#commentary track

[not-lupus]

– David Shore, s02e02 commentary track

[hillmouse]

welcome to the world of fancam commentary tracks !

[fuckyeahmeikokaji]

Meiko Kaji (梶芽衣子) in Blind Woman’s Curse (怪談昇り竜), 1970, directed by Teruo Ishii (石井輝男). I've uploaded the Chris D. commentary track from the out of print Discotek Media DVD to Archive and YouTube:

[greenmountaindummy]

Chris Eigeman - Criterion Closet

A man after my own heart 🎧 🎥

[neongreensyrup]

Buff Babe

Finally being able to watch the commentary track with the movie and it be in HD is amazing

Thank you @sad-gay-cowboy for your amazing work!

If you guys haven't seen it yet you should:

[leighcartist]

Hey btw, I'm still working on my podcast too! I just recently released my first movie special (which also happens to be the first time I've had guests on the pod!). I, along with Austin of the Andalite Bandits podcast, and my girlfriend and prodomme Kiki, get increasingly drunk and dismayed as we comment on the 50 Shades of Grey movie.

Find Curdled Ink wherever you get your podcasts!

[lykegenia]

For the commentary track, I'm so curious to know about your thoughts during the Chapter 12 interrogation scene in Like Glitter and Gold :) (-wayhavenots)

Chapter 12 gave me such trouble XD I'd love to talk about it!

The difference between Samantha and her husband is stark as she sits on the far side of the table in the interview room, prim in her work blouse and heels, defiant rather than cowed. Leah watches in silence from the observation gallery, chewing the inside of her cheek. Mason and Rebecca work seamlessly together in their questioning, like a pair of collies herding sheep towards the inevitable gate at the end of a field. It must have taken them years to become so used to each other, and the thought sparks an unwelcome resentment in her chest, a twitch like a phantom limb. She stamps it out before it can fully form. That Rebecca’s colleagues know her better than her own daughter isn’t news, even if this is the first direct evidence she’s seen of it; the disappointment should have worn off long ago. Besides, she should be paying attention to the interrogation. Next to her, Nate stands poised, utterly still in the way she’s noticed vampires go sometimes. They don’t need to breathe, or fidget, but he at least only forgets to do so when something has captured his full attention. His arms are crossed, the knuckles of one hand pressed against his mouth as he frowns through the glass, as if it’s an effort to bite back whatever is on his mind. She spares a glance to look at him properly, but he doesn’t meet her gaze, and it worsens the discomfort dancing like static down her arms. Unaware of this small drama, Rebecca slides the photo of the murder weapon across the table. “You know what this is.”

So, first off, this whole fic was very inspired by crime dramas so there was a very cinematic quality I was envisioning when writing. In this scene especially, I was trying to split the focus between Rebecca and Mason doing the interrogation, and Leah and Nate reacting to it. There's not much to say about Rebecca and Mason because the emotional weight of the scene is with Leah, seeing how practiced they all are at this sort of stuff. In a way, the cuts back and forth were meant to feel disjointed because there's a lot of emotional turmoil going on: Leah is worried about the shadiness of the Agency (which I don't dismiss as easily as Mishka) and Nate is hung up on the fact that relationships between humans and supernaturals don't always end well. And of course there's the lowkey jealousy Leah always feels when one of Unit Bravo shows they know Rebecca better than she does - she doesn't want that familiarity, but she recognises that it's just a little bit fucked up.

“This is taking too long,” Mason huffs, and leans forward, reaches out. “Why don’t you relax?” A cold shiver crawls across Leah’s shoulders. The sterile scent of a blood lab, an iron grip around her forearm. Without meaning to, her thumb strays to the silver bump of scar tissue on her left wrist.

Leah likes to pretend Murphy doesn't affect her, but he does. I specifically went back to Book 1 to find Murphy's exact words to properly freak her out. It's not just her reaction to the pheremones that's important here, though, it's that Mason is so casual about using them to get what he wants. Is it simpler than due process? Maybe, but the ethics of it don't square away with her sense of justice.

“He thought I loved him. He thought I could love him after I found out what he was. How could anyone? I had to do it. God, I let him touch me. And the chain – when I –” Her hands come up clenching around imaginary iron links. “The chain was stuck to his skin. His eyes were so dark, just… staring. But I had to do it. I had to.” By now she’s nodding to herself, rocking on the chair as her lips press together and her arms snake around her middle as if otherwise she’ll shatter.

The whole process of weaving together the details of the mystery took a while, and I'm not sure when I decided who the murderer should be. The most important thing was the thematic parallel between that relationship and the one between Leah and Nate. There are obviously Dark Tragic Backstory things about Nate that we don't know about yet, but the idea of secrets and revulsion leading to rejection is something that's clearly on his mind.

This particular bit was tricky to get right, because I couldn't quite find the right level of despair in Samantha without her seeming to lack remorse for what she did. She's horrified by Russell, by what she did, and by what the aftermath looked like, and that was surprisingly hard to convey.

“Are you ok?” Leah asks. He glances up from the floor, but can’t quite break his face out of a grimace. “I can’t believe she did it.” “It’s not so surprising. People have committed murder for less.” “For less?” He says it like an accusation. “Leah, you don’t… you cannot think as she does.” “I can understand her motive,” she retorts. “Isn’t that the whole reason all of this is secret? Finding out there’s an entire world of supernatural beings hiding in plain sight isn’t something everyone’s going to be happy about, even without insane vampire serial killers wanting to hunt you down.” She thinks of Verda, of the way he hunched over his desk in the morgue and the deep, exhausted shadows under his eyes. “He hid a lot from her – lied to her. All I’m saying is I understand why she was angry.” His hand drops from her waist, leaving a cold echo behind. “Her reaction goes a little beyond anger.” “Yeah, well, maybe if Russell had told her what he was instead of letting her find out through someone else it wouldn’t have gone that far.” It’s a bitter point, spiteful, but the day has gone sour and he’s the only person left to take it out on. For a moment he just stands there, searching her face for something he cannot see. She recognises fear in his eyes. “Sometimes people have reasons for keeping things to themselves,” he replies at last, quietly, looking away. “And he did tell her in the end.” “Only when he was forced to,” she snaps. “Pretty familiar, don’t you think?” He reels at that, like it’s a physical blow. “It almost sounds like you blame him for what happened.”

They're misunderstanding each other so much here. The real point of the argument is so I can have them make up in the next chapter, but the heart of the problem is that they're talking about different things. As already mentioned, Nate is thinking about the things in his past he's worried about sharing, but Leah doesn't know that exists, and instead she's seeing parallels to Book 1 and the fact that it ended badly partly because everyone around her was so determined to keep secrets. The body language between them is important here as well - most of the time, Leah isn't a very touch-y person, but Nate is the exception, and it means something when he pulls his hand away. It's a fine line to draw between letting the dialogue speak (haha) for itself and detailing every little gesture, but I wanted to get the broad strokes of how they move towards or away from each other.

[uponrightful]

So, I love possessive, jealous Crosshair 🥵 Tell me about this scene (please?):

“Trouble doesn’t suit you, doll.” He murmured lowly, soft voice contrasting the slight pressure over her pulse point and the swell of her hip. Crosshair was all-consuming and Dutch was weak to do anything but try to stay silent under his pressing weight and commanding presence at her back.

Also, I’d love to know what Echo was thinking once Cross went to the fresher after Dutch.

You’re the best! 😘

Commentary Track for Coriolis Effect

Copy 500 words -or more- of any of my fics and I'll give you my thoughts/rambles on what was going through my head -or the character's- when I wrote it!

*send one in here anytime!*

My oh my! 😍 What spicy scene we have here. I'll start with what's going on with Crosshair first, then I'll come back for Echo and the rest of the Batch. haha

***

Crosshair is fuming with rage during his conversation with Echo: It's that kind of bodily energy you get after watching a action-movie, where your whole body feels tired, but it's twitching with adrenaline that can't be spent or released. That kind of feeling you can't get rid of no matter what you do to ignore it, or work through it. Your mind feels like it working so fast that it's in slow-motion, overanalyzing the smallest details until your grinding your teeth because there's nothing else that helps relieve the pressure.

But the second he enters the refresher all of that energy snaps from anger and fear for Duchess, into dead calm. His inner voice stops screaming and evens out in tone and his hands stop shaking. His breathing slows and the second Cross sees her standing there, it's like he's been meditating deeply for hours. This kind of concentration is only present in Crosshair one other time... And you guessed it. When he's shooting.

Note: This is the epitome of Crosshair's ability to manage impulse-control in unfamiliar -and stressful- situations. Key-word here being "unfamiliar." I firmly believe that Cross is painfully terrible at monitoring and expressing his emotions. He has so many of them all the time that from a young age he had to learn how to turn them off in a moments notice, simply so he could survive. Think about it... How can a sniper worry about his brothers dying right before his eyes and still make clean shots? Not even Crosshair can do that. So the second he's certain Dutch is safe -by visually proving her health- that well-trained nature takes over to protect him like it always does.

Crosshair -at this point- isn't sure what he wants. He needs to touch her though, remind himself that she's tangible and within reach. Not that he isn't aware of his effect on her, but this moment isn't about sexual appeal or attraction. This is desperation, and Crosshair knows that; He's just banking on the hope that she'll let him, because she's always done so. He feels safe with Duchess, and even though this feels/looks sexy, Crosshair feels completely vulnerable right now.

Note: I will say it now; Once and for all. I have never subscribed to the idea that Crosshair is a typical Dominant/BDSM/Sadisim kind of guy. And the distinction is all to do with motivation. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why he acts the way he does, and how that manifests itself. So when I planned this scene, I wanted to focus on just how strong his desire to have security is. Not prowess, or control. It's all to do with the desperate need he has to prove how he feels about her. That kind of vulnerability just comes easier to him physically than it does emotionally. Duchess gives him a sense of stability -in and out of the sexual sense- that makes his characterization insanely complex and difficult to balance.

The moment he finds his words, it's a compulsory need to cover his own jealousy. Crosshair is undoubtedly unhappy knowing she went out with Regs... but what's really bothering him is how easy it is to feel so strongly for Duchess. Every time he speaks, it's intentionally driving attention towards someone else, and away from his own desire to be the focus of her attention. Cross uses his fear of her being unsafe to mask the jealousy that constantly compares himself to the others who can give her attention more freely than he can personally. Duchess sees his calm nature as patience and precision, but it's really Crosshair planning out what he's going to say because he knows one wrong move will reveal just how desperate he is to have her acceptance of him.

Note: I've never struggled to balance possessiveness and love like I have with Crosshair. He's so intense that if I'm not careful, he comes off like a walking red-flag. Word choice is essential when getting Cross' character and reactions right. Whether it be the way he talks to her, or the way he naturally falls into a protector role. That's why when I'm writing for him, it takes double the time it does to write anything else. Every movement, every word he says, needs to be written like he says it in the moment. That's the only way to show his softness... because the love that he gives is best felt in person. You can't describe Crosshair's love with words easily.

Now for sweet, sweet, Echo.

Let me preface this by saying: Echo is his brother's keeper. There is a relationship there that goes far deeper than the ones Crosshair holds for his other brothers. It happened slowly, but it wasn't until the two of them were too far into it that either recognized what had happened. Their personalities are something that wouldn't really mix on first glance, but for some reason or another, they just get each other. It's natural, and they gravitate towards each other.

That being said, Duchess and Echo are their own kind of dynamic. I see them as the "platonic-soulmate" kind. She has an intensity that Echo marvels at, and Dutch knows she could take any problem to him and he would do anything to help her. They both see something in the other that they wish they still had, or could develop. It's probably the purest friendship Duchess has ever had, and Echo can't help but harken back to Fives when he sees her attitude -in future chapters.

Note: From the first moment I created Duchess, I just knew in my heart she was meant to be something special to Echo. To me, it was only right that Crosshair's doll would feel strongly connected to Echo as well. Add in their common feeling of loss for brothers, and that just made their relationship that much stronger. She's such a force, and the ARC trooper can't help but find a enamorment with people who have such a strong will and fiery personality. (See Fives)

The moment Echo sees Crosshair, he's already preparing to do anything necessary to protect Duchess from incurring another possible hit to her bruised emotions. Echo trusts Crosshair, but he's highly attentive to Cross and how raw his emotions are. Their interaction is based in Echo's desire to save the couple from losing the chance to do things the right way. Intuition and experience guide Echo through the whole conversation; He really is flying by the seat of his blacks here... But he's so well-versed in reading Crosshair that none of the other Batcher's even think about offering to be the first one Crosshair faces when he comes in the bunk hall. Echo has unmatched faith in Cross, and this was something both of them knew would happen.

Note: Writing this scene was challenging for a number of reasons. For one, neither Echo or Crosshair really talk a whole lot. They say what they need to, and that's the end of it. So I spent days watching Echo and Crosshair's interactions. Trying to figure out what I could based off the -very little- examples I was given. In that, I found that the two of them hardly ever stand next to each other, but they're constantly sharing glances and looking at each other. Echo and Crosshair have silent conversations all. the. time.

Had Echo not allowed Crosshair to go and see Duchess, their sexy scene would have never happened. (And I played around with that idea very seriously...) Ultimately, Echo's intuition was the deciding factor. That conversation, and Crosshair's attempt at honesty was the reason Echo felt confident in letting him speak to her. And although Echo could sense Crosshair's patience running thin, he'd already told the rest of the Batch to be prepared for any fight. Echo wouldn't put it past Cross to stun him, but a gut-feeling kept him from mentally preparing to do the same thing.

Additionally, it was Echo who made everyone leave the bunk hall. The second Crosshair and himself reached an agreement, Echo was the first to step away. His next move was to shove the rest of the Batch out the doors and give Duchess and Crosshair the privacy needed to work through their shit. And although he expected it to end in sex, the desire to keep their business between them alone was Echo's main motivation to empty the bunk room. Neither Crosshair or Duchess really trust the Batch at this moment -in Echo's mind at least- and risking their privacy wasn't something the ARC would stand for. In the back of his mind though, Echo was terrified that Crosshair would fuck her and leave it at that. He's seen the sniper at his best and his worst, and although his best is wonderful, his worst can be miserable to endure. Echo was praying that Crosshair wouldn't be too harsh -physically and mentally- on Duchess.

When Hunter finally decided enough time had passed, Echo was on edge to see just where the two of them would be. The image of them sleeping in separate bunks: Crosshair pretending to sleep -like always- and Duchess laying quietly and pretending like nothing happened shook Echo to his core. But the second he saw her bunk in a disarray, and her not in it, Echo couldn't help but fucking grin. He was proud of his brother for doing the right thing. For doing something for himself, and not worrying about how it would make him look for once. Add in the way Crosshair reprimanded Tech, and how deathly serious he looked with her sleeping peacefully against him...?

That was the moment Echo knew for certain that Crosshair was never coming back from this. He saw a visible change in his brother, in the way his attitude changed. The way Crosshair wasn't worried about himself, or attempting to hide behind sneers and sarcastic comments. Echo noticed how attuned he was to her in that moment, putting her comfort above all else. For a man who pretended to not care about anything, Crosshair did a terrible job of hiding his true personality when Duchess was curled up into him. And Echo couldn't be happier, knowing that his trust in Crosshair hadn't been for nothing. Not only was his brother experiencing love in a way that all of them desired, but Duchess was never going to live with the question of whether or not someone truly cared for her.

***

I hope this was what you were looking for in-terms of answers 😅. I had a great time writing this for you, and I hope you'll feel comfortable doing this again whenever you feel like it! I love sharing the behind-the-scenes stuff with you! It makes the cuts and editing feel a little less sad knowing I might be able to share some of it with you anyways!