#alex; please do more comedy

[askarsjustsoswedish]

Alexander Skarsgård and Omar Sy Co-presented the SAG Award for Female Actor Drama Series on 24 February 2024.  Netflix Live.

#alexander skarsgård #alexander skarsgard #omar sy #saga '24 #ajss13 #netflix live #female actor drama series #24 feb '24 #saga24 #sag awards #my screen record #ajss gifs #it #westworld #dune #haha #long post #alex; please do more comedy

[adamsmasher]

Okay it's after 1am and I've had a lot of wine so obviously it's time for a late night wall-of-text post, but this time it's less likely to piss off your weird uncle or whatever because once again, I gotta talk about the best $4.99 a month I've ever spent.

Please, if you haven't yet, I'm begging you to look into all of the incredible content available on the Dropout.tv streaming service (formerly known as College Humor) . Not only did Whose Line Is It Anyway's Wayne Brady say that the Dropout crew are the only ones doing improv comedy on the same level as Whose Line, but they were also one of the only studios/streaming services allowed to work during the writers' strike because their contracts went above and beyond industry standards. (And, from my own observations, Dropout LOVES hiring queer, trans/nonbinary, and BIPOC performers + crew. Obviously I don't know much about the industry, but they seem like one of the most inclusive companies in Hollywood.)

"Alex, thanks for the recommendation! What shows do they have that you think I'll like?" Oh, you're asking me to gush about my favorite tv shows? Don't mind if I do!!!

Are you D&D curious, but took one look at actual play shows like Critical Role and thought "6 hours an episode? and there's like 750 episodes or whatever? oh baby not my adhd ass..." Don't worry, me too (sorry CR I love you I promise). But Dropout has a show called "Dimension 20" where comedians play Dungeons and Dragons with emotional, immersive storytelling, gut-busting laughs, and spectacular set design that makes you forget it's a fully improvised series controlled by the roll of the dice. They even did a miniseries perfect for D&D beginners called "Dungeons and Drag Queens" where absolute novices and Drag Race royalty Jujubee, Monet X Change, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Bob the Drag Queen embark on an adventure full of mystery, intrigue, and stupidity. I mean, Alaska plays a muscle-bound, axe-wielding, caveman-grunting Orc named Princess, what more could you want? Plus, the primary game master Brennan Lee Mulligan is so easy on the eyes. Oh, you're not into dorky ginger dudes? How about Aabria Iyengar, a 6 foot tall goddess who's equally as nerdy as Brennan but loves basketball. that's right, if nothing else, there's eye candy for every person in every season.

"Oh, why aren't there any good game shows on TV?" you wonder, wishing that the Game Show Network could come up with something that isn't a lame remake of a free-to-play phone game. Well how about Game Changer, "the only game show where the game changes every show (except for [...] Game of Games, Taskmaster, and a few others that have come to light AFTER [Game Changer first aired]. That's right, [the] players have no idea what game it is they're about to play. The only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning." And yes, I did sit there and watch the beginning of an episode to make sure I was accurately quoting Game Changer host (and Dropout CEO) Sam Reich's description of his flaghship game show that has THREE separate spin-offs. (for context, he only mentions the other shows that copied his in the one episode I pulled up to get an accurate quote. could you imagine how uncomfortable it would be if he said that every episode? hah!)

Are you more of a traditional Whose Line fan? Look no further than Game Changer spin-off Make Some Noise, where contestants act out "improvisational prompts that [they have] never seen before, isn't that right contestants?" ("We won't know if we've seen them before or not until we see them!" Brennan insists every time he's on...)

You like musicals but wish they were less... ya know, scripted? Check out "Play It By Ear", a fully improvised musical! (you may be familiar with its primary cast members Jess McKenna and Zach Reino from the podcast that inspired it all, "Off Book: the Improvised Musical Podcast with Zach and Jess")

Or maybe you're more into trivia, cuz you're a total nerd like me (and every single performer that's ever appeared on dropout.tv). How about "Umm, Actually" where contestants are given an incorrect statement and have to buzz in to correct it - but you have to say "Umm, Actually" first!

Straight up, you can't go wrong on Dropout. Please, check it out. They're nearly doubling the amount of original shows they have in 2024, and no other streaming service is doing it like them. If I haven't convinced you yet, get the 7 day trial and give em a chance. There's no referral code I can give you that gives me some sort of kickback or whatever, I genuinely wrote what looks like a thousand word essay about Dropout at 1am just because I love them so much.

#dropout.tv #umm actually #dimension 20 #make some noise #game changer #brennan lee mulligan #aabria iyengar #for a late night wine-fueled rant on a broken keyboard i think this went well #actually i feel so guilty about my CR dig because i loved Exandria Calamity so much so please dont yell at me #also google said quiddie is exactly 6 feet i hope i did her justice

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/27/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Adopt Our Crew - Adopt Our Quiz!; Queerties Reminder; Cast & Crew Sightings; How to Help W/New Stuff; Hunt for The Pirate Home Twitter Watch Party; Articles; OurFlagMakesADifference; Love Notes; Goofy Shit For Morale

== Adopt Our Crew ==

Had some fun stuff going on across the platforms today with Adopt Our Quiz hosted by @adoptourcrew! You can still go do them! I'm including them here for those who don't have the platforms. Ordered from left to right 1, 2, 3. You can see the answers here on twitter (which have cool animations)

Answers below in picture form:

Twitter Thread Instagram Story

== Queerties ==

Just a reminder to vote for the Queerties if you're up for it!

TV Comedy Best TV Performance Wanna help another Taika/Rhys verse Queertie? Vote for Kaimana for Best Film Performance in Next Goal Wins!

== Cast And Crew Sightings ==

It's the weekend so as you can imagine there aren't many sightings. Definitely some personal stuff posted but nothing campaign related so I'll leave it out. Couple things I didn't know you could do was look at peoples likes on twitter, and now I know how to be a proper stalker if I ever wanna get into that kinda thing, which I don't, let me tell you. That being said, these are to make people feel warm fuzzies so here we are! Alex Sherman is out here liking our tweets all over the place! He's been doing it for days, just sweet to see the support.

Kristian Nairn sending love and support to fans on their art!

== How To Help ==

How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US

How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US

Some new stuff added to our usual How to Help Lists, feel free to check them out!

== Talking About the shows Creativity ==

If you wanna talk about the shows creativity, referencing some of the awesome show-crew like Ra Vincent, Production Designer for OFMD can be great! Here's Ra Vincent's site Great inspiration and pictures to use to show off to the networks. Please be sure to credit them just like anything else you're using. Other great crew members for inspiration: Gypsy Taylor Costume Designer/Stylist!

== RADIO! ==

Some awesome new suggestions from @AdoptACrew Check out the thread here. Link to the NPR suggestion site: Here

== Reminder - Twitter Watch Party ==

=HuntForThePirateHome=

HuntForThePirateHome Watch Party Starts Sunday Jan 28 at 3 PM EST, 12 PT, 8 PM GMT. Hashtags for that event are:

#HuntForThePirateHome

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

== Petition Update ==

We hit 82,000!! Definitely things slowing down, but I think in generally we're focusing more on going after specific platforms (not saying more signatures isn't good, just saying we seem to have shifted priorities)

== Articles ==

I didn't see any new articles today, but I did see one I didn't notice the other day so I'm including it now:

Why Our Flag Means Death’s Cancellation Should Make You Angry

==OurFlagMakesADifference==

I had a couple people ask about what's going on with some fan led Palestine Efforts so I'm linking the current thread from Our Flag Makes A Differences Resource thread on Twitter. I know there is a great tumblr thread but tumblr search sucks so please share it with me if you have it!

== Love Notes ==

Just a little reminder for tonight--- you deserve happiness. You deserve kindness, and grace and you deserve a break from all the stressors that bug you on a day to day basis. Sometimes it's other people who can give you that break, and sometimes the only person who can give it to you is you. If you can, talk a little nicer to yourself today, give yourself a little extra time curled up in bed, or watch an extra episode of your favorite show. Remember to give yourself some love too, lovelies. You deserve it. You're gonna be okay.

== Goofy Shit for Morale ==

So I'm gonna combine a couple things tonight and end tonight with some fun goofy shit also feat. Rhys, Samba, and Taika

@buckrogers2491's post

Alright, night lovelies! Let me know if I missed something or made any mistakes! (I think I double checked everything this time!)

#ofmd daily recap #ofmd daily recaps #ofmd #save ofmd #renew our flag means death #hoist the ads #be a lighthouse #adopt our crew #renew as a crew #our flag means death #stede bonnet #gentlebeard #edward teach #blackbonnet #save our flag means death #Instagram #Youtube

[televised-uhhh-nerdistry]

in awe over the fact that community truly knows how to pack a punch. in season 3, episode 17, “basic lupine urology”, the show once again makes a parody, just like it has for the past three seasons. the entire episode is law and order based, and it every single joke is seamlessly written and performed, like genuinely the whole thing is perfect. the serious tone of law and order, coupled with the absurdity of the show, it works so well! by the end of the episode, despite the jokes, and despite the parody, the show manages to create a tone that is far more sombre and dramatic than most episodes so far. when the call about star burns’ (his name is alex) death comes in, it feels surreal, it feels genuinely heartbreaking, and it feels utterly different than the rest of the show.

they used the entire sombre setup, despite it being parodical, to force their last line to pack a ginormous punch. of course, the end credits scene show that the cast is back to their usual shenanigans, effectively breaking the soap-opera esque episode that they had just aired. it’s their way of saying “hey friends, thanks for watching, here’s a cookie”. and i eat that shit up every time!!

by the time they craft another parody of a serious crime related media, they manage to do the exact same thing over a season later while still making it fresh and new. in season 5, episode 3, “basic intergluteal numismatics”, they opt for a parody of david fincher’s “seven”, and if i’m being real here, i know next to nothing about the film other than its general premise. however, they still manage to use the same formula, while accomplishing something brand new. here, they use the sombre and serious tone to once again deliver bad news in a way that packs a punch. it’s their way of saying “we’re a comedy show, but we can go toe to toe with all the academy award winners if we so please”. but this time, they follow through on the storyline introduced in basic lupine urology: star burns. he’s alive and well, and they incorporate him seamlessly back into the show as if he never left. they set up his death perfectly, then use his death to set up arguably the biggest storyline in the series, before resolving it with what is simultaneously the most serious and the most silly resolution possible. then, just when you are comfortable in the show’s parody seriousness, they do it again! they lure you into a false sense of security and introduce another major character death without it feeling like a cliche or a repeat scenario.

man i love community

#community #jeff winger #annie edison #britta perry #pierce hawthorne #troy barnes #abed nadir #troy and abed #shirley bennett #starburns #my name is alex #television #perfection #the writers knew what they were doing #so good #in awe #in awe tbh #i love community #dean pelton #i love this show #best show ever #best show of all time

[jmagnabo92]

Funny Moments of Others with First Prince

Here's a list (in no particular order of funny moments of others with regards to First Prince):

Cash opening the door of the supply closet: "This looks Cozy" - "Yep, we're really Bonding."

Bromance Alerts - Comment "OMFG, Make Out Already."

Luns: "Instead, let's talk about your little European vacation. Can I expect a joint Christmas present from you and the Prince this year." Alex avoids it, later, "Okay, okay. He's a looker, huh?" "Yeah, I mean, if you're into, like, fairy tail princes." "Is anyone not?" "I'm not." "Right."

Alex calls on Christmas. Apologizes and goes to hang up. Henry: "Alex, Christ. It's fine. It's half two here, everyone's gone to bed. Except Bea. Say hi, Bea. "Hi Alex! Henry's got his candy-cane Jim-jams on -" "That's quite enough."

Later, June: "Oh my god, Alex, you made a friend!" ... "I'm so proud of you." "... He's not my friend..." ... "Nope. Tell me everything about your new best friend, who a royal. That's so bougie of you. Who would have guessed it? Omg this is like all those romantic comedies where the girl hires a male escort to pretend to be her wedding date and then falls in love with him for real." "That is not at all what this is like."

June's reaction to the Polo Match: "I'm sorry, Zahra said you're bailing on the fund-raiser this weekend because you're going to a polo match in Connecticut?" "Listen, I'm trying to keep up a geopolitical public relations ruse here." "Dude, people are writing fan fiction about ya'll -" "Yeah, Nora sent me that." " - I think you can give it a rest." "The Crown wants me there!" (in his thoughts, Alex notes a look that he should be concerned about if he wasn't thinking about Henry's mouth.

At the match. Amy: "I don't like that look. You look... sweaty." "I'm gonna go, uh, say hi to Henry." "Please don't elaborate." "Yeah, I know. Plausible deniability." "I don't know what you possibly mean." "Sure. Yep." "Enjoy your summit with the English delegation."

Zahra sends him a link to the "Best Bromance Ever" and writing "Good work, you little shit." Oh, Zahra, if only you knew.

Alex's Hickey. Zahra: "Is that a Hickey?" "I... um, no?" "Do I look stupid to you, Alex? Who is giving you hickeys and why have you not gotten them to sign an NDA." "OMG, if I needed an NDA, you would know. Chill." Zahra does not appreciate being told to Chill and goes onto threaten him.

Pez answering Alex's phone call to Henry. "Alexander, babes. How lovely for you to give your auntie Pezza a ring on this magnificent Sunday Morning." "Hi Pez, where are y'all?" "We are out for a drive, taking in the scenery of Carmarthenshire. Say Good Morning to your strumpet, Henry." "Good Morning, strumpet. What's got you up at four in the morning this time?" ... later, Alex gets Henry to say the name of where he's staying and Pez says, "I was hoping you two would start talking dirty, please do go on."

There's more but this is long. This book is just so funny.

#RWRB #Red white and royal blue book #red white and royal blue #alex claremont diaz #hrh prince henry #first prince #june claremont diaz #princess beatrice #Pez #Zahra #Cash #Amy Chen

[jefferson-starkid]

An incomplete list of things I loved about the RWRB movie

First and foremost he total of TWO (2) lil bicep kisses Henry gives Alex (my hearttt I will never shut up about this)

Their faces when Alex gets cake on Henry’s coat

That whole scene actually. Comedy gold

Zahra straight up attacking Alex with a pillow for being an idiot

Alex looking and acting like a 10 year old petulant child during the whole hospital closet scene lol

Heny’s little voice crack when he says “I didn’t say ‘get me out of here’ I said ‘I need to get out of here’ there is a difference” BABY

on that note you don't wanna know the amount of times I said 'oh baby' to Henry during this movie :(

The eyelashes thing making it in there even though it’s not henry who says it in the movie but idc because Taylor Zakhar Perez your eyelashes sir

Alex actually grabbing Henry’s hips at the party to show him how to dance WE LOVE A BOOK ACCURATE MOMENT

On that note GET LOW

And Henry saying ‘Did he say ‘sweat drops down my balls?’ I hollered I love that moment in the book

Henry’s lost puppy look when Alex kisses the girls

Nick Galitzine managing to perfectly portray Henry’s mannerisms in the first kiss scene ‘Henry’s whole face grimaces in frustration, his eyes casting skyward like they’re searching for help from an uncaring universe.’ Like he did that perfectly

Zahra being the iconic queen she is

“You’ve been wanting him to dick you down forever”

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE RED ROOM:

the Alexander Hamilton portrait good job movie

Alex being nervous and not knowing how to stand when waiting for Henry (ik in the book this detail was after the state dinner in his room, but idc I love that they at least kept it in this way)

SHUT UP STOP TALKING

Henry’s horrified little moment of realization when he sees Alex isn’t actually gonna yell at him for kissing him but he’s actually into this like Nick Galitzine your face sir!!! It’s so soft and sad and adorable arrgghhh

The detail of Alex hitching Henry’s tigh up around him like in the book

Amy’s ‘oh god!’ when she walks in on them

Henry immediately pretending to inspect the book case and Alex randomly playing with the flowers all ‘ACT NATURAL’ lol that made me cackle

Henry’s face as he leaves Alex’s room and lingers in the doorway a bit to just…stare at him UGH

The rich white people sex dungeon scene with the polo and alex just shamelessly thirsting after Henry lol

PARIS

“Who says ‘make love’ anymore? Are we like gonna listen to Lana Del Rey while we do it?” PLEASE

That sex scene was handled with so much care. It was so soft and sensual and they worked their asses off to show their connection and it paid off lemme tell u everyone say ‘thank you intimacy coordinator’

Like I could talk for 45 minutes about that hand shot alone

How small Henry looks lying on his side next to Alex afterwards

FIRST BICEP KISS everyone say thank you whoever wrote that in the script

Henry’s disorientated ‘sgoingon?’ when Zahra wakes them up lol just like the book

EVERYTHING ZAHRA SAYS after she finds Henry in the literal closet

You could feel the ‘Zahra does not appreciate being told to chill’ radiating off of her Sarah Shahi you absolute genius

Their faces when ‘oh and I told my sister!’ :D ‘Oh I didn’t know that!’ :D ‘Yeah she was really happy for us’ ‘I can’t wait to see her again she’s real-‘ “OKAY SHUT UP THE BOTH OF YOU” lol Zahra is going THROUGH it

‘Would it make any difference if I told you not to see him again?’ ‘No.’ he said that so fast I’m gonna cry

Zahra calling Henry Little Lord Fuckleroy

Ellen at least mentioning the powerpoint even though they didn’t show it

Ellen giving alex the Queer Talk™

On that note ‘the B isn’t silent’ making it in there is so important to me as a bi person

Alex reading One Last Stop

I am NOT singing karao-

Cut to henry singing karaoke

HE DID IT HE SANG DON’T STOP ME NOW and he’s all smiley and real and open and Alex noticing it and falling more in love by the second

On that note Taylor Zakhar Perez your face sir

The lake scene (SECOND BICEP KISS HOLLAA)

On the deck when Henry is slowly realizing what Alex is trying to say (aka ‘I love you) and nick’s face just goes so desperately soft as he starts to understand that this means he’ll have to leave Alex and then his face just slowly closes off like NICK GALITZINEs FACE ACTING don’t talk to meee

That little moment afterwards that Henry spends underwater with his hand on his heart just…ACHING. Ugh someone kill me

Henry is my absolute baby can you tell

David first appearing. A real ‘and everyone cheered’ moment even though the scene is heartbreaking

‘Do you love him?’ ‘What difference would it make if I did?’ and then that sad barely there smile *insert captain Holt ‘PAAAIIINNNNN’ gif here*

“I stormed a fucking castle to look you in the eye and tell you that I love you, knowing that you wouldn’t say it back. So no, Henry, in fact, this is costing me everything.” LORD

”I can love you and want you and still not want that life. I’m allowed, all right? And it doesn’t make me a liar. It makes me a man with some infinitesimal shred of self-preservation, and you don’t get to come here and call me a coward for it” is one of my favourite passages in the book and I am so fucking happy they kept it. Nick slayed that scene

In fact their acting in that whole sequence was amazing

“tell me to go” NOOOO I love that they kept it but it’s so sadddd

The fact that they actually filmed in the V&A

Henry mentioning dreaming of dancing there with a person he loved and Alex wasting zero time putting on a song (cry emoji)

Henry giving Alex his signet ring like in the book, but then them adding that Alex gives Henry his key in return I AM UNWELL

That little montage of cute intimate moments between A&H during Alex’ speech

YAYYYY they kept the Zahra and Shaan subplot

“Yeah I thought you might see it our way, I’ll hold” QUEEN ZAHRA

BABY

BABY

BABY

BABYYY

And then Henry’s little breathless ‘Alex?’ STOPPPP

I’m serious baby making it into the film had me WEAK I had to pause for a full 30 seconds to scream into my pillow

Running towards each other on the stairs :’)

PLAYING PIANO TOGETHER AAAAAA

“I’m white and upper class so my affection comes with strings” lol at least he's self aware

The hand holding during the meeting with he king

“I love you”  “I love you more “  “I think that’s up for debate”

Henry wearing the tie with the yellow roses of Texas :’)

In conclusion was the movie perfect? No! did I still love it? Yes!

#rwrb #rwrb movie #rwrb spoilers #nicholas galitzine #taylor zakhar perez #casey mcquiston #red white and royal blue

[welcometololaland]

Lola! Tell me about #8 please? I read red room and I'm hooked already!

sakdjh thank you so much for asking about this. so it's very rogue and literally none of it is written but (hear me out) @celeritas2997 and I were subjecting ourselves to the cinematic...adventure that is 50 shades of grey (the original), and as you can imagine we were not paying 100% attention, largely because we were doing a lot of shit talking (i mean, have y'all ever PAUSED on the contract scene?? that contract is formatted so weirdly).

anyway, we came up with this incredibly stupid fic premise where henry is the mysterious bachelor who is managing an arm of mountchristen enterprises (much to his dismay), and june, a journalism major, is sent to interview him. it's a very exclusive interview because henry hates giving interviews, largely because he doesn't WANT HIS JOB, but of course our june (the legend that she is) gets one. alex knows how much this means to june, and so when she falls ill and can't attend the interview, alex JUST DECIDES TO GO INSTEAD (rip june) (this is an actual plot point from 50 shades, like hands up if you would kill your roommate because i would).

alex goes rogue in the interview ofc (see: the real line in 50 shades where anastasia asks christian point blank if he is GAY), but henry is kinda charmed by him and so asks him out for dinner.

alex, having unfortunately been subjected to the movie that is 50 shades of grey (is this very meta? the answer is yes. will it contain commentary on 50 shades of grey? absolutely), becomes convinced that henry is in fact christian-lite and starts asking about red rooms and whips and henry has to be like 'okay so 50 shades is in fact a terrible indictment on the bdsm community and also i am not christian grey' but unfortunately this only makes alex more intrigued and THINGS GO FROM THERE.

IT IS CRACK. IT IS COMEDY. IT IS SHIT TALKING ON 50 SHADES. IT IS PROBABLY AS UNHINGED AS MACFISH.

i rest my case xoxoxoxo

(sorry that you asked a perfectly normal question and this is what i gave you, i hope you still like me after this 💜😭🙏)

#50 shades crack fic #rwrb #firstprince #badly summarised wips

[that-ari-blogger]

A Throne Of Ash And Dust (Echoes Of The Past)

How do you characterise a joke character?

Perhaps they have specific idiosyncrasies that drive them to making silly decisions. Maybe they have repeated blindspots that cause them to take the complicated rout when the simple would have been safer.

My favourite way is this: The character repeatedly cold guesses plot beats of the story, and nobody, not even the character, realises the significance of this. TV Tropes calls this the "Joke and Recieve", and it is almost entirely built on dramatic irony.

But dramatic irony isn't always funny. It's a tool that can be used to create some truly agonising stories, including Echoes Of The Past.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (The Owl House, One Piece: Enies Lobby, Romeo And Juliet, Four Weddings and a Funeral)

Throughout season one of The Owl House, King was written as the comedic side character. This is partly why I rarely mentioned him in these posts, his antics were usually thematically relevant, but not the main event of an episode, and there is little I can analyse from well made jokes.

But comedy is difficult to write, and even more difficult to act. So, when comedians get to act dramatically, they usually make that part of the job look easy. Essentially, Alex Hirsch is really good at his job, and to prove that, I'm going to dive straight in and talk about the revelation scene.

"You're all just making fun of me, like usual, right?"

This line read is phenomenal. You don't have to understand the words he is saying to understand the inner turmoil that this character is experiencing, and the hyperventilating is a genius touch.

The framing of King in this shot is fascinating. Luz is knelt down like she is reaching for a scared child, or a wild animal. Fitting for addressing a character who's entire sense of self has just been eviscerated. King meanwhile is small and frail, with his arms and tail squeezed in to make his silhouette tiny within the frame.

Meanwhile, a Dutch Angle of the shot (the horizon line is slanted) gives an unsteady vibe the scene, while simultaneously cramping Luz in to make her look bigger by comparison and doing the reverse with King to continue his isolation.

Between them, in the foreground, there is the broken piece of his horn, pulling double duty for two different themes. First, it separates King from Luz. Second, it highlights the injury that King's psyche has just suffered.

Finally, King is clinging to his self image. He is desperate to believe that he is both a king and a little guy. He is the underdog who people make fun of, but who is right in the end. But he can't believe that anymore.

The foundation of King's character and comedy was that he was either right and everyone else's misunderstanding produced the dramatic irony that makes it funny, or he was delusional, and the irony was instead derived from that.

In this season, we get two revelations about this dichotomy, and the first is the gut punch. King abruptly realises that he has been wrong all this time, and that hurts him, and by proxy, it hurts the audience.

How do you characterize a tragic character?

Perhaps they have specific idiosyncrasies that drive them to making silly decisions. Maybe they have repeated blindspots that cause them to take the complicated rout when the simple would have been safer.

My favourite way is this: The character repeatedly cold guesses plot beats of the story, and nobody, not even the character, realises the significance of this.

If you don't understand my point here, please go and read the introduction of this post again.

The line between comedy and tragedy is razor thin. If a character is funny, their idiosyncrasies are called comedic traits, or blindspots, or jokes. If a character isn't funny, those same traits become tragic flaws, hamartia, and foreshadowing for their doom.

Both types of story work in similar ways, they feature a long build up, and then a turning point in which every plot thread comes crashing down in either a display of humour, or an agonising train wreck. Often it is difficult to know what you are watching until that peripetia (the punchline) hits.

Case and point, Romeo and Juliet is a romantic comedy until Act Three. Romeo is an idiot who makes ridiculously stupid decisions in the first moments of the play, something that is called out in story. He is a starstruck lover who can't bring himself to look at the world around him, leading to him meeting Juliet and marrying her in quick succession, which causes antics. He's the type of character who Hugh Grant was born to play.

But then that same impulsivity causes him to get Mercutio killed, and kill Tybalt, Paris, and then himself. All of the tragic events of the story could have been avoided if Romeo had thought with his head and not his... I'm not going to finish that sentence.

This isn't a bug in the story at all, its the entire point. The idea of a tragedy is that the flaws cause the story. Those folks who complain into the ether about why characters making illogical discissions is a plot hole are, in my most humble of opinions, wrong about how stories work.

I don't believe in genre.

Well, that's not entirely true. A more nuanced explanation would be that I don't believe writing for a specific genre is worth it. Genre is a means of categorisation, for agents and libraries to arbitrarily seperate stories to allow for ease of access.

A genre exists so that a reader who likes specific stories can better explain what they are looking for. Instead of saying "I like books with the falling in love stuff and the will they won't they drama", a person can say "I like romance books" and leave it at that. Ease of access at the behest of accuracy.

But at what point does a romcom become just a regular romance story? How many explosions are needed to make something into a thriller?

My point is that trying to write within a specific genre isn't worth the struggle, and some of the best stories out there bend genre conventions entirely.

I mentioned Hugh Grant, though, and that's not just for the obvious reason. Four Weddings and a Funeral, a film that Grant starred in in 1994, makes my point for me.

Four Weddings and a Funeral is a comedy (kinda) about a collective of friends going to a series of weddings and seeing people they really don't want to see. They talk about how none of them have found their own love in the end, and comedy is derived from the obliviousness of Charles (Hugh Grant's character), and the over extroverted nature of Gareth (Played by Simon Callow).

Unfortunately, when Gareth's antics cause him overextend himself and he suffers a heart attack, that obliviousness turns tragic as Charles finally realises the true nature of the relationship Gareth had with Mathew (Played by John Hannah).

"Yes, it's odd, isn't it? All these years we've been single and proud of it and never noticed that two of us were, in effect, married all this time."

But then the film pivots back into being funny with the final wedding, which goes about as chaotically as the rest of the film. It's a story about enjoying the moment you are in and taking what life gives you with the understanding that it won't last forever. One of the film's theses is that something being short lived makes it more precious, and having elements of both tragedy and comedy in there really heightens that message.

As a side note, if you haven't seen this film, please do. There is a reason that Stop All The Clocks is so iconic, and it is this film. Please watch it, it's good.

King's arc had me worried when I first heard about it. I was late to The Owl House, starting watching when season two was already out. And so, the friends that I had who had already seen the series spoke really highly of "what the show does with King".

The problem came from my preconceptions. In my experience, when a piece of media tries to do something with a comedic character to give them more plot significance, that character gets murked about halfway through the process. I have seen this happen enough times for it to get stale.

But, you will notice, they don't do this with King. Instead, they give him context, and they reframe his character. All they do is make him matter.

That there is the key to how to make a comedic character heartfelt. All you have to do is take them seriously, and you can keep the comedy while fully embracing the emotional depth of the story.

In One Piece, Usopp is easily one of the most human of the main characters. He isn't a great swordsman or a devil fruit wielder, he's human, and he knows it.

Usopp is also the single most insecure character in the entire cast, and that is what I want to link to King, because the way in which Usopp is given depth is really interesting. At all times, he is taken fully seriously.

Usopp's comedy comes from a place of fear. He is a liar who specialises in the Joke and Recieve style of storytelling to the point where it has become a running meme in the One Piece fanbase. But that was rarely explored until Enies' Lobby, when the straw hat's ship was wrecked and going to be left behind.

Suddenly, all of those jokes, all of those incongruities, find a reason. Usopp is afraid of everything but is most afraid of being left behind, something that I am willing to bet money will come up again when the Straw Hats finally meet back up with the Red Hair Pirates.

Context.

King gets this too, his comedy comes from a place of ambition, and a genuine belief in his own past. This episode rips that out from underneath him, and so he needs to redefine himself in relation to the world around him, and so his comedy needs to rebuild itself too.

From the moment the characters set foot on the island, this episode takes itself entirely seriously. There is no laughing at characters, no wasted space at all. This episode knows what it is doing.

This episodes' use of light is phenomenal as well. Light illuminates, and combined with the motif of an obscuring fog, the thematic of revealed secrets could not be more obvious. They also, however, create a style that reminds me of the luminism of baroque paintings, which leans into the historical nature of this episode.

You will notice in later episodes that King makes fewer jokes than usual, and that difference is part of the emotional core of this season.

Now that I think about it, this season of The Owl House has a lot of characters trying to redefine themselves. Eda with her lack of powers, Lilith with her new allegiances, The Golden Guard with his storyline, and King.

We will see how that goes.

Final Thoughts

I am finally getting back into the swing of things with these posts. I took a break to go to a family wedding overseas, and then got back and had a few mental health complications. But I'm all better now, and ready to go.

King's story is a key part of season two of The Owl House, and this episode is pretty much the reason for him being a fan favourite character. Up until now he was funny, but with a hint of quirkiness. But from now on, this is a fully dramatic role, and Alex Hirsch nails it completely.

Also, I have to get this out of my system because I am way too proud of this joke. The title of this post is a reference to a generic book title (a _ of _ and _), as well as a song by Imagine Dragons, because King is the King of Demons. Admittedly, its a reference to Radioactive, but it still counts, right?

Next week, I will be taking a look at Keeping Up Afearances, an episode that I have mixed feelings about. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #character analysis #what's so special about...? #the owl house #toh #the owl house king #toh king #one piece #one piece usopp #four weddings and a funeral

[speedierthanasubmarine]

Season 2

God, I’m vacillating between feeling ambivalent and downright antagonistic about this show rn

Before I begin, lemme explain two things about me and watching shows:

A) I don’t really care about the genre or type of a show; I enjoy any kind of show as long as it can commit to being itself. my issue is when there’s some sort of dissonance (or worse, gaslighting) between what the show thinks it is and what I’m being shown on screen: if something is a comedy then let it be a comedy. Have some serious scenes but keep the overall tone comedic or it’s not a comedy anymore. If you want me to take it seriously I will, but if you then don’t take it seriously and then try and twist it around that’s when I begin to get pissed off. (My biggest gripe with episode 3 of this season) Also please just be what you are. If you decide you want to be something else that’s fine, but then commit to it. If you say you are something and act like something else but then continue to reinforce that you are the initial thing you claimed to be it makes me want to clean out my ears with a chainsaw.

2) I can vibe and enjoy anything I watch as long as you don’t break my immersion. Ik this is a pretentious statement for commentators on YouTube to shout but hear me out; I will consume media as though it’s almost a documentary or an in person experience. I will pretty much accept anything the characters or setting gives me as long as the show can make me believe it is the characters and setting giving them to me. The issue begins when I stop wondering what’s going on with characters and their inner worlds and start wondering what’s going on with the production staff; IE instead of my brain going “Oh my God what is blitzo thinking, that was ridiculous” it goes “Oh my God what was Viv thinking that was ridiculous” this will occur when the plot stops feeling like an actual sequence of events and starts feeling like something my students tell me to justify why they didn’t do their homework

I understand these are more of me issues than Viv ones but this post will partially be explaining why this season didn’t work for me on a personal level and will be why I don’t think certain aspects worked on a critical, technical, and objective level. Sorry if I ramble

To start off with positives the voice work in this show is freakin stellar. I don’t know how or why but Stolas’s voice actor has stolen the season, the random cracks and squawks making him sound even more bird like than ever. Stella actually also has that quality and it’s really neat they also found a bird woman. Two of my favorite lines are when he screams for the divorce in E1 (that squawk sounded like an actual bird, are we sure this guy is not a bird?!) and when he exclaims “FUCK” when blitz bites him, my words cannot articulate all the emotions I can hear conveyed in that single word. Alex Brightman (shocker) also absolutely slays Fizz and his delivery kept a smile on my face throughout some of the most difficult times in the show. Additionally Stolas’s dad (AKA FRIGGING JAFAR) saying “stop your bitch crying” is my new favorite thing ever

The animation was just as vibrant and awesome as ever and I want to highlight episode 3’s fight sequence with Millie because it was crisp as a crisp and the 3D shot of Moxxie threatening his dad, I remember seeing that and whistling aloud, that was a fantastic sequence and the animation was by far the best part of the episode for me.

The songs this time just didn’t hit as hard as the first for me, but this is completely subjective. my favorite one this time around was Look at this; Alex Brightman made that song genuinely delightful and I lost it when he started just saying shit in Italian, that song is so funny

Ozzie and Fizz are very cute, I enjoyed bits of them. I also love how this is so not how I’m used to hearing either of their voices, it’s rather like watching the Rock and RDJ being in a loving relationship, it’s just so random and jarring I think it loops back around to working and I enjoy that.

Viv is a fantastic technical director with amazing ideas and concepts, my issues lie with her writing, execution, and lack of professionalism.

Ive seen a lot of people say that the relationships in this season frustrated them because there doesn’t seem to be any continuity from episode to episode and each one seems to return to the status quo by the end with no impact on the overall story, except I didn’t really have an issue with this. In season 1 there was no continuity! Moxxie went through the same character arc in 3 different episodes! There was a new antagonist introduced in almost each episode; Fizz, Verosica, CHERUB, Stryker, DHORKS, and Ozzie, and barring fizz none of them connected to each other, so I kinda assumed that there was just no continuity in this show and that it’s all just kinda go with the flow good old fashioned fun; in the same way Ever After High was a show where they just kept repeating the same stuff over and over but like who cares, it’s a fun show. This didn’t bother me at all. But then the show started contradicting itself… all of a sudden there was continuity. What? stuff was brought back from previous episodes, Moxxies dad, Stryker, Ozzie, events that transpired were referenced, but only certain ones, wtf?! Wait a minute… If there is continuity in the show, then my whole explanation is worthless! NEVER MIND (?!)

Whatever, that’s plot contrivances, and honestly more of a me issue, I’m not watching this show for the plot (even though yes I am but whatever) who the hell watches shows for plot, I can get past that, the vibes are still there, right? I can still enjoy the zany chill vibes? The comedic tone?! WRONG! I mean, some of them are still there, which imo made it worse,but then the show started to bring in very somber and serious moments, character building, then subsequent character assassination (honestly what tf was episode 5) and then out of nowhere some sort of backstory and themes while still maintaining that it’s an episodic comedy and ow, my neck hurts from all this whiplash. Dear Helluva Boss: Are you a comedy or not, are you episodic or not, are your characters real people or not? Pick a tone Show, make up your mind. To illustrate this I’m going to point to the (sigh) Dildos/“Im bisexual” scene in episode 3 and contrast it with the Angel’s dressing room scene in hazbin episode 4. Both scenes are in shows that are meant to be more lighthearted and comedic yet within them there is heavy subject matter being portrayed. but in the case of hazbin E4 it took its subject matter seriously, so in the scene with Val and Angel they played it completely straight and so subsequently it hit hard. To illustrate further, in S1 E6 moxxies tripping balls song (god I miss season 1) despite it being a more emotional scene than usual the entire show was committed to being played for laughs, no one is playing the scene seriously, including moxxie. Blitzes portion of the song is played completely straight by everyone involved, it being cartoonish isn’t comedic, it’s messy and hellish, the result makes it hit harder because both scenes are consistent with themselves which is the the key here. (I bring up this scene because some can point out that the Hazbin one had Amazon to help regulate whereas this is an indie project and therefore has more room for error, but in this hypothetical argument I follow up with this point I should have used initially. Will I go back and delete the Hazbin part of my argument? No.) The scene in E3S2 opts not to do that, with moxxie playing the scene completely seriously and everyone else around him acting like parodies. It was like he was in the wrong show. (I thought it felt weird and disjointed and I just hated that whole episode.) If it’s a joke, play it as a joke, and it could have been a funny joke! If it’s not a joke treat it with the same severity as Val and Angel in E4 of hazbin, because the subject you’re portraying is heavy. If she had picked a lane you could have had either a really strong scene as you had with Angel Dust or a very dark comedic scene as you had with the Imps trying to convince an old man to kill himself in season 1. The end product is the best of no worlds

womp womp

The whole season kinda suffers from this issue, which is what really brought it down for me. I guess this is subjective, but it feels like I have an objective point in here I’m not verbalizing well. If you want to help out, go for it in the comments.

Another thing that this season fell short on: PACING. The scene where Fizz signs to the little deaf kid (wait a minute why is this kid in hell WHAT DID YOU DO-) was adorable. I paused the show and texted my friend about how cute the scene was and the second I pressed play I am just SMASHED with the annoying troll guy and I got whiplash. My neck really hurts guys please stop doing that. This was the most egregious example of bad pacing, but the whole show suffers from it. Let your moments breathe, please, allow the audience to enjoy them, I promise we’re not going anywhere. And if someone wants to argue “they had no time, they had to get as much crammed in as possible” I’m going to point to the scene where Ozzie is in his dildo factory making dildos for 40 seconds. The scene did nothing and told us nothing, if you can have shit like that you can add 3 seconds for us to breathe after emotional scenes. The pacing is just generally shite throughout the season. A friend of mine pointed out that because this is a crowd funded indie project there’s no guarantee how many episodes Viv will have so in order to make the story work she has to cram as much as possible into each episode so she can have proper setup for her story. This argument doesn’t work on either side. If she doesn’t know how many episodes she’s going to have so she’s trying to cram as much as she can in as little time as possible than why don’t any of the episodes seem to be building any sort of connectivity or narrative? Why do new things keep being introduced on top of each other with no explanation or lasting effects? Why all the time meandering with stuff that means nothing if you’re pressed for time, every episode should be connected and concise. If this really were the case, every episode would be like E7S1, with not a moment spent on anything else. Maybe she thinks that’s what she’s doing, and she’s just doing it badly. If that’s the case then again, this is worthless and never mind. However If it is an episodic show with no plot… then why such a rush? Why the heavy content? Why the lack of comedy? Why the mini plots? why isn’t every episode just a chill time with filler arcs? Why all the world building and setups? Why the random stakes? On top of that, if it does have a plot, just not the one I was expecting or promised in season one, IE: the business and any of the related villains, then you’ve wasted my time and taken a shart on my shoes because that’s what you advertised! This show is about a boss! It’s in the title! You telling a story then switching to telling a worse story and then saying it doesn’t matter because you’re not telling any story regardless but then saying “stay tuned because the good story I was telling might matter soon in this new not story I’m currently bullshitting my way through” is JJ Abram’s storytelling IE fuckery. I don’t fuck around with fuckery. This is an objective criticism, this show fails as both a story and non story kind of show.

Additionally we have lost the plot in terms of a story engine here which tbh kinda frustrates me. I remember really liking the premise of the show; I cared about them building up a business, that was why i continued to watch it! But womp womp once again, there is no more of that in this show, barring one episode. Let that sink in. there was 1 episode in this whole ass season that actually was related to the effing premise and it wasn’t even very funny! Yes, the idea of them trying to find the murderer has potential but they didn’t execute it well. This is both subjective and objective, because objectively not giving the product you advertised is kinda shitty, and subjectively I don’t like what I received as a substitute.

My criticism is not boiling down to “She should have done it like this idea I had!” Because that’s not valid criticism, that’s just being butthurt that a creator didn’t read your mind when making her show. There are lots of people that are doing that, and that’s not how you critique media. “imagine how much stronger this could have been if my headcannon was cannon” is not a criticism, that’s a weak wishful statement, so please don’t take what I say as that. I’m giving actual constructive criticism, not “put me on your writing staff because I’m better at it than you” criticism. I think this was the point she was trying to make with the troll character in Episode 7. Shoddy execution, but a good point nonetheless.

In conclusion, I wrote this whole ass novel on this show because I loved it. I’m sad that season 2 turned out to be what it was. A friend of mine said I shouldn’t approach criticizing this show like an actual show because it’s not one, it’s an indie project, and I don’t think that’s fair. Every piece of art should be held to the same standard because everything had capacity to be great, whether made by a massive studio or an indie group. Every piece of art is a form of communication, and I think Viv has something to say, which is why I refuse to give her exemption. Her work deserves to be paid attention, and subsequently, her work deserves to be approached with the same amount of critical thinking and nuance that I apply to everything. She deserves to be taken seriously, which I did. I hope I got my point across well.

#ash #thoughts #helluva boss #review #essay #analysis #vivziepop critical #helluva boss critical #vivziepop #testing a theory

[14carrotghoul]

2023 AO3 Wrapped

Thank you to @read-and-write- @suseagull04 @cultofsappho and @cha-melodius @happiness-of-the-pursuit for tagging me! It was super fun to reflect on the last year, especially because I've written significantly more than past years! I've been pushing this recap off til the last minute so here goes!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. There are no rules!

Statistics

Words: 54,664 (2022: 32,045; 2021: 7,565)

Hits: 27,142

Kudos: 2,813

Bookmarks: 714

Comment threads: 307

Fic Round Up

Most hits/kudos: Tiempo de Vals (5,223 hits/502 kudos)

Longest fic: A Love That Haunts the Land (31,533 words)

Shortest fic: Thank You, Shaan (606 words)

Personal Favorites: A Love That Haunts the Land & True Blue

Personal Points of Pride/Highlights

World-building of the afterlife and writing a mystery in ALTHTL and pulling off my first multichap!

Theories in the early comments of ALTHTL, especially Alex being a dragon bc my mind would supply the image of Dragon from Shrek batting her eyelashes :)

"Anniversary" drabble

True Blue's atmosphere actually feels like the song to me and has some of my favorite prose!

Physical comedy in El Chico del Apartamento 512 and Tiempo de Vals

Writing Alex as a drag queen and then my local favorite/Alex inspiration wearing an outfit months later that 100% matched my vision :)

Title Inspirations

Lyrics/songs: 6 (Chayanne, boygenius, Selena Quintanilla, The Cranberries, ABBA, Elton John)

Leaving an open tag to anyone that wants to brag about their work from the last year!!

#rwrb fic

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

James Acaster stood in for John Robins, alongside Elis James, for a couple of radio episodes in February 2018, while John off touring The Darkness of Robins, and of course James was very good. There were lots of funny bits, everyone should go listen to the episodes of you want to hear James Acaster actually be funny, it's episodes 208 and 209 of the Radio X years. However, I had three things I wanted to comment on that have nothing to do with the actual jokes.

1) They discussed whether James Acaster is ginger, which I appreciate, because that has always confused me. Or at least, it's confused me since I first got on Tumblr, which was not long after I first saw Taskmaster, and saw the blond boy from season 7 referred to as a ginger. I've never brought it up because I just thought I guess i'm not very good at identifying hair colours, but I always found it strange. Which is why I pleased that, during this radio episode, they mentioned the idea of James Acaster being ginger, and James said that people call him ginger sometimes, but he's always thought he was blond. I am pleased that, at least, I am not the only one who's found this confusing.

But then, I watched the first nine seasons of Taskmaster before going on Tumblr and thought of Alex Horne as having brown hair, and then I saw people call him ginger on here, and I went back and looked at pictures of him, and yes, he's definitely ginger, I just didn't notice. I think I sometimes just don't notice when people are ginger. But I've looked at James Acaster again and I still don't think he is. Also, I'm now remembering that in early episodes of The Last Leg they used to call Josh Widdicombe ginger, and he's less ginger and more purely blond than anyone mentioned in this post so far, including Elis James.

I mean, I do see the colour red. The first time I watched Mock the Week I got that Frankie Boyle has red hair. But I do not understand how people look at James Acaster and see ginger. Glad that's been addressed and he's on my side.

2) Elis James and James Acaster dedicated some of the episode to making fun of John Robins for being on a tour with his highly emotional stand-up hour, featuring what Elis enjoys calling "the cynical inclusion of emotional heft" (citing an Edinburgh review that praised the "emotional heft", but the word cynical was added by Elis). This is fair enough, I happen to like a good stand-up hour with some emotional heft, I think something can be curated for the speaker's personal benefit while also being grounded in genuine emotional weight and I think The Darkness of Robins is one of many examples of that, but also, I'm aware that there's something inherently cynical in turning emotional heft into a project for monetary profit and awards. No problem with Elis making jokes about that. I've heard Elis James' stand-up routines, it is definitely internally consistent for him to make fun of other people for doing comedy with meaningful emotional subject matter. Absolutely nothing in Elis' catalogue makes him a hypocrite for mocking that. However, it was pretty amusing to listen to James Acaster make fun of something for doing that. Especially as this was just a couple of months before James started performing the earliest WIPs of Cold Lasagne, a show at least partly inspired by a breakup he had, I think, the same week as John Robins' breakup that formed the basis of Darkness of Robins. James Acaster may have just been annoyed that someone else got there first and won a Perrier Award for it, before he thought to do a show about that.

3) In honour of James Acaster back on Radio X, they did one more Classic Scrape.

After I heard this bit, I looked up when Comedy Unleashed started, it was, in fact, February 2018. So I'm pleased about this. According to Nish Kumar recently, James Acaster thinks it's going a bit far to yell at Jimmy Carr at a comedy festival just for appearing on Jordan Peterson's podcast. And maybe James is right, even though Nish has my eternal respect for being a person who didn't listen to reason on that. So I enjoy hearing a story in which James Acaster is the one picking a fight over people doing shitty things. Some people are all right.

[ladylamrian]

His Barbie, Her Ken 🩷 (F!MC×Nik)

Pairing: F!MC×White!NikRyder

Summary: Alex tries to convince Nik.

Word Count: 1.9K words

Rating: General (Fluff, Comedy)

Warnings: none

-> My complete Nightbound Masterlist <-

Taglist: @infactnoimmasitinthemiddle ; @peonierose ; @secretaryunpaid ; @jdstar88 ; @blackcatkita ; @lilyoffandoms ; @liviusofpella ; @mxdanni ; @mariemarieohcontrary ; @tessa-liam ; @choicesficwriterscreations ; @hopelessromantic1352 ; @rosepetals1 ; @stars-are-within-me ; @dutifullynuttywitch

Prompt: "Smile" for @choicesjanuary2024

Author's note: I planned this a loooong time ago when Barbie was trending here in the fandom, but I'm late here. Never mind. I just feel horrible that the ones who newly got added in my taglist will read this. I HAVE BETTER FICS THAN THIS

Comments via Reblog wholeheartedly welcome

"Eeeeeekkkk, Nik!!!", Alex excitedly squeaked in the bedroom. She quickly rushed to the livingroom of Nik's apartment where her boyfriend was seated and silently drinking coffee while reading a book.

"You seem excited, rook.", he looked up to her and chuckled.

"Ooooh, Nik. My love. My life. My everything... You would do anything for me, right?", she watched the blonde with pleading eyes and innocently smiled at him which made him a bit worry now.

"Uhhh, love you too. Everything okay?"

"Oh, yes. Yes, dearie.", she sat next to him on the white couch and moved a little closer towards him which made his cheeks turn softly pink.

"That's how I like it. You and me, rook.", he smiled and gently wrapped his strong arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her hands lightly rested on his chest as she gazed up to him. Then she spoke again in a bit serious tone.

"I love you, Nik. You're my everything. You're handsome, sweet, strong, loyal, caring, honest and would never leave my side.", she wispered in his ear which made his heart flutter.

"Always, love. Always. I'll always be there for you and never leave your side. Never. Not like last year, rook. I won't tell you to leave me anymore and I won't abandon you. Never. You were always more than a job to me. Now you're more. My everything. My true love. I will never hurt your feelings anymore. I swear.", he confessed and took her hands in his while she rested her head on his broad shoulder.

"I know. Thanks Nik."

"Always, sweetheart."

"So, Niiiiiiik?"

"Yeah?"

"You would do anything for me, right?", she mischevously grinned.

Her question surprised him, so he thought to to answer it carefully. He was on high alert. His sudden silence made Alex ask the question again.

"Nik, I asked you something. You would do anything for me, hmm? You would love me no matter what happens right?"

"Alex, what did you do now?"

"Huh?", she got surprised by his sudden question.

"I'm asking what did you do now??!", he got more serious and almost glared at her.

"What?! I didn't do anything?", she almost panicked.

"Spill it, rook. What dumb thing did you do this time?", Nik raised his eyebrow.

"Nothing, really!! I don't do dumb things, Nik!! Besides, I just wanted to invite you. Do you want to go to the cinema with me tonight, Nik? Pleeease?", she pleased with her best puppy eyes she could create.

"Ohhh... Like a date?"

"Yeah, a date. So what do you say?"

"I would never disagree a romantic date with my beloved girlfriend.", Nik's mood lightened and his eyes sparkled mischevously with joy.

"Thanks, Nik.", she planted a sweet kiss quickly before standing up.

"Where are ya' headin'? I want to cuddle with you, rookie."

"Me too, Nik. As much I like to continue our cuddle session, but we have to go shopping now.", she excitedly squeaked and began to twirl around the room until Nik stood up and grabbed her.

"Hey energetic, little rookie... Why the sudden plan for shopping?", he chuckled.

"Because we're a couple and need to fit the dresscode for the movie. I already have a lot pink clothes to wear, but you... Not even a single one, Nik."

"Wait, what???!!! A dresscode and PINK??!!! Hell no, definitly not. And there is no such dresscode for a movie, rook. Forget it!! Not even a single bit of that horrible color, rook. I rather die than... What kind of movie is that anyway??!!", Nik panicked and took a few steps backwards while her girlfriend tried to get closer.

"Nik, relax. We're going to watch the new Barbie movie tonight? Both wearing pink. We'll be like Barbie and Ken.", she softly spoke while trying to calm down her boyfriend.

"Noooo... Over my dead body, rook!!! I'm sorry, but I won't", he panicked.

"Or blue like Ken? But Nik... You said you wouldn't disagree on a date with me? Please, Nik. For me?", she tried to her best puppy eyes and sweety looked at him.

"But that's not my taste. How about we watch Oppenheimer instead? Or any other movie? A Fantasy movie? Or a Horror movie, because you look cute when you're scared and begin moving closer towards me?"

"But... but... Barbie. Barbie was my childhood. Barbie - Mariposa. Barbie, the Princess and the Pauper. Barbie, the Swanlake Princess. Or Barbie and the Three Musketeers. These classical fairytales with fairies and princesses. I always dreamed to be a fairy. With Barbie you can become anything.

"Alex, you're somehow already a fairy. A fae. Fae royalty. The future duchess of Lamrian."

"Nik, the movie is not going to be that bad. The trailer and the music's soooo good. There's also a male character. Or are you afraid that people might confuse you with Ken and will after chase you?", she winked.

"Only because I'm a blond haired guy, doesn't make me a Ken. I'm Nik. Oh hey, a blonde braided hairstyle would suit you, rook. You would look totally cute. I can imagine that quite easily [see at the end of this fanfic]. But back to the topic... I love you, but I'm not interested in that movie. Forgive me, my angel.", Nik tried to explain his girlfriend who got a little disappointed, but understood and respected his final decision.

"Fiiine, Nik. Sorry. Now what do I do with my two cinema tickets then? I wanted to surprise you with them, but..."

"I know, rookie. I'm so sorry, but... Hey, why don't invite someone else with you? And I know how eagerly you want to watch the movie, so I won't stop you. Go without me and enjoy tonight, dear. Hmm?", Nik moved closer, cupped her face in his both hands and stared in her eyes with pure affection.

"But who? Hmmm... Luc?"

"Oh no, please not him. He won't stop flirting with you.", the blond quickly disagreed which made Alex giggle.

"Don't worry, he might be busy in his shop. I don't think Katherine would be interested, but... Oh, I know who'll definitly go with me."

"Who?"

"Vera!! She'll definitly join me.", Alex her eyes sparked with joy and she immediately pulled away from Nik, got her phone to text her friend.

Vera's a sweet and amazing friend who always hanged out with her, whether is was shopping, having lunch at a Café or anything else. She'd definitly love to hang out with her. And she wouldn't disagree on wearing pink. Immediately a notification popped up on Alex's phone with Vera's reply.

"Eeeeekkk, she agreed!!! Vera and I are going to watch the movie tonight. She agreed!! Thanks for the suggestion, I love you.", she got more excited and planted a quick kiss on his cheek to thank her boyfriend.

"Sure, no problem. Anything for my rookie. I love it when you smile. Have fun tonight.", he kissed her back.

"Thanks, Nik. I love you sooo much.", she squeaked and immediately went in the bedroom to change her clothes into something more... pink!!

As she finally stepped outside their bedroom back to the livingroom where Nik was waiting, his eyes widen as he saw her in her new outfit.

"Woaaah, you... You look amazing. Damn, pink surprisingly looks good on you.", his cheeks turned softly into the same color like her girlfriend's outfit as he shyly admired her beauty.

Alex was wearing a soft-pink colored and black-laced tank-top and tight, light-blue jeans trousers. Not to forget some pair of pink sneakers which actually was the only item Nik didn't liked about her outfit. But who cares... Nik loves her just the way she is. Her hype and excitement for Barbie just surprised him a bit. Something he definitly didn't expected.

"Thanks, Ken... I mean... Nik.", she winked, trying to tease him and bumped her shoulder against his.

"My naughty girl. Have fun tonight with Vera while watching the new Barbie movie.", he chuckled.

"Did someone say they're going to watch the newest Barbie movie?", a familar voice called out from the hallway, just outside Nik's apartment.

Nik and Alex got curious and moved closer towards the slightly open front door of their apartment. Pushing the door more open, revealed two figures standing infront of them with wide smiles.

"Garrus? Krom? What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, were you guys listening to our conversations?", Nik raised his eyebrow and welcomed them inside.

The four of them went inside the apartment and got seated in the livingroom.

"Darling, you look gorgeous. What a pretty outfit. So pink!", Garrus praised her.

"Yes, you look great."

"Thanks Garrus! Thanks, Krom! I'm going to watch the newest Barbie movie tonight with Vera, so I thought to wear pink.", she explained her idea which got Garrus excited.

"That's a fae-tastic!! Krom and I are going to watch that movie too. And I love that idea. Let's wear pink too, Krom!", he suggested the stone-troll.

"Uhh, sure. Anything for you, Garrus."

"Waiiiit, you two are going to watch the movie tonight too??!! That's great!!! Let the four of us go together then!!", Alex requested and both agreed.

"Great idea!! Nik, you're not joining Alex?"

"Uhh, no Krom. I'm not. You guys enjoy tonight."

Later in the evening, Garrus, Krom, Vera and Alex were standing infront of the cinema house. All of them wearing pink. They went inside, showed their cinema tickets and ushered inside the hall to take their seats. The friends group ready and excited for the movie to start.

"I'm so excited!! And look how many people are here.", Vera gazed around until her eyes landed on the seat next to her where a familar voice greeted them.

"Bon soir, mon amies."

"Luc?? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here just like you. For the movie.", he winked.

"Oh, I didn't expected you to be a fan. You look great.", she shyly confessed and analyzed new shirt. It was a pink, flowery shirt which revealed his chest. Just like the one he usually wears, but more pink.

"I wasn't actually a fan, but I had to understand the hype. So I came. If my favorite people ended up to watch the movie, then it might a fantastique one. C'est vrai?"

"That's a cool thought. Explain that to Nik.", Alex just noticed Luc and began greeting him. Garrus and Krom greeted Luc too.

"Now there are five of us for the movie.", Garrus lightened up.

"Oh, not quite. The hunter is here too. Watching the hoppenheimer movie in the other hall.", Luc informed which gave Alex a huge shock.

"What??!!! Nik's here??!!! I know he hates pink, but... Why did he hid that from me? Why didn't he told that to me?", she got disappointed.

"Nik? My apologies, I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about the lady hunter friend."

"Katherine?"

"Oui, Katherine.", he confirmed which calmed Alex a little bit down. She wouldn't have minded if Nik prefers Oppenheimer movie over Barbie, but not telling his partner and secretly having other plans is something else. Afterall, he told her that he'll stay at home.

"Oh Vera, maybe I was too harsh to Nik. What if he wanted to watch the other movie with me instead and I...? Now he's alone at home.", she asked her best friend for advice.

"Hey, don't worry. He loves you. After the movie is over, why don't you go home and suggest to spend some time with him together? Ask what he wants to do with you."

"Ssssshhh, the movie's starting now!", Krom informed the group. Before everyone got focused on the screen, Alex took the chance and wispered in Vera's ear to thank her for the advice and beeing such a great friend.

"Thanks, Vee."

Created with the Barbie & Ken Selfie Generator

🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷 🩷

If Alex had blonde hair like a Barbie (Nightbound hair option)

Confession Time: This was my MC when I didn't buyed the luxurious black-silvery hair option. She had this blonde braided hairstyle option and my Nik Ryder was blond too which made them look like Barbie & Ken somehow... 🤭🤭🩷

#playchoices #choices #choices fanfiction #cfwc #choices nightbound #nik ryder #nightbound #fluff #comedy #fmc x nik ryder #nik ryder x fmc #barbie and ken

[meraki-yao]

thank you so much for your reply <3 i think grief is a good word to describe what i'm feeling. it might sound silly to some but the book has been one of my favourites since 2019 and the 'what could have been?' aspect of the movie's promotion devastates me bc the crew and the fans deserved more. i think im also a bit terrified of ppl moving on from rwrb to nick's other projects meanwhile i can't (and don't want to) do it, ugh it's just a mess of weird feelings and sadness and longing for something we've never had. not to mention how some people already talk about his new projects being upgrades from rwrb. that hurts me on so many levels bc henry is a complex and beautiful character, rwrb is a wonderful story and i genuinely think that even with all the changes they created something amazing.

Glad I could help <3

It's not silly at all. I'm in a similar position: if you've followed my blog you might have seen this but long story short my irl life is a bit fucked up and I was really, really depressed. (still kinda am) July and August, waiting and watching RWRB release became the happiest I've been since January 2022, and in the following months RWRB and the fandom (well, and my sister) nearly became my sole reason for hanging on. So trust me when I say I get the feeling.

I understand your fear, and I'd be lying if I say I wasn't afraid that the rwrb tag will be full of George instead of Alex and Henry, but please remember that liking something new doesn't necessarily always lead to leaving the previous fandom: I know for a fact that me and a couple of my mutuals are going do both. We're gonna be happy to watch M&G (personally not interested in the idea of you but the same applies) but we're still going to make RWRB content. M&G will be a great show but it won't have nearly the same emotional weight to me as RWRB. It's been five months, so those of us who hang around and are active are active for a good reason.

As for the comments about "upgrade", that's ridiculous and a very surface-level assessment. One of my best friends is studying to become an actress and we talk about acting often. Here's the thing: there isn't a thing called "easy" acting. Every genre of acting has its own challenges: for comedy many times you need to sacrifice your personal dignity; Sci-fi blockbusters you need to interact with nothing and make it look believable; even for things like kid shows you need to be hyperactive so the kids can focus and find it entertaining, which can be so draining. M&G is a historical thriller, TIOY is a romance, and RWRB is a rom-com. These are three different film genres, and each set out to achieve different things. For example in terms of relationships: TIOY needs to make the romance believable, RWRB needs to make the romance believe, funny, and be a fair representation of a queer relationship, and for M&G if history serves there's no "true love" relationship at all. You're right: Henry's a complex and beautiful character, and Nick clearly put all his heart into him. But you cannot take Henry's layers of grief, love, fear, and self-esteem, and say it is lesser than Geroge's cold ambition. Funnily enough, while Henry is so careful with his power as the prince, George rose to the same if not a higher level of power and abused it so badly, that it caused his assassination and downfall. A well-written character is ultimately, a human being, and there isn't truly a human being who's "easy to be". So don't listen to those haters.

I'm all ears if you still want to talk <3

#anon ask #answered #red white and royal blue #rwrb #rwrb movie #nicholas galitzine #mary and george #george villiers

[warningsine]

Hm.

Unfortunately, season 5 is not living up to the hype of the strong season 4 finale.

They are struggling to balance the slapstick comedy with the serious subject matter and no wonder. They really wrote themselves into a corner when they decided to incorporate the BLM movement, because the expectations are naturally high. Dealing with the riots and finding a resolution for them must have been no easy feat.

So far they've been more preoccupied with the spectacle of the ladies taking control of the prison rather than with the bigger implications and questions that short-lived power raises for these characters.

As I'm not binge-watching the season, its slow pacing is not bothering me, but I hope they didn't do that thing where all arcs and subplots are unneccessarily dragged for several episodes and then everything happens all at once in the last one, because that is tricky and can backfire.

"Yellowjackets"--to mention another series with an ensemble cast--executed this perfectly in the first season, but the same cannot be said for its second one.

Back to OITNB.

The charm of most characters remains intact.

The focus on Danielle Brook's Tasha and Selenis Leyva's Gloria was an excellent choice, because both actresses' performances are outstanding. That being said, I wish they had given Laverne Cox something more to do as she is also great. Sophia's dynamic with Gloria has had me on a chokehold for two seasons now.

Another welcome surprise: Janae was finally given a more unique voice. Now had they done the same with Alison, I would have been ecstatic. Although well-intentioned, their depiction of Muslim women is not very nuanced.

Additionally, Uzo Aduba is killing it, but what else is new there? Truly loving what they are doing with Suzanne.

Last but not least, is the evil corporate lady going to briefly date Carrie? Hell yes, I've been waiting 5 seasons to see what a smitten Boo looks like. Of course I'm into them since they are not going to last. (Hi, Soso/Poussey and Lorna/Nicky.)

As for the weaker points that hopefully will have been addressed and/or resolved by the end of the season:

Whatever happened to that recurring theme of imprisoned mothers craving to talk to their families? Why are the ones that own phones now not calling their children?

Why are the white pride skinheads hanging out with the women they hate?

The recycling of Piper/Alex's will-they-won't-they relationship--as if there had ever been a chance they would not end up together, please!--is getting exhausting. As a viewer that actually likes them individually and as a group now, I keep wondering: did they not know what to do with them? At all?

As for Nicky and Lorna, I'm trying to leave my monkey brain and biases aside in order to ask: will they ever give them new arcs? Because season 5 is not saying anything new about them. Nicky is still pining over Lorna, who lives in her own imaginary world and refuses to see what is right in front of her. This has been going on-and-off for four--five actually, but alright--seasons now except Nicky is sober yet again. (Good for her.) Lyonne and Stone are amazing, why waste their talent like this?

When OITNB fucks up, it fucks up badly. Pray tell, why is Tiffany still having a relationship with the CO that raped her? They had already made a point about her response to her trauma in seasons 3 & 4. Either there is a deeper message about abusive relationships that is flying over my head or I'm just impatient and this subplot will be completed soon.

#orange is the new black

[rwrbmovie]

RE: adapting the book

Quotes from interviews on #RWRBMovie about adapting the book

This post will be updated as content is released

Click here for the other roundups

Notice something missing? Here's my inbox

Last updated: August 9

From Glamour

Says Galitzine, “We were all aware that we wanted to make one a classic rom-com but with a sort of new spin. Matthew's a very sensitive, very feeling person, and we obviously wanted to inject our movie with that kind of emotionality. He had a great balance in being able to facilitate both lightness and emotion within his work.”

Fans of McQuiston's novel will be pleased to know that, with a few exceptions, the movie largely follows the book's enemies-to-friends-to-lovers tale. And the tone and spirit that made everyone fall in love with the book are certainly still there. “Casey has been an incredible source of support for me throughout the making of this film,” López says. “I respect them for being appropriately protecting of the novel and am grateful to them for also giving me space to tell my own version of their story. Obviously when translating a nearly 500-page book to the screen, there are things you have to lose and things you will need to change. It is an adaptation, not a recitation. I like to think that, as a fan of the novel, I was able to find the balance of serving Casey’s story while also serving the needs of the movie.”

For López, the most important element to maintain from the book was Alex and Henry’s individual personalities as well as their shared story together. “If there was one lesson I kept learning over and over while making this film it’s that if it’s not about Alex or Henry, it doesn’t belong in the film.”

While the movie is, as López describes, “an adaptation, not a recitation,” McQuiston was available to the actors. “I remember Casey coming in on a really fun day,” says Galitzine. “It was a scene where Taylor and I were bickering in that sort of Alex/Henry banter way that we do, and it gave us time to talk to Casey and understand the influences that went into the book. We obviously have a lot of fan service, and I hope they love my interpretation of Henry.”

From Entertainment Weekly

But the thing that weighed most on all of them was not royal protocol, chemistry, or even comedic timing. It was honoring McQuiston's novel, which hit the New York Times bestseller list and even earned a release in a special collector's edition last year. "[The biggest challenge was] quite simply how to delivery Casey's story in a way that honored the novel but that didn't result in a three-hour film," says Lopez. "There are a lot of wonderful scenes and characters in the book that didn't make it into the film because they didn't fit. I don't regret any of those decisions but, as a fan of the book, they weren't easy to make."

From Vanity Fair

López turned to romantic comedies of the past as inspiration: screwball affairs from the ’30s and ’40s like Bringing Up Baby and Sullivan’s Travels, as well as more recent hits like When Harry Met Sally or Moonstruck. All of those films revolve around “very smart, very clever people who often find themselves in over their heads, and the only way to really get themselves out of trouble is to talk their way out,” he explains.

From the outset, there were two scenes considered make-or-break. One was the wedding cake food fight, a chaotic sequence that, ironically enough, had to be carefully choreographed. Those three days of filming contained “the least bit of goofing off on set,” López explains. “We really had no room for error. And so we all really approached that with a sense of seriousness, which I hope does not in any way translate onscreen.” Then there was Alex and Henry’s romantic stroll through London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. “It’s sort of a dream come true—your own personal night at the museum,” he says of the late-night shoot. “So that was less daunting than an endurance test, but it was just such a magical night for us. And I hope that did translate onto screen.” Both of those moments live vibrantly in the minds of those who love Red, White & Royal Blue—an impassioned group of people bringing all of their enthusiasm to the movie version when it premieres August 11 on Prime Video. But the film’s director isn’t nervous about answering to an opinionated, online fan base. “It’s absolutely undeniable that the fans love the book for the same reasons that I do, so I think of myself as one of them,” says López, who himself was excitedly making plans to see Barbie with his husband at the start of our conversation. “You could argue that I’m such a rabid, passionate fan that I made the most expensive bit of fan fiction ever. I hope the fans take solace from the fact that one of them has made this movie.”

From Out Smart Magazine

“The most important thing to me is the end result. You’d have to be a moron to make this movie without certain themes in it. I would be justifiably run out of this business if I didn’t include certain things in this book,” López says with a laugh. “Any act of adaptation is almost exclusively an act of exclusion. In any adaptation, there’s going to be more left out than there is included, because that’s just the nature of the beast. My main goal for myself was to make sure audiences feel the same way at the end of the movie as they felt when they finished reading the book.”

When news broke earlier this year about the film receiving an R rating for “language, some sexual content, and partial nudity,” fans rejoiced. The director explains that giving the film’s sex scenes the royal treatment was an important factor for him. “One of the things in the novel that I knew needed to be in the film was the fundamental truth that these two people have really good sex with each other, they are very attracted to each other, and they find ways of expressing it physically. I inherently knew that there were a multitude of ways that we were going to express intimacy in this movie and that we were tracking the progression of their closeness. They sort of meet-cute and not only go from being enemies to lovers, but one of them is not fully aware of the extent to which he’s into guys before they meet. I thought a lot about the intimacy themes in the movie as a way of bringing them incrementally closer and closer together.

From What to Watch

"I knew that there were a lot of expectations of this adaptation, I knew that people really feel very personally about the book. I think there’s something really wonderful that happens, this transference when you fall in love with a book and it’s yours, ignoring the fact that billions of other people also feel the same way about it, so I knew that it would be a bad idea to screw it up! [laughs] That was always at the forefront of my mind. The thing that is also true is that I am one of those crazy obsessive fans over the book, and for me it was like, the ultimate in fanfiction that I got to make. But I recognise that I was very fortunate and lucky to be the person to make this movie, because I think there are a lot of people who are counting on me not to screw up — and I took that very seriously!"

From RadioTimes

"I think there are certain things in that book that, as the director of the movie, if I hadn't put it in the film I would never be allowed to direct a movie again," he revealed. "There was no chance that I was going to cut the cake scene out of the film," Lopez said, while also revealing an amusing behind-the-scenes detail about filming that moment. "The thing about the cake scene is that that shot of the cake landing in their faces is actually me and my production designer throwing cake in Taylor and Nick's faces," he laughed. "After about three weeks of filming [that] was a really great way for me to burn off some steam!" And that scene was just one of many that Lopez was excited to bring to the screen after first reading and falling in love with McQuiston's book in early 2020. "While I was preparing the film, I was really... I put a lot of thought and a lot of care into the V&A scene," he explained. "We got to film overnight at the V&A one evening and it was very magical. "And so, as a filmmaker looking at the book, there were just a lot of things that I was excited to film."

From Pink News

While fans will be thrilled to see that heady physical attraction between the two play. out, they appear less impressed about some character choices in the adaptation. June, Alex's sister, is a favourite among the fandom, while senator Rafael Luna is – spoiler alert – pivotal to how Alex and Henry come out to the world. López has cut June out completely, and merged the character with Alex's pal Nora (played by Love, Victor star Rachel Hilson). Rafel has been replaced with a new character. After it became clear that June wasn't going to be in the adaptation, the film's social media pages were targeted with a "justice for June" hashtag. Fans were upset, but the reasoning behind the decisions, López says, is simple. When you're writing a book, you can do whatever you want with the characters, you have no actors to talk to, you have no mouths to feed in certain ways," he explains. "When it came to the character of June and the character of Nora, I knew implicitly that if I had both of them in the movie, I would have two young women with half a meal. I decided to give a full meal to one young woman." As for the book's several subplots, López believes they would have been too "unwieldy" for a two-hour film, and he needed to focus on "bringing danger in a very streamlined way." Could he have opted to make a TV series, instead? In short, his answer is no. “For whatever sacrifices you have to make in adapting it for a feature film, an extended eight-episode thing would stretch it out too much,” he says. “You’d lose a lot of the magic.”

From OutSFL

Ellen is a staunch Democrat. As a Florida native, and considering what has occurred here during the reign of the current governor, was that in any way what appealed to you about directing and co-adapting the screenplay for “Red, White & Royal Blue”? ML: No, I loved the story, and I didn't give a shit what the governor of Florida thinks about it. I couldn't care less what that man thinks, only as it relates to the health of the union. I didn't have this story growing up. I didn't have access to characters such as these when I was younger. It took until I was in my 40s to read it, to get a novel that had a character like Alex. That I knew implicitly was really special. To me, it was really powerful to read a novel that had a queer, Latine, young man at the center who was a very positive characterization of a queer Latine man. Someone who was filled with hope and possibility. I wanted to bring that into the world. The politics in the novel and in the movie are a hopeful one. It's not something that is, I hope, too much of a fairy tale.

From The Fresno Bee

Why a movie and not a play? “You can’t beat the locations! Buckingham Palace, the Oval Office, the White House, and all those great locations,” said López. “It really, really wanted to be a movie. “And I really wanted to shoot in all of those beautiful locations.” López doesn’t see much difference between directing a play and a movie. “I got to take a lot of the things I learned as a playwright about storytelling and apply it to this movie,” he said. “There’s a lot of overlap between the two disciplines.”

From Windy City Times

Were there parts from the book that were difficult to cut out? ML: It was a very simple and straightforward thing for me. This is a movie about Alex and Henry. I had two hours to tell the tale. The mandate was it needed to help me understand Alex's journey with Henry for it to go in the movie. If it doesn't, then it comes out of the movie. We shot a lot of scenes that were in the book, but once in the editing room, I realized what we didn't need. I looked at it from the perspective that it was two characters on a journey in two hours. That made it clear what belongs in the movie and what doesn't.

From MetroSource

At the end of the day in a story like this, you need to care. Sometimes in order to make an audience care, you need to put your heroes in danger, but you also want the audience to fall in love. And there is nothing more deliriously fun than falling in love. Just as Alex and Henry fall in love with each other, the audience has to fall in love with them. And that is such a fun thing to be able to create. That’s a fun story to tell. I never thought that we were making something completely lightweight and disposable. I definitely didn’t want the movie to feel disposable. I didn’t want people to see it and then forget about it the next day, because the characters stayed with me after I read the book. I wanted the movie to feel exactly the same way the book felt. I wanted those characters to linger in the audience’s mind once the movie was over in the days, in the weeks after they’d seen the film. And that was the most important thing to me.

From Billboard

“Casey was never insistent that I make Casey’s Book: The Film,” Matthew Lopez, the film’s director and co-writer, tells Billboard. “Casey always wanted me to make Matthew’s movie and trusted that someone who loved the book was in charge of the film.”

#rwrb #rwrb movie #red white and royal blue #matthew lopez #casey mcquiston #nicholas galitzine

[andipxndy-writes]

meet the writer: aj

(a.k.a. my writeblr intro, done properly)

heya!! i’ve had this blog for a while now, but i realised i haven’t ever actually done a proper intro on here, so here it is!! (also did i want the opportunity to make an aesthetic of myself??? absolutely. image made in canva and portrait on the left is from picrew, all other images were taken from unsplash)

my name is aj (she/her pronouns pls)!! i’m 26, black, and i live in the uk. i graduated from uni 3 years ago and currently work in lab admin, but i’ve been doing creative writing for 10+ years!! i’m currently trying to get back into reading by reading a book a month (i usually share the book i’m reading in the sidebar of my main blog, which i follow back with as this blog is a sideblog: @andipxndy), and i write a variety of fanfiction and original works (both based off my own characters and those i currently/have rp’d with in the past). i also take requests for fanfiction, which you can read about below the cut or in this post (i’ve made some changes which mean the post is not relevant atm)!! but in general i love being asked questions about my WIPs and my characters and basically any characters i write, because i love delving into character thoughts and doing character development (so please send me some!!).

this blog started off as a way for me to share my fanfiction writing, which is how i got into writing in the first place and how i came to love it, but now i’m wanting to expand some more share/talk about some of my original works too!! i write ya sci-fi in my original stuff, but i’m known to drift into romance, action-comedy and crime when it comes to fanfiction works. i’m also over on ao3 as andipxndy.

my main fanfic writing fandoms are abbott elementary and alex rider, just to keep things managable, but i also enjoy watching ncis, criminal minds and lockwood & co., and sometimes dive back into old favourite animes (k-on!! is my current anime obsession). i may be slow to write or respond to stuff but i DO enjoy diving into discussing fandom stuff too!! i also like playing video games like sims 4 (ea is a money grab pass it on) and cities skylines, and enjoy dnd and rping with friends!!

before this intro gets too long, here are my main WIPs:

power play (1st draft completed, left to stew)

the first original wip i planned, the story is intended to be part of a 5-book series about a 20-year-old who accidentally gives himself powers, and ends up drawn into the science underground whilst trying to save people that he may or may not have also accidentally given powers. and all whilst trying to appear completely normal to his mum and get a summer job whilst home from university.

the crossover (still working on 1st draft, is my main/november nano project)

this is an adaptation of an old rp au i had with one of my closest friends, adjusted to have new, original characters despite the same plotline. it follows a 17-year-old girl as she’s accidentally transported into a parallel universe, where her parents aren’t her parents and she doesn’t exist. in an attempt to get home, she ends up crossing paths with the people who are meant to be her family, and finds out that they’re all superheroes. insert drama and shenanigans here.

the rich life: a modern bourgeoise au (working on 1st draft, is my camp nano project)

a passion project that i’m completing for my rp partners, this au is split into a 3-book series following the lives of our characters in the upper class, those who work for them, and eventually their children, going through the drama of their lives and how they try so hard not to have it all end up in the press. that obviously doesn’t work.

fanfiction fics and requests (ongoing but this is technically a wip)

technically counts as a wip as i have a backlog of fics in progress to write and share for requesters (and some ideas i’ve had myself), but these are mainly either alex rider or abbott elementary fanfics that have been sent in via ask. you can see extra info below the cut after the next paragraph. my requests are currently closed, and i’m working through my backlog. the request(s) active for the forseeable future are:

will you be my maybe? - an abbott elementary fanfiction (gregory x janine - injury + fake dating)

anyway, this is all i’ve got for now!! i do take part in things like nanowrimo and camp nanowrimo, so if anyone takes part in those too i look forward to writing alongside you!! other than that, that’s about it!! i’ll be sharing snippets of my work, and maybe eventually you’ll even get aesthetics eventually!! i’ve you’ve read this far, i applaud you, but thank you so much for reading!! i’d love to get to know more writers on here, both inside and outside of fandom spaces, so please feel free to jump at me and send me asks and messages and stuff!!

~ aj xxx

(for more info on fanfiction stuff, read below the cut:)

i’ve been writing fanfiction for over 10 years, and as something so dear to my heart i can’t let it go - it’s helped me to develop my writing and character development skills!! i have, however, grown in the fandoms i write, so please see below for more info:

I WRITE FOR:

alex rider

abbot elementary (more specifically, gregory x janine. i ship only those two. with my whole heart.)

fics getting to know my original characters (oneshots)

(i realise that this is significantly cut down, but i have other projects in mind that require more of my time and can no longer spend as much time on requests!! for this, i apologise!!)

GENRES WRITTEN (not completely restricted):

family/friendship

romance

hurt/comfort

action/adventure

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

MY REQUESTS ARE NOW CLOSED

all fanfics will be cross-posted to ao3

please give me up to a month to get fics written and posted - if not done within a month, feel free to message me about it [please DO NOT pester me about it] - i work and am also writing original things, so do not always have the time

i preferably write oneshots, though the occasional multi-chap will appear - a fic ends up longer, well, it happens 🤷🏾‍♀️

i am a rambler so you are almost always guaranteed a longer fic

please try not to give me word count limits or specifications on fics - they are discouraging

that being said, any writing requests/prompts fulfilled will most likely be 20k words or less (though they may be longer if the inspiration strikes, don’t hold me to it)

i do not write smut, or any nsfw other than possibly gore/torture/violence. this is a personal preference and i will not change my stance on it

if you have any triggers that you do not want included in the fic, please message me and inform me of this

i have a ko-fi! if you would like to tip/donate to me for any of my writings, check it out here

all fics may or may not include a level of humour/sarcasm - i’m not sorry for this

#writeblr #writeblr intro #writeblr introduction #writing #writer #writers of tumblr #andipxndywrites #creative writing #fanfiction writer #fanfiction #ao3 writer #introduction