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sixpennydame · 1 year ago

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Make. Believe. ❖ Act 1

Actor!Levi x Fem!Reader

It’s your first sex scene as a leading actress, and it’s with none other than Levi Ackerman. But you both can stay professional….right?

Warnings / Content: NSFW, Minors do not interact, oral sex (fem receiving), vaginal sex

A/N: I've been working on this one shot since April and it's finally here! There will be a Part 2, written from Levi's pov, available now!

Act 2 | Act 3

“Oi, you ok? Ready to do this?”

Levi stands naked before you. It’s nothing new - you’ve seen his nude body several times already while shooting this film. But today is the day that you shoot the main sex scene with him - the first you’ve ever done as a professional actress.

And despite all the preparations you’ve done, you’re nervous as hell about it.

You take a deep breath. “Yeah…I’m ready.”

The Camera Assistant raises the slate, “Scene 24, Take 1…” *Clap*

“Action!”

When your agent told you about the role you knew you were perfect for it. An ingénue role: innocent, pure, but headstrong, and when you finished the audition, you knew you’d gotten it.

The movie is set in the 1920’s and tells the story about a woman who had been married off to an older, powerful man who owns a large estate. She has an affair with the quiet, mysterious groundskeeper. It’s all about class, duty, and desire.

You knew the role would require several sex scenes, and quite risqué ones at that. But that didn’t bother you. You’d been nude on stage while in acting school and you took your craft seriously.

What made you nervous was that you would be doing the sex scenes with Levi Ackerman.

You’d had a crush on him since your teenage years, when you saw him in the Attack on Titan series. You, and every other girl that saw him in that show. Ten years later, he was still one of the most sought-after actors in film and television. He excelled in dramatic roles and was a skilled physical actor, even doing most of his own stunts. In interviews, he was always cool and quiet, letting the other actors take the spotlight. He also kept his private life particularly private, and this gave him an air of mystery.

You weren’t sure what to expect when you met him for the first time with the rest of the cast at the first script table reading.

“Mr. Ackerman, I’ll be playing the part of Anna. It’s an absolute honor to be working with you.”

His grey eyes give you a once over, then he shakes your hand. “Please, call me Levi. I hear this is your first leading role.”

Just shaking his hand, you’re already blushing. How will you react when you actually have to touch him romantically?

You shake those thoughts out of your mind right now. “Y-yes, it is. I’d appreciate any advice you can give me.”

“This director is pretty strict about sticking to the script. I’ve worked with him before. But with love scenes, he’s going to give us a lot of freedom to kind of just do what we want.”

Oh god. He’s already bringing up the sex scenes. And he calls them love scenes. You feel your face getting even hotter.

He notices. “I’m guessing you’ve never done a love scene before.”

“I uh..” you were going to try to think of something witty to say, but it feels difficult to talk suddenly, “I haven’t, actually.”

He smiles. “It’s normal to feel nervous. The most important thing is for you to trust me, and for us to respect each other.”

The room is filling with more cast and crew as the table reading is about to start. Levi gestures for the both of you to have a seat. “Why don’t we start by getting to know each other after the table reading? When we’re not shooting we can get together and help each other with lines and maybe eat together during breaks. That way, I won’t feel like such a stranger.”

“That would be so nice. Yes, let’s do that,” you reply, feeling better and more comfortable with him already. He just seems so…normal. Not at all the broody, rude character he’s made out to be in the tabloids.

After that, you spent most of your free time with Levi. You’d hang out with each other in your trailers, working on memorizing lines or just talking. The director insisted on shooting most of the movie on location and not in a studio, so you were all left to basically live in a small town in the countryside. Levi would invite you out with other cast and crew friends. He was friendly - much friendlier than you’d imagined him to be - but you noticed that the larger the crowd got, the quieter he became. You much more enjoyed the time when it was just the two of you.

Leading up to your sex scenes, you and Levi were required to meet with an intimacy coach. She was pleased to hear that you and Levi were already getting to know each other, since trust is key. The three of you talked over the scene and the movements required.

“There will be moments where you two will have to be naked with each other, but when you two actually recreate sexual activity, you can use intimacy barriers and skin colored thongs and underwear,” the coach suggests. “Levi, I know you’ve done sex scenes totally nude in the past.”

That’s right..the independent film he was in a few years ago. There was a lot of controversy about the very explicit sex scene in that movie. So they were completely nude during that scene? Why do you feel jealous?

“Whatever Reader is comfortable with. I’ll follow her lead,” he says, matter-of-factly.

The coach looks at you. “And you’re comfortable being nude with Levi?”

You’re trying so hard not to blush and look professional, as if this conversation isn’t giving you butterflies in your stomach. You feel Levi’s grey eyes on you. “Yes, it’s not a problem.”

Later that afternoon, your words were put to the test. You were to shoot a scene where your character catches Levi washing outside his cottage. It’s a short scene but you’re nervous. When you arrive on set, Levi is already in a robe waiting.

The scene is set, and Levi takes off his robe. His body is even better in real life. He’s toned, and he has a perfect six pack with a deep v shape on either side. A black trail of hair leads down to his..

No, you shouldn’t look, it’s unprofessional. But you want to so badly.

“Reader, go to your mark,” the Director’s Assistant says.

“Y-yes, of course.” You take your place by the wall that surrounds his character’s cottage. When the director yells action you walk along the wall until you get to the entrance, but before you enter his garden, you see him washing at a basin near the home. You’re supposed to look for just a moment, then turn back against the wall and blush at seeing him.

But when you peek around the corner, you can’t help but let your eyes linger for just longer than you’re supposed to. He’s washing himself, the water flowing over his beautifully toned body. His hair is wet and he pushes it back.

“Cut!” the director commands. “Reader, you were staring too long. Remember, she’s shocked at what she sees and quickly turns away, but she’s also titillated.”

You blush and look over to Levi, who you hope is far enough away that he can’t hear what the director is saying. “Got it. Sorry about that.” You take your mark and do it again.

The next day, you had to shoot some other scenes and didn’t see Levi all day. Although the day’s shoot went without a hitch, you couldn’t help but think about that perfect body of his and how you would soon be touching and kissing it.

You arrived at your trailer earlier than usual the next day. There were a few cast and crew members ambling about, but it was otherwise quiet. You knock on the door of Levi’s trailer.

“Come in,” he answers. When you enter, Levi is casually sitting, drinking his tea and reading through today’s scenes. “I thought we could discuss how we wanted to block today’s physical scenes. It’s no nudity, but since it’s their first time,I think there are some particular movements they want us to include.”

It’s strange, talking to Levi about, “me grabbing your breast,” or, “when I enter you for the first time,” as if these are the most normal conversations to have in the world. But even hearing him say these words in his deadpan way of speaking is making the blood rush to your cheeks. After a lengthy discussion, you scribble some notes in your script for later, then make your way to your trailer to get into costume.

The scene is set in a hunting cabin far from the main estate. As your character has just left a dinner party, you’re wearing a beautiful wine colored gown that everyone remarks on. Everyone except Levi. He sits in his chair and seems to be in some kind of ultra-focused state. You’d never noticed before, but maybe that’s how he gets into character.

Or maybe he’s nervous too.

Your heart is pounding when the director says action. “Please don’t go,” you say, as you grab Levi’s arm.

You’d blocked out the scene with Levi this morning, but you suddenly have an urge to deviate slightly from the plan, not because you want to, but because you now feel like that’s what your character would do at this moment.

You hold his hand and begin to kiss his palm and wrist, then you place it on your cheek. It’s so innocent, but full of yearning. Levi’s body goes tense, but then he unexpectedly moves his thumb to your lips and you open your mouth. You begin to suck on his thumb, then his pointer finger, looking at him seductively when he finally pulls it out. He lets out a sigh and then he’s kissing you passionately; you pull down his suspenders while he lifts up the gossamer layers of your dress. Your mouths crash together as he undoes his pants. He tastes like spearmint, and you wonder if he did that on purpose. He moves away from the kiss and pulls off your underwear, and then he’s on top of you and between your legs.

Although his bare ass is showing, the camera angle doesn’t necessitate him completely against your crotch. But he pushes slowly as if he is entering you for the first time and after a few thrusts, he starts getting faster.

Your character is going through a lot of emotions at this point: desire, guilt, pleasure. You look away and your cheeks begin to flush as Levi continues to move, a certain kind of desperation in every thrust. You both begin to breathe heavily, your hands in his hair and his head in the crook of your neck. One final thrust, and there’s only silence, until..

“Cut!” the director cries out. “Good work, you two. Now, let’s do that again, with some closeup shots.

“You okay?” Levi asks as he gets off of you and grabs a rag to wipe off his sweat.

You straighten your dress and a makeup assistant comes over to touch-up your makeup. “Yeah..I’m fine.”

“They way you approached me, with the kisses on the palm and taking my fingers - that was a nice change.” He looks at you as he returns to his mark. “You have good instincts.”

“Thanks.” You laugh to yourself, because the compliment makes you blush more than when he was rutting against you.

The cinematographer changes cameras and gets closer. “Alright, let’s do that again..”

——

The next day, you meet with the intimacy coordinator to choreograph the next sex scene scheduled for the end of the week. In the midst of taking notes and discussing with Levi the motivations for each movement, you become quiet, your thoughts drifting elsewhere. Because for the last few days, you’ve had trouble differentiating your feelings for Levi and your character’s feelings for his character. The line seems to be blurring between them, and that concerns you.

In between scenes, you truly enjoy spending time with Levi. He’s smart and funny. He nerds out about tea and kung fu movies, and you’ve spent many an evening just listening to him go into more detail about the two than you ever thought possible. He gives you ideas when you struggle with character notes, and even helps you to memorize lines. At night, in the privacy of your hotel room, you’ve fantasized about what it might feel like to be desired by him, to hear him say your name as he touches your body.

Then you hear your name being called by the coordinator and you snap out of it. “Is that ok with you? Being completely nude for the scene?” she asks.

“No..no..I’d like for both of us to be covered,” you answer. It’s better this way, you think to yourself. It keeps it professional.

Levi shrugs. “Fine by me.”

You both walk back to the hotel at the end of the day, but Levi stops you before you enter the building.

“Hey, you ok today? You seem distracted.”

“I’m fine. I guess I’m just nervous about tomorrow.”

“I get it. But we’ve put a lot of work into this. And I’d like to think we trust each other at this point.” He puts his hand on your shoulder. “You’ve got this.”

Just like that, you feel more at ease. He just has such a way with you. “You’re right, we’ve done well so far. And I do trust you, Levi.”

——

When you arrive at your trailer the next morning, there’s a to-go cup on your table.

To calm your body and mind. —Levi

Your makeup artist smiles as you read the note. “Levi just brought that by. You sure have a great leading man.”

You smile. “Yeah, I sure do.”

The scene takes place in the forest in the afternoon. Your character has snuck away from her home to meet him, far away from spying eyes. The Director has decided to film the scene in sections instead of one long scene, at least for now.

The marker board is clicked and you and Levi walk hand-in-hand among the trees. He pulls you into a small clearing, then grabs the back of your neck as he starts kissing you fully. You pull away and look him in the eyes.

“I want you to fuck me.”

Your character is a lady of high society; it’s scandalous for someone of her stature to say such a thing, but here she is, with this man that is ‘below’ her, and she wants nothing else than for him to ravage her.

You can totally relate to your character, in that regard.

He moves closer to you and begins to fondle your breasts, then he grabs the front of your white cotton blouse and tears it off of you, revealing your bare chest.

He lays his chore jacket on the ground. “Undo my trousers,” he commands, and you do so. You then lie down on the jacket beneath you while he pulls down his trousers and takes off his henley shirt. When he takes off his trousers, you look away.

“No - don’t look away. Look at me,” he says with authority. He crouches over you and easily pulls off your skirt.

“Cut! Let’s get them ready for closeup shots.” The Director and his team set up for the next shots as you and Levi sit awkwardly on the ground. You can’t move too much because you don't want to spoil the continuity of the scene, so you freeze as your hair and makeup team tousle your hair and touch up your makeup.

Both of you have your groins covered but other than that, you are completely naked, except you’re still wearing your stockings and boots. The Director tells Levi to get on top of you and he does so.

“Ready to do this?” He whispers.

“Yes, I’m ready,” you answer.

“Scene 24, Take 1..”

*Clap*

Levi is immediately kissing your lips, then moving down to your neck and collarbone. He looks back up at you and begins to thrust, each one hard and deliberate. You begin to move your hips to meet his thrusts and he breathes heavily into the skin of your neck. Even without actually having sex, the friction enough is turning you on; that, and Levi’s kisses on your body.

Then you feel it. A hardening bulge rubbing up against your clit. You look into his eyes and see a brief flash of recognition, but neither of you break character.

He pulls you up and your legs are wrapped around him. He continues to thrust into you but it’s slower now, your bodies working together as you grind. His hard cock is rubbing your clit just right, and you feel like you could come from just this feeling alone. You’ve forgotten about the hoards of people watching both of you right now and you’re completely in the moment, letting him pull you even closer to him.

“Levi..” you whisper in his ear. It slips from your mouth before you know it; there aren’t any lines scripted for this scene, and you’re hoping it wasn’t loud enough for the boom mic to pick up. It earns a look from Levi and then he smirks - you’re not sure if that was in character either.

Your hands grasp at his hair and he starts slowing down. You look up at the sky thinking about the pleasure you - and your character - just felt. Then your lips graze against each other as your breathing becomes more calm.

“And cut! Great work you two I loved how that flowed. Let’s take a 15 minute break. I’ll look through the footage and decide if we need to re-shoot anything.”

Just like that, the moment is gone. The Director and others begin to move equipment and Levi’s assistant brings him a robe. He has it on and around him before you can barely get off of him.

“Good work,” he says curtly as he walks off. Your assistant takes a little longer to get to you, so you’re sitting there, naked, trying to figure out just exactly what happened between the two of you.

Levi keeps his distance during the break and as he listens to the director’s notes. You have to re-shoot a few closeup shots, and although the energy is still there, something is different. You can feel it.

——

Levi doesn’t come out with you and the crew for dinner that night, and he doesn’t reply to your text messages. You’re worried - did you do something to offend him? Was it because you moaned his name during the scene?

That has to be it. It probably made him feel awkward. Maybe he thinks you’re unprofessional. It makes your palms cold and clammy just thinking about disappointing him, you can’t bear it.

But you can’t deny that he was turned on during the scene. You felt him against you. You couldn’t have imagined that.

You walk back to your hotel room lethargically. You think about texting him again, this time apologizing for your behavior, but before you can, there’s a knock on your door.

“Levi?”

“Hey.” He shifts one leg to the other, and he rubs the back of his neck. “Can we talk?”

“Of course,” you open the door wider for him to enter, “come in.”

He enters, his body language clearly restless and troubled. “What’s up?” you question.

“About today’s shoot….I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’m always professional. I respect you as an actress.”

He paces the room and has a difficult time looking at you. You assume he’s going to reprimand you for your behavior today, so you prepare yourself. “I know you do, Levi. And I respect you.”

He finally stops in front of you. “But me getting turned on today…I don’t want you to think less of me. It’s just that you’re-“ he runs his hand through his dark hair.

Butterflies begin to form in your stomach. You’ve never seen Levi this flummoxed before. He takes a deep breath and it seems to give him focus as he moves closer to you.

“You’ve done something to me. When I had you in my arms today, I couldn’t help myself. Then when you said my name like that…”

He looks into your eyes. “I’ve kissed you countless times during this filming. But right now, I want to kiss you as myself.”

Your heart does backflips and your throat is suddenly dry. “So kiss me,” you invite, moving even closer to him.

It takes him a moment, almost as if he is checking if it’s truly ok. Then with a deep breath, he grabs the back of your neck and crashes his lips into yours. Even though you’ve kissed him many times, this time it’s different. There’s an electricity to it, an honesty, as if he’s laying bare his entire self to you.

His hand moves from your hip bone to under your shirt, his soft touch sending shivers down your spine. It doesn’t take long for his other hand to make it under your shirt as well, and soon he’s pulling it over your head and off of you.

You also start letting your hands roam, first down his back and then under his t-shirt. You grab the hem and pull it off of him, but before you can do more he’s working on unclasping your bra.

“I want you so badly.” His voice is low and raspy as he lays you on the bed.

You’ve started peeling off your leggings but he takes them and pulls them off roughly, desperately. “There are condoms in the drawer of the bedside table.” He gives you a look. “You know..just in case.” He smiles, then reaches over to the drawer. As he does so, you pull off your underwear and start touching yourself. You rub your clit in circles, watching him as he stands over you.

There’s a giant bulge in his grey sweatpants and you can see the lust in his eyes. “God, you’re beautiful.” He throws the condom packet down and dives in between your legs, kissing the inside of your thighs.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to have you like this? To take this beautiful pussy as mine?” He starts licking at your folds and you swear you’ve entered heaven. He starts flicking his tongue over your clit, alternating between fast and slow. Your back arches and your hands reach down to grip his hair.

“Yes, yes, right there….fuck…” You can’t believe this is happening. Levi is here, he wants you, and he’s eating your pussy in a way that no man ever has.

Just when you feel you could climax, he stops. He reaches down next to the bed and picks up the condom package, sticking it in his mouth as he takes off his sweatpants and underwear.

You’d seen him naked on set, but his cock had been flaccid at the time; now that he’s hard, it’s even more impressive. As he puts on the condom, you lick your lips, preparing yourself to truly - finally - have him inside you.

He can see the desire in your eyes. “Look at you - so eager for my cock are you?”

“Yes, Levi, I want it so badly. I’ve always wanted you.” You open your legs a little wider, inviting him to go between them.

He moves in and looks down on you as he touches his cock. “Fuck, you’re so pretty like this. I don’t know how I’ve kept myself in check for this long.”

You smile. “So you’ve been thinking about me?”

“Of course I have. How could I not?” He positions himself above you and rubs his cock on your entrance, covering it with your juices. “When I’m not on set with you, you’re all I think about.”

Before this night, Levi had always had a quiet, awkward confidence to him, as if there were a multitude of thoughts happening just below the surface; but now, he was assertive and cocky, telling you his thoughts and desires without any restraint. You loved seeing this new side of him.

He enters you slowly and you both take a deep breath, then he begins to move faster as he sees a smile form across your face.

“You feel so good…fuck…”

Your words encourage him to pick up the pace, the sounds of his hips slamming into you reverberate throughout the room. “Shit, you’re so wet, I can’t get enough of you.” He moves down to kiss you passionately, then he starts to kiss and suck on your neck.

“Be careful..I have to shoot a scene tomorrow,” you warn, halfheartedly.

“Makeup can cover it up,” he growls in your ear and then continues.

He feels so good, you can’t resist anything this man does to you, so you give into him completely as his cock rams into you and his mouth claims you.

The evening is a flurry of moans and grunts, him having his way with you on the bed, against the wall, in the shower - it was as if you were both discovering pleasure for the first time. Real pleasure - not performative.

As the sun begins to rise, you both lay exhausted and satisfied in the bed, the sheets in a tangled mess around you.

“This won’t change how we work together, will it?” you ask with a worried look on your face.

“Why would it? If anything, it’ll make our chemistry on screen more believable.” He kisses the top of your head. “And this will make the preparation for the other sex scenes much more interesting,” he says with a boyish grin.

You can’t argue with that. “I suppose life sometimes does imitate art.”

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I'm tagging those who seemed interested when I wrote the drabble, but let me know if you wanna be untagged.

@thevelria @lunaeheroine18 @meltingforthatackerman @adanfore @blondebebop @levisfavoriteacup @dont-f-with-moogles @itty-bitty-baby-face @ricecrispiebirb @whorenamedbee @rec-a-fic @leviismybby @littlerequiem @satorizz @lost-in-the-daylight @nube55 @kingkonoha @mrsackxrman @youre-ackermine @luvjiro @wanderlustqueen-writes @mrsackermannx (happy late birthday present, bby, this one-shot is for you <;3)

#levi ackerman smut #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x fem!reader #levi x fem!reader #actor!levi #aot actor au #actor au!levi #aot actor au fan fiction #aot fanfiction #n.sfw #levi x you #sixpennydame one shots #sixpennydame make.believe.

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innuendostudios · 8 months ago

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youtube

new video about Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy, and how everyone* keeps getting them wrong! this video is sponsored by Nebula, a place where you can watch the original version of this video before I had to tweak it for YouTube's copyright bots. (by clicking that link, you can get an annual subscription for 40% off.) or you can just back me on Patreon, which is also cool and good.

transcript below the cut.

I adore Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy. I flirted with making a video about it ages ago, had a draft of a script, but ultimately decided it wasn’t about anything except “here’s a thing I like, and here are its (I thought) very obvious themes.” So I shelved it. But, in the years since, I have seen multiple video essayists on this here website claim that these movies are about growing up and taking responsibility. (I say “multiple.” It’s not a lot. But it’s more than one! And that’s enough.)

These people are 100% wrong.

Lemme lay it out: the Cornetto Trilogy is not about growing up. It is not about taking responsibility. It is the exact opposite, and that’s not subtext. It is three movies about stunted manchildren thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and each, in the end, is saved - is redeemed - by abandoning his character arc and failing to grow or change. It is a three-part love letter to immaturity.

And I guess I have to set the record straight.

Sometimes making a video about a thing you love is an act of appreciation. And sometimes it’s out of spite.

The Cornetto Trilogy is three movies: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. All three are written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright; Pegg stars, and Wright directs; all three center on a relationship between Pegg and real-life best friend Nick Frost, which makes each film a reunion of the core team behind Spaced (excepting, but for a small role in Shaun of the Dead, Jessica Hynes). The three films span three genres: zombie apocalypse, buddy cop, alien invasion; each features a Cornetto ice cream cone: strawberry to represent blood, original blue to represent the police, and mint to represent little green men; this is a joking nod to Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Trois Couleur films, Bleu, Blanc, and Rouge, which were based on the colors and themes of the French flag (I don’t care what you say, Emily: #TeamRouge); that nod is funny because Trois Couleur is high-art drama and these are comedies. All three are parodies of, tributes to, and actually surprisingly good executions of their respective genres. And the hook, the gag at the center of all these movies, is that Simon Pegg plays a character wholly unsuited to be starring in this kind of film.

Shaun, the burnout, is the wrong person to survive the zombie apocalypse; by-the-book British bobby Nicholas is the wrong person to lead an American-style bombastic actioner; and alcoholic asshole Gary is the last person to save the world from aliens.

And I think that’s where people get stuck. Because “schlub finds himself protagonist of a genre film” is the elevator pitch for like a dozen Adam Sandler movies. The genre trappings may be as mundane as parenthood or mandated anger management classes, or as high-concept as action movie, whodunnit, or time travel It’s a Wonderful Life if Clarence were Christopher Walken as the angel of death (that… that makes it sound good, it’s not, don’t see Click; leave Frank Capra alone, Adam). But all these movies have the same basic shape: an extraordinary situation forces a guy to confront his shortcomings, which always stem from having never grown up. And you probably haven’t seen all of these movies, but if you’ve seen any, I bet you have assumptions about how the rest end: even though “Adam Sandler acts like a child” is generally the selling point of an Adam Sandler movie, they all end with some lip service toward becoming an adult: hey man, grow up a bit; appreciate your family a little more; square your shoulders; clean your room. This is so standard, it was parodied mercilessly in Funny People.

And this was a formative microgenre for my generation! Whole universe turns itself upside down to teach some shitty dude to, like, do the dishes and pay his wife a compliment now and then - Liar Liar, Bruce and Evan Almighty (all directed by the same guy, by the way). So I don’t blame people of a certain age for seeing the first act of Shaun of the Dead and thinking “I know where this is going.” And when, at the last minute, it swerves and goes someplace else, you could read that as a gag, a final subversion of expectation, still the same basic shape. But no! No! Once is a gag - thrice??? Thrice is a thematic statement!

So lemme make my case. I’ma take you through these movies one by one - we’ll talk about the manchildren and the expectations set by the genre, and then we’ll talk about that last-minute swerve and what it means. And then you’ll tell me I’m right and apologize!

Shaun of the Dead:

Shaun is a man in his twenties. What kind of manchild is he? He’s the slacker.

What is his problem? He needs to sort his life out. Shaun doesn’t know how to take action. He hasn’t advanced since college - he’s been working the kind of job a teen takes over the summer for like a decade, lives with the same best friend, has the same petty fights with his stepdad, goes to the same pub every week with the same group of people. He can’t make a reservation, he can’t manage a calendar, he’s a washup. This makes his girlfriend, Liz, feel stifled, trapped; he is a weight around her ankle, taking her on the same date week after week, keeping her from living her own dreams, having her own adventures. She gives him one last chance to prove he can sort his life out, and he blows it, and she dumps him.

And then: a zombie movie happens.

The genre forces him to confront his shortcomings: to survive, and save his loved ones, he’ll have to take action, make plans, be decisive. This is a common fantasy: when you feel ground down by the mundanity of life, you might imagine, oh, if only a crisis would happen, like a zombie virus outbreak, where my normal-life problems like “am I gonna make rent,” “is my girl gonna take me back,” “is my roommate gonna kick out my stoner buddy who’s crashing on the couch” become meaningless, and it’s immediately clear what’s really important, what matters. Then I’d know exactly what to do. It’s why disaster movies work as escapism: a necromantic plague - or at least the fantasy of one - is sometime preferable to normal life.

Hot Fuzz:

Nicholas is a man in his thirties. What kind of manchild is he? He’s the hall monitor.

What is his problem? He can’t switch off. He is a hypercompetant police officer with a rulebook where his brain should be. He’s so good at being a cop that he’s spotting and unraveling crimes even on his day off. He can’t maintain a relationship, has no friends, all his coworkers hate him because he keeps finishing their work for them, and his stats show up the rest of the force so badly that they scuttle him out to the country.

Now you might be thinking, “Mmm. A fastidious police officer who can’t have fun? How is that a manchild? Sounds pretty grown-up to me. You’re reaching, bud.” Ohhhh ho ho, smartass, do you remember this scene? [bar scene] Yeah! Nicholas Angel has a five-year-old’s notion of law and order. He’s still playing cops and robbers.

And that’s a problem, because then: an action movie happens.

It doesn’t happen all at once: he goes out to the country and finds they do things a bit differently there. They are (ostensibly) less concerned with rules than what than the rules are for: if the purpose of drinking laws is to keep the streets safe and orderly, and letting some people off with a warning or allowing kids drink so long as they do it inside achieves that end, the rule can be bent. That’s a judgment grown-ups can make; I mean, they’re the ones who wrote the rules in the first place. So be lenient with shoplifters, don’t hassle people for speeding; this isn’t the Big City, you can use your better judgment. But Nicholas never got past doing whatever Mom & Dad said; obedience, and trusting whoever’s up the chain, is his entire moral framework. He can’t accept that bending the law could be more righteous than following it.

But also maybe there’s a criminal conspiracy murdering people and writing it off as accidents and the police chief might be in on it. Or maybe Nicholas is so desperate for a big case with no moral ambiguity that he’s seeing things where they aren’t.

The genre forces him to confront his shortcomings: either there’s nothing going on and he needs to chill out about procedure, or the department is corrupt and he’ll have to go rogue like it’s Point Break - and this is how he experiences Point Break. [“paperwork”]

No matter what, he’ll have to bend the rules, which he constitutionally cannot do.

The World’s End:

Gary is a man in his forties. What kind of manchild is he? He’s the delinquent.

What’s his problem? Pfffft. What isn’t his problem? Gary is a manipulative, narcissistic, lying, self-destructive, ignorant, violent, thieving, shit-talking, unapologetic asshole who peaked in high school when being all those things was still kind of badass. The greatest night of his life was the drunken pub crawl after graduation he and his friends didn’t even finish, and he’s been tumbling downhill ever since. He’s spent his life ruining everyone who knows him until there’s no one left to ruin but Gary King. So now it’s time to bully the old gang into going back home with him to relive that night by finishing the pub crawl, because, in his own words, it’s all he’s got. And he and his friends have to confront how home has changed since they left - the bars have gentrified, not everyone recognizes them; the defining, epic deeds of Gary’s youth have been forgotten. You can’t actually go back because that place doesn’t exist anymore.

And then: a sci-fi movie happens.

Turns out the town’s been taken over by aliens, and all the people who couldn’t conform to their new order have been replaced with robots! That’s why no one recognizes them! And that’s why the pubs all look the same: the aliens are homogenizing everything! And it’s clear, if they can’t get Gary and his friends to play ball, they’ll roboticize them as well! The obvious move is to get the hell out of town, but Gary keeps inventing excuses to stay and finish the pub crawl, and they sound pretty sensible because the group’s already five pints in. The genre forces him to confront his shortcomings: sooner or later he’s gonna have to give up on recapturing his youth and do what’s best for him and his friends now, even if it means running back to the city where all his problems live.

So there we have it: the characters cross the threshold into an unfamiliar world where an external conflict cannot be addressed without resolving the tension within. The slacker will have to get his shit sorted, the hall monitor will have to break the rules, and the delinquent will have to do what’s good for him. And, to an extent, all three know this! The movies Wright and Pegg pay homage to exist in these stories - Shaun knows what a zombie is, Danny keeps Nicholas up watching Point Break and Bad Boys II, and Gary and friends know bodysnatcher movies so well they have philosophical debates with the robots about whether “robot” is the PC term.

So, yeah, if you turned the movies off there, I could forgive you for thinking that’s where they’re headed. But you goofballs watched them to the end and then made content about them, what is wrong with you???

What actually happens in the second halves of these movies?

Shaun twigs that he’s in a zombie movie and, at first, tries to play the part - his survival plans are miniature hero’s journeys with him as protagonist, wherein he’ll save the day by neatly confronting all his flaws. He’ll resolve parental conflict by saving his mom from his zombified stepdad, resolve romantic conflict by showing his girl he can come through when it counts, and resolve internal conflict by being a man who saves the day. And all his plans suck! It’s just the same plan he always comes up with! Dragging around the same useless liability of a bestie, collecting the same group of people, and holing up in the same pub! He doesn’t save his mom: his stepdad apologizes, resolving their conflict for him, and then survives in zombie form but Shaun’s mom gets killed; most of the friend group gets killed because the crisis does not actually suspend but in fact amplifies their personal grievances; and he doesn’t save the day, just manages not to die long enough for the military to show up.

But… well, Liz wanted adventure and now she’s had enough for a lifetime, so… she’s down to just be boring with him for a while - sit on the couch, watch TV, hit the pub. Beats running for your life. Tensions with the roommate are gone cuz roommate died, but rent is covered cuz Liz moved in. Zombies don’t get eradicated, just folded into normal life, so Shaun can mindlessly play video games with his bestie forever, and it’s not a problem that bestie doesn’t have an income cuz he doesn’t need food or shelter.

The zombie apocalypse doesn’t make Shaun sort his life out, it changes the world til he doesn’t have to.

When Nicholas discovers that, yes, there is definitely a murderous criminal conspiracy inside the police department, he recognizes the only way to bring about justice is to become what Danny has always wanted and go Dirty Harry on the town. It’s either that or just swallow the crimes. But he does neither. He and Danny go on an epic shooting spree, recreating famous movie scenes, taking out the entire criminal organization against all odds, and spouting badass one-liners… but everyone who helps them is a cop, they don’t actually kill anyone, all perps are formally arrested, and they fill out all the paperwork. I think he even properly signs out the weapons. He never switches off, never breaks a rule, does absolutely everything by the book, only… louder. And this violent showdown saves him from the chill town with lax rules he thought he’d moved to. Now he, with his five-year-old notion of right and wrong, is in charge of the police department.

The buddy cop actioner doesn’t make Nicholas bend the rules, it changes the world til he doesn’t have to.

Gary knows exactly how a movie of this sort is supposed to go and spends the whole movie running from it. Friends and secondary characters keep sharing these poignant moments with him, because they know this story, too: yeah, he’s gonna reject help at first, but sooner or later he’ll hit rock bottom and then someone will get through to him. And, as the night goes on, and the characters get drunker and drunker, and Gary passes up more and more opportunities to abandon the pub crawl and go home, these moments take a tone of desperation. They start to sound more like interventions; like, Gary, we all know you’re going to come to your senses but could you hurry up with it??? How many of your friends need to literally die for you to shape up? Are you gonna get them all killed?

And the answer is: Gary will never shape up! To Gary the Human Dril Tweet, his friends trying to save him, psychiatrists trying to treat him, and aliens trying to assimilate him are all the same thing. He doggedly makes it to the end of the pub crawl and confronts the alien overlord who tells him all the technological advancements of the past few decades - all the efficiency and homogenization that’ve changed the face of his home town - are their doing. The Information Age is an intervention on behalf of Earth, a pan-galactic effort to save humanity from itself. And the reason they’ve been replacing people with robots is some people are too fucked up to go along with it.

And here’s Gary, King of the Fuckups, brashly declaring that fucking up is what makes us human. There is no freedom without the freedom to ruin your life. We are endowed by our creator with the right to be drunken, ornery pieces of shit.

He tells the aliens to piss off and he’s so fucking annoying that they do, and they take the Information Age with them.

Now… I know… ugh… I know a lot of people love this movie, say it’s the best of the three. Some friends who’ve struggled with mental health or just being an adult under late capitalism really identify with Gary, and the valorization of being a mess. I see you, you’re not wrong, I get it, I really do. But can we just… not “but” but “also” can we… can we also admit that this ending is… this is Space Brexit.

Like, literally it’s an alien invasion but symbolically this is Gary rejecting the adult world of rules and authority and doing what’s best for the community and that’s how Brexiters view the EU. And people keep telling him “Gary, this is in your best interest” and Gary says, I don’t want my best interest! I am registered in the anti-Gary’s Face Party and I will cast my vote by cutting my nose! I choose to do what’s bad for me.

And, like a true Brexiter, he chooses for everybody.

Now tell me that’s a movie about growing up. Gary collapses human civilization in its entirety rather than change, and in the world that follows, he thrives… by being an immature, irresponsible bag of garbage.

To Wright and Pegg, growing up is death, and these are movies about being alive. These characters don’t cross the threshold back into the ordinary world with the ultimate boon of character growth; all three stay in the extraordinary world. The zombies remain, the robots remain, Nicholas is offered his London job back and chooses to stay in the country. These are stories about normal life spontaneously turning into a genre film, and they are made with deep love for those genres; why would they end with leaving those genres behind? Because it’s what Adam Sandler would do?

So there you have it. I rest my case.

“Okay Ian. Why does this matter?”

…what was that?

“You’ve made your point: these movies aren’t about growing up or taking responsibility. So what?”

Uhhhh.

“Bring it home for us.”

…

“Why do you care so much?

[breath]

I wrote the first draft of this script when I was around Shaun and Nicholas’ age, and “so what?” is why I shelved it. Now I’m Gary’s age, this video’s been in the back of my brain the whole time, but I got this far and “so what” is where I got stuck, again. This is why the CO-VIDs came out quicker, cuz I let myself end with “so that’s interesting!” and got on with my life. But there’s clearly something sticky here, more than “someone is wrong on the internet.” (Also, to the YouTubers I’m vaguebooking, who said these were movies about growing up - I’m way more annoyed at the folks I’ve argued with on Twitter about this, you just made a better rhetorical device; you do not owe me an apology!) (Also, to the commentariat: I am not extrapolating this from like two data points, this is chronic and recurring and has been bothering me for years.)

There are a few directions I could take this to give it some “cultural weight.” I could put on my social justice hat and talk about how the “crisis of adulthood” doesn’t play as broad comedy unless you look like Adam Sandler or Simon Pegg, or put on my class analysis hat and talk about how signifiers of adulthood are, traditionally, ways of spending and accruing capital which are, today, often inaccessible to people under 40.

And that’s all legit, but here’s the real deal: I’m just mad at Gary. The world changed around Shaun such that he could stay a child. And Nicholas ended up somewhere he could stay a child. If you missed that, you’re wrong, but whatever. But to say that Gary grew up grinds me, because Gary chose this. The whole movie is people telling him to grow up, and he says no! He says it out loud! He says it to the literal end of the world. To walk out of the theater and say “that’s a movie about growing up” is more than a mistake, it’s a refusal. It’s trying to “fix” the movie by fitting it into a more familiar shape, so it doesn’t say what it says, so Gary isn’t who he is, who he chooses to be.

I’m being cheeky when I say this because he’s a fictional character, but saying Gary grew up is enabling.

Gary says there’s no freedom without the freedom to ruin your life, which is the problem with alcoholics and libertarians: it’s not just your life, Gary! You live in a community, a culture, and an ecosystem! Your actions - everybody’s actions - impact other people! That’s just the way the world is! You can’t shit yourself at the bar without other people having to smell it. We’re all fuckin’ connected, man! You don’t want anyone’s will imposed on you; you spend the whole movie imposing your will on everyone else! You say humans don’t wanna be told what to do, and then you decide humanity’s future by yourself with no input or consent from anyone!

People point to Gary ordering water in the last scene instead of beer as evidence that he got sober, like that’s proof that he did grow up in the end, which are you fucking joking??? Getting sober is a shorthand for maturity the way buying a house is, it doesn’t signify anything in and of itself! Gary drank to escape the adult world of rules and responsibilities! So, yeah, under normal circumstances getting sober would mean he’s made peace with that world and is ready to integrate. But that’s not what happened! The thing he was escaping doesn’t exist anymore! He literally destroyed it!! People died! Probably millions! Now he lives a happy life LARPing as Omega Doom - no I don’t expect you to catch that reference! He doesn’t need to drink! He is literally reliving the best day of his life forever. And even if it did mean personal growth, the idea that a person could make what would be, unequivocally, the most selfish decision in human history, and then spend his life celebrating the outcome, oh but if he overcame a personal demon in the process then on balance that’s maturity? That is lightspeed solipsism! Who are you if you think that way? Are you all Adam Sandler???

And none of that makes this a bad ending, or Gary a bad character. I mean, he is the reason The World’s End is my least favorite, and I don’t like the ending, but I don’t think it’s bad that I don’t like the ending. Rather than watch another addict pull his life together or destroy himself, we watch a downward spiral with so much gravity the whole world self-destructs alongside him. And that’s why The World’s End is the most interesting of the three: it is a bold choice, and I think we are free to feel however we want about the conclusion Gary engineered for himself. I don’t think it’s valid to pretend it didn’t happen.

In the context of the trilogy, we see that Shaun’s immaturity is mostly a problem for Shaun: he would be, at worst, a footnote in the lives of the people who love him; “yeah, I liked Shaun a lot, but I couldn’t carry him through life anymore.” Nicholas is the kind of overachiever that is useful if pointed in the right direction; juvenile code of ethics aside, he is, empirically, helping the community (within the entirely fictional framework where that’s a thing police do). If the world hadn’t changed to turn their flaws into strengths, they would still be relatively harmless. Gary is what happens when immaturity isn’t harmless, and shows us how a world built by that immaturity would look.

There is an appeal to Gary King, a wish fulfillment. Letting your id fully off the leash because you no longer care what anybody thinks - it’s why some people drink, and it’s why some people would like to drink with Gary. But if that’s not just your Friday night, not just your twenties, but that’s your life? There is a destination at the end of that road, and it’s Gary doing something truly ugly. And we see that ugly thing the way Gary sees it: as awesome. But then you see the reality: the Monday morning after the Friday night. We went out with Gary and he did something terrible.

And I’m not telling you to hate Gary for it; I’m not saying Gary can’t be forgiven. In fact, seeing it for what it is is the only way Gary could be forgiven, because, if he “grew up and took responsibility,” there’s nothing to forgive.

I think this is the only way the trilogy could have ended. I mean, you make stories about boys who get older and older and don’t grow up, it eventually becomes a problem. There’s only two ways to resolve it: you either end with a guy actually sorting his shit out, or you go for broke and show what happens if he doesn’t. And I think some of us boys saw that and said, “no, noooo, they did grow up! all three of them!” rather than say, “haha! hahaaa! ……………shit.”

#video essay #cornetto trilogy #Youtube

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tippenstoepens · 5 months ago

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Prettiest Girl in the Room

part 1 - part 2 - part 3

Wordcount: 1.2k

You couldn’t hold it against Joe. As an adult woman, you knew better by now. Kisses don’t come with strings attached and just because a person kisses you, doesn’t mean they want to spend the rest of their life with you - especially if that kiss happened while both parties were drunk.

Which Joe made pretty apparent when he didn’t call you the morning after your kiss. Or the three mornings after that. Or the three months after that. All you had heard from Joe was his reaction notifications from the cast group chat when someone would send a Twitter meme made of the show. Everyone fancied one of Jackson’s character screaming “Well, you can shove your ham up your ass!”

“Joekeery loved an image”

That’s all you got.

You went about your life the way you always did between gigs: waitressing during the week, babysitting your friends’ kids on weekends, and sending out the odd self-tape in hopes your career wasn’t over before it had even begun. It was a nice, simple life. Not every actor was fortunate enough to afford a roof over their head in New York City, no matter how many doubles they worked. You consider yourself spoiled rotten every day. What could possibly be missing?

You didn’t date. That was probably part of the problem. That’s what made Joe’s silence ache so deeply. You wondered if it would change anything if he knew that the most action you had gotten in months before the kiss was getting catcalled in the streets. A simple kiss meant the world to celibate, touch starved women like you.

Maybe you should be the one to call him… And maybe you should crawl on your knees begging him to pay you a modicum of attention with “DESPERATE” written on your forehead in red Sharpie just to put the icing on the idiot cake.

He popped into your mind way more often than he was welcome. At the grocery store when one of the songs he always played in the makeup trailer started harassing you over the intercom. In your kitchen when you removed fish bones from your salmon. In bed when you were trying to… Well, that’s no one’s business.

“Guess who has two thumbs and just got renewed for a second season,” the director bubbled in the group chat.

“Oh, I love this game,” David texted. “This show. Our show got greenlit.”

It was time to shake it off. Not just for the sake of the show, but for your own sake. It wasn’t healthy to dwell so much on the past.

On the first day back from hiatus, the producers and director had the cast sit for a table read of the first few scripts they had written. As Joe’s TV wife, you’d expect to be sitting next to him considering most of your scenes were together. Maybe you should talk to Joe and clear the air before the table read started. Yes. That’s the mature thing to do.

You arrived twenty-five minutes early - which is on-the-dot on time in the acting world. Joe wasn’t there when you arrived. Or ten minutes after you did. Or five minutes after that.The anticipation of Joe’s arrival was turning your stomach into knots. He was usually punctual. Surely, he wasn’t tardy because of you.

“Any word from Joe?” The director mumbled to his assistant.

“Haven’t heard from him,” they replied.

You began to worry. Was he skipping out on the table read because he didn’t want to see you? Had his avoidance of you gone that far? He’d have to get over it eventually. He had a contract to fulfill. Just as you began your descent into a catastrophizing spiral, the clock struck eleven and Joe jogged into the room - beads of sweat forming at his hairline. “So sorry,” he panted. “Traffic was terrible.”

“It’s okay, we wouldn’t get started without our golden boy,” David teased. “I hear he’s up for sexiest man alive this year.”

Joe blew a short raspberry in response.

“Alright, alright, let’s get right into it, shall we? From the top of episode one.” The director chirped, no doubt relieved that he didn’t have to read Joe’s lines for him. “Interior. The Henderson bedroom. John and Jane Henderson lie in bed, covered only by their silk bed sheets. They’re snuggled up together. Post-coitus is implied.”

Say sike right now. You had never done a scene like this with Joe before. Never! The Henderson’s didn’t even have a scene like this in their honeymoon episode.

Of course this would be the first scene on the first day back after your first time seeing Joe after your first kiss. It was fan service. Every girl, guy, and person wanted to see more of Joe’s skin these days. But why did you have to be dragged into it?

You turned to look Joe in the eyes as you would have at any other table reading. Normal. This is normal. Business as usual. But it didn’t feel as easy as it was before. At first, you struggled to make eye contact and when you finally did, the intensity of his gaze made you blush a bit. Only a bit. The show must go on.

“That was amazing, sweetheart,” he scooped the line off the page and met your gaze again.

God, the script writing was really going downhill this season, huh?

You sighed contently as the script dictated. “You’re tellin’ me!”

The whole cast chuckled.

The rest of the table read went on without a single hitch. After the ice was broken, things weren’t nearly as awkward as you dreaded they would be. The cast went through the entire table read five times before the lunch break. The first thing you did with your free time was approach Joe.

“You didn’t call.”

“Neither did you."

Fair, but not really because Joe was the one with a booming career and Joe was the one everyone tuned in to the show for and Joe was the one with most of the power in this dynamic and Joe was the one who initiated the kiss and infinitely many other reasons that he was to blame came to mind before you finally came to the conclusion that you didn’t call Joe because you were afraid of the possibility of rejection. What if you followed up only to find out that he wasn’t interested in you? Your low-self esteem convinced you that reaching out to a person like Joe was asking for embarrassment.

“So what now?” The rough exterior melted, revealing the vulnerable little girl inside that just wanted a boy to like her back.

“Well, that’s up to you,” he shrugged.

Not necessarily the answer you wanted. You just stared him down until he said more things.

“If it was just a drunken kiss, I understand. We’ll never speak of it again. We’ll keep things professional.”

“And if it wasn’t?” You murmured while making sure to avoid eye contact lest you be made a fool of for saying that.

“If it wasn’t… I’d like you to have dinner with me," he blushed. "Some time. If you… I dunno if you have free time- Well, of course you have free time, but I meant- If you want to have dinner,” he stammered and stuttered.

“I’d love to.”

Joe sighed in relief. “Great. Do you like Italian?” He smiled a bashful, closed lipped smile and it made the corners of his big, brown eyes crinkle.

“I love Italian.”

“I know a spot in the lower east side near Ludlow. Friday at eight? I’ll pick you up if you like.” God, his eyes.

The submissive in you wished he would stop worrying about what you like and make you do what he liked. The romantic in you found his sheepishness so charming.

“I’d like that,” you beamed.

Taglist: @thefrontofmymind, @bejeweled13swiftie

#joseph quinn #joe quinn #a quiet place day one #eric aqpdo #hoard #hoard film #jq #eddie munson #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn x y/n #joseph quinn fandom #joseph quinn rpf #fluff

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confirmeddead · 26 days ago

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Lover, Will You Look At Me Now?: An Armand & Daniel Theory

Armand and Daniel were in a relationship in the book The Queen of the Damned and have been a fan favorite for decades. Many fans were excited to see how the show would adapt this companionship.

Armand makes several appearances throughout season 1 in disguise as the servant Rashid. He reveals his true identity in the season 1 finale.

A lot has been said on how the show will approach their companionship. It’s definitely up in the air with so many things having been changed regarding the two already!

Have we seen anything that has definitively hinted at them forming a companionship? I could talk about faulty memories, a possible purple shirt, or vermouth in Daniel’s cocktails; but is any of that concrete proof?

Let’s look at the unsaid- literally. The looks and stares between Armand and Daniel.

Throughout season 1, Daniel’s attention is consistently on Louis’s servant Rashid (Armand in disguise). We see the camera (Daniel’s eye) follow him constantly. Daniel is an investigative journalist but he’s taken a keen interest into the person serving his drinks.

Daniel does a lot of looking at Rashid. We know it’s his job to investigate, so it makes sense he analyzes everything and everyone. But often times he’s distracted by Rashid’s presence, even prior to having the San Francisco dream. Daniel looks at Armand so much throughout the show, but has anyone noticed how intimate some of these moments are?

Thank you to @mirrorhouse for the Magnolia screencap!

Rashid prayer, which is interrupted by Daniel.

Louis feeding on Rashid in front of Daniel. Staring at one another (and the act itself) is very… personal? Uncomfortable?

Look at the framing of the scene by the magnolia tree. It’s intimate, beautiful, and dare I say romantic!

Most times they’re alone, it feels like the viewer is almost intruding on something (or like Daniel is). Should he be talking to Rashid while he prays? Should he stare at him being fed on? Dare they speak alone while Louis is resting?

I realize they have to look at each other during an interview, but we can see these looks are there for a reason. I think they’re trying to tell us something.

It’s easy for us to look at these things, point, and say FLIRTING! But shipping stuff aside, real people in my life (who don’t read the books or follow socials) who have seen the show have talked to me about the flirting they’re seemingly doing.

Okay, let’s see what Eric Bogosian says regarding the looks:

“I’m looking at him. I’m trying to figure something out and they can show us that and they do show us that. And we do a lot of looking at each other. Like, I do a lot of listening to Jacob, but we do a lot of looking- checking out each other as this relationship continues to go through quite a lot of changes in the next-in all the episodes.”

(Source) 2:00 mark

Wait… checking out? Like checking someone out? What an interesting choice of words.

This is where my theory comes into play.

We all know Eric’s tendency to spoil things about the show, right?

I think that term, which is mostly exclusive to someone interested sexually/romantically, was in the script!

Making a note here to say only the Pilot and the season 2 finale scripts have been released.

Remember the photos I included of the constant moments of Daniel and Armand exchanging looks and eyes tracking each other?

What’s the likelihood it was written in the script (or at the very least directed by the episode directors and Rolin)?

Wait- there’s a quote on that as well!

(Source)

So it was happening in both seasons.

We’ve got our scene moments and the quotes from Eric and Assad. Was “checking out” literally Rolin’s or the scripts words? Was that what he was telling them even back in season 1?

Spoiler Eric strikes again.

I’ll end this off by saying this is all just for fun! We’re all having to wait through this hiatus together so I figured I’d keep up the discussions on my faves. In no way do I think this theory should or is correct- I’m just yapping and love discussing these characters! I’m totally OK being wrong 😅 but it’s all in good fun.

And my asks are open!

Sources otherwise not mentioned:

Title from “I Walked” by Sufjan Stevens

Screencaps take from here (x)

#iwtv #interview with the vampire #iwtv theory #daniel molloy #armand #the vampire armand #devil’s minion #the devil’s minion #mine #armandiel #armandaniel #assad zaman #eric bogosian #rolin jones #amc interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #armand iwtv

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girl4music · 5 months ago

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“But I can tell you this, Xena… you’re the only constant in my life, and unless you know something I don’t, I’m not going anywhere. So I’m going to say the most selfish thing I’ve ever said to you: that baby’s my baby too, and I deserve a chance to fight for it as much as you.”

- Gabrielle, ‘Them Bones, Them Bones’ (Original script dialogue.)

They knew what they were doing with this scene. Especially the way Xena AND Gabrielle’s heads turn back to the baby at exactly the same time as if they were both proud of making that little bundle of joy between their arms. Also notice how Gabrielle only steps away after a glance towards Xena and Eve, clearly assessing that they both need to be alone while she responds to Hercules' request. As if to say "You stay here, I'll take care of business."

Dialogue is rarely ever needed between these two because the body language communicates so much in small intimate scenes like this. Both the mark of great acting and great chemistry between the actresses. I've always said that it's the quiet moments that truly reveal the depth of the loving relationship between Xena and Gabrielle. Whether you see it in a romantic way or not, you cannot deny that it is not filled with unconditional love. Especially where Gabrielle is concerned.

In fact...

I'm reminded of what Ares says in the ice cave in confession to what he believes to be a dead Xena about the dichotomy between his love for Xena and Gabrielle's love for Xena.

"You're with her now. I handled you all wrong. I know that. She knew what you needed - unconditional and unselfish love - and I couldn't give that to you. But I appreciated you in ways she never could. Your rage, your violence, your beauty. When you sacrificed yourself for others, you were hers. But when you kicked ass, you were mine. I love you, Xena."

- Ares, ‘Looking Death In The Eye’.

And I back up what I say in my character study thesis. The reason why Gabrielle won Xena's affection every time wasn't just because she was good at that moment. It's because she was given a CHOICE to be good in EVERY moment. Ares never offered her that choice. It was always "be mine, or die". Gabrielle always did - she would just take herself out of the picture if Xena chose evil or stand against her.

Such a striking difference is often not spoken about in this love triangle the writers obviously intended between Xena, Gabrielle and Ares. It says that the show never really went one way or the other on the romance not just because it couldn't... But because it didn't have to. There was importance in keeping the romance balanced although many wouldn't admit to it and would rather just complain about it instead. As for me, I think it's one of the most groundbreaking things about it. Rob was definetly right about keeping it this way and I back him up on it 100%. We knew that Gabrielle had Xena's heart. However, the conflict in Xena's heart would always remain because Ares would always be around to remind her of her former life. And in so doing this, we learn that Xena could never be definitively one way or the other either. This is what made her character so damn dynamic. And why it was leagues ahead of its time in queer representation. Even today, a bisexual narrative like this is never done. Or rather - it’s done but it’s never written this well. It’s never connected to the major narratives and themes. And that’s because the queer characters are never the major characters. They’re never the actual narrative. Instead, the queer characters have to wrap around it. And that’s the wrong way of going about doing this.

I don’t care what anyone says.

Gabby was the daddy.

Or the other mother, if you prefer. Although, I would definetly say Gabrielle’s role was typically that of a father. I don’t like gender norms, roles and stereotypes either but that doesn’t mean those are off-limits to a woman.

I’ve said before that the fact Gabrielle was depicted as doing the “typical father” role means the writers were abolishing the belief that only a man can do it and therefore using gender norms, roles and stereotypes as a way to promote equality and solidarity.

If you have a problem with me calling Gabrielle the “father” of Eve, you have to understand I am speaking from the point of view they would have in their time. There was no such thing as a same-sex couple in Ancient Greece in the sense that they could marry and have children without the participation of a male figure. Of course gay couples would exist but would not be socially accepted. Hell, it wasn’t even socially accepted a decade ago. What makes you think it was then? So me referring to Gabrielle as that male figure in Eve’s life should be seen as a compliment, not an insult. I’m saying she had the capability to fill that role and she wasn’t even a man. Just like how Xena could fill the role of a warlord and she wasn’t a man. Can’t you see that I am giving them respect as people who can take on both the feminine and masculine side of situations? Xena and Gabrielle were human anomalies and that’s bloody awesome as far as I’m concerned. I wish more shows today had that kind of gender roles representation with their characters. Sadly, they don’t.

#xena warrior princess #god fearing child #xena and gabrielle #xabrielle #xena #lucy lawless #gabrielle #renee o'connor #characterization #character representation #character development #character dynamics #unconditional love #gender roles #gender equality #bisexual narrative #queer representation

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togrowoldinv · 2 years ago

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Behind the Scenes

Scarlett Johansson x Reader

When you’re nervous to film a kiss scene, Scarlett eases your worries

Note: I haven’t written Scarlett in forever, but I got this idea the other day! Follow my library blog @togrowoldinvlibrary for fic updates!

Scarlett Johansson Masterlist, Main Masterlist

“And we’re rolling!” You hear the director say.

Scarlett, acting as Natasha, runs up to you and starts saying her lines. Your mind goes completely blank thinking about what’s coming next.

Actually getting cast in a role in a Marvel movie was beyond your wildest dreams, but the day came a few months ago. You had auditioned expecting no callback or anything, but before you even left that day they told you that were perfect for the part.

And you were ecstatic.

Naturally, you knew nothing about the plot of the movie or who’d you would even be interacting with.

But this week you were handed a script with a scene with the Black Widow. The hero you have been crushing on for years, and now you have to act opposite to her.

Your nerves increased when you read the script further and discovered you have a kiss scene with her.

That’s why now as she speaks, your mind is reeling and your lines slip from your brain.

“We need a diversion,” she repeats her line. “So, they won’t know it’s us,” she tries to pull you back into the scene, but you falter.

Your hands are sweaty and she notices your hesitation.

Scarlett stops trying to keep the scene going. She turns to the camera, “Can we take a break?”

“We have to get this scene done today,” comes the mumbles of the director.

“We will. Give me ten minutes?”

They reluctantly agree. Before you can run off the stage in the direction of, well anywhere but here, a soft hand grabs yours.

“Hey, come with me,” Scarlett says.

She takes you outside to a small picnic area and the fresh air does immediately help you a little feel better. But you’re still nervous as you’ve ever been.

She ushers you to sit down on a bench with her. Scarlett puts her arm behind you, not touching you, but close enough that you feel your pace quicken.

“What’s going on, sweetheart? You always nail your scenes,” Scarlett says.

“I think I’m just nervous,” you admit shyly. She makes an adorable thinking face and you elaborate a little more. “About the- our kiss.”

“Ohhh I see,” Scarlett says. “Well you don’t need to worry about that. It’s easy. Just pretend I’m your girlfriend or something.”

You shake your head and she connects the dots.

“You haven’t?” She asks. You look down at your feet. “That’s alright. Hey, look at me.”

Scarlett’s hand comes to your cheek as she guides you to look at her. You’re immediately lost in the green of her eyes.

“Would you feel more comfortable if we tried it out here first?” She asks.

“I- um- maybe?” You reply.

She smiles at you.

“Okay, sweetheart. I’m going to lean and you tell me to stop if you don’t want to do this, okay?” Scarlett says, already leaning in. You nod. “I need to hear you say it.”

“Okay, yes ma’am.”

“Good,” she replies.

She’s only an inch from touching her lips to yours when she hesitates for just a moment.

“Relax, baby,” she whispers before she presses her lips against yours.

They’re barely there but the feeling makes your head dizzy. It’s over too soon, you think. You open your eyes and she’s smirking at you. You can’t help but smile too.

“Let’s try it one more time,” she says. “Kiss me back this time?”

“I’ll try,” you say and she chuckles.

“Just do what comes naturally.”

This time she leans in quicker and connects her lips with yours more intensely. You kiss back, and if the soft whimper she lets out when you do is any indication, then you’re doing well.

Scarlett pulls away and rests her forehead against yours.

“Wow,” she whispers.

Caught up in the moment, you kiss her lips again softly.

“I’m sorry!” You say as you abruptly stop kissing her and stand up.

“Don’t apologize!” She says. She comes to you and turns you around with a hand on your waist. “Just kiss me again.”

Scarlett doesn’t give you time to reply. She kisses you again and it’s the best one yet. Her tongue asks for entrance and you don’t deny her. The kiss continues until someone opens the door.

“Oh! I guess you guys are ready for the kiss scene!” Elizabeth says as she clothes the door again.

You laugh shyly and Scarlett takes your hand.

“Are you ready?” She asks.

“Let’s do it,” you reply.

Before you get to the door, Scarlett stops walking and turns to you.

“We should do this again sometime,” she suggests.

“Oh- yeah sure yes,” you get shy again.

“Dinner tonight?” She asks. You nod in agreement, too stunned to speak.

Scarlett kisses your cheek and opens the door.

You follow after her now ready more than ever for a kiss with her.

#scarlett johansson x reader #scarlett johansson #Scarlett johansson comfort

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barren-heart · 1 year ago

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The Hidden Love Story of What We Do in the Shadows: How The Internet Fell in Love with Harvey Guillen’s Guillermo de la Cruz

I think it’s fair to call this show what it is: a comedy.

The actors have said it’s themselves: the show is 50% improv, 50% script. A lot of what we see is a brilliant collaboration of talent, writing, and the actors saying the funniest thing they can say about something in that moment.

According to Harvey Guillen, some scenes would last 30 minutes each if they didn’t cut it down. That improv is what makes the show what is it: the funniest show on television.

What’s interesting about this little Shit and Fart show (affectionate), is the heart of it all: Guillermo.

Originally the show was looking for an older man to play Nandor’s familiar. The character had worked for his master for 20 years, not 10 as we see in the pilot episode.

Harvey got an audition randomly. At a wine and cheese night of a friend’s, he was invited to audition for the part. It was random, but also, it was fate.

Let me explain.

Harvey Guillen auditioning for the role of Guillermo

(I actually have the full audition tape of Harvey’s if anyone’s interested.) Link below!

Harvey didn’t “fit the part” (Harvey’s words) whatsoever of this character and decided to dress himself to look older, putting on what he calls his Harry Potter glasses and parted his hair down the middle.

The Guillermo we see in the pilot was all Harvey’s idea of what that character should be and the costuming department just ran with it. It’s also fun to point out that to those who don’t know, Harvey created Guillermo’s last name even before he knew he’d play the show’s Vampire Slayer.

I mention this because I don’t think they (showrunner, producers,etc) expected Guillermo to become such a fan favorite. Which kinda explains why his character is the punching bag of season one and why it somewhat changes as seasons go by.

I mean, we don’t even see Guillermo in this season one poster (we don’t see Colin Robinson, either. But I feel like I could write an entirely other post about that character and why I think he’s genuinely the best and most consistently written character on the show. But I won’t right now).

I think they expected Guillermo to be a one-note side kick, which is fine. Many of Harvey’s previous roles were nearly background characters (think Benedict Pickwick in The Magicians).

But, Harvey’s take on the character coupled with his talent at being both comedic and dramatic really shined through. And I think that’s where you start to see that maybe they could do more with him than just being the funny guy in the background.

I also think that’s why you start to see some threading of a more serious plot when it comes to Guillermo’s storyline because of Harvey’s range.

Who would’ve known a funny bit like being a Van Helsing descent in a house full of vampires would get you compelling scenes like the familiar fight The Night Market, Nouveau Théâtre des Vampires, and the Nandor and Guillermo fight in The Portrait?

Harvey mentioned having to train for these and wanted to do his own stunts! And he does them well!

Did they imagine Guillermo being such a badass in the pilot? Probably not. But he is and people took to it. The serious fight scenes (even with bits of comedy filtered in) really stand out in their own as excellent action scenes.

Along with badass scenes, Harvey delivered compelling emotional scenes like Guillermo’s coming out (which Harvey actually cried in as well as other cast and crew, and they had to edit it to not make it too serious), the scene he left Nandor for Celeste, and many scenes in S5’s Exit Interview.

I also think they didn’t anticipate his chemistry with Kayvan Novak. It’s brought up a lot in interviews with them and everyone can tell that they genuinely are really good friends in real life, which makes acting together on screen that much better.

(Funny enough, he was supposed to do a chemistry read with Kayvan before shooting and wasn’t able to meet him until they were on set for the pilot. )

I think in some ways, even though the show wanted it to be a funny Gaston and Lefou type relationship, Kayvan and Harvey had undeniable chemistry you couldn’t deny.

And I think that began to grow with their character’s evolving relationship. From master and servant to friends to sometimes the show and network alluding to them being in a romance (Guillermo’s drunk love confession, Marwa liking what Nandor likes, the Network making videos about shipping Nandermo).

And even Paul Simms (the one who is being grilled for That’s His Boss quote), also said “Guillermo and Nandor is the greatest love story in modern television.”

So yeah, I think originally they started the show with the intention that it was supposed to be similar to the movie that shares its name. The Nandor/Guillermo drama of Shadows the TV show would be so out of place in the movie. The whole Guillermo vampire arc, if it was movie inspired, would not be as dramatic as they have made it in the show.

Looking back to the pilot, I can see that they really tried to make it as close to the source material as possible. But I think it took off in a direction that even the creators didn’t imagine it would go. Just a silly little comedy show about silly little vampires. And don’t get me wrong, it still definitely is.

But the show has evolved. And for better or worse, Nandor and Guillermo’s relationship will be one of the most compelling things about the show and I’m curious where they are going to take it now.

I guess this turned into a bit of an Harvey Guillen appreciation post and honestly, why not? Look at that adorable face.

#what we do in the shadows #WWDITS #guilermo de la cruz #harvey guillen #nandor the relentless #nandermo #the greatest love story in modern television #shadows fx #fx #wwdits fx

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arcadiabaytornado · 3 months ago

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okay so you don’t like the the third episode of before the storm (and believe me, i feel you lmao) but what do you think of the play?

I think it's genuinely the best written scene in Before The Storm, and possibly the LIS franchise.

First of all...having Rachel play Prospero and Chloe play Ariel is...really interesting.

In "The Tempest," Prospero free's Ariel from being trapped in a cloven pine and then takes Ariel as a slave. In act one of the play, Ariel begs for their freedom and Prospero denies them, saying that if they follow the rest of his commands, then he will set them free. In act 3 of the play, Prospero finally gives Ariel their freedom, which is the scene we see Rachel and Chloe act out.

However....Rachel goes off script and refuses to give Ariel (Chloe) her freedom. Instead she asks Chloe to keep servicing her schemes ("For but a little longer I beseech: continue in thy service to my schemes") and swears she'll make her so happy that she'll forget the name of liberty. (I'll seek to make thy happiness so great that even the name of liberty's forgot.)

So...that's interesting context about Rachel and Chloe's relationship. When Rachel should let go of Chloe, she won't, and when Chloe is told this, she can say either that she'll "run away" or "then you should come with me." Interestingly, her answer alludes to the eventual end of LIS, where Chloe either "runs away" and leaves Rachel behind after the storm, or "comes with" Rachel even into death.

I think the play is not solely about Rachel and Chloe running away, but also commentary about the more unhealthy aspects of the Amberprice dynamic. Rachel doesn't free Chloe when she should (Like when she lies to Chloe about Frank) and Chloe continues to serve Rachel because she's hoping for freedom. (Like their promise to escape Arcadia Bay together.)

However, I think the play has a third layer. It's not just about Rachel and Chloe wanting to escape together, or the unhealthy parts of Amberprice, it's also about how Rachel denying Chloe's freedom represents how she'll always be in Arcadia Bay. In the Tempest play, Prospero lets Aries free as he's leaving the island they both reside on. By Rachel refusing Aries her freedom, she's not following the final scene where Prosphora leaves the island...which could also be seen as suggesting that Rachel didn't leave the island because of Chloe.

I think the play is a fantastically written scene in regards to Rachel and Chloe's relationship. It has so many suggestions and implications to consider....it's just SOOOOOO good. Dare I say, perfect. 10/10. I think about the scene all the time.

#lis #life is strange #asks #before the storm #chloe price #rachel amber

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wen-kexing-apologist · 10 days ago

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Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

For those of you who don’t know, I decided to run the gauntlet of @bengiyo’s queer cinema syllabus, which is comprised of 9 units. I have completed four of the units (here is my queer cinema syllabus round up post with all the films I’ve watched and written about so far). It is time for me to make my way through Unit 5- Lesbians, which includes the following films: The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995), Bound (1996), Water Lilies (2007)[finally got my hands on this one but I still need to watch it], Saving Face (2004), D.E.B.S. (2004), Set It Off (1996), The Handmaiden (2016), Carol (2015), Imagine Me and You (2005), Two of Us (2019), Rafiki (2018), and The Color Purple (1985).

Yes, I know I already watched one today, but you see I still had an awkward amount of time left between posting my thoughts on Set It Off and bedtime so I figured, why the hell not?

Anyway, today I will be watching

The Handmaiden (2016) dir. Park Chan-Wook

[Run Time: 2:25, Language: Korean, CW: hanging, blood and removal of fingers, dubious consent, child abuse]

Summary: In 1930s Korea, a girl is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life on a countryside estate. But the maid has a secret: She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler to help seduce the Lady and steal her fortune.

Cast:

Kim Min-hee as Lady Hideko

KIM TAE RI (MY BELOVED) as Sook-Hee

Ha Jung-Woo as Count Fujiwara

WOW! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FUCKING FILM. AND I AM NOT JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE MY BELOVED KIM TAE RI GETS TO FUCK WOMEN IN IT!

IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THIS FILM, STOP READING THIS, GO WATCH THE FILM, AND COME BACK BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO SPOIL THE STORY FOR YOU!

The first thing I have to say is that the structure of this film was fucking brilliant, the way that each of the parts reveals and recontextualizes the pieces before it is expertly done. It’s so interesting seeing Sookhee interacting with Hideko in Part One because we know she is there on a mission to convince Lady Hideko to marry the Count and to get her placed in a mental hospital so the Count and Sookhee can acquire wealth. But because we only get brief glimpses of Sook-hee’s life before she became a handmaiden, we are still learning about her character as we go. Getting those little moments of internal dialog really had me curious about which aspects of her clumsiness, her stuttering, her interactions with the Lady were an act, and which pieces were as result of experiencing Gay Thoughts and accidentally fucking up what she was supposed to be doing.

gif by @wlwsource

I love when a piece of media, a book, a show, a film, whatever presents the audience with a story and then forces them to re-examine everything they think they know about the situation. While I was distracted wondering which pieces of Sookhee were an act, I was not paying attention to the fact that Lady Hideko was putting on a performance of her own. So when Sookhee is dragged in to the mental hospital and Part Two begins, my jaw was on the fucking floor. Learning that certain lines that Hideko said to Sookhee like “he wouldn’t like making love to a corpse” and “like pulling one's hand from a flame” were words straight out of the Count’s mouth was such an elite moment of script writing. As Part Two unravels and you start to learn that Hideko was in cahoots with the Count the entire time, it is those little anchor points that really drive that reveal home.

gif by @jattawa

The way that Hideko says she’s scared of the Count despite the evidence that he is nice (even though the evidence we have seen also speaks differently) pairs well with the feeling we get seeing Hideko’s uncle. In Part One we really only see him interacting with Hideko in the reading room, and there is a lot of stiffness and distances between them that speaks to tension but doesn’t necessarily feel inherently sexual. Sookhee and the audience are made to believe that Lady Hideko is naive about the world, and the visual storytelling of Hideko always carrying around and sleeping with that doll really cements this image of childlike naivety only to have that image completely shattered in Part Two where you learn that Hideko and her aunt before her have been trained to read pornographic content to men so they can use her body in their mental fantasies. I like that Park Chan-Wook solidifies that through creating little scenes where Hideko is strapped down to a table with whip marks on her ass, or the Count is strapped to the table getting whipped, etc to really drive home the point that Hideko’s function as the reader of pornography is to be used as fantasy.

gif by @candlewinds

And then we get another reveal where Lady Hideko and Sookhee confess to attempting to betray each other and decide instead to shake themselves off of the Count and to run away together. It was fucking brilliant.

All that said, I want to talk about the use of sex in this film because despite the fact that Hideko has been sexually exploited her entire life with the things her uncle has been making her do, despite the fact that the men touch and fondle and cross boundaries over and over again, this film is not anti-sex, nor is it anti-porn and I think that is very very important to say. The men in that room listening to her read porn come across a little creepy, but honestly there is nothing inherently wrong with consuming pornography, and it is not inherently strange for a group of men to be gathered together in a shared space to consume said pornography (adult movie theaters used to exist) the issue really centers around the fact that Hideko does not have any choice in the matter.

gif by @theresatreeofmanyone

Sookhee and Hideko go around destroying as many of her Uncle’s porn books as they can before they run away to Japan, Sookhee rips them apart with her bare hands, she slices up the pages, she spills ink all over them, she throws them in water. And in all of this she is helping liberate Hideko from the abuse she has suffered under her entire life. It’s really interesting to me when they expand upon the first sex scene, showing all the different ways that Sookhee and Hideko were engaging in sex. To watch Hideko and Sookhee clasps hands while they are tribbing and then have a shot a few moments later of Sookhee looking at a statuette of two women clasping hands and tribbing was really smart to me. It solidifies where Hideko has learned all the sex stuff she employed with Sookhee in the bedroom, while also existing in a space that has been riddled with sexual exploitation.

We get multiple sex scenes in this film, the longest ones really centering around Hideko and Sookhee, (and I love the little moment where they start to fuck and the doll that Hideko carries around everywhere falls off the bed because she is no longer hiding under the guise of childlike innocence) and the reason that I say that this film isn’t anti-porn is because Hideko’s engagement in sex with Sookhee is informed entirely by what she has read in her Uncle’s novels. The porn is not the problem, Hideko gets a hell of a lot of sexual gratification and satisfaction out of what she has read for the men. It just occurs in the privacy of her own room with someone that actually cares about her, of her own volition with someone she is also attracted to/in love with.

gif by @liyazaki

It feels to me very much like a reclamation, especially at the end when Sookhee and Hideko place the silver bells in their mouth and then insert them. Hideko was forced to place those metal balls in her mouth as a child when she tried to speak out against her uncle, she was hit over the hands with them and her cries were muffled by the bell in her mouth. She was told by her Uncle to think about the taste of metal any time she thought about speaking out, so to end the film with her placing those bells in her mouth and recreating a scene from one of the pornographic novels that she was made to read feels like a way to take control of the things she has endured.

That said, there is undoubtedly a highly nuanced discussion to be had around those sex scenes being read and that being seen as exploitative to watching the sex scenes between Hideko and Sookhee which technically occur in private but exist for the audience to consume. If and where the male gaze exists in this film, who is writing it and whether or not the sex acts are true to vagina to vagina sex or more like lesbian porn created primarily for consumption by men. But it’s late, and I don’t want to write all that right now.

Favorite Moment:

gif by @candlewinds

I think my favorite moment was when Sookhee and Hideko go to the library and lays waste to all the books. Hideko has been suffering her entire life, her aunt was driven to madness, she is down and depressed, and mentions that there is barely ever sun because her uncle does not allow it. He cares far more for his pornographic content than anything else. It feels very freeing for them to do that, and I think it is an important moment for Hideko to internalize the fact that Sookhee genuinely cares for her, understands inherently what she has been through from just a few moments in that room, and wants to help. Especially when all that rage and destruction is followed by Sookhee jumping over the fence, realizing that Hideko can’t do that, jumping back over the fence to stack the suitcases so Hideko can get to the top of the fence. Sookhee is truly the first person in a good long while that has paid Hideko any positive attention, and I love that.

Favorite Quote:

I unfortunately have to give it to Fujiwara

“At least I will die with my cock intact.”

Fujiwara I hate your fucking guts, but with that line you have earned my respect. Enjoy Hell.

Score:

10/10

Everything in this film was beautifully done. The performances were incredible, the script writing brilliant, the use of background music and sound to set the mood was well done, and the VISUALS OH MY GOD THIS FILM WAS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL.

ALSO DID I MENTION THAT KIM TAE RI FUCKS WOMEN IN THIS????????

#the handmaiden #the handmaiden (2016)#bengiyo's queer cinema syllabus #queer cinema syllabus #queer cinema #unit 5: lesbians

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scienceandstorytelling · 10 months ago

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I can’t stop thinking about Will Branner’s performance as Max Jägerman and how it leads to my favorite usage of the Nightmare Time leitmotif in all the Hatchetfield musicals (and why I voted for NPMD as having my favorite title number in the poll I made a while back).

Max is a well-written character who already gives me hints of a tragic villain vibe, and then Will’s performance just fleshes that out tenfold. It features the duality Starkid has been playing a lot with in this series, where you’re sympathetic towards a character while also acknowledging the terrible things they do. Max is horrible and abusive towards his classmates and has given them years of trauma. But a teenage boy does not become a Literal Monster in a vacuum.

Alongside his role as a bully, the script gives us images of Max as someone who is struggling academically and would have probably fallen through the cracks if adults didn’t idolize him for his football prowess so they can live vicariously through him as he beats the rival town in the big game. We find out that he has a shitty dad who verbally abuses him for not being macho enough. That he probably doesn’t have all the sex people say he does. That the people he bullies hate-pranking him in revenge is “the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for [him].” And then Will’s acting keeps showing us glimpses of this goofier side of Max, glimpses of the person he might have been if he wasn’t such a bully.

And for those few moments in the aftermath of the prank, you think maybe he’s going to change now that someone has shown him what he perceives to be kindness. And then he falls through the floor and that opportunity is lost. But unlike what Mayor Lauter implies, I would argue that his fate isn’t fully sealed when he dies in the Waylon House. I think the moment of no return is when he kills Richie while the leitmotif plays.

Lots of people ship Max and Richie and have headcanons that they used to be friends, and I think it’s because of the parallels between them in this song. Here we have two 18 year old boys who have both been failed by the adults around them. Both are harmed by being stereotyped. Both are in the liminal social role of being in the process of stepping out of childhood and into living their adult lives after high school. And both of them are denied those adult lives. And then they fucking sing about it. The “will you pray for me” duet is such a powerful part of the song for many reasons, and I think it’s the moment that shows us that Max is still in the process of committing to being nothing more than a vengeful spirit, or at the very least is in the last stage of that process. The thing that strikes me the most is that Max is simultaneously trying to make Richie feel insignificant and alone while also projecting his own feelings onto him. “Is this the eternal dark without a dawn?” he asks, reaching up to the sky and not looking at Richie at all.

And what fucks me up is that Max fails in this moment. Richie is not alone. He never was, and now he’s even less alone. Not only will Pete and Ruth mourn him, so will Max’s former friends. Its so notable to me that this takes place immediately after Go Go Nighthawks, where we’ve just seen everyone, including, again, Max’s “friends,” sing about how great it is that he’s gone. It’s a real Ebeneezer Scrooge moment that makes me wonder if Max has been silently haunting the school these weeks since his death and it’s only now, having watched that, that he tips over into full villain mode. Max is the one with no one to pray for him, not Richie. And Richie basically says as much, and Max kills him anyway. Richie was doomed from the start in the sense that the show literally opens with a flashforward to his death, but I think Max is doomed too. “Don’t need no one to tell me high school will be my peak,” he says in his own introductory song. I said before how they’re both on the cusp of living their whole adult lives, but I wonder if Max had trouble seeing himself that way. He already didn’t think he would amount to anything after high school. A lot of these “peaked in high school” football star characters spend their adult lives being metaphorically stuck in high school, in their teenage years, because they can’t let themselves move on from their glory days. And here Max is, literally stuck in his teenage years forever as a ghost - but not literally stuck in high school, as we see when he follows them all to the Witchwood. When he makes he grand ghostly return he says to Richie, “I’m free!” (Free from what, Max?) He certainly has the freedom of a ghost to go anywhere and do anything. And yet he traps himself in high school. He prevents himself from moving forward. And all of that is why it makes me emotional every time when he casts aside any last chance of not being the villain and strikes the first blow on Richie, these two teenagers failed by the adults and the structures around them, their fates locked together, while the leitmotif plays and takes us back to that original line from Alice’s corpse singing to Bill about how he should have been a better father: Look what happens, nightmare time.

#npmd #starkid #hatchetfield #hatchetfield series #nerdy prudes must die #max jagerman

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fiiiiin · 8 months ago

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You know, I truly did believe that Hangster was intentionally written/acted as canon. I truly truly did believe that they were subliminally suggesting it without being explicit for sake of the viewership. I may have been overly optimistic but I do think the script points in that direction, and conceptually it would be a symbolic step towards progressing with a new more open-minded generation.

But now that Top Gun 3, only a couple years down the line, is confirmed to be starring these two characters, I’m getting afraid that they’ll flip the switch because the odds of Hollywood actually making a gay love story between them are near zero. It would’ve been far more feasible that they’d write out a gay subplot for side characters (the way Hangman and Rooster were in TG:M). I don’t think they’ll be as willing to feature a gay relationship between two leads.

Since the spotlight is on them now and they can no longer have that side character subplot, I really worry that they’ll be introducing other partners (likely women) for these guys. It’s nerve wracking to think about where they’re taking this, but the potential also makes me giddy, even though I’m fairly certain canon Hangster just won’t happen if they’re the leads.

#hangster #jake seresin #top gun #bradley bradshaw #sereshaw #top gun maverick #hangman #rooster #jake ‘hangman’ seresin #tgm #bradley rooster bradshaw #jake hangman seresin #bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw #tg:m #top gun: maverick #top gun 3

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queenmuzz · 10 days ago

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The Testament of Rook

Note: Spoilers for Act 3

Archivist’s Note: This document was recovered from an unknown location, and after examinations, it has been declared authentic, and is to be kept in the Minrathous Archon’s Vaults, for use in historical research.

I, Zea Ingellvar, a Crypt Gaurd of the Mourn Watch, being of sound mind and body and…well.. Lets just get down to business, you all know it’s me writing this.

To Neve, to whom I still believe that I do not deserve your friendship, after I failed you and your city: That hood you bought me when you and Bellara dragged me to the Dock Town market. I loved it, it was light, flexible, but still kept the sun out of my eyes. My eyes might not have the same sense of colour theory as you, but I thought it really went well with the colour of your eyes.

Also: Please take whatever money I have, and treat yourself and Lucanis to that fish dinner. I swear I wasn’t avoiding having it with you because of my diet. I’ve been told the people in the coasts of Nevarra eat fish on occasion, and use the bones to fertilize their rocky fields. Thus, the spirits of the fish are pleased. I’m pretty sure a whole fish would be worth me trying out once. Any other money remaing, please distribute to any orphans in Minrathous.

I wish you two happiness that trancends the grave.

AN: written in a script often used by Tevinter mages: So like you, to be concerned about the little ones. Damn it all.

To Lucanis, a man who taught me that I should not be hasty to judge others, whose fighting spirit is worth far more than an entire army: I give you my set of coffee cups. Whenever you drink from them, may you have good memories of the times we share. Let them be sweet, and not bitter. Ppl ppppp poop pink n

PS. Don’t you dare set them in a display cupboard and never use them like your grandmother does with her finest China. I WILL haunt you.

PPS. You better treat Neve right, or I will SUPER haunt you.

AN: a style mainly written by the Antivan Crows

Your threats do not not frighten me, friend, but you do not worry, both things will be loved and cheris- WHERE IS SHE- Spite, she is no longer with us. BRING ROOK BACK.AN: We are unable to ascribe the source of the text that interrupts the crow text, but it is written in the same ink, thus confirming it was written at the same time.

To Bellara, to whom I will never regret spending any time in your book club with, no matter how animated you got about a particular subject: I give you my collection of Nevarran romance novels. I really wanted to get around to sharing with you, I had a good feeling you’d like them. I know we as a people in Nevarra are known to have an obsession with death, which seems counterintuitive when it comes to romance. But when death is treated as an old friend, and not as an enemy, or a predator to be feared, love can transcend even the grave.

AN: Tevinter script

We’ll make sure to bring her back, Zea. She would love to read them.

To Taash, whom has the body of warrior, but the soul of a dragon: I was thinking back to what you said about Rivani memorial customs, and taking something from the body to wear as a keepsake. Perhaps you’d like one of my teeth?

NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE

(AN: We believe both this interjection and the one below are from the Dragonslayer Taash, before she became celebrated in Rivain for her exploits)

I kid… I kid. No doubt you are ranting at this very moment about how ‘weird’ it would be. I don’t blame you. As a consession, I give you my greathammer, Lamentation’s Rest. It may not serve you well when facing a dragon, but it is very effective against the undead and demons. Against the latter, it is enchanted to deal great harm to them, to the former… Well, my record for launching a skull is 132 feet. Let’s see you beat that.

YOU’RE ON.

To Lace Harding, one of the first people I ever was able to call a ‘friend’: My bequeathment is simple. A rock. To be more specific, it is Nevvaran fine grade granite, the type we use to construct our monuments of. When I first left the Necropolis, I brought it with me, as if to carry a little bit of home. It kept me grounded those first few nights when I lay awake at night, terrified I would fall into a sky I had never seen before. You are a Child of the Stone, and just like this rock, you helped keep me steady in a world I had never experienced before.

Also, it hurts like hell if you get hit by it, so if you were to say…throw it at an archdemon or a god, I daresay it could do some damage. I’m going to chuck this rock so hard at Solas’s head, they’ll be able to hear the echo of its impact all the way in Ferelden. (AN: The remaining additions, except when noted, can be attributed to Lace Harding, former member of the Inquisition)

I wish the two of you joy unending, seeing the two of you smiling at each other could cause a stone to weep.

To Darvin and Assam: I know you both have little need for excess items. A warden’s life almost never includes stability. Still, I’ve seen how talented you are with your wood carving, so I hope my set of knives and whetstone will serve you well. If we managed to defeat the Blight once and for all, perhaps you’ll need another profession after this, and ‘Darvin the Defeater of the Blight, and Master Woodworker’ sounds incredibly amazing. Just remember, Make my figurine the biggest.

Assam, I give you my hopes. One day, I want the skies of Arlathan to echo with the sounds of you and your siblings' descendents' cries. That no poacher will dare to enter your forests, out of fear of your majesty.

Oh Zea… you knew at the end… you already knew.

To Varric Tethras: The man who gave me a new purpose in life, when I was lost and without a guide. I’m glad I met you. I give you the three volumes of my diaries of our travels together. The fourth one is reserved for another. I’m not saying they’re worthy of publishing or anything, but they might help with your references, or if you want to set a story in Neverra.

????? ???? AN: This entry is confusing, as when the earliest it could have been written, Varric Tethras was deceased. No explanation for this is given, but scholars insist that it is a genuine part of the document.

AN: From here on, both the font and writing style changes dramatically. Historians have debated the authenticity of this section, but cross referencing letters written before and after this document, the theory is that she has shifted her style reserved for the Mortaliasi, specifically the Mourn Watch. It is considered a more intimate form of speaking to fellow necromancers. To Manfred, a loyal friend and companion: There are tales of heroes who have done nigh impossible feats to save even one person, and you did that to save many. You are a spirit of curiosity, and yet you have become more. Never was I so glad as the day you came back to us, your spirit alight with veilfire, and how happy you were to return. Alas, I am no spirit like you, and no amount of necromancy can bring me back. I can only hope you will understand in time, and accept my apology.

I bequeath to you my brooch. Let the love and care of the man who first gave it to me be passed onto you, that you may both be a support for each other.

Where. Is Rook?

AN: Author unknown of this above line, as it is written in a childlike scrawl, and there is no record of any children in Rook’s entourage.

A separate page is included. There is some water damage to it, possibly by rain, but most of the words are legible.

FOR EMMRICH VOLKARIN’S EYES ONLY

My Dearest Emmrich:

I’m so sorry about that argu

Of course I would open my big fat mouth and

I know nothing I will say will take the pain away. No apology, no self-deprecatory joke will bring relief. I know this, I’ve seen it happen many a time as loved ones interred their dead. It is a wound that only time may close, and even then, there will be scars.

So instead of dwelling on how and why I am no longer with you, let me bequeath you this: Who I was and what you mean to me.. You know the basics, of me being an infant foundling left on top of a pile of bones. It was the bedrock of who I was. That from the very start, I was unwanted. Unneeded. To be discarded when convenient. When the magic talent I was certain would manifest eventually never came, I fell deeper into despair. I would never be a proper necromancer. At best I could be a weapon, a bulwark to protect the living and the dead. And Maker, how I tried to find my place in the Mourn Watch, tried to earn the respect of my peers. Only to be cast out when I could not even do that. Yes, Varric and the others helped in their own ways, but I still felt like I was not worthy of anything. And then, I met you. You, a man of exquisite talents and grace. A man who saw the world of the living and dead as I did, a man of incredible empathy and intelligence. You did not look down upon me, nor did you even pity. Instead, your words were of admiration and respect. You were like a mirror being shown to one who had never encountered one before. You saw me as I could not even see myself. That I was worthy of your love and affection. And slowly, you chipped away at the self loathing that had accumulated, and made me realize the truth. That I was not only worthy in your eyes, but in the eyes of everyone else. The only regret is that I had not met you sooner. Perhaps if I had gone to the memorial gardens to enjoy the ambience more often instead of viewing it as another chore to tend the graves, we may have encountered each other, and had more precious moments to spend together.

AN: Both the words ‘regret’ and ‘memorial gardens’ were circled in red ink by who we assume is Professor Volkarin.

When you stated your desire to become a lich, I would never stand in your way, as who was I to tell you otherwise? But secretly, in my deepest thoughts, I desired you to remain mortal, not because I preferred flesh to bone, but because I knew that you would lose something essential to you. When you gave up your dream to bring Manfred back, and I saw the delight and joy in your eyes, I loved you even more. There, I said it. I love you.

I love you.

Like I said, I cannot take the pain away, nor your fear of death, but I say one thing now: That no matter how long it takes, I will remain on the threshold, waiting for your arrival so that I can I can only pray that gives you peace.

Yours in eternity, Zea

AN: Below is what was a blank space, now filled with formulae, diagrams, arcane sigils written in red ink. The words ‘Prison’ ‘The Fade’ ‘Regret’ are repeated several times. Several passages are smeared, either accidentally, or on purpose. Water damage before the ink has dried is substantial in certain places

The last few lines are written messily. ‘The Fade is thin in the Memorial Gardens….perhaps…” it trails off into incomprehensibility.

Only the very final line is legible.

I WILL find you, my dearest.

#dragon age the veilguard #veilguard spoilers #datv #emmrich x rook #Angst #my writing #Based off of my 'canon' playthrough

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gimyeongbestboy · 1 year ago

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Now Playing: Interview with Jujutsu Kaisen Cast

A/n: this is written in a script-like format. Basically kind of like watching an interview video in youtube or smn. This one is basically branching off from this fic.

Characters include: Sukuna, Toji, Geto and Gojo

[Today's Guests: Jujutsu Kaisen's "Big Boys"]

Gojo: Hi, I’m your good looking sensei, Gojo Satoru. (Gojo playfully winked at the camera)

Geto: I’m your resident curse manipulator, Geto Suguru. (Geto introduced himself with a soft and gentle smile)

Sukuna: I’m the King of Curses, Sukuna Ryomen.

Toji: And I’m the sorcerer killer, Toji Fushiguro.

[Today, these four men will be answering five BTS FAQ’s fans have regarding the hit show, “Jujutsu Kaisen”]

[First question: Is Sukuna Ryomen related to Yuji Itadori?]

Gojo: Oh! A lot of people really want to know the answer to that. (Glances at Sukuna)

Sukuna: He and I have got quite the spitting image of each other, huh? Am I related to Yuji or not? In what sense? In real life or in the show? You know, not long ago, he and I actually went on a trip together. We went to Maldives, and we came across Todo.

Gojo: How was it?

Sukuna: Honestly, it was so fun. We went scuba diving, snorkeling, watched some dolphins and whatnot. Oh you know, Yuji is actually a really good swimmer believe it or not. (Laughs) The seafood was really fresh too, and then at some point Yuji started craving wagyu.

Geto: We should go there together.

Toji: A guy’s trip? (Looks around at Sukuna, Geto and Gojo as they all nod to each other).

Sukuna: Anyways, we’re twins, or it’s what people like to say. I can’t give you a proper answer if you don’t specify. (Smirks at the camera as he shrugs).

Gojo: All that information about their trip, and he still wouldn’t say. (Amused)

Toji: A true menace. (Nods)

Producer: Your castmates, surely know, right?

Geto: (Teases) Do we though? Do we?

[Second Question: Was Toji’s reaction to Gojo losing it real?]

Toji: I’m guessing they’re talking about the fight. We were flying, huh? (Looks at Gojo).

Gojo: It was so fun filming that! We had harnesses attached to us pretty much the entire time—flinging us everywhere. I bet none of you guys ever felt like what it’s like to fly, huh? (Playfully smiles at the camera)

Sukuna: Other actors that filmed something similar?

Geto: People on amusement rides?

Gojo: You know what I mean!

Toji: Anyways, when we were all doing the script reading, we kind of get into our characters and deliver our lines with voice acting to prepare for the scene we’d film. During that time, Gojo delivered his lines really well, but when we were filming? Gojo… really seemed like he was losing it. (Laughs)

Gojo: What can I say? I slay✨

Sukuna: He was quite drunk when filming that scene was he not? (Smirks knowingly)

Gojo: (Whispers to Sukuna aggressively) Bro, shut up.

Toji: He was drunk? (Surprised)

Geto: After you guys filmed all the action scenes, we gave him a shot of alcohol before you guys filmed the scene where he was “lucid”. He’s very lightweight (smiles as he points to Gojo).

Sukuna: It was a shot for a shot (lightly giggles)

[Third Question: What did Gojo say to Suguru?]

Gojo: This is like that one question asking if Sukuna is related to Itadori. (Laughs).

Geto: Even on the script itself, his line was literally just a line.

Gojo: I had to think of something to say during filming, because they needed that scene of me saying something to Suguru. I didn’t know what to say because in the script it was just a line— a dash. So, during filming I just simply said, “I want kikufuku.” (Laughs with amusement)

Geto: I almost pulled some kind of face, but I had to hold it in (Laughs).

[Fourth Question: Are the twins Geto’s actual daughter?]

Geto: The twins are not my actual daughter, but the little girl that played Rika is.

Sukuna: Isn’t Megumi also Toji’s actual son? The set is filled with real life parents and children. (Laughs with amusement).

Toji: How did she get casted?

Geto: Basically, the director wanted to film the fight scene between me and Yuta first, and the little girls that were casted before her got scared of me during the fight scene. They had to re-cast like 3 times. They all ended up crying, and then eventually my daughter said, “Oh! Let me try!” The director liked how it turned out, so they just did all the scenes with her.

Sukuna: Wow, you out there making children cry, huh? (Says teasingly)

[Last Question: What’s the best part about filming?]

Sukuna: For me, it was definitely working with Yuji. That kid, I’m not even going to lie, is fun to be around. Although sometimes, he has too much energy. He’s very goofy and definitely brings a fun and light mood to the set.

Toji: I tend to have a very busy schedule, and so does my son— especially with both him and I being in the same industry. Though it was only for a short while, I’m glad filming Jujutsu Kaisen together gave us more time to hang out.

Gojo: For me, it would be the amount of team work that we’re all putting in to make this show a success. Everyone is honestly so easy to work with. I know Sukuna seems very menacing in the show, and maybe in real life too because of his tattoos, but he’s actually nice. (Laughs) Honestly, I’ve made quite a few new friends working on this project.

Geto: Honestly, it’s nice to be able to work on a project with Satoru again. Last time we ever worked together on the same project was when we both walked the runway for one of my wife’s collections— maybe 7 years ago? Yeah, and my wife being involved with the outfit production and my daughter being on set, it kind of made the set more comfortable to be in.

#jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen toji #sukuna #toji fushiguro #ryomen sukuna #jjk x y/n #jujustsu kaisen au #jujutsu kaisen suguru #geto suguru x reader #geto x you #geto x reader #jjk gojo

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daisyswift3 · 2 months ago

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The Story/Secret of Us

So I believe I may have just solved a major piece of the puzzle and finally figured out WHY the tortured poets have been sending us these anonymous messages to help us solve it. I think this entire rabbit hole is a gift to us true fans which is why we got all of those cryptic present 🎁 anon messages. Alllll of these songs are dedicated to us (except for So High School and I will explain why I think this in more detail later). THIS is The Story or Secret of Us. The "secret" is this rabbit hole of connections and this secret language or code of symbols and metaphors we've all learned how to speak (sunshine/daylight/gold/yellow = Karlie/being out of the closet/queer love/happiness, 3 = Speak Now, orange = karma, etc). The "us" is the tortured poets and us true fans who share this secret language.

Another important part of understanding this puzzle is that some of these songs are time sensitive 🕰️ and like a prophecy (The Prophecy) waiting to be fulfilled. So after a certain point, some songs can no longer be applied bc that "scene" in the movie has already passed (If This Was A Movie). They want us to essentially play our part in the story they've written. Right now we are playing the part of Paul Revere or Cassandra warning swifties of what's coming (likely on Sept 28). And we're also acting as Taylor's wings/angels catching her when she falls off her pedestal (see this post). They want us to think of these moments when we listen to these songs bc they want them to be personally relatable bc that's part of our gift. I think this is what Taylor meant when she said

"Let me tell you my secret little dream for this evening. These are songs that I have written about my life or things I've felt at one point in time, whether I was a teenager, in my 20s, or a couple yrs ago. But after tonight when you hear these songs out and about in the world, my dream is that you're gonna think about tonight and the memories we made here together" (x)

and what present anon meant when they said

"Reach those lanterns a little bit higher. For you shall receive a metaphor so dire" (x).

"Then the actors (us true fans and the tortured poets) were hitting their marks and the slow dance was alight with the sparks and the tears fell in synchronicity with the score" // "It's a normal thing to fall in love with movie stars when the lights are low and red at all their favorite bars. And the story you want is the story you get. Are you special or was this all scripted in his head?...Don't worry, I know I'll see you again. Uh-huh, you'll make me cry when it comes to an end. You were all that we hoped (The Prophecy), but I can't recommend getting close, I should've known, but I'll see you again" (x). The tortured poets have invited us to "dance" with them by being a part of this movie. If we accept this invitation, then we essentially become the muse of these songs.

I think Gracie playing In Between as a surprise song on 9/19 was an easter egg for Lizzy’s song Pushing It Down and Praying that was released 9/20. I think the mv for this song is the visual representation of the 🫚 message about the audience member (us true fans) becoming a part of the magic show and also the teenage love triangle in folklore. In this story, we are playing the character Wendy/Betty while the tortured poets play the character Peter/James. Swifties or the fans who don’t see this metaphorical story are Augusta/Augustine, the girl that James cheats on Betty with in august. So even though the teenage love triangle is technically fictional, there are seeds of truth in it. This is what Taylor was trying to explain during the eras tour betty speeches when she said she created these fictional characters and she was acting as the narrator of their story (x). Role Model, who stars in the Pushing It Down and Praying mv, is also the opening act for Gracie's TSOU tour which is another connection.

And to add even more evidence to this theory, the teenage love triangle also makes an appearance in Gracie’s discography. Gracie has a song called Augusta on TIWIFL which just so happens to be the name of one of the characters in the love triangle. It is also the name of a town in Maine which is where Gracie’s family is from. There are 3 songs in total on TIWIFL that are named after towns in Maine—Camden, Augusta, and Rockland. If you put the first letters of these songs together, they spell out “CAR.” “Standing in your CARdigan, kissing in my CAR again,” “And when I felt like I was an old CARdigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite," 2:46 in betty ("She said 'James, get in, let's drive'") corresponding with 2:46 in august ("Remember when I pulled up and said get in the CAR").

august, betty, cardigan (the 3 sides or perspectives of the love triangle) are “ABC” bc the alphabet or capital letters are one of the major keys to solving this puzzle. As I mentioned in this post, I think Audrey has been helping to plant easter eggs. She posted Capital Letters by Hailee Steinfeld on her insta 3 times which is quite interesting and she also included this song in her Summa playlist.

What makes this even more suspicious is that she specifically chose timestamps in the songs (1:11 and 1:23) that have these lyrics ⬇️ and she posted the 1:11 timestamp TWICE which indicates that she really wanted to emphasize it. "God I'm jumping in the deep end, it's more fun to swim in. Heard the risk is drowning but I'm gonna take it."

Another thing that I think ties in with all of this is the Stephen Colbert interview. In this post below, I explain why I think the pizza on the mood board represents PR/bearding/showmanship/magic. I also explain how the letters that spell out Stephen's name are a huge clue and are related to the Peter Pan metaphor that is a through line in both Gracie's and Taylor's music. This is another example of "capital letters" or the alphabet being the key to solving the puzzle.

Going back to what I said in the first paragraph, this entire rabbit hole of cross-referenceable songs is dedicated to us except for the "pizza" So High School which is the one song she dedicated to 🏈 This is why Taylor's mood board had one slice of pizza while every other picture was of Stephen.

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