wont skip most of them but i just dont really like courtney loves feature tbh shes kind of off the beat in her verse and my brain doesnt like it but other than that its a really good album. Also the youngblood chronicles have my entire heart on a plate istg

5.) from under the cork tree

I love this album i really do!! There are just other albums i like MORE. its a fantastic album full of fantastic songs (Our Lawyer and I Slept With Someone being my two favorites besides the obvious) and so many have really just become huge milestones in pop punk and emo music as we know it. This album was fucking INFLUENTIAL and really changed the entire music industry as a whole. How can you not love it??

4.) MANIA

Ah, mania, my musical wife. I love her so. I love this album so much, I don’t understand why it gets so much hate. Sure its different but i like different. It feels like there was a lot of love put into this album idk. Also there are no skips for me on this one (except for Hold Me Tight or Don’t, depending on what mood im in- ever since I found out Joe never plays guitar in that song at all it’s kind of changed my whole view of it). It really does bring to life how close the links are between music, how they’re not so far apart after all, how we can bridge the gap and make something purposeful and new. 

3.) so much (for) stardust

This was my first album cycle as a fan and i am having a marvelous time.  I feel like partly because of that its ranked so high, but i love this album to death. No skips, except maybe flu game. Loved the resurgence of pete’s slam poetry and i really do think that the orchestral arrangements brought it all together. Overall sm(f)s is a great album and im glad it was my first with them

2.) infinity on high

I seriously love this album SO much. however i do recommend watching the video for carpal tunnel of love. i think it ruined me. It’s absolutely horrifying but everyone should have the experience of being absolutely horrified by a fall out boy video at least once. Either way, great album and Hum Hallelujah is one of my favorite songs by fob. Everything on it is just so well made

1 ) folie a deux

I mean what else can i say? Its, in my opinion, the best fall out boy album of them all. The craftsmanship feels like someone really put their heart and soul into it. There is some delicate care within these walls. What A Catch makes me cry every time. My friends have heard me talk about 27 enough. Tiffany Blews is incredible. It’s just,, so FULL. idk

In conclusion you really can’t go wrong with any of fobs albums!!!! They are all hella bangers !!! Incredible masterpieces!!!! If you haven’t listened to any I highly recommend!!!!!

[usagirotten]

Movie Review: Joker: Folie à Deux is a hollow, unnecessary, mean-spirited sequel and a huge disappointment

It's no longer news that major film studios are going through a severe economic and creative crisis, and some of their biggest productions have failed during 2024. Specifically, after 100 years, Warner Bros is not at its best. They have risked a lot and generated so little, that it seems they have abandoned the quality entertainment that was once appreciated by both insiders and outsiders, who turned the studio’s productions into cult classics. In 2019, filmmaker Todd Phillips reinvented one of the most iconic villains of comics, live-action series, animated series, and cinema. Joker went from being just an origin story to becoming an instant classic. Its story and cinematography were never seen before, elevating and enriching the character at a time when the multiverse was all the rage. In 2024, a sequel was released, **Joker: Folie à Deux**, which was completely unnecessary. Since its announcement, it has been surrounded by many issues, resulting in extreme controversy and division. It's a film you either love or hate, with massive exposure that polarizes every opinion.

What is Joker: Folie à Deux about?

Two years after the events of the first film, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is confined to Arkham State Hospital, awaiting trial for his crimes. As he struggles with his dual identity, he meets what he believes to be his true love, the mysterious Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga). While enduring abuse, he realizes his world of madness is on the verge of collapse.

Talking about a sequel to a film that was complete in itself feels overly ambitious, stretching these characters further when their story had already been told. This story serves as an unnecessary epilogue to what we already saw, with some very interesting plot twists. For starters, much of the film is a musical, something that displeased most viewers and placed it in the eye of a storm of controversy, perhaps unjustified. The first Joker movie was surprising and highly original in its portrayal of a villain in a different light. Despite initial doubts, it became a brilliantly crafted character study, yet disturbing at the same time. It uniquely respected the original material while adding new creative elements. It had one of the best endings, which was fitting for the story being told, a flawless work that didn’t need a sequel. This sequel arrives five years later, apparently out of nowhere when it was first announced. Fans and critics alike were willing to give it a chance, but as production details emerged, our expectations shifted. The fact that the plot became a musical complicates the idea that we are watching the supposed continuation of the story of a murderer and criminal who sparked a significant social movement in Gotham City. **Joker: Folie à Deux** boasts of being an ambitious sequel, which perhaps had more to gain than lose. Some elements could have matched its predecessor, but instead, this feels like a near-total waste of resources and talent. Along the way, they could have explored incredible ideas and significant creative changes to enrich the story further. Unfortunately, the result has not met expectations, thanks to terrible narrative decisions, making this sequel entirely unnecessary. Many of us expected to see this character consolidate his development as the villain that the film itself needed, with subtle yet precise comic book references to make this part of a new universe where Batman could at least be mentioned as the nighttime vigilante trying to rid the city of crime. What started as an origin story could have added depth to the character, giving him new motivations to be even better—or worse—at what he does, in a city on the brink of decay. The film opens with a fantastic animation of Joker fighting with his shadow and singing in a fictional show where he's the protagonist. Afterward, the police break in and violently subdue him, a recurring element in the story to absurdly reflects how violence rules in prison. Then we see Arthur in live-action form, being verbally and physically abused by the guards. Being a murderer, he's treated as such. When meeting with his lawyer, he's charged with five crimes to be evaluated by a psychiatrist, to determine his mental competence for trial. If deemed competent, he will face trial and be placed in an appropriate hospital with trained doctors. His madness is justified by his traumatic childhood, which created a split in his personality—another person living within him called Joker, who committed the murders and caused a popular uprising. The script, written by Scott Silver and Phillips, contains plotlines that this film tries to explore but ultimately go nowhere. It's incredibly disappointing that this falls into complacency, considering how excellently the plot and subplots were explored in the first film. Here, there's very little ambiguity to make us question the protagonist's final fate, cementing more of his madness. The film’s main story focuses on the trial, paralleled with a romance that, at times, feels endless. It could have been entertaining if not for the excessive cuts and re-edits. In the end, the story remains shallow. As for what happens outside of that fantasy world, there's nothing new, original, or surprising to offer. Combined with its unbearable musical numbers, this is one of the most boring superhero films made to date. The musical scenes and dances add much-needed touches of color, along with a change in pace and setting. But calling this a musical is an overstatement. The musical sequences are dull and serve no purpose in advancing the story. Each song tries to have a deeper meaning to justify the actions and madness of Lee and Arthur. The scene from the trailer where they dance on the iconic stairs from the first film isn’t even in the movie, just like the courthouse steps. After establishing its own rules, this sequel betrays them. The main characters have very little development, and there’s no real chemistry between them. There’s no sense of true love or a solid future for both, as each looks out for their interests. A poorly written script, rewritten countless times, prevents these two supposed villains from coexisting in such a chaotic world. The biggest failure of this film is that it’s entirely unnecessary, and it knows it. On the other hand, there are speculations about what the studios did with all of this. The first film wasn't technically produced by Warner Bros. Studios but made with a more modest budget. Warner distributed it because they held the character's rights. Rumor has it that executives pressured Phillips to make a sequel with a higher budget, and after his multiple refusals, they threatened to cancel his future projects. Faced with this, Phillips reunited with Scott Silver to plan a sequel imposed by the studio, hoping it would achieve equal or better results than its predecessor. Many ideas were proposed and rejected by executives, leading Phillips to decide on a musical format, hoping the songs would help tie the scenes together and smooth out the cuts. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. Whole sequences end abruptly, and the narrative moves in a linear fashion, making **Joker: Folie à Deux** feel like two different films in one: a courtroom drama and interspersed music videos.

Lady Gaga was not initially considered for the cast. Phillips and Phoenix decided on her to create a record inspired by the film and tied to the story—a complementary album called **Harlequin**. Gaga accepted but was disappointed that her character wasn’t the Harley Quinn everyone expected. In the end, she plays a woman obsessed not with Arthur but with the Joker. She’s drawn to his madness to the point of having a sexual relationship and becoming pregnant. In the end, we find out that she’s not even a doctor and isn’t as crazy as she led us to believe. She’s the daughter of a Gotham millionaire with existential traumas who saw in this man the perfect excuse to channel her supposed madness. Phillips planned more than one ending for the film. Among the rumored conclusions, the first had Arthur serving time in Arkham. The second saw him escape trial and begin a crime spree in Gotham City. Finally, the ending we all know: Arthur’s death at the hands of an inmate in the penitentiary. This has caused further dissatisfaction with the audience. As such, there’s little chance of a third installment, which is probably for the best. We hope Warner moves on from projects like this and gives James Gunn a free hand to create a new multiverse. Everything the first film presented is indeed contradicted here, making it seem like none of it happened. The Waynes aren’t mentioned at all, and Arthur’s transformation is reversed. Now he’s a regretful man who no longer wants to be the Joker and is willing to face the consequences of his actions from the first film. All of this is framed in a beautifully shot film that leaves us feeling pity for him. Its message and moral are misplaced, as are everything else. Criminals are treated as such and deserve to be beaten, raped, and humiliated at every turn. The consequences we face must be subject to others' judgment, and finally, if life is going terribly, just sing—life is better when you're singing. Everything here, except for a few redeemable aspects, makes no sense. There’s no shared or symbiotic madness. The hatred and disdain from the audience have played a huge role in its failure. The mistake was comparing it to its predecessor. As a musical, it leaves much to be desired, and as a suspense film, it fails as well. It doesn’t achieve balance, nor does it care to. It’s a strange and highly incomprehensible film. The film’s strengths lie in its technical aspects, which are unfortunately marred by poorly executed narrative and bad directorial choices. The atmosphere, texture, costume design, makeup, and performances are outstanding, far surpassing the story itself. The references are minimal, including Harvey Dent's (Harry Lawtey) appearance as district attorney and his transformation into the villain Two-Face in one scene, as well as the return of two important characters from the first film during the trial. This film exists merely to fulfill the ambitions of a studio on the brink of collapse. Of the $190-200 million it cost, it has grossed just over $20 million worldwide in its first week of release. While this figure might progress over time, several executives will likely lose their jobs. This isn’t about voting off the weakest link, but about building something worthwhile while leaving certain things as they are. **Joker** was a self-contained story in its first installment, and attempting a sequel was both ambitious and foolish. Here we have a clear example of unnecessary projects that add nothing of value, showcasing the studio's lack of originality and capacity to handle characters. Worse yet, it betrays its established foundations. **Joker** was an unexpected experiment that no one anticipated would succeed, but it triumphed with a raw and clear social message. And that’s what we hold onto. The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, and Leigh Gill, all of whom bring undeniable acting talent, doing their best with very little material. The music is once again composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, with pieces that remind us of the first film, offering nostalgic and deep cuts that underscore the film’s crude and brazen scenes. On the other hand, there’s **Harlequin**, Lady Gaga's album featuring 13 insufferable tracks that could easily have been left out without impacting the film. In conclusion, **Joker: Folie à Deux** is a hollow, unnecessary, and mean-spirited sequel. It presents a trial without tension or emotion, with musical interludes that don’t work despite the talent involved. This is an opportunity that had no direction and was forced into being a complete failure in every sense. Let’s hope the studio's other productions can somehow recoup the investment because, as an audience, we’ve only lost our excitement, time, and money. **Joker: Folie à Deux** is now showing in cinemas nationwide, but we do not recommend it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OKAwz2MsJs Read the full article

[letscrywolff]

Nom de plume

Let's cry wolff!

It's as easy as one, two, three!

One: "I"

Two: "Love"

Three: "You"

Has a greater lie ever been told? Has anyone managed to manufacture a more compact yet catastrophic lie?

You always were so good with your economy of words. Succinct personified.

Say Wolff, let's howl at the moon and dance in its silvery, pale blue light.

Blue. What better color for a poet?

Is it any coincidence that deep blue lingerie was without a doubt your third best look? Second, of course, only comes in the aftermath of getting to tear it off of you.

But you look best of all when you're wearing me.

A nice snug fit. When you're wrapped up in me, your legs hooked around mine - we're as close as close can get - and you're feeling up my arms, hands running down my back. Hair pulled, throat choked, lips locked. Moaning, gasping, yelling. Eyes rolling back til they see our dirty thoughts. A tingle down our spines, a rush between our legs, as I leave a piece of me with a bit of you. When I feel the goosebumps roll across your skin, after kissing at your neck, after moaning in your ear, after cumming deep inside you, I read them like braille - "Fuck, I needed that."

We don't need words when our bodies have so much to say. No wonder you're so god damn succinct.

Our love pools in a puddle on the sheets that have known your scent many times before.

You're left glowing. Your nipples hard from all the pinching and sucking they received. Laying there, your insides marinating in my cum. Looking at me with a look of satisfaction. Looking at me with a look of adoration. Looking at me with a look that begs for another round. Looking at me like this was more than just filling a hole inside you, like this was more than just a fruitless act to fill the void.

Looking at me like you might actually love me.

There is no better look than that.

I want those moments to stretch on forever. Not the sex, the aftermath. The moment where we're looking at each other like we actually love each other. Where the lie is real for a moment. That moment when the walls come down, the secrets stop, and we speak to each other like we'll never betray the other. Where we will confide and confess and tell each other we've got something real. And for a brief moment it is real. It is our truth. But at some point - I'm not even sure when or how - what lives as objective reality in that moment becomes folie à deux. At some point, you always leave the shared reality we both built to go back to your own and you take the way out with you. I'm left alone, almost blindly, to feel my way out of a delusion I want nothing more than to remain in - with you.

But all good things must come to an end, or some other such platitudinal drivel that could be distilled down to the modern ethos of "It is what it is."

I asked you once if you could have too much of a good thing.

"Of course you can. You don't think so?"

I never got enough of you. Ever. But you definitely had enough of me. Always.

And that’s both sides of the cold hard truth.

So let's cry wolff one more time. Tell each other a little lie that we wish were true:

I love you.

[commasemicolon]

follow the lead new ame in this folie a deux fantasy pick your players like a dream team in the premier league no more relegations, comma's still sleeping in a coma ths alter wont let me be eyes heavy got too many mosquitos biting me only way you'll take my blood at this silent creek getting saltier swap the flow like an estuary after filling litres of tears every filled bucket poured and made a sea what are you in love with? the heart trapped at the bottom though the ripples looking up u a bottom or a top? with time i find increasingly this front was a form of predestiny though every collector keeps me rouind cos they know theres still one missing puzzle piece its the EXO collectors set box piece with an ending that has the never ending alternative version the protagonist never finds peace who would that be? though him or me? is it true? this hypnotic control turns butter into stackin cheese one more wheel to turn bubble gum pop genre lease get some WD, learn grease oily marks make rainbows on these streets. make a kaleidoscope mind through sydneys bed sheets tossed up in a H den so sunk under this hungry demon waiting for the release like a cold can get the shakes shook off only when you pass the disease my hearts so emptywould rather die then pass ths parcel on and rather a curse to consume me than bring another down. guess thats why no ones around. picking at the skin, sunken in, with teeth its only nightmares when awake to give you a restful sleep i wait until the end bound by fake friends and witches in basements on parchment what has this parch meant? thirsty life waiting on a park bench . empty bottles of coincidences or just a rerun of a tragedy the CD with no spins. laundromat no rinse, anchor no sink, contact no sync