#some of the parallels they're pulling are just *chefs kiss*

[music-movies-mayhem]

Can we take a minute to truly appreciate what they did with Oscar Tully? A smart, kind of sassy, brave boy launched into a position of authority he by all rights should be too young for but he's already so good in, and then they gave him curly hair:

Eleven years later and they really wanted to remind us that all of Robb Stark's successes came from his tully genes.

[qqueenofhades]

Good Omens Season 2: Some Thoughts (and also Screaming)

First, /screams

Second, obligatory disclaimer that this meta contains MAJOR SPOILERS for all six episodes. If you somehow have managed to remain virginally unspoiled, look away now, scroll past, or add "good omens s2" and "good omens spoilers" to your block list, as those are the tags I have been using for all posts and reblogs.

Third, /screams more

Okay okay okay. Deep breaths.

Anyway, so, uh, how about all that, huh? First, the good thing about the tone of the season overall was that it felt considerably darker and more adult, in a good way. We didn't have the precocious kiddies, the kitsch and literally-comphet Anathema and Newt, the so-clever narration, etc. All that was gone, which makes sense when you consider that a) the end of last season saw them reboot into an entirely new universe, and b) the fact that God has gone silent is, in fact, a major plot point for the season. We don't have Her slyly telling us the story, or indeed anything, and everyone is left to make their own judgments and take their own actions. Which, obviously, gets them into a lot of trouble, especially when Metatron (the Voice of God, aka someone acting in the belief that they're speaking for God and therefore doing terrible harm) swoops in with the ultimate buzzkill at the end of episode 6. But we'll get to that.

The downside was that the main, present-day plot (hiding Gabriel in the bookshop and trying to get Nina and Maggie to fall in love) was fairly thin, felt stretched out and at times weirdly paced, and otherwise existed mostly to get us to That Ending and the setup for season 3. But the ending was so damn good (if obviously, very painful) that I can't be TOO mad, not least because we spent six episodes with them just making absolutely no pretense about the whole thing being as incredibly homosexual as possible. I'll be honest: I did not think they were going to actually, explicitly go there. Neil Gaiman has been so consistent about "your interpretations are valid and you're welcome to read it however you want, but the only canon is what's on screen," which I think is frankly a good thing (not least since the Neil GAYman Cinematic Universe is consistently very, very good to us queers), that I just... didn't quite think they'd pull the trigger. Sir Terry is dead and can't have active input, this is based on a book published 30 years ago, maybe they didn't want to make it LIKE THAT... etc. I certainly hoped, but I didn't really think they would.

Uh. Well.

As I said in my various semi-coherent liveblog posts, I honestly don't think there was a single straight person in the entire season, among both major and background characters. Aziraphale/Crowley and Maggie/Nina are the obvious paralleling couples, but Beelzebub (using "they" pronouns and addressed as "Lord" despite presenting as femme/femme-adjacent) is clearly nonbinary and therefore also queer, and the countless gay/queer side characters were just /chefs kiss. From Job's son making a sassy pass at Aziraphale, to the random Scottish goon with Grindr on his phone (which he then gives to Aziraphale, because what is subtlety), to the interracial couple with the trans spouse at the Pride and Prejudice ball, there was just a lot of casual, unremarked, non-story-critical queer representation visible at every turn. It's like the NGCU saw the bigots wailing about Sandman season 1 being extremely gay and went CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, LET'S MAKE GOOD OMENS 2 EVEN MORE GAY.

God bless.

Obviously, Jon Hamm as Amnesia!Gabriel stole the show (he was SO fucking funny) and it was also incredibly fun to watch Miranda Richardson repurposed as a scheming demon. Nina Sosanya also reappeared as Nina the coffee shop owner, which leads us into the Maggie-and-Nina subplot. They're obviously, wildly, incredibly clearly an analogue for Aziraphale and Crowley themselves, but they're also each, crucially, a mix of both. On the surface, Maggie is Aziraphale: the plump, blonde, earnest, sweet-natured one owning a slightly dated book music shop and somewhat clueless about emotional nuances, while Nina is (also on the surface) Crowley, the hard-edged dark loner who doesn't want to open herself up to people or be spotted caring. But emotionally, Maggie is Crowley: the one openly pining, clearly besotted, only wanting to hang around their crush and do whatever they can to make themselves useful, while Nina is Aziraphale. Interested but reticent, attracted but conflicted, trapped in an abusive relationship with a demanding offscreen "lover" (Lindsay/Heaven) who tries to constantly control and shame them without ever offering much, if anything in return. By the end, they bring themselves around to what Maggie/Crowley are offering, but by then, well. We've got a lot more problems on our hands.

As I also said in my earlier posts, this entire thing has always been a metaphor for religion, queerness, and what religion -- especially abusive, fundamentalist, organized religion -- does to queer people, but they really cranked the FUCK out of that metaphor this season. Aziraphale is guilt-tripped, controlled, and shamed for his attraction to Crowley at every turn. He is torn between his imagined duty to Heaven, in all its ignorant, uncaring, bureaucratic, gratuitously cruel system that he still insists on seeing the best in because he can't bear the alternative, and the chaotic and sometimes grey but genuinely more good morality that Crowley offers him. (Can I just say, we were explicitly shown that the two of them together doing "just a little miracle" are more powerful than Heaven AND Hell combined.) And at the end, he's told that the only way he can be with Crowley -- what Metatron explicitly blackmails him with -- is if they both go back to heaven, submit themselves to the cruel system again and give up everything that has made them who they are: their home in London, their human friends, their reliance on each other, their independence, their own ways of doing things. You can be queer in this (religious) framework, but only the limited, watered-down, controlled, controllable, constantly-under-supervision kind of queer, which relies on both you and your lover "converting" back to the true faith. And if you don't cooperate, they will literally kidnap you, lie to you, manipulate you, take you from your soulmate, and force you right back into doing the one thing (destroying the world) that you never, ever wanted to do in the first place, because in their minds, that is still better than this. It's for your own good.

Ouch.

And the thing is: that's why the ending a) hits so hard and b) is so fucking painful, because of course Aziraphale agrees. He has no conception of being able to defy Heaven on his own; he has always, always needed Crowley for that. In the flashbacks, when Aziraphale is faced with an order from Heaven that he desperately does not want to carry out (such as letting all Job's children get killed), he still relies completely on Crowley to "outsmart the rules" and find a better way. Crowley is A Crafty Demon; that's what he does, and so Aziraphale rationalizes it to himself that therefore that must be fine. Even in season 1, when he really didn't want the Apocalypse to happen but initially thought it was his duty as a good Heaven footsoldier, he relied on Crowley to talk him out of it and allow him to do what he really wants instead. That's their whole dynamic in a nutshell, as exemplified in that scene in episode 2, where Crowley tempts Aziraphale with the "pleasures of the flesh" while sprawled on his back in Ravish Me mode like the giant walking gay disaster that he is. (Sorry, buddy. That beard. Can't do it.) Everything that Aziraphale's existence is, that makes him who he is, that he loves and cherishes the most (in this case, food and wine) comes from Crowley. Everything else is just background noise.

Throughout the season, what we see is Aziraphale increasingly coming around to the fantasy of being with Crowley. He's coy and flirty; he talks about "our car" and expects Crowley will let him (which he does); he wants to have a Jane Austen ball and for them to dance together (oh my heart); he even thinks, at the crucial moment, that the best way for them to be together is to go back to heaven just like they were in the beginning, once more perfect angels, as if those entire six thousand years of struggle and grief and pining and separation and falling didn't happen. And Crowley -- poor, poor, brave, devoted, heartbroken Crowley -- has just heard for the first time in said six thousand years that actually telling the person you love how you feel is an option. Maggie and Nina tell them point-blank that their whole stupid plan failed because people aren't chess pieces who can be moved and automatically achieve the desired result. And of course this gobsmacks the dearest and dumbest Ineffable Husbands, because they can't conceive of anything else. People are chess pieces in the Great War of Heaven and Hell; Aziraphale and Crowley themselves are chess pieces who have been desperately trying to get out of being moved by external forces, but that doesn't change the fact that that's what they are. They don't have volition or agency aside from that which they can sneak for themselves in brief and stolen moments. That's it.

Until, well. It's not it. They discover that this whole would-be war is actually an elaborate ruse to cover up another angel-demon romance, that of Gabriel and Beelzebub. (I'll be honest, I'm 99% sure they did this storyline because they saw the fans crackshipping them, but I appreciate a fictional narrative that values and incorporates its fans' input, rather than trying to constantly "trick" or "outsmart" them or "do what they don't expect.") And Gabriel and Beelzebub get to be together, but only by leaving their world forever. They have to desert their homes, their structures, even their own identities, and never return. And Crowley and Aziraphale are so rooted in their "precious, perfect, fragile" life in their little corner of Soho, with their bookshop and their Bentley and their dining at the Ritz (which they didn't get to do in the end because METATRON /shakes fist), that that just doesn't work. Neither of them can conceive of doing that. So Aziraphale thinks "go back to heaven and try to make the terrible system do some good and take what we can in terms of being together" and Crowley just... pours out his heart. He's ready to fucking propose. He barely stops himself from saying something to the effect of "I want to spend eternity with you." He begs, he pleads with Aziraphale to go away not in the literal sense, but the emotional/metaphysical: to finally break this toxic dependence on Heaven and tell them once and for all where to stick it. And because he is desperate to make Aziraphale understand, he finally throws all caution to the winds and recklessly, desperately, adoringly kisses him, the one thing he's wanted to do for ages and...

Gets. Shot. Down.

Ugghhhhh. I'm suffering all over again. Aziraphale wants him, hungers for it, for them, and yet he's been so abused and so conditioned by Heaven (he's still blithely repeating to Crowley's face that "Hell are the bad guys!") that he just cannot accept that kind of desperate, blind, limitless, lawless affection. He even forgives Crowley for this "transgression," just to really twist the knife, and Crowley just can't take it, can't face up to how terribly this has all gone up in flames, after he went to heaven trying to find the answer for Gabriel's situation. Gabriel, who he fucking hates. Gabriel, who tried to kill the angelic being he loves (and for which Crowley has transparently never forgiven him). And yet at one pouty puppy-eyed look from Aziraphale and a warning that whoever is harboring Gabriel might be in danger, Crowley leaps headlong into the Bentley again and rushes to the rescue while "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" is blaring. He stoutly protects Gabriel; he does a miracle to disguise him; he lets him have hot chocolate and stay in the bookshop; he guards him from the literal demonic horde outside. All because of Aziraphale. That's it. And then, it still doesn't work. Not only that, Gabriel's absence and decision to forego Armageddon gives Heaven the one tool they finally need to take Aziraphale away from him.

I repeat: Ugghhhhhhhh.

(In a good way. Ngl, I love this angst. This is the kind of angst my brain Thrives on, the Thematic Parallel Romantic Character Arc kind. Nom nom nom. But also: AGONY.)

I also need to talk about Aziraphale driving the Bentley, aside from the obvious metaphor of him being in Crowley's home while Crowley is in his. Last season, we had the "you go too fast for me, Crowley" scene with them sitting in said Bentley, which was Aziraphale saying he's not ready for a relationship. In this season, as noted above, we see Aziraphale increasingly embracing the potential fantasy of being with Crowley. But here's the catch: when he's in the Bentley this time, driving it, setting the pace, acclimating to the idea, he's driving his own idea of what the Bentley/his relationship with Crowley is. It's not the real thing. He plays classical music; he supplies himself sweets; he turns it yellow; he drives too slow. Crowley calls him in another old-married-couple snitfit to complain that Aziraphale's messed it up, but what Aziraphale has actually messed up (or will, by the end of the season) is far more consequential than just a car. He's changed the entire shape of their relationship to the one he thinks can make it work, and it just doesn't. It has to be them -- "we could have been... Us" -- or it's not even close to the truth. It's not worth their time.

I repeat: Ouch.

Speaking of the writers validating fan theories, I know we all picked up and screamed about on Crowley's idea of Peak Romance Guaranteed To Fall In Love being sheltering from rain and gazing into each other's eyes, which confirms that that poor bastard was indeed ass-over-teakettle gone as soon as he met Aziraphale (again) in Eden. I also need to talk about the 1941 redux, because wow. This time, the danger comes from Hell, which we see being its usual self: gleefully, pointlessly cruel, pettily backbiting, dirty, sniping, tedious, endless, determined to mindlessly destroy because They're The Bad Guys and they like it. So they blackmail, spy on, miracle-block, illicitly photograph, and try to prove that Aziraphale and Crowley are secretly a couple, right after Aziraphale himself has just had the Light From Heaven realization that he's in love (which we all also picked up on in s1). They're forcibly outing them (to speak of more Religious Queer Trauma) in order to break them up/get them into trouble with their authorities/families. Aziraphale and Crowley manage to escape it mostly by dumb luck, but Crowley having an altogether freakout, hands shaking, barely able to actually point the gun at Aziraphale even in the knowledge that it's supposed to be fake, is just... wow. He can't even fathom the idea of ever trying to destroy him in earnest, especially when he knows on some level that Aziraphale also finally just realized his own feelings. So I just need to --

/screams

Anyway, Aziraphale's entire arc this season is doing what he thinks is the right thing and then inadvertently causing harm and damage as a result. In the Edinburgh flashbacks (live slug reaction of me: SEAN BIGGERSTAFF???!!) he tries to stop Elspeth from stealing bodies and gets Morag killed and Crowley drinking the laudanum to save him (though that part with David Tennant just riffing left and right, using his natural Scottish accent, and being Tiny Crowley/Huge Crowley was hilarious). He invites his neighbors to a Pride and Prejudice ball and makes them all the target for demonic attack. And of course the Job episode: Aziraphale, horrified at Heaven's callous cruelty, desperate not to get Job's children killed, willing to go along with Crowley's tricks to save them somehow, tempted by Crowley to do the fucknasty with their angel bits eat some food and decide that he likes it. As mentioned, the whole thing about God being silent this season is a major thematic choice. The only time we see/hear God is Her communing with Job from afar. Aziraphale enviously imagines the answers he must be getting (he's not, he's baffled and perplexed), while Crowley longs beyond words to even have the opportunity to ask the question: why? Why do this? Why is this your plan?

And of course, this absence culminates in the Metatron, the Voice of God, the person arrogantly claiming that they're speaking for God and know exactly what Heaven wants, being able to seize Aziraphale by the short hairs and absolutely fuck him over. Gabriel is gone/decommissioned/eloping with Beelzebub, so Heaven needs a Supreme Leader (God apparently is no longer a factor in the equation). And what this Supreme Leader needs to do is finally unleash the Apocalypse that Gabriel decided to pass on (the Second Coming). Aziraphale needs to be punished, taken away from Crowley's influence/love, and put back under Heaven's explicit control, so Metatron spots a great opportunity to do all three at once. It's not an accident that the exact tool he uses to get Aziraphale to agree is "now you can actually be with Crowley!" Aziraphale and Crowley have been trying so hard to hide out from their respective Head Offices, but now all at once, there's this seemingly miraculous opportunity for them not to have to do that anymore! They can be together! They can be sanctioned by Heaven! They can give up all this hiding and sneaking around and lying! Isn't that better?

... As long as, of course, they give up absolutely everything that makes them who they are. No big deal. Minor catch. Probably nothing.

Metatron doesn't let Aziraphale have time to escape, or think it over, or reflect, or anything. He pressures Aziraphale to come with him immediately, or be once more subject to Heaven's implicit wrath/destruction/judgment. Believe me, Aziraphale already KNOWS he's made a huge mistake, as soon as he hears what Metatron really wants: bringing him back to unleash the Apocalypse that Aziraphale and Crowley have given up literally everything to prevent. He doesn't need time to reflect. By the time my man is in that elevator, he's well aware of what a catastrophic misjudgment he's made, and yet --

Aziraphale needs this. He has, as noted, literally always relied on Crowley outsmarting Heaven's cruel orders in order to prevent himself from having to do them. He's relied on Crowley rescuing him ("rescuing me makes him so happy," WELL BUB, IT'S BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS NEED IT). He admits to Crowley's face that "I need you!" He hates Heaven's sadistic meanness, but he has absolutely no framework, in and of himself, to defy it. When the rubber hits the road, he will crumple and try to go along with it, and now he's been put in a position where he's going to have to stand up, defy Heaven, and make the break once and for all BY HIMSELF. He doesn't have Crowley around to do it for him, he has no support, he is going to arrive in Heaven and be shuttled straight off to the Apocalypse 2.0 War Room. The only way he gets out of this is if he actively stands up, if he chooses himself and Crowley and their life, and he has to.

The thing is:

Aziraphale has lived his entire eternal existence Looking Up. Up is the direction of Goodness and Heaven. Up is where Angels go. Up is where Aziraphale comes from and where Demons and Hell are not. But now he's going Up, in a position to take over the whole shebang, and it's the last thing he wants.

So he's going to have to come back Down.

He's going to have to Fall. He's going to have to get back Below at all costs. He's going to have to finally, once and for all, understand what led Crowley to make the choice to leave Heaven and never come back. It's only then that they can possibly be together on any kind of conscious, equal, deliberate footing, claim their own agency, reject Heaven AND Hell, and try to really earn that South Downs cottage and that happy-ever-after, and it's gonna hurt so good.

Now if you will excuse me, /screams

[aprillikesthings]

The next episode itself is a two-parter, and I think that rather than split them up I will just watch through, which might mean I have to reblog this post multiple times.

Finishing out season four!

s4, eps 12&13 Destiny

Usual reminder: this is a REwatch and there’s spoilers ahoy, I make a lot of bad jokes (some of which are Adult In Nature), I reference other cartoons, I make random asides.

(also, this time specifically, I had some alcohol)

Tbh? it's a lot like watching things like this with me in person aaahahaha I always want to pause and infodump shit -_-

lol Emily is destroying Shadow Weaver's garden

Emily acts like Mal the cat does sometimes. WHAT IS IN YOUR MOUTH you are not supposed to have that! Get out of there!

UGGGH

it's easy to forget how BIG Scorpia is??

LOLOL oh my god I went downstairs for like an hour and a half talking to my partners about the most random shit and then playing with the cat and also: I've had most of a can of wine.

One of these:

YEAH (that's a huge image)

so if these get weird: blame the wine I guess

oh also @corpseauthority and I picked out fake fur and minky fabric for the ears and tail of my Catra cosplay :D :D :D I'M SO EXCITED

OKAY BACK TO SHE-RA

the only thing better than Scorpia's "huh?" is Shadow Weaver's flat "what"

Shadow Weaver: no we need the other princesses Glimmer: well they're gone but-- Scorpia, Shadow Weaver, and Emily: WAIT, WHAT???

AND THEN

okay but is the guard telling you this Double Trouble

ROLL INTRO

that thing was not meant to hold four humans and a horse with wings

why are you SNIFFING HIM

Entrapta: "I don't know you" Micah: "Yes, you do. You stole my food." Entrapta: "OH YEAH! It was delicious :D"

oh god Adora's like "....but are you okay? we came here to find you 🥺"

and she's like YEAH I'M GREAT

"each more deadly than the next??? it's PARADISE"

I love her so much oh my godddd

Bow: "We're here to rescue you" Entrapta: "didn't I just rescue YOU?"

Bow mentions Hordak and Entrapta pulls her little new bug-eye mask down :(

Adora: so hey we uhhhhhhhh really need your help due to a terrible secret of the First Ones that nobody but us knows

"WHy didn't you say so???"

well that's a callback to s1 ep1

THERE SHE IS!! MY BABY 😍 I LOVE HER SO MUCH

nooo

anyway Kyle, Rogelio, and Lonnie come in and Catra's like OH UHHH so...what's happening

Lonnie: "we just got back from conquering another Rebel town" Kyle: ":D You should've seen us!! It was all:"

and then he kicks Scorpia's old locker, with the drawings on it, and Catra gets mad

Ironically the degree to which Catra is UPSET is making me ship them harder lol

bb you need a break you are getting feral

Man Lonnie has her number lol. "What is wrong with you? We're winning! Even you should be happy."

god I love when she's this deranged

she slams poor Lonnie against a locker

john cena dot gif

but also OH DO THEY REMIND YOU OF WHO YOU USED TO BE? HMM? what you really wanted??? what actually gave you something like joy or contentment????? are you trying to just erase any part of you capable of feeling good?????????

Kyle is RIGHT

The cinematic parallels between Catra and Glimmer in this episode ("forget my friends I'M IN CHARGE HERE and YOU NEED TO FOLLOW ORDERS") are *chef's kiss*

Catra realizing this isn't what she actually wants: part ....a lot

STOP REMINDING ME I HAVE FEELINGS!!

The other three leave, she yanks the drawings off Scorpia's old locker, then THUMPs her head on it. And then Double Trouble shows up!

okay wait tho the way she pauses and then thumps her head on it is so funny I wish I could gif it, it's so cat-like and also Very Emo

I don't think this is supposed to be funny but it IS and I cannot stop rewinding and laughing. I blame the wine.

THONK

help i've rewatched it like five times now

okay

lol right??

Me, when I was info-dumping my own fic at myself: is it weird to imagine these two banging??? Me now: nope

Double Trouble: "Apologies for the delay, kitten. I got ...held up...in Bright Moon"

Anyway they give a little speech about how the Princesses keep fighting and She-Ra is away

NO SHIT, SHERLOCK

(now THERE's an old fandom reference ahahaha)

"We can't let them return to the Fright Zone!" TOO FUCKING LATE

YOU STOLE HER GARNET YOU WOULD THINK SO

Anyway they argue about the possibility of Glimmer taking Scorpia back to the Fright Zone

GOD I HATE IT WHEN SHE'S RIGHT UGGGHHHH

lolol I am. like. less than ten minutes into the FIRST OF TWO EPISODES and i've hit the image limit.

[sappy-and-sapphic]

My thoughts on Gap the series, episode 1, in no particular order. It's kinda long, oops

The dome shots in this show are so pretty. Dome shots, my beloved.

On that same note, the cinematography is very good for this show. The colors, the styling, the sets and the lighting are brilliant. It's so colorful and beautiful.

It's very telling that Mon always have some pink in her outfits so far meanwhile Sam always have black in her outfits.

Mon is in love already so the pink. And her first outfit was mainly white, showing her innocence.

Black has many meanings. It's elegant and classy, a nod to Sam's high position.

It's also a color associated with evil and darkness which can be a nod to Sam 's reputation in the company and also her bleak life, devoid of colors.

The first time we see Sam in white is after Mon 's introduction to her life which could mean things. White isn't in Sam 's color palette before that dress despite how well it goes with her usual black.

The styling team is doing a tremendous job all in all. I love Mon 's earrings, I want all of them. I want Sam 's white top/cloak/dress. That's the most gorgeous piece of clothing that I ever saw.

Sam's heels in her introduction were so gorgeous too. I don't like heels and I still want those.

The whole dream dance scene was so good. I melted when dream Sam put dream Mon 's hand on her own neck. This is what I live for.

Baby Mon is so fucking cute. The cutest kid ever.

Mon adopted Sam's pet then? Omg that's a great trope. It means more shots of the cute doggo, right? Right?

Meeting your soulmate when they saved your life might be cliched but I love it.

I really should have seen the parallel coming.

Sam saving Mon when Mon wondered if Sam has changed too much was chef's kiss. That was dramatic irony done well.

The writing is so good so far. I am so happy.

Freen and Becky look so good. They're such pretty women. We're really winning today.

I am really liking the rest of the supporting cast so far. They're all fun to watch.

Yuki is a good friend. Even I would pull Mon 's cheeks at the first opportunity. Mon is so cute.

Mon 's parents are so cute together. It shouldn't have taken me this long to figure out that he was her stepfather but this is on me.

Sam 's grandmother is really horrible. God, that ultimatum was awful.

So that company is basically Sam 's only ticket to freedom 😭

Is Sam the thirdborn? I really wanna know the full deets about what happened to her siblings.

Kirk is really nice for a forced fiancee. I wasn't expecting to like him this much.

Sam's entrance to the office really gives me Devil wears Prada vibes and I love it.

Tbh Mon shouldn't have just stood there while everyone was rushing but then again how else would Sam get a good first look at her future wife then.

Not me clinging to Sam asking if Mon is okay when they fell on the stairs. See the ice queen cares!

Was that bracelet a gift? It costs 5 million baht and 50 million baht seems to be the goal for Sam's deal with grandmother. So was that just an arbitrary number that they decided on? Sam doesn't actually needs that money?

Poor Mon is really disappointed that her idol is not like what she thought.

Mon, you are really gone for Sam. She really said I don't want to be in this country if things don't work out with Sam.

Very gay of her tbh, I say this as a queer woman in love with another woman who would totally change countries for my gf.

When we see Sam pinning for Mon, then what? How will I survive that.

I loved the humor so far in the show. HR lady saying she didn't wanna go job searching again, the dinner scene with Mon 's parents, Sam cracking a joke and the reaction 😂

Sam, you could have just put Mon 's purse away or moved around. Why do I feel like you are just trying to talk to Mon? And then being rude to hide it.

The next office scene: Yup, called it.

Sam and Kirk 's friendship looks so precious. I hope it remains this way.

Sam really likes candles, doesn't she? Gift her candle when the time comes, Mon.

Grandma's house has servants but Sam's doesn't. Hmmm. Interesting.

Sam's signature color is black so far but her car is yellow which is very eye catching. That's an interesting combo of colors.

[thatsuhboldchoice]

i never thought it'd happen but i managed to find the almeida live richard iii???? i've very much wanted to see it to gauge another rupert goold shakespeare so here we are!

getting to this point was a challenge--like out of the blue the first act showed up on youtube, but the second act wasn't there, so i went searching for it, found it, but the audio in both acts was out of sync so i downloaded them and somehow that fixed the first act but not the second, so i found a free video editor, but had to edit and render it twice bc the issue wasn't that the video was offset, but that it was hair too fast for the audio and now it SEEMS to be fixed but for some reason there are still select scenes that are still out of sync so i think there is very much something deeper going on with varying frame rates in that video, but anyway i managed to get it for the most part watchable

okay time for actual analysis!

i reread the folger edition at work yesterday, which is for the most part pulled from the first folio and so in watching i had to keep looking at the text, because i think they were working by and large with the quarto text

anyway i am now aware that textual differences are many and that finding a cut of riii is going to be thorny

anyway

this production seems very straight to the point

ralph fiennes is obviously a great shakespearean, but there's not much velvet fist going on, more just fist

richard's misogyny is clear in the text, but i think it's a little more complex than what seems to be happening here

to make riii's scenes with the women work--he has to actually woo?

the dark humor is there but the charm not quite

but i know he's got the charm since his antony was solid

scott handy's clarence here is nothing short of spectacular

this is how we deliver text, kiddos

the murderers are a highlight. like this scene is already funny but this is top notch and again i follow everything with handy i see him fighting for his life.

god i really want more out of vanessa redgrave

sorry there are moments where i'm going to insert my own interpretations of this text which i know is not taking this production for what it is but Too Bad

but essentially the way i see the women in this piece, particularly margaret, is not that they're mad at all, but that their pain, rage, and curses are interpreted as mad by the men around them

their "curses" and "prophecies" come true, because they aren't that at all but experience

(which really makes sense if we get the civil war before this)

the doll symbolism makes sense, but the slight battiness to these incredibly powerful women is a little irksome

i feel strongly that the women are the key to this piece and i think that already puts me at odds with this production

continuing on

goold is just very good at clarity and this piece is no exception

rivers, hastings, buckingham, etc. do not give us much in the text to individualize them, but in performance feel totally distinct

again i am just not getting much of an arc out of fiennes' richard?

a little underwhelming

i don't know how to deal with the precocious children in the text other than to put precocious children onstage and...sigh

the scene with the women must be one of the longest and sits at the climax of the piece and is the showdown between the most developed member of the reigning monarchy and richard as the usurper, hence my entire thesis, but i digress..

these three do spectacularly

susan engel in particular is *chef's kiss*

again such clarity and intention and proficiency with the verse let me cry

aislín mcguckin is harrowing and fiery and i really love her elizabeth

but i do want to unpack that scene with richard

i am again missing an arc there

they just kinda bash heads until the r*pe (which i'll get to in a moment) and then she leaves

which i *think* i get---the intent of that action is to subdue her and then she agrees

but here's the thing--there is such parallel between this scene and the anne wooing scene--and he seems to end with the upper hand

and maybe this is just my own personal reading of the text

but again i think *he* thinks he's successfully reenacted that scene

but here's the thing...elizabeth lives? she agrees but then escapes

and it would really help if shakespeare gave us literally anything more with this character other than a brief reference to her daughter marrying richmond at the end

but the key point to me is the emotional conclusion of elizabeth's arc is that she gets away

this scene is so charged that r*pe is logical extension of it

(especially taking into account the fact that in henry vi, richard's VERY first soliloquy is in immediate reaction to watching his brother "woo" elizabeth and that the beginning of the "since i cannot prove a lover i am determined to prove a villain" sentiment. like this is arguably the end of an arc for them)

but i think the entire tension in that scene is that she avoids it or worse

again though that is all my VERY specific interpretation of a very challenging aspect of this play

and this richard has been utilizing sexual violence extensively so i see it

i just don't think it's necessarily the most interesting take

moving on

the staging of the ghost scene with richmond is lovely, just lovely

richard loves richard!

there's the fiennes i know

some depth finally

god i wish i worked in theatres where i could make it rain

really really really strong final image with the mother kneeling at the grave with the works lights from modern dig site

that cuts beautifully across the ages

[sawasnailtoday]

it's heeeerrrrrrreeeee!! i binged the chapters when i first found this and then fell in love with the rest of your fics 🥺 thank you for taking time to write and upload!! anyway, onto the bullet-point list of live reactions lmao

"“It’s no use anyhow,” she sighed. “Did no one in this village own a comb? I should just cut it all off.”" i shaved my head after having long hair for years and it was super cathartic and she should do it!!! i'm hoping we get a Tangled braided hair with flowers look but also,,,,,, chop chop bitch here are the kitchen scissors

"Jasper blinked. She was worried about him? He floundered, caught between mild offense and an odd tenderness blooming in the pit of his stomach." djdhsj yeah that's just called having feelings for someone bud

jalice is a bizarre case of local pollyanna meets Repressed White Guy No. 3 and i am here for it

""And you’re freezing,” she accused, seizing one of his hands in both of hers and blowing on it, lips just brushing his knuckles. “Come inside,” she urged, pretending not to notice how fast he pulled away. “It’s going to rain.”" nothing to add here bestie but it hurt my heart a little

"“You look…good,” said Jasper, with a painful half throat-clear." this reminds me of that scene in warm bodies where julie is on the plane and r is talking to her in that kind of broken tone and it's incredibly awkward but incredibly sweet

i was reading the scars moment so quickly that I have no thoughts except ❗️❗️ and "He had the sense that if he let it out, he might do something foolish. Alice’s eyes snapped up to meet his, wide and questioning, and he wondered if she sensed the foolish thing, too." which makes me ❗️❗️❗️❗️

“It’s all right,” she informed him. “You like having something to worry about.” // Not something, he corrected her silently. Someone.

okay i've said it before in a good politics comment but your writing style reminds me so much of jane austen in some places. it's more apparent in good politics but this part where they're talking about the fair just after alice has gotten her shoes is simply chefs kisses

ahfjdagaks once again i got so invested that i didn't take notes but it's all so golden. i'm really hoping next chapter we get to read about the revelations, but if we don't then that's cool!! i'm in it for the long haul baby. i do, however, love all the parallels and details in this chapter that illustrate a reversal of their relationship relative to the narrative. i'm super psyched to see where this goes!!

and i hope this goes without saying, but please don't feel obligated to update or apologize for taking time for yourself!! life happens and we understand that it takes time to create something with so much care and effort 💕 thanks again and i hope your rib heals up soon!!

perdition of the witch

twilight | alice cullen/jasper hale | medieval AU

In a land ravaged by disease and famine, disgraced ex-knight Jasper accepts a job transporting a mysterious caged girl to stand trial for witchcraft. But is she what they say, or is she something else entirely? Plagued by suspicion and haunted by doubt, Jasper soon finds himself in the crosshairs of the sinister forces that hunt her.

on ao3 | on ff.net

rating: m

warnings: death, graphic violence, blood, weapons, disease, drowning, starvation, harm to children, stockholm syndrome (see chapter notes for more specific content warnings)

status: ongoing

originally written for Jalice Week 2021, Day 1: Road Trip

[mineminamine]

Reading this was *chef kiss* this was beautiful and had been my sentiments the moment I finished ep 12 👏🏻👌🏻 the amnesia trope, if done right (which DAYS did) can be full of wonderful angst, yearning, hopeful expectations of having them fall in love again, electric curiosity of characters figuring out why they're pulled toward the other person, viewers wondering if they'll recover their memories and the fallout of that if it ever happens. IT'S SO GOOD Y'ALL.

The deliberate, self inflicted amnesia wasn't used for cheap drama. This was a decision made by Dong Kyung thinking that this was for the greater good. It wasn't out of character for her to do so because we've seen time and again, in the past episodes, all the ways she tried to think of a loophole out of this contract that's LITERALLY a ticking time bomb. Not only that, we see another trait of Dong Kyung which had been evident since episode 1 -- Impulsivity -- come into play. She hears an idea and acts on it. The pressure she had to deal with to make that decision with Dora going "make your decision now bish cuz im dying" also added to that.

I also see this as a parallel to when she made that deal with Myul Mang in episode 1. The pressure being literal Truck of Doom barrelling at her 😂

I've seen some people lamenting the loss of the development in the relationship because of the amnesia and I say nah man. You best believe that both of them will try to get to the bottom of this and regain their memories in just 1 episode. I'm so giddy thinking about the new eps to come while simultaneously dreading the possibility of a sad ending (which honestly I signed up for and knew was a possibility from episode 1 so I don't feel as cheated unlike with other dramas 👀looking at you hwayugi lol👀)

TLDR Plot has moved forward, the contract is now gone. Now all we have to tackle is her looming death fate. This is a character-driven show and people need to understand and appreciate that.✌

I know some people aren't fans of the amnesia plot in DAYS (to be honest, depending on how it is done in certain shows I am not a fan of it either) but I have to say that in this case, I am liking it so far.

One of the reasons, and probably the main one, is that the amnesia plot in DAYS makes narrative sense not only story wise but character wise. It's not like one of those dramas where suddenly and for no apparent reason, one of the main characters gets into an accident, and they lose their memories (but only the ones from the period of time associated with their relationship with the other lead, obviously). In DAYS, if we want to, we can also assume that the amnesia plot is a lack of knowing what to do with the story (and who knows if we'd be right or wrong, I personally don't think so) but the introduction of the plot makes sense, in my opinion, because:

1) As others have said way better than I possibly could, it's an exploration (by the goddess and the leads) of the different ways in which the characters could maybe achieve a happy ending. We have already walked through different variables of this theme (I will love you and I won't lose anything is step one, I will love someone evil so they die, I will leave everyone behind and be alone etc.) and this is another option that could or could not work. It's also an exploration for the writer, represented by Park Young when he lists how he would end up the story in order to avoid a sad ending.

2) It's a choice by the characters. And it's a choice that the audience can understand. Who, in Dong Kyung's place, wouldn't forget the person they love the most in order to save them? And not only them, but also every other person they cherish. While as an audience we might disagree with her choice (or not) it makes perfect sense. And it is EXACTLY what Dong Kyung would do nonetheless, because it has been more than shown that she puts everyone before herself so obviously, sacrificing a part of her happiness for those she loves is in line with her thinking and her character. Also, when they are in the Ferris wheel, Dong Kyung tells Myul Mang that she would like to be forgotten so that her loved ones won't suffer. It's no surprise, then, that she would choose that option when presented to her.

3) We are in a universe where fantasy coexists with reality, and therefore such things as erasing memories and giving them back are possible thanks to the supernatural nature of the characters and their surroundings.

I have to say that what I like in particular about the amnesia plot in DAYS is that the loss of memory is mutual, which brings me to two of my favourite things regarding this trope (of mutual loss of memory or a shared memory reset):

1) Falling in love again - Dramas centered around romance assure us that our main couple will end up together (99% of the time) and because of that, it's not so much the destination (as in the couple ending up together) what is important but the road that takes us there. I like that having both characters start again also gives us the opportunity to explore the early stages of the characters falling in love again. I personally really like this because I love when characters are getting to know each other and start developing a relationship (in DAYS case, first animosity, amusement, curiosity, care and then love). Also, the fact that both characters don't remember each other, makes their dynamic fall back on the dynamics on the early episodes and I love it.

2) Parallels with different emotional baggage + Glimpses of recollection - Probably my favourite because it's dramatic and angsty. I really like parallels within fiction, things that are presented and then resonate. Having echoes of past scenes is *chef's kiss* and I like it even more in this case because while the scenes are pretty much the same, the emotional baggage of the audience is so different. Because as a viewer, I have not forgotten what the characters' have been through, and I know that they love each other, so all these little things that might mean nothing (apparently) to the characters hold a deeper meaning to me and the emotional dimension of the scene changes. But not only the audience, the characters, unknowingly, also carry that emotional baggage, and it is that baggage what tells them deep inside that something is strange or missing.

In DAYS case, in episode 12, as many people who are way smarter than me have pointed out, Myul Mang's actions are influenced by decisions and emotions that HE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER:

- Standing up before midnight to go somewhere, only to realise there was no reason for him to do so.

- Not killing (or hurting) that guy who killed his son because Dong Kyung was looking, which brings us back to when he said that he doesn't want to look bad in front of her.

- The elevator lights flickering because Dong Kyung was in pain, showing that he too is emotionally distressed.

- Looking at Dong Kyung a few extra seconds when she walks away at the hospital.

- The doubt on his face when she asks him why does he think she is the one who can help him destroy the world on the beach when he just knows she is the one but doesn't know why.

- Touching her hair as to comfort her.

- THE TEARS.

He doesn't even remember, yet his behavior is conditioned by those memories.

Even without their memories of each other, there's something there buried still and that's what makes these parallels so perfect, because they are not a perfect copy of one another, there is something slightly off in each one of them because the characters are not the same that they were at the beginning, even if they mostly are, they have undeniably changed in ways that can't be erased. I LOVE THAT.

This parallels also help cement the idea that there is destiny involved here, which is the message the godess is telling us regarding Dong Kyung and Myul Mang. That no matter what, they are bound to find each other. To be honest, I have a complicated relationship with destiny plots in k-dramas, but that's a thing for another post.

To sum up, because this is way longer than I intended, I really like how the amnesia plot is used in DAYS and how much it appeals to my personal taste. I think that they will regain their memories very soon, if we take into account there are only four episodes left, and I can't wait to see how that happens.