#van scene discourse

[ma1dita]

Hi Jo! So excited for your monster mash 🥰 Can I get one ticket for the graveyard mash starring Spencer Reid with a 🍫 and 🌭 please. Thank you!

freaks come out at night

[STARRING: SPENCER REID x reader ; “Really? Now? God, you have terrible timing.” “Please just play along.”] wc: 1.9k warnings: MDNI — afab!reader, semi-public van sex, choking with a belt, no protection p in v, totally against regulation, errrr i saw discourse that spencer doesn’t fuck but with the amount of smut on this hellsite… yeah right. anyways. that man is a freak. consent is sexy, enjoy. title from the whodini song

monster mash-terlist

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“Excuse me? Mr. Officer?”

Your heels clacking against the pavement catches Reid & Morgan’s attention. It’s dark on the street you’re on, the shadows of your face illuminated by the red and blue hues of light from the squad cars that surround the house where the unsub was apprehended. They've been on this case for a week, and everyone’s ready to shake hands and go home. And so are you, it seems; your confidence always gets you into difficult situations; however, asking cops for a ride home instead of staying with the creep at the club sounds like a better idea.

“Hi sweetheart, what’s wrong? This is a crime scene,” Morgan croons smoothly, leaning against the van as he looks you up and down, “you don’t look like you belong here.” It’s condescending almost, the suave tenor of his voice making you feel like you’re being talked down on.

All you want to do is go home, charge your phone, and go to bed. Spencer is too busy fidgeting with the buttons on his dress shirt as he rolls his sleeves back down to look more professional. But it’s hard to impress a pretty girl in a sparkly dress at three in the morning, especially when you don’t even glance his way.

“Yeah, there’s been this guy following me for a few blocks now. Can I get one of you to drive me home? It’s not too far,” you say dismissively, crossing your arms over your chest as the wind picks up. You shiver slightly, hands brushing the skirt of your dress down. Someone calls their attention from near the house, closing down the investigation and Morgan nods lightly with Spencer looking into the distance behind you, trying to find the person giving you trouble.

“Who’s giving you a problem? Want me to talk to him?”

He means it so earnestly, but nothing about Spencer Reid screams intimidating. Tweed blazer, clubmaster glasses, and Converse adorning his frame—-he looks like the kids you knew got bullied in middle school. It makes you giggle, “No offense, you’re not scary, Mr. Officer. Please just play along and let me ride it out.” Morgan hides a smile behind his shoulder and claps Reid on the back as if to say, all yours, pretty boy. You’re pointing at the black van, tapping it with your hand, “This one okay?” But you’ve already opened the door to the passenger seat and climbed in, dress riding up your thighs and giving them a view of your underwear. He swallows hard, looking at his friend who will surely never let him live this down, “Wanna come? I don’t like driving.”

Morgan rolls his eyes at how dumb the smartest man he knows can be when it comes to women, “Just get in the van and take her home, Reid. I’ll meet you back at the hotel.” The car keys are thrown (ie. fumbled) into Spencer’s hands as he sighs and walks around the front of the vehicle, mumbling, “Actually, I’m a doctor…”

“Your badge says you’re an agent,” you quip, watching him slide in and start the ignition. He turns the car lights on, looking your way as he pulls out onto the street, “I’m both.” 

Impressive.

Giving him the directions, you sit back and admire the profile of his face in the dark. He’s cute, you suppose—pushing his glasses up to avoid the glare of passing headlights, nose scrunched up in concentration as he tries to not let his mind wander while you tell him about your night.

“Yeah, and then after he was being nice to me, he groped me on the dancefloor. I mean, what a jerk! Can you imagine that, Doctor?”

“Spencer,” he mumbles, making you hum in acknowledgment. And no he cannot. He’s really trying not to. You’re expressive when you speak, hands flying in the air and touching everywhere from the dashboard, to his arm, and then his thigh. His hands clench around the steering wheel, wondering how you’re able to be so blunt with a complete stranger.

“You look like a Spencer.”

“Do I?”

Crossing your legs and leaning against the window to face him more, you look sinful in the passing shadows that blur behind your head. He blinks, reminding himself that he’s in control of the car, and redirects his focus on the road.

“Yeah. Too bad I’m not into nice guys,” you smirk, biting your lip, “Nice guys try to fuck me in public without even asking, apparently.” The car swerves the slightest bit, and neither of you says anything until he pulls into your apartment parking lot.

“Right here should be fine.”

He puts the car into park, lights flicking on as he unlocks the doors and the only thing you can see is his boner straining through the material of his slacks. The sheer sight of it and the hilarity of the situation make you bark out in laughter, “Really? Now? After I tell you about my shitshow of a night, you get hard after hearing that?” His cheeks redden in the dim light as he folds his hands in his lap, sputtering out a response, “I d-didn’t mean to… I’m sorry!”

“I’m not like him, I promise!” But you’re already getting out of the van and Spencer quickly files this into the section of his brain where he keeps suppressed memories because this is humiliating for him, actually— and then you’re opening the door to the backseat.

“Not like what, Spencer?”

His brows furrow as he watches you, frozen and calculating every possible way that tonight will go because it’s rare that Spencer Reid is surprised— “What?”

“Are you a nice guy, or are you a creep?”

And he pushes his glasses up, expression pressed into something you can’t read—maybe it’s something they’ve taught him in the FBI, you think, and he clears his throat, insisting, “I’m a nice guy. I’m one of the good guys.”

“You have terrible timing. Are you moving back here or not? I’m not fucking you in my apartment. I barely know you after all.”

So your confidence does put you into difficult situations. 

But you never thought it would get you bent over and fucked in the back seat of a cruiser with half your body sprawled over the center console. It’s a tight fit, your slick skin sliding against the leather and you don’t suppose a nice guy would do half the things Spencer is doing to you now, and his big hands are gripping the fat of your hips as he watches you bounce on his thick cock with bated breath.

The difference between him and other ‘nice guys’ you’ve encountered is that he’s verbal with his wants and makes sure that you’re enjoying yourself—and despite your eyes rolling to the back of your head and fervent moans, you’re still not sure he believes you.

“Ngh—fuck! Just like that…” you whine as he takes control, maneuvering you so that he can pull you up and down by his hold on your forearms. Spencer eagerly lifts his hips to meet yours, his length pistoning into your tight hole, the sound of skin and squelch echoing through the vehicle as he groans loudly, “This okay? Does this…feel good?”

“More! Mmm…harder, Spencer…I—”

“Not what I was asking, pretty,” he pants, thrusting into your soaked pussy with a jolt and stopping. Your cheek smacks against the gear shift and you cry, knees going weak at the sound of his voice, “I said, is this okay?”

“Yes! Stop asking!”

He slams into you again at the sound of your agreement, your belly hitting the console and squeezing around his cock as you lay there almost begging for him to do it again. But spit drips down the side of your mouth, along with the words you can’t string into a coherent sentence. The material of your dress is bunched around your torso, and his hands slither up your spine, feeling the way you breathe under his touch; you can’t see him from here but you know he’s smiling.

“I need to hear it, pretty girl,” he coos, tracing the letters of his name across your shoulder blades, and all you can do is laugh.

“Yes, your cock feels really good,” you hum, looking back at him and biting your lip, “In fact, you could go harder. You’ddo that for me, wouldn’t you, Mr. Nice Guy?”

“Doctor Reid…” 

He’s breathing heavily at your stare, noting the streaks of mascara down your cheeks and how your eyes seem to glint at him in the moonlight. So he yanks you up into the backseat with him, pressing you into the same position; ass up and face down and you shiver at the sound of his belt buckle clinking in the dark, “What are you doing?” you mumble, catchingyour breath while you can.

“M’gonna choke you if that’s okay.” 

It sounds so innocent coming out of his mouth and you’re grinning at the feeling of leather wrapping around your neck, fastened tight but not so much so that you’ll asphyxiate. You know he’ll be taking your breath away regardless, and he’s whispering into the shell of your ear, asking if you’re comfortable and pressing a soft kiss that feels incandescent against your skin.

One of Spencer’s hands spreads your cheeks open for his dick to make its way through your warm flesh, arching your back into his hold as the other hand tugs on the belt to pull you up. The choked sound that leaves your lungs is so filthy he has to try not to cum right then and there. 

“Please,” you whine, wiggling your hips as your hand slips down the glass pane, “Need you to fuck me.” Every inch that slides in has you moaning louder, and Spencer’s the one laughing now, “Should I still ask if you’re doing okay?”

“Oh…Just fuck me already Spencer!”

His jaw clenches as he starts fucking himself into your warmth, one hand on your shoulder and the other wrapped around his belt making you wheeze. Your ass shakes with the car, the force of his cock pounding into you with vigor, and Spencer moans, “F-fuck! You’re shaking…” His balls clap against the plump of your body as your throat feels the pressure of his efforts, and big hands pull you into a seated position so he can get a better look at your face. It’s puffed up with the lack of air and your pupils are unfocused, fucked stupid, and happy at the feeling of his rigid cock against the soft of your walls, mumbling incoherently as your eyes connect.

“Yes, yes, yes…So fucking deep…”

Spencer slides his hand around your torso, putting his fingers beneath sweaty fabric so he can touch your skin, thumb rubbing against your belly button and tongue licking up the side of your collarbone, still rocking into you as he loses it, finally letting go of the belt. You fall over with a shaking gasp and hear him groan, hot spurts of cum painting your motionless back. Noticing the car windows are foggy, you smile to yourself. What the fuck have you gotten yourself into? Reaching down to grab your underwear, you stop when you feel Spencer delicately wiping his cum off you with a handkerchief.

“Mmm. You really are a nice guy.”

He helps you readjust your clothes first before his, “I told you that.” It’s quiet in the car again, and you’re not sure what to say, but there’s no point in being shy now.

“You wanna see my apartment?” you muse, smiling sweetly at him, and he quirks his brow, “I thought you didn’t let strangers into your apartment.”

“I think we’re past that, don’t you?”

Spencer doesn't make it back to the hotel until right before check out the next morning.

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ma1dita's monster mash is closed for requests but ongoing for the rest of october!

[maryshelleysgrave]

Anyway here's a hot take no one asked for

The more I've thought about some of the Nosferatu/Dracula opinions and discourse I've seen, the more I've come to realise I think people misunderstand the relationship between Nosferatu and Dracula. Like. Yes Nosferatu originates from Dracula but no they are not the same.

Nosferatu is btec Dracula. Nosferatu is off-brand Dracula. Nosferatu is Lidl's own Dracula. And while the source is the same they are entirely different films and entities.

Don't get me wrong, Eggers does a wonderful job at respecting Dracula as the source (Ellen and Thomas's loving relationship; an equivalent to the shovel scene; use of wolves; Ellen's unclean scene) but that doesn't mean they're the same. Do people not get that Nosferatu (2024) is not an adaptation of Dracula (1897) but of Nosferatu (1922)?

"Where's the crew of light" That's not a thing in Nosferatu

"They butchered the Van Helsing character" Okay that's Von Franz but close enough I guess

"The themes were better in Dracula" I respect your opinion and I understand what you're saying but just go read Dracula instead

"Why did they have to kill Mina she doesn't die in the book" Her name is Ellen Hutter and in Nosferatu she sacrifices herself to kill Orlok

Does anyone of this make sense? Do people understand the difference? Do you understand the point I'm trying to make? Does anyone get it? Can anyone hear me out there

[stinkw333d]

S3E7 morning rewatch stream of thoughts! spoilers, obviously

-So what, would Joel McHale just not play fake gay? not casting him to be Older Paul was such a missed opportunity imo, especially now that we know Ben’s dead! whatever

-Oh she wants to fuck him, fuck him. surprise surprise. i dont think robbie-edwin is gonna last long, dw girl get in there

-This Frog/Zeus story. Cool foreshadowing bro!

-HA frog dorks

-AYO THE SYMBOL JUST DROPPED AGAIN

-YOU WILL GO HOME VAN!! I SWEAR!!

-oh misty not the bone

-I KNEW LOTTIE WOULD GET HIS ASS THE SECOND SHE DISAPPEARED FROM FRAME LAST EPISODE! I SAW IT!! VINDICATION!!

-i’m as excited as shauna is by her doing that, i’m dead serious

-Soapy baby we’re gonna get you that Emmy

-He should’ve just shot melissa’s hat off like William Tell and the apple.

-mari, never ever get less stupid please.

-Hat won’t die right? that was a non fatal hit, just the shoulder.

-oh sure, the one thing that could invoke empathy in terrorist shauna sadecki. be so fr

-POORLY FURNISHED ☝️ jeff you diva never change

-“you’re the love of my life,” i actually have terrible news for you about your wife, Jeffrey

-yes callie, cook!

-Other Tai snoring is awesome

-MYSTERIOUS QUIGLEY??

-oh so everyone knew about the sleepwalking, sick

-SOAPY MY GIRL!!

-Hannah your instincts are garbage fr

-oh they all feel terrible about Hannah immediately What Did They Do To Her

-“your track record’s iffy” get her ass Van

-Other Tai does not want to go with shauna at all lmao, she had OTHER PLANS THIS WEEKEND!!

-why would you ever find out about the shame child of the woman you murdered as teenagers, misty?

OH GOD DAMN IT GO TO HELL FINE

-rip Gen i guess

-“Halfsies on some floss picks?” was that a christina improv what the fuck was that line

-I love Tai’s evil long leather trench coat. to signify that she’s evil now.

-“I will live that way, for you!” LIKE A SERIAL KILLER??

-where did Van get that lesbian pocket knife? the wilderness’ lesbian supplies outlet?

-Froggy :)

-HER MOM MY SHAYLA

-“the village” i thought that was only ok when behind the scenes Liv Hewson said it

-is… is Travis gonna accidentally shoot Akilah? i can’t not be anxious every time she’s on screen

-oh shit she BURIED IT!!

-Did Joel McHale name his own character? what the fuck is Kodiak about? freak ass white boy

-hannah you’re cooked i fear

-Shauna actually isn’t wrong, but she shouldn’t say it in that many words.

-“sorry,” aw van

-Van you’ve always known what kind of sociopath misty is

-*intense Gen X typing noises*

- I’ve always suspected Van had lung/throat cancer :(… unless that’s fake? i hope

-“that is not good,” thank you misty very helpful misty

-SHE DODGED THE CROSSBOW? I KNOW THATS RIGHT, MYSTERIOUS!!

-“my glasses! my glasses!” finally misty’s velma moment

-oh good akilah’s fine. for now.

-Travis what ARE you doing?

-“she’s my wife!” SENATOR TAISSA “Liar”TURNER!! 🫡

-MISTY PLEASE SOME SPACE

-aw they’re actually so sad about van :( me too ladies

-so not fake? :( that was real Van blood?

-Get her ass misty

-yeah this tracks for shauna 100%

-“the devil’s calling!” actually the devil’s a lesbian and she’s sitting fifteen feet away from you, sir

-nono nooo no no no please don’t no please god no pleaE NOT THE VISION

-“really? fire?”

-sorry but no shit van

-“i need her right now” :(

-Van blease do not die.

-oh lottie please stop doing that, girl ew

-yeah whatever mel’s dead, fuck you guys

-mari i love you forever, girlie

-OH FUCJ

-Courtney we’ll get u an Emmy as well queen

-Shauna: Horny, Mel: Pissed. Shauna is too horny to tell.

-if Hannah isn’t pit girl im gonna crash out

-Jeff hates the Jolly Hitcher so bad lmfao

-callie that’s just boring twitter discourse, move on. your mom’s just forever a traumatized 17 year old girl and you have to be fine with that.

-Callie hates her mom so bad she’s just praying at this point that she murdered someone for her own justification

-YES IT’S THE oh well no, almost.

-still no Hillary Swank? I’ll kill you. also i guess we didn’t actually watch Mel die though so i may have overreacted earlier.

-fine. if/when Mel dies Shauna’s crashout will be legendary, what about it?

-i love this fucking show

[sailingfireshipz]

Ok so this is my discourse in response to @stellariders post a while back. Linked at the end.

1. Kelly should have been captain 3-4 seasons ago and I'm tired of them using the excuses of paperwork or being behind a desk because I've seen Van Meter behind a desk & talking about about how backed up they are on cases which is PAPERWORK. When he is in the field, it's after all the "action" that they speak so highly of has already taken place & it's more so like solving a puzzle rather than running into a fire. Atp I'd respect it more if they said Kelly can't be captain because he can't be Stella's commanding officer at the same house.

2. I'm sorry. I love Hermann however I'm struggling with seeing how the hell I'm supposed to take him seriously as captain on a scene or call when they've NEVER shown him in that light. The last time I saw him really fired up regarding a call was the factory fire. Also they haven't shown an ounce of Hermann actually preparing or studying for the exam. So we're supposed to believe that the same Hermann that failed the LT exam how many times passes the captain test on the first try? OK...

3. Mouch doing more has at least been foreshadowed now for a while. The episode in which he saved that kid & Casey talked about the retirement age going up. Also, Mouch has at least been acknowledged by the CFD with a commendation back in S9 & helped out with Paramedicine. We've seen his journey & arc build a little bit more than Hermann, so even if it wasn't for a potential Stella pregnancy on the horizon, I could still rationalize Mouch wanting to do more. We've never seen that same arc for Hermann, so it makes it hard for me to get behind it.

4. The disparity in storytelling amongst the cast is starting to become problematic for me. Stella & Ritter are the main two that stand out to me in this moment, but I'm sure there are more examples. Ritter has been on this show in some capacity since season 7... there is absolutely no reason why he has been treated like a background player all this time & is just now starting to get an inch of more screen time when Carver has had MULTIPLE arcs of the course of his FIRST season & now this one. Hell Novak is in her first season as a series regular & we already know a little bit about her past & what makes her tick. Not even about to start in on Stella because yall already know how I feel about it however what I will say is Stella Kidd deserves more than 1 GOF episode a season & 1 episode where she's fighting for the underdog. All of her other stories are directly or indirectly associated with Kelly/Stellaride/ white men, causing her unnecessary grief.... Casey never had this many damn personnel issues in the 10 years he was on T81. I'll leave it at that.

5. I'd love for Squad 3 to get some new blood. Not saying I want anyone to go anywhere, but I'd love to see Kelly Severide have to navigate teaching & training someone new. Add another man or woman to the crew & let's really see how Kelly's leadership comes through.

Same for Engine 51... like i find it interesting that they gave Ritter up to Truck yet won't commit to Kylie joining Engine full-time. Like outside of Hermann, who the hell else do we now know on engine? No one..

6. I'm confused by how close Kelly & Pascal have gotten in such a short amount of time. Historically, Kelly has always been very reserved when it comes to change, especially change in power dynamics. I also find it interesting that they continue to isolate him for the other members that he's worked alongside for much longer yet have planted this Pascal & Severide relationship dynamic. We've been asking for Kelly & Violet since S11... hell the Kelly & Mouch episode we got in S11 was adorable. I'd take him, Ritter & Carver, yet we're getting him & Pascal who clearly has an issue with Stella, his wife. Feels intentional

7. If they are committed to not actually giving Stella an appropriate backstory, then they should at least commit to strengthening her bonds in the house. They did that really well in earlier seasons, like mentioned about her relationship with Enily Foster. Same can be said with Casey, Otis, Gallo, Boden & Kylie but none of those people outside of Kylie are on the show anymore. Felt like when Stellaride got married, they were like alright no more family dynamics with anyone else except for Kelly & thats so not fair to her character. She mentioned it to Boden that her real family is the house. OK, so let her actually build out more relationships with the people that are there now.

8. I know I'm a vocal Newman critic, but I also like to think I give credit where credit is due. I made a few posts ranting & raving about how S12 for what it was (short, needed to be executed quickly) was a REALLY good season. It's why I was so excited for S13, but we're 8 episodes in & i fear we've lost the plot. Like, i go into these episodes with such high hopes because the meat is THERE yet walk away from some of them wondering wtf was that. Like, I'm almost wondering if S12 was so good for her because it was shorter, so there wasn't much room for filler because it honestly fills like she doesn't know what to do with 22 episodes. Grant it, we have an entire back half of the season to go, so I could be speaking too soon. However, I don't know what to even anticipate for the rest of S13.. like i have concepts & my own personal wants, but I don't have actual faith that it'll come to life because everything she's teased thus far has been so far from expectations.

Damon had so much more potential. As a firefighter, brother, & brother in law. That baby convo could have touched on so much more of Stella's fear & what the actual cause of that dread she spoke about could be coming from. Violet could have actually apologized to Carver & explained her grief/ why that caused her to ice him out. Even if they didn't make up right away, it would have set the groundwork for what they'd work towards if they're actually endgame(sometimes i don't know). Ritter getting blown out of a window could have been dug into a little deeper. Even the blood program that Novak proposed a call linking to why it is so important would have just driven the messaging home.

I saw a tweet a while back that basically said it's not character or plot development if it happens off screen & we never see it. It feels as if recently a lot is playing in the background or off the pages that we're somehow supposed to know is going on without ever seeing or hearing it. I love this show, this cast & think if shows like the Law & Order franchise or Grey's can be on air for decades, then so can Fire. I really hope the back half of S13 kicks it into high gear & starts connecting dots for me because I want to get renewed for 3-5 more seasons! I'm simply not ready to let them go, especially when there's so much left in the tank they just need to have the right pieces in the right places to execute effectively. 😫

As always, thanks for coming to my rant session. Let me know your thoughts & opinions below. I'm always up for a healthy debate or yap session. Check out @stellariders original post here.

[moltengoldveins]

so, I am already Adoring the discourse on The Creator, the new sci fi AI film that came out recently, but I’ve yet to see anyone talk about the fascinating religious undertones to the whole movie? Like, I’m Christian. I’ll be the first to admit my bias here: I tend to look for faith and spiritual undertones when consuming media because it’s an integral part of the way I see the world. but this movie was SO COOL?? Like, the Complete Lack of any sort of faith shown in the American characters in contrast with the AI and the Asian characters, a total shift from the modern cultural idea that religion and AI are incompatible. There are monks that are droids and simulants. The kid uses her technology powers by making a “praying” motion. There’s a robot preaching a pretty classic Judeo-Christian Messiah narrative to a bunch of kiddos. There’s only ONE American character given any sort of obvious religious identity and it’s that One Trooper Lady when she mentions Valhalla. This is such an interesting decision and I’m fascinated to know what y’all think of it. NOT TO MENTION (and this is by FAR my favorite part) the fact that the religion and the AI conflict and the treatment of human life are all implicitly bound up together. The Americans believe that the AI are ‘just programming,’ that they aren’t real, that they don’t have souls. The New Asians don’t. And that seems to bleed into the way they treat Humans as well? The kind girl near the beginning of the film, clearing the blast zone with Taylor, panics when she sees an AI online for the first time because she recognizes that he behaves like a person, while Taylor is cold, unresponsive, and insists that it’s just programming. The Americans SAY they value human life because humans are really people and AI aren’t, but they treat civilians and combatants, AI and Humans, Exactly the Same. Almost like, if you reduce one thing with a soul to ‘just programming, not of value’ that starts messing with the way you treat Everything Else. The New Asians, as far as the narrative tells us, don’t plan on retribution for the war. They’re careful with civilians, to a certain extent (I don’t love the van scene with the kiddos tbh :( feel like that was out of place? And the AI lady, the girlfriend of Taylor’s friend who was killed as well, interesting nuances there) and they treat one another like people ought. There’s very little distinction given between the more android and more human AI, which I think is awesome, and the climax of the arc of Taylor’s character happens In A Temple. The end of the story is a message of hope for reunification in heaven AND hope for reunification on earth. That’s. That’s so cool. Like. I think that’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in Ages. I can’t Ever remember seeing that kind of message done in a story that isn’t painfully preachy. One thing that often bothers me about modern film and media is the idea that religion and spirituality has to be handled in one of three ways: entirely unmentioned, preachy to the absurd, or blatantly disrespected. It’s not a universal problem, but it’s pretty widespread. I couldn’t tell what faith the directors ascribed to in this film, but I could tell they were discussing it intelligently and I LIKED THAT. I liked it a lot. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, my tastes, and beliefs: I’m willing to bet a lot of Christians won’t like this movie because they’re hung up on the lack of a blatantly Christian or preachy narrative. I’m willing to bet a lot of other people won’t like it because it tackled spirituality at all. But I liked it, because it looked at the world we live in and spoke of what it saw. It wrestled with the topics of death and life and souls and heaven and national pride and racism and capitalism and love and what it means to be a good person and it did it really well, and I admire that.

please please let me know what y’all thought of the movie? I’m really interested in knowing what people picked up on or thought the movie was saying. God bless y’all, and have an excellent weekend :) 💜

[softantlers]

hell yeah i agree with you. this season has been disappointing for me. the writers have absolutely no idea on what to do with lottie bc her screen time has literally been cut so bad. wdym she was basically jesus in this episode and that’s it???

the writing this season has been… not that great in my opinion. i still enjoy this season but it’s still lacking. i wished van and lottie were more developed. i still can’t believe they really killed off lottie and van for melissa??? i think this season needed more episodes bc clearly it seems like there were a lot of stuff cut out from this season.

agreed! tbh fan discourse has been a bit frustrating on this because everybody is like "IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SHOW DON'T WATCH IT" but that's such a limiting way to view what's going on with this season. the fact of it is that those who are criticizing the show actually do love it. the majority of people i see with critical takes are even fanfic writers & that's a whole other level of sinking your teeth into the show.

i don't think it's wrong to be kind of upset/disappointed in where things have gone & how there's an apparent lack of steam/direction as opposed to season 1 especially and to an extent season 2. you can argue with me that van and lottie are supposed to die in the adult timeline and i would AGREE with you, but there hasn't been enough care or development done to get us there to the point where there's adequate payoff for losing these characters. like i just feel bummed more than anything about van's death because the character deserved way more than being shanked by a character that was introduced last episode?? like?? it's just lazy & thrown together writing. and it actually requires very little to make that scene more moving-- fuck, the scene where van holds the towel up for melissa when she pisses herself?? show stuff like that to me a couple episodes back. let me see a one-on-one of van telling melissa that she should guard her heart with shauna. let the characters connect like they did back in season 2??? they just feel so disjointed and separate this season.

lottie is getting interesting development in the teen timeline, but i want MORE. i feel like i'm bumbling around in the dark with this season. how did we get from here to there?? what are the politics of the camp? who is talking to who?? the show feels so unlived in its execution right now.

[faelorelia]

Will’s Romantic Options: Mike and Beyond

I’ve seen some discourse about whether it would be a good idea for Will to have another (temporary) love interest in S5 besides Mike (based on the rumors going around), and I’d like to share my thoughts on this matter.

While I understand that dating a boy who isn’t Mike could potentially develop Will’s arc further and reinforce his sexuality, I don’t think it’s strictly necessary.

Some say his devotion to Mike makes him “Mikesexual,” hindering his maturation and preventing him from moving on and exploring other romantic opportunities.

I agree with this idea to some extent. In real life, it’s unhealthy to be obsessed with someone who doesn’t seem to return your feelings. (And Will tried to move on in the van scene, to “rip off the band-aid,” but couldn’t because of his deep love for Mike.)

But let’s not forget that we’re discussing a work of fiction. Here’s why it’s not necessary for Will to have another love interest in S5 (assuming Byler is endgame, of course):

1. Time Constraints

Romance isn’t the main focus of “Stranger Things,” even though it’s an important part of the show. Developing a real alternative love interest for Will isn’t feasible given the limited screen time. Including a brief interaction with another boy might serve a purpose, like showing that Will has options or making Mike jealous. But with Will’s central role in the supernatural plot next season, there isn’t enough time to explore a new, long-term love triangle (especially considering they’re already in a love triangle).

2. Acceptance and Self-Love

Will’s love for Mike helps him accept his sexuality. Mike makes Will feel “like he’s not a mistake at all, like he’s better for being different.” It’s beautiful how loving Mike helps Will accept himself. Loving Mike lifts him up rather than brings him down.

3. One True Love

There’s nothing wrong with loving one person your whole life. This idea that you must have multiple romantic experiences to be fulfilled isn’t the only path to happiness. Will loving only Mike doesn’t make him less gay or undermine his sexuality. In fact, it underscores the depth and purity of his feelings. It may sound too cheesy, unrealistic, and romanticized, but that doesn’t make it bad. The fact that Mike is the only one for Will is really touching and beautiful.

It’s not a bad idea for Will to entertain other options. But it isn’t the only way. It’s not strictly necessary for Will’s arc as it wouldn’t make him less gay, wouldn’t weaken his identity, and wouldn’t make him incomplete for only having his eyes for Mike.

And given the way Byler’s story is written, it’s natural for us to root for Mike and Mike only. It’s already a slow-burn love story, so introducing another obstacle in their path may be redundant.

Whatever happens, I hope the show does justice to Will’s character and gives him the happy ending he deserves, which obviously includes getting together with Mike – his best friend and true love.

P.S. This is my personal opinion that you are free to disagree with. :)

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

I think we have brush that subject once when rwrb came out. From my casual film watching i came to understand that when a book is adapted into a movie that the director actually purchased the right from the author(i might be completely wrong). Every single time a movie is made from a book it bring the question how true does the director have to stay from the book? Do they just get the overall topic of the book and go from there? How do they choose what to cut Nd keep from the book? Films are such a complex topics to me

I think with the baldoni/lively things also comes from the fact that he wants to shine the light on DV while she wants to makes it look like a woman empowerment movement which people are saying can take away from the real issues discussed in the book.

Thanks @5813 for giving me the opportunity to talk about adaptation. I remember some of the talks that took place about this when RWRB came out and I think my position was that we should be able to look at the film as a work of its own, hence my criticism of it shouldn't automatically offend the fans of the book that it had been adapted from.

I'll try to keep this brief and not turn it into a lesson. My knowledge is only slightly refreshed anyway as I've briefly looked through the notes I had on adaption from many years ago. They're mostly a summary of the major theories regarding the topic.

But first of all, let's establish what is an adaption? It's the transfer of a work of art into another medium, different from the one in which it was originally created: from literature to film, literature to music, theater plays to film, a painting into a film/theater play, etc. Adaption is not only a product, but also a process. I find the latter a more interesting frame to analyze and understand a work, beyond judgement of values of whether it is a good adaption or not.

Adaption also has an original text as a source which often is seen as having authority over the end result of the adaption. This leads to the principle of fidelity and one that is still considered as the most relevant and important to this day in certain circles, despite the huge amount of scholarly research that has brought forth the numerous ways in which what can be determined as a good adaption doesn't need to be only the one that fully respects the original source.

Going back to the principle of fidelity, you'll find its definition familiar, because it is the main discourse. In this case, an adaptation has to not only capture the artistic and ideological features, but also to reproduce the contents and the structure of the story. A lot of the times, the more an adapted work is as close as possible to the original text, the better it is considered to be (Think of the BBC adaptions of the works of Jane Austen). That is because from that perspective, the original text (often time coming from literature) is considered superior while the second medium will never be able to fully capture the complexity of the book. Hence, for those who use this argument, the cinema and the process of adaptation it engages with is not seen as its own separate art form, with its own grammar through which the transformation of a story can take a new life and create a separate work of art that can stand on its own and be just as valuable.

In contrast, I want to offer some other examples of type of adaptation just so you can get an idea.

Homage adaption – a re-adaption of a former adaption. For example, Gus van Sant's Psycho is an homage to Hitchcock's Psycho which in turn was a story adapted from a book.

There's the adaptation that focuses on romanticizing a past, without investigating it, the focus is on nostalgia – The Great Gatsby from 1974.

An adaptation can be compressed (a 500 page book needs to become a 2-hour movie, there will definitely be cuts) or extended (a short story like John Cheever's The Swimmer had to be extended with other scenes added to it in order to turn it into into a 1h30min film. (extension also applies to films based on music albums)

A favorite of mine is the process through which a text is transformed in order to reflect the ideology of the present, hence also showing its thematic universality. A famous example of this is 10 Things I Hate About You which is an adaption of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The action takes place in the present, all the stylistical elements are contemporary, the dialogue is changed as well, but the essence and the skeleton of the story remains the same.

There's more to this and also grouped based on various schools of thought, but for the purpose of your ask, I think I've answered your question a little bit.

[aces-come-in-spades]

obligatory "meet my freaks" post

mod introduction

MONA

your incredibly charming mod! spends way too much time wasting her time when she should be doing other things. prone to disappearing in the middle of conversations.

has an ao3 account (traversety) and draws all her own characters (drew the blog icon, too! say hi to paris), but would also go INSANE WITH DELIGHT if someone drew them too......... ;>

(she/her, aroace, 17, autism & adhd. birthday april 19.)

likes: bunnies, music, writing, drawing hates: tornadoes, being ignored fun fact: mona's main blog is @traversety!

emergency character color guide

ROMAN KEITH NILSEN

LOGAN VAILE

JAZZ VAN JANSEN

ALAN HARPER

ALTAIR SANDLER-MCBRIDE

JAMIE WINCHESTER-SOMERSET

ELLIOT ROUSSEAU

CAL PHYLLIS

PARIS

STAR

HARLEY

AWSTEN KNIGHT (he's technically not an oc but he's in the opening band au and can answer asks and stuff)

DAL WEEKES (also technically not an oc)

oc masterlists

FROM THE LIBRARY OF AN ACE OF SPADES MASTERLIST

NOBODY LIKES THE OPENING BAND! MASTERLIST

DO NOT, FOR ANY REASON, DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

send nsfw asks! your mod is aroace, underaged, and very much disgusted by that sort of content, so stay away, thank you!

use any kind of slurs or degrading language! this should be obvious, but be nice to me and the gang!

send any asks regarding religion! alan is a catholic and so is your mod, but online religious discourse triggers a lot of anxiety and paranoia for your mod, so please don't talk about it!

ask about the political beliefs of any characters! your mod isn't very up-to-date on the political scene and finds it all to be objectively important but subjectively a bore! also that shit is controversial and this is supposed to be a peaceful place. no politics here, thank you very much!

tags masterlist & other misc things

#mona speaks: out of character posts from your mod. #the librarians speak: general tag for posts/answered asks done by any of the ftloaaos (from the library of an ace of spades) characters. this will be used alongside character name tags and the tag #from the library of an ace of spades. #the band members speak: general tag for posts/answered asks done by any of the opening band (nobody likes the opening band!) characters. this will be used alongside character name tags and the tag #nobody likes the opening band!.

CLAIMED ANONS: currently none

[cloudie-skay]

Rewatching Corpse Bride, didn't realise I only ever remembered it in fragments but here are some thoughts! None of them are particularly hot takes really, I just have words to say

Victor Van Dort is my OG favourite cringefail of a man

Never thought about how Emily could have possibly known that Scraps was Victor's childhood dog but I don't mind brushing past that

Maturing is realising that as much I really wanted to see Emily and Victor together, Emily severely needed to move away from squishing herself down to just being "the Corpse Bride". And more importantly, she needed closure.

And well yeah, she's dead and he's alive but personally that wouldn't deter me.

The reason I really wanted to see Emily and Victor together when I was younger was because Emily got to act delulu and speedrun the marriage process and Victor really just rolled with it to the best of his abilities. And they almost did get married!

And I want that!!! I was obviously projecting as a child!!!

Also the piano scene, still positively sweet

Lord Bakfuck or whatever his name is still sucks don't think my opinion changed about that

Is there fanfic out there where Emily becomes a cool aunt to Victor and Victoria's child/ren

Ok but there was still chemistry between Victor and Emily so I wasn't completely unfounded in wanting to see them together

The bleeding heart romantic in me still wants to see Emily get married to someone tho, I feel like she deserves it on top of getting her revenge on Lord Buttish

Yes, I know she goes off into lepidoptera and the whole point is that she doesn't need to be married to be happy

But as previously mentioned, I heavily projected on her as a child and evidently I still do

Still absolutely love the disparity between the wedding prep of the dead and the reception of the living. With the dead being so colorful and vibrant and the living being colorless and dreary

You know what? fuck the whole Emily/Victor vs Victoria/Victor discourse I'm all for Gertrude and Alfred as the movie's OTP

Victor you say those vows I'm so proud of you baby

The parallel between Victor seeing Emily from behind Victoria and holding her face to keep her from looking behind and Emily doing the exact same when she sees Victoria behind him... Both done during their proclamations of love

Well there's something to be said there but I'm not smart enough to point it out right now

"I love you, Victor but you're not mine" still hurts me to this day

All of the dead are one big found family and I'm here for it

"Always the bridesmaid but never the bride" also hurts but differently

Overall, I still love the movie, despite only remembering it in chunks.

[respectthepetty]

I know you've been getting a bunch of asks about your favourite qls, but I'm specifically curious about what your favourite *chaotic* qls are.

Off the top of my head, some chaotic qls I enjoyed were Chains of Heart (THE GLOVE DISCOURSE, THE SUBTITLES, etc) and Big Dragon (asshole4asshole? no. clown4clown), while also enjoying the way that the shows were shot.

@kayatoasted, I'm re-reading this ask to make sure I don't answer it with my favorite *trashy* qls, like Hit Bite Love and Together With Me.

You want *chaotic* and they had to be beautifully shot, so although I love the chaos known as Love Mechanics and Dangerous Romance, both had beautiful shots but weren't consistently beautifully shot.

And I had to have enjoyed not only how it was shot but the show itself, so shows like Vice Versa and Only Friends are out.

No, you want my favorite beautifully shot *chaotic* qls that stayed chaotic which significantly reduces the list, but I can give it to you!

My Favorite Beautifully Shot Chaotic BLs

given in no particular order, and much like this subject, this list is chaos

Dee Hup House - Yes, the entire house

I'm not coming for Director Tee or Cinematography Jim. Their shows are beautiful and more adult. I have loved every single one of them. But the endings . . . ? The endings wobble in Step by Step, Something in My Room, Hidden Agenda, and I Feel You Linger in the Air. Yes, I'm including the last one because Tee & Co seem to pick long ass novels that should be multiple seasons, yet a lot of nothing gets shoved into each over-an-hour-long episode, which causes chaos. Even Lovely Writer, which I love the ending, had a moment with the dad's reveal that didn't have time to get fleshed out. Look at Step by Step. We had an entire baby happen in three episodes when the side couple fizzled. I will watch every show from this company and gush about it, but I know it's going to be beautiful chaos.

Big Dragon - Duh!

I'm not going to defend this show. Y'all already know I love this show. It was beautiful. It was chaotic. It was the moment. Period.

Chains of Heart - It's a given

You mentioned it in your ask with reasons why: It was beauty. It was grace. Then, it kicked us in the face. The plot itself was hard to grasp, but the subs only made it worse! Who was who? Why were there so many Men in Black? How did they all fit into the plot? Why would Din volunteer for an entire face transplant only to reappear, never tell Ken it was actually him, then disappear again?! And yet the cinematography was selling this wonderful vision to me each and every episode. I hated it there, and I need more of it immediately. WHERE IS MY SPECIAL EPISODE?!

Not Me - Think about it

We all need to be very honest with ourselves, and really reflect on the premise of this show. Todd put Black in the hospital, proceeds to call his twin, White, to act as him. White says yes even though he has absolutely no idea about Black's life, but he gets a big ass tattoo and his ass kicked multiple times by Sean (because he can't fight). While that is happening, we have Yok chasing around a rouge artist who is actually a cop named Dan who killed [spoilers] dad and Gram is apparently straight the entire time. Then, Papang is in it. Oh, and let's not forget being held hostage in a black van that protestors beat on until the kidnappers, just, let, them, go. Sure, Jan. And I didn't even mention Sean's leap across buildings! It was a good show. It's in my tops. I love it. The rainbow flag scene is embedded in my heart with the other beautifully shot protest scenes. But it was chaos! Let's hold space for that truth.

609 Bedtime Story - Messed up TWICE!

I enjoyed this show until I didn't, and that was when we got TWO endings, yet neither made sense. The colors in the show were immaculate. The plot though? Chaos. One character was traveling back in time and the other was traveling forward, but they weren't even in the same dimension. Then, the sister could not take a fucking hint and ruined the central love story by being a dramatic heterosexual. The point of the time travel was useless because one of the characters still died, but it didn't matter since that character was still alive in the other dimension and . . . MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, MARY!

Cupid's Last Wish - It was the mom for me!

EarthMix have gotten Director Aof twice, so maybe this is why this series, which isn't Aof, feels like chaos. It has such amazingly gorgeous outdoor shots, that I wonder if Thailand's Ministry of Tourism sponsored some part of this show. The series is a great advertisement for Thailand's beautiful landscape and cuisine, but then we have that plot. Body-swapping isn't the issue, at least not for me. The issue is the timeline. For a man who wanted to get out of his sister's body as quickly as possible, Win was doing the most to hold up the process. Oh, AND THE DAMN MOTHER! She was the true villain of the show, which got glossed over in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. I'll never get over that reveal even though the show wanted me to by the next scene. She really did that shit and kept it a whole ass secret until the very last damn moment. *looks into the distance at a baby cow* AHHHHHHH!

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner - In short

I'm going to quit picking on Thailand for two seconds to pick on Korea instead. Like all the others on this list, I like this show, and I've actually rewatched it a few times because I think it's pretty and it's so short. But there lies the problem - It's too short. The math was not mathing and the plot was not plotting. It skipped over information that was pivotal to the story. I still have no idea what that idol business was really about. From what the kind folks of Tumblr gathered, the idol was apparently supposed to get the guy in their past lives, but the other guy stole him and that's why he was crazy. How hard would that have been to explain to the audience? I did it in less than a sentence, but apparently the show spent its budget on lighting and not screenwriting or editing.

#1 - Mood Indigo - A masterpiece!

I wrote that these weren't ranked, yet here is number one in "My Favorite Beautifully Shot Chaotic BLs" list. The other shows on this list are child's play in comparison to the second installment that serves as the prequel in The Pornographer/The Novelist series. Regardless if it's a BL or not, leave it to Japan to offer me this deliciously beautiful chaos. Unlike all the other shows, the plot of this show is not what makes it chaotic, but . . . it is. It's not chaotic in the sense that it's disorganized or doesn't make sense. It makes perfect sense, and that's why it is chaos. It's supposed to be.

One character is depressed and has no fucks to give, so if something stirs an emotion in him, he does it without question (including giving the other character a bj in front of the older man who demanded it for another novel). Then, we have the other character who should be the more logical of the two, but somehow he is worse. I. Love. It. Everything that happens in this series makes everything we saw in the first season click into place including why these two toxic assholes are 1) toxic, 2) assholes, and 3) STILL FRIENDS!

God, they're awful.

I love them.

[jellieland]

Ok, so I haven't really done this before, but with the level and quality and effort put into this thing I would very much like to give it a proper read through. So.

Hotguyzine liveblog under the cut, starting with:

The Most Epic and Heartwrenching and Harrowing Battle of the Turn of the Century

I mean, literally from the first page this is all just so incredibly well presented. It looks so good.

And it's Joel and Lizzie with cat ears. I love it already.

"You can be average guy. Mediocre guy." Mean to him. Probably warranted! But also. Mean to him.

Wait, are Joel and Lizzie just known as Guy and Gal? That's great.

"I'M GAL!"

("and i'm. guy.")

I love them.

Oh, Scar is SUCH a reliable narrator. For sure.

"Give me all your cats[h!]" Sooo reliable. Also is that Gem with the animal control van or just someone with red hair?

Right. Right yeah of course he has a camera crew. Why wouldn't he?

I love watching Scar and Lizzie talk about their OCs together.

Wait. Is being an unreliable narrator literally his superpower? Is this is a representation of post-production editorialising, or literally what's happening? Because those have quite different implications.

HUH.

"Knocked both of the dangerous villains to ground in one hit!" What do you mean BOTH Scar, you just erased Joel from the narrative.

Ok! This is quite alarming!!

"With great hotness comes greater guy?" I'm going to choose to ignore everything else that's happening and say yes, you should definitely go with this one, Scar, for sure.

---

Meet Cute

Now first of all, I see that pun in the title. I see it, and I appreciate it!

"I should've figured it was you." I really love the visual representation of the phrase "dripping with malice", there. I also love the Cuteguy design!

"That was kinda rude" Ok that. That's way less extreme than I was expecting from the initial reaction.

"Anyway byeeeee!!!" Oh so they're BOTH annoying weirdos. Perfect.

---

King for a Day

Oh hello Bdubs. This should be fun.

Ren: "You're

Hotguy?"

Bdubs: "How did you do that with your mouth."

"Yeah. What if." Oh Bdubs is TIRED tired huh.

I love how Ren is just immediately fully on board. Like. Yeah he would be like that wouldn't he. He's so enthusiastic it's great.

I-85 box??? Iskall crumbs???? Ooh, and Cub! And... maybe Doc?

Hey there Grian. Have some flowers (and also some dangerous paperwork but don't worry about that part)!

"I'm not joining your little king's court." Oooh, I see. I see. Hey, at least he kept the flowers, right, Scar?

Getting Pearl to publish a hit piece immediately is maybe a little extreme, but fair enough I guess!

"They're gonna throw TOMATOES at me in the town square, man!" Don't worry, Ren. In another life, they already did.

---

Mumblr. Incredible.

Shoutout to teeth dog. My new favourite superhero.

Oh no. The discourse. The discourse. It's too real.

Maple Prince. Etho is a cryptid. Amazing.

"so if heroes are showing crafted personas to the public, don’t you think hotguy and cuteguy having matching names and outfits at least verges on queerbaiting?" I don't. Really have anything to say about this. But I feel like I have to include something that dealt me this amount of psychic damage in the liveblog.

---

G-Team

"I'm off to visibily protect the public." Yeah, that sounds about right.

Oh, the gala was hosted by Doc! And he even made sure to specify that there were DEFINITELY NO ulterior motives! Well I don't see how anything could possibly have gone wrong then!

"wearing his lab coat to a gala?? sus af." No I think that's just Cub, Grian. Although to be fair, "sus af" is maybe his default state now that I think about it.

Ah, it's Sherlock Grian! I love it.

Oh is this conversation taking place in Grian's mind palace? That's great.

Eyy, Permit Manager Grian coming in with all his considerable power, that being opaque bureaucratic processes and hold music! It seems pretty effective.

This is such a good chase scene. The broken heart symbol on the jacket is interesting!

And there's some sculk leaking into the drain. That seems. Fine. That definitely won't come back later to cause problems, I'm sure.

---

The Case of the Missing Cub

Oh, I'm sure this isn't going to be related to the sculk at all. There's definitely nothing on the very first page that would suggest otherwise. (I'm very excited about this one, I always love sculk related stories.)

The sculk snail is actually so cute, I love it.

Uh oh, there's Cub! And he looks like he's maybe having a bad time.

Oh dear, and Grian immediately gets sculked. That's slightly concerning.

"This fight fucking sucks." You know what, that's fair, Grian.

Yay, mutually agreed upon arson! And they both looks so happy about it!

Grian. GRIAN. WHY.

The realistic notes app t-shirt with Scar's actual minecraft face, followed by the deadpan "I want this." It's perfect. It's incredible. It's definitely how Cub would react to being shown that image upon waking up in front his burning house after being possessed. It literally made me laugh out loud.

"Oh, that reminds me. Why is my house on fire?" How. How did that remind you of your house being on fire.

"I used it to season my pizza." ...Yeah. Yeah that sounds about right.

I loved this one a lot. All of the stories have been great, but I especially enjoyed this.

---

Hotguy! Has One New Mail

Oh we get the one sided Bdubs and Cub rivalry from season 7! Excellent!

All the character voices are just so perfect. Bdubs' "Founding Principles" followed by Cub's "Yeah man cool this all sounds great" are just so perfectly in character for both of them.

I want some of Cub's cool space facts, and honestly if I emailed a celebrity/superhero and they sent me a link to cool space facts in return, I would be ecstatic.

Scar sold Doc a none existent bridge. Amazing. Sorry, Beef's proxy, but the list of things you're saying Scar shouldn't have been doing certainly isn't going to convince Cub, of all people, that anything needs to change.

"why have you sent me a list of top supernovas!" WOW, Grian, ungrateful much? Enjoy your supernovas.

"he is rescuing kittens from tragically falling into rivers, an activity that has fully occupied him for the past eighteen months." To be fair I feel like if Scar could do this, he would.

"everything is completely under control" Yeah, Special Officer #49, everything I've seen about this city so far really suggests that you've got it all under control. For sure.

"Hotguy is currently in Canada fighting smallpox by shooting individual bacteria with a special crossbow, for which he has received a commendation from their Prime Minister." I love Cub's excuses for Hotguy, they're all great. Also love how Pearl's main problem with this one is apparently the lack of smallpox in Canada, when obviously the actual main problem is that Scar is banned for Canada.

"casting_directors_bdubs_is_not_feuding_with" Well I'm glad there's at least one. And of course Scar's recording a snack commercial while all this is going on.

NOOO, GRIAN'S PIZZA! This is so sad.

---

The 30 part thread by Doc is amazing. As are Bdubs' ill-advised replies.

Ooh, a good old classic Doc disproportionate twitter threat! Always love those!

Carol the zombie mention! AND she's a movie star! Let go!!

Jellie... I love her the picture is perfect. She deserves that quarter of a million likes and more.

---

Ok, this is 100 pages into the zine and has got fairly long, so I'll probably continue this in another post!

[anderperrylover]

A Study of Buddy and Some Other Notes on Baby Driver - 2017

I watched Baby Driver a while ago. It is the type of film that is a feast for the eyes. But I couldn't help but look at the masterpiece for its symbolism. I've seen a lot of discourse on how the color palettes are symbolic of internal conflicts of characters and their fates. I want to use this vlog to specifically talk about a number of thing pertaining to the character of Buddy (played by Jon Hamm)

I did not expect him to become the man he was at the end of the film. But I think there were clues just scattered all around the film that foreshadowed his fate. So, here's my take on the symbolism that is associated with this specific character. I'll also introduce the color palette as I go along the way.

For context, Jason 'Buddy' van Horn used to work in Wall Street as a banker. He becomes a thief and when we meet him he is married to Monica 'Darling' Costello

I'll be discussing the symbolism in relation to the following, 1) The Name 2) The Color Palette 3) The parallel scene with Baby

THE NAME - I loved how we had aliases for all the characters. The names were always cover ups for who they truly were. Darling for instance was fierce, feminine and very much a fem fatale. I always thought that Buddy was a take on the buddy cop trope. At first it sounded absurd in my head but I think a lot of the things we see later on contributes to this interpretation. Initially, he is friendly towards Baby and he warms up to him and shares a lot about himself with him (taste in music - his obvious likes and dislikes). Buddy uses this trust to keep things going. Later on, we see this peel away. We get to see what's lurking behind the name Buddy.

THE COLOR PALETTE - Buddy is associated with one color at the beginning of the film. The color is blue and it juxtaposes Darling's pink hues. The color portrays him as a cool yet masculine character, who comes with a partner (Darling - Blue and Pink as opposites attract).

But Darling points out the significance of another color. Red. Blue and Red immediately reminded me of the colors we associate with the police. Also I feel like the significance of all of that was kept at bay by Darling. Red is never out of the picture, it's always lurking behind and in front of him.

And at the end of the day there is literally no blue for him. Darling is out of the picture and the red that has boiled over everything erupts, giving us the truth that has been hiding beneath the cool blues.

I also made the connection between Buddy being a literal Buddy cop. There's something beyond the cool and collected personality. I think it was all triggered when Darling was killed off - she was the one who helped him to keep the balance - she guided him in many scenes and they shared a dynamic. Yes, they were unhinged and Darling was unrealistic but they kept each other in balance. When she is gone, we get a lot of closeups of Buddy, and many of the lights on him are red.

Red is his truth and something that was boiling beneath the blue and the name 'Buddy'. But it was kept in check.

Here are some other uses of red in the film and my takes on the purposes.

A color love Foreshadows fates. Red as something and new beginnings. that boils around

Red as Buddy's truth. Now blue is in the background (the façade is put aside) and he fully encapsulates the color that boiled around them. From cool blues to deep red (a fragile lie that was cracked to reveal the impact of trauma)

I also think that it's really cool that you can almost see hints of pinks before the full red. He still remembers Darling but soon everything is taken over by the one thing Darling warned Baby about.

[saymoretv]

I read something recently that suggested the idea of 'selling out' doesn't exist in culture today. My first thought was, 'I'm not sure about that'. You can still see people having some of the same debates that connect with this idea; whether that's in people 'gatekeeping' genres, artists watering down or changing their sound, or bands getting getting backlash for working with big corporate sponsors. However, from my vantage point at least, 'selling out' certainly does seems to be a much lesser point consideration or judgement when it comes to conversations around music, art, commerce, identity, etc. and that certainly is to do with the new ways we consume and access music, art, as well as the re-formation of the music industry in the streaming era.

It got me thinking also about a book I about Jawbreaker read recently. The format of the book and the series its published as part of, is notionally a long-form close read / deep listen on a culturally important album by a band, but in actual fact it's basically a biography that takes 24 Hour Revenge Therapy as its central focus by which to tell the story of the band. So even though I would have been happy with someone waxing very lyrical about why they love each element of each song on the record, in hindsight a wider story about who the band where, and their journey along the way probably did make for a better read overall.

Perhaps the most interesting theme within the book is the idea of 'selling out' and how this coloured so much of the bands' legacy and story. Internally it seemed to it seemed central to the decisions and the arc of the 'career' of the band, Such as their initial refuting of the possibility of ever 'selling out' to a major label, and then eventually doing so. And externally, it seemed to colour so much of how they were viewed by their fans and the punk / underground or DIY music communities the band had its roots in, such as the band going from the admiration and adoration they got for being underground heroes of the Gilman Scene, and then the backlash that followed for supporting Nirvana and then signing to Geffen. Boxcar, like no other song in the Jawbreaker discography best encapsulates the way this discourse around 'selling out' is attached to the band.

It's hard not to hear "I was passing out when you were you were passing out your rules" and not regard it as one of the punkest lyrics of all time, but the rules aren't societies rules that say UK82 punks were railing against but the scene politics of the day, and who or what does and doesn't get to be ascribed or as 'punk'. Jawbreaker and Blake are pretty unequivocal: "I never was one". So, maybe fans shouldn't have been so surprised when they signed to a major after all.

That said, for all the bands protestations about not being punks - the visuals tell a different story. Gritty Super 8 B+W footage, gear being loaded into tour vans, and candid band footage shot in and out of the tour bus. I mean all it's missing is some gnarly live footage and a stage dive and all the punk music video boxes are ticked!

Also, it's interesting to note that the band only have two music videos, to my knowledge. The raw, B+W Boxcar video and the glossy Fireman video where they appear in yellow suits (!). Both great songs, but again it definitely highlight this idea of the band Pre and Post 'selling out'.

For me, as much as I love their music, I get a certain 'cakeism' when it came to their relationship with the punk / DIY scene. They got so much affirmation and a sense of community from it, whilst also feeling held back by it's conformity and the policing of behaviours and practice. They both needed the scene and wanted to transcend above it. A song like Boxcar is emblematic of this in that: it takes being part of or close to the punk scene to have the context to reject or even reference what Blake is rejecting. It's the things that are closest to home that often wind us up the most after all.

But this is all to say that these considerations of selling out which were so central to the story of Jawbreaker feel somewhat anachronistic in today's world. Maybe this is because the importance or regard people in bands and fans give to 'selling out' has lessened over the years due to the fact that the stakes are a lot lower. There's less money to go around. Jawbreaker may not have been in line for millions when they released Dear You but they might have gotten rich, but now only a select few (and not many guitar bands I would imagine) will ever get 'rich' by virtue of their music. It's hard to sell out if no one's buying I suppose.

[the-fool-who-dreams]

Reality TV: The Fabrication of “Truth” 

Reality TV presents itself as a document of unscripted real-life situations. It emerged as a prominent genre in the television scene in the early 1990s, then reached its height in the early 2000s with global franchises such as Big Brother, Survivor, and The Bachelor (Berman, 2022). Reality TV's original purpose is to provide a glimpse into real-life circumstances, claiming to capture “reality” but how much of it is truly authentic? Is reality TV just a fabrication of “truth” rather than actual reality? 

Performative Phenomenon: The Formula Behind Success

Over the past decades, the global success of Reality TV and the monetary value that comes with it has paved the way for its evolution. Reality TV no longer remains true to its purpose of documentary or social observation, but has now shifted its focus to dramatic effect (Kavka, 2018). The one element that contributes to this change is the ‘performative phenomenon’ achieved through editing and production techniques.

To facilitate dramatic effect, reality TV revolves around ‘performative phenomenon’, which “captures, modifies, reorganizes, and distributes powers of transformation” (Bratich, 2005). Reality TV is now associated with “camera-ready people (over)performing themselves in situations brimming with emotive drama”, which is guaranteed by “semi-scripted formats, on-set contrivances, and post-production editing” (Kavka, 2018). This phenomenon remains evident in the show producer's attempt to “make interventions in people’s lives, especially in formats related to ideologies of well-being, such as the makeover, dating, and re-hab shows”. Taking The Biggest Loser as an example, the show received backlash for its highly edited weight-loss transformations, where participants undergo extreme diets and emotional pressure. The show’s premise focused on the dramatic effect of the participant’s “before-after” transformation, overlooking the long-term physical and mental health consequences of rapid weight loss (Sender & Sullivan, 2008).

Beyond the show itself, reality TV participants, who were once framed as ‘ordinary people’, now transition closer to the position of a celebrity. Reality TV participants seek “attention capital accrued through dramatic appearances on reality TV”, which ‘can eventually be exchanged for other forms of capital’ (Kavka, 2018). Social media largely contributes to this matter. Social media platforms allow contestants to extend the fame gained through reality TV appearances into long-term influence by building their online personas, securing brand deals, and engaging with fans (Driessens, 2013). Shows like “Jersey Shore” and “Queer Eye” have produced several social media influencers including DJ Pauly D, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness or JWOWW, who monetize their reality TV fame through sponsorships, collaborations, and personal brands (Kavka, Harris, 2018, 2020).

Reality TV: The Impact on Real-World

It is crucial to acknowledge that not all reality TV shows are superficial and overly dramatized, there also exist shows that help shape societal norms. Several reality TV shows foster meaningful discourse by addressing relevant social issues such as gender equality, diversity, and mental health. Notable example includes Queer Eye and RuPaul’s Drag Race, which promotes the LGBTQ+ community and inclusivity, challenging gender norms through its content (Kavka, 2018). Similarly, reality TV such as “Cặp lá yêu thương” have showcased significant social impact by supporting underprivileged individuals and encouraging public participation in charitable activities. The show has supported over 3600 students with a charity fund of over 51 billion VND (Nguyen, 2020). 

Final Verdict

While certain reality TV utilize editing and producer intervention to facilitate “performative phenomenon” and manufactured drama, there also exist shows that positively influence society and promote meaningful discourse. Reality TV undeniably fabricates ‘truth’ through editing and staged moments, yet its power to drive positive impact and shape cultural conversations and social change should not be overlooked.

References

Berman, J. (2022). Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not. [online] Time. Available at: https://time.com/collection/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6199108/reality-tv-influence-on-world/ [Accessed 16 Feb. 2025].

Bratich, J.Z. (2005). ‘Nothing Is Left Alone for Too Long’. Journal of Communication Inquiry, [online] 30(1), pp.65–83. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859905281696.

Driessens, O. (2013). Celebrity capital: Redefining celebrity using field theory. Media, Culture & Society, 35(3), 309-327.

Harris, M. (2020). Reality TV stars who became Instagram influencers, ranked by followers. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/reality-tv-stars-instagram-influencers-bachelor-drag-race-kardashian-jersey-2020-3 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2025].

Kavka, M. (2018). ‘Reality TV: Its contents and discontents’, Critical Quarterly 60(4): 5-18; DOI: 10.1111/criq.12442

Nguyen, N. A. (2020). ‘Cặp lá yêu thương’ hỗ trợ hơn 3.600 học sinh khó khăn. [online] Báo Nhân Dân điện tử. Available at: https://nhandan.vn/cap-la-yeu-thuong-ho-tro-hon-3600-hoc-sinh-kho-khan-post619994.html [Accessed 16 Feb. 2025].Sender, K. and

Sullivan, M. (2008). Epidemics of will, failures of self-esteem: Responding to fat bodies in The Biggest Loser and What Not to Wear. Continuum, [online] 22(4), pp.573–584. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10304310802190046.

[castlebyersafterdark]

my cousin watched ST for the first time recently and she's a huge m/leven shipper. she said that she liked them better in s1-2 but she still likes them now. I watched final episode with her and she literally squealed over mike's monologue. when mike said, "you were wearing that yellow benny's burgers T-shirt", she was like, "awww he remembers everything 🥹"

she actually explained to me that she likes m/leven so much because she always roots for the main couple. with byler, she picked up on will liking mike during the desert scene in 4x05 and she feels really sorry for him. she wants will to find love and move on from mike in season 5. she believes that mike's aware of will's feelings and that's why they "lost their connection".

I wonder if this is the way GA usually perceive m/leven/byler situation. but also, I have another cousin who watched ST4 last year and she didn't pick up on will being gay at all. she asked me, "why was will crying in the van scene?" and when I said that will's in love with mike, she was shocked (she rewatched the whole show later and told me, "will really is in love with mike. but mike loves el")

it's just, I think it's funny that we discuss the possibility of an implied sex scene in season 5 while there is a huge number of people who believe that will's love is unrequited or don't even realise that will's gay. so my question is, do you think duffers should have made it more obvious that mike has feelings for will? I'm afraid a lot of people will be saying that byler came out of nowhere.

Being exposed to different perspectives like this is so jarring, like I can barely comprehend loving Mike's speech? Truly baffling to me but I know so many people ate that up!! Tough to even sit through it on a rewatch! That's so odd that the mindset is to just root for the main couple no matter what, just because they're on screen? Weird! But is that how most casual watchers of movies/tv consume media? Consume is the key word. Maybe it's a lack of deeper thinking or caring to dive deeper into what's happening on screen. And of course there are people who in no way ever look for the underlying truth, even well-intentioned their mind never jumps to thinking anyone is gay. Straight as default. Not even straight as default, actually, just a non-thought at all.

That's why it's such nonsense that within fandom there's infighting and discourse over head canons and theory interpretation and arguing whether it's ok to even imply anything sexual about characters etc. Because there's a big broad world out there watching the show that watches passively to the point of non-retention. Like the people who've sat through all four seasons and don't retain character names!? How!? I know I get hyper invested in stuff more than the average person but... come on.

I'm conflicted on how I think the show should have gone, because I love it so much and I'll admit part of me bristles when too much criticism is posed towards it, and I know that makes me a little naive or annoying and sensitive, but it is what it is. I think that in an ideal world, maybe this show would have flourished with more time. As in, more episodes per season. I've seen people say that's a bad idea, because storylines could be ruined or the lore could be over complicated and I've seen other people point out that television traditionally for years followed the longer format. The binge limited episode model is modern. But, advanced effects and more expenses over time - less episodes and runtime overall. Look at something like Lost with the characters and lore and supernatural and timelines. Imagine what we could have had with a format like that with Stranger Things. So, I think we're getting what we're getting based on the runtime we have. I think the Mike arc and Byler arc is being treated as part of a twist, part of a big reveal for the most impact the final season. I think looking back it'll be more obvious for people who care to rewatch to see the Mike journey play out. But not everyone cares to rewatch shows. And so be it, that's not who the shows are made for. In the immediate - the show is for everyone. In the long term - the shows are made for people like us.