#the societal structure in this play fascinates me so much

[ethernitty]

spoilers for longform 50 the off season

okay so i know sam addressing tom as the groom is just a height joke but it set me down a mental rabbit hole so have this dissection of gender thats really just an excuse for me to infodump

as this is all set off because of the wedding scene ill start there; there is a noticeably more progressive understanding of gender in this play universe than in reality 1895, and this has been going on for a while (eg. god himself or herself or themself, and the officiant/mrs daltrey saying shes late with this), still i think the characters of angelina and john (as these are the only ones whos clothing ill be talking about) are still dressed relatively within the standard of 1895.

now the 1890s were a time when womens wear started to take after mens fashion and bifurcated garments for women (such as split skirts and bloomers) came into fashion, and im personally of the opinion angelina might own and wear some of these, however since shes been set up on this date by her father, a proper earl whos friend and fellow earl did insist on john switching bottoms with him so john wearing "more appropriate trousers instead of his kilt", which leads me to belief that while shed still dress with male influences she wouldve put on a skirt (i imagine shes in a walking suit or something similar in this scene)

the scene progresses and john gets shot leading them to flee to france, obviously this is done in a haste and we dont see them going back and taking clothes, but since angelina has said she knows how to deal with this i presume she might have known that they would be staying there for a while and needed more clothes then they were wearing, which leads me to two option, one she went home really quickly and packed some clothes, or two that she bought new clothes in france. this second option while possible isnt the one my mind goes to, because while she does come from wealth she doesnt want to be associated with her father anymore, (the eulogy was probably already in print, but i think she telegrammed it from france to england), which leads me to belief she doesnt have much access to more funds then she had on her or couldve grabbed at a moments notice. so continueing with the first option, she wouldve grabbed womens clothing that might have tinges of masculinity but will like make them both read as woman (yes i know john has short hair, that was a trend for women in the 80s and again mrs daltrey is old)(for fellow trans angel truthers, i think that she might have some old clothes stocked away in a set place in her closet, which probably (going off luke and toms build) would fit in width but will be too long) also 1895 was when sleeves peaked in volume (they were massive) but she might have been wearing stuff slightly out of date, and with smaller sleeves (which ill get back to) now of course johns pant are still intact so he couldve been wearing them at the wedding, but that still leaves us with the top portion, now if hes wearing something slightly ages from agelina, (i mean a womans jacket or something) it would have some small poofs in the sleeves and a somewhat voluminous skirt which would be resemblant of 1830s mens fashion, which if we match that with angelina possibly wearing something bifurcated and somewhat outdated 1890s to wear, would make sense of mrs daltreys confusion, this would mean that shed likely be above the age of 75

i realise this has now become more of a hypothetical costume rant then a gender rant but i do still think its very intresting

[foibles-fables]

thinking once again about the delicious concept of Talanah having deeper and more numerous hang-ups about sex than Aloy would...

When it comes to the act itself, at least. We all know Aloy has a metric fuckton of interpersonal baggage to work through, and she's certainly gotten started on that. But I think, in an early established relationship with the two of them on equal ground communication-wise, she'd be way more clearheaded about the act of sex specifically.

The Nora are an incredibly sex-positive tribe, as long as it don't result in babies outside of a sanctioned mate blessing. They use contraceptives liberally ("my sister stopped taking her tea!") and same-sex couplings are accepted and not outside of the social norm. While the tribal leadership is a matriarchy specifically based on the merit of having progeny, the rest of their society is an egalitarian one.

Rost, as a devout Nora, would've felt the same way about sex. And he would have impressed these ideas upon Aloy--with frankness, with no nonsense or baggage (since there's no social backing for it)--in preparation for her to join the tribe after her Proving, as was his wish. I think any angst Aloy would have about sex would be connected to her heaps of internalized otherness rather than upbringing--but if that was settled beforehand, I don't think she'd feel shame about the act itself.

The Carja, on the other hand. lmao.

Unlike the Nora, we don't have a canon outline of their attitude toward sex specifically--however, one can infer that it would fall into the rest of their patriarchal societal structure. They're kinda Catholic-lite, if you will, but make it the Sun. Only a couple blips of ambient dialogue give reference to it and they're mostly played for idle laughs.

We know Talanah herself is a badass and hellbent on breaking social barriers--but I think it's also interesting to view her through the lens of also being a product of not only Carja society at large, but also a noble upbringing. I just think it's fascinating, character-wise, to think of her having no shame or trepidation about kicking down the door of the Lodge--but still having to fight internalized shame about sex, when it comes down to it. Obviously, that wouldn't be a part of her everyday behavior we've seen portrayed. But it's just so compelling to think about from a theoretical standpoint.

AND it ties pretty much directly into the Comphet Talanah Hypothesis. Shame about sex is one thing--shame about having and/or wanting to have sex with women is another thing entirely. To me, in-game evidence points to the idea that the Carja are at least somewhat tolerant of same-sex couples in the peasantry. But I do see it being viewed as very very very much against the grain for the upper class, because noble patriarchy. Not downright condemned as sinful in and of itself, but regarded and responded to with an extreme amount of otherness as one falls out of line re: their "rightful duty" to their Khane. For a noble who is gay, lots of repression, lots of internalized homophobia.

So consider Talanah. Already othered to the point of some pretty bitter social rejection, as we see in HZD. Why would she, as a noble with the ingrained upbringing that comes with it, want to embrace that part of herself and bring more otherness upon herself? If she's going to feel shame about sex and baggage about sexual relationships, wouldn't it just be easier to make herself take the path of least resistance and have it be with a man? Because at least that's what she's supposed to do. Right? And she barely even has the language for anything else. Even though she's never really done anything she's "supposed to do" before. Maybe it would just be better to do that, for once. But why does that feel so wrong? Why does it feel like she's going against herself? Why does the thought of being with a man actually make her recoil? That’s what she’s supposed to want, isn’t it? After everything why does this make her want to hide? Why can't she stop thinking about Aloy? Aloy's hands, Aloy's mouth? Why can't this one Sun-damned thing just be easy?

Just. Ough. I love that this concept puts another line of give and take into their developing relationship. Talanah helping Aloy come further out of her internalized isolation through shared experience--Aloy helping Talanah come out of her internalized sexual shame and homophobia thanks to her own lack of baggage surrounding the two.

I have so many moment-specific headcanons about all of this BUT this is already long enough so I'll just spare you and leave you with the meta. for now. (that's a threat)

[exeggcute]

I hope you don't mind me sending this ask, feel free to ignore it, but I am trying and failing to understand your point about (trans-)misandry.

In my understanding, "misogyny" is a name given to a collection of negative attitudes and prejudices towards women (and femininity). It plays a role in the structural oppression of women, but it is not synonymous with it. Accordingly, "misandry" just denotes a collection of negative attitudes and prejudices towards men. Misandry does not play a role in structural oppression, because men are not structurally oppressed as men, but claiming that negative attitudes and prejudices towards men do not exist just seems silly to me. Just because misandrists are not a huge societal force does not mean they don't exist.

I think it is quite useful for thinking clearly about the matter to keep the words for attitudes and prejudices separate from the words for power structures: Even if tomorrow, every man on earth stopped being misogynistic, women would still be structurally oppressed, because the laws and social structures and unequal distribution of resources would continue to exist. Likewise, if we ever do get rid of the structural oppression of women, some men will probably continue to be misogynistic.

"Transmisogyny" as I understand it also started out as a word for specific negative attitudes and prejudices towards trans women (and in the original conception also towards feminine boys and men and drag queens and transvestites afaik), so using "transmisandry" (or "transandrophobia", already a concession) to mean certain attitudes and prejudices seems uncontroversial to me. The attitudes and prejudices on display in "Irreversible Damage" do seem to me to be rather distinct from the attitudes and prejudices targeting trans women, so it is useful to have a word for them, no? I find it quite fascinating how typical misogynist attitudes are in a way split up on the issue of trans people: The infantilisation is reserved for trans men and the demonisation for trans women, while in traditional misogyny these two go hand in hand. Why are you against using the words "transmisogyny" and "transandrophobia" to talk about this phenomenon?

hey, I appreciate you reaching open a discussion about this. also apologies for the delay, today was a little busy lol. typing on my phone rn so bullet points:

I am obviously not the Keeper Of Language (as much as I would love to be), but in my opinion one reason "misandry" is not a useful word is because of the implied false symmetry to "misogyny". you correctly recognize that one is underpinned by structural opinion and the other is not... but many people do not, lol. and a personal/professional axe that I've been grinding for a while is about reducing ambiguity in the way we talk about stuff, like generally speaking, so I'm of the opinion that "this word means different things to different people and causes a lot of confusion" is a solid reason to avoid using it when possible.

similarly, I think the fact that misogyny is a structural oppression and a major societal force is what makes having a specific word for it so useful. there are a lot of types of non-structural prejudice that basically boil down to Sometimes People Are Sometimes Mean To You, but we don't have a particular word that means "the thing where people are mean to redheads" or "the thing where people are mean to theater kids." maybe that'll change, but as it currently stands I just don't think having a single word for these things is useful or necessary, hence why there isn't one.

to your hypothetical about "if structural misogyny 100% ceased to exist but sometimes individual men were still mean to individual women," maybe not everyone would agree with me on this, but I kinda think that "misogyny" would no longer be the right word for the situation. like if someone with an innie belly button was mean to a person with an outie belly button, we'd just call that "being an asshole," ya know.

also part of me is curious about the origin of the word "misandry" now and like, whether the first people to use it were the bona fide men's rights motherfuckers who think men are structurally oppressed. totally speculating though. further research required

(I was gonna say another thing about how a lot of negative prejudices and attitudes around men have roots in cissexism and to some extent misogyny, like the idea that men shouldn't do X because only women do X and if you're a man who does X that means you're basically a woman, which is bad, because women are bad. or just plain old biological essentialism. but I don't know if I'm articulating this well so take it with a grain of salt.)

re. "irreversible damage" and similar panic about "oh no our precious innocent daughters are turning into men," I would argue there's a couple reasons that "misandry" isn't the word for what's happening here. one is that these transphobic parents don't categorically hate men or think badly of men; they love and accept their cis sons. the other is that I'm reasonably confident that parents who are transphobic about their transmasc kids would not be ANY less hateful about "son" who came out as transfem. which is all to say, their problem isn't just about having a transmasc kid. their problem is about having a trans kid, period.

and that also ties into the "infantilizing vs demonization" thing, which a lot of people have pointed out basically comes down to... transmisogyny. there's an element of both cissexism and misogyny in the way transmasc people are cast as victims (because they're "really just girls," and girls are weak and easily influenced), AND an element of both cissexism and misogyny in the way transfem people are cast as predators! because what's happening here puts transfem people in a sort of limbo where they're not recognized as women, but not exactly recognized as men either: the accusation is that by virtue of their birth assignment, they can't truly be women (cissexism), but also that by eschewing maleness and seeking femininity they've become something "other," a failed man, who will always be marked by an unacceptable affinity for womanhood (misogyny).

the "predator" part of that is informed by a number of factors, including the way that people assume Being A Girl On Purpose must be a sex pervert thing because they think womanhood is inherently about sex and sexual availability (misogyny!), but I don't know if I can articulate it very well and I don't have any good quotes handy. if someone reading can explain it better or has a quote to throw in, please do!

[ctl-yuejie]

assorted thought on ep 1 of love in the big city

since I haven't read the novel, I can only comment on how the characters come across according to the progression of the show/ i am watching this very leasurely so no spoilers please

go yeong really takes me back to my early twenties. the oscillation between playing it coy and acting on a whim really encapsulates the fun mix between hormones and being promiscous but also acting like your promiscous self is a role your are playing.

and even when go yeong is in his element we get glimpes in between of who is is underneath which both makes this a great performance as well as a fun character.

he seems to be drawn to older men but i am not sure yet whether that is a real preferance or whether he is projecting something on older men he thinks he needs in his life.

the tension between him and kim namgyu is really fascinating. it is already there during the first meeting, but it feels like kim namgyu is immediately enamored by go yeong whereas go yeong eases himself into it. he seems to look for something in kim namgyu, that something older men signify for him, but from the start he seems to know that he will not get it from kim namgyu. he looks in disbelief at times, or looks at kim namgyu as if he's a fun oddity he's come across. at times revved-up to a point where it is hard to tell whether he even sees kim namgyu for who he is. i don't think he's callous, he just feels like he hasn't found his own balance quite yet, so he knows what he wants or doesn't want in the moment but not much beyond that.

and kim namgyu feels so insecure. flattered by go yeong showing interest, trying to make him work in the structured life he's created. the hill top scene really is wonderful. for once, a favourite spot of a character that doesn't feel like the most common viewing spot but a bit out of the way and in this moment go yeong feels a bit more calm and honest with himself (despite still visibly making the conscious choice to use certain "tricks" to make kim namgyu fall for him - which wasn't even necessary imo and i am not sure whether kim namgyu is seeing through it or not).

mi ae is...really well written. how from the beginning she brings up keeping his promise and it immediately sets the tone for the dynamics at work: she is so far ahead of the average societal norms that she doesn't even consider that mentioning it twice could be anything but reassurance. she doesn't care that he's gay, even more so: having gay friends is not special to her. she doesn't have gay friends to flaunt any progressive politics or create a character for herself, she very much knows who she is and is just living her life. she lives a party lifestyle but she feels mature in a way where go yeong is still searching for who he is. he is meandering around, wheras she might be on a trajectory of change but always at peace with who she is.

and once go yeong understands her, they click. i love their friendship, it is such a precious thing to find someone like that at such an important stage in life. and is a brilliant observation of the show how both get austrasized for not fitting in, despite go yeong not being out. even the blow-up of the sort-of friendship he had on campus doesn't feel like it'd be the reason. him not standing for their sexist bs feels like it was the outward signifier that he doesn't conform and now no one tries to include him even if they have no idea what initially made his friendgroup shun him. this unspoken understanding of go yeong not fitting in with everyone else that everyone just accepts and doesn't even try to challenge or find the reason for it.

[doctorhare]

same anon from the twincest back again, i love yapping so this is so much fun to me:

no yeah i get your points about how the family structure (re: the western one) has high potential for abuse and how incest resulting from abuse stems from the abuse first and foremost

also re: explicit incest vs less obvious incest with the example you brought up w/ emotional incest, i agree with how it can be just as damaging as sexual, i feel like with EI, it’s so much more normalized within western society which makes it fly under the radar

it’s on me for not mentioning other forms of incest, i think that’s a result of sexual incest being prevalent in media and used as a shock value while emotional incest is usually played for comedic bits

i think my personal take on incest as if both parties have consented and agreed to this (like any other relationship), it’s really not my problem? like it may be icky to me but like, i can just look away if that makes sense?

but i appreciate your perspective on the matter! genuinely this is enriching and fascinating for me <- voice of anthropology major

re: twincest, that part of the polycule doesn’t fuck with the twins anymore not cause of the incest but because twin 1 cheated on our good buddy and that his first poly experience (rip cishet whiteboy), and twin 2 didn’t know it was cheating cause twin 1 lied to her and said that whiteboy was cool with it. apparently this had been ongoing prior to twin 1’s relationship with whiteboy but had stopped when she started dating him. also fun fact they’re identical twins

YAYYY let’s yap together <3 I don’t have too much to add for most of what you’ve said here, other than that I probably should have specified that consensual incest between adults is what I’m referring to with this conversation ^^ It’s just one of those things where our opinion is often determined by associations and societal biases rather than thinking about the thing itself. Incest is bad because people say it’s bad, it’s abusive because familial abuse can be incestuous, it’s damaging because birth defects are bad, and then birth defects are bad because people say they are…etc. Those associations are where the “icky” factor comes from too but the perceived ““morality”” of the thing is what I find more pressing since it’s such a slippery slope. Not that the icky factor isn’t but just where my personal priority is placed

I am very enriched I am glad you are too ^_^ This is stuff that I never really questioned or thought about until the last three years or so, so your perspective is quite familiar hahaha and I’m happy we can have this conversation !!

I did immediately assume they were identical twins actually. But I did not assume that they were both girls so that’s a fun layer to things. I hope everyone involved finds beautiful love. Twincestuous or otherwise

[boct-kimerakal]

i’ve been struck by AoWSLaA

arrgh. visiting the old house has BLESSED me with vision.

falling to my knees. gripping the floor. i want - no! Need! - to make stories and they will most certainly be terribly-made but i must make them! OH! IT’S COME BACK TO ME! THE FLOW TO FEED THIS TERRIBLE NEED I HAVE TO SPIN CHARACTERS! SO MANY FASCINATING PEOPLE & LIVES THAT I MUST CAPTURE IN THIS LITTLE BOTTLE OF FICTION! i think i’ve just found me way out of a funk and have become, again, gripped with the voracious desire to learn & to be lately - and i need to make characters again to really hone my learning & memorising abilities.

coughs & coughs & explodes. AoWSLaA is a story. a story with a start and an end! i really need to delve into siblinghood with this one, for whatever reason it feels so deeply necessary to do so. i found old sketches of lise/lizzie & ské/sky and something HIT me, something UNRAVELLED. they are siblings and it hurts them so deeply that they cannot connect with each other at all despite DESPERATELY wanting to. lise chose to live so that ské would have someone to look up to, ské looks up to lise so much that lise is completely unapproachable.

OH! i’m rethinking the “vague setting” concept, at least how i pitched it to myself in earlier iterations (not written here but i know what i’m talking about)! i’m thinking a lot also about the cultures of this AoWSLaA in parallel to reality, and for whatever reason how that affects humour and social commentary within the story. keeping the setting vague in the way i previously intended, i realise, plays into a cultural hegemony & i’m not super sure i want to skew the story & how it’s understood and who it’s understood by in one way BECAUSE the audience is - while imaginary, since my stories are for me - something i want to make vague. but given the story is told in english purely because it’s the only language i speak, i don’t know what to do about this. SIGH. god forbid i don’t overthink something completely. i have to think more about translation of concepts. i could build a vague structure of societies & societal norms in the scope of the world to inform setting and what constitutes as deviance, & if i do this i really have to not go in-depth while ESTABLISHING A READABLE IDEA OF NORMS? alien, but not impossible to understand the views & engage with them. the jokes & metaphors have to have root in the world itself and that’s so stupidly funny.

also - aviator’s & west’s consistently neutrality in every iteration of this story since i was the beautiful age of NINE, bugs me massively. every time i try to re-write this - one thing is consistent - they have almost no opinions about each other and hardly interact. at least, in my memory... when i was younger, it was mostly the case of aviator being “token goofy silly boy love interest” which was cute & fun when i was little but! it made them cardboard. & now they’ve. very much been grown out of that. but one thing is that they’re just friendly with west and west hardly seems to regard them at all. so now i’m contemplating playing up that neutrality, and making myself some fun out of actually exploring it. neutrality between people in long-existing friend groups FASCINATES me and i want to see if i can make them more interesting to me by doing this. a sense of familiarity without much sense of connection or care, or maybe even little “chemistry,” or maybe high “chemistry” juxtaposed against little to no actual deep care for each other.

also! i must remember rose. i can’t find a single drawing of rose but rose was important.

[jxe-jxer]

Senchyne "In Bottles of Ink and Reams of Paper"

In Bottles of Ink and Reams of Paper, Jonathan Senchyne explores the fascinating aspects of something we often overlook: the ink and paper that are part of our daily lives. He’s here to demonstrate that the basic tools of writing are not just passive items—they actively contribute to history, enabling ideas to grow and spread extensively. Think about how exciting it is to put your thoughts on paper and realize that, with these amazing tools, your words could live on, reach someone a century later, or even inspire a whole movement! Senchyne brings us to a moment when every bottle of ink and pile of paper held the possibility for transformation. He demonstrates that paper is more than just a tool for grocery lists and ink serves a purpose beyond signatures; together, they create a strong connection between thought and action.

Senchyne's work shows how the physical aspects of writing played a role in supporting ideas that were radical, revolutionary, and occasionally even risky. Actually, it’s somewhat similar to viewing that old notebook on your desk as a small time capsule. Throughout history, people have used the same materials we have today to share their biggest dreams and fears. For a long time, this was the way people connected over great distances, creating communities and sparking discussions that shaped public opinion, affected policies, and even led to the fall of governments. Every sheet of paper and bottle of ink played a part in promoting literacy, helping voices that might not have been heard, and sharing new ideas. Senchyne encourages us to view these materials in a new light, highlighting the lively interaction between concepts and actions. So the next time you grab a pen, think of it as more than just a tool—it’s a small part of history being created.

Let's begin by discussing how Senchyne uses the term "stereotype." This term, when talking about print culture, initially described a printing method that enabled quick duplication of texts. However, Senchyne highlights an interesting double meaning: this method of duplication also relates to the social idea of the "stereotype," which refers to fixed racial and social types. The essay points out that print technology did more than just share information; it also reproduced limited and simplistic representations of people, particularly those who are racialized. This connection is really significant for me because it shows that racialization wasn't only present in the text, but also in the tools that were used to create it. This really connects with how social labels and judgments appear to “print” themselves onto individuals, defining them in fixed roles, much like a stereotype does on a page.

The second term that really catches my attention is "black/white dualism." Senchyne describes the contrast between black ink and white paper, suggesting a wider cultural tendency to view things in clear, opposing categories. In the antebellum period, black ink on white paper wasn’t just for writing; it turned into a symbol that represented racial hierarchy, reflecting the societal views on race at the time. This black-and-white printing format might lead readers to perceive race in a similar way, highlighting division and hierarchy. This has wider implications that extend beyond print—demonstrating how we may unknowingly take in and reproduce these racial codes in different aspects of life. This term really connects with me because it reminds me of how we still see “black-and-white” thinking everywhere, from social structures to basic assumptions about people.

Finally, Senchyne's discussion of the "material culture of whiteness" shows how whiteness in print acted as a blank, unmarked background, making it "seen while unseen." Whiteness acted as the standard, making anything “different” (highlighted by black ink) noticeable. Senchyne discusses William Wells Brown’s Clotel to show how the printed image of Clotel’s face was darkened with ink. This suggests that blackness was something added, while whiteness was seen as the default. This highlights the subtle ways in which society views whiteness as a standard or norm that often goes unnoticed. This material culture of print really makes me think about how we keep ignoring whiteness as a significant influence, both in the past and today, where it often remains the “invisible” benchmark for measuring difference.

[oxensun]

western societal infrastructure just is totally incompatible with my brain. i wake up in the morning and my natural instinct is to head outside and meditate and forage. and play with the cat. and say hello to the bugs and the sunshine. and generally be grateful that i did in fact wake up.

instead what is expected of us is to immediately begin toiling in the kitchen, depending on which predetermined role you fall into, to either fuss over a professional juevos rancheros to blog about, or churn out enough pancakes for the small village that came out of your butt. this could also include your spouse. and then go to work. and follow more strict agendas that AREN'T YOURS.

im self employed. essentially unemployed especially since idk what im doing, but structuring myself is IMPOSSIBLE with the guidelines we're given. i cannot drag myself to cook on an empty stomach. it usually takes crying until 1pm to actually get food in me. by then im intensely disregulated and its 50/50 if i can get my day back on track from there.

if i lived in a community where we grew our own food, I could step outside and snack on some grapes while I did my daily meditation. and that image feels so luxurious and hard to reach but.... that is literally the way Earth developed. my brain cannot focus on cooking food when i am hungry because i am trying to focus on foraging breakfast! my body hates me being in the kitchen because I cannot even recognize food happens there. every time I get in the kitchen, open the fridge, disassociate and suddenly i wake up in the yard looking at flowers and im wondering if any of them are edible.

i dont. understand. whats happening to me, first of all because while i am fascinated with foraging i don't actually have a track record of foraging practice. and also it is honestly getting very much in my way, in a sense. being indoors actually stressful for me. everything makes so much noise and everything is rattling around in this box and even our cats are much friendlier amongst themselves out of doors. but at the same time, i am not interested in conforming to standards that are not my design and do not serve me. i will not consider bending my behavior to serve my ego, society's ego, or anyone that is not myself.

but i want to know if im not alone. this is why i work with Gaia and am addicted to earth sciences lmao. if you've ever felt this way, please reach out. because creative problems require creative solutions and im not afraid to get weird. i want to be a better human, i want to be better to our one true planet. this magnificent blue marble needs our help and i believe the way we create a better culture is by creating our most unique selves and believing and supporting each other, recklessly.

[ginkgo-gremlin]

I have thoughts!!!

He does act differently pre and post calamity but societal/environmental expectations can have one hell of an impact on one's personality (more 'evidence' ig? on that under the cut since it doesn't fully relate to botw and is more personal). The main way we see Link change is in the way he interacts with others. He's more carefree and goofy as opposed to playing the role of the stoic knight. I think the side of Link that we see post calamity is closer to the 'real' him (it's the side of him that is free from the societal expectations that came with being the hero and princess Zelda's personal knight since the society that shaped that version of him is pretty much gone). But the key aspects of who he is as a person stay the same (at least imo). It would've probably been pretty jarring if he had decided not to help Zelda or Hyrule as a whole and then found out that that's kind of all he did before he lost his memory but that's not what ends up happening. He still chooses to help with little to no memory of who he used to be. He's still selfless, courageous, determined, and resourceful even with no memory. I think Zelda said it best herself when she said "Courage need not be remembered for it is never forgotten".

I think, in a lot of ways, they're both the 'real' Link because times and seasons may change but who you are at your core doesn't really change.

A bit of context: I grew up in an extremely oppressive religion that believed in 1000% until I was 21. I was also undiagnosed with Autism/ADHD as a kid and had no idea I was queer in any way until my mid teens and didn't live openly until very recently.

I used to be a completely different person when I was younger in a lot of ways. When I was in grade school I was very quiet and my main personality trait was that I liked to read. Not a single adult in my life caught on to the fact that I didn't act like other kids my age due to having developmental differences (autism) because I just didn't act... like at all. I was also pretty homophobic as a mid/late teenager and I was deeply religious and terrified of living life outside my religion.

However, (bear with me I'm getting to my point) a lot of things have stayed the same and, in a lot of ways, I'm more like myself than I used to be. As a young child (like toddler age) I would just go up to random strangers and talk to them. Before societal pressures got to me, I never shut up (like now lol). I've always loved animals and had a fascination with little creatures and nature. In my natural state I'm very empathetic and sensitive (something that was overridden by my ~religion~ telling me that queer people were wrong and bad, among other things). There's a story from when I was a toddler about me crying when my cousin smacked a bug I showed her and now I cry fairly often about my dogs dying one day (they are 1 and 5 so nowhere near close to dying).

Now, though, I tell people I was a quiet kid and they are absolutely flabbergasted because I never shut up. My partner's mom said there was something 'a little off' about me when she first met me* because I can't hide my developmental differences to save my life. I'm openly nonbinary and in a queer relationship and people are shocked when I tell them I wrote a 20 page research paper on "why a 'man/woman + biological children' is the best family structure for society" my senior year of high school. I live my life in a lot of ways that were inconsistent with the religion I was brought up in.

How does this relate to BOTW and Link's amnesia? I'm glad you asked

Really really big aspects of Link's personality change (no talking to cracking jokes with random strangers etc.) By looking at only the changes he's undergone and by him speedrunning those changes by loosing his memory it can seem like he's a completely different person (same with me lmao). But when you see the similarities that persisted even without his memory (see: selflessness, courage, his affinity for red fish people *coughs in sidlink*) you can see that they're the same person, they're just under different circumstances (I used to have identity crises all the time because I'm a very different person now vs. me ages 8-20 but like.. I'm still me. the essence is the same). We even see Mipha talk about Link being more carefree as a child and watching him grow more stoic as the pressure on him increased. So yeah.. brief Dan story time and a Link analysis for u if you got this far lmao. (it's 1 am now)

*I took/take no offense to this I fuckin love my partner's mom (who now knows I have autism and our first meeting makes sense to her now).

I’m sure someone has thought about this but my friend @ghoulishtomato thought it was worth something so

I think Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Link is the chattiest Link despite what Zelda’s diary says in BotW because he literally forgot who he was 100 years ago. Like, we see that he openly talks to npcs during side quests and general conversation. Sometimes he even has multiple dialogue options that show his personality. So while we don’t verbally hear him talk he is still communicating with in world characters. I think this has to do with the fact that he genuinely doesn’t remember who he was. He doesn’t know his reasons for doing anything in the past and is just trying to go about life in the way he knows, but not in the way he used to.

Which leads me to another point, could you imagine not knowing who you were and finding out you were a completely different person to how you are now? Because that would mess with me. Who would be the real Link at that point? The one before the Calamity or the one after? What does Zelda think?

Idk man I love character angst and while this concept started out funny it led to an interesting character question :)

[wiremotherenergy]

i think kevin and veronica have a lot in common in terms of being addicted to relationships - in this way they are both pathologically searching for ways to feel opressed: in veronicas case the role of kevins (mostly imagined - except when enacted by other gay people) homophobic societal constraints is filled by Hiram. i could easily imagine a scene of veronica in fox forest yelling at betty that she doesnt understand her strife - Your dad never tried to recruit manipulate or murder any of YOUR boyfriends! The difference is though that while veronica suffers from chronic venus in cancer disease and can only feel self actualised and fulfilled by caring for and devoting herself to a boy (thats why her cognitive dissonance girlbossing is so fascinating. ask me about veggie), kevin is a coward and instead of searching for ways to fiercely defy the patriarchy through embracing the patriarchy he is searching for ways to become a young adult dystopian romance protagonist through manufacturing narrative conflict and tension to make sense of and give purpose to his otherwise boring existence (see also: cult member proclivities). his presumed but untouched on mommy issues may or may not play a role in this - there is no other possible justification for these levels of attention seeking behavior but momma keller is mentioned circa 3 times in the whole series so i kind of doubt this. he seems to have no conflict with his cop #ally dad and i bet that pisses him off SO MUCH. in contrast to poor veronica who is constantly given zero credit for her own craziness # noteverythingishiramsfault! how do i know veronicas existence is NOT defined and made absolute by her father? because thats why we have her amazing sexy sister hermosa - SHES here to show us what that actually looks like. (and still she is not the preferred child - aks me about hermosa). veronicas issue is that she wants to have it both ways (her character a never ending conundrum of feminism as the unstoppable force and being a daddys girl as the immovable object) while kevins issue is the same one i had when choosing a major - nobody actually wants or expects anything from me and i am free to do whatever i want and i hate it so i create my own mental saw traps in my head. i love his arc in s6 and his relationship with percival and the whole lord of the flies thing. not necessarily a 100% true observation but definitely the most narrative structure kevin has ever been allowed to have. him and betty work great as besties bc they are both victims of intense internalised homophobia and hate each other btw. why is kevin always in some random bland unimportant boring relationship with a nothing guy whos only personality trait is being gay (only half pertains to fangs - he does have other stuff going on but only ever one at a time and during his kangs era it is being kevins gay bf*). because kevin is choosing gayness to be his own only personality trait to trap himself and give his life meaning. only it consistently fails to provide the drama he thinks it should have (again - excluding that thing with mooses homophobic gay dad. i love that the only homophobic characters in riverdale are all - at least semi canonically - gay). veronica also consistently has near nothing in common with her boyfriends** but at least she is getting the returns that kevin is denied. maybe because she is a better businesswoman. ultimately she is the loser though because while someone in the writers room for s6 has probably said she should be freed from the boyfriend vs daddy dichotomy on account of that being kinda misoginystic and therefore hasnt had anything to do at all in the plot since - kevin will always have either an unremarkable boyfriend or a stupidity induced allegiance with a villain or both ( THANK YOU for this percival. please come back.)

[ghostdrinkssoup]

I’m sure the red dragon arc in s3b has been analysed before but I want to take a moment to offer my two cents because it’s another thing that’s been haunting me since I finished the show. it was such an interesting way to explore the culmination of both will’s character and the romantic arc between him and hannibal that those last few episodes really stood out to me, and here’s why:

what I’ve always found fascinating about hannibal is how it uses the crime genre/crime procedural as a way to elevate will’s characterisation, as well as how genre-specific tropes are used to set up aspects of his psychology (and later his dynamic with hannibal). the “monster of the week” structure s1 follows is effective because it’s often non-literal in meaning, and each murder is a reflection of both will himself and the wider concepts the show is exploring. it’s why so much of the gore gets away with being overzealous, since it’s metaphorical by nature

this mirroring is first introduced in s1’s opening, Apéritif, when will associates himself too closely to garret jacob hobbs. it effectively sets up the relationship between pure empathy and pure psychopathy, as well as gives an in-universe explanation as to why we can directly compare will to the killers we see across the season. in Amuse-Bouche we learn about the importance of connection and this strange, primal need to have someone understand us, and in Ceuf we explore dysfunctional family dynamics. again, the longing for someone who might understand and love us. even in s2 we get moments that follow this structure, such as in Su-Zakana when the woman in the horse plot (lmao) grotesquely visualises will’s emotional transformation and rebirth. all these external plot elements resonate with the internal character study at play, and are each integral parts of will’s psychology and development over the course of the series

there are a lot of other examples of this but the main point is that by the time we reach the end of s2 there’s this idea that the killers mirror parts of will, and that the more we learn about them, the more we inadvertently learn about will. this also sets up the “blurring” that happens between will and hannibal, and foreshadows the level of kinship and understanding they have towards each other. in fact, by the time this is explicitly stated in the show it feels like a natural progression because of the way the story was set up in early s1 (“you and I have begun to blur” “you’re as alone as I am” / “I’m as alone as you are” “I’ve never known myself as well as I know myself when I’m with him”)

the reason I bring all of this up is because by the time we return to this structure in the final act of the show we already have the expectation that dolarhyde is going to reflect will in some way. I found the crime procedural here particularly interesting, how dolarhyde only goes for “perfect” families and leaves shattered glass shards over their eyes and mouths. another direct “mirroring” if you will. these perfect families adhere to societal norms, that being the classic american dream: a white, cishet family who are all able-bodied, functional, and presumably neurotypical. they are conventional, and apparently will’s new family also adheres to this structure (hence why hannibal is able to make them targets)

the dialogue in this arc isn’t really subtle. dolarhyde “craves change” and hannibal directly asks if will does too. there’s this repeated idea of “becoming” and “transforming” and “breaking free”. further still, dolarhyde himself undergoes his own romantic arc, one which, much like will and hannibal’s, defies convention. there’s this strong theme of repression, but equally so of broken and/or outcasted people who seek acceptance from a world they feel so isolated from (“ugliness is found in the faces of the crowd”)

thus, it is through this arc that we understand will’s discontentment with a world that’s never understood him, and that it doesn’t matter how hard he tries to hide or wear his own “human suit”, he’s never going to be seen the way he knows hannibal sees him (“when the world becomes maddeningly polite, think about me. think about me, will”)

there’s an obvious queer reading here, but I actually appreciate how this isn’t ever directly stated in the show. rather, what fuller explores through will’s character, and therefore through his romance with hannibal, is the tortured longing to be accepted and known by someone in all your horrid, human ugliness. for someone to know and love the worst of you, and how unconditional love is found through these very raw, very human relationships, rather than within the perfect, maddening ideal

I read an article where fuller said the show was never agenda focused, and I think that’s evident in how these themes are handled in the story, since its authenticity and natural progression genuinely result from its exploration of acceptance and humanity. the blurring between pure empathy and pure psychopathy, as well as how the man becomes the monster and how the monster becomes the man. it’s why this show never feels derogatory, since queerness (love and acceptance) is arguably the most human part of either of these characters. it’s the heart, and it comes across as strangely beautiful

I’ve joked about this before, but in all seriousness I really do appreciate that fuller followed through on everything he set up, including will and hannibal’s romance. I also appreciate how genre conventions and external plot were used to shape the internal world of these characters, both in a literal and non-literal sense. again, it makes the red dragon arc an extremely compelling way to end the story

[rosesloveletters]

The Archer.

pairing: Heath Ledger Joker x Reader

word count: 1,716

warnings: language, general anxiety, negative self depiction.

summary: Reader reflects upon their flaws and what J sees in them. Alternatively, reader is the polar opposite of J and struggles with accepting this.

notes: inspired by the taylor swift song 'the archer'. i think i wrote something similar to this in the past, but it's something i've been struggling with lately and i wanted to write it all down as some sort of self therapy. this fic only conveys a fraction of what i wanted it to, but i haven't written for J in a hot minute, so i did the best with what i had in me.

unedited.

Reclamation of spirit preceded J’s cognitive dissonance, yet the principle eluded him; far too many of the emotions you experienced passed right over J’s head, not by want or the desire to remain indifferent, but because he processed them much differently than you. J saw not what others appeared to be, but who they were, right down to the fundamental values each one of them clung to, for one reason or another. His painted visage masked himself so that his talent for uncovering the truth could not be reversed, never one to play fairly was he, but he never claimed difficulty seeing through those around him. From one fleeting glance, he perhaps knew you better than you had ever known yourself and it did not make sense to you, that if he could truthfully see you, what his fascination might be.

You did not fit properly within the mold of societal constraints your community of peers attempted to place the weight of upon your shoulders, that much was true, yet you protested not once to any of whom might hear. If the roles were reversed, you could not envision J making such a fuss, if your only grievance was how isolated you had let yourself become.

He thrived on his own, took root and established himself upon the fringes of society like tangled vines of ivy which clung vigorously to any solid structure it could climb upon. J sapped the energy out of all he encountered, drained them of their innocence and marveled at how quickly he could break them. He took what he needed, that which allowed him to grow, to survive, and left behind nothing but devastation. J was a parasite that leeched onto any unsuspecting host and bled them dry; you were no exception.

Or so you had thought.

You were different than him, some would say the two of you were polar opposites; the amount of critical thinking it would take on your part to reason with the intelligent part of your brain that warned you against people like J would be enough to blow a circuit. You were so far removed from his lifestyle that you came to no definitive conclusions as to what he saw in you. What kept him coming back for more? You were not afraid of the dark man whom you had taken for a lover, but some intrinsic need to keep quiet and not give a voice to your impeding thoughts or maybe it was self-preservation, kept you from asking him for an explanation each time the thought crossed your mind.

It was only your anxiety come to life, you repeated to yourself like a mantra. That was what anxiety felt like to you: waiting for that relief to come, the ascent to the top of that hill only to come plummeting back down to earth on the roller coaster ride of your life, except that drop never came. That feeling never faded; once you reached that pinnacle, the finish line extended and you had that much further to go. That feeling alone was enough to make anyone crazy… or at least turn them cruel, dark-hearted like the troubled antagonists that haunted your television screen who could somehow never win despite their best efforts to prove that the world they had been born into could never accept them because they were just too ahead of the curve.

‘Perhaps we all have our crosses to bear…’

“What’s eating ya, sweet cheeks?” His gaze bore through you like acid and the words themselves were like an arrow straight through your heart; like a skilled archer upon horseback J had once thing in common: you were the prey he was after.

Can you see right through me?

The words stuck in your throat as you tried to speak them, “I…what am I to you?”

There were speeches scrawled hastily on crumpled bits of paper ripped from the pages in your mind that you knew you could never tell him. You could not explain it in a way he would understand and you had no desire to try. You searched for his dark side and like the phases of the moon, he was ever-changing, but that celestial body unveiled herself for the whole world to see, if only after she was born anew. J himself was like the new moon: black as tar and invisible to the naked eye, yet he is there.

J understood what it meant to be different, but did he know how to love in spite of those differences?

Did he know how to love…?

Even if you knew how to love, you knew not how to hold onto someone like him. J was like the wild winds that whipped across your face amidst the rising storm carried on the dark, distant clouds. He alone could change your course of direction should he choose. He was the greatest force of nature for you to reckon with and it was a wonder that you did, but that was what it meant to be true to yourself. You would cut off your own nose to spite your face; you could hear him laughing like mad.

“What do ya wanna be to me?” his inflections sounded like gravel under tired and felt like sandpaper rubbing skin raw until it bled.

Everything.

“I don’t know,” you answered truthfully, “despite my better judgement, I care about you, J, and I’m a little offput that you seem to feel the same way about me.”

The man said nothing as the words sunk in, washing over him like dark waves carried on the current, but it was you who had been dragged under and he was merely a bystander idly watching as you coughed up salt water. He did not know what it meant but the implication was clear: you placed no value on yourself. You handled yourself without care because no one else had shown you what it was supposed to feel like. You might have been the easiest to understand, but you were the hardest to read. Your words were clear to him, but he still had to squint to read between the lines as though they were concealed in lingering layers of smoke and ash.

You felt like a fruit rind left out in the sun to rot and decompose, to return from when you had come, but even though you accepted your fate it still felt unceremoniously desolate. You were not lonely; you only wished you were afforded the attention you had seen others receive. You wanted to know what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that innate human connection that you had sought after for years and years. Your trust in the wicked led you down this path and you were desperate to climb out of the viper pit without being bitten.

“What makes ya think that?” J blinked slowly at you, like a cat lounging in the glare of the late afternoon sun. He knew better than to put words in your mouth and he certainly was not offering you a way out either. Pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together and he wondered if you were starting to see that not everything was so black and white. You wanted to matter to someone; you no longer wanted to think that if you were to cease to exist that no one would miss you.

But even more, you wanted to know why J would ever give a fuck how you felt, anyway.

“You keep coming back, right?” you asked rhetorically, “I guess you wouldn’t do that if you weren’t getting something you needed out of it.”

The tension in the air could cut like a knife and something within J’s stoic exterior snapped and one corner of his crimson lips twitched, the jagged scar tissue across one cheek pulling taut; he almost looked incredulous, “you think…I keep comin’ around just because you have somethin’ I need?”

You peered at him from across the room. Something had stirred within him, phantom emotion rising from the grave, “I don’t know, J. It doesn’t make sense to me any other way. Why would you have any interest in someone who has nothing in common with you?”

“No, sweets,” he snapped the nickname at you like a cobra striking venom into its prey, “I don’t take advantage of what is already mine.”

His.

If J could tell you what it was that kept him around you, he wouldn’t, and that was all right because even when you worried, he was there to calm your nerves. Your best friends had long become your greatest enemies and sometimes you feared that J would become one too. After all, who could you say had come into your life and not left out of the betterment of both of you? You could not remember the last time you had not clung so desperately to the ones you held dear out of terror that they would leave just as all those before had done. The most heart wrenching part of who you were was what you had grown to accept: you were on your own. There was no one coming to save you from yourself. The perception of you was not a reflection of the truth but still it tormented you, like a vengeful spirit.

You carried on, you concealed and most of all you did not speak of it; if no one else ever noticed then you had done the job well.

Make no mistake, you loved who you were, how could no one else?

You reached for him and J took you into his arms like all of those times before you had forgotten what it felt like to call him your home. Your face fit perfectly against his neck where the paint didn’t touch, right where you could taste the sweat on his skin and where he reeked of the man underneath, the one he kept hidden from anyone but you. His long, thick fingers dug into your hair at the back of your head and his right arm around your waist pressed you closer to him.

Heart to heart, being to being…who could stay with you like this, forever?

Who could stay?

You.

You could stay.

[katzkinder]

Lust pair time!

I got thinking about them, and what, exactly, about Lust pair draws me to them to so much, and I think it's the fact they make people uncomfortable. Like, just from an in universe standpoint, Lust Pair would make people uncomfortable because the power dynamic keeps appearing to shift in a game of give and take, passing the reigns back and forth to one another as necessary, with very little regard for societal norms of what a relationship between an adult and a minor should be.

And I think that can also extend to how people play their characters within the fandom, because despite Lily not being a parent to Misono by any stretch, he still gets shuffled off into that parental figure role by a lot of people purely because they don't know what else to do with him, I think. For many people, the idea that Misono is actually the one who wields the power in their relationship is unfathomable, but he does! Lily is subservient to him not just to placate him, but because their contract is structured so that Misono, a child, holds immense sway over Lily's physical freedoms.

Their arc was adamant about shoving Misono's position as the master into our faces, and I find it immensely refreshing that Misono's power isn't just a kid being indulged. They went from Lily using his position to help facilitate a form of abuse against his Eve (i know I'm making a lot of people angry with that one I'm sorry but Lily was an active participant in the constant gaslighting Misono underwent, as well as the control Mikado exerted over him), to Misono confronting the truth and not only removing Lily's ability to use his ignorance against him, but also forcing his Servamp to recognize the reality of their power dynamic.

And I looove that initially the things that were played for laughs (Misono giving Lily an allowance, the 4koma about the chair where Mahiru says that Misono indulges Lily too much, the stripping gag where Misono yells at him to cover up) are actually reflective of the real truth. Misono is the master, the one guiding Lily, the one who dictates what his Servamp should and should not do.

Lily isn't the parent here. Misono is.

And that reversal of expectations is so fascinating to me.

Especially since, in the eyes of society, Misono is still very much a child! So what you inevitably end up getting is this duo where the adult Servant acts in ways and facilitates things that his child Master can't, essentially using his privilege as someone who the world at large sees as an adult to advocate for his Eve who by being a child has very little say in his own rights! But then because Lily is a vampire and Misono is human, you also get Misono advocating for Lily when in the context of Magician society, where Misono has all the power because of who his family is, their money, and their political power because of their finances.

It's really really good!!

[solomonish]

If Mephistopheles Was My OC

so I know nothing about the new characters but something about Mephie has grabbed ahold of my heart. So, rather than waiting for canon content and details to come to me, I've decided to go on a big of a deranged rambling spree to tell you what I would do with good ol' Memphis Tennessee here if he were a creative writing prompt and not an actual canon character. Feel free to tell me what you think ;)

Mephistopheles is a demon of pride, only knowing a Devildom under the active rule of the now-slumbering Demon King for a few hundred years (so, barely the age you can remember things, let alone care about the political climate, if we're translating to human years). He's only known upset and uncertainty, speculation and rumors - an upheaval of traditions the whole of the realm held dear, but especially those in his family.

Growing up, Mephistopheles wasn't given a strict structure to follow. He was allowed to explore and befriend whoever he wanted, doted on by the staff of his noble family and his family itself while still being taught to have an ambitious spirit. Most of his family also consisted of creatures of Pride, with a few aberrations that were still just as welcome. Ultimately, he grew to be open-minded, industrious and inquisitive, fascinated with the vast network that was at his fingertips. He was also a bit rambunctious, but he had a winning, cheeky smile that usually managed to get him out of most trouble.

It wasn't until he was growing into a "teen" that he had to conform to the societal expectations of his noble family. He could spend less time with his friends with most of his time taken up by learning how to be a respectable nobleman, but he found himself not wanting to. The pride growing within him, latching onto every fiber of his being, was beginning to make him see how he didn't belong with the people who weren't on his noble level, demons disgraced with a sin uglier than his own. Still, he couldn't deny the sting when they told him to his face that they were done with dealing with his new finicky attitude.

He was no longer enchanted by the wonderous world given to him by a stroke of luck - he was deserving of every opportunity he was given. Journalism stuck out to him because he always loved writing, but he felt he could most effectively understand the world with all its complexities. He had an easy enough time talking to others and managing to get their honest opinions on the topics he asks them about. Mephistopheles became fixated on understanding the Devildom better than anybody else - even better than the Demon Prince, who he looked up to (as much as his pride allowed), if not thought he was a bit...oblivious.

However, nothing ground his ego into dust like people finding his stories boring. So he turned to sensationalized tabloid media, knowing exactly how to cater to the masses. After all, he understood what they wanted. He was a voice of the people without actually having to listen to them.

The exchange program was something he watched play out with skepticism. Such revolutionary ideas were things he was taught to reject, and by this point he had been replaced by Lucifer and hated how close he seemed to be with Diavolo. Mephistopheles is not a purist by any means - he holds the title of "ex-angel" against the brothers over personal grievances, rather than the concept of them not being "pure blooded." However, it seemed to him that whatever the Prince was doing was stupid and a disgrace to the Devildom.

His interest in MC stems from wanting to pick their brain, to understand them better than anybody. Not only would that reaffirm his views on himself and get under Lucifer's skin, it's obvious MC is often talked over and overlooked despite how lovesick all the brothers are - a weakness he wants to exploit. But MC proves that the world is more complicated than that, and it irritates him how they keep proving that again and again.

He also wants to get insider info that will help him get his place back as leader of the Newspaper club. Enough stellar stories might make it impossible for Lucifer to refuse him.

(there's more but my hands are getting tired sob)

tl;dr - Mephie is an arrogant noble blinded by his sin, but he truly finds a fascination with the complexities of the world. He chases the truth, though he acts as if he already knows it, and he denies the part of himself that yearns for a world like when he was younger, one where he could befriend anybody (then it was lower-class demons of other sins, now it includes those from the Celestial and Human Realm). He wants the exchange program to succeed, but he thinks he doesn't because of his own personal grudges and upbringing. IDK i just wanted to make him a bit of a sadboy. A conflicted, well-intentioned arrogant boy.

(subject to change/be expanded upon i just wanted to ramble)

[rialynne]

Little Women Review

I’m feeling incredibly motivated to do this so here we go. To set it up, yes I read little women as a kid and I saw the 1994 version years ago prior to my first viewing. I watched the 1933 and 1949 versions and the 1994 version again before the second viewing. 

TLDR: Go watch this Movie I love it, imma buy this blu ray. To me despite structural changes this is the definitive movie adaptation of Little Women.

So initial personal reasons why I’ve always enjoyed this story is that it takes place in Mass; my cousins live in Concord, I grew up in New England and they definitely filmed in New England cause certain scenes. We still have old style buildings around like they have in the film and the landscape, especially for scenes in the fall were absolutely beautiful. Marmee even name drops my home state at one point so shout out there. 

Greta Gerwig did an absolutely fantastic job with the adapted screenplay of this movie and I am quite the fan of her decision to split up the structure of the novel and create more flash back sequences to emphasize different events that took place and how that impacted characters. I think the decision to film with a yellow warm tone in the past compared with a blue, cool tone in the adulthood scenes was a smart move as a visual way to explicitly indicate which timeline we are in. The fashion of the ladies and the hairstyles definitely did help with the timeline as well. I also love how they designed the girls hair style and clothing when they were younger to have a piece of Marmee’s style with them to signify a piece of Marmee is in each of her daughters. I also really loved the way that scenes played out, how they were shot, how when a bunch of them where showing conversations that could happen in real life. The dynamics of the march sisters remind me of my own family and there are a few scenes where there was like multiple conversations going on at once and I loved that. Also I love the sound track its on par with the 2005 Pride & Prejudice soundtrack.

For the more minor roles:

Meryl Streep did her thing as Aunt March and was quite hilarious, I loved how she was like no kisses plz and her whole you need to marry wealthy and I didn’t get married cause I’m rich bit. Mr. Lawrence has a beautiful character arc especially with Beth. He did so well with that small role and he really made you feel for the loss of his daughter. John Brook was the sweet respectful man for his wife. Friedrich Bhaer was good as well. Not as many scenes of him as I was previously expecting but I bought the connection he and Jo had and he definitely proved to be an intellectual match for him. 

Laura Dern was an excellent Marmee. She really brought the presence that she was the giving, calming presence for all her daughters, especially for Jo. I absolutely love the conversations she had with Jo about her always being angry and for talking to Jo about her not really being in love with Laurie. I felt like that conversation is a really important lesson for everyone to determine if they want to marry someone, to make sure they do marry some one cause they do truly love them and not cause they want to be loved. Mr. Dashwood, the new york city publisher was also a great addition to this story in terms of representing the way publishers were back in the day. 

I loved how connected they made all the March sisters feel. They really did make them all feel like one unit in their younger years, that it hurt much more when they are older when their apart. I really Loved watching Jo especially interact with all her sisters and seeing how the dynamics changed over the years. With Meg she relates to her being the oldest siblings and the scene where they talk about their different goals in life right before Meg gets married. Its a lovely scene indicating not one’s goals in life are better than another persons goals. I Love how she cares so much for Beth and looks out for her. The dynamics of Jo and Amy’s relationship was fascinating to watch cause it reminded me a lot of me and my sister and how we bickered a lot, but still deeply care for one another, and eventually were able to respect one another. 

I knew going into this movie that Saoirse Ronan was going to kill it as Jo, and she flipping delivered. I love her portrayal as Jo where she is not as too much as the 1933 and 1949 portrayals and yet was very ambitious and likable, very similar to the 1994 portrayal from Winona Ryder. I loved her speech with Marmee about how great women are and how she doesn’t have a life goal to get married but how she is very lonely. That hit hard. Her negotiating for her royalties to her book was a great addition to the end of the story. I feel as if she plays a certain type of character in her movies, but she does it sooo well and in a way that no one else can do justice for it. The relationship between Jo and Amy and Jo and Laurie were great to watch. Amy and Jo are so similar besides a few key differences, and those differences help make their tension believable and turns them into remarkable characters.        

I love the take on Beth in this adaptation. They still play her as a sweet and caring individual, one that ultimately leads to her getting sick and dying, but they give her a little more quirky traits and have her say some funny one liners. She has a lot of subtle moments with Jo and Amy especially that makes their reactions to her death feel so real. Emma Watson did a much better job than i expected and gave a surprising amount of depth to Meg. I did really enjoy the sub plot of her buying that fabric for a dress. $50 back then was like close to $1000, and really does show her struggle with wanting to have nice things once in a while. Her speech to Jo about her desires to be a wife and a mother is beautiful. Meg I feel is a difficult role to play due to her calm presence and lack of a super extroverted like personality and Emma made it her own.

Timothee Chalamet is a fantastic Laurie. He did well in balancing Laurie’s immature and lazy side to him while making him endearing. Seeing his love for the March family grow over time was beautiful. His relationship with Jo and Amy were awesome. With Jo, they are a great example of a platonic friendship, especially from when this book was published. I really loved the rejected proposal on the hill. You can see Jo still resisting adulthood still from her sister’s wedding, even when Laurie proposes I think she sees that as the end of childhood for her. Along with that she never had an interest to get married and expresses that she doesn’t love him like that and why they wouldn’t make a good match. The argument doesn’t feel like unrequited love but more like two best friends having a disagreement. His scenes with Amy also highlight his path to adulthood and him learning about love in the process. 

AMY MARCH FINALLY GOT HER DUE! About damn time she did. Amy is my favorite character from this adaptation and is the one that surprised me the most. Lord FLORENCE PUGH needs to get a damn nomination because she was fucking amazing. For me she was able to convincingly play a young and adult Amy so well. Amy is a woman who knows what she wants in life and is very determined to get them and work within the current societal circumstances she is in. She is able to push her ego aside to get what she wants. She is so cheeky and energetic when she is younger but becomes more refined and tactful when older. Her burning Jo’s book did indicate her jealousy of her sister and the immaturity of her emotions that over time she has a grip on more as an adult. Her relationship with Aunt March indicates the idea and pressure she has to take care of the rest of her family. When she has her economic proposition speech, you really see how this is adding so much pressure on her, pressure that does influence her choices and behavior later on. 

But, my absolute favorite part about Amy’s development over the movie was her relationship with Laurie. I’m so happy Greta really took the time to flush out this relationship. I really love these two together. They are both a really great example of love that evolves over time. The little tid bits in the past with the small moments of Amy and her small crush over Laurie: THE FOOT MOLD, the way young Amy looks at Laurie, her drawing of him at the beach while flirting with Fred Vaughn, talking about how hot he is as a half Italian. All of that was perfection. Everything in Paris with these too was also sooo fantastic. I love it that prim and proper 20 year old lady Amy turns into a kid again when she sees Laurie and just jumping and hugging him, and then Laurie is all like you’re beautiful. when she invites him to the ball and he kisses Aunt March. Her being all like “its Laurie!” and looking back at him with that damn smile, the things that make my heart melt. With Amy and Laurie knowing each other for so long, Amy is able to be real with him and call him out throughout their time in Paris, mainly at the ball when his drunken fuckboi ass waltz in. Also The PAINTING ROOM, lawrd. Amy still shitting on Laurie for his behavior, their conversation about love, Amy’s speech on economic proposition, THE UNBUTTONING OF THE PAINTING SMOCK (that absolutely rivals the Pride & Prejudice 2005 hand touch in terms of sexual tension), Amy being able to be her true self around Laurie, Laurie telling Amy “You look beautiful...you are beautiful” (SWOOON). Then when they at the park: Amy scolding him for being lazy and not taking charge and being responsible, Amy drawing him again and showing him the older picture, Laurie telling Amy not to marry Fred “don’t marry him. Why? you know why.”, Amy realizing what hes implying and being all like Naw don’t you dare fam I’ve always been second to Jo “I won’t do it. Not when I have spent my entire life loving you.”. Laurie finally grew a pair and went off to London to make something of himself and Amy turning down Fred’s proposal realizing she wants to marry for love. Them reuniting in Paris after Beth dies, and being alike i wont let you travel alone even if you despise me, which Amy says she doesn’t despise him. And she states she aint marrying Fred and then rambles on and LAURIE KISSES HER GOD BLESS HE DO LOVE HER. and wow. Their love story is one of the most satisfying love story arcs I’ve seen in a long time. 

Any ways that’s my long ass Review of Little Women 2019.  GO watch it in theaters if you can. I will buy it and stream it when it comes out of theaters. This is the definitive adaptation for me and I think it will hold up well as an amazing period drama for years to come. 

[thefloatingstone]

If you’re doing Self Quarintine (and you should be if you can help it) here’s some Youtube recommendations! Some of these I have posted about or recommended before but with almost all of us stuck indoors now’s a good time to remind you of some cool things you can watch for free!

I’m not gonna imbed the videos, I’ll just post the link because otherwise I would only able to post 5 and I want to collect a few so you can make a playlist or something. (I could make a playlist too but then I couldn’t tell you what each video is and you can’t pick and choose which one sounds interesting to you)

In no particular order:

Polybius: The video Game that doesn’t exist

An hour long documentary in which the youtuber did extensive research to find the origin of the “Polybius” Urban Legend, which speaks of an early arcade game reportedly seen around the early 1980s which reportedly gave people migraines, insomnia, nausea, subliminal messages, and in some cases heart attacks.

The Universal S

A shorter video in which LEMMiNO does his very best to try and track down where exactly this S that we all drew in middle school comes from? Why does literally every country on earth seem to HAVE their children draw this S?

I also recommend LEMMiNO’s video on the Dayltov Pass Incident and the perplexing UFO cases

Down the Rabbit Hole: Henry Darger

Fredrick Knudsen has an incredible fascinating series called “Down the Rabbit Hole” which simply focuses on... anything you can discover and go digging into. From weird internet personalities, to bizarre happenings in history. This video is about the artist Henry Darger, a man who lived in the early 1900s and for all intents and purposes had a perfectly average, lonely life, until it was discovered just before his death he had spent literally decades writing and drawing a fantasy world in what is possibly the longest piece of literature ever written.

I also recommend his video on the Hurdy Gurdy

Bedtime Stories Channel

I’m actually just gonna link the whole channel for “Bedtime Stories”. If you like weird and creepy stories, all of which at least claim to be “true” then Bedtime Stories is great. Coupled by illustrations and subtle sound effects, Bedtime Stories is literally listening to someone tell you a story about such things like hikers who mysteriously went missing, Sightings of Bog Men in Florida and giant Birds over Chernobyl, as well as weird and unsettling murders that remain unsolved. Sometimes the facts are a little dubious or have been disproved, but that’s not the point of the channel. It’s here to tell a creepy story, not give you a documentary.

A Journey Through Rule of Rose

Rule of Rose is a Survival Horror gave for the PS2 which has rather bad gameplay... but a FASCINATING story with just as many layers and symbolism as Silent Hill 2 could boast. It tells the story of one young woman traveling back into her own childhood in an orphanage in the 1930s, and all the horrors that contains. From repressed grief, abusive relationships, child neglect, abuse, and bullying... but it ALSO contains symbolism of societal class structure, politics, eating the rich, and how power structures work. Not for the faint of heart, but HIGHLY recommended.

I also super highly recommend his video on the similarities between Silent Hill 2 and Solaris

Clemps Reviews Crisis Core

Mr. Clemps is a great internet gamer who reviews JRPGs and other games he simply enjoys. Sprinkling in a heavy dose of comedy and very fast jokes and observations, Clemps’ videos are always upbeat, fun, and incredibly enjoyable to watch. I’m linking part 1 of his Crisis Core video in which he explains why the PSP game remains a personal favourite of his despite its flaws.

I also recommend his video on Eternal Sonata

Defunct TV: The History of Dragon Tales

Defunctland is a channel that deals with theme parks and theme park rides that are no longer standing, or which are no longer around in their current form. Defunctland also has a sub series though, called “Defunct TV” where they look at the origin of children’s TV which are no longer airing. I recommend the video on Dragon Tales which is incredibly wholesome, and a genuinely uplifting and soft story of good people trying to make good things for children. (I also recommend the videos on Bear in the Big Blue House, Zoboomafoo, and Legends of the Hidden Temple)

Hagan’s Histories of Polar Exploration

A Playlist for Diamanda Hagan’s videos about the doomed Franklin Expedition from the late 1800s, where England tried to find a passage through the Northern Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. This went horribly horribly wrong, with every member of the Expedition dead. Over a 100 years later we are still fuzzy on what EXACTLY happened, but apart from the arctic chill, there is also evidence of faulty canned food, a series of bad decisions, and cannibalism. Caution advised for this series.

I also recommend the rest of Diamanda Hagan’s channel. She is NOT for everyone, but if you enjoy somebody reviewing Z grade indie movies as well as just BIZARRE films, really bad Christian media bordering on Science Fiction (without making fun of religion itself) hot takes of classic (and modern) Dr. Who, an introduction to Red Dwarf, She’s an EXCELLENT channel to check out.

Good Bad or Bad Bad: Pass Thru

A half podcast half review show where two guys watch a terrible film, decide if it’s “Good” Bad or just Bad Bad and tell you if you should watch it too.

That’s it. That’s the whole show.

I recommend diving into the untold madness that is one of the best(?) bad film makers currently still producing batshit insane movies, the immortal Niel Breen.

There is literally nothing I can say that’ll prepare you for Niel Breen.

(I also recommend their more recent video for “Dancin’ It’s on!”)

History Buffs: Apollo 13

Do you like History? Do you like movies ABOUT History? Do you want to know if the movies about history you watch actually resemble what really happened in any way at all? History Buffs is an EXCELLENT channel, which does talk about the merit of a film itself, but is mainly focused on letting you know just how true to life that historical film you watch is. I highly recommend his longest video which covers the space race between the USA and the USSR, leading to what is known as “The most Successful Failure in NASA’s History”. The Infamous Apollo 13 and where the words “Houston, we have a problem” came from.

If you’re not interested in Apollo 13 however, I also recommend his video on the movie Casino, as well as his video on the female philosopher, Agora.

The Internet Historian: The Goodening of No Man’s Sky

With videos with literally MILLIONS of views, you probably already know the Internet Historian. But I still want to recommend him very highly because his videos are just THAT good and entertaining. I recommend his newest video, documenting that time we were all pissed off about No Man’s Sky, the difficulties the game studio was in when the game released, and how they have been working hard to finally create what is now a truly brilliant game which is winning major awards. A really good underdog story of how a video game company actually saw what was wrong with their game, and FIXED it.

I also recommend his video on Fallour 76 as well as the Failure of Dashcon

8 Creepy Video game mysteries

Hey. Did you know that sometimes there’s some REALLY weird shit in video games, hidden easter eggs which took literal decades to find as well as just a lot of “what the actual fuck?”. Oddheader is a channel with a dedicated discord and Reddit form solely focusing on trying to find or replicate bizarre video game finds, mysteries, and hidden glitches. Even if it means getting in his car and driving to a specific arcade just to check a rumour about Street Fighter II’s arcade version. So if you like getting spooked by weird game shit that’s not just some dumb creepypasta, this is a great place to start.

I also recommend his video on weird discoveries in DVDs and movies.

Red Letter Media: Best of the Worst

Look you already know who Red Letter Media is.

You know... these guys:

Here’s a video of them and Macaulay Culkin watching 3 terrible movies together.

I recommend literally any and all of their videos. Their discussion on Carpenter’s The Thing is amazing.

The Impact of Akira: The film that changed Everything

Ok trying to pick just ONE Super Eyepatch Wolf video is literal torture. Originally I was going to suggest his recent video on Final Fantasy 7 for the PSone but I realised I recommended something FF7 related with Clemps, so instead I will recommend The Impact of Akira, a video talking in depth about Akira both as a film as well as a manga, how it completely and utterly changed the anime industry both in Japan as well as the west, and why it is still a meaningful and one of the most important anime/manga even to this day, still being unsurpassed despite so much competition.

However, ALL of Wolf’s videos are incredible, so I also recommend his videos on wrestling (despite me not caring about wrestling at all), His video on how media scares us, The bizarre reality of modern Simpsons, Why the Dragon Ball Z manga is great, and literally any other video he’s made. He hasn’t made one bad video yet.

Was Oblivion as Good as I remember?

Exactly what it says on the tin. The Salt Factory goes back to playing The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and now with hindsight and modern sensibilities, gives feedback on his experience and whether Oblivion still holds up. This isn’t a super in depth review of the game’s mechanics or how its put together or how it was made. This is simply one guy talking about his experience replaying it with somejokes thrown in and how he felt revisiting it. It’s pretty good.

I also recommend the video he did on Morrowind (because I’m biased).

Weird Japan Only PS1 games

Thor High Heels is SO GOOD and deserves SO MUCH MORE subs than he currently has. THH focuses a lot of obscure and lesser known games as well as big popular titles like the Yakuza series, talking about what he likes about them, what he thinks is cool, and just what kind of atmosphere and mood a certain game has, even if the game itself is kind of ass. He’s done several videos on games that were only released in Japan, as well as videos talking about the fashion in Squaresoft games and how it inspired as well as was inspired by real world street fashion, the aesthetic of PC-98 games and other topics. He also styles his videos and thumbnails after promotional art for video games from the 90s and generally just has an excellent style to his channel over all. Very chill.

Blue Reflection Review

ValkyrieAurora is a channel run by Sophie where she talks about games she personally likes and enjoys. Her videos are really laid back and her voice is really calm and pleasant to listen to. She’s made a bit of a reputation for herself as “The channel that talks about the Atelier Games” and general is just a really enjoyable channel worth checking out if you just want something soothing to listen to.

Ancient Chinese Historians Describe Japan

Voices from the Past is a channel were historical text is read out loud in english. These can be anything like the above video where Chinese historians describe the people of Japan around 297 AD, Accounts of “Dog-Men”, or the worlds oldest letter of complaint from 1750 BC. If you’d like something interesting historically to listen to but don’t want a full blown history lesson, this is a really good way to hear contemporary people talk about their experiences and what they thought about each other in their own words, without opinions or input given by the narrator.

The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet

Whang! is a channel that covers weird internet stories, some horrifying, some curious and interesting, and some just plain weird. His video on The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet and its update, are about a song which was recorded off the radio in Germany around the 1980s, and after one person online asked if anyone knew who the artist was as they couldn’t find any information, led to the realization that NOBODY online knows where this song came from or who sang it. It’s a fun mystery to look into that, unlike some others on this list, is not creepy or unsettling, although perhaps a little frustrating.

I also recommend his video on The Most Mysterious Anime theme song, and the haunted Ebay Painting.

5 Lost, Destroyed, and Locked away Broadcasts

Yesterworld is similar to the Defunctland channel in that it talks about obsolete rides, theme parks and other forgotten pieces of entertainment. Although the majority of the channel focuses on movie rides, rollercoasters and Disneyland, I recommend the video on lost and locked away broadcasts which you can no longer see. I also recommend the video about Lost and Rediscovered movie props.

The Nightmare Artist

I talked about this one recently as I just discovered this channel. This video is about the renowned Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski who painted surreal and horrifying paintings during his lifetime. There is no mystery here or anything like that, it merely talks about the impact WWII left on Beksinski and how the trauma his country and people suffered influenced his painting, and how certain images and motifs can be seen to directly reference this terrible part of Poland’s history.

Disabilities in Prehistory

Modern media likes to portray how “savage” the ancient past is, and tell us stories of how any person born with a deformity or disability would be thrown over a cliff or dumped in a well because they would be too big a drain on a community to look after. But here’s the thing... according to archaeological evidence, it turns out our ancient ancestors actually did their best to look after its disabled members to the best of their abilities. This video talks about archaeological finds of people who had genetic disabilities and what we can learn from their remains. TREY the Explainer is a great channel for archaeology and also talking about what answers we could have for sightings of cryptids. (not ALL of which we have answers for)

I also recommend his video on Pre-Contact dogs as well as Homosexuality in Nature and the Genetic History of the Ainu.

Decoding “The Secret: A treasure Hunt”

“The Secret” was an art book released in the 80s full of beautiful paintings, but it is also more than that. The book has a fantasy story talking about 12 fantastical races who left wonderful treasures for humans to find,and the book’s paintings and riddles will tell you where you can find each of these treasures which are yours to keep if you can solve the puzzle... and the treasures are 100% true and can actualy be found and claimed, if you can solve the riddles in the book. The video tells the story of the artbook, who was behind it, what the treasures are, how many have been found and various other facts and details.

I also recommend the videos on this channel “The Game: A scavenger Hunt” and “The investigation of Erratas”.

5 Ancient Inventions That Were WAY Ahead Of Their Time

I would recommend you be careful with this channel as its main focus is existentialism and rather alarming topics such as “how close are we to the apocalypse” and other things whose titles alone are enough to upset me. However this video is nothing like that. This video is exactly what the title suggests it is. 5 ancient inventions that were so incredibly ahead of their time you’d think they were made up. From the computer used by ancient Greeks to steel swords we don’t know how to replicate, this video is a great mix of mystery and history.

Although I caution you with this channel, I recommend Joe’s other videos about mysterious books, as well as his video on the most inbred people in history.

However, I know I keep repeating this, I highly recommend caution with this channel. Perhaps its just me and the topics of life and existent are just triggering for me, but I’d recommend maybe just doing a search for the titles I mentioned and not to go searching through the video library unless you’re not bothered by this kind of thing.

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Anyway I could keep going, but I think that’s a LARGE amount of videos to keep you occupied for the time being as well as some suggestions for further viewing.

Please enjoy, let me know if you found something interesting, and look after yourself!

If you enjoyed this list at all, please consider tipping me for a coffee

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