#lance corporal william schofield

[hickeygender]

army dreamers - kate bush and chor leoni

[blake-and-sco]

𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦

[thibouniverse]

schofield.

i already knew schofield was THE ultimate... (i was going to say man but come on, he is THE ultimate everything) and then i found the script and then i read the first page and then he is described as having “soft features” and eyes “gentle and wise” and then i fell even more in love

[worldsweirdesttransgirl]

German Pilot: *sees Blake*

German Pilot: OwO What's this?

[haileymorelikestupid]

PLEASE talk about how everybody looks concerned for Scho in that scene!

ask and you shall receive, my dear! and thank you for asking, i love talking about this film so much i risk insanity and annoyance from those who read these lmao. i hope you don’t regret asking after reading this whole novel i wrote

okay, so first we gotta look at the events directly preceding them getting back in the truck. from the moment scho first got in, none of the men paid him much mind, at least that we could see. the only exceptions really are a) when he first got in and they all looked at him before smith told them to move, b) rossi taking his rifle to help him in, and c) rossi’s comment of “welcome aboard the night bus to fuck knows where”. once they’re all seated, they don’t talk to him or even look at him. i think this was its own form of compassion, that this random soldier looked like he’d been through a lot and didn’t seem to want to talk so they figured they’d let him alone. it may have also been that he was a stranger to them and they didn’t feel the need to talk to him, but i don’t think that’s fully the case.

the first time they fully acknowledge him that we can see as the audience is when he gets hit by what i think is a canteen aimed at cooke. he flinches (and oof that flinch kinda breaks my heart a bit) and looks at his watch. they’d probably been aware of him and what he was doing (or, really, not doing) the whole time, but this is when they look at him in some form of expectation. then butler asks if he’s got somewhere to be, marking only the second thing said to him, and we don’t know if he would have even answered because then the truck gets stuck.

then, this poor guy seems out of his mind as he frantically tries to get the truck out of the mud. we can sympathize with him because we know what happened and what his mission is, but to the convoy, he’s this random lance corporal who has been silent up until now, and he seems almost crazed. he yells at the driver with desperation, he insists there’s no time to get wood to put under the wheels, he begs for help to push the truck, and he screams with the effort of doing so. the only thing they can even be is concerned for the man at this point. he falls in the mud and does not care as he just urges the men to get back in, and the air with which he says it indicates he’s still hurried.

so, as they get settled again, they all look at him. at this point, they can’t ignore him anymore (not that they were being ignorant before, they just weren’t acknowledging him directly or forcing scho to acknowledge them). they don’t even know this dude’s name, but they can gather that something is dreadfully serious concerning how this man ended up with them.

given that, we know they’re concerned. there’s really not much else they can be, and they’re all good enough men that they wouldn’t be concerned.

but, how do they show it, and how do we see it? first of all, they all look at him, expecting, waiting, just as they did when butler asked if he had somewhere to be. cooke and jondalar most noticeably hold their gazes for the longest time, while rossi looks out the back, butler looks down, and with malky it’s hard to tell. then jondalar asks where he’s going, not unkindly, and they all look straight at him. if they didn’t care, they wouldn’t bother looking and waiting for his response. i mean for rossi it might be strange to avoid looking at him since they’re face to face, but he could just continue looking out the back if he didn’t care.

besides eye contact, all five that are in frame with scho say something. jondalar asks the first two questions, then malky pitches in, then cooke, then butler, then rossi. and yeah, it’s a film and they’re all in camera for a reason, specifically to speak, but eh whatever imma give this as much meaning as i want lol. the point is, they all care about what scho has to say, and he’s too unfamiliar to them for it to just be because they consider him so much as even an acquaintance at this point. they want to know why he’s acting the way he is, why he ended up in the back of the truck with him, and they wouldn’t care if they weren’t concerned for and about him.

then, it’s their responses and what they choose to say. when he says it’s to save 1600 men, they’re all pretty taken aback because of the sheer number of men and the weight of what that means. in that moment, they have some understanding of why it is so important that they did everything in a timely manner and why he was so stressed about doing so. when he says, “there were two of us,” they all understand the heaviness of that statement. literally, in the script, after that line, it says, “a beat. the men understand what this means.” and that is so heartbreaking, that with one small answer they become privy to this man’s grief, even if they don’t know the depth of it. it’s their concern that stops someone from asking something like, “what happened to the other one?” they see this man now and understand that his actions and attitude are clearly warranted in his circumstance.

in my post about cooke, i talked about how he showed his concern in that face he made after scho responded to his, “you’ll never make it,” with “yes, i will.” rossi also shows compassion in his own ways, from his helping scho get in the truck the first time to his welcoming comment to just his gentle demeanor. here, it’s no different as he offers scho some of his whisky, no questions asked. i feel like so many things are said in that one gesture – it’s a sign of comfort, it’s for luck, it’s some liquid courage, etc. etc. also, whether it’s rations or something rossi traded for, it’s not like it’s in large supply, but it’s something he can offer to scho. that’s how rossi shows he cares.

butler doesn’t do or say much, but that little lasting gaze, even when scho has his back to him, says to me that he’s still concerned. it’s almost like he’s analyzing him or thinking over what he’s said and what he must do. he shows compassion in his quiet and slightly grumpy way.

when they look out the back at the field full of dead cows, it seems to me to be a timely subject change so that scho can take a breath and have the attention off him, and a way of showing their own version of grief for scho. that sounds weird, but what i mean is they obviously realize that this war is inhumane and cruel and uncaring and even unnecessary, and it’s like they’re sharing with scho that they are upset for him, that he lost whoever was sent with him on the mission, that the weight of 1600 men rests on his weary shoulders. and, we know that for scho, it’s message received, that he’s not zoning out while they talk. he gets a moment to himself to take a drink and put the letter in his tin, but he is very much still listening and responding to the conversation. we can tell that much by the way he looks at them as they speak and nods along at moments.

and i think jondalar’s denial of cooke’s statement that they’ve “got them on the ropes” is, in itself, caring. schofield just told them that he’s stopping the attack to save the devons from a trap, and i think jondalar read between the lines on that one. this is another way we can tell scho is actively listening, since his gaze snaps straight to jondalar and he nods in agreement.

and then, of course, the goodbyes are caring and concerned as well. “keep some of that luck for yourself, pal. think you’ll be needing it.” that about says it all, really. they all wish him good luck, and you know they mean it, that they want him to succeed, for his sake and for the sake of 1600 men. “i hope you get there,” and we know the rest agree.

i hope this does it justice. thank you again for asking, and for wanting to hear what i have to say. it really means a lot to me <3

[haileymorelikestupid]

this is a cooke appreciation post because i haven’t shown enough love to the convoy boys like i have scho and blake and i decided to start with everyone’s favorite feral private.

not gonna lie, first time i watched i was like this dude is not the nicest huh but i’ve since realized that he doesn’t have any ill intent, he just lacks a filter at times. like telling scho he wouldn’t make it wasn’t to be demeaning or anything he was just putting it out there, whether he even believed it or not. he’s just feral and sarcastic and at least slightly unhinged and that’s okay i love him for it.

truth is, he’s honestly so caring and attentive in his own, barely noticeable ways. first of all, no one says much to scho or stares at him or anything when he first gets on, except for rossi’s lil welcoming comment. i think there’s a couple reasons for that – they’re probably used to random soldiers showing up at random times and smith brought him so there’s no point questioning why he’s joined them so suddenly, what would they even say to him, he’s clearly been through some shit so it’s almost polite to leave him be, etc. they could have just sat in silence, uncomfortable or not, but then cooke urges butler to carry on with that story so it’s no longer silent. sure, he may have done that because he actually wanted to hear, but i think a part of it was filling the silence without questioning the dude sitting next to him and without basic small talk or anything. and, since there’s no questions being asked by telling a story, scho doesn’t need to participate, thus giving him some time to just sit without something being expected of him. maybe that’s a little too much thought and credit put into cooke asking for a story, but whatever, i like it.

as much as cooke may seem to lack a filter, when he notices scho looking at his watch, you know he’s not going to ask. he looks at butler, not scho, but when butler asks, he finally looks at scho. cooke seems like the type of guy to add on when someone asks a question he wanted to ask (i.e. you’d think he’d make a comment or say “yeah” or repeat butler’s question or something), but here, he just watches and waits. course, we’ll never know what cooke would have done or said after that, if anything, since the truck gets stuck. point is, i think cooke’s care for scho comes in the small things, like choosing not to speak or choosing to encourage another to speak and draw attention away from scho.

then, when scho goes to get out of the truck, he hands cooke his rifle. it’s such a quick exchange i didn’t notice it until i saw cooke hand it back and went, “wait, when did cooke get will’s gun?” and rewatched the scene to see it. and like ok, yes, i understand that this is a film and the whole point was for george to hand the gun off so he could get out and push the truck in a moment but i’m disregarding that for now. because that exchange was so quick, and even though we can’t quite see cooke when scho is standing at the back looking down before he gets out, i think cooke was ready to take his gun or offered to take it himself. scho barely even looks at him and then cooke is holding his gun, scho is jumping out, and cooke is following. which, also that – cooke is the only one that follows him out. it’s possible he just got out because it was more comfortable to be out than cramped in the back of the truck, but i don’t think that’s it. in the few minutes we get of cooke, he’s very attentive to scho, even just with his presence. it’s hard to say why he jumped out, but i think at least part of it was that will is out so cooke is out too in case scho needs anything. he’s got his gun already slung over his shoulder but i’m sure if scho took his helmet off or something cooke would already have his hand out to hold it.

and yeah, he’s not actively paying attention to scho in terms of body language and looking right at him, but he’s still attentive. why else would he answer to scho’s suggestion of putting it in reverse? a halfhearted answer, maybe, but it’s not like scho asked a question in need of an answer. even if he did, who’s to say anyone would need to answer? i mean cooke’s “is that a dead dog?” was a question and it went unanswered. yet he knows scho directed it towards him in some way, so a small “yeah” is better than nothing. it’s not like whatever cooke says will really impact scho, he could have said nothing or shrugged or whatever and scho would probably still tell the driver to put it in reverse. that tiny response is just a sign of his attentiveness and own form of care towards scho, even if nothing but a pleasantry or formality, at least in my opinion. it’s the same reason he turns his body as scho walks to the other side. dude’s just having a quick lil snack and isn’t even looking at the other man, but he turns to face him anyways.

when scho starts demanding the men get out, he doesn’t say anything. he may not see why the guy is yelling, but he clearly isn’t going to judge him for it. if he wanted to do that, he would have gone to butler to make a comment or not helped push in the first place. but what does he do? he helps push, and he puts at least some effort into it. rossi doesn’t even do that much at first, bless him. when it doesn’t work, he makes a valid suggestion. he looks slightly incredulous when scho denies and says to just keep pushing, but he does it anyways. then when scho pretty much begs everyone to help, he doesn’t look to butler and rossi as quickly as everyone else does. he looks at scho for a moment longer, and i think he’s genuinely concerned for the man – plus, he’s gonna keep helping to push anyways, it almost doesn’t matter if everyone else joins or not. he even moves to a spot where he’ll have to let go of the straps of the guns to push. and yeah, will isn’t the only one who wants the truck out of the mud, cooke isn’t only doing it for him, but i think his concern for schofield makes him want to help at least a little more.

we know jondalar cares and is pretty compassionate towards will, but cooke is no less so. even though jondalar is the one who helps will out of the mud, i think cooke would have if jondalar hadn’t. if you watch his boots, he takes steps back and towards will once the truck is no longer stuck, even though he doesn’t need to. once scho is up and talking to jondalar, we know cooke isn’t looking at him or trying to talk, that he makes a comment to the driver instead, but i think his presence is just his way of communicating his care and concern (whether scho receives that message or not is beside the point).

and then, of course, he gives his rifle back when they’re back in the truck. the thing about that, to me, is that everything in that exchange, from the moment he takes will’s rifle and shoulders it to the moment he gives it back, is unspoken. he doesn’t complain and he doesn’t try to give it back until they’re settled again. scho could have done everything with his rifle shouldered if cooke did it all with two, but cooke doesn’t make him. he just takes it and it’s a small act that is simultaneously meaningless and meaningful.

then everyone’s looking at scho and they all seem concerned, so imma gloss over that. but out of that interaction, i wanna talk about the “you’ll never make it”. again, i don’t think there’s any ill intent, he’s just putting it out there. as for scho’s response, i can’t say with certainty whether that grated on him a bit or if his response is also him convincing himself (or maybe both). but after a moment, cooke makes this face where he kinda pulls his lips in, and i don’t think it’s from being chastised or rebuked or anything. it’s almost akin to admiration and respect and seems to say “i hope you do”, and it’s just another display of concern and care in cooke’s own way.

his farewell is of course a mix of good luck and a very cooke-esque comment, but it doesn’t diminish it in any way. he keeps his eyes on will as he steps down, and when they make eye contact one last time, he gives him a nod that says a lot – good luck, i hope you make it, messages of respect, etc.

bottom line is that i love cooke and the way he shows how much he cares and is concerned just by being present and attentive. maybe i’m giving way too much to a character with a few minutes of screentime and whose care by my definition may just be an actor doing his job and the blocking of the scene but i don’t care, i stand by all that i’ve said. please feel free to respond and tell me what you think or if you agree or if you think i’m totally wrong, i love when people interact with the stuff i say (legit you could call me a stupid idiot and i’d be glad you responded)

ps cooke definitely has big younger sibling energy, i talked about it with @schofielded and i so think he’s a younger sibling (but probably with a big family, his younger sibling energy is different from tom’s and tom only has one sibling so it makes sense that cooke would have many, imo)

[haileymorelikestupid]

I can't even begin to imagine how hard it was for Joe to have his baby brother on the the frontline I wonder how Joe coped with that constant threat of never seeing Tom agai

oh my gosh i know. i have some ideas of my own based on what i can gather from the film and just my own headcanons

like, from the film, i honestly think tom being enlisted made joe a better officer. he deeply cares about his men in ways more open than other officers. leslie, for example - i wouldn’t say he’s a bad or uncaring officer, but he’s definitely a little rough around the edges, y’know? joe, on the other hand, is openly involved with his men, wants to make sure they’re okay, considers them on a level playing field, even as their superior. that’s why he watches all the wounded come in, directs them gently, checks them over briefly as he does. in the whole field in that shot, you don’t see anyone else doing that. it’s a level of care sometimes unseen from officers (although captain smith seems to possess a similar kind of paternal care, love him).

and we know this behavior is common for him, based on what major hepburn says to scho. “knowing lieutenant blake, he would have gone over with his men,” he says. meaning, blake is known to care for his men as an equal, not just a commander, and that includes not leaving them to fight alone.

sure, that could be out of joe’s own sense of duty and morality, and i’m sure that plays a large part, but i think it also has to do with tom. i truly think he is acting as the officer he hopes tom has to lead him. he recognizes that these men, too, are brothers and sons, just as tom is. they have families that are just as worried for them as he is for tom, so he will be the officer he hopes tom has.

as for what i like to personally imagine, i like to think that joe joined the war effort early on, out of duty and maybe also the thought that one more soldier may help the war end earlier (rationally, he knows one soldier won’t make a difference, but he ignores logic like that sometimes). if the war ends early enough, his family will be safe, including tom, and he can get back home to them. i think he hoped and prayed that tom would never have to enlist, even though he knew tom probably really wanted to. by the time tom enlisted, i imagine joe felt a certain sense of panic and dread, and that’s when i think he worked even harder to be a good officer.

i doubt he ever would have told tom not to enlist or even have been totally and completely honest about all that he saw. i bet he considered it at least once, telling him in detail to try to scare him out of enlisting, but he decided against it because a) they may have censored it and b) he didn’t want tom and his mother to be afraid for him. even if he got to go home on leave, i don’t think he would be able to bring himself to sharing all the details.

basically, i think joe just internalized all his thoughts and feelings about tom being on the frontline. he used them as motive to be a better officer, both to busy and even distract himself and to be the officer he wanted for tom. he loved his brother so much, was elated at the thought of seeing him because he missed him and was worried for him, and i think his love for his brother prevented him from ever expressing his worries to tom, lest he discourage him or speak anything into existence.

not that it mattered in the end, huh? seeing joe’s face when will didn’t respond right away kills me. all of his worst fears just came true, and it didn’t happen in some battle that took the lives of many brave soldiers. it happened when tom was on his way to him, on a suicide mission he knows tom was all too willing to take on, and in the grand scheme of things tom’s life didn’t matter to the war the way it mattered to joe. to erinmore and mackenzie and so many others, the bottom line is that the message was delivered - so what if another life was lost along the way. for joe, he’d rather tom be alive, even if it meant the message didn’t make it and neither did he

[thibouniverse]

i swear to whatever is out there that during the peak of my 1917 (the movie) obsession i saw an art of Blake and Schofield's hands, fingers intertwined, kinda crayoned style and in black and white? It was just their hands and I think the blood was there too (not 100% sure the whole thing was in black and white anymore though)

I rewatched the movie on April 6th obviously and now I'm dying to find this art (hoping this was not just my imagination) so I can put it as my lock screen