#tais rants

[endlesslyhyperfixating]

Every time people try to pretend there’s no existence of racial bias in the way Sydcarmy is dismissed, an angel loses their wings.

You know what’s exhausting? Watching people bend over backward to insist that there are no racist or misogynoir undertones to the way Sydcarmy gets dismissed as a valid ship.. like let’s just be real for a second.

I understand people who don't ship it or believe in the ship because they prefer to take the show at face value, focus on different dynamics, or interpret relationships in other ways. However, the people who deny any validity to believing their relationship is more than meets the eye? That needs to be addressed.

People will swear up and down that their issue isn’t with Sydney, that they love her, and that they "just think Carmy should go to therapy first" , but then in the same breath, you'll catch them romanticizing the hell out of his dynamic with Claire, a relationship that was unhealthy, regressive, and rooted in avoidance rather than growth. @yannaryartside covers the very strong existence of the Oedipus complex and the fulfillment of Carmy’s mommy issues through Claire’s behavior and manipulation in their relationship, and I agree wholeheartedly.

Let’s talk about the “Carmen needs therapy before a girlfriend” argument. Let’s be real, Carmy needed therapy when he was with Claire too, but nobody seemed to mind that. In fact, everyone around him—Richie, the Faks, even the audience, enabled this idea of Claire as a “good” thing for him, as if she wasn’t feeding into his worst tendencies. And the most infuriating part? Claire was, in fact, manipulative. (Again, covered by @yannaryartside .)

She didn’t do it in an overt, villainous way but used **soft, socially acceptable manipulation**—the kind that gets ignored when it’s coming from a conventionally attractive, non-threatening, quirky white woman.

Claire’s Manipulation: The Softness of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl

People like to act like Claire was just a character who wasn’t well-written or worth the time for analysis, but that was the entire point of her: to feel underwhelming, to feel forced into place. In many ways this is true of course, she's under/not well-written in ways, and people think she was simply there, offering Carmy what she believed (and convinced him to believe) was love, when in reality, she inserted herself into his life in a way that preyed on his vulnerabilities and pre-existing issues.

And before anyone jumps in with "she didn’t do anything wrong!"...let’s actually look at how she operated.

- She sought him out when he wasn’t in a good place.

She made it a point to go out of her way to get his real number after being given a fake one. If course she uses that classic manipulative play it off as a joke move when she threatens him but not the best way to start. I know it's been said before, but can we imagine if the roles were reversed? Would we not think that creepy?

- She made it about her when he was struggling.

When Carmy tried to set a boundary, Claire framed it as him pulling away from her, rather than him dealing with his own issues. She encouraged his avoidance, gave him an easy escape from his problems, and then was surprised—and (validly) hurt—when reality came crashing down. Even when Carmy was harsh in breaking up with her, he was speaking from a place of truth for himself. To be with her, when he was so damaged and not really in a space of genuinely liking her, was bullshit.

- She used nostalgia as a tool.

Claire’s entire presence in Carmy’s life was based on a past version of him that no longer existed. Just as Carmy didn’t really see Claire, but rather a projected version of her shaped by his family (and a little bit of Sydney), Claire didn’t love him, she loved the idea of Carmy she had from childhood. And she expected him to fit back into that mold, to regress into a state where he could blow off work to hang out with her and forget his partnership with Sydney, someone he's meant to work with and has a responsibility to be with. That’s not love. That’s entitlement to a person’s growth or lack thereof.

And yet, people ignore all this because Claire fits their idea of what a love interest should look like to them. She’s non-threatening, familiar, digestible. They don’t question why she feels right, - white - while Sydne, who actually challenges Carmy, who understands him in ways Claire never could, gets written off as “not romantic.”

Claire, for "clarity" or "peace" (ugh) is simple. She's the painted picture of a woman who puts others before herself, the quirky manic pixie dream girl inching too close to the camera, sneaking her way into his life. People argue it feels like the same effect Sydney has on Carmy, but it's not the same at all. Claire is easy. For Carmy. He can fuck up, regress, and stay stagnant, and she’ll applaud him for it. "Never ever, ever apologize."

Sydney is the opposite. She calls him on his shit, and she sees him for who he really is. Sydney is the real peace for him (how many times do we need to bring up that damn panic attack, the table scene, and strange currencies? Thank you, @chefkids ).

Phew...

Moving on,

The Hypocrisy of the “Carmy Needs Therapy First" Argument

Back to the “Carmy needs therapy before a relationship” excuse, because wow, is that just selective. People only seem to apply it when Sydney is involved, not when Claire is around. It’s the most transparent double standard imaginable. I’ve seen one too many “I ship Carmy with therapy” memes, and I need to talk about it.😾.

When Carmy was with Claire, he was a mess..but people loved to romanticize it, acting like she was his “breath of fresh air,” even when she was just another distraction. Even he fell for it, tricking himself into believing the false sense of security she contrived for him.

When these people talk about Carmy and Sydney, suddenly it’s “he needs to work on himself first” as if the mere suggestion of them together is too high-stakes to even consider. It’s always “God forbid we have well-written female-male relationships without it being romantic.”

So we prefer shitty romantic relationships between the quirked-up white woman and our white male main character rather than the chemistry, character plot, and dynamic between Syd and Carm? Okay.

It’s not about Carmy’s emotional availability for these people. It’s about who people *want* to see him be available for, and it's not Sydney.

Why Do People Feel So Pressed About Sydcarmy, Anyways?

If Sydney were white���let’s be honest—this wouldn’t even be a conversation. The dynamic is already there. The intimacy, the trust, the undeniable chemistry. Their relationship fits the mold of that slow-burn, work-obsessed partners-to-lovers trope better than any other ship that actually makes it to canon.

But instead, people act like EVEN speculating about it is ridiculous, like the idea of Carmy feeling something deeper for Sydney is somehow beyond the realm of possibility. They’ll call it “forced,” “delusional,” or “just not where the story is going," as if every single element of storytelling isn’t deliberately crafted to suggest something simmering under the surface. Whether platonic or romantic, it's there. It’s genuine soulmate energy.

They pretend their dismissal of this ship has nothing to do with race, but race is an integral part of the ship because Sydney is a black woman.

It's almost like erasure in itself when they deny it's importance, as if there isn’t a long history of Black women in media being sidelined, desexualized, and treated as expendable when it comes to romance. Sydney isn’t “just a coworker.” She’s not “just his business partner.” She is one of the most important people in his career—and even his life—whether people want to admit it or not.

So yeah, maybe people need to interrogate *why* they can believe in Claire(a character who offered Carmy nothing but regression)but not Sydney, who actually represents something real.

Because if the reason is "Carmy's growth," you're bullshitting.

---

Tags

@fairestbeard @chefkids @thoughtfulchaos773 @yannaryartside

[bossthebicon]

I just had the craziest idea... only friends... but with pebaca. make it about a messy ass queer group of friends in their 30's... okay 5 likes on this post & I'm writing a fic lol

[elysiality]

I'm so sick and tired of you guys putting the incredibly nuanced and fleshed out characters of Yellowjackets in little boxes.

just because Travis was a bit of a misogynist in s1 does not mean he deserved to eat his 12-13 yr old brother and get assaulted by the girls, as well as later drugged by Lottie. he was suffering— but that doesn't excuse him throwing Akilah under the bus when he didn't want to play into Lottie's shenanigans anymore either.

saying that Lottie is fully justified in everything that she did and that Shauna is an evil, twisted fuck with no further characteristics to her in the same breath is being hypocritical. both of them did things that are just as horrible as each other, though Shauna was more externally violent while Lottie was more emotionally manipulative.

and again, it's important to note that Lottie had a canon, diagnosed mental illness with no way of getting help and a bunch of scared teens who rallied around her for guidance and that Shauna lost possibly the only two people she ever loved— her baby, and her best friend.

we don't know what her home life looks like but it's safe to say that it probably wasn't very good if her friendship with Jackie was something that was completely approved in her household, as well as marrying her dead best friend's boyfriend with no qualms. and we've already established that Lottie's home life was shit too.

just because Jackie was slightly stuck up and self-absorbed does not mean that she was not a kind person at heart and absolutely does not mean that she deserved to die in the way she did. she was fully justified in her anger, but also needed to take responsibility for never acknowledging all the things that bugged Shauna about her.

all of these flaws and good characteristics in equal measure apply to every single character in yellowjackets because that's the point of the show. Misty, Nat, Tai, Van, Mari, everyone.

it's almost like these are a bunch of very scared, very frightened teens struggling to survive in a situation that they weren't prepped for at all, and are normal, human beings with flaws like everyone else that were enhanced by the tragedy they had to go through.

there's nothing inherently 'good' or 'evil' about them. they're nuanced characters in a bad situation and fighting to survive while also battling deteriorating mental health among people they've done bad things with.

[astrobbie]

“this show is making me like the men more” when the shows literally been setting this up from ep1. they literally eat people did you think they WERENT going to lose their morals more and more as the show progresses? did you think the hunting scene in season 2 was the worst it got and not the beginning of their descent into violence and horror? i feel like i’ve entered some alternate universe because half the complaints about season 3 make no sense to me and i just think a lot of you need to stop watching the show and just stick to reading fanfic or something because a lot of the complaints just sound like you dont like the season bc its not going the way you made up in your head

[wiki-kitty]

The Digimon Emperor, Ken Ichijouji: a waste of potential

I am isolating this conversation to 02 discussion as it's the only digimon series with Ken that I've seen thus far, and I feel like later content won't have much of an effect on the topic at hand, which is Digimon 02's writing. Spoilers ahead (obviously)

So I often hear that Ken Ichijouji is one of the best digimon characters in the entire series, and a really good redemption arc, but I don't find it that compelling. It feels like it's a redemption arc, therefore it is good, rather than people actually taking in its execution.

To elaborate Ken's arc starts out really good. In all honesty I don't have a lot of sympathy for a pale kid roleplaying a slave owner, but around the midway point when they reveal his backstory and explain that he never seemed to consider digimon to be real breathing entities and with the loss of wormmon I feel as though they set up for a slam dunk of a character redemption arc.

Ken's whole deal was a whole lotta trauma, his parents ignoring him for his older brother, sam, who while usually nice was shown to have a dark side and was often abusive whether it was just emotionally or maybe even physically. (I'm starting to notice digimon likes to imply physical trauma for their characters more on that in a later post)

His brother was smart, gifted, he was the favorite of their parents which often left ken ignored and spiteful. After his brother's death it seemed he sought out attention by essentially becoming Sam. he started throwing himself into his studies, he became a soccer prodigy, he was a local celebrity, but he also looked down on everyone. He saw those around him as insects, no one noticed ken till he was better than everyone else, and then all the sudden people would kiss the ground he walked on. It's a pretty solid trauma response into evil behavior like becoming the digimon emperor, creating the dark spires, and generally being an ass (attempting to kill the digidestined.

But let's take a step back. I said I didn't like Ken and I don't believe the hype, but I'm singing it's praises right now, what's up with that? My problem lies in 02's obsession with destroying Ken's agency, and it all starts with this.

After the digimon emperor incident, arukenimon and mummymon appear as the second arc antagonists. While they are fun and I like them using the control spires, Ken's greatest mistake, as a means for their goals. It's revealed late in that the ones who told Ken to make the control spires were arukenimon and mummymon. Taking away partial agency away from ken already, as the dark spires weren't even his idea.

But at least he made the spires himself with us genius intellect, right? Incorrect. The control spires themselves came from the dark ocean. So they are not of Ken's design. Speaking of, the dark ocean is part of Ken's evil origin, under it's evil influence he became the digimon emperor or had the capacity to, why?

The dark spore of course. This shreds the last of his character to pieces for me. Ken is unwittingly possessed by this dark spore it's no grab for power, he's literally possessed by it at random by pushing ryo out of the way of it. Making it embed into him instead.

What makes this so significantly damning is that it's revealed later on that the dark spires themselves cause what ken went through, his sudden IQ upgrade, him burying himself in his schoolwork to be an over achiever, even him looking down on others as pitiful insects are shown to be effects of this dark spore, and not actually his own choices and trauma responses to his environment or upbringing. Sam, his parents, the traumatic event that led him down this path, all really had nothing to do with what happened to ken. It was the dark spore.

Ken's actions are so up the chain it's nuts, so what did Ken actually do in 02? His moves were manipulated entirely by arukenimon and mummymon, who were doing the bidding of Yukio Oikawa, who himself was under the complete control of the abomination that is Malomiyotismon.

With all this said the only thing I can really say ken did was watch his brother die, not get love from his parents, and then generally be nothing but help as he felt guilty about decisions he never even had an opportunity to make. I wouldnt even really call that a redemption arc. Ken wasn't there until wormmon died.

I don't think he's a bad character but they kinda took everything away from him that made him interesting and it kinda left him a boring shell. Redemption arcs to me are more fun when characters confront their actions and choices and choose to be better, but ken never made really any bad choices, he was completely transformed entirely into a different person not by making a bad choice, but by saving someone else and being kind. He made a heroic choice and just suddenly became super evil for no reason. And I don't vibe with that.

I think it's honestly giving the 02 writers too much credit and it's really not that compelling to call ken the best when Digimon has so many great characters who deal with anger sadness and grief and learn to be better, like tai.

He dealt with nearly similar grief, nearly getting his sister killed by acting selfishly. Which leads into his need to take charge to such an aggressive degree in season 1, and being confronted by his friends when he acts completely crazy and angry towards them. Trying to take on the responsibility so no one gets hurt and how angry he gets when Kari is in trouble in the digital world. He's a jerk and has to learn to let go and trust those around him, no dark spore required.

I say all this with the context of specifically the 02 dub from America, which I know probably has a good chunk of changes. I have a lot to say about 02 but I do legitimately want to hear from ken fans why y'all love him so much. I'm not trying to start a fight, I like hearing people's positive thoughts and I'd love to love something more than I'd like to hate it, so I'm up for convincing.

Anyways those are my thoughts sorry ken, I liked ya and then they stripped your character of any nuance or agency and it makes me sad.

Until my next chat

-Wiki Kitty

[cosmichate]

i feel like it’s important within the yellowjackets fandom that has pretty much every ship possible, that we recognize the representation we were given — taivan have been extremely important to me as an individual considering this isn’t something we get very often, a black empowered lesbian who is in a relationship with a butch lesbian who are both characterized very well and played by two queer actors.

i’ve seen far too much taivan discourse on my TL recently and it breaks my heart, people are entitled to their own opinions but hating on a canon ship and then continuing to push an agenda about two characters that aren’t canonically interested in each other romantically (maybe even platonically) doesn’t sit very well with me and the other people i have curated this post with. it’s a very rare circumstance that this representation is brought to the light with a mainstream show and we should as a fandom collectively respect and view these two characters differently. i hope with season 3 they touch on their relationship more because representation goes such a long way even if it is only two characters.

[yallthemwitches]

Husband decided to travel to the states with a return date 2 days before his French residence card expires and now his flights are cancelled due to a freak fire problem in the London airport.

Writing this literally sobbing at work with the worst “I told you so it’s a bad idea to travel so close to your visa expiration”

Anyways, someone tell me a nice jily thing.

[heavens-secret]

🌹 IN DEFENSE OF TAI: A NOVEL🍷

So listen I get it, there’s the writing style to consider and the repetition of the detached, seemingly lifeless man in power being recycled that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I fully understand the people saying they want more passion from him, and I hope to see it fully awakened as we go further along. He’s seemingly got the same stoic facecard no matter what context, which can get frustrating because we want a certain degree of vulnerability from our LIs.

But to play devil’s advocate on the subject that is Tai, let me paint this portrait of how I hope to see his character being developed. Because I can’t help but think about the glimpse into that psychotic family we’ve been given in Episode 9 & feel that up to this point, Tai’s mannerisms and general demeanor actually make so much fucking sense.

Like Tiss, he’s essentially been primed for war from an early age. He was primed to rule, to make difficult decisions, to represent his house with pride, and to never show weakness. And yes, he’s undoubtedly enjoyed a certain degree of privilege due to his status. But while his sisters get to explore their interests and amuse themselves in court playing with people like their puppets, he’s tasked with the ultimate responsibility of a society’s future as the family heir. A task I don’t think he takes lightly, given how well read he is and how involved he is in political affairs. And unless there’s some mentor we haven’t learned about yet, Foelh seems to have been his only role model to imitate when it comes to being a man and being a leader. Imagine having that dude as a father figure. Whatever we’ve seen of Foelh so far, I assure you he’s a thousandfold worse. It sort of reminds me of learning about Lucifer’s background & how Satan raised him. There are more parallels to him and Satan than you’d originally think. Both are self-serving, sadistic narcissists with little empathy for others’ suffering. They make decisions not based on what’s best for the people or what is just, but based on what strengthens their authority or feeds their ego. Not to mention both would be willing give up their only son to a win a political chess match if it came down to it. When Tai was briefing him on the murder of the princess and told him he was prioritizing minimizing bloodshed over interrogating everyone, Foelh literally said that he would have executed him were it not for the fact that he was his only son. With a parental figure like that, it often feels like you’re walking on eggshells & consistently made to feel like you’re never good enough. It doesn’t necessarily justify the problematic aspects of their personality down the line, but it humanizes them and puts a lot of their actions in context. It’s also fertile ground for solid character development. Because imagine the sort of coping mechanisms you’d have to adapt to be molded by a sadist while enduring life-lasting fractures to your body and/or soul. Repression would be chief among them. And then imagine meeting someone who challenges everything you’ve ever known and done, who forces you to start feeling again.

It’s honestly nothing short of a miracle that compared to Foelh, Tai has been nothing but respectful towards Tiss up to this point. He doesn’t have an interest in blind subservience or abusing his power for an ego trip like his father does. His calm and reserved nature makes him a lot more open minded & reasonable. On the Falcon path, he likes her challenging him on matters others wouldn’t speak up about & even respects her more for it. These are all qualities that will help him create impactful change when the time comes for him to reign. It feels like she’s awakening sides to him that have long remained dormant, like she’s a literal breath of fresh air after he’s gotten so used to holding his breath entirely. At the same time, however, he knows how dangerous a personality like that is and worries for her. She was always under threat of death but I think he feels guilt and anger at himself that he’s put her in actual tangible danger, like he slipped up somewhere leading to Foelh using her as a manipulation tactic. Maybe he is remaining reserved because that is the best way to keep her safe, because showing passion will only prove that she is a point of vulnerability for Tai. And the more their feelings grow, the truer that becomes. And that will certainly lead to her death, unless Foelh is killed first. Tiss is feeling like a pawn right now, but I’m telling ya’ll she’s gonna checkmate the King.

[nnicknnelsonn]

warfare review(ish)

No Spoilers

went to warfare opening night and it is just as amazing as it absolutely needs to be. lives up to its potential 100%, an in-theatre must see.

UPDATE: if you missed it in theaters, it’s ok, don’t worry.

surprisingly, a good pair of over-ear noise canceling headphones were able to recreate the gut-rumbling in-theatre sound. 3 words: show of force 🤯

this is one of those films where about 10 minutes in you can already tell it has the oscars in its future. i’m pretty certain it will get (deserves) the following nominations:

best picture

best director(s)

best supporting actor: joe quinn

best sound design

best editing

best cinematography

best special effects (despite having zero cg)

best screenplay

some news source somewhere has undoubtedly described joe quinn’s performance as “a revelation.” and deservedly so.

will poulter and d’pharaoh woon-a-tai were absolutely amazing. i could see either of them considered for nominations. kit connor was fantastic, too. will put it best when he described kit as a perfect example of how an actor might have barely any lines on the page but can still be so impactful.

the two most demanding roles were joe quinn and cosmo jarvis’ guys. i will not spoil why.

the “show of force” moments deserve their own special effects award created expressly for this film.

for screenplay, not sure whether they’ll consider it an original screenplay or an adaptation. he wrote the book first, so that seems like an obvious adaptation. however. the screenplay was compiled by all the surviving members of the team who experienced that day. it is written more as a transcript of an event, directly from memory. the only things included were things that could be corroborated by at least two people. there is literally no fiction at all. one might even think of it as a documentary, except for the fact that there are high profile young actors, making it more of a quasi reenactment.

it will be super interesting to see how they categorize this film come awards season.

[littlethings6983]

Ok ok I feel crazy about this; in yellow jackets we now see Shauna as this evil mean person who’s crazy. Like the crazy things they did was … hunt and “kill” and eat people. Like ok ya that’s wild, but when they get rescued they all seem to get back to “normal” lives with of course some ptsd trauma. BUT Misty actually gets WORSE!!

In the teen time line Misty is seen as this weird annoying girl who can’t do anything and is in love with Ben. And for the most part that’s true. However, she broke the boxat the very beginning which coincides with her being kinda freaky and like CRAZY bc in the adult time line she literally drugs, kidnaps, tortures, and then kills a woman all while keeping her in her basement. Like WHAT

But when you watch season two and three and Misty in the teen timeline doesn’t really do much of anything and is totally tame compared to the other characters.

I don’t think I’m really making any points but TLDR why don’t we talk more about how Misty became a literal serial killer or at least has kidnapped and murdered someone previously since nobody seemed to give a shit that she did this, BUT had really no signs of this well in the wilderness!!!!

Like Shawna is pretty much the same as season one. She’s trying to regain power in the fact that her life is messed up. OK cool she was trying to gain power because her life was falling apart in her teen timeline. Tai was seeing visions in the teen and adult timeline. Natalie didn’t really get time to be explored anyway, but seem to be relatively similar to her teen self 

[boozles]

We need a TayNew series where it’s New that does the chasing. Like, I don’t think Peaceful Property counts (as much as we wish it did). But it’s always Tay that plays the chaser; Pete makes the first move in Kiss Me Again and is the more clingy one in Dark Blue Kiss, and of course, Karan is obsessively in love with Achi before Achi even gives him a second glance. In A Dog and A Plane, it looks like Toto will be the first to fall for Khanit.

Give me New being the one trying to make Tay fall in love with in. I mean, I feel like a lot of Peaceful Property was Home sorta wanting to be in Peach’s life more, but still, it doesn’t really count because no smooching (these are my rules, okay?). Give me New staring at Tay with hearteyes, begging for one date.

It would be so natural, because irl we constantly see New all over Tay, trying to hug and smooch him and Tay being like HIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET OFF ME.

I need this.

[endlesslyhyperfixating]

Sydcarmy vs Clairecarmy shot type, script, and relationship differences.

I was watching some clips I had for an edit I was working on and then I realized some interesting things about the shot sizes and types used In Carmen's interactions with Claire and Sydney, and the differences between u which can be argued to further push the Sydcarmy agenda. So... Let me cook.

Claire and Carmy

Their INFAMOUS close up shots are often talked about among the fandom. These scenes are often viewed as imposing, absorbing, intrusive and sharp. This shot type is often in their scenes together after medium double shots or over the shoulder shots.

Their initial meeting is quick-cut to these close ups, mirroring how their relationship and connection is brought about. A simple accidental meeting (alternating single medium shots) straight- almost immediately - to these really intense close-ups that, even to people who don't like to analyze these things, felt really affected by.

The cinematography regarding their connection is quick to be close, some would even say too close, and I believe this is meant to reflect their exact relationship.

Let's discuss their "intimate" or "cute" scene at the party in season 2 episode 5. (I cut off the rest of their dialogue because I wanted to discuss/analyze the shot and cinematography choices mostly

- slow push in during initial dialogue about Carmens fake party persona, Logan. (Whom @yannaryartside has discussed EXTENSIVELY and always eats about so I won't go too deep about that just yet but check 'em out.)

- cut-to close up after Carmen attempts to make a genuine observation about Claire's character.

What's the effect?

The initial choice to start this scene off with a slow push into their dialogue gives a personal, real feel. Like you're really there at the party. This makes sense with their topic of discussion at the time, Carmen going along with this fake persona he's adopted at this party.

Then, Carmy changes the subject, trying to make a 'genuine' observation about who Claire is, who he thinks he is.

Carm: "With Kelly, you're really good at that."

Claire: "good at what?"

Carm: "uh... Listening"

But let's think about that observation real quick, it was pretty much fed to him, just like everything else he has ever known about Claire. He sees the image of her his family laid out of her, and now he's seeing this image of a caretaker and listener that she has put out for him. Or, rather, literally made a whole outing with him about, basically saying "lets go to a party so you can watch me comfort my sad friend."

I digress, paired with this dialogue, the slow push in is intentional, to set that kind of real connection and build up a good relationship would have. But then...

Cut to a close up of Claire at his observation. She goes on further to tell him about how in college she was the one that everyone went to and that she would take care of when intoxicated. Not only does this jump straight into the image that's been created and upheld by others of Claire for Carmy, but it also skips a good chunk of the way they could have gotten there from continuing its slow push in. The cut to Claire’s close-up feels like it’s reinforcing the manufactured, performative aspect of her persona. She’s always already presenting an image of herself and the one that Carmy’s been fed by others, and now he's seeing her perform it for him. There’s no real room for them to discover who each other truly are beneath the surface. They get pushed(heh) into that “perfect” intimacy too quickly, (hence the ungodly amount of close ups) and everything gets rushed and artificial. The choice to make their interaction so loose and slow and intentional, to tight and suffocating, cutting to close-ups where Claire is the one “listening” or “comforting,” reinforces how his perception of her has been shaped by external factors rather than his own emotional processing. (Also, kinda wanna talk about how in the clip above you hear the inflection of Carmy's line when he says "listening" goes up, sort of sounding like a question. Does he really know if she's good at listening or is that just what he's been told? Is that just what he's been shown? It sounds like he's questioning whether she is really a good listener or not)

The nature of Clairecarmy cinematography is supposed to be rushed, invading and almost immature, just like them.

As opposed to

Sydney and Carmy

For Sydcarmy, we'll talk about The Table Scene (cue the "oh brother"'s) - sorry I had to speed it up it's a VERY LONG SLOW PUSH

The table scene features a (very) long push-in on Carms and Sydney's interaction under the table with no cuts or major changes in their positions. This scene is often seen as one of the most intimate within this show. It's a real intimacy, as opposed to the contrived "intimacy" we see in clips of Claire and Carmy, where even their dialogue doesn't serve their connection and deepening it as much as the shot types they get do.

Let's discuss the differences between the table scene and the party scene.

That table scene is a chef’s kiss example for tension* in cinematography.

*fun, emotional, and genuine tension, maybe even sexual and romantic, but not malicious

The slow push-in during the Sydney and Carmy's conversation is such a stark contrast to the Claire-Carmy moments. Where Claire and Carmy’s shots are invasive and rushed, Sydney and Carmy’s are carefully measured, building that slow tension that just eats at you. Which is deliberate, of course, as everything with this show is. (Also remember how I brought up the questioning infliction in Carmy's 'observation' he made about Claire? Here, he makes a standing observation about Sydney without any unknowingness. "You like taking care of people." It's resounding. It's real. It's not contrived intimacy, it's natural.)

It's a direct contrast to any scenes of "intimacy" between Carmen and Claire. Just thinking about any scene of them together, there are quick cuts, quick close-ups and shot types that read intimacy parked with dialogue that... Doesn't.

Sydney and Carmy's scenes usually feature these slow push in's, but especially so for the table scene. Just like mentioned with the previous scene, this is supposed to be a reflection of their connection and relationship.

There's a lot of distance in the beginning, a slow, slow push in is like their slow connection building. Not only is this deliberate to bring us as the viewers closer to them, but to bring these characters closer together as well. These cinematography choices are made along with dialogue that is actually intimate rather than cheaply contrived to trick the viewer into believing it is real intimacy (like with almost every Claire and Carmy scene)

Then, there's a still moment in the middle of the push inwards, around when the wide shot becomes a medium. This may be supposed to signify that for them to grow closer, there will be some resistance to face there. Stagnation. This period could possibly be equivalent to season three? That was Carmen's stagnant and regressive state where he began to relive and react his traumas, making Sydney step back. In this moment as the shot stills Carmen's eyes are on Sydney. Just as he always keeps an eye on her. Reminds me of something from season three...

Then the still is broken and we get more of a push in, into an almost close-up, until they both exit from under the table.

This could mean a lot of things in the context of the cinematography reflecting their relationship. But the one that makes the most sense, (and that we pretty much already know) is that

They're both resistant to getting close. But they still want to be there for each other.

Cinematography and shot speaking, the moment ending mid-push felt abrupt. It felt like it could have gotten closer, but it didn't. The intimacy of the moment caught up with both of them, making their clean transition to a more stable position and a still shot type. (Above is a double cowboy shot - waist up, more comfortable[?])

But, script wise, it was a fully realized and well executed moment, that had a beginning middle and end. Their talk was real and cherished, transitioning to another moment where they share that they are not alone. This idea of leaving each other alone is, and becomes a very important motif throughout the series.

The flow of the cinematography differing from the flow of the script is not a mistake or a fluke. I believe that this is all completely intentional.

To us, we hear and we see the intimacy and the connection between these two. We heard their professions, and reassurances and their devotions to one another. What we're shown through the cinematography is a slowly building connection, that takes pauses at times, that has moments of stillness, but continues to push grow and learn alongside each other. We know, just as they know, that there is something there between them, and the transition from under the table to over it is reflective of their resistance. We don't really have those sort of close-up moments between Carm and Syd.

This is sort of saying, if we want to get them to let themselves get close to each other, they need to let it happen.

SO. To sum it up...

Clairecarmy scenes are feigning intimacy and faking the "build" to their connection - really just cutting straight to it

Sydcarmy scenes are real and hold a genuine intimacy between the two, but the only thing keeping it from being a fully realized relationship or connection is themselves. They need to let the build-up happen (because it does) and they need to let each other in(close-up to each other)

[bossthebicon]

this exactly why I ADORE the beluca boys 🥰

in the bangkok to macau flight, there were only 3 seats per row so offgun didn't sit together but off sat next to taynew. he also felt up tay's chest (as one does 🤭):

but THEN in the return flight from macau to bangkok, they SWITCHED and new sat next to offgun so that offgun wouldn't be separated twice 🥰 AND new took from off's action of touching tay's chest and touched gun's chest in the same way LMAO:

I LOVE THEM SM IDHWJEHDOWHEOE

[skull-pun]

I'll never forgive KFP4 for not making Tai Lung the Vegeta to Po's Goku. That whole summoning thing should've happened at the beginning of the movie and he should have had his fight with the Chameleon then got his powers stolen and then escaped to get help from Po.

And yes I know she needed the staff to open the portal to the spirit realm so she couldnt have summoned him before she got it but idk maybe Zhen could have just stolen it from under Po's nose at the beginning so like now Po is more willing to trust Tai Lung since he knows his staff has been stolen? Man idk I just rewatched it and I'm still pissed off.

I just wanted my funny british snow leopard to get his redemption arc man.

[yallthemwitches]

I just wanted to say how much I love how you keep in mind the 70s for the marauders era. I was a bit surprised that most in the fandom tend to automatically lean more towards the disco bell bottom vibe in their depictions but I always thought they would be more on the British Punk movement in the mid 1970s that was pushed by the youth culture due to social unrest and a desire for rebellion against established norms. So if in muggle clothes my mind tends to lean towards influences from Vivienne Westwood and more tighter clothes like the band Blondie (Debbie Harry is my fashion icon!) but I love all the fashion from that era! (I feel like Sirius is the one does get depicted with these influences the most consistently). And even the snippet of James and Sirius fleeing from the police, I always thought them wearing those T-shirts with the golden phoenixes could have been actual Queen band T-shirts they bought while in the muggle world that they thought both looked cool and could represent The Order at the same time lol

Hi! Yes! I love keeping my jily and marauders canonically in the 1970s because a. its fun and b. I genuinely find the time period fascinating and perfectly fitting for their arcs within canon (lots of civil unrest, societal change etc. etc.)

I agree that the general idea of Lily really does skew towards ABBA, Fleetwood Mac lover (or if we are going modern TSwift girl)....but if you are one of those people reading this I'm really sorry to disappoint because that's not my girl....

I have a very strong head canon that Lily had a very eclectic taste in music and personal style due to many bored summers back in Cokeworth. She would have bopped along to ABBA and loved a good Tusk track from Fleetwood Mac, but I think her music tastes would have probably skewed more pre new wave/punk/glam for a few reasons:

Her best friend was Severus Snape: During our teens we usually glob on to whatever our friends like--it's kind of natural because navigating the world on our own sucks. Honestly, I think Snape would have had very little tolerance for music much less muggle music, but if you put a wand to his head he'd much rather play a record by, say, The Damned or Leonard Cohen than the glitzy disco pop that is ABBA. Lily brought various styles of music into his life and he was the litmus test (better or worse). Naturally she would gravitate to listening to music he would stomach because that would mean making him happy. (See below about her relationship with music+James)

2. Her life...kinda sucked: If you haven't caught on by now, I like my Lily a little bit tragic. If we just focus of what we know from canon we can compile this info about her: She came from a poor factory town, parents are somehow out of the picture by the time of her death, sister hates her guts (since childhood), best friend morally betrays her, and she's ostracized and discriminated against in the WW because of her blood status. Now, I'm not saying people with shit lives can't be listening to the top pop 100 charts, but in a great generalization sad/angry people listen to sad/angry music.

3. She was part of a fascist resistance group (or grew up with the mindset to join one): Again another generalization but a radical political leaning like this would probably poise her closer to a punk/grassroots movement than anything else.

Now, on the other side of that coin ( I know you didn't ask but I'm giving you the hc anyways) I think James would be a top 100 pop girlie (and also a 60s stan haha)....and I think Lily found that really refreshing. One of the things I like about Jily is that James was the breath of air Lily had always desperately needed. He was a confident, loyal, positive, action oriented person who stuck up for the people he loved to a fault. He never knew half of the suffering Lily grew up with (nor Sirius or Remus for that matter) and I think that's why all three of those characters gravitated towards him: he was the symbol that hope and happiness were possible.

For this reason, I always hc that James would like disco and love song pop hits and those high glam artists like Sweet or David Bowie. I also think he would be very skewed towards 60s sounding music because the WW (in my hc) is a decade behind the MW as far as culture and influence so he'd be still bopping around to The Beatles, and Donovan and The Kinks like that shit wasn't old news---and again I think Lily would love him for it because it was adorable.

Most importantly James' golden rule was that If Lily loved it, he did too (or at least respected it). Unlike Snape who would groan through some album she brought over, James would enthusiastically listen and (love it or hate it) be eager to understand why she liked an artist. He wasn't dismissive when he didn't like something and challenged her to think about her tastes in a positive manner.

I also agree with you about muggle clothes, but I think Lily would still be eclectic to match her music tastes. I think summers she would be a t-shirt/shorts or halter top/jeans person. She was feminine but it was natural--white eyelet shirts, a pinafore or two for nicer occasions. I think her style would probably fall somewhere into a Stevie Nicks meets Patti Smith situation, but she aspired to wear more edgier oriented clothing ( and did but only for shows/going out).

For James and Sirius: I always find it a little funny that James and Sirius are styled so differently in fics/art because those two did everything together and-again- teenagers tend to follow each other. Granted, these two are pretty big personalities so there would be a small difference, but I think generally both would be a t-shirt jeans/trousers guy with some sort of jacket (leather for Sirius/ Suede for James). James would skew a bit more 'straight' and Sirius more punk but I don't think either would be as overt as people like to depict (they weren't in the MW that often so there was no need to really flesh out this style beyond easy basics).

Sorry for the rant but I LOVE a good meta conversation about fashion and music. If you are at all interested I made a Lily playlist of what I think she would have listened to. I'll link it below!!

[alicelairds]

I honestly think it would be an interesting plot line if sammy was still in the show (at least as an important character) and him and callie Both being children of the survivors and both being connected to the wilderness due to that. like yeah, it would be diffcult for them because sammy is a child and callie is almost 18 (callie is still a child too, but there is a big age difference regardless). I mean, both being children from tai and shauna who had Such a dynamic and connection in the first season and now being estranged and their children having a similar dynamic (or any type of dynamic for that matter) of doing anything for each other. I feel like it could've been good if the writers didn't simply forget sammy's existence most of the time

and this could be a good plot for season 4, but I likely doubt that will ever happen, but if it does then I'll be surprised