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matoitech · 11 months

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ok uhh okay. spiderverse 2 thoughts. in bullet points for the sake of my churning brain cuz im just not rly sure how i feel abt it rn. like it was a good movie? i enjoyed it it was fast paced i didnt realize 2+ hours went by which also segues into my first thought but like. yeah i have thoughts.

first of all that was like a super weird ending decision to make it a part 1 of 2. zero warning for that. and i sat in that theater till credits bcuz i genuinely thought i was being punked and the movie was going to finish, bcuz it did not at all feel like a place to stop for the movie. it ends like right before the climax?? yes they really. extended themselves damn far for this one and it would be a lot to tie up in like another 45 minutes of movie but also like you couldve done it.. i really dont. understand. like ppl just sat in the movie theater like wait is it done. theyre ending it here? for real? like it wasnt the kind of ending you expect from this movie

animation was obviously gorgeous and insane i dont even need to talk about what eye candy it was. the different styles all together the fight scenes ugh so good yeah yeah everyone knew it would be a trip

rly cannot stress enough what a Direction this sure was. i dont like say it as crit necessarily just like. did they over extend. maybe. they sure Extended. i would expect this maybe for a third movie not a second but they were clearly trying to blow the first one out of the water. it was just.. a lot looser. it needed to be tighter. i dont know what theyre planning for the 3rd movie but i really did not like. vibe with that ending decision

they changed peni’s design slightly and gave her a cooler mech so thats nice. maybe they listened 2 criticisms abt that

i cant decide how i feel abt a lot of the dialogue tbh it rly wasnt my thing a lot of the time like. the changing writers were kind of.. obvious. and there was a LOT of dialogue bcuz this movies purpose seems to be a very Character Driven story to prepare for the next? like theyre TRYING to say stuff thats for sure. also it was rly quippy in a way that i feel has gotten kind of tired with dialogue writing like SOME dialogue was genuinely funny and good to me like i wouldnt say it was BAD or something (some of it was bad.) it was just.. noticeably different? the tone for this movie was changed from the first which again isnt bad youre telling a different story it was just Different yeah. some things i rly thought couldve been handled like with more subtlety.

i guess we only had one movie with the original cast but some stuff just like i personally was sitting there trying to figure out if it felt in character or not. its rly hard to explain if u havent watched it i think and maybe im just crazy i dunno. im absolutely not opposed to making ur characters fuck up and make mistakes but like. huh. i guess. i would not expect otherwise from gwen bcuz shes a teenager but i was.. surprised that peter was going along with it like ? hes a middle aged man lol he wasnt like taken advantage of or manipulated in any way. not like they were trying to say that w the like spider group anyway, like i dont think they were tryingto say gwen was necessariyl taken advantage of or anything, like they werent trying to make them read as ‘evil’ if anything just like wow these ppl sure have Problems they are going thruogh. but like still? im not invested in peters character even it just felt kind of weird. miles went fucking through it too like jesus christ im still trying to wrap my brain around all this it sure does feel like theyre putting these ppl thru comic book trauma

what i went through emotionally wheni realized they were going to do Dark Miles i dont even mean that as criticism or anything its just a bold move man. buti was sitting there like yeah of course they would. hope they make it work

i dunno i probably have more thoughts im just kind of like sitting here lol like what a weird decision. if they hadnt ended it like that i probably would have my thoughts more tied together bcuz the movie itself wasnt tied up?? so its kind of hard to even like think through everything on one watch

#spiderverse 2 spoilers #itsv 2 spoilers #atsv spoilers #idk what tags ppl use #spiderverse

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rearranging-deck-chairs · 1 year

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If I may, #1 ("Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?" - I am more and more curious about the technobabble you've been posting, haha), #3 ("What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need?") and #18 ("Do any of your stories have alternative versions? [...] Tell us about them.")

1."Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?"

current project is a thasmissy fic (wait do people even know that portmanteau? ive just been using it. yaz/13/missy) set between revolution and flux. it's basically vault times but with 13 and yaz instead of 12 and bill. it's about coming to terms with trauma and coming to terms with your sexuality i think most concisely put. or in other words i think ive put it like it's about "the things we dont want to touch and the things we DO want to touch". heres the video i made of it last year for anyone who hasnt seen it:

youtube

this video took a full month to make and drove me almost insane which makes sense bc editing this fic rn is driving me again insane. just need to finish two more scenes. one of which is the technobabble

it's really fun to do but also takes soooo much time. my favourite tardis wiki page is the tardis components one so im on that a lot, and then ive got a thousand wikipedia pages open about philosophical, linguistic and mathematical concepts and then i try to put words together in a way thats at least superficially a little bit convincing

it's completely incoherent of course but it sounds fun. my browser history looks like this now:

no idea what any of those things actually are <3

3 "What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need?"

honestly i dont think i have a lot of those? i think generally my writing process is just that i write the scene i want to write, and either that turns into the whole fic, or i combine it with other scenes i wanted to write and shuffle then all around for a long time until it resembles something like a story. who needs set up? just jump into the medias of res babey

18 "Do any of your stories have alternative versions? […] Tell us about them."

full stories probably not or maybe there were but i dont remember now. but theres a lot of scenes with alternative versions in this thasmissy fic bc i had to puzzle and recut and rewrite a lot until it made the least bit of sense due to aforementioned "shuffle around until it resembles a story" approach

theres one scene where there was a really clear fork in the road where first i went down one route and then i was like 'oh no i cant do this, it breaks the relationship beyond what i want it to' so i had to go back and take the other path. im still fond of that alternative scene because it was also an interesting one i think

it's a scene between yaz and missy and in the cut version yaz said/did something that sort of cemented their dynamic as an echo of what my interpretation is of vault times thoschei, ie that the doctor keeps the master trapped. half physically half emotionally. because i think the master could leave, the vault or 13's tardis in this fic, but emotionally it's more complicated than that. the power the doctor has over them is that they want the doctor's love, especially missy is super overtly driven by that. the master always is but missy is unashamed and almost unresentful of it i think. missy will say "love me" out loud, basically. "i need my friend back" you know?

and what i had yaz do put missy in that same kind of position she is wrt the doctor. and they both immediately realised that and missy was like "youre just like her" and yaz was like "oh shit i fucked up". it's an interesting scene i think because being like the doctor is what yaz wants, right? and being like the doctor is why missy is drawn to her. but yaz doesnt want to replicate the relationship dynamic of the doctor and the master. she wants to be like the doctor but she also has that I Can Fix Her instinct. and i think with missy that is way more important because missy doesnt need another doctor (even though she also wouldnt be interested in someone who wasnt a little bit the doctor, you know? hi clara. i think 12/missy/clara and 13/dhawan/yaz are like two sides of the same coin. the companion a mirror to both the doctor and the master)

#sorry for Very long answers but thank you for asking <33 #thasmissy

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rllymilerlly · 3 years

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I’m just saying that if Katara or Toph were a boy (or let’s be real even if both of them were boys) so many people would ship them. And I cannot be convinced otherwise

#the emotionally driven scenes they have together is insane #like I love them as just friends too don’t get it twisted #but these 2 have more going for them in canon then most ships #and I find it kinda sus #that nobody talks about it #to be frank it’s most likely sexism #like you can not like the ship that’s fine #I just find it wack that z ukka is this huge ship and let’s be real #in canon they don’t got much to go off of #(nor do most ships)#while Katara and Toph have multiple bonding moments #most of which are emotionally charged #so it’s sus that it’s rarely talked about #katoph #hot takes #brit rambles

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tinkertayler · 3 years

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Love, Loyalty, Power, Insanity.

You know that part in “Meltdown” where Aeryn says "I love it when you take control" and John says "That's the drexim talking" and Aeryn raises her eyebrows and says "No it isn't". That part makes me FERAL, every time, because while I know it might seem like just a sexy, flirty, throwaway exchange, it's honestly anything but.

John Crichton is an unhinged bastard with whom Aeryn is hopelessly in love. She is willing to follow him anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances. She’ll follow him to the ends of the universe, into the face of mortal danger, and down paths that lead to almost certain death, again and again (and again). She would quite literally follow him into the swirling, all-consuming, universe-destroying vortex of a wormhole if he asked her to (and eventually, he will). She loves him. She respects him. She believes in him. She is loyal to him beyond good sense or reason, and is willing to commit herself to every single one of his impossible, insane, foolhardy plans.

"I love it when you take control" she says, and oh, it's true. When she says it, I can't help but think about the many times throughout the seasons we see just how true it is.

Exhibit A: Liars, Guns and Money (s2)

John is at peak instability at the end of this season and he presents a crackpot plan to the group. Aeryn is a freak, so she finds it arousing. Seriously--she's turned on by his mad genius here. She wants to jump him. When I first watched this scene, I thought "Wow, okay. Aeryn has never wanted to fuck John more than she does at this moment. Interesting. A lot to unpack." She is slightly scared of (and for) him, but mostly she's just really into John when he demonstrates his intelligence, charisma, adaptability, ingenuity, and capability as a leader by taking charge of situations--even, maybe especially, when he exhibits the fearless confidence and nonchalant rule-breaking, dangerous risk-taking behavior of an absolute madman (P.S. Aeryn needs therapy).

Exhibit B: Fractures (s3)

She just lost him to a suicide mission, and now he stands before her again, proposing yet another suicide mission. She's shattered, emotionally decimated, a shell of her former self. She can't even look at him. And yet... and yet. She still can't say no. She knows she can't say no. John has a vision and a plan--a crazy one, as always--and she's prepared to follow it dutifully, as always. She'll follow him anywhere. She'll follow him to his death. She'll follow him to hers. The level of loyalty she feels to this man... it’s beautiful, and also terrifying.

Exhibit C: We're So Screwed (s4)

John is insane in the membrane... AGAIN... and delivers another half-baked plan sure to go awry. He is legitimately the most powerful man in the room, and Aeryn has never been more in love. I find this blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment deeply poignant; the look they exchange is made of pure love, reverence, sadness, and understanding. It is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. There's something sorrowful yet ultimately peaceful about her attraction to him here. Aeryn is in love with and committed to John and by this point, she knows and accepts the risks. She knows he could die. She knows SHE could die. Been there, done that (more than once!). Whereas previous seasons find Aeryn loyal yet conflicted, there's virtually no conflict here. She knows who John Crichton is and what he is capable of: he's a man who has been driven to the brink of insanity; who has the most formidable, destructive knowledge locked in his brain; who is able to command rooms full of the most powerful beings; who can bend the fabric of the universe to his will; who can singlehandedly destroy entire galaxies; who is fundamentally pure of heart yet willing to commit atrocities; who has selflessly sacrificed his life to save millions, but most importantly to save her; because, above all, John Crichton is utterly, unequivocally, viciously in love with Aeryn Sun. She knows all of this, and she’s content in her commitment to him. They've been through the ringer (and will almost certainly go through it again), but she has resolved to stand by him till the bitter end.

Exhibit D: The Peacekeeper Wars (s5, kind of)

Remember when I said Aeryn would quite literally follow John into the swirling, all-consuming, universe-destroying vortex of a wormhole if he asked her to (and eventually, he would)? Well, here we are, folks. John reaches peak destructive insanity and Aeryn doesn't falter. Her commitment to him is almost as terrifying as his commitment to his cause and his willingness to do whatever it takes--whatever it takes--to get what he wants. I would say Aeryn follows him blindly, but to suggest that would be an insult to her as an autonomous, self-directed being. She doesn't follow blindly. She knows what she's doing by choosing to align herself with John, as much as he knows what he’s doing. And that's the kicker: John has never been more lucid than he is at the end of PKW. His insane actions have never been more calculated or considered. That's what makes this the most dangerous and terrifying brand of insanity we've ever seen him display. And Aeryn supports him. She joins him. The Aeryn of PKW retains all the inner peace and resolve she had in s4, but with darker and more sinister undertones--this is the most complicated, vivid depiction of Aeryn's love and unwavering loyalty, respect of John's power, and willingness to join him in absolute insanity. Together, they make quite a team: destructive, deadly, diabolical. Their commitment to peace is violent. Their heroism is villainous. They are prepared to die for what they believe in, and they are willing to take everyone else with them.

"I love it when you take control."

Yeah. She does. She really does.

ANYWAY... Gotta love a show wherein a single comedic line (from an episode that could, at first glance, be viewed as little more than fluffy fanservice) is actually important, and speaks to fundamental truths about the characters, their relationship, and their choices over the course of the entire series. Gotta love it.

#...okay #i think i'm done #do you ever just wake up plagued by Thoughts #this weekend's descent into insanity brought to you by: caffeine and avoidance of actual responsibilities #john x aeryn #john crichton #aeryn sun #farscape

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littlespoonevan · 2 years

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they're really insane for playing photograph and making eddie and chris come to buck where the lyrics go 'wait for me to come home' there's literally no other way except them to be together they have to be

askjdfhs but you're so right!!! when i first watched the show and was trying not to get too emotionally invested (lol) i was having a lot of fun identifying scenes that i thought must've driven the fandom crazy re buddie and i remember when that song started playing and then it got to that part right at the beginning of the buddie scene i was just like, oh wow we're doing this???!??! unhinged behaviour tbh what was the reason if not to emphasise that buck's home is with eddie and chris?????????

#anon #asks

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object-show-analysis · 3 years

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Why does MePad lie?

This is a question I was asked to answer a while ago. So let’s talk about it.

Now it is a fair question. Why would MePad lie to MePhone about where Marshmallow was if he doesn’t have emotion? He claims that he can’t feel anything, so why’d he make the choice to lie to MePhone

the answer to this one is pretty simple, (and most people I’ve talked to seem to agree with this, I’m just here to put things into words the best I can) but the main reason MePad chooses to keep where Marshmallow is a secret (despite the fact that he cannot feel anything for her) is that he’s a liar.

Marshmallows whereabouts aren’t the only lies he tells in episode 11. Kick The Bucket parts 1 and 2 are the only instances in which MePad mentions his inability to feel emotion. And I am positive that this is also a lie.

Let’s go over the facts

Season 2 Episode 2 we are introduced to MePad. Right away he is established as very different from MePhone in many ways. Mainly through his friendly demeanor, and his compassion. In his first episode, MePad is incredibly friendly. We see him “smile” throughout the episode and he seems to show compassion towards the contestants

As early season 2 goes on we continue to see a wide range of emotions from MePad

He shows sadness or anger when arguing with Toilet. He becomes sarcastic and sometimes even rude towards MePhone. Which, while unkind, is still an emotional response. But he’s also shown to be incredibly compassionate. From the start he applauds MePhone for caring so much about the contestants, though MePhone shuts him down.

One of the biggest indicators of this sense of compassion comes from his behavior towards his fellow assistant/cohost, Toilet.

MePad and Toilet are both hostile towards each other in the beginning of the season, though MePad doesn’t understand exactly what Toilet has against him. Their talk in the falling balloon opens MePad’s eyes to the reality of the constant workplace abuse that Toilet experiences. From that point there is a very obvious shift in MePad and Toilet’s behavior.

MePad takes time to give credit to Toilet, even when it isn’t deserved, in the name of trying to get MePhone to recognize him. He works with Toilet in an attempt to get MePhone to let him read the votes. And when MePhone shuts Toilet down again, MePad appears angry with him.

It is important to note here that MePad is not one for open confrontation. He never actively stands up for Toilet but he takes steps to ensure that Toilet gets the recognition he deserves. When MePad is upset about something, he dwells. Never directly asking for answers but trying to figure things out on his own (we’ll get back to this point in a moment)

Episode 13 and 14 give us a lot of insight into many characters, and MePad is no exception. As episode 13 comes to a close, this unwillingness to actually stand up against MePhone becomes his greatest downfall. MePad tries at first to insist Toilet would never mean any harm, but when push comes to shove MePad stands with MePhone. As Toilet turns to him for help, MePad can only look away.

MePad clearly has some inability to directly fight back against MePhone, even when he really wants to. It’s a limitation of his.

We see in this scene and in future scenes how Toilet leaving emotionally effects him. MePad is visibly distressed when Toilet leaves, and later becomes angry with MePhone for trying to get rid of his memories again and abandon the contestants. Just another example of MePad responding in very emotionally driven ways

But I’m rambling now. Back to the topic at hand, MePad and emotions. I do believe his emotional expression is very clear, but also lore wise it would only make sense for MePad to have emotions.

It was confirmed on tumblr that the Meeple products ability to feel emotion has been on a decline since MePhone4. MePhone4 being the most capable of complex emotion, and the phone that attacked Toilet (commonly assumed to be MePhoneX) being the least emotional that we’ve seen so far. We see MePhones be capable of emotion up until MePhone6 (though they could still be capable of it. As we don’t see much of them, or 6+)

Timeline wise, we know MePad was created somewhere between MePhone4 and MePhone5 (he was most likely built before MePhone4S as well, though we aren’t entirely sure). But this means that MePad should be even more capable of feeling than 5, 5S and 5C (who we know can all feel emotion.)

Case in point: MePad Does feel emotion. He absolutely must in order to line up with the confirmed lore, and what we’ve seen in the show.

Now with that out of the way we can circle back to the original question: why does MePad lie to MePhone about where Marshmallow is.

I don’t believe it was his original intention to do so, as he seems concerned for her well-being at first. And doesn’t seem to have any intention of lying when he first confronts MePhone about it.

However Marshmallow doesn’t leave his mind. Even though he tells Toilet that he’s been watching the competitors, we see he’s also got Marshmallow’s drawing of Bow with him. He’s been thinking about her, and the other contestants as a whole.

MePad is unsure why Marshmallow would choose to leave, but I believe this is the moment where he comes to his own conclusion. MePad notes to Toilet that he’s realized how miserable the contestants are. He sees their struggles and how much the competition is ripping them apart. Toilet re-solidifies this idea, as he shows he relates to the contestants in their need to please someone without ever getting anything in return, which MePad knows makes Toilet miserable.

When we see MePhone and MePad together again after this conversation, that’s when we learn MePad has lied about knowing where Marshmallow is. Because he knows why she never came back. He understands now that this was a bad environment for her.

So he makes the decision to let her be. It’s unclear what he thought would happen if he told MePhone where she was, but it’s possible they’d try to bring her back. And he understood that wasn’t what she wanted.

But there’s still one question that remains: why does MePad lie about not having emotions?

MePad’s ability to feel is mentioned twice in Kick The Bucket. Once in part 1 and once in part 2. Though his story changes throughout the two parts

In part one he claims that he can’t feel Much. Which isn’t a complete lie, as I already stated his emotions aren’t as strong as MePhone or the contestants. Though there isn’t much of a visible difference.

But in part 2 he states that he can’t feel Anything. Which surprises MePhone. It’s also important to note in this scene he appears very distressed Until he claims he can’t feel.

It’s unclear exactly what he hopes to achieve by claiming he has no ability to feel. But as I’ve already discussed, there was a clear shift in MePad’s understanding of the game in episode 11. He now sees Inanimate Insanity for what it really is, and all the pain that comes with it. We don’t know his exact reasoning. But it’s clear that this realization is what caused him to begin to lie about his ability to feel.

I hope this answer was satisfactory

#most of this post isn’t even me answering the question directly but I felt it was important background in order to understand his motivation #longpost #tags for organization:#mepad #inanimate insanity

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mermaidsirennikita · 2 years

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any movies/shows that had cheating that you liked? (whether it was them cheating with or on each other) i know reign was messy as hell when it came to that sort of stuff !

Yeeeeah Reign had some well-done cheating and some not so well done cheating, but it always had cheating lmao. I particularly loved Catherine and Henry's relationship in light of him keeping a mistress--they loved each other but couldn't make it work and had all those YEARS of resentment.

I personally loved the OG Gossip Girl Nate/Serena/Blair inciting scandal because I felt like the hurt feelings between Blair and Serena were soooo good. More intense than the hurt feelings between Nate and Blair tbh. Also, I feel like cheating in teen dramas should almost always happen at some point because teenagers are stupid.

Speaking of, there's the immortal, if relatively insane all things considered, Peyton/Brooke/Lucas triangle on One Tree Hill. Lucas was a dog!!! A dog without honor I say!!!

I enjoyed the way infidelity played out on The Tudors because a) historical setting adds to the drama because nobody can like, easily leave the marriage and b) you got to see it from multiple angles? Like Catherine of Aragon stoically but resentfully bearing Anne Boleyn as a mistress but being unwilling to step aside for her. Anne Boleyn in turn being unable to handle Henry's infidelities once she was his wife, and being driven a bit bonkers by it ("JUST WHEN MY BELLY IS DOING ITS BUSINESS", immortal). Of course, poor Katherine Howard later cheated, and that was a case of her being a very sympathetic adulterer imo because she was this teen girl married to a creepy old man while being manipulated by another creepy man.

Obviously, I loved the cheating in Brokeback Mountain. Very tragic and nobody was happy, but it was great.

On a happier level, Imagine Me and You has a woman fall in love at first sight with her wedding florist while she's walking down the aisle. It's emotional cheating largely, with a little bit of physical cheating, and it's ultimately better for everyone involved that the main couple be together.

I love the way cheating is done on The Crown. You have the very delicately implied but emotionally torturous cheating Philip is doing, even though he and Elizabeth clearly love each other--they're both too emotionally stunted to actually discuss that love and he's resentful of the power she has over him, so he cheats. AND he suspects her of wanting to cheat with her childhood friend. Matt Smith and Claire Foy played that loathing of each other so well. And of course, you have the legendary Charles/Diana/Camilla triangle, and Diana's retaliatory infidelities. The scene where Charles and Diana have it out in s4 is one of the best fights I've seen onscreen.

I also love the way infidelity and a longstanding, complex relationship is portrayed in Helen Mirren's Catherine the Great mini. Catherine and Potemkin (much like real life) love each other madly but can't be faithful to each other due to their various excesses and ambitions. So they're like... emotionally reliant on each other, while fucking other people. It's more an open relationship than cheating, but there's also the tension of like--will someone else supplant the other emotionally for them?

The Five Juanas has some TRULY INCREDIBLE messy telenovela cheating in that Federico and Valentina fell in love before realizing that they were half-siblings (and did not consummate the relationship). There's like a time jump of a few months and he comes back to town with a new girlfriend, Isabel, but he's still in love with Valentina. But it can't be! But they make out! But!!!! It's incredibly insane and messy and I love it. And uh.... Isabel.... gets hers...

In The Mood For Love is literally all about cheating. The couple in the heart of the story find out their spouses have been cheating on them with each other, and over the course of the story they themselves begin to fall in love in turn. Very much an emotional affair.

I Hate Clint Eastwood and I Hate that he's the male lead in this movie, but The Bridges of Madison County is honestly great, if sappy, at portraying cheating. And it has one of my favorite Meryl performances. I really love that the cheating in this is portrayed as... just occurring because she's unfulfilled with her life and marriage, and has no intention to hurt her husband or children. She just needs something for herself.

Not a movie or TV show (yet--it's currently filming as an Amazon Prime series) but probably my FAVORITE portrayal of cheating is in Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. You can read the book or listen to the audio book--both are excellent but the audio book is truly unique. Billy is the frontman of a band called The Six, and he's married to his long-term sweetheart/mother of his children Camila. Camila already put up with him developing a drug addiction while touring the first time around; he also slept with groupies and wasn't even there the day their first child was born. He's recognized his mistakes, they've re-committed to each other and are very much in love, and he's clean and sober.

Daisy Jones is brought in to be the new lead singer for The Six, and they immediately have friction. She is a drug addict, which obviously makes him anxious due to his fragile sobriety. She is also extremely alluring and very talented. She and Billy start this kind of grudging friendship out of mutual artistic respect and begin writing songs together, and have this REMARKABLE collaborative relationship together, and... she falls in love with him during the process. They only share this one very fleeting, chaste kiss and it IMMEDIATELY fucks everything up because he hates that it happened and denies that anything is going on between them and runs back to Camila. And because the book is told through the flashback perspectives of Daisy, Billy, Camila, and the entire band, you basically get Daisy being upfront about her own emotions but so hurt that she can't really read his; Billy denying that he ever had feelings for Daisy for most of the book; and Camila and everyone else basically saying "he was obviously crazy about Daisy". Camila knowing!!! Her husband loves her and will never leave her. And Camila also knowing that most likely? There is at least a part of Billy that loved Daisy more than he loved her. Or a part of Billy's heart that would always be Daisy's, just because he and Daisy connected in a way that he and Camila couldn't. And the angst!!! When Billy finally admits in the story that yes, he was in love with Daisy, and yes, there was a time when he was more in love with Daisy than he was with Camila... But he loved his life and his family and Camila and chose them. IT'S SUCH. GOOD. CHEATING. And fandom hates him for it, and I love him for it, it's the highest of drama.

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lesbianrobin · 3 years

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hey guys it's me again back on my bullshit <3 wanna hear my theory about how tommy created king steve? warning it’s like 2800 words long okay let's go!

So, at first glance in S1, the Steve and Tommy dynamic seems somewhat obvious: King Steve and his loyal sidekick. This post is me arguing that the only reason we really have this perception is because Steve is the more attractive of the pair (no hate to Chester Rushing, he’s very cute, but. Joe Keery) and because Tommy himself encouraged it. Tommy was actually the more “dominant” partner in the duo. I believe that it was Tommy who encouraged Steve to lean into the “King Steve” persona and who encouraged belief in this persona among their classmates, all for his own benefit.

Before we can really get into it, I have to establish something about Steve’s character, specifically that he bases his self-worth and self-image almost entirely on what others say and think about him. I’m basing this assumption off of a few key moments in the series, but I don’t want this to be insanely long so I’ll try to focus on season two where this trait is most evident.

At the Halloween party, Nancy tells Steve that they killed Barb and that their “love” is bullshit, and then later outside of the gym she insists that he isn’t being fair or reasonable in his anger with her. The next day Steve shows up to her house with roses, rehearsing an apology (”I’m sorry... what am I sorry for?) even though he doesn’t feel that he’s done anything wrong. That’s important: apologizing even though he doesn’t actually believe or understand his feelings and actions to be wrong. He’s trusting Nancy’s perception that he’s been unreasonable above his own hurt feelings and his own perception that he’s done nothing he needs to apologize for. Then, at the end of the season, he tells Nancy that he may have been a shitty boyfriend, but he’s a pretty damn good babysitter.

Sometime between going to the Wheelers’ house with flowers to apologize and talking to Nancy at the Byers’, Steve did a pretty serious 180 from “What the hell am I sorry for, what did I even do wrong” to “I was a shitty boyfriend and you should go be with Jonathan.” The last time he interacted with Nancy was prior to the flower incident, so what happened to cause this shift in perspective? I’d like to suggest... that nothing happened!

See, Steve is on a pretty linear emotional path in S2 after the Halloween party. At first, he’s so upset that he can’t even look at Nancy, asking Jonathan to take her home. The next day he avoids her until she confronts him, at which point he’s rather confident in his own feelings that Nancy has hurt him and doesn’t love him like she should. As time goes on, though, he loses confidence in his feelings. He buys her flowers to apologize. He isn’t remotely angry with Nancy or Jonathan once they show up together and it’s pretty clear that something’s going on between them. Finally, he calls himself a shitty boyfriend. I think that the more time passes, the less Steve believes in himself, and the more he tends to default to believing others despite his own feelings. As the anger fades, he questions himself, and since he loves and trusts Nancy, he’s inclined to believe her! Since she doesn’t love him, he must have done something wrong. Because Nancy doesn’t love him, because she wants Jonathan, because their relationship was “bullshit,” he now believes he must have been a shitty boyfriend.

Sidenote, in S3 he says a lot of shit about how he’s a loser with no future, and the way he says it indicates (to me) that it’s something he hears quite often, likely from his father. Even though it’s pretty normal to be working minimum wage the summer after you graduate high school and not have things figured out yet, even though he’s literally helped save his friends’ lives, perhaps even helped save the whole town, Steve has internalized the idea that he’s a total failure at the ripe old age of 18 (19?) and I can’t help but think that it’s because his father has told him. So. Also in S3, he says his hair is his greatest feature, and apparently people literally call him Steve “the Hair” Harrington so like, maybe he just knows he has really good hair, but he ALSO might be responding to the nickname by saying like, “Oh, okay, the hair is Objectively my best feature, okay.” Just a little bit of speculation!

I know this is a lot of my own personal opinions and speculation, but if you can get behind it, let’s keep going! If Steve is someone whose every belief about himself is a direct response to the words and feelings of those around him, if he places the opinions of others above his own feelings, it would logically follow that he might be easily emotionally manipulated.

So, let’s apply this lens to his friendship with Tommy!

Let’s run down the list. Steve cleans up after Tommy, making excuses for his shitty behavior, even wordlessly giving Carol his own food at lunch after Tommy ruined hers. He allows Tommy and Carol to have sex in his mom’s bed, and as indicated by their familiarity with the bedroom and knowledge of where the spare sheets are, this is a regular occurrence. He’s also always seen driving the two of them around.

Neither Tommy nor Carol is ever really seen doing anything kind for Steve. They tease his girlfriend, then later use his heartbreak as an excuse to graffiti some shit and make cruel jokes about Nancy and Jonathan. That’s just not the behavior of a couple hangers-on to the most popular kid in school! Neither of them ever even pretend to give a shit about Steve. It seems that Tommy and Carol were very comfortable using Steve for his big empty house and his nice car and his popularity at school because they’d been using him for years at that point, and they thought there was no way he’d ever ditch them.

I think it’s generally accepted among fans that Steve and Tommy have been close friends for years. Tommy’s familiar with Steve’s father’s infidelity, and is comfortable enough to joke and laugh about it with Steve. The two of them just... operate like people who’ve existed around each other for a long time. So, if we accept that Steve and Tommy have been friends for awhile, we can then accept three things: the two of them know each other very well, Tommy is used to having fun at Steve’s expense, and Steve is used to allowing it.

When Steve does finally stand up to Tommy and Carol, Tommy turns on him immediately. It’s an incredibly fast turn. He shoves Steve up against his car, physically threatens him, and proceeds to taunt him angrily even as he’s driving away. Specifically he yells, “That’s it, run away Stevie boy, run away! Just like you always do,” and continues to shout variations on this phrase even after Steve’s driven far enough that Tommy’s only yelling to himself. The fact that Tommy keeps shouting after Steve can’t hear him indicates that he is genuinely very upset by Steve’s standing up against him and Carol. His fury, however, as indicated by the speed with which he turned on Steve, seems to be less like that of one who feels betrayed by a friend and more like one angry at some perceived loss or threat.

Now, let me just state the obvious: that was a really weird thing for Tommy to be yelling!

There’s no real precedent at this point (or any time) in the show for Steve “running away,” unless you count him running from the cops, which... Tommy also did, and which also happened, like, ten minutes ago, which I don’t think would really qualify for the wording “like you always do.” Tommy also suddenly calls him “Stevie boy,” which (correct me if I’m wrong) nobody has called Steve thus far. Maybe he’s just trying to mock and belittle Steve in any way he can think of, but it’s just... weirdly specific. The whole thing is a bit of a non-sequitur.

But! Remember how we established that Steve and Tommy, by virtue of having been friends for a significant period of time, know each other pretty well? Remember how Tommy is knowledgeable about Steve’s father’s infidelity, so familiar that he’s comfortable joking about it? Keep that in mind.

This phrase that Tommy shouts at Steve only makes sense in the context of some offscreen information that we the viewer are not privy to, but which Tommy and Steve are. What might that information be? Nothing in the show indicates that Steve has a history of picking fights prior to the incident with Jonathan. He’s a fairly respectable suburban kid, what is Tommy accusing him of running from? It’s my opinion that the only logical answer is that Tommy’s referencing a specific event with Steve’s “asshole” father, or a specific phrase that Steve has perhaps often heard from his father. I’m gonna ask you to sit on this assumption for a minute, and I’ll come back and support it soon.

Okay, so that’s S1 out of the way. At this point, a few things are clear: Steve has issues with his dad. Tommy knows about those issues. Steve allowed himself to be used by Tommy and Carol for some indeterminate yet significant amount of time before finally snapping and dumping them completely, something which infuriates Tommy.

Tommy is also in S2! And... all he does is tell Steve that Nancy and Jonathan are skipping school together. He never actually interacts with Nancy or Jonathan; he shows up in S2 entirely to mock Steve, to use his deepest fears and insecurities against him.

First thing: in the S2 shower scene after basketball practice, Tommy makes it a point to shove Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship in Steve’s face. Billy doesn’t know Steve, so he attacks his basketball skills and his keg stand record, but Tommy? Tommy knows about Steve’s dad cheating on his mom, he was there for the S1 fistfight, he knows how monumental infidelity is to Steve, especially in the case of Nancy and Jonathan, and so that is what he chooses to torment Steve with, and it clearly strikes a nerve.

Now’s where I circle back to my assertion that Tommy was referencing/quoting Steve’s father while yelling at him back in S1. S2 makes it clear that Tommy knows Steve’s biggest insecurities, and he intentionally exploits them for his own purposes. This, combined with the way Tommy demonstrates intimate knowledge of Steve’s family situation and the fact that his words just don’t quite make sense in context, the fact that “Stevie boy” sounds like something a father may call his young son, makes me believe that at some point, Steve told Tommy about something his dad said that hurt him, and Tommy remembered that to use against him later.

This paragraph is just speculation on what Tommy might be referring to, so skip if you want, it’s entirely my own opinion. We know that Steve’s parents sleep in separate bedrooms and his father can’t be trusted not to cheat, and thus we might assume that they argue a lot. Maybe his parents get into lots of arguments, and whenever Steve chooses to remove himself from the situation, he’s accused of running away. Maybe Steve runs off whenever he gets in trouble with his father. There’s a lot of possibilities, but either way, “run away, Stevie boy, run away just like you always do” just... sounds too personal and specific to be something random and meaningless that Tommy came up with on the spot.

Now, in S2, Tommy also appears to have latched onto Billy rather quickly after Billy’s arrival in town. Coincidentally, Billy is kind of obsessed with Steve and taking him down, despite the fact that Steve never sought him out or challenged him in any way. Steve has been minding his own business! When they later end up in a fistfight, Billy says that he’s “been dying to meet this King Steve” that people have been telling him about, and I can’t help but think... who would make it their priority to talk to Billy about Steve Harrington? Like, new guy from California moves to my small Indiana town, I don’t want to tell him about some popular guy at school who’s gotten kinda lame and quiet lately, I want to ask him about himself, or tell him what we do for fun around here, right? So who might be incentivized to talk Steve up to a guy who’s clearly itching for a fight, a guy dying to prove that he’s top dog? Who did we see hanging out with Billy a couple of times?

Did you say Tommy? Because it’s Tommy! It certainly seems to me as though Tommy saw an opportunity in Billy. The opportunity to befriend someone with a certain social power (much like with Steve), but also the opportunity to torment or get back at Steve in some way. I think that Tommy intentionally inflated the character of “King Steve” to Billy in the hopes that Billy would pick a fight with Steve and Steve would get his ass kicked without Tommy having to get his hands dirty.

Which makes me wonder... what if Tommy played up that King Steve image to people besides Billy? Other kids at Hawkins High... or perhaps Steve himself. Remember how Steve internalizes things? Believes that he must be whatever others see in him? Yeah.

Let’s say you’re an asshole teenage boy who wants it all. You want to be popular. You want to have a spot to hang out with your girlfriend with no parents around. You want to feel strong and powerful. You meet a kid who could give you all of that, and all he wants in return is friendship. He doesn’t even seem to care if that friendship is genuine or not! All you have to do is hang around and make him feel like a cool kid. Convince him to throw a small party, you and your girlfriend get free reign of his nice big house. Make sure he knows that he’s got Prom King potential, that he’s the top dog, and you get to be one of the popular guys, too. It’s a pretty sweet deal if you can recognize the opportunity for what it is.

One last thing: Actual Steve is nothing like he seems around Tommy and Carol in the start of S1. Making friends with Dustin and coming up with a goofy handshake, singing to cheer Robin up in S3, singing into the bat to try and cheer Nancy up in S1, holding her hand during their first time, unabashedly telling her she’s beautiful and that he missed her even if only an hour had passed... Steve is a very emotional, dorky guy, and we never really got to see that side of him when he was around Tommy. I just find that interesting in light of the fact that Steve and Tommy seem to be otherwise rather close. Steve was clearly playing a part to some degree while around them, and in S3 he explicitly says that he behaved the way he did in high school because he was concerned about what others would think of him, about losing his popularity. Even prior to their argument, Steve was wary around Tommy, concerned about losing his friendship despite the fact that Tommy was a pretty objectively shitty friend.

So, here’s what we know. Tommy knows a lot about Steve, including his private family issues, and he isn’t above using that knowledge to hurt or manipulate Steve. In fact, he seems to be really good at it. Tommy benefitted from Steve’s popularity, from him throwing parties and living up to the “King Steve” image. Steve followed Tommy’s lead in their friendship, cleaned up after him, made excuses for him, and let him get away with just about anything. He masked aspects of his personality that didn’t fit the image that he and Tommy aimed for. He was desperate to retain Tommy’s friendship and afraid of letting the mask fall. Tommy was furious when Steve rejected him, taunted Steve with deeply personal jabs, and a year later he latched onto the new “top dog” in town with record speed. Steve is a completely different person when he’s around Tommy versus when he’s around Nancy, Robin, and the kids. Most importantly, we know that Steve has a tendency to construct himself in the image provided by others.

Taking all of this into account, I think that Tommy Hagan met sad, rich, handsome little Steve Harrington, saw just how lonely and desperate he was to feel a sense of belonging, and used that to nudge Steve into striving to be the person that Tommy wanted him to be: King Steve.

#steve harrington #stranger things #this is. so fucking ungodly long skdncdnm #but at least five of you asked for it!!!#if i don't get at least five notes on this ur all fucking fake and i don't wanna hear it #em talks #lesbianrobin.canon

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capri-ramblings · 4 years

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PLEASE give us some of that clingy yandere Azul you were talking about!!!! As an octoboy simp, I love cruel and manipulative yandere Azul all day long, but emotionally violate, desperate yandere Azul ?? now that's some good food right there 🤩🤩

Oh my god, yes, thank you ( ´◡‿ゝ◡`)

So basically,I don't have an ongoing plot for him yet but ahh, can't you just imagine him being all needy for his s/o? He's probably one of the ones who's low-key insecure and gets upset a lot *insert Azul squatting inside his octo-pot plotting various murders*

Also there's slight nsfw down there but I think it's super soft still so ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Clingy!Yandere Azul

- Waking up with his arms curled around your waist so tightly you actually stirred awake because it was getting hard to breath

- His quiet breathing against your skin cool rather than warm, and when you actually try to move away he lets out this low whine and his lips part to mutter out your name

- Azul is definitely a competitive yandere alongside his natural jealousy-driven streak of course, and that means any other attention given to other males infuriates him to the core

- He won't show it at first, but it sometimes slips from his usually composed demeanor in the way he traces your gaze to where its placed on someone other than himself and how everything at that time just seems to freeze for him

- With his past of being bullied and never being seen as enough in the merfolk community, he sees this as a warning. A warning that he shouldn't let his guard down and that there is always room to improve

- If he doesn't grow as a person,you'd leave him for someone better,won't you? Of course you would.

- There's bound to be people who'd want to take you away from him. People who think they're better than him.

- He'll have Jade and Floyd tail behind you anywhere you go, and whenever he can't do it himself. The brothers would have to report what you did and where you went and who you were with.

- He won't jot down anything, he's irritation of not being the person you revolve around will have it all seared into his mind.

- When he gets to be with you, expect him to be oh so touchy despite his effort to play it off as mere playfulness.

- This one time, he caught you with Deuce and Ace, laughing about a joke Ace had shared, and something inside him clenched so hard, Azul couldn't find a way to breathe unless he walked away from the scene.

- You looked so at ease with your friends, but when you're with him you have this slight wall up. He knows it's most likely you being careful and although the thought of being seen as such a cunning person would usually be enjoyable to him, when it came from you, Azul wanted to run back into the ocean and hide himself

- He's heard from Floyd that some of the first years called him a somewhat monster for his ways of dealing. Did you see him the same way?

- Despite the smiles you sent his way, the times you'd spent at Monstro Lounge watching him work and how tolerant you were with his personality, did you see him as some unsightly creature as well?

- When you mention his Mer-form, Azul immediately reverts back to being the timid boy from his past, his voice would pitch and he'd beg you not to bring it up anywhere public and when you let a small laugh, he looks at you with such a dreamy face you mistook it as him being upset and pouty

- He likes resting his head on your shoulders, and wraps his hands around your waist so he could pull you up against him easily. Your scent is different from most land dwellers,and it's safe to say he's addicted to it

- Azul tilts the scale of being delusional and possessive pretty well, though when he tips to either one side, he gets emotional quick and often times it results in him losing all rationality

(Slight?) NSFW

- Most times during nights when you're alone together he likes to bury his nose in the crook of your neck and lightly graze his teeth against the bare skin there,his hands gripping the back of your thighs as he slowly takes time to part your legs

-He loves it when you arch your back and he feels your chest press against his and at the same time he's itching to just press onto you until you're gasping for air

- Yandere!Azul,clingy or sadistic, will always be keen into making his s/o squirm in his grasp but clingy Azul would always make you say you love him rather than have you beg.

- He'd nuzzle up against you, murmuring words that sounds like he's the one begging for you

- "Don't look at anyone else. Please...just..Look at me"

- "Say you love me, won't you? You're driving me insane"

- "I'm yours. Always. So,be mine. Now and forever."

- Praise him whenever he leaves kisses gently across your body and you'll see him melt. The blue in his eyes shift from one hue to another and it's as if you're drowning, pulled into an abyss.

- Trail your lips against the nub of his throat and he'll elicit a gurgling growl, hands gripping onto your waist like suction cups as he murmurs out how he's never letting you go

- It's during times like these that all those suppressed emotional turmoils of his begin to bubble and surface, as if the mere closeness of you brings out a predatory aggression he didn't realize he had until it grabs his entire being and his hands ache to place his mark on you in any sort of form he could grasp.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland scenarios #azul ashengrotto #twisted wonderland fanfic #twst azul x reader #twst azul #yandere azul x reader #yandere azul ashengrotto #yandere azul headcanons #azul headcanons #twisted wonderland yandere

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pixie-broom · 2 years

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ENDWALKER LEVEL 87 MSQ SPOILERS also long, incoherent ramblings ahead, beware

Still reeling from level 87 MSQ. Like god damn they really had to come for my emotional stability. I don’t even know why it got to me so much. I think it was me being more attached to Hades than I remembered and mourning that he would never remember the short time we worked together as allies in his paradise. He’s an unbearable asshole by all means, but you can tell how much he really cares. It takes a whole damn lot to earn his favor, and even though he still acted put out by the WoL’s presence and claimed he didn’t believe what we told them, even when everything thus far had proven it, it still felt like there was some sort of a… i dunno, connection? Camaraderie? Perhaps it comes from just, getting to know the past Hades, before everything went to shit. Before he had to watch the star he devoted his life to protecting burn. Before he had to witness his only remaining unsundered allies slowly driven into insanity. He even is offended by your retelling of what he does in the future, when he builds a copy of Amaurot with his memories, claiming it would be of utmost disrespect for him to do such a thing. It just goes to show just how lonely he was at that point in the future. How much the burden on his shoulders wore him down. Again, this is demonstrated when he claims he would’ve never been foolish enough to invite you to said hideaway. I really think he did that because, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, you used to be Azem. Maybe he knew, deep down, that you were going to kill him. And in the end, he truly did end up feeling like more of a long lost friend than an enemy; going so far as to send a shade to assist you in defeating Elidibus after his own death.

Another part is just…. The understanding. I fully understand why he did what he did now. The Ancients truly did live in a beautiful place, full of wonder and magic, and even though it had its problems, it was literally the only star out there who could find joy in life. Even despite that, it was still lost to ruin, all because of one man, broken and battered by the injustices of his society. Hermès was a good person too. He genuinely cared so much about the wildlife of Elpis, which ended up being his downfall. And don’t get me started on poor Meteion. She just wanted to protect Hermès until the very last.

And then Hythlodaeus, I think he’s my favorite of the ancients. Dude is just so chill, him and Hades’ dynamic was honestly so funny. The contrast between the friendly, easygoing, and slightly mischievous Hythlo vs mr grumpy pants Hades who acts all put out by anything and everything, it was just fun. I will now absolutely burst into tears every time I think of the phrase “New old friend”. He’s just so, benevolent almost. Like, in Shadowbringers especially, when his shade would show up to offer you advice in times of need. He was just always this caring, down-to-earth guy, even just his presence felt calming, to me at least. And then when you first arrive in Elpis, he immediately shows you — an unfamiliar, weird thing that clearly did not belong there — kindness, convincing Hades to provide you with aether, and he immediately accepts you and just, goes with the flow. That’s something he tends to do a lot. And it always makes me sad to see him being so humble, to a fault. He’s really pretty cool, but he always downplays his abilities and seeks only to help his friends in their dreams. Like dude pls you’re literally so awesome have faith in yourself!

Anyways this is incredibly long and very disjointed lmao. I cried more over that scene than I’ve cried in a long time (which tbf doesn’t say much, I am Emotionally Repressed(TM)) I’m still just, digesting everything. Again I still really don’t know why I got so emotional over it lmao, it just struck a chord in me for some reason.

#broomstick of light #ffxiv spoilers #ew spoilers #endwalker spoilers

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thatidicchick · 3 years

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Staging Intimate Assault without Triggering the Audience: example from A Streetcar Named Desire

(Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault and theatrical depictions thereof; domestic violence)

Scenes of intimate violence can often be triggering for audience members. Statistically, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the US have experienced attempted or completed sexual assault (Source: nsvrc.org); it is logical then that scenes that graphically depict that trauma might be upsetting or even damaging to audience members who have been there IRL (or even those who haven’t tbh). As part of intimacy work/consent based practice, theatres have been discussing implementing standards for rating systems/disclosing to audience members what they are about to see (I am all for it); but what about one of the most famous plays in the American canon? A significant portion of audience members going to see a production of A Streetcar Named Desire KNOW about the violence — intimate and otherwise — the script contains, and yet it is still so often shocking and disturbing to the point of, as a theatre professional I know put it, “just taking us out of the story”, as in the assault is so horrific and brutal that the audience members can’t maintain suspension of disbelief and can’t kept engaging with the work on stage because it’s just. Too. Much. At that point, who is the work for? The fight director who was asked to do intimacy showing off? The actors showing off how vile they can be as their characters? Whoever it is, it ain’t for the audience or the sake of good storytelling, and that is unfortunate.

But then there was the production of A Streetcar Named Desire that streamed via National Theatre Live starring Gillian Anderson and Ben Foster (directed by Benedict Andrews; I couldn’t find an intimacy coordinator listed, but stunts were by Bret Yount. IC work and Stunt work IS NOT the same, but potentially another example of how movement professionals are asked to pull double or triple duty).

In this production, the fight choreography is, first of all, incredibly story driven and organic; instead of horrific images of a man beating on his wife (as is often the case when the combat is staged to show off, not to tell the story), a logical sequence of events tell the story of escalation that didn’t have to happen, but you kind of see how or why it might (Foster also does the work to add so much nuance as Stanley; he is not just a sociopath or a brute, which makes the plot much more powerful and engaging because the audience doesn’t feel like it’s a lost cause to want him to not be horrible to his wife or sister in law). This is important, because it is a type of physical storytelling that is accessible to the audience, doesn’t turn them off, gets them to care about movement sequences, and then leads into surprisingly stylized, but insanely effective, intimacy.

The first intimacy sequence in this production is between married couple Stanley and Stella post a physical altercation; it is heightened, with dramatic music and less realistic movement, but perfectly communicates the relationship and power dynamic between the two and gives needed context for a fairly problematic speech Stella gives shortly thereafter about, more or less, enjoying her husband’s aggressive/occasionally violent energy sexually. It is not to make the audience agree with or condone how he treats his wife, but it helps us understand why a woman with her particular trauma might be drawn to a man whose energy is so toxic. It is the first production of this show that I’ve seen that has any actual depiction of intimacy between those two that shows what Stella means in that speech, and exactly what hold Stanley has on her, even as he’s proven to be a pretty awful person.

But the main reason I’m writing this — the key moment of intimacy that stuck with me — is the sexual assault Stanley enacts on a passed out drunk Blanche (Stella’s tragic, delusional, southern belle, addict sister — sorry that I’m not going into more detail on the genius of that performance/lowkey selling the character short for the purpose of this post). Stanley’s frustration with Blanche for, essentially, being traumatized and having unhealthy coping mechanisms rises throughout the play until their final scene together, where Stella is in the hospital after having given birth and the two are left alone in the apartment together. The scene escalates until the intimate assault takes place — however, unlike most productions I have seen where it is brutal, graphic, and realistic, this production goes entirely in a different direction. There are, of course, references in the text to Stanley being “ape like”; Foster incorporates this subtly into his physicality throughout the show, and in this scene of assault, he places Blanche on the bed, leaps up between her legs, and, mimicking an ape, tosses about the petticoats and layers of the formal gown she is wearing. It is impossibly gentle and completely horrifying — and, unlike the more realistic depictions of sexual assault that often appear in the show, allows the audience to stay engaged in the scene through the metaphorical action, so that they understand what happens to Blanche without having to actually watch it, and therefore can be emotionally fully present in the devastating final scene, where she is taken away to an asylum.

This is, truthfully, some of my favorite intimate staging I have ever seen, and an example of how intimate violence can read clearly to the audience through metaphorical staging that does not traumatize. We do not necessarily need graphic, violent, realistic, in your face sequences of intimate violence, and I would love to see more work that features moments like this to tell those stories.

#a streetcar named desire #intimacy direction #intimacy coordination #national theatre

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thefossilwhale · 3 years

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i want someone besides me and the 2 friends who know all the lore to meet my detective, but i’m too impatient to let you get to know her via fic so i filled out this questionnaire instead. she is veronica and she is so important, here is some stuff about her if you are interested :’)

QUICK READ OF YOUR DETECTIVE

Name: veronica langford

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bi

Love interest: adam

Best friend: morgan

Main skill: science/technology

Secondary skill: combat/physical

Main personality trait: impulsive

Secondary personality trait: sarcastic

Why did they join the Wayhaven PD?: best use of her science skills

Relationship with Rebecca: not great

Relationship with Bobby: ex, finds it hard to be around him

Verda or Tina?: both! but she’s on verda’s branch

Murphy bite?: wrist

Murphy's fate?: captured

Rescue LI or Rescue Sanja?: sanja

GENERAL

Name: veronica “it’s been 3 years and i never gave her a middle name” langford

Nickname: just veronica. people around wayhaven called her ronny growing up, and a few still do despite her trying to grow out of it. maybe a few people from college and sometimes tina call her v or vee or something.

Birthday: please you all know i am so scared of concrete dates

Age: 26

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bi

Hair color: brown

Eye color: dark brown

Height: 5′10 (178 cm)

Piercings: just one in each ear

Tattoos: something retro sci-fi on her shoulder. not a reference to anything specific, but like a little planetary landscape with a UFO in the background or something.

Clothing Style: casual. lots of tank tops and muscle tees (weather- and occasion-permitting), concert t-shirts, warm colors. flannels and leather jackets. jeans, sneakers, combat boots. think like rocker chick vibes, but cozier and more colorful.

Apartment Style: basic. she really did not plan on living there long and kept putting off decorating because it’d be a waste if she was just going to move out. this rationalization went on so long but since the end of book 1 she has slowly bought a few things to push it towards “cozy,” still pretty sparse though.

STATS

Personality:

Charming | Intimidating

Impulsive | Cautious

Sarcastic | Genuine

Friendly | Stoic

Easygoing | Stubborn

Traits:

Heart | Mind

Optimist | Pessimist

Team Player | Independent

Skills:

Main Skill: science/technology (but mostly science)

Second Skill: combat/physical

By the Book | Bend the Rules

KEY DECISIONS

Reason for joining the Wayhaven PD: best use of her science skills

Murphy bite: Wrist | Neck | None

Murphy’s Fate: Captured | Escaped

Rescued: Love Interest | Sanja

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP

Love Interest: adam

Why them?: for veronica it’s kind of retroactive. the way i imagine their True Canon, they don’t have any real romantic moments in book 1, so she doesn’t seriously consider that adam might have feelings for her until well into book 2. (the training scene is when she’s like “oh. ok. i get it now.”) even then it takes a few more chapters for her to really process that, figure out how she feels, and recontextualize everything. like realizing that he loves her and then thinking back on their relationship, knowing that, makes her feel so held (sorry i have no better way to say it) in a way that just makes her want to cry.

to give some actual specific reasons, it’s his dedication and his constancy and hidden care/softness. and his very specific brand of... selflessness might be just left of the word i’m looking for, but hopefully you get me.

Bold, shy, or mixed?: neither! in theory it’s closer to bold, but it’s more just earnest.

What were their first impressions of each other?: disastrous. on top of finding him condescending and unpleasant, there are also a few moments where veronica genuinely wonders whether he’s even a good person. or, like, cares about people. but once she learns the truth of things, a lot of her initial anger gets transferred to rebecca.

adam, with the benefit of knowing what’s actually happening, has a slightly more favorable impression of veronica. yes he thinks she’s difficult and reckless and too emotionally driven, yes she’s making his job absolutely miserable, but he does begrudgingly respect that her accusations are always on the right track and she’s good at her job.

What do they find attractive about each other, mentally or physically?:

for veronica: she loooves his sense of humor. and how much faith he has in the people he cares about. physically, dimples <3. but everything about his smile really. and his nose!

for adam: veronica has a very blunt, unadorned sense of kindness to her that he really loves. the way she is kind before she is nice and values directness. physically, her eyes, they’re deep brown and so expressive.

What do they do to spend time together?: they’re both competitive so anything where they can compete on the same team is fun. (competing against each other is fun too, but also like. exhausting. for them and everyone.) maybe puzzles or other things where it feels like they’re “winning” or solving something together. i have spent an embarrassing amount of thought on veronica and overw*tch esp*rts and she would absolutely make adam learn how to play main tank so they could queue as a tank duo. but most of the time i think they don’t Do specific things together; they just hang out. just talk with each other. perhaps snuggle.

What is their favorite memory together?: in current canon... lol. veronica really just treasures any time adam relaxes around her but those moments always get Ruined. even once they’re well into a relationship, i think veronica’s favorite memory would still be something small like a random time he said something funny and they both laughed together and they were outside and the sky was pretty.

What are their love languages?: acts of service for both of them, but especially adam. veronica... probably lots of words of affirmation and physical touch. they’re both bad at blocking out time for themselves in the first place, so quality time can get neglected especially at first.

How do they handle being apart from one another?: pretty well i think! once they’re in an established relationship at least, before that it’s probably harder. but adam can distract himself with work, and veronica is good at focusing on whatever’s in front of her (whether that’s work or she’s away on vacation or something). if neither of them is too busy, veronica calls every night and they stay on a while, half talking and half just keeping each other company.

Do they argue? How do they handle arguments and disagreements? How do they make up?: i think arguments are fairly rare! yes they’re both insanely stubborn, but they also understand each other pretty well (especially once in a relationship) and are very sympathetic to where the other is coming from. unless both of them are extremely stressed, one of them crumbles when they start genuinely arguing like "i don't want to fight ok, let's take a second."

What does their future look like?: who knows! i haven’t decided whether veronica will turn. i think she probably will, just because i do not want my main pairing for this IF to make me very sad all the time, but like. i’m not fully committing until i see a reason pop up in canon. as of book 3′s final demo, it’s not on her radar at all; she knows she loves adam and wishes they could Talk, but ultimately doesn’t expect or even want a relationship right now (because she doesn’t want to deal with dating one of rebecca’s agents OR with the logistics of being in a committed relationship with an immortal being). it’s just all so foreign to her current state of mind that it’s really hard to say!

Anything else you'd like to share: do you know how hard it was to answer some of these considering veronica wasn’t sure they were even, like, on decent terms for such a large portion of the canon content

BEST FRIEND RELATIONSHIP

Best friend: morgan and farah are essentially joint besties but i’ll go with M

Why them?: i think they appreciate each other’s no bullshit attitude. morgan likes that veronica doesn’t take herself too seriously and respects/relates to the way she tackles problems (quickly, head-on, and without complaint but also without pretending that it doesn’t suck?). veronica appreciates morgan’s bluntness, likes bantering with her, and in general just likes being around people that have quiet/steady presences.

What were their first impressions of each other?: neither of them had much of a first impression honestly. morgan barely thought of veronica at all beyond “she’s annoying,” and kept to herself so much that any dislike veronica had of morgan took a backseat to her dealing with the rest of unit bravo.

What do they do to spend time together?: lots of just sitting in the same room and listening to (low volume) music, veronica spends a lot of time hunting for songs morgan might like. morgan is also her go-to sparring/training buddy. and there are semi-frequent movie nights where veronica shows farah her favorite old shitty B movies, and sometimes morgan will tag along just to sit in the room with them or affectionately talk shit.

Anything else you'd like to share: i’ll talk a little about N! obviously veronica and nate respect, trust, and like each other, but she finds him the hardest of UB to connect with. they’re both people who wear their compassion on their sleeves but keep a lot of their hearts/themselves held back, so they just kind of circle each other, especially since like... nate values politeness and is very sweet in how he relates to people, while veronica values directness and is more jokey/lighthearted to put people at ease. idk how well i’m communicating this; as of the book 3 demo it’s getting easier, but their friendship is still newer/more... nebulous? than the others.

OTHER RELATIONSHIPS (Feel free to go in depth!)

Relationship with Rebecca: so strained. veronica has come to terms with rebecca’s absences throughout her childhood, but there’s newer resentment over... a lot of things, but how she handled the murphy case especially. veronica hates being kept in the dark, and even more than that she hates being rebecca’s priority. it’s difficult to reconcile her childhood and present images of rebecca, and she’s angry that rebecca is so freely and recklessly choosing her, now, to the point of endangering others if she has to, especially when she never felt like rebecca’s choice before. and incredibly frustrated/confused by how often the lines between their professional and familial relationships are blurred and what rebecca actually wants from her.

Relationship with Rook: veronica takes after rook a lot. in stat terms, the only trait they don’t share is stoic, and even then that’s veronica’s least extreme stat. people always told her how like her father she was growing up, and it’s a comparison she took/takes a lot of pride in! she looks up to him based on the stories, but more recently is uncomfortable with the comparisons. veronica would never have even come back to wayhaven if her life panned out as planned, let alone become a detective or joined the agency. that makes her doubt herself, and she feels like that doubt is letting rook down somehow.

rook is also part of the reason her relationship with rebecca isn’t as bad as it could be. she knows that rook loved her, and that he would want his family to be there for each other, so she feels obligated to at least try to make things better. but it’s really hard for her to move past everything to connect with rebecca (which also makes her feel like she’s disappointing rook).

Relationship with Bobby: they were together for a long time and veronica thought she loved him a lot! it was her first relationship, so she wasn’t sure a) what a “bad partner” looked like, or b) how to even be in a relationship or rely on someone in that way. so they spent a lot of time together and had great superficial chemistry, but veronica didn’t have enough experience with not feeling neglected to realize how shallow it was, or notice the red flags when she did occasionally open up. the plagiarism fiasco was a slap in the face, especially because it cost her internships/grad school apps/whatever, i don’t have the details, and forced her to move back to wayhaven after school. she’s still very hurt by it and finds it hard to be around bobby.

Relationship with Verda: due to the above plagiarism fiasco, veronica was pretty depressed when she moved back home, and disliking her job didn’t help. she was extremely jealous when verda was hired and wanted to hate him. but it did not take long for that to crumble into respect/admiration, and eventually into close friendship! verda is a role model for her; they bond over science; they joke easily and have good chill fun. she was really excited to see him piecing together the truth about the supernatural and then devastated to see how he reacted. she feels insanely guilty and thinks it was selfish of her to let him figure it out, but is also cautiously optimistic about making it up to him as of the book 3 demo.

Relationship with Tina: very close! veronica isolated herself when she came back to wayhaven after school, and she is so grateful to tina for being her closest friend and link to the rest of the world during that time. hates keeping the supernatural from her, though. she didn’t like lying to tina to begin with, but she feels even worse about it now that verda knows, and now that tina has clearly picked up on something being wrong but she still can’t say anything.

Relationship with the Mayor: cannot stand him. hates the way he talks about rook, hates the way he talks to rebecca. she cooperates as necessary but doesn’t bother hiding her lack of patience/respect for him.

Relationship with Capt. Sung: basically fine. i think veronica might be a little too casual for him in the way she works, but she always gets the job done so he’s not too bothered by it. (she is ‘bend the rules,’ but more ‘strict rules aren’t important as long as you’re still doing good work’ than the ‘boooo fuck paperwork’ variety. so it’s mostly fine.) she also appreciates him as a minor link to rook.

Relationship with Haley: very friendly, but not super close. they get along great and could make pleasant conversation for hours, but ultimately don’t know each other super well despite the familiarity of growing up together.

Relationship with Elidor: such a comforting presence for veronica during her recovery! she is so grateful, so fond.

Relationship with Tapeesa/Vieno: veronica loves vieno’s cranky-yet-friendly vibe and they get along well! not close, but will stop to chat whenever they pass each other.

Relationship with Unit Alpha: loves their energy. always looks forward to the next opportunity to chat with them, and fully supports any harmless dunking on UB even if she rarely joins in.

Relationship with the Maa-alused: going through the house of mirrors and then coming home for them to appear in her apartment and infect bobby was one of thee worst experiences of her life, and it’s hard for her to get past that + the illness in general. sympathizes with them, and got them to sign the treaty, but is still kind of unsettled by everything that happened and by falk.

Do they have any other important relationships, past or present? (Relatives, friends, etc.?): some vague figures i have in mind but no one i’ve really developed. a couple friends from college, and maybe an elderly couple that lives on her childhood street and used to check in her.

PERSONAL BIO

Describe their personality: her usual demeanor is very warm and casual. sincere but private--she’s pretty blunt and likes to be direct with people, but steers conversations away from personal topics. likes to joke around and doesn’t take herself that seriously. but behind all this, she’s extremely stubborn and won’t shy away from conflict if she thinks you’re in the wrong (which is why she seems like a different person in the first half of book 1. UB is surprised by how like... chill and nice she is once they clear the air). a workaholic, self-reliant and secure but still pretty hard on herself, takes a lot of responsibility for the people around her.

Strengths: so dedicated. honest and trustworthy, has a strong moral compass and can always be counted on to do her absolute best. flexible and intuitive, her brain works really fast.

Weaknesses: cannot compartmentalize or separate herself from a case, throws herself so recklessly into everything (in terms of both physical danger and emotional burnout). doesn’t necessarily hold grudges but has a hard time letting go of hurt, still can’t think objectively about bobby or rebecca.

Where in the world is their Wayhaven?: somewhere on the US east coast idk what to tell you. perhaps a carolina or a virginia.

What is their personal history?: veronica was pretty social and well-liked around wayhaven growing up. she was known as just a really good kid; she was an overachiever and got along with almost anyone. in college, she felt like she was free of something and took a very work hard/play hard approach to life. always doing or going, whether it was for school or work or fun. she really enjoyed life during this time but crashed and burned pretty hard when she and bobby broke up; a lot of her plans were delayed until the plagiarism incident was resolved and she didn’t really have the heart to pursue them afterwards.

a year or so after graduating, she returned to wayhaven with the intention of taking one more year to regroup, and she has been stuck there longer than she meant to be and has kind of hit a wall when book 1 starts.

If they weren't a detective, what would their dream job be?: she was on track to become a biochemist and it was her dream job but then the main plot happened to her.

Anything else you'd like to share: i don’t really know enough to fully explain this, but no OC i love is a cop so like. i think maybe the job she took when she got back to wayhaven was a douglas-esque receptionist role for detective reele’s private office. then reele retired and small town politics + veronica’s history of useful contributions to cases in her downtime at work led to her being pressured to take up the mantle. it’s hard to explain why she’s a detective when she so deeply does not want to be one but i am Trying (or maybe she would have jumped at the chance to do something marginally closer to forensics?? who knows)

RANDOM FACTS

Zodiac sign: aries is what i assigned her when i first made her and i think it suits her! plus it’d be fun for her and M to be twins. this goes hand-in-hand with my birthday commitment issues though

Hobbies: music (she plays guitar and bass and sings a little), running, gaming unfortunately. i could also see her having been into boxing or some martial art but idk what exactly!

Likes: early morning stillness, DIY projects, t-shirts with inexplicable slogans and other weird thrift store finds

Dislikes: overly sweet food or drink, when cold weather lasts too long, being lied to or “protected” from the truth

Drink of choice: something with gin maybe. also feels a great fondness and gratitude for cheap wine.

Starbucks order: i truly know nothing about coffee. is it weird to order black coffee at starbucks

Favorite food: variations on spicy chicken soup! she eats a lot of crockpot meals for convenience and they’ve grown on her, and she has a few different recipes based on whatever she has on hand.

Favorite color: maybe like a rusty orange

Favorite music: she will listen to anything, but her favorite is probably folk rock, or sometimes stuff with soul or old school country vibes. big thief is a good example of an artist she’d be into i think! also was very into the indie music scene in her college town and still follows some of those bands.

Favorite genre (and favorite movie/book/etc): loves old, campy, unselfconsciously optimistic sci-fi. loves star trek tos. also a fan of documentaries of all kinds.

Favorite season: summer

Anything else you'd like to share: a kiss for you reading this mwah

#oc: veronica langford #i wrote most of this in my post-vaccine delirium and did not edit it so. apologies if that is obvious #anyway if you read all/any of this thank u!!! i would love to write more for veronica and w/ayhaven but my sole writing brain cell has-#-always been allergic to t/wc for some reason. One Day. love her so dearly tho #once again macrodosing on shame by posting a filled out oc questionnaire. thank u everyone for witnessing

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dangermousie · 3 years

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I love how they mirror each other, here they say the same thing in unison - they definitely fit well together (and that goes even in things like keeping the other person in the dark for their own good/taking decisions out of that person’s hands - this is such a pattern between them that honestly it doesn’t bother me because it’s clearly a basic character trait and it would be weird for it to disappear. She pushed him away on the mountain, he pushed her away repeatedly as Lord Bo, she drugged him to go and rescue his brother etc etc. That’s just how they are dysfunctionally built.)

This happens much later but I feel like bringing it up now so:

They have clearly cut the FUCK out of the plot. I mean, this comes out of nowhere - now she has super strength thing (and probably hulked out since she asked Snake Lady about whether she hurt her) like Wolfie used to but also black blood which means imminent death and WHAT HOW WHY I feel like I skipped five episodes. Honestly, the things I want to do to the censors should be banned by the Geneva Convention.

I mean, three versions - (1) she decided to take the hulk out medicine because she wanted to go rescue Fourth Brother so Wolfie won’t go and die. She didn’t care about the side effects danger because she doesn’t want to live without Wolfie anyway but they are even quicker and more severe than she thought. That doesn’t make sense since she has a whole army at her disposal, she doesn’t need to go by herself. (2) She took it as part of effort to find antidote for Wolfie’s issues and either it failed or she didn’t lie when she told Wolfie during their wedding there is an antidote (and there is some plot reason why he could have it but she can’t.) (3) Remember that weird as hell treatment the King told Snake Lady to give to her supposedly for her legs back way when and it was gonna be a means to control her and there was something creepy in the water but they never showed what and it seemed to have been dropped. I think the King could have ordered Snake Lady to give her that stuff, but it was only a little and maybe the plan went haywire later with all that happened, so it didn’t really catch up with her until now.

I mean, I really NEED to know that stuff. It drives me crazy that it clearly had a very functional plot (no, it was never going to be Joy of Life or The Story of Minglan, but it clearly had a thought out dark fairy tale type of plot - certainly as solid as e.g., Prince of Lan Ling, Love and Redemption or similar) but because of the cuts, some of it now lurches as a no-leg monster. The drama still works so much for me because of its emotional, shippy and character beats, but objectively the narrative becomes a huge mess at times.

The other thing (I was talking about it to @andoqin and I am lazy and am stealing a lot of it from what I said in chat), is in the original Wolfie killed her father (just take a look at those scenes - the build, the weapons, the clothes, it’s Wolfie) and censors made them cut it. Which - then the story then becomes “I hated him but now I know he didn’t kill my dad, I do not” and that is a fun cliche but cliche. But it’s a factual mess and emotionally the other narrative is more interesting.

Factually:

1. She never talks during her big taking him back scene about “now I know you are utterly innocent of killing my dad” which you would think be the biggest relevant point. No, all she talks is his expiating and redeeming and paying back.

2. If he never killed her family and didn’t even know they would be killed (which wtf - the King clearly thinks he is capable of killing the woman he loves if the king asks, but will cavil at killing a random old man?) plus we never see his supposed atrocities, what does he need to atone for? Sure, he executed some people on orders of king but all we see are adult rebel types. And he was an epic jerk to her. But being a bad boyfriend and carrying commands of the king (and none of these commands are particularly depraved thanks to the censors) is run of the mill feudal lord behavior. I mean, the way the censors left things, he’s better than Feng Xi in Twisted Fate of Love who killed the heroine upon meeting her (and he didn’t know she was immortal and come back), whipped her (to free her from prison; at least none of Wolfie’s insanity included a whipping), and does a hell of shady stuff for noble vengeance reasons. But (rightly), there is no issue with Feng Xi because he has ok reasons for his actions, falls hard for DY, is willing to die for her etc. Feng Xi is certainly not being shipped to the mines and repenting like he’s been murdering babies. No should he be, I hasten to add, but in the modified narrative, neither should Wolfie! I mean his horror and repentance and hitting rock bottom and all that suffering become out of proportion to any of his wrongs (he is solidly middle of the pack as far as period cdrama heroes and bad stuff.) Like - unless they are all Quakers, he doesn’t have that much to repent for to that extent. “My father the king is a douche and I treated you badly” might be break up territory but it’s not REPENT SINNER one. (Same goes to everyone calling him a monster and him believing it and how hard it hits him just as it hits him hard when she insists he’s a human. Since he doesn’t turn into a literal physical monster any more nor has he even been shown to do horrific things other than some really veiled allusions, it makes me think all those other people calling him that are a bunch of hysterics.)

3. In this narrative, the Trio were the only ones who killed Daddy. Fine. But she has no interest in seeking revenge on the remaining two. None.

And that brings me to the point that emotionally, the original narrative to me is so much stronger because there he (and Trio) killed her family but she can look past it because she realizes they were all tools of a monster who were brought up and gaslit and brainwashed and had basically no choice about any of it, and they genuinely cared for her. With respect to Wolfie, he was basically tortured into inhumanity but he still loved her so much and all of his actions where he was horrid to her were driven not by cruel enjoyment of her suffering or lack of feeling but by his love and need to protect her. And he literally tried to die to expiate. And I love that this is what matters to her - what was the deal breaker for her never was her family’s death because she understands even early on that none of them had a choice or even ability to fully consent and comprehend what they were doing. Her deal breaker was not that he (and the Trio) was damaged and was forced to do awful stuff, but that he enjoyed it, that he didn’t care, that his love was not genuine, that he didn’t have a loving loyal heart under all the damage. And honestly, that narrative is so much more powerful to me.

#cdrama #the wolf #li qin #darren wang

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urproblematicfav-arsonk · 4 years

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There's a lot of things about Borderlands 3 that makes it kinda a garbage game. And all of those things are valid and true but a aspect of bl3 that deeply bothers me isn't something I've really seen people talk about?? Maybe they have but I missed it but I want to say my interpretation. (Also like, spoiler warning throughout all of this post)

To start off with: hi, I'm a autistic afab nonbinary person and this is relevant for this little rant I'm bout to go on.

I want to begin by stating why I love this franchise so much.

Borderlands, whether you like it or not, is INCREDIBLY queer. And not in a coded kind of way, it's just flat out gay as fuck. And that means so fucking much to me. Borderlands 2 was one of the first times I ever felt fully represented in a game. Zer0 being this dumbass making Yugioh references and generally being a fun garbage boy and also being nonbinary meant a lot to me and I adore him to this day (nonbinary people can use gendered pronouns fuc off). And getting more and more into this series and finding out that basically every character was on some level queer was really cool to me. Maya being asexual and most of the characters being attracted to multiple genders so honestly and off handily was so refreshing and amazing to get to play through. The casual mentions of a woman's wife or some man's husband in the echo's you find or Moxxi talking about her ex girlfriends was one of the reasons I loved this so much.

Another thing I loved particularly about Borderlands 2 was how feminist it was. I can not tell you how quickly I lost my shit at Mr. Torgue talking about the friend zone being misogynistic(it is btw). And the repeated jokes about fully murdering men for being rude to women was some of the highlights of my first playthrough. Punching a guy till he explodes because he disrespected a sex worker?? Fucking immaculate.

SPEAKING OF SEX WORK.

Mad Moxxi is a icon. She is a mother of MULTIPLE children, a survivor of rape and assault and a fucking bad bitch who runs a now intergalactic titty bar. Getting to have not only a sex worker be respected in a narrative, Moxxi is fun and a genuinely complex character who isn't defined by her job or her appearance. She is emotional and strong and funny and flawed but amazing person.

And then there's the way the male characters a represented and treated. I'll be honest here, I haven't really played Borderlands 1, mostly because have been spoiled by auto pick up and also I just didn't feel like it. So my idea of most of the men are based entirely off of Bl2, the pre-sequel and Tales. Anyway, Mordecai in particular is a character I really liked upfront. I love how a lot of his motivation and character is driven by his love of animals and Bloodwing. He's kind and though troubled knows when to get his shit together and be there when he needs to be. His casual "are you okay?" After the latter falls in the Arid Nexus was such a nice moment and the way he genuinely tries to be there emotionally for all of the people around him who he cares for is so fucking rare to see in a male character. And his arc of giving up alcohol to focus on being a better bird dad and you getting to help Brick make Mordecai a special gift to celebrate his sobriety is so amazing and I'm so proud of him.

Mr. Torgue is my dad and I love him. As mentioned, he is normal and believes that the friend zone is absolute garbage talk is ICONIC™ and the best scene in that game fight me. Torgue is a crybaby. He is an emotional person who is not afraid to express his pain and hurt when people are mean to him. He respects women and loves unicorns. The fact that is physical appearance is a big muscle guy who screams but is the literal opposite of toxic masculinity will forever make him the best male character of all time and I love him and he is my dad.

Roland was a character that I was never in particularly attached to but I still respect him and did enjoy his presence. I really appreciated his leadership style being primarily based on empathy and logic as opposed to him being a big meanie man with a HUGE dick who yells at people. I always really resonated with the echo from Tannis talking about how she came to Sanctuary. Roland going out of his way to bring Tannis to safety while completely respecting her autism and struggle with socializing really made his death hit harder when Tannis was very obviously distraught by losing him. It really seems that Roland was the only one who didn't treat her differently. And as someone who's autistic, finding people who legit 100% understand and respect you and just let you live the way you want/need to is kinda hard and those are the qualities I'd personally want in a leader.

Angel is also a big spot of affection for me. Handsome Jack being a irrefutably horrible person who Angel flat out says gaslights people and killed her means a lot to me considering 99% of Bad Parent stories end with "I forgive u" getting to see an abusive victim take that narrative and say fuck you was powerful and meant a lot to me coming from my own abusive home life.

There's a lot of other things I love about Borderlands but if I keep going I won't stop lol so let's get into why Borderlands 3 makes me so uncomfortable.

One of the main things that bothered me was the sexism. Its nothing too horrifying but given how feminist bl2 was it was really shocking and a bit hurtful the number of times women are called bitches or made to seem crazy. If you recall I brought up how you punch a man to death for calling a woman a bitch? Yea no, in this game we mock women for having boundaries and opinions because lol she's just a CRAZY BITCH who just needs to stop acting so hysterical am I right guys?

Yea the whole mission with that stupid bear thing and his ex robot girlfriend made me insanely uncomfortable and upset. I kept waiting for the gotcha moment where it says actually this bear guy is a dick and he shouldn't use language like that but no we just,,,,,, are supposed to laugh along. I hate it.

Even though Borderlands 3 is still very much queer, this game introducing 2 new trans characters as well as a whole DLC about a gay marriage and one of the playable characters being a lesbian there was this some shit that bothered me.

The mission where you crash and ruin a lesbian wedding.

That mission made so upset and uncomfortable. I hated how traumatized and hurt Tumorhead was as I murdered her family and wife. I hated how unfulfilling the mission was where PLOT TWIST the lady was actually a spy or whatever. I hate how there's a mission about ruining some poor psycho ladies wedding. I would've much more preferred a mission where Idk Bloodshine asks you to help her kill a spy who's causing problems and then fucking go around Promethea collecting wedding decorations or something. OR MAYBE JUST NOT A MISSION WHERE YOU KILL LESBIANS FOR NO FUCKING REASON.

I'm mad, anyway.

I also hated how Tannis was treated in this game. Under absolutely no circumstance would Doctor Patricia Tannis ever willingly take up a position of leadership. She is a severely autistic woman who gets nose bleeds from talking to people she wouldn't just be like "I'm in charge now pls talk to me!!!" Fuck off. And the joke about her dating a minecart isn't funny. The whole thing with the chairs, though funny in its absurdities was still a very important and powerful moment of character exploration. Tannis is insane. She is traumatized and hurt and in a moment of severe torture, she humanized some inanimate objects to cope. Tannis crying over the echo over Phillip is a heartbreaking moment of true vulnerability. It is also funny, because that's how good dark comedy works. It can be both hysterical and emotionally ruining at the same time. So what exactly does Tannis divorcing a minecart mean? What is this saying about her character? Why is it funny? Because lol lol reference??? Again, fuck off.

I hate how the Calypso twins childhood is handled. Troy implies it was horribly abusive and traumatic. But when we met Typhon whatever, he acts like it wasn't that bad??? He acts like he just didn't buy his kids the latest iPhone and oh no whoopsie now they're evil, my bad guys. It feels super weird and I don't like it.

Speaking of abusive parents. THEY DID MY GIRL ANGEL DIRTY SO BAD. This was literally when I decided I hated this game. Angel being the one who killed her mother and not Jack was fucking horrible. Especially after the literal foreshadowing in borderlands 2 implying he did. The fact that Jack is treated like a fearful man making what he thought was the right decision was insulting. I get that MattPat manipulated the fandom into thing Jack is a uwu bean but fuck you, you're the writers and you should fucking know better. Handsome Jack saw his daughter had power and turned her into a living battery for him to use as he saw fit. He was not scared and he was NOT right. Fuck you and fuck you for framing child abuse as chill and ok if your spooked enough like that. And the mission directly contradicts the echo's in Get To Know Jack. If Angel killed her mom why does she ask Jack where her mommy is when he's putting her in her chambers?? Why is it in the echo Jack is aggressive and forcibly and hurtfully makes her go into her chambers but in the memory, he's quiet and passive about it?? That's literally just flat out bad writing. Also fuck you.

Anyway,

I think that's really all I wanted to say about this topic. Obviously, there are also things that suck about bl3 but I'll try to chill and not make this too long.

I mostly wanted to make this to see if people cared/are bothered by the same things I am. I've seen how some of the fandom treats the more emotional and gay aspects of this franchise(the people throwing a fit over Amara, the friend zone line, not respecting trans peoples pronouns, sexualizing and being gross about Moxxi)

Anyway that's it byeeeeeeeeeeeee

#rant time #i was also gonna post this on reddit but it turns out i don't know how to use that app lol #so i prob wont #but dont worry still got tumblr #anyway #borderlands #borderlands spoilers #borderlands 3 spoilers #borderlands 3 #borderlands 2

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