XistentialAngst's Blog, page 69
September 28, 2016
welovethebeekeeper:
captain-liddy:
Shipping gay characters in m/f pairings is homophobic, and I...
Shipping gay characters in m/f pairings is homophobic, and I promise I will always think that so y'all can stop telling me to “ship and let ship.”
I’m not hurting anyone. I’m not suggesting anyone is an irredeemable bigot. I’m not sending anyone to prison. I’m just saying if you ship a gay character in an m/f ship, it is probably for homophobic reasons.
My thoughts exactly.
So does that mean shipping straight characters in a m/m pairing is heterophobic?
"Someone snaps. Someone's had enough."
Louise Brealey about series 4 at Sherlocked
My bet is on John vs Mary. I feel we never really got a satisfying scene about her shooting Sherlock. Actually, he never even confronted her about it. Another elephant in the room. Because “She shot you” was addressed to Sherlock, not her. The whole domestic was mainly about John feeling betrayed, not about him losing Sherlock again. And at Christmas the shooting was not mentioned at all. I always felt a bit cheated about that.
So, yes, I am waiting for a very big snap so that someone finally gets what they deserve.
Yes please!
Hillary is not ‘the lesser evil’; she’s a great fucking candidate
I’m not a person who likes to get political on Tumblr–or anywhere for that matter. And I’ll probably get unfollowed for this. But I feel moved to say it. I supported Hillary back when she was fighting for the democratic nomination with Obama. At that time, I saw Obama as a smooth-talking, crowd-moving preacher type that ultimately had little substance, and Hillary as a smart, hard-working woman who was vastly experience and firmly grounded in liberal principles. I was wrong about Obama, but I wasn’t wrong about Hillary.
I’ve put the rest of this below a cut in case you don’t care to read it. I have a link to a great new article debunking a lot of Hillary trash talk which is worth looking at BTW.
It astounds me how many posts I see that are either “I dislike Hillary as much as anyone but you have to vote for her to stop Trump”. Or, worse, “I will never vote for crooked Hilliary, who stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders and is all sorts of evil, so I’m determined to write in my candidate.” I also see a lot of “How can I choose between two horrible candidates?”
Look. Hillary Clinton is a fucking great candidate. Full stop. She’s been fighting for women’s issues, for the poor, for equality, since she was a college student. She’s incredibly smart and probably the most experienced candidate EVER. She was in the White House for 8 years as a spouse and saw what it takes to run the presidency. She was Secretary of State so she has a better grasp of foreign affairs than anyone. And she has also been a state senator. She fought for better health care against huge odds.
There’s also the small matter that she’s the first serious woman candidate for president. I would love to have a woman president! That doesn’t mean I’d vote for any woman. Not, for example, Sarah Palin or Ann Coulter. But the fact that we have a potential female president who is smart and liberal and experienced fucking thrills me. I loved seeing Obama as a president because, just to name one reason, he represents diversity. More of that please.
Has Hillary always voted positively on issues we liberals now hold sacred, like gay marriage? No. But at the time when she didn’t, neither did uber liberals like Bernie Sanders and John Kerry. It was a different time. Have there been times when she made a decision for political reasons when her conscience dictated otherwise? I’m sure there are dozens! But that’s what you have to do when you’re a grown up. It’s called negotiation and compromise and sticking in there to ultimately get what you want accomplished done. Note: see Bernie Sanders endorsement of Clinton for an example.
Compromise is treated like some kind of dirty word. Listen: anytime there are two people on a project together, even if it’s painting a banner for prom, compromise is part of the package. It’s life. Of course, there are levels of compromise that are criminal and unforgivable, like, oh, looking the other way during the Holocaust. But the tendency to deride any form of negotiation as “corrupt” or having “no integrity” is just childish. It’s like saying you want your cake but don’t want any calories in it. Sorry. That’s not how it works. You can be a successful politician, and negotiate where you have to, while still holding onto your principles and pushing your cause as much as humanly possible. I think Hillary is a great example of someone who knows how to do that.
As for all the supposed black marks against her–please check the facts. Remember that her opponents and conservatives and basically anyone who doesn’t want to see a woman in power have deliberately trashed her. I really appreciate the article below, which gives facts and links and debunks alot of the trash talked about Hillary Clinton. It also gets to the root of the issue which is that people are hugely threatened by a strong, competent woman.
And to that end–who on God’s earth would have the courage and backbone to stand up to all that bullying? Years of the Republicans persecuting and trying to get anything they could on her. Years of being jeered at for her husband’s infidelity (which, IMHO, is between her and Bill and no one else). Being called all sorts of names like ‘slut’ and ‘cunt’ and ‘evil bitch’, hated and threatened. Man, I can’t even take a one star review on Goodreads! So I give Hillary all the props for being so damn brave and standing up there regardless.
So. In short, I think Hillary is bloody Wonder Woman. That’s all.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-womack/stop-pretending-you-dont-_b_12191766.html?
The Lying Detective: What You Need to Know
I made a reference/meta post on The Six Thatchers a few days ago, so here’s a similar collection of the information and speculation so far on the second episode, The Lying Detective.
The Canon“The Lying Detective” references the canon story “The Dying Detective”. I’ve linked a summary here instead of copying it, in case you’d like to read the full story without spoilers.
The original story: PDF version HTML version
So why is Tumblr up in flames about this? Because in terms of raw Johnlock material, The Dying Detective is second only to The Three Garridebs.
You’d think that to find an angsty sickfic featuring BAMF!John and a mid-crisis subverted dying declaration of love, you’d look on AO3. But no! Papa Doyle has already done it.
“The Dying Detective” centers around Holmes pretending to be sick for a case, while Watson thinks he really is dying. It features such memorable lines as:
“It’s for your own sake, Watson,” he croaked.
“For my sake?”
“I know what is the matter with me. It is a coolie disease…. It is infallibly deadly, and it is horribly contagious.”
He spoke now with a feverish energy, the long hands twitching and jerking as he motioned me away.
“Contagious by touch, Watson—that’s it, by touch. Keep your distance and all is well.”
“Good heavens, Holmes! Do you suppose that such a consideration weighs with me of an instant? It would not affect me in the case of a stranger. Do you imagine it would prevent me from doing my duty to so old a friend?”
When Watson goes to fetch help from Dr. Culverton Smith:
I thought of Holmes tossing upon his bed of sickness and counting the minutes, perhaps, until I could bring help to him. It was not a time to stand upon ceremony. His life depended upon my promptness.
And these infamous lines, with context:
“[…] I have reasons to suppose that [Dr. Smith’s] opinion would be very much more frank and valuable if he imagines that we are alone. There is just room behind the head of my bed, Watson.”
“My dear Holmes!”
“I fear there is no alternative, Watson […]” Suddenly he sat up with a rigid intentness upon his haggard face. “There are the wheels, Watson. Quick, man, if you love me! And don’t budge, whatever happens—whatever happens, do you hear? Don’t speak! Don’t move!…”
Goodness, if not for Johnlock, what a very interesting choice of story to adapt.
Existing Connections with the Show1. The story takes place as Watson has already been married (and moved out of 221B) for 2 years, matching the show.
2. Wording: This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about lying on the show.
Sherlock reads Mary as a “liar” in TEH and HLV.
@jenna221b noticed this other instance in HLV:Janine, His Last Vow: “Because you lied, Sherl. You lied and lied.”
Culverton Smith, Trailers, and InterviewsSome of the first clues that “The Dying Detective” would be adapted this season came when Toby Jones was slated to play Culverton Smith and “Culverton” was listed as one of the Series 4 keywords.
Culverton Smith is the main antagonist of the story: he attempts to poison Holmes, so Holmes fakes the symptoms of the poison in order to lure Smith into a confession.
He’s this guy from the trailer:
And unfortunately, he’s no playful, Moriarty-esque villain:
Mark Gatiss: “Toby [Jones] is doing something very interesting. He’s an avuncular, funny seeming man with terrible teeth. We’ve given him terrible teeth, which are symbolic of the rot inside him. It’s a great complex, shaded character. You’re not quite sure what the relationship is with him.”
Steven Moffat: “[Toby Jones is] the darkest villain we’ve had. This guy is the purest evil. Sherlock is actually appalled by him. He’s the most evil villain we’ve had. I don’t think that when you see it, you will disagree. He’s horrific.”
Because we didn’t have enough pain already, apparently.
SpeculationSo what is he lying about?
1. The standard answer: He’s lying about dying. Hopefully, he says he’s dying when he’s actually fine, and not the other way round.
2. What has Sherlock consistently lied about, since the very first episode? His feelings. This could go anywhere from simply acknowledging that he is human, that he does “feel things that way” to a full “I’m in love with you.”
@gay-sherlock-holmes expresses this admirably:A love confession can not occur without Sherlock explaining to John that he lied about being a high functioning sociopath, that he does have emotions and desires. That the reason he moved John’s chair and went back to drugs after John’s wedding is because he was heartbroken about losing John and was trying to numb his pain. That he came back to life at the realisation that John was in danger. That he excused Mary shooting him as “surgery” and protected Mary by killing Magnussen, all because he wanted to John safe and happy.
3. @inevitably-johnlocked pointed out that Sherlock may not be the (only) one lying): it might also refer to John.
4. And she also made this classic ubermeta discussing possibilities for adapting “The Dying Detective”. (Contains Setlock)
5. @beejohnlocked noted that revealing that Sherlock is lying is more for John’s benefit than ours–we know Sherlock isn’t an emotionless sociopath, but John still thinks he “doesn’t feel things that way.” I would agree, but note that a lot of the audience still thinks Sherlock is unfeeling or at least aromantic, so a clear explanation is for their benefit as well.
6. And here’s a nice long chain of yet more lies Sherlock has told.
Other theories:
1. Unlike the original stories, Sherlock really does get poisoned. Angst ensues.
2. Everyone thinks Sherlock is drugged, so they ignore his illness, but he actually has been poisoned. Maybe Mycroft ignores him in particular, and then Sherlock gets into real danger. That might explain the “You reptile” scene in the trailer.
3. I found an interview that implied that Smith’s character might be based on current politics, and adding that to Setlock pics advertising him on a show called “the Business Killer”, one can draw…interesting…conclusions. (*cough Trump cough*). For the life of me, I can’t find that interview now, and if anyone has seen it, please link me. Thanks!
I’m leaning towards an aborted love confession that they don’t really get to talk about until the Garridebs Moment (read: kiss) in episode 3. That could also follow smoothly from a series of flashbacks in The Six Thatchers clarifying just how long they’ve been pining. Evidence, Confession, Kiss.
But really, all they need to do is have Sherlock say “Quick, man, if you love me!” and I will lose all semblance of chill.
Take A BreakThis episode is going to be an angsty one. But never fear! Tumblr is here with puns and fanart. These include this, this, this, and this; also this and this. Brilliant creators tagged (in order) under the cut.
If you wrote meta on this episode and I didn’t mention you or cited you incorrectly, or if you found something to add, please please please message/reply/comment/ask me! My goal is to make this as comprehensive and accurate as possible.
Hope this helped!
-s.o.e.
Wonderful summary. Thank you!
September 27, 2016
withlemonandhoney:
“I’m not even a Hillary Clinton fan but, as a woman, I am so angry for her....
“I’m not even a Hillary Clinton fan but, as a woman, I am so angry for her. She’s having to entertain, campaign against, and possibly lose to, a man who is nowhere close to being her equal. Like, wow. She is currently every woman who has ever been challenged by a guy who had no idea what he was talking about–and she can’t just scream “shut up,” she can’t blow her top like she has every right to. She has to sit here and pretend that his opinions and feelings are just as valid as the facts her experience have taught her. This is literally what frustrates women DAILY, played out on the biggest national stage. This election has reinforced that a guy’s ignorance will still be given the same weight as a woman’s experience. He can have emotional outbursts that she would be crucified for having. As many problems as I have with her, I recognize that she deserved a more worthy opponent in this election.”
–Maacah Davis
Amen.
keagan-ashleigh:
Speaking of flashbacks in series 4: flashbacks seem more and more plausible with...
Speaking of flashbacks in series 4: flashbacks seem more and more plausible with every piece of new data -
at least that’s how I feel it, because mofftiss need to show the
audience they were implanting the idea since a long time, and that
inside the show John and Sherlock were in love since the beginning, that
everything they did was directly consequent to their feelings - so a
flashback seems an appropriate tool.
Also, it will not be the first
time they use it, they used flashbacks to show they implanted the idea
of Mary being an assassin, in little details most of us missed at first
watch until we got the flashbacks.
There is a nice probability that they also used it before to make us familiar with the concept: we’ve shown you something that was subtle enough for you to miss it, now we’re going to show you the trick and make you realise it was there.
This is what they’ll do on a larger scale, and now that the audience is familiar with this tool, they expect people to open their eyes wider. The use of this is supposed to make the audience think: is there something else I missed?
This is why I believe there’ll be flashbacks in series 4, and that the Six Thatcher will be one of them, maybe one of the most important since the case calls back to a period in Sherlock and John’s lives when they realised they were more than friends, and that they where lying to themselves by pretending these feelings were not there, thanks to Irene clear-sightedness.
This was a pivotal moment in their relationship, so going back to it is pretty meaningful, because it’s there that the global audience should have seen the clues that it’s not “a cheap gay joke” (quoting Gatiss in TGG’s comments), but the whole point.
I’m also pretty sure there will be flashbacks to Moriarty and Mary, to the link that may exist between them. We’ve seen a glimpse of Mary in Morocco - it’s not unreasonable to think this is a moment from her past. We also suspect she was one of the sniper at the pool in TGG, this theory is supported by some solid elements, and if she is indeed involved in this (as Moran or else), there will be some explanation of it.
Finally, flashbacks seem also an appropriate tool for the Redbeard/The Other One mystery. This is something from Sherlock’s past, and we know children have been cast to play Sherlock and Mycroft so to me this is actually the most evident way the flashbacks will be used. We just need to see what happened, so the problem is solved. And as I said here The Six Thatchers may be an episode based on this problem, since “Maggie” is the password.
So, we have three excellent reasons for flashbacks to be used. It can seem maybe a bit “flashback ex machina” when we see data and whisper “flashbacks”, but actually, I think we can logically expect quite a lot of them.
Yeah. I think we will get a lot of flashbacks. Whether or not the case “the six Thatchers” is literally back in time or somehow an updating of that (like with the six Moriartys), I’m not sure. But I can’t wait to find out!
I personally hope we get lots of AGRA flashbacks showing how she plotted against S&J for years.
Hello there, I do not know whether it is a reliable information but Amanda Abbington IMDB says she play Mary Morstan (not Mary Watson!) only in one episode of S4 which is the Six Thatchers no other episodes are scheduled for her. Interesting, isn't it? Yet
Hey! Yeah, I know! I’ve seen that, too, and wondered… I’m pretty sure AA was filming throughout setlock, though, but I could be very wrong! I mean, I hope very much that Mary dies in S4, preferably unredeemed and canonically awful to her last breath. I hope she goes out fully evil, acting to serve herself as she has all along, with no ambiguity in the slightest for the Mary stans to spin even further than they already twist canon. Like when people comment on a fic of mine and go “wow, Mary is evil in your story!”, to which I generally reply, “like you mean the way she is in canon?” Lol. I just want there to be absolutely not room for wrong interpretations in Mary’s death. I’m rambling, but yeah - maybe they haven’t released the details of the third ep to imdb yet because they’re still sitting on the name? But if the details are out for the second one, I don’t know!! Here’s hoping, though!
calliopecookiejar:
marcespot:
jonnyluvssherlock:
series 1 he...
series 1 he was pissed to have his date interrupted by a murder and in series 3 at his own wedding John can’t wait for an interruption
oh SNAP!
John can’t get away from Mary fast enough.
appreciatejack:
Thoughts on the latest update:
-Sometimes I forget that Shitty’s one of Bitty’s...
Thoughts on the latest update:
-Sometimes I forget that Shitty’s one of Bitty’s best friends, too. (I get so tied up in his fantastic, usually-naked, friendship with Jack.) Add this to Ransom and Holster’s careful offers of help and Lardo’s worried looks: Bitty’s got a built-in support system, ready to help him through all these rough patches he’s been weathering alone.
-“I hate that I can’t be proud of you.” This though. We’re all used to the idea of having to hide our sadness on occasion, but it can be just as painful to hold back joy and pride and the desire to stand up on a chair and scream, “THAT NHL PRODIGY IS MY BOYFRIEND.” Bitty hasn’t…actually…been very good at restraining his excitement about Jack’s games and funny little stories about his teammates, but imagine what a bubbly mess of joy he’ll be when he can actually open up about it the way he wants to. I have a feeling he’s going to talk nonstop about Jack for several months. (Hopefully Chowder gets to be in on the secret, because Chowder is probably the one person who could talk more excitedly about how awesomely Jack’s doing. Or maybe Shitty, when he’s drunk and weepy.)
-Jack zeroing in on Bitty’s admission that being in this relationship makes him feel like he’s gone back in the closet. Jack absolutely refusing to let that stand, now that he knows how rough it’s been on Bitty.
-Jack immediately suggesting they tell their friends. Bitty’s reaction here makes me think that every other time the topic’s come up, Bitty went into bright, cheery, “everything’s just dandy” mode, and Jack took it at face value. Now that he knows Bitty’s not actually okay with keeping it a secret - that it’s actively hurting him, and he’s only doing it because he’s afraid of secrets leaking and hurting Jack’s career…
-Their entire argument is centered around the two of them arguing for each other. They’re fighting over who deserves to be happier and more comfortable, and then apologizing for getting upset about each others’ welfare.
-That split-screen panel, though, with Jack yelling at Bitty about not prioritizing his career over his happiness, and Bitty sobbing that Jack cannot ruin his entire life for Bitty.
-That’s the moment where it probably fully clicks for Jack. Hockey is his career. Bitty is his life.
-It’s another Graduation Bells moment: Jack was in love with Bitty for a good percentage of that year, but it took a final conversational push to make him realize, Oh. Oh that’s what I was feeling. And he’s probably been feeling this way about Bitty vs his career for a while now: he’s prioritized hockey over everything else in the past, even his own health, but the brightest part of his day now is coming home after a game, hearing Bitty’s voice, gently touching the affectionate, supportive notes Bitty writes for him, finally believing that someone cares about him, rather than about what he can do on the ice.
-Winning a game might feel good. But Bitty makes Jack happy, even on his worst days. Bitty is more important than anything else in Jack’s life.
-And 110% Jack fucking Zimmermann is going to make sure Bitty knows that.
-Can I just say how much I love that breaking up was never even on the table for a second. That entire conversation was - “this is really hard, but we’ll get through this; I’ll be stronger - you shouldn’t have to be; you told me to tell you when I needed you, and I just needed you this week; I needed you to know how I was feeling, because it hurts, but it hurts less when I’m with you.” There isn’t the slightest hint of considering ending things, because these boys love each other and are willing to do everything in their power to make it work.
-Jack isn’t a hockey prince anymore: he’s the king of big romantic gestures.
-Running across campus, out of breath and desperate to see Bitty, his graduation gown billowing behind him, wasn’t enough. Now he’s gotta walk through a storm to wrap Bitty up in his rain-soaked arms??
-This boy.
-“You fool” is my new favorite pet name, after “bud.”
-Jack’s worried face, his hair dripping, as Bitty flings himself angrily at him, crumpling his elegantly tailored suit and berating him for not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Why would you do this for me, when it could’ve hurt you?
-But Jack has thought about it. When he saw those missed calls, listened to the broken-voiced message he was supposed to delete, heard the tears Bitty was trying to choke back when they talked…he thought about what it’d mean to him, to Bitty, to their relationship, to keep hiding from everyone they know. He thought about what it was like before he knew Bitty, when he was quiet and harsh and anxious and dedicating all his energy into being the best possible hockey player. He thought about the warmth that filled his chest when he talked to Bitty, the light, bubbly feeling he got when he had Bitty in his arms.
-It wasn’t much of a choice, was it? Not when one option meant Bitty fighting back tears, turning into the terrified, anxiety-riddled person Jack has far too much experience being.
-“We’re a team.”
-Honestly, this is probably the most romantic thing Jack could ever say. It means loyalty, dedication, hard work, passion. It means having someone’s back, and trusting them to have yours. It means putting in the extra time and effort. It means being your best for the other person, even on the days when it’s too hard, when everything seems to go wrong. It’s an even bigger declaration than Jack asking Bitty to be his boyfriend. And Bitty knows it.
-Bitty’s stubborn chin, the defiant tilt of his head, and Jack’s quiet, soft expression as he waits to see if Bitty really does feel the same way.
-Bitty collapsing into Jack’s arms, and the tension melting out of both of them as Bitty buries his face in Jack’s chest, Jack curving his body around his boyfriend, pressing his face into Bitty’s hair, grateful to be holding him, to know that they’re going to be okay. Still hurting because he’d hurt Bitty without knowing it, but relieved that they’re going to fix it, now that they’re together.
-Jack smiling blissfully and chirping a tired, still emotional, but deeply affectionate Bitty as they head up the stairs. It’s them. It’s the perfect example of their comfortable, best friends and boyfriends dynamic.
-Bitty slipping easily back into pet names and stripping Jack out of his wet clothes. Jack thanking him for taking care of him - for letting Jack take care of him, too.
-“Let me in?” Jack asks, waiting on the porch, his heart in his throat. As though the answer would ever be anything but yes.
Love this comic. So realistic and simple and yet compelling.
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