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#i would die for stephen fry
doitforstamets · 1 year
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Imagine for a moment, Sandman gets renewed and the next time they do press Ferdie is in everything bc he’s the fan favourite
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elatedandexasperated · 7 months
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So RWRB was a movie with some discourse...
In all honesty, the discourse has bugged me more than any issues with the film itself. I get a film adaptation not living up to personal expectations set by a book is... a response that people have, but the fact some people have been trying to convince people it's not worth watching bothers me.
Don't get me wrong, I've seen all of the love for it too and I know the antis for the film are definitely in the minority. No one can control how anyone relates or who is allowed to enjoy a piece of media, but the sheer hatred I've seen from some of the people on here for the film hurts a bit to see. The arguments seem to be no deeper than "x character was removed" , "there's these plot holes" and "it's too formulaic" that last one of which I feel was kind of the point: it's a formulaic romcom so that queer people can have a fairy tale romance story like the straight ones that get shoved down our throats from a young age by companies like Disney. McQuiston, an NB writer, has gone on record stating that a huge reason why they write is to feature queer identities and make stories that people like them would have liked to read and feel represented by when they were younger.
If this was a straight Hallmark romcom (which tbf, it basically is in terms of story structure, and I low-key love it because of that) it wouldn't have made so much as a blip on most people's radars. But because it features queer characters the threshold for scrutiny seems to have been dropped to the floor (insert "Get Low" joke here). I can get having criticisms of the film, I have a few myself, but the attempt to convince people the film is bad and to disregard it as a whole because of them ignores the positive qualities, what the film means to people in the queer community, what its success can lead to in terms of representation for underrepresented people in the community (Ace, bi, NB, trans, etc.), and an understanding of intricacies that go into adaptation.
At the end of the day, this film was competently made (and in my opinion, well made) by a gay director with an inclusive team and a deep care for both the source material and an understanding of what the film would mean for millions of viewers. It featured experiences and themes that are common to many people in the community with several very poignant messages that actually have huge metatextual implications with the film (The "forced conformity of the closet" quote sticks out in particular to me: the number of op-eds speculating Nick and Taylor's sexualities and how they've been mum about them makes me think a lot of people missed that one; also looking at you, people that forced Kit Connor out of the closet 😒)
The film is a celebration of love featuring characters that people like me and others in the community can relate to. Is it formulaic? Yes. Did they remove some characters to try and create a tighter narrative focused on the main romantic pair? Yes. Is it overly cheesy and so unrealistically sweet that it will give me diabetes? Delightfully so.
So ending on a positive note, I just want to run down some things I've loved about it:
- An mlm story with an actual happy ending that features adult main leads! (Credit to youth stories, they're important, but as an adult it's hard to relate to teenage characters sometimes)
- The charisma both TZP and NG just radiate throughout the movie
- Sarah Shahi eating the absolute SHIT out of every scene she's in (Touch her and die)
- Same for Rachel Hilson
- Uma Thurman and Stephen Fry (enough said)
- The acting overall was fantastic
- The care and work put into intimate scenes and inclusion of an intimacy coordinator
- On a personal level, I loved seeing parallels between Alex and Henry's relationship and the relationship I have with my husband. For the first time in my 30 years I actually see a little of myself in an uplifting and happy piece of media and not portrayed as a dramatic tragedy, villain, or inconsequential background character.
Tl;Dr if you didn't like the movie, that's your opinion. I'm not here to try and convince you otherwise. But please stop trying to convince people it shouldn't be watched. Regardless of your opinion, this film means a lot to a lot of people, including the author of the original book! Just let us enjoy this imperfect, but tasty cheese with our w(h)ine ❤️
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xjustonemoremiraclex · 7 months
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rwrb thoughts from someone who hasn't read the book (yet)
The good/general thoughts:
pleasantly surprised by the acting! which I know sounds mean, but listen, I saw these guys in other things and I wasn't suuuper into them, so it was a nice surprise lol
THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE TWO again, pleasantly surprised by that lol they played off each other SO well
10/10 soundtrack, it definitely took inspiration from older rom-coms and I loved it <3
PS I really liked all the side characters! I wish we'd gotten to spend a little more time with some of them, but everyone was pretty great <3 also, all the women were awesome, and I am very gay and very in love <3
Ok, I really, REALLY liked how they showed the two of them texting each other, and the whole editing around it. It was pretty cute
I was living for all the latine songs at the new year's party, that was a nice touch
ok, when everyone was getting down at the party and alex and henry stayed up and stared at each other and time slowed down, I know it was supposed to be romantic, but I have to say it: it was also the funniest shit I've ever seen lol
henry at the party is giving both 'i have social anxiety and my only friend here is a social butterfly and keeps leaving to be with other people send help' and 'i thought you invited me here as a first date kind of thing but you're dancing and making out with other people and i'm feeling so betrayed rn :('
'christ you're as thick as it gets *kiss*' LMAO
Listen, I'm not usually into rom-coms (I say, like a liar), but I was pretty happy with the writing, in general. I laughed at all the funny parts, got emotional over all the dramatic ones and swooned at the romance bits. Great job, everyone
'I just can't afford for you to fall in love with me' LMAO babe, we're WAY past that. On both sides
ok, full disclosure: I don't really like sex scenes all that much (there's nothing wrong with them, I'm just very ace lol), so I usually just use my phone while they're happening, and while I did that a little bit here too, I was still paying attention, and honestly, they were pretty sweet. They did a good job. And, like, I have no idea why the film was R-rated lol you literally don't see anything
again, love the little montages that show the passing of time, while also showing they're keeping in touch and getting to know each other better and stuff. It makes the relationship between the two and the way it's developing feel a bit less rushed, which is nice
ZAHRA MY MOST BELOVED
YES PLEASE I WANT TO SEE THAT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION THANK YOU
KARAOKEEEE
alex giving an impassioned romantic speech to henry, about to confess his love: // henry:
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'I didn't want to break his heart' - oh, honey, you already did :(
'to tell you that I love you, knowing that you wouldn't say it back' brb sobbing
NOT CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE 😭😭😭
'because when they write the history of my life, I want it to include you and my love for you' help i'm dying 😭😭😭😭😭😭
MIGUEL DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW IT WAS YOU please die in a fire <3
alex's speech was really good by the way 🥺
LOVESICK HOMOSEXUALS LMAO ZAHRA MY BELOVED
'baby' screaming crying throwing up jgdkfk
I FORGOT THE KING WAS STEPHEN FRY why is this so funny to me
SEQUEL WHEN
The... less good?/general questions:
Kinda wish there'd been a bit more enemies in my enemies-to-lovers film
'he just grabbed my hair in a way that made me understand the difference between rugby and footbal'' - please, I beg you, someone smarter than me - what the fuck does this mean 😭 ppl are LIVING for this quote and I'm like ??????
this is probably me being stupid and ignorant lol but why would alex's relationship cost his mum the election? like, from what I've seen, her government has been very pro-queer, that's not really a secret, so her son being queer and in a relationship with a man shouldn't lose her any voters..? the people who are against 'the queers' were not going to vote for her in the first place, soooo..? me is confused
honestly, this is probably an unpopular opinion, but... the king was not that bad? like, i'm not saying he's not kind of homphobic and kind of a dick lol but i get the impression that everything stems from the whole thing about sticking to tradition and public image and bla bla. Like, again, obviously, part of that involves homophobia, but I think that on a personal level, he... doesn't really care? Even at the end, he's like 'ok, are you absolutely sure about this, cause there's no going back. Yes? Really? Well, go off I guess *long-suffering sigh*'. Like, I got way more homophobic vibes from phillip than the king idk 🤷‍♀️ (I really hope I don't have to clarify that this only applies to the film, and not like, the real life crown lol)
Sooo, as I said, I haven't read the book yet, but I've seen some posts about it, and I think after watching the film I've realized that it's biggest flaw is that it's that - a film. It's a great film, don't get me wrong! And it's pretty obvious I really liked it. But damn, I'm a firm believer that book adaptations only work as series. They don't have to be super long or anything, but there is just no way to fit everything in a book in a two hour film. And yeah, when you're adapting something you have to make some changes, but Idk, it's kind of a shame that you lose so much (and even without reading the book, I can tell there's a lot of stuff missing). In any case, I can't talk too much about it until I read the book, but yeah 🤷‍♀️ It does seem like they did a good job, though - like, it genuinely can stand on its own really well, but I guess I'll have to find out for myself
Also, tagging @silassstingy bc I promised her my thoughts on the film and she might give me some interesting insights on some of the stuff I mentioned, cause she's a queen like that <3
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faelapis · 7 months
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red white & royal blue is one of the worst movies i've ever seen, but it was also just crazy enough to be watchable. i felt like i was going to die. here are some insane highlights of my viewing experience:
the presidents son (alex, one of our leads) is a beto o'rourke liberal who thinks democrats can win texas. everyone agrees to let him try despite having no political expertise. he never mentions the issue of gerrymandering. he's gonna do it solely because he has this brilliant, secret memo with some 5head strategy nobody has ever thought of before.
we never get to read the memo, or even know what his plan is.
it works. they win texas.
there's cameos from equally delusional libs like joy ann reid and rachel maddow.
stephen fry plays the king of england.
king stephen fry is initially homophobic.
but don't worry, the royal family eventually reforms and definitely doesn't need to be abolished :)
uma thurman is the president.
president thurman has dialogue educating the audience on the importance of safe sex & using condoms during anal.
there's a whole scene where they hear what they think is a gunshot. in a hospital. they use it as an opportunity to force the two leads together in a closet for some tee-hee involuntary closeness.
the fact that it could've been a shooter is basically ignored. the scene has no fear or tension.
they do the trope where there's a sassy female side character who is basically just there to tell the main gay couple they're idiots for pining after each other without taking action.
there are several Very Important Monologues about impostor syndrome and how coming out isn't mandatory and every individual queer person's choice uwu.
there's a sneaky reporter who everyone knows is sneaky but the main lead keeps sharing juicy details to anyway. surely he won't leak this. its off the record!
they pair the two leads' black friends together. said black friends have no personality or character arcs.
the main romance is only slightly less contrived.
i'm pretty sure they told hollywood at gunpoint that you're homophobic if you don't appear in this movie, so there's a bunch of other cameos i forgot about as well.
all in all an excellent movie for watch parties. especially if you want to experience the out-of-body dissonance of an extremely generic lazy hallmark romance, but with explicit sex scenes and overt centrist liberal politics. at any point i was expecting hillary clinton to show up for a 5 second cameo to wink at the audience & say that being gay is okay.
2/10, would watch again and again until i end up in a liberal fugue state where i, too, believe that dems will win texas any day now.
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fatemy-friend · 9 months
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thanks for the tag @fall-dog <3
last song i listened to: pretty in possible by caroline polacheck (dadadadaAdadAadadadada!!! she said that!!!)
currently watching: i’m rewatching stranger things for the 60th fucking time (!!) …i would die for mike wheeler <3 i actually don’t think i’ve watched it through fully in order before tho
i’m also halfway through the bowie doco from last year - moonage daydream - which is such a trip but very delectable so far.
currently reading: mythos by stephen fry.
i’m reading it verrrrrry slowly but i’m still enjoying it, esp the myths i’m less familiar with. it’s also providing much needed info for my orpheus/eurydice fic, such as that the gods’ ichor (blood) is actually poisonous to mortals which means i cant have a marylily sex scene where lily (goddess) is hot and sexy and bleeding all over mary (mortal) :( the real tragedy
current obsession: the poem The Boy by silas denver melvin (the boy a scraped knee & asking ‘why’ in that way children do & the boy unanswered & the boy limping & the boy blaming god & without god & without direction & without answer the boy a boy a boy an angel feather!!!! i am. gnawing my hands off.)
tagging @tempusfugitandallthatblog @lilyflxwers @drowsyanddazed and anyone who’d like to answer these!
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mckiwi · 1 year
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Stephen Strange was a doctor, a good one at that– a great one. He and Death had never been on good terms. She took his family from him, so he took his patients’ lives back from Her. He always stood outside of Death’s door, guarding it, keeping it locked away from others as best as he could. But Death comes for everyone, in the end.
He should be dead. By all means, that wreck was supposed to have killed him. As he hung there suspended by nothing but seat belts, with blood rushing to his head and the cold-water biting into his skin, he knew he would close his eyes and never open them again. And yet, he did. If it wasn’t the wreck that killed him, then surely it would be the sight of his mangled hands. Why is he here? Surely Death would’ve taken him when She had the chance. Years he’d spent, cheating Death out of lives She had worked hard for. Well, he wouldn’t be able to cheat Her anymore, not with this new life, anyway. Maybe he had died, after all. Isn’t having nothing to live for just as good as being dead?
Stephen Strange was a sorcerer– definitely not the best, or even close to it, but he was decent. He’d found peace at Kamar-Taj. He found peace in the ancient books he couldn’t yet read and the sound of rain in the courtyard. He could heal his hands here, start his life anew and save people again. Then came Kaecilius and Dormammu.
It was hard to remember his oath to do no harm while staring at a dead man. A man that was dead because of him, no less. Stephen offered up this man to the claws of Death so that his own might be spared another day. Soon followed The Ancient One, accepting Death’s invitation after centuries of denying it. Sometimes he’d wonder why she looked almost relieved.
Stephen Strange was the wielder of the Time Stone. He locked himself in a loop to save the Earth, and all the lives he’d reversed in the process. Life and Death had a certain balance, and he was sure to keep to it. That old man on the street making stir fry? Stephen took a spear through the gut. The woman watching funny cat videos on her phone? Stephen was blasted into atoms. His life, over and over, in exchange for theirs.
During one loop, as Stephen was choking on his own blood, taking his final breaths, he thought he heard Death speaking to him. You don’t have to do this, you know? I could end this. You could end this.
Stephen Strange was a human man– and a human man shouldn’t have been able to experience fourteen million different lives and still be able to function. With each life came a death, then the cycle repeated. Despite what your kind thinks, I’m not cruel. Some see me as a bringer of peace. I could give you that. No, he wasn’t allowed to die. Not yet. The brain is an organ, too. It can kill you just as easily as any other if not properly cared for.
Fourteen million times now he’d robbed Death of his soul. He stood at the door and waited. Taunting, never coming inside, never even indicating that he’d wanted to. Occasionally he’d end up giving Death a few sacrifices, such as the likes of Tony Stark or Natasha Romanoff. Giving up such sacrifices took a toll on Stephen, much more so than he probably even realized himself.
Stephen Strange was a Master of the Mystic Arts, a good one at that– a great one. He and Death had grown closer over the years. She’d cut things short when the pain became too much to bear in the loop with Dormammu. She’d save him the agony of having Thanos shred his soul with the Soul Stone. He often dreamt of Her, and all the ways he’d finally get to be taken into Her arms forever. He’d spent years ripping people away from Her embrace. Now he understood why they’d be so upset once they came back.
In the process of trying to save America Chavez, he’d have to visit an old friend. To dreamwalk into his dead variant’s body, he’d first have to do something. He knocked on Death’s door. She answered with a smile and held out Her hand. He took it.
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Songs I think would fit aideku
🎶 400 Lux 🎶 Lorde
🎶 8 Days A Week 🎶 The Beatles
🎶 Adore You 🎶 Harry Styles
🎶 After Dark 🎶 Mr. Kitty
🎶 Ain't No Mountain High Enough 🎶 Diana Ross
🎶 Angel 🎶 FINNEAS
🎶 Annie’s Song 🎶 John Denver
🎶 Billie Bossa Nova 🎶 Billie Eilish
🎶 Bridge Over Troubled Water 🎶 Simon & Garfunkel
🎶 Can't Fight This Feeling 🎶 REO Speedwagon
🎶 Change The World 🎶 Eric Clapton
🎶 Claudia 🎶 FINNEAS
🎶 Come What May 🎶 Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman
🎶 Dandelions 🎶 Ruth B.
🎶 Die For You 🎶 The Weeknd
🎶 Everybody Loves Somebody Sometimes 🎶 Dean Martin
🎶 Everything Has Changed 🎶 Taylor Swift
🎶 Fantasy 🎶 Mariah Carey
🎶 Fly Love 🎶 Jamie Foxx
🎶 Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy 🎶 Queen
🎶 Heaven 🎶 Bryan Adams
🎶Home 🎶 Edith Whiskers
🎶 Hostage 🎶 Billie Eilish
🎶 How Deep Is Your Love 🎶 Bee Gees
🎶 Hungry Eyes 🎶 Eric Carmen
🎶 I Do It For You 🎶 Bryan Adams
🎶 I Have Nothing 🎶 Whitney Houston
🎶 I Hear A Symphony 🎶 Cody Fry
🎶 I Like Me Better 🎶 Lauv
🎶 Into You 🎶 Ariana Grande
🎶 Iris 🎶 The Goo Goo Dolls
🎶 I Swear 🎶 All-4-One
🎶 I Wanna Be Yours 🎶 Arctic Monkeys
🎶 I Want to Know What Love Is 🎶 Foreigner
🎶 I Want You 🎶 Mitski
🎶 I Won’t Give Up 🎶 Jason Mraz
🎶 Je Te Laisserai Des Mots 🎶 Patrick Watson
🎶 Just Can’t Get Enough 🎶 Depeche Mode
🎶 Kiss 🎶 Prince
🎶 Landslide 🎶 Fleetwood Mac
🎶 Late Night Talking 🎶 Harry Styles
🎶 Lay All Your Love On Me 🎶 ABBA
🎶 Let's Stay Together 🎶 Al Green
🎶 Make You Feel My Love 🎶 Bob Dylan
🎶 My Type 🎶 Saint Motel
🎶 Once Upon A Dream 🎶 Lana Del Rey
🎶 Play Me 🎶 Neil Diamond
🎶 Precious 🎶 Depeche Mode
🎶 Rather Be 🎶 Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne
🎶 Romeo And Juliet 🎶 Dire Straits
🎶 Running Up That Hill 🎶 Kate Bush
🎶 Said I Loved You But I Lied 🎶 Michael Bolton
🎶 Sanctuary 🎶 Joji
🎶 Sidelines 🎶 Phoebe Bridgers
🎶 So Far Away 🎶 Dire Straits
🎶 So This Is Love 🎶 Ilene Woods
🎶 Take A Chance On Me 🎶 ABBA
🎶 Take My Breath Away 🎶 Berlin
🎶 Telepatía 🎶 by Kali Uchis
🎶 The Only Exception 🎶 Paramore
🎶 This Side Of Paradise 🎶 Coyote Theory
🎶 True 🎶 Spandeau Ballet
🎶 True Colours 🎶 Cyndi Lauper
🎶 Tú 🎶 Maye
🎶 Until I Found You 🎶 Stephen Sanchez
🎶When I Look At You 🎶 Miley Cyrus
🎶 You Are in Love 🎶 Taylor Swift
🎶 You Baby 🎶 Neil Diamond
🎶 You’re My Best Friend 🎶 Queen
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haxorus-imp · 1 year
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"Hello, welcome. Why don’t you take a seat? Get comfortable, relax, take a second if you need to. Now what’s bothering you? Well, why don’t we start at the beginning? Growing up, how was your relationship with the fundamentals of conscious existence? Did you have xenon orchid sinews spilling down the outer center of your blooming Escher/Mandelbrot head? And how about claustrophilic tendrils clapping caskets closed on seven-knuckle thumbs, did you get along well with the Gideon Bugler pineal glands, your projector eyes casting sci-fi’s on your STR’d strands? Tell me about your nerve to steal nerves of steel from under Bacchus’ bloody nose. Did Namibian Himbas tie-dye you, your ears pierced with a Phineas Gage flagpole, did you die before your day? Thursday traction, Tuesday titration. My hope is to assess through my objective report of your subjective conjecture whether this proprietary blend of expertise and seasoning works as well as this transorbital ice pick. Holistic ballistics, you got a better idea? It’s about the best we could come up with. What, you think ideas spread because they’re good? No, they spread because people like them. So here we are once again. Holding, as it were, a mirror up to your mirror I guess it’s just something people do" Who do you think out of all the LBP characters would say this doozy of a paragraph?
Probably the Narrator, Stephen Fry. Since he tends to talk a lot anyway.
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iolitegrimoire · 1 year
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Hellenist Pagan Asks... That I'm doing just for myself... Cause why not? ;)
Original questions done by @hellenicrisis (Link to it here)
1. Which deities do you worship?
Athena, Nyx and Hestia mainly. I do try to give every main gods and goddesses of Olympus and the House of Hades their due respect, but I only have enough room on my altar for so few, so I choose to worship those I find the most often in my main aspects of my life: My constant pursuit of knowledge, my love for creating (be it art, writing or witchcraft), my night-owl lifestyle, and my yearning to make my home my sacred safe space.
2. How long have you been practicing Hellenism Hellenic Paganism?
Uuuuhhhh..... 3 years now?? Not too long, I'll admit, but long enough now to at least understand the basics and not need to constantly rely on seeking guidance from multiple sources, like a newbie would these days.
3. What's your favourite myth?
I honestly don't have one. I've read plenty of them, from both the original sources and Stephen Fry's retelling from his Mythos trilogy, but.... Nope. I just can't seem to find one I actually enjoy. They always seem to portray the gods as... well... assholes. And as much as I know by now that the gods are capable of making mistakes and being grumpy and rude like any of us mortals do, I just... Don't enjoy the portrayal of them in any piece of literature I find. The gods always seem to be viewed as these self-centered pricks who do more bad than good, and I've been worshipping them long enough to know that they're not all assholes.... Not even Zeus. For why else would I still remain loyal to them to this day?
I just find it hard to enjoy the myths without them being constantly portrayed as some childish and selfish asshole in some way.
4. Have you had a liking in Greek mythology since you were a kid? If so, does it influence your practice?
At first, no. It was Norse and Egyptian that got me first. XD Especially Norse for.... obvious reasons. But somehow I finally became curious about Ancient Greek culture and their mythology a bit later on in life, and that definitely stuck when I grew more curious about exploring my religious side. And now, thanks to my history nerd boyfriend and fellow pagan, I'm learning more about their culture and how they would have honored the gods, and use that to fit into my lifestyle wherever I can, mainly through altar designs and veiling!
5. Do you have an altar?
I do! It's on my bookshelf at the moment, just until I can move out and get a bigger one for all 12 gods. They deserve their own space individually with statuettes and candles and all that. One day....
6. What drew you to Hellenism? What made you choose it over anything else?
Tik Tok..... Definitely the pagan and witchy side of the app. It's how I learned about paganism and how to practice it in a certain modern and closeted lifestyle, as well as what witchcraft was and how to best start it. At first, I was a mixed pagan, due to me wanting to worship the gods of my Irish culture. I worshipped mainly the Norse goddess Hel and the Celtic god Cernunnos... Then it was all the Norse gods, then the Celtic... Then finally the Greek.
7. Do you believe in past lives?
I part of me wants to... But I find it hard to believe due to my belief that I have no ancestors. Not in the countrywide sense of belonging to my culture as a whole, but rather individual people who formed the roots to my family tree, type of ancestors. I have no family beyond my single parent, due to me being rejected by them for simply being born, so I highly doubt my spirit belonged to something greater than this, let alone bearing the blood of some great ancestor.
8. Do you believe in the Underworld? If so, do you think about it literally or as a concept?
..... Both? I mean, I know my body will just become compost or bones forgotten in a box one day, and I know nothing will happen after you die physically. But I guess knowing that because I've lived my whole life pursuing writing and creative arts and constantly learning philosophy to better myself with, I'll somehow end up going to Elysium instead of Asphodel.... It feels really nice to think I actually can go somewhere nice when I die by just being myself rather than constantly working to earn a good death (stupid Christian mentality there, really). But even if I end up in Asphodel, it feels good to know that my aunt definitely did go to Elysium due to her own life of creativity and actually giving to the community. She deserves it from the shit she went through.... And I secretly hope I deserve that too, to be seen as someone worthy of such an amazing place for simply enjoying what I do as a passion.
9. Do you listen to devotional music?
I try to every time I pray or perform a ritual, but there's not a lot I enjoy. Like... you ever feel creeped out by the way a song sounds, but not because it's actually horror themed but because it just sounds off to you? A lot of Orphic or Greek pagan devotional music sounds like that to me, mainly when they have vocal chants. I dunno, it's a weird thing I have when it comes to certain music, probably due to my autism. Luckily, I can always rely on lyre music and my own playlist of instrumental songs to help.
10. Which deity do you turn to most in times of trouble?
Mainly Hermes, cause I'm always nearly missing my bus. X'D But also Athena in general.... I feel like she's my go to matron, but I don't really know why.
11. Do you wear any devotional jewellery?
YES!!! I fucking LOVE THEM!! I have two necklaces that I wear every single day without fail, and either one during the night, until I get ready to go to sleep.
The longest chain bears a cut out pentacle of sterling silver, which I wear for protection and to represent my witchy side in my day-to-day life.
The shortest chain has a sterling silver Aegis of Athena pendant that I wear to represent my religious faith. This one is my pride and joy and I always put it on for every prayer and ritual I do out of pure habit.
12. Do you have any food or drink recipe that is spirituality important?
Uh..... No?? I feel like I should though, but I just often drink a tea that suits my needs for something important. Most days it's earl grey or a standard black (or in Ireland a Barry's or Lyon's... if you know, you know), but sometimes I do ginger and lemon for both the magical AND the digestive bonus. Kitchen witchcraft is handy like that~
13. Who was the first deity you started worshipping?
Like I said in question 6, I started off with Hel and Cernunnos. Then I switched them out over and over again as I struggled to find the pantheon that felt right to me, until I settled on Greek to this day.
14. Who is the most recent deity you started worshipping?
With Hecate's Night this week, I'm thinking of adding Lady Hecate to my altar to help with my witchcraft and life in general. Only problem is..... I have no clue if you pronounce her name as Heck-Ah-Tea or Heh-Kah-Tay.... Gotta say it right if I'm to properly respect her. ^^;
15. Is there a deity you tried worshipping and working with, but it didn't work out?
Avoiding the ones I already answered, Hecate/Hekate was actually a deity I tried to work with but didn't really feel that vibe. Also because witchcraft is hard for me to practice regularly, at the very least more than only once or twice a month. So, since I wish to honour her in the upcoming Athenian festival of Hecate's Night, and with my desire to do more minor forms of witchcraft more often in order to keep doing it and building my energy up to be able to do more.... I'll hopefully be able to finally work with a god/goddess for the first time and do it right this time around.
16. Is there another deity you are considering worshipping?
I would like to try adding Hades to my altar, but ever since I last worked with and worshipped Hel, death has become a subject I don't feel comfortable interacting with. It's not something I feel comfortable talking about or working with like most Hades followers or death witches do... But he is supposedly the patron of the depressed. And I seriously would love someone I can talk to about this, since I will never be able to afford or be on a waiting list that's less than a year long to see a therapist. And he was there to help me through the grief of losing my aunt, so.... I'd like to grow closer to him, if possible.
17. When people ask you what religion you belong to, what do you say?
Hellenic paganism, mostly. A know a lot of people seem offended by the word "pagan", especially those who are actual polytheists, but being called a pagan is a word that's been reclaimed to mean something good again, and I'm all for it. Heathen, however, still feels a little offensive to me, but whatever floats your boat, as long as we're all being civil and understanding about everyone having different beliefs than others. I also learned only recently that unless you're an actual person born and raised from Greece, you shouldn't call yourself a Hellenic. It's Hellenic PAGAN or POLYTHEIST only.
18. Has Christianity/Catholicism affected your practice or your views about your practice at all?
GODS yes!!! I still have this feeling that my gods don't care about me like the Christian god did, merely due to me being unable to hear or have conversations with them like so many people can, somehow. And yeah... it hurts, especially when I'm at my lowest mentally and emotionally, when my loneliness hits me hard. In those moments, I'm reminded of my younger years, when I tried to call out to the Christian god to help me not feel so alone..... Only to be met with the same cold silence.
I just wish I knew how to actually communicate with them and know what a true response is from them. To know that I'm finally not alone and have someone I can rely on in my darkest hour.
Sorry about this being so dark. ^^; Just felt like opening up a bit there.
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palimpsessed · 2 years
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Get to Know Me tag game
I was tagged by @angelsfalling16 @takitalks @aristocratic-otter @johnwgrey @bazzybelle @fight-surrender . And I’m late enough there’s already another tag game going around so no idea who has done this. I suppose if you haven’t and you want to, go for it!
Relationship status: never had one; don’t want one. i am completely preoccupied with romance in fiction but very much not about it in my actual life :)
Favorite color: bright, bloody red (truly—they should hire me to design children’s hospitals or smth)
Favorite food: i will go months eating the same thing every single day and then lose all interest in everything. lately most food just makes my stomach go >:c so i can’t really name one. my true ride or die is numi’s rooibos chai tea (which isn’t even real tea) and a splash of milk. also the aged earl grey as a close second.
Song stuck in your head: i’ve been listening pretty exclusively to my slings and eros playlist so a bunch of the songs on that have been popping up in my head regularly. you can check it out if you like. i happen to think it’s a really good mix of genres.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pxPcWYJPY9ICPzcVQRld2
Last thing you googled: no clue. my browser app auto deletes my history.
Time: 13:25
Dream trip: i am very much not a traveler. i seldom actually enjoy myself so it doesn’t make sense to spend money to do it. that said, the last trip i took was for a work conference in new orleans in sept 2019. i went two days early and spent both days walking all over the place and just soaked up the sights (and the food) on my own with no itinerary. and the carry on audiobook in my ears because wayward son came out the day i left. i would redo that trip in a heartbeat. if i ever feel safe traveling again.
Last book you read: any way the wind blows. couldn’t read anything new leading up to it, haven’t been able to read anything new since. however, this week i finally managed to start a new audiobook!! (hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy narrated by stephen fry) i have let so many library holds lapse this past year...i just got a new one checked out, too, so let’s see if i can get to a streak of two!
Last book you enjoyed: same one :DDDD
Last book you hated reading: hmmmm i have dnf’d a bunch of audiobooks over the past couple of years. sometimes i can’t tell if it’s the story or the narrator i don’t like tho. according to my library history, the last one i read that i do remember actively hating is ash back in 2019. any books since that one that i didn’t finish i mostly just feel indifferent toward.
Favorite thing to cook/bake: i do like a fried egg. i love to bake anything really even tho i don’t do it much.
Favorite craft to do in your free time: drawing—is that a craft or a hobby? idk
Most niche dislikes: i dislike a lot of things but niche? ummmm
Opinion on circuses, now and in history: i never really think about them tbh. but you know, don’t exploit people or animals.
Do you have a sense of direction and if not what’s the worst way you’ve gotten lost: not sure if my sense of direction is good or bad, but i can’t think of any getting lost stories. i always look up where i’m going ahead of time if it’s a new place because i hate not knowing what i’m getting into. bad anxiety. usually i would rather just not go than not know.
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thestudyofdrama · 3 years
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Top Seven: Websites
I’ve scoured the internet high and low for some fantastic websites you can spend time on, without feeling like you are missing out on theater stuff during the pandemic.
1. For Podcasts...Broadway Podcast Network
So. Many. Podcasts! That focus specifically on theater, Broadway, and the West End! Did you know that Tim Rice, Donna McKechnie, and Kerry Butler all have podcasts? Listen to them here, along with podcasts on backstage happenings, show-based series, and even some Dungeons and Dragons played by thespians!
2. For Streaming Shakespeare...Globe Player
I am personally having a war with myself to switch from Netflix and Hulu over to subscribing to the Globe’s streaming service. Not only do they have shows in English, but in performed in other languages too! Lithuanian productions of Hamlet with subtitles, a South Korean production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and one of my favorites, Twelfth Night with Stephen Fry as Malvolio and Mark Rylance as Olivia!
3. For Book Box Subscriptions...Dramatists Play Service Book Club
I, again, personally have not used this service. It’s a quarterly (and somewhat pricey) book subscription box, at $34.99 for a box of  seven plays delivered four times a year. I’m not someone who has book box subscriptions, but if I ever become one, it would absolutely be this one.
4. For Brushing Up on Your Shakespeare (Scansion)...Precanned Shakespeare
Are you performing Shakespeare soon and haven’t the faintest idea on how to score your lines? Thank goodness for Precanned Shakespeare! This site, presents each play and sonnet by Shakespeare with each line of verse scanned with syllable notes, indicating where the emphasis in lines and words belongs.
5. For Reading Plays Online...Scribd
If you subscribe to any reading-focused website, it should be Scribd. There are so many nonfiction, fiction, and audiobooks here for your enjoyment. Know what else they have, at the price of $9.99 month for access to everything? Hundreds of plays and musical theater books.
6. For Finding DVDs and CDs of International Shows...eBay
I’ve found a million different cast albums for Wicked, Elisabeth, Tanz der Vampire, and more, that you can’t find on Amazon. There is far more memorabilia from various productions than on Amazon.
7. For Finding DVDs and CDs and Sheet Music and More of International Shows...Sound of Music-Shop
Goodness I love this website. I can’t find sheet music for Die Päpstin anywhere else but here! You can use their advance search to filter shows by country, which streamlines your quest for more international musicals even quicker!
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unholyhelbig · 3 years
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We Sold Our Souls | Chloe
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Read Beca's Chapter Here | Read on AO3 here
Summer 1985
The Diner on 10th and Jefferson was not an inhabitable establishment. The floor was once a glimmering white that had faded to a musty brown. You could see where the tables had been situated because underneath was still the original color- not the dingy, ketchup-stained mess. A window unit sputtered as it pulled in hot air and the sound of sheets of meat sizzled and popped on day-old grease.
There was flypaper tacked to the ceiling and they spun as the warm air shifted it. It wasn’t brown, not like the floor, it was black with squirming legs and tired wings. Chloe watched, sweat dripping from her nose, as one particularly large one tested his luck and failed.
The boombox in the corner crackled and competed with the sound of two number sevens being placed on the counter. The antenna was stretching to the sky and they only got a slight signal for KWBT, the best Rock music in the county.
Chloe perked up, her spine straightening as Brock Argent’s rumbling voice filled the small area behind the counter. She ignored the way the cook stared at her, sweat beading against his greasy forehead, as she shushed him and turned the dial. She knew what he was going to say, and he didn’t push any more than he already had.
She hadn’t stopped talking about ‘The Ramones’ New Album. It was advertised with neon yellow and orange posters all around town. No one could tell if it was from the record label or some die-hard fans that had too much time on their hands. Either way, everyone knew about it, and that everyone included Brock Argent and the KWBT team. They had made a big deal about getting their hands on a copy.
“Alright you crazy people, I know we’ve been teasing this one for a long while, but we’ve got a good one for you today!” Brock’s tone was so deep that it shook the upturned milk glasses on the counter.  “Here’s Pet Cemetery by the Ramones. Some seriously creepy stuff!”
Chloe felt the greasy diner and the sharp scent of fry oil leave her all at once. The second the first guitar chord struck the airwaves she had fallen so contently into the melody. Joey Ramone’s deep growl hissed and churned and made her stomach feel like soup. Johnny pressed down hard on the guitar strings and Tommy backed him up with a solid beat on the drum kit.
She ignored the way the cook eyed her cautiously as the steaming food on the counter attracted one of the flies that the paper hadn’t attracted. He was growing impatient as the lead belted out words about pets with their ribs crushed and their hearts gnawed pulling from the dirt. It mirrored that horrible book by Stephen King, the one that the schools banned, and the PTA moms fussed about until their veins splattered.
Finally, the song faded out and Chloe gave a grateful smile to the man in front of her before palming the cold plates and taking them to the couple that sat in the back booth. The woman slathered her pile of fries with a generous helping of ketchup and the man seemed to hate the idea of eating altogether.
Chloe didn’t’ notice when the cook turned down the radio for the rest of her shift. She was sore from mopping and wiping down all of the tables that were still sticky despite how much elbow she put into it. He watched her mount her bike and flick on the light that dawned its front despite the sun not fully being down, before he backed out of the parking lot himself and left their second lives behind, at least for a few hours.
She was mostly tipped change today and it rattled in the pockets of her apron as she took the side streets back to their run-down home. It had been nice once- at least that’s what the pictures tacked to the stained green refrigerator portrayed.
She shoved cake into her face with her vibrant mother holding her close. They all looked so clean despite the mess of pastry. There was light in their eyes and sugar in their systems and the old polaroid was a constant reminder to Chloe of the way things had been. The way she wishes they were.
The thought pulled at the back of her throat as she slowed her bike when the front tire met the Mitchell’s driveway. It gave her just enough speed to get over the dip on her own and pull the old blue contraption next to the garage. She could sandwich it between the trashcan and the side of the house. No one would take it, not in their small, rundown town. She flicked off the front light, reveling in the darkness for a few moments.
It was never silent, not here, not this close to the front door where the screen kept the lightning bugs out but no sound in. Her three younger brothers were blasting the television, all of them with their noses pressed to the static screen as MacGyver got himself out of whatever situation he was thrown into.
But over that, she heard her parents.
Her mother and her stepfather screamed loud enough for the whole block to hear them. It made Chloe’s jaw ache- how much they hated each other. They lived together out of spite, and because the boys needed a good role model.
But Rick, Rick hated Chloe just as much as he hated her mother. She wasn’t his and that had ebbed some deep resentment in him that she didn’t understand, nor did she care to. Not as she snuck in through the front door and trudged to her room. She was careful to toe her shoes off by the door, despite the pungent smell the house admitted.
It was considered rude to track mud, though no one had vacuumed in months at this point. No one had changed the lights or addressed the water stains that browned the ceiling above them. There was food on the table, most of the time, and hot water in the lead pipes. So Rick was doing his job and from the sound of the screaming match, Lauren was not.
Chloe tuned it all out.
She focused on the rifts she had heard this afternoon at the diner, and the satisfaction she got when she pulled the jar from the back of her closet, behind her 45’s and an old rolled poster of the Bay City Rollers that she had scored at an old thrift store and hung because the colors were vibrant.
As soon as Chloe could, as soon as she blew out the candle on her cupcake for her 18th birthday in front of that stupid polaroid and that puke green appliance, she would leave this tiny town. She would leave her brothers, and the dirty carpet, and stupid Rick, and even Lauren.
She would meet Joey Ramone, they would get married and she would never have to hear muffled screams and broken glass again- not unless it was at a concert that she was playing.
There was a glass of water on the table in front of Chloe Beale, but she hadn’t reached for it. There was some sinister part of her that considered it a test; there wasn’t a pitcher to refill it or anything else on the stark white surface. Just one singular cup that was free of any blemishes and water pushed to the near brim.
She was on a sofa that matched the rest of the room, stark and unfeeling. There wasn’t personality here; other than her and that stupid taunting glass, there was nothing. It could have been the waiting area in a place that detailed cars, but it wasn’t. She didn’t’ know what it was and she didn’t’ know if the water was a test- so she left it.
Her boots were the blackest thing, sharp like the night, against the white carpet. She got the sinking feeling that she should have taken them off by the door, though the secretary that lead her in here hadn’t told her to do so. Chloe wasn’t a child, not anymore, and Chloe could make her own choices. Like taking a gulp of water to quench the dry heat in her throat or taking her shoes off.
Rick would have made her take her shoes off.
Rick had killed her mother when she was at a concert in Orlando. She had saved up to get the tickets and she had had a fun, normal, road trip with the girls. They ate terribly and broke down in Georgia where they baked in the heat and splurged on ice cream cones that turned into a soupy mess in a matter of seconds. Chloe was happy then, and she had the polaroid tacked up on the corner of her apartment.
Thought the lights had been shut off a few times, and she and Beca had to eat all the ice cream and leftover pizza, and milk each time they did fade away, she kept it there. Her stomach would ache and her brow would sweat but they would fall asleep on the floor and the picture of her last happy moment would gape down at her- not mocking, but reminding.
They saw the yellow tape when Beca pulled the Monza to the edge of her driveway. Chloe let the rubber tire hit the corner of the driveway first, just like she used to do with her second-hand bike. Beca protested as she pushed the door open and flung herself towards her own home. A cop that shadowed his eyes with a large cap grabbed her by the middle and stopped her.
“That’s my house!” She had shouted, letting herself be lowered to the wet grass. “What happened? That’s my house! That’s my house!”
It had stopped being her house a long time ago when her father died of cancer and her mother met Rick, the anesthesiologist with the calm temper and the two boys from a previous marriage, and the one son that they shared together.
Chloe had spent most of her free time in Beca’s room now, staring up at the posters that weren’t of the Bay City Rollers on the ceiling. They both laid close to one another and she had memorized the features of Metallica and Stix and Beca’s breathing patterns, and the way the Charvel rested in the corner, with its off-white color.
Beca’s mother always had dinner on the table and always had enough for all three of them. Beca’s mom was interesting and kind. She was still alive when the summer of 88’ came to an end. She hadn’t heard the gunshots but she had smelt the blood- she said she was a nurse and she knew the scent of decay anywhere.
Rick shot Chloe’s mom in the head while her back was to him, and Chloe had always said he was a coward. He killed the boys too, straight shots with a gun Lauren had purchased him for Christmas because his new hobby would be hunting. As far as Chloe knew, the only shots he fired were that day, and the last when he ever did tore up his throat and painted the wall behind him.
She should take her shoes off and drink some water while she waits and wishes for wine. The secretary told her that he was running late and that she was welcomed to anything. But she didn’t’ feel welcome to the water, and really, she should have taken her shoes off, because the carpet was pristine, and the bottom of her boots were anything but.
Winter 1994
Snow fell in thick, wet drops against the pavement. It had barely started but picked up by the time Chloe ascended the stairs of the venue and tracked down Beca. The girl looked ragged, worn down, and thick with sorrow. She was moving her tongue against the edge of a cigar she had sliced with the pocket knife clipped to her jeans.
The sickly-sweet scent of weed followed the sparking of a lighter and the cold breeze that edged the nearly empty street. She leaned against the side of the van, next to a sizeable dent that had been there when they purchased it. When we’re famous she had said this won’t matter and we’ll be able to afford a van that isn’t half-totaled.
Beca pulled in a hot breath of marijuana, the tip burning hot and fast. She pushed the smoke through her those and passed it to Chloe who took it wordlessly and revealed in the sour film that coated her tongue and her teeth and her throat. A few more of those and she would be able to forget the disaster of tonight.
“Maybe I should have gone into accounting,” Beca said.
“You hate math.”
“That wasn’t my point,”
“I know. I just think that If you want to go back in time and choose MIT over your garage in the winter you should pick something you like. Not math. You’re not even good at math.”
Beca frowned and snatched the joint back. She wedged it between her teeth and gave Chloe the finger, the tattoos against her knuckles catching the red glowing light of the sign that hung above them. It buzzed like the flies Chloe had always hated- for some reason, more than spiders and moths, but she couldn’t’ recall now.
“Aubrey would have had a million things decided by now, you know? I don’t’ even need to prompt the woman before she brings up Julliard. Next thing; she’s going to be bitching about her back hurting from carrying the band.”
Chloe laughed sadly at that because she knew it was something Aubrey would say with that docile fire in her eyes. But through all of this, Aubrey was the best bass player that she had ever met and Beca had the right voice for them- but none of them ever said it. None of them ever dared that she would be better suited to part her ax down and grip the microphone instead.
“Are you?”
“What?”
She hadn’t noticed Beca was staring at her expectantly. Not only holding out the blunt, which she took and sandwiched between her lips, but with a question. Beca’s stare was dark, shaded in crimson, and glazed over because something was hitting; be the alcohol that she had consumed during the show or the slow crossfade that was humming happily through her now.
“Are you ready to give up?”
“Beca, this is all I’ve ever wanted.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
She swallowed hard and tried to dull the pain of the flames at her throat. Red and hot and a lot like the stories plastered on the news not too long ago. Her stomach felt fuzzy and her brain did too and she suddenly felt like following Beca out here was a bad idea. A terrible idea, really.
Chloe let the end of the roll hit the ground. There was no need to stomp it out. The color faded away in the puddle of dingy water that had collected as they talked. She didn’t’ mind the cool embrace of the large drops that felt more like snow and stung like an insect bite. It kept her steady and grounded.
“I heard what you asked, and I told you this is all I’ve ever wanted.” Chloe sniffed, “I don’t’ care how long it takes to get there. It’s me and you, kid.”
Beca’s clouded stare softened, and she laughed loudly because at this point- standing in the rain, the two of them, she didn’t’ know if they had much longer at all. Not as a band, not as friends, not as that odd drunken mess they escalated to when they weren’t.
The scent of weed mixed with the wet odor of Portland and beer. Chloe curled her fingers around Beca’s, both cold and clammy, and the gesture hurt. It stung the bandages wrapped around Beca’s fingers and hummed at the pain in the back of Chloe’s head, where she figured a scar would be one day.
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ae0nx · 3 years
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FRUITS BASKET S3 EPISODE 8 RECAP AKA THE KYORU CHRONICLES PART 2 (plus a quick recap of eps 3-7)
aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I gotta get it out of me otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on work and I will be scrolling through the tag till the day I die. Everything from episode 3 of Season 3 literally hit me like an avalanche - literally cos I marathoned 3-7 over the weekend which I wouldn't advise unless you want an accelerated heartbeat - and I'm starting to realise... maybe I just wasn't ready for season 3. Despite asking for it, haha. Not gonna put as many screencaps for this one cos tumblr editing bay be trippin and I just don't have time nor emotional energy to be fighting with the picture uploads, sorry lol
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Episodes 3 - 7
I spoke before about how (despite my feelings about the characters) the English dub VAs for Akito and Shigure pair up really well audibly. And I think I feel the same way about both Yuki and Machi's English VAs! They both have the same soft spoken yet scratchy element to their voices almost like they are holding slightly back. Although, I'd argue that Yuki has been losing the element of slightly holding back as the anime has gone on which I wonder if the same would be included for Machi's performance?
I really like the presentation of Machi's trauma through her family's expectations to be perfect and how physical it is? How Yuki kind of encourages her to let it out in a healthy way? (Btw the whole chalk breaking scene in the meeting was SO FUCKING SMOOTH. YUKI IS A NERD BUT HE IS SO EFFORTLESSLY COOL A LOT OF THE TIME)
The age gap between Isuzu and Haru for sure isn't the worst age gap in this anime/manga but it's still a bit... hmm...
Episode 4:
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In all seriousness, I know Akito deserves some sympathy but it doesn't change the fact that I still see her as a villain. Hurt people hurt people but it doesn't mean they should get away with it, I was honestly pleased Haru got that big confrontation with Akito to tell her WHAT'S WHAT but it was also somewhat... merciful?
Hiro's growth has been so beautiful to see, him realising there are bigger things than him from the event with Rin to his relationship with Kisa to then the birth of his little sister.
Kureno choosing to get his hands a little dirtier and paying the ultimate price for it (as far as we know so far in the anime lol) was great, he is the moon side of Tohru's sunshine.
Shigure... I still don't really get him and Akito's relationship. It's clear he's waiting for Akito to grow the fuck up but at the same time he's not creating an environment for her to grow and develop. He's decided to go with the 'tough love' route which I'm still deciding whether I like it or not tbh. Sometimes it feels necessary, at other times it feels shitty. I respect that he knows he's a scumbag and I don't deny that there are people out there who take revelry in the fact that they are awful but at the same time, him remaining unchanging despite everything feels... unrealistic. But considering throughout this story he doesn't seem affected by trauma, it's understandable, I guess?
Also... that scene where Shigure ponders about whether he should've been with Tohru is THE creepiest creeper shit he's EVER done in this series. No. 🙅🏾‍♀️
Momiji is best bunny boi regardless of how tall and 'manly' he becomes. 🐰His scene with Akito was so authentically him and he really did that shit. We love him. <3
I love the way that the curse breaking should (on surface) be a happy event considering all the trauma the zodiac went through because of it but it's presented mostly as loss as well as happiness. It's the realness of getting out of a bad relationship
Shigure basically laying it out to Tohru how Kyo means nothing in a very taunting way was an excellently painful scene and I choose violence. It was heartbreaking seeing how worthless they all saw Kyo compared to how Tohru saw him but... by this point I was just living in the pain so 🤷🏾‍♀️
The story visually showing how Isuzu is more willing to be soft after her whole ordeal through her fashion choices (e.g. the pastels, the cardigans) was really nice. And Haru being happy about Isuzu making friends with Tohru was cute!
It was nice we saw that Kazuma was still wary about whether Tohru loved Kyo for the right reasons, you'd assume after everything Kazuma would love Tohru as a match for Kyo but he's so emotionally intelligent and also just a protective Dad! Yay, good parenting!
Tohru's confession to loving Kyo was amazing however I still adore Kyo's confession a little bit more. Just a bit. Lol. However, if you add the moment later in episode 8 it trumps it completely. Ethereal goddess.
Kyo and Tohru's grandfather having a scene together was great and nice
Now that I think about it, I wish there was more a visual link in the story between Tohru adapting her speech to imitate her Dad and Momiji adopting his Mum's German accent. Albeit for slightly different reasons, it just adds to the unique connection Tohru and Momiji have. In short, I'm seeing this ship with my third eye now. I get it lol
I don't wanna screencap the scene where Kyo is haunted by both his deceased mother and deceased Kyoko and potentially deceased Tohru because it's the stuff of nightmares. But, it was a wonderfully done scene. You definitely understand fully and clearly why Kyo buried all of that trauma under his hatred for Yuki (I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 9, YOU GUISE!)
If Akito is a villain, Ren is the final boss. Although, with her type of villainy... I feel like I can kind of enjoy a bit more. She reminds me of a Greek God in the ways she master manipulates people and her desperation for control and power (I just read 'Mythos' by Stephen Fry, it's a great read lol)
It lowkey feels like every female character who's comfortable in expressing their sexuality in this story is punished in some way for it... this is an incomplete thought
Shigure as a child feeling like they should all be pitied is so... mature... I feel like I need more of an explanation for why Shigure is the way he is
Akito's ego death with Kureno? Amazing. I loved that she was at least aware enough to realise how Kureno had been coddling her all this time but again... doesn't excuse her crimes
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But anyways...
EPISODE 8
Honestly? I really don't have much to say about this episode besides 3-5 points I wanna get out of my head. It's not a bad thing at all, it's just that there's still a lot left to play out from this 'arc' and this season in general that I wanna complete my thoughts on.
But I'll start with this:
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Lol, isn't it funny?! Isn't it heart-wrenchingly funny how the relationship between Kyo and Tohru has kinda reverted back to how they were at the start of the series? The coldness of Kyo at the beginning of this episode (and throughout) was a bit of a gut punch considering all the light and fluffy moments that we've gotten between the two since the True Form arc.
Talking about the True Form arc, I feel like this episode is somewhat a repeat of the same emotions, same trials of the True Form arc. Kyo still 'runs away like he always has' but this time we get him being the most honest and confrontational with his own emotions and trauma than he ever has been during the course of this whole story. While trusting someone (Tohru specifically) for the first time with the whole truth of his story! He always seems to move one step forward and then three steps backwards and while it's a tad bit frustrating, it feels very... real. I'll probably complete my feelings how this arc reflects the True Form arc when we finish this section of the story in future episode(s).
Considering the fact that 80% of this episode is Jerry Jewell monologuing as Kyo and I never got bored really just sells his performance. Kyo was being incredibly cold this episode and yet the range of emotions through his performance made it feel understandable enough for you to empathise with it.
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BrattyKid!Kyo to lighten the mood 😹I still wish he and Hiro had more of a relationship, I feel like they could have taught each other a lot. Well... mostly Kyo teaching Hiro tbh
Kyo rejecting Kyoka for her honesty and kindness and then later rejecting Tohru? Oh... kid...
Wow, I felt so good about that whole episode of Kid!Yuki helping Kid!Tohru get home and then it's slightly soured knowing KID!KYO was running about the streets alllll night into the morning?!?! I really did feel Kyo's frustration at not getting that win to actually do something right. And the irony of that being linked to him being unable to save Kyoka from the oncoming car?
Honestly, I don't know what my feelings are on Kyo being unable to save Kyoka. I don't even know what my feelings are on Tohru pretty much pushing that aside in favour of her feelings for Kyo. It's... complicated and I've been mulling it over in my head for the last 10+ years hahah However, if I was in Tohru's position I think I'd eventually come to a point where it feels like it's too late to really do anything about how bad I'd feel about it. Kyo's intentions weren't horrid, if anything he was just being a scared kid and he's allowed to be that. I just wish Tohru had a bit more time to evaluate it but considering she knew her mother well and assumes that wouldn't have been the full scope of what she had said, I don't have much of a problem with it in general
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Lol, I love when Tohru gets a 'FUCK YOU, I LOVE YOU' moment with Kyo. 😂Another reflected scene from the True Form arc... only thing is that this time... it doesn't quite work. 😕
(Again, I love how all of these reflections are resolved in later occurences in response to the duality but I'll get to it next week when it shows hopefully)
Laura Bailey only had a few sentences in this episode but she killed it as always. Comparing her performance in 2001 to now is just... growth!
Ok, so Yuki automatically gets Best Boi in this episode for meddling and chasing after KYO of all people. Showing how he's personally done with hating Kyo. Realising Kyo is pretty much the only person who'll make his mother happy. I think he also lowkey wants to understand Kyo? But, we'll get to that next week.
....Oh yeah, Akito is there.
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In total, I liked this episode even though it has me anxious for the next one. We finally get the full picture of why Kyo is the way he is! Ahhhh - a weight off all our chests, I'm sure. I kinda don't like that they put the ending theme at the end of these episodes - the joyfulness doesn't really match up with the intense theme? But, that's just a minor gripe. And hey, maybe they just want the audience to know... it's all gonna be okay :)
See you next week!!!
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ofstarsandfireflies · 3 years
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I can’t believe how fast this month has gone!
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Long ago, during a war for what little remained of the world and the immense power it harboured, an Infinity Stone was destroyed.
Many of its pieces were scavenged, save for one, which sunk into the earth, and a brilliant green flower emerged.
A elderly woman found the flower, learned how to utilise its power, and used it to remain young forever, convinced she was the only one who would benenfit from its power so she could continue to keep the world safe.
But when the Queen became sick during her pregnancy, the flower was used to heal her.
Some months later, the young prince was born, with eyes as green as that flower which had saved his mother’s life.
None knew of the power sleeping dormant within him.
None, save for the woman who had been aging rapidly without the flower to keep her young.
Desperate and out of options, she kidnapped the young prince and hides him away with her, and for 17 years Stephen doesn’t question why they live in the tower or who his father is or why he had these powers which can only be summoned by a particular song.
Nor did he question the floating which appeared every year on his birthday.
But on the day before his 18th birthday the questions become too much for him, only angering his mother when she couldn’t give him the answers he wanted.
What he wanted more than anything, was to go see those lights, to go outside and see the world.
What she wanted was to keep him safe with her.
And what Tony Stark wanted was a castle.
And for this sentient cloak to just give up and leave him alone.
It’s just one little crown, and he needed it more than the royal family.
Even if it did once belong to their lost child.
But this cloak doesn’t seem to agree, chasing him deep into the woods and luckily getting snagged on a tree branch, giving Tony enough time to hide.
Only, the tower he decides to climb to hide in isn’t as empty as he thought it to be.
It’s Stephen’s tower.
And he doesn’t take kindly to Tony trespassing, knocking him out with a frying pan.
It’s then his friend finds them, a sentient cloak his mother doesn’t know about.
When the cloak sees Tony, it immediately tries to attack him, but Stephen stops him.
Maybe this man can help protect him out there in the big wide world? Maybe this is the chance Stephen has been waiting for his entire life to finally leave his tower.
The cloak doesn’t believe Stephen should be trusting this man but it doesn’t complain when it’s given the opportunity to wrap itself around the man, tying him to a chair while he’s still unconscious.
Once Tony wakes up, he thinks he’s been captured, but then Stephen steps out of the shadows.
And Tony can’t help but confuse the poor guy with his flirting, which has gotten him out of a few situations like this.
But this time, remarkably, it doesn’t work. And if Tony wants his crown, he has to do what Stephen wants.
A simple trip to the kingdom, and then back to the tower before Stephen’s mother even knows he’s missing.
If only it were that simple.
Tony had made quite the name for himself as a thief and the castle guards were still after him for stealing the crown now in Stephen’s possession.
But despite this, Stephen still held Tony in high regard and was more apt at protecting him than Tony was at protecting himself.
But even though they manage to escape the castle guards, Tony is still injured, a deep wound on his hand continuously bleeding and making Stephen come to some sort of decision.
Just as long as Tony doesn’t freak out.
Then he takes his injured hand, looks down at the wound and as he begins to sing, his eyes begin to glow.
And the bleeding stops as the skin heals itself.
Tony looks down at his now healed hand, having absolutley no clue how Stephen did it.
But when he looks back up at him, about to freak out, he sees that Stephen’s eyes aren’t as bright as they were before, and Stephen looks a little faint.
Stephen tells him what his mother had often said about the outside world.
How there were users of dark magic and relics which would steal his eyes and use his power for evil.
How it, and he, needed to be protected.
His mother even had one of these relics to prove to him they existed; a golden framed mirror with a stone in the center of the back of it, giving it the appearance of an eye.
The mirror was fine to look in, but he was never to look at the stone while his powers were activated, or else he’d lose them.
Tony was absolutely horrified.
Why on earth did she have it in the first place? Why not destroy it?
Stephen told him it was to keep him in his tower. So he knew what things the people in the outside world had and wouldn’t hesitate to use against him.
Tony had never seen nor heard of any kind of magical relics like the ones Stephen was describing, and promised him they didn’t exist.
And Stephen believed him.
It was easy getting into the kingdom to join the festivities, eating special foods prepared and making sure Stephen can see and learn as much of the world he’s been hidden away from.
No one tries to attack him for his power, no one even bothers to look at him save for Tony, who can’t take his eyes off him.
And when might falls and the lanterns rise into the sky, as Stephen watches them, amazed, Tony would rather look at him.
He doesn’t want to take Stephen back to that tower, no matter how many time he tried to trick him into going back in the beginning.
He could think of nothing worse than trying to forget about him.
But as they are leaning closer to one another, something strange catches Tony’s eye, and before he can warn Stephen about it, whatever it is swallows them up and deposits them back in Stephen’s tower.
Tony’s trying to get his bearings when there’s a sharp pain in his side and he crumples to the floor, blood soaking his shirt where he’s been stabbed.
Stephen is fighting to get to him, the cloak which had been behaving itself for Stephen’s sake, flying off his shoulders to drag the attacker off of him.
In the struggle, a tall cabinet crashes to the ground, scattering items all over the floor and trapping the cloak underneath it.
But still Stephen fights.
He has to heal Tony.
He’s never healed someone close to death, but for Tony he would do anything.
The cloak frees itself just as Stephen breaks free of her hold, watching as the cloth grabs thr woman he’d called his mother all these years and throws her and itself out of the window.
Stephen tries reaching for her, but it’s too late.
Turning his attention back to Tony, he immedietly tries to look at where he’s been stabbed, but Tony keeps pushing his hands away.
He knows what will happen to Stephen if he does this and he can’t let that happen.
And Stephen can’t let Tony die.
But Tony had other ideas about who’s life was more important.
Stalling for time wasn’t going to work for long, but he knew what he had to do when he saw a design he’d only been told about.
As Stephen began to sing, Tony grabbed the mirror to his left and held it into Stephen’s face, Stephen’s eyes instantly losing their glow as he stared into the eye he’d been told never to look at.
The stone glowed for a moment, then went dark, Stephen staring between it and Tony.
He sang, but nothing happened.
No light, no healing.
His powers were gone, and there was no way of saving Tony.
He held him, tried to keep him with him as Tony fought to keep his open so he could continue to see Stephen.
And then his body went limp, and his eyes closed.
Stephen traced the lines of Tony’s face, ran his fingers through his hair, and sang his song one last time, tears falling on to Tony’s soft cheek.
And not a moment later, a familiar bright green light radiating out of the gash in Tony’s side caught Stephen’s attention.
He watched as it sealed the skin up like new, he watched the blood fade away, and he watched Tony’s chest begin to rise and fall as he took steady breath after steady breath.
He’d brought Tony back to him.
He didn’t care if that was the last of his power, he didn’t need it anymore anyway.
No amount of powers or castles would ever be as important as they were to eachother.
Quotes -
“Who are you, and how did you find me?”
“I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say…Hi.”
Stephen is immune to Tony’s flirting. And smolder.
“Please don’t freak out!”
“I’m not freaking out. Are you freaking out? No I’m just interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses how long has it been doing that exactly?”
Tony freaking out.
“Im so sorry. Everything is going to okay, though.”
“No, Rapunzel.”
“I promise. You have to trust me.”
“No!”
“Come on. Just breathe.”
“I can’t let you do this.”
“And I can’t let you die.”
“But if you do this…then you…will die.”
“Hey. It’s gonna be alright.”
“Rapunzel? Wait…”
Each trying to save the other’s life
“Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost…bring back what once was mine. What once was mine.”
Stephen’s song one last time
Now That I See You
They were each other’s new dream.
January, February
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Chain of Iron theories: who becomes a Downworlder
Alright so I took a break from posting my theories to enjoy the comedic hijacks of the letter game, but March 2 draws closer and I have more theories to release on to the masses. So I decided to jump back in with a hot one. We will be seeing more of the downworld in books to come, including esteemed members such as Magnus Bane, Camille Belcourt, and Woolsey Scott, and  someone in TLH’s future is not with the shadowhunters, but as a downworlder. I am assuming that this person will turn into a vampire or a werewolf, as warlocks are born and turned fey usually have to grow up in fairy. Also because (minus the rare warlock) werewolves and vampires are what make up the predator Lupus and we know we are going to revisit TPL and see it develop more as an organization. As always theories are below.
3.) Thomas Lightwood becomes a downworlder {werewolf (retracted)}
When I first hear that someone was turning into a downworlder I immediately theorized Thomas because I knew the found family tree says he dies at 30 and I was looking for a way for that to be wrong. So my idea was that maybe Thomas got turned into a downworlder at 30, had to leave to learn to control his powers, and that the clave wrote him off in their records as having died because they are just that terrible. I am retracting this theory though on a few grounds. One learning that the silent brother who wrote the found family tree was Brother Zachariah. Jem would not do do such a cruel and bigoted thing, he is and has always been better than that. Secondly 10 years after TLH the world wars happen and I cannot imagine that Shadowhunters are not negatively effected by something so catastrophic and wide spread. I googled when the world wars happened rechecked the Thomas’s wiki page and sure enough he is said to die one year into the first world war, at the same year the air attacks started in London.
My conclusion is that while I would like Thomas to become downworlder, if it would allow him to live past being 30, I find it unlikely. I now believe that Thomas dies trying to help mundanes evacuate London or take shelter during air attacks. (Drying my own tears, handing everyone who needs one a tissue, and moving back to the downworld theories)
2.) Charles Fairchild becomes a downworlder (werewolf)
So I preety much think if it is a Shadowhunter it will be one of the Fairchild brothers. they’re just about the only ones left where it is a tose up whom continues the family line. I know Matthew is more likely, but until I read Matthew’s trandformation written by Cassandra Clare herself it could still be Charles. How it would happen is a little more tricky for me to explain, but I might have something. See Charles is on my list of potential characters Belial may possess and turn into the killer. I also said that if he is the killer than I only see a 50% chance he will be freed from that control by Matthew or one of TLH gang. But what if Belial sends him to attack the Merry Thieves when hey are at The Devils Tavern or Hell’s Ruelle, you know a place that also has werewolves, and before he can vanish he is bit by one? Then he transforms at the next full moon. What if Belial can only control human minds and since a werewolf is half animal changing into a wolf snaps Charles out of Beial’s control? Then him turning into a downworlder wouldn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. He could meet Matthew later and tell him about the change freeing him, then Matthew could go tell Will and Charlotte, and they could make new alliances with the downworld to help take down Belial.
(Is this whole theory me tying to convince myself Matthew woun’t be turned and James and Matthew won’t lose their Parabatai bond?) Who’s asking? Its like 97% that. The other 3% is me really wanting Charles to go talk to Woolsey Scott because I felt really bad for him in TLH when he implys that the reason he hates being gay is because as far as he knows gay men are not allowed to be political leaders. I get it, representation is important.
1.) Matthew Fairchild becomes a downworlder (Vampire) 
Matthew is the most likely one. We all know it, there have been hints foreshadowing in every one of Matthew’s appearances dating back to his first appearance in Nothing But Shadows, when he first said he does not like the way shadowhunters live their lives and  wishes he were not one. We know he prefers to associate with downworldrs and frequents their establishments as an escape when his life as a shadowhunter gets to be to much for him. While I doubt he would ever ask someone to turn him (he wouldn’t want to leave Henry or the Herondale’s) as we saw in Cast Long Shadows when at downworld establishments Matthew isn’t always careful and can be too trusting. Throw in the alcohol he is always drinking and something is bound to happen. Judging by that line where he tells Cordelia that he would “like a portrait of himself that shows that... while he stays forever young” something will happen with him and a vampire. Matthew might make a better downworlder than a shadowhunter, especially if he eventually joins the Predator Lupis. That is a care taker job and he is loves/ is great at being James and Henry’s care taker.
It would be heart breaking for Matthew to no longer be able to see Henry or to lose his Parabatai bond with James. Lets remember though that James and Cordelia likely become the London Institute Heads after Will steps down, and in COHF Sebastian said that the London Institute and Predator Lupus head quarters had famous ties to each other once upon a time.  So if Matthew Changes into a vampire he may not lose James and Cordelia for good. His and James’s their will change yes, but it can withstand. Just like Will and Jem’s bond changed but withstood Jem becoming a silent brother.
Bonus) Bridget Daly (Vampire??? possible fey connection??? )
So Bridget Daly. The London institutes crazy,  dark ballad singing, child watching, frying pan brandishing, over all amazing resident is still somehow alive in TDA, and if we keep  reading TLH we will eventually know how. (She is just to tough to die. The grim reaper hasn’t come for her soul because she terrifys him). Lately I have seen theory’s crop up that the person who becomes a downworlder won’t actually be a shadowhunter, but it will be Bridget, and that is how she gains immortality. I love this. But I need details and no one is providing me. Is Bridget attacked? Who hurt this women? Is this the result of some dark spell? Or did she have some downworlder do it to her by choice? Did she know that Shadowhunters   were just going to get moe stupid and crazy as time went on, and decide that for Londons (if not the worlds sake) she needed to stick around and sing/beat some sense into their heads?
Make me cry. Stephen Herondale grew up at the London institute. Stephen knew Bridget. He had this amazing (possibly downworlder) women in his life for 17 years and he still fell into Valentine’s trap after moving away. Did Bridget grieve over him? In another life Jace could have grown up at the London Institute. He could have grown up helping Bridget cook and learning her dark ballads!!! (hey fanfic writers)
I don’t know what we will get from these books regarding Bridget Daly’s future, but she is an amazing character, and her story better do her justice.
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