JVL
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
YOU ARE THE REASON
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Stranger Things
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
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DEAR READER
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@grinpaynes-smile
@castledock introduced me to “The Grinning Man” the musical and then requested I draw the protagonists. The musical is pretty morbid and messed up, but also really swell! You should check it out if you can! And also check out @castledock ‘s art for it as well, they are very talented and much more familiar with the characters than I am.
rewatched TGM! still one of the best musicals i've ever seen
(click for better quality)
I’ve recently watched The Grinning Man musical and loved it a lot! Gwynplaine and Dea are adorable
what is your favorite thing about the story of the grinning man?
Something I’ve talked about before is that TGM isnt afraid to show the hero being weak. Grinpayne’s entire thing is that he is disfigured, disabled, hurt. He Has Problems. Many problems! And TGM doesn’t just gloss it over. We see him in pain, he’s doubting himself, thinking that he’s unworthy of love. He calls himself a monster and a freak.
He’s vulnerable and emotional and he’s encouraged to show these feelings & express his rage and sorrow and doubt.
A lot of shows keep their protagonist stoic and strong. Any moment of weakness or injury is used to show how much of a badass they are for powering through it.
Grinpayne does try to ignore his pain, but it’s usually just too much to bear anyway. He takes medication for it (regardless of other effects, crimson lethe is still definitely a painkiller that helped him in that regard). Dea holds him up when he can’t stand on his own. When he has to fight when he’s in pain, he can barely walk, much less use a sword. His face isn’t magically fixed at the end.
Grinpayne is allowed to just be a disabled guy, without the story ignoring his problems and trying to paint it as no big deal.
uhhhhhh tldr. Grinpayne Is A Disabled Man And The Story Doesnt Shy Away From That Fact.
“In the ideal, kindness is the sun; and Gwynplaine dazzled Dea.”
43.“I love you.” with Dea and Grinpayne?
Grinpayne shivered, tugging his blanket tighter around his shoulders, dropping a glance to Dea sitting by his side. Life inside their cart was quiet, Ursus off to the market claiming to buy firewood, though with Christmas fast approaching, Grinpayne suspected small presents would anonymously arrive soon.
Grinpayne himself was reading his gift for Dea; living in the story he would dramatise for her late Christmas night, her animated expression and laughter filling their home as she saw the story through his voice. She was snuggled against his side now, humming as she knitted his own present, deft fingers skimming over the wool as she counted her stitches.
Winter was falling softly from the sky, the cold blanketing the ground in white snow outside. Grinpayne pulled Dea closer, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he turned a page in his book.
“Grinpayne?”
“Yes, my love?”
“Is it snowing outside?” Dea set the knitting aside as she turned to face him, nose scrunched slightly as if she could smell the weather that beat against their wooden walls.
“Yes, it has been for the last hour.”
“Well, what are we waiting for!?” Dea exclaimed, leaping to her feet as her hands flew about, feeling for her hat and coat.
“Dea,” Grinpayne’s throat constricted, “it’s cold out, you’ll catch a chill-”
“There’s been colder weather than this, Grinpayne.” She turned to face him, an excited smile warming her voice. “We must welcome Father Christmas with a dance!”
Grinpayne groaned softly, reluctantly setting his book aside as he shrugged on his winter coat. He had never been good with snow ever since That Night: the Night he couldn’t remember much of, except blood. Blood and pain and snow - and an infant, with snowflakes for hair and eyes frosted blind.
Despite her deathly encounter with the snow - or perhaps because of it? - Dea stepped out into the wintry landscape with wonder, her lips parted in soundless awe as she lifted her hands, snowflakes clustering on her fingertips.
The chill greeted Grinpayne with a shiver as he followed her, the sound of the Stokes Croft Fair residents muffled with the falling snow. The icy air numbed his face, allowing a genuine smile devoid of pain to soften his features as he gazed at his beloved. Dea was twirling in the snow, arms outstretched as she gazed at the sky, mouth open in soft laughter as snowflakes crowned her white hair.
Stepping towards her, Grinpayne held out his hand, her shoulder grazing his outstretched fingers. Smiling, Dea grasped his hand, allowing him to spin her, one hand at the small of her back guiding her. His gaze locked on her elated grin, Grinpayne felt joy bubble inside him, as if the emotion had passed through her skin to his as they danced closer together, ending with her tucked against his chest, his arms locked around her as if to guard against the nightly chill. Grinpayne closed his eyes, feeling the snowflakes collect on his eyelashes and skin, the wintry air contrasting with the warmth Dea provided against his chest.
“I’m grateful.” He murmured, nudging her cheek with his nose until he found her mouth, kissing her tenderly.
“For what, Grinpayne?” Dea’s hands explored his chest and collarbones, one travelling to the back of his neck, playing with the curls there.
A knot formed in Grinpayne’s throat. “Whatever happened that night . . . it brought me to you.”
Dea smiled warmly, pulling Grinpayne down for a kiss.
“I love you.” He breathed against her mouth. It was a statement, a fact. It was snowing; Christmas was coming; and Grinpayne loved Dea, heart and soul.
“I love you too.” Her hands pressed against his chest. An agreement, a promise. It was not the first time those words had been spoken, and it would not be the last, but they would always be the truth.
The Grinning Man is ultimately about two disabled people who love each other more than anything and how the world treats them as either disposible or the greatest entertainment and a source of hope, they're either garbage or they're treasures to be handled delicately, even as they just want to be treated as people and find happiness with each other. And, true, there are other facets to this. Sometimes they're coddled, sometimes they're fetishized, sometimes they're considered a liability. Therefore any analysis that doesn't take the very real effects inspiration porn, eugenicist mindsets, and other products of ableism into account are inherently lacking. In this essay I will--
the grinning man + screenshots of despair 4/?
Me? Writing Flappy Hands Gwyn? It's more likely than you think.
credit to @dammitsammy for the original photo but i spotted this gem
Ursus has a soft spot for Dea
You see her when you close your eyes Maybe one day you’ll understand why Everything you touch surely dies Well you only need the light When it’s burning low Only miss the sun When it starts to snow Only know you love Her when you let her go Only know you’ve been high When you’re feeling low Only hate the road When you’re missin’ home Only know you love her When you let her go
(Passenger - Let her go)
Songs for The Grinning Man - Part 2
that moment where you can see andre’s soul leave his body as natasha touches him is very grinpayne/dea, don’t you think? (x)
darling, the waves won’t pull me under, i won’t let the waters drag me down...
May these words be the first To find your ears. The world is brighter than the sun Now that you’re here. Though your eyes will need some time to adjust To the overwhelming light surrounding us,
I’ll give you everything I have. I’ll teach you everything I know. I promise I’ll do better.
(Sleeping at Last - Light)
Songs for The Grinning Man - Part 3
tgm but dea gets the swords that she deserves
i just wanted to fuck with the sword dea sketch and give her wings because apparently that’s my thing now. anyway, consider: justice dea.
