#shelbbswrites

[shelbbswrites]

So a few people asked, but really, I wanted to write about this specific shot from the Red, White & Royal Blue trailer.

And I want to include a gif so you can see the full movement of the shot as well. I've linked the source of the gif on it to give credit.

I want to approach this as just a construction of a scene in the movie and not compare it to the book by Casey McQuiston. Though, that may come later because I plan to write A LOT about this book/movie over the next month or so. Stay tuned for that!

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A Lake-Side Depiction of Alex and Henry's Intimacy

First and foremost, it’s relevant to look at the placement of this scene within the Red, White & Royal Blue trailer before unpacking the shot itself. It is the second-to-last scene before the tag. It is sandwiched between Alex pleading with Henry to make their relationship work – to “figure out a way” they can “love each other on” their “own terms.” It’s a plea to break free of the societal and systematic structures that keep them from loving each other without any hindrances. It’s the trailer’s biggest gut punch and will likely be a turning point in the film.

The scene that follows the one of Alex and Henry on the dock is one fans of the books will recognize immediately. Regardless, it plays as a heart-wrenching goodbye between the two characters, who feel so much for each other but keep getting pulled about by forces outside their control. It’s moving to see Alex and Henry hug each other and find a brief comfort in each other’s arms, even though they can’t stay there forever – yet.

That context informs their next scene– the one of Alex and Henry at Alex’s family’s lake house (assuming the film keeps that from the book). The entire trailer sets up the international and interpersonal stakes of this relationship. They go from being pushed together by their teams in the first half to being pulled together on their own accord in the second half. In the time of the latter, Alex and Henry bridge the ocean between them with contact however they can manage – texts, emails, etc. – until they’re finally together again.

And when they are, it’s in this beautiful, serene environment that redefines the confines of their relationship. They are in the public sphere (as in, in the world), but they couldn’t be more far removed from the political limitations of their usual public spheres. Here, on this dock at a lake house, there are no suits and ties. There are no titles. They are not FSOTUS and a Prince; they’re Alex and Henry. They’re two people in love who fit together like puzzle pieces — down to the complementary colors of their swimming trunks.

Every element in the construction of this scene emphasizes that, even the camerawork. It’s easy to assume the camera will eventually pull in closer, but it will likely start from this higher, further perspective in the film. It’s Alex and Henry’s moment, and the camera may not want to intrude with a harsh cut-in on them. Instead, it comes to the characters in a way that gives Alex and Henry the space they so rarely get when they’re together.

It paints a portrait that juxtaposes their usual relationship with water. It goes from something that pulls them apart to something that pushes them together. It’s not a coincidence that Alex’s line, “It’s like there’s a rope attached to my chest, and it keeps pulling me to you,” plays over this scene in the trailer. Alex and Henry’s bodies scoot closer together like magnets above a body of water that isn’t their enemy but an ally. This water doesn’t mean distance and longing and hard goodbyes but the comfortability of peace and quiet.

So, it’s no wonder Alex and Henry literally open their bodies up to each other. With their arms raised, they are opening up the most vulnerable parts of themselves – their hearts. They aren’t closed off behind formal stances or other formalities; they are comfortable with each other. They trust each other. So, there’s a built-in emotional intimacy to this scene that extends beyond Henry’s kiss to Alex’s bicep, though that is incredibly sweet and speaks volumes. Yes, Alex and Henry love each other, but they also know each other, and this scene perfectly depicts that.

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Watch the Red, White & Royal Blue trailer, and follow me for more writing about characters and stories that resonate with me.

[onlyhereforangst]

Who fucked the fandom I'm confused? The person who wrote the article?

oh absolutely not, from what i can tell @shelbbswrites is a lovely person & writes about some of my favorite ships & i'd like her to keep writing so i can spiral about jiara in the near future.

as for who fucked the fandom, well. girl. the blog whose gif was linked, @/opponentsheir, is the one who knowingly, willfully fucked the fandom last summer.

it was circa mid-late May 2022 and here was the jiara tumblr fandom, struggling to get through the drought by the scraps of bts we'd scrounge up from filming. blurry ass photos that make you concerned for a tourist's ability to hold their water as they drink, random selfies that tell you next to nothing, and then the occasional "omg this is BIG how does this make sense how does it fit in but omg it's BIG" crumb.

times were rough, bts were tight, and the unsuspecting jiara tumblr fandom was hungry. unbeknownst to us in comes OH who decides. let's have some "fun" let's liven up the jiara fandom because it's clearly dead (false) and idk im bored besties let's play a hehe silly joke! at first, a few handpicked jiara blogs get random anonymous post submissions and each blog has like 2-3 different posts that are all supposed bts leaks. it's never-before-seen photos of what we can only presume are s3 bts. almost all of these blogs were in a jiara discord server together so the photos weren't shared because wtf who is trusting us with these clear leaks we don't want them to stop though. so we sit on these, we get excited, we spiral, all that fandom stuff that we had already. been. doing. but yeah here's a few more bts crumbs to have fun with. then a few weeks later when, to OH's surprise, the fandom hasn't reacted like she wanted, freaked out over her "leaks," hasn't posted them on every platform ever to give her the attention she feels she deserves, she decides oooh let's send more! this isn't sociopathic at all!! and then bam there's a second round of anonymous post submissions followed up by an anon ask sent to one of the blogs saying "you can post them, this is the last you'll get because i've reached my max photoshopping ability do not contact again" (also pardon but how tf are we supposed to contact you if you're anonymous).

ANYWAYS the leaks: we're talking blurry, random characters - sarah, pope, rose, jj and pope, kie, a random dude by a fire, and then jj having his beat-up face held by hands that look just like kie's hands.

and sure enough, we spiral! an actual face hold??? on our screens??? fuck yeah! cannot wait for s3!!! jokes on us we're getting so much more but yeah!!! we're theorizing we're writing whole ass fics we're speculating we've got a discord emoji we've got everything. a few hours later the leaks make it to jiara twt and THEY go wild too. i mean who tf wouldn't? you're starving for content and some mysterious source decides to drop you leaks. like yeah hindsight is 20:20 and who was going to potentially violate an NDA for this, but still.

fastforward several months and now OH is back because i guess she got desperate for attention again and feeling "important" or whatever. she goes on anon and says hey btw those leaks were fake ha ha isn't that funny, here's the photos i used linked here and here and omg isn't this just hilarious bestie such a good time man i love the jiara fandom being active again because god i was so BORED and man i just wanted more fics and edits and omg look it worked i mean i've done it before and i'd do it again (or some shit like that idk i dont have the wherewithal to go look it up and get it 100% correct but yeah, she admitted to doing it for funsies)

rightfully so, the fandom is fucking pissed. it isn't *fun* to get manipulated, it isn't *fun* to get manipulated into making new content???? that we don't get fucking paid to make???????? fuck you?????? you don't manipulate an entire group of people for SHITS AND GIGGLES that's literally sociopathic shit babe, go get help please. so yeah she fucked the entire fandom over Summer 2022 and did it because "i'm bored i want content" like fuck all the way off.

oh and side note: another anonymous poster tried to say oh i know who it is, but also i'm not going to tell you because you guys are clearly mad at her and i don't want you to take it out on her, i know her and it's ok she's ok. like i'm sorry. the fuck? don't insert yourself into this stupid sociopath's deranged manipulative plan. because guess what bitch, we've got detectives in this fandom and while OH never came off anon like the coward she is, the fandom was able to put it together & not only determine her tumblr but also her twt so when she tried a fucking round three several months later with "oh i found these on reddit but the post disappeared hehe" we all saw through that shit a mile away.

in a nutshell, @/opponentsheir fucked the fandom over with her manipulative bullshit & does not deserve a fucking drop of attention from anyone in this fandom.

[going-down-with-the-ship]

I posted 116 times in 2022

That's 116 more posts than 2021!

58 posts created (50%)

58 posts reblogged (50%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dhampirslovecomrades

@shelbbswrites

@going-down-with-the-ship

@rqmitris

@rosethorn108

I tagged 66 of my posts in 2022

Only 43% of my posts had no tags

#vampire academy - 50 posts

#rose hathaway - 48 posts

#dimitri belikov - 47 posts

#romitri - 45 posts

#dimitri x rose - 36 posts

#rose x dimitri - 36 posts

#va series - 31 posts

#vampire academy tv series - 24 posts

#va - 12 posts

#lissa dragomir - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 79 characters

#still would've liked it better if christian and dimitri actually went with them

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Rose really seduced the hell out of Dimitri to get him to dance with her. Only she can get him to loosen up. THE WHOLE SCENE WAS HOT. She always has her lips parted when she's alone with him.

202 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#4

All Romitri Kisses

237 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#3

"I love you enough to run away with you is a flex, but I love you enough to stay and fight so one day we can be openly together and free. That’s some endgame shit right there."- 'Vampire Academy' 1x10 Review: "Ascension" - Fangirlish @fangirlishsite

Hell Yeah it is.

239 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

#2

What Pure Happiness Looks Like. This is never leaving my head. EVER. Genuine Smiles. Rose was so happy this episode, until the end...but we're just going to ignore that.

344 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Mason basically went to Dimitri to flex that he got the girl and that he's leaving with her, but Dimitri turned right around and flexed harder saying she would always pick him.

409 notes - Posted October 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[shelbbswrites]

In anticipation of Bridgerton Season 3, I had to gush about two of my very favorite Bridgerton women: Eloise and Kate.

I wrote about why I'm SO desperate to see more of their dynamic in the upcoming season.

If you want to support this article on X, please click this link.

[shelbbswrites]

I think I blacked out when I learned about SUNRISE ON THE REAPING. I couldn’t believe this The Hunger Games book actually exists — or will by March 2025 (!!!). Anyway, I wrote about THG, TBOSAS, and Haymitch for this week’s newsletter.

[shelbbswrites]

It's a good day to be a 9-1-1 fan!

Congrats to the cast, crew, and creative team for an early Season 8 renewal. It's so well deserved!

[shelbbswrites]

I can't stop thinking about how it looks like Eddie is watching Buck's date with Tommy on this week's 9-1-1.

Plus, it seems like Henren will share the news about their newest family member with Madney. My heart!

Here's my preview of "You Don't Know Me!" If you want to support this article on X, please click this link.

[shelbbswrites]

Is 9-1-1 your comfort show? Do you turn to the 118 when life feels a little unsteady? So do I! For my newsletter, I wrote about how it became my go-to comfort show because of the 118’s chosen family.

(And you can read it without subscribing, but I'd appreciate it if you want to subscribe.)

[shelbbswrites]

It’s ALMOST time for Bailan’s wedding on The Rookie’s milestone 100th (!!!) episode.

There is SO MUCH to look forward to — familiar faces (Randy & Chastity?!), a Chenford dance, Wopez & Jyla, and MORE.

And I'm assuming there will be a bit of Chenford angst when their relationship is put to the test, per the episode's synopsis.

But The Rookie has proven that angst can be a VERY good thing for Lucy and Tim — individually and as a couple — in the long run. I’m excited!

Here’s my “The Hammer” preview! And if you want to support it on Twitter, too, please click this link.

[shelbbswrites]

I wrote about how Doctor Who helped revive my creative spirit when I felt a bit unmotivated. I also gush about the superb duo that is Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson because I ADORE THEM.

[shelbbswrites]

You ALL, I keep forgetting to check in over here.

I couldn't let Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 pass without writing about Francesca Bridgerton's reintroduction.

Hannah Dodd does an incredible job with the character's subtleties. And I adore how Bridgerton embraces Fran and John's quiet and sweet love.

If you want to support this article on X, too, please click this link.

[shelbbswrites]

Here it is! The Rookie Season 6 is almost here, so it's the perfect time to revisit Chenford's BEST episodes.

From double dates and heart-to-hearts to near-death experiences and UC jobs, Tim & Lucy have been through it ALL.

Here's my labor of love for Tell-Tale TV, and if you could show it some love on Twitter, that would mean a lot.

[shelbbswrites]

I understand why everyone is worrying about what may happen between Lucy and Tim in tonight's The Rookie.

So, for Fangirlish, I chose joy and wrote about the evolution of Tim's terse nods as a love language throughout Chenford's relationship.

And if you want to support this article on X, please click this link.

[shelbbswrites]

I forgot to post this one over here! While we wait for Bridgerton Season 3, can we gush about Anthony and Kate a little more?

I ranked the covers used in Bridgerton Season 2 according to the Kanthony feels they elicit. I had the best time writing this, as I always do when I write about Bridgerton and romance.

If you want to support this article on X, please click this link.

[shelbbswrites]

For Fangirlish, I waxed poetic about how The Buccaneers used Taylor Swift’s “Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” in its series premiere.

It's complicated and emotional and wonderful — I love it.

And if you do, too, and want to show this piece that I am so very, very proud of a little extra love, it would mean a lot if you engaged with it on Twitter (or X, I guess.)

[shelbbswrites]

This week's 9-1-1 is the epic conclusion of the three-part season premiere.

From upside-down ships to possibly protocol-breaking helicopter rides in hurricanes, there is A LOT to anticipate for the 118.

Here's my "Capsized" preview! If you want to support it on X, please click this link, too.