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sayuri-of-the-valley · 9 months

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On how Crowley and Aziraphale felt during the kiss (but mainly Crowley here):

Ok so first, the main idea for this huge meta is that a LOT of us noticed how the music from the kiss scene is similar to the nebula one, right?

Second, a lot of us also correctly noticed the parallels between the kiss and how it was to taste food for the first time for Aziraphale: bc of his reactions, the hand on lips, the similar way MS acted both scenes, the little inhale etc. So how was it for Crowley?

Aziraphale's reaction to the kiss is practically a puzzle to solve on its own, so it's fun to analyse it, but basically, in a few words, Aziraphale kissed Crowley and he discovered he was physically starving for him, longing for him, yearning for him, for his kiss, and he had no idea. Just like with the ox. And now he needs to gorge himself in him but he can't. Great amazing heartbreaking chef's kiss someone give MS an Emmy.

But there's already so much amazing meta out there about Aziraphale x Ox ribs x The Kiss that I want to focus on Crowley here, and on the music.

So back to the music. The song in "Before the Beginning" and the song that plays during The Kiss (I Forgive You + Don't Bother) are so similar. They're not *exactly* the same, but they're totally reminiscent of each other. The viewer is immediately reminded of those chords that played in the opening scene. It's no coincidence that the fandom was talking about this fact only minutes after first watching those final fifteen minutes. This is an obvious intentional choice for storytelling reasons (David Arnold is a genius).

I have no expertise whatsoever when it comes to music, so I asked our friend @otsanda to see if that made sense and not only it does and she explained it, but she also uncovered so much more hidden meaning in all of it (musicians are amazing), so check out her meta about the music that not only serves as evidence to what I'm proposing here but it also has so much more juicy information in it 💖.

Back to the point: WHY thought? Why choose a similar song? Why intentionally COMPOSE a similar song for that moment?

Hear me out. WHAT IF, by reminding the audience of the creation of the nebula, they meant to convey to us that, for Crowley, kissing Aziraphale gave him the same feeling that creating his stars did?

THAT'S what the music is telling us. THAT'S why it makes us remember "Before the Beginning". It may sound cheesy, but Crowley may have literally seen stars when he kissed Aziraphale. He couldn't react accordingly (just like Aziraphale couldn't), bc it was an overwhelming and extremely sad moment (the music is also telling us that) for both of them. They knew it was ending . They were both having a moment of huge revelation that was fated to not come to completion. Crowley was right, it was too late.

It makes sense to show Crowley's feelings through the music, bc he was the one who started the kiss, and also he was wearing sunglasses in that scene, it's different from a character like Aziraphale that has all his million expressions for everyone to see at all times. And they've been doing this ever since s1 with the Queen songs that play in his car or in the background.

So my point is: the same song being used there makes me wonder if kissing Aziraphale finally gave him what he lost. His purpose. What Aziraphale was trying to give back to him by taking him back to heaven. There's no need for Heaven. Just kiss him, Aziraphale, and there he'll find the stars you want to give back to him. There you will one day see that smile on his face you saw Before The Beginning. Neil Gaiman and David Arnold I am in your walls 😭

This is what may lead us to see this happiness in Crowley again (not the action of kissing itself, of course, but what it represents to their relationship, them being together, them being an Us).

As @otsanda said: from the music we can interpret that that moment was a Revelation for them. Almost a religious experience. Crowley found his purpose again. What he'd been missing the whole season (or even his whole life since the Fall, but we've seen him especially depressed this season).

I'm not even getting into the poetry of how one can interpret the parallel to the angel's reaction to the kiss as carnal, and the demon's as religious; that would be another whole essay but let's just agree that it's incredibly beautiful. (Let me be clear that I mean here Aziraphale's reaction is carnal specifically for Crowley, and Crowley's is religious specifically for Aziraphale, not religious as in "worshipping god")

"Do you ever wonder what's the point?" Crowley asked in s2e1. The point, for him, is Aziraphale (if you've seen The Good Place you know what I mean). I hope he figured this out with that kiss, even as heartbreaking as it was. Even if it was a (temporary) separation kiss. (I hope Aziraphale figures this out with time too, that he's more than enough to make Crowley happy, that Crowley doesn't need Heaven, or stars, that Crowley needs him.)

Maybe that's why Crowley didn't leave and kept waiting outside until the very last moment.

Aziraphale and Crowley both bit the apple at the end of s2. There's no turning back from that Knowledge now.

Edit: I just have to add here this brilliant colour analysis of the nebula scene by @halemerry. And it's pointed out that during the nebula formation there's a moment when it looks like two people embracing. And the fact that a similar song is used in the actual Kiss scene I just... I have no words

#good omens 2 #good omens #ineffable husbands #good omens kiss #my meta #good omens meta #before the beginning #i forgive you #don't bother #crowley #purpose #knowledge #music #david arnold #reactions to the kiss #the angel's carnal reaction vs the demon's religious experience

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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qqueenofhades · 10 months

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Good Omens Season 2: Some Thoughts (and also Screaming)

First, /screams

Second, obligatory disclaimer that this meta contains MAJOR SPOILERS for all six episodes. If you somehow have managed to remain virginally unspoiled, look away now, scroll past, or add "good omens s2" and "good omens spoilers" to your block list, as those are the tags I have been using for all posts and reblogs.

Third, /screams more

Okay okay okay. Deep breaths.

Anyway, so, uh, how about all that, huh? First, the good thing about the tone of the season overall was that it felt considerably darker and more adult, in a good way. We didn't have the precocious kiddies, the kitsch and literally-comphet Anathema and Newt, the so-clever narration, etc. All that was gone, which makes sense when you consider that a) the end of last season saw them reboot into an entirely new universe, and b) the fact that God has gone silent is, in fact, a major plot point for the season. We don't have Her slyly telling us the story, or indeed anything, and everyone is left to make their own judgments and take their own actions. Which, obviously, gets them into a lot of trouble, especially when Metatron (the Voice of God, aka someone acting in the belief that they're speaking for God and therefore doing terrible harm) swoops in with the ultimate buzzkill at the end of episode 6. But we'll get to that.

The downside was that the main, present-day plot (hiding Gabriel in the bookshop and trying to get Nina and Maggie to fall in love) was fairly thin, felt stretched out and at times weirdly paced, and otherwise existed mostly to get us to That Ending and the setup for season 3. But the ending was so damn good (if obviously, very painful) that I can't be TOO mad, not least because we spent six episodes with them just making absolutely no pretense about the whole thing being as incredibly homosexual as possible. I'll be honest: I did not think they were going to actually, explicitly go there. Neil Gaiman has been so consistent about "your interpretations are valid and you're welcome to read it however you want, but the only canon is what's on screen," which I think is frankly a good thing (not least since the Neil GAYman Cinematic Universe is consistently very, very good to us queers), that I just... didn't quite think they'd pull the trigger. Sir Terry is dead and can't have active input, this is based on a book published 30 years ago, maybe they didn't want to make it LIKE THAT... etc. I certainly hoped, but I didn't really think they would.

Uh. Well.

As I said in my various semi-coherent liveblog posts, I honestly don't think there was a single straight person in the entire season, among both major and background characters. Aziraphale/Crowley and Maggie/Nina are the obvious paralleling couples, but Beelzebub (using "they" pronouns and addressed as "Lord" despite presenting as femme/femme-adjacent) is clearly nonbinary and therefore also queer, and the countless gay/queer side characters were just /chefs kiss. From Job's son making a sassy pass at Aziraphale, to the random Scottish goon with Grindr on his phone (which he then gives to Aziraphale, because what is subtlety), to the interracial couple with the trans spouse at the Pride and Prejudice ball, there was just a lot of casual, unremarked, non-story-critical queer representation visible at every turn. It's like the NGCU saw the bigots wailing about Sandman season 1 being extremely gay and went CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, LET'S MAKE GOOD OMENS 2 EVEN MORE GAY.

God bless.

Obviously, Jon Hamm as Amnesia!Gabriel stole the show (he was SO fucking funny) and it was also incredibly fun to watch Miranda Richardson repurposed as a scheming demon. Nina Sosanya also reappeared as Nina the coffee shop owner, which leads us into the Maggie-and-Nina subplot. They're obviously, wildly, incredibly clearly an analogue for Aziraphale and Crowley themselves, but they're also each, crucially, a mix of both. On the surface, Maggie is Aziraphale: the plump, blonde, earnest, sweet-natured one owning a slightly dated book music shop and somewhat clueless about emotional nuances, while Nina is (also on the surface) Crowley, the hard-edged dark loner who doesn't want to open herself up to people or be spotted caring. But emotionally, Maggie is Crowley: the one openly pining, clearly besotted, only wanting to hang around their crush and do whatever they can to make themselves useful, while Nina is Aziraphale. Interested but reticent, attracted but conflicted, trapped in an abusive relationship with a demanding offscreen "lover" (Lindsay/Heaven) who tries to constantly control and shame them without ever offering much, if anything in return. By the end, they bring themselves around to what Maggie/Crowley are offering, but by then, well. We've got a lot more problems on our hands.

As I also said in my earlier posts, this entire thing has always been a metaphor for religion, queerness, and what religion -- especially abusive, fundamentalist, organized religion -- does to queer people, but they really cranked the FUCK out of that metaphor this season. Aziraphale is guilt-tripped, controlled, and shamed for his attraction to Crowley at every turn. He is torn between his imagined duty to Heaven, in all its ignorant, uncaring, bureaucratic, gratuitously cruel system that he still insists on seeing the best in because he can't bear the alternative, and the chaotic and sometimes grey but genuinely more good morality that Crowley offers him. (Can I just say, we were explicitly shown that the two of them together doing "just a little miracle" are more powerful than Heaven AND Hell combined.) And at the end, he's told that the only way he can be with Crowley -- what Metatron explicitly blackmails him with -- is if they both go back to heaven, submit themselves to the cruel system again and give up everything that has made them who they are: their home in London, their human friends, their reliance on each other, their independence, their own ways of doing things. You can be queer in this (religious) framework, but only the limited, watered-down, controlled, controllable, constantly-under-supervision kind of queer, which relies on both you and your lover "converting" back to the true faith. And if you don't cooperate, they will literally kidnap you, lie to you, manipulate you, take you from your soulmate, and force you right back into doing the one thing (destroying the world) that you never, ever wanted to do in the first place, because in their minds, that is still better than this. It's for your own good.

Ouch.

And the thing is: that's why the ending a) hits so hard and b) is so fucking painful, because of course Aziraphale agrees. He has no conception of being able to defy Heaven on his own; he has always, always needed Crowley for that. In the flashbacks, when Aziraphale is faced with an order from Heaven that he desperately does not want to carry out (such as letting all Job's children get killed), he still relies completely on Crowley to "outsmart the rules" and find a better way. Crowley is A Crafty Demon; that's what he does, and so Aziraphale rationalizes it to himself that therefore that must be fine. Even in season 1, when he really didn't want the Apocalypse to happen but initially thought it was his duty as a good Heaven footsoldier, he relied on Crowley to talk him out of it and allow him to do what he really wants instead. That's their whole dynamic in a nutshell, as exemplified in that scene in episode 2, where Crowley tempts Aziraphale with the "pleasures of the flesh" while sprawled on his back in Ravish Me mode like the giant walking gay disaster that he is. (Sorry, buddy. That beard. Can't do it.) Everything that Aziraphale's existence is, that makes him who he is, that he loves and cherishes the most (in this case, food and wine) comes from Crowley. Everything else is just background noise.

Throughout the season, what we see is Aziraphale increasingly coming around to the fantasy of being with Crowley. He's coy and flirty; he talks about "our car" and expects Crowley will let him (which he does); he wants to have a Jane Austen ball and for them to dance together (oh my heart); he even thinks, at the crucial moment, that the best way for them to be together is to go back to heaven just like they were in the beginning, once more perfect angels, as if those entire six thousand years of struggle and grief and pining and separation and falling didn't happen. And Crowley -- poor, poor, brave, devoted, heartbroken Crowley -- has just heard for the first time in said six thousand years that actually telling the person you love how you feel is an option. Maggie and Nina tell them point-blank that their whole stupid plan failed because people aren't chess pieces who can be moved and automatically achieve the desired result. And of course this gobsmacks the dearest and dumbest Ineffable Husbands, because they can't conceive of anything else. People are chess pieces in the Great War of Heaven and Hell; Aziraphale and Crowley themselves are chess pieces who have been desperately trying to get out of being moved by external forces, but that doesn't change the fact that that's what they are. They don't have volition or agency aside from that which they can sneak for themselves in brief and stolen moments. That's it.

Until, well. It's not it. They discover that this whole would-be war is actually an elaborate ruse to cover up another angel-demon romance, that of Gabriel and Beelzebub. (I'll be honest, I'm 99% sure they did this storyline because they saw the fans crackshipping them, but I appreciate a fictional narrative that values and incorporates its fans' input, rather than trying to constantly "trick" or "outsmart" them or "do what they don't expect.") And Gabriel and Beelzebub get to be together, but only by leaving their world forever. They have to desert their homes, their structures, even their own identities, and never return. And Crowley and Aziraphale are so rooted in their "precious, perfect, fragile" life in their little corner of Soho, with their bookshop and their Bentley and their dining at the Ritz (which they didn't get to do in the end because METATRON /shakes fist), that that just doesn't work. Neither of them can conceive of doing that. So Aziraphale thinks "go back to heaven and try to make the terrible system do some good and take what we can in terms of being together" and Crowley just... pours out his heart. He's ready to fucking propose. He barely stops himself from saying something to the effect of "I want to spend eternity with you." He begs, he pleads with Aziraphale to go away not in the literal sense, but the emotional/metaphysical: to finally break this toxic dependence on Heaven and tell them once and for all where to stick it. And because he is desperate to make Aziraphale understand, he finally throws all caution to the winds and recklessly, desperately, adoringly kisses him, the one thing he's wanted to do for ages and...

Gets. Shot. Down.

Ugghhhhh. I'm suffering all over again. Aziraphale wants him, hungers for it, for them, and yet he's been so abused and so conditioned by Heaven (he's still blithely repeating to Crowley's face that "Hell are the bad guys!") that he just cannot accept that kind of desperate, blind, limitless, lawless affection. He even forgives Crowley for this "transgression," just to really twist the knife, and Crowley just can't take it, can't face up to how terribly this has all gone up in flames, after he went to heaven trying to find the answer for Gabriel's situation. Gabriel, who he fucking hates. Gabriel, who tried to kill the angelic being he loves (and for which Crowley has transparently never forgiven him). And yet at one pouty puppy-eyed look from Aziraphale and a warning that whoever is harboring Gabriel might be in danger, Crowley leaps headlong into the Bentley again and rushes to the rescue while "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" is blaring. He stoutly protects Gabriel; he does a miracle to disguise him; he lets him have hot chocolate and stay in the bookshop; he guards him from the literal demonic horde outside. All because of Aziraphale. That's it. And then, it still doesn't work. Not only that, Gabriel's absence and decision to forego Armageddon gives Heaven the one tool they finally need to take Aziraphale away from him.

I repeat: Ugghhhhhhhh.

(In a good way. Ngl, I love this angst. This is the kind of angst my brain Thrives on, the Thematic Parallel Romantic Character Arc kind. Nom nom nom. But also: AGONY.)

I also need to talk about Aziraphale driving the Bentley, aside from the obvious metaphor of him being in Crowley's home while Crowley is in his. Last season, we had the "you go too fast for me, Crowley" scene with them sitting in said Bentley, which was Aziraphale saying he's not ready for a relationship. In this season, as noted above, we see Aziraphale increasingly embracing the potential fantasy of being with Crowley. But here's the catch: when he's in the Bentley this time, driving it, setting the pace, acclimating to the idea, he's driving his own idea of what the Bentley/his relationship with Crowley is. It's not the real thing. He plays classical music; he supplies himself sweets; he turns it yellow; he drives too slow. Crowley calls him in another old-married-couple snitfit to complain that Aziraphale's messed it up, but what Aziraphale has actually messed up (or will, by the end of the season) is far more consequential than just a car. He's changed the entire shape of their relationship to the one he thinks can make it work, and it just doesn't. It has to be them -- "we could have been... Us" -- or it's not even close to the truth. It's not worth their time.

I repeat: Ouch.

Speaking of the writers validating fan theories, I know we all picked up and screamed about on Crowley's idea of Peak Romance Guaranteed To Fall In Love being sheltering from rain and gazing into each other's eyes, which confirms that that poor bastard was indeed ass-over-teakettle gone as soon as he met Aziraphale (again) in Eden. I also need to talk about the 1941 redux, because wow. This time, the danger comes from Hell, which we see being its usual self: gleefully, pointlessly cruel, pettily backbiting, dirty, sniping, tedious, endless, determined to mindlessly destroy because They're The Bad Guys and they like it. So they blackmail, spy on, miracle-block, illicitly photograph, and try to prove that Aziraphale and Crowley are secretly a couple, right after Aziraphale himself has just had the Light From Heaven realization that he's in love (which we all also picked up on in s1). They're forcibly outing them (to speak of more Religious Queer Trauma) in order to break them up/get them into trouble with their authorities/families. Aziraphale and Crowley manage to escape it mostly by dumb luck, but Crowley having an altogether freakout, hands shaking, barely able to actually point the gun at Aziraphale even in the knowledge that it's supposed to be fake, is just... wow. He can't even fathom the idea of ever trying to destroy him in earnest, especially when he knows on some level that Aziraphale also finally just realized his own feelings. So I just need to --

/screams

Anyway, Aziraphale's entire arc this season is doing what he thinks is the right thing and then inadvertently causing harm and damage as a result. In the Edinburgh flashbacks (live slug reaction of me: SEAN BIGGERSTAFF???!!) he tries to stop Elspeth from stealing bodies and gets Morag killed and Crowley drinking the laudanum to save him (though that part with David Tennant just riffing left and right, using his natural Scottish accent, and being Tiny Crowley/Huge Crowley was hilarious). He invites his neighbors to a Pride and Prejudice ball and makes them all the target for demonic attack. And of course the Job episode: Aziraphale, horrified at Heaven's callous cruelty, desperate not to get Job's children killed, willing to go along with Crowley's tricks to save them somehow, tempted by Crowley to do the fucknasty with their angel bits eat some food and decide that he likes it. As mentioned, the whole thing about God being silent this season is a major thematic choice. The only time we see/hear God is Her communing with Job from afar. Aziraphale enviously imagines the answers he must be getting (he's not, he's baffled and perplexed), while Crowley longs beyond words to even have the opportunity to ask the question: why? Why do this? Why is this your plan?

And of course, this absence culminates in the Metatron, the Voice of God, the person arrogantly claiming that they're speaking for God and know exactly what Heaven wants, being able to seize Aziraphale by the short hairs and absolutely fuck him over. Gabriel is gone/decommissioned/eloping with Beelzebub, so Heaven needs a Supreme Leader (God apparently is no longer a factor in the equation). And what this Supreme Leader needs to do is finally unleash the Apocalypse that Gabriel decided to pass on (the Second Coming). Aziraphale needs to be punished, taken away from Crowley's influence/love, and put back under Heaven's explicit control, so Metatron spots a great opportunity to do all three at once. It's not an accident that the exact tool he uses to get Aziraphale to agree is "now you can actually be with Crowley!" Aziraphale and Crowley have been trying so hard to hide out from their respective Head Offices, but now all at once, there's this seemingly miraculous opportunity for them not to have to do that anymore! They can be together! They can be sanctioned by Heaven! They can give up all this hiding and sneaking around and lying! Isn't that better?

... As long as, of course, they give up absolutely everything that makes them who they are. No big deal. Minor catch. Probably nothing.

Metatron doesn't let Aziraphale have time to escape, or think it over, or reflect, or anything. He pressures Aziraphale to come with him immediately, or be once more subject to Heaven's implicit wrath/destruction/judgment. Believe me, Aziraphale already KNOWS he's made a huge mistake, as soon as he hears what Metatron really wants: bringing him back to unleash the Apocalypse that Aziraphale and Crowley have given up literally everything to prevent. He doesn't need time to reflect. By the time my man is in that elevator, he's well aware of what a catastrophic misjudgment he's made, and yet --

Aziraphale needs this. He has, as noted, literally always relied on Crowley outsmarting Heaven's cruel orders in order to prevent himself from having to do them. He's relied on Crowley rescuing him ("rescuing me makes him so happy," WELL BUB, IT'S BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS NEED IT). He admits to Crowley's face that "I need you!" He hates Heaven's sadistic meanness, but he has absolutely no framework, in and of himself, to defy it. When the rubber hits the road, he will crumple and try to go along with it, and now he's been put in a position where he's going to have to stand up, defy Heaven, and make the break once and for all BY HIMSELF. He doesn't have Crowley around to do it for him, he has no support, he is going to arrive in Heaven and be shuttled straight off to the Apocalypse 2.0 War Room. The only way he gets out of this is if he actively stands up, if he chooses himself and Crowley and their life, and he has to.

The thing is:

Aziraphale has lived his entire eternal existence Looking Up. Up is the direction of Goodness and Heaven. Up is where Angels go. Up is where Aziraphale comes from and where Demons and Hell are not. But now he's going Up, in a position to take over the whole shebang, and it's the last thing he wants.

So he's going to have to come back Down.

He's going to have to Fall. He's going to have to get back Below at all costs. He's going to have to finally, once and for all, understand what led Crowley to make the choice to leave Heaven and never come back. It's only then that they can possibly be together on any kind of conscious, equal, deliberate footing, claim their own agency, reject Heaven AND Hell, and try to really earn that South Downs cottage and that happy-ever-after, and it's gonna hurt so good.

Now if you will excuse me, /screams

#good omens #good omens meta #good omens s2 #good omens spoilers #ineffable husbands #look this probably could have been twice as long #but i had to stop somewhere #I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS

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lieutenant-teach · 3 months

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Read several books about Loki and Sigyn, which were marked with hashtag ‘justice for sigyn’. All of them are written by really talented people (I’m often baffled by situations when fans write better stories than professional writers – why do the latter get their money?). After reading I can’t agree on some specific points in these books that rubbed me wrong.

Contains spoilers!

Cat Rector ‘The Goddess of Nothing at all’ – the story is strong. A well-written book, pleasure to read. But. Even here, on Tumblr, I read lots of meta and criticism ‘Angrboda wasn’t Loki’s mistress! She was his wife before Sigyn!’. And the author goes this standard way ‘Angrboda is Loki’s mistress’. It works for this story, but it’s in lots and lots of books about Norse myths! Why NOT make her a mistress? Why go a typical way? The ending – I loved the ending. A new All-mother Sigyn – chef’s kiss.

Nicki Chapelway ‘The Harbinger of the end’ (1st book) – an interesting take on Volsung saga, the adventures were really engaging. But, frankly, I didn’t understand why Sigyn fell in love with Loki. I mean, they never had any meaningful conversations or actions between two of them to start love. She just decides ‘I’m a wife, I must love him, and also he’s handsome’. That’s it! Next morning she acts as if she’s deeply in love with him. It seemed as if the author wanted to go into slowburn, but didn’t manage to pull it off and just jumped to the moment when they’re already in love.

Lyra Wolf ‘Truth and other lies’ – again, where’s Sigyn as the Goddess of Victory? So much for all these cries in the internet and on Tumblr specifically ‘but she’s not the Goddess of Fidelity! Marvel just made it up!’. Then WHY use this trope? Not saying it’s a bad idea in and on itself, but it’s so established in general public’s mind. Why not change it? Why not at least combine these two elements – fidelity AND victory?

Surprisingly, only Melvin Burgess writes Sigyn as the Goddess of Victory. Burgess! It was the single thing I liked in this book. Of course, he didn’t give justice to her, but at least he named her title right.

Of course, I guess, nothing can beat the Marvel comics – they’re the first to blame for this Fidelity mess and general treatment of Sigyn. Lots of nowadays popular books are based on comics portrayal. I believe fan books should go as far from these typical Logyn tropes as possible.

#norse mythology #norse loki #sigyn #literature analysis #justice for sigyn #logyn #loki x sigyn #sigyn marvel #literary analysis

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daz4i · 4 months

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i'm so easy to please when it comes to media. just put any meta shit in it and i'm sold. a character acknowledging the audience is everything to me. character who explicitly knows they're in a story or at least act like they know they are? chefs kiss. no notes. jokes about the making of the thing or acknowledging the format in some way???? literally the best ever. games that fuck with the ui. shows that show you that they're filmed on a set. text-based stories that fuck with their format. songs that mention the process of writing them. i love it all ✨️

#......ok it has to actually be good too but what i mean is my bar for what counts as good is lowered in cases like this.#or: while making my recommendations list i noticed almost all games i like have some level of meta bullshit #i am open for recommendations btw. but jsyk if it's a media that's known for its meta stuff i probably have it on my list already :P

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shallowseeker · 5 months

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My faves of yours this year were the car metas and how long cas was dead grief dean ones

I collected some of them and WOW, we really had a blast this year. I already forgot how much fun we had!!!!

I've seen performing!Dean talked about for ages, but for me performing!Rowena and performing!Sam (as high-falootin' high-class phonies) was particular good-tasting to me this year.

Some of the chatter around Lily Sundar episode as a "hidden Mad Men" type atmosphere with humans as the "hoes you shoudn't have emotions about" was great, and Cas a "exemplary high-performing man's man/angel's angel/results guy" was chef's kiss for me. I ate that like a barbarian.

Also, I adored the explorations about Jack's own performances too, or at least that people might entertain that his niceness and gentleness "golden child/good boy" thing is a little bit of an act to hide any darker feelings. He's brutal when it comes to protecting and has quite a temper (see: gas station worker getting choked out, all of Apocalypse Earth...)

CAR META

Dean tried to be the truck

Family cars and protecting the ones you love

Heaven is a truck, and the evolution of Cas as a truck guy

The date car that presided over the death of John...AND the death of Cas (also, PINTOS and family cars galore!)

The evolution of Cas from pimp-mobile to family truck guy

Cas + cars silly thoughts

GRIEF

The chair at the head of the table

Dean is the one crying in the soap opera and cas is the man with the bloody face

Dean's grief on speedrun / how long was cas dead anyway????

Dean looking for Cas during THEEEE PRAYER

Dean & the death of Jack

Don't make it real and permanent (And by Lucifer I mean Cas = And by Belphagor I mean Jack)

The everything he ever wanted

Sam doesn't grieve Jack and Rowena, he moves straight on the Eileen and berates Dean for moping

How Dean's rumination makes him seem guiltier

BOTH

I'm all out of love I'm SO LOST WITHOUT YOU (Don't grieve in front of me Dean it makes me feel uncomfortable and scared)

ADDITION: Here was the first uncomfortable Sam take

The grief ones also bring to mind the great convos we had this year about Sam Winchester, discomfort, and CLASS issues

Sam x Ph.D (Sam's personal OTP)

Rowena's class struggle aaaaaaaah

Rowena, unthawed

Dean x moving the lawn

Sam -> Campbells are "brawn," Winchesters are "brains"

Rowena & Crowley and the dream of upwards mobility + biting off more than they can chew

How Jack & Sam differ; Jack lacks SAMbition

Sam the pillar of the Lebanon community???? Nope

I have so much great Jack stuff but I suck at Tumblr tagging so I can't think of any to feature right now. The different between jack and Sam are great, because Sam got suckered into thinking he was special on borrowed powers. Jack's powers are his own. (Jack is an heir, Sam is a spare. Jack is like Dean in that he's heir to the family responsibilities.) Also, I did a lot of Dean-Mary-Jack posting this year that I just...honesly loved.

Some of my fave ones are from last year though (Like Jack is VARSITY) for this year...maybe Jack is THEEEE BOXER. Or TOYS TOYS TOYS. I think the Tombstone play by play was this year, too. How domains of the house emphasize different parenting styles in TFW. #spn parenting

My brain lives i all.

I'm sure there are some cool ones I missed. But.

Happy New Year and thanks for all the cool convos.

I'll try to get out and tell people which metas of theirs I liked too, but my mind magically goes blank when i try.

#year in review #asks #i'm sorry anon #this is NOT what you asked but i bold and redded the ones you talked about

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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dimpledpran · 9 months

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bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

(created by @fiercynn)

Thank you for tagging me @morkofday (x) and @disasterbabygirlnick (x)

note: i consider "fanworks" to pretty much everything people create related to a fandom, including but not limited to meta/analysis/discussion, gifs, fanvids/edits/fancams, filk, fanart, fanfic, fan food, fan crafts, etc. please include this note with the meme unless you have a different definition!

name and whatever you want to share about yourself

Mimi, 30, She/Her, Singapore, always in need of more sleep, and more time to get through the watch list

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom?

So I was initially waiting for Bad Buddy to finish airing so that I can binge it. But it was getting harder to avoid spoilers on the dash, so I decided to give it a go. I am so glad I binged ep 1-6 and only joined the airing from ep 7. Because there is no way I could have survived ep5 and waited a week after watching Pran walk away. That would have been torture.

favorite ship(s)

Of course PatPran are the ultimate ship. I love them so much. And also InkPha because we are finally getting some GL representation!!!

favorite character(s)

I know everyone says this, but it is true. Pran is me. I am Pran. Like I have never related to a character as much as I have related to Pran. In terms of character, personality and even certain issues he was facing. It's just insane. And I love him so much.

favorite episode(s)

Episode 10. It just has everything; the highs and the lows. A perfect mix. We start off with the staircase confession, which is also one of my fave scenes, and then we have the boys finding out that the business/Chai was never the main problem the parents, prompting them to dig deeper. Pha's realisation and thew whole park trial date with the Wai encounter. That was such an epic scene. The only thing better than confused Pha was protective Ink and flustered/heartbroken Wai.A little cameo from Gemini, Ford and Fourth! INKPHA DARK ROOM SCENE!! PatPran on an actual hotpot date! And of course the parental confrontation and rooftop breakdown. I know I did not have to list out the whole ep, but I got excited. I am sorry.

favorite scene(s)

Episode 5 4/4 is just a different league. That should actually count as an episode on its own. Love every second from the lobby fight scene to the rooftop kiss and Pran walking away. Its all just chef's kiss. All the emotions!! I am forever in awe at how Jimmy stood up to Nanon and Ohm. He could have easily gotten swallowed by their presence and energy, as a newbie. But nope, he gave as good as either of them. He demanded that space in the scene. And all three of them killed it! Not even gonna start talking about the rooftop scene. There is not enough time and character limit for that. Another favourite is the rooftop breakdown. That was one gorgeous breakdown, and idk if it can be topped. The way Pat is already there when Pran calls his phone. The way Pran who has always been in absolute control, jsut completely breaks down sobbing in Pat's arms. The way Pat can't hold his tears back at seeing Pran cry. The way he tries to still hold it back because he knows Pran needs the space to finally let go. Pat asking Pran if he likes Ink in ep4, and Pran crying in his bed. Idk if he was meant to cry, or if it just happened. But that was beautiful. I can't watch that scene without feeling like I want to punch Pat for puttiung PRan through that, and to give Pran a nice long hug. This shall be my last. InkPha darkroom scene!! They both did such a rgeat job there as well! I can still hear the way Pha's voice quivers when she talks to Ink. It was remarkable. And to think everyone was actually there for that scene (I think it was this scene?). Cos everyone wanted to see the girls act a GL scene. So it must have been pressurising, but they were amazing!

one thing you would change about the show if you could

Gonna say the same thing as Vi and Vishie. WAI NEEDS TO APOLOGISE TO PRAN! It does not matter if homophobia does not exist in the BB universe. You still broke your friend's trust. There's no way you are being made the victim here. You have to apologise and face the music. I am not saying that Wai dropping the curtain should not have happened. I can understand why he did that. But I can't understand why he got away scot-free, and Pran was left to chase after him with an apology. I do not like that they left this unaddressed.

what are some of your favorite fanworks made by other people

It honestly is a struggle to control myself here and not just tag everything I see/read. So here are a few.

♥ gfx ♥ ♥ @weiyingsexual : InkPha X 4Signs ♥ @pranink : The colouring here is insanely gorgeous , PatPran + Rooftop (Stunning colouring) ♥ @petekaos Just an insane edit ♥ @nanons : Pran Fave Character , This gives such dreamy vibes ♥ @mabellsmora : Love the quote with the scenes ♥ @liyazaki : BB Casette Playlist ♥ @lan-xichens : Love the rainbow and the composition , ♥ @baifengxis : Basically their whole rewatch series , ♥ @ardentlytess : InkPha Edit , Pran Fave Character ♥ @raypakorn : Pran Edit , Pat Edit , Horror Edit , Love the blending and overlays here ♥ @disasterbabygirlnick : PatPranXBollywood ♥ Edit ♥ ♥ @morkofday : Fave Ep , Pran DnD , I just love how Pran GLOWS in this edit , ANGST , This used to be my wallpaper , Planet Symbolism ♥ @snimeat : Love the framing and composition here , This gives such happy vibes ♥ @oswlld : Fave Ep , The quote with those scenes just went straight to my heart , Silly Pat and Endeared Pran , PatPran X Songwriting (such a cool formart/concept) , BB as Noir Film ♥ @patspran : New Beginning ♥ @i-got-the-feels : Dynamics , Pran Parakul Songs , Fave Ep

♥ Fanart ♥ ♥ @thatgothsamurai : Photobooth , Wedding ♥ @hereforlou : just all their fanart ♥ @kit-teung : InkPha ♥ @kornswasianguyswag : All their BB fanart ♥ Fanvid♥ ♥ @patpranism : B99 intro ♥ @transpat : Tujh Mein Rab Dikhita Hai , Pat Version ♥ Fanfic ♥ ♥ Promise Me When October Comes, You Will Wait For Me , Remember Even When You Forget, Do I Need A Reason? ♥ @dimplesandfierceeyes : Aroma-nce So Sweet , When Tempests Toss, Embrace Chaos , The Road To Normal Is A Mirage ♥ @sunshinedobi : Melted , Heart In A Cage , Sleepless In Bangkok , Worth The Wait ♥ Contradictions ♥ What's In Your Head (Zombie Eh Eh) ♥ I Only Want To Have It All ♥ @fiercynn : Wait Until The Stars Uncross And Say Yes , All For Swinging You Around ♥ @bbshyperfixation : Pat & Dissaya Go To Singapore , Don't Worry , All My Clothes would Fit , ♥ There's So Many Of Me And So Many Of You ♥ @morkofday : My People, Our People , My Right Hand, Meet Left Hand

(if you create fanworks) what are your favorite fanworks that you’ve made?

Fave Show : Honestly am very impressed with how the blending turned out here. Fave Couple : First time trying out a different style with text effects, colouring those random heart effects, and I was very excited with the final look. Fave Episode : I thought it was a fun idea to explain the episode with song titles, and liked how it turned out. BB X Spiderman : Yes, It is not a happy edit, but I love spiderman and I loved the chance to mix it together with my BB love. Composition Gif Challenge : Again, not a happy edit. But I saw the quote and it reminded me that PatPran could have had an unhappy ending. So I wanted to explore that. It was fun trying to figure out all the shapes and placements. Gifted Buddy Series (1 and 2) : This was entirely a product of Vishie screaming at me with her AU ideas. Thank you for all the screaming Vish, I love it all and I love you! Season 2 Netflix Edit : This took so much time, but I really like how it turned out. And it was kinda fun coming up with a Season 2 synopsis.

a song that makes you think of bbs (the ones in the show don’t count lol)

Silver Tongues - Louis Tomlinson This song is totally PatPran's song. It was made for them. It actually prompted a whole series that I planned out in my head last year. And it turned out that @fitfmybeloved also had the same idea, and we brainstormed more. But somehow we still haven't actually done it yet. Hopefully soon?

youtube

idk anything else you want us to know?

So @morkofday gave me an idea for a "collab" edit and we are both working through it now, and mine is about BB. So there is an edit coming out soon? hehe

tagging:

I Everyone who has been tagged above. ♥

#tag game #bad buddy

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fideidefenswhore · 3 months

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Hi! I understand if you don't feel like sharing it ,but i really would like to read your meta about that Henry/Anne scene in BSR ''Isn't that enough?''. I hope you have a nice day.

"is it enough for you?" , but yes, i actually elaborated on this a little more elsewhere in other tags because i used that shot of that scene again for another edit.

so, expanding where i left off:

the images chosen are more the vibe for the quotes but the one from BSR is very specific

it's a great scene and it's so well-acted bcus she feels BAD for him here.

she pities him. she feels bad for him because he's losing her bcs she's not going to settle for these terms

because she knows she's amazing

and she's so self-posessed in the scene

and he cannot handle this and so it manifests in the reaction(you're making a big mistake; except that is his own big projection)

she's willful and knows her worth and won't diminish herself for anyone

...and i chose the reaction from the scene bcus it's not necessarily at odds with these descriptions (of her 'prudence')

bcs it takes a lot of dignity and self-worth and inward grace to stand one's ground enough (to withstand the 'tide of their prince')

...to give that rejection that by all social and cultural norms and graces she was simply not supposed to give. or was at least supposed to couch in more self-effacing terms.

but yeah anyway i know people thought BSR was 'trashy' but i actually thought the acting and chemistry between them was really great and maybe even lifted the writing from its weaker points.

because just the way he reels back at the line 'is it enough for you?' in all its pity-wrought glory...firstly, because it seems like it's a question no one has ever thought to ask him before, and secondly, so it gives way into that transformation from the shock into anger (how a 'lesser' person is daring to pity him, how he doesn't want her pity, he wants her love) which is just...chef's kiss. she absolutely obliterates his dignity here, not only in her rejection but in this eloquent explanation as to why this is her answer, and in the finality of her conviction. it is delicious. they could have this scene anywhere, in this darkened staircase for its the tudors copycat setting in this lithuanian palace, or on a fucking greenscreen, and it would still be just as powerful if these were its actors.

(im realizing that if anyone who is reading this hasn't watched they're going to think i'm an insane person based on this description... so hopefully the actual beats of the scene below will reveal what i mean, lol:

there's also a compelling subversion of (modern) expectation here, because...the only different thing in this equation is the status of the man asking to love her, asking why love is 'not enough'. for most 16c women of anne's status, no, 'love' wasn't enough. security was preferred. and, actually, it's very anachronistic how much this opinion is villianized (see, tobg:

...when it's like...yeah, a man's love was considered worthless. if it wasn't, they wouldn't have considered betrothal contracts to be a necessary evil!). it's very easy for him to say that she would 'want for nothing' (households, jewels, etc, one assumes), and she isn't allowing his ease: she's contradicting him, and pointing out that there is little security in the position of royal mistress.

herein lies the constant counterfactual moralistic tutting: anne 'should've just become a mistress,' always paired with 'this would, in the end, have made her 'safer.'' and it would have, as we know (not anne), but it would also, as she points out here, likely lead into her being a nonentity (a voice on the pillow, a woman hiding underneath the sheets and behind the bed curtains, an ornament for dancing), and she didn't want to be one: she wanted to be partner and collaborator of her future husband, not the diversion and darling of someone else's.

tl;dr the scene is powerful because she feels bad for him (she feels bad for herself, too, but she only allows him to see the former:

#redrosesandcharmingsouls #something about him essentially shouting at the top of his lungs 'WHAT'S SO 'HUMILIATING' ABOUT LOVE'#as he humiliates himself. for love. and so tries to leave with the final word.#and then still comes bounding back (by implication. the next MORNING?? ) like a fucking boomerang #all like step 1: failed.#and her asking why he would ask for something which diminishes them. why would he only want half a life with her?#doesn't he want more? it's a challenge but she's not expecting him to take it literally #she's asking why did you ask that of me? do you want me to think less of you?#do you think so little of me? do you think so little of yourself? don't you want more for yourself?#and it's the perfectly written question for these two people. from her to him #bcus they're both alike in that way. they both always want more for themselves #they are both always seekers #so yeah as much as i guess im alone in this opinion #i think this series did a really great job of like...establishing their point of connection #she's a challenge and he's a challenger.

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exilethegame · 2 years

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New chapter was absolutely delicious 😭😭 I’m literally obsessed with how secrecy and information (or lack thereof) really dictates so much of the story. Like MC can only act on the information they have, side characters are acting based on what they know. And for real all the characters know something different so noone rn really knows wtf is going on. Even Marcelle, whose sleeves must be heavy as hell from all the cards she has stuffed up there, isn’t all knowing. You can only act with what you have babes, its tasty as hell, im obsessed, chefs kiss etc etc. Huge huge props to you Pheo ! 💙💙

Ahh this made me happy to read! I think all my effort to "not meta" in tabletop RPGs had made me place special emphasis on how information affects a story.

When you play any group RPG, you see first hand how everyone role-plays differently based on what their character knows as opposed to what they, the player know, and when that happens you get some really authentic and fun scenarios.

I really want to recreate that in the Exile-- everyone is just trying to do their best with what they know. Granted, it's a lot of juggling of information (and occasionally dropping the ball), but I hope one everything is polished it'll all start coming together :)

#pheo talks #no meta gaming in the exile #sorry <3

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opal-owl-flight · 1 year

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Hi hello I just binge read your Back to Zero AU and GOD it’s so good!! I’ve always seen Metalor having really good angst potential, and the way you write their relationship just hits right in the heart, and it’s so so good!! I‘m not very good with words but like.. I just love how you depict their relationship, how it falls apart and gradually comes back together. I‘m a huge sucker for angst with a happy ending, and reading this au was just,, chef’s kiss, amazing.

WAAAH IM GLAD YOU LIKE IT!!

Buddy thats not even ALL OF IT

It was just so terrible for a long ass time. They both had trust issues with each other.

Mags didnt show all of him to Meta bc hes afraid Meta would hate a part of him that was such an integral part of his being. He hid himself. (Throw in the whole "Im a monster" insecurity as well. Part of him thinks he doesnt deserve this kind of happiness.)

Meta didnt trust him bc of rtdl and other bastard acts he did before his true redemption arc in the Nova incident. He was willing to give him a chance, but the deeper into the relationship they got, the more afraid he became with the possibility of Mags just lying about this whole thing. It was an insecurity that grew and grew with time, which was spurred on further by Mags not trusting him with his whole self. And why should he, when Meta is a perfectionist who holds everyone to impossible standards?

BtZ was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

#kirby #metalor #magolor #meta knight #back to zero #angst #opal owl hoots

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cosmicellis · 1 year

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My homie challanged me with Yuma in Character ask game. The ultimate ADHD child

My first impression of them -That he was one weird looking boi even by yu-gi-oh standarts. Not to mention, at first he gave me strong “lol randumb” energy

When I think I truly started to like them -Through the seson progression the antics and very lively attitude kinda got to me. Plus I do dig characters with positive attitude and being a bit... dim XD

A song that reminds me of them - Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones

How many people I ship them with -Canon: Astral, Mist... sometimes Shark -OC... Machi >u>

My favorite ship of them -I like Keyshipping, but I’m weak for Tentacle\lockship even if I can never make it healthy :v I like keyshipping because it feels like had the most development and it feels like these worked out their relationship from hating each other to sacrificing their faces for each other Lockship... Sometimes my inner sadist is whispering: yeee, make everyone suffer in this relationship, dew it

My least favorite ship of them -Skyship. No hate on this ship, nor on Tori, I always had a personal dislike towards “childhood friend” stuff

A quote of them that you remember -Aside from Kattobingu is a very cute “Ye” he did in the manga in a very beggingng, when Tetsuo said :You can also put spells face down

Your favorite outfit of them -His school uniform is a chef kiss

Your least favorite outfit of them -That fancy official one. Not my aesthetic choice...

Describe the character in one sentence -WILD

What’s the first thing you think about when thinking about the character? -Explosive positivity and hunger...FOR everything

Sexuality hc! -Uh I guess Yuma, as a true golden retriver, loves everyone

Your favorite friendship they have -With Shark. Because only Yuma can annoy somebody enough to become friends with them (Manga including)

Best storyline they had -The plot with him going to Astral world was pretty narly

Worst storyline they had -Barrian onslught. I can only take so much of Yuma crying and being sad

A childhood headcanon -He seemed to be pretty normal, until his dad decided to invite him into a cult of Kattobingu

What do you think their first word was? -I say “mom”, cause it feels like she was around him more when he was smaller (You know, work and all)

How do you think they were as a kid? (Like, were they shy, noisy, wild, etc) -I believe he was norm, up until certain point. He would like something, loose interest, get sad, get happy, but then... The key happened (when his dad gave it to him) and he decided to exclude “giving up” out of his vocabulary

The most random ship you've seen people have with them -You can’t surprise me. He was shipped with everyone under the sun

A weird headcanon -Yuma can cook pretty good, he’s just lazy

When do you think they were at their happiest? -I feel like when he reunited with Astral.

When do you think they were at their lowest? -Uh yes, 3 episodes of depression when Astral died

Future headcanon -He will become a Duel champion, but then quit, because of constantly changing meta and the fact that you can’t play your favorite deck forever. Power creeping and exploits would be just an end of fun

What do you think is a secret they have that they never told anyone? -That in the beggning he felt lonely, even with friends around (But then Astral canceled his personal space and Me time)

When do you think they acted the most ooc -Yuma is a wild-child. Whatever he does can be explained with “He felt that way” cause that’s how he operates. He just feels that he had to do it... das it solid logic

When do you think they were being "themselves" the most? -When he was trying to save vector from Don Thousand. Cause he clings to his friends like a gum to hair

If they could meet a character from another show/movie/etc, who would be the most fun for them to meet? -I’ll be boring here and say Yusei

The most unnecessary thing they ever did? -Trusting Vector. I know Yuma trust people like Tokonoske, but with Victor it felt bit much, but that’s my perspective

How do you think they would be as a parent? (and if they are a parent, how do you think they would be if they weren't?) -Probably would try mimicking his dad

The funniest scene they had? -There are too many. But the one I like is where he has conversation with Astral about takoyaki and it perfectly represents how my two last braincells work. Source: https://www.tumblr.com/ask-games-from-a-weird-girl/673569359300640768/character-ask-game

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bloodpen-to-paper · 10 months

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Review Blurbs: Barbie (2023)

~General Thoughts~

-I thought this movie would be like... PG. And then it got really emotional when Barbie was looking through Gloria's memories of the days when her and her daughter were at their happiest before Sasha grew up. And then Barbie got called a fascist. So

-Margot Robbie is an insanely talented actor. I'm gonna be honest, I'm not sure how well the movie would've done for me if I wasn't invested in the main character but Margot completely ate the role and made the story of Stereotypical Barbie very endearing to watch

-The pacing was surprisingly good for me, I'm usually really picky about pacing but they were able to balance out transitioning from the silly stuff to serious and back again pretty well, Greta Gerwig you have my applause

-Its an interesting detail that the Real World is still intentionally somewhat unrealistic and caricature-ish similar to the Barbie world is; not sure if that's just Greta's style or if there was a reason for it, made the movie a little jarring imo but I'd love to know why she did it and what effect she was going for

-The fact that Barbie wasn't interested in Ken and rejected him and it was treated as a good thing is just *chef's kiss*

-The Kens fight scene being a colorful musical number with eccentric choreography was so fun to watch I want more

-I don't care what you've been through, nothing could've prepared anyone for that gynecology line. Its such a genius way to remind you that Barbie now has to deal with the biological changes of becoming human. 10/10

-Allan beating up the construction worker Kens was the best moment 10/10

-Speaking of Allan, I loved how Allan was a metaphor for someone who doesn't fit into the gender binary. He was the only non Barbie/Ken, had his own unique name and was always uncomfortable/disappointed with the world around him no matter who was in charge, which was a great way to subtly insert this kind of character. He happily sided with the Barbies to help take down the Kens, embracing all the pink and cheering alongside them when they won, while also looking very sad during the part where the Kens were realizing they failed. Just all of it screamed gender-non conforming to me. I've seen some interpretations saying Allan is a representation of a gay man (being more of a "Ken" presentation wise but finding more of a space among women and being deeply uncomfortable with patriarchy perpetuated by straight men) and some saying he's nonbinary (wanting to leave Barbieland behind and never being satisfied no matter who was in charge); either way, what they did with Allan was very cool and I'm glad some queerness, even if subtle and less prominent, was included in the movie)

-Similarly, Weird Barbie isn't getting nearly enough love. She was one of the most fun characters for me (Kate McKinnon magic, duh) and she like Allan could definitely represent someone out of the cishetero-normative/gender binary (I've seen people saying she's very queer-coded and it honestly makes sense, she tends to dress and act in more un-feminine ways which I think says butch lesbian but its up to interpretation) I am also very gay for her give her more attention cause she deserves it, seriously

-John Cena mermaid

-Simu Liu Ken constantly antagonizing Ryan Gosling Ken over Barbie's attention and being the better Ken within Barbieland is a metaphor for how patriarchy will put women against each other for the attention of men and make women fight each other too much to realize who the real enemy is

-Margot Robbie being acknowledged as "not the best to make this point about ugliness" was fantastic lmao, love the meta-narration

-The way Ken's story arc and the commentary around patriarchy with the incel-pipeline was very strong, and I respect Greta for critiquing it the way she did (I made a full post here )

-Ken and Ken should've kissed. Any of them. All of them.

-Barbie deciding to be human in the end despite her whole journey being about wanting to be a perfect Barbie doll again and her being terrified of flat feet and cellulite but then telling that old woman how beautiful she was and watching humans be normal and mimicking their expressions because even though its scary she wants to feel the way humans do because she sees the beauty in it and its a love letter to women and to people and the complexity of our messy species omfg I'm gonna cry other people said it better than me so go look at their stuff

-Barbie helping out Ken despite everything he'd done because she didn't want things to go back to how they were when Barbies ruled the world, she wanted something different, better, and she helped the person she had every right to want to hurt because we're supposed to be better than those who hurt us

~Criticisms~

-As an add-on to the caricature blurb, I felt a bit weird watching cause Greta's style recreated facets of misogyny as a caricature, so things like patriarchal brainwashing, sexual assault and other very harmful misogynist rhetoric were told in a slapstick way. I was uncomfortable throughout a lot of it, and I'm still deciding if I consider it a genuine criticism to have such matters told in this way or if its just personal preference; would like to know other thoughts if you're willing to share. Regardless, just be aware of it if that stuff's triggering to you so you're prepared for it

-Loved the emphasis on uplifting femininity in Barbie, and I understand the metaphor behind the change, but I can't help feel they pulled a Breakfast Club with Sasha going from her all black attire to suddenly very feminine and with makeup. Being gender non-conforming isn't just for queer people, lots of women are like this and it feels like media makes it seem like this kind of woman is impossible. Not all women wear makeup, not all women are feminine, and I would love for a more masculine/GNC woman character to be able to actually be that. I'll forgive it a bit since Barbies' styles kinda revolve around makeup, and Weird Barbie was consistently butch, just wish characters that are brought up with the prospect of gender-nonconformity could actually stay that way

~Final Thoughts~

Surprisingly good! Don't get me wrong, movies with this style can be good for sure but with the recent surge of mediocre movies I didn't have too much faith. However, I was very happy with how enjoyable and passionate it was. Highly recommend if you like caricature-type works, and/or want to get into some basic feminist ideology in a more fun way that's still very meaningful and heartfelt. Barbie is not just a feminist critique, but a love letter to women, girl hood, and the complexities of humans and how beautiful that can be <3

#phew this one took a while #kept deciding if I wanted to include big blurbs in this post or make them their own post #anyway go watch Barbie its fun #review blurbs #barbie #barbie movie #barbie 2023 #greta gerwig

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hekateinhell · 1 year

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No but Armand’s feelings about the way Lestat and Louis portray him in both their books and in Lestat’s music video give me life because he ACTS like he’s offended (“do NOT fucking quote that book to me Daniel”) but Daniel notes that he’s obviously pleased with his newfound celebrity lmaooo like he saw that twink in the music video and was like “hell yeah I’m the baddest”. You know Lestat chose GOOD xoxo DA 😇

So I was reading @desertfangs’s latest D/A installment (which was just *chef’s kiss* 😙🤌🏼) and it got me thinking 💭 about Armand’s need to dress and undress his lovers and then I saw your amazing ramblings about lace up boots and Lestat on his knees like a dog licking them off as he should and listen, I’m in a state 🥺 Humiliating Lestat, punishing then rewarding Daniel, and worshipping/submitting to Louis all through clothes THIS IS THE WAY. Feels like a natural follow up to your reply re: Armand’s kinks (tysm for that, I’m whole again). Armand is the ultimate clothes kink master and I need to know more about it through you lovely ppl xoxo yours truly DA ♥️

ashsjsksjjsh I'm scrolling through the ask box to catch up on current stuff and I realize I got two messages from you in 24 hours I'm- 🥹🥹

I know I've written lots of sad meta about how Armand must've felt seeing Lestat spill all of his very private and painful tea for the masses (and also just seeing Lestat himself in all his resurrected rockstar glory), but also I want to believe he took a moment to appreciate Lestat's "worshipful analyses" of him on the page - which hopefully translated onto the screen. Like "Awww, that's how he sees me? 🥹🥰" while Daniel's somewhere dying of liver failure. Obligatory moment of silence for Armand having to find out that Lestat's loved him since 1791 from a book.

ANYWAY yesss, I especially loved how Desert worked Daniel's sexual memories with Armand into the present day scene to keep it canon-compliant! ♥️ There's so many flavors of smut we work with in VC tbh and everyone has their own signature spin on it, it's delicious.

ARMAND'S CLOTHES KINK lmao. Not to get meta about it, but I feel like so much of how he expresses himself is through clothing. Whether it's in a provider/marital role such as with Daniel and Louis, or more individualistic like at the end of BC when he's dressed in burgundy (so not blue, Marius's color for him, but his own color) and all his rings. Reflecting the fact that he is now, as Lestat notes, "himself" again, at peace.

I cry.

#this wasn't even a smutty response and i'm ashamed #it's been a Monday forgive me #feel free to send me smutty poll ideas though 🫣#dungeon anon #<33 #you ask and hekate answers #vc

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cloud-based-and-rainpilled · 9 months

Text

I just finished Staged 1!! My reactionz (apologies for wall-of-text; I cannae “read more” on mobile);

(tl;dr at the end)

Props for getting me to not despise a Zoom show on sight. Uses the medium really well despite it being, you know, a remnant of the world fuckin ending

Very Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead, like the patter/volley, lotta chemistry (goes without saying)

David Tennant using Frost/Nixon as an example to explain who Michael Sheen is to Samuel L. Jackson makes me feel so seen. Maybe it’s an American thing idk

Nina, my beloved… serving cunt as the day is long. Rip to her beleaguered assistant lmao

The celeb cameos weren’t annoying !

Bordered on naval gaze-y but self aware enough (meta!) to skirt the line well

Simon’s sister rules lmao

The exterior shots showing empty Englandland were beautiful and captured a (shitty) moment in time very effectively. And sheep! Pastoral VS city, good stuff

Who the fuck is Michael Sheen?!

I wish David writing the play came up earlier, structurally it felt kinda thrown in the last two episodes, but they’re short so it’s a lot to put in

Michael crying over the old lady possibly dying 🥺 Best unseen character uwu

Welsh is a horrifically ugly language but I appreciate their commitment to the bit

Best ep by far was the 3rd (I think?) one revolving around lying. Fantastically written and all around a tight episode

He is in the naughty corner!!

I’m ignorant af whooooooo is the black actory guy in the 5th (I think?) episode who goes on a run to deal with stress and reads Ulysses twice? Love him. I will follow him into the dark

The Ulysses bit is very haha Bri’ish

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Reference !!!!

The credits gag is *chef’s kiss*

I… don’t like the music. It feels very Kevin Macleod student film stock piano sorry

Also could be my hearing issues but I just couldn’t hear sometimes, at least with the wide shots. Maybe there are subtitles but I wouldn’t know since I watched it completely legally uwu

Editing with fade-to-black annoyed me at first since that’s not how Zoom works but it won me over, very effective theater-y choice. Elevates it a lot along with the way the Brady Bunch boxes move

David and Georgia’s dynamic is adorable and they play well off each other. Not sure if I’ve seen Georgia in anything before (statistically speaking she was prob in Doctor Who lmao) but I really like her as an actress! Very charming

Anna’s not in it as much so can’t say for her acting ability but she was fine idk. She has zero chemistry with David and Georgia but her and Michael seem to have a little bit, just not nearly on the same level as the Tennants. It’s “meta” so not quite sure what that implies irl but her awkwardly leaving Georgia on read was very funny

Idk who Simon is but he’s a good actor! More of a writer? Self effacing and fun

D̵̨̜̓̽͆͘Ḁ̴̪̻̘̗̮̀͛̈̊̅͆ͅM̷̭̒͛̓̔̐͛̉̂̈́̔͘Ë̷̲́̿̅̀̐̆̇̅͋̓̋͂̉ ̴̟̖͉̳͖͕̫̑̌́͂̀͑͐̽̈́̃̃J̶̨̤̞̰̙̻̯͍͖̯̠̝̥̤̿͐̄̂̈̅̎̃̌͊͊̓͠Û̶̢͍͔̱̦̩̬̦͙͖̓̿͘D̶͇̭́̋̓̆͆̋̋͘I̶̞̳͕͖͗̓̓͑̐͆͊͋̂̚͠͝ ̴̧̨͎͖̲̳̼̎̈́̋̐͘Ḑ̸̲̖̟̲͓̝̠͍̤͛͆͐͘E̷̛̻̥͙̯͂͌̌̈͂̒Ņ̷̛̭̦̗͔̝͙̖̆̀̆̌̚ͅC̴̢̬͉͈̉͐̃̀̋̓̓̓̀̚H̵̡̠͕͚̹͑͂̃̉̐̈̾̍̕͠

In the same vein, the button of the cookie jar acting game— yes. All yes

Once again hammering the meta theme but it is interesting to see how David & Michael’s chemistry really does get stronger as the episodes go on. I’m assuming it was filmed in order so a lot of it is the awkwardness of acting on Zoom I think since they had better chemistry in Good Omens 1 imo. They said they became closer friends through it and it shows

Also feels less ‘actor-y’/more comfortable between them as it goes on, which I get is scripted but you can tell the difference, like when a sitcom cast for many years either starts hating each other at the end or becomes inseparable

tl;dr Overall it’s quite cute! Well written, easy watch, lotta subtle funny moments and back and forths. Interesting to see something that feels like a play as a Zoom TV show, it’s unique. Everyone is having a good time and likes each other and it shows. Not sure I’d come back for a rewatch if not for it (apparently) becoming a lot more meta as it goes on and then whiplashing from funnier in season 2 to major bummer in season 3.

It’s fascinating to see a friendship develop in real time, and even aside from that, it’s written and edited concisely. Based on .gifs I’ve seen it looks like season 2 has a lot more of the iconic/memorable moments. Don’t really see the “love story” aspect yet but I guess that comes in time. (And arguing! I’m excited for arguing. Actors love that shit.)

Started season 2 with episode 1 and already like it more with how meta (this no longer sounds like a word) it’s getting. Cool concept and I’m glad it exists

#my tl;dr is so long lmao sorry #using it as an excuse to go to the gym #i will watch ofmd soon tho! once i’ve finished this #bless those who sail the high seas #staged #bbc staged #staged 1 #michael sheen #david tennant #georgia tennant #simon evans #also yes they’re both very attractive i’m just embarrassed to not shove it in the tags because i’m a nerd #also georgia is very pretty and has eyes like a furby #samuel l jackson #lucy eaton <- damn no tag sorry girl

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