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m-jelly · 2 years

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Hellooo! I've been reading your works and I've been a fan every since! I want to try to ask for a request but I don't know how to start.

So I guess it kinda goes like this.

The reader is able to control and create ice and she was born with it (it's like a family thing). But then no one knows about it, even her boyfriend levi.

So when they went on an expedition, something went wrong and there were a lot of abnormal titans and they were outnumbered.

So basically she has no choice but to use her powers in order to save the rest of the scouts. While she's fighting the titans using her ability, the rest are just gaping at her, like they're just so shock including the rest of the veterans (mike is also there, he's not dead yet).

So like after that, they confront her about it but since a lot of the other soldiers saw her ability, they have no choice but to put her on trial and levi is just sad, angry, and betrayed that the reader hide it from him.

But in the end she gets to stay in the scouts as long as she use her ability for helping humanity. And she makes up to levi and it's just a happy ending.

Got it Anon. Gonna change it a bit with how Levi reacts. Also, this will all take part before Eren is revealed to be a shifter.

@kenkopanda-art wonderful banner

Melting

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: canon world, time before eren shifter storyline, ice abilities, romance, love, forgiveness, happy ending.

Concept: After shocking the scouts with your ice ability, you are put on trial. As you listen to people talk about how to dispose of you or kill you for days on end, you face your boyfriend in your cell. You and Levi talk about why you didn't tell him about what you can do. Levi shows you love and forgiveness quickly because he wants to understand. Erwin and Levi save you in the end by convincing the court you would help the scouts against the titans.

Trigger warning: Mentions of the reader being tortured, Levi saves you.

Levi stared at you from the docks as tears rolled down your cheeks, but you never made a sound. He eyed how your hands were encased in metal and chained to the floor behind you. He could see on the skin that he used to lovingly caress was raw from torture and punishment. His heart stung the most at signs of you being burned.

Your scream filled his ears. He closed his eyes and saw you stood on the grass with him and Erwin behind you. Titan's hands were reaching to take both men, but you appeared in front of them. You screamed no as your reached out. Ice shards had grown up and pierced through the titan's necks and taken all five of their heads off.

"Levi?"

Levi opened his eyes and looked up at his blonde Commander. "Tch, what?"

Erwin nodded to you. "They're moving her back to her cell again." He glanced down and studied Levi with his judgemental blue eyes. "You should talk to her."

"I tried before. The guards won't let me."

The Commander let out a long sigh. "Then make them. You have the right to talk to the woman you love." He leaned on the wooden railing and watched you get dragged away. "We all have secrets, Levi." He looked over at his strongest soldier. "We keep them to protect others. Please, keep that in mind."

Levi knew very well what his friend was talking about. He wasn't mad at you for not saying anything, he was more sad that you felt like you couldn't tell him. He could understand the reasoning behind why you wouldn't tell him. He just wished he could be someone you could trust enough with something like this.

"Sir?"

Levi blinked a few times and realised he'd walked down to the cells. "I'm here to see the prisoner who makes ice."

The guard shook his head. "Not possible. She's not allowed visitors."

Levi hummed in thought. "Right." He grabbed the guard's shirt and slammed then against the stone wall. "Tch, give me the cell key and the key to her chains, now."

"Y-Yes, sir! P-Please don't hurt me!"

He dropped the lad and yanked the keys from him once they were offered. He stormed down the hall as his nose wrinkled at the damp smell in the air. He ignored the begs of prisoners as he went. His heart thumped in his chest with each step more questions and worries popped into his mind. He felt his darkness creep up on him and wrapped its arms tightly over him. He felt shrouded in a suffocating blackness.

He paused a moment when heard you whimper and gasp in pain. He raced down to you and felt his stomach drop when he saw how they were treating you. You had your arms chained up above you and your ankles chained, but your ankle ones were short so you were at a 45-degree angle over a fire.

Levi unlocked your cell quickly. He took his jacket off and used it to drag the pit away from you and to the corner of the room. He called your name as you cried. "I've got you. I've got you."

You shook as Levi walked behind you and unlocked your ankles. "Stop, Levi. Stop. I deserve this. I'm a freak."

He ran in front of you and dragged a stool over. He stood up and unlocked your hands. "Don't say that."

You sniffed a little. "I hurt you. I hurt everyone around me."

Levi caught you before you collapsed. "Tch, shut up. Don't say that shit." He climbed down off the stool and carried you to your bed. "Fuck, what have they been doing to you?"

You were conflicted as you lay in Levi's arms. You wanted to pull away and curl up into a ball, but at the same time, you wanted to stay in your lover's arms. "It's what I deserve. I lied."

"Why did you lie?" He frowned a little. "Why didn't you tell me?"

You pulled from Levi's arms and sat up. "Would you have believed me?" You looked at him. "Even if you did, you knowing would put you in danger." You winced at the burns on your skin. "You'd be in that cell next door to me."

"At least I'd be next to you."

You smiled at him as tears rolled down your cheeks. "I know, but sometimes people do things with the best intentions. Love was behind all my actions. I didn't want you in another cell, I didn't want to put you at risk." You sniffed. "Like you want me to leave the scouts for my safety. You fear me being eaten by titans, so you wanted me to leave the scouts."

He furrowed his brows when he reflected on the little fights you both had over you leaving and staying. "An act of love."

You put your hands out with your palms up. You smiled softly as ice danced up and formed a small ice Levi. "I did what I thought was best for you. I didn't tell you to protect you. You would have been charged with treason. The scouts would have lost you as a soldier." You smiled when you rained down heart-shaped snowflakes on the little Levi. "Or worse, you could have been executed." You shook a little as you thought about Levi's death causing the ice Levi to disappear. "The world needs you." You hung your head and choked your words out. "It doesn't need me."

Levi's voice almost broke when he spoke. "I need you." He angled his body towards you as you turned and looked him in his eyes where tears formed. "I'll always need you."

You laughed a little through your tears. "Don't say that, please don't."

He leaned over and kissed you. "I will never stop loving you."

"I lied."

He hummed. "I know, but you did it to protect me. I was...upset at first, but we all keep secrets to protect the people we love."

You frowned a little. "You have secrets?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Tch, yeah. Mine is umm...I have touched myself while thinking of you before we were a couple and I have after."

You gasped at the information before laughing. "I've done the same about you."

He shuffled closer to you. "I told you I was from the underground city, but I never told you fully what I did. I was a terrible criminal there. I broke people and probably killed some with the injuries I gave them. I was a very bad boy."

You sniffed and laughed a little. "You know, I'm not surprised." You shook a little and hugged yourself. "I don't want to die."

Levi pulled you onto his lap and held you. "I won't let that happen. I'll do everything I can to protect you and I know Erwin will do the same."

"I will." You both looked up at Commander Erwin Smith with a jug and cup in hand. He smiled a little. "I thought you would need some water."

You reached towards Erwin. "Thank you."

He walked into your cell and poured you a drink. "Here." He placed the jug down and sat on the stool Levi had used to stand on. "Do you want to kill us?"

You shook your head. "No, never!"

He leaned his arms on his thighs. "Were you experimented on?"

"No, I was born with this. It is passed down in my family."

He let out a long sigh. "Would you be willing to be a prisoner of the scouts and help us kill titans?"

You nodded. "Yes."

Levi moved you behind him and protected you. "Wait a minute. She is not going to be turned into some slave. She is the love of my life."

You held Levi's arm. "Levi."

He turned to you. "I don't want this. I want you to be happy and free."

"I knew the moment I revealed my powers that I'd never be free again." You squeezed his arm. "I'm okay with it because even if I'm chained up at the scout base, I'd still be able to see you every single day." You looked over at Erwin. "I'll do anything."

Erwin stood up and opened the cell door and looked at someone. "I told you she would work with us."

Darius Zackly stepped out and stared at you. "You've made your point. I expect Levi to be her keeper as well, seeing as she will do anything for him."

Levi stood up. "I swear."

"Good." He smiled at you. "I do hope you help us all because if you don't..."

You bowed your head. "I understand."

"She's all yours and make sure you keep her in a base away from the towns and cities, I don't want fear being spread."

Erwin saluted. "Thank you, sir."

Levi picked you up like a bride. "Come on, let's get you home and tended to." He carried you through the cells and up out to the carriage waiting. He sat down to see you were asleep. "I want Hange to look at her. She needs healing. She's been burned while in her cell."

Erwin sat back in his seat. "We'll get it done."

"Are you really going to treat her like a monster?"

Erwin gazed at you. "I've known her just as long as you have. I know her. She's a good person and she hates the titans just as much as we do. She's a scout and always will be a scout."

"Thank you."

Erwin smiled at his friend. "If I treated her badly, I know you'd run off with her and I'd never see either of you again. I'd rather not lose my two friends who are the strongest soldiers I have and my best hope at beating the titans."

Levi squeezed you. "Thank you." He kissed the top of your head. "Thank you." He smiled when you snuggled against him.

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seventeenlovesthree · 2 years

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Okay, so, after having binged Stranger Things season 3 and 4 for the past two weeks, I probably should have expected falling into the rabbit hole... And I have thoughts and feelings. I’m usually not into horror and gore at all - but since friends of mine had recommended season 1 to me back then, I caved in. I wasn’t as invested at first and, to this day, the romance plots in this show make me want to jump off a cliff, but I understand that this is all for marketing purposes - writers know the appeal of shipping and what it does to people to get invested.

And that’s where we get to Byler - and where this gets rambly. First of all, I stick with shows when the characters mean something to me - and by God, there are a lot of them who made their way into my heart fairly easily. And then there’s Byler; I am super hyperfocused on the kind of ship Taishirou represents since last year - an unlikely pair, complementing each other wonderfully, becoming friends despite their differences, absolutely adoring and admiring and going through hell and back for each other, but also sucking at communicating their feelings -, so when I realized how Byler played out, I got even more interested.

The thing is, I kinda expected that they wouldn’t end up canon by the end of Season 4, Volume 2. I read the Byler tag in recent days, read a few analysis posts, got excited and HYPED and it all seemed a bit too good to be true, even with all the hinting by the cast and promotional material. I couldn't imagine there would be a way ALL of it would fall into place - I'm not a pessimistic person and the way people speculated and wrote SUCH amazing concepts for them to work out this season, having to face their inner demons/feelings for each other through Vecna, the use of the music (that stuff alone is the kind of storyline I'm such a sucker for, I have used it in several Taishirou scenarios already and it NEVER gets old to me)... But it would have been too easy. They very clearly framed Will to go through all of this suffering, while simultaneously making Mike so... Unstable. All of this, as disappointing as it may be at first glance, had to mean something.

I do believe that all of this REALLY is a false flag and that all of it will pay off in season 5 due to how it was framed. Yes, it WAS painful to see Will tear up like that after OBVIOUSLY making a confession from his own heart, but... I really do have hope that what we initially believed was true, that it's all heterobaiting.

Because El does NOT need - or want - romantic love. It's not what she is about at all and that's rather obvious to me, because none of her bad/sad memories in V1 were about her friends/Mike, anything. (She even said that she missed him at their reunion, but I actually believe he and the others didn’t have much space in her head due to EVERYTHING that was happening.)

I actually wish Hopper had been more visible in her memories, since it IS familial love she needs and wants and should get, being “loved” unconditionally; that’s why the end of season 4 is so heartbreaking and beautiful at once, her love for Hopper, Max, everyone... It’s there and it goes deep, but her arc just isn’t about “romance”. Because romantic love in context with her is a.) overwhelming her and forceful b.) selfishly imposed on her by Mike. Funnily enough, I only just now really realized through v1 what people meant by the internalized homophobia Mike was displaying, but... Yes, it’s there. It feels like they had a Tri-esque writing issue about not being able to get the threads together for all characters, but... As much as I love all the fandom ideas, I do have hope that s5 will provide both more suffer porn and a resolution for this. Mike needs to learn that what he's doing is led by confused intentions. That the love he feels for El is him trying so hard to BE romantic attraction, but judging by the way he couldn’t say it for the longest time, I cannot help but agree that that’s simply not it. And because he's so overly focused on this, he comes off as this ignorant douche, who can't sort out - or even see - his priorities. You can't have a character like Mike, who has been so caring and protective, just turn ignorant like that if it didn't mean anything. Compulsory heterosexuality is a thing, he's been scared, he's been hyperfocusing on El, there's a lot of guilt he's not able to process, hence he's constantly on the edge and not paying attention to things he usually wouldn't overlook (just like the car scene - I understand that the "I'm too scared to act" trope is realistic in several scenarios, but... That's also been overdone at this point. And I say this as a person who successfully cried at work several times without getting noticed).

As for El - I am all for “love” to exist between her and Mike - but I don’t even think El took it as romantic confession at all, but as general declaration of her being valued, which is something she craved for. I also agree with fan theories that it was indeed not his declaration of love that made El snap, but her anger at the overall situation. He obviously means a lot to her - but there’s a reason why the end of Volume 2, AGAIN, hinted at them still not communicating. And it just doesn’t work like that - and might not work out in season 5 either.

I get that this is cheap conflict fuel, I just... Am so tired of mis/noncommunication being a main reason for things being the way they are for several characters; they made us see through Lumax that the characters need to TALK to get better. Heck, even the scene between Will and Jonathan gave us a glimpse of what could have happened if they let the characters be actually honest with each other. That’s why the overall character progression for Mike and Will feels so frustrating here, because despite their attempts of being honest, opening up towards each other - it ended with Will “lying” for Mike’s sake and there was a disruption between them once more. That aside, they also reduced both Mike and Will basically to "non-main-characters", either due to bad writing or because it was meant to shed more light on other characters for now (this season made me and so many others fall so deeply for Lumax and, man, I love Robin SO much, I basically know more about her and Eddie as characters and people by now than about Will due to him being shoven into the back like that, it's sad).

So my theory is - they proooobably chose to put them closer to being “adults” (they'll be close to 15, if I remember correctly) in season 5, before making it more "real", because we know people still have a problem not assigning pedophilia towards young gays and all that stupidity, ESPECIALLY because of the religious focus this season had (+ all the bullying already).

So... My hope for season 5 dies last. There IS a possibility that Will might end up as both enemy and cure at once and I do hope that the latter won’t happen, because that’d make us come full circle circle, making the queer coded character evil and probably killing him off in the end... I really hope it won't turn out to be like this, but that's the vibe the last few scenes gave me. Either way, I’m sure there will be lots of suffer porn - but I do believe that the framing for Will and Mike meant something eventually. That they showed the glances, the tears, the parallels.

Hope dies last.

#byler #my two cents #stranger things spoilers #stranger things season 4 spoilers #meta

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shewholovestoread · 4 years

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The Haunting of Bly Manor - Ramblings

HERE BE SPOILERS, BEWARE!

The Haunting of Hill House was an exceptional piece of television, both in terms of writing as well as execution. Any follow-up, regardless of its actual merit will be judged unfairly especially because the show is conceived as an anthology- each season is independent, a new story, a new house. In that regard, the key to enjoying Bly Manor is to watch it with no ties to Hill House. A tough thing to do but a must. If you watch Bly Manor, expecting the story and scares from Hill House, you will find it sorely lacking.

Bly Manor and Hill House could not be more different from each other. Other than a few repeated cast members and some behind the scenes crew, it's a completely new concept. Like its predecessor, the season resembles its source material only in the broadest of strokes. There are a bulk of characters, story arcs that don't exist in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Instead, Mike Flanagan and his team of writers have woven in other, more obscure stories by James into this television adaptation and the season is richer for it.

The beauty of a show like Bly Manor and indeed even Hill House are its characters. The story is engaging and keeps the audience glued to their seats, the characters though elevate it to a whole new level. I am perhaps waxing poetic but as I sit here having just finished the last episode, I find myself going back to the characters. There is such abundant richness to them, so many layers, even to the ones that we would mostly dismiss as the "villain". The show infuses such heartache into their stories that to label any of them as villainous would be to completely miss the point. Which is not to say that there aren't characters who do absolutely despicable things, like a certain Peter Quint, nor does the show offer them a redemption, merely understanding, a look into their lives.

Unlike Hill House, where a majority of the ghosts retained their menacing and malicious edge, the last 2 episodes of Bly Manor completely rid the ghosts of the house of all that makes them frightening, revealing them to be nothing but unwitting bystanders who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The heartache is a running theme especially among 4 principle characters- Hannah, Owen, Dani and Jamie. Hannah who constantly finds herself in different times, who hasn't yet realised that she's no longer among the living, existing like an echo, repeating the actions in death as she did in life. Filled with regret at the life unlived, the regret of being in love with Owen and never telling him. For Owen to be in love with Hannah but also held back, whether due to his mother's illness or just never being sure of how Hannah felt about him.

I tip my hat to Mike Flanagan. In Hill House he gave us Theo Crain, the only complaint being that perhaps Trish only existed in the story to serve Theo's character. He does a much a better job in Bly Manor with Dani and Jamie. You can see the yearning in Dani's eyes almost as soon as she meets Jamie, there is an instant pull. And then through her flashback, you can see that it was her guilt that was holding her back. And once she let that go of it, you could see her embracing the happiness that came from being with Jamie. Their love for each other was one of the high-points of the show. The way the show concludes, leaves a bittersweet taste, in that, at the end, Dani does come back for Jamie and they can finally be together. And that was just beautiful.

Bly Manor is also beautifully made show, though if I were being honest, I missed some of those brilliant single takes shots from Hill House which were so superbly executed. The structure of the season bares some similarities to that of Hill House, in that almost each episode focuses on a particular character but it's not necessarily from their point of view. With each passing episode, the story slowly unfolds, until the last episode brings everything together like a tapestry unfurling, finally presenting the whole image in its entirety. That's the other thing to watch out for in the show, it is slow, it takes its time, the first episode especially. We have become so used to fast-paced storytelling that there is something soothing about one that takes its time, that also occasionally pauses and lets its inhabitants breathe and simply exist instead of pushing along one story arc or another. I almost miss it which is why shows like this are a treat.

The acting is also top-notch, though some of the accents take some getting used to, most notably Henry Thomas as Henry Wingrave. All of the others, especially the kids Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Amelie Bea Smith as Miles and Flora respectively were amazing. Special mention also to T'nia Miller who played Hannah Grose with such depth and sincerity. I'm going to mention all of the main cast members because of how amazing they all were- Victoria Pedretti as Dani Clayton, Amelia Eve as Jamie, Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Peter Quint, Tahirah Sharif as Rebecca Jessel, Rahul Kohli as Owen, Carla Gugino as The Narrator. Special mention also to Kate Siegel who only appeared in one episode but owned every frame she was in.

Mike Flanagan was being honest when he said that Bly Manor is gothic romance. It is not the horror-fest that was Hill House. Bly Manor, like Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak, is a love story with ghosts in it. At its core, its about people deeply in love. Some of it, transcendent like Hannah-Owen and Dani-Jamie and some of it toxic like Rebecca-Peter. The Haunting of Bly Manor is a beautiful show and to watch it in the shadow of Hill House is a gross disservice to it's beauty and nuance.

P.S. – Petition to have Victoria Pedretti in the next season of The Haunting and to get a happy ending and if we get a wlw ship, that’s just an added bonus.

P.P.S – Netflix better not cancel this show! Seriously, keep your cancel-happy hands away from this.

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blogstandbygo · 4 years

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standbygo fic review - Red Number Day

Title: Red Number Day

Author: PipMer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1080155/chapters/2170919

# of words: 39,325

Rating: Mature

Date published: December 31, 2013 (between Series 2 and 3)

Key Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Victor Trevor, Mummy (Sherlock), Sherlock Holmes' Father, Greg Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, James Moriarty, Original Characters, Irene Adler, Mike Stamford, Molly Hooper, Ensemble, Harry Watson, Sally Donovan

Themes/Tags: Friendship, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Slow Build, Angst, A Bit of Fluff, a bit of humor, lots and lots of angst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Eventual Sherlock/John – Freeform, Character Study, Minor Character Deaths, First Kiss, First Time, Hurt/Comfort

Review:

Magical Realism is a theme in fics (and fiction in general) that allows for an enormous opening of the world you’re working with – the concept that the addition of a small, magical ability can change the way one looks at a character. In this instance, if Sherlock knew exactly when anyone was going to die, how would that change him as a detective? And if he knew exactly when his loved ones, and he himself was going to die, how would that change him as a person?

Sherlock develops his ability – seeing someone’s death date on their forehead – as a child. At first, he doesn’t understand the impact of his ability, until he tests it scientifically. The results of his experiment has a profound effect on his psyche which reverberates throughout the fic. And then he meets John.

What’s fascinating is how a scientist like Sherlock handles the concept of magic; while he doesn’t understand why it happens, he sets out to learn the rules of his ability carefully. Once he knows the rules, and once more is on the line than ever before, he pushes the rules as far as he can.

This is a clever, well-thought-out fic with a completely satisfying conclusion.

The words that took my breath away:

- …a cacophony of colour, sparkling and blaring across the forefront of his mind, an inescapable bombardment of unwanted sensation. He squeezes his eyes shut against the onslaught, but it doesn’t help. The afterimage is burned into the back of his eyelids, numbers from different people overlapping and bleeding together into illegible nonsense.

- How interesting, exciting, and definitely not boring.

If you like this, try:

Colors, by Quesarasara

Left, by lifeonmars

Reblog to share the fic love!

Send me your recs! Reccing yourself is welcome!

@missdaviswrites

@fearlessdiva930

@amindamazed

@hubblegleeflower

@pippn-frodo

@quantum-sparrow

@weneedtotalkaboutsherlock

@disaronnus

@addictedstilltheaddict

@headcumbernerd

@prettyrealisticjohnlockfanart

@daringlydomestic

@totallysilvergirl

@pipmer

@otter-von-bismarck

@shirleycarlton

#bbc sherlock #fic recs

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michelles-garden-of-evil · 4 years

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Episode 33 Review: The Gentle Zombie

{ Not available on YouTube }

{ Synopses: Debby Graham | Bryan Gruszka }

{ Screencaps }

And now, following our over-4,000-word-long sojourn into the eerie, isolated estate of San Rafael on Tuesday, we at last return to the even eerier and even more isolated locale of Maljardin, THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES’ Garden of Evil! *sting*

Once again, Colin Fox has the day off to recover from his spinal injury the year before, meaning we get another Foxless episode. Unlike some of the previous Foxless episodes, however, this one is a real treat. We get the first centered around the mysterious Quito, Jean Paul Desmond’s silent manservant, Raxl’s closest companion, and owner of the adorable Chalcko, mascot of this blog. We also finally get payoff for my least favorite Maljardin-era subplot, the saga of the Holly portrait--which, if you ask me, is long overdue--and it’s good.

The Lost Episode summary for this episode indicates that it was always intended to focus on Quito. As usual, the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides the most detailed and best summary (and I am not at all biased, despite living in Cleveland):

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer (October 24, 1969). The “Repeat” part is a misprint, as the episode only aired once on WKBF.

Interestingly, we already saw Quito give Holly the gift of a sparkling stone three episodes ago in the aired version of Episode 30. For whatever reason, the executives and/or Ian Martin himself decided to have this event occur earlier in the series’ timeline, possibly with its original importance to the overarching story decreased. The second sentence of this summary, however, remains accurate, as you will find in this review.

Quito kissing the cryonics capsule.

The episode begins with Quito visiting Erica Desmond's capsule and bringing more flowers for her. Both the way he kisses the capsule and the fact that Jean Paul doesn’t make him give Erica flowers show that he, like Raxl, truly loves her.

After leaving the crypt, he visits the Great Hall following a painting/bickering/recap scene between Tim and Holly, to stare at the portrait of Erica--or, rather, the roughest possible approximation of her appearance, because Jean Paul has done everything in his power to make Tim’s project as difficult and frustrating as possible for him (see also my post on Episode 24). A drum pounds for suspense, he turns to face the portrait, and, just as he reaches out to touch it,

HE COLLAPSES!

Fortunately, Alison and Dan come in from outside at just the right moment for her to check his pulse. She believes him dead at first because he has no heartbeat, but then hears him breathing despite him continuing to have no pulse. She concludes, much to pragmatic lawyer Dan’s shock, that Quito must be a zombie as he once said (this is another instance where I can’t recall which episode, unfortunately).

This is what the Holly portrait looks like now, by the way.

A close-up of the face. Still looks approximately halfway between Holly’s face and Erica’s in Tim’s original sketch of her.

They leave Holly and Tim alone with Quito while they go to the lab (in Alison’s case) and the crypt to search for the missing cyanide (in Dan’s), when they hear Holly scream! Dan, who was so close to making friends with Chalcko, bolts upstairs to find the mysterious servant previously thought to be dead (un-undead?) has once again come alive. He starts to pursue Holly, but Alison stops him, so he turns around and tears the cover off the Holly portrait. “Is it Holly, or my sister Erica?” she asks herself out loud. “I can’t tell!”

The rest of this scene suggests that perhaps Quito, too, can’t tell, or at least sees too much of Erica in Holly to ignore. Most likely, that’s why he’s drawn to her and waits on her as though he were her servant as well as that of Jean Paul and Erica. Dan attributes Quito’s fainting to the shock of seeing a portrait that so captures Erica’s likeness that the uncanny resemblance between her and Holly frightens him.

Two and a half months ago, Curt of the Maljardin Blog wrote that the production crew did not cast an actress to play Erica at the beginning of the show, as evidenced by their use of crew member Lara Cochrane to play Erica’s corpse in Episodes 1 and 4. But now I wonder, what if Ian Martin originally intended for Sylvia Feigel to play Erica as well as Holly, given his frequent mention of their alleged resemblance? It seems like an odd decision, especially because I believe that Sylvia was originally destined for a dual role as both Holly and the blonde girl whom Tarasca sacrificed in her nightmare. But, if Sylvia Feigel was supposed to portray the living Erica, would that mean that Erica’s past incarnation was not Jacques’ wife Huaco, but the sacrificed girl? It wouldn’t make sense for Erica’s past counterpart to be her instead of Huaco, unless he decided to also give Sylvia her role, which would have made her Huaco’s third actress. But this is all extremely unlikely, especially because such a quadruple role seems like far too much for a single arc of a live-action series. Even Dark Shadows didn’t make its actors play four roles in the same arc.

All right. Enough of a theory that I myself don’t completely believe, even if it is possible (if improbable) that Ian Martin intended it. Matt-- who, naturally, hurried down the steps when he heard his stalkee screaming--thinks that the reason why Quito fainted upon touching the portrait was because he "sees something of Erica Desmond in [Holly]." I believe there’s more to it than that, though. There must be something supernatural going on that made him faint, something like Erica’s ghost exerting her power over him. But they never did explain this bit, so--like most of this show--it’s up to interpretation.

Tim: “Quito, I thought you were dead!”

Quito touches the portrait and then his heart. “Only Raxl can tell what he’s trying to tell us,” Matt claims, but Alison, too, understands the message. Quito, whom Dan calls “a soulless man,” loves Holly.

This horrifies Holly even more than Matt’s affections. She shouts “NO!” and Quito retreats to the crypt. She throws a fit, disgusted by the thought of “a monster who lunges at people” wanting a romance with her, and even accuses him of pushing her down the staircase, even though Quito was in the temple at the time.

For the Serpent’s sake, Reverend Stalker, leave her alone! The last thing she needs is your “comfort” when we know that what you really want is to get in her pants!

Holly: “Drag, drag, drag, the Reverend Matthew Drag!”

I’m dying of laughter at this terrible line.

Dan suggests that, if Jean Paul can’t bring Erica back to life, he may decide to replace her with Holly. We know that Jean Paul would never do that, but that his ancestor Jacques almost certainly would--at least once he got bored with his lovely witch Elizabeth/Tarasca. (I’m still not convinced, though, that he doesn’t want to make her sacrifice Holly, either just for fun or so that she--and, after their marriage, he--can get her fortune.)

Tim begs to differ about the painting’s resemblance to Erica, once again lampshading the absurdity of the whole situation. You have an artist painting a portrait of a dead woman, using a living one as his model who may or may not resemble the show’s current image of Erica Desmond. He took on this commission to save his life, but, now that he is on Maljardin, he’s in more danger than he ever was while the Mafia was pursuing him. And now a zombie passes out, and the other characters blame it on Erica’s likeness to Holly, which Tim must know is a completely ridiculous explanation. I’m telling you, someone’s spirit--either Erica’s or Jacques’--made him collapse. And if it was the latter, most likely Jacques intended to kill him a second time.

Quito in the crypt.

I want to shift focus now to the subject of zombies and their portrayal on SP, as well as what we know of Quito’s past. This section will contain references to slavery and suicide, so, if those subjects trigger you, you may wish to skip ahead to the next section, beginning with another copy of the photo of Quito looking into Chalcko’s birdcage.

Before I got into SP, I was long predisposed to dislike zombies because of the clichéd way that most horror movies and shows depict them: namely, as mindless creatures focused solely on eating human brains. Hordes of walking corpses who go on living only to consume and destroy are a useful metaphor for the effects of things like consumerism and social media addiction, but they don’t make for interesting characters; in fact, they make for rather dull ones, in my (highly unpopular) opinion.

But Quito was shown from early on to be a very different kind of zombie, almost the opposite of the Dawn of the Dead type. We see hints as early as Episode 12 that he has thoughts and feelings and now we have confirmation that he even has the capacity for love. He appears mindless, soulless, and unfeeling to some other characters, but those who know him well like Raxl and Jean Paul know that, despite his silence and his undead state, he has a mind, a personality, and even a heart. It doesn’t hurt that Kurt Schiegl gives Quito a great deal of expression and personality through his body language; we may not know exactly what thoughts are going through Quito’s mind, but we can get an idea. (And he never once expresses an interest in eating brains, which is another plus.)

The reason why Quito is so different from most modern portrayals of zombies is because he is based on an earlier conception of who zombies are and how they are created. In the traditional beliefs of Haitian Vodou, a zombie is created when a Vodou sorcerer or bokor resurrects a corpse to serve as his personal slave. While there are many theories as to when these legends originated, the most likely theory (which Mike Mariani argues in The Atlantic) is that they began during the period of French colonialism. During this period, which stretched from 1625 to the Haitian Revolution at the turn of the 19th century, most of the population of the island of Hispaniola (then known as Sainte-Domingue) was enslaved on sugar plantations, which required back-breaking, often deadly labor. This, combined with the other indignities of slavery, drove many enslaved Africans living there to commit suicide in an effort to return to their home countries. The idea that those who ended their own lives would be stuck on Sainte-Domingue eternally as zombies came about as a way or Haitians to discourage suicide. “Death was better than slavery for many – the suicide rate among Haitian slaves was very high. It was bad to be a slave,” Amy Wilentz writes in her review of the Vice documentary I Walked with a Zombie. “Worse would be to die and discover that, rather than returning to Africa, you continued to be enslaved as a dead person, run by a master, doing his bidding – and this is the fear that created the ‘Americo-normative’ zombie, as we know him.”

According to Mariani’s article, zombies did not become associated with bokors until after Haiti won its independence and subsequently abolished the institution of slavery. He calls this “the post-colonialism zombie, the emblem of a nation haunted by the legacy of slavery and ever wary of its reinstitution...The zombies of the Haitian Voodoo religion were a more fractured representation of the anxieties of slavery, mixed as they were with occult trappings of sorcerers and necromancy.” Wilentz associates this with “the fear of re-enslavement,” for “no one wanted to be dead, consciousness-less, and working for free for a master,” especially in a country that had fought so hard to rid itself of its shackles.

The show canon for Strange Paradise has not given--and will not give--much information about Quito’s backstory. What we do know is that he is a native of somewhere near Maljardin, descended from an indigenous Central American culture related to the Aztecs, and that was alive during the same period as Raxl. He was Jacques’ “servant�� (more likely a slave) in the 17th century and, at some point before Jacques’ death, became a zombie. We also know from his reaction to the Conjure Man’s name in Episode 13 that the Conjure Man did something to him at some point that traumatized him, which may or may not have included the spell.

The Paperback Library novel Island of Evil, however, gets far more detailed about Quito’s backstory and shows his transformation into one of the undead. In the novel, Jacques forces Raxl to relive a particularly painful memory from the 17th century in order to coerce her into doing his bidding in the then-present. In her memory, Raxl visits the pregnant and bedridden Huaco des Mondes during a dinner party, although Jacques has forbidden them from meeting with each other. When he catches her returning from Huaco’s room, Jacques gets revenge on Raxl by stabbing Quito (who is her husband in the books) and then forces an African Vodou priest whom he recently purchased to resurrect him for his guests’ entertainment.[1] It’s worth noting that, like the zombies of Haitian folklore, the Vodou priest tells Raxl not to allow Quito to consume salt: “Should he eat either [salt or meat],” he says, “he will know he is a dead man.”[2] Thus the book canon connects Quito both to the horrors of slavery in the colonial-era Caribbean and to early zombie folklore, before zombies became the brain-eating monsters they are usually portrayed as today.

Quito checking on his adorable bird. Curt recently mentioned the possible connection between Chalcko, Huaco (Jacques’ “pigeon”), and Erica (Raxl’s “little bird”) in a post on his Tumblr, which was a piece of possible symbolism that had never occurred to me until then.

Dan reveals to Matt that Jean Paul has a Stanford-Binet IQ of 187. I’m noting this only because I’ve referenced it before in regards to Jean Paul’s alleged intelligence juxtaposed with his tendency to make stupid decisions. He may have an IQ of 187, but that only applies to his book smarts, not to common sense decisions like the knowledge that you should never make a deal with the Devil unless you are absolutely certain that the Devil won’t screw you over, or that you can defeat him through loopholes or some other, similar means. Even the smartest people--even those with an IQ of 187--can be manipulated, and that is true of Jean Paul, whom THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES has successfully outsmarted. I wonder if he even suspects that Jacques has no intention on bringing Erica back to life, as he revealed fourteen episodes ago?

Holly talking to the cryonics capsule.

At the end of the episode, Holly visits the crypt to talk to Erica’s capsule. “ Mrs. Desmond,” she says, her hands on the capsule, “I want to say something to you. I don't know if you can hear or not, but I'm so afraid. I’m afraid of Quito, I’m afraid of my mother, and also of the Reverend. Mrs. Desmond, I’m so afraid somebody wants to kill me. But not your husband. I love him the way I love my father, but I'm so lost and so alone. Please help me...I want to know what it was that Quito and they saw in the picture.”

Quito catches her talking to the capsule and approaches her, his arms outstretched. “No, please!” Holly pleads, finally screaming and running from him, leaving the zombie with a heart alone in the crypt.

Upstairs, Holly calls for everyone to “see what you’ve done,” and the camera cuts to the portrait, which now bears a slash across the middle:

The end of the ill-fated saga of the Holly portrait.

“There is your spirit of love,” she cries, “or is it hate?” Alison, Matt, Dan, and Tim stare on, shocked and appalled by the slashed portrait and forever unaware of the identity of the culprit. The episode implies that the responsible party is Jacques Eloi des Mondes by showing a shot of his portrait glowing shortly before this scene, but this episode’s trivia on StrangeParadise.net indicates someone else. As with the trivia for Episode 30, it has to do with plot points that ultimately remained unexplained on the show, but nevertheless contains spoilers for the true nature of one character, so read at your own risk.

The first time since the pilot that Jacques’ portrait has glowed.

Coming up next: The characters react to the slashing of the portrait and we learn a telling bit of backstory about Elizabeth Marshall.

{ <- Previous: Episode 32 || Next: Episode 34 -> }

Notes

[1] Dorothy Daniels, Island of Evil (New York: Paperback Library, 1970), pp. 92-99. I will cover this book and the other two Paperback Library novels in more detail in a future series of posts.

[2] Ibid., p. 100.

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septembercfawkes · 5 years

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Making Your Manuscript Reader-friendly

Have you ever used a computer program that wasn't user-friendly? It's kind of the worst. I remember a particular one that me and my sibling spent over an hour trying to figure out how to use. It was not user-friendly. At all.

Unfortunately, the same thing can happen when writing a novel.

I've heard these wise words in the industry, but I'm not sure on their source.

Writing is telling yourself the story. Editing is telling the reader the story.

While I think there are some exceptions (like with all maxims) (sometimes I'm still telling myself the story when editing), I think this thought process holds a lot of truth.

As writers, for the first part of the process, we are trying to figure out the story, and we are telling it to ourselves. We want to put down what's in our heads.

But literature is a collaboration. It's not just about what the writer writes. It's also about the meanings, experiences, and conclusions the reader has. Together, through the text, we create the story.

(Okay, maybe some writers, who only write for themselves, don't need to worry about that. But most of us do.)

Just as programs largely need to be user-friendly to be successful, so do stories.

If the reader can't understand, appreciate, or enjoy the story, the collaboration part of the narrative is failing.

But this is easier said than done, and sometimes tricky to spot and fix.

So here are some things to consider.

(Also, I typically wouldn't recommend you stress about this too early in the book-writing process. If you are still "telling the story to yourself" and this stresses you out, leave it for a later edit.)

The Reader Doesn't Need to Know as Much as the Writer

During the writing process, we have to brainstorm and figure out a lot of things that the reader neither needs to know nor cares about.

We may come up with elaborate, important backstories for characters that may never be published, in order to understand the person, their motives, and what kind of subtext they bring to their scenes. We may spend hours researching information to find out if a certain situation and outcome is plausible, and we might write why in the draft. We might throw up an info-dump right in the middle of a chapter when we are explaining the story to ourselves. We might include flashbacks that feel vital, but in the grand scheme of things, can actually be axed.

Almost always, we probably love our characters, world, and plot more than the readers do. (I said "almost.") And often if we include everything we know about them and the world and the story, it'll be boring. Have you guys read Lord of the Rings? Wonderful story. How many of you read the entire prologue the first time? Probably almost no one. Why? Because it's a 15-page info-dump explaining Hobbits to the audience. The average reader doesn't care about all that. They might care about it after they are familiar with the story, but that's not the first thing they want to read.

When inviting the audience into our fictive world to meet our characters, often less is more. We want them to want more information--which means not flooding them with unnecessary details. So cut what they don't need to know.

The Reader Needs to Know More than The Writer

On the flip side, in a strange way, the reader needs to know more than the writer. Maybe I write a scene where the characters' motivations are clear as day to me, the writer, because of all of the foreshadowing and subtext I've put in, so I feel like I don't need to explain it in the text itself. I don't need to "know" that information by writing it down.

But it's not clear to the reader. Why did so-and-so do such and such? How did Jane know that Matthew was the killer?

To be honest, most people who haven't studied literature at a college level haven't been taught how to read carefully, and how to accurately read into a text. That's fine. But that means that you might need to provide more information and guidance than you thought you needed when telling the story to yourself.

Other times, the readers may have different, inaccurate (but merited) interpretations of what's happening, so they need more information to come to the right conclusion. For example, I once worked on a story where I was convinced that one of the antagonistic characters was a werewolf. Baffled, the writer asked me why. After pointing out all the evidence, he realized he needed to change some of the story so that it wasn't misleading. (In some stories, it would have been fine to be ambiguous, but not in this one.) This is often where beta-readers are helpful.

Reader: But why is the Dark Lord doing that?

Writer: BECAUSE HE'S THE DARK LORD!!!11

Reader: ????

So add more information when the reader needs it. What's obvious to you, is not always obvious to them.

FOCUS the Story

I'm going to be a bad person and tell you guys right now that I hate the movie Secret Life of Pets. Why? Because there is no focus! Or at least, very little. It's just things happening, that sort of follow the Freytag Pyramid, but nothing is fully weaved in or connected or truly realized. Unlike most blockbuster children movies, it lacks focus. (BTW, just because it lacks focus doesn't mean you aren't allowed to like it. I don't like it, because of that, but Heaven knows I love and forgive a lot of other stories that are lacking).

During the writing process, you were probably figuring out the story. You may not quite know how to focus the story--or what the focus even is. Maybe you had a bunch of good ideas and cool subplots and even character arcs and fun scenes . . . but there is just too much or it doesn't seem to fit together cohesively.

Readers prefer focus and cohesion.

Sure, there are some rare stories that can break this, but very few. If the story lacks focus, the audience may be wondering: What the heck is this book about? Which parts are important? What do I need to remember for later? Where is this going?

There are two (as far as I know) ways to better focus the story.

1. Focus on the main plot lines

In most successful stories, there is an inner journey and an outer journey for the protagonist. Those are the most important story lines. Other than that, there may be a tertiary plot line--maybe a romance, or lifestyle goal. In some cases, you may even have another plot line. But rarely do you have more than 2 - 4 significant plot lines. If something doesn't fit into one of those, like say that whole chapter sequence you have about your protagonist hanging out at Uncle Mike's for the summer, then it may need to be cut.

2. Focus on the theme topic

A lot of stories that seem to have a lot of characters, events happening, and sometimes seemingly unrelated events, actually have focus because they focus on the theme topic. In Hamilton, almost every "character story" explored relates back to the theme topic of legacy: Hamilton, Burr, Eliza, Angelica, Washington, Lafayette, Hercules--and provides different manifestations and views of it. (Les Mis does the exact same thing, with the theme topics of mercy and justice.)

The theme statement is the takeaway value, the point of the story. The theme topic is the subject we are exploring. So, for Les Mis, the theme statement is that "mercy is more powerful than justice." But the topics are mercy and justice themselves.

(Secret Life of Pets has no clear theme, which is why I didn't like it. Compare it to Finding Dory, Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, or Moana, and it's clear that Disney understands how theme focuses story.)

Which parts of your manuscript connect to the theme topic? The theme topic should be explored, tested, questioned through the course of the story. You may need to cut or repurpose parts that don't relate to the theme.

Bring clarity to the story by strengthening focus.

The Reader has Less Patience than the Author

For the reader, an ideal story keeps them looking forward; it keeps them wanting to turn pages. As writers, like I said before, we tend to already be more interested in the world and characters than the audience is. We might have fun ways we want to introduce each character, great dialogue exchanges, interesting facts about the setting, and yet including all that might kill the pacing.

Remember, as writers, we are already way invested and interested in the story--we've spent so much time working on it! But the reader isn't. He or she needs to get invested quick. And when reading, they don't want to feel like they have to be patient. They just want to read and enjoy the story. The words "be patient" shouldn't even have to enter their thought process.

There is a reason they picked up your book. What did they come for? Make sure you are delivering on that. If you can't deliver on it right away, you may need to add a prologue to promise it will be there soon.

Work toward main points and significant parts (or in some cases, the most entertaining parts) and don't dilly-dally too much. (Focusing the story will help with this).

It's worth remembering that sometimes the point of the writing isn't to give an exact rendition of what is happening and what the characters are experiencing, but rather to give the notion or impression of it. If your protagonist is bored for a full week, the audience only wants a quick impression of the boredom--enough to get the point--not an accurate, full rendition of it.

Connect and Simplify Complicated Concepts

By the time you've finished telling the story to yourself, you probably have a lot of concepts going on. (Or if you are like me, may be bordering on a "kitchen sink" story.) Remember, it's easier for the audience to learn something new and/or recall what they've already learned when it's connected to something.

If you've introduced too many new ideas and concepts, you may need to connect them. It's hard to remember a bunch of random numbers. But it's easier to remember them if they connect in some way (2, 4, 8, 16).

Brandon Sanderson touches on this idea when talking about magic systems. He says instead of adding and adding and adding new things, it's usually more effective to connect, deepen, and build on what's already there. If you can connect complicated concepts, the story will be more reader-friendly.

Likewise, you may need to simplify some concepts . . . or at least the delivery of them. (Remember, the audience doesn't need to know as much as the writer.) Make it look easier than it is. I mean, it's really easy to use Netflix, but I'm sure the backend is not that simple! It's easy for me to use my computer, but if I tried to build one, I'd be clueless.

Remember what da Vinci said: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Just because something comes across as simple doesn't necessarily mean it's not deep or complex--it's just not confusing.

And when it comes to making a manuscript reader-friendly, we usually don't want to be confusing.

#Writing tips #writing tip #writing advice #writeblr #fanfic #creative writing #editing #am editing #reader #writing reference #writing help

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angelofberlin2000 · 5 years

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In his 14 minutes of screentime in Always Be My Maybe, Netflix’s latest rom-com phenomenon, 54-year-old Keanu Reeves — now 30 years into his stardom — skewers and subverts the personas we’ve come to attach to him.

Reeves, playing an outsized version of himself, cuts an imposing figure in his introduction. Time slows to a crawl. All eyes gravitate toward the velvet-jacketed figure with striking beauty and prickly charisma. After his entrance — a show for everyone in the farcical restaurant Maximal — he slides toward Ali Wong’s celebrity chef Sasha, offering spiritual platitudes in the face of her unfettered lust. “I missed your thumbs,” she breathily exhales. “I missed your soul” is his reply.

It’s a maniacally delightful performance that both reminds audiences of Reeves’s place in Asian-American Hollywood history and allows him to flex improvisational skills as he cycles through the various masks we have grafted onto him. There’s the impossibly otherworldly Keanu, who says with utmost sincerity, “The only stars that matter are the ones that you see when you dream.” There’s action-star Keanu, who smashes a vase against his own head in a game of Icebreaker and easily puts the jealous protagonist, Marcus (Randall Park), in a headlock — fully committed, physically graceful, and beautifully dangerous. The Keanu of internet memes and viral threads is here, too, in the very fact that he’s playing himself.

Reeves is having a dynamite year with the success of Always Be My Maybe, the outrageously violent John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, and Toy Story 4, in which he plays Canada’s greatest stunt driver, Duke Caboom. (Another sly nod perhaps? While born in Beirut, Reeves — who is of Chinese-Hawaiian and British ancestry — was raised in Toronto.) The actor’s more recent evolution into a meme may flatten his complexities, but it does signal why he has endured all this time, despite the persistent claim that he’s a bad actor, or just a limited one. As I’ve contended in the past, this is a gross misreading of a great actor. In her tremendous 2007 masterwork The Star Machine, film professor and historian Jeanine Basinger praises Reeves amongst his generational contemporaries: “Reeves is a neo-star fighting the concept of stardom itself, working steadily against persona to the point where no one has a clear idea of who Reeves is onscreen anymore. This has hurt him, but it has also allowed him to maintain versatility that means more to him than fame. […] His career would have been limited, and thus short lived. Instead, he has used his freedom to move on and slowly force audiences to accept him as a real actor.”

Just take a look at the arc of his career — as a teenager going through an existential crisis in the blackhearted wonder River’s Edge (1986); the affably dimwitted Theodore “Ted” Logan from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and its sequel; the bodaciously supple and yearning FBI agent and surfer Johnny Utah in Point Break (1991); a bruisingly courteous SWAT officer in Speed (1994); the beatific savior Neo in The Matrix (1999); the violent redneck in The Gift (2000); an occult detective radiating self-loathing and suicidal yearnings in Constantine (2005); and of course, the titular tenderhearted and violently dangerous assassin of the John Wick franchise. In looking at all of his performances, I am reminded of what the great Roger Ebert wrote in his review of the Bill & Ted sequel back in the early ‘90s: “I have seen Keanu Reeves in vastly different roles (the FBI man in the current Point Break, for example), and am a little astonished by the range of these performances.”

Throughout his career, Reeves has eschewed obvious transformation in favor of something trickier and more subtle. What has allowed him to remain a star, 30 years later, is a blend of virility, vulnerability, and an aura of mystery, hearkening to a bygone era of stardom that contradicts the current moment, which requires stars to seem endlessly accessible; his sheer joy for the medium that makes him a cinematic sensualist; his racial dimensions as a star; and his gimlet-eyed understanding of the female gaze. These qualities are unique in the current market of stardom in Hollywood, allowing him to straddle various cinematic contexts with ease — mainstream romantic comedies, somber indie flicks, gloriously decadent action flicks.

They come through in one of his earliest films, My Own Private Idaho, a meditative character study about two young hustlers — Mike Waters (River Phoenix), a shy narcoleptic in search of a sense of home, and the strikingly beautiful Scott Favor (Reeves), a trust-fund kid slumming it until his inheritance kicks in at 21. Reeves and his late co-star imbue their characters with a particular mix of virility, vulnerability, and mystery. I’d argue that all the greatest leading men in the annals of Hollywood stardom have existed at this intersection to varying degrees — something I feel has been lacking from modern male stars, partially because they are being formed in franchises that lack interest in the visceral aspects of humanity. (It helps that Reeves has declined offers to join Marvel, even though they’ve been trying to woo him to their stable for years.) Humphrey Bogart’s cool is consistently undercut by his own anger and self-loathing. William Holden held something dark behind his megawatt smile and gleaming blond locks. Paul Newman always felt a touch remote, like he was hiding bruised aspects of himself from the audience. Marlon Brando, of course, epitomizes these qualities. Reeves is brimming with similar contradictions. He reflects this tradition by being at once beatifically still and emotionally expressive, defined by loneliness and a yearning to be saved from it.

In My Own Private Idaho, Reeves is the object of desire not only for Mike but the camera itself. Deep into the film, Mike timidly reveals his love to Scott while they camp out in the desert, a fire crackling before them. Phoenix plays Mike as wild with energy he has no real outlet for, leading to an awkward physicality. Reeves grants his character a languid brio. He takes up space, laying close to the fire, his head dipped back to study Mike as he timidly expresses his feelings. He’s outstretched, willowy, and aware of Mike’s gaze; he examines the weight of it. The scene reveals one of Reeves’s greatest skills as an actor: being an active listener. As he studies Mike, he invites and toys with his feelings. “I only have sex with a guy for money,” he notes offhandedly as if it were a random truth, not a response to a declaration of love. But just as the prickliness of his character comes into view (foreshadowing later betrayals), Reeves displays a burnishing sincerity. Arms outstretched, he says, “Let’s go to sleep,” and proceeds to cradle Mike.

The full-bodied listening Reeves exhibits in My Own Private Idaho is a hallmark of his work opposite women as well. Reeves is a great example of what Roswell New Mexico writer Alanna Bennett deemed The Look: “The number one thing a man in a romcom needs, TV or movie, is the ability to look at their love interest REALLY WELL. The man barely even needs to speak if he just knows how LOOK at a person.” Reeves has given that look in multiple contexts — his face is bright with awe when he looks at Carrie-Anne Moss’s Trinity in the Matrix films; it has a touch of admiration when he gazes at Sandra Bullock in Speed; and it is filled with unmitigated desire for Diane Keaton’s Erica Barry in Something’s Gotta Give.

Nancy Meyer’s 2003 ode to beachside property and an older woman’s sensual awakening stars Keaton as a successful playwright who finds herself falling for two very different men — Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson), who briefly dated her daughter (how this didn’t disqualify him immediately continues to baffle me) and has to go through a damn heart attack before he can see what’s attractive in a woman around his own age; and Julian Mercer (Reeves), a sweet doctor with a penchant for black turtlenecks who is immediately smitten when they meet.

In the film, Reeves is attuned to the female gaze in its most literal incarnation — an understanding of how women see the world, what they want from it, and how they make sense of desire. During a dinner scene with Julian, Erica’s face and neck are flush. She’s skittish and nervous in the face of his undeniable — but never disrespectful — sexual and romantic interest. Reeves’s face shows the depth and breadth of The Look, as he glides from teasing lust to a spark of genuine intellectual attraction. At one point, when their conversations turns to women his own age, he says, “I’ve never met one I’ve reacted to” — stumbling for a moment, as if shocked by the depth of his own feeling — “… quite like this. When something happens to you that hasn’t happened before, don’t you have to at least find out what it is?” He’s a man overcome and humbled by his own desire. Is there anything sexier? Then he leans in, his face going soft, gently kissing the groove where her neck meets her shoulder. “I knew you’d smell good,” he whispers. Only Reeves could pull off a line like that.

Many actors of Reeves’s caliber are too invested in being in the spotlight of a scene to play a romantic lead like this. After the fall of the studio system in the 1960s, Hollywood no longer looked at women as a viable market, and while romantic comedies continued to get made, going forward, there was a notable shift in whose desire was centered — and how little male actors seemed interested in exploring romance and desire. Reeves’s willingness brought another layer of intimacy to his relationship with his audience, offering a more flexible, vulnerable portrait of masculinity that sets him apart from other name stars.

That intimacy is key to Reeves’s longevity. It’s what makes him such a great cinematic sensualist. In 2009, Matt Zoller Seitz argued that directors Michael Mann, Terrence Malick, David Lynch, Wong Kar-wai, and Hou Hsiao-hsien were the “the decade’s best sensualists filmmakers.” He wrote, “They share a defining trait: a lyrical gift for showing life in the moment, for capturing experience as it happens and as we remember it. The sensualists are bored with dramatic housekeeping. They’re interested in sensations and emotions, occurrences and memories of occurrences.” I’d argue that being a cinematic sensualist is a distinction that can apply to acting as well. For actors, it is about bringing texture and complication to a film, existing wholly in the moment, and a keen interest in the human body.

When we watch films, the body keeps score as much as the mind does. Reeves demonstrates an understanding of this. This is apparent in the delicate neck kiss in Something’s Gotta Give; the careful way his hand skitters across broken glass before deciding on which shard to slit his wrists with in Constantine; the calm he engenders with merely the sound of his voice in Thumbsucker. But it’s most impactful in his career as an action star. In many ways, the John Wick franchise is the perfect marriage of director and star. The third film is a tactile feast. Consider a scene early in John Wick 3, in which Reeves methodically takes apart and reassembles a gun for a single shot. This scene is, of course, a testament to the character’s skill as an assassin. But it also acts as a reminder of how out of step John is with the world around him, betraying a desire for the quieter moments in life — despite the brutal milieu he finds himself in — and a strange empathy for the world around him, whether it be object or animal. This allows a humanity to glitter throughout his performances that often feels absent from many action franchises that sacrifice character on the altar of plot.

There’s another part of Reeves’s star image I suspect has played into our abiding fascination with him. Until Always Be My Maybe, the most under-discussed part of Reeves’s persona was his race. Late in his slim but potent book-length essay Mixed-Race Superman: Keanu, Obama, and Multicultural Experience, Will Harris astutely writes about a particular aspect of the 2005 film A Scanner Darkly that, metatextually, speaks to Reeves’s whole career:

“To be mixed-race is to exist in a state of paradox. Race is an illusion that depends on purity and singleness. […] In A Scanner Darkly, set in a paranoid surveillance state in the near-future, Keanu plays a government agent called Bob Arctor, who because he works undercover, has to wear a ‘scramble suit’ in the office. The suit projecting 1.5 million constantly shifting representations of different people — male and female, black, white, Latinx — keeps his identity cloaked. Even the people he works with have no idea who he is.”

Like his persona, Reeves’s face itself is considered unplaceable. Growing up, he never read as white to me, but he has read that way to Hollywood, which allowed his career to be mutable in ways that very few people of color ever experience. But for much of the moviegoing audience, seeing his face has always been a point of connection. It’s the undercurrent of why his turn in Always Be My Maybe felt like such a significant moment in his career. It was as though something had been revealed about him for the first time, even though it had been present all along. That it was such a joyful, brazenly comedic role added yet another twist on his image. There was a sense that, even after 30 years in the spotlight, Reeves can still surprise us.

#keanu reeves #why we can't stop watching keanu reeves #angelica jade bastien #vulture

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nellie-elizabeth · 5 years

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Suits: Harvey (8x16)

Wow, okay, I'm sorry... I'm not convinced. I feel bad, but that just did not work for me.

Cons:

I'm talking about Donna and Harvey. I'm sure there were plenty of people watching that episode who were overjoyed that their ship had finally set sail, but I was just completely underwhelmed. I promise you, this isn't just about me shipping Marvey, either. On its own merits, Harvey and Donna hooking up just does not work for me on a fundamental level. I'm going to break down some of the reasons why.

First of all, on a superficial level, I just didn't buy their chemistry in that final scene. It wasn't embarrassingly bad or anything, but I found Donna and Thomas much more compelling in terms of chemistry, so that's a bummer.

Then, there's the hit-you-over-the-head-with-a-hammer script. As the episode ends, Robert makes this big declaration about how going through something difficult makes you realize what's important in life - and for him, that's his wife. Then, Alex repeats the same thing, saying he needs to get home to his wife. So here's the problem with this - Harvey had just asked first Robert, and then Alex, to go grab a burger with him, and they both turned him down to go be with their wives. This doesn't read like Harvey is secretly pining for a specific woman, it reads like he's just generally lonely.

Then we have a moment with Samantha. She makes a comment about what she's going to do without the one person who she always wants to go to when she has good or bad news, and Harvey abruptly has a light bulb moment and leaves, to rush off to Donna because he's apparently just realized that Donna is that person for him. I mean... that's a cliche, for one thing. And for another, this whole narrative doesn't bear itself out in a satisfying way at all. What I realized watching this episode is that the last several seasons of Suits have made a convincing case for the fact that Donna is still pining for Harvey, but it hasn't made a case for the reverse of that. Sure, Harvey loves and cares for Donna deeply, but Harvey's sudden realization here doesn't bear out under what we've seen over the last few seasons. I just don't buy that he loves her. This is sort of a lose-lose situation for me, because I didn't like the implication that Harvey just realized what had been right in front of him all along, but I think I would have been equally annoyed if they'd tried to imply that Harvey had been pining for Donna and had just decided to act on it. The fact is, I'm just not convinced by them as a romantic pairing anymore. And on top of that, Harvey was rude to Samantha! She was trying to share her feelings about Robert leaving, and Harvey just left! Ouch.

This show has positioned Donna as a strong female character, and has given her an arc about self-confidence and going after what she deserves for herself. That's a great concept for a character, but I find that often the show doesn't follow through on its promises with her characterization. This episode is a good example of that. The episode is called "Harvey," and that final scene between Harvey and Donna is supposed to be this big, exciting, culminating moment for the two of them. So... why did Donna get so little of the run time this week? As far as we could tell just last week, she had serious and genuine feelings for Thomas. Now, it seems that was a red herring. A way for her to lie to herself about her continued love for Harvey. And we only get a few little snippets with Donna to see that play out. She's not in the majority of the episode, so pretty much the whole emotional journey is Harvey's. That's fine, but it has the unfortunate consequence of sort of framing Donna like a prize to be won. The episode didn't take its time to convince me that Donna wanted this, and that Thomas wasn't that important to her.

Turning to other aspects of the plot - I found the flashbacks perfectly fine in and of themselves, but I don't really understand Robert's guilt over the death of a mugger acting as a catalyst for saving Harvey and getting disbarred. There have been plenty of other times over the course of this show where he could have sacrificed something because of a generally guilty conscience. Why was this particular situation the one that made him decide to act? The connection seemed quite flimsy to me.

Also, this was a finale, and Katrina wasn't in it at all! I call foul. I hope we get tons of time with her in the ninth and final season.

Pros:

Whew. Sorry I complained about the Darvey stuff for so long. I understand that there are a lot of people who are probably thrilled, and while it may sound like I'm contradicting myself, I do understand it on a certain level. I really don't give much of a crap about Donna and Harvey's romance, but I'd rather have them together than keep playing the juvenile will-they-won't-they game. If the writers are smart about this, we now have a whole season to build up their romance and make them a convincing couple. I do appreciate that.

There were aspects of this episode that I actually enjoyed quite a bit, peaking out from between all of the stuff that pissed me off. To start with, I found the flashbacks with Robert and Samantha pretty strong. I think their connection works to humanize Robert, and to bring Samantha into the world of the story with a little more strength. Her character still isn't super interesting to me, but I did find her compelling here. She was angry and scared, and Robert was there for her no matter what. It reminded me of the strength of the mentor/mentee relationship that has gotten so much emphasis on this show. Harvey and Jessica, Mike and Harvey, Samantha and Robert. There's something undeniably powerful about the strength of bonds that stretch past the professional.

There was one moment with Samantha that I particularly loved, and it actually felt like a good moment to encapsulate the appeal of this show as a whole. She's talking to Harvey about Donna - if Samantha's being honest and professional, Donna should be fired for breaking privilege with Thomas. But if she's speaking as Donna's friend, there's no way Samantha would even consider letting her go. She comments that the firm is rubbing off on her, and marvels at how crazy they all are. The point is, she knows that Harvey would never consider turning on Donna, and Samantha wouldn't want him to. They'd all throw themselves in front of a bus, commit career suicide, to protect one another. Mike did it for Harvey, Louis, and Jessica. Harvey tried to do it for Mike, then for Donna. Robert does it for Harvey. It's what they do. It's what makes them a family even when everything is at its absolute craziest and lowest point. And that's why these people are compelling to watch.

I really do like Alex quite a bit. He hasn't been given a ton to do, but his willingness to lie to protect Harvey this week was really touching, and I liked the moment afterwards when Harvey thanked him for it. There's a camaraderie there that I wish we could explore more. It's fun to see him as a team player in this way, instead of relegated to the subplot.

Daniel Hardman was kind of toothless in this episode. By that I mean, he was trying to disbar Harvey, but he didn't get a lot of screen-time to be his villainous self, and I oddly rather appreciated that. We don't need to spend a lot of time focusing on a character who's just returning for one episode. And actually, this episode did something to humanize Hardman. After all, he's sort of... right. I mean, Harvey is guilty of exactly what Hardman is accusing him of, and yet once again, this same group of people manages to pull the rug out from under him and ruin his chances of getting back on top. The stuff between Hardman and Zane was actually a little bit... touching? There's a moment when Robert is confessing to breaking privilege, and Hardman is just disbelieving, and he seems really hurt that Robert is directly involved like this. Hardman expected a dirty trick, but he didn't expect it to come from Robert, and you can tell that he's upset about it on a personal level. That oddly made me a bit emotional!

There was one Mike mention, and it was pretty great. (See, you can tell I'm not much of a Darvey fan when I end this particular review still talking about Mike). Hardman wants to know why Robert has thrown in his lot with Harvey and Louis, and wonders if it's "just because Rachel married Harvey's protege?" That basically implies that even Daniel Hardman knows the importance of Mike to Harvey, since he's comparing it to Robert's love for his own daughter. Or maybe I'm delusional. Don't take this away from me, it's all I have left!

6/10

#review #suits #suits review #suits usa

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capnebula · 6 years

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Winter Cherry - Part III

A/N: Firstly I want to apologise for this taking so long. School and Holiday stuff has been holding me up big time, and for a while I was kind of stuck on where to go with it. Also, I won't be able to link the past chapters for this until mid January due to mobile devices being a bitch. Hope you all enjoy it!

BLURB: It was always said that if you met a mutant with the opposite power as you, that person was your soulmate. Stan Uris, who steals life with his power, didn't believe in superstitions like that until he met Mike Hanlon, the boy who gives life.

PAIRINGS: Stanlon (main), Reddie (side), Benverly (side), Audra/Bill (side (p.s. Do they have a ship name?))

WARNINGS: main character with negative self image, references to parent death, (will update as needed)

WORD COUNT: 1803

His mother was a consistent breaker of mutant folklore, and though she told him much of it, she always reminded the boy that it was all just speculation and something of a children's story so they could believe in all good things. He remembered that the darkness was an invite to peace and safety from those who thought mutants should be dead or “controlled”, that each mutant was special and even if they had similar powers one person would have a different strength than the other, and that mutants met on accident were supposedly lifelong friends, but his mother had never once told him about one of the biggest tales in mutant superstitions. It was like all the stories where people were “meant to be”; the clichés that Stan always snorted at, though a lot of the time the stories were good in spite of the soulmate concept. It was the sound of his best friend’s voice that brought Stan back to earth. He was saying something about opposite powers, Eddie and himself, Bev and Ben. Stan hadn't caught all of it, and as such was rather confused. “So she thinks you and Mike are gonna be perfect for each other, too, which is fine and great and all but damn does Mrs. Denbrough run things along fast. It's like she's looking for good romance to gossip about with the other teachers,” Rich finished. “I'm sorry, what? I have honestly only managed to process the last two sentences you have said. Everything else is like white noise in my brain,” “Mutants. Opposite powers. Soulmates. Eds and I. Bev and Ben. You and Mike,” and then he was making kissy faces at his best friend as if to mimic what was going to happen. Stan paused for a moment. And then he laughed. He let out a howl of hysterical laughter, and continued laughing until he was tearing up. “You do know that shit is fake, right? Just like every other superstition mutants have. It's just for kids,” he choked out before laughing a moment more, finally starting to calm down. Everyone seemed to be thinking what the fuck at Stan’s behaviour towards this concept, because to them it was something that could easily be true. Had he been thinking properly, Stan would have probably thought the same thing of himself. He wouldn't have let anyone know it, but he was acting out of shock. Although he trusted his mother, he had always wondered if at least some of them were true. Maybe mutants you met unexpectedly were bound to become your best friend until the day you both died. Richie didn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon, after all. And the concept of soulmates was something he wanted desperately to believe in, but the idea of it being this boy who seemed nice enough and had a rather nice appearance (Stan couldn't lie to himself, honestly) the idea of them being soulmates was so utterly absurd he couldn't possibly believe it. “Stan. I know this sounds ridiculous coming from me, but calm the fuck down,” Richie blurted. Stan heaved a sigh. “You think I'm crazy for not believing it, don't you?” There was a silence, like a collective nod that no one wanted to make reality, as no one answered. “Thought so,” Stan muttered, “Well, to change the subject here, how about someone help me figure out where I'm supposed to be staying. I need to get my suitcase, as well. It was left in that main building,” Beverly stands up. “Your suitcase shouldn't be a problem. I'll go talk to Mrs. Denbrough about who your roommate will be and where that will be and let you know,” “Thanks, Bev,” Stan replied, trying out the nickname the girl had said to use. He rather liked saying something nice and short and simple. Though Richie was short for Richard, it was like the rare times he'd call the shapeshifter Rich. It was almost exhilarating to call people by nicknames. The redhead sashayed off after a planting a quick kiss on Ben’s forehead and waving to everyone, leaving the them alone with each other. Richie finally sat down, plopping crisscross next to Stan. “So, I see you all have met my best friend ever. Whatcha think of the guy?” Everyone's eyes spoke for them, all signalling Richie to be quiet. It was evident Stan could have made a better impression than he did, but he was grounded in what his mother told him all growing up. He would heed her words until his last breath; he had decided that when she passed on. “Can I ask something?” Georgie piped up, curious eyes looking directly at Stan. He nodded. “Why don't you believe in soulmates?” “I… I think it has to do with how I was raised. My mother married a non mutant. She told me she met her ‘soulmate’ and they never once got along, so I saw no reason to have to believe in them,” Stan explained. He wanted to provide a decent explanation while not giving too much information about himself, and he had gotten good at that over the years. The only hindering factor was Richie, of course, but he wasn't one to complain. Richie was a good friend, flaws and all. Beverly came flying backwards and almost crashed into the ground, somehow stopping herself before she hit the bottom. “Mrs. Denbrough says she'll show you later, but told me where it is if you wanna see now. Your stuff is already there. Ben, could you help me with the straps? Wings need to go,” she stated breathlessly but without a pause. Ben stood up to help Beverly out while Stan thought about what to do. As much as he wanted to try and make friends, he was already ready to be alone for a bit again. By the time Bev’ wings were back to looking like tattoos, he decided to at least check it out. “I want to at least have a general idea of where it is, so if you could show me that would be great,” Bev smiled. “Gotcha. Follow me then. See you losers later; gotta show the new kid where he’ll be staying,” Stan stood up and waved at everyone, then turned to follow Beverly, who was already walking away. They went out across the grass and to the main sidewalks, which weaved throughout the school grounds in a way that could only be described as labyrinthine. It was silent for some time until Beverly piped up. “So, Stan. Richie talks about you an awful lot, and I'm guessing based on what he's said that you two have known each other a long time. I'm not one to pry out backstories the first day I meet someone, but I just wanna fact check,” Stan scrunched his nose in thought before saying “Well, I met him when we were probably five or six, so it's been a good while, I'd say,” “Wow, that is a long time!” Stan nodded. He was glad they had put up with each other as long as they had. If they hadn't, Stan would be friendless and Richie would have been probably about ten times more annoying than he was today. They balanced each other out, after all, and if Richie’s life had never been put in peril by Stan neither of them would have taken life and death so seriously. “Stan, you're not very talkative. At all. I hate to be that stereotypical girl who is always talking, but I really feel like I need to fill in the bouts of silence,” Beverly admits. Stan looks towards the ground, feeling kind of bad. “Well, you can pick a topic and go from there. I can't promise I'll talk as much as, say, Richie, but I can certainly try to sustain a conversation,” “Hm… Okay. What kind of things do you find funny? Like not ‘this is stupid’ funny. Genuinely funny,” “You mean like my sense of humour? I don't really know how to explain it. No one understands my jokes and half the time it's just random words that sound funny to me that I end up laughing at for up to five minutes,” “Like what words?” Stan thought for a moment, then a word came to mind and his shoulders shook with silent, contained laughter. “Stan, what words? I see you laughing; you have to tell me now,” Bev pried. “Avocado,” he half-whispered before bursting into laughter that put his fake laughs to shame. Beverly actually joined in. She shared his sense of humour, Stan could tell. Her laugh wasn't even slightly forced; in fact it seemed more real than any laughter he had ever heard. “Okay, then we should get along just fine. You’ll get me,” she said after she evened out her breathing, “No one really gets me in that way, you know?” “Yeah. It kind of sucks until you find someone who gets it,” he agreed. Kindred spirits, to Stan, were one step towards feeling safe and at home wherever he was, and being able to see how Beverly acted one-on-one opened Stan’s eyes to a whole world of people similar to him. Perhaps no one else would understand his humour, but he didn't need that to know there were other people he could get along with. “Hey Beverly? I was wondering how it was you ended up here,” The redhead become very somber and stayed silent for a few minutes. “You have to be at least a level four friend to unlock my tragic backstory. Sorry,” she said as if trying to joke it away. Just like Richie. Heck, sometimes just like himself. Humour and satire and sarcasm had become less of a joke and more of a coping mechanism for the few people Stan knew, and Beverly could easily be added to the list. She forced a small smile and Stan frowned. “You don't have to tell me now. I was just curious,” “Alright. I'll tell you later, once we know each other a bit better,” she stated decidedly. They walked in silence for a short while longer. Upon the end of this time, they had reached a rather large two or three story house. Stan assumed it was one of the dormitory buildings. Beverly led him inside and up to the second floor. Down twisting halls all decorated and almost impossible to distinguish from one another, they came upon his room. “You’ll like your roommate, I'm sure. If I assume correctly, you already met him,” Beverly assured him as she opened the door. And she was right. He was in there, listening to music in his headphones and laying in his bed, reading. Stan figured his time at the school would be tolerable, now.

TAGS: @rhubarberous @alex-twy

#winter cherry #stanlon #reddie #benverly #audra phillips #bill denbrough

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eddie-casablanca · 7 years

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Candy Wrapper

Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier

Rating: T

Summary: “I’m not going to tell Richie that I love him because you think a candy wrapper told me to!” He was going to tell Richie he loved him because Beverly Marsh and candy wrapper told him to.

Eddie stared down at the candy wrapper in his hands. He had smoothed out the wrinkles so that the message could clearly be read there.

“Do something that scares you.”

“Come on Eddie, you promised. What’s something you can do that scares you?” Beverly said. They were alone in Eddie’s room, Eddie’s mom had gone to do errands, as she did every Friday afternoon and wouldn’t be back for a few hours if her previous habits held true. They had started out doing what they always did, bitching and eating junk food. It was very therapeutic. Today’s topics had ranged from rumors to homework assignments, even to their boyfriends. They both regretted that last one a bit, but one of the bonuses about these afternoons they spent together was that nothing left the room. They also didn’t offer advice, unless the other explicitly asked for it. Something the rest of the losers didn’t quite understand that when Bev and Eddie were complaining about something, they often didn’t need advice or even a response. Stan and Mike liked to give logical thought out plans, Ben and Bill liked to offer to fix things, and Richie, he cracked jokes and sometimes offered to beat people up. None of them had any grasp on the concept of venting. Hence why Bev and Eddie were sitting on Eddie’s bedroom floor, eating chocolate and lamenting about various things in their lives. After the very incriminating conversation about Ben and Richie though, they were kind done with complaining, but Bev didn’t want to go home, and Eddie hated being alone in his house, so Beverly came up with a new game. The chocolate they were eating had messages on the foil wrappers. These messages were usually pieces of advice or personal affirmations. They would both pick one from the bag and whatever the advice on the wrapper was, they had to follow through with by the end of the week. Beverly, because she’s the luckiest person alive got one that said, “Get a good night’s sleep.” While she cackled about how her game had backfired, Eddie unwrapped his, and that message that would change everything was revealed to him.

“I don’t know Bev, I’ve done a lot of things that have scared me. I can think of a couple of incidents with a killer clown, for one thing, then there’s also, raising my hand in AP world history, trying out for the baseball team, asking Richie Tozier if he was my boyfriend, getting forcibly removed from the homecoming dance, AFTER mouthing off to the vice principal. There aren’t a lot of things that don’t scare me, Bev.” Eddie said.

“I can think of one, we were just talking about it, around ten minutes ago.”

“Oh, no, Bev, I can’t you know I can’t.”

“You can and you will! A deal’s a deal! You’ve got to tell Richie you love him!”

“I’m not going to tell Richie that I love him because you think a candy wrapper told me to!”

He was going to tell Richie he loved him because Beverly Marsh and candy wrapper told him to.

His largest problem was, of course, he had no idea how to do it. In the movies that he and Ben liked to watch during their monthly “we both really like romance and if you tell anyone I’ll kill you” movie nights, declarations of love were Big Deals. They involved planning, grand gestures, exactly the right moment. Eddie couldn’t exactly confess after the big school dance, they were too young to go to prom, or run through an airport screaming, or even stand under Richie’s window with a boombox, he couldn’t really lift a boom box, nor did he have one. He was kind of stumped. It’s not like he could even ask any of his friends for help, he was in uncharted territory. On top of that, he had a schedule to keep, if he didn’t complete this task by the following Friday, there would be consequences.

The whole next day he was worried about it. He didn’t want to say it at the wrong time or in the wrong way, and he definitely didn’t want to have to say it more than once. It couldn’t be a grand gesture, for one, someone might see it, for another, if he went to all out he might scare Richie. Oh god, what if it was too soon. What if he said it and Richie bailed because it was too much. He felt completely screwed.

“Hey Mrs. Hanscom, is Ben there?” Eddie sat on his bedroom floor and spoke quietly into the phone. He didn’t want his mother to overhear him.

“Sure Eddie, I’ll get him.” Mrs. Hanscom called across the house for her son.

“Hey, Eddie, what’s up?” Ben answered the phone casually.

“I need help haystack. I made a deal with Bev, that I would tell Richie I loved him by Friday. I don’t know what to do.” Eddie said in a rush.

“Okay, Eddie, take a breath there little dude. You do love Richie, don’t you?”

“Yeah?”

“And you’re seeing him tonight right?”

“Right?”

“So there you go, it doesn’t have to be a big deal, just find a moment.” Find a moment, okay find a moment. He can absolutely do that.

Later that evening, Richie and Eddie were curled up on Richie’s couch. Richie was laid out with his head on Eddie’s chest. They were going to watch a movie but neither of them was really in the mood. Richie was more interested in kissing Eddie, and Eddie was preoccupied with trying to find the right time to tell Richie he loved him. They were just sort of lying there, not talking, not kissing, just sitting there, when Eddie blurted out:

“I love you.” Shit! That was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do! Shit!

“Uh, I have to go.” Richie jumped off the couch and bolted towards the door.

“Richie! Wait!” but Richie was already gone. “We’re in… your house…”

Eddie did the only thing he could think to do. He went home and cried. He turned off all of the lights and covered himself in as many blankets as he could find and cried. When he had been crying for what felt like hours, and his eyes were scratchy and his breath was coming out in hiccups. He removed himself from his blanket den and took a deep breath, then another one and another one. While he was breathing, he heard a bang on his window. He quickly dried his eyes and went to investigate. Richie was standing beneath Eddie’s window. Behind him, the sidewalk read “I love you too!” in chalk. Eddie began to cry again.

“Oh Fuck! Eds! Don’t cry! Shit! Can I come up?” Eddie nodded, still crying, and opened the window. Richie climbed up the side of the house with practiced ease and soon found himself in Eddie’s room with his arms around a crying Eddie.

“Oh, Eds, I’m so sorry I freaked out, there’s just not a lot of people running around saying they love me. I don’t even remember the last time I heard it from my parents. So, yeah, hearing you say you love me was scary. But, I love you, of course, I love you.” Richie whispered into Eddie’s hair. Eddie pulled away and quickly dried his eyes once more.

“Richie, this is definitely in the top five most romantic things you’ve ever done and I absolutely forgive you, and I love you. But how are you gonna get rid of the writing on the sidewalk?”

“Don’t worry about it babe, the sprinklers will take care of it. If you’ve forgiven me, does that mean I can stay the night?” Eddie just nodded and buried his face into Richie’s shoulder.

#reddie #reddie fanfiction #it movie 2017 #it fanfiction #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #❤️

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