#no time to analyze snippets of scenes out of context

[illuminatedquill]

The Measure

A Sabine Wren Analysis

Natasha Liu Bordizzo, the actress for Sabine Wren, recently gave an interview discussing Sabine’s narrative arc towards becoming a Jedi (snippets of which can be found here).

I’m not going to discuss the argument whether Sabine should or shouldn’t be a Jedi although, speaking for myself, I’m absolutely for it even though, yes, I’m frustrated as to not knowing the reason why she wants to be one. What I am discussing in this post is the interesting commentary that Natasha provides on Sabine’s battle with the bandits she encounters while on Peridea:

"During the interview, Bordizzo also said the fight with the bandits was a key moment because Sabine started out trying to fight like she always did, and she almost lost. It wasn't until after she drew her lightsaber and had to try to focus on the person she wanted to become that she was able to make a connection. This is not only a great metaphor for life, but it is also true to Sabine's character and honors her history. After all, learning to use the Force through battle is such a Mandalorian way to grow in the Force."

This is a level of nuance that I hadn't noticed before in the fight scenes with Sabine so, naturally, I had to go back and re-watch all of them to see if the narrative arc rings true.

And it does. There's a deeper context to those scenes now that I'd like to analyze and what that means for Sabine's ongoing narrative arc for her character, not only in this season but, potentially, in the next one. For Sabine, it isn't so much the ongoing struggle with touching the Force that is driving her inner conflict - it's the reconciliation between the two natures within her: the inherent Mandalorian nature she was raised on and the newly emerging Jedi nature that Ahsoka is trying to instill.

Let's go to the first one in Ahsoka 1x01, where Sabine duels against Shin.

Sabine's first big fight in the Ahsoka series sees her do something strange: she doesn't pick up her Mandalorian armor or blasters. It's a far cry from the Sabine we know in Rebels who wouldn't be caught dead without her usual armament, especially since it would be specifically useful in a duel like this against a lightsaber wielder.

Sabine grabs her lightsaber first. This is important to note. She effectively eschews her Mandalorian upbringing in favor of the Jedi training, believing it to be the best choice in this situation.

It's a definite sign that things are different for her this time around; Sabine is trying something new. The recent visit from Ahsoka and the promise of finally being able to find her old friend, Ezra Bridger, has reignited a desire within her - to be something else.

To be something more. The classic call to adventure that every hero feels before going on their journey.

But, as we all know now, this battle doesn't end well for Sabine. Shin is well-trained and stronger in her capabilities than she is. Sabine is left on the cusp of death, saved only by the intervention of her master, Ahsoka Tano. It puts quite the dent in Sabine's confidence and she struggles to make up for it in the battles to follow. Matters aren't helped by Ahsoka, either, who continues to show a reticence in furthering her training.

It's Huyang who breaks through Sabine's excuses for why she continues to fail with this simple line:

Huyang: The only time you are wasting is your own.

With Ezra's life on the line, Sabine has to decide, once and for all, who she wants to be. There's no more time to waste, no more excuses to be had. She accepts the lightsaber back, but her confidence is still shaken from her duel with Shin.

So, she falls back on old ways. She finds her Mandalorian armor and equipment and wears it once again.

Her reunion with Ahsoka later on is the first time we see the former Jedi Knight express something else other than disappointment with her former Padawan. Which connects to how Ahsoka sees Sabine and her issues, as revealed later on in Ahsoka 1x06 during a conversation with Huyang:

Ahsoka: I don't need Sabine to be a Jedi. I need her to be herself.

Sabine has always been an interesting character because she is simultaneously focused and driven, yet fractured, unsure of herself and her innermost feelings. It's an aspect of her character that was shown during Rebels - especially in the standout Trials of the Darksaber episode - but in Ahsoka we really see her issues stand out in stark relief. Struggling with her training as a Jedi, Sabine's flaws become detrimental to any further progress. This wasn't an issue during her time with the Ghost crew since they operated as a team, with each member covering for the other's weaknesses. But now she only has herself and Ahsoka to rely on, with the latter still not finding it easy to trust her.

Ahsoka hones in on Sabine's true problem: she feels as though Sabine is trying to be something she's not. Not in the sense that Ahsoka doesn't believe that Sabine shouldn't be a Jedi - rather that Sabine is trying to follow in what she perceives to be how a Jedi should fight and act (presumably based upon her experiences fighting alongside Kanan and Ezra), which clashes against her Mandalorian nature.

To be a Jedi is to be in tune with your feelings and yourself. It's not necessarily following some Code but in understanding your place in the wider universe and how you can best contribute to it. And that is something Sabine seems to be searching for during this post-war period: her sense of purpose, her sense of self that goes beyond what she knows. It heavily implies to me that Sabine is dissatisfied with how she currently is and seeks to attain the best possible version of herself.

The problem, as pointed out succinctly by Ahsoka, is Sabine's trying to do that in the wrong way. She's cherry picking parts of herself and the Jedi path, trying to see what works and what doesn't. What Sabine needs to do is embrace all of herself, even the parts she doesn't particularly like.

She needs to be herself. All of herself.

Even with reaffirming her Mandalorian identity and answering the call to adventure, Sabine continues to grapple with balancing her Mandalorian side with the Jedi side. As we reach the climatic events of Ahsoka 1x04, we see that struggle continue with her second duel with Shin - only this time, it's better balanced. Her Mandalorian armor and weapons make up for the gap in skills between the two combatants and Sabine fights the mercenary to a draw this time.

This is pure speculation on my part but it's not a stretch that Ahsoka had always been aware of Sabine's deep feelings towards Ezra (regardless of whether or not you think they're romantic, what Sabine feels towards him is still substantial considering what she did to find him). She approaches Sabine the wrong way in trying to get across how dire the situation is, suggesting that if the outcome is fixed then the best they can do is destroy the map, thus stranding Thrawn - and Ezra - in another galaxy, permanently.

Even though Ahsoka understands Sabine's issues and how she's struggling to find herself in the midst of this new path, the former Jedi Knight doesn't see how this approach is wrong. In not counseling and guiding Sabine through setting aside her personal feelings for Ezra, it made her vulnerable to them. It's a mistake long in the making since she found out Vader's true identity; the Jedi do not forbid emotions or feelings for others - they only forbid the attachments that come with them. Sabine's feelings towards Ezra should have been viewed as a strength, not a weakness.

It's an integral part of being herself, just like Ahsoka needs her to be. But she didn't figure that out until it was too late. Sabine handed over the map to Baylon, and the galaxy's future spun onto darker paths. She's arguably at her lowest point, not only within the series narrative but also her life. And Sabine knows it.

So, what changes for Sabine? How does she come to reconcile the two conflicting natures within her and become fully open to the Force by the series end?

She reunites with Ezra.

I've written before how finding Ezra changes many things for Sabine; how it restores her in so many ways that are hugely beneficial to herself and the path she now walks. He's a part of her that was missing for so long and having him back, alive and well, brings her not only back to her old self but also gives her the confidence and determination to truly step forward in her Jedi training.

There's a lot of expectations that have always been heaped upon Sabine; whether through her family, Clan Wren, or via Ahsoka, her Jedi Master. All of them had a specific version of her that they wanted to see realized. But only one person has ever seen and accepted Sabine for who she truly is, with no expectations placed upon her in return.

Ezra Bridger.

Rewind to the Battle of Lothal's conclusion; Ezra and Thrawn disappearing into a galaxy far, far away. Sabine and Hera watching his final farewell message to him, listening to what he's asking but not really understanding until later. And then Sabine, with Ezra's private message to her and her alone, realizing what he is truly asking: to find and bring him home.

Reuniting with Ezra in the present, I suspect, helped Sabine remember who she is and allows her to finally embrace the final missing part of herself, literally. Because Ezra Bridger did not ask Sabine Wren the Jedi to come find him. He had no way of knowing the path she would undertake in his absence.

No, Ezra Bridger trusted above all else, Sabine Wren - his closest friend and partner. He asked her to do the impossible, just as she was. He wouldn't have asked her to become a Jedi on his behalf to find him. He didn't need her to have Force powers or know how to properly wield a lightsaber.

He just needed Sabine to be herself and nothing else. That's who he trusted.

And that's who came to find him. Sabine Wren, his friend and partner - as herself.

When Shin and her bandits come to strike at the reunited pair, this growth in Sabine is immediately evident; she's much more confident in this fight, not struggling with the bandits at all in contrast to her first encounter with them. She smoothly switches from her blasters to the lightsaber when the situation demands it.

And then there's this fun scene:

Now that's a Mandalorian Jedi, if I've ever seen one.

The combination of Ezra's Force pull along with Sabine's use of the flamethrower to fend off Shin fully shows how she's combining both the Jedi and Mandalorian natures within her. They're no longer clashing - they're working in tandem to give her an edge in the fight. And she doesn't even have the Force yet.

The past and the future come to a head when Ahsoka arrives, at last. With her renewed faith in herself and in her Padawan, Sabine is finally given the final boost she needs to achieve what was previously thought impossible:

Ezra Bridger and Ahsoka Tano are, arguably, the two most important people in her life at this moment, much like how Kanan and Sabine were to Ezra during Rebels. Both represent different sides of her identity: Ezra, knowing her as the Mandalorian, and Ahsoka, knowing her as the Jedi padawan. When they're brought together and reaffirm their faith in her - Ezra's never wavering during his exile and Ahsoka renewing hers - Sabine can genuinely be herself. And that is what she needed the most to continue with her journey.

Sabine doesn't need to focus on being a successful Jedi or a Mandalorian. That's not the point of her journey. It never was.

She just needs to succeed at being herself. And with Ezra and Ahsoka having faith in her (you know Ezra would be understanding of what she did), then Sabine is more than ready to face the trials ahead and become the best possible version of herself; not strictly Mandalorian or Jedi.

Just as Sabine Wren, whoever she decides that is.

"Everyone fails at who they're supposed to be. A measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are." - Frigga, Avengers: Endgame

#sabezra #sabine wren #ezra bridger #ezrabine #ahsoka tano #ahsoka show #star wars rebels #shin hati #natasha liu bordizzo #eman esfandi #ivanna sakhno #star wars #ahsoka meta

[atamascolily]

As someone who makes fanvids and AMVs, I spend a lot of time looking at media in unconventional ways--cycling the same clips over and over again, jumping around in a non-linear fashion rather than watching straight through in chronological order, etc, etc. Usually, this is in service of getting shots to line up with the music or finding that one snippet that perfectly illustrates a lyric, but it also means I spend a lot of time engaged with the source material at a level of repetition and detail that most viewers do not indulge in.

I thought nothing would be able to top that level of granularity, but then I started making text post memes by juxtaposing media screenshots with clever and witty posts made by strangers on the Internet. Instead of watching the same clips over and over again, I was now watching specific individual scenes shot by shot, searching for the perfect frame to pause and screenshot. Suddenly, I was engaged with the source material on a whole new level, staring at stills I have never really looked at before, despite having watched them in motion a billion times already.

This was especially true of Madoka Magica and even more true for Rebellion, where the animators had lovingly incorporated whole new levels of detail I had never encountered before--some of them so complex and intricate, they could only be fully appreciated as stills, either because they were only on screen for an instant or because there was so much action/other stuff going on in the foreground that drew my eye when I was watching casually or for plot. (As much as I love subtitles, they did not help with this, since their presence meant my eyes were also naturally drawn to the bottom of the screen as well instead of focusing on the background.)

I started documenting my PMMM observations here on Tumblr, partially because it was low-stress and informal fun, and partially because this site has such excellent and convenient image hosting (for now, anyway) that it's really easy to discuss and compare multiple images at a time, which I think is more effective than reams of text at proving my points.

When I look at a screenshot, I have two major questions in mind:

1) What am I looking at? 2) What does it mean?

The first question is one of observation and identification. This part is usually straightforward, but can be more complicated if the animators are drawing on an element of Japanese culture that I'm not already familiar with. The answers to this question vary considerably depending on context, but they're usually not a source of tremendous controversy among the fandom; they are fairly objective, with a definitive right or wrong answer.

The second question, however, is more complicated and subjective. This is where analysis and interpretation come in--of the shot itself, the scene in which it occurs, and how it fits into the installment/series/franchise as a whole. It's entirely possible for different people to have wildly different takes on this, and multiple readings can and do exist simultaneously.

In my meta writings, I usually attempt to answer both questions: first, by pointing out details that I think are interesting, and then by offering my interpretation of them. Rebellion in particular is so visually dense that it's possible to randomly pause at any scene and find something new; no matter how much I watch it, there is always more to analyze.

To be clear, I don't think that watching Rebellion frame by frame is inherently better than watching the whole thing straight through, just that different perspectives and insights are possible. In this sense, both Madoka Magica TV series and Rebellion are inherently fractal in nature, with meaning multiple levels and layers regardless of scale. Unlike real-life fractals like the Mandelbrot set, however, there is a clearly defined limit to this--I doubt once you zoom into the pixel level there is anything to find, but hey, you never know with SHAFT.

I generally prefer to work with material that has already been released rather than stuff that hasn't, but I try to ground my predictions in my observations as much as possible--by which I mean, consistent with the show's themes and motifs on both a macro and micro level. That in itself doesn't guarantee that they're right, but I like to think they are plausible, which is all you can really hope for with that sort of thing. And of course, all my analyses and predictions tell you as much about me--how I see the world and what I value--as they do the work itself.

I used to joke that I was working on an honorary master's in media studies and Rebellion in particular, but after looking back at my output over the last six months, I'm not so sure that's a joke anymore...

#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #madoka rebellion #pmmm analysis

[queerxqueen]

Wait i wasn’t on tumblr for a few days can you explain what happened😭😭

What the heck happened with the Byler Script/Scriptgate?

This is probably the last I'm gonna talk about it unless there are more developments because I know we're all sick of it, but here's a rundown for those fortunate to have been off the internet for the last week.

Anyway, the whole saga is basically documented in my ST4 Scripts tag if you want the full context; I posted just about every update he gave as I got them since donating.

8Flix, GoFundMe & Dear Billy

Meet 8Flix, previously considered to be a very legitimate database for film and TV scripts as a reference for screenwriters.

8Flix previously posted all of the S3 scripts as well as some from seasons 1 and 2 and all have been accepted as canon by fandom for some time. Season 3 scripts were even altered after originally posting, thought to be pulled by Netflix to avoid spoilers.

8Flix started a GoFundMe to support the maintenance of the site, and as a reward for donors, promised "production drafts" of the official script for Dear Billy, Papa, and The Piggyback.

Dear Billy was released to a fair bit of hype from the Byler fandom specifically, leading to a surge in donations and a surge in hype for the script releases.

PAPA

The release of the Papa script is delayed by Nick, first from Aug. 1 to Aug. 5, but the script doesn't actually get sent out until Aug. 7.

In the week it took for him to post it, Nick is tweeting to hype up the release and sending vague messages as updates.

Meanwhile, #BylerScript trends on Twitter for about three days, Aug. 5-7. Cast members even acknowledge the hashtag and associated memes.

The script releases on Aug. 7 and the internet immediately goes insane sharing it and analyzing it.

SCRIPTGATE

On Aug. 9, the Stranger Writers twitter posts that any "leaked" scripts are "FAKE" and warn not to pay for scripts. (They don't specifically mention Nick or 8Flix, don't provide proof, and don't offer support for their fans who have been scammed.)

After that announcement, fans start shaming fans who purchased scripts for believing its legitimacy, because it turns out that Nick has been scrubbing his website and GoFundMe updates for any mention of A) scripts being a donation reward or B) s4 scripts being legitimate.

Nick is not authorized to sell scripts, regardless of whether they're real or not - so most of his updates since the Stranger Writers' tweet have been saying that 8flix is a free service and that he's not selling scripts.

Most of the fandom have dismissed the scripts as fake and just assume Nick wrote them himself, but a lot still isn't adding up about why Nick would risk ruining his life, career, and passion project with a fake script.

SO WHAT?

Here's where you can request a refund if you donated.

Here are all the 8Flix scripts because if they're fake then fuck it.

I don't fully believe Netflix or 8Flix at this point and am waiting to see if either make a more official statement about it.

Now the Stranger Writers are gonna post Real snippets on Twitter "once a week" so go vote for the van scene in this poll or Bylers will never recover

#byler #byler script #scriptgate #fandom lore #byler tag #byler lore #8flix #st4 scripts

[inventedfangirling]

will i ever get over the bad buddy rooftop kiss?

short answer : no

long answer : after 30 consecutive days where i watched at least 2 bad buddy episodes per day i had decided to take a break for today, and a few more days to refresh my brain. but the forces that be had other plans cos idek from where i saw a snippet of their rooftop convo and i had to go back and watch episode 5 3/4 and 4/4 again and to no one's surprise i keep finding more and more things to appreciate about that episode.

this post isn't to analyze anything from that episode as people far more intelligent, eloquent and observant than me have done before 100 times of before.

i just wanted to do a (in awe) rant of the episode 5 of bad buddy. a true masterclass in story telling, directing, acting and emoting and ofc how can i forget using music as a narrative tool, especially in the scene where pran performs the song and pat now listens to it in the full context of his own feelings and then the patpran wai scene and most importantly in the rooftop scene where the music plays such an important role in building and then maintaining that tension!!

it's such an excellent piece of work because i've watched this already 10 times at least and i literally discovered the show just a month ago. i already know how everything is going to end. i literally just rewatched ep 11 and 12 yesterday. i know its all building upto something far more happy than sad in the end. AND YET.

And yet my heart was in my throat, my eyes were glued to their faces and their micro expressions, i was still in awe at their performance, at the words exchanged both audible and not, and the music behind adding to the' edge of the seat clutching of pillow' experience then the kiss happens and im as shook as the day i saw it.

I genuinely cannot remember the last time or if ever i had an experience of rewatching a (romantic) scene and it's impact gets reinforced and amplified each time i watch it in the way the bad buddy rooftop scene has done it.

that too the fact that i haven't given my brain time to forget the sheen of it, the brilliance of it, the impact of it, the fact that the kiss is a microcosm of their whole story, but even without all of that, that kiss by itself was to say the very least life changing.

my brain hasn't forgotten any of that. i havent allowed it to forget. so then me watching it again so close should not be having this effect on it. and yet.

and i just know that if i hit the replay button again this very instant i will feel all of those emotions all over again. that just boggles my mind, cos what is the explanation for it. logically i should be not this into it each time i watch it. why is hedonistic adaptation not doing its thing? it really do be making no sense to me. i guess this is once again a testament to how great of a show it is, how even beyond all the ingredients we can point out, the actors, the director, the writing , music everything, there has to be some unexplainable magic involved. the kind of magic that i highly doubt can be replicated anywhere. the kinda magic that makes even evolutionary responses bend to its will. solid stuff. 12/10 would recommend.

#nanon and ohm deserve all the awards for just this scene alone #bad buddy #pran x pat #patpran #rooftop kiss #episode 5

[dinitride-art]

Hi. Do you mind explaining all the shit that's happened in the byler tag in the last 2/3 months?

I’ve only been here since June (ignoring the two times before this that I went into the byler tag and landed in the middle of the static picture and the homophobic dog meme- both times were very confusing but I get it now) and… to be honest it’s kinda a lot. But to give you a time line of what I can remember-

1. Vibrant waters “leaks”- I think that these were either fake leaks before vol.2 came out, or that they were early drafts. Anyways I believe this twitter user said that they used to work on Stranger Things and posted pictures of scripts they claimed were real to mess with people.

2. Vol.2 dropped; we were devastated. For about 24-48 hours all hope was diminished but there were still a few brave souls who posted positive stuff into the tag. Also worth noting that at this time, the tag was much smaller. I think it was somewhere in the 10k-30k range.

3. Slowly but surely people started to come back to the tag and analyze stuff. I think that people looked in the milkvan tag and saw that people were saying the monologue was terrible for mike and el- and then we’re like, wait. Wait a goddamn minute here. Still not fully recovered yet, but getting there.

Then being different + you’re the heart by @causeineedu dropped about two weeks after vol.2 and that’s the thing that pulled me back in fully. (A bit after that I started writing my lighting analysis- because the van scene broke me-)

We were also starting to discuss the cabin lighting at this time.

4. I remember that right before I got to the van scene portion of my analysis (idk what happened in between all this- and sorry that I’m talking so much about my analysis, it’s just the only timeline I’ve got in my head that I can latch onto) we started talking about the hearts in will’s eye in the van scene. That was a whole thing

5. 8flix, scriptgate, the weeks of waiting, the controversy, betrayal, confusion. Trending #1 on twitter. It was a lot. (We get weekly script snippets from st writers on twitter now, so that’s something)

6. The arise of cults??? I’m still confused about this one. I know the lore of the tag, I’ve been here for a very interesting chunk of it, but I cannot for the life of me explain it. @whathappened-inthe-bylertag has a lot more on this type of stuff, and what happened in the byler tag before that.

7. Mikhailgate. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really to involved in this one. But basically it’s Will x mikhail (that one guys son). There’s some fics, I was aware of this happening enough that I did read some of them. But still idk.

8. Scriptgate continued, blue and yellow, analysis.

I think that’s all that I can remember, sorry that this probably isn’t very helpful. I do recommend looking through the person I tagged above for more context and info

#byler #byler tag #I am forgetting so much but #I don’t even know what I’m forgetting #ask

[dinios-kol]

i was tagged by @celestialkindliness to share a snippet of some writing im working on !! so here is a rewrite of the buildup to a scene that later introduces a key side character ! i also rewrote this during my workplace health class so who knows how good it is *shrug emoji*

key context is that gabriel is an identity forger in an extremely cloistered and authoritarian society who has been pursued by agents of a supranational government/intelligence agency including mikołaj, a “security liaison” turned fugitive after deciding to partner w/ gabriel 

Gabriel clutched at the stolen billfold with a clenched, useless tension, hands starting to tremble with this manifestation of his anxiety. His pace thrummed with that same panic, barely restraining himself from bursting into a run to arrive back at the motel room that Mikołaj lightly described as a prison. It was a horrifically ugly place, but one of the few where he could finally allow himself to dissolve, releasing the panic in a quick and messy burst. He knew that he was on the precipice of a panic attack, one that he was trying to swallow down despite the burn of it. He could almost feel the thread he was dangling by, in the face of an obstacle he didn’t really have the resources to overcome. 

Finally, he was able to swipe his room key, the flimsy plastic falling to the dirty floor from the shakiness of his hands. Finally, he opened the door to let himself in and closed it behind him, the back of his shirt soaked with a cold sweat and pressed to the pitted metal of the door. And when his eyes adjusted to the relative dark of the room, Gabriel saw Mikołaj staring at him with an expression that betrayed a mixture of confusion and concern, still holding the peel of an orange in one hand as he used the other to remove all traces of the pith from each segment. Gabriel had watched this familiar routine before, had seen Mikołaj remove every small piece of pith with such temerity that it could take up to half an hour before he’d even eat the first slice. The safe haven of the action itself, so small and insubstantial but yet a succor, grounded him for a moment, at the very least. 

The smell of citrus grew closer as Mikołaj settled onto the floor perpendicular to him, his legs stretched out in front of Gabriel. Wordlessly, he handed Gabriel an orange slice, the first one that he’d systematically cleared of pith, trading it for the billfold that was in his trembling hand. He flipped open the billfold and looked at the identification of a stranger, that habitual crease showing up between his eyebrows as he studied the thing. Gabriel forced himself to breathe, to make his lungs begin to expand and constrict again, and savored the tart and sweet flavor of the orange. 

“What’s the problem with Mr. Volker?” Mikołaj finally asked, his voice just barely heard over the hum of the air conditioner in the corner. 

“Look at the ink,” Gabriel responded, the dejection beginning to overcome the anxiety. 

Mikołaj handed him another orange slice as he brought the id closer to his face. He was probably overdue to get prescription glasses, but this wasn’t the time to mention it and Gabriel bit into the orange as he watched his partner over-analyze the paperwork. 

“I don’t think I understand.” 

“It’s - different, somehow. If I knew how, it wouldn’t be a problem. But I don’t! The chemistry or the color must be some new proprietary bullshit, with permanent implementation starting the next fiscal year.” He drew a breath, trying and failing not to betray his panic, failing in that his voice reached a choke point at each sentence’s crescendo. 

“Will that matter?” Another orange slice passed into his hands, the soft skin of the fruit in stark contrast to the scarred hands that held it. 

“Eventually, ah - it’s, it’s dumb to be concerned about it now I guess, but - in just a couple years, any id that doesn’t have it will be under more scrutiny than ever.” Gabriel shrugged helplessly. “And the guy I used for the ink analysis was executed a couple years back.” 

It was hard not to care about this, even if it was senseless to think about this now. In all likelihood, if his parent’s abrupt ends and the tragedies of nearly everyone he’s worked with was enough to base this off of, he’d be dead before this change gained significant weight. Mikołaj too. Dead and buried in an unmarked grave along with other dissidents and troublemakers, fingers broken, skin bruised and lacerated, ruined beyond identification. It was stupid, purely fallacious to fight, to continue to struggle against this omnipresent regime, to- 

A hand touched his shoulder, bringing him back to the hotel room with its moth-eaten curtains and stained carpet and smell of citrus, a grounding that made him want to dissolve further. 

“Gabriel,” Mikołaj said, pulling him back from the edge. “We can figure this out.” 

Before, the “we” felt like a personal attack - an uncomfortable association that prickled at his skin. Now, it was like a balm, a refreshing bout of solidarity to know he wasn’t alone. He took a deep breath. 

“How?”

and scene! pls do not criticize me for the fact that i dont understand the manufacturing process and chemistry behind legal and illegal identifications </3 (& billfold is meant to refer to a passport type identification)

#fsas #ella!

[missjoolee]

I had a dream the other night that Netflix renewed JatP and just never told anyone. There was no announcement. There was no trailer. It didn’t show up as having “New Episodes”. They just dropped it quietly so that when someone would finish S01-E09, it would start it’s little timer and go right into S02-E01. Zero fanfare. Kenny and the cast were all s m u g.

The more I think about this, the more I kinda want to manifest it.🤔

#just think about it #zero expectations #no time to analyze snippets of scenes out of context #pure serotonin at it just being there #jatp #julie and the phantoms #netflix

[bestbonnist]

The Correlation Between Hayase’s Influence on Her Successors and the Left Hand’s

Since there’s no chapter this week (12th break of the year excluding weeks the magazine wasn’t published) and I didn’t have to write a meta, I took the time to write out one of my theories about Hayase and her successors. This is long and has big blocky paragraphs, but at this point I just want to fucking post it and see if it ages well or not. Maybe I’ll go back and edit it later. So here goes. 

The fnae fandom knows that the Left Hand at one point controlled Hisame, Kahaku, Mizuha, and presumably the rest of Hayase’s descendants. The fandom has also accepted that Hayase can exert her will over her successors to a certain extent, which they should probably be making a bigger deal about because that shouldn’t be possible in-universe. But they think her influence is restricted to determining who her successors fall in love with, when that’s not all she’s been doing. The panel of Kahaku from Chapter 134.1 is my proof. 

Before I get to analyzing the panel, a few things about Hayase’s power over her successors: First, not all of her successors actually fall in love with Fushi. That’s a misconception, but since Ooima included a specific visual representation of romantic love in her series, we can see that only Kahaku and Mizuha loved Fushi (really more of an infatuation at first) while Hisame and the others tried to flirt with them only because it’s what they were taught. So it’s not something all successors inherit. Actually, the successors aren’t supposed to inherit any of Hayase’s personality, according to the Beholder in Chapter 56 they should be completely separate people. 

And yet...

Moving on to the panel of Kahaku in 134.1, within the context of the chapter the best way to interpret it would be: it shows Fushi’s immediate fear when confronted by Hayase’s successors. But if that were all Ooima was trying to convey she would have chosen a moment when Fushi saw Kahaku himself as dangerous or threatening, not anything related to the Left Hand. Kahaku has plenty of those, when he proposed to Fushi is the most prevalent. Also, in the original scene the panel comes from, the moment when Kahaku brings his hand to Fushi’s face is framed so neither of their faces are visible, this panel from 134.1 was the moment we were missing, which makes me think reusing this was planned in advance to change our perception of what was happening. See below from Chapter 106: 

All the characters in Fumetsu no Anata e have their own distinct expressions. Yes I know I sound completely crazy talking about different expressions on fictional people, but you can look for yourself and see, at least, that Hayase has a creepy smile that’s unique to her, that chronologically didn’t show up on another character’s face until Kahaku. Where I’m going with this is that it’s possible Hayase was behind the Left Hand getting out of control and killing Fushi, but the question is: how. To answer that, we have to look at Mizuha. 

Mizuha and Kahaku both share Hayase’s love for Fushi, and Mizuha additionally reacts to Fushi’s name before knowing who they are (retaining memories, which the Beholder said shouldn’t be possible):

So yeah it seems likely that whatever happened to Kahaku will happen to Mizuha too. To find out why only the two of them have been affected, we need to find out what’s different about them compared to other successors. 

I’ll tell you right now, it’s the size of the Left Hand. In Chapter 62 Fushi notices that the Left Hand is smaller on Kahaku than it was before, and in 121.1 the first thing they do upon meeting Mizuha is check and see that she has no knocker. From Chapter 62: 

As we know from Mimori and Izumi’s cases, being less visible means the knockers are better at controlling humans than ever, so the check was meaningless and Fushi’s probably at a greater risk of being attacked than they were with Kahaku. Since Mizuha has narrated parts of the story and we’re given snippets of her internal thoughts, we know that she’s not like Mimori and an actual knocker, but given Hayase’s desire for control and immortality she/the Left Hand will probably try to take her over completely, although I don’t know if Hayase and the Left Hand are operating separately, or working together, or if one has absorbed the other, or what. 

This might not seem like a big revelation, but for Fushi personally it’ll be a huge fucking deal. It would mean facing off against Hayase again, the one person they truly hate, and the only way for them to get rid of her for good would be to kill Mizuha. 

#fumetsu no anata e #to your eternity #to you the immortal #fnae #fnae spoilers #new world arc #renryrr arc #hayase #kahaku #kahak #mizuha #left hand #i have some followers who are mainly here for my metas #if you are one of them know that i am sorry #i added pictures for reference that i think made the whole thing easier to handle #but the chunks of text are still very much there #fnae manga spoilers #fnae anime spoilers

[lady-charinette]

Adrien Agreste =/= Sociopath - About Adrien Salt

I've seen a lot of posts going around about Adrien being a sociopath or the other (harasser, abuser...etc.)

What I find most of those posts lacking is looking at the big picture, or just zeroing in on certain moments of the show and even disregarding the context of those selected moments to unfairly rule judgement on a child (in canon) no less.

Definition of sociopath: A sociopath is a term used to describe someone who has antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). People with ASPD can’t understand others’ feelings. They’ll often break rules or make impulsive decisions without feeling guilty for the harm they cause.

People with ASPD may also use “mind games” to control friends, family members, co-workers, and even strangers. They may also be perceived as charismatic or charming.

We have to analyze the context and the surroundings Adrien is in.

Family, social life, relationships (platonic and romantic), personality, age, environment...etc.

Family:

We know Adrien has a father who is controlling, preferring to micro-manage every aspect of his son's life to continue to have a semblance of control at all times. We assume (heavily implied in the show), that his mother was kind, warm and emotional (whether that emotional is the "out-there" kind her twin sister has, it remains to be seen.)

According to a snippet from "Simon Says", Adrien also has "Quite a temper, you remind me of someone" according to Gabriel's own words, we can assume the "someone" is Emilie, Gabriel says this when Chat Noir refused to follow his orders and told him to basically "get off his high horse". In this context, anyone who defies Gabriel in such a way would either be branded as "disobedient" or to "have quite a temper".

According to Adrien himself in "Adrien's Double Life" (from Miraculous Secrets) he describes being Chat Noir as "...I can finally do whatever I want to do, say whatever comes to mind." He doesnt feel as restricted and controlled since that's the one aspect of his life his father has no knowledge of.

Social life:

Adrien has had no or very little interaction with peers.

Evidence: Chloe being his childhood friend. Felix commenting on Chloe's appearance in the video she sent for Adrien's birthday, saying "Chloe. Just as annoying as usual." suggests he knows her from before, maybe even as early on as their childhood days.

This makes Felix and Chloe the only kids, of spoiled and rich background, with whom Adrien interacted.

Felix is shown to be good at manipulating people and keeping up appearances (potentially connected to insecurities within the family? Not confirmed), Chloe is openly mean and bullies others (with underlying insecurities also connected to her parents).

The only positive adult (if Gorilla isn't as involved and Nathalie had been solely Gabriel's secretary and not Adrien's caretaker since there was Emilie) in Adrien's life would be his mother, who also fell into a coma during Adrien's formative years (and still during a time where he's figuring himself and his emotions out: puberty), leaving him with his father.

Moving on, even if the writer's sometimes may not always successfully show Adrien being awkward in social interactions, it doesnt mean they dont exist.

This interaction between him and Marinette, asking for her autograph, very formal in his question, awkward in posture:

He's picked up on some speech patterns from his frequent interactions with Nino ("dude", "Hey man." "Totally dude.") showing he's, like many people, mimicking his friend's behavior and speech to grow more favorably in their eyes.

The same pattern can be observed with Gabriel and Adrien: Adrien adopts his father's formal speech whenever talking to him, since that appeases him.

Adrien has had very limited friendly interactions with his peers, romantic interactions are basically non-existent. The scenes where Adrien is being chased by his fans, who obsessively adore him, cant be linked to Adrien experiencing healthy romantic contact (Lila doesn't count since she only uses Adrien to further her goals). Marinette doesn't count since Adrien's isn't even aware of her romantic feelings for him. (Again, difficulties picking up social cues due to only ever being homeschooled > limited social contact with peers)

So no, in my humble opinion, Adrien sometimes doesn't understand other people's feelings not because he's a sociopath, but because he's an awkward kid with very little experience about making friends and having healthy relationships with them.

Relationships:

Let's be direct here: Gabriel is an abusive as*hole.

If the writer's wanted to show Gabriel struggling or having remorse for his actions being Hawkmoth and putting his son through danger, well... They blew it. "Gorizilla" was a 5 second reaction of Hawkmoth showing concern after letting Adrien fall from a skyscraper. Applause. After that? Not much.

Nathalie: Adrien likes, she takes care of him, his schedule, was the one to convince Gabriel to let him attend public school. There are moments in the show where she softens up towards Adrien, but always carries that air of professionalism on her to (possibly, assumption) not grow too close. Gorilla is...Gorilla, but at least the man tries with his nonverbal support and affectionate grunts. Lol.

Gabriel: He loves his father. It's his parent, after all. However, Adrien's reactions to him are vastly different than to how he reacts when thinking of his mother. He shows signs of fear (tensing up, growing obedient...etc.), he excuses his father's excessive controlling tendencies to just be "he's just worried about me", "that's the way he always was", "father cares and protects me". Adrien shows to be frequently disappointed with Gabriel, one of the first scenes being that Gabriel couldn't attend parent's day at school, Adrien was talking on the phone alone in the school hallway. He was genuinely surprised by the blue scarf his father gifted him (not knowing it was Marinette), since all he used to get were pens (again, not even from Gabriel, but Nathalie). This is my assumption but: Adrien has previously begged his father to go outside more or attend public school, but this time it worked only because Nathalie managed to convince him.

Friends from school: Nino is his best friend, Adrien seems to be good friends with Alya too, basically everyone in class, with varying degrees of closeness. Chloe is a childhood friend whom Adrien is fond of but also grows exasperated with and corrects her behavior if she's too harsh.

Marinette: likes and respects her, but can't read her well or at least when he thinks he's got her figured out, she claims the opposite. Marinette has been sending mixed signals, on one hand even making Adrien believe (and fear) they weren't friends. "Chat Blanc" contrary to popular belief, showed that Adrien is delighted at the prospect of Marinette being Ladybug (he'd severe doubts when Chloe or anyone else was brought up as a possible option).

Kagami: likes her, respects her, admires her fencing skills, learned to have fun hanging out with her and playing as kids usually do since she also has a controlling parent and they both know some ways/tricks around their boundaries to sneak off and meet their friends. Adrien and Kagami have similarities in that respect, Gabriel pushing Adrien to be a model, Mrs. Tsurugi pushing Kagami to be a master fencer.

Lila: At first defended her, was friendly towards her since she was a new student from overseas he sympathized because surely it would be lonely? The new girl would need a friend who supported her through all this things that were new for him too. However, as soon as he caught wind of Lila's schemes, he changes his tune. He feels uncomfortable around her overstepping his boundaries, expresses anger when Lila accused Marinette of crimes she didn't commit and even makes a deal with her to not bother Marinette again (but use him instead, doing photoshoots together...etc.) to keep her safe.

Age:

A 14-15 year old, having lost his mother, the only positive, healthy relationship in his life. Surrounded by a controlling father, not much free time, many extracurricular activities and being a superhero alongside Ladybug.

Some of the signs of being a sociopath include: Breaking rules and being impulsive.... Didn't Ladybug do those too?

Breaking the rules: (since LB and Marinette are the same) stealing phones, sneaking into places where she shouldn't, using the miraculous for personal gain (latest example: getting Kagami away from Adrien), giving Adrien the snake miraculous due to personal preference instead of drawing logical conclusions. Sneaked into the Agreste mansion.

Impulsiveness: Marinette's daily fantasies (sharing a future life with Adrien and their hamster-who-must-not-be-named), when Lila's "precious family heirloom necklace" was "stolen", Marinette was quick to include her classmates in the list of potential perpetrators for it (without ill intent, but still..)

You know who the real potential sociopath in the show is?

Gabriel

Some of you might include Lila too (since she fits all the criteria for being a sociopath), but the key difference is: Lila is still just a kid.

We don't know much about her family life. Just that her mother is busy with work, we don't know where her father is, who her friends were/if she even had them. She might be lying and manipulating people to follow her own agenda, but she thrives in attention, when people notice and praise her. In some aspects, that could've been Adrien. With one neglectful parent, a missing parent, no friends (prior to going to school)...etc. There is also a lot we don't know about her.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #adrien agreste #adrien sugar #salting on salters #i know i didnt include all important points #i may add them later #aimed at salters #fandom salt #ml salt #ml analysis #mentions of abuse #long post #lila rossi #gabriel agreste #gabriel agreste's a+ parenting #gabriel agreste salt #nathalie sancoeur #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #chloe bourgeois #ml felix graham de vanily #felix graham de vanily #marinette dupaincheng

[codylglobalcinema]

Blog 5: Micheal Haneke, Code Unknown;Cache

Through the many countries, languages, directors, and ideas we focused on this semester, there was one film that stood tall above the rest for me. That film was Code Unknown by Austrian film director Micheal Haneke. In just about every film we viewed, there was a great deal of cultural shock that had to be overcome, in order to help visualize the stories as much as I could. The way in which Haneke depicts the lives and thoughts of people, all types of people, broke down that wall for me almost immediately during the viewings of some of his films. There were motivations and emotions which transcended the boundaries of language, struggles shared by people of all walks of life. The two films which I have chosen to examine critically in this paper are Haneke’s Code Unknown (2000) and Cache (2005). The lens in which I am going to examine these films is with the focus on how they portray day to day life. But first, I will be going into the artistic background of Micheal Haneke himself. 

  Born in Munich, Germany in 1942, Haneke was the son of two people who were very accomplished in Cinema, German actor Fritz Hanke and Austrian actress Beatrix von Degenschild. As an adolescent he showed a personal contempt for school, with strong interests in literature and music. He attended the University of Vienna, and worked as an editor and dramaturge at the southwestern German television station Südwestfunk from 1967 to 1970. He made his TV directorial debut in 1974, and made his feature film debut in 1984 with The Seventh Continent. His work is known for often examining social issues and depicting the feelings of estrangement, never being afraid of tackling what may seem like very mundane emotions on the surface level. Hanke believes that “films should offer viewers more space for imagination and self-reflection. Films that have too much detail and moral clarity, are used for mindless consumption by their viewers” (McCan 76). What he means by this is that having all meaning and morality explained and rationalized for the viewer leaves the viewer with no room to think or analyze for themselves. One similar filmmaker who shares this sort of ‘passionate detachment’ of emotions from day to day people is David Lynch. Haneke’s distinct style is one to take note of, his unique worldview, because “he recognizes that the crises that affected twentieth-century humanity, in particular alienation and repression, continue in the new millennium even if they are simply embraced as features of contemporary life in much postmodern artistic expression” (Mcan 77). His style is very out of the ordinary, and has earned him the high acclaim and prestige which he carries today. 

The next aspect in discussing Micheal Haneke involves discussing the social and economical environment in which he works. Being from Austria, the locations and social topics of his film occur from within Europe. In the case of Cache, the meaning of his films can change based on the global events that happen around it, in this case being Cache’s theme of guilt and what to do with it, which had the impact of 9/11 tacked onto it due to how close the films release was the the tragedy. In Cache, Haneke does touch upon the war in Algeria a bit, and during an interview had this to say about its inclusion in the film: “I made use of this incident because it fits in a horrible way. You could find a similar story in any country, even though it took place at a different time. There's always a collective guilt which can be connected to a personal story, and that's how I want this film to be understood” (Schiefer). Hanke uses conflicts like this as just a backdrop to his stories, some historical context to add to the deeper meanings of his films. The true tension in his films does not come from larger-scale specific events, but rather the long-term reactions and ways in which characters deal with these events, opening up a channel to the viewer to see these events from another human point of view.

The final aspect of analysis directed towards Micheal Haneke himself is the ways in which he finances and distributes his films. Hanke premieres his films in film festivals such as Cannes, and the Locarno international film festival. This is his method of getting his films to reach more international and western audiences. 

     The first film which I will be doing a critical analysis of is Haneke’s Code Unknown. A film filled with several unfinished stories, it was my personal favorite film the entire semester of the Global Cinema course. The film shows many snippets and sections of life from different people's point of view, many of these characters briefly interacting with one another in different ways. The substance behind these many mini stories is the day after day, regular lives lived by each of the characters. Their actions are not the focus of the story, but their thoughts and their emotional choices. These characters are used to create a mood, a shared state of mind, “the characters more often function as parts of a puzzle rather than as empathetic figures in a drama” (Rooney). The two characters who I was drawn to the most, mainly due to them having the most screen time, were Anne (Juliette Binoche) and Jean (Alexandre Hamidi). Binoche’s character is an actress, which lends well to the films fractured storytelling, as it makes the viewer what is real, a flashback, or a rehearsal of a scene. “The fragmentary structure undermines the utopian idea of a community premised on a vague, and thus problematic, notion of the''common ``. In the "community without community" that Haneke envisions (after Balibar) the principles of democracy are tested on a daily basis rather than taken for granted” (Trifonova) . I really love this structure of storytelling, it adds much more than a linear format, as the whole film serves to dissect and strip away the normal, day after day feeling of life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ujWUrZTulo 

The second and final film which I will be doing critical analysis on is Cache. Another film focused on character emotion with places and actions being a backdrop. The focus of this film is guilt. Hanke himself even states this, posing the question of “Do I accept it? And if I don't, what do I do? And if I do, what do I do?” (Delaney). The presence of real world events are much more present in this film, and affect the narrative directly. “Haneke uses this historical event that has been wiped from the French collective memory to frame his exploration of racism, violence and guilt in a postcolonial context ­ from the point of view of the privileged white middle class” (Delaney). The film has many subtle attributes in it, with one of the immediate details I loved were the actors for Anne and Georges reprising their roles from Code Unknown. The film follows Anne and George’s bourgeois home in which they’ve been living mundane lives, until disturbing video tapes begin to show up at their door. As the film goes on, you begin to realize that these video tapes are an allegory for France’s forgetting of the Senile river massacre, and the guilt that comes from that, as well as the idea of guilt in the eyes of a child. “‘Caché’ is the sharpest in terms of mocking its protagonist’s sense of reality and his delusion that he possesses any ability to be in control of it” (Celik). The characters have their weaknesses and insecurities laid bare on the screen, humanizing them and breaking down the way guilt and society affect people even after events have come and gone throughout history. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_ZtfuvxpEw 

[spockandawe]

So, I was thinking about Nie brother tragedy times, because I didn’t even come CLOSE to getting it out of my system with that fic

(oh dear, this got longer than I expected)

So first, a few snippets on the things Nie Huaisang does and doesn’t value, and how... strained his relationship with Nie Mingjue is when it comes to these things (based on the last quote I’ve copied over for this post, I get the impression that they might have argued over art vs sabers a lot, but that the genuine, intense anger on nie mingjue’s part is a very new, very shocking development for nie huaisang)

First of all, generally setting the scene

One day, the moment [Nie Mingjue] returned to the main hall of the Unclean Realm, he saw about a dozen folding fans, all lined in gold, flattened out one next to the other in front of Nie Huaisang, who was touching them tenderly, mumbling as he compared the inscriptions written on each one. Immediately, veins protruded from Nie Mingjue’s forehead, “Nie Huaisang!”

Nie Huaisang fell at once.

He really did fall to his knees from the terror. He only staggered up after he finished kneeling, “B-b-b-brother.”

Nie Mingjue, “Where is your saber?”

Nie Huaisang cowered, “In… in my room. No, in the school grounds. No, let me… think…”

Wei Wuxian could feel that Nie Mingjue almost wanted to hack him dead right there, “You bring a dozen fans with you wherever you go, yet you don’t even know where your own saber is?!”

Nie Huaisang hurried, “I’ll go find it right now!”

Nie Mingjue, “There’s no need! Even if you find it you won’t get anything out of it. Go burn all of these!”

And then, introducing Jin Guangyao as a brother figure who understands Nie Huaisang in a way that Nie Mingjue doesn’t/can’t, and one who’s happy to indulge Nie Huaisang’s hobbies. In fact, even when Nie Mingjue is already generally pissed at Jin Guangyao, has tried to kill him in the past, and is angry right now, Jin Guangyao is still willing to speak up on behalf of Nie Huaisang.

All of the color drained out of Nie Huaisang’s face. He rushed to pull all of the fans into his arms, pleading, “No, Brother! All of these were given to me!”

Nie Mingjue slammed his palm onto a table, causing it to crack, “Who did? Tell them to scurry out here right now!”

Someone spoke, “I did.”

Jin Guangyao walked in from outside the hall. Nie Huaisang looked as though he saw a knight in shining armor, beaming, “Brother, you’re here!”

In reality, it wasn’t that Jin Guangyao could calm Nie Mingjue’s anger, but that since Jin Guangyao came, all of Nie Mingjue’s anger would be directed at him alone, having no time to scold others. Thus, there was nothing wrong with saying that he was Nie Huaisang’s knight in shining armor. Nie Huaisang was absolutely delighted. He greeted Jin Guangyao again and again as he grabbed the fans in haste. Seeing how his younger brother reacted, Nie Mingjue was so outraged that he almost found it amusing. He turned to Jin Guangyao, “Don’t send him those useless things!”

In a hurry, Nie Huaisang dropped a few fans on the ground. Jin Guangyao picked them up for him and put them into his arms, “Huaisang’s hobbies are quite elegant. He’s dedicated to art and calligraphy, and has no propensity for mischief. How can you say that they’re useless?”

Nie Huaisang nodded as fast as he could, “Yes, Brother is right!”

And then, more of Jin Guangyao being indulgent when it comes to Nie Huaisang.

BUT. Also.

Explicitly bringing up that Jin Guangyao is a pro at figuring out people’s likes and dislikes, and using that to figure out how to ingratiate himself to them.

Jin Guangyao nodded lightly and sat as he had been told, “Brother, if you’re concerned for Huaisang, softer words would do no harm. Why this?”

Nie Mingjue, “Even when a blade’s at his neck he’s still like this. Looks like he’ll always be a good-for-nothing.”

Jin Guangyao, “It isn’t that Huaisang is a good-for-nothing, but that his heart lies somewhere else.”

Nie Mingjue, “Well you’ve really discerned where his heart lies, haven’t you?”

Jin Guangyao smiled, “Of course. Isn’t that what I’m the best at? The only person whom I can’t discern is you, Brother.”

He knew of people’s likes and dislikes so that he could find suitable solutions; he loved running errands and could do twice the work with half the effort. Thus, Jin Guangyao could be said to be quite a talent at analyzing others’ interests. Nie Mingjue was the only person whom Jin Guangyao couldn’t probe out any useful information about.

Now, this is brought up in the context of how Jin Guangyao was never able to get this sort of read on Nie Mingjue, but it comes right at the end of a LONG passage where... yeah, this is exactly the thing he’s been doing with Nie Huaisang. And considering how much he leans into these tactics and how he’s already been established as a skilled spy and double dealer, it’s... telling that when he can’t do this to Nie Mingjue, he’s working his little brother this way instead.

And then, change of pace. One quoted passage about how as time went (and as Jin Guangyao cozied up to Nie Huaisang more, and as Nie Mingjue’s instability built towards that last qi deviation), Nie Huaisang even more clearly saw his brother as an adversary and Jin Guangyao as an ally.

If only Nie Huaisang were like Wei Wuxian and could feel how great Nie Mingjue’s rage was, he wouldn’t grin in such a bold way. He protested, “Brother, the time is up. It’s time to rest!”

Nie Mingjue, “You rested just thirty minutes ago. Keep on going, until you learn it.”

Nie Huaisang was still giddy, “I won’t be able to learn it anyways. I’m done for the day!”

He often said this, but today Nie Mingjue’s reaction was entirely different from his past reaction. He shouted, “A pig would’ve learnt this by now, so why haven’t you?!”

Never expecting Nie Mingjue to burst out so suddenly, Nie Huaisang’s face was blank with shock as he shrunk toward Jin Guangyao.

So, I’m not terribly inclined to regard Nie Huaisang as a chessmaster manipulator type, more someone who’s good at sneakily inciting chaos, while Jin Guangyao relies on having ironclad control. But Nie Huaisang is definitely smart, and had plenty of time to put certain pieces together. I’m fascinated plenty by whatever it was that took him from ^^^ to this

(I love what fatal journey did, and I love the idea of jin guangyao making nie huaisang more actively complicit in his brother’s death, because that is deliciously fucked up, but I am also trying to be careful with any claims as to Absolute Canon, so I’m not going to go into the movie)

What I’m even more interested in... is the aftermath. I’ve read delicious self-recrimination fic from a variety of characters, but it seems like there’s less when it comes to Nie Huaisang, and I think that’s such a shame.

Because this storyline is so tasty! So tragic!! I love the one post I’ve seen a few times, where it contrasts lan wangji’s and nie huaisang’s reactions to New Brothers, where nie huaisang is like ‘new brothers! excellent!! I will expect backdated presents for each of my birthdays, thank you.’ Which, like... that might not be canon, but Jin Guangyao pretty much rolls with that exact idea. He works out what Huaisang likes best in no time flat, and starts bringing him all kinds of fantastic presents. And he starts arguing in favor of Huaisang’s own preferences and strengths to Nie Mingjue’s face.

There’s something that really gets me about the tragedy of a situation where someone doesn’t realize they’re caught between ‘someone who doesn’t understand me, but loves me’ and ‘someone who understands me, and uses that to use me.’

It kills me, because at the very end of Nie Mingjue’s life, Jin Guangyao was definitely using the disconnect between the two brothers as a way to provoke Nie Mingjue. He might not have caused the division, but he was happy to lean into it. He’s capable of mediation, but instead, he wholeheartedly takes Nie Huaisang’s side in these arguments, which looks gr8 to Nie Huaisang, but has the end of effect of infuriating Nie Mingjue, until that last time, when he finally snaps and qi deviates to death.

I just love the tragedy of realizing someone you thought was an ally was actually... probably indifferent to you, and was definitely using you as a tool to hurt someone you love. 

(I don’t necessarily think that the relationship was established just to manipulate nie mingjue, I think jin guangyao tends to establish this kind of relationship with anyone who’s likely to be a power player of any sort, but I do think that when he wasn’t able to ingratiate himself with nie mingjue directly, nie huaisang was the best method available to steer him)

I wish there was more fic getting inside Nie Huaisang’s head as he works this all out, but it’s not like I have much confidence in my ability to write anything so much in his head and emotions myself, haha. My fic scratched some similar itches, but just taking things away from nhs pov dramatically limits how much you can do with this situation. 

Because it really was an internal situation. Who would he have shared it with? Jin Guangyao definitely had spies in Qinghe, Lan Xichen would have been grieving Nie Mingjue and absolutely would have been reluctant to blame Jin Guangyao for anything, and it isn’t like Nie Huaisang ever had proof. The situation is so tragic and so isolating that I keep coming back to it in my head, and while I was writing the nmj fic, I reread the section I quoted above, and was struck by the nature of the relationship that Jin Guangyao established with Nie Huaisang, on this kind of emotional foundation, and how Nie Huaisang had to maintain that relationship, for years, knowing that the relationship was something Jin Guangyao used to hurt his brother.

#nie huaisang #nie mingjue #jin guangyao #the untamed #i do love jin guangyao #but also #my general position is #nie huaisang did nothing wrong :V

[themattress]

TROS’ Backtracks on TLJ

Critics are up in arms about them, but I’d like to look them over and analyze them:

Luke throws away his lightsaber -> Luke catches his lightsaber

This was a joke that both TLJ lovers and haters should be able to enjoy: lovers can enjoy the parallel and how it shows Luke’s change of heart, while haters can enjoy the reversal and “a Jedi weapon should be treated with more respect” line throwing shade on Rian Johnson.

Luke is cynical and jaded about the Jedi -> Luke embraces the Jedi again

I am baffled by this complaint. Did any of these critics actually understand what even happened in TLJ?  Luke already realized he was wrong to be so cynical and jaded about the Jedi and about being a legend following his talk with Yoda, which is why he did his Force astral projection at the end and proudly declared that he “will not be the last Jedi”, the opposite of his earlier “It’s time for the Jedi to end” mantra. It’s character development.

Luke sunk his X-Wing underwater -> Luke raises his X-Wing from the water

Yes, and it was beautiful. Whether Rian Johnson meant to or not, by placing Luke’s X-Wing underwater he had just placed Chekhov’s Gun on the table. It needed to go off, Luke had to do accomplish the thing he couldn’t in The Empire Strikes Back because now he believed.

Luke's lightsaber is broken -> Luke's lightsaber is repaired

Rey took the pieces with her so that she could repair it in TLJ.

Leia's Force flight is not explained -> Leia had undergone Jedi training

Good. That turns her Force flight into foreshadowing. Also, apparently the original plan in TLJ was that Leia, not Rey, was to be “the last Jedi” following Luke, but that plan couldn’t happen once Carrie Fisher died, so this was the only way to achieve any sort of “Jedi Leia” at all.

Rose is a major character -> Rose is a background character

This one’s a touchy issue: I believe Rose’s reduced role was inevitable given the sheer amount of characters that needed to be juggled, plus J.J Abrams’ desire to give Rey, Finn and Poe a big adventure as a trio. On the other hand, I feel like she probably had more substantial material that was filmed and was left on the cutting room floor, and that’s troubling since we have no way of knowing if this done in good faith or to appease toxic fans.

Finn/Rose is hinted as a couple -> Finn/Jannah is hinted as a couple

I think that was done because the writing was on the wall in TLJ that John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran have no romantic chemistry on screen, and they work a lot better as just friends. Although honestly, I’m not sure we’re meant to totally buy into Finn/Jannah either. Finn is pretty much a bachelor the whole way through and he has the best chemistry with Poe.

Poe develops into a leader -> Poe develops into a leader again

I think this is similar to a compliant people made in TLJ that Finn backtracked on his development in TFA about not running away from fighting. Except that was not true: in TFA Finn stopped running away but was only willing to fight for and with Rey, the Resistance meant nothing to him. TLJ was about him learning to shift his primary allegiance to the Resistance, to a cause rather than a person. Likewise, Poe developed into a leader in TLJ, but his arc in TROS is about him developing as a leader; there’s a difference between the two. Becoming a leader as Poe did in TLJ isn’t going to erase all personality flaws and hurdles to overcome any more than Luke becoming a Jedi did for him. He still has much to learn.

Snoke was never given an origin -> Snoke is given an origin

Good. TFA and even TLJ built Snoke up as a character who needed to have at least one line of dialogue explaining who he was and where he came from, there needed to be something.

Snoke is dead and Kylo Ren is the new Big Bad -> Palpatine's back as the Big Bad

I’m sorry, but there was no fucking way that the majority of the audience was going to buy Kylo Ren as the Big Bad. He was humiliatingly defeated by Rey in TFA and then humiliatingly defeated by Luke in TLJ. I liked him as the new Supreme Leader and all, but we needed a truly formidable Big Bad to be the Final Boss, and Palpatine was the best one we could get.

Kylo Ren broke his mask -> Kylo Ren repairs his mask

Because he was going back on the field with the Knights of Ren, who all wear masks.

The Knights of Ren aren't there -> The Knights of Ren are here

Yeah, their presence is really just perfunctory. Nothing bad, nothing special.

Kylo Ren slides towards irredeemability -> Kylo Ren is redeemed 

Either route would have been valid, and you’re entitled to your preference. With that said, I feel his redemption was handled exceptionally well, adding such emotional weight to the film.

Hux is set to have a major role going forward -> Hux is killed and replaced by Pryde

Similar to Kylo Ren as the Big Bad, Hux was no longer believable as a threat due to being made a fool of too often, so he was replaced by a more competent villain. With that said, killing him off so abruptly was lame. He had potential as an uneasy ally to the heroes.

Rey's parents were nobodies -> Rey's parents were somebodies

Yeah, just like how TFA blatantly foreshadowed that they were somebody of some kind of significance to the Force. And Kylo Ren only saw a brief snippet of them lacking context, and we didn’t even see it; we only had his word for it. How exactly is this change any worse than changing “Vader killed Luke’s father” to “Vader IS Luke’s father”; or “Leia is Luke’s love interest” to “Leia is Luke’s twin sister”; or all the blatant retcons done in the Prequels?

Also, the Skywalker Saga’s first two trilogies were about Anakin and Luke respectively, so why should the final one heavily center around someone who has no connection them whatsoever? Her being a Palpatine, since Palpatine is the one who created Anakin, is a brilliant way to tie things together and helps give the Skywalker Saga some cohesiveness.

Rey being OP has no explanation -> Rey being OP is explained

Good. “Anyone can use the Force” should not mean that anyone should just hit the Force jackpot from birth and be automatically more powerful than most other people who can use the Force, even those who have been using it longer. And the Force being stronger in some families has nothing to do with bloodlines or midichlorians, it’s a spiritual thing that was literally mentioned in the OT (”the Force is strong in my family”.) Plus, Rey as a Palpatine is what gives the resolution where she chooses to become a Skywalker its power: the spirit is stronger than blood, and who you are biologically related to doesn’t dictate your destiny.

Rey doesn't need much training -> Rey undergoes full training

Idk, I think part of the original “Leia is the Last Jedi” thing was always going to involve her completing Rey’s. I mean, it just seems like a natural f3miNeest ajehnDA! thing to do.

Random Force-sensitive children may be important -> They're not

They can be important in future stories beyond the Skywalker Saga. It was not their time yet.

The conflict might move beyond the familiar -> The conflict is a familiar one

For one thing, this is the final installment of the Skywalker Saga, so no fucking shit the conflict needs to be familiar. It’s a curtain call for the film series as it’s been since 1977, this “fanservice” should be expected. And for another thing, TLJ didn’t move things back toward the familiar? Rey stayed good, Kylo Ren stayed evil, the Jedi were not going to end, we were back in a Rebellion vs. Empire situation. If Rian Johnson really wanted to move things beyond the familiar in the following movie, he did a piss-poor job setting that up. 

"Kill the past" is the message -> "Honor and celebrate the past" is the message

I’ve brought this up before, but it needs to be said again: that was NOT the message of TLJ!!! I cannot believe how many people who both love and hate TLJ got this so wrong! The guy saying this is Kylo Ren, the fucking villain. He’s not supposed to be listened to! Rey doesn’t, and while Luke starts out with a similar mindset, he changes his views following the scene he has with Yoda, he realizes that the past, even the ugly parts of it, is valuable and should not be killed, it should be remembered and learned from. Rian Johnson’s message was a debate as to whether Star Wars’ past was all that good and that maybe it’s worn out its welcome and should be torn down so that the franchise can start anew, and the answer he concluded that debate with was no, that should not happen, the way forward is to always keep the past in mind but never get stuck in it: instead build from it and seek to improve from it. As the saying goes, “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”, and “killing the past” is like saying “don’t learn from history”. It’s a bad message from a bad person, so don’t believe it.

And again, it’s the last installment of the Skywalker Saga. Honoring and celebrating all that’s come before is kind of a requisite for big finales like this; just look at Avengers: Endgame!

That’s everything, unless “explaining why the Holdo Manuever won’t work again” is also something that critics are complaining about, and if it is actually is then, well, I give up.

#Star Wars #The Last Jedi #The Rise of Skywalker #Comparison #Analysis #Defense #Truthbomb #This has been a PSA

[agardenintheshire]

“The Wisdom of the Crowd: Internet Memes and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” by Michelle Markey Butler

hi tolkien fandom! did you know there’s an essay dealing with memes and the first hobbit movie?? now you do! bless my uni for having this essay. i thought it’d be fun to give you some of the best bits from the essay

without further ado........let’s go (on an adventure!)

(i will make a TLDR post about this and link it, but i just wanna get it out there after spending like 5 hours typing this dkfksdfjlsfjs)

(Boldened is my own emphasis!)

“The Wisdom of the Crowd: Internet Memes and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” by Michelle Markey Butler

[...] Harry Potter, the Game of Thrones, and Twilight do appear regularly in memes. But the works of Tolkien, despite being decades older, hold their own with them in the cutting-edge culture of memes. [...] My handling of memes deals with their rhetorical functions. Among these, as I have argued elsewhere, is crowd-sourced literary criticism. This essay will argue that memes are a vehicle through which a broad community thoughtfully engages with and presents nuanced criticism of Jackson’s films.

[...] Of course, not all Lord of the Rings memes participate in crowdsourced literary analysis. Indeed, many do not. Some are merely humorous, or employ LOTR elements for other objectives such as social critique. A rough estimate would be that one in ten engage in literary analysis of Lord of the Rings. But those LOTR memes that do carry the function of literary analysis by and large do so through the method of comparative consideration of the book and Jackson’s film versions.

In contrast, memes about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have thus far focused almost exclusively on the movie. Memes that appeared before the film was released express anxiety about its potential handling of the book and question why the book was adapted into three movies. One meme, for instance, unfavorably compares Jackson’s strategy for adapting The Hobbit with his approach to Lord of the Rings.

The meme is arguing that while adapting three books into three movies is a reasonable artistic decision, adapting one book into three movies is not. The real reason for this decision, the meme asserts, is financial, making this claim of financial motivation using the Aliens meme, a choice which allows the meme to imply that a monetary incentive for a three-movie adaptation of The Hobbit is as crazy a notion as the claim that aliens might have visited the earth. Anxiety and skepticism about the upcoming Hobbit films are evident.

[...]

Within hours of the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in December 2012, memes drawing upon images of the film began to appear and indeed, evaluate the movie, functioning in essence as crowd-sourced critique. The earliest and most prevalent of these memes - I’m Going on an Adventure, Majestic Thorin, and Never Have I Been So Wrong - focus upon moments and elements of the movie that engender strong reactions, either positive or negative, and analyze those reactions.

Snippets of the I’m Going on an Adventure scene had already been revealed in a trailer released in September in 2012. Yet while the image that is the basis for this meme was present in the trailer, memes featuring this moment did not appear until after the movie’s release. The meme community became interested in this line when it appeared in the context of the movie, rather than in the relative isolation of the trailer, as would be expected if memes function as crowdsourced analysis of the larger work. Unlike the two other pervasive memes that emerged following the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I’m Going on an Adventure memes are overwhelmingly positive in their characterization of the scene.

[...] The juxtaposition of the first two images suggests that getting new video games feels just as exciting, just as much as the beginning of an awesome adventure, as Bilbo setting out with a group of dwarves to steal treasure from a dragon. However, the second and third images critiques the actual experience of those games. Whereas Bilbo in fact goes on an adventure, playing the videogames leads nowhere, but sitting on the couch in your underwear. Not exactly the same as [Bilbo’s adventures]. The meme makes an argument about the limitations of virtual entertainment through (perhaps ironically) comparison with a fictional (albeit presented as real) adventure. [...]

Similarly, let’s consider a second example of a meme that depends for its meaning upon a positive view of the “I’m Going on an Adventure” moment:

The meme implies that the narrator believes that as an adult, he should take a level-headed, even casual approach to travel, but in reality he sees it like Bilbo sees his journey - an exciting adventure. [...]

On most meme sites, anyone can create and submit memes, but not all memes are featured by the websites. Most have a voting system that factors into determining which memes become featured (often called “making the front page.”). [...] Memes, then, funcion as crowdsourced literary criticism (among other rhetorical purposes, as discussed above) both due to the open submission format and because successful memes are those chosen by the community. Memes are, thus, peer-reviewed.

The popularity of “I’m Going on an Adventure” memes carries several interesting implications. First, the widespread interest in such memes, both creating and choosing them, suggests that movie audiences indentified this moment as one to which they had an intense response. For images or moments to become memetic, they must be immediately recognizable - important, meaningful, or in some way striking enough to have formed an accessible memory in the viewer’s mind. The widespread presence of the “I’m Going on an Adventure” meme thus suggests that this scene was indeed such a moment. Secondly, the handling of the scene in the meme suggests that audience reaction was in general a positive one. [...] The film clearly intends the scene to be a moment of high emotion and engagement (witness the film techniques employed as well as the swell of the musical score). From the evidence of the memes, we would have to conclude that it was successful.

While meme communities’ responses to the “I’m Going on an Adventure” scene were positive, other elements of the film did not fare as well. “Majestic Thorin” is a meme that points up the mixed results of the film’s adaptation of the characterization of Thorin. In the book, Thorin is a middle-aged dwarf whose overriding character trait is pomposity, most clearly seen in his tendency towards long-winded speeches filled with big words. Like most elements of the book, Thorin is not taken entirely seriously; at times his pomposity is played for humor. Nonetheless, the book handles that aspect with a light touch, never undercutting Thorin so much as to disable his ability to be seen as a courageous, albeit flawed, figure. We take his status as king seriously, we regret his bad decisions, we applaud his repentance, and we mourn his death, none of which would be possible - or at least would be considerably different - if the book presented him purely as a figure of humor.

The movie, in contrast, portrays Thorin as young, good-looking (”hot” would be more accurate), laconic, and most importantly, intensely serious. Perhaps too serious, the memes suggest.

The movie clearly intends to characterize Thorin as a “chip on his shoulder”, “tough as nails” dwarf prince out for revenge - a “badass”, in internet parlance. But memetic attention to this element is not necessarily positive. Nor is it overwhelmingly negative. “Majestic Thorin” memes question the portrayal, not utterly condemn it.

One problem with it, the memes suggest, is that the difference between the characterization of Thorin in the book, and, perhaps more importantly, the rest of the dwarves in the movie, might be too wide. Consider, for instance, another Majestic Thorin meme.

The meme’s argument is that Thorin is so much more awesome than even his closest dwarf competition that Kili is often reduced to tears of frustration at his inadequacy.

The situation is similar in nearly all Majestic Thorin memes.

As with the example above, this meme argues that the gap between the movie’s attention to and characterization of Thorin compared with its presentation of the other dwarves is too extreme. The movie lavishes Thorin with markers we are to understand that he is the only really important dwarf, that he has legitimate grievances to avenge, that we are to give our full sympathy to him. None of the other dwarves, even Kili, come close. This particular meme takes a bonus swipe at the movie’s presentation of Kili, noting that he lacks the most definitive of dwarvish characteristics, a beard.

A final example of Majestic Thorin demonstrates how extreme the meme community finds the characterization to be.

This meme is particularly effective at making the argument that the movie goes to far in elevating Thorin above the other dwarves. It picks up on Thorin’s characteristics gesture throughout the movie of staring into the middle distance, clearly brooding upon the injustices he’s experienced and how he intends to get vengeance. The meme argues, though, that this is not the reason for his continual middle-distance contemplation. Rather, he looks away from the other dwarves so much because he’s too majestic for their presence and can’t stand to look at them, even to the point of ignoring his nephew Kili, who beg like to a child to be notices. Everyone loves a brooding good guy intent on punishing those who wronged him, the meme argues, but The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey goes too far in trying to make Thorin the sole dwarvish object of our affections. We love the other dwarves too (especially Kili) and would prefer to feel as if we do so because of the movie’s presentation of them and not despite it.

Unlike most memes [Note 12: Intriguingly, it is also a rare meme that can be traced to a particular source, a discussion of tumblr by users mistlethalia @monsterthalia and @jackietastic  in December 2012] “Majestic Thorin” does not have a dominant image, instead making use of numerous stills from the film. This variation suggests that the meme is indeed about the overall portrayal of Thorin, not simply how he appears in a particular scene. Majestic Thorin memes consistently draw attention to the potentially over-the-top characterization of Thorin, but do not (at least not yet) mercilessly mock that characterization. In addition to suggesting that the characterization gap between Thorin and he other dwarves is too wide, the memetic attention of Thorin also questions whether Thorin’s majesty is problematic not because it is his most defining characteristic but because it is largely his only characteristic. By focusing upon Thorin’s majesty, the meme suggests that while viewers did not necessarily dislike the characterization of Thorin, they came away from the film with concerns that the brooding, appearance-based presentation was limiting, ultimately resulting in a nice-to-look-at but underdeveloped character.

An underdeveloped portrayal of Thorin might go a long way towards explaining memetic communities’ ambivalent response to a later scene in the film. Far and away the most prevalent meme deriving from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is Never Have I Been So Wrong/ I Have Never Been So Wrong. Thorin’s actual line in the movie is “I have never been so wrong in all my life, “ but versions of the meme exist using both the shortened real line and the variant phrasing, “Never have I been so wrong.” Quotations have an observed tendency to distill or distort as they become widely known. In this instance, it is interesting to note that the change makes the phrasing more formal, arguably more consistent with the film’s characterization of Thorin as aloof and proud, bordering on arrogant. Inverting his words gives the phrase a more formal, more archaic, and more elevated feel.

The Never Have I Been So Wrong meme nearly always employs the same template, a juxtaposed pair of images. In the first frame, we look over Bilbo’s shoulder at Thorin. In the second, we look over Thorin’s shoulder at Bilbo as they embrace. These images derive, of course, from the climactic scene near the end of the film in which Thorin changes his mind about whether bringing Bilbo along was a good idea - after we see Bilbo risk his own life to save Thorin.

As with the “I’m Going on an Adventure” scene, the film clearly intends this scene to be a moment of high emotional engagement for the audience. Unlike the earlier scene, it is not at all certain that the scene succeeds in being so; indeed, the consistent irreverence with which the scene is handled in memes suggest that it does not. Whereas “I’m Going on an Adventure” memes nearly always reference the scene positively, “I Have Never Been So Wrong” memes employ the scene at best ambivalently, and at worst, mockingly. For instance, we see examples of the meme using the typical images but with the following captions:

The widespread popularity of the “Never Have I Been So Wrong” meme seems to result from at least two elements. The meme is highly adaptable, lending itself to commentary about a wide variety of topics, as the examples above show. While that is demonstrably true, it seems insufficient to explain the meme’s popularity and longetivity. Within that flexible meme resides a core of commentary about the movie - that An Unexpected Journey aims to bridge the lighter, more playful world of the Hobbit book with the more solemn and dangerous world of LOTR, both as text and as movies, but is not entirely successful - a conclusion that viewers arrived at not long after the film’s release and about which they have not changed their minds.

Never Have I Been So Wrong is the most common Hobbit movie meme to emerge, most likely because the scene in many ways encapsulates the film as a whole, and audience reaction to this moment is representative of viewer reaction to the movie as a whole. This scene, like the movie itself, aims at a serious, high-concept reaction from viewers but does not fully succeed, resulting in a moment that partially deconstructs itself, teetering on the edge of self-parody. That teetering is what Never Have I Been So Wrong memes draw attention to. We react strongly to this moment, but we’re not certain how or why, or whether our reaction tracks with what the film meant to provoke. When Thorin confronts Bilbo, the seeminlgy-intended seriousness does not entirely hold together; the moment does not ring fully true. It is this partial failure of dramatic persuaiveness that memes have picked up on, the moment that almost, but not quite, travels into unintentional self-satire, and employs it repeatedly for precisely that purpose - mocking partly serious, partly ludicrous, situations. Of which, it turns out, we encounter many in our lives, hence the meme’s continued vibrancy.

As much as audiences wanted to like The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, they struggled to do so. There was concern and skepticism about the decision to adapt the book into three movies, and memes reflected this, but there was also goodwill towards the films and a profound hope that they would turn out well. Parts of An Unexpected Journey were well received, as we can see from the emergence of the I’m Going on an Adventure meme and its favorable handling of the scene.  Other memes, however, suggest that while audiences recognized the filmmakers’ goal of incorporating The Hobbit into a more developed and darker world of LOTR, that goal has been incompletely met, at least evidenced in An Unexpected Journey. The desire to make Thorin a more serious character came at the expense of him being a more fully realized character, as the Majestic Thorin meme’s insistence upon drawing attention to the movie’s portrayal of Thorin as a laconic, brooding badass, and only that, suggests. Most crucially, what is clearly meant to be the film’s climactic scene of repentance and redemption is so unsuccessfully rendered that instead it becomes a meme for critiquing moments that are half-serious and half-ridiculous. Each of these issues were raised either implicitly or explicitly in the memes themselves and demonstrate how the broader meme community engages in thoughful, nuanced critique of Jackson’s films. With this in mind, it will be interesting indeed to watch the meme communities when The Desolation of Smaug is released, to see what memes emerge and what they’ll tell us about viewers’ analysis of the film.

Sources:

Butler, Michelle. “The Wisdom of the Crowd: Internet Memes and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. The Hobbit and Tolkien’s Mythology, edited by Bradford Lee Eden, McFarland &Company, 2014, pp. 222 -231.

Picture Sources:

https://michellemarkeybutler.com/academic/hobbit-memes/

#personal #uh how to tag this? #the hobbit an unexpected journey #an unexpected journey #thorin #majestic thorin #also i'm sorry for everyone on mobile this is such a long post ahhh oh no #long post

[zenonaa]

30-40!

*cracks knuckles* *winces*

31. Top five favorite books in your genre?

I don’t think I have a genre so I will just put five of my favourite books.

Watership Down, Pride and Prejudice, The Secret Garden, A Series of Unfortunate Events (I’m counting this as one) and... uhm... The Book Thief.

32. On average how much do you write in a day? do you have trouble staying focused/getting the word count in?

My target is 500 words a day, five days a week. Sometimes I go over, but the more I write, the lazier my writing gets haha. It’s not a lot but I work full time.

33. What’s your revision/rewriting process like?

1. Write the first draft. Parts of it are balanced. Other parts are sections of dialogue with minimal narrative.2. Spend forever going through it, rewriting it.3. Reread it weeks/month later and wonder how you once read over a weirdly phrased sentence and let it stay like that and think to yourself ‘???’ before editing it.

I’m trying to make myself reread my fics after the first edit now.

34. Unpopular writing thoughts/opinions?

Sometimes if a piece of writing uses too many obscure/rare words, it takes me out of my imagination because I’m thinking ‘what does this mean? what’s happening?’ i am dummy...

35. Post the last sentence you wrote

‘i am dummy...‘

jk OH NO I JUST LOOKED AND THIS LOOKS SO BAD WITHOUT CONTEXT

‘Really, when Mondo opened the door to his dorm some hours later, Byakuya couldn’t be too surprised when Syo straddled Byakuya on his chair and drove her scissors into his throat.‘

36. Post a snippet

‘“Make no mistake, writing a good novel is not easy, but when I write, I don’t have to rely on others,” she said. “I draw on my own experiences. I write with my own sweat and blood. When you adapt someone else’s writing, you have to rely on other people to pull their weight. A director directs it. The actors play their part. Even the screenwriter, who uses my manuscript, has to write a script. Everyone is a cog in a machine. And here, my vision can become tainted. Scenes cut out... scenes added, or edited. Due to the lack of chapters, the pace is different. Actors and actresses with the wrong nuances, different faces, unintelligent interpretations of my prose... Argh!” Her face scrunched up as she tugged on her hair.“... I can’t take it! My novels are to be digested over time, not in a ninety minute chunk!”‘

37. Do you ever write long handed or do you prefer to type everything?

I used to write long handed and started many a notebook. I type everything these days because I edit so much.

38. How do you nail voice in your books?

I’m not sure? I just imagine the scene, I guess.

39. Do you spend a lot of time analyzing and studying the work of authors you admire?

I DO... I see how they use certain words, how often they use certain words, and study the structures of their paragraphs and sentences. It especially helps if I feel stuck.

40. Do you look up to any of your writer buddies?

I do. 😊 I have a lot of talented friends and I hope to write as well as them!

Thank you!!!

#tenmiu

[mfackenthal]

The MFackenthal Show with Special Guest @ownworldresident!

banner by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Megs:  Hello everyone!  Welcome to another episode of “The MFackenthal Show!”  Many many thanks to everyone who tuned in for the last episode.  The response to the return of the show has been truly fantastic and humbling.  It’s wonderful to have so many of you in our audience today!  

Please give your warmest welcome to tonight’s special guest @ownworldresident!

Alex:  Hey! *comes in waving*  Great to be here, thanks for inviting me Megs I'm honoured! *gives bear hug* I'm a big fan of hugs. *collapses dramatically into comfortable looking teal lounge chair*

Megs:  *Laughs* Well, make yourself comfortable, my friend. 

Alex:  Oh, you know I will!

Megs: Yes, yes I do.  So I hear that you’re working on a book!  Should I start calling you AJ?

Alex:  Okay so ... as readers of Something Unexpected will know my name is Alex. My pen name, recently decided, is A. J. Brooks. *grins like an idiot* I give you permission to call me Alex.

Megs:  Okay ... AJ ... so tell me, when did you join this crazy place we call the tumblr choices fandom?

Alex: I guess I could say I joined in about November? I started playing choices in August, because what better time to start than in the final semester of your bachelor's degree? I posted my first fic on Choices Archive which was unbelievably shit (the fic not the site!). I read A Royal Mate by @hopefulmoonobject aka Nesha and was inspired to write “You, The Lion” around chapter…. 6? I stalked Nesha to Tumblr, which I've never used before, and set up @ownworldresident, thus began the end of my social life. Courtesy of a design degree it was already pretty rocky.

Megs:  Who needs a social life when we have choices, tumblr, and fanfic, right?

Alex: Right! We all need AUs to carry us through to the next chapter.

Megs: Speaking of the next chapter ... have you read all of the choices books?

Alex: Hehe… *grins sheepishly* I have not. I have, however, played TRR enough times to have played every book twice over.

Megs:  Yeah, I think we’ve all done that!  Okay, so who do you stan in TRR?

Alex: *in a monotone* Oh, gosh, what a difficult question. Gosh Meg that's so hard to answer… *feigns thoughtfulness, then grins and speaks normally* if Liam isn't gripping the headboard with one hand to steady himself… What's the point of playing?

Megs: I’ll answer that with one word:  Drake.

Alex:  *rolls her eyes* And that’s my cue to leave the stage. *Alex starts to get out of her chair*

*Megs grabs her arms to keep her in the chair.*

Megs:  Nooooo!  Stay!  Tell us what you do when you’re not writing fics!  Geeze!

Alex: Haha, you know I’d never leave you, beautiful!  Okay, what do I do when I’m not writing fics ... I write my novel, reblog writing advice, play choices, chat to (and spam with excerpts) Nesha, Alicia, Stef, Urica, Pam, and you of course, also I have friends here but I'm not sure if they know I'm alive … I mean, I think I went out last month. This is specifically for Alicia - HE WILL REMAIN FRIENDZONED.

Megs:  Awh, maybe you need to give this guy a chance?

Alex: Oh gosh, not you too!  Stop!  FRIENDZONED!

Megs:  I’m just saying, sometimes the friend can be the *eyebrows raise twice* “friend.”

Alex: So, I’m from Australia! I was born in Perth (Western Australia), grew up in country WA, moved over to Melbourne to get a big fancy degree from a big fancy Uni, which i did *lifts fists in victory* and I love it here! Lots of ... um ... hot guys. But I spend all my time as a resident of my own world so don't actually see them much. I think I will need to go to Europe to find myself a Rhys.

Megs: nice deflection ... and we’re back to Liam.  Hahah!  Okay, okay, so as anyone who follows you on tumblr knows, you love to talk about writing.  Tell us about your writing process.

Alex: What's a ‘process? *frowns quizzically* I haven't really trained myself enough to have one. I have a muse, she is incredible, if I'm stuck I give her a problem and go and do other things and my tigress works on it in the background. For example the last big thing I wanted was a new story to write, so about a week later I was washing dishes or something and she went LIAM BANGS AN ASSASSIN and that's how The Mark came about. In case you were wondering or something. i also really like walking through forests, that really puts me in touch with my tigress. It's how You The Lion started. *shrugs* otherwise it's just when I feel like it. If I'm angsty I write Rayne. If I'm frustrated (at myself) I write Anna. If I'm excited I write SU with Nesha. If I'm focused I write my novel. *smirks* that's it! *chuckles*

Actually, Megs, are you up for an acting challenge?

Megs:  Don’t you know it!  Did you bring a script with you?

Alex:  Oh, just a snippet of my favourite passage of all I have ever written.  It’s Liam and Lisa's argument.  It’s love and trust and loss and honesty and pain, it’s really a pity they were too badly injured for angry sex. *winks*

Megs:  I call reading Lisa’s lines!

Alex: Wha?  Oh, okay, I’ll play Liam ...

*both ladies stand up in the middle of the stage and read overly dramatically*

Liam/Alex: “I thought you loved me Lisa…”

Lisa/Megs:  “Of course I love you!”

Liam/Alex: “Then that should be enough to just my judgement…”

Lisa/Megs:  “YES! It should! It should be enough to trust and yet you don’t! You don’t trust me, you’re blinded by him and how DARE you use your rank over me! I don’t give a shit what your reasoning was Liam that is not okay.”

Liam/Alex “It was to -”

Lisa/Megs: “Keep me safe! Guess what! I can defend myself, as if you didn’t know that. I told you, you should have believed me, because you said you loved and trusted me EVEN THOUGH YOU DON’T and that should be enough!”

Alex:  And end scene!

*The ladies take a bow*

I don't know if it makes sense without context and its only the dialogue but I love it!  You were a decent Lisa.  Though I’m not sure Lisa would have been quite so dramatic about it.

Megs:  You weren’t a half-bad Liam.  But i know he would have been more dramatic than you were being!  *wink*

*Both Alex and Megs starts to return to their seats - but Alex gets to Meg’s chair first.  Megs slowly goes to sit in the comfy teal green chair and gives Alex the side eye.*

Alex:  So Megs ... when and why did you decide to review and interview fanfic writers?

Megs:  What is it with my guests thinking they get to take over asking the questions?!  *Megs shakes her head in disbelief*  Hmm ... the first spotlight post/MFackenthal show was just over a year ago on May 5, 2018.  At that time, I wasn’t writing any fanfiction, but I wanted to give back to the community.  I don’t think I had even done a review post yet.  By that time I had written some posts to wish authors happy birthday or to highlight someone’s work that I was in love with ... but I had 100 followers and I wanted to celebrate that.  @maxattack-powell, @tmarie82, @lizeboredom, and a few others who aren’t here any more helped me come up with a way to spotlight the fanfic authors and I wrote a pilot episode of the Mfackenthal Show.  Ellen saw it, gave me this show, and the rest is history as they say.

Alex:  I love that you wanted to give back!  One last question ... *leans elbow on side of chair and rests chin on fingers to look at you, narrowing gaze* ... tell us one of your most fantastical Drake related dreams. Maybe you or someone can turn it into a one shot?

Megs:  Alex!  Oh my gosh!  Hahaha!  Hmmm ... okay ... well, the story would be an AU.  The MC, Megs - cause all the MCs are named Megs in my stories, is a Princess of a small country, but she’s gone into hiding because someone is after her and her family.  She goes to Cordonia and asks to help manage Liam’s social season.  She needs to stay behind the scenes so she can’t be in it.  She convinces Bastien, Liam, and Drake that she would be a good counselor/therapist for Liam - help him make decisions about who would be the best partner for him.  Of course, both Liam and Drake end up falling in love with Megs.  As always, Drake believes himself to be unworthy because he knows that Megs is a princess.  Megs is always very clear that she’s not in love with Liam and is in love with Drake.  All the forces keep Megs and Drake apart.  Drake eventually helps Megs get back to her country and Megs gets injured in a battle when she tries but fails to save her father from being murdered.  This means that Megs has to take the throne.  Drake tries to live without her, heading back to Cordonia.  Drake and Megs finally get together after her country and Cordonia enter trade negotiations and Liam sends Drake to make those negotiations. 

Alex:  *sighs* Megs, that’s beautiful.

Megs:  Thanks!  Probably not a one-shot though.

Alex: Probably not.  Alright - well, your producers are telling me that it’s almost time to wrap up the show.  So, I think it’s time for you and your audience to learn to do the shuffle!  So stand up.

*stands and looks at you expectantly until you do the same*

okay now drink this …

Megs:  uh ...

Alex:  Just drink it!  It's not poison *smirks as you drink and splutter then shrugs at your horrified expression and drinks the other half* don't worry it's just tequila. Okay follow me, stand there… music please… let's do this.

*proceeds to teach and dance and drink more and kiss the cameraman and fall over then get up and keep dancing like nothing happened*

--- several minutes later, both collapsed and grinning and slightly drunk ---

Please don't analyze me. I have a lot of problems. Urk.

Megs:  We’ll save the analysis for after the show! (hiccups) Alright folks (hic!)  I guess it’s time to go! 

Alex: *drunkenly* Omgosh I LOVE this fandom. Everyone is so friendly and (predominantly) positive *side eyes you* and creative and supportive and talented! I love you all. Thank you for being you, and if you interact with me, my fics, or anything I post, I consider myself honoured thank you!! To the fandom I will say keep being who you are. Every single one of you is incredible *shrugs excitedly, grinning*.

Megs: Have a great night, all!  Don’t drink and drive!  Love you all!!!!

And now for the tags! If you want to be added to the tag list for these or removed, please let me know!  They won’t come out every day, I promise!

@hopefulmoonobject @queen-among-writers

#The MFackenthal Show #Official episode 4 #but really episode 5 #I'm not drunk - you're drunk #Alex is a pusher! #She got Liam drunk this same way once #Tequila may be poison though #That was a set of dreams I had about Drake and Liam #Really couldn't be a one shot #We really do love you all though!

[auntarctica]

Can I ask what your writing process looks like? How do you find a story idea and nurture it into what you post eventually? Do you have any tips or tricks or recommendations?

Hey! Sorry it took me a moment to reply, but I had a weird and disjointed week full of asinine obligations and I didn’t want to phone in a response - I wanted to give this the attention it deserved.

This was such a rad question, because it actually caused me to sit back, have a French 75 and analyze the shape of what I tend to think of as an innate, inborn, organic process. Which is what invariably happens when a collection of personal discoveries become habitual over time - they’re so engrained and automatic, you begin to think they were always there.

But the truth is that, through a constant process of repetition and experimentation, every writer ultimately comes up with a set of practices that work for them.

With that in mind, and since you kindly asked, here are mine. My philosophy on writing comes down to these two guiding, driving principles:

I write what I would like to read.

I write to create what should exist, but doesn’t.

For fan-writing, I would also add, “I write to augment and unearth.”

There is an archaeological component to all writing, but never more so than in fanfiction, where you’re ultimately digging into existing narratives to find tantalizing clues and veins of possibility, in order to expand, enhance, reimagine and/or subvert those mother narratives. There may be an entire underground tomb full of gold waiting to be discovered beneath one sentence or throwaway part of a scene, but it will never be realized until someone excavates that avenue. Michaelangelo famously claimed that he did not sculpt—merely revealed what was already present in a block of marble.

If you have passionate feelings about anything in an artistic property, then you have ideas. You cannot help but have them.

And ultimately, this is where ideas come from: an exchange between two characters that suggests a history, and prompts you to wonder what transpired between them before, or inspires you to reference that moment in a story set in their future. A curiosity about the unspoken moments, those missing interludes and gaps in canon that are left unresolved, and are so ripe for fleshing out.

Or perhaps you like the general cut of a character’s jib, as presented, but find them under-developed, and want to give them more weight and presence and purpose. Or maybe you just think it just be would be hot if a couple of them hooked up. Or you want to fix something that bothers you, that you feel failed in the original work. Reconcile bitter enemies into passionate lovers. Redeem a villain and give him dimension. Re-mint a reputation, or tarnish a hero. Or anything, really. Anything that strikes you.

Once it strikes you, of course, the question is execution.

In my experience, there are two types of writers:

The first are like painters, who splash a lot of words down fast, dash off a full draft and then revise their overall vision in subsequent passes.

The second are more like sculptors. They edit as they go, carve sentences with care, craft the shape of the overall narrative, and search for the right word the first time.

Both are equally valid approaches, and I’m sure many people are a hybrid. Both have virtues, and drawbacks. The danger for the first one, of course, is if they never rewrite or revise. The danger for the second is that they get the dreaded “perfectionist paralysis”, and never finish.

I tend to be the second type. But regardless of what your natural approach and inclination is, I think certain things can be useful.

Once you have an idea about who and what you want to write about, your mind will start to work on those thoughts. It will begin with a sort of jumbled white noise that feels hopelessly inchoate. Be patient: things will start to emerge from the static. Scenes will start to coalesce, snippets and lines and exchanges of dialogue.

And when they come to you, it does not matter what point these need to occur in the narrative: write them. Strike while they’re hot and set them down. Even if it’s just a note to yourself about your eventual intentions, even if you fully intend to tweak them later, because you’re not sure about the context. Keep these snippets in a loose affiliation at the bottom of your doc, or in a separate snippets doc. (If you happen to use Scrivener, you can actually view any doc side by side with your main doc, which is incredibly helpful when harvesting those gems for inclusion).

The reason is this: if you write the scenes and sections and snippets you are fairly sure about wanting (even in a rudimentary form, or as a note), you automatically set up tentpoles, and a scaffold—a skeleton of thematic waypoints that your mind will use to fill in the lacunae and build a narrative arc. Your subconscious will work on this, even while you’re doing other things, and will be re-primed to work on them again every time you read them over.

Even if you’re hopelessly stuck, or have an unproductive day and don’t get any writing done, read over what you have before you shelve it for the day. Your mind will make connections, remove obstacles, and explore options, allowing you to sit down and compose words the next day.

Which leads me to this: most of the real work of writing happens off-page, and away from your computer. Once you set a piece in progress, your mind is always engaged and actively working on completing it. Writing anything – a story, a novel, a script, what-have-you—is like being in labor for days, or even years. Even when you’re not actively pushing, it’s happening. It’s a state you come to tolerate.

Pursuant to this, another tip: if words aren’t coming or you reach a difficult patch of prose or aren’t sure how to handle something, get up and do something mindlessly kinetic. Wash dishes, sweep, exercise, take a shower, cook some food. Engaging one part of your mind in something banal seems to free up the subconscious. It’s often shocking how quickly the answer will come to you, like a bolt from the blue.

In my experience, narratives want to be realized. Themes want to reveal themselves, and repeat meaningfully. What starts out nebulous and daunting will slowly winnow down and lick into shape. There’s a magnetism to words and ideas. It’s often a process of moving the pieces around until you feel a pull in some direction.I will sometimes begin a piece from the beginning, if I am struck with an undeniable opening sentence, but more often than not, I find myself writing out of order. This may not work for everyone, but by having these buoys and checkpoints in place, I feel like it gives a more comprehensive view of the overall shape of the developing narrative.

Full disclosure: I’m not sure if any of this is too rudimentary, or if I even addressed what you wanted to know, but if you have more specific questions, I’ll happily try to answer those too!